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Home for the Holidays (Closed)

who: Alec, Magnus, Izzy, Jace, and Clary
what: Celebrating Christmas
when: December 24th and 25th
where: The Lux building
warnings: Will update as needed

Merry Christmas at the Lightwood-Bane-Whatever home. Starters in the comments.

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[Alec is being careful not to think of Max or their parents. It hurts, especially when he thinks of his baby brother, but he's going to believe what Magnus told him about alternate worlds and the possibility that Max could be alive and have a second chance in a world like the one they'd grown up in.

His parents is part of a homesickness that's easier to ignore. He has the feeling Christmas would be awkward with the impending divorce and neither one of his parents happy about his boyfriend. Showing up for Christmas dinner married to Magnus would probably give them both heart attacks.

Anyway, they're happy here. At least he thinks they are. Jace he can figure out and of course he'd know if Magnus was becoming frustrated with their new life. Izzy... there's times when he can't quite read her the way he used to. But she seems happy watching them open presents and share the treats Jace had made.

Reaching for the bottle, he pours more wine for Izzy and small amount for himself. Much less than he normally would have pre-breakup.]

Merry Christmas, Iz.

[Her eyes can't help but pull toward the sound of the pouring, and the sister also can't quite help but smile at her brother. By every possible way that she can measure this holiday it's been...tame. Normal even. And for them that's a monumental thing. She can't remember a time in her life where htings were just calm and normal, not with the life that they live.

She could almost compare them to your average mundane family.] Thanks. [Reaching for her glass, Iz nods, replying back both automatically and with warmth.] Merry Christmas, big brother. [She holds her glass up, studying Alec for the moment.] You happy with how it all turned out?

[Even without their little family being quite as complete as it was before.]

[The tension that has been occasionally tightening his shoulders throughout the day eases when he sees his sister smile. There's nothing he can do to return Max to them, but at least he can make sure that everyone else in his family is safe and has a chance at happiness.]

You're welcome. [After setting down the bottle, he picks up his glass and sits down beside her. Gently tugging on a curl, he smiles, watching the cat prowl beneath the tree.]

I am. I can't remember a holiday that was this quiet. [Or as quiet as possible with Jace's new hobbies, Magnus' magical decorations, and a cat who wanted to pounce those decorations.] Christmas wasn't bad at the Institute, but it never felt comfortable like this. Are you happy?

[Izzy watches Alec sit, a small laugh escaping as he tugs one of her curls - she knows that he does it with affection. It's almost easy to pretend that they're just...normal, without all of the complications that come with being who they are. And it really is nice, so the nod she gives it only the truth and her agreeing totally.]

Me either, but it's nice. [Izzy looks directly at her brother, a smile on her mouth still.] I am happy! Sometimes it still seems crazy that all of this normalcy is real, and that it shouldn't be so easy to be comfortable and not have life disrupted by...everything, but I am happy. [Izzy reaches over, ruffling her brother's hair playfully as she speaks before letting herself lean his way, setting her head on his shoulder for a moment.] I like it here.

It is nice. No trying to keep Jace from hunting demons in snow storms. No trying to ignore the grandchildren talks. [His tone is teasing, but Alec does miss their parents sometimes. Someday he'd like all of them to be something like a normal family gathering like the ones Simon and Clary talked about, but he knows that would take time even if they were all together in one place.]

Why shouldn't it be easy, Iz? Mundanes live their whole lives like this. [It might be easy but Izzy's right and it does seem strange sometimes.] I assumed it felt crazy because I'm not supposed to have this. [Izzy will probably swat him for saying that but it's true. Alec had never thought he could be with someone he loved, let alone marry the person he loved.]

I like it too. [Hugging her with one arm, he smiles at how happy they could be without all the expectations that had been forced on them.] Things were getting better at the Institute, but here we can be whoever we want.

[Izzy doesn't even bother to try and hold back the somewhat unladylike snort that escapes. Jace trying to hunt demons in snow storms...yep that sounds about him in a nutshell, especially back home. Here...it's the calmest that he's ever been. As for the talk of grandchildren....that she hasn't exactly experienced yet - thank the Angel.] Wait for a big snow storm, I'm sure Jace'll figure out something ridiculous to do.

[It's a tease, but one that's followed by a sigh and then a shrug.] I think it feels crazy more because life was never this calm back home. There's always some kind of hell breaking lose, ahdn when there wasn't it was all about expectations of mom and dad, or the Clave...or whatever. [And yep, there goes that light swat against Alec's chest for what he's saying; as far as she's concerned he's supposed to have this - the family and the happiness - and her statement, the lack of this has nothing to do with his sexuality.]

It's just different here, and we get to meet a lot more people...experience a lot more than we did. [The smile that spreads on her face as she speaks about that is one she can't quite help. she doesn't regret coming here. OF all the things she's done, they've done, it's definitely not on the list. She still wishes Max could be here, though.]

I don't think any of us are that different from who we were, even though we can be whoever we want, you know.

If he does, I'm tying him up and throwing him in the closet. He deserves it for all the jokes he made while pretending he didn't know I was sneaking out with Magnus. [He really isn't angry at Jace for that. In his own, strange way, Jace had been showing that he cared and he was paying attention to Alec's life. That doesn't mean that Alec doesn't occasionally imagine the tranquil life they'd have if they had a way to calm Jace's wilder impulses.]

You used to complain that it was dull. [At least Alec thinks she did. He remembers Izzy making comments about it while trying to wheedle Hodge into letting them go on missions...ones that he now knows they'd been too young for. The expectations, though, he doesn't really remember. Even before dating Magnus, he'd been the disappointment, the one his parents never thought would be good enough.] When they were around... and the Clave needs to quit acting like a pack of scared idiots.

We have. I like it. I never thought I would. [After years of seclusion, he'd never thought he'd learn to be social. He knows part of that is Magnus' understanding of his personality instead of seeing it as 'wrong' like most people did. Resting his cheek against her hair, he can barely believe that they can be safe and happy like this after everything that happened, it shouldn't be possible.

He makes a quiet, disbelieving sound at the idea that they're not different than how they'd been in the past.] Jace bakes and makes furniture. You're working with the police. I'm not hiding and hoping that no one notices me. That's not different to who we were before.

[The snort of laughter comes out again. Whoops?] Good luck catching him. Do you really think the closet would hold him for very long, considering who we're talking about? [Izzy's tone is more interested, playfully so, than it is taking any of this seriously. She's not angry in the least. Today she's not going to let anything get to her, or take anything serious. So, she's just teasing and chatting with her big brother.

Something that they don't get to do very often, with their busy schedules and the fact that Alec is married and with plenty of people and things to distract him. Not that Izzy doesn't have the same, but still. Fewer obligations.]

Did I? [The tone of her voice conveys the fact that Izzy's playing dumb on that one. She's aware that there were times that she complained about how dull things were. In her defense, though, she was younger. Things have changed the older she's gotten, the more she's been through, and the more her perspective has had time to mature and just...expand from the almost sheltered, and yet highly pressurized, environment that they were raised in.

Rolling her eyes, though, Izzy shrugs, pointedly.] I wouldn't hold my breath on the Clave growing or changing any time soon, good thing we don't have to worry about that here.

There are still surprises left in the world. [She teases her brother - in reference to him never thinking he would like experiencing different things. He's definitely become more and more adventurous. He may have her beaten in a few areas, thanks to Magnus, but Izzy's always been adventurous and interested in experiencing all that she possibly can.

Turning, though, so that she can poke Alec in the side, Izzy grins at his argument.] No, it's not. [She holds up a manicured finger, wanting to make her point first.] Because these are choices we're making, things we're doing. Jace has the chance to explore and try these things, but he's still Jace. I'm working with the police, but I'm still me. And you...you're not hiding, youre just free to do what you want, be who you always were without any fear or reason to hold back. Growing as people...sure some of us are, but completely different, nah. We just have room to pursue different aspects of ourselves now and it's been good for all of us, from what I see.

No, but we'd have time to relax until he figured out a way to get out. [He wouldn't really do it, but he can imagine the quiet and how huffy Jace would be afterward that Alec outmaneuvered him.] And for once, I wouldn't be the one that's the focus of the 'out of the closet' jokes.

[Jokes that he really doesn't mind because he knows how far in the closet he'd been before Magnus had saved him. Izzy's the main reason he can be himself with someone he loves. The thought causes him to give her a real, if awkward, hug.] You did. I hope you're not bored here. [She could be, though. She'd enjoyed missions almost as much as Jace had. None of them had really thought of having Mundane lives before. Usually they'd mocked those type of lives until Clary and Simon had shown them what Mundanes were really like.]

It's good that they're not since I broke the secrecy laws. [Along with a half dozen others but that would probably be the one they'd lecture him over.]

There are, but are you discovering them now that we're in a completely new reality. [His intent is to tease her but there is a hint of seriousness beneath the words. Alec has been worried about her since Simon's not here and she hasn't been acting how he remembers. But those memories might not be correct and she doesn't seem to know about their parents, so maybe this is normal for her and Alec doesn't have a frame of reference left to compare to.

Not sure if he should be afraid or surprised by Izzy's assessment, he considers it for a moment. Some of it feels right but some of it reminds him of the odd moments they'd had in Wayward Pines when things hadn't fit together the way they should have.] You two are still mostly the same. [Which isn't quite true. There's something different about Jace, but it's not something that Alec can ever put into words. He's not sure if they elude him because it's related to the parabatai bond, something that Izzy and Magnus don't have a frame of reference for, or because of something else.] Sometimes it feels like I became a completely different person. It's not bad, just strange sometimes.

Wonder how long that would actually be, though? He has an infuriating ability to worm his way out of situations quicker than we give him credit for. [Izzy points out, teasingly.] And I wouldn't put it passed him to worm out of the jokes too, but it'd be fun while it lasted.

[She teases withm a wink before accepting the hug, not exactly sure what it's for, but always willing to accept a show of affection from her brother.

Rolling her eyes playfully, though, Izzy scoffs at his statement.] Have you seen how many opportunities I have to shop? And the work I do with the police! I'm more than capable of filling my time, don't worry about me. [She reassures him, shrugging the concern off.

She liked things about home, but there were far too many things that were in need of change too. And nothing was changing rapidly enough. Here...things are better in some very apparent ways.]

You and me both! [Izzy's been careful about explaining things about being a shadowhunter, but she hasn't avoided the subject. No reason to. There isn't a Clave here to enforce any secrecy - they can speak freely about whatever it is they have the desire to and it's refreshing to just put everything out in the open - so maybe she sort of gets how Alec feels, in a completely different way.]

Here and there. [Izzy shrugs.] Even I still find things that surprise me. [She teases, sticking her tongue out at him, choosing to keep the conversation light.

She's not as settled as Alec. She's not finding it to be the respite and the huge change that Jace finds it. Of the family she is probably much closer in line with how Magnus is handling the situation, and even that is a loose connection. She puts herself out there, but she could stand to do it more, focus on her family less, but that's still going to take time. And is easier said than done.]

You still seem the same to me. You've always been a little weird, but you're still my brother.

[Izzy winks, a smirk on her face.]

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