Chapter four:

A/N: It had been hard, trying to find out a point of view that would work the best. I was going to continue Tessa, but I really had nothing she would be concerned about, except, of course, Jem. They're happy at the moment, and happiness can get boring. I'll show glimpses of them being cute throughout the story. But today it is John's time to shine, and hopefully he doesn't bore you all too much.

I can't say this enough: thank you guys for the reviews! I really love reading them.

Johnathan stared up at his ceiling silently, mulling over the probable reasons for Clary's possible existence. She had looked so familiar from when he first saw her on the bus, but didn't say anything. He had thought she was an ex of his, but she showed no recognition in her eyes when she looked over at him.

Valentine, his father, had always said Jocelyn, his mother, died after he was born. Valentine had never remarried, claiming his one true love would always be Jocelyn. Johnathan had always thought that was a bit depressing, clinging onto memories like that – now, he was wondering what could have happened that drove the two so far apart.

It was clear now why Clary looked so familiar: she was almost the exact copy of Jocelyn, as he was of Valentine. Johnathan stole one of the pictures of his mother from Valentine's room and kept in his pocket for years now, just in case he stumbled upon any possible women that had the potential of being his long-lost mother, but that moment never occurred.

Clary's the only source to his questions, and he suspects he's the only source to her questions.

An uneasy sleep found him unexpectedly, temporarily relieving him of his mind-numbing thoughts.

"You swear you never even seen her before?"

Johnathan sighed, clearly exasperated. "Yes, I swear."

"Insane," muttered Jace. "That shouldn't be possible."

Johnathan had dragged himself out of bed and stumbled down the stairs, looking for breakfast. Apparently, the cooks had been lazy with serving, as they put boxes of cereal and milk jugs on the dining room table. He wasn't the first one up; Jace, Magnus, Alec, Aline, and a girl whom he does not recognize were already sitting around the table, munching on the plain cereal. Jace had greeted him when he padded in, and pushed him a bowl of cereal.

Johnathan flung himself in the seat beside Jace and began to audibly munch on his cereal, earning him annoyed glances.

Magnus leaned over the table at Johnathan. "You might want to be careful," he said seriously. "I hear sisters are a pain."

"They are!" said Alec, irritated. "Just wait, Johnathan; soon you'll wish she were never born."

Johnathan shook his head. "You're different; Isabelle was born into your life. Clary kind of dove her way into mine."

Aline shot them both a furious glare. "There's nothing wrong with having a sister!"

Alec's reply was cut off as Isabelle sauntered in, already dressed for the day: a dress with impossibly high heels. "Good morning, lovelies," she sang, sitting next to the girl Johnathan didn't recognize. "Hello Emma," she hummed with affection. Isabelle looked down at their breakfast. "Cereal?" Her nose wrinkled in disgust.

"It's called, 'fine dining.'" Jace spoke up, grinning over at her. Isabelle rolled her eyes and poured some cereal in a bowl.

Magnus glanced back at Johnathan. "Honestly, Johnny," he sighed, "you just need to talk to her. Maybe you both have something in common."

"Ooh!" Isabelle exclaimed, her gaze whipping towards Johnathan. "Do I hear girl advice?"

Alec rolled his eyes. "We're talking about Clary, Isabelle."

She looked back at Johnathan with renewed interest. "Oh, that's right – you're her big brother," she grinned. "Honestly, I love Clary, but she's a little too kind. Kind of boring, really, but that shouldn't be a problem for you."

"Clary, kind? What kind of universe am I in?"

Everyone whipped their heads towards the doorway, and saw Simon Lewis. He had his hands jammed in his pockets as he walked over to the table, plopping himself down in a random seat. Johnathan had seen him with Clary on the bus, and she seemed okay with him. So Johnathan will be okay with him, too.

Simon looked over at Isabelle. "She's kind to you because you're a stranger to her. But when you become close to her – well, let's just say she isn't that innocent." He grinned, pouring himself some cereal. Something flashing behind Isabelle's eyes – jealousy, maybe?

Johnathan felt irritation scrape the inside of his chest when he registered Simon's words. "What do you mean, 'not that innocent'?"

Simon glanced at him. "Why do you care?"

"Because I'm her brother," he snarled. "And I would like to know if my little sister is into prostitution."

Simon choked on his cereal. "You're her brother?" He asked, startled. Johnathan sarcastically nodded his head. Simon swallowed a mouthful of cereal. "She never mentioned having a brother to me."

"That's because she found out just yesterday," said Jace, leaning back in his chair. "Now answer the question."

Alec looked over at Jace. "Why are you suddenly interested?"

Something flashed in Jace's eyes, but it was gone as soon as it came. "Just curious," was all he said.

Simon shook his head impatiently. "No, Clary isn't into prostitution. I wouldn't be surprised if she is still a virgin; the girl sucks at relationships."

"Maybe it's her fashion choice," muttered Isabelle. "Maybe it's her red hair." She glanced at Jace. "Red hair is a turn-off for guys, right?"

Before Jace could have a chance to answer, Simon cut in angrily. "No, it's not that. It's not her; it's her ex, Raphael. He didn't just break her heart, he destroyed it. She caught him cheating on her on their one year anniversary. His reason? 'I need a variety'," He gripped his spoon angrily. "I was left to pick up the pieces. She was a mess for days."

Johnathan felt anger bubble up in him. What gave Raphael the right to hurt his little sister like that? His anger shocked him. Was he already feeling a brotherly affection towards someone he didn't really even know?

"Wait," said Alec curiously. He was staring at Simon with interest. "You know Clary personally?"

Johnathan perked up at that. "Of course," said Simon breezily. "I'm her best friend."

"Whose best friend?" said James as he and Tessa walked in together, hands interlinked. They sat next to each other at the table, James sitting next to Magnus.

Magnus cocked an eyebrow. "So I take you two are together?"

Tessa blushed as James nodded, smiling down at her.

"To answer your question," said Jace, "Simon is Clary's best friend." Once again, a spark ignited behind his golden eyes, but it died down quickly, leaving him irritatingly emotionless. Johnathan stared at Jace curiously. Was he jealous?

Tessa perked up at Clary's name. "Oh, I adore Clary. She seemed so interested of my life in London."

"That's because," piped up Simon, "we both wanted to backpack across Europe after college."

Johnathan then looked over at Simon. He seemed very smug about being Clary's best friend, a little more than normal. Does he like Clary, too? He shook his head, knowing he was going to have to give her a brotherly talk about boys.

Helen walked in then, smiling over at Aline and Emma, who were sitting side-by-side. "Good morning, Emma," she smiled, "how was your night?" Helen sat in the seat across from Emma, reaching for one of the stacked bowls and the box of cereal.

Emma swallowed a mouth full of cereal. "It was alright."

Aline smiled over at Helen. "My night was great, too." A gleam ignited in both girls' eyes, giving each other a knowing look. Magnus grinned, getting their gesture.

Johnathan looked away from the girls to hear Alec and Jace's conversation: "…girls," Alec was saying. "Most of them seem to be bitchy, the rest slutty."

Jace nodded in agreement. "I know, I was just thinking that. Do you think I'd have more luck going for Sophie?"

Alec shot him a look as Jace began to smile. "Not funny, dude."

"Who's Sophie?" Asked Johnathan, cutting into their conversation.

"She's the quiet girl with the scar on her face," answered Jace, playing with a few pieces of soggy cereal in his milk. "Apparently, she was abused by her drunk boyfriend, and he cut open her face with his beer bottle. She fought back, and knocked him out. He sued her and she lost the case, his claim being, 'she intoxicated me without consent'," Jace shook his head. "Let's just say, she isn't into any relationships at the moment."

"Alec's right; your joke isn't funny," said Johnathan, though he grinned despite herself. "How do you know all this?"

Jace shrugged nonchalantly, appearing to be lost in thought. "I have connections."

"Do your so-called connections reach what happened with my sister, and why she's a criminal?" he asked, his voice clipped.

Jace snapped his attention up at him. "No," he said, "but I know someone who may know." He jerked his chin towards Simon, who was deep in conversation with Isabelle.

"…I mean, sure, she walked over my heart as if it were a 'welcome' mat, but I don't let that get to me," Simon was saying, twirling the milk in his bowl with the end of his spoon. "But she's still my best friend, and we don't let it get in between our relationship."

Were they talking about Clary? "Simon," Johnathan interrupted, "do you know why Clary is here?"

Simon stopped talking immediately after hearing Clary's name. "You mean here, as in a physiological sense? Because if that's the case, I have a few theories –"

"No, you idiot," Johnathan blew out a frustrated breath. "I meant why she's here, in this house…"

"Oh," said Simon, uninterested. He tipped his head to the side, obviously contemplating. "I don't know." He went back into conversation with Isabelle, indifferent to Johnathan.

Johnathan resisted the urge to scream.

Sebastian and Will walked in, both looking smug. "'Morning, gents," said Will, plopping himself beside Johnathan, Sebastian sitting himself by Will. "And ladies," he added, looking from Isabelle, Tessa, Aline, Helen, and Emma with apprehension.

"What are you so smug about?" asked Isabelle, eyeing them both.

Sebastian winked at her, but both boys did not answer.

Trailed after them came in Kaelie and Seelie, who both wore lacy shirts and high-waist, leather-black shorts. They giggled and blush when they caught the sight of Will and Sebastian, and they sat together at the end of the table, talking in hushed voices.

Tessa looked at them in abhorrence. "You're disgusting," she said towards Will and Sebastian, wrinkling her nose.

Kaelie and Seelie looked over at her with equal emotions in their expressions. "At least we can get laid," Kaelie sneered, "while you're going for silver-locks over there."

Seelie snorted and smirked down at her.

Tessa rolled her eyes. "At least I can keep a guy," she said, "while you're over there accepting whatever boy is perverted enough to have sex with you." She turned her steely glare towards Will and Sebastian.

Kaelie scoffed as Seelie made a noise of murder. Will didn't look affected, while Sebastian jeered, "Oh, we're perverted, are we? Last I remember, I saw you sneak out of James's room at midnight!" He shook his head, grinning. "You didn't even stay with him until morning."

Will perked up at that, shooting James a questioning and suspicious look. Everyone else around the table, Johnathan included, turned their gazes over at them, curious about the yelling.

Tessa's eyes widened dangerously. "Believe it or not," she whispered deadly, shrugging off James's attempt to keep her quiet, "I can go a few hours alone with a boy and not want his dick in me."

Johnathan whistled under his breath, feeling that blow. Sebastian reeled back as the girls blanched, but yet Will remained just as impassive, apparently not listening. His attention was set on James fixedly.

"James," said Will, "can we speak for a moment? Alone?" He added, noting Tessa's change of expression. James looked over at Will curiously but obliged, standing up from his chair. He and Will left the dining room, leaving everyone quiet.

In their wake came in the focal point of most peoples' conversations: Clary. She had her bright red hair tied in a loose braid, wearing grey sweatpants and a white, thermal shirt. The room became three times as tense, nearly suffocating Johnathan. She didn't seem notice everyone's eyes on her as she sat down beside Simon, reaching for the cereal box. "Really?" she asked to no one in particular, probably mostly to Simon. "Regular cheerios? Are we on some sort of budget cut?"

Simon snorted in response, taking another spoonful of his food.

Johnathan cleared his throat, and Clary's eyes snapped up towards him. Green on green, they studied each other for a moment again. Clary, with her pail skin, matching his. Clary, with her wide, green eyes, identical to his own. Clary, who was his sister, who had the same parents. Clary, Clary, Clary, his mind spun on her name. Clary was his sister; was family.

"Can we talk, little sis?" Asked Johnathan carefully, Magnus's words ringing in his mind. You might want to be careful. "Maybe somewhere more private?"

She nodded, pushing her cereal away from her. They both stood up and left the dining room, and, Johnathan being in front of her, lead her into the living room. The room looked clean as ever, showing no signs of a gathering the night before. He sat down on one of the white couches, Clary sitting on the couch opposite him. They briefly studied each other again, as if making sure this were real.

"So," said Clary, breaking the uncomfortable silence between them. "You needed to talk?"

"You're my sister," blurted Johnathan. He mentally cursed himself. Smooth. He cleared his throat.

Clary nodded. "That would be the case, yes."

He shot her a look. "How is it possible?" He demanded, leaning forward. "Valentine said Jocelyn was dead."

"And Jocelyn said Valentine was dead," said Clary. "We went over this."

"How are you so calm?" He asked, almost pleading. At that moment, he realized something: he wanted a sister, wanted one more than anything. "You just found out about your sibling, and you're so calm about it – how?"

She rolled her eyes and tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear, a nervous gesture he had noticed about her from last night. "I'm not calm," she replied crisply. "Do I know how we're siblings? No. Do I know for certain that we are? No. Why freak out over something that may or may not be true?"

"You can't be serious," Johnathan gestured to himself. "We have the same eyes, the same skin tone –" He squinted at her. "And it looks like we have the same nose."

Clary subconsciously touched her button nose. "Okay, so we have similarity on our side…" she shook her head. "This is insane. Valentine is dead, Jocelyn showed me funeral photos –"

"It is insane?" asked Johnathan, cutting her off. "Is it?"

Clary paused at this, clutching one of the decoration pillows. "I just don't see how this is logical!" She cried out, her grip on the pillow tightening. "Why would our parents lie to us? Why?" She looked back up at him, and with a jolt he realized she was trying to not cry. "It doesn't add up."

"Honestly, I don't know," said Johnathan, raking a hand through his wispy, blonde hair. "Maybe they divorced, and since we look so much like a single parent, they separated us." He groaned out of exasperation. "But why separate us?"

"Sorry for interrupting –" They both whipped up towards the marble staircase. Cecily Herondale, Will's sister, was descending down, looking a bit awkward. She was also fully dressed, wearing a black halter top and dark jeans, her hair perfectly fixed and makeup bringing out the sparkle her eyes. Noting their silence, she said a bit sheepishly, "I'm heading to breakfast. Continue your conversation," and scrambled towards the dining room.

Through the doors of the dining room, he could see curious expressions fixed on them, watching them. He saw Simon glancing back at the opened door, holding his gaze at Clary before turning back to Isabelle. He saw Jace, Will, and Sebastian, all grinning over at him like idiots. Across the table Seelie and Kaelie were looking at the trio of boys with a burning longing and lust, an expression so raw Johnathan quickly glanced away.

"…Maybe, but I'm not so sure," Johnathan tuned back in to Clary's voice like an old radio to a station after being held in static. He slowly turned away from the already closed dining room door and looked at Clary. She was staring at him, glaring defiantly. "Were you even listening?"

He felt sheepish. "Er, no."

"Unbelievable." Clary huffed in exasperation, raking a hand through her knotty, red curls loose from her braid. Johnathan watched her for a moment, mesmerized. The girl sitting in front of him was once considered beautiful in his book, but now all he could see was his sister. He thought the feeling in his gut was lust when he first looked at her, but in closer examination he realized it was a feeling of protectiveness.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Lost in thought…" He looked at her keenly, a thought leaping into his head. "Why are you here?"

Clary jumped, startled. "I thought we were discussing the possibilities of being siblings, not discussing why we were sent here."

Johnathan stared at her. "We were," he said, "but now we're on something else."

She glared at him. "It's none of your business, brother or not –"

"It's all of my business."

She groaned in frustration, her pale face pulling into a scowl. "Oh my God, John, does it matter–"

"John?" he mused. "That's new. Usually I'm called 'Johnny' or simply 'Big J' for purposes I hope you never find out about."

"Ew." She scrunched up her nose. "Too much info."

"Technically, you brought it up."

"Technically, I only called you 'John'."

"Well, technically –"

"Johnathan!" He looked up at her. Clary held her head in her hands, rubbing her temples. "My god, you are annoying."

He grinned over at her. "It's part of the job."

"Job of what?" She dropped her hands and glared at him, her green eyes brimmed with annoyance. "Job of being a douche? Because you're doing fan-tastic." The way she had said that, the way her sarcasm wasn't laced with mockery and was instead dipped in seriousness, the way she held a steady glare towards him, awoken an alarm in him.

His grinned dropped. "Clary –"

Suddenly, the doors of the dining room burst open, revealing Sebastian, Alec, and Jace. They were all laughing and grinning, shoving each other around. Without realizing it, he and Clary had both risen from the couch.

Sebastian glance at their direction and grinned, halting his walk. "Did we interrupt an important sibling bonding moment?" Jace and Alec stopped with him, looking over. "Please, continue if you must."

"Johnathan," said Jace, shooting Sebastian a look, "we're heading out to look for Will and James, and then we'll search this place." The way he had said 'place' was filled with revulsion and disgust; Johnathan resisted the urge to grin. Shaking out his blonde hair, Jace asked, "Do you want to join?"

Johnathan looked back at Clary worriedly. She bit her lip, and they both knew the moment was over. He offered a small smile down at her. "Are you heading back to breakfast?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm starving."

He nodded, She was about to leave when he caught her arm, almost out of reflex. "Wait," Johnathan said, earning him a worried look from Clary. He glanced back at the three boys looking at them curiously.

"Everything okay, John?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Be careful," he whispered, his voice loud enough for only her to hear. "If you fall in love with one of my friends, be careful; they're heart breakers, all of them."

Clary was visibly bewildered. "Why –"

"Simon told me," he interrupted, watching her eyes widen. "About your last relationship. These guys, they're like Raphael. Trust me."

The affect was immediate. Clary scowled, ripping her arm out of his grasp. What did I say? Johnathan thought. "I'll keep that in mind, thanks," she retorted icily.

Johnathan narrowed his eyes. "Why are you suddenly mad at me? I'm trying to help –"

"I don't need your help," she replied harshly, "especially with relationships. I can handle myself."

Before he could respond back, she stormed back into the dining room. He shook his head. Alec was right, he thought, sisters really are a pain.

Someone cleared their throat behind him. He whirled, and saw his friends standing around, hands shoved awkwardly in their pockets. Johnathan felt a brief buzz of embarrassment; he had forgotten they were there.

"So," said Alec after a moment's pause. "You still up for the search?"

Johnathan shrugged, his thoughts filled with Clary. I need to stop thinking about her, he thought, to stop worrying. "Sure."

"Okay, so this place has a library, an infirmary, a kitchen… but no gyms?"

"I know," said Jace, lying on his back. "Whoever remodeled this place has got to get a few priorities straightened."

Johnathan glanced at him wearily. Jace was laying on the ledge of the rooftop, inches away from definite death. Sometimes Johnathan wondered if Jace even had fears, had feelings – he was about as emotional as his comb – Will included. Both of the Herondale boys seem so indifferent to the world, as if their expression is permanently stuck on "poker-face." They look as though they're contemplating life's greatest wonders, and their theories aren't appealing.

They had explored the house (part of it, actually) and found an entrance to one of the rooftops. The roof top was relatively small; barely the size of a small bedroom, a few old beer bottles smashed here and there, a dead bird stuffed in the corner. A four foot stone wall barricaded the perimeter, the surrounding rooftops coming up at a point around them. The view of Canada materialized around them, a view of freshly laid snow stretched into the distance, bringing in no wind.

Johnathan propped himself against one of the stone barricades, the cold seeping into the back of his head. He had his arms wrapped around his drawn-up knees, trying to contain any warmth.

Sebastian snorted at Jace's response, his legs sprawled out in front of him on the cold, stone floor.

Alec glanced worriedly at Jace. "Jace, don't you think –"

"No." Finished Jace. He looked up at Alec with faint amusement. "I don't think, but I do act."

"And you wonder why you're branded as 'reckless,'" Alec responded, sighing. He was leaning against one of the stone walls separating the boys from the fall, his arms crossed. "No, seriously – do you think James and Will are going to be alright?"

Will and James had apparently been in the library, engrossed into a heated discussion. When they had found them, Will cut off whatever he was saying immediately and half-dragged James out of the room, probably to finish their conversation elsewhere. It had shaken up the group of boys; they had never been known to fight. James and Will were almost closer than brothers, as if an invisible force bonded them together, like magic.

Jace sighed, raking a hand through his wind-blown hair. "In all honesty," he said as he lied back down on the stone ledge. "Yes. I've seen them do this once or twice, and they've always come out the other end closer than they have ever been before."

Sebastian picked at his nails, uninterested. "My biggest fear," he said, "is when you all are going to fall for one of these girls here. Like angels casted down." Dropping his hand, he glanced up, noting everyone's curious glances. He made an impatient noise. "Come on – it's not so hard to grasp the concept of one of these girls grabbing your heart and crushing it."

Jace flexed his hand repulsively. "I wouldn't worry too much about me," he muttered. "I'm about as soft as a blade." Johnathan saw a glimpse of emotion behind the boy's pale golden eyes, but it flicked off quickly, too fast to confirm his suspicions. "No girl is going to change that." And somehow, Johnathan believed him.

"And me," added Alec. "I mean, no one has to worry about me."

Johnathan looked over curiously. "What makes you so sure?"

He flushed, obviously uncomfortable. "I just know a girl isn't going to hurt me."

Sebastian turned towards Alec, curiosity written in his eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

"I'm gay." He blurted, fidgeting with the hem of his jacket. Jace moved off the ledge and landed on his feet so fast his movements were a blur. Sebastian scrambled to his feet and backed away from Alec as if he were covered in a disease, hitting against the opposite stone barrier. Johnathan remained where he was, shocked to the core.

Alec, gay?

An appalled silence broke between the boys. Then, finally: "Alec, I thought you agreed to not share that until later."

Sebastian and Johnathan looked at Jace curiously. So Alec had told him before he told the rest?

Alec made a disgruntled noise, ruffling out his hair. "The time seemed right."

Johnathan stepped forward, his initial shock dissolving. "I'm glad you told us, Alec –"

"You're gay?" Sebastian exclaimed, his lip curling. "As in, you're homo?"

Alec blanched. "Well, yeah, but –"

"Disgusting," Sebastian interrupted, "your lot." He glanced at Jace. "And you knew, too? And still stuck with him? I'm surprised you're not coming out along with him."

Another wave of shock washed over Johnathan. He stared at Sebastian, unbelieving someone smiling could say these things.

Jace's face tightened. "You don't mean those things, Sebastian –"

"But yet, I do." He stared directly at Alec. "You're disgusting, you know that? You're unnatural, your kind is, can't even reproduce –"

"Hey." Johnathan interrupted, fury licking the insides of his gut. "I'd shut up if I were you."

He looked up lazily at Johnathan. "And why's that?"

Jace answered instead. "Unless you want the crap beaten out of you, of course." Johnathan glanced at him; Jace was tense all over, flexing his hands, visibly furious, the first emotion he had shed since arriving.

Sebastian's face darkened as someone threw open the door – Will. And behind him, James.

They both paused as the door closed behind them. "What," said Will, "has happened?" He glanced at everyone, taking in different expressions of fury, disgust, shame, and shock. James said nothing, but only cocked a silvery eyebrow.

"Sebastian," said Jace who, seemingly ignoring Will's question, was glaring viciously at the other blonde boy. "Take it back."

Sebastian glared back. "Why take back the truth?" He grinned maliciously.

Jace's mouth thinned. "Never, ever" – he emphasized heavily on the word 'ever' – "consider us friends. Not anymore."

He flung open the door, revealing an iron staircase. Looking back, he said, "The only real disgusting one here is you." And slammed the door behind him. Soon after, Alec followed, slamming the door with equal amount of force.

Will and James looked astonished. Johnathan, not really wanting to be in the middle of this, left without another word quietly, softly closing the door behind him. He couldn't see Jace nor Alec on the staircase; they're probably long gone by now. He bounded down the stairs and headed back into the dining room, hoping to see if he hadn't missed lunch – but he did. The dining room was cleared out, a few crumbs left on the table indicating to a meal missed.

He sighed, leaning against the door frame, thinking of Sebastian's words, Jace's reaction, Alec's confession, and, most of all, his long-lost sister.

Since when has his life become so complicated?

A/N: Another chapter done *bang bang* The next chapter isn't written out yet, but I might just jump right into Monday, their first Construction day. And that might be in Johnathan's point of view, because I love Johnathan. This, too, was written in such a rush there is a huge chance of grammar and spelling mistakes. If there is, do not stare at it too long – I'm ashamed enough.

Alec came out! Malec will begin! In the last chapter, I said there will be a lot of Malec, but I removed most of those scenes. I also erased a fist fight, seeing it was pointless. Also, I've deleted Johnathan and Jessamine talking, maybe becoming a future couple… but that doesn't seem right.

I don't know when I'll post again. My schedule has been really busy lately, and I've resulted in sleeping at midnight and waking up at four. Every. Day. So that's why I've posted this so early in the morning. Well, early in my time zone.

Alright, I really got to sleep. See you next time!

~MJ

P.S, I love your reviews. Every time I see I got a new one, I get really happy. And being happy is good.