Hey guys! A quick update! I know, it's a miracle. And you know what else is a miracle? I finally figured out how I am going to end this story! Finally, I know where I am going with all this, as opposed to just kind of wandering in the dark and hoping I'd figure it out soon. And you know what that means? Faster updates from now on! Yayyyy! Hopefully that's exciting news, otherwise, well, I'm just here, making a fool of myself for nothing. Whatever.

Anyway, so thank you to MoonCharm134 for your idea from a while back. It actually helped me out this chapter!

Thanks for the reviews last chapter and for all the follows and favorites! And hopefully you enjoy this new (and kinda long) update!

"So, the Mortal Instruments, then? You're officially sticking with that?" Clary asked Simon, in reference to his band, which he, in passing comment, had mentioned needing to get back in touch with one of these days. With everything else going on, his days of garage band practices and weekend gigs had sadly been put on the backburner, yielding to the more pressing matters of his life. For all he knew, they still believed him to be a vampire after their recent memory dump, courteous of Asmodeus, dirt bag extraordinaire. That would be an interesting conversation, convincing them now that he wasn't.

"Hopefully," he answered, "It is the longest we've ever had a single name last, but you know Eric. No guarantees."

"Well it's certainly better than Rock Solid Panda or Millennium Lint."

Simon grinned, "Don't forget Sea Vegetable Conspiracy. That one's my personal favorite."

Clary shook her head, smirking, before giving in to a laugh. "So bad," she said.

Beside her, Jace had stopped and looked at Simon with a raised eyebrow. "Wait a minute," he said slowly, hearing that one for the first time, "You named your band Sea Vegetable Conspiracy? Did you want anyone to come see you?"

"It only stuck for, like, a week," Simon defended.

Jace just shook his head mournfully. "I knew we should have left you a Downworlder while we still had the chance. That's… just awful." Clary laughed. Simon honestly had to agree, though he would never admit it.

It had been a good few days now since the Morrow demon incident, and Clary was back on her feet again, with only a slight limp, and sometimes, an occasional wince, which she was good at hiding, to show anything had ever been wrong with her at all.

The three of them had just returned from a quick cursory perimeter around the immediate area, which the Shadowhunters had taken to conducting twice a day over the last week; a one mile radius check in all directions to confirm nothing out of the ordinary was occurring. Apparently, the incident the other night had rattled them all more then they would admit. Still, Jace must have been pretty positive that they wouldn't find anything, because he'd allowed Clary to come. And despite having made her promise to sit out at the first sign of trouble, Simon knew that even Jace, despite just how much sway Clary had on him, had to know that she would never do anything of the sort. More likely, it was probably just an excuse to get out and blow off steam for a while.

"Well you can put your condescending mind at ease. That name died a natural death a long time ago," Simon said, defending himself against Jace's words, as they rounded the corner away from the elevator, further inside the Institute.

Jace scoffed, "At ease? Need I remind you, I had Heaven's fire in my veins for two months, wreaking havoc whenever I so much as thought about losing my cool? No need to worry, Bloodsucker. At ease is my middle name." His tone was as arrogant as ever. Honestly, Simon wondered how Clary put up with him, though clearly the Jace she saw and the Jace the rest of the world saw were two completely different beings altogether. Still, even after they had started getting along better, Simon found himself wanting to punch the cocky smirk right off the other Shadowhunter's face about half the time.

"Oh really? I thought it was-" Simon's snide retort was interrupted as they rounded the final corner, leading to the main living area of the Institute and he almost ran right into Isabelle. "Woah! Hey-" She gave him no time to complete his thought, but rather grabbed his hand and hauled him off, rather forcibly, back the way he had come. Jace's resulting chuckle died off quickly in the distance they put between it and them.

"Izzy, what-" Simon began, but was cut off again when, the moment they turned the corner, Isabelle shoved him inside the nearest room, which happened to be an unused guest room, and kicked the door shut behind them. She shoved him against the wall, hard, and before Simon could get the chance to form a coherent thought, her lips were against his, desperate and forceful, making any attempt he'd been making at thinking clearly vaporize instantly.

Still, something was clearly wrong, and Simon fought against the growing fog, willing himself to pull away. "Iz-" Her lips cut him off again as she wrapped her arms around him and knotted her hands tightly in his hair. She was wearing gear-probably, she'd just come back from the training room. A soft groan escaped his throat as desire flared up violently inside him. It took all his willpower to pull away, fighting as she moved closer still. "Iz. Isabelle-" She was having none of it.

Switching gears, Simon gave into her for a few seconds; long enough to maneuver their bodies so she was the one up against the wall and her hands had moved down to his chest. He pulled away again, locking her arms at her sides. "Isabelle," he said, his voice deeper than he would have liked, "Izzy, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," she answered quickly, straining toward him again.

"Don't give me that. We've been through this before. Talk to me, what's the matter?"

She made the mistake of meeting his eyes and, just like that, all the fight drained out of her. Tears began to fall. "I… I-last night… Last night, I couldn't sleep. The nightmares-I just kept seeing him. He looked exactly the same, and he just kept looking at me with those eyes-"

"Who?"

"Max!" she yelled through her tears, "Who else, Simon?" She shook her head and focused on something just past his head. "He just kept looking at me and he said-he said 'Why did you let me die? Why didn't you do anything?' He just kept asking me over and over again, and I-I didn't know what to say; I couldn't say anything. Finally I woke up for the last time and I couldn't take anymore so I got up. I went to the kitchen for some water, and when I passed the library, my mom was in there. And she was with him-with my dad." She took a gasping breath.

"Your dad was here last night?" Simon asked, bewildered.

Isabelle nodded, looking miserable. "They were both there, sitting together, talking and laughing like nothing had ever happened between them, like everything was okay. Like he hadn't done what he did to her. And then-then he just leaned forward and kissed her. And she let him! After everything that happened, she just let him! She kissed him back!"

"And you're mad about that," Simon summed up.

"Yes, I'm mad about that! After what he did to her, to me, to all of us, she's just gonna let him right back in again?! I know I'm supposed to want that, but I don't. She's happier and better off without him. I thought she'd moved on. I'd moved on, but then, last night, I saw him and I just-I hate him all over again."

Simon moved his hands from where they'd been restraining her arms and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him as she cried. "That's not true."

"Yes it is. He's my own father, and I can feel nothing but hatred for him. He-he left us, Simon! He took that freaking job and decided we didn't matter anymore. He cheated on my mom. He stopped caring. He practically disowned Alec because he's gay. And I know I shouldn't feel this way, I feel awful that I do, but the more I think about it, the angrier I get, and I just can't help it." Simon tightened his grasp on her as she cried into his T-shirt. "I just-I'm worried about Alec and Magnus, and about what will happen next. Obviously Asmodeus is taking us out one by one, and I'm the only one he hasn't gotten to yet, and I'm terrified. The dreams about Max and now this- I can't take it anymore. I hate this so much and I can't take anymore."

"Isabelle," Simon said softly, his mind whirling, stroking her hair with his hand in, what he hoped, was a comforting manner. He didn't know how to say all that he wanted to say, where to even begin. "First of all, what happened to Max was not your fault." She started shaking her head, but he spoke up quickly, "It isn't! It's not your fault and from what I've heard, I really doubt he'd be mad at you for it, even if it had been." He paused, waiting for her to protest, but she didn't, simply listened, her face buried in the crook of his collarbone. "And, I don't know if you've thought of this or not, but I think Asmodeus already had gotten to you, last night, that he's getting to you right now." That sparked her attention. She looked at him, waiting. "I read in a textbook, back before my Ascension, when I had to cram as much Demonology as I could, I remember reading about Asmodeus. And it said that he was the greater demon of lust, that he can twist people's thoughts and desires, make them think they want someone, love someone, even, when they don't. Sound familiar?"

She looked to be thinking about it. "You… you think that's what's happening to my parents?"

"It makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, you said yourself; it's been nine months. They'd moved on. What other reason is there?" Slowly, Isabelle's expression turned a little less skeptical as Simon's words hit their mark. "You know what else that book said?" he asked quietly? She met his eyes again, waiting once more. "It said that he's a gambler. He's gambling with you, Izzy. Your weak points aren't physical, so he can't hit you there. But Max, your parents… they're your weak points, and he's exploiting them for all they're worth. He's gambling with you, Izzy. Don't let him win."

"I just… I thought I'd finally moved on, you know? Made peace with all that. But now… now I don't know. I've tried training. It doesn't help. All I want to do is curl up and cry, I mean, how pathetic is that?" Simon waited and she continued, growing calmer as the gears turned, "But… I guess this all would make a lot more sense, looking at it like that…"

"Don't let him win," Simon repeated, softer now, and leaned his head down to rest on her hair. "You're stronger then that."

"I know... Thanks, Simon."

"Hey," he said, cupping her face in his hands and gently forcing her to meet his eyes, "I love you, you know."

She nodded, moving to rest her forehead against his. Her face was still hot and flushed from crying, but the tears had stopped and she seemed more at peace in that moment than Simon had seen her in weeks. "I love you too."

Slowly, they moved even closer still, closing what was left of the gap between them, and his lips met hers as the kissing resumed again, slower, gentler, more loving than before; still passionate, but on a whole different level now.

Simon's thoughts clouded again, and this time, he allowed it, welcoming the feeling of release from his own pressures as well, as the rest of the world faded and all that remained, for just that moment, was Isabelle.

Alec walked the hallway leading toward what had become Magnus' room, feeling hollow, disconnected, insubstantial, like a ghost. He tried to remember the last time he'd slept, like, actually slept, or the last time he'd eaten before now. He couldn't remember. He couldn't remember having left Magnus' side for an extended period of time at all since the warlock had fallen ill, except right after the Morrow demon attack to check on Clary and Jace, and even that had only been for maybe ten minutes, tops.

The only reason he wasn't with Magnus now, and hadn't been for maybe fifteen minutes, was because Jace had given him an ultimatum: Alec either came to the kitchen and choked down some food, or Jace was going to knock him out and stuff it down his throat himself. And Alec didn't doubt his parabatai was crazy enough to try it, and also most likely succeed, but even with that, he probably wouldn't have complied, albeit reluctantly, except that he knew Jace was right, and it did scare him how much of a toll all of this had taken on him. So he had followed Jace out of the room and toward the kitchen, had forced down the sandwich the latter had gone through the trouble of actually making for him, not even bothering to taste it, and left again without a word. And Jace didn't even try to protest. Even he, Jace Herondale, who never, ever, gave up on anything, had given up trying.

It was like no one knew who he was anymore. And Alec didn't blame them. He didn't recognize himself either. It was a stranger who looked back at him in the mirror in the bathroom, the handful of times he even bothered to actually look: wan, tired, sullen, at least twenty pounds lighter, blue eyes dull and lifeless, even to himself. He didn't know who that was, certainly not Alexander Lightwood, but he couldn't find it in himself to care either. Not with Magnus, his reason for living, in the shape he was in. No, it didn't matter how bad of shape Alec was in. Magnus was so much worse.

All of this circled weakly in his half-functioning mind as he shuffled the last few steps to the door of the small room and stumbled inside, only to freeze in place, eyes widening in utter shock, his heart jolting so hard in surprise, it was almost painful.

Magnus.

Magnus was…

He was awake, sitting up, legs draped casually over the side of the bed, hands moving swiftly as he buttoned up his shirt. Alec blinked, and then blinked again, disbelieving. Magnus finished with his shirt and then stood to his feet, looking almost as well as if nothing had ever happened. His dark hair had grown out over the weeks he'd been bedridden and now, without any of its gel or usual product, hung loosely, framing his face, making him look much younger. He met his boyfriend's eyes and smiled. "Alec, dear." That voice. It had been so long since Alec had heard that voice. "I was wondering when you would show up, after I woke up all alone."

"Uhhh," Alec's throat seemed swollen, his mouth dry. His brain was moving too slowly for speech.

Magnus just set him with a tender look. "You seem to have lost the ability to speak, Alexander, and you look terrible. Are you feeling alright?"

Alec blinked one more time before he finally remembered how to move. His joints unlocked and the next thing he knew, Magnus was in his arms and he was kissing him. He'd never felt so relieved before, and the intensity of the emotion was almost too much to handle. "Magnus," he said after a heated moment. His voice was so much weaker than he'd wanted, but at the moment, he couldn't have cared less, "Oh my God."

"How long have I been here?"

Alec shook his head, still dazed, "Like…three weeks."

The warlock didn't seem to have expected that. His eyes widened. "Three weeks? I'm sorry, Alec. I'm so sorry."

"How are you…What…?"

Magnus shook his head, "I'll explain, I will, but its something everyone needs to hear. Are they here?"

"Who?" Alec's thoughts were still too sluggish. Magnus was the one who'd recently woken up from a coma, and, yet, Alec was the slow one. Go figure.

Magnus replied patiently, though he did raise an eyebrow. "Your family. Jace, Clary, whoever's here." He looked to be trying not to smirk.

Finally, Alec's brain began functioning again. "Oh, right. They're- yeah they're here, I think. Somewhere."

Magnus was already walking, leaving him still standing there, watching him go. "Good, well we need to find them immediately." He stopped a foot from the open door and looked back, brushing a lock of hair impatiently to the side. "And as soon as that's done, we need to find some scissors. I mean, seriously, do you see this?" he asked, gesturing to his hair, "Terrible. Coming?"

"Um, yeah, I guess," Alec answered, and started, rather ungracefully, after him.

"Wonderful. And do stop gaping, darling, it makes you resemble a fish a bit too much for my liking." Alec snapped his mouth closed, unaware until just then that it had been open at all.

Hurrying to catch up and with his brain once again operating, though still far from over its initial shock, Alec asked, "What's so important that you have to tell everyone right away?"

Magnus' pace didn't slow as he looked into Alec's eyes and, completely serious, answered, "I think I know how to defeat my father."

And there you have it. Bet you weren't expecting that! And if you were, well, maybe you should be writing this story and not me because you're clearly better at it... haha. Anyway, Magnus is awake! Yay! :)

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a review and let me know what you thought, predictions, comments, anything at all. I'd love to hear from you! Thanks for reading!