Broken Pieces
Isabelle had never really cared much for Clary. She was used to being the only girl in their motley trio, used to being the strong one, the sexy one. And then Clary comes along, with her doe-eyed innocence and her I-don't-know-I'm-pretty beauty, and falls head over heels for Jace. In Isabelle's book, that is simply unacceptable.
Sometimes she marvels at her own possessiveness. Clary means well, she knows, and seems to be intimidated by her (well good). But as the dangers pile up and the world grows more uncertain, Isabelle finds herself wishing for a sister, someone she could talk to about boys and makeup and clothes. Normal things.
But Isabelle is a Shadowhunter, so of course she knows better. There's demons to fight, and girl talk has no place in her fast-paced world.
There's also the problem of Jace. Isabelle isn't quite sure what he is to her; either a much-loved brother or a long-nurtured crush. Either way, she was loathe to relinquish him to Clary. (Not that he was ever hers to let go of in the first place.) But now…now that Jace is missing, Isabelle realizes the depth of Clary's feelings for him. It's like an obsession, only deeper, sweeter. She wants that burning, all-consuming passion for herself, with someone, someday, but while she waits, she might as well help Clary get her beloved back.
So she stays staunchly by Clary's side, a hostile bodyguard, defending her in all matters. The girl was fragile before; now, she's as breakable as a filament of spun glass.
Isabelle finds in Clary a sister, someone to share the ache of missing Jace. She feels bad, sometimes, for being so brusque to the girl when they first met, but doesn't quite know how to bring it up (and doesn't really want to). Besides, she's Isabelle Lightwood, and she doesn't give apologies.
Jace is going to come back. He has to. If not for her, then for Clary. Because, seeing as things are going now, if he stays…missing…for much longer, the world's going to fall apart.
A/N: Ah, so much inspiration for one-shots in the first chapter of CoLS! I love Izzy, and as much as Clary annoys me, I find their newly-found sisterhood (of sorts) kinda sweet.