"Hey - I forgot to ask… how did you end up alone, anyway?"
Simon turned his head, trying unsuccessfully to look her in the eye. His head was nestled against her stomach as he lay on the ground and she sat with her back against a tree. "I… uh… I don't really remember how I left that well. I must have woken up really, really sick and then decided to… go for a walk or something. Who knows."
"I was sick, too. It almost made me delirious."
"Exactly. I got changed and left, and next thing I knew I was so hot that I took off my shirt. And then I was cold. And then - oh, yeah! Then I heard this person talking."
"Were you hallucinating?"
"I could have sworn it was real, but I could be wrong."
"What was the person saying?"
"That they were looking for someone between the city and the forest."
Isabelle tensed up. "Could… could they have been looking for us?"
"Possibly… I don't know. I mean, they had a walkie-talkie and shit, so they could have been a member of the police. Or they could be a member of some sort of nefarious criminal ring searching for innocent children to prey on."
"Simon! This is serious! If we have police looking for us…"
"Well, if they are, they're not doing a very good job, because a few minutes later I was wandering the woods again and I didn't see any sign of them."
Isabelle shook her head, as if that would make things clearer. "This… this doesn't make sense…"
"Iz. Simon." Jace stormed into the clearing, a frown set deep into his face. Simon tried to sit up to greet him, but he felt sick and lay back down. "We need to talk."
"About what?"
"Something serious. We need Alec and Magnus, too." He left with the same purposeful striding that he had entered with, presumably to go find his parabatai.
Isabelle sat in contemplative silence, but Simon couldn't help but chatter. "He… he can't just say something as ominous as that and then leave… that's torture…" He trailed off, a new thought dawning on him. "Wait… Alec and Magnus? What about Clary? Where's Clary?"
Isabelle looked at him, and he could tell she was trying to figure things out. He wished she would, and fast - so far, her analysis had been accurate. She cleared her throat. "Simon… I don't want you to talk this as the truth, because it may not be, but… Clary's hiding something. I touched her bag and she freaked out. I don't know what it is - it could be something as small as a chocolate bar she doesn't want to share - but it could be something… bigger."
"So… what? You think Jace found out that it's something really bad, and he's now going to break the news to us? Really? That's… that's pretty dramatic, Iz. And plus - I don't think Clary would let him, if it was really that bad. Right?"
Isabelle was silent. He gulped.
Their heavy silence was soon interrupted. "I just don't see what the problem is," Magnus was complaining. "I don't know what this 'talk' is about, but I can almost guarantee Alexander and I were having more fun before you interrupted us."
"You can do all that later," Jace barked, and Magnus rolled his eyes as he walked into the clearing. He was shortly followed by Alec, whose hair was messier than before. Isabelle leant down and whispered, "I think they've made up."
Simon stifled a laugh. "I think they've made out, too."
"Okay. We're all here."
"Where's Clary?"
Jace turned to Simon, his expression stony. "That's what this is about."
"Is she okay?"
To everyone's surprise, it wasn't Simon that said that, but Alec. When the others turned to him in confusion, he shrugged dismissively. "She's just been… weird lately. You know. She could have done something stupid." He paused, but everyone's eyes remained on him. "I don't think I'd appreciate her being… dead or something, okay? Now stop staring at me like I'm insane."
"Right. No, Clary's fine. But she has something that she's hidden from us."
Magnus subtly shifted where he stood, but not subtly enough to evade shadowhunters. Jace's cold glare fixed on Magnus. "You knew?"
"She… I wouldn't say she blackmailed me, as such, but she made it clear that if I told others, she'd tell you about my… magic… situation…" He trailed off, now as uncomfortable as Alec had been when all eyes were on him.
"You could have told us after we all found out about the magic," Jace pointed out.
"I'm a man of my word. That seemed low."
"No, low is keeping something so important from the rest of us."
"Wait - there are more secrets? God damn. I thought we moved on from that," Alec sighed.
"But what's she hiding? What's so important?" Isabelle was clearly getting agitated. Simon could tell that she had come so far, figured out so much in her head, but couldn't quite slot in the last pieces of the puzzle. It wasn't adding up.
"A GPS."
A solemn silence descended upon them. Simon broke it by having a coughing fit. As Isabelle tended to him, Alec turned to Jace. "So… it could get us out of here?"
"Maybe. If we turned it on, we'd see a map of the area, and if there were any way out other than straight up that embankment, we'd know."
"So why hasn't she turned it on?"
"Because the mundane police might find us. She thinks they're looking for us."
Amidst his coughing, Simon found the composure to sputter, "they are."
"What?"
"When I was sick and alone, I heard someone talking about how they were looking for someone between New York and the park. That has to be us, right?"
"Not necessarily," Magnus said. "It would depend whether or not they had been notified that there were people missing at all."
Jace started pacing. "Do you think Jocelyn and Luke would have gotten the police involved?"
Simon nodded. "I know Jocelyn. She's always been worried about Clary, and… well, she can go to pretty extreme lengths to keep her safe. You know, like… erase her memory for years on end."
"He's right," Magnus conceded. "When Jocelyn wants to protect Clary, there's no changing her mind."
"But would she have gone to the police? Surely she knows that that could give rise to more problems," Isabelle said. "Two of us have fallen sick so far, which is understandable, given the climate and the provisions we have, and Magnus has cured both of us - for mundanes, this won't add up."
Jace's pacing quickened. "That's what Clary was worried about. She was saying that if she turned the GPS on and police found us, we'd have a hard time selling our story."
Alec frowned. "That's true, but if there are police on our tail, then regardless of whether they find us now or after we get back, they'll ask questions. We may as well use a GPS - it gives us a shot of getting out now. Besides - the longer we wait, the more unlikely it is when we make it out, the more curious they'll be."
"Wait - you agree with them?" Simon sat up, ignoring the dizziness that gripped his mind. "I thought you'd be more cautious."
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't you think that Clary's… right? In a way?"
Jace paused. "Simon, if you don't agree with her, we won't tell her. If you're afraid of betraying Clary, then we'll tell her you fought her case but ultimately lost. It's okay to agree with us."
"But… I don't…"
"What?" Jace asked incredulously.
"I just… I think she's right about not letting them know where we are. It means that when we do make it back, we have more… artistic license, if you will. If they know where we are when we're there, then we're forced to admit to that. What if we turn the GPS on, give out a signal, find out there's no other exit, then use Magnus' magic to get us to the top of the slope and turn up at the camp within an hour? They'd know that we somehow got from the bottom of that slope to the top in a matter of minutes, which is impossible."
"He has a point," Magnus muttered. "You know how to protect yourselves against mundanes seeing you, but once they've seen you it's a different story."
"But can't you… alter memories or something?" Jace almost sounded desperate. "Like you did with Clary?"
"I could, but not only is my magic… temperamental, but I don't think that's such a good idea, especially on mundanes."
"Come on, Magnus - "
"If Magnus says he can't do it, then he can't, okay?" Alec snapped. "Let's focus here. Simon has a point in saying we want our alibis to be as flexible as possible, so I say we use the GPS as a last resort."
"So… what? We just wait around until we get desperate?"
"We could try scouting out the area. Look for ways to get up the embankment on our own. Then we wouldn't need the GPS."
"It'll take too long," Isabelle argued. "Simon needs Magnus to look after him, meaning we only have four people to scout the area, and letting people go off on their own is just a bad idea, so we'd have, at most, two parties. We won't be able to get that far quickly enough. Plus, if the police run into groups wandering the forest, they'll ask questions before we can agree on an alibi. It's too risky."
"This is a mess," moaned Simon. "My head hurts."
"That's probably because your fever's returning. You need to lie down," Magnus instructed. "I'll try my best to get rid of the rest of the fever, but that'll drain the both of us. And it's getting late - you wouldn't be able to explore far before having to turn back because of the dark. I say we wait until tomorrow to do anything."
Alec nodded. "Agreed. We can wake up early, form an alibi, then start searching. The longer it takes for us to get out of here, the more suspicious our presence will be."
"I'll go get Clary and let her know," Jace volunteered, but Izzy stood up and blocked his way.
"No. I'll go. She's probably annoyed at you, that you left her there alone."
"Well, she'd be annoyed at you too. You basically told her that she was lying, untrusting, incapable - "
"I get it. I went too far. I was mad."
"So was I when I left her. Your point is?"
"I'll go," mumbled Alec. "She isn't pissed off at me, right?" He paused. "Well, no more than usual, I hope. And anyway - Magnus and Simon need to stay put, and you two have been pretty hostile towards her, so… me it is."
Before anyone else could argue, Alec walked off in the direction that Jace had come from.
"Are you okay?"
Jace turned to see Isabelle watching him. The two of them had gone back to the campsite to get food, which Magnus had insisted was necessary for the 'healing process' (even though he claimed it would only work if everyone ate something). He shrugged unconvincingly, and she folded her arms. Why did so many conversations these days start with 'are you okay'? Why was everyone always so concerned about the wellbeing of the others? Why couldn't they treat this like a normal camping trip?
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not. Perhaps I should have said 'tell me why you're not okay'."
"I'm fine."
"Jace. Please."
He sighed. "What makes you think there's something wrong?"
"Honestly? Because you're so quiet."
"What if I'm just… pensive?"
"I'm not letting you leave until you tell me what's wrong, so the longer you take, the longer the others go without food. You can explain to them what took us so long."
Jace rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically. "Fine. I'll tell you. I'm just annoyed at Clary. Is that so big a crime?"
"Let me get this straight… you're annoyed at Clary for hiding something from you?"
"Yes."
"Have we… have we not just covered this? This is getting awfully repetitive."
"This is different from Magnus and Alec, okay? Because Magnus hid something because he thought he was protecting us. Clary hid it because she didn't trust us. I mean - you agree with me, right? She doesn't trust us. You said so in your little monologue earlier. And I did everything I could to see if she was okay, and she still didn't trust me!"
"Then there's your issue."
"What?"
"You're not pissed because she hid something, you're - "
"I am pissed because she hid something."
" - but you're also pissed because you gave her so much and she didn't give anything back. You're annoyed that she ignored you."
"Yes, okay? Yes! I'm annoyed that my girlfriend ignored my many, many attempts to make her feel better! Sue me!"
"Talk to her."
"I tried. She won't listen."
"Really? She told you about the GPS, you wanted to talk it out with her, and she was the one who didn't want to listen?"
"I… I mean before the whole GPS thing."
"Something tells me the circumstances may have changed. I think it worth trying to figure this out with her."
"But… why? I'm tired, Iz. I'm tired of all this bullshit that keeps happening. I just want it to be over. And talking to Clary isn't going to do anything."
"You don't know that - "
"I do. I know that that's 100% accurate. You know why? Because 'talking it out' hasn't worked. You and Alec 'talked it out', and yet we're still here. Simon and I 'talked it out', and we're still here. Magnus and Alec 'talked it out', and nothing has changed. Izzy, we're stuck in an endless cycle of fighting and talking things out, and unless that cycle breaks, we'll be stuck in it forever!"
"What? Jace… I agree that we could live without the conflict, but without resolving it? Never. Alec and I 'talked it out' and now we're more inclined to help each other when we need to. You and Simon 'talked it out' and who knows? If you hadn't, he may not have jumped into that river after you, and you might not still be here. Magnus and Alec 'talked it out', so now Magnus will hopefully be able to focus his magic better and get us out of here. It's not always about our ultimate goal, it's about the little things. And when you and Clary talk it out, it may not get us out of here, but it will get us closer."
"This… this is ridiculous… I don't even know where to begin…" Jace wrung his hands, looking flustered.
"You don't know where to begin because I'm right," Isabelle shrugged.
"No… you're so incredibly wrong, I just… God. Okay. I'm going to be blunt, but that's the only way I know how to say this. You don't know everything, Iz. You're smart, you're perceptive, but stop telling me what to do. Clary fucked up by hiding something from all of us, and on top of that, she's been acting really rude, okay? I have every reason to be mad at her, and every reason to not want to talk to her. You can't just come in and pretend that she's done nothing wrong, that I'm the one who needs to change their behaviour, when she's put the safety of all of us at risk."
"Jace, wait - "
"No! I'm just… I'm sick of people telling me what to do. I'm capable on my own, okay? In fact, I'm more than capable. I'm one of the best shadowhunters there is. I shouldn't have to have you constantly… just… stop, okay?"
"Jace - "
"No. I don't want to talk anymore. I'm fucking over it."
And then he left. Isabelle, trying to remain composed, gathered the food they had come for. It was only once she was certain Jace was left that she allowed herself to cry.
"Clary?"
Alec had been walking for at least ten minutes now. He had found the river, where he assumed Jace had spoken to Clary, but she wasn't there. After waiting there for a while, he had begun to stroll up and down the riverbank.
"Clary… we need to talk…" He didn't know why he bothered. She wasn't here. She must have found some other place to hide, somewhere that the others wouldn't come after her. It was understandable - the secret she'd hidden couldn't even be chalked up to wanting 'the greater good'. It was selfish, plain and simple, to assume that she had ultimate authority over their plight. If he was her, he'd be hiding right now too.
"I won't bite," he reassured the empty forest. "I promise I won't blow up at you like Jace probably did."
No response. "Uh… how else can I sweeten the deal… I promise I won't get angry? I promise I won't make you feel bad? I… uh… I'll give you five bucks?"
Nothing. He frowned. She was either waiting for a better deal, or she genuinely wasn't there. "Fine. A thousand dollars."
Nothing at all.
This wasn't good.
He turned to his right, leaving the riverbank, heading deeper into the forest. It wasn't the way he'd came, but it could very well have been where Clary was. He was doing this for Jace, he reminded himself. Jace and Izzy. It wasn't that he didn't care about Clary - he would have been upset if she… you know, died - but if it were up to him, he'd have given up by now. Let her have her privacy. If she so clearly wanted to be alone, why couldn't she be?
But there was always the possibility she didn't want to be alone. That she was waiting for someone to find her. Or that she was somehow grievously injured and stranded in the forest. Either way, he owed it to Jace and Izzy to find her.
He ambled about for another fifteen minutes, and the sky took on a purplish hue through the canopy. It was getting late, and he'd come no closer to finding her. In fact, he doubted he'd be able to find his way back.
Huh. Back. What if Clary was already back? What if he was the lost one?
He sighed impatiently. Fuck it. Fuck it all. He tried to do something nice for Clary, and she made things as difficult as possible. Goddamn, he was frustrated. So frustrated, in fact, that he kicked a tree. Just for good measure, he spat "fuck you, Clary Fray," into the growing darkness.
"Alec?"
He spun to face where the small voice had come from. Clary was watching him from a few metres away, a concerned frown on her face. Her eyes flitted from his scowl to his clenched fists to his foot that was still connected to the tree. Of course, he thought. Of course now, of all times, she finds me.
"I've been looking for you," he began curtly. "Where have you been?"
"Just… wandering around the forest."
"You didn't hear me calling you? At all?"
"The only thing I've heard you say is 'fuck you, Clary Fray', so… you know."
"About that, I - "
"I understand. I screwed up. Majorly. I should have told you guys, I was just… afraid."
Alec didn't know what to say. He probably should have spent some time thinking about that as he searched for her. He kept silent, which she saw as a prompt to continue.
"I just didn't want things to get more complicated than they already were. And I… I would have told you guys if I thought we really needed it, you know. I would've if Magnus' magic showed no signs of improvement, or if… if someone got hurt. But I thought we'd be able to do it on our own… please, Alec, you have to believe me. It's not me being selfish - well, it is, but not entirely - it's me wanting things to be easier for all of us."
"Easier?"
"Yes, easier. If Magnus healed entirely, he could lift us up the embankment, and we could walk down the road to the campsite. That would be easy. I didn't want to… to divide people. I didn't want some to say they wanted magic and some to say GPS. It's too complicated."
Seeing his unmoving frown, she shook her head slightly. "Alec, please. I'm not the bad guy here. I just wanted what was best for everyone."
"You blackmailed Magnus." It came out abrupt and unfair, and the moment he saw the glint of tears in her eye, he wanted to take it back. But it was true. She wasn't going to deny it.
"I was afraid, Alec."
"That's not an excuse."
"It's an explanation."
They stood in silence, staring at each other intently, trying to read the other's body language to instruct them on how to proceed. Clary spoke up first.
"You're right."
Alec remained silent and stony-faced.
"I did blackmail Magnus. And I ignored Jace. And I pissed off Isabelle. And I failed Simon. And I lied to everyone, too."
He remained unresponsive.
"And I'm sorry, Alec. I'm so sorry." Her already thin voice cracked, but she continued. "And I just want to say… you and the others have every right to be mad at me, but please give me a chance to explain everything first. Please."
His blue eyes searched her. She hated how invasive it felt, but she let him. God, she was tired.
"I don't have anything to say to you on this matter."
She nodded. She understood.
"Let's go back to the others. You need to eat something."
And with that, he left. She followed him cautiously, her heart beating fast and her eyes and nose stinging with tears she wouldn't let herself cry. Today had been a long day.
They ate in silence. No one had said a word since Clary and Alec returned. The food was simple - tinned tuna and toast - but seeing as no one had eaten for at least a day, it was almost ambrosial. There was only so much of it, however, and soon enough there was no more food to occupy the awkward quiet. Simon cleared his throat.
"Can I… can I say something?"
Clary didn't look at him, her eyes trained solely on the remaining bread in her hands. Jace pretended he hadn't heard. Izzy leant her head into his shoulder, a gentle sign of encouragement. Magnus broke the silence. "Go ahead."
"Um… I've missed a lot of stuff since I've been gone, but… from what I can gather, I don't care all that much for any of it. It's a bit much. So can we just… ignore it? Even if it's just for now, or just for my sake, or just pretend, I don't care. Can we just end the day on a high note?"
Izzy smiled warmly. "That sounds nice," she said quietly, her voice no louder than a whisper. Alec nodded sharply in agreement. Magnus shrugged.
"Personally, I quite enjoy the tense atmosphere, but if you insist…"
Jace scowled at him. Magnus rolled his eyes. "I was joking. God. Lighten up. We need to be able to laugh at ourselves."
"Speak for yourself," Jace muttered. "You can pretend nothing's wrong if you want, mundane, but you'll just be lying to yourself. I'm going for a walk."
Before he could get up, Alec reached out and grabbed his arm. "Jace - don't go."
Somehow, that was enough to convince him to stay. "I'm not going to play along, though," he mumbled.
"What do you want to do?" Clary asked weakly.
"Let's play a game," Simon suggested. "Truth or dare?"
"Ugh. No. I already know more about most of you than I ever needed to know," Magnus groaned. Simon looked offended.
"Wow. Okay. What do you suggest then?"
Magnus frowned for a moment. "I'm not sure. Most of my favourite games involve either alcohol or sex. Sometimes both."
"Does anyone else have any suggestions?" Simon asked, changing the subject. Isabelle laughed.
"Okay, here's something slightly more innocent."
"Only slightly?"
"It depends on how we play it."
"What is it?"
Isabelle flicked her hair over her shoulder. "We tell a story one sentence at a time. Like… I'd begin by saying one sentence, and then you'd say the next, and we'd go around and around until the story was over."
Simon laughed, sitting up straighter. "This should be interesting. Who'll play?"
Magnus and Alec both said they would, and Clary, very meekly, mumbled that she would too. Jace was the only one who opted out, saying that such a game was stupid. Isabelle cleared her throat, and began, a defiant glimmer in her eyes.
"Fine. Once upon a time, there was a warrior named Jace."
Simon followed. "Jace was very gallant and heroic, and all the fair maidens loved him."
Magnus next: "One day, the… king? Emperor? Benevolent Dictator? They sent him on a very important quest."
"This quest," continued Alec, "involved travelling across the lands, far and wide, to a continent that was both unfamiliar and strange… Australia."
"Australia? Really?" Jace asked.
"I thought you didn't care for games like this," Alec remarked. "And don't judge me on my geographical knowledge. Australia was the first distant place that came to mind."
It was Clary's turn next. "In Australia, Jace had to fight kangaroos, and battle crocodiles, and survive numerous assassination attempts by spiders."
They looked expectantly at Jace, but he ignored them. With a huff, Isabelle continued. "His mission was to find and kill Australia's greatest super-villain… Shark-Man."
"Shark-Man? Really? That's the best you could do?" Jace scoffed.
"Hey - at least I'm contributing."
"Fine. I'll take it from where Clary left off. Jace, the most handsome warrior to ever grace the earth, had been sent on a mission to Australia to fight the fearsome villain that had plagued Australia for too long… Pauline Hanson."
"Who's that?" Simon asked.
"You guys seriously don't… really? I thought you were up-to-date on world politics. Fine. Scratch Hanson. We'll go with Shark-Man."
Isabelle rolled her eyes and continued. "Jace snuck into Shark-Man's palace and stood before his throne, ready for a fight."
"Jace drew his dagger, and Shark-Man scoffed, saying 'That's not a knife - this is a knife!' as he drew his broadsword."
"Technically, Simon, neither of those are knives," Jace spat. "Why would you say that?"
Simon looked dumbfounded. "So we're supposed to get references to Australian politicians, but not to Australian pop culture? Have any of you watched 'Crocodile Dundee'?"
Magnus frowned. "Is that a documentary?"
Simon sighed. "Let's just move on."
Magnus shrugged but continued. "However, before Jace could so much as strike, he keeled over, dead where he stood."
"What the hell, Magnus? Why would you kill me?"
"I'm not killing you, I'm killing off this Jace character. He was frustrating, his character arc was going nowhere, and I wanted to throw in a plot twist."
"So what… this Jace, that bears no resemblance to me whatsoever, just… dies? Like that? The most fierce warrior in the land killed by a Shark-Man-king-thing just because it looked at him?"
Magnus cocked his head in feigned confusion. "No, he drowned."
"Drowned?"
"If Shark-Man had a palace, wouldn't it be underwater?"
"But… that doesn't make sense," Jace mumbled to himself, shaking his head. Magnus smiled.
"Well, maybe not, but whatever I say goes. Alec, do you have anything to add?"
Alec shook his head, but when he saw Jace's indignant look, he relented. "Jace was dearly missed by everyone and his sacrifice was appreciated."
"That's it? Damn, guys, you suck at storytelling. I'm starting the next one off."
"I thought you weren't playing?"
"I am now that I know you guys are shit authors. Okay. New story." Jace paused for effect and began. "Once, there was a fair princess named Clary."
At this, Clary tensed up, but she didn't say anything. Looking uneasy, Isabelle continued. "Clary lived in a tower, guarded by a dragon."
"Wait - really? A tower? A dragon? This 'trapped princess' thing is so clichéd," Jace complained. Isabelle frowned.
"I didn't say she was trapped. I just said she lived in a tower. I hear towers are prime real estate in medieval fantasies. And plus - the dragon isn't keeping her in. It's her pet and partner-in-crime."
"Can the dragon be called Simon?" asked Simon.
"Hell yeah," Izzy said. Simon beamed. Clary even offered up a half-smile.
"Fine. Go on," Jace dismissed.
"Clary spent her days talking with Simon, because they were best friends." Simon gave Clary a reassuring smile.
"One day, a handsome prince, who will remain anonymous, came to the tower and called to her," Magnus added.
Alec, frowning, carried on with uncertainty. "And the prince said, 'hey, princess… you're pretty… pretty.'"
"Smooth, Alexander," Magnus mumbled.
Clary tilted her head up to better project her voice. "The princess was flattered by the prince's advances, and asked Simon to hold him up to her window."
Jace scowled but carried on. "The first thing she noticed about the prince was that he was incredibly handsome, and she was so taken aback by that that she didn't hear him ask for her name. When he asked her again and she answered, he laughed, saying 'oh, good - I was worried you were hiding something from me.'"
"I'm pretty sure that's more than one sentence," Clary said quietly. Jace didn't seem to notice. Isabelle scowled at Jace.
"I'm not sure if you heard her, Jace, but Clary was talking to you. She was telling you to stop being a petty piece of shit, but she phrased it nicer."
"Also, it was more than one sentence, so…" Simon trailed off. Jace looked offended.
"Fine. I'll just keep pretending there isn't anything wrong at all."
"Good. Moving on," Isabelle said. "The prince and Clary got talking, and they discovered they had one mutual interest."
Simon grinned. "That mutual interest was… drumroll please… the Lord of the Rings."
Alec groaned. "Really? I don't know anything about the Lord of the Rings."
Simon pretended to be shocked and announced that as soon as they got back, they'd marathon the movies. When asked if he was joking, he replied, rather ambiguously, "you'll see."
Magnus carried on with the story. "They were such big fans of the franchise that they'd often argue over favourite characters and fan theories."
Alec, looking uncertain, went next. "Yeah… Clary's favourite character was… Hufflepuff… but the prince preferred… um… Spock."
Simon looked personally offended. Stifling a grin, Clary took her turn. "Clary didn't care about how different their opinions were - she just enjoyed spending time with him."
Now that Clary had become more involved, it was Jace's turn to stare at the ground with uncertainty. "And… and the prince… he liked spending time with her too, but there were times when he sometimes didn't agree with her opinions. Sometimes, he thought that her opinions were… unforgivable." Simon began to point out that Jace had exceeded the one-sentence limit, but Izzy shushed him. "But… maybe deeming something 'unforgivable' is a harsh sentence. Maybe, even if he didn't agree with her opinions, he could grow to understand them."
They waited in tense silence for him to add more. He didn't. Isabelle went next.
"And… through talking things out, through getting to understand each other's opinions, they realised that maybe it wasn't so bad to disagree on a few things, because it only made the things they did agree on more… valuable." There was something patient, something understanding about the atmosphere. Something that almost made Jace look Clary in the eye for the first time since he'd stormed away from her.
"So they fell in love, got married, and rode Simon the kickass dragon into the sunset! The end," Simon concluded excitedly. The patience in the air dissipated. Jace stood up, brushing the dirt off his pants.
"I'm going to bed."
He left before anyone could object.
They sat in silence, before Magnus stood up too. "I think that's a good plan. We'll have an early start tomorrow, so we need all the sleep we can get."
"Um… where do I sleep?" Clary asked cautiously. "I doubt Jace will take too kindly to me sharing a tent with him tonight."
"We could go back to our original tents," suggested Alec, but Magnus shook his head. "Simon needs someone who can attend to him if his fever comes back. I doubt Jace will be too willing."
"Then… then you can share a tent with Simon," Alec said slowly, thinking aloud. "I'll sleep with Jace. Clary and Izzy - you guys roomed together the first few nights, right? So you'll be okay?"
No one objected, so they went with that. It had been a very long day for all of them, and despite wanting to keep pretending nothing was wrong for as long as they could, sleep beckoned to them all. As the sun set and the last of the afternoon's golden light slipped away, the six found themselves in their tents, unspeaking but thinking hard, until sleep eventually stole them away.
A world away, two others fell asleep side-by-side, but not in a tent. Ellen, the park owner, had allowed Luke and Jocelyn to stay in a small room. As time passed and they became increasingly desperate for news, their proximity to a phone meant a lot to them. Not that it changed their circumstances - if anything, it made the absence of news even more unbearable. But Jocelyn had spent the last few days so distraught that Ellen hadn't hesitated in giving them a room. Luke could see the unease that the police carried when regarding them - it was so plain on their faces, he didn't need to use his werewolf senses. It was getting to a point in time where kindhearted policemen would gently bring up the possibility of not finding them, to try and ease them into it, but Jocelyn was adamant that they would turn up. Luke didn't know what to think. In fact, he didn't want to think - he found it easier just to comfort Jocelyn. And so that's what he did - he comforted Jocelyn, 24/7. Even now, he lay with his arm around her, his hand on her damp cheek.
"Everything will be okay," he whispered, and he hoped to God he was right.
