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Alec quietly closed the door behind him, removing his scarf and placing it on the hatstand. He was sad and he didn't know what to do: it was obvious that Jace was suffering and not being able to help his brother and parabatai was tearing him up from the inside.

Maybe it was just too soon, he reasoned. With Will's death still so fresh, he could understand how Clary and Jace would need time to overcome their grief, but weren't they supposed to do it together? Weren't they stronger together than apart? He knew that if something so horrible happened to Max, he would need Magnus day and night because he was his strength and his courage. He would never be able to face something like that alone. And yet Jace and Clary were determined to be apart, even though it was obvious to anyone who had eyes to see they were still definitely in love with each other. They were one of the few couples Alec knew that he was sure would stay together for the rest of their lives. It was just a temporary stop, he told himself, they just needed time.

The Shadowhunter walked into the living room but stopped just at the entrance. Magnus was there, sitting on the couch, but apparently they had a guest as well: Simon, who was sitting on the floor, his back leaning against the wall. He had an open book near his leg and when both him and Magnus turned to look at him, pale and serious, his heart sped up.

"What's up?" He asked, already dreading the answer. Had something happened to Max? But he was supposed to be safe with Catarina!

"Trouble." Was all Magnus said, telling him with his eyes to sit down.

"Is Max alright? Is Izzy?" Alec asked again, seeing no other reason for Simon's presence.

Simon shook his head and weakly smiled. "They are fine. Izzy's the one who sent me here to talk to you and Magnus."

"Talk to us about what? Just tell me."

Whatever it was, it wasn't good news. From the look of his boyfriend, who was usually calm and collected, it was indeed very bad news: the last time he saw Magnus that pale, he was dying in Edom.

"We found out the reason why Clary broke up with Jace and it's not what she told everyone." Magnus told him, no inflection in his voice. It was like his mind was elsewhere and his mouth was just talking on auto-pilot.

"What do you mean?" Alec asked, slowly sitting down on a chair. He had the feeling he was going to need to be seated.

"Tonight me and Izzy casually heard her talking to Jiliel." Simon answered. "He's not her boyfriend, he's her contact with the Seelie Court. Clary is spying for them. The Seelie Queen is blackmailing her, threatening her with Jace's life. Or perhaps with the lives of all of us. With this." He threw him the book and Alec caught it, opening it on the page Simon was looking at. As he was reading the poison description he started to get sick, his insides twisting in a painful knot.

"How—" he started asking but then it hit him. Worse than a punch in the gut. He looked at the two men, his eyes wide in understanding and the book fell out of his grasp.

"It can't be." He whispered. "Please, tell me it's not what I'm thinking about. Tell me they didn't do it."

Magnus looked at him, slightly nodding and Alec put his head in his hands, closing his eyes. "Bastards. How could they—he suffered so much, he was in so much pain—" He suddenly raised his head again. "Does Jace know? About this? And what do you mean Clary is spying for the fairies? And, by the Angel, we need to get Max to somewhere safe-"

"Max is fine, I already talked to Catarina." Magnus pinched the bridge of his nose. "She'll bring him to Alicante and keep him there. She knows not to tell anybody they are there, they'll be in hiding for a while."

Simon sighed leaning again against the wall. "And we think Jace knows nothing of this or he would have gone on a killing spree. You know him. Knowing his son died like that would make him crazy."

"As for Clary," Magnus added, "she's passing informations to the Seelie Queen about the Council meetings. We don't know since how long, but it's fair to presume it's going on since Will's death."

Alec passed a hand in his hair, trying to focus, even though images of Will's pale face in his last days kept haunting him. His poor nephew, murdered in cold blood by those treacherous people. If Jace went to kill them all, Alec would make sure to be just beside him to help.

"So the fairies are planning to break the treaty and wage war against the Clave. And if we try to warn them, Clary will be exposed and killed."

"Yes." Magnus nodded.

Silence fell on the room for some minutes, until Alec raised his eyes again. "We need to tell Jace."

"Alec—" Simon looked alarmed.

"No, you don't get it." Alec looked at them. "We have to. I know him, if he ever finds out we kept something like that from him, it's over. And Clary... he has to know. He has to know what she's going through."

"Alec, are you sure it's a good idea?" Magnus looked worried. "Jace could do something rash if we tell him everything."

The blue eyed Shadowhunter got up and started pacing around. "We'll be with him, we'll make him see reason. Jace is a tactician, we'll manage to make him think. And then we'll find a way to get out of this mess. And to make the Seelie Queen pay for what she did to William. Does Izzy know?"

"Not about Will." Simon answered. "Me and Magnus figured it out when I got here."

"Alright. Then we'll go first thing in the morning. The sooner the better."

They all nodded, even though Simon didn't look convinced, but Alec knew it was the best thing they could do. Jace had to know, and he had to know immediately. This wasn't only about Clary, he was in danger as well, after all he was dating Kaelie who was Jiliel's sister and—

Alec stopped pacing, taking a sharp breath as suddenly several pieces of the puzzle started clicking together. "He knows." He breathed quietly. "Jace already knows everything."

"What?" Magnus and Simon uttered together.

"Think about it, guys." Alec was talking slowly now, like he was trying to follow the train of his thoughts and make a sense out of it. "He's dating Kaelie, who just happens to be Jiliel's sister. And he started dating her roughly at the same time Clary did with Jiliel."

Simon raised his eyebrow. "It's a weird coincidence, but—"

"He never once tried to get Clary back. Never. That's not Jace at all, I expected him to make some move sooner or later, but he never did." Alec shook his head. "I know he loves her, he can't hide it. And yet he let her stay with Jiliel. He always told me he was respecting Clary's decision but now I think he knows she has no choice. Jace is the jealous type, he would never let another man touch his wife. They never even had the marriage runes removed! He knows. He must know."

"Then why isn't he doing anything about it?" Simon enquired.

"He is." Magnus answered, starting to see the pattern. "He's dating Kaelie. Clary is the fey's insider, and Jace is trying to make Kaelie his informant. That's why he's thinking about moving in with her. He wants her to fall in love with him, so she'll help him ruining the Queen's plans and saving Clary."

"As I said, Jace is a tactician. He thinks strategically." Alec nodded, almost smiling now. "He has a plan and he's acting on it."

"Why didn't he tell us then?" Simon got up from the floor and this time he looked angry. "We could have helped and maybe I could have brought Clary away from that rapist monster earlier."

Alec sharply turned to him. "Jiliel is hurting Clary?"

Simon nodded. "Izzy and I walked in her apartment right when he was about to rape her. And from what he said, he did it before."

"The bastard!" Alec shouted, his whole body shacking in hatred. "I'll kill him so much he'll rise from the dead and then die again!"

"Told you you would have to take the number, Seamus." Magnus said in a low voice.

"The sun is almost rising." Clary quietly said, still in Jace's arms. She had her eyes closed, but she could feel the dawn in the air. "I should go before Izzy wakes up."

"Stay some more minutes." He whispered in her hair. "It's still dark outside. Besides we'll have to go soon enough."

She nodded, caressing his arm. "Are you ready for today?"

She didn't need to remind him which day it was. She knew it was carved in his heart as much as it was carved in hers. Once a month. It was once a month. And for just an hour. The hour they most craved for, and yet the hour they most dreaded.

"No." His voice faltered but his hold on her strengthened. "I'm never ready. Every time it just kills me more and more."

"And yet you can't avoid it. I know. Neither can I. It kills me, but I want to go all the same. I need to."

"We're close Clary. I promise you. Kaelie is softening up and if I manage to move in with her, I'll have more time to convince her. Trust me."

She stopped caressing him and sighed. "I don't want to know Jace. I don't want to imagine you with her, it just breaks my heart more."

He gently held her face in his hand and made her look at him. "I still haven't, Clary. I haven't slept with her yet."

"Yet." She just repeated and he nodded, pain clearly written in his eyes.

"Yes. You know I'll do it if I have to. If I think it will help us. I won't stop at anything to succeed. Even if it means tainting my soul beyond redemption. But Clary," his fingers on her cheek tightened, his eyes never leaving her own. "Every time I'm with her, every word I tell her, everything... It's not for her. I'm with you. I'm saying those words to you. You're the one in my soul, you're the one I love. Always. And picturing you in front of me all the time is the only way to be with her."

She tried to smile but she failed, so she just closed her eyes again and brushed his lips with the ghost of a kiss. He breathed on her lips, moving against her mouth slowly and sweetly, holding her close.

"She's the one who's coming with us today," Jace whispered again. "That could be good. Seeing us like that. Seeing me like that."

"Let's hope she has a heart then. Unlike her Queen." Clary whispered back. And then neither of them talked anymore.

They left the Institute early that morning, the sun had just risen up but they knew they had a long walk waiting for them: it was part of a sort of private ritual, walking all the way to the park instead of driving there or even taking the subway. They both needed that time to prepare, to steel their hearts so they wouldn't be broken. They never talked but occasionally they held hands, drawing strength from each other. When they reached Central Park they both deeply breathed before heading to a special circle of trees.

"Kaelie," Jace softly called. "We're here."

The blue eyed fairy came out of nowhere, smiling at the male Shadowhunter. She never looked at Clary.

"How did it go tonight?" She asked, walking to Jace.

"It was fine. Some demons bit the dust." Jace grinned at her, but then turned serious. "Is it time to go yet?"

"Yes." She nodded, looking at both of them now. Her face was expressionless but Clary thought of maybe seeing a shadow of pity in her eyes. Without saying anything Clary took Jace's hand in one of her own and then Kaelie's in the other one. The fairy closed the circle grabbing Jace's hand. And then they were suddenly gone.

When they opened their eyes again, they were at the Seelie Court. Kaelie started walking and they followed, their hearts increasing the beating with every step, both hope and agony already taking their minds over.

At last the fairy stopped and motioned them to keep going, stepping on a balcony. Below them was a round room, painted in bright colours, where winged little fairies were flying around laughing with their thin voices. And down there, running on his short legs among scattered toys, was a little kid, chasing the fairies.

Clary's eyes filled with tears and she grabbed Jace's hand trying to steady herself. The boy had long, soft blond curls and looked happy, laughing while running.

Jace's hand tightened his grip and she knew without looking that he was crying, like she was.

She looked at the kid, softly whispering one single word, over and over, like a prayer.

William.

William.

William.