Hello readers!

So, our characters are meeting with the Seelie Queen today...

Man did I hate her.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare is the owner of TMI and all its characters.

"Isabelle, for the last time, I am not dying my hair." I groaned, and Isabelle huffed in exasperation.

"But remember when Magnus turned it purple? You looked so hot! Liam would love it!" She exclaimed, and Liam poked his head in the door at a convenient moment.

"What would Liam love?" He asked excitedly, and I sighed. Isabelle, in an excuse to clear her mind of current problems, had been styling my hair, organizing her closet, and even redoing my makeup over and over again, all while I sat on the stool in front of her cluttered vanity, utterly bored.

"Liam, darling, tell Rosie how sexy she would look with purple streaks in her hair!" Isabelle demanded with a large smile, ushering him inside, and he dragged Ethan in with him in a last attempt to save himself.

"Rosie, you would look very, very sexy with purple streaks in your hair," He said earnestly, and Ethan glared at him.

"Watch yourself, Darkstrider. That's my sister you're drooling over." Ethan warned, and Liam shrugged.

"I will be the first to admit, your sister is hot."

"And I will be the first to turn a seraph blade on you."

"Alright gentlemen, no fighting, I just wanted your opinion." Isabelle said, and she gave me a pleading glance.

"Ugh, fine!" I yelled, and she clapped her hands together excitedly.

"Yes!" She squealed, and she grabbed her phone, texting someone. I jumped as a box appeared on Isabelle's bed a minute later, only a few blue sparks to give any clue as to where it came from.

"Damn you, Magnus Bane, when I get my hands on you…" I muttered, and Ethan grinned.

"Oh, but you will look so pretty," He argued, and I grabbed a hairbrush, throwing it at him. He ducked, cursing, and the hairbrush hit the wall with an echoing thud.

"I can take both Nightlock spawn down, at one time, mind you," Isabelle warned, and I laughed.

"Bring it on, Lightwood. See how long your pretty hair lasts."

But, as excellent as my threats were, they had no effect. An hour later, my hair was styled expertly, and had dark purple streaks through the bottom half.

Liam whistled when Isabelle and I walked out of the bathroom, and she was beaming.

"Looking good, sis," Ethan nodded in approval, and I had to admit, it didn't look bad. Magnus was going to get a kick out of this.

"Yes, I believe it matches the nose ring quite well," Iz added, and I glared at her.

"You had agreed with the idea, mind you-"

"Yes, especially when we came back to the Institute after you got it pierced. Dad choked on his coffee, Mom dropped a plate, Jace busted out laughing, Ethan started stammering like a madman, and Alec I clearly believe was standing to the side, attempting to fade away."

"But I looked damn hot."

"That you did, Rose, that you did."

"Oh how I love our stories," Liam mused, and I rolled my eyes, moving to collapse in the chair next to him.

"I'm going to go grab a soda. Anyone else?" Isabelle asked, hovering at the door. The Institute was almost empty, with Maryse and Robert out, Max with them, Jace staying with Magnus, and Alec was there too, leaving the rest of us home alone.

"Grab me one," Ethan murmured, twiddling with Isabelle's eyelash curler with an odd expression. I wrinkled my nose in distaste, and when I looked up Liam was looking at me with an expression of disbelief.

"You don't like soda either?" He asked incredulously, and I nodded.

"She's a freak," Izzy chimed in, and he rolled his eyes, "But that leaves more sodas in the fridge, so I'm not complaining."

She hurried out the door, off in search of the refrigerator, leaving Liam, Ethan, and I to our own devices.

"So, what is this even used for?" Ethan asked finally, holding up the eyelash curler. Liam looked equally confused.

"It curls your eyelashes. Hence the name, eyelash curler." I reminded him, and he glared at me.

"Well I didn't know that was its name. I had thought it was used to straighten your hair or something."

I thought over this with a confused expression. "What… how would that even work?"

"This is Ethan we're talking about," Liam murmured, and I laughed.

"Point taken."

We sat there for a few minutes, Ethan attempting to curl his eyelashes, Liam twirling a lock of my newly-colored hair around his finger, and I was holding his hand, admiring his family ring absentmindedly, with a crescent moon symbolizing the family crest.

Suddenly Isabelle's loud footsteps (her boots were taller than Max) echoed throughout the hallway, and she burst into the room, slightly breathless. "I just got back from the library. The Seelie Queen has requested our company," She explained, and I thought over this. This could be a good idea… if we used this to our advantage.

"So are we going?" I asked, and she shrugged.

"I called Alec and told him. He thinks that we may be able to get her as an alliance because of the recent faerie murder." I nodded in understanding. A warlock and a faerie had already died, drained of blood, and so had a young werewolf, but they didn't think whatever killed him had time to drain him as well. I had known it was Valentine who was behind such a thing the moment I heard it.

"Then we shall go before her royal highness, then," I sighed. I knew very well about faeries. They fought dirty, never lying, but always choosing just the right words so that they may as well have. Now I had something else to deal with.

I glanced at Ethan warily, who cursed as he hit himself in the eye with the eyelash curler, but I knew that the second we stood up he would want to go with us.

"Liam, if I asked you to take Ethan demon hunting, would you do it?" I whispered, and I noticed Izzy nod in approval out of the corner of my eye. I didn't like the idea of him demon hunting, but I knew he was safe with Liam around, who I honestly believed had adopted him as a little brother, and I definitely didn't want him to be anywhere near the Seelie Queen.

"Only if you promised me to be careful," He murmured, and I smiled.

"I'm always careful."

"Don't make me laugh."

I ignored him, standing up, and Isabelle ushered the boys out of the room, and I was about to follow them, but she stopped me.

"If we are going down to Faerie Land, I will be the one to dress you up." She said firmly, blowing a strand of her raven hair out of her eyes in a determined motion.

"What's wrong with how I dress?" I asked, offended. It's not like I showed up in gamer t-shirts and loose-fitting jeans (no offense to Clary) to fight demons. I liked skinny jeans, I liked black leather. I wore a pair of boots that I had stolen from her closet, for crying out loud!

"Nothing, it would just be better if you showed up looking like me, a goddess, instead of Rose Nightlock, kick-ass Shadowhunter who looks like she is about to massacre a hoard of demons just by the glint in her pretty brown eyes." I blinked at her response, and she grinned.

"But I have to admit, the Rose Nightlock look is very sexy," She added, smirking.

When Isabelle was done with me, my makeup had been redone yet again, enough to make me look pretty, but no more than necessary. My hair, she decided, already looked fabulous, so that was left alone, and she sorted through her closet, tossing me a pair of black skinny jeans, a black shirt with long sleeves made of black lace, and a pair of black pumps, which I realized had a stain on the heel, and it looked like… blood?

"Iz, what did you do with this shoe?" I asked, waving it in front of her face.

"Oh, I dispatched a demon with it," She smirked confidently.

"Of course," I grinned, and she winked at me, before turning to get dressed in what I realized in horror to be a long skirt. How was she not going to freeze? This is Isabelle we're talking about, my brain reminded me, the girl can pull off anything in the sake of beauty.

I changed into the outfit Isabelle gave me, and though it was slightly bigger than my usual clothes, it fit fine. I slid my dagger into the waistband of my jeans, along with my stele, and when we walked out into the hallway we found that Ethan and Liam were dressed in gear, drawing runes on one another.

"Where will you guys be?" I asked, trying to mask my concern.

"Abandoned warehouse, you know, the usual demon abode," Liam replied, and I met his eyes. He nodded, a silent reassurance that he would take care of Ethan for me.

"Alright, Rose, let's get going," Isabelle said impatiently, pulling me down the hallway in the direction of the front doors, and I paused to whisper a quick "Thank you," in Liam's ear before she dragged me out of the Institute.

Isabelle and I stood in the park, freezing, I might add, waiting for our late arrivals.

"I wonder how Jace is doing," Isabelle murmured worriedly, and I squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"You know how Jace is. He is perfectly fine, probably just making gay jokes about Magnus and watching Project Runway with Chairman Meow at his feet." I reminded her, and she smiled slightly at the thought.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," She said, and I grinned.

"Darling, I'm always right."

"Don't let the comment go to your head, Nightlock."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Lightwood."

She probably would have argued, but she glanced up in surprise, and I followed her gaze to see Jace, Clary, and Simon, walking up to us.

Isabelle didn't waste any time, launching herself into Jace's arms, while I followed suit, wrapping my arms tightly around their necks.

"Can't… breathe… Rose cutting off… oxygen-"

"Oh shut up, I missed you, is that so bad?"

"No, not that bad. Has the Australian been keeping his hands to himself?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes Jace, the Australian has been nothing but a gentleman, I assure you."

"Good. I may be locked up with Magnus, but that can't keep me from kicking some Aussie ass-"

"Jace!"

"What?"

"Are you two done bickering?" Simon asked, annoyed.

I raised an eyebrow. "Simon, do you have a sibling?"

"…Yes."

"So you understand."

"I guess I do."

"Okay, let's get on with it," Isabelle said, leading us to the water, which I looked at with a reluctant face.

"Iz, it's far too cold for a midnight dip."

"Come on, you gutless wimp, we have to hurry." Isabelle grumbled, taking my arm and dragging me into the cold water, and I whimpered slightly.

"If I die of hypothermia, Lightwood, prepare to be haunted. Severely."

"Hey by the way, Rosie, what in the hell happened to your hair?" Jace asked, and I turned around to see him smirking, a look that faded when I showed him a certain finger.

"I dyed it. Doesn't it look pretty?" Izzy said, full of pride, and Jace snorted.

"At least she's a better hairdresser than she is a cook."

"Watch your mouth."

"Of course, little sister."

"If you must know, I happen to like it." I chimed in, and Isabelle grinned at me.

"I knew Magnus was up to no good," Jace murmured, amused.

Isabelle suddenly stopped moving, and I knew we had reached the spot.

Jace was the first to enter, sinking away into the Angel only knows where, followed by Clary, and then Simon. I glanced at Isabelle, who nodded encouragingly, and I trudged over to where Simon had previously stood, gasping in shock as I dropped through the air.

"Incoming!" I gasped as my heels hit the ground with a large thud, Simon and Jace both offering a hand to steady my landing.

"Thank you, gentlemen," I smiled, winking at them, and Simon blushed.

Clary snorted.

"Don't give me that look," I snapped, glaring at her, "You harness that feminine charm as well, you just have to put it to work."

After Isabelle showed up, and Clary somehow came up with the theory of there being a doorbell, a faerie knight appeared, who I can only guess was coming to our rescue.

Or, at least, Isabelle's rescue, anyways.

"Meliorn!" Isabelle squealed, and I shared a knowing glance with Jace.

So that was our inside source.

One of Izzy's exes.

We really were screwed, weren't we?

"Is she always like this?" Clary whispered, motioning towards Isabelle, who was trying to start conversation with the grumpy faerie, who seemed very uptight, even if he was quite handsome.

"With complete strangers? No. With guys that she's fooled around with? Hell yeah." I replied, and Clary shuddered.

We continued through the winding tunnels, until we reached what I knew must be the location of the Seelie Queen.

There were faeries everyone, and I knew that to the average mundane it must be quite beautiful, but the scene of people before me sent a shiver down my spine, especially the woman with the auburn hair, who was by far being treated like a royal.

Clary didn't seem to feel the same way.

Jace grabbed her roughly before she could act on her dizziness, an effect of the faerie's charm, and I wordlessly drew a rune on her arm as Jace explained to her. I glanced over at Simon in worry, but Isabelle was taking care of him. Good.

As things continued, I tried to ignore the conversation as much as possible. It probably wasn't the smartest plan, but I knew that there was nothing I needed to say. I felt better being here, to protect them, but I didn't play an important part in the Valentine Chronicles.

I didn't plan to, either.

I glanced over out of the corner of my eye, to see Clary had put her finger to her lips, wincing.

"Clary? Are you alright?" I whispered, low enough that I didn't disturb the conversation at hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She murmured, and I couldn't help but feel uneasy. The faeries were known for their games.

"It's a shame, you know." The Queen said, catching my attention. I realized in shock that she was staring directly at me.

"What's a shame, my lady?" I asked, trying to keep my voice kind, polite, just as Jace had.

"Such a beautiful girl, and yet such an ugly voice. It really ruins it, does it not?" She asked curiously, and I blanched.

Jace had stiffened, along with Isabelle, though I knew Isabelle well enough to know she was about to do something stupid. I placed a hand on her thigh, trying to discreetly warn her as my fingers practically dug into her skin, and she cooled, though she was still fuming.

"Don't let it bother you," I whispered as Jace tried to salvage a conversation.

"Like it doesn't bother you? Did you hear the filth that just came out of her mouth?" Isabelle hissed, her eyes glinting with fury.

"I never said it didn't bother me, I just said not to let it bother you," I whispered quietly, and her eyes softened.

"If you're upset, I'm upset. That's how sisters work."

"I don't know, but I really don't feel like pissing off Her Royal Highness over there," I murmured, and Izzy smiled slightly.

I couldn't get over the uneasy feeling, and it was when we tried to leave, the Queen stopping us, that I realized what it was.

She was going to try and keep Clary here.

From the look in Jace's eye, I could tell that there was one thing we could all agree on.

That they would have to pry Clary from our cold, dead hands.

"Like that's going to happen," I scoffed, and Isabelle waved her hair away from her face, a strong, confident motion that showed she stood beside me.

"Ah, not only an ugly voice, but an ugly temper as well." Someone murmured from behind me, though it wasn't the Queen. I whirled around to see a faerie was behind me, quite pretty, though her eyes were a little unnerving, a bright purple color, bigger than the normal human eyes. Her hair was a bright blue color, and the look in her eyes was pure… amusement.

"What crawled up your ass?" I asked wearily, not in the mood for dealing with any more games.

"I just wanted to meet you, that's all. I heard there was someone new. I'm Lana, by the way," She murmured, smirking. I just gave her a confused look.

"Are you smoking anything, Lana?"

She giggled, shaking her head. "No, I don't have a need," She replied, and I nodded slowly.

"Okay, well, if that's it then I will just leave you on your merry way," I said quietly, and something flashed in her eyes.

"Just tell my dear Liam hello for me, if you'd please," She said after I'd turned away, and when I looked back quickly at the mention of Liam, she was gone.

"Rose? Were you talking to someone?" Izzy whispered, and I glanced around. I had been so distracted, I hadn't noticed what was going on. I heard the Seelie Queen say something, and I didn't catch all of it, but I heard the basics.

Clary leaves if she kisses the one who she most desires.

"Oh no," I murmured, but no one was listening to me.

When Jace and Clary started kissing, I simply looked away, not because I found it sickening, but because I didn't. There seemed nothing abnormal about the two being together. And yet they were siblings.

"Come on," I whispered to Isabelle as soon as Clary seemed to be free, and Simon, the poor mundane, seemed all too happy to oblige.

"Goodbye, Rose. Oh and try to smile more often, it takes attention away from the hoarseness," The Queen added with a charming grin, and I cringed, grabbing Isabelle's arm and dragging her away before she could respond.

Thankfully Isabelle stayed quiet, along with Meliorn, who seemed just as grouchy as before, if not worse. Simon left as soon as his feet hit dry land, and no one tried to follow him. He obviously wanted to be alone.

It felt as if we couldn't get back to the Institute fast enough, and though it wasn't as late as I had grown used to in the past few days, I wanted to sleep. I was freezing, and there was a good chance that I had caught pneumonia in between dipping in the ocean and listening to the faerie's sickening comments about my voice.

I took a long, hot shower when I got back to my room, and when I emerged I felt thoroughly relaxed.

Until I left the bathroom, that is.

Liam was sitting on my bed, admiring the crest on my family dagger lazily. I squeaked in surprise when I found him there, an odd noise that made him laugh.

"Did I scare you?" He asked, amused.

"My fear will be the least of your problems if you don't move," I warned, pointing to the warm pajamas that I had thrown onto my bed before I had showered, and he glanced at them.

"And why would that be?" He asked innocently.

"In case it has slipped your mind, I am in a towel, lacking the necessary articles of clothing, which lay beside you." I reminded him, glaring. I had a large, fluffy black towel wrapped around me tightly, my wet hair clipped up on top of my head, and I was much too tired to deal with this madness.

"Oh, it hasn't slipped my mind, I assure you. On the contrary, your lack of clothing has been the absolute first thing on my mind since you emerged from that there bathroom one minute ago," He pointed towards the bathroom door to support his claim, and I rolled my eyes.

"Look away, Liam Darkstrider, or I will sic Jace, Alec, and Ethan on you." I growled, and his grin faded effectively.

"Change away, my dear." He said, turning around and staring at the door.

"Thank you," I grinned smugly, and I started to pull my shirt over my head.

"So how was the Seelie Queen?" He asked, and I cringed.

It's not that I cared about her opinion, or that I let the comments bother me, but they still stung, all the same.

"Oh, just her lovely, arrogant, insulting self."

"What'd she say?" He asked, suddenly concerned. He must have sensed a change in my voice, because was serious now.

But then I remembered that the Queen wasn't the only faerie that talked to me.

"Nothing cruel enough that Isabelle slaughtered her," I said, keeping my voice steady.

"Rose, what's up?" Liam asked, noticing my discomfort.

"Do you know a faerie named Lana, by chance?" I blurted out, and at the awkward silence I knew my theory was correct.

So dear old Lana was a friend, indeed.

"You met Lana?" Liam asked, and I could practically hear him cringe. I turned to him, fully dressed, but he didn't dare glance up to face my expression.

Wise choice, Darkstrider, wise choice.

"So how close were you?" I asked, honestly curious, though no one could mistake the jealousy in my voice. I really had no reason to be jealous, I mean it obviously was an old relationship, but still. She seemed like a major… wait, was there a nice word? No, I think not.

"We weren't that close, I mean…" Liam stammered, trying to find the right thing to say. I sighed impatiently.

"Spit it out, Darkstrider."

"We dated, Rose. Does it matter?"

"No," I said honestly, observing my nails, checking for flaws in the black polish, though there were none. He sighed in relief, and I felt the strong urge to mess with him. "But if it did…" I started, and he suddenly paled.

"Continue."

"She has turquoise hair, Liam, I mean for the love of the Angel. You couldn't have done better than Little Miss Troll Doll?" I was laughing now, and he glared at me.

"Well you have purple hair, so I guess I have a thing for colorful women!" He exclaimed, and I rolled my eyes.

"If you want colorful women, go find Magnus! I'm sure he would pay you for a good time."

Liam shuddered at the thought. "No thank you."

"Oh, it is in the past, anyways," I said, "It's not like I haven't dated people."

This instantly caught his attention.

"Like who?" He asked, his voice strained. I grinned inwardly.

"Oh, just guys I liked, who I saw around. A few warlocks, some Shadowhunters… even a faerie once, but I really didn't like him though." I explained, and he seemed to be biting his tongue to keep from saying something.

"That's good to know," He murmured, and I smiled widely at him.

"Isn't it?"

"You're enjoying my discomfort, aren't you?"

"More than you could ever imagine."

"Great."

I thought back to Ethan suddenly, and I tried to look over Liam discreetly, checking for injuries. He rolled his eyes.

"Ethan is fine, Rose, and so am I."

I laughed, and shrugged. "Did you have fun?" I asked, and he raised an eyebrow.

"One of my girlfriend's three brothers, mind you, put in the same location as a seraph blade and my wonderful self? It was intimidating, thirteen years old or not," He admitted, and I laughed.

"Yeah, that's Ethan for you. I keep having to remind him that he's the younger sibling, it's my job to protect him." I grinned, and Liam shrugged.

"But you will always be his sister. He's always going to be protective of you," Liam reminded me, and I nodded.

"I never said I minded." I winked, and he rolled his eyes. I was now sitting down on the left side of the bed, my head against the pillow, and that wasn't a good idea. My eyes started drooping, and I fought to stay awake.

"Rose, just sleep."

"Ugh, so bossy," I muttered, but I didn't argue. The second I had tucked my feet under the covers, I felt myself drift off into a peaceful sleep.

So, my loyal readers, I have a request for you.

Those of you that read this story, like it, enjoy it, or anything in between, I would love to hear what you think.

Questions, comments, concerns, anything!

Chao!

- EasyIsTheDescent