Outside The Institute
Elizabeth POV

"Clary. Clary, come on. We gotta go."

"Simon, I think Elizabeth can help us." My name rolled off her lips gracefully

"What?" Simon looked at Clary with a funny face.

"Come on." Clary urged Simon to come with her.

"How do we know this Mick Jagger-looking guy and the girl who's looking at me like she's gonna kill me are even gonna try-"

"Mundane, we do not have the time.Hurry up or I'd really act upon my instincts and kill you right now." I snapped.

"Come on, Simon. Let's go." Clary called out for him softly.

Jace, Clary, Simon and I go into the institute. For a mundane it looked dark and abandoned. I drew a rune. Simon glanced at what I was doing and looked frightened.

"I know. Trust me." Clary rubbed his shoulder comfortingly.

"She's, like, burning himself."

I took Simon's hand in mine forcefully.

"Miss what's going on? I don't think I'm your type, I don't even know how to talk to hot chi-"

"No you aren't my type, shut up!" Now Simon was able to see the Institute and he started rambling.

"Where are we? What the hell? Clary, is there a war going on that I don't know about?"

"There is now." Jace said and went into the ops centre.

"I think my mother's at the center of it." Clary added and let out a big sigh.

"You coming?" Jace addressed Simon.

"Yeah. What is this place? There's a lot of gear in here. What'd they do, rob a tech shop? So these cold-blooded killers are gonna help us?"

"She's not a killer. They're protecting us."

"Specifically, you. It's sort of our thing." I said with a eye roll to Simon.

"Your thing? You guys have a thing?"

"She means a Shadowhunter thing. That's what they do, protecting humans from demons." Clary tells him before I can snap at him.

"Yeah right I'm sure that's what Liz meant" Jace decides to be a sassy bitch.

"Demons, right. That makes perfect sense, 'cause there are demons running all around New York." Simon tapped his fingers on his thighs.

"That is the first correct thing you've said all day." I give him my best plastic smile and poke his cheek with my finger.

Jace did some things on the computer touch screen in the ops centre. A camera shows policemen in front of the church.There were NYPD officers near the entrance.

"Won't they find us?" Clary hesitated, taking a step towards the screen to have a closer look at the screens.

"No. Our wards will deter them." I reassured her.

OFFICER: [on camera] Police.

"And the NYPD will do their typical mundie thing for a few hours and then the area will be clear."

"What is going on? Why is there a mundane in the Institute?" Alec spat.

"A Circle member followed him to get to Clary." I informed him, using my professional tone.

"A Circle rune, just like the guys that took my mother."

"What exactly is a Circle member and why are they trying to kill us?"

"All we know is... a long time ago the Circle led a revolt. A lot of Shadowhunters got killed... including my father." Jace tells her somberly. I give him a side hug.

"And since the revolt we've been forbidden to even hear about the Circle."

"But, how's that even possible? It's your history." Clary raises her eyebrow.

"Says the girl who didn't know she was a Shadowhunter?" I smirk at her.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. And now the only person who knows the truth is missing, so I don't care about your rules or what's forbidden, I'm... There's gotta be someone out there who can tell us why they've taken my mother." She whispers.

"There is. You coming?" I hold out my hand for her to take. When our fingers touch, I feel sparks emitting in my stomach and I flinch at the sudden contact. She retracts her hand from mine slowly and follows me to the training room. I can still feel her feathery touch on my fingers.

"Yeah. Lead the way"

"No, no, no. Not you." I put out my hand on Simon's chest pushing him back a little.

"Hey, we're a package deal." Clary stands beside him with her arms crossed against her chest.

"Yeah." he smirks at me.

"There are runes all over the training room floor that would kill your mundie boyfriend." I purse my lips and shrug.

"He's not my-"

"I'm not, like- We're, uh, just friends." Simon says with flushed cheeks.

"Best friends." Clary adds. Ouch Simon, that must've hurt.

"Yeah, and I'm tough. I can handle runes. So, uh, bring on the runes. What exactly are runes?"

"They give Shadowhunters our demon-fighting powers."

Izzy activates the angelic rune with her stele.

"So hot." he looks at her with googly eyes.

Jace clears his throat to break Simon
out of his trance.

"The rune." Simon points at gulps nervously.

"Don't worry, Clary. I'll watch over the best friend. In fact, I was about to make breakfast." Izzy takes Simon b his hand, looping it in hers.

"I wouldn't miss you Mundie." I smile a wave at Simon.

"On second thought, the runes might be less lethal." Jace smirks.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Please excuse my brother's lack of manners. This is Alec...I see you have already met my twin Liz... and I'm Isabelle." she holds out her hand for Simon to kiss. He takes it his hand and shakes it.

"Lewis. Simon, Simon Lewis." Izzy and Simon shake hands "Two first names. Am I still talking?" Izzy laughs at his behavior while I roll my eyes.

"See? Best friend's safe and sound here." I point towards Simon.

"Elizabeth, if anything happens to him..."

"Go on, I'll be fine. I think." Simon says, still looking at my sister.

"Where are we going?" Clary turns to face me.

"Training room." I tilt my head towards the said room. "Hey, uh...Simon, don't eat the food. Dangerous."

"Elizabeth, coming?

"Yeah, I'm coming. Friends call me Liz you know? You can call me anything you want. I mean if you want. You know because my name is a little too big. You don't have to if y- "

"Elly stop. you're rambling." I give her a small smile.

"So does that mean that I upgraded from 'dangerous mundane' to 'friend'?" she teases.

"Possibly." We walk towards the training room. "And for the record, i don't think you would hurt a fly. You're too caring and compassionate."

"Thanks, I guess." She tucks a piece of hair that escaped her luscious locks behind her ear, trying to mask her red cheeks.

THE INSTITUTE
3rd Person POV

Clary and Liz are watching a duel between a blonde Shadowhunter who looks like he is in his mid 40s and a woman.

"Who is that guy?" Clary points towards the blonde Shadowhunter.

"That's Hodge Starkweather, our weapons trainer. And, more important for us, a former Circle member. After the uprising, Hodge repented and he was sent to live and work here to make amends. But he's forbidden to ever leave the Institute."

By the time Liz explains this to Clary, the duel is over. Liz and Clary go towards Hodge.

"Jocelyn." Hodge says looking at Clary.

"Uh, I'm Clary. Uh, Jocelyn Fray is my mother." she smiles politely at the older Shadowhunter.

"Well, she was Jocelyn Fairchild when I knew her. And she was one of my best friends."

"She's been kidnapped... by someone named Valentine and his men." Liz tenses up at the name.

"By the Circle, Hodge." Liz taps her feet nervously.

"But that's impossible. Valentine's dead and the Circle died with him." He pulls his brows together.

The Circle mark on the base of Hodge's neck starts burning.

"What is happening?" Clary looks at Liz.

"I swore a vow never to speak of what we did. This is the Clave's way of making sure I keep that vow."

"We can't torture him, Elly. Is there anyone else we can ask?" Liz shakes her head in denial.

"If the Circle really is back... and they've taken Jocelyn... Our leader... our leader of the Circle was Valentine Morgenstern-We thought he wanted to protect humans, like all Shadowhunters. But we never realized the lengths which Valentine was willing to go... the people he was willing to sacrifice. Most of humanity would die if we carried out Valentine's plan." Both girls flinch as the rune keeps burning Hodge. Clary grabs Liz's hand tightly in her own, worried for the weapons trainer.

"But I... I still don't understand. How does my mother relate to any of this?"

"Jocelyn was a member of the Circle as well."

"No. I can't believe it. My mother, she-" Liz squeezes her hand lightly which is still clasped in Clary's.

"The important thing is that Jocelyn left the Circle. And so none of this even matters, because Valentine died in a fire years ago."

Hodge's circle mark is searing and it really hurts Hodge. He falls down on the training room ground.

"Hodge. Hodge" Liz crouched down to Hodge's level and rubbed his back comfortingly.

"I'm sorry, but we can't ask you to do this." Clary said, guilt creeping inside her.

"Clary, we don't have a choice." Liz turns to look at Hodge."You understand that, Hodge, right?"

"Liz... is right. Valentine nearly destroyed the Shadow World and humanity along with it. If he'd gotten the Cup-"

"Wait a minute. My mother told me she hid something from someone. If it's this Cup-"

"Clare, the Mortal Cup is the most important object in the Shadow World. Whoever possesses it can create more Shadowhunters." Liz looks at Clary with a serious expression.

"And in the wrong hands... control demons. If Jocelyn hid the Cup from Valentine, then she's in more danger than you can possibly imagine." Hodge tells the Shadowhunter girls.

The circle starts burning and Hodge falls onto the ground yet again.

"Hodge."

"I hate to make you suffer like this." Clary looks like she's on the verge of tears.

"I'm so sorry. Your mother was only trying to protect you. And now you must protect her. Stop Valentine... before he destroys us all."

Clary walks away taking huge strides, crying quietly and Lizzy follows her.

"Clary, but... Clary, look, will you just calm down?" Liz tries to catch up to Clary's pace.

"Calm down? Really, calm down? Okay, Liz, you might be some kind of emotionless G.I. Joe, but-"

"What is a G.I. Joe?" Liz furrows her eyebrows.

"A soldier who doesn't understand human emotions, who doesn't know what it's like to lose someone, to lose your own mother."

"You're right. My mother expects me to be the best. I'm always overlooked. And we have little to no attachment, so it's like I don't even know her."

"I didn't know." she looks guilty.

"That's precisely my point. You don't know anything about this. You don't know about me, you don't know about my life... but in the Shadow World, no training and no plan gets you killed. My job is training new, junior Shadowhunters. I think I can check my schedule and squeeze you in somewhere. You need a plan Clare"

"Okay, so we know that Valentine is back and wants the Cup, and for some reason he thinks my mother has it."

"Could she? Have the Cup?"

"I don't know."

"Look, Clary, you know about runes. You've drawn them. You... you know something. Think, please."

"I've tried, Elly, okay? It's just this empty blackness." Clary snaps.

"Your memory's been wiped." Liz's eyes widen with realisation.

"That's not possible. Is it?"

"Absolutely... if you know a warlock."

"A warlock?"

"Yeah, a warlock, Clary. Immortal beings, they're half-demon, half-human. Sometimes their fingers spark."

"Dot, my mom's assistant, her hands had this purple glow when she opened the wall, and my mom pushed me through and I ended up at the police station."

"That was a Portal. Dot must have been a warlock. Only warlocks can create them."

"Wait, so you're saying if we find the real Dot, she could help us find the Cup and get my mom back?" Clary's eyes light up with hope.

"Unless she's working for Valentine."

"Even better. She'll lead us right to him." Clary walks away, back into the ops centre. "Where's Simon?"