Hi -author speaking- so this is the first bit of a possible story (depending on the feedback i get, and whether i can find the time to write) that's about Clary and Jace (and everybody else too) if some of the circumstances of their childhoods had been a bit differant. Here's the breakdown: they ARE shadowhunters, Valentine DID start the circle and the uprising and stuff and experiment on Jace with angel blood, the only thing differant is that Jocelyn never left him and hid in the mundie world, and Valentine, instead of getting away and raising Jace was caught by the clave and has been in jail for the last 16 yrs. So thats the basics, there are a few other particulars that will become apparent as the story progresses. If you are confused and/or want to know more you can send me a message and I'll tell you the details. Like every one else I LOVE feedback.

I don't think I really have to say that I don't own any part of MI, but I don't.

The demon came toward them, massive, tall as a building. It almost scraped the ceiling of the abandoned subway platform. It's skin shifted like water, flowing about it, briefly parting to reveal, not bones, but an emptiness black as hell. It raised its hideous head and advanced languidly, carelessly, it knew they were in no condition to fight. It left behind it a trail of blackened cement.

Jace glanced at Isabelle, who stood beside him, blood ran down her face from the cut above her eye and she wrapped one arm about her torso, holding her broken ribs. With the other hand she held one of Jace's knives, her whip had been lost in the last attack. He turned back to the demon and spoke to Alec behind him.

"How's that door coming?" He heard a thunk, then a grunt of pain.

"Still won't give."

The demon advanced closer. It emanated the stench of rotting flesh.

"Keep trying."

The demon reached out a hand and clawed the wall. Brick crumbled into dust. Jace made one of his famous snap-decisions.

"Alec, I'm going in."

"What?!"

"I'm going to try to lead it. You saw how it crumbled that wall, It could get through the debris at the gate in a second."

"You'll get yourself killed!"

"Maybe not, anyway it's either me or all of us."

Alec came toward him. "I'm coming with you."

Isabelle turned. "Don't even think—"

Jace interrupted her. "No, it's better with one. You two get out of here."

The demon was very close now. It's eyes were pits. It opened it's maw and growled. Jace ran toward it, very small before it's mammoth bulk. He raised his bright seraph blade and growled back.

"Jace!"

He leapt.

Jace sailed through the air, his knife held tightly in his left fist. In the second that he flew he knew exactly what he was doing, what to do. Then he slammed into the demon's face, his knife sunk hilt-deep into it's eye. The demon roared in pain and surprise. It shook it's head and threw him across the platform. He hit the asphalt and rolled, over and over, then was up on his feet again, dancing away from the demon's clumsy half-blind lunges.

"Come on fatso!" He called, twisting away, "You ugly bastard, I bet even your mother hated you!" The demon lunged again, turning, trying to keep him in sight of it's single good eye. Jace dodged toward the rubble that covered the entryway, with his left arm he swung himself onto a large piece of archway, about two meters up. The demon followed, lunging with it's great claws at the stone, just as Jace had planned. It smashed through the blocks beneath him, Jace jumped, and his leg gave way. He tumbled down with the falling stone, cracking his had against a large piece as he fell. He hit the platform floor hard, and tasted blood.

The rubble had been partly cleared and the long-disused escalator was visible on the other side. Alec pushed Isabelle toward it and turned to the still figure that lay among the broken stone on the floor. Jace's fair hair was blackened with blood and dust. Alec knelt over him. Pushed two fingers into the groove on Jace's neck, feeling for a pulse. The gold eyes opened.

"Alec," said Jace, "Move." Alec turned, yanked Jace sideways and onto his feet, just in time to avoid the demon's raking claws. It lunged at them again and Jace turned to it.

"Go on," he said without looking at Alec, "get Isabelle out, I'll finish this."

"Jace --"

"Wait for me upstairs, I'll be right behind you."

Alec nodded, turned to his sister, stumbled with her through the debris toward the exit.

Jace limped away from the demon, sidestepping it's attacks as best he could. With his back to the wall he lashed out with his seraph blade, managed to cut a finger from one of the cruel hands. He turned, trying always to stay on it's blind side. Blood and sweat dripped down over his forehead and stung his eyes. The demon reared up toward the ceiling and Jace saw his chance. He flung his blade towards where it's heart would be. He missed. The dagger lodged itself in the demon's shoulder, and the beast, enraged by pain, dashed it's head against the ceiling. Stone fell like rain. Jace had no time to dive away from the falling bricks, he covered his head with his arms as the first peices struck his back, he fell to the ground under their bruising weight, rolling as best he could, hoping they had at least damaged the demon a little.

When the dust cleared he was lying on his back in a heap of rubble. The demon was a little ways away, it seemed unhurt. It came toward him and raised its terrible claws. Jace couldn't seem to move his arm, it was twisted at an odd angle and the bricks that had landed on him made every breath a struggle. He could see the eye so close and the blackness was empty, endless. The smell made him gag and retch it was so strong and the blood that dripped from the ruined eye burnt his skin. I guess I always knew I would die like this, he thought. Being a Shadowhunter, death was an occupational hazard. Occupational hazard, that was a good one. The demon lowered its claws to his throat, read to gash it open. Then suddenly it stopped, shuddered, sunk backwards on its haunches. It roared, writhed, and vanished. Jace blinked.

Where the monster had stood was a small star. It lit the rubble around in a pale glow. Jace watched it for a moment, he wondered how it floated there. Then he notice the shadow beneath it. A human-shaped shadow with a blood-stained seraph blade in its hand and flames for hair. The shadow came toward him, heaved away the rubble, knelt over him. Jace saw green eyes, a pale face spattered with dark blood and dust, and everywhere the bright hair. She set down the witchlight, pulled off her leather gloves and held out a hand to him. "Hi," she said. "I'm Clarissa Morgenstern."