It was dark and Clary could feel a searing pain in her side. She tried to open her eyes, but it felt as if they were glued shut. She tried again, and her eyes opened into small slits. Her hands felt like lead as she moved them trying to prop herself up, but when she moved, it felt like someone was running a seraph blade through her chest.
"Clary lay down." She heard someone whisper. She felt hands on her shoulders and someone was pushing her back down. She tried to see who it was, but darkness started to crowd her thoughts and she blacked out.
...
Clary could hear someone pacing near her bed. There was a dull pain in her side and her stomach felt like it was eating the rest of her body. She wondered how long it would take for it to make her disappear completely. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw Alec in front of her bed.
He was running his hands through his inky black hair sighing. When he saw her, his eyes widened and he rushed over to her.
"Clary, your awake! Thank the Angel." Alec gushed, and he fluttered over her like an over protective mom. He was checking her temperature and her wounds while muttering about how she had been out for days. After he had made sure all of her bandages were clean and her temperature was down, he calmed down.
"Alec." She rasped out, and she realized her throat was completely dry. Alec noticed this too and poured some water into a cup. He helped her to lean against the headboard, then he put the glass to her lips letting her take a few sips.
After he had placed the glass down, he sat down in the chair beside her bed and smiled lightly.
"How are you doing, Clary?" Alec asked, and Clary raised her eyebrows.
"Fine, I guess. If you consider not knowing how I got into this bed, or what happened to me, as being fine. If that's the case then yeah, I'm fantastic." Clary said, Alec smiled at her sarcasm.
"Well, do you want something to eat? Or do you want to know what happened?" Alec asked, and Clary shook her head. She felt like her shirt was becoming a part of her skin, and her hair felt like it was starting to stick together.
"Actually I'd really just like to shower first." Clary said, smiling at Alec. Alec nodded.
"Okay, while you're in the shower I'll run to Taki's and get you some food, otherwise you will be subjected to Izzy's meatloaf." He said, with a grimace.
"That sounds good." Clary watched as he stood up getting ready to leave, and she wondered how long he was going to try avoiding the subject she was most curious about.
"Alec, where is he?" Clary asked, and Alec paused. He cleared his throat nervously, and she could see the blush spreading over his neck.
"Um, I sent Jace back to his room a few hours ago. He sat in this room for five days, before Izzy, and I forced him to get a few hours of sleep. If you want, I can tell him to come in here after you're done showering. And I'll tell Izzy to bring you some clothes." Alec said, and Clary nodded. He put on his jacket and walked over to her placing a kiss on her forehead. Clary smiled lightly. After everything, Alec had become like a big brother to her. She turned her mind to the task at hand and pushed herself to her feet, and stood wincing as a sharp pain shot through her side. She made her way slowly to the shower trying to make her legs work properly.
She finally got to the infirmary bathroom and stripped out of her clothes. Her shirt was drenched with dry sweat, and one of the straps of her bra was torn off. Izzy was going to be pissed, she was the one who bought it for her. Clary looked at her bandage and started to peal it off carefully. She had a 3-inch gash that started at the end of her waist and ended right below her hipbone.
There was another on her shoulder, but it wasn't that deep. However, they would both probably scar. Sighing, she finished stripping out of her clothes and turned the hot water on in the shower.
Under the heat of the water, the fog in her mind started to clear. She remembered that she was walking down the street, going to the Institute to meet Jace for their date. On the way, she heard someone scream and ran towards the noise.
There were a group of demons, five maybe, surrounding a young girl. She remembered pulling out Heosphoros. As the demons turned to her, the girl ran off and the battle broke out. She had killed all of them, but while she was finishing off the fourth one the fifth one came up behind her and she whirled around, but it had already gotten to close. It's talons raked her side, and she could feel the poison running through her veins.
She thought that she remembered killing the demon, before she collapsed onto the asphalt of the alley. As she got closer to blacking out, she had called Magnus hoping he could help her out. That's all she remembered.
She turned the water off, when if began to run cold. When she got out of the shower, she noticed a stack of clothes on the sink. She rolled her eyes at the red lace bra and panties that Izzy had picked out. She put on her underwear, then her t-shirt and training shorts.
Izzy had been smart in picking out her clothes. Her t-shirt was off the shoulder so her injury wouldn't be rubbed against, and her shorts were soft and loose so it wouldn't make her more uncomfortable. She looked around in the medicine cabinet looking for gauze and bandages, but couldn't find any. She'd just have to get some from the drawers in the infirmary.
Putting her damp hair in a high pony tail, she walked out of the bathroom. She made her way to the cabinets on the far wall, and grabbed some alcohol, bandages, and gauze.
When she turned around, she saw Jace sitting in one of the beds. She grabbed all of her stuff, and walked to the bed and sat at the other end.
She stared at him in silence. He had dark circles under his eyes, and he looked like he hadn't slept in days. His hair was sticking up in loops and curls, as if he had been running his hands through it.
"Jace, I know you're angry, so just get on with it." Clary said, bracing herself. Jace glanced at her, and she could see the rage in his eyes, and in the set of his shoulders.
"How could you have been so stupid, Clary?" Jace asked, getting to the point, and even though Clary knew the question was rhetorical she felt the urge to respond with some sarcastic comment. She stopped herself though, Clary knew that he was just upset because she had gotten hurt.
Jace looked at her for a response and Clary merely shrugged and raised her eyebrows. Jace sighed frustrated. "Seriously, Clary. Five raum demons. You should have called for help." Jace said, his voice rising. He stood up and paced the room. Clary watched and wondered if smoke would come out of his ears, like in old cartoons.
"I didn't have time." Clary responded, trying to keep her temper even. She knew this was fruitless though. Trying to control her temper was like trying to control a hungry lion. Jace whirled around. "You should have made time!" He yelled, and Clary's felt her temper rise against her will.
"What was I supposed to do, Jace? Should I have just let that girl die, while I waited for you, Alec, or Izzy?!" Clary yelled, back.
"No, of course not. But you shouldn't have put yourself in that much danger!" He said, and his face flushed.
"Jace, we are Shadowhunters. It is our jobs to put ourselves in danger." Clary said, lowering her voice.
"Yes, Clary, yes. It is our jobs to put ourselves in danger, but not to be reckless." Jace said, and Clary threw her hand in the air. "Okay, Jace, are you mad because I didn't call for backup, or because I was reckless?" Clary asked, and she saw something in him crack.
"I'm mad, because you almost died. You almost died, Clary. I almost lost you, forever." Jace yelled at her, and turned away. Clary's brow furrowed. She knew she had been injured and unconscious, but Alec didn't say it had been anything serious.
She walked to Jace, and stood in front of him. She could see the sadness in his eyes that she had mistaken for rage. Clary took one of his hands, and he stared down looking at their adjoined fingers.
"Jace, what do you mean I almost died?" Clary asked, and Jace winced at her words.
"After Magnus got your call, he called and asked us if we knew where you were. We didn't, so he had to preform a tracking spell. It took him a while, and then he sent us to get you and when we found you, you were in a puddle of your own blood. You had inchor burns on your arms and neck, and the poison from the demon's talon had spread far into your veins. When Magnus was healing you, your heart almost stopped. He saved you, but you were unconscious for five days." Jace said, his voice was thin.
Clary shook her head, and looked at him. "I'm sorry." She said, and she was. She wasn't sorry for not calling for help, but she was sorry for putting him through that.
He looked at her for a moment and pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her. She could feel his lips pressed against her cheek like a brand, and she had a fleeting thought that maybe the imprint of his lips would stay there.
He pulled away, and noticed that her wounds still were not bandaged. "Come sit down, and let me cover this." Jace said, brushing the pads of his fingers lightly against the scratch on her shoulder.
He took her hand and led her to the bed. She sat and he poured alcohol on a wash cloth. She let him brush it over her shoulder. She hissed at the sting, and he glanced up and there was an apology in his eyes.
He blew on her shoulder to make the alcohol dry, and she shivered as his warm breath met her skin. Jace turned around switching out the alcohol for bandages and gauze. He finished applying the bandages, and looked up at her.
"Um...could you stand so I could...?" Jace asked, quietly. Clary marveled at his embarrassment. Jace was the most confident person she knew, and they had slept together several times after returning from Edom. However, when it came to him seeing more of her than what could be considered modest, he always flushed and stammered.
Clary stood and Jace knelled in front of her with the bottle of alcohol and bandages. He looked up at her asking for her permission, and she nodded. Jace then took her shorts and folded the hem down, to where it showed her red lace panties Izzy had brought to her.
She heard him draw in his breath quickly, and she wondered whether it was from the gash, or from desire. The wound wasn't that bad. It began over right above her shorts and ended before the hem of her panties. Jace shook his head gently and repeated the menstruations he had preformed on her shoulder. However, before he folded the hem of her shorts back up, he placed a gentle kiss on her hipbone. Clary gasped from the sensation, and Jace looked up at her smiling.
He stood to his full height and sighed. Clary wrapped her arms around him, and he did the same. Placing his forehead against hers he whispered, "I'm sorry for earlier. I wasn't angry at you. I was angry at myself for not getting to you sooner."
Clary smiled lightly. "It's okay, Jace." She said. "It just makes me nervous when you fight. Clary, I can't loose you. You can't leave me. Not now, not ever." Jace whispered, and Clary could read the fear in his eyes.
"Jace, you know I can't promise you not to die, the same way you can't promise me. But the one thing I can promise, is that I love you, forever and always." Clary said, and Jace nodded in understanding. They stood in silence, before he let his eyes flick to her hair, and reached behind her head to pull the elastic band out of her hair. Clary felt her hair fall down her back, and Jace nodded in approval.
Clary couldn't take it anymore and drew his lips down to hers, and Jace placed his hands on her ribs to avoid her cuts. Clary moved her hands to his neck, and played with the hair at the base of his neck. Jace kissed her gently, being careful knowing that she was still healing from her fight.
They had been kissing for a few minutes, before someone cleared their throat in the background. Jace sighed against her lips, placing one more kiss to the corner of her mouth, before turning to see who was in the room with them.
They turned to see Alec standing at the door, with his eyes averted and a blush spread over his face. "Can I look now?" Alec asked, his voice annoyed and embarrassed.
"Yeah, you can look." Jace said, his voice slightly breathless, and Clary knew that if she was to speak now, hers would be the same way.
Alec turned to them and suppressed a smile. Jace and Clary loved each other, and Alec thought it was hilarious how Clary could turn Jace into a lovesick puppy.
"What do you need, Alec?" Clary asked, politely. "I just got back from Taki's. I got your favorite. Are you two ready to eat?" Alec asked, and Clary smiled and nodded. Jace grabbed her hand, and they met Alec at the door.
The three of them walked down the hall together in companionable silence, before Alec spoke. "Oh, by the way Clary, good job with the demons. You killed all five, with demon poison running through your veins." Alec said, brotherly pride in his voice. Clary had a flash to her first day at the Institute, and how he laughed at the thought of her killing a demon.
"Thanks, Alec. But I had great teachers." She said, with a smile towards Alec and nudge of Jace's shoulder.
Alec blushed and gave her a half smile, while Jace grinned. "It is true. I'm an amazing teacher." Clary rolled her eyes, "I have no idea what you're talking about. I was referring to Alec and Izzy not you." Clary said, and Alec laughed, while Jace chuckled and rolled his eyes.
Clary smiled at Jace, and Jace leaned down placing a kiss on her cheek. She blushed a light pink, and Alec laughed. "You guys are adorable." He said, smiling at them.
"I am a man and men are not adorable." Jace said, with fake indignation. Clary grinned, "No, Alec's right you are pretty adorable."
Jace placed a hand on his chest and said, "Betrayed by my girlfriend and my parabatai." They walked down the hall laughing and met Izzy in the kitchen.