Hey guys! So here's the seventh chapter for my story Welcome Back...Not. I'd been trying for a while to figure this one out, but everytime I went to type it, I lost my train of thought and would have to erase it. So here's the version that I'm putting up now. Hopefully, you'll like it.

Disclaimer: Mortal Instruments series belongs to Cassandra Clare, not me.



Ch. 7

Clary`s POV

Well after my total mental breakdown and a major bawling-fest, Jace brought me back to the Institute, though I hardly remember the ride back. All I do remember was when we finally got back was that I was so tired that Jace had to literally pick me up and carry me in. I think he asked me if I was alright a couple dozen of times, but I can't remember. I was out the second my head hit the pillow.

The next morning was about as bad as the previous night. With all my crying, my throat was incredibly sore and I had a really bad headache. What can I say? When I cry a lot, I get massive headaches. I probably would have gone right back to bed, except there was someone knocking at my door.

"Come in," I attempted to say, my throat feeling like someone was rubbing sandpaper along the inside. I sat up in my bed as Jace came in with a tray in his hands.

"Hey," he greeted me with a sympathetic smile. "I made you some breakfast. Thought you might want it in here… so you wouldn't have to try and explain anything about last night or something," he said as he sat the ray on my lap. The smell of the freshly cooked bacon and waffles was heavenly, and the ice cold orange juice felt really good on my sore throat.

"Thanks for this Jace. That was really sweet of you," I said.

"No problem. But if you tell anyone about this, I will deny everything," he joked. I couldn't help but laugh as the old Jace attitude started to come back.

"So how are you feeling?" he asked me, and I looked down at my plate as I pushed my food around.

"I guess I feel OK. About as much as a person can when all this happens to them at the same time. I mean, I should have seen this coming and all, but it still is a shock when it actually happens. I'm a Shadowhunter, but that doesn't mean that my life gets the happily ever after that most people dream about." I looked up from my rambling to see Jace was going to say something- probably tell me that I was just putting myself down or something like that- so I kept talking.

"Anyway, I think I'm gonna get changed and go for a run through the park," I said as I got up from bed and handed the tray to Jace before I started pushing him towards the door. "Thanks again for the great breakfast Jace. I really appreciate it." And before he could say anything, I closed the door in his face, turning to rest my back against it as I slid down to the floor.

,:~:,

Well a month after the party incident things were falling back into place, minus Simon. Izzy, Alec, and I were continuing on our nightly patrols, now joined by one Jace… whoever, and there was still no clue as to where Valentine was or what he was planning.

A week ago, we received a letter from the Clave demanding that we were to come Alicante immediately. The Lightwoods were obviously very excited to go back to their old home as well as Jace, but I wasn't as thrilled. Ever since of our last fights with Valentine, the Inquisitor had been determined to find out how I came to be able to create runes and use them for her own needs. That old bat really could get under my skin like no other- even worse than Valentine because I knew I couldn't kill her despite how much I wanted to.

So here we all were, standing outside the Institute with a small pile of luggage beside us- Izzy never could travel light. Magnus was there with us, looking rather odd in the professional three piece black suit and polished leather shoes. If it weren't for his eyes and hair, he could have looked like an average mundane, which I was sure he would hate to know if I told him. Just the way he kept tugging at the collar told me how much he despised dressing like that. He only dressed like that because of where we were going.

"What the hell are we waiting for?" Jace sounded exasperated as he twirled the ruby red handle of a seraph blade, but I guess I shouldn't blame him. This was the place that he grew up in after all and he knew a lot more about it than I did. Most Shadowhunters find Alicante to be considered as home, but I had a bit of a harder time believing that.

"Stop being impatient," Alec hissed at Jace. "The Clave doesn't just open the gateway to Alicante like you'd turn on a switch. If we tried now, who knows where the hell we'll end up?"

'Always sticking up for the boyfriend, huh Alec?' I thought. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that Alec found someone that cared for him. Izzy was just as happy for her brother as I was. But something tells me that even after three years of seeing their eldest with a warlock, Maryse and Robert were still uncomfortable about the Downworlder.

"Alec is right Jace," Izzy added. "We could find ourselves in the Lake Lyn!" I laughed at the terrified expression that crossed Jace's face. Probably scared of the thought of getting his precious hair wet. It wouldn't have hurt- the blond strands looked greasy and slimy like a Ravener's scales. Izzy looked over at me like I had grown two heads. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It just seems kind of silly. What's so bad about this Lake Lyn?" I asked.

"Lake Lyn is said to be the very lake that Raziel rose from," Maryse answered for her daughter. "The Lake is also said to have powers in its waters that cause people to die from hallucinations and fevers. Those that were said to have survived had gone mad. Apparently they were thrown into the most secured prisons of Alicante's jail to protect those around them."

"It's time," Magnus suddenly spoke up, stopping whatever comeback Jace was about to say. With a couple flashes of bright lightning at his fingertips, Magnus wove his hands through the air and the courtyard wall of the Institute began glowing as the portal appeared. "Alright then, let's go."

"Clary, wait!" I stopped in my tracks and looked over my shoulder to see Simon jogging his way towards us. I silently cursed at my luck. Seeing Simon was the last thing I wanted before going to meet the Inquisitor Imogen.

"What are you doing here, Lewis?" I snarled as I shrugged my bag higher on my shoulder, my fingers twisting at the black leather straps- though I really wished they were twisting around his throat.

"Clary, I REALLY need to talk to you," he said as he took my hand, ignorant of the fact that there were several other Shadowhunters around him with really dangerous weapons on their persons.

Dropping my bag to the ground, I yanked hard on the hand wrapped around mine as I swatted into a crouch. The vampire before me tumbled to the ground face first, and I jumped on his back as I twisted his arm at a disturbing angle. I could hear the bones begin to snap under the force, but I just grinned and shoved his face even further in the dirt.

"Listen here Lewis. I don't have time to listen to the bullshit that comes out past those little fangs of yours," I hissed. "I've told you before that I didn't ever want to see your face around here again and that if I ever did, you'd regret it. So you'd better get the hell out of here before-"

Jace's POV

"Clary, we've got trouble!" I yelled. She looked up at me, clearly annoyed that I'd interrupted her rant, but when she saw that all of us had taken out some form of weapon, she looked over to the direction we were all facing.

There had to of been at least a dozen of Forsaken making their way towards us, each of them nearly as tall as a two-story house. Even at the distance we were from them, the stench rolling off their bodies was so strong it had my stomach churning.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Clary groaned as she jumped off the leech and snapped her whip from her waist and grabbed a seraph blade from her boot. I knew if the situation wasn't so serious, Maryse would have scolded Clary for all the cursing she'd said in the past five minutes.

,:~:,

"There's too many of them," Robert yelled as he ducked the giant club that was thrown at him, missing his head by mere inches. "We need to go through the portal now!"

"Max come on!" Clary yelled as she picked up the young boy by the waist and jumped through the portal after Magnus, shortly followed by the other two women.

"What about him?" Alec asked, nodding his head at the now unconscious form of Simon.

"We'll have to take him with us," Robert answered, slicing at the arm of one Forsaken and slinging his other arm under Simons' shoulder. Alec took his other side and they jumped through. I quickly jumped after them and the weirdest thing happened. As the portal started closing behind me, I caught one last glimpse of the courtyard and saw that the Forsaken had just… disappeared.


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Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)