Last chapter! I wanted to end it with a bang, so you get three POVs! You lucky ducks. Although I'm not exactly proud of my writing this time around, especially with my Magnus POV. Sorry guys.

Dedicated to TheLadyPendragon, who praised my Magnus POV so much I thought I'd faint! Thanks so much again, and I apologize if this chapter isn't as good as the previous ones. I was drained of humor. :)

Chapter 5

Alec POV

Not his best idea.

Not his best idea.

Not his best idea.

Not his best idea.

NOT HIS FRICKING BEST IDEA.

Was this some crazy sort of form of warlock entertainment? Did Downworlders like putting us Nephilim through this sort of torture? Or did they only do it to the ones they loved? Well, not literally do it, but still.

Screw the bitches that invented makeup.

Screw them and their sick, twisted minds.

But I knew that I had to suck it up. For Magnus. For my sweet, loving Magnus.

I held my mouth shut as he danced around me, applying the rest of the makeup to my face. Partly because he played the parent card and I didn't feel like explaining just yet about our escapade earlier on today; partly because I was afraid of blurting out something truthfully hurtful and upsetting to Magnus.

Then I realized something.

He had planned everything out. Didn't he say that he had "taken the liberty of going out and buying me a whole new wardrobe"? Didn't he just doll me up with makeup materials that he had selected specifically for me? Didn't he say that there was a jar of strawberry body spread in the cupboard waiting to be opened tonight?

Wait. Scratch that.

But the first two bits of evidence were true! Which meant that there just had to be a third horror waiting to be unleashed. Something worse than the clothes and the makeup. Something… sparkly. "Um, Magnus?" I asked tentatively.

"It speaks," he said, grinning at me. "What, dear?"

My eyes widened involuntarily. I wasn't exactly sure as to whether or not glitter was involved in his plan to make me gorgeous—if that was even possible—and I didn't want to risk bringing it up if it wasn't. I blushed deeply as I thought of the consequences if I decided to mention glitter. Then again, there was no harm in asking, was there? "There's no sp-sp-sparkles, is there?" I stuttered out.

Magnus' cat eyes grew with the conception of a new addition to his plan. "Thanks for the brilliant idea, darling," he whispered in my ear.

Damn it, Alec. Why couldn't you just listen to the little voice in your head telling you to just ignore the question? Because the same little voice was the one telling me to stay away from a sparkly Downworlder. When did my life get so complicated? "I can't be that much of an asshole to deserve that sort of torture, am I?" I muttered.

"What was that, hon?"

I repeated myself, the fear of body glitter growing.

Magnus rolled his eyes. "No, but you should've expected it. Now close those beautiful baby blues so that I can put them on you." He grabbed a large jar and a brush out of the hat box and proceeded to spread the glitter all over my face—I resisted the urge to sneeze and spit out the stray sparkles that had made their way into my mouth. Instead, I concentrated on Magnus' expression as he applied the glitter. His eyes were focused on my face, intent on making sure that everything came out perfect. True, I did prefer it when he wore his hair dark and straight, his face free of makeup and piercings—alright, I enjoyed the piercings, particularly the one in his tongue—but I had never really taken the time to fully appreciate the product of his hour-long sessions that he spent working on his own self. The way his purple eye shadow made his eyes pop, the way his lipstick made his lips appear full and luscious, the way his lime-green tank top contrasted against his tan skin, the way his tight leather pants hugged his lean legs perfectly…

My musing was cut off abruptly as I felt Magnus' lips crush onto mine. I grasped the back of his neck, pulling him closer and delighting in the intimate moment until the need for oxygen became crucial, and we were forced to break apart. "Ready to see your gorgeously-improved face, darling?" Magnus asked, gasping for air.

I took several deep breaths before replying, "Should I be scared?"

Magnus' answering grin was full of love and pride as he slid out of the way to allow me a look at myself in the mirror.

Even the largest glass in the world would've cracked under my scream.

Isabelle POV

"Where is he?" I demanded, taking long, loud strides into the library. "He clearly stated that he would be back by seven so that we could eat. And look what time it is!"

Clary glanced at the large analog clock on the wall. "Seven-o-six," she said simply.

I glared at her. "Exactly!" I cried, slamming my fist into the wall. "He's six minutes late! Alec is never late!"

"Actually," said Jace, appearing from behind a shelf of books, "Alec is seven minutes late. Don't you girls even bother to count the little marks?"

I was so tempted to pull out my whip and use it on him. "SHUT UP JACE!" I screamed. "Alec's not here! Can't you be the least bit concerned for our brother?"

"Re-lax," Jace said, settling down on the couch beside Clary. "If anybody can take care of themselves—besides me, of course—it's Alec. Remember the time we left him alone with that Drevak nest?" He ducked as a vase came flying towards his head.

"JACE!" I yelled, stamping my foot into the ground so hard that I was sure there would be an indent from my heel. "Alec was nearly killed that time! And it was all your fault!"

"Um, Izzy?" Clary called my name meekly. "Somebody's coming up the elevator."

I whirled on her, my eyes still blazing fury from my hissy fit aimed at Jace. "What?" I snapped, not quite sure that I had heard her correctly.

"I said somebody's coming up the elevator."

I locked eyes with Jace and gave him a menacing look. "You had better hope that that's Alec, or else you can kiss your sorry ass goodbye."

I stalked out into the hallway and ran towards the elevator, rattling the gates until it rose up to reveal a familiar face. "Alec!" I cried, jumping and wrapping my arms around him tightly as he stumbled out of the elevator.

"Hi, Izzy," he gasped. "Would you mind letting go? It's a little hard to breathe."

"Oh, sorry." I released him from my death grip and stared him in the eyes. Hard. Then screamed. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU?"

He shrunk away from me. "N-n-nothing," he stammered.

Yeah. Nothing stopping me from slapping him full on the cheek. "Something damn well happened to you!" I shouted in his face, then relaxed, grabbing him by the shoulders. "You look gorgeous." And I wasn't lying, either. Alec looked nothing like he usually did, what with the ugly brown—there was no denying the fact that everything he owned wasn't black anymore—sweaters, the tattered pants, the mussed-up hair. Instead, somebody had given him a full-on makeover. "Dress shirt? Sequined vest? Rainbow leather pants?" I inquired, not really sure if I was asking him or if I was asking myself to clarify what stood before me.

"Um, yeah."

"And your hair! It's so…"

"Spiky and sparkly-like?" he filled in with a grin as we headed back to the library.

"Well, yes! And you're wearing makeup." This was not my brother. Since when did Alec wear smoky-grey eye shadow, eyeliner, shock-blue lipstick, mascara, and was that blush? But worst of all, his entire visage was covered in, dare I say it, glitter! "Alec! Who did this to you?"

He only smiled and continued on towards the library, leaving me trailing behind by a couple of steps. "Isn't it obvious?"

"That whoever is responsible for your new appearance is also responsible for your complete change in personality? A little bit." Alec was never sarcastic.

I received nothing in reply save for a wide-spread grin and a noogie. Ouch.

Somewhere between Alec's first steps into the library and Clary's shocked screech, Jace had crossed over to the entrance and barred our way. "We're sorry, but demons, mundanes, and elaborately-clothed creatures of the sparkly sort may not be allowed safe passage into this room. If you are any of the afore-mentioned monstrosities, please state your name, number, and evil accomplice, and we will gladly record your name in our 'banned' book before destroyi-"

He was interrupted as a swift kick to the groin sent him doubling over. "Shit, Alec," he groaned before straightening up, still with a hand placed over the soon-to-be bruised area. "If that is your name."

"Alec?" Clary asked, coming over to us and staring at my brother in puzzlement. "Is that you?"

"The one and only," he said, ruffling her hair, an action as out-of-character as his response was.

He didn't even get a chance to flinch. Jace had him pinned on the floor in the blink of an eye. "Who the hell are you, and what have you done with Alec?" He was only joking, I think.

"Who the hell are you to think that you could hold me down?" And Jace was on his back. Wow. "You'd be surprised at how agile I feel wearing tight leather pants. It's amazing. You should try it."

"Oh, is that what those are? I must've been wrong in thinking of a Crayola box." Of course Clary had to show him those darned things—I couldn't count how many stains on my clothes Jace had made using them! Washable indeed.

Alec reached down and grabbed Jace's hand, pulling him up. "Blame them on Magnus," he smiled.

"Magnus did this to you?" Clary questioned him.

"Of course." Alec was so bubbly. Why didn't I even consider the fact that my brother's new character was that damn warlock's fault? "It was his birthday, so I let him do whatever he wanted with me—"

The muffled sound Jace made was somewhere between a cough, snort, and "Idiot."

"—and he decided to give me a makeover. Clever, huh?"

"Clever?" I snapped, advancing on my brother. "Clever? You let Magnus do this to you, yet you won't even let your own little sister dress you up! What kind of a big brother are you?"

Jace snickered, "A sparkly one at that."

I thwacked him on the shoulder. "Shut up! I'm not about to yell at you too. Alec, couldn't you have given him a better present? You know what, he's NOT EVEN HERE! How am I supposed to reprimand him for doing this to you without consulting me?"

"Because he knows that you have a horrible fashion sense." Clary took care of Jace by elbowing him sharply in the stomach.

Alec put on that same smug smile that he had been wearing ever since he had came home. He glided over to the couch and settled down, crossing his arms behind his head and stretching his feet across the cushions. "Calm down. Remember how I went out today with Mom and Dad?"

"Yes!" I cried, stamping my foot into the ground once more. "You 'forgot' to bring me!"

He waved a hand at me lazily. "I had them help with the material half of the present."

"The what?"

"I believe he said 'maternal'. Alec's having a baby."

"Jace, can you please let them talk for once? Izzy might start another temper tantrum." Thank you, Clary.

Alec sighed deeply, not in exasperation, but in patience. "I believe I said that I enlisted the help of our parents in purchasing quality fashion apparel from superior designer stores in the nearby shopping complex commonly referred to by mundanes as 'the mall'."

Silence. What in the Angel's name was wrong with my brother? Wasn't he fully aware that Jace and I—Clary hardly counted; she wasn't one to take sides—were enraged at him? And yet he speaks of the mall. Lovely. Why wasn't Jace helping me out on this?

Then,

"Izzy. You hold him, I'll punch."

POV of the Walking, Talking Glitter God

I sighed as I laid myself down on my bed.

You did a wonderful job, Magnus, a very wonderful job. There had to be some sort of award for what I had just gone through. "I'm marvelous, aren't I Meow?"

Chairman Meow looked up at me from under my hand, which was stroking him softly in contentment.

"Yes, I know that you 'act' mute, and of your speech problems, so I am under the assumption that this is only because you're dumbfounded being in my presence."

The cat purred, which I accepted as an agreement. "I'm honored, Meow. And sorry about my cruel treatment earlier."

His purr actually sounded concurring this time.

"I am indebted to your noble actions of informing me that my muffin Alec was stalling. If Oprah ever comes around to dropping that restraining order, I'll be sure to introduce you."

Chairman Meow padded over to my face, licked it a couple times, then jumped off the mattress, meowing insistently.

"What is it, Meow?" I asked, swinging myself down and stretching myself onto the floor.

He scurried under the bed; if not for his snowy coat I would've lost sight of him amongst the multitude of boxes. The cat stopped in front of that large Dolce & Gabbana box that I had seen earlier. "You want me to open it, Meow? I don't even remember getting it." He scratched at it forcefully. Well, there can't be any harm in opening it, could there? "Alright, alright, don't go ripping it open now," I said, grabbing the box and dragging it out from underneath, Chairman Meow following it happily.

I set the box down on the bed along with Chairman, and sat down at the edge. "Ready, cat?" I asked him.

He stared at me expectantly.

I exhaled deeply and proceeded to carefully tear apart the shiny paper, just in case something breakable happened to be inside... Then again, it was hardly likely for one of my favourite designer brands to sell paper mache butterflies. So I ripped the whole thing off, tossing it behind me.

Now for the moment of the big unveiling. Glancing nervously at Chairman Meow one last time, I lifted the lid off the box and shifted aside the blue tissue paper. I gasped. "Meow! Look!"

He cocked his head to the side as I drew a delicately-folded tuxedo jacket out of the box. I hastened to put it on in excitement and admired myself in the mirror. Whoever picked this out obviously had good taste. The cuffs, collar, and lining were pure white, whilst the stark black of the jacket was broken by light purple swirls of rhinestones. I turned around and saw the thin, curvy letters that were patterned onto the back with rhinestones: "The Magnificent." "Amazing!" I cried out to no one in particular.

I strode back to the bed and retrieved dress pants patterned in the same fashion out of the box, followed by a purple dress shirt and a red sequined bowtie. I was so surprised that everything fit me, considering my lofty height. Not that I minded being tall, of course—everybody was always looking up at you; it made me feel important.

My thoughts were disrupted as I heard Chairman Meow scratching furiously at the box again. "What now?" I asked, looking inside for anything that I might have missed. It turned out that I did in fact miss something—an action not to be repeated to anybody.

A card.

A simple sheet of white paper that had been folded in half.

I picked it up and regarded it thoughtfully before opening it and reading what was written inside:

High Warlock Bane,

We had planned on giving this to you in person, but our son insisted that we didn't, so we had him place this in a spot where you would easily find it—hopefully he remembers where he put it, and that we had given it to him in the first place. Alec is quite forgetful.

Consider this a token of our gratitude and appreciation. You wouldn't believe how much our Alec has changed from being with you. We apologize for all our mishaps and disagreements with each other in the past, and we forgive you for whatever you had done in reciprocation.

Our family will be hosting a dinner next Saturday in honor of Jocelyn and Luke's first child together—Alec did tell you she's pregnant, correct?—and we're hoping you will be able to join us. The event will be quite formal as we're having some guests from Alicante attend, so feel free to try out our present for you then.

Again, we are deeply thankful for what you have done to make our son the wonderful man that he is today—we guess that he may be the only one to see the power of sparkles. We are indebted to you, Magnus.

Sincerely,
Robert and Maryse Lightwood

P.S. If you're wondering about the suit, one of Luke's friends works for D&G. Apparently it's an honor. He assisted us in creating an exclusive suit for you. We hope it fits well.

All I had to do now was change back into my original clothes and head down to the Institute like Alec had asked me to. Something about going out to Taki's for dinner, then returning to my apartment and enjoying my birthday night.

As I stepped outside into the dusk, I smiled, thinking about Alec's parents' sweet letter. It was nice to hear—or rather read—that they were indebted to me. I'd have to save that note for future shopping trips; perhaps I wasn't going to be using my Visa anymore.

Then I remembered something that had also drawn my attention. "The power of sparkles." Hmm.

I liked it.

Well, that turned out cheesier that I expected it to. Sorry if it disappointed you! Actually I had never intended for it to go the way it did. Remember how I said before that this was just supposed to be a oneshot? Yeah, so much for that cloud.

Since this A/N is already starting to seem incredibly long to me, I might as well plug a few Malec fics. These are all currently in-progress, and they do not get as much attention as they deserve, meaning that they have far too little reviews for what they should have. Hopefully the authors of these won't get too mad at me for plugging without asking!

Control, by Katara-alchemist: M-rated, meaning lemons and dark scenes, so be warned kiddies!

Call Me, by ariviand: A sweet fic written by one of my friends, taking place during CoB.

The Book of the White, by aiscat93: Not necessarily a Malec fic, but it's a great adventure story nonetheless.

All of Carlisle's Favorite Daughter's fics: She's a great writer, and her Malec fics are awesome. Check them out!

Now that this fic is done, I'll have time to focus on school (which starts on Tuesday, damn it) and on other stories. I have a plotline for a future Malec trilogy. Please let me know if that sounds alright with you guys; I want to hear what you want to read from me!

Once again, thanks to all my reviewers for making this Malec fic the one with the third most reviews on the site, a title which I'm sure will be surpassed soon enough (but hey, I'm living in the moment!) So for future reference, this is the Malec fic with the fourth, fifth, sixth etc. most reviews. You guys rock!

~Izzy XD