A/N: Here's a little mini-series on Kellan and the fam, as I just felt like writing about them. It's late and it probably would have been better if I'd done some more work on it another night, but I wanted to post it now, so here it is. :)

Breakfast was the usual affair, full of jokes and mock offense, although their dad was missing, stuck finishing up a report for the Clave. Kellan knew how much he hated being holed up in the study doing that, and he couldn't help but be sympathetic.

Getting out two bowls, Kellan added the oats and milk, before putting them in the microwave and turning it on.

"Porridge again?" Grace said, scrunching up her nose, and he hid a smile.

"I'm afraid so," he replied, getting the bowls out when it beeped to tell him it had finished.

To tell the truth, Kellan hated the bland taste of porridge. However, Grace had been insisting on eating whatever he ate, so he'd resolved to only eat healthy things. Or at least, as healthy as the options currently were in their pantry. At least then she was eating better than the alternative. Looking over at Zach's bowl as he hoed into his own breakfast, Kellan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He had long since given up trying to convince him to eat something healthier.

Setting the bowls down on the table, along with a banana and some water, Kellan sat down beside Grace, and picked up his spoon.

"You're so boring, Kellan," she complained. "Do you have to eat this for breakfast all the time?"

"I am not forcing you to eat it," Kellan replied, holding up his hands. "May I remind you that you're the one who resolved to copy what I eat?"

Grace rolled his eyes, and it became even harder to keep his smile from showing. She was growing up so fast – too fast – and he loved seeing the different sides of her personality. She was brave, tenacious, strong and stubborn and he loved her for it.

Eating a spoonful, he noticed that Zach had unsurprisingly almost finished eating. "Will we practice with swords today, or something different?" he asked, glancing over at him.

"Something different," Zach replied, yawning. "I'm getting sick of swords. Gracie, how about you pick something for us. Preferably something that won't get us killed."

Kellan grinned in response as his gaze shifted to her.

"Hmmm," she said, looking deep in thought for a moment. "How about… bows and arrows? Or crossbows?"

Contemplating, Kellan gave a nod. Bows and arrows were often considered a weapon favoured by faeries, and he found he stayed away from them a little more than he should. He felt that he didn't need another excuse for people to compare him to the fae. "Bows it is." With a light-hearted smile, he nodded over at Zach, as he ate another spoonful of porridge. "Zach would make a good moving target, don't you think?"

Grace burst out in laughter, and Zach merely snorted, muttering a "You wish," under his breath.

The laughter was cut short however at a knock on the Institute door.

Kellan couldn't help but frown, exchanging a look with Zach. They found when they did get visitors, it wasn't always pleasant ones, often just representatives from the Clave. Getting up, Kellan checked his stele was still at his side, and Zach did the same, gesturing for Grace to stay there.

Walking to the front door, Zach gave a nod, and Kellan opened it, surprised at who he saw there.

The Shadowhunter was young, with her long blonde hair out, and her eyes a pretty blue, like the sky.

"Hey there," she said, glancing between them with a sweet smile, her gaze finally settling on Kellan. "I'm Lily. I've come as part of my training for a couple of months or so."

It was not often that their Institute had visitors, for it rarely had problems, and it was not the most popular, either. Not with all the… history there. It was even rarer for the visitor to be around their age, only a year older than Kellan, and two years older than Zach. So it was unsurprising that she had come up in the topic of conversation.

"What do you think of Lily?" Zach asked, and Kellan considered his question, thoughtfully.

It was a couple of weeks after she'd arrived, and Zach had come to visit him in his room that night, Kellan still sitting at his desk, with the notes he'd been reading still open, while Zach lounged at the end of his bed.

Kellan thought it was nice for Grace to have another female at the Institute. Her mother had died through complications in childbirth when she'd given birth to her, and Kellan had always thought it was sad that she hadn't had the motherly guidance that most girls would have. Plus Grace was stuck with the three of them at the Institute and no other girls, so he thought it was good for her to have someone else there. Of course, Grace didn't seem too fond of Lily yet, but he was sure she would warm up to her.

"She seems nice. And she has a good aim. There's no doubt she'll be a good Shadowhunter," Kellan replied, remarking on the things he could say with confidence.

Zach nodded, staring at the wall. "Yeah, I think so too…"

He was acting strange, and Kellan watched him subtly. "You seem to be thinking about her a lot," he remarked, after observing him.

Sighing, Zach then sat up straighter. "I-… think I like her. Like really like her," he blurted out. "She's funny and pretty and smart, too. Don't you think? I mean I know it probably seems silly, because I've only known her for a little while but… that's just how I feel."

Listening, Kellan gave a smile, glad to see his brother so excited. He was cautious though, knowing that eventually Lily would be going back to her Institute. But that certainly didn't mean it couldn't work.

"That's great, Zach. I'm glad you like her. And I don't think it's silly." Glancing to the side, he tried to think of what advice to give. He was no expert in such matters. "You should talk to her, get to know her more. Maybe do something with her that she likes. I'm sure it won't take her long to realise you're a good guy."

"Yeah. I hope so," Zach agreed, before pondering some more ideas aloud. Kellan nodded along, although his thoughts wandered to many things. At the back of his mind, he had always worried, knowing that Zach would find someone much easier than he would. He hoped it would not stop them from becoming parabatai. It was a selfish thought, and he pushed it away. He could always move to wherever Zach went, and if that was not possible…

Then Kellan would certainly not tie him down to anything.

Finishing up a training session with his brother and Lily, Kellan bid them goodnight, before heading down the hall towards his room. He would read another book perhaps, before he went to sleep. Normally he read books to help with his training, but he'd discovered a mundane book on different species of birds, and he'd decided to treat himself to it.

"Kellan, wait up," a voice called from down the hall, and he slowed his steps, turning to see Lily walking over to him. It was easy for them to exchange small talk, and it wasn't the first time that they had. "Hey," she smiled, falling into step beside him. "You aren't too bad at fighting."

Kellan smiled at the compliment, glad that someone had seen him fighting for once, before making assumptions. "Thank you. You're obviously well trained yourself. I think I'll have a bruise to remind me," he replied good naturedly, rubbing his arm where he'd been hit by her practice sword.

She beamed, glancing at him sidelong. "You and your brother want to be parabatai, right? That's cool. He was telling me about it."

"We already fight well together," he responded, a little excited by the thought. "So I think it will work well."

"Yes, it seems like it," she agreed, flicking some long, blonde hair over her shoulder. "Man it's hot in here," she said, and she pulled her shirt off her head with ease and tied it around her middle, only a crop top remaining.

Kellan immediately looked away to hide a slight blush. He didn't think it was that hot, having started to cool down after their training session. "Oh… is it?" he replied, finding his words a little stupid.

"Mmm…" She answered, and he could feel her gaze on him, even as he started to turn the corner into another hallway.

About to open his mouth to say something – although he hoped whatever it was, would be something more intelligent – he stopped in surprise when she spun around and pushed him against the wall carefully, her body moving to pin him there.

He could have stopped her perhaps, but he was so surprised that he could only stare, starting to grow a little uncomfortable by her actions.

"You're cute," she stated, reaching a hand up to play with one of his red curls. He was surprised, as normally the girls liked his brother, preferring his muscly frame, to Kellan's leaner more faerie-like one. In fact, he was not used to such attention, suddenly wondering how he was meant to deal with it. "Your brother's nice of course, but I like your features. You're a pretty boy."

"That's nice of you to say but-…" Kellan cut his words off when she kissed his cheek, pressing a hand against his chest. He glanced down the hallway growing more uncomfortable. His brother had already admitted to him that he liked her, and the thought of either of his siblings seeing made him uneasy.

As she moved closer, as if to kiss his lips, he pushed her away quickly, trying to be gentle. "Sorry… I umm…" Trailing off, he cursed his inability to form a coherent thought.

Raising an eyebrow, she only moved back a little, watching him. "Is it your brother? I know he likes me, but he doesn't have to find out about this."

"Yes, but it's not just that," Kellan sighed, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to neaten the curls. It was not that she was unattractive, and he certainly wasn't blind. It was just… Even though it might have sounded silly - for Shadowhunters died young, and there was every chance he might end up missing out entirely - he wanted his first kiss and his first time to be special. With someone he actually knew and cared about. He was not attracted to the idea of a stranger. Especially not when he was so out of his depth, and he only felt embarrassed. It was un-faerie like too, he couldn't help but think, for everything he read hinted that they often had flings or casual relationships.

And besides that, he would never consider hurting his brother in such a way, especially when he liked her so much. He would never do such a thing.

"I don't feel well. I'm sorry." He could not bring himself to say the whole truth, even if it was painful to lie, although the blush remained on his cheeks.

Rolling her eyes, she straightened. "Whatever you say… You know where to find me, if you change your mind," she added, giving him a wink, before she sauntered off, down the hallway.

Watching her go, Kellan exhaled slowly, finally able to relax. He hoped they could remain friends, although he didn't know how much longer she would be staying at the Institute for. She was only there for her training, after all.

When she disappeared, he pushed off the wall with his foot, before starting back slowly to his room. The uncomfortableness had disappeared, and now he only felt relieved, not wanting to have betrayed his brother in such a way.

For after all, his family meant more to him than anything else.