Jonathan Morgenstern wandered the dark streets of Brooklyn. He had snuck to Alicante and used the portal, not wanting to stay anywhere near where his father had just been murdered. The image still burned in his mind; his father's blood soaking his shoes, the strange men taking his father's body away.

He had jumped through the portal without a second thought, not caring where he ended up or if he was caught in limbo for eternity. He'd landed in the middle of a road in a mundane town, barely avoiding being flattened by a bus. No one glanced at him as he meandered around the town. He'd been good at blending into his surroundings.

After a few hours, he sat down on the sidewalk, against the wall next to it. He was exhausted. Even with the high stamina that generally came from being a shadowhunter, there was only so much walking a ten year old could handle. He glanced at the lit street, with the mundanes walking along so blind to the demon threat.

It was in the early hours of the morning when the man who lived in the apartment- whose wall Jonathon was half asleep against- came out, probably to deal with the large pile of junk mail on the doorstep. Jonathan felt the man's eye on him, and opened his own, staring back. He almost jumped when he met green-gold cat's eyes. His mind said warlock.

He'd never met a warlock. He'd barely seen outside the manor's grounds where he'd grown up. But he knew a warlock when he saw one from the books his father had him study. But not even a warlock would wear that much glitter, right?

The warlock stepped down the stairs and moved towards Jonathon, who didn't move from his place against the wall. He knelt down in front of Jonathan, his cat's eyes shining in the dark. "What are you doing here, little shadowhunter," he asked. Jonathan didn't say anything. "Who are you at least?"

"Jonathan Morgenstern," he said after a minute. "Who are you?"

"Magnus Bane," the warlock replied. "Do you want to come inside? Or would you prefer to sit out here all night and freeze?" Jonathan stood and Magnus led the way inside. It was pleasantly warm inside after the chill of the cold night air outside. He didn't need to carry anything with him, having only grabbed his father's kindjal and a stele.

"Do you want something to eat or drink," Magnus asked, pulling a mobile phone from his pocket. Jonathan shook his head slightly. "Okay. I've just got to make a quick phone call. I just have to check on a client for tomorrow," Magnus said before disappearing into what appeared to be his bedroom.

Jonathan paced around the room for a bit. What if Magnus was contacting the Clave? He didn't know if he was ready to tell the Clave what had happened, or if he ever would be. He found himself with his ear pressed up against the bedroom door, listening to this side of the conversation.

"You're supposed to be over here tomorrow anyway? What does it matter if the block is refreshed a few hours early? It won't hurt anyone, Jocelyn." Magnus paused, listening in on what the other person- presumably Jocelyn- was saying. "This is the first time i've asked you to come early. It won't kill the girl." He paused again. "Okay, I'll see you in an hour then."

Sensing the conversation was over, Jonathan moved away from the door, sitting in one of the chairs in what looked to be the living area. Magnus came out of his room, the phone no longer in sight. "Jonathan, listen in on my conversation again, I'll put up a soundproof ward between whatever room you're in and mine, okay?" Jonathan, knowing he'd been caught, merely nodded.

"Who were you talking to," Jonathan asked after a few moments.

"Just a client, as you clearly heard. Jocelyn Fray. You sure you don't want anything to eat," he asked again. Jonathan, again, shook his head. "I won't stop you from eating if you're hungry," Magnus said, but didn't pressure him.

They sat in almost total silence, with Magnus trying to start up a conversation every so often. But Jonathan remained silent, not saying a word and barely glancing at Magnus, who soon gave up any attempt for conversation.

It was a long hour before a buzzer rang through the hall. Magnus was at the door instantly, ushering a red haired woman and a girl who looked like a miniature version of her in. The woman looked at Jonathan, meeting his eyes before turning back to Magnus. There was some muttered conversation between them before they turned to the office, leaving Jonathan and the girl alone.

Neither of them said a word. Jonathan hadn't moved from the couch. The girl sat on a nearby chair. It wasn't for several minutes that the girl mumbled something. "Pardon," said Jonathan, turning to her.

"I'm Clarissa," the girl said, "But everyone calls me Clary." She was smiling slightly.

"I'm Jonathan," he replied after a moment. He glanced up at her. She had a small book propped on her knee and a pencil in hand. She smiled slightly at him before putting pencil to paper.

As Magnus and- presumably- Jocelyn talked, neither of the children said a word, Jonathan looking into an empty corner, lost in his thoughts. Clary drew in her book, occasionally glancing up at Jonathan for some reason. Eventually, Jonathan stood and looked over Clary's shoulder.

He barely got a look at it before she stopped, turning her head to look at him, blocking the drawing with her head. But he'd already seen it, the image she'd drawn that was recognizably him. "You're... Good at drawing," Jonathan said after a moment.

She smiled. "Thanks, I guess. I'm sorry I didn't ask if I could draw you," she replied. He shrugged slightly. He didn't mind. He probably would have let her if she asked anyway.

It was right then that Magnus and Jocelyn returned to the room. Clary closed her book quickly. As Magnus sat himself down beside Clary on the chair, Jocelyn summoned Jonathan with her eyes. He stood, leaving Clary with Magnus as he joined Jocelyn in the kitchen area.

He was barely in the kitchen before saying, "You were raised by Valentine Morgenstern, correct?"

He nodded slightly. "Yes, I am Jonathan Morgenstern," he said. She seemed slightly on edge when he said that, but he couldn't tell why.

"You haven't met any other shadowhunters?"

"Only my father's colleagues."

"Then you wouldn't know that Valentine Morgenstern's name is feared and hated among the Clave. They think he's dead, has been for nearly a decade."

"What if I wanted to be a part of the Clave," he asked, not bothering with telling her the Clave was now right, that his father was dead.

"You'd have to take a different name, or they'll think you're there to learn the Clave's secrets and continue what he was planning."

"I don't now what he was planning. You think he'd have told me?"

"No, but the Clave will. He was a terrible man, who would have turned his own children into monsters if he'd had a chance." Her eyes flicked over to Clary, who was surrounded by a shimmering, semi-transparent blue wall with Magnus.

"What is he doing to her," Jonathan asked, watching the wall of magic.

"I was getting to that. Clary can't know anything about the shadowworld. Not shadowhunters, downworlders or demons. She has the Sight, so it has to be blocked."

"She's a mundane with the Sight? That's incredibly rare. Why does it have to be blocked?"

"She's not a mundane. She has shadowhunter blood. The Clave doesn't know where she is, or that she even exists. And I'd like to keep it that way, so don't say anything, okay?"

"Fine. But why don't you want the Clave to know about her?"

"Don't you worry."

Magnus quickly finished with Clary while Jonathan was left wondering why it even needed to happen. Clary had a strong soul, from what Jonathan knew of her from the brief conversation. It wasn't long after when they left.

Magnus was in the kitchen after he'd accompanied Clary and her mother out. He put together a snack of a packet of chips and a coffee- which Jonathan was sure hadn't existed until a second before Magnus sat down.

"Did you just steal that coffee," Jonathan couldn't help but ask. Magnus just shrugged, but Jonathan didn't ask any more questions.

"So, what did you think of Clary," Magnus asked after finishing half the coffee.

"She seems nice. But why can't she be a shadowhunter like she was born? She's clearly strong enough for it."

"That's not mine to say. But her time may come, or it may not, but you are not to intervene."

"Fine," he murmured.

"Anyway, I've got an offer for you. You can stay here as long as you need to. Or you can go to the nearby Institute. But if you go there, they'll ask about what happened and I've gathered you don't want to talk about that. But you can't go around telling everyone you're a Morgenstern or they'll lock you in the Silent City."

"Then what do you propose I do? What if I run into other shadowhunters and they ask who I am?"

"You could introduce yourself as someone else. Just make sure you decide on one name, so you don't introduce yourself as several different people. That would be terrible," Magnus said with a shrug, downing the rest of the stolen coffee.

Jonathan sighed. He had no idea what he would go by, or whether he would stay at Magnus' or go to the Institute. Magnus' house wasn't looking too bad for him, considering Magnus didn't ask too many questions. And he could spend some time working on an alias in case he ran into shadowhunters.

"I guess I'll stay for now," he said finally. Magnus grinned.