Background: This fiction starts during the last episode of Season One where Magnus is attempting to awaken Jocelyn from the spell.
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Shadow Hunter T.V. series or Cassandra Clare books and make no money from the writing of this fiction.
CHAPTER ONE
Magnus stared hard at the spell book as he stood over Jocelyn' s floating form, feeling a bit confused. It should have worked. He had followed the instructions to a T.
"What's wrong?" Clary inquired, a bit of anxiety in her voice. She had been looking forward to this moment for so long.
Magnus flicked his sparkling eyes to her quickly. "I… well… I'm not sure. I thought I did everything right."
"Try it again. Maybe you forgot a word," she urged.
Magnus held up a finger for silence as he read the page again.
"Try turning the page," Isabelle suggested.
"There is nothing on the next page," he muttered, but did so anyway to show her. Yet, now there was. Writing that had not been there at the beginning of the spell, was now visible, as if the speaking of the spell revealed the rest of it.
"Ha," Isabelle gloated, "told you."
Magnus frowned at her and shook his head. "It wasn't here before."
Clary sighed impatiently. "Can we just finish it then?"
Magnus cleared his throat as he read the new material before him.
"What's the problem?" Alec asked.
"It says here she must be kissed by her true love."
"What? Like Sleeping Beauty?" Clary grimaced.
"You love your mom, Clary. And she loves you," Isabelle said. "Maybe your kiss would count."
Clary shrugged and stepped close to her mom. "Let's see if it works." She bent down and gave her mom a kiss on her cheek.
They all stood staring and waiting. Jocelyn didn't change at all.
All their faces then turned to Luke, who had been standing next to Jocelyn expectantly, yet silently.
His eyes swept all their faces. "Now hold on," he finally spoke. "Jocelyn and I have only shared a good friendship. It was nothing romantic."
"But you love her," Clary stated, remembering the story Luke had told her about him and her mom. "People that are close friends since childhood love each other, even if it is just as friends." She glanced at Simon, who wore a pleased expression on his face at her words.
Luke nodded and cleared his throat. "I'll try." He stepped toward Jocelyn and bent down.
"On the lips," Simon suggested. Everyone looked at him which made him stammer as he added, "It might work better."
Luke glanced at Clary as if to ask permission and she nodded at him.
Luke would have preferred his first kiss with Jocelyn be not so public, but under the circumstance…
He gently kissed her lips with care.
They all watched Jocelyn with anticipation.
Nothing.
Clary's shoulders slumped. She couldn't believe after all the trouble they went through to obtain the spell book, it wasn't working. "Are you sure you did everything right?" she asked Magnus.
Magnus ran his finger down the whole spell, rereading every bit. "Hmmm… maybe…"
"What?" Luke pressed.
"This is in old Latin and I'm a bit rusty after all these centuries," the warlock muttered, "but I think this may not say 'true' love, but 'first' love."
"What? You've got to be kidding me?" Clary bit. Her hands flew over her eyes, rubbing them tiredly. "How are we ever going to know who her first love was?" She turned to Luke. "You were her best friend in life. Who did she crush on first?"
But Luke wouldn't look at Clary. He was looking at the ground with a pained expression on his face. "You are not going to like what I have to say."
The realization hit them all at the same time, but for Clary it hit the hardest. She took a few steps backwards, shaking her head. "No. Just, no. We can't… oh, my God! Not him, not Valentine!"
Luke's sad eyes connected with hers. "I'm sorry."
"Well, that throws a bit of a monkey wrench in things," Magnus spoke.
Clary shook her head, on the verge of tears. "I'll never get her back now. Why? Why would she have a spell put on her like this? She hates him now."
"Maybe she didn't read the next page as well," Isabelle suggested, earning her a glare from Magnus.
"Not helping," Simon said. He made his way to Clary and put his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "Look, Clary, we'll find another way. There has to be. Maybe a more powerful warlock…"
"Excuse me?" Magnus said, offended.
Clary shrugged him off, upset. Her eyes connected with Luke's. "We can't ask him. We can't!"
"I know. I wouldn't think of it. I wouldn't want her anywhere near him again," Luke replied. "Simon's right. We'll find another way."
"Guys," Magnus said, closing the spell book, "I don't think you know how dangerous it could be for Jocelyn if we experiment with other spells on her. Do you really want to take chances like that?"
"Are we supposed to call up Valentine and say, 'Hey, can you come back and kiss Jocelyn for us?'" Isabelle asked, flippantly.
"No! I don't want that man anywhere near her ever again!" Clary snapped. "I can't believe this." She turned and walked to the weapons case, not wanting the others to see her tears of frustration and disappointment.
Alec made his way over to Magnus, leaning close. "Is there anything else we can do? Please tell me you'll at least think on it."
"I'll try, Alexander. But, in all my long years, the laws of magic rarely bend."
00000
"Go away," yelled Magnus, as the pounding on his front door became more insistent. "I've got a terrible cold and you don't want to catch it."
"Magnus, open up," yelled Clary. "I know you are avoiding me."
Magnus sighed heavily, waving his fingers toward the door. As the door flew open, Clary stomped in, angrily, followed by an apologetic looking Alec.
"Why haven't you returned my calls?" she snapped.
"Because I still don't have any answers for you, Clary. I have racked my brains, scoured all the texts, asked all my fellow warlocks, and… nothing. Absolutely, no way of getting around the parameters of that spell. I'm sorry."
Clary sat back on the sofa, feeling the rest of her hope flee.
Magnus did feel terrible and it wasn't because of a cold. He felt for Clary who had to make a decision of leaving her mother in a comatose state or asking Valentine for a favor, which he was absolutely certain would come at a steep price.
"Is there a way to spell Valentine," Alec asked, hopefully, "to make him kiss Jocelyn, maybe like a sleepwalker goes for a walk, and forgets what he did at night?"
"He would have to come through a portal, Alec. He would have to know where he was going," Magnus reminded him.
"Unless we go to him," Clary suggested.
"If we knew where he was, the Clave would be there in droves," Magnus replied. "He's not stupid, Clary. He knows how to hide. He's done so all these years."
They sat in silence, each trying to think of something. Anything.
Alec finally said, "I have an idea. But, no one is going to like it. I don't even like it."
"What?" Clary asked, willing to hear plan possible, even bad ones.
"Remember that night at Camille's when Valentine came through a portal?"
"How can I forget? We lost Jace to him that night."
Alec winced very slightly at the mention of Jace, but continued on. "Remember what he said to you, Clary? He expected you and Jocelyn to join him someday?"
"Yes, I remember. As if! He's a delusional idiot if he thinks I'll ever…"
Alec held up his hand to stop her. "What if you did go to him, Clary, undercover, so to speak? You tell him the situation with Jocelyn and the spell and make him believe that you're willing to give him a chance if he'll wake her up. Tell him you are willing to hear him out and decide if you find merit in what he's doing. Meanwhile, you can see where he is, learn more about what kind of defenses he has set up around his hiding place, and try to convince Jace to turn away from Valentine. I know he doesn't really want to be there. He can't want that."
Magnus frowned. "So much can go wrong with that plan."
But Clary's mind was already mulling it over, seeing the possibilities to save both her mother and Jace. Not to mention getting a chance to do something important in the Nephilim world. Something that would make the Clave view her in a more favorable light if she was the one to bring Valentine down.
"I'll do it," she declared.
"You will?" Alec and Magnus spoke at the same time.
"Yes, for my mother and Jace."
00000
Everyone was somber on the journey back to Renwicks and the portal that they hoped would work for their purpose. The place was just as they had left it that night they rescued Jocelyn from Valentine and found out Jace was Clary's brother. It seemed so long ago.
"Clary, you don't have to do this," Luke stated as they drove in his pickup earlier.
"I do. There is no other way. No other option."
"If you find you are anywhere near Idris, there is wolf pack in the forests around there. If you can get to them, mention my name and tell them to pass along a message to me. Let me know where you are once you find out. Cell phones won't work there and no mail can be sent from there. So, find my pack. They can help you get away when the time comes as well. Do not wait too long to let me know what's going on. I'll be on pins and needles waiting to find out."
"I'll try. But I may have to earn his trust first. I actually have no idea what to expect."
"I know him well, Clary. He can be very charming and convincing when he wants to be. Just remember all you know about him, all I've told you. Keep in mind what he really is."
"I will. Don't worry."
00000
Alec and Magnus had used the parabatai bond with Jace to enter Jace's dreams the night before. Alec had spoken to Jace in his dream and told him that Clary needed to speak with him at 7 pm at Renwicks that evening. He hadn't gotten a response in return, but Magnus felt that Jace distrusted their motives. It was a very exhausting way to communicate over such a long distance, but it was the only way they could think of.
When the portal came to life, they were all startled to see Jace standing on the other side, alone without Valentine or his men. Jace looked at all of them somberly, but did not step through to their side. His eyes settled on Clary.
"You are well?" he inquired.
"What do you think?" she replied, her heart hammering. She hated the lack of emotion on his face, as if being with Valentine had drained all humanity from him.
"You look well enough." His eyes moved to Alec. "Very clever use of dreams, Alec."
"I wasn't sure it would work," Alec replied, also hating the coldness in Jace's eyes.
"What is this about?" Jace asked, almost impatiently, as if he had more important things to do.
"Is he there?" Clary blurted out.
"Father? I suppose he's somewhere nearby. Why?"
"Because I need to talk to him."
Jace stared at Clary for a moment. "Don't be stupid, Clarissa. Whatever plan you all have cooked up will never work. Father is far too powerful and clever to fall for amateur tricks."
Anger flared inside Clary. "Since when did you start calling me Clarissa?" He was acting so… distant.
"It's the name you were born with, isn't it?"
"Yes, but only 'he' calls me that!"
"Who? Father? Yes, I suppose he does. Now, this has been a very scintillating conversation, but I have things to do. So…"
"Wait! Jace, please, I meant it. I want to talk to Valentine. I… have a deal for him."
Now Jace looked angry. "No, you don't. Return to the Institute and start your training. That's all you need to be doing."
There was something in Jace's tone, something that gave her hope that he still cared for her, still wanted to protect her. But as soon as she saw that expression, it disappeared, replaced again by his stone cold face.
"Jace," she paused, taking a deep breath. "It's my mom. We can't wake her."
"Father had no luck doing so, either. What makes you think he has any new ideas on the matter?"
"Because the spell that wakes her involves Valentine as well," Clary admitted. "We can't wake her without him."
Jace just stared at her, seemingly trying to figure out if this was part of a trick. "Do you honestly think he's going to traipse on through this portal to help?"
"Of course not. I realize he would think it was a trap. That's why I have an offer for him."
"Clarissa… I suggest you turn away from whatever you have planned and…"
"NO! This is my mom, Jace. Our mom! I want her awake. And so does he."
Jace looked at the ground and kicked a stone in disgust. "Tell me your offer first."
"No. I'll tell him. You're just going to try and talk me out of it and it would be a big waste of time. I'm not changing my mind."
He glared at her and shook his head. "You need to be very, very careful, Clarissa. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Then, wait here."
Jace disappeared from view as he went to fetch Valentine. Isabelle, who had been very silent the whole time, said, "He seems so different."
"He's cutting off his feelings," Luke replied. "It doesn't mean he doesn't have them."
"It's hard seeing him like that," Clary muttered.
"Stay strong, Fray," Simon advised.
Clary straightened her back, "Right."
In a few minutes Jace had returned, Valentine stepping into view next to him. "Ah, my lovely daughter. Jonathan said you wished to speak with me?"
Clary held back the biting retort to his fatherly comment, keeping in mind her goal.
"I have an offer I'd like you to consider," she said, bravely.
"I'm intrigued."
"It's my mom. She's not waking up."
"The spell did not work? Are you sure you have the right one?"
"We have the right one. But… you are required to be part of it."
Valentine smiled, knowingly. Clary could see that he thought it was a trick.
"You're not as clever as I thought, Clarissa. Hoping to play on my feelings for your mother in order to get me there."
"I'm serious. And I'm not expecting you to come here."
"Oh?"
"I was thinking I could come there with my mom in order to complete the end of the spell."
"Clary…" Jace hissed, only to be silenced by a wave of his father's arm.
"Go on. What else? How would this benefit me?" Valentine asked.
"You said you wanted us to join you, right? Then I'm willing to stay with you and hear what you have to say if you can break my mother's spell."
She could see the expression on his face change a bit. It seemed as if she had hit a nerve. He really did want them all together again. How such an evil man could care about having a family so much was beyond her comprehension. She avoided Jace's face because she knew all she would see was disapproval. Jace did not want her there. But he didn't love Jocelyn the way she did. She had hope, though, that some day he would.
"This is very tempting," Valentine pondered. "I do want our family together, Clarissa, but I don't know how sincere you are. Would I have to be concerned with waking up to find a knife in my back, daughter dear? If that is your grand plan, you must know how badly it will fail."
"I just want my mother awake again. And if it means listening to your philosophy, then so be it. Just don't expect me to agree with you."
Valentine seemed to be thinking, he glanced at Jace, who had made his face stone cold again. "What do you think, Jonathan? Would you like your mother and sister with us?"
"It's up to you, father," he replied passively.
"Well, then, it's settled. Clear the room, Clarissa, except for your mother and yourself. Jace will be coming to bring you both through. Welcome, home, my dear."
00000
So, there you have it. A beginning. Please let me know if this intrigues you and if I should continue. I have read all the books and watched the show. I decided to stick to the plot of the show for now, but I must say there will be some spoilers from the future books added in. Whether or not the producers add those characters or elements, I have no idea. But, if you've already read the books, then I hope you enjoy my twist on things.