Disclaimer: I do not own The Mortal Instruments or any of its characters

A/N: So I don't ship Jalec so much because MALEC IS OTP FOREVER but I recently read a really cute Jalec story (I'll put what it was later because I forget right now) and am currently in a Jalec mood so I pounded this out. There are going to be alternating POVs in this story, so I'll try and remember to put who's POV it is, but I might forget sometimes. If I do, CALL ME OUT ON IT because it can make things really confusing. Reviews make the story better and I need a plot idea so help is welcome!

Chapter One: Jace

"Hi, this is Alec. Leave a message at the beep and I'll try to call you back soon as I can. Thanks! Bye." I groaned in frustration, wondering why the stupid boy couldn't just pick up his phone. The plane had just landed, and if I didn't get him to come pick me up soon I'd have a major problem on my hands. Sure, I had disguised myself as much as I could, but there was only so much one could do. I had too much of my signature style that I just wasn't willing to give up, even if it meant getting swarmed by screaming groups of fangirls. And I just couldn't bring myself to try and hide my face. That felt like an injustice to the world.

"Why did I even make this stupid trip anyways?" I muttered to myself in annoyance, checking the time on my phone. In truth, I was looking forward to seeing my best friend. I mean, sure, we hadn't talked in a couple weeks, but that was mostly because I never had the time. What with all the red carpet-walking and movie shooting and modeling and concerts and interviews and premiers and oh my, it was so hard to keep up with little things.

Tony, my personal attendant of sorts, had already had my bags sent ahead of time. Now, as the disheveled, bleary-eyed individuals began to shuffle off the plane, he hustled me through the crowds, urging me to keep my head down and walk fast while he plowed through the crowds like they didn't exist. I called Alec again but he still didn't pick up.

I looked up at Tony and he knew, shaking his head with a sigh. "Come on."

We ended up taking a cab. A cab! The leather seats were squeaky and the windows had water spots and the car smelled like salad dressing and the driver looked like he'd just broken out of jail. And he tried to make awkward smalltalk the whole ride, even when I made it clear I didn't want to talk.

By the time we ended up at Alec's place, I was beyond annoyed. I was angry. I'd had a long day, and nothing was seeming to go right. Even the stupid flight had been delayed. I'd called the airport staff and complained, but no one did anything about it. Now, Alec was ignoring me, and I'd had to take a taxi to his place. Which, I noticed with distaste as I looked upon it, was tiny.

"ALEC!" I called, pounding on the door. "Open up!" When I heard no answer, I rang the doorbell.

There was a thump from inside, followed by some muffled swearing over the sound of someone else laughing. I heard footsteps pounding down the stairs, and then the door was flung open to reveal Alec. His hair was rumpled and he was hastily tugging down the hem of his shirt. Immediately after him appeared a girl with platinum-blonde hair and warm brown eyes. She was in her bra and wasn't trying to hide it.

Alec had been laughing, his head turned back to talk to the girl. The laugh died and the smile slipped off his face when he turned round and finally saw me. I had been opening my mouth to speak, but suddenly lost my words.

Alec had gotten...lesss nerdy. Kinda hot.

I decided it was the glasses. The black-rimmed glasses were gone, and I could see his eyes better, which were still the ocean blue they'd been last time I saw him. His hair was different, too—cut stylishly, feathered and layered in a way that accented his face and made him look even more European. He had expanded his wardrobe to include skinny jeans, at least, which looked damn good on him, but was still wearing those threadbare old sweaters with holes in the cuffs where he'd rubbed his thumbs too many times.

He'd look nicer if he didn't look so damn unhappy and tired—bags under his eyes and a set to his jaw, a downward turn to his lips, that seemed to accentuate the shadows of his face and drew your attention to other things...like how skinny he suddenly seemed, now that I looked closely, how the sweater seemed to be hanging off his shoulders.

"Jace," he said, so quietly that I had to lean forward to hear him. "What are you doing here?"

"Moving in." I swept by him and took in the apartment with my hands on my hips and my head cocked to one side. It was bigger on the inside than I'd expected from the outside. I'd thought the floors above his door belonged to other people. Now I could see that he appeared to own the entire building. Everything was very open and spacious, the furniture modern and neat. Clearly everything had been placed with a certain style, adhering to a central theme and in a way that was pleasing to the eye. I guessed the girl was responsible.

"What did you say?" Alec asked incredulously, moving to stand in front of me. I sighed. Hadn't he heard me? My wording had been pretty straightforward.

"I tried calling you to tell you, but you wouldn't pick up," I said, justifying myself. He seemed to be accusing me—as if I needed a reason for wanting to crash at a friend's place, for God's sake.

"I was busy," he said, rather irritably. He was so damn quiet—I could hardly hear anything he was saying.

"I'm only here for a visit, a movie shoot starting Saturday," I said nonchalantly. "Where's my room?"

"You can't just—" Alec started, but the girl cut him off.

"Let me, Alec." She flipped her hair and put her hands on her hips, mirroring him. "You can't just waltz in here and expect us to welcome you."

"Us?" I asked, confused.

"I live here," she said, as if that were a no duh question.

I nodded, mentally reserving that for later. Somehow, Alec had not only gotten himself a girlfriend (if they hadn't been making out just before I arrived, then what else?) who was smoking hot, but she had moved in with him too. Never mind that she was kind of bitchy. Kudos for Alec. Even I hadn't accomplished that much.

The blonde wasn't done. "Just because you've been on the cover of a few magazines doesn't mean you just get to do as you please." Her eyes were flashing, and I was actually a little intimidated. Not that I was anywhere near showing it.

"What, did I personally offend you by having a life?" I snapped. "Are you going to show me my room, or am I going to have to find it myself?" I asked of Alec, signaling to Tony to bring my bags.

Alec seemed less angry than the blonde, but he still didn't look happy. He sighed gustily and beckoned me to follow him, turning and walking down the hallway to my left.

"What's her name?" I asked him curiously, wanting to know more about this mystery girl who was obviously so near and dear to Alec's heart. Maybe also if she had a twin sister—or any sisters at all. "Who is she?"

"Her name is Camille," Alec answered quietly, turning a corner and opening a polished wooden door with a square steel handle. "She liked you up until you got too self-absorbed for her tastes."

"Alec..." I sighed. Why did everyone keep calling it that? At least he wasn't mad. He had sense, unlike her. He understood. "It was more of a...hiatus. A lack of time—"

"I wasn't talking about that," he said softly, looking at me funny.

"Then what—"

"Here's your room," Alec said abruptly, cutting me off. I pouted; it was the smallest room so far in the complex, with one measly little window and a closet with only one door. The bed was pitifully small (at least, compared to my norm). It made me consider just screwing all this and going to rent a hotel. Not just a room. The entire fucking hotel, because I deserved it after all I'd gone through just to get here. I'd flown business class. Fucking business class.

As I signaled for Tony to dump my bags in the corner, I plopped down on the bed. Doing so disturbed a white ball of fluff that squeaked in protest and scrambled over to hide behind Alec's feet.

"Sorry, Chairman," Alec said softly (I was beginning to think soft was just the way he did things), bending down to pick up the little thing, which turned out to be a cat. It put its ears back when Alec stroked its fur, eyes closing and a purr sounding from somewhere deep within. As Alec kept talking, the cat turned its head to give me a death glare. I flinched. It was a fucking scary cat. Why did I have to deal with that too?

"This was his room, but now the poor little kitty has to sleep with me while you take up his bed..." His voice transformed from the one you used on humans to the one you used on babies as he turned his attention to the cat, who was hugging his arm. "I'm sowwy," he assured the little ball. I snorted. It wasn't as if he needed to apologize; the cat was just blaming me for his relocation.

"So you're giving me the room you reserve for your cat?" I said, trying not to sound too hurt. Still trying to believe it, hoping it was some joke.

Alec ignored me, coming over to sit cross-legged on the bed next to me. He stared aimlessly out the window while I shied away from the demon cat. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" he asked.

"Every time I thought I'd found a break, a few days to visit, something popped up," I sighed, flopping backwards to lie on my back. "An interview or an audition or a photo shoot or whatever...I could never get the time. And then Tony was telling me to get to the airport and you wouldn't answer your phone."

"Okay. There are also house rules," he continued, and I groaned aloud. He shot me a look. "No complaining," he began, ticking the items off on his fingers. "You clean up your own messes. This includes dishes, laundry, and your room. Don't wake up earlier than six or later than ten. I'll give you a key but if you lose it you don't get another one. No bringing anybody back to the apartment." He switched hands. "You make your own food; I'm not your personal cook. I won't enforce a curfew, but come back too late and Camille will attack you. She's very sensitive about her beauty sleep. No blasting loud music or TV through the house. No arrogancy or egocentric behavior allowed. And don't get Tony in the way. He can sleep on the couch, but the couch is all he gets."

I was starting to suspect he'd stopped with the rules solely because he'd run out of fingers, and then he added one more. "Oh yeah, and mess with Chairman Meow, and I won't stop him from clawing your face."

I glanced at the cat and gulped.