Thanks for the comments last time! Thanks to AnniaAngele and CrimsonQueen24. Oh, and these characters belong to Cassandra Clare, so does the plot and the rest of it.

'Jace…. Jace… JACE!'

I looked up. Someone was shouting my name. I turned around and found Alec standing behind me. I had been so out of it, I almost jumped at the sight of him.

'What Alec?' I felt like I had a headache, but the only time I had ever got them was during a hangover.

'Come on, Jace. You can't really be that upset just because she didn't want you in the room. Your comment almost seemed to make her cry.'

'I know Alec.' I snapped. 'Sorry. I'm just… On edge today. Clary's story doesn't really add up completely, I guess. Something about it bothers me.'

'I know!' Alec insisted. 'She lying about something. She's one of us, but won't admit it.'

'She didn't know about it Alec. If she was Shadowhunter, even part Shadowhunter, our blood dominates. She would have had some sort of signs before now, and she would have at least one Mark. Besides the one I gave her, I mean. '

'I don't know Jace. Maybe her father isn't dead. Maybe he's just hiding and he's going to use her for some nefarious purpose.' I made a strangled noise, and Alec looked over. 'Oh, sorry Jace. I didn't mean that, I was joking.' He laughed slightly.

I smiled along with him. 'Your right about something like that. Maybe her mother set up the attack, but Clary didn't know about it. It's possible that her mother was in trouble for something, but didn't tell Clary about it. '

Alec shook his head. 'You're seeing the best in her mother Jace. You never do that. My thought is that Clary was in on it too. She seems like the scheming type.'

I smiled and went on. 'Of course Clary was in on it. She wanted to do all this just so she could meet us. Well, probably just me. I am much more impressive than you.'

'No doubt. I wonder how long it will take before she has you tied up in her closet?' Alec smiled and continued on with the joke. 'Or maybe you should save her some trouble and tie yourself in her closet.'

'Don't be ridiculous Alec.' I snapped. He looked at me, and started to mumble an apology. I waved it off. 'I saw her closet; it was smaller than a cardboard box. I much rather have a walk-in closet; her closet couldn't contain such pure attractiveness.'

We took one look at each other and burst out laughing, both of our foul moods before forgotten. It wasn't all that funny, but laughter, by nature, is infectious. Alec just started laughing, and I couldn't stop. Finally we both calmed down, and Alec went back to working on the Seraph blades. I couldn't touch those things other then in battle; they gave my hands rashes. I didn't get up, but I reached over and pulled a throwing knife out of it's place on the wall and started throwing it up and catching it my the hilt. I zoned out again almost immediately, thinking about Clary. She was a conundrum. I don't really know if I believe her story, but I don't think she's lying either. Maybe we just don't have all the facts. I looked up when I heard foot steps down the hall, coming towards me. I stood up just as Clary came in. I had only heard on set of stood steps, which meant Hodge wasn't just lagging behind. 'Where's Hodge?'

Clary kept her eyes on the wall. 'Writing to the Silent Brothers'

Alec, on the other side of the room, shuddered. Clary noticed him and went over to the table. 'What are you doing?' She seemed to be hesitant to ask. Most people would from the look Clary was getting from Alec. It wasn't a bad look, it was just unsettling.

'Putting the final details on these.' Alec pointed to the Seraph blades in front of him. 'Sanvi, Sansanvi and Semangelaf.' He didn't offer any other explanation.

'What are they? They don't look like much, but do you make them with magic?' She asked

Alec eyes grew so wide and looked very insulted. I growled at the very mention.' The most ridiculous thing about mundies; they always think they know what magic is, but they just end up being obsessed with something they know nothing about.'

'I know what magic is.' Clary shot back, pissed.

'No, you just think you do.' I replied evenly. 'Magic is a powerful, dark force, not a bunch of crystal balls, sparkling wands and flying mice.

'I didn't say it was a lot of flying mice, you-'

I help up my hand, and kept going with my spiel. 'Just because you call an angry lion a stuffed rabbit, doesn't make it a stuffed rabbit, does it? And Heaven help the stupid bastard that tries and sleeps with the bunny. '

'Now you're just making yourself look stupid.' Clary pointed out.

I glared at her, and with great dignity, replied 'I am not.'

'Yes,' Alec muttered, 'You are.' He turned to Clary. 'Look, we don't do magic, alright? That's all you need to know.'

I could tell Clary was grinding her teeth at that. She took a deep breath and turn back to me. 'Hodge said I could go home.'

I blinked. 'He said you could do what?'

'To see if there's anything left, in my mother's things, I mean. I can only go if you come.'

Alec gave me a warning glance, but I didn't care. 'Alec, this will be the chance to prove who really was the schemer; down the rabbit hole, as it were.'

Clary nodded.' Exactly. If you want to prove my mother or father was a Shadowhunter, this is the best chance you've got.'

I started picking up stuff right away, stuff like the Seraph blades Alec had just finished, my Stele and a Sensor. As I pocketed the throwing knife I had in my hands, I could feel Alec looking at me like I was an idiot, but I still knew he wanted to come. He started to ask, but, not looking at him, I interrupted. 'It's fine, Alec. You don't have to come, we'll be alright.' I walked out before I could see the look on his face, but I knew it'd been nasty.

We were almost out the door before anyone said anything. We got in the elevator before I asked Clary if she had her house keys, which she did, and we lapsed back into a silence. For about two seconds until I heard a small 'Jace?'

'Yeah?'

'How did you know I had Shadowhunter blood? Was there an aura around me or something?'

I considered lying. Clary didn't seem like the type that wanted to know I had taken a gamble with her life. 'I guessed.' I blurted out softly. Damn it. I thought. I hadn't meant to say that, but Clary's power of making me say whatever comes to mind was working on me again. I got out of the elevator before I answered. 'It seemed the likely explanation.'

'You seemed pretty sure of yourself for someone who could have killed me.'

I shrugged.' I was ninety percent sure. ' And opened the door and walked of the Institute.

'I see.' was all Clary said. Hearing a strange note in her voice, I turned back around, and got a slap across my face for the trouble. It was a pretty good slap, with a lot of power coming from someone so tiny. ' And am I suppose to guess what the Hell that was for?'
'The other ten percent.' And she walked out of the Institute and down the street.

I wasn't very angry, but Clary didn't say anything else to me for the walking to the subway and the first half of the ride. I may have had an angry look on my face, but I was angrier with myself for not expecting it, and even worse, not fighting back. Finally I turned to Clary to say something, anything, or apologize, when I remembered I never apologize. I stop myself from saying anything and found that she was just staring at me. She was looking in to my eyes, deeply enough that she seemed to be peering down to the depth of my dark and twisted soul. I knew I had to stop her before she caught a glimpse of how cruel and demented it was, so I blinked. 'Can I help you?' I demanded briskly.

Clary's eyes focused on mine for a second longer, then she concentrated on my shoulder. 'Those girls over there are looking at you.'

I assumed my best "I'm-more-attractive-then-you'll-ever-be-face" and said 'As they should be. Haven't you noticed my obvious attractiveness?'

'Haven't you heard of the saying "modesty is an attractive trait"?' She said back.

'Only from ugly people.' I confided. 'The meek may inherited the Earth, as of now, it belong to the conceited. Me, being the best example. ' I turned to the girls and winked. The giggled to each other and started laughing about who I was winking at, but there was a nervousness behind their laughs; they sounded too fake. It was like they were laughing just so I wouldn't eat them.

Clary sighed and groaned slightly. 'How come they can see you?'

'Glamours are a pain to use. Sometimes we don't bother.' We got off the trains, leaving the still now quiet girls, and walked out of the station. I was in a slightly better mood, but only slightly. I could feel the pressure of all the humans creeping up, their emotions clawing at my mind. I hadn't noticed last time, when I had gone to get Clary, I realized, and even now it was barley there compared to most times. For the rest of the walk to Clary's place, I wondered why that was, and why Clary seemed to change me like she did. I had no answer for the question; it was like biting down on a broken tooth. Not having an answer made me flippant and antsy, so I knew I should stop wondering about it, but it was so addictive. All the thinking put me on edge; to the point I took out my throwing knife and started flipping it across my knuckles and around my fingers, while humming random notes, naming them all as I went.

'Do you have to do that?' Clary asked,' It's annoying.'

I hummed louder.

'Sorry I smacked you.'

I stopped. 'Just be glad it was me and not Alec. I was thinking about it, but he would have hit you back.'

'He seems to be itching for a chance.' She mumbled, then looked up at me. 'What was it that he called you? Para-something?'

'Parabatai. It means a pair of warriors who fight together- who are closer than brothers. Our fathers were too; Alec's father is my godfather. It's why I live with them.'

'But your name isn't Lightwood.'

'No.'

I was going to tell her what is was, but I could hear her heart thumping as we walked up to her front door. I gave the door a sideways glance to make sure my Rune was still working. It seemed to be until Clary said' Who punched out the glass?' as she unlocked the door. She looked around and frowned. 'It looks the same otherwise.'

'On the outside.' I pulled out my Sensor and pushed her slightly out of the way of the door.

'So that's a Sensor? What does it do?'

'It picks up frequencies, like a radio does, but these frequencies are demonic in origin.'

'Demon shortwave?'

'Something like that.' I murmured, while passing it slowly house 'It's picking up trace activity but that could just be left over from last night. I'm not getting anything strong enough for there to be a demon present now.'

I heard Clary's outtake of breath and felt her try and push past me to open the door. 'Good.'

I held her back 'I'll go in first.'

I unlocked it and pushed open the door ready to jump anything that moved. Nothing did, so I took a quick look around. The over head light was out, and the other tenant's door was tightly shut. Clary just stood there, taking in the normalness of the tight, I suppose. If demons knew how to do anything, it was clean up after them selves. I went to the banister and whipped my hand across a smeared shiny part I had gotten a glance of. My fingers came back blackish red. 'Blood.'

'Maybe it's mine.' Clary called in a small voice. She sounded scared 'From the other night.'

'It'd be dry by now if it were.' I started climbing the stairs. 'Come one.'

I got to the door before Clary and rested my ear against it for a moment. Nothing. I leaned back and let Clary open the door. She was shaking and grumbled the third time she tried the key 'Don't breath down my neck.' She hissed, now sounding terrified. SI heard the lock click, and I pulled open the door, pushing Clary behind me. 'I'll go in first.' I insisted quietly.

I went in, looking down the hallway, around corners and pausing t times to check for noises. There wasn't anything I could tell, so I relaxed slightly. Until I walked into the living room. Everything was gone. I wasn't sure how much furniture was supposed to be in a house, but I'm sure it wasn't nothing. There were lighter squares on the wall, showing the missing paintings, and the missing curtains casted the failing lights on the clean floors.

I turned around to see Clary walking into the kitchen, and I followed her lightly. The kitchen was just as clean, just as bare. The cabinets were open and any food there ever had been in them was gone.

Clary cleared her throat, like it was dry from a long period of no use. 'What. ' She asked slightly out of breath, 'would demons want with out microwave?'

It was a funny thought, some Raveners trying to cook some poor, un-expecting animal. 'I don't know, but I'm not sensing any demonic presence right now. I'd say they're long gone.' Clary looked around again, looking twice over a spot on the floor, slightly stained red. 'Are you satisfied? There's nothing here.'

'She shook her head. 'I want to see my room.'

I was about to tell her about the feeling I was getting; the headache that meant humanness of the world was getting to me. I wanted to say that I was starting to feel out of place, like we shouldn't be here. But if I didn't go with Clary now, she'd probably escape and run back here to look. 'If that's what it takes.' I said simply, putting my blade away.

I followed closely behind her, the out-of-place feeling getting worse as we got closer to the shut door. Clary put her hand on the doorknob, almost flinching away when she touched it. I opened my mouth when I saw how slowly the door was opening, but-

BAM! The door slammed outward, knocking Clary all the way down the hall, missing me only because, last second, I had moved. I drew out a Seraph blade Alec had been working on before. A Forsaken loomed before me, stinking of rotten meat and poison. His hair was one great mat down his back, dirty as his tattered rags of clothes. His skin was completely gray and dead, and in one hand, he held a gigantic broad ax, capable of killing me in one swing. He was almost tall enough to not fit through the door way and wide enough, too. Clary was behind him and she gasped. I could feel a crazy, insane feeling that sent my blood boiling and red-hot fury down my spine. I wanted to rip the Forsaken apart for throwing Clary down the hall with my bare hands. Something uncurled in me and I could feel my reflexes become faster, better. My vision sharpened and focused faster, and my arms and legs felt as light as feathers. I pulled out the first blade I grabbed in my jacket and yelled the name it spoke inside my head, ready to tear this freak of nature to bit' SANSANVI!'

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