Stepping out of the portal, Caleb nearly sprinted across the empty field into the small house. He rammed his way through the kitchen door, immediately reaching up and opening all the cabinets, frantically pulling out all the herbs he had previously used. Opening and slamming shut the cabinets was obviously making a loud noise, but he personally couldn't bring himself to care. He had to figure this out, and he needed to do it fast.

He heard the scrape of muddy boots against tiled floor before he heard her speak.

"What happened?" Bevelyn asked. His sister had always been really quick to pick up on when he was stressed out, but right now he really didn't want to worry her.

"It's nothing. I'll fix it." More clanging sounded as he pulled more herbs and potions down, probably more than he even used. Better to be safe than sorry.

A gentle hand on his arm stopped his motions. He shuddered a suppressed panic attack and rammed his hands down onto the counter for support. Glancing down slightly, he saw the Garroway ring glint scornfully on her fingers, as if even it knew of his failure.

He remembered when he gave it to her, those few years ago. He had been 15 at the time, and she had been 13, and they were at the lake that Luke had said he used to always take Clary to as a kid. A little down the bank, there were steeps rocks that jutted off and up fairly high above the lake, and a couple other boys were up there wrestling and pushing each other off. He had vowed to himself then and there that he would never go up those rocks. So, of course, Bevelyn, the dare-devil herself, had no sooner thrown her muddy boots at her brother before she was racing up the rocks.

Heart racing, he watched her push past the boys currently manhandling their friend, run, and then dive graciously into the water. He would have held up ten fingers to show her score had he not currently been having a panic attack. She swam her way back to him and made her way up the muddy path. When she reached him, he was still frozen in shock, and all she did was laugh, like watching him having a panic attack over her near-death was something just absolutely hilarious.

Somehow, though, she had managed to convince him to walk up the rocks with her to the top. Before he stepped off, though, he remembers pulling off the Garroway ring that Sister Cleophas had made for him and solemnly handing it over to his sister. He told her it was hers if he didn't survive this, and all she had done was roll her eyes and push him off the cliff.

Even though six years later he still complains to her about pushing him off, he never asked for the ring back. She had always been braver than he could ever be, and he felt that if anyone deserved that ring, it was her.

"Tell me, Ebby," she said softly, using the hand on his shoulder to turn him around. Once he was facing her, he couldn't help but lock eyes with her identical ones. He saw the concern and determination there. There she goes again, he thought, already ready to take whatever is thrown at her. "I can take it. Was it Clary?"

He sighed, raking a hand through his messy hair. He didn't even know where to begin to explain how he had monumentally screwed up. He knew he should have practiced the spell more, he knew it. Maybe if he had taken Magnus up on his offer to train him in potion making as a kid, he would have had more experience. Shrugging her hand off his shoulder, he paced a couple feet away from her. "Clary lost her memories."

The look Bevelyn gave him was one of Well, duh, but of course she didn't verbally say it. "That, uh, was the point, wasn't it?" Her brows furrowed while her hand went up to lightly push his sweaty hair out of his face, her duck charm grazing his cheek. "So she couldn't remember who we are."

"No," he shook his head. "That's not what I meant." Caleb ran a hand down his face as he turned his body fully to hers. It was then that he noticed her puffy eyes and tear stains on her cheeks. "I mean she lost her memories, all of them." Her hand jerked back.

Silence, then, "All of them?"

He gave a hesitant nod. "She—she doesn't even know who she is."

Her pale fingers then clasped roughly against the bracelet on her wrist, and her eyes widened, fear and betrayal imminent in them. She took a staggering step back. "How—how could you let this happen? Caleb, do you know what this could do?"

A sudden shudder shot through his body, causing him to momentarily close his eyes. When he opened them, a little anger had dissipated from her eyes, and she appeared as if she wished she hadn't said that. "I know," he winced. "I screwed up. I-"

"No, Ebby. I didn't mean that. I don't blame you, it's just-"

"You blame me. Don't try to hide it, it's fine. I blame me, too." He turned back to the mess he had made on the counter. "She managed to rip off the ropes, and I think she scratched at the rune I made on her ribs. Those ropes, we need to get them back. They symbolized her memories, Bev. Getting them back has to help somehow…and maybe retracing the rune."

Something flashed behind Bev's eyes this time. Anger, maybe? "The ropes? You want us to find some flimsy ropes that she ripped off herself while mid-portal? They could literally be anywhere, Caleb! Why didn't you make sure they were tight enough?" Her voice was slowly rising to a shout, though she was visibly trying to control it.

He sighed exasperatedly, "I didn't want her to lose her hands! Those are kind of her utensils for both painting and, I don't know, using Ithuriels gift." He raked another hand through his already-tousled hair.

A soft scuffle of converse on the kitchen floor had both siblings glancing up to see a red-faced Elliana. Her ACDC t-shirt had been wrinkled, as if she had been wringing it out, and only one of her shoes was tied. Her ink-black hair was loose and in tangles behind her shoulders, but all of her focus was on Bev and Caleb.

For an eleven-year-old, she looked rough to say the least. "Bev? Ebby? What's going on?"

Bev briefly locked eyes with Caleb before slowly walking towards the child, hands raised. "Nothing, Ellie. Everything's fine, this doesn't concern you."

The little girl's face hardened instantly, fire flashing behind her eyes. "Don't lie to me, Bevelyn. You know how I feel about lying."

At Bev's silent glance, Caleb nodded, and she backed away.

Sighing for what felt like the hundredth time since getting back, he leaned against the counter, not even attempting to hide the mess he had made on the counter. "How much did you hear?"

Ellie looked at him unashamedly, arms instinctively crossing across her small torso. "All of it."

Caleb nodded his head softly, having already known she would say that. He was going to add something before he realized he should just let her start.

Brown-gold eyes met blue ones as Ellie's gaze flitted between both of the siblings and the floor. "She doesn't remember anything," she mumbled, as if trying to make herself believe it. When all Caleb did was nod, she continued, looking up. "Not even herself?"

Avoiding her eyes, he nodded again. He hated this. All that they had worked for in these past two years had been thrown away like garbage, the relationships they had formed, the memories they had made and the ones they were supposed to protect. It was all gone. They had failed. He didn't want to remind Ellie of that, though. "She knows her name…but only because I told her what it was."

"Where is she now?" She asked, voice small.

"With Luke. I told him to watch over her, and I know he'll keep her safe."

When Caleb looked up again, he saw just how much the news was getting to her. Eyes watering, she stared at him, the hurt evident in her gaze. Her small hands clenched into fists, visibly trying to stop herself from crying. She had always hated crying in front of people, she felt like it made her seem weak. No matter how many times they told her that wasn't so, she still believed that. It probably didn't help that the older ones never cried in front of the others, either.

Ellie took a deep breath and unclenched her fists, gaze hardening. "What's the plan now?"

At this, the siblings were both at a loss for words. Bev looked pleadingly over to her older brother, and while he wanted to give both of them an answer, he couldn't.

"I don't know," he said truthfully. Waving to the mess on the counter, he explained, "I was hoping I could figure out how to re-do the spell, or undo it, or fix what happened, but I don't even know where to begin. I should have known this was too dangerous, but I didn't think. This is on me, and I will fix it." He paused, looking at his feet. "I just don't know how, yet."

A hand gently fell on his shoulder, and he realized Bev had moved over to him. She squeezed gently, wordlessly telling him that it's okay. "We don't blame you, Eb. I was angry earlier, and maybe I still am, but I don't blame you." He looked up at her and saw the truth in her eyes. "We'll figure this out, together. Until then, Clary will be with her friends and family. I'm sure they'll look for something while we do."

He reached up and put his own hand on hers where it rested on his shoulder. He glanced over to where Elliana was standing and saw her furrowed brows. "Luke did say something about the Silent Brothers. I remember the Clary back home telling me about how they helped her with her memories once before. Maybe they can do it again." And, more to himself, he added, "I know Jace would never give up without a fight."

Bev gave an encouraging smile, retracting her hand and using it lean against the island. "So what-"

"That's it!" Ellie's shout startled both of them. "Jace!"

At their confused looks, she gave a frustrated yet excited squeal.

"Jace!" She said again. "And my dad! They can bring her memories back. If anyone can do it, it's them. She talked about them more than anyone else while she was here. Maybe all it takes is for her to see them!"

As much as he wanted to believe that, he wasn't really all that sure he could hope that much. But then again, maybe she had a point. What more could represent her memories than the people themselves. Maybe if they could get all of them together, it'd do something to tide her over until he figured out what to do.

Biting his lip, he gave a slow nod. Ellie's face lit up, but Bev still looked doubtful.

"Should we really waste time trying to-" She started.

"What else have we got to lose?"

Pause.

Her shoulders sagged, but then she straightened and stared at him, her faith in him evident as ever. He internally shook his head. He had been expecting an argument. But no, she had so much trust in him, and someday it'd get her hurt. He was sure of it.

"Okay," he started, taking a deep breath. "It's a good idea, and right now, it's the best we have. Bev, I need you to go find Simon. You're the only one who's kept tabs on him while Clary was healing. I'll go find Jace. He's more likely to put up a fight, and I've actually trained with him before, so I'm more likely to make him understand before he kills me."

Ellie gulped. "Kills you?"

He shrugged. "Jace told me that the one thing that calms him is war, so you can bet he's not going to be very trusting when I tell him Clary's alive."

Bev gave him an incredulous look. "But he won't kill you over it."

"Oh, really? The Jace we know isn't the Jace that's in this time." At her disbelieving gaze, he shook his head. "The Jace we know would listen to us. He's the one who trained us, told us stories, and even taught you how to play the piano. This Jace? He's a warrior through and through, but he's a warrior who's been broken and reset time and time again. He despises the Clave, and he's lost who he is. You've seen what I've seen regarding what he's become since we stepped through the portal in Edom. You know. So, try and tell me he isn't absolutely willing to kill anyone who lies to him about something as big as Clary's survival."

At her silence, he continued, almost nonchalantly. "He'll probably go for my throat as soon as I say the words, actually."

Bev raked a hand through her dirty-blonde hair, stress etched into her every feature. He saw her hands shaking. "I hate this."

He reached out for her, but he stopped himself, letting his hand fall. "I know. This-"

"I want to go," Ellie's voice rang through.

"Absolutely not," both Bev and Caleb shot out immediately.

The preteen girl gave an exasperated groan, her mouth opening probably to retort something like Why not? before Caleb quickly perisisted. "That's not even an option."

"But-"

"No," he interrupted. "It's too dangerous. You could slip up and say too much. If you expose who we really are, things could go bad, very bad. We could end up not existing anymore. Everything we do needs to be done to ensure that our timeline stays intact. We can't afford any slip-ups."

"But I want to see Mom again, and Dad, too." Her lips quivered, but Caleb shook his head.

He walked over to her and kneeled in front of her, raising his hands to grab hers. "I know, and I'm sorry. It's just too dangerous. I'm so sorry."

Her lips wobbled, and her body quickly jerked away from him just as he touched her. She gave him one last betrayed look before she turned and ran back to her room. The door slammed shut, and a picture frame on the wall shattered on the ground from the mere force of it.

Caleb shuffled over and picked it up, Bevelyn close behind.

He held the picture in his hands. It was of the Ten.

Clary had insisted on taking it last year after their first hunt together. She had finally healed from her physical wounds after months of being in a coma, and they had caught whiff of a demon attack upstate. Caleb had been hesitant, as Clary had just gotten herself together, and she was still trying to get a firm grasp on the other problem. To add to that, none of them had done any serious hunts like that one before, so it was safe to say he was a little uneasy.

Somehow, though, she had managed to convince him. Bev had a been a big factor in that, too, of course. Ashley and Corban had been more than eager to do it. Rose had been all I bet I'll be better than mom, and Ellie had punched her in the arm for that comment. Jeremy was always looking for a fight, and he had played a big part in riling Bev up, both of them being disgustingly in love and eager to please the other.

Moriah had been the main one, besides him, to be hesitant. Nothing else pleased her more than when Clary was safe and behind protected doors.

"I've already lost my mom once. I—I can't do it again."

"You won't," Clary had promised.

Sidney had reached for her hand then, reassuring her. "She's never been in safer hands, Mo. Your hands."

Sidney had always been her strength, and remembering that had him looking towards the redhead's closed door. It'd only been a month or so since the Raid, but she barely ever came out of her room, save to go to the bathroom or grab a small meal. Usually, she just stayed in there, and there were days when they had to force feed her.

Looking at the photo now, he couldn't help the sob that wracked its way through his body. They had all been so happy, so clueless as to what would happen not even a full year later. Sidney had been holding Moriah's hand. Ashley and Corban were lip-locked, their wedding rings glinting out from next to Bev and Caleb, who were both intensely, but jokingly, trying to get in front of the other. Rose and Ellie had locked arms, Rose having leaned over to her twin, whispering something into her ear. Jeremy had been giving finger guns to the camera, but Caleb wished with every ounce of himself that he had never been in the picture at all. Clary, of course, was in the center of it all, laughing.

He had never seen it before, but there was something else in Clary's gaze. She was laughing, the actions of her new-found friends being impossible not to laugh at, but her eyes told another story. They told of longing, yearning for something that she wouldn't see for a while. She had always tried to make the best of her situation, but Caleb knew she was never truly happy there. Yes, they were technically her family, but they didn't mean to her quite what she meant to them. As much as she tried to smile through it, he could always tell.

His hand tightened on the frame, pieces of glass biting into his palm.

The same hand from earlier placed itself back on his shoulder from where he was kneeling. "I was wondering how you were handling this so well." She murmured. "Now I see that you weren't."

He gently took her hand off his shoulder and stood, turning to face her. "It never really occurred to me how much it would hurt to have her not recognize. I knew she wouldn't, had even planned for it, but nothing could prepare me for it. It was like—like she had slapped me. It was her death all over again."

She shuffled her muddy boots, duck charm clinging against the chain. "I have to be honest. That's the only reason I didn't argue with you when you said you were going to be the one to take her back. I knew I wouldn't be able to handle it, and seeing you know, I know I was right. I'm sorry I put that on you, it was selfish." She tightly clasped her hands together, looking anywhere but at him.

"Bev, no." His hand, the one that hadn't started to bleed from the glass, reached up to lightly push her chin up to face him. When her blue eyes met his, he smiled at her, desperately holding back his own tears. "I'm the one Magnus taught magic to. Shadowhunters are virtually incapable of using magic, but he chose me to be the one to teach the spell to, using that Rune. It would have taken me too long to teach you, too. It's pointless for you to beat yourself up over something you couldn't have helped.

"Besides," he added. "I'm honored that it was me. It gave me a little more time with her, even though it wasn't exactly what I was hoping it would be."

She sniffled, rubbing hastily at her eyes. She gave a pitiful attempt at a smile. "And I guess you could look at this way. You'll see her again. Maybe not you you, but a version of yourself will see her again."

That didn't help in the slightest bit, but he squeezed her arm anyway. "Thanks for trying, but it doesn't really help, considering the Clary we know is dead. This Clary will never know this me. I'll be a lost memory to her, Thomas only."

It was then that she noticed his bloody hand. She let the conversation pause momentarily as she reached for it and her stele, gently burning an iratze into his skin. When she shook her head, he couldn't tell if it was at his injury or their situation. Everything was just one big mess. She let their hands fall.

Suddenly inhaling sharply, Bev gave him a pointed gaze. "Speaking of lost memories, we should really get going. The sooner we get to Jace and the vampire, the sooner we can get back to figuring out another spell."

His face scrunched up in confusion. "Simon's not a vampire. Lily is proof of that." He said, but at Bev's You idiot gaze, he realized, wanting to hit himself on the head. "Right. I'm an idiot. That's the future. Sorry. Yeah. You go get him. Remember to-"

"Hide my face. I know, I know. I don't see why, though. You didn't hide yourself."

"That—that's because…" he trailed off, not wanting to admit to himself what was obvious to them both.

"…You wanted her to slightly remember you? To see your familiar looks and semi-remember you? I know. I'd probably have done the same." She gave him a sympathetic pat on the arm and turned away.

"Bev, wait." When she turned back to him, he spoke before he could stop himself. "Maybe…maybe you don't have to glamour yourself. I didn't, and nothing drastic happened."

She raised an eyebrow. "…Except for Clary completely losing her memories."

Grumbling to himself, he reconsidered his words. "Okay. Never mind. Just…the main one who has to hide her features is Moriah. She's clearly the love child of Jace and Clary. Lily can't either, looking too much like Izzy, but she can't go anyway, so it doesn't matter."

Ellie nodded her head and turned on her heels but ran into a shadow of a girl they once knew.

"What's going on? You said my name." Moriah asked, tear stains still on her cheeks, old and new ones alike. Her pale face was gray with grief. She looked around a little and sniffled. "Where's mom? I'm ready to say goodbye."

Bev and Caleb exchanged a long, horrified look. They had nearly forgotten about how she would handle all of this. Caleb chose his next words carefully. "She…she already went back, Mo." At her quickly widening eyes, he tried to rush on. "She was going to wait, but-"

"No," her voice was hushed but horrified. "No." She said a bit louder, voice shaking. Her small body then went crashing to the floor as her knees buckled, hitting the floor harshly. "I wanted to say goodbye. I—I wanted—I" A strangled sob escaped her lips, and Bevelyn rushed over and threw her arms around the redhead. Her gold eyes filled with tears again, and she let out a sob. "I didn't get to say goodbye," she whispered. "I've lost her all over again."

To love is to destroy.

Nausea clenching his stomach, Caleb took a step back, eyes going to Bev's who, without saying a word, motioned for him to leave. He hesitated but rushed over to his room, grabbed his Chakram, and then headed to the door, his stele already out and making a portal.

Stepping through, the last thing he hears is Ellie's door opening and a loud cry echoing throughout the small house.

Of them all, Moriah always did have it the hardest.

A/N: I know this chapter was pretty uneventful, but I needed y'all to get to know my OC's, so this is what came of it. Just so you know, this is all important. It's not just fluff. Knowing my OC's is really important going on with the story. They are all vital to the events that will happen in the upcoming chapters.

I do want to say that, yes, I do know that I said duck instead of penguin for the charm that Bev was wearing, but I realized how much more significant it would be if they both had a charm of the one animal that Jace fears the most. Like a little inside joke. So, I changed it. Sorry not sorry. Lol. I could go back and change the first chapter…but nah. Too much effort. Lol. Oh, and you'll find out what the other problem is in a couple chapters. I hinted at it in chapter 1, but that's about all I'm telling. I'm hoping it tweaks your interest.

If you're reading this, please tell me if you like it! If it totally sucks, tell me that, too! Lol. I will literally take anything. I just need some input, guys. I rewrote this whole fic because of how awful my writing in the first version one was, so I would really appreciate any kind of notice on how my writing is.

Sorry if this chapter was a tad short, by the way. I'll try to make the others a bit longer like the first one. Though I guess four thousand words is about average for a chapter in published books.