Famous: A Malec AU Fanfiction

Chapter 3

Alec woke up in the morning to choking on a cat's tail. He tried to sit up with the ball of fur on his face, he was already not a morning person, he really didn't need this.

"Get off me," his voice was muffled by the fur in his mouth, "You stupid cat."

The cat, Church, meowed indignantly, but leaped lightly onto Alec's pillow beside him. He yawned, sitting up and running a hand through his messy locks of dark hair. The light was filtering through a nearby window, setting warm golden rays all over Alec's bedsheets. One strip of light landed on his face, and he blinked and turned away from the bright light. Church curled his tail around himself, sitting proudly, and looking a bit bored, as he watched Alec.

"I see Church woke you up," came a voice from his door. Alec looked over to see Jace leaning there casually, against the frame of his bedroom door. His hair was mussed, gleaming lightly in the morning sun, his white shirt and black shorts rumpled, showing that he himself just got out of bed.

"I swear that thing is half demon," Alec said, grumbling as he rubbed his eyes.

"Don't be silly," Jace replied, "Demons aren't real."

Alec shoved some of his blankets aside, getting out of bed to follow Jace into the kitchen for breakfast. Church remained in Alec's room, curling up on the center of his bed.

Isabelle was already there, and so was their mother. Jace had originally been born a Wayland, but his parents had died long ago in a bad car accident. Alec's father (who was usually away on business trips as he was right now, he wouldn't be back until next year) had been a close friend of Jace's so his family had taken him in.

The Lightwoods also ran the Shadowhunter Gossip, a fairly popular celebrity and entertainment magazine well as TV channels in the U.S. His mother was always extremely serious about it, and Alec, Isabelle, and Jace all worked as photographers and reporters for it. Their youngest brother, Max, travelled mostly with their father.

"So," Alec's mother spoke now, taking a sip of her mug of coffee, "What information did you guys get yesterday from the Accords Party? It was a really huge opportunity to be able to actually go to it, so I expect that you all made good use of our time there."

"I talked to some of the servers," Jace volunteered, "And I got some pretty good information about the entire Institute. I took a bunch of nice photos as well, and got a couple of shots of William Herondale with Tessa Gray."

Their mother didn't look too impressed, but she nodded approvingly. Isabelle flipped her hair, seeming pleased with herself.

"Well I actually managed to ask William Herondale a few questions about his new upcoming movie."

"William Herondale is a newer actor," mother said, a little tight lipped, "He won't attract so many readers and viewers."

"Most teenage girls across the entire country are already going crazy for him," Isabelle protested faintly, but it wasn't any use. Their mom had already turned to Alec, fixing her dark gaze on him. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair at the table, playing with his fork.

"Well, I managed to ask Magnus Bane a couple of questions," he said finally, feeling a bit sheepish.

Jace choked on his coffee, Isabelle's eyes widened, and his mom seemed startled. That was a rare expression for her.

"I thought it was sort of strange you were hanging around one of the most famous actors of all time!" Isabelle was the first to recover, snapping her fingers quickly.

"Isabelle, quiet," their mother said sharply, although there was now an excited smile playing on her mouth. Alec looked down at his breakfast, for some reason, the pancakes didn't look so appetizing anymore, even if Isabelle hadn't been the one who was cooking. (She couldn't cook anything, no matter how much Alec loved her, he would not eat anything Isabelle cooked.)

"This is our chance," their mother said, her tone determined and sharp. For a moment, Alec could see a younger version of her, before she had ever had Alec. There was a burning determination inside of her, making her seem both stronger and bolder, and she seemed younger. It was when the world hadn't beaten her down so much, and where she still was young and strong enough to run against the wind for what she wanted.

"Don't you see?" she told all of them, "If we find some way to get an actual interview with the famous Magnus Bane, everyone for miles around will be reading and watching Shadowhunter Gossip."

"Magnus Bane is one of the most famous actors in the world," Jace interjected suddenly, "How the hell are we supposed to get an interview with him? Alec's meeting with him at the Accords Party was a lucky chance, but who knows if he'll agree to meet with us?"

"Still, mom's right," Isabelle answered him, "This is a chance that we have to be willing to take. Besides, it wouldn't hurt just to try, right? There's no harm in that."

Their mother nodded, "It certainly doesn't."

She stood up then, and there seemed to be something that had been lifted off her shoulders. It was as if an invisible burden that had been there before had suddenly been lifted away, and it allowed her to stand taller. She had a fiery edge to her that hadn't been there before, something that made her a better version of herself. Alec hadn't seen that in a long time. And for a moment, he was thankful to Magnus Bane, thankful that he had made her this way, even if it might've just been temporary.

"I'm going to find a way to contact Magnus or his agent," she said, walking away.

"We can't mess this up," were her final words before she left the room.