'Lo again. I'm back! Sorry this took so long to update. There hasn't been much muse for this, and no muse equals no updates.

This chapter is a little different as I've switched POVs. I might switch back later on in the story though.

summerchic40:Yeah, I know you've been bugging me about this for a while, and I've given in and updated because of you, so this is all your fault. :) This chapter's dedicated to you, girl!

Disclaimer: "I don't own the Mortal Instruments. If I did, there would be more Magnus and Alec, and less creepy, pseudo-incestuous Jace and Clary action." --Bulls in Brooklyn (who is a great writer -- check out "What Alec Forgot", another great M/A fanfic)

Chapter 3

Don't get me wrong, I love Alec and all, but he isn't exactly the type of person to step up to the plate and put together something extravagant on any occasion (which is why I'm still a little puzzled as to how the hell he was able to kiss me that day in the Accords Hall in front of everybody, including his parents). Alright, maybe that's a little of an overstatement. He does like being in control during, er, the night. Or sometimes it's the day. Then again, there was that one time after dinner…

Stop it, Bane. You're thought-rambling again.

The point is that what Alec "gave" me earlier on today was unexpected, yet perfect.

I had woken up today, thinking, "Happy birthday, Magnus. You're another year older. Just a few more years and you'll hit the big nine-oh-oh." After which followed the daily morning routine of jumping out of bed, pulling on my favourite leopard-print bathrobe, hopping into a nice warm shower, dressing into my designated birthday outfit (which wasn't exactly part of my every-day routine), throwing some makeup on, gelling my hair up into it's usual spikes, settling down to a bowl of cereal, and phoning Alec on his cell (I still was a tad bit uncertain of whether or not I call the Institute and risk speaking to an angry Robert or Maryse Lightwood). The phone had rung a few times before the answering machine picked it up and Alec's recorded voice was heard. "Hi, sorry I'm not there. Leave a message." Beep. He could be so drab sometimes.

It was odd for him not to pick up his phone, especially if it was me calling (the boy did have caller ID, right?). So I had tried again, only to get the same result. After much thought and deliberation, I had decided to try the Institute's number—all the while crossing my fingers and hoping that his parents wouldn't answer—and got nothing. Determined to talk to Alec, I had tried one last time—and that time I had crossed my fingers as well as Chairman Meow's whiskers for extra luck—and suppressed a cry of joy when somebody picked up the phone. I sighed in disappointment when Isabelle began to speak: "Hello? Magnus? Is that you?"

Hmm, so the Institute did have caller ID. "The one and only. Why, are there any other exceptionally marvelous and perfectly magnificent beings with the name Magnus Bane strutting about? If there is, I'd very much like to know," I had replied. When there was no response except for an exasperated sigh, I continued: "Isabelle, would you mind putting Alec on the phone? He's not answering his cell."

"Sorry Mr. Exceptionally Marvelous and Perfectly Magnificent," Isabelle said. "Alec's not here. He's out with Mom and Dad. I could call them if you'd like—"

"No!" I cried, startling Chairman Meow into yowling and sinking his claws into my ankle. I had swatted him onto the floor with my free hand. "And don't call me that. It makes you sound like a dim-wit. I wouldn't want you diving down to that level on which Mr. Tall, Blonde, and Brainless also sits. Just give me a shout when he returns." I had hung up then, not giving her a chance to reply.

It had puzzled me as to what Alec was doing out with his parents, and why he hadn't called or texted me that he was going to be out. I had a right to know, and I still do! Teenagers could be so naïve at times. He was going to receive a serious talking-to when he returned to this apartment. I sighed deeply and picked up a mewling Chairman Meow off the floor, placing him on my chest as I put my feet up on the couch. His eyes met mine, big and amber as he stared at me in an attempt to look cute. "Nice try, Meow," I had said without plaintiveness. "Nobody can beat that deep oceanic blueness of—"

I had been cut off as he leapt at my face and stuck a minuscule paw into my mouth, scratching at the side of one of my teeth and nearly ripping off a lip piercing. "Shit," I muttered as I shook him off me. "Stupid cat." I hastened to replace the piercing to its proper position as Chairman Meow glared at me with a Since-When-Did-I-Become-Second-Banana-To-A-Filthy-Human kind of look. "Since you ran away last year at your last and final birthday party that I'll throw you and that silly group of Nephilim showed up at my doorstep," I said.

He had scrunched up his tiny nose in an annoyed matter, turned, and stalked off towards the kitchen. I could hear the sound of little claws as they scratched at the cupboard which he knew held his kitty food. Muttering about how needy pets could be, I had went and given the cat whichever treat he had wanted, then sat at the kitchen table watching him play with it. "Thanks for wishing me 'Happy Birthday' Meow," I had said, resting my head on my hand. The last thing I remembered before slipping into a not-so-deep sleep was the sound of keys turning the lock at my door.

I think I had woken up just as a thickly-accented British voice finished its rant about the poor quality of somebody else's singing on American Idol. Then another victim—I liked to think of the contestants of "victims" as they really are victims, considering the fact that they are at the mercy of a couple "judges" and the whole of America—launched into their rendition of some 70's ballad. Knowing it was Alec, I had gotten up quietly from my chair and had snuck over behind the couch that my beloved was so casually stretched across. The rest was all willy-nilly. Forgetting about how puzzled I was about him being out with his parents without telling me, I had gotten him into my bedroom, and lo-and-behold, he revealed that he did in fact remember my birthday, and that he had planned on giving himself to me for my present. Always the charmer, that boy. I remember his complete horror after hearing that I was to give him a makeover. After which followed the dress shirt, vest, and the special pants that I had saved for just the right time.

Now, Alec sat at my vanity table staring at the pots of paint and makeup as if they were Hell's gates waiting to swallow him up. I chuckled and placed a light kiss on his cheek. "Where would you like to start, darling?"

Not moving his gaze, he said, "Magnus, is this all really necessary?"

"If you'd like me to be happy on my birthday, then yes," I replied, stroking his hair, "it is." Ignoring the slight shudder that passed through his body, I moved to grab my scissors off the corner of the table. "First things first, dear, before we start with the makeup: We need to cut your hair." I held up a lock and regarded it with strong distaste, making sure that Alec saw my face in the mirror. "When was the last time it was cut?"

"I… I don't remember," he said.

"Imagine that." I bunched his hair—which was all the way down to his shoulders now—into two sections and pinched one between my fingers. "Hmm," I thought aloud, tapping the scissors against my face. "Four inches would be much too short, and just giving you a small trim wouldn't be enough. Maybe two and a half should be good for what I plan to do."

"What?" snapped Alec, almost startling me into dropping the scissors. "What do you plan to do?"

I grinned and proceeded with snipping off bit by bit of his beautiful black hair. "Well, I've seen you eyeing me more than enough times, Alexander, and I can tell by the look on your face that you would die for hair like mine. So, I'm granting your wish and will be putting some spikes in it once I finish. Now, that's already two wishes: One, you got me, and two, this."

"Magnus!" Alec cried, eyes widening. "How do you know that I even want spikes?"

"Like I said before, darling, I just know that you'd die for hair just like mine. And that doesn't give you my permission to go drop dead whenever you need some gel, mind you." Snip, snip, snip.

"Why would I ever want to drop dead?"

"Why would I ever want to waltz with Jace whilst wearing a coconut bra and a hula skirt? Both rhetorical questions, darling. Besides, you have been looking a little sunken lately. Anything happening in your life that I need to know about?" I said, ruffling his head to rid it of any stray clippings and returning to my work, then remembering his whereabouts earlier on today. "Anything that has to do with your parents?"

Alec chuckled lightly, a movement that even my expertise didn't anticipate and caused me to cut off a couple strands of hair that I didn't intend to. "Who told you?"

"Isabelle," I said. "I had finally mustered up whatever courage was needed to phone the Institute, and called, expecting your Mom or Dad on the phone, and ended up speaking to your sister. You owe me."

"Magnus!" he laughed. "What's so bad about Isabelle?"

"Nothing," I said, a smile playing on my lips. "I just wish that she would stop dreaming about how incredibly soft and silky my hair is." Just a few more snips… "And after she sees you, she'll lust after yours." Tossing my scissors behind me—and pretending that the screech I heard wasn't Chairman Meow being the victim of that toss—I reached for the tall purple bottle of styling gel. "Spikes?" I asked.

Alec gawked at my reflection in the mirror. "If I say no, will you still give me them?"

"You know me," I replied, starting to squeeze some gel into my hands, "I only do what you allow me to do." Reveling in the look of extreme distaste on Alec's face, I started to massage the gel into Alec's newly cut hair. "And if I remember correctly, you said that I could do whatever I wanted to do with you, right?" I began to style his hair into my infamous spiky do, ignoring the fact that I probably would've preferred him with his hair down. Whatever. He looks hot no matter what hairstyle I put him in.

"For your birthday," Alec reminded me. God, that boy was so technical. "Only for your birthday."

Obviously, he didn't even notice the fact that I was finished with his hair. Ignorant little bastard. "Since when were you ever able to tame me?" I said before crouching down to his level and locking our lips together. He responded hungrily, leaning further towards me and wrapping his arms around my head, twisting my hair into knots. "Now, now, little Shadowhunter." I pulled away, leaving him sitting there glaring at me. "Watch the hair."

"Magnus!" wheezed Alec, still catching his breath. That boy was going to start being ticketed for over-usage of my name.

I rolled my eyes casually. "Well, I'll take that as thanks for what I've done to your otherwise dead hair."

He followed my gaze to his reflection in the mirror. I watched as his jaw dropped, not that I couldn't blame him, of course. I had done a marvelous job: Not a single strand of Alec's hair was out of place. Each stood up in spikes around his head, much like mine. "Wow," he breathed. Well, that was totally out-of-character.

"Yeah," I whispered, "I am gorgeous."

Alec shoved me lightly aside. "I was saying 'wow' because my hair looks so much like yours! You know, all spiky and sparkly-like."

"Spiky and sparkly-like?" I inquired. "At least now I know what people think when they see me. 'Oh, there goes that incredibly sexy dude with the spiky and sparkly-like hair.'"

While Alec sat chuckling, I took a handful of powder from the table and threw it in his face. "Makeup time!" I cried.

"Damn it, Magnus!" Alec coughed, rubbing at his face. "Did you have to do that?"

"Calm down, sweetie, there are worse things in life," I said, reaching for the eyeliner.

I apologize if this wasn't as enjoyable as the previous two chapters. Reviews are greatly appreciated as always -- hopefully you all know what it feels like when you have 200 hits but only 7 reviews. Remember, for every review, my muse grows, and you get another update asap!