Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare owns The Mortal Instruments series.

Chapter 1

"Sphinxon? You've clearly gone too far this time".

A Scrabble board sits between Alec and Jace. As usual, Jace has decided to discard all the rules of the game by dictating that they can both make up words. Alec silently scoffs at the idea, as well as Jace's assumption that they receive "points for creativity".

"It's a demon in the form of a sphinx", Jace says with a smirk.

Alec sighs and looks at his letters. There's not too much choice, so he gives it as cheap a shot as Jace. He arranges the letters to form, "BATREX" on the board.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me", Jace laughs. "And how are you going to explain that?"

"Easy. It's like a T Rex, but with the wings of a bat", Alec explains coolly, like he's encountered many a 'batrex', or perfected the art of bullshitting.

"No…no, I'm not buying it, Alec Lightwood", Jace says, shaking his head, the shadow of a laugh lingering on lips. Alec rolls his eyes.

"Let me know if you find a Sphinxon then. If you do, you get ten points for creativity. But if it grinds your bones to dust, then there's not much point in preventing me from getting at least some form of points for my attempt", Alec says astutely, snatching up the piece of paper and writing his score down.

"Fine", Jace says. He smiles, and Alec is instantly reminded of those evil masterminds in Max's anime films. Alec scolds himself for being so fucking paranoid, because he's not so sure if he can maintain this light-hearted mood. He wants to, but there's something about Jace's smile that unsettles him. Alec has known Jace for several years now, but it worries him that there's still some part of Jace that he still hasn't figured out. And when he first met Clary, he thought for one selfish moment (or every time he saw her) that she was the one who was going to finish the job. The one he started.

Jace surveys the letters on his stand, and gradually picks them up one by one and places them on the board. Alec takes it like a kick to the gut. This one word.

WARLOCK

"You bastard!" Alec snarls.

He launches himself across the Scrabble board, scattering the letters all over the greenhouse floor. He pins Jace down, and his fist hovers inches above his face. Jace's cheeks our flushed as he struggles beneath Alec, and from a far Alec can hear himself panting from this sudden adrenaline rush.

"Fuck off, Alec", Jace gasps as he grabs Alec's wrist and slowly pushes the hovering fist away from his face. Alec eases himself off Jace, and rolls over so that he's lying beside him.

"Why won't you admit it?" Jace asks bluntly. He doesn't mean to pry, but this question has been circulating around his mind for weeks. For the sake of Alec, as well as his own sanity.

"What?"

"Ah, that's a start. So you describe your relationship with Magnus as 'What'. Completely undefined, something too big to be contained, a realm of possibilities. Highly intelligible. Personally, I quite like your description".

Alec groans. He knew that Jace would come up with something like this. He just-

In the distance he hears a sound so unlike the screeching tyres, and scraping metal of New York traffic. He stands up, brushes the Scrabble letters out of the way with his shoe, and walks towards one of the greenhouse windows. From here, he can't see anything except for large, grey buildings. Long abandoned factories. Perfect neighbours for the Institute. And there, in the far right corner of the Institute, he spots it. A thin veil of smoke.

"Jace. Jace! Come here. Can you see that?" Alec points in the general direction of the smoke.

"Looks like someone tried to carve a portal into one of our walls", he continues.

Jace strolls over, and leans out of the window.

"They've probably left by now though", Jace ascertains. "Come on lover; let's go down to the kitchen before Maryse decides to call the Inquisitor on us again to discuss the boundaries of Parabatai. Hearing her speech once was absolute comedy gold, but hearing it twice would probably force me to gouge my eyes out with a fork".

"Clary won't be too happy", Alec chimes in.

"No. But she will be, because she'll be the one gouging my eyes out", Jace says, as he opens the greenhouse door for Alec.

A/N: Hmm... more to come. Review, loves?