After City of Heavenly Fire

1: Jocelyn

Winter air, sharp as cut crystal, slapped at Jocelyn's cheeks, the wind painting cherry red across her pinched face with it's harsh brush. She pulled the scarf that encircled her neck a little tighter in a vain attempt to lessen the chill that seeped into her bones. This morning's light snowfall crunched underfoot, a promise of more to come. She paused at the door of a manor house, stoic in its loneliness, there was not another building as far as the eye could see. It reminded Jocelyn a little of herself, weathered but still standing strong. She traced the intricate details of the herons on the door knocker with a gentle finger and then rapped it against the wooden door. She hardly had time to step back before the door flew open and a bundle of energy hit her, a blur of red hair all to be seen before the creature smacked into her legs with a cry of, "Grandma!"
Jocelyn scooped the child into her arms and hoisted it into her waist with a grunt of effort. Large round eyes gazed up at her, golden like pools of warm caramel and alight with excitement.
"Hi Tessa." Jocelyn beamed. The girl on her waist snuggled into her, murmuring, "Grandma."
Luke, waiting in the doorway, greeted Jocelyn with a grin, "Come on through to the living room, Clary'll be along in a moment." Tessa slid to the floor and bounced into the living room to announce Jocelyn's arrival at the top of her tiny lungs.

Jocelyn took an armchair by the hearth where a fire crackled, warming the room and the atmosphere with is soft amber hue. Jocelyn's other grandchild, a golden haired, green eyed boy, wobbled atop pudgy baby legs in the centre of the hearth rug. Isabelle Lightwood, belly round from a pregnancy nearing it's end, held him upright by his hands as he searched the room for recognition of his achievement. A dark haired boy, around Tessa's size, chased Tessa in and out of the room, a streak of light blue in his hair glowing in the fire light. Alec intercepted him and tucked the kicking child under his arm.
Magnus Bane, lounging on a sofa, waved at him, "Bring the little menace over here."
Magnus sat up and Alec dropped the boy into his lap before plonking himself down beside them.
"Will!" Magnus scolded as the boy tried to scramble away, "Calm down! Behave, with so many people in the house the last thing Aunt Clary needs is you making a nuisance of yourself."
"He's a live wire, isn't he?" Jocelyn observed.
"So different from his brother." Alec added.
"As I like to say, Will is Alec's son and Raphael," Magnus glanced at the toddler sat quietly in the corner, elbow deep in a jar of glitter, "is mine."
Alec chuckled, "Shadowhunter kids, maybe some nice mundane orphans would have been easier."
Tessa stood in the doorway looking lost without her playmate. "Will?" she asked tentatively.
Magnus let him slide to the floor, "Alright, put you play quietly."
Will stuck his tongue out and Magnus sighed, "He's so much like his namesake it's scary."
Tessa and Will darted out of the room and soon the thundering of small feet on stairs was to be heard.
"They'll be parabatai, just you wait and see." Luke said.

Simon's head appeared in the doorway, "Food's ready!"
"I'll fetch the devils," Magnus volunteered, "it'll be so much quicker with magic!" He dashed into the hall bellowing, "5 seconds to get back down those stairs or I'll carry you down by your ankles." Two distant voices squealed.
Simon rushed to help Izzy to her feet, a task she now struggled with on her own to her great distaste and Alec scooped up both the littles, one on each hip.
"It's a good thing Clary's a better cook than you, eh Izzy?" Jace stuck his head around the doorway to be greeted with a glare from Izzy. He winked and vanished back into the hall.
"And so it begins" Alec said dryly.