Isabelle opened her eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the light. She was laying on a comfortable bed with her head resting on a soft pillow. It was pounding.

She sat upright too quickly and was rewarded with dizziness and an even worse headache.

"Best to lay down, Miss Lightwood."

It was a kind nurse who spoke to her. She was in the medical room, she realized. Back at the Institute.

"No," she said. "No, where's Alec?" Her brother was all she could think about. Her brother, and Magnus, who was probably being tortured right now.

She made to get out of the bed but the nurse held her down. "Isabelle, you are in no shape to be walking around. You've suffered a head injury and you were drugged quite heavily."

"It isn't safe here," was her response. "The wards, they're down. There were Circle members here, just last night!"

The nurse looked confused. "The wards are secure, I assure you. There were no Circle members here last night. It's the drugs, Isabelle. Let them wear off and you'll be able to think clearly."

"No, won't you listen to me? There were Circle members here, and they took me and Alec and Magnus! We have to help them, save them!"

"That's enough, Isabelle."

She looked towards the door and saw her mother standing there. She didn't look very happy.

"You are dismissed," she said to the nurse.

"Mom, we have to help Alec! Valentine, he's trying to use his bond with Jace to-"

"Stop. Just stop. Nothing you are saying makes sense. The wards are up, the cameras show no evidence of Circle members ever being here, or even of you leaving your room."

"If there's no evidence of me leaving my room, how did I end up here?"

Her mother sighed. "We found you unconscious outside on the doorstep."

"So you'd rather believe I magically ended up outside the Institute than believe me when I say I was kidnapped by Circle members?"

"Isabelle, you're confused. You were drugged-"

"By Valentine!"

"-by a Shadowhunter, who already confessed to his crime. He also admitted to toying with the cameras to cover it up."

"Who? Who do you think did this?"

"It doesn't matter, he has already been dealt with."

"So you'll believe that, but you won't believe your own daughter?"

"I believe the evidence."

"Then where's Alec?"

Maryse sighed. "He's with Magnus Bane, I received a message from him just this morning saying so."

"That's impossible, he was there with me, with Valentine. It's fake, Mom, it isn't real! Both Alec and Magnus need our help…. And if you won't help them, I will."

She rose from the bed on shaky legs and walked to the door, her mother on her heels.

"What are you doing, Isabelle?"

"I'm going to Jace. I'll send him a fire message. He's the only one who can track Alec with their bond. I know we can't give Jace or Clary to Valentine, but that doesn't mean they can't help us find them."

"No, we cannot pull Jace and Clary out of hiding."

"Why not? We can use their help while keeping them from Valentine, then put them right back when we're done."

"You don't understand," said Maryse, as the two of them entered the operating room. "Why do you think we put them in hiding in the first place? If Jace and Clary are given the opportunity to side with Valentine, the Clave believes they will take it. And if they don't, Valentine will have them killed…. And if they do side with him, I swear I'll kill both of them myself."

Izzy balked at her mother. She couldn't believe what she was saying.

"I forbid you from contacting Jace. Or Clary. You're being stupid, and selfish, Isabelle. Bringing them back here will only put them in danger."

"Danger from you!"

Maryse looked around at all the faces turned to them. "Isabelle, you're making a scene." she all but whispered.

"Good!" she yelled, making her way across the area towards Alec's room, intent on getting an object that belongs to him, for tracking. If she couldn't go to Jace and her mother wouldn't help, she'd just have to go to someone who will.

They were in Paris for the night, but they both knew they would have to get moving by the morning. Being in hiding was harder than either of them ever thought it would be, constantly moving, never staying in one place for too long. Clary kinda liked it, to be honest. She never thought she would be able to travel this much in her life, and even if they were busy running for their lives, she couldn't help but enjoy the view every once in awhile. She wished she had some paper and a pencil with her.

The night was warm, and they sat on a rooftop overlooking a view of the Eiffel Tower. Jace didn't seem fazed, didn't seem to care, but Clary was in heaven as she looked out over the lights.

Jace winced next to her. She turned to him, smile fading from her face.

"What's wrong?"

Jace held a hand to his chest. "I don't know, I feel… pain." He lifted up his shirt as if expecting to see a wound there.

"Is it internal?"

"No, it's like… a ghost."

"Could it be-"

"Alec. Something's wrong."

"You can feel his pain?"

"Yes, but it's more than that. It's agony. Not physical, but emotional. Something bad is happening. Really bad. Clary, it could be Izzy, or Max. Nothing else would make him feel this amount of emotional torment."

Clary moved her body so she was sitting across from Jace rather than next to him. "What can we do? We can't go back, Jace."

"Don't you think I know that?" he said sharply.

"Sorry," she whispered, looking down. Jace regretted snapping at her.

"It's okay," he said. "I need to contact him, or Izzy, or anyone. I have to make sure he's okay."

"We can send a fire message, ask Izzy what's wrong."

"Someone could track a fire message, Clary. We might as well come out of hiding."

"Then what? What can we do?"

"I can track him. If he's at the Institute, I won't worry. He probably just had an… accident, I don't know. If he's somewhere else… I just don't know."

"Okay, go for it."

Jace closed his eyes, slowed his breathing, and sat silently for a few minutes. Clary sat and watched him patiently. Eventually, he let out a frustrated sigh and his body became tense again.

"He's not letting me in. It's like he doesn't want me to know where he is. Why would he do that?"

"You know him better than I do."

"If it gets… if it gets any worse, Clary, we have to go back, Valentine be damned."

Clary wasn't sure that was the best idea, but who was she to get between Jace and his parabatai?

"Agreed."