Magnus Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn, was hardly ever surprised by anything. Well, that used to be true - Everything had changed for him ever since Shadowhunter Alec Lightwood had come into his life. Powerful, handsome, and suave, Magnus Bane had been subject to quite a few surprises these days... But nothing, NOTHING, could have prepared him for this...

Alec had been on assignment after assignment ever since they had returned from the Glass City. At first he wondered if the Shadowhunters were trying to get him killed because of his particular tastes, but Alec wasn't the only one being sent out. Alec's sister, Isabelle Lightwood, and their brother Jace Wayland were also increasingly absent, not that the cat-eyed warlock minded very much. Too many favors. But since Alec was not the only one, though his load defiantly seemed heavier, Magnus began to suspect that Alec's parents were the ones trying to keep them apart. Clever strategy, keeping their son so busy that he couldn't even contact his boyfriend, just to make the later think that the earlier was ignoring him.

So all Magnus had to keep him company was his cat, Chairman Meow. Absentmindedly stroking his cat, he nearly missed the sound of the intercom buzz on. For a second he considered just ignoring the visitor, but a frantic female voice cut through the air like a knife.

"MAGNUS, I KNOW THAT YOU'RE SULKING UP THERE! LET US IN!" Clary Morgenstern, a firey red-head he had watched grow up pounded impatiently on the door.

There was a shuffling sound, and the arrogant voice of her boyfriend, Jace Wayland, added, "We know that Alec's not with you, so don't try telling us that your bal-"

"JACE!" Clary cut him off indignantly.

Magnus rolled his eyes at the cat, allowing them in, "Such a horrible entrance. It should have been something daring and flashy!"

When they greeted him, his eyes almost popped out of his head. Clary, nineteen year old Clary, was holding a toddler in her arms. The baby was sleeping, sweeping locks of black hair covering its forehead, one tiny hand curled around her shirt. Jace looked as if he were trying to stay as far from possible from the child without leaving Clary's side. Magnus knew that Jace and Clary had been together for a very long time now, but he was fairly sure that it was impossible for them to have child that was over a year old, if not for the fact that they had been a constant in his life, mostly because of Alec. Chairman Meow hissed at Jace when he saw him, scampering off of the armchair to Magnus' room.

"A baby already? I wouldn't have thought that Jace wasn't that fast," His cat-eyes glittered humorously.

Jace shook his head, looking no different after these past few years, "Maybe your understanding of human anatomy is a bit off, but its impossible for our kind to have kids in a week."

Magnus shrugged, "I wouldn't know."

"I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you," She handed him the baby. Magnus took it, looking at it with a sense that it looked familiar. Clary reached into her brown shoulder bag and took out a letter, handing it to the warlock, "This is for you."

Jace waved cheerfully, leaving the building before the confused warlock could hand the baby back. Clary ducked out behind him. Looking at the baby again, and his friends behavior, he laid it down on the armchair, reading the letter. His his narrowed as he read, the thick rectangle looking like some curse or demon to vanquish. Letting the parchment-like paper fall to the floor, he looked at the baby sleeping on his armchair. How was he going to explain this to Alec when he got back?

Speaking of Alec, not two minutes after Jace and Clary had left, the door to Magnus' apartment swung open, the unpretentious Shadowhunter walked in to greet his boyfriend, "I'm back - Magnus, why is there a baby in your armchair?"

Looking at Alec as if he had just barged in and caught him cheating, Magnus pointed at the baby, "I'm its father."

The earth slid sideways under the Shadowhunter, his stomach falling into his feet, "But how...?"

It was a known fact that warlocks are infertile, so even if he had cheated on Alec, there was no possible way that the baby could have been his, and they both knew it, "The mother made me the godfather."

As if sensing the mention of its mother, the baby woke up and started to cry. Going to the chair and picking the baby up, Alec looked at it, smelling its ripe diaper. Magnus had almost forgotten that Alec was a big brother, and most likely had had experience with children. Magnus had such little experience with them, he wondered if he himself ever was one. Noticing that there was a bag discretely shoved in the corner of the front door, Magnus made himself useful and brought it to Alec. Pulling the bag closer, he set the baby on the floor and unfastened its diaper.

"What is it?" Magnus' voice was small, as if he wasn't even sure that it was a baby.

New diaper in place, Alec set the baby back in the armchair and put the bag beside it, "Do you know her name?"

"Nexus," He answered without having to think back to the letter.

"Nexus?" Alec thought that name was interesting, but what was the last name?

Reading his mind, Magnus responded almost coldly, "Her mother never knew her real name. She named the baby in honor of her closest friend."

"You?" Alec didn't have to think hard to see the resemblance between Magnus and Nexus.

As if hurt, Magnus looked at the baby, "She named the baby after me, last name and all."

"Vane?" Alec offered, trying to lighten the mood even though he already knew the child's last name.

He shook his spiked head, "Bane. The baby is Nexus Bane."

Alec knew that Magnus loved him, but was it possible that he ever loved anyone else? Eight hundred years was an awfully long time, and Magnus had had quite the record... Was it possible that he loved the woman who had been this child's mother? She clearly loved Magnus, so was it possible that he had loved her? Jealousy gnawing at his insides, Alec looked at Magnus, studying him. He was shocked, but it might have been more than the fact that he had been picked to be a child's father. Knowing Alec as well as he did, Magnus managed to pull himself from his thoughts and consider him. His shoulders were set and tense, so he was clearly troubled by all of this.

Reaching out to his blue-eyed, black-haired minx, Magnus was about to say something, but Alec took a step back, looking at his with cold fury in his eyes, "Who's the mother?"

Magnus knew that this was no time for games, so he told him simply, "Devon Grey."

A/N:

Woot! I love Malec! Hem, sorry, but I really do. Anyway, this is my first Mortal Instruments fic, and I'm only just starting City of Fallen Angels, so... Please don't kill me for any incorrect information! I'm sorry its so short... Well, I hope this wasn't too badly written or too out of character.