Sugar and Spice

Twelve

Twelve

*~*~*~*

"Slept at Magnus' place?" Izzy asked me as I entered the Institute the next morning. I looked over at her, my eyes widening when I saw what she was wearing. Rather than her usual attire, she was dressed in a knee-length dress and had her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She looked like her mother.

"What happened to you?" I couldn't help but ask, only then noticing Alec standing behind her, a frown on his face. Izzy only pursed her lips at my question, a silent way of telling me that she wasn't going to answer my question without me answering hers. "Didn't do much sleeping. I was helping treat Luke's wounds, that's all."

"Yeah," she smirked. "Really?"

"I thought you were coming back last night?" Alec crossed his arms.

"There was more work than I thought." I shrugged. My mind went back to my conversation with Magnus, about who my father was. I wanted to tell them, but I didn't. Their parents had raised them to hate Downworlders and, while I knew Izzy didn't, I was afraid of what Alec's reaction would be if he knew my father was a warlock.

"Well, when you're ready to talk about what you really need to talk about, I'm here." Izzy's eyes flickered between Alec and I. "Both of you."

"Hey, I talk to you." Alec said.

"About everything but your personal life." Izzy shook her head. "You know, and it's kind of not fair, because I talk to both of you about mine all the time. For example, I broke up with Meliorn."

"Really? Turning over a new leaf?" Alec asked in a bored tone.

"Alec." I shot him a sharp look before I looked at Izzy, my gaze softening. "What happened? Do I need to kill him?"

"No." Izzy shook her head, a small scoff escaping. "He was a bit much. Apparently, I need someone more Shadowhunter-ish."

"Izzy, I realize that you're trying to take some of the family heat, and I appreciate it, but you can't change who you are." Alec told his sister, making me smile. It seemed as though he had really listened to what I said yesterday.

"Really?" Izzy raised a brow at him. "And you can?"

"I know who I am." Alec assured her. "I'm a guy who's about to be disowned when Dad finds out that Jace and Clary didn't come back with Zia, doing God knows what."

"I think your dad's used to that by now." I pointed out, Jace did have a tendency to do what he wanted.

"This is Jace you're talking about." Izzy agreed.

"He said he'd be an hour. It's been three." Alec shook his head.

"You don't think he and Clary are..." Izzy trailed off, her mind going to the wrong places.

"At a time like this?" Alec scoffed at the idea. "Not possible."

"You'd be surprised." I commented, earning raised brows from both of them. "What?"

*~*~*~*

"Gotta love police stations." I hummed as Alec, Izzy, and I made our way to the front of the New York Police Department. As we came to a stop I spotted Jace and Clary walking out of the building, bickering with one another about something.

"Someone call for backup?" Izzy asked once they reached us.

"Yeah." Jace nodded. "What took you guys so long?"