Clary was sobbing. She was sobbing and walking very quickly in the opposite direction of the Institute. She was short for breath, as she felt another rune disappear from her shoulder blade. The angels had warned her, and she had disobeyed. Memories of Jace, Simon, Isabelle, Luke...were the last thing she remembered before she felt her identity disappear. Then she was flying. She was soaring in the sky on a motorbike, her arms looped around Jace's waist. Clary felt Jace's body rumble with laughter as he steered the bike through the cool and clear night sky. This, she thought, was what true freedom and carelessness felt like. Then she was cold. Her body felt icy and resistant as she drew the rune that finally destroyed Jonathan. Clary mustered all her strength and courage, before enveloping Jonathan in an embrace of death. She felt the very moment, when the demon blood inside of him was expelled from his body, finally setting his soul free. Her heart clenched a little tighter, as his grip on her slackened and she lowered him gently to the ground. His eyes were now the most vibrant and earthy green, and Clary knew that this was her real brother. The real brother which she had released from the chains of the demon brother. Both brothers, whom she had just killed. She felt guilt and duty fiercely battle and clash within her, as she closed her brother's eyes. Then Clary was laughing. She couldn't stop smiling as she and Simon sat together on a bench in New York. Clary couldn't remember ever feeling more calm, content and unburdened. Then Clary was screaming. Her lungs grappled for air, as her vocal cords strained from exertion, yet the most painful part was the deep loss she felt within her. Clary gripped Jace's jacket and desperately willed for him to open his eyes and look at her. Looking at his still form, unresponsive, wounded and chillingly silent, exposed Clary to the true cruelty and injustice of the world. Then Clary discovered herself standing on an empty plain. On her left, stood the red haired boy who she'd dreamed about as a mundane, however this time he had golden wings. The boy was reaching an arm towards her.
"You can join me, sister." he said softly. "But I don't want you to. Not yet."
Clary felt a strong impulse to seize his hand pull him into her arms. She desperately wanted to feel the comfort of his embrace but she heard another voice, calling for her on her right. A blond haired boy, Jace, stood with white wings as he extended his hand towards her. His face was pleading and frantic, his eyes searching for hers.
"Come home with me Clary." he said desperately. Clary looked between both boys, experiencing a deep longing for each side. Her ears were roaring as she drifted between Jonathan and Jace. She closed her eyes, reached out and grasped his hand tightly in hers.
"Clary you have to wake up!" Isabelle hissed sharply in her ear. "You don't get to die - "
"Let's get her another unit of blood!" Alec called loudly, as the group pushed the gurney quickly down the corridor. "Clear the halls and get out of the way unless you're medical personnel!"
"I believe all critical patients, especially mundane ones, are supposed to stay at the City of Ashes so the Silent Brothers can supervise them - " Raj said scrutinizing the group as they barrelled through the Institute. He was cut short, as Jace seized him by the back of his neck and slammed him against the wall, taking extra effort to twist his wrist sharply.
"She is a Shadowhunter. A heroic Shadowhunter who is well above your rank as a soldier and as a human being. She will be treated here and you will shut your mouth before I do us all the favor, of shutting it for you." Jace snarled menacingly. He shoved Raj away from them, before quickly finding his position beside Clary.
"Let's keep moving." Magnus said urgently. "Her heart rate is dropping - " he flicked his wrist, sending a large flame of his magic to hover over Clary's heart. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his temple as he struggled to hold his magic in place, while the group continued to sprint down the hallway.
They finally reached the infirmary of the Institute and rushed Clary into the largest cubicle. Magnus sharply exhaled, heaving for breath as his magic lost its hold over Clary's heart rate. Helen hurried to join them, snapping on a pair of surgical gloves before pulling out a stele from her pocket. She turned to survey them all carefully.
"The only way to give Clary a chance at survival, is to draw an iratze on her. The procedure took a major toll on her body, it's impressive she's survived this long. Blood, needles and IV will only keep her alive if she stays mundane. But if her body is strong enough to survive the transition from mundane to Shadowhunter, only an iratze will heal her. But we won't know unless we try it. However if she's too weak to survive the transition, the iratze could kill her too." Helen said, positioning the stele over a bare spot on her neck. She waited anxiously for the group to nod their approval.
"Clary is strong enough." Simon said confidently, yet unsurely as he was the first to nod his approval. He wrapped his arm around Isabelle's shoulders, as they watched Helen begin.
"Wait!" Jace exclaimed, surprising everyone in the room. The monitor for Clary's heart rate began beeping in alarm. What if she didn't make it? What if her best chance is to live is as a mundane? What if she forgets him again?
"Jace she can do this." Luke said placing a gentle hand on Jace's shoulder. "We have to give her, her best chance. She needs an opportunity to fight."
Jace squeezed his eyes shut, gripping his hair tightly in his fist before he opened his eyes and nodded. "I want to do it. If you don't mind Helen, I want to draw the rune."
Helen handed him the stele, watching him uncertainly. "Are you sure? If this doesn't work, you can't blame yourself - "
Jace wasn't listening as he proceeded to carefully draw the iratze rune on her neck. He felt his heart pound inside his chest, as his hand instinctively guided the stroke of the stele. His eyes were trained on her face, willing her to wake up. Hell, he didn't even care if she was a Shadowhunter, or if she remembered him. He would be extremely relieved as long as she was alive. Once the rune was drawn, the room was silent as they watched her heart rate rise and crash. Jace was squeezing the hand rails of the gurney so tightly, his knuckles became a brilliant shade of red. The heart monitor flatlined, causing several people to cry out. Jace remained still as his ears roared with disbelief. His eyes were burning as he watched her motionless form, lay helpless on the bed.
"Clary, it's not time." he whispered pleadingly. "Come home with me Clary, please - "
His sentence was cut off when the monitor came to life, and her heart rate rose steadily.
"Bloody hell Fray," Simon exclaimed falling to his knees at the foot of her bed. He leaned over her body, his shoulders shaking. Isabelle was crying from a mixture of relief and fright. Luke dropped his forehead into his hands, as he collapsed into a chair. Maryse stood shaken, behind his seat, resting a hand on his back soothingly. Magnus and Alec were giving detailed instructions to the Shadowhunters around them about their schedule and vigilant supervision over Clary.
Jace found himself outside of the infirmary. He leaned his head back, rubbing his face roughly with his hand as he slid down the wall and onto the floor. An icy fist seemed to have ensnared his heart, and was digging its claws deeply into him. Although he would rather Clary lose her memories again than die, he wasn't sure whether he dreaded the heart wrenching feeling of loss again or seeing an absence of recognition on her face more. He'd experienced both in this cruel lifetime and never wanted to relive it.
"Her heart rate has stabilized which means her body is adjusting and recuperating after the strenuous day. But there's no way of knowing whether she'll wake up or become a Shadowhunter again. Just prepare yourselves for all the possible outcomes." Helen said not unkindly. Jace heard murmured responses from the others in the room over the steady thrumming of the heart monitor.
People came in and out, several even attempted to comfort him, but he was inconsolable. Jace was leaning against the wall outside her room, his knees bent and his arms resting on top of them. He brushed off each comforter's hand and focused his attention on listening to Clary's heart monitor imitate each of her heart beats.
"Jace…" Alec said tiredly sliding down the wall beside him. He shoved a plate of sandwiches into his hand. "We've all been up since 2:30 this morning. You should eat."
"I'm not hungry," Jace said gruffly, setting the plate down. Alec rolled his eyes and turned to talk to the opposite wall.
"She's gonna make it, you know?" Alec said calmly. "Since we met Clary I always underestimated her. I didn't doubt her talent, but I questioned her resilience. The weak and close minded were not made for the Shadoworld. But Clary has never ceased to prove me wrong. Each time I think she's gonna fall, she finds a way to stand up again. And I think I resented her for that." Alec said sounding mildly surprised at his own honesty.
"I know she's strong." Jace said playing with the Herondale ring around his neck. "But I also know that the angels' are stronger."
At least 2 days passed like this. The wait was extremely maddening and Jace felt the strongest urge to scream. Perhaps the most frustrating part, was the feeling of being helpless and powerless. Jace hated having no control over the situation. He remembered the uplifting hope he felt when Clary first remembered his name. It was difficult to remain patient and gentle, while he slowly re-introduced her to the Shadoworld. All he wanted was to see his Clary again. He wasn't lying when he told her mundane form, that she was Clary. She would always be Clary, but the Clary that he fell in love with was still locked inside.
"Jace you should really come in the room now. It's been three days." Helen said grimly.
"I'm fine where I am." Jace said watching the distant sun slowly merge with the skyline behind the bustling city.
"Jace," Helen said crouching down so she could speak to him clearly. "It's been three days. The Silent Brothers said she would either rapidly deteriorate or improve in three days. If...in case its the former, you should be there with her." she said softly.
Jace's eyes burned as he turned to meet her steely green eyes. She stood and offered him her hand. He reluctantly accepted it and followed her into Clary's room. He struggled to move closer, when he caught sight of her motionless and drained body laying on the bed. Her skin was even paler than usual and her cheeks were hollow. Jace felt someone's hand wrap around his upper arm. He didn't have to look for him to know that it was Isabelle. Her eyes were puffy and red, but her lips were pursed into a thin line of determination.
She guided him into her empty seat beside Clary's bed, encouraging him to move closer. Isabelle tucked a strand of Clary's hair behind her ear, before moving to stand with their mother. Jace clasped Clary's hand between both of his own and kissed it gently before pressing it to his cheek.
"Do you always have to be so late?" Isabelle hissed under her breath. Alec had just arrived from Alicante looking exhausted and mildly pissed to see his sister.
"While I am incredibly worried for Clary, I am also obliged to fulfill my responsibilities as the Inquisitor of Alicante - "
"Oh 'Inquisitor of Alicante', do you have to mention that in everything you say?" Isabelle snapped. Maryse shot them both warning glares, which they were too busy to notice.
"Why do you have to be bitter about my accomplishments when you're the head of the Institute? Surely, you have some responsibilities that have drawn you away from the infirmary?" Alec whispered loudly.
"Yes but I showed up on time - "
"You literally work in the same building! How could you not show up on time - "
"Can we please show some respect?" Jace exclaimed turning to glare at them both. "I get that you're both channeling your stress into anger right now, but Clary's dying - "
"Jace - " Isabelle gasped looking beyond his shoulder. Tears came streaming down as she cupped her hand to her face to stifle a sob.
Jace swiveled around and was shocked to see Clary's beautiful green eyes staring back. He stood up abruptly and gripped her hand hard. "Clary...do you know - do you remember what happened?" He watched Clary lean back against her pillow and close her eyes. When she reopened them, tears were clouding her vision.
"Until I die right?" she said smiling dazedly at him. Somewhere behind Jace, Simon let out a loud whoop, which was immediately admonished by Helen or Isabelle. Jace laughed and kissed the back of her hand, feeling the icy hand around his heart melt from the fire that reignited inside of him.
"Hand to hand?" Isabelle asked grinning as she tossed her whip to the side.
"I still remember how to fight," Clary smiled discarding her kindjals. She deftly dodged Isabelle's first swing and landed a sharp blow to her stomach. Isabelle didn't even flinch as she elbowed Clary's jaw.
Since Clary was discharged, she'd been training non-stop with either Isabelle, Jace, Alec or even Magnus. Her fighting skills seemed instinctive, but she was surprised to discover that Shadowhunters studied forensics among other things as part of their training. According to Isabelle, determining causes of death enabled Shadowhunters to better understand their enemy (either Shadowhunter, downworlder or demon) and catch them. Her days were spent training physically and studying Shadoworld forensics.
Each blow was a little more painful than she remembered, as she reoriented herself with her fighting techniques. Clary blocked the next punch aimed at her shoulder and the second one flying towards her ribs. She nocked her foot behind Isabelle's ankle and succeeded in knocking her off of her feet. Isabelle was not winded for long, as she snapped Clary's wrists aside and used her legs to knock her onto her back. Isabelle smoothly pinned her arms down with her knees and smiled victoriously over Clary.
"Not bad for a year and a half without practice." Isabelle smiled helping Clary up. Clary stretched her sore muscles and grabbed a bottle of water.
"I guess it was all muscle memory." she shrugged gulping some water. "My muscles are already aching though,"
"You're sure its from the training and not the mind blowing, hot and passionate, reunited lovers sex?" Isabelle asked catching the bottle Clary threw. She smirked and pressed the bottle to her lips.
"You're right, now I won't be able to walk straight for a week." Clary grinned widely. Two nights after she woke up, she used every pity card to convince Helen to discharge her.
"I can't believe you remember me," Jace said as they happily walked away from the infirmary, hand in hand.
"I don't think I ever really forgot you." Clary said thoughtfully. "Maybe mentally, but not emotionally. I still remembered what it felt like to love you."
For more than a year Clary had felt that gaping hole inside of her. It was constantly nagging and tugging at her. Now, she felt complete.
Jace smiled gaily as they rounded the corner. He hadn't stopped talking and smiling since she first woke up. It had reached a point where Helen had to call Alec to use his Inquisitor authority, and command Jace to return the next day so that Clary could rest.
"Say it again," he said insistently, sounding similar to a petulant child. "Say my name again, so I know for sure that this is real."
They stopped outside his bedroom door and Clary turned to face him, trying to suppress an amused smile. With as much seriousness as she could muster, she said "I am Clary Fairchild and you are Jace Herondale. And I really would appreciate it if you let me kiss you now."
Jace shook his head with joyful disbelief before crashing his lips onto hers. She looped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his perfect golden hair. She felt his heart race against his chest as he leaned into her, so that she could feel every inch of his body. Clary restrained herself from moaning as his lips travelled down her neck. She fumbled for the door knob behind her, finally turning it and guiding them into the room. Jace kicked the door shut with the back of his foot, without breaking their kiss. He yanked off his shirt before grabbing her waist again and pulling her to him. Clary gasped as his hands slid under her thin shirt and pulled it over her head. She tugged down his pants while trailing small kisses leading all the way to his mouth. Jace breathed heavily as he hoisted her up and moved them onto the unmade bed.
Without bothering to move under the sheets, Jace slid her pants off and inched his hands up her body. Clary pulled him by the underside of his jaw so that they were face to face. She found herself lost again in his golden eyes. Jace kissed every part of her face, sending a wave of pleasure down her spine. She impatiently waited for him to kiss her mouth again. She groaned into his mouth, when she felt him move into her -
"Lightwood we have a problem," Raj said standing stiffly at the entrance of the training room.
Isabelle seemed to struggle to refrain from rolling her eyes, but she managed to turn and address him cordially. "What's wrong Raj?"
"A Shadowhunter was found murdered." he said bluntly. Clary and Isabelle had been glancing at each other warily and amusedly, now stopped short and turned to study him.
"Who? How?" Isabelle asked. "You know what don't answer. Clary get changed we'll head out to the scene."
Within minutes, Clary and Isabelle had portaled to Times Square. They were greeted by a full scale forensics team that was quickly descending a ladder that lead to the sewers.
"How do we know the Shadowhunter didn't die from a demon attack?" Clary asked, watching the New Yorkers walk by them obliviously. It was strange not being noticed by mundanes again.
"There must be signs of foul play that aren't affiliated with demon cause of death." Isabelle replied fidgeting with the whip bracelet around her wrist.
"Talk Raj," Isabelle said walking quickly towards the ladder. Raj eyed Clary strangely before hurrying to catch up with the head of the Institute.
"Female mid 20's was found by a few newly initiated Shadowhunters on patrol in the sewers. No visible signs of trauma, no murder weapon or cause of death yet but the forensic team is fairly certain it is a homicide." Raj said almost tripping on the ladder in his attempt to keep stride with Isabelle and Clary. They rounded the corner before reaching the crime scene.
Jace was crouching beside the corpse and prodding it lightly with his gloved hands. He turned to acknowledge them when they entered. "There's marks around her wrists that suggest she was bound. Her rate of decomposition also indicates she's been here for about a month or two."
"Cause of death?" Clary asked crouching to join Jace. She pulled on a pair of gloves and examined the body carefully.
"Her skull is fractured in several places. Likely a blow to the head." Jace said grimly.
Clary reached her hand out to take a swab of the victim's clothing. "Look at this," she murmured, shaking her head. "It appears to be some residue of Seelie dust." she turned and locked eyes with Jace. "Looks like we've got some suspects."
"The forensics team is working on the body, I've got extra patrols in the area and I want the two of you to visit the Seelie court." Isabelle said without looking up from the corpse.
"The queen is dead who's in her stead?" Clary asked sliding some daggers into her gear.
"She was never really killed by Jonathan, just banished to another dimension for a while." Isabelle said sounding rather disappointed. "It takes a lot more to take down a bitch."
"How diplomatically, you speak of her." Simon said from the doorway. Isabelle's face brightened when he entered and Clary couldn't help but grin. Jace seemed rather annoyed and busied himself with sharpening some swords.
He pressed a chaste kiss on her lips and peered over her shoulder. "I can smell this from outside the Institute, it's worse than the garbage behind the Hunter's Moon."
"Well since dead bodies have such a repulsive odor, that says something about how you smell, doesn't it?" Jace said nonchalantly as he sheathed two swords in sync. Isabelle rolled her eyes and shared a knowing look with Clary.
"Actually I use eau de youthfulness. Because when you're old, wrinkly and your looks have faded, I will be much handsomer than you." Simon said sounding quite pleased with his own argument.
Jace scoffed and crossed his arms arrogantly. "Even when I'm 102 with white hair, I'll still be the most attractive person in the room - next to you of course." he said, winking at Clary.
"Bold of you to assume you'll live to 102 - "
"Now that you've both had your daily dose of petty insults and banter, I think we should go." Clary said leading Jace by the arm towards the door.
They were heading towards the entrance of the Seelie Realm in NYC. Jace's hand slipped into Clary's, as it had been doing more frequently since she returned. Not that she minded.
"I don't think the Seelie Queen will be very pleased to see me. Or you." Clary said watching the cars pass beside her.
"She may be a little hostile, given that your brother banished her to another dimension." Jace said as they cut through the busy streets. "But she would also be very indebted to you because you banished him. The entire world is indebted to you."
Clary felt a sharp pain strike her heart at the memories this triggered. Losing her angelic powers had stripped her of her identity. Living as a mundane was not truly living, but rather surviving and knowing something was missing - wrong - incomplete. The process of regaining her memories was like having stitches in her brain being ripped wide open as the flood of reality overwhelmed her. Clary's whole life flashed by her, but the moments where she felt the strongest human emotions had resonated with her. Losing her memories, riding a motorbike with Jace, killing Jonathan...they were the best and worst moments of her life. They challenged her perception of the world and forced her to truly consider which world she wanted to live in. The Shadoworld had brought her nothing but pain, loss, danger and heartbreak since the first day she discovered it. Her mother was kidnapped, killed, her best friend became a vampire, her father tried to kill her, her brother tried to destroy the universe. Falling in love and at peace with the Shadoworld had been one of the most dangerous things she'd ever done. Not just for the obvious reasons, but because she had something so precious and self-defining to lose. In that moment, with the angel Jonathan and angel Jace reaching towards her, she was forced to confront her place in the world.
The Shadoworld was her home and her family. But it had also upturned life as she knew it and brought her so much grief and sorrow. In that moment with the two angel boys, she had to decide between joining her brother or returning to Jace. In that moment, the greatest loves, friendships, lessons and experiences of her life overpowered the misery and loss that came attached with a life as a Shadowhunter.
"I'm sorry that you suffered for a year." Clary said after a moment of silence. "At least I was oblivious to the reality of my situation. But you were left to deal with the mess I made."
"Every day, I checked on you. You never saw me but I had to see you. I didn't stay or listen to your conversations but I just had to make sure, for my sanity, that you were alright. And I hated myself. I couldn't understand how I could love you so much and fail to notice that something was wrong with you. I should have known that you were in trouble. You shouldn't have done it alone, and I've hated myself more than I've hated the angels, for losing you again." Jace said looking straight ahead as they arrived at the bridge overlooking the entrance to the Seelie realm.
Clary stopped him and turned so that they were face to face. "There's nothing you could have done and nothing you could have said to change the consequences of my actions. In fact, if you'd been there to watch me slowly disappear...I don't think either of us would have survived that torment."
Jace leaned forwards so that their foreheads were touching, gently holding her face with his hands. "Promise me that you'll always tell me if you're in trouble. I don't want you to ever go through something like that alone again. Promise me."
His eyes were burning into hers, begging for her to agree. Clary placed her hands on top of his and breathed deeply. "I promise. I wanted to spare both of us that pain. There's nothing that either of us could have done."
"I don't understand why the angels would punish you for saving the world." Jace said shaking his head. "Do you want to know what I think?"
"That you're going to cuss the angels when you reach heaven?" Clary asked causing Jace to laugh loudly. She never realized how much she'd missed the sound of his laughter.
"I believe that they gave you the power to create runes, so that you could be the one to destroy Jonathan. I believe that this was part of their plan. Then when they realized you were mastering and developing your powers too quickly, they felt alarmed. They were scared to give such a powerful weapon to a single Shadowhunter, so they took it from you." Jace explained. Clary felt some comfort in this explanation but her resentful gratitude to the angels had not diminished.
"At least that's what I've been convincing myself. It's the only semi-logical reasoning I can think of for taking you away. Really rather stupid logic." Jace said brushing her nose lightly with his. "I'm tempted to tell you to just let the world burn next time."
Clary laughed amusedly. "Why are you tempted to tell me but not really telling me?"
"Well I'd be forcing you to go against that selfless and brave part of you that I fell in love with. And as much as I hate the angels' decision, I can't be the one to take away another part of you." Jace said simply. Clary was deeply touched by this and closed the distance between them, kissing him hard on the lips.
Jace broke away and stared sternly at her. "But I will tell you, that next time I want to be informed of your recklessly brave decision to save the world and sacrifice yourself."
Clary laughed and turned to face the bridge. "We better go before Isabelle realizes how long we've been out."
Together, they jumped over the bridge and into the water.
"I'm not sure whether I should impale you with my spear or invite you to have dinner." the Seelie Queen said scathingly from where she perched on her throne. She was in her younger form but her eyes were sharp and critical as she surveyed them disdainfully.
"It's lovely to see you too." Clary said wearily eyeing the pompous and haughty woman.
"Where is Jonathan Morgenstern? We have some unfinished business." the Seelie Queen said, her tone deadly and bitter.
"He is dead." Clary said plainly. The Seelie Queen's face remained impassive as she narrowed her eyes at them.
"You expect me to believe that you were able to kill the most powerful Shadowhunter alive? Do you think I'm a naive imbecile?" she said cooly.
"Whether you believe us or not, that's to your discretion. We're here on Clave business. A Shadowhunter was murdered, her body was dumped in the sewers and we found traces of Seelie dust on her clothing."
"You barge into my court and dare to accuse my folk of murder? Well that's simply ridiculous." the queen said indignantly. "If you won't tell me where Jonathan Morgenstern is, I see no reason to cooperate with pawns of the Clave."
"Your highness, the Clave has the authority to charge you with treason for protecting a wanted fugitive and encouraging him to destroy the world. However, out of political diplomacy and respect, the Clave decided to maintain peace. You ought to be very helpful." Jace said very politely addressing the cunning woman on the throne. Clary had less patience to deal with such a frivolous and deceitful woman, despite the crown and swords she had at hand.
The queen pursed her lips and considered this carefully. "The Seelie dust you discovered on the clothing could have been traces of Seelie hallucinogen drugs. Shadowhunters can easily access those without interference or foul play from the fair folk. You two have much experience with that don't you?" she asked snidely. Clary felt her cheeks burn and patience wither.
"There were indications that she was bound and there are skull fractures that suggest she was struck in the head. We need a list of soldiers from your court who were patrolling or sent on missions in that area of the city. We'll need them for questioning at the Institute." Clary said never breaking eye contact with the queen. The queen seemed to find Clary amusing, which only infuriated her more.
"Very well. But I am confident that you will not find your murderer amongst my people. Not today, at least." the Seelie Queen said with a steely voice, before waving her hand in dismissal.
As Clary and Jace reached the door, the Seelie Queen called out, "Be careful where you angel half-breeds prod. You may throw fuel onto a fire that's already been burning."
Clary felt chills tingle down her spine and the Seelie Queen's eagle eyes on her back as she opened the door and lead the way outside, without glancing back.
Within a few hours, a group of unarmed Seelie soldiers were waiting in a room off the side of the interrogation room. As head of the Institute, Isabelle would normally conduct interrogations but she was more interested in deconstructing corpse. Jace and Clary watched the men through the one way glass, trying to decide who their first interviewee should be.
"We're going to have to structure our sentences very specifically and particularly. They may not be able to lie but they are masters at distorting the truth." Jace said crossing his arms and scanning the suspects.
"Isabelle's report says that they identified the woman as Romana Gateshead. She was sent to deal with some demon break ins at a downworld pub near Brooklyn. She never returned from the mission. Her family lives at the Italian Institute." Clary said flipping through the papers in the folder.
"Let's bring in the first one on the list with connections to the pub."
They entered the interrogation room, which was small and square. It was windowless except for the one way glass through which a team of Shadowhunters was sitting behind. A rather young, tall and pointy faced Seelie was seated on one end of the table. Clary and Jace moved to sit on the other side.
"Ferranti Boode." Jace said greeting the man with familiarity. "It's been a long time." Clary looked between the men surprised to see the Seelie grin back at him, baring all his teeth.
"Jace Herondale," Ferranti drawled. "You look as arrogant as the day you broke into my home and arrested my sister. Tell me, was it awkward to interrogate her knowing you'd slept with her and then dumped her?"
Jace's face remained stony as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "That's not what we're discussing. According to the Seelie guard schedule, you were off duty that day. But security footage shows that you were at the Howling Hell Pub."
"Why are my whereabouts and actions being questioned if you already know the answer?" Ferranti asked raising an eyebrow. His chiseled face was indifferent and bored as he eyed Jace with underlying hatred.
"Did you ever meet a Shadowhunter by the name Romana Gateshead?" Clary asked watching Ferranti's sharp eyes swivel and focus on her. She placed an image of her in front of him.
His lips twitched and he surveyed her curiously. "Yes she was the only Shadowhunter in the pub. She waited at the table near the back and killed the waitress who had been glamoured as a demon."
"Did you interact with her at all? Talk, dance, drink, fight or have sexual relations?" Jace asked leaning forward and clasping his hands together.
"She sat down beside me to order a drink and I immediately got up and left." Ferranti said growing irritated.
"Why?"
"She was a filthy privileged Shadowhunter who acted superior to downworlders. What was I supposed to do? Hug and congratulate her for doing her job?" Ferranti sneered, his careless demeanour disappearing.
"You seem to have a distasteful opinion of her. Did her sense of entitlement drive you to murder her?" Clary asked watching his cold features form a scowl.
"I did not murder that privileged Shadowhunter nor did I have a distasteful opinion of her. It was more of a scornful perception. You, on the other hand…" Ferranti said scanning her up and down. "I regard you with admiration and attraction - "
"Don't speak to her," Jace said standing up abruptly and grabbing the file. "We'll be in touch." Clary stood and followed Jace to the door.
"Ah I seem to have struck a nerve." Ferranti smirked. "I assure you redheaded beauty, that he will pretend to love you and then leave you. He did it to every girl he met and you my dear, are not special. I however, will treat you as - "
His sentence was cut off as Jace slammed the door of the interrogation room shut. Jace and Clary interrogated 5 other soldiers who had been in the area that day. None seemed to have motive or encounter with Romana.
"You slept with Ferranti's sister, ditched her and then arrested her? No wonder he wanted to slap you." Clary snickered as they made their way to the lab.
"I was wasted and reckless and I didn't know she poisoned people's drinks with Seelie drugs." Jace said defensively as they entered the forensics lab.
Isabelle was leaning over the corpse and examining it carefully. "Any suspects?"
"Not really," Clary said yawning as she plopped down on a stool. "Find anything?"
"There's marks on her ribs and back that suggest she was tortured. Her ribs are fractured in several places, there's severe bruising and slash marks and her back is completely burned." Isabelle said regretfully. "It's reasonable to assume that the victim was tortured, murdered from a blow to the head and then her body was dumped into the sewers."
"What about the Seelie dust?" Jace asked leaning against a counter.
"The only thing it indicates is that her body was in contact with a Seelie. It could have been any Seelie." Isabelle said typing on the monitor. "I'm going to extract all her bones tomorrow. You two can retire for the night. And as head of the Institute I'm forbidding the two of you from making too much noise at night. There's been more than 10 noise complaints about your very vocal late night activities."
"It's dripping everywhere, be careful!"
"We'll clean it later, it tastes so good - "
"God I could eat this all day…"
"But it's so much better at night."
"Do you think we're being too loud?"
"Leave some of the chow mein for me!" Clary exclaimed poking him sharply with her chopsticks. "God you've eaten like 3 cartons already."
"It's been a stressful day Clary, stop fat shaming me." Jace said allowing her to dump some of the noodles into her plate.
"We're at a dead end on the case," Clary said watching the lights of New York light up the night sky. Jace and Clary were sitting on the roof of the Institute, eating their Chinese food. They sat on the edge of the roof, their legs hanging over the ledge. Looking out at this city, at her home, reminded her of why she sacrificed everything in the first place.
"Once the bones of the body are examined, we'll have more information." Jace assured her as he popped a piece of beef into his mouth.
"I missed this," Clary said leaning her head against Jace's shoulder. It was the strangest feeling of rightness in the world, as she sat on the roof of the Institute, eating take out food with her best friend and looking out at the living, pulsating and bustling city of New York.
Jace pressed a kiss to the top of her head and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Me too. Although I feel like this happiness is going to disappear."
"That's optimistic." Clary said, setting her empty carton beside her.
"Every time we seem to find ourselves, find happiness, it always disappears. It's like we can't allow ourselves to get too comfortable or happy because the world will equalize our joy with more pain." Jace said tossing the empty carton besider hers. Clary turned to look at him. His hair was blowing lightly in the night wind and his eyes were scanning the skies as if he were searching for incoming attacks.
"You know what I think?" Clary asked, nudging his cheek with her head. He turned to gaze down at her, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear.
"What do you think?" he replied softly.
"I think we should just fuck the world. Fuck the rules, fuck the natural order, fuck each other." Clary said seriously, despite Jace's laughter. "I mean it Jace. It's like you said, nothing is permanent. I could die tomorrow or you could walk into a Valak memory demon, it's all so temporary and fragile. But we've lost each other too many times now, to take anything for granted. We can't let our problems and evil brothers control our lives anymore. In this life, we're always going to have another demon or evil queen to defeat. But I don't want to waste another day without you. We have to just live for the moments we can't put into words, because there's no certainty of anything in this world, except the present."
Jace stared at her with a sort of awe and burning desire in his eyes. "I thought I was the one who made grand poetic speeches."
"Jace," Clary said furrowing her brow at him.
The corner of his mouth quirked upward and he shook his head at her. "I can't wait to fuck the world and break the rules, as long as I'm doing it with you. You're right about how there's no certainty in this world. But there is one exception."
"That I'll always love you and you'll always love me?" Clary guessed feeling the cool air brush against her hot skin.
"Well yes, but more than that. After everything we've faced, and everything we've overcome, I realized that the only reason we've succeeded is because we did it together. Now I know for sure, that even if there's a million more demon brothers, vengeful queens, spiteful angels, the world is burning or if all hell has broken loose...I know that we'll make it. It's just you and me against the world, and I know that we'll always win." Jace said brushing their noses together.
"You have to stop saying such elegant speeches, they make mine look weak." Clary said, cupping his face in her palm. She felt Jace's chest rumble with laughter as he pulled her close to him.
"I love your speeches." he whispered assuringly before pressing his lips against hers. Clary inhaled Jace's crisp and familiar scent, as she tangled her fingers in his soft hair. His arms surrounded her as he pulled them away from the ledge and onto the blanket. Clary leaned back so that she was resting her head on Jace's chest.
They were laying on the blanket, looking up at the endless sky. She turned so that she could see his face and kissed the underside of his jaw fondly.
"Try not to snore too loudly," Clary quipped as she pulled the quilt over them.
Jace scoffed and adjusted the pillow under his head. "I do not snore. And if I do, then it's a sexy snore."
"Snores can't be sexy, not even yours." Clary said indignantly, watching his face recoil with disbelief.
"That may just be, the rudest thing you've said to me Clary Fairchild."
"Where the HELL have the two of you been?" Isabelle demanded when they reported to the ops centre of the Institute. "Wait - never mind, I don't want to know. I've been looking for you guys everywhere. I was even brave enough to peek into Jace's room. There's another Shadowhunter body."
"By the angel, where?" Jace asked strapping his weapons belt on. He tossed Clary her favorite kindjals which she sheathed quickly into the straps of her gear.
"Maia discovered it in the woods near Taki's Diner." Isabelle said sounding very stressed. "I need the two of you two go examine it, I have to talk to the family."
"And she's sure it's a homicide?" Jace said tucking a few daggers into his leather jacket.
"She says it's very obvious." Isabelle said running her hand through her hair. "I sent Simon to go help out - "
"You sent the vampire on Clave business?" Jace said incredulously. "You can't be that short staffed, I mean Isabelle I know he's your...current fling but - "
"Well I would have sent the two of you but seeing as I couldn't seem to locate you - "
"We'll go now." Clary interrupted, sensing an argument was about to ensue she shoved Jace towards the door.
In half an hour, they were in the woods near Taki's Diner. The Institute's forensics team were spread out, examining the area for clues and evidence. Simon and Maia were standing at a distance from the group.
"Sleeping beauty is awake," Simon chirped eyeing Jace's tousled hair. Jace sneered in response but Clary elbowed him in the gut to keep him from starting an argument at 10 am in the morning.
"What's going on Maia?" Clary asked, trying to figure out where the body was.
"I was going for a run this morning with Bat and we...got distracted...by the lovely ground. The next thing I know, I turn to the side and a corpse is staring back at me." Maia said uncomfortably. "I saw a rune so I notified Isabelle."
Simon and Maia lead them to the body under the tall oak trees. Clary scanned the partially decomposed body, examining the relative height, weight and features that were distinguishable.
"Looks like a male, early-mid 40s. There's burn marks and stab wounds on the abdomen and back of the victim. This sounds rather familiar." Clary noted as she lifted the man's wrists.
"Signs of being bound." Jace sighed standing up and pulling off his gloves. "Let's get this moved back to the Institute." he called to the other Shadowhunters.
They returned back to the Institute where Isabelle was ordering people around. Clary watched amusedly as Raj trailed after her attempting to take notes of her instructions. She suspected he had a little crush on Isabelle which was barely even noticed by her. She wasn't sure whether she should pity him or admire him for his continuous attempts to impress her.
"Do we think it's the same killer?" Jace asked as they approached the lab. Raj was helping Isabelle into her lab coat, looking very stressed and overworked.
"There's injuries that suggest the same form of torture on both victims. I'm leaning towards the same killer. Indications of being bound suggest kidnap. We discovered Seelie dust on the second body too. We identified him as Orville Marshston, father of 5." Isabelle recited pulling a very long worm from the victim's intestine. "If there's a third victim like this and we've failed to catch the culprit, Alec is going to pay us a visit. I'm not sure I can stand seeing his judgemental and haughty face as he tries to take over the case."
"The Clave will give us a search warrant," Jace said crossing his arms and wrinkling his nose at the body. "But I don't see a motive."
"They can't give us a search warrant for the whole Seelie realm. There's so many dimensions and possible locations the murderer could be in. We need a suspect to get a warrant. But we need a motive and evidence to find a suspect. The Seelie dust on both victims tell us nothing, except that they were in contact with a Seelie shortly before their death." Isabelle said forcefully yanking out the heart of the victim. "Pity, this was rather a healthy and fit heart."
"Why would a Seelie want to kidnap, torture and kill Shadowhunters?" Clary asked pulling on a lab coat to help.
"Well everyone seems to want to kill us." Jace said as he flipped through the autopsy report. "Orville was killed from a slit to the throat. Poor fellow,"
"Lightwood!" a voice called urgently from the door. "We have a problem at Central Park - "
"Raj stop telling me that we have a problem and just tell me the problem." Isabelle snapped stripping her gloves off. Clary got the slightest impression that this was not the first time they'd had this conversation.
"It's not another murder is it?" Jace asked already heading towards the door.
"There's a huge outbreak of hellhound demons running rampant at Central Park. A warlock that lives in a condo a block from the park reported it 10 minutes ago. The amount of demons is not normal." Raj said running out of breath as he tried to get all the info out at once. "It suggests intentional demon summoning - "
"Clary, Jace let's go. You too Raj, we need at least 50 Shadowhunters to report to Central Park." Isabelle said tossing her lab coat aside and leading the run towards the door.
There wasn't much time to properly don gear but they had enough time to grab a few weapons on their way out of the Institute. Marty was a warlock who occasionally worked for the New York Institute, stood outside with a portal waiting for them. One by one, soldiers melded into the portal and was transported to Central Park. It had been more than a year since Clary had seen this many demons at once. The hellhound demons were ravenously tearing across the streets, and destroying anything that their sharply filed teeth could sink into. To the mundanes, it must have appeared to be a wild pack of feral dogs vandalizing the city. To the Shadowhunters, this was a planted demon attack.
Clary and Isabelle raced towards a group of hellhounds tearing apart a large mundane dog. Isabelle's whip latched itself onto the most ferocious of the group as she strangled the demon to death. The hellhounds' companions turned and set their eyes on their approaching forms. The 5 remaining demons, divided themselves between Clary and Isabelle. Two of them pounced towards Clary, claws extended and bloody teeth bared. Clary sidestepped the beady eyed one and drove her seraph blade into the larger one. The larger hellhound howled with rage as a gaping wound began pooling with blood. The beady eyed hellhound leaped towards her as she raised her blade and sliced its paw off. While it collapsed to the ground, Clary beheaded it in one clean strike.
Over its shoulder, Clary saw that Isabelle had succeeded in killing another hellhound while the other two had torn the whip from her hand. The larger hellhound began charging towards Clary and barking madly. Clary gripped the dagger strapped to her thigh, spun and kicked the advancing hellhound squarely in the jaw, before throwing the dagger straight into the chest of the hellhound facing Isabelle. It disintegrated instantly, allowing Isabelle to unsheath her spear and impale the other demon. Clary was knocked to the ground by the larger hellhound who was violently jerking and snapping at her face. Clary wrinkled her nose in disgust from the demon's breath and strained against its dangerous fangs. Just as she felt her arms slacken, the hellhound was ripped away from her and tossed aside. She leapt to her feet and picked up the fallen seraph blade. Isabelle had speared the hellhound firmly into the ground, as she turned and grinned at Clary. Clary smiled back as she advanced with her sword and proceed to slash the hellhound across the throat.
There was no time for celebration as Clary shoved Isabelle to the side and plunged her blade into the chest of a hellhound that had crept in from behind. The park was akin to a mad zoo as hellhounds tore across the grass and their eyes shone with murderous intent. Clary shoulder butted a hellhound before slashing another with two daggers. Finally after two long hours the demons were all banished from wreaking havoc in Central Park.
Isabelle was giving instructions to several Shadowhunters, sending a group to patrol the outskirts of the boundary for strays. There were a few injured Shadowhunters, but no deaths as far as Clary could see. She moved towards Jace who was leaning over some of the hellhounds' decapitated body parts.
"A demon got you in the back," Clary said tugging at his jacket and pulling a stele from her pocket. "What the hell are you doing?" she demanded watching him reach into the neck of the hellhound and withdraw a sword.
"These are my favorite seraph blades," he protested, wincing as he stood up straight. "They can be salvaged with some soap and hard scrubbing."
Clary shook her head with exasperation as she forced him to take off his jacket. His jacket and t-shirt were soaked in blood, but his attention was on scanning the area for more of his beloved swords.
"You need to get your priorities straight," Clary grumbled as she nudged him to take off his shirt. "You're worried about finding your swords even though you have demon cuts all over your back?"
Jace smiled sheepishly as he sheathed his seraph blade. He pulled off his shirt and pecked Clary on the cheek. "Try not to faint at the sight of my extraordinarily gorgeous figure."
"I'll manage," Clary huffed illuminating his iratze rune. She looked up to find him smirking at her. "Don't be cocky - "
"But I am cocky - "
"That was quite a suspenseful battle." a voice called from behind them.
Clary and Jace spun around sharply and were surprised to see Meliorn leaning against a tree.
"What does that mean?" Clary asked narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "You saw the battle and didn't join in and help?"
"Hellhound demons are controlled and summoned by other demons, or people with demon blood." Jace said without breaking eye contact with Meliorn.
"Blondie is catching on," Meliorn smiled charmingly as he moved to stand across from them.
"He summoned the packs of hellhound demons and unleashed them in Central Park." Jace said striding towards him angrily. "By the order of the Clave you are under - "
Meliorn raised a hand and cut Jace off. "I summoned them to New York to attract the attention of the Institute."
"Well a simple fire message would have sufficed," Clary scoffed moving to stand beside Jace.
"This had a more dramatic effect, no? I have valuable information and insight that would outweigh my morally questionable method of initiating contact." Meliorn confidently assured them.
"You better have cured the world of demon pox or ended world hunger - " Jace said mockingly.
"I have information on the kidnap and murder of Shadowhunters." Meliorn interrupted silencing Jace instantly. Jace turned to quickly glance at Clary, who shot him a questioning look.
"I knew that would shut you up." Meliorn grinned happily at the two very bewildered Shadowhunters.
Author's Note
Thanks for returning for the second chapter! I know I didn't spend much time writing about mundane Clary falling back in love with Jace, but I honestly just prefer for them to leap back into their regular relationship. Hope I didn't butcher it :)
Lemme know your thoughts!
