Light Beckons ~Alec Lightwood~

Mother

"As much as I love you two together I also hate it. We can't talk about details like how good in bed he is or how good of a kisser or how sweet he is. I mean we could but I would rather not know intimate details about my brother's love life. To be honest seeing him hold you and kiss you is still weird. He never showed affection to anyone but occasionally Jace, myself or Max. He seems so open about his feelings about you, it's refreshing to see him feeling before thinking for once. Feelings are a hard thing for us Shadowhunters, so keep them strong," Izzy stated to me.

"Alec is very good to me Izzy, don't worry about that. I never thought either of us was the expressive types but I guess we surprised everyone. I guess we never knew true happiness until we had each other. Believe me Iz, I know feelings make everything 10x harder being a Shadowhunter. I pushed mine aside for years and it made me numb and I never want to feel that again," I confessed.

"I openly show my feelings, so I guess I have to learn to keep it held back a bit if I'm fighting. One more thing to add to my how to be a Shadowhunter list," Clary added.

We were walking through the Institute with our arms linked with each other.

"Oh, and who is Max?" Clary asked curiously.

"Max is our youngest brother. He's only ten so he travels with our parents and studies at what ever Institute is closest. He is a sweet kid like Alec, a little defiant like Jace, and a little fiery like me and is also a little nerdy like Simon. I think he's in Beijing at the moment, but he checks in once a week like mom and dad. I miss the little guy around here but if we are dealing with Valentine then I'm happy he's not here," Isabelle replied.

Hearing about Max made me think of Ben and what kind of kid he would be. I try and not think of what kind of Shadowhunter he would have been if he lived. It brought a mixture of sadness and fondness of my brother.

"When do we get to meet him?" Clary questioned.

"I think he and dad are coming back in a week or so to check in," she told us.

We were nearing the corner of the headquarters and just stepped into it when Alec and Jace caught my eye in the training room. We were now right outside the training room when we stopped.

"I'm going to watch these two for a bit which should give you enough time to grill Clary about Jace, Izzy," I voiced with a smile.

Izzy relinked with Clary pulling her towards the Institute doors and an in-depth interrogation.

I watched Alec and Jace train. Admiring their skills, deflecting this hit, inflicting another. Alec was graceful, which was surprising due to his height. He moved perfectly executed every time showing his strict training. While Alec was controlled and concise, Jace was fluid and irregular. Jace moved as if fighting was second nature to him and his weapon was an extension of himself. He was unpredictable and ruthless which made him dangerous. Watching them together you could immediately tell two things. One, not only were they brothers and best friends but they were parabatai, the bond was clear to see. The second was how amazing Shadowhunters they were.

Three sets of approaching feet cut off my train of thought as I turned to them. Expecting to see the two girls I left with Simon now joining them I was quickly surprised to see another woman. It wasn't just any woman either, with that familiar raven hair and blue eyes reflected in her children there was no doubt who the woman was.

"Maryse," I declared holding out my hand. Taking my hand and shaking it she returned the sentiment.

"Victoria, it's nice to see you again. I hope you are settled in here and my children have been hospitable in my leave," she dryly spoke.