Title: Heron

Rated for: Still not sure yet, so far its been easy going here.

Genre: Family, Adventure and more later.

Fandom/Universe: The Mortal Instruments and all related characters are copyright of author Cassandra Clare. Buffy The Vampire Slayer and all related characters are copyright Joss Whedon. No infringement intended.

Characters: Ok, in this one I have Maryse Lightwood. Still not sure who else is showing up from both fandoms.

Pairings: Still not sure

Spoilers/Warning: Still not sure

Disclaimer: Not mine, just playing make-believe in the sand box.

Summary: Will and Tessa had a family. A second son, decided to leave the Shadow Hunter world when he fell in love with a Mundane.

Status: In-Progress

Author's Note: I've been wanting to post this since I finished last week..

Chapter: How to conduct an interview and rescue.

Not A Chance

"You're not the first Herondale to leave and come back." Maryse had gone through the Herondale line from the point in which her family had joined it. With Cecily Herondale marrying Gabriel Lightwood.

"Wait a sec, you're getting ahead of yourself." Åudrys shook her head, smiling with mildly annoyed amusement. "You shouldn't count your chickens before they hatch."

"The choice is yours, of course." Maryse nodded.

Åudrys snorted at that. She knew better than to believe that. "So who was it?" at the confused look form the older woman, she explained. "If we're not the first…"

"William Herondale, of course. Son of Edmund Herondale and the mundane he left the clave for." Maryse could see the tight press of the young girls lips and sighed internally. "He fell in love with a mundane. As it was not permitted for her to ascend, Edmund left to be with her."

"I'm starting to get this little club of yours is prejudiced." Åudrys pointed out. She meant to offend, its how she felt hearing Maryse talk about members of her family. Yes, they were long dead and she had never met them but who was this woman to make judgments on events she couldn't have any knowledge of? Åudrys felt as she had when they had been accused of murdering their Father. The facts only told part of the story, the people living those 'facts' told the rest.

"I can understand how you would see it that way. But we…" Maryse trailed off at the eye roll from the young girl. Even Jace had the decency not to that to her face.

"There's always a 'but' isn't there?" Åudrys sighed. "Some excuse, or reason why its not your fault, to lay the blame on someone else. Why can't everyone just man up and admit-."

"If you're trying to antagonize me, you're doing a wonderful job." Maryse cut in with her frostiest tone. "I don't understand why."

"Great, let me spell it out for you." Åudrys sat forward, her own expression revealing anger. "Grandpa Wyatt used to tell me stories, same as his Dad had told him when he was a kid, about angels fighting demons. Great adventures of the Hēron angel but he fell in love with a human girl and was cast out of heaven because of it. Kinda sad but with a twisted happy ending. I always thought it sucked, he had to chose between family, all those asshole angels thinking they were better than the human girl. What was so bad about it? She wasn't hurting anyone and he was happy!" she got to her feet, anger burning in her chest now that those stories weren't just stories but a reality her great-grandfather had lived. "Now you're telling me this really happened and not just to us, to my great-grandfather but my grandpa and Dad too?"

"Please, understand that Shadow Hunter's are different." Maryse tried to soothe her, taking the tone she would with Jace when he was upset. "We are descended of Jonathan Shadowhunter. He was a crusader in the 11th century. He called the angel Raziel and asked him for a way to create a race of warriors to combat the demons invading our world. Raziel gave Jonathan Shadowhunter his blood-."

"Oh, real nice." Åudrys rolled her eyes to the ceiling and stopped her pacing, hands pressed to her face as if trying for patience. "Some idiot goes on a blood drinking binge… that's bad news in my line of work."

"Which is?" Maryse scowled. She didn't like the girls attitude at all.

"Not even." Åudrys paced the length of the desk briskly. "Still your turn and you haven't told me anything that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. And what is it with my jewelry that put your boys in such a tiff?"

"Your bracelet." Maryse stood and held out her hands patiently.

"My Dad gave it to me." Åudrys bit back the 'before he was murdered' but it was clear that Maryse knew there was more. "It's a bangle, not a bracelet." She muttered and allowed Maryse to take her wrist in her hands.

"These are runes," her fingers traced the runes burned in the silver. "They were given to the first Shadow Hunter's by the angel Raziel to assist in the fight against demons. They are recorded in the Book of the Covenant and the Gray Book." Maryse knew all the runes inscribed on the bangle Åudrys wore; the Promise Rune followed by the Wedded Union, the Destined rune and then the Bind To, closing with the Loyal To rune. She smiled. "These … they're a love letter." She let go of Åudrys hand seeing the confused expression become sad.

Åudrys cupped her wrist and the bangle to her chest, eyes on the floor. She didn't know how to feel but couldn't banish the sadness that overwhelmed her. Her grandfather had been the one to urge her Father to give her the gift when she turned thirteen. He'd kept it, not knowing what the runes meant, only that his Father had said it had been given to him by his Mother when he fell in love and wanted to marry a beautiful girl…

Maryse walked over to a glass case and took out the silver ring. She turned to find Åudrys still staring at the floor, slightly frowning. "Shadow Hunter families have a symbol. For the Lightwoods it is a torch or flames." She took a step towards Åudrys who looked up at her first words. "The Herondale's are known for the Hēron."

Åudrys hesitantly reached for the ring Maryse held out to her. She could see the pattern of the birds in flight and tugged on the gold chain around her neck until she had the gold Hēron in her hand. She compared them both but there was no difference. It was the same design, just a little bigger and only one instead of a flock.

"There's also record of a star shaped birth mark. On the right shoulder-."

Åudrys shook her head. "No, I don't have any birthmark." She pushed the ring back towards Maryse intending to back away. There were things that she was learning which made her wonder if being activated was just a fluke. And if that were the case then, her Father… he died-.

"Of course not." Maryse agreed, she took the ring and placed it back in the case. "The Mark is only borne by the males." She turned back to Åudrys. "As the story goes, the angel Ithuriel who resided inside Tessa's clockwork angel locket, came to rest on William's shoulder. Ever since then, the men have borne the angels Mark."

"Uh…huh." Åudrys only nodded. She couldn't tell them her brother had a pale star on his right shoulder. They couldn't know about Liåm, they hadn't known about her until they saw her in the park and noticed her jewelry.

Maryse motioned for Åudrys to follow her as they made their way through the library and the cases which she showed to her. "The children of Shadow Hunter's who have left are also given the opportunity to return. Will was asked twice and he came to The Institute only after the death of his older sister at the hand of a demon. All the Herondale's from Will and Tessa's line were believed to have died. Its been recent, that we've learned one of our own is the son of Stephen Herondale."

Åudrys frowned. "Why the sourpuss?" she questioned. "You have a Herondale and a boy to continue the family name. You don't need me. Unless," she stopped and made a face. "And eew, but the dude is my … cousin? … so if you're thinking of keeping it in the family, uh…"

"Of course not." Maryse frowned, her expression appalled at such an insinuation.

"Good." Åudrys agreed emphatically. "Because that's some backwoods, hillbilly shit that never ends well. Have you seen The Inquirer?" she demanded.

Maryse grew more confused and annoyed by the girl. She was reminded of Jace, again. "I see the family resemblance."

"Got any pics?" Åudrys covered her surprise because she hadn't considered there would be someone else she'd be compared to that wasn't her brother. "I'm curious." She shrugged and tried to cover her sudden anxiousness. "Grandpa always said we had Mom's good looks."

That brought a smile to Maryse. She had seen pictures of the Herondale's and they were all very beautiful. "You do have a resemblance to them; William and Tessa." She added at the slight furrowed brow.

Åudrys watched Maryse turn away, once her back was fully turned Åudrys reached into the case and quickly took the milky quartz adorned in silver runes. It went right into her coat pocket as she hurried to follow Maryse.

"Your dark hair from William and," she took a leather bound book and held it out for Åudrys to an open page. "This is Theresa Gray."

Åudrys took the album and stared at the woman in the photo. She didn't look older than 20-something and her dark brown hair was a shade darker than her Father's had been. There's was more of a resemblance around her mouth and the shade of her eyes…

"You're eyes are gray, like hers." Maryse noted quietly. It seemed to break the spell the girl was under as Åudrys shook herself and snapped the book shut.

"Here." She shoved it towards Maryse who was slow to take it back. "Lets just get to what you want from me."

"Åudrys… very well." Maryse sighed and set the album back in its shelf. "The laws have changed recently. There have been … events, which have forced us to begin accepting candidates for Ascension."

"You're recruiting." Åudrys frowned. "I'm not for fancy words so why don't you get to the point and say what you want from me. In plain English." She added.

Maryse grew annoyed once again with the girl. "In plain English, you are being offered the chance to return. An offer that was not extended to your grandfather and Father."

"What," Åudrys drawled though her attention shifted to the door. "They weren't special…?"

"Of course not." Maryse drew an exasperated breath. "We had lost track of them. Your great-grandfather made sure of it."

"So I screwed up." Åudrys murmured under her breath and turned towards the door. "Story of my life, just screwing up…"

"The process will take a few months." Maryse continued, her brow furrowed as Åudrys seemed to ignore her. "I'm sorry, am I keeping you from-."

"Your boys." Åudrys turned, glaring at Maryse. "They're being rude."

"Excuse-." Maryse was surprised as Åudrys ran towards the stairs, her speed was something close to a Shadow Hunter's with the Rune. The doors opened as Åudrys reached the top, and the Shadow Hunter that entered was tossed over her head into the shelves of books above. "By the angel…" Maryse breathed.

"Call them off." Åudrys ordered form the door. "Or I send the next one through a window."

"Who sent you?"

"Who?" Liåm frowned. "I came for her and I'm not leaving without her. Now where-?"

"How did you get in!?"

"I get it." Liåm scowled. "You're slow." He was quickly surprised to find out the red head was definitely not slow. "Argh!" he felt the first blow and the hand gripping his throat but he had learned more than a few tricks sparring with his sister and her friends. Actives using their uber strength once they realized he wasn't as fragile as regular 'boys'. Even Åudrys had been surprised he could take the 'love taps' the Actives dealt him.

Keleigh felt his arm bend and pain Lance up to his shoulder as the intruder broke the hold and kicked him away. He dodged the fist and the kick that followed and bit down on the pain as he blocked with his hurt arm.

Liåm felt the blow as the red heads fist connected with his face. He blinked but it took him a moment to get the stars out of his eyes and barely managed to block another punch.

"What is this?"

Liåm saw another black figure but couldn't focus on the face as the air was kicked out of his chest. He felt the cold brick wall and tried to drag in air.

"Intruder." Keleigh stated as he advanced on Liåm. He never saw the figure that flipped out of the shadowed hall. By the time he hit the floor Keleigh was unconscious.

"Let go." Åudrys ordered. She recognized the guy in black holding her brother in a choke hold. "Now."

Liåm was seeing stars and trying to breathe. He had no trouble hearing and the sound of his sisters voice was small comfort. He was coming to her rescue. Not the other way around.

"Yurgh… ffked!" Liåm managed to croak out.

"Halt!" the voice floated to them from the darkened hallway. Footsteps echoed on the stone quickly running towards them.

Åudrys recognized the voice of The Institute head and glared in that direction. "Call off your mutt." She demanded then turned to Soren. "Before I break him."

Soren didn't like her threat, he responded by tightening his grip which elicited a strangled sound from the mundane. It drew her towards them, her gray eyes never leaving his face-.

"Soren!" Maryse called. "Release him immediately."

It took him a moment before he dropped Liåm at Åudrys feet. She grabbed her brothers arm and hauled him up without ever taking her eyes from the Shadow Hunter. She kept herself between Liåm and them, her attention split and focused on them both as Maryse finally reached their side.

"By the angel…" Maryse breathed. She had seen portraits in The London Institute of William Herondale and of Tessa. She had been told her son Alec had a strong resemblance because of his dark hair and blue eyes to William. But before her stood almost an exact mirror image of that portrait still hanging in London.

"Not interested in your cult." Åudrys snapped.

"This isn't-." Maryse sighed. "I can see that you're upset-."

"Upset?" Åudrys cut in. She really wanted to punch the guy but doing that meant more of a fight than she wanted with her brother right there were they could use him against her. "This is mildly annoyed. " she turned to glance at her brother who was finally breathing normally. "Didn't I tell you to wait?"

Liåm shrugged a shoulder, his voice hoarse as he said; "Time was up."

"You're-."

"Not staying." Åudrys cut into Maryse 'offer'. She'd seen the pictures, the copies of the portraits of William and Cecily. She knew what Maryse was seeing and the last thing Åudrys wanted was for her brother to get pulled into the crazy. "Not interested." She was being very clear with them so they couldn't pretend they hadn't understood. She turned to Soren and glared at him. "Stay. Away." She could have left it with that but her hand snaked out and her fist met his face with a satisfying crack.

Maryse let out a soft gasp as Soren fell like a sack to the stone floor.

"You make sure and tell him that was the only warning." Åudrys stated. She grabbed Liåm's arm and hurried towards their exit. The last thing she wanted was to have them lock those big heavy doors and take her up on that threat from earlier.

Your fancy lock wouldn't keep me from busting out. If that's what it takes.