Part One: Lattes and Zero Gravity

Somewhere in the galaxy 12.7 million miles from earth...

"What do you mean, 'uh-oh'," Jace asked, his voice pitching with anxiety.

Magnus opened his eyes, now distracted from trying to muster all of his power to open a portal. "Uh-oh as in it won't work."

Jace paced a few steps, stopped, turned and paced back the other way. Finally, he faced Magnus. "Well, that's just great. Are you telling me that because you can't open one of your stupid portals with your all-powerful warlock powers that we're going to be stuck on this blasted ship forever until who knows what will come to suck our brains out?" Magnus rolled his eyes at Jace's reference to getting eaten by aliens while trying to block out his ignorant rambling. "...Because I don't want my brain sucked out. Believe it or not, I actually need my brain, and especially my hair," Jace said, tossing his sweat-soaked locks out of his face.

"Will you just shut up?" Magnus yelled, irritated. "I'm not too thrilled about our circumstance either."

Jace narrowed his eyes. "Oh, really? Beacause I think that you like to screw things up just to see how magnificently I can get myself out of them."

Magnus suppressed the urge to slap him or scream, but instead took a few calming seconds and counted to ten. "Okay. Let's try to calm down. First of all, we need to know what else inhabits this ship along with us."

Just as Magnus had said that, a voice rang out from the silence of the spaceship. "I believe that would be me."

Jace spun around from facing Magnus. With lightning-quick reflexes he unsheathed his seraph blade and said its name while brandishing it in front of him. "Who's there?" he yelled. A lanky man in black leather pants and a purple burnout t-shirt stepped out from the shadows. Jace also noticed that the stranger had a purple streak of hair shooting out from the root of his scalp which was complimented by eyes that sparkled with cleverness and curiosity.

"Who the hell are you?" Jace asked, not even lowering his weapon an inch from protecting his angelic features. The strange man did not answer Jace, he just strolled towards them with hands held leisurely behind his back. Because of this, Jace became even more agitated.

Stopping in front them both, the man finally spoke. "I am Frank Cuprous," he said. "And you two are...?"

Jace, putting away his blade, regained his composure, but kept a hand on the hilt just in case. "I'm Jace," he said coolly.

The man nodded and looked towards Magnus, who was staring open-mouthed at him. "Frank?" he asked, disbelievingly.

Frank smiled a perfectly white, sparkling smile at him. "Why, fancy meeting you here, Magnus Bane."

Jace blinked, confusedly looking from one to the other. "Um, am I missing something or do you two actually know each other?"

Magnus was now glaring at Frank and grabbed Jace's coat. "If you could excuse us," he said, steering Jace away from Frank who looked genuinely amused.

"Hey! Watch the leather!" Jace said, shrugging Magnus's grip off him.

Magnus let go.

"You wanna explain to me what's going on?"

Magnus got red in the face. "I would if I knew," he said running a hand through his dark, sparkle-encrusted hair.

"Well how 'bout starting by explainging how you know him," Jace said, pointing to Frank who was looking on with a sullen expression.

Magnus got redder. "We had an affair when I was living in Paris."

Jace looked bored. "And I care why?"

Magnus frowned. "Can you not interrupt me? I hate it when you Shadowhunters do that. It's very rude."

Jace sighed impatiently. "Fine. Continue," he said, motioning Magnus to finish.

"While I was living there, we were on and off. Eventually we just broke up and that's when I moved to Manhattan. You see, they were in need of a warlock in the city, so I volunteered."

"Then what?"

"Frank was heartbroken when he found out the news and begged for me to take him back, saying that he would try harder for us, but I told him that it was officially over between us and that I couldn't take his unstructured and spontaneous lifestyle anymore, so I quit."

"Ouch," Jace said, wincing.

Magnus sighed. "Yes, well, then I met Alec."

Jace held up a hand. "Look I'm not purposefully interrupting you for kicks or anything, but I would really appreciate it if you didn't go into details with you and my stepbrother's relationship. I don't really need any more screwed-up nightmares. Iv'e got enough as it is."

Magnus looked a little embarrassed at the implication Jace had implied, but shrugged it off anyway. "Right. Anyhow, when we vacationed in Paris, I ran into Frank again. He apologized for about the trillionth time since my absence, but instead of turning him down, I started-" Magnus cut himself off, not able to continue.

Jace finished for him. "You started cheating on Alec."

Magnus nodded, dismayed. "But I cut it off again, I swear. It's just that now Alec is upset with me because of my mistake."

"Look, I really have a deep and pained sorrow concerning your situation right now, seriously," Jace said lied, appearing sincere. "But we need to get off of this spacecraft. So whether you like it or not, you two are going to have to work together for that to happen." Magnus nodded that he understood, but still felt dreadful.

Pleased by his response, Jace then sauntered over to Frank. "So, are you a warlock too?"

"Indeed I am," Frank answered blandly. "It should be obvious by the aurora I give off."

"By 'aurora' do you mean that funky smelling dude perfume you're wearing? Because I can't stand it anymore. It's literally making me ill," Jace admitted, scrunching his nose in detest.

"I humbly accept your criticism and will take it constructively."

Jace looked at him blankly.

"I've been taking therapy," he elaborated. When Jace didn't comment, Frank cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Yes, well, it's for my relationship. I'm trying to be a more reliable person for my better half," he said, nodding in Magnus's direction, and pulled a squishy ball out of his pocket to show Jace. "See? When I get stressed I squeeze this."

Jace bit his lip until it began to bleed, frustrated by his misfortune of being stranded in the middle of space with two morons; one wearing so much glitter that it should be illegal, and the other being his psychotic ex.

"Um, could I borrow that, Frank?" Jace asked suddenly.

"It's pronounced Fra-unk," he corrected him. "And yes, you may." Frank handed his squishy ball over to Jace.

Once taking it out of his hands, Jace began to furiously squeeze the little ball repetitively at an extremely fast pace.

Frank and Magnus stared at him, stunned.

"Wow. You've got a lot of pent-up stress don't you?" Frank noticed.

Jace snapped his head around to glare menacingly. "You have no idea."

"Well then," Magnus began, "Frank and I will be over here trying to open a portal by combining our powers. Will you be able to stay out of trouble and to not hurt yourself?"

Jace shot him daggers. "Do I look five to you?"

Magnus rolled his eyes. "No comment."

Frank blinked. "Well, technically, you are commenting by saying that you're not commenting." Magnus gaped at him. "See? Do you see what you do? Always correcting me. Alec never does that."

"Don't even bring him up to me..."

Jace squinted miserably, trying to block out their "married" couple-like fighting. Instead, he observed the room he was standing in, and saw a chair in the middle of it that looked very comfy and inviting; a perfect place to wait for things to get done and mandate.

He settled in comfortably, deciding that Frank's choice in furniture was excellent. He also thought that Magnus's taste and his were very similar. Because of that, Jace assumed that there was probably a round table somewhere within the spacecraft. Curious, he looked over to Frank and asked if the ship was his what with the decor being so familiar in comparison to Magnus's.

"Well, I suppose you could say that. I'm an astrologist, and was invited upon this vessel to study constellations. I lived aboard for a few weeks and very quickly grew to detest the lack of panache, so I redecorated. Although shortly after we were overtaken by demons, as you both already know."

Jace scoffed, although was not shocked at all. "The disgusting vermin found a way to travel through space now, huh?"

Magnus clucked his tongue. "What is the world coming to?"

"I know, right?" Jace commented.

"No, I mean, why would you pair plum with chartreuse?" Magnus asked Frank, pointing to a love chair next to purple curtains.

Jace rolled his eyes. Bored, he decided to give up on conversation with the two warlocks and call Isabelle to find out what's been going on at the Institute since his absence.

"Hello?"

"It's me."

"No, don't touch it."

"Um, Isabelle?"

"Oh my gosh you've got to be kidding me. I can't believe it's still purple! Maybe you should put ice on it."

Jace paused not sure if she was talking to him or someone else. Either way, it was an awkward conversation to be involved in.

"Jace? Sorry. Are you still there or were you abducted by aliens?"

He laughed hollowly. "Wow. Excellent guessing, Iz. Actually, I am talking to you from outer-space right now."

Isabelle chocked on something she was drinking. "What? Great. Well let me get my whip and I'll rescue you."

"No need, I'm doing fine on my own. I'm with Magnus and he's wearing boots and the 'right' amount of leather; whatever that means. Earlier, he actually asked if I wanted to wear his guyliner to smear under my eyes as war paint before fighting demons."

"Oh, well that's just...weird. I better hurry up and save you or you might fall for Alec when you get back, or worse, Magnus."

"God, no. Gross, Iz. That's an image I really didn't need in my tortured and beautiful head." Jace paused before thinking of something else. "Anyway, maybe I sould have worn it. He says that it brings out the golden luminosity of my eyes."

Isabelle laughed. "On the contrary, maybe it will wake you to the dangers of wearing guyliner. For example, you really don't want to end up staring out the window like Magnus, do you?"

"Please, Isabelle. I laugh in the face of danger," he said, shooing a fly away from his nose and mocking it with one of his signature smirks.

"Yeah, see that's you're problem right there," Isabelle said. "You don't have a healthy sense of fear in you."

"No, I just simply choose to believe it doesn't apply to me." A question suddenly popped into his head. "Hey, how's Clary?" he asked, concerned.

"Oh, she's out with Simon right now. You know how bad she's been wanting to see that chick flick. Because you were busy, Simon offered to go with her." Isabelle paused when she heard Jace suck in a breath on the other side of the line. "Uh-oh. I wasn't supposed to tell you that!"

Jace was fuming. "What? Oh, I swear. When I get back down there, I am so going to kick his ass. Stupid blood sucker. He doesn't know who he's messing with."

"Well he has loved Clary like, forever. And stronger girls have fallen for his alluring vampire mojo. Like me. Anyway, they're just friends. She has you, though, remember? They have to hang out sometime."

"But we were supposed to see that together!" Jace stops himself, then sighs. "I guess you're right. Oh, Magnus found a fellow warlock and they're currently trying to combine their powers to portal us back." Jace casually strolled over to the portal where the purple curtains hung and looked through the glass at Earth. "It's a small world, Iz," he said, literally.

Isabelle had something else on her mind. "That freak warlock better not be getting frisky with Magnus! If he is, I'll have to kick his butt and then Magnus's for letting himself cheat on my brother. They will feel my wrath."

Jace laughed, eyes wide. "Whoa, now. Calm down. I'm making sure that they're not getting...frisky, as you put it." He gaged. "Alec's practically my brother too, and I wouldn't let that happen."

Isabelle sniffed. "Good. Just make sure they know that I'm very capable of hurting them severely."

"Oookay. I'm sure that at least one of them already knows that considering he's seen how you work. But the other hasn't and-" Jace cut himself off looking over his shoulder at the two warlocks. "Uh-oh."

"What? Jace, speak to me! Is everything okay? What was 'uh-oh' for?"

Jace swallowed. "Either that was a friendly slap on the butt of Frank is getting frisky. Oh…" Jace suddenly clamped a hand over his mouth. Feeling slightly better, he lowered it. "I just had a barf reflex."

"You had better tell me that Magnus slapped him or something; otherwise, I'll kick both of their asses then tie them to a telephone pole."

Jace laughed cynically. "I can wait until the first rain storm."

Izzy giggled, pleased with herself. "Guess where I'll be waiting when you get back?"

Jace shrugged. "I don't know. Pandemonium? Training? Oh, hey, pick me up a latte for me from Java Jones for when I get back. I'm low on caffeine."

"You idiot! I'll be waiting at the portal! And no I'm not getting you coffee! Do you even realize that you're millions of miles away from earth?"

"Oh c'mon, Iz. I'm seriously drained. I can't put up with these two any longer..." Jace groans melodramatically, as if he were about to die.

"You're so full of it! I don't see how Clary can put up with you!"

"All I have to do is give her the sexy/sultry smile and she's hooked. Oh, and make sure that the latte is mochachino," he said as an after thought.

"I'm not getting you coffee!"

"Do it wench! And it better not be pink. I want it brown; the classic, manly coffee color."

"Fine. I'll make you some coffee. Happy now?"

Jace repressed a gag. "Uh, on second thought, I'll pass." Then he got an idea. "Although, I'm sure Magnus and Frank would love to have some. Make sure it's nice and fresh for when they get back."

"Oh, I will. And it will be boiling hot when it hits their faces. Just make sure you're not too close to them."

"You know, football players do the same butt slapping thing, although they're not...like them, " Jace said randomly.

"Yeah, whatever. I'm still going to let him know who's boss. Should I use my new whip that you gave to me for Christmas last year?"

Jace wiped demon ichor from earlier off his face and looked at it dejectedly. "Well like I always say, there's never a better time to kick ass than with a new ass kicking toy."

"Good advice! I like it," Isabelle replied while painting her nails. Over the line, she heard Jace ask one of the two warlocks something. Jace looked up from filing his nails just in time to see wave of glitter hurtling towards his face. "Shit!" he yelled as it made impact before he could leap out of his chair to avoid it.

"What!" Isabelle asks alarmed, then narrowed her eyes. "They better not have kissed."

"No. I just asked Frank if he could make me something to eat since, you know, he's from France, and then Magnus threw a handful of glitter directly in my face!"

Unconcerned, Isabelle scoffed. "Yeah, he's definitely going down. Also, I'm totally taking your picture!" She laughs. "It's going on my Facebook page titled: 'Jace as up-and-coming Sparkle King'. Magnus has some competition!"

Meanwhile, Jace who ignoring Isabelle, painstakingly tried to get all of the sparkle off of his stele. When he moved over to get a look at himself in a gigantic wall mirror on the far left side of the room, he gasped.

Jace looked about as dirty as he normally does after fighting, only with the exception of clean nails. Although this time, he was unpleasantly covered in glitter from the top of his damp, sweat-soaked hair to his new badass boots that he had bought from Macy's.

He sighed. "All I can say is that I have completely had it. I look like one of those cookies kids decorate with too many sparkles then throw up afterward."

"He must have a death wish. Don't worry, I'll take care of him."

Jace grinned at his reflection. "Yeah? Chick fight! Slap him unconscious, Iz."

Isabelle choked on a cucumber eye patch that was supposed to be rejuvenating her skin, but instead she was snacking on it. "Excuse me? I don't slap, I stab; and you better watch it or you'll be next."

Jace swallowed. "Point taken." At that moment, a blinding flash of light burst from a crack in thin air where Magnus and Frank were standing with their hands joined. "Um, I gotta go," Jace said suddenly.

"Wait! What—" but Isabelle didn't get to finish her sentence because Jace already snapped his phone shut. He watched in amazement as purple and blue smoke rose from the two warlocks' joined hands. In a quick movement, they released their clasp as a massive and booming clap thundered throughout the room.

Jace blinked as he watched the portal begin to open like an umbrella, revealing a swirling vortex. Within it looked to be millions of stars spinning circularly around the portal's funnel that led to complete blackness. Forcing his feet to move, Jace cautiously moved towards the portal, his hand gripping his seraph blade's hilt at his waist out of nervous habit. Granted he had seen lots of portals in his time of being a Shadowhunter, and has traveled to-and-froe using them, he had never quite seen one like this.

"Are you sure that it's supposed to look like that?" Jace yelled over the unexpected, harsh wind that was whipping at his cotton shirt and hair.

Magnus shrugged. "I don't know, I've never opened an adjoined portal with another warlock before."

Jace's stomach tightened as he stared down into the Funnel of Doom. "Well, looks like we have to chance it. Anyway, it's not like we have another choice. The pilots are dead, and when I was in the spaceship's control room it looked like we were out of energy, so we should be running out of oxygen soon."

Frank was pale listening to Jace speak. Meanwhile, Magnus was furious. "And why are you just now telling me this?"

Jace shrugged. "Don't know. Maybe because it just now seemed important?" He took a step closer to the portal. "Anyway," he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest and turning to face them. "We have a way out now."

Magnus held out a hand to Jace. "No. I am not letting you use that thing. We have no idea what will even happen to you if you go through it. The portal we created has massive power. Too much. It could kill you."

Jace raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to shut up, still with his arms crossed stubbornly. "Look. I really don't want to have to pick both of you up, but if that's what it comes to, I will."

Frank put a hand on Magnus's shoulder. "Maybe we should listen to him," he whispers. "He kind of scares me."

Magnus rolls his eyes. "Oh, please. He's harmless, just look at him," Magnus said, gesturing at Jace who had pulled out his stele to finish filing his nails. "He is completely self-absorbed. Plus he has a major attention deficit disorder as well as anger issues and obsessive compulsive cleaning habits."

Frank looked skeptical, eying Jace up and down. "I don't know..."

"Oh, by the Angel," Jace finally said, exasperated. "Can you two girls stop talking about my immaculate-self for just one second and just get your asses through the portal already?"

Sighing, Frank reluctantly held Magnus's hand with his stress ball in other as they jumped through the vortex together. Frank screamed immediately, high-pitched like a girl.

Chuckling at the irony, Jace followed behind, gracefully doing a dive into the rippling sea of stars.

Part Two: A Kidnapping Conspiracy

"Well, hey there," Isabelle said, greeting the three that had ended up in a nearby duck pond at Central Park. "Hope the trip was okay."

Jace was about to reply, although he winced instead due to Frank screaming bloody murder. Looking around, he quickly picked up a floating lily pad and stuffed into his mouth, receiving a disapproving look from Magnus, and an equally shocked expression from Frank.

Jace then sighed, content with silence. "We had a fantastic trip, Iz," he said, standing to flip the pond scum out of his hair. A piece landed on Frank's cheek and he scowled. "Couldn't be better."

"Oh?" she questioned him, crossing her arms over her diamond-detecting ruby necklace hanging from her neck, "Because I wouldn't know, what with you cutting me off on the phone and everything." Her tone was sharp and irritated.

Jace sighed inexorably. "Iz, I had to go because Magnus and Frank summoned up a portal."

With the mention of their names, Isabelle then ignored Jace and turned her accusing gaze towards Magnus and his ex. She threateningly pointed a perfectly manicured finger in Magnus's face. "And who exactly do you think you are, Bane? Cheating on my brother?"

He narrowed his eyes and shoved her finger away from his nose. "Listen to me. I am not cheating on Alec. Frank just thinks that he still has a chance with me, but is sadly mistaken."

Frank's jaw dropped, clearly not expecting that outcome. "What?"

"You heard me. I am now taken."

Frank's eyes started to shine with tears as he sloshed over to Magnus to look him in the eye. "But I love you."

Induced by Frank's confession, Jace cleared the rising bile in his throat as a sign to excuse himself and walked over to a hot dog vendor, leaving the two to duke it out.

The man studied Jace quizzically—being that he was soaked and filthy with grime—then looked past him at the two warlocks in the duck pond. He gave Jace one last look before he eventually shrugged and handed him his hot dog anyway.

Jace exchanged a soggy dollar bill for it, and then headed back over to stand next to Isabelle. "Hey," he said greeting her with a mouthful of wiener and bun.

She looked at him abhorrently, then down at his hot dog. "What on earth are you doing?"

"Well, like you just pointed out, I am on earth, so I'm eating a hot dog," Jace said, chewing around words. "God, I was starving. Frank had nothing good to eat on the space shuttle. It was all diet." He made a face of distaste.

Isabelle rolled her eyes then landed her gaze on the two warlocks fighting in the pond. Frank had tears streaming down his face now, while Magnus continued to tell him off.

Jace laughed cynically as he watched the drama unfold. "Lunch and a show," he commented, smirking.

Isabelle scoffed and started wading into the murky water. "I guess they're just going to have to deal with the repercussions," she said pulling out her whip and slapping it against her thigh. "Stay here."

She meant business.

Jace, who had already scarfed down his hot dog in less than half a minute, sat at the water's edge, debating on whether or not to get another being that he was unsure of how long Isabelle's discipline was going to take. He glanced behind him, although to his disappointment, the guy with the cart was gone.

Rising to his feet, Jace decided to walk to Java Jones and buy himself a latte since his stepsister, Isabelle, wasn't considerate enough to get him one herself as a 'welcome back' offering.

Jace walked down the filthy and littered streets of Manhattan. Garbage swirled around his feet as he kicked it away with each step he took down the paved sidewalk. He knew that Isabelle had told him not to leave out of her sight, but since when does he listen to orders?

Jace was turning onto a more populated street now. Knowing that his glamor has long been worn off, he flipped up the collar of his jacket, trying to conceal as much of himself as he could. He soon walked by a shop window, and peered at his reflection.

Crap, he thought. Runes swirled over his skin like intricate calligraphy licking all the way up towards his neck as if they were fire. Surreptitiously, he unzipped his jacket to see that they were also bleeding through his white cotton shirt. What was worse, his startlingly golden eyes stared back at him angelically.

Completely inhuman, he thought. He looked beautiful, yet tortured and damaged at the same time. Like a fallen angel.

Jace, now on edge, quickly slipped through an alleyway, allowing himself to take a detoured route. He followed the maze all the way to the coffee shop and quickly pushed through the double glass doors. Without going up to the counter, Jace headed towards the men's restroom instead. Bursting through the door, he locked it, and then ran straight for the mirror to watch as the Shadowhunter became more apparent. He peeled off his jacket, then his shirt, and frowned at his reflection.

All over his muscular build, the runes he has applied earlier to protect himself from fighting demons were literally everywhere; an ancient script imprinted over his body and encircling around his arms.

"Fabulous," he said unhappily. "Now I'm sure Isabelle is going to try and kill me. My glamor has completely worn off." While in the bathroom, Jace decided it would be a good idea to dry off his soggy and scummy clothes under the hand dryer.

Suddenly, the doorknob rattled. Jace's eyes flicked to the door. Without wasting any time, he quickly snatched his leather jacket off of the floor, and pulled on his newly dry jeans and cotton shirt. "Hang on," he yelled.

Shrugging on his damp jacket, the knob continued to shake. Jace rolled his eyes, aggravated. Stupid mundanes, he thought. They have no self-control. He flipped the collar of his jacket up again. Although deciding that wouldn't be enough, he also zipped the front of it, hiding the marks that were bleeding through his shirt like ink through wet paper.

He swung the door open, anticipating a middle aged man with a bladder control problem. It turned out that he was right.

A short, pudgy man in a checkered shirt with hair combed over his receding hairline narrowed his eyes at Jace. "What took you so long?"

Jace smiled, not at all bothered by the man's reproachfulness. "Is that really any of your business?"

He snorted. "Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

Jace rebuked, "Aren't you supposed to be using the bathroom?"

The man had to look up at Jace, being that he was taller and obviously in better health then he. It made him jealous. Jace had thick, golden hair, and a strong physique, whereas he was a balding and bitter old man. "Didn't your mother ever tell you to be nice to your elders?"

Jace stepped aside, allowing the man to pass by him into the one-stalled bathroom. "No, she always told me that kicking kittens and making rude gestures at nuns was the best way to go—that includes tantalizing the elderly mercilessly." He winked and smiled wickedly.

The man stared, shocked, apparently forgetting all about his bathroom emergency. "Crazy New Yorkers," he finally grumbled to himself, turning away from Jace and shutting the bathroom door behind him.

"I hate Manhattan," Jace said now that the man was out of earshot. Completely forgetting about his coffee, he made his way out onto the city's streets once again. It was spring, and Jace was glad that he could have his jacket zipped all the way up—appearing to deflect the cold—without having to worry about people wondering why he was dressed so unfitted for the weather. It adverted the attention from himself; making him look almost human. Mundane.

He rounded a corner, and instantly noticed that the scenery dramatically changed. Buildings were more dilapidated and filthy, covered with illegible graffiti scrawled over their crumbling brick walls.

He was in a harsh purlieu, full of gangs and frequent shoot-outs. Nonetheless, Jace knew that he had nothing to worry about due to his being a trained Shadowhunter. Despite that fact, something was still very unsettling. All of a sudden, Jace had the feeling that someone was watching him.

Making sure not to turn around, he kept walking forward confidently, scanning his surroundings, eyes darting back and forth. Jace turned another corner with the sole purpose of hoping to lose his follower.

As soon as he felt the presence of someone behind him, he shifted himself into defense mode. His face was a plane of sharp angles, whereas his eyes became suddenly menacing and ominous, their warm and golden aurora turned into a misleading, subtle amber. With his dark leather jacket on, Jace blended into his surroundings perfectly, like a predator in its habitat.

He strode through the littered streets. Walking over the pavement, his footsteps made no sound. Thanks to training, he was able to perform actions as simple as this almost inaudibly without the aid of runes.

He began to randomly take shortcuts through the ramshackle of buildings, hoping to throw the tracker off his trail. Finally, after many route changes, he felt solitary. Relieved, he switched directions and headed for the park where he had left Isabelle earlier. Almost at the entrance, his cell phone unexpectedly went off.

He sighed miserably, knowing that it must be Izzy. Without looking at the screen, he flipped it open. "Hello? Iz, listen, I'm coming back, don't freak." He waited patiently for a response.

A raspy voice replied over the other line, "Why hello little Shadowhunter, who was it exactly that you were expecting?"

Startled, Jace quickly composed himself. "Who is this?"

"That's none of your concern. I know what is, though." A few diabolical laughs sounded over the line. "I'll give you a hint. What's the most important thing to you?"

Jace thought instantly of Clary and his family. "What are you taking about?" he asked while trying not to sound panicked.

"Oh, we think you know perfectly well what we're talking about. Hair as red as rubies, eyes as green as emeralds? Ring a bell?" When Jace didn't say anything the voice crackled with laughter. "That's right. We have her."

Jace swallowed, and it felt like molasses sliding down his throat. "Where are you? What do you want? I'll do anything just don"t—" he cut himself off, choking on the words he didn't want to say, but forced himself to be strong, pretending he was unaffected by the circumstance. "Hurt her," he said finally, he voice coming out much weaker than he had intended. "Or worse."

The voice cackled again, clearly enjoying the antagonizing. "We'll see, little Shadowhunter. But for now, you need to bring something to me."

Jace was silent. "What's that?"

"A warlock by name of Frank Cuprous."

Jace's gaze drifted over to Magnus and Frank sitting back to back on a bench, clearly not speaking to one another. At that moment, Isabelle caught Jace's gaze. He watched as her porcelain face morphed into one of pure rage. She was obviously furious with him for leaving. So mad, that her eyes were ablaze, and he could practically feel them boring straight into his skull like infrared lasers.

"Frank Cuprous," Jace repeated, tearing his gaze from Izzy's.

"Yes, and don't deny that you know him. Bring the rest of the Clave into this, and there will be deadly repercussions. Meet one of my members in the old Brooklyn warehouse at sunset. If you choose otherwise, I warn you, Shadowhunter, that the girl will not survive into the next morning." The stranger hung up, leaving Jace listening to the drone of a dial tone. His ears rang as he absently snapped his phone closed, and slid down onto the pavement, putting his head in his hands.

Isabelle knew there was something wrong as soon as she had seen the look on Jace's face. Strutting over to him, she took a short cut crossing over the manicured grass, her pointy Stiletto heels stabbing the soil. She noticed that he didn't have a latte with him, and the thought crossed her mind that it was probably the reason for his pouting, but she quickly pushed the idea away. He wouldn't be that upset over something so trivial.

Once she reached him, Isabelle touched his shoulder lightly. All of her anger seemed to have evaporated. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Jace flinched, being pulled out of his thoughts by her voice. "No," he said tersely.

"Well, you want tell me what's wrong? Because if it's nothing, or about coffee, then you are so getting your ass kicked. I'll fold you up into a little origami figure like I threatened to do to Jordan."

Jace sighed miserably, not even attempting to make a retort. "They took Clary," he said, his voice cracking.

Isabelle gasped. "What? Who? I thought she and Simon were at a movie?"

Jace shook his head, confused. "I thought so too. But apparently they—whoever these people are—have her. They're using her as a bargaining chip."

One of Isabelle's eyebrows went up. "For what?"

"It's more like for who. They want Frank," he said nodding in the warlock's direction. "They must have seen us come out of the portal, because whoever the person was that I talked to on the phone knew that I was one of the Clave."

Isabelle perked up at the mention of Jace's cell phone. "Did you use the tracer on it?"

"What?"

"Oh, in the name of God. Did you use the tracer on your cell phone to see where the call came from? There should be some kind of demon activity radiating off it if we're dealing with the dark-side." She started to reach for Jace's phone in his pocket when he grabbed her wrist.

"Iz, forget it. I already tried. There aren't any demonic waves. Whoever it is we're going up against is definitely cunning. They told me not to get the Clave involved. So no matter what, we're on our own."

She dropped her hand, disappointed. "Well then how are we supposed to find Clary?"

Frustrated, Jace tore large clumps of grass out of the ground at his feet. "They gave me a location. The old warehouse just before the Brooklyn Bridge; on the shore of the East River."

"Good enough for me." Isabelle began to walk back towards Frank and Magnus to notify them of their urgent departure.

"Iz," Jace said, standing. "Where are you going?"

"Well, duh. What it look like? I'm getting the two Sparkle Kings so we can save the day. We've already wasted enough time as it is."

In a few short strides, Jace caught up and grabbed her by the arm. "Iz, we don't even know who we're dealing with."

"So? When have we ever known in the past? We just make an explosive entrance and kick some bad guy ass. That's all there is to it. Plus, Alec's going to help us."

"What?"

"Yeah, I already sent him a text message. He's on his way over right now." Jace gaped at her. He couldn't seem to understand how she could text so fast that he had never even noticed her doing it.

"He's coming now?"

"Yeah, I think I just said that," she confirmed, aggravated. "God. It's like, every time when Clary's in trouble, you go blonde on me." She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I asked him to bring my black, knee-high boots. You know, the durable and thick leather ones." She shrugged his hand off and started towards the duck pond again. "Oh, and I told him to bring you that new chainmail armor that you wanted from your father. It looks good on you, after all." With that, she smiled good-naturedly and turned to flounce off, leaving a cloud of lavender perfume in her wake.

Jace stared after her, dazed for a moment. Finally he blinked, remembering something. "Wait! Did you tell him to bring me a seraph blade?"

"Only your favorite one," she sung.

Jace smiled. Leave it to Izzy to know how to prepare for a fight. Proper equipment is essential.

Stuffing his phone into his pocket, he trotted after her. At that moment, Jace looked up towards the sky, noticing that sunset was coming faster than he had anticipated. The sky was already streaked with colors of purple and orange. Realizing this, he knew there was only one thing that he needed in order to get to the warehouse in time. His demon bike. Luckily, it was still parked around the corner, glamored and sparkling in the dusk, ready to be gunned into the setting sun.

Part Three: Along For the the Ride

Shortly after Alec had arrived in his gear, he was briefed on the situation more thoroughly than what Isabelle had explained to him through a single text. When Alec saw Frank, he had to admit that he was a little shocked to see a new warlock in Manhattan besides the ever familiar Magnus.

"How did you know I was a warlock?" Frank had asked him after Alec had made the assumption.

Alec rose an eyebrow. Not wanting to be rude, he said, "It's obvious by your impeccable taste in apparel."

"I think what he means to say," Jace corrected, "is that he knew you were a warlock because you dress as flashy as a disco ball; like you're always trying to make a statement. Ever heard of being subtle? You know, under the radar?" Everyone knew that Jace was in a bad mood. So as usual, he was just being nasty to prove his irritability towards the situation at hand: The one that Clary had quickly and innocently become involved in.

Frank bit his lip. "You don't like how I dress?"

Jace didn't answer. He just turned to Alec and reached for the leather belt fastened at his waist, unsheathed a seraph blade, and stared into its platinum reflection at himself. He scowled at his image unhappily.

Not receiving an answer, Frank turned to his ex, apparently deciding that his opinion mattered much more. "Magnus, do you like how I dress?"

Jace rolled his eyes. He believed that Frank had long ago worn out his welcome, and was now just using him as a bargaining chip towards winning Clary back. All he wanted was for her to be safe. He didn't care the least bit about Frank and Magnus's relationship. In fact, he made it a point to ignore Frank by all means necessary. But that didn't mean that Alec should be left out of the loop. After all, it wasn't right for him to be unaware of their love triangle, considering the fact that he was a part of it.

Magnus lowered his eyes to Frank's platform boots, and slowly raked them up towards the top of his ex's purple, spiked head, which was now crushed and dripping with a colored dye that resembled grape juice. "No," he said simply. Realizing that his statement was a little harsh, Magnus backtracked. "At least, I meant to say that you don't dress nearly as sophisticated and shining as my oh-so-wonderful self," he elaborated, as if he was just stating an obvious fact.

Meanwhile, Alec was watching Frank and Magnus intently—with a crease between his brows—from the moment they had begun their typical bickering. Baffled, he finally asked, "Do you two know each other?" There was a tinge of trepidation in his voice. Although Alec thought no one had noticed, there was one person who knew him better than anyone, and therefore she would always know every individual thing about him, no matter how hard Alec tries to hide his emotions: His sister, Isabelle.

She looked from her brother to his boyfriend and held her gaze, pleading for him to not saying anything that could jeopardize the rescue mission, although to no avail. To her surprise, Magnus opened his mouth to reply instead of casting a spell on Alec as he normally would have. It was always his special way of avoiding a confrontation he didn't feel was necessary. Although in this particular situation, Magnus knew that Alec had every right to know the truth.

"Alexander, this is Frank Cuprous. He and I were, uh," he cleared his throat, "an 'item' before you were born. We were together around the time when your parents were teenagers." Seeing the look of shock mixed with horror and anger on Alec's face, Magnus quickly added, "But we broke up years ago. There's nothing left to say."

Seething, Alec said as calmly as possible, "Well, it seems to me you both have much to talk about seeing as how you're constantly making meaningful comments towards one another right in front of me."

Frank interrupted, "Actually, I would like to get back togeth-ow!" Magnus stepped on Frank's foot. Unfortunately, it wasn't soon enough to stop him from saying the one thing that could make Alec even more furious.

"What?" Alec looked to Magnus. "Is this true?"

Magnus nodded. "But the feeling is definitely not mutual."

Unconvinced, Alec crossed his arms and stalked over to Jace. "When should we leave?" he asked tersely.

Jace blinked. Ostensibly, the conversation between him and Magnus was officially over. Feeling uncomfortable caught in the middle of the situation, he shifted his weight. "We need to leave as soon as possible. The man over the phone told me to meet one of his associates at the old warehouse on the shore of the East River right at sunset. I can't have anyone from the Clave with me, so you two can't be seen."

"Understood," Alec acknowledged without bothering to ask any further questions that could potentially waste more time. All he wanted was to get as far away as possible from Magnus and his previous paramour.

Hopping into Luke's car, Alec shut the driver's side door and started up the engine, waiting for the other four to get in. Luke had immediately given Alec permission to borrow the pickup when he had called earlier after Isabelle's text, notifying him of the situation at hand—and of Clary's involvement. Unfortunately, Luke wasn't home due to his being on honeymoon with Jocelyn, therefore he had instructed Alec precisely as to where the truck's keys were hanging inside his house after first telling him to lift up the doorstep rug for a key to get in.

Alec waited for about a minute and a half before the others eventually climbed in, except for Frank. He started up the engine, and the truck puttered down the road, happily leaving Frank behind.

As soon as it pulled away, Jace had started to head towards his bike. Frank soon followed after giving the truck one last glance over his shoulder. He felt neglected, like a lost puppy. Finally he asked, confused, "Why is it that I'm not riding with them?" He pointed towards Luke's truck disappearing around the corner.

Jace ignored him. He seemed to think that he was getting good at blocking Frank out now, what with all the practice he was getting in lately. He swung a leg over his bike, turned the key, and reached down to release the choke. When his head came back up, he leveled his gaze at Frank. He looked pathetic.

"Get your ass on the bike."

"What?" Frank asked disbelievingly, not sure if he had heard him correctly.

"Get. On. The. Bike," Jace said again, in a measured tone.

Tentatively, Frank stepped closer to the bike, and swung a leg over. He was now straddling the motorcycle behind Jace, and his eyes were wide with fright.

Jace noticed this, and smiled wryly. He then reached down for something on the ground beside his left foot and shoved it onto Frank's lap. "Here."

A helmet.

Without hesitating or asking any more annoying questions, Frank put it on and adjusted the straps, though he still looked nervous.

Jace rose an eyebrow. "Good?" he asked.

Frank nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, however his voice shook.

With that, Jace rose up on his bike to where he was standing on the pegs, and then came down on his left foot with enough force to kick-start the motorcycle. The engine thundered to life, and when Jace sat back down, Frank's arms instantly wrapped around him in a vise grip.

Shocked with the warlock's two arms suddenly clamping around his waist, Jace's eyes went wide. "Hell, no." He shook him off. "There is no way, I repeat, NO WAY you are hanging onto me like that this whole ride. In fact, never touch me like that ever again. Understand?"

Frank narrowed his eyes. "Well, excuse me Mr. Hot Pants, but I happen to be afraid of moving vehicles that have nothing separating my body and vital organs from the road."

Jace rolled his eyes and moved back the kickstand with his boot. "Well, then you should be grateful that we're not traveling on the road."

Frank looked confused. "What are you talk-" But before he could finish, Jace gave the bike gas, and they immediately shot out into the sky. Frank squealed and shut his eyes, while Jace grinned and fed the bike more gas. He watched as the speedometer rose from 50mph to 70, and felt exhilarated by his own adrenaline.

I'm coming, Clary, he thought. Hang on.

Part Four: An Awkward Situation

"I don't think this is enough to protect me!" Frank yelled over the wind howling in his ears.

He and Jace were soaring over the Brooklyn Bridge just as it was about to be illuminated by lights to prepare for the night's blackness. "What? Are you afraid of heights, too?"

Frank was pale and didn't respond verbally, but gave a sheepish nod anyway.

"Oh, c'mon. It's only a few hundred feet from the ground. Relax," Jace said easily.

"Relax," Frank squeaked. "Relax? Don't tell me to relax when I'm up in the air with nothing protecting me!"

Jace smiled mockingly. "You have me."

"Oh, yes. How very comforting. Now I know for a fact that I have nothing to fear," he said sarcastically.

"Look, see that building down there?" Jace pointed to a dilapidated warehouse just off the shore. "That's where we're landing. No worries."

Frank harrumphed. "Well, let me ask you this. Why wasn't I allowed to ride with the others? Why did I have to come with you? There was room in the truck. I'm not an incoherent buffoon; I know when I'm not wanted."

Jace was quiet. Finally he said, "Alec and Magnus are together. That's just a fact. Surely you can't do anything about it if his parent's weren't even able to sway the decision." Then he thought of something else that Frank may be able to relate to. "Alec used to like me, you know. I set him straight; figuratively speaking, of course."

Frank chuckled. "You? Well, I can see why he might have been attracted to you physically, but mentally..." he trailed off.

Jace passed him a hard look over his shoulder. "Are you saying that I'm stupid? Because I'll have you know, I'm the most valuable member of the Clave. Not to mention that I have widely surpassed my age ranking. There are literally no limitations for me, which you should have already noticed by now. I'm also polyglot and autodidact," Jace added proudly.

Frank stopped from snort-laughing. "Ooh. Know some big words, now do you?"

Despite his mocking tone, Jace grinned easily. "Wait until you meet Clary, then you can judge who has the broadest vocabulary." With that, he zoomed lower towards the cracked pavement of the warehouse's parking lot.

Meanwhile, Frank squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for when the bike's tires would make impact with the road. To his surprise, Jace gently guided the bike onto the ground as if he'd done it a thousand times. He could hear Frank sigh behind him sigh with a loud, collected relief.

As soon as Jace turned off the ignition, Frank instantly leaped off the seat, his gangly legs almost hitting Jace in the face if he hadn't ducked to miss his massive platform boots. Frank then knelt to the ground and started to repeatedly kiss the ancient, sun-baked pavement. "Oh, thank God—we're on—solid ground," he said between kisses.

Jace, now used to Frank's bizarre behavior, stared at him blandly before eventually rolling his eyes and swinging a leg over the bike. "Why don't I leave you and that piece of masticated gum alone while I go find out what positions Alec and Isabelle will be taking." Without another word, he stalked off, leaving Frank behind and confused, as usual.

Unfortunately, at the same moment, Frank's lips were plastered to the piece of gum. Finally realizing what Jace had meant, his eyes widened. He couldn't have pulled away faster as he began to spittle and sputter pieces of gravel.

Across the parking lot with his back turned, Jace smiled satisfactorily at Frank's misfortune.

Best damn thing that's happened all day, he thought.

Part Five: The Stealth Strategy

"We're going to be hidden by our glamour, but that's not enough. We need to stay out of sight as well, just in case something is resistant to it. This isn't our typical infiltration. It's a rescue mission. Therefore, make sure to hide behind anything you can find when you feel there may be a demonic or mundane presence," Alec briefed.

He, Isabelle, and Jace and were gathered around a round card table that Magnus had materialized with a snap of his fingers from the Professional Gamer's Association downtown. It was set up behind the truck with portable, yet comfortable chairs surrounding it.

Isabelle was sitting with one booted leg crossed over the other, listening to her brothers discuss tactics with her lips pursed in a hard line of concentration. As for Jace and Alec, they stood pouring themselves over old and yellowed blueprints of the warehouse while the two warlocks stood distanced from the three Shadowhunters, feeling somewhat out of place.

"Now for how we get in. On the left side of the building there's a door, but it's probably blocked. Although, because it's the only side door most likely not to be occupied, it's the one we'll have to use."

"What about an air duct?" Isabelle offered.

Alec shook his head. "Iz, we're too large to fit in the duct work they have circulating throughout the warehouse. We would have to be practically rat-sized to accomplish that."

"Damn it. Where's Simon when you need him?" Jace kidded, shooting a glance in Isabelle's direction, but she scowled despite his humor.

Alec continued, "We should get a move on. Isabelle, you're going to be the one to get us in without creating a disturbance that could cause a ripple effect of chaos, eventually reaching the man in control. You need to be almost unobtrusive, not posing as a threat. Can you do that?"

Isabelle stood. "Of course."

"Good. Jace, you go wherever it is that you were given you orders to wait for an escort into the building."

He nodded in acknowledgement.

"As for you," Alec said, turning to Magnus, "stay out of sight. You're easily identifiable as a warlock. If anyone spots you that is in touch with the mythical world, and can easily recognize it, we're done for. They'll instantly know that you have business with us Shadowhunters."

Frank held a finger to the air. "Um, what about me? I'm a warlock, too, you know."

Alec gave him a bland look. "You'll be going with Jace."

"What?" He looked to Jace. "Why? That's going to give everyone away! Jace even said earlier that he couldn't have anyone with him."

Alec smiled, although with his lips closed, trying to conceal his elation. "Oh, he's not, believe me."

Frank just looked between Jace and Alec, wondering what was going on. Finally, Alec suggested, "Jace? You want to explain?"

He smiled wickedly. "Don't mind of I do. You see, Frank," Jace slowly took a few steps forward to him. "You were a part of our plan all along." Frank didn't like where this was going. He began to panic as Jace finished crossing the few feet between them and slung an arm around his shoulders. "You're our bargaining chip."

Frank audibly swallowed, and Jace laughed at his trepidation. "Oh, yes. And now, my sparkling friend," Jace said, pulling out Sleeping Pollen from his pocket he had gotten from the Fey. "You're going to adhere to our plan."

Frank blinked. "I'm not sure I fully understand..."

Jace sighed. "Alright, lemme put it this way: You're going to do exactly as I say, you're going to be quiet, and finally, you're going to allow me to trade you for Clary. I will get her back, make no mistake of that. As you can see, you're the key to getting what I want; like it or not." With that, Jace threw the pollen he was holding behind his back in Frank's face before he could protest.

Before Frank's sleeping body could fall to the ground, Magnus used a gravitation spell to keep him from doing so.

Everything was silent until Alec unexpectedly sighed and said, "Thank God that living nightmare's over."

Magnus leveled his gaze on him. "Alexander, I understand that you are upset with me, but I have you know that there is nothing going on between Franklin and I."

Alec shrugged. "It doesn't matter."

"You don't believe—"

Alec held up a hand to silence him. "We can deal with this later. What matters right now is getting Clary back."

At the mention of Clary's name, Jace flinched. It hurt him to hear her name, knowing that she wasn't safe at home; wasn't safe with him under his protection. He looked over his shoulder at the warehouse, and set his jaw. He was going to get Clary back even if it killed him.

Without saying another word to neither Magnus nor Alec, he walked over to Luke's truck, pulled out his armor, and headed over to a large bush to get dressed behind. On his way there, Jace locked his gaze with Alec, who nodded that he understood. The sun was setting, and it was time for them to do something that their training had never fully prepared them for before: Saving a life.

Part Six: A Powerful Persuasion

Isabelle took powerful strides in her velvet-lined, black leather boots towards the warehouse. With each step she made, her heels settled onto the pavement with fierce click, click, clicks. She smiled pleasantly, but there was a hint of vixen behind the sickly-sweet curl of her lips.

Isabelle reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her ruby red lipstick that she had bought at Estee Lauder to match the demon-detecting gem hanging around her neck. She applied the lipstick just enough to where it made her lips look fuller.

As Isabelle approached the door, she took note that it was very quiet around the building. There wasn't anyone around the outside, and it would have made her feel uneasy if she hadn't drawn on a fearless rune earlier while sitting at base. She knocked on the metal door, and waited for an answer. If she didn't get one, Isabelle was fully prepared to knock it down with her electrum whip if she had to.

After waiting about ten seconds, a man in an dark suit wearing a fedora hat opened the door just wide enough to see who was on the other side.

As if on cue, Isabelle tossed her hair and batted her lashes, flashing beautiful, bottle glass blue eyes. "Hello," she purred.

"How may I help you?" he asked with uncertainty.

"I'm Isabella Paddock," she said, doing her best French accent. "I was invited to the meeting being held here."

The man squinted his beady eyes, trying to figure out what to make of her presence. "And what might your business be with us?"

Keeping her alibi, Isabelle lied, "I'm a friend of the Man in Charge. A good friend." She winked, and bent her knee so that her leg extended, showing off her black, fishnet stockings.

The man swallowed. "I see," he said, then cleared his throat. "But you must understand, miss, that this meeting is strictly confidential. No outsiders allowed."

"Oh." She made a show of pouting before her lips curved into a smile—like a budding rose had suddenly sprouted its thorns. With only the cold, metal door separating them, Isabelle crept closer to the man. She leaned in to where there was barely three inches between their faces, and whispered, "That's okay. At least I got the chance to see one sexy guy dressed up today. Too bad he won't live for very long."

Before the man could ask her what she had meant, Isabelle grabbed the knife that was tucked inside her boot and jabbed it into his thigh though the crack of the door.

The man had meant to cry out in pain, but Isabelle was already there, covering his mouth to silence him. With her other hand, she used the ring on her finger to melt the chain that was keeping the door from opening. It was a gift she was given by her father for her birthday, and it had a fire gem set into the golden band. When activated, it could sear though metal and even bone.

Wrenching the door open, she instantly pounced, causing the guard's hat fall off as they both fell to the floor, grappling for the upper hand. When he tried to push her hand away from his mouth, Isabelle grabbed for his throat. The two struggled for a few seconds until she finally found an opening to where she could get in a few punches. Isabelle landed a blow to his chin, clearly shocking him, although the man quickly came out of it and attacked Isabelle, pulling her hair. She yelped, although more by surprise than pain. It didn't hurt, only just pissed her off even more.

As he barbarically pulled her to her feet, Isabelle kicked the man in his groin with her boot. He instantly stopped jerking her around and let go, crumpling to the floor, and eventually passing out from the pain.

"Never mess with a French bitch that just wants to see her goddamn boyfriend," Isabelle said triumphantly, circling her fallen opponent.

Suddenly, she heard clapping coming from the doorway, and spun around to face her stepbrother, Jace, with a tied and gagged Frank held captive behind him. "Well done," he congratulated. "But how'd you get him to open the door?"

Isabelle raised an eyebrow, and Jace smiled knowingly. Sometimes having a sister pays off, but having a hot sister pays off even more. "Good job," he said again, clearly impressed.

Isabelle bowed gallantly. "Merci," she thanked.

Part Seven: A Sudden Reminiscence

After seeing Isabelle off to do whatever it was that she does best, Jace sauntered over to where he was told to wait for his contact, dragging Frank along behind him.

He stood looking up at the eerie building looming over him like a cold, dark shadow. It was definitely abandoned up untill now, Jace thought. Though it was a factory, it had an ominous aurora much like an abandoned hospital that he had once seen on Ghost Adventures with Max, his youngest stepbrother. On Max's first night having a room to himself at Manhattan's Institute where Jace resided as well as his siblings and many other Shadowhunters who come to take shelter, he was told by his mother, Maurice that he was not to stay up late watching scary television shows past his bedtime.

Jace could easily remember how it was back then, when his adoptive family was always together, simply because they were too young to be left alone as children. He remembered lying awake in bed, counting the constellations of the night sky through his window, when Max cracked open his bedroom door, peering in at him. Looking back on that moment, Jace remembered taking in how small he was, how young they both were, and how his little brother looked troubled and wary, searching the stone hallways for someone in particular.

"Jace?" his squeaky child's voice had asked.

"Yes?" Jace responded, sitting up from bed, wide awake.

Max held a blanket in his hand, its soft fabric falling to the floor in puddles around his feet. He wore flannel pajamas decorated with swords that looked as if they belonged in Camelot, and his hair was tousled, eyes sleepy.

He looked so tiny and miniscule that very moment that Jace's heart went out to him, like it always had. For a reason he couldn't seem to fathom, he had a soft spot for this little boy.

"Could you do something for me?"

Jace smiled, imagining that Max's conundrum was possibly a mythical monster lurking in his closet, or maybe he needed help finding the bathroom being so far away from his parents' sleeping chamber's corridor. "Yeah?"

Max pushed his glasses up to the brim of his nose. Funny how he was even wearing glasses back then. Jace had almost forgotten that, being so used to seeing them on him. "I was wondering if you'd come into my bedroom with me to watch a TV show."

Jace raised an eyebrow.

"I'm afraid," Max added.

He smiled warmly, and then pushed himself up from bed. He walked over to stand next to Max, and watched as his face grew hopeful, putting a hand on his shoulder. He squatted down to meet the level of Max's eyes. "I hope that this show isn't Barney," he said. "Otherwise, I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle it."

Max looked at him confusedly. "Um, no, it's not. Why would I be afraid of Barney? I'm not two. Anyway, he's supposed to be a friendly dinosaur."

Jace looked at him incredulously. "That's what he wants you to believe."

Max rolled his eyes. "Are you going come watch or what? Because if not, then I'll have to go sleep with Izzy, and we all know how she is when woken from her beauty sleep."

Jace was astounded at how much Max already knew about girls at such a young age. "No, that probably wouldn't be such a good thing considering she'll try to poison us in the morning with sour milk."

Max nodded as if it was the most probable assumption. "So are you coming or not?"

Jace stood, then grinned. "Of course. We'll make it just a guy's night," he said, placing a hand atop Max's head and gently guiding him out of his room. He and Max began their long walk down the corridors of the Institute.

"What about Alec?" Max asked suddenly, stopping at his brothers door. "He might want to watch, too."

Jace stopped then. "Um, no, Alec probably doesn't want to be bothered right now either." He continued walking the rest of the way to Max's room, pushing him in front and away from the door. "He needs his beauty sleep too, you know."

Max knitted his brown eyebrows together. "Why? He's not a girl."

Jace smiled and kept walking, not even breaking his stride. "No, you're right. He's not. But he has training in the morning, remember? He'll need his sleep."

Max stopped at a door with colorful stickers of anime characters decorating it, and looked over his shoulder at Jace as he pushed it open. "Here we are," he said.

Jace stepped inside, and was shocked at how different Max's room was compared to his. Action figures and clothes littered the floor practically making a rug of its oven over an actual rug that Jace was certain used to have been visible on the floor the room before Max reached the age of five. There was a bunk bed pushed up against the wall make of solid cherry wood, and a bookshelf on the opposite wall shoved full of intimidating, large, hardcovers no average little boy would even attempt to read.

Compared to Jace's room, Max's might as well have been normal. Jace's room, on the other hand, was far from what an average teenage boy would have decorating his space. There were no posters of half-dressed girls plastering his walls, nor was there an unmade bed harboring questionable odors from unseen objects underneath it. His sheets were always clean, smelling the faintest of lavender, and his walls were always barren.

Jace figured, looking at Max's room, that he was somewhat abnormal compared to his little stepbrother. And he envied that about him. On the contrary, he knew that he never had the chance to be exactly normal. He was born into a word that you couldn't escape, because it is impossible to escape one's self. But Max, on the other hand, he too was brought into this world, yet he needn't embrace the evils and struggles of it all.

It was better that way, Jace concluded. That Max was kept sheltered and unsusceptible to the dangers evolving being a Shadowhunter. Maybe one day he would choose to follow in the footsteps of his ancestors, Jace guessed, or maybe, just maybe, he would be the one who can find a way to escape it all.