"So what happened?" Izzy asked me as we drove to Magnus's. Or she drove; I was never touching a steering wheel as long as I lived again.

"Nothing," I told her. "We ate and then came back to the Institute and went to bed."

Izzy groaned. "Why must you agonize me with your relationship? Why can't you just kiss the guy already?"

I ignored my parabatai and looked out the window watching mundanes doing mundane things like children playing hopscotch on the sidewalk or people walking their dogs. I think I would die of boredom as a mundane.

I looked back at Izzy, opening my mouth to tell her something but ultimately decided against it. She'd make a big whole deal out of nothing and I didn't want to deal with it. Not right now.

I remained silent until we arrived at Magnus's loft, Izzy rattling on about her date with Simon. We brought the couple of boxes up to the front door and knocked expecting the flamboyant warlock to answer.

Instead, Alec opened the door. "You're late."

"Does this make up for it?" Izzy grinned as she pulled the bow and quiver from one of the boxes.

Her brother eagerly took the weapon from her. "How did you sneak this out past Mom?"

"Do you think you're the only one who knows how to sneak out of the Institute to see their downworlder boyfriend?" Izzy asked him as he made our way inside.

"How long did you know?" Alec asked as he placed the bow and quiver down on the table. "Oh, and take your shoes off. Magnus just had the carpet cleaned. He said he didn't want the blood and demon guts that's on the bottom of your shoes on the floor."

As I untied my boots a small fluffy thing made its way over to me. Chairman Meow purred as he rubbed himself against me. I picked up the fluffy cat as Izzy answered her brother.

"Which one? How long I knew you were gay or how long I've known you've been with Magnus?" Izzy questioned. "Because you haven't exactly been discrete about either one."

"What are you talking about? I'm discrete." Alec seemed offended.

Izzy laughed, hard. "Alec, since you were old enough to even notice boys I've seen you looking at them. Remember our conversation about Sebastian? And what about that visit from Mark? And then Magnus comes along and-"

"Okay," Alec cut his sister off. "I get it. I wasn't very discrete." He was silent for a moment. "How's Mom?"

Izzy shrugged. "Haven't seen her. I think she's hiding in her office. If it helps I don't think she can stomach the sight of me either. I told her I was dating Simon."

"That's her problem," Alec said. "But Iz, Clary, I do want you guys to know that I'm still in this with you. Even if I wanted to I can't get around the fact that my Parabatai is in league was a psychotic murderer who wants to kill us all."

I looked at Izzy. Now would be as good as time as ever to bring up what we had discussed in Idris. She caught my eye and nodded.

"About Jace," my parabatai started. "We were starting to think he might not be as much as a willing complaint to Jonathan as we thought."

Alec held up his hand reframing his sister from saying anything more. "I'm stopping you right there, Izzy. I'm not going down this rabbit hole with you two thinking that Jace might not be as evil as we all think-"

"But he's not!" Izzy exclaimed. "He warned us about the video, tried to warn us about George. When he was fighting us, Alec, I saw his eyes. They weren't the eyes of someone who wanted to kill us."

"Don't you think I'd want more than anything for Jace to be good? To be on our side? He's my parabatai goddammit." Alec flashed his parabatai rune on his wrist. "He's a con artist. He was deceiving us for years. This is just another ploy of his to draw us in. And once we follow the 'Jace is actually good' train Jonathan is just going to snap the trap."

"Can't you feel-"

"No, Izzy. I can't feel anything through our bond except a pitch black void. That's how I know there's not a shred of good left in him."

The three of us were silent for a moment. Then, Magnus appeared out of nowhere scaring the bejeebies out of me causing me to drop Chairman Meow. The warlock was holding cans of expensive-looking cat food.

Magnus looked at the three of us. "Ah. Well this all looks very intense, I'm just going to go feed Chairman Meow. Come on, mon chat." He clicked his tongue and the cat meowed running after his towards the kitchen.

"Magnus, wait!" I called as I followed him leaving Izzy and Alec alone.

I sat in the front steps awaiting the silent brother and Sebastian. Magnus had agreed to my request and I had sent a Fire message.

Clarissa Morganstern, I heard Brother Zachariah's voice in my head before I saw him and Sebastian walking down the street.

To my horror I realized Sebastian had gotten worse. He didn't so much as glance my way. He seemed docile, zombie-like.

Swallowing my worries I stood up off the step. "Come on." I led the two Nephilim into Magnus's loft. We had Sebastian sit down in the chair Magnus had designated for him already.

"J-Brother Zachariah!" Magnus exclaimed exiting his room holding and spell book.

Magnus, Brother Zachariah said. It's been too long.

"Yes, decades hasn't it?" Magnus filtered through his book. I wasn't aware the warlock and silent brother were acquaintances. "I saw Tessa a while ago. She's doing well, living in Paris now I believe. Aren't you due to see her soon?"

In a few months, yes. Brother Zachariah was then silent leaving me to wonder who this Tessa they were talking about was and why both warlock and silent brother would have ties to her.

Magnus looked at me. "Now, theoretically putting this block in Sebastian's mind will work. Do you happen to know when Damian got ahold of his mind for the first time?"

I shook my head. It was a thing I had been wondering. For how long had Sebastian really been my brother? "It had to be after we came to New York. Maybe even that first night, at your party."

Magnus made note. "Then I'll place the block at his first memory of portaling here."

"And he won't remember anything?" Izzy asked, standing next to me. Alec was leaning against the wall across the room, his arms crossed. There was still tension between the two siblings.

The warlock shook his head. "And if this works it's imperative that he doesn't. Any leak in memories could force him back into this state. If it comes to that I'll have to reissue the block." He set the spell book down as placed his hands on Sebastian's head. "Let's begin." Izzy squeezed my hand for support.

For the first time I saw Magnus's cat eyes, his warlock's mark, as soft blue light flowed out from his fingers.

It will be okay, I heard Brother Zachariah's voice in my head. Magnus Bane is to be trusted.

When Magnus stepped back Sebastian's head hung. "It is done," the warlock declared.

I knelt down in front of my brother. "Sebastian-" his eyes flung open, staring at me for a moment before darting around the room. Finally, they landed back on me.

"Clary? What's going on? Where are we? This isn't the Institute and who's-" I cut him off as I suddenly hugged him because I knew it was him. I knew I had my brother back.

"It's a long story."

Magnus had lent Sebastian and I use of his bedroom so I could delicately explain to him what had happened the last few months. Thankfully, he didn't seem to remember any of it: the block was doing its work. For now, anyway.

My heart ached when I had to tell him the bad of it all: that he had nearly tried to kill us, that he had nearly killed Max, that Jonathan had killed Mom. When I saw tears welling in his eyes I had to stop because my words were coming out in choked sobs. It was like reliving Mom's death all over again.

Finally, I was about to get ahold of myself and finish the story with everything that had happened the last few days with Idris being sealed off and how I decided to bring him to Magnus.

"Where's Phaesphoros?" Was the first thing Sebastian asked.

"I-" I didn't actually know where his blade was. We had never found it. "Jonathan probably has it."

"Good. Two birds with one stone. Find Jonathan, we find my blade. And then I'll run him through with it. That bastard deserves to die for all that he has done."