Hello once again audience! Sorry this is so late, I was originally giving this chapter to K, but she hasn't emailed me back, so... enjoy!
Jace sat at a bar, a half empty scotch in front of him. Alec sat quietly next to him, sipping a pink fruity concoction, knowing that Jace would talk when he was ready.
Jace sighed, and ran his hands through his hair, turning to face is paravati. "So." He said tiredly. "What am I supposed to do now? Should I leave? Should I-oh God." He picked up his shot and quickly drained it, then slammed it down on the table.
"Well...and don't take this the wrong way, but I think you're being really ridiculous about this."
"What?!"
Alec cringed and put down his drink carefully.
"You think I'm being ridiculous? Have you seen her?!"
"Yes. I have. We all have. And we all feel the way you do. But you are being ridiculous."
"How am I being ridiculous?!"
"You are acting like a mundane that has just been stood up at prom," he replied firmly. "Which is ridiculous because we are not mundanes, and we don't. go. to prom."
"What does prom have to do with anything?! I don't even know what prom is!"
Alec waved his hand dismissively. "It's like a ball for mundanes, except tacky and useless. But that's not the point. The point is, that's what you're acting like. Instead of running away from all your problems and sulking, you should be there for Clary. But you're here with me, drinking. What are you drinking anyways? It looks much more normal than what I'm drinking."
Jace stared at his paravati, vaguely stunned. "Wow...your right." He jumped of his stool, and threw some cash down, hurrying out the door.
"Wait!" Alec called, scrambling after him. "Where are you going?"
"To apologize to Clary! Come on!"
(Line. Anyone know how to make actual lines?)
Luke fixed his younger sister with a piercing glare, arms crossed, as they stood outside of the institute. "Tell me why you're really here, or I will ship you back to London in a crate."
Maelle put a hand on her heart, looking exaggeratedly hurt. "Lucian, that cuts deep! Why can't I come down to help my family without having an ulterior motive?"
"You did not come to fight in the battle of Idris, even after I called, begging for your assistance. You did not attend my wedding. We have not spoken in a very long time. Why come here? Why now?"
Maelle's hurt expression changed quickly to anger, and she stepped forward, hissing, "That's not fair. You know that I was with my sisters! I cannot just pick up and leave when I am crafting! It doesn't work that way, and you know it!"
As she spoke, a look of understanding passed Luke's expression, and he nodded, looking distant.
"I see...the Sisters are meeting in here in New York aren't they? That's why you came all this way. Not for me or Clarissa."
Maelle had the decency to look ashamed, and she looked intently down at her shoes.
"That's what I thought." He brushed past her, starting to move up the steps.
"Lucian!"
Luke turns, looking regretfully at his sister.
"I came for you too. Just because things have gotten...rocky between us, doesn't mean we aren't family. And I'm so sorry I haven't been around. I heard about Jocelyn. I'm sorry for your loss. I was fond of her."
He turned back around, not wanting his sister to see the water in his eyes.
"You aren't fond of anyone but yourself."
And with that, he left his younger sister standing outside in the cold world, like she and their mother had long ago.
(A/N: This almost made me cry. Like- I am so sappy.)
-Time elapsed, 20 minutes-
Maelle sat on on the Institute steps staring at the the cloudy sky, a cigarette dangling from her thin fingers. She was so entranced in the sky that she did not notice two boys, once dark haired, and the other gold, until they were standing above her.
"Oh. Hello boys," she drawled, winking.
"Uh...hi," Alec said, looking slightly confused. "Who are you?"
"Maelle. But you can call me anything you want, handsome."
Alec blushed furiously, and hurried past her. "Yeah...nice to meet you. I'm just going to find Magnus..."
Shrugging, she turned to Jace. "And what about you? You got a name?"
"Jace...Wayland. It's nice to meet you." He offered his hand for her to shake, and she took it, exclaiming as she did so.
"Finally! Someone in this drafty 'ol Church with some sense of manners! Why don't you and me go hang out somewhere. You can show me the city!"
"As great as that sounds, I've got some things to take care of inside."
"Well lets go to that then!"
She slung an arm around his shoulders and steered him up the stone steps and through the door.
"So blondie, you live here?"
"Yeah. Alec and Isabelle are my brother and sister."
"Ah, Isabelle. I like her. She's got some spirit in 'er. But you don't look anything like her."
"Technically we're foster siblings. My father was Michael Wayland."
Maelle nodded seriously. "Michael was a good man. I knew him as a child."
Jace looked startled and shrugged out from under her arm. "You knew my father?"
"Yes. I remember, he used to give me candy when I saw him. Of course, this was a while ago, right when the circle was collapsing."
"You were part of the circle?"
"Ah, not really. I was just a little one back then."
"But did you-"
"Jace!"
Jace turned, irritated at the interruption. It was Isabelle, walking towards them, looking furious.
"Nice of you to finally show up! I cannot believe you just ran out like that!"
"What do you want Iz," he said through gritted teeth.
"That girl has her results back, she told everyone to go to the library. I figured you'd want to know if Clary was going to be able to see again."
Jace gasped, then ran back the way Isabelle had come. Maelle started to follow, but Isabelle grabbed her arm.
"What do you think you're doing.?"
Maelle looked down at Izzy's hand on her arm bemusedly then back up at her. "To go hear the news. She is my niece after all.
"I don't think you should stay here. Luke didn't look too happy to see you, and I'm not delighted at your presence either."
Maelle laughed bitterly, then wrenched her arm from Izzy's grasp. "Luke is never happy to see me. And I don't really care if you're delighted or not, Princess. You don't have a say in this. Just give up before you put yourself in a hole. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go learn of my niece's recovery."
She walked calmly down the hallway, aware of Izzy's glare on her back.
What did 'cha think? Review if you can.
~Tilapia
