Because I Love You

Unexpected Visitors

Later that day, Alec's day got even worse. His argument with Jace had left him hurt and upset. Then, to top it all off, he got a call from his dad. He'd given Ally to Magnus and then stepped out of the apartment for a bit of privacy.

"When were you planning on telling me you got engaged?" Robert yelled down the phone.

"Well hello Dad. It's lovely to hear from you. By the way, did you know I got engaged?" Alec replied sarcastically.

"You'd better not be engaged to that Warlock you've been fraternising with!" Alec rolled his eyes.

"I'm not fraternising with him. He's my fiancé and I love him." Down the phone, Robert scoffed.

"Love? You don't know what the word means!"

"I'm eighteen dad! This is what I want, this is my choice! If you don't approve then just get off my back!" There was an uncomfortable silence for a while. "We have a baby now. We're happy."

"A baby?" Robert yelled. "Where the hell did you get a baby?"

"It doesn't matter. Like you'd care anyway. Goodbye dad."

"Alexander don't you da..." Alec hung up the phone and yanked the battery out.

"Alec? Baby what's wrong?" Magnus asked. Alec hadn't heard him approach and it made him jump.

"I really don't want to talk about it." Alec mumbled. "I need some time alone right now." Magnus sighed and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Come inside. I'll give you the space you need I promise." Magnus took hold of Alec's hand and led him inside. When they were both inside, Magnus disappeared into the nursery with Ally. Leaving Alec alone with his thoughts. For a short time, Alec sat on the couch. He could picture the disgust on his father's face when he found out that he'd gotten engaged. Alec would bet anything that Jace had blabbed about it to him.

"Some parabatai you're turning out to be." He muttered angrily to the empty space. Alec had always believed that his family and friends would stand by him no matter what. That belief was fading quickly. He felt like he only had Magnus and Ally left.

Magnus kept to his word that he'd give him space and Alec didn't see him for hours. When Alec felt alright enough to see Magnus and Ally, he went into the nursery and watched Magnus play with Ally. Ally was giggling as Magnus pulled faces at her and it made Alec smile. Magnus looked up at Alec after a few minutes and beckoned him over.

"We've missed you. Haven't we baby girl?" Alec picked Ally up carefully and kissed her forehead.

"I had to think a lot of things through."

"Like?" Magnus coaxed.

"My family... I thought they'd support me. I thought they'd be there for me. Apparently I was wrong." Magnus put his arms around Alec and sighed.

"Well, we're your family now. And we aren't going anywhere. Right baby girl?" Ally looked over at Magnus and giggled as he pulled another face at her.

"Oh I love you two so much." Alec leaned against Magnus and smiled. Together they played with Ally and they all laughed together as a family. Alec fed Ally her bottle just before seven that night and then they put her down to sleep. They both kissed her forehead lightly and wished her a goodnight before Magnus put her bear in the corner of her cot and pulled her blanket around her. Alec watched as Ally settled down and went to sleep before him and Magnus left the room hand in hand. In the living room there was an unpleasant surprise waiting for them.

"So Alexander, this is where you live now?" Robert asked. "It's not very big, it is?" Magnus glared at him.

"For your information, this apartment is plenty big for the three of us and I have held countless parties here for more than a hundred people." Magnus shot back.

"I wasn't addressing you, Warlock." He spat the word like a curse. Alec squeezed Magnus' hand to stop him from saying anything back.

"What're you doing here dad?" Alec asked.

"We are here to talk."

"We?"

"Yes." Came another voice. "We." Alec looked over to the kitchen and saw Maryse there with Isabelle and Jace. It broke his heart that Max wasn't there, even though he knew it was impossible.

"Well maybe I don't want to talk. Maybe I'm happy." Alec released Magnus' hand and turned to go back to the nursery.

"Alexander, wait." Maryse commanded.

"Why should I? Give me one good reason why I should stay and hear you lot give me crap about why I shouldn't marry Magnus and why we shouldn't have our baby." Everyone went silent and Alec swore he could've cut the tension in the air with a knife. "That's what I thought." Alec said quietly as he continued his short walk back to the nursery.

"Alec please." Isabelle said quickly. "Just talk to us. Let us understand."

"Understand what Izzy? That I'm engaged to the man I love? That we have a baby that I've wanted for years? That I'm happy? What is there to understand?" He asked. Isabelle chose her words carefully.

"We want to know why you never told us. Why you disappear for weeks on end and never let us know anything. We worry about you Alec." Alec stood completely still.

"We never told you because we knew you'd all react badly to it. We know you don't approve. I disappear because me and Magnus want time to ourselves and now we have a baby she needs our attention. Worry? With the way Jace acted towards Magnus and I earlier? Oh yes, I can see you're beside yourselves with worry." From the nursery Ally started to cry. "Excuse me." Alec muttered as he disappeared through the door to the nursery. He picked Ally up carefully and carried her over to her changing table. He changed her in complete silence and once he'd gotten her fully dressed again he picked her up and sat in the rocking chair in the corner of the room. "One day, when you get engaged and have a baby of your own, I'll stand by you. No matter what." Alec said quietly.