IX

Two days.

Two days until the Volturi came knocking at their door. It was enough to have Bella more frazzled than she wanted to admit. Two days was not enough time to prepare. It was hardly enough time to get the word out to the Council. Robert had to be informed; Charlie and Sue had to be protected. The town had to be protected.

Because in addition to the damn Volturi, Victoria had gone off and created an army of newborns. She had been on her way back to them when Jonathon had caught and captured her. It had only been an hour since they had regrouped.

That was time ticking against them. Bella paced from her spot by the Cullen's couch. Alec and Jace stood beside her, watching her with concern. Everyone was watching her with concern: the Cullens, the Denali as well as Sam and Jake. The only one not watching her was Magnus and that was because the warlock wasn't in the room.

He was outside on a phone call; probably trying to find some reinforcements of his own. She knew little about the magical side of the Shadowhunter world. She just knew of the Clave, the Insitute where she lived, and her in-laws. That was enough for her, but she was being educated by Jocelyn. Bella was surprised she wasn't wearing a hole into the ground. She was stopped in her trek by Jace, who wrapped his arms around her and began soothing her in Romanian. The brunette buried her face in his chest, listening to his voice.

"Is she going to be alright?" Esme asked, her hands clasped over her chest.

"She will," Alec answered, taking in the couple briefly before turning back to the group of Downworlders, "but for right now, we need a plan."

"Keep Bella on the Rez, the vampires won't come there," Jacob spoke, sure of his plan.

"You said that already," said Jace, who brought a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Five times already. No one agrees with you, Jacob. It's a stupid plan."

Alec shot a glance at his brother. It was a look that said to behave but he got an eye roll back in return. He understood Jace's frustration. They had been searching for Victoria for years and had come up with nothing until then. If the vampire hadn't been so cocky and screwed up, he didn't think they would have found her until it was too late.

It still was, but at least now they had a bit of time. Their first course of action had been to send Liam and Charlie to the Institute. His mother was happy enough to keep them safe and Sue as well.

The Lightwoods had vowed to not let another child die on their watch.

"It isn't stupid," Jacob snarled at the blonde.

"It's stupid," said Jace, showing his maturity.

"Jace," Alec groaned.

"Don't let your demon boy hear that," Bella quipped, beating her boyfriend to the punch. Golden eyes twinkled with mirth and Jace planted a kiss on her temple. She pulled back a bit and looked out at the others. "I'm fine, but Jace is right. We need a plan," she shook her head at Jace's remark about always being right.

Alec disagreed, snorting and turning his head up at Jace.

"Rude," Jace said, hurt by the display.

"Do you two always do this?" Rosalie asked. "Your mate is in danger and you're acting like a child."

"Rosalie, trust me. This is them on a good day," Magnus said coming into the room. He turned his attention on the group. "The newborns will need to be taken out first."

"You know how to fight newborns?" Jasper asked.

Magnus smirked, "No, but you do," he winked at the empath.

"We need to get Liam and Charlie to safety," Bella began and stopped when Jace squeezed her shoulders.

"We did that first. They're at the Institute with our mom," Alec assured her.

"We would have sent you with them, but I decided to start a family with a stubborn woman." Jace smiled at her, kissing her nose before his eyes turned serious.

"How do you fight newborns?" Jace directed his question at Jasper. Everything about his demeanor told the others that he was serious. He looked like a total different person to the others sans Bella and Alec.

They knew this version of Jace. Alec fought beside this man in battle. Bella laid this man to rest so her lover could return, cradled in the warmth of her embrace and the soft flutter of her heartbeat.

Jasper pulled himself from the emotions to at came from the man. He recognized a solider when he saw one. The stance and the eyes always have it away. Alec and Jace wore it like as second skin. All of them did; except Bella. He had seen it in Isabelle when she ripped into Jonathan, saw it in Clary and Julien when they came through the door. Jonathan was the exception to them all.

He was a weapon all on his own. He had been able to incapacitate one of their own. His eyes had been almost black when they found him and if they hadn't smelt his unusual blood, they would have thought he was a vampire. Shadowhunters were strange and they would have to make sure they didn't know too much. But right now, they needed to know how to take down an army of uncontrollable newborns.

Jasper opened his mouth to speak but Jonathan answered instead, dropping down onto the couch.

"Fire," he said shortly, grabbing for Alec. The archer let out a grunt as he settled into the other man's chest. He purred loudly as he inhaled what he could only know was Alec: resin from his bowstring, the faint hint of polish he applied on his bow and just something like teakwood. It was grounding and keeping the sealing runes from burning. Before it had been like a searing heat. Now it was like a washed burn; fleeting but still there.

"Got anything else there for us, caveman?" asked Jace, rhetorically. He added a quick grunt for effect, only to get swatted in the shoulder by Bella. "Ouch, that is is spousal abuse."

"We aren't married," she reminded him, studying his face. He amazed her sometimes with how quickly he could switch from battle ready to teasing.

"Yet," the three Shadowhunters chorused.

"But yes, fire is one way." Jonathan continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. His green eyes moved to Jasper. "Fire and dismemberment, but that part can be a bit tricky if not done within the same steps."

The Cullens stilled and Rosalie growled at him. How the hell did he know that? The shifters were also curious.

Jonathan seemed to notice how the others were looking at him. Without a beat or letting go of Alec, he said: "My father was a crazed lunatic who liked to conduct...experiments. I watched quite a few as a child and then did some of my own during my bout of madness."

"So you experimented on vampires?" Tanya was appalled.

"Oh plenty of supernaturals," Alec answered for her, cutting his lover a glare when his hand started to wonder dangerously towards the hem of his shirt. "But we're getting off track here. Our mundie needs to be protected and we can't keep secrets."

"We wouldn't put Bella in danger," said Edward, his voice low and dangerous.

"So then we shouldn't haven't any problems," Jonathan spoke with finality, curling his fingers into Alec's shirt.

Absentmindly, Alec started massaging at white-blonde hair as he took over for him. Somehow he was able to make being in charge doable while straddling and comforting the other man.

"Tell us everything."