Chapter Two     ✷     METH DEALERS ARE INTO BIOLOGY NOW?

Sweat trickled down Roman's forehead as his eyes were screwed shut, murmurs and pleas spilling from his mouth like a prayer. Images flashed painfully in his mind like bursting lightbulbs. They circled him in a never-ending nightmare. 

He saw flashes of a golden chalice that oozed an aura of seraphic lustre but before he could even graze it, it was snatched and thrusted high into the air. His eyes widened in horror as grotesque demons emerged from the dark abyss. As Roman recoils in fear, a chilling voice stops his heart like the last hit of a drum. I'll find you, Romulus. We'll be reunited soon, your fate is calling to you. The familiarity that danced in that unknown voice made him want to cry. He could somehow feel the malice and the gentleness in it all at the same time. Then, a sudden shift to warmth, sunlight kissing his skin. A woman, with gentle features and hair cascading around her like a living inferno. A baby girl cradled in her arms and a young boy at her feet, both carrying the same fiery hair and another boy with pale moonlight hair clutching onto the woman's dress. The boy looked directly at him and his breath hitched at the sight of familiar eyes, emerald and gold. He felt his own eyes glaze with tears as the woman looked at him, curiosity bubbling in her green eyes. Suddenly the scene shifted and those green eyes were now cold, vacant of life. Protests spilled from his lips as the scene ripped away from him, slipping through his fingers like sand as the nightmare disappeared. No. No, she can't be, she can't be gone from him again. Where did she go? Where did the babies go? Someone look for the baby, it's all alone.

It was dark now but he could feel the glow of light on his closed eyelids, illuminated silhouettes moving in a haze. He slowly opened them, immediately flinching at the harsh fluorescents. He felt like his vision was being impaled in sharp bouts, the pain travelling to his brain. He blinked slowly, clenching and unclenching his fingers to drive feeling back into his limbs. He was met with the sight of a gorgeous mural, portrayed with soft and tranquil hues inspired by the Rocco style. Cherubs perched on soft wisps of cotton candy clouds as they peered down. It was one of Roman's favorite parts about the Institute and judging by the hard mattress he felt against his body, he was in the Infirmary. 

Painfully he tried sitting up, groaning at the dull ache on his shoulder. He glanced at the flesh, glad to see the wound closed and replaced with a fading rune. Roman also noted that he was changed into a black tank top, figuring his ruined shirt had been burned for precaution. He ignored the tug at his heartstrings as he thought of his beloved shirt, it was one of his favorites. He also ignored the remnants of his painful nightmare but the trembling of his hands never left. 

"You're awake!" A relieved voice called out as he turned towards the source, seeing Isabelle bound down the entrance, her heels echoing through the huge room. She was carrying a ceramic pitcher and two cups in her hand that she placed on the nightstand beside his bed. "I got you some tea." 

Roman froze, a feeling that he could only describe as impending doom settling his gut as he watched Isabelle pour steaming liquid into the cup. "You made me tea." He uttered, the gratitude quivering in his tone. Is it too late to pretend to fall back asleep? 

"Well, I didn't. Hodge did. He said to give it to you both when you woke up." 

The man's immense relief of knowing that his tutor was the one who made this and not Isabelle clouded his brain as he failed to pick up her saying, both. Roman accepted the cup with a thank you, the rich liquid coating his mouth with a buttery aftertaste as he chugged it. Hodge's tisanes were a lifesaver. 

The raven-haired girl furrowed her eyebrows as she noticed the slight tremor in Roman's hands and the light sheen covering his body. His complexion had a ghostly pale appearance too. He looked sicker than earlier. "Are you okay?" She asked as she put the back of her hand against his forehead, not feeling any warmth but clamminess. 

"Yeah, of course I am." He replied, feeling a discomfort in him at the sight of her concern. 

"You don't look okay."

"You know how it is, Iz. After effects of demon attacks and whatnot." He brushed it off, placing the cup back on the nightstand and not meeting her eyes. Her frown only deepened at his words. Roman had been a part of Isabelle's life from the beginning but they used to move on parallel paths, rarely ever intersecting. 

She used to believe her parents about him but she couldn't see the prophecy written for him by the adults as she grew up. Not when he was such a gifted boy with the saddest eyes she had ever seen. Even in that stark distance between him and the Lightwoods when they were children, he was always kind to her. And he still continues to be kind and Isabelle still can't help but try to make him her friend. She likes to think that she succeeded.

But Roman was still distant. He would complain about how his body was failing him again with another cold or how he ran out of white paint for the third time that month but it was just little details she knew about him. There was still so much that Isabelle didn't know about him. Like why his enchanting eyes are filled with such anguish, almost always present when he wakes up. She wonders what haunts him that much. 

However, she pushes it aside, knowing that he won't budge. Instead, her face lit up as she stared at him with wide eyes. That only means one thing, Isabelle has information to share with him. Interesting information. "So much happened while you were passed out." Life travelled back into his body, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. Now, Roman wasn't a nosy man. People's business is their own business. But he also couldn't deny that it was fun to learn about others' business. 

"Jace brought back that mundane from the Pandemonium. Here. In the Institute." When Roman says he likes the occasional gossip, he means stuff like when there were rumors that renowned bachelor of Idris, Connell Hightower apparently has fathered illegitimate children that he never provided any support for. Roman still remembers the fire that started especially cause the rumors came out when Hightower was engaged to someone else. What Roman doesn't like is that blond dumbass breaking the rules. Again.

"Jace did what?!" He exclaimed, his voice reverberating through the Infirmary. "He brought a mundane? Mundanes aren't allowed in the Institute." 

Isabelle stared at him pensively. "He said a Ravener attacked her at her house. So he brought her back." She gestured towards one of the beds, drawing Roman's attention to the figure occupying it. He didn't even notice her. 

"Is she dead?"  

"No, but she isn't showing any signs of waking up yet. We all think she'll die in her sleep." She replied in an equally dry tone as they eyed the unmoving red lump under the white sheets.

"Fun." The man responded, getting up from the bed with a groan as he stretched his tired limbs. He sauntered over to the unconscious girl, Isabelle following in tow. "Do we know anything about her?" 

"Jace said her name's Clary Fray." She replied, gracefully sitting down on the mattress beside her. Roman observed Clary with a frown. She was mumbling incoherent things, clutching the purple necklace around her neck in her tight fist.

"She looks awfully normal for someone with demon poison in her veins." He noted. He expected to see the streams of translucent blue veins crawling up her skin, carrying poisoned blood toward her heart but she looked fairly fine. There was a pallid hue present that drained out all the color from her cheeks but she should've been more miserable. "She looks too healthy."

Isabelle only raised an eyebrow at him, staring at him with a mix of confusion and amusement. "She's healing well?" She offered as the man kept staring at the redhead with a tense look. 

"Too well." 

"She's still knocked out."

"Yeah, but shouldn't there have been more reactions." He said, waving his fingers with a flourish. The girl responded with a chuckle but she couldn't deny the feeling in her gut. From what she could see, the mundane was healing fast. Roman was right. Too fast. 

She looked back at the unconscious girl, curiosity bubbling within her. Clary was cute, for a mundane but nothing too special. She leaned forward, moving some of her fiery hair out of her face. Isabelle couldn't help still, noticing the fading mark located on the unconscious girl's neck. 

"What?" Roman inquired noticing how the raven-haired girl was frozen. He watched as she gulped loudly before turning to him with an apprehensive look. She said nothing but removed more of Clary's hair, exposing her neck. His eyes widened as he saw the mendelin rune traced on her flesh. 

"Guess we have our answer." Isabelle said, her voice tight. Roman didn't reply to her, instead, he began marching towards the entrance of the Infirmary.

"Jace!" He bellowed out and he was pretty sure he could be heard from the entire Institute. "Jace Wayland! I swear to the fucking Angel I will kill you." 

"Hey, watch the language." The raven-haired girl reprimanded as he shot her a brief apologetic look. Luckily for him, Jace was already approaching the Infirmary when he heard the call of his name. He came to a stop at the sound of Roman's voice and the sheer anger lacing it, cursing silently. Alec was already mad at him and with Roman in the mix, it wasn't gonna be a good time. Is it too late to turn back now?

Jace glanced back, figuring if he tip-toed away, Roman wouldn't notice him. He was about to move away from the entrance before he was stopped again. 

"I can see your haystack, Wayland." The boy in question, immediately began striding inside the Infirmary, the insult feeling greater than the unease crawling down his spine.

"Hey, your hair is fried to death! You have no room to talk."

Roman only stared with an unimpressed look and Jace was reminded again of what he'd done. His agitated look melted into one of worry as he stared at the brunette. 

"Hey?" He offered lamely, immediately regretting it when he saw Roman's eye twitch.

"What is wrong with you?!"

"Hmm, nothing. I'm perfect actually. Quiet rare, I know." He replied, trying to avoid the accusation entirely.

The man turned to Izzy in disbelief who was watching the scene silently. She knew that only the higher entity could save the Wayland boy's demise now. "Oh my God. Is he serious?" He questioned her before turning back to the blond. "Are you actually serious? Jace, I'm literally going to kill you. She can turn into a Forsaken—"

"She's fine." He pointed out, gesturing towards the redhead. "She's not gone insane and trying to kill us, so that's pretty good."

"For now! It hasn't even been that long." Roman shouted. "After a while, she'll start going angry and insane and then we'll have to kill her. And then, we'll kill you."

"She's not a—"

"Even then, forget the Forsaken. These are Covenant Marks. They can kill mundanes." 

The blond sighed deeply, closing his eyes in frustration. Before he could reply, a smack was heard followed by an, ow, from Izzy. They turned towards the sound, seeing the previously unconscious mundane sitting up, inches away from the Lightwood girl's face. 

"Wait, I don't know who you—" The redhead babbled, panicking at the sight of the unknown people surrounding her. Roman couldn't help but still. The curve of her dotted cheekbones and vibrant red curls that framed her face like a fiery halo, was oddly reminiscent—it was as though he had seen them somewhere before, in a dream or a faded photograph. But it was her eyes that made his heart squeeze. It was the same shade of green that had been haunting him, now gazing at all of them, laced with fear. 

"I'm Isabelle." The raven-haired girl introduced herself with a smile before gesturing towards the man. "That's Roman." He didn't respond, keeping his gaze on her. His brain felt like it was being clawed.

"I've never seen Jace so curious about a mundane... or distracted. Like you saw earlier, distractions are dangerous in our line of work." Izzy's statement broke Roman out of his trance as he shot the blond a dirty look. If all this is because Jace had a silly crush...

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Clary stuttered, looking around the unknown place. "Who's Jace?"

"You really don't know much, do you?"

"All I know is some psychos took my mother, and now you people have taken me."

"And by 'taken' I assume you mean 'saved your life'?" Isabelle corrected while Roman looked at the redhead in question. "Wait, did your mom get attacked by the Ravener too?" He asked her, crossing his arms. 

Her expression grew troubled, clearly lost about what he was referring to. "The demon that attacked you. It was a Ravener demon." He clarified. "Did it attack your mom too?"

"No—" She replied before scrunching her face. "At least I don't think so. She told me that she pissed some people off and that they're coming for her. Later, I—I tried looking for her in my house but she was missing. That's when I saw that demon thing."

"Who's your mom? I can try searching for her through the database." He suggested, having a feeling that if her mom was a mundane, something really bad might have already happened to her. 

"Jocelyn Fray." She replied and Roman's heart cracked a bit. Jocelyn, he hadn't heard that name in a long time. Her name keeps stubbornly echoing in his mind like a whisper travelling with the wind. Only at his earnest requests did Hodge ever talk about her, allowing Roman to learn more about her in hushed conversations. All that Alec, Izzy and Jace were allowed to know was that his father was Valentine. That was unfortunately inevitable. They didn't even know that Roman used to be a brother. It was a decree for him to not mention anything about his family. He brushed it off, assuming it was just a common motherly name.

"I have no idea what's going on but," Clary let out a shaky sigh. "I just wanna find my mom. All I care about is finding my mom." She took a deep breath, steadying herself. "Please, help me find her."

It was Roman's duty as a Shadowhunter to help mundanes in need but he didn't wanna offer her any false hope. Clary was staring at him, eyes pleading with him for assistance, her vulnerability palpable in the air.

He met her gaze, his expression a mix of determination and uncertainty. "I'll do what I can in my power." he assured her, his voice tinged with resolve. "But I can't promise you anything. This world is vast and unpredictable, so things can get tricky. But I'll see what I can do."

"A mundane shouldn't even be here." Alec announced, striding into the room with a stern look etched on his face. His gaze swept over Roman, searching for any lingering signs of harm. 

Jace rolled his eyes at hearing the same thing over and over again. "She's not a mundane, Alec." 

"How do you know that?" He accused, glaring at his parabatai. 

"Because the seraph blade lit up when she touched it." Jace replied, his voice raising octaves. Well, that was brand new information. Roman raised an eyebrow as the blond boy handed him a sketchbook. "She even knows about runes."

He grabbed what he assumed was the redhead's sketchbook, browsing through the sketches as his eyes analyzed the images captured in graphite and ink. Fruit baskets and flower vases were sketched out in delicate lines along with jagged cliffs and turbulent shores covering the pages. He gently traced the renditions of people engaging in mundane activities, snapshots of daily life captured beautifully.

His finger stilled on one of the figures, surprised to see a man with the enkeli drawn on his chest. The rune for Angelic Power. Roman flipped rapidly through the pages, his eyes widening when he saw different runes scattered between her sketches. He noted that amongst all the runes, the enkeli was the most prevalent. She even drew demons with twisted forms and sinister visages, the sights fairly identical to the actual creatures. 

"Look, Isabelle, can you..." The blond hinted as the girl got the message, rising from her seat. He took her place, facing the redhead. "I'm Jace Wayland."

"I'm, uh—"

"Clary Fray." He finished for her. "We know who you are." 

That's definitely a normal thing to say, Roman thought, eyeing the previously alleged mundane as he set her sketchbook down. 

"Am I the only one who finds this unusual?" Alec voiced, expecting agreements from the rest.

Jace sighed. "You find everything unusual, Alec." 

"He's right you know. Random girl shows up and can use seraph blades and knows about runes, that's not normal." Roman interjected as the blond threw him an accusatory look.

The Lightwood boy took a step forward. "Exactly. I have to report this to the Clave." 

"You know what? Dial it down a notch." Jace snapped at him.

"My brother doesn't have a dial." Isabelle stated, chuckling lightly. "I love you, Alec, but you have a switch that's always on."

"I love you, too." He made sure to reiterate with a smile that was quickly replaced by a scowl, pointing at the redhead. "But this—"

"Hey, you know what? Give me a minute." The blond cuts him off with a harsh glare. "Here's a word you never hear me say. Please?"

"That's a first." Roman mumbled.

Alec stared at his parabatai in disbelief at what was happening. "What is with you?" The genuineness in the man's tone made Roman snort as Izzy got up from her seat, looping her hand with her brother's. "Really, no, what is with him?"

Isabelle didn't reply to his question, instead choosing to lead him outside the Infirmary. "Walk with me, big brother."

The man watched them leave with a sigh, casting a disappointed glance at Jace before making his way towards the entrance. "Wait, where are you going?" The blond asked as Roman turned back. 

"To make breakfast."

By Jace's expression, Roman could gauge that the blond boy had already assumed that. "Get something for her too." 

The man looked at them with a deep offense. "Do I look like the personal chef?"

A deep frown of exasperation laced the Wayland's features, his shoulders slumping in resignation. "Do you want her to starve to death?" 

Roman observed the redhead who was watching them silently, her hands fidgeting in her lap. "Well, it would certainly make our job easier." The man responded, his voice devoid of any interest. "Hodge said to give her some of the tisane from the jug." He called out before leaving the room, pretending not to hear the blond's millionth sigh.

The Ops Center and the kitchen were one of the few places in the Institute that were completely modernized and renovated. It was enormous with silver countertops and glass shelves filled with crockeries. Roman was proud to admit that he assisted with the renovation of the kitchen. It was a nightmare to convince Maryse to change out the cast iron stove with something more efficient though. 

He was glaring at the open fridge with furrowed eyebrows, the LED lights glaring back at him. What would he even feed her? Cereal? Smoothie? Made with milk that Roman was sure expired. Or would Hodge mind if he stole one of his labelled Tupperware containers. Or the leftover Chinese food? Actually, no. Roman would rather leave that for his own dinner. He sighed, grabbing the items needed for a sandwich. He did not have the will to cook something up.  

The events that unfolded within the last thirty minutes had him stressed, its effect clear on the way he was aggressively buttering the slices of bread. Shadowhunters just don't spawn out of thin air. He was just glad that Clary's not a mundane. The consequences would be too grave to think about and he didn't want to be killed after working so hard to survive in this world for the last few years. But the thing that gnawed at him the most were her eyes. Those were the exact eyes. Roman would know them anywhere. He had never met this girl before in his life but her wretched eyes had been haunting him these past few months. It was just a coincidence, you're normal, he tried to convince himself, not wanting to think about it. 

He sighed, taking a big bite of his sandwich as he slammed a piece of bologna on the sandwich intended for Clary. He grabbed his glass of orange juice and the plate carrying the readhead's sandwich and made his way to the Ops Center, his one safely held between the clutches of his teeth. 

He stilled, noticing Jace and Clary making their way to the entrance of the Institute. The blond stopped in his steps when he saw Roman, telling something to Clary before making his way to him. "I saw something behind her friend." He gestured towards the girl, amusement evident in his features. 

Roman was about to talk before he remembered his predicament, cursing silently when he realized that he couldn't pull the sandwich out of his mouth with his occupied hands. Jace noticed his problem, pulling the sandwich out for the man. He also ignored Roman's glare as he took a bite out of it. "What do you mean? And what friend?"

Jace immediately faltered as he realized he might just be subjected to another set of yelling. Can he just shove the sandwich back into the man's mouth? He swallowed, dropping the sandwich on the plate. "Clary's...mundane best friend tracked her here. He knows she's inside an abandoned church and you know, asking questions."

Roman took a deep breath, gripping the crockeries in his hand tightly. "Are you kidding me?" He sighed in frustration. "Wait, you saw something?"

"Yeah, behind him."

That made Roman pause, casting a glance at the redhead who was waiting. "Can we go?" She asked, her foot tapping against the floor. Roman didn't exactly trust Clary. He still feels off about her spawning out of nowhere and now her mundane bestie's here too? The situation just felt off to him and he wasn't gonna let Jace go alone, especially with a sign of potential danger. For all he knows, they made the big mistake of keeping Clary and she and her bestie would kill Jace outside. However, that was unlikely considering Jace was one of the best soldiers. 

Roman went to a nearby desk, setting the food down and making his way back to Jace (Not before casting a mournful look towards his glass of juice). He pulled out his dagger of its sheath, casting a stern look at Jace. "Fine. But I'm coming along."

The blond's lips parted in surprise, definitely not expecting that but he wasn't against it, nodding as the two made their way to Clary. The girl raised an eyebrow at the sight of the blades in their hands. "You're not gonna kill Simon, are you?"

"Protect the humans, kill the demons." Jace corrected her. "You'll get it eventually."

The cold night air greeted them pleasantly as they stepped out. "So, why can't Simon see you?" Clary questions again as they spotted the mundane. 

"This is a glamour, a rune that makes us invisible to mundanes." Jace showed the rune etched on his skin, gesturing between Roman and him. "It's a shame, really, 'cause...well, denying them all this." The boy added, his lips curled into a smirk. 

Roman's face twisted into an incredulous look. "Oh, I'm sure they're just devastated that they're missing out on your ginormous ego." Jace scoffs in response, bumping his shoulder into Roman.

"What do you have on, Clary?" The dorky-looking teenager asked, wrapping his jacket around her. "Let me take you home."

Roman stood by Jace's side, eyeing the scene. He tuned out of their conversation, looking around the place, trying to spot any potential danger. He squinted, noticing a dark silhouette hiding in the shadows behind them. He nudged Jace, guiding his attention towards it.

A man came into view, seraph blade in his hand. "Clary Fairchild!" He called and Roman immediately faltered, his eyes widening in astonishment as he looked at the surprised redhead. Wait, Fairchild? Fairchild???

He winced, cursing himself for getting distracted as Jace tackled the man. The blond wrapped his arm around the intruder's neck, effectively trapping him in a chokehold. 

"If you give us the girl, I'll let you live." He said making Jace scoff. 

"You're in no position to be making rules."

Roman brought his dagger out protectively in front of Clary and Simon as the redhead gasped at the scene while the mundane looked utterly lost by her reaction. The man managed to slam his head back into Jace's, escaping his hold. His blade glowed bright in the night as he lunged towards Jace. Instantly, Roman left his post and sliced through the man's back in a swift motion, the sharp steel catching his skin and tearing through the flesh. The man growled in pain as he staggered, his blade slipping from his hand with a clatter. Jace charged towards the vulnerable man, immediately throwing rapid punches at him, making him weak by the minute. He managed to coil his arm around the intruder once again, pinning him against him with a victorious grunt. "Roman." He called out for him. 

He grabbed the handle of his dagger tightly, plunging it deep into the attacker's chest. A guttural sound left the man's lips as a trail of crimson began pouring from the wound. "Roman Morgenstern," The man breathed out, his gaze dark. "Your father will be pleased to reunite with you." 

Roman's hold loosened on the dagger as he stared at the man with distaste. "Don't be stupid. Valentine is dead." 

The man responded with a choked laugh as he slumped to the ground. His eyes were so sinister, lips curled into a malignant smile as if taunting him. Like he knows something that Roman doesn't. "You—you have no...idea what's coming." He wheezed, each word a painful struggle. "Valentine never died. And he...he is coming for you. We'll never stop hunting you both."

The Circle member turned his gaze towards Clary who was looking back at him in horror. Roman felt dread crawl up his spine, its icy tendrils slowly covering his entire body. What? Wait what? He breathed heavily as the man's eyes glazed over, his life slipping away. Damn it. He looked up at Jace who was looking back at him with a similar trepidation on his face. What did he mean by that? Valentine Morgenstern is dead. Roman's father is dead. Everyone knows that. 

"He's lying." Roman breathed out, his eyes wide with frantic. "Right? He had to be saying bullshit."

Jace said nothing but he leaned down, pulling the man's collar to show a circle mark branded onto his neck. The rune that stood for the Circle of Raziel, founded by Valentine Morgenstern. Roman's breath quickened at the sight as Jace met his gaze again. "He was a Circle member." He said, his voice grim. "He might've been saying the truth." 

Hurried footsteps approached them as Clary stopped beside them. "Is he dead?"

"Is who dead?" Simon followed her, still not understanding what was happening. He faltered suddenly seeing the dead man materialize in front of Clary's feet. He was definitely not there before. "What the..."

"Could you deglamourize, or whatever, so my best friend doesn't think I'm losing my mind?" Clary sighed, eyeing Jace and Roman.

The blond traced his stele against the rune on his abdomen, the mark burning warmly as the effect wore off, making him visible in front of Simon. He glanced at Roman who seemed completely frozen, his eyes fixed on the dead man on the ground. Jace lightly shook him, snapping him out of his trance. Roman furrowed his eyebrows as the boy grabbed him, using his stele to trace the glamour rune on his arm. 

For a moment, he didn't want to believe it, his mind clutching onto the comforting embrace of denial. But reality's grip was so powerful, inexorably pulling him into the reality of the cold truth. A Circle member came for Clary. And him apparently. And Valentine is alive?? What the fuck?? And he called her Clary Fairchild. Is she his fucking relative or something??? His mother was an only child. So, was Clary's parent his mom's cousin or...Roman's head snapped towards the redhead. 

"Um... what is happening?" Simon asked, his eyes flickering between the two random men. 

"Yeah, we don't have the luxury right now, kid. Everyone back inside." Jace commanded, walking back up the stairs.

"Clary, who are they? Your meth dealers?"

"I've seen him before." Clary informed them, pointing at the man on the ground. "At the police station."

"He's a member of the Circle. Clary, he's here for you." Jace revealed to her, his voice tense. 

"He called you Clary Fairchild." Roman breathed out, his eyes polished as he stared at the girl. "Clary Fairchild."

"Uh, okay? My name's Clary Fray—"

"Your mother...Her name is Jocelyn."

"Yeah, look he's with the people who took my mother—Oh my God!"

"Roman!" Jace yelled as the man lunged towards Clary, pressing his dagger against her neck. Clary's breath caught in her throat, her eyes squeezing shut as she felt the kiss of the cold blade, the blood on the steel edge leaving its fresh scarlet imprint on her neck. 

"What the hell, Roman? Let her go" Jace's voice rang out, sharp and commanding. What was he even doing? 

"Hey man, you don't have to kill her." Simon tried to negotiate, his voice high with panic. "We'll give you the money for the meth." 

Roman's hand shook with anger as he gripped the handle tightly. "Who are you?" 

"I'm Clary Fray, you know this!" The girl cried out in his tight grip. 

"Then why would he call you Clary Fairchild?" He demanded, gesturing towards the dead Circle member.

"I don't know! I don't know anything."

"Your—your mom's name is Jocelyn Fairchild?"

Clary felt her eyes well up as he pressed the blade tighter. "What—What are you talking about?"

"Jocelyn is your mother? You're not like adopted or something?" 

"Roman, what are you doing? Did the demon poison get to your head?" Jace tried again, his brows furrowed in frustration.

"Dude, she's not adopted. She looks so much like her mom." Simon answered for her, his hands feeling clammy. "Like you should see their photos or them side by side. It's like that, 'Corporate wants you to find the difference between this picture and this picture' thing. Mrs. Fray is her mom. Also, meth dealers are into biology now? I thought chemistry was more your forte—"

What is the mundane even blabbering about? Roman eyed him in frustration. Fucking picture this, picture that—He stilled, narrowing his eyes on Simon. "You're her best friend right? That means you should have a photo of Jocelyn, right? Show me, now." Roman demanded, his jaw clenched tightly. 

Simon's lips parted in surprise. What was happening? Photo??? He complied however, noticing how the man loosened his hold on Clary when he pulled his phone out. "Yeah, sure." He replied shakily as he frantically tried to look for some photos. He sighed in relief, quickly finding some from their graduation, unable to smile at the fond memory due to the sheer anxiety he was feeling right now. He handed the phone over to Roman.

Roman grabbed it and immediately he could feel all the color drain from his face as he stared at the screen. "See." Simon told him. "It's Clary and Mrs. Fray."

"This—This is Jocelyn?" He breathed out, feeling the tremors return to his hand. Simon nodded hesitantly as somberness graced Roman's features. It didn't feel like a revelation to Roman. Rather, it felt the Earth had shifted from its core. She was dead. They told him that she was dead but here she was, smiling. She looked a bit older than in the photo he had seen of her, with more pronounced cheekbones and sharper features. That youthful softness of being seventeen had faded into a more mature appearance, but it was definitely her.

 A cold sweat broke out across his forehead, his skin prickling with the sensation of tiny needles dancing across his flesh. The mundane was right, the young girl was basically a carbon copy of her. Nothing was feeling real in that moment but it was real. Roman could practically hear his heartbeat against his ears. Clary is Jocelyn's daughter? Wait—

"What about your father? He asked her, his eyes frantic. "Where is he? What's his name?"

"My—my father's dead. Died before I was born. His name's Jonathan Clark." Clary answered, fear making a home in her gut. "Just let me go. I'll answer your questions, I promise."

Jace grabbed the back of Roman's shirt, trying to pull him away from her. "Roman that's enough. Let her go." He insisted. "She doesn't know anything."

Roman pushed Clary out of his hold, stumbling back as the girl moved away from him. He silently thrust the phone back to Simon as he turned away. The world around Roman felt blurry, a profound sense of disconnect washing over him as if the ground had vanished beneath his feet. Clary is Jocelyn Fairchild's daughter. Roman's mother, Jocelyn. Did his mom leave the Shadow World and settle down with a new family? Did she have Clary with a mundane? Roman didn't know any Jonathan Clark. He didn't remember anything about her being pregnant back then either. 

His mom's alive somehow and oh—A wave of nausea churned in the pit of his stomach, threatening to rise like bile in his throat. Valentine's alive too. His father's alive and kicking. That fucking Circle member told him that his father would be pleased to reunite with him. And that he's coming. He's coming for him.

He closed his eyes, trying to shut out the overwhelming weight of what he just learned, but there was no escape. He swayed as he felt someone violently shake him. His gaze met Jace's. Roman's eyes were so vacant as if lost in some world that Jace couldn't reach into, his face etched with lines of anguish. Jace had so many questions but now was not the time. 

"Come on." Jace mumbled. "We need to go inside." 

Roman could only nod in response, his body moving on its own accord as he walked up the steps of the Institute. He could slowly feel his senses returning, life travelling back to his fingertips. 

"How do we know this Mick Jagger-looking guy is even gonna try to help you? Also, are we gonna ignore that your meth dealer just tried to kill you? We're just gonna follow them?" 

The man winced, feeling a sliver of guilt for how he acted. He should've been more calm while interrogating her. He let his emotions get the best of him. That's not how a soldier acts. 

"Mundane, we do not have the time." Jace responded, voice thick with agitation.

Clay grabbed his hand, urging him to follow them. "Come on, Simon. Let's go."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

✷ idk how i feel abt this chap...not a lot happens here but i'm trying to establish bonds and dynamics and roman as a character and what he's like as a person but things pick up pace pretty fast. also sorry for the lack of roman and alec here <//3
roman's gonna be panicking and freaking out a lot with jocelyn and valentine being alive and clary being his sister cuz he doesn't deal well with change.
chapter 3 is gonna have a bit more of the dynamics going on and more drama so muahaha

✷ anyways, have a good day <3333