Simon woke as the sun hit his eyes through a gap in his curtains. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and ran a hand through his hair as he turned to look at his alarm clock, which should have gone off half an hour ago. He normally just kept the 'on' switch where it was, but it had been turned off.

Simon grinned. Izzy.

He turned to his other side and was surprised to see an empty where not too long ago he was holding Isabelle Lightwood in his arms. By god, nothing in the world had ever felt so right. It had been the greatest night of his life; quite literally a hell of a ride. That's a story to tell the grandkids.

Wait…ew. No, no it's not!

Simon noticed Isabelle's clothes were nowhere to be seen in the room – had she really just got up and left after what happened between them? After everything they said and did (multiple times)?

Then he remembered her dress had slid off that gorgeous body before they'd entered the bedroom, so there was a glimmer of hope. Simon got out of bed, slid on some boxers and opened the door, eyes squinted.

Two blurry figures were sat at the kitchen table, turning to face him as he entered the living area. One of them stood up to greet him, silky black hair falling down her neck. Simon could quite easily make out the grin on her face even with his poor vision due to how wide it was.

"Morning." Isabelle beamed. She was wearing nothing but the shirt Simon had worn the night before.

"Mooorning, Simon." Jordan smirked, sat at the table like a righteous king.

"Morning." Simon grinned, fixated on Isabelle. She was the most beautiful blur he'd ever seen.

"I appreciate you putting on the boxers, at least." Jordan chuckled, heading over to Simon and placing an item in his hands – his glasses. "I'll give you two a minute. We will be talking about this in great detail, you sly fox."

Simon laughed quietly and shook his head as he put on his glasses and watched Jordan head into his room, looking very pleased with himself. He hoped the 'great detail' Jordan was expecting wasn't a serious request. He clocked two stacks of clothes on the couch; his and Isabelle's clothes from the night before. As he looked at Isabelle he hoped it wasn't too obvious how happy he was to see her wearing his shirt.

"…Uh…hi." Simon said.

Isabelle giggled. "Hi."

Silence. But not a weird one. Comfortable. Happy. Relaxed.

"I, uh…I didn't know if you'd left or not." Simon admitted shyly.

"I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye." Isabelle beamed. "I came out here to make us breakfast in bed but Jordan was already up so…I couldn't really cover up what happened last night."

The way her voice had gotten slightly higher as she said 'what happened last night' made Simon grin. "Yeah, that was…um…that was amazing."

"It was." Isabelle nodded with a sweet smile, stepping forward and placing her hands on Simon's chest, the tips of her fingers lightly caressing his skin. She was blushing but smiling all the same. "I'm really glad it happened."

Simon couldn't help himself; he couldn't restrain himself when the most beautiful girl in the world was looking at him like that. "Me too."

Isabelle's eyes were brighter than Simon had ever seen them. "I, uh…I know there's so much going on right now, and so much to deal with, but I…I really want us to find time to talk about this. Us."

"…Yeah." Simon nodded, about ninety seven percent sure Isabelle had taken his breath away.

"I meant every word that I said." Isabelle said. "I don't want this to go away. This is real for me. I, um…I want us to give it a shot, you know? You and me. Together. Even if we decide to sort out everything at work first or throw caution to the wind…either way, I don't want this to go away. Is, um…is that how you feel or am I making myself look stupid?"

This was Simon's chance to get out. To guarantee the girl he loved wouldn't be dragged into his shamble of a life. Sometimes love was a curse. Love, their love, had been built from a lie. Did that still make it love?

He had to know.

"You couldn't look stupid if you tried." Simon smiled. "Look at you."

He ran a hand through her hair; she leaned into his touch and ached for his lips. He kissed her so gently she wanted to cry.

"I never want there to be a last time I kiss you. Even if it's in another life. That's how I feel about you, Izzy."

Her eyes now bright with tears, Isabelle kissed Simon again. There was heat in the kiss like there had been the night before. The feel of their lips had been burned into each other's skin. A beautiful pain.

"Is Jordan heading out anytime soon?" Isabelle whispered into Simon's lips.

"I don't think so."

"Shame…I suppose we'll have to try and be quiet." Isabelle smirked, biting her lip as she gripped the top of Simon's boxers and led him towards his bedroom.

"No promises." Simon smirked, sweeping Isabelle up into his arms with the bedroom door closing behind them being the only thing drowning out her laughter.

…

"Tyler, we've been together for decades, this is…you can trust the firm! Then trust me! You've always said I was worth more than my company…oh, I see. So when it comes down to sticking to your word…the only thing I'm sorry for is believing the bullshit. Integrity? You want to talk about integrity? Tyler? Tyler? Piece of shit!" Maryse exclaimed, angrily slamming the phone down and banging her fist on her desk.

"Another one bites the dust." Robert grumbled from the corner.

"I thought you were going to try and keep Zuckerman on board?" Maryse accused.

Robert nodded. "I called him four times. Got hung up on four times and told that he'd only sue us if we ever called him again."

"Shit." Maryse cursed.

Luke walked in with a stack of folders, placing them on Robert's desk. "The latest batch of lawsuits."

"You shouldn't have." Robert faked a smile.

"Do we have any good news? Anything? Did Valentine get hit by a bus or something that can brighten my day?" Maryse wondered.

"Well, I managed to convince Haskins Corporation and Richards Ltd. to stay signed with us. Some of the smaller investors, I know, but it's something." Luke revealed.

"Small victories. I'll take any I can get. Certainly a better result than some others." Maryse said, glancing to Robert.

"Oh, taking jabs at me are you? What a refreshing change." Robert rolled his eyes.

"Don't get me started, Robert." Maryse warned.

"How about we save the petty jabs for after we save our firm, yeah? Just putting it out there." Luke suggested before receiving a call on his phone and heading out.

Silence.

"…Have you spoken to Isabelle today?" Robert asked eventually.

"If I had, I'd have told you." Maryse said, pretending to work at her desk so as to not to have to look Robert in the eye. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you have a phone too. Whether or not you're capable of using it as of late is another matter."

"I know I was in a bad way when she found me -"

"- That was the worst I'd ever seen you, Robert. Not that I let Isabelle know that. She thought you were dead." Maryse spat, disgusted.

"Jesus…" Robert sighed, head in his hands.

"I don't think he's gonna help you." Maryse said. "You drink yourself half to death, let your daughter find you lying there and yet you still had a glass of whiskey this morning. Don't think I didn't see you."

"…Maryse…"

"I don't want to hear it. I am sick of your voice. When I get home I'm getting rid of every drop of alcohol I can find and I swear I'm tearing that place apart when I look. And if I get even a hint of you bringing any home with you…drink yourself to death if you want, Robert, but at least have the curtesy not to do it in our house."

Luke walked back in solemnly. "That was Jocelyn. We're all over the papers."

"What papers?" Robert asked.

Luke sighed. "All of them."

…

Jace was shocked by the silence as the elevator doors opened on the 35th floor. He could quickly see why it was so quiet; there were only about half the number of the employees he'd normally expect to see working at their cubicles, Clary among them.

He hurried over to Clary's cubicle. "Where the hell is everyone?"

"They've either quit or ignoring our calls wondering where they are. It's not just clients who are pissed, apparently." Clary revealed.

"Shit." Jace sighed.

"And this is one of the busier floors." Clary added sadly.

"Double shit." Jace cursed furiously.

"That about sums it up, yeah." Clary nodded.

"And where's Lewis?" Jace asked.

"Here! Sorry." Simon announced as he hurried into the room from the stairwell.

"Where the hell have you been?" Jace demanded.

"Oh, uh…sorry. Long story." Simon said, letting a smile creep along his lips.

"Our firm's in the gutter and you're smiling?" Jace wondered angrily.

Simon's face dropped. "Sorry. No. This is all crap, I know. I just…sorry."

Clary stood up and smirked. "Oh my god, you had sex."

"Lewis? Doubt it." Jace remarked.

"The way you walked in was a different pace, you're holding yourself differently…you had sex!" Clary pointed accusingly at Simon. "But I thought you were into Izzy!"

"I was. Once last night and once this morning." Simon blushed.

"I KNEW IT! YES! Don't appreciate the imagery, but I'm so happy for you two!" Clary exclaimed happily before noting the blankness on Jace's face. "Sorry. We can talk about that later."

"Yes. We will." Jace grumbled, his icy glare fixated on Simon.

Silence.

"…So…how's the client situation?" Clary asked, sensing some obvious tension she didn't feel confident enough to tackle head on.

"Picture the worst thing you can think of and triple it." Jace grumbled.

"Hey, we'll work it out." Clary forced a smile, rubbing her hand up and down Jace's arm supportively.

Simon saw Jace's eyes light up for a few moments as he smiled at Clary and reached for her hand, only to stop and pull away. Then he watched the light fade from them as Jace turned to face him. "Let's go to my office."

…

Jace sat on his desk glaring at Simon, who was sat in front of him on an expensive padded chair. It had been silent since they'd walked in.

Simon spoke up. "…I know brooding is kinda your thing, but -"

"- You and Izzy."

"I figured that's what this would be about."

"Oh, really?" Jace oozed sarcasm. "You didn't think we had enough on our plate already so you thought you'd sleep with Isabelle too?"

"She came over and she was really upset and…things were said and it just happened and I'm sorry but I…I don't regret it. I couldn't if I tried." Simon explained.

"We talked about this, Simon. We agreed to keep Isabelle and Clary away from our own little mess."

"I know, but I…I guess I'm not as strong as you when it comes to that. I didn't even think there was a possibility that Izzy felt the way she does. I mean, look at her , and then you look at me…would she have even looked at me twice eight months ago? Before all of this? I can't regret coming here now I've met her. Clary. Hell, even you."

Jace sighed. "…You think I don't want to run down three floors and sweep Clary off her feet and say 'screw it'? We don't get that luxury. You think you can have a relationship with Izzy and be lying to her every day about the reason you two even met?"

"Honestly, I don't know. But I do know that I'd rather do hard with her than easy with anyone else." Simon stated.

"…Okay, I'll let you be an adult. But she's like a sister to me, and I swear if there's ever a very real chance of her getting too close to the truth you need to step back. Even…even if it breaks her heart." Jace ordered.

"I care about her too much to let her get too close. I promise." Simon stated meaningfully.

"…We shouldn't even be considering risking so much, you know." Jace sighed.

"I know. But we're only human." Simon said solemnly.

"…What was she upset about?" Jace asked.

"What?"

"You said Izzy was upset when she came over to your place. What was she upset about?" Jace asked.

"I don't know if it's my place to say." Simon said cautiously.

…

"Thought I'd find you in here."

Isabelle looked up from her desk to see Alec stood shyly by the door. Saying nothing, she stood up, walked up to her brother and hugged him tight. It was the longest hug they'd ever had.

"I'm sorry for letting you just sit outside my place while I locked myself away." Alec said, closing the door as Isabelle sat up on her desk and invited him to join her.

"You needed time to process, it's okay. Clary told me she was going to talk to you."

"Yeah, she, uh…she really helped." Alec nodded. "…So what disastrous part of our lives should we talk about first?"

"I don't know where to start." Isabelle sighed. "Have you spoken to Magnus?"

"Yeah, uh…we're gonna take a break from each other for a bit. You know, keep our heads down and away from each other." Alec revealed.

Isabelle comfortingly touched Alec's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. I think we both need to keep apart for a little while. We always knew we were playing with fire and yet we still carried on like we were invincible. We haven't drawn a line under it, you know? It's just time." Alec said.

"…Ugh, I'm gonna kick Valentine in the nuts so hard he'll fold up and disappear into himself." Isabelle groaned.

Alec smiled. "I would pay a lot to see that."

"Admission would be free of charge." Isabelle smiled sweetly. "What about mom and dad?"

"I spoke to dad for a very awkward thirty seconds, and mom? She can't look me in the eye." Alec sighed.

"And that's her problem, not yours."

"I know it sounds awful, but I'm kind of glad the firm is in the gutter; it's a pretty great distraction." Alec admitted.

"If it helps, I can't say things are great with mom and dad for me either. We really are in this together. I found dad flat out drunk; thought he was dead. I think he's getting pretty bad again." Isabelle revealed.

"Shit." Alec grumbled. "That can't have been nice to see."

"Mom took care of it and I got out of there. I can hardly speak to her after how she's treated you. But she'll come round, I know she will."

"I hope so." Alec nodded. "Has anything positive happened to balance out all of the bullshit?"

"Well, I suppose you could say some things are pretty good." Isabelle smiled. "But let's focus on making the bullshit good, yeah?"

"Well, at least there is some light in the darkness." Alec said, wrapping an arm around his sister as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I'd be happy to hear all about it. It'd make a nice change."

"Well, I had some pretty great sex."

"And we'll stop right there."

…

Robert walked through the front door slowly. He made his way in through the hall and into the living room, his hand sliding against the wall for support. Maryse was sat in an armchair waiting for him.

He stopped and looked at her. "…Don't suppose I should lie about where I've been."

"…No. I suppose not. Though I'll give you some credit; you seem to be standing on your own two feet better than I expected." Maryse said quietly.

"I lost a lot of very old clients today, Maryse. Friends."

"So did I. But I have self-control and a firm I care about." Maryse stated.

"I care about our firm too." Robert stepped forward.

Maryse stood up. "I know. Believe me, I know you do. Deep down in your heart, you care for a lot of things. The firm, yes. Booze, of course. The children, without question. Me? Maybe. Yourself? Not one bit."

"I care about you, Maryse, of course I do. You're my wife."

"You care, but do you love?" Maryse asked. Robert was stunned to silence. "So much has happened to our family. Valentine, Max, Jocelyn, Alec and the firm, Isabelle finding you…I don't think your heart has enough room in it for everything. Not for me."

"Don't say that about me." Robert warned.

"No, I don't mean it in a bad way, Robert. It's smart. Logical. I'm only saying it because I feel the same way." Maryse said. Her eyes were sparkling with the threat of tears.

Robert walked slowly up to her and noted the pain in her eyes. "Maryse…"

"Do you remember our honeymoon? When we danced on the beach as the sun set?" Maryse asked tearfully.

Robert's eyes stung. "Of course I do."

"…Have you ever felt anything like that since?"

Robert said nothing.

A tear fell down Maryse's cheek. "Neither have I."

"Don't put yourself through this." Robert pleaded.

Maryse tentatively took Robert's hand. "You need to make room in your heart to love yourself. We both do. And we may be married but it's been so long since it felt like we were together."

Robert stared at her. "…I love you."

Maryse smiled through a stream of tears. "I know. And I love you. But not the way we used to love."

Robert let a tear fall. "…I know."

"We're not losing our firm. We're not letting Valentine and Hodge destroy us. We keep our brave faces on and we build back up. We don't have to make anything official with us until then, but…" Maryse began.

"You don't have to say it." Robert whispered. "…I'll sleep in Alec's old room from now on. But we tell the kids what's happening. We keep too much from them already. We're close to losing them as it is."

Maryse sobbed. "I've already lost them, Robert."

"A once beautiful vase that's glued back together with cracks still showing is better than no vase at all." Robert said. "Without me in your heart, there's more room for them now. We'll be partners, and the best of the best too."

Maryse nodded with a broken heart and hugged Robert to start the process of mending it. "Help me save the firm, but please save yourself too."

"I can't promise it'll be quick and easy. I'll need time."

"You have it." Maryse whispered. "Can…can you tell the kids?"

Robert nodded into her shoulder and held her silently as she cried.

…

Isabelle couldn't hold back her smile as she heard the doorbell ring and rushed to answer it. Simon beamed at her as he handed her a bouquet of flowers and kissed her with all he had.

"I could get used to this." She grinned.

"Good." Simon smiled as Isabelle took his hand and guided him inside. "Sorry I didn't get to see you at work. We've all had a hell of a day."

"I know, it's okay. I don't really want to think about any of that after the amount of clients we lost today." Isabelle sighed, sitting on her soft silk couch with Simon joining her and linking his fingers into hers.

"How's Alec doing? And your parents?"

"Clary worked her magic on Alec; he's gonna work it out. I think he'll be okay. He's a really strong person; people tend to underestimate him. I don't even know where things stand with mom and dad. Our family's messed up at the best of times." Isabelle said.

"You certainly haven't seemed to have it easy. My family have always been nuts but…I don't know…" Simon began.

"But you're always on each other's side?" Isabelle posed and Simon nodded. "I can't remember a time when we were all on the same page over things. I mean, Alec and I have all these ideas about the future of Lightwood Garroway that mom and dad won't even make time in their day to hear."

"Well, one day you'll be able to implement them when you inherit the firm, right?" Simon asked.

Isabelle smiled. "Maybe. We'd need the firm to last longer than five minutes before we have anything to take over."

"Hey, everything will find its way. I firmly believe that everything has a way of working itself out in the end." Simon smiled, wrapping an arm around Isabelle as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm really glad we're doing this." Isabelle whispered with a smile as she ran Simon's tie through her fingers.

"Me too." Simon smiled down at her.

"…Listen, after how everything's been at the firm and with my family, I…I'm tired of the lies and the secrets. I really, really want us to work, Simon…I just, I just need to know that there's no walls between us. Nothing that could tear us apart. I'm sick of losing people and I don't think I could cope with losing you." Isabelle begged, looking up at Simon with so much hope in her eyes it made him hate himself.

The truth would ruin her.

"Simon?" She pressed. Simon's heart was thumping.

"…I'm not a creepy serial killer, if that's what you're worried about." Simon smiled and Isabelle laughed.

"Well that's excellent news." She kissed him and got up from the couch. "I'll crack open some wine."

"Great." Simon forced a smile as Isabelle glided over to her kitchen as graceful as ever.

The second she left the room, the realisation of what he'd just done sunk in. Simon's smile faded and the feeling of a storm brewing in his chest looked set to remain there for quite some time.