Love You With A Burning Passion

Sometimes The Cold Brings Warmth

*Warning, character death and slight depression a head. I don't think any thing is triggering, but proceed with caution. Also HAPPY HOLIDAYS.*

*This is an Au, where Simon is a Shadowhunter, but doesn't have all of his memories.*

Isabelle

*A Week Before Christmas*

It's winter, which means that it's cold and it snows. It also means Christmas is on its way. Which means heartbreak and loneliness fill the air. Isabelle knows that every time Christmas passes, it's another year without her dad. Another year without her brother, Max. She's never going to admit it. She thinks she broken. People can only be strong for so long. Isabelle's been strong for a very long time. Even when she feels like breaking down she smiles and works harder. To her this winter month brought along pain. A pain that she works to get rid of by immersing herself in her demon hunting, and training the new arrivals at the Institute.

In fact Isabelle was training the new arrivals in the Institute right before the window blew open sending a burst of cold air into the training room. Isabelle looks over at the newly opened window and frowns. She flips her hair over her shoulder and walks over to close the window. After making sure the latch was down tight and the window was sealed shut, she turned to her pupils.

"What is the number one sign that a demon is near you?" She asked them. Isabelle studied their body language to see if they were caught off guard by her question. Unsurprisingly all of them were caught of guard.

The young Shadowhunters all looked at each other. Unsure of who was going to answer, and if their answer was right. This wasn't something that was taught at the Academy, it was something that one learned over time, the smaller details.

"Is it um, the senses? Like it's a feeling you get?" Jasmine answered, her voice was confident, but her body language made it clear that she wasn't sure about her answer. All the other trainees nodded their heads in agreement to Jasmine. It was a pretty good guess, but not the answer Isabelle was looking for.

"Good guess Jasmine, but sadly not the answer I'm looking for." Isabelle pauses and looks out the window. She presses her lips together. "Did you know that the most demon attacks happen in the winter because it's cold out. Demons have easier time finding a prey because they can sense body heat. When it's cold out, the heat your body gives off is more noticeable. The temperature around a human fluctuates depending how cold or hot we are, the same with demons. Except demons are always cold. When hunting, it's easier to notice the slight shift in temperature and attack it, before it attacks you. In the winter you can't rely on that strategy. So you would have to rely on sound, sight, or smell, rather than feeling. And by feeling I mean physical feeling. I support going with you gut, but do so with a clear head. Don't be stupid. This is it for now. Enjoy your holiday break."

Isabelle turned back to the window. She watched the trees outside the Institute blow wildly in the wind. Even though she was in a heated room, she felt to icy winds cut to her core. The sky was growing dark because of the oncoming storm. Maybe this storm will reflect what she feels inside. She pressed a hand onto the glass of the window. It was freezing to the touch.

"Isabelle? You alright?" A voice jeered her thoughts.

She jumped at the sudden sound. She turned around to meet Simon. Isabelle sighed. "What do you want Simon? Aren't you and Jace going on a three day hunt?"

"Clary managed to convince Jace to take her instead. So I came up here to clear my head. That's when I saw you. Did your sessions just end?" Simon asked her.

He still didn't have his memories back, but he tried pretty hard. Isabelle should be thankful, but in reality it just made things worse for her. Simon does catch on quickly when Isabelle can't take much more of his presence, and she's thankful that he notices. Today, just wasn't a good day for her.