Hey everyone. Here's the next chapter. We're gonna be moving steadily through the episodes of s1, and Jonas is gonna continue to change some stuff, so I hope you enjoy!

Hodge was in the middle of a spar when they arrived. The three stopped to watch at the edge of the floor, and Jonas cocked his head curiously. "I assume that is the man that is going to help us. Who is he?"

"That's Hodge Starkweather, our weapons trainer." Jace crossed his arms as he explained. "And, more important for us, a former Circle member. After the uprising, Hodge repented and he was sent to live and work here to make amends. But he's forbidden to ever leave the Institute."

"That is... not good." Jonas frowned. "What kind of a life does he live, now? No freedom, stuck in one place. He is basically a prisoner."

"Hodge is our family," Jace defended. "This isn't a prison."

Jonas didn't look like he agreed, but he didn't press the matter any further.

The spar continued on in front of them, until finally Hodge cut his opponents staff into thirds. The two combatants shared a look, and then Hodge's opponent hurried away.

The three made their approach then, and Hodge pulled on a shirt as he turned to face them.

"Who's this?" Hodge asked.

"Jonas," Alec said. He saw a look of relief cross Jonas' face. Alec felt kind of smug to have remembered not to mention Jonas' last name, knowing the man's previous discomfort with it.

Hodge quirked a brow in suspicion. "And why is he here…?"

Alec shared a look with Jace.

"I, apparently, am the best lead you have on finding Clary and Jocelyn Fray."

Both Shadowhunters turned to see a determined look on Jonas' face. Alec let himself smirk, ever so slightly, and glanced back at Hodge. "What he said," Alec agreed, hiking a thumb in Jonas' direction.

"Well," Hodge said. "She was Jocelyn Fairchild when I knew her." Hodge exhaled slowly. "And she was one of my best friends."

Alec absorbed the information, glad that Hodge might indeed be able to help them out.

"Clary and Jocelyn have been kidnapped by the Circle," Jonas said, not wasting anytime. A fact that Alec could appreciate.

Hodge's gaze widened in shock. "But that's impossible. Valentine's dead and the Circle died with him."

Suddenly, the circle rune on Hodge's neck flared and Hodge grunted in pain. Alec tensed at the sight, not enjoying seeing his mentor in pain.

"Let me guess," Jonas said. "You cannot talk about the Circle?"

Hodge nodded. "I swore a vow never to speak of what we did." He gestured his head towards the rune. "This is the Clave's way of making sure I keep that vow."

"Then we do not have to do this," Jonas said. "I am sure we can figure it out for ourselves."

Hodge shook his head. "If the Circle really is back… and they've taken Jocelyn… Our leader... our leader of the Circle was Valentine Morgenstern–" He winced as the rune seared his skin again, and stammered as he continued. "We thought he wanted to protect humans, like all Shadowhunters. But we never realized the lengths which Valentine was willing to go… the people he was willing to sacrifice. Most of humanity would die if we carried out Valentine's plan."

"And obviously Jocelyn relates to this in some way." Jonas cocked his head in thought. "Was she part of the circle?"

"Yes," Hodge sighed. "Jocelyn was a member of the Circle as well. But the important thing is that Jocelyn left the Circle. And so none of this even matters, because Valentine died in a fire years ago."

He collapsed then, the rune's power too painful. Jace raced forward and grabbed him. "Hodge," Jace shouted, but received no response. "Hodge," he tried again.

Finally, Hodge collected himself enough to carry on. "Valentine nearly destroyed the Shadow World and humanity along with it." Hodge leant into Jace's hold. "If he'd gotten the Cup–"

"The Cup," Jonas said, looking thoughtful. "We heard her mention a hidden object that she had to protect. It could be this Cup. I assume it is important?"

Alec picked up on the 'we' part of his sentence, but didn't know what to make of it. Maybe he just meant he and his sister. "The Mortal Cup is the most important object in the Shadow World," Alec explained. "Whoever possesses it can create more Shadowhunters. And in the wrong hands… control demons."

Jonas nodded. "So it is important that we find this cup before he does, since Jocelyn cannot protect it anymore."

"If Jocelyn hid the Cup from Valentine, then she's in more danger than you can possibly imagine," Hodge said, and then screamed as the rune flared once more.

"Hodge," Jace consoled, voice filled with sympathy.

Hodge yelped and fell to the ground, crawling along as though he could escape the pain if he tried hard enough. "You must protect your mother," he grunted out, directed at Jonas. Alec saw Jonas wince at the mention of his mother. He was beginning to sense a pattern there.

"Stop Valentine," Hodge murmured. "Before he destroys us all."

Jonas' lips thinned, and then he turned on his heel and strode purposely out of the room.

Alec glanced at Jace, who was still helping Hodge. It seemed he was left to deal with the new guy. With an annoyed grumble, Alec ran after Jonas.

It wasn't that he disliked the man, Alec just wasn't a people person. He liked to avoid talking as much as possible, let alone comforting someone.

He finally found Jonas in the hallway, looking furious.

"We will not help that woman," Jonas hissed, eyes blazing as he looked at Alec. He paused and took a breath, trying to compose himself. "If I am to do this, it will be to stop a bad man from doing bad things."

Alec nodded. It didn't matter what reason Jonas used to justify his actions, as long as he helped them, Alec didn't care. "Of course."

"And if you rescue her, or Clary, or whatever. I do not want to see either of them." Jonas held up a finger when Alec opened his mouth to respond. "And you should probably know that I will not hesitate to throw them under the bus if I need to."

"You know what," Alec said. "I can respect that."

Jonas nodded. "Good."

Alec folded his arms in front of him and waited.

"Okay," Jonas began. "So we know that Valentine is back and wants the Cup, and he believes Jocelyn has it."

"Could she?" Alec asked.

Jonas swallowed, and nodded. "I think that there is a good chance that she could."

"'A good chance'?" Alec quoted back. "That's not going to cut it. You must know something else."

"Some stuff," Jonas agreed. "Overheard conversations, weird things I've seen, but nothing more to do with the Cup. It is just blank. Black."

Alec nodded as something dawned on him. "Someone's wiped your memory."

Jonas looked perturbed. "That is… a horrifying thought."

Alec didn't have a clue what to say to that, so instead he explained, "Warlocks have the ability to take away memories."

"The Downworlders?" Jonas paused. "Do we have to call them that? It seems kind of… offensive."

"Call them whatever you want," Alec said, not wanting to waste any time on the matter. "They're immortal beings, half-demon, half-human. Sound familiar?"

Jonas shook his head. "I am not sure. I think Jocelyn's assistant knew something, Dot. They would talk about… this" —he gestured vaguely around himself— "kind of stuff."

"Maybe if we find this Dot, she could help us find the Cup."

Jonas nodded. "Sounds like a plan, and I think I know where we can start."

Alec took Jonas to get a change of clothes. If they were leaving the Institute, he needed something that wasn't Jace's worn hand-me-downs. "Hey," Jonas said as they rounded a corner on the way to Alec's room. "Where are we going?"

"My room," Alec said. He could've sworn he explained that.

"Ah," Jonas appeared sheepish. "You... live here?"

"In the Institute?" Alec nodded. "Yes."

"Will I be living here?" Jonas glanced around.

Absently, Alec realised that the Irish lilt was gone. "Does it matter?" Alec asked. He had other things to focus on, rather than living arrangements.

Jonas appeared contrite. "Sorry, I just—" He licked his lips. "I was only asking because this place is better than half of the digs I've been stuck these past couple of years. I bet you guys even have an inhouse theater." Jonas shot Alec a grin. Alec felt his breath catch as he noticed how beautiful the auburn-haired man looked in that moment. "If you don't, you need to get one."

Alec quirked a brow, sensing a teasing vibe to the man's words. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Jonas explained carefully, "Well, you guys just don't seem to understand a lot of pop culture references."

"Ah," Alec said. "I guess you're right, but we wouldn't have the time to use it." He came to a stop in front of his room. "Here we are."

Jonas offered a crooked smile, "After you.".

Alec brushed aside the wave of affection he felt for the man, and entered the room, holding the door open for Jonas.

"Thanks," Jonas said and stepped inside. He paused just within the threshold, looking around with a wide gaze. "Wow, this place… isn't terrible."

Alec glanced at him. For a moment, he considered thanking the man for his sort-of compliment. Instead, he wordlessly headed over to his cupboard to find Jonas some clothes. "These might be too small for you, but they're better than Jace's sleep clothes."

Alec pulled out a deep blue henley that was a little too big on him– but would hopefully fit Jonas— and a spare jacket because the one Jace had given Jonas... just wasn't going to cut it.

Besides, Alec figured that it wouldn't be a problem if man look good.

(He ignored the tiny voice in his head that argued that it would be a problem. Jonas' attractiveness was already plenty distracting.)

"Your welcome," Alec said as he handed the clothes over.

Jonas eyed him for a moment, before accepting the clothes with a quiet, "Thank you."

He then hesitated, standing there, looking like a lost puppy.

"I'll just… wait outside." Alec moved to the door to leave, but paused. "Don't touch anything," he warned.

He earned a smile for that. "I wouldn't dream of it," Jonas assured him. "I kind of value my life, at least a little."

Alec scoffed in amusement before he could stop himself, and he quickly dashed out of his room to save what was left of his dignity.

When Jonas stepped out of the room, Alec was speechless for an embarrassingly long time.

His clothes were indeed a bit tight on the man, but in a good (very good, distracting) way. The deep blue of the shirt emphasised out the auburn in Jonas' hair, and the jacket added an extra layer of style that made him look delicious.

Alec cleared his throat as he noticed Jonas staring at him sheepishly. "Do I look terrible? Even if I do, it's a step up from my usual imitation of a trash can."

Alec scoffed again, halfway to a chuckle. Twice in one hour. Alec was sure the world was about to end. "No, you're fine," he said. More than fine, he thought. Alec shook his head to clear the thought and told Jonas, "Let's go."

He turned and strode off with purpose. He heard Jonas hurry after him, and slowed his pace so that he could catch up.

"I need to speak with the Clave," Alec said as he brought Jonas to the training room. Hopefully his sister and parabatai would need them there.

"The who?"

"They tell us what we can and can't do," Alec explained. "We report directly to them."

"Right," Jonas replied, sounding as though he didn't quite care. Alec was used to such kinds of responses in regards to the Clave. "So who are you getting to babysit me whilst you're gone?"

"Jace will probably 'babysit' you until I'm back," Alec replied with a smirk. He caught Jonas' offended expression out of the corner of his eyes. "Hey, you said it."

Jonas pouted, the expression a frustrating mix of adorable and gorgeous. "Okay," he relented. "But I'll make sure to wreak havoc and keep him busy while you're gone."

Alec nodded his approval. "Good." He stopped at the base of the training room, and Jonas did as well. "Have fun."

"Wait, Alec." Jonas reached out and grabbed Alec's elbow to stop him. Alec's skin tingled at the touch, but he looked up to stare at Jonas impatiently. Jonas immediately let go, and Alec tried not to mourn the loss. "I… Just… Thank you. For not being a complete dick."

Alec felt his lips twitch before he could stop himself. "Don't make me regret it."

He then turned and walked off, feeling a set of eyes following him the whole way.

"I don't approve of this mission," Alec declared as he returned to the training room. The mundane had joined up with Jonas and Jace, as well as Izzy. He walked right up to the four of them and positioned himself between the mundane and Jonas. "I spoke with the Clave. They're sending Seelie scouts to search for Valentine, but they made it clear, the newbie shadowhunter does not leave the premises."

Jonas raised a brow. "'Newbie'? Is that supposed to offend me?"

Huh, Alec thought. The southern accent was back. "Obviously not, because otherwise it would have," Alec said, which didn't make as much sense as it had in his head. Jonas' lips twitched, and Alec caught sight of that before he turned to Jace. "We're not doing anything."

"Alec," Jace began in his 'I'm right and you're wrong' tone. "Jonas thinks we can find something, at Jocelyn's home, on this warlock that could have the answers we need. With Valentine's people out there searching for Jonas, he's not safe outside alone.

"Jace has a point," Izzy said.

Alec turned to his sister, mildly offended. "Et tu, Izzy?"

"Alec," Jonas said. Alec, reluctantly, turned to face the man. As their gazes locked, Jonas offered a smile. "We'll give this a shot, and if we're wrong, you can brag about it all you want."

Alec narrowed his gaze. "I do not brag."

"Can we just get this show on the road?" Simon asked, and pulled out his keys. "I'll drive."

Everyone turned to stare at him.

"What?" Simon asked. "Unless you have, like, a Shadowhunter-mobile or something." He chuckled nervously, and then faltered at their unamused looks. "You were kidding about the runes on the floor killing me... right?"

Jace shot the kid a pitying look. "Possibly," he said. He then patted the kid on the neck, hard, and led the way out of the training room.

They arrived at Clary and Jocelyn's house. Jonas got out of the car and walked straight over to his bike. It appeared untouched, and Alec watched as the man checked it over.

"Is everything okay?" Jace asked.

"Looks to be." Jonas patted the motorcycle happily and then turned to grin at them. "Alright, let's go see if we can find any leads in the house."

"Is it safe in there?" Simon asked, casting a worried glance over the building.

"Even if it isn't," Izzy said and smirked at the mundane. "You've got me to protect you."

Jonas walked up to Alec. "Why don't we leave them to have their moment?"

"Thanks for that imagery," Alec said, but he turned and headed towards the house. As he walked forward, he pulled out his bow and readied an arrow.

"Are we in danger?" Jonas asked, seeming confused.

Jace caught up with them then. "You're always in danger," he said, ever the one to comfort others. "But, theoretically, we shouldn't have any problems right now."

"That's the kind of attitude I wanna hear," Jonas said and grinned at Jace. "Now, I bags not going first."

Alec stared at Jonas. "Really?"

"What?" Jonas shrugged. "I'm not going to be that one character in a horror movie that goes first and gets his head chopped off."

"You're not going to get your head chopped off," Alec replied.

"That's what the guy who goes first says." Jonas pursed his lips. "How about we all go together?"

"I think you're too late." Alec lifted his finger, pointing to the now open front door that Jace had just stepped through.

"Ah," Jonas said as he noticed. "Well then, nevermind."

The two followed after Jace, and Alec eyed Jonas as the man walked straight over to a nearby pillar. Jonas gazed at it intently, and Alec stepped up behind him.

"This is where we saw Clary," Jonas said. Alec filed the third 'we' use away for later contemplation. "The demon had grabbed her." He pointed to a window on the far wall. "That's where it took her."

Alec nodded, looking around slowly. His gaze caught on something glinting in the moonlight. He knelt down and picked it up, recognising it as some kind of necklace. A gem dangled from the chain, and for a moment Alec thought there might've been more to it…

"That looks pretty," Jonas said as he noticed what Alec had found. "Since it's technically from my… family's home, can I have it?"

Alec shrugged and handed it over. "I don't think we're going to find anything here," Alec said.

"No," Jonas said. "I was hoping that Dot would be here, but I guess not."

"Do you have any idea where she might've gone to?" Jace asked as he approached.

"Sorry," Jonas apologised. "I've got no clue."

"Then we need to go back to the Institute," Jace said. "It's the safest place for you."

"What about my memories? They can't just be gone?" Jonas asked.

"There is another option," Jace said.

"Absolutely not," Alec denied, already knowing what his parabatai was going to suggest.

"I'm not afraid of the Silent Brothers," Jace said.

"Who are they?" Jonas asked, clearly intrigued. "Some kind of boyband?"

"Why would they be called 'silent' if they were a band?" Alec questioned, concerned about the man's logic.

Jonas hummed in an 'I don't know and why is that my problem' kind of way.

"They're Shadowhunters with superior powers," Jace explained. "Who possess the ability to recover memories."

"A process that can also kill you," Alec added. "So there's that."

"I could also get hit by a bus," Jonas replied.

Alec shot him an unimpressed look. Jonas held up his hands in surrender, and Alec turned to Jace. "We've broken at least 18 Clave rules and now you want to go to the City of Bones? There's no way. I won't allow it."

"This isn't our choice to make," Jace said. "This is Jonas' decision."

"What's Jonas' decision?" Izzy asked as she entered the house.

"Something about a boy band getting my memories back?" Jonas said.

"Jace wants Jonas to go to the City of Bones," Alec told Izzy.

Izzy turned to Jace. "You can't ask him to do this. He doesn't know what he's facing. He's not prepared."

"This isn't just about me," Jonas said. "This is about that Cup and whatever mess is gonna come if what's-his-face gets his hands on it—"

"Valentine," Alec supplied.

Jonas continued as though he hadn't been interrupted. "—So whilst you debate what's best for me, I'm going to go by what's best for the world."

Alec looked to Jace, and the blonde smirked at him. "See? I told you he's one of us."

Alec was not happy about this, and not because he cared about Jonas, but because they were breaking about a dozen rules and putting all of them in danger.

"Yeah, this place isn't creepy. Not at all," Simon said as they arrived at the entrance to the City of Bones.

Izzy chuckled. "Don't tell me you're afraid."

"Are you kidding me?" Simon scoffed. "I was born afraid… which sounded a lot better in my head."

Izzy grinned in amusement, and Alec decided he'd had enough of listening to that. "Let's check it out," he said and stalked forward.

"Wait here a minute," he heard Jace tell Jonas. "I wanna see if it's safe."

As Jace passed, Alec stopped him. "Hey." Jace turned to face him. "If something goes wrong… if something happens to him, that's on us. You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah," Jace replied. "And you know exactly what'd happen if Valentine gets the Cup before we do."

Alec nodded. "I think Jonas knows that even better than we do."

Jace grinned. "He's smart. He'll be fine."

"He'd better be," Alec said. He realised how that must have sounded, and quickly clarified. "Otherwise we're going to be the ones to blame."

Alec stepped away them, and went to make sure the immediate area was clear. There wasn't anything to be found, and soon everyone reconvened. Alec led Jonas in front of the pack as they all headed off.

"Before we go in there," Alec began once he was alone with Jonas. He had some things he wanted to tell Jonas in private. "You need to know some things about the Silent Brothers."

"As you mentioned before," Jonas grinned at Alec. "I'm guessing they're silent?"

"They communicate without using words," Alec said, deciding not to acknowledge Jonas' comment. "Using just their thoughts."

"Now that's something I'm familiar with."

Alec blinked. "What?"

Jonas smiled sweetly. "Nothing, continue."

Alec frowned, but went on. "How it'll work is they'll hold the Soul-Sword to your head, and with its blade, carve the truth from your mind. If you're not strong enough, you will die."

"How do I know if I'm strong enough?" Jonas asked. He didn't sound scared, per say, but definitely cautious.

Alec shot the man what he hoped was a reassuring look. "You're strong enough, don't worry about that."

"So there's something else I have to worry about?"

"You should know that the pain will be excruciating," Alec said.

"Pain." Jonas chuckled. "Got it."

They pulled to a stop in front of a doorway. The rest of the group caught up to them, and Jonas winced. "Well, that's a welcoming sight."

It really wasn't all that pleasant. The entrance to the City of Bones looked like something out of a thriller movie, spelling foreboding in every inch of its presence.

Simon made to move forward, but Jace put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "All right, hold up."

"Surprise, surprise." Simon huffed. "No mundanes allowed, just like in the training room, right? Wrong! I've seen every horror movie ever made and the funny one that gets left behind… dead man."

Izzy laughed, whilst Jace appeared unimpressed. "You're not that funny. But by all means, go ahead." Simon stared at Jace, and then went to enter the City of Bones. "Of course, the minute you enter, you'll die."

"Problem is," Simon said, hesitating. "Now I don't trust you."

"He's not lying," Alec said.

"Now," Izzy added. "He was before."

Alec stepped forward. "The rune energy in the City of Bones will kill any mundane who dares to enter, so, please…" He gestured to Simon to go ahead.

Jonas chuckled lightly and Alec glanced at him to find the man smiling. "What?" Jonas asked. "That was funny."

"The Brothers creep me out," Izzy admitted. "I'll mind the mundane."

"Your sacrifice is noted, Izzy," Jace said and started towards the tunnel.

"Talk about sacrifice," Simon said. "I'm missing a financial analysis class."

"I can't be here anymore," Alec declared, gesturing in the totally-not-vague direction of the mundane. "So, Jace, I'm gonna mind the perimeter."

"Wait," Jonas grabbed Alec's arm. Alec despised how much he liked the man's touch. "You're not coming?"

"You'll be fine with Jace," Alec replied.

Jonas smiled softly. "But I'd like you to come, please?"

Alec turned from Jonas to Jace. When he met the gaze of his parabatai, Jace shrugged. No help there. With a resigned expression, Alec turned back to Jonas. "Fine," he relented. "But don't expect me to hold your hand."

Jonas' smile grew into a wide, bright grin. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think about the budding sassiness between Alec and Jonas. (There's plenty more to come :P)