CHAPTER 6: SUFFERING
[S1E3Dead Man's Party (Part I)]

The five Shadowhunters entered the gates of the Institute, all thoughts on the mundane they had left behind.

"I still don't understand. How can Shadowhunters be better than what you people call mundanes?" Clary spoke up, stopping at the foyer and eyeing the others.

Isabelle was the one to answer. "Because we protect humans."

Clary sighed, clearly still very stressed out. Margo groaned inwardly, already expecting the next words that fell out of Clary's lips. "You're right. Humans. You protect humans. You left Simon all alone in the van. Great job, guys. You rock."

Alec spoke up from beside Margo, a bit uninterested. "There is some truth to the idea that human beings should have a modicum of common sense."

Clary scoffed at his comment. Before Isabelle could scold him, Margo spoke up, looking at the older Lightwood. "Alec, maybe now isn't the greatest time." She softened the blow, completely sure that whatever Isabelle was going to say was not going to be as nice as Margo.

"Look, they won't do anything to Simon. They just wanted to draw you out. They want the Cup, and they think you have it," Jace explained.

"But why do they think that? Why does anyone think that? What, my mom lies to me my entire life except, 'Oh, by the way, there's a magic cup I hid on, like, the planet Bongo, but don't tell anyone.'
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Margo scowled, rolling her eyes. She understood that Clary was frustrated but she was just overhyping all her emotions now. "Clary, that's enough," she warned.

The younger redhead sighed. "What am I supposed to do now?"

Alec offered a solution, walking ahead of everyone into HQ. "We have to report to the Clave. They have to know what we've learned about Valentine."

Clary stopped him, grabbing his forearm. He eyed her hand on his arm before staring at her. She withdrew her arm slowly, resting it by her side. She couldn't understand why Alec was so comfortable when Margo touched him but so tense and awkward when Clary did so. "What, that he's my father? Great. Fine. Tell them. What good does that do to Simon?"

Margo rolled her eyes. Clearly, the redhead wasn't as smart as she looked. "Clary, it's all connected. Those blood-sucking freaks want the Cup."

"Why? It makes new Shadowhunters."

Alec followed Margo in the rolling of eyes towards the Fray girl. "Nobody wants Valentine forming an army loyal to himself."

"Plus, it controls demons," Izzy added.

"They'll pose a trade. Simon for the Cup," Jace finished.

Clary groaned. "So, the vampires will trade Simon for the Cup and Valentine will trade my mother for the Cup. Either way, I lose someone I love. What if I just toss it up in the air and let them fight it out among themselves?"

"So, this doesn't matter to you?" Alec asked skeptically.

She snapped, "Yes, of course it matters! Listen, when you saved my life... I put my trust in you. Now, I need you to put your trust in me. I can't turn into what you are overnight." She looked between the Shadowhunters.

"It's true," Izzy added, "She was raised as a mundane."

Alec propped up. "What are you, her spokesman now?"

"I don't need a spokesman. I need a plan." And with that, Clary Fray walked off, trying to rake through her mind for a strategy to save her best friend.

The others followed behind, reluctantly, as Clary made her way through HQ. "Look at all this stuff, these screens. I mean, can any of this help me find Simon? Where is he, anyway? Some kind of crypt in Transylvania?"

"Actually, no," Jace answered. "That was Camille's outfit, right?" He asked his parabatai, who nodded. "They're locals."

They all surrounded a large table, looking across at one-another. "They're at the Hotel DuMort, down in Gansevoort Street."

Margo couldn't help it. She turned to Alec, nudging his side softly. "Aw, man, I hear that place really sucks." Alec smiled a little, ruffling her hair before turning back to the others.

Clary completely ignored Margo. "We came back here? Why? We have to go there. Let's go, now. Come on."

As she started walking, Alec spoke up, cutting her short. "We need a Clave resolution for that. The five of us can't declare war on the vamps all by ourselves. And we can't react without considering our options. Downworlders are slaves to their impulses. We're not."

Isabelle held a glint in her eyes as she spoke. "Alec, you can't just jump on all the Downworlders."

Margo, Alec, and Jace all shared a knowing smirk. "Oh, that's right," Alec started, "Seelies have their charms, apparently."

"Right?" Jace joked.

"Would you mind recalling that event for me, Isabelle? I seem to have forgotten," Margo teased her parabatai.

"Seelies?" Clary asked from behind them, frowning when she realized the four were in on a joke that she didn't understand.

Jace answered her. "Like faeries. The Fair Folk. Add pixies, nixies, elves... anybody half-angel, half-demon. It's pretty much a catch-all term."

Alec snickered. "Izzy can tell you all about them. She's got a thing."

His sister's smirk matched his own as she eyed Margo and stated, "We've all got our things, don't we?" Alec's smile disappeared slowly as he glanced at the girl beside him.

She was oblivious to what had just happened between the Lightwood siblings. She was a bit busy staring at Clary as she attempted to make a dramatic exit. "Okay, I can't listen to this. Simon's been kidnapped by vampires. I guess I'll just take care of it myself."

She walked off, ignoring Jace's pleas to stop. "Clary, you're gonna get yourself killed. Clary."

"Simon, too," Margo added, not bothering to look behind her. She could sense that the redhead had stopped and was now making her way back to the circle. Margo smirked, feeling accomplished.

Clary leaned her hands on the table, looking up desperately. "Then help me. While we consider other options, my best friend is suffering. Is that something Shadowhunters understand or am I just being a mundane?"

"Are you fucking serious?" Clary's eyes widened as she looked next to her to see Margo. She hadn't yet comprehended that the Shadowhunter had just dropped the f-bomb.

Alec, however, did notice and he tried to grab hold of her arm. "Go-"

She slid her hand out of his grasp. "No, Alec. I've had enough." She turned to Clary. "What, you think you've got it bad? Look around, Clary. Every single one of us has it worse than you. We've had it worse than you for years. So, don't you dare play the victim. We all understand suffering more than you ever will. So, yes, in that sense, you are being a typical, ungrateful mundane."

No one spoke for a while. Alec, Isabelle and Jace all stared at each other as Margo's glare bored into Clary's eyes. "Sorry," Clary whispered.

Margo couldn't believe her ears. "What?"

"Sorry," Clary repeated. "I shouldn't have said that. I don't know you guys and I was just stressed and-I'm sorry. Really."

Margo nodded her head firmly, pursing her lips as the two faced the others. Jace did a once-over on his brunette friend before placing his hand on a large book in the center of the table. "Clary's right. They made the first move. We're going to take care of this ourselves, right now."

"This is a bad idea. I-"

Jace was the one who cut Alec off. "The vamps broke the Accords. They kidnapped a mundie. That's a big no-no. The Clave will give us a lecture and then they'll be glad we did it. Come on."

Margo found it hard to argue with that. Apparently so did Alec. "Even if we went ahead, I don't see how we get out of here without having to explain where we're going. We need weapons, and we can't let anyone see us get them."

Margo's thoughts were suddenly full of ideas. Or, well, one idea. But it was a good one. She looked up, making eye-contact with Jace, who seemed to be thinking the same thing. They both smiled knowingly as the brunette spoke up. "I know where to get what we need."

A half-hour later, the five Shadowhunters were exiting Simon's van, about to make their way through a cemetery. "Whose grave is it?" Alec asked.

Margo looked over at Izzy, who glanced down at her phone, where all the information was held. "Mary Milligan, born January 10th, 1802. Died, January 10th, 1878.

"Wow, on her birthday? That sucks," Margo commented.

"All right, Alec, let's go."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, buddy," Margo intervened, grabbing hold of Alec's hand. "I want Alec."

Jace rolled his eyes. "You have Izzy," he pointed out.

"I want them both."

"You can't have them both."

Margo frowned. "Why not?"

Before Jace could reply, Clary broke it up. "Wait, what are we looking for?"

"Cache of weapons," Isabelle answered as they all searched the tombstones. "Stashed here with Mrs. Milligan."

Clary didn't seem to understand. "Why are there Shadowhunter weapons in a churchyard?"

"Because all the ancient religions recognized demons. Or, at least they used to," Margo spoke up, shivering and wishing she had worn a jacket.

Alec noticed, quickly running back to the van to grab a hoodie of Simon's he had seen and handed it to Margo. The girl looked up gratefully as he continued her story. "They forgot about the threat because we've been here to protect them. Typical mundane failure of imagination."

Izzy stopped, laughing. "Are you saying we did too good of a job?" Uh oh, Margo thought, recognizing her best friend's behavior. "You just can't let up, can you?"

Before Margo could intrude, Jace turned back. "You know what? Alec, why don't you and Margo go check out by the angel?" Alec frowned, letting Margo lead him far away from his destructive sister.

The two circled around the statue, vaguely hearing Isabelle's phone ring before she made an exit.

"Jace, over here," Alec urged. Jace walked over, without Clary. "Go, can you-" The girl nodded her head, already out of their hair. She made her way over to Clary, helping the redhead search for the grave.

When they found the grave a few minuted later, Margo yelled out to the Lightwood boy. "Alec! We found it. Mary Milligan."

The two made their way over, watching as Clary cleared the dirt from the words written on the tombstone. "Beloved servant? Who wants that on a headstone?" Clary asked rhetorically.

"Someone who is in service to a cause greater than themselves," Alec answered, helping Jace get rid of the leaves on top of the grave.

Margo muttered, "At least she is now."

"Abracadabra," Jace muttered.

Clary shook her head. "Wait, you people actually say that?"

Margo looked up, sharing a smile with Alec. "No, Clary, we don't," she replied to the easy target. Jace used his stele to go over the rune on Mary Milligan's grave before moving the top out of the way with Alec's help.

Once they opened the small hatch that led to the weapons cache, Clary immediately picked up a seraph blade. "Whoa! Where's Mrs. Milligan?"

"Don't touch that. You don't know how to use it," Alec warned, stepping closer to Clary.

She wasn't buying into his whole tough guy act, though. "What, like at Pandemonium when I killed that demon?"

"You didn't kill-"

"Alec," Margo interrupted, "Lay off. Jace will teach her how to use it."

Speaking of Jace... the blonde spoke up. "Do you see what you guys need in here?"

Alec eyed the cache, sighing. "No. There's no bow here. I need one. I have to rune some arrows. That's back at the Institute. I gotta go."

"I'll come help. It'll take less time with two of us," Margo offered, grabbing hold of Alec's hand.

"you just wanna make out," Alec playfully teased.

Jace stammered a bit. "Well, how are you two going to get back in the Institute?"

"Go in the back. Won't bother Margo and I."

"Okay, good. Go. I can finish up here."

Margo could feel the tension and hostility between the two best friends. Alec pulled her away before stopping suddenly and turning back, walking up to Jace and temporarily dropping Margo's hand.

"Hey..." Jace turned around, making eye-contact with Alec. "I understand what we need to do. And I trust you, parabatai... but don't ever doubt me. No matter what I said."

Margo's heart sped up and a goofy smile grew on her face when she heard Alec say that. It wasn't often that Alec and Jace had moments like these, but when they did, it was worth being around and watching.

Jace held his hand up. "It's already forgotten." Alec's hand found Jace's in a handshake. "I'll see you at dawn."

"At dawn," Alec agreed before taking Margo's hand and pulling her away to the Institute.