24th August, 2016: 2am 408 Wallingford House, Fort Greene, Brooklyn

Nick barely slept. It took ages to relax, and then he tossed and turned, restless and uncomfortable. He was worried about Clary. He sighed and decided to go over to the Fray's apartment to check in on them. He didn't want Clary to follow in his footsteps and just take off.

When he stepped inside the antique store. The place looked like it had been torn apart. It was clear that this was not an ordinary mundane home invasion. Someone was looking for something in particular.

Nick's sense that something was wrong only increased when he reached the apartment door. It was unlocked, hanging slightly open, spilling a wedge-shaped shaft of light onto the landing. With a feeling of increasing panic he pushed the door open.

Meanwhile

The Ravener demon that had taken the form of Dorothea Rollins had these creepy tentacles seemed to come out of her face. Clary stabbed the Ravener demon with her stele and watched as the shape-shifting demon transforms into its original form. Clary backs away from the demon her eyes darted around maniacally, looking for an escape.

Clary almost forgot about her impending doom at the sight of her best friend and wayward brother in everything, but blood. However, it wasn't long before reality came crashing back-down as she cried out to Nick in everything, but blood "Nicky!" the Ravener demon snapped its head around and hissed at Nick who stood unafraid and without hesitation charged at the Ravener demon and jumped on its back.

"Clary, run!" Shouted Nick as Dot, stuck out a weird, sharp tail and attempted to stab him with it. However, Nick managed to dodge it causing the Ravener demon to stab itself in the neck.

The Ravener demon let out a loud screech and suddenly the thing began to twitch. Spasming uncontrollably, it rolled onto its back, multiple legs churning the air. Black fluid poured from its mouth. Before it spontaneous combusted leaving only ash behind.

Nick looked up to see the blond-haired man from before at the Pandemonium nightclub. "Who are you and what the hell that?".

"Jace Wayland and that was a Ravener demon".

"So, what are you doing here, pretty boy?".

Jace shrugged "I'm curious about your friend and I also have orders to bring you back to the institute. Hodge wants to talk with you. He thinks you might be dangerous".

Nick crossed his arms over his chest. "You have no idea, Shadowhunter. And who says that I'm going anywhere with you?".

"You can come either willingly or unwillingly".

Nick couldn't believe his ears. "Are you threatening to kidnap me?"

"If you want to look at it that way," Jace said, "yes."

Nick opened his mouth to protest angrily, but was interrupted by Clary who began to sway on her feet as the Ravener's poison began coursing through her veins.

"Ravener poison" Jace caught her and gathered an unconscious Clary into his arms "That demon got a piece of her".

"If there's one thing I know is that it's fatal to Shadowhunters. Unless you have an anti-dote supplied by a warlock. Clary will be dead within the hour without the healing rune" Nick told him and tossed the stele over to Jace "We wouldn't want that now would we? I'm not blind or stupid for that matter Shadowhunter I can see the way you look at Clary. The heart wants what it wants. There's no logic to these things. You meet someone, you fall in love and that's that. I don't blame you, though Clary is one of a kind. Don't worry Clary won't become a Forsaken. Her mom was a Shadowhunter".

Jace caught the stele "And how would you know that?" He questioned.

"Because I have the sight duh. I've seen the rune shaped scars all over her body for myself. For whatever reason Jocelyn decided to raise Clary as a mundane. She deceived her daughter for years under the illusion that she was protecting Clary from the Shadow World when in reality she had left her unprepared. The protections that Jocelyn placed on Clary to temporarily block her sight had started to wear off and as you already know Clary began to see through the layers of reality and got her first glimpse of the Shadow World last night. I promised Jocelyn that I wouldn't tell Clary under the stipulation that she would tell Clary. Unfortunately, that plan back fired as you know" Nick let out a long sigh as he gently tucked a stray strand of auburn hair behind Clary's ear "Little red is my little sister in everything, but blood. I don't know you, Jace or your story so, I don't know whether or not you'll understand this, but family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life who want you in theirs; the ones who accept you for who you are. The ones who love you no matter what. Family cares about you and is there, for the good, bad, all of it. They've got your back even when it hurts. Clary and I may not be parabatai, but we're as good as. I promised Jocelyn that I would protect her. I'm not doing a very good job am I? I should have told her the truth. But, I was afraid, afraid that I would lose her ".

"For what it is worth I do understand. I have a parabatai and from what I've seen so far you've protected her from the Eidolons demons and you even managed to single handy take down a Ravener demon which is not an easy task in itself. No one can ask you to do more than your best. You've kept her alive haven't you?" Jace said as he began to draw the rune on her neck.

"I suppose when you put it like that" Once the healing rune took affect Jace lifted Clary into his arms "We'd better get going. This place is going to be swarming with Ravener demons. Where there's one there's almost always more where that came from".

Nick rose "Alright, here's what we're going to do. Whilst I'm hot wiring a car to take us to the institute. I need you, Jace to be the look out".

Jace asked in disbelief "Wait you know how to hot wire a car?".

Nick raised his head and smiled. There was something fierce about the gesture "You'd be wise not to underestimate me, Shadowhunter. There's more to me than meets the eye. I'm Nick Hutchinson by the way. But, most people just call me, Nicky".