CHAPTER 4: WARLOCK HUNTING
[S1E2 The Descent Into Hell Isn't Easy (Part II)]

A half hour later, Margo emerged from her bathroom, wearing a simple white t-shirt and a pair of dark jeans with tan boots to match. She allowed her hair to air dry in its natural, curly state. When she heard voices from Isabelle's room, she acknowledged two things. The first was that she was very anti-social. Practically no one ever came into her room whilst Isabelle had multiple visitors in one day. Second, Clary was back. It was her voice Margo heard alongside Isabelle's.

She walked into her parabatai's room, eyeing Clary as she stared in the mirror, wearing one of Isabelle's tops.

"This is the least revealing thing you have?" the redhead asked Isabelle as she fixed her hair. Margo took a seat on Isabelle's bed, letting her best friend plop down beside her and pull her into her side.

Margo replied to Clary's question. "Clary, that's pretty modest for Isabelle. Besides, all the naughty bits are covered."

Isabelle raised an eyebrow. "A little too much, in my opinion."

Clary sighed, turning away from the mirror and walking to rest against a pillar in Isabelle's room. "Where's Simon?" She covered her arms over her chest. Whether it was to look intimidating or because she felt uncomfortable in the top, Margo couldn't tell.

"Who?" When Clary glared at Isabelle, she dropped the act. "Kidding. He's in good hands with the boys."

As Margo leaned on her elbow, Clary continued. "So, um... you, Margo, Alec and Jace are... what, like a family?"

Isabelle chuckled, meeting eyes with Margo. "Translation: you want to know if either of us have a thing with Jace."

"Why would I care?"

"Because you do," Margo spoke up, joining the conversation. "Don't worry. In every way, he's like our brother."

Isabelle smirked, nudging Margo. "Besides, have you seen the way my brother and Margo look at each other? They're practically undressing each other with their eyes every time they're in a room together."

"We do not!" Margo denied. "... most of the time." Izzy snickered. "Isabelle, Clary doesn't know us. Would you please stop making Alec and I look like crazy nymphomaniacs in front of her?"

Izzy rolled her eyes, turning back to Clary. "Our parents took Jace in when he was ten. We trained together. Learned to fight side by side."

"What about you, Margo?"

"I showed up here when I was thirteen. Couldn't remember a damn thing. And, I guess I've just been here ever since."

Clary sighed, avoiding eye-contact with the two Shadowhunters. "A few days ago, all I had to worry about was getting into art school." She inhaled. "And now..."

"Is this the part where we give you the pep talk about harnessing your inner Shadowhunter and accepting your true destiny?" Margo asked, sitting up.

"Was that the pep talk?"

Izzy stood up, making her way over to Clary. "Basically." She started fixing Clary's hair. "Remember, you were born to do this. No matter what has happened, this is who you are."

"Not exactly feeling that," Clary replied honestly.

"Yet," Margo tried.

Clary nodded. "Okay, but now we just have to find Dot."

Izzy rubbed her hands together. "And track and kill the most dangerous rogue Shadowhunter in history before he kills us all."

Margo groaned as Clary sighed. "You really know how to ruin a pep talk, don't you?" the redhead asked.

"Izzy, we talked about this, remember? No more two steps forward, three steps back?"

Izzy shrugged, taking her parabatai's hand and pulling her out the door. "Come on, let's go. She turned back to Clary. "Oh, and Simon is kind of nerd-hot."

Clary's mouth hung open as Margo retorted. "I'm just glad Alec's her brother. So glad I do not have to go through what you just went through. Boy, was that awkward." She patted Clary on the back before following Izzy out the door.

Simon caught up to Clary as the three girls walked down to HQ. Isabelle and Margo sped up, leaving the two to converse.

From a few feet ahead, they could hear Simon try to convince Clary to leave the Institute. Isabelle led her parabatai to the hole in the wall where their seraph blades laid. She was running a hand through Margo's blade, about to grab it and hand it to her best friend, when Jace interrupted. "Whoa. No, Izzy."

Margo leaned against the wall beside their seraph blades, crossing her arms as Izzy smirked, hearing her brother's footsteps quickly approaching. Margo, hearing the same sound, unintentionally started to tame her stray hairs and smooth out her shirt. "Fifty bucks says he doesn't approve this mission," Izzy challenged.

Margo gave her a smug smile. "Whatever I bet, I'm going to lose." They both knew that the older Lightwood would not take to this information easily.

As if on queue, Alec marched up to them. "I don't approve of this mission." Margo and Isabelle shared a knowing grin. "I spoke with the Clave. They're sending Seelie scouts to search for Valentine, but they made it clear: the little girl does not leave the premises."

His hand gestured towards Clary, who knocked it away. "My name is not little girl, okay? I don't care what the Clave think or what you want. I'm gong to find Dot."

Jace spoke up from behind her, clearing his throat, eyeing his best friend. Alec's glare transferred from Clary to Jace. "Alec, this warlock could have the answers we need. With Valentine's people out there searching for Clary, she's not safe outside alone."

However much she hated to admit it, Isabelle agreed. "Jace has a point." She spoke softly, trying to minimize the damage her words would have on her brother.

"Et tu, Izzy?" His hands rose then slammed down by his thighs, defeatedly. He turned to Margo, who was desperately taking all measures to try and avoid his eyes. She tugged at the hem of her shirt before looking up and meeting his hazel eyes with her green ones. "Go, you cannot possibly be okay with this."

"I'm not," she quickly denied. "But, Alec, she's going to look for the warlock, no matter what. Wouldn't it be better if we were at least there to protect her?"

He pressed his lips together, scowling before staring down at Clary. "All right, since you have all the answers, where do you suggest we search?"

"We should start at Dot's apartment in Greenpoint, and there's this thrift store that she-" As Clary's hands played with her necklace, she suddenly gasped, pausing for a few seconds.

Jace seemed to take note of what was happening. "What's wrong? What is it?"

Clary stared at him, still toying with her necklace. "I, um... Weirdly, I think I know where Dot is."

"Great, I'll drive," Simon spoke up, holding his hands out, keys in his palm. Alec and Jace turned, giving him a once-over. "What? Unless you have, like, a Shadowhunter-mobile or something." Izzy laughed, bringing a smile to Simon's face until he looked down at his feet. "You were kidding about the runes on the floor killing me, right?"

Jace glanced at Alec, who smirked back at him. Margo noticed this and nearly died because of how attracted she was to Alec Lightwood in that moment. He sure knew how to get a girl riled up.

Jace eyed Margo and Isabelle before looking back at Simon, shrugging. "Possibly." He patted his cheeks before making a bee-line for the exit.

Alec held a hand out to Margo, which simply shocked the girl. She thought he would be angry with her and act coldly towards her, Isabelle and Jace the whole night. Boy, was she surprised when he held his hand out. She quickly latched onto it, never wanting to let go of his hand. In that moment, she realized how much she loved the little things, like holding Alec's hand - she loved the tingles she felt when she held his hand.

The pair followed Jace and Margo turned around when Simon asked, "Wait... am I going to die?" Isabelle was locking arms with him as Clary walked in front, following Margo and Alec.

By the time they had made it near Pandemonium, Clary was speeding ahead, with Simon and Jace quickly in tow. It occurred to Margo, as she walked between Alec and Izzy, that Clary had absolutely no idea that she currently had two boys interested in her. Clearly, she only saw Simon as a friend and she had only known Jace for one night to even consider her feelings for him.

The four Shadowhunters kept a watchful eye out, searching for anything in the shadows that might jump out at them, always ready. Alec's hand tightened around Margo's, pulling her a bit closer. He had a bad feeling about this and wasn't ready to lead his girl into harm's way.

Clary paused, whispering, "Dot," before quickening her speed into a full-out run.

"I did not sign up for gym class," Margo groaned, starting to run alongside everyone.

Jace tried to stop her. "Clary! Clary, stop! Where are you going?" The redhead finally stopped for a second, giving Margo a chance to regain her breath. She circled around, looking up at the rooftops to ensure the gang's safety.

"Two men, Circle members... the same ones who came to my house, who took my mom. They have Dot. They're going to hurt her or kill her. We have to stop them!" she screeched before quickly entering Pandemonium.

Margo groaned. "Seriously?!" She followed everyone into Pandemonium, noticing them come to a slow stop, looking around. The nightclub was trashed - broken glass everywhere, shattered plates, flickering lights.

"No, she was just trying to help me," Clary spoke, her breath trembling. "Now she's gone." She came to a stop inside the middle of the club, allowing the others to form a circle around her.

Simon placed a hand on her arm comfortingly. "Clary, I'm sorry."

She looked between the four Shadowhunters. "You don't understand. Dot's like my big sister."

Alec spoke what Margo was thinking. "It's not safe here. We have to go back to the Institute right now."

"Yeah, this place is giving me the creeps," Margo added, running a hand along her lower-arm, where goosebumps had risen. She subconsciously stepped closer to Alec, allowing the dark-haired boy to wrap an arm around her waist.

Clary did not like the way the two were behaving. "So, what now? Valentine has my mom and Dot, and we're just going to give up? What about my memories? They can't just be gone."

Jace lifted an eyebrow, looking towards his three friends. "There is another option."

Izzy pointed a finger at Jace. "Don't even-"

Alec was quick to deny him too, shaking his head. "Absolutely not!"

Margo threw her hands up to dramatize her reaction. "Are you crazy?!"

The three other Shadowhunters in the room expressed their thoughts at the exact same moment. None of them were so desperate that it had to come to this, to them.

"I'm not afraid of the Silent Brothers."

"Well, I am, and I do not have a death wish," Margo retorted, leaning into Alec.

Clary, however, was interested. "Who are the Silent Brothers?"

"They're Shadowhunters with superior powers," Jace answered.

"Who possess the ability to recover memories," Izzy added.

Alec replaced his arm around Margo's waist with one hung over her shoulder instead. He raised an eyebrow, finishing off. "A process that can also kill you, so there's that."

Simon turned and pointed at him, an odd look on his face. "Your bedside manner is abysmal."

Margo's eyes glared as she growled, "You're abysmal," at Simon, standing up for Alec. She cuddled further into his side, eyes staring dreadfully at Simon, who quickly looked away, feeling uncomfortable.

The couple together, with Alec's arm around Margo, wearing leather and holding glares, were a dangerous combination for Simon Lewis.

Alec watched this interaction and grinned, absolutely loving the way Margo became protective of him. He kissed the side of her head before turning to Jace. "We've broken at least eighteen Clave rules and now you want to go to the City of Bones? There's no way. I won't allow it."

"This isn't our choice to make, Alec," Jace argued, turning to the redhead. "This is Clary's decision."

Isabelle huffed. "You can't ask her to do this."

Margo agreed. "She's known about our world for a day, Jace. She doesn't know what she's facing. She's not prepared."

Clary, who hadn't spoken for a while, looked between the four Shadowhunters. "If anyone can tell me another way to recover my memories and still get the answers we need, I'm listening." The four all looked around at each other. Margo looked up at Alec, who pursed his lips and shook his head down at her. When none of them replied, she went on. "That settles it."

Jace nodded, smiling a little bit. "See?" He turned to Alec and Margo. "I told you she's one of us." He walked back out of Pandemonium, followed by the other five.