Authors Note:

Ah! So, I'm pretty excited about this story, and I'm glad that I just decided to write it, and I'm glad there is an audience out there who is enjoying it as much as me! Let me know what you think and leave a review! :)

Chapter Six

Time Jump – One Week Later

Alec POV:

I was called in for a meeting today, and I had to admit, I was pretty nervous about it. I didn't know if this was the end of my job here, or what, but I honestly didn't want to leave. I knocked on the door, and was told to go in. I walked in and Magnus was sitting behind his desk.

"Thank you for coming in Alec." He said and I took a seat.

"Of course." I said as I picked at my nails.

"So, we had a meeting yesterday about which of our photographers we wanted to send to Milan for a shoot we're doing over there. A couple names were thrown around, and I suggested you." He said and my jaw dropped. "I showed everyone your work from here, and previous work you've done, and they were all super impressed. So, if you want it, the job in Milan is yours."

"You're serious?" I asked. Milan was one place that I've never been since there was never a reason to go, that I've always wanted to go to.

"Absolutely." Magnus said.

"I'd be honored." I said.

"Great. Your plane leaves tomorrow after, 1:45." He said.

"Thank you for this opportunity." I said.

"Of course. See you in the studio." He said and I nodded before heading back to the studio. I couldn't believe I was getting this opportunity, but I was super pumped for it.

Time Jump – Five Days Later

Magnus POV:

Not having Alec around was pretty weird. Even though he's been here for such a short time, he somehow made the atmosphere in the studio calm and relaxing despite how high pressure some of these shoots can get.

I was in my office going over some more photos that needed my approval when I heard a knock on the door. I called for them to come in and the next moment Clary was walking into my office was a smile on her face. She sat in front of me and I knew I was going to hear all about this date.

"So, how did it go?" I asked, and I could practically feel the happiness radiating off of her.

"It was absolutely perfect." She beamed. "His sister is really cool, and tells it like it is so I heard a lot about their childhood and Simon and her seemed to really hit it off." She said.

"And how was Jace?" I asked, since I knew she was the most worried about him.

"Honestly, he was really real." She said. "When I asked a question he gave me the absolute truth, even if it was about past relationships or a touchy subject. He told me that he wasn't the type of person who bullshitted his way through life anymore, and that all he wanted was to be real and honest with people, and hope that they were real and honest in return." She explained.

"What did you end up doing?" I asked.

"We went and got dinner first, and than we went bowling. It was a lot of fun. I haven't been bowling in years. It was the perfect double date, and we're actually doing it again, but this time, Simon and I get to choose the activity." She laughed and I smiled.

"Oh god. What are you thinking?" I asked.

"We're going to go and do that painting with a twist thing. I've heard a lot about it, but never got to do it, and I'm actually a really good artist, I wanted to do it professionally, but I couldn't decided between modeling and being an artist, and doing art can always be a hobby, but modeling can't. But I still sketch whenever I can." She explained.

"Cheater." I smirked and she laughed.

"Please. Jace could probably be a professional bowler. He got like 300 points. He completely destroyed us all. It's a little payback." She said and I laughed.

"Well, I'm glad you had fun. I told you it would all work out." I said and she nodded. "Go get ready, I'll be in the studio soon." She nodded before getting up and leaving my office.

I sat there for another half an hour before making my way over there. Finally I got my shit together and started on my way over there. The models were in hair and make up and I saw Raphael setting up, but what I wasn't expecting was seeing Alec in the studio. I made my way over to him and cleared my throat.

"Hey." He said.

"Hey, I didn't know you were coming back today." I said.

"Yea, they ended the shoot a day early, so I got back last night." He explained.

"How was it?" I asked.

"Surreal. I can't thank you enough for name-dropping me. It was an experience I'll never forget." He said.

"It was my pleasure. I can't wait to see your work." I said and he smiled. He went to open his mouth when his phone started ringing.

"Do you mind if I take this?" He asked.

"Not at all." I said as I stepped away. I wasn't going to listen in. when I saw him put the phone down I thought I notice a change in his demeanor so I thought I'd see what was up. "You okay?" I asked when I walked back over to him.

"Uh, yea. Sorry. That was my mom." He said as I saw something in him switch so fast.

"You sure? Do you need to take a personal day?" I asked.

"No. I'm fine." He said again so I just nodded.

"Clary should be out here soon." I said and he nodded and went back to getting everything set up. Something was off, but I wasn't going to push.

The whole day went by quicker than I expected and Alec made a beeline when I announced that our day was finished. I didn't know what was going on, but something was wrong. I grabbed my things and went back to my office where I was in for another long night of looking over and selecting photos.

At about midnight, I was about to call it a day when my computer dinged signaling that I had just gotten an email. Since I was already here, I figured I'd answer it and than turn in for the night. When I opened it, I saw that it was from Alec.

Dear Magnus,

You were right earlier, there is some family stuff that I need to take care of, and I was wondering if I could have the next 4 days off. If not 4 I'll take 2, but I really need to be with my family right now. I hope you understand.

Thanks, Alec.

I knew something was going on in his family, and there was no chance in hell I wasn't going to give him those 4 days off.

Dear Alec,

I completely understand. Why don't you take the rest of the week off, and come in Monday when everything is settled. Don't worry about your shoots, I'll get them covered. Hope everything works out.

Magnus.

I sent the email and didn't even wait for him to respond. I shut my computer down and headed home thinking about Alec. I really hope that everything is okay, and that it's all resolved and settled by Monday.

Time Jump – Three Days Later

Magnus POV:

Getting Alec's shoots covered was a lot more complicated than I anticipated, and I ended up cancelling a few of them instead and rescheduling them for a later date, and it wasn't the most convenient thing in the world, but it needed to be done.

I was making my way over to the studio to make sure that the models were almost done, and that they knew where they were going today, since we had a little mishap the other day and I won't allow that to happen again. I knocked on Clary's trailer door and opened in a second later.

"Hey biscuit, you ready?" I asked and she looked at me.

"Yup." She simply said and I noticed her smile wasn't as bright as it normally is.

"What's wrong?" I asked and she sighed.

"Jace, Izzy, Simon and I were supposed to go out tomorrow night but he cancelled the other day." She admitted. "I mean, I understand why he cancelled, it's a horrible situation for any family to go through, but Simon and I were really looking forward to it. I rescheduled our painting with a twist but I don't know if they'll even be up for it after everything they went through."

"Wait, Jace told you what happened?" I asked curiously.

"Yea. He asked to meet with me the other day, just the two of us, and when I saw him I just knew something was off." She admitted. "His little brother died earlier this week. The family is really lost right now."

"Oh my god." I said. "No wonder Alec was a walking robot the other day."

"Yea. And Jace is the head of the case. He's the Lightwood attorney. I can't imagine how he's holding himself together." Clary said.

"That's a nightmare." I admitted.

"He told me that he didn't trust anyone else to do it, but I know it's just going to be the longest and hardest case he's ever done." Clary said.

"You two seem to be getting close." I stated.

"We are." She said as she smiled, and I knew that smile. She was really into him. "I told him that I would be here if he needed anything." She said. "I brought him coffee at like 4 this morning to his office. 6 cups, just for him. I don't think he's left that office for days."

"How old was he?" I asked.

"He just turned 15." She said.

"That's really a tragedy." I said and she nodded. "Give him my best the next time you see him."

"I will." She said and I left her trailer. I couldn't imagine what Alec was going through, I couldn't imagine what their whole family was going through. It was horrible, and not right, and my heart really went out to Alec and the rest of the Lightwood's.

Time Jump – Two Days Later

Alec POV:

Since Max's murder was still an open case, we couldn't have a funeral for him yet. I think that was the hardest part for my parents. They just wanted to lay him to rest, but they weren't allowed.

I was going to visit Jace today, just to check up on him and see how he was handling this whole thing, especially since he was our attorney. I knew he would volunteer himself for this, but I can only imagine how painful it is to see those photos every single day.

When I got to his place, I just pulled out my spare key and walked into his apartment. I went to the living room, and saw Jace sleeping on the couch, and that wasn't an abnormal thing, but what really confused me was the smell of food coming from the kitchen. When I made my way over there, I was pleasantly surprised to see Clary cooking.

"Hey." I said and she turned around.

"Oh, hey Alec." She said.

"How's he holding up?" I asked since I knew they were getting pretty close.

"I finally convinced him to go to sleep 2 hours ago after I hid all his work stuff. I swear, if we didn't need sleep to survive, he would never sleep again." She said and I laughed.

"Yea. He kinda looks awful." I said and she laughed a little.

"I hope a couple hours of sleep will recharge him, but he isn't allowed to start working until after he eats dinner, and takes a shower. I don't care if he stays up the rest of the night working. But he needs to eat and bathe." She said.

"Thank you." I said and she looked at me. "For taking care of him. I don't think he would have let anyone but you help him through this."

"I'm just thankful he didn't push me away." She said. "I know I haven't known him long, but I'd do anything for him."

"I know. He'd do the same for you." I said and she smiled.

"You staying for dinner?" She asked.

"If you don't have enough, I don't have too." I said.

"Don't be silly. I made pasta. There is plenty." She said and I smiled. "But it's ready, so could you go wake Jace up?" She asked.

"Of course." I left the kitchen and made my way over to where Jace was sleeping. He was normally a pretty heavy sleeper, so I picked up a pillow and threw it at him.

"Go away." He groaned. I picked the pillow back up, and threw it at him again. This time his eyes opened. "What the hell Alec?" He asked.

"Clary says dinner's ready." I said and he sat up.

"She's still here?" He questioned.

"Yea, and she made dinner." I said. "Get up." He got off the couch and we walked into the kitchen. Jace walked over to her and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Thank you for dinner. And forcing me to sleep." He said and she smiled.

"You needed it. But you don't get to go back to working until you've eaten a sufficient amount of dinner, or taken a shower." She said and he laughed.

"Deal." He said and we all took our seats.

Dinner went by great. The conversation was never dull, and I learned a lot more about Clary. I also could tell how much she already meant to Jace, and I was really happy that he had to during this tough time. He needed her, and from what I learned, she doesn't really do much besides modeling, so I felt like she also needed Jace as well. They were a good match, and I wished them nothing but the best.

After dinner, Clary volunteered to clean up, while Jace went to shower. I went into the living room and flipped on the TV just to get my mind off being alone. I mean, I could hear Clary in the kitchen and I could hear the shower running, but I felt alone, and I have since I got the news about Max. After about 20 minutes, Jace reemerged from his room, and Clary came out of the kitchen with a box. She put it down in front of Jace, who slid it to the side and pulled Clary into his side.

We all sat there and watched TV. It was nice to be around people again. Even though we weren't talking, it was nice to be around Jace, and Clary. I don't even know how much time passed, but I know that I was there for a long time. Eventually Clary stood up and yawned.

"I'm going to get some sleep." She said and Jace nodded. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. "Will you come to bed tonight?" She asked, and they just met, so that surprised me.

"Maybe. Depends on how much work I get done." Jace said and she nodded.

"Goodnight." She said to him than looked at me. "Night Alec."

"Goodnight Clary." I said and than she disappeared into the bedroom, and once I heard the door closed, I looked at Jace. "How long has that been going on?" I asked.

"A couple days now." He admitted. "She literally pulled me out of the office one night and told me I had to sleep in a proper bed, but I didn't want to be alone. At least at the office I was surrounded by work. I could distract myself, but here I was alone, and I hated it." He explained. "I asked if she would stay with me, and I just sleep a lot better when she's next to me."

"Seems like you two are moving fast." I pointed out.

"Possibly, but it feels right." He said and I nodded.

"Hey, if she's helping you, and you two are comfortable at the pace of your relationship, I'm happy for you two." I said and he smiled.

"Thanks man. It means a lot." He said and I nodded.

"I should go though." I said. "It's late."

"You can crash in my guest bedroom. I don't know about you, but I just haven't been able to handle being along since I got the news. If you don't want to be alone either, my guest rom is always open." He said.

"Thank you, but I really want to get home." I said and he nodded. "I'll see you around." I said before leaving his apartment.

When I got back to my place, everything seemed depressing, and I didn't know what to do about it. I should have stayed with Jace, but something in me told me not to. I reached for my phone and dialed one number that I never thought I'd use.

"Hello?" They answer.

"Hey, if I text you an address, can you come over?"

Sneak Peak for Chapter Seven:

"You're still here." I said and he turned around.

"Yea, turns out, I fell asleep as well. When I woke up I was pretty hungry, and I'm not completely sure how much you've been eating, but I thought I'd make you breakfast." He said and I smiled.

"Thank you." I said as he handed me a plate.