The next week fell away in a matter of moments. Alec shed his time like a butterfly shed its cocoon. It flew away in a blur of phone calls and temporary fixes. Some of them were necessary, like showering for the first time since the break up. Others were just small things, small gestures that managed to bring a sense of completion to him. He ordered Chinese one night and saved the inhabitants of the institute from Izzy's cooking for just a day, and he made an attempt to get along with Church. Even the nasty old cat was in a good mood, in seemed. Or maybe it was just Alec.

Everything, he thought, was in a better way. The colors were just that much brighter, and it was like his ears were finally hearing for the first time. He found small smiles on his face from the oddest things, and not fake ones, either. People and things and the world itself had started coming back to life for the boy; it certainly wasn't there yet, but he was on his way back to the world of the living.

Hi, Mags. It's Alec, but I don't suppose you really care. I mean, for god's sake you aren't actually listening to any of these so maybe I don't even have to leave my name anymore isn't that great? I don't think I ever had to, really. I know that I would have recognized your voice anywhere- I still would. But today's going pretty okay, Magnus. I got Church to let me scratch him in between the ears and Jace is spending a lot of time with Clary, and that's pretty cool. I didn't used to like her much- hell, you remember how much I used to complain about her to you- but she's actually really nice, once you get past the whole "I alone can save the world" bullshit that she's always on about. I think she and Jace are a perfect couple in that way- honestly, they're both conceited enough. I fear for the children. Anyway, I have to go now, Magnus.

The only down part of the week was that Isabelle seemed to be avoiding him. He didn't really blame her, considering how antisocial he had been previously. She was just giving him space, always the attentive younger sister. He wanted to do something for her, some sort of brotherly gesture that would tell her that he was back. What was there, though? She had always been the aggressor of things- she was the one who invited herself into his room when he didn't want to talk to anyone but his little sister, and she pretty much initiated every social interaction they ever had.

The last time they had talked he had ended up throwing something at her- couldn't remember what, but that wasn't important- so he knew he had to actually reach out to her. There was no way her wounded pride would take a gruff nod as an apology. No, he needed to go full out and do something that really claimed how much this meant to him. So he did something completely uncharacteristic- something grand (for Alec).

Hey! I bet you know who this is, but I'll say it anyway. It's Alec.. Have I ever mentioned how much I love the sound of your voice? Even if it is just voicemail. God, and when you had just woken up in the mornings and your voice was just a little bit rougher. I never said it, but it was really hot. There are so many things I never said- I'd apologize, but you were always telling me not to do that. I know you secretly felt awkward about telling me not to do things, or what I should do in certain situations (I mean who wants to teach their boyfriend how to give head?) but it really meant a lot that you were willing to take the time to help me out with those things and I'm sorry about that. But yeah, I don't know why I'm telling you, but it was always the little things that made me fall in love with you. The way you looked me in the eyes whenever you talked to me, and how you didn't just take my hand but you hooked our pinkies together and smiled a lot. I liked that.

The midday light streamed through a plethora of windows as Isabelle meandered downstairs, her glossy black hair a discordant tangle. A fuzzy pink bathrobe was cinched around her waist, covering her tank top and sleep shorts. Her brothers kept the institute so damn cold- it wasn't her fault that she was born to live in the tropics.

Alec sat at the white table situated in the center of the room. He was- of course- already dressed and shoveling cheerios into his mouth. This was totally normal Alec behavior; being up at ungodly hours on weekends and eating more than his body mass on a daily basis. And of course, considering everything that had happened, Isabelle couldn't help but be suspicious.

Alec looked up at his sister as she made her way down the stairs. Her eyebrows momentarily furrowed together in a look of confusion before she cleared her face of expression. Carefully, like she was walking on broken glass rather than a pair of victoria's secret slippers, she took her seat opposite him. It was a small table so there wasn't a ton of space between them, but Izzy made it clear that she was giving him as much physical space as possible.

"Morning," Alec muttered between bites of cereal. His voice was muffled by the soggy mass of food currently inhabiting his mouth. In any other situation, Isabelle would have found it amusing.

"Morning," She echoed warily.

I don't know why I'm doing this, to be honest. I guess I can sort of just pretend that you're listening. It's nice. I don't really have a lot to say today, but I can't just leave the silence, can I? If this were a normal conversation, this is where I would start asking you questions about how your day was. I always loved those mundane little things. I got the feeling that you did too, but maybe you were just in it for the- ah, less so. Why the hell should I care though, about hearing me? About blushing? Maybe you were just in it for the sex. There. I said it. God, my face is the color of a tomato. I guess you don't get over some things. Shit, what was that crashing noise? Something tells me Jace is home. Talk to you later, Mags.

Several moments of silence passed as Alec finished chewing the mess of food in his mouth and deemed himself acceptable to talk. "Look, I realize that I've been a little bit shut in this last week, and I was wondering If you wanted to do something tonight, with Jace and Clary and maybe even Simon."

The look on Izzy's face was one of utter shock. This wasn't the same person who had thrown a lamp at her head just last week. There was no way that this was the boy whose sobs she had heard rattling the walls of his room since the break up. This wasn't the boy who she had- well, that had been a cop out. Obviously it had been unnecessary. Still, how could she know that this wasn't just going to add up to him going back into that state again- this time in public?

"Like what?" She asked, deciding to give him a chance.

"I was thinking we could go dancing, or something."

Something was definitely up with Alec. Never- never- had he volunteered to go dancing. Occasionally he had let himself be dragged to a club just to make her happy. But he'd never offered himself. Maybe this was just a step in a new direction, though. Who was she to stamp out growth? If he was willing to put himself out there, meet new people, then she wouldn't stop him. In fact, she felt herself putting more weight into the idea. Maybe he'd meet a guy, and they'd hit it off. What Alec needed right now was a one night stand, a fling. He needed a quick booster, and dancing was just the thing. Angel, she couldn't have asked for a better opportunity.

"Sure," Isabelle said, flashing a toothy grin. Alec felt himself blanch at the look on her face. It was calculating, it was devious- and it was so Izzy that he knew that he had to be scared. What was she planning?