Authors Note:
So, I think this is going to have one more chapter, and than and epilogue. I've loved writing this story, but it's coming to a great end, and I'm super happy with it! Now, this is pretty light with Clace and Sizzy, but super Malec oriented! And normally I'd like to make them proportionate, but Malec had some much to do than Clace and Sizzy and thats just how it worked out, and I'm sorry if you don't like that but I enjoy their section and this it's adorable! Let me know what you think and leave a review! :)
Chapter Twenty Eight
Time Jump – Birth
When Clary went into labor Jace wasn't as freaked out since he'd been through it before, but he was nervous. They had decided to keep the gender a secret, and he was excited to see what they were going to have this time. He would be happy with a boy or a girl, because Clary carried this baby to full term, and the doctor had assured them time and time again that the baby was healthy, and that was truly all Jace and Clary cared about.
They had been in the hospital for about 5 hours now. Beverly was with Alec and Magnus, and their parents were in the waiting room waiting for a nurse to get them so they could meet their next grandchild. Everyone was right, this family was growing exceptionally fast, but it was truly a blessing for everyone. When the door to Clary's hospital room opened and in walked the doctor, Jace prayed that it was time for Clary to push.
"Let's check you out Clary." The doctor said and we both nodded. "Looks like you're ready to push." She said and Clary sighed.
"It's about damn time." Clary said causing the doctor to laugh.
"Next contraction, push." The doctor said and she nodded. Jace took hold of Clary's hand and when the next contraction hit Jace felt like his hand was about to fall off, but he wouldn't want it any other way.
Time Jump – Two Hours Later
Jace walked into the waiting area and the whole family stood up and looked at him and Jace couldn't get the smile off his face.
"Would you all like to come meet my son?" Jace said and everyone got the biggest smile on their faces.
"You have a boy." Maryse said and Jace nodded.
"I have a son." Jace said and Maryse walked over and hugged him. "Come on." Jace said and he led them to the room. When he opened the door Clary was holding her little boy and she had the biggest smile on her face.
"He is so precious." Jocelyn said and Clary looked up and nodded.
"That he is." Clary said.
"What's his name?" Maryse asked.
"Stephan Alexander Lightwood." Jace said proudly.
"That's wonderful." Maryse said. "Truly wonderful."
"Would you like to hold him?" Clary asked and Maryse nodded. She picked the little bundle of blue up out of Clary's arms. Jace took a seat next to her and put his arm around her. He kissed her temple and Clary couldn't help but smile. This birth was so much more pleasant for everyone, and just seeing everyone smiling and enjoying the life that Clary and Jace created was something they missed with Beverly, and seeing it now, it was something that filled Clary's heart with love and joy.
Time Jump – A Couple Hours Later
Everyone mostly left by now, and Alec and Magnus decided to bring the kids over to the hospital. Beverly was too young to really know what was going on but Max and Rafe were excited to meet their new cousin, just like they were every time they were told someone else was joining the family.
Jace was sitting in the chair rocking Stephan when Alec and Magnus walked into the room. Max and Rafe immediately ran towards Jace while Alec walked over and handed Beverly to Clary.
"I miss you baby girl." Clary cooed to Beverly and she simply giggled.
"You have a son." Alec said and Jace looked up and smiled proudly.
"I have a son." Jace said and Alec smiled.
"What's his name?" Magnus asked. Jace looked up and smiled even wider.
"Stephan Alexander Lightwood." Jace said and Alec smiled.
"Means a lot man." Alec said and Jace smiled.
"Would you like to hold him?" Jace asked and Alec nodded. He handed Stephan over to Alec and Jace couldn't miss the huge smile Alec got on his face. Jace looked over at Clary and Beverly was curled into her chest sucking her thumb. Looking between his beautiful wife and daughter, and his amazing little boy, Jace knew he was lucky man.
~/~/~/~/~/~/~
Izzy was so in love with Emily that she couldn't even wrap her mind around it. She didn't think she could love anything so much in her life, but the moment she saw her little girl, she knew that nothing would ever happen to her, she would make sure of that.
Simon also never knew what instant love felt like. I mean, he knew he loved Izzy more than anything else in the world, but the love he felt for Emily was something that he couldn't describe. When Simon would get home, he would cuddle on the couch with Emily and love every lazy minute of it.
Emily was turning 7 months old today, and the minute Simon walked into the house and heard the giggles of his daughter and his wife, nothing else mattered. He walked into the living room to see Izzy sitting on the ground playing with Emily and his heart swelled.
"If it isn't my two favorite people." Simon said and Izzy looked up.
"You're home." Izzy said with a huge smile.
"Of course I'm home." Simon said with an amused look.
"It's just, it's a Monday and you normally work late on Mondays'." Izzy said and Simon put his stuff down and made his way over to her.
"My baby is 7 months old today. I wasn't working late." Simon said and Izzy smiled, picked Emily up and handed her to Simon.
"How sweet of you." Izzy said.
"I'm not going to miss any milestone." Simon said and Izzy laughed.
"7 months is hardly a milestone, but I understand what you mean." Izzy said. "She's growing up too fast."
"She really is." Simon agreed. "I mean, look at the chubby little legs. Soon they'll be walking all around this place." Simon said as he played with her legs and Emily continued to giggle.
"Clary was released today." Izzy said. "Her and Stephan are doing well, and Jace is over the moon happy to have his son at home."
"I bet." Simon said. "I know he loves Beverly more than anything on this planet, but I always pictured Jace having a boy."
"Me too. I really hope he looks like him too." Izzy said.
"Let's just hope he isn't as arrogant." Simon said in his baby voice as he cooed at Emily. "Isn't that right baby? You don't want your cousin Stephan to be as arrogant as Uncle Jace do you?" He cooed and Izzy laughed.
"He's mellowed out a lot since his high school days." Izzy said and Simon smiled.
"Very true. Clary was really a turning point for him." Simon said and Izzy nodded. Emily started fussing and Izzy picked her off Simon's lap.
"Feeding time." Izzy said as she got herself situated.
"Speaking of feeding. What would you like for dinner?" Simon asked getting off the floor.
"Surprise me." Izzy said and Simon nodded. He went into the kitchen and instead of cooking decided to order Chinese. When he got back to the living room Emily was done eating and Izzy was covering herself back up. Simon took a seat next to her and she was confused. "What about dinner?"
"It will be here in 30 minutes." Simon said and Izzy laughed.
"Didn't feel like cooking?" She asked.
"Didn't feel like being away from my girls longer than need be." Simon said and Izzy smiled. She leaned into Simon while Emily curled on her chest in her food coma and started to lightly snore. They stayed like that until the doorbell rang. Simon got up and paid for the food and returned to Izzy in the living room. He handed her the food, picked Emily up and placed her in her swinger. He grabbed some forks and joined Izzy back on the floor where they watched TV and ate dinner. Simon couldn't get over how perfect his life was, and Izzy couldn't believe that Simon never gave up after he knew all the terrible things she'd done and how awful she was to him.
Izzy was incredibly lucky Simon was as kind as he was.
Simon was incredibly lucky that Izzy saw something in him and gave him a chance.
And one day, Emily will know how incredibly lucky she is to have those two as parents, not matter how many times she gets grounded.
~/~/~/~/~/~/~
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Alec asked. "Max is only 3, and Rafe is only 5."
"Alexander, we've talked about this. Extensively." Magnus said.
"I know. I just want to make sure." Alec said and Magnus smiled.
"I'm ready if you are." Magnus said.
"I'm ready." Alec said and than the door opened and in walked Amanda.
"It's so good to see you both again. How's little Max?" She asked.
"A terror." Magnus said with a laugh. "But he's growing spectacularly, and he's such a joy."
"Ah, I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am that you two adopted him. He would still be in the system if it weren't for you too." She said.
"He's the perfect addition to our family." Alec said.
"And I heard you adopted another one." She said with the biggest smile on her face.
"Yea. His name is Rafe. He's from Argentina." Magnus said. "Max and him are so close."
"And you're here for another one?" Amanda asked and Alec and Magnus both laughed.
"Yea." Magnus simply said. "But this time we were looking to adopt a girl." He explained.
"Adolescent, child, toddler or infant?" She asked.
"We're not picky." Alec said.
"Okay. I'll grab some files, and you can look through them." She said and they nodded and she left the room.
"We could get a teenage girl, a 7 year old, a toddler or an infant." Alec said and Magnus laughed.
"You said we weren't picky." Magnus said and Alec smiled. Amanda walked back in the room with a stack of files, which cause Alec and Magnus's eyes both to widen.
"These are the ladies who I think would be perfect for you." She said. "I'll give you so time to look them over." She said. Alec and Magnus nodded before she left the room.
"You ready to potentially get a daughter?" Magnus asked. Alec smiled and nodded and they picked up the first file.
Time Jump – One Hour Later
By the time they made it through all the files, there was one girl who stuck out to both Alec and Magnus. She was 4 years old, and taken out of an abusive home. She had been in the system for about 8 months, and was about to get adopted but the family just couldn't deal with her nightmares, or her sudden mood changes. It was something that Alec and Magnus both felt strongly about, and they wanted to do everything in their power to help her in any way that they could. When Amanda walked back in she had her usual smile on her face.
"Did any of them stick out to you?" She asked.
"Yes." Alec asked. "Her name is Madison."
"Ah yea. Madison." Amanda said. "Such a tragic case. I'll call her social worker and we'll set up a meeting." She said and Alec and Magnus nodded.
"Thank you for your help." Alec said as they stood up.
"Anything for you two." Amanda said. They gave her a hug and headed towards the Lightwood's house to pick up Max and Rafe.
When they got there, Max and Rafe were in the living room watching something on TV so Alec and Magnus made their way into the kitchen to see Alec's parents.
"How did it go?" Maryse asked.
"We looked through a bunch of files of kids. All different ages, and we found a little girl who just spoke to us both." Alec said.
"What's her name?" Robert asked.
"Madison." Magnus said. "Was taken out of an abusive home. Was almost adopted but the family couldn't deal with the nightmares and mood changes she came with."
"That's so sad." Maryse said. "And you think you'll be able to handle her?"
"We have a tendency to take in the kids nobody wants." Alec said. "But that makes us want them all the more. I mean, we see it in Max and Rafe every day. Once they realize that someone wants them, you can just see a vast improvement." Alec explained. "I don't think Madison knows what it feels like to be taken care of, and she deserves that."
"You two are seriously the most kind hearted individuals I've ever met." Maryse said as she hugged them both.
"Everyone deserves to chance at a loving family." Magnus said. "And that's what Alec and I want to provide for those kids who other people think are problematic."
"That's very noble of you." Robert said.
"It's the right thing to do." Alec said and Magnus nodded in agreement.
"How were Max and Rafe?" Magnus asked.
"Perfect." Maryse said. "They are the best of friends."
"They do love each other like crazy." Magnus said.
"If you get this little girl, you're going to have a 3, 4, and 5 year old. I hope you know that." Maryse said and Alec laughed.
"We thought about it, but it didn't both us. Just means they'll be that much closer." Alec said and they nodded.
"Rafe, Max can you come in here!" Magnus called. And soon they were running into the kitchen. "What do you say to Grandma and Grandpa?"
"Thank you." They said in unison.
"Anything for my grandsons." Maryse said as she kneeled down and they ran into her arms. "We'll have another play date soon." She said and they nodded.
"Come on boys, lets go home." Alec said and Max and Rafe made their way over to them. They got them situated in the car and started driving home.
"Did you get us a sister yet?" Rafe asked.
"Not yet kids." Magnus said. "Hopefully soon though."
"Really?" Max cheered.
"Really. We just have to be patient okay?" Alec asked and the boys nodded. Magnus and Alec could both see how happy the boys were at getting a sister, and that just made adopting even more special to Alec and Magnus.
Time Jump – Five Days Later
Magnus and Alec were sitting in the coffee shop waiting to meet with Madison and her social worker. They were both incredibly nervous to meet this little girl, but they were also incredibly excited to get to interact with her. They wanted to bring Max and Rafe along to see how they interacted, but the social worker said that Madison was really shy and having a lot of people around her would make her uncomfortable and that was the last thing Alec and Magnus wanted.
When the bell rang, they looked up and saw an older woman, and a little black haired, blue-eyed girl walk in Magnus nearly fainted. She looked just like Alec and it made him just fall in love with her immediately.
"Alexander and Magnus?" The woman asked.
"That's us." Alec said. "And please just call me Alec."
"It's a pleasure to meet you." She said and we nodded. "I'm Christina, and this little cutie is Madison."
"Hi Madison." Magnus said. "It's nice to meet you."
"Hi." She simply said.
"Wow. She normally doesn't talk to people." Christina said.
"Hopefully that's a good sign." Alec said.
"Why don't you two tell us something about yourself?" Christina asked and Alec and Magnus nodded.
"Well, we've been together since college." Magnus said. "We've had out fair share of bumps and bruises but we made it through them all."
"We have two sons." Alec said. "Max is 3, almost 4 years old, and Rafe is almost 6."
"How did you two come to adopt them?" Christina asked.
"We found Max next to a dumpster." Magnus explained. "He was abandoned and born addicted to drugs. We took him to the hospital, but he stuck with us." He said with a smile. "Amanda told us that he would mostly likely spend the rest of his life in the system because nobody adopts a boy with medical problems, and that kind sparked our determination to adopt him. We wanted to give him a home."
"And the other boy, Rafe you said?" She asked and they nodded.
"Magnus was on a business trip in Argentina and Rafe was following him around. When Magnus offered to take him home, Rafe brought him to an ally where he slept." Alec explained. "Magnus couldn't leave him there so he took him to CPS, and he wasn't reported missing, or knew anything about his family. He'd been living on the streets practically his whole life." Alec said. "Magnus asked if it was possible if we could adopt him, and they said they wanted a meeting with the family, so a week alter we flew down and Max and Rafe got along instantly, and we started the paperwork. It's been amazing ever since."
"Wow. You two just love helping kids." Christina said.
"I come from a family that wasn't all that nice as well." Magnus explained. "And Alec lost his little brother some time ago." Magnus said as he took Alec's hand in his. "Family means everything to us, and being gay, and in this society, we've faced our fair share of backlash, but we've always come out on top. We're underdogs, and we like to show the world that damaged doesn't mean unlovable."
"Oh my." Christina said as she wiped her tears away. "That is so touching."
"It's just how we feel." Alec said.
"Madison, would you like to say anything?" Christina asked the little girl.
"I like your hair." She said as she pointed to Magnus and they all smiled.
"Thank you. I like yours too." Magnus said as he played with a curl and Madison giggled.
"Is it possible to get your other two sons here? I thought she would be a lot more reserved but she seems rather comfortable around you two, and I'd love to see her interact with the boys." Christina said.
"Of course. One minute." Alec said as he excused himself from the table and called his mom.
"Hello?" Maryse answered.
"Hey mom, can you bring Rafe and Max to the coffee shop? We want to introduce them to Madison." Alec said.
Of course. Be there in 10." She said. Alec hung up and made his way back to the table.
"My mom should be here with them in 10." Alec said and Christina nodded.
"Hey Madison." Magnus said. "Do you like to color?"
"Yes." Madison said and Magnus smiled. He got up, went to the waiter and got a piece of paper and come crayons and went back to the table.
"You wanna draw a picture?" Magnus asked and she nodded. She walked over to him and she climbed onto his lap and started coloring. Alec couldn't but smile, and when Alec looked at Christina, he could tell she was surprised at how comfortable Madison was with Magnus, but she had a smile on her face because Alec could tell she knew this meeting was going well, and she was happy about that.
When Maryse finally got there Max and Rafe ran into Alec and he hugged them both. Max got on Alec's lap and Rafe took Madison's seat while Maryse stood there and smiled.
"I'm Maryse, Alec's mother." She introduced herself.
"I'm Christina's social worker." She said.
"Very nice to meet you." Maryse said. "Well, I just got a call form Jace and Clary is extremely sick and he needs to get to work, so I'm going to go babysit Beverly and Stephan." She said and Alec nodded. "Call if you need anything."
"Thanks mom." Alec said. She kissed his head, kissed Max and Rafe and than left.
"Wow. Lots of kids." Christina said.
"My brother has 2 kids, and my sister has 1. She lives in Connecticut though." Alec explained and Christina nodded.
"Is this our sister?" Max asked.
"No blueberry. But her name is Madison." Alec said.
"Hi Maddie." Max said and Madison looked up and smiled.
"Hi." She said.
"I'm Max. I'm gonna be your brother." He said and Alec shook his head and laughed.
"Cool." Madison said and went back to coloring. Alec sat Max down on the seat and motioned for Christina to follow him away from the group. Once they were far enough away Alec spoke.
"How soon can we foster her?" Alec asked.
"Normally it would take a couple days." She said and Alec felt defeated. "But I can see how comfortable she is you with you guys, and she needs that. So I can rush the paperwork, and she can go with you tonight."
"Really?" Alec asked shocked.
"Really. I've been her social worker since she was pulled from her home. I was so worried about her, and when her other adoption fell threw, I was devastated. She's a sweet girl, and she deserves the world." Christina said. Alec nodded and they made their way back to the table. He kneeled in front of Madison and smiled.
"Hey sweet pea, how would you like to come home with us tonight?" Alec asked and Madison looked at him.
"Really?" She asked.
"Really." Alec said.
"Would I have to sleep on the floor?" She asked and it broke Alec's heart.
"You can have my bed!" Max said. "I can share with Rafe. You can borrow some of my PJ's too. Papa bought them for me, so they are really colorful!" Max said with a laugh that caused Madison to smile.
"What do you say sweet pea?" Magnus asked.
"I'd like that." She said and Alec felt like crying.
"Well, than it's settled." Christina said. "I'll rush that paperwork for you."
"Thank you so much." Magnus said.
"Take care of her. She's special." Christina said.
"Don't worry, we will." Alec reassured her. The spent another hour in the coffee shop, and Max, Rafe and Madison were bonding incredibly well. They felt like a complete family, and they couldn't wait to make it office with the adoption and their marriage.