A/N: Thank god for snowed out campuses. Between work and school I've literally had no time to do any free writing. Any. Though if you're reading this thank you for sticking to it and waiting so long! Also thanks for the pms, follows, and reviews. Anyways, enjoy and let me know what you think! :]

"Come on Clary. If you think you're going to be a part of this war you better learn how to dodge a Ravener demon's tail better!" Clary glared at her golden, slightly alit, boyfriend on the other side of the field they were training in.

"Jace there is no real demon! You're just using a spare whip. How do you expect me to dodge it like it's the real deal?" Clary demanded angrily.

"Use you imagination!" Jace yelled back, swinging the whip back at her. Eyes widening, Clary barely managed to roll out of the way, gracelessly landing in a heap to the side. Clary sat up, a murderous glint in her eyes.

"Jace," she started, "your are-" her voice caught in her throat as she stared behind him at an approaching figure coming out of the forest. "Clary, what it is?" Jace asked, looking at her in confusion. Not taking her eyes of the figure in front of them, Clary slowly rose to her feet. Confused, Jace looked behind him, his own eyes widening.

Scarlet red hair flowing out behind her like a burning flame, the Seelie Queen appeared to pour out of the forest. Her dress billowed out behind her, a collage of dead leaves, crumbling and wasting away. Her eyes were sharp, piercing even from a distance. She looked like a disease, a plague of the mind. As she neared them Jace slowly moved back towards Clary, stopping just in front of her, acquiring a protective stance.

The Queen stopped a few steps before them, a dark, almost sinister smile adorning her face. Jace swallowed the lump in his throat before bowing stiffly, "My lady," he said. The Queen acknowledged him with an elegant incline of her head, her hair a halo of fire.

"Little shadowhunters, how have these days been fairing you?" though her tone was sincere, Clary could almost see the secrets she had spilling over her blood red lips. She felt Jace shift slightly and could almost hear him in her mind telling her to "let him handle it".

"We have fared as well as to be expected without your bountiful generosity my lady." Jace said, his hand twitching around the whip. The Seelie Queen smiled sickly sweet.

"I see." she said. Clary pursed her lips. The Queen was obviously here for something and she'd rather know for what sooner than later.

"Might I ask you why you honor us with your presence here today my lady?" she asked, forcing out the same polite, shameless way of speaking to the Queen that Jace did. The Queen glanced at her with a smile on her face but disgust in her eyes. Clary felt a chill spread over her as the Queen turned back to Jace.

"I come here with a message to you, Jonathon Herondale." she said, the ominous tone of her voice sent chills crawling up their spines. The Queen paused, as if to feed to the suspense encircling them, "A message, from Jonathon Morgenstern." Clary's stomach dropped, her breath caught in her throat.

"What?" she asked, all pretense of courtesy gone. The Queen smiled, her teeth bone white, stark against the red of her lips.

"His message is this, 'The war is nigh, I have let you remain within your ignorance for long enough. It is time for you to see what has been taken and reborn. Time to alight the fires of rage within your soul. Let them consume your mind with revenge. And when the last pyre burns away to ashes, find me,'." Jace tensed and took a step forward.

"What do you mean? What did you do?" Jace demanded, a wild look in his eyes. Clary's chest tightened as if it already knew what happened. The Queen merely smiled and lifted a long, elegant arm.

"See for yourself." she said hauntingly before waving her hand.

Suddenly Jace dropped to his knees, clasping his chest, panting. "Jace!" Clary yelled, dropping to the ground beside him. Wrapping her arms around him, she turned to the Queen, fire burning within her green eyes. "What did you do to him?!"

"I simply removed the glamour that allowed him to continue in ignorance for so long. Now he shall know the truth. I have done what was requested of me, Jonathon's plan has been cast into action. Now all there is left to do is watch how the war will unfold and the world be burned to the ground." with that, the Seelie Queen turned away, the leaves of her dress crumbling like Jace's face as the pain began to subside. Clary watched the Queen walk away, merging back into the forest once more.

"Clary." Jace choked out. Clary turned back to him with a worried fever.

"What is it? What did she do?" she asked. Jace stared at her with wide eyes. Her stomach dropped again as she saw tears begin to collect in them.

"I can't feel it anymore." he said, sounding more lost than she had ever heard him before. "Can't feel what Jace?" she asked, panic beginning to creep into her voice.

"Him. Clary, I can't feel Alec." Clary gasped, eyes widening.

"Jace, the rune!" she said as Jace nodded, hastily removing his shirt. Jace's face drained of color and Clary brought her hands up, covering her mouth. The skin around his parabatai rune was discolored and the rune itself was dripping a thick black ichor. Clary turned to Jace, the horror in her eyes mirroring his own.

"What does that mean?" she asked. Jace stared at her, the looking in his eyes chilling her straight to the bone.

"I don't know." he said, voice a whisper.

Simon sat in a booth in the corner of Taki's. With a sigh, he checked his phone for the third time. 2:30, thirty minutes later than when Isabelle was supposed to meet him there. After sending a quick text asking where she was, Simon put his phone down and took a drink. Just as he was setting the glass back down again, his phone began vibrating.

"Hello? Izzy?" he asked without bothering to look at the caller id. There was a pause before an amused almost hysteric voice answered him.

"Are you sure you don't need those glasses Lewis? Because you seemed to have mistaken my glorified name for hers." Simon rolled his eyes, glaring softly at his drink in front of him.

"Is there a reason why you called?" he asked.

"Yes actually. I was going to ask if you knew where Iz was but I take it you don't by the way you answered." Simon frowned at the change in Jace's tone.

"Why? What's going on?" Simon asked, straightening up in the booth. There was another pause.

"Isabelle was the only one at the Institute this morning when I left to go train with Clary and Maryse and Robert are still in Idris for the emergency Clave meetings…" Jace trailed off at the end as if distracted by something. "And?" Simon prodded.

"And there appears to be the burned remains of a recently opened portal in the front yard." Jace finished. Simon blinked at the tone of his voice.

"Maybe it was Alec?" Simon suggested, though for some reason he had a feeling it wasn't him.

"No it wasn't him." Jace answered, a definite sound to his voice. Simon frowned. "How can you be-"

"Because I am." Jace interrupted, "Now get over here Lewis!" Simon could hear Clary yelling at Jace on the other end. "Fine!" he heard Jace yell before there was a rustling sound of movement.

"Simon?" he heard Clary ask.

"Clary? What's going on?" Simon asked. There was a pause on the other end of the phone and he could almost picture her chewing nervously on her bottom lip.

"I don't know. Jace's…"

"Clary?"

"Simon I'm really worried. Jace's parabatai rune it's…it's dripping some sort of black liquid." Simon's eyes widened.

"What does that even mean?" Simon asked, worry creeping into his voice. Alec has been AWOL for the past month…

"We don't know, there's nothing anywhere about it." Simon frowned at her tone of voice.

"How long has it been missing for?"

"Just today. The Seelie Queen she…she came and talked to us and said something about revealing the 'truth' and all of a sudden Jace felt a sharp pain in his chest and the rune started dripping.

"Did you ask anyone else what that could mean? Luke? Jocelyn? Damn even Magnus?" Simon demanded. There was another pause on the phone.

"Magnus disconnected his line and I don't want to bother Luke or mom if we can help it." Simon closed his eyes in frustration.

"Nevermind." Simon said, interrupting her, "Just wait there I'm on my way." Simon snapped his phone shut and threw down ten bucks on the table, yelling at the waitress to keep the change as he headed out the door. As he quickly made his way down the busy streets to the Institute worry engulfed his mind like a fog-worry for Clary and himself, Alec and Jace, Isabelle, and even Magnus. Something inside of him was telling him things were going to take a break-neck turn for the worst and they were all going to be sent tumbling.

Izzy please be save…

"Oh Alec…" Isabelle whispered out, her crying having been reduced to hiccups. Slowly, Isabelle reached a small, shaking, fair hand towards Alec's. As she moved to enclose his hand in hers, his body suddenly vanished.

Magnus' cat eyes widened in shock as the room took on a new appearance-the furniture became covered in dust and cobwebs, the blood beneath his knees and around the dried, taking the wet sensation and stains on his pants with them. Turning to Camille's body, Magnus watched in slight satisfaction as her once beautiful body crumbled to dust. Isabelle gasped.

"What just happened?" she asked, her wide brown eyes meeting his as he turned to her. At her question, Magnus was able to shake off his shock.

"Isabelle…I think that it was all a high level glamor." Isabelle's face paled.

"But that would require a lot of power…" Isabelle trailed off. Magnus nodded, worry clouding his eyes, "Which means someone very powerful is behind this." he said, finishing her sentence.

"Someone very powerful indeed, the Seelie Queen to exact." Magnus and Isabelle froze like deer caught in the headlights at the sound of the familiar voice behind them. Turning slowly, Magnus felt his heart speed up at the sight before him while Isabelle let out a gasp.

"Alec?" she asked hesitantly, unsure of the site in front of her. Alec's mouth turned up in a cold, amused smirk.

"In the flesh." Alec answered, dry amusement coating his words. Magnus pursed his lips, eyebrows furrowing at Alec's uncharacteristic demeanor.

"You…you're not Alec." Magnus turned to quickly look at Isabelle before turning back to Alec at the assured note in her tone.

Alec's smirk widened, "If I'm 'not Alec' than who do you suppose I am?"

"I don't know…" Isabelle answered, trailing off as she stared at him. Magnus had no idea either. 'He has on different shadowhunting gear than usual that covers his arms…pretty normal though', Magnus thought to himself, 'he doesn't have his bow though…' he noted as he stared at the two swords hanging at his waist. Two swords that weren't seraph blades… 'No seraph blades and no trademark bow and gear that covers his usually bare arms…' Magnus' eyes widened, 'his eyes!' Magnus looked up and felt like the air had just been knocked out of his lungs.

"Isabelle, his eyes…" Magnus trailed off, not wanting to believe the site in front of him. Beside him he heard Isabelle let out another gasp.

"No Alec, not you." she said, despair filling her voice. Alec smiled at them, his white teeth shinning viciously at them under the fluorescent lights, "Not me what Izzy?" he asked in taunting manner.

"Sebastian got you…" Magnus said more to himself than Alec, voice shaking. Alec's eyes-once a strikingly bright blue now turned a more sinister shade like the depths of the ocean-shined with a dark flame.

"'Sebastian got you', you make it sound like it's a bad thing." Alec said in an amused tone. Isabelle shook her head slowly at him.

"Alec, it is a bad thing." Isabelle said. Alec raised an eyebrow at her as she continued, "I know you don't think it is now but that's because you've changed."

Alec snorted, "Yeah, changed for the better that is." it was Magnus' turn to shake his head.

"No Alec, you've changed for the worse-"

"How have I changed for the worse? Before I felt like I was a caged animal-ashamed of who I was and always trying to hide away from the world. Now though, now I'm free and it's exhilarating." Alec said, his eyes darkening. Magnus shared a quick look with Isabelle, giving her a small, almost unnoticeable nod when he saw her tighten her grip on her whip. Turning back to Alec Magnus pursed his lips. This new Alec was dangerous and unpredictable, they had to be careful.

"Alec you were perfect the way you were-we all loved you." Isabelle said, her voice holding a calm, almost persuasive tone.

"You all loved me? Was it love when Jace, my own parabatai, ignored me for Clary? Was it love when you, dear sister, didn't notice what was wrong with me because you were too caught up with the daylighter? Is it love when a mother and father ignore their own son because they're ashamed or because it ruins their chances at a job? Or is it love when the person you loved most leaves you on the words of their ex without listening to your side?" Alec demanded, his eyes flashing dangerously. Magnus felt guilt slowly crawling its way into his heart and mind.

"You tried to steal away my immortality. What explanation could you have for that? Alec didn't look faced by his accusing tone at all, merely blinking at him.

"I never thought to steal away your immortality Magnus," Alec said, his voice a plain monotone, "the only reason I talked to Camille was because she could tell me about your past-something you always avoided, disregarded, or made me feel horrible for asking about." at his words Magnus felt the claws of guilt entrap him, 'If I had just stayed and listened to him this never would have happened. Alec would still be Alec-my Alec. My fault…'

"Alec-" Magnus started, his voice ruff. Alec just shook his head, a lazy, arrogant smirk adorning his face.

"It's fine now Magnus, I'm over it." Alec said, waving his hand dismissively, "Besides, I've moved on to bigger and better things. Faeries to be precise. Faces like angels with a demon side that makes them fun." Alec continued, looking at Magnus with amusement glittering in his eyes. Magnus stared back at him and felt his stomach churn at the thought of what he was implying.

Magnus schooled his features, "If that's so than why are you here, Alec?" he asked, the coldness of his voice surprising him. Isabelle turned to him with a glare aglow in her eyes.

"Magnus-" she started before Alec waved her off.

"It's fine Izzy, this little chat is beginning to drag on anyways." he said. Magnus felt cold chills move up his spine as Alec began to finger the hilt of one of his swords with a gloved hand.

Alec looked over at Magnus and smiled, as if reading his mind. Out of the corner of his eye Magnus saw Isabelle rising slowly to her feet. Not taking his eyes off Alec, Magnus mirrored her actions. Alec continued smiling at them as they rose, a predator-like glint in his eyes.

"I'm actually here to give you two a choice," Alec said after they had risen. Magnus watched as Isabelle cocked one hip to the side and placed her hand on the other arrogantly.

"Let me guess-join us or die? That's rather cliché of Sebastian." though her voice was sarcastic, Magnus could see the worry in her posture. All hopes he had of Alec not noticing vanished when he saw his smile widen.

"Actually dear sister, that ship has sailed. Sebastian has no more room or want for nephlim in his army-not even for his second in command's little sister. No, I came here to ask if you'd like me to kill you now or later?"

"Simon you're here!" Clary said as she opened the door to the Sanctuary. Simon gave her a quick smile before he entered the only part of the Institute on unhallowed ground. Inside he saw Jace pacing around the room in an angry manner.

"Where's Izzy?" he asked. Jace stopped in his pacing and turned to him.

"I don't know." he said. Simon frowned.

"Well where do you think she could-"

"I. Don't. Know." he ground out, glaring at him. Simon's eyes widened as Jace's skin began to glow as if a light had been lit right beneath it.

"Hey Human Torch, might want to power down there." Simon said, eying Jace warily. Jace began to flare up, getting brighter.

"What did you call me?" he demanded.

"Jace! The fire!" Clary yelled at him. Jace looked to her then back to himself, his own eyes widening at the sight.

"Oh." he said, taking deep breaths to try and calm it away. After a few seconds the light beneath his skin began to dim out. Once it had completely died out, Clary spoke again.

"I think I've come up with a rune that will let us recreate the portal that was used earlier." she said. Jace nodded along while Simon frowned.

"That's great for finding the teleporting culprit who singed your front yard but we still don't know what's wrong with your rune or where Izzy is." Jace turned a golden glare on him.

"Think Lewis, Isabelle's missing and there's the remains of a portal. Who do we know that can easily create a portal and would be willing to do so for her? I'll give you a hint, he looks like a walking disco ball." Jace said, "Besides, that would give her a good excuse to avoid going on a date with you." Simon clenched his fits, glaring at him.

"Either way we should hurry up and try it out. Who knows how long ago it was used." Clary said, deciding it was a good time to intervene; especially with the way Jace was avoiding talking about his rune. Jace and Simon nodded, Simon albeit reluctantly.

The trio headed to the front of the glamour disguised institute and the portal remains. Clary dropped to her knees beside it, Simon and Jace a little ways away from her. Pulling the stele out of the front of her coat pocket, Clary began to drag it across the ground into burning swirls. After completing the last swirl, she sat for another moment to admire her work before standing back up. Nothing happened.

Simon turned to her with confusion on his face, "Ummm Fray-"

Suddenly blue energy shot out of the rune on the ground, the force of it blew at them, sending their hair and clothing flailing about around them. The blue energy began to rise up out of the rune in tendrils, entangling about themselves as they came together to form a wisp like archway. The energy waves died down around them as the mimic portal came to a completion. Clary waited another moment before turning to look at Simon, "You were saying?" she asked, a cheeky smile on her face.

Simon ignored her.

Jace pushed forward past them in an impatient manner, "Come on, let's go." he said. As Jace stepped up to the portal, as if sensing his actions, the portal reached out around him and engulfed him, almost seeming as if to swallow him. Clary looked back at Simon and gave him a nod before following after her boyfriend. Simon himself took another look around and a deep breath, even though he didn't need it, before following after the couple, stepping into the unknown beyond the blue portal.

"What?" Isabelle choked out. Alec just shook his head at them.

"Surely you know there is a war coming-a war that you can't possibly win." his voice sounded miles away to Magnus, his heart pounding in his ears, 'Alec is going to kill us…' "We are going to burn down this world and all those who stand in our way. I'm here to offer you a merciful death, something I promise you you'll not receive on the battle field." Alec continued, "So what will it be?" Magnus tightened his fists, his nails digging into his palms, clearing his thoughts. Magnus turned to share a quick look with Isabelle and saw that she was staring fixedly at Alec, face set.

"Alec…I refuse to die. I will live through this war-we will win." Isabelle said, gripping her whip tighter as she slowly slipped into a battle stance, "And you'll be with us!" Alec smirked and turned to Magnus.

"What about you Mags?" he asked, eyes glinting. Magnus narrowed his eyes, ignoring the tug of his heart, and raised his hands slightly, blue sparks slithering between his fingers.

Alec let loose a dark chuckle, sending chills up Magnus' spine as he wrapped a gloved hand around one of the hilts of his swords, "If that is what you wish." It was not what Magnus wished but if this was what it took to get his Alec back than that's what he was going to do-Lilith be damned!

Simon stumbled a bit, grabbing his head as the world came to around him, "Portals," he grumbled to himself as he tried to make the world stop spinning. When he finally regained his bearings, he opened his eyes only to find Jace smirking at him.

"Had a few too many Bloody Marys there Lewis?" while his persona was mocking, Simon could see the worry clouding his golden eyes. Ignoring him, Simon closed his eyes, focusing his senses as he sniffed the air.

And crinkled his nose as a burning sensation ripped through it. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

"Simon what is it?" Clary asked. Opening his eyes he looked at the couple with a worried expression.

"I smell Iz and Magnus but there's something else too. And it smells wrong."

"Where?" Jace demanded.

"Up there…hurry!" he said before turning and darting up the stairs, Jace and Clary on his heels. When they reached the top, Simon grabbed the door handle and pushed.

Inside the room Simon saw Isabelle and Magnus looking prepared for war, focused on a figure in front of them. The figure was dressed in shadowhunting gear with hair to match. 'Is that-'

"Alec?" he heard Jace ask from behind him. The figure in front of them turned, a dark smirk playing on his lips. Simon's eyes narrowed as he put his guard up. The figure in front of them smelt like Alec but also had a familiar, burning smell just under the surface. 'The same I smelt from downstairs…where have I smelt it before?'

Suddenly like lightning, Isabelle flicked her whip, sending it towards Alec's back faster than he'd ever seen it go before. The whip connected with steel and Simon's eyes widened as he saw that Alec had moved a sword over his back, the whip wrapping around it. Before anyone could react Alec pulled his sword forward, ripping the whip from Isabelle's grasp. Turning, back around, Alec caught the whip in his right hand, bringing it back down with a vicious momentum against her. The whip connected in between her neck and shoulder, slicing apart sweater and skin. With a scream Isabelle dropped to her knees, covering her wound as blood began to pour out of it. Simon felt his fangs begin to poke out as the familiar scent of her blood drifted through his senses. Covering his mouth and nose, Simon turned away while Magnus dropped to Isabelle's side, covering her wound with his hand and beginning to heal it.

Alec looked from the scene in front of him back to the whip in his hand in a disinterested manner, "I was never good with these things, I always missed my target during practice." he said before tossing the whip back to Isabelle. The echo of the whip hitting the ground reverberated around the shocked silent room and seemed to snap Jace out of his own stupor.

Grabbing his seraph blade, Jace said its heavenly name before dropping into a defensive pose, staring at Alec, "What the hell Alec?!" Jace demanded. Alec, not looking back at Jace, shrugged, "She tried to hit me first." he said, voice mimicking that of a child's before he started chuckling quietly. Jace turned to Clary and saw the same questioning look in her eyes that he knew was in his own.

"Jace…it's not Alec." Isabelle grit at though her teeth, her wound glowing as Magnus worked to close it. Alec snorted, shaking his head.

"How many times are you going to say-"

"As many times as it takes to get it through your thick head that this isn't you." Isabelle said, holding onto her now healed shoulder.

Alec's eyes narrowed, "The old me is dead and gone-burned away by Lilith's blood. Risen from the ashes is who I am now and who I will continue to be."

Simon's eyes widened, 'That's why the burnt smell was familiar-it's the same smell Sebastian's followers had!' Simon turned to look at Jace and Clary. Clary had her hands over her mouth, eyes widened while Jace just stared at Alec, a look of fearful disbelief adorning his face.

"Alec…" Jace started, trailing off. Alec turned to them smirking.

"Besides, I'm better off this way. Before I'd been too weak to kill a demon up until this year. Now though, now I have no problem killing-in fact I'd say I've gotten good at it." Isabelle felt her stomach drop.

"Alec you haven't?" Isabelle said. Alec shook his head laughing to himself before turning to face her.

"Izzy you don't really believe I haven't killed anything this past month do you? I mean I came here to kill you and Magnus today." he said, his voice nonchalant as if he was discussing the weather. Clary gasped.

"Sebastian told you to kill your own sister and boyfriend?" Clary deamanded, "And you were okay with that?" Alec turned back to them.

"Actually it was my idea. There is a war coming and this was my offer of mercy-something the world and heavens above will not receive." Alec answered. "And that's ex-boyfriend." he added dismissively like an afterthought.

"What?" Clary demanded. Alec just laughed at her.

"That was what I was here for but now that you three have shown up I suppose I'll just take my leave." he said, moving towards the door. Jace moved in front of him, seraph blade still drawn.

"What makes you think we're just going to let you leave?" Jace asked, voice dangerously calm. Alec stared at him for a second before blinking.

"What makes you think you can stop me?" he asked, smiling. Jace stood his ground, staring at him; if he was worried it didn't show.

"I've beaten Sebastian before and now you're just another one of his lackeys." Jace said. Alec just smirked at him, crossing his arms over his chest.

"There is a reason why I'm his second in command. It turns out I take to the blood better than most." Jace's eyes widened causing the same reaction in Alec's smirk, "And anyway, the only reason I'm not killing you myself right here is because Sebastian requested that I not," Alec's eyes took on a dangerous gleam, "however if you were to attack me first I'm sure an exception could be made."

Jace schooled his features quickly before scoffing, "What, does Sebastian still carry the delusional illusion that Clary and I will join him?"

Alec's smirk became an even more menacing grin, "On the contrary, Sebastian no longer wishes to extend his offer to you two. In fact, Sebastian wants to be the one to kill you himself." Clary felt her stomach drop, eyes widened in shock. Alec looked back and forth between Jace and Clary before letting out a dark chuckle. Shouldering past Jace Alec sauntered out of the room, not looking back once as the door slammed shut behind him.

A/N: So let me know what you think! Reviews and follows give me motivation to write faster ;]