Put the weapons down, I'm alive.

I'm so sorry, you have no idea, I have been meaning to update all of my stories, and between school and everything else, I haven't had a chance. My goal is to have a lot more updates the second summer starts, but until then...

Ugh, I don't know.

So once again, I'm sorry, I love you all, and thanks so much to those of you that are still putting up with me!

- EasyIsTheDescent

Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare owns TMI and all its characters instead of me, unfortunately. (insert sad face here)

There was only one possible sound or word or phrase that could describe being packed in a room with a bunch of Shadowhunters.

Ugh.

"You can't possibly believe her! She's Valentine's daughter!"

That was probably Malachi.

"I believe her," I spoke up, "Much more than I'd believe you."

I was honestly surprised that he heard me. He whirled around, pointing a finger at me in an accusing fashion. "And you! You are just as bad as she is! You barely deserve to be a Shadowhunter, you voiceless-"

"If I were you," Liam threatened fiercely, "I would stop talking. Right now."

And for once, I was the one restraining Liam.

"My daughter," Maryse spoke up, surprising me, "Has a point."

I glanced over to her, and she met my eyes with a proud smile, to which I just averted my eyes, smiling sheepishly. Maryse's approval was always rare to be heard out loud.

"Just like all of your children do, right Maryse?"

"It sounds to me like you are taking this conversation completely off topic, Malachi." Luke argued loudly, as everyone was straining to be heard at one time.

"The girl had a point," Someone said calmly, probably a Penhallow, "Valentine will not stop if we give in. We have to think about what is best for our people."

"Exactly," Someone else joined in.

"And how would our people last if we decided to go up against Valentine and the limitless amount of demons he can summon?"

"For crying out loud people, we're Shadowhunters!" I yelled, loud enough that my throat stung in protest, "I don't know about all of you, but I was raised to believe that I would rather die than give into Valentine."

"Says the girl who we can clearly realize can't seem to keep a demon more than a few inches away from her at one time!"

Now that stung.

Surprisingly not the Consul. There were a lot of surprises today.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Ethan. Unsurprisingly.

I took him by the arm, dragging him towards the door. "Why don't you go cool off-"

"I'm not a child, Rose!"

"No, you are. You are my brother, I am older than you, and you are going to stand outside, not leaving Clary or Simon's sight." There must have been something in my voice that made Ethan sigh in defeat, and he left, the door swinging shut behind him.

Though in reality we were probably only in there for another twenty minutes, it felt like hours. There were rude comments made about Clary, which Luke angrily protested to, and even me, to which I would grab Liam's arm as he tried to say something back to them.

When the Clave made up their mind, and for once it was the best choice, I felt like dancing. Liam surprised me, by ducking his head and kissing me quickly, his arm wrapped around my waist.

"What the hell?"

"Well it wouldn't seem appropriate to do that while we were narrowly avoiding a death sentence."

"Good point."

I hurried over to the door, and I grimaced when I saw Simon and Ethan standing inside the Hall.

"What did I tell you, Nightlock?"

"Hey, it wasn't my fault. Clary's mom wanted to talk to her alone."

I rolled my eyes, but I opened the door, stepping out into the brisk air. "Clary?"

I found her and her mother, both so similar that I had to use their faces as reference to determine which one was which, and they both looked up to see me.

I suddenly felt bad. "I didn't mean to interrupt-"

"No, that's perfectly alright," Jocelyn smiled, and I forced a smile to my face. There was something about the concept of this woman, Valentine's wife and Jace's mother, that made my inevitable sense to avoid danger flare to life.

Just like it did with Clary.

"Well, I have something you want to hear," I grinned, and Clary's eyes brightened considerably.

"What happened?"

"The Clave made up their mind, Clary," I announced, "They're going to let you Mark them. They aren't giving in to Valentine."

The two redheads let out sighs of relief, and Jocelyn stood up, wrapping her arms around me tightly.

I didn't know what to do.

I hesitantly placed my arms lightly around her shoulders, and she pulled away, smiling.

"Thank you," She said, "For taking care of my daughter."

Whenever I wasn't blaming her for my near untimely demise, I thought to myself.

I kept that thought to myself.

"It was my choosing. Clary is an excellent Shadowhunter," Whether the last word was for Clary's benefit or her mother's discomfort, I don't know, but it worked both ways.

"I see. You remind me so much of your father when you say that. He was one of the best Shadowhunters the Clave had on their side during the Uprising," Jocelyn murmured, and I stiffened instantly.

"I vaguely remember my parents hating you and hating your ex even more," I said bitterly, "So excuse me if I can't imagine an incident where it would be anything but cruel of you to tell me their strengths and weaknesses."

The ends of Jocelyn's mouth turned up slightly. "You have your father's temper," She continued, "But your mother's soul. I wonder how that balances out."

"I'm bipolar."

"I don't doubt it."

"Mom!"

Jocelyn and I looked up, shocked. The two of us had forgotten that Clary was there, in all honesty.

"Well I'm going to go find Luke." Jocelyn announced, and as she passed me she leaned in to whisper in my ear. "Your parents were good people. I realized that too late. They would be so proud of you."

She slipped into the Hall, leaving me and Clary alone.

"Rose," She blurted out, "There's something I need to tell you."

"If you want to kiss me, Clary, you have to wait in line just like everyone else."

"Rose!"

"What?"

"It's about Jace."

My attention was suddenly seized, and she realized it. "What about Jace?"

"He's…" She took a deep breath, "He isn't my brother. Sebastian is."

I felt like the air had been knocked out of my lungs.

Clary Fray, the girl that wore band t-shirts and overalls, who fell in love with Jace, who walked into a vampire-infested hotel to save her best friend, was related to Sebastian.

The Godforsaken scum that tried to kill me.

And I was afraid of him too.

…I was the worst Shadowhunter that lived.

"That's not possible," I muttered, so low I wasn't sure that Clary had heard me.

"My mom told me, Rose, I'm sorry."

"Well then your mother is lying."

"She was telling the truth, and you know it."

"No, I don't know it Clary," I argued, "Because you, my good friend, are not related to the demon that tried to kill all of us at some point, you are not related to Valentine's spy."

"It doesn't matter, Rose-"

"Well it does to me." I snapped. "I don't want to die, I didn't want to then, and I don't want to now. I may be friends with you, I may respect you, but I've told you, I will not die for you. Not in that way."

Clary looked frustrated. "What happened to the brave Shadowhunter vibe, Rose?"

"There are some things even a Shadowhunter doesn't overcome, Clary," I spat, "Not that you would know."

"I know what it means to be a Shadowhunter."

"Do you, Clary?" I asked, standing to face her. I was a pretty good height, and I practically towered over her, but we still met each other's eyes. "I have been a Shadowhunter since I was in my mother's womb. How long have you been one, Clary? A month?"

"I know that Shadowhunters put their goal before everything else, put their lives on the line to fulfill their destiny."

"Perhaps they do at first," I kept my eyes on her, leaning my back against the Hall. "But then they realize that some things are more important. Their friends. Their family. Love."

Clary didn't say anything.

"Do you mean to tell me you would put your Shadowhunter duties before Jace? Because I wouldn't. I almost died for my brothers, for my sister, for my parents, for you, as my friend. For Liam. Not for the Clave."

Clary just nodded slowly. "I understand."

"I hope so," I continued, "Because you have a lot of Shadowhunter time to make up. It's impossible to do so. But you better damn well try, for Jace's sake. You have the upper hand, Clary, because you aren't like us. You aren't bound to the Clave."

Clary had a confused expression on her face. "What happened to all that my mom said about your parents? I thought you were loyal to the Clave."

I sighed, leaning my head against the cool wall and closing my eyes. "I thought I was too. And yet the more I hear about my parents, the more I ask myself if they were right."

Clary and I watched each other for a second.

"I'm not upset with you, Clary. I'm upset with myself." I admitted, and she obviously wasn't expecting this answer.

"Why?"

"I was so caught up with the fear of dying," I explained, "That I forgot how sometimes there are things worth dying for."

Clary moved to stand next to me, her head reaching my shoulder, and she pressed her cheek against my arm. "I don't think you were afraid of dying."

"Then what am I afraid of, Dr. Fray?"

"I know you weren't afraid to die," Clary explained, "Because you never forgot that some things are with dying for. I think you were just afraid to lose those things."

I thought over this carefully. "Treat Jace right." I said finally, and she looked up in shock.

"What?"

"If you really aren't related," I continued, "Then I know you two are meant to be together. Take care of him."

"Thanks Rose."

"Are we friends again, Clary?"

"I didn't know we ever stopped," She smiled.

After we got inside, Clary showing everyone the rune to bind them with a Downworlder or a Shadowhunter, I went to work.

I spotted a head of curly blonde hair, and I grinned widely, jogging towards him. "Hey Pete!"

He turned around, smiling. "Hey, Rosie."

"I have a job for you."

"Name it, darling."

"You remember my boyfriend Liam?" I asked, and he nodded, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"The handsome guy with the accent, nice choice, by the way."

"Thank you. I need you to pair up with him, so you two can take care of each other. I'll be worried about you two enough as it is."

He grinned. "Aww, Rosie, you going to be worried about me?"

I nodded seriously.

"Then I'll do it."

I sighed in relief. "I love you so much, Pete."

He shrugged, following me as I headed in Liam's direction. "What can I say, I'm a loveable person."

When I found Liam, he smiled at me, and then realized Pete was there. "What's going on?"

"We've become war buddies," Pete grinned, and Liam paled slightly.

"Really, now."

I kissed his cheek. "He's a good friend." I whispered.

"I'll be right back," I said as Liam took out his stele reluctantly. Chris and Evelyn still needed partners, and I promised Liam I would use my Downworlder connections to find them reasonable bodyguards.

I shoved through the Downworlder and Shadowhunter chaos, and I heard someone call out from behind me.

"Hey, you're that girl from the Hunter's Moon!"

I turned around impatiently, and of all the luck, the big muscular guy that I had embarrassed during Jace's bar fight.

"Well, that's what my friends call me." I muttered, and I went to leave, but his hand gripped my wrist tightly, causing me to cry out in sudden pain.

"That's not a good idea," Someone warned, and suddenly Liam was behind him, a warning hand digging into his shoulder in a painful-looking motion.

The man let go of my wrist, which I pulled away roughly as I glared at him.

"You said for me to remember you," The man said patiently, "So what do you need?"

I stared at him in shock, but only for a second. "Do you have a partner yet?"

He shook his head.

I turned around, finding the petite, pixie-like woman I was looking for. "Do you see that woman over there?"

He nodded.

"Her name is Evelyn. I want you to take care of her out there," I explained, and he nodded.

"But one question," I added as he moved to walk away, and he raised an eyebrow in question.

"Why are you helping me? I was kind of afraid you were going to kill me and leave me in a ditch by the side of the road, I'm not going to lie."

The man grinned. "You know my friend Pete, right?"

I nodded, smiling.

"He told me that I owed you, even if you did kick my ass."

"Well you don't owe me anymore." I promised, "Thank you."

He walked away, Liam watching in disbelief. "So what use am I then?"

I grinned, kissing him quickly. "You are the intimidating muscle that makes them listen."

He rolled his eyes, and he leaned in to kiss me again, before someone interrupted us.

"Geez, break it up, you two." Someone said, and I turned to see Maia grinning at us.

"Maia! Just the werewolf I was looking for!" I announced, and she shrugged.

"I'm in high demand."

I grinned. "I found a partner for you."

"Ooh, please tell me it's this hunk of Australian right here."

I narrowed my eyes, and Liam chuckled. "No, but it is a hunk of Australian over there."

Maia's eyes widened, and she practically tripped me as she looked in the direction I had pointed at. "Which one?"

"You see the blonde guy over there?" I pointed to Chris, who was talking to a friend nearby.

"The hot one?"

Liam snorted.

"Yes, the hot one. That's Chris, Liam's brother."

She turned to glare at Liam. "You didn't tell me you had a brother."

"It never came up."

She shrugged, throwing me a grateful smile as she walked towards Chris.

I started to walk away, but Liam took my arm. "Where are you going?"

"To find a partner."

He laughed humorlessly. "You know just as well as I do you aren't going."

My smile fell. "Come on, I look 18, don't I?"

Liam shook his head. "Rose, you're going to stay back with Ethan, keep him safe. I need you to take care of him and Lacey."

I sighed, wrapping my arms around him and burying my face in his shoulder. "You need to be careful, you hear me?"

He kissed the top of my head. "Loud and clear."

"I love you," I whispered, and he grinned.

"I love you too."

We kissed once more, but all too soon the fighters were going through a Portal to Brocelind Plain, and they were gone.

Review, review, review!

And I promise I will update LBIB and GG&SM soon, for those of you who read my other stories.

Love you all!

- EasyIsTheDescent