Hi everyone! Sorry that this update is a day late, but I had to work yesterday, and I was a bit too tired to finish this chapter after that. (Saturdays seem to be both busy and plagued by slow computers, so I'm glad that I only work one per month. :)) This week's chapter, which is from both Magnus and Alec's POV, is another short one—sorry (insert evil cackle), and it takes place during "City of Glass." It concerns the scene where Alec supports Clary in front of the Clave, and as proof of her power, she creates a rune that shows everyone the person they love most. :)

And…surprise! As it turns out, this is the last chapter before the big kiss, not the second to last. (Yeah, I reread my outline and realized that I'd miscounted again; in this particular instance, fourteen is sort of a lucky number, though I think fifteen will be even better. :)) Also, as you may be able to guess, there are a couple of direct quotes from "City of Glass" below: Alec's line at the beginning and Maryse's line are both from the book. Anyway, look for Magnus and Alec to finally go public next week, and I'll see you again next weekend! :)

Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare, not I, is the author of "The Mortal Instruments," so she can do as she pleases with Magnus and Alec…though I'm really hoping for some romantic scenes in "City of Lost Souls"! Ah, but before that comes out, I need to finish "Clockwork Prince." (I'm almost done with a book for my book club, and as soon as that's finished, I can read more of CP1 every night. :))

Chapter 14: Magnus's POV

"She's not lying," Alec said. "I've seen her create a rune. She even used it on me. It worked."

Gazing around the hall, filled as it was with Shadowhunters, Magnus had to resist the urge to step a bit further way from Alec. In a tense atmosphere like this, it would be so easy to reach out and take Alec's hand without thinking, out of a desire to comfort and support him, but of course, actually giving in to such an impulse would be disastrous… especially with his mother standing so close. Magnus got the impression that if he put out his hand to touch Alec now, Maryse Lightwood might just chop it off.

When Alec had spoken up for Clary, Magnus had felt himself on the verge of positively grinning with pride. He was so impressed that Alec had taken such a risk, and for Clary of all people, who just a few weeks ago, Alec had barely been able to stand. But she was telling the truth (and she was Jace's sister, and therefore practically a sister to him too), so Alec was defending her, though doing so meant challenging people in authority within the Clave. People who would use Alec's secret against him, and the Lightwood family as a whole, if they ever discovered it.

Magnus ignored the Consul's response to Alec's statement—it was old news to him, watching Shadowhunters squabble—but the end of Maryse Lightwood's response to the Consul caught his attention.

"Give the girl a stele and let her create a rune," she was saying.

A perfectly reasonable suggestion, Magnus thought with a slight smile, so reasonable that I'll be surprised if the Consul will accept it. He doesn't seem to be a particularly reasonable man…

Magnus almost whispered his observation to Alec, but thought better of it. Enough people were watching their little group already; three Shadowhunters, a vampire, and a warlock were conspicuous enough without Magnus appearing to whisper some secret in Alec's ear.

Watching Clary as she prepared to draw the rune, Magnus couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. The poor girl barely understood her ability herself, yet here she was, preparing to exhibit it in front of a crowd of (mostly hostile) strangers, in what might well be a vain hope of preventing them from surrendering to Valentine. The girl was nothing if not brave, but as Clary drew, Magnus couldn't help but wonder how much good her courage could do in the face of stubborn Shadowhunters like the Consul, who wouldn't believe anything that was inconvenient to their conception of the world. Then, clearly, the rune was finished. Magnus stared up at Clary then, wondering what the rune she'd created was supposed to do, because suddenly, he no longer saw Clary when he looked at her. He saw…

Alec's POV

Suddenly, it was Magnus, not Clary, who was standing up in front of the Clave. Alec turned to gape at the spot that Magnus had occupied until a split second ago…and was shocked to find him still standing there. Alec looked back and forth between the two Magnuses, and though he could feel his mouth hanging open in shock, he didn't feel awkward or conspicuous by any means; most of the Shadowhunters around him looked equally amazed, and even the Magnus beside him, though his expression was hard to read, seemed more than a little surprised.

"Magnus," Alec whispered, glancing nervously at his mother almost in spite of himself. She didn't seem to hear him though—in fact, she seemed as shocked by Clary's sudden transformation as everyone else. Isabelle too was staring, confused, and Alec wondered briefly what his mother and sister were seeing now. Simon seemed puzzled as well. Could all of them see Magnus too? No, that couldn't be—other people in the hall had shouted out names, and some looked stricken now, as if they were staring at a ghost…

"Yes, Alec?" Magnus murmured. He too seemed aware of Alec's mother, standing just a few yards away.

Alec looked up at the other Magnus again. "What the hell is going on?"

"It's the rune that Clary just drew," Magnus said thoughtfully. "It's making all of us see some kind of illusion."

"Yeah, I figured that," Alec said, his voice rising slightly above a whisper in his exasperation. His mother, luckily, still seemed oblivious. "But why is it making me see you?"

Magnus glanced at him, and for just a moment, there was something pained and unguarded about his expression. "You see me?" Then he looked back at himself (or rather, Alec told himself impatiently, Clary disguised as Magnus), and frowned. "Interesting. I see you, actually. I wonder what that means…"

Alec stared at Magnus—the real Magnus—and he wasn't sure why, but for the first time in weeks, he felt hopeful about whatever was going to happen between them next.