Five Years Later:

Alec wakes up early in the morning, even though his shift didn't end until after midnight the night before. He has a reason for getting up at six o'clock on a Saturday morning, though; Clary is graduating today. She and Alec had graduated together three years ago with their Associate's degrees, him finishing up all of his classes to become a paramedic, and Clary becoming a Registered Nurse. Of course, Clary continued on with her Bachelor's, Master's, and now her Doctorate. Alec was so proud of the girl who had become his best friend, and wouldn't miss her graduation for the world. It took a lot of effort from everyone to convince Clary to actually attend her graduation. She stated that she went to her last three ceremonies, why would this one be any different?

"Babygirl, this is your finest work. You've worked your ass off to get to this point. We don't care how boring, and monotonous it's going to be, you need to go," Jon commented one night. Ultimately, her brother Jon, as well as Alec, were the ones to finally convince her. So here he is, waking up after four hours of sleep to support his best friend while she graduates for the last time.

The smell of coffee immediately overwhelms his senses as he stumbles into the kitchen. Nothing has ever smelled nicer to him at that moment. Groaning, he walks over to the coffee pot only to realize that there's already a mug of the steaming hot nectar of the gods ready for him. I really do love that little redhead, Alec thinks to himself as he sips the bitter beverage. Alec's leaning against the counter, contemplating all of the events that have occurred over the last five years. His life has changed dramatically, and he has very little regrets.

Shortly after he'd started working at JJ's, Alec was able to purchase a new cell phone. The only phone number he had memorized was his parents' landline. He desperately wanted to contact Jace and Izzy, so he decided to dial his parents number and hope that one of his siblings answered the phone. Alec, however, wasn't that lucky. His mother answered instead. He had carefully asked if he was allowed to speak to his siblings, but her response was something he had never expected to hear coming from his once loving mother. She informed him that she and Robert had told Jace and Isabelle that because of "certain lifestyle choices" that Alec had made, they were no longer allowed to have any contact with him. His parents had gone ahead and changed Jace and Izzy's cell phone numbers just so Alec could not contact them on his own. Alec had questioned what exactly Maryse said, fearful of how his siblings would react to the news of their older brother being gay, and she said that she and Robert told them that Alec was currently in a relationship that they didn't approve of and, therefore, until Alec "got his act together", he was no longer welcome in their family.

That was the day that he had given up on his family.

Soon after, Alec had met Jocelyn and Valentine Morgenstern, the parents of Jon and Clary. With the Morgensterns paying the rent on Clary's apartment, Clary had told them the situation that Alec was in, and they insisted on meeting him as soon as possible. Alec assumed it was so they knew that their daughter wasn't living with a psychopathic serial killer. He was wrong yet again: Jocelyn and Valentine had wanted to meet him to basically 'unofficially' adopt him. Alec had no idea that Clay's brother, Jonathan, also was not biologically Jocelyn's child.

When they were in medical school, Jocelyn and Valentine were best friends. Jocelyn had set Valentine up with her college roommate Lilith, the two fell in love, and after they graduated, Valentine and Lilith had gotten married. During Valentine's first year of residency, she became pregnant. Complications happened during delivery, Jonathan was sent into the NICU were Jocelyn was working, but Lilith unfortunately didn't survive the birthing process. Once Jonathan was able to leave the NICU, Jocelyn offered to move in with Valentine to help him take care of the baby. Two years later, Valentine and Jocelyn had fallen in love, and were married. Two years after that, Clary was born. Jocelyn and Valentine told Alec that blood doesn't make people family, it's how much they love and respect the other person. They said that they wanted Alec to know that if he ever needed anything at all, to not be afraid to come to them. Even if he just needed someone to talk to, or needed advice, they were more than willing to be there for him. Alec could honestly say that he cried that day. He didn't realize when he left his parents' home, that he would be immediately brought in to another family who actually wanted to be there for him.

Then, there's Jon. Alec and Jon immediately clicked...once Jon realized that Alec wasn't just trying to get into Clary's pants. They found that they had quite a bit in common. They both were into Mixed Martial Arts, they both loved sports, and most of all, they both were fiercely protective of Clary. Alec was also the first person to meet Jon's lovely wife. When Jon first became serious about Holly, an anthropology major at Harvard, Alec met the two for lunch when they came back to Brooklyn for a long weekend. Jon wanted Alec's approval because he thought that if Alec approved of Holly, he would be able to help gain Clary's approval.

Jon planned for them to meet on a Friday afternoon, then have Clary meet her on Saturday, and then his parents to meet her on Sunday before they headed back up to Boston. Jon proposed to Holly the day of their graduation, and they'd been married for about eight months. Alec was Jon's best man, which was an honor to Alec, while Clary was Holly's maid of honor.

Jon works at Brooklyn Memorial Hospital alongside his father, Jocelyn, and Clary. While in medical school, Jon discovered a love for Orthopedic Medicine. He's now in his first year residency and couldn't be happier. Valentine is very proud of Jonathan, even though he didn't become a general surgeon, he is happy that Jon is doing something that he loves. Holly is now a curator for the Brooklyn Natural Living Museum and loves her job. They also found out about two weeks ago that Jon and Holly are expecting their first child. The entire family was thrilled, and Jon recruited Alec to help him put the nursery together with him.

Then, there's Alec's dating life. That is a completely different ballgame. Alec has dated a lot. As it turns out, Clary is a kickass wing woman. She and Alec would go out every other weekend to different clubs/bars, and pick up men. Sometimes they would be creeps, but surprisingly, most of the time the guys that they would pick up were pretty nice. Alec decided that because he never dated in high school, he would spend a few years just dating, casual sex if he found a guy who he could trust enough to do that with, and just go out and have fun. Clary and Alec came to an agreement that if they ever wanted to hook up with someone for the night, they would not bring the guy to their apartment. Alec did have a couple relationships that lasted for a few months at a time, but he just wasn't ready to settle down, which also led to the downfall of the relationships. Alec doesn't really dwell too much on that; it's the simple truth.

Alec also just landed a promotion at the Fire Station. He is now the Senior Paramedic for the station, and he's getting a new EMT as his partner on Monday. Alec's former partner and EMT, is graduating today as well, and is taking over Alec's old position as Assistant Paramedic. He's going to miss working with Sebastian, but he won't miss Sebastian's whorish ways, along with the way he speaks about his conquests. Alec isn't really interested in hearing about heterosexual sex. He won't ever admit this to anyone, but listening to Sebastian go on and on about his sexcapades has made Alec lose his appetite more times than he could count, most likely because Sebastian is so blunt about it. Everyone at the station knows about Alec's sexual orientation; he doesn't want to hide who he is, and isn't ashamed of being who he is. Some of the older firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics kept their distance when he first started, but eventually even they warmed up to him. Alec was grateful for that, he didn't want anyone being prejudiced towards him just because he is gay. He also couldn't be happier with the group of guys he works with. They work together like a well-oiled machine. They trust each other with their lives, what more could you ask for with the line of work he's in?

Alec's pulled out of his thoughts when he hears the bathroom door open. He cranes his neck to see Clary padding into her bedroom to start getting ready for graduation. That leaves about a half hour for the water to reheat, then another half hour for him to get ready himself. Alec walks back to his bedroom to pull his suit out for the day. Looking in his closet, he quickly finds the gray suit, sapphire blue dress shirt, and a checked tie with various shades of gray and blue. Luckily, with the ceremony being inside, Alec doesn't feel like he needs to wear his suit jacket so he hangs that back in the closet. Alec heads towards the bathroom to do his business, brush his teeth, and shower. Walking back to the bedroom he dresses, and works on taming his raven locks. Alec returns to the kitchen for another cup of coffee when he notices his tiny best friend drinking a cup of coffee, and eating a bagel.

"Hey beautiful. Ready for graduation, Doctor Morgenstern?" Alec asks with a snicker. Clary looks up at him with a glare.

"Please, don't call me that, Alec. Just because I have my doctorate in nursing doesn't make me a medical doctor. I'm not at the same level as my parents or brother." She grabs her coffee mug and plate, and places them in the sink.

Alec comes up to her, pulls her into a hug, and kisses the top of her head.

"I know Clare-bear, I'm just messing with you. I'm very proud of you, you know."

Clary looks up at her best friend and smiles. "I know Alec, I just don't want people giving me a hard time. Do you know how many people come up to me and say 'what, you couldn't handle medical school or something?' and it really pisses me off." She sighs and leans back into his embrace.

"Yeah, people will always give you a hard time, but you don't have to justify yourself to them. Give them the finger, and keep going," Alec says with a twinkle in his eye. Clary laughs at that, then marches to her room to finish getting ready. Alec chuckles while shaking his head, at least he knows how to cheer his best friend up.

~oOo~

The auditorium of the university is filling up pretty quick. Alec finds the Morgensterns, and quickly makes his way to where they're sitting. He hugs Jocelyn and Holly, shakes Valentine's hand, and gives him a side hug. When Alec looks over to Jonathan, he smirks and gives him a bro hug. The group all sits down as the ceremony starts. It's your typical college graduation. Mostly important people speaking in a monotone voice, other dignitaries speak, some of the students with high GPA's speak, but what throws everyone off is when Clary's introduced as her class valedictorian. His best friend failed to mention this small piece of information.

Clary walks onto stage and gives the most breathtaking speech imaginable. It isn't your typical cliché graduation speech where they speak about achieving your dreams, and putting your all into something and expecting great results. This speech spoke about failure, and learning from your mistakes, and being able to build from that. Alec had no idea that his shy, always trying to blend in the background, best friend is capable of writing such an inspirational speech. The entire family's floored, but most of all, they're all so proud of Clary.

After the graduation ceremony, all of the Morgensterns wait near Clary's car with bated breath. They're still completely shocked about the fact that she's valedictorian, much less about her speech. As she approaches, she's swarmed with 'we're so proud of you's' and 'how could you keep a secret like this?' Alec can tell she's getting a bit overwhelmed so he decides to step up.

"Okay, guys, why don't we give poor Clary a chance to breath here? We can all question her once we get to the restaurant," Alec chuckles at Clary's obvious look of relief. Everyone agrees, and separates to their own vehicles. Alec takes Clary's keys, and hops in the driver's seat.

"Okay, let me have it, I know you have a million questions in that head of yours." Clary glances over to see the infamous smirk on Alec's face.

"Well, my dear Clarissa, I just want to know why you, my dearest friend, kept such a huge secret from me, your brother from another mother," Alec says, sporting a huge grin. "That speech was pretty epic by the way."

Clary can't help but laugh. "Well my dearest 'brother from another mother', I didn't tell you or anyone else about my so-called epic speech, because I didn't want to make a bigger deal about it than it already was. I was terrified to go up there today, and I love you all, but you guys would have blown everything out to make it an even bigger deal, and I just couldn't handle that!" Clary exclaims a bit too dramatically, throwing a hand to her forehead in a mocking swoon.

Alec shakes his head.

"So that's why you were internally freaking out this morning, wasn't it? I knew that bullshit response about people giving you a hard time was just some sort of excuse, you've never given a damn about what people think of you."

Clary glances over at him, and sticks out her tongue.

Some things never change, Alec thinks as he busts out laughing.

Soon after, Alec pulls into the restaurant, and parks next to Jon and Holly.

Once they finish their dinner, they all pull their gifts out to give to Clary. Being the person that she is, Clary is not happy about the whole gift idea. Alec hands his gift over to her first. Alec got Clary a white coffee mug that says 'Hi. I'm your nurse. What stupid fucking thing did you do?' in red letters. He also filled the mug with Clary's favorite black pens. Alec had laughed when he found it, and because Clary shares his addiction for caffeine, he thought it would be a perfect gift for her working in the ER. The entire table gets a good laugh out of that gift. Jocelyn and Valentine are the next ones to give her their present.

They bought her a lab coat with Clarissa Morgenstern, ENP-BC (stands for Emergency Nurse Practitioner) embroidered in navy blue. Clary passed her board certification last week with flying colors. Alec had helped her study for that test for months. Those boards are a bitch to pass. Jon and Holly give her a Littman Master Cardiology stethoscope, which is the Cadillac of stethoscopes. Clary gives her gratitude to everyone for the gifts, then they all part ways. Jon wants to go out and celebrate some more with Alec and Clary, but since Holly is pregnant, he decides to stay with his wife instead. Once the duo makes it back to their apartment, they go their separate ways to take a nap before going out to the bar they frequent. Alec's still exhausted from his shift from the previous night, and Clary's emotionally drained.

~oOo~

After their naps, Alec and Clary start getting ready for their night out. Clary's rummaging through her closet looking for the perfect outfit while Alec is lounging on her bed.

"God, I want to get laid tonight! This week has been way too stressful!" Clary exclaims, her head still in her closet. She pulls out a lavender dress with black lace. She also brings out a pair of thigh high boots with two inch heels.

"Just remember what I always tell you, nugget, no glove, no love. Make sure the douche you hook up with tonight wraps it." Alec can't help but be a little protective of his pint sized friend, she's practically a sister to him.

Clary turns around and looks at him like he's lost his mind.

"Okay, number one, I know how to have safe sex. Number two, I know that you'll be there to make sure I don't hook up with a douche; and three, are you ever going to stop calling me nugget? It makes me sound like a child!" Clary emphasizes her point by slowly walking over to Alec, ready to stab him with her heel. Alec laughs uncontrollably while trying to get the boot out of her hand, causing Clary to start laughing. In typical Clary fashion, she trips over her own two feet and falls onto the bed, crushing Alec while doing so. Alec grunts and pulls Clary off him. Still laughing, he sits up.

"You'll always be my nugget, Clary, it's just because you're so little....just like a nugget," Alec dodges the pillow that she throws at him. "I'll leave you alone to get ready. I need to figure out what I'm wearing as well. You're not the only one hoping to get laid tonight." With that, Alec slips out of Clary's room and goes to his own.

Staring at his closet, Alec finally grabs a pair of tight leather pants that do wonders for his ass, a skin tight white v neck t-shirt that shows off his abs and upper arms, a black vest, and black leather boots. Having donned his clothes, Alec moves on to his hair. Using a slight amount of product, he tousles his hair to give it what Jace would call the 'just got fucked' look. With one last look in the mirror, he heads out to the living room to call a cab, and wait for Clary. They both have a rule that when they go out drinking, they always take a cab to and from wherever they went. No drinking and driving for this duo. A few moments later, Clary walks in looking like sex on legs. Her dress reaches mid thigh with only about two inches of skin showing between where her dress ends and her boots begin. The thin layer of eye shadow and mascara gives her a smoky, smoldering look, while causing her emerald eye to sparkle and pop. She wears her hair up in an intricate twist, a few loose strands framing her pixieish face. Clary gives Alec a quick twirl, loving the fact that her best friend knows about fashion, thanks to his sister, and they head out to meet the cab.

~oOo~

Once they're in the bar, they grab the first table they can find, and Alec is heading straight to the bar and immediately sees Kaelie, the owner, and Brad, the lead bartender, manning the bar for the evening. Alec orders two shots of whiskey, one beer for himself, and one strawberry daiquiri for Clary. As they are sitting, drinking, and enjoying the live band for the night, Clary starts to eye someone on the other side of the room. Alec looks over to see who caught her eye when he finds the source. It's a guy with dirty blond hair, gray eyes, muscular build, and when he smiles, he has a dimple in his left cheek. The guys is fucking hot! The next thing he knows, the guy is walking over. The duo can easily tell that the guy has eyes for the redhead.

"Do you want to talk to this guy or do you want me to run interference?" Alec asks his friend.

"Let's see what he has to say, if he just automatically seems like an arrogant ass, then save me."

Alec chuckles.

"Hey there beautiful, wanna dance?" Blondie asks Clary, who shrugs, turning and winking at Alec, before standing up. Alec watches as she heads out to the dance floor, and just keeps an eye on her to make sure this blond dude isn't a dick. After a while, Alec again walks up to the bar. He knows Clary can handle herself. It's time for him to find someone to hook up with for the night.

Standing at the bar, Alec waits for the busy bartender to make his way over. As soon as he sees Alec, he smirks and approaches.

"What are you having tonight, sexy?" he asks, with an ever-present bartender's smile. Alec chuckles at him. The flirty bartender knows he's gay, and that only encourages him to constantly hit on Alec. Alec always seems to be flustered around Brad, but he refuses to hook up with the man.

"I'll take my usual tonight, Brad." He just shakes his head and sighs.

"Alright, Alec, let me rephrase the question, are you getting your 'I'm just here to unwind from a long week' usual, or are you getting your 'I'm looking to hook up tonight' usual?"

Throwing his head back in laughter, Alec adds, "I'll take an 'I'm looking to hook up tonight' usual."

Nodding, Brad turns around, and starts working on Alec's vodka tonic. While he's waiting on his drink, Alec notices a presence next to him but doesn't pay the person any mind. Brad hands Alec his drink, then moves on to the person standing next to him. When he asks the person what they'll be having, Alec hears a smooth voice that nearly causes his breath to catch in his throat.

"I'll take an apple martini with a side of this blue eyed beauty standing next to me." With wide eyes, Alec turns to face the person, putting a face to that silky voice.