Shuffling and movement around me making my eyes crack open, my head in pain, my eyes feeling slightly puffy, exhaustion present in my entire body.

"Sorry-" Jace looked at me when he noticed me awake, setting my drums down, "This is the last of it-"

I blinked a few times, slowly sitting up, looking around my entire room, noticing everything I had trashed last night was back right where I had set it.

It didn't take a genius to figure out Jace cleaned it.

I croak out, "You did this?"

"I- yeah, god you some new sticks too-" Jace held them up, setting them down, "I didn't want you to wake up to a dirty room after last night- I didn't think it'd be good for you."

I stared at him, going quiet, small tears in my eyes.

It was a rare sensation having people who cared.

Especially with how much he's been here.

I slowly got up and walked over to him, pushing myself onto my tippy toes, hugging him tightly, "Thank you."

"Of course." Jace hugged me back, rubbing my back as if he hadn't held me while I cried for hours last night, making us both lack sleep, "You don't need to thank me-"

"No, no- I need to." I squeezed tighter, a small tear falling from my eye, "I know I've been a lot to handle recently- and that's got to be tiring-"

"With how long you've been gone, I'll take anything- alright?" Jace comforts me, "I'm always here- okay?"

I barely nodded, sniffling lightly as I slowly pulled away, "Hey, uhm- I don't tell you this a lot-"

"But, I love you." I gave him my best smile that wasn't very much, "And- I don't know what I'd do without you."

Jace softly smiled at me, putting a hand on my shoulder, "I love you too."

-

"Hey, sorry we're late-" Jace greets when he and I joined everyone in the Ops Center at the table.

"Hey- I've been looking everywhere for Max." Isabelle greets us, "Have you guys seen him?"

"Have you tried the armory?" asked Jace, "He's probably sharpening his blades for his first assignment."

Isabelle sighs, "I checked."

"We have more pressing matters." Alec cuts in, "Thanks to Dot's help, we now have the Mortal Mirror."

Sebastian questions, "And you have it at the Institute, and it's, well-guarded, I presume?"

"The Elite Guards are the only ones who know its location." Alec nods once, "It's safest that way."

"Jonathan went after Elliot and Dot to get the mirror." Clary mentions, "Now- that he knows we have it, he's going to come back for it."

"Agreed." Alec replies, "Report back with any possible scenarios by which Jonathan and Valentine could attempt a breach."

I stared at him for a few moments, before turning and walking away, Isabelle on my tail, "Zee, wait!-"

"Iz, I don't have time to chat right now-" I walked faster, "We're all on assignment-"

"Zee, look, I understand why you did it, but-" Isabelle sighs, "You can't punish yourself like this- I mean, I can see how much it's killing you- I can feel it-"

"Making him forget was better than seeing the look on his face dumping him- alright? And I know Alec- he wouldn't have let me let him go- he would convince me that it's worth fighting for, and I- couldn't have that- okay?" I stopped in my tracks when I saw tracks of blood on the ground.

Isabelle stopped right next to me, her eyes widening when those tracks of blood trailed right into her room.

"You know, Iz- if you needed help hiding a body, you could've just told me." I slowly took a step, "I mean- this is just dramatic-"

Isabelle slowly inched next to me, her eyes glued, "I promise you, it is no dead body-"

I didn't reply, pulling out my kindjals, slowly opening the door, only to drop them the moment I saw Max laying on the ground, "Oh my God-"

"Oh, God!-" Isabelle rushed quickly toward her brother, falling to her knees, "Max-"

"Hey, hey- Max, can you hear me?-" I fell onto his other side and shook his body, my eyes scanning his appearance, blood rushing down his nose, "Max!-"

Isabelle calls out, "Someone get a medic!"

-

"I tried using an Iratze rune to wake him, but- nothing's working." I told the medic that was checking Max, "He's completely out cold-"

Alec's panicked voice sounded when he rushed into the room, stopping next to me, Clary following him, "What happened?-"

"I don't know." Isabelle breathes out, "Zee and I found him like this in my room-"

"Oh, my God-" Clary sighs, "Max-"

"We should send him to Idris." Alec suggested quickly, "See what they can do."

"The medics said that in his condition, he won't be able to survive the transfer." Isabelle sniffles lightly.

"Max-" Jace rushed into the room with Sebastian, "We checked the Institute's security camera footage- whoever attacked him is somehow covering their tracks."

Sebastian questions, "Has he been able to talk?"

"Not yet." Isabelle replies, "He's unconscious."

"I don't understand." Clary said, "Who would want to hurt him?"

"I don't know- but, I'm going to find out." My jaw was clenched, turning to leave, "And when I do, god are they going to be sorry-"

"Hey- hey," Jace stops me, as I could feel Alec's stare on me, "Look, let's get Robert and Maryse here- then, rest of us- we'll find who did this."

"Yeah, I'll stay with Max." Sebastian said, "If he regains consciousness, perhaps he can ID his attacker."

-

"What did you find?" Sebastian asked when Clary and Jace joined us at the table after they had told us they found something that might lead us to Max's attacker.

Clary breathes out, setting down the box, "The box my mom used to keep Jonathan's things in."

"It was right where Izzy found Max." Jace said.

"I remember Max had his eyes on it." Alec looked heartbroken, "He was so determined to prove himself-"

Jace told us, "It's possible he found a way to use the box to track Jonathan."

Sebastian looks between us, "Wait, all of this would mean that Jonathan found a way to get inside the Institute- without us even knowing."

"Well, when you're raised by my father, it's in your blood to do the impossible." I scoffed lightly to myself, looking down at my hands that were flat on the table, "If Jonathan attacked Max and he's here for the mirror- he wouldn't have left here without it."

"She's right-" Jace's eyes slightly widened, "Alec, he could still be in the building."

Alec lowers his voice, leaning in closer for just us to hear, "Listen, we have to confirm he's still inside."

Jace reminds us, "Alright, we saw what the real Jonathan looks like-"

"There's no way he could walk around here without someone noticing." I added onto his thought, "If he's here- he'll be glamoured as one of our own."

Clary exhales, "Hiding in plain sight-"

"Well, just- wait a second, Zee, you're- very close to this matter-" Sebastian gestured to me, "I don't think we should move forward without her consent-"

I look at him, "You think I'm going to stop this?"

Sebastian looked at me, going quiet.

"He's hurting the people I care about- and I'm not going to let that slide because he's blood." I held onto my necklace, my heart aching at the pain I saw on Alec's face, "He's too far gone- there's no saving him now. If anyone's putting him six feet under, it's going to be me-"

Sebastian's eyes filled with an emotion I could decipher, Alec pointing, "Sebastian- I want you and any other personnel on supplemental guard duty, effective immediately, the Institute's on lockdown-"

"Wait-" Sebastian said, "We'll need to fortify security outside as well- I can spearhead that team."

"No- I have it covered." Alec replies, "If Jonathan's still in the building, he's not getting out alive."

-

"Where is he?-" Jace breathes out when he and I rushed the moment he had gotten a text from Alec that Max had passed, catching me in the middle of the hall and having me come with, "What happened?"

"He didn't make it?" I was out of breath, skidding to a stop, until I noticed Magnus, my eyes slightly widening, but I remained silent, his stare on me.

Alec got up, "What are you talking about?"

"Max-" Jace caught his breath, "I got your text."

Alec questions, "What text?"

"Jonathan." I realized, already backing away, looking at Jace, "It was a set up-"

"Sound the alarm!" Jace calls out quickly, but I was already running through the Ops Center and towards the entrance, my eyes falling onto Clary and Sebastian.

"Yeah, Zee thought it would be a good idea to extract some electrum from Izzy's whip- and have everyone hold it to see if they react." Clary told him, "That way- we can find Jonathan."

"Speak of the devil-" Sebastian breathes out when he saw me, "I've got to say, I'm very impressed- it seems Jonathan's finally met his match."

"Yeah, that's right." I took a step closer to him, catching my breath slowly, my eyes glued to him, "Take the electrum, Sebastian."

It was him.

He asked me about Jonathan.

He's cared about my opinion on Jonathan more than anyone, and I had a strong hunch that it was because he was him.

"I was just, um- wondering, actually, um-" Sebastian avoided taking it, "If you caught Jonathan- you wouldn't kill him, would you?"

"He hurt my family- he's going to pay for it." My eyes were fixed on him, repeating myself, this time more stern, "Take the electrum, Sebastian."

He stared at me for a moment, then formed his hand into a fist the moment it was placed onto his palm.

When he didn't scream or react, he slowly drops the electrum into Clary's palm, "There you are."

"I guess I passed your test." Sebastian walked away quickly, as I noticed he hadn't shown his palm like everyone else had, "See you later."

"Sebastian!" I rushed after him when he reached the doors, grabbing his wrists, "Wait a second-"

The moment I turned his hand and saw his scorched, bleeding skin, I looked up at him, "You-"

Sebastian was quick to hit the red button, making the two doors shut, the button sparking, trapping me with him.

I pulled out one of my kindjals and pierced it into his side, as he grabbed me by my neck, using his other hand to slowly pull the blade out, "After ten years of torture in Edom, I learnt to endure pain."

"In fact, I rather enjoy it." He seethed through his teeth, as I kicked him back, grabbing both his wrists and flipping him onto his back, grabbing my other kindjal and stabbing it through him, "Give up on me so quick, sister?-"

"I wanted to believe in you- because, I more than anyone know what it's like to know our father and only him-" My voice was low, my teeth gritted, "You blew your shot- there's no coming back from being a threat to the people that I care about-"

Sebastian barely chuckled, before knocked me onto the ground, forcing himself up, pulling out the blade and throwing it to the ground.

I got up, grunts leaving my lips as I fought him off, the both of us throwing ourselves at each other to try and overpower one another.

"You know, Isabelle told me about how you erased Alec's memories of ever knowing you- thinking the pain would make you best me? Best our father-" Sebastian's words made me freeze, "You know, you weren't wrong about the drive that pain and anger gives you- but, Alec? God, there's no doubt that he's going to hate you for that-"

He took my caught off guard stage to his advantage, shoving me into the wall, his hand under my jaw, holding me in place, staring at me for just a moment.

My eyes were locked with his, one kindjal in my hand as he held my other one, "What, you gonna kill me now?"

"I wanted you- and the mirror." Sebastian was vulnerable and sincere for just a moment, "But- if I can't have both-"

I moved my hand, slashing his pocket, catching the mirror in my hand, as he slit my throat right then.

I began to couch and gasp for air, my hand dropping my kindjal and going to my neck when he dropped me, reaching for the mirror, but a blast erupted from me, my eyes glowing gold, making him fly back and the glass from the doors that kept me trapped with Sebastian to shatter.

My back slid down the wall, my hand that held the mirror flat on the wall, blood oozing out of the wound on my neck, Sebastian quickly getting up and escaping when guards starting to pile in.

"Zee!" Jace rushed in and right to me, Alec and Clary following him, "Oh no-"

Clary gasps, "Oh my God!-"

My eyes were wide, my rune ability activating my Iratze, healing the wound, as I breathed heavy, coughing lightly, my own blood drenched in my shirt and all over me.

Alec's eyes were wide, crouching in front of me, his hands touching my arms to comfort me, "I'm so sorry we didn't get here in time-"

I didn't say anything, and just threw my arms around him tightly, trying to catch my breath.

Alec was caught off guard, but hugged me back, rubbing my back, "Hey- it's okay- I've got you-"

He thought I was hugging him because of what I had just went through with Jonathan.

But, I was hugging him because I missed him.

It was so hard being just friends with the person that you're in love with.

But, I couldn't complain because I did this to myself.

And I had to deal with it.

-

"Magnus-" I called out after him, hugging myself, gripping onto the shirt of Alec's that he had given me to wear after I got cleaned up, my hands gripping at the fabric, "Please, wait-"

Magnus stops at the sound of my voice and slowly turned, looking at me, "Biscuit-"

The name made relief wash over me, but it didn't aid the guilt and regret I felt, "I'm so sorry."

"I should've told you about the Soul Sword- I was- I was wrong, and I made a mistake." I stared at him, a glossy sheet forming over my eyes, "Magnus, I love you so much- and I can't bare the thought or feeling of losing another person right now- not ever."

"Please, I-" I didn't know what else to say, stammering, "I'm so sorry."

"I love you, too." Magnus sighs quietly, "But as a leader, there are difficult decisions I have to make to ensure the survival of my people- and the only thing holding me back from doing that- is you."

I stare, "What does that mean?"

"That means that I'm choosing my people." Magnus took a few steps back, "I'm sorry, biscuit- but as long as Valentine is alive and out there? I have to make sacrifices- like you did-"

I stood there, just barely nodding.

I understood.

And I didn't have the energy to fight.

As I watched him walk away, I blinked away my tears the moment I heard the door open, turning my head to see Alec slowly walk out the room Max was on, shutting the door behind him, "Hey-"

"Alec, hi-" I felt like I couldn't breathe the moment I laid eyes on him, swallowing hard, turning to face him completely, "What's up?"

"Max's up-" Alec slipped his hands into his pockets, "He wanted me to ask you if you'd read him a book-"

I blink once, "He wants me to read to him?"

"Yeah-" Alec softly laughs, as I could notice right away that he was a lot better than before, and that made my heart warm, "You know, I think he has a little bit of a crush on you."

"Too bad I have a thing for his older brother-" The words slipped out of my mouth before I could process them, making my hand immediately slap over my mouth, his eyes slightly widening in amusement as he stared at me.

"Oh, God- I don't know why I said that-" I uncovered my mouth, putting my damp hair behind my ears, "That was really- stupid, and embarrassing- I'm sorry-"

Before Alec could reply, I was walking toward the door, "I'm going to go read to him- alright? Yeah-"

"Wait-" Alec grabbed me wrist, stopping me, looking at me for a few seconds, "Look, I don't get it-"

I slowly turned, looking at him, "What?"

"I feel like I know you." Alec stares at me, looking confused, "I don't know why- I just- this feeling-"

"I don't know either." My heart stopped immediately, "It's probably just a weird phase-"

"No, it's not a phase-" Alec shook his head at me, "I've felt like this ever since I met you- I don't understand why-"

"Look, I don't really know what you're talking about- okay?" I pulled my wrist from his hold, feeling the panic grow in my chest, "I need to go-"

My necklace caught Alec's eye, confusion spreading over his feature, "Wait, that necklace-"

"I'm sorry-" I quickly walked into the room, leaving him out alone in the hall before he could question me further.

-

"Saving me from Azazel- it must have all been part of Jonathan's plan." Isabelle breathes out when we all sat in Alec's office together, "I was the one to bring him to the Institute-"

"Don't." Alec stops her before she could continue to blame herself, "We're all responsible for this."

Clary lightly shrugs, "At least now we know Valentine can never get the mirror and raise the Angel."

"Wait, let's back track for a minute- you drew a rune and the mirror just- turned into ash." I stood up straight, looking at Clary, "You- destroyed the mirror?"

Clary nodded lightly, "Jace saw it-"

"Then, it was clearly a fake." I looked between everyone, "Come on, you guys can't really think she's powerful to destroy a Mortal Instrument."

Jace asks, "Then why would her mom give it to the warlocks to protect?"

"Well, maybe- she was stupid enough to think it was- I mean we all did." I crossed my arms, my eyes falling onto the portrait of Lake Lyn, "Maybe- whoever made it wanted it that way."

Isabelle got where I was going with this, "To distract people from finding the real one."

"Uh, well, the legend says that the mirror's meant to not be easily found." Jace said, "That the angels hold the key-"

My mind went back to my dreams.

And what I had saw in what we thought was the Mirror when we had first retrieved it.

"Well," I interjected, "I think I just cracked it."

Clary asks, "What do you mean?"

"The water." I pointed at the painting, then faced them, "It's a reflection."

"What water?" Jace questions what they were all were wondering, "What are you talking about?"

"The dreams- visions, whatever you want to call them- I've been seeing a reflection of myself when I'm in Lake Lyn." I looked at Jace, "She didn't destroy the Mirror because The Mirror is Lake Lyn."

authors note:

zee being protective of her fam >>>

she's not herself i feel like; she's extremely vulnerable and i feel like that said of her isn't very displayed so i'm glad we're seeing a lot of that sksksk

zace in this chapter >>

and alec knowing something's up, omg-

but, thank you for 40k !!

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