darkness is our playground we call home.

Kaycee gave a noise of complaint when she felt Jace take hold of her arm and, when he pulled her back to him, she slammed her hands against his shoulders in frustration. “Let me go, Jace!” she shouted, her anger and concern getting the better of her. “I can’t just sit around and do nothing! I have to find her! I have to help her!” It was her mom, for God’s sake, and the thought of losing her mom had her heart aching with a pain she didn’t recognize and racing with a desperation she didn’t want to admit to feeling. And, the more Jace tried to comfort her, the more he tried to talk sense into her, the more she could feel her emotions getting a tighter grip on her and, with her eyes watering, her hands stilled, her fingers curling into his shirt before she buried her face against him, her shoulders quivering with the sobs she was trying to fight back. “I don’t know what to do, Jace,” she managed out, her voice reflecting how desperately useless she felt.

---

Simon could feel his heart aching for Josee when he felt her tears soaking through his shirt and his hold on Josee tightened gently as he rubbed her back. He waited silently, patiently waiting for her to talk and, when she did begin to speak, he frowned as he listened to her story. His hold tightening a little more, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head, wanting to do all that he could to comfort her, even though he was at a loss. He didn’t know anything about this Valentine guy; he didn’t know what this man had put Josee through, he didn’t know all of the loss she had faced. But he still wanted to be there for her, he still wanted her to know that she could rely on him. “Hey, hey,” he murmured quietly, running his fingers through her hair gently, doing whatever he could to try to soothe her as much as he could. “You’re not gonna lose anybody else, Josee. We’re gonna figure something out.” And, although he knew nothing about this world, he included himself in the decision, because seeing the turmoil Josee was going through made him determined to help, determined to find some way to make sure Josee wouldn’t lose anybody else. “He’s not gonna take anybody else from you, I promise. And, I’m here if you need me, okay? You don’t have to hide from me, we’ll get through this together. We’ll figure this out together.”

Jace had expected Kaycee to lash out at him and he’d rather her lash out at him then anyone else, no matter how much she did lash out, his hold on her would never falter. “And you don’t have to know what to do, Kaycee. This is why we’re a team, because we work things out together.” Jace kept his voice soft as he continued to hold Kaycee in his arms, he wasn’t sure where to start either, but they would figure it all out with the help from their friends. “We aren’t going to just sit back and do nothing, you know that isn’t something I can do.” He moved a hand to cup her cheek and make her look at him, his thumb brushing away any tears that fell. “We’ll find her, Kaycee. I’ll make sure of that, but we also can’t go head first into this without a plan.” He looked into her eyes and could see the tiny breaks that were forming with the pain she was feeling, leaning forward he pressed his lips to her forehead. Valentine had done this too many times, this would be the last thing he does, Jace would make sure of that. “I’ll be right here through all of this, right beside you, okay.” He promised as his thumb gently ran over her cheek, he hated seeing Kaycee in this state as she never deserved to feel this sort of pain.

---

The urge to push Simon away was at an all time high for Josee, if she pushed him away now then he had the time to time and forget about her, before it was too late. The last thing she wanted was for Simon to get hurt or used because he was a mundane who wanted to help a Shadowhunter, her world was too much for him in so many ways. It would kill Josee if Simon was ever harmed, because it would be her fault as she was the one who dragged him into her world. Lifting her head, she looked at him and wanted to open her mouth to tell him to leave her alone, yet the words didn’t form, and her mouth shut again. “I don’t know what to do or where to start looking for her,” She couldn’t even think straight at that moment, she wanted to be there for Kaycee, but she couldn’t because she was an emotional mess. “Kaycee needs me, and I can’t even be there for her,” Josee knew all to well what Kaycee was going through, she should have been stronger than this for her best friend, her parabatai. “I’m sorry,” She whispered to Simon, she was sorry that he saw her tonight, sorry that she was dragging him into a dangerous world, sorry that she was putting his life in danger. Yet she couldn’t let him go.

Kaycee tried to listen to Jace, tried to process his words, but it was so hard when she felt so lost. “I hate this, Jace,” she breathed out, trying to force back her tears, trying to calm down, trying to get a clear mind, because she knew she’d be of no use if she didn’t focus. But, every time she tried, her thoughts went back to the possibilities of what Valentine could be doing to her mom - was he torturing her? Killing her? Her heart wrenched with the thought, and she had to chew hard on her lip to bite back the sob that wanted to breath forth. “None of us even know where to start, Jace! What if we can’t save her? What if - What if Josee and I lose her, Jace?” Dropping her gaze, she could feel her fists clench again and she tried so hard to fight back every ounce of anger and hopelessness that seemed to seep into her being, but she was struggling, and all she wanted to do was to do something, to make sure they tried everything they could think of to save her mom. She was so consumed with her thoughts and worries that she barely noticed the sensation of Jace’s lips pressed to her forehead, but she leaned into his touch before she buried her face against him after she registered his final words. “I want him dead, Jace. He deserves to die.”

---

Simon watched Josee, waiting patiently, but never letting go of her, wanting her to know that he was there, that she wasn’t alone, that she could lean on him and trust him and that he would do whatever he could to try to comfort her as much as possible. All he wanted was to fix everything that had gone wrong in Josee’s life, but he knew he wasn’t capable of doing that, so the next best thing was to make sure she didn’t have to deal with anything else alone, to make sure that she knew he was there for her in whatever was she needed him. When she finally spoke, he shook his head slightly. “You don’t have to know,” he assured her quietly, “I’m sure you guys will figure that out. I’ll do my best to help, too, I promise. But, for now, you need to breathe and focus, okay?” Lifting his hand, he cupped her face gently, ensuring that she was looking directly at him. “I’m sure somebody else is helping Kaycee. Focus on you right now, on what you’re feeling, on how upset you are, and just know that, eventually, everything will be okay. We’ll figure it out, together.” And, when he heard her apology, his expression softened and he shifted, sliding his arms around her again, and he ran his fingers through her hair. “You have nothing to apologize for, Josee.”

Jace wasn’t sure what else he could or should say to Kaycee right now, because he honestly didn’t know where to start the search for Denise either. What if they weren’t quick enough and Denise did die? He knew what it felt like to lose a parent, he would do all that he could to stop Kaycee from ever feeling that heart wrenching agony. “I know you hate it, Kaycee. But I swear to you, we’ll figure out a plan and we’ll bring Denise back safely.” Jace looked at the brunette and all he wanted to do was fix everything for her, but he couldn’t, at least not on his own. Moving his hand to cup her cheek, he made Kaycee look at him. “We will find her, okay. I won’t allow you or Josee to lose anyone, especially not your mom. I’ll make sure that everyone who can help us, does help us with this.” He looked into her stunning eyes as he brushed his thumb over her cheek, he wished that he could take Kaycee’s pain and uncertainness from her, he had gone through it all before and wanted to go through it again just so she didn’t.

His fingers moved through her hair when she buried her face into his chest, “Trust me. Valentine won’t survive this,” And that would be a promise he knew he could keep, not only did Valentine kill his own father but he also killed Josee’s parents in cold blood. Someone would take down this murderer, that wasn’t what Jace was afraid of. “Tell me when you feel up to going back inside, or we can take a walk. Whatever you want,” Although, he wanted to start searching for Denise, he was more concerned with Kaycee’s mental and emotional state. The last thing he would do is push her before she was ready.

---

Josee looked at Simon as she found it easier to calm her breathing, even though her emotions were all over the place. Having him there with her, having him talk to her and giving her a voice to listen to, seemed to clear her mind somewhat. She wanted to focus on what she was feeling but she couldn’t, she knew that if she did, her rage would overtake her. Because she was hurting, her heart had shattered again, but she could handle that pain. It was the anger that was seething under the pain, that scared her. She had been told that Valentine had died, but it was a lie and now Denise had been kidnapped by him. If she had known that Valentine was alive, she would have tracked him down and ended his life, like he had done to her parents. “Everything won’t be okay, no one will be safe with him out there. You won’t be safe, Simon. Because he keeps taking everyone from me,” Josee closed her eyes as she slowly exhaled a deep breath, “I won’t let him take you.” She promised as her eyes opened and she looked at him, Valentine had taken too much from her, she wouldn’t have Simon get caught up in that as well.

Resting her head on his chest, she listened to the thumping of his heart as she enjoyed his embrace. She knew that Kaycee would have the same support that Simon was giving to her, most likely from Jace, if Josee had to take a guess and she was grateful for that. “I should get back down there, he’s already had Denise for far too long.” She needed to do something, anything to help figure out where Denise was and why Valentine had taken her. She had to fix this, so Kaycee wouldn’t have to know what it felt like to have a parent die, to have a parent be murdered.

Kaycee tried to breathe through her concerns, tried to remind herself that her mother was a strong woman, she wouldn’t go down too easily. But, it didn’t force out the concerns, no matter how much she wanted the concerns to go away. There was no telling what her mother was going through - even if Valentine hadn’t killed her yet, he could be torturing her right this second, for all they knew. And, she was wasting time, being lost in her emotions, worrying about her mother when she should be focusing on trying to find her. “We have to find her, Jace,” she said quietly, focusing on what he was saying - or at least trying to. Despite how much she usually craved Jace’s voice, his very presence, all she could think about was what her mother could be going through right now. She knew she had to focus, even if she wanted to get lost in Jace and his reassurances.

And, she wanted to believe him, that Valentine wouldn’t survive this, but how could either of them know? Valentine had somehow survived everything else, even when he was supposed to already be dead. Chewing on her lip with the thought, she shook her head. “We need to go back in, load up the search programs, see if there’s any way to track her,” she said immediately, trying to avoid wasting any time. The sooner they found her mother, the higher their chances of saving her. Reluctantly pulling from Jace, she quickly headed back inside, determined and desperate, wanting to save her mother, no matter what.

---

Simon listened to her quietly as she spoke, wishing he could find some way to assure her, some way to help her. But, he was just a human, there wasn’t much he could do - especially when compared to badass Shadowhunters like Josee. Looking at her, though, he was desperate to do something, anything, to help her, whatever it took, because she didn’t deserve to lose anybody. She’d clearly been through a lot in her life, and he didn’t think she deserved to have to face any other turmoils or heartbreak - she was too wonderful of a person to have to endure more loss. “There’s always a way to make sure everything turns out okay,” he offered up gently, trying to be confident and optimistic for her, hoping that maybe it would be contagious and she’d soak up the confidence and optimism, too - he wasn’t usually either of those, but, for Josee, he knew he needed to be, he knew she needed it. “Nobody’s gonna take me.”

It surprised him that she was so concerned about him, but the knowledge made his heart swell with hope, because she already meant so much to him. He wanted her safe, happy, and he wanted to make sure nothing ever destroyed any of that for her, especially not this Valentine guy. Rubbing her back when she rested her head on his chest, he held her close, trying to comfort her in whatever way he could, hoping to ground her, to help her focus and calm down. When she finally spoke again, though, he blinked and peered down at her, surprised. “Are you sure you’re ready to go down there already?” he asked gently, “Considering what you’re going through, you don’t have to push yourself so hard… You’re allowed to take a moment for yourself, Josee.”

Jace nodded his head as he did agree with Kaycee, they needed to find Denise as soon as they possibly could. None of them knew where she was or what she was being put through by Valentine, or any of his followers. Jace didn’t know how they would find Denise, but they had to because he wasn’t going to let Valentine take another innocent life. If he had his way, he would make sure that Valentine didn’t survive this as the man was pure evil and would only bring destruction to their world. “We will find her,” He looked at Kaycee as she pulled away from him, if was a feeling that he hated, to not have Kaycee in his arms anymore. But she was right, they had a lot of work to do and needed to get going. He watched as the brunette who he loved the most, walked back towards the Institute and disappeared inside. Following Kaycee back inside, he walked over to where Isabelle and Alec were standing. “Bring up all the cameras within a 5-block radius of the Latton house, from there we’ll track the direction in which Denise was taken.” Jace instructed as he walked over to the several screens, while Alec typed in the address of Kaycee’s family home.

Isabelle moved over to Kaycee and wrapped her arm around her friend, “We’ll find her.” Izzy promised her friend before she looked towards the screens as her brother brought up all the cameras near the Latton home, Alec typed in the time of when Denise was kidnapped and stood back. He didn’t want Kaycee to watch what happened to her mother, but he knew there would be no way of explaining that to her. He just hoped what they were about to watch, would guide them in the right direction so they could save Denise before Valentine had time to enact whatever he had planned.

---

Josee hoped that nothing did happen to Simon, that knowing about her and the world she lived in, wouldn’t put him in danger. Looking at him, she nodded her head lightly. “I have to get back,” As much as she wanted to stay there and just be with Simon, she knew that she couldn’t. “If something happens to Denise and I haven’t tried my hardest to find her, I couldn’t forgive myself for that.” She told him as this was so important to her, she couldn’t stand back and risk losing Denise. The woman who had been her only mother figure, Josee didn’t remember her parents. She couldn’t lose anyone else that she loved and considered to be her family, “Besides I need to keep busy.” If she didn’t stay busy then her mind would go to the worst place and she couldn’t think about what Denise could be going through, “I’ll be fine as soon as we find Denise.” She looked at Simon and hoped that he understood where she was coming from, because she wanted to have his support through this. Otherwise, she wasn’t sure if she’d make it. She knew that she had too as Kaycee needed her too, and after everything that Denise has done for her growing up, Josee was going to be there for Denise now.

Stepping away from Simon and his embrace, Josee could have sworn that there was a sharp jab to her chest. However, she had to ignore the urge she felt to just fall back into his arms and pretend like her life was still together. Turning around she headed back downstairs, her eyes focused on her friends who were all huddled around the screens. As she moved closer to her family, she caught sight of Denise being carried out of the house where Josee grew up in. Denise seemed to be unconscious as she was kidnapped, whether that was the cause of the men carrying her or if she did it herself, Josee couldn’t be sure. She watched in silence as the different screens showed them the direction in which Denise was taken, and all she wanted to do was start to track Denise down but it still wasn’t much to go on.

Kaycee listened to Jace, hopeful that he was right, but she couldn’t force away the sense of dread she felt with the knowledge that she didn’t know where her mother was, if her mother was safe, or if her mother was even alive. And, moreover, she couldn’t think of a single reason as to why Valentine would abduct her mother in the first place - none of it made any sense. “Yeah… I hope so,” she murmured quietly, though she shifted uncomfortably. Would this have happened if she and her family had stayed in Idris? She’d been so excited to come back, to be back with Jace and Josee and her friends… But, now, she wasn’t sure how to feel. Breathing out, she followed Jace, staring at the screen.

Her heart pounded in her ears, echoing in a way that she only recognized having during a hunt. She felt Isabelle’s arm around her, but she barely acknowledged it, her eyes never leaving the screen, even as Josee joined them. Her heart sank when she saw her mom being taken away, and her fists clenched tightly. All she wanted was to find Valentine and the men who’d taken her mother in the first place, and make them all pay.

---

Simon watched Josee with concern, but he wasn’t sure there was anything he could say or do that would make this better or easier for her. This wasn’t his world, so he didn’t really know how things worked here. What he did know, though, was that he wanted to be there for Josee, to help her in any way that he could. “Just… Let me know if there’s anything - anything at all - that I can do to help you with all of this, to help with any of this at all,” he told her quietly, watching her, wanting her to know how badly he wanted to help her. “I’m here for you no matter what, okay?” He needed her to know that - she deserved to have somebody by her side, helping her through all of this, and he hoped everything would work out in the end.

Watching her when she pulled away, he breathed out quietly, wondering if maybe he was being too pushy. Chewing on his lip, he followed her quietly, though he was surprised with the sight of the screen that was greeting them, and the scene that was playing out on it. He couldn’t imagine what all of that must have been like, and he couldn’t imagine what Josee was going through, seeing it play out now. Before he could stop himself, he reached out, taking her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze in hopes of comforting her in some way.

(I’m going to combine my parts as they’ll all together now)

Jace watched the screen as the video played of Denise being carried out of her home by two men, of course Valentine would have his henchmen do the dirty work. Glancing over to Kaycee, he couldn’t tell what she was thinking or what she must have been feeling watching her mother being kidnapped. He wanted to comfort her but wasn’t sure if she needed that, he hated not knowing what to do in that situation. He noticed her hands had balled up into fists, she was angry and she had very right to be. He was angry himself, he had believed for years that Valentine had been dead. All this time Valentine had been in hiding, he could have been planning his return for years and no one knew about it. What if they couldn’t stop him? Valentine had fooled them for this long, and now he was back with a plan that was unknown to them.

Josee knew that Simon would do whatever he could for her, she believed him but she didn’t know what he could do. He was still a mundane in a world that he didn’t understand, he didn’t understand Shadowhunters like Valentine or how horrendous someone could truly be. This world was dangerous for Simon, yet Josee didn’t want to push him away. She felt a sense of calm when he was there beside her, even which everything that was currently going on. Standing in front of the screen she felt Simon take her hand and gently squeeze, entwining her fingers with his she watched how Denise was carried away into a black van with dark windows. The video wasn’t the clearest but it was enough to see that there was a floating orb around Denise’s body, meaning Valentine couldn’t harm her unless he figured out a way to reverse the potion that Denise had taken. It was her way of protecting herself as she wouldn’t go down without a fight. “It doesn’t make sense, why would he go after her?” Josee couldn’t understand why Valentine would take Denise, someone he didn’t know and had no history with.

“There are things that you don’t know,” Hodge spoke up as he stood behind the teenagers, this day was a long time coming. He hadn’t known that he would be the one who would break the news to Kaycee, he had hoped that her parents would have explained their earlier years to their daughter before this happened. “What do you mean?” Josee frowned as she looked back over her shoulder to where Hodge was standing, then she looked over at Kaycee with confusion clearly written on her face. She didn’t believe that Lewis and Denise would hide anything from them, from Kaycee as they had always encouraged the girls to share their thoughts and emotions, to share the experiences they went through each day. As it would continue to build trust and stop secrets from being kept, Josee didn’t want to believe that neither one had kept a secret and now this was the price for that secret. Denise being kidnapped by Valentine.

Hodge moved his eyes over the group before landing on Kaycee, “Maybe we should go somewhere private,” He looked at the brunette as it was her call, he could tell her what her parents did in private or he could tell her and her friends at the same time. He knew either way, the group standing before him would find out. “What did you want us to do?” Alec asked as his voice dropped, his dark eyes filled with concern as he looked at Kaycee. If she wanted space when she spoke with Hodge then he would make sure she received it, but if she wanted them there so they could support her then he would be the first one to step up and be there for her.

(okay!)

Kaycee could feel her tension grow the longer she watched the recording. None of it made any sense to her - why would Valentine choose now to come out of hiding? And why would he choose this as the way to do it? Abducting her mother, what was the point in it? There were too many questions and she couldn’t think of any actual answers, her mind clouded by the anger she felt with the entire situation. It wasn’t fair, her mother didn’t deserve this, and she couldn’t imagine what her father was going through. She was sure he was already out, trying to find her mother, pushing himself to his limits, and a part of her thought that maybe she should be out there, helping, but she needed answers.

Simon was surprised to feel Josee entwining their fingers, but he offered a small smile, wanting to be there for her, wanting to do whatever he could do to help her through all of this - even if there wasn’t really much that he could do. He was sure that he could at least provide comfort, and he was trying his best to do that, hopeful that maybe it was working, maybe it was helping, maybe he was giving her some form of comfort. He couldn’t be too sure, but he could hope, at the very least, and he wouldn’t stop trying until he succeeded. His gaze went to the screen, though, and he watched quietly, unsure of what to think about it all. “She’s not dead, is she?” he asked when he noticed that she was kind of floating, with an orb around her, when she was brought out of the house - how was that even possible?

“No,” Izzy answered easily, watching, “At least not in the video. It looks like she put herself in a coma, the orb is supposed to protect her. I guess they just took the opportunity to take her with them anyway.” But that didn’t mean that she was still alive at this point - she wasn’t sure what to think or what to say, and she didn’t want to make assumptions or get Josee and Kaycee’s hopes up or even ruin their hope in one fell swoop. Their best bet was to find Denise and save her and hope that she was alive through it all. She blinked, though, when she heard Hodge, and she looked over. “What’s going on?”

Kaycee was surprised when Hodge spoke and her brows furrowed with surprise as she watched the man. “What are you talking about? What do we not know?” she almost demanded, her voice louder than usual though she tried to stay calm, tried to stay focused. “No, if you have something to say about my mom, we all need to know, it could be important for finding out how to get her back, and we all need that information.” Simon was a little lost with everything that was going on, though he looked between everybody. He was pretty sure Hodge’s words had caused the tension in the room to rise even more, but he figured Hodge was only trying to help. He wondered what it could be, though. “What’s this all about?” he asked with curiosity, looking towards Hodge, his brows furrowed, though he looked to Josee with concern, squeezing her hand before he leaned over to ask her in a whisper, “Are you okay?”

Jace turned to look at Hodge as he spoke and as he listened to what was being said, his eyes stayed focused on Kaycee who seemed to be growing irritated with everything that was going on around her. Moving to be at her side he gently touched her arm with his fingers, hopefully to let her know that he was right there to support her. “If you have information then we need to hear it now,” Jace kept his voice calm but stern as he looked at the blonde man who had trained each and every one of them, any information that they could get could possibly help them find Denise. If Hodge wasn’t telling them something, Jace would get to the bottom of it because he wasn’t going to allow the girl he loved to go through the pain of losing a parent. Hodge moved his eyes over the group of teenagers before stopping on the person he didn’t know, anyone would be able to tell that the kid was a mundane and shouldn’t be inside the Institute.

Josee stared at the screen as the video of Denise’s kidnapping was now paused, none of this made any sense but she had a feeling that nothing Valentine did would make sense to her. He had killed her parents after all, and even to this day Josee didn’t know why as no one could or would explain it to her. Hearing Simon’s whisper caused her to look at him and she was silent for a few moments, was she okay? The answer was no, her second mother figure had been kidnapped by the same man who killed her parents. “Yeah, I’m okay.” She whispered back to him as she didn’t want to say that she wasn’t, she didn’t want him to worry more about her or think of a way that he could help and put his own life at risk. If Valentine could so easily kill other Shadowhunters, then he wouldn’t bat an eyelid to take down a mundane who was getting too close or who had gotten in his way. If Simon offered to help then Josee would stop him no matter the cost, she liked having him there and wanted to keep him beside her. Hodge’s attention moved onto Josee, “We should speak without the mundane being present,” Hodge didn’t like the boy being there at all and he certainly knew Josee deserved better than a simple mundane.

“He’s staying exactly where he is, now just tell us what you know.” Alec spoke up in a harsh tone as he was growing tired of Hodge not letting them in on what he knew, it was taking up precious time that Denise might not have. Alec glanced over to Josee to find her looking at him, he nodded his head lightly at her because he knew if the mundane was who she wanted at her side then he wouldn’t be able to change her mind. “Alright… well as you know before any of you were born, there were a group of Shadowhunters who formed a group called The Circle…” Hodge spoke and winced in pain as the circle rune on his neck started to burn his skin, “Valentine was the leader and promised us that we could reform the Clave. Many left us as Valentine’s beliefs changed but many also stayed with him, that all came crashing down at the during the signing of the Ninth Accords.” He gritted his teeth through the burning pain the marked rune was causing him, but the pain wasn’t going to silence him until he had told his students what he knew. “Valentine was going to use the Cup as a way to kill every Downworlder, but I believe the Cup was stolen and hidden from him… by Denise and Lewis.” Hodge looked over at Kaycee who he knew wouldn’t have known any of this, she wouldn’t know what her parents did or what they were hiding, or where they had hidden the Cup.

“What? No… they wouldn’t have done any of that, they wouldn’t have followed Valentine.” Josee frowned as she looked at Hodge, she didn’t understand why he would say that about the people she saw as parents, about the people who were selfless and took her in and treated her like their own. “I’m sorry but it’s true… it’s the same reason why Valentine went after your parents, Josee. They also turned him into the Clave, just as Denise and Lewis did.” Hodge had always wanted to tell Josee the reason as to why her parents were murdered, yet he wasn’t allowed as it was ordered of him to say nothing by the Clave. Josee didn’t want to hear what Hodge said to her, she didn’t want to believe her parents could possibly follow a monster, but she also didn’t get the chance to know her parents as she was young when they were taken from her. “No…” The word was a whisper as Josee looked over to her parabatai, how could they not know this about their parents.

Kaycee could feel her world come to a screeching halt around her, her heart aching in her chest with the information, and she found it hard to believe that something like that could be true. There was no way - her parents wouldn’t have ever been involved in something like that. It didn’t make sense. There was no way, it couldn’t be possible. “You’re lying,” she breathed out, staring at Hodge, “You have to be lying. That’s just… It’s not possible! Our parents wouldn’t do that, Josee’s parents wouldn’t have done that, they wouldn’t have been involved with stuff that Valentine was involved in - it’s just… It’s not possible…” It couldn’t be possible, right? She was finding it hard to focus, to process it all. It didn’t make any sense.

Simon blinked as he listened to everything that was being said, his brows furrowed. “Even if that was true, at least they turned away from it all?” he offered up, looking to Josee, hoping to give her some kind of comfort. “I’m not really… Sure how all of this works, but sometimes stuff like this happens… Good people side with bad guys because it makes sense at the time, but then they realize what’s really going on, that the bad guy is actually the bad guy, and they choose to go against all of that, even if it puts them at risk…” He chewed on his lip, certain none of this was helping, but he was trying, because he couldn’t imagine these people just being bad, not if they’d been a part of raising somebody as amazing as Josee.

“I’m not saying they were involved, of course,” Simon quickly tried to add, not wanting to make it seem like he thought they were bad people at all, not wanting it to seem like he thought they were involved with any of this. “But, if they were, they clearly did the right thing, even though it put them at risk, and… Well, that kind of makes them heroes, you know? Risking their own lives to do the right thing… It’s important to keep that much in mind, whether they were involved or not, and, either way, it doesn’t change what’s happening right now… It doesn’t change that she needs all of you.” And, they didn’t know how much time Denise had, they didn’t know what the woman was going through… At that moment, Simon felt completely and utterly useless, so out of touch from the rest of the group.

“It’s speculation,” Kaycee said quietly, “There’s no proof they took the Cup, it’s just… Assumed…” She swallowed hard, dropping her gaze before she looked to her parabatai, her heart breaking for Josee, because it was bad enough to hear that the people who’d raised her were involved, but then to hear that her birth parents were involved, too? It was hard for Kaycee just hearing that her parents were involved, but it was coming at Josee from two different angles, and that wasn’t fair to Josee. But, she didn’t know what to say, and all she could do was move over to wrap her arms tightly around her parabatai, her best friend, her sister, because at least they had each other despite everything else.

Hodge looked between the girls, “I wish I was lying Kaycee. I shouldn’t be the one telling you both about this, but I promised your parents I would if anything were to happen to them.” He watched the girls as he could only imagine what they were going through at that moment, their worlds crashing down around them as they tried to deal with the fact that their parents weren’t who they believed them to be. “So, Valentine’s been out there is entire time and no one knew he was still alive?” Jace frowned as he didn’t believe it, he didn’t believe that no one knew Valentine was alive. Just how long has he been out there plotting his next move? Gaining new followers for his sick and twisted cause? Because of that, Valentine had the chance at attacking and kidnapping Denise. He didn’t care what the girls parents did, because it seemed like once they realised that Valentine wasn’t sain anymore, they did go to great lengths to stop him. It was the reason Josee lost her parents, they risked and lost their lives in order to protect their world.

“The mundane is surprisingly right,” Hodge spoke through slightly gritted teeth, he was agreeing with a mundane who shouldn’t even be standing there. “They tried to stop Valentine, they all knew what the risk was in order to betray him in that way. Unfortunately, Timothy and Nicole lost their lives because of him.” Hodge glanced over to where Josee stood, he was certain that no one ever explained to her the actual reason as to why Valentine killed her parents. The truth was hidden in order to protect her and ensure her safety, but it was time that she found out the truth so that she doesn’t have to lose Denise in the same way.

Josee felt like her head was spinning with news of what her parents did and why they had died, she had always known a Shadowhunter called Valentine had killed them. Yet, she was only now finding out the reason why he did go after them, because they betrayed him and turned him in. The voices around her became suddenly muffled, she could see their mouths moving but she was struggling to focus on their words. She could tell Simon was doing his utter best at not only trying to keep up with what was going on, but also trying to comfort her in anyway that he could. But Josee wasn’t sure she could be comforted at that moment, because she knew Valentine could kill Denise at any second, if she was still alive. It was only when she felt two familiar arms wrap around her body tightly, that Josee came back to reality and instantly returned the embrace of her parabatai. “What if they did take the Cup, Kaycee? They would have kept it close but disguised it so we wouldn’t find it,” Her voice was only a whisper as she spoke to her sister.

Jace watched the girls protectively as he wanted to be there for them if they started to struggle with any of this, “If there is even the smallest chance that they do have the Cup, then we need to search for it before Valentine finds it.” Jace softened his voice knowing the girls were going through a lot, he didn’t want to add any pressure onto them but they all knew what their next step was. They had to find the Cup before Valentine did, if they didn’t then it would be harder for them to stop Valentine from enacting his plan all over again.

Kaycee shook her head slowly as she tried to process everything. It was difficult, though, because she still couldn’t really wrap her head around any of this. She was so worried about losing her mom, she couldn’t really think straight or focus on anything the others were talking about. “We have to find it, then,” she said quietly, agreeing with her friends, because they didn’t really have a choice. They couldn’t afford for the Cup to fall into Valentine’s hand - but Valentine wanting the Cup was probably also the only thing really keeping her mother alive. What would happen if Valentine realized they wouldn’t give the Cup to him? Would he kill her mother? She chewed on her lip, trying not to think about it. “We have to figure out where it is.”

Simon watched Josee, worried about her, his heart aching with the fact that she was going through this. It was bad enough she’d already lost her birth parents to this evil guy, Valentine, but now she might lose her adoptive mother, too. He couldn’t imagine what that was like, what she must be going through, and he wanted to do whatever he could to try to make things easier for her, to be there for her, because she deserved to have somebody who would focus on helping her through this. “Then, let’s focus on trying to find it,” he said gently, watching Josee still, and he gave her hand a squeeze, wanting her to know that he was there for her, that he wanted to help. “Where do you think they would have hidden it? Or what do you think they would have disguised it as? We can start there, try to piece this all together and try to figure it all out.”

Jace watched the girls closely as he was stuck on what he should do or say right now in that moment, and he wasn’t used to that feeling, he felt like he always knew what to say in difficult moments. Instead, he reached his hand out and placed it onto Kaycee’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze to hopefully let her know that he was there for her. “Anything that you can think about, would help us right now.” He encouraged both Kaycee and Josee, he knew it wasn’t if they would find the cup but when they would find it. He knew that they would work out where or what it might be disguised as and find it because Valentine could, Jace had no idea what Valentine would do once the cup was with them and that is what he was scared about.

Josee looked at Simon when she felt him squeeze her hand before her eyes moved back over to her parabatai, “I don’t know what they could have disguised it as, but do you think they would have kept it at home?” She looked at Kaycee as she couldn’t remember ever seeing any kind of cup that would be the one they needed, “Maybe in their office?” She suggested as the office was a room which Kaycee and Josee never went into much, but that room did hold many different artifacts that were all important. “Home could be the first place we look,” Josee didn’t know where else they should start looking, her head still wasn’t focusing on much as everything in her world was rocked yet again. “We’ll save her, Kaycee.” She promised her sister because she’d do everything in her power to bring Denise home safely, Josee wasn’t going to allow Kaycee to go through the pain of losing a parent.