Letting Jace lead the way up the stairs to the garden, plastic bag swinging ever so slightly at his side, Clary carried Nexus so that her eyes peeked over her shoulder, back at where her father stood waiting for Alec. Speaking of Alec, he was still seated in the library looking at his mother curiously, confused about what she wanted to say without Magnus' presence. He had his suspicions of course, but since they had always only appeared civil to each other, there was a pang of doubt that it involved his boyfriend at all. Maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part...
Clearing her throat, Maryse began, "Alec, your father and I have supported your decisions without question, but I must ask you - "
"I love Magnus," Alec cut her off, knowing where this going, "Loving him means, no matter how hard it is at times, accepting his past unconditionally. Without living the life he has, he probably wouldn't have been shaped into the man he is today, and we never would have fallen in love."
"You'll stand by his side no matter what? I envy that," Maryse had eventually told Alec and Jace of her faulty relationship with Robert when they had announced their divorce two years ago, "But I must ask, as your mother who loves you more than anything else in the world, what do you know of Devon Grey?"
Alec blinked, taken aback that she should bring Nexus' mother into the conversation, "Devon? What do you want to know about her?"
Maryse shook her head, small silver tears beading the edges of her eyes, "Alexander, I'm not saying that your relationship with Magnus is anything like what Robert and I had, but I do know it feels like to be in the dark, always doubtful of your significant other. And to add a child..."
That had been the wrong thing to say, "You think that he's going to use Nexus to keep me around? Is that it?"
She shook her head weakly, reaching out to her son, "No - "
Alec stood up from his seat, looking down at his mother as she shrank back, "I know that you love me, but to say something like that... It hurts that you still doubt us."
Maryse lowered her head, as if shamed, "I'm just afraid for you. No matter what, you will always be my son."
"You don't have to be afraid for us... Being a Shadowhunter means risking your life every single day, and risking the lives of everyone near you," He thought of Max especially, "But in this world, I know that we have each other. We're the one thing I can count on to be safe."
Maryse sighed, a soft smile attached to the end, "You're right. Out of every Shadowhunter and Downworlder I know, you two seem to have the most stable relationship."
Alec walked around the desk, wrapping his arm across her shoulders, "I love you mom."
She held his hand, "I love you too, Alexander."
X x X Fast Forward X x X Enter At Your Own Risk X x X Fast Forward X x X
(Sorta)
Sitting next to Jace, Clary had Nexus in her lap, knees on either side of the infant, "Can you believe that Magus finally asked Alec to move in with him?"
"If it weren't for your little brother, your mother never would have let you move into the Institute," He gently reminded Clary, wondering if she felt just a small bit of abandonment when Jocelyn and Luke had had the baby and allowed her to leave the house and move into the Institute. She didn't seem to, but he knew that he would have.
"Luke's was too small for all of us, and I refused to let him move. Besides, I would have moved here sooner or later," Her green eyes lingered on his gold ones.
Two years ago, after Luke and Jocelyn got married, they had a baby boy. Between Clary, the new baby, and the odd run-ins with trouble, Luke's small house just wasn't big enough too support everyone. Clary knew this, and so she had offered to move into the Institute. Luke was for it, well aware that she would end up moving there as a Shadowhunter, but Jocelyn was horrified at the thought of her daughter living with her boyfriend. She had gotten used to the fact that Jace was always going to be in Clary's life, but it was no secret that she still disliked the boy. Eventually, after Maryse had sworn an oath to Jocelyn that she would do her absolute best to keep them apart, she allowed Clary to move.
Nexus watched in wonder as the flowers that bloomed only at midnight unfurled themselves, "Ahhh!"
Clary beamed at the child, "Do you like the pretty flowers Nexus? Do you?"
Jace, poor neglected Jace, ate a sandwich in moody silence, muttering to himself, "Women."
"What about us?" There was an edge of danger to her voice when she spoke.
"You all like pink, flowery things," He covered what he was really thinking, even though they both knew that Clary was going to catch him.
"Uh-huh, I'm sure," She sighed, "Jace, you don't have to worry, being around cute babies isn't a contagious disease that makes girls want to have one of their own."
Only a complete moron could have missed the way tough, manly Jace squirmed whenever a wee baby was nearby, and Clary wasn't stupid, she knew what had been bothering Jace, "I want family with you, just not now."
A/N:
Yay, a happy moment for Alec! Wow, I dunno, I really don't have anything to say for this chapter...