He looked up at her sharply. "What do you think it would have been like if Valentine had brought you up along with me? Would you have loved me?"
Clary was very glad she had put her cup down, because if she hadn't, she would have dropped it. Sebastian was looking at her not with any shyness or the sort of natural awkwardness that might be attendant on such a bizarre question, but as if she were a curious, foreign life-form.
"Well," she said. "You're my brother. I would have loved you. I would have. . . had to."
-City of Lost Souls
A redheaded little girl peeked out from behind her mother's skirts. Her keen green eyes, precisely the same size and shape as her mother's, took in the pair standing outside on the path leading up to the front door.
A smile softened the man's coldly handsome face—an loving smile to match hers. "Jocelyn."
"Valentine." After a moment, she reached out to hug him tightly. "Welcome home."
When they finally broke apart, Jocelyn's gaze traveled down to the boy at her husband's side. "Jonathan, is that you? You've grown so much!"
There was something twisted in Jonathan's smile—something unpleasant, decided the little girl, still hiding behind her mother. She wanted to withdraw from the scene completely, but some instinct warned her that the strangers would notice that, and mark it accordingly as a sign of weakness to exploit later. After all, there was something sinister, menacing about the man—this unfamiliar man who was supposedly her father. As little as she trusted the boy, she really didn't like the man.
"Yes, it is I. I missed you, Mother." The silver-haired boy spoke stiffly and formally, his emotionless delivery undermining any impact the words should have had. As he looked around the garden, his features softened just a bit. "This place doesn't change much, does it?"
Then his dark eyes shifted—they contrasted so sharply with his pale skin and hair, but the effect wasn't necessarily unpleasant, the girl thought as they landed on her.
"Oh? Who's this, Mother?" Have you created a rune for cloning now? he would have added if his father wasn't right there. (Such a question would have been dangerously "disrespectful" and "impertinent," and invariably ended in some especially unpleasant form of punishment, given his father's clear regard for this unfamiliar woman who was supposedly his mother.)
Valentine looked down too, and smiled at his daughter. This did nothing to put the child at ease, especially asit was far colder than the expression he had shown his wife. "Jonathan, this is your sister, Clarissa Adele Morgenstern."
"Clary," Jocelyn amended. "She goes by Clary."
Jonathan blinked. Normally he didn't show nearly this much emotion—after all, his father thought it was a major weakness to be so readable; he was being quite the hypocrite right now, but maybe the rules were different among family members?—yet this was a major shock. "I have a. . . sister?"
"I can talk, you know," Clary muttered.
Jonathan blinked again. Surely he'd known that she wasn't mute, but she'd been so quiet that he was caught a bit off-guard by the words—despite the venom in her tone, it was a sweet sound, high-pitched and clear, and he realized with some surprise that it was a voice he rather liked listening to.
Despite this second departure from his teachings and careful training, Valentine laughed. He had rarely encountered anything or anyone to provoke so much outward expression in his son, and admittedly it was a bit of a relief to be reminded that the boy did feel something.
"Are you back to stay this time?" Jocelyn asked hopefully.
Her husband considered the question. The boy looked uncertain, for once. Though normally this would be an almost unforgivable offense in his father's eyes, Valentine had a feeling that his daughter would be a good influence on her brother. Uncharacteristically, he decided on the spot to alter his plans. "For the foreseeable future, yes."
And even if it weren't for the advantages it offered the Circle and their cause, it was worth it just to see the happiness in his wife's eyes as she leaned towards him and kissed him on the cheek.
Under their parents' line of sight, Jonathan and Clarissa were already having a heated staring contest—the first of many to come.
This. . . boy. . . is my brother? I really don't like him, Clary decided viciously.
There's something fascinating about this girl, mused Jonathan, a slight smile tugging at his lips. I like her.
He was smiling at her like she was the most interesting thing he'd ever examined under a microscope, and it creeped her out.
She was glaring at him like he was the unforeseen flaw in her plans, and it amused him greatly.
The four Morgensterns sat around the dining room table: Valentine at the head; Jocelyn at the foot; Jonathan and Clary in the middle, still glaring at each other.
There was silence for a long while, before Valentine finally turned to his daughter. "So, Clarissa, what kinds of things have you been studying?"
"Studying?" She looked at her mother.
"Clary's not ready for all that yet," Jocelyn said.
"When Jonathan was her age—"
"Clary isn't Jonathan." The words were calm enough, but Valentine knew that look in her eyes, warning him to back off the subject for now.
He turned to the child again. "So what have you been doing, then?"
When Jocelyn nodded, Clary took a breath. "I like to draw." Apparently done participating in the conversation, she went back to pushing the food around on her plate, occasionally darting a wary glance across the table at Jonathan.
Drawing. Well, it could be worse. Nonetheless, Valentine sighed. Clearly he needed to spend more time with the girl if he wanted to make a proper Shadowhunter out of her.
"What about you, Jonathan?" Jocelyn asked. "What do you like to do?"
The boy considered. "I like training."
"Training?" Clary looked up, interested. "For what?"
"To be a Shadowhunter, of course."
Clary nodded, bored again. She knew what Shadowhunters were, and that her mother was one. What she didn't understand was why anyone would want to spend all their time hunting dangerous demons.
As Jonathan poked at his meal, his sleeve slipped and Clary caught a glimpse of something on his wrist.
Jocelyn had seen it too. "Have you gotten your first Marks yet, Jonathan?"
Glancing at his father, Jonathan nodded warily.
"Valentine, he's seven years old."
"He was ready" was the simple reply. "Jonathan, tell your mother how many demons you've killed."
Shocked, Jocelyn watched her son, waiting.
He shrugged. "Three."
Shaking her head in disbelief, Jocelyn looked across the table at her husband. We'll talk about this later.
Clary was intrigued by his nonchalance. "Was it hard?" she asked, forgetting her dislike of him.
"Not particularly." He shrugged again. But he noticed the beginnings of new respect in his sister's green eyes, and he couldn't help liking the way it made him feel.
When dinner ended, Valentine and Jocelyn disappeared into the study, leaving their children with the simple instruction to behave.
They stood in the hallway, still not quite sure what to make of each other.
"Do you want to see your room?" Clary finally asked, suddenly shy.
"Sure." The last time Jonathan had been in the manor, they hadn't stayed long enough for him to begin to think of the room as his own.
She led him upstairs, "It's this one," she finally said.
"Thanks." He nodded and went inside, finding it as bare as he'd left it.
She hovered in the doorway, looking unsure.
He hesitated, not sure what to say. "Did you want something?"
Clary startled, then shook her head. Without meeting his eyes, she whispered something he barely caught, and left.
Jonathan smiled. Good night, she'd said.
A/N: As you most likely realized, I began the chapter with a quote from Cassandra Clare's books; this one was the inspiration for this story. Obviously I do not own that particular piece of dialogue, nor will I ever be able to claim credit for the characters in this story. I own only my words and this version of the story.
You may or may not be aware that this is the second version of this story. I finally got around to creating a chapter plan, and it starts going in a different direction around Chapter 3 or so. But there are also other, less drastic changes I've made, so I'd recommend re-reading if you read the first version.
That's all for now; the second chapter should be up soon.