Switzerland:

"What do you mean, you remember?" Jace asked sceptically. Before he knew it, Clary had thrown her arms around him and pressed her lips against his own. In that kiss he felt warmth, passion and an odd sense of familiarity.

"We need to get to New York, now" she replied.

"There may be one or two problems with that" sang a sinister a voice from behind them. When they turned they were face to face with a beautifully pale woman in stylish clothes and with a sophisticated posture, who was flashing sharp vampire fangs at them. "Firstly, poor Aline Penhallow won't make it any further without the antidote to the poison in her body". She indicated towards Aline, who Clary and Jace had only just realised was kneeling on the floor, face contorted in pain. "And secondly" the woman giggled, "I'll kill you before you enter my leader's domain".

The young Shadowhunters started to draw their weapons, but before they could strike (or the vampire could lunge at them) her head was suddenly and brutally severed from her body with one clean sweep of a sword. Horrified, they retreated to a safe distance closer to Aline, but started to relax when they realised who the killer was.

At least, they knew what the killer was. It was strange to see a Silent Brother so far from the Silent City, or Alicante, but at the same time there was something unusually human about this one. His dark hair and high cheekbones were just visible underneath his hood, and then Clary remembered him. But before she or Jace could speak, the hooded man moved towards the hunched-over figure of Aline.

I know what you're thinking he whispered into their heads, she isn't really fat. It took Clary a moment to realise what he meant, and then despite the circumstances she burst into a fit of laughter.

"That was Camille Belcourt?" Jace asked; the Silent Brother nodded.

We don't have much time. All three of you need to make it to New York if we stand any chance of reverting what has been done, but I don't know if your friend will survive much longer. Luckily I'm somewhat of an expert on demon poisons, and if you let me escort you I can tend to her.

"Why not?" Jace decided, "if my brother can have five team members then that means I need more than that; plus he'll be so jealous when he finds out I bagged a Silent Brother". He may not have been able to literally speak, but Clary thought she heard someone sigh inside her head.

New York: Subway.

Sebastian couldn't help making eye contact with Maia as they rode the subway towards their destination, even though he knew he shouldn't. He was glad she hadn't announced him to the others as one of the eight; he didn't think his new friends would forgive him for the deception, and he'd never had friends before. His child-like innocence and optimistic attitude was genuine, but at the same time it had always made it easier for others to pass off his talk about other worlds and dimensions as the mere whimsical fantasies of someone with such a strong imagination.

He looked away from the werewolf and instead stared at Jon, the boy who took his life and his name on the very same day. He had never forgiven him for that, because there was nothing to forgive. Sebastian had been killed by a monster, but this boy in front of him was a hero. He had befriended his own murderer, but in the process had learned that that same Shadowhunter had the potential to be someone worth dying for. Because of this, when the world was put right, he was completely willing to die at the hands of Jonathan Morgenstern, because he would look into his eyes knowing that his friend Jon was still in there telling him that everything would be alright.

Deep Underground:

"You had something to do with this, Bane. I know you did so JUST TELL ME!" the figure screamed at him. Magnus couldn't help being smug, despite being held prisoner in the most dangerous place imaginable. He had always acquiesced in the past to avoid punishment (if not for his own sake then for Max's) but now he just wanted to laugh in this monster's face.

"You know the rules; you told me yourself what Ithuriel said" Magnus began, as if quoting from a textbook. "In order to ensure that the Circle was never formed, you had to directly alter eight lives. As payment, another eight had to keep their memories of the old world. (By the way thanks for choosing me and Max; we've had some rather remarkable conversations on the subject). Additionally, if one of the eight should die then another must have their memories returned to them; only in that instance you don't get a say in who is chosen, like with dear old Maia Roberts. Is it my fault if Clary was chosen after Celine died?"

"Yes"

"Well maybe I had a little spell worked up, maybe not. But isn't it fun this way? Watching you squirm at the thought of someone like Clary not only getting her memories back, but also her gifts?"

"Is it possible?!"

"Who knows? Maybe she can now create a rune to give herself the remarkable power you stole away from our captured angel friend. I'd love to be transported to an alternate reality where you're my butler, or maid, whichever you prefer-"

"Enough! If you remember I also told you that once all of the original eight are dead then this world becomes the real world; permanent! Thank you for reminding me of Miss Roberts; I don't need to redden my hands with her or Clarissa's blood quite yet, which leaves only six; should I start with the youngest and work up?"

Oh no he thought hopelessly, Max.

New York: Apartment

As Simon was being dragged mercilessly down the street, he tried to account for all of the eight in the hopes that at least one of them would be safe from capture, but it wasn't looking promising. To help him he thought about Celine's analogy, which she often repeated in her letters that were repeated to him whenever he visited Central Park.

Celine herself had been the Madwoman (awkward) but she was also probably dead now; hopefully my message was passed on to Clary in time; Magnus had said that the spell he'd placed in the phrase would trigger her memories if she heard the words either just before or just after Celine died. The French Snake was Sebastian Verlac, who was probably in the very centre of danger right now with Maia Roberts (the Big Bad Wolf) and the others. Him with the Eyes (Magnus) and the Boy who died (Max) were still being held prisoner by whoever was behind this (Persephone? We never found out if the bad guy counted as one of the eight so maybe not). Simon himself was known as the Friend, which left only one-

His thoughts were disrupted by a shout of pain from Alec, who was doubled up on the floor with a knife in his chest. Before the teary-eyed Isabelle could move an inch towards her dead brother, she too collapsed after being hit in the head with a lead pipe. Simon looked up, shocked and relieved to see the last of the eight (and his friend from Central Park) stood before him wielding the pipe in her hands, her long brown hair flowing in the breeze that had settled in and making her look like a comic book heroine.

"Did you have to kill him?" he asked, pointing towards Alec, but still grateful that she had saved his life.

"If we can finally stop all of this then it won't really matter" she replied, despite the guilty look she flashed towards the dead body. The Friend and the Grandmother had never met in the other world, but their newfound friendship in this reality completely justified the long friendly hug they shared at the realisation they were both alive and okay. Simon needed her help to rally together the rest of them in the hopes of putting the world right again, but first he just wanted to hug and pretend that for once they were safe.

"I'm so glad to see you, Tessa".