Malec Moments

Paradise: Part 1

Alec felt something small brush against his leg. Looking down, he noticed Chairman Meow twining his body around Alec's legs, arching as he brushed against them. He bent down and scooped up the little cat, cradling him in his arms. The Chairman batted playfully at Alec's hair, a purr rumbling through his chest. Alec smiled at the little creature as he gently scratched behind the tufted ears.

"You better behave yourself while we are away," he whispered warningly to the cat. "No pooping in Magnus's shoe this time. He gets really angry when you do that."

The cat mewed softly. Alec couldn't tell if he was agreeing or mocking him. He sat the cat down on the back of the sofa as the front door closed. He took in the scene before him, and couldn't help but smile.

The living room Alec shared with Magnus was packed with the people who meant the most to them. Jace had his arms around Clary, nuzzling her neck playfully. Izzy was holding hands with Simon, who had only recently Ascended, and was now a full-fledged Shadowhunter. It seemed to suit him well. He bore his first Mark without so much as a grimace. The transformation was remarkable, even though he still had many years of training to undergo before the Clave would consider him a fully capable Shadowhunter. At that time, though, he would qualify to head a Conclave, an Institute, or even be on the Council. His options were limitless.

Jocelyn and Luke, still sickeningly happily married, were standing in a corner talking to Tessa Gray and Jem Carstairs. Tessa and Jem, who had once been known as Brother Zachariah of the Silent Brothers, had been married shortly after Jem had been released from his Silent Brothers duty. He had retained the name Zachariah for a while afterward until he was ready to let his distant relative, Emma Carstairs, know his true identity. The pair had stayed in contact with Magnus, who they had known for more than a hundred years.

Their werewolf friends, Maia Roberts and her boyfriend, Bat, were sitting on one of the couches looking uncomfortable. Luke had conceded his old pack to Maia after marrying Jocelyn. Maia was strong and independent and had turned out to be a great leader of the pack. Her alliance with the Clave made her a good ally, and she had always been there to help the Shadowhunters fight their foes.

Alec's mother, Maryse, was deep in conversation with Catarina Loss, a blue-skinned warlock friend of Magnus's.

Magnus clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. Blue sparks shot from his fingertips and danced in the air. Apparently he was too excited to keep his magic under control.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here…" Magnus said, trailing off as he caught the blank stares of his guests. He cleared his throat and started again. "I bet you all are wondering why you are here today."

"That we are, Magnus." It was Catarina Loss. "We received your invitation, but no explanation as to what it was for."

Magnus flashed his brightest smile and wiggled his eyebrows. "That's because I wanted it to be a surprise."

"What's this all about, Magnus?" seconded Maryse.

Magnus produced the invitation in question and read it aloud:

"You are cordially invited

To a surprise destination

In honor of Magnus Bane,

High Warlock of Brooklyn

And Alexander Lightwood,

Shadowhunter Extraordinaire

Please arrive at their apartment

On October 16, 2010, at sunset

Bring enough clothing for a week

And pack for warm, sunny weather."

"That wasn't clear?" Magnus said, still grinning.

Numerous protests filled the air before Magnus finally raised a hand and said, "Alright, I'll tell you everything…on the other side of the Portal."

"What Portal?" several of his guests demanded.

But Magnus was already backing up against the wall of the apartment building, his hands together, his fingers emitting blue sparks. As he spread his arms wide, a large blue opening formed against the wall.

"Not even a hint?" Jace said to Alec.

Alec shook his head. "He hasn't even told meI may not know where, but I definitely know why, he thought happily.

Jace, looking mildly disappointed, grabbed Clary's hand and their suitcase, and jumped through the Portal. One by one, Alec's family and friends disappeared into nothingness. When it was only him and Magnus remaining, he asked the warlock one last time to tell him where they were going.

"You'll see," was Magnus's reply.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. "You better get that," Magnus said, nodding toward the Portal. He was obviously unable to answer the door at that moment.

Alec crossed the room, threw open the door and froze. Robert Lightwood was standing on the other side of the door, looking harassed, as if he'd been running through the streets of Brooklyn.

"By the Angel, I'm not too late!" he said, relief softening his hard face.

"Dad? What are you doing here?" Alec said, stunned.

"I received Magnus's invitation" was all Robert said.

"Can we talk about this on the other side of the Portal?" Magnus called. "This is not exactly a picnic in the park for me!"

Alec hesitated, torn between wanting to sort this out with his father and wanting to conserve Magnus's energy. He nodded at Magnus. "Right. We can talk later." He ushered his father through the Portal and turned to Magnus. "Let's go," he said, taking one of Magnus's hands and smiling at him. They stepped through the Portal, which closed with a snap a few moments later.

Alec, disoriented from the trip through the Portal, landed on his hands and knees on a soft but packed substance. The bright light blinded him for a few moments until his eyes adjusted. He gently rose to his feet, brushing sand- Sand? Yes, SAND- off his hands and legs. As his eyes adjusted to the glare, he was able to take in more of his surroundings.

The soft sound of waves lapping on the beach was the first thing he noticed. Crystal blue water seemed to stretch out for miles, dotted here and there with tiny greenish-brown mounds Alec could only assume were islands. Turning, he saw that in either direction the beach extended several hundred yards before curving in the distance. The beach itself stretched about a hundred feet before reaching a line of palm trees. At first, the trees appeared to be very dense and dark, but the longer Alec looked, he was able to make out shapes nestled in the clumps of trees. Those shapes turned out to be bamboo and palm tree huts, and they were interspersed in clearings among the tall palms. Alec could see parts of at least six huts nearby the spot the were standing.

Jace and Clary were already heading toward the shade of the palm trees, followed closely by Izzy and Simon. The others seemed to still be getting their bearings before moving toward the huts.

Alec turned to Magnus. "Where are we?" he asked in an awed voice. All thoughts of his father's sudden appearance were erased from his mind.

Magnus just smiled at him, took his hand, and led him toward the relief of the shade trees.

Once everyone had gathered, Magnus cleared his throat and said, loudly, "Can I have your attention, please?" The call to order was not strictly necessary, as everyone was already looking to him for an explanation. Magnus continued. "Welcome to this gorgeous private island just a few miles off the Central American coastline. We have rented it for the week. You will find all the cabins are fully stocked with food, beverages, and all the necessities of civilized living, but if there is anything you wish to have that is not available, well…" and he wiggled his fingers, causing blue sparks to shoot from the tips, and smiled.

Alec smiled inwardly. We have rented it for the week, Magnus had said, though Alec was sure Magnus didn't have that kind of money. Knowing Magnus's tendency to use magic to fool mundanes instead of paying, he assumed that, somewhere, there was a realtor whose records were fudged in order for them to spend their week in paradise.

"What's the occasion, Magnus," said Luke, and a chorus of assent rose up around them.

Magnus flashed an award-winning smile at the crowd. He glanced at Alec, reaching for his hand again. Something passed between them, an understanding, and Alec's heart was pounding happily as he nodding for Magnus to continue. Magnus brought Alec's hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it, smiling. He then turned back to their friends and family.

"Our wedding," he announced, and with a snap of his fingers, glasses of champagne appeared in everyone's hand.

"I knew it!" shouted Jace, as another chorus, this time of congratulations, rose up, interspersed with 'whoops' and a few whistles.

Jace and Clary were the first to break ranks, closing the distance between themselves and Magnus and Alec almost immediately. Jace clapped Alec on the shoulder as Clary hugged Magnus, both with stupidly happy grins plastered to their faces.

"You could have told me, you know," said Jace to Alec, as Isabelle and Simon joined their group. Magnus excused himself to go talk to his warlock friends and Clary's parents.

"Not if we wanted to keep it a secret," said Alec, defiantly.

"I can keep a secret," Jace pouted, indignantly.

Alec raised an eyebrow. "From Clary?" was all he said.

"Well," Jace began, but Alec cut him off.

"And was Clary going to keep my secret from Simon?" Alec said, crossing his arms in front of his chest, a haughty expression on his face.

Clary's simple smile was all the confirmation Alec needed to continue.

"And Simon, you would have kept the secret from Izzy?"

"Well," said Simon, shrugging apologetically.

Alec, looking completely triumphant, said, "There you have it. If I told you, Jace, everyone would have known in no time, and the surprise would have been ruined."

"Hey," Isabelle said, huffily, "I can keep a secret, you know!"

Alec smiled at her and said, matter-of-factly, "No. You can't." Isabelle stuck out her tongue at Alec, then threw herself into his arms and hugged him.

"I'm so happy for you and Magnus," she said, squeezing him tightly.

Magnus, having worked his way through the crowd, finally returned to Alec's side. The sun was setting in earnest now, casting long shadows along the beach, the sky turning a fiery red. He raised his glass and tapped it lightly, much too lightly for the amount of sound that vibrated off of it.

"May I have your attention again, please," he called. As the low rumble of voices died down, Magnus continued. "Just a few more items of business. As I said before, the huts are all fully stocked, so you should be able to find everything you need within them. This is a private island, and it is warded, so it is safe for you to explore. Feel free to do so until your heart is content. The wedding ceremony will be tomorrow night, just before sunset, please make sure you are there on time. One last thing, you are welcome to stake your claim on any of the huts," he said, turning to the one directly behind them, "except that one. That is the honeymoon suite." He waggled his eyebrows, then flicked his hand in the direction of the cabin he had indicated. A large black and white sign with glittering rainbow letters appeared on the door, reading 'DO NOT DISTURB' in bold letters.

Magnus made a small bow, said 'good night' to his guests, and guided Alec toward their hut, leaving their guests to their own devices. Alec shook his head at the glittering sign before crossing the threshold and closing the door.

The interior of the hut was spectacular. The entry opened to a large great room, with several pieces of plush wicker furniture surrounding a stone fireplace. At the back of the room was a large open kitchen, complete with any modern convenience Alec could imagine. The floors appeared to be bamboo throughout. Numerous island motif decorations adorned the walls and surfaces of the hut.

"You don't think we should spend more time with them tonight? After all, we did just whisk them away to an unknown island for our wedding," Alec said, as he snaked his arms around Magnus's waist.

Magnus shook his head. "They are all big kids. They can entertain themselves." His eyes narrowed seductively as he gazed into Alec's blue eyes. "Besides, I want to be with you one last time as a bachelor." And he kissed Alec, softly at first, then more deeply, parting his lips and exploring his mouth. They left a trail of clothing leading to the master suite as if they needed guidance to find their way back later.

The master bedroom in the Honeymoon Suite was more than Alec had ever expected. Magnus had spared no expense. Of course, Magnus had probably not paid either, but still, the place was amazing. A large, overstuffed king size bed took up the majority of the room. The bed was covered in layers of plush blankets, and silk sheets. A silver bucket of chilled champagne sat upon the bedside table, next to a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries.

Alec had a flashback of the first time they had slept together, in Paris. They had had strawberries and champagne that night as well. A crooked smile split his face as he realized Magnus was recreating that night, Alec's first time. Magnus was hopelessly romantic, and he seemed to always be doing something special to remind Alec how much he means to the warlock, how far from trivial Alec truly is in Magnus's heart.

Magnus fed Alec a strawberry, then kissed him, licking the strawberry juice from the corner of his mouth, and Alec melted. He clung to Magnus, kissing him deeply, his hands sliding under Magnus's shirt in a feverish effort to rid the warlock of his clothing.

Magnus smiled against Alec's mouth. He leaned into Alec, whispering in his ear, "Easy there. I plan to take my time with you tonight." At that, Alec lost all ability to think.

To be continued...