°Okay, so first off - biggest "SORRY" ever for leaving this after frequent updates. There was just alot with work, I had to read City of Heavenly Fire and cry over it and then there was Midsummer (a rather pointless holiday here that I invested a lot of spare time in) so I have been putting writing aside for a while. But enough of my sad excuses; here is yet another chapter. And deary me your reviews, they do warm my heart as does the fact that so many of you favourite and follow - THANK YOU3 - I really do love reading your reactions and theories of what will happen; give me more of that! :) OH and happy midsummer to the ones of you that know what it is (I do see some Swedes are reading) as for the rest of you - HAVE A LOVELY WEEKEND3
I still do not own my babies. After reading CoHF I am sure I would take better care of them than their current owner, Cassandra Clare.°
[JACE'S POV]
Jace startled awake as a loud thud sounded through the hallway. He had always been a light sleeper but lately he had awoken at the strangest and sometimes even the most insignificant noises. It could be a bird chirping outside or simply Church moving about a floor below. But there was something about this noise that had him wanting to get up and check the source of it. He soundlessly left Clary beside him in the bed with a kiss on her forehead and moved through the Institute until he reached Alec's room where the door was ajar. Looked like he hadn't come home at all last night. But then, just as he turned around and was to move back to the warm bed something caught his eye; there was a bloody trace on the side of the door post. It could have been from several weeks before but knowing that he himself had scrubbed that room clean just days previously he doubted it. Hesitating before entering; remembering how Alec had reacted the last time Jace had gone into his room, he pushed the door open just a few inches; yet once again glad he did but wishing he hadn't.
There was nothing significantly wrong with Alec's room apart from small dots of blood on the floor. Jace had an idea of where they led and found Alec on the floor in the bathroom.
"What the hell –" Jace hurried forward and suddenly the image of finding Alec in that backroom came back to him. His eye was blue and his black hair plastered to his face from sweat and various other substances. Jace pushed it aside, forcing one eye open, seeing if his pupils even contracted. Slowly Alec's pupils became smaller and Jace exhaled quickly before trying to get Alec to respond. Shaking him, giving his face hard pats or squeezing his lowers arms. Jace tried it all but Alec didn't respond. Lastly Jace placed a hard slap across his parabatai's cheek but nothing even then.
That was when Jace saw Alec's arms and neck. His neck was patterned with bruises from grips that would have strangled him. His arms full of the same bruises along with cuts and healing wounds. Stains covered his sleeveless top and the waistband of his jeans. He tried to get his brother up but though Jace was strong Alec was heavy when he was unconscious.
"CLARY!" Jace shouted, hoping that she would hear him through the walls. He had no intentions of leaving Alec right now. None, what so ever. Please let her bring her stele, he thought.
"Damn. Alec," Jace tried, shaking the raven haired harder.
Suddenly the door creaked beside Alec and Clary's red hair stood up like flames around her. Her face was still and in her hand she had a steele. "Give me," Jace said harshly – less soft than he had intended. But Clary stood still, staring at Alec.
"Has he?" Clary asked and her eyes widened. Jace wondered what she meant – surely she had seen them all with bruises and cuts before. He turned from her to look at his brother again and saw the blood his eyes had overlooked earlier. The back of his shirt and pants were stained in blood, as were the sleeves of his hoodie that lie next to his body on the floor. "He needs an iratze," Clary stated and had it been someone else Jace would have made a snarl comment about such an obvious fact. But he knew that Clary only meant well. The red head leaned in to give Jace the steele when Alec reached forward and grabbed the hem Jace's top.
"No," he mumbled.
"Alec, we need to –"
But Alec fended his hands off with surprising strength for someone that had been passed out just a few seconds earlier. Jace tried still to push the hands down, just long enough to be able to place the rune on his brother.
"Come on, you know you just need one," Jace insisted.
"I need – I need to – get out of here. Have to get – get out." Alec was not looking anywhere, his mumbling was just out into the air of the room, not directed at someone in particular. "I have – have to go."
"You are not going anywhere," Jace reasoned as he tried to hold Alec down. "Not without runes and a nights proper sleep."
"No, no runes. No. No runes," Alec insisted, his tongue not moving properly in his mouth.
"Stay the fuck down," Jace shouted suddenly, most to his surprise and pressed Alec's arm down against the cold tiles. He snatched the stele from Clary and pressed it, gently – or as gently as he could – trying to put the iratze on his ever stirring parabatai. Alec kept whining under Jace's hands but at the moment the blonde did not care. He was too focused on getting the runes right.
With insane focus not to hurt his brother further, Jace placed the runes on his body. He watched the pain subdue but he could still see Alec wincing whenever he moved too quickly. "Could you help me?" Jace asked tiredly, turned to Clary who was beside him in an instant. She helped Jace with getting Alec up and left the bathroom as Jace cleaned Alec of the clothes and blood, just like he had last time – only this time he knew Alec was in less physical pain due to the runes that Alec had refused the last time. He didn't know why Alec had done that, why wouldn't he want the runes? And why hadn't Jace forced them on his last time?
Alec kept mumbling and moaning about how he had to go, and how he had to be somewhere, meet someone but Jace ignored him all along. Without having to ask, Clary opened the door slightly, just to be able to get a clean set of clothes in. Jace silently thanked the Angel for putting her in his life. He dressed Alec, who regained more and more consciousness. He was even able to walk out to the bed on his own, with just a little help from Jace who had his arm around Alec's waist.
Together they got a drowsy Alec down under the sheets where Clary tucked the sides of the covering in. Jace had never seen this side of her and he had never guessed he'd get to see it concerning Alec. Still, he did really appreciate it.
"Could you – you know stay with him? I need to go make a call?"
"Magnus?"
Jace nodded and stood up. He had his phone in his pocket; he had no idea of why he hadn't thought of calling Clary instead of screaming his throat out. Then again, making a phone call was not the first thing on his mind. "Yeah you do that," Clary said and stood up from the bedside to place a light kiss in the corner of Jace's mouth. His entire inside tangled at the feeling of it. He tore away reluctantly and gave her a slight smile before exiting the room to head down the hall.
As soon as he was out of hearing shot he got the phone up to dial but he hadn't more than flipped it open before he got an incoming call. From Magnus. He picked up after a few seconds.
"Magnus?"
"Bingo! So I just talked to Isabelle," Magnus started and this statement alone had Jace tense. "And she mentioned to me that apparently Alec has been at my place for quite some time now. So my question is; is he wearing a Cloak of Invisibility? Cause I can't seem to see him." He seemed abnormally calm to Jace. Yet he somehow knew that the warlock was boiling on the inside.
The blonde could feel his pulse rising. He had no idea how to get out of this. But Magnus continued.
"And seeing as you told me Alec was in Alicante with his parents, I wonder; am I in Alicante as well or are they here too? Because I doubt I could have three Lightwoods under my roof without noticing. They do tend to get quite loud."
Jace slid down against the wall, putting his head in his hands. Before a lot of thinking he realised that today was Tuesday; Alec was 'supposed' to come back yesterday. No wonder Magnus had called Isabelle since he clearly got nothing out of Jace.
"I – Why are you panting? Clearly you haven't been training properly," Magnus said dryly.
"My condition is as good as ever," Jace started. "You – you know what? This was sort of a bad time. Clary is here and we – we were in the middle of something. I'll have Alec call you." And at that he hung up, quickly before Magnus had another chance to say something. Clearly his lying only got worse and worse.
With the phone still in his hands he walked back to Alec's room where he found his parabatai on the bed, his head tucked under his left arm, almost like a cat would sleep. Clary sat on the side of the bed by Alec's feet, her nose buried in the Shadowhunter Codex. She looked up when Jace entered but said nothing. Jace gave her a slight smile before walking up to Alec's bed and cleared his throat a little louder than normal, hoping to wake Alec. But Alec wouldn't move. Jace leaned in closer and cleared his throat again but still no movement. He repeated, this time kicking the leg of the bed; and this time Alec came out form under his arm, looking up at his blonde brother. "I –," he started but Jace cut him off.
"Oh you're awake? Good. Because I just got a call from your boyfriend. He is asking for you," Jace held out the phone to Alec who shrunk away from it as if though it was going to detonate in his face.
"Tell him – I – I'm not here. Tell him –"
"Oh you may tell him yourself," Jace said and put the phone back into his pocket, showing Alec that he hadn't had Magnus on the line. Jace hated being so harsh on Alec, he hated it. But he felt like he had no real choice. Alec had been lying, he had made Jace lie. He didn't seem to quite grasp the fact that there were people that wanted to help him. Somehow this felt like the most reasonable way to help Alec get better. Jace had tried walking around the problem and talk calmly, kindly, not at all. He felt like he had tried everything but actually telling Alec to get a grip. So he decided to try that.
"But you are going to tell him, preferably today or I will tell him. And that to me doesn't sound fair on neither you nor him. Besides, I would feel very awkward."
"But I –" Alec started but Jace cut him off again.
"No, Alec. No buts. You are telling him, or I am telling him, and as I said – I'd rather you did it."
Jace could see Clary shift in her chair and looked up at her. He figured she wasn't used to Jace talking to Alec this way. Hell, he wasn't sure to talking to Alec this way. But right now, someone had to do it.
"Could I," Alec started and waited a bit, probably to see if Jace cut him off yet again, but the blonde remained quiet. "Could I do it without you guys here?" Having no idea of why Alec was asking for permission Jace nodded and followed Clary out of the room, after having left his phone on the nightstand. Before shutting the door behind him, Jace saw Alec picking the phone up, dialing the number.
"I hope he doesn't hang up as soon as Magnus answers, again." Clary said as Jace let the door click shut. She slowly slid her hand in his. He never felt fully as calm as when she was beside him.
"I hope so too, I've gotten far too many texts from Magnus wondering why I am calling him and then hanging up. The lamest excuse yet was that Church managed to dial. I don't think he bought it. And for Magnus' sake I hope he doesn't take it out too hard on Alec for not calling." Jace let out a loud sigh. Magnus didn't seem like the kind of person too react too hard on these things, but clearly, one never knew.
