A/N: I had so much fun with this! :D I hope it shows. Thanks again to all my readers for sticking with me!
Chapter 12
(3rd person POV)
It was a busy day for Magnus Bane. Very busy in fact, for he was planning a party. A party that his friend Isabelle had recommended that he throw in order to clear the air, because lately, everyone's relationships had been going terribly.
Even his relationship with Alec hadn't been spared by whatever deadly virus that was killing everyone's love-lives lately. He was hoping this party would help his and Alec's relationship re-bloom again, to be the beautiful love flower it was in the beginning.
So he invited over everyone. And that means everyone. Alec, Isabelle, Jace, Clary, Evangeline, and even Rat-Boy Simon. They all arrived relatively at the same time, only Simon came a little late. Magnus ushered them all into his private sitting room where their party was to take place.
He had really decorated the place for the festivity. The small group, especially Alec, were no stranger to the lavish and expensive style that Magnus harbored. However, this room displayed this to the nth degree.
The walls were a burgundy color with black lace overlay and had portraits of beautiful people hanging tastefully around the room. Four black leather chairs were scattered around rather haphazardly on the dark stained mahogany floor. Each had a side table next to it with a candelabra burning next to it.
The ceiling of this room was vaulted with high arching French styled windows, which were blocked by long deep purple drapes. High up on the ceiling was suspended a beautiful chandelier like the ones from the old Hollywood movies that you would see at a ball or ritzy party.
There was a fireplace set ablaze on the far side of the room near a lonely white door. Lastly, in the very center of the room was a sprawling red Persian rug. On top of this rug were groupings of pillows of various shapes and colors. Along the side of the rug was a lone bottle of wine, unopened and unconsumed, with a small rack of wine glasses near it.
The party started at 7:30 pm, and would probably last all night. That's why Magnus had set up so many pillows, in case everyone fell asleep on the floor. Simon, however, showed up at 8.
By that time, everyone else was sitting on the Persian rug like awkward children at story-time in preschool, sipping delicately from wineglasses, although most of them were underage. But that didn't seem to faze Magnus one bit. Simon stumbled in awkwardly, tripping in the doorway. He recovered and waved hello to everyone and loped over to sit next to Clary.
Clary stiffened when he sat down. She was feeling a little awkward, since they had slept together and everything just the night before. And the alcohol was making her slightly tipsy already. Damn her low tolerance!
Magnus clapped his hands together and began, "Alright, may the teenaged debaucheries and immaturity commence." Then, he handed a wineglass to Simon, red liquid swishing around like watery blood. Simon looked at it and set it down on the ground.
"That's a little too close to blood for my taste," Simon joked. "It's making me hungry." Evangeline looked alarmed, so he quickly covered. "No, don't worry! I ate before I came here. That's why I was late. It wasn't human blood, it was deer blood. Um, anyway… What were you saying?"
Isabelle cleared her throat. "Well, I know that you all are wondering why you're here. I know it's awkward—"
"That's one way to describe it." Jace said petulantly from his corner of the rug.
Isabelle playfully glared at him for interrupting her and went on. "As I was saying, I brought you all here to clear the air, so I think we should play Spin the Bottle and other typical teenage mundane games."
"Spin the Bottle?" enunciated Simon. "Are you serious?"
"Spin the Bottle?" echoed Evangeline. "What does that mean?"
"Wait. Who are you again?" Simon asked pointing to the petite black haired girl.
"Simon, Evangeline. Evangeline, Simon." Alec snapped agitatedly. "Now can we get this over with?" He kept shifting and looking awkward, avoiding all eye contact with Magnus.
Isabelle glared at her brother and turned to face her cousin. "Spin the Bottle is a kissing game." she explained.
"A... a what?" her cousin sputtered innocently, her cheeks blushing a faint shade of pink. Evangeline was still really uncomfortable with kissing and the idea of it in general, ever since the Jace thing. And to think there was a game about it? How? "In what way?"
"Well," Clary began, "someone has the bottle in the middle and they spin it around and whoever it lands on you have to kiss."
Evangeline turned pinker. "I don't think I want to play, then..."
"Oh, come on!" begged Isabelle, imploring her. "You need to play with us! It'll be fun. Harmless fun."
"Kissing is hardly ever harmless," Jace said ominously from his vertical position on the rug. At some point he had laid down on the ground to stare at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. He was toying around with the idea of somehow making it fall to the ground, shattering all over the place. He was feeling so miserable at the moment, he couldn't help it. The two objects of his affection were in the same room, and both must have been conspiring against him to make him miserable. But I deserve it, he thought, I led Evangeline on and I broke Clary's heart.
Simon snorted, interrupting his thoughts. "You of all people would know."
Jace sat up abruptly to glare at the vampire. "What is that supposed to mean, you former mundie?"
"It means that you need to keep your stinky lips attached to your own face and not to those of every pretty girl you meet!"
"I can put my stinky lips wherever I want," Jace said darkly, preparing for a fight.
"ANYWAY," said Magnus, "I think that we should begin the game. So..." And then he snapped his fingers. An empty old-fashioned Coca Cola bottle appeared in the center of the circle they were all sitting in. "Who goes first? Any volunteers?"
Simon and Jace were still having a glaring contest with each other and everyone else was varying shades of uncomfortable, confused and intrigued by the impending fight.
Finally after a few moments of awkward silence, Magnus raised his hands up in surrender. "Well since you all insist, I will go first."
So Magnus crawled to the bottle and, instead of spinning it normally, held his finger a few inches away and made it spin using his magic. As it spun around and around, those in the circle were laughing and calling Magnus a show-off. Eventually, it stopped... pointing at Isabelle.
"Well, not the Lightwood I was hoping for, but, you'll do." He grinned widely and made his way over to Isabelle. He leaned forward and pressed a quick peck to her lips.
Isabelle pulled away, laughing. "That wasn't too bad. You must have a lot of practice."
Magnus winked. "What can I say? I've had hundreds of years to perfect my technique."
"Yeah," she said, "and I'm sure Alec knows all about it too."
Alec's face and neck flushed tomato red and he glared noncommittally at his sister while everyone else laughed.
Magnus made a show of wiping off his mouth, and then said, "And who shall go next?"
"I think it's Izzy's turn since she got kissed," Clary said unsurely. She was feeling uncomfortable because Simon had just draped his arm across her shoulders, but she didn't want to be mean to him. I guess he thinks I love him back, Clary thought. A wave of guilt washed over the petite ginger, and she bit her lip. I'm leading him on. I'm no better than Jace with Evangeline. So, she subtly edged out from under his grasp and inched away.
"Fine," Isabelle sighed dramatically, "but I think it's because you all want to kiss me." She spun the bottle and it stopped in front of Clary. "Well, this is interesting. Pucker up, Clare-bear, I'm about to lay one on you."
Clary played along. "Oh no, Izzy," she said robotically. "No. Stop. My innocent lips." Jace smirked and snorted at that line, so she shot him a quick glare and stuck out her tongue.
Isabelle continued, "I'm coming to get you!" She sprang onto Clary, pushing her onto her back, and gave her a long, drawn out kiss ending with an exaggerated smooching noise. Isabelle strutted back over to her side of the carpet and Clary was left wiping Isabelle's lipstick off her mouth.
"Ewww, what was that for?" she complained, huffily spinning the bottle herself. Surprisingly, it landed on Alec, who groaned and put aside the book he was reading, The Count of Monte Cristo.
"Come on, Clary, kiss him!" heckled Magnus. "I know you can do it. Plant one on him. A big, sopping, wet one, too. He loves French kisses."
"Magnus!" chastised Alec, turning crimson. Jace howled with laughter.
Trying not to seem as awkward as she felt, Clary went over, bent down, and lightly kissed Alec's lips. They were just as soft as she had ever imagined, which prompted her to say to him, "What brand of Chap-Stick do you use? Your lips are really soft."
"None of your business," Alec moaned, falling backward and hiding his face with his book. "Leave me alone!"
Simon goaded, "But it's your turn to spin!"
Alec huffed and then exclaimed, "Fine." He stalked to the bottle and, what do you know, it landed on Clary.
"Look who's popular with the Lightwoods," Jace quipped.
"You're just jealous," Clary shot back.
"What, jealous of you kissing Alec? Definitely."
Magnus threw in, "Hey, back off. He's mine."
"Magnus, shut up," said Alec wearily.
"But it's true. I have claim on you. Isn't that why you're wearing the turtleneck I bought you?"
Alec subconsciously pulled it up higher against his chin, and turned to Clary. "Here we go again." Then it was his turn to gently peck Clary's lips, keeping it as short as possible.
Clary got up to spin again, and it landed on… Evangeline!
A/N: O.O Stay tuned! The next chapter should be posted within a couple hours, I promise. xoxo