A/N: Ok! People! I have an exert here and I'm not sure If I want to use it and actually put together the story I was planning sooooo the voices in my subconscious helpfully put in that ya'll might be able to help me out deciding! It depends on your reviews if I make an actual story out of this (this wouldn't be the beginning)….so here goes anything~!

Exert from 'Like Clockwork'

I do NOT own the characters, only the plot~!

' Magnus looked at the young woman in front of him blinking at her disheveled appearance. He felt his heart strings pull at her glassy eyes. As he sighed and ushered her in, her numb sort of expression broke and tears poured down her cheeks.

When he had first seen her, a flash of her true self, so very long ago in old London, her lively spirit, had shocked him with its brilliance even through the cold exterior of Camille. That day, that shock of light in the middle of darkness was the day the finest of threads from her heart, had traveled out and caught his own in a deadly snare. That was the day he sensed the beginning of the bond that had lasted so long.

She sat on his couch pulling her long legs up to her chest. When she was alone, or with him, she insisted on wearing similar clothes to what she wore so long ago when she was young and in training.

Long black pants that were loose around the upper thighs and a white long sleeved shirt with loose flowery cuffs, so much like the clothes she had donned in the training room with him. Her dark hair that was normally pulled into a tight bun was down and long around her shoulders, tousled. The shirt that was originally tied at the top was undone showing a pale bare shoulder and the pants were splattered with mud on the knees.

Sniffling she took in his attire, her intelligent grey eyes quickly assessing he had somewhere to be.

"I-If you have s-somewhere to be it's alright…."

He looked at her, his catlike eyes soft and tender, to the clock, to his phone.

"No, No, it's quite alright, they won't miss me."

Actually, he knew of a certain shadow hunter that would miss him but now, now that she was here; he knew he couldn't leave her side.

She looked up at him with her wide grey eyes, nodding slowly as if reluctant to keep him from anything. He smiled fondly and kneeled in front of her, pulling her knees down. He unwrapped her arms and started rubbing her hands noticing that she had been gripping her arms hard enough that her fingers had lost circulation.

"Come on, let's get you to bed, you-"

"No!" she cried, sitting up and jerking forward, "No! The nightmares…..they'll…." she burst into a fit of tears.

He gently wiped her tears away, feeling secretly pleased she was able to cry in front of him. He knew how much she despised crying, even more so in front of someone.

"It's ok my darling," he cooed smoothing his ringed and painted fingers through her hair, "I'll stay with you alright? If there's a nightmare I'll take it away, alright?"

She nodded and weakly wrapped her arms around his neck, seeing this as acceptance, he picked her up easily, folding her tinier frame into his arms and took her to his room.

Alec walked along with his friends, only half listening to their attempts to reassure him.

"Oh, come on! He's Magnus! He's probably doing 'High Warlock' stuff," said Clary crossing her arms over her less than plentiful chest.

"Oooorrr, he could be sick…..wait….do Warlocks get sick?" countered Simon.

With that revelation, they fell into their own conversation about the deep thought of 'Can Warlocks Get Sick?'.

Isabel put a hand on Alec's shoulder, "I'm sure something just came up."

He rounded on her, his anger or worry, finally showing itself "Then why the hell didn't he call me?"

"I don't know Al-"

"No! Just leave it alone!"

He stomped up to the door the slight crowd following him as he used a key from his pocket to open the door. He kept stomping through the house to make the point 'he was NOT happy'.

Jace, who had kept quiet mostly- beside the occasional encouraging word, came up and went ahead of Alec out of sheer curiosity, his 'Jace Senses' as he liked to call them were tingling. Then he froze dead in his tracks.

The group, who had come up with him at the sound of him stopping froze as well.

There was Magnus, reclined in a chair beside his own bed, because his own bed was occupied by a brunette girl. They took in her appearance, long thick brown hair, pale skin, athletic physique, in short beautiful, but not even an ounce of makeup, which was a mortal sin to Magnus. She was also obviously clad in one of Magnus's blue silk button ups.

"Magnus!" Alec yelled.

Immediately he was up with his blue sparks charged at his fingertips, crouching as if intent on protecting the girl, who in turn whimpered and curled tighter into a ball under the blankets. He glared at them with enough venom that they all were surprised and went to her, smoothing her hair and running a slightly glowing hand over her head.

"Was yelling really necessary? You nearly woke her up," Magnus said turning to them, it was then that they realized he was dressed in what it appeared to be what he had planned on coming to the ball in last night.

"Where were you?" Alec said instead, not any quieter, and none of the group tried to correct him. They were all annoyed with Magnus too.

"Alec is right, you just didn't show up, you should have at least-" started Jace but Magnus interrupted with a growl.

"Boy, don't say what I should have and what I shouldn't have! I was ancient when you were but a sperm in your father's ball sacs! So don't you dare lecture me!"

They were all taken aback by his tone. Why he was so resilient with what he did was right wasn't making sence.

"Oh?" snapped Isabel, "So, this…..bitch? Who may or may not be mortal from the looks of it- is more important than standing my brother?"

Then, before Magnus growled out his answer, Clary cut in.

"Izzy, I don't think she's mortal….look at her arms," she pointed to the girls bare arms, revealed from the folded up sleeves.

Sure enough there were thin white scars up and down her arms, much like those from a Shadow Hunter's life.

"Your right Clary she's not…" Magnus said, obviously avoiding the topic of her and Alec's importance rating.

Alec with blind rage said, "Oh, so you're sleeping with her too? Who the hell is she?"

Then a smooth, melodic voice cut in from the bed, "I'm Tessa Gray….an old friend of Magnus's…..It's nice to meet you….." '

A/N: so? What do ya think? Should I go ahead and make the story? Hmmm? I need input my minions- I mean my friends! Heehee? Review! Tell meh what thy thoughts are!