"I don't think bringing me here was a good idea." I ran a hand through my straightened hair, all dolled up in a dress at Magnus' side at a warlock party he forced me to come with him to, "I'm the only Shadowhunter here- oh, not to mention- I'm Zee Morgenstern."

"It's better than coming by myself." Magnus' words made me shoot him a look, "I'm joking- they'll love you- just because you're the only Shadowhunter at a party full of warlocks doesn't mean you can't have fun."

"Fun? I'm here for the free alcohol-" I rubbed my hands when we came to the middle of the room, "Where's the bar?-"

"Slow down-" Magnus grabs my hands, "Your boyfriend would kill me if I brought you home wasted."

"I don't think he'd complain." I tilted my head to the side, "You know, after a long day for working, maybe drunk me is exactly what he needs-"

"We'll be out soon, anyways-" Magnus purses his lips to hold back slight laughter at my joke, then lightly shakes his head, "I don't want to be here any longer than I have to, but- it's tradition for the outgoing High Warlock to pass the baton onto his replacement."

I caught him in the corner of my eye, "Is that him?"

"The one and only." Magnus grimaces, "Lorenzo Rey, the new High Warlock of Brooklyn-"

"Magnus!" Lorenzo notices us, making me immediately stop him from walking away when Lorenzo came over to the two of us with drinks, handing them to us, "You made it, and you brought a friend-"

"Uh, yeah-" I held my free hand out, "I'm-"

"Zee Morgenstern- savior of Downworlders and Shadowhunters alike." Lorenzo already knew who I was, "I expect we'll be seeing quite a bit of each other at your boyfriend's Downworld Cabinet meetings."

I click my tongue, "Well, you did your reading."

"Your reputation precedes you." Lorenzo looks from me to Magnus, "No hard feelings- right, Bane?"

"On the contrary, I'm very content in my new position." Magnus shoots back, "Being the High Warlock is a thankless job, long hours, little pay, but- I'm sure that doesn't matter to someone as young and civic-minded as yourself."

"Oh, don't be so jaded." Lorenzo gave him the side eye, "I may only be 484, but- I'm no stranger to service."

I took a sip of my drink, "Only?"

"All those years working for the High Warlock in Madrid have prepared me well- although, I may not be as easy on you as he was." Lorenzo then looks at me, "After all, I'm here to serve the warlocks, not portal you around like some glorified shuttle service."

"I portal myself around." I swallowed, placing a hand on my hip, staring at him with a straight face, "Did you miss that in your research, or?-"

"Enjoy the party." Lorenzo gave me a small smirk, before walking away from the both of us, continuing to talk it up with everyone at the party.

"Yeah, I absolutely despise him-" I immediately said when he walks away, "Who appointed him?"

"Nobody." Magnus didn't like him very much either, "There was a vote, and Lorenzo can be very charming as long as you're into phony, no taste, egomaniacal pieces of sh-"

"Language!" I cut him off almost immediately when my eyes spot Madzie's tiny figure rushing toward Magnus and I, Catarina right behind her.

"Zee!" Madzie cheered, and held her arms up for me, as I handed Magnus my drink and lifted her off the ground.

"Hi, honey-" I held her on my side, my arms around her, "Someone looks exceptionally pretty tonight-"

Madzie giggles and plays with a strand of my hair, then points to my side, "Where's Alec?"

"Alec is stuck at work." My expression softened lightly when I realized she pointed because he was always at my side, "I will tell him you said hi-"

Madzie giggles again, until all our attention was caught at low rumbles in the ground, gasps filling the room, Catarina turning blue, "I can't control my magic-"

"I'm out of here, man!-" Rufus yells, opening up a portal as I slowly set Madzie down, noticing everyone's marks exposed, the portal eating away at Rufus' arm, making him let out a bloodcurdling scream, as I immediately covered Madzie's eyes.

When the portal started coming toward us, I almost instantly covered Madzie, Magnus skidding before us and covering me, using his magic to destroy it.

"Magnus-" My voice was low, "What's going on?"

Magnus breathes out, "I have no idea."

-

"Zee!-" I heard Jace's voice while I was walking through the Ops Center, heading for the entrance to leave, "Hey, wait up-"

I kept walking, "What do you want?-"

"I actually was hoping you could give me a dinner recommendation-" Jace caught up to me.

I walked faster, "Sorry, I'm busy-"

"Doing what?" Jace grabbed my arm and forced me to stop walking away from him with a jerk.

I looked at him, "Not giving a damn-"

"Zee, come on- please?" Jace moved his hand down my arm and held my hand in both of his, "I really need the help-"

"I am not the person you should be asking about this kind of stuff." I shot him a look, "Alec and I don't- go out to dinner, we order in- play pool at the Hunters Moon- it's not our thing."

"Maybe." Jace said, lightly shrugging, "But, I don't know anyone who knows Clary like you do-"

I blink, "What the hell makes you think that?-"

"Well, you're her sister-" Jace points out.

I rebuttal, gaping up at him, "And that makes you think that I even pay attention to her?"

"Zee-" Jace groans lightly, squeezing my hand a little in a pleading manner, "I want to take her on a date- like, a real date."

"Oh- wow, I was not expecting that one." I tilted my head to the side lightly, "Did something happen? Got some new competition or something?-"

"What are you talking about?" Jace replies to me, "I've been on tons of dates."

"With who?" I smirk lightly, "Your book club?"

"Yeah," Jace couldn't help but smile at my words, "Among others-"

"Sure, whatever you say." I nodded lightly, "If that's the case- why is this so hard for you?"

"Because I mean- it's Clary." Jace rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, dropping mine, "I don't know-"

"Oh, I get it-" I leaned back against the wall, crossing my arms, "You're trying to lock her in-"

"God- Zee!" Jace covers his face for a moment, then uncovers it, letting out just a small laugh, "This is not how dinner recommendations work-"

"I told you you were asking the wrong person-" I put my hands up in surrender, then stand up straight, "I'm not an expert on the subject."

Jace sighs, shooting me a slight puppy dog look, "I asked you because you're my best friend- I'm looking for the best advice I can get."

"I mean- I want to take her someplace mundane, not boring-" Jace presses his hands together, "She deserves to have fun, a night she's not gonna forget."

"And you think dinner's the way to do that?" I stared at him for a few moments, then sighed, "Fine, whatever- what's the most romantic thing you two have done together?"

Jace softly smiles at the thought, "I did steal a demon motorcycle from a seedy vampire bar-"

"Wow, okay- uhm-" I pressed my palms together, looking up at him, "I can't help you-"

Jace blinks, "Is that not romantic?-"

"Let's just say I'm glad that I ended up with Alec." I began to turn, but he grabs my arm again, making me dramatically sigh and look at him, "Ask Simon."

"Simon?" Jace's eyes were slightly wide, "No-"

"So, you're not gonna go to the one person where you can actually get some answers?" I tilt my head to the side lightly, "He's her best friend- knows her better than anyone, he's bound to know her ideal date-"

Jace shot me a look, which made me quickly add in, "Is Jacey scared? 'Cause I'll call and ask for you-"

Jace shot me a playful glare, as I winked, before turning around and walking away from him.

-

"Why in the hell would Lorenzo accuse you of working with a greater demon?" I popped some popcorn in my mouth, seated on the arm of one of Magnus' couches, "Especially one like Asmodeus?"

"Asmodeus and I have a history-" Magnus was looking out the window, "He's one of the few demons capable of doing something like this."

"I mean- I guess." I looked at him, "But, we've fought greater demons before, but- I've never seen anything like what happened at that party."

Magnus replies, "It has to do with the ley lines."

"Couldn't that mean the Seelie Queen is involved? That bitch is extremely shady-" I ate some more popcorn, "What do demons have to do with ley lines?"

"Healthy ley lines are the energy source for all magic, seelie and warlock alike, but- they can become corrupted." Magnus faces me, "Asmodeus isn't just a greater demon- he's the most powerful prince of Hell."

He exhales slow, "And if Lorenzo's right, what happened at the party is just the beginning."

"Okay." I stared at him, "How did you know him?"

Magnus stares at me for a few moments, then sighs quietly, "Asmodeus is my father."

With that, silence grew between us, the only sound being heard being the crunching from my popcorn.

"Oh, I'm sorry- was I supposed to react?" I realized, sitting up, "That's- really tough, uhm-"

"I'm sorry I never told you." Magnus sighs quietly, looking down, "I was ashamed."

"We don't choose our parents." I set my popcorn down and dust my hands off, "I mean- cool, I knew every warlock had a demon parent-"

"First- we need to track him down." Magnus wasn't used to the title, "And my father- his magic is unique, but- if I can study the corrupted ley lines, we might be able to find him."

"Okay." I nod once, "What are we waiting for?"

Magnus exhales, "We need to get into Lorenzo's mansion, and I'm afraid we'll never be able to portal through his wards without him knowing."

"We don't always have to use magic." I stood up, shrugging lightly, "There's other ways to get in-"

"Breaking and entering isn't exactly ideal in this situation, biscuit-" Magnus' words made my eyes go slightly wide with amusement.

"I take offense in you assuming I meant breaking and entering." My tone was monotone, "What I meant is- I have a powerful boyfriend."

-

"So, the plan is to distract and get Magnus in and out?" Alec buttoned his blazer as he and I headed up the path to Lorenzo's mansion, all dressed up fancy, professional and all, "Sounds- doable."

"Pretty much, yeah." I got onto the higher platform, "I'll handle the rest, just- keep him busy."

"Got it-" Alec leans over and kisses my head, him knocking the door for us, "You look stunning by the way-"

I gave him a soft smile, until my attention was caught at the door swinging open, us being greeted by Lorenzo, "Señor Lightwood- Señora Morgenstern. I suppose you're here to defend Magnus Bane?-"

I purse my lips at the name, then swallowed hard, "So weird hearing those two names together-"

Alec places a hand on my lower back in slight comfort, "Actually, we're here to defend you- as the Head of the Institute it's my job to keep you safe."

"What if I can prove that Magnus is involved?" Lorenzo looks between us, "Seems like you have a conflict of interest, no?"

"Our interest is in stopping the person who corrupted your ley lines." Alec said to him, keeping a smile on his face, "You have my word."

Lorenzo looks at me within seconds, "Not a very loyal friend, are you?"

"Well, much like my father, I believe in justice." I let the words seethe right through my teeth, keeping a straight look on my face.

"Now, if you don't mind, we would like to come in and take an official statement." Alec said, as Lorenzo nods slowly and lets us both in, "You really believe that Magnus did this out of spite?-"

Lorenzo replies, "Magnus Bane is the only warlock I know capable of conjuring that type of demonic magic."

I played along, "Well, I can assure you if Magnus is behind this, I will turn him over to the Clave myself."

"Spoken like a true Shadowhunter." Lorenzo looks at me, "The law is hard, but it is the law-"

I barely nodded, giving him just a small nod, since I was too busy looking around his apartment, spotting the patio doors.

"How about a toast?" Alec gestured to the drinks, "To our new partnership?"

"An excellent idea." Lorenzo walked over to the table, "Scotch? Whisky?-"

Alec replies, "I'll have whatever you're having."

"Me too-" My eyes lingered with Alec's, who nodded at me when Lorenzo's back was turned, as I slowly started to back away towards the patio doors.

"An old fashioned then- and I do mean old-fashioned." Lorenzo made the drinks, "I've been drinking this recipe for over years- you're absolutely going to love it."

I unlocked the doors, then slowly walked back to Alec's side right as Lorenzo handed us the drinks, "I could conjure it, but- I find mixing by hand to be the only way to achieve perfection."

"I'll take your word for it-" I slowly took the drink.

Alec randomly blurts out, making me purse my lips to suppress my laughter, "These ceilings are spectacular-"

"Thank you-" Lorenzo smiles lightly.

"Cheers-" Alec held up his drink, stammering to find the right words when we caught eye of Magnus quietly sneaking inside he mansion and hiding behind the couch, Lorenzo's back turned toward the patio doors, "To our- new, partnership."

We all cheers to it, taking drinks out of them, but I immediately took it down in one gulp, making Alec's eyes go wide, along with Lorenzo's, "Oh- uhm, perfection- truly-"

"You must've really liked it-" Lorenzo looked at the empty glass, Alec looking as if he could burst out laughing right there.

-

"Such exquisite taste in fabric!-" Alec was saying anything to stall at this point, his eyes glancing around the room.

"You have a beautiful home-" I aided him, trailing off, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but- I seem to remember that you have an amazing- antique pot upstairs?"

"It's a 16th century Ming Vase." A smile formed on his lips, "I procured it from a Castilian trader when it was still new."

Alec adds in, "Incredible craftsmanship-"

"You have an interest in ceramics?" He asked.

"I dabble." Alec traded looks with me, "Would it be too forward of me to ask for a tour?"

"Not in the least!" Lorenzo chirps immediately, gesturing for us to come along, "I must show you my Faberge egg-"

"I'll be with you guys in a moment, I'm just gonna go- powder my nose." I made up an excuse, then leaned up and kissed Alec's cheek, whispering, "Nice- keep it up-"

Alec simply gave me a wink, before following by Lorenzo, as they went upstairs, as he continued to ramble, "Anyway, I was at the Romanov Easter party and Nicholas comes up to me- Nicholas! I can barely remember the colour of his eyes."

The moment they were out of sight, I locked eyes with Magnus and nodded quick, as he kept silent, coming over to me and having me take a few steps back, before using his magic and doing his thing.

The magic that was used proved too overpowering for Magnus, as he flew back and hit the wall, making my eyes go wide, going over to him quickly, helping him up to his feet, whisper shouting, "The whole point of this brilliant plan I had was so you can study the damn ley lines in silence-"

"Biscuit-" Magnus whispers, pointing at the red magic that was surrounding us, until both our heads snapped up at the sound of footsteps.

"I'm sure I heard something-" I heard Lorenzo say, making Magnus immediately hide the magic and rush to the doors, quietly leaving as I locked the doors behind him, standing in the middle of the room, trying to figure out an alibi when they were coming down the stairs, "It was a loud thump-"

I blinked, bending and holding my ankle when they came down, Alec walking towards me, "Zee- is everything alright?"

"I- uhm, fell-" I lied, looking between the two of them, "Heels are the death of me- uhm, I think I might of sprained it, actually-"

"Well, let me have a look at it-" Lorenzo offered, setting down his drink, "I'll make it good as new-"

"No!-" I blurted out, before clearing my throat, standing on one foot, "I mean- it's nothing an Irazte can't fix- wouldn't want you to go through the trouble-"

"We should get going anyway-" Alec set down his drink, playing along with my lie, "It's getting late."

"It was lovely-" My sentence was cut off when Alec lifts me off the ground unexpectedly, clearing my throat, "-seeing you again, Lorenzo-"

Lorenzo trades his goodbyes with Alec, before Alec was walking down the path outside of his mansion, still carrying me, "Nice thinking-"

"Thanks-" I kicked my legs lightly, "You know, you can put me down now, right?"

"I know-" Despite this, Alec doesn't put me down, walking over by Magnus, "So?-"

Magnus exhales, "Whoever did this is definitely from Edom, but- judging by the energy signature, it's not my father."

"Well, that's a good thing, right?" I looked at him.

"I'm afraid not." Magnus replied, "This magic is very old and very evil- the demon responsible is as powerful as they come unlike anything I've seen before."

I nod slow, "So, worse than Asmodeus?"

"Much worse." Magnus swallows hard.

-

"You're gonna use the Angelic Core?" Raj gapes at Alec when we were all surrounded around a table in the Ops Center, "Are you serious?"

"This is our only chance to stop the corruption." Alec pulled up the hologram, "We're gonna flood the ley lines with angelic energy- put an end to this, once and for all."

Clary nods once, looking at him, "So your plan is basically divine Drano?"

"The only problem is the Institute is not built on any ley lines- at least it's not yet." Alec explained, "That's where Magnus comes in."

"I know a spell that'll allow me to temporarily divert the flow of magic at the core." Magnus worked the hologram, "Once the ley line's in place, you'll tap into the core, and we can kiss the demonic corruption goodbye."

"Right- and what happens if a demon shockwaves hits while you're using your magic?" Raj took over, "The core- will be totally exposed."

"Well, that doesn't look good." Jace said, as I stomped on his foot, making him squeeze his eyes shut and lean his head back, his voice low, "Ow-"

Magnus exhales, "If we're lucky, it'll only vaporize the Institute-"

"But- what if we're not lucky?" Isabelle asked.

Magnus replies, "Better not to think about that."

"This is a risk we have to take." Alec said.

"The whole point of building the Institute away from the ley lines was to avoid something like this." Raj fought back, "Why not just quarantine the warlocks outside the city?"

Alec looked at him, "Because kicking innocent people out of their homes isn't going to solve anything."

"Neither will blowing up the Institute!-" Raj shouts at Alec, causing commotion to spark up between everyone, bickering amongst ourselves.

I slowly pulled up my sleeves, clicking my tongue, Jace immediately grabbing my arm before I could head over to Raj, Alec raising his voice to everyone, making everyone quiet down, "That's enough!"

"This isn't just about the warlocks." Alec took charge, "You know what happened at the hospital- everyone is at risk. We are under siege by a greater demon- it is our job to solve this problem."

"Evacuate the Institute." Alec made himself clear, "Essential personnel stay behind."

-

"Come on, move it!" Isabelle calls out when we walked through the Institute, "You don't want to be inside if this goes bad."

"We're not going anywhere." Raj doesn't move.

Jace stops, "Your orders were to evacuate."

"Yeah, I know the orders." Raj looks between us, "Look, I'm all for helping out the Downworlders, but- we can't let Lightwood destroy the Institute to do it- without it, we leave New York completely defenseless."

"Lightwood made the best decision he could given the circumstance." I cross my arms, "And, from what I recall- he's your boss-"

"You saying that because you actually believe it?" Raj looks down at me, "Or because sleeping with him gives you a room here?"

Jace was already taking my defense, taking a step ahead of me, "Don't talk to her like that."

Clary began, "This is not your call to make-"

"Doesn't matter-" He shook his head, "I've already locked him out of the system-"

Jace grabbed him by the neck, "Then unlock it."

Raj grabbed Jace's arm, as I quickly took defense over him this time, grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back, slamming Raj down against the table, "Now!"

"Not possible." Raj grunts in pain, "Even if it was- my answer would still be the same."

Clary asks Isabelle, "Can you undo it?"

"No- not anytime soon." Isabelle typed away on the computer screen, "It's too late."

My jaw clenched, letting go of Raj, as he stood up, dusting himself off, almost laughing in victory, making me immediately land a solid one on his face, knocking him out loud.

"Jace, send Alec a fire message about what's going on-" I instruct, then raise my voice at anyone who stood by Raj, "Everybody, get out!"

-

"That's quite the drink." Magnus hums when I handed him the drink I had made for him, his eyes slightly wide at how strong it is.

I downed mine in one gulp, "It's been quite the day-"

"I'm guessing Raj and his friends didn't take their banishment well?" Magnus looked at me.

"Wrangle Island isn't banishment-" I stared ahead, "It's more like character building."

"Lorenzo Rey could use a bit of character building." Magnus scoffs lightly, "He's been taking all the credit for fixing the ley lines."

"Such an ass." I muttered under my breath, "Lorenzo has to stop blaming you for being Asmodeus' son, and help us track the demon who's actually responsible."

"Biscuit- about my father." Magnus looks at me, "I hope you don't think less of me."

"You're joking." I looked at him, blinking once, "Magnus, I don't care who your dad is."

Magnus stares, "You don't?"

"No, I don't." I looked away from him again, "You didn't base me off who my father was when we first met- it taught me that our parents don't define who we are. I'm not going to degrade you because your father is Asmodeus."

Magnus softly smiled, then eyes me for a moment, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah." I looked at him, "Why?"

"You took that strong drink in one gulp and you're brooding more than usual." Magnus' answer was simple, "What's wrong?"

"Something Raj said before I knocked him out." I exhale slow and set down my empty glass, "He questioned if I really believed in Alec's decisions or if it was only because I was sleeping with him to ensure a roof over my head."

Magnus sighs, "Biscuit, you can't let Raj out of all people get to you-"

"No, I know- I know, it's just-" I huffed, leaning my elbows against the ledge, covering my face for a second, "I've done so much for these people- I went against my own father in war and protected every single Downworlder and Shadowhunter, and I don't even get the least bit of respect."

"I thought I proved myself when I saved everyone, but- it seems to me that I'm still just the outcast." I looked down at my hands, "Being the Hero of Alicante means nothing when it's just backed by meaningless words."

Magnus stares at me for a moment, then sighs, not saying anything, just pulling me into his chest, rubbing my back to comfort me.

authors note:

the ending of this chapter made me hella sad- she really be getting disrespected

zee and magnus are such a cute brotp tho

and zace sksksk i love them being so defensive over each other- it makes me soft, oh and him going to her for restaurant advice skskskf AWH

but, thank you for 44k !!

vote and comment loadsss