A/N: I'm sorry that this is late. It's been a crazy week! Please let me know what you think about this! Happy reading!

Chapter 3: Dead Man's Party

I had to drive Simon's van back to the Institute. Clary was worried about how Simon was doing, and I knew that it was only a matter of time before she got sarcastic and snippy. Kyler was trying to keep her calm, but it would only last so long. Simon had been Clary's best friend since they were in the first grade, and they were always at each other's side. Once we pulled up to the church and I parked, Clary immediately got out and practically stormed inside with Kyler trailing after her. The rest of us followed them inside and that was when Clary began to rant.

"I still don't understand," she ranted throwing her hands to the side. "How can Shadowhunters be better than…than what you people call mundanes?"

"Because we protect humans," Isabelle explained a little harshly. I knew that she was feeling bad about Simon being taken. While Isabelle didn't show it, she had always had a soft heart.

Clary stopped walking and we all stopped in response. "You're right," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Clary then spun around to look directly at Isabelle. "Humans. You protect humans. You left Simon all alone in the van. Great job, guys. You rock."

"Clary," I scolded, and she looked a little startled at my tone. "This is not the time to be snippy at the people who are trying to help you. It's not going to do Simon any good."

"Then what can I do?" she snapped at me. "What would help Simon right now?"

"Look, they won't do anything to Simon," Kyler tried to mediate her anger. She looked towards him with a disbelieving look. "They just wanted to draw you out. They want the Cup, and they think you have it."

"But why would they think that? Why does anyone think that?" Clary fired off in counter. "What, my mom lies to me my entire life except, 'Oh, by the way, there's this magic cup, I hid on, like, the planet Bongo, but don't tell anyone."

"Clarissa Fray!" I raised my voice at her, and she jumped. I rarely ever raised my voice at her. "That's enough. Take a deep breath and calm down before you say anything else." Clary took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "We are going to help you, but you need to take it a step at a time."

Clary sighed as she looked between the five of us. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"We have to report to the Clave," Alec announced as he began to walk towards the ops center. "They have to know we've learned about Valentine."

Everyone began to follow him, but we only made it a few steps before Clary was speaking again. "What, that he's my father?" she sassed. "Great. Fine. Tell them. What good does that do Simon?"

"Clary, it's all connected," Jace tried to reason with her. "The vamps want the Cup."

"Why?" she countered. "It makes new Shadowhunters."

"Nobody wants Valentine forming an army loyal to himself," Alec explained like he was speaking to a child.

"Plus, it controls demons," Isabelle added.

"They'll propose a trade," Kyler told her. "Simon for the Cup."

"So, vampires will trade Simon for the Cup and Valentine with trade our mother for the Cup," Clary summarized in frustration before leaning against the bricks. "Either way, I lose someone I love." She then looked at me in confusion. "Why doesn't anyone think you have it sis?"

Everyone turned to me, but I kept my eyes on Clary. "Because to everyone, but a select few in the Downworld, I'm not Kalavati Fairchild. I'm Kalavati Emberguard. You have to remember that I've been a Shadowhunter for a long time Clary. They all know me, just not in the way that they know you. Plus, mom kept a lot of things from me too. Unlike you, she would either evade or outright lie to me."

Clary sighed and threw her hands up in frustration. "What if I just toss it up in the air and let them fight it out among themselves?"

"So, this doesn't matter to you?" Alec questioned in a condescending tone as if he was talking to a child.

"Yes, of course, it matters!" Clary snapped turning to him harshly. She took a quiet breath before looking at Jace, Isabelle and Alec. "Listen…when you saved my life…I put my trust in you. Now, I need you to put your trust in me. I can't turn into what you are overnight."

"It true," I spoke up, wondering where she was going with this. "She was raised as a mundane."

"What are you, her spokesman now?" Alec snapped.

"I don't need a spokesman, I need a plan," Clary defended herself before walking away towards the middle of the ops center.

I sighed as Jace turned to me with a curious expression. "Is she always this dramatic?"

"When it comes to Simon or someone she loves, you have no idea," I muttered to him as I went to follow her.

Everyone followed behind me and Clary waved her arms at the screen and computers everywhere. "Uh, look at all this stuff, these screens," she said as she walked around. "I mean, can any of this help me find Simon?" We all met by the table in the middle of the room by the training room. "Where is he, anyway? Some kind of crypt in Transylvania?"

"Actually, no," Jace answered her looking towards the rest of us as we all surrounded the table. "That was Camille's outfit, right? They're locals."

"They're at the Hotel DuMort, down in Gansevoort Street," Isabelle explained as she sat on the edge of the table.

"And we came back here?" Clary asked in disbelief, turning to Kyler and I with an incredulous look. "Why? We have to go there. Let's go, now. Come on."

She went to walk away, but I caught her arm and shook my head at her when she looked confused. "We need a Clave resolution for that," Alec explained to her.

Clary started to look angry about that. "The six of us can't declare war on the vamps all by ourselves," Isabelle warned.

"And we can't react without considering our options," Alec continued. "Downworlders are slaves to their impulses. We're not."

"Alec, you can't just jump on all the Downworlders," Isabelle told him with a warning smile.

"Oh, that's right," Alec acted as if he remembered something. "Seelies have their charms, apparently."

Jace, Kyler and I all smiled at her knowingly. "'Seelies'?" Clary echoed in confusion.

"Like faeries," Kyler explained to her, listing them. "The Fair Folk. Add pixies, nixies, elves…anybody half-angel, half-demon. It's pretty much a catch-all term."

"Izzy can tell you all about them," Alec teased. "She's got a thing."

"Izzy's not the only one," Kyler teased and looked over at me when everyone looked to him in confusion.

I shrugged with a wide smile when everyone raised their eyebrows at me. "What? You really thought that Izzy was the only one?" I questioned. "And Alec, it's not just Seelies that have their charms."

"Seriously?" Jace asked in genuine confusion.

Before I could answer, Clary huffed at all of us. "Okay, I can't listen to this," she grumbled as she went to walk towards the door. "Simon's been kidnapped by vampires. I guess I'll just take care of it myself."

"Clary, you're gonna get yourself killed," Kyler called after her.

When she kept walking, I sighed quietly to myself before calling out to her next. "Clary. Simon, too."

Clary finally stops and then turns around to walk back towards us. "Then help me," she implored as she leaned against the table looking at both Kyler, Jace and I. "While we consider other options, my best friend is suffering. Is that something Shadowhunters understand or am I just being a mundane?" She then turned to me with a hard look. "You once told me that you saw Simon as a little brother. You should want to save him just as much as I do. Don't you?"

A part of me wanted to scold her for her tone, but at the same time, she was right. Shadowhunters didn't always understand what she was talking about because we all knew that we could take care of ourselves. We forgot what it means to be powerless and afraid. Simon didn't have a way to protect himself from the vampires. After sharing a look with Kyler and having a brief mental conversation, I let out a long breath and everyone turned to me. I raised a shoulder in a half shrug while crossing my arms. "Clary's right."

Kyler leaned on the table and motioning for everyone to lean in. "They made the first move. We're gonna take care of this ourselves, right now."

"This is a bad idea," Alec interjected.

"What, have you got a better one?" Jace asked. "I agree with Kali and Kyler. Look, the vamps broke the Accords. They kidnapped a Mundie. That's a big no-no."

"Just think about it," I continued. "The Clave will give us a lecture and then they'll be glad we did it. Come on."

"Hard to argue with that," Isabelle agreed.

Alec apparently didn't agree because he was ready to argue. "Even if we went ahead, I don't see how we get out of here without having to explain where we're going. We need weapons, and we can't let anyone see us get them."

I exchanged another look with Kyler before I spoke up. "I know where to get what we need."

They all looked confused as Kyler grabbed Clary's hand to lead her out of the Institute and I motioned for the others to follow us. We all pilled back into Simon's van, and I got behind the wheel before driving out onto the road again.

*Roaring Fire*

NO ONE'S POV

Everyone climbed out of the van when we reached a church graveyard. Kalavati and Kyler both explained what they were thinking about in getting weapons on the way over, so the others were ready and understood the plan. Kalavati looked around the area as she spoke to Kyler. "Who's grave is it?"

"Mary Milligan, born January 10th, 1802," Kyler answered as he looked around as well. "Died, January 10th, 1878."

"All right, everyone, spread out," Jace commanded.

Everyone began to look around the whole area as they made their way through the gravestones. Clary couldn't hold in her curiosity anymore. "Why are there Shadowhunter weapons in a churchyard?"

"Because all of the ancient religions recognized demons," Isabelle answered her as she glanced around. "Or at least they used to."

"They forgot about the threat because we've been here to protect them," Alec criticized. "Typical mundane failure of imagination."

"Are you saying that we did too good a job?" Isabelle shot at him with a sarcastic laugh. "You just can't let up, can you?"

"You know what?" Jace interrupted, knowing that a sibling fight was the last thing that they needed to have. "Alec, why don't you go check out by the angel?"

"Kyler, check out the other side, will ya?" Kalavati asked her Parabatai. He nodded and gave Clary's shoulder a pat before walking off. Kalavati turned to speak to her little sister. "We couldn't get any of our normal weapons at the Institute, but we know that our ancestors left a cache around here someplace. We'll find it."

Clary glanced around the area before turning back to her older sister. "I always wondered where dad was buried," she sighed. "I used to wish he was still alive. Be careful what you wish for."

"This isn't your fault," Jace tried to reassure her.

"This is all my fault," Clary lamented.

Suddenly, Isabelle's phone goes off and she looks at it with a giant grin. "Excellent. He's home. I'm outta here."

"Wait, aren't you coming with us?" Clary asked in worry.

"Oh, I wouldn't miss it for the world, but I gotta find out how to get into the vampires' lair," Isabelle explained to her before walking away.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Jace called out to her, and Kalavati gave him a smirk. "What?"

"Things that you wouldn't do is not a very long list," she commented, still with a smug smirk on her face.

Jace opened his mouth to respond but Alec called him over to where he stood by the angel. "Yeah, coming," he called back and then pointed to Kalavati. "This isn't even close to being done."

"What ever you say," she teased him as he walked away. She turned back to her sister, putting an arm around her shoulders and walked with her down the middle of the yard. Clary was quiet and Kalavati could tell that she was thinking about something. "What are you thinking about Clary?"

Clary sighed. "What is Valentine to you?" At her sister's startled look, she began to explain her choice of words. "I'm your little sister and Jocelyn is your mom, but you're older than me, so you would have been around when she was with Valentine. So, who was he to you?"

Kalavati removed her arm from her sister and stopped walking, causing Clary to stop as well. "Technically, he's my stepfather," she answered. "And at the time, he was the only father I had known. It wasn't until mom left the Shadow World that I found out who my real father was, and that was when I was three. Besides Luke, Valentine was the only father figure that I had ever had. Which is also the reason that mom didn't want you to know about him being your father. She didn't want you to think that he was the only way that you could be."

"That kind of makes more sense," Clary muttered. It was then that they came up to a large, above ground grave. Clary knelt down to look at the side to look at the name on the side of the stone. "We found it."

Kalavati looked over her shoulder at Alec and Jace who looked like they were arguing. "Jace! Alec! Kyler! We found it!" she called out to them, and Kyler came walking over from the other side of the graveyard as the boys made their way over as well.

*Roaring Fire*

Alec and Jace

Jace walked over to Alec who still stood next to the angel. "Yeah?"

"We're crossing a line into vamp territory," Alec told him in a low voice, looking at Jace with a serious look.

"That's the point," Jace chuckled and slapped Alec's shoulder. "Come on, Alec, cheer up. It's going to be fun."

"Damn it, Jace," Alec said with frustration. "Just…think this through. You don't even like this guy. This isn't about the mundane, this is about impressing Kali. Are you so desperate to be with her that you'd risk getting us killed?"

Jace looked shocked and upset. "Wow, um, there's so much in that that was wrong, I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear it."

"That's the problem," Alec practically growled. "You're not listening. Not to this or anything else I've said tonight. Kali was hiding her real family from us. What else isn't she saying?"

"Is this about her sister being Valentine's daughter?" Jace questioned him. "Why in the world would Kali steer us wrong now?" Alec looked away for a moment, trying to keep the guilt at doubting his dearest friend at bay. "Alec, look at me." When he did, Jace fixed him with a glare. "We all have trusted Kali with anything that we need, and she's never let us down. Did she keep something from us? Sure, but it was for a good reason. But, it's not just that. If you can't trust me…"

He was cut off by Kalavati shouting for them about finding the grave. He gave Alec one last look and walked towards the girls as Kyler walked up to them as well.

*Roaring Fire*

Kalavati POV

Jace came over and put a hand on my lower back to let me know that he was there. I looked over at him with a slight smile. I was trying really hard to act as if everything was normal. The conversation that I had with Clary about Valentine had shaken me and brought up memories that I never wanted to be reminded of. While most of everything was okay, there were times when things were really bad. Things that I would like to forget ever happened. I turned my attention to Clary as she ran her hand over the raised letters on the stone. "Beloved servant?" She asked in confusion. "Who wants that on a headstone?"

"Someone who is in service to a cause greater than themselves," Alec told her.

Jace made his way to one side of the grave and brushed off the dirt and leaves to show the large angelic power rune in the middle of the stone. He smiled as he took out his stele. "At least she is now," he said as he looked around at the rest of us. "Abracadabra."

"Wait, you people actually say that?" Clary inquired.

"No, Clary, we don't," Jace chuckled at her. He traced the rune, and you could hear a click from the top. Jace and Alec both lifted the ends of the top and moved it to sit sideways. There was a box that sat there and Jace blew the dust off the top.

When he opened the lid, there were a few seraph blades and smaller daggers along with steles. I whistled as Clary looked at it in shock. "Whoa! Where's Mrs. Milligan?"

She reached in and picked up a seraph blade, looking at it in wonder when the blade lit up. "Don't touch that," Alec scolded. "You don't know how to use it."

"What, like at Pandemonium when I killed that demon?" Clary countered.

Alec went to talk back to her, but I cut in to stop the oncoming argument. "Alec," I said and that made him stop talking. "I'll show her how to you use it. Do you see what you need in here?"

Alec sighed before taking another look but shook his head. "No. There's no bow here. I need one. I have to rune some arrows. That's back at the Institute. I gotta go."

Clary walked off to the side, still looking at the blade, and Jace came around the grave to stand next to me in worry. "Well, how are you gonna get back in the Institute?" he asked in concern.

"Go in the back," Alec shrugged. "Won't bother me if I'm alone."

"Okay, good," Jace said. "Go. Kali and I can finish up here."

I shared a look with Kyler and nodded my head towards Alec with a knowing look as he went to turn around. Kyler raised his eyebrows in surprise. 'We can't keep hiding everything from them,' I said in his mind. 'We also don't need someone to see him at the Institute.'

Kyler nodded at me and opened his mouth to say something to Alec when he suddenly spun around and walked right up to Jace. "Hey," he said to get Jace's attention. Jace turned around and looked surprised. "I understand what we need to do. And I trust you, Parabatai, but don't ever doubt me. No matter what I said."

"It's already forgotten," Jace replied, holding out his hand. When Alec took his hand, they both patted the opposite shoulder. "See you at dawn."

"At dawn," Alec confirmed.

He went to actually walk away this time, but Kyler's voice stopped him. "Actually, Alec, I've got a better idea." Everyone turned to him in confusion. Kyler held out his fist to me and I bumped it with mine before he walked over to Alec to and threw an arm around his shoulders. "I've got something that you can use."

"What?" He and Jace asked at the same time. Everyone looked completely confused at his statement.

"Kyler's hobby is forging weapons," I answered them. I dug into the inside pocket of my leather jacket before tossing a smooth medium sized stone towards Kyler, who caught it easily. "Use this to get there and meet us on the roof of the hotel. I got another one that I can use. And hey, get me one too, please. I don't see my usual weapon in here."

Kyler nodded before tossing the stone out and a portal opened where it landed. "Come on Alec," Kyler said as he led Alec to the portal. "Don't worry I'll explain when we get there."

With that they were gone, and the portal closed, both Jace and Clary turned to me in confusion, and silently asking for an explanation. I shrugged and pulled out another medium sized stone that had a silver swirl marking on it, holding it up for them to see in the dark. "It's a portal stone," I explained. "I know a few warlocks that wanted me to have a better way to travel, so they created these for me even though I barely use them. But it certainly comes in handy when you need to get somewhere quickly."

"And can anyone use them?" Clary asked.

I shook my head. "They made it so only Kyler and I can use them."

"So, Kyler knows the same warlocks?" Jace asked in a frustrated tone.

I looked over to him and smiled a little. "Clary, how about you step to the side, so I can show you how to use the seraph blade," I instructed without looking away from Jace. Slowly, I heard her take a few steps away from me and came to a stop. I stepped closer to Jace and lowered my voice. "You wanted to know more about the secrets I keep. Might as well start small."

He looked at me in slight shock, but slowly a smile came onto his face. I smiled back and turned around to Clary, walking up behind her. I took her hand that the blade was in and began to move her arm in an X movement in the air. "The blade knows that you're a Shadowhunter, but you have to be firm to control it," I told her. "You don't just make it an extension of yourself, but you make it a part of you along with you a part of it. The blade will never dim as long as you hold it."

"Why is that?" Clary whispered in awe as she followed the movement with her eyes. "How does it know who I am?"

"Because you're part angel, Clary," I whispered back. "Like all Shadowhunters." I pushed out the blade and caused a small shockwave that caused Clary to gasp. "Do you understand?"

"Not even a little," she joked, and I only chuckled at her.

"You'll understand eventually," I told her, moving her arm again. "It's something that you understand with your whole being, not just with your mind. It's in your blood."

As I said that, I slowly let go of her hand and let her continue to swing the sword. She thrust the sword forward to create another little shockwave. "Could I even do this without your help?" she wondered.

"You just did," I told her smiling proudly at her.

"But it felt like you were still with me," she whispered as she turned around to look at me. I could see there was a look in her eyes that was a little lost.

I put my hands on her shoulders and made her look into my eyes before answering her. "I will always be here for you," I told her seriously. "We all will be there for you."

Clary smiled and put a hand on my arm. I brought her back over to Jace as he closed the lid to the box, and I went around the grave to help him move the stone back on top. "How do you know they'll come back?" Clary questioned.

"Who?" Jace countered. "Alec and Izzy?"

She nodded. "I know that Kyler wouldn't let Kala do this alone, but I don't really know about the others."

Jace scoffed. "We were raised together. They're basically my brother and sister."

"You know Alec doesn't like me, right?" Clary clarified.

"Alec doesn't like anybody," Jace assured her, and I laughed at that. He smiled a me before he turned back to Clary. "Did you hear what he called me just then? We're Parabatai."

When Clary looked confused, I jumped in. "There's no human bond that compares to the Parabatai bond," I explained. "Kyler and I are also Parabatai. We're bound together for life. Bound to fight together, to protect each other."

"In battle, our hearts beat as one," Jace continued. "If one of us were to die, a part of the other would die inside as well. He'll be here Clary."

"They all will," I confirmed with a nod when she looked at me. "Are you ready to do this?"

Clary looked down at the blade in her hand before looking up at me with a determination in her eyes. "I'm ready."

I smirked at her and nodded. Looking to Jace, I gave him a pleading look. "I need you to get her ready and find something to get to the roof with."

"Wait, are you not coming with us now?" Jace asked in concern.

Clary joined in by putting her hand on my arm. I smiled at both of them. "I'm fine you two and I will be there to help get Simon back, but there's something that I need to do first." Jace gave me a look and I sighed. "Clary, will you go back to the van for a moment so I can speak to Jace?"

"Uh, sure," she hesitated before slowly walking away.

Jace came around the grave to stand in front of me. "What do you need to do that you can't help your sister?"

"One of the warlocks that I know hasn't been answering any of my messages," I explained with a huff. "I'm worried about that because he is a dear friend, but it's also to help Clary get her memories back. But we can't do that if I can't find him. It's not like him to just disappear without telling me."

"Well, who is it?" Jace asked in concern, taking my hand in his. He seemed to be doing that a lot recently. "We can help you find him. You don't have to do this alone."

I smiled softly. "I know that I'm not alone Jace, but I need to try one more thing to find him. If I can't find him with this, then I will tell you and you can help me find him."

"At least tell me who it is," Jace pleaded. "You said to start small."

I chuckled as he threw my words back at me. "It's Magnus Bane."

"As in the High Warlock of Brooklyn? That Magnus Bane?" Jace asked to confirm. I nodded. "How do you know the High Warlock?"

"Jace," I said and then looked towards where Clary stood a distance away, watching us. When I looked back to Jace, he was looking away from Clary as well. "We need to stay focused on the task at hand. I will fill you in when we get done with this."

Jace sighed in frustration as he looked down at our hands. "Yeah, okay."

I squeezed his hand and used my other one on his cheek to make him look at me. "Jace, I promise you that you will learn everything, but it's going to take some time. I don't want to overwhelm you too much."

Jace just looked at me as my thumb stroked his cheek unconsciously. A part of me thought that I was seeing things when he started to lean in. But then his eyes flicked down to my lips. Just when I started to close my eyes and he leaned in more, a throat was cleared from beside us. Slowly, we both turned to see Clary giving us a strange look with her arms crossed.

"We need to go get Simon," she reminded us. "We need to go."

With that, she walked away, and I sighed as we turned to each other. Our faces were close together and I could feel my cheeks heat up. "She's right," I whispered to him. "We need to keep on task. I'll meet you on the roof of the hotel."

Neither of us moved as he nodded. I had to tear myself away from him and walk away towards Clary. I gave her a hug and the keys to the van for them to get around since Jace doesn't do mundane driving. Giving her one more hug and telling her to be careful, I turned to Jace as Clary stepped back to the van. I gave him a tight hug and immediately didn't want to leave his embrace. "Be careful Jace," I whispered to him. "Watch out for her, please."

"I will," he promised. "But you be careful as well. You don't have anyone to watch your back, and we all need you here to keep us level."

I chuckled as I pulled away. "I promise to be careful."

With that, I took out my other portal stone and tossed it into the open air. A portal opened immediately, and I walked towards the light. Glancing behind me, I waved to both Clary and Jace, who were both watching me before walking through the portal.

*Roaring Fire*

NO ONE'S POV

"You want to kill time at a biker bar?" Clary asked Jace as they walked up to a bar called Hardtail. She put her long red hair up into a ponytail as they walked. He had given her directions to the bar, and while they were driving, Clary was trying to keep her questions and protectiveness under control. She trusted Jace, but this was her big sister, and she didn't want her to get hurt. After the last time, she never wanted to see her strong, independent older sister break like that.

"We can't move on the vamps until sunrise," Jace explained to her. "Plus, there's something I need in here."

"What, a drink?" Clary asked incredulously.

"I don't drink," Jace threw back, still slightly upset at her for interrupting him and Kali earlier. Jace had always been into Kali, but never thought that she would be into him. There had always been something that drew him in, a certain mysterious quality to her. Now, he was finally seeing what was in that mysterious shell that she kept up. And he was just about to show her how much he wanted her, but her little sister just had to interrupt them.

Jace examined a certain bike, knowing that it was what he needed. He knew that he had to do some training with Clary, even if he would rather be with Kali. Jace shook his head a little bit. Kali was getting into his head more than before, but she was right with what she said before. He needed to try and stay on track with the task at hand.

"We need to save Simon, not hang around a bunch of posers," Clary complained as she looked around. She heard Jace chuckle as he walked further into he bar. "Jace, it's not funny."

"It's kinda funny," he replied. "You're sister has a motorcycle. Are you saying that she's a poser?"

"Kala could never be a poser," Clary scoffed in annoyance. "And being a Shadowhunter, she's more badass that before. Shouldn't you be teaching me to fight vampires or something?"

Jace stopped walking and sighed quietly. "Do me a favor," he said and pointed towards the other side of the bar. "Look over there. What do you see?"

"A lot of people," Clary answered in a blank voice, wondering what that had to do with anything. "Waitress, people making out."

"Focus on the couple," he instructed, and she narrowed her eyes slightly. "Now, concentrate on seeing through."

"Through?" Clary echoed in confusion, looking over at Jace.

"There are layers to reality," Jace explained. "You can peel them away, like all Shadowhunters. See the Shadow World."

Clary tried to concentrate on seeing through, but it wasn't working. She was really starting to lose her patience with Jace. He kept assuming that she could do things or know things. "Maybe you can."

"Don't just use your mind," Jace instructed. "Use your whole self. Relax into it."

Trying one more time and remembering what her sister said, Clary found her eyesight going blurry. When it cleared, it showed the couple that they were looking at biting each other on the neck. There was blood on both their mouths and necks, and they had giant grins on their faces. "Oh, my God," Clary whispered. "They're vampires."

As she was doing that, Jace was looking around the area and spotted a biker coming down the stairs. He was the one that he wanted as he started to walk towards the bike that he needed. "Check out that guy," he said to get Clary's attention, and she turned to look. "He's got something."

"What? Fleas?" she asked sarcastically.

"Now, now," Jace chastised lightly as they walked towards him. "Bet you can't handle his charm."

"Charm?" Clary echoed as they stopped. "Are you kidding me?"

"You really want to help find Simon?" he asked. He knew that it was a low blow to pull Simon in it, but he needed to get to the bike. "Go on, go compliment him on his motorcycle. They like that."

Clary smirked at him before making her way over to the guy. "Hi," she greeted to get his attention. He looked a little startled that she was speaking to him. "I've been wondering who owns this awesome bike."

Jace watched as the guy, who was a vampire, put Clary under an Encanto. A part of him wanted to be guilty for putting Kali's sister in this position and this kind of danger. But he was also feeling rather vengeful with her interrupting earlier. He was just hoping that Clary wouldn't be sore about him doing this and tell Kali that it was his fault.

*Roaring Fire*

Kalavati POV

When I stepped out of the portal, it was supposed to be Magnus' house that was outside the city. But what I found was a burnt shell. The breath left me, and I just walked into the burnt house in an almost daze. There was a part of me that understood that Magnus could have done this himself to keep the Circle from finding him. It still made me worry about him though.

Magnus had been there nearly my whole life, and I viewed him like an older brother. I had a very strange family. Because my parents weren't married, I had a lot of half-siblings. There was Clary on my mother's side with Jonathan that we lost. Then, on my father's side, I had twelve older half-brothers. Of the twelve, the two oldest were the only ones that actually liked me. I'm sure that the other's cared to some degree, but they never really showed it. Magnus was the only constant besides Clary, my mom and Luke.

I looked around the whole area from the middle of the burnt down house. The sadness of not finding him gave way to anger. Anger that he wouldn't have at least told me that he was going to be gone for a while. Or at least respond to one of my messages. When I found him, I didn't know what I was going to do. Either I was going to hug him or punch him for worrying me. I might do both though.

One way or another, I was going to make sure that no one would get to him. Valentine messed with the wrong people. No one messes with my family.

*Roaring Fire*

NO ONE'S POV

Jace watched as the vampire helped Clary onto the bike and it was then that he knew he needed to step in. He walked up to them while adjusting the gloves on his hands. "Hey," he said to get their attention. The vampire looked over his shoulder at Jace and looked rather annoyed at being interrupted. "You having fun with my girl?"

"Piss off, Shadowhunter," he said immediately.

"Brad's gonna take me for a ride," Clary said in an airy tone.

Jace smirked knowingly and pointed to them. "That's not gonna happen."

"You heard the lady," Brad said, standing straight and getting in Jace's face. "Step aside."

Brad shoved Jace back a few steps and they both chuckled for different reasons. Jace pointed one more time towards the redhead on the bike. "Don't move, Clary."

Brad growled and took a swing at Jace, who used speed to dodge him and disappear. The vampire looked around confused and tried to find him. When he reappeared, Jace stood behind Brad. "Yoo-hoo, Romeo."

The vampire turned around only to meet Jace's fist in his face. As he went down, the keys in his hand went flying and Jace caught them out of the air. Jace smirked that his plan worked, but that fell when he noticed all of the other vampires standing up. "As you were," Jace muttered.

He hopped onto the motorcycle in front of Clary despite her protests and turned the engine over before pealing out of the bar. Clary was squealing from the speed at which they were going. "Why did you let him do that to me?" she shouted above the wind.

"I couldn't exactly dig around in his pockets for the keys," he shouted back.

"What, you were gonna let him turn me into a vampire just to get his keys?" Clary demanded.

"Don't you trust me?" he inquired. He revved the engine again. "Better hold tight, this bike runs on demon energy. It's pretty mean."

"Don't their bikes run on that, too?" Clary asked.

"Why do you think I picked this one?" he shot back. "It's been modified."

"But we still have to find—"

She was cut off by Jace, who practically rolled his eyes at her insistence. "Simon. Yes, we'll find your Mundie. You got a good grip?"

"You keep asking me that!" Clary shouted in frustration only to squeal again as Jace pulled the motorcycle into the air.

They eventually landed on the roof of the Hotel DuMort and after they got off the bike, Jace took out his stele. He motioned Clary closer and then began to put a rune into her left collarbone. She was hissing and wincing in pain but didn't move otherwise. "What that vamp did to you back at the bar, it's called Encanto," he explained. "It's kind of like what a cobra does to a mouse right before it strikes. This will keep you safe just in case you run into Mr. Fascinating again." He finished with the rune and went to grab her arm for another rune. "Give me your arm."

"I'm never gonna live that down, am I?" Clary groaned.

"Probably not," Jace smirked at her. "No."

Clary then hissed in pain. "Ow! What is that?"

"This is for silence," he answered. "The vamps won't hear us coming, but we can't disguise the scent of our blood from them." He finished the rune and put down her arm. "Once we enter the building through there, they'll know something's up. But if our plan works, we'll have time to find Simon."

"What about Kala and Kyler?" Clary asked in worry as she looked around.

"They'll be here before dawn," Jace reassured her. "Believe me, they wouldn't miss this or let us do this alone." He began to walk towards the stairwell entrance with Clary following behind. "The mundane world is all into vampires. I don't get it. They see everyone else as an animated sack of meat."

"Yeah, I certainly don't see the romance," Clary agreed almost bitterly.

"That's 'cause now you know it's all real," Jace told her. "Still, you gotta hand it to them, though. They know how to frame a narrative."

"How will we find Simon?" Clary asked still worried about her best friend.

"He'll be in the most secure room in the building," Jace answered with a silent sigh. "Trust me, we'll know it when we see it."

"What if they do an Encanto on him?" Clary questioned. "Will he turn into a vampire?"

"No, you have to drink vampire blood for that," Jace frowned as they went down the stairs to the door. "Even then, there's more to it. It's an overly involved process, if you ask me."

"But I don't get it," Clary said in frustration. "What if a vampire bites him? That's in all the books and movies."

"They won't drain him right away," Jace tried to reassure her, her questioning starting to get to him. "Vampires are real gourmets. If you want to know everything, your sister would be able tell you more about it."

"Kala? Why her?" Clary shot back with furrowed brow.

Jace looked at her in slight confusion. "Your sister is an ambassador for the Clave," he said to her shock. "She's mainly an ambassador to the Dragons, but she had to learn about the Accords and the Downworld in order to become one in general. She didn't tell you?"

"We didn't go over it," Clary muttered. "We went over a lot of things, but she said that we would have more time later, and then Simon was kidnapped, so we haven't had the time." She then sighed, thinking of Simon again. "He'll be terrified."

Jace rolled his eyes discreetly. He was really getting annoyed with how many times she would bring up the Mundie. "Actually, he'll feel kind of high, kind of like he's in love."

"With the one who bit him?" Clary asked in shock. When Jace confirmed it, she looked down if more worry than before. "That's awful."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Jace wondered.

"Falling for someone just because they bit you," Clary defined in a slight panic. "That's not love. That's just wrong."

Jace looked to be considering her words. "I guess I didn't look at it like that," he muttered.

Clary looked at him in suspicion. "You've never been bitten?"

Jace shook his head. "No, never."

"You're in love though," she realized as she narrowed her eyes at him. "You're in love with my sister."

Jace looked startled at her statement and tried to deny it, but then noticed her look. "What's that got to do with anything? And what's your interest in that? Kali can handle herself."

"She's had her heart broken before, Jace," she informed him, to his shock. "You didn't see how broken she acted. She was miserable for a month before we were able to snap her out of it, but it look almost a year before she was back to normal. I don't want to see that again. I won't let her go through that again. If you really care about her, you need to be sure of it and not play with her emotions."

As she spoke, Jace remembered when Kalavati had just disappeared for a month and then she didn't act like herself for the next year. Now, it all made sense. Where she went and why she was so down. It was during that period of her slowly coming back that Jace had realized that he had feelings for Kalavati. During that period, he was making sure he was around her almost the whole time. He was always trying to find ways to get her to laugh or smile again, the things that he loved that she did. Jace stepped up and got into Clary's face. "You aren't the only one that hated to see her like that," he whispered to her. "I would never purposely do anything to repeat that."

Clary stared into his eyes and saw his sincerity. She nodded. "Good."

Jace stepped back and decided to change the subject. "What's the deal with you and that guy, anyway? He seems kinda…"

"Be careful," Clary warned.

"Unworthy of you?" he tried. "How's that?"

"You really think you have it all figured out?" Clary asked in a certain tone.

"I do," Jace smirked at her in confidence.

"You don't even understand friendship," Clary shot at him.

"Really?" Jace raised his eyebrows.

"You have a Parabatai, right?" Clary inquired.

Jace was getting angry at this point and stepped into Clary's space again. "Alec would die for me," he growled.

"Now you understand me and Simon," Clary pointed out.

Jace stepped back in slight understanding, shocked that she would turn that around. He was glad that she was this determined. She would need it.

It was at that moment that two portals opened on the roof. One opened on the lower level with them and another on the upper level. Kalavati walked out of the lower one, while Kyler walked out of the top one. Kalavati leaned down to pick up the portal stone after the portal closed. She smiled at the two of them and walked up to them as Kyler jumped down to their level. Kalavati notice the two new runes on Clary's collarbone and arm.

Raising an eyebrow, she turned to Jace. "Was there a reason to put a protection rune on my little sister?"

Jace shrugged. "We don't need her to be put under an Encanto, do we?"

Kalavati narrowed her eyes slightly. "I feel as if there's more to the story, but we can discuss that later." She then turned to Clary. "Do you remember how to use the blade? Keep your arms steady and don't overestimate what you know. The vampires can be tricky, but we'll keep them off of you as much as we can. However, you need to be prepared to fight, okay?"

Clary nodded to her before looking towards Kyler. "Where are Alec and Isabelle?"

"Being distracting," Kyler replied with a broad smile.

*Roaring Fire*

The four of them made their way into he building as soon as the sun came up. Jace was in front with Kalavati and Clary was behind her while Kyler took up the back. They stopped at the corner and Clary said that she heard something. Jace took out his blade as Kalavati brought out double ended blade. Clary looked surprised when two blades lit up from either side of the handle. Looking around the corner, they saw vampires moving at their top speeds, going down to the bottom.

It had been decided that Jace and Kalavati would go one way to find Simon, while Kyler would go the other with Clary. Kalavati took Clary's hand before she left. "Be careful," she whispered. "Remember what I've said and listen to Kyler, okay?" Clary nodded and squeezed her hand before following behind Kyler and Kalavati followed behind Jace.

They went through a few rooms and killed a few vampires as they went but found nothing. Kalavati was finishing off two vampires that had attacked them, when she froze as their ashes fell to the floor. 'Kali!' Kyler's voice sounded in her head.

'Coming!' she relied before grabbing Jace's arm and pulling him behind her. Jace quickly started running with her and they met up with Alec and Isabelle along the way.

Entering the room, they found a Kyler on the floor, wrestling several vampires and another holding onto Clary. He turned her around and held a hand to her throat. Alec stepped forward with an arrow drawn back. He smirked at the vampire. "Okay."

Adjusting his aim, he shot his arrow and blew a hole in the wall, letting in the sunlight. It made the vampire let go of Clary before he burst into flames and disintegrated. Clary went to get her blade from the floor and went after one of the vampires that Kyler was fighting. She stabbed one before it got to her and then another one as it came after her. Kyler quickly killed the other two that he had been wrestling with.

Everyone stood back while Clary tried to wrap her head around what just happened. She looked over at Kyler as Kalavati walked up next to him. "I killed them," she said, catching her breath.

"They were already dead though," Kyler joked with her which made her crack a small smile.

"Plus, they wanted to kill you," Isabelle said as she stepped up next to Kalavati. "Remember that." A grin then spread across her face as she turned to Kalavati and Kyler. "She did great, right?"

"Yeah, you did," Kalavati agreed with a smile towards Clary. "I'm proud of you Clary. You should be proud of yourself."

"Thanks," she said as she looked down at the blade. Looking up, they could all see the determination in her eyes. "But this isn't about me. Let's go find Simon."

They agreed and all stuck together as they moved through the hotel. They entered the main top room in the hotel and found Raphael holding a knife to Simon's neck. "Simon!" Clary exclaimed when she saw him.

Clary went to went to run to him, but Kalavati grabbed her arm to keep her from getting ahead of her. Kalavati pulled Clary behind her to keep her from making the situation worse. "It's not going to do any good to run at him."

"Listen to her, Clary Fairchild," Raphael growled at him. "Put it away." When no one moved, he made a show of holding the knife closer to his neck. "I've had more that enough of your friend for one day. I'd love to cut his throat. Don't give me a reason. Put it away!"

Everyone put their weapons away and Raphael lowered the knife a little. "Simon," Clary called. "Simon, are you all right?"

When Simon went to speak, Raphael pressed the knife closer again a shouted at him to be quiet. "Killing him is just going to put you in worse trouble Raphael," Kalavati told him. The group looked at her in surprise, but she didn't take her eyes off of the vampire in front of her. "I know that you don't want to kill anyone, just let him go."

Raphael started at her for a moment before showing his fangs. "Don't give me a reason to do it then. Now, if you would all just follow me." Again no one moved and then he started to shout at them while moving backwards. "Let's go!"

Raphael kept threatening to kill Simon as they all followed him down the hallway to the stairway that led to the roof. He had them all go past them and walk backwards toward the door. It was Alec, then Isabelle, Kyler and Kalavati, and then Jace with Clary. Clary tried one more time to get through Raphael. "Look, we're not gonna hurt you," she said. "We just want Simon."

"I'm glad you do," he growled. "We don't! We wanted you."

Jace had to hold her back when she went to lunge at him. "Well, here I am," she growled.

"I said wanted," Raphael growled. "Not my idea. Now, get out! Go!"

Alec had reached the door, but stopped there because it could hurt the vampire. "Not without Simon," Clary demanded.

"Shut up!" Raphael shouted. "Open that door right now or I'll kill him right here."

"Listen to him!" Jace shouted at Alec. Clary tried to protest but Alec had opened the door already. Raphael jumped behind some pipes but kept his hold on Simon. Jace passed Clary to Kalavati, who gave her to Kyler. Kyler got her outside and followed to keep her outside. Alec and Isabelle followed after them.

Kalavati turned to Raphael and Simon with Jace next to her. "Give him over Raphael," she demanded and Jace looked at her surprised. "We both know that you're not gonna kill him. You would have done so already."

"Go!" he shoved Simon towards them. "Take him! Go!"

Simon went halfway up the stairs before turning around and looking a Raphael. "I don't know how to thank you."

Kalavati reached out and grabbed the back of his jacket, pulling him to her. "Don't bother," she growled. "I don't think he did it for you."

"This is about Valentine and the chaos he can bring," Raphael confirmed as she shoved Simon outside. Kalavati went to follow but stopped when Raphael called out to her. "Kalavati! Jace Wayland!" They both looked at him in confusion. "Remember who your friends are." With that, they both went outside and Jace slamming the door behind him.

Outside, it was silent as everyone caught their breath. "Shouldn't we get the hell out of here?" Simon panicked.

"Why, Simon?" Jace inquired sarcastically.

"They're right downstairs," Simon argued.

"Let them come after us," Jace said, waving his arms. "They'll just turn into a bunch of fried eggs out here. I thought you said you watched movies."

Jace, Alec and Isabelle all went up to the upper level while Kyler pulled Kalavati further away from the reuniting Clary and Simon. "We need to talk," Kyler demanded.

"About what Kyler?" Kalavati sighed.

"About you giving up information about us to the others," Kyler hissed in a quiet voice. "We have survived by keeping our heads down and keeping these secrets, but now you want to just tell them everything?"

Kalavati glanced between her sister and Simon, the three siblings and Kyler. "When I saw my sister in the Institute, I realized that I can't keep my worlds separate anymore." Kyler sighed and opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off. "There was a weight that lifted when the others found out about Clary. I don't want to keep hiding. Neither of us have ever been allowed to be our true selves. When we're at the Institute, we have to be the loyal Shadowhunters, but keep our heads down. With the Dragons, we have to be the loyal children, but keep our heads down. When we're with my family, we both have to hide everything that makes us who we are."

Kyler's eyes soften as she spoke. "I'm tired, Ky," she sighed. "I'm so tired of hiding everything that I am. If they reject us, then at least I don't have to hide who I am anymore." He looked down at his feet a moment before looking back into her dark blue eyes. "We don't have to say it all at once, but we can't keep these secrets anymore."

"Alec, stop!" Jace shouted and everyone turned to him and Alec. "Just stop."

Alec walked away and Jace looked rather hurt by that. Jace made eye contact with Kalavati and they both held the gaze. Kyler putting his hand on her shoulder made her break the contact and turn to him. "I understand where you're coming from," he said. "But we need to make sure that we both agree with what we tell them."

"I agree with you Kyler," she replied with a small smile. "But I have a feeling that they're going to find out everything sooner than we think."