"Magnus!" I yell into the apartment warily.

He twirls into my room and his jaw drops. "Pumpkin… you blew a hole through my wall."

"I'm sorry! I don't know what happened. I was trying on new outfits and-and I, well I sneezed." I try to explain, stuttering through the end.

Magnus laughs at the mess I've made and with a wave of his hand the wall is returned to normal. "Maybe it's time I teach you a few things about your magic."

He waves a hand to clean off the outfit I magicked up for myself and I smile. It's a light blue corduroy skirt and a white lace crop top with billowing sleeves. "Thanks Magnus." I respond as I follow him into the living room.

I make for the fridge hoping to find some leftover pizza from last night while Magnus goes to open the door for whomever is knocking. I hear a conversation in the hallway and only once I recognize the second voice as Alec do I go to jump in.

"I'm sure I'll love Max, but Maryse? That woman hates me." Magnus tells Alec belatedly.

I lean my head against my older brothers shoulder. "That woman hates everyone in the Downworld. What about Max?" I ask as Alec wraps an arm around my shoulders and gives me a comforting side hug.

"I'm asking Magnus to throw the party for Max's rune ceremony." Alec catches me up.

I smile. "Max is getting his first rune? That's so exciting!" I frown as information catches up with me. "Why isn't Robert throwing his party."

"Dad is busy with Clave business. So I'm asking Magnus to throw it here." Alec tells me, keeping his pleading eyes on Magnus.

I look over at him and put on my puppy dog eyes too. "Please? Maryse will get to know you better, and it would be good for her to see you two together."

Magnus sighs and admits defeat. "I'd better get to work then."

-/-

"I don't know if I can be there Alec." I pace up and down Magnus's hallway. "She wouldn't want me there."

Alec scoffs and shakes his head. "She doesn't know what she wants."

"She hates me! Alec, she hates me." I don't mean to yell but it comes out anyway. "I am the monster she helped create and she can't bear the thought of having anything to do with me."

Jace walks into the room quickly. "What's with the yelling?"

"Ellicat thinks mom hates her. And she's thinking about ducking out of Max's rune ceremony." Alec tells him angrily.

Jace shakes his head. "You have to face her some time Elle."

"But does it have to be tonight?" Worry grips my heart and floods my veins. "I don't want to ruin the party."

They both look at me concerned. "You aren't going to be ruining anything." Jace assures me.

"If anything Max would be upset if he knew you weren't coming, and that really would ruin the party." Alec reminds me of our little brother.

I throw up my hands in defeat. "Fine, I'll go magic up a dress, you get out of here."

-/-

I settle on a navy maxi dress, the pale fabric sweeping the floor with a yellow satin bow tied around my waist to give it a bit of shape. My brown hair is tied up loosely in a braid crown with a few tendrils framing my face. I step out of my room right as the party picks up and I hear spanish music flowing around the room.

"I'm worried the empanadas are soggy, I gave the chef specific instructions-" I can hear Magnus worrying so I float over to my host and give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Everything looks amazing." I say as I give a quick spin and head over to the bar to avoid the impending Maryse.

I pick up a manhattan and close my eyes quickly. "You're avoiding your issues." Jace reminds me.

"Nope, I'm getting just drunk enough to deal with them." I tell his, taking another deep sip.

Jace shakes his head. "Elle, you can't be doing this now." He chokes a bit on his beer. "She's coming over here."

"I don't have time to run." I hiss at Jace, angry he didn't give me more warning.

"Elliot. I didn't think I would see you here tonight." I hear Maryse goad.

I turn and give her a bright smile. "I just wanted to support my brother." My smile drops. "If you want me to go, I will. If it would make you happier."

She grins ear to ear. "I think that would be best. This is a family affair after all."

"I thought I was family." I say, my voice cracking at the end.

She shakes her head and pats me on the shoulder. "You have no family Elliot. None at all. Alec and Izzy barely tolerate you, and Magnus, well his feelings are clear to everyone but you apparently."

She turns away from me and rejoins the party. I take a deep breath and try to hold in my tears. Slowly I leave my glass on the bar and start to walk towards the door, no one tries to stop me and I make it out of the apartment successfully.

As I walk towards the stairs I wave my hand over my body to change my outfit into something more mobile. My dress turns into a pair of faux-leather tights and a black button up.

-/-

"Elliot. What are you doing here?" Raphael asks me gently as he brushes the tears off my cheeks.

I lean into his hand and smile sadly. "I'm alone Raphael. Well and truly alone."

"Magnus called me, asking me to let him know if you came here." He tells me.

I let out a sob. "Magnus doesn't care about me, none of them do."

"He also told me you would say that." He brings his hand away from my cheek but doesn't let go of my hand. "There was another warlock that was causing everyone to hallucinate."

I pull my hand out of his and turn away. "But Maryse-"

"Never said those things to you, Jace knocked her unconscious earlier in the night." Raphael reaches out for me. "Let me walk you back to Magnus's so he can remove the spell.

I nod slowly and take his hand.

-/-

"To the Angel I entrust my life, and vow to uphold the laws of heaven."

Max walks down the center aisle and passes by me and Izzy in matching blue dresses, we both give him smiles of encouragement as he meets Alec up at the altar.

"I take this mark to honour him, to bring his light into me. And vow to uphold the laws of heaven so I may join the ranks of the shadowhunters."

All of his family stands at his side as he finishes his vows, everyone with their heads held high and a proud look on all our faces.

"The guardians of peace."

The Silent Brother draws Max's rune on his forearm and I walk over to congratulate him.