WARNING: This chapter contains adult descriptions and LEMONS. Reader discretion is advised.

Magnus wandered slowly down the scorching pavement. It was ridiculously warm weather, even for August and he could almost see the heat rising off the concrete, despite the darkening sky heralding in the night. Alec hadn't let him just walk out with no shirt on, but he managed to negotiate the wearing of his bright yellow mesh vest with some light harem pants and he was glad he had, considering the heat. He got a lot of stares, but then he usually did wherever he went. Perhaps not an outfit entirely appropriate for a business meeting, but this wasn't a client or anyone he felt the need to dress up for.

The entrance to Taki's was wedged open to try and get some air moving through the premises, so he stepped in without the usual chiming accompaniment of the bell above the door. He was a little early for his intended companion to be here; the sun had only set about ten minutes ago. So he took a seat near an opened window, taking in the smell and noise of the street permeating in. He ordered a milkshake, looking forward to an ice cold beverage, which he would probably cast a spell over to remain sub-zero when it arrived.

He was surprised to see his meeting walk casually through the door just as the waitress walked away with the menus. It was still early, which meant he had rushed here.

"Ooh, now I'm interested," he announced as Raphael sat down opposite him.

"Interested in what?"

"Why you would rush over here. I mean, I totally understand how riveting and wonderful the pleasure of my esteemed company is, but you must have seriously legged it from the Dumont to make it here so soon after sunset."

The vampire raised a perfectly practised eyebrow at him, reminding him of Ragnor briefly, his face a picture of irritation and slight disdain. "You are the one who summoned me," he told him slowly, as if he were trying to reason with a child.

"Which only makes your haste even more interesting, my dear."

"What do you want?" Raphael asked him, sinking down in his chair in resignation.

"I want to know everything you know about Camille and her latest disappearing, reappearing act," Magnus confessed simply.

"I have already told you everything I know," Raphael said with an air of dismissal. Just then, his milkshake arrived in all its glory. "Dios mio, is that yours?"

The Vampire was wide-eyed at his glorious beverage. Magnus smiled at him, proud of his choice: a great big chocolate, mint and cardamom concoction with lashings of cream piled high and a cherry to finish it off. It was at least a foot and a half tall and covered in brightly coloured popping candy. He couldn't wait. Alec often bemoaned Magnus' weird enthusiasm for unconventional flavours, so he was a little glad the Shadowhunter wasn't here to roll his eyes at his choice, which if it was anything but vanilla he would no doubt pull a face at.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he sighed before taking a long draw on the over-sized straw. The taste was exhilarating and the coolness slid down his throat blissfully. Raphael was still staring at him as he picked up his spoon and began to shovel the cream and popping candy into his mouth.

"Wha?" he responded, his mouth full. The popping candy tickled as it blew up on the inside of his cheeks and almost made him laugh with glee. He didn't often treat himself with food like this, partly because Alec was so strict about following a healthy diet now that Magnus was mortal, but he felt he had deserved this after the week of endless client appointments he had just had.

"Nothing. I just never realised that losing your immortality would mean losing your maturity too."

It was meant to be a scathing remark, but Magnus really couldn't care less. The milkshake was too good.

"Just tell me all you know and I will let you run off and console yourself with some lovely warm blood. Or I could order you one? I am sure they would put together an O-neg malt or something…"

"No, thank you," Raphael interrupted with an imperious wave of his hand. "And I have already told you everything I know of Camille. I really cannot help you any more than I have short of calling your fiancé down here so that he may witness the full insanity of what he is vowing to be committed to for the rest of his life."

"You see, what is really puzzling me is how Camille survived the attack by Maureen. She must have managed it some way, else my sister would have nothing left to salvage. Eris may deal with dark magic, but she isn't powerful enough to perform full-on necromancy, especially when the subject had technically been dead for many years already. It's possible for necromancy to bring back the recently deceased, but to bring back a dead vampire? Tricky stuff. And I would imagine if she had mastered such power that she would be currently dripping in diamonds and ruling the world. And she isn't, I've checked."

"You really aren't going to give up badgering me are you?"

"If you don't tell me I shall have to take back that invite to my wedding…"

"To which I already RSVP'd no?"

"To which you know you are going to come to because you won't be able to stay away and never discover whether I wear a dress or not." Magnus folded his arms and stared a challenge at the Vampire. It was Raphael who broke first. Magnus never usually lost staring contests.

"Fine, it was me who rescued her that night. That is what you want to know isn't it?"

Now they were getting somewhere.

"Well, yes, that kind of thing. Any other vitally important detail you omitted before and now feel you ought to mention? Or shall I arrange a visit from the Clave?"

"Who would have thought, the immeasurable Magnus Bane, on the payroll of the Clave."

"Look, Alec is aware of everything that I know so far about Camille and he speaks to the Consul on pretty much a daily basis. It can't be helped – all of this business with Camille is the Clave's business too. If you tell me something we do not know it will likely afford the Clan some special protections from the New York Institute. Which now, of course, counts the High Warlock of Brooklyn among its many attractions."

Raphael stared at him warily.

"I can't believe you wish to protect her. She's hardly your favourite ex-clan leader."

"Fine. But any information I provide to you I want Consul Penhallow to know exactly where it came from. And if I get myself into a tight spot over this with your sister then I want assurance you will be fighting my corner, you understand?"

"Perfectly," Magnus responded with a smile and another slurp of milkshake. Victory tasted good.

"There isn't much to tell," Raphael warned.

"Oh for goodness sake, just spill."

"Very well." Raphael took a deep breath and sat upright in his chair. He had always had a flair for the dramatic. "She summoned me to that subway. She must have had some of my grave dirt on her. I will not lie, I gloated at the circumstance. I found her almost at the point of death, complete loss of blood and very weak, barely conscious. And so I helped her." He took a pause and motioned for the waitress to come over. He ordered a beaker of blood very quietly and sent her on her way.

"You fed her? With what? Subway rats?" Magnus asked once the waitress was out of ear shot, scrunching up his nose in distaste at the notion.

"With my own blood if you must know…"

"Wait – what?!" The story was getting so unbelievable that Magnus had raised his voice unconsciously.

"If a vampire is that weak then only the blood of another vampire will help. Don't mistake my actions – I felt sorry for her, yes – but if she survived and had drunk my blood then she would have been in my thrall. It's almost like a second siring."

"And of course would never stand in your way again for control of the Manhattan clan. You are entirely ruthless sometimes, you know that?"

"Don't pretend you are not," he said huffily as the waitress brought over his order.

"No pretence from me, my dear. So, where were we? You fed her your blood. Did she recover? Did you take her away? What happened?"

"I left her where she was," he said as he politely wiped a small trickle of blood from the left corner of his mouth following a long draught from his cup. "I didn't even have any idea she had survived until that note appeared. She was not conscious when I left her, though she appeared to be recovering – very slowly, mind you – from her… injuries." He grimaced at the last bit.

"And she did not try to contact you?"

"No, not at all."

"So much for being 'in your thrall'."

Raphael knitted his eyebrows in concentration. "I suppose it is strange if she has survived that she hasn't sought me out, or at least attempted to communicate."

"Could it be, as she was unconscious at the time, that she didn't know it was you who saved her?"

"You know there is deeper magic in blood than that. She knows it was me; that is without question."

"Well we know she is possibly being held somewhere. Perhaps she cannot get to you."

"And yet she sent her note to Alec Lightwood, via me and the clan. Something else has happened here."

Magnus pondered for a moment, continuing to suck up his milkshake noisily in hopes it would annoy his companion.

"Well?" Raphael asked expectantly.

"Well what?" he answered with a shrug. "Is there anything else you know?"

"That is it – I swear." Raphael raised his hand in a mock oath.

"Wonderful." With that, Magnus drank the remaining drops of his drink and stood up. "I will be in touch if I have any more questions then," he finished brightly as he walked away. Raphael sputtered in protest.

"Hey! You haven't paid!" the Vampire yelled after him. Magnus waved brightly as he left the diner and he definitely heard Raphael swearing loudly in Spanish as he walked away.

Alec tapped his fingers against the back of a pew nervously. The church was providing him with literal sanctuary at the moment, but he was still afraid of the mess that would await him when he finally plucked up the courage to return upstairs to the Institute. He hoped Magnus wouldn't be too much longer – he could do with back-up. However, the church was pleasantly cool, it's draughty walls and broken windows letting in a good amount of the night air, so he was in no hurry to have to confront the situation at the stuffy and over-warm Institute.

He jumped to his feet, out of instinct more than anything, as the door began to open. But it was only Magnus, who was looking thoroughly gorgeous wearing next to nothing. He had had words with Magnus before he left earlier about appropriate attire to wear in public when the Warlock had warned he may go out without a shirt entirely. He was wearing a shirt, instead, absolutely transparent for all the holes in it. Alec couldn't help staring though. Something about the moonlight in the church and the respite from the unbearable heat, he imagined.

"Oh, hello love," Magnus greeted him fondly, shutting the great door behind him. "What are you doing down here?"

"Hiding," Alec admitted. "How did the meeting go?"

"Raphael only took about two minutes to break. I know everything he knows now."

Alec raised his eyebrows in question as Magnus sauntered over to him and threaded his fingers into the Shadowhunter's belt loops. Alec was suddenly very aware of how beautiful Magnus smelled and the fluttering in his own stomach.

"He saved her that night in the Subway – he found her and gave her his own blood to drink so that she would survive. So I guess that means that Eris did not bring her to life again, more that she wasn't actually dead to begin with."

Alec frowned at this.

"Which opens up a whole host of other questions and complications," Magnus confided as he planted a small kiss on the tip of Alec's nose.

"Like what?"

"Well, we all assumed Eris had brought her back to life with some weird voodoo necromancy thingy. If she didn't, then what the hell has my sister got to do with it? She is way too involved and knows too much to not be engaged in some sort of illegal magic."

"Isn't all magic not authorised by the Council technically illegal?" Alec asked him with a playful tone whilst he twisted his hand into the holey fabric of the Warlock's shirt. They often had this particular 'discussion'.

"I see what you are doing Alexander and I do not think it is entirely appropriate to make love in a church," Magnus informed him with a glint in his cat-eyes.

"Also, 'weird voodoo necromancy thingy'?

"It's a technical term. Are you going to tell me why you are hiding now? Or am I going to get an unpleasant shock when I carry you, by force, up to the Institute and into bed?"

Alec let out a deep sigh. "Jace and Clary are having the mother of all arguments. I left just before the plates started flying." Magnus pulled a face. "And don't ask me what it's about as I have no idea. Although I am about ninety nine percent sure it has something to do with Jace acting like a complete psycho."

"He's really not handling this whole proposal thing well is he?"

"No, and Clary has noticed. As has everyone else in New York by now…"

A large crash sounded and echoed through the hollowed, abandoned church.

"We should definitely check that one of them hasn't been murdered," Alec said with resignation.

"Or that none of my mood boards have been destroyed," the Warlock added grumpily. He had put together huge canvas pieces all around the Institute to allow him to 'finalise the more complicated details' of their up and coming wedding. He was getting rather precious about them, even though they just looked like a complete mess to Alec. He pulled Magnus close to him and caught his lips in a long and deep kiss, no longer able to resist.

"Ok, let's get upstairs and sort this out. The sooner we do, the sooner I can have you to myself in the privacy of our own room," Magnus announced and practically dragged Alec to the elevator.

The loud yelling could be heard as the ascended with increasing clarity, coming from the kitchen. Magnus visibly sighed in relief to see the 'mood board' he had set up in the main foyer was intact. Isabelle appeared from the small sitting room on the left.

"Hi guys," she greeted. "Have you two been hiding from the Dark War part two? Cowards."

"I had already left for a business meeting before this started," Magnus defended.

"Yep, I was hiding downstairs," Alec confessed with a slightly smug smirk to his sister's annoyance.

"Well I am just heading out for takeaway. I was going to cook boef bourguinon, but I can't really get into the kitchen now…"

They both heaved a sigh of relief that they had been spared from an Isabelle cooking attempt.

"You up for some?"

Alec was starving and about to enthusiastically give her his order when Magnus butted in with a suspicious, "How long will you be?"

Isabelle eyed him suspiciously back saying, "About forty minutes I would imagine… why?"

"Excellent!" Magnus enthused before reeling off a long list of food, to which he shrugged and professed he was hungry when questioned.

"What was all that about?" Alec asked as his sister left and another deafening cacophony of yells travelled up from the kitchen. He said nothing, only pulled Alec with determination towards their bedroom.

They were still laughing as they collapsed on the bed, tangled in each other and stealing kisses in between their jubilation.

"You are so subtle," Alec giggled sarcastically before nipping at Magnus' lower lip and struggling to pull down his fiancé's ludicrously tight pants. Magnus magicked them away with a flick of his hand, causing Alec to laugh even more, almost to the point where he was unable to breathe. Magnus nuzzled into the side of his neck and said, "I don't see how my seducing you is such a hilarious affair," he pouted in jest, trailing small kisses along the exposed skin on the side of Alec's neck. Alec took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down before completely surprising the Warlock by tackling him and pinning him to the bed. His lover's face was visibly flushed and his eyes wide with desire already. Alec very rarely used his strength and years of training to take any physical advantage, partly because he rather liked it when Magnus took charge, but there was just something about the heat and the horrible and obviously upsetting argument Clary and Jace were having that required blocking out which had made him bolder. Magnus certainly seemed to appreciate it as he arched his back with a moan, his groin attempting to seek out Alec's in return. Alec lent down, causing friction and pressure to build where they connected and kissed the Warlock deeply.

"Why do you taste like liquorish?" he enquired suddenly.

"Not liquorish – cardamom," Magnus corrected him breathily. Alec couldn't help but frown at him.

"You are meant to be eating healthily," he sighed.

"I only had one milkshake! Are you worried I will get fat Alexander?" It was a challenge. Magnus had that devilish smirk on his face, his eyes sparkling with the dare.

"N-no!" Alec stammered and, upon seeing Magnus' expression turn to one of triumph that he had flustered the Shadowhunter so, distanced their bodies slightly. Two could play at this game. The Warlock dropped his smile and pouted in dismay at the loss of contact.

Alec gazed intently into his fiancé's eyes. "You know I would love you even if you weighed a ton," he said half-jokingly.

"Well that is very gracious of you," Magnus informed him, sounding a little ruffled but stroking his fingers lightly along Alec's crotch. Alec sighed into the touch, not able to help himself. But he steeled himself as best he could and tried to concentrate on tormenting Magnus just a little bit more. Alec grabbed his arms and pinned them roughly above his head and the Warlock's eyes widened in surprise, his excitement now palpable as his entire body stiffened and his breathing became ragged. He tugged on Magnus' ridiculous mesh shirt and let go of his arms and allowed him a little room to take it off. The Warlock maintained eye contact as he did so, his pupils wide and blackening the green-gold into thin crescent strips around the outside. Once the shirt had been unceremoniously tossed aside Magnus looked at him and raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly, waiting for Alec to make the next move. It felt strange being the one to take charge. It had always been a big turn-on for the Shadowhunter to throw away his control and for Magnus to lead, but somehow this role reversal was incredibly sexy.

Alec traced his fingers along Magnus' jaw and down his throat, his fiancé submitting entirely to his touch, throwing his head back encouragingly.

"Would you still love me if I was fat?" he asked playfully.

"Of course. I could cuddle up to you and go to sleep like you were my pillow," Magnus told him cheerfully, though the quiver in his voice made it seem obvious that he was trying very hard to keep control of himself.

"You are starting to look a little… chubby," Alec told him softly, while stroking only the very tip of his fingers over the Warlock's chest. Magnus did a sort of double take – he was clearly enjoying Alec's caress, but at the mention of 'chubby' his eyes snapped open and he looked horrified. Alec had to bite the inside of his mouth to keep from bursting with laughter. Magnus was just about to say something to protest when Alec launched his attack and tickled him mercilessly under his ribs. He writhed and laughed beneath him and Alec blew a great raspberry upon his smooth, button-less belly before stopping and sitting up, gazing at how gorgeous his fiancé looked completely undone and out of control. It wasn't a sight he got to see very often.

"You could never not be beautiful to me," he told the Warlock earnestly.

Magnus took a feel deep gulps of air to regain his composure and smiled lovingly. "I could have done some serious damage if you had persisted. Magic is never a friend of those who lose control." He was trying to be serious, but the bright grin upon his face gave him away all too easily. He latched onto Alec's neck and pulled the Shadowhunter down towards him.

"Please will you fuck me now?" he pleaded into Alec's ear, his voice a strangled whisper. Alec had to oblige and prepared as quickly as he was able. Even so, Magnus was beginning to get frustrated and impatient until Alec entered him, as slowly as he could manage in order to prolong the sensation and to make sure he didn't hurt the Warlock. But Magnus pivoted his hips upwards and pulled Alec towards him with his legs wrapped around the Shadowhunter's waist, making them crash together with force and causing them to both cry out.

And then it was like his body was moving involuntarily, thrusting and twisting in the heat of Magnus' body coupled with the heat of the warm August evening. They were both glossy and slippery with sweat, but the primal feeling of the moment completely took them over and there was something deeply liberating and sensual to every one of their actions.

Alec pounded Magnus hard, but he only cried out for the Shadowhunter to go harder, faster. It was urgent and aggressive and fantastic all at the same time. The thought that he may be hurting Magnus did flit across his mind, but then Magnus started thrusting back at him, urging him on. It was a messy and ungraceful rhythm, but the lack of finesse was made up for with the erotic wildness of the situation.

When Alec reached for Magnus' cock he found his grip slippery and lubricated with sweat and it only took a couple of strokes to undo the Warlock. The sight of Magnus coming so powerfully and clamping and seizing around him was enough to tip Alec over the edge too as he came violently inside his lover, flailing and shuddering with the force.

They collapsed together, buzzing and hot from the exertion and gasping for air.

"That… was… amazing," Magnus panted, hugging the Shadowhunter tightly to him. Alec levered himself up slightly, attempting to remove his full body weight from his fiancé and swiped back his sweat-dampened hair from his face. He could feel heat radiating off his entire body and had a sudden urge to plunge his head into a freeze box.

"You are always amazing," he told the Warlock sincerely.

It was tempting to just fall asleep where they were, but they had sent Isabelle off to get takeaway, so it wouldn't be good to risk her wrath, especially with the state she was in at the moment. So they got up and took cold showers. Alec felt reasonably refreshed and slightly less fevered against the thick, hot weather. He threw on a pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt and waited for Magnus to finish up in the bathroom.

"Guys!" Isabelle yelled from the corridor, banging on their door. Alec opened it quickly and found her waiting there for them.

"What's wrong?" he asked, out of reflex.

But she just shrugged and said "Jace and Clary are in the living room watching tv and pretending nothing has happened. It is extremely awkward and I would appreciate a hand."

Alec hurried Magnus along with putting on some underwear and a light, cotton robe in bright turquoise adorned with glittery red butterflies. He had wrapped his hair up in a pallid pink towel that resembled a turban and huffed about his haor going frizzy in this heat if he was not permitted to blow dry it.

The three of them reached the sitting room to find Jace and Clary sat next to each other on one of the sofas, not particularly close or touching in anyway, both of them sullenly picking at a carton of Chinese food each. At least there didn't seem to be any lingering hostility, just an awkward and exhausted truce. The tv was on – Magnus' particular addition to the Institute, because he really couldn't do without watching America's Next Top Model – though no one was rally watching it. Paul had joined them as well and was happily shoveling noodles into his mouth and chewing loudly, his eyes fixed on the screen, though Alec hadn't a clue what was playing.

Alec took a carton from the coffee table, making a mental note to lecture Isabelle about using placemats and coasters again as he checked the content was something he would like. Magnus winced as he sat down beside him.

"You alright?" he asked with great concern. His voice had carried louder than he had intended or realised it would in the tense silence and everyone turned to look at them.

"Yeah, just had a knot in my back," he said unconcerned and took a carton of something that smelled like chilli.

"First sign you are getting old," Jace jeered, though it was a little pathetic and everyone could tell Jace was not his usual self.

"Shut it Herondale," Magnus warned as he picked up a prawn in sticky looking red sauce delicately with his chopsticks and plopped it into his mouth. It seemed like the Warlock was going easy on Jace too, probably not having the heart to berate him too much in light of the current situation.

"Seriously, what's wrong?" Alec whispered after a few moments, leaning into Magnus so no one else would hear, their attention now fixed once more on the tv.

"It's nothing, baby, I'm just a bit sore from earlier," he admitted with a smile and a loving pat of Alec's hand. Unlike the others, Magnus did seem genuinely interested in the tv show. However, at Magnus' admission Alec paled and set down his carton, suddenly not very hungry anymore. He hadn't wanted to hurt Magnus in anyway and the guilt was awful. He felt sick and could feel the anger in his gut bubble up – anger completely directed at himself.

It only took a moment for Magnus to realise and give his had a reassuring squeeze. The Warlock leant in close to him and whispered, "Don't you dare, for even a moment, be upset Alexander. I am not in pain and that was seriously fucking hot. In fact, I am getting hard again just thinking about it."

Alec braved a quick look at his fiancé's crotch, though the folds of his dressing gown seemed to hide everything and he couldn't tell if this was the truth. But Magnus' crass words had made his own libido respond and he had to shift to a more comfortable position.

Magnus sniggered in his ear and gave him a small nip on his earlobe, to which Alec responded with a contented sigh.

"Eugh. Please refrain from overtly public displays of affection in front of us," Isabelle chirped up wearily. Suddenly everyone was looking at them again and Alec felt his cheeks flushing. He was just about to defend them both when Magnus said, "My apologies," and shifted a few inches away from Alec. He suddenly felt very exposed.

"So, your mom is due soon, right?" Magnus asked Clary loudly, trying to engage the room in some sort of conversation.

"She has three weeks left," Clary admitted quietly, anger and hurt still plain to hear on her voice.

"Excited?" Magnus asked with a grin.

"I am, but mom and Luke don't seem to be," she confessed with a wrinkle of her nose.

"Has something happened?" Isabelle asked, her curiosity clearly piqued by the odd remark.

"Not yet," Clary said darkly. "It's just that, you know, there's a chance…"

The comment lingered on the air and Magnus and Isabelle exchanged knowing glances and had a few more bites of their food.

"I'm sorry – a chance of what?" Alec had to ask. Isabelle shot him an exasperated look, Jace scowled at him and Paul finally pulled his eyes away from the screen.

"A chance of lycanthropy," Clary admitted in almost a whisper, her eyes full of sadness. She placed her carton on the floor and knotted her hands together nervously.

"Oh," Alec pushed out, slightly stunned and a little bit annoyed with himself that he hadn't realised.

"Yeah, there's like a twenty or thirty percent chance," she said gloomily and Jace placed a hand delicately on her shoulder to attempt some comfort. She didn't shake him away so it was a good sign.

"More like fifty or sixty," Paul said, very loudly. Everyone glared at him, except Clary whose eyes went very wide. She turned to Magnus in question.

"I'm hardly an authority," he muttered, filling his mouth with rice, probably in hopes that he would now not have to answer any awkward questions if he was eating. But Clary waited for him to swallow before she jumped in. "Magnus, is that right? Sixty percent?" She sounded weak.

"And so what if it is?" Magnus snapped at her, a little harshly in Alec's opinion. "I do not see the problem here. Will your parents love the child any less if it turns out to be a werewolf?"

"No of course not!" Clary said hurriedly. "But I can understand why they are so worried – they are both Shadowhunters and they want their child to be too. Luke is frantic. They are just not having a very great time and, well, they should be. Shouldn't they?"

"Like I said, they could always come and live here," Jace piped up. He had been uncharacteristically silent, but obviously felt he could hold his tongue no longer. Clary scowled openly at him.

"And like I said, they won't ever go for that. They have to stay in Idris because of Luke's place on the Council."

"Is this what you guys were fighting about?" Paul asked innocently. Alec felt like face-palming himself.

Clary stood abruptly, almost knocking a glass of water over. "I'm sorry – I need some space," she declared and then practically ran from the room.

"If you must know, Clary is considering moving to Idris to be with Jocelyn and Luke and the new baby," Jace informed them sullenly, though with an air of nonchalance that was clearly faked. There was an awkward silence whilst everybody processed this information, but nobody was willing to speak up after that.

"So…" Paul attempted sheepishly. "Are we doing anything tomorrow or is it just the party on Saturday?"

It took Alec a moment or two to work out what he was on about. And then he suddenly realised. Tomorrow was Clary's twenty first birthday. He mentally chided himself for letting that slip his mind. It was the big day tomorrow – Jace was planning to propose. The weight of the situation curdled inside his stomach in dread: if they had just had a tremendous argument perhaps Jace was not going to go through with it. He openly stared at his parabatai, hoping to catch his attention and gain an idea of what was going on.

"No, the plan was just for Saturday. I was planning to take her out tomorrow myself," Jace told him with a sombre nod. "And then we were going to go to Idris on Sunday to visit her parents. I had organised for Jocelyn and Luke to come here on Saturday to surprise her, but if things are as tense with them as this then I am not sure it is such a good idea anymore…"

"You can't just un-invite them!" Isabelle scolded, to which Jace shrugged in resignation, clearly understanding his predicament. Of course, no one else knew about the proposal though.

"Jace, can I – um – have a word with you second? Please?" He hadn't meant to sound so flustered because everyone suddenly became very curious, but Jace got up and walked out of the room without any more prompting or coercion. Alec walked out into the foyer and then to the far end as well, making sure they were well out of ear shot of the others.

"Well?" he asked Jace expectantly.

"Well what? You are going to have to give me more of a clue than that."

"Is it going ahead? The… you-know-what?"

"If you mean the proposal – which I am assuming you do – then at the moment I am not entirely sure."

Alec flinched involuntarily at the admission.

"Not that I don't want to marry her!" Jace said in a panic, checking around straight away to check no one had hear, obviously he had not meant for it to come out so loudly.

"Then what's the problem?" Alec asked.

"Timing doesn't seem to be quite right now, does it?"

Alec took his arm and hugged him tightly. He was shocked at the sudden contact at first, his body stiffening and he resisted, but it only took a few moments and he returned the hug enthusiastically.

"It's going to be fine," Alec cooed at him. "She is going to say yes. She is besotted with you and you are with her. This may well be just the thing she needs to stop worrying about her mum."

Jace broke away from him and his cheeks seemed to have a bit more colour. "You haven't hugged me since I was fourteen. When I completed that obstacle course and broke the Institute record."

Alec smiled sadly at him. "It wasn't really appropriate. We both grew up."

"So you didn't want to hug me because you were attracted to me?"

Alec felt his cheeks heat up and he shuffled his feet.

"You know, I wouldn't have minded if you had hugged me every once in a while. Although I think Isabelle enjoyed all the extra hugs she got because we didn't hug each other." Jace was smiling now and Alec felt relieved. "I'm so glad you are my brother," he said wistfully.

"So are we still on for tonight?" Alec asked him with a grin.

"Yeah, I guess so," Jace said as coolly as possible.

They watched television until quite late. Isabelle left them sleepily around eleven, closely followed by Jace. They had to force Paul to go to bed around quarter to twelve. Magnus gave a great yawn, stretched his body out and switched of the tv set.

"Bed?" he enquired with a cute tilt of his head.

Alec glanced at his phone to check the time. It was around ten to midnight. "I will be along in a bit – I have to go do something," he said as he rose to his feet.

"Whoa! Wait up! What do you mean?" Magnus asked him, practically chasing him out of the room.

"It's the big night tonight," he told Magnus with a peck on the cheek. "It's my job to go and coax Clary to go up to the greenhouse."

"Can I come and watch?" he asked devilishly. Alec frowned seriously at him. "Oh come on!" he pleaded. "I promise I will behave myself."

"Only if you wait at the stairs to the greenhouse quietly until I get there with Clary. It will freak her out if we both go and get her."

Magnus agreed and Alec went to Clary and Jace's room. He knocked confidently on the door and Clary answered it only a few seconds later. She was in a cute mint green cami and sleep shorts and her hair was piled up in a messy not, affixed with a pencil.

"Sorry – did I wake you?" he asked.

"No, I was just up sketching. Did Jace send you to try and make peace? Because if he wants to talk to me rationally he knows where I am, I haven't forbidden him from coming to bed tonight you know." She folded her arms about her in a protective gesture and Alec couldn't help but smiling. "What?" she asked him suspiciously.

"Do you mind coming with me for a moment? It is very important, but nothing to worry about," he told her and offered his arm to her in a gentlemanly way. At least, he thought it seemed gentlemanly. He hoped Jace would approve. She eyed him with doubt before taking his arm and letting him lead her away.

"What is this about?" she asked eventually half way down the corridor.

"It's a surprise, obviously," Alec told her with a smirk.

"For my birthday?" She was smiling now, clearly pleased there was going to be a surprise.

"You'll see," he told her.

She started a little when she saw Magnus waiting beneath the spiral staircase. "And I suppose you aren't going to give me even the slightest of hints either?" she asked.

"Nope," he told her cheerfully and pulled the pencil from her hair, allowing her red locks to cascade around her and they both tried to duck into the shadows as she climbed the stairs, hoping not to distract either of them but too nosey to just leave them be.

"What's all this?"

"Five years ago we stood right in this spot." He took out an apple and begun to cut it into pieces. They were both silent and staring and smiling. He handed her a thick piece and took a bite himself. She gave a small laugh and nibbled delicately too.

"First we had apple," he said, his hand reaching out to touch her cheek affectionately. "And we watched the flowers bloom."

At that, the flowers sprang open delicately and beautifully before their eyes. He draped an arm over her shoulder and held her close as they both watch the beauty unfold before their eyes. The moonlight was bright and cast everything in a slivery glow.

"Happy twenty first birthday, Clarissa Fray," he told her and turned and kissed her. "I think that may be the last time I ever say that."

She looked at him, suddenly puzzled, concerned as they broke apart. But he silenced her with a raise of his hand.

"Five years ago I gave you a rune stone. You made a joke about girls getting big rocks. I fell in love with you completely and utterly at that very moment."

Her face was still pale with uncertainty as he bent down and kneeled in front of her.

"Your wish is my command," he told her as he removed a ruby velvet box from his pocket and knelt before her. He was visibly shaking as he held it up and opened the lid. She gasped.

"Will you marry me, Clarissa Adele Fairchild?"

Alec drifted off to sleep the moment his head touched the pillow, oddly content despite the heat making relaxing easily almost impossible.

"Are you sleeping?" Magnus asked him in a soft whisper.

"Hmmm?"

"I love you Alexander. Goodnight my darling." And he kissed Alec's head tenderly before setting down into the mattress and draping his leg protectively over Alec's own, his arm threading around the Shadowhunter's bare chest.

"Magnus?"

"I thought you were asleep."

"I am."

"Mm-hm."

"Their wedding isn't going to be better than ours is it?"

Magnus barked a laugh, startlingly loud amidst the silence of their bedroom. "You are such a jealous Queen sometimes," Magnus chuckled, earning him a light kick in the shins. "And no, our wedding will be the absolutely best wedding of all time. I keep telling you that."

"Yeah, but they will probably just copy all the good bits…"

"Theirs can't possibly be better," Magnus said with authority. "Because nobody could be as in love as us. I mean, don't get me wrong Clace comes close. But our love is like, serious time-bending, cosmos-altering love. You'll see – no one will be able to top our wedding."

And with that they both drifted to sleep.

A/N: Well I did promise you the next one ASAP! My apologies that this one seems to be waaay longer than my usual. Not sure what happened there :-S Anyways, please do leave me a review - any feedback is always welcome! Even if it is just to say you liked/ didn't like the chapter! And don't forget to favourite me and/or follow this story so that you will receive a notification when I update ;-)
Check out my other fics if you have time!
Also, just one more chapter away from THE BIG DAY! Squee!
Laubie x