A/N: Welcome to Chapter 9 everyone! I actually updated on time, guys, this is real improvement. Anyway, we last left off with Clary and Valentine and Jocelyn and Pangborn all getting into a bit of a fumble...To recap: Pangborn took Jocelyn through the Portal, Valentine also ended up going through the Portal, Clary got a minor ankle injury, Jace and Izzy came to save the day, Kaelie and the Seelie Queen are evil (no surprise there), and if I remember clearly...there was a mention of Morgenstern boy...I wonder who that might be?!
Ahaha thanks guys for being so patient! I did get a very very low amount of reviews on the last chapter, but that's not stopping me from updating, so you're welcome.
Let's get on with the story, shall we?
Disclaimer: All rights for character, setting, and some other names go to Cassie Clare.
Chapter 9
Clary POV
Jace helped Clary stand up slowly. She leaned on him as she hobbled towards Alec's car, and once everyone was seated, Jace told Alec everything that had happened that night. The Lightwood only listened with a grim face, and drove in the direction of Luke's apartment.
When they reached his place, Clary saw a familiar, battered, pick up truck parked in front of the building. Craning her neck, she spotted a man pacing back and forth anxiously on the sidewalk.
"Luke!" Clary called out and flung open the car door the minute Alec turned the ignition off. She limped towards him as fast as she could, relief washing over her.
"Clary, thank god you're alright," Luke pulled her into a hug. As he pushed her arm's length away, he noticed the way she was awkwardly standing on one leg. "What's wrong with your foot?" he asked urgently. "Did you injure it? I can call—"
"I'm fine," Clary assured him. "It's just a sprain."
"Well, let's take you inside," Luke helped Clary up the steps and into the building. He turned to the Lightwood siblings and gave them a stern look. "You need to call Maryse and tell her everything that happened. The Clave needs to inform everyone that Valentine is back."
Clary lowered her eyes and tried to push away the persistent ache in her chest.
"Of course," Alec replied. "We'll tell her as soon as we get back."
"Do you have any gauze?" Jace spoke up. "We should focus on getting Clary's leg wrapped up."
"Right," Luke disappeared into another kitchen, and Jace led Clary over to the living room, easing her onto one of the sofas.
Clary grimaced and sunk deep into the cushions. Hiding her face in her hands, she let out a long, shaky, breath.
"Hey." She felt Jace's hand rub her knee. "It's going to to be alright. We'll fix this, I promise."
Clary squeezed her eyes shut but moved her hands away from her face. "My mom was right. I should have never gotten mixed up with any of this."
Jace's hand quickly slipped away from her leg and Clary realized what she had just said.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it like that," she sat up straight, opening her eyes to see the three Shadowhunters sitting around her. Isabelle was staring down at her hands and Alec had a stormy, solemn look. She turned to Jace and said desperately, "You guys have been so supportive and kind to me—I could have never asked for better friends."
Jace just gave her a sad, sympathetic look. "No, you're right," he swallowed. "You've been in seemingly more danger ever since you met us. I don't know if it's our fault or not, but we're supposed to be protecting mundanes from the Shadow World, and it doesn't look like we're doing that great of a job."
Clary opened her mouth to protest, but Jace continued. "I think you should stay with your family for some time," he said. "Your training can wait. Your safety is more important than you becoming a Shadowhunter."
At that moment, Luke came in with a roll of gauze. "Do you want something to eat?" he knelt down in front of her and started wrapping the cloth around her ankle tightly.
"No, I'm okay," Clary replied quietly, still staring at Jace. "I think I just need to get some rest."
"Of course," Luke gestured down the hall. "You can go on ahead to your room."
"Your room?" Isabelle echoed.
"I used to sleep over here a lot when I was little," Clary admitted. "Luke just made one of the rooms in his apartment a bedroom for me."
She turned to Jace and intertwined her fingers in his. "Thank you for coming for me," she smiled. "Again."
Jace just looked at her sadly and nodded.
"Are you guys coming to school tomorrow?" Clary looked over at Isabelle and Alec.
"School…right," Alec groaned.
"We'll be there," Jace smiled and squeezed Clary's hand. "We better head out now." He stood up, followed by his siblings.
"Take care, okay?" he pressed his lips to Clary's forehead. "Get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."
Jace POV
Jace, Alec, and Isabelle, bid goodbye to Luke and Jace told him to keep an eye out for Clary. The siblings went back inside Alec's car and Alec quickly sped off towards the Institute.
Jace sighed and leaned back into his seat, rolling his tensed shoulders.
"Mom's gonna freak when she hears what happened today," Isabelle said.
"I know," Alec merged onto the highway. He gave a sidelong glance at Jace. "If Valentine really is back...we have more problems at hand."
"Yeah," Isabelle piped up. "How do you think he found Clary?"
"That's what I was wondering, too," Jace said, turning towards her. "Jocelyn made Magnus go to great lengths to protect Clary and hide her location. Valentine definitely didn't use magic to find her."
"So you're saying...someone told Valentine were the Frays were?" Isabelle asked. "Like, someone betrayed them?"
Jace nodded. "I think so."
"Who would do that?"
"Anyone, really."
"Well, who knows the Frays well?"
"Luke, Magnus, Simon and his family—"
"No, there's no way Simon would betray his best friend."
"Izzy, just because you're dating Simon doesn't mean that he's a good guy."
"He wouldn't! And besides, he doesn't even know the Shadow World exists."
"Maybe, but he's not coming off the list."
"What about people at Clary's school? Is anyone close to her there?" Alec spoke up. "I mean, no offense," he continued, "but does she even have any friends?"
"Alec!" Isabelle scolded him.
"What? I only see her hanging out with Simon."
"Whatever, we'll figure it out later," Jace said. They were nearing the Institute now.
"Oh, and Alec?" Isabelle asked. "Where were you all afternoon? You never came home after we left school today."
"I, uh...was out," Alec replied, clearing his throat.
"Out where?" Jace raised his eyebrows. "You came pretty fast when we called you at Clary's house...which means you were probably in Brooklyn, and not in Manhattan."
"Just drop it," Alec said hotly.
Isabelle and Jace shared a look and Alec grumbled as he pulled up into the Institute driveway.
Clary POV
The next morning, Clary was already awake before 6:00, feeling way more tired than usual. She hadn't slept a wink last night, but instead kept tossing and turning and worrying about her mom. So she just opted to get up the minute she saw the trickle of orange light on the horizon.
A knock sounded on her door and Luke popped his head into the room.
"Hey," he greeted. "I heard you getting up. How'd you sleep?"
"Good," Clary lied with a smile. "God, I'm starving."
"I can imagine," Luke nodded. "Breakfast's downstairs when you're ready." He was about to leave when his eyes fell on Clary's ankle.
"Oh, how's your foot?"
Clary grimaced and glanced down. When she got out of bed earlier, she had spent a few minutes to carefully place her weight on her ankle to test out how it was doing. She was able to stand only for a few seconds until the throbbing pain shot up through her leg again.
"Do you need a pair of crutches?" Luke continued.
"Yeah I think so," Clary said, making her way to the door slowly.
"I'm pretty sure I have a pair in the back," Luke stepped aside so Clary could exit the room. "Once you're ready to go, we'll stop by your apartment to pick up your things."
"Sounds great," Clary sighed and hobbled into the kitchen, where a steaming plate of pancakes sat, waiting for her.
At school, Clary walked in with her crutches, earning a few glances from other students. She went over to her locker and started emptying out her bag.
"Clary!" a voice called out. She turned to find Simon running up to her with a concerned look on his face.
"Whoa, what happened?! Why are you on crutches?"
"Hey Simon," Clary smiled. "I...um...missed a step on the stairs."
"Oh," Simon said sympathetically. "That sucks, I'm sorry."
"It's just a light sprain," Clary shut her locker door. "I'll be fine."
At that moment, Clary spotted Jace, Alec, Isabelle coming towards them over Simon's shoulder.
"Oh hey," Clary nodded to the three siblings. "The Lightwoods are here."
Simon turned and chuckled. "They certainly make an entrance, don't they?"
Clary murmured in agreement. The Lightwoods walked like kings and queens, heads turning as they came down the hall. Jace was in the center, a hand pushing his golden locks out of his face while his piercing eyes landed on Clary and Simon. Isabelle was on his right, looking more gorgeous than she was already in a white dress, leather jacket, and combat boots. Alec's chiseled face gave off a devious smirk that was clearly directed at all the students staring at them.
The siblings reached Simon and Clary, Simon came forward to take Isabelle's hand while whispering something in her ear. Probably one of his geeky pickup lines, Clary thought with a grin.
Jace stepped next to Clary, smiling. "How are you feeling?"
"Good," Clary smiled back and grasped his hand.
"Oh no, Clary," a teacher who was passing by stopped and gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry to see you all bandaged up."
"It was just a minor accident, Mrs. Branson," Clary smiled at her history teacher, whose class she had with Isabelle and Simon.
"She twisted her ankle while trying out one of my heels," Isabelle said with a fake laugh. "It's my motto—nothing less than seven inches!"
"I thought you tripped on the stairs," Simon said quietly, frowning.
"I did...trip on the stairs," Clary said slowly, "...while wearing Isabelle's heels." She turned and glared at Isabelle, who gave Clary an apologetic smile.
"Uh-huh..." Simon heaved his backpack up on his shoulders, obviously not buying it. Clary bit her lip and turned back to Mrs. Branson.
"Well, I've seen my fair share of your shoes, Isabelle. And now I completely understand why Clary fell," Mrs. Branson chuckled. "See you three in fourth period. Take care Clary."
"Have fun keeping your secrets and whatever else it is you're hiding from me," Simon said cynically. He left the group and followed Mrs. Branson down the hallway, asking her about the homework.
Clary sighed. "Thank you for that, Izzy."
"I'm sorry!" Isabelle exclaimed. "I had no idea that you had already told Simon why you hurt your ankle."
"This is why I think we should tell Simon about...you know, the Shadow World and everything," Clary turned to Jace and Alec.
"No, absolutely not," Jace shook his head. "He'll be in a lot of unnecessary danger."
"I can't just keep lying to him to everyday," Clary protested.
"It's for his own good," Alec assured her.
Clary nodded absentmindedly and stared at Simon's retreating figure, biting her nails anxiously.
Later in the day, Clary was in the library, staring at the clock. It was her last period, and instead of going to the Gym, the coach had sent her to the library since she couldn't participate in the day's activities due to her ankle. Clary didn't mind, though. She'd much rather do her homework in the library instead of dying of exhaustion in Gym.
Clary's phone buzzed in her pocket, and she carefully took it out. A message from Jace showed, saying, Stay in the library, I'll meet you there after school. She smiled and slipped the phone back into her pocket after replying.
As she continued on with her homework, the bell rang and all the other students who were inside the library started packing up and leaving. Clary also started putting her things away in her bag, when she heard Jace's voice calling her name. She looked up to see him walking towards her.
"Hey," she smiled. "I was just packing up."
"Here let me help you," Jace took some of the books that were on the table and placed them in the to-be-shelved cart.
"Kids?" The librarian's voice rang out from the front desk. "I have a staff meeting that I got to run to. Once you're done, can you show yourselves out? I'll leave the door locked, so you can just go on and leave."
"Sure thing," Jace nodded and the librarian smiled graciously before leaving. Now it was just Jace and Clary in the big room.
As Clary finished packing and she zipped up her backpack, she looked over to her left, where she had left her crutches propped up against the table. Which would have been the case, except for the fact that her crutches weren't there.
"That's weird," Clary frowned.
"What's wrong?" Jace came up next to her.
"I swear I left my crutches right here," Clary pointed.
Jace got on his knees and stole a glance down under the table. "It's not here either," he announced.
"Looking for these?" a voice asked.
Clary whirled around and saw Kaelie standing behind her, holding her crutches, her lips twisted in a smirk.
"Oh...yeah, thanks Kaelie," Clary laughed weakly, a little flustered at how the girl had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. She took the crutches from the blonde and placed her arms over them.
Jace cleared his throat behind her and Clary suddenly remembered that he was standing next to her.
"Oh, Kaelie this is Jace. Jace, this is—"
"No need to introduce us," Jace said, his voice strained with quiet rage. "We've met." He took Clary's arm and held it tightly, as if he was trying to pull her away from Kaelie.
"Oh..." Clary gave a questioning look Jace and back at Kaelie.
"Yes, we have," Kaelie's eyes shone devilishly. "So Clary, I heard you got invited to go to Paris for the student exchange program."
"You did?" Clary said suspiciously. "I didn't exactly tell everyone about it."
"I mean...I heard from someone that you were one of the 20 students who got to go," Kaelie stammered.
"Oh..." Clary nodded slowly, still not entirely sure if she believed the girl.
"Uh-huh," Kaelie continued. "So, I just, like, wanted to know if you were going or not. To Paris, I mean."
"Yeah..." Clary exhaled. "I don't really know yet. I doubt I'll be going, though."
"What do you mean?" Kaelie looked flustered. "You have to go!"
"I don't have to—"
"It's Paris! Why would not want to go?!" Kaelie protested.
"I just...I have a lot going on right now, so I don't know if I'll be able to go," Clary replied.
"Oh, right, I heard..." Kaelie stared at her nails innocently. "You got a little visit from Daddy Morgenstern last night, didn't you?" Jace immediately stepped forward, trying to push Clary behind him.
Every inch of color drained from Clary's face. "What did you say?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. "How do you know about that?"
Jace's hands balled into fists and he snarled, "Get lost before you regret it."
"Now, now Herondale," Kaelie grinned. "Wouldn't want to start a war between us and the Nephilim would you?"
"Jace, what is going on?!" Clary's tone was frantic now.
"Your friend here isn't being very honest about who she really is."
"What do you mean?" Clary looked back at Kaelie. "What is he talking about?"
"She's a pixie," Jace said in disgust. "One of the Fair Folk."
"What?!" Clary's jaw dropped. "You're Fae?" She looked Kaelie up and down, suddenly noticing that her ears seemed a little too pointy at the tips, and that her blond hair had a greenish tint to it.
"Oh my god...This is insane...You kept this a secret from me for almost three years!" She shook her head in bewilderment. "Wait a second, did you know who I was when you introduced yourself to me freshman year? Is that why you became friends with me in the first place?"
Kaelie placed her hands on her hips and shrugged. "Maybe."
"I can't believe you!" Clary scoffed. "You lied to me for three years, Kaelie. Three, whole, years!"
"I'll bet that she was the one who told Valentine where you and your mom had run off to," Jace said coldly. "Valentine didn't know where you and your mom were living, so I'm guessing Kaelie made a deal with him and sought to give him your address."
"No," Clary shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears. "No, of all the things you've done Kaelie, please tell me that you did not do that. Tell me that you were not the reason my mom was kidnapped."
"I must say...you have accurate guessing skills, Herondale," Kaelie replied.
Clary's heart suddenly filled with rage. "You bitch!" She screamed, her voice ringing loudly throughout the library. She lunged at Kaelie, but Jace held her back fast. "Valentine took my mom, and it's all your fault!"
Kaelie gave a little laugh, and merely ignored Clary's outburst. Jace, who had his arms locked in Clary's, gave Kaelie the scariest look possible.
"I hope you know this is going to the Clave."
"Uh-huh," Kaelie nodded and smiled. She skipped away, humming softly, as she left the library, leaving Jace and Clary alone.
Clary fell limp into Jace's arms, and started sniffling against his shirt.
"I am such an idiot for not realizing what Kaelie wanted from me."
"Hey, hey," Jace pushed Clary at arms length. "Don't beat yourself up. You had no idea who she really was." He smoothed her hair and wiped his thumbs across her wet cheeks. "Kaelie, the Seelie Queen, and Valentine will get what they deserve, and you will get your mom back."
Clary nodded, her tears dry. "Yeah," she squared her shoulders, a new sense of confidence settling down on her. "We will."
A/N: Slay, Clary, slay! Ahaha, this was a fun chapter to write. I really do hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter, and are liking the story in general. It's only going to get more intense from here, so get ready!
I didn't get as many reviews as usual, so please remember to tell me what you guys thought of each chapter, or the story in general! I read every single review, and I take all of your comments and suggestions to heart, trust me! And frankly, I love reading reviews, so keep them coming, thanks y'all xxx
TMIlover-5202: Hahaa, yeah, you're good at this aren't you :) Thanks for reviewing practically every chapter and being so kind and supportive! Hope you liked this chapter!
bookgirl18: It makes me so happy to hear that you're liking this story! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on today's chapter! Thanks for reviewing :)
Okay then, I'll see you at Chapter 10! We'll see how the Clave is dealing with Valentine's return, Simon and Clary will talk and sort of catch up, Clace, Sizzy, and Malec as always, and lastly we'll also see what Phase 2 of Valentine's plan is :)
Hope you're having a good day, and Happy Thanksgiving to anyone who celebrates it!
~bookwormbullet
