Chapter 1: Enter! The Dark Mastermind

It appears that I've had a growing amount of time on my hands...And I seem to be spending it all writing fanfiction...Anyways, I had been thinking a while about writing a longer, darker, and more serious fanfiction (with an actual plot) as opposed to my usual rambles. Not quite sure when this would take place, possibly some time after City of Lost Souls. There are no spoilers, though...Enjoy!

Disclaimer: *sigh* I really really really wish I owned all these awesome characters

The autumn leaves were just starting to fall, but there were still enough leaves on the trees to make Jace feel like he was walking through a golden forest, as if in a fantasy. Finally, the end of the golden tunnel could be spotted, and he drifted towards it in a trance-like state. As he got closer, he could tell that in the clearing was a house- Wayland Manor. Excited, he started to walk faster. Then he was jogging. And before he knew it he was sprinting towards the home of his childhood. Finally, he burst out of the trees and stared up at the house. It was exactly how he had left it. Everything was there, down to the last detail. Looking down at himself, he saw that he too, was exactly how he had left himself- in the body of a 10 year old. With a high pitched child's squeal of joy, he ran and turned a cartwheel. Then he heard voices coming behind the house. He quietly picked his way around the house, being careful not to step on any stray branches, and saw a sight that shocked him.

"Jocelyn?" He asked, surprised

"There you are, Jace! And I thought we had already established that I look like my mother."

Jace suddenly felt odd, and when he looked down at himself, he wasn't a ten year old anymore. He wasn't even his normal self. He was a middle-aged…man. "Clary?" He asked, his voice sounding deeper, "Is that you?"

A look of alarm crossed Clary's face. "Oh no!" She cried, her head in her hands. "Is it happening again? Your amnesia?"

Now it was Jace's turn to be alarmed. "I have amnesia?"

Clary wailed, sighed, and sat him down. "Jace," she said, her voice filled with concern. "Jace, you are 35 years old and married to me. We have a son and his name is-"

"We're married?" Jace said, looking at her wide-eyed. "The Angel!" he laughed, "This is the best dream I've ever had!"

"Dream?" Clary asked, confused. "Jace, you're not dreaming. What was the last thing you remember?"

He was silent, and thought for a while. Then his eyes widened even more. "In the Institute. With Alec and Isabelle. We were reading Sebastian's letter. The one that said-"

"The one that said he was going to burn down the world and raise Pandemonium? Jace, that was 18 years ago!" She said franticly, "Sebastian's dead, Alec and Isabelle are safe, and we're married. We have a son named Stephen, after your father, and he's five years old, and-"

Jace had been staring at her intently. Then he turned to her and said firmly, "What's my least favorite animal?"

The entire scene started melting. Jace had turned back into himself, the manor house was folding in on itself, and the golden autumn light was darkening rapidly. But the worst part was Clary. She was melting, and her hair was shortening. Then she grew taller. At this point, she looked like a large pile of discolored mud, which was slowly being reshaped by invisible hands. The entire scene blew apart into little fragments, and Jace found himself in a prison cell with a chain around his wrists. And standing where Clary had been was none other than Sebastian Morgenstern himself.

"Very clever," he said, his voice cutting through the air like a knife, "I congratulate you on seeing through my glamour. I'm disappointed, though, because you're too late," he shrugged nonchalantly. "The second you left the tunnel of trees was the second you became mine." Then he laughed, and it sounded like chips of ice hitting concrete- loud, harsh, and abrasive. "But you should feel honored, Jace Lightwood. For you are one of few Nephilim who have ever entered the demon city of Pandemonium."

Whew! Hope you liked it! Please review, and feel free to give plot ideas via comment or pm, as I'm feeling a little brain-dead...