AN: Thank you for the reviews:) They were very nice. And thanks to those who have read W/O reviewing as well. I know that these are short chapters, but it's easier for me to write them this way. Feel free to review again- they make my day better. *Lol*

The Institute looked the same as it always did. Grand and magnificently aged. Alec felt a slight tug deep within his chest at the sight of the place he had called home since his early childhood, but he didn't allow himself to dwell on the feeling. He pushed onward- that's all he could do. As he came to the front door, he took a deep breath and then yanked the door open. As he stepped over the threshold, he shivered and bile rose within his belly- he didn't want to be here. Anxiety was pestering him, but he was ignoring it.

The house was silent, which wasn't a surprise. With only Jace and Isabelle occupying the beautiful place, Alec doubted there would be much noise. He made his way to the second story in the wobbly elevator and by the time he shoved free of the damn small space, he had decided that he would be taking the staircase back down. He jerked his jacket around in a poor attempt to allow himself some breathing room- he seriously hated this.

He walked briskly down the corridor and passed by the library without bothering to peek inside; Isabelle and Jace wouldn't be there. He knew- although he wished he wouldn't remember- that he was the only one who had continuously occupied the library. Until his abrupt departure. He sighed heavily and scratched the back of his head as he came to the end of the corridor. He could faintly hear the muffled sound of fighting coming from his left, so he forked off and turned down another corridor. The hallway was dimly lit, which suited Alec's mood perfectly.

He was immediately annoyed when he opened the large, wooden doors leading into the Institute's Training Room and found all of the curtains thrown open, allowing bright light to settle within the room. He narrowed his eyes and sighed again just as Jace turned away from sparring with his sister. His golden hair was sweaty and his muscular chest was heaving with exertion. Isabelle dropped her stance and allowed the enchanted whip- her favorite weapon- to snake around her wrist.

There was a dense pause as if none of the siblings knew what to say or how to act around one another. Then, Alec was stunned as his warrior-like sister broke into a smile and happily said, "Alec!"

She flew across the room with her long-legged stride and barreled into his chest without hesitation. His facial expression was of bewilderment as his numb arms stayed at his sides. How could he hug her back? He knew that would only encourage her into calling his cellphone constantly. It would make her feel hope. And he couldn't possibly give her hope.

Alec felt out of breath as she released him and stepped back. Her smile was still in place regardless of Alec's lack of response. She said, "We're so glad that you've came, Alec. We've been…um, not as good without you."

Alec's ice-blue eyes blinked heavily at his sister before he flicked his gaze to meet Jace's speculating stare. He slowly asked, "What is it that you both are having trouble with? A demon?"

Jace stepped forward and Alec eyed him carefully. He knew Jace's facial expressions all too well- Jace was watching him. Isabelle explained, "We have two jobs going on and we've been doing some digging. Both seem to be big."

"What kind of big?" Alec asked impatiently and abruptly.

Isabelle glanced down at her shoes, which surprised Alec yet again. When did she ever back down from confrontation? Jace looked at Isabelle before speaking to Alec, "Big enough that we called your ass to the Institute. Now, are you helping us or not?"

Alec was seething with the familiar, ever-present rage as he spit out, "Fine."

Izzy finally looked at her brothers before beginning to explain in a quiet voice, "There's a nightclub near the Stone Café. There's been a ton of activity there in the last two months. After the second mundane was murdered inside the club, we decided to check it out. The mundanes' had both been poisoned-"

Jace interrupted by saying, "And we know Fay are the likely cause behind that. Pesky little bastards."

Isabelle shot him an annoyed glare before continuing, "They were both males and were covered in love bites. Especially around their neck and collarbone."

Alec's eyes narrowed and he asked, "What else?"

Jace shrugged his shoulders and stated bluntly, "Well, they each had teeth marks on the inside of their thighs."

"Teeth?" Alec questioned sharply, "As in vampire incisors?"

"No." Isabelle hastily replied, "As in a regularly shaped mouth with normal teeth."

"So they liked kinky sex." Alec answered emotionlessly, "And somebody decided to slip them something in their drink. Apparently, it went wrong."

Izzy sighed and stated, "The nightclub is crawling with Downworlders."

Alec rolled his eyes and muttered, "Of course it is. What are we talking here? A ton of Fay running the show?"

Izzy and Jace shared a knowing look before Izzy said, "There is plenty of Fay that drop by, but the club is mostly owned and ran by warlocks and witches."

Alec closed his eyes, took a deep breath and opened his eyes once again. He was glad that his voice sounded steady as he asked, "Have either of you pin-pointed which Fay is the killer?"

Isabelle nodded and said, "Yeah. We think it's a Fay named Terrace."

"What makes you think it's him?"

"Jace tortured it out of a demon last week."

"And do you have a plan for killing him?"

Isabelle sighed and explained, "Well, we had a plan. Fay are the most sexual creatures there are, as we all know, and I was going to keep him occupied with a little lip-locking and let Jace sneak up from behind…"

There was a pause of silence before Alec demanded, "Well?"

"He's gay." Jace rolled his eyes, "And I wasn't willing to put these fabulous lips anywhere near him."

Alec's voice was dead-panned as he asked, "This is where I come into play, isn't it?"

Isabelle sheepishly said, "Please, Alec?"

He rubbed his temples and muttered, "Fine."

"That's settled then." Jace clapped his hands together, "We'll leave at midnight."