Loving Husband

Empty Nest

I accidentally deleted this chapter when I was almost done...I want to cry!!!
Enough whining: Here we go again. I hope I'm able to get that part as good as it was (or even better maybe?) because it makes me furious that all I wrote is gone.

Alec: 50
Max: 27
Rafael: 29
Enjoy reading!

Alec smiled when he hung up the phone, ending the call he just had with his little brother Max. He was at the institute in Chicago with his wife Melissa and a twelve-year-old daughter. He had just told him that his girl was cleared for her first mission.

He remembered when Max was her age, super excited to get his first assignment. Time passed so quickly, even Clary's and Jace's youngest child Jocy was already twenty and her brother Stephen was working as a delegate for the clave, making his parents proud.

And Alec couldn't be less proud of his own children. Rafael was head of security at the Canberra institute and happy with his mundane girlfriend Katherine, a sweet, sensitive girl, complimenting his disciplined and stiff nature. He had met her four years ago and after some time in a long-distance relationship, he had transferred to work at the institute there.

Max was currently traveling the world, enjoying being a warlock every day. Max had stopped aging a few years ago and his energetic behavior made it easy for Alec to forget that he was already twenty-seven.

So much had changed in his life, everything went on, moved forward, his children were confident adults already. There was only one constant in his life. Magnus. He was still the young, charming warlock he had met over twenty-five years ago. He had never stopped flirting with him as if he was still young and handsome and Alec had to admit that he loved it.

He made his way out of the office, greeting colleagues and making small talk with a few of them. It still amazed him how Alicante was now a place for vampires, warlocks, werewolves and seelies alike. Thirty years ago he wouldn't have thought this would be possible. There were even a handful of mundanes with the sight, working for the clave.

When he walked into the appartment he found Magnus standing in the middle of the living room, a fire message in hand. Looking up at him he smiled "How is my beautiful husband?"

Alec walked up to the warlock and gave him a quick kiss on the lips "When I see you I'm always wonderful. Who's that message from?" he asked while putting his bag down.

"Rafael," Magnus answered with a smile "He and Katherine want to invite us for dinner today. Well tomorrow for us but you know, different time zone and everything. Max is coming too."

Alec chuckled. At first, it had felt weird to have dinner in the morning or breakfast in the afternoon but with constantly traveling between New York, Canberra and Alicante he was used to it by now. And he wouldn't miss a meal with his children just because his circadian rhythm told him it was morning.

"Tell him we'll come," he said without hesitation. His job at the office allowed him flexible hours and when it came to spending time with his family he was happy to work some hours at the weekend. Luckily for the couple, Magnus was also flexible with working hours.

The next morning they portaled to the Australian capital. Alec still found it astonishing that Magnus seemed to know a place where they could portal too without being seen by mundanes. Popping out of nowhere would freak them out just a bit. This time it was a rooftop, giving them a beautiful view of the city.

They made their way to Katherine's home and were greeted cordially by her and Rafael. Max was not there yet, but he was known for not being anywhere too early. He usually showed up a few minutes late, but nothing that one could call really unpunctual.

They caught up while Rafael finished setting the table. Around five minutes after the stated time, Max showed up, dropping his glamour as soon as he was out of the view of the windows facing the street.

Growing up in Alicante Max almost never had to glamour himself, which made him very confident in his true self. He showed his real looks whenever possible, contrarily to most warlocks, who almost always hid their marks.

Alec loved to see his Blueberry's real appearance, just like he loved Magnus' cat's eyes. The blue of their son's skin was still the same as the day he had first seen him and his blue eyes were also still the same. The only thing that had changed were Max's horns, curled at the side of his head like goat horns.

His black hair was almost the same color as Alec's, resulting in him looking a lot like his dad when he was glamoured. However, the Shadowhunter always preferred to see him the way he really was.

They all sat down for dinner, sharing stories and having a good time. Magnus had just told a funny story about Marie Antoinette, while they were having dessert, when Rafael started speaking in a rather serious voice "We actually invited you to tell you something."

He shared a look with Katherine before taking her hand and looking back at his family, who all were rather concerned now. Rafael was known to be serious but the relaxed atmosphere didn't really call for the tone in his voice. "We're getting married."

Alec felt the previous concern drop from him and a big smile creeping on his face "Rafe, that's wonderful! Congratulations!" he spoke out, not able to get the grin out of his face.

Dessert was forgotten, while they all congratulated the couple and asked about the engagement and the date of the wedding. Even Max, who usually was all on bantering with his older brother expressed his happiness for them with a hug.

They went on to talk, enjoying their family time together, for quite a while before they said their goodbyes and Alec and Magnus portaled back to Alicante. "I am really happy for them," Alec expressed when they stepped into the living room.

"Me too," Magnus agreed "They are perfect for each other. And who knows, maybe we'll soon have some grandchildren."

Alec chuckled to that. He would love to have grandchildren. He still loved kids and when they weren't your own you didn't even have to deal with sleepless nights or other tiring aspects. The thought made him get lost in daydreams.

"I bet Max is going to be the super cool uncle with lots of stories to tell," the warlock went on. Their younger son had seen more places already than probably ninety percent of people would in their entire life.

"You mean like you were to our nieces and nephews?" he asked laughing while sitting down at the couch together with Magnus. He didn't have to get to the office right away, it was only around noon in Idris and he had enough time for work in the afternoon.

"Exactly," Magnus replied grinning "But you yourself got some nice stories to tell. It's not all on me." Alec had to agree, but his husband still had a lot more to tell than he did, obviously, he had been alive for far longer.

The Shadowhunter thought back to all the adventures he had lived through, alone or with Magnus by his side, the latter where more, but he still got some stories to tell that Magnus hadn't experienced with him.

"And don't forget the magic, kids love that," he reminded Magnus, who had entertained the children with his abilities more than once. He was certain Max was going to do that too, making others laugh with magic was one of his favourite things to do. Though he didn't need his magic for that, it was easy to be in a good mood around the young warlock.

"I think I'll feel super old when they call me grandpa," he went on with a grin. At first it had really upset him every time they talked about age and mortality, but he had started to accept it and be grateful for every day of his life that he was allowed to spend with the people he loved.

***
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I can't say if this was better than the first version but I guess I'll never know because of that damn accident...