Alright, here it is! Hope everyone had a fun time during the holidays! You know this stuff doesn't belong to me. Comments are awesome!

All throughout the rest of the walk home, I had felt uneasy, like the things Simon had just said were going to be important, but I couldn't figure out why. I felt like someone was laughing at me, as I tired to piece together that it all meant. But, when we finally got to the Institute, I felt a little better, calmer. My thoughts went from 'What if Simon was right? Am I some who related to the Jonathan guy and Valentine?' to 'What does Simon know? He's only known about my world for a couple hours. He's wrong'. He and Clary were still talking in small voices as we went thought the church part, and up to the elevator. Went it came to a halt, Simon was quiet. He was looking around like he was seeing it for the first time. I threw my jacket on a table, but froze as I was taking off my boots. Oh Hell. I thought suddenly. He IS. I've just brought a mundane into the Institute. Hodge will kill me. I stopped walking, tapping my fingers on my chin, thinking of a way to get out the trouble I'd be in. I was interrupted by a loud 'AAAGGGH!' I looked out and found Clary petting Church, and Simon standing at least five feet away.

'What?' I sighed, watching Simon flinch as Church meowed, and sprinted around the corner.

'I don't…. I don't like cats.' Simon shouted, like it would scare Church away. He wouldn't have to worry; Church was scared enough with just me.

'It's doubtful,' I responded at a more normal tone. 'That Church likes you either.' I turned back around and followed the scent of fish burning peanuts to the kitchen. Simon and Clary followed, but slightly behind me. 'Is that' Simon asked. 'Fish and burning cashews?'

'Peanuts, actually.' I answered, cautiously going around the corner to the kitchen doors. Just as I was about to open the door, there was a loud, resounding crash. 'CHURCH!' Isabelle screamed. 'You scared the Hell outta me!' I chuckled without smiling, and walked in. There was water all over the floor, and an overturned cutting board. The fish that had been sitting on the board was now in Church's mouth. Isabelle was standing in the middle of the room, waving a wooden spoon at Church. Finally, after she noticed Church wasn't listening, she threw the spoon at him. It bounced of the floor, and the cat scampered away. She followed the cat with her eyes, and when they landed on me, she jumped a little.

'Jace! I didn't hear you come in.' She stopped. 'Then again, I never hear you come in. Where were you? Hodge was getting worried.'

'Good for him.' I muttered, my black mood instantly brought back. 'What's there to eat?'

'I- I'm making soup.' She stammered, even as I went to the fridge and took out the leftover lasagna from three nights ago. She didn't stop me as I went and got a fork, didn't even say anything as I brushed right past her, and stepped over the puddle of water. She turned to Clary. 'Do you want some soup?' Then she blinked.

'Jace, who's this?' She sounded angry. I wasn't sure how long that'd last.

'It's Simon.'

'I'm old enough to introduce myself, thanks,' he spat in my direction. He walked up to Isabelle and held out his hand. 'I'm Simon. Do you want help cleaning that up?'

I don't know who looked more surprised at that; Clary or Isabelle. Although, while Isabelle still looked surprised as Simon grabbed the mop and started to clean, Clary look furious. Isabelle kept looking at him, and then turn back to me, arms crossed. 'Jace, is he a mundane?' She sounded angry again.

I shrugged. 'Yeah. So?'

'You know that mundanes can't come here! Hodge will-'

'Hodge,' I interrupted, 'Is who we're going to see right now. We need to tell him what happened.' I pointed to Simon. 'He's part of the story, so he has to be there.'

'Simon.' Clary asked quietly. 'Are you coming?'

'Mmgnnasayhre."

'Pardon?' her voice was still quiet.

He cleared his throat. 'I'm going to stay here. She needs help, and I'm hungry.'

Clary set her mouth into an angry, upset line, and looked down.

I leaned against the wall, and crossed my arms. 'There's no point.'

'Pardon?' Simon asked.

'There's no point in staying. If you think Isabelle will sleep with you, you're an idiot. If you think you even have a chance, you're a bigger idiot.'

Simon blushed, and Isabelle smiled.

Clary looked up. 'Jace, don't be so sadistic just because he's being nice.'

'I'm being sadistic,' I corrected, 'Because he wants something from being nice.'

Simon and Isabelle blinked in sync. Clary looked back down, and I stretched, like this wasn't anything out of the norm. 'I'm going to Hodge.'

I turn on my heels, and walked out. I stopped just outside the door, though. I knew Clary was going to follow me; there's no way she wouldn't.

'Are you always such an asshat to people?' She demanded as she came out, the door swinging shut behind her.

'An asshat?' I laughed.

'What you said to Simon-'

'I was trying to save him some pain. Isabelle will most likely cut his heart out and walk all over it with high-heeled boots.' I shrugged. 'It's what she does to boys like that.'

'Is that what you did to her?' Clary asked, so quietly I almost did catch it.

I leaned in closer. 'What?'

Clary shook her head. 'She seems afraid of you, like you're fragile.'

I tilted my head. 'I doubt that fragile-'

'No, not fragile… It's like you're a one of a kind artifact, and if she's not carful, it'll smash, and she'll have to face the consequences.' Clary's forehead was creased with thought.

Suddenly, I felt a knot in the pit of my stomach. For some reason, I didn't want Clary to find out about the way I was when I wasn't with her. I knew I was different; Clary changed me. That's when a cold rational thought seized my mind. Don't be stupid, it snarled. People can't make you change. You're just being weak. This is the reason I should be in charge. I clenched my jaw, and tilted my chin up. 'I don't know what you're talking about.' The voice in my head put the words in my mouth. 'If she's afraid of me, then that's her problem, not mine.'

Clary's frown deepened. 'I never said she was afraid.'

'She should be.' The voice was still speaking. I knew there wasn't anything I could do. It took control sometimes, and I couldn't do anything to sop it. And when it wasn't in control, it was the subtle influence that got me to react the way I did. When it was in control, I'd be on warpath for days. And for those days, everyone avoided me. Alec and Isabelle would disappear, and I'd go on missions alone. I'd be faster, stronger. I'd train if I weren't hunting; the one time another Shadowhunter had stayed with us, I had trained with him. He'd been hard-pressed to stop my attacks, and after three minuets, I won. He had come back a year or so later, when the voice hadn't been in control, and we fought again. At the end of the fight, which I had won, but barely, he said he didn't even recognize me.

Clary looked at me closer. Could she tell the differences between me right now, and before? 'Are you okay?' Apparently she could. 'You're paler and your eyes…' She reached out, but I turned away. My body wasn't even under my control. 'I'm not who you think I am, Clary.' I spat.

She looked away, and drew back her hand. 'No. You're not.'

I took a step, and stumbled slightly. Clary's arm, still slightly being pulled back, touched mine. In my head, the voice hissed, and vanished. I breathed deeply with the regain of control. I looked down at my hands. They were shaking slightly. 'Let's go find Hodge.' I muttered.

'Jace?' Clary whispered. 'Are you okay?'

No, yes… I don't know. I thought to myself. I don't know. I wanted to tell her everything. The whole thing, every scrap of memory I had, but I didn't. I didn't want her to leave; be scared away.

'I'm sorry for snapping.' She paused, waiting for an answer, when there wasn't she continued. 'You do it too, you know.'

'I know.' I sighed. Clary looked surprised. 'There's just something about you that's so….'

'Irritating?' She asked, smiling slightly.

'No.' I fished for the right word. 'Unsettling.' That didn't even begin to describe it. 'You… you've rocked the boat.' And I had no idea what the consequences were.

We were quiet for a bit, walking through the Institute. I had no idea where Hodge was, but I figured if we checked his usual haunts, we'd find him eventually. The piano room was closest, so we checked there first. Hodge couldn't really play anything, his hands weren't strong enough anymore, but he would come in here and tune the instruments, just to hear their pure tones, to remind him of the music in Idris.

'Jace?'

'Mm?'

'Are all Shadowhunters like you?'

The question caught me off guard. 'No.'

'So Isabelle and Alec don't fight like you do?'

Fight like I did? What did that mean? 'How so?'

'You fight like it's your only reason for being. You don't care if you live or die.'

How had she noticed that? Did I fight like that? 'No. Isabelle is good, very good. Alec… is Alec. He doesn't fight very much. He's never killed a demon.' As I said it, I realized it was true.

'Why not?'

I expected the voice to come out and bash him. He's afraid, it'd say, a coward. But all I said was 'He protects us.'

By now we were at the green house. The doors were open slightly; the pattern of vines and leaves announced what lay behind them. When I pushed them open, the smell rushed out. It was like Idris smelt like; the burnt air of fall, trees and fresh air. Sun baked dirt, and cut flowers.

'Is this what Idris smells like?' Clary asked. 'It smells like….' She stopped.

'Home,' I finished. 'to me.'

I walked in and weaved through the hanging baskets, the tables and pots of flowers, shrubs, trees and bushes. Clary's eyes were so wide and she took in all the colors; vibrant greens of every shade. Blues, purples, violets and indigo that ere different depending on how the light hit them. Red, oranges and yellows like the rising sun. Every different shade of white; pearl, snow and even one flower that was the exact color of the full moon. Once we came to the middle courtyard, we found Hodge. He was staring into space, sitting on the stone bench, and book in his lap, forgotten. Hugo cawed softly at out arrival, and the marble fountain splashed water into a stone pool, the miniature waterfall throwing off colors as the sun hit it. I broke off a twig from a small tree, and twisted it in my hand. 'Hodge?'

He looked up slowly, with a smile on his face, but when his gaze slid to Clary, the book slid out of his lap, and his face blanched.

'What?' I turned to Clary, but there wasn't anything different about her.

'Forgive me,' He smiled weakly. 'I was lost in thought and you startled me. I wasn't expecting you to look so much like you father.'

'Mine?' Clary and I asked at the same time.

'Yes.' He nodded. 'I knew your father well. I spent years with him, and you just brought back some memories, is all.'

'My father?' Clary asked before I could. 'You knew him? But how? My father was human.'

'Not necessarily Clary. You said your mother isn't a Shadowhunter, so that means your father must have-'

'You mother was a Shadowhunter.' Hodge laughed, but nothing was funny. 'As was your father.'

'What? No! My father wasn't.' Clary's voice was getting higher with fear.

Hodge shook his head. 'Every Shadowhunter knows your father's name Clary, he came from a very well- to do family; he wouldn't have married your mother is she wasn't a Shadowhunter.'

'Who? Who is it?" Clary demanded.

'Clary, your father was Valentine.'