NO MORE LIES

DISCLAIMER: THE STORY AND ALL CHARACTERS ARE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF CASSANDRA CLARE AND HER BOOK SERIES "THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS"

I was standing off to the side of room with Clary making sure she didn't escape. Right after I'd found out about Clary being my sister, Luke had walked into the room. Valentine's attention quickly shifted to Luke. Valentine challenged Luke to a duel so they could resolve the unresolved issues that were between them from 15 yrs ago. Valentine blamed Luke for everything that had happened. Especially Luke being the reason why Jocelyn left him. He accused Luke of turning Jocelyn against him and for her running away with the cup and Clary.

I was barely aware of anything going around me still lost in a fog of confusion that today's revelations had caused. Different things people had said kept cycling through my head trying to make sense of it all. I didn't know who or what to believe.

I wanted more than anything to believe Valentine. I wanted to believe he actually loved me, and he wasn't the one responsible for all the things he was accused of doing. I wanted to feel like someone actually wanted me, and that I belonged somewhere instead of being just someone's charity case. The Lightwood's had always been nice to me and took real good care of me but I never truly felt I belonged in their family. I mean the only reason The Lightwood's took me in was because they thought I was Michael Wayland's son, not because they cared about me and wanted me here.

I also kept thinking about everything I heard about Valentine and what had happened 15 years ago. Everything I'd heard about Valentine's character and how evil he was didn't match up with the memories I had of him when I was growing up. Valentine had been strict in my upbringing but not once had he ever abuse me or treated me badly. I had nothing but pleasant memories of our time together. That's why I was willing to believe Valentine's story because his story matched up more with the person I'd known than what the Clave and other Shadowhunter's had said about Valentine.

But the way Valentine had reacted to Luke especially to something's Luke had said like how Valentine had tortured Jocelyn started to make me question what I believed and Valentine's story. Clary was also trying to tell me things like how Valentine had murdered Jocelyn's parents in cold blood in revenge for Jocelyn leaving. Not wanting to believe what she said was true, I built an armor around what I believed trying to ignore the things Clary was telling me. I couldn't allow her to take away the only person I felt I had left.

I felt like I had lost everything and everyone I held dear and my father was all I had left. I had lost my adoptive family and a chance to be a Shadowhunter since the Clave would never allow me to complete my training due to the fact I was Valentine's son. Those two things were basically everything I was and all I knew until I met Clary but now I had even lost her along with everything I'd dreamed about wanting with Clary. I never felt more alone and confused than I did now.

Suddenly I was pulled back to the reality around me with Valentine & Luke still dueling. Valentine looked like he was about to win as Luke was on the ground injured as Valentine was readying to land the death blow. I felt Clary gasp and tense up beside me and knew what she was about to do. I whirled around facing Clary,

"Clary -," I said as I reached out to grab her so I could restrain her from going to Luke. But I was too slow, Clary moved with a quickness I'd never seen her exhibit before ducking under my clutching grasp as she ran to Luke throwing herself between Luke and Valentine's soon to be death blow.

I hesitated still believing that Valetine wouldn't intentionally hurt Clary. But I was wrong, Valentine started to bring down his sword with all his force and I could tell he had no plans on stopping, killing Clary and Luke. I couldn't let that happen, not only was she my sister but I stilled loved her more than just her being my sister.

Still having the dagger I'd taken from Clary earlier in my belt, with a quickness I grabbed it and slung it at Valentine hitting his sword hand causing his blade to fall from his hands as it hit the floor with a clanging sound. Valentine's gaze quickly shot over to me realizing I was still there.

"Father-, I..." I said abruptly stopping due to the rage on Valentine's face for just a moment. He quickly recovered his facade covering the rage he was feeling.

"That was a very good throw, Jonathan," Valentine said cool & collected with his anger well masked.

"But, your hand. I just thought...," I was saying before Valentine interrupt me

"I would have not hurt your sister," Valentine said as he walked over picking it up the dagger I threw. "I would have stopped the blow. But your concern for family is commendable" And after everything that happened. I still found myself wanting to believe what he said was true. He probably just didn't see Clary being blinded by his rage for Luke. I mean my father did have a good reason to be angry with Luke. Luke did steal the love of my father's life and took my mother away from me and him. I sometimes felt that way about Simon, anytime I would think about Clary choosing him over me.

"I need a bandage or something for Luke to stop his bleeding," Clary interceded. I started to walk over to where her and Luke laid before Valentine commanded me to stay put. I did as he commanded. Valentine reached in his pocket, pulling out a cloth to use as a bandage which he handed to Clary.

"Clarissa," Valentine said in a tone of steel. "He is an enemy to our family and the Clave. We are hunters and sometimes we must kill." Clary took the cloth and after a moment of silence. She replied,

"Demon hunters? Demon Killers, not murderers, there's a difference." Clary quipped back with no fear in her voice. Please Clary don't antagonize him, right now. I kept pleading in my mind.

"He's a Demon, Clarissa. Don't let his human face fool you," Valentine replied back. Clary looked with disbelief hearing Valentine call Luke a monster. With anger and conviction clear as day in her eyes, Clary looked up at Valentine.

"Luke is no monster," Clary said matching the steel in Valetine's voice, not being intimidated by him one bit. "He's not a murderer either, you are."

"Clary -" I quickly called out stopping her from saying anything more that might antagonize my father. But of course being the stubborn Clary I knew so well, she started naming all the Shadowhunter's Valentine had supposedly killed causing a spasm of rage to contort Valetine's face breaking thru his facade.

"That's enough!" Valentine roared dropping all the false pretense with rage and hatred dripping from his words. "Jace, you better drag your sister away from that monster she's protecting because I want hesitate to knock her out of the way to get to him." At first I hesitated not registering what he said due to being stunned at Clary's words. Valentine was my father and hers, even though she hadn't accepted it yet, so her calling him a monster basically meant she was calling me a monster also. Filled with the anger and hurt her words caused me, I briskly walked over to Clary.

"Certainly, Father." I obediently said as I roughly grabbed Clary by her arm yanking her off the ground.

"Jace," was all Clary could say as the betrayal in her voice tugged on my soul despite the anger I felt toward her at this moment. Trying to hide the the pain from Clary, I said,

"Don't Clary. Don't talk to me." I harshly stated not able to look at her. I really didn't want Valentine to kill Luke but I didn't have choice and even though I was pretty upset with Clary at least she would be unharmed. Clary sensing I wasn't going to stop him, started twisting and turning in my arms in desperation trying to free herself from my grasp.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Clary screamed towards Valentine as she tried her hardest to break free from me.

"Stop, it. Clary," I said begrudgingly, "You are only making it worst. It would probably be best if you didn't look."

"Why so I can lie to myself like you?" Clary desperately replied. "Shutting your eyes and pretend something is not happening doesn't make it not true..."

"Clary, stop," I pleaded with her. But her words were starting to pierce the armor I had put up, trying to protect the false narrative Valentine had built in my head. With Clary restrained, Valentine went back to taunting Luke dragging it out like he was wanting to punish Clary for protecting Luke. This only caused Clary to fight more making me have to tighten my grip on her.

"Clary, please? Why are you making this even harder on yourself," I whispered to her as I held her tightly in my arms. "I told you not to look."

"Why do you have to lie to yourself?" Clary furiously asked back.

"I'm not lying!" I proclaimed. "I'm just want what's good in my life like my father, my family, that's all. I can't loose everything again." Clary kept twisting in my arms until she was facing me looking me straight into eyes.

"You have a family, the Lightwood's. Family is only the people who love you like Isabelle and Alec." She said her voice cracking. "Luke is my family and your fixing to make me watch him being killed just like you were forced to watch who you though at the time was your father being killed."

With that the armor I had built to protect what I wanted Valentine to be came crumbling down and I was back at that day. I remembered how I felt as I watched who I thought was my father Michael Wayland die. Something I had never gotten over and stilled carried with me to this day. If I allowed this to happen I wouldn't be any better than the goons who had killed my father. I would also loose Clary forever. She would never forgive me for allowing Valentine to kill Luke. Just like Jocelyn would never forgive Valentine if he killed Luke. I might have lost the romantic future I had wanted with her but I still have a chance of having her in my life as a sister. And that's what I wanted the most more than anything. I couldn't imagine living without Clary being in my life in some way.

The lie I had convinced myself into believing of Clary, me, Jocelyn, and Valentine being one big happy family like I always wanted came crashing down. There would be no big happy family just Valentine and me with Jocelyn and Clary as prisoners. The thought made my stomach turn making me feel sick.

"Get down." I said to Clary as I pushed her hard towards the ground making her stumble and fall. I wasn't trying to hurt her. I was just trying to keep her occupied by throwing her off balanced so she wouldn't do something rash as I was doing what I was about to do. I heard Clary call out Luke's name as I ran towards Luke with a speed of a cheetah knocking him out of the way causing Valentine's sword to miss as it slammed into the ground where Luke once was.

I stood up facing my father with the hilt of the sword stuck in the ground between us.

"I think you should leave," I said in a steady voice, my gaze never wavering from him.

"What did you say?" Valentine said still in a state of disbelief over what happened. The shock written clear as day on his face. "I think you heard me'" I replied as I slowly moved closer to the hilt of the sword. Hoping Valentine wouldn't notice. Luke had started to get up on his feet giving even more cover from Valentine noticing me ease closer to the sword. Suddenly I saw the recognition come across his face as he realized how close I had gotten to the sword.

"Johnathan Morgenstern..." Valentine began to say but he was too late. My hand was already on the hilt of the sword moving my hands so quick the naked eye could hardly see them. I yanked the sword out of the floor plank it was implanted in and lifted the tip of it as I pointed it at Valentine right up under his chin. I was having a hard time keeping the sword steady as the sword shaked in my hands due to the adrenaline that coursed through my veins.

"My name is Jace Wayland." I firmly stated casting off any recognition of Valentine being my father. And for the first time since learning Valentine was my father, I felt a reassurance and clarity of knowing who I was. Valentine was stunned.

"Wayland?" Valentine said with disgust and disdain clearly in his voice. "You aren't related to him in anyway. It's a name from a stranger you never even met." I suddenly realized what the truth of the situation was as it was clearly laid out before me. It had been there all along but I ignored it, wanting my desire of what I always wanted to be the truth. The desire of wanting at least one parent, someone tied to me by blood like everybody else I knew had.

"So are you. You left when I was a child." I said trying to keep a steady voice as I voiced feelings I had never expressed openly before and until now couldn't even admit to myself. "You let me think your were dead. You left me live with strangers. You never told me I had a mother, or sister. You left me alone." I felt the burden that I had been carrying for 15 years lift off of me.

All the questions, answers I had been seeking of what really happened to my father were gone. Finally knowing the truth of why I was left alone with no family of my own. But in reality, I was never truly alone. I had Alec and Isabelle. They had always been there and had always treated me like I was their full blooded Brother. And now there was also Clary. Even after I had betrayed her to Valentine and was about to let him kill Luke, she never gave up on me. She desperately kept fighting to bring me back to her and realize the truth which due to her I was finally able to do.