This one-shot isn't like my other ones. It's not inspired by a song. It's not cannon. It's inspired only by CoHF and the battle I hoped for, but never got. The final combat shouldn't have been between Jonathan/Sebastian and Clary, at least in my opinion, so I wrote another version.
I know I've said this before, but I feel it's my duty to warn you once more. If you are a Clary/Clace fan, you should definitely skip this. It's just going to piss you off and you don't need that. It's not in Clary's favour. You won't like it, I assure you, especially if you think Clace to be the most perfect couple of all times and her the most perfect girl in the world and nothing can change your opinion. I'm not afraid of your flames, it's just a fair warning.
So, if you've still decided to give it a go, I'll just say that the part in the beginning that's written in italic is directly from CoHF, just so you know where this starts. Of course, I don't own CoHF or TMI.
"I don't know why you're showing me this." she said. "What do you expect? Admiration? You won't get it. You can threaten me if you want; you know I don't care. You can't threaten Jace – he has the fire of Heaven in his veins; you can't hurt him.
He was willing to do it, to offer her this one last chance to be his queen. Last chance to admire him, to love him.
But, he understood the hatred in her voice; it was one of the few feelings he could feel in their purest form. He understood the scorn, the defiance. She would never give him what he wanted from her.
His own blood or not, she had betrayed him; too many times. He would not be weak like his father, who had dreamed about reunion with Jocelyn, that woman that had hated her own child from the moment of his birth.
If I Turned Clary, would you hate her too, I wonder? he should have remembered to ask her that question before. But, it didn't matter now. Clary would not become one of the Endarkened. It would be a merciful fate and she didn't deserve it. She had had her chances to obey him and refused all of them like they were birthday presents she didn't like. He was tired of being stabbed in the back. He would not offer her another chance.
"If I threatened people you loved, would you care then?" he asked, making a step towards her. Judging by their appearances, one could hardly guess they were related. She was all like her mother; he was all like their father.
She stiffened; he enjoyed the sight. His little sister, thinking she was all grown-up and heroic, trying to save the world. Now that she no longer had his mercy on her side, she would soon learn how meaningless she truly was; that few months of training as a Shadowhunter weren't enough to erase sixteen years of life as a mundane, not even with special powers such as hers. He had been trained by master of the craft; Valentine Morgenstern himself. He wouldn't underestimate her, of course; some of his subjects had done that and paid the price. He was better than them, better even than her beloved Jace; she would regret not choosing him.
"I'm willing to offer you one more chance, Clarissa." he said loudly, his eyes fixed on her face as he approached her. "There are two thrones in this room. One for each of us. Be my queen and rule Edom with me. I'll leave your world alone and your friends alive here with us."
Shock filled her face. She hadn't expected another chance, if this counted as a chance at all. He saw how she resented the thought of being his queen.
He had to keep his lips from shaping a grin. Surprises were much more fun.
"Isn't that what you've always wanted?" he asked when she didn't answer. "To be the hero and save the world? To be the most special of special people?"
Her expression softened. Was it glory that was his sister's weakness? Was it possible that the power for creating new runes wasn't enough?
She truly was a hypocrite, this sister of his. She claimed to be better than him. She claimed to be honest, merciful, modest, loving, good; everything he wasn't.
The truth was; she would make a fine queen here in Hell. She had features necessary for that; ambition, greed for power, no mercy for her enemies.
But, letting down of her guard for him to see the truth had come too late; he wouldn't change his mind. He was done with second chances. He was about to embrace his demonic nature completely by killing his own blood, sealing his destiny as the true heir of the first Morning Star; ruling alone, now and forever.
"How do I know you'll keep your word?" she asked, trying to buy herself some time.
He wondered for a moment if his expression and movements had given him away, whether she realized what fate he had planned for her. But, when he looked her in the eyes, he saw nothing more than disgust and nervousness. If she knew he was about to kill her, she would be afraid; she wasn't too stupid.
"Why wouldn't I?" he raised his eyebrow. Their father had taught him a long time ago how to act. Had she already forgotten how he had fooled them all back then when they had first met in Alicante? "If you agree to this, I'll have everything I want. Your world will mean nothing to me. I'll leave it alone."
He was almost in front of her now; she stood at the edge of his chanting circle, unable to enter it. She didn't need to; he could come out at any time.
But, first things first. The boy-torch had to be dealt with.
He waved his hand. Jace, who had been standing next to Clary just a second ago, flew up and back and then slammed into the wall behind Clary. He remained lying there with blood on his face.
That's what's called a good shot. Sebastian thought smugly, admiring his work for a second longer and then focusing on his sister again.
She didn't even turn around; her face remained blank. That made him suspicious right away; after all swearing on eternity of their love she didn't even blink when her boyfriend was smacked against the wall. There was only one explanation for that and it wasn't her sudden coldness toward Jace.
She was planning something. The plan was even more important than Jace; it was a plan that should save her, Jace and every one of her friends from him.
He didn't know what it was and neither did he care. She wouldn't live long enough to perform it. He would make sure of that.
"So, now that we got rid of potentially unwise advisers," he waved nonchalantly in Jace's direction, "what is your decision, sister?"
Her expression didn't change, but fury burned in her green eyes. There was no clearer message. She would kill him if she had the chance. There was some secret she counted with; something he didn't know.
"I'll do it." she said finally, as if it had taken all of her strength to roll those words over her lips.
Liar. he grinned, letting her think she could catch him off guard.
"Excellent." he said, deciding to use her final moments to play with her for just a little longer. "Now I want you to kiss me, Clarissa, so we can seal our union."
Once again, she couldn't hide her disgust. It filled every feature of her face.
"I can't enter the circle." her eyes glanced at the border and then fixed back on him.
"I'll come to you." there was no reason not to. There was no one in the room but him, her and Jace, who wasn't actually in the room, but in the darkness of his own knocked-out mind.
He stepped outside the circle. He heard her sudden intake of breath, as if this was the chance she had been waiting for.
"Give me your hands, Clarissa." he stretched out his, waiting for her to give him what he demanded.
Her expression froze. So, she did have a weapon of some kind that she had planned to kill him with.
Killing usually demands hands to hold the weapon. he watched her as she raised her hands and put them on his, smirking inside.
She was so short. Her hands could barely reach the back of his neck. She was unable even to strangle him.
She avoided looking him in the eyes, knowing he had won.
Not yet, sister. he wanted to say to her. Not quite yet.
"I'm waiting, Clarissa." he rolled his eyes and put his left hand on her back. He needed the right hand because there was no easier way to reach her heart. Literally.
She bit her lip for a moment, but then give up resisting, as if she hoped a chance would come. She closed her eyes and leaned towards him.
It was all over in a second.
His hand.
His blade.
Her chest.
Her heart.
He didn't even bother to catch her as she fell on the floor. Her blood was already on his hands, in any way possible. Poor girl had believed that the care he felt for her just because she had the same father like him would be enough to keep her safe.
Why had he even thought about making her his queen? He had always despised fools and she had always been one. It had taken so long for him to see it, but his eyes were open now. She had had a chance to finish this a long time ago, but she had chosen to betray Jace to him, instead of giving him over to the Clave and the Silent Brothers. She could have ended this war before it even began if she had just had the guts to risk sacrificing a thing dear to her heart. Jace maybe wouldn't have died. Maybe the Silent Brothers would have found a way to break the bond between Jace and Sebastian.
But, Clary was a kind of person who thought herself to be up to everything. She had had to be the one to save Jace. She had had to be the one to run into the battle at the Citadel, even though she hadn't been allowed to. She had done all that counting on Sebastian's fondness of her to protect her. Well, it had truly been the time somebody showed her how weak she was compared to the true warriors and that demons didn't care for anyone, not even for their own blood. Not truly.
She didn't move anymore.
She didn't breathe.
Her heart stopped beating.
It was over.
His sister was dead.
Suddenly, a strange feeling streamed through his body, as if somebody had lifted a heavy burden off his back. There was no that aching, that desire to ...
He looked at the body on the floor. Her face was familiar, but didn't mean anything.
He understood now what the burden that he had got rid of was. Gone was that feeling of being drawn to her; gone was the call of her angelic blood to his demonic.
He laughed loudly, feeling happy. Or as close to happy as demons could get.
This should be celebrated.
He was free.
Jace had been injured more times than he could count during his career as a demon slayer, but this close encounter with the wall left him half-dead. Every part of his body hurt, but his head had got the worst hit.
The pain was blurring his senses. His sight was blurred. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, disabling him to hear any other sounds. The floor under his feet was unstable. He couldn't even think clearly.
Suddenly, there was a laugh. A laugh he knew. A laugh he knew and hated.
Sebastian.
He blinked few times, trying to see his enemy. Trying to see anything. He'd love nothing more than to see Alec's and Isabelle's faces right now. His siblings had always been there to support him, even in the darkest of times. He hadn't always appreciated it, but in the end that was what he loved them for.
His sight suddenly cleared and he could see the room again. Sebastian was standing in the middle of it, laughing as if he had just heard a brilliant joke. On the floor, next to his legs like a tamed dog, was a body.
Red hair.
Clary.
He had only now realized that a part of the redness on the floor wasn't her hair. It was her blood. There was no doubt that she was dead.
Clary. Clarissa.
There was nothing in either of those names. He should be yelling in pain, promising revenge, losing his mind in his loss. But, he felt none of those things. At that moment, he felt just numb.
Suddenly, people burst in the room. He recognized Alec, Isabelle, Simon, Magnus, Luke. They looked at Sebastian and then at Clary.
There were cries of pain, shouting of her Clary's name, all mixed with Sebastian's laugh.
Then he heard more sounds; steps of the incoming Endarkened. They launched an attack on his family and friends, obviously inspired by the sound of their master's laugh.
Sebastian.
Clary was gone, but the weapon that could kill him wasn't. It was still in her belt, waiting to be used. It had all come to this one last battle between him and Sebastian. Hadn't it all always been between the two of them? It was the war Valentine had condemned them to; it would not stop as long as the both of them still breathed. The angel and the demon. They had always been adversaries in everything; Valentine's approval, Clary's love, saving the world or destroying it.
He rose on his feet, moving toward Sebastian, who was focused on the others, obviously thinking that he was still unconscious. He mocked them, but the mockery didn't reach Jace's ears. The most important thing was to get his hands on Heosphoros.
This was his only chance. His steps had to be soundless, so he could reach the sword before Sebastian noticed him.
He almost reached Clary's body, but then he noticed Alec's and Isabelle's eyes right on him and he knew he was discovered. Sebastian turned around and grinned at him.
"What mischief are you planning to do now, little brother?" suddenly, Phaesphoros was in his hand. "I hope you're not planning to kill me. The last thousand persons who tried to do that ended up dead."
Sebastian swung Phaesphoros at him. Instinctively, he made a step backwards to avoid it, stepping onto Clary's chest. He heard ribs breaking under his feet, but there was no time to waste. He ducked, avoiding another hit that had been aiming at his head, and grabbed the sheath of Heosphoros. He pulled with all of his strength and Clary's belt let go.
He rolled away from Sebastian. There was a penetrating sound behind his back of Sebastian's sword hitting the place where he had been just a moment ago. He jumped on his feet, taking the sword out of its sheath and turned around to face Sebastian.
"So, it'll be one Morgenstern sword against the other?" the demon grinned as if he found the fact very amusing. "And two brothers wielding them?"
"We're not brothers." Jace snarled, raising Heosphoros. He'd rather fight Sebastian with his seraph blades, which were lighter, easier to wield and felt like extensions of his arms, but they didn't have the fire of Heaven inside them. Heosphoros was maybe the only weapon in this world or any other that could harm Sebastian.
But, none of it seemed to worry the white-haired demon. His grin became even wider.
Sebastian suddenly jumped towards him, swinging Phaesphoros toward Jace's head. Jace raised his sword and blocked the hit. Sebastian reacted immediately, changing the direction, this time aiming at Jace's chest. The metal clung as Jace blocked another hit, trying to think of a way to strike back. He barely ducked as Phaesphoros cut few strands of his golden hair. He swung at Sebastian's feet, but the demon jumped, avoiding Heosphoros. Jace rolled forward, but as he was rolling, he felt a sting of pain in his leg. Sebastian managed to cut his hamstring. When he got up straight again, he barely managed to put the sword between his face and Phaesphoros.
He stared directly at Sebastian's black eyes as the demon tried to break his hold of Heosphoros. As if Sebastian wasn't strong enough, even the gravity was on his side now. Jace felt drops of sweat surfacing on his forehead. The cut on his hamstring was burning with pain, as if the blade of Phaesphoros was soaked in poison. His arms were trembling, but he held the sword high, determined not to let Sebastian triumph. His family, his friends, the entire world counted on him. He would not lose.
He jumped backwards, causing Sebastian to lose balance. He touched the wound on the back of his leg, checking the damage. It wasn't a deep cut, but still it hurt as hell. His hand was covered in blood as he grabbed Heosphoros again, swinging at the white head. Sebastian blocked it, but now he was the one who had to think about defence more than offence. Jace swung and hit, trying to break Sebastian's defences with swiftness of his moves, but Sebastian managed to deflect every one of them. It was a lethal dance where one wrong step meant defeat and death.
Suddenly, while going backwards, Sebastian slipped over a pool of blood. Jace felt the weakness of his prey. He swung once again and this time he hit the target. Heosphoros cut through the flesh, cutting off Sebastian's hand that held Phaesphoros, just like Isabelle's whip had done that night long ago in Idris.
Sebastian looked at the hand on the floor in surprise, as if it wasn't his.
I've shown mercy to a Morgenstern once and it cost me my life. Jace still remembered the feeling of the Mortal Sword being run into his body by Valentine.
He used the moment of Sebastian's distraction and ran Heosphoros into his shoulder.
The flames erupted out of Sebastian's body at once, surrounding him like arms of a lover. Jace dropped the hilt of Heosphoros, but not before he had earned himself a burn on his palm. He watched as fire of Heaven was destroying the demon, unable to separate his eyes from the sight.
Let it be over, please. he didn't know whom he was praying to, especially in Hell, but he didn't care. The thoughts just kept coming. I'm tired. My family is tired. Let it be over. Let it be over.
Jonathan.
He heard a voice. Who would be calling for him? He was about to die. He could feel the Heavenly Fire burning everything alive in him, both good and bad. He was free, but still condemned to death. He was finally free of demons' blood, but it wouldn't last for long.
Jonathan.
Yes? he decided to still reply. Maybe he was crazy, talking to an imaginary voice just few moments before his death. He should be talking to Jace, saying how sorry he was for everything he had done.
You are free? it was supposed to be a statement, but it sounded more like a question.
I want to be. he let himself be completely honest. There was hardly any more damage he could do. It would be nice to live as a free person. But, I deserve to be burned by Heavenly fire. Things I've done were wrong and freely done.
Heavenly fire kills those with no goodness in their hearts. the voice answered. Now, that the fire of Heaven has erased that of Hell in your veins, do you think you have any goodness in your heart?
Jonathan carefully thought the answer over. How did he feel now? Good? Bad? He could not tell. He felt just free. Free of everything that had ever dictated his life, his deeds. His blood, his father, both of his mothers, his sister. He was just Jonathan. If he could, he would embrace that name and start over. He would leave the Morgensterns, the war, the Endarkened, the Shadowhunters, all of it behind.
But, he couldn't. His face marked him; face of the demon, face of the enemy. So did all of his memories. He was Jonathan in Sebastian's body; he couldn't be separated from the ghost of him nothing more than he could pull his own heart out of his chest.
Does it matter? he wondered. There is no redemption for me. I cannot undo the things I've done, no matter how much I regret them.
So, you do regret them? the voice said with a doubt, as if it was trying to catch him in a lie.
Is it possible that he isn't gone? Jonathan thought to himself, suddenly afraid. Was he talking to Sebastian, who wanted to take control over them again?
How can I not? the regret was one of rare things he could still hold on to. Sebastian hadn't been able to feel it; it was something that belonged only to Jonathan. I killed men, women, children. I killed mothers, fathers, sons, daughters. I killed sisters, brothers. I turned them against each other. I banished their souls, leaving their bodies behind to serve me. How can I be redeemed, tell me?
Your regret redeems you. the voice said, still as calm and neutral as before. Anyone capable of regretting bad things they have done is capable of being saved. Do you want to be saved, Jonathan?
He didn't deserve the salvation. He had lived as a demon. He should die as one.
Heaven and Hell wage war for each and every soul, Jonathan. the voice said. And Hell already has one Morning Star. It doesn't need any more of them.
Jace felt lost.
People around him, everyone in white clothes, were crying. They were saying their farewells to the girl that had lost her life fighting Sebastian in Edom. The girl kissed by angels. The girl who could have created new runes.
Alec, Isabelle, Magnus and Simon stood the closest to him. Facing him behind the burning body stood Luke and Jocelyn. Next to them were the Consul and the Inquisitor. Around them was at least half of Alicante. The sorrow was clear on each and every face he had laid eyes on.
But, no matter how much he tried, Jace could not feel that sorrow. He knew he should be feeling it; it was his girlfriend that had died. He remembered every kiss, every touch, every declaration of his love for her he had ever made, but now, all of that meant nothing. Her face was that of a stranger, like he should be mourning a character from a book. People thought that he dealt with his pain without tears or that he cried when nobody could see him, but the truth was that he didn't grieve at all, at least not over Clary. He felt sorry for others who had lost someone dear in this war; he grieved for them. He remembered the emptiness and sorrow that Max's death left in him.
But, he could not deny that at some point in that demon realm, before or after he had stabbed Sebastian, his love for Clary had vanished. It wasn't as if he had lost it, because losing it implied that he had once had it; it felt like it had never been there at all.
He mentioned his lack of sorrow to nobody, not even to Alec and Isabelle. They were grieving over her like true friends, filled with pain and loss. There was nobody who felt as empty as he did, but at the same time weirdly free, like a balloon that had been tied to a stone and somebody had cut the rope and he was free to fly wherever he wanted.
No. he suddenly remembered. There might be someone. I have to talk to him.
He turned around and started to walk away. Nobody tried to stop him. They thought this was too painful for him to even watch. It was better this way. They would never know.
Soon he stood in front of the entrance to the Bone City. Only a few seconds passed before a Silent Brother appeared.
What do you want, Jonathan Herondale? he asked.
"I need to talk to Sebastian Morgenstern. Alone." Jace frowned, pretending that he hated having to talk to his enemy. The truth was that he barely kept his impatience from showing on his face. "It's urgent."
Why do you wish to talk to him? this was an annoyingly curious Silent Brother. He will live the rest of his life as our prisoner. The point of his punishment is to live in darkness and solitude forever, so he could feel the fate he had planned for all of us on his own skin.
"This is just this once." Jace said, afraid that his only chance for an explanation was gone. "Please."
The Silent Brother stood in silence for a few moments, but then nodded.
Come. he said. We have a long way to go.
Jace followed him inside of the Bone City, than deep down into the darkness. The Silent Brother carried a witchlight in his hand, but Jace had to light his own to be able to see where he was going. The darkness and silence were so utterly complete. He remembered the time he had spent in the cells of the Bone City all too well, but they had moved way pass the level of his former cell, or so it seemed.
At last, the Silent Brother stopped walking. Jace glanced inside of the cell. A boy was lying in there. A boy with white hair and green eyes.
"I can take it from here." Jace whispered. It seemed a bad idea to disturb the peace and silence of the place around him.
How much time do you need? the Silent Brother asked.
He thought the answer over for a moment.
"Ten minutes." he said. Better too much than not enough.
Alright. the Silent Brother nodded and then got lost in the shadows.
There were just the two of them right now.
"Jace." he heard the other boy say as soon as he was sure they were alone. He sounded surprised.
"Sebastian." Jace's own voice was ... neutral. This was the boy who had murdered his little brother and many others, but still, he could not let his voice be filled with hatred when he had come here to ask for favours.
"No." the other boy shook his head. "My name is Jonathan."
"Jonathan." Jace sat down on the floor, so their faces were on the same level.
It allowed him to see what he surely wouldn't have seen if he had remained standing; Jonathan's smile.
"I didn't think I'd see you here." he said, his tone still surprised.
"I didn't think I'd ever feel the need to pay a visit." Jace couldn't help himself but to be sarcastic. "But, still, here I am."
"I thought you'd be with Alec and Isabelle." Jonathan said thoughtfully. "That you'd be grieving over my sister."
"The truth is ... " he looked away from those green eyes that looked so much like Clary's. Now was the time to choose; to admit the truth and face the possibility he was just as demonic as Jonathan had been or to forget about it, never knowing what had actually happened.
"You don't grieve over her." Jonathan mumbled. "You want to, you think you should, but you can't."
Jace's eyes fixed on the other boy again immediately.
"Yes." he was so shocked that the truth just escaped his lips. "How do you know that?"
"I feel the same way." Jonathan sighed. His green eyes were dry, but honest. "I thought I'd at last got rid of the demon in me, but then I found out I couldn't cry for my own sister, for the sister I'd killed with my own two hands. I assumed that Heavenly fire hadn't cured me after all, that I was still as corrupted as before. But, then I remembered."
"You remembered what?" Jace could barely speak. The thought of a demon being inside of him again frightened him.
"When Clary died, I felt free." Jonathan explained. "The desire for her that I'd felt, as wrong as it had been, was gone. Like I'd been carried a burden that had been drawing me to her, but when she died, the angels' blood in her veins stopped calling to me. I felt free."
For a long time, Jace couldn't think of anything to say. Was that what his love for Clary had been the entire time; the call of one blood to another?
"But, why would blood of Heaven call to blood of Hell?" the words were barely audible, for he was still trying to deny Jonathan's words.
"The opposites attract, don't they?" features of Jonathan's face were full of self-hatred for wanting his own sister, something Jace was too familiar with. "Her blood called to mine and mine to hers. If you had been able to be objective on her actions, you would have noticed they hadn't all been actions of an angel."
"But if her blood called to yours, why would it call to mine too?" Jace had to continue the conversation, because otherwise he would start seeing all of those actions in a completely different light. Before, he had been unable to judge Clary for any of her actions, but things were different now.
"There is a saying for that too." Jonathan smiled sadly. "Blood calls to blood. And you both had the Ithuriel's blood in your veins."
"So, when she died ... " Jace couldn't finish it. It was still, not too painful, but too hard to believe.
But, Jonathan was there to do that for him.
"You and I were set free."
Jace sat in silence for a few moments.
He had been lying both to himself and to Clary. He had acted like someone else, controlled by pure attraction to her blood. Perhaps she had never loved him either. If he had died in Edom and she had survived, maybe she would have been sitting in his place right now, talking to the only person who could understand, even though it was their former enemy.
He stared at Jonathan, who didn't interrupt the silence, letting him confront his thoughts and fears in peace. He still saw the boy who had killed Max and countless others. He saw the demon that wanted Jace's girlfriend to be his queen. He saw the maniac who wanted to erase human race from the face of the Earth. He saw Sebastian. He could not forget. He could not forgive.
This boy's fault was that he wore the face of the demon. He had been one with him once. Now he had to pay the price.
Jonathan Herondale. the voice in his head caught Jace completely off guard, making him flinch. Your ten minutes are over.
The Silent Brother approached him, not even glancing at Jonathan, who turned away from them, towards the darkness. He knew it was all that was waiting for him once they were gone. Darkness had used to be inside of him; now it surrounded him.
Jace let the Silent Brother bypass him and made as if to follow him. But, that one last moment before he left the former demon alone in the darkness forever, Jonathan's eyes met his.
Without thinking, Jace threw his witchlight to him. Jonathan caught it and hid it under his shirt. The Silent Brother didn't turn around, which meant he hadn't noticed it.
"Thank you for coming, Jace." Jonathan said as Jace started to walk away. His voice was honest and grateful, everything Sebastian's had never been.
"Ave atque vale, Jonathan." it only made sense to say those words. He would never see Jonathan again. Hail and farewell.
"Pulvis et umbra sumus." Jonathan's voice echoed the corridors of the Bone City. We are dust and shadows.