First Fanfiction! I hope you enjoy it! (No copyright intended, all characters belong to Cassandra Clare)

CASTLES MADE OF SAND, CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
HOMECOMING PART I

September In the Rain

"To every word, Of love I heard you whisper, The raindrops seems, To play a
sweet refrain. Thought it's spring, To me it's still September,
Oh that September in the rain."

There were a series of events and happenings that occurred that stormy night at Mount Western Prep. Private Academies homecoming dance. Course changing events which involved different groups of friends and couples of every other side, coming together in such a way that detoured the meaning of what was supposed to be a perfect night; but nevertheless it was definitely one to remember.

For you see, there was a couple, a boy and a girl, who were somewhat careless and didn't use protection of any kind when they escaped into the night; and the occurrence that went on was bound to cause long-term trouble. On another end of the night, there was another two, this time a boy and a boy, evenly matched, who ended up throwing heated words and punches in a darkly lit hallway; far from any curious eyes. Then, there again, were two boys in which one boy wouldn't know where he stood anymore in regards with the other by the end of the night—into the early morning.

The booze would have been flowing in heavy streams and more than one person would have ended up dabbling in a few drinking games out back, that led to a girl being left alone in the rain. A chance kiss with the wrong person would bring up new difficulties. Someone would say I love you at the crack of midnight, and whether that 'I love you' was reciprocated or not, we don't know quite yet. And then, there was someone who died.

But we'll get to that a bit later. Because what is suspense without the wait?

Alec's heart was pounding fast, picking up subsequent speed as he drove his legs harder and faster against the freshly dewy green ground. His muscles ached, but burned in a pleasing way as the air around him seemed to sweep his hair back from face, leaving his sweat slicked forehead exposed. His eyes locked instantly on his target—the golden light—as he set up for what could possibly be tremendous if he played his cards right.

He began to sprint, shifting the ball between his feet quickly—skillfully—as to not lose his footing. Jace came into a more clearer image in front of him, his hands warded out to his sides to defend the impending attack Alec was about to lay on him. Alec grinned brightly noting faintly in his speed driven haze that Jace's weak spot was dodging to the left and down—a spot that was completely wide open. Once again he picked up his pace, even if the strong muscles in his legs were crying out in exhaustion; he pushed through it all. As well, disregarding the ache within his lungs, as he came upon Jace he faked to the left, twisted the ball between his feet kicking it up and above his head then skillfully, before it came down upon the ground, Alec manoeuvred his body so his back was facing Jace, and in a rush a movements he brought his left leg up—his stronger leg—and kicked backwards at the ball; landing on his back on the grass with a loud thud.

He quickly turned his head to detect where the ball had gone, and sure enough it had escaped Jace's evasive nature, gliding into the make-shift net behind him, down and a little to the left. Jace had skidded along the ground attempting to make a pass at the ball, and now the left side of his soccer shorts and white shirt were smeared with green and brown from the ground. Alec laughed—or more so wheezed—and closed his eyes, laying there for a moment; letting the warm sun beam down upon him.

"That was an unfair shot. We're only supposed to be doing scrimmage, not fancy little tricks like that," Jace's voice loomed over head, and Alec opened his left eye to regard Jace; he was wiping sweat off of his forehead with the back of his forearm, while their soccer ball was tucked neatly under his left armpit. Alec laughed again.

"You're just pissed off because I got the ball past you pretty fast." Alec indicated and picked himself up from the ground, brushing off his black shorts.

"Nah, I would call that a lucky shot anyways. You know I gimp out on my left." Jace pointed out. "So the way I see it, you were cheating and playing at my faults." Jace said haughtily dropping the ball to his feet so he could snake his arms across his ample chest.

"Isn't that what sports are for? Out wit—Out play?" Alec quirked his head to the side with a snarly smile on his face. Jace shoved at his shoulder roughly, but all at the same time playfully, sending him back a few steps at the abruptness. Alec copied Jace's motions, pushing harshly on the sweat soaked shirt around Jace's chest; and before long Jace had somehow pinned Alec to the ground with his body, sitting on the top of his chest while Alec squirmed from underneath him restlessly.

"Say mercy." Jace taunted as he slapped Alec's brightly flushed cheeks teasingly. The sun was beating down on them in harsh rays of light, blinding Alec for the most part, but as well heating his body past the point of melting.

"I'm not going to say it," Alec tried to wiggle himself free from Jace's lock on his body; thrashing his head from side to side. Jace clasped Alec's chin in his large golden hand, squishing his lips together to make Alec's lips pucker.

"Say it, and I'll get off of you." Alec shook his head 'no' again, unrelenting to give in. "What, you like this position don't you?"

"Jace—What—?" Alec stopped instantly in his movements, his mouth falling completely open. He swore he felt his heart jerk to a stop in that moment; his eyes went wide despite the insistent glare of the sun above. It was as if everything around him stopped in that moment, waiting patiently for some kind of bigger reaction out of Alec.

"Me, being on top of you." Jace smirked down at him, a boyish type of smirk that he usually used when he got his way with something. Alec wasn't breathing at all by now, never mind the added pressure to his chest that Jace was exerting. "You're probably imagining that girl you shagged the other day in this exact same position hey?" Jace started to laugh and then swung his right leg from around Alec's torso to get off of him. Alec felt a weight lift from his chest; the air from his lungs came out in a low, long breath.

"Yeah, er, actually no not really." Alec sat up and once again got to his feet, having to brush the pieces of grass from the back of his clothes. "I don't like being under someone..." Alec squared his features, concentrated in thought. "Well okay, I do, but, uhh—" How was Alec supposed to explain to Jace that he specifically liked being underneath of Magnus? "—Nevermind let's just forget about this." Alec shook his head and then threaded his fingers throughout his hair shakily.

"You still haven't told me about this girl yenno." Jace gave Alec an intimidating stare, boring straight through him. "It's starting to hurt my feelings." He said a bit teasingly, but at the same time with a composed face.

"Yeah right. I'm pretty sure you will be just fine not knowing." Alec nudged Jace in the ribs with his elbow, smiling—but surprisingly enough the smile was not reciprocated by Jace.

"Why won't you tell me? I'm your brother, we tell each other everything. What's so bad about this little harmless information?" Jace's facial features were stern and hard now, no note of teasing left his voice.

"Because it isn't just a little harmless..." Alec muttered to himself, turning his head away from Jace so that he couldn't get caught up with starring into those bright liquid golden orbs.

"Wow, with the way you guys look right now I can guarantee that you two will repel anyone who steps within a foot of you tonight." They both turned around to regard Isabelle who was standing on the back porches second step that led down to the wide open grassy back yard, which was closed off by the tall evergreen and pine trees just a little ways away. Her hair was pulled up into a pink towel, her face bare and wiped clean of any makeup; the way Alec loved to see her. She was wearing a simpled cream colored silk robe that was tied up by a thin red sash just above her mid-section; highlighting the slenderness of her waist.

"I thought girls liked the musky smell of guys that have been working out?" Jace remarked stepping closer to her and the edge of the porch; shifting the ball slightly between his feet.

"God no. We much rather watch you guys get all worked up and sweaty. But then afterwards when you're done, it's just disgusting." Isabelle placed her delicate ivory hands on her hips. "Clary will be here soon," Isabelle pointed out to Jace, Alec supposed. He really didn't have any inclination to wanting to have information about Clary, where as Jace did. Because they were in fact dating; that was pretty evident to the lot of them.

"This is ridiculous, it's what eleven a.m.? And you two are already getting ready for homecoming which isn't until nine tonight." Jace shook his head as he continued to walk towards Isabelle, scooping up the soccer ball into his arms. Alec followed in his steps earnestly, the heat of the sun wasn't doing much for Alec at the moment and he desperately wanted the cold shower that would be awaiting him as he stepped into the house.

"What's even more ridiculous is that the Academy gives us this day off for that specific reason." Alec added as he nudged his way past Isabelle on the porch. At the present moment the two of them hadn't spoken much to one another—keeping at an acceptably fair and comfortable distance from each other. Because really, Isabelle knew she took things too far the other day after he had came home from Magnus'; she could read her brother like a fresh piece of paper with instructions on it how to put together a toy, and she realized later on that she had over stepped some boundaries. And Alec, being the 'keep to himself' kind of person that he already was, didn't bother to induce her on what had occurred and just decided to push it at the back of his mind.

He had other things to worry about, like the ever growing need he had for Magnus—suprising none the less—which set his nerves on wildfire whenever he began to daydream and let his mind wonder about Magnus. Yes, a cold shower was definitely needed soon. Very soon.

"Just be glad it's a free day away from school of all things. What's there to complain about?" Isabelle called to Alec as he made his way through the wide open glass french door, which led into their bright and airy kitchen. Robert, his father, was seated on a high chair around the right side of the marble island counter with his small square reading glasses on, reading yet another newspaper—what he was usually found doing on any given day. As soon as Alec walked into the kitchen, Robert's ears perked up to the sound of his soccer shoes squeaking against the flooring.

"I saw that shot from the window right there," Robert raised his pointer finger around one of the edges of his black and white newspaper gesturing over to the window set above the kitchen sink. "Very nice. I take it you and Jace are still trying out for the team?"

"Yeep," Alec leaned back against the wall adjacent to the back door, faintly listening to the sound of Isabelle's and Jace's voices outside. He raised his left hand to his slightly sweat soaked hair and, once again, threaded his hands through the soft tresses; for a fleeting moment he imagined Magnus' large hands moving throughout his hair—his fingers dancing down Alec's chest and abdomen as well, and even lower... Lower...

"Alec?"

"Yeah—What?" Alec practically blurted out, while his fathers voice broke his reverie inside his mind. He had to stop letting his thoughts slip away so easily on himself like that. He met his fathers blue gaze, holding it for a moment before Robert began to speak again.

"I was just asking if you had a date like Izzy and Jace do?" Robert set the newspaper down on top of the marble counter top, folding it in half before resting his hands out on top of it; clasped together. He leaned forward on his elbows, the thin reading glasses he adorned, slid down the bridge of his arched nose.

"Uhh, yeah I kind of do," Alec trailed his hand out of his hair and down to the back of his neck where, out of nervous habit, he began to stroke his still heated skin. "But I'm meeting—her, at the dance later. She's not coming here."

"Good. We'll already have a full house, I suppose, pretty soon." Robert finished speaking, as Isabelle and Jace finally made their way into the kitchen, standing around with and or near Alec.

"What do you mean? Clary's the only one coming over soon right?" Alec quirked his eyebrow quizzically on his forehead, glancing back and forth between Isabelle and Jace steadily.

"Well yeah, Clary is coming over. But Simon is coming with her, and then... My date and his friend are coming over for a bit too." Isabelle shrugged her shoulders. Jace not paying as much attention—and or not having any interest whatsoever—to the slight current situation, began to play with the ends of the towel wrapped around Isabelle's head, which were slopping down freely. "Jace stop it," Isabelle swatted at his hand, when he attempted to nudge the whole entire towel off of her head.

"Your date? Who's your date?" Alec regretfully asked, as a thought scuttled its way into his head... Isabelle shifted uncomfortably where she stood, raising her polished fingers to her mouth to bite down on her already forced back nail beds. That was indication enough to Alec that his suspicions were right. "Will. Your date is Will. And he is coming here. Soon." Alec breathed every word out as if they were tainted and laced with opium. He starred at her blankly, with an impassive straight face.

"I'm going to go," Jace cut through the brief silence that began to encompass the kitchen widely. He backed away from them and turned as soon as he came upon the archway that would lead into the hallway connected to their bedrooms.

"C'mon Alec, you can't honestly tell me you weren't expecting that?" She raised her thin perfectly arched dark eyebrows at him dauntingly.

"Okay, I guess I was expecting that," Alec rolled his eyes and sighed, pushing himself away from the wall to stand closer to her. "Just Iz, if anything happens tonight... Between the two of you, I swear by the angel, I will kill him." Alec said pointedly.

"And be rest assured young lady," Robert spoke up from behind them. "Nothing, absolutely nothing, better happen. I'll have your brothers report back to me if anything does." Isabelle sighed and unwrapped the towel from around her head, letting her long, wavy and slightly damp, charcoal black hair fall around her shoulders; dots of water staining the front of her silk robe.

"Yeah whatever." She muttered under her breath. "Why do you never say as much to Jace or Alec?" She semi-whined, glancing back over towards their father.

"Because I trust my boys in handling their woman respectfully. It's those other boys that I don't trust in handling my daughter. I haven't even met this William; how could I not create speculations in my mind about how this boy will be Izzy?" Isabelle walked over to Robert and placed her hand on his cheek.

"Dad don't worry about it. Will isn't a bad guy," Alec scoffed and snorted loudly; swiftly Isabelle threw him a striking, searing glare, immediately shutting him up. Then she turned back to their father. "Really dad. You can judge for yourself when he gets here. He'll be over soon with Magnus in an—"

"With Magnus?" Alec breathed, his eyes opening wide. "Magnus is coming here?—Er, and Will?"

"Yeah only for an hour or two, just to hang out before tonight. Clary and, ugh, Simon," Isabelle said his name lazily, "will be here all day I'm guessing."

"Great. That's just great." Alec started for the archway hastily, now in complete desperation for a shower before Magnus, of all people, would show up at his house. His room was a complete mess as it was, and he definitely didn't plan on Magnus coming over to his house unexpectedly. But at least now he knew, rather than having the complete and utter surprise of finding Magnus somewhere in the house talking to Isabelle, Jace, or Robert, about God knows what. Isabelle caught up to Alec in the brightly lit hallway, latching onto his forearm, twisting him around to a stop.

"I thought you would like this—what with Magnus coming over and all." Isabelle puckered her lips and gazed into his eyes. Her eyes were darker than the sky during twilight; luminous, at the same time deep and brooding.

"Yeah, but not when I'm drenched in sweat and look like... Well... This." Alec gestured to himself with his finger, wracking up and down his body. He was wearing a pair of old black soccer shorts which were frayed at the legs ends, with a slight rip on the right side. He also adorned an old scouters camp t-shirt which was two sizes too small, fitting to the planes of his body—something Alec would have hated to wear in public—as if it were painted onto his skin.

"Oh I see, you want to look good for Magnus, huh?" Isabelle crossed her thin arms over her chest and leaned her shoulder against the wall of the hallway. The whole time, both of them were talking in hushed whispers subconsciously, as to not spur anyone else's attention in the house to their conversation. Now, Alec guessed, they were actually talking normally in some sense without the trials of Jace being around to over hear. Alec still had a problem with what Isabelle had did and said the day previous, but he was willing enough to let it go for the sake of his and Isabelle's relationship. Because really, Alec needed his sister, no matter how annoying or childish or abrupt or hot-tempered she could be about certain things.

"Uhh, yeah I guess." Alec didn't exactly know how to respond to that and shrugged. Of course it wasn't hard to miss the fact that Magnus liked to take care of the way he looked. His hair was always styled up, with a few bangs sweeping across his forehead, perfectly. His face was flawless, even toned and at the same time intriguing by the intoxicating eye make-up he would wear. His clothes were almost always bright and somewhat flashy; definitely expensive, and conformed to his lean taught body. It didn't exactly gnaw at Alec's insides that he might have been playing down his looks by a mile as compared to Magnus, but he did want to look at least a little presentable to him.

"Thought of like a true Lightwood. We always have to be on top of our game and keep our men wanting more." Isabelle winked; her long lashes ghosting over the tops of her angular cheekbones.

"I love how you can say that so easily." Alec joked and turned around to continue down the hall, opening up his bedroom door and stepping into it for a brief moment to pick up a simple pair of khaki brown shorts and a light grey fleece long sleeve. He walked back out into the hall, where Isabelle had been subsequently waiting for him there for the short minute he was gone.

"What? Of course, now I can talk about you in me in the same regards. We both like the same equipment down there... So..."

"Iz, seriously can we not talk about that?" Alec sighed exasperatedly, manoeuvring around her body in the hallway to the bathroom door situated just behind her.

"Oh c'mon," Isabelle said loudly, then she dropped her voice to continue, "Humour me into thinking you haven't had at least one dirty sexy dream about what a guy like Magnus may be packing..." Alec blushed at that, quite feverishly. Heat eclipsed up and over his cheeks fast, turning his ivory skin along his cheek bones into the color of ripe tomatoes. "See what I mean?" Isabelle grinned.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alec pushed past her and into the bathroom, attempting to hide the feigning smile on his face. He closed the door hastily in her face cutting off her insistent blabbering and within a few seconds, clothes being pealed from his back and legs, Alec hoped into the briskly cold shower. Just the way he needed it to be.

A/N: Ok, so originally Homecoming was going to be one long chapter but as I was writing it I was lead to believe (by my computer) that I had written only 6,000 words. I thought that was acceptable enough to have in only one chapter again. But then when I uploaded it here, I was shocked by getting way over 6,000 words... So I decided to split everything up into three parts. This part was to just show the morning and more interaction between Isabelle, Jace and Alec. Now... On to the beginning paragraph before the break line... Muahah, I thought it was a pretty fun idea, to keep you guys on your toes guessing what/who those situations really involve. It will be up for the other parts as well, just in case you want to refer back to it and see if any of your speculations were right! And really, some of those happenings will not be figured out until later on in the story. Welcome to homecoming!

Review's are for those who like cupcakes :)

Amber,