Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

//I've been having a hard time adjusting.

I had the shiniest wheels, now they're rusting.//

Laughter floated through the air as freely as the drinks were poured, the room alight with excitement and joy. Shadowhunters and Downworlders freely mingled in the wide-open room, a reminder of the alliance that had been built with blood, sweat, and tears.

One person stood toward the back of the room, observing it all with a watchful eye. He carefully kept his emotions hidden away, knowing a celebration wasn’t the place for his mixed feelings.

It had been two weeks since the end of the bloody war that lasted two years with fights going back even further. Valentine Morgenstern and his son Jonathan were no longer threats to the Shadow World, the Circle finally rooted out and destroyed. The Downworld and Shadowhunters had built a shaky alliance at the beginning of the war, being strengthened over the course of time.

“It’s a celebration, hermano, not a funeral,” Isabelle said lightly, his sister appearing next to him with a teasing smile on her face. She was wearing what Alec knew was one of her favorite dresses – a tight red dress that showed off all her runes. “You’re the Head of the New York Institute, don’t you think you should mingle with the guests?’

Alec didn’t respond, instead trying to force a small smile to his lips to please her. It wasn’t as if he weren’t happy the war was over – he was. He understood why people wanted to celebrate the end of the war, but he wasn’t in the mindset where he felt ready for that.

Alec knew better than most how many had died in the war, both soldiers and innocent causalities. He was the one who had to sign the reports, inform the families, break the news to loved ones. He was the one who heard and saw the anger and grief in the eyes of those who lost much in this war. Far too Shadowhunters and Downworlders died trying to defeat Valentine and his forces, his son Jonathan having been more powerful than they thought. Not to mention the added struggle of trying to find the good members of the Clave they could rely on.

“You okay?” Isabelle asked, far too perceptive at times. Her brown eyes were full of concern and care, reminding him of all the times she had asked that question growing up.

Alec nodded, not quite trusting his words to come out in a reassuring manner. How could he explain that he could still see the blood on his hands? That he couldn’t wash it away? How could he tell her that the faces of those they had lost – including their little brother – still haunted his nights?

He knew something wasn’t right with him, something hadn’t been right for a while. But he knew he had to push it aside for now. He attempted to smile again, but the look in her eyes showed she could see past that. Still, she let it go, squeezing his arm and moving back to the center of the room to dance.

From his vantage point in the room, he could see his parabatai dancing freely as well, Jace always doing well in the spotlight. Jace threw back his head and laughed at something, hand in hand with Simon Lewis who he’d begun a tentative relationship within in the past couple months. Jace’s smile shone brighter than it had in a while, a clear weight having been lifted off his shoulders with Valentine and Jonathan gone. He’d let his blond hair grow out some, and Alec knew it was because he liked it when Simon would braid it.

“And I thought us vampires were the ones who kept to the shadows,” a familiar voice drawled, Lily Chen appearing next to him. Her black hair was streaked with neon pink, in stark contrast to the black trousers and corset she was wearing.

Alec quirked a corner of his mouth upward. “Shadowhunter.”

“You got me there.” Lily swirled her wine glass before taking a sip, staring out at the party as Alec did.

She handed Alec the other wine glass she was holding, one absent of blood and filled with his favorite kind of wine. He accepted it gratefully, the taste comforting and familiar.

Lily was second-in-command of the Brooklyn vampire clan, and he’d known her for years now. She was one of the first Downworlders he became friends with. He gradually earned her trust, and she earned his respect. The Shadow World Council had two to three representatives for each faction and race, Lily being one of those, so they worked together often. Those on the council knew the toll of being a leader – Lily, Maia, and Alec often going out for drinks in what they pretended wasn’t an effort to forget.

“You should be out there celebrating,” Alec said, wishing his own mood had not taken such a dive. Somedays he could push it all aside easily and be in the moment, but days like these it was hard.

Lily hummed noncommittedly. “Is that what people said you should be doing? Celebrating?”

He didn’t bother responding. He knew she already knew that answer.

She sighed wearily in a way that reminded Alec of how many decades she’d been alive, having seen far more than just this war. Her eyes softened though, as she turned to him. “We celebrate what we’ve won, but we can still mourn what we’ve lost. The war is over Alec, what do you want?”

Alec wasn’t sure how to answer. He couldn’t remember the last time someone asked him what he wanted. From birth his path had been paved – to be an obedient son, to be a good soldier, to be Head of an institute. He had fought against some of the obligations, like delaying marriage, and because of that he knew his parents would never truly be happy with him.

What did he want? He knew what he needed to do. There was still much to be handled with the end of the war – compensations, funerals, memorials, accords…

“I want rest,” Alec said in a quiet voice, both aware that the word encompassed far more than a simple night of sleep.

Lily smiled at him, her hand drifting toward his to squeeze it in a comforting manner. “Then let’s see what we can do about that.”

Chapter Text

The air was crisp and cold, a faint bite to the wind as it carried the ocean spray toward the rocks. February brought snow with it, snowflakes attempting to paint the rocks and sand yet being washed away by the waves. Most people wouldn’t venture to the cold of the coastline at this time of year, but there was a man standing in front of the ocean staring out at the view.

It had been five years since Alec moved to Canada. Lily had helped him locate this place - a small town of Downworlders and mundanes with the sight, a safe place for those in the Shadow World who wanted a break or escape. Everyone in the town had something in common - they all wanted to get away from something. It was a nice change of pace from New York City, and the quiet was welcomed.

After the nightmares grew worse, he had finally taken Lily’s advice to see a therapist for those in the Shadow World. He used to see her every week, but now the visits had tampered off to when he felt he needed one. The official term his therapist had given him was PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder. It was a comfort to know he wasn’t alone in his struggles.

Sometimes it felt like a lifetime had passed since that night at the party where Lily asked him what he wanted. He truly hadn’t thought it would be possible to get this, to retire from being Head of the Institute and step away from active duty. But between Jace’s pull as a Herondale and in recognition for Alec’s efforts in the war, the Clave was willing to give him this. Life was a much slower pace than before. He was finally able to get the help and rest he desperately needed. He was doing good now.

Isabelle had stepped up to be Head of the Institute, Lydia initially co-heading it with her while Clary trained for it. Two years ago, Lydia was promoted to Inquisitor as Clary was instated as co-head. Jace was Head of Operations at the Institute, overseeing the general coordination of patrols, attacks, and the Downworlder deputies.

A cold nose brushed against his hand, drawing Alec’s attention to the faithful Newfoundland dog by his side. He moved his hand to brush his dog’s soft brown fur, Maple licking his hand in response.

“Papa, come look!” a young voice shouted out excitedly, his son leaning over the sand and picking something up. It was a rock, which was interesting to the five-year-old.

Alec smiled at Rafael, ruffling the boy’s hair. “Cool rock. You want to add it to your collection?”

Rafael nodded with a smile. “Yes please.”

A small hand tugged on Alec’s hair before wrapping both hands around his forehead. “Snack?”

Alec chuckled, keeping a steady hand on Max to hold him in place. “In a second, Max. Come on, it’s time to head to town so we can pick up Madzie.”

Madzie, Rafael, and Max were the biggest change - and blessing - upon moving. He never expected to be a dad, let alone this soon and while being single. But circumstances changed and each of the kids entered his life. He wouldn’t trade them for the world.

Alec was officially their father now, having adopted each of them.

Rafael carefully handed the rock to Alec, which he slipped into his pocket. Rafael laughed and started to run, Maple barking enthusiastically and running alongside him. She was a good guard dog for them.

They began their walk back up the pathway up the slope to head toward town. Alec kept a close eye on Rafael, his snow boots crunching over the ice and snow.

It didn’t take long for them to reach town, various people milling around on the sidewalks. The air was brisk and cold, grey clouds rolling in. There was a chance of a snowstorm hitting within the next few days, meaning everyone in town needed to be prepared.

Rafael and Maple led the way, heading straight to Mila’s Bakery Shop. Thankfully, no one minded if Maple went into any of the stores or places since she was well trained. The bell at the door jangled as they entered, the warmth of the bakery in stark contrast to the cold outside. Rafael didn’t hesitate to shed his coat, boots, scarf, and hat by the door, running right over to Mila at the counter.

Alec followed a bit slower, slipping off his coat and shaking the snow off his boots. He brought Max down from his shoulders, helping the two-year-old take off the heavy jacket. Max wiggled in his grip, waving his navy-blue hands to show he wanted to get down. Alec was grateful to live in a town full of Downworlders where his kids didn’t have to be glamoured, so Madzie could feel comfortable with her gills and Max could keep his blue skin and little horns.

Alec set Max down, the toddler walking carefully toward his brother. Max managed about three steps before slipping, falling flat on his face as Alec winced in sympathy. It took less than three seconds for him to cry at the top of his lungs, Alec reaching down to pick him up and swinging him into his arms.

“I’m sorry that happened, mijo,” Alec whispered, patting Max on the back after checking to make sure he wasn’t actually hurt.

It took Max a few moments to calm down, eventually sucking his thumb and resting his head on Alec’s shoulder.

“Papa, can I have hot chocolate please?” Rafael asked, tugging on Alec’s pants.

Mila was standing by the counter with a grin, the older werewolf crossing her arms with her usual apron on. Her greying hair was pulled back in a bun, a bit of flour on her cheek from baking.

“Yes, you can,” Alec answered. He glanced over at Madzie who was intently talking with her friend, Leila.

He walked over to the counter to finish ordering, getting the boys a muffin to split and getting Max a bottle of chocolate milk. Max wasn’t fond of hot drinks.

“How’s it going today, Mila?” Alec asked after ordering, handing her the money.

“Same ole, same ole,” Mila answered. “I’ve been keeping my eye on that storm out there, looks like a bad storm is coming.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’ve heard,” Alec said, mentally thinking of what they had at home to get through potentially a week of being stranded.

Due to the size of their town, they had to be self-sufficient if they wanted to plow away the snow after a storm but there was only one small snowplow. There was never good cell reception during storms, but they could send fire messages in emergencies. So, it would always take a while to get out of their houses after a bad storm.

There were a few warlocks in town or nearby, so magic came in handy in those emergencies, but generally they all dealt with it. At this point, they were used to life in the snow. Madzie, Max, and Rafael would all get very excited whenever they would do their first trek into town after a few snowed in days.

“I’ll have those drinks out in a jiffy,” Mila said, winking at the boys before heading other to the drinks.

Alec took the muffin from the counter, leading the boys to the table that Madzie was at. She was eating a cookie happily, a mug of hot chocolate in front of her as well. Her friend, Leila, was chattering excitedly next to her.

Alec sat down next to Nya, Leila’s mom. “Hey Nya, thanks for keeping an eye on Madzie this afternoon. I know she’s been having fun.”

“It was no trouble,” Nya reassured him before sipping on her drink. She seemed relaxed, leaning back in her seat comfortably.

Nya and Leila were newer to town, having moved here right before winter hit. Nya was the only other Shadowhunter in their town, having fled her post a few months ago with Leila and was pregnant. Alec wasn’t certain exactly what she had experienced to make her run like that, but from her wariness and general distrust – especially at first – he could take a few guesses.

Growing up as a Shadowhunter, he used to think poorly on those who deserted their “calling” as Shadowhunters. Now, years older and wiser, he understood. It was something that made him appreciate the safe haven that this town was.

“She’s been good though? No magical pranks?” he asked, though he knew Madzie usually only pulled those pranks on those she’d known for years now.

Nya shook her head with a laugh. “No, nothing of the sort.”

Mila dropped off the drinks a moment later, Alec thanking her before looking out the window, the snow beginning to fall a bit harder.

“Do you feel okay about the storm?” Alec asked. During the last big storm, Nya and Leila were still living in town in the Bed & Breakfast but now they were on their own on the outskirts of town, a couple miles from them.

Nya fidgeted with her old wedding ring that was dangling on a necklace before summoning a smile. “Yeah, we’ll be fine. Barrett was kind enough to make sure we had enough wood and supplies.”

Barrett owned the Bed & Breakfast in town, a kindhearted werewolf. He was one of the first ones Alec met in the town, having stayed at the Bed & Breakfast for a few days before the house sale went through on where he lived now.

“Okay. If you need anything, just send me a fire message, okay?” he offered, since he was their closest neighbor out there.

She nodded. “I will. Thanks, Alec.”

“Papa, can I have another hot chocolate?” Madzie asked, turning her attention away from her friend and toward Alec.

Alec gave her a considering look, eyeing her empty cup and the cookie crumbs left on the plate. “I know Mila makes the best hot chocolate, Mads, but if you have any more sugar, you might just explode.”

Madzie giggled. “You can’t explode from sugar!”

Alec shrugged, hiding his grin. “I don’t know about that; I think I’ve heard of a few kids exploding from too much sugar.”

Madzie glanced toward the counter where Mila was starting to clean up for the day. Her shoulders drooped a little. “I really love hot chocolate.”

“I know, but remember, we need to space out how much sugar you have. We can make tea though, when we get home if you want?” he offered, the young warlock thankfully loving hot tea.

Madzie lit up at that, nodding her agreement.

It didn’t take them much longer to finish their pastries and hot chocolate – though it took longer to clean up the chocolate milk that Max spilled.

“It was good seeing you, Nya,” Alec said with a warm smile.

Nya offered a smile back. “You too, Alec. Take care.” She turned her gaze to Madzie. “It was good seeing you today, Madzie.”

“I love you, Madzie!” Leila declared, pulling her into a tight hug which Madzie returned with a grin.

Nya and Leila left first while Alec tried to help his kids into their coats, boots, hats, and other warm clothing.

“Okay, crew, we have one last stop by the store to make,” Alec announced, wishing he had his truck with him.

“But what about dinner?” Rafael asked, despite having just eaten pastries and had numerous snacks that afternoon.

“Dinner will be ready when we get home, Rafe. Remember? We started the soup before we left,” Alec reminded him, swinging Max back into his arms. He turned toward the back of the bakery, Mila about the close up for the night. “Thanks, Mila. Have a good one!”

“It’s my pleasure, come back soon once the storm blows over! Stay warm, kiddos,” she called back fondly, waving.

Alec opened the door, Madzie and Rafael following Maple out of the door. Rafael kept a hold of Maple’s harness, the strong dog helping to keep him stable as he stepped onto the icy sidewalk. Madzie reached back to hold Alec’s hand.

“Did you have fun with Leila today, Madzie?” Alec asked, having dropped her off a couple hours ago.

She nodded. “Papa, why does Leila only have a mommy and we only have a papa? Marshall and Addy have two parents.”

“Families can look lots of different ways,” Alec said gently, having discussed this with her a few times before. “Some kids have one mom or dad, other kids have two moms or two dads, or sometimes kids live with aunts or other relatives. Sometimes kids are biologically from the parent, sometimes they get adopted. It’s part of what makes family special.”

Madzie seemed to consider this as they continued their short trek to the store. Rafael, on the other hand, seemed to have zoned into the topic.

“If you get married, does that mean we’d get another papa?” Rafael asked, the kids aware that Alec was gay.

Alec tried not to groan at the topic change, already able to picture the kids scheming. He hadn’t dated much since moving here besides a few dates and one relationship, but he hadn’t dated anyone since Max came along. It wasn’t as if there were many options in their small town, and while he liked the idea of a relationship, his priorities had shifted since the kids.

“Yes, I suppose it does,” Alec said. “If that day ever did come, we would all make sure that he was a good fit for our family. But for now, let’s see if we can pick out the special treat for during the storm!”

Madzie and Rafael exchanged excited expressions. During any type of storm, they always had at least one special treat on hand. Sometimes ice cream, sometimes Alec would bake something, and sometimes they would simply pick candy.

Alec swung the door open to the local grocery store. Madzie was quick to grab a kid-sized grocery cart,

Since they were already stocked up on the essentials and most necessities, they didn’t need much from the store. Alec grabbed another quart of milk, more oregano since they ran out, cereal, and a few other items.

“Can we have cookies as our treat?” Madzie asked.

“Ask your brothers,” Alec responded.

It didn’t take much to convince Rafael, though Max was more hesitant. “I want ice cream.”

Max loved the cold, loved any type of cool beverage or food no matter the temperature. Alec wondered if any of that could be attributed to his type of magic perhaps, but he wasn’t sure.

“I’ll make cookies and we can get a little bit of ice cream,” Alec said, knowing it was practically impossible for the three of them to agree on one thing.

They loaded all the groceries into Madzie’s cart, the seven-year-old competently steering it to the check-out where Ted was.

“It’s getting windy out, isn’t it?” Ted said. He glanced over at Alec. “Need to borrow a sled for the groceries?”

Their house was close to town, so sometimes they walked if the roads were too icy to drive. Ted kept a few sleds on hand if anyone didn’t bring one.

Alec shook his head. “I have the truck today, actually.”

The truck had been one of his first purchases upon moving there, and thankfully seated up to five people which worked out well for the kids. It was a pale-yellow color, which his siblings had found amusing when they found out since Alec grew up only wearing black and never really branching out in colors.

Once they had their groceries in hand, they walked outside to the truck. Alec buckled Max into his car seat, Madzie and Rafael able to buckle themselves. Maple jumped into the passenger side, and Alec put the groceries in the floorboard.

“Alright, kiddos, let’s head home.”

Chapter Text

It was a short drive, but it was worth it to bring the truck most days rather than trying to carry the groceries. Besides, Max would want to be held and sometimes Rafael or Madzie would too.

Max talked most of the way home, Madzie and Rafael interjecting their two cents worth when they felt like it. Alec half listened, mostly focusing on driving carefully in the snow and ice. The road to his house didn’t get plowed or shoveled often, so he had to go slowly.

The house soon came into sight, though the lighthouse came into view sooner. It was a cozy stone house built around a tall lighthouse. There was a garage on the side that Alec had added a couple years ago to protect his truck, and a treehouse in the backyard though the kids didn’t use it much in the winter.

Alec parked the truck inside the garage, the kids unbuckling as soon as the truck rolled to a stop and hopping out. Soon, all four of them and Maple were inside where it was warm.

Alec put away the groceries as the kids shed all their layers, all of them throwing their coats and such all over the floor.

“Hey, put away your coats, scarves, and gloves in the cubby where they go, okay?” Alec called out from the kitchen, already able to tell they weren’t putting their things away.

Madzie was pretty good at putting away her stuff, but she also forgot a lot and Rafael tended to throw things. And Max was two, so Alec didn’t really expect him to help much. He set up cubbies by the door so they could put whatever they just wore into the bins, that way snow didn’t track into the house, and he could put things away later.

With hungry stomachs, the kids clambered into the kitchen. Alec set out the bowls of soup for himself, Rafael, and Madzie, giving Max the other food he liked better. Soup was one of the best meals on days like these, and he was glad the kids mostly liked soup.

“Where did you learn to cook, Papa?” Rafael asked, taking a huge bite that didn’t quite all fit in his mouth.

“I learned some when I grew up at the Institute,” Alec answered. “From a Shadowhunter named Cecilia.”

Cecilia was one of the oldest Shadowhunters in the New York Institute, and a bit of a mother or grandmother even to all the younger Shadowhunters. In hindsight, it was sad how she was the only adult that really showed up in Alec's life.

“Mila taught me more when I moved here though,” he continued, shaking off the memories.

“Maybe Mila should teach Auntie Izzy how to cook,” Madzie declared, the kids knowing well that Isabelle was a horrendous cook.

Alec chuckled. “Perhaps that would help.”

He wished the kids were able to see Isabelle and Jace more often, but the two Shadowhunters were busy their duties at the Institute. With Clary able to create portals, however, it did help with visits so they would see them every couple of months at the very least. Alec had brought the kids to New York a few times too, but generally he would let them visit here instead of packing the kids up.

“Do bugs have feelings?” Rafael asked.

“Yes!” Max exclaimed enthusiastically.

“I don’t believe so,” Alec added, which sparked a debate between Madzie and Rafael. Max focused more on smashing his blueberries all over his highchair.

Following dinner, they played a couple games before moving into their bedtime routine. After quick baths to wash off the snow and dirt from the day, each of the kids brushed their teeth – Alec helping Max – and put on their pajamas. Madzie’s hair was already in braids, but Alec helped her slip on her silk bonnet over them to protect them.

All three of them huddled in Rafael’s bed for story time, the boys sharing a room. Alec sat in the middle, Max on his lap with Madzie and Rafael on either side.

“My turn to pick!” Madzie declared, ignoring the boys protest since it was her night to choose the book. She grabbed one of the nearest books off the shelf, a children’s book about two warlock children going on an adventure with their Downworlder friends. It was written by Adeline, one of the warlocks in town. She also owned the local potion shop and taught classes at the small school.

With the children all tucked into bed after the story, Alec headed back to the living room to read a book. Maple followed him down, laying at his feet when he settled back on the couch.

His phone buzzed with a text from Clary.

Red: You up?

He texted back a yes. Three seconds later, a portal opened in the living room, Clary stepping out. She was dressed comfortably, wearing a sweatshirt that looked like one she stole from Isabelle and a pair of leggings. Her red hair was pulled into a messy bun.

Clary went right over to the kitchen, pouring herself a mug of hot water from the kettle and adding in hot chocolate mix.

“Bad day?” Alec guessed.

When she was having a rough day and Isabelle wasn’t available, Clary liked to crash his place. She said it was a safe place to rest, and she said it was a nice relief away from the “idiotic Shadowhunters” of the Institute.

Clary and Isabelle began dating three years ago, gradually growing closer over time before finally confessing that they were in love with each other. Alec won fifty bucks in a bet with Simon, who thought it would take them another year. The two of them got married about half a year ago.

“Ugh, I need a vacation,” Clary complained, sitting down on the couch, and throwing her feet up across Alec’s legs. She took a long sip of her hot chocolate, petting Maple when the Newfoundland treaded over to her.

“Want to talk about it? Or I can delight you in the latest adventures of the kiddos?” Alec offered with a faint smile.

Clary returned the smile. “I would love to hear the adventures of my favorite kids, but first give me five minutes to complain.”

Alec chuckled, used to her antics.

Clary took a deep breath, filling him in on her trainwreck of a day. “Well, we just got a whole new batch of recruits this week. Half of them act like they are the sole reason the Institute is functioning, used to their parents’ money lining the pockets of the Clave. There’s this one recruit in particular who is just infuriating! He acts like we’re lucky to have him and is so arrogant, running around recklessly and refuses to listen to orders.” She huffed. “I’m giving him one more week to shape up or I’m shipping him off to be the Clave’s problem.”

Alec tried not to laugh, able to sympathize with that struggle when he was Head of the Institute but remembering how headstrong she had been when she showed up. They had clashed a lot, both with sharp words toward the other. He used to think they would never see eye to eye, but they had both grown a lot. During the war they eventually became friends, and after he moved, they became closer friends.

When she was training to be head of the Institute, she often came by for Alec’s advice on how to learn and grow in politics and leadership. She still came by for advice sometimes, though as her confidence grew then she tended to just have her complaint rants.

Finishing her story, Clary took another sip of her hot chocolate, cradling the mug close. “So yeah, that was my day. Now, tell me about my favorite little kiddos and how your day was.”

“My day went better than yours, thankfully,” he said with a laugh. “Rafe and Mads had school this morning, so Max hung with me to the bookstore. He has now discovered how to fly and tends to levitate above the bookshelves. Maple barks whenever he does it.”

While there weren’t tons of kids in town, there were enough for a small school. The lessons were created specifically for those in the Shadow World – teaching Downworlder history, basics of magic theory and potions, as well as the usual mundane lessons. Adeline was the primary teacher, but there were others that would teach other lessons – like Lucy speaking about werewolves, or Charles helping with magic lessons. Since Adeline owned a potion shop as well, others would step up to teach if she wasn’t available. It wasn’t as formal as usual mundane schools and catered more to the children’s specific needs.

Clary laughed. “I can just picture you running down main street trying to catch him.”

“I’m hoping to avoid that, but his magic is strong for a toddler,” he answered. “Adeline said it isn’t uncommon for kids to branch out with their magic like this but said young warlock magic is protective in nature to the child so it shouldn’t do anything to harm him.”

“That’s good.”

Alec filled her in on the rest of their day, like how Rafael and Max sled down the slope at the beach. He included a few other funny stories from the past week.

“I’ll need to come back soon and see them,” Clary said. “Though I think I’m about to be swamped for the next few weeks. We’re having an inspector from the Clave coming around and I need to stick close to the Institute.”

Alec frowned. “Anything wrong?”

“No, just a standard check-in since we’ve bene having an influx of demonic activity,” she explained. “Lydia’s the one sending the person, so we aren’t really worried. Still, we have to make sure everything is going well.”

Alec smiled. She and Isabelle were doing well together running the Institute. They both complemented one another’s abilities and skills.

“Want to stay the night?” Alec offered, the redhead sometimes crashing the spare bedroom when she had a night off. “Before the inspector arrives?”

Clary shook her head, reluctantly standing up. “I need to get going. Izzy’s shift is about to end, and I should get back to see her.”

“Okay, tell her I said hey,” he answered, pulling her into a warm hug. “Take care, Red.”

Clary smiled, squeezing her arms around him before letting go. “Thanks, Beanpole.”

He rolled his eyes fondly, ruffling her hair and messing up her bun. “I told you not to call me that.”

She just laughed, stepping back to make a portal. She drew the rune and the portal sprung up, the Shadowhunter stepping back through.

Alec went through the motions of finishing cleaning up and doing the dishes before sitting back down to read. However, within an hour of Clary leaving, the power shut out in the house. Sighing, Alec got up and turned on the generator so they would have heat and some light.

He could hear the wind howling outside and turned on his phone to see if anyone from town was having trouble. No cell service. He wasn’t surprised – as soon as the storms grew worse the cell reception grew worse as well. Even on a good day it wasn’t always great.

“Papa! Papa!” Madzie shouted, the sound of her voice coming from up the stairs.

Alec jumped up, hoping she hadn’t woken up her brothers, and ran over to the stairway. She was standing on top of the stairs wrapped in one of her small blankets, clutching her favorite stuffed animal frog in one hand.

“What’s wrong, sweetpea?”

“I had a bad dream,” she said, fidgeting with her blanket. “Can I come downstairs with you?”

“Of course, sweetheart,” Alec said, picking her up when she held out her arms to be held.

Alec sat down with her on the couch, pulling a thicker blanket closer around her for warmth. Madzie rested her head against Alec’s shoulder, hugging her frog close.

“Do you remember what the dream was about? Do you want to talk about it?”

“I had a dream there were evil birds that carried me away from you,” she said. “Then the birds turned into butterflies which I liked, but it was still scary.”

Alec wrapped his arm around her. “I’ll keep you safe from evil birds and butterflies, Mads.”

“I love you, Papa.”

“I love you too.”

Alec reached over to the coffee table and picked up one of Madzie’s favorite storybooks. He read it to her until her eyes began to droop closed. Once he was sure she was asleep, he carried her back to her bedroom and tucked her into bed.

He walked back downstairs to check the locks once more before bed when Maple started to growl. The big Newfoundland dog started to pace in front of the door, scratching at it.

“You know, you chose the worst times to go out,” Alec muttered, throwing on his coat and some boots. Normally he would let her out by herself, but in the storm, he didn’t want to risk her getting lost in the snow.

Bracing himself for the cold, Alec carefully opened the door and let Maple out on the porch, stepping right outside and closing the door behind him. There was already several more feet of snow then there was when they arrived home, the snow having been steadily coming down since the drive.

Instead of walking off to the porch to do her business as usual, Maple started to bark and ran out into the storm. Cursing loosely and wishing he had some runes activated, Alec ran after her.

“Maple!”

Thankfully she didn’t go far, stopping a dozen yards from the house while nudging at something in the snow. She barked at Alec, pacing back and forth at the figure in the snow.

Frowning, Alec bent over in the dark and turned the flashlight on that he brought. The light revealed what was lying there.

A man.

Chapter Text

Everything was warm. Everything ached faintly. His magic feeling strangely lethargic under his skin, distant.

Where was he? What was the last thing that happened?

Gradually breaking through the waves of exhaustion, he started to zone into the sounds and sensations around him. There was the sound of a dog’s paws treading across a wooden floor, little feet running behind. Drawers being opened, a cabinet being shut.

“Has anyone seen my stele?” a man asked, his voice deep and soothing.

“No,” a young child answered.

“Oh, I think I left it at Leila’s house. Remember? You said I could hold onto it for you so I could have a magical wand!” a girl exclaimed.

The man sighed. “That I did. I think next time we should go to Miss Adeline for a wand, huh?”

“When is the man going to wake up?”

“Is he dead?”

“Oh, maybe it’s like Sleeping Beauty and he needs a true love’s kiss!” the girl declared, sounding satisfied with herself.

“Or maybe he had hypothermia and collapsed from exhaustion, so he needed rest,” the man replied matter-of-factly.

He wanted to open his eyes, but everything faded out once more.

---

Alec crossed his arms, looking down at the sleeping figure on the couch. He frowned, a bit concerned that the stranger hadn’t woken up yet. It’d been at least ten hours since finding him.

After finding him in the snow last night thanks to Maple, Alec had carried him inside to where it was warm. It took a while to do so – having to strip him out of his wet clothes and put him in dry clothes. Alec was surprised the man hadn’t had worst hypothermia, but he had stay up all night to monitor his breathing. When checking for injuries, it appeared the man hit his head though it was a small wound thankfully.

When Alec first moved to Canada, one of the first things he learned was how to treat hypothermia, frostbite, and any cold related injuries. He already knew basics of first aid from being a Shadowhunter.

The power had come back on this morning, but cell reception wasn’t working. He wanted to send a fire message to someone in town, but apparently Madzie left his stele in town, and he hadn’t bothered with having an extra on hand. He needed to ask Clary or Isabelle about an extra one next time they visited.

How did the man get out there? They were practically in the middle of nowhere, and town didn’t have many visitors at this time of year. Even if there were visitors, no one would chance going out in a snowstorm like this which was still raging outside.

“Madzie, don’t mess with his jewelry,” Alec said, turning his attention to his daughter where she was twirling the rings on the coffee table.

Due to minor frostbite setting in, Alec had to remove the man’s rings in case of swelling last night. One of the rings had a prominent “M” on it, which made Alec wonder if that was the first initial of the man’s name.

“He has pretty rings, Papa,” she commented, letting go of the rings but staring at them. She looked over at the man. “His eyes are sparkly.”

She wasn’t wrong – it appeared as if bits of sparkly eyeshadow had survived the stranger’s time in the storm, a hint of eyeliner accompanying it.

The Asian man had black hair with faint glints of blue like it had once been dyed, light brown skin, a small beard that was more of a carefully trimmed goatee. He appeared to be in his twenties, perhaps, but had an ageless look to his face. He was beautiful.

“Papa, is that a word on his necklace?” Madzie asked, pointing at the man’s chest where one of his necklaces was dangling down on top of the shirt he was wearing.

The children had been thrilled to discover Alec and Maple had found a man out in the snow when they woke up that morning. Alec wouldn’t leave them alone in the room with him, not knowing when he would wake up. Max mostly stuck to Alec’s side, Rafael cautiously staying by Maple. Madzie didn’t have any such reservations, intrigued apparently.

Alec took a step closer to look – he hadn’t paid much attention to the necklaces before, only having to remove the rings. “It says Magnus. Good catch, Mads. Maybe that’s his name.”

Magnus. Alec liked the way it sounded.

“He feels staticky,” Madzie said, her hand faintly glowing orange the color of her magic.

“What do you mean, Mads?”

“Miss Adeline’s magic feels sparky, but his magic feels staticky,” she answered, a tread of concern in her voice even if it was clear she didn’t fully understand what she was feeling.

“You mean he’s a warlock?” Alec asked, wondering if she could detect that at her age.

Madzie shrugged. “Miss Adeline taught me how to see magical siggy-tules.”

“Signatures,” Alec corrected with a fond look.

“Signatures,” she sounded out before continuing. “He has one but it’s like it isn’t there. It feels weird.”

“There is a chance he isn’t though, which means we have to watch what we say around him,” Alec said, looking directly at Madzie, then Max and Rafael. “He could be mundane.”

Max clapped his hands, flickers of blue magic turning his blue skin to brown, his horns now covered by black hair. “Mundanes!”

Alec looked back over at Rafael to where he was sitting on the floor closer to the kitchen, petting Maple. While Maple was technically the family dog, she mostly stuck to Rafael who seemed to appreciate it. It helped Alec’s state of mind as well, since Rafael didn’t have magic to protect himself like Madzie and Max did – even at Max’s young age, his magic would instinctively protect him.

Alec taught Madzie and Rafael basic self-defense and fighting skills, but they would learn more as they grew older. Rafael especially, depending if he chose to be a Shadowhunter when he grew up due to his Nephilim blood.

Madzie grew bored of scanning the stranger with her magic, instead walking over to the window to look out the windowpanes. There was a little bit of sunlight streaming through, but the gray clouds covered most of the sky with the snow pouring down with the wind.

Alec hoped the snow would stop falling soon. It was started to stack up at the porch, effectively blocking them in. With the freezing temperatures, it wouldn’t melt any time soon which meant either they would have to figure out how to shovel out or wait for someone in town to make it out to them. Even if they shoved their way outside, the only way to town would be walking and there were feet of snow that would be hard to walk in – especially with three kids and he couldn’t exactly leave them alone.

Which made him wonder even more about who the stranger was.

---

Faint sounds of laughter. Some dice being rolled. Pages of a book flipping. Soft voices of children.

Where was he?

He felt warm, something wrapped around him while wearing something soft. He was laying down on something, perhaps a couch?

Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes. Turning his head from the ceiling, he carefully took in his surroundings.

It was a house or cabin of sorts. The walls were painted sage green with various photos and paintings hung up. He was laying on the only couch in the room, a couple comfortable looking chairs on either side. There was a coffee table resting in front of the couch on top of a large soft patterned rug.

The living room blended into the kitchen and dining area, a small

There was a young Latino boy with curly hair beside a huge dog over in the kitchen, playing a board game with a girl. The girl had her hair pulled back in half a dozen braids, leaning over the table to roll the dice.

A man was sitting in another chair nearby, holding a toddler and reading him a story.

Still confused and disoriented, he shifted to try to sit up. He opened his mouth to speak, only to start coughing.

“Magnus?” the man said, looking up. “I’ll get you some water.”

It took only a moment for the man to go to the kitchen and return, setting a glass of water in his hand.  He took a long sip, thankful for how refreshing it was.

“I’m Alec,” the man, Alec, said. “I found you outside last night. Is your name Magnus?”

He opened his mouth to answer only to draw short. What was his name? The name Magnus felt familiar, but why couldn’t he recall it?

“I, I don’t remember,” he said, lifting a hand to his head which was starting to ache.

“Your necklace said Magnus,” the young girl declared, having run over from the kitchen to stand by the man, Alec.

He reached a hand to his neck, feeling several necklaces there and tugging them forward to see. One was a simple chain, another was a circle with a M on it, and the last had the cursive word Magnus written across it.

“So it does,” he said, feeling more confused by the moment. “Let’s go with Magnus then. I’m sorry, everything’s a bit fuzzy at the moment. Where am I?”

“Our house!” the boy declared. “I’m Rafael.”

“I’m Madzie,” the girl added proudly before pointing to the toddler in Alec’s arms. “That’s Max.”

Magnus couldn’t help but smile a bit at the children’s enthusiasm. “Nice to meet you both.” His eyes darted to the man beside the children, holding a toddler on his hip. “Alec, is that short for Alexander?”

Alec nodded. “Yes, it is. But yeah, Maple over there and I found you in the snow last night. A little bit longer and you wouldn’t have made it,” he said, gesturing to the dog as Maple. “We live outside of a town called North Harbor.”

“What country are we in?” Magnus asked, aware they were speaking English with American accents, but it was good to check.

“Canada,” Alec said, his eyebrows furrowing together in concern. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

Magnus tried to remember, he did, but everything felt like a blur. He had knowledge, he had a general idea of who he was. He knew how things worked, that he had traveled frequently, that he liked cats. He could picture friends yet couldn’t recall a single name or face. Why couldn’t he remember anything?

“I can’t remember,” Magnus answered softly in disbelief. “I can’t remember anything. Why can’t I remember anything?”

“I’m afraid you did hit your head at some point,” Alec said. “It sounds like you have some sort of amnesia. I would call for help or get you to a hospital, but I’m afraid we’re stranded here for the time being without service due to the storm.”

Magnus resisted the urge to groan. Just his luck – stranded in the middle of some town Canada in the middle of a snowstorm. How had he arrived there?

Magnus looked up at Alec once more, studying his features with a quick glance. Alec was tall and even with a long-sleeve shirt on it was clear he was muscular, with thick dark hair. There were tattoos peeking out from his clothes, on his wrists and neck – wait, were those runes?

“You’re a Shadowhunter.” It was a statement, not a question.

Alec’s hazel eyes widened in surprise. “Uh, yes, technically. How did you know that?”

“Your runes,” Magnus answered bluntly. What did the technically part mean? Then again, what was a Shadowhunter doing out in Canada with three young kids?

“You know about the Shadow World then?”

Magnus nodded slowly, thoughts and ideas flooding to his mind even if it was all distorted. “Yes, I do. It feels like a distant dream. I know about these things – I know I could drive a car but couldn’t tell you how I learned.” He sighed. “I’m a warlock.”

Alec glanced over at Madzie, the girl giving him a thumbs up.

“That makes things easier,” Alec said after a beat of silence. “Once you regain some strength, you can send a fire message or portal. Not that I’m kicking you out,” he quickly added. “I just don’t have a way to contact anyone right now.”

Magnus nodded, understanding. He tried to summon his magic to his fingertips, somehow remembering how it felt under his skin. Why wasn’t it appearing? Only small light blue sparks appeared.

“My magic isn’t working,” he said with a frown, staring at his hands as if they betrayed him. Perhaps they had. “It feels blocked somehow.”

“Take it easy,” Alec said. “How about something to eat before figuring that out? You don’t need to add magical exhaustion on top of recovering from hypothermia, a concussion, and amnesia.”

Magnus chuckled lightly. “I suppose you have a point.”

Even without his memories, Magnus doubted this was the weirdest situation he had been in before. 

Chapter Text

Oregano. Garlic. Salt.

Alec put the last shakes of spices on the pasta, stirring the sauce. It only took a few moments to dish a bowl for everyone, placing the bowls around the table. Thankfully, they had extra chairs on hand for when they had visitors.

Alec kept glancing over at Magnus, who was now being entertained by Madzie and Max. Madzie was telling him a story that was only about half true, Max chiming in every now and then.

“Papa, can I help?” Rafael asked, the five-year-old looking up at him.

“Sure, kiddo,” he said with a smiled. “Here, you can put these forks on the table.”

Rafael brightened at the prospect of helping, setting the forks out carefully before helping put out a few more things. It was a bit of an early lunch, but Magnus needed to eat, and it was easier to combine the times they all ate instead of putting everything back in the fridge.

“I’m a warlock too,” Madzie told Magnus proudly. “My mark is gills, see?” She moved her braids, revealing the gills on her neck. “Aren’t they cool?”

Alec held his breath, listening carefully for Magnus’s reply. He wouldn’t think another warlock would insult one’s mark, knowing how personal it was. Due to growing up in a Downworlder town, Madzie and Max didn’t have to glamour their marks unless they wanted or if they were in New York. Alec had tried to help encourage their self-confidence.

“They’re very cool,” Magnus replied sincerely.

“I have mark! I have it too!” Max said, grinning when he saw Magnus’s positive reply to Madzie. A sparkle of his magic had his glamour disappear, revealing his blue skin and two small horns. “See?”

“That’s why Papa calls him his little blueberry,” Madzie explained matter-of-factly.

Alec hoped he wasn’t making a bad judgement call here. There was a chance, of course, that Magnus was lying about the amnesia or secretly a murderer or something… still, his surprised and confused reaction had seemed genuine.

“Lunch is ready,” Alec called out.

Madzie, Max, and Rafael all ran to the table, Maple sitting by the table keeping a careful eye on Magnus. Magnus slowly rose from the couch, seeming a bit weakened.

“Need help?” Alec asked, offering his arm.

Magnus smiled. “I never turn down the help of a handsome man like yourself.”

Magnus looped his arms through Alec’s, leaning on him slightly as they walked to the table. Alec sat down next to Magnus.

Lunch went by with relative ease, besides the mess of having young children eat pasta. The kids did most of the talking, Magnus responding with his own comments now and then while Alec mostly observed.

“Okay, how about you guys go play for a bit and I can show Magnus the guest room?” Alec suggested.

Rafael turned to Madzie, his brown eyes lighting up. “Can we play Candy Land?”

“Yes!”

Alec swung Max up onto his hip. “Actually, I’m afraid I need to put Max down for his nap but then I’ll show you around.”

“That’s perfectly fine, darling,” he answered warmly.

Alec liked the word darling on the man’s lips. Which was probably not the best thought to have about someone he didn’t know.

“I’ll, uh, I’ll just be a minute,” Alec said, which he already knew was a lie with how much Max fought naptime.

He hesitated to leave Magnus alone in the same room as his two children since one needed to be careful as parent, but Maple was a good guard dog. The Newfoundland was sitting right beside Rafael.

Alec headed upstairs with Max, first stopping by the bathroom to get Max cleaned up from all the pasta sauce he got everywhere.

“Bath!” Max exclaimed, pointing to the bathtub. He loved baths more than Madzie and Rafael combined.

Alec shook his head, pouring some water over a washcloth. “No, bath time isn’t till bedtime. For now, let’s clean off with this.”

He managed to get the toddler cleaned off and into clean clothes.

“Okay, Maxie, the space shuttle needs you,” Alec declared, the toddler giggling as Alec swung Max up into the air. “Zoom, zoom!”

Alec spun Max around a few times on the way to the bedroom before setting him into his crib. He turned on the sound machine and nightlight before turning back toward Max.

“Papa!” Max yelled. “Papa! I don’t wanna take a nap. I want to play!”

“I know, kiddo, but you need rest,” Alec explained, as he had done a million times. “Just a quick nap and then you’ll have so much energy to play.”

It took a few more minutes but eventually Max was willing to lay down, clutching his favorite stuffed animal.

Alec placed a light kiss on his forehead. “Sleep well, mijo.”

---

Not wanting to interrupt the serious game of Candy Land going on, Magnus decided to help out with the dishes and stacked all the bowls. He carried the dirty dishes to the kitchen, feeling an itch under his skin as if to use magic yet he couldn’t.

There was a dishwasher that had a few dirty dishes in it, so Magnus rinsed off the dirty dishes before loading the rest into it. Satisfied with himself, he glanced around the room.

There were numerous photos on the walls, mostly of the kids, but it appeared as if the photos were sorted out in specific sections.

One of the sections had a few photos of New York City, photos of mostly Shadowhunters scattered around. There was a blond man, usually shown with a cocky grin while hugging Alec, a short redheaded woman, a tall blonde woman, and a woman with long dark hair that looked like Alec. Besides Shadowhunters, there was an Asian woman with black hair with colorful streaks and a wavy-haired man wearing band t shirts.

On another section of the wall there were pictures of a small town, making Magnus wonder if it was the town they lived at. A few other faces were shown there with various people.

The rest of the photos were of the kids, though the children did appear in a few of the town and New York pictures.

Most of the photos looked candid, snapped in the moment. The photos were good, full of life. Pictures felt like a window into a person’s life, a great way to preserve memories.

“Yeah, my photography hobby has gotten a little out of hand,” Alec called out from behind him.

Magnus nearly jumped in surprise, not having noticed the Shadowhunter behind him. “You took all of these?”

Alec nodded. “Except for the ones I’m in, of course, though a few of those were set on a timer.”

“You have a good eye for photography, Alexander,” Magnus commented, wondering faintly if he had ever dabbled in photography. “Have you ever tried selling any photos?”

Alec chuckled. “No, it’s just a hobby. I own the bookstore in town.”

“A Shadowhunter owning a bookstore in a small town in Canada,” Magnus said thoughtfully. “I thought Shadowhunters remained in their Institutes?”

While Magnus only had vague recollections of the Shadowhunters he had met before, he was fairly certain all of them remained with their Institutes or in Alicante.

“They do,” Alec said. “I’m retired, I suppose you could say.”

Alec didn’t seem to want to divulge anymore, so Magnus didn’t push, merely nodding. It did increase his curiosity, however, to who exactly Alec was.

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I think you could sell some photos in your bookstore,” Magnus said, returning them to safer ground. “These photos of the lighthouse and the coastline? The detail is stunning.”

Alec smiled, ducking his head slightly. “Thank you, Magnus. I can show you the guest bedroom now?”

“Sure.”

“It’s upstairs with the rest of the bedrooms,” Alec said, leading the way. At the top of the stairs, he pointed toward the left. “Down there are the kids’ bedrooms. That’s my bedroom, and across the hall is the guestroom.”

Alec swung the door to the guestroom open, walking in first and Magnus following behind. It was a decent sized room with a bed and a dresser in it along with a closet. There was a soft looking rug on the hardwood floor, and a huge painting on the wall of the New York skyline.

“Don’t tell me you paint as well?”

Alec shook his head, a tinge of amusement evident on his face. “No, that would be my friend Clary’s work.”

“She has a lot of talent.”

“She does. She’s given me a few paintings over the years,” Alec said. “And when we shifted this room a few months ago from being Max’s room, I thought it would be a good touch. Though I confess my sister and Clary have a better eye for decorating than I do.”

“You have a sister then?” he repeated, thinking to the dark-haired woman in the photos.

Alec nodded.  “Isabelle.” He cleared his throat. “But yes, please make yourself at home. This storm will likely last another day or two and it might take a little bit longer to shovel us out, but we’ll try. Madzie hasn’t quite grasped fire messages yet with her magic.”

Magnus wanted to insist that his magic would be fine now that he had some food in his system, but he could already tell that it felt strangely distant. What was wrong with his magic? He felt so disconnected from it, like he couldn’t even access it.

“I took the liberty of cleaning the clothes I found you in last night,” Alec continued, pointing to the set of clothes laying on the bed. “There are extra clothes in the dresser that you are welcome to help yourself to. Well, the bottom drawers at least should work. The upper drawers are occupied by my sister and other friends’ clothing that they’ve stashed here.”

Magnus found it endearing that this guest bedroom had stored clothing for Alec’s family and friends.

“There’s other clothes in the closet too,” Alec said. “My sister tends to shop a lot and enjoys gifting me clothing which I end up putting in here.” He grinned sheepishly. “She means well. There are some extra toiletries in the closet as well that you are welcome to. The bathroom is right next to your room if you want to shower or anything.”

“Thank you, Alexander. I really do appreciate this, I’m sure it wasn’t in your plans to have a stranger crash your home,” Magnus said with a warm smile, fiddling with his ear cuff.

Alec returned the smile. “I’m glad to be able to help. I’m going to check on the kids but let me know if you need anything. Oh, and help yourself to whatever is in the kitchen.”

With that, Alec left the room.

Magnus turned his attention to the set of clothes on the bed. A colorful patterned silky button up shirt, a stylish jacket, and a thicker coat. There was also a pair of black boots on the floor with shiny silver buckles.

Hm, he had an interesting style it appeared.

Magnus opened the closet where a decent selection of clothing present. There were a few jackets hung up in the back, a couple pairs of nicer pants and shirts as well. On the shelves there were extra blankets and towels, and a basket with various soaps, washcloths, and shampoos. Next to the basket was a container of makeup products and makeup remover.

Either Alec was an excellently prepared host for any guest, or his friends and family made themselves quite at home when they were here. Perhaps both.

It felt a bit invasive to look in the dresser drawers, but sure enough there was extra clothing. Unlike the clothes in the closet that seemed brand new, these clothes seemed worn and comfortable – sweatpants, hoodies, t shirts.

Magnus grabbed a few items he needed before taking a quick shower. Since he couldn’t remember anything and had been outside in the snow for how knows how long, it seemed like a safe bet to shower.

Once he was finished and changed into black joggers with a long sleeve green shirt, Magnus decided to go back downstairs.

This could prove to be an interesting experience.

Chapter Text

“I wanna build a snowman,” Madzie said softly, her wish coming out in a sing-song tone that reminded Alec of that movie she used to watch on repeat. Princess and the Frog was her new favorite movie though, and the girl tended to rotate her interests by the week.

Rafael nodded his agreement, though he seemed more than content to remain cuddling on the couch with Alec while drawing in his coloring book. Maple laid by Alec’s feet, her head a comfortable weight on his socks.

“We can build all the snowmen you want once we can get out of the door,” Alec said, glancing toward the window. He suspected it would stop snowing within another day or two, and then it would likely taken take a couple more days to get out of their house if they were lucky.

“Can we show Magnus our puzzles?” Madzie asked, pointing to the stack of them by the bookshelf.

Alec smiled fondly at his daughter. “Sure, sweet pea, but we aren’t going to force him to do the puzzles. Remember Uncle Jace?”

Madzie and Rafael exchanged glances, bursting into a fit of childish giggles. Madzie had convinced Jace to have a puzzle competition with her, and the seven-year-old was far better at puzzles then him. Jace ended up throwing the puzzle on the ground which led to Alec scolding him as if he were a little kid.

On the other hand, Simon was a puzzle genius. Simon was the better choice out of the couple to do puzzles with.

“Why can’t he remember anything?” Rafael asked thoughtfully. “Do we need to teach him how to brush his teeth? You told me that’s something you have to know!”

Alec chuckled, shaking his head. “I’m not sure, Rafe, but I think he remembers enough to know how to brush his teeth.”

Alec was curious how the memory loss worked. It seemed as if Magnus still had an understanding of the Shadow World and life in general but lacked the personal memories. He would need to talk to Magnus more about this once the kids went to sleep or were distracted.

The sound of footsteps lightly treading on the stairs caught Alec’s attention, turning his eyes toward the man walking down. Maple barely lifted her head before laying back down, apparently not deeming the warlock as a threat anymore.

He was wearing a new pair of sweatpants that Alec had left in there, along with one of Alec’s old t shirts that ended up in that room as well. At this point then Clary, Isabelle, Jace, and even Simon all stole Alec’s t shirts and sweatshirts so those ended up in the guest room. The particular t shirt he was wearing was one of Alec’s favorites, navy colored with the faded “New York” across it.

The thought of New York brought back more fondness and nostalgia than it used to. When Alec first moved away, New York felt like it only held pain. The pain, blood, heartache, abuse, hurt, loss, betrayal, heartbreak - those were at the first front of the memories.

Now? Those painful memories felt more distant, with the sweeter moments more upfront in his mind.. Memories like how he, Jace, and Izzy would stop to get food after patrol, sneaking out to get tacos with Clary, pretending to not like all the sci-fi movies with Simon but enjoying them anyway, talks with Lydia, the support of the Downworld Council, drinks with Lily…

New York would always feel bittersweet to him, too much pain and yet too much love to feel any differently. Still, it had been home for many years.

Alec took a sip of his tea, glancing back at his children. Canada was home now. It had been home the day Madzie entered his life, developed more into home when her paintings were hung on the fridge, when Rafael broke the lamp and it hasn’t worked quite right since, when Max painted on the wall and Alec couldn’t make himself paint over the handprints.

“Magnus, do you like puzzles?” Madzie asked in a very serious tone.

The man smiled, genuine care in his eyes. “I love puzzles! What kinds do you have?”

Madzie didn’t hesitate to set several puzzles on the rug, showing off the pictures. “Animals, cities, all kinds of things!”

The puzzles all varied in amount from 25 pieces to 500 pieces. The 500-piece puzzles were mostly packed away for when Simon was in town. Alec didn’t quite have the patience for puzzles though he would try if the kids asked.

“Which one would you like to do?” Magnus asked, sitting down on the floor next to Madzie.

Shyer than his sister, Rafael shifted even closer to Alec, Alec ruffled his hair, Rafael leaning into his touch.

Alec wasn’t sure how much of Rafael’s general quietness and shyness was attributed to personality or trauma. Rafael had been a baby when his mother was killed so it was doubtful he remembers that, but he was two when he saw his father get killed. No kid should ever witness their parent’s death.

“Good choice, the unicorns look cool,” Magnus said approvingly once Madzie picked the 50-piece sparkly unicorn puzzle.

Rafael kept coloring in his book but would occasionally glance over at Magnus curiously.

A couple hours later, the puzzle had been completed and set aside so Magnus and Madzie were working on a new puzzle. Alec heard Max wake up, so he went to get the toddler. Alec put Max on the couch by Rafael and went to the kitchen to grab him a drink when he heard yelling.

“You broke it!” Madzie yelled, her hands on her hips as she stared down at her little brother. “Stop it, Max! Papa! He broke it!”

Max wasn’t fazed by her frustration, still tearing apart the puzzle until Magnus carefully lifted him away.

“Whoa there, what’s going on?” Alec asked, because even though he could easily assess what occurred, he liked to give the kids a chance to explain.

Rafael was still sitting on the couch, the picture book he had been flipping through of ocean animals was discarded beside him as he watched his siblings, his hand petting Maple. It looked like Magnus hadn’t been facing Max, helping Madzie with the other puzzle when Max crawled over and started to tear it apart.

“I wanna play too,” Max said, jutting out his lip as if he wanted to cry, standing beside Magnus with his arm still wrapped around him.

Madzie sniffed, blinking back tears. “Papa, I worked so hard! He just broke it and wouldn’t stop.”

Alec crouched down by Max, the little warlock clutching Magnus’s arm as if Magnus was going to keep him from receiving a lecture. Magnus noticeably loosened his hold on Max to let him run to Alec if he wanted to. It was apparent that Max liked Magnus, the toddler usually particular about who he let hold him.

“Maxie, you can play without pulling the puzzle apart,” Alec said, usually talking through these things with him even if he wasn’t sure how much Max would grasp. “When we see someone upset, we need to pause what we’re doing.”

Max frowned. “I wanna play.”

“You broke your sister’s puzzle after she worked hard on in. What do we say when we hurt someone’s feelings?” Alec asked slowly.

Max scrunched up his nose in a manner that shouldn’t have been as adorable as it was. Alec watched as Rafael leaned over to Max, loudly whispering the word “sorry” to help him out.

“Sorry!” Max exclaimed, first toward Alec then remembering Madzie and repeating it. “Sorry!”

“I’m still mad at him!” Madzie insisted, seemingly torn between sadness and anger.

Even though Alec wanted the kids to get along, he was grateful that they felt safe enough to express themselves. Max was the most willing to express any emotion he felt, Madzie was slowly getting there but also old enough to learn better emotion regulation. Rafael was more reserved with a tendency to bottle things up.

“It’s okay to feel mad,” Alec said, offering a small smile. “Sometimes we have those feelings. But in this case, we just need to remember that Max is only two so he’s still learning what things are okay to do and what things aren’t.” He paused, glancing between Max and Madzie. “Do you want to talk more, or do you want to do your puzzle?”

“Puzzle,” Madzie said, glancing sideways at her little brother skeptically, as if expecting him to start destroying her puzzle again.

Alec and Magnus exchanged glances, and what seemed like a glimmer of amusement and respect crossed Magnus’s eyes.

The rest of the afternoon went by fairly well with only one other minor argument between the kids. Alec kept a close eye on Magnus and how he interacted with the kids, watching for any questionable behavior.

Alec wasn’t about to suddenly trust a stranger he found in the woods, after all, but no red flags had been raised yet. Maple hadn’t growled or barked at Magnus either and the dog was usually a fairly good judge of character. Alec’s instincts were usually on point as well, though he had a few lapses in judgement during the war that sometimes caused him to still question himself.

After dinner, it was Rafael’s turn to pick out a movie. Whenever there were snowstorms, they tended to have more movie nights and they’d take turns picking out the movie. 

“Okay, Rafe, what’s it going to be?” Alec asked, sitting on the couch with Madzie and Rafael on either side of him with Max laying across his lap. Magnus was sitting on the recliner, his legs thrown over one of the armrests as he somehow managed to lay down in the seat.

“Lilo and Stitch!” Rafael exclaimed excitedly.

Alec scrolled through the movie selection, finding the movie and putting it on. About halfway through, Madzie requested popcorn which Magnus offered to grab.

Magnus handed the bowls of popcorn over before sitting back down on the recliner.

The movie night went as most movie nights did in the Lightwood household – the kids hardly paying attention and running back and forth until the last twenty or so minutes when they decided to collapse and finishing watching it.

Alec slipped away before the end credits to attempt to put Max to sleep, Maple staying by Madzie and Rafael on the couch.

Alec helped Max through his nighttime routine - brush his teeth, put his pajamas on, sing a short song, and read a story.

“This one!” Max declared, grabbing at his favorite cardboard book.

Settling back against Max’s bed and holding the toddler, Alec opened the book it read. It was a short story about a blue warlock boy going on an adventure – written especially for Max.

It was by Elsie, an Unseelie who worked at Alec’s bookstore. She’d developed a love of writing books and had a knack for children’s books. She wrote personalized short stories for each of the kids, as well as writing other books for children in the Shadow World. Alec knew she was currently working on a few ideas for novels as well. While Adeline had written a few books, her girlfriend had really taken to it.

“Alright, blueberry, it’s time for sleep,” Alec said, standing up slowly with Max in his arms.

It took a bit of coaxing, but he managed to get Max in his crib and under his blanket to sleep. He smiled, gentling brushing his hand against Max’s short hair.

Alec closed Max’s door behind him, treading silently back down the stairs. He paused at the sound of voices though, stopping on the stairs once he caught sight of the living room.

Magnus was sitting on the couch between Madzie and Rafael reading a story. Maple was laid across Magnus’s feet, both kids leaning against his shoulders. Alec was surprised to see Rafael so close to Magnus, the young boy timid around strangers and having kept his distance most of the day.

He paused on the stairs, leaning against the railing as he watched and listened. Magnus had a beautiful cadence to his voice, using different tones and voices for the characters in the book. Madzie and Rafael were both engaged, listening attentively.

Alec walked over quietly, sitting down on the couch armrest by Rafael. Rafael immediately turned to snuggle against Alec, reaching out his arms to be held. Alec picked him up, holding him to where he could still see the pictures as Magnus read.

Magnus finished the story a moment later, closing the book.

“Madzie showed me your shelf of books,” Magnus said, his words pointed towards Alec. “You have quite the collection.”

Alec smiled, thinking to the library of sorts he’d created elsewhere in the house. “That’s only part of it. I’ll show you later.”

“Can we show him now, Papa?” Madzie asked, her eyes lighting up.

Alec shook his head, knowing if he let them then they’d try to stay up for hours. “It’s time for bed sleepy heads,” Alec said in a sing-song tone.

“No, I want to stay up!” Rafael protested.

Madzie nodded, twirling one of her braids. “Can we watch another movie?”

Prior to taking Max to bed, Alec had debated on letting them stay up longer, but he needed to talk to Magnus. Besides, the kids did best when they were in their normal routine. They’d be up early regardless of when they fell asleep.

“No, it’s bedtime now,” Alec said. “Come on, I’ll read you another story in Madzie’s room.”

He shuffled the kids along, Maple remaining behind with Magnus. Madzie and Rafael brushed their teeth and changed into their pajamas. Alec read them a story as promised before tucking Madzie in bed, slipping Rafael into his and Max’s room to sleep too. Max and Rafael only started sharing a room this past month, so it was still an adjustment for some things like bedtimes, remembering to grab Rafael’s pajamas if he stayed up later, and naptimes. Still, it helped free up the extra bedroom for when someone visited.

Alec walked back downstairs, finding Magnus petting Maple.

“We should talk.”

Chapter Text

Magnus supposed he shouldn’t be surprised by Alec’s statement. It was probably a smart idea to talk, and he could guess that Alec wanted the opportunity to speak without the kids present.

Magnus was surprised, however, by how much fun he’d had that day. Sure, he had no idea who he was and barely knew where he was currently, but he knew there were worse places to end up than where he was currently.

“Would you care for tea?” Alec offered, walking toward the kitchen.

“Tea sounds lovely,” Magnus answered, treading quietly behind him, almost sliding across the hardwood floors in his socks.

With the kids asleep, the house was much quieter. The storm had picked up pace again, a faint sound of howling wind and snowfall. There was a faint crackle of fire from the fireplace that Alec had started earlier.

There were a few lamps on casting soft light into the house, and despite the cold of the outdoors then it was cozy and warm in this home. 

Magnus watched as Alec filled the water kettle, setting it on the stove to boil. Alec pulled out a wooden box from the counter and slid it across the island to Magnus to look at, setting two mugs next to it.

“Take your pick of tea,” he offered.

“So, you collect photos, books, and teas as well?” Magnus asked, though it was more of a statement.

The corners of Alec’s mouth quirked upward into a small smile. “I tend to drink tea more often these days than coffee.”

“A brave thing considering you’re raising three young children.”

Alec chuckled, an unfairly attractive sound. “Some of these teas have enough caffeine to keep me going. Besides, one of my friends has taken to bringing me a new kind of tea to try every time she visits.”

Magnus hummed slightly in acknowledgement, looking at the teas before picking up a lemon herbal tea. He opened the packet and slipped the bag into one of the empty mugs.

“I’m assuming you wanted to speak with me about more than tea?” Magnus asked, keeping his tone light, leaving the ball in his court.

Alec nodded as he put a teabag into his mug, but before he could answer than the kettle whistled. He moved it off the stovetop, pouring the steaming hot water into each of the mugs.

“You said you have no memory recollection?” Alec asked, his tone not accusing, merely curious. “You are aware of the Shadow World yet were unfamiliar with the sound of your name.”

Magnus wasn’t sure how to describe it. The name Magnus did feel familiar to him, but in a distant way as if it were a past life. He was aware of the hum of magic under his skin yet knew something was wrong with it.

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Magnus admitted, taking a careful sip of the hot tea. “I have flashes, fuzzy recollections but no names or faces. There’s nothing concrete, like it’s just out of reach.”

Magnus wrapped both hands around his mug, using the warmth to ground himself. While Alec had been nothing but kind, he hated how vulnerable that admission made him feel. He wanted to know what was going on, who he was, how he got there.

“Okay,” Alec said. “I believe you.”

Those three words meant more to Magnus than he would’ve thought.

“I’m sorry about the inconvenience of this,” Alec continued, grimacing at he looked toward the windows. “I usually have two steles, but I left one in New York by accident and Madzie borrowed my other one and left it at her friend’s. Madzie has been having trouble learning fire messages. Thankfully we still have power, but cell reception is nonexistent currently.”

“Don’t apologize for that,” Magnus insisted. It wasn’t like it was Alec’s fault. “I’m sorry about inconveniencing you. I’m sure you have your hands full without an amnesiac warlock who can’t use his magic.”

Alec frowned. Perhaps Magnus had said the last words too bitterly…

“My guestroom is a revolving door,” Alec responded, his frown softening into a warm smile. “Trust me, we’re used to having people crash. Sometimes under worst circumstances.”

Worst circumstances? Nearly every comment Alec made caused Magnus to want to know more. Magnus had seen the numerous photos around the house, seen the faces of who must be beloved friends and he was curious who each one was.

“Like I said before, the storm should die down within the next couple days and we should be able to shovel our ways out of here within the week. We can head to town as soon as we’re able. Then you have a few different options.”

“Options?”

“Well, I can take you to Adeline. She’s a younger warlock who lives in town, but she may have some insight to share. There’s also Charles and Oscar, but there’s no guarantee they would want to help.”

“Who are they?” Magnus asked, noticing the look fond annoyance on Alec’s face.

“Adeline runs a potion shop and teaches lessons to the children in town. Oscar and Charles are warlocks too and live a few miles from town. They are a bit reclusive and eccentric,” Alec said with a chuckle. “They have a soft spot for my kids, but to most others they’re a bit ornery. They have a lot of knowledge but are particular with whom they share it with.”

Magnus nodded slowly in understanding. Alec’s descriptions faintly reminded him of a person he should know. An image of a man with green skin and horns came to mind, but it went away as quickly as it came.

“It’s up to you where we go from there,” Alec said. “Adeline could fire message the high warlock of our providence – she’s a good friend. She could come here, or Adeline could portal you to her for assistance.”

It wasn’t uncommon for warlocks to seek assistance from whoever the closest high warlock was.

“But if they don’t have an immediate answer for you or unable to assist, you’re welcome to stay with us or we can find room for you at the bed and breakfast in town till it’s figured out,” Alec added. He shrugged. “I just want you to know you have options.”

“Thank you, Alexander. I appreciate that.”

With no memories or magic, it was nice to know he at least had options in other regards. What if they were unable to help him regain his memories or magic?

“I’ll show you the rest of the book collection,” Alec said after a few beats of silence, changing the subject. Magnus was grateful for it; his thoughts having drifted once more.

Alec refilled their mugs of tea before picking up his own and leaving the kitchen. Magnus followed behind the taller man as he led him to a door in the wall between the kitchen area and the living room. He opened the door, walking through a short hallway.

The sound of a lamp clicked on, casting warm light into the circular room. It was painted a deep shade of green like the trees of a forest, with shelves covering most of the walls. The floors were covered in soft rugs with a few bean bags, low comfortable couches, and a round coffee table decorating the place. There were even more photographs in here, as well as a few pictures the children had clearly drawn.

The shelves were filled with, unsurprisingly, books. It was a beautiful room, clearly designed with intentionality. Magnus wondered faintly if Alec had designed it himself or if he had help from that artistic friend he’d mentioned.

“It’s a beautiful room. I love the colors, the design. You have a beautiful home, darling.”

“Let me show you one more thing,” Alec said, and Magnus could almost swear he saw a faint blush on Alec’s face as he turned, setting his tea on the table and gesturing toward the staircase that was tucked next to the wall.

Curious, Magnus set his mug down and followed Alec up the spiral staircase once the baby-gate was opened.

“This is the second floor,” Alec said, stepping from the stairs through another door into another circular room.

This room was smaller than the downstairs one, with a carpeted floor. It was covered in blankets, pillows, a few stuffed animals, and had a daybed against one wall. There were more photos in here, along with a small bookshelf of books.

“This is kind of like the second guestroom,” Alec explained. “But it’s more of a hideaway.” He seemed to choose his words carefully. “I know a lot of people who get nightmares a lot, who need a place to feel safe. This room came to be.”

“It feels cozy,” Magnus said. The lack of windows made it feel like a warm cocoon, a safe space.  

Alec didn’t linger in this room either, moving to the staircase once again till they reached the top. It was yet another circular room, this one covered in windows with a light of sorts.

“You live in a lighthouse?” Magnus asked, wondering how he hadn’t noticed sooner.

“Technically we live next to the lighthouse,” Alec answered wryly. “The lighthouse portion is attached to the house though. It doesn’t see much use these days, and I renovated the house when I moved in.”

“You renovated all of this? You designed it?”

Alec shrugged. “I had help.”

Magnus smiled. “You truly do have a beautiful home. Thank you for showing me this.”

“The kids aren’t allowed up here by themselves, by the way,” Alec added, almost an afterthought.

“Noted.”

They didn’t linger upstairs, not much of a view with the nightfall and pouring snow. They walked back downstairs to the library.

Magnus sat down on the long, curved couch and picked up his mug once more. His tea was still hot, thankfully, and he took a long sip.

Alec sat down on the couch as well, pulling his long legs against the

“What’s on your mind?” Alec asked after the silence lingered for a few moments.

“Not many Nephilim are granted custody of warlock children,” Magnus said, his tone thoughtful yet nonjudgmental. “Perhaps it is the amnesia, but I can’t recall ever knowing anyone who was.”

Alec gave an affirmative hum, not seeming surprised by his comment.

It was extremely rare. Warlocks were extremely protective of their own, especially their children. Adoption and custody tended to stay within one’s faction or race so to speak.

“There were unique circumstances,” Alec admitted.

Magnus tilted his head to the side to give Alec time if he wanted to speak, dying to ask more but not wanting to push boundaries. It was up to Alec if he wanted to share or not.

Alec seemed conflicted of what to say. Magnus wasn’t sure if that was due to it being Magnus he was speaking to, or the situation in general. Perhaps both.

“I found Madzie during a raid,” Alec said, the Shadowhunter seeming to choose his words carefully. “I was called in to assist with a raid on one of Valentine’s old hideouts.”

The name Valentine felt familiar in a bitter, rageful way. Magnus couldn’t recall who it was, but brief images of bloodshed, swords, and runes flashed in his mind.

“I thought you said you were retired?”

“I am, mostly. There was a war I fought in, a bloody war with far too many losses,” he said in a quiet tone of voice, his gaze sorrowful. “After the aftermath of it all, I managed to retire, and a friend found this place for me. I may be retired, but occasionally I have been called in if something fits my expertise.”

Magnus watched Alec’s face carefully. Alec didn’t seem thrilled by the circumstances of his retirement but resigned to it. Still, he seemed content here.

“Anyway, Madzie was two at the time. I’d only lived here for a couple months,” Alec explained before takin ga sip of his tea. “I didn’t think I could keep her, but the Shadow World Council in New York granted me temporary custody. Madzie screamed and cried if anyone else tried to take her, would wield her magic which was already unstable at her age.” He shrugged. “I don’t know why she chose me, but she did. After a year or so, the high warlock of this providence allowed me to adopt her with the stipulation that she was mentored by another warlock. That’s where Adeline came in.”

The biggest concern with adoption and custody from other Shadow World factions was the fear of loss of identity and connection, so the arrangement made sense.

“What about Rafael?” Magnus asked. He hadn’t been able to tell if Rafael was a mundane or merely glamoured.

“Long story short, his father was a Shadowhunter who fled here. This town is a safe haven of sorts. He was killed and asked me to care for Rafael. I adopted him by time he turned three.”

“And the long version?” Magnus asked, just in case Alec wanted to share.

“A story for another time,” Alec said, his tone still soft. “Max was found by the high warlock as an infant who brought him to me. She thought he would be a good fit for our family, and she was right. Max had been abandoned by his mom, left with a note. It said, who could ever love him?” He shook his head. “He isn’t hard to love.”

Magnus wished he could say he was surprised. It was rare for the mothers of warlocks to comprehend what had happened to them, who they had given birth to. Still, Alec’s words echoed in his mind.

He isn’t hard to love.

Every warlock in the world wished they were told that as a child, to be shown that they were loved unconditionally.

“Those kids are fortunate to have you,” Magnus said, unsure of quite what to say.

“I’m fortunate to have them.”

The conversation drifted to more lighthearted topics after that, mostly discussing books, before the exhaustion of the day sunk in.

It wasn’t until Magnus was lying in bed trying to fall asleep that the day’s events began to catch up to him.

He recited what he knew…

He was in Canada – had he ever been to Canada before? His name was Magnus – assuming the name on the necklace was his. He was a warlock – with unreachable magic. His last name likely started with a B considering the rings he had – B for what?

His thoughts spiraled as he tried to keep breathing.

How did he get here? Why was his magic blocked? How old was he? How many years of memories had he lost? Was anyone looking for him? Had he ever had children or been married? Would he ever get his memories back? Where was he from?

Who was he?

Chapter Text

The next few days fell into a bit of routine – as much of a routine one could get into with three young children, a dog, an amnesiac man, and a retired Shadowhunter that is.

It took a bit for Alec to relax his guard around Magnus, but over the hours and days Magnus proved himself. Either Magnus had experience with children or he was a natural, because he did great with each of the kids.

Madzie loved doing puzzles with Magnus, insisted on showing him her dance routines and showed off the magic she knew. Magnus went along with it all, helping her paint her fingernails and complimented her fashion show.

Rafael was slower to warm up, but even he started to enthusiastically show Magnus the pictures he drew and would ask him to read stories to him. Rafael mostly stuck to Alec but was growing fond of Magnus too.

Max was an extroverted, particular toddler and he loved grabbing Magnus’s necklaces or when Magnus made funny faces around him.

Alec found himself enjoying the time spent with Magnus as well. Magnus fit in with the family, almost too well. Experience told Alec to keep his walls up, but that was growing increasingly hard to do. It didn’t help matters that Magnus was funny, easy to talk to, and unfairly handsome. They would end up talking for hours once the kids were asleep at night or would chat early in the morning while the kids were eating breakfast.

Alec knew he didn’t know Magnus well enough quite yet, but it had been a long time since he’d felt so intrigued by a person so quickly.

The snowstorm with the freezing ice and snow didn’t cease until day four. Sunlight peeked over the mounds of snow that were piled against the doors and windows, shining into the house.

“That is a lot of snow,” Magnus remarked, coffee mug in hand as he drew aside the curtain. The soft morning light made his features look soft.

“It doesn’t always pile up this much,” Alec answered. “The storm lasted a day longer than I had thought it would.”

It wasn’t uncommon for them to get snowstorms throughout the winter in their region of Canada due to how far north they lived, but the severity of those storms varied. Sometimes they lasted a day, sometimes multiple days.

“Can we play in the snow?” Rafael asked, jumping from the counter to climb onto Alec’s back with the natural grace of a Shadowhunter.

Alec shifted to hold Rafael easier, grateful he’d already set his cup of tea aside. “Let’s eat some breakfast first before we see if we can get out of here. That work for you?”

“Can we have waffles?” Rafael asked.

Alec nodded. “Sure, we can do that. Will you help me?”

Rafael wiggled down to stand on the floor, moving to the kitchen. He grabbed his mini apron off one of the hooks and slipped it on, along with a chef’s hat.

“I’m ready!”

Alec smiled, moving over to the kitchen to start pulling out the ingredients. “You look ready. Can you grab the spoon for me for when we mix the batter?”

It didn’t take long for the two to fall into their rhythm of making breakfast. Sometimes Madzie was in the mood in help with cooking too, but currently she was occupied with one of her storybooks. It was usually easier when only one of them helped at a time, however, and it was nice to spend time with them individually.

Alec glanced over to check on Max, the toddler happily entertained by playing with his blocks with Magnus. He must have sensed his gaze before he looked up from where he was building a tower, making eye contact with Alec and flashing a warm smile.

Alec couldn’t help but smile back before resuming making waffles with Rafael.

“Do you think Leila and her mom are okay?” Madzie asked after a few moments of silence, her brown eyes looking up in concern from her book.

“I’m sure they’re fine, sweetheart,” Alec answered. Nya would have fire messaged him if they weren’t – even though he couldn’t exactly fire message back at the moment. “Mr. Barrett made sure they were stocked up on everything they needed.”

“Who’s Leila?” Magnus asked, natural curiosity brimming from his intrigued gaze.

Alec wasn’t sure if it was due to the lack of his own knowledge or a personality trait, but he’d quickly learned Magnus was an inquisitive person. Though, he had also noticed that while he was inquisitive, he wasn’t invasive, usually mindful not to overstep.

“Leila’s my friend!” Madzie exclaimed happily. “Her and her mom moved here a couple months ago! She can’t do magic like me, but she likes it when I show her my magic!”

“We have an eclectic population of people in our town,” Alec said with a wry smile, thinking of his friends in town.

It truly was a special place – a haven for anyone in the Shadow World who needed a safe place whether Fae, vampire, warlock, or Nephilim. They even had a few mundanes who were impacted by the Shadow World, perhaps thrown into it because of a loved one.

“Sounds like it,” Magnus responded with an answering smile.

It didn’t take much longer to finish making breakfast, Rafael carefully pouring the waffle batter into the waffle maker and Alec helping him turn it when needed. Alec kept a close eye on Rafael so he wouldn’t get burned by accident – like Isabelle managed to do anytime she attempted to cook.

“The waffles are ready!” Alec announced once he put the last waffle on the plate.

Rafael carried a bowl of fruit over to the table. Alec mused that he spent more money on fruit in the winter in Canada than he spent on anything else – the kids loved fruit. And so did Alec.

Breakfast went as it always did with waffles – syrup sticking everywhere, the food devoured quickly, Rafael sneaking Maple a waffle or two, and Max using his magic to grab most of the fruit.

“Snow?” Max asked after a mild tantrum when Alec cleaned the syrup off his sticky face.

Alec took a long sip of his tea, glad he had plenty of caffeinated tea. It was barely ten in the morning, and he was already tired.

“I’ll see what we can do,” Alec said, pressing a light kiss to the top of the toddler’s head.

True to his word, after breakfast then Alec decided to see if it would be possible to leave the house or not. With the kids occupied with playing play dough, Alec changed into some warmer clothes before opening the door to the porch.

"Well, that's a bit of snow," Magnus muttered absentmindedly, the other man standing with his arms crossed looking at the doorway.

It was piled four feet high, blocking most of the doorway, and some of the snow fell inside the house unfortunately. Shovel in hand, Alec carefully pushed some of it back and to the side, getting it away from the door. It always piled up against the door due to the way the wind blew. 

"Ooo snow!" Madzie exclaimed, jumping up and running toward the snow that had fallen inside the house. Before Alec could blink, she'd already scooped up an armful.

"Mads, you need to put on some warmer clothes if you're going to play it in," Alec said, regretting not changing the kids sooner. 

"I'll get the coats!" she offered, running off. 

Alec sighed, glancing down to see Max laying in the snow wearing just his pajama pants and a t shirt. With Rafael, that would be concerning, but Max always thrived in the cold. Alec always had to remind himself that Max would be fine, but it was disconcerting to see his youngest laying in freezing snow and blue. 

"Someone likes the snow," Magnus stated lightly, smiling down at Max.

Alec pushed the front door closed again, throwing Rafael over his shoulder before picking up a giggling Max. "Come on, kiddos, let's change."

It took another fifteen minutes to have all three kids bundled up in clothing appropriate for the snowy weather, and when they returned downstairs then Magnus had changed as well. Magnus was wearing blue pants that worked great in the snow because they were waterproof, and had a few layers underneath a thick coat of Alec's he must have found.

"Hope you don't mind," Magnus said, appearing slightly sheepish, hands shoved in the pockets of the slightly too big coat. 

Alec tried not to smile too much at the sight of Magnus in his coat. "It's fine, I told you to help yourself to what you needed. Can't have you freezing on us, can we?"

Magnus returned the smile, the easy motion lighting up his face. 

"Uh, Papa? Are we going outside?" Madzie asked, tugging on Alec's arm, glancing between Magnus and Alec. 

Alec glanced down at her, her head covered by a warm hat that had a unicorn horn. "Yes, sweetheart, we are."

Reopening the door, Alec grabbed the shovel once more. The kids, of course, attempted to help. Mostly they brought snow into the house instead of shoving it away from the door, but it occupied them at least. Magnus also attempted to help, but the kids kept distracting him and trying to play with him while Alec did the work. He didn't mind. 

Eventually, they managed to move the snow away from the doorway, shoveling it off the porch. The snow was several feet high, but due to the cold some of the snow on the ground seemed iced over. The ice would make it easier to walk on, but it wouldn't be safe to drive on. 

The snow was high enough to cover the stairs to the porch, at least three to four feet deep depending on the area of ground. It was packed tight enough to walk on, the kids easily walking across it while Magnus and Alec's boots sunk into it. Maple ran off after the kids.

Town was a couple miles from Alec's house, so it was a doable walk especially with the sled for the kids, however the clouds were starting to stretch across the sky again and were blocking the sun. It likely wouldn't storm again, but in the winter then the days did end up being shorter and there was a chance there could be freezing rain.

Alec explained this to Magnus as the kids scampered off into the snow. "I want to visit town too, but with the look of the clouds it may be better to wait till tomorrow. I don't want to get stuck in the freezing rain with the kids."

Magnus nodded. "I completely understand, Alexander. We'll see what it's like tomorrow."

Alec couldn't help but wince. "I'm sorry you're stuck with us like this, I'm sure you-"

"Darling, I really don't mind," Magnus interrupted kindly. "Please don't apologize. Truly, you and your kids have done nothing but made me feel welcome." He shrugged with a boyish grin. "Besides, I have a feeling I'm getting to slack on other responsibilities while I'm here."

Alec chuckled. "Life moves slower in North Harbor as is. During and after snowstorm weather? Even more so."

Childish giggling drew his attention, turning to where the kids were engaged in a snowball fight. Max was giggling the loudest, the toddler floating just above the snow and his magic deflecting any snow thrown in his direction. In any other circumstance, Alec would tell his kids not to throw snowballs at a two-year-old, but Max's magic was extremely strong and defensive to protect him. 

Faint noise and a subtle detection of movement caused Alec to duck, just for Magnus to get hit in the face with a snowball instead.

"I see how it is," Magnus said, brushing the snow off before reaching down to form a snowball, looking past Alec to where Madzie was making more snowballs. 

The young warlock shrieked with delight, light enough to run on top of the packed in snow, her boots sinking in lightly as she kicked up snow behind her. 

Despite being a moving target several yards away, Magnus managed to land the snowball right on Madzie's leg. Alec was thankful he wasn't aggressive with it, like Jace tended to do when he was roped into these things. 

They all threw a few more snowballs before the kids got distracted making a snowman. Well, Rafael and Madzie made a snowman. Max, on the other hand, simply threw himself in the snow with childish giggles as he wiggled around.

Alec inhaled slowly, a faint scent of salt water and the crisp smell of icy snow in the air. He could faintly hear the ocean in the distance, but it was mostly muffled by the wind and crunch of the snow. 

"You live near the ocean?" Magnus asked, looking out in the distance where they could just barely see past the snowbanks to the ocean. The murky color of the water blended with the sky and clouds. 

"Yes, we live in the northeastern part of Canada," Alec answered. 

"The lighthouse makes more sense now."

He laughed. "Yes, there is a reason for that."

As Alec suspected, the freezing rain started to blow in before long, causing the kids to yell before racing inside. Soaking wet coats and clothing was discarded in the entryway, along with boots that had melted snow falling off them. 

"Time for hot chocolate?" Magnus asked, as the kids began drying off. 

"Yes!" Madzie exclaimed, Max copying her.

"Please!" Rafael added.

Alec gave a warm smile to Magnus. "You learn quickly."

Chapter Text

Sunlight shone through the frost covered windows, patterns of shadows dancing across the bedroom.

A short knock at the door drew Magnus’s attention. Though he was dressed for the day, he didn’t feel quite as put together as he was used to feeling. He had to admit, he didn’t mind it though.

“Come in,” he answered, sliding his necklaces back on, his makeup kept to the minimum of eyeliner.

Small footsteps treaded on the floor, the door swinging open to reveal Madzie’s hesitant smile. Alec must have redone her hair, the girl now sporting beaded braids pulled into two thick braids. She was ready for the day as well, having exchanged the unicorn onesie she wore to breakfast for bright pink pants with a sparkly skirt, along with narwhale sweatshirt.

“Good morning, sweet peat,” Magnus said fondly, motioning that she was welcome to enter the room.

Though the snowstorm stopped several days ago, the freezing rain had delayed their walk to town by another two days. They’d kept themselves occupied with books, games, puzzles, and movies.

Despite desperately wanting to be connected to his magic again, Magnus couldn’t be overly upset at the delay – not when he was enjoying every moment, he was spending with them. He had a distant impression in his mind from suppressed memories that this might be the most relaxed time he has had in a while.

Each of the kids were precious. Madzie, who loved to make up fairytales, who knew at least fifty fun facts about frogs of all creatures, who loved to practice her magic. Rafael, who was practically glued to Maple’s side and gave her lots of love, who drew hundreds of pictures, who told quite a few jokes that never quite made sense but made you laugh anyway. Max, who used his magic as easily as breathing even at his young age, who would hug and latch on to anyone within reaching distance, who sang songs that didn’t quite have real words.

Then there was Alexander. Beautiful, caring Alexander. A man who made runes attractive. Someone with gentle hands to wipe away his kids tears and pull them into comforting hugs. A man with humble intelligence that revealed itself through his words. Someone with a captivating laugh and a wittiness that drew Magnus in.

“Morning, Magnus!” Madzie exclaimed happily, her hesitation drifting away with Magnus’s greeting. “Papa said we’re leaving soon. Are you ready to go?”

Magnus had all the jewelry he had shown up with, as well as a few items of his clothing that he’d combined with the warming clothes from Alec. The silky shirt and jacket were put into a small bag to bring with him, the weather too cold to wear them. He knew he had shown up in more clothes than those and the boots he was currently wearing, but he wasn’t sure where those items were. Where were the pants? Surely, he had been wearing pants when he was found?

“Yes, I’m ready.”

Madzie didn’t hesitate to slip her small hand into Magnus’s, pulling him along toward the stairs.

“Alec, did I have any other items or clothes when you found me?” Magnus asked. He wasn’t a hundred percent sure that he would be returning to their house, after all, so he wanted to check. If things when well in town with the warlocks, Magnus could get his memories and magic back, return home. Why did that make him want to hesitate?

Alec looked up from tying Max’s small boots. “You didn’t have anything in your pockets, no bag or anything.”

“Pants?” Magnus asked, knowing that was the main item of clothing he’d wondered about.

Alec stood up, a blush creeping up his neck as he avoided eye contact. “Yeah, about that. You were wearing leather pants, and they were too tight for me to remove easily, so I had to cut them off.”

Magnus supposed that made sense. He’d had hypothermia and been freezing – if he had been in Alec’s shoes, he would’ve done the same.

“Not the usual reason my clothes are ripped off,” Magnus said with a wink, unable to resist, before his eyes widened in realization of where he was. Thankfully, none of the kids were paying attention.

Alec definitely was, however, his blush deepening. “You’re welcome to have them back, but they didn’t seem redeemable. I’m sorry about that, I was mainly focused on getting you warm again.”

Magnus waved away the apology. “No worries, darling, I understand.”

It didn’t take long for them to finish getting bundled up for the cold, Alec handing Magnus some extra gloves, a scarf, and the thick coat he had borrowed the other day.

“Afraid I’ll get hypothermia again?” Magnus asked teasingly.

“I wouldn’t mind warming you up again,” Alec said bluntly with a warm smile. Magnus wondered briefly if Alec knew how flirtatious that sounded, but due to amused glint in his eye, he assumed yes.

“Time to go!” Rafael exclaimed, the energetic kid running up to Alec and patting his side.

After the freezing rain, they had been able to shovel a little more away from the porch. It was still slippery, however, but it was a warmer day with mostly clear skies besides some stray clouds.

“Up!” Max said, holding his arms out to Magnus.

Magnus couldn’t help but smile at the demand, swinging Max up to sit on his shoulders, the toddler giggling. Max wrapped his little arms around Magnus’s head, Magnus carefully holding him in place.

“Magnus, may I?” Madzie asked, coming up to Magnus with her hands glowing with magic.

Unsure of what she was asking, Magnus nodded anyway.

Wisps of Madzie’s magic surrounded him and after a moment, his clothes felt much warmer. She nodded to herself, satisfied before doing the same to Alec.

“A warming spell on your clothes,” Alec said.

Magnus smiled. “Thank you, Madzie.”

Alec pulled the sled out. Rafael quickly hopped on, Madzie fast behind him. Alec pulled the rope, tugging the sled along and Maple trotted faithfully by his side, keeping close to Rafael as usual.

“It shouldn’t take us too long to reach town,” Alec said. “If you get too cold, there’s an extra blanket on the sled. Mads warming spells usually help quite a bit, I forgot that she can do them sometimes.”

“You’re a strong warlock,” Magnus said, directing his words to Madzie who looked pleased.

It took less than an hour to walk to town. It likely would have been shorter, but it was harder to walk through thick snow even with thick boots. Alec pulled the sled behind him with a problem, no exertion or exhaustion evident in his features.

“We can drop the sled off at my bookstore,” Alec said once they reached the edge of town.

It was a small town as Alec had described - one main street with most the buildings then a few other outbranching streets. Most of the snow appeared to have been plowed away from the main roads, piled on the sides instead.

The bookstore was on main street, a quaint brick building with a blue door. There was a glass window in the front, revealing rows of bookshelves inside.

Alec dragged the sled out of the way, seeming confident no one would steal or do anything to do.

“Before we stop to see Adeline, do you mind if we make a quick pitstop?”

“Not at all.”

With Rafael holding Alec’s hand and Madzie holding Rafael’s, they all crossed the street to a bakery.
“I want to check in with Mila. She keeps track of everything that happens in this town,” Alec explained. “After storms like these, sometimes there’s trouble.”

“Ms. Mila is very sweet!” Madzie exclaimed. “She makes the best hot chocolate.”

Rafael nodded in agreement.

“Hot chocolate?” Max requested, resting his chin on Magnus’s head.

“We can get some,” Alec said with a chuckle.

Alec twisted the doorknob to the bakery, holding the door open for them to walk through. With easy moments speaking of many days spent here, the kids pulled off their extra layers and ran over to the older woman standing by the front of the bakery.

Max started to squirm, so Magnus swung him back down, placing him on the ground. Alec helped Max take off his coat before he scrambled off after his siblings.

Following their example, Magnus pulled off his outer layers and hung them on the hooks on the wall.

The bakery was warm, cozy. It had several tables, comfortable looking couches and chairs as well. There was a bookshelf with a few books and games, various pictures on the brightly painted walls.

“Hi kiddos,” the woman, Mila, said with a warm smile. She returned the hugs the kids gave her before already moving to pour hot chocolate. “The usual?”

“Yes,” Alec answered her before looking over at him. “Magnus, would you care for a hot chocolate?”

“That would be lovely,” he replied. Madzie’s warming spell had worn off by now, and a hot beverage sounded perfect just about now.”

“And who is this handsome young man?” Mila asked, stepping to the side, looking past Alec to Magnus.

“Magnus,” he replied, offering her a warm smile.

“Nice to meet you, Magnus,” she said, shaking his hand. “I’m Mila. So, how did you meet Alec here?”

“He stumbled across me in the snow,” Magnus said wryly. “You are looking at an amnesiac warlock I’m afraid.”

Mila raised an eyebrow at the explanation, unfazed but a touch surprised. She looked back over to Alec. “You have a way of landing yourself in these situations.” She flashed a smile at Magnus. “Alec here tends to find strays.”

Alec just smiled fondly, shaking his head. 

“I wanted to check in, see how everyone’s doing after the storm,” Alec explained. “How is everything?”

“Good! Barrett already checked on Nya and her little one, so don’t you worry there. Lucy dropped by yesterday, said her two kiddos are driving her up the wall. Adeline will resume classes next week,” Mila said, placing mugs of hot chocolate on the nearest table where the kids were seated. 

Magnus sat down, petting Maple who sat between him and Rafael. Max ran over to Alec to be held, sitting in his lap. 

“Oh and Nya left this here for you,” Mila said, handing Alec what looked to be a stele. “She figured you’d come by here first.”

Alec slipped it into his pocket, nodding his thanks. 

Magnus took a sip of hot chocolate. The kids were right - this was incredible hot chocolate. It had marshmallows on top with chocolate shavings, tasted sweet and chocolatey. 

“Elsie been in?” Alec asked. 

Mila shook her head. “No, but she stayed with Adeline so she’s fine. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you back at the bookstore. Will it be reopening tomorrow?”

Alec glanced at Magnus, ever so brief that Magnus almost didn’t catch it, before resuming eye contact with Mila. “I might. I’ll call Elsie later. The phone lines back up?”

Mila shook her head. “They’ll be fixed by this evening, or so I hear. Where are you off to next?”

“Adeline’s.”

Mila’s sharp eyes darted between Magnus and Alec, then looking at the kids. 

“You know, I could use some good helpers in the bakery today,” she said. “Do you know of any good bakers?”

Rafael’s face lit up as he raised his hand. “I am! Can I help again?”

Magnus noted the grateful look on Alec’s face, the wink Mila sent his way. 

“Rafe, Mads, you two want to help Ms. Mila today?” Alec asked.

Rafael, unsurprisingly, instantly agreed. He must be close to Mila, Magnus having detected by now that he was shyer around people. Madzie also agreed, excited at the prospect.

Once they finished their hot chocolate, Rafael and Madzie ran toward the counter, Madzie grabbing them both kid-sized aprons from a hook. With well practiced movements, Madzie tied the apron around her and helped Rafael with his. 

“Thanks, Mila,” Alec said softly. 

“It’s no trouble, hon,” she answered, ruffling Alec’s hair. “You go get your boy over here sorted out with Adeline. I’ll feed the kiddos lunch in a bit, come by sometime this afternoon to pick them up.”

“I will. Do you need anything while we’re out?”

She shook her head. “I’m stocked on supplies, but thanks.”

“Thank you for the hot chocolate, it was delicious,” Magnus chimed in. 

Mila brightened at the compliment, not hesitating to ruffle Magnus’s hair too, though just a brief touch. “You’re welcome, sugar.” 

“Maxie, you ready to go?” Alec asked, the little warlock having finished his hot chocolate. 

“With you?” Max asked, craning his head back to see Alec’s face.

“Yes, blueberry. You can stay with me and Magnus, and we’ll go visit Miss Adeline while Rafe and Mads help Ms Mila.”

Max nodded his approval. 

Maple trotted over to the counter and laid down right in the hall, blocking the entry to where Madzie and Rafael were. It appeared she’d be staying with them. 

Magnus, Alec, and Max all bundled back up against the cold before leaving the bakery. 

“It’s nice that you have people like Mila,” Magnus said quietly. “You know, a support system of sorts as a single parent.”

Alec nodded, Max sitting on his shoulders this time. “Yeah, she’s a godsend. This town is full of good people. Sure, Rafe and Mads would be fine going to Adeline’s, but it’s nice for them to have their own adventures too. Or so they say.”

“Speaking of supports, does your sister visit often?” Magnus asked, thinking to the numerous photos around Alec’s house.

Alec shrugged. “She tries, but she stays busy as head of the New York Institute. We see each other at least once a month though.”

“That sounds nice.”

Did Magnus ever have siblings? He was a warlock - how old was he? Would he have any living family? 

Was anyone looking for him?

Alec seemed to pick up on the trajectory of his thoughts. Well, that or Alec was good at knowing what to say. 

“I don’t know what your memories will reveal, but there is something you should know about this town,” Alec said softly. “Like I’ve said before, it’s a safe haven, of sorts, for those who have been hurt in some way by the Shadow World. Just something to think about.”

The words were comforting, soothing some part of Magnus that he couldn’t quite remember at the moment.

“I’m not sure what will happen with Adeline, but if there’s any reason you need to crash for a bit longer with us, we’re happy to have you,” he continued.

Magnus smiled, reaching out to squeeze Alec’s hand briefly. His hand was warm, now that he’d taken off the gloves, callused from using weapons. “Thank you, Alexander. I appreciate that. I’ve enjoyed getting to know your family.”

On another nearby street, they reached a cobblestone building. 

“This is Adeline’s apothecary. It also functions as the school, and she lives above it,” Alec explained, walking up the steps to knock on the door. 

The door swung open, revealing an Unseelie woman. Tattoos of thorns wrapped around her arms, her skin tinted gray. Wings were tucked behind her back, almost not visible. She smiled broadly at the sight of Alec and Max.

“I was wondering when you guys would make it to town! Where are Madzie and Rafael and Maple?” the woman asked, glancing past them only to spot Magnus. 

“With Mila over at the bakery,” Alec said, accepting a warm hug when she spread out her arms in greeting. “Glad to see you weathered the storm well. Elsie, this is Magnus. Magnus, this is Elsie. We’re actually here to see Adeline.”

Elsie waved in greeting at Magnus before opening the door wider for them to enter. “Come on in, she’s around here somewhere.”

The first room was set up as a shop, with long wooden tables. Baskets and shelves held items on display, like any magical ingredients and potions. Elsie led them past that room to another tucked away at the side, a cozy carpeted room full of couches and comfy chairs. There were books on display, various books of magic and other subjects. 

Another woman entered the room, wearing a flowy long sleeved dress that matched her brightly colored purple hair. She dropped the book she was carrying when she made eye contact with Magnus, astonished.

“Magnus Bane? What are you doing here?”

Chapter Text

Magnus Bane. Was that his name? It sounded familiar, like a distant life. Magnus Bane… He repeated it softly to himself, liking the way it rolled off his tongue. Was it the name he was born with or did he chose it himself as some warlocks did?

“Do I know you?” Magnus asked. He had flashes, glimpses of memories but he didn’t recall purple hair. It was all distorted, like blurry videos that didn’t quite capture the moments.

Adeline laughed softly; her eyes still wide with disbelief. “No, not personally, but I’ve seen you before. Nearly every warlock in the world knows who Magnus Bane is. I saw you last year during that huge warlock council meeting that our high warlock brought me to, she wanted me to get more experience.”

“Magnus has amnesia,” Alec offered up. “So, you know who he is?”

Adeline shrugged. “Inventor of the portal? One of the most powerful warlocks in the world? I’m sorry, it’s still throwing me off that you’re standing here in my house.”

Magnus’s eyes widened in surprise at her comments. He invented the portal? His magic was that powerful? It thrummed underneath his skin, still out of touch but he could almost feel it at his fingertips.

“That’s why your name sounded familiar,” Alec said with a snap of his fingers, turning toward Magnus. “We tried contacting you during our war against Valentine, but you were preoccupied with matters in England.”

Magnus frowned, deep in thought. “You tried contacting me? What war reached here?”

A small town hidden in Canada? Then again, now Magnus remembered some of Alec’s previous comments about this place being a refuge. Maybe Alec needed a place like this after the war. 

Alec shook his head. “Not here, my Institute did. I’m the former Head of the New York Institute.”

Alec was the former head of one of the largest institutes in the world? Alec had lived here for five years, and he didn’t appear to be past thirty, so he must have been young when he was promoted. 

“Magnus has amnesia, and his magic appears to be blocked somehow. We were hoping you could help,” Alec explained, slipping his coat off to hang up on the coatrack.

“I’ll do my best,” Adeline said, rolling her sleeves up. “How did you end up here anyway?”

“No idea,” Magnus answered with a dry look, hanging up his coat as well. “Alexander found me in the snow outside of his house and was kind enough to offer shelter during the storm.”

“Why didn’t you fire message me, Alec?” Adeline asked, not accusatory but curious. 

Alec smiled sheepishly. “Mads thought my stele would make a good magical wand. She left it over at Leila’s.” He pulled it from his pocket, waving it as proof. “I have it back now.”

Elsie swatted Alec’s arm lightly. “I thought I told you to always have a backup. You don’t have the magic the rest of us do.”

Alec shrugged unapologetically, setting Max on the ground when the toddler started to squirm. Max didn’t hesitate to wander around, giggling with blue sparks of magic following him.

“Let’s see what we can do about this,” Adeline said, gesturing for Magnus to take a seat. 

Elsie talked quietly with Alec on the other side of the room, staying with Max who was pulling books off the shelves. Adeline sat down on the coffee table across from Magnus. Her hands faintly glowed purple but remained by her side. 

“May I?” She asked.

Magnus appreciated the question. A warlock’s magic was personal, an extension of themselves. To touch another’s magic could be intimate, to say the least. Not to mention, any warlock who had their magic blocked or depleted would be feeling more vulnerable and less trusting of another’s magic. Any warlock with respect would ask another’s consent to use their magic like this. That was why fights between warlocks felt so violating at times, in a way, depending on how the magic was used

“Yes,” he answered, wanting to regain his magic more than anything. 

His mind, his body felt an alarming wrongness to be so disconnected from his magic. He couldn’t remember solid memories, but he could faintly recall the way his magic felt, the way it flowed. He felt empty without it. It was like missing a limb, or a sense – an intricate part of himself cut off.

Adeline slowly lifted her hands, the wisps of magic moving and dancing around Magnus’s body. Magnus could feel a faint hum of magic under his own skin, a familiar taste only for it to fade quickly. Adeline’s magic gently reached to his mind, not pushing, only searching. 

Magnus kept his eyes closed, his thoughts drifting for a while until he felt her magic withdraw. 

He blinked, meeting her dark eyes with his own. “Did you learn anything?”

“Your magic is definitely blocked,” Adeline said, biting her lip in thought. “There’s something binding it, but I can’t tell what. My magic is still too young to know the nuances of others.”

Who or what was blocking his magic? It would take quite a bit to actually bind his magic to where he was unable to use it. Sure, Shadowhunters had magic-suppressing chains and such but those were hard to access and worked vastly different from disconnecting a warlock from their magic.

“And my memories?”

“Your brain is perfectly fine, but I could detect that same binding there. The memories and magic, it’s connected.” Adeline sighed, placing her hands beside her to lean on the table. “So, we can contact the High Warlock and hope she isn’t busy, or we could get Charles and Oscar to take a look at you. They’re the only two other warlocks in town, decades older than me and more experienced.”

“What would you recommend?” Magnus asked. This wasn’t his town nor his country, he was content to follow another’s lead. 

“I think it’s worth reaching out to Estelle, that’s our High Warlock. I’ll send her a fire message, but she does keep busy so we might need to reach out to Charles and Oscar.”

“Will they help?” Alec asked, chiming in from where he was playing with Max. 

Elsie chuckled, apparently listening as well. “Come on, Alec, they’re just old grumpy sweethearts. Just because they cheated in that game of cards against you-”

Alec rolled his eyes, interrupting and waving off her comment. “Alright, we can see if they can help. Adeline, want to message Estelle and message Charles and Oscar to portal here?”

Adeline nodded, writing in the air with magic before sending away two fire messages. 

A fire message appeared back in Adeline’s hand almost immediately. She skimmed it before looking up at Magnus apologetically. 

“Estelle’s handling hostage situation with the Fae, she’ll be a few more hours.”

“Let’s have some tea,” Elsie suggested, jumping up and moving to a tea bar set up on one of the walls. After a look at Adeline, a kettle of boiling water appeared. 

Elsie poured them each a cup of tea, besides Max who was busy building with a stack of blocks. It was a comforting earl grey tea, a small jar of cream on the table as well as sugar to add. Magnus poured a splash of cream in his tea before taking a sip.

“So, how long have you lived here?” Magnus asked, Alec sitting on the couch next to him with Adeline and Elsie across from them on another couch. 

Adeline was curled up close to Elsie, her legs draped over Elsie’s while she leaned against the cushions, holding her tea close. Elsie’s navy colored wings gently rested against Adeline.

“I’ve been here for around three years,” Elsie answered, taking a sip of her tea.

“Six years for me, just a few months before Alec moved here,” Adeline replied, not elaborating further.

Magnus was curious what drove them to move here. Based on Alec’s descriptions, most people who moved here did so due to unfortunate experiences in the Shadow World. It was a personal topic, though, so Magnus kept most of his questions to himself. 

He did, however, ask Adeline more about her apothecary and what potions she liked most. Turned out, potions were her specialty, and she was happy to chat about it. 

“And I’ve heard that you work with Alexander?” Magnus said, directing his words toward Elsie once the conversation topic drifted from potions. “At the bookstore?”

Elsie smiled, her hand wrapped around Adeline’s ankle, holding her in place. “Yes! When he’s busy with the kids, I take over the store. We balance it out fairly well. Whenever there are visitors in town, we always get more business.”

“Do you have visitors often?” Magnus asked, wondering. It was a quaint, beautiful small town by the coast but definitely a bit off the map.

“It varies,” Alec answered, scooping Max into his arms to hold when the toddler reached out for him. “There are wards protecting the town from unwanted visitors or attention. It has a special mechanism on it where only those with knowledge of the Shadow World can enter.”

Adeline nodded. “Estelle created the wards around here, Charles helps maintain them. It helps to have a town like this where people can be themselves.” As if to prove her point, she gestured to Max’s visible warlock marks and Elsie’s Unseelie features.

That sounded… nice. Really nice. Magnus could faintly recall so many who had to hide huge parts of who they were due to the expectations or ignorance of mundane society. Sure, most mundanes wouldn’t blink twice at the sight of a visible warlock mark but on the off chance they had the sight and didn’t understand? It didn’t always end well. It must be freeing to have a space to live and be free, to easily do your magic or openly be a werewolf like that.

Elsie gave a soft, knowing smile as she looked at Magnus. “It’s a wonderful place to live.”

The look in her eye reminded Magnus that even though she appeared young in an ageless sort of manner, she was Fae and thus could be over a hundred. Her eyes spoke of painful memories and life experiences, but her smile held only understanding and acceptance.

Before Magnus could respond, there was a flicker of magic in the air, a small circle appearing that slowly grew. A portal. He glanced questioningly at Adeline but she didn’t seem concerned so she must recognize the magical signature.

A moment later a man stepped through, holding out his hand to help another man through as well. One of the men was a tall, African American man with a pair of glasses framing his brown eyes. The other man appeared to be of Chinese ancestry, with graying hair. They both appeared to be perhaps in their late sixties but looks were always deceiving with warlocks.

“I thought I said we should portal to Mila’s first for coffee,” the taller man said, frowning as he took in their surroundings. His accent was a mixture of New Yorker and Canadian. When he turned his head to the side, Magnus saw the green scales appearing then disappearing by his neck.

The other man huffed. “Come on Charles, Adeline did say it was important.” He spoke with a bit of a British accent as he looked at the four of them seated on the couches, an unimpressed look in his eye. “This is important, correct?”

Adeline straightened to sit up but Elsie only chuckled. “Yes, it is. Magnus, this is Charles and Oscar. Charles, Oscar, this is Magnus Bane.”

There was faint recognition in their eyes, but without the surprise that Adeline had had. It was clear these two had seen enough from over the years not to be phased.

“It’s nice to meet you both,” Magnus said, standing up and shaking both of their hands as they looked at him suspiciously.

“Please, have a seat,” Adeline said, a wave of her magic causing another couch to move, forming a bit of a square of out of couches. “Would you care for tea or coffee? It’s not as good as Mila’s, but we have it.”

“Coffee would be lovely,” Charles said, adjusting his glasses as he sat down, placing an arm on the back of the couch by Oscar.

“I’ll have a cuppa,” Oscar stated, gesturing to the tea. He looked over at Magnus with an assessing look before moving his gaze to Alec with little Max in his arms. “Where are the other two youngins?”

“They’re with Mila,” Alec answered, taking the gruff tone in stride as he stroked the top Max’s head, the toddler closing his eyes. “Have you both been well?”

Charles narrowed his eyes at Alec. “Just because we’re older than you don’t mean we can’t run circles around ya! Kids nowadays, no respect.”

Alec openly rolled his eyes, his shoulders relaxed around them even with the fond annoyance. “I’m twenty-eight, Charles, not a kid. And you know I check on everyone, not just you two. Besides, aren’t you the one who got that warlock cold and was laid up sick for three weeks because you didn’t want to take your medicine?”

Charles waved away his comments. “Technicalities.” He glanced over at Magnus. “He’s a mother hen is what he is. So, Magnus Bane, what brings you to our humble town?”

Magnus couldn’t help but smile slightly, amused by the turn of events. “That’s what I need help figuring out. It seems something has blocked or bound my magic as well as my memories. All I have are flashes. It’s only thanks to Adeline that we know my full name.”

Oscar frowned before looking down at his tea. “Is this earl grey tea?”

“Yes,” Elsie answered him. “Would you prefer a different kind?”

“Do you have black tea?”

A tea packet appeared in Elsie’s hand, compliments of Adeline, and she put the packet in a new mug of steaming water. The previous mug disappearing from Oscar’s hand, and he picked up the new cup instead.

Meanwhile, Max rubbed his eyes before wiggling out of Alec’s arms, moving over to Charles and holding out his arms to be held. Charles huffed slightly but picked the toddler up, holding him with ease and care. He kept his coffee mug out of reach of Max, instead magicking a stuffed animal for Max to play with.

“So, Charles, Oscar, we were hoping you might be able to help,” Adeline said, breaking in when there was a moment of silence with the various comments circling around.

“Help with what?” Oscar asked, taking a sip of his new cup of tea and seeming satisfied.

“We would like you to see if you could help Magnus restore his memories and magic,” Alec said calmly, patiently.

“Adeline, did you check him out?” Oscar asked.

“Not my type,” Adeline retorted, then Elsie elbowed her in the side. “Okay yes, I examined him with my magic. I can tell there is a binding on his magic and memories, but I can’t tell what or who is causing it. I reached out to Estelle, but she isn’t available for a few more hours.”

“So, can you help?” Alec asked, his eyebrows raised in a challenging manner.

Charles and Oscar exchanged glances before Charles answered. “Yeah, we’ll give it a go.”

Chapter Text

After the agreement to help, neither Charles nor Oscar seemed to be in a rush. They insisted they would do better once they finished their tea and coffee.

Alec wasn’t sure either to be annoyed or amused. Perhaps both. He was truly fond of the couple, both interesting, quirky individuals but they were not always the most efficient when it came to urgent matters.

Charles played a hand clapping game with Max, smiling at the toddler fondly. Charles and Oscar were great with the kids though, if a bit gruff at times. If Mila acted like their grandmother at times, Charles and Oscar were definitely the grouchy grandfathers.

A nostalgic feeling crossed over Alec, thinking of his own parents. He had only spoken to his father, Robert, once since he left New York, a painful and brief conversation. Things hadn’t been the same between them since he learned Robert cheated on his mom. Robert never made an effort to be his dad or be there for him. He’d been furious when he found out Alec was done with the Institute. When Robert and Maryse divorced, Robert stopped showing up all together.

Maryse was a different story. Alec had wanted to cut ties, practically did for several years. He wasn’t sure he would have survived being the Head of the Institute otherwise, due to how much she and Robert pressured him and nitpicked his choices. Nothing he did was ever enough for them. Even when Maryse had been deruned during the war against Valentine due to previous actions with the Circle, it was a rocky transition to being mundane.

However, the past two years then reports from Isabelle and Jace said that Maryse truly had changed and put in genuine effort. She owned a bookstore now in New York not too far from the Institute, keeping in touch with Isabelle and Jace. She went to therapy which gradually helped, especially with the loss of Maxwell. Alec was willing to give her another chance and he hadn’t regretted it so far, though he kept the interactions brief and monitored her with his kids very carefully. Some trust broke down too far to be rebuilt to what it was.

A warm hand touched his knee, brown eyes meeting his when he turned.

“Are you alright?” Magnus asked quietly, his words unheard by the others due to the chattering around them.

Alec managed a halfhearted smile and a brief nod of reassurance. “Yeah, sorry, got lost in my head for a second.”

“It didn’t seem like they were pleasant thoughts,” he observed, withdrawing his hand. Alec missed the warmth already.

Alec considered the statement. Mostly, then no, his thoughts of his parents did not go pleasant places. His memories of them from his childhood were shrouded sharp voices, disappointed gazes, and in grief for Max. With Maryse, there was slow healing in place for some semblance of a relationship but…

Alec shrugged. “Depends on which thought, I suppose.”

Magnus’s lips quirked upward. “Touché.”

Oscar cleared his throat, getting their attention as he placed his teacup down. “Alright, if you are quite done with your muttering we best get on to business.”

“Is there a room we can use?” Charles asked, glancing toward the next room where the potions were displayed. “One that doesn’t have quite as much of your magic permeated in it, Adeline?”

Adeline chuckled. “Yes, come along.”

Alec knew more about magic than most Shadowhunters, he supposed, since he tried learning as much as he could for Madzie and Max’s sake. He had many conversations with warlocks over the years when he was Head of the New York Institute and spoke regularly with those with magic here in North Harbor.

He knew from conversations with Elsie that each person with magic tended to saturate their space with their magic. She’d admitted to doing the same at the bookstore, though her magic worked differently as an Unseelie than it would for a warlock. Adeline had chimed in once that in certain spaces that could make it difficult to perform particular spells or rituals if there was too much overflowing magic that wasn’t yours.

Everyone stood up at the same time, but Charles and Oscar exchanged glances.

“It will be easiest if only we go with Magnus to perform the spell,” Charles said, setting Max down on the floor. Max quickly toddled over to the bookshelf.

“What about me?” Adeline asked, standing in the doorway, having been ready to lead them to the other room.

“We aren’t sure what we’re dealing with yet, and it would be good to have a warlock out here to maintain the protective wards and whatnot,” Charles answered matter-of-factly. “Besides, if there’s defensive or attack magic in place, it could lash out negatively on others. We will do our best to contain anything, but you should stay here.”

Adeline pressed her lips together tightly, clearly wanting to help more, but nodded.

While they were distracted, Alec tapped on Magnus’s hand.

“Are you ready? Are you comfortable going with them?” he asked, knowing from Elsie and Adeline how personal magic could be. Circumstances like these had to be uncomfortable, especially with so many new faces.

A warm smile graced Magnus’s face, and he shifted his hand to squeeze Alec’s fingers briefly. “Yes, Alexander, as ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Magnus?” Adeline called out, both Oscar and Charles having already disappeared through the doorway.

“Coming,” Magnus answered. He gave Alec once last glance before following Adeline.

“I’ll keep watch in the hall,” Adeline said, directing her words to Elsie before slipping out of view.

Max was fully occupied with the big lego blocks that had been pulled out by Elsie, so Alec moved to sit by his son. He started moving Lego pieces to build a house.

Elsie joined them, gracefully sitting on the carpet with her wings stretched out behind her. She gave Alec a knowing look.

Elsie knew him better than most nowadays, one of his closest friends here in North Harbor. They worked together during the week at the bookstore, and she would come over often. Sometimes Adeline would join her, sometimes it would just be Elsie. They would invite Alec over too, or occasionally show up out of the blue to babysit for free to give him an evening or day to himself.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked due to the pointed gaze sent in his direction.

She laughed softly. “I haven’t seen you look at anyone like that since Alonso.”

Alec looked down at his hands, fidgeting with the Lego block. Memories tended to taste bittersweet to him, and Alonso brought back many.

Elsie’s hand grasped his gently, her painted nails tapping his hand. “Alec, he would want you to move on, to be happy again. Do you like Magnus?”

“I know. Besides, I have moved on,” Alec said, the tone not as defensive as it used to be.

Once, those words had been a lie, but gradually over the past couple years they became true. He remembered Alonso with the affection of a love lost, but no longer with the pressing feeling that he could never love again. There was a warm feeling of nostalgia to think of Alonso, to remember what they were and ponder what they could have been. Yet, he couldn’t help but think Alonso would be happy for him and to see how far he had come.

“And Magnus?” Elsie asked, her words soft. “You haven’t really dated since Alonso…” She trailed off, both knowing how that sentence would end.

“I barely know him,” Alec said, which felt like a truth and a lie.

Alec hadn’t even known Magnus for a full week yet, but they had spent each of those days together. They had spent hours talking. Then again, Magnus didn’t even have his memories.

How much could you learn about a person without their memories to tell the story? A person’s life experiences shape who they are. If you took away the memory of those experiences, how much of the person remained?

“But you like what you do know and have seen,” Elsie said cheekily, her words not pushing as much as Isabelle would have, yet her tone rang out in sisterly affection, nonetheless.

“Regardless of my own feelings or thoughts, Magnus has a life to get back to,” Alec stated firmly, not wanting to get his hopes up.

It was too early, too soon to know what could happen. Yet there was potential there that Alec hadn’t felt in a long time. Still, Magnus was going to leave when this was all sorted. Why would he come back?

Elsie gave his hand one more squeeze before leaning back. “I don’t know Alec; this town has a way of drawing people in.”

-----

“Are you ready?” Charles asked, purple flickers of magic sparkling around his fingertips.

Magnus was seated in the middle of the room, Oscar and Charles on either side of him. Oscar kept his magic ready but seemed to be more of the backup present.

“Yes,” Magnus said, closing his eyes.

Flickers of magic pricked at his mind. It felt different from Madzie’s, which was different from Adeline’s. Each warlock, and any magical being, had their own unique magical signature. He could tell Charles’s magic was older, at least a century.

The magic seeped into his mind, images flashing before his eyes.

Through the window, there were rolling green fields and animals out in the grass. He stood there staring in disbelief after seeing his mother in the barn. How was she dead?

“This is all your fault!” an angry voice shouted, a rough hand grabbing onto his wiry frame and pulling him toward the tub. “Demon scum!”

Fear flooded his mind, and he knew he couldn’t get closer to that water. Something warm was permeating his skin, sparks floating along his hands and the next thing he knew there were flames surrounding his stepfather.

Silence rang in the stone courtyards. Silent monks walked the grounds. A nice face smiled at him, a man with green skin and horns.

“Hi there, I’m Ragnor Fell,” the man said gently.

Those in the town were running around frantic, shouting accusations of "witch" . The two warlocks were standing yards away in the shadows, hidden from view by the thick oak trees. 

The woman rolled her eyes at him, pulling her cloak closer as she scoffed at him. “I had it handled.”

He stared at her, her blue skin and white hair quickly hidden under glamour once more. “You were about to be burned at the stake.”

“I had a plan,” she insisted. “I suppose a thank you wouldn’t hurt. I’m Catarina Loss.”

“Magnus Bane,” he said, shaking her hand, having chosen the name a few years ago. He smiled at the fiery warlock, thinking this would be the start of a beautiful friendship.

Flashes of faces. Peru, different lovers, London, a young resilient warlock with Nephilim blood, a vampire wearing a red dress, feelings of betrayal.

“I don’t need help!” the boy insisted, not even sixteen. His fangs flashed dangerously in the moonlight.

Magnus shook his head slowly, standing in the streets of Brooklyn. “But you deserve help. What’s your name?”

The boy almost didn’t respond but crossed his arms and spoke, “Raphael Santiago.”

A sword swung toward him, an arrogant sneer. “You’ll die for that, warlock.” Maryse Lightwood shifted her stance, lunging toward him.

Magnus glared at the Shadowhunter as he sidestepped the blow, blocking the sword with his magic. “I don’t think so.”

“I’m getting too old for this,” Ragnor stated, pouring another cup of tea. “What trouble do you find yourself in this time?”

Magnus turned toward his dear old friend, having returned to London. “Valentine Morgenstern has risen again, but he isn’t my concern. There is trouble in the Fae realms with Lilith stirring. I think Asmodeus is causing havoc as well. I need your help to stop her.”

“We need to get you out of here!” Catarina shouted, her eyes darting toward Magnus. “We have the power to stop Asmodeus, but we can’t if he keeps feeding off of your magic!”

“I can end this!” Magnus yelled back, his magic in powerful waves around him.

Stubborn eyes met his, but Catarina gave a reluctant nod. “Do what you must.”

Magnus charged at his father, matching him blow for blow. Only through years of experience and through cultivating his magic was he able to shift the power balance, knocking his father down. Using his magic, he opened a portal back to the realm where Asmodeus belonged and shoved him through, sealing it behind him.

“It’s done,” he said, panting as he leaned against a pillar.

"Not yet,” a voice said. A face that had looked like Ragnor shifted, revealing its shapeshifter nature. “You’ll pay for that.”

The creature charged at Magnus. Too low on magic to dispel the demon, Magnus wrapped his fingers around his charmed necklace, hoping the spell would work.

Protective magic erupted around him, covering him and sinking deep, deep into his skin and mind. A portal opened and he fell through.

He was cold. Far too cold. A warm hand brushed against his face, a gentle touch that was soothing deep in his soul.

“What happened to you?” a familiar voice asked, slowly lifting him out of the cold snow.

Magnus’s eyes blinked open, blue magic pouring from his hands and wrapping defensively around himself. He stood, barely realizing it, his golden eyes flashing. He held out his hands, ready to fight if anyone charged toward him.

He remembered.

Chapter Text

The door swung open, Adeline appearing in the doorway. Her eyes were wide, frantic, with her magic gathering at her fingertips.

“Something went wrong! Magic is pouring out of the room, and it isn’t Oscar or Charles’s magic,” Adeline said, seeking out Elsie’s gaze.

“Getting his memories back could be triggering,” Elsie replied thoughtfully, standing up and swinging Max into her arms. She glanced over to Alec. “He might need a familiar face.”

That was understandable, he supposed. He was the one that Magnus knew best in town, and while magic like this could be more dangerous and wilder, it tended to follow the person’s internal instincts. If magic grew too overwhelming, it went back to the magic-user’s core instincts.

“Can you get the undertone of the magic?” Alec asked, Adeline having shared once that magic could often reveal an undercurrent of the user’s emotions or motivations if not guarded well enough. It was evident in young warlock’s magic or even an experienced one if they weren’t able to keep their normal defenses up.

Adeline closed her eyes, purple magic swirling around her hands once more, reaching out into the hallway. “Defensive, panic, protective, confusion.”

“Keep Max safe,” Alec instructed Elsie, though she would do so regardless. She nodded her head and left the room with the toddler in her arms. “Adeline, stay out here to help contain the magic if it goes wrong.”

When Adeline didn’t protest, he brushed past her toward the hallway. Sure enough, electric light blue magic was drifting along the walls and under the door. The wisps of it drifted around Alec in a probing manner before dancing around him instead, the magic feeling warm and safe.

Madzie and Max’s magic both felt comfortable around Alec, but this felt different than theirs did. Alec shook his head. It must be due to Magnus’s magic being older, more expeirneced than theirs.

His hand grasped the doorknob and twisted it, opening the door only to feel a wave of magic hitting him full force. It was much stronger than the magic in the hallway, but felt similar undertones of protection, safety, and warmth.

“Alec!” Charles exclaimed, standing next to Oscar by the door, each with their own magic wrapped around themselves defensively. “What are you doing in here?”

“Elsie and Adeline thought a familiar face might help,” Alec said, his eyes quickly scanning the room to assess the situation.

Magnus was sitting in a chair in the middle of the room, his eyes open and staring blankly ahead through golden, catlike eyes. His warlock mark? His magic was circling his body in a clearly protective manner, wisps of it spanning out in the whole room.

“We found the root of the problem,” Oscar said. “He placed a block on his own magic and memories, though I’m assuming it was a spell gone wrong. We eased the block enough for his magic to do the rest and then he became like this.”

“His magic likes you,” Charles observed, evidently seeing how Magnus’s magic was wrapping around Alec.

“Magnus, can you hear me?” Alec asked, keeping his tone steady and clear. “Magnus?”

Magnus’s eyes blinked before resuming the blank, unseeing stare, though his head tilted to the side as if listening.

“Magnus, you’re in North Harbor, remember? You’re in Adeline’s store. Charles and Oscar are in the room, their magic is meant to help, not hurt.” Could he hear any of this? “You’re safe here, you have your magic back.”

Oscar moved slightly, and Magnus’s magic lashed out, slamming down onto Oscar’s shields of magic.

“Maybe you two should try leaving the room,” Alec observed.

Magnus seemed to be keeping some sort of control over his magic, but it was clearly moving frantically and unsure. Alec went to stand in front of Oscar and Charles, somewhat blocking them from view.

“We can’t leave you in here,” Charles said with a frown.

“His magic doesn’t want to hurt you, but apparently it doesn’t recognize you,” Alec said matter-of-factly. “Your magic is triggering, somehow, so you need to leave the room.”

“I hate it when you act like a know-it-all, kid,” Charles said gruffly, but he was clearly reluctant to leave the room which indicated his real feelings toward Alec. Charles and Oscar were both big softies, not that either would show it too obviously.

“Magnus, Oscar and Charles are leaving the room. They are just leaving, nothing else,” Alec said, hoping his words would carry through whatever was currently going on in Magnus’s head.

Magnus had put a block on his own magic and memories? How had he even done that? While Alec wasn’t an expert by any means, he had devoted quite a bit of time studying magic theory and practice for helping his kids.

Magnus’s magic allowed Oscar and Charles to leave the room, slamming the door shut behind them. The magic covered the doorway, blocking it off, trapping them in the room.

While Alec hadn’t anticipated his day going like this, at least he wasn’t feeling unsafe. Sure, he needed to get out in the near future if just to check on his kids, but Magnus’s magic didn’t feel threatening toward him.

“Magnus, it’s just us in here,” Alec said calmly, slowly pulling a nearby chair toward him and sitting down on it. “You’re safe.”

Alec wasn’t sure how much time passed. Every now and then, Alec would speak reassurances or share a funny story about the kids. Magnus’s magic began to slowly withdraw, the frantic movements fading into searching wisps instead.

Over time, Magnus’s stiff posture slowly relaxed and he blinked more often. Eventually, he slumped his shoulders completely, his magic fading until it was only small blue sparks around his own body.

“Magnus?” Alec called out tentatively.

“Alexander,” he answered, his voice rough and weary. He groaned, rubbing his temple with his hand.

Alec couldn’t help but quirk a smile, happy to see Magnus back in the present. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I just relived centuries of my life and got run over by a bus,” Magnus said, leaning against the chair’s armrest as he lifted his eyes to Alec. His golden eyes were full of concern as he scanned Alec. “I’m sorry, did I hurt you? Did I hurt anyone? What happened?”

“You didn’t harm anyone,” Alec said. “Oscar and Charles said they helped loosen the block you apparently placed on your magic and memories. Your magic lashed out defensively, protecting yourself. Your magic was fond enough of me, so I got them to leave so your magic could relax.”

Magnus raised an eyebrow in surprise before looking down at his hands, the blue wisps dancing around lightly. “Thank you, Alexander.”

“So, do you remember?”

A pained look crossed Magnus’s face as he nodded. “Yeah, I remember.”

“What happened?” Alec asked, which he knew could be interpreted many ways.

What happened to cause that pained gaze? What happened to cause your magic to react so defensively? What happened to make your magic protective of me? What happened to cause you to block your own magic and memories?

Magnus offered a halfhearted smile. “During the war against Valentine, Lilith was stirring. I was in England, working with other warlocks to help contain her once more. Sometime during that time, my father escaped Edom and kept himself hidden for a few years until he found a way to feed off my magic. I created a failsafe of sorts. It was meant to be a protective spell that would keep me safe and keep my magic contained to myself. After we took him down, we discovered another stray warlock follower of Lilith had been monitoring the situation. I didn’t have hardly any magic left at that point, and I assumed the protective spell would be better than nothing.”

“And that’s what blocked your magic?” Alec asked.

Magnus nodded. “It wasn’t supposed to work like that, but that’s what happens with experimental magic. It portaled me to a safe place, so to speak, and I suppose it went the extra mile to block off my memories as well.”

Alec wasn’t sure what to say. Experimental magic was a highly dedicated form of magic study, creating new ways of using magic. Sure, warlocks would come up with new potions and spells at times, but experimental magic took it to another level… which was all Alec knew about experimental magic because he had never located a book on it and only knew from a conversation with Oscar once.

“Too bad it didn’t portal you somewhere inside,” Alec mused after a moment. “Cold snow isn’t the most pleasant place to linger.”

Magnus smiled, his expression open and honest. “I don’t know, it did lead me to you.”

Alec was saved from responding by a sharp knock on the door.

“Alec? Magnus? Is everything okay?” Adeline’s voice rang through, sounding concerned.

“Come in,” Alec answered.

The purple haired warlock poked her head through door, relaxing the moment she laid eyes on both of them. She stepped fully in the room.

“How’s it going?” she asked.

Magnus offered a smile, his eyes back to the previous brown color he’d had before. “Good, I think. My magic and memories are fully intact. I fear I owe Oscar and Charles an apology for lashing out though. Thank you for your assistance, Adeline.”
Adeline smiled back. “Good to hear. I was happy to help.” She turned her gaze to Alec. “Max fell asleep about an hour ago, he’s napping. Elsie checked on Madzie and Rafael for you, they’re both still doing good at Mila’s.”

Alec sighed, relieved. “How long has it been?”

“Two hours or so,” she answered. “Come, eat lunch.”

Alec stood up, preparing to follow her out. Magnus stood as well, stumbling slightly but Alec managed to catch him in time. Magnus shot him a grateful look, accepting the arm around his waist to support him.

“Food will help. I just expended a lot of magic and it’s still generating after the block,” Magnus said softly.

With his arm helping hold Magnus upright, Alec followed Adeline back to the sitting room they were in previously.

Elsie was pouring drinks, a baby monitor on the coffee table where she could see it. Alec could spot Max’s features through it, the toddler sleeping contently. Oscar and Charles were seated on the other couch, drinks in hand.

“Oscar, Charles, I cannot tell you how grateful I am for your assistance,” Magnus said. “I am sorry about any defensive magic trying to attack you.”

Charles waved away his thanks. “It takes more than a bit of magic to take us down. You did well with keeping it contained as you did.”

“What did happen, anyway? It was hard to read the magic on you, only that it was your magic keeping the block in place,” Oscar asked, accepting a plate of lunch from Elsie.

Adeline sat next to Elsie, Elsie’s wings immediately stretching out to wrap around her girlfriend. Magnus and Alec sat down one the one empty couch left.

“Let me get them something to eat and drink before we bombard Magnus with questions,” Elsie insisted. “And Magnus isn’t obligated to share anything that he doesn’t wish to.”

Alec smiled appreciatively at Elsie, who winked at him. She took their drink orders and handed them both their requests – coffee for Magnus, tea for Alec. She handed them each a plate of food as well.

“Okay, now what happened?” Charles asked, jumping right into it as soon as half the food was gone.

Magnus gave a shortened explanation about the protective spell going wrong, thanking them once again for their help.

“And your magic latched onto Lightwood?” Oscar asked curiously.

Magnus blinked at the name, confusion and surprise evident in his gaze. “Lightwood?”

That was when it occurred to Alec that he never properly introduced himself to Magnus. Had he only given his first name?

“That’s my last name,” Alec explained. The Lightwood name had been tarnished by his parents’ former involvement in the Circle. Had Magnus ever faced them?

Magnus snapped his fingers, recollection in his gaze. “I remember your request now. You were Head of the New York Institute requesting assistance during the war.”

“At least now I know what you were up to in England,” Alec said wryly, thinking back to the terse brief reply that Magnus had sent back at the time. If he was going up against Lilith, it made sense.

Oscar and Charles didn’t linger for long after lunch, ready to return home. Which reminded Alec that Magnus had a home to return to as well. Did Magnus still live in England?

“I want to see the kids before I head out,” Magnus said when Elsie and Adeline left the room to put the dishes away.

“Of course.”

There was hesitance in Magnus’s eyes as he stood across from Alec. “I hate to leave so soon, but my friends are likely beside themselves with worry and I have responsibilities-”

“Magnus, I understand,” Alec interrupted. He didn’t have to explain himself, not to Alec. His smile softened. “You’re always welcome back here, you know.”

“How else will I have the world’s best hot chocolate?” Magnus teased before grasping Alec’s hand, squeezing it gently. “I really appreciate your help, Alexander. Even with the circumstances, I’m glad I was able to meet you, meet the kids.”

“I’m glad too,” Alec said, trying to mentally prepare for Magnus to leave.

Isn’t this what Alec had anticipated all along? For Magnus to regain his memories and magic then leave? What he hadn’t anticipated was a lingering feeling of disappoint to follow.

Chapter Text

Two months later…

 “Thank you, have a great day,” Elsie said, waving to the customer with a friendly smile as they exited the store.

Alec slid another book on the shelf, working on restocking. It didn’t require much thought, thankfully, since his mind kept drifting. Rafael and Madzie were in school, and Max was spending the morning over at Ted and Lucy’s, who had a son that was Rafael’s age and a daughter who was Max’s age. Lucy was always happy to have Max over to play with Addy, so Max usually spent a couple mornings a week there when school was in session. Sometimes Alec would watch Addy if Lucy needed to run errands.

It had been nearly two months since Magnus was first stranded in North Harbor, winter’s icy grip slowly loosening. When Magnus had said bye to the kids, none of them had taken it very well, but were placated when Magnus promised to visit. Magnus ensured he had Alec’s phone number before leaving, explaining that he needed to contact his people.

Nearly a week of radio silence caused Alec to begin to doubt that Magnus would return. Why would he? It was a small, isolated town in Canada with people he’d known for mere days.

Still, to his surprise, almost a week after he left, Magnus showed up on his doorstep with pastries in tow. Magnus had apologized profusely for the lack of contact, saying his friends had been camped out in the Spiral Labyrinth trying to figure out what spell Magnus had created to cause him to disappear and that he hadn’t had any phone service to call.

Alec assumed Magnus would have a short visit to see the kids, have a cup of Mila’s world class hot chocolate, and that would be it. Instead, Magnus had visited the town numerous times over the past two months to the point where everyone in town at least knew who he was.

Mostly, Magnus would spend his time with Alec. Sometimes at Alec’s house, drinking mugs of tea late when the kids were asleep or taking walks if the kids were at school. Other times, Magnus would hang out at the bookstore if Alec was working, sometimes bringing his own research to work on while seated on one of the many couches.

A jangle of bells at the door caused Alec to lift his head. He liked to keep track of who was around the store, especially if any strangers happen to stumble upon North Harbor now that they weren’t snowed in.

Nya’s familiar face appeared, the young woman slipping her coat off and placing it on the rack by the door. Unlike Alec, none of her runes were visible since she wore long sleeves. Alec’s runes were evident on his wrists and particularly due to the prominent deflect rune on his neck.

“Hi!” Nya greeted, a smile gracing her lips. She was growing happier the longer she was in their town.

“Hey Nya!” Elsie reminded, walking over and pulling the woman into a warm hug. She pulled back, her eyes on Nya’s baby bump. “And how is the little bean today?”

Nya chuckled, placing a protective hand over her stomach. “Doing well. I actually just had a checkup with Wendy. She said it could be any day now.”

Alec placed the last book on the shelf, walking over to join the conversation. Wendy was the primary doctor in town, a Seelie who specialized in healing magic though it worked differently than a warlock’s.

“Are you going to stay in town until the baby comes?” Alec asked. She lived farther out and since it was just her and Leila, that couldn’t be the safest if she had to drive while in labor.

Nya fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. “I’m not sure. To be completely honest, I barely have a plan for when the baby comes.”

Elsie wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. “Would you like to come and have tea with us? I just put a fresh kettle on.”

Nya nodded. “That sounds nice, thank you.”

Alec flipped one of the signs on the door, the one Elsie designed for “Teatime Break”. People in town knew they were welcome to come in during that time, but it deterred strangers.

When he bought the bookstore, Alec had renovated it a bit to fit his vision. The front of the store was full of bookshelves and tables of books, but the back area was a cozy space with rugs, couches, chairs, and a few desks. Sometimes people would linger to read a book, to study, or to work.

Alec filled up each of the teacups, handing them out before taking a seat.

Nya stared down at her tea, her eyebrows knitted together in distress as she clutched the handle. “When I found out I was pregnant, it took me months to come up with a plan to get Leila and me out of there. My plan only got me so far,” she said, at last glancing up between them. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know how I’m going to provide for Leila and now this little one-”

Alec reached over, squeezing her hand comfortingly before leaning back. “Nya, it’s going to be okay. You made it here, you’ve kept Leila and yourself safe. You have a lovely home, a wonderful doctor, and you are going to continue to be an amazing mom.”

Elsie nodded in agreement. “Alec’s right, hon. Besides, you aren’t alone. This town is a family, remember? Maybe a dysfunctional, disastrous family, but a family nonetheless.” She clapped her hands together. “Now that I think about it, why don’t you and Leila come and stay with Adeline and me until after the baby comes? Why, you might as well stay for a bit after the baby comes too while you get adjusted.”

Nya hesitated. “I don’t want us to be any trouble. You have already done so much.”

Elsie merely smiled. “Nya, we would love to have you and Leila. Besides, Wendy lives right down the street from us and the clinic is close by too.”

Nya looked over at Alec questioningly. Nya had found out about North Harbor while on the run through meeting Aline Penhallow, his cousin, and her wife Helen Blackthorn. They had told her to find Alec, and Nya did. Since then, he’s tried to watch out for her, and they both knew it.

“It’s not a bad idea, Nya,” Alec said, keeping his tone neutral. “Leila will be thrilled to get to stay with Adeline.” He shrugged. “You have options though. I have an extra room if you want to stay with us, and Leila would get to hang out with Mads. We aren’t as close to town, but I have my truck. There’s also the Bed and Breakfast, Barrett would let you stay there for free I’m sure until the baby’s born.”

For tourists or strangers passing through, prices would stay up, but Barrett had a soft spot for any of the locals in town or anyone in trouble.

Nya seemed to consider the options, slowly sipping her tea before nodding toward Elsie. “If Adeline’s alright with it too, then we’ll come.”

Elsie grinned giddily. “Oh good! This will be so much fun! Why don’t you pick up what you need from your house later and I’ll have Adeline bring Leila back with her after school lets out?”

Nya nodded. “That sounds good.” She turned her gaze to Alec. “On another note, where’s your admirer?”

“My admirer?” Alec sputtered.

She smiled cheekily. “Yeah, you know, that handsome warlock that’s been trailing along with you these past few weeks?”

Elsie chuckled. “She’s got you there, Alec.”

Alec shook his head. “Magnus has his own life. He has more to do than to hang around here.”

“Yet he’s here more often than not?”

Alec rolled his eyes at Elsie. “He likes the town.”

“No, he likes you,” Elsie fired back. Her eyes softened. “Come on, Alec, why don’t you ask him out on a proper date?”

Alec turned toward Nya, hoping she’d save him, but there was a playful twinkle in her eye as well.

“I thought you were already dating, so I agree with Elsie. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Alec wanted to protest, but he supposed she had a point. Having known Magnus for over a month now and having spent much time with him, he knew the worst that could happen would be a gentle rejection. Perhaps a fade out of visits. Sure, that would be hard, but at least he’d know, and it was what he had expected initially anyway.

Alec’s phone buzzed with a text.

Magnus: Hey, I’ll be in town in a bit. Want me to pick up the little ones from school and meet you back at the bookstore or house?

That was another thing though. Magnus became integrated not only in Alec’s life, but in his kids’ lives.

A couple weeks ago, Alec had been busy with an emergency in town when a Shadowhunter at the borders was trying to cause trouble. He was looking for Nya, claiming to be the father of her child. When Alec spoke to Nya she’d broken down in tears, confirming what he’d feared about how consensual things had occurred. She’d explained how she’d been drugged and since she never verbally said no, no one had done anything to help her press charges. The man had kept stalking her around the institute and when word came out that she was pregnant, he insisted on wanting to marry her and Nya’s parents encouraged it to help her “good name” so that the baby wouldn’t be born out of wedlock. That’s when Nya decided to flee for good, finding North Harbor. Alec had gone with Nic, the official mayor of the town and leader of the vampire coven, and Barrett to get rid of the Shadowhunter after ensuring Nya and Leila were safe with Elsie and Adeline.

Alec was gone for hours, and Magnus had picked up the kids from school and Max from Lucy’s, fed them dinner, read them books, and put them all to bed because he knew their routines by then. After picking them up once, Magnus had begun to offer to help out more when he was able to. Sometimes Alec declined, but other days he said yes. Today was one of the days he was willing to say yes, texting back that he’d meet him at the house after picking up Max from Lucy’s.

“Is that Magnus now?” Elsie asked with a knowing grin.

Alec nodded.

“And?”

“He’s heading into town and asked if I want him to pick up the kids.” Alec reported.

“See? He’s already such a dad,” Elsie said, standing up. “I better get back to work. Nya, I’ll see you at the house later. Adeline will have Leila there too.”

“Okay, sounds good. Thanks again.”

Elsie disappeared back into the front of the bookstore and Alec fidgeted with his cup as he glanced over at Nya. He eyed the wedding ring she was fidgeting with.

“What’s on your mind, Alec?” Nya asked. “I can tell you want to ask me something.”

“How long has it been since your husband passed?”

Nya froze before relaxing her shoulders. “Six years. He was killed by a demon during duty a year after Leila was born.”

“Have you dated since then?” Alec asked.

Nya tilted her head to the side, curiosity in her eyes. “Why this line of questions?”

Alec finished off his cup of tea before answering. “I was with someone a few years back who died. I haven’t dated since, not really.” He sighed. “I like Magnus, I really do. But why do I feel so strange about taking the first step to move on?”

“Ah.” Nya gave a sympathetic smile, reaching out to grasp his hand lightly. “To answer your question, I have dated a little bit but nothing serious. It does feel strange, and having kids adds another dynamic there. But from what I’ve seen and heard, Magnus truly cares about you and your three kiddos. Be willing to take a chance, Alec.”

---

“You’ve been quieter since you came back,” Catarina observed, his dear friend still wearing her nursing scrubs from the hospital.

Magnus wasn’t certain what to say. He supposed he had been a bit quieter in these past two months, reprocessing his memories. Getting his memories back had been disorienting, confusing, yet many puzzle pieces fell into place about his life which was helpful. Still, returning to Brooklyn where he’d moved two years ago felt strange. He had given up being High Warlock a few months before the amnesia, gearing himself more toward research particularly when he discovered Asmodeus had been running loose.

Magnus had lived in numerous places and countries. Indonesia, his homeland. Peru, a few different states in the USA but primarily New York, England, France, a brief stint in Russia… Each place he lived had its own special place in his heart and life. Every location had a purpose, whether for adventuring, learning, studying, leading, or helping others.

North Harbor in Canada had its own unique feel that drew Magnus in. Perhaps it was due to the fact it was a safe haven for those impacted by the Shadow World. There were other safe havens like that, but it was North Harbor was unique since it had special warding in place to fend from outsiders, was its own town instead of a section in a city, and fairly isolated from other places.

“Processing years of memories can do that to a person,” Magnus said at last, checking the time. He had a bit longer until he was going to pick the kids up from school.

Those few days without his memories had been freeing in a way that he hadn’t ever experienced before. Even his childhood was burdened by traumatic experiences and pain. It took a weight off his back when he hadn’t known his own past, though being cut off from his magic had been terrible.

“You’ve been spending a lot of time in North Harbor,” she added, having heard the whole story from him when he returned to find her and Ragnor that first week after getting his memories back.

She explained that they’d stopped the warlock who specialized in glamours, and how Ragnor had been safe back at his home after receiving a false message so he wouldn’t be present. After that, they had been unable to track Magnus, likely due to another factor of the protection spell, so they went to the Spiral Labyrinth to research the spell.

Magnus smiled, unable to be anything but truthful with Catarina at this point in his life. “It feels freeing to be there. It feels safe.”

Safety was a prized thing for a warlock, particularly with how tumultuous their lives could be. What with the wars, bloodshed, and violence, it was hard to find at times. They could be safe, theoretically, behind their wards and homes, but to feel safe? It was special.

“I’m glad,” Catarina answered. “So, what’s your plan then?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve spent the majority of your time since getting back in North Harbor. So, what’s the plan? Are you staying in Brooklyn or are you moving to North Harbor?”

Magnus frowned; the thought never having occurred to him to move. Sure, he’d stayed over a few times at Alec’s when it grew late after falling asleep on the couch or crashing the guestroom, but move?

“I’m not moving, not right now,” Magnus decided. Things with Alec were still too new to make decisions like that and portals made it easy to visit.

“How are Alec and the kids?” she asked.

Magnus smiled. “They’re doing good. Madzie can send a fire message now, and Max has been turning his clothes different colors recently. Oh, and Rafael taught Maple a new trick this past week to chase her tail.”

Catarina looked at him, a soft look in her eyes as she smiled back at him.

He raised a questioning eyebrow. “What?”

She shook her head. “It’s just good to see you happy, Magnus. I haven’t seen you smile like that since, oh and I don’t even know when. Maybe Peru? You have a beautiful smile, but it’s even better when it’s genuine.”

Unable to resist, he pulled Catarina into a hug before stepping back. “Okay, I better go pick up the kids from school. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, yeah?”

“Sounds good.”

Chapter Text

Magnus swung Rafael over his head, the boy giggling as he was set onto Magnus’s shoulders. He couldn’t help but laugh as well, the sound contagious. Maple trotted alongside of them, Madzie holding onto Magnus’s free hand once he had Rafael settled.

The school that Adeline taught was far more relaxed than mundane school, so Maple went with the kids to school most days. It was clear Maple was fiercely attached to Rafael, almost acting like an emotional support animal. Though considering the way Rafael reacted in certain circumstances, Magnus wondered if that was an accurate assumption after all.

“And what did you learn at school today?” Magnus asked, his boots crunching through the traces of snow left on the ground.

Madzie proceeded to give a tangent on jellyfish along with Rafael adding his own thoughts about ocean animals which was one of the topics of the day apparently. Magnus listened attentively, walking the kids back toward their home.

 Magnus and the kids beat Alec and Max to the house, so Magnus let himself in with the spare key he’d been given. They shed their boots and coats before running into the house, Magnus following behind a bit slower.

“Do you have any homework?” he asked. It was the weekend now and they didn’t generally have much homework, but he wanted to check.

“No,” Madzie replied.

“No.”

Magnus nodded. “Want a snack?”

“Yes please!” they both echoed before exchanging looks. “Jinx.”

He chuckled. The kids ran off to ditch their schoolbags, so Magnus went the kitchen. He pulled out a few of the normal after school snacks they liked. Apple slices with peanut butter, sun chips, and grapes.

Alec and Max arrived to the house soon after. Rafael and Madzie quickly filled him in on how their day had been, reciting the same stories to him. Max was content to steal their snacks and float around with his magic.

After the snack, they went out for a walk by the coast so the kids could collect rocks. Rafael was an avid rock collector, apparently, and he excitedly showed Magnus each one he found.

The rest of the evening fell into the same routine as most. Puzzles, games, and books before dinner. No movie tonight, so that meant more puzzles, games, and books after dinner. Alec tucked the kids in bed while Magnus cleaned the dishes, though some nights one of the kids would request Magnus to tuck them in instead. Once the kids were in bed going to sleep, Alec joined him back downstairs and put on a pot of tea.

“There’s something on your mind, I can tell,” Magnus said. “You’ve been glancing at me since you got back today. Am I having a bad hair day?”

Alec chuckled. “No, nothing of the sort. You look great.”

“Then what’s up?”

Alec hesitated for a moment, seeming lost in thought, before walking over to Magnus. He waited, assuming Alec had something he wanted to tell him.

“Magnus, would you like to go out on a date with me?” Alec asked, his tone confident and assured, but he was fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

Magnus couldn’t help but broadly smile. “I’d love to go on a date with you, Alexander.”

Alec grinned back, not hesitating to step into Magnus’s space. “May I kiss you?”

“Before a first date? What kind of man do you take me for?” Magnus teased even as he placed his hands on Alec’s waist.

Alec wrapped his arms around Magnus’s neck. “If we counted each time we’ve had alone together, we’ve already had dozens of dates. So?”

“Convincing, I suppose,” Magnus answered.

Magnus leaned forward and Alec met him in the space between, pressing their lips together. Alec’s arms pulled Magnus closer, deepening the kiss and tugging on his hair slightly. At last, they pulled back, both with flushed faces and red lips.

“I like you, Magnus, a lot,” Alec said. “In case the date and kiss didn’t inform you of that.”

“I probably could of guessed, but verbal confirmation is always good,” Magnus said, giving Alec’s lips another quick peck. “I like you to, in case that wasn’t obvious as well.”

“It’s been obvious to everyone in town, apparently. I’ve been asked if we were dating about a hundred times over the past two months,” Alec said, releasing his grip on Magnus to sit down on the couch.

Magnus joined him, curling up on the couch to face Alec, close enough for their legs to touch. “Mila did ask me if we eloped yet.”
Alec snorted. “She did not.”

“Oh yes she did,” Magnus said with a grin. “Just last week.”

Alec threw his head back in laughter, his hazel eyes lit up with amusement. “Oh, Mila. Well, Nya thought we were already dating. To be fair, most people do.”

Magnus gave an affirmative hum, though he was curious as to why that was the case. Alec seemed to guess his unasked question.

“I have close friends here, but no one that has stuck close to me and the kids as much as you do,” Alec said. “So, I can see how they could get mixed up.”

“And the handholding,” Magnus said, grasping Alec’s hand.

The handholding had begun when Madzie insisted they all hold hands when crossing the road. After that, they started holding hands more often without realizing it. Magnus was naturally affectionate, and Alec was used to affectionate friends.

“And the handholding,” Alec agreed.

It was silent for a while, both processing what this meant for them now. Magnus was glad Alec took the step of initiative. Sure, Magnus would have finally said something with how things were going, but it was nice to have someone else take the lead on that. Besides, with how Magnus had showed up in his life, it felt nice to feel wanted.

“I haven’t done in this in a while,” Alec said, the words whispered like a confession.

Magnus gave soft smile, squeezing Alec’s hand. “I haven’t either. I haven’t had a serious relationship with anyone since Camille.”

During one of their late-night talks in the past few weeks, Magnus shared about his past relationship with Camille. He’d shared about what she’d done, what kind of person she was, how she cheated on him. He had confessed that his friends warned him, but he didn’t listen. That relationship had turned him off to the idea of a serious relationship, only having flings, hookups, and brief dates.

Something about Alec made Magnus want to try though. He could tell Alec was a good person, genuine in a way that few people were. Everyone tried to put on masks, to hide who they were – even Magnus did. But Alec never seemed to be playing a role, just genuinely and unapologetically himself.

“I never told you the full story about how Rafael came to live with me, did I?” Alec asked, his tone strangely guarded yet his face vulnerable.

Magnus thought back but shook his head. He remembered Alec giving him a brief explanation, but not the full story. “You said it was a long story for another day.”

“Not many Shadowhunters make their way to North Harbor,” Alec said, taking a sip of his tea. “Particularly with the Circle’s reign of terror, the knowledge of this place is kept a secret to most. It’s rare for Shadowhunters to be granted retirement, like me, so we keep this place under wraps from the Clave so they don’t search for deserters. There are ways, however, to find out about this place if you’re in danger.”

“And Rafael’s father found this place?” Magnus asked, remembering how Alec mentioned Rafael’s dad fled there.

Alec nodded. “When Valentine and Jonathan Morgenstern tried to take over, his Institute was one of the main effected. It was run by Circle members. His wife was killed during one of the battles, soon after Rafael was born. Even after the war ended, it didn’t help much. The Clave had its hands full trying to clean up Idris and the largest Institutes, so some of the smaller ones slipped through the cracks.” A grim look crossed his face. “Things kept getting worse, so he took Rafael and fled. Along the way he learned about North Harbor and fled here.”

Magnus leaned forward, intrigued.

“Any Nephilim who comes through here get referred to me,” Alec said. “So, Alfonso and Rafael came to me. Rafe was still a baby, not even one yet.”

Which made sense. Alec explained to Magnus once how the town had an official mayor, Nic, but was run by several of them from different Shadow World races including Alec. Alec was the first Nephilim to settle in North Harbor, now only he, Rafael, Nya, and Leila being Nephilim.

“The Bed and Breakfast was being renovated so there were no openings. At the time, I just had Madzie, so I offered for them to stay with us,” Alec said. “It was nice having them. Madzie declared she was a big sister and fell into that role with Rafe.”

Magnus stroked his thumb along Alec’s hand in a soothing gesture, sensing where this story was going.

“Alfonso and I grew closer,” he continued. “We dated, fell into a relationship together. He was the first real relationship I ever had. About a year and a half after he arrived, some Shadowhunters showed up looking for him - old Circle members from his Institute who claimed he went rogue. I was picking Mads up from school and by time I made it back, his wounds were too far gone. He made me swear to look after Rafael, so I did. He died in my arms.”

Magnus started to put some of the pieces together, wrapping an arm around Alec. “Was Rafael there when they killed Alfonso?”

Alec nodded, a harsh glint in his eyes. “Yeah. Alfonso made him hide in one of the cabinets, but he heard everything, and he was standing by Alfonso when we arrived. He didn’t speak for another year and that’s when I got Maple. He’s been in therapy before, but with his age it has been hard to know what’s helped. He’s been doing better though, especially this past year.”

That explained a lot of Rafael’s withdrawal, occasional dissociation, nightmares, and attachment issues with Alec. Magnus had witnessed a handful of tantrums of Rafael refusing to go to school, clinging to Alec instead. So, somedays Rafael missed school and stayed at the bookstore when he was having a rough day.

“I’m sorry that you have all had to go through that,” Magnus said, his tone gentle. “Thank you for trusting me to tell me.”

Alec pressed a kiss to Magnus’s cheek before laying his head on his shoulder. “Thank you for listening, for caring. You should know anyway. I try to share stories about Alfonso with Rafael, but sometimes it’s hard to tell how much he remembers. Madzie remembers him, and she’ll bring him up sometimes. I redesigned and remodeled the whole downstairs after that. I’d considered us moving to another home, but this is the home that I built here. It’s the home that Madzie grew up in, the one that Rafael took his first steps in.”

Magnus kissed Alec’s temple. “That makes sense. I don’t want to overstep with the kids, please tell me if I ever do.”

“You’ve been great,” Alec replied, a smile in his tone. “All three of them really love you. I think we’ve found a good balance right now, but if you ever have any questions please ask. I don’t want to push any responsibility on you.”

“I am more than happy to help shoulder the load that you’ve been bearing on your own, Alexander,” Magnus said truthfully. “I love the kids too. That being said, I never want to overstep so let’s try to communicate.”

“Agreed.”

They lingered in silence for a bit longer. This wasn’t how Magnus had thought the evening would go, especially not when Alec first asked him out on an official date, but he was glad. As painful as the past could be, each piece of that history shaped Alec into who he was today. A person that Magnus was glad to know.

“We caught them, by the way,” Alec said quietly. “The ones who killed Alfonso. Nic, Oscar, Charles, Kiki, Adeline and I went out and caught them. That incident of those Circle members invading our town is what prompted us to get wards in place.”

“I’m glad.”

They lingered like that for a while, wrapped up in each other’s arms on the couch. The conversation eventually shifted to lighter topics.

“Want to stay the night?” Alec asked, glancing at the clock that showed how late it was.

“Yes,” Magnus answered. He didn’t have any clients till the afternoon, so that would work out well. His magic felt lazy, relaxed at the moment so he didn’t feel like portaling.

Alec stood up, pulling on Magnus’s hand. “Stay with me? Just for sleep.”

Magnus smiled, leaning down to press a lingering kiss to Alec’s lips. “That sounds nice.”

It didn’t take them long to get ready for sleep and crawl into Alec’s bed together. Magnus had never been in Alec’s room before, the door usually kept closed with the kids running around. It suited him, with various photographs on the wall that he’d taken and a small bookshelf in the corner.

“Goodnight, Magnus,” Alec whispered, his body heat warm and inviting as he scooted closer.

Magnus kissed his lips once more. “Goodnight, darling.”