A/N: Ok guys, there's been a lot of updating going on. I'm trying to get all the exposition needed to really set up everything I want to happen in the story without taking too long to get where we are going. I own nothing but the original character and situations.

Please remember, any feedback is always welcome! Thanks and hope you enjoy

A warm breeze lifted the autumn leaves into the night sky. As they danced under the stars, almost in time to the thrum of the bass coming from the cozy, blue two story home, a tall man watched them float away into the darkness. His green eyes shinning in the moonlight as he leaned against a newly constructed, brick fire pit and flicked the ashes from a cigarette.

He took a deep and luxurious puff of toxic smoke, before putting his cigarette out on the bottom of his shoe, tossing the butt, and running his hand through his shaggy black hair. He fixed his gaze on the clean siding of the his new and inviting abode. He listened to the harsh rattle coming from the windows as the bass from the party brewing inside the suburban home had them shaking and pulsing with complaint. He thought the sound seemed a stark contrast to the peaceful location of the home, but parties had a way of shaking things up. His eyes flickered a cool grey as he sighed and adjusted his loudly patterned orange and red brocade button up shirt before straitening himself up from the fire pit he had been leaning against.

"And so it begins." He sighed before plastering on his best smile and he confidently strode towards his house. He only prayed his party would be tolerable.

Alexander Harmon (Xander to his friends for the sake of clarity) had been living in his lovely, if somewhat lonely, home for only two weeks, and it had been far too long since he had last had people filling one of his charming houses to maximum occupancy. At least, that's what he had told himself while he was planning to host his own housewarming party. Now that his home had been overrun by numerous hormonal nit-wits, he was starting to remember why he had avoided parties for so long. He didn't even know half the people that had showed up, and while his hospitality did not allow him to turn them away, he was ready to just tell them to leave and go back to bed. Though, he did have friends coming over, and he was going to do his best to try and have fun, for their sake.

Xander checked his reflection in the sliding glass door, and couldn't help but smile at the devil starring back at him. His shaggy black hair was as wild as always, lapping at the sides of his face and rising of it's own accord to a point at the top of his head. His orange and red shirt a splash of color against his pitch colored jeans. He always tried to dress to impress, and he couldn't help but grin at himself and note the slight change of his eyes shifting from green to blue as he looked himself over. Then he opened the door to stride back into the noise and chaos that his living room had become over the past hour. The room had walls painted a warm red, a couch of the same color but a darker shade, and a few side tables and chairs of various styles spread across the spacious floor plan of the room. There were one of kind artworks all around the walls, both his own and those of some friends, and of course scented candles around the room to set the mood for the night. Though at this point, none of that was visible through the pulsing mass of bodies swaying to the beats that were still threatening to take out his windows.

'Who were all of these people?' He thought, 'and how did they all know to come? I only invited people from the office, and Alec, but Alec wouldn't have brought all of these people.'

Xander had known Alexander Lightwood for more than eighteen years, and the had been close as brothers for that whole time. They had met at a summer camp when they were both still afraid of girls and cooties and formed a fast friendship when Xander had saved Alec from a terrifying 'spider attack' only to discover they had the same name. Since then, they had been nearly inseparable, even if they did live in different time zones. Well, they had lived in different time zones, until Xander had gotten a job offer from one of his favorite Game companies, BA games, and now here Xander was in the same city as his best friend.

As Xander made a path to his left through the crowd trying to get to the kitchen for some much needed alcohol, but he got caught up the stampede of people clambering towards the dining room sitting to the right to dance in the empty space as the songs shifted from smooth with a deep base to the sounds of outright warfare. As the kitchen was in the opposite direction from the dining room, Xander fought to squeeze himself out of the herd, only to fall against the hallway wall and spill into the entryway, nervously combing his hand through his hair and still tripping over his own feet. As he tried to steady himself for another mad charge to the kitchen he was startled by his front door flying open to reveal a golden haired man-child hurtling into the entry way.

"XAND-MAN!" The golden boy crowed.

"Jace!" Xander felt a warm smile spread across he face as he recognized his old friend. Jace was Alec's adopted brother, and while Xander often thought the golden-god persona Jace exuded was over the top, he knew the golden boy had a golden heart as well.

"So you just couldn't stay away, I'm really starting to wonder when you're going to propose to my brother and make an honest man out of him." Jace said as he pulled Xander into a giant hug.

"Haha Jace, your a comedy riot." Xander chided, though he warmly returned the hug, thankful to have someone he knew finally at his party.

As Xander was backing away he happened to notice a streak of bright red hair huddled in the door way hiding behind Jace as though he were a human-shield.

"And who is this?" Xander asked, blinking in shock and trying to put on his best charm.

"This is Clary, she's my girlfriend." Jace stated simply as a dopey grin took over his entire face. The girl was small and lean, with a pale complexion and covered in paint, and Xander thought she looked somewhat out of place next to Jace and all of his extroverted narcism. Sliding her arm around Jace's waist and moving in beside him she smiled sweetly, extending her hand to Xander.

"Hi." she said somewhat meekly, but still full of warmth.

"Hello, Clary. It's nice to meet you, but are you feeling alright, dear?" Xander asked through his best cheshire grin while leaning to kiss her hand, waiting for her to step into the trap. The girl looked confused but replied.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Because this giant man-baby just called you his girlfriend and you're not trying to clobber him into a pulp. Something must be wrong for a lady as gorgeous and refined as yourself to think that's acceptable." Xander grinned as Clary just started to giggle.

"Hey, Xand, you already stole my brother, leave my girlfriend out of this. Or maybe I should tell Alec about that time I caught you in his room when you were ten."

"Why, what happened?" Clary asked, curious.

"You wouldn't dare, corn-top!" Xander hissed his eyes quickly flashing grey and making Clary jump, unsure she had seen correctly she began staring at Xander's green eyes.

"Hey, don't go getting emotional now, I didn't make you take that shirt, I only caught you!" Jace jeered triumphantly. This time Xander's eyes had flashed a stone cold grey and they weren't changing back.

"Your eyes." Clary mentioned, somewhat concerned she may be losing her mind.

"It happens." Jace shrugged while Xander continued to glare. "His eyes change with his emotions, so they change, a lot. The grey is anger, but they're just gonna stay that way, because he can't do anything about it." Jace teased in a sing song voice.

"Oh, I'm sure I could find a deep pit somewhere to throw you in, that seems like something." Xander growled to Jace before turning his attention back to Clary and she watched his eyes shift back to green just as quickly as they had changed before.

"See," Xander addressed her sweetly with all the charm from before, "A giant, stinking, loud-mouthed, man-baby with shiny hair. I've just met you dear, but I think you should be able do better than my not-brother here." Xander said curtly.

"Hey that's a bit harsh." Jace said, his face falling a bit.

"And telling Alec I stole his shirt so I could take him home with me when I was ten isn't" Xander quipped. Jace was still crestfallen and Xander sighed and regrouped himself. "I'm sorry Jace, it's been a rough night and I'm a little… on edge. I'm glad to see you, as always, even if you are a self-righteous man-child." Xander stuck out his tongue to punctuate his last words.

"It's ok man, you are practically my brother after all, and if you would just put a ring on it, it would be legal." Jace replied, back to his normally confident self.

Clary looked as though her head was spinning from the exchange.

"I'm sorry, honey." Xander said addressing her again. "Jace does have a good heart, but he's the annoying brother I wish I'd never had." Xander smiled again and Clary felt some of her tension ease. "Jace and I just seem to bond by fighting."

"Well, come on in." Xander motioned them in with his arms in large, animated motions. "I'm having a bit of trouble getting into the kitchen as it is, but since you brought the blonde-battering-ram, we should be able to get you something to drink." He smiled over to Jace who swelled at what he took as a compliment.

"Alright! I can knock some heads in for you." Jace beamed.

"Where's your sister? and Alec, of course?" Xander asked.

"Izzy is making Alec pick up her new boyfriend, Clary's best friend Simon, so they should be here shortly." Jace said offhandedly as his attention had started to drift to the hand he had stroking Clary's hair.

"Oh, ok, well, I think I'll go wait out front then, I can't wait to see Alec again." Xander started motioning the two towards the crowd. "Go ahead and go in, the kitchen has everything you should need and it's just to the right and through the archway on the left. If you can make it through the crowd in one piece."

"Alright man, see you in a bit." Jace said as he started to drag Clary by his side. How he could tell where he was going with his nose buried in her neck, Xander had no idea.

Xander brushed away some imaginary dirt from his shirt and then proceeded out his front door and down the walk to sit in the large lawn chair sitting haphazardly in his front yard. He had just smoked in the back yard, why not christen the front yard as well? Fumbling with his lighter he found his cigarette and wrenched one from the pack, shoved it in his lips, and began puffing away white plumes of sweet poison before he had even heard the click of the lighter.

'Well tonight is off to a smashing start' He thought as he took another deep drag off of his cigarette. 'Not even 8:30 PM and I've already smoked half a pack. Maybe, I'm just not the parting kind anymore.'

Before Xander could possibly more mature identity any longer, he was interrupted by a sleep and sexy, silver convertible pulling up into the drive way with music blaring to rival the music coming from inside the house. Looking over as the music in the car died, Xander could see the two passengers climbing out and walking his way. It was Magnus Bane and Camille Bel-court. They were two of the costume designers from his office, and while Xander still wasn't sure how he felt about Camille, he was thrilled to see Magnus. The man had a bubbly personality, no sense of shame, and an infectious enthusiasm. He also happened to be Xander's self-proclaimed mentor about anything and everything BA Games. Xander could use all of that right now.

"Magnus!" Xander waved at the approaching figure.

"Xander! Hi!" Magnus grinned and waved back and started to walk a bit faster to close the distance between them.

Xander couldn't help but gawk as Magnus approached, the man was wearing royal blue dress shoes, black skinny jeans that seemed to glow with a blue tint, a bright purple button up (that could have been louder than the multiple colors of Xander's shirt), and a blue jacket that Xander could have sworn was made of sequins. It was a nice color combination with his honey colored skin and dark hair. Magnus was also wearing blue eye shadow with purple highlights, a sharp ring of eyeliner, and, of course, glitter (all done by Magnus himself, while looking flawless, none-the-less). Xander couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head,

'That man would find a way to shine in a cave.' He thought.

"You look like a a star threw up on you and then exploded from the sight." Xander chuckled.

"Well, I never!" Magnus scoffed, looking very (fake) hurt.

"Oh, you know I meant it as a compliment." Xander laughed and hugged his friend. "Hi Camille, glad you could make it." He said over Magnus's shoulder.

"I'm sure you are." Camille smiled without humor and the eyes of a predator, and Xander couldn't help but feel like a snake had just slithered around him.

"You look stunning." Xander commented, and she did. Camille was wearing a simple blood-red dress that hugged all of her curves and was almost sheer, but her pale skin and blonde hair were the highlights of the outfit, standing in stark contrast to the brilliant red. She had the six inch stiletto heels to match and the slit up the left leg of the dress drew all the right attention.

"Leave it to the fashion department to always be the best dressed." Xander beamed at his two guests.

"Thank you, sir." Magnus drawled while taking a very deep dramatic bow.

"Well duh." Camille said making an air-head-esque roll of her eyes.

"Yeah, that was kind of obvious, huh?" Xander asked scratching the back of his head.

'That's right,' Xander thought, 'Cool and charming one minute, and a bashful wallflower the next.'

"I'm really glad you're here, Magnus, I know no one at this party, and I'm starting to… kind of… feel like a stranger in my own house." Xander was looking at his feet and trying to kick up a piece of grass, but it was unmoved by his attempts.

"Well, have no fear, Magnus is here." Magnus chuckled. "I told you at lunch I would take you under my wing and show you the in's and out's of the office, the in's and out's of a party aren't that much different."

Magnus gestured grandly as though he were showing Xander the house for the first time. Xander grinned like a little kid who had just found their favorite person and started to take the arm Magnus was offering to guide him into the house when a loud horn caught the attention of the three of them.

Turning around at the commotion, Xander saw a black car pulling carefully in front of the house and off to park on the side of the road, it's horn blaring with the intensity of an ambulance en route.

"What on Earth…?" Magnus was looking at the car like it was a praying mantis wearing an elegant night gown.

Just then the passenger door of the car flew open and a devastatingly beautiful leg slid out with practiced grace, followed by another. Until next to the car stood a voluptuous, hour glass of a woman, long black hair flowing down her back in free falling curls. The blood-red fabric of a familiar dress seemed painted on the gorgeous frame of Isabel Lightwood, who in an instant, dropped her man-eater persona and transformed into a young girl on Christmas before Xander's eyes.

"Xander!" She squealed waving her arms above her head. Xander could swear he heard a low growl coming from behind him.

"Izzy!" Xander called, and he started running towards her to meet her halfway across the lawn to pick her up and spin her around in a long overdue hug as they both giggled.

"It's so good to see you." Izzy sighed as Xander sat her back on the ground and she squeezed him once more for emphasis.

"It's great to see you too Iz,, was that you laying on the horn? Was Alec diving? Where is Alec?" Xander was practically bouncing.

"Oh, 'it's so good to see you Iz, where's your bother'? I see, you didn't even miss me did you Xander?" Izzy pouted.

"Izzy," Xander pleaded, "Of course I did, and I didn't miss how you avoiding answering about the horn."

"Yes I was honking the horn, I was excited to see you, I haven't seen you in years." Izzy huffed.

"Izzy, you just saw me yesterday at the Mall, I haven't seen Alec in years."

Izzy huffed again, though she was grinning when she said, "Fine, I guess I understand. You're forgiven, for now. He's right behind you." Izzy sighed dramatically as she turned away from him.

As Xander spun around, he was gripped by strong, pale arms and hoisted off the ground with his arms pinned to his sides before he could even get a look at the black haired, blue-eyed man who was now spinning him around in circles like he had just done to Izzy. All he could see were smudges of black hair and the world spinning out of view past them.

"Alec!" Xander screamed as he giggled like a kid and tried to flail impotently.

Alec gave a hearty set of belly laughs as he sat Xander back down before pulling Xander in for a bear hug that had Xander's rib aching under the strain.

"Xander! You're here, like actually here!" Alec laughed as he backed away to look at his friend.

"Well yeah, here is kind of where we are." Xander pointed out, and Alec blushed.

"You know what I mean." Alec laughed and looked down at his shoes. Xander had known the man for over eighteen years, and he still got shy.

"Of course, I know what you meant, Al." Xander laughed. "I'm happy to see you, too."

"Uh-uh-uhm." came from behind them and Xander realized he'd forgotten about Magnus and Camille.

"Oh!" Xander jumped, grabbed Alec by the wrist and pulled him over to his new friends waiting by his door. "I'm sorry, guys, I'm a terrible host." Xander said, blushing himself this time.

"Alec Lightwood, Isabelle Lightwood, this is Magnus Bane and Camille Bel-court." Xander said as he held out a hand to each in turn. "They work with me at my new job. As for the Lightwoods, they are some of my oldest friends, and now I just happen to live in the same zip code they do." Xander smiled with pride at what he thought was his rather smooth recovery, only to be deflated when he saw that Camille and Izzy were staring at each other as though they were two cats meeting in a dark alley and Alec and Magnus apparently hypnotized by each other.

"Uh, guys?" Xander was confused.

"Well that's such a nice outfit you have there, Izzy." Camile said the name as though it was distasteful.

"It's Isabel, Cammy." Izzy spat back. "Only my family get's to call me Izzy."

"Uh guys." Xander was afraid a war was about to break out around him.

"Hello… Alec, is that short for something?" Magnus purred as he held his hand out for Alec.

"Uh, yeah, i-it's, uh, it's, um… short. Short for Alexander." Alec stumbled as he blushed profusely unsure whether he wanted to look at Magnus or the ground. He looked as though he didn't know wether to shake Magnus's hand or kiss it, either, and was in the middle of trying some odd dance in a failing attempt to do both simultaneously.

"So you have the same name as Xander, but the opposite nick-name?" Magnus grinned widely. "That's adorable."

"Y-yeah?" Alec blushed.

"Heh, uh, guys?" Xander wasn't sure which fire to address first. The two women who needed hosed off before the claws really came out, or the two men who looked as though they were about to set the lawn ablaze.

"Well, at least some of Xander's friends have taste. Even if it is stolen." Camile said in a silken voice while eyeing Izzy's dress.

"Stolen?" Izzy looked like she may explode.

"Uh-uhm. Hi, I'm Simon." The voice came from the pale hand that was now jutting out in between Izzy and Alec. Xander had to do a double take to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

"Oh, Simon." Izzy cried as she pulled on the arm and pulled a man up beside her. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to forget about you." Izzy pleaded as she stroked the man's face. Xander, now looking at the back of the man that had been attached to the mysterious arm, was taking note that for the slender figure, the man had a nice backside.

"This is my boyfriend Simon Lewis." Izzy beamed, turning Simon to face Xander. He wasn't a bad looking man, at all; he had a strong jaw, curly brown hair, and clearly had definition to his muscles, though not enough for you to confuse him with someone who enjoyed sports. The glasses and the gamer t-shirt seemed to further add to his persona as a very, sexy-nerd.

"It's very nice to meet you Simon." Xander said, his eyes flashing golden for a moment while taking the hand Simon offered to shake. Izzy elbowed Xander in the ribs and Xander groaned clutching his side more dramatically than nessecary.

"Hey, get your own." Izzy scowled.

"It's nice to meet you, too" Simon said as though nothing had happened. "Izzy's told me a lot about you."

"Don't believe a word of it Simon, that girl you have there lies like a dog!" Xander scoffed and everyone laughed, except Camille, who looked as though she was plotting where to dispose of Izzy's dead body, and Izzy who wrapped a protective arm around Simon.

"Oh Izzy, I'm not after your man, besides I'm pretty sure he wouldn't play my game anyway." Xander was back to smooth and winking at Izzy with a devious grin, and it seemed enough for Izzy to smile again.

"Well," Xander sighed as he clapped his hands together, "Why don't we all head inside to start enjoying the party?" Xander asked, motioning towards the house.

Everyone nodded their agreement and started to file in. Before they could get through the door, Xander grabbed Simon by the sleeve and pulled him back slightly.

"Has anyone ever told you that you have excellent timing?" Xander asked with a charming grin.

"Uh, no?" Simon looked unsure and Izzy was still holding onto his arm protectively and eyeing Xander up and down.

"Dude, if you hadn't gotten in there when you did, we would probably be spraying blood off my walkway right now. Good job!" Xander laughed, clapping the man on the shoulder before smiling at Izzy innocently and leading them inside.

'Maybe tonight won't be that bad.' Xander thought as he closed the door behind him.