CHARACTERS BELONG TO CASSANDRA CLARE. The plot is based partly on her books and partly on my own ideas. Mostly Alec's POV, because I freaking love him. AU human universe. Enjoy!

Isabelle admired her reflection in the fluff-framed mirror in her bedroom as she expertly applied her mascara, jet black eyes open wide. A swipe of strawberry lip gloss and a dusting of blush over her cheeks and she deemed her artistic work on her face complete.

Now for the hard part.

She sprang off the chair and ran down the hall to Alec's room. The door was ajar, and she pushed it open quickly. Her elder brother was lying on his stomach on his bed, journal open in front of him, and the pages were covered in his looping script. He quickly slammed the book at Isabelle's sudden appearance. And then he took in her outfit and his eyes widened.

"Iz! Please tell me you are not going out in public dressed like that."

This statement only enforced Isabelle's opinion that her brother was hopeless in the realm of personal appearance.

"Yeah...please tell me you're not coming to the party in those wrecked jeans," she retorted.

"That's because I'm not coming. I told you already." He was still scrutinizing her strapless dress. He finally snorted and said, "come here". She did, and he yanked the dress up higher on her chest.

"There," he said, twitching his lip. "It's...acceptable." Isabelle rolled her eyes, grabbed his hand, and started to pull him off the bed.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"What do you think I'm doing? We're going to find Jace! We have a party to go to," she said, grinning.

"Hey, bro," said Jace, punching Alec's shoulder. Not really brothers, Alec thought irritably. They were step-brothers, legally, and in every other way that mattered. And one particular way mattered very much to Alec.

They exited the house and walked towards the subway station. Isabelle had convinced Alec to put on a nicer shirt than the one he'd been wearing, and Jace looked sexy - as usual. Alec tried very hard not to look at him. He turned around and started walking backwards, watching their house get smaller and smaller in the distance. It was a dark grey brick house, two and a half stories high, surrounded by wrought iron and giant flowering bushes. Alec loved it. Almost as much as Alec loved New York. It was so easy to be anonymous in a city with such a big population, and with such a big percentage of that population too busy to care what anyone else around them was doing. It was relaxing. It was easy.

"Where are we even going?" he asked Isabelle.

"Out."

"Out where?"

"I thought you didn't care."

"I don't. You need someone to watch over you, though. And I just want to know where I'll be spending the whole rest of the evening."

"Guy by the name of Magnus Bane," Isabelle said. "Kaelie told me he throws crazy parties. Apparently everyone knows about them. How have I not been to one before?"

Alec looked at her. Her eyebrows were drawn together, and she gazed skyward as if contemplating serious philosophical questions. He laughed. Isabelle. He could never understand her adoration for these parties. She'd only managed to corral Alec into attending a handful of them with her before, during which he had sat in the corner drinking soda and failing miserably at hiding his discomfort. It was likely that tonight would not be any different...

"We're almost there, I think," Isabelle said cheerfully. Jace clapped his hands together in celebration.

"Which one is it?" Jace asked.

"That apartment down by the corner," Isabelle said. "The entire top floor is his, or something." A gust of wind passed through and she wrapped her arms around her barely-clad frame, shivering.

"And this is why you shouldn't have worn that dress," Alec said.

After being buzzed in, they entered the building and took the elevator to the seventeenth floor. There was a ping, and the doors slid open.

"Snazzy," Isabelle commented. There was a huge room with a high ceiling that was hung all over with glowing streamers. Strobe lights illuminated the dozens of guests, dancing to the loud music and drinking neon beverages. Alec took one look at it and started to jab his finger towards the elevator button that led back to the ground floor, but Isabelle caught at his arm and shook her head at him.

"Nuh-uh," she said, "you're going to have fun." And with a loud whoop she dragged him into the room after her.