POV: Alec

I stumble through the doorway to my house, spent. I hear Magnus' van pulling out of the driveway and smile. He said he needed to clean out the van and get all of the necessities for his new cat, Chairman Meow.

I make my way up the stairs reluctantly. I make it to my room just in time to hear the aftermath of Isabelle's night through the wall. Gross. I turn on my shower, half because I spent the night covered in leaves, and half to drown out the sound of Isabelle and whatever guy she brought home. Simon, hopefully.

A few moments later I step out of the shower smelling like lavender. I slip into dark jeans and a grey t-shirt. I'm about to go downstairs to find something for this headache when I see Simon walking out of Izzy's room. "Hello Simon," I mumble as he walks by. He mumbles a greeting before making his way down the stairs. In Isabelle's room, she's sitting at the end of her bed, looking pleased with herself. "Hey, Iz. I see you had a good night."

Iz smiles, looking down into her lap. Her hair cascades over her shoulder in a curtain of black strands. "Yeah, I did." She looks up at me. "How was yours?"

"I would tell you if I could remember." My little sister gives me a questioning look. "Magnus and I woke up in the back of his van without any clothes...and covered in leaves." Iz starts to laugh and I can't help but smile. It is a pretty strange scenario. "On the bright side, Magnus got a cat. He named him Chairman Meow."

"Magnus is interesting," Isabelle mumbles. "Is Dad still here?" she asks a little louder.

"His car wasn't in the driveway, so probably not," I tell her.

Isabelle looks down, disappointed. "He doesn't even say goodbye anymore." I sit down beside her, and put my hand on her shoulder giving it a light squeeze. I think she's the only one who still holds on to the hope of our father returning to the man he was before Max died.

Isabelle is the strongest person I know, but she holds on to her old life for longer than she should. She's a windstorm.

POV: Jace

After putting my pajamas on I sneak back into Clary's room. She lying down facing the wall and I slip into the bed behind her. She turns to face me, pushing strands of hair away from her eyes. I pull her into my arms and we fall asleep for another hour before I feel the bed shift beside me. "Where are you going?" I ask, trying to pull her back into bed with me.

"I need to take a shower," Clary protests, resisting my efforts to make her lay down. I let her go and she comes back a few moments later smelling heavily of grapefruit. Her hair is pulled back into a knot on the back of her head and she's only wearing a towel. I stand in front of her, enjoying the view. "Stop staring at me." Clary blushes.

"Come here." I open my arms so she can lean into me, but she doesn't. "What's wrong?" I ask.

"Jace, I'm kind of naked," she protests, stepping away from me.

"I don't mind." I wink at her.

Clary sighs. "Of course you don't." She laughs. "I'm getting dressed." She reaches into her dresser and pulls out clothing before walking back into her bathroom. Damn I think, but decide to go take a shower.

POV: Clary

When I come back, Jace is gone. I hear the faint sound of water running coming from Jace's room. I check the clock on my phone and see that it's 10 AM. Jon is supposed to be coming over in two hours. Upstairs, Simon and Izzy are in the kitchen hovering over a plate of Eggo Waffles. I walk past them, pretending not to notice the googley eyes they're making at each other, and start to make breakfast for Jace and me.

I place the tray on Jace's bedside table and wait for him to come out of the shower. I hear the water turn off, and Jace walks out a few minutes later with a towel wrapped around his waist. "Oh, hey Clary," he says when he sees me, paying no mind to the fact that I'm staring at his bare chest. He takes my hand, pulling me to him. I crash into his chest, but I don't mind. I was dying to get close to him.

I stammer. "I made breakfast."

Jace looks to where I'm pointing and smiles. "I see that, and it looks delicious. Thank you." His lips press against mine, and I stand on the tips of my toes. Jace's arms snake around my waist, and he groans against my lips. I run my hands up his biceps, and down his chest. I feel my feet leave the floor, but I pay no attention. Jace pushes my back against the wall, never removing his lips from mine. H pulls away and his tawny eyes pierce mine. "What time is your brother coming over?"

I glance at the clock on my cell phone. "An hour and a half," I announce. Jace groans, but sets me back down on the floor and we start eating our breakfast after he puts clothes on.

Iz and I are trying to decide what to make for lunch when the doorbell rings. I rush out of the kitchen to answer it, and throw my arms around my big brother. "Hey Jonathan!" I exclaim, pulling him through the door.

"Hey CC. How are you?" Jon asks.

"Good. Alec and Jace beat up Sebastian. Again. And Magnus covered him in glitter." I laugh at the last part, thinking of how long it probably took him to get all that glitter out of his hair and clothes. Not to mention the interior of his car. Jon laughs with me, but doesn't say anything. He just gives Alec and Jace a glance of approval.

We all make our way into the living room, momentarily jockeying over the coveted recliner. We compromise and give it to Jonathan. I sit on the edge of the couch, closest to Jonathan. Jace sits in the middle, and Alec sits on the other side of him. After we're all seated, Jace laces our fingers together. I see Jonathan's face when he notices but he quickly averts his eyes, pretending he didn't see.

We ramble about pointless things, laughing until the smell of something burning leaks into the living room. "I should go help Isabelle before she burns down the house."

POV: Jonathan

Clary bounces out of the room toward the smell of something burning. I turn to Jace, not wasting any time. "Are you fucking my sister?" I blurt, trying to sound intimidating.

Jace laughs nervously. "No." He recovers. "I'm not." Something flashes in his golden eyes, and I'm not convinced that he's telling me the truth.

"Jace, are you lying to me?" I ask calmly. Jace's face ss masked with a grave expression. He leans over to Alec and says something I can't hear. Alec nods and heads in the same direction as Clary did. "Well?" I press.

"I'm not sleeping with Clary," Jace assures me.

I wait for him to explain why he sent Alec away, but he doesn't. "You asked Alec to leave for that?"

Jace frowns. "No, I just..." Jace trails off.

"You kissed her?" I offer.

"Well, yes," Jace admits. "But that's not what I was going to say."

"Okay. Don't fuck my sister," I warn. "What did you want to say?"

"I don't think we'll be doing that any time soon," Jace says, uncomfortable. He looks into my eyes and says: "Sebastian has been bothering her. He won't leave her alone. She and I had a fight and she called him. He picked her up and she came back in pretty bad shape. And...she told me everything. I don't think she's re-grown the pieces he stole from her."

"Verlac fucked my sister?" My voice is venom. He is the last person I would ever let near Clary. I already knew this, but having Jace confirm my suspicions makes me furious all over again.

Clary walks back into the living room and observes our situation. "Are you giving Jace the talk again?" she asks, annoyed. Clary takes her seat beside Jace again and I roll my eyes when he re-laces his fingers through hers.

"No," Jace and I say in unison.

POV: Clary

I walk into the kitchen as Isabelle walks out. "Hey, Simon," I mutter. It's the first time we've really spoken since he made his little confession yesterday.

"Hey Clary. I'm really sorry about yesterday," he says quietly, not making eye contact.

"I'm not mad," I tell him. "I just don't want Izzy to get hurt."

"I don't want to hurt her," Simon interjects. "I think..." Simon mumbles. "I think I'm falling in love with her," he admits.

"Simon, that's fantastic!" I say, stepping around the counter. "Did you sleep over?!" I ask.

"Yeah, we uh...you know." Simon blushes. "I can't believe I didn't see it before." Simon smiles widely, and I'm so glad that he's happy. "Did you and Jace...sleep together last night?" Simon asks in a hushed voice.

I feel my face turning red, and Simon chuckles. "He slept in my room, but nothing happened," I answer, matching his volume. "Though we were drunk, and I was trying," I admit, embarrassed. "Jace stopped me."

Simon smiles. "Good man."

POV: Magnus

I drag myself through the door to my apartment, lugging all sorts of things for Chairman Meow. Where is he? "Chairman Meow?" I call, looking around the living room. "Where are you, you magical bastard?"