Hey guys, thanks for reading Chapter 1 and this is my first fanfiction so please bear with me. This chapter starts off a little slow but it's an ending to a chapter I'm really proud of so I hope you guys read it all thanks so much and don't forget to leave a review or some ideas xox

Chapter 2 – Dangerous Territory

Clary stood outside Alec's bedroom door wondering why she was even there. This morning they hadn't even been the slightest bit interested in being in the same room as each other and now she wanted to walk to dinner with him. She was going crazy, she thought to herself, and Jace would be back soon, why was she outside her boyfriend's parabatai's bedroom?

Once they'd finished training, Isabelle had helped Clary pick out flowy blue dress that ended mid-thigh and bared a lot of her chest yet it was still appropriate for meeting the heads of the institute she was living in. She had taken a shower and pulled her hair into a loose bun, which meant a few of her loose curls were pulled out delicately. She had put on her mother's necklace and slipped into the dress and had ended up for some reason outside his door. She was debating walking away when he opened the door wearing a dark blue shirt buttoned up all the way and his hair was brushed back out of his eyes.

"Clary," he looked puzzled then allowed his eyes to drift over her body. He remembered in the training room how when he touched her skin lightly, and she jumped back, how eager he was to feel more of her. It was wrong he knew that, she was valentine's daughter, but something had made him feel differently this afternoon. And now he drunk in every inch of her allowing his eyes to drift from her face to her collarbones to her chest to her hands right down to her legs and then he met her gaze again, staring into her emerald eyes.

Clary smiled nervously, "Hi."

Alec pulled his door shut, "What are you doing here?" He managed to pull his gaze away from her.

"I was just checking if you were ready for dinner," Clary said, pushing a curl from her eyes, "and I think Isabelle has finished setting out the Chinese food."

"Thank god she hasn't served that brown mess," Alec truly sounded relieved. Clary just laughed as they made there was down the hall.

"Jace don't touch it, not everyone's here yet," Izzy moaned, slapping her brother round the head lightly. She was setting another bowl at the table where her mother and father were seated and were talking amongst themselves about a small clave issue regarding the Downworld. Izzy sat down at the end of the table, "Father, can we please keep all Clave talk strictly for your office, we haven't seen you in so long" –

"Isabelle," her mother snapped, "It is an important issue that"-

"Come on Maryse," Robert soothed, "She's prepared this for us, the least we can do is enjoy the dinner with her." He placed a hand over his wife's as Alec and Clary entered the room, laughing about something. Alec looked up from Clary's face to see his father standing to greet him, "Father, mother, you're home, how was your trip." He hugged his parents and it was only his mother who responded.

"Adequate," She said, kissing her son's cheek, and as she glanced at Clary, she spoke hesitantly, "And you must be, Clarissa Morgernstern." She held out her hand to shake and Clary took it with a large smile.

"Actually, It's Fray," Clary said, trying to maintain her friendly face.

"Fray, Fairchild, Morgenstern, what does it matter, you are still Valentines daughter," Maryse said coldly. She didn't look like a very friendly person, Clary thought, her features were hard and sharp and she had the same jet black hair as her children and the famous lightwood eyes. They stung a bright blue as she looked Clary in the eyes, her lips a thin red line.

Jace had appeared at Clary's side and placed his hand on her back, "And she's also our guest, mother." Clary watched as Maryse shot Jace a stern look and returned to her seat at the table. Jace guided Clary to a seat opposite his and pulled out the chair for her. As she sat down he whispered against her ear, "You look beautiful." She smiled and looked up at him, and found those golden eyes fixed on her lips. He brushed her lips so quickly and lightly, it was like they almost never touched her. Seconds later he was in his chair and Alec slipped into the seat at the end of the table, opposite Izzy, positioned between his parabatai and the red headed girl.

Now that they were all seated at the table, they dug into the food that Izzy had laid out for them.

"Mother, father, now that you're here, I'd like to ask you something," Isabelle began cautiously. Her mother lifted her head to look at her daughter. Clary couldn't believe that this was Isabelle's mother, they were so different. Isabelle was warm and kind and welcoming and Maryse was, well none of those things. Isabelle continued, "I would like you to meet someone soon."

"Oh, Isabelle, are you talking about that fairy boy that you've been playing with?" Maryse replied, staring at her plate and cutting her food firmly.

"Mother, please," Isabelle put down her cutlery, "I am asking that you give Meliorn a chance. He means a lot to me." Isabelle pushed her lips firmly together.

Maryse looked up at her daughter once more, "You are 16 Isabelle, if he means a lot to you, buy him a toy, but don't bring a Downworlder into our house. By the angel, even the thought of you wanted to mix his filthy blood with ours is" –

Isabelle stood up sharply, her blue eyes watering, becoming a piercing sapphire shade. She turned and walked out of the room quickly.

"Was that really necessary?" Alec spoke coldly, with the same remarkable tone of his mother.

"She's too soft, and she's playing around with the Downworlders, she needed to be told," Maryse returned to her food.

"I'll check on her," Robert stood and left the room while Maryse let out an exasperated breath.

Jace placed his cutlery down firmly, "Mother, did you ever consider, she wasn't just playing and that she truly cared for him. Perhaps she really liked him or maybe even loved" –

"DON'T," Maryse raised her voice standing up at the table, "Don't even talk of that with a Downworlder."

"But what if she does, mother?!" Jace exclaimed slamming his hands down on the table and knocking over a glass of wine. It spilled into Clary's lap and she immediately jumped out of her chair. "Clary, I'm so sorry," Jace sighed, making his way round to her.

She put up her hand, shaking her head, "No really, it's fine."

"No, it's all over you look," Jace picked up the glass, "Alec, can you make sure Clary gets cleaned up please."

Alec was hesitant, "Um but Jace" -

"Please Alec, just do it," Jace snapped. Clary exchanged a look with Alec and then moved slowly out of the room.

Jace leant forward on the table and looked up Maryse. "Welcome home, mother," he sighed.

Clary was sitting on Alec's bed, whilst he was preparing a bowl of hot water and a cloth in his bathroom. She'd never been in his room before and even though it wasn't that different from her room, Jace's or Isabelle's, she still felt strange being there. She sat with her hands in her lap and looked around at his room. It a dark blue colour and grey flooring, and all the windows were open. He had a large king-size bed, white quilts and cushions. Other than a few books and weapons stashed around the place, the room wasn't very crowded or busy. She stood up and stalked around the room. She ran her fingers over the messy stacks of books, and came across one that really stood out to her, 'The Shadowhunters Codex'. Everything about her people's history was inside that book. She peered around the corner and into the bathroom to see if Alec was coming back in yet. He was still running water into a bowl, his back to her. She slid the book from the shelf and opened it, breathing in a gathering of dust. She choked back a cough and began scanning through the pages, the book covered just about everything to do with the Shadow World and even the Downworld. Everything from Shadowhunters to types of demons down to how to kill them, right through to warlocks and vampires and the old tales and cults.

Clary was now sat on his bed against the headboard, her shoes on the floor and her knees pulled up to her chest. She had completely immersed herself in this book so much that when Alec exited the bathroom, she didn't even notice. The corner of his mouth quirked up and he thought about how she looked like a small child, curled up and oblivious to the world around them, falling into a fairy tale where monsters and princes fought to save a princess' life. Then his mind turned to the fact that it wasn't a fairy tale she was reading, the monsters that she was reading about were all far too real and Alec knew that one day she would have to face them and fight like a shadowhunter. For an odd reason, his belly turned at the thought of it, he didn't want her out on the battle field although he knew she could probably handle herself. He wanted to scoop her up right then, book in hand and lock her away in a tower like Rapunzel. She'd be a part of her very own fairy tale, but in this one the monsters couldn't get to her.

"Are you okay?" Alec caused Clary such a fright that she snapped the book shut. A cloud of dust clawed at her face and she began to cough and laugh. Alec settled down next to her, laughing, "Sorry, I didn't mean to give you such a fright." He passed her the damp cloth and she wiped it down her arms where the wine had made her sticky.

"I've never seen Jace like that before," Clary said, dipping the cloth into the bowl of water and ringing it out, "He was so… angry."

Alec sighed, "Well my mother can be difficult and her views are more traditional and strict. And I guess Jace doesn't handle that well." Clary was silent and continued scrubbing lightly at her dress. "He was talking about you, you know?" Alec spoke quietly and Clary looked up at him.

"What do you mean?" she said.

"I mean that when he was talking about Isabelle and her feelings perhaps being more for Meliorn, he was really talking about you," Alec sighed and Clary looked back down at her dress and began to scrub harder, "His feelings for you Clary."

Clary was quiet when she spoke, "I think I'm going to go and find some spare clothes."

"Spare clothes?" Alec questioned her as she set the bowl on the table, next to his bed.

"Because all of my clothes are next door in Izzy's room, remember, I'm sharing a room with her, and I can still hear her talking with your dad so I'll go and check in the laundry room," Clary said, walking over to the door.

"Why don't I just lend you a t-shirt?"

"Don't you think Jace would mind, it's a little strange isn't it, me sleeping in another boy's clothes?" She smiled faintly.

"I don't think he would mind too much since you have no clothes at the moment. If I thought it would bother him, I wouldn't offer, you know that Clary."

Alec walked over to his chest of drawers and pulled out a large grey t-shirt and handed it to her. She took it gently and went to change in the bathroom.

When Clary came out Alec had changed into some black jogging bottoms and a dark top and was hanging his bow and quiver onto his bedpost. Hearing the bathroom door click shut, he glanced up at her.

"You look ridiculous," he teased. The top hung down on her small frame and reached the same length that the dress had and the arms covered her elbows. He shouldn't have felt the way he did but he just couldn't help feeling a slight bit of happiness that she was wearing his clothes to bed. 'What was he doing?' Alec thought to himself, feeling like this about his parabatai's girlfriend, just this morning he hated the girl.

"It's not my fault you're so big," Clary laughed throwing her folded up dress in his face, playfully. He caught it and placed on the bed, instead picking up the Codex.

"You're just small," he smiled. He was standing directly in front of her now and if she leant forward, she could reach up and wrap her arms around the blue eyed boy's neck. But she wouldn't. Alec placed the book against her chest and her small hands came to it slowly. Clary looked confused. "I heard my dad leave while you were getting changed, I think you're safe to go to bed now," Alec whispered down at her.

She looked up questioningly, "and the book?"

"Is yours," Alec smiled again. It was a soft sort of smile, endearing even, and a side she'd never seen of him before. She smiled down at the ground and then made her way towards the door. "Only until you've read it though, Fray. I would like that book back," Alec said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Of course, thank you" She laughed and then disappeared out of the room. Alec flicked the light off and pulled the curtains to, before climbing into bed. Alec thought about how much this day had changed the way he thought about the red headed girl. He couldn't keep his mind from wondering about her.

Even in sleep.