Clary POV

It was hard yet easy for her to leave Raphael for a while. Before she left with the Nephilim to go back to the Institute, she and Raphael shared a small but passionate kiss. Clary was partially surprised that they all came from their own cars. How else would they need transportation? They couldn't just keep using the subway. But all thoughts were lost when she got in the car with the Lightwoods. It was a tight fit but they managed.

She was stuck in between Jace and Isabelle, poor Alec squished against the door awkwardly. They all rode in silence but Clary felt uncomfortable. Especially after she had ran away to be with Raphael and was smart enough to go to a club and almost get killed. Clary wanted to face palm herself.

"How's my mother?" Clary blurted; not taking the silence any longer. Everyone was quiet for a moment, making Clary guess that they were ignoring her or they didn't want to answer her at all but it was Maryse who answered Clary's question, "She's doing fine. Magnus had come to check on her this week and said that it could be possible that she can wake up at the end of the week."

Clary's heart was speeding up. It was from excitement, happiness, and a bit of nervousness tossed in. When her mother woke up, what was she supposed to say to her? She could see her mother's reaction in her mind when she tells her that she was with Raphael than at the Institute where she was supposed to be. Even Luke didn't know where she was since he was cooped up with his pack to talk about Hybrids and plans; well that's what she thought he was doing.

"She's gonna wake up eventually, Clary. Don't worry." Maryse reassured her. In the Angel's name, Clary hoped she was right.

Clary was sitting on the stool in her gym shorts and t shirt. When everyone had gotten back to the Institute, she excused herself to go to the bathroom so she could change and wanting to heal the bite marks that Raphael left on her neck with his fangs. She was glad no one saw it.

"I know I'm not that good a cook but I can at least make a badass sandwich." Jace handed her a cheese and ham sandwich and some apple slices. Something sliced through her heart, a pang of sadness waved over her. It was the same thing he gave her on her birthday. It felt like years since their first kiss but it was only a few months ago. "Thanks, Jace." He gave her a smile and bit into his sandwich.

"So did anything important happen while I was gone? It seems like you guys have a lot more guests than usual." Clary looked up at Jace who leaned against the island.

"Actually, yeah," Jace sighed. "There was a meeting a few hours ago but it was just about the usual conflict right now. Hybrids, how to kill them, etcetera. But Alec, being his smart self, figured there has to be a weakness to those things and he figured that if those things are a vampire and a werewolf together, maybe silver, holy water, crosses, wolfs bane, or anything that effects those two particular Downworlders. We haven't gotten that far with it yet, but I have no doubts that it won't work."

"That's a lot to take in," Clary muttered. Clary nibbled on her apple slices thoughtfully. She was having a mental fight with herself, wondering if she should tell Jace what she found with Magnus and Raphael or not. But Jace added in, "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. Maryse was setting up meetings with the Downworlders in the Sanctuary four days from now before Raphael called."

Clary let out a sigh, so much was going on. Clary brushed a hand through her head, stressing. "Don't do that." Clary looked up at Jace who was looking at her with his gold eyes.

"Do what?"

"Stress out. There's no reason to stress out; well, at least later on but you shouldn't be that stressful." Jace sat next to her and put his hands on top of the counter. "I have a question."

She turned her head towards him. "Why him?"

Clary froze, her heart sped up. Of course he would ask this one day. He deserved to know even though she didn't have a reasonable answer to give him. There was just something about Raphael that made her want to be with him.

"To be honest, I don't know. But if you've been with Raphael for some hours, he's not as bad as you guys think he is. There's just something about him that draws me to him, something that I want to discover myself but I'm not entirely sure." She flushed. A bit embarrassed that she was talking about this with Jace.

"Clary I'm not mad at you. Well, maybe a little but it's your life. I can't control it only you can. You make your own choices. And if you choose Raphael to be with than I'll respect your choices but I will always love you, Clary. There won't be a day that I won't love you." Jace's hands were clasped together tightly, his knuckles white.

Carefully, Clary reached her hand towards his and his grip receded. "Jace, even if I am with Raphael, it doesn't mean that I don't love you. But-,"

"You love him more." Jace finished.

"No, Jace, I don't love him more. Can I tell you something?" He nodded. "I don't believe that anyone can love someone more. There's no such thing, well to me. But I love the people around me but differently. I love my mom and Luke because they're my family. I love Magnus, Alec, Isabelle, Simon, and you because you guys are my best friends. And I love Raphael because he's my boyfriend. But I can never love someone more than the other."

Jace didn't say anything. He was silent till he muttered, "How can you say something that makes you so wise?"

"It's a gift." Clary joked and it made Jace grin. After they finished their food, they walked around the halls of the Institute. Telling jokes and telling stories from their childhood. It was something she would do with Simon. Even if she couldn't have a romantic relationship, he could still be a best friend that she needed.

Jace led Clary to the infirmary. Their walk was silent but comfortable. When they got to the doors, he stopped beside her.

"You can go to bed if you want, Jace," Clary said to him.

"You sure?" he asked, a bit hesitant.

"I'm not going to get hurt or run away if that's what you think," Clary sighed out. He didn't say something for a while but then he nodded.

"Goodnight, Clary," he said and walked away. She watched as he retreated into the shadows of the hallway. She then turned to face the doors and opened them. Her mother was the only one in the infirmary. Clary walked over to the side of the bed and drew a chair in close so she could sit. Clary grabbed her mother's hand.

"Hey, mom," she whispered. "I'm sorry that I haven't visited you in a while but I'm here now and that's all that matters. I miss you, Luke misses you," she could feel the tears start forming. "Maryse told me you could wake up this week. I hope you do. A lot's happened in the past few days and if you were awake, you'll probably scold me and be mad at me of what I've done or what almost happened to me. But it'll be worth it."

Clary held her mother's hand tighter. As if it was her life line," Please, just wake up."

She cried. Clary felt a slight squeeze and looked at her hand. She smiled and got up. Clary kissed her mother on her brow and left.

"She's doing fine," Clary yawned. She was in her room on her bed, talking to Raphael. She had called him for comfort, just hearing his voice soothed her.

"That's good. How are you holding up at the Institute?" he asked her.

"Fine, I guess, I only talked to Jace mostly and saw my mother and that's it." She yawned again and she heard him chuckle on the other side. She had a small smile on her lips as he laughed at her and then he said, "You should go to sleep. It's been a long day."

"I don't want to stop talking though," she said softly.

"I don't either but you need to sleep, Clary." Clary sighed. Yes, she was tired, very tired but she didn't want to hang up just yet but sleep was getting to her fast.

"Goodnight, Clary," Raphael's voice was soft and tender as he said the words to her.

"Goodnight, Raphael," she said to him and then he hung up just as she fell asleep.

"Hello." She answered her phone, which had been buzzing for the past minute, groggily. Clary didn't look at the ID number that was calling her.

"Clary," it was Simon, "something's happening." He was panicking, which was bad because Simon never panicked.

"What's wrong?" she sat up on her bed and rubbed her eyes, trying to get sleep out of them.

"I heard something outside my door. I can sense something but I can't make it out," Simon whispered.

"Are you going to check it out or-," Clary was interrupted by a loud crashing sound on the other line. "Simon?!" There was no answer; she could hear Simon struggling with something and more things crashing. "SIMON!" she screamed into the phone. And then the line went dead. "Simon." She whispered, no answer.

Clary stared blankly at her phone and then darted out of bed and out the room. She ran as fast as she could to the elevator. While running she passed a sleepy Alec who looked at her with concern.

"Is everything okay," he caught her arm as he asked. She panted, wanting to run to Simon's.

"Simon's in trouble," was all she said to him while yanking her arm out of his grasp and continuing to run to the elevator, ignoring Alec's call. She entered the elevator in a clamber and closed the grate and pressed the button furiously.

The elevator ride down was painfully slow and Clary gave a sigh of relief when it opened. She ran to Simon's house as fast as she could, ignoring winter's bite that chilled her to the bone. Her pants came out as white puffs of white clouds. His house wasn't far from the Institute, maybe a fifteen minute drive but since she was running it took long, too long for Clary's liking.

When she reached his house, she ran up the steps and grabbed the spare key underneath a potted plant. Her hands trembled as she inserted the key into the lock and unlocked the door. Clary stumbled inside the house and looked around. It was a mess, the living room trashed with frames broken from the impact of their fall.

Clary hurried down the hallway and turned the corner to Simon's room. She gasped. He wasn't there, his room was a mess, and a smear of blood coated the nearby wall. Clary wanted to cry. She walked out the room hesitantly and called out to him. "Simon, where are you? It's Clary." She walked down the other hallway and looked around in the rooms. No one was there but then she saw something at the end of the hallway.

A dark figure stood in front of a door which Clary recognized as Rebecca's, Simon's older sister who was at college, door. Clary wasn't aware of anything in her way as she hit the edge of a small table. The figure turned to look at her and Clary sighed out heavily.

"Simon, I was so worried about you," she said to him and continued her walk towards him. He didn't say anything which made her walk slower. "Are you okay?" Then she heard it, a small growl that escaped his lips. Clary took a step back and he stalked towards her. Clary gasped in horror when she saw his face, his fangs were bare to her and were a bit larger than usual, his eyes a threatening, glowing yellow. Her breathing was erratic and her heart raced in her chest. This couldn't be happening, not to Simon. Tear streamed down her face. Simon was a Hybrid, now. Whatever entered his house turned him into a monster.

All of a sudden, Simon leaped at her but Clary luckily darted out the way and down the hallway. She rounded a corner and pressed against the wall. She could hear him walking down the hall, searching for her. Clary looked around and grasped and floral vase. She waited till Simon was near. When he was, she swung the vase and it shattered when it made contact with his head.

He howled in pain and she sprinted down to the living room but Simon tackled her around her legs and she fell. As she fell, her head collided with the edge of the table. She lay on her back, looking at the ceiling, feeling blood trickle from her wound. It throbbed intensely. Clary couldn't move, her vision was becoming blurry but she could still see Simon's figure as he loomed over her, his mouth open, ready to kill her but a voice stopped him. It was a woman's voice.

"Don't kill her. I want her alive." Simon obeyed.

The woman loomed over her, Clary could barely see her face, and it was too blurry. "Soon I will get my revenge but I want to see the pain that's conflicting on you once I hurt everyone that you love. It's too bad that the other bloodsucker isn't here with you and the same thing would've happened to him." The woman disappeared out the door and Simon followed.

She blacked out after he left.

Jace POV

He sat beside her on a chair. Jace had been sitting in the chair for the past days; he could remember it as clear as water. Alec rushing to his room and telling him Clary had gone to Simon's and something was going on. It had been early in the morning when they found her on the ground in the empty house. Blood that was running down her wound. She wouldn't wake up when he tried to. They had taken her to the infirmary as quickly as possible.

He could remember her screams when Maryse tried to apply the healing rune on her, the pain too much for her state. Maryse had to treat her like a Mundane. Washing the wound out and applying stuff to it. Once she bandaged her head, Clary was unconscious, not waking up anymore.

He had gone with Isabelle and Alec to investigate the house and saw signs of a struggle in Simon's room and two needles on the ground near the bed. Whoever that was at the house, were they trying to turn Clary? But if they did why not do it when she's unconscious? Nothing made sense at all.

It had been at least three days since then. Jace had stayed by Clary's side since then and hasn't left her alone. Jace also remembered the call to Raphael as he explained what happened to her. Raphael was infuriated, cursing here and there on the phone while he told him what happened.

"Why would you let her go by herself?" Raphael had questioned Jace.

"I didn't know that she was going to Simon's till Alec told me so don't blame this on me," Jace spat into the phone, angry himself.

"I let her go back to the Institute with you people to protect her but it turns out that you can't protect her," Raphael had yelled and gave out a low growl. "You better call back when she wakes up." That was the end of the conversation.

"Jace you need to eat something," it was Isabelle's voice. He turned to look at her and looked back at Clary. He heard her sigh in exasperation and she walked over to him noisily in her thigh high heeled boots. "Jace, I know you care for her and all but you need to take care of yourself, too." Her voice was stern but tender.

"Okay," he said and got up.

"Now that's a good boy, maybe I can make you something to eat," Isabelle suggested.

"Your cooking would be the death of me, Izzy," Jace blanched and she glared at him but followed him in to the kitchen.

Magnus POV

"Are you sure about this?" Alec asked him, a bit concerned.

"Yes, I wouldn't have asked you here if I wasn't sure about this," Magnus answered him and set the last candle outside of the circle that he had drawn earlier. He had his spell book in his hands and opened it to the spell he was looking for. Magnus snapped his fingers and all the candles lit up. Alec looked around the dimmed room, a bit uncomfortable. As Magnus recited the spell in a low voice, the flames flickered.

When Magnus finished the spell all the flames blew out and then lit back up. A figure stood straight inside the circle, her hands clasped together and her hair flowing down in inky tendrils.

"Magnus Bane," the figure spoke. Her voice was soft but Magnus knew that this woman was viscous and dangerous.

"Lilith," Magnus said. Alec walked over to Magnus' side and stared at the woman before him and then looked at Magnus.

"Why have you summoned me, I was doing something important," Lilith said a bit impatiently.

"Have you heard what has been happened the past days?" Magnus asked the woman. Her eyes were black pits but as she looked Magnus, they had the same intensity as normal eyes.

"Of course, who did you think that was responsible for them?" Lilith spat.

"Are you saying that you're responsible for those creatures out there?" Alec asked her, his guard up and hard.

"Don't flatter me but yes, I created my little Hybrids. Brilliant, no?" Lilith smiled a devilish smile that irritated Magnus. "I'm guessing you're wondering why?" The two of them stayed silent, giving Lilith the opportunity to explain herself. "I'm avenging my son that that bloodsucker killed. He died and it's everyone one of you Nephilim and Downworlder that had caused this. And now, I'm willing to kill to get him back. Before I go to the Silent City in a few days to retrieve the Cup, I'll tell you this, stay out of my way or be killed. I will not hesitate to kill anyone, age, race, or gender. I don't care; all that matters is getting my son back."

"Wait, my friend told me that she saw my brother when she was attacked by your monsters." Alec stated to Lilith who grinned. "My little brother's dead. How's that possible?"

Lilith didn't answer, she just stood there and grinned making Alec angry but before Alec could say or do anything Magnus said, "They're illusions." Her grin faltered and her eyes narrowed at Magnus.

"You're very smart Magnus Bane," Lilith said.

"Illusions?" Alec whispered mostly to himself.

"She must be using some kind of trickery spell to do it, Alec," Magnus softy said.

"Why?"

"To see fear in your eyes. I want to see the pain that has been inflicted on you with someone you care about just as I did." Lilith said to them. "Before I leave, I want to say; whatever you have planned will not succeed. Even if you do kill my Hybrids, I will make more," Lilith warned and then she vanished. The candles blown out, Magnus reached out to Alec, who was statue still.

"Alexander." He whispered and Alec fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face. Magnus knelt down and held Alec to him closely, giving him the time to release all the pain that had been endured to him, all the conflict. Giving Alec the message that he would always be there for him.

Raphael POV

As he and part of his clan made their way to the Sanctuary of the Institute, his mind trained over to Clary. His Clary who was injured and hurt. Of course he was upset but was more worried. Raphael wanted to know that she was okay and take her back with her. So he could protect her instead. Raphael had blamed himself for making her go back but he was trying to protect, since the Institute is on sacred ground, maybe the Hybrids couldn't reach her.

His thoughts vanquished as he reached the door to the Sanctuary. He tugged it open and ducked his head inside. The others followed him inside as he opened the second door that led into the wide room. Pillars were lined against the wall, a small round table in the middle for meetings, and Witchlight stones lit up the room.

Raphael looked around; all the Downworlders in New York were talking amongst each other quietly. He found a vast area for his clan to stand and walked towards it. His eyes glanced over to the huge double doors that led into the Institute, Clary ran through his mind. If only he had a way to get inside to see her he would. Then they opened to reveal the Lightwoods. As they entered the room, more Nephilim trailed behind them.

Maryse was the first to talk, "Thank you for coming to this meeting. As you all know it's about the Hybrids and we need help to get rid of them before they come out of hand. Can I have the leader of each race come and sit?"

Raphael walked towards the table and sat gracefully in his seat. He watched as Luke sat next to him on one side and a blue skinned warlock woman on the other side. The Seelie Queen sitting across from him and Maryse sitting next to her.

"We all need to come up with a plan…" Maryse started but what they all didn't know was that making up a plan wasn't going to be easy.

Clary POV

Her head pounded harshly as she opened her eyes. She blinked a couple of times to see where she was at. The infirmary. Clary tried to sit up but the pain was too much so she lay back down.

"I wouldn't try to sit up just yet," a voice startled her and she looked to her side and saw Magnus giving medicine to her mother.

"What happened?" Clary's voice was dry and was in desperate need of water. Magnus noticed and poured her a glass and handed it to her. "Thanks."

"How're you feeling?" He asked as he sat on the edge of her bed.

"How do you think I'm feeling?" Clary asked and sat up carefully and drank the water. Her limbs were stiff and her head painfully throbbing.

"Here," Magnus handed her a vile of green liquid to drink and she did. Clary tried not to spit the content out and forced herself to swallow. The pain started to ease away. She smiled thankfully at him.

"Where's everyone at?" Clary asked.

"Meeting."

Clary's eyes widened. "You mean the meeting that's supposed to be in four days?" Clary squeaked.

"Sweety, it's been four days. You were unconscious for a long time," Magnus answered. Then Clary remembered the events that happened and Simon. Simon, where was he? Was he okay?

"Magnus, where's Simon?! Where is he?" Clary asked frantically. She saw the sympathy in his eyes which meant that he was dead or they hadn't found him. Clary sided with the latter. She brushed her hands over her face and sighed. Then she said, "Take me."

"Take you where?" Magnus' perfectly arched eyebrows rose.

"To the meeting. I want to be a part of it."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Clary. You're still healing," Magnus stood up.

"Please, I want to help, too. And maybe we can tell them what we found," Clary's voice was low and Magnus nodded.

"You're right, we both need to be there to tell them but I need to be there quickly. Alec and I found out who did this and need to explain everything."

Clary nodded and grasped Magnus' hand as he helped her to the meeting.

Hello, sorry for the wait but TaDa! So from Ravenclaw I'm sorry for confusing you but i hope this chapter clarifies the thing with Max and stuff. Illusions :D Schools going to start next week and I am soooo not ready but I will try to get at least one or two chapters up before then, hopefully. That's all and review please. Night guys C: