Title: Straddling the Sword
Author(s): TemptingDestiny (2 people. Tempting & Destiny)
Disclaimer: Do we own this magnificent piece of work? Hell yes we do, but is it originally ours? HELL NO! The original idea, thought, inkling, iota, you get where I'm going? Belongs to Cassandra Clare and "The Mortal Instruments" series. All characters not recognized from the series are creations from our own thoughts. (Everyone who is not Jace, Clary, Simon, Maia, Raphael, Magnus... etc... It's a long list..) Probably would have been shorter to name the scrappy handful of characters we do own... -- ... mkay...
Summary: Life's convenient when you stand on the border between two worlds, but when the line begins to blend, which side do you fall on? A war raging between the dark world and those who stand against it leave friends and foes straddling both ends of the sword.
Greeting via Destiny: Hola! Como te llama? ((Is hit over the head by Tempting)) At least I pronounced it right! Alright, alright, yeesh. Anyway, hi! Welcome to our little niche in the fanfiction world where we can have fun galore! Please join us as we explore all the crazy, wacked-out situations our minds can create, but remember: leave you sanity at the door. You can pick it up again on your way out; if it hasn't run away screaming by then, that is...
Tempting: Just so you're aware, we are breaking up each chapter with lines because this is indeed a DUAL story and when we swap on and off of writing, you need to know who's POV it is in. So it's just helpful. My portions will most likely have the first letter starting it bolded so you know it has changed. xo
Destiny again: I'll italicize the first letter of my sections, so there's no confusion. So anyway, sit back, relax, keep your hands inside the chair at all times and prepare for one wild ride! And I'm going to go apply as a ride attendant, because I'm beginning to sound like one... Enjoy.
Chapter 1
Katie "Kei" Ryan shifted the Starbucks box to her left arm, balancing it precariously along with the two heavy bags, so she could free up her right hand to knock on the door. It swung open almost immediately and she was greeted by a cat-like calculating grin and lots of glitter.
"Bastard. Let me in," Kei said with a glare. "These are heavy," she complained when the glitter-haired man blocking the door still wouldn't move. He raised an eyebrow.
"Did you bring it?"
Grumbling, Kei rooted through one of the bags and pulled out a DVD case, still in its plastic wrapping.
"Ghost Whisperer, season one. Now can I come in?"
Magnus obligingly, finally moved out of the way and Kei rushed around him, gratefully dropping the bags and putting the box containing the two Starbucks frapachinos on a chair. She shrugged off her backpack and began rolling her shoulders in relief at the loss of pressure.
"Do you ever travel without a week's worth of art supplies strapped to your back?" Magnus inquired as he followed her inside.
"Bite me," Kei grumbled, then turned quickly to keep him in sight. Knowing him he might just take her up on the offer. Fortunately he was too engrossed with tearing the plastic off of Ghost Whisperer, so Kei stretched out tired muscles and picked up her bags and her double chocolate chip frap, Magnus had already grabbed his, and followed him into the den.
"I could have taken care of these, you know," Magnus said, waving his frap in the air.
"Well pardon my conscience if it doesn't agree with your determination to bankrupt every Starbucks in Manhattan," Kei answered, pulling out a sketchbook and setting up her Prisma color pencils. She stroked the box lovingly; it was the 132 set she had been dying to get for over a year and had just bought on sale a week ago.
"I doubt it's possible to bankrupt every Starbucks in the city, there are far too many of them. They're like mosquitoes."
Kei tried very hard not to laugh, she really did, but she couldn't help it and ended up choking on the mouthful of chocolate she had been drinking. Magnus arched a brow as her coughing subsided.
"You're the one with the first aid certification, might I remind you. Not me. I'm in no way required to perform the Heimlich maneuver if you start choking to death."
"No, but you know you would anyway," Kei said cheerfully. "Oh, and my job at the YMCA is going great by the way, thanks for asking."
"You're welcome," Magnus answered with a smirk, flopping down on the couch and snapping his fingers to start the DVD. She would never tell him, but Kei loved it when he did that, showing off his magic on trivial things. She didn't want him to get a swelled head, though she suspected he knew she enjoyed it when he put on a show. He'd showed up at her apartment shortly after she'd moved and set up her television so she got free cable and that magic-tivo thing he could do, after all.
"You look far too smug," she said finally, when he raised an inquiring eyebrow during her staring session. He smirked again, turning back to the television.
"Do I?"
"You do. Which means you have something you want to tell me, but you're going to let me wallow in confusion awhile, yeah?"
"Yep."
She snorted. "Good thing I don't care either way then, isn't it?" But she began watching him out of the corner of her eye, looking for clues. Finally, during the third episode and her second drawing of him (it made a good excuse to keep looking at him, and really, he was one of her favorite sketch subjects) she noticed something.
"What's that on your collarbone?" she asked, leaning closer. He shifted, blinking in surprise as she tugged down on the black tank-top he was wearing. "Hah!" Kei exclaimed, triumphant as she stared at the bite mark. "No wonder you look so smug! You found a new boy-toy, didn't you? Who is it?"
"You've met him," the warlock answered vaguely, crossing his arms behind his head.
"That doesn't narrow it down," Kei grumbled, going back to her drawing. His hair was fun to do, working a million colors into the black to give it dimension. He had cast a spell on the last one to make it glitter. They worked through two disks of the season before calling it quits for the day. Kei returned the disk to the case while Magnus finished glitterfying her succeeding drawings.
"I bet I know who it is," Kei said on a sudden burst of inspiration. Magnus looked up curiously. "It's that Shadowhunter boy from the party two weeks ago. The black-haired one."
Magnus's catlike grin was all the answer she needed. "Plans tonight?" she asked.
"I don't inquire into your love life," Magnus said breezily.
"But you do, actually. Frequently."
"Ask me no questions and I tell you no lies," he said with a dramatic sweep of his hands. Kei stretched up and kissed his cheek, just to watch him be flustered for a second.
"Have fun," she said with a wink as she packed away her art supplies. She was getting ready to shoulder the bag when her phone went off. She fished in her pocket for it, then flipped it open without checking the caller id.
"City morgue, you kill 'em, we chill 'em. Oh, hey Lee, what's up?"
Jubilee "Lee" Reyes aggressively placed her large cellphone between the crook of her neck and her sharp jaw line. She was waving off the giggling female in the background, turning to kick at her friend as she walked away. She began tugging at her tank top to adjust her chest that although not voluptuous had a horrible habit of popping out. Sighing heavily, she looked over her shoulder at one of her good friends, Maia. The girl was damn crazy, but she was awesome to be friends with, most of the time. There were perks to her, being able to know who was coming home, listening for certain things. She imagined it was obvious to her more than it was for others, that Maia was a werewolf. Hearing the greeting from her sister she smirked. Realizing that she had stopped abruptly once picking up the phone she snapped from the thought and responded hastily.
"Nothing much, I'm over at Hunter's Moon. Maia called me earlier. Apparently they needed someone to work the extra shift at the bar. What? Yeah, it's no big, wolves gotta run, warlocks gotta party. Tell Mag that I say hi, since I know he's been shacking up with that Shadowhunter. " She snickered and then threw the phone away from her ear, holding it at arms length as she heard the loud exclamation from her friend.
"What do you mean how did I know? Maia can smell his sweat on Magnus' body. Okay, don't be jealous cause I befriended a wolf and you got the warlock, at least you get free shit out of it." She smirked and evaded a swipe from Maia and caught the phone in her hand before it decided to acquaint itself with the floor.
"Anyway, have you spoken to Clarissa, right. Clary, sorry. What's the story with her mom? Is she still… ya know?" She tried to ease into the question and then made her body limp, in reference to the mother being in a coma and ducked before a shot glass broke against the wall.
"Crazy bitch! You don't have to throw… Don't take bitch personally, you're the one who can smell… Nevermind…Hey Kei, yeah do you want to meet up? Simon says that he got Advent Children on DVD and I really want to see it on wide screen. What do you mean 'why did he call me?' Those who use their phones, receive phone calls. Those who don't... Well they suck. Anyway, I think Zack is in it for like, thirty seconds or something. Yeah, what time? Okay, ja ne." Using her cheek she flipped the phone closed and placed it back on the clip on her hip.
Scratching her dark brown and faded red highlighted hair, she turned and looked at Maia, who was polishing the bar. They had been friends for awhile and she was glad to help bartend whenever she got the chance. Maia had met her when they were at a mall in Jersey City trying to decide over underwear at Victoria Secret. They had both agreed that thongs were too unnatural for the both of them, ever since they've been friends. It wasn't hard for Maia to explain that she was a werewolf, Lee had been born with the Sight, so her pointing out things had freaked Maia out more. It wasn't common that you met a girl who researched fantasy not only for pleasure but for reference. Turning her head to see where Maia was she then walked over and hopped up on the bar.
"Get off, Lee! I just polished the damn thing and here you go gettin' your little ass all rubbed up on it!" Maia exclaimed and shoved her off polishing the spot again until it was satisfactory.
"Fine, but I need to be heading out. I called to tell Kei that our friend has got a new movie that I want to go see. I'll be back before my shift, see ya later. Bye Luke!" She said as she headed towards the door. Turning around she winked at Maia and waved at Luke who was coming out of the back.
Kei shut her phone and shoved it back into her pocket, muttering under her breath. Magnus was rubbing his ear.
"Do you have to be so damn vocal?" he complained. "I'd like to keep my hearing intact, thanks."
"I'd heal it anyway," Kei said by way of apology.
"So Lee already knew?"
"Mmhm, but you know she'll keep it behind her teeth. Maia, too."
"You know, I'm surprised you didn't know already too, with those two dorks of yours hanging around all the time."
"They haven't seen you since they picked me up from the party," Kei muttered, distracted as she settled her backpack comfortably on her shoulders. "And Jeth and Joff aren't dorks!" she added.
"Touchy," Magnus said with a smirk. Kei glared, then gave up and shook her head. They'd reached the door by then so she gave the warlock a quick kiss on the cheek goodbye before heading out.
"Don't watch the rest without me!" she called over her shoulder as she started down the sidewalk. She heard him laugh before the door closed. Fishing her ipod out of her other pocket she selected her Alanis Morissette playlist and started it up. The familiar opening bars of 'Hands Clean' came on and she began humming, until she noticed the power bar.
"Crap! I was supposed to charge this thing. Yeek, well I hope it lasts until I get to Simon's, anyway."
The power did last, as it turned out. Just barely. So when Simon opened the door Kei's greeting was, "Hi. Where can I plug this in?"
"Hello to you too," the teen said, rolling his eyes. "Any free socket up in my room."
"You're the best!" Kei exclaimed. "Clary here yet?"
"Not yet, but she should be here any minute. What about Lee?"
"She's coming from The Hunter's Moon, she'll be a little while yet. I'd say anytime within the next half hour or so. Maybe a little less."
Kei trotted towards Simon's room at the back of the house, hearing the doorbell ring as she reached it. So Clary's here, she thought as she searched for a free socket. Finding one, she gratefully plugged in her dead ipod, then out of compulsion checked the power on her phone. Nope, still full. Or almost anyway.
"Hey, Kei."
"Clary!" Kei greeted, standing to hug her friend. They had met two years ago when Clary had started taking the Saturday LIVE art classes at FIT and Kei, working part time as a teacher's assistant, had become absolutely fascinated with the girl's work. They had become casual friends almost immediately through shared interests in fantasy and science fiction, chatting every week during the class and usually grabbing lunch together. After it ended they exchanged e-mails on and off online, only meeting up once in blue moon, though recently they had started hanging out on a semi-regular basis.
"So the gang's almost all here," Simon commented, stepping into the room. "Jethry and Joffery didn't want to come?"
"They're working today. Our schedules are changing this week, and they're a little messed up right now. They're taking on some extra hours to cut me a little slack."
"Nice of them," Clary commented. She was smirking.
Kei smiled, rolling her eyes at the younger girl. Jeth and Joff were her roommates and coworkers. Along with Kei and Lee, they helped chip in for the Manhattan apartment they lived in, close to FIT where Kei attended school. They were identical twins, about two years older than she was, and they had met a few years ago at one of Magnus's parties. They were also werewolves, part of Luke's pack.
Clary had met them several times but had only really gotten to know them recently, (as in the past two weeks or so) for several reasons and their being werewolves was just one of them. Their relationship with Kei was complicated and only a few people knew about it; Magnus and Lee, Luke and Maia, and now Clary and Simon. Kei wasn't just the twins' roommate, she was also dating the both of them. The connection between the three of them was almost as strong as the one between her and Lee. And speaking of Lee…
End AN by Tempting!: Well... This business is pretty crazy and we have just posted our first chapter of this fanfiction. -is watching for fruit that is not healthily edible no longer and has now airborne- ... Destiny is already hiding under a desk ... We have a desk? ... Okay anyway. So yeah, you have met our characters.. (Katie "Kei" Ryan & Jubilee "Lee" Reyes ) They get into a lot of trouble... You'll see that and it's pretty interesting. But, we can't really tell you unless you respond and be f-awesome people and review right? So please click that button over yonder and type up a few characters.. words specifically... To us and tell us what you think! Feedback is appreciated... Flames are nice, when they are under a pot making me ramen... But anyway, it happens, not everyone loves everything.. I should know, Hemingway can kiss my... Destiny leers anyway... So yeah, that's about it, review, say something! k thx bai.