Hey!

Alright readers, so this chapter is longer than usual, but I hope you guys like it.

I present to you...

Chapter 10!

- EasyIsTheDescent

Disclaimer: I own nothing of TMI nor its characters, only Cassandra Clare.

Such facts bring on physical pain, but I get over it.

Mostly.

"Damn this place is creepy," Liam muttered to himself. We were hurrying through the small courtyard of the Marble Cemetery, following Clary, which was probably not the best course of action, but screw it, no one else had been here before. We reached a large statue of the Angel, and we stopped.

"Last time I was here, Brother Jeremiah used a rune on the statue to open the door to the City." Clary explained, and I edged in front of her.

"Yeah well I'm no Brother Jeremiah," I announced, "But I am a Shadowhunter." I took out my family dagger, and before anyone could object, I made a small cut on my palm. I turned my hand over, letting blood drip onto the stone cup that was a part of the statue.

"Let me see, Ms. Suicidal," Liam grabbed my hand, and I rolled my eyes.

"What's a little blood to a Shadowhunter?"

"A little blood my ass, Nightlock. Look at your damned hand."

Well I thought it was a little cut. I glanced down, and I noticed that my hand was slowly turning black in the darkness. "Oh."

Liam rolled his eyes, but didn't have time to draw an iratze on my hand by the time the staircase was revealed.

"Something's wrong," Clary whispered.

"No kidding!"

"Oh, you know what I mean, Rose."

I took out a witchlight as Clary did the same, and Alec and Liam went first, followed by me and Clary, and Isabelle followed close behind.

When we reached the center of the City, I moved the witchlight in an effort to see what was in front of me in a clearer light.

And I wished I hadn't.

"Oh, by the Angel," I gasped, staring at the Silent Brother's dead body. He was currently speared on one of the spires, and very obviously dead.

"I thought they were indestructible," Isabelle whispered, and I shook my head.

"I'm afraid I feel the urge to argue with that theory."

"Shut up, Rose, let's just find Jace," Alec didn't give the Silent Brother another glance, and continued following a set of bloody footprints.

Clary shoved in front of Alec impatiently, and he followed her with a sigh. I was about to run after them, but Liam pulled me behind him, and then continued. I rolled my eyes at the overprotective gesture, but really I was touched. No one had ever been so concerned over my safety, not even Jace or Alec, because they figured I was fine on my own. Which I was, but Liam didn't seem to care.

Suddenly Clary was running through a set of open double doors, and I only had time to glance at Liam before we were running, Isabelle and Alec at our heels. We caught up with her just in time to see her draw some sort of rune on a cell door, and it blew off its hinges, falling to the ground.

"Clary, how-"

"Jace!"

The name made me instantly stop talking, and I wedged myself into the cell also, where Clary was hovering over a pale and bruised Jace.

His eyes fluttered open, and he looked up at us. "Rose… Clary? What are you doing here?"

"I came to find you," Clary whispered, and I felt as if my heart was breaking for the two of them.

"What's going on? Jace?" Alec's concerned voice echoed off the walls, as he practically dragged Isabelle into the room.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Alec asked, and Jace held up his uninjured hand, stopping him.

"One question at a time, Alec. My head already feels like it's going to split open."

"Who did this to you?" I asked, motioning towards his manacled wrist. It looked incredibly painful.

"No one, Rosie. I did it to myself," He murmured, and I sighed.

Both Clary and Alec made a move to help Jace, but I got in their way. An awkward Clary, an overprotective Alec, or a calm Rose?

I think the latter.

I took out my stele from my back pocket, drawing a healing rune just below the bleeding skin on Jace's wrist (and it was a very pretty, very experienced healing rune, I might add).

Not allowing either me or Alec to help him up, he started explaining the Silent Brother's murders as he knew them, but I was only partly listening. I moved to the side, next to Liam, and I leaned in to whisper something to him.

"It's like a soap opera around here," I pointed towards Jace and Clary, and Liam nodded.

"Preaching to the choir, here."

When I looked up, Isabelle kept glancing towards the exit. "We need to get out of here. If there's something out there nasty enough to kill the Silent Brothers, it'll make short work of us."

"I agree," I announced, "Alec and Liam can get Jace, we'll fix him up when we get outside."

I led the group this time, with Isabelle right behind me, and Liam, Alec, Jace, and Clary a little ways behind us. When we reached the area with the dead Silent Brothers, I flinched slightly, and I scolded myself mentally. You're a Shadowhunter, Rose. You are not a mundane, you are not squeamish.

I started walking determinedly towards the long staircase, and the closer to the top we were, the more I could relax.

Just as Clary breathed a silent sigh of relief, we saw a blinding light from ahead of us, and I turned to Isabelle. Good, so I wasn't the only one confused.

"We weren't down there that long," I muttered, and the rest seemed to be in agreement.

Jace muttered something under his breath, and Alec had to lean towards him. "What did you say?"

"Witchlight," Jace said, louder.

Isabelle grabbed my arm, dragging me up the steps in a fast pace, so it didn't help when she suddenly stopped at the opening. Whiplash, much?

"Damn you, Lightwood," I hissed as I tripped over one of the slippery steps, and when I stood next to her, my eyes widened in surprise.

I skimmed over the group of people standing outside, all dressed in black gear, with witchlights in hand, and most importantly, black marks that traveled down their arms and necks.

Shadowhunters. A good sized group of them. And they were staring at us.

"By the Angel," A familiar man, Malik, I thought it was, said, "Maryse- there was already someone down there."

Maryse looked surprised, and quite frankly, a little scared. "I know, Malik. These are my children."

Everyone in the crowd gasped, and I wasn't going to lie, it wasn't fun being in the front, where everyone and their mother could see me. A little intimidating. Just a little.

We moved slightly, so that everyone was officially out of the Silent City, and Liam let go of Jace after he shot him a glare that could melt ice. We stood in a straight line, Liam at the end, followed by me, Alec, Jace, who was trying to stand apart from the rest of us, Isabelle, and Clary.

Maryse's gaze passed over us, stopping at each of her children in concern, excluding Liam and Clary, who she didn't seem to be focusing on much.

There was a conversation starting, and Alec seemed a little jumpy, probably from the crowd. I put my hand on his arm in a reassuring motion, and he smiled at me gratefully. Liam was the only one other than him that was considered an adult in Shadowhunter years, but no one was probably going to be listening to Liam anytime soon, especially when Alec's opinion was available.

And Liam seemed perfectly fine with that.

"Does Maryse look like she's about to have a panic attack, or is it just me?" He whispered in my ear, so low that even I had to struggle to hear it.

"It's Maryse. She always looks like that," I murmured bitterly.

"Jace doesn't look too good," Liam warned quietly, and I glanced at him. He indeed looked quite ghastly, to say the least, and as much as I was worried about him, it was still overpowered by my hatred towards Maryse right now.

"I think it's quite clear what he means," A voice interrupted the conversation at hand, and I groaned.

"Not her again," I grumbled, and Liam wrapped an arm around my waist, whether to be comforting or to restrain me, I couldn't tell.

The Inquisitor looked like she could use some restraining as well.

But of course, there wasn't one person in the whole damn nation that would be willing to do that.

"Don't you dare say a word," Liam whispered, and I rolled my eyes.

"Oh darling, you know me better than that. I medically cannot go for any period of time without making a sarcastic comment."

"It's funny how much Jace annoys you, and yet you act just like him."

"Okay, see now I'm insulted."

I glanced around, and I realized that all of the other Shadowhunters had cleared out, leaving us alone with Maryse and Inquisitor Herondale. Boy, Liam and I had missed something.

Just as I looked up, Jace crumpled to the ground in pain, and I rushed over to him, where Clary and Alec were already at his side. Isabelle kneeled down next to me, the four of us forming a concerned-sibling formation, with Liam hovering behind me.

"He needs help, the runes aren't working," I said, and when I glanced behind me at Maryse and the Inquisitor, Maryse was being held back, when she really wanted to come and check on Jace.

"He's shamming, he ought to be in the Silent City right now." The Inquisitor argued, and I started to stand up, not necessarily knowing what I was doing, but Liam gently pushed me back down in warning.

"Rose has a point," Alec interrupted, "Jace needs help."

"And what do you suggest? The Silent Brothers are dead. Would you like to take him to a mundane hospital?"

"No," Alec said, trying to contain his anger as well, "I was thinking Magnus Bane."

He started arguing with the Inquisitor, and I met Maryse's gaze. She was staring at Jace with a maternal longing, as if she wanted nothing more than to be where I was sitting. I remembered when I first met Maryse, I hadn't liked her, because she reminded me too much of my mother. But after a while I realized that I missed that maternal figure. I had practically become a mother myself, taking care of Ethan, and it was nice to know someone was there to take care of me.

But this couldn't be that Maryse. Because that Maryse wouldn't have let Jace just slip away. She wouldn't allow herself to be held back by a stuck-up woman like the Inquisitor. I quickly changed my expression into the iciest glare I could manage, and it was enough. Maryse winced, glancing away.

"Magnus! Magnus, come out!" Alec called suddenly, and I looked away from Maryse quickly. Magnus approached us, dressed in his fabulous, sparkly attire, as always. I glanced from him to Alec and back, causing Alec to glare at me, turning a bright red. Hey, if he thought I didn't notice the hickey, he was wrong.

"Is he dead? He looks dead." Magnus asked, regarding Jace, who was lying in the grass at the moment.

I rolled my eyes. "No, Magnus, he's not dead."

He grinned at me in greeting. "Ah, darling Rose. But are you sure? I can check, I can kick him if you want."

"Stop that!" The Inquisitor snapped, interrupting our back-and-forth arguing.

"It's like staring at the sun," Liam whispered in my ear, distracting me from the Inquisitor, who was admitting defeat. Well, no she wasn't, but I liked to believe she was.

"I know. If Ethan thought his eyes were burning the other day, he would get a kick out of Magnus."

"It suits him though. I heard glitter is the new black."

I smiled slightly. "Don't tell Isabelle, or we are forever doomed to shine."

Liam shuddered.

When Jace started moving, I looked away from Liam, to see that Magnus was looking down at him, and Jace blinked slightly, which caused Liam to chuckle under his breath.

"Hey, roommate." Magnus grinned, and I couldn't help it. I died laughing.

When we got back to the Institute, Isabelle, Liam, and I, as Alec was helping Jace get settled in with Magnus and Clary went home, I was not prepared for the angry hoard that was waiting for me.

"YOU! YOU BACKSTABBING, LYING, CHEATING…" Ethan yelled, and I glanced at Liam, who was blinking in surprise.

"ROSE NIGHTLOCK! SO HELP ME, WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU-" Ethan cut off when he saw us, and he looked confused. "What happened? Where's Alec, and Jace, and Clary?"

"We'll tell you later, Ethan, now I for one am taking a shower. Good day," Liam hurried down the hallway, and I glared after him. Traitor, feeding me to the wolves like that.

"Peace, children," Izzy sighed, and she left Ethan and I, alone in the foyer.

"I'm not sorry," I admitted, and Ethan was fuming.

"Of course you aren't, you know you always leave me here, like you don't trust me! I'm a Shadowhunter, Rose! I am just as qualified and just as obligated to fight as you are!" He yelled, his dark brown eyes glinting with anger, and I flinched.

"You think I don't trust you? I trust you, Ethan! You are an incredible Shadowhunter, and I trust my life in your hands more than you know. But even incredible Shadowhunters get hurt, Ethan! And if something happened to you, do you think I would last? Do you think I could live with myself? Do you?" I could barely whisper the end of my conversation, but I didn't let the pain in my throat distract me from yelling at him. Ethan's expression had softened, and he was currently staring at something.

"What happened?" He asked quietly, pointing at my hand, and I looked down. The cut I had made wasn't bleeding or anything, and I had forgotten about it completely. There was still blood covering my hand, dried along my palm.

"I got a little slicing-happy when I used my blood to get into the City," I whispered, and Ethan pulled a stele from his belt wordlessly, drawing an iratze on my wrist.

"Thanks," I murmured, and Ethan and I started walking down the hallway.

"Did you mean what you said? That you couldn't live with yourself if something happened to me?" He asked quietly, and I looked at him skeptically.

"You're my little brother, Ethan. It's my job to take care of you, if I lost you…" My voice cracked, and I pulled him into a hug, holding onto him tightly.

"Promise you will start taking me with you more often?" Ethan pleaded, and I sighed.

"Fine, Ethan." I murmured quietly, not meeting his gaze, "Now go to bed."

He started walking towards his room, before stopping and turning to me. "I love you Rose," He called, and I smiled slightly.

"I love you too," I replied, and I walked into my room, shutting the door.

I took a quick shower, changing back into my pajamas and brushing my teeth, prepared to sleep the morning away. I could almost hear Hodge scolding me now… I pushed the thought away firmly when I heard a knock on the door.

"Proceed," I called, and Liam poked his head in, grinning.

"You make everything sound so official."

"What can I say, I'm a business woman."

He rolled his eyes, shutting the door and walking up to me. He sat down next to me on my bed, and before I could say anything, he kissed me, cutting off anything I was about to say.

"What was that for?" I asked, slightly breathless.

"You mean to tell me I can't kiss a beautiful woman for no reason?"

"I guess not. I absolutely do not mind, though."

"I see," He laughed, entwining his hand with mine.

"So are you okay?" He asked, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

He shrugged. "With all this stuff with Jace and Valentine, I guess I've just been worried about you."

I felt oddly touched. "Well, worry not, handsome fellow, because I am just fine." I assured him, and he grinned.

"Handsome?"

"Absolutely."

"You're not so bad yourself."

"Ha."

"Oh Rose, when will you finally admit that you truly are beautiful?" Liam asked, honestly curious.

"Uh, when it comes true."

"You are a frustrating creature, did you know that?"

"Yes, I take great pride in such a talent, in fact."

He laughed, and I smiled at him as he kissed my forehead.

"You missed," I told him, and before he could object, I kissed him fully on the lips, and he didn't seem to want to object.

"But you didn't," He grinned, and I shrugged.

"Yet another one of my many talents."

"But you see, this one I don't mind. I do not mind it at all."

"I bet you don't," I laughed, and at that moment Liam's phone rang, which I glanced at incredulously.

"It's like four in the morning!"

"It's my brother, from Australia. It's around eight at night there." He said sheepishly, and I was suddenly intrigued. I wanted to witness this phone call.

"Hey, Chris, what's going on?" Liam answered, and though he sounded calm, I noticed how excited he was. It was touching, how much a phone call from his brother meant to him. I guess I took for granted the idea of living a few rooms down from my siblings.

"Oh, nothing, just trying to stay awake at four in the morning." He said sarcastically, and he winked at me.

He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye as he spoke. "Yeah, I'm with someone."

"Just someone?" I gasped, feigning hurt and disappointment. He rolled his eyes.

"Oh, just this beautiful, amazing woman." He grinned, and suddenly he held the phone away from his ear, wincing. I could hear a very loud voice, most likely yelling.

Once the yelling died down, he put the phone back to his ear. "Well, we can't exactly meet up for coffee every Saturday, now can we?" He said, and listened to a response.

"Tell him about my amazing talents!" I urged, and he raised an eyebrow skeptically, ignoring me.

"Oh, she's very funny, kind, smart, good with a blade, stunningly attractive…" He trailed off when I raised an eyebrow at him, "But she's very bossy. A little snippy too," He added, and I glared at him.

"You better hope you sleep with a weapon nearby and one eye open, Darkstrider. I will get you." I warned, and he grinned wickedly.

"I'll be waiting."

He paused, listening to something his brother, Chris, had said, and whatever it was, it seemed to trouble him. His brow furrowed slightly, and his gaze flickered to me. "Yeah, I think I do."

"You think you do what?" I wiggled my eyebrows mischievously, and he shook his head, smiling.

"Yes, yes she is," He said, glancing at me.

"You know, I'm feeling very out of the loop." I grumbled, and he caught a strand of my hair, twirling it through his fingers.

"So how's Evelyn and Lacey?" He asked, and he smiled widely at the response.

"That's my niece," He approved, and smiled. He always spoke very fondly of Lacey. "Is Evelyn still mad that I gave her a chocolate bar that one time while she was at a Clave meeting?"

I was guessing the answer was a yes. Liam cringed.

"And that is my sister-in-law," He said, a little less enthusiastically.

"Please tell me that she kicked your ass," I pleaded hopefully, and he nudged my arm playfully. I nudged him back, rolling my eyes.

"Chris says yes," He laughed, "And… call me."

"Then give the man my number then!" I joked, and his eyes narrowed at me.

"That reminds me, it's late here Chris, and we only just got back from the Silent City." Liam explained, and we shared a knowing glance that said 'Need to know' basis.

"You'll find out soon enough," Liam promised, and after some exchanged goodbyes, Liam hung up.

"Well," I yawned, "I'm tired. You?"

"Extremely," He agreed, and I fell back against my pillow, faintly realizing that Liam hadn't even bothered to go back to his room.

... Satisfying?

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Bye!

- EasyIsTheDescent