Thank you all so much for those incredible reviews! You guys are amazing! Here's Part 2 to my story. Enjoy!

"Alexander, please, let me explain."

"Oh, spare me the details. I don't even want to hear it."

Alec banged the door to the bedroom shut, the audible thump causing the little girl in his arms to start crying.

"See, now you've made her cry. Alexander, please let me in."

"No," Alec bawled, and with all the force he could come up with he leaned against the closed door, cradling the baby in his arms. Tears were rolling down her blue cheeks and she gave a squeaking sound, followed by yet another cry. Alec pressed her closer to his body which was boiling hot, caused by the anger that circulated through his veins, and the girl seemed to relax, her tears subsiding. Alec gave a sigh of relief, and he leaned back, his eyes shut.

Jia's voice was still in his head – a member of your family -, and it blurred his mind. He had no idea what to do or what to feel. He wanted to scream at Magnus, but there was no point in doing so. It would only end in a huge fight, and he didn't feel like fighting. In fact, when he thought about it, he didn't even feel like talking. He just wanted to be left alone with the anger and frustration that rolled over him like a wave, pulling him down and making him feel like he was being suffocated.

He didn't know how much time passed, how long he just sat there holding the baby girl, until Magnus spoke again, "I love you, Alexander, and I never planned for this to happen. I-"

His voice had sounded so close that at first Alec had thought he'd somehow managed to enter the room and was sitting right next to him. He then realized that Magnus was still on the other side of the door, crouched on the floor like he was. Alec shifted, rearranging the girl in his arms, but he didn't respond to Magnus.

"Alexander, I would've never made such a decision without you," Magnus continued, his voice sounding hoarse almost as if he'd been crying. Again Alec said nothing, mostly because he hoped Magnus would stop talking, and he lowered his gaze to look at the girl. Her green eyes were huge and glassy and they stared back at him. He reached out one finger to gently stroke one of her curls away from her face and she chuckled.

"Listen, all I did was ask Jia if it was even possible for us to adopt a child. How could I've known that she'd take it to the Council right away, and that they'd approve it so quickly? I've seen them arguing about things that kind for years and suddenly it only takes them one lousy day to decide over it. I couldn't have possibly known that, and I'm so sorry, Alexander."

That was one of those moments in which Alec decided to tease his husband. He knew how much it would torture Magnus if he'd just ignored him, so again Alec stayed quiet. After a few minutes of silence he heard the warlock angrily muttering and then there was another sound, a soft knock on the door.

"Will you please talk to me? You do realize that it's no effort at all for me to break into my own bedroom," Magnus snapped, and Alec could hear the frustration in his voice.

Alec glanced down at the little girl who was snuggled up in his arms, making no sound at all and looking expectantly at him.

"But do you want to adopt her?" Alec asked.

There was a pause.

"You drive me crazy, you know that?"

"That's not what I was asking," Alec said through gritted teeth.

"But that's the answer you get."

All of a sudden, the bathroom door blazed up in blue light and the familiar whirl of a Portal built up in front of his eyes. Alec leaped to his feet, the girl in his arms yelping, and his hand shot to the doorknob the moment Magnus stepped through the Portal, looking furious.

"Oh, don't you dare walk away from me again!" The Portal snapped shut, but the blue glow remained, this time protruding from the tips of Magnus's fingers. There was a soft click, and Alec didn't need to try the doorknob to know that it was locked.

He whirled around to face the warlock, and shot him a glare, clutching the girl closer to his chest.

"Can't you just leave me alone? I don't want to talk about it anymore. I don't want to hear another word," Alec hissed, trying hard to keep his voice low for the sake of the baby that was getting anxious in his arms, tossing her tiny head around as if wanting to escape him.

Magnus's cat eyes narrowed on Alec. "You will have to let me finish my speech first."

One of his hands shot out, and Alec retreated, but blushed once he realized he'd only been trying to give him the feeding cup for the baby.

"Do you want me to do it?"

Alec determinedly shook his head, taking the cup from Magnus, and he sat down on the bed. As he started to feed the girl, he continued glaring at his husband. Magnus seemed to have the urge to sit down next to Alec, to pull him into his arms, but he remained on his feet, a tormented look on his face.

"I've lived for so many years, so many decades. Some of them are only a blur now, and I might not remember every person I've ever kissed, or every time I've fallen for someone, but I do know that it was nothing compared to what I feel when I look at you. You've changed the way I look at the world. You made me reconsider who I really am, and you showed me that life is about more than flamboyant parties. All these years that I have lived I have never even thought once about settling down, about giving my heart entirely to someone else, until I met you. The moment I set my eyes on you I knew you would be the one breaking my heart, but you would also be my salvation."

Magnus paused, and Alec stared at him, too choked up to say something. He felt his cheeks blush, and he lowered his head, looking at the navy-blue girl. She seemed happier now.

"I've never wanted to get married," Magnus continued talking, but Alec kept his gaze averted. "But I guess I've never loved anyone enough for it, to commit myself. You are different in so many ways, Alexander, and I made you my man, because I couldn't bear the thought of you not ever being by my side. I promised you I'd stay by you as long as your life may last, and in return you promised me to give me a lifetime of your love. I thought that this would be enough, and I know I've said many times that this would be all I'll ever ask from you, but truth is, it's not. I don't even recognize myself. Magnus Bane never wanted to have children, but you made me, and when I saw this little girl I saw our future, as a family."

Alec's eyes darted up to Magnus who ran a hand through his spiked hair, causing it to stick oddly from his head. He looked flustered.

Alec opened his mouth to say something, but then he was stopped by the girl, giggling in his arms. Alec smiled at her, put the feeding cup on the nightstand, and struggled to his feet. He approached a pale-looking Magnus.

"I know I've promised you I'd give you my lifetime, and I'll do anything to keep this promise. Maybe I've given you the impression that I want a child, and maybe I even do want one, but just not yet, Magnus. I'm nearly a child myself."

With every word he uttered Alec could see the energy fading from Magnus' face, his eyes darkening and something breaking inside him. The warlock turned away, looking as if Alec had stabbed him with a dagger.

"Magnus, please, I can't do this. Not now," Alec pleaded.

The low sound of a phone vibrating filled the room, and Magnus' pulled his mobile out, flipping it open. He scanned the text he'd received.

"I have to go."

"No, please, don't," Alec begged, panic-stricken. He clutched the girl closer to his body. "You can't just leave me alone with her."

Magnus turned to look at him, and Alec was shocked by the expression on the warlock's face. It wasn't anger or hatred, but raw pain.

"Her name's Peanut," Magnus retorted angrily. "And I have no other choice. Your Shadowhunter friends require my service."

"Wait - what? What happened?" Alec inquired, but Magnus pushed passed him, flung the door open with one swift motion of his hand and was gone.

An hour later, Alec had managed to get the girl to sleep. The tension between him and Magnus had unsettled her, and the first half hour after Magnus had left she'd cried and he'd rocked her back and forth in his arms, watching her eyelids getting heavy.

Now she was wrapped up in her blanket and fast asleep in her crib. Alec had carried one of the dining room chairs into the bedroom and sat next to the crib, his eyes constantly on the blue warlock baby. He was afraid that if he'd turned away from her for a second, something might happen and the mere thought of it frightened him.

While he sat there, watching her sleep, he replayed the conversation he'd had with Magnus in his mind over and over again. He could see why Magnus was hurt. It had taken him decades to find the one person he would commit to and would want to have a family with, and this person now refused him to give him something he'd been waiting for all his life. But then Magnus had all these years to prepare for marriage and parenthood, and Alec had about six months to get used to refer to him as his husband. Magnus was ready to take their relationship to the next level, but Alec wasn't.

Alec raked his fingers through his dark hair, entangling it, and buried his face in his hands.

"What am I supposed to do?" he muttered, knowing that no one could hear him, but he still felt the urge to get the words out. "I can't take care of a child."

He tried to imagine what Jace would say if he could see him. He'd probably tell him to stop whining about it and be a man. Alec didn't need to hear that, so he decided not to call him. Sadly, there was no one else he could've called. Isabelle wouldn't be able to contain her excitement about it, and because she was still living at the Institute, Alec feared for Maryse to find out about it. For about a second, Alec contemplated about calling Clary, but admitted that they weren't that close and it would probably be weird to talk to her about his marriage. He even considered talking to Simon. At least he wouldn't give a snarky comment like Jace, or blurt out his secret like Isabelle, and he didn't remember enough to judge about his and Magnus' relationship in any way.

The warlock baby gave a squeaking sound and Alec jolted up, alarmed. When he gazed into the crib, the eyelids of the little girl fluttered open and she stared at him momentarily before her eyes shut again. Alec let out a breath he had been holding, relieved, and slumped back into the chair. He remained there for what felt like an eternity until a low grumble of his stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten.

He staggered to his feet, his limbs numb from all the sitting, and wandered down the hallway into the living room. The sky outside the windows was jet-black, and the moon was covered by thick clouds. Light emanated from the kitchen, bathing the living room into a soft glow. Alec reached for his phone he'd dropped on the sofa earlier and checked the time. It was close to midnight. He hastily opened a new text message.

Where are you?

Magnus never stayed away longer than two hours without updating Alec on his whereabouts. Alec's chest tightened, and he swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. His appetite was gone.

Chairman Meow jumped onto the sofa, meowing angrily. Apparently his master's absence didn't bother him and he was just as greedy as always. He followed Alec willingly as he walked into the kitchen and opened one of the cans he so much despised, mostly because of their awful smell. Chairman Meow dug into it immediately, his tail wagging with excitement.

Alec scanned the kitchen. As usual, it was a mess. Magnus was a terrible cook, but every once in a while he'd try to prepare a meal without conjuring it from nowhere and it would end in a disaster, the kitchen counters splattered with food and Chairman Meow licking the remains from the pan.

He frowned, tossing the empty can of cat food into the bin underneath the sink. He opened the fridge, peeked into it and banged it shut again. He repeated the exact same thing. There was nothing in there that could remotely trigger his appetite.

By the time he had opened and closed the fridge for the third time, gazing into it warily, Chairman Meow had finished his dinner. Alec gave up on finding himself something to eat and left the kitchen. He decided that he should at least change his clothes and wash the blood stains of them. While letting his gear soak in detergent in the bathroom sink, he took a quick shower, scrubbing off the dirt and sweat that still clung to him from the demon hunt.

Afterwards he returned to the bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, to assure himself that the baby was still sleeping. She was lying in her crib, her chest rising and falling steadily, and Alec stayed to watch her for another second. As he reached out for the blanket to pull it tighter around her body, he noticed the heat that was radiating off her. He hastily felt her head and his heart skipped a beat. It was boiling hot, and only now he saw that her hair was plastered to her neck in sweat.

"Oh, no," he whispered. "Peanut, you can't do this to me!"

He hurried back into the living room, retrieved his phone with trembling hands and frantically dialed Magnus' number as he walked back into the bedroom. It went straight to voicemail. Alec cursed, throwing the phone on the cushions of the bed from where it hurtled to the floor.

The moment he bent to pick it up, the girl started to cry. Alec instantly dropped his phone again and quickly moved to pull the baby out of the crib and into his arms. He held her the way he had before when he'd tried to get her to sleep, rocking her back and forth, but it didn't seem to have the same effect. He started singing, although he was a terrible singer, and the girl cried even louder.

Carefully propping her head with one hand, he reached for his phone again, hitting the redial putting.

"You've reached the voicemail of Magnus Bane. If the world's on fire, please leave a message, if not it's not worth bothering me."

"Magnus, I need you to call me back right away. Something's wrong with Peanut. Please, you need to help me," Alec begged. "She's burning hot and-" He broke off.

The girl gave yet another heart-rending cry. Alec hung up, tossing the phone onto the nightstand, and touched the back of his hand to the baby's forehead. It was getting worse. There was no time to wait for Magnus to return.

He placed the baby back in her cradle, and made another call while getting dressed. Luckily the person he called this time picked up.

"Catarina, you have to help me. I can't reach Magnus. Can you come here quickly?"

She agreed immediately, stating to give her five minutes to put on some clothes and create a Portal. For Alec it felt like five hours, as he paced up and down the hallway, waiting for Catarina to arrive. When the Portal finally opened and she stepped through, Alec was close to a meltdown.

"What's taken you so long?" he snapped at her hysterically. Catarina shot him a glare.

"You've called me in the middle of the night. What did you expect?"

On a closer look, Alec realized that Catarina was still in her nightgown and her white hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail.

"So what is it?" Catarina asked.

Alec reached for her hand and pulled her down the hallway, pushing her into the bedroom.

"I don't know what to do. Her skin's burning hot. I think she might have a fever."

"She?" Catarina stared at Alec, puzzled, as he lifted the little girl out of the crib. She'd stopped crying now and was disturbingly quiet.

Catarina's eyes widened at the sight of the baby. "You have a child? Magnus never told me-"

"Could you please concentrate?" Alec interrupted her. "I told Magnus I couldn't take care of her, but he wouldn't listen, and now she's sick and I have no idea what to do with a sick warlock baby."

Alec could hear the despair in his own voice, and he felt his hands tremble, but he tried to keep himself together.

"Can you heal her?"

Catarina nodded, and she looked as if she felt terribly sorry for Alec. She reached out a hand and placed it atop of the girls head, muttering words of a language that had become so familiar to Alec, but he still couldn't understand. Almost instantly he felt the temperature of the baby lowering to something more normal.

"Do you mind if I hold her? It'll make it easier."

Alec let Catarina take the baby from him, and he watched her sit down on the bed, one hand constantly hovering above the girl. A wave of relief washed over him, but it couldn't erase all the tensions in his body or take away the fear that tightened his chest. Minutes passed and he just stared, once more afraid that if he would turn away something would happen to the little girl.

"She's going to be fine," Catarina whispered, her eyes steady on the baby. "Warlock babies are prone to suffer from fever from time to time. This is nothing unusual and certainly nothing to worry about. I'm sure Magnus knows how to handle this or what kind of concoction will help to prevent it from happening again."

"I tried to ask him, but he wouldn't pick up," Alec muttered through gritted teeth.

Catarina shrugged. "Well, apparently you won't pick up either."

She gestured towards the phone on Alec's nightstand. The display flashed the word Magnus, but it disappeared before Alec could answer the call.

"Damn it," Alec cursed.

"Don't talk like that in front of the baby," Catarina scolded him, a smile playing at the corner of her mouth. Alec was already busy with dialing Magnus' number.

"I think there is no need to call him," Catarina said.

"Why not? He should-"

"Alexander, what happened?"

Alec whirled around and at the sight of his husband standing on the threshold, his hair tousled and his cheeks flushed, he dropped the phone and flung his arms around Magnus' neck.

"Oh, by the Angel. You're here." He pressed his lips on Magnus' and for a moment he forgot about Catarina sitting on their bed, or their warlock ward in her arms.

"Yes, I'm here now. Will you tell me what's going on?"

Alec pulled away from Magnus and his eyes darted between him and Catarina.

"I- I didn't know who else to call," Alec stammered.

"Your daughter is fine," Catarina interrupted, getting to her feet. Magnus moved to take the baby from her arms. Alec wanted to object, wanted to correct Catarina by telling her that she was not their daughter, but seeing Magnus glowing with joy as his arms wrapped around the girl stopped him.

"She had a little fever. I managed to lower her temperature, but I'd advise you to keep an eye on it. I can give you a recipe for a concoction if you'd like."

"That won't be necessary," Magnus said. "But thank you so much for your help, Catarina."

"Everything for a friend," she smiled. "I'll find the way out."

Catarina vanished into the hallway and left Alec alone with Magnus. Without looking at Alec even once, Magnus placed the baby back into the crib and then he did something Alec would've never expected: He brushed a kiss atop of the little girl's head.

"Sleep tight, my little princess," he whispered, and every word felt like a knife thrust into Alec's chest. Magnus had fallen in love with the girl and Alec could tell how much he wanted her to be his daughter, but he wasn't ready to be a father just yet. Another thought popped up in his head, as painful as watching his husband kissing the little girl, and he tried to picture the baby with someone else as its parents. He couldn't and he felt that he didn't even want to.

"Two weeks."

Magnus head jolted back and their eyes met. "Two weeks what?"

"All I ask of you is to give me two weeks," Alec said, moving to stand closer to his man. He grabbed Magnus' hands and cupped them with his own. "I love you, Magnus Bane, and I know you love this little girl and want to be her father. I doubt that I'd make a good parent, but I want to give it a try, because you mean so much to me."

"You'll be an excellent father. How can you even doubt that after tonight?" Magnus asked, and Alec stared at him in bewilderment. He pulled his hands away.

"I doubt it especially of what happened tonight. I didn't even know how to take care of her myself," Alec retorted, and he felt his face flush with anger.

"Yes, of course you knew it. You knew that you couldn't lower her fever yourself, so you called a friend to help you out. There is nothing wrong about that," Magnus said. He placed a hand underneath Alec's chin and forced him to look him into his cat eyes. "Alexander, tell me. Is this the only reason why you don't want a child? Do you really think you'll be such a terrible father?"

Alec tried to nod, but Magnus' hand was still at his chin, and so he managed to say, "Yes, that's exactly what I think."

Magnus lowered his hand, and suddenly his lips curled into a smile. "Oh, my Alexander."

He pulled Alec into his arms, pressing him tight to his chest and when he spoke his breath tickled Alec's neck, "You'll get your two weeks and I'll prove to you that you're a wonderful father."

Alec opened his mouth to object, but the words were drowned by Magnus kissing him passionately.

In the following two weeks, a lot of things changed in Alec's life. Every morning he woke up to the cry of a hungry baby and he spent the first two hours of his day feeding the girl and dressing her. Magnus was never satisfied with Alec's choices of clothing, and he frowned, taking the matter in his own hands. Alec had feared that Magnus would dress her the way he dressed himself, but luckily he preferred much more decent clothes for a baby.

Until midday they usually stayed inside, trying to amuse the girl by playing peek-a-boo. During the afternoon they went for a walk, Magnus happily pushing the stroller he'd promised was bought and not stolen, and after dinner time they ended up lazing around on the sofa, the baby slowly falling asleep between the two of them.

Halfway through week two, Magnus started to rearrange one of the spare rooms, painted the walls in bright yellow and moved the crib there. At first, Alec didn't even notice it, but when he wanted to put the baby down for sleep, Magnus revealed the surprise. Funnily enough, Alec didn't even care that he had prepared a room for the girl without even telling him, and as the days passed he got more and more used to having the baby around. When two weeks had passed, there had been no reason for them to discuss the matter again. The baby was already part of their life, and he had to admit that he wasn't a bad father at all.

In the third week after the little girl's arrival, Magnus urged Alec to invite his family and friends. At first Alec had been worried, horrified by the mere thought of introducing their newest family member to his parents, but then he'd decided that it was best to tell them now. He didn't want to risk that they might find out another way. Jia Penhallow knew about it and she worked closely with his father.

On a Saturday night in early October they gathered around the dining table in his and Magnus's loft. As the sound of the flickering fire in the grate filled the air, Alec's eyes drifted over his guests. Clary and Simon were in a vivid conversation on their parabatai ceremony which was quickly approaching. Isabelle was snuggled up at Simon's side, looking pleased as she listened to her boyfriend's voice. His parents, Maryse and Robert, were sitting next to each other, carefully avoiding each other's gaze as Magnus recited one of his adventures. Alec had listened to this story a thousand times, and it was even written down in the book Magnus had given to him on that clear night in May.

"So why are we here?"

Alec flinched. Jace was leaning over the table, his golden eyes gleaming at Alec.

"To enjoy a nice and quiet evening, I guess?" Alec shrugged.

Jace tossed his head back, laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"It's never a quiet evening with Magnus Bane. It's always a night of surprises, of twists and turns, of doors being slammed into the best friend's face," Jace teased, reminding Alec of the evening when Magnus had announced their engagement, but this evening wouldn't end like the last one. He wouldn't let his parents ruin the happiest moment of his life, not again.

Jace continued to stare at Alec, expectantly waiting for a response, and Alec felt his cheeks flush as he frantically search his mind for a lie his parabatai would believe. Knowing that Jace wouldn't believe him, no matter what kind of story he'd tell him, he sighed and got to his feet. Everyone fell silent, and seven pairs of eyes turned to look at him. Magnus looked the most stunned, probably because he'd thought that he'd have to be the one breaking the news.

"There's something I need to tell you," Alec said, his voice almost cracking. He felt his hands tremble with anxiety.

"I knew it," Jace called out triumphantly. Clary shot him a glare.

Alec's helpless gaze met Magnus's steady one, and the warlock nodded encouragingly, getting to his feet, and vanished down the hall. Alec swallowed, his heart racing in his chest, and for a second he thought he might faint. He closed his eyes briefly, concentrating on an image of Magnus, holding their baby girl, and then he smiled.

"There is someone very precious I want you to meet," Alec announced, and he saw Isabelle's eyes widen. He'd predicted that she'd be the first one to realize what he was about to say.

"I want you to meet our daughter, Sophia Lightwood-Bane," Alec continued, and at that moment Magnus reappeared, the warlock baby in his arms. Her green eyes were huge, scanning the room with curiosity.

Isabelle clasped a hand to her mouth, suppressing a shriek. Pure astonishment was seen on Simon's face as her recognized the baby from the Academy where he'd found her, and Clary next to him gasped in surprise.

Alec was reluctant to look at his parents at first, but when he risked a glimpse he found them both smiling at Sophia.

"That's your daughter?" Maryse asked in disbelief. Alec nodded, and he thought he saw tears in his mother's eyes.

Maryse turned to look at Robert. "We are grandparents," she said in a delightful voice, and Robert's usually grim expression changed into something more cheerful.

"So it seems."

"She's adorable. Can I hold her?" Isabelle was already mid-way out of her chair.

"Of course you can," Magnus laughed, and all of a sudden there was a lot of movement. Everyone got up their chair and gathered around Isabelle who was now holding Sophia. Magnus broke away from the crowd and pulled Alec into his arms instead.

"I love you," he whispered, and brushed a quick kiss on Alec's cheek before releasing him again.

"I love you, too," Alec said.

Sophia was being handed to Clary. Jace leaned over Clary's shoulder, tickling the baby's belly, and Sophia chuckled.

"Her hands are so tiny," Isabelle said, pointing at them, and Clary nodded. They all seemed completely amazed by Sophia, her tiny hands and feet, and cute dimples. Alec was stunned to see his mother asking Clary if she could be the next one holding Sophia, and Robert objected, saying that he should be the one getting to hold her.

Alec turned back to look at Magnus.

"They love her," he said, and the warlock grinned satisfied.

"Of course they do."

He wrapped his arms around Alec, pulling him closer.

"I told you they would, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did," Alec murmured, and he let Magnus kiss him, thinking back to the words Magnus had said prior to the dinner.

They'll love Sophia just as much as we do, and you know why? Children make the world seem brighter.

Looking at his daughter now, Alec smiled, and he knew that from this day on she would fill his life with joy. And he'd never let go of his little princess.

Thanks a lot for reading! For those of you who ship Heline as well, I'm writing a story about them, too. It's called 'City of True Love'.