Title: The New York City Angels
Summary: They'd always thought Idris was home. Every Shadowhunter did. Only as they watched their home destroyed in front of them did they realize that they'd been home all along. T for language mostly.
Notes: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, alterted, favorited, you know, all that stuff. It really means a lot. I'm working on the next chapter as we speak! I hope you guys don't think I'm changing the POVs too much - there's just a lot I want to put forth, especially now that they're not all held conveniently in the Institute.
Disclaimer: As much as I'd love to, I do not own the Mortal Instruments series. I'm only missing a few of the ingredients to the Polyjuice potion, but for now, I do not own. Sad face. I wish I owned something.
Clary drew her hand out of her pocket, clutching her keys, but before she could unlock the door it flew open to reveal her mother on the other side.
"I thought I heard someone out here," Jocelyn murmured.
Clary hugged her mom, saying, "You talked to Luke about Isabelle staying here, right?"
Jocelyn nodded. "Oh, it's perfectly fine. We're more than happy to have you, Isabelle." She directed the last part at the black haired Shadowhunter standing behind her daughter. Isabelle stood nervously in the doorway, but not awkwardly. No, Clary thought, Isabelle's never awkward.
She led her friend to her bedroom and sat down in the chair in front of her desk. Isabelle sat on the edge of the bed, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. Clary wasn't sure if she even noticed what she was doing; she seemed out of it.
Of course she was out of it. Her home had burned down. She was left with almost nothing.
When she'd thought about having someone stay with her, her mind had immediately gone to Jace. But she asked Isabelle instead; her mother would not have approved of Jace staying with them.
And Simon had nervously offered Jace the guest room at his house. Clary allowed herself a small smile when she thought of it. The two boys had never really gotten along well, and this couldn't be helping.
Maryse and Robert had gone to contact a few friends in the Conclave to find somewhere to stay, and Alec had gone home with Magnus.
"Thanks for letting me stay, Clary." Isabelle's voice was quiet and shaky, but enough to shake Clary out of her reverie. Clary could actually see her sweating, see the hair sticking to her forehead, and was shocked by the sight of imperfections of Isabelle of all people. It was completely out of the ordinary.
But the entire day had been out of the ordinary.
Clary moved over to sit by her friend, telling her, "I'm glad you're here, Izzy."
Isabelle shook her head. "Can we go do something? I need to take my mind off of all this."
"Sure. We'll go shopping, or something," Clary told her, trying not to make a face while saying it. She'd never seen the appeal in shopping that other girls did, but she wanted to help her friend. If that meant shopping, then she supposed she was up for it.
She saw Isabelle's face brighten, and felt pity for the poor girl. The realization reminded her of something someone had said to her: They say pity's a bitter thing.
Markus wanted to leave desperately.
He hadn't been around so much bright color since his last relationship, when he actually frequented the girl's apartment.
Magnus's apartment was an eyesore to him. A bright pink couch seemed highly unnecessary to him. But he was forced to kneel by it and heal the damn werewolf that Magnus had to abandon at the last moment. When Markus thought of where the other warlock might've disappeared to, he laughed. The text he'd received was probably from some new lover, complaining how they needed him.
The werewolf was fine afterwards, just a little groggy, which was expected. Markus offered to call for a cab – just to get them and himself the hell out of there as soon as possible – but they declined, saying they could walk back.
After about two hours, Markus was turning another page in the book he'd conjured up for himself when the door swung open.
Magnus. Finally.
And… a Shadowhunter?
Markus started to ask, but the look the warlock shot him was pure poison, the message clear: don't say a thing.
Magnus led the boy to the couch and sat down with him, gently embracing him.
Markus cleared his throat. When the other man looked up, he said, "I'm gonna go now rather than watch you canoodle with your new boy toy."
The boy he was holding made no move to look up, but Magnus glared. "Go on, Zusak. Did anyone else call?"
When Markus shook his head, Magnus sighed. "Good. What do I owe you?"
"We'll talk about it later."
"Then get going." Magnus proceeded to wave his hand to let the door swing open, revealing the darkness of the stairwell that Markus was only too happy to walk into.
He looked back one last time, thinking that it was strange. Magnus was making no move for sex or even a heated kiss with the Nephilim boy. He just held him close, running a hand through the boy's jet black hair and murmuring softly to him. The boy looked up as if wondering why he wasn't gone yet and Markus saw eyes the color of bottle glass that he knew he'd seen before.
He whispered automatically, "Eyes like the night sky in Hell." He left quickly after that, feeling as if he'd seen a ghost.
Simon heard the front door open, a reminder that Jace was staying with him. He grimaced. He'd seen Clary's face when she asked Isabelle if she'd like to stay with her, and had seen the way Alec clung to Magnus. No, there was no one else who would take Jace with them, and though he didn't particularly want to, he'd offered Jace the guest room at his house. Jace had taken it surprisingly graciously, without any sarcastic comments or mocking looks. He'd even called him 'Simon' instead of the usual 'vampire.'
The moment they'd arrived at Simon's house and he'd talked to his mom about it, Jace thanked her and left, saying he needed to go out and clear his head.
Simon just hoped he wasn't going to some bar, getting drunk, and starting a fight like he'd done before.
But he didn't smell any alcohol on him. Just the normal park smell: dirt and murky water.
Simon was still a little surprised at his enhanced senses. It was a Downworlder thing; he was still getting used to the fact that he could smell the Shadowhunter coming in through the front door, could hear the soft scraping of his boots sliding off his feet from across the house.
He looked at the clock. 10:56.
Simon had told his mom that Jace probably didn't want to impose more than he had to when she had worried about him missing dinner. He assured her that Jace was able to get something to eat.
What Simon wasn't prepared for was his mom's proactive steps. She'd called the school and asked them if it was okay that Jace 'shadow' Simon, just so he had something to do. She'd remembered when Simon explained that Jace was home schooled and thought it was an excellent idea.
Simon wasn't so sure.
He supposed he was going to find out soon enough.
Magnus sighed as he closed the door behind yet another client. Everyone seemed to be either directly or indirectly affected by the demon attack earlier. There were a few things that he'd noticed were off, and in calling a few acquaintances and fielding a few customers, he discovered that something was definitely wrong.
This demon attack was nothing random.
He'd gathered a few things from the experience, the aftermath, and the reports of others. Apparently, the street was temporarily warded. Mundanes saw the road as a closed construction site. Other Downworlders felt a solid barrier between them and the street where the battle had taken place.
But he and Simon were let through for some reason.
Magnus had a few theories, but wanted to wait until things calmed down a little, got closer to normal than they were right then.
For instance, Alec wasn't acting normal at all.
He returned to his bedroom and saw Alec still hadn't moved. He was still sitting by the window, Chairman Meow asleep in his lap, and staring up at the sky. His expression hadn't even changed; his features were kept in a mask of cold apathy, his eyes the only telling parts of his face. They were bright with pain and sadness, filled with tears at times. He noticed that during those times Alec blinked them back.
Magnus returned to his post beside his Shadowhunter and laid his head on Alec's shoulder. Alec made no move towards or away from Magnus in response. It was like he really had turned into the statue he was emulating.
Magnus had seen this side of Alec once before, after Max's death and the funeral in Idris. It had taken a while, but he'd started smiling again, even laughing, and acting like a normal human being.
And now this: the destruction of the place he'd grown up, of the last things they had of Max's, of almost every worldly possession they had. Magnus's heart went out to him. He knew exactly what it felt like to lose a home, and felt Alec's pain as sharply as if it were his own.
Despite his understanding, this side of Alec still scared him. It seemed almost as if the Shadowhunter was wishing he'd follow the traces of ash and smoke that rose on the wind.
He was completely detached. Gone away.
It was almost like he'd gone up in flames with the Institute.
While approaching the school, Simon and Jace walked in silence. Jace hadn't said a word since he'd left the day before. Simon found himself wondering if Jace would be okay.
They walked in through the double doors at the front of the school and Simon started methodically weaving through the crowd, listening to make sure Jace stayed behind him. He put his bag into his locker and was closing the door when his nostrils flared.
Eric.
"Hey, man, what's up?" Eric called over the din of the hallway, an arm around his girlfriend Sheila, who grinned at Simon while popping her gum.
Simon shrugged. "Not much. This is Jace." The two exchanged the traditional terse nod – the greeting guys gave each other while trying to be 'badass', as Simon had explained to Clary. "He'll be here for a while. He's staying with me while his family… moves."
Eric raised his eyebrows and nodded. Simon knew he had something to say and prayed he wouldn't say it. Not here, and not now, he prayed silently.
Luck was on his side. Matt and Kirk came down the hall behind Eric and stood by Sheila, each giving Jace a nod, and tried to start up the band name discussion again. Simon left them when Matt tried to explain to Kirk and Eric why Head Case was a terrible band name after they finished arguing Rabid Squirrel.
Everything checked out at the office and the warning bell rang, sending the flood of students into the classrooms that lined the sides of the hall.
"So, they still don't know?"
Simon started at the sound of Jace's voice. It was the first thing he'd said since coming to stay with him. "Know what?"
Jace rolled his eyes. "That you're a –" Simon clamped a hand over his mouth to shut him up. They were sitting right behind Matt and Eric, and Kirk was just across the aisle between the rows.
He shook his head. "No, they don't. They're still mundies. There are no problems now that I can stand sunlight. Now drop it before they hear."
Then the bell for first period rang, interrupting Jace and preceding the prompt arrival of the teacher, Mr. Sparro. He deposited the books and papers he was carrying on his desk while the morning announcements came on.
Simon almost laughed at how normal things were. He listened enviously to the lunch menu: spaghetti and meatballs, ruled by the student body as the best lunch St. Xavier's had. He hadn't had spaghetti in a while, and he could swear his stomach rumbled at the thought.
But it wouldn't sate him now. There was only one thing for that.
Fire messages were sent out at opportune times to each of the Shadowhunter children.
Jace received his in the library of St. Xavier's, and had to put out the still smoldering paper quickly so as to not attract attention.
Clary received hers while she was working at Luke's bookstore. She shrieked, startling a customer.
Isabelle received hers in the dressing room of the boutique she was visiting alone, since Clary was working. She snatched it out of the air and cursed when some of the ash from the singed message got onto her white tank top.
Alec received his in Magnus's apartment. The appearance didn't seem to bother Chairman Meow, who blinked up at it sleepily and continued napping in the Shadowhunter's lap. Alec blinked and moved for the first time that day.
Each message said the same thing:
Let's have a round table meeting tonight, at around 8. There are some things we need to discuss, and the Conclave has come to a few decisions regarding the incident yesterday.
An address was given with the signature of Maryse Lightwood.
Meanwhile, Maryse and Robert Lightwood were staying with a few friends in the Conclave, oblivious to the fact that the younger Shadowhunters had been sent invitations to their deaths.
Bookworm24601 - Don't worry, as you can see, it's not the end. We've got quite a bit of stuff to do before I'm finished with these guys ;) As for a guisarme, I wasn't sure what it was other than a weapon. It was in CoA when Robert offered it to Alec. I looked it up, and it's like a spear, kind of.
AverageDreamer - Thank you darling - I was hoping you'd like it. I am focusing on their home, and my English teacher would be proud - it's gonna be a 'motif' which is something you reference a lot in a story.
HidingDani - Yay, you liked it! Thanks again for the dividers advice - it's helped a lot. Here's the update you waited for!
So, since I'm almost finished with the next chappie, and I'm sure this cliffy is making you all nuts, I'll borrow the idea from MaybeThere'sHope. But this is just 5 reviews till an update, because I'm really excited about this story!