Twinkle Twinkle Little Star   von Bibs
                    (My version of 'Born to Endless Night')
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                                  Kapitel 5: 
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When Alec finally came home it was almost morning and he was glad he had taken a
shower and changed out of his ruined gear at the Institute. So when he saw
Magnus and Henry in their bed, illuminated by the faint light that filtered
through the high stained-glass window, he just had to drop his sweater and jeans
and slide under the cover next to his son. The boy stirred, turning to his other
side so he was now facing Alec, luckily without waking up. Alec smiled, sinking
into his pillow and carefully pulled up the blanket. Just far enough to stay
warm but not so far that it could accidentally cover Henry’s face. He was
still kind of paranoid concerning his sleeping habits, even after almost five
years.
“I guess you had a hard night”, he heard Magnus whisper and smiled weary.
“A bit. We finally got this rough vampire though. What about you?” He
sneaked one hand over the cover to entwine their fingers, his own callused,
scarred and pale in harsh contrast to Magnus’s dark skin and glittering nails,
and nodded to their son. He felt the smooth cold metal of their wedding band on
Magnus’s finger, the only ring he never took off. He wore his counterpart on a
slim chain around his neck. 
“Nightmares again”, Magnus explained and shrugged but in his eyes was a
slight hint of worry. 
Alec frowned and looked at the sleeping boy. He seemed peaceful and relaxed now
but the nightmares, which had started a few months ago, came more frequently
now. It may be because of his profession and their experiences with strange
dreams but he did not believe in coincidences. “Let’s talk tomorrow”, he
mumbled, because right now he was too tired to think straight and felt Magnus
press his hand in return.
“Get some sleep, darling. I’ll entertain little one till you get up”, he
promised and Alec smiled while giving in to exhaustion. Strength and endurance
runes were all good and well but nothing beat real sleep on the long run.

When he woke up again it was because someone was climbing onto his back and
ruffled his hair with two little hands. 
“Daddy, wake up”, Henry demanded and bounced slightly up and down, pressing
the air out of Alec’s lungs. “Wake up, wake up, wake up. We have
pancakes!”
A mixed groan and giggle escaped Alec. It was wonderful to be woken up by this
sweet energetic boy but he was still feeling the bruises of last night’s hunt.

“Okay okay, I’m awake”, he managed to get out between the boy’s bounces
and finally rolled over, grabbing Henry when he tumbled down into the cushions
beside him and cuddling him to his chest. The boy squeaked in delight and flung
his small arms around Alec’s neck, who was relieved to find him so happy and
relaxed after the bad dreams. “Good morning.”
“Good morning”, Henry replied and was already pushing at him to get out of
his embrace, Alec giving in immediately. The boy scrambled to his feet and
started jumping up and down on the mattress, falling to his knees occasionally
and bouncing back up laughing. 
Alec shoved one arm behind his head and watched him, grinning at the sheer
energy that radiated from him. The sun painted colourful patterns on both of
them and made Henry’s ivory hair shimmer in different shades of the rainbow.
Alec treasured those carefree minutes of joy, the warm fuzzy feeling it gave
him, especially after a straining night like the last.
“Are the two of you coming already? I won’t allow breakfast in bed after the
scrambled eggs massacre of father’s day”, Magnus’s voice cut in from the
main room and Alec laughed while he sat up and Henry jumped down to the floor,
landing lithe like a cat and scurrying out the door. 
Alec followed a few seconds later, just pulling on one of the dressing gowns
Magnus always left lying around. This one was made from shining sapphire blue
silk and embroidered with silver thread, matching Alec’s own colouring.
He was surprised to find Magnus standing at the stove, pouring batter into a
pan. 
“You started the scrambled eggs massacre, not us”, he reminded his husband,
stepping behind him and planting a soft kiss on his neck. The smell of the
pancakes sizzling in the pan and the unique scent of Magnus mixed perfectly,
making Alec’s stomach rumble. “Good morning. Those pancakes smell great,”
he whispered. Magnus was really getting better at cooking, only some looked
slightly burned at the edges.
“We also have cream and syrup and Nutella”, Henry informed him, grabbing his
hand and pulling him over to the table to show him. “Chairman Meow also got
some cream but he already drank it all.”
“It looks yummy. Thank you.” Alec wondered if he had forgotten about any
special day or anniversary but could not think of anything. He decided to simply
enjoy this family breakfast and sat down next to Henry when Magnus came over,
balancing a stack of pancakes with both hands. Magnus had barely set them down
when two of them floated from the stack to Henry’s plate, perfectly in
balance, followed by the bowl of cream.
Magnus grinned wide while watching, filling his and Alec’s plate the same way.

“Very good, Henry. Your levitation spell is getting better every day”, he
said and that made Henry beam with pride. He had started teaching his son to use
his talents just a few weeks after they had adopted him. Unintentionally and
playful at first, juggling soft toys or little balls for Henry without touching
them, or telling stories with figures and scenes painted in blue flames in the
darkness of their bedroom. Soon the boy had tried to mimic his father, his
golden sparks mixing with Magnus’s blue flame, one time almost setting the bed
on fire.   
Now Alec watched them, as they tried to take the fluffy cream out of the bowl
without using the spoon, drowning his own pancakes in syrup. He was just moving
the first bite to his mouth when a walnut sized splotch of cream flew right into
his face, hitting directly between his eyes. Taken totally off-guard Alec just
blinked at them, Henry holding his fork and giggling, Magnus wide eyed and
pointing one bejewelled finger at their son, doing his best to appear completely
innocent and failing. Wiping the cream out of his eyes with his fingers, Alec
tried not to laugh, not entirely successful himself. 
“Is this a training session now? Or do you think I need a face mask?”
“I usually use curd cheese and cucumber for face masks not whipped cream”,
Magnus informed him, clearly speaking without thinking and Alec could not hold
back the laughter anymore.
“So it’s training? What for? Fighting lactose intolerant werewolves? ”
“Hum… interesting idea. But how would you know if it worked? Follow them
around and wait for them to fart?” Magnus was grinning now and Henry still
chuckled while munching his breakfast.
“Ugh, no. I’m certainly not sniffing any werewolf backsides”, Alec refused
and got up to get the rest of the cream out of his face. “But thanks for the
vivid image in my mind.” 
They finished their breakfast without more food flying around and when Henry put
down his mug, Alec exchanged a quick look with Magnus, who nodded and turned
towards the boy. 
“Little one, before you run off to play, can we talk about last night”, he
asked and Henry looked up at him, seeming confused.
“Everything is fine, Henry. We’d just like to know what your bad dreams are
about”, Alec explained. He wanted to make sure their son knew they were here
for him. “Can you tell us?”
Henry nodded and looked from Magnus to Alec before he started talking. 
“I don’t remember every dream. But they are all similar. Someone is calling
me in the dark but not by my name and I think it is not our language”, he
started and Alec noticed that his husband’s eyes turned a darker shade, the
pupils reduced to narrow slits. “And when I don’t answer they come closer,
all dark bodies and talons and fangs. And they try to take me with them.” The
boy’s voice trailed off and he blinked rapidly, eyes shining a bit too bright.
“Most times I wake up just before they get me.”
Alec stood up to kneel beside his chair and carefully take him into his arms. 
“It’s ok, Henry. You know we would never let that happen, right? No monster
or demon will ever take you away. You can always come to our room. We protect
you”, he assured him and felt Magnus’s fingers brush his face when he
stroked Henry’s hair. 
“We love you”, the older warlock added and their presence helped Henry brush
off the memory of the nightmares and fear that came with them. He sniffed and
cuddled closer to Alec for a moment before freeing himself from his father’s
hug.
“I know. Can I go? I want to play juggling balls”, he asked and Alec let him
go with a loving smile. 
“Off you go.” He got up as Henry slipped from the chair and scurried to his
own room, already forgetting about their conversation. 
Alec sat down next to Magnus and watched his husbands face carefully. His eyes,
lined in cobalt blue today, were narrow and he still looked after Henry, lips
set in a thin line.  
“You are worried”, Alec concluded and furrowed his brow when Magnus nodded
without taking his eyes off their son. “Why?”
“This sounds fishy to me. I’d almost bet the monsters call him in some kind
of demon tongue”, Magnus started and finally switched his gaze to Alec, an
unusual deep line appearing between his eyes. “You know that warlocks have a
special bond to their demon fathers and how they can influence us.”
Alec bit his lip, remembering the first and hopefully last encounter with
Magnus’s own father. 
“You think it’s his sire, sending him those dreams? But why?” The thought
of a demon in or near Henry’s mind made Alec’s stomach clench. “Could he
influence him like Lilith did with Jace?”
Magnus ran a hand through his messy black hair and shrugged while shaking his
head at the same time. 
“I’m not sure. It depends on how powerful he is. He surely has to be in our
dimension or else he would not be able to reach out to him this way.” Alec
could see how disturbed Magnus was by this thought, the muscles in his neck
tight and his shoulders strained and it spread to himself. If Magnus looked so
concerned, there was a reason to worry.
“So what do we do? Can we block his access to Henry by any means? Maybe move
to the Institute for some time?” He normally would not consider moving in with
his mother and siblings, knowing that housing two warlocks at the Institute
would put his mother in a difficult situation, but if Henry was threatened by a
demon, he had a right to the shelter and help of the Clave. Doubly because he
was Alec’s son.
“I will put up some protection spells and you could rune the door and
windows”, Magnus suggested and got up, looking determined now. “I’m not
putting any spells on Henry, not as long as we don’t know for sure what we are
dealing with. I’ll teach him some defensive spells though.” He looked at
Alec and pointed to his working area, a cluttered wooden desk with a massive
drawer behind it.
Alec nodded and got up too, gathering up the remains of their breakfast. 
“I wanted to wait till his fifth birthday but maybe I should start weapons
training with him earlier.” He already had a wooden staff of the right size
made for Henry.
Magnus sighed and Alec knew he did not like the thought of their little boy
handling even blunt weapons so soon but he nodded. 
“Given the circumstances, you are right. So I guess you’ll be going to the
Institute with him?”
“I can take him this afternoon”, Alec answered and put the dishes into the
sink, intending to clean them later. First he was going to get his stele and do
his part in protecting their home.

A few and uneventful days later Alec closed the door to Henry’s room quietly
behind him after putting the boy to bed and padded over to the sofa where Magnus
was laying, the Chairman stretched out over his chest and belly. 
“I guess if tonight is as peaceful as the last we can say the spells are
working”, Alec mused and sat down next to them. Magnus moved up and rested his
head on Alec’s tight.
“I hope so. I put up some pretty strong stuff, just in case. At least he is
sleeping without bad dreams so far.”
“That’s a first success”, Alec agreed and reached over to scratch the cat
behind its small ears. The Chairman started to purr and Alec saw Magnus lips
curl at the corners as the low sound resonated in his body. “Plus he is doing
really well with the staff. He gave Jace a whack square over the head today.
Made him sit down like a stunned duck”, he told him and Magnus chuckled. 
“Maybe I should come watch your training tomorrow. That’s a sight I’d love
to see.” He grinned mischievously and winked at Alec, who snickered and bent
down to kiss Magnus on the forehead. 
“I know you like to see Jace being humiliated but actually he was really proud
of Henry”, he whispered just as his lips travelled over Magnus’s nose, his
soft cheek, picking up smudged eyeshadow. He felt his love smile and turn his
head to meet his lips, one hand sliding over his shoulder to his neck, long
fingers sneaking into Alec’s hair and pulling him closer. Just as Alec started
to gently tease along Magnus’s lower lip with his tongue and teeth the warlock
went all rigid and broke their contact. “Are you alright? Did I hurt you?”
Alec wondered if maybe he had bit him a bit too hard but Magnus shook his head
and held up his hand to make him stay quiet. The warlock suddenly seemed all
alert and tense and that was enough to make Alec sit up straight and look
around, straining his ears for anything unusual. 
Magnus pushed the cat from his lap and got to his feet, eyes darting through the
loft, checking the windows and door. 
“Something is trying to get in”, he finally breathed and Alec was up and
heading for the coatrack by the door, grabbing his weapons belt he had left
there earlier. He had barely unsheathed two daggers when a sound like ripping
silk but ten times louder cut through the silence, followed by the faint tinkle
of shattering glass and a child’s scream.

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