"Where could she have gone?" Magnus asks himself again while walking through the dirty New York City streets.
"Looking for someone?" a man steps out from an alleyway, Magnus recognizes him instantly, the Shadowhunter Maxwell.
"You," pushing the Shadowhunter back into the alley Magnus backs him into a corner, "where is she?"
"Wow, Magnus chill." Max puts his hands up in surrender.
"I will not 'chill' until I find her, where is she?" Magnus demands.
"I don't know, honest. I thought she was with you. She said she had something planed for you today, but wouldn't tell me what. Why are you all weirded out? She disappears all the time."
Sighing Magnus backs away from the boy, "We had a, slight disagreement last night."
"What? She thought you'd be asleep by the time she got back. What happened?"
"I yelled at her for being so late, I also accused her of sleeping with you. She didn't take it lightly; she accused me of not caring, then locked herself in the piano room. I woke to find her missing, the stone she acquired for me and a note, saying I wouldn't see her until tomorrow at noon."
"You accused her of what? Dude no wonder she was mad."
"Well what was I to think, she disappears all night, and expects me not to ask questions in the morning."
"She expects you to trust her, Magnus. Alexandria loves you; she wouldn't do something like that to you. As for where she is, well she could be anywhere; I'd say you're not going to find her till noon tomorrow."
"Are you saying to give up? She could die if I don't find her."
"I've seen that girl take six newborn vampires at once, she'll be fine, Magnus. I'm saying to go home, and enjoy your birthday."
"How can I enjoy my birthday without my girlfriend?"
"Try, she would want you to. And when she gets home tomorrow, you can enjoy it again."
"As much as I hate to agree with you, that could be fun, like having two birthdays."
"Exactly, and if I hear anything about her, you'll be the first to know."
Nodding Magnus heads back into the city streets, this time headed home.
(At the Institute)
"You know hanging out in the rafters isn't a good place to hide." Jace says while lying on the floor in the training room awaiting his sons return.
"Who said I was hiding, I know you can see me." Alexandria says, soundlessly jumping from beam to beam, "You know I didn't think you would let me in without Max."
"And why wouldn't I? You are his girlfriend."
"Girlfriend? Heavens no," Jumping from a beam she lands beside Jace on the ground, looking down at him she continues, "I am his friend, nothing more. You should know that by now, you follow us around half the time when we're hunting."
"True, I always find it weird how he finds you without having to look."
"And how do you know he doesn't talk to me before he leaves here?"
"I'm a dad, I just know these things?"
"Oh, so you know he's gone to four of Magnus' parties?"
"Four? I only remember three."
"Ha, so you don't know everything about him."
Sitting up Jace looks at the tall slim girl before him, "You think you know him better than I do?" he challenges.
"I never said that, dearest. I'm simply saying I know more of his secrets than you do." Alexandria points out, looking at Jace as if this was common knowledge.
"Would you like to test that theory?" Jace asks looking smug.
"Only if you're ready to be beaten by a girl."
Raising an eye brow Jace indicates for her to sit, ignoring his gesture she launches herself back to the rafters, "As you wish."
"I'd prefer to be away from you when I tell you some of the things I know about your precious son. Though he might kill me for telling you of you don't kill me first."
"You'd be surprised with the things I'd be okay with."
"Oh please, Clary has softened you so much, you're going to flip at everything I'm thinking of."
"Very well, you may begin."
"Oh no, you're going first so I know where to start."
"You're just as stubborn as Magnus."
"No no dear, I have put Magnus to shame when it comes to stubbornness." Moving from beam to beam she stares at Jace as he follows her movements.
"Max has always wanted to be a Lightwood."
"Wow, that's weird Magnus always says the Lightwood were once stuck up pricks, well he does use the word 'pricks', but you get the idea. Max hates muffins."
"What? He eats them every day."
"Because mommy dearest makes them, then looks at him with a huge smile, but she's never actually asked him if he even likes them, and because he loves his mommy, he eats them. Well some of them, he's brought me a few on occasion, I asked him what he did with the ones he stuffs in his pockets, he said he feeds them to Church, or the kids on the streets, or flushes them down the toilet. I told him that was a waste, he just shrugged."
"I'll have to ask Clary to make something else for him. He needs to eat something in the mornings."
"He does."
"What could he possibly eat, he can't cook?"
Laughing she almost falls off the rafter, "Really, you don't know?"
"Know what?" Jace looks at her confused.
"Max is one of the best cooks I've ever met. And that's two secrets."
"How could I not know he can cook?"
"Because he doesn't cook here. Now you own me two secrets."
"Very well, he's afraid of Cherry Blossom trees."
"Wow, did not see that one coming." Laughing again she descends a climbing rope across the room.
"And his favorite color is pink."
"FATHER!" turning Jace and Alexandria-who is holding a dagger in one hand and a mace in the other-come face to face with none other than Maxwell himself, who looks like he's ready to skin his father alive.
"Awww, I didn't even get to the good part." Alexandria says as she throws the dagger, plunging into the wall to the hilt.
"What are you two doing?" Max demands looking at Alexandria.
"Oh, nothing, just trading secrets we know about you. Don't look so pale I didn't tell him anything that bad, like the night I saved your butt from that greater demon."
"WHAT?" Jace stands up, staring at his son, who looks shell shocked.
"Just kidding, Jace. Max has never faced a greater demon, at least not that I know of," putting down the mace she had been swinging, she walks over to the two boys, "but seriously I didn't get too far Maxy, you interrupted your dad telling me your favorite color. Though I suppose since I told you I hate pink, it would explain why you didn't tell me that little detail. Don't worry I won't hold it against you, you're not the only person I know that has a thing for pink."
"Maxy?" Jace asks.
Alexandria just shrugs, "Hey, you guys mind if I hang out here for today? I refuse to go home until noon tomorrow."
"Oh yeah, I ran into Magnus on my way here, he's worried about you. I convinced him to go home though."
"I don't care what he does, it's his birthday after all, he can do as he pleases, without me of course. That was one of his presents."
Jace cuts in, "That's a horrible birthday present."
"No, he was upset with me last night and it usually takes a day or so for him to chill out, and I didn't want him to be yelling at me all day on his birthday, so I'm giving him his space, he can yell at me all he wants tomorrow, not that I listen anyway."
"You know you do." Max says.
"Yeah, but he doesn't know that. So what do you say, can I stay?" she inquires.
"You may stay, on one condition." Jace says.
"And what might that be, dearie?"
"Okay, two conditions. One: stop calling me dear. Two: no hunting tonight."
"Okay, handsome, I can live with that." She says disappearing though the door, before Jace can say anything else.
"You can't say she isn't interesting." Max says looking at the door as it swings back into place.
"Clary is going to kill me if she hears her call me that."
Max smiles, imagining his mom's face, "I'll go talk to her."
"Wait," Jace calls before his son can leave, "you can talk to her later, for now you need to train."