All I Want For Christmas Is You - a Magnus/Alec fanfiction

Chapter 23 - December 23rd - Alec

"Sure." Toby smiles, and I watch as Simon leads him over to the window ledge, where a menorah sits with all but 2 of the candles lit.

"You're meant to sing as you light it, but I'm not particularly religious, so..."

"Clary and her parents aren't Jewish, though, right?" Toby asks.

"No, the menorah is mine. I'm staying here for the holidays." Simon explains.

"Why?"

"Well...my mom and I aren't...on especially good terms. I don't really have a home at the moment, so I'm staying with Clary and her family. The menorah's here as a little bit of home, something that's mine, a tradition." He says, sounding wistful.

"Like how I'm staying with Alec and Magnus?" Toby asks.

"Exactly like that." Simon smiles, and I feel my mouth quirk up at the corners.

"Simon, my mom says dinner's ready." Clary calls from the kitchen. "Bring everyone in?"

"Okay!" Simon calls back, and turns to us. "Sounds as if the food's ready. Let's go through."

We follow him to the dining room, where the table is laid with plates and bowls filled with steaming food. There's chicken, at least 7 different types of vegetable, buttered bread and a dozen other foods too. There's latkes laid out on a plate, with saucers of applesauce and sour cream around them, in honour of Hanukkah - Simon can't eat them, as a vampire, but he smiles when he sees them nevertheless, like he finds some small comfort in this familiarity and is touched by the gesture.

"Help yourselves." Jocelyn instructs, and we start to eat.

I take a latke and nod in appreciation of the new food. It's good. Magnus grins. Since dating Magnus, I've definitely tried food from all different cultures and corners of the world; something that never would've happened at the institute, where our menu extended only to my mothers cooking and whatever take out was in the general vicinity. That first date, I got a glimpse of this adventurous eatery I was about to undertake in this relationship, when we visited an amazing Indonesian place. Since, we haven't physically eaten in their restaurant, because last time my presence as a shadowhunter almost started a riot. However, we do get food from there delivered. It's amazing the sort of things you can find in New York if - like Magnus - you know where to look: food, spells, company. But now, I think, glancing around the eclectic food laid out before us, no cafe could be as warm and welcome as this.

"So, Toby," Luke says, when we've finished eating - a considerable time later; it turns out that there was rather more food than there looked to be. "Are you enjoying the holidays?"

"Very much, Mr Garroway." Toby answers politely. "It's been great, thank you."

"Please, call me Luke." Luke insists.

"Luke." Toby corrects.

"And you're having a good time with Magnus and Alec?"

"The best." Toby grins, and I smile.

"How's training going?" Luke asks interestedly.

"Oh, we've stopped for Christmas." Magnus says, taking a sip of wine. "But he seems to still be enjoying it."

"Never seen such an eager kid." I agree.

I look round at the plates piled high on the tables.

"Can we help with those, Jocelyn?" I ask. "It's the least we can do."

"Sure, I'll help." Simon adds, and he, Magnus and I go into the kitchen to wash up.

I hand Simon dishes to put away - since he's the only one who knows where everything goes -, and Magnus washes them, handing them to me. I look across at Simon.