One Month Later

Two seemingly impossible things had happened: Celine Herondale was in a skirt, and she was a bridesmaid at Katie Ashdown's wedding. Edward didn't know how Katie managed it, but there she was, along with her parabatai Aerin Carstairs and several other girls. Like Katie had said, they were all wearing waistcoats, ties, and skirts with runes stitched into the hems-some of their own Marks showed above the necklines of their tops and beyond the sleeves.

At this rate, Edward was essentially just waiting for something to happen. Sure, he'd taken time to appreciate the warm breeze blowing off the Bronx river and the crisp blue sky, but that wasn't exactly sustainable entertainment. As for thinking about something, like he usually did, his mind ended up drawing a blank - apart from Celine. He couldn't seem to ever take his mind or his eyes off of her. Not that that was a problem, though, since they were both dating. Every weekend they'd go somewhere different, often to places Edward had never been and some he wouldn't have even heard of: The Pandemonium nightclub (popular with mundanes and Downworlders alike), a restaurant called Taki's that mainly served Downworlders (though it didn't discriminate against Shadowhunters), and even mundane tourist spots (which had Edward questioning how Celine managed to obtain mundane money).

Now, though, he was sitting down at a wedding, trying to avoid glancing at rude spots while musing precisely how Katie got Aerin and Celine into wearing a skirt. Just then, Celine's brother Charlie came over and sat right next to Edward.

"Hey," Edward said with an attempt at a smile that must have worked since Charlie reciprocated. They'd already passed the, "Don't hurt her or else I will murder you," phase and were actually fairly good friends by now. The only questioning done was on the next topic of discussion, if at all.

"They're a bit late," Charlie said, surprising Edward slightly, though not much. It was more the fact that he pointed it out so abruptly than the subject itself.

"I think Katie's just got some nerves," Edward replied, regaining himself quickly, "you know how she is." Charlie nodded and returned his golden eyes to the altar just as Katie appeared at the back of the aisle, wearing a pale gold dress and holding a bouquet of yellow roses. Every eye turned to her, including both of Matt's (who couldn't seem to keep a tear or two out of his eye as his bride strode up the aisle, taking her precious time). Katie smiled, a tear in her eye. She then stopped for a moment, presumably to regain her composure.

Then, her eyes widened. A small black flower bloomed on her stomach, leaking through her dress.

That was when everything erupted into chaos. Edward found himself in a mass of limbs; shrieks sprouted from mouths left and right as Katie collapsed on the aisle floor.

Sure enough, when Edward got to Katie, having ignored numerous shouts for him to get down, he saw an arrow sticking out of her back with a note attached. He tore it off hastily, looking around for any threats. None came out from behind the chairs or out of the shadows, concerning Edward further.

Suddenly, Celine popped back into his head; fear and guilt exploded inside him. Yes, Katie collapsing was a matter of concern, but how could Celine's safety completely evade him as well? He silently berated himself for a split second before he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?" Celine asked, making Edward breathe out a sigh of relief. There was one worry out of the way.

"Yeah," Edward replied, looking at his girlfriend. "Are you?"

"I'm all good." She pointed to Katie. "We need to get her back to the Silent Brothers." Her voice shook with worry and Edward could faintly hear Katie's groans over the commotion, which had calmed down since nothing else was flying through the air and landing in people's heads.

"The Silent Brothers," Edward repeated before nodding. The Silent Brothers were the healers and scholars of the Shadowhunters. Celine had taught him that much. They bore powerful Marks that allowed them to live, heal, and study for a time that made a human lifespan seem like that of a fly; however, those Marks came at the cost of some interesting physical and mental modifications. Their mouths and eyes were sealed and they moved soundlessly. They spoke more with their mind than their body. They were frightening at first sight, but friendly enough once their telepathic tendencies slid past the shock barrier.

"Or," another voice spoke from behind them, "maybe you should consider the services of a warlock."

Only Celine seemed to know that voice.

"Magnus Bane?" she asked, turning around and staring at the strange voice's owner. He'd heard of the High Warlock of Brooklyn (Guess who told him?) but had yet to lay eyes on the glimmering figure. His face seemed to sparkle with every turn and dark lines surrounded his eyes; the pupils within were slits in his golden irises.

"Well?" he said, gesturing to Katie. "I wouldn't just stand there if I were you. You may want to get her to the Institute. I'll hold off whatever's inside her in the meantime. Celine, can you keep an eye out for any other undesirables?"

"Will do," Celine said with a nod. She didn't question why he was so eager to help them. However, Edward figured it was inappropriate and time-consuming to ask. He only picked up Katie and exchanged a look with Celine, who nodded.

"Let's go," she said, and they took off.

Carrying Katie through New York was surprisingly easy when you had glamour runes. Celine had had the good graces to herself, Katie, and Edward before setting off into the streets. Despite the fact that no one gave Magnus more than a double take, Edward's heart raced at the idea of being discovered, for one. If they were discovered, questions would be asked. Too many questions.

Every second they weren't exposed to outsiders - which was quite frequent, as Magnus' route took them through every back alley and side road possible to stay out of sight - Magnus worked his magic, preventing whatever Katie had been shot with from burrowing any deeper. However, that wasn't what scared him. What did was the occasional moment where Magnus had to stop to avoid mundane observation. To Edward, every time Magnus stopped, even for the briefest of seconds, Katie's condition seemed to worsen exponentially. Perhaps it was his panic, but that thought didn't ease him in the slightest.

When Celine asked if there were any way of Magnus casting an illusion spell on himself to prevent sightings, he merely explained that it would weaken the effects of his stabilizing magic; with this sort of demon venom, it was all or nothing.

Great, Edward thought. At this rate, we'll never get to-

Somehow, he mentally cut himself off as they rounded a corner and the spires of the Institute came into view. He breathed a sigh of relief and was about to speak when Celine had the first word. "We're almost there," she said, giving Katie's body a worried glance. "You think she'll be okay?"

"I hope so," Edward answered, but the black spot on her chest was nowhere near reassuring.

"That's more of an optimistic answer," Magnus cut in, sparks still flying from his hands. Right then, Edward had an abrupt and nearly overwhelming urge to smack him.

"A more realistic answer," Magnus continued, his mouth annoyingly unresponsive to Edward's silent urging, "would be-"

"Magnus," Celine said, her golden glare enough to cut him clean off, "you are seriously lucky we are reliant on you to get Katie through the day. Otherwise, I would punch that mouth of yours to the other side of the street!"

Edward mouthed a silent, "Thank you," at which Celine half-smiled for a brief moment.

"Well, I was actually about to say that her revival would take several ingredients to complete, not all of them easy to gather. I'll list them when we get there. Now, if we could get through the day without another altercation . . ."

"Won't happen if you keep being a dickhead," Celine muttered to herself as they crossed the street to the Institute.

By the time the two had dropped Katie off at the infirmary and enlisted the Silent Brothers' help, Edward was rather exhausted. The idea of fetching ingredients for whatever brew Magnus intended to create - Edward was sincerely appalled when Magnus mentioned a draconidae fang; Celine had to explain that they were actually purchasable (though expensive, which didn't improve Edward's standpoint in the slightest) - was rather outlandish, even if it was to help Katie.

Instead of waiting any longer for Celine to come by the hallway he was in, Edward took out the slip of paper he had taken and opened it up. The intended recipient's name made his heart skip a beat.

The name at the top, in an unmistakable script, was Edward Whitelaw.

What the hell is this? Edward thought, scrolling with his eyes.

Well, Mr. Whitelaw, it seems you have a bit of a predicament. Your friend is in some horrendous condition I won't bother to guess, and you're trying to save her. How sweet.

That is not why I have written to you, of course, I'm just going to keep this simple: I want you to leave the Institute and the Clave. Doesn't that sound like fun? Oh, wait, your friend Celine would have to stay in that case . . . oh well! Now, before you go off and discard this, I want to make two things clear: One, I happen to have your parents held captive (Yes, they aren't dead! What a surprise!) and two, I am willing to make an offer: Your leaving the Institute in exchange for your parents.

You have three months. No, make that two.

Have fun!

P.S. Part of me shooting Katie was more for fun, really.

When he was finished, half of Edward wanted to crumple up the note and toss it at the wall. The other half wanted to do some combination of screaming, throwing a fit, or some other thing while he waited for Celine to inevitably turn up. Indecisive, he did neither.

Despite all this, all he could think was:

My parents are still alive.