A/N

Hello guy, just a little summery for those of you who haven't read this in ages and have kind of forgotten the plot a little (although I would recommend reading the fic again….I had to)

1. Alec manages to get involved rude bad boy magnus bane

2. He finds out magnus' father is a prick and his mother is dead, Alec himself had a car accident that killed his little brother max

3. Clace and sizzy occur

4. Magnus fights to release stress, alec finds out, they fight then make up and all is well

5. Jem gets sick and goes into a coma

6. Magnus has an argument with his dad and moves out into an apartment which is shared by will who wants to be closer to Jem.

7. Camille reconnects with Magnus but has hidden motives that involve a mysterious man

8. Isabelle is pregnant and staying with Alec after telling Mayrse didn't evoke the ideal response

I think that's all the key stuff, although like I said it may be better just to re-read it, especially since I will defo be updating regularly now until the end! Anyway:

Chapter 25

Determination and Inspiration

"Cause it feels like the weight of the world

Have the angels turned their back on me?" (Lemar)

Isabelle was certain she'd never been so comfortable in her life. Her head was pressed into one of the softest pillows she had ever felt, the pillow case itself made of an expensive and luxurious cotton. The mattress was also heavenly soft, yet firm at the same time. She felt so comfortable and warm that she could sleep forever and never leave this bed.

She probably would have done exactly that if it weren't for voices arguing nearby, voices that, she supposed, had woken her in the first place. They were too loud to ignore, but too muffled to understand. She groaned with annoyance and rolled over, opening her eyes blearily.

She was in a large room with two grand beds and a plush cream carpet. It must be Alec's room she realised, spotting one of his holey jumpers on the dresser and a stack of textbooks on the desk.

Then her warm, docile reality caved in as she remembered why she was staying in Alec's dorm instead of her own bedroom.

She closed her eyes and bit back her tears as she pictured the shocked disappointment on her mother's face as she told her about the baby. Gingerly Isabelle slipped a hand under the thick duvet and rested it on her stomach. Although still fairly flat, she was sure that it felt hotter, as if the heat of the baby was radiating through her skin, she wondered if it could feel her hand. "you're being paranoid," she muttered to herself, removing her hand, "it's probably the size of a pea, and completely unnoticeable."

Desperate for a distraction she glanced around the room, her eyes settling on the door and the sound of the muffled voices. Shivering slightly she slipped out of bed and crept up to the door. She pressed her ear to the wood and listened.

"Just go!" she heard her brother snap, backed up by presumably Magnus who yelled.

"yeah, find some other people to torture with your horrible hair choices"

"like you can talk Bane" a third voice snipped, "you have the hair of a punk going to a three year old princess party."

Isabelle frowned slightly at the familiarity of the voice, trying to place it.

She leaned forward and peered through the peephole. The view was strangely stretched and warped but she could make out Alec standing in front of the door. "Why does he insist on wearing such disgusting jumpers" she muttered under her breath, before spotting Magnus, his hair spiked dramatically as usual. Then she saw the third person and her breath caught in her throat.

Hair so blond it was almost white.

Sharp, handsome features.

Cold black eyes.

She recoiled from the peep hole trying desperately to quash her rising panic. What was he doing here? She thought she'd never have to see him again, see that predatory gaze and arrogant smirk. She backed away and clambered onto Alec's bed and under the covers as the door handle turned.

Shutting her eyes again, she heard her brother voice as he whispered "I swear to god that Jonathan Morganstern is such a…..a twit".

Magnus snorted, "such language" and Isabelle could practically feel Alec's responding scowl.

"Isabelle," Alec murmured, his voice close by.

Isabelle stirred slightly and mimicked waking up slowly. "Alec?" she mumbled peering up at her brother, who was sat on the end of her bed. He smiled at her and asked gently "how are you feeling?". She laughed dryly, her mind on her mother's shocked expression and Jonathan Morgansten's eyes, "I feel like crap, but…..I'm glad you're with me". Alec smiled softly and patted her hand with a clumsy, but affectionate gesture.

"So Isabelle," Magnus said after a long silence in which Isabelle managed to sit up and prop herself against the pillows. "How do you feel about a sleepover, we could watch Clueless and eat lots of chocolate?"

Alec scowled at his boyfriend and opened his mouth, presumably to argue about how Isabelle needed peace and rest, but Isabelle cut him off.

"I'd love that" she grinned, "and it'll give me a chance to interrogate the boy my brother is so head over heels for." Magnus' grin widened as he nudged Alec teasingly, causing him to groan and rub his temple with a muttered "you guys are the worst"

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"I can't believe you've never had a sleepover Alec" Clary mused for the third time that evening, causing Alec to roll his eyes in exasperation.

"It's not that weird" he huffed, shifting his duvet slightly to cover his feet, Magnus kept hogging more than his share.

"Yes it is" Jace mocked from the other side of the room from where he was sulking (Clary had chosen to snuggle with Isabelle instead of him, leaving him an unhappy fifth wheel). Jace and Clary had been last minute additions to the sleepover party, Clary inisting on spending quality girl time with Isabelle and the latter seeming to enjoy the distraction. Jace however had not been so happy with the arrangement and was only part of the evening because it was half his room.

Alec was starting to doze off as the film progressed, the excitable chatter of 'Cher' failing to hold his interest any more that the debate about Paul Rudd vs Justin Walker going on between Magnus and the girls. "Alec, tell them that Justin is so much hotter than Paul Rudd!" Magnus whined, jostling Alec out of his stupor.

"Hmm, yeah sure," Alec mumbled before nuzzling further into Magnus' arms and kissing his collarbone softly.

"See!" Magnus exclaimed triumphantly.

Isabelle threw a piece of popcorn at him, "that doesn't count, Alec doesn't even know what he's talking about."

"Are you saying he has bad taste in men" Magnus retorted indignantly with a playful scowl.

"Well,...he did have a crush on David Cassidy for a long time, and he also liked Brian Cox, not to mention-"

"Touché" Magnus smiled.

They turned their attention back to the film, until Jace's snores became too distracting, "are they all asleep?" Isabelle whispered, her eyes finding Magnus' in the dim light of the tv. Magnus poked Alec's cheek gently, confirming her suspicions when the boy failed to stir.

"It's just us" he whispered back.

There was a pause as Isabelle hesitated over her next words.

"Magnus I...I don't know what Alec has told you about wha-what's going on with me at the moment but…"

"Hey," She felt Magnus' long fingers squeeze her hand gently "Alec hasn't told me anything…..but if you want to talk…I promise it would stay between the two of us"

Magnus waited as he heard her sheets rustle as she fidgeted.

"Thing is- I-I'm pregnant," she laughed slightly at her awkward delivery before continued in a rushed tone, "and i'm not sure whose baby it is. It could be someone I like, this guy I really like who's kind and considerate and….but there's this other guy whose….."

"A dick?" Magnus prompted

Isabelle laughed bitterly, "an utterly obnoxious and just horrible asshole of a guy"

"Ouch"

"I know. I just really don't want it to be him, but it could be and I just don't know what to do- everything's just so horrible and confusing and-"

Magnus shifted closer to her and rubbed her back in an attempt to calm her as her voice rose in pitch, verging on hysterical. When her breathing had returned to normal he said in a quiet, hesitant voice, "I never knew my real dad. My mum had an affair on my father, but she never told anyone. But I always...I used to really love my father…..and the fact he wasn't my birth father didn't make him any less my father. But when he found out he was...so mad. So I think you should tell this guy- the nice one- tell him that the maybe might be his and that you like him and want to be with him- if he's prepared for all the baby drama. But you have to tell him that the baby may not be his….it's only fair...and maybe you should tell this other guy as well…..although there's probably no rush for that….especially if you think he'd be bad for the kid."

Isabelle considered his words and sighed heavily, "you're right…...I'm just scared he'll reject me and think less of me, I really like him and I don't want to ruin everything."

Magnus gave her hand another squeeze and said softly, "hey, if he's the guy you say he is, I'm sure he'll understand, everyone makes mistakes, right?"

"Yeah you're right," she sighed again, snuggling into her pillow, her hand still held by Magnus'.

"Magnus," she added just as he was beginning to drop off. "I'm really glad Alec found you"

Magnus smiled kissing the boy in questions ebony hair, "me too Izzy, me too."

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Cerulean swirls, bordered with a sharp royal blue that faded into a soft violet, creating a swirling matrix that dragged the beholder into a trance-"Or it would if I could get the right blue!"

Magnus scowled, looking down at his palette that was covered by his numerous attempt to mix the blue he'd been trying to create all day. He could picture it when he closed his eyes, it was delicate, mysterious and exactly what was needed to complete his painting.

He sighed, slumping down onto his stool, he'd forgotten this part of painting, the frustration when your creation failed to fully transition from your mind's eye. He rubbed his temples, undoubtable covering his face in paint, and sighed.

"You look very troubled" a light voice mused from the doorway. Magnus squeaked in an extremely undignified fashion as he tried not to fall off the rickety stool on which he was perched.

"Alexander" he scolded as he turned to face the smirking boy, "please do not creep up on me like that. What are you doing here anyway….looking for someone?" Magnus added a saucy wink for extra effect.

Alec snorted and strode closer, his legs looking utterly irresistible in the black skinny jeans Magnus had forced him to buy just the last weekend. "Well, there is this boy I have my eye on," Alec said slowly, "He's so gorgeous and talented-"

"-and sparkly?" Magnus asked eyebrows raised in excitement.

"Well sometimes…" Alec conceded sitting on Magnus lap slowly.

"Mmm, well you can have me baby" Magnus purred leaning forward to kiss Alec's plump lips when he was stopped by a finger.

"Err not you Magnus," Alec said with a fake awkwardness, "I'm talking about Tom Parsons in my lit class." he mock swooned, "He's so dreamy".

Magnus indignantly pushed the other boy off his lap with a huff, giving him a diva 'talk to the hand' gesture when Alec kissed his cheeks giggling.

"Wow"

Magnus started at the sudden change in Alec's tone as the latter stopped his teasing and straightened up. "What?"

"Did you paint that Magnus?"

Alec was staring at Magnus' incomplete blue canvas with a look of impressed awe in his wide eyes.

"Well…..erm yes….But it's not finished" he added hastily, surprised to feel his cheeks heating up- was he blushing? Magnus bit his lip, unable to fight off the nerves coursing through his body as he anticipated Alec's answer.

"It's beautiful" Alec breathed, his simple admiration bringing tears to Magnus' eyes. "Magnus are you crying?!" Alec said in alarm, his hand fluttering nervously against Magnus' cheek.

"Sorry I'm being silly," Magnus laughed wetly wiping at his eyes.

"Hey," Alec gently stroked the other boys jaw with his long fingers, "you're not being silly- for once. Now why are you crying, did I do something wrong?"

"No no," Magnus blurted, kissing Alec's gentle fingers as they brushed against his mouth, "It's just…..I kind of lost faith in my art, you know. It used to be so important to me and then I just stopped caring and lost inspiration. But now…..now i feel like it's all coming back and I'm just so happy, and grateful to you for...for inspiring me"

Alec smiled and kissed Magnus softly, "you would have found it your own way back one day," he whispered against his lips. Magnus rolled his eyes at Alec's unwillingness to accept a compliment but didn't argue. Instead he deepened the kiss, tangling his clean hand into the slightly curly hairs at the nape of Alec's neck.

They kisses, for a few minutes more, an almost aching tenderness between them before Alec slowly pulled back. "I have to go," he murmured, as Magnus continued to kiss along his jaw, whining unhappily at Alec's words.

"I have a Maths seminar with Mr Hodge, it's important" Alec sighed, disentangling himself from his clingy boyfriend.

"More important than me?" Magnus pouted petulantly as Alec shouldered his bag.

"Magnus…."

"Ok ok fine, still up for coffee at three?"

Alec bit his lip guiltily, "I kind of promised Mr Fairchild that I'd help him with his research paper for quantum mechanics, but if you want i could cancel and say that my dog died or-"

"-no sweetie it's fine, I was only joking earlier, I know your brains are too precious to be neglected, plus you are the worst liar ever!" Alec mock scowled and stuck his tongue out, before turning to jog out of the room with hurried "bye" thrown over his shoulder.

Magnus smiled, turning back to his painting, maybe…..if he...yes!

The perfect shade, a light almost translucent cyan blue.

He carefully applied it to the painting before stepping back to survey his work.

"Magnus Bane you talented bastard you've done it again!" he exclaimed.

if only Alec was there to celebrate….

At that moment Magnus felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He fished it out and unlocked the cracked screen, squinting to see the message;

Camille: Hey there stranger, up for a coffee? I'll buy :)

He bit his lip, his mind flashing back to how hurt Alec had been after his last encounter with Camille, but he had promised her a chance and after all, they went way back and anyway, it was only a coffee.

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"I got you the most unhealthy frappuccino I could find" Camille grinned as Magnus sat down in the seat opposite her.

"Mmmmm, looks good" Magnus replied honestly, licking his lips at the explosion of chocolate and sugar in front of him.

"I just remembered that time we went to the fair when we were thirteen and you-"

"-drank so many chocolate milkshakes that I threw up from the top of the ferris wheel! Yeah I remember, hasn't put me off them though." They both laughed, sharing a few more stories from the days of hyperactive troublemaking and eating too many sweets.

Magnus noticed when he was halfway through his second milkshake (don't judge, he couldn't help his addiction) that Camille was wearing vanilla scented perfume, a detail that nagged something in the back of his head, but he couldn't quite work out what.

"So will your boy toy mind that you're here" Camille smirked, wrapping her red lips around the straw of her smoothie.

Magnus frowned, "He's not my boy toy" he snapped defensively.

Camille huffed taken aback, "so sorry, I meant dear Alexander Lightwood…..since when do you care so much about the guy you're shagging"

Magnus tensed his jaw slightly and fiddled with his straw in agitation, "I'm not shagging him, I, we're in a relationship. It's serious….he's different, Alec, he's really special…..I'm in love with him."

Camille looked shocked, her eyes wide and her hands slack on the table top. "You're seriously saying that you've fallen for some random, goth, scholarship kid!"

Magnus stood up, suddenly angry, "Fuck you Camille, you're such a snob you wouldn't know love if it was staring you in the face." he turned to leave, but a small, desperate voice made him stop.

"Magnus wait!"

He took a deep breath and turned back to face her stiffly.

"Magnus I," he lips were turned down and she suddenly looked miserable, "i know I'm being unfair, it's just, hard for me to accept that you can be with him when you said it was too much being with you. I'm sorry, please give me another chance to prove I'm not a total bitch, hey come to dinner with me on Saturday?"

"Camille I don't know if-"

"-Please maggie…..please? Just one more chance."

Magnus sighed in resignation, running a ring laden hand through his messy spikes, "Ok fine, see you on Saturday."

He offered her one last smile before turning to leave.

In the car on the way home he ran through their meeting in his head, was he doing the right thing? Camille and him clearly had a lot of problems and history that was almost impossible to ignore. Alec would give her another chance, a little voice in his head piped up, he would say it's always good to give someone another chance. Then Magnus remembered why he had been struck with Camille's perfume; Vanilla was the scent that she had confessed that she wore when trying to charm her parent into buying her the newest from Gucci, or when she was trying to convince the cute boy next to her in maths to do her homework.

Magnus pulled into his parking space and headed up to his and Will's apartment. Maybe Camille wearing that perfume was a complete coincidence….. Maybe it wasn't, he tried to remind himself not to be so quick to judge and to-

"Alexander?!"

Alec was sat on Magnus' plush leather sofa as Magnus opened the door, humping up as soon as he saw him.

"Magnus, I called you like eight times! Where were you!"

"Shit," Magnus swore, his mind turning back to his phone which was on 3% when he left the art block, "Shit Alec, I'm so sorry, my phone must have died! I was just in the Starbucks on 5th street with Camille, we were having a catch-up, I promise I would've told you before but She literally just texted me and-"

"-Magnus that doesn't matter! I-I, here" Alec took his hand and pulled him towards the sofa, "sit down."

Magnus took in the other boy's pale face and nervous energy. "Alec? Are you ok"

"Yes I'm fine" He took a deep breath, holding up his hand to stop Magnus' interjection.

There was a long pause as Alec struggled with what he was trying to say.

Magnus' anxiety levels continued to rise. "Look, if you're going to break up with me then just get it over with"

"What? No It's-"

"-Cause I'd rather you just said it and-"

"-Magnus!-"

"-I mean I totally understand why-"

"Magnus please!"

"I mean if I were you-"

"Jem's dead"

The silence was radioactive. Magnus' mind seemed to freeze, unable to comprehend what Alec had said.

Alec himself took a shaky breath, moving closer to Magnus and taking his hands as he said again, "Jem died four hours ago….I'm so sorry"

A/N

Soooooooooooo, its been like a year…..Hi?

Exams are over and I'm freeeee! Summer has never felt so good!

I hope you enjoyed this chap and understood what was happening, it's been so long

I probably haven't replied to all the review because I can't remember who I've done and who I haven't but I will from now on.

Btw, thank you for all your reviews and follows and favourites despite my horrible hiatus, I appreciate you all and your immense patience.

Lots of virtual love

Amy

xxx