++++++ Another day, another chapter.

I hope you enjoy.

I do not own ++++++

Five

Hodge Starkweather was furious.

So furious in face Gabriella and the teenage shadowhunters thought that he was going to pass out from lack of air to his lungs. He had been waiting for the rag tag group in the foyer like a statue until of course they had all come in.

Then he exploded.

Laying it all out bare before him like some kind of disobedient carpet rug Hodge yelled at them for lying about where they were going and for Gabriella letting them go despite her status as a fully-fledged shadowhunter. He threatened them with breaking the Law and banishment from the Clave, bringing shame to the great names of Lightwood, Wayland and Herondale.

At the end of his rant, he zeroed in on Jace, concluding that he was the little ringleader of this circus, his voice lowering to a dangerous level. "You've endangered other people with your wilfulness. This is one incident I will not allow you to shrug off!"

"I wasn't planning to," Jace said, holding his arm. "I can't shrug anything off. My shoulder is dislocated."

"And you!" he hissed, turning to Gabriella. "What would your grandmother think, wandering off and breaking the Covenant when you've got such a promising carer ahead of you?"

"Nothing if you don't tell her," Alec spoke up. "Gabriella only came with us because we were going with or without her permission."

Jace made kissing sounds to which Gabriella responded with punching him in his dislocated arm. Alec looked away from his parabatai whistling.

Esme bit her lip to stop herself from laughing but still managed to catch Hodge's eye-mainly due to her hovering by Clary and a now human Simon. He let a small gasp escape from his mouth the moment his eyes fell on her.

"Gwendoline Nighthallow's daughter," he noted, "I may carry my fair share of sins but I serve out my punishment. Who allowed her inside?"

Gabriella stuck her hand up. "I did. She's hurt and she saved our asses back there. Least we can do is heal her up and send her on her way."

"Outside," Esme spoke up, "you mentioned Valentine?"

Gabriella frowned. "You know something?" she asked, seeing the look on her face.

She nodded. "From time to time I like to work on certain skills," Esme answered. "I heard a rumour that Valentine was back. There will be no Accords and no Covenant."

Everyone jerked around to look at her.

"Where did you hear that?" Hodge demanded to know.

"Like I said," Esme argued, "I was out-Central Park I think-yeah it was. Most all the downworlders are talking about it. Like how he paid a warlock to raise a pack of Raveners just a week ago. He brought his Forsaken to seek the Mortal Cup. When he finds it, there will be no peace between shadowhunters and downworlders, just war."

Gabriella frowned. "What else do you know?"

Esme shook her head. "I swore an oath to Jocelyn not to reveal anything she told me. The oath is binding and was done in front of Magnus-if you seek any answers, I suggest you seek out Lucian Graymark. You know him, Clary."

Clary raised an eyebrow. "No. I don't know anyone by the name of Lucian Greymark. Even with my memories all weird."

"You do," Esme objected. "In the mundane world he goes by the name Luke Garroway."

Clary shook her head. "No. I don't want to see Luke."

"I'll go," Gabriella volunteered.

"Yes you will," Hodge agreed.

"I'll take you," Esme volunteered.

"You need to be healed," Gabriella argued.

Esme ignored her and walked out the front doors, no longer holding any desire to be in this place any longer.

"Wait!" Gabriella shouted.

"Meet me at Magnus' lof-tomorrow, midday," Esme replied, taking her stele from insider her boot. "Glamour off, dress like a mundane." She made her way to the street with the funniest feeling in her gut that the events unfolding now were all because of Magnus and his stupid party.

-XXX-

When Gabriella arrived at the loft at midday the next day, Esme was waiting for her. She marvelled at the girls outfit wishing she wasn't as pale or marked to be able to pull off a pair of mini shorts, a white shirt with some kind of blue box and a pair on sandals-Gabriella just wore black.

"I said dress like a mundane," Esme pointed out, "perhaps I should have added dress down…you look like you're going on a date."

Gabriella glared at her. "This is how I dress, Esme."

"You said my name," she smirked. "We have to take the subway to China Town," Esme explained.

The two of them disappeared underground for an hour, emerging in the stinking heat of China Town with ices-Gabriella was totally smitten with the sugary drink and they had to go back for seconds before they could continue on their way.

That amused Esme to no end.

They got to a Chinese restaurant called the Jade Wolf and went inside where the inside was that of a police station abandoned a long time ago.

"Shadowhunter."

Esme smirked. "Yes, hello to you two Alaric."

The aging werewolf sighed. "I wish you'd stop coming here. Unfortunately Luke likes you." He shook his head. "Wait here."

Esme turned to say something to Gabby only to find that she was gone. She shook her head and sighed. "And here I thought I needed a leash for the puppies," she muttered. Walking around Esme eventually found Gabriella in the little kitchenette…she wasn't alone.

"What in the name of Raziel are you doing?" Esme gasped, head cocked to the side. There Gabriella was, locked in a passionate embrace with one of the wolves of the pack. "So that's why you dressed like you were on a date," Esme laughed seeing the shadowhunter and her werewolf lover. "Introduce me."

"Jess Cross," Gabriella sighed, "Esme Ravenscar."

"Nice to meet you, Jess," Esme smirked.

"Likewise," he replied, shaking her hand. He was British that's for sure. He was roughly the same age as Gabriella with shaggy brown hair and big brown eyes-incredibly tall, so much so he towered over Gabriella.

"So Gabriella Herondale has a werewolf lover?" Esme asked. "My, my, my. Forget the rescue mission, this will bring shame on the great name of Herondale fore sure," she laughed, mimicking Hodge.

"If you say anything!" Gabriella snapped.

Esme held her hands up. "Like I would. I'm not that vindictively cruel to judge someone for something they can't control,"

"Esme!" Alaric called. "Luke's free!"

Esme rolled her eyes as Gabriella kissed her-friend? Puppy? Lover?

"Jess was a mundane once," Gabriella whispered, walking beside Esme. "I was in London and on a hunt-he saved my life. Turns out he had the sight and could see the shadow world. The only reason we became anything was because I thought that he'd make a good CI. We started going out when I was eighteen and a full shadowhunter."

Esme raised an eyebrow.

"And he risked his life, got bit in the process," she explained. "I should have killed him but I didn't. I helped him that first full moon and continued ever since. When he came to America I came with him."

"So you requested New York?" she asked.

Gabriella nodded. "I did. I've been approved to stay," she explained, "no one knows yet. My grandmother wasn't happy and neither was my mother."

"What happens when your grandmother finds out?" Esme inquired.

"We'll come to that door when it opens," Gabriella sighed.

Esme shrugged and pushed open the door into Luke's office.

Luke Garroway's eyes were about as wide as dinner plates when he saw Gabriella. "Gabby?" he gasped.

"Uncle Luke!" she grinned, walking over to hug him.

"Uncle Luke?" Esme frowned, wrinkling her nose up at the situation. "Werewolf lover, werewolf uncle…okay," she shrugged.

"As much as I enjoy hearing from you," Luke smiled, messing up her hair, "and seeing you hear in the flesh…what are you doing here?"

"Valentine," Gabriella confessed. "I came here three days ago and was literally thrown into the deep end. Esme can't say anything because of the oath she swore."

Luke cocked an eyebrow. "You swore no oath."

Esme smirked. "I just don't sell out my friends. Talk to us about Valentine."