Hey guys, happy Ash Wednesday! Ok first...I AM SO SORRY ABOUT THIS LATE UPDATE! I meant to have this up last month, but then when I had made major headway, ALL OF MY EDITS AND ADDITIONS WERE DELETED! I don't know what happened, but everything had been perfect and then POOF! Gone! That set me behind, and gave me little motivation to write because I was afraid my documents wouldn't save. But I finally finished it today. It may be a bit choppy, but I hope it'll suffice. It's 29 pages on Word so...that should be enough right? Heh, heh. I overdo it. Anyways, enjoy!

I don't own Cassandra Clare's characters or stories

Chapter 10: Auntie Kiara

It was incredible how fast the silent, empty looking castle seemed to fill with people, Magnus thought to himself idly. No sooner had his confrontation with Kiara ended than a stampede of servants nearly trampled him. The castle was abuzz with energy as servants scurried around like bees in a hive. Once his less than pleasant sibling spat was over with, Magnus rambled through the castle, trying to find the familiar halls of his room, but he became lost in the labyrinthine castle immediately. That was around the time that the servants began their preparations. When the servants began to scurry about and nearly crushed him, he had to ask for directions at least five different times before he finally caught up with his friends, confused and just as lost as he in the sea of people. Servants jostled them a number of times by servants carrying all sorts of objects, ranging from toys to weaponry to entire pieces of furniture. Each time a servant jostled them, they received a rushed apology and even more rushed explanation for their rude actions. Apparently, Queen Kiara wished to have everything in the castle be spotless for her nephews' arrival.

Once the chaos started, the couples decided to retire to their suites until it was time for them to depart. They asked for directions a number of times, and nearly trampled to death just as many times, but eventually they recognized the halls that lead to their suites. Upon arrival, each couple retired to their suite to await departure for home. As soon as they were in their room, Alec had asked about how their conversation went, since Magnus was initially reluctant to share the details. When he told the Shadowhunter of his sister's accusations, Alec was furious with her, stating she was being unreasonable. Magnus said nothing, just watching his lover pace a hole into the floor while furiously muttering to himself about how unreasonable and hypocritical she had been. However, he calmed down relatively soon after. Alexander was never one to stay mad for too long, and even though Magnus did say it didn't matter what his sister said, Alec still didn't let it go, stating he was going to talk to her. In response, Magnus just silently nodded his head, praying that their "talk" would not result in them drawing blades to one another.

After that conversation ended, the two of them talked about everything and nothing, wishing the seconds would pass faster. The sooner the time passed, the sooner they could see their sons. Sometime later, there was a knock on the door, followed by a polite voice saying that the Portal was almost ready. Next moment, the two of them and the rest of the couples had left their rooms to be greeted by a woman in a maid's uniform with the most neon fuchsia hair ever seen. Politely, she asked them to follow her, then turned on her heel and walked briskly into the crowded halls, leaving the others to follow. The entire group struggled to get through the halls without creating a domino effect, which resulted in them receiving a long slew of bumps and bruises. At one point, a couple servants accidently stepped on Magnus' feet as they rushed by, and another nearly decapitated him with a broom, but they apologized quickly. No matter how upset he wanted to be angry about it, he could not fault them, as he was not the only one being jostled. Out of the corner of his eye, he laughed both Jace and Simon were smacked in the face by a wet mop that one house cleaner in stilettoes was swinging around as she tried to listen to every command she heard. He decided not to hold it against the servants, because their eagerness to please their queen was resulting in quite an amusing show for him.

As the group wandered through the halls, trying to keep up with their maid and not lose sight of her bright fuchsia hair. At some point, a mass of at least twenty maids separated them from her as they carried monumental piles of fabrics and pillows, walking crookedly as to not drop any. When they finally passed, the group didn't spot their guide's neon hair for some minutes before Jace finally pointed it out down the hall, which resulted in them sprinting to catch up to her as she turned a corner. Thankfully, that was the only incident in which they were separated, and the rest of the journey they kept close to the maid. Finally, their journey ended when they ended up back at the large drawn doors that lead to the castle garden. The maid stopped a couple feet from the grand mahogany doors and turned to them, her hair flashing like glow sticks at a party.

"Lady Hannah is awaiting you at the gate," the maid informed them kindly. "She shall lead you to the Portal which you may take home."

"Thank you," Alec told the girl sincerely. In response, she gave him a small, shy smile in return before scurrying off, disappearing into the sea of servants. Once she was no longer visible, they turned back the doors. For a moment, they just stared at them, looking for some sort of knob or lever to open them when they suddenly swung open. Momentarily blinded with sunlight, they stood still for a moment as their eyes adjusted before they began walking through the luscious gardens. This time they were mindful of the flora, staying on the path and looking straight ahead until they reached the gates, which were already ajar. Lady Hannah was indeed awaiting them there, dressed in her usual battle gear, but her eyes displayed a sense of excitement and impatience that was foreign to her stern and patient disposition. When she saw them approaching, she gave them such a warm, excited smile it was slightly unnerving.

"Come, Kiara doesn't want you to be late," was all she said before turning around and walking deeper into the city. All of them followed, feeling somewhat uneasy, but not out of the fear of having their throats cut.

There was a sense of déjà vu as they followed the Lady the city's modern and ancient settings. They looked around more freely this time, taking in the grand structures and beautiful flora with awe and wonder, as they had not been able to do since their arrival had been…less than welcoming to say the least. When they looked around, anyone who saw them in passing stopped and stared or began to whisper to each other hastily. At first, Magnus feared that they were speaking as they had when they arrived, with suspicion and envy, but as he studied their body language, he pleasantly discovered that was not the case. In contrast to how they acted to their arrival, this time the people smiled in awe or shyness as they passed, as if they were seeing their role model and had no idea how to react. Couples, hetero and homo alike, stopped their conversations to smile at the group in passing, some even offering kind waves or calling out a small greeting to them. It was nice and honoring to say the least, but also foreign and strange. Their arrival had resulted in suspicious stares and threatening words from the populous, but now they were being gaped at as if they were celebrities. Well, in a way they were. Even so, with all the smiles and kind gazes, there were still a handful of scornful and suspicious glares in their direction. One mother even pulled her pre-teen son behind her and bared her fangs when Jace glanced in their direction.

The attention enraptured their focus so much that they did not know how far they walked or how long they followed the Lady. They were all so caught up in the attention that they did not notice they had arrived until Lady Hannah cleared her throat. That one noise was able to divert their attention back to the present. When they turned their attention to her, they saw they were standing in front of the archway they had entered the kingdom. The archway was dark beyond, showing no light or life ahead, but they knew better. All of them had a sense of apprehension upon recognition, but they suppressed it. After all, this time they knew where they were and where they were going; there was no need to feel threatened.

"The Portal is set up inside there," Lady Hannah said before vanishing through, the group on her tail. As before, the light from the world vanished once the crossed the threshold and they were instead bathed in enchanted firelight. The familiar darkness and stalls enclosed around them, cloistering them from the rest of the world. The room was unchanged from their arrival save for the swirling Portal open on one of the walls, being held open by Kiara herself. As they approached, she turned to them with a dazzling, excited smile.

"You guys will have two hours," Lady Hannah explained as they approached the Portal and held a paper out back to them. "This Portal will take you to the closest station we have to Brooklyn and New York, the one that you were brought here from. You will be followed by a set of guards, and from the warehouse, they shall escort you to the park in which you Portaled from Brooklyn. Another Portal shall be opened there to take you back. Now, keep in mind, your guards will not speak to you, and you will not see them once in Brooklyn, but know that they are there. Once you all complete what you must, you will rendezvous at this location, and you shall be Portaled back here. Will two hours be enough time for you to take care of your needs?"

"Should be," Jace replied, his eyes glued to the Portal with a longing that seemed a bit premature considering how long they had been gone.

"But if we take longer?" Simon asked as he took the paper and read the address. "What do we do to get back?"

"Try sending a fire message," Kiara replied, her fingers still moving as she kept the Portal swirling. "We will keep the wards open to messages of the sort, and someone will Portal you back."

"Are you ready?" the woman asked as she turned to them, a young, foreign sparkle in her eye and a small quirk on the edge of her lips. All of them nodded, and Lady Hannah broke into a true grin before giving a little bow and gestured to the Portal. All together, they approached the mist and memorized the view of the warehouse in which they were captured just days before. Kiara flashed them a quick, happy smile.

"See you soon," was the last thing they heard before they jumped through one by one.

One by one, the group stumbled out of the Portal and regained their footing for a minute. Taking in their surroundings, they saw they were in the warehouse where they had been ambushed about two weeks prior. Strange, that event felt as though it had happened months ago rather than a few days, but perhaps that was because of everything that had transpired.

As they all rose to their feet, they saw they were not alone. In front of them, arranged in a semi-circle, was a group of about seven women, all dressed in khaki pants, white polo shirts, and green aprons. However, this time they were armed with bows, quivers, and belts of daggers draped across their hips. They all looked uncomfortable and awkward as they stared at the group, as if they were unsure of what to do. After all, the last time the groups had met the females were going to kill them had it not been for Kiara's intervention.

After a minute of awkward staring and silence passed, one of the women tentatively stepped forward. She had curly blond hair that was pulled up into a messy bun, leaving a few strands of hair to fall in her face. The skin of her face was dotted with freckles, standing out on her pale skin. Out of all the women, she bore the most weaponry, as she also had a set of twin hunting knives strapped to her back along with a set of kunai daggers hanging from her belt.

Her name tag said, "Hello, my name is Tracy".

"Please follow us, we shall escort you to your Portal," was all she said before spinning on her heal and leading her group towards the exit. Magnus and the Shadowhunters nearly had to sprint to catch up to them, and by the time they made it out of the warehouse, the women were already opening the door. Silently, Tracy held the door open as they all exited single-file, with Alec taking the rear just before Kiara. Remaining silent, the women began to move in the direction of the park in which Magnus had Portaled them to a week before, all of them looking either straight ahead or down at their feet or at the buildings around them. They looked anywhere that was not their charges.

All of them would have felt angry or hurt by this treatment, but on some level, they understood why the female warriors were treating them this way. The last time they had met, they ended up crossing blades and nearly killing them. They assumed the Nephilim and the warlock had been enemies or spies of some sort, and acted in a way to protect those they held dear to them. Now, their immediate assumptions of them were a bit uncalled for, but, again, they were trying to protect their people. All of them could imagine themselves acting in a similar fashion if they were in the ladies' shoes.

Slowly, Alec started to slow his steps, falling back in the crowd until he was in sync with Tracy, who had her eyes glued to the ground in front of them. As Alec tried to think of what to talk about, he found himself staring at the ground as well. He planned to talk to her, try to open up and tell her that he and the others felt no hard feelings for what she and her girls had done, but it was harder to put into words. So instead, Alec glanced around to open up a discussion with. That was when he caught the inky black lines that were painted onto Tracy's wrist.

"What do those symbols mean?" he asked suddenly. Tracy finally turned her face away from the cement and faced him, her face etched with confusion. When he turned his gaze back to her wrist, she got the idea and lifted it up for them to see.

"Mandarin Chinese symbols for 'strength and 'kindness'," she replied as she pointed to each one. "In honors of my parents."

"You're Chinese?" She didn't…look Asian. Tracy just laughed good-naturedly.

"I was adopted, but they died when I was twelve. I spent the rest of my adolescence in foster care. When I turned eighteen, I got these tattoos to honor them. Kiara found me not long after."

"I'm sorry." Alec felt guilt for bringing up such a painful memory when all he wanted was to talk. Tracy, on the other hand, just waved it off.

"It's fine, Alexander," she replied. Then, she stopped suddenly, and Alec followed suit. That was when he noticed they were at the park where they had first arrived. Silently, four of them female warriors surrounded the tree and opened a Portal. As it swirled to life, two of them jumped through, while the rest gestured for the Nephilim and warlock to follow. Alec was then the last one. Tracy stood at his side. Not or never, he thought to himself.

"We don't blame you for what you did," Alec said suddenly. Tracy looked back at him, her face ridden with guilt.

"I'm so sorry," she replied. Alec just shook his head.

"You just did what you need to to protect your people," he replied. "We would've done the same thing in that situation." Without another word, Alec jumped through the Portal, leaving a stunned Tracy behind.

Once they had arrived in Brooklyn, the group dispersed into pairs, each with their own tasks to complete. Jace and Izzy agreed to go back to the Institute and inform Maryse that they would be gone for a while, while Clary and Simon went off separately to inform Lily and Maia that they would be out of touch for a while, as well as to let Jocelyn and Luke know they were leaving. Neither of them knew what they were going to tell the Graymarks, but they were confident that they would be able to be truthful but secretive. In the meantime, Magnus and Alec were heading home to get their kids and relieve Catarina.

The couple approached their loft somewhat warily. When Alec had been attacked they had been worried about their son's safety, and now that they had been unexpectedly away for nearly two weeks, they began to feel the creep of unbridled worry come upon them. They both knew Kiara had sent guards to keep checks on the loft, and Kiara would have informed them if there had been any disturbance or attack, but that did not quell their fears. They worried just as any other parent did for their beloved children, only they had to worry more so than mundanes because their boys knew of the true monsters the world possessed and what they were capable of doing.

As they moved homeward, they keep catching glimpses some type of cat like figure in the shadows or on the fire escape ladders when they passed buildings. It was a bit uncomfortable for both of them to know they were being watched so closely, but at least that meant their kids were most likely safe. In addition, Catarina could put up a decent fight if she was threatened. Therefore, as they walked in silence, they both tried to deplete their fears by thinking of all the protection that the boys and Catarina unknowingly had. Doing this made the walk go by much faster than anticipated, and soon they were buzzing into their home building.

Together, they opened the door and made their way up the steps. They did not even bother to get out the key; Magnus just unlocked the door with him magic. When the door was ajar, the two of them were immediately knocked over by one small navy blue blur and a slightly taller, brown blur.

"Daddy!" "Papa!" two small voices cried out as they all fell to the ground. Max laughed happily as his papa tried to recover from the shock and slight pain of being knocked down so unexpectedly. Rafael remained silent, just wrapping his arms around Alec and burying his face in his dad's neck. Both fathers laughed once the shock and pain diminished and hugged their sons back, stood and picked up their boys while walking back into the loft together.

"I think they missed us a little," Magnus said teasingly to Alec.

"Oh, more than a little," a kind, amused feminine voice said. Four heads turned to see Catarina sitting at the table by the kitchen, a large book open in the middle. She was wearing a plain white dress and shoes, and her pure white hair was up in a messy ponytail. Her smile was kind, and relieved.

"A lot!" Max yelled in his papa's ear, while Rafe nodded his head in agreement. Alec smiled sweetly, placing a gentle kiss on Rafe's forehead, as Magnus did the same to Max while the older warlock rubbed his ear.

"We missed you too," Alec said as he placed Rafe down. However, he refused to be set down, and somehow he ended up hanging onto his dad and climb up his body as a monkey climbs a tree. Soon, Rafe latched onto his dad's back, grinning from ear to ear as he wrapped his legs and arms tightly around Alec. The Shadowhunter made no move to get rid of him, but instead reached to Rafe's legs and hoisted them up a bit so Rafe could place his head on Alec's shoulder.

"I assume they were well behaved?" Alec asked as he and Magnus walked deeper into the loft, trying to toe off their shoes and not fall simultaneously. Catarina stood from her chair and walked over to them, giving them both a kiss on the cheek in greeting.

"They were," Catarina replied. "Although, we did have an incident at bath time last night."

"What happened this time?" Magnus asked as he looked down at Max, who now had an embarrassed, shy smile on his face. Catarina gave a heavy, tired sigh.

"Well apparently, someone," she pointedly looked at the navy blue boy, "didn't want to get in the tub, and when I tried to get him in he ended up breaking the pipes in the wall, flooding the room. Don't worry, I fixed the damage, but I think someone needs to have a bit more punishment than a time-out."

"Agreed," Alec said, glancing to his son who now had sad, guilty eyes that nearly melted the adults' hearts. "But we will talk about that later. I need to help the boys pack."

"Trip?" Max asked, his guilt forgotten, replaced by delight. The tips of his fingers were sparking as he bounced in his papa's lap. Alec nodded his head, trying to keep his smile jovial, but Magnus caught the force of it in his eyes. Catarina noticed it too.

"Come on," Alec said as he stood, Rafe still glued to his back. Max looked up at his brother and pouted, lifting his arms and standing on his toes at his dad's feet. Groaning in defeat with a happy smile, Alec maneuvered himself down to pick up the toddler, who latched himself to his father's chest in the same fashion his big brother, was latched to the man's back. Carefully and shakily, Alec made his way down the hall and out of sight. Once the two of them heard the sound of the door close, Catarina broke the silence.

"Thirteen days, Magnus Bane," Catarina said to him, her happy demeanor gone. She openly glared at him, her blue face set in a frown and her eyes full of questions and emotions. "You said only a couple days at most, but then you disappear for six without a word. Do you have any idea how worried I was? Do you know how hard it was to try to answer their questions about when their dad and papa would be back? They were worried too, and when I finally got your message, all you said was that you were safe and that I had to look after them longer. Don't get me wrong, I adore the boys and love to babysit, but not when the parents disappear and reappear in a matter of weeks without informing me on what they are doing!"

"Is that all?" Magnus asked patiently, his gaze neutral but his tone patient and understanding.

"Not even half of it, actually," the sky blue lady replied. "I had an entire speech planned in my head, but I didn't have time to write it down."

"Wow, you are mad at me," Magnus said with a grin. Catarina continued to glare.

"No kidding," was her reply. "And I believe I am owed an explanation of what you and your friends have been up to. Did I mention I called the Institute to ask your whereabouts and Maryse Lightwood responded by saying that you and the others had been gone just as long?"

"I am sorry for making you worry, Catarina," Magnus replied, avoiding the question. "And you are owed an explanation. However, I cannot give you one just yet."

"And why not?" the woman asked angrily, crossing her arms. Magnus sighed, trying to figure out the best way to tell her and yet not tell her.

"Something has come up, but it's something that is classified," Magnus began.

"Classified?" Catarina asked in a tone laced with annoyance. "Magnus, you are not a member of the FBI or some other mundane law enforcement."

"But that's the best word to use for what is happening right now," Magnus continued, his gaze practically pleading that Catarina understand the severity of the situation. "I can't tell you anything now, because that would put you in danger. You just have to trust me. Can you please just do that? I promise I will give you answers, but only after I'm positive it's safe."

"If what you are doing is so dangerous then why are you taking your children with you?" Catarina asked.

"Where Alec and I are going is the safest place for them," Magnus replied. "Please Catarina. I'm begging you; please just trust me until I can give you the answers you want."

Catarina remained silent for a minute, pondering what to do. With each second Magnus grew worried that she would say no. Her eyes were glazed over as she thought, unfocused on the direction they were looking. Magnus held his breath as he saw her eyes clear.

"I assume you don't want anyone to know about this?" she finally asked. Magnus felt the crushing weight on his chest relinquish its pressure at her words.

"Yeah," he answered. "I don't know how long I'll be gone."

"I'll tell anyone who asks that you are away on secret business, and if they press for details I'll say it's a matter of family?" she asked, just to get a story straight.

"Perfect," Magnus said. "I can't thank you enough."

"You owe me big time Magnus Bane," the female warlock replied. "Do you have any idea how many work days I've missed because of you?"

"You work so much and ignore your vacation time. You should be thanking me for forcing you to take a break for a couple weeks."

"Thank you for making me miss helping people at the job I love," Catarina replied with a frown, though her tone was jovial. The two of them were interrupted from further conversation when they heard the sound of giggles emerge from the hall. They turned and stared at quite the sight to behold. Alexander Lightwood looked like a human tree, with his son's still hanging on his torso as if they had never let go (perhaps they hadn't), and had a small suitcase hanging off of each arm. He was trying to walk straight, but both boys were wriggling and moving so much he nearly fell a couple times. Magnus chuckled at the sight while Catarina grinned.

"A little help?" Alec asked when he saw their amused expressions. Magnus shook his head playfully while Catarina continued to grin.

"I've already helped enough with those two," she said playfully. "I need a break."

"It looks like you have the whole human tree thing under control, Alexander," Magnus continued, amusement clear in his expression and tone. "And it seems to me that the boys don't want me to help you, and who am I to say no to them?"

"You spoil them," Alec replied, giving something between a grunt and a laugh as he stumbled his way over to them. "Are we set to go?"

"How much time do we have?" Magnus asked. Alec glanced at the clock on the wall.

"About fifteen minutes," Alec said. "And it will take us ten to get there."

"I need to go anyways," Catarina said, standing along with Magnus. "I need to get home. No offense, but I want to take a shower in a bathroom that hasn't been flooded by a three-year old."

"We understand," Magnus said and gave her a goodbye hug. Alec and the boys gave her a hug as well and then she was gone out the door. At that moment, the Chairman decided to make an appearance, peeking out from under the long silk curtains that hung by the balcony windows.

"Care-man!" Max cried in delight, right in Alec's ear. The navy blue boy quickly let go of his dad and landed on his feet without so much of a grimace before scurrying over to the feline and picking him up, cuddling him close to his chest. Said cat was initially displeased and looked like he was ready to swat at Max, but the boy scratched behind his ears and he started purring in content.

"Care-man come too?" the boy asked with big, round eyes. Magnus caved immediately.

"Of course he can!"

"Magnus—"

"Well, we can't leave him—"

"We need to ask—"

"Oh it'll be fine." At this, Alec gave a heavy sigh, setting the bags down on the couch.

"Fine. But if Kiara gets mad, you have to deal with her."

"Fair enough," the warlock replied. With a flick of his wrist, he conjured a bedazzled pet carrier with purple glitter and put the Chairman inside before he could protest. Then Magnus snapped his fingers and the bags levitated off the couch. He bent down to pick up Max and then turned back to his fiancé.

"Shall we then?" he asked playfully. Alec rolled his eyes, and together the little family left the loft.

The trip back was relatively uneventful. They met up at the address in just the nick of time, and twenty women seemingly appeared out of thin air to accompany them. Then they Portaled back from where they came and walked the same path back to the castle. Lady Hannah met them at the gate, and when she saw the boys, she nearly cooed. Meanwhile, the young warlock and Shadowhunter each hid behind one of their dads.

"Don't be shy, she's nice," Magnus said to them softly. Both boys stayed behind their designated father, but their grips loosened a fraction of a bit, and they peeked out to look at the lady that was smiling at them. Said woman knelt in front of their parents gently, smiling softly at the two young boys.

"Hello," Lady Hannah said in a tone so soft it was like silk. "My name is Hannah. What are your names?"

"Max," the navy boy said, still hiding behind his dad's long legs. Lady Hannah smiled at him before turning to his brother, who buried his face deeper into his papa's leather clad calf.

"And you must be Rafael." The boy nodded his head silently, his knuckles nearly white as he clutched his papa's impossibly tight leather pants. Lady Hannah smiled at him once more before standing and addressing the adults.

"Kiara is inside. Follow me." The group walked through the gardens once more, but this time Magnus and Alec had to keep a tight grip on their son's hands, because they were trying to walk towards the cursed fruit. Once they were inside the castle, the boys immediately became entranced.

"Whoa!" they both exclaimed excitedly. Lady Hannah smiled fondly at the two of them as they tried to drag their father's in different directions, trying to get a closer look at all of the new stuff. Pointing, smiling, gasps, and questions from the new party ensued as they walked through the building. The adults answered with smiles and laughs and replies to their questions. This trend continued all the way to the library.

They all entered the library together, all of them feeling a bit odd about entering the room which had housed their interrogations. Burning logs that glowed orange-red filled the grand fireplace, while overhead electric lights illuminated the rest of the room. The furniture was identical to when they all had been in the room during their incarceration, from the drapes to the books in the walls.

Kiara was standing in the middle, pacing around in circles, muttering to herself while wringing her hands nervously. She was dressed in a pair of jeans and a black shirt with a white and black American flag on it. Alyssa sat on one of the plush couches in front of her, saying nothing and keeping her eyes on her wife. The queen was pacing a circle into the floor, completely absorbed in her own world. She did not notice their presence until Lady Hannah cleared her throat rather loudly.

"My queen," she said. Kiara's head snapped up and she turned to the doorway. Her eyes scanned them quickly before setting sight on the boys. Once she saw them, her eyes lit up like fireworks and she grinned as big as the Cheshire cat. At the attention, both boys began to creep behind their dads' legs, looking a bit nervous at the new person in front of them. Rafael was naturally shy, so his reaction was expected, but Max was always excited to meet new people. His initial nervousness was foreign to all of them, but Kiara did not seem to notice.

Quietly, she strode over to them as if they were a baby animal lost in the streets. Alyssa followed behind, but kept her distance, she herself looking shy and out of place. Slowly, the former warlock knelt down to her knees just a few feet away from the boys, her eyes soft and her grin smaller as not to frighten them more. Then she slowly extended her hand forward, as if for a handshake.

"Hello, boys," she greeted softly. "My name is Kiara." Both kids remained silent, stared with wide eyes at the woman in front of them. Gently, Magnus reached down and patted both boys' heads.

"Kiara is my sister," their papa told them. "She's your aunt."

"Aunt?" Max asked curiously. Alec nodded his head.

"She's papa's little sister," Alec answered.

"Papa has sister?" Max asked. Kiara smiled at them, opening her eyes a bit wider so they could see her cat eyes more clearly. She gently tapped the skin beneath them, drawing their attention to that part of her face. When they saw the eyes more clearly, they both stood still for a moment, no one able to read their expressions. Then, suddenly, Max let go of his papa's leg and launched himself at the woman, knocking her back with a shocked yelp.

"He's fast," Kiara said as she began to laugh and hugged the boy back. Max began babbling to her, asking her questions in any way he could, so fast they were hardly able to keep up. However, Kiara seemed to be oblivious to the speed and was answering every single questions immediately after it left the blue boy's lips. All of them watched the interaction for a few minutes before Rafael started to creep towards his brother and the new lady. When Kiara noticed, she sat up again and held a hand up to the other boy. Gingerly, he placed his smaller hand in hers, and they shook before he drew back.

As Kiara continued to talk to Max, Rafael moved to sit on the couch. The same one where Alyssa sat. For a few moments, the two of them didn't speak to each other, but then Rafael asked her a question in Spanish, to which Alyssa replied. Soon, the two of them were speaking rapidly, smiling happily at each other while talking softly. The rest of the group just watched as the two boys interacted with their new relatives.

Things were looking up.

"What do you mean the rooms aren't prepared?"

Kiara stood with a dozing Max in her arms, talking to one of the many butlers in the doorway of the library. Alyssa sat on the couch with Rafael in her arms. The boy was yawning loudly as he curled into the woman's chest like a kitten would. The rest of the adults were fanned throughout the room, each of them either in their own world or watching the queen.

"I'm sorry, your Majesty," the man replied cordially. "But as we were preparing the rooms, we discovered an infestation of fire-ants."

"How did we get fire ants in the castle?" Kiara asked herself quietly. "What do we do now?"

"The boys can stay with us," Magnus answered.

"No…" Rafael mumbled. "Papa kicks…"

"I do not!" Magnus protested while the others laughed.

"They can stay in here," Kiara said, and turned back to the butler. "Would you please bring me as many pillows, blankets, and sheets as you can."

"We can sleep in here with them," Alyssa said as she gently rocked Rafael and Chairman Meow, who had somehow gotten out of his carrier and onto Rafael's chest. "You are our guests, and you should sleep in your rooms. I doubt you would like to sleep on the hard floor. Besides, I don't think Kiara wants to let go of Max just yet."

"Seems to me she's not the only one," Jace muttered as he watched Alyssa coddle Rafael.

"I think that's our cue to head out," Simon said as he pulled a tired Izzy to her feet. Jace did the same with Clary, and Magnus stood with Alec. The couples then began to make their way out of the room as the butler snapped his fingers, making a small mountain of pillows and blankets appear on the floor. However, before they exited, Alec let go of Magnus' hand. When his fiancé looked back, the two of them had a silent conversation, then Magnus nodded his head and left with the others. When the door closed, Alec turned back to the women and his sons. The boys were already being tucked into the nest of silk and fur blankets set on the floor, while Alyssa curled around their feet and began to snore. Kiara was still awake, stroking their hair softly. Suddenly, she stood, went to the window and ripped off one of the curtains, dragged it over, and draped it over Alyssa before settling back into her original spot.

"Nice collection of blankets," Alec commented.

"Thanks," the queen replied. "I wasn't sure which kind they would've liked, so I wanted both."

"That's very generous."

"I know you didn't stay behind just to comment on my blanket collection," Kiara answered, her attention still on the sleeping navy blue boy. Alec sighed and sat down on the couch that had been pushed into the wall.

"Why do you trust all of us so completely, yet treat Magnus like dirt? It isn't right." Kiara finally turned her head to Alec, her face set in a glare.

"I'm willing to openly trust a stranger who hasn't wronged me than a man who I know personally but has wronged me in the past," she answered spitefully.

"You know that he didn't do what you thought he did, and yet you still treat him like the plague. It's not right and you know it."

"If you spent fifty years believing that your brother sold you to a serial killer, you would feel the same way I do."

"Maybe, but no matter how much you say you hate him, I can see that you don't. You've got some guilt in your eye." Kiara turned away from him, just as the guilt he had been talking about filled her eyes. "I'm not asking you to just up and forgive him like that, that's not fair to you or relatively possible. Instead, I'm asking you to try and open up to him, to actually get to know him before jumping to conclusions. He has changed; I know it. Can you please try to do that?"

Kiara remained silent for a moment, and Alec held his breath. Finally, the woman sighed.

"Alright, I'll try," she answered. Alec didn't reply, he just nodded his head and stood. After kissing each of his sons on the head, he began to make his way to the door. However, just as he put his hand on the doorknob, he heard something.

"He's lucky to have someone like you. You're good for him." Alec smiled.

"I'm lucky to have him, and our sons, and my family." Then he opened the door and moved through the doorway.

"Goodnight." That was the last thing he heard before he closed the door. With a smile and a shake of his head, Alec moved through the dark hallway and back to his room. There was a spring in his step, because he had a feeling that this may make progress between Magnus and Kiara as siblings. He hoped he was right.

"Kiara, Kiara."

"Mmm—five more minutes…" Kiara pulled the draped over her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but the scouts have finished their analysis." Eyes immediately snapping open, Kiara threw the drape off her face, and bolted upright. Lady Hannah was at her side, her face set in a grim expression that only meant bad news.

"What's the result?" she queen asked urgently but quietly, as to not wake her nephews and wife.

"With the evidence gathered and the calculations made, there's only one possibility in regards to their attackers. You know how it is." With a deep-throated growl, Kiara grabbed a pillow and ripped it in half. Though she sounded angry, her eyes portrayed fear and anxiety.

"Helena's making her move."

So here it is! I hope you enjoyed! I don't know when my next update will be, but I have my chapter outline laid out. ALso, I'm thinking of publishing a few short stories with Kiara in them that wouldn't have made sense in regards to this story's timeline. Anyways, see you next time!

KiaraBaneTMI out! 3