Merry Christmas! 'Tis the season to be jolly- and to write more often!

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, I don't own the Mortal Instruments

Isabelle sighed. "Our mother told us that the girl we had befriended- taken in, practically- was Valentine Morgernstern's daughter, and she was in league with both himself and his son to destroy all Downworlders and 'cleanse' the Clave. Did you expect is to ignore that?" She paused, allowing the information to sink in. "But the rune you put on Alec made him practical unstoppable. He was going to come to the Silent City and find you, with or without our help."

"How can I make you believe that I'm not working with them?" Clary pronounced the word with disgust, as if it was contaminated with a deadly disease. Isabelle and Jace looked unsure. Was anything going to be enough to convince them? Her mind started spinning, trying to grasp the fact she could lose them- never mind the fact that she never really had them. Izzy could have been a great friend. It would have been strange, given that she hadn't hung out with girls in years, but Isabelle had depths of loyalty and love within her much bigger than anything Clary would have imagined from a snarky popular girl at school. And Jace. There was something about him that was unexplainable. The sarcastic humour seemed like a resource- a battle tactic, even. It defined him as much as killing demons did, but there was so much more to him. And now Clary would never have the chance to find out what those things were. Alec was a different story, but now that was kind of a moot point. In a few short days, she had become more attached to them than she could have imagined.

"Clary?" It was Alec. "You don't need to prove you're not with Valentine. It's just not possible, because your sense of morality is so well developed." She wanted to scream. Did she actually prefer the hostile and sullen Shadowhunter to the bright and honeyed one?

"ALEC!" Having finally expresses her frustration, Clary couldn't stop talking. "I am not the most amazing person in the world! You would realize that if you spent a second without your rose coloured glasses on! Please, please, please, stop acting like– like someone who isn't you!"

He blinked, and then shook his head like a wet dog.

It was clear the moment Alec returned. "Why the hell did you do that to me?" He shouted furiously, blazing with the strength angelic fury that was so rarely seen in him. The rest of what he was saying was lost on Clary. He was back. She would probably regret shaking him out of his stupor later, but for now, everyone just looked relieved. "Okay!" Jace lifted his voice to match Alec's. "Enough for now. You can berate her all you want later." Berate? Who says that any more? Clary wondered, wisely choosing not to say it aloud. "For now, we have some stuff to clear up."

Clary gave him a questioning look. In her head, it was all already 'cleared up'. There wouldn't be anything she could do to convince them.

"I have an idea." Jace said slowly. "But you're going to have to do some things that might technically be against the law."

Clary snorted. "So in order to prove to you I'm not breaking the law, I have to break the law." Jace grinned. "We go and get the Mortal Sword and then use it on her." He directed it at Isabelle and Alec.

"Whatever." Isabelle looked bored. "We should just sort out whose side she's on." Alec was furious. "Let her rot in the Silent City prisons!" He spat. There was an obvious hate towards Clary, but why? She looked between all of them. Jace, slightly annoyed, but mostly keeping his face a mask. Isabelle was inspecting her silver nails closely- presumably for chips. Alec was boiling. Clary guessed that it was reasonable to be mad for making him unswervingly loyal, but to this extent? There had to be something else behind it.

"Come on. Let's go." Isabelle interrupted her thoughts. She started off down the path, not wobbling even a little in her four inch heels. Current situation forgotten, Clary stared after her. "Coming?" She started, hurrying to catch up.

"Palms up." Jace said in a monotone. There had been silence- deafening silence- until that point. Clary obediently put her hands forward, ready to receive the sword. Shaking, she tilted her head defiantly. Clary Fairchild was not weak. The cool contours of the Mortal Sword pressed into her sweating palms. "Did you know Jonathan was the one dancing with you?" Alec was the first to dare question her. The answer seemed to bubble up without Clary's permission. "Not until the Consul said so."

"Had you met either him or Valentine before?" Isabelle obviously had conflicting feelings- was she struggling to reconcile the Clary she knew with the evil Shadowhunter she had pictured? Or did she simply not care enough to bother with this, and curiosity was winning out? "No."

Another question popped out. "Why was Jonathan dancing with you?" Clary sighed. "I don't know. Don't you think I've been trying to figure that out myself?" Jace had been watching up until that point, but now he interrupted, an impatient look spread across his face. "You're asking the wrong questions." He turned to face Clary. "Are you working with Valentine or Jonathan in any way?"

"Definitely not." Now she just couldn't help herself. "Have you questioned me enough to make sure I'm not going to run off and betray you all? I didn't realize you thought so badly of me. I should have known," she said bitterly, "that one of the only good things I had going for me would be ruined again." Clary shoved the sword in the direction of Jace, feeling where the metal had bitten into her hand when she tightened her grip on it and opening the skin there. In her haze she hardly felt the pain- only saw the blood trickling down her fingers. She ran as fast as she could for the exit of the Silent City. Valentine couldn't leave one thing in her life untouched. Her mother was still buried in grief from Jonathan, surfacing occasionally, but only when she thought Clary wasn't around. The reason she had no one her own age around was because there were only a few people who trusted Valentine's daughter- and even then, there was always some part of them that would be quick to turn on her, Clary was sure. Although, she thought in a miserable attempt to stop herself from moping, at least no one's abusing me. I have a roof over my head and good food to eat. But no one would be able to survive with only one loyal friend- one who didn't know half of my secrets. No. You could. But no one should have to.