Hello

But I Ain't Done Much Healing

Alec sat there on the bed remembering how he and Chris had met. Like Magnus, it was at a party. Unlike like Magnus, Chris didn't dress to draw attention. Chris didn't try to be noticed at all. Chris was trying to keep his unruly children under control. And failing so badly that Alec couldn't help but intervene.

"Hey, do you need help?" He asked Chris. He hadn't known his name, then. The man was startled by Alec's voice.

"Help? Umm, yes , that would be nice. Could you watch Ashleigh while I try to get Rory to behave? God, this is embarrassing," he mumbled, giving Alec the hand of the two year old standing next to him. The way that he spoke gave Alec a wealth of information. Nowhere near enough sleep, not used to dealing with children on his own, and he wasn't born a Shadowhunter.

"I'm Alec, Alec Lightwood," he offered, as it would be weird if he didn't.

"Yeah, I know who you are. If I didn't, I wouldn't have handed you my daughter. I'm Chris. Uh, Chris Shadowhunter. Rory, what are you doing? No, don't feed fairy food to the newborns, Rory stop!" Chris said, running off in the direction of the little devil boy. Alec looked down at my the girl Chris had called Ashleigh. She was pretty, with her caramel curls that framed her green eyes. The slightly pointed ears said that she was also of the Fair Folk. Alec glanced back up at Chris, wondering what an ascendant was doing with a mixed blood child.

Later, when day turned to night, and Ashleigh had fallen asleep in his arms, Alec went to find Chris. The Institute was quiet, and he was one of the last few non-Londoners left .

"There you are," came a voice from the library to Alec's left. A quick glance in that direction told him that it was Chris. It had been a few years since Alec had stepped foot in the London Institute's library, and he missed it.

"She's asleep. Has been since the warlock boy, Sam, I think, started playing the fairy lullabies," he told Chris. Chris tilted his head slightly. It was rare for someone--a Shadowhunter--to try and remember the name of the Downworlder entertainment.

"Yeah, that would do it. Her mother used to sing her to sleep. Nothing else works so well. For her and this one," Chris said while pointing to the sleeping boy on his lap.

"How did an ascendant end up with part fairy kids?" Alec couldn't contain his curiosity any longer, and was well aware that the question as a bit intrusive for the first meeting. Instead of getting offended, Chris just laughed.

"I ascended when I was 16. Five years later, I had a night with too much to drink with a very pretty girl, who got pregnant. Later, I found out that she was one of the Fair Folk. For awhile, I lived with her. I loved her. Most of the time, we were careful. Until once again, we weren't. Hence Ashleigh. Last year, Chrisalai found someone prettier, and left me with the kids." It sounded as though the man had already accepted the fact that he wasn't likely to find someone else to fall in love with.

"How old are you?"Alec couldn't help but ask.

"28," Chris replied. Alec just nodded. That placed Rory at 7. That made sense.

"Alexander Lightwood, if you wish to go back to New York, I would get yourself down here because I am not holding this portal open too much longer, not even for you," Catarina yelled into the library. When Chris looked confused, Alec laughed.

"Give me a sec, Cat. Just need to say goodbye to a friend," he called back down to her.

"You know Catarina Loss personally?" Chris asked. Alec nodded and said,

"Yeah, we're actually really good friends. More so in the last year or so..." Alec went quiet when placing the timeline, because it still hurt.