Powerless: Chapter Eleven

For a moment Simon deluded himself that Clary was fine. The way she slept with her head gracing Jace's lap her crimson hair fanning across his black jeans she looked like a typical girl who had fallen asleep in her boyfriend's lap. Typical wasn't a word that he would have used to describe Clary – ever, but especially not now. Their descent into the shadow world had been a free fall and nothing had been the same since.

It was hard to believe that in the span of just a few months the world he had once taken for granted was nothing like what it really was. Simon recalled Clary telling him what Hodge said that all the stories were true. At the time she had told him that he remembered scoffing at her, almost laughing but there he sat a vampire himself. Yes, all the stories were indeed true.

"How long have they been gone?" he asked Jace glancing down at his watch.

"A while." Jace's reply was short and to the point. Simon could tell that he was still angry about being kept in the dark regarding how badly Clary's condition had deteriorated.

"Don't you think they should be back by now?" Simon knew he was making Jace even angrier with his questions yet he couldn't help himself. Sitting there in silence was driving him a little crazy.

"I don't know," Jace said tersely trying not to allow his own thoughts about the length of time Magnus and the others had been gone get the better of him. He couldn't help but think that maybe the cure that Magnus expected to find in Indonesia hadn't materialized. His eyes scanned Clary's still frame fear getting the better of him as the thought of Magnus' failure would mean for her.

"How can you be so damn calm?" Simon questioned wringing his pale hands and bouncing his sneaker clad feet against the ebony colored hardwood.

"A great deal of practice," Jace said with a stoic tone yet he was anything but calm. In fact every nerve in his body felt like it was electrified almost as though he could jump out of his skin at any moment.

"Jace," Clary's soft voice startled them both. Neither of them had realized that she had woken up.

"Right here love," he whispered his fingers lightly touching her ashen cheek. "I'm right here." Simon saw a faint smile pass across his best friend's lips at the sound of Jace's voice. The lump in his throat grew the realization that no matter what Clary had wanted or not wanted Jace to know it was evident that she needed him. "Can I get you anything?" he asked.

She stated to shake her head no but then stopped, "Maybe a glass of water." Clary licked her parched lips.

"I'll get it," Simon offered as he rose from his seat knowing that even though Jace offered he had no intention of leaving Clary's side for even a second.

"Thank you," she said with a hoarse voice and a slight smile. Simon could see by the expression on her face she was still remorseful for asking him to keep her secret.

But before Simon was able to make his way to the kitchen to retrieve Clary's water, the walls of the living room shook and to the surprise of all three of them in tumbled Magnus, Alec and Isabelle through an invisible slit in the fabric of time. Quickly Simon went to Isabelle helping her to her feet. "You're back," he replied sounding as though he hadn't expected to see her - any of them again.

"Well?" Jace was suddenly standing before them asking his daunting question with a mere single word.

"Well what?" Alec asked glancing over his shoulder to where Magnus was bringing himself to a standing position his expression still one that was troubling to Alec. He wanted to ask his lover what had happened in that small shop in Indonesia yet something told him that now wasn't the time.

"Well what?!" Jace echoed in an annoyed mocking tone. "Magnus?" Jace turned to look at the High Warlock of Brooklyn.

"I need to be alone," Magnus said to no one in particular as he walked across the room closing the door to the master bedroom behind him.

"What the hell?!" Jace shouted as he took off after Magnus however Alec stepped in front of him. "GET OUT OF MY WAY!" he growled at his parabatai.

"No," Alec stated firmly.

"Alec, MOVE!" Jace ordered his jaw clenched.

"No. Magnus said he needs to be alone," Alec said as if it was just that simple rather than the complicated situation it really was.

"MOVE!" Jace demanded again.

"Jace," Isabelle said softly placing her hand on his shoulder in a vain attempt to hold him back. "Don't."

"Don't what?" he shouted angrily shrugging off her persistent hold on his shoulder. "Get out of my way!"

"No," Alec said again.

"MOVE!" Jace shouted thrusting the full force of his body weight against his friend causing Alec's stance to falter a bit.

"Jace, stop!" Clary voice's was all of the sudden in his ear. He turned around to see her shakily standing behind him Simon and Isabelle holding her upright.

Instantly his anger melted, "Clary, what are you doing?" he asked reaching to cradle her in his arms.

"Trying to stop you from fighting with Alec."

"You shouldn't be doing anything but resting," he told her as he guided her back to the sofa. She was still so very pale and fragile looking to him.

"I can't just sit by and let you fight with Alec, because of me," she added. "I know you're scared," she said running her hand against his cheek giving him a slight smile. "But it's not Alec's fault. He's only trying to do for Magnus what you are always doing for me – protect him. You can't hold that against him."

Jace bent his head to rest it on Clary's shoulder letting out a heavy sigh. The weight of the last few weeks had definitely taken their toll on him. He felt her slender fingers slip into his tangled tuffs of golden curls that hung against his neck, her touch calming him. What he wouldn't give to go back to that fateful day in Central Park and erase it – to just have everything go back to normal, as normal as the life of a Shadowhunter could be.

"I'm sorry," he said kissing her cheek.

"I don't think it's me you should be saying that to," she grinned.

"Alec…" he began.

"Forget it," his parabatai stopped him midsentence. Clary was right he like Jace was only trying to protect the person he loved and from where he stood there was no need for either of them to apologize.

"Was Magnus able to locate what he needed?" Jace asked hesitantly the room suddenly deafeningly quiet.

Alec wasn't sure how to answer that question. Everything had happened so fast he didn't know if Magnus had been able to secure what he needed for Clary's cure or not. The fact that he had to say that to Jace left him a bit anxious.

"Alec?" Jace disliked the silence that filled the room. "Alec?" he asked again as though he was trying to get his friend's attention. Jace felt Clary lace her fingers through his giving his hand a slight squeeze as though she was reading his mind.

"Honestly Jace, we aren't sure," Isabelle finally spoke answering the question that had been posed to her brother.

Jace felt Clary's grip tighten around his arm when his body began to slightly tremble. "What?" he questioned his eyes growing wide with disbelief. This couldn't be happening he thought. Magnus was supposed to be able to cure Clary. He said that he could. Jace's mind raced with too many incoherent thoughts.

"You weren't there, Jace. It all happened so fast. One minute Magnus was inside some odd looking magic shop and the next minute he was bolting out the door like he was running for his life telling us we had to go now…."

"And that's supposed to matter to me why?" Jace quipped anger in his voice.

"Jace," Clary whispered. "Stop. Magnus is our friend."

"He's not mine!" Jace stated.

Alec felt his on rage bubble deep from within as he stood there staring at his parabatai – the friend who had been like a brother to him for more than seven years. Yet now he was seeing Jace for the person that hid just below the surface, the selfish one that wanted what he wanted everyone else be damned.

"Magnus assured us that he could cure Clary. I am sure he was able to secure what he needed. We will just have to wait…" Isabelle began but Alec's enraged voice silenced her.

"Do you have any idea what Magnus sacrificed by going to Indonesia? Do you even know what happened to him there as a child? Do you even care?" Alec shouted at Jace who had now risen to his feet. "Oh that's right I forgot – Jace doesn't give a damn about anyone but Jace!"

"Alec!" Clary's voice cut through the still room.

"It's true Clary! Jace only cares about Jace, what Jace wants, what Jace needs! The rest of us are just collateral damage."

"Easy there, Alec," Simon said resting his hand on the dark haired Shadowhunter's shoulder. "This is a tense situation for all of us. Take a step back."

Magnus heard the commotion and shouting happening just beyond the closed door as he did what he could to center himself yet that was no easy task. The trip into his past was far more unsettling than he wanted to admit. He pushed aside the images that plagued him and focused his attention on the jars and bottles laid out on the table in front of him. Thumbing through the pages of his mother's worn journal, Magnus stopped midway through the book and centered his attention on the sprawling script and began assembling the needed ingredients. Before long he had created the potion that he hoped would cure Clary. Rising from his seat and opening the door, he stepped into the living room and into the middle of a fire storm that was Alec and Jace. "ENOUGH!" Magnus' thunderous voice shook the room. "That's enough! I have the cure."