Isaac couldn't be around Clary anymore. Not at the moment, not after she learned that she had two brothers that Valentine had taken from her. She went to him afterwards, after realizing where the Cup was, and she cried to him, but Isaac couldn't do anything. He couldn't bring himself to comfort her now that she was one step closer to realizing their sibling bond.

And Alec couldn't stay either. He had to return to the Institute because of his family, withhold his family's honor, and offered to take Isaac with him.

The two didn't get along, that was for sure, but both of them needed to run away from someone, and they didn't have a lot of options of where to go. Neither of them wanted to abandon family – Isaac for the second time.

"Why do you want to go to the Institute?" Alec asked as they walked the streets of Brooklyn, "I thought you hated the place."

"I do," Isaac nodded, "but I need to get away from everything in Magnus' lair for a while."

"Like Clary?" Alec asked, squinting as he looked up at the sun for a moment, his hands still tightly gripped around his quiver.

"Yeah," he answered, "I love the girl...but sometimes, I just need a little break from sometimes."

Alec nodded. "She annoys me sometimes as well."

Isaac chuckled at that, "She doesn't annoy me, not really, it's just that something happened recently that I can't tell her about. I can...I'm just scared to. Avoiding her is easiest right now."

Alec nodded again. They said nothing else as they went back to the Institute, and Isaac felt grateful for that. He didn't feel like having a conversation with someone who wouldn't understand him. Alec didn't know what it was like to keep a secret from his sister who didn't even know they were related.

Soon, they found themselves at the entrance of the Institute, walking in without a problem as they saw Isabelle working. She smirked when she saw them, or more at Alec.

"Slept at Magnus' place?" she questioned the two, giving an extra smile to Isaac.

When Isaac first saw her, he noticed that she looked very different. Instead of wearing a sexual outfit, she was in a more professional dress with her hair pulled back and makeup less intense. She looked more like her mother than she did Isabelle. And Isaac didn't like it.

"Didn't do much sleeping," Alec continued walking before hearing what he said, "I was helping treat Luke's wounds. That's all."

"Really?" Isabelle smirked, and Isaac tried not to chuckle at his stuttering throughout the explanation.

"What?" Alec asked her.

Isabelle sighed, hoping that Alec would catch on, "Nothing. I believe you."

Alec contemplated what he was going to say, "Okay, Magnus made cocktails. I'm telling you, nothing else happened."

"When you're ready to talk about whatever you need to talk about, I'm here," Isabelle told him.

"Hey, I talk to you," Alec defended himself, stiffening slightly.

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

"Really? Turning over a new leaf?" Alec asked, a hint of surprise in his tone. Isaac was surprised as well, the Isabelle he knew would never do that. Though, she didn't look like the normal Isabelle.

"He was a bit much," Isabelle scoffed, eyeing Isaac, "Apparently, I need someone more Shadowhunter-ish."

Isaac couldn't help but a feel a little sting in his heart at those words. More like a Shadowhunter. Of course she would want that, or her parents would. Who would want to marry Isaac? A werewolf.

"Izzy, I realize that you're trying to take someone of the family heat, and I appreciate it, but you can't change who you are," Alec said, walking away.

Isaac did. He changed everything about himself with one simple bite from Derek Hale. Everything about the old, human Isaac, died with that. He killed it off to become what he thought was better, but now he knew it wasn't.

"Really?" Isabelle chuckled, "And you can?"

"I know who I am," Alec said, turning to his sister who began to follow him, "I'm the guy who's about to be disowned when dad finds out that Jace and Clary are still out doing God knows what."

Isaac tuned them out. He couldn't listen anymore. Clary was going after the Cup with Jace, that's where they were going. And what was Isaac doing in all of that? Running away – he was running away because he was too much of a baby to keep his emotions in check. He couldn't handle looking at Clary, so he ran away from her.

Isabelle came back over to him after leaving her brother to walk away. "So, did you miss me?"

He rolled his eyes, "Sure. I just wanted to get away from all the madness at Magnus'."

The girl took his hand leading him away, "Come with me, I want to talk with you."

Isaac chuckled, letting Isabelle lead him into her room and sitting on her bed. "What did you want to talk about?" he asked the girl.

She looked at him, letting all insecurities seep through. "Do you like this? The new me?"

The werewolf took a look at her in the long dress that her mother wore, "No, I don't." He had to answer truthfully, lying about it didn't seem right to Isaac. Not when she looked so insecure about the issue.

"Why?" she asked, looking down at herself.

Isaac could tell what she was thinking by just the look she casted down at herself. Am I not good enough? Isaac had given that look to himself many times when he looked in the mirror.

"Because it's not you," Isaac told her simply, "You're the girl who wears crop tops and leather – not this. This is a middle aged woman who owns a business."

Isabelle chuckled slightly. "I was also the girl who slept with everyone and didn't know what she wanted."

"Now do you know what you want?" Isaac asked him, bringing a hand through his hair.

"Yes," Isabelle nodded, "I want to bring honor to my family."

Isaac laughed at that, his head nodding back, "Now you sound like Alec."

"Is that bad?" Isabelle asked him, "I mean, my mother adores him more than she could ever love me. He's done everything right while I've done everything wrong...is being like him really that bad?"

Isaac sighed, patting the place next to him. Isabelle sat down.

"When I was around sixteen, I changed myself. I had become stronger by taking the bite – turning into a werewolf, but I felt like I needed to change even more of myself after that."

It hurt. Talking about it hurt Isaac – hurt his heart. Never once had he spoken about the change with Jocelyn (mom) or anyone else in his pack. He never needed to, but now he did.

"My alpha wore leather. Everything was leather and black, like with you Shadowhunters," they both chuckled at that, "And I felt like I had to wear it as well. No one noticed him before. I was just the boy who sat in the back with his head down wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

"When I took the bite, I didn't just turn into a werewolf, I turned into an asshole. I felt like I had to be exactly like Derek – my alpha – and he was an asshole at the time. I thought I owed him for the gift he gave me, so I did everything I could to be like him."

He shook his head, "Then I learned that I didn't want to be like him. He wanted to kill someone just because they weren't a werewolf. When they were given the bite, they turned into something else instead. Derek wanted to kill him – I didn't.

"My friends – the two other betas – and I planned on getting away. We were going to leave Beacon Hills together, and they did. I decided to stay and help the other pack in town – the better pack."

Isaac sighed, he wasn't done telling their story. But how? What were the right words to say in the situation? To explain Erica and Boyd?

"In the end, the two others died. Erica...she was killed first when they left, and Boyd...he didn't care when they killed him. He wanted to die and he did."

Isabelle looked at him with glossy eyes, "Isaac...I mean so, so sorry. I had no idea."

He tried to laugh, to smile, to not make it hurt as much. "I know, it's fine. They wouldn't want me to be sad for them."

The girl nodded, resting her head on his shoulder, and him resting his on her head. It was nice, to be in the comfort of someone else for once. Usually when the memories struck, it was three in the morning and Isaac was alone. It was nice to have someone else for a change.

_________________

The Lightwood siblings and Isaac stood outside of the police station. Alec had gotten a text from Jace saying to meet them there to help get the Cup, and to bring the others. While Isaac enjoyed his time away from Clary and with Isabelle, he knew that he had to help his sister and mother – even if it still felt weird to call them that.

Isaac stood a little closer to Isabelle as she stared at the building while he looked anywhere but the cursed place. Soon, Jace and Clary walked outside to meet them.

Upon seeing them, Clary hugged Isaac tightly, afraid to let go. He knew why, Isaac had left the girl at the lair without saying goodbye, not wanting to lie anymore to her. He had done that enough for years he spent with the Fray family.

"Someone call for backup?" Isabelle asked the two.

"Yeah," Jace answered with a stoic expression, "What took you guys so long?"

Funny, I was gonna ask you the same thing," Alec said to his friend, though at the moment, it didn't seem like they were at the moment.

"It's complicated," Jace said quickly, not wanting to argue with Alec anymore.

"We found the Cup," Clary informed them, eyeing Isaac because she knew there was something wrong with him.

"The Cup?" Isabelle asked, his eyes widening slightly at the information.

"Yeah, but then we lost it," Clary sighed, "We have to sneak back in the precinct to get it."

"This is a disaster," Alec commented and Isaac rolled his eyes.

"Hey, demon pox is a disaster," Jace said to Alec, "This is an inconvenience. We just need a plan. That's all."

"What about a glamour?" Isabelle suggested.

"We tried that," Jace shot it down, "Anyone working with Valentine with see right through it."

"Can we ask Magnus Bane to portal us inside?" Clary asked the group.

"No," Alec immediately said, making sure Clary knew that her suggestion was deemed stupid by him.

"That'd be awkward," Isabelle gasped at her brother, "Magnus can only portal us to places he's been to before."

Before anything else could be said, Clary's phone started to ring. She picked it up, "Not again. Just give me a second."

Clary walked away from the group a little bit to answer the call, and Isaac turned on his supernatural hearing to listen to the conversation.

"Simon, this is really not a good time," Clary said on the phone. Isaac rolled his eyes, of course Simon would be calling her.

"Clary, where are you?" Simon said in a rushed voice, "This is an emergency."

"Simon, are you okay?" Clary asked in a worried tone, leaning in more to the conversation.

"I'm not sure. I haven't been kidnapped yet today," Simon tried to joke, and Isaac saw Clary relax.

"Simon, seriously, what's going on?" the redhead asked her friend on the phone.

"I think I'm sick," Simon told his friend seriously, hoping she would understand, "Like, really sick."

"Simon, remember that time you thought you had the bird flu?" Clary asked, "Okay, just stay off the internet and you'll be fine."

Simon stuttered out a response, his heart beating fast as his mind raced, "Yeah, I know. But this time it's different."

"Hey..." Clary said defiantly as Jace took the phone from her hand and ended the call, her face turning a little red.

"Simon's little problem can wait," Jace looked away from her, "I've got a great plan."

Clary rolled her eyes and chuckled a bit, "Oh, there's a first."

Jace sarcastically laughed with her, "Just follow my lead. Oh, and don't worry, in my plan, no one gets slapped."

Then, the duo walked inside. Isaac stopped listening in, turning to the Lightwoods who started to move inside. "Come on," Isabelle called, "Time to distract and help while they get the Cup."

Isaac sighed, closing his eyes from a split second to recuperate before following the two inside. Once there, the three of them stood by the entrance.

"Okay, I'm guessing you're the distraction?" Alec asked his sister with a teasing smirk.

"Nope," Isabelle shook her head, "I've decided to grow up, remember? No more distracting for me. Besides, I don't think I'm her type."

"Oh, crap," Alec muttered as he realized what his sister meant. It was time to become the distraction.

"Don't worry," Isabelle began to assure her older brother, "it's good practice."

"Huh?" Alec asked unintelligently, not knowing that his sister was nudging at.

"You know, for asking out Magnus," Isabelle said with a teasing smile as she began to unbutton the top of his shirt slightly and ruffle his hair.

"What are you...what are you doing?" Alec asked, uncomfortable with what Isabelle was doing to him.

"Unbuttoning your shirt," Isabelle replied with an obvious tone, making Isaac smile, "What's it look like I'm doing?"

"Izzy, this is not really my department," Alec tried to convince her to stop, but she wasn't having it.

"Come on," Isabelle sighed, "You do this sort of stuff all the time."

"You do, I don't," Alec expressed to her, trying to move away from her touch.

"It's easy," Isabelle smiled at him before backing away towards Isaac, "Come on."

Isabelle pushed him off towards the desk, to which he glared back to her before continuing to walk. The two others started to walk closer to the desk, keeping a fair distance away.

Isaac decided that he didn't need to hear the conversation, knowing that it would be quite awkward from the way he saw Alec stand in front of the desk. He really did have no experience in charming a woman.

Soon, the ID card of the woman flew from the desk and into Isabelle's hand. The two started to walk, using the card to get to the electrical area, using a rune to open the box. Isabelle gave a look to Isaac, who rolled his eyes and brought his claws to tear out all of the wires, sending an alarm to sound everywhere inside the building and shut off all the lights.

Isabelle smirked at him, "I never knew you were so good with your hands."

Instead of rolling his eyes or telling her to grow up, the boy decided to play along, "I think they'd be more useful somewhere else."

And the two walked back to meet Alec, going outside as they waited for Clary and Jace to return with the Cup. It wasn't long before the redhead and the blonde rushed outside to meet them, Clary holding a tarot card.

Isaac couldn't help but stare at it. Of course that was where Jocelyn (mom) hid the Cup. It was the perfect place – no one else would be able to get to it, even if they figured out where it was. And Jocelyn – mother – would kill herself before letting anyone force her to take the Cup out.

"Did you get it?" Alec immediately asked once the two reached them, not caring if they almost got caught or died. It seemed that their well-being didn't matter, but Clary's never did to Alec. At least, not really.

"Theoretically," the redhead replied, trying to catch her breath as she stood beside Isaac.

"Theoretically?" Alec's eyes shifted between the two who had gone to get the Cup, not liking the answer he had received.

"Yeah," Clary sighed, beginning to explain, "I found the card. I just have to figure out how I reached into my notebook before. It's...it's not an exact science."

"Can't you just pull the Cup out?" Alec asked in a rushed tone, not liking any of the words that came from the redhead's mouth.

"I can, theoretically. I just...it's not as easy as it looks, Alec," Clary snapped at the end.

"Listen, you two can discuss theories as much as you want when we get back to the Institute," Jace broke in, "But right now, considering we just stole from the cops, I suggest we get home."

Then, the necklace around Isabelle's neck started to pulse bright red, "Guys...I think the mundanes might be the least of our worries."

"Well, at least we know the demon necklace works," Alec commented.

"Didn't it work at Magnus' when we tried to retrieve Clary's memories?" Isaac asked, "Wasn't that enough proof? Or did you need to see it happen for a second time?"

Jace rolled his eyes at Isaac, and the latter couldn't help but feel a little proud of his comment. He liked making jabs at Alec, it was much more fun than just going along with things.

"Never a dull day," Jace muttered under his breath, but Isaac could hear every word. "Let's go," he then commanded the group.

The five of them started to walk quickly, Isaac walking at a normal pace since he didn't want to point out the fact that he was a werewolf.

"Guys, slow down," Clary called back before she bumped into an old lady, to which the girl gasped, "Oh, I am so sorry."

The three Shadowhunters and the werewolf then turned back only to see the grandmother roar, growling as her face turned into one of a demon with green, scaly tentacles as it began to prepare to attack Clary.

Jace moved forward, turning the demon as he said, "Grandma," grunting as he shoved his blade into the demon, watching as it disintegrated.

"What the hell?" Clary asked, a little out a breath as she stared at the place the demon once roamed.

"Language," Jace scolded her, "Not in front of Grandma."

"How did it find us?" Alec asked, seeming as if someone else knew the reason for their run in with the demon.

Jace looked around the parking lot, "I don't know...but she brought friends."

Isaac began to look as well, seeing the eyes of some of the officers turn an ice blue before returning to normal. Demons. He grew stiff at the smell of them.

"How can you tell?" Clary frantically asked, wanting to be able to tell as well.

"It's like seeing through a glamour," Jace tried to explain quickly, "You just got to pay attention to the details."

"But I can't see anything," Clary continued to try and figure out who the demons were.

"Behind us."

"I...I still can't see them," Clary said, "Okay, there's too many people."

"I don't say this often," Alec sighed, motioning to the redhead, "but I agree with Clary. We gotta get out of here."

Clary looked around for an exit before going to a staircase behind them, "Hey, this way!"

Everyone else filed after her, going to a door that lead to an abandoned building. Clary panted, "What's the Unlock rune again?"

Jace didn't answer, just kicked his foot into the door, watching as he slammed open. "Open sesame," he smirked, "Go."

The all ran inside, not caring anymore before Jace turned around to see Alec with his bow and arrow out, not moving with them.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Jace asked his parabatai.

"Holding them off," Alec said, not looking at the blonde, "Take Clary back to the Institute."

"No, if you're staying, I'm staying," Jace told him sternly, "We fight together."

"Don't be stupid," Alec wanted to roll his eyes, but he didn't, "If the demons get the Cup, we're dead anyways."

"I'm not leaving anyone behind," Jace said, just wanting to leave with his best friend – his brother.

"You don't have a choice," Alec said to him, wanting him to take the little girl and the others back to safety.

"I know you guys are having a moment, okay?" Clary broke in, "But we really have to go."

"Don't worry," Isabelle smirked at them, "It's not like this is the first time Alec has saved your life."

Then the Lightwood girl sighed, "I doubt it'd be the last."

"Go," Alec said to end the conversation, and the other four left him, going deeper into the building.

Isaac and Isabelle went in front of the other two, who needed a moment to talk to each other. The two up front stood close to each other, their eyes calculating the area.

"Having fun yet?" the girl teasingly asked Isaac, taking out her whip.

Isaac sighed, going along with the girl, "Oh, you know my favorite thing to do is to kill demons. I wish I could do it every day."

Then, the conversation grew darker, starting when Isabelle sighed, "Did you mean what you said earlier? About how you didn't like the new me?"

Isaac smiled kindly at her, "Yeah. Nothing that you do will amount to the real Isabelle – the girl who was unafraid and fearless, who didn't care about anyone else."

Silence.

"I do," she began, "I do care about others..."

He just chuckled, "I know that. You just didn't care about their words, because you knew that you were great just the way you were. Why change that?"

Isabelle looked like she was about to reply before the necklace started pulsing again. "Guys?" she yelled to alert the other two, "It's pulsing."

"Again?" Clary asked, her voice full of worry. While she knew that the others could definitely handle themselves, she wasn't sure about herself.

"Getting close. Let's spread out," Isabelle suggested as she moved away from Isaac, not really wanting to though.

There was faint chittering the in the shadows, but even with werewolf hearing, Isaac wasn't able to pinpoint a location. It seemed like it was everywhere, that they were surrounded.

"Izzy, where is it?" Jace asked, huskily.

"I don't know," Isabelle answered truthfully, "It's like they're right here, but I don't see them."

Then, one of the demons jumped onto Jace, who took it in his hands and tried with all his might to keep away from his face or any other part of his body. Clary watched in terror, and Isaac wanted to run and comfort her, but there was something keeping him from doing so.

It didn't take long for Jace to kill the demon and for Clary to run towards him. "Are you hurt?" she asked him.

"I'll live," he answered, his own way of saying 'I'm fine.'

"What are those things?" she then asked, looking at where the ashes of the demon laid.

"Shax demons," Jace answered her, "They're like the bloodhounds of the Shadow World."

"They've been tracking us," Isabelle added.

"So what do we do?" Clary asked the two Shadowhunters, going towards Isaac so that she could hold his hand, a way of comfort for her.

"The Institute's only a couple of blocks from here," Jace said, "We can't lose them, but they won't be able to track us if we split up."

"But, I don't...I don't..." Clary tried to protest, but she couldn't find the right words.

"Clary, you'll be fine," Jace told her, "The three of us will draw them away. No matter what happens, just keep running."

There was snarling the distance. "They're coming," Isabelle told them, holding her blade up.

"Jace, I..." Clary tried again, but it was lost when Jace yelled, "Run, Clary!"

And the girl was gone, running away as the other three prepared to fight. Two with blades, one with claws and fangs.

(Though Isaac was not fond of the idea of biting a demon, the dust would taste very bad.)

(At least, he thought it would, and he wasn't willing to try and see if his accusation was correct.)

The demons charged at them, and everyone took the down quickly. Isaac slashed at the any demon that dared go towards him, snarling his teeth as he slashed, watching them turn to ash. Again, he did it, not caring that his arm began to hurt from all of the fighting he had done in the span of one week. He hadn't had that much physical exercise since Beacon Hills, and that was years ago.

It didn't take long for the three of them to kill all of the demons, leaving all of them panting and trying to catch their breaths.

"Clary!" Jace yelled, hoping that she was near and could hear them, "Clary!"

"Jace," Isaac called out, "She's probably fine, let's get back to the Institute. Maybe she's there already."

"And if she's not," the blonde Shadowhunter gritted his teeth, wanting to make sure his crush was safe.

"Then she's not," Isaac replied, "Luke is still here, he'll find her. Don't worry, Clary's tougher than she looks."

"How do I know I can trust Luke?" Jace asked him, "He's already kidnapped Clary once before."

"Luke didn't –" Isaac began to snap before realizing what he was doing and stopped, changing into a dangerously low voice, "Luke didn't do that, the alpha before him did. He had no part in it, and you know that."

"Do I really? Do I really know that that mutt can keep her safe?" Jace asked him, seething in anger.

"Mutt?" Isaac asked him, "If you haven't forgotten, I'm a mutt as well, and I've done a damn good job of protecting Clary for the past two years. So has Luke, who has dedicated the last eighteen years of his life to her and Jocelyn. And they've done a much better job than you."

Isaac walked off after that. He couldn't stand Jace and his words. What had he done? Make Clary fall for him? No, Isaac had done more. He had protected her for two years, been her brother for two years, and all Jace had done was make promises that he could never keep.

Because everyone knows tyrants fall, but demons always live. And Valentine Morgenstern was no monster – no tyrant – he was a demon that would always prevail.

_______________

There was a knock at the door of the room in which Isaac found comfort in after returning to the Institute. No one bothered him, much to his pleasure, as he punched the walls once or twice and tried to calm himself down.

"Come in," Isaac muttered, hoping that it wouldn't be Jace or Clary, if she was back.

The door soon opened, revealing Isabelle Lightwood in the long, formal looking dress, much like the one she had worn earlier that day with her hair pulled back and makeup neutral. She looked just like her mother, and Isaac feared that she would soon act like that old hag.

The girl closed the door, taking a seat on the bed that Isaac was lying on. "Hey," she smiled at him, "Clary's back."

Isaac nodded, "That's nice...is she alright?"

"Just fine," she chuckled, "Though I wouldn't recommend seeing her just yet, she was lip locking Jace when I found her."

He rolled his eyes, "Of course. God, how do you stand Jace? I mean, he's cool sometimes, but a jerk others."

"He just wants what's best for Clary – wants her to be safe, you know? Jace is just more...extreme with that," Isabelle tried to explain.

Isaac just nodded, "If anything, I should be the one stressing over Clary. I mean, I've known her the longest. I just...don't have a crush on her, I suppose."

Isabelle chuckled at that, and Isaac couldn't help but smile. "Liking someone will make you do crazy things," she agreed, "That's why I had to break it off with Meliorn."

"What crazy things would he make you do?" Isaac asked, a small pang hitting his heart as he asked.

Isabelle closed her eyes, sighing, "My parents think it's time that I grew up – my mother, actually. Alec and I need to restore the Lightwood name after we ruined it...that's what I'm trying to do. Changing myself to be more like my mother."

"Izzy...an outfit change won't make you automatically like your mother," Isaac said, "And you shouldn't want to be like her. You should want to be better than her."

"And this is the way to do it!" Isabelle exclaimed slightly before calming down, "I can't be the crazy Isabelle who goes around sleeping with people and wearing clothes that show off my skin! I need to be the professional Lightwood my mother always knew I could become – for my family. Don't you understand?"

"No," Isaac admitted, "I've never had to become anything for my family. I could never become anything good to my father – well, Joseph – no matter what I did."

Isabelle immediately softened, "Isaac...I'm so sorry, I never meant to..."

"I know," Isaac smiled at her reassuringly, "I know you didn't, but you did. Look, helping your family is always great, but shouldn't they love you anyways? I thought a mother's love was unconditional, that they would love you no matter who you were...even if you weren't what they expected."

He wasn't asking for Isabelle. Not really. He was never what his dad wanted him to be, never what Joseph wanted him to be. He was always a disappointment in some way. And maybe to Jocelyn as well, maybe he was a disappointment to Jocelyn and he didn't even realize it.

Isabelle sighed, shaking her head, "Things are...different in the Shadowhunter community. We associate love with praise, and my mother has never praised me."

"Is that why you're doing this?" Isaac asked, finally catching on, "For your mother's love?"

She chuckled, "Is it that obvious?"

"Izzy," Isaac grabbed her hand, "There are other people that love you for the way you are. Your dad, Alec, Jace, Clary...and so many more."

Isabelle smiled at him, a genuine one that made him know that he had done something good. That he had helped her and had done something right by someone that day. Even if he was partially ignoring Clary, angry at Jace, and unsure about Alec, someone was there for him that made him feel good. And that was enough.

wow. over 50,000 words and over 200 pages in my word document. that is awesome.

if you want a future chapter dedicated to you, please comment right here something sweet! that's just for everything you guys have done for me.

dedicated to illustration for your amazing alec lightwood fic and for others .