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"Want to go check out the room?" Izzy wanted to get to the room as soon as possible. That way Clary could be busied and not plot her revenge.

Clary walked beside her, quietly humming something she didn't know.

"Don't act like you are innocent. I know you have some evil plan in that head of yours."

Her companion only smiled and kept humming. In fact, she did it all the way to the room. Now all she had to do was find out her plan.

Izzy's POV

She stood by the doors to Clary's room, sweating. It wasn't because Jace could easily get in there and do things with Clary that were forbidden though. Her main concern at this point was her safety. Clary upon arrival had revealed a small dagger, one attached to her upper thigh no less. How had Jace not noticed it? Well, seeing as she didn't even know it existed until this point, she wasn't surprised. But the fact it was hidden so well scared her. What else did Clary own? Were there more daggers on her person?

"Earth to Izzy. What is this note here for?" Clary called out to her, catching her off guard. Izzy shook her head before walking over, taking the note from Clary's hand. It looked like Jace's handwriting, the C's curling at the ends. And from a quick look over she could see it was instructions for the party, including meeting him before hand. That sneaky pain in the ass was up to no good. "So?"

"Looks like Jace left instructions for you regarding tonight. Knowing him, there is a reason. But I'll just leave you to it and see you later." Izzy handed to note back to Clary, smiling as she walked away and through the doors unharmed.

Alec's POV

Alec paced around his room, something he had been doing since breakfast that morning. While this was happening Magnus had been reading, looking over his book to make sure Alec was alright. Or at least that's what he thought Magnus was doing. Maybe he was checking him out, who knows… But he knew that his dad was furious. A part of him was grateful for the momentary distraction when Clary and Jace started bickering, but it hadn't been enough to keep his dad from eyeing him the rest of the time. It was the worst feeling in the world knowing that your own father disapproved of everything you did because of your sexual orientation. But that was his life… not even when he risked his life was it good enough for the man.

"Alexander, you are gong to wear down the granite if you don't quit. Please sit down." Magnus sat his book on his lap, giving Alec a look he knew was followed by more unpleasant statements.

"Fine," Alec sighed, plopping down on his bed. "I'm just worried about tonight. Everyone will be enjoying themselves, including us, until he has anything to do with it. Is there really something so bad about being gay?"

Magnus also sighed, sitting his book on a side table before crossing over to Alec. "There is nothing wrong with being gay. You feel what you feel and that is all that matters." Soft hands made their way through Alec's hair, calming him down.

"I'm sorry, Magnus, but he always makes me feel so small and stupid. I hate it."

Magnus didn't say anything in reply and just kissed him, making him forget what he was about to add on. It felt good, it really did, but a cough broke the two of them up.

"Sorry, but can I talk to you two for a moment?" The voice was slightly husky, a tone that someone only took when there was bad news. Jace.

"Yeah, we have time. What is it?" Alec feared what Jace had to say, holding Magnus's hand for support.

Jace sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Alec, your dad wants to meet you in the courtyard, alone. I'm just…Magnus, if you need to listen you know where to go." Jace sighed, "I'm going to go check on Clary. Good luck."

The door closed behind him, echoing in the silence. But Alec didn't move. He had figured one thing out the minute Jace left: he would be lucky if he even made it to the party that night.

Clary's POV

Clary sighed, holding the dress she found on the bed up to her frame. It was beautiful, yes, but she was nervous. And the fact that Jace wanted to meet here before hand just made it worse. Jeez…She needed to relax. Dropping the dress on the chest behind her, she flopped onto the bed. The fabric felt good under her, wrapping her in its folds. In fact, it felt so good that she fell asleep. The next thing she knew Jace was standing over her, calling her name.

"Clary. Come on. Clarissa, wake up."

She about jumped from the bed, shaking her head. He didn't look angry though, only slightly amused. "Crap. I'm late to the party aren't I? I'm so sorry. I just…"

Jace sighed, throwing her dress over her lap. "We aren't late at all. I decided to come get you and talk rather than meeting you before. We have a good hour before it starts." Clary blushed as he kissed her forehead, grinning the entire time. "But you do need to get dressed."

She took the dress from her lap as she stood up, pushing him from in front of her and into the nearest chair, "well, if I must change then you don't get to watch."

Jace tried to argue back, sounds of protest coming from his mouth instead of words. But he wasn't winning this one. Clary stepped behind her dressing curtain with a smirk, fully knowing that he was anticipating the moment she stepped out. In fact, he groaned every now and then as she changed, taking her time on his behalf. But then he shut up and the room became eerily quiet. Not that she hadn't been annoyed before, but his silence made her suspicious of what he was currently up to. And to her horror, as she was pulling the dress over her slip, Jace's head popped around the corner, causing her to drop the dress at her ankles.

"You look…" He scanned her entire body before shutting up when he met her eyes.

"OUT!" Clary didn't scream it loud enough for everyone else to hear, but it was loud enough for Jace to return to his spot. His ego was going to be bruised for the rest of the evening, that was for sure. And, if she had anything to do with it, tonight would be the most interesting night of their lives.

Jace's POV

He sat in a chair twenty feet from where Clary was changing, the image of her almost nude figure still replaying in his head.

"What did you want to talk about?" Clary called from behind the curtain.

Jace had to expel the current image from his conscious before answering, his mouth going dry. She had made him lose his edge, damn it. Taking on the only tone that could hide his thoughts, he found the words he was looking for. "My father had me help him this afternoon and explained a few things you'd need to know before tonight. One of those things was the fact that my grandmother would be coming. She's not the nicest person sometimes." Clary stuck her head out of the curtain for a moment, raising an eyebrow before vanishing again. "I'm serious. Anyway, we also have to do this ceremonial dance to officially welcome you here."

"Slow down a second. A dance?" She came out in the dress, taking his breath away. But he needed to fully explain before letting his imagination take over.

"It's a quick, traditional dance. My parents had to do it too. Just let me lead and you will be fine. I've practiced it before." His cockiness seemed to impress and annoy her.

"Or, this is just a suggestion really, you could show me a little of it so I don't look like an idiot." He eyed her as she brushed her hair out, placing the hair piece in without any help. Her maids must have known he was in here.

"Point taken. Are you sure you don't want to just blindly follow my lead though?"

Clary turned towards him, the offense she took from his comment evident. "You think I will when I've just moved her with the only guy I've ever loved and a haunting sense that my father isn't dead? I'd rather know what I'm doing, okay?"

Jace stiffened, pacing over to her side. "Wait, repeat that bit again. What about your father?"

Clary sighed, placing her bracelet on the vanity. "Jon said he'd be here in two days. I'm worried. I've always had a sense of when something was up, and at the moment I can feel it in my entire body. If he doesn't get here by tonight…"

"We will be fine, okay? That bastard will never hurt you or anyone you care about again. Izzy knew what she was doing." He stretched out his hand, lightly grinning. "Now, do you want to learn this dance or not?"

Izzy's POV

What was a girl to do ten minutes before a welcoming party by herself? Izzy thought she would never miss Rome, but now she did. But she really missed…Simon?! Had she just seen Simon coming up from a private entrance? What? Quietly, Izzy followed him down a series of halls. From what she could gather, it was him. The smell of berries was prominent.

"Simon? Is that you?" She chanced speaking, hoping she was right.

He whipped around, scared until he met her eyes. A sigh escaped him, his legs carrying him to her. Izzy was surprised when he hugged her, but what was he doing in Egypt?

"I thought you were someone else. Where's Clary? The rest of your family? We have a situation in Rome." Simon tried to keep going, but she stopped him.

"Wait. What situation?" Izzy was unnerved by his words, scared for them all if this really was bad.

"Valentine is on the brink of death, but he isn't dead yet. Jon is trying to silently off him, I swear. But Valentine's influence has reached far beyond his home. One of the men here is a spy, and that spy is after all of you. Jon was worried so he sent me here, but I need to find the spy before anyone gets hurt." Simon was red and Izzy could hear him breathing. This was serious.

"So Jon sent you to take out the guard, or whoever the spy is?"

Simon shot her a slightly offended look, rolling his eyes. "Believe it or not, I am stronger than most people think. I was trained as a child to be a soldier before I got injured and was disbanded. Baking has helped me earn money and work my injured arm so it is strong again. And, between you and I, I could probably take Jace if I had to."

Izzy didn't believe the last part, but she did understand his place strategically. No one in Rome would suspect him, so no one in Egypt would either, especially if he wore the right clothes.

"Well, if you want to stop whoever is out to hurt us then you need to look the part. Come, we can raid Alec's closet. You two have the same body type." She stopped herself before she accidentally admitted to checking him out. But Izzy was pretty sure that didn't matter at this point, mainly because he was looking her over too.

Alec's POV

Someone needed to give him alcohol and fast. The talk with his father hadn't gone well at all. In fact, Alec was lucky to be alive at this point. His father's words echoed in his ears though.

"I do not care how you feel about Magnus Bane, or if you really do like men. I care about our family, and Magnus will never be considered family. He is an abomination and makes you even more shameful to our legacy as long as you two are together. He is banished from this house after tonight, do you understand? My son, you will not be fraternizing with him if you wish to stay in this family. Am I clear, Alexander?"

Alec had walked away, not saying a word the moment his father finished. He needed to find Magnus, then he needed to find Jace. But how would he do that before the party started?

But when he opened the door to his room he found that he had bigger problems.

"This is still too big on me."

"It's supposed to be a bit loose, relax. You look fine. Now let's go. We need to find the others."

"Isabelle, what is Simon doing here?" The door was closed when he said it, but he still scared the shit out of both of them.

"Alec…"

"You fucking scared us!" Izzy growled, obviously trying to calm down.

Alec crossed the room, pulling his sister into a hug. "I'm sorry." But he had to pull back because Simon being here, all the way from Rome even, was suspicious. "So, what are you doing here?"

Simon was to the point with him. "Valentine has someone in this place that is out to get your entire group, including me at this point. We need to find the others before the person gets to their main target: Clary. He's not dead yet, and until he is we all are in danger."

"Who sent you here then?" Alec questioned. It was strange to hear such fierce words coming from his mouth.

"Jon did. He was worried about you guys." Simon pulled on something Izzy handed him before turning towards Alec completely. "We need to act fast if we want everyone in this place to be safe."

Simon headed towards the door, Izzy following behind him. But Alec was still confused. When did Simon become the tough guy?

Simon's POV

Izzy pushed ahead of him when they entered the party hall, or at least that was what it looked like. He peered ahead of her though, spotting Clary and Jace doing a group dance in the center of the room. They looked happy, and for once Clary looked graceful while dancing. He had seen some days where she looked like a dancing fish. But the song was over all too soon, making him realize that he had lost time, and possibly the target. But, since he was beside Izzy, he was probably going to lose more time anyway.

"Simon?" An all to familiar voice shouted, coming closer by the minute.

When he looked up he saw an ecstatic Clary dragging Jace behind her. Jace looked like he was more in shock than she was though. When she finally was near him, he hugged her as tight as he could. Izzy laughed at their reunion though, glancing between him and Jace.

"Simon, good to see you." Jace said, taking Clary back in his arms. "What are doing here?"

"And where is Jon?" Clary added, worry filling her tone.

Simon sighed. "Is there anywhere that is relatively private in here? I'm guessing you two can't leave just yet." He glanced up to see the two people who he guessed were Jace's parents watching. Jace caught his glance and nodded.

"Yeah. Give me a second to tell them who you are and I'll show you a good corner in here." Jace turned around, pushing Clary towards Simon. "Keep her safe while I'm gone."

Clary seemed to not mind being left with their group though. In fact, it was like she had picked up on the mood just from one comment.

"Simon, is my father dead or not?" Her bluntness, even at it's most random times, did not phase him at all.

"No, and that is why I'm here. We are in danger, well you guys are really. I'm just mixed in now." He saw her shoulders drop like what he said wasn't a big deal, probably to throw people off.

"I knew it. I've been paranoid today for a reason." Clary angrily muttered, looking more disappointed than anything. Simon didn't respond, letting Jace come back before anything else was said.

"They welcome you to the party." Jace said, greeting the group with his presence again. But his face quickly changed as soon as Clary was in his arms, tension building in front of Simon's eyes. "What's wrong? Clary?"

Izzy butted in though, finally speaking. "We need to go somewhere private before anyone says something that might cause a panic. Shall we?"

Everyone else nodded, trying to look normal. They needed to settle before anything else came out and he knew that. Thus commenced the conga line through the crowd, Jace having to pause to say hello every now and then. But they eventually made it to the back of the room, satin booths lining the walls. Simon raised an eyebrow at the sight, he hadn't expected to see booths in an Egyptian party hall.

Jace glanced back, looking between Simon and the booth in front of them. "They are imported."

Simon nodded, his confusion gone. A party was a party after all. Besides, the seats felt good under his sore bottom. The ride from Rome had not been a smooth one.

But, even with the comfort of the booth, the tension in the air was too heavy to ignore.

Jace spoke first, his tone not as light as before. "First of all, tell me why Clary looks like she could barf. I may look relaxed, but a part me is beyond suspicious."

Clary threw Jace a glance, one that looked like a mix of annoyance and support. They were a deadly team, or at least that was what Izzy implied. And now he believed it.

"I guess I can summarize this in one sentence… Valentine isn't dead and he has someone here who is ready to hurt all of you."

"Wait," Jace put his hand on the table, "Izzy didn't kill him yet?"

The power from his one motion was felt around the entire table. Izzy and Alec even shuffled back in their places as he looked around, Clary squeezing his arm to calm him down.

"Relax, he will die soon. He has to with the amount of poison Izzy put in." Clary's voice seemed to break though Jace's thoughts, considering how he hugged her side after she spoke to him. But Simon knew she was holding back for him.

"So, what do we do about this person?" Alec asked. "Whoever it is, Valentine knew they could blend in. Did we have any new hires here as of this month?"

Izzy mouth twisted up, her eyebrows almost mimicking her lips. "We did. Two new maids were added right before we got back, one being Clary's. But the other one was sketchy as hell last time I checked."

"But we can't count out her younger maid." Alec confirmed, clearly distracted by someone across the room. Simon didn't bother to look though.

"We can actually. I know the younger of Clary's maids. She is from a family my mother is close with." Jace sighed. "But who is the other maid?"

Izzy nodded towards the center table, her finger nonchalantly pointing at the dark haired girl restocking food. Most of the group had turned away when Simon caught the girl looking over at them, intently glaring at Clary, who had noticed too by the way she sat. A shiver went down his spine as she looked away, a daggers edge peeking out of her skirt. Izzy knew her shit.

"It's her." He said, sipping at his drink.

"Then what do we do next?" Jace murmured, running his hands through Clary's hair.

That, unfortunately, would play out with time. And Simon knew if he failed he might start a war.

"We plot," Clary said sternly, getting everyone's attention. "It's the only thing we can do."

And, as usual, she was right, it was all they could do.

Hey, it's been a while... But I am on break now so I am trying to pump chapters out for you all.

I hope you guys enjoy this one.

Important info: I will be gone from Christmas day till New Years because I am going to Puerto Rico for a week with my mom and some others.

Review please! And I hope everyone has a good holiday.

Love you all,

Writerbyheart.