Tessa was going on her weekly shopping expedition, for herself and her aunt. She had already gotten all the groceries they needed, and was on her way to the coffee shop to get something for her and Will. She was approaching the flower store, and she thought of Alec. The way he had carried her to the camp, and hadn't even wanted credit for it. She decided she could spare enough money to buy a small bouquet of flowers, out of her two hundred dollar spending limit. She would have a few dollars left after buying coffee. It was dark out, and the streets were almost bare. She should get home soon, She new. Then she would head over to her boyfriend's house. Her aunt would be fine, she had lived alone for most of her bought white roses, they looked the best.

She was tucking her wallet in her purse, which was swung over her shoulder, when someone pulled her back by the shirt. She jerked her head around to see an unfamiliar face, wearing a black hoodie and shirt. She felt something cold and sharp at her neck. A knife, she realized. Tessa tried to struggle free of the man's grasp, but the knife was too closely pressed to her skin. When she moved, she felt a trickle of blood run down her chest, most likely staining her shirt. She panicked, and the man whispered something in her ear.

"your wallet, miss." He said, his voice sounding like a hiss to Tessa. She tried to struggle free once more, to no avail. This man wanted her money, something she never had enough of. She wasn't sure they could make it without the money. More blood ran down her chest, the knife going in slightly deeper this time. Another man approached, dressed the same. He took her bag off her shoulder, as the other man held her down. She kicked him, but then he slapped her, and she felt a sting in her cheek.

"Help!" She screamed, but the man holding her quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. She bit down hard, but he didn't move his hand. She just wished they would take her wallet and leave her alone.

She heard footsteps, then the mugger who had taken her bag fell to his knees, like someone had kicked him hard. it had started to rain, and Tessa couldn't see the person who had done it, but she wished she could. He kicked the man hard again, and he whimpered. The other man inhaled sharply, but didn't release his grip on Tessa. He took his hand off her mouth and reached into his pocket, taking out something short and sharp. She saw a flash of silver, and the man looked ready to throw the knife at the boy and she yelled look out just in time for him to duck. The knife sailed over his head, shattering a store window. The boy threw his hands over his head, shielding himself from the falling glass. She heard violent swearing, coming from one of them. The man quickly disentangled himself from Tessa, and bolted down the street, the other one quickly following. The boy who had saved her didn't stick around either, but he did throw her bag towards her, then he ran down the street, before Tessa could thank him. She realized two things.

She was lucky to be alive, and she was going to have to identify the boy who had saved her from who knows what.

Magnus had asked Isabelle where Alec had gone, but she had avoided the question. Alec had not been at the party, for whatever reason. He was worried, Had his father gotten to him again? The thought made his stomach turn. He wished he could locate Alec, and know exactly where he was. He had invited everyone he could think of to his party, his aunt was gone again. Isabelle and Jace were there. He almost had a heart attack when Isabelle's phone rang. Her face twisted, and she bolted out the door. What was going on? Where was Alec?

Tessa decided to deliver the flowers, despite her new injuries. They weren't that bad, really. She knocked on the lightwood's door, and it took a while before someone answered, Isabelle. She looked tired, her eyes shadowed. Tessa knew something was wrong. She followed Isabelle inside, and sat on the couch next to her. She appeared to be in the middle of folding clothes. She sat down on the end, and continued folding.

"Why did you bring flowers?" She asked, folding a pair of jeans, men's jeans.

"For Alec." She said. She was so grateful to be alive, and she decided she needed to thank him for carrying her back to camp.

"Um, i don't think he'll be interested." Isabelle answered, folding a jacket. Ugh.

"I wanted to thank him." She answered, a little annoyed. Isabelle knew she was dating Will. She nodded her head. She was looking down at another pair of faded men's jeans, her expression sad. The jeans were ripped and torn, dark splotches of red in some places. Who's jeans were these?

"Their Alec's." She said, answering Tessa's unanswered question. Alec's? Horror flooded her veins.

" Is he okay?" Tessa asked, hoping desperately the answer was yes. Isabelle shook her head.

"He's at the hospital." She said.

"The hospital?" Tessa echoed, horrified.

"Apparently he tripped. But i don't believe him. I think he ran into our dad." She said, a tear running down her cheek.

"How bad is it?" Tessa asked.

"A few really nasty cuts, he should be out later today. He came to them in the dead of the night, but he won't tell anyone what happened." Isabelle's voice cracked. Tessa pulled her into a hug, and held her as she sobbed.

Magnus went to school early the next day hoping to catch Alec. He was going to start hyperventilating if he wasn't at school. Much to his relief, he did find Alec, sifting through his locker, and pulling out a book. As he neared, he saw something was wrong. Alec wasn't standing up straight, favoring one leg. He had bandages on his lower arms and wrists, where his long sleeve shirt didn't cover. He also had a nasty cut on his cheek, where bruises were just beginning to fade. The bandages on his wrists were white, with dots of red where blood had soaked through. He saw Isabelle coming towards him, but he kept going anyway.

"What happened to you?" He whispered, though he was pretty sure the answer was going to have something to do with his father.

" I tripped." He said, shrugging. He tripped? Like Magnus was going to believe that.

Alec had a hard time getting around, dealing with his injuries. It had looked worse than he thought last night, and he was glad. School was over, and he was walking across the field, when he saw a very familiar face. He hurried over, and saw the other boy looked similar to Alec, with bandages covering his arms, a shallow cut on his neck.

Alec didn't hesitate before punching him in the face.