Disclaimer: The Mortal Instruments and all characters belong to Cassandra Clare
Simon answered the door. His sister Rebecca was outside. She stepped into the apartment he shared with Jordan and gave him a hug.
"Hey," said Simon.
"Hi," said Rebecca. "Hey Clary."
Clary, who was sitting on the bright orange futon, looked up and waved.
"Jordan's in his room," Simon said. "Hey Jordan! My sister's here, so we're going to the Taki's now."
Jordan Kyle and Maia stepped out of his room. Simon blinked.
"Oh, hey, Maia. I didn't know you were here." He leaned over and said to his sister, "They're werewolves."
"Oh," Becky said, and then, apprehensively, "Hi."
"Hi," said Jordan, coming forward to shake Rebecca's hand. "You must be Simon's sister. I remember when we were all bugging him to call you when he wasn't answering your calls."
Maia elbowed him in the side. "Sorry about him," she said. "Hi, I'm Maia."
"Becky," said Rebecca.
Clary stood up. "So, are we ready to go? Becky, ready to meet Simon's mythical friends?"
"I guess so," Rebecca responded. "I still can't believe you're a, um…"
"Shadowhunter," said Clary. "You know, Nephilim, from the Bible."
"Right," said Rebecca. Simon laughed.
They took the Subway uptown to Taki's. Jace, Isabelle, Maryse, Robert, Alec, Luke, and Jocelyn were already there.
Clary slapped Simon lightly on the arm. "I'm going to say hi to Izzy," she said.
Simon noticed his sister staring at Jace.
"Yes, I know, he's hot, but he only has eyes for one girl, and he's a jerk to pretty much everyone else."
"Who's the girl?" asked Rebecca.
"Jace!" Clary cried, coming over to him. He lifted her up and kissed her before placing her gently back on her feet.
"Hey Simon." Isabelle came over to Simon and Becky. "Hi, I'm Isabelle," she said to Rebecca.
"Hi," said Rebecca. Izzy leaned forward and planted a kiss on Simon's lips. Rebecca watched, her eyes wide and her mouth open.
"Simon didn't mention he was dating someone, did he?" said Isabelle. She slapped Simon on the arm with enough force that when he had been human, he would have stumbled.
"I don't want to say I'm dating anyone just in case you get bored of me and go back to Meliorn."
Isabelle's eyes widened innocently. "I could never get bored of you, Si," she said. "Who would play biting games with me if I did?"
Alec had wandered closer and overheard. "What?" he said, sounding dismayed. "Oh, by the Angel, I knew it would come to this. I'm going to have to kill you Simon. Which is really too bad, because I've actually grown to kind of like you."
"That's Alec," Simon said to Rebecca. "He just broke up with his boyfriend, a really awesome warlock named Magnus." Alec gave Simon an expression that looked put-off, and stomped away.
"He also can be such a drama queen," Izzy added. "When he's, you know, showing emotion."
Rebecca looked mildly shell-shocked by this new information.
"Hello, Rebecca," Jocelyn said.
Becky looked relieved to see people she recognized. "Hi Mrs. Fray. Hi Luke."
"You know that Jocelyn is a Shadowhunter like Clary, but Luke is a werewolf, right?" Simon said.
"Hhh," Rebecca sighed. "Hhhh. Hhhh. Hhhh."
"Uh oh," said Isabelle, curling the end of her whip unpleasantly around her middle finger. "Guess she didn't know."
"Stop it," said Simon. "Why are you always so threatening?"
Isabelle gave him a "who me?" look.
"It's okay, Becky," said Clary, coming over with Jace in tow. "Let's go to the bathroom, huh?"
"Your sister seems nice," Isabelle said as three faeries rushed out of the bathroom, no doubt rushed away by Clary.
"I don't know," Jace said. "She seemed like kind of…an imbecile."
"That's because you didn't meet her at the right time," Simon snapped.
Jace raised one eyebrow, his expression that of one inspecting a zoo animal. Simon, like Clary, found the fact that he could do that incredibly annoying. "You're very protective of your sister."
"I think it's sweet," crooned Isabelle, rubbing up against Simon just as Clary and Becky came out of the bathroom. Rebecca looked like she wanted to turn around and go back.
When Clary, pulling Becky along behind her, reached the group, Isabelle stepped away, giving Simon a sidelong glance. When your sister's gone, she mouthed.
At lunch, the group (except Clary, who took a sip, declared that it was disgusting, and gave hers to Jace, who promptly had it stolen from him by Alec, who seemed to be uncharacteristically drinking away his troubles) drank red wine. Simon, when his sister wasn't looking, mixed half of a discreetly ordered bottle of blood in with his.
"So Rebecca," said Maryse, trying to make conversation, "this must be a big adjustment for you, with your brother being a vampire."
"Well, um, yeah," Rebecca replied, not sounding snarky but instead confused.
"Does anyone have any pointers for her?"
Isabelle spoke up. "Mother, may I make a suggestion?"
Simon bit his lip. Unfortunately, his fangs were out, and they cut two little holes into his bottom lip. He tried to send her a warning with his eyes, but apparently vampires didn't really have mind control. Or at least Isabelle was immune to it.
"Maybe so that you can relate to Simon more," Isabelle continued, "you could try dating a vampire. Maybe in your mundie state you wouldn't be able to play biting games like me and Simon do–" Alec poured himself another glass of wine "–but it would certainly give you and I something to talk about."
"Never trust anything that has been near Simon. Never let him go get coffee," Jace said.
Alec poured one of those tiny bottles of hard liquor into his wine. Robert glared at his son.
"Just never let him eat in front of you," Maia said. "It's gross."
"Never come out," Alec groaned. Everyone turned to look at him. "Seriously. Don't. It's like, it's like, it's like, perpetual disappointment. Not for you. For your traditionalist parents. Seriously, like, don't."
Alec pushed his chair out and got up. He began to walk out of the restaurant, stumbling just a little, but Isabelle got up and put her arms around her brother. Then Jace did the same. Clary followed.
"Why don't you go up with them?" Becky whispered.
"I don't really know Alec well enough to hug him," Simon said back. A faint smile was on his face as he looked at the scene in front of him. Then he turned to the Lightwoods. Maryse looked rueful. Her eyes were a little bit clouded–with tears, Simon could only assume. Robert had a hard look on his face. Simon didn't particularly like the man, but unless his expression was merely a façade for regret, Simon would truly hate him.
The hug broke apart. Alec's and Isabelle's clothes looked a little singed from Jace, but nothing major.
"You know, Dad," Isabelle said, her hand resting on Alec's back to steady him, "we could all make cases against you."
"Yeah," Alec said, his blue eyes narrowed.
"Yeah!" said Jace.
"You cheated on Mom!" Isabelle shouted.
"You kicked me out!" Jace added. "And Isabelle, elaborate, please."
"I'm not too drunk to remember this, am I?"
"I don't think so," Jace said. "Now, Isabelle?"
Isabelle sighed. "Dad had an affair."
"With whom?" Jace asked.
"Doesn't matter. She's dead. C'mon, Alec, let's get you home."
"I don't want to go back to the Institute," Alec whined.
"You can crash at our place," Simon suggested. "Right, Jordan?"
Jordan shrugged. "Don't see why not."
"Okay," Isabelle said. "I'll go back with you."
"Me too," Jace and Clary said together. They might have chimed it in unison, but Jace hardly seemed like the type of person to chime anything. He was scowling at the fact that he'd said anything at the same time as someone else.
Everyone filed out of Taki's, leaving Robert and Maryse with some cash randomly pulled out of pockets and their feelings, whatever those may be.
Simon and Rebecca stopped outside the restaurant.
"Sorry it got kind of intense at the end," Simon said. "What did you think of it otherwise?"
Becky smiled. "They're just like normal people, aren't they?"
"Yeah," Simon said. "They are."
Becky took Simons arm and they walked to the Subway. It wasn't pretty like at the end of movies. Bits of newspaper blew over their shoes, and cigarette butts littered the streets. But it was okay. Rebecca knew a little more about real life, and maybe Simon did too.
"Hey, where did your friends go?" Becky asked, looking around.
"It's okay," Simon said. "We're taking the six train."
