Two months had passed since Max had been kidnapped and Clary still couldn't think of a way to save the poor boy. It wasn't for lack of trying, she had told Sebastian to have his way if he let Max go and had even attempted to bribe circle members, mainly the ones that Valentine had sent to make sure that she was still alive. Max and herself were still tortured on a daily bases but Clary took the brunt of Valentines hurt. She would make him mad enough to torture her into near insanity so that when it came to max he was too exhausted to do much damage. Yet Max was still a ten year old boy and had a very low pain tolerance, still it had gotten better since he had encountered Valentine.
Clary was sat in her cell, trying to remember what day it was and was suddenly struck by a pain in her heart. Two weeks in the future would be Max's birthday, she didn't know how she knew that, she just assumed Jace had mentioned in passing but one thing was clear. She would not let Max be in hell on his birthday. It was then that she had devised a plan.
Max was sat in the same steel chair, in the same white room. Days blurred into one for him but he did remember that at five o'clock every night Sebastian or Valentine took him away from his cold damp cell to find out what he knew, which coincidently was nothing. So he sat on the cold chair and waited.
Today it was Sebastian which inflicted torture. He stacked in, dressed in black. Max tried to remain calm and show no fear just like Clary had instructed him to do but his bottom lip had started to quiver.
"Max, Max, Max" he tutted, like Max had done something terribly wrong.
"Must we play this game?" he asked. Max remained stoic,
"Max just tell me any clave secrets that you know and you may leave, freely and unharmed" Sebastian said. Max clenched his fist.
"You lie Sebastian" he shouted, Sebastian's eyes turned dark and he clenched his whip, swiping it across Max's cheek.
"You should treat us with respect Lightwood, I could quite easily take you away from my dear naive sister if I so dearly whished" that made Max's heart flutter. He may be in hell but he had Clary. Even if he knew nothing of what her last two years were like she kept him sane and tried to keep part of his innocence alive. She was his heaven in hell so to speak.
"Please…" he tried to plead but Sebastian grew tired of him.
"You may be a boy Max lightwood but even little boys know secrets" and then he commanded his minions to take Max back to his cell.
Clary was sat in the dark and dingy cell, waiting for Max to return. When he did he was thrown face first, she picked him up and gave him some water.
"He whipped your face?" she asked sympathetically. Max gulped and nodded, Clary wiped away the blood with her sleeve.
"Hey clary?" Max asked, she hummed in acknowledgment.
"Why did you offer yourself up instead of letting him take Jace?" Clary stopped suddenly, looking at him in interest.
"Why do you want to know?" Max shrugged, Clary sighed and sat down cross legged on the floor.
"I loved Jace when I first met him, he entranced me and at first I thought that maybe it was the mystery of Jace Wayland but I fell for him" she took a deep breath and began to play with the hem of her very warn t-shirt.
"I found out he was my brother but I still loved him, incestuous I know but I couldn't help it" she got up and spun around
"I came here and found out he wasn't, that Sebastian was in fact my brother but that's beside the point" she looked him in the eyes.
"You asked why I did it. I did it because I had fallen head over heels for him Max and I didn't understand how much until I realised that a life with him safe was a lot better than a life without him, Even if I wasn't with him" Max studied her, noticing of her muscles had developed but he noticed other things too. Her face was worn and her hair was damp and matted. He legs shook and her entire frame resembled that of skittish deer.
"Why do you care for me so much?" his question seemed kind of random to Clary but neither the less she answered.
"At first it was because you were Jace's brother and no young boy should be held captive but in these past two months I have grown to love you as a brother, I'm just sorry it had to be on the wort possible circumstances." A silence passed between them and Clary wiped away blood from Max's cheek.
That night when Max kissed Clary's cheek before going to sleep he whispered something that made her smile.
"I love you sister"