Six

Jasmine found refuge in the cavernous Institute library. Jace was presumably introducing Clary to Hodge, Isabelle was preoccupied with entertaining Simon, and Alec? Well, Alec probably wouldn't want her hanging around as he vehemently searched for the lost blood buyers. So she sought a bit of solace with the smell of aged oak and dusty, ancient books.

She initially had wanted to find her father or mother and pick their brains about this Circle situation that Clary had inadvertently found herself in, but neither of them wanted to be found it seemed.

Jasmine carefully turned a page of a particularly old book she'd found on the history of shadowhunters, though she doubted any prevalent information on the Circle would have been inscribed.

Quite frankly, she felt a bit overwhelmed. Her family had barely been in New York for a month and suddenly the tyrannical Circle decided to make a re-appearance. Not to mention the weirdness that had been surrounding her mother and father since they'd moved. The stench of secrecy permeated the air around them and it almost made her feel sick looking at the pair of them.

A sigh escaped her lips and she turned the next page. As she read the passage closely, something brushed up against her leg and she jolted out of her reverie. Under the table was a cat. A majestic blue Persian with astonishingly yellow eyes that peered into her soul… to be specific. The cat yowled and preened as Jasmine leant down to stroke him softly, a confused but contented smile stretching across her lips.

"That's Church," a voice said quietly, as if fearful of disturbing the library's peacefulness.

Jasmine glanced up, her fingers still entwined in the cat's plush fur. Alec was leant up against a nearby bookcase, watching her with a blank expression, though she noticed the warmth in his eyes as he looked down towards the cat - Church, apparently.

"Church," she repeated with a hum. "He's lovely."

Alec huffed. "He's a grouch. I'm surprised he hasn't scurried away yet."

Jasmine released the cat with a laugh, sitting back upright in her chair to fully face him. "I'm not… I'm just a lovable person, I guess," she joked with a grin, hoping to elicit some positive response from the aloof shadowhunter.

Unsurprisingly, Alec did not respond - save for rolling his eyes. So Jasmine latched back onto, seemingly, one of his only sources of warmth - the damned cat.

"How old is he?" She asked, watching as Church jumped upon a nearby desk and lounged in the sunlight that streamed through the windows.

Alec seemed to consider the question seriously, brow furrowing in thought. "I'd say around 130, give or take a few years."

The answer startled a loud laugh out of Jasmine, though Alec remained impassive, and she genuinely was unsure of whether he was trying to make a joke or not. "You're kidding, right?"

A hint of a smirk played around on his lips, which she couldn't help but find undeniably attractive. "An Eidolon demon got its hands on him and performed some sort of necromantic ritual. For all intents and purposes, Church is immortal."

She looked back towards the lounging immortal cat with a newfound respect, the gleam of intelligence in his yellow eyes suddenly making sense.

A rustle brought her attention back to Alec, who had turned away to leave. "Was there something you needed?" She asked him softly.

His shoulders tensed as he seemed to heave a sigh, and Jasmine frowned. Alec turned back to face her, his ocean eyes staring into hers in a calculating manner. "I was looking for Jace," he answered simply.

"Oh," she replied. "I think he was taking Clary to meet Hodge in the training room."

"Right," he responded shortly. Alec nodded once - perhaps in a warped display of gratitude - and made to leave without another word.

Jasmine couldn't repress the astonished laugh that bubbled out of her chest - completely in awe of Alec's ability to be completely and utterly rude. "Have I done something to offend you?" The question rushed past her lips without her permission.

She could tell he was shocked by the outburst, if him spinning back around was any indication.

"Like, I'm not expecting everyone to like me, obviously, but usually there's some sort of reason behind a person's intense dislike of someone else," she continued, unperturbed by Alec's surprised stare. Clearly he hadn't been expecting her to actually say something.

A few seconds of silence passed by them, filled with Alec visibly debating what to say, before Jasmine realised that he wasn't actually going to answer her question.

With a sigh, she simply returned to reading the obnoxiously thick book before her, a sudden, bone-aching tiredness hitting her.

She was aware of Alec cautiously making his way back to the entrance, and, as he opened the heavy doors of the library to leave, Jasmine softly called out to him. "You can trust me, you know. I'm not out to get anyone, I'm just… here to help."

The groaning of the hefty oak doors as it closed behind Alec was all the answer she received.

The next person who entered the library was considerably more pleasant than Alec had been. Jasmine didn't even need to look towards the door to know who had arrived; the sweet scent of magnolias and chamomile gave her mother away in an instant.

"My dear, what are you doing sitting in this dark corner all by yourself?" Madeleine asked softly, coming behind Jasmine to rest her hands upon her daughter's shoulders.

The younger Farwell stared down at the heavy book in front of her, her eyes burning onto the pages that clearly skipped over the portions of history that contained anything to do with the Circle. She sighed and turned in the chair to face her mother.

Jasmine figured it was best if she just came out with it, unthinkingly echoing her father's own words. "What do you know about the Circle?"

The surprise that flickered across Madeleine's features was not particularly as astounding as the flash of fear that accompanied it. To Jasmine, that told her everything she needed to know.

"What do you mean?" Her mother asked tentatively, moving to sit on a chair next to Jasmine.

"You've been acting shady… you and dad. You looking up information to do with the Uprising… dad giving me some lecture on the Circle and being cautious? What is going on?"

Her mother rested her hands on top of the table, wringing her fingers together anxiously. Jasmine noticed how exhausted she looked; dark circles lay beneath her usually excited blue eyes, and her skin was a shade or two paler than it should be.

"Your father and I… we were once members of the Circle," she finally answered, continuing quickly when she saw the shocked expression of her daughter. "But we renounced it before the Uprising took place."

Jasmine tried to picture her loving mother and stoic father following some madman's will; plotting the destruction of all Downworlders so that shadowhunters may reign supreme. Her mind rejected the scenario. "No… I– I don't understand… why?"

"Valentine- he was… charming," Madeleine began slowly. "In ways you couldn't believe… He was charismatic, and passionate. We all thought we were revolutionaries– that's how he made us feel. Like we were changing the world for the better."

"By killing Downworlders?" Jasmine didn't bother hiding the disgust in her voice and was unapologetic when Madeleine flinched at it.

"It didn't start like that– your father and I left before any killing was carried out."

That sounded like a cheap excuse to Jasmine, but she remained quiet.

"It began with the Clave– Valentine despised the way it was run. He wanted to reform it and increase the number of shadowhunters we had in the fight against demons," Madeleine faced Jasmine with a pleading look. "Nick and I were enraptured by his devotion to the cause; to the human world. But once his plans began to take a darker turn, we turned our backs on him– we would not kill anyone in his name."

Jasmine was somewhat relieved to hear that her parents weren't murderers of the innocent, even if their presence within the Circle still shook her. "So what's that got to do with now? Why is dad telling me to be careful, and why are you researching the Uprising? And why is some poor girl being stalked by them?"

Madeleine's mouth flew open, her eyes wide in disbelief. Jasmine could tell that she was about to spew a bunch of questions about Clary and her situation - so she held up a hand and simply said: "My questions first."

Her mother visibly hesitated. She surreptitiously glanced around the room though Jasmine was unsure why - she'd been the only one in the room for a while.

"There are… ways– that certain ex-Circle members stay in contact. Nicholas has been keeping an ear out for years."

Jasmine frowned, apprehensive of where the conversation was heading. "Right?"

"And, from what he's heard, he's pretty confident that it won't be long… before history repeats itself."

The blonde shook her head uncomprehendingly. "What– he thinks someone else is going to take over Valentine's mission?" She couldn't imagine why anyone would want to do that, especially after how the last attempt ended. Though she supposed that she wasn't a psychopath; so how could she assume to know their motives behind these things?

Madeleine's expression somehow fell even further. She looked incredibly small and young at that moment. "No… no– he thinks that Valentine will be back to continue it."

The brief silence that followed that statement was deafening; Jasmine felt as though all her blood was rushing through her ears. "But he's dead," she argued.

Her mother just smiled sadly, and somehow that was worse than any answer she could have given her. "He was always quite resilient," she responded quietly.

Jasmine abruptly stood up from her seat, ignoring the loud clatter that followed as the chair toppled over. Her legs took her around the library as if on autopilot, pacing as she processed what her mother had told her. She looked at Madeleine then; taking in the despondent expression in her eyes, her downturned lips, the faint lines that formed between her brow.

"I need to tell the others," she blurted out suddenly, already rushing towards the door.

A faint scuffling sounded behind her as, presumably, her mother hurried after her. "Wait," Madeleine called softly, lightly grabbing Jasmine's upper arm to bring her to a halt. "What's this with the girl you were talking about?"

Jasmine sighed impatiently. "Mum–", she started, dismissively.

"I might be able to help." Her mother let go of her arm and gave her an imploring look. Relieved by the lack of argument, she quickly continued. "What's her name?"

"It's Clary Fray. She's got, like, this fiery orange hair and green eyes. She said her mother's been kidnapped, but I can't remember Clary saying what her name is," Jasmine rattled off, her eyes darting to the door and back.

"Hmm… come with me. I have something to show you." Madeleine pushed the heavy library doors open and led the way out, Jasmine trailing close behind. The pair made their way through the Institute, corridor after vast corridor, until they found themselves at her parents' bedroom.

Jasmine lingered in the doorway as her mother rummaged through her things. Several unopened boxes were scattered across the room, each labelled with obscure descriptions in thick, black ink. Only one box was open; a relatively small one and also the one that her mother was trifling through. On it was a simple, black inscription of a zero - though, given the information she'd just learnt, she figured it was an ironic symbol of their time in the Circle. A sudden pang struck through her chest at the reminder of her parents' secrecy.

"Aha!" Madeleine exclaimed softly. "Here– look at this." The older woman made her way across to where Jasmine was leaning against the doorframe, holding what looked like a piece of paper in her hands.

It was a picture of a group of shadowhunters. There were eight of them - young, maybe a few years older than Jasmine. Immediately, she could pinpoint her parents. Her younger mother and father held serious expressions, looking much more severe than they should have. Madeleine's hair was as wayward as Jasmine had always known it to be, while her father's hair had been cut short.

The other members in the picture also held stern appearances. Jasmine noticed Hodge to the edge of the group and her eyebrows raised in surprise - she hadn't realised he'd been a member of the circle. Next to Hodge was an athletic-looking black man who - despite his straight face - seemed to hold a kindness in his eyes. There were two tall men towards the back of the group - one with shaggy hair and the other with a thick moustache.

But to the forefront of the group were a couple - they held themselves strong and confidently, clearly the leaders of the group. The man had shockingly white hair with sharp features and a slight, but charming, curl to his lip… Valentine. In the past, she remembered hearing utterances of the man and his trademarked white hair. The woman beside him had a brilliant head of red hair, just as unruly as her mother's, and she was looking towards the man at her side with an indecipherable expression. She looked like Clary.

Jasmine's eyes flicked to her mother in question.

"This was the Circle - or at least some of us. That woman there," she pointed to the redhead. "Was Jocelyn Fairchild. She betrayed the Circle and helped the Clave bring Valentine down. She vanished not long after the Uprising, supposedly taking the Mortal Cup with her and hiding it. But, if she was anything like her husband, she's probably still alive somewhere." Madeleine gave Jasmine a meaningful look at that.

"You think she's Clary's mum?"

Her mother shrugged. "You tell me. I've never seen the girl."

Jasmine didn't respond; undoubtedly seeing the many similarities between the woman in the picture and the terrified teenager. "Who was her husband?"

Madeleine simply placed a delicate finger on the dreaded white-haired man.

No. That couldn't be right. Jasmine looked back up at her mother and saw nothing but the truth in her earnest eyes. She swallowed thickly as her eyes were drawn back to the couple; Clary's mother and Valentine.

"Well now I really need to tell the others."

Jasmine held the picture tightly in her shaking hand, speeding through the Institute as she poked her head through nearly every door she went past, in search of someone she could offload her information to. She huffed in frustration at every empty room.

She whizzed past the armoury, casting a brief glance inside, and grabbed the doorframe to heave herself back as she caught sight of very prominent red hair. Jasmine looked into the room to find Clary, Simon, Jace and Isabelle - the latter two gathering weapons to gear up.

She strode towards the group, watching the shadowhunters grab their supplies. "Hey guys," she greeted, coming to stand next to Jace and Isabelle. Clary and Simon were huddled off to the side, discussing something in hushed tones. Jasmine was itching to go over and talk to her.

Isabelle sent her a blinding smile and quickly filled her in on what was going on: to put it simply, Jace believed Clary had her memories wiped and that Clary's mom's assistant was a warlock who might be able to lead them to the Mortal Cup.

Isabelle turned to Jace with a smirk. "Fifty bucks says he doesn't approve this mission."

As if summoned by the slightest mention, Alec stalked into the armoury. "I don't approve of this mission," he stated. "I spoke with the Clave. They're sending Seelie scouts to search for Valentine, but they made it clear; the little girl does not leave the premises."

Clary scoffed at that, turning away from her conversation with Simon to shoot Alec a withering glare. "My name is not 'little girl'. I don't care what that Clave thing or you want, I'm going to find Dot."

Jace was nodding along vehemently with Clary's argument. "Alec, this warlock could have the answers we need. With Valentine's people out there searching for Clary, she's not safe outside alone."

Seeing an opening, Jasmine stepped closer towards the group. "Also," she hesitantly interjected. "I spoke with my mum and she suggested something a bit– crazy… but I believe her."

The group all turned to look at her, varying expressions colouring their faces. Clary, Jace and Isabelle looked curious, Simon was clearly confused by everything, and Alec just seemed annoyed.

Jasmine took a deep breath. She decided to just blurt it out and deal with the aftermath. "Clary's mother was married to Valentine."

No-one dared to break the silence that followed; it was as if they all held their breath upon hearing such staggering news. Jasmine had directed the news to the shadowhunters in the room, but quickly realised that Jace must have filled Clary in on who Valentine was when the redhead's mouth dropped open, her gaze frantically darting to the others.

"W-what?! No– that's not possible! She said she was only ever married to my dad, who is not Valentine," she spluttered, shattering the spell that held everyone frozen stiff.

Jace was shaking his head. "That's ridiculous, surely?" He appeared just as flabbergasted as Clary was.

"Where did your mother get this information?" Alec asked calmly, shifting so he was standing right in front of Jasmine and glaring down at her. His sudden proximity was jarring and closer than she was comfortable with, if she was being honest.

"My mum and dad were members of the Circle," she answered quietly, though her stare never wavered from Alec - refusing to be intimidated into yielding. She absently wondered why he didn't react to such horrific news. "My father has been keeping tabs on Circle activity for a while now and apparently… he's back. Mum says he was married to Jocelyn Fairchild."

"But… my mother's last name is Fray," Clary argued, her hands shaking.

Jasmine sent her a despondent half-smile. "Fairchild would have been her shadowhunter name." She lifted the picture she had in her grip and held it up towards Clary. "Here– take a look."

The redhead all-but snatched the picture away, her trembling breath shaking the paper wildly as her eyes scanned the image. Jasmine could tell the moment she noticed her mother - Clary shook her head vehemently, tears threatening to spill down her ashen complexion.

Jace placed a comforting hand upon Clary's back, though his eyes slowly filled with a realisation. "It would make sense that Valentine would go after Jocelyn if she was his wife. She was probably the only one who would be able to get the Mortal Cup from him," he reasoned.

"Which means that Valentine and his people will be very interested in finding Clary. We can't leave her on her own," Jasmine said in a show of support to Jace's earlier argument.

Alec looked towards his sister expectantly. Isabelle just shrugged. "They've got a point," she agreed.

"All right," he grumbled, glancing at Clary. "Since you have all the answers, where do you suggest we search?"

The redhead hesitated. She tore her gaze away from the photo held in her iron grip, her other hand touching the necklace that rested upon her chest. "We should start at Dot's apartment in Greenpoint. There's this thrift store that she–". Her voice suddenly broke off, green eyes misting over as her sightless gaze passed through the group.

Jasmine glanced at the others, unsurprised to see them looking just as startled as she was. The few moments that passed felt like hours, but Clary's gaze soon sharpened and she gasped.

Jace was at her side in an instant. "What's wrong?" He asked, a worried Simon lingering behind him.

"I–uh… I think I know where Dot is," she answered slowly, rubbing her forehead with a grimace.

Simon stepped forward with a wide grin. "Great," he chirped. "I'll drive." He grabbed a set of keys from his pocket, jangling it about eagerly. "Unless you have, like, a shadowhunter-mobile or something."

Jasmine bit back a chuckle, slightly turning her face away from him so as not to betray her amusement. She ended up facing Alec, who was already watching her contemplatively - a faint furrow in his brow.

"You were kidding about the runes on the floor killing me… right?" She heard Simon ask nervously. Jasmine watched as Alec fought off an entertained smirk at the mundane's expense, and turned back as Jace lightly tapped Simon's face.

"Possibly," he whispered, walking off to prepare for the mission.

Simon chuckled apprehensively, following Jace alongside the group. "Wait… am I gonna die?"

As promised, Simon drove the shadowhunters to their destination, directed by Clary. Jasmine had been surprised when she'd seen Simon's transportation. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but a bright yellow van covered in graffiti was definitely not it. She didn't bother asking Simon or Clary what 'Rock Solid Panda' or 'Furious Mole' was supposed to mean.

The journey to Pandemonium had been tainted by the tense apprehension that radiated off Clary, and conversation was kept to a minimum… Save for Simon, who chattered away inanely as he drove in a bleak effort to diffuse the tension. Jasmine could tell it was grating on Jace and Alec's nerves.

"So, do vampires actually burn in the sun," the mundane started, having suddenly changed the subject from the possibility of Bigfoot, "or is it like a Twilight situation where they just glitter like a disco ball?"

Jasmine glanced to the other shadowhunters for clarification and was only slightly appeased when she saw similarly-confused expressions on their faces. Clary was smiling despite herself, looking at Simon fondly.

The mundane turned his head to peer around the headrest, raising his eyebrows at the group. Clearly he still expected an answer to his partially-baffling question.

"Yes," Jace responded with an eye roll. "They burn." Simon looked excited for a moment before a loud honking from outside grabbed his attention. Jace lunged towards the drivers' seat, roughly jolting the steering wheel to save the group from the oncoming vehicle Simon was about to crash into. "Watch where you're going!"

"Alright, alright– jeez," Simon muttered, regaining his hold of the steering wheel and training his eyes back onto the road.

Soon enough, Clary directed them to a stop just before Pandemonium and the group piled out of the van.

The night was in full-swing as the group approached the suspiciously quiet club, following as Clary guided them towards where she thought Dot was. Usually the streets would be crawling with Downworlders and mundanes alike, all queuing in anticipation of the psychedelic experience that Pandemonium offers. But there was scarcely a sign of life, the only movement coming from the light breeze that blew trash through the street.

The whole situation seemed to be enough for Alec. "Where's this warlock, then?"

The redhead slowed to a stop, her hand reaching up to rest against the necklace around her throat. Her eyes briefly glazed over before she broke out of the trance with a gasp, her gaze wide and fearful.

"Dot!" She exclaimed, taking off in a sprint towards the entrance of the club.

Jasmine and Jace were the first two to respond, running after Clary with ease.

"Clary!" Jace yelled after the redhead. "Clary, stop! Where are you going?!"

She could hear the others not far behind them, and saw Clary come to a halt just before the entryway to Pandemonium. Clary spun wildly to face the two, eyes welling with unshed tears. "Two men– Circle members… the same ones who came to my house, who took my mom… They have Dot– they're gonna hurt her, or kill her! We have to stop them."

The sheer determination that came across the redhead's face was enough to spur them into action. Jasmine, Clary and Jace hurried into the club, hoping to catch a glimpse of the missing warlock that Clary was so fond of.

Luck was not on their side. The club had been cleared out. The space was dark, the only source of light coming from the moon that beamed in through the skylight above. There were no patrons dancing vivaciously, or drinking the wild concoctions behind the bar. In fact, the bar had been completely emptied, the shelves barren and the stools turned upside-down.

Clary broke away from Jasmine and Jace, searching the club for any sign of Dot's presence. "No," she breathed shakily. "She was just trying to help me." The necklace glowed dully beneath her touch before turning black. "And now she's gone." Silent tears trickled down her cheeks.

Jasmine approached the redhead slowly and reached out for her hand. Clary startled at the contact, though her expression softened at the gentle squeeze that followed.

"It's not safe here," a deep voice rumbled closely behind Jasmine - so close she knew that if she took half a step back she would bump against Alec's chest. "We have to go back to the Institute right now."

"So, what now? Valentine has my mom and Dot, and we're just gonna give up?" Clary demanded, tear-stained eyes darting between each member of the group in accusation. Her gaze finally fell on Jace. "What about my memories? They can't just be gone?"

"There is another option," Jace responded, looking meaningfully towards Alec and Izzy.

"Don't even–"

"Absolutely not."

Isabelle and Alec's protests merged together in a symphony, both of the Lightwood siblings glaring at the blonde for his obscure suggestion. Judging from their reactions, Jasmine had a good guess at what Jace was thinking.

"I'm not afraid of the Silent Brothers," Jace asserted with a shrug. A thoughtful glance was sent towards Jasmine.

Clary stepped forward in anticipation, having heard the confidence in Jace's voice. "Who are the Silent Brothers?"

"They're shadowhunters with superior powers–"

"Who possess the ability to recover memories," Isabelle cut in with a warning scowl aimed at the blonde.

"A process that can also kill you… so there's that," Alec grumbled, his arms crossed over his chest sullenly.

A snort of laughter escaped Jasmine's lips at his deadpan expression, but she quickly schooled her features into a neutral appearance when he glared in her direction.

"Your bedside manner is abysmal," Simon told Alec with a bright smile on his face.

Alec rolled his eyes and sidled closer to Jace, head bent forward toward the blonde. "We've broken at least 18 Clave rules and now you wanna go to the City of Bones?" he questioned. Before Jace could even respond, he continued, "There's no way. I won't allow it."

As Jasmine watched the group bicker back and forth, she couldn't help but wonder why she had been placed on the team. Hodge still had yet to discuss with her what he wanted her role to be within the Institute. Was it to help the team arguing before her become a more cohesive unit? Or something more specific? All she knew is that her and her parents had been summoned because of an 'issue'. Was it related to Clary's circumstances? Something about the situation stank of mystery and she was itching to figure it out.

"See? I told you she's one of us," she heard Jace enthuse to Alec, smiling at Clary with something akin to pride.

Though Alec wasn't paying attention to Jace's smug antics - he was watching Jasmine with a slight frown, his calculating, cerulean eyes scanning over her conflicted expression.

A/N: Well... here's another update. It's slow but sure! Hope you all enjoy this one, and please let me know what you think of it/if there's anything you'd like to see from the story that I can incorporate into my plans for the fic!

And now onto my favourite part... The reviews:

Rose1414: Thank you for your kind review! It's always comforting to know when I've written something well - I find it hard to tell whether or not anything I've written makes sense haha!

sheyyla: Thank you! I'm so glad you've been enjoying it. I can't wait until Magnus and Jasmine can finally meet properly either!