Hey guys ! I'm so so sorry for this late update but I've been so busy this week and I just come home from my grandma's house where technology was never created so I couldn't do much.

If you have any ideas for the next chapters! Please PM me because I'm sure it could really be helpful^^

Thanx

Enjoy, Lilly

Chapter Seventeen: Putting the pieces together

Sebastian took a deep breath from the fresh air of the balcony before walking back inside. Tatiana was soundly sleeping, her feet falling from the bed and her head hidden in the mist of several blankets and pillows.

Since her father had attacked Clary's little sister's party, Tatiana was on lockdown at the Carlyle hotel. Jace was on revenge mode and although his family-in-law had bot be harmed, he wanted payback for the death of three parents and two kids on that rooftop. Emil and Anson were going down. Permanently. Jace was working the Morgensterns case while Aline and he were in charge of finding legitimate proof to lock the Pangborns away forever. Sebastian had once again landed the night shift, guarding Tatiana in her hotel room –he secretly thought that Aline hated Tatiana too much to have the self-control not to kill her– and he was sitting at the living room table, yawning over an old newspaper.

From inside, the night was quiet and peaceful, illuminated with dozens of different colors.

After two weeks in captivity –if one could call the room of a famous hotel on New York City "captivity"– Tatiana's temper had calmed down, enough so they could talk like civilized adults. She talked a lot about her mother and he grandmother and he would tell her about his own parents who had tragically died in a car accident, describe his childhood in Paris with his aunt Elodie and how he missed the illuminated Eiffel Tower on New Year's Eve or the Galleries Lafayette's beautifully decorated windows.

"Sebastian?"

He shook his head, blinking, before his dark eyes focused on the darkened silhouette who had emerged from the bed.

"Yes?" He straightened on his chair. "What is it?"

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I'm not supposed to."

"Right. You're supposed to make sure I don't escape."

"I know you won't."

She sat in the chair next to him. He could feel the heaviness of her gaze on him, weighing in his soul.

"How can you know?"

"Because you know putting your father away is the right thing to do," Sebastian sighed.

"He's my dad, what makes you think I would ever betray him?"

"No one's asking you to," Sebastian said.

"Without me, you'll never get anything that'll hold up in court," Tatiana replied. "My dad and uncle are very careful about leaving no trace that could link them to their crimes. They hired someone in charge of that a long time ago, now they know that whatever happens, they'll be safe."

"Who?"

"I'm not sure. I think I read it somewhere."

"What was it?" Sebastian insisted. "The name."

"Archibald Aldertree."

xXx

Alec was on the brink of nervous breakdown when Jace entered the room. Since they had shipped Magnus, Clary, Isabelle and Simon off to Idris, Jace had been brooding.

"Where the hell were you?"

"Out," Jace said and didn't bother looking at his friend. He threw his coat in a corner and disappeared in the kitchen from where he emerged a few minutes later with two bottles of beer.

"And this morning?"

"Out," Jace repeated slouching down next to Alec.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean?" Jace frowned his gaze lost in the whiteness of the wall.

"Usually you're more talkative than that," Alec answered. "What? Don't you have any prowess of yours you want to relate?"

"Nope."

"Ah, shame." Jace shrugged.

"God! What is it?" Alec insisted. "Stop keeping it all to yourself. For once, this is not only about you. Spill your guts. Now."

Jace sighed and turned to him. Alec's blue eyes were shining with red rage, his hands clenched around the old leather of the couch. He carefully listened as his friend explained everything, his meeting with Reyna, her story, Victoria, then his meeting with Valentine and the ultimatum he had given him. Alec didn't interrupt, he nodded, frowned in puzzlement, sighed in exasperation, shook his head but he didn't say a thing.

"There, now you know everything," Jace finally said after a couple minutes of awkward silence. He took a long sip of beer from the green bottle.

"Okay, do you have a plan to bring Valentine in?" Alec asked. Jace frowned. "What? You know he'll never give himself up. We need a plan. I think it would be good for a change." Jace chuckled. "There's something else."

"What could there possibly be?" Jace asked.

"Jace," Alec began. "I've known you for twenty years, the least you could do is give me credit for knowing you better than anybody else."

"You do, don't you?"

"Please. Let me help you."

"There's nothing you can do."

"Are we talking about Clary?" Alec asked. "Because I miss Magnus too so if you think I can't understand–"

"Clary didn't leave for Idris," Jace blurted out.

"What?" Alec's face darkened. "Jace, I know where you going and we both know that this is imposs–"

"I saw her," Jace replied. "Today."

"And I saw her climbed in the plane that took off at Newark private airport fifteen days ago."

"It was her Alec. I'm sure. I don't know how she did it but she did." Jace smiled and Alec thought that, for a split second he saw a flash of pride in Jace's eyes. "She dyed her hair brown, is wearing blue contact and your sister's sluttier outfits but it's her."

Alec took a deep breath. "Okay. What do you want to do?"

xXx

Clary pressed her hands harder against her mouth. She didn't want Jonathan to hear her. Up in the corner of the window frame with her knees to her chest she was sobbing, silently gazing upon the night life of New York City. It looked the same as always, illuminated by streetlamps and shops neon signs with people laughing, dancing and walking hand in hand, but she felt like she was a million miles away from that life. She missed Jace, and the idea of never seeing him again was more than just terrifying, it froze the blood running through her veins. She tried to wrap herself into the comfort of his safety –of everyone's safety– but it didn't work.

"Clare?"

"I'm here," she silently sobbed. "I can't sleep."

"You're safe here."

"I know. That's not it."

She heard him sigh in exasperation and shivered. Even in the dark, where she couldn't see him, Jonathan frightened her. She turned her gaze back to the street below, ignoring him as he sat in front of her on the window seat. She bit her lip when she felt his cold hand on her knee but didn't move.

"Jonathan?" A deep voice called him from the living room.

Clary felt her blood froze in her veins. Jonathan's father was back.

"Sh–Should I come with you?" She asked as Jonathan was standing back up and walking toward the door.

"No," he said. "Let me talk to him first." She nodded. "I'll be right back."

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See ya (soon I promise)

Lilly