The story I'd like to tell you today is one between a four hundred some warlock, a self-conscious eighteen year old young man, and a narcissistic self-absorbed shadowhunter.

It started on a fairly regular morning in October. The sun was finally starting to cool off, and the street store windows were covered in a thin layer of frost. Clary hustled down the street pulling her red knitted scarf over her mouth, trying to ignore the old guy eying her purse on the side of the hot dog cart.

(Authors note: Okay I've only been to NYC once, so I can't really be depended on for an accurate representation :P)

She came to the tall wrought-iron gate that rose high above her head. She pushed them open and entered the institute. Thinking back to her first time walking in like it was her own home, she smiled and let the memory warm her.

"Jace! Mom wanted me to bring you guys some cookies!" She dropped her bag by the front door and freed her arms from the coat. When there was no response she added, "She's trying to get back into this 'protective mother' thing. Guess it's not all bad if I get cookies." She smiled down at the snicker doodles thinking about how she used to share them with Simon after a hard day at kindergarten.

There still was no answer. Not even Church came down to welcome the young girl with the welcoming treats.

Clary began searching the large kitchen first, her sludge covered tennis shoes leaving dark marks on the wood. "Jace! Alec! Someone!" It didn't occur to her that they could be on a mission, or just out to eat. The house felt…wrong somehow. Finally Clary rounded the corner to find Jace's door wide open, which was incredibly uncharacteristic. She pushed the door with the tip of her finger while trying to remain silent.

The room was a mess. Books were strewn over the floor, which had multiple claw scratches etched deep. His bed was missing its sheets and pillow along with several pounds of stuffing. Clary drew in a breath when she saw the lump in the corner of the mangled room.

It was Jace. His blond hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat and his eyes flicked under his translucent lids. Clary maneuvered her way through the rubble to get to Jace's slumped figure. Her eyes traveled down his body searching for visible injuries. There was a tear in his grey t-shirt and a bruise forming at his lip. She reached a shaking hand up to cup his chin.

"Jace?" she whispered. His eyes stopped moving for a nanosecond, and Clary shook his shoulder. "Come on, just wake up already!"

Soon she was looking into those golden lion eyes of his. He looked so terribly confused; Clary hated seeing him like that.

Clary put her hand against his red-blotched throat. His skin was surprisingly cold despite the fever-like spots.

"Alec-"Jace's eyes widened and he grabbed Clary's small wrist inspecting his head. She stooped fusing over his skin and listened.

Jace swallowed, like it was hard to get the words out from his dry throat. "They just came in while we were talking…" He paused to close his eyes. "I think they were rogue warlocks." Clary had never heard of anything like that happening. It was possible, sure, but unusual.

Clary asked Jace if he could stand. He nodded, his long hair falling over his eyes as he rose. "Where could they have taken him?" Clary had trouble supporting the taller, heavier boy but managed to keep him upright.

"I don't know." Jace thought for a minute. "The training room? It's large and has a lot of binding spell books?" He steadied just a smidge. Then he took a step forward, and Clary almost fell over with him.

"Okay, don't get all mad at me, but I think you need to wait here. I can't carry you a-" Jace held up a hand to stop her.

"Just go. I-I'll be fine in a couple minutes. I trust you." It meant a lot to Clary that Jace thought she could handle several warlocks at once. Although, Clary wasn't sure she could handle one by herself.

She ran down the empty low-light corridors and took the stairs two at a time to get to the basement. She'd used this place when she was training, and could remember several…events with Jace that had taken place.

At last she came to the door. It was light oak, very easy to kick down. She thought that would be a questionable idea, what with her being so small.

She peeked her head into the room instead, inching the door open bit by bit. There were three figures standing in the center of the room underneath the rope climb. They wore cloaks that pooled around their ankles dyed a dark midnight purple with a gold insignia sitting in the center. One looked to have a female figure, the other two men. Clary noticed the tallest one had tiny bumps on the sides of his head. They were probably ram horns, but in the first stage of development. They were young.

Clary's eyes swept the room looking for her friends. She didn't have to scour the room too thoroughly, for there were two human shaped figures lying at the small ones feet. It was a male's voice. "Tell me, why are we here in this dump? Ethem surely has a better place for us to set up camp."

"Shut up Tyler. You know not to speak of him in ill manner. Now help me tie this scrawny one up." The younger one said. It must have been a girl. They made metal rope appear around Alec and Isabelle and pulled them to the nearest wall. Clary saw how the rope was burning into their clothes and creating instant boils on their skin. It must have been special in some way, unless rope just randomly started to burn people whenever it wanted. Clary was 75% sure it didn't do that.

Clary could see Alec start to shift. His eyes flew open, and he grunted a few times trying to move the rope. It burned into his skin farther making him scream.

Clary couldn't stand to see the pain on Alec's face while she stood there waiting like an idiot. Stepping out into the dull lighting, she raised a hand in greeting. "Hey there. Um, aren't you going a little far with this BDSM thing, Alec?"

It sounded like something Simon would say, and she felt a little stab of pain in her heart. She couldn't think about him now.

Even in his ropes, a deep scarlet rose up his neck onto his cheeks.

Tyler shook his head and laughed. "You were unwise to approach us. It would have been much wiser to flee." A ball of fire rose from the tips of his chubby fingertips, and Clary did wish she had some backup.

"Stop!" Alec shouted just as Tyler was ready to throw it. When he hesitated It gave Clary just enough time to leap out of the way and grab a knife from the weapons wall. "Dammit, Lacy put a gag on 'em!"

Clary skidded over to where Tyler was and flipped him around to deliver her knee to his stomach. Clary got several kicks in before Tyler zapped her with some magic finger trick.

Her small body was slammed against the crate full of extra work out balls.

She looked up through her lashes to see Lacy twirling her finger in the air just above her. Clary felt something tight and invading slither across her body, and she was scared that if she looked down it would be a long snake crawling over her torso rather than a warlock's rope. She was pulled around to the side next to Isabelle, who was still out cold.

"What are you going to do to us?" Alec asked. He masked his concerned voice and swallowed. "We said we would leave you alone if you stayed out of our business." Clary saw him moving his hands to his black boots where, most likely, a dagger was hidden

Unfortunately, the other unnamed warlock saw too. He smiled; revealing a row of pointed shark teeth, and pulled the shining blade out and flicked it to the side out of reach.

"Look, whatever happened, I'm sure you can just let us go. Sometimes it's better to talk things out." Clary suggested nervously. All three of them chucked and looked at each other. Lacy twirled a lock of Clary's red hair around her finger.

"This one's funny. Can we keep it?" She was joking, Clary thought. I hope she's joking.

The older warlock (he was really only around thirty) held up a hand to silence the other two and stooped to Clary's level. "I am Kesly. We are here to take over your institute as a base."

Clary let out a low, sarcastic laugh. "Way to be straight forward, but I don't think so."

"You don't get a say." Tyler snarled. He grabbed Isabelle roughly by the shoulders and slapped her. She opened her eyes and saw his mangled face.

Isabelle's dark lined eyes grew to the size of a dinner plate as he jammed a long dagger into her leg. She screamed, and tried to escape, but Tyler was far too strong. Alec looked to be in more pain than Isabelle, this was undoubtedly one of the few times he couldn't protect his little sister. The rope burned into his ankles and wrist even more. He didn't seem to notice.

Lacy smiled, and balanced on the balls of her feet before the struggling young man. He raised his storming blue eyes up to hers, pursed his lips, and spat. The slimy clump landed just above her eyes and she wiped a hand over her face silently. She licked her fingers. It was one of the most disturbing things Clary had ever witnessed, and that was saying something in a world with demons and monsters.

Lacy's black hair swirled around her face like a cloud as she bent down towards Alec's face. Her lips hovered above his nose for a split second, and then crushed down onto his lips. Alec's head jerked back, and as Tyler did with Isabelle, she stabbed the knife into the fleshy part of his leg. He let out a scream so heartbreaking, Clary felt tears sting the back of her throat. It didn't look like they were going to make it out. Jace was up in his room, unconscious or oblivious to what was happening down in the basement, and Simon was in Rome on a vacation; a very long vacation.

Alec barely sucked in a few breaths before she slowly pushed the knife up. It cut a three inch high slit up his leg that was as deep as the hilt. Alec couldn't even scream, because Lacy's lips were moving over his so pushily.

When she finally pulled away, Alec was half confused and half delirious. "i-I don't like- girls." He managed to huff out. Lacy pouted and shrugged her shoulders.

Clary caught a movement on her right, and her head flicked around to see who it was. Kesly. If the first two warlocks had shoved a knife in their legs, then Clary was most likely next. Instead of a long, thin dagger, he revealed a set of scalpels carried in a plastic container.

Clary broke out in a sweat. Why did he need a scalpel? Was he really going to cut her up like a common pancake?

Kesly kneeled down in front of her hair, and sniped off an inch. Clary flinched.

"DNA." He smiled dryly and gave the bit of red hair to Lacy.

"Why didn't you cut her open too?" Isabelle asked, breathless. Clary shot her a wtf? Look that she ignored.

"That rune on her shoulder." Tyler mused. "It's one of the oldest protection marks of them all. We would all be blown away in a flash of magnificent destruction."

Clary started to ask another question, but he was busy distributing the blood equally into separate metal canisters. Then he gave each of the warlocks one with all the DNA mixed like a small cocktail.

Lucy walked to Alec, apparently still trying to change his mind based on the extra jutting of her hip. The thing that made Clary anxious was the can. Why in the world would they need their DNA?

"Why are you doing this? What the he-" Isabelle was cut off when Lucy reached Alec. She whispered a small incantation into the metal cylinder and pressed it lightly to Alec's chest. Right above his heart.

Nothing happened at first. Very slowly, the can began to turn from silver to a deep, deep glowing blue. Alec's eyes widened, his fingers began to clench into fists that left moon shaped indentations on his hands, and his muscles tensed up. Isabelle called out his name, but nothing seemed to reach through the trance-like state he was gradually slipping into. His skin was so pale and ashen he looked like a black and white picture; the only color his blue eyes. Clary did a double take. They weren't that spectacular ocean blue Clary had gotten so used to seeing, but a dull grey that had lost the shiniest of life. They look like a dead man's eyes, Clary thought in horror. His lids drooped dangerously low. Isabelle tried one last time to reach Alec, but his head was already starting to loll to the side. Very slowly, it hit the wall with a lightthump. His eyes closed and Lacy pulled the can away, smiling. She tapped her finger on the top, settling the color on a midnight blue. "Perfect."

Tyler was already on Isabelle.

"This won't hurt, trust me sweetheart."

Isabelle let out a string of curse words, and it only made Tyler more encouraged. He gripped her black hair in his large calloused fist, and put the can right over her mouth. He paused and turned his head to flash Clary a smile. "I have a different preference." And moved the thing off Isabelle's face. She gasped for breath, but was still okay. Tyler whispered some words into the can as Lacy had done, but with a slightly different ending. It sounded like, animam transfertur. Clary tried to remember her Latin lessons with Jace, and recognized them as 'soul transfer.'

"You're practicing dark magic. You're trading souls!" Clary breathed. Tyler's eyebrows shot downward.

"No, we're not. We're simply taking what is ours." Clary had no idea what that meant and no time to find out. The second the cold metal touched her skin, her vision flickered to a somewhat familiar scene.

It was in kindergarten. She sat facing the yellow painted walls covered with crayon and marker drawings while flipping through a book about the titanic.

Then the scene changed. It was only a year before. Simon was laughing into his cup of tea while Isabelle ran her hands through his curly hair. A black mark was peeking out the top of his thin AC-DC shirt; a rune.

There was one of Jace there also; his gold eyes almost looking black like his adoptive sister's. There was a bit of blood oozing out his mouth as he whirled around, plunging his blade into a demon.

"CLARY!"

She woke up with a start, prying her eyes open.

"Thank God." Isabelle sighed. Clary looked around the room confused before it came back to her. Tyler's dull mousy eyes narrowed into thin slits, his hand grabbing Clary roughly by the cheek. "How are you doing that?" Clary was still foggy from the vision black out, but she managed to smile. "I have angel blood. Black magic doesn't work on angels."

Tyler snarled and raised his fist. It landed right on Clary's cheek. He delivered a few more to her delicate face before a wet guttural scream was heard from the other side of the room.

Clary looked over Tyler's shoulder and saw a knife being stabbed straight through Lacy's throat. She dropped to the ground, and the man standing behind her looked quite annoyed despite being doused in a fairly disturbing amount of glitter.

Clary sighed and leaned her head against the wall. Magnus would save them. He was there when no one else was. He was like… her crazy uncle who would do anything for the Lightwoods, The Herondales, and the Fairchilds.

A moment later all the warlocks were lying in a heap of tattered capes and arms. Magnus didn't mess around when it came to his friends.

The three kids were freed from their bonds the second Kesly died. Clary caught herself on one hand while Isabelle literally scrambled across the floor to Alec. She pressed her head to his heart, listening for a beat. By the way she covered her mouth, Clary assumed it wasn't beating.

Magnus pushed back his hood and told Isabelle to get the cylinder, which was about a foot away. She gingerly handed it over, never taking her eyes off Alec's too-still face. Magnus muttered something under his breath, and Clary saw a light moving from the can to Alec's parted lips. He sucked in a breath like he'd been drowning, and was attacked by Isabelle with hugs.

"What are you doing here?" Alec said turning to the relieved looking Magnus. He looked astonished.

"I just saved your life!"

Clary let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Magnus."

Alec's blue eyes bore into Magnus's cat-like ones, and Clary wanted to scream, Just kiss already! and smash their faces together. She wouldn't really do that, because she didn't want to be brutally beaten by Alec afterwards.

While holding onto Isabelle's arm (swatting Magnus away), he stood. "Where's Jace?"

Clary laughed internally. He always tried to protect his family and friends, even if it meant endangering his health. "He's resting in his room. I can go check on him, Alec." she paused at the door. "You stay here and recover a bit."

Clary saw the hesitant look on Alec's face and rushed out before he could change his mind. Up in the demolished bedroom Jace was sitting on the floor by the bed where Clary left him. His face looked a little more normal, back to that pale but healthy complexion. "How are you feeling?" She plucked her rune from her back pocket and knelt down beside him, carefully beginning an iratze on the skin of his neck where a large scrape was oozing dark red blood.

"Is everyone alright?" He asked Clary, clamping his hand around her working wrist. She pulled his large hand off and continued the rune.

"Yes, I'll tell you later. But I have to finish this, okay?" She carved a few small runes on his chest and biceps before he could stand.

Both shadowhunters stumbled/ran down the stone steps leading to the basement. Sitting in the center was a small fold-up table piled with coffee and little shortbread cookies that were probably bought from a girl scout group. Alec sat next to Izzy, who was talking jubilantly about what happened. Maybe 'jubilant' is the wrong word to use. More like: frantically.

Magnus was paying attention to Isabelle, but staring at Alec the whole time. Alec didn't seem to notice.

Jace sat next to Magnus, which left Clary next to Alec. Up close, she saw weird purple veins splayed across his eyelids. Isabelle started her story of the ordeal over again. Jace looked over at Clary worriedly when it came to the part about her stolen soul, but she shook her head and turned away. I am not weak, she thought, they were just really, really strong. Even though she knew the best Shadowhunter could be captured, she still didn't like the idea of being helpless.

"So these Warlocks are... taking people souls," Jace wondered aloud. "That seems unnecessarily tedious."

Magnus grabbed a cookie off the plate and waved it around. "Yes, but for a higher purpose-" he took a bite.

Alec's eyes lingered on Magnus' a second too long before he answered the question. "A couple of years ago, two or three warlocks were convicted of practicing dark magic. Like, death on a worldwide scale black. I couldn't read into it very much before they closed the case. But it might be that same cult."

Magnus wiped off a crumb from his scruff. "I'm just glad I got here in time." he thought for awhile before throwing his hands up in the air. "And no one even thanked me!"

Clary stared open mouthed at Magnus before declaring, "I did!"

Magnus smiled, throwing an arm around Clary's thin shoulders. "She's the only one who cares!" His voice was dripping wet with sarcasm as he wiped a fake tear from his eye.

No one heard Alec from across the table when he whispered, "I care about you."

Soooooooo yeHHH this is my first TMI one shot thingy :- Is it okay? Did it totally suck? Was it too long or too short? The format okay? I apologize for the overuse of commas, I'm trying to cut down on them :) And emojis, they need to go too :/

Okay, well, thank you for reading!

-Arialuvsnewtfigs 3