chapter 1: returning;

-x-

Clary stepped out of the silver Mercedes, spinning her steele in her hand. She lowered her aviator sunglasses and pushed them back against her nose, breathing in the familiar scent of downtown Manhattan. A taxi sped down the road, sending a gush of wind flying against her slim figure. Smiling, Clary stopped spinning her steele and slid it carelessly into its holder on her belt.

"You ready?"

Simon asked as he had opened the passenger seat door and had almost fallen out of the car. He had skidded a little, recovering in a semi-crouch, and was now examining the damage done to his Converse.

Clary smiled, stifling a smile. "Whenever you are, Squirt."

Simon brushed his knees off and stood up. "You haven't called me that since I was five." He tugged on his tattered, V-neck t-shirt and straightened his glasses.

Clary walked over to the trunk door and grabbed a black suitcase. "Well, you haven't changed much since then. Physically or mentally." She hoisted the suitcase behind her back and gestured for him to come. Simon glared playfully but shook his head.

"I can't go into the Institute, remember?" He brushed his hair out of his eyes and grabbed the other suitcase. Clary pouted.

"But you could at least walk me there," she argued, straightening the hem of her jeans. "I might get mugged on the way."

Simon laughed, shutting the hood of the car and locking it. "The Damsel-In-Distress thing doesn't work for you anymore. You could kick the mugger's ass all the way across the Pacific Ocean if you wanted." Still, he hoisted the suitcase up and walked up to her, punching her lightly on the shoulder.

Clary punched him back, and sighed. I don't want to live here, she thought, and the knot in her stomach tightened. She pushed her aviators back on her nose - she would remember to tighten them when she got a moment - and glanced up at Simon's face. He was smirking.

"You'll be fine," he said, reading her feelings like an open book. "It's not as if you don't know them or anything. They're friends - Isabelle is so excited to see you. And," he added mischievously, "unlike me, they don't bite."

They had reached the ornately carved, wooden doors of the Institute. Simon dropped off the suitcase he was carrying and smiled at Clary. She groaned inwardly at the sight of the Institute, and shot Simon an annoyed look.

"It's suppose to be a joke, see, 'cause I'm a vampire," he said confidently, as if Clary hadn't understood it the first time. She snorted, pulling him into a hug.

"Always the same old Simon," she said. His arms felt familiar against her own, safe. She realized now just how much she had missed him when she was away. He was her best friend, and nothing would change that.

Simon grinned down at her as he let her go. "I'll be back in a month, okay? I'll send you pictures from the gigs we stop at." With that, Simon pulled her into one last hug, and said goodbye. As he sauntered back to his car, he turned and waved. Clary bit back a smile, and turned to the oak doors. Drawing a quick breath, she pushed them open and lifted both the suitcases behind her back.

Clary glanced down at her leather jacket before taking the aviators off and perching them on her head. She smiled sadly, missing him already, as she stepped into the Institute, hearing the sound of Simon's car as he revved it and reversed out of the parking lot. Then the doors shut.

-x-

"Clary!"

Clary, still hoisting two suitcases behind her back, gasped involuntarily as she was attacked by Isabelle and pulled into a hug. The familiar scent of strawberries filled her nostrils as she breathed in Isabelle's distinct smell.

"Omigosh, it is so good to see you again," Isabelle started, breaking the hug. They were standing in the parlor of the Institute, light flooding from everywhere. To Clary's left, the doors to the elevator glittered, to her right, a hallway that broke into a sparkling clean kitchen. Isabelle was grinning from ear to ear. "We have so much to catch up on - " she stopped herself as she caught a glimpse of Clary's appearance, a look of surprise on her face.

Clary glanced down at her dark denim jeans and tight fitting leather boots. Her black t-shirt was hidden under her black leather jacket, and she was wearing a silver chain necklace with no ornaments, which had once held a ring. She didn't think she'd looked that bad...

"You look so..." Isabelle trailed off, glancing down at Clary's appearance. She shook her head. "Different. Anyways, I'll show you to your room."

Clary followed willingly as Isabelle chatted off, mentioning this person and that, updating Clary on her busy life.

"Alec is staying with Magnus at the moment," she explained happily, "so you won't see him till later. And mum and dad are off at some Clave meeting, they'll be back tomorrow."

She led Clary to the elevators and pushed the up button. "You'll be staying in one of the rooms down the hall from mine, it's really nice." Isabelle hadn't stopped talking, but Clary didn't mind much. She glanced at her reflection in the elevator's mirrors, and attempted to straighten her bangs, failing miserably. Oh, well, Clary thought. I'll fix them later. Isabelle smiled at her and grabbed one of the suitcases from her hands.

"So, what brings you back?" She asked, her eyes twinkling in curiosity. "Mum mentioned something to do with the Clave..."

The doors to the elevators made a soft 'ding' as they opened, and Clary stepped out onto the wooden floors. Smirking a little, she turned to Isabelle.

"Yeah," she said, brushing her hair out of her face as she went. "The Clave asked me to do some reconnaissance work for them. Plus, Idris doesn't have enough cute guys...It got pretty boring."

Isabelle nodded understandingly, and guided Clary down the narrow hallway, stopping in front of the last door. It had a brass handle and a tag with her room number on it. Isabelle fished around in her pockets for a little while, eventually pulling out a key.

"This is your key," Isabelle said, handing Clary a small ring with a simple, silver key on it. "Usually the rooms are just left open, but if you want to look it..." Clary nodded, and slipped the keys into the pocket of her jeans. She didn't plan on using the keys much, but nevertheless she grinned at Isabelle as she opened the door with her free hand. She walked down a small corridor, noticing a bathroom to her left. She turned to face Isabelle , and said:

"Thanks so much, Izzy. I'll just start setting up - " Clary stopped in her tracks when she caught Isabelle's surprised expression. The girl's lips were pulled into an 'o' and her eyebrows had ridden all the way up to her hairline. Turning around, Clary caught sight of what had Isabelle so startled.

Lying on her bed, still completely oblivious to any disturbances, was a shirtless Jace Lightwood with an even more clothe-less girl underneath him.

hey guys :) my first fanfic in the Mortal Instruments series.

just a quick note: the characters are all shadowhunters/vampires/werewolves as they were in the original Mortal Instruments installment. The fight with Valentine also happened. But this story is sort of a continuation from City of Glass, and ignores City of Fallen Angels. Apologies. Also, Clary is slightly OOC in this story - but that's just because she went away for 3 years to train in Idris...

disclaimer: characters/setting are not mine, but Cassandra Clare's.