Black || Jace Wayland [1]

| 04. old beginnings

"Whoa there." The other girl Asher saw at the Pandemonium chuckled and dropped her hands by her sides. She reached into the back pocket of her pants and pulled out Asher's stele, handing it over. Asher relaxed and took it before turning her attention back to the redhead. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine." The girl responded and walked closer to sit at the foot of the bed where the mundane rested. "After everything she saw, her body went into shock and she fainted. Managed to get a small scratch infected with demon poison." She bit her lip in confusion of how it happened, but shook it off quickly. "Jace called us to come get her." Asher crossed her hands. "Is that the blond jackass who screwed up my mission?"

"Gossiping about me after I just saved your life?"

Asher looked over to the entrance to see the same male blonde walk into the room with a darker haired guy following behind him. The blonde feigned hurt before releasing a quick smirk. "That's not nice."

"We wouldn't have been in that situation if you just stayed out of my way."

"That was our mission, by the way." The blond motioned to the other three conscious people in the room. "Why you randomly showed up was way beyond me."

"I didn't just randomly show up at a demon club to down a vile of blood." Asher snapped at him. She squared her shoulders and went rigid. "Besides, I wasn't the one who confused another Shadowhunter for a demon. Nice deduction skills, blondie."

"You literally had no runes when we met. How did you even do that?"

"Family secret." Asher scoffed and crossed her arms. "Maryse Lightwood must've told you I was here." The blonde made a face and opened his mouth to retort something when his friend beat him to it. "Wait, hold on a second." The dark-haired male standing a few feet away walked towards her, stopping next to the blond. He furrowed his brows. "Asher?"

"In the flesh." Asher mumbled, tucking her hands into the sleeves of the gray hoodie. The other female Shadowhunter shared a look with the male who had the same hair hue as hers, both of their mouths slightly agape before wide grins adorned their faces.

"Uh." Asher looked in between the two raven-haired Shadowhunters. "What is going on?" The girl stared at her incredulously. "I can't believe you don't remember." She walked over to the dark-haired man. They both stood tall with big smiles. "Isabelle and Alec Lightwood!" She exclaimed excitedly.

Asher stared at them, trying to remember why those names sounded familiar. The girl's brother stepped in to jog her memory. "Your childhood friends?" As soon as those words left his mouth, the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Her eyes widened. "Izzy and Alec? It's really you?" 

Asher's surprise transformed into a genuine smile. She'd been shutting her childhood out for a long time now, nearly forgetting her closest friends from before her parents took her to Europe. It felt as if the years melted away, and for a brief moment, she was the bright and bubbly little girl again. The joy of rediscovering her long-lost friends warmed her heart and she found herself lunging for Isabelle.

Asher ignored the sharp pain in her shoulder as the two girls embraced in a long overdue hug. "I can't believe this." "Me neither." Isabelle giggled and squeezed her back lightly, keeping in mind her injury.  

Asher pulled away to look at the other boy in the room, a smile graced her features. "Baby Alec's all grown up now." The little boy she once knew with large spectacles and a toothy grin stood in front of her as a muscular and handsome man. Alec rolled his eyes and cracked a small smile, something that caused Jace's eyes to pop out of his head.

Asher didn't miss a heartbeat to tease him like old times. "Such a sight for sore eyes." She winked playfully. "I bet all of the girls are rushing to your door." Alec let out a laugh and took the remaining few steps to envelope her in a warm embrace. 

"You must've showed up while we were out." Isabelle commented as the two broke away. "We planned an entire surprise with a cake and everything!" "Don't worry, Izzy didn't make it." Alec leaned down and whispered in Asher's ear, making her giggle and his sister scoff.

A throat clearing itself ruined the happy moment that Asher was sharing with the Lightwoods. The three shifted their attention to the seemingly fourth wheel in the room. "If anyone could fill me in on what's happening, that would be great." The blond crossed his arms. 

Isabelle pulled Asher into her. "This is Asher Montgomery, from the LA Institute. She was our best friend for years before her parents moved her to Vatican City to protect the Pope."

"Asher Montgomery?" Jace questioned. Asher raised her eyebrow. "Expecting someone else?"

"Yeah. A guy."

She scoffed and shook her head. "Well if you're done being sexist, Jack, we have to figure out why this mundane is here."

"It's Jace."

"Whatever."

"Apparently Jace thinks that she isn't a mundane." Alec spoke up, crossing his arms beside her. Asher shrugged. "I mean, she did see me through my glamour, but how is it possible that there's a Shadowhunter living here that the Clave don't know about?" 

"Exactly my point." Alec gestured to the sleeping girl. "She has to be a mundane." "With the Sight and managed not to die with the healing rune we gave her?" Jace questioned his friend before shaking his head. "Very unlikely."

"You gave her a rune without knowing if she was a Shadowhunter?" Asher gaped at him. "Are you fucking kidding me? She could've died!" "But she didn't." Jace retorted, his expression unyielding. "I also saw the Seraph blade light up when she touched it, so there's that. Besides," A hint of challenge lingered in Jace's nonchalant stare. "You of all people should understand that sometimes risks are necessary considering the lengths you went in order to save her."

Asher took a step towards him, shoulders squared and fists clenched at her side. "Is there something you want to say to me?" "No, not particularily." Jace shrugged and smirked at her, making the brunette growl. She raised her fist to swing at him when Isabelle shot up and grabbed her arm. "Maybe we should show you around!" She let out a strained laugh.

"Or," Asher suggested. "We inform the Clave about this mysterious girl and Jace's negligence." Jace's smirk dropped when Alec looked away as if actually contemplating her idea. "No." He glared at his friend. "At least, not yet."

A small moment of silence spread over the four Shadowhunters. The girl remained asleep, probably knocked out by the poison that got into her system. Alec was first to break the silence. "So," He drew out. "What now?"

"Now," Jace answered. "We wait."