This is the sequel to Ink on Your Back. Check it out if you haven't read it yet, and welcome back to all the fans who've read it! This sequel will take place after City of Glass for the Mortal Instruments, and during Eclipse for Twilight.

I own nothing except the crazy situations I've shoved all the characters in. Twilight characters belong to Stephanie Meyers and Mortal Instruments characters belong to Cassandra Clare.

Lead the reading commence!

Sprawled on the cool stone floors of the Institute and staring up at the ceiling, I released a puff of air that dislodged the messy strands obstructing my view of the darkened ceiling. Jace tapped his foot idly, his leg tickling the back of my calf. I lazily nudged my other foot at him, but it did not discourage him.

"I'm bored," Jace announced.

"I couldn't tell," Izzy said dryly from her spot on the couch. Her lean frame was barely clothed in a small slip of a white dress that made me envy how cool she must have been in it.

"Why don't you invite Clary over?" I asked, nudging again at Jace's still-tapping foot.

"She's off with her mom," Jace said, and I could hear the scowl in his voice.

"Jealous?" I asked, a hint of teasing in my voice. Jace grunted; probably in no mood for joking. I let the comment drop and I asked him, "Well, what do you want to do?"

He was quiet for a moment, and his foot stopped tapping. I relaxed a little, but then it started up again, even faster. "Let's go hunt something," he said, his voice rising hopefully from his place on the floor.

"There's nothing to hunt," Izzy said sharply, cutting off his hopeful tones. "We've pretty much killed every demon in the entire state of New York."

"Not every," Jace said, sounding a little hurt.

"Yeah," I said with a wicked grin to Izzy. "I'm sure there's a few lurking around in the dregs of fashion stores, waiting to commit the worst fashion sins of clashing colors and patterns. That deserves an execution."

"Right you are," Magnus' cool voice interrupted us. He drifted in, with Alec pacing coolly behind him. "It's absolutely terrible how young people dress these days. The muffin tops give me nightmares."

"Why would muffins give you nightmares?" Alec asked, his bright blue eyes wide and curious.

"It's a fashion crime," I told Alec. "People wear too tight of jeans and their side fat spills over." Seeing his blank look, I added, "You know, like the tops of a muffin spilling over the sides?"

He blinked and rolled his eyes. "What a stupid way to describe anything."

"Yes," Jace said wryly. "How dare they use the name of muffins in vain. It's sheer blasphemy."

"Any news Alec?" I asked, ignoring Jace. Alec had just returned from a Clave meeting, and any news was good at a lull like this.

Alec flopped on the couch and Magnus gracefully joined him. "Actually, Isabella, there's some news that might interest you."

"No, we are not going to Australia to chase the Yowie Yahoo and find some hot Australian boys to drool over," Jace interrupted, and Izzy threw a pillow at him to shut him up. I nodded at Alec to get him to continue.

"Evidently there's been some interesting cases in the Seattle area," Alec said. I propped myself up on my elbows and looked at him, my interest flaring. "Evidently there's been some murders going on, and the mundanes have no idea what is going on."

I sat up a little higher. "Anyone I would know?" I asked, my voice deceptively steady.

Alec shook his head. "No Cullens on the list, and Charlie wasn't on the list either. However," he said, settling back into the couch, "it looks like they're other worldly attacks."

I raised my eyebrows. "Demons?" I asked. "Or Downworlders?"

Alec shrugged. "No one knows. They've yet to send a team out to investigate." He looked at me sidelong, his blue eyes sly. "The others did ask if you would be interested in going, seeing as it is close to your father's home."

I relaxed against my propped elbows. "I'd like to go and see if he's all right," I said after a few minutes.

From somewhere near my ankles, Jace's voice floated upwards. "I'd be willing to go with you."

"There's no way you could go without me," Izzy added.

I looked at Alec. "You'd need me to supervise," he said with a slight smile. "Especially since I am the only one of age."

"Come September," I told him darkly, "I'll never have to hear that line again."

Jace pulled himself upright with the sensuality of a thick coil of smoke. "Then it's settled," he said, dusting off his pants. "We're off to Washington."

"What about Clary?" I asked, raising my eyebrows and squinting up at his face above his shirtless torso.

He deflated for a moment. "She's been busy with her mom lately..."

"She could meet up with us," Alec suggested. "After she sorts it all out with her mom."

I shrugged. "You'd have to talk to her, Jace," I said, getting up and stretching. He nodded, and I looked towards Alec, who was getting up. "Going to tell the Clave I accept their mission?" I asked with a small smile.

He nodded with a grin, and Izzy slithered off the couch and hooked her arm through mine. "Come on, Bellsies. Help me pack for Washington."

. . .

Sitting on Izzy's bed, we slowly worked her way through her clothes. We were packing the last of her summer clothes, since August was fast drawing to a close and I was helping her sort through which fall clothes she wanted.

Tossing aside an unsatisfactory jacket, Izzy looked critically at a sweater. "So what's Washington like?" she asked, not looking at me.

"Green," I said instantly. "A bit like Idris, with the weather and how beautiful the landscape is."

She smiled a little, and asked, "What about the people?"

I shrugged. "Like most mundanes. Forks is small, and people like to talk. Everybody knows everyone, and they've been there for generations. Our arrival will certainly cause a ripple."

Izzy looked at me with a sly smile. "Are there a lot of cute mundane boys?"

"They're sheep," I told her brusquely. "You'll love them." She laughed a loud, delighted laugh.

There was a knock, and Clary entered the room. Her tiny frame wove easily through the piles of clothes and plopped next to me on the bed. "Alec says you're leaving tomorrow." Her eyes were rather bright, and a trickle of pity hit me. Despite the fact that she was dating the boy that I felt was my brother, I liked her. She had spirit and spunk and she kept Jace lovesick, which was quite a feat.

I thanked her for telling me, and I said softly, "When does your mom say you can join us?"

"When school starts," Clary said. "She's not too happy about me transferring schools there, but Alec really sold the high school in Forks. He made it sound like some prestigious college."

I snorted. "Yeah, prestigious amongst the hillbillies. It's a wonder to me that there's no men in checkered shirts outside the grocery store."

Clary smiled a little, and I flung an arm around her. "You'll be back to snuggling Jace on the couch before you know it, Clary," I told her. "I survived quite a while without that lump of a boy, believe it or not."

"You're not dating him," Izzy told me.

"We did for a week," I reminded her.

"How did that turn out?" Clary asked. Izzy's sudden outburst of laughter seemed to answer Clary rather well.

"It didn't," she finally said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

I shrugged, smiling a little. "What can I say? Jace hated a girl who could outdo him in hunting."

Clary looked at me, impressed, and I grinned back at her. "Don't be too surprised. My mother is a wicked good Shadowhunter."

"Even Jace backs down to her," Izzy added in an aside.

"He practically worships her," I said with a laugh. "How awkward is that? My best friend is always sucking up to my mom. Not because he thinks she's hot, but because he's so in awe of how she can decapitate a demon with a stick."

"Well, he should worship me for giving him a fashion sense," Izzy said abruptly, flinging a jacket to the side. "If it wasn't for me, he'd dress worse than Alec."

"There's Magnus," Clary added.

"Don't turn against me!" Izzy exclaimed, clutching a shirt to her chest. "After all those hours I've put in to your outfits! Such treachery!" Throwing her hands up, she stomped back into her closet to tear through some more clothes.

"She's worse than Magnus and Alice combined," I whispered to Clary.

"I heard that!"

. . .

Magnus had arranged for a portal for us. Charlie had figured out the housing by asking some of the wolves on the Res to house Jace and Alec. Izzy stayed with us in the spare room, for protection and paranoia reasoning. I arrived in my backyard, laden with bags. Jace appeared to my right, unruffled, and Izzy practically floated out of the portal. Alec came rocketing out and landed lightly on his feet like a gymnast.

Charlie was waiting on the porch for me, and when he saw me arrive, he ran over to greet me. He helped me with my bags, while Izzy forced Jace to carry hers inside. We settled our things, and Charlie called for Jacob to come pick up Jace and Alec.

As we waited, I introduced Charlie to the others. "Dad," I said, smiling a little, "these are my friends. This is Alec and his sister Isabelle, who goes by Izzy. That's Jace, who's their adoptive brother and pretty much the same to me," I told him, gesturing to each one in return. Alec gave Charlie a small smile and shook his hand. Izzy shot him a charming smile, and Jace solemnly shook his hand.

"Isabella is one of the closest friends I have," Jace told him.

"Next to me," Alec said, grinning a little.

"And me," Izzy said. "And he's such good friends with Simon." Jace made a face at that, and I laughed.

"I can't wait for you all to meet the Cullen's," I said, my smile a little mischievous. It might be a little sadistic, but I couldn't help it. I was highly anticipating Edward meeting the chaos that was Jace.

The doorbell rang, and Charlie got up to get it. "Be nice to Jacob," I told them sternly. "He's a good friend of mine, and he's been nice enough to let you stay at his house." Alec nodded, but Jace's shark-like smile made me a bit nervous.

Jacob came in, and I had almost forgotten how tall he was. Jace's eyebrows raised as he stood, drinking in the sheer height of Jacob. Alec was covertly checking him out, and I shuddered a little. Magnus would not be happy with me for introducing his boyfriend to a tall, muscular boy who often ran around half-naked.

"Hey Bells!" he said, grinning broadly at me. "It's been a while!" He reached out an arm and ruffled my hair.

I batted his hand away and lightly punched him in the shoulder. "You should have come to the Institute to visit! New York's not that far away."

"Just a short motorcycle ride away," he agreed, mock-seriously.

"You have a motorcycle?" Jace interrupted, looking avidly curious.

"Yup," Jacob said with an easy, disarming smile. "Built it myself, and I built up one for Bells."

Jace stared at my with open envy. "You lucky sonuva-"

I quickly slapped Jace upside the head, hard enough to make him flinch and scowl at me. "Get Alec to slap him upside the head if he mouths off," I told Jacob. "And if Alec isn't there, punch him in the shoulder. Hard."

"I'm not a dog," Jace complained, making a face at me. He hated it when I talked like he wasn't there. He always loved being the center of attention.

"I am," Jacob muttered to me, smiling a little.

Izzy coughed delicately, drawing the attention back to her. She smiled at Jacob, fluttering her long lashes and sidling up to him. Her hair rippled like silk when she tossed it back and gave him an even sweeter smile. Jacob's eyes got wide and he looked a little awe-struck; he had probably never seen such a beautiful girl before.

"Stop flirting," Jace told her impatiently. "Between you and Alec, he won't be able to see straight."

Alec flushed and Izzy aimed a punch at Jace's stomach. He dodged it and hopped lightly over the chair and stood behind it, grinning. Izzy went to go for him, but I caught her arm.

"Don't break the furniture," I told them with a stern glare.

I sent Alec and Izzy to load up Jacob's car with the luggage, while Jace stayed behind to talk with me. He agreed to run with Alec to my house or even to school each morning, stating that he'd have to stay fit somehow. They had arranged their enrollment, but I would have to help them with their homework. Jace promised he would stay out of trouble, but he added that he couldn't promise for Alec. Izzy was under my watch, of course, so any emotionally scarring things she did to the people of Forks was my fault. I laughed, and Jace gave me that charming smile of his that made my smile brighten even more. Izzy came back inside to tell us that Jacob was ready to go.

As we left the house and came within earshot of Jacob, Jace said loudly, "All right, I'll take pictures of Jacob whenever he leaves the shower, but I'm not taking them when he's asleep."

Jacob's mouth dropped open, and Alec slapped a hand against his forehead. Without a second thought, I tackled Jace off the porch and slammed him into the ground in my yard. He laughed, and I aimed a punch at his face, but he deflected it. Grabbing his arms, I twisted them behind his back and pushed his face into the ground.

"Take it back, you twit, or I'll make you eat dirt!" I shouted, pushing his head down so his nose was flattened into the grass. He shook his head, and I shoved his head down farther. "Take it back!"

He struggled for a moment, but it was no use. Finally he mumbled, "Uncle," and I released him. "Isabella doesn't want me to take pictures of you coming out of the shower, Jacob," he said, rubbing the dirt off his nose. His eyes tilted towards me, pale gold in the light and sly. "She wants the asleep pictures, though."

Yelling, I chased Jace around the yard. He was light as ever, his feet barely brushing the tips of the grass as he floated along. I nearly caught him once, but he used my shoulder as leverage and hopped over me. I twisted around, but Jacob had caught him by his shoulder.

"You've got a real death-wish," Jacob told him, shaking his head. "Now come on. My dad has dinner waiting for us."

"I love Washington," Jace said, beating Alec into the car, despite that Alec was standing next to the car.

"He doesn't seem too bad," Jacob whispered, looking sidelong at me.

"Wait a few days. You'll be singing a different tune soon enough," I told him. But a small smile made it's way onto my face. "Well, no, not really. He's a good guy. Brutally honest, but utterly charming."

"Great," Jace grimaced. "Leah's going to just love him." We laughed, and Jacob headed off with Jace and Alec. Last I heard, Jace was requesting radio stations while Alec told him to shut up.

"Poor kid," Charlie commented from behind us.

"Poor Alec," I said, shuddering a little. "Imagine having to make Jace behave all the time."

. . .

Sure enough, Jace and Alec showed up on my doorstep, their cheeks tinged pink but otherwise showing no signs of having run a few miles. Rather, Jace seemed to be spoiling for exercise. I gave Izzy a ride in my truck, but Charlie offered to give Jace and Alec a ride in his police car. Jace was so excited that I thought he'd burst (Later, Charlie told me that Alec had to restrain Jace from trying to turn on the police lights the entire way to school).

When I got out of my truck with Izzy and met up with the boys, we ran immediately into Alice. Her tiny frame was practically buzzing with excitement. "You're back!" she squealed, before tackling me into a hug. I hugged her back, smiling.

"I am," I said, "and I have missed you. How is everyone?"

"They're everyone still," Alice said with a shrug, before tilting her head to look at my friends. "Are you going to introduce me to your friends?"

Turning to them, I raised a hand to point to Isabelle. "This is Isabelle, who also goes by Izzy."

"Love your outfit," Alice cooed, looking appreciatively at Isabelle's impeccable outfit. It flaunted her curvy frame perfectly, and all ready boys were looking over at her.

"Thanks," Izzy said, flashing a radiant smile at Alice. "I love yours too. We should shop sometime."

"Oh God," Jace said. "The apocalypse is nigh. Next thing you know, leg-warmers will come back in fashion."

"This smart-mouth is Jace, who is unfortunately my best friend and my piano partner," I said, gesturing to him.

Jace took Alice's proffered hand and kissed the back of it, before murmuring smoothly, "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!" He looked up at her, his eyes the color of pure gold.

Startled, Alice laughed shyly, her laugh like shattering glass. "I'm spoken for," she said finally.

"O dear account!" Jace exclaimed, clasping a hand to his breast and turning away in mock-despair. Alec rolled his eyes, and I shoved Jace so that he staggered, unbalanced.

"This is Alec," I said firmly, ignoring Jace's protest about being slain. "Izzy's brother and the sweetest soul you'll ever meet." Alec beamed at me, before shaking Alice's hand and dimpling a sweet smile at her. "Shall we introduce them to the rest of your family?" I asked.

She nodded and lead the way. They were standing by Edward's car, looking unruffled by Alice's disappearance. Jasper shook my hand firmly and drawled that it was great to have me back. Edward stared for a moment, before he revealed a small, tentative smile and said it was nice to see me again.

I pulled away to introduce them to my friends. Alec gave them both handshakes and smiles, polite as always. Izzy flashed the boys charming smiles

Jace, however, greeted Jasper with a military salute. When he reached Edward, he tilted his head to one side, judging him, before he gave me one swift glance. Understanding, I hurried to say, "Jace, this is Edward. Edward, this is Jace, a very good friend of mine."

"Oh, don't be modest," Jace said, flinging an arm around my shoulder. "She absolutely adores me. Can't stand to be away from me. It's an awful case of puppy love." Alec snorted. "It's awful, you know," Jace said, leaning closer and lowering his voice. "You see, I'm married to the most awful woman. Arranged marriage, and it's completely loveless. She's having an affair with this chap over here," he said, jerking his head towards Alec. "And she doesn't bother hiding it. Heart-breaking, really," he said, shaking his head. "But I've found such a comfort in Isabella here. She's such a peach. But I'm an honest man, and I would never divorce my wife, even for such a gem as bellezza here."

"Oh, shut up Jace," I told him, shrugging his arm off. "He's not married, but he does have a girlfriend back in New York. Who I will tell that you think she's cheating on you with Alec," I added, just to threaten him.

"Of course she's not cheating on me with Alec," he told me, his eyes wide and innocent. "I'm the one who's with Alec."

Alec slapped him upside the head for that.

"Such unrequited love!" Jace exclaimed, draping a hand across his eyes. Turning to Edward, he leaned against his shoulder and said in a stage whisper, "But you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" With an obvious glance towards me, Jace let out a long sigh and declared, "Ah, well, c'est la vie!"

Throwing an arm around my shoulder, Jace steered me towards the main building. "Come on, Bellezza! Let us gather my school schedule!"

It turned out that Magnus finagled for the others to have the same schedule as me. And it ended up that I had classes with Alice, Edward, and Jasper. I found Angela in the halls, and we hugged and exclaimed how great it was to see each other. I introduced her to the others: Alec was sweet to her, Izzy was nice by distant, and Jace oozed so much charm that I was worried about Ben for a moment.

By the time we reached first period, Jace had the entire female population of the school under his thumb. He'd smile with the girls and joke with them, listening to their woes with heartfelt sympathy. He told them about his amazing girlfriend back in New York and how he couldn't wait until she came to see him here, and I felt comfort in knowing that Jace actually meant everything he said about Clary.

Izzy was having a similar ball. She twirled ahead of the girls, charming their boyfriends with a giggle and a wave. The single boys were desperately asking after her, while Alec tried simultaneously to fend them off and rein Jace in. I helped too, reminding Izzy that she didn't want to attract any lowlifes or stalkers, and I would quietly hiss to Jace that Clary was only a Portal away.

Needless to say, Alec and I were exhausted by lunch. We ate, and Jace impatiently tapped his foot as the lunch break wore on. There was still fifteen minutes left, and Jace decided to challenge Edward to an arm wrestling contest. He settled down at the Cullen's lunch table, and from what I could see, he managed to coax Edward into it. When they set up, I went over to make sure Jace wouldn't overdo it.

They went at Jasper's signal, and Edward's eyes widened as he tried to push against the steel that was Jace's arm. They strained for a while, Edward fussing over how it would be best not to be obvious and Jace just enjoying himself. Minutes passed, and people began to gather. Jace flashed a wicked smile and whispered, "Afraid to show off, joli garçon?"

Edward narrowed his eyes at Jace, annoyed at being called a pretty boy. He pushed his arm harder, and Jace's arm inched backwards. His face showed no reaction, and I knew he had something up his sleeve. The boys started calling encouragements, and the girls were squealing for Jace. Mere inches from the table, Jace shifted his grip slightly on Edward's hand. His smile became so dark that it was nearly demonic. Without warning, the muscles in his arms tensed and he began to drive Edward's hand back up. The cords stood out on his arms, and he bared his teeth. With a small hiss, Jace slammed Edward's hand into the table.

"Vini, vidi, vici, no?" Jace said with a charming smile that was about as sweet as a poisonous blade. Edward did not reply, and Jace shrugged. "No hard feelings, Eddie. Just a friendly jest between friends."

The bell rang for fourth period. Draping an arm across my shoulders, Jace steered me out of the cafeteria. When we were out of earshot of the Cullens, I hissed into his ear: "What was that for?"

Jace gave me a dimpled smile that made me almost forget to be mad at him. Almost.

"I was proving my irresistible maleness, Bellita," Jace said, calling me by a favorite pet name of his for me.

"Irresistible, pah," I said derisively. Still, I hooked an arm around his shoulders and took him to my next class. "You're downright repulsive," I told him as we stopped short of entering the classroom.

"Yes," Jace agreed, tugging on my hair. "But I'm your repulsive jerk."

. . .

After school, I gave Jace and Alec (illegal) rides to my house in the back of my truck. We sat around at my kitchen table, and I agreed to help them on any homework they had. Alec was quick-witted and had paid a lot of attention in the classes he had back at the Institute. Izzy was sharp as a tack but uninterested in doing her work. Jace alternated between caring and being too bored to work. We would goad him into working, making sly comments that maybe he just wasn't cut out for the soft mundane work.

Jacob called to invite us to dinner with the pack, and I agreed after sternly telling Jace to behave or else. I did not want a repeat of the incident with the two vampires in the park.

"It was only once! Come on, Isabella, cut me some slack. I've apologized a thousand times!" Jace was still whining when we arrived.

"Apologies won't cut it Jace," I said waspishly, leading him up to the doorsteps of Emily's house. "We can't trust you to anything after that."

"That's not fair," Jace whined, jutting out his lower lip as he sulked. "It wasn't even that bad."

"Not that bad?" I yelled, turning on him and backing him into the doorframe. "You bit a vampire! You nearly took his hand off!"

"He started it," Jace muttered.

"I don't care who started it! We had to force feed you holy water by the buckets! You were puking for two days, Jace, and guess who had to clean it up? Me!" I snapped at him, and began to continue through the house.

"But they never expect it when I do that!" Jace said, his tone heating up. "It was the best way to defend myself!"

"The best way to defend yourself against an irritated vampire that you offended is to apologize, not bite him," I said, rolling my eyes.

Jacob interrupted. "I hate to put a halt to this fascinating debate, but dinner is on the table and we're not supposed to bring our 'work' with us to the table," he said.

"See? Stop talking Isabella," Jace whispered, bumping me with his shoulder as he passed.

I elbowed him in the ribs. "He meant you, asshat."

"Shut up, both of you," Alec said, his voice low and menacing, "before I kick you both back to the Institute for my mother to deal with."

We both wisely chose to stay silent.

Dinner passed by peaceably enough. I helped Emily in the kitchen, and Jace was watching Paul and Jacob wrestle. We could see them out of the kitchen, and we laughed as they squabbled.

"Are you and Jace like Paul and Jacob?" Emily asked eventually. "Are you two always fighting?"

I was briefly taken aback. "No," I said, slowing my scrubbing of a bowl. "No, actually, we don't really fight. We just like to bicker."

"You like to bicker?" Emily repeated, raising her eyebrows at me.

I shrugged, a little sheepish. "Jace loves getting reactions out of me. I was never the type of girl to fawn over him, and that always infuriated him. So he decided to return the favor, and we've been at it ever since."

"I'd leave you alone if you'd just admit I'm devilishly handsome and irresistibly charming," Jace remarked from the doorway, and I forced myself not to jump.

"Never," I said lightly, reaching for a towel to dry the bowl with. But Jace snagged it and lightly took the bowl from me and began to dry the dishes. We settled into a steady pattern, and the dishes were cleaned within minutes.

Twining his fingers through my hair, Jace tugged on a few strands before running off to join Jace in a romp through the woods.

Emily watched us with a half-smile. "You two are like two sides of a coin," she said, her eyes soft.

I looked down, drying my hands on a towel and watched out of the corners of my eyes as the golden form of Jace raced into the woods, with Alec following. "Yeah," I said quietly, and swallowed away the uncertainty that the comment dragged with it.

Oh my! First chapter of the sequel done! Now what?

I warn you, my dears, that my updates might be a bit irregular. I have a busy schedule this year, and this chapter took me four times as long as I would have liked. But I want to update more than once a month, so I will do my best to update frequently! It might not be to any patterns, but I will do my best!

To all the old crowd that might be reading this, thanks for keeping an eye out! I'm looking forward to any and all reviews I might get, and I will respond, as always to them. Any pressing questions will be answered, and all comments are appreciated.

All my love, Meneme-chan