Ch. 11

Three Days Later

As Clary woke up early, she knew something felt different, wrong. She knew she was stressed. She could feel it in her muscles. She flexed them, trying rid herself of the soreness. However, that did nothing. As she got dressed to go to the gym she felt it. The muscle pain turned into stomach pain that made her entire body feel like fire. The pain that she'd had as a child was happening to her again. She'd grown used to the dull thud of her demon trying to get it's way past the angel. The severe pain she'd used to have from it, had disappeared almost completely. She knew it shouldn't have happened again. At least, if her father's theory had been correct. If not, what was the point of all those stupid tests?

Clary found her way back into bed, shedding her clean clothes in the process. This time was different. She didn't have her brother's comfort to help her through it. She wasn't used to this kind of pain anymore. She closed her eyes and gripped the pillow.

"Clary?" Someone knocked on her door. She peeled her eyes open but didn't respond as Jace peered into the room. "Are you okay?" He asked softly, entering cautiously.

"Can you just… go away?" She asked, her hands tightening on the sheets. Jace shut the door softly and moved over to the bed.

"Are you sick? I thought I'd see you in the gym this morning." Clary didn't say anything. She took a deep breath. Slowing down her heartbeat did seem to help. Jace sat down on the edge of her bed. "Do you need me to get Magnus-"

"No." She said abruptly. "What time is it?" Jace sighed.

"Around Noon. Are you sure you don't want me to get someone? You look really-"

"Jace." Clary snapped. "I'm fine." She hoped. It had been so long since she'd felt like this. He put a hand on her back.

"Do you need anything?" He said, his voice softer than before. The comfort, him rubbing her back, was what she needed. What she really needed was her brother. He was her crutch, just as she was his. Jace, this Jonathan, was not her brother. Him being here when she was at her weakest was like another betrayal. She didn't answer him. "I'll get you some water." He said finally, leaving Clary to go to the kitchen. She pulled the covers over her head, and tried to sleep. She could imagine her brother holding her. Asking her 1-10? She would've responded 9. It had been a long time since she'd felt this much pain. It needed to go away. She had a job to do.

"Jace, where's Clary?" Jocelyn asked. She was cooking up what looked like spaghetti. Magnus was leaning against the counters, both hands clasped firmly on the granite. Jace walked around him to get the glasses.

"In bed." He answered simply. Jocelyn turned away from her cooking. Realizing she was staring at him he added. "She's sick. Shaking. Sweating. Looks like she may have a fever." Magnus scrunched up his face. Jocelyn blinked. "What?" He asked. Jocelyn shook her head and turned back to the food. Sighing, Jace filled the cup.

"Magnus maybe you should look at her-"Jocelyn began.

"She said she doesn't want him to." Magnus waved his hand in the air.

"Besides," He responded. "My services are not free." Jocelyn narrowed her eyes. "But I'm curious as to why not? Am I not pleasant to be around?" Jace snorted.

"Your fees aren't." He responded lightly, heading back towards Clary's room. He could sense their eyes on his back as he walked past them and out of their line of sight. Clary was not in her bed when got back. He set the water on the nightstand and knocked on the bathroom door.

"Clary?" He asked. He could hear her gagging. "Are you okay?"

She bolted for the lock before turning back to the toilet again. She heaved nothing into the bowl. Things were hazy. Everything in her body screamed. Slowly, the need to throw up passed. On wobbly legs she stood. She looked at herself in the mirror and blankly wiped away some of the black blood on her bottom lip. Black.

"Clary?" Jace asked again, knocking. She jumped.

"Yeah." She said softly, her voice cracking. " Yes, I'm fine." Her eyes were their normal color. No problem there. Shaking her head she looked around the room in a panic. What normally helped her with this? A bath? She didn't really want a bath. Not at all.

"Please open the door." Clary closed her eyes. She kept reminding herself that he cared about her. With shaking hands she opened the door and came face to face with Jace. "You look pale." He said. "Are you sure you don't want me to get Magnus?" She didn't answer him.

"I just need sleep." She answered as she slowly made her way back to the bed. Jace followed carefully at a slight distance. Clary realized then that she was dressed in only her undergarments. "Can you grab my sweats?" She asked with a sigh, plopping down on the mattress. "bottom drawer." Jace quickly retrieved the pants as well as a tshirt that was lying on the floor.

"Let me…" Jace helped her into the clothes. Then under the covers. "Take a sip of water." He said handing her the glass. She did as she was told, though the swallow seemed forced. He set the glass back down and turned to leave the room, flipping off the light switch.

"Jace?" Clary whispered.

"Yes Clary?" Her emerald eyes peered at her from between the fabrics.

"Will you stay with me?" Damn the consequences. At that moment, she'd decided to think for herself. Not her brother.

"Of course."

Jonathan did his normal routine for the morning. He got dressed, trained, had a small breakfast, then portaled to the other side of the world where it was night and he would wait for Clary's signal. That, or any sign that she was in danger. Although he was a ways off from her window, or even the institute itself, he could see pretty clearly through her window. He normally would watch her draw, herself propped in the chair scribbling aimlessly while glancing outside. He hoped she was looking for him. He also knew that she would never see him, because he was very good at staying hidden. Today was different. Today, he woke with a bad feeling in his chest. There was little to no movement in her window. Most of the lights were off. Jonathan decided after careful deliberation to get closer. He needed to know that his little sister was okay. He moved to a point off the institute grounds, where he could see fully into her bedroom. A small lamp was lit on the nightstand and what he saw beyond that had him shaking to the core.

Clary was laying under the covers of her bed and with her was Jace-the other Jonathan. He was in bed with her playing with curls of her hair. That was his job. Jonathan had half a mind to portal into the Institute where he would tear the boy to smithereens. However, he knew that it was not possible with Valentine's care for the boy. Jonathan's plans for the future didn't include his monster of a father. When he was gone, or no longer a threat, Jonathan would make sure the other Jonathan suffered. For the remainder of the time he spent there, as instructed by Valentine he imagined slowly destroying him in the confines of the basement. Not once did he wonder why his little sister was in bed so early.

Clary woke up the next morning hungry. The pains were gone. Her muscles no longer hurt. She stretched before standing on wobbly legs and leaving a sleeping Jace to go to the kitchen. She walked into the dark room, and flipped the light switch, turning on the lights. Digging through the fridge, she pulled out an apple from the bag and ate the thing to its core. Still hungry she dug in the cabinets until she found crackers. She ate half the box without hesitation.

"Clary?" Isabelle asked walking into the room. Clary smiled at her, ignoring the fact that her face was full of food. "I heard you were sick." Clary shrugged.

"Yeah, a 24 hour thing. I'm okay now though." Isabelle looked at her questionably. It wasn't normal for Shadowhunters to get sick. If there was an illness it was usually life threatening.

"I came in to check on you around six, but you were already in bed." She said, walking over to the pantry and pulling out the frosted flakes. Clary didn't say anything. She just munched on her crackers. "How're things with Jace?"

"Fine." Clary answered, putting what was left of the crackers away. She made herself a cup of coffee.

"You should be careful with him." Isabelle added. "He's been through a lot and he's like a brother to me."

"I'll take that into consideration." She said, heading back upstairs. Clary had been living there for more than eight months. Not even a year. It had been random for Isabelle to bring up the protection of Jace. What about her? Living with Valentine, Clary had gotten everything. At least she felt like she had. Jace had too. But in everyone else's eyes, and from Clary's fake testimony, Valentine had been a monster to her. From Isabelle's words, Clary assumed they all knew that he'd been the one to raise Jace. But did Jace know? Had he been told that truth?

"Hey," Jace said groggily as Clary walked into the room. "You look much better." Clary smiled weakly as she sat down by his waist at the bed.

"Much." She answered. "Thanks for staying with me."

"No reason to thank me." He said. They were silent for a few minutes, both taking in each other's presence. At some point during the night Jace had removed his shirt and slipped under the covers.

"You don't talk about him." Clary said before she changed her mind. Jace placed one arm behind his head on the pillow.

"Who?" Jace asked. Clary shrugged.

"Your dad." Furrowing his brow, Jace got into a sitting position.

"My father?" He blinked.

"Just something Isabelle said downstairs… about you having a hard life." Jace sighed, and rolled his eyes.

"Isabelle." He muttered. "It's been years… I saw him get killed." He paused. "When I was young. Murdered in our house."

"Oh." Clary was surprised. That's how Valentine had gotten rid of him? That was… awful to say the least. "I'm sorry." Jace shrugged.

"Like I said it was years ago. Isabelle always feels the need to protect me. I'm over it though." Clary didn't believe that. If Valentine had died in front of Clary, she would've been traumatized for years. "He wasn't around a lot growing up. I was on my own most of the time… But he always made it home for my birthday." Jace smiled. "Always." Shaking his head, he studied Clary. She set the coffee on her nightstand as Jace pulled her into his arms and rolled her onto the opposite side of the bed. He kissed her softly on the lips. "You aren't contagious are you?" He chuckled. In response Clary kissed him back with more force, pushing him into the mattress. His hands rested on the waistline of her sweatpants, slowly slipping their way under her shirt and up the bare of her back as they kissed. He nipped the crook of her neck, sending chills down her spine. "Thank you Clary." He whispered in her ear.

Kind of just a filler chapter. Hope you enjoyed it.

Please R&R

-Jen