Clary sighed contentedly as she leaned back into her chair, sipping her wine. She had been expecting a simple dinner with everyone, probably having food Magnus got from a restaurant, but she was in awe of Alec's cooking skills. He cooked sometimes at the Institute, but it was always quick meals when they were starving. Now with the time and kitchen space that Magnus's apartment offered, he had the chance to show off his culinary skills. Every part of the meal was incredible, from the first to last bite.
"Alec, that was amazing," she said, looking over at him. "Holy crap, I didn't know you could cook like that."
Alec flushed at Clary's compliment, muttering thank you as he looked down at his plate.
"You'd never expect Alec to be such a great cook when you compare it to Izzy's cooking," Jace laughed, earning a kick from Izzy under the table. "Ow! Damnit Izzy, are you wearing your steel-toed boots again?"
"Serves you right," Isabelle retorted as Jace grumbled. "My cooking isn't that bad; Alec's just been cooking longer than I have. With a little more practice, I'll be just as good as him." She turned to glare at Jace as he laughed, quickly disguising it with a cough.
"Well kids, I hope you all saved some room for dessert," Magnus said, vanishing the empty plates with a wave of his hand.
"Oh god, I don't think I can eat anymore," Clary groaned. "Can't it wait until later?"
"Jace raised his hand, "I also vote that we postpone dessert," he agreed as Isabelle nodded.
"I think we've reached the point of the night where everyone lays around on the couch and tries not to fall asleep," Simon commented as he finished his glass of blood. "Sometimes involves drinking too."
"That sounds like a good idea," Alec said. "We can clean up later when we're not on the verge of slipping into a food coma."
Magnus nodded, clapping his hands as he stood. "Alright, everyone grab your drinks and stand or you're going to be sitting on the floor in a minute." There was a clamor of chairs scraping against the hardwood floors and bottles and glasses clinking together. Once everyone had moved away from the table, Magnus waved his hand again, vanishing the dining room table and replacing it with several leather couches and a large flat screen television.
"Whose house did you steal this from?" Jace asked, setting his glass and a bottle of wine on the coffee table in front of him before settling onto the couch. "The sofas are nice."
"Better question, can we keep the tv?" Simon replied as he sat on the loveseat next to Isabelle. "A tv like this is game changing."
"You'd never see the light of day again," Clary said, squealing as Jace pulled her onto his lap. She could feel herself blushing, her cheeks warm from more than just the wine she had at dinner. She leaned into his body as he wrapped his arms around her, his chin resting on top of her head.
"Technically he shouldn't be able to see the light of day; he'd just be following the vampire norm," Alec commented.
"Is there anything good on tv?" Isabelle asked as she grabbed the remote control.
Simon shook his head, "There's never anything good on Saturday night. Saturdays are movie days."
"So then let's pick a movie," Clary answered easily, stretching her legs out on the couch.
"Which movie?" Magnus asked, laying his head on Alec's lap. "That we'll all agree on."
Magnus's comment set off twenty minutes of movie debates, resulting in several thrown pillows, a few spilled drinks, threats of violence and disownment, the occasional outraged scream, and quite a few refills of their alcoholic drinks. Clary sat quietly, content to sip her wine and listen to everyone else talk. This moment was one of the reasons she had fought so hard against Valentine. A night of Shadowhunters, vampires, and warlocks all hanging out together wouldn't have been possible if Valentine had won. Alec wouldn't be running his hand through Magnus's hair, smiling affectionately when he thought he wasn't paying attention, Simon wouldn't be harassing Izzy about her lack of movie knowledge. She shuddered to think what would have happened to her and Jace. Despite all of the hardship and loss that came with fighting Valentine, she would do it all again to end up with this result; none of the amazing things in her life would have been possible without that fight.
She shook her head, trying to clear her dark thoughts and re-focus on the movie debate. "What about that Underworld movie you were talking about the other day, Simon?" she suggested.
"Yes! Underworld, perfect!" Simon exclaimed.
As the ground chattered about the movie, Jace kissed Clary's shoulder lightly, plucking her half empty wine glass from her hands. "I think you've had enough," he murmured, answering her questioning gaze. "You're starting to slur a bit."
"I've never really drunk before," Clary admitted sheepishly.
Jace laughed, shaking his head. "And you've had four or five glasses of wine. This will be a fun night."
"Let her live a little, Jace," Izzy called from her couch. "We've all gotten drunk before; everyone should get a turn. It's a right of passage."
"She's a lightweight; she'll appreciate me stopping her now when she's not hungover tomorrow."
"Hey!" Clary exclaimed indignantly, shoving his shoulder. "I'm not a lightweight."
Jace easily grabbed her hands, holding them against his chest. "Another two glasses and you'd be completely wasted, I guarantee. Though I'm curious to know what drunk Clary would be like," he murmured, his eyes darkening. "Sober Clary is always surprising me."
Clary blushed under his gaze, her cheeks almost matching her hair. "Shut up," she murmured.
"All of you, shut up," Magnus said, dimming the light as the movie began.
It was after one in the morning when the group had finished both Underworld movies. As Clary glanced around tiredly, she realized everyone had fallen asleep at some point during the second movie. Izzy was leaning into Simon's side, his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Alec was stretched out on another couch, his head resting on Magnus's lap as Magnus leaned into the side of the couch. Clary was sure she had dozed off at some point during the movie. The last thing she remembered was sitting upright with Jace on the couch, but now she was lying on the couch, her body draped on top of him.
"Safe to say you're not going home tonight," Jace murmured as she moved, brushing her hair away from her face. "It's too late to go anywhere."
"I'm too tired to move anyway," Clary yawned, tucking her face against his neck. She smiled as she felt his arms tighten around her body, kissing his shoulder lightly. "I think it's more from the wine than actual exhaustion."
Jace chuckled, "You're probably right. Go back to sleep, Clary; it's late."
"I've been falling asleep with you a lot this week," she mumbled tiredly. "I'll miss it when Mom and Luke come home."
"I'll miss it too," he agreed. A soft sigh left her lips as he began rubbing her back, her eyes fluttering shut. "I'm always willing to sneak into your house, but I don't want your mom to kill me."
Clary nodded in agreement, on the brink of sleep when a soft weight landed on her. Forcing her eyes open, she eyed the dark blue blanket spread across her before looking up at Jace.
"Not me," Jace stated, tucking the blanket around her before nodding his head over to Magnus.
She turned her head in his direction, a small smile on her lips as she saw Magnus's eyes open and everyone covered with similar blankets. "Thank you, Magnus," she whispered, not wanting to wake the others.
"Sleep tight, lovebirds," he replied, running his hand through Alec's dark hair, his expression gentle. "No one gets up before ten."
"Alright," Clary yawned, turning back to Jace. She kissed him lightly before resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad we're here."
"Sleeping on Magnus's couch?" Jace teased, raising an eyebrow.
She swatted his shoulder lightly, too sleepy to put any real force behind it. "Here with everyone. All of us together, it's nice," she mumbled, her words garbled as she fell asleep.
Jace smiled, kissing her head as he tightened his grip on her. "Yeah, it's nice, Clary."
Reviews please!