Um... hi... I'm back...

I'm so sorry. I was a lot busier than I expected- between projects, the music trip, concerts, rehearsals, tests and homework... I just couldn't find any time.

But, hey, I'm back! And summer is on its way and I promise I will update a lot more frequently when that time comes around. I will try to update beforehand, but I don't know how much time I will have with finals coming around. But I'll try!

Side note: So much casting for Shadowhunters has happened since I last updated! What do you guys think of everyone? Personally, I really like the cast so far. I mean, I haven't really seen them act, but they look the part, and Cassie said their auditions were really good and they all seem so enthusiastic about it! I just hope they can bring the characters to life.

Now we just have to wait for Malec...

I have a news blog on tumblr for the show, btw, so if you want to keep updated you can check tmi-tv-show-news on tumblr every now and then.

Answers to comments on the last chapter:

Guest (1)- Yes, this is based off the Sound of Music

Seiko Matsuzawa- I'm afraid I can't answer much without spoiling, but I'm glad you are enjoying it so much :) And your English was really good :)

The High Warlock of Glitter- in my A/N, when I said that I wanted Alec to fall in love with more than just Magnus, I didn't mean someone else, at least not the way you might think of it. I wanted him to fall in love with his new life, with the city, with the kids the way a brother might love their siblings or a father would love their children, and I wanted him to fall in love with the outside world, as opposed to the terrible idea he has of it.

Thank you to all the other kind reviews and to the people who, even though they don't like the Sound of Music, said they really liked this story. That really means a lot :)

Okay, enough of that, on with the story! Hope you enjoy :)

Song featured: What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong

Magnus POV:

It was around three in the morning when Magnus and Camille arrived at Magnus's home. The kids were long asleep, not expecting their father till that afternoon. But Magnus had managed to get an earlier flight, and he planned to surprise them in the morning.

Ragnor and Cat, on the other hand, agreed to stick to the original flight schedule, and would be arriving that afternoon.

The elevator came to a stop, and the doors opened with a ding. Magnus, ever the gentleman, gestured for Camille to enter first, while he followed. The luggage would come up with the bellboy; there was simply too much for Magnus and Camille to carry by themselves, and there was no way either would risk their manicures.

When the bellboy finally arrived, Magnus directed him to bring the luggages to his bedroom. As he did, Camille made her way to the balcony, looking out at the skyline of the city. She rested her forearms on the ledge of the glass railing, as if she were trying to take in as much of the view as possible. Magnus couldn't blame her; it truly was a beautiful sight, the skyline of the city at night.

The city did live up to it's reputation, "The City That Never Sleeps."

It was never really dark nor silent in The Big Apple, with the bright lights from the streets below and the surrounding buildings, and the sounds of traffic from down below. One look gave you a brief glimpse into a million lives that surrounded you. When you looked on from up high, it finally settled in how big the world was and how many people lived there. It could make one feel grateful to be a part of it all, yet, at the same, it could make you feel how insignificant you were compared to the grand scheme of everything.

But to Magnus, when he looked out at the city, he didn't see himself as insignificant, on the contrary, he saw the wonder in our world and the way, somehow, we managed to make all of our lives intertwine under one sky. Every light was another person, another story. Every dark alley hid a crime waiting to happen, while every car held a person rushing to get to the next chapter of their lives.

In the trains arrived people chasing their dreams whilst in the boats left the people out for a new adventure. Every building and skyscraper held the history of the city and every park was a breath of fresh air. Some might think that the city is a disgusting place filled with dangers and failed dreams.

But to Magnus, only one word seemed right to describe the city in which he found his home: Magical.

As Magnus watched Camille standing there, the picture of perfection, he felt his hand pass over his left jacket pocket. Making a split-second decision, he drew his hand away. Magnus walked up behind Camille, slid his arms around her waist, hugging her from behind, and placed a light peck on her cheek.

"It's beautiful," Camille whispered.

"As are you," Magnus whispered back.

"Reminds me of Paris," Camille said, turning her head to meet Magnus's lips. "Though I have to say Paris is a lot cleaner," she added after they broke the kiss.

"You'll come to love it nonetheless," Magnus told her.

"If you say so," Camille yawned. "We should go up to bed," she suggested. She pulled away, but grabbed his hand in hers.

"I'll be there in a moment," he excused. "There's a few things I have to check first."

"Okay," she agreed, pecking his cheek before turning away and heading back inside.

"Oh, the bedroom is up the flight of stairs ahead and at the end of the hallway," he called after her.

Once the door shut behind Camille, Magnus let out a sigh and turned back to the city. Reaching into his left pocket, he pulled out the small box that he had been carrying with him for the past month.

He snapped the lid open to see the diamond ring he had picked out two months ago; the very same ring that, at the time, he would have slipped on her finger in an instant but, now, had procrastinated using for over a month.

He had intended on proposing to her while they were in Paris, but every time he was about to, he changed his mind, made up an excuse. He then told himself he would do it the night they got back, but, once again, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Magnus snapped the lid closed again and put his head in his hands. Why has this happened? Why can't he bring himself to ask the question? He knew he wanted to marry her, wanted his kids to have a new mother, for months. But, every time his hands drifted to the pocket that held the ring, he saw a flash of blue in his mind, and drew his hand away.

No, Magnus told himself. He is not the reason why. You'll get over this, it's just fleeting attraction, that's all this is.

But, somehow, he seemed to be enough to postpone the wedding.

No. Stop thinking that way. You'll propose to her before she flies back to Paris, Magnus decided.

With that decision in mind, Magnus put the box into his pocket and went back inside, heading to his bedroom.

Upon arriving to his room, Magnus noticed that Camille had already fallen asleep. She must've been exhausted after the flight, he thought as he got ready for bed. He then shut off the lights and slipped in right beside her, softly, so as to not wake her up.

Sleep seemed to finally catch up with him, as it did with Camille. Magnus didn't realize how tired he was until his head hit the pillow and his eyes that had been staring up at the ceiling drooped to a close.

And, as he drifted off to sleep, the last thing in his mind, though he wouldn't remember it in the morning, were a pair of stunning blue eyes.

The next morning, Magnus woke up around eleven to find Camille still out like a light beside him. She had always been one to sleep in, even to Magnus, who slept like a cat. He turned his head to look at her, her blonde hair glowing under the few rays of sunlight that came through. Deciding that she probably wouldn't be up for a while, Magnus got out of bed and headed downstairs to get himself some breakfast. Maybe his kids would still be down there, rather than out in the park or still in bed, and he could give them a good morning surprise.

As he made his way down the stairs and towards the kitchen, he heard something; the faint sound of a melody.

And he froze.

Coming from the direction of — that room — Magnus could make out the strum of a guitar and a voice or two.

Without a second trout he made his way to the music room the room he had left locked, the room he told his kids not go in, the room that only unlocked a world of bittersweet memories.

He stopped by the door, unseen from the people inside. He could hear them, all of them, singing a basic warm up. He could also make out the sound of a violin and the tap of drumsticks. All of it had been unheard, and unused, for two years.

And suddenly, it all came back.

A strum on a guitar… the soft melody on a piano…the beat of drums…the twirl of two dancers…the laughter of children…

The last song.

A kiss goodbye for the day…the last smile… the last word…

"Goodbye."

"When will mom get home?" the kids had asked.

"She must be running late," Magnus had simply said. "Traffic must be worse than usual."

A ringing of a telephone… a solemn voice on the other end… a phone slipping from his hand… a mix of emotions… disbelief, sadness, fear, worry, hope that it wasn't true…

A whispered "no".

The rush to the hospital… the frantic rush of doctors… pleading to be let in to see his wife… the confusion of children…

The flat line of the heart monitor.

Magnus snapped himself to reality and stepped into the room, but didn't go much further than the entrance.

His kids and Alec didn't notice him at first. They continued their singing and playing but by then Magnus had blocked it out. All he could hear was the flat line of the heart monitor, a constant buzz ringing in his ear.

When their song drew to a close, the kids seemed to notice him. Their faces lit up and the youngest few exclaimed "Dad!" whilst they all made their way off the floor and towards him. The kids ran up and clutched on to him, smiles on their faces. But all Magnus could see was the damn hospital room with the still form on the bed.

"We missed you, dad," Helen's voice called out to him through the memory. He focused on her, and then on the room around him, filled with instruments that should have been untouched, but instead now had a few on the floor or in his kids hands.

"What are you doing in here?" Magnus asked them.

Alec POV

Earlier that day:

"Alec, come on, get up! We have practice for Dad!" a child's voice called out to Alec in his sleep while small hands shook his arm. He cracked his eye open to see Tavvy looking at him.

"Yay! You're up! Let's go!"

"Okay," Alec yawned. "Just give me a minute."

Magnus would be returning later that afternoon. At least, that's what he told them a few days ago. But flights are delayed or ahead of time all the time, so he could arrive at night, or he might arrive a little early. You could never really know for sure.

Later that morning for Alec and all seven children seated in a circle, doing a little warm up. They had been working on a song for the kids to present to their father when he arrived home. They knew they weren't supposed to be in that room but the hoped that they could bring music back into Magnus's life and give him a little treat. they hoped it would be something he would be grateful for and something he could take pride in his children for.

Alec was all too willing to help.

They were playing a simple song now, one of their warm up songs. It was one of the first he had taught the kids, and they picked up on in pretty fast. They loved to play it and since it was so simple, Alec had decided to make it one of the warm up songs.

When the song drew to a close, Alec was about to move on to the song they had been working on, when her heard an exclamation.

"Dad!"

The kids all rushed up from where they were sitting and mad their way to great their father.

But Alec saw the low on his face; the far of look of pain and loss and the look of someone lost in thought.

"We missed you, dad," Helen said to him and it seemed to bring him back. Except, with that, came the disapproving, upset look of a parent who caught their child doing something wrong.

"What are you doing in here?" Magnus asked them.

It was as if someone turned off a light switch, that's how quickly the mood shifted. Alec watched as Helen took a step back and as some of her youngest siblings, who had latched themselves onto Magnus's legs, loosened their grip.

"We were just—" Jules tried to explain.

"You know you're not supposed to be in here," Magnus told them. The children each took a step back from their father, not sure what to do.

"Yes, but—" Mark began.

"I told you all that you are not allowed in here," Magnus reminded them. He turned to Alec. "Did you make them do this?"

"We showed him the room," Helen defended, stepping in front of Alec. "It was our idea."

Magnus looked at her like she was an alien, a complete stranger to him. he had a confused look on his face, a look that said, "What happened? Who are you? What changed?"

After a moment Magnus looked away and said "All of you, out of the room. Leave the instruments in here."

Alec watched as the children shuffled out of the room, dejected looks on their faces, but he remained firmly in place. Helen gave him a look, silently asking why he wasn't following. He mouthed "I'll be there soon. Give me a minute."

"Magnus," a voice called into the room while the children made their way out. A human form soon followed, with a face Alec only knew through a computer screen.

When they were all gone, Alec turned his attention to Magnus. "That was a bit harsh, don't you think?"

"Excuse me?" Magnus accused, his voice laced with disbelief at Alec's comment.

"You were being a bit harsh," Alec informed him. "You shouldn't be so hard on them."

"Don't assume you can tell me how to raise my children," Magnus. "I can tell you I already know how to do that."

"I beg to differ," Alec argued. "You barely know them anymore. You didn't even bother to listen to them when they try to explain what they were doing in here. Do you know why we were in here? They wanted to work on a song for you for when you arrived home."

Magnus looked taken back, shocked at the outburst, but Alec didn't care. He hated it when parents ignored their children because he knew all too well what it was like to be in the child's place.

"You barely know them; you looked at Helen like she was a stranger to you because that's what she is now. You spent so much time away from them. I know that what happened was difficult for you but it was difficult for them to. And while you tried to make yourself feel better, taking time away from home, they had no one to help them through the loss of yet another parent. And with that they lost you too."

Magnus seemed to have composed himself, finally. "You've only been here for a month, how can you even think that you know—"

"Because I listen to them, I'm there for them, which is where you should be, not on the other side of the world. Those Skype messages are not enough, I can see it in their eyes. They miss you all the time. Why do you think you've been through so many nannies? It's because they want to see you. They know it's the only way to get you home."

Alec knew how that felt, growing up without your parents around. He had been the eldest son, but he never had anyone to guide him, to teach him what to do. He had to raise his siblings while his parents were away since he was seven. He had to cook them dinner, he had to wash their clothes, be there at every dance recital or talent show for Izzy and take Max to daycare since no one was at home to take care of him during the school day.

He was there for Izzy's elementary and middle school graduation, while, for him, there was no one in the crowd. He had no one to ask for help, no one to go to. He could only talk to Izzy, but he had to wait until she was old enough to understand. He couldn't even think about going to his parents or asking them for anything.

And the one time he got to talk to them, to tell them something he thought they would be fine with, they kicked him out.

"Don't close them out," Alec told Magnus. "Don't do what my…" he trailed off, turning his head down. "Don't ignore them. Don't push them away. They need you. They need you to be there for them when they graduate or have a game or win an award. They need your support. They lost their mother, their second mother, for that matter, and they feel as if you abandoned them. You need to show them that you love them."

"Are you suggesting I don't love my children?" Magnus tested.

"No, I didn't—"

It was as if something snapped inside Magnus, like Alec hit a sensitive spot, like he struck the wrong , suddenly, the man in front of him had so many walls built up around him, and all of his defenses were out and ready to be fired.

"You barely know me. How can you assume you know anything that I have been through? She meant everything to me! She was there for me when no one else was. She gave me the wonderful family I now have. She was the mother when they had lost theirs. And then she was gone." Magnus's voice got softer by the end.

He paused for a moment, drew a breath, and said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so harsh."

Another pause.

"I think it would be best if you leave," Magnus finished.

Alec couldn't believe his ears. "What?"

Magnus turned around and was walking away when he replied, "I'll have Claude gather your stuff. You should say goodbye to the children. I'll call for a taxi."

And then he was gone.

Alec stood in shock, trying to take in what just happened.

He was being sent back home. He was going back to the boarding school. The trip was ending early.

But he would have to leave the children.

He didn't know how he should feel. On one hand, he was excited at the prospect of returning home. And yet, he had grown so close to the kids; he didn't want to have to leave them so soon.

Helen's head popped into the room, followed by the rest of the children. Camille was with them as well, although she was clearly separate from the rest.

"We heard you and Dad fighting," Livvy said. "What happened?"

"I-um… I don't know how to say this…" Alec replied, avoiding the question.

"Will we still get to put on the song for Dad?" Dru interrupted, saving Alec.

"I don't know if he'd be willing to," Alec said to her. He watched as the last hope slipped from the kids' eyes.

He looked up to see Camille looking at the kids with concern when an idea popped in his head.

"But, we could still play the song…," he began.

"Really?" Tavvy asked hopefully.

"Of course, I mean, we might as well," he said aloud. It's my last day with you, after all, he added in his head. Turning to Camille, he asked, "Can we play a song for you?"

She hesitated for a split second before smiling. "Of course."

Alec arranged the kids in a row, with him in on the side, holding a guitar, and Julian on the other end with a ukulele. The song they were about to play was one picked by the children. They seemed to be very fond of the piece, though they wouldn't say why, other than they knew that Magnus would like it.

Alec counted them in, and then he began to strum.

Magnus POV:

He walked out of the music room where he had left Alec, turned a corner, and slumped against the wall. He hadn't meant to be so harsh on Alec, but the man struck a nerve in him when he mentioned Etta's death, and that nerve turned off all other senses of logic.

Then there was the fact that he had fired Alec.

It might have just been an in the moment type thing, but, besides, it wasn't like he really needed Alec anymore, not when he planned to have Camille had his wife, and his children's new mother. He didn't need him anymore, right?

He still felt bad about what he did, and yet, he was mad at Alec at the same time. What right did he have to say those things to him? And why had Magnus let him talk for long? If it had been anyone else, they would have been out the door the second they said "That was a bit harsh, don't you think?" Why did he go soft on Alec?

As he reflected on the last conversation, a faint strumming flowed through the hallway. Magnus was immediately alert and he made his way back to the music room.

He had told them to get out of that forsaken room.

He reached the door just as someone began singing.

I see trees of green,

Red roses too.

Magnus froze. He knew that song. Heck, he had that song engraved in his memory. It was the song that Etta had been singing in that karaoke bar the night they met. It was the song that played at their wedding. It was the same song she would sing to the children to help them fall asleep. It was their song, their's and their family's song.

But who was singing it? It certainly wasn't one of his children, he knew what each of their singing voices was like, yet none matched the melodic tone that flooded out from the room.

It couldn't be…

Magnus stepped into the room silently.

Alec?

Julian started strumming his ukulele, while Helen joined Alec in the vocals.

I see them bloom,

For me and you.

And I think to myself,

What a wonderful world.

Magnus leaned against the wall and watched as each of his children joined in, harmonizing with one another.

I see skies of blue,

And clouds of white.

He looked around at all of his children. The all looked so happy. The were the same as he knew them and yet, so different. They really have changed. How much had he missed?

But in that moment, he didn't see the regrets of the past, only the hopes for the future.

He took another step in and Camille seemed to notice him.

"Join me, Magnus, see what they did for you," she said softly to him as to not break the mood.

The bright blessed day,

The dark sacred night.

And I think to myself,

What a wonderful world.

And for once, the music didn't bring the bad memories of that night.

The colors of the rainbow,

So pretty in the sky.

Instead, it brought back the good times, without the bitterness that came with the incident. They came just as they came when they happened: joyfully.

Are also on the faces,

Of people going by,

He hadn't realized how much he missed music, the singing, the playing, and the dancing of it all.

I see friends shaking hands.

Saying, "How do you do?"

And Magnus didn't want to let go of this feeling again, and he certainly didn't want to take it away from his children again.

They're really saying,

"I love you".

And so he stepped further in the room, and he joined in.

I hear babies cry,

I watch them grow,

The others had stopped singing, surprised to see their father singing again. But nothing could wipe the smiles off their faces. And so Magnus sang the next lines to them.

They'll learn much more,

Than I'll ever know.

And I think to myself,

What a wonderful world.

He looked up, catching Alec's eye, and when he did, he couldn't help but smile.

Alec smiled in return. And when he did, Magnus felt warm inside.

And then Alec joined him for the last few lines.

Yes, I think to myself,

What a wonderful world.

Oh yeah.

There was a brief pause when the song ended. But then, after a second, all of Magnus's children rushed towards him and gave him one big group hug.

"I'm sorry for being so harsh earlier," he apologized to them.

"That's okay, Dad," Tavvy accepted. "We love you."

"Magnus, you didn't tell me your children were so talented," Camille pointed out.

"They are, aren't they."

"Well, I would sure like to talk to them about it over breakfast," Camille suggested. To the children she added, "What do you say?"

The children agreed to it, and the soon all left the room, leaving Magnus and Alec alone once again.

"Well," Magnus said, breaking the awkward silence between them. "Maybe its a little… early to fire you. What do you say, are you willing to stay the rest of the summer?"

Alec eyes him suspiciously before deciding, "I'd like that." He started making his way out of the room. he stopped right by the door, turned around and added, "Thank you."

And then he left.

No, Magnus thought. Thank you.

Thank you for bring music back into my life.

So, what did you think? I would love to know *wink wink*

Once again, the song featured was What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong.

Thanks for all the love guys! :)