Chapter Seven – Brothers first
The city was smouldering. Looking to the west the tall spires glowed ever so faintly. Cries were piercing the night as he took each step carefully from the citadel were everyone was gathering. Something wasn't quite right. Taking care not to fall from sheer exhaustion each step felt like bricks weighted down his well worn scared boots. After reaching the last step he couldn't go on any more. He felt wrong.
A stabbing pain ripped through his chest, into the center of his heart. A scream escaped his mouth and his body gave up and slumped to the ground. An onlooker would have thought him dead, and no one would have paid attention. Any other night everyone would have been concerned, but not this night. So much death and destruction. Passer-bys just did a quick glance to make sure it was no one they new and kept on walking.
The sound of thick leather boots were descending the steps at a quick pace, and suddenly stopped several feet above him. Another scream punctured the darkness. The heavy boots stumbled down the steps."Oh god. No Alec. Please." the voice sobbed at his side.
His head was lifted up and he wearily opened his eyes. Isabelle. He couldn't speak. Couldn't lift his hands. His body wasn't responding. Exhaustion he thought. He had been exhausted before. This was different. His body wasn't working any more. Alec's head was resting on his sisters lap. Her hand was placed over his heart. He could feel her pulse through his sweat soaked shirt. He didn't remember sweating that much.
"Alec! Hold on. I can't lose another one. Please just hang on" she cried and started yelling for help.
I'm OK, he wanted to respond but couldn't. He could just lay there while his sister cried over him. Her pain was hurting him. If only he could move. To speak. To tell her he was OK
"You're bleeding bad. Just hold on. Please."
He shouldn't be bleeding. He was healing. The only thing that was close to his heart was a simple rune that meant everything to him. Suddenly a fire erupted in his chest where his heart had been. A sharp gasped ripped its way through his lungs and out his mouth.
"Jace" he screamed. "Izzy let me go. Its Jace. I need to get to him." All the sudden he had more strength then he ever knew was possible. He felt his sisters arms wrap around him trying to restrain him. He needed to find his brother. "Please" he pleaded "I need to find him. He is dying." He ripped through her arms with fierce strength. Isabelle stumbled to the ground crying. "I'm sorry. I have to go"
Jumping to his feet he pulled his shirt up. The rune above his heart was bleeding.
Alec shot up out of the bed gasping and crying. A dream he chanted. It was just a dream. But how real it felt. His heart was racing. It felt like it was going to gallop right out of his chest. Taking deep breathes he tried to calm down. Looking to his left out of habit, his heart skipped another beat. Jace wasn't in the room. The spare bed was gone. After a moment he remembered Jace had moved to the room next door.
Stepping off the bed he didn't even bother to find his slippers this time. He ran into the hallway and went into Jace's room unannounced. Jace was sitting on his bed staring at something on the furthest wall from his bed. He immediately turned to look at Alec. His eyebrows pulled together when he saw the sweat on Alec's face.
"Is everything OK? You look like you are going to puke." Jace pulled his knees up so Alec had a place to sit on the bed. "Don't pass out on me. Sit down. If you are going to puke don't get it on my bed. Clean linens and all." Jace grinned trying to lighten the mood a little.
Alec sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the ground and started worrying the corner of the top sheet showing under the plain blanket.
"Well come on. Tell me what is wrong. Or are you just going to sit there and make me guess." Jace smiled half heartedly.
"Jace." Alec started and stopped "No matter what promise me you won't do anything stupid. Ever" He knew the response even before he finished the sentence. He held up his hand to stop Jace "Don't give me some sarcastic answer. I just had a dream. I don't know how to explain it but please.."
Jace didn't respond. He was still staring at the object across the room. Standing up he went to the wall and grabbed the object and handed it to Alec. It was the wooden toy solider Jace carried everywhere.
"When I was six my father handed me a block of wood and whittling knife." His voice was low even. " He told me to make whatever I wanted, something useful. Over the course of a week I stared this block of wood and couldn't figure out what to make. It was only a stupid block of white wood.
"Two weeks later I started cutting through the wood randomly. But it started to take shape. I saw what it could be. For two days I sat there and just chopped through this block of wood, until I had a perfect copy of a shadowhunter. I was so excited. When I showed my father he gave me praise. Told me that it was perfect. It was the only time he ever told me I did something perfect. When your six a good job from a parent means everything. That is why I have never left this out of my sight or reach."
Sitting on the edge of the bed Alec just watched and listened as Jace explained his story. He didn't know where he was going with it, but like Jace's fighting style, he didn't give a personal story out for no good reason. There was always motive behind it.
Jace looked at the toy solider in Alec's hand. "You see that toy has been a connection to my old life. For three years I have clung to those memories. But I have created new ones here with you and your family"
"Our family."
"Can I please just say this. And not be interrupted" Jace said darkly.
Alec just nodded.
"That first night when you found me in those pews I was pleading with the Angel to end my life. That I had nothing worth living for. And then you came in. You scared me to death. I thought he had listened. He did listen though. He gave me something to live for. A new family. A brother. I even have an annoying sister
"Over the past few years you have put up with my mini adventures even though I knew you didn't like them. You even got grounded a few times because of me. You didn't have to but you did. I just have never understood why."
Alec looked up at his friend, his brother. "Many times I pulled you from the eaves of death. I didn't do it for me. I did it for you. Sometimes I think you need to know you were still alive, and the only way you knew how was to tempt death."
Jace looked at Alec. He never realized how much his partner in crime knew him.
"No matter what. No matter what girl" Jace paused ever so slightly "nothing will come between us. We are brothers, first. I can't promise nothing stupid, or that one day we will be separated by death or other circumstances but I can promise this. If it is stupid I'm sure you will be right there with me, and if not, its because I'm doing it for you."
"Brothers first" Alec repeated and stood up and placed the toy on Jace's night stand.
Alec figured out many things that night. Jace would always be doing something stupid, and he would always be there cleaning up after him. He also realized that though they weren't related he really did gain another brother, and possibly more. But most importantly he realized that their lives were tied to each other until death took them both.
