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The noise was loud and it wasn't stopping, Clary faintly realised, trying to open her eyes. She almost fainted on her bed previously, her body still covered in bruises; it would take the day and some more iratze to heal, even though Shadowhunters were fast healers. Focusing on the noise, she finally recognised it as someone knocking on the door, almost breaking it down actually. It was still painful but she managed to get up and cover with a dressing gown before slowly walking to the hallway. She wanted to make sure the brand on her shoulder was hidden.

"Clary!" She heard shouting from outside. She bit her lip, pondering what to do but then sighed and opened the door.

Isabelle was there, her hand raised to knock again but when she saw her, she paled and slowly lowered it. "By the Angel, Clary—"

Clary didn't reply just turning around and walking to the couch where she sat down trying not to moan in pain. Isabelle walked in, taking in the destruction in the living room, the table, the glass shards everywhere.

"The bastard did this, right?" Izzy sat down beside Clary, carefully touching her swollen face and then took out her stele to heal her. "I wish Simon was here," she muttered. "His runes are better than mine with you."

"If it weren't you, I wouldn't have opened the door." Clary whispered feeling the pain lessen. "I don't want him to see me like this."

"He would have broken the door down." Isabelle commented. "When you didn't come to the Institute this morning we were all worried but I convinced the boys it was better if I came here alone. If they found Jiliel here with you I don't think they would be able to contain themselves."

"And you can?" Clary sighed, closing her eyes and leaning against the couch.

"I'm good at hiding my emotions. Did that for years, remember? And I know how to wait for the best moment to strike. Even though," she continued, anger filtering in her voice, "I wish that moment was right now. What happened?"

Clary didn't answer for a long time, then she opened her eyes, looking at the dark haired beauty. "Izzy, I'm sor—"

"I don't want to hear it." The girl interrupted her, raising her hand. "I don't want to hear how sorry you are. I don't want to hear you didn't have a choice."

She was looking at Clary with anger, her body stiff, her lips tight into a white line. "There is always a choice, Clary. You could have told us when it happened and spared us all, but mostly yourself and Jace, six months of agony. We could have helped! We could have found a way sooner! And maybe now you wouldn't be here, black and blue, beaten and bloody and Will would already be home where he belongs."

Clary lowered her eyes, not finding in herself the strength to be angry. "We thought—"

"I know what you thought. You thought there was no way out and that if we didn't know then we would be safe from the Seelie Queen. But nobody is safe, Clary. When the war starts, nobody will be safe. We need to be prepared for this and you guys not telling us just had the effect of making us walk into a war blind and deaf." Isabelle took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Enough of this. I'll kick your and Jace's sorry ass into next month when this is all over, but right now I need to know what happened here. Tell me."

"I fought. He wanted to sleep with me and I fought." Clary started talking, trying to keep her voice as plain as possible. Maybe if she just poured everything out fast, it would be easier. "I never did before, but knowing I wasn't alone anymore gave me strength. I was about to kill him when he reminded me of William and told me he wouldn't get the antidote if I rebelled."

"Angel, I want to kill him so much." Izzy hissed, closing her fists.

"Then he tied me up to the bed. And then..."

"And then this happened." Isabelle said, pointing at her body, not really needing to hear the words. She badly wanted to hug her friend, to squeeze her and make her feel better, but she was afraid to hurt her, to worsen the bruises.

"He's always rough, but tonight he was furious. I think me beating him up, me almost killing him, actually made him understand that William is the only reason he's still alive. He wanted to punish me. He went on all night, never stopping once and when he wasn't raping me, he was beating me up. Before leaving he said he would be back this evening and that he hoped I had learnt my lesson. Or not, so he could do it again."

"He's an idiot." Isabelle swallowed at the almost casual voice Clary used while talking about her own rape and torture. Was this going on since so long that it was almost normal for her now? And how could they be so blind? Some friends they were. "How did he think you would explain all of this to us?"

"He thought I would hide until I was healed. Which is what I did, because it's what I would have done if you still knew nothing."

"By the Angel, this is so messed up." Izzy got up, running her fingers through her hair. "Now I know how Simon felt when he came home yesterday and had to leave you here. When he learns what happened, he will go crazy."

"You can't tell them!" Clary looked at her, alarmed. "Please, they can't know. That's why I didn't want anybody to see me."

"And yet you let me come in." Isabelle noted, narrowing her eyes.

"I know you're not one to give up. If I didn't open the door you would have alerted everyone and it would have been worse." Clary smiled but it was a sad one. "And you're strong. You understand that I have to do this, even if it repulses me."

"But I can't just let this go. They need to know what that beast is doing to you."

"Izzy," Clary pleaded. "I can't let Jace know. I already made a mistake in telling him that Jiliel is—" She swallowed. "It's already too hard for him like this. I won't add on his burden. He can't protect me and it would kill him."

Isabelle was silent for a few minutes, her fists clenching and releasing but then she bowed her head. "Alright. It's your choice and I will respect it. But this only adds to the pain I'll inflict the bastard before he dies."

Clary sighed in relief, even though her heart was heavy. Jiliel would be back in the evening and she wanted nothing more than running away, but she couldn't. Then she raised her gaze again, gathering what was left of her courage. "Iz, there's something else. There is something going on with William."

The girl sharply turned to her. "What?"

"I don't know. But yesterday Jiliel told me the Seelie Queen is using William for something. And I don't think he was talking about the blackmailing. She actually needs him but I don't know why. He said that if he wasn't Sebastian's nephew he would be already dead—that having his blood saved him. He told me he's suffering, that he's crying, that—" Clary stopped, drawing a deep breath and trying not to cry. "I have to stop her. Whatever she's doing, I have to stop her. I just don't know how. Maybe Simon was right, maybe we should go to the Unseelie Court and see if—"

"Clary," Izzy interrupted her," Kaelie agreed to help."

The red head suddenly stood up, biting her lips at the pain in her legs. "She did?"

"Yes." Isabelle nodded. "Last night Jace went to talk to her and managed to convince her."

Clary paled and slowly sat down again, her eyes void of emotion. "That means he—"

"No." Isabelle sat down beside her. "No, he didn't. He told us he didn't have to. Kaelie saw right through his attempt of making her fall for him and still accepted to help, in exchange for our help in the Council, so that the Fairies won't be punished when this is all over."

"Not punished?" Clary shouted, anger filling her voice. "They tortured my son! They forced me to betray the Clave! They—"

"Clary." Isabelle took her by her shoulders, careful not to hurt her. "I know. I don't agree either. But we need Kaelie's help, even more now after what you told me. Let's think about punishments after we have Will back."

Clay swallowed and tried to calm down, her eyes closed. "It's just... I want to kill her, Izzy, I want to wipe the Seelie Queen away from existence... it's scaring me. I never felt that much like my father's daughter as I'm feeling now. I have so much hatred in me I feel it's going to consume me. And I don't want my son to have a monster as his mother."

"William has a heroine for a mother." Isabelle took her hands in her own. She wasn't smiling, she was worried and angry. And her words weren't comforting, they were harsh but true, just like Isabelle herself was. "You bore this all alone for months Clary, doing what you thought was best for your son. You're allowed to feel hate, to be angry and to want to act on it. Actually you have to be angry or you won't see it through the end. You need to let it all out if you don't want to be crushed. So get yourself together and direct that anger where it needs to be: to kick that bitch's ass."

"I wish it was that easy. Sometimes I don't even recognise myself. I look in the mirror and I think I'll never be the one I was before... a mother to my son, a wife to my husband. Izzy, I can't even look at Jace now, every time I try I feel his hands all over me. It makes me feel so filthy, so unworthy of ever be loved again—"

"Now don't be an idiot." Isabelle cut her short, squeezing her hand. "You've been raped Clary. For months. It didn't happen willingly, you've been forced into it. I'm actually surprised you let Simon touch you at all, I think I would reject anything remotely male, my brothers included. But maybe, you just don't see Simon as a man at all."

She looked at her and then she winked. And even tired, bruised, bloody and beaten, Clary laughed. "Well, I'm sure he's happy enough that you see him as a man."

Izzy smiled and then sighed. Well, this was it, wasn't it? She opened her mouth, then closed it again but when she noticed Clary was looking at her with curiosity, she swallowed and just said it. "I guess so, since he asked me to marry him."

Clary opened her eyes wide and held her breath for a second before laughing out loud and throwing herself into the other girl's arms. "Oh my God, Izzy! When? How? Oh, it's awesome!"

"Are you happy about it? Really?"

"Of course I am!" Clary laughed again. "Why wouldn't I be? By the Angel, this is the best news ever! Did you set a date? Will you get married in Alicante? And the ring! Where's the ring? I'm sure there is a ring. Simon was born a mundane and he absolutely got you a ring. An engagement ring, not a family ring. Or I'll kick his ass."

Isabelle squeezed her friend and suddenly felt her eyes filling with tears. She was really scared about Clary's reaction but seeing her so overjoyed was wonderful. A huge weight lifted in her heart and she smiled.

"Yes, there's a ring, but since you still didn't know, I left it at the Institute. I'll show you later, it's so gorgeous! We still didn't set a date though, but I would like it to be next year."

"Wonderful! It will be the best party ever. Isabelle Lightwood is getting married, I still can't believe it!"

Izzy laughed, shaking her head. "Yes, it's weird, right? Do you remember when Simon and me broke up when he was in the Academy? I honestly would have never thought we would end like this back then."

"I always knew you would." Clary said confidently. "You were meant to be, you just needed to stop being so stubborn about it."

"Hey, it was his fault!" Isabelle laughed. "I even went all the way to the Academy to tell everybody he was my boyfriend. And then he went paranoid and ditched me."

"Well, I guess now he doesn't want to ditch you anymore—like, ever." Clary leaned back on the couch, smiling. "Oh Izzy, I feel better now. Apparently this world still has some good surprise in store for me. You and Simon getting married makes me so happy, it makes me feel at peace. Like it's a jigsaw piece finally clicking with the others."

"I was worried you would be sad." Isabelle said, sighing in relief. "I thought maybe it would remind you—"

"Of Jace and me?" Clary enquired. "Izzy, I could never be sad about your wedding. You're like my sister! And Simon? He's my best friend since forever. You two together bring me joy."

"You'll stand by me, will you?" Isabelle looked at her with a smile on her lips. "Will you be my maid of honour?"

Clary felt new tears in her eyes while nodding and then hugged her again. "Of course. Of course I will."

It had taken every ounce of will to leave Clary in the apartment that night. Isabelle felt awful. The red head had even refused to go to Magnus so he could help her healing faster, saying Jiliel would have noticed. That son of a bitch, she couldn't wait to finally face him with her whip in her hands. But now they had to think about William and about what Jiliel said. So the Queen had another reason for taking Will away? Something related to his blood? And yet Sebastian and William had nothing in common: Sebastian had demon blood, Will probably had extra angel blood, given who his parents were. So why would the blood matter? She knew of course that the Queen had been sleeping with Sebastian before he died but somehow she doubted that she wanted William just because he was that monster's nephew. The Seelie Queen proved many times to be heartless and caring for a child, wanting a reminder of her dead lover, didn't really suit her. So it had to be something else, something related to the fact that Will was part of his family. But what? Isabelle was getting frustrated, knowing something was happening and not being able to do anything about it, was driving her crazy. Of course there was the possibility Jiliel lied to Clary just to hurt her, but Clary told her he was angry at the time. Angry people don't think about elaborate lies, they tend to blurt out the truth.

"Damn it." She whispered softly, taking a deep breath. She stopped walking and opened the door to Taki's, going to sit down at one of the tables. That place held lots of memories, happy and bad. What she treasured more were the times when she was younger, still a child in the Clave's eyes and her biggest worry was whether or not she would burn the kitchen down while trying to cook. Not even once before meeting Clary and Simon, she thought she would get involved in something as big as the Mortal and Dark Wars, let alone that she would play a primary part in them. She gained a lot but she also lost a lot in those wars; they gave her Simon, but they took Max away as well. Her little brother, he would be an adolescent by now, Izzy thought with a sweet feeling of longing. The pain was still there, it would always be there because, as much as everybody tried to tell her otherwise, she still thought she was responsible for his death. If only she believed him when he told her he saw someone climb the Demon Towers...

Sebastian. It was all his fault, that fucking monster. She still hated him, she always would and yet she had to admit he had been the mean through which she had Simon back. Without Sebastian and him kidnapping Jace, Simon would have never had his Mark removed and Asmodeus wouldn't have been able to take his immortality away. And yet, given the chance, would she change anything? Would she erase Sebastian's existence to have Max back, knowing she would lose Simon that way? She was honest enough with herself to admit she would probably have never committed to a long term relationship with Simon had he still been a vampire. She wasn't Alec. The thought of herself growing old while Simon was forever a sixteen years old boy would have been, and still was, unbearable. It left a sour taste in her mouth to know she had to sort of thank Sebastian for giving her back the love of her life. And now apparently she had to thank him for her nephew's life as well.

"To be someone dead since seven years, you sure have a long term effect." She mumbled closing her eyes.

"What can I get you?" The familiar voice ripped her out from her thoughts and Isabelle raised her gaze, looking at the blond waitress she was waiting for. She was still unsure if she hated her or not after everything she was told about her, but she was willing to give the fairy the benefit of doubt after she agreed to help them. As for protecting her people, personally Izzy would have been glad to see the whole of the Fairy Kingdom burnt down to ashes, but she could understand the pixie's love for her kind. She loved the Nephilim as well.

And now it was time to put that new alliance to the test: they needed to know what was going on with William and they needed to know it as soon as possible.

Isabelle smiled at Kaelie. "Let's talk."