Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Twilight or Shadowhunters/Mortal Instruments. Those rights are reserved for Stephanie Myer and Cassandra Claire. I do own the original characters made up for this storyline. Thank you.
Writer's Notes: Thank you everyone that has followed and favorited my story so far! Please leave a review and tell me what you think! :)
[Friday, October 8th, 2021]
A couple weeks passed by for Bella, and school was going smoothly. Her and Simon met at the café every Monday and Wednesday for coffee and pretzels. Jace dropped in and checked on her randomly. Especially the first few days after she got hurt, but she told him to stop hovering so much. Her ribs were still bruised, but she could move around better. It was Friday, and Simon was playing a set over at Pandemonium and she promised that she would go and watch him perform.
Which is why she was out shopping with Clary for appropriate club wear. She didn't own too many clothes, and she normally wouldn't wear anything too provocative, but Clary insisted that she at least buy a club dress just to have.
"I like the blue one." Clary said, when Bella walked out in a stunning sapphire blue mini dress. It was tight, hugging her curves, but it was comfortable.
"I think I like this one actually. I can move in it. It's not extremely short either. I can bend over without flashing everyone, so that's good." Bella said with a little laugh.
Clary smiled. "Well, you're gorgeous. You have beautiful features. Next is makeup. I know you don't care for wearing a lot, but I have a friend at the salon that can do your hair and makeup for you."
"I don't know Clary. Makeup seems like too much."
"You said you wanted a makeover right? You're getting your hair cut and highlighted right?"
"Well, yeah."
"Then this will be part of the new you." Clary said with a smile.
Bella caved. "Okay okay. Let's do it."
Clary clapped her hands and then Bella went to change back into her regular clothes and paid for her dress. Clary looped her arm with Bella's as they went off to the hair salon that Clary's friend Jaime worked.
"Jaime! I brought you a new doll." Clary called.
Jaime appeared. He had bleached blond hair, his grey eyes glimmered and he had si;ver dangle earrings in his ear. "Oh, well, this is a perfect doll!" He exclaimed and went to Bella. "You are gorgeous. A lot of natural beauty."
Bella smiled. "Thank you."
"I have the perfect look for you. Trust me." Jaime said with a wink.
Bella nodded and took a breath. "Okay. I'm just going to go for it."
Jaime smiled big. "Good. Now follow me." He said and grabbed her hand and led her to his chair and she sat there. He worked on her hair first, washing it for her, and she was relaxed, feeling great with this experience. She was going to let Jaime have control. She was taking the leap, and she was glad that she was.
He started the cutting, and she closed her eyes, nerves bouncing around in her belly as he cut her hair. She was already feeling lighter. He dried her hair, and then he was doing something with foils, and she couldn't wait to see the final product.
When he spun her around to face the mirror, she was shocked. She looked amazing. Her hair was shoulder length now, a bailage of caramel highlights made her face look brighter. "Wow."
Clary was smiling big. "Oh, wow indeed. You are hot."
Jaime was grinning wide. "Well, now for the makeup." He said and spun her away from the mirror and then he started on the makeup. He decided to take it light. He wanted to highlight the natural beauty of her face. He painted her lips a dark peach as the finishing touch and then spun her to look in the mirror again.
"I can't believe that's me…" Bella murmured as she looked in the mirror. "I do look hot." She said with a big smile.
Jaime winked. "Well, you are stunning my dear. You are going to knock all the guys out with your looks. Thank you for trusting me with your canvas."
Bella looked at Jaime. "No. Thank you for doing this. You are amazing." She said, and then he was helping her out of the chair and dusting her off.
"Have fun tonight girls. Clary, bring me a beautiful doll anytime." He said and waved at them as they left.
The went back to Bella's apartment, and got ready for the night.
When they stepped foot in the club, Bella was wearing her new dress, and Clary went with a dark green dress, and wore her hair down and had done some light makeup. Magnus approached them then.
"Oh, wow. You. Are. Stunning." Magnus said looking at Bella. "Drinks are on the house. I'll tell Marcos you two ladies are VIP." He said and pranced away.
Bella laughed and Clary linked her arm with Bella's again. "Magnus can be over the top sometimes," Clary explained.
"It's fine. I really like Magnus." Bella said with a smile.
"Oh wow," Simon said as he approached Bella and Clary. He looked Bella over. "You look amazing Bella."
Bella smiled. "Thank you Simon. Where's the rest of the band?"
"Setting up. Thanks for coming out," Simon grinned and looked to Clary. "Did you have something to do with the makeover"
Clary shrugged. "Maybe." She smiled and then Magnus glided over, a tray of drinks, all different colors. "Ooh, I love the purple ones." She said and took the drink that looked neon purple almost.
Bella took one too and drank it slowly at first. "Oh, that is good."
Magnus grinned putting an arm around Bella's waist. "There are many more to come. Enjoy tonight!" He said exuberantly.
Bella laughed drank down the rest of her drink. "Bring some more." She held up her empty glass.
"Mmm. You are stealing my heart Bella Swan." Magnus said with a wink and he was gone again and sending more drinks over, while he leaned on the bar and spoke with another patron.
"Well, I'm gonna head up to the stage. I'll see you after," Simon said and left to meet the rest of his band on stage.
Clary smiled. "I think Simon really likes you."
Bella took another drink off the tray the waitress brought over. "Simon is great. He reminds me of my good friend Mike back in Forks. Makes this whole moving to New York thing easier."
"Simon is a great guy. I've known him forever." Clary said and took another drink from the tray too.
Simon's music started playing and Clary and Bella cheered. His voice echoed out, and that made a lot of girls go crazy in the club.
After the set, Simon made it back to Clary and Bella, and now club music was playing. Bella and Clary were dancing a little, while Simon went to the bar to grab some more drinks. Bella was having a really great time and having fun. Bella didn't dance a lot, but she did know how. She took ballet for a while and she could move really good. Something made her look over her shoulder and she spotted Jace. He was wearing dark clothing like normal, and he weaved over towards her and Clary. Bella was feeling a bit of the alcohol too, and that made her a bit friendly. Clary paused to go to the bathroom, leaving Bella there with Jace.
"Ah, Jace. You've come to join us," Bella said with a bright smile.
Jace smirked. "Hmm. Someone has been drinking."
Bella laughed. "A little. Dance with me," she urged and grabbed his hand and her scar lit up like a glow in the dark light, but that didn't stop her from moving with him to dance. Jace noticed the scar, but he didn't say anything immediately as his hands went to her waist. He moved his face close to hers.
"Your scar. It lit up," he murmured in her ear.
Bella moved in closer to hear him better, her body brushing his. "What?"
"Your scar," he murmured again in her ear.
She looked at her wrist as she stopped dancing. It was glowing. "Oh. That's different."
Jace moved with her away from the other people, to the side. His hand still hooked around her waist. She was staring at her wrist. "It's never done that?"
Bella shook her head. "No."
Clary walked over towards them, Simon with her carrying drinks. "Oh. You're still here."
Jace looked at Clary and Simon, his hand slipping from around Bella's waist. "Yeah. I thought I would find Bella here. Simon plays on Fridays."
Simon nodded, and handed Bella a drink, and then slipped his one arm around Bella's waist. It was a power move and Jace noticed it instantly, but Bella hadn't. "Thanks for coming to my set man."
Bella took the drink and drank it down fast. "Hmm. Oh. Did you bring Alec?"
"Yeah, he's at the bar," Jace nodded.
Bella looked over at Alec, who was at the bar with a dark-headed female who was dressed in a tight black leather outfit. Magnus' attention was grabbed by Alec and he was walking over to him. "Uh oh. Magnus found Alec."
Jace glanced over and nodded. "You know he's-"
"Jace!" The dark headed woman was now beside them.
"Oh, Bella this is Isabelle, we call her Iz."
Bella smiled. "I go by Bella, but my name is Isabella. That's pretty cool."
Iz smiled. "That's super cute." She said and looked at Jace. "Alec says ten more minutes and we're heading out. The music is giving him a headache."
Jace rolled his eyes. "Tell him to go back then. He doesn't have to babysit me."
Alec walked over then, Magnus following along. "Jace, ten minutes. Come on dude," He said and looked at Bella. "Hi Bella."
Bella nodded to Alec and felt a bit dizzy. "Hi Alec. Stay, have a drink. You don't have to be all serious all the time."
Iz giggled. "Alec is always serious. He's our team leader, so he must be serious. All work…no play," Iz pouted. "My dear brother, let loose."
Alec shook his head. "One of us has to be responsible. Fine, I'm going outside for air." He muttered and left them to head outside.
Magnus smirked. "He is delicious looking."
Clary smacked Magnus on the arm. "Magnus," She smiled.
Bella laughed and moved over to Magnus and leaned against him and Magnus' arm went around her. "Well, what are you waiting for. Go get him tiger."
Magnus raised a brow. "Bella, my dear, you have been drinking a lot."
"Just a bit." Bella admitted, a smile plastered on her face.
Jace was grinning. Seeing Bella like this made him intrigued. She was a bit stressed it seemed and seeing her so relaxed and smiling, having fun, made him feel something inside.
Clary cleared her throat. "Well, I am going to have another drink. I will bring us all a round of drinks." She said and disappeared to the bar.
Simon smiled at Bella. "What's the plan after drinks?"
Bella thought about it. "Well-"
Magnus suddenly stiffened and slipped away from Bella. "I will be right back." He said and hurried away.
Jace and Iz got tense too, as they swiveled their head around, and then Bella stiffened a little too as she saw what gathered everyone's attention except Simon and hundreds of other club goers. "Uh, hey Simon, can you go help Clary, it looks like she might need help with drinks." Bella said and Simon smiled and nodded, leaving towards the bar.
Bella grabbed Jace's arm. "What. Is that?"
"Demons." Jace said lowly. "Magnus is a warlock."
"What?" Bella frowned.
Magnus returned, looking at Jace and Iz and then Bella. He had a serious look on his face. "Shadowhunter, I am going to lock this place down. I'm going to create a portal. You need to take the portal. There are about a dozen demons here. There is a VIP in the back that the non-human club goers go. Go there. Bring Clary and Simon with you. They don't know anything of this world, but they're about to now. Bella, I apologize you didn't know this about me sooner. I will meet you guys on the other side. I'll explain more. Now go." He urged.
Jace nodded and grabbed Bella's arm and pulled her along with him. He approached the bar with Iz, and then Alec was there with them. Simon and Clary turned, holding drinks, smiling.
"Simon, Clary. Come with us. We're going to VIP," Bella said with a smile and they followed Bella and the three others towards the back. Simon and Clary hadn't been to this part of the club before, and when they stepped inside, Magnus opened the portal, locking the door behind them.
Clary and Simon dropped the drinks, confused.
Bella looked over at Magnus. "You promise you'll be right behind us?"
"Go my dear, I'll handle these pesky demons and be right there." He said.
Simon and Clary were a bit in shock at what was unfolding around them.
Iz sighed and grabbed Clary and Simon on the arm and pulled them with her through the portal and then Alec followed. Jace moved with Bella, his arm around her waist as they moved through the portal. They stepped into an apartment with lots of trinkets and books, and artifacts. The portal shut behind them.
Bella sucked in a breath and stumbled a bit, but Jace caught her. "Thank you." She said, her head spinning a little.
Simon ran a hand through his hair, his eyes wide. "What the hell…"
Clary blinked a few times, looking at Alec first. "What is happening? Your tattoos…. they're…I draw these sometimes..." She was a bit confused.
A few moments later, Magnus was there, a portal shutting close behind him. "Ah. Okay. Everyone is safe. I put up some wards around the city, and around the club. "
"Magnus….you need to explain what the hell is happening." Clary said, her voice shaking a little.
Magnus sighed. "Oh Clary…I'm so sorry you're having to find out this way. I'm a warlock. Jace, Alec, and Iz are all shadowhunters, as are you Clary. Your mother…she wanted you to forget and so I've been placing blocks in your memory for years."
"That's why she could see me in the ally that one night." Jace said, looking at Bella. "But why can you see me?"
"That is because Bella has angel blood running through her veins." Magnus stated simply.
Alec shook his head. "Then she would be a shadowhunter, and she's no shadowhunter."
"You don't think Clary is a shadowhunter too? She doesn't look like it, but she is. Shadowhunters that were raised in the human world without the knowledge of shadowhunters and the demons would not seem like a shadowhunter. Clary and Bella are both shadowhunters. In fact, Bella you're family are like royalty in Idris. Charlie and Renee are not your real parents." Magnus explained and then looked over at Jace. "We're in Brooklyn at the moment, not far from the institute. I suggest you take the three of them with you and show them."
Simon put up a hand. "Wait a minute. What am I then?"
Magnus blinked at him a few times. "Just Simon."
"Oh. Well that sucks." Simon pouted.
Bella shook her head, trying to wrap her brain around all the information she just heard. Her dad wasn't her dad and her mom wasn't her mom. How could that be? Why? Why would she be hidden? She got a bit dizzy, and then she felt the world starting to fall from under her and then she was blacked out.
When she woke up, she was laying on a bed in a dim lit room. She stirred, looking around. She was still wearing her clothes from the club. She sat up, her head exploding, but she fought through it and got to her feet. She wasn't wearing any shoes. The door opened then, and she looked up to see Jace. He was carrying a glass of water and what looked like a bottle of aspirin.
"Oh, you're awake." Jace said softly and brought her the glass of water and aspirin.
Bella took the water and aspirin and drank down the water quickly. "What happened?"
"You passed out. I think you had too much to drink, and with portaling, it tends to have its affects on people. I also think you were overloaded with information." Jace explained.
"Where am I?"
"The Institute. My room."
She nodded and set the glass down on the bedside table. "So. Everything is true then?"
Jace nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry."
She shook her head. "It's okay. I um…" tears came to her eyes and she looked down. Jace stepped towards her and lifted her chin up to look at him.
He wiped the tears from her face. "Don't cry," he said, his voice soothing.
"I don't know who I am anymore…" Bella said, her voice a little hoarse.
Jace stared down at her. He knew who she was by looking into her eyes, to her soul. She was amazing, beautiful, and astonishing at times. He leaned in, his lips brushing hers. When she parted her lips, accepting him, she melted against him, and Jace's arms went around her, pulling her to him. The kiss was passionate, their tongues sliding over each other, and if it weren't for Jace's grip on Bella, she would have lost her balance. Her clenched his shirt tight, keeping herself plastered to him as his mouth ravaged hers.
When he broke the kiss, peppering small kisses to her lips, cheek, and forehead, she opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Jace…" Bella murmured.
Alec opened the door and walked in and paused. "Oh, sorry," he apologized and looked away. "Jace, team meeting in five minutes."
Jace nodded, pulling away from Bella. "I put a pair of sweats and a tshirt over there on the dresser for you to change so you would feel more comfortable. Come down when you're ready." He said and left her alone now and followed Alec out.
When she was alone, she let out a shaky breath and changed her clothes. She had to roll up the pants a few times to get them to stay up on her waist and not fall. She looked at herself in the wall mirror. Her hair wasn't too bad, and her makeup surprisingly looked great. She opened the door and walked out into a hallway. She wasn't sure which way to wander, so she went left and started towards the sound of voices. She appeared in a large control room, where there were so many computers and it was high tech stuff. She saw Jace and Alec standing at one console looking at a screen. Jace had his arms crossed across his chest, and they were talking about something, serious looks on their face.
Iz approached her. "Hey, Bella, you feeling better?"
Bella looked at her. Iz was smiling at her, friendly, and that made Bella smile. "Yeah, Jace brought me some aspirin. I'm sorry for passing out. I did drink quite a bit. Where are Simon and Clary?"
"Bella!" Simon's voice called from behind her and she turned and he was hugging her.
Bella hugged him back, sighing. "Hey, are you okay?"
Simon nodded, leaning back from her, looking at her. He reached up and brushed the hair back out of her face. "I was more worried about you. You passed out."
"Yeah, the alcohol and information overload just fried my brain a bit. I'm okay now though." She said and then he pulled her against him again. She leaned her face against his shoulder, and he brushed a hand through the back of her hair, and she felt him sigh heavily. She could tell that he was hanging on to his sanity. He leaned back to stare at her again, his eyes intense.
Jace cleared his throat and Bella pulled back a little and turned to look at him. "Hodge wants to talk to you and Clary."
"Hodge?" Bella was confused who Hodge was.
"He's the institute's trainer." Alec said simply. "Jace bring Bella and Clary to the library and talk to Hodge.
Jace nodded. "Follow me."
"What about me?" Simon asked.
Iz smiled at him and looped her arm in his. "Come with me. I'll get you some food while Clary and Bella have their talk with Hodge." Simon was a bit confused still, but he followed Iz.
Jace stopped off in the weapons room, where Clary was standing just looking at everything. "Hey, come with us." He said and Clary looked up at Bella and smiled before following Jace towards the library.
The library was massive, and it made Bella's mouth drop open. "Welcome Clarissa and Isabella." A voice interrupted Bella's thought and she looked at the man that was in the library. He wasn't terribly old like she had imagined.
"I'm Hodge Starkweather." He introduced himself. "Thank you Jace, you can leave." He said and Jace hesitated before leaving Bella and Clary there with Hodge. "I can tell you're both confused. Come sit, and I'll explain some things."
Clary and Bella sat down in two large maroon leather chairs and Hodge walked over and stood in front of them. He clasped his hands together.
"Clarissa. Your mother is a shadowhunter. There was a war, and your mother ran, after your father was killed. She brought you to the human world from Idris and hid you away. Since shadowhunters that are born will start seeing demons, and such, she had a warlock, Magnus Bane, take your memories. Magnus filled me in on that part, but prior to this, I wasn't sure that Jocelyn was even alive still. Bella on the other hand," he looked at Bella. "You were hidden on purpose by the Clave. They wanted to keep your existence a secret because of Valentine. "
"Who is Valentine?" Bella asked.
Hodge was quiet a moment. "He's your true father. Yours….and Clary's."
Bella and Clary looked at each other, both confused. "We're sisters?" they both said at the same time.
"Does that mean that Jocelyn is my mother?" Bella asked, looking back at Hodge.
"No. Jocelyn is only Clary's mother. Valentine had ulterior motives. While married to Jocelyn he slept with a woman…that woman was Maryse Lightwood. Alec and Iz's mother." Hodge explained.
Bella shook her head. "No. That…" she frowned. Tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she murmured and got up from her chair and ran out of the library. She ran into Alec, and he stopped her, his hands gripping her arms firmly. She looked up at him, his face, and he looked at her with a look of pity. It was the worse look anyone could give her. "Stop. Let me go." She pushed against Alec, but he was stronger, and then Alec did something that he never did. He hugged her. She sobbed, her face against his chest as she sagged against him.
Alec looked over Bella's head at Hodge. He knew who Bella was. Hodge told him about him having another sister and that she wasn't part of their world. He had hopes that she would never be drug into this world, but here she was. "Bella." His voice was calm. "I'm truly sorry that you were thrown into this world. You didn't ask for this and for that…I am sorry."
Bella didn't know what to think. She had to get away from here, away from everyone. This was just a bad dream, one that she would wake up from and everything would be back to normal. Why did she leave Forks? Yes, it was suffocating sometimes, and the pain hit her like a ton of bricks some days, but none of that compared to the weight she felt on her chest now. It was too much to handle, but she stayed where she was, Alec's arms wrapped around her, comforting her.
That's how Jace found Alec and Bella. He stopped, looking at Alec's tenderness with her and for some reason that made him feel uneasy. "Is she okay? What did Hodge say to her?" Jace was defensive.
Bella pulled away from Alec then and looked up at him and nodded. "Thank you."
Alec nodded his head and let Bella go to Jace now while he went into the library, where Clary was too stunned to even move.
"Bella…what happened?" Jace asked softly.
"Um…" she looked down at her hands. "Clary and I are sisters."
Jace looked a little shocked. "Oh. That is…" Jace wasn't sure what to say to that. It seemed that Alec already knew. He hadn't prepared him or Bella for that matter. "Are you okay?"
Bella thought about it. "I will be. Right now, I'm just…overwhelmed. There's just too much." She wanted to cry more, and Jace sensed that and he went to her now, holding her, tilting her face up to his. He kissed her, his mouth gentle on hers. Right now, that was the only thing that made sense to Bella. Jace's mouth on hers. She couldn't think when he kissed her and that's what she wanted right now. No thinking. It was a good distraction. A welcomed distraction.
He broke the kiss to look at her. "Bella…you can talk to me. I know you're hurting." He murmured.
Bella's eyes searched his golden ones. "I don't want to talk." She nearly whispered.
Alec cleared his throat. Clary was beside him and Bella and Jace looked over at them. "I'm going to have two rooms prepared for Clary and Bella. Iz will take Simon home."
Bella frowned and turned away from Jace, and Clary had the same expression as her. "No. You can't take him back home. There are demons out there!" Bella exclaimed.
Clary nodded her agreement. "It's too dangerous for him to be by himself."
"I'm not staying here. I'm going back home. Clary and Simon can stay with me at my apartment. I'm not letting my friends get hurt," Bella said to Alec.
"Bella it's not up for discussion. Humans can't stay at the institute." Alec said, his voice stern.
"I don't care what your rules are. If Simon isn't staying then I'm not staying," Bella said defiantly.
Clary was in agreement with Bella. "Simon needs to understand what is happening. He's probably freaking out right now, and he won't leave willingly. He's my best friend, and he loves Bella. He's not going to leave her behind."
Bella started to say something but stopped. Simon loved her? That was unusual, but she dismissed the thought. "Clary is right, he won't just willingly leave us here. I'm going back to my apartment." She said and turned and ran into Jace. The look on Jace's face was strange to her. Like he was angry at something. "Move. Let me leave."
"Bella you're not safe out there either." Jace reasoned, his voice strained a little.
"I can take care of myself. I'm not completely helpless."
"You just passed out, and I had to carry you here. You're not in any shape to be fighting off demon attacks. It's nearly an hour from here to the Bronx. How are you going to get there?" Jace's voice was angry.
"It's called a subway," Bella bit back.
Simon and Iz walked up and saw the heated argument. "What's wrong?" Simon asked.
Everyone looked at Simon, but Bella was the one to speak. "We're heading home. You and Clary are spending the night with me." She said, her eyes cutting back to Jace's.
Simon looked confused. "I don't understand. Isn't there a demon apocalypse happening or something?"
Iz even looked confused. She looked at her brother. "They shouldn't be leaving. It's too dangerous for the three of them to be outside the institute right now."
Alec looked at Iz and closed his eyes and sighed. "Fine. I'll prepare a room for Simon too. Don't leave." He grumbled and walked past them all.
Bella felt a bit relieved that Simon would get to stay. Simon walked over to Bella and frowned. "Why are you crying?" he murmured and reached up and wiped the tears off her face without thinking.
"It's been a long day. I just want to go to sleep. It's what four in the morning now?" Bella asked.
"Five thirty." Iz called. She smiled and looked at Clary. "Are you okay? You look exhausted."
Clary nodded and let out a long sigh. "I'm just tired. A lot to take in." She looked at Simon and Bella. Simon was standing close to Bella, his hand had dropped to Bella's hand. Jace was looking at them with a jealous stare. It hurt her heart for some reason. She knew that Simon was falling for Bella so fast, and she didn't want to see Simon end up hurt because what her and Alec walked in on between Bella and Jace was something that you couldn't deny.
Bella took a step back from Simon. "Um. I'm sorry you've been dragged into all of this mess. You should be able to live a normal life." She said with an awkward laugh. "I thought I was going to finally get a normal life when I came here, but it seems that I won't."
Alec returned. "Rooms are good to go. Get rest." He grumbled to them all before walking into the library and shutting the door behind him. He had to talk with Hodge about what was happening.
Iz smiled. "Come on, I'll show you guys to the rooms." She said and led them to some rooms that were opposite of Jace's room and Iz's.
Bella shut her door behind her and looked around the room. Everything seemed so grand here. She just wanted to crawl up in a little ball and sleep and hopefully wake up from this nightmare. She went over to the bed and lay down, letting the exhaustion take her into a slumber.