Panic surged through Alec, coming out of nowhere.

He'd been sleepless all night, worried about nothing, but still feeling like the world was falling in on him.

So he tossed and turned in bed for hours, until this one moment, when he sat straight up, pulling all of the covers off Magnus in the process.

"Alexander," Magnus mumbled, grasping for blankets that weren't there.

"Something's wrong," Alec declared.

"No. Everyone is fine--"

"Jace isn't fine," Alec said. He'd ran through every other scenario. It had to be Jace.

"Okay," Magnus said, rolling over and facing Alec. "Call the Institute."

Alec leaned over Magnus, grabbing his phone. Jace was #1 on his speed dial. As his fingers swiped the phone open, it started ringing.

"It's Jace--" Alec answered the call as Magnus practically rolled on top of him to hear the call. "Hey--"

"Clary's in labor-- I need you here."

"Why me?"

"Because I'm freaking out and Isabelle said if I freak out, Clary will freak out and-- Just get here, please."

"Jace, everything is going to be okay--"

"Alec, please just get here."

"Okay," Alec sighed, hanging up the phone. A part of him was just relieved that he'd solved the mystery.

"Are you leaving?" Magnus asked.

Alec nodded.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Magnus asked.

"I'll call you if I need you," Alec said, pressing a kiss to Magnus' forehead. "Go back to sleep."

Magnus sighed, allowing Alec to go.

..........

Alec could hear Clary's screams as he was coming down the hallway.

Jace was pacing outside.

"Why aren't you in there?" Alec asked.

"Because I'm freaking out!" Jace shouted.

"Don't yell," Alec said. "That doesn't help."

Jace took a few deep breaths and stopped pacing.

"Give me your arm," Alec said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a stele.

"What are you--"

Alec drew a calming rune, identical to the one he had drawn on himself on the way there to nullify his second-hand panic.

"You need to be in there," Alec said. "Your wife is in labor. She is in pain--"

"That's why I can't be in there--"

"Shut up," Alec ordered. "She will kill you if she doesn't see you. She needs your support. You've been by her side for all sorts of injuries. This is no different--"

"Are you saying giving birth is comparable to having--"

"Jace," Alec growled, opening the door to the infirmary. "Go."

Alec had no idea how labor worked but he was guessing Clary was on some sort of break because she wasn't screaming for the first time since he had arrived.

"Walk up to her, taking her hand, tell her she's doing well, and compliment the hell out of her," Alec whispered. Jace walked forward, almost mechanically.

This was one of the few occasions Alec had ever seen Jace terrified. He was relishing the moment a little bit, he had to admit that.

Jace sat down on the edge of the bed. Silent Brothers were present and Isabelle and Jocelyn were by Clary's side. Alec stood in the corner, out of the way and out of sight.

"Hey," Jace said. Sweat covered Clary's face. "You're doing amazing."

"I want to stab you right now," Clary growled.

"I--"

Jace looked back at Alec.

Alec shrugged, trying not to laugh.

"Ugh," Clary cried.

Everyone was suddenly muttering comforting words and touching her.

Alec knew she hated that. Jace was the only one allowed to touch her, and maybe Simon. Affection was not one of her strong suits.

But this was also about them, not just her.

Clary started screaming again and the whole scene got boring.

Alec's eyes started to droop-- the calming rune was almost too calming.

He went in search of coffee and found Simon hovering outside the infirmary.

"Hi?"

"Hey," Simon said, standing up straighter. "How is she?"

"You can go in," Alec said.

"I don't do that well."

"Neither do I," Alec said. "But we do what we have to."

"There's plenty of people in there," Simon said.

"I swear if you get Isabelle pregnant and aren't by her side, I'll kill you," Alec said, his voice deadpan.

Simon's eyes widened a little.

"Now," Alec said, "go in there and hold Clary's hand and tell her everything is going to be okay and whatever else you tell people who are in labor and intense pain."

Simon cautiously opened the door, his eyes on Alec until the last possible second.

Caffeine.

He need caffeine.

As he descended the stairs, the door opened and Magnus entered holding two drink carriers.

"What are you doing?" Alec asked, trying to fight the smile on his face.

"First of all, I couldn't go back to sleep, secondly, coffee is a must at three in the morning, and third, let's not joke around here-- we're going to be godfathers this morning, Alexander, and I'm not missing the birth of my first godson."

"Only your first?"

"Most of my friends are warlocks-- children are rare--" Alec took one of the drink carriers, inhaling the smell of black coffee.

They started climbing the stairs together.

Clary's screams were loud enough now to echo throughout the Institute.

"She's quite the screamer," Magnus said.

Alec took Magnus' hand with his free one.

"Thank you," Alec said, "for coming. And the coffee."

Magnus smiled.

"I do like babies, minus the whole inability to provide for themselves and the crying and the--"

Down the hall, Isabelle was opening the door the infirmary.

"I smelled coffee," she said.

Magnus wrestled a cup out of the drink carriers, handing it off to her. She held it like a lifeline.

"How's it going in there?" Magnus asked.

"I don't know," Isabelle shrugged. "Probably fine. But I'm never getting pregnant."

"I think Simon would agree with that plan," Alec said softly, smiling.

"What do you say to him?" Isabelle asked.

"Nothing," Alec sighed.

They reentered the infirmary together, Magnus and Alec distributing the coffee and Isabelle retaking her position at Clary's bedside.

"Ugh, I want coffee," Clary grumbled.

"I think that's against the rules, biscuit," Magnus said, patting her hand. "After."

Then Magnus and Alec were back in Alec's corner, watching the scene unfolded from their safe and unobtrusive distance.

"Were you serious about the whole godfather thing?" Alec whispered.

"I'd be surprised if Isabelle, Simon, you, and I weren't the godparents," Magnus said. "It's all honorary anyways--"

"Not with Shadowhunters," Alec said, cutting him off. "It's who your kids go to in case you die. And if your firstborn goes with one person so are all the rest of them."

"I didn't think about that," Magnus said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Being a godparent is serious. They probably talked about."

"You're his parabatai."

"And Simon is Clary's best friend."

"That's too difficult," Magnus sighed.

"Thank goodness we don't have to do all of this," Alec said, gesturing to the whole bedside scene.

"Only you would see it that way," Magnus said, kissing Alec's cheek.

Suddenly, the cry of baby broke through Clary's cries.

Seconds later, Clary was holding a baby girl and everyone was laughing and crying and ogling over the baby.

Magnus and Alec stood at the back, allowing everyone to get their fill.

Eventually Jocelyn disappeared and then Isabelle and Simon, followed by the Silent Brothers, who had fulfilled their duties, and then Jace was looking at Alec, tears shimmering in his eyes.

Alec felt the same burst of pride and happiness he did.

And what he wanted to do more than anything was hug Clary and Jace and kiss the little girl, who he had never even met.

Jace met him halfway, and they were hugging.

"I'm so happy for you," Alec said. He wanted to cry as well. "But please don't call me in the middle of the night when she is crying."

Jace laughed. Alec looked past him at Magnus who was watching with his wise, old eyes.

Alec let Jace go, sitting down next to Clary, who was obviously exhausted.

"Do you want to hold her?" she asked, reading Alec's mind.

Alec nodded, taking the tiny, sleeping baby in his arms.

His niece.

Nameless, for now, but beautiful none the less.

Alec stood up, carrying her over to the windows so she could see New York City, her home, for the very first time.