Author's Note: Thank you for reading, and for checking out the second chapter of this story. Please enjoy!


Chapter 2

Later in the afternoon, during a free period following lunch, Michael and Robert sat beneath a tree on the front lawn on the school to enjoy the shade and the warm spring day. Michael had his back to a tree, reading a book, as Robert lay with his head in Michael's lap, one arm thrown over his eyes.

Sitting on the front lawn was a privilege that only the fourth years got to enjoy. Fourth years were also given the luxury of coming and going as they pleased if they wanted to leave the Academy for lunch or dinner. They only had to be back before lights out, or midnight on weekends. For a seventeen year old, boarding at the Academy, the town of Alicante held all sorts of delights. There were a few taverns in town which served alcohol. There was also a magnitude of little shops which carried everything from clothes to books to magical items, and quaint little bakeries and restaurants which served food from all over the world.

The front gates of the Academy opened onto a street leading into town. The school was located on the outskirts of Alicante, which made walking into town for dinner or treats take effort. It would be at least a ten minute walk to Goody's, the closest bakery, and where Valentine Morgenstern was planning to hold his Circle meeting that evening. Goody's had many delightful treats, the best being a croissant filled with chocolate bars, with chocolate drizzled on the top of it. Going to the bakery now would make Michael late for his next class, but it would be worth it.

Today, with the sun bright and the sky cloudless, the lawn was a popular place to be. Stephen and Amatis were sitting in a far corner, holding hands as they talked quietly. Stephen's blonde hair was golden in the sun, making him look like an angel. Amatis's freckles were turning red and she was smiling, looking into Stephen's eyes. As Michael watched, Stephen took Amatis's hand and traced a line on her palm, causing Amatis to laugh and pull her hand away. Stephen looked up into her eyes, an odd half smile on his face, before he rested a palm on her jaw and kissed her lips.

Close by, Maryse and Josie were sitting together, Josie braiding her hair as Maryse poured over a wedding magazine she had probably procured from Amatis, who was the only girl Michael knew who needed a mundane wedding magazine to plan her wedding. Maryse and Amatis got along fairly well and Josie was welcoming to anyone, something Michael loved about her. It was Robert who disliked Stephen, who kept he and Amatis from their little circle of friends.

Robert sighed and moved his head a little, his eyes opening, causing Michael to look down. Robert smiled and reached up, locking his hands around the back of Michael's neck, pulling Michael down closer before releasing him. Michael sat back and looked around, seeing who might have seen such an exchange, though Stephen and Amatis were still wrapped up in one another.

Josie had noticed, though she gave Michael a pout as she spoke to Maryse. She was wearing a skirt for her afternoon classes, her legs already tan from the summer and muscular from four hours of training every day. Michael ran his eyes over her legs, seeing every exposed inch of them, wanting to see more. He felt Robert drum his fingers beneath his chin and looked down, turning his attention back to his jealous parabatai.

It wasn't unusual for them to sit like this. Robert wanted to nap and insisted that Michael made a good pillow, and besides, Robert pointed out, men and women weren't allowed to lie together or publicly display affection while on school grounds, but the rules never said anything about two men laying in close proximity to one another. Doing this was just another Robert rebelled against the rules. Michael allowed it because he would do anything Robert asked of him without a second thought.

"You know, if you hadn't spent the night doing who knows what, you wouldn't need to nap every other hour to feel somewhat alive," Michael said. "Where did you go?"

"The library. I was studying," Robert said.

"Don't lie to me," Michael said softly.

"You don't want to know the truth. You can't handle the truth," Robert said. He sat up and stretched with a yawn before leaning heavily against Michael. "Why did you sleep in my bed?"

"You know exactly why," Michael said.

"That reason is going to make your marriage to Josie most awkward," Robert said. He nudged Michael hard, causing Michael to fall onto his side as Robert rolled on top of him and mussed his hair, one hand reaching down to tickle his lower stomach. Michael let out a moan he couldn't hold back and reached between them, trying to pull Robert's hand away as Robert gasped, trying not to laugh out loud. Michael whimpered and Robert exhaled warm air against his neck, causing Michael to shiver before doubling his efforts to get free.

"Stop that," Maryse said evenly as she stared over at them. Michael shoved Robert hard and rolled away as Robert looked up at the tree above them, giggling.

"My apologies," Michael said. Robert scowled at Maryse and sat up.

"Later," Robert said, nudging Michael hard once more.

"Sure, later," Michael said. Maryse turned her attention back to her magazine."So, are you coming home with Josie and I for Stephen's wedding?" Two weeks before, an envelope made of heavy cardstock and addressed in hand written calligraphy had arrived in Robert and Michael's room. Robert had found the whole matter endlessly funny, that Stephen would send an invitation to two people who lived across the hall and down three doors from him, and that the invitation would be so formal.

"Mr. and Mrs. Marcus and Imogen Herondale invite you to the marriage of their son, Stephen William Herondale, to Amatis Graymark, on Monday, the tenth of June, in the Sanctuary of the London Institute, at three o'clock in the afternoon," Robert had read aloud from atop his desk where he held the invitation hostage. "Cocktails will begin at five in the afternoon in the grand ballroom, with dinner served at six and dancing to commence at eight in the evening." The invitation had many more things for Robert to find amusing. There were dinner selections for the five course meal. A map of London. A firm suggestion of formal attire.

Michael wasn't sure why Robert found the whole thing so funny. Stephen hadn't invited he and Robert to the wedding, it was Stephen's parents who did, who had invited pretty much everyone Stephen associated with back in London. The invitation was really just a formality. Michael knew when and where the wedding would be held. Being one of Stephen's few friends, he was the best man.

"You want me to come home with you?" Robert asked.

"It's my home as well as yours," Michael said, "I have family there and so do you."

Robert plucked a blade of grass and took to shredding it into fine green threads, occasionally looking up at Maryse. Josie tied a blue ribbon around the end of her hair and gave Michael a smile before blowing him a kiss. Tonight she was going out with Maryse and a few other girls for dinner to celebrate their upcoming weddings before finals exams began. The next morning, Saturday, she and Michael would leave for Wayland Manor.

"Well, if you put it that way, no, I won't be coming home with you," Robert said. "I don't want to see my family, and I could care less about Stephen shackling himself to Amatis Graymark for all of eternity. Go with Josie. You'll hardly miss me."

Michael sighed and leaned against Robert, wanting to rest his chin of his shoulder the way he did when they had been younger. It was a way they recharged together, by being close and reminding themselves of their bond. Then again, their bond hadn't been what it used to be for nearly a year now. Everything had changed then, when Robert got serious with Maryse, and Michael got serious with Josie, and they both got engaged. Suddenly, it felt as though Robert was pushing Michael further and further away instead of keeping him close.

For so many years, ever since they started training together at the age of eight, it had been Robert and Michael. Sure, Stephen hung around on the outskirts of their relationship, but it was Robert who Michael bonded with, Robert who Michael hurt with, and Robert who was someone Michael couldn't find words to explain. After they swore as parabatai, Robert moved into Michael's family home in London, and the following fall, they moved to Idris for schooling, living in close quarters, close as they always had been.

"But I want you with me as well," Michael mumbled. "I will miss you. The wedding will be no fun without you." Robert rolled his eyes. He was just being stubborn, the way he always was. "I'm going to the stupid Circle meeting with you. The least you can do is come to London, eat, drink, and have a great time on Marcus Herondale's tab." Robert sighed heavily.

"I'll bring my dancing shoes," he said, "but I refuse to waltz."


Immediately after the last class on Friday, it was as if half of the fourth year students disappeared. Michael and Robert were just returning to the dorm as Stephen walked out, a backpack slung over his shoulders, bound for a weekend spent at Herondale Manor. He nudged Michael with his elbow, giving him a nod, then stepped over to Amatis, closed his eyes, and passionately kissed her on lips within sight of a teacher. Michael had to look away, feeling as though he was intruding; Robert loudly told them to get a room.

Maryse and Josie left next and headed into Alicante. Robert and Michael had a quiet dinner together in the dining hall, barely talking, and the sun was just about to set when they left the front gates of the Academy and walked towards the center of town. Michael walked along in silence for a bit, listening to stones crack beneath his boots as Robert walked beside him, arms swinging, the back of his hand occasionally brushing against Michael's.

"Maryse and I are talking about moving into town after the wedding," Robert finally said. "We're going to look at townhouses tomorrow."

"You aren't moving to your manor?" Michael asked.

"It's hardly mine," Robert said. "My parents don't expect me to, anyway. Are you still, uh, planning to move in with your parents?"

Michael bit his lip and looked up from the road. This street was one of the main arteries into the city of Alicante. It was a dirt road lined on either side with a three foot high stone wall which was broken up by gates, all leading to small, one story homes, many of which had flower boxes filled with sweet smelling flowers hanging off the front windows. Alicante was many things; it was congested and filled with homes stacked on top of one another as one got closer to the city's center. It was noisy most of the time, with people coming and going, speaking dozens of different languages, yet there was no place in the world, besides London, where Michael felt at home.

Many of the shadowhunter families of Idris lived within the town limits of Alicante or in any of the smaller, surrounding towns; however, most of the older, affluent families had manor houses in the countryside which had stood for hundreds of years. The Herondale family owned a small manor house about an hour's ride from Alicante, with the Fairchild, Lightwood, Penhallow and Wayland Manors a short distance away. The manors were handed down through the families, generation to generation. Michael's family hadn't come from old money the way Robert's did, though they did had a manor house which Michael stood to inherit one day.

"They've offered us the top two floors," Michael said, "Cora only visits occasionally. It's not as is I am relying on my parents hand and foot." More than likely, it would be Michael's parents relying on him.

Amatis Graymark wasn't the only one with family secrets she wanted to keep buried. Michael's father was young as far as fathers went, a full ten years younger than Robert's parents. While other shadowhunters stopped fighting demons after a certain age, choosing to instead focus on studies or enforcing the Law, Michael's father continued to fight demons, putting himself in harm's way long after he was expected to.

Midway through Michael's first semester at the Academy, he had been spending an afternoon training with Robert and the rest of his male classmates when a letter, burning with a blue flame, burst from a sconce on the training room wall. Everyone in the class stopped what they were doing, yet Michael had stepped forward and reached a hand up, somehow knowing the letter was meant for him. It was nearly in his fingertips when a teacher pushed him aside and intercepted the letter before unfolding it.

The entire class had been watching. This sort of thing happened once or twice a year. Hunting demons was dangerous business, and more often than not, people were killed, though Michael had never considered that the next person to receive a letter might be him.

Michael had stepped forward and felt Robert's hand on his arm, his fingers light on the bones of his wrist. The blade Michael had been holding clattered to the floor.

"What does it say?" Michael asked, and when he got no reply, "What does it say!?"

"It's your father. There's been an accident," The teacher replied, folding the letter before putting a hand on Michael's back and firmly guiding him to the door. "He's been injured, severely. You are to report to the Silent City at once."

Michael thought of his mother and sister, alone in London, expecting his father to come home. He thought of the first few weeks at the Academy, of the friends he had made, the training he had received, and even the blonde haired, blue eyed girl from home who had come to the Academy with him, who he was starting to develop real, tangible feelings for. As Michael stepped outside the gymnasium and into the crisp autumn air, Robert still holding onto his wrist, he thought about how he would feel if suddenly, he had to give everything up to return home and take care of his family.

In the end, it wasn't terrible but it could have been better. Michael's father was injured but not killed, hurt just badly enough to be useless to the Clave. He and Michael's mother retired to their manor house, where Cora, Michael's sister, assisted with the running of the Wayland estate. That arrangement had lasted for three years, until Cora married and became pregnant, then moved to Sweden with her husband. Now, it was Michael's turn to return home and be the dutiful son.

"You aren't obligated to take it," Robert said.

"Where else am I going to go?" Michael replied.

"I… I don't…" Robert began. His voice cracked, prompting Michael to look over and see Robert take a shaky breath. "My parents. They're splitting up."

"What do you mean, splitting up?" Michael asked. Mr. and Mrs. Lightwood had been married as long as Michael's parents had been married, at least. They had five children, three homes, and more money than they knew what to do with.

"They're getting a divorce," Robert said. "I got a letter a few weeks ago, right before that big test in Law, telling me, flat out, that they were splitting up. My father is here, in Idris, now. He wants to attend my graduation. He wants to pay for a banquet for Maryse and I after our wedding. Says it is what he's supposed to do." Robert took a shaky breath and looked ahead as they approached town. Ahead of them, the demon towers rose up from the earth, the adamas taking on the orange of the setting sun and making them appear to be on fire.

Michael knew the night in question, because it had been one of the first nights Robert had snuck out of their room and had been gone for most of the night. He returned the next morning, smelling of alcohol and Maryse, and proceeded to nearly fail the test they were to take. Michael had been concerned, yet by that afternoon, Robert had bounced back from whatever had been bothering him and spent the afternoon sparring with, and besting, several of their classmates.

"How long since they decided to end things?" Michael asked.

"Since last fall, they've been discussing it. Since right after we came back to the Academy. Father didn't give any reason for it. They're waiting for me to finish school so they don't have to fight over who pays the tuition. Mother is going to stay in London, Father will stay in Idris, the money will be split down the middle, and I get to decide who I want to spend my time with, and I don't want to spend time with either of them." He ground his fist into his palm, his eyes dark and hurt.

"Maybe it's for the best?" Michael asked. He placed a hand on Robert's shoulder, though Robert shrugged it away. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You wouldn't understand. No one would understand, not even Maryse," Robert said. He folded his arms around himself, staring at the ground. "Your parents have always been happy. Always together. You know only love."

Michael knew there were different sorts of families. There were the families who drove one another crazy, but always ate dinner together. There were families who loved one another despite living in different parts of the world, and then there were families like Robert's, who were brash and loud, who loved and hated one another at the same time and somehow managed to stay together.

"You should have told me. I'm your parabatai," Michael said. "I would have told you if I had something, I don't know, significant, happening in my family. It's been a month and you never said anything."

"You wouldn't understand. You don't understand now that you know," Robert said. "My mother is in London, my father is in Idris, and you are moving home with your parents. You don't understand." Michael started to speak and stopped, because he knew Robert was right. No matter what, until death parted them, Michael's parents would stay together. "This is why I don't want to go to London with you. It's not my home anymore. It's just the place where my mother lives."

"I'm really sorry, Robbie," Michael said. It had been so long since they had been Robbie and Michael. Somehow, they had gone to school, met girls they would marry, and left their innocence behind. Then something like this happened, and Michael was reminded that they could both still be hurt.

"Who tears their family in half because it's suddenly not working anymore?" Robert asked. "Who just quits like that?" He pressed his lips together, shook his head, and was silent for the rest of the walk.


After the dinner hour was over, most people who lived and worked in Alicante headed to home, or to work, as the streets lit up with witch light and the last, fading rays of the sunset. Goody's was just off the main street that led to the Academy, set in a little plaza and marked with a red door and a window full of cakes frosted with fluffy white icing and flowers made of sugar. A bell rang softly overhead as they stepped inside, and a man behind the counter looked them both over before nodding to the back of the shop.

"Are you sure about this?" Michael asked. He slipped his hands in his jacket pockets and looked back at Robert.

"They have food. We'll just listen to what Valentine has to say and then we can go. We can go to the place with the blue door," Robert said, stepping close, pressing his fist to Michael's lower back. "I'll buy you a lap dance in honor of your upcoming wedding. Why should Josie and Maryse have all the fun?"

"I don't want that," Michael said. He walked towards the back of the shop, past small tables, some of which were littered with empty cups and saucers, to an area with couches, chairs and a small fireplace.

Several others were already sitting on the sofas, talking amongst themselves. A man was standing beside the fireplace arranging a blackboard. He was dressed in black pants and a white shirt which was open at the collar to show the glint of an amulet around his neck. His hair was a blond so light it was nearly white, and his eyes were almost black. Michael recognized him as Valentine Morgenstern, who had last come to the Academy in an attempt to recruit followers to The Circle of Raziel. Close by, a woman reclined on a sofa as she stared into the fire place, lost in thought. Wild curls of red hair tumbled over her shoulders and she wore a loose cotton dress, her feet bare, her hands folded over her stomach. Out of those assembled, she was the only woman. She was Jocelyn Fairchild, Valentine's wife.

"Valentine, may I present Robert Lightwood and Michael Wayland?" Michael saw a man standing by dressed in all black and wearing a pair of glasses. An amulet similar to Valentine's was around his neck. Michael recognized him as Hodge Starkweather, who had been a grade ahead of he and Robert in school. Another man, carrying a plate of treats, walked by and sat them on a table before returning to the counter. When he saw Michael, his eyes widened.

"Luke," Michael said. He had last seen Luke Graymark at the London Institute's Christmas party. He was Amatis's brother and would be in Stephen's wedding as well.

"Michael, hey," Luke said. He walked over and shook Michael's hand before looking back at Valentine questioning. Valentine nodded and turned his attention back to the blackboard. Only then did Michael feel Luke's hand tighten on his.

"Robert's fiancée asked us to come," Michael explained. Luke nodded. "I didn't expect you to be here."

"Whither thou goest," Luke said, rolling his eyes and tugging a pendent out from beneath his shirt. It was a cross with a hoop on top of it. Michael knew it was an ankh, the Egyptian symbol for eternal life. "It's Valentine's club, so I have to follow him everywhere." He laughed a little, quietly. "Welcome. Have a seat. Have some treats. Go back to school and tell Stephen to join you. I've been trying to get him to join the Circle for months." He shook Robert's hand before stepping away.

"How did you know our names?" Robert asked Hodge. Hodge smiled nervously and stole a glance at Valentine.

"Everyone knows you," Hodge said, his voice slightly awestruck. "Robert Lightwood. People still talk about your skill with a bow, and you haven't even graduated yet. And Michael Wayland… you got that perfect score on your language exam. You were in the newspaper for it."

"It was nothing," Michael said. He felt Robert's elbow against his side.

"We're in the presence of greatness," Valentine said, gliding over. He put a hand on both Michael and Robert's shoulders and gave them a smile. "And parabatai to boot." Valentine cast an eye over them both, as if he could see their bond, and smiled, satisfied.

"It was just a stroke of luck," Michael mumbled. The perfect score had happened last semester. Michael had always excelled in languages. Early on, he knew he loved words, and communicating with them. Sure, no one had ever received a perfect score on the exam, but it had just been a stroke of luck. He'd barely ever studied.

"How many languages are you fluent in?" Valentine asked.

"A few," Michael said.

"Tell him," Robert said.

"Nine," Michael said, rolling his eyes. "English, German, Latin, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, French, Finnish and Welsh."

"Not to mention one of the demon languages," Robert said. "He's been studying it in secret for years." Michael blushed.

"Say something in Finnish," Valentine said. "I want to see if I can understand it." Michael looked over to Jocelyn, locking eyes with her for an instant. Jocelyn looked away and sipped a cup of tea. Her face was pale and drawn looking, as if she were tired. She reminded Michael of his sister.

"Onneksi olkoon," Michael said, softly. Congratulations.

Valentine smiled and patted Michael on the cheek. "I'm going to like you," he said.


Author's Note: Thank you for reading! Please review? As a treat, I am also including with this chapter a teaser from the next chapter. We are all familiar with teasers, so it needs no explanation. This particular sentence is the second to last sentence of the chapter, which is finished.

"There is no shame in admitting that you made a mistake."