The Angel to Balance the Demon

by Lacie-Abyss

Sebastian is back to take Clary from her friends and family, offering to leave them alone if she come peacefully. Clary despises him, but will time and a change in his behavior cause her to soften up to him, or will she still choose her friends over the demon that is her brother? After COLS. COMPLETE AFTER A YEAR AND A MONTH.

39. The exchange

Lacie: You know what I just realized *spins lazily in her chair*

Clary: What?

Lacie: That it's been so long since I've read a Mortal Instruments book that I sort of forgot what the characters are ACTUALLY like

Chris: What do you mean?

Lacie: Like I forgot what a total monster Sebastian is

Clary: Well, what did you expect?

Chris: Yeah what did you think I was? Just 'a normal kid?'

Lacie: now that I think about it, I started picturing you as Danny Phantom whenever he went ghost.

Chris: Danny who?

Clary: HOLY ANGEL I LOVE THAT SHOW

Lacie: The white hair, green eyes…okay maybe the similarities end there

Clary: And when he's not a ghost, he has black hair and blue eyes *gasps* HE'S ALEC

Chris: *takes a moment to look up Danny Phantom because he's lost hope of any of them ever explaining things to him*

Lacie: O-O Alec, is Danny Fenton, Chris is Danny Phantom…ALEC IS SECRETLY CHRIS IS SEBASTIAN

Clary: PLOT TWIST D:

Chris: For those of you who are not addicted to cartoons-

Lacie & Clary: We are not addicted!

Chris: Here's some information to help you: Danny Phantom is a cartoon series about a teenaged boy whose parents are ghost hunters, really bad ones, by the look of it, and somehow along the way their son Danny gets turned into a part ghost, meaning that he can turn himself into a ghost by will. Really? This sounds really stupid.

Lacie: No it's not! There's a ghost realm, and he's able to do all these cool things like sense ghosts and have ghostly powers.

Clary: And the theme song is fantastic

Chris: -_- You should stop bringing in fandoms that other people may not know about

Lacie: *can't hear you over the massive search she's suddenly doing on all her old childhood shows* Oh my, Ed, Edd, and Eddy, Kim Possible, Lilo and Stitch, and like DOZENS more.

Clary: I used to watch those shows RELIGIOUSLY

Lacie: What do you mean USED TO. Honey I still watch them! If they ever come up on some channel you can bet everything you own I will be watching them!

Clary: Do you remember Code Lyoko?!

Lacie: BY THE ANGEL. I don't remember much about the actual show but yes I remember it!

Clary & Lacie: *sigh from nostalgia*

Chris: *sighs because now he has to look up all these shows in order to know what they're talking about*

Lacie: *shakes out of it* Okay guys! Sorry about that little moment, being a 90's kid takes its toll on you when you realize that the 90's were, well, in the 90's. Meanwhile, you guys should PM me some shows that you guys used to watch and love! Travel down memory lane with me.

Chris: Lacie-Abyss does not own TMI.

Lacie: I OWN CHRIS :D And Emery! And the house….I should make a list of what I own…

Enjoy!

Clary POV

It was 6:18 am. She wasn't supposed to be awake until seven, but apparently her brain had other ideas because she had the sudden urge to make breakfast.

Clary had at first folded in on herself, pulling the covers tight over her like a cocoon, trying to go back to sleep, knowing that she needed the rest, but she just couldn't. Giving up the fact that she wasn't going to be able to get more sleep and that she was wide awake, she kicked the tangled mess of blankets away, padding over the carpeted floor to the bathroom.

The clock said it was 6:32 when she exited her room, having taken a quick shower and changed her clothes. She tiptoed down the stairs—no one was awake yet, at least she assumed no one was—past the living room, where she glanced at Alec, who was still sleeping on the couch in the living room, and into the kitchen.

Hopefully Alec is a heavy sleeper, she thought as she pulled out some pans and set them on the stove. Or he could help me if he wants, who knows, maybe some of Maryse's cooking skills went to him instead of Izzy.

The thought of Isabelle wanting to help Clary cook urged her to work faster, but then again, maybe the dark haired girl could learn a thing or two.

Clary wondered where the urge to make food for everyone came from in the first place, considering that the last time she had made a real breakfast was so long ago, on one of those first mornings. Clary hadn't exactly had a real breakfast since, especially not while she was on her own. Back then, she'd usually just get a fruit or take a glass of milk with her to the training room or some toast or something, but she never really took the time to make use of her kitchen. Even if she had, there had been no one but herself to appreciate it.

But now, this was also perhaps her last chance too. After today, who knew what scenario they'd be in, this was the last morning they could for sure all be together as one big group. One big pack.

The Clave called them the Circle 2, and although Clary could see why they'd be called that, she felt it didn't do them justice. They didn't have some big cause like Valentine wanted for his, they were just a group of kids, brought together because adults didn't do things right.

They were just…them.

But the Clave won't see that, Clary thought sadly as she cracked an egg into a pan, stirring the yolk and the white of the egg rather harshly, they see a bunch of misguided teenagers who have gone evil and want to destroy everything.

Maybe one day Clary would be able to show her face in public and not have to worry about being thrown in a cell. Maybe one day Chris would be able to walk down the streets of Alicante without people wanting to murder him. Maybe one day they'd all be able to be together again, not just her and Chris, but everyone.

Jocelyn's and Luke's face popped into her mind, but she quickly shook her head. She ripped open a package of bacon, instead contemplating whether or not she should burn a piece of bacon just to humor Chris.

Chris POV

6:56. He was four minutes ahead of schedule, but he got up to go downstairs anyway. Sleeping last night had been strange for him, considering it had been the first time he's slept in his own bed for months. Sure, the bed he had in that castle in hell had been okay, but he never considered it a bed. It was more like his resting stop before he had to get up and prowl hell's grounds for demons to kill. Even the night before, while Clary was recovering from the attack in New York, while she had slept on his bed, he had slept on the floor beside her, his eyes staring out the window at the starless night.

So sleeping in his own bed again had been pleasant, but not exactly comforting, considering what they had ahead of them.

Running his fingers through his disheveled hair, he walked barefooted down the steps to the first floor, where the air smelled absolutely delicious. The black haired Lightwood boy was still sleeping on the couch's mattress, appreciating the last few minutes' worth of sleep. From where he stood at the base of the stairs, he could see a certain red headed figure moving about in the kitchen, various plates and pans surrounding her.

Grinning, he walked into the kitchen, leaning his hip against the edge of the kitchen island. "Well, you're up and early, and it seems like you've been busy."

There were plates of food already setup around the island, made up of a combination of bacon, pancakes, toast, waffles, eggs, both sunny side up and scrambled, sausages, omelets, and hash browns. There was even a Styrofoam cup with mysterious contents that Chris could only guess was blood for her best friend.

Clary turned from where she was collected more pieces of bacon onto another plate. She didn't seem surprised at all to see him, perhaps she'd heard him come down the stairs, and she smiled. There was a smudge of pancake batter on her forehead, and Chris was tempted to tell her about it when she spoke, "I thought everyone would want a nice meal, you know, before we get started today…"

She looked into his eyes. She must have seen the sudden look in them, because it was the only cause for her to be suddenly silent. Chris didn't like the idea of her giving herself up to the Clave, he despised the thought of them having her for even one night, so it was really costing him to stay calm about this, to reign in the demon within him that was urging him to take Clary into his arms and hold her tight until she gives up and changed her mind about this whole plan.

However, now the only thing stopping him from doing just that was that Clary could probably fight against him as well as he would her. Last night, while Clary and Jace had both mysteriously disappeared (and Chris had been itching to skin Jace alive when they had gotten back, despite the fact that he had helped in saving the golden haired boy when his arm was chopped off) he had been conversing with the others. It was a weird feeling, talking to all of Clary's friends. Simon had been the first to actually start a conversation with him, and unsurprisingly the one thing they could talk about was Clary. He told her about how strong she really was now, giving details about how she had single handedly escaped from Alicante and had done who knows how much things to get him back.

It ticked him that his little sister was probably as good as him, but only slightly. The rest of him was proud of the Shadowhunter she had become.

But that still didn't stop the concern for her when she openly wanted to give herself away.

"I still don't like this idea of yours." He told her brazenly. "I don't like it that you want to do this."

He stepped near her, and as she turned her head to the side while scooping eggs into one last plate, probably to give him a snappy reply, he placed one hand on the counter behind her, and kissed her forehead, right where the smudge of pancake batter was. Chris licked his lips, tasting the batter. "But you know, you'd probably run off and do it all yourself anyway."

Clary didn't back away from him, kind of hard to do considering he had had backed her up to the counter, and was still able to reply in an even voice, despite the fact that her cheeks were blushing, "Did you just lick me?"

She put the plate of eggs on the counter behind her, somewhat awkwardly because he hadn't moved back yet, and touched a finger to her forehead, where he had cleaned off the pancake batter.

"And you tasted delicious." He smirked. "Was that honey in the batter I tasted?"

"I knew I should have cleaned that off my forehead before anyone saw," she said regrettably, but the smile on her face ruined her tone.

"Wait," he grabbed her by the shoulders, his expression serious, "Don't move. You have more pancake batter on your face."

"I can clean it off myself," Clary tried to swat him away, but he held strong, his tone unchanged.

"No, this is a big deal Clary. With pancake batter like that, who knows what sort of things you can attract. Best if I deal with it."

"No! Stop!" Clary laughed as he bent down to kiss/lick her cheek. "I'm serious!"

Chris grabbed her wrists tightly before she could push him back, and pressed his mouth to her temple. "Almost done, just one more."

"Chris I bet there's absolutely no batter on my face at all!"

She was right, but he wasn't about to stop and tell her. He looked at her lips, and he felt the never ending urge to kiss them. To show her how much he missed her after all that time in hell, to show her how much he needed her, and hopefully she to him. He was just about to lean into her when Alec woke up.

The blue eyes Lightwood sat up, his eyes squeezed tight as he yawned, and that gave Clary time to finally free herself from Chris and step several feet away from him. He frowned at her and she stuck her tongue out at him.

Damn it.

"Morning Alec," Clary called to him from over the bar, "Are you hungry? I made food."

Alec blinked sleep out of his eyes before focusing on Clary, and then he brightened, "Yeah, thanks, let me just clean up here."

He started clearing up the living room, and Chris, having been interrupted, decided to distract himself by pulling out cartons of juice from the cupboard and fridge. As he pulled out some orange juice, Clary walked past him, whispering, "You should have woken up earlier."

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Clary POV

Almost immediately after Alec awoke, everyone else started coming over to the kitchen too. The sound of the television on its hinges squeaked as Simon and Isabelle ducked through the opening, and the sounds of Jace, Jordan and Maia talking as they came down the stairs carried over to where Chris helped Clary pull out all the silverware.

"Whoa," Jordan awed, his head tilted upwards, nose smelling the air.

"I call dibs on that plate!" Maia rushed into a seat, claiming her plate.

"I don't suppose I have to fight anyone for that cup of blood over there, do I?" Simon joked as he eased past the hungry teens that surged for the table for the Styrofoam cup on the counter.

The sound of chewing and forks and knives clinking against plates filled the air. Clary took up her own plate and began wolfing down her meal. She heard Chris chuckle beside her, and she only spared him an eye roll before returning her attention to her food. Clary didn't want to brag, but she thought she outdid herself. Even Chris had served himself an extra helping of pancakes.

"Ah," Jace sat back in his seat, patting his stomach happily, "Now that was a meal. Isabelle, take notes."

Izzy glared at him, "If we're going to live here, I think I'll just take food out of the cupboards for the rest of my life—"she looked to Clary"—Where did you get this food from?"

Clary tilted her head, "Umm, the cupboards."

"Yeah, but what restaurant?"

Clary blinked, "The stove…"

"She made it Izzy," Simon said, finishing his blood. "Clary can cook."

"Yeah," Clary said defensively, "Clary can cook."

Now it was Izzy's turn to blink. "Oh."

Jordan coughed into his hand, "Izzy can't cook," then widened his eyes as Isabelle tossed a bagel at his head, but caught it with his teeth.

Clary laughed along with everyone else; winking at Chris she took his plate and hers to the dish washer. Sadly, the dishes did not wash themselves. Everyone else stood and deposited their plates in as well, complimenting Clary on her cooking. Jace had walked past her and put his hand on her shoulder, "That was delicious," he said honestly before he turned towards the sink as well.

As everyone bustled about the kitchen, helping to clean up the mess of open butter packets and jars of jam and spilled juice and such, Clary looked at the clock on the kitchen stove.

7:38 am.

"Simon," she called to him as he walked past, causing him to turn to face her, "Is it ready?"

He nodded, "Let me go get it."

He walked out of the kitchen and through the door behind the television, emerging again seconds later with a folded piece of paper in an envelope.

Simon held it up for her to see, "Are you sure this will make it to Alicante? What about the barriers?"

Clary nodded affirmatively, "It should make it through. Alec's been swiping newspapers from Alicante before, so there should be no problem in sending something in. Did you write everything the way we talked about it?"

"Yes, Isabelle and I did it all last night. We checked and double checked, and checked again, and then one more time. Would you like me to check it again? I'm sure I could recite it to you by memory now."

Biting her lip, Clary thought about it, and then shook her head, "No, I trust you."

Without another word, he handed it to her, and she proceeded towards the cupboards, where she thought about Alicante, specifically a certain spot on a certain building in Alicante. When she shut the door of the cupboard above her, she turned to face the kitchen.

Isabelle was being forced by Jace to wash the dishes.

"But why do I have to do it?" She growled at him as he stood by with his arms crossed.

"Clary made food, now you have to wash dishes." He said.

"Then why don't you wash them?"

"Are you insane?" he held up his wooden left hand, "I could break something with this hand! Or worse, break myself!"

"I'll help you Izzy," Maia offered. "Simon, Jordan, you two will dry the dishes while Izzy and wash them."

"Why do we-?" they both began, but then Maia wolf growled.

"Yes Mom," they both mumbled and hurried over to the sink.

By 8:32 am they were all showered, changed and being silently oozing nerves in the living room. After sending the letter that Simon had written, Clary hoped for a quick reply, and she itched to check the cupboards, but restrained herself. They had told them a specific time. It wouldn't be there until then.

Clary had sent the letter to the front steps of the building in which she had been held for her trial. In that letter was a message from Simon, saying that he, Isabelle, Alec, Jordan and Maia, had captured her and were willing to trade her for the others. The reason as to why Clary was no longer turning herself in was because it would look suspicious if Clary were to just walk up to Alicante, saying she'd give herself up. It instructs the Clave that it they agree, to come to the east side of Lake Lyn with the prisoners, and that they will be on the west side of the lake, ready to trade.

Should they not agree to the exchange, then the group will have to do an alternate method of getting Luke, Jocelyn, Magnus and the others out. Whatever reply they give, they'll have to write it on a note, leaving it in the mailbox in the house that the Lightwood would live in every time they came to Idris.

That reply needed to be in the mailbox by 9:30. Jace had specifically said to not give them much time.

"The Clave spends their time stuck in too many meetings. Let's see how well they do with only less than two hours to decide." Jace said, his expression meaning that he wasn't about to change his mind.

As it neared nine, and someone changed the channel of the television yet again, Clary suddenly looked about the room, "Has anyone seen Emery?"

"Not since yesterday," Chris responded, his eyes suspicious.

Stretching her arms out, hoping to dispel some of her nervousness, Clary said, "Quick reconnaissance of the house. Simon, can you check the basement? He might be there but I'm not sure."

"You mean that creepy cellar door that's on the ground?" Isabelle commented, "I swear if he's in there then that's really creepy."

"I'll check the training room," Chris offered, also standing up.

Clary gave them one nod before bounding up the stairs of the house. She knocked on the bathroom before opening the knob, but it was empty. There weren't a whole bunch of rooms upstairs, and currently only Jace, Jordan, Maia, Clary, and Jordan had resided up here. So where did Emery sleep last night?

Could he have left?

There was a possibility that Emery had gotten 'bored' again, but Clary didn't think he'd just up and leave. She opened Chris room, checking his bathroom and inside his wardrobe, as if Emery had decided to search for Narnia. When he wasn't anywhere in there, Clary proceeded into Jordan and Maia's room, feeling a slight bit snoopy, especially since they had clothes all over the floor, including a several discarded pairs of boxers, but she averted her eyes and simply looked for red hair and an Emery-sized body, and when she didn't find it in their either, she simply took off towards Jace's room, but she didn't even have to step past more than the threshold to ascertain that he wasn't there. Jace's room was as clean as ever, and he left the bathroom door wide open so that all of its contents were visible from where she stood.

There was only one last place to inspect, and she was starting to get frustrated with the old warlock as she stepped into her room. It was just as she had left it: bed undone, some clothes in a chair in the corner, an easel here and there propped up with dried paint pallets next to it on the ground. Her window curtains were left open, her wardrobe was pretty clean, and her bathroom, other than containing shower products and one rubber ducky, was devoid of warlocks.

She even got on her hands and knees and checked under the bed, as if Emery were a monster hiding amongst the pairs of shoes that she's kicked under there. Again, nothing.

Okay where on Earth is this guy? Clary seethed. She wasn't particularly worried about where he was and what he was doing, but she needed him for what they were going to do today, and if he didn't show up Clary swore she was capable of murdering him in his sleep, great great great great great great uncle or not.

It was 9:07 am, according to clock by her bed, and she was about to head back downstairs to let everyone know that they had a problem when she heard a door open.

She whirled around, staring at the little door that contained the passage to the secret room in Clary's bedroom. Over the past three months, she had been sleeping in it, but last night she slept in her actual room. Clary had pushed the dresses that was used to hide the door aside a long time ago, and had never bothered to put it back. Now, however, she saw a figure come out of the door, their familiar baseball cap placed firmly on their head.

"There you are!" Clary huffed. "I've been looking for you! And what are you doing in my room? And now that I mention it, how long have you been in there?"

Emery took off his cap and scratched his head, making his scarlet curls fluffy, "I'm here because it was the only private place around here. I didn't want to share the living room with Alec, anyway. I figured Magnus wouldn't be too happy. And I've been here all night and day," his eyes floated around the walls, "Nice room by the way."

"How do you know Alec and Magnus are—oh never mind." She waved her hand as if expressing how much she cared about where Emery got his information from, "You weren't here the rest of the time we discussed the rest of the plans. Can you make a Portal to Idris?"

"Yes," he answered nonchalantly, "I helped make the boundaries and wards for Idris, so I know how to get past them."

"Of course you do," Clary said, putting her hands together, "That's why I asked you."

Together they went back down towards the living room, where Chris was just emerging from the kitchen, the training room door left open.

"Found him," Clary announced as she hopped the last step down moving to stand next to the kitchen bar, "Emery, you can talk to people in their minds, right?"

"Of course I can, Clarissa, I thought we established this already." Emery raised an eyebrow at her. Clary dared to glance around at the room, all of whom were either holding a hand to their head, staring at Emery, or staring at Clary.

"I thought only Silent Brothers were able to use mind telepathy?" Chris inquired. Clary smiled, considering that she had asked the same thing.

"Let's just say that in my lifetime I've tried a lot of different experiences." Emery joked. "But in this way I will be able to stay in contact with Clary, even while I am here, and she is in Idris."

"So Clary will be able to communicate to us through Emery," Simon nodded, "Smart."

"And that way I can let you guys know if anything comes up," She agreed. "See? I told you there was nothing to worry about."

Although, now that she really thought about it, it would have been a complete disaster had Emery actually disappeared on them. She hadn't realized how much he was centered around their plan until then, and suddenly she felt very guilty and horrible.

This was what Magnus talked about, how the Clave never really appreciates the work that Downworlders do for them, even if they were completely relying on them. They never praised them for what they do, and now, Clary had come close to doing the same.

On a whim, she thought to him, "Thanks Emery."

He smiled, a small, corner mouth smile, "No problem. You're welcome to use me. In fact, please do so. I haven't been involved in Shadowhunter business in centuries."

"Hey, I have a question," Maia began, sitting with her arms extended along the top of the couch either side of her, "If Emery is going to Portal us to Idris, won't the Clave wonder how we got there, considering that there's supposed to be wards and stuff guarding the whole place? That would look really suspicious to me, especially since our only known warlock friend is currently in their grasp."

Alec answered her, his hands fiddling with the frayed end of a sweater, "My dad was the Inquisitor, before they suspected him anyway, so I'm not sure who they appointed as Inquisitor now, but they'll be in charge of this whole exchange, I assume, and if I were the Inquisitor, I'd be a lot more concerned with the fact that the Shadow world's most wanted fugitive is almost in my possession than the knowledge of how they got there."

"He's right," Chris agreed, "They don't have the time to go over it. They just have to accept it."

"What about Chris," Jace brought up, "There were Shadowhunters that escaped in New York that saw him. Surely all of Idris knows of his return, and of the fact that he was seen with us. What will they think if they see us giving up Clary, but Chris is magically nowhere in sight?"

It was a fairly decent question to ask, not to mention true. The Clave would suspect of this, and they'd have to be prepared for that, but the way that Jace said it caught at Clary's attention. There was no malice in his voice, no hardness whatsoever, only true curiosity, only actual worry about this topic.

She pulled her hair back into a pony tail, catching at the stray strands that rebelled against the rubber band she tied it with, "We'll just have to tell him that Chris ran away, that he only wanted me, but that you guys captured me, so he got away or something."

Finishing her ponytail, she looked at all of them, "The Clave thinks Chris is a criminal, a monster, so we'll have to play along with that. Convince them that he ran off to do, you know, evil stuff and whatnot."

She looked to Chris, asking him mentally if this was okay with him, and he shrugged indifferently. It didn't really matter to him, he could have been off buying onion rings and the Clave would still suspect it as 'suspicious activity.'

The clock in the kitchen chimed, and even though she knew what it meant, she looked at it anyway. 9:30. She ran over to the cupboards, almost flying around the island table, and reached above her to open a door. Her hand immediately brushed over paper, and she ripped open the envelope, eyes boring into the letters.

"What does it say?" Izzy inquired from the living room.

Clary breathed in relief, "They agreed."

A collective sigh was let out in the room, minus from Emery, and although she was still buzzing with energy and anxiety, she felt strangely lighter that this was going along to plan.

"We should go over the plan again," Jace insisted, "Make sure everyone's got everything down while we have time."

Alec added, "We should also go over the back-up plan."

"And the back-up plan for the back-up plan." Jace pointed out.

Clary raised a half smile, "I wasn't aware that we had that many plans. Surely we don't need that many?"

"Yes, because the last time that you were caught by the Clave, someone was hell sent." Jace said with arms crossed over his chest.

"Hey, he made it back." Clary pointed over to Chris. "And yeah, I know you're right in wanting to be cautious, and I agree completely. But we got out of it fine. Slightly bruised and scorched, but…" she glanced at Chris, who looked at her with one eyebrow raised, "well…fine."

"And if something doesn't work out, I'll take full responsibility and act on the same plan I had last time I was caught." She continued.

Simon gave a surprised/incredulous sound before saying with complete disbelief, "You had a plan?"

Clary put her hands on her hips. Did no one have faith in her? "Yes. It was called, 'Run, run, run as fast as you will, you can't catch me, I'm the ginger headed girl,'" she huffed, "And if I must say, it worked pretty damn well then!"

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"Emery, it's time." Clary said to the red headed warlock, though she doubted he needed reminding. They had all been mentally preparing for the time when Emery would have to open up the Portal, and when he did, only Maia, Simon, Jordan, Alec and Isabelle would step into it at first, appearing on one side of Lake Lyn in Brocelind field, while the Clave was on the other with the hostages.

Chris and Jace, it was agreed, would not appear in front of the Clave whatsoever, Chris, for obvious reasons, would stay in the house with Emery, clinging onto his every word while the warlock lingered in the minds of the group and relay the information back to him. Jace would stay behind because it they all agreed that the Clave would think it to be somewhat unbelievable that Jace would just hand Clary over to the them, considering how much they knew about what went on between them. If the Clave asked, it would be said that this was being done behind Jace's back. Therefore, Jace would also be staying with Emery.

Clary had silently asked Emery to keep an eye on the two, even though for some reason, there was something different between the two of them today. Usually both of their presences in one room felt like trying to shove the ends of a magnet with the same charge towards each other. However, that feeling wasn't in the air anymore, and she wasn't sure whether or not she feared this new atmosphere, or the lack of the old one.

She herself would stay behind as well, at least for the first few minutes while those who went through the Portal made sure that the Clave was completely convinced of their deal, and then she would step through as well.

As the Portal that Emery made shimmered on the living room, right where the door would have been had they made it appear, Clary stepped back to let Jordan, Maia, Isabelle, Alec and Simon get close to it.

"Be careful," she implored them, "If there's any sign that they're not buying it, or worse, that they've got something up their sleeves, let Emery know or just jump right through the Portal again. He can keep it open for half an hour."

"We'll take care of ourselves." Jordan smile at her, and she smiled back. She hugged Isabelle and Simon and Maia, and lastly nodded towards Alec.

"I'll join you in a few minutes," she told them as they stepped into the whirling mass, disappearing in a blink of the eye.

Now that left Chris, Jace, Emery, who was sitting crossed legged on the cough with his eyes closed, his baseball cap tipped down, in deep concentration in order to be able to keep the mind connection with all of them, and her in the living room. Chris sat on a bar stool with one leg crossed over the other, his eyes lost in the whirls of the Portal, "Do you think they were ready for this?"

"I believe in them. They'll work everything to the best of their abilities. It was never a question if they were ready, but if they were willing." Clary said without a doubt. Despite the fact that in a few minutes, she would find herself in the hands of the Clave, she felt detached from the situation, as if reality were underwater and she was being held aloft of the surface, staring down into the waves. "Soon they'll call me over, we'll trade, and I'll find some way to escape after that. Meanwhile, please make sure that the hostages are alright and not bugged or anything. We don't want them to be able to track us in anyway."

She stared at Chris particularly when she said the word, 'hostages.' It had occurred to her that Chris was about to watch her be exchanged for the lives of not only the Lightwoods, Magnus, and Luke, but of their own mother too. Clary didn't know how Chris would react around Jocelyn, but she was concerned. Jocelyn never loved Chris, she downright despised him, just as Clary used to, and Clary feared that Jocelyn would rather commit suicide than live in harmony around her son. Or worse, that she'd try to kill him.

She had already spoke to Simon about it, practically pleading him to try to stick around them if they were ever in the same room together, to try to make sure Jocelyn didn't do anything rash, and that Chris didn't do anything to tempt her to. Simon didn't need begging, he understood the situation well enough to promise that he'd do everything in his power to keep them both at a safe distance.

Clary and also entrusted Maia, Isabelle and Alec with explaining to Jocelyn why they had traded her only daughter to the Clave, that is, if Jocelyn even cares to know why. She didn't know if Jocelyn's time in England was enough to get over and move on from Clary.

Either way, it didn't matter to her, because after she escaped from the Clave, she was gone, away from Jocelyn Fairchild, or rather, Graymark now, forever.

Clary glanced at the plain black watch around her wrist, "12:02, I should be out there in about four minutes." She adjusted the plain white T-shirt that she wore, pulling at the collar. "Emery, are you planning on staying here? With Chris and Jace?"

Another thing she was worried about was leaving Jace and Chris on their own, considering they were staying behind, and was rather hoping for the warlock to act as a wall between them, but she couldn't ask that of Emery. She didn't want to leave the two of them alone for even a minute, but they had no choice, and she could tell they weren't happy about it, even if none of them were saying anything or making any expressions to prove her otherwise.

Emery opened one eye to look at her, "Let me just do one last thing."

Before Clary could ask, she felt a shudder course through her. Chris leaped off his chair, causing it to make a scraping sound against the floor that hurt her ears. "Are you okay?" he asked suddenly. Jace had gone taut from where he was leaning against the wall.

"I'm fine." She answered, then taking into account Chris's expression, she looked down at herself.

Emery had made her look horrible. It looked like she had been in a combat fight with a T-rex, then rolled over a valley of sharp rocks, and had been punched by a million MMA fighters. Her clothes were torn, bloody and dirty, her hair clumped together, a wet feeling below her chest indicated a shallow bleeding slash across her ribs, her skin was covered in bruises, (was that dried blood on her forearm?) her right wrist was spent and swelling, suggesting it was broken, and when she touched her face, she felt a split lip, and her left eye was slightly swollen. Looking at herself a mirror that Emery produced out of nowhere for her. She looked like she had gone through hell and back, but surely that was an understatement. Even Chris didn't look this when he got back from hell.

Even when she walked, she felt herself limp, yet there was no pain. She rubbed at the bruises, thinking it was makeup, but the bruises were one hundred percent real.

"Is this a glamour?" she questioned Emery, unable to hide the awe in her voice.

"Oh, it's real." The warlock answered, his eyes still closed, "But I erased the pain. How is the Clave going to believe that you were 'caught' if you're completely clean and healthy and frankly don't look like you were struggle to fight for your freedom at all?" Clary hadn't thought about.

"As for your question from earlier," Emery continued as he stood, "I'll be in your room. I'll keep the Portal open and continue to keep an eye on you. Don't die, remember you still owe me that game of real life Sharks and Minnows."

And on that note he left upstairs, leaving Clary in her bloody mess of a state with Chris and Jace. Without thinking, Clary looked at her watch again, which now had a scratch against the lens. Less than three minutes left. Chris sat back on the barstool, the danger of Clary being hurt now gone.

"Clary?"

She turned towards the sound of Jace's voice. He hadn't said a word since she showed everyone the finished Portal, and has been a rather quiet figure since. Now, she looked at him, no longer leaning against the wall, his arms by his side. Purging thoughts of the mountain in Spain from her mind, she said neutrally, "Yeah?"

His eyes shifted from her to Chris for a second, and then he seemed to come to some conclusion, as if he had made his mind about something, and seemed determined about it. He stepped forward, until he was right in front of the couch, only about three feet away from her. She didn't move, aware of the fact that Chris was right behind her.

Jace took in a deep breath, his hands in his pockets, and then released it, setting his golden eyes firmly on hers. "I know what you told me, and I know that a lot of things have happened since, since things were the way they were before. I know that you've changed, that your whole world has changed, and although I know I can't stop you, and although I hate it, I know why you're going to do what you're going to do. And I just," he hesitated, his eyes flicking back to Chris for a second, but quickly refocusing on her again. Clary felt glued to the spot, "I just want to tell you while I have the chance. Things may have changed, but I haven't. I'll never change, I'll always be here, for you, and I'll never be able to get rid of you, no matter how hard I ever try."

His words jerked at her. He'd tried to forget her? But then she quickly accepted it, no matter how much it stung. Of course he would try to, who wouldn't want to forget someone who caused them this much pain.

Jace's eyes sank into her, being permanently imprinted into her conscious, "I love you."

Clary felt Chris flinch behind her, obviously he hadn't expected Jace to be so open about his feelings for her while he was still there, but she ignored him and her tightening nerves. The reasonable part of her mind said they had no time for this, that she had to jump in through the Portal very soon, and now was no time for this.

Clary tried to fight her way through the sudden brain malfunction her mind underwent, for she felt unable to open her mouth, when Chris spoke, "Too bad we have to leave when all of this is over."

"She doesn't have to leave with you, you know." Jace's fists tightened, "She's only saying it because you have nowhere else to go."

"You're just upset because she's coming with me, and not with you," Chris retorted, his expression stony, yet his tone was completely mocking. "You're angry because she chose me over you."

"At least I can say I love her with actual feelings for her, and not the fake emotions that Valentine taught you to reciprocate!" Jace barked back.

Chris was out of his chair now, almost smashing into Clary as he was practically in Jace's face, hissing in a low voice, "Don't act as if you know how I feel. Don't act as if you know because I'll kill you. I love Clary more than you'll ever understand, in a way that you'll never be able to wrap your brain around. I probably love her on an even deeper level that you, so don't talk to me about emotions, because you have no clue how I feel, not an ounce of comprehension!"

Clary stared at both of them, wide eyed, feeling completely angry at herself. Was she really in this sort of situation? Had she really become the sort of girl who would have two guys fight over her? She remembered Simon and Jace arguing over her, but that had been nothing. Simon had been human then, and Jace would never have hurt him. But these two, they would kill each other, and Clary didn't know if she would be able to stop them if they did.

She suddenly felt very tired, not physically, but mentally. She felt anguished with herself, at the fact that she'd let things get this far, that she hadn't foreseen this. Her eyes caught at the purple-green bruises on her fingers, and suddenly she wished that she were in pain, anything to keep her mind off of this. There was less than a minute left, and she felt like the trick Emery did on her wasn't enough. She needed to look more beat up.

"You don't love!" Jace shouted, "You obsess. Learn the difference! And if you think you love her more than I will then maybe you should just walk over to the Clave right now and kill yourself in front of them. That should end all of our worries!"

"Hey!" That did it, she snapped, "Enough! No one is going to kill anyone, so help me, or else I'll do you both a favor and snap both of your necks this instant!"

She stepped between them, their massive figures looming over her, but she didn't care about that as she placed both hands on both of their chests, shoving them both away from each other. "You shouldn't fight as if it's either of your faults, if anything, it's my entire fault. So stop arguing, because killing each other won't fix anything. Now, if you two really love me, one of you will punch me enough to leave a bruise, because I think I need to look more convincing."

The way they both stopped snarling at each other's faces to turn to look at her with incredulous faces at her serious tone was so comical she almost laughed. Almost. But she was dead serious.

"I mean it. One of you, hurt me. I'll do it myself if I have to."

"Clary don't be ridiculous-" Chris started but Clary shot him a look that would freeze bears.

"I'm not. I'm being completely reasonable. Emery is right, I need to look beat up or else the Clave won't believe I've been captured against my will," she grabbed a small knife from where it was sheathed on Chris's belt, because Clary wasn't supposed to have any weapons on her, "If you won't I'll do it myself."

She brought the blade to her cheek, intending to cut across her cheek a bit, but then Chris held tight of her wrist.

"No, I'll do it. You'll hurt yourself," he took the blade from her, and frowned a bit. "You sure you want in on your cheek?"

"Or forehead. Wherever seems like it was more likely in a fight."

He nodded, adjusting the blade so that it was pressed against her forehead. Clary felt the blade slice through her skin, felt the drops of blood weep through, and it was eerie as she allowed the sting of the blade to penetrate her slightly instead of screaming and running away like her instincts told her to, but it was over pretty soon, and Chris pulled the blade back. It only bore a few drops of blood.

"There, it's not deep, very shallow in fact. Could've been made by a scratch of a fingernail or something." He sheathed the blade, "Plus it won't take much to heal, and shouldn't bleed so much. You would've hurt yourself."

Clary nodded, causing a bead of blood to run into her eye, and she reached up to wipe it away, when Chris suddenly grabbed her by the shoulder, and kissed the eye that the bead of blood had gotten into. When he leaned back, the bead of blood was gone, his hand still on her shoulder.

She cocked her head at him, looking at him inquisitively, when she felt a jerk on her upper arm, and she was pulled towards Jace, who had yanked her away from her brother. Chris looked shocked at first, but quickly recovered, putting his hand down by his side. Clary whipped around, her instinct to look at Jace in the face, and his eyes bore into the cut across her forehead, and then to her upper arm. His nails had pressed into her skin, and now there were pink shaped scratches in her arm.

Jace quickly wiped a thin spot of blood from her elbow where it had rolled down her arm, putting his thumb in mouth before cleaning it off. "Did it hurt?" he asked her.

"No," she said truthfully, "I didn't feel it."

For some reason, he smirked over at Chris, as if the fact that he had hurt her but not caused her pain was something to be proud about.

Boys, why do they always have to one up each other?

She backed away from the two of them, slightly worried that they'd both start to compete against each other on who could mark Clary with the most wounds, and walked backwards towards the Portal. It was time.

"I'm going to go now," she said to both of them. "And I'm going to come back, so try not to kill each other." She eyed them, "I mean it."

Then, somewhat a little too eagerly for a girl who was about to get imprisoned, she jumped into the Portal.

Jocelyn POV

The sun reflecting across the water of Lake Lyn was so bright it almost blinded Jocelyn, even through the thick mass of curls that lay in front of her face. She had been in that dark cell for so long that she had become accustomed to the darkness, and the sudden change from dark to bright hurt her head, causing her to squint in order to see.

The field around Lake Lyn was quiet and still, not even a breeze whispering through the air. The ground was dry, the grass looked dead, probably because it was the middle of winter, the sun only serving to light the world, not warm it, because Jocelyn shivered in her thin sweater. The Lake was only a few meters to her right, and directly behind her was Alicante, its glass towers standing like silent guards, a warning to anyone who wanted to enter. People always saw the towers like guardians, protectors that kept everything bad and unsacred to Shadowhunters out, leaving their perfect world inside. There was a time that she had used to think the same thing, but now, they weren't guardians, keeping demons out. They were wardens, keeping Shadowhunters in.

"If a cage is made of gold, it does not cease to be a prison," words that her father had taught her when she was very young came fluttering through her mind after all these years, and she clenched her jaw against them. Her father had never been wrong in those sorts of matters. He would have made a good grandfather for Clary.

Before more depressing that she had shut out and banished to the back of her mind long ago could come ramming to the surface of her memory, she shook her head back, clearing her hair from her face. She was kneeling on the ground, the frost that covered it melting and soaking through her jeans, making her feel colder. Her lips were cracked and her throat felt dry, and she rolled her shoulders to loosen a kink in them as best as she could, considering that her arms were bound behind her back.

There were several Shadowhunters standing around her, three of them pointing weapons down at them, all of them staring out into the far distance directly in front of them, looking somewhere along the tree lines, where beyond the first few branches, was nothing but darkness. Though they weren't paying attention to her, she bet that a single movement from her would cause a blade to embed itself into her chest, despite the fact that she knew all of these people by name.

Not that their names mattered anymore to her, but it still felt like some sort of strange irony to know the name of the person who held a weapon in your face.

Luke was to her right, also kneeling down on the ground, his glasses askew on his nose, and Jocelyn felt the urge to reach out and adjust them for him, but she didn't move. She was slightly worried for him, being out here in the cold, his arms also bound tightly back as well as his legs. He had four Shadowhunters around him, but Jocelyn was concerned because he had never entirely recovered from before. His wedding ring gleamed in the sunlight, and he turned his head, only slightly, just enough to catch her eye. He gave her a smile, but she didn't return it. Instead, she rubbed the wedding ring on her finger, and he did so too.

She let her mind wander a bit to a moment months ago, when she had smiled, and the words, "I do," came confidently out of her mouth. Their marriage had been a small one, an eloped one, in a place where she knew no one, in a city where her ancestor had lived in, but Jocelyn had loved it. It was as if she and Luke had been teenagers, running off from the rest of the world, leaving everything behind, she couldn't stop smiling that day, even though tears had come down her cheeks when she thought of Clary, her chest contracting at the thought that her daughter should be there.

Now, she yearned for that moment, to alone with Luke and no one else, not being forced to stare at the dead ground mutely while the Clave did their job.

Enough of this, she thought, I'm no child.

Turning her head towards the Shadowhunter holding a katana level with her temple, she spoke, "Why are we here? Why has the Clave taken us out of our cells?"

Luke whispered at her, "Jocelyn…"

"Silence." Was all that left the Shadowhunters mouth, but his katana moved in closer to her head, "Do as you're told."

"I only want to know why in the name of the Angel we're here." Jocelyn demanded.

The Shadowhunter's jaw clenched, "You don't have the right to speak in the name of the Angel, outcast." He practically spat the word.

Beside her, Luke bristled, "Don't you dare-!"

Something pulled at her hair sharply, and her neck snapped backwards, forcing her eyes to stare up at the face a women with straight black hair and cold black eyes, "Tell your Downworlder to play nice, or else we'll have to handle him like we do all the other ones." She made a motioning with one hand, imitating a knife slashing across her throat.

Jocelyn's eyes hardened, the women's face looked familiar as she tried to place a name to it, but she didn't take her eyes off of the women's black ones as she spoke, "Luke, stop."

"Good," the women released her, and at that moment her name had popped into her head. "Control your werewolf."

As Jocelyn settled back on her knees, her hair over face again, she said in a mocking tone, "Just like you controlled that vampire during Defense against Demonic Creatures class in Third Year, Maribella?"

Though she was an adult and should have been far passed insults, she couldn't help the feeling of satisfaction when she heard Maribella whip around, her sharp intake of breath audible even as she tried to smother it. Jocelyn's head was whipped back again, Maribella's nails almost sinking into her scalp as she fisted Jocelyn's red hair.

"What did you just say, you bitch?" she hissed.

"Oh come on now," Jocelyn teased, "We're grown up now Bella, surely you can come up with a better come back than that. But I don't suppose you can, just like you couldn't handle that vampire and started screaming in the middle of the classroom-"

Jocelyn froze midsentence as Maribella's fist, covered in a leather glove that had spikes on the knuckles, whipped back, ready to punch Jocelyn in the face, when they all heard the sounds of a struggle coming from behind them.

Maribella didn't release Jocelyn, but she did drop her arm, turning around to see what the sound was. When Jocelyn took in a breath, she had frozen entirely, she looked too.

Five Shadowhunters were carrying a limp body between them, the Consul Jia Penhallow, newly appointed since the last one was killed by Clary, and as they came close, deposited it on the ground between Jocelyn and Luke. Maribella dropped Jocelyn with a sound of disgust, backing away from the three of them. Jocelyn almost didn't recognize the figure on the ground at first, but then she saw green cat eyes looking up at her, and she gasped.

Magnus looked awful. Jocelyn had heard that they had locked him up in a room that completely depleted his magical reserves, leaving him devoid of energy. His cheeks were sunken in, he was thin, and his hair was a mess. He looked like he had been a prisoner of war for years, even though it had only been two nights. He was wearing much more handicaps than she and Luke were wearing, with his hands stuck in bowling ball sized cuffs that were meant to keep his hands from doing any magic. A thin slice of metal had been bent and tied to cover his mouth, a rune placed over it so that he could speak no magic. His legs were tied from pelvis to toe with what looked like electrum, and his hands behind his back made him have to lie on his stomach like some sort of inch worm.

It was completely degrading, and after all that Magnus had done for them, Jocelyn felt a stab of rage for whoever had done this.

She remembered being captured by the Clave in the middle of the night; they had come into the London Institute, without any warnings ahead of time, had simply tied them up, and taken them away. Jocelyn knew why they had taken them, knew that they were trying to find Clary, trying to see if they had any information on her daughter, if she knew where she was hiding. But Jocelyn knew nothing, it was what she had been telling them for the past two days, but they had never believed her.

They had locked her up in a cell all on her own, separated from Luke, alone in her cold thin cot until out of nowhere that morning they came into her cell again and demanded that she come with them. She was bound and forced to sit in the back of a carriage as they took her outside of Alicante, put her down on her knees, and had been sitting there ever since.

But why was she here? That was what they hadn't told her. Were they going to try to ask them again where Clary was? Were they going to torture them by dipping them into the Lake, considering that it was bad for a Shadowhunter to drink the Lake's water? But then that wouldn't make sense, considering that they'd brought Magnus and Luke as well, and they were both Downworlders…

Were they going to kill them?

Jia Penhallow walked in front of them, not looking in their direction, "There they are," she spoke to the Shadowhunters around her, causing Jocelyn to look up. There were suddenly a lot more of them around than she had first seen, perhaps about twenty of them.

"They?" Jocelyn asked, but her voice quickly died as she looked up as well. Not to mention that someone had written a quieting rune across her neck that moment, making her voice dwindle to a whisper. Across the field, right in front of the tree lines, walking their way, though it should have been difficult to see them there was no mistaking it, was Simon, Alec, Isabelle, and the two werewolves she recognized as Maia and Jordan.

She had heard that days ago, those five, along with Jace, had suddenly disappeared one night, and Jocelyn had been worried for Simon only as a women who grew up partly raising him could. But now she saw him, all of them, walking towards her in a line, their expressions unreadable from this distance.

As they got close, the Shadowhunters closed in ranks around her. They stood directly in front of them, all of the way on the other end of the Lake, the water to their left.

"Well?" Jia asked. There was no wind in the air, and her voice carried clearly for everyone to hear, "Where is she? You said you had her."

"You think we'd just bring her here without checking to make sure you all held your side of the bargain?" Alec spoke darkly. Jocelyn couldn't see from where she was, but she could tell his eyes were on Magnus as he spoke, "And it seems we were right to. Where are Maryse and Robert Lightwood?"

What is going on? Jocelyn looked to Luke, his expression reflecting the confused state of mind she was in, What are they talking about?

Magnus was still on the ground, his chine propped up on the frozen ground, staring up at Alec.

Jia responded, "Your parents are not in our possession. The Clave does not know where they are. They have fled from us, and are now considered outcasts. It was only a matter of time though, considering that they did serve Valentine."

Jocelyn thought she saw Alec and Isabelle's jaw clench, and Jocelyn knew that was a low blow. Everyone had served Valentine, everyone had wanted to please him, make themselves special in his eyes. Except her.

"You expect us to believe that?" Isabelle snarled.

The Counsel cocked an eyebrow, "And you expect us to believe that the friends of Clarissa Morgenstern have captured her and are willing to trade her in exchange for the prisoners suspected of knowing her whereabouts?"

Jocelyn stopped moving. What.

Instinctively, she looked to Luke, and his expression was just as equally as startled as she felt, though she didn't show it. There was something in his eyes though, as if he had come to some conclusion that he didn't like, one that she hadn't come to just yet…

"We're not friends with Clarissa Morgenstern." Maia spoke. Her face was a mask of stone, and her arms were crossed across her chest, "You think that we'll hang out with the sort of person who suddenly sides with a megalomaniac? You think that we'll be friends with Clary after what she's done? You're completely crazy."

Jia frowned, "And what about the Daylighter? Don't you think that we know how closely Simon Lewis and Clarissa were associated? How do you expect us to believe that years of friendship have come to this?"

Everyone looked to Simon, and Jocelyn stared in disbelief at the boy that Clary had always towed along with everywhere when they were children, at the one person that Jocelyn had always felt at ease for Clary to be around. Simon had been a sweet young boy, and she had felt the two's friendship every time she would walk into Clary's room when she was a child and saw them asleep on her bed.

Now she looked at a vampire that could walk in the sunlight, his pale white skin glimmering, dark eyes piercing through the air. His face was expressionless, but Jocelyn could tell he was struggling to work words out of his throat. The realization of the situation was beginning to dawn on her.

No Simon, she thought, tell me this is a lie. Tell me this isn't what I'm thinking…

"I've been Clary's best friend for as long as I can remember," He spoke, his voice speaking of friendship and happiness, before turning to despair, "And when we found her, we tried reasoning with her, but," he swallowed, "There's no point in reasoning with her anymore. The person I once knew as my best friend is no longer in there, she's gone. She's not Clary Fray. She's Clarissa Morgenstern."

"Also," Simon added, "The reward money that comes along with her won't hurt for a vampire who will live forever and has no chance of growing up and getting a job, anyway." He smiled, his fangs peering out at her mockingly.

"Counsul," Maribella spoke through the buzzing in Jocelyn's ears, "He is a Downworlder, of course it would make sense for him to not care for a Shadowhunter, if it's in exchange for something in his favor."

Jocelyn thought she saw Simon twitch, but then Isabelle dropped her hand down into his and he calmed. She wondered if anyone else had noticed this.

The Counsel was looking across the field at the five who were staring back at her. Then she looked over at Lake Lyn, her eyes in deep concentration. Jocelyn suppressed another shiver as she felt the cold of the ground numbing her knees. When the Counsel finally looked back, there was a sign of resignation in her.

"Very well then," she said, "We accept your terms. We'll give you Jocelyn Graymark, Lucian Graymark and Magnus Bane, in exchange for Clarissa Morgenstern. Where is she?"

"I'll get her," Isabelle said, retreating into the forest.

After the shock of hearing this, Jocelyn's mind immediately started to look at things in a logical manner. Something wasn't right, something suspicious. And what was this about Robert and Maryse's location being unknown, when Jocelyn could have sworn that she'd seen them earlier…

Then Isabelle came out of the forest again, and when she'd stepped out of the shadows, she pulled a figure out from them, her electrum whip coiled around her wrists, threatening to slice them off if the figure tried to run. Jocelyn would've cried out, but all her throat was able to do was make a dry coughing sound. Luke beside her gasped.

Clary. Even from this distance she looked beat up and bloody, a rivulet of it streaming down from a cut across her forehead that looked fairly new, yet clean. Her clothes were filthy, and she limped, her hair swinging in front of her face. Jocelyn had never stopped loving Clary, how could she? She was her daughter, the child that Valentine hadn't corrupted, the one that she had raised with so much love and fear. Especially fear, for her daughter should have never been a part of any of this. Valentine should have never been a part of her world.

When Jocelyn had first seen Clary with black eyes, Jocelyn's whole world had come crashing down. Her worst nightmare had occurred. For a split second, she had thought that Clary's soul had been killed off, just like Sebastian's had been, taken from him long before he'd been born. She'd thought that she'd lost the one child she had put all of her hopes and love into.

Clary had been her salvation, the very reason why continued to fight to live, even knowing that her parents had died in the fire that Valentine had set in the Fairchild manor, even knowing that her son, though demonic, was dead, knowing that her whole world would never be the same, even with the urge to kill herself from all this emotional agony, she had kept living. For Clary. Her daughter had been the foundation for her new life.

You can imagine how that foundation cracked when she thought her daughter was lost to her. Which was why Jocelyn had acted the way she did, told Clary that they could fix her, help her, because she didn't know what else to do. She didn't know that Clary would get defensive of her brother, she didn't know that she would develop actual feelings, protectiveness, for Jonathan. Had she known, perhaps things would have been different.

But now, as Maribella tugged her to her feet, Luke and Magnus being hauled to theirs as well, and were starting to shuffle forward along the Lake, being brought towards Alec and Simon and the others, Jocelyn's heart pounded as she saw Isabelle, along with Maia and Jordan, march Clary forward as well, Clary limping along with her head pitched forward, her chin against her collar bone.

They were going to cross each other, Jocelyn on the left, and Clary on the right, and she tried to work her throat against the quieting rune, trying to get something out, anything.

Right when they crossed, Jocelyn whispered as loud as she could, forcing her voice past the rune, making her throat feel like it was burning, but she ignored it. Clary was not even a foot away from her, and if she could reach an arm out, she could have brushed her fingers against Clary's hair. And the precise moment when she spoke, a breeze blew in, the wind whistling across the field, carrying cold winter air and slicing it across her thing sweater, tearing her words away from her mouth, making her not even able to hear it. She thought she saw Clary's shoulder tense, but it could have been her imagination, or perhaps a shiver from the cold, considering that Clary was only wearing a thin T-shirt.

Not even a second later, Jocelyn felt new hands grabbing at her, and looked up to see Isabelle pulling her along, taking her towards Simon and her brother. Jordan and Maia pulled along Magnus and Luke, Jordan actually carrying the warlock as Magnus slumped against him. A bag of money, the reward money, she assumed, was tossed towards them, and Simon caught it with his hand.

Jocelyn was about to snap at Isabelle, ask her how she could have even possibly thought about what she just did, how she could have dared to give up Clary, when the girl eyes her, a look that said, Stay quiet, I'll explain later.

Something that was like relief slithered up her bones, but not enough to fully relieve her. She looked back, trying to catch a glimpse of Clary's hair, trying to see her green eyes, that she had been so glad to see turned back to green at the trial in Alicante, but that joy had been short lived. But she only saw her daughter for a few seconds before Isabelle pulled her into a Portal, and all her thoughts and atoms and concerns temporarily dispersed.

Clary POV

Her feet and arms had been immediately bound, and her clothes had been inspected for weapons quite thoroughly, and several bounding runes had been etched onto her, but that was normal. It was what she had come to expect.

Something that she had also sort of expected but not really thought of was that the Clave would be a little more…enthusiastic about having her. Clary didn't know why, but she half expected the Consul to want to parade her tied up body around the streets of Alicante, letting her be kicked at by the children, or booed at by the people as they watched as the procession slowly moved to the Gard.

But instead, she had been quickly ushered through town in a black, completely inconspicuous horse drawn vehicle, and taken to the Gard. At least she assumed it was the Gard, considering that she wasn't technically allowed to peer out of the windows.

It didn't really matter if she could see where she was or not, because her mind was too full of thoughts to even be worried about her situation. It was literally full of thoughts, and most of them weren't even her own.

Everyone is back at the house, Alec is sitting on the couch, fussing over Magnus. I'm still in your room, by the way, I can hear him all the way here, that's how much of a fuss he's making. Oooh this is a nice painting…Why don't you ever display these? Oh, someone just broke a plate, I think it was Jordan. Yep, definitely Jordan, Maia's yelling at him like a banshee. Emery would not shut up. His voice had been filling her brain since the moment she stepped out from the Portal, like a commentator on a sports game, needing to narrate every single action, only more annoying.

Okay, Emery, she had thought when she felt the carriage jerk to a halt, the door to her left opening and someone pulling her out, That's well and nice, but how' is everyone? Any problems?

Not that I can make out, he answered.

Emery, go downstairs so that you can actually see what's going on, and tell everyone I'm alright, too. And get out of my room! She added.

Oh fine, fine, I'm getting out. Emery said, and a moment later, his voice spoke again, Okay, so Chris is sitting on a barstool, his face blank, which can't be good, and he looks like he's trying hard not to squeeze the orange in his hand to pulp, Jace is prowling the kitchen, Jordan is picking up the broken dish, Simon and Alec are trying to pry some chains off of Magnus, I'll have to help with that, and Isabelle and Maia are talking to your mom and Luke, trying to get information and such, like if they know where Maryse and Robert are. Dear me, they're going to chop off his arms before they get those chains off him. Give me a second, I've got to make sure they don't amputate Magnus, and then his voice left her mind, leaving her feeling slightly empty.

Clary put one foot in front of the other as the guards beside, behind and in front of her led her down a plain grey hallway at the basement of what she was able to make out as the Gard, because she only saw the outside world for about two seconds before she was shoved in through a side doorway she'd never seen before. They passed line after line of cells, all identical, with the same iron bars and runes decorating the walls around it, some cells were only a door, the room beyond it not visible. They walked further in, and she couldn't help but wonder which cell had been her Magnus's, or Luke's, or her mother's.

Her mother.

Clary hadn't dared to look up at her, couldn't stand the feeling of disappointment or whatever it was that her mother would gave felt for her at that point. But no matter how much she had tried to ignore her, it was impossible for her to not notice as they walked right past each other, two prisoners being exchanged for a cause, mother and daughter, captured by the same people.

But what had her mind so wrapped up at the moment, was what her mom had said. She hadn't moved, trying not to be suspicious to the Shadowhunters around her, but she had heard her mother loud and clear, despite the wind in her ears and the low whisper she had spoken in.

"Maryse and Robert are still inside the Gard, they're still captured by the Clave," Jocelyn had said for the split second that Clary was beside her.

But why tell Clary this? It wasn't as if Jocelyn knew that she was going to escape, that that was her plan. Why tell her this piece of information? Granted, it meant that the Clave had lied, because Isabelle had told her the instant that Clary was out of the Portal yet still in the cover of the trees that her parents weren't in custody of the Clave, but that was a total lie.

Emery, she called out into her head, Has Jocelyn said anything?

Emery answered with a strained, One moment, these chains have a mind of their own.

As his voice retreated again, Clary paid more attention to where she was going. She looked down the hallway, yet it seemed a straight corridor, no twists, no turns, just a single long hallway with cells lining the walls. They were far underground, the dark corners of cells barely visible by the witchlight rune stone held in the hands of Jia Penhallow and the Shadowhunters around her. Clary's arms felt stiff around the iron bands holding them (guess they didn't trust her with chains anymore) and she watched the shadows bounce against the stone walls. At one point in the hallway, they came at an intersection, another corridor running off to the left and right of her, but the people in front of her kept walking straight.

In the second that she was in the intersection, she looked down the left, seeing more cells lining the walls that way. All were empty, except for one. She caught at the gasp that almost slipped her mouth as she saw a familiar figure be briefly illuminated with the witchlight, her black, raven hair spewed all over her shoulders, features exactly like Isabelle, except for the blue eyes that pierced the darkness, another figure stirred beside her, and though she had never actually spoken to him, he was recognizable.

She hadn't realized she had slowed until she felt a dagger poking at her back, a voice telling her to keep moving, so she did.

That did it. Maryse and Robert were still here. But what for? What were they good for here anyway?

"Get in there," a brutish hand slammed into her shoulder, and though her stance was well and strong, she let herself be hurtled in through the thin door frame. Her room was small, a tiny hard cot with a threadbare blanket on it, and a toilet and sink in the corner. That was it.

She turned to face the people that had brought her here, and she saw Jia's face, the sharp bones in her cheeks jutting out like spikes from exhaustion from the light of the witchlight. "This is where you'll stay. At least, until we discuss what more to do with you. Try not to kill yourself."

Then the door slammed shut, and she heard iron bolts being slammed into place, leaving her alone with only the ghosts of the Gard to keep her company. Well, that and the warlock that had come back into her mind.

Okay, we've got Magnus out of his restraints. He's sort of sick, something about his energy being sucked from him, but he'll be okay. I know what to do in these situations, he informed her, You're in a cell now, right? Do you want me to start undoing the spells around it?

Yeah, start on that, but, Em? I'm going to need you to undo someone else's too, she told him.

Since when do you call me Em? Sounds like a girl's name, like Emma, now that I think about it, there's actually a young Shadowhunter by the name of Emma Carstairs, she should be about twelve right now. Man, does her family have a history…

Sounds interesting, how about you tell it to me after we're all out of here? Clary insisted, I need you to undo Maryse and Robert Lightwoods imprisonment spells, if they have any. Tell Alec and Jace and Isabelle that they're still here, in the Gard.

A moment of silence, and then, I just told them. They're not very happy. I also just looked in on their cells, and they should be a lot easier to break than yours. Would you like me to start theirs first, or yours?

It doesn't matter, start whichever you like, she sat down on the thin cot, the mattress hard as a rock beneath her, Just start it, and tell me when you're done.

Gotcha, starting on theirs then so that you can just run and help them when you're done, that is, he paused, of course, assuming that you plan on helping getting them out, I mean these Lightwoods over here are livid.

Of course I'm going to get them out! Clary expressed, Make sure to tell them that! The only thing that bothers me is why they have them here in the first place, I mean, they don't have much to offer in information, why give up Magnus and Luke and Jocelyn, and keep them?

To get to Chris, Emery answered simply.

Chris? Clary thought back, an image of Chris coming across her mind. She wondered if Emery could see her thoughts and images, not just hear her mind. Why would they use them?

They Clave has a weird way of thinking, but I can nonetheless perceive where they're heading at. Emery stated, They think that since Maryse was a close leader during Valentine's rule, that she must still be working for him.

That's ridiculous, Clary thought instantly, Everyone knows the Lightwoods hate Chris, why would they work for him?

Or it could also be for the fact that the Clave wasn't willing to exchange all of their hostages for one person, especially if they could know something, and these two would seem the least suspicious to have gone missing. According to the Clave's thinking, of course. Emery continued.

Well for whatever reason they kept them here, we've got to get them out, Clary paused, biting her bottom lip, Emery, I may be able to bust myself out, but I don't know if I can do it with two more people. I know that Maryse and Robert are more than capable Shadowhunters, but who knows how tired they are, if they've been fed. I can fight without weapons, but they on the other hand…

Hmmm…Emery sounded, Should've hid some steles or blades on you, made them invisible to everyone except you…

That would have been nice to suggest BEFORE now, Emery! Clary shouted.

I can't think of everything that could possibly happen in a situation, that's your priority, not mine, he replied, What you need, is a distraction, and I have just the one in mind.

Emery wait, what are you planni—Her thoughts were cut off by the massive BOOM that rattled the walls. She felt the bed beneath her shake, nearly knocking her off of it, and she saw the door on the wall shake as what felt like an earthquake rocked her around. As the boom died, she still felt it in her bones, feeling slightly off balance. She lunged to her feet, darting towards the door, of her cell. It had no windows, so she pressed her ear up against the cold iron, hearing the sound of footsteps running full speed down the hallways.

Emery what did you do?! She demanded.

It's your distraction, he said cheerfully, amused only in that millennia year old being way, You may be getting out of there a bit sooner than anticipated. Now hold tight while I get rid of your charms and spells. Meanwhile, your friends are having quite a bit of fun.

Jace POV

Shadowhunters don't hide.

So when Clary had ordered Jace to stay put, he'd flared up like a balloon, but hadn't said a word. Meanwhile, he was sure he was started to leave a path on the floor of the kitchen from how much he's paced it up and down. Not to mention Clary's whole plan of hiding from the Clave for like, the rest of their lives. He didn't like hiding, but in this case, she was in the right. It wasn't like they could necessarily expect to live in harmony after this.

Nevertheless, when Emery told them about Maryse and Robert and said it was time to initiate Plan B, he jumped at the opportunity before the situation was even described. He hadn't even asked the warlock how he knew about Plan B, considering that Jace didn't remember the warlock even being in the room when Plan B was discussed.

Jace had simply belted on his weapons belt, waited the five seconds it took for Emery to say the tidbit that he added to Plan B, handing him a special blade, before he bolted out of the front door, not sparing a glance at everyone else in the room, ignoring Alec's yelp as Jace flung past his parabatai, and out through the open door to Alicante.

Emery POV

"Now then," Emery said as he watched Jace Lightwood rocket across Brocelind field, his golden head quickly disappearing into the distance. He addressed everyone else in the room, who seemed to gape at the open doorway, "Who wants to go help Clary?"

The Daylighter seemed to sputter, "Is- Is that not what Jace ran to do?"

"Jace? He's the distraction." Emery stated simply, then pondered his words, "Of course, I don't think he knows that. He'll be angry, but we need an angst ridden teenager to distract Alicante right now. Now, I need one or two people to go to the Gard to help Clary with Maryse and Robert."

"I can't believe they would lie about that," Isabelle growled, twisting the whip in her hands.

"I can," Alec said simply, his blue eyes not moving from where Magnus lay asleep on the couch. The warlock had been exhausted, and the second his restraints were removed, he passed out on the couch. "The Clave doesn't like to lose."

"Yeah, well neither do I," Isabelle made known, then turned towards the open door, "You know what? I want to be an angst ridden teenager too."

Maia quirked an eyebrow at her, "You don't want to help get your parents out?"

Isabelle bit her lip, and then brushed her hair behind her shoulder, a glint in her eye, "I love my mom, but I don't really care for dad much nowadays. It would be awkward for me. We had a rather…complicated argument before we left Idris three months ago."

She turned to Simon and Alec, "How about you two?"

Simon smirked, "You know, I'll always look like a teenager, but that doesn't mean I am one. But for now, I really am one. Count me in."

Alec shook his head though, gesturing his head towards Magnus, "I'll stay here."

Isabelle didn't question it further, simply placed her hand in Simon's and raced out of the doorway.

Emery looked on with an amused look, Ah, young love, then turned to the remaining people in the room, "That didn't answer my question. Who's up for it?"

"I'll go," Emery turned as he heard two voices speak at the same time. He looked and saw Chris and Jocelyn, his mother, snap their heads towards each other at the sound of both of them speaking.

Jocelyn hadn't been able to speak when she had come in through the Portal, neither had Luke, but he had gotten rid of the runes preventing that. Jocelyn had received iratzes and Luke was being currently healed by Maia, since he was her ex-pack leader, according to his sources, with Jordan helping beside her. Jocelyn had quickly looked better, but she still looked like she needed a bit of rest before she went into any action. But Emery wasn't about to stop her from doing what she wanted to do, if it was what she wanted.

Luke thought differently though, "Jocelyn, don't you think that you should rest for a bit-" then he winced as Maia placed a cotton ball with antiseptic to a wound on his side, the alcohol burning.

Jocelyn shook her head, "I'm fine. You're the one who needs rest." She looked at Emery, "What do you need me to do?"

"I'm going too," Chris repeated, this time a bit more harshly. Emery saw Luke's and Alec's gaze flick from mother to son, felt the tension in the room increase as Jocelyn's fists curled at her side, while Chris's remained limp by his.

This people are very interesting indeed…

"You should listen to yourpartner," Chris said steely to Jocelyn, "You were just taken from imprisonment. You shouldn't be back in action, you might not be able to take it." His words were honest, but Emery knew they weren't for concern for his mother.

"You don't know what I can take." Jocelyn snapped, and Emery quickly snapped his own fingers before they could start a brawl in the living room. At the exact same time, somewhere in the Gard, a spell around Clary's cell broke as well. One less to worry about.

He looked to Jocelyn and Chris, "You'll both go. Now we don't have much time to discuss what you have to do, so I'll just speak in your mind. Jocelyn-" he waved his hand in the air, producing a long dagger and putting it in her hands, which she promptly placed into her belt loop. "Take that, use it just in case. Now get going."

Jocelyn's green eyes flared up, "Now look, I don't know who you are, and I'm grateful for what you're doing, but if you think that I'm going with him-"

"You're going" Emery snarled in a voice that not even he recognized. He didn't know where it came from, the voice sounded more animalistic than he'd ever used. He certainly wasn't feeling murderous, yet his tone suggested that. The people in the room eyed him warily, and he repeated, his voice back to normal, a shadow of a smile on his face, "You're going. Both of you. Together. And if you say anything otherwise I'll be a very angry warlock. And trust me, you don't want to see me when I'm angry."

Without another comment, Emery followed them with his eyes as they both glanced at each other again, this time without evil intents, just looks, and they both glided past the door.

Emery smirked.

Lacie: OHHH MYY BAACK *cracks it as she stands up* I think writing this fanfic is going to wreck my spinal cord. I sit on my bed hunched over my computer way too much while writing it.

Clary: Why don't you just get a spinny chair? *spins in hers to prove her point*

Lacie: *sighs* Because my rooms too small for one. Sadly my spinny chair only exists in my imagination room. Right Spinny Chair #1?

Spinny Chair #1: Sadly :(

Clay: My spinny chair hasn't spoken to me since I screamed in terror from it *pokes her chair* are you okay? I'm sorry I freaked out

Chris: *puts feet up on table* You should apologize because you screamed like a banshee

Clary: I was not a banshee!

Chris: Fine, you screamed bloody murder

Lacie: Actually that was me. Someone poured ice water down my shirt one and I freaked

Clary: Your dad?

Lacie: -_- Yep

Chris: Ha

Lacie: Don't you 'ha' me. It's very traumatizing.

Chris: *raises eyebrows* would you prefer to have whip scars along your back

Lacie: *doesn't change her tone* no. I would not. You can keep those.

Clary: You suuuuuuure have a lot of grammar mistakes everywhere.

Lacie: I've mentioned this before. I HATE proofreading. Despise it with all my being. I use spell check on Microsoft Word, but I never look back to see anything that it missed. I hate it so much. So I don't do it.

Clary: You're lazy

Lacie: No I'm- Eh whatever, yeah, I am.

Chris: See? She even gave up in arguing with you. That's lazy.

Lacie: No, you know what? That's not lazy. That's Lacie.

Clary: You did not just…

Lacie: I did XP So yeah, *addresses readers* HEY GUYS! In two days it will be a full year since I first started writing this fanfic!

Clary: *blows into party favor thingie that makes noise*

Chris: How are you going to celebrate?

Lacie: By taking two more weeks to update XD I'm kidding, I'm kidding, well…maybe not, we'll see how this goes.

Clary: Come one guys! Review so that she'll update sooner!

Chris: REVIEW YOU LAZY, I MEAN LACIE PEOPLE

Lacie: Oh yeah, we're using my name in that context now ;)