THE END
Chapter 1: Jace Herondale
"Clary?" Jace was slipping a dagger into his boot, and then strapping Seraph Blades on his belt. He was needed, right away, and he looked at Clary then, who had just entered the room, a bundle held in her hands. As she neared, Jace noticed the golden hair, and his face softened.
Where it was lined with agitation, and a tenseness he was trying to push down, now there was a longing in his eyes – And there were only very few people he longed for. The child in Clary's arms was on top of that list, just underneath Clary, of course.
Johann Christian. A name he and Clary had thought of; though they were going to name him after his grandfather, Jace's late father, Stephen, they had decided against it, opting to go for Christian Willford. It seemed fitting, perhaps, but the couple had no further qualms about the child's name. They liked it.
And it was better than what Isabelle had suggested – Walter. Jace of course lost a little faith in Isabelle's creativity at that time. Walter? Really? And then Alec had thought of naming the boy Fred. And although Fred did seem okay, it just didn't fit. It didn't fit with Clary and with Jace. And so Johann it was – From Jonathan. And then Christian, from Clarissa. Of course the second name was quite far from 'Clarissa', but it was the same, anyway. Isabelle had even said that yes, it was valid for Clarissa, since it started with a C and could always be shortened to 'Chrissy' which Jace shot down with a glare.
Johann poked his head from under his blankets and then squirmed a bit in his mother's arms and Clary looked worriedly at Jace, noticing the gear.
She knew that Death would always come knocking, especially now that they were older, they had more responsibilities, more things to take care of. And helping the Institute was just one of those – but they accepted Distress Calls; Clary never liked it if Jace went alone, there was always an empty hole in her heart whenever he did. There were really rare times that it was Clary who went with Isabelle, but most of the time, she was together with Jace. Always together. At thirty one and their love was still as strong as when they were sixteen and seventeen; Their love deepening in the years, and it was only strengthened by ten folds when Johann had come along, 2 years ago. Though how a love like theirs needed to be strengthened…
Well, the couple would surely take a bullet – in modern, non-Shadowhunter talk, of course – for each other. Or sacrifice everything they had for their other half. Now, as Johann reached his pale hands – he had inherited his mother's pale features, as well as Clary's green eyes, though he did get Jace's golden hair, golden aura, even at such a young age.
Jace takes Johann in his hands and brings the boy close to his chest, smelling his hair. The child reached up to his father's cheek and ran tiny fingers down the length of it, before he started tugging at Jace's hair, all the while inclining his head, too, as if to say that they had the same color, had the same type of hair.
Jace smiled, and the child in his arms laughed.
"Where are you going, father?" Johann said, once Jace had passed him back to Clary, who still didn't look very comfortable with Jace leaving so late into the night.
"To save the world," Jace said, in such a gentle tone that it made Clary smile.
"Are you sure you don't need me to come?" Clary stepped forward, her eyes wide, her red hair cascading down her shoulders.
Jace reached for her now, and his thumb caressed her cheek. "No, I'll be fine."
"Alec won't be coming with you?" Clary just wanted somebody to back Jace up – but Jace was sure he could take care of it. It was just a warlock gone bad, something Magnus would not be very happy to hear about, especially not in his own turf.
"He wanted to, but I told him to stay since he's got today off." Clary raised her eyebrows at that. Shadowhunters didn't really get day offs, or a lot of vacation time. Maybe if there was no activity for the day, then yes, it could be a day off, especially because they were outside of Idris.
"And Magnus had the night off, too." Ah, of course. Clary nodded. "I didn't want to disturb," Jace snickered, much like how his teenage self would; He never really teased harshly, rather, it was just small pokes, one which Magnus took with a chuckle and Alec a glare, though the glare would dissolve and a grin would come up to his face as he joined Magnus's laughter.
"Take care," Clary lifted her head up to look at Jace, and Jace smiled down at her, leaning down to kiss her, the kiss short but sweet. When he pulled away, Clary was smiling.
"Say goodbye to daddy now, Johann. It'll tuck you in tonight," As if on cue, Johann yawned, and Clary smiled down at their son.
"But I want father-" Yawn. "To tell me stories…" Another yawn, his words in a baby sort of slur.
"Your mom has a lot more creative juices than I," Jace ruffled Johann's hair, and then the boy settled into Clary's hold, but not before he'd smacked a kiss to Jace's cheek. "And I'll stay here tomorrow,"
"Can we go see the sparkly man?" He yawned again, and Jace chuckled. "Will you ask him to make fireworks? In my room?"
Not that Magnus didn't like Johann, it was just that he didn't like the idea of being coined as a clown of sorts, to entertain the child – though he was quite fond of the kid. But he was far beyond parlour tricks.
"G-G-Good night," And this time, Johann's eyelids dropped and his little arms wound around Clary's neck, his cheek pressed against her shoulder.
"Please be careful." Clary closed her eyes, felt the warm pressing of Jace's lips to her forehead.
"Always," Was Jace's goodbye, stopping by the kitchen's entry way to look at Clary, who was rocking Johann gently, and with that, he made his way to the front door, stepping out into the cold August night.
SPACE
Jace felt the cold press of metal to his back, felt blood gushing out of the tear in his pant leg, and knew he was down to his last Seraph blade, the dagger from his boot earlier already thrown at the Greater Demon.
An idiot of a warlock! A warlock gone astray, gone crazy, had summoned a greater demon, had not even bothered with a goddamn Pentagram. If he only knew that he was going to be faced with a Greater Demon, then he would surely have brought more blades with him, even Alec, and Isabelle! But no, he would have never brought Clary – but she would come along, leaving Johann with Magnus.
He swore and ducked as a claw-like shadow passed over his head, and where it had hit the metal just behind him, the metal singed and then completely melted.
Where there had been three heads to one very large dog, there was now a shapeless mass of black, and then as he rolled over to get out of range, he saw the demon take shape, and now it took the form of a large raven, its wings beating powerfully as it circled above Jace.
"I am Naberius. Foolish warlock. Foolish Nephilim. You do not know what you are up against,"
And Naberius drove to the ground, Jace holding his last Seraph Blade up high to the skies. He desperately wished for the sun to appear hours early. The warlock was barely breathing as he got here, an old and abandoned warehouse, but now they were in open ground, and half of the warehouse had melted, or was starting to burn.
Jace felt a burning in his own throat, but he did not close his eyes as darkness suffocated him, poison seeping through every pore – Greater Demon poison.
And he knew, Jonathan Herondale – though, to his own heart, he was Jace Lightwood – had come to his end.
Ave atque vale, Jace Lightwood.