Jace's POV

I would have given Will the dagger Clary gave me if there was ever an opportunity, but there never was. I held the dagger with the keys behind my back. I had tried all those damn keys on the lock to my cell, but they didn't work. I wasn't going to let Jonathan know I had them though, I wasn't sure that they were completely useless. Not ten minutes after Clary left Jonathan got the upper hand on Will. Will lay unconscious on the ground. After a quick search in vain for the keys, Jonathan took off after Clary. Not even five minutes after that a man came racing around the corner. He had jet black hair, black eyes and was wearing a black tuxedo, well shy of the jacket.

"Jace I saw the fight, what happened?" Though that black hair had thrown me, Michael's voice was clear and familiar. He must have seen what was going on through the cameras he installed this morning. He rushed towards Will on the ground.

"It was a fist fight, he wasn't shot or anything…Jonathan just took off after Clary…You have to help her…" I shouted as I pointed in the direction Jonathan had run in. He knelt by Will for a brief moment.

"…Please." I begged. He shot up.

"Alright."

"Wait, wait, wait. Take this!" I shouted as I handed the handle of the dagger through the bars. He raced over grabbing the dagger from me.

"Are those the keys to the cell?" He asked with his eyebrows furrowed. I shook my head.

"Not to my cell, I already tried. Please just go after her." I pleaded.

"I'll be back. I won't leave you here." His voice was filled with assurance as he locked my gaze for a brief moment. I gave a little node and he took off into the darkness.


Inside the Ballroom

Benedict paced confidently towards Seraphina, his confidence lifted by the gun he was now carrying. His hands were clasped behind his back, Gideon was on one side of him and Gabriel was on the other. Seraphina narrowed her eyes at him as he approached.

"What do you want now Benedict?" She snapped.

"The evening's waning Seraphina…Where's Jace?" She glanced around casually.

"He'll be here soon I'm sure." He nodded as he walked closer to her.

"Did you not think the moment I saw Jace I wouldn't find out about the baby?" She let out with a fake chuckle.

"What baby?" She asked sounding indifferent.

"Oh Seraphina, you're keeping secrets from me." Seraphina's eyes snapped to the sound of Imogen's voice off to her side. Imogen paced closer with a disguise on; a black wig and soft hazel green eyes.

"Now, now, Imogen…You come to my gala uninvited, in that ludicrous getup, and you're accusing me of keeping secrets?...This wasn't part of the deal. You aren't to be in my home…I could have my guards apprehend you in a moment." Seraphina said assertively as she glanced around the room making eye contact with a number of her guards. Imogen smiled sinisterly.

"Seraphina, do you really think they'll let you?..." She whispered ominously. Seraphina glanced around the room.

"…Are you looking for my family…or yours?" Imogen said heavily. Seraphina narrowed her eyes as she returned her gaze to Imogen. A number of guards fell in line next to Seraphina.

"Where's Jonathan?…Clarissa?" She snapped. There were murmurs among the guards, but no definitive answers.

"Imogen?" Seraphina seethed and Imogen raised her arms in a mock surrender.

"I have nothing whatsoever to do with Jonathan and Clarissa's absence. Last I heard they were heading into a passageway in the library." A flash of something crossed Seraphina's face.

"Imogen and Benedict were just leaving with the rest of the Lightwood children…Do see them out?" She snapped harshly. A number of the guards came towards Imogen and she shot Seraphina a murderous look.

"If your guards so much as touch me Seraphina." Imogen threatened harshly.

"My, my…What hostility in your tones?..." Benedict drawled as he paced a step closer to the woman.

"…I can quite plainly see where the expression catfight comes from…" Both women shot Benedict a quick glare before returning their scowls to each other.

"…I'm sure we can reach a compromise everybody is happy with." Benedict said evenly.

"If I can't trust you to be forthcoming with me that Clarissa is expecting, I certainly have no confidence you'll protect that child as a Morgenstern…I'm more inclined to believe you'll treat it as an abomination and destroy it the first chance you get…I won't be leaving without Clarissa." Imogen stated sharply, her eyes still trained on Seraphina.

"Well it appears we find ourselves at an impasse, for whether or not she carries the child of a Herondale, she's still a Morgenstern as is that child, and you won't be leaving with her!" Seraphina snapped back.

"Ladies…People are starting to stare…" Benedict lowered his voice as he took a step between the women.

"…It appears both families have an equal claim to Clarissa…Or to the child she carries anyhow…I'm quite disinclined to have my family in the middle of your feud…As a somewhat impartial bystander…Might I suggest an agreeable compromise?" Imogen turned her gaze to Benedict, but Seraphina was distracted when Starkweather hastily walked up to her and whispered something to her.

"Excuse me…I am still the hostess this evening after all…Perhaps you can use this time to think of this grand compromise…I'll return as soon as I am able…" Seraphina took a couple steps away, Starkweather right at her side.

"…Starkweather, keep Imogen and Benedict company." Seraphina glanced back at Imogen and Benedict with a smirk one more time before she paced away, trailed by a half a dozen or so guards. Starkweather and a number of guards stayed behind. Both Imogen and Benedict's heads turned to the sound of the clock tolling.

"It's eleven." Imogen said heavily.

"It's later than I thought…I fear this night will only get more hostile." Benedict muttered.

"As do I." Imogen responded softly.


Clary's POV

I ran as fast as I could with the weapons on me and just kept going without looking back. The tunnels were dimly lit in some places and just pitch black in others. I let out a breath of relief when I finally saw the staircase and raced up it as quickly as I could. I came to the closed door that I was almost certain led to the library, but it wouldn't open. I reached out to the keypad Jonathan had typed a code into earlier and started typing in codes, grasping at any idea I could think of. I started with Jonathan's birthday and then mine next. I was so nervous it was one of these key pads that if I typed in three wrong codes some sort of alarm would go off. On my third try I typed in my mother's birthday, miraculously the door clicked. My initial excitement and surprise was completely crushed when the door opened on its own accord and I was face to face with Seraphina and half a dozen guards behind her. I really doubted I just opened that door myself.

"Clarissa, I've been looking for you. Where were you?" She said with one eyebrow raised. I swallowed hard before my anger got the best of my fear.

"How long has Jace been in the dungeon?" I snapped. Seraphina narrowed her eyes at me.

"Somebody has been noising around where they shouldn't be." She grabbed my shoulder and jerked me into the library.

"You lied to me." I snarled as I backed away from her and the guards.

"I lie to everyone, why do you think you deserve any better?" She spat. A moment later Jonathan emerged from the doorway and I found myself backing away from both of them as I darted my eyes between them.

"You look worse for wear…I was notified there was an intruder." Seraphina said nonchalantly, her eyes on Jonathan. Jonathan was shirtless, dirty, bloody, and bruised. He looked like he had been in a good fight. He shrugged casually as his eyes shifted from me to Seraphina.

"Nothing I can't handle…" His eyes returned to me.

"…Now Clarissa Darling, where do you think you're going?" He said as he stalked towards me.

"Stay away from me Jonathan." I snarled.

"Lovers' spat?" Seraphina said in an amused tone.

"Come again." I growled.

"I had rather thought your father would have mentioned it to you by now…Jonathan and you are to be married." I backed slowly away as Jonathan stalked closer.

"Over my dead body." I seethed.

"That's terribly melodramatic Clarissa…Plus, we can't have you in a family way without a husband now can we?" My eyes darted to Seraphina's again as I glowered at her.

"I'm not pregnant you bitch! Valentine lied to you!" I snapped as I backed away from Jonathan further. An unsettling smile spread across Seraphina's face which looked almost as disturbing as the look Jonathan was giving me.

"Now that is good news…Oh My…I really don't like to be lied to…You have no idea what a quandary a Morgenstern Herondale baby caused, but alas, you're not with child…Therefore, they have absolutely no claim whatsoever to you…You're completely mine…Though, you realize I won't be made a liar to my associates either…Not a sip of Champaign during the toast…People ask questions…So I guess that's an circumstance that will need to be remedied…There are so many lessons on obedience you have yet to learn Clarissa, your next lesson will be on how to be an obedient wife…Slightly premature I know, but it's never too soon to start learning. Jonathan, why don't you make that lesson a priority of yours?" A terribly unsettling smile spread across Jonathan's face and he was much faster than me. I tried to turn and run, but between the dress, the train, and the extra weight of the weapons, I just nearly fell right into Jonathan's reaching arms.

"Why don't we give these lovebirds some privacy?" Seraphina said in a cold unsettling tone as she left the library, the guards trailing behind her. Jonathan restrained me from behind with his arms tightly around me; my arms were pinned to my body. I couldn't move my arms enough to even touch him, let alone try to injure him. I tried to bring my feet up to kick him, but I kept hitting his legs and he jerked me roughly with each futile kick. He walked me several feet over to a desk in the library while I struggled in vain to get away from him. He spun me around and pushed me hard against the desk. With one hand he firmly held both my wrists as he reached under the desk and pulled a gun out.

"Jonathan please…Don't do this." I begged as he started to unbutton and unzip his pants with the hand still holding the gun. Though I was absentmindedly thinking about how poorly he was going to take the arsenal under my dress, okay, I was down to one gun and two sets of throwing knives, not exactly an arsenal anymore. I just wished I could just reach something, anything.

"Shut up…" Jonathan snapped harshly. He completely caught me off guard when he backhanded me with the hand still holding the gun. In the process he released the hold of one of my hands, unintentionally I imagine, but my free hand rushed instantly to my burning cheek. I pulled my hand away momentarily to see a smudge of blood across my palm.

"…You brought that on yourself you know…" Jonathan's eyes were filled with pure rage for a fleeting moment.

"…You shot me in the back…that was very naughty of you…" He said in a much more playful tone with a thick look of desire now in his eyes. He dropped my other wrist as he quickly put his arm around my waist and pulled me roughly to him.

"…If you're a good girl and you play nice right now, I won't punish you for trying to kill me. Why don't you pull up that pretty little dress for me?…" His voice still sounded playful as he brought his lips to mine.

"GET OFF ME!" I shouted as I pushed against his chest and neck with all my strength. I could feel my fingernails digging into his flesh, but he was unyielding. I brought my head back as far as I could and slammed my forehead into his face hard. That really hurt. Jonathan let out with a deep aggravated growl, blood running down from his nose. That same look of anger flashed across his face right before he out right pistol whipped me. The hit was so much harder than the previous one and I saw a flash of light on impact. My body flew sideways onto the desk from the force of the blow, my hands rushing to my throbbing face. I could undeniably feel the wet blood oozing down from my temple.

"Let her go." Michael said in a calming voice. My head turned in the direction of the open hidden passageway in the wall. Michael may not have looked like himself, but I recognized his voice. He was holding a dagger in his hand. I couldn't help thinking it looked like the exact same dagger I had left with Jace. Jonathan jerked me up off the desk and pulled me roughly in front of him, my back to his chest, his arm snaked around my waist. I could just see the gun pointed at my head out of my peripheral vision. I debated fighting him, but after the last two times he hit me and now that I had a gun pointed at my head, I wasn't feeling quite so brave at the moment. I tripped and stumbled as he yanked me backwards keeping me flush with his body.

"Oh my…Michael?…Michael Wayland?…Alive and in the flesh?…What a surprise…Had I never seen a single photo of you, I would likely still know who you were…You have the Wayland eyes…This one here has her mother's eyes. Hair too…I got the striking white blonde Wayland hair though, like Valentine and Seraphina and Christopher…I know that black hair of yours isn't natural…Come on…Take off the wig." He said flippantly.

"She does look like your mother...Just as much as you look like your father." Michael said as he reached up and pulled the wig off and tossed it to the ground.

"You know…I'm guessing you missed the party." Jonathan said with a chuckle. Michael shrugged slightly.

"I wasn't exactly invited." Jonathan chuckled again.

"Understandable…Nobody likes you…You know Seraphina always tells me I look just like my grandfather." Michael shook his head slowly.

"You know this place use to be filled with pictures when I was younger…Victor had dirty blonde hair and striking steel blue eyes." Michael said cautiously. Jonathan snickered.

"Now I didn't mean Victor…No, no, no…I meant Christopher…Your father…" Michael just furrowed his eyebrows as he shook his head slowly.

"…I wonder what's going on in that head of yours…The thoughts that must be running around in there…Come now, have you been so detached from the world…I mean it's quite obvious I'm a relative. I do look enough like Valentine and Seraphina, but this is my twenty-first birthday…You can add can't you?...Valentine and Jocelyn weren't even married when I was born…Well correction…It was a close race, perhaps I need the exact times to tell you that for certain." Michael was still just shaking his head.

"That's not possible." Michael muttered.

"Seraphina sat me down years ago and told me the whole story…It was hard to hear I admit, but it explained a lot too." Michael was just shaking his head.

"I don't believe you." Jonathan laughed.

"You can see it for yourself can't you?…A little bit of you…A little bit of her…These high cheek bones look more like Seraphine's and Christopher's, though Valentine and Clarissa have the Wayland cheekbones too…You not so much."

"Why?" Michael snarled.

"I don't know. Ask Valentine, he planned the whole thing. The irony was they used one of your bombs." Jonathan snorted.

"No." Michael shook his head again.

"One little boom and Stephen and Amatis were no more…It was terribly convenient that I had such strong Wayland blood that I inherited these nearly black eyes and toe blonde hair…Seraphina took down all the portraits years ago so people wouldn't even see the resemblance between Christopher and me."

"Why didn't they tell me?" Michael looked conflicted, his eyebrows pulled together.

"I'm grateful they didn't...You had no sense of pride or loyalty…You befriended a Herondale, embarrassed your family repeatedly…You were constantly disobedient…Then you prioritized raising the child of our mortal enemy…You faked your death and abandoned the closest thing to a child you had…Why on earth would I have wanted you as my father?"

"There was a baby…I buried an infant the day I buried my wife." Michael snarled.

"There was…Ironically it was a child of another arch enemy…Seraphina told me the name…Oh what was it?..."

"Mortmain?" Michael breathed just above a whisper.

"Oh yes…Mortmain…That was it." Michael's eyebrows were still furrowed as he just kept shaking his head.

"I don't understand why?" Jonathan laughed sinisterly.

"Really Michael, it's like you don't understand this family at all…Since when were you ever informed why?...And don't you know better than to bring a knife to a gun fight? What do you think you're going to do with that thing? Stab me? Try to kill me? I could shoot both you and her before you're even halfway to me. I'm your son, your own flesh and blood. I can just imagine my mother watching over us now and the horror she must feel seeing you lurking towards me in a threatening manner?" Jonathan jerked me back another step until we were around the side of the desk. Michael had taken a couple cautious steps forward.

"I don't want to hurt you Jonathan. I don't want to fight you. I just want you to let her go. She doesn't love you-" Jonathan laughed.

"What is love anyway? I wasn't raised with love I'll tell you that. Affluent individuals have been united by arranged marriages for centuries with no such talks of love. This is a very advantageous marriage. She'll adapt." He pulled me back again. Michael was shaking his head.

"No she won't. She's like her mother. Let her go." I was terribly surprised to hear Valentine's voice across the room. Michael backed up so he could dart his eyes between Valentine and Jonathan. Valentine had a gun in hand, but it was pointed at the ground.

"Is he my son?" Michael's voice was a low snarl. Valentine's eyes darted between Michael and Jonathan.

"I knew you were alive…" Valentine said heavily.

"…Yes…He's your son…In a biological sense of the word…In the sense he holds any values or compassion that are commonly associated with you?…No…Seraphina saw to it those qualities were methodically destroyed….When I arranged the car accident that killed Stephen and Amatis, I was still impossibly irate with the way you embarrassed me on my wedding day…Insanely excessive perhaps…Of course it added fuel to the fire that Stephen was a Herondale. We couldn't have Herondales associating with the family, it just looked bad all around…Then I was angry to say the least with how Lucian constantly seemed to be the shoulder Jocelyn went to to cry on, the listening ear, and the one that was always there for her when I couldn't be. I was getting more and more incensed of their relationship. He was once like a brother to me, but I just couldn't stand to be in the same room as him anymore; him or either of his sisters that reminded me so much of him…My father was very supportive of my irrational anger…He was very disappointed that your priorities were misaligned…He helped my mistrust and anxiety towards Lucian take root and grow into an all consuming hatred…It was incomprehensible how you could believe anything was more important than this family. It was intolerable that Lucian would try to come between me and my wife…Our family is very proud and Lucian's tiptoeing along the boundaries of betrayal was just as unfathomable and disrespectful as your shift in loyalty…You needed to be punished, both of you…At least that's how I felt at the time…"

"…Usually when one doesn't treat this family with the respect we feel we deserve, that person dies…Of course, my mother and father weren't about to kill you, you were like a son to them. No matter how many times I might have suggested that course of action at the time. Jocelyn already knew my relationship with Lucian was beyond visibly strained and if anything suspicious happened to him I was quite certain she'd blame me whether or not I was at fault…So I struggled to come up with a solution to this dilemma, and after much meticulous planning, I was given the green light to terminate Stephen and Celine…Celine was the sister of Lucian and Amatis, she and her husband were close friends of yours, and Stephen was a Herondale with no protection from his family. They were definitely a perfect target. It was my first authorized assignment and what a mess I made. Amatis wasn't supposed to be in that car, but mother could care less; had my first assignment gone smoothly she admitted I would have been authorized to take Amatis out next...However, it didn't go smoothly, and it was a complete failure as mother put it. I couldn't see it from her perspective, Stephen and Amatis were dead, it didn't feel like a failure, Lucian and you were devastated. It didn't matter, I was punished all the same, and my new feeling of power was ripped away from me as soon as I had been given it…"

"…I like to think on the day my son was born I began to appreciate how one could completely change their entire frame of mind, change all their beliefs, give up everything they've ever been taught, and do anything within their power for the wellbeing of a loved one…Jocelyn helped me to see the good in me…How little there may be…She loved me for who I was, not because of who my family was…"

"…When Celine went into labor, my mother informed me that this was my opportunity, my one chance if I wanted to finish the job and prove I wasn't a complete disappointment. I had to personally tie up the loose ends myself, no more guards would be authorized…She said it would make me stronger in the long run…I never killed somebody so personally in my entire life…Never before, never after…I usually send guards, or just shot somebody from a distance, but this was different, this was personal. I remember looking down at Celine's lifeless body and hearing the softest noise. Had I paid closer attention I would have seen the baby sleeping soundly in the basinet when I walked into the room. Jonathan was born 11 days before Jace. They looked so similar, just tiny and helpless. I just backed out of the room and left the hospital…I had nightmares for so long after that…"

"…I felt a darkening of my heart and my soul that I knew I could never erase no matter what I did…I had proved myself to my mother and was rewarded with the ability to conduct my own operations, but at what cost…I found myself pulling away from Jocelyn, not wanting her to be around the man I was becoming. She was spending more and more time with Lucian and I was getting insanely jealous, but I still had Jonathan, he was my anchor keeping me grounded, keeping some shred of light within me. When I lost him I spiraled out of control. I was engulfed in a fury and loathing I couldn't return from…I felt an all encompassing darkness, a loss of humanity, an evilness completely take over my heart and soul…How could I have ever expected Jocelyn to stay with me, to love me, when I couldn't stand myself…Love doesn't live in this house…It only dies in this house."

"She gave him away…" Michael said abruptly as soon as Valentine stopped to take a breath. My eyes snapped in his direction.

"…Jonathan…Nobody kidnapped him…Seraphina…She gave him away."

"What are you talking about?" Valentine snapped still darting his eyes between Jonathan and Michael. Jonathan kept his gun pointed at my head.

"Just listen to me for a minute…The night of Mortmain's I ran into a man on my way out of the house. I don't know for sure if he was Axel, it was dark, but I'm pretty sure it was him. He told me Seraphina gave him Jonathan in exchange for a truce between the families-"

"He lied." Valentine spat sharply.

"Just hear me out…I don't think he did…I think she did…It's always her. I just found out my son was alive. Seraphina kept that from me for twenty-one years. You can't see how she could have just as easily been keeping something just as important from you? There were no more issues between the families after Jonathan went missing. You can't deny that. I really don't think Axel would have just stopped at Victor seeing he lost his father and grandson…You know both those accidents happened the same damn night…I buried a child the day I buried my wife, you were there, you know I did. Jonathan just said Seraphina told him that was a child of Mortmain's…Mortmain told me Seraphina returned his grandson's remains. Why would she do that? Why would he tell me she did that if she didn't?…He said the remains had been burnt so badly he had them DNA tested, something I would have never thought to do, even though my son's body was burnt beyond recognition…She needed an infant's body…She needed me not to ask questions…She took one of Mortmain's grandsons to put in the place of my son. She gave Mortmain your son as a truce. A life for a life. That's practically her motto…Mortmain couldn't kill an innocent baby, he was going to turn him against you when he got older. There is a sick irony of raising your enemy's child just so they will grow up to help you destroy their biological family. That's what Seraphina always wanted to do with Jace…"

"…Seraphina doesn't like loose ends. She sent me over there to make sure all the evidence was gone. She even called Mortmain telling him I was there, that's why I ran into him, he knew to come looking for me. It couldn't have been more than two minutes before I got out of there that Mortmain told me Jonathan was sleeping upstairs. There was nothing I could do at that point. She wanted me dead, she wanted Jonathan dead, she wanted Mortmain dead, she just wanted it all over. That's why she was able to accept my death so easily; it was part of the big plan…Ask Seraphina…I'm sure she'll lie, but I believe that's what happened…It makes more sense than half the things that come out of her mouth…Dig up the infant that was buried the day they buried my wife…I bet that body is gone." There was a brief eerie pause.

"I…I think I believe you." Valentine said hesitantly.

"Good god, did I fall asleep and wakeup in some sort of group therapy session? What on earth has gotten into you father?" Jonathan spat sarcastically with his body turned towards Valentine.

"I'm done with the pretenses Jonathan and I'm seriously loosing my patience…I'm not your father…I'm hers…The longer you point a gun at her head…The more I feel like putting a bullet through yours…" Valentine raised his gun slowly and pointed it at Jonathan.

"…Jocelyn was the light of my existence…She is quite sincerely worth dying for…Worth killing for…Worth avenging. I've divulged my deepest sins and I won't be burdened by them any longer-"

"Valentine put the gun down!" My eyes snapped to the sound of Seraphina's voice. She walked into the room flanked by close to a dozen guards. Michael turned towards them. She held a small gun in hand, pointed at the ground, though the guards all had guns pointed into the room. Valentine acted like she never even entered the room, his eyes and gun still trained on Jonathan.

"Not until I find out what happened on the night of April 16." Jonathan took another step back and jerked me with him.

"You're not going to shoot me." Jonathan said confidently.

"Now Jonathan…You know Michael may not wish to harm you, but he's not exactly begging for your life either. I'm really warming up to the idea of shooting you." Jonathan shot Valentine a vicious glare.

"Michael, what a pleasant surprise…" Seraphina sounded nearly sincere, but I knew she wasn't. Michael just glowered at her.

"…I'm not sure if you've heard, but Agramon is no longer with us…I could really use your skills and expertise-"

"No." He snarled cutting her off.

"You know I hate to be interrupted Michael. Don't you wish to hear my proposal?"

"No." He snarled again.

"Hmm…I bet I can get you to change your mind…I'm very persuasive that way." I could just make out the additional guards that were now standing in the hallway. Starkweather covered the distance between himself and Seraphina and whispered something to her. Her lips turned up in a sinister smirk.

"Well do show them in Starkweather." A moment later a number of guards parted and Alec, Magnus, Izzy, and Simon walked cautiously into the room.

"So you wished to see me?" Seraphina asked assertively, her gaze skipping from Alec, to Magnus, to Izzy, to Simon and back again. She tapped the gun in her hand against her leg impatiently as they slowly walked into the room. Jonathan jerked me sharply back and I let out an involuntary scream causing a number of gasps and the small group to quickly stop advancing. Seraphina paced over towards them and reached out and grabbed Izzy's arm roughly. Alec, Magnus, and Simon immediately tried to grabbed for her, but all of them were quickly detained by two guards each.

"Let go of me you bitch!" Izzy spat as she tried to free herself from Seraphina's grasp.

Seraphina pulled her roughly into to the room several feet away from the others. Izzy was screaming a storm of profanities by this point. Alec, Magnus, and Simon were yelling as well, but not nearly as harshly as Izzy. I was begging and pleading for Seraphina to let Izzy go, my eyes burned, but I was too overwhelmed to even cry right now. Michael was questioning calmly and repeatedly what Seraphina intended to do with the children and arguing that Benedict would be furious if she hurt any of them. Valentine was still in a heated back and forth debate with Jonathan.

"…Is it all that difficult for you to grasp or are you seriously that hell bent on hearing me say the words. I arranged the accident. She let me have complete control over the operation. No I didn't know who they were at the time, but I didn't care then and I don't care-" Jonathan shouted towards Valentine. I could feel the tears that spilled over and rolled down my cheeks. Jonathan was responsible for my mother and Luke's death, I couldn't believe it. A gun shot resonated through the room and everybody was silenced.

"I said quiet!..." Seraphina snapped as she glanced around the room. One of the guards slumped down to the ground. I couldn't believe Seraphina had just randomly shot one of the guards just to get everybody's attention. A small shriek escaped my lips as I quickly threw my hands to my mouth.

"…Look at the mess you caused Clarissa..." Seraphina said flourishing her gun casually around the room.

"…This was supposed to be simple…Jace was supposed to go home with Benedict and the rest of the Lightwoods, but now look at this mess…All this because you can't be obedient and do what you're told…I will not tolerate any more disobedience today!...I will shoot the next disobedient child in the room…" She jerked Izzy a number of steps closer to Valentine. I couldn't help but notice how the lights flickered and dimmed slightly, but they came back on. Seraphina pushed Izzy hard towards Valentine and he seemed to catch her reflexively. Though, she pulled away from him quickly with an indignant look on her face. Seraphina turned the gun towards me.

"…It's all up to you Clarissa…If you agree to be obedient, to marry Jonathan, to do as I say, to do as he says…I'll let Jace and the rest of your little friends walk out of here unscathed." I was really starting to panic. I couldn't agree to that. I also couldn't risk their safety to save myself.

"You promised Imogen you wouldn't harm Jace and you promised Benedict you wouldn't harm these children if they came tonight." Michael said cautiously. Seraphina turned a glare in his direction.

"How would you know what I promised Benedict or Imogen?..." Michael was silent, but gave Seraphina a hard look. Seraphina turned her gaze back to me.

"...Your choice Clarissa. Can you be obedient for me?" I shook my head. I had to believe she wouldn't break a promise to Imogen or Benedict just to try to threaten me into being obedient.

"No Seraphina." I said venomously, well aware I had just disrespected her by calling her Seraphina. She smirked, but she looked obviously displeased as she paced closer to me. Jonathan was still holding me firmly by the neck and for the briefest second I had actually forgotten about that gun I just caught a glimpse of in my peripheral vision; it was still pointed at my head.

"I find you're much more trouble than you're worth Clarissa…The Herondales wouldn't be banging down my door if it wasn't for you…Your father wouldn't have lied to me if it wasn't for you…Jonathan wouldn't be so uncontrollable if it wasn't for you…I think the best solution is to eliminate the problem-"

"NO Seraphina! You promised I could keep her!" I heard Valentine yell out. Seraphina chuckled although she didn't sound amused.

"I hate to be interrupted…" She said the words quietly almost to herself.

"…After all these years you still haven't learned to pay attention?…I promised you could keep your daughter and you can…The potentially obedient one you're standing with now…" I furrowed my eyebrows in Izzy and Valentine's direction. Izzy glanced up at Valentine, his eyes were hard on Seraphina.

"Seraphina." He said sternly in a warning tone. She shrugged indifferently.

"What I don't get Valentine is that you knew about that one since nearly the same time her mother learned she was pregnant and you couldn't have cared less, but this one…" Seraphina turned her gaze and her gun on me.

"…You've known about her all of a few years and you act like she's the world. Is your fascination solely on the fact that she looks so much like Jocelyn, while Isabelle looks just like her mother with the tell tale trait of our nearly black eyes?" Seraphina started to raise her gun in my direction and I struggled in vain to get free from Jonathan's grasp.

"Forgive me." I heard Valentine say softly. I could have sworn I heard a deep bang resonating from somewhere else in the building just before I heard the loud blast of a gun go off in the room. It was almost immediate that I felt a sharp pain in the middle of my ribcage. I doubled over in agony, Jonathan releasing his grip on me. I quickly sank to the ground folding in on myself as the room erupted in chaos.

"Restrain those children!" Seraphina ordered sharply. I could hear raised voices throughout the room, but I barely paid attention.


Jace's POV

My yelling didn't seem to be having an impact on waking Will up, but I managed to hit him with that damn useless key ring and that did the trick. He started to stir.

"Hurry up before this place starts to explode!" I shouted as he pushed himself off the ground.

"Whoa, this fucking place is going to blow the fuck up?" Sebastian asked incredulously. He had been so quiet over there in his cell I had nearly forgotten about him completely.

"Ah yeah." Will muttered as he walked over and picked up the key ring I had just thrown at him.

"The key's not on that ring. I tried them all." I snapped.

"What?" Will looked up at me with furrowed eyebrows.

"Let me try." Sebastian said evenly as he walked over to his door and took a key out of his back pocket. He tried to put it in the lock, but it didn't work.

"Fuck! I really thought this would fucking work." Sebastian snapped.

"Where did you get that key?" I asked. He took an exasperated breath.

"Pangborn fucking snuck it to me in my fucking dinner. A lot of good that fucking key did me."

"Pangborn?...Wait…Let me see that." Will reached through the bars and Sebastian handed him the key. He rushed over to my cell and unlocked and opened the door.

"You had the key the whole damn time?" I snapped in disbelief.

"Give me a fucking break. I had it for a few fucking hours. This fucking place is under constant fucking surveillance. Where the fuck would you have gone if I gave you that key any fucking sooner?" Sebastian spat as he banged his head against a bar.

"Maybe your key's on the key ring." I grabbed the keys out of Will's hand and started going through them one at a time. His key had to be the tenth one I tried, but at least I found it.

"Oh god thank you. I can't wait to get the fuck out of here." Sebastian breathed as he walked out of the cell. No sooner did I open his door than Will snatched the keys out of his hand. Will was trying them all in the lock for the cell that had the weapons in it.

"There are only five cells down here, why are there so many damn keys?" Will sputtered. It felt like forever as he tried each one of them in the lock. He made an irritated noise and kicked the cell door.

"I can't believe it's not here."

"You know what man…I'm getting the fuck out of here…We're square…I got that key to you that let you out…I'm no fucking hero." Sebastian took off down the dark tunnel away from the estate.

"Wait! Don't go that way! WAIT!" Will shouted, but Sebastian never stopped.

"What were you going to tell him?" I questioned. Will shook his head slightly.

"That tunnel splits and turns so many places, I don't know if he'll ever be able to figure out how to get out. If he goes this way a little bit, there is a much better tunnel up ahead, a straight shot to the stables…" We both glanced back in Sebastian's direction one more time. Will looked down at his watch

"…Dammit…We don't have time to chase after him…We've got two minutes before the first bomb goes off…Let's get out of here." Will dropped the keys to the ground and took a step forward; I clamped my hand down on his arm.

"We have to go back for Clary." Will shook his head.

"She probably already got out." I took a deep breath.

"I don't feel like she did. Michael would have come back. He said he'd come back."

"Or maybe that's why he didn't." Will said heavily. We just stood there for a silent moment.

"Fine. Come on." Will said as he headed towards the darkness. I followed right behind him until we got to where the tunnel T's. I hesitated just a few seconds as I looked into the darkness in the direction Sebastian had gone. I turned back to follow Will, but I couldn't see him, it was too dark.

"Wait up." I shouted.

"Hurry your lazy ass up." Will snapped back sarcastically. A moment later there was a soft explosion that shook the ground. It was followed by a loud bang somewhere nearby and a simultaneous mild tremor. A couple small rocks hit me on the head. I wish I could see something.

"You alright?" Will called out. I could hear his footsteps heading back in my direction.

"Yeah." I picked up my pace again and headed towards him. I heard a thud up ahead immediately followed by Will's voice. I instantly picked up my pace a fraction.

"Fuck! Shit!...Watch out!" Will snapped from just up ahead.

"Wa…" I ran right into a solid object before Will finished.

"…Son of a bitch." I shouted. I stood there rubbing my hand against my face. That hurt like hell. I was feeling along the thing in front of me, it was grated like a massive gate, but I couldn't find a way around it.

"What the hell is this?" I snapped. Will was on the side that led back towards the estate, while I was on the side that led back towards the dungeons.

"It's a security measure, another way to lock down the estate from outsiders; the bomb going off must have tripped it." I heard Thomas's voice, but I couldn't see him. He sounded like he was coming up from behind Will. Will and I spoke at the same time.

"Have you heard from Michael?" Will asked.

"Do you know where Clary is?" I questioned.

"No and no. Michael should have contacted me by now, that's why I came up here to check what was going on. No news from Clary either." Another bomb went off, but this one sounded quieter. The place still shook slightly.

"We've got to get you the fuck out of there!" Will snapped.

"Just get Clary out of here." I yelled to Thomas and Will. I was still looking for a way through.

"I'm not leaving you down here Jace. Clary will kill me if you die." Thomas said back.

"I won't die. God. This place is a ticking time bomb. Just get her out of here. I'll find another way out." I was really hoping that was true.

"She won't leave you here Jace." Will responded.

"Tell her I got out."

"She won't believe me. She'll never believe you left without her." Will answered.

"I might be able to get this to trip back, but I'm not sure. Michael would know how to get this open." Thomas muttered under his breath. I took an exasperated breath.

"We don't have time for might and Michael isn't here, so that doesn't help either. I'm going back down through the tunnels, so please, I beg you, just find her and get her the hell out of here for me. Just lie. Tell her I was injured. Tell her I'm outside, but I got hurt that's why I couldn't come back for her. Just get her out of here."

"Jace-" Will started, but I cut him off.

"I'm heading back Will. You can stand there and do nothing, or you can do me a huge favor and find Clary and get her stubborn little ass out of here." There was a brief pause and another explosion rocked the ground.

"Dammit. Son of a bitch. Bastard. Fucking…" Will sputtered a long list of profanities. I chuckled.

"We're running out of time." I could hear the touch of panic in my voice.

"Will go. I'll stay with Jace and see if I can get this damn thing to open." Thomas said calmly.

"Fine!" Will snapped. I turned to leave, but I just had this nagging impulse.

"Hey Will…Thomas." I hesitated and looked over my shoulder, though I couldn't see them in the darkness.

"Hmm?" It sounded like Will, but I wasn't sure.

"Tell Clary I love her."

"Oh, no, no, no, no…Don't even…You can't die." Will said rather harsh. I chuckled.

"I won't…" God I hope I don't. The ground shook again.

"…Now go!" I snapped. I could hear retreating footfalls.

"Thomas, promise me, if you can't figure out how to get through here soon, you'll go back, you'll help Will…There's still a chance I can make it out through these tunnels, I don't want you wasting time down here."

"I promise." He said solemnly. I turned back around and took off at a jog into the darkness.


Clary's POV

I picked up my head and glanced around. I expected I would be dying, but I wasn't, the pain in my ribcage was actually subsiding.

"Pss…Clary…Clary…" I looked around discretely and noticed Will poking his head in from the secret passageway not far away. I couldn't suppress the faint gasp I let out, he looked so beat up. I couldn't believe Jonathan had done that to him. He had a very concerned look on his face. I debated making a run for him, or crawl, but I couldn't just leave all my friends here. I started to sit up a little, but he gestured for me to stay down. I darted my eyes back and forth between Will and what was going on in the room. I was lying on the ground on the side of the desk with Jonathan standing in front of me now, so I was less noticeable to the majority of people, but Valentine still had a clear view of me where he was standing. I could have sworn Valentine's eyes flicked to me more than once. I didn't need to worry about Jonathan or Seraphina, both their backs were currently to me, but if Valentine was watching me, he didn't say anything.

"…Are you alright?" Will held one of his hands to his temple and I could just imagine he was seeing what Jonathan did when he pistol whipped me. Although, my thoughts went to the gunshot wound. I looked at my hands that had rushed to my chest when I was shot, but they barely had any blood on them, just partially dried blood from when I touched my face earlier, nothing new. I looked up at Will and nodded.

"Yeah…You?" A look of relief washed over his face.

"I'm fine…My sister gave you lipstick?…" I furrowed my eyebrows, but nodded. I didn't know she was his sister, but I had lipstick. I carefully reached into my cleavage and pulled the tube from my corset. I had expected it to be crushed at this point, but the impact must have just missed it.

"…It's laced." He whispered.

"Laced? Like drugs?" I mouthed back and he nodded.

"More like poison…Put it on and kiss Jonathan." I nodded.

"Where's Jace?" I whispered.

"He's fine…Give me the rest of your weapons." Will whispered. There was a flash of something in his eyes.

"I don't believe you. What's wrong?" He shook his head and closed his eyes for a long moment.

"He was hurt ok? He felt horrible he had to leave you here, but he was injured too badly to help. I told him I'd get you out and I will…Just give me your weapons quickly." Jace was injured? I had to get to him. I had to see how badly he was hurt. I kept glancing back and forth between what I was doing and the noisy room. I was only catching bits and pieces of conversations as I carefully removed the sheaths from my calves.

"…Did you pay attention at all in biology class Isabelle? Brown eyes are dominate while blue eyes are recessive…Maryse and Robert have blue eyes…You couldn't possibly be their daughter...Your eyes are nearly black..." Seraphina lectured.

"…All those years you knew Jonathan was alive…You knew he was at Mortmain's estate that night!..." Valentine snapped harshly.

"…Still stuck on that Valentine? I thought we'd moved on. Perhaps if you weren't going around sowing your wild oats when you were supposed to be happily married I wouldn't have felt Jonathan was so expendable…" Seraphina said sharply.

"…You thought you were justified to give my son away because you knew Maryse was pregnant with my child?…" Valentine seethed.

"…You act surprised…This is the same woman that kept my son from me for the last twenty-one years…What the hell is wrong with you?..." Michael spat. The door to the library swung open and a group of people that were in the hallway hesitated before they entered. The chaos that had erupted in the room seemed to subside momentarily. There had to be about fifteen people that didn't look like guards, and I'm not sure why, but the first person I registered was Benedict. I hesitated as I went to pull the H&K from its holster. I just couldn't bring myself to give Will that last gun. I knew I had already given Benedict the other one, and giving this one to Will would leave me completely defenseless. I just had this overwhelming fear this wasn't going to be that easy. This distraction was just what Will and I needed. I pushed the two sheaths of throwing knives over to Will as he quickly scurried out of the secret passageway.

"Just put the lipstick on now." Will said quietly as he backed into the passageway with the sheaths in hand. I couldn't see him anymore. I was still fairly curled in on myself so I quickly and as discretely as I could put the lipstick on and put it away. The lights flickered again and this time I could definitely feel the ground move, like a small earthquake, it wasn't drastic, but it was noticeable. Had I been in the noisy ballroom I may not have heard or felt it at all.

"Well Seraphina, had I known your home was in such turmoil I would have waited patiently for you all to merely kill each other." A woman out in front of the small group said sarcastically.

"Why is it all Herondales seem to think they're standup comedians?" Valentine drawled, his gun pointed at Jonathan. I could just make out Barbara Lightwood to the side of her husband. Gabriel and Gideon stood closely behind their father and the girl with striking green eyes, Will's sister it would seem, stood next to Gabriel. Ragnor and Merlin Fell were both not far behind. I thought I could just make out Jem hidden in the crowd as well. Several of the other individuals I wasn't familiar with. I knew some of them could likely see me, they were all facing my direction, and though the guards were largely facing the same direction, they seemed preoccupied with keeping close eye on the visitors.

"Perhaps our catering company could have been more closely scrutinized…It appears to be heavily infiltrated by Herondales." Seraphina snapped sharply. Valentine's eyes furrowed, but he never looked away from Jonathan.

I lost all concentration on the group as my thoughts just fixated on Jace. I had to get to him. I had to make sure he was alright. I just continued crawling towards the passageway. I needed to talk to Will, find out where Jace was, what had happened to him, and maybe regroup and figure out what to do next. The room was turning into an unrecognizable blur of loud arguing. I could just about see Seraphina shooting another guard if people didn't quiet down. Although at this point she would have several to choose from. There had to be close to thirty guards in the library and pouring into the hallway.

"…Clarissa wherever do you think you're going? Valentine I thought you shot her?" I only half registered what Seraphina had just said and I let out with a scream when I felt an unexpected hand on my arm yanking me up off the ground. Jonathan jerked me roughly towards him and pointed his gun at my head again. There was another explosion, not as subtle as the last, but not overly noticeable either. This seemed to cause a number of looks as the lights dimmed again. I noticed Michael's eyes flip towards the clock before he returned his gaze to Seraphina. I'm sure he had to have felt the room move that time. It was already 11:40, the bombs would have started going off under ground at 11:30, which explained the flickering lights and slight tremors. We had to get the hell out of there. The woman that was standing slightly in front of the others quickly filled in the silence.

"She's been shot!" She snapped incredulously. I glanced down just enough to see the fringed hole in the center of the bodice of my dress where I had been shot. This corset had to be bulletproof, no wonder it was so damn heavy.

"Accidentally…She's fine." Seraphina said nonchalantly. The woman furrowed her eyebrows at Seraphina and gave her a hard look.

"You expect me to believe that when Jonathan is holding a gun pointed at her head? That's not even taking into account the fact she has blood all down her face." The woman scolded. Seraphina looked over her shoulder at Jonathan and I. Jonathan still had his gun pointed directly at the side of my head.

"Jonathan!" Seraphina snapped. Jonathan pointed the gun towards Valentine.

"Better Imogen?" Seraphina asked sarcastically.

"Marginally." The woman Seraphina addressed as Imogen replied.

"It might be better for us to reschedule this exchange for tomorrow. I have some high priority items I have to see to immediately. The guards can see you all out." Seraphina said matter-of-factly.

"Seraphina, we're not leaving. Nothing's changed. Clarissa and Jace are coming with us." Benedict said cautiously. Seraphina chuckled.

"Benedict, everything's changed…Clarissa told me herself, she's not pregnant…It was all a lie…Therefore, the Herondales have no claim to her and no justification for trespassing on my property…" She looked in Imogen's direction.

"…You're on dangerous ground Imogen…You're well overstepping the terms of our agreement being on my property…If you wish me to return Jace to you unscathed, then I suggest you leave while I'm still being gracious enough to let you." Seraphina's voice was dripping with disdain.

"Did you just threaten me?" Imogen sounded almost amused and the smirk that formed across the face of Gabriel was nearly comical. Imogen and Seraphina were going back and forth, their tones getting more and more antagonistic.

"What in the world are you doing with Isabelle?" Benedict barked loudly as he took a couple more steps into the room. I got the impression he had just noticed Izzy over by Valentine.

"She's a Morgenstern she's staying." Seraphina said casually. There was another eruption of arguments, but I didn't catch everything, just pieces here and there.

"…A Morgenstern?..." Imogen asked incredulously.

"…Don't act surprised Imogen, I bet you knew already. Those are obviously Wayland eyes…" Seraphina spat.

"…You and your Wayland eyes Seraphina…Other people have dark brown eyes…" Benedict said in an irritated tone.

"…It's a family trait…They're practically black…Robert and Maryse both have blue eyes Benedict…Do the math…" Seraphina snapped back.

"…I can't believe this…" Benedict said in an irritated tone.

"…Yes. Isabelle is my biological daughter…" Valentine drawled indifferently.

"…My mother cheated with…with…with…you!..." Izzy spat coldly.

"…Out!...I want the Herondales out of my home!" Seraphina snapped sharply as she flourished her arms into the air.

"We're not leaving without Jace and Clarissa." Imogen said sternly.

"And Isabelle…Don't you think for one second we're leaving Isabelle here Seraphina." Benedict growled.

"They're both Morgensterns Benedict…Get over it…I want every last Lightwood and Herondale removed from the grounds…Shoot them if they resist." Seraphina ordered as she looked to Imogen with a challenging expression.

"Mother this is getting ridiculous…I signed legal documents dissolving all my parental rights to Isabelle…Legal documents that Robert himself prepared." Valentine said lazily. Seraphina cast him a nasty glare.

"Stay out of this Valentine…You wanted a daughter?…You temporarily have two…"

"…I want him apprehended alive!..." Seraphina commanded as she pointed to Michael. The guards had just started to advance when another much louder explosion caused the room to shake so drastically everybody was grabbing for something to hold on to. Izzy as well as one of the caterers actually fell down. I would have fallen as well if Jonathan didn't keep me steady. I heard muttering about earthquakes and other people countering not in New York. I glanced at the clock. It was 11:45. We had 15 minutes before this place really blew.

"What was that?" Seraphina snapped in an elevated tone. I don't think I had ever heard her raise her voice like that before.

"Time's up." Michael said right before the room turned into a quick blur of movement. My mind couldn't register any sound at all as it tried to process the scene before me. For a split second it was like the room moved in slow motion. I saw an all too familiar dagger impaled right between Seraphina's eyes and blood splattered across her face as she collapsed to the ground. I registered Valentine's completely shocked expression as he looked from Seraphina to Michael. Michael moved from his location as more shots were fired. Michael had just thrown his dagger at Seraphina and killed her. As my mind caught up with what I was seeing I let out with a god awful scream and the room exploded into motion. Another loud bang resonated through the room and Michael let out a yell as he pulled his arm to his chest. I could see red bleeding across his upper arm of his white shirt. Jonathan's gaze, his gun, and both our bodies jerked in the direction of Starkweather, his gun still pointed at Michael. Starkweather had just shot Michael. I couldn't help but scream again. The guards all started to advance towards Michael. Too many shots were being fired at this point, but I found another involuntary scream escaping my lips as Starkweather's face became an unrecognizable bloody mess and he collapsed to the ground next to Seraphina. Jonathan's body pivoted with his gun towards Valentine, but his gun was pointed in Starkweather's direction. Valentine had just killed Starkweather. Jonathan turned his gun quickly on Michael. I felt the jerk after another loud bang resonated through the room and screamed again as Jonathan let out with a shout. Jonathan displayed his now empty bloody hand in front of my face. I looked up to see Valentine's gun still aimed at Jonathan.

Everybody was in quick movement. Thomas appeared from the secret passageway throwing knives, certainly the ones I had given Will. Each knife seemed to perfectly find its mark, sinking right into the forehead of a guard and immediately incapacitating them. With each impalement another scream involuntarily projected from my lungs. Imogen was also taking out guards with her gun; I absentmindedly figured it had to be the gun I gave to Benedict seeing he currently was resorting to fighting with his hands. As guards fell, a number of people were picking up their guns. Guards were reaching for the guns on the ground as quickly as the members of Imogen and Benedict's group. Several presumably empty guns were picked up and carelessly tossed back to the ground. During the standoff Michael raced agilely across the room and towards the open passageway, though I couldn't help noticing him nearly trip at one point and grabbing at his side at another. His white dress shirt was now noticeably stained with crimson in several places. As he escaped into the passageway he grabbed a throwing knife from Thomas and it flew threw the air and imbedded right into my lower leg. I let out with a blood curdling scream and gave him an incredulous look. Although, the fresh pain coursing through my body jerked me out of the state of shock I hadn't realized was threatening to incapacitate me. Michael looked horrified. I really didn't think he meant to hit me, but he had plenty of things working against him. Jonathan was jerking me around so much at this point making sure he could use me to shield himself from the commotion. Based on the way Michael was slightly stumbling and the blood covering his shirt, besides the obvious gunshot to his upper arm, I had a feeling he had been shot a few times.

"CEASE FIGHTING! CEASE FIRE! I ORDER YOU ALL TO CEASE!" Valentine shouted loudly in a firm tone. Michael seemed to hesitate by Will and Thomas just in the doorway a moment longer before he disappeared into the darkness closing the door behind him; leaving Will and Thomas in the library with the rest of us. There were a few more random gunshots once the door was closed before the uproar finally settled down. Gabriel glanced down at his gun, the slide cocked back, the gun unmistakably out of bullets, and tossed it to the ground. I could see nearly all of the guards lay dead on the ground, just a handful left standing with uneasy expressions and only a couple with guns in hand. Thomas leaned against a wall and slowly lowered himself to the floor. His arms were covered with blood and his hands were pressed to his abdomen. It was hard to say how many more injuries Will might have sustained because he was so badly beat up from his fight with Jonathan, but he had blood rippling down his arm from a fresh gunshot to his bicep. I couldn't help but notice how few people had guns at this point; just Valentine and a couple of the guards, nobody else. I imagine the guns riddled across the ground had to be all out of bullets. A number of individuals dressed up as caterers had gunshot wounds, a few were sitting on the ground being tended to. Benedict lay on the ground looking terribly pale. Barbara had noticeable tears trickling down her cheeks as she leaned in over him, though she didn't look like she had a scratch on her. Gideon and Gabriel stood just to the side of Barbara. They both looked like they had been in a physical altercation, but didn't otherwise look wounded. Imogen also had two noticeable gunshots, one in her shoulder and one on her forearm, but she looked undeterred by them. The girl with striking green eyes looked untouched, but stood just behind Gabriel and I could just make out Jem to her side. He had superficial injuries to his face, but otherwise looked alright.

Shy of Imogen, the women looked largely unharmed, but the men all looked injured either by gunshot wounds or what had quite certainly turned into a physical fight. Benedict certainly looked in bad shape, with Thomas not looking all that much better. Although several of those left standing looked like they might fall to the floor at any minute. Alec, Magnus, and Simon looked like they had all gotten into the fight based on the bruises on their faces, although none of them looked that bad. Imogen and Benedict had started talking among their group. Valentine stood with one of his arms across his body, his hand pressed under his armpit, his fingers dripping red. Alec, Magnus, and Simon walked over to him cautiously and he didn't seem to bat an eye as he stepped to the side so they had access to Izzy. Simon pulled her tightly to his side while Alec seemed to be smoothing her hair and talking quietly to her. If Valentine had given me a bulletproof corset to wear, I imagine he had been wearing a bulletproof vest, but in that area, just under his armpit, the vest didn't cover, and he had most certainly been shot. Izzy didn't have a mark on her except for the tears streaming down her face and I could feel my eyes burning as the tears spilled over. He had stood in front of her. He had protected her. He held his gun pointed at Jonathan. Jonathan hadn't had the opportunity to grab another gun, though guns were scattered across the ground, I had an overwhelming feeling they were all empty. Jonathan stood with his hands still tightly around my throat causing me to choke slightly. My head was throbbing and I couldn't see my leg, but I could still feel the pain blooming from where the knife was still sticking into me. I tried to focus on the pain and keep my concentration. I couldn't fall apart right now. I couldn't completely panic and go into shock.


Jace's POV

"Fucking. Son of a bitch. God damn. I swear to god if I die in a fucking tunnel right now I'm going to fucking haunt these fucking people for the rest of their fucking lives!" I nearly chuckled when I heard Sebastian's grumbling voice up ahead coming towards me.

"Sebastian!" I shouted.

"Jace?" I pushed the button for the indiglo watch face and we found each other quick enough. It was 11:45. We only had 15 minutes left.

"Dammit. This place is going to just ignite in 15 minutes." I sputtered.

"Not fucking helpful!" Sebastian snapped.

"I'm guessing you didn't find a way out?" I asked and he made an irritated noise.

"There's no fucking way out of these fucking tunnels. I've been fucking running around for like 30 fucking minutes." Sebastian spouted off. I took a deep breath as the ground shook again and more rocks fell on my head.

"Alright let me think a second." Michael's words floated into my mind.

The first bomb will be detonated at exactly 11:30, with a domino effect of additional bombs there after. The bombs will go off more frequently the closer you get to midnight. You'll have thirty minutes from the time you hear the first explosion to get outside and to safety. That should give you plenty of time. The main bombs that are inside the estate and throughout the tunnels will detonate as a dramatic domino one going off every 15 seconds from midnight until five after twelve. That will take the entire estate down to rubble…So, when you hear that first explosion at 11:30, you move…

Think, think, think. What did he say about the actual tunnel system?

…The shortest tunnel takes you out by the stable…

Ok, if I were to go back the way I came, Will said the tunnel right on the other side of the gate led to the stables. That had to be the same tunnel Michael was talking about. The ground shook again as another explosion went off.

"Dude we can't just fucking stand here." Sebastian snapped.

"Alright, alright, come on." We headed back in the direction I had come from.

…Thomas will be waiting by the stables for you both. A number of the tunnels will be intentionally destroyed by the first bombs, but there will be a few I expect to remain. If you are unable to leave by the stables, your next best bet will be the tunnels that drop you out in the gardens. The tunnel is a little further down the main tunnel path, just on your left. Actually if you see cells, like jail cells, hang your next left. Then there's going to be another left, don't go straight, it's a conscious left, you'll be going around the jail area more or less. Then another left, not a right, that won't bring you where you need to go. Then a right, but you won't have a choice, and another right, don't go straight there. Then it's straight all the way out to the garden, which isn't far and is closely monitored by the guards, so only go that way if you absolutely have to. So left, left, left, right, right…God are you even going to remember that. These tunnels are much closer to the estate, so if you don't get out of there early enough, you risk the tunnel being blocked by debris from the outside…

That's the way I was going to try. I just hoped I remembered it correctly. We jogged pretty quickly and just when we were approaching the turn I recognized Michael's voice sputtering up ahead.

"What the hell am I going to with this?...Think, think, think…" I couldn't help but think of the fact I had just given myself the nearly same pep talk not long ago; I absentmindedly wondered if I picked that up from Michael at some point. I heard another loud bang and the ground below my feet shook again. I kept going passed the turn and towards the sound of Michael's voice.

"Jace we don't have time-" Sebastian started.

"Cool it…" I pushed the button on my watch as I approached. Dammit 11:53.

"…Dad?" I shouted when I knew I had to be close. I felt a slight shiver pass over my body. I called him dad. I had done it unconsciously, it just came out, but still. It had been so long since I called anybody dad; since the last time I called him dad to be precise. I never called Robert dad. I shook the thought; I didn't have time to concentrate on that and if he noticed, he didn't say anything.

"Jace? You're still down here?" I could hear the urgency in his voice.

"Yeah, navigating through pitch black tunnels is a little harder than I thought…" We were on the other side of the gate now. I pushed the button to the watch again so we had a little light.

"…Why are you alone?...Where's Clary?" I heard his exasperated breath.

"It just worked out that way…Everybody stayed with her…Will, Thomas, Imogen-"

"Where's Jonathan, Valentine-"

"There with her too-"

"You just left her there with them?" I snarled through the gate.

"If I thought I could be of any more help I would have stayed. I was causing more harm than good. She had plenty of people there to help her and I couldn't just leave you alone." I pushed the light on the watch again. 11:55. I could just make out that one of his hands was holding his upper arm on the other side and he was partially leaning up against the gate. His white shirt reflected back more brightly in some places and not at all in others. Was that blood?

"You've been shot?" I asked with an audible touch of concern.

"A few times." Michael muttered back.

"Enough with the fucking chitchat!" Sebastian snapped. I almost yelled at him to shut up, but I realized he was right; we didn't have time for this.

"We were going to go out by the garden…You going out by the stables?"

"Tunnels caved in…" Michael said evenly. It was quiet for a brief moment.

"…Is that my watch?" I nodded.

"Yeah."

"Quick! Give it to me." He snapped. I took off the watch and handed it to him.

"Back up! Actually just go back to the dungeon. I'll catch up with you there. Cover your face." He rattled off. I did as I was told and Sebastian and I took off towards the dungeon. A moment later I glanced over my shoulder and saw a small flame that I was pretty sure had to be a lit match. I turned back and kept running. Seconds later there was a huge blast that lit up the cave and I brought my arms up to cover my face reflexively. Sebastian and I turned into the dungeons, which was really the only well lit area. I couldn't see Michael, but I shouted down the hallway in his direction.

"I've been wearing an explosive on my god damn wrist?" I snapped.

"You said you needed a watch…This is a perfect example why you should always carry matches on you." He shouted back matter-of-factly. Just as Michael came into view there was another much louder explosion that shook the ground so badly it knocked all three of us down with a chorus of swearing and shouting.

"What the fuck are we waiting for?" Sebastian shouted as he jumped back up. I was right behind him, but Michael wasn't getting up quite as quickly.

"Do we have enough time to get out?" I asked urgently as Sebastian and I both reached out a hand to help Michael to his feet. His white shirt looked pretty covered in blood and his bowtie was tied around his upper arm. The extent of his injuries was more apparent right now. He didn't look so great.

"Let's pray we do." He said softly as we all took off into the darkness yet again.


Clary's POV

Another subtle bomb going off shook the room slightly and caused the lights to dim again.

"What is that?" Valentine asked quizzically, but there was noticeable effort put into his breaths. I glanced at the clock, god it was already 11:50. That whole back and forth only lasted five minutes; it felt like it lasted forever. His eyes flitted to Imogen and Benedict, but Imogen just shook her head and Benedict didn't acknowledge Valentine at all. I wasn't even sure if they knew exactly what was going on. Valentine's gaze moved to me and he locked his eyes on me. I just ignored his question still choking against Jonathan's grasp, my hands clawing at his hold on me.

"Let her go Jonathan." Valentine said firmly. Jonathan chuckled.

"I don't think you have it in you to kill me unarmed…How about if I solve everyone's problem and strangle her to death in front of your very eyes?…So tempting." Both of his hands were tight around my neck as I scratched fiercely at his grasp. Another bomb went off and this one sounded louder. The room shook more noticeably.

"Michael you wouldn't." Valentine muttered seemingly to himself as he looked slightly down and away apparently in thought or maybe just listening closely.

"Wouldn't what?" Jonathan snapped. I was trying to nod at this point. Maybe a disruption in their concentration was just what I needed. A number of guards rushed into the back door of the library just as another loud explosion went off. The room trembled and a large chunk of ceiling fell and broke against the floor

"Sir?" One of the guards questioned.

"You know what he did?" Valentine looked at me skeptically and I was trying to nod again.

"Let her speak Jonathan!" Valentine snapped. Jonathan growled slightly. It was quiet for a long moment until another bomb went off and the room shook again. Jonathan loosened his hold a minuscule amount.

"What's going on My Love?" Jonathan hissed into my ear. I leaned away from his hot breath.

"Mortmain." It was pretty much all I could get out, but the look on Valentine's face was crystal clear he knew exactly what I was saying.

"How much time?" Valentine seethed. I shook my head at him and Jonathan tightened his hold on my throat. I let out with a burst of coughing as I clawed at his hands again, really trying to focus my effort on his hand that had been shot, but he acted like he didn't even notice.

"What the hell is going on?" Jonathan snapped. Another bomb went off and this time when the building shook several ceiling tiles fell to the ground and smashed into pieces. The guards stood with their guns drawn waiting for direction.

"He's leveling the whole estate and anybody left inside! Guards I order you to see to it that everyone evacuates immediately!..." Valentine commanded firmly as he stumbled sideways a step and leaned against a bookcase to his side. His breaths were obviously forced.

"…I can't believe he's blowing up my mansion!" Valentine seethed as he slowly lowered himself to the ground and the room shook again.

"What? Wait. What?" Jonathan spat. He finally seemed to register the seriousness of the situation as everyone filed out of the library without further confrontation. I could see the torn look on Izzy, Simon, Magnus, and Alec's faces as Gabriel, Gideon, and a number of people I didn't recognize forcefully pulled them out of the room. A couple people went over and helped Thomas off the ground and a number of people practically carried Benedict out as well. A few guards also helped the conscious fallen guards up, but the majority of the guards on the ground were unconscious and just left behind. Valentine sat on the ground breathing heavy. Jonathan's grip on me loosened as he realized Will was the only one that stayed behind.

"I can't believe they just left you here." I took a deep breath now that I could finally breathe and glanced up at the clock 11:55. Oh shit!

"We need to get the hell out of this ticking time bomb! This whole place is going up like the Forth of July in less than five minutes!" I spat out as the room shook severely and I stumbled to the ground. I started freaking out when I zeroed in on the knife protruding out of my leg, but before I could completely lose it, Jonathan yanked it out and I screamed. That hurt worse than having the damn thing thrown at me in the first place, but it also brought me out of my near panic attack and back to the moment. Jonathan grabbed my arm and jerked me painfully up off the ground holding the small knife in the other hand.

"William..." Valentine called out and Jonathan didn't even hesitate as he pulled me roughly towards the door.

"…She's buried in the garden…Under the bust of Poseidon." Valentine struggled to get the words out between coughs; blood splattered onto his fisted hand and dripped down his chin. He looked so broken hunched over on the ground, his face was so pale. He didn't have to say he was talking about Will's sister Ella for me to know he was. I wanted to shout something out to him. I just couldn't find the words. The throbbing in my head was intensified by a wave of dizziness and I felt my stomach tighten and flip as I tried not to look too closely at the dead guards bodies as Jonathan and I maneuvered around them. There was blood everywhere and that metallic smell in the air had to be what death smelled like. As we reached the door I looked back at Valentine one more time. He looked limp and lifeless. I didn't even know if he was still alive. Jonathan dragged me roughly into the hallway and I turned my eyes forward to see the front doors were wide open, not barricaded like they were meant to be. Jonathan and I took off at a jog towards the doors. My jog was uneven, but it was the fastest I could move with the injury to my leg, though Jonathan's grip on my arm was firm and he was half dragging me down the hallway.

"Jace got out? You're certain?" I shouted over my shoulder as Jonathan and I raced down the hallways with Will hot on our heels. The bombs were coming much more frequently and the whole place shook and trembled with each blast. I noticed all of the doors to the ballroom were open, but that's not what Michael had planned, they were supposed to be barricaded, although, I was so glad they were open. That would have been the final straw that completely sent me over the edge if I could hear trapped people screaming inside. I was also grateful the front doors weren't barricaded, because we wouldn't have had a prayer of getting out in time if they were. At this point, nothing seemed to be going according to plan. The place seemed so empty right now. Not a single guard or maid was to be seen.

"Yes, yes. I saw him. I talked to him. He got out. He's safe. Run faster." Will shouted with urgency. With every explosion the ground shook and chunks of ceiling fell to the floor and smashed into pieces. Smoke billowed throughout the rooms and the hallways at this point, but I had no idea where it was coming from. It was fairly heavy and choked my breaths as I coughed and gasped for air. There were actual sections of the floor missing completely and if I wasn't careful I could just fall through to the tunnels below. Running in these heels was nearly impossible, but running barefoot wasn't going to be an option, broken glass and debris lay all over the hallway floor. The front door didn't seem to be getting any closer and we were all tripping and out right falling more and more with each explosion. I had cuts and scraps all up my arms and on my knees at this point from falling so many times and I really didn't have that far to go to get from the library to the front door.

We passed through the entryway with Will so close behind I could feel his hand on my back for a brief moment. We weren't even twenty feet from the building when I heard one of the clocks inside strike midnight. Another loud explosion right at the doorway sent all three of us flying into the air. Jonathan held my arm firmly and unbelievably I landed directly on top of him. Another explosion had me bracing myself, crushing my head into Jonathan's chest, which I think he took more as a romantic gesture the way he wrapped his arms around me tightly and whispered soothing words to me. I couldn't pay attention to Jonathan as I felt the overwhelming enormity of the situation sinking in and the realization how close we had all just come to dying. I could see all those dead people still lying on the ground in the library. Seraphina and Starkweather's bloody faces wouldn't leave my mind. I could only barely register Jonathan's hand on the back of my head and his lips parting mine as his tongue slid into my unresponsive mouth. Jonathan's hold on me loosened virtually instantaneously.

"Strawberries." Jonathan seethed as that furious look of anger crossed his face. I was too disoriented to react. I had no idea what was going on. His sudden hand on my arm felt impossibly strong as my eyes caught sight of the light reflecting off the knife refusing to impale into my heart. Jonathan's face darkened. He looked unimaginably infuriated. I could only vaguely feel Will's hands trying to desperately pry me free from Jonathan's grasp. I couldn't come to my senses quick enough as Jonathan repositioned the knife and sank it deep into my shoulder, though a much less fatal mark, still unbearably painful. I let out with another god awful scream as my mind and body jolted to attention. Will gave Jonathan a hard punch to the face and was finally able to yank me out of Jonathan's grasp and to my feet. The pain coursing through my body right now was excruciating, but I imagined the pain of having that knife removed would be a million times worse. Not to mention, I imagined blood would just gush from the wound once that knife was taken out. Jonathan was still lying on his back and clawing at his throat at this point and gasping for air. Will was trying to pull me away, but the pain from my shoulder was making me momentarily dizzy. I could hear the explosions and see fire and sparks shooting into the air like fireworks.

"We're too close! Much too close! Clary, listen to me! We have to move!" Will snapped pulling me out of my confused daze before I sunk too far away again.

"We can't leave him like that." I shouted over the deafening noise. The fire roared as it raged behind me. The explosions thundered so loudly they were drowning out the sounds of even my thoughts and the wood and metal screamed as the building threatened to break apart.

"Clary he's allergic to strawberries. He's going into anaphylactic shock, he'll die." I looked back at Jonathan. He was still gasping for air, but he was fighting to sit up, though he kept falling back towards the ground. He looked murderous, but obviously debilitated. As I looked down at him at this moment all I saw was the man really responsible for the death of my mother and Luke; the man that killed Will's sister; the man that threatened to kill Jace if I wouldn't marry him; the man that tried to force himself on me; the man that pistol whipped me; and the man that just spent the greater part of the last half-hour nearly strangling me with a gun to my head. This man was a horrible horrible person, but I still couldn't let him suffer like that. He reminded me of a rabid animal, one you just need to put out of it's misery to be most humane. These thoughts raced through my mind in the fee seconds it took me to think. I reached my uninjured arm down to my ankle with a shaking hand and pulled out my last gun, the 45 caliber H&K.

"You still have a fucking gun!" Will shouted. Before I could react Will grabbed the gun out of my trembling hand.

"This is for my sister you sadistic son of a bitch." I turned my face into Will's chest just as I heard the gun resonate, once, twice, three times. Another loud explosion shook the ground and one of Will's arms quickly came around to catch me as we were both knocked off our feet again. I landed face down, half on Will and half on the ground. I felt the stabbing pain through my shoulder as the knife hit the ground and dug deeper into my body. I gritted my teeth and screeched for a long painful moment as tears streaked down my face. I felt like I was going to throw up or pass out from the pain at this point.

"Run!" Will shouted as he scrambled to his feet and pulled me up with him. My leg hurt like hell, my head was just throbbing, but those injuries seemed like an afterthought compared to the agonizing pain in my shoulder. I hadn't realized how strong the flames were coming from the mansion, but the heat was hot against my back making me break a sweat. I glanced over my shoulder and realized how close everything looked to just crumbling to the ground, some areas of the structure looked like they may have already caved in. I glanced at Jonathan's motionless blood covered body for the briefest second before we both turned and ran as fast as we could.


Simon's POV

I could still feel the presence of the individuals standing around us. It seemed so strange to see them all dressed up in disguises throughout the night, but now they waited like the rest of us to see if their friends and family made it out in time.

Robert and Maryse didn't attend the party, but had been waiting all evening just down the road getting frequent updates from Benedict. Their original relief at seeing Izzy and Alec was brought up short when they realized Jace and Clary were still inside. Now Robert stood with his arms around Maryse, her face buried in his chest, neither one saying a word. Barbara Lightwood had left with her unconscious husband Benedict in one of the first ambulances, but Gabriel and Gideon had stayed behind. Both of the brothers were fairly covered in scraps and bruises, but neither one had been shot. Gabriel stood with his arms wrapped around Cecily as she struggled and called out for Will. Gideon stood with his arms securely around one of the maids I had remembered seeing in Clary's room when we went to visit her. He kept placing soft kissing all over her face and whispering sweet affectionate words to her. Will's father and mother stood with their arms crossed over their chests, their unreadable eyes trained on the flames, neither one breaking down, and neither one acting as though they had lost any hope whatsoever. Imogen had left in an ambulance already, but only after much protesting. Jem looked more beat up than the rest of us, he probably should have been seen by one of the paramedics that kept coming around, but he stood looking out at the scene, his arm draped over Jessie's shoulder as she cried softly into his chest. Emil Pangborn sat on the ground near his father's feet as his father looked on. Emil was applying pressure to a gunshot wound to his forearm, though he had been given first aid by a paramedic, he adamantly refused to be taken to the hospital until he knew if Sebastian was alright. Ragnor and Merlin Fell had both been taken to the hospital with more minor injuries, nothing at all life threatening, but they'd both likely need a number of stitches and Ragnor quite possibly had a broken arm from the fight in the library. Thomas had left in an ambulance not long ago. He had attempted to stay, but he was obviously getting increasingly worse and a man named Cyril finally convinced him to leave after muttering something about checking the stables. Cyril seemed to vanish into thin air just after Thomas left. So many more people I didn't know had already left for the hospital or were standing around with more minor injuries and waiting to be seen by the increasing number of first responders that kept arriving.

Another loud explosion could be heard coming from the mansion. This time a large section of the structure caved in. We all looked on in horror as a small handful of individuals came running in our direction. The first explosion sounded so loud, but each subsequent one just seemed even louder. With each additional explosion the structure just caved in further and further on itself. Flames rose high as ash and smoke billowed into the night sky. I kept my arms around Izzy's waist as she struggled and tears streamed down her face.

"NO! NO! GOD PLEASE NO!" Izzy screamed out as her arms and legs thrashed. A couple figures could be seen through the haze running side-by-side in our direction. When they were just thirty feet or so away we could finally make out Will and Clary. Will was definitely helping to support Clary. Izzy had stopped thrashing momentarily. She stood with her feet on the ground, but I kept my arms tight around her. Where was Jace?

"Jace!...Jace!...Jace!..." Clary shouted repeatedly as her and Will approached.

"Clary!" Izzy screeched as she struggled slightly in my arms. I didn't drop my hold from her though. I just whispered gentle words suggesting we wait for Clary to come to us. The closer they got the more apparent it was how hurt Clary was. Clary was obviously injured, besides the wound I had seen to the side of her head in the library earlier, now her white dress was partially covered in blood. She had blood down the left side of her bodice and more on the lower portion of her gown. Will looked the same as he had before. I couldn't make out any additional injuries; although he was so bruised and battered I'm not sure I would have noticed anything shy of a bone protruding from his body. They both had white ash and gray soot covering their dirty clothes, blood spattered bodies, and hair. Cecily bolted over to Will and wrapped her arms around his neck, but he barely gave her a one armed huge as he continued to help Clary. Gabriel was right by Cecily's side wrapping his arms around her quickly as Will and Clary passed them by. Will continued walking by Clary's side and they slowed considerably when they were only about ten feet away. I finally released my hold and Izzy darted over to her. Clary and Will were clearly both warning Izzy off and I heard her sharp gasp. As I covered the short distance between us I saw Clary had a knife still sticking into her shoulder. She also had cuts and scraps all up her arms and one long gash from her elbow to her wrist on her right arm.

"Jace? Jace? Where is he? Did they bring him to the hospital already?" Clary asked fretfully as she looked around. Alec shot me a panicked look and then looked to Will. Clary looked over to Will as well, but he was looking towards the ground, not meeting anybody's gaze. Once we had all gotten outside, Thomas had told us all that Michael had gone back for Jace, but nobody had seen either of them. He also warned us that Jace begged Will to lie to Clary and tell her he was already out, because he knew Clary would never leave if she thought he was still inside. Clary already looked a complete mess; there were no words I could think of to tell her. She just kept asking where he was. I didn't want to give her false hope, but I didn't want her to lose hope either. She already looked like she was completely falling apart. Based on the semi-panicked looks everybody was casting each other, I'm sure we were all thinking the same thing.

"They brought him to the hospital right? How bad was he hurt? Don't lie to me. Tell me the truth. Is he going to be alright? I have to see him." Clary's voice was filled with fear and anxiety as she brought her trembling hands up anxiously to cover her mouth. A paramedic rushed to her aid. I heard him say something about the knife in her shoulder just as I saw the light reflect off the silver handle, but she just pushed him away completely and kept walking. Tears had started to trickle down her face. She looked about frantically, but nobody responded. Everybody was just looking to each other. Nobody knew what to say to her. She looked to Will, but he was just looking towards the ground. He continued to support her as she walked a few more steps towards the larger group.

"How bad is he hurt? Just tell me. Izzy? Alec? Simon?" Clary looked to each of us, but we were all shaking our heads. Part of me wanted to rush over to Clary and wrap my arms around her, but I had a strong feeling I needed to keep my arms around Izzy right now; she looked like she might lose it at any second. Another loud explosion had us all ducking. Alec was frozen in place as he gazed wide eyed back towards the mansion; his face looked drawn and pale.

"NO!" Izzy screamed as she collapsed to the ground. I guided her down as I put my arms around her and she turned towards me to cry into my chest. Clary had tears streaming down her face. She turned to Will and slammed both her fisted hands into his chest a number of times while she screamed.

"WHERE IS HE? WHERE IS HE? YOU SAID HE WAS OUTSIDE." She sounded nearly hysterical and tears just rushed down her cheeks. Her voice was staggered and her breathing was erratic. Will finally met Clary's gaze and I could see the strain in his face.

"Clary he begged me-" He started hesitatingly.

"NO!" Clary screamed as she turned towards the mansion. Will put his arms around her quickly as she struggled to break away.

"JACE! JACE!...YOU SAID HE WAS OUTSIDE. YOU TOLD ME HE CAME OUTSIDE. YOU SAID YOU SAW HIM. YOU SAID YOU TALKED TO HIM…JACE! JACE!" Clary yelled towards the mansion as she thrashed and sobbed.

"I did see him Clary. I talked to him. He told me to get you out. He begged me to get you out…" Will said solemnly and took a deep breath. Clary continued to thrash in Will's arms and scream Jace's name repeatedly.

"…PUT ME DOWN WILL! PUT ME DOWN! LET ME GO!...JACE I LOVE YOU! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME! JACE PLEASE! I'M SO SORRY! THIS IS ALL MY FAULT! PLEASE! JACE!...LET GO OF ME WILL!" Clary screamed as she tried desperately to get free of Will's grasp. The fire roared high into the air. It had been several minutes since the last explosion was heard and the building could barely be seen with the thick layer of smoke billowing into the air. The paramedic that never left Clary's side was urging her to let him look at her injuries, but she just continued to ignore him as she struggled desperately to get free from Will's grasp. More fire trucks and police cruisers rushed up the long driveway towards the inferno and disappeared into the smog.

"What have I done?...What have I done?..." Clary choked out between staggered sobs.

"…JACE!...JACE!...JAAAACCCCCEEEEEE!" Clary screamed at the top of her lungs in a blood curdling scream. The intensity of her screams had left her voice sounding raw and broken. Alec walked over to Will and Clary.

"Give her to me." Alec said softly as he started to collect Clary in his arms. For a brief moment it looked as though she had settled down enough that she might stop screaming and thrashing, that she might go to him, but in a split second she was free of both Will and Alec's grasp and heading at a hobbling sprint back towards the smoke screaming Jace's name again. Alec and Will quickly caught up to her and both restrained her as she struggled and thrashed. She choked and coughed as she sobbed and bawled, the screams had finally subsided, but she never gave up the fight to get free of Alec and Will. Her tear stricken face was a mask of horror. A number of police officers started to question us and tell us we needed to move further away from the blaze. Clary had two paramedics trying to calm her at this point and a police officer that approached her was quickly met with a violent reaction as she screamed at him and nearly kicked him. The officer brought a swift hand to his cuffs and Will and Alec were fast to say they'd calm her down if they could just have a couple minutes. The police officers seemed to rush around us as they helped some people and quickly unrolled caution tape. Minutes passed as we all watched and prayed.

Clary finally collapsed to her knees, perhaps too emotionally and physically drained to continue trashing and kicking; though one of the paramedic made a concerned comment about her potentially losing consciousness due to blood loss and the other one questioned if she was going into shock. She dropped her head to her hands and continued to bawl uncontrollably. The paramedics were finally able to get close enough to her to get a look at her leg, head, and shoulder, but she wasn't offering them much assistance at all. One of the paramedics finally gave her a shot of something and I could only assume it was to relax her. Alec and Will rubbed her back and arms as they spoke softly to her trying to comfort her. The paramedics were finally hoisting Clary onto a stretcher they had laid out on the ground. She didn't seem to be fighting them, but she looked like she really wasn't paying attention to them either. She sat with her hands covering her face talking softly to herself. I could hear her still begging and pleading quietly that Jace was alright between her pain filled sobs and repeated guilt ridden mumbles. The thunderous roar of the fire could be heard as the blaze raged out of control. Despite the sirens, it was eerily quiet. Nobody was yelling or screaming or shouting at the moment, actually, nobody was speaking at all except Clary's soft whispers. I could still see the paramedics giving Clary first aid, but time seemed to just stand still momentarily. I closed my eyes and held Izzy close as she continued to weep.

"Jace?" Magnus's voice wasn't much louder than a whisper, but it pierced the silence. Magnus wasn't far from me, which is probably the only reason why I heard him. I opened my eyes and looked up. Out of the cloud of gray smoke, a slow and staggering pair appeared, both apparently supporting each other to some degree. They finally emerged enough to be seen, both of them; Jace and Sebastian. My breath caught. He was alive. Jace was alive. They were covered in a thick layer of black ash. They looked dirty on top of the fact their clothes were torn and blooded. Jace looked like he had been dressed in a tux at some point, but his jacket was gone, his white shirt looked almost completely red, and his pants were in tatters. One of his sleeves was ripped completely off and he had a long nasty laceration up almost the full length of his blood covered arm. He had blood down one side of his face and in his hair. His other arm looked like it was injured or broken the way he was holding it bent to his chest. He was limping badly and I imagined his leg was probably broken as well, possibly even a sprained ankle on top of that. Sebastian didn't look quite as bad as Jace, but he didn't look all that much better either. He was standing on one side of Jace helping to support him. He was walking with a noticeable limp as well and holding one arm pulled up to his chest. I could make out a white cloth, soaked through with blood, tied around his hand. I had an odd feeling that's were Jace's sleeve ended up. Sebastian also had a number of other cuts and scraps all over his arms and legs. I could only absentmindedly wonder where Michael was. Alec and Will still appeared focused on Clary, neither one had looked up or noticed the approaching men. The two paramedics aiding Clary were both clearly in her line of sight as they continued to give her first aid as she lay on the stretcher still lying flat on the ground. Although, with her hands still covering her face, she wouldn't have seen Jace approaching anyway. Izzy's face was still buried in my chest.

"Izzy…Look…Izzy look…It's Jace Izzy…Look." I said softly until Izzy finally lifted her head. She turned slowly, tears still rolling down her face. She seemed to finally catch sight of him and screamed a high pitched screech.

"JACE!" Izzy started to stand and I let go of her as she raced towards Jace. Maryse and Robert seemed right behind her and Jessie and Pangborn just behind them. I trailed much farther behind. Alec and Will stayed with Clary, but they were both looking towards Jace. Clary finally looked up. Her face was away from me, but I could still hear her tormented cries. She tried to sit up, but four sets of hands kept her down as Alec, Will, and both paramedics forced her not to get up. Her choking staggered sobs sounded louder now. She sounded completely hysterical.

Jace winced noticeably in pain as Izzy threw her arms around his neck followed closely by Maryse and Robert; although they didn't seem nearly as fierce. Jessie and Sebastian had their arms around each other's waist; her face was buried into his chest. Emil had his good arm draped over Sebastian's shoulders. Jem and Will were both heading towards us at this point. Magnus had gone over to crouch down next to Clary with his arm snaked around Alec's his waist and his head lying on his shoulder.

Maryse dropped her hold from Jace, but Robert was clearly staying by his side to help support him. Will and Jem stood near Jace's side asking questions about how he got out and what happened to Michael. Jace seemed to be answering their questions vaguely or not at all. Izzy was still holding Jace in a tight embrace, so I gently removed Izzy's vice grip grasp from around Jace's neck as I collected her back into my arms. I looked over at Clary. She was nearly hyperventilating; her body trembled noticeably as she choked out staggered sobs. Alec and Magnus were still hovering over Clary, holding her hands, wiping away her tears, and talking softly to her. They stayed right with her as the paramedics strapped her down to the stretcher.

Once free of Izzy's grasp, Jace continued to limp in Clary's direction with Robert's assistance. Two police approached Robert and Jace just a few feet away from where the paramedics and Clary were.

"Are you Jonathan Christopher Wayland, also known as Jace Wayland, son of Michael Wayland?" Jace gave a quick sideways look at Robert. Robert gave a subtle nod and Jace returned his gaze to the officers and nodded.

"Yeah." I could make out the 8x10 photo of Michael they shoved in Jace's face as they started to question him.

"Could you confirm that this is in fact a photo of your father Michael Wayland?" Jace looked at the picture for a brief moment and nodded.

"Yeah, it's him." One officer nodded and retracted the photo as the other took down a few notes.

"Have you seen Michael Wayland tonight? We have several eyewitnesses that claim he was seen on the compound this evening." Jace nodded.

"Yeah."

"When did you last see him?" Jace shook his head.

"A little while ago, but he didn't make it out." The officer nodded again and the other continued to take notes.

"I just want to make sure you understand the seriousness of this situation son. It's important you're completely truthful with us. Could you expand on how you know he didn't make it out?" Jace nodded.

"He was shot a number of times…He came to help get me out, but the explosions threw us around so much…He became too weak to walk…Sebastian and I were so injured we couldn't carry him." He said solemnly as he shook his head. The officer nodded.

"Alright son. Sebastian you say? He'll corroborate this account?..." Jace nodded and gestured in Sebastian's direction.

"…You're certain son? It's terribly important you're forthcoming with us. This man is a wanted fugitive. He's believed to be responsible for the attack that took place here this evening. He's considered armed and extremely dangerous. If you're concerned for your safety-" This time it was Robert that interrupted.

"Officers. I'm Robert Lightwood Esquire and Jace's legal guardian. I believe my son has been more than cooperative considering how emotionally and physically distressed he must be at this time. I assure you we in no way wish to hinder your investigation and my son will be more than happy to thoroughly and truthfully answer any questions you have for him after he is treated for the wounds he quite clearly sustained." The two officers nodded.

"Alight…We'll let you get patched up. Thank you for your time." The two officers wandered over to some other people that were standing nearby.

Robert and Jace turned back towards Clary and took the last couple steps. Robert finally dropped his hold as Jace sank to the ground right near Clary's head. He leaned forward and Clary reached up to cradle his face in her hands as he gently trailed the fingertips of his good hand along her cheek; his other arm lay limp at his side. He covered her face with a number of kisses and they both whispered soft tender words to each other. The flashing lights of the nearby ambulances glistened off the unmistakable tears on both their faces, but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't wiped away a couple tears of my own. Alec and Magnus finally stood up and gave Clary and Jace a little more privacy, though the paramedics stayed crouched down right by their sides.

"What happened to my first aid kit?" I could have sworn I heard one of the paramedics mutter. I don't know why my mind wandered, but I found myself looking for Will and Jem, but they were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps Michael wasn't as dead as Jace said he was. I tightened my hold on Izzy and turned my eyes back to the massive inferno as additional paramedics headed our way. The mansion wasn't much more than an enormous unrecognizable blazing mound of debris. With all the chaos and madness that had taken place here tonight there were so many questions left unanswered, but the most important thing was that we had all survived, and for that I'd be eternally grateful.


Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews I've been getting for this story. I get a lot of guest reviews that I can't respond to, but I appreciate all the words of encouragement!