Hey Guys! Sorry it has been entirely too long! So much going on with school I hadn't found the time to write, but I made some time today and wrote a bit of a longer chapter for you guys. Things are beginning to come to a head with our beloved characters so I hope you like it! Please rate and review! i love hearing from you all!

Jace knew exactly what he needed to do to find the queen. He hoped that the Clave hadn't thought of it yet. If the Seelies felt like the Clave was on to them they would certainly move again. If it were just him though, just him and Simon, then perhaps they wouldn't detect the tracking, or maybe they just wouldn't care. Either way it would be more effective if Jace were the only one who thought to use the hilt of the sword to track the queen. The signal would be faint, but it should be there. The clave isn't stupid. Jace knew they would do this too, once they were done running tests on it. The only way Jace stood a chance was if he didn't wait for the tests to be done.

Simon drove his hideous van back to the institute. He waited patiently by the curb as Jace strode purposefully into the institute. He stalked past church when the elevator doors opened, despite the felines grumble. Clave soldiers were everywhere, busy tracking manually, waiting, Jace hoped, on the still being tested sword hilt. Maryse looked up before Jace was out of the front room and locked her motherly stare on him. He met her eyes mournfully, knowing what he was about to do was going to get her and her family in trouble yet again. She furrowed her eyebrows slightly at his expression but when she seemed to make a move to come to him he quickly shook his head. She couldn't be his mom right now, not now. She sighed but nodded, trusting him. He wished she would stop putting so much faith in him.

As soon as her eyes were off him and he was freed from her stare he took off down the hall. He slowed momentarily passing the infirmary, wondering for a small moment how his girl was doing. If she was still fighting. Then he shook his head. He couldn't think of that right now. Right now he needed to be a warrior, a focused, dedicated soldier, or she would never survive. He continued down the hall until he reached the lab. Thinking it to be deserted he pushed through the door and collided with Izzy. "oomph" the wind pushed out of her lungs as she hit his chest and stumbled backwards. He reached out and steadied her. "Jace." She exclaimed. Jace glared at her. Did she have to be so loud.

"Magnus and Alec have been looking all over for you."

"Why?" He asked, momentarily distracted.

"I don't know." She said thoughtfully. Jace rolled his eyes.

"Izzy. Maryse sent me to get you, they need your help with something in the front room."

"Right now?" Izzy asked, her eyes going a little wide. "Why? I haven't found anything yet. I can't tell them anything." Her voice was jumping up octaves and she was growing increasingly more defensive. Jace eyed her. She was hiding something, something really big. But he didn't have time for that right now. He was hiding something too, a mission, and he needed to do it alone. "Iz. I don't know, but you should go find out before mom gets angry." Jace did his best to keep his facade up as Izzy bit her lip nervously and walked carefully around him and out the door.

Jace moved quickly, knowing he only had a few moments before Izzy realized she had been fooled. He snatched the hilt of the blade from the chamber it was resting in. The machine beeped out a too loud warning for interrupting the test. Jace flinched and quickly ran from the lab, this time not even slowing as he ran past the infirmary. Instead of heading for the elevator, past everyone who could catch him, he ducked down another hall and threw the closed door of his bedroom out of his way. He stopped only to rune the door shut, then turned to the window. It was several stories up, but Jace had immense power. He hesitated only a second before throwing the window open, and leaping from the ledge.

"Magnus?"

"Hm?" He was barely awake now. Alec had felt the tug of his energy getting weaker and knew he was starting to fall asleep.

"I'm going to fix this. I promise." Alec said quietly as Magnus fell all the way into a deep sleep. Once the tug was completely gone, Alec reluctantly untangled his hand from Magnus's. He crept out of the now empty room. Clary was still lying unconscious on the bed beside Magnus but the Silent Brothers were nowhere to be found. Once the door quietly clicked closed, Alec turned to make his way to the lab, to talk with Izzy. Only he found her much quicker than he had expected. "Oomf" Alec said as he ran smack into his sister.

"Alec, Jace stole the hilt of the sword." Izzy said frantically.

"Jace was here?" Alec said distractedly. Where had Jace been all day? Where was he now?

"Alec! Did you hear me? I said Jace stole the hilt of the Queen's sword. He came in, took it, and jumped out of his bedroom window." Alec stared at Izzy for a minute trying to piece together what she was saying. Why would Jace steal the hilt to the sword? It wouldn't be good for anything, unless there was still some traces of the queen on it…

Alec's eyes widened. Alec please what if it were Magnus? Jace's broken voice tore through his head as the weight of the situation bored down on him. Jace was going to find the queen himself, and do anything, everything to get Clary back. Even if it meant dying. He would do so, and he would do it alone, to ensure Clary and everyone else he cared about was safe.

"Jace you idiot!" Alec exclaimed as he pushed around Izzy and headed for the weapons room.

"Alec, what are you doing?" Izzy was breathing hard trying to keep up with her very tall brother.

"I'm going to find him, and I'm going to help him."

"Alec!" Izzy hooked his elbow and pulled him to a stop. "You can't. You'll be in trouble too."

"Izzy. When Jace called me for help, he asked me to understand. He asked 'what if it were Magnus?' and it scared me so bad I couldn't breathe. Then Magnus collapsed in the hallway and all of a sudden it is Magnus. I know why Jace is doing this, I know because I would do it too. I'd do it for Magnus, to make sure that man wakes up tomorrow, even if it means I won't be here to see it. Jace needs someone who understands that, and so do I." Alec started towards the weapons room, more determined than ever.

Izzy watched her older brother walk away from her. Stunned momentarily by the passion and fear in his voice. Izzy had never seen Alec so open about how he felt, let alone willingly lay down his life and position for anyone. Izzy envied her brothers for their connections to their significant others. They were both so sure of who they were and who they loved. Izzy was just now getting back to a good place with Simon, but he had no idea who he was, and that meant he wasn't really sure who she was either. She loved Simon, but she feared he did not love her.

She did understand Alec's devotion to Jace though. She felt the same kind of love for Jace and Alec. She needed them to be safe, they were the most stable things in her life. Izzy set her mouth and then with one final shake of her head she ran after her brother. She was going too. There was nothing he could say to keep her from coming.

"You aren't going Izzy." Alec said tugging his bow off the wall.

"Yes I am Alec."

"No Izzy." Alec looked down into her dark eyes with his impossibly blue ones. Isabelle had always envied him that. "You cannot come. I won't let you die for us, and I cannot focus if I am worried about you. Okay?"

"Alec I can handle myself!" Isabelle was about to launch into a full speech when Alec turned and abruptly pulled her to him in an embrace.

"Iz, I can't trust anyone else to get this part right. If I find a way to cure Clary and Magnus someone needs to be here to make sure it gets done right, so this won't be for nothing. You are the only one I trust to save our sister and the love of my life. Do you understand?" Izzy's breath caught in her throat as she embraced her brother back hard. She realized for the first time that Alec fully expected to not return, and that he wanted her here, so Magnus and Clary wouldn't have to wake up alone. Tears welled up in her eyes as she reluctantly nodded. Her and her brothers were warriors. They were raised with death like a childhood friend, she was no stranger to grief. This however, was not something her training had prepared her for. Saying goodbye to the only brother you had left was not an easy task for anyone, not even her. Alec pulled back and kissed her forehead. "I love you." Alec whispered. Izzy let the tears spill then as she uttered the sentiment back. Without another word Alec turned and headed for Jace's room. There he would find something to use to track him and then he would be gone.

"Izzy, there you are. How are the tests coming on the hilt?" Izzy turned in surprise to see her mother standing before her with an expectant smile on her face. Izzy hadn't told anyone about Jace yet. Then she realized that this could be how she helps her brothers. She may not be able to go, but she could keep the Clave off their trail long enough to hopefully get the answers they needed. Izzy carefully plastered a small smile on her face. "Shouldn't be long now. I was just killing some time. I'll go check on it now." Izzy walked calmly past her mother who smiled and nodded okay, though she saw something in her mother's eyes that said maybe she knew more than she was letting on. "Let me know when you find anything out. I will keep the clave soldiers busy." Maryse's voice was too serious, too low. Izzy was sure now that she knew more than she should. She didn't acknowledge it though, on the off chance Izzy was wrong. She merely walked back to the lab and carefully closed the door behind her. Staring at the empty machine where the hilt should have been Izzy silently asked the Angel to help her family, for they were all so close to destruction.