-Simon-
The first thing that happened after he became a Shadowhunter, a warrior of heaven? Shopping.
"Remind me again why I have to do this?" Simon sighed, stroking his finger over the surface of one of the countless mirrors who had somehow been manouvered into the tiny boutique.
"Because you're my best friend and you love me," Clary answered matter-of-factly, as she examined a light blue sundress. "Besides, I need your help. Izzy's party is tomorrow, and I haven't even decided what to give her yet."
Simon groaned. "Don't remind me. I've been trying not to think about it for the past four days."
"Well that has to stop now. She's your girlfriend, Simon. You can't just show up without a present."
"Well, she isn't exactly my girlfriend-" Simon began, but Clary interrupted him.
"By the angel Simon, are you really gonna do that thing again? And just when I thought you guys had DTRed, but no, you keep on talking about how "you haven't talked about dating exclusively"."
Clary was making air-quotes with her fingers, and even though Simon wasn't in love with her anymore, he found it kind of adorable.
"She's your girlfriend Simon, face it."
"Okay, fine, whatever, let's just get back to that dress or whatever you were looking at."
"Oh no," Clary glared at him. "Don't change the subject. We are not leaving this shop until you have bought something for Isabelle."
"Fine," Simon reached out and grabbed something from the nearest hanger. "I'm getting her this. Happy?"
For a few seconds Clary simply stared at what he was holding. Then she burst out laughing.
"Yes, give her that. But I can't promise Alec won't kill you."
For the first time, Simon saw what he was holding. It was very pink. And very lacey. And it was lingerie. And it was practically see-through.
Blushing like crazy, he practically threw it back, earning himself another laugh from Clary.
"Are you sure you're not gonna buy it? I thought it looked kind of cute."
If possible, he blushed even more. "Yes, Clary. Now can we please leave?"
-Isabelle-
"Thank you, it's… it's different." Isabelle held up the absolutely awful dress she had gotten from Simon. Not only was it bright green, the kind of bright green nobody wore, it it also had a pattern of yellow daisies down the front.
"At least it isn't what he was going to buy you," Clary smirked. "That would probably have given Alec a heart-attack."
"Now I'm interested," Isabelle smiled coyly at Simon, who appeared to have acquired a sudden fascination of the floor. "maybe you could show me tonight…"
"Isabelle!" Alec's face had turned bright red. "Don't you dare-"
"Jeez, I'm just kidding. We won't wait that long. Of course we are going to sneak away now."
Alec glared at her, apparently not deeming that answer worth a response.
Laughing, Isabelle reached for another present. She'd been sceptical at first when Clary and Simon had suggested throwing her a birthday party. But it turned out they were really fun, especially when she could make inappropriate jokes with Simon, and watch Alec explode. She wondered what Simon had thought of giving her…
-Simon-
Simon reached for another arrow, and pulled back his bow with...some grace. He'd secretly hoped that now, when he was a Nephilim, he'd be as awesome and badass as the others. But it turned out that he was still nowhere near them.
"Practising?" Isabelle appeared out of nowhere. "Again?"
"Well, some of us weren't born with built-in skills," Simon smirked at her. "Us regular mortals have to work for it."
"Mortals? You're a Shadowhunter now-"
"It's a mundane expression Iz, god."
"Not god," she put her arms around him. "By the angel."
And then he was kissing her, or she was kissing him, he wasn't really sure. The only thing that mattered was that it was Isabelle, with her lips against his, and even though he wasn't a vampire anymore, he could almost smell her sweet, sweet blood…
He pressed her against the wall, digging his fingers into her back, and Isabelle let out a small gasp and opened her mouth, and then-
His phone rang. Simon had never hated that sound so much.
"Do you mind if I…" He gestured towards it.
Isabelle shrugged. "Go ahead."
As he walked out of the room, he was pretty sure he heard her mutter. "By the angel, I'm going to burn that thing."
-Isabelle-
As long as she was here, she might as well train. Reaching for a knife, she flicked it towards the target. Bullseye. Of course.
She thought of the strange conversation she had heard earlier at Simon's Ascension. Had those people really known her great-great-whatever. Sophie Lightwood. Her mother's voice echoed in her head. Isabelle Sophia Lightwood. Sophia, or Sophie, was one of the only people in our family who was once a mundane. But after her Ascension, she was one of the best. She was strong. And I hope you inherit that.
That was one of the things most mothers said, but she knew now that hers had actually meant it. Maryse had known that you needed to be strong, that you could never break down. And Isabelle had tried. She had built up a wall around her, like Jace, but even more subtle. And when she saw that Jace was breaking his down, she held her front even tighter.
But then she had met Simon. The first time she saw him. he had been a mundane. A nobody. And after that, probably because of that. She had let him come closer. Closer than anybody had ever come to her before. And he had broken her walls down. He had allowed her to feel, to show vulnerability. He had taught her trust. And he had taught her real strength.
"Izzy?"
She spun around, and found herself face-to-face with Simon. She started to smile, but then she saw his face. He was pale as a sheet, as he had been when he was a vampire. But he wasn't a vampire now. Something was wrong.
"Simon-" She began, but he interrupted her.
"They're sending me away, Iz. I have to go to the London Institute to train."