Clary POV
A low beeping disturbs me from my sleep. I groggily let my eyes flutter open, only to come face to face with my phone. The screen is lit up and it is vibrating, so I turn off my alarm. I slowly sit upright, noticing that Izzy is still asleep. I yawn while slightly nudging her shoulder with my hand.
"Izzy, wake up." I mumble, still half-asleep. She groans loudly and turns over to face the other side of the room. I roll my eyes, suddenly feeling a little more awake. "Come on, get your ass up." I complain, while sliding out of the warm bed. I walk into the bathroom with my brows furrowed. Why are we up so early again?
Then, suddenly it clicks. Today we're going to be blowing up the warehouse and retrieving the SD-card. I let out a shaky sigh, and then face the mirror to address my current state. My hair is still some-what in its pony-tail, but most of it lies limply around my face. I scowl and start working on my mess of curls.
About 10 minutes later, I am walking back into the room; hair in a neat side-braid and looking now fully awake. Izzy is now up and is pulling out several items from her suitcase. I walk over to mine, which is underneath of the window, and start pulling out my gear. I open the curtains, to see that it is still dark. I glance at the clock on the bedside table incredulously. 5:00 am. Why the hell did we agree to let Jon dictate when we start preparing for the mission? I shake my head slightly, but go back to pulling out my gear. I am vaguely aware of Izzy walking into the bathroom to change her clothing while I dig through my suitcase, so when I find my gear, I just start dressing in the room.
After I am dressed, Izzy comes back out of the bathroom. My eyes widen slightly at her outfit. She is dressed in a low-cut red dress that barely brushes the tops of her thighs. I look at her incredulously, but she doesn't seem to notice as she starts strapping guns to her thighs. I clear my throat and go back to pulling out my weapons.
"Izzy," I start cautiously. She lifts her head up to look at me with expectant eyes. "What are you wearing?" I venture carefully, as not to offend her. She just stares at me for a moment, before rolling her dark eyes.
"I'm dressing for the part, duh." She exclaims, finishing strapping guns to her thighs and moves on to tuck knives inside of her boots; which might I add are knee high and have 5 inch heels on them. I slowly shake my head at her, not comprehending what the 'part' is. She looks at me like I'm stupid; causing me to narrows my eyes at her. I'm not stupid. "I have to 'seduce' the night-guards tonight, remember?" she asks me, like I should already know that that automatically means that she has to dress up like a hooker. I decide to give her the benefit of the doubt though, and slowly nod.
"Oh, right. Okay I get that, but why are you dressing up now? We have to go to the warehouse at like 9:30 tonight. You'll have hours later today to get dressed like that." I say, still not understanding her motives. At this she grins evilly at me, a devilish glint to her eye.
"This is simply me getting payback at your brother for last night." she states casually, but I can detect a hint of loathing in her tone. Shit, Jon. What did you do to her? I furrow my brows, but almost immediately remember last night.
You see, after we got home from the store, and brought Magnus' new cat, Jon and Izzy were both in his room. Izzy looked completely flustered, while Jon had a cocky smirk plastered on his face. When we entered the room, Jon quickly stood up from the bed and subtly wiped his hand on his pants, before coming to over to us to inspect the items. Everyone, except for me that is, forgot that Izzy was still in the room. Still blushing a bright crimson and discretely exiting before I could question her. I shudder in realization of what must have been going on. Izzy winks at me when I show some signs of understanding, but all that I a picturing is my brother's hands.
"Ew!" I exclaim, completely grossed out. She nods at me and goes back to her weapons.
"I know, but I'll be the one laughing now. Especially when he has to keep readjusting himself throughout the day." She says, smiling maliciously at me. I manage a laugh, but it comes out weak because my head is still filled with images of my brother. I shudder again, but start strapping knives and guns around my thighs.
"I hope that you get him back. Knowing him, he most likely deserves it." I state factually, truthfully voicing my opinion. Izzy smiles secretly to herself.
"Nah, he doesn't deserve it." She tries to amend her earlier words. "But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to go through with it. He's going to get what's coming to him." She adds as an afterthought, seeing my disbelieving look. I smile widely at her, finish strapping on my weapons, and then join her at the door.
"Great. I'll look forward towards my endless amusement." I say with a grin, before we walk out of our door and head towards Jon and Jace's room.
Time Jump
I collapse onto the bed, completely exhausted. We have just finished with planning and preparing for tonight and everyone is dead-tired. I guess that's what getting up early does to you. Never. Again. It's around 4:00pm, so we have been working for around 11 hours. We, of course, stopped for lunch, but we have otherwise been working none-stop.
I am currently laying face-down on Jon and Jace's bed. I feel the bed dip next to me, but I am too lazy to lift my head up and see who it is. A hand runs over my hair, which has been taken out of its braid by Jace at some point, and gently glides down over my spine. The hand stops right below my shoulder-blades, and then repeats the process. After the fourth or fifth time, I turn my head towards the hand's owner. Jace smiles sweetly down at me with tired eyes.
"Hey." He says softly. I sigh slightly when he removes his hand from my head and turn over to fully face him.
"Hi." I mumble quietly, causing Jace to chuckle.
"You're tired. You should sleep until we have to leave." He states, like it's the simplest thing in the world. I nod slowly, but my response gets cut off by Jace pulling my further up the bed and onto his chest. I chuckle at his eagerness, and lightly kiss him on the cheek.
"Okay. Night." I say sarcastically, causing his chest to vibrate with laughter. I lay my head back down onto his chest; more like into the crook of his neck, and close my eyes. He kisses my head lovingly and then, with a slight smile on my face, I let the darkness carry me away. Or temporarily anyway…
Time Jump
I wake up again, for the second time that day, to a low beeping. I groan and try to bury my face deeper into the warm object that I am being securely held to. It suddenly vibrates and I pause. What the hell… I slowly lift my head off of the object, to see Jace biting his lip to try to stifle his laughter from erupting out of his chest. I lift an eyebrow at him groggily, causing his to start laughing quietly.
"What?" I mumble, trying to sit up but being held down by Jace's arms. He clutches me tighter to his chest and tries to stop laughing. About a minute later, he quiets down and pulls me up to sit upright next to him.
"You just," he starts, only to stop and take a breath, before continuing. "I sat here trying to wake you up for like 10 minutes ad when my cellphone rings, you decide to grace the world with your presence." He explains, only to start laughing immediately after. I chuckle at his amusement of the situation and try to escape his hold once more. He lets me get up off of the bed and follows suit. I glance at the clock that is next to the bed, and it reads 8:00. I quickly smooth a hand over my hair and turn towards Jace, who is texting, while walking towards the bathroom.
"Rossa, you should probably go get your stuff ready to bring to the airport. We won't have time to come back after we finish at the warehouse, so you'll have to send your suitcase with Simon and them." He calls to me, and I immediately start towards the door.
"Okay. See you later, Giallo." I say, before shutting the door and stepping out into the hallway. I head to my room and quickly start gathering my things.
Once I have done that, I grab Bat and head back out into the hallway. Everyone is gathered around the elevator, so I quietly walk over to Izzy.
"How'd your plan go?" I ask curiously, causing her to chuckle.
"He had to 'take care of things' as soon as we were done preparing. It was very amusing and I hope that he has learned his lesson." She informs me, while grinning secretly at Jon. He looks at her nervously and glances the other way as soon as he sees her grin. She laughs quietly into her hand and I join in. Loud footsteps sound through the hallway, drawing our attention towards the sound. Alec enters, chasing none other than Chairman Meow. He runs after the cat, trying to catch him, but the Chairman runs towards me. I squat down and pick him up, causing him to cuddle into my chest. Alec glares at the cat before meeting my eyes.
"I've been trying to get that damn cat for over an hour, and he just lets you pick him up?" he asks incredulously, causing our group to chuckle. I hand the Chairman over to him right as Magnus emerges from their room. He drags several suitcases, all sparkly and bedazzled, towards the group gracefully. He smiles widely at Chairman Meow and holds his arms out for him. The cat jumps out of Alec's arms and into Magnus' swiftly, making Alec gasp and step back a little.
"There's my little cupcake." Magnus coos, setting the luggage down and caressing the small cat. Alec subtly glares at the Chairman, but busies himself with the suitcases that Magnus dropped. The doors of the large elevator open, and we all pile in. I end up having to be squashed against Jace, because there's not much room with all of our luggage. He doesn't seem to mind though; actually he is smirking down at me and holding me tighter to him. When the elevator finally 'dings', we all quickly get out of the enclosed box and head towards the limo.
Soon we are on our way to the airport, all nervously looking out of our windows or fidgeting in our seats. Jace laces his fingers through mine and gives them a reassuring squeeze. I smile a small smile at him and then look out of my window. The city passes in a blur and the airport is visible in the distance. Simon is typing something into his phone and is stopping every once in a while to look at the rest of the group. Finally, he puts his phone away and faces us.
"Okay, so we are all clear to go through security and everything. All that we have to do when you guys return from the warehouse, is board the plane. Just go through the gate that is on your tickets, and we'll be set to go." He explains quickly, while handing out tickets. I don't even glance at mine as I push it into one of my many pockets. I see that everybody else is doing the same, so I think nothing of it. I'll just check it out later.
The limo pulls up to the airport and Simon, Maia, Aline, Tessa, Jem, and Alec all exit. They quickly gather up everyone's luggage, and then we are on our way out to the warehouse. Magnus pulls out a black-metal case and starts rummaging through its contents. After about five minutes, he looks up at the group and starts passing out small circular devises.
"Here, these are the explosives. They will stick to any substance, so just place them in the spots that I have told you to." He pauses and looks towards me and Jace. "You two are coming with me, so you don't need explosives. Just follow me towards the vault once we're inside, and then we'll be fine." He instructs us, and we have no option but to agree.
Everyone quiets down after that, and we all sit in a tense silence for the rest of the way to the warehouse. The warehouse is about 15 miles outside of Paris, so we have a small drive ahead of us. I lean my head against the window, close my eyes, and allow myself to think.
We are going to the warehouse. Izzy is going to distract the night-guards while we take them out and then we are going to get to work. Jace, Magnus, and I will head towards the vault and retrieve the SD-card. Then, we'll meet up with everybody else and go back to the limo. When we're several miles away, Magnus will push the 'ignite' button and we'll be on our way to the airport. From there, we'll go to the lighthouse and basically camp out until Headquarters contacts us.
I am brought out of my thoughts by the limo pulling to a stop. We are about quarter of a mile away from the warehouse. We're going to walk the rest of the way, just for security purposes. We all pile out of the limo and form a group around Jon. He looks into all of our eyes before speaking.
"Guys, we get in and we get out. Quick and clean. Nobody is getting captured this time." He states firmly, leaving no room for argument. We all nod in agreement, and then start walking towards the large warehouse up ahead.
Soon, we are approaching the entrance of the warehouse. Izzy automatically struts up to the two guards that are posted by the door. They each have shotguns and are standing at attention. We all hide behind the corner and wait for Izzy to distract them. They immediately perk up when she comes into view and one lifts his gun up slightly.
"This is private property." The one with the gun states harshly. Izzy just shrugs with a flirtatious smile taking over her features. She walks towards the guard that hasn't lifted his gun yet and winks at him.
"I'm sorry. I got lost on my way to my friend's house and I was just looking for directions." She states, while smiling hopefully at the guard. The one with the gun lowers his weapon back to his side and seems to get his head out of his ass.
"Sorry, ma'am. I was just doing the requirements." He states with a charming smile and extends his hand towards Izzy. She slyly grins in his direction, and Jordan chooses that moment to take them out. His gun has a silencer on it, so all that I hear is two small 'puff's and then the guards drop to the ground.
Izzy waves us over and we quickly enter the building. We split off into our teams, and then Jace, Magnus, and I are running towards the vault. Two more guards are standing in front of the door, so we have to sneak around the shelves and take them out. Magnus does the duty, and then motions for Jace and I to move forward. We quietly make our way to the door of the vault and wait while Magnus types in the passcode. He swiftly keys in the code, and then we are slipping through the door.
Magnus makes sure to prop open the door slightly before it shuts on us, before joining Jace and I in the front of the large vault. He sighs deeply and then takes out a small container. He opens it to reveal white powder and he dumps it into his palm. He forcefully blows the powder into the air, showing us exactly where the lasers are. Jace looks to me briefly and nods towards the SD-card that is in the middle of the room. I start moving without responding and quickly weave through the lasers. These aren't like your lasers that are in all of the spy movies; these will just detect Clave&Co and will basically guarantee our capture. Yay.
I look around the small island that is smack-dab in the middle of the vault, and find a small button on the under-side of the glass covering-case. I press it and the lasers immediately disappear. Jace and Magnus quickly walk over to where I am and point their flashlights at the SD-card's glass case. They take position on each side of the glass square and start lifting it. I vaguely take notice of Jace's muscles straining from the weight of it, but try to focus on the matter at hand. When the case is up just high enough, I quickly grab the SD-card and place it gently into the container that Magnus gave me yesterday. The container closes securely and by the time that I look back up at the boys, they have the glass covering back onto its holder.
We quickly high-tale it out of there, and soon we are waiting at the entrance for the others. Eventually Jordan, Will, Seb, and Izzy all join us. Now, all that we have to wait for is Jon. After about five minutes, I start to get worried. He planned this out; he should be here by now. I nervously glance around the warehouse, only to jump about two feet into the air when a loud alarm starts blaring. I start to panic and look towards Magnus for guidance. He doesn't help me much, because he is looking around about as lost as I am.
Suddenly, I hear gun shots going off and I pull out two of my 9mms. I see everyone else do the same in my peripheral, but start slowly walking towards the shots. I feel a strong hand grip my elbow, stopping me from further continuation. I quickly glance back, to see Jace's concerned face. He shakes his head swiftly at me.
"What are you doing, Rossa? Let's go. Now." He tries to pull me towards the door again, but I am firmly planted on the ground.
"No." I shake my head stubbornly. "That's Jon in there. I have to." I state, almost desperately, before yanking my arm free of his grip and running towards the shots. I can faintly hear him calling my name, but I block him out. Jon's in trouble. I sprint through isles of shelving units, until I finally come out into a clearing of sorts. What I see almost has me in tears.
Jon is being handcuffed, almost unconscious, by six guards. Around 20 of them are roaming all over the clearing, checking out the pills and such. I inhale a shaky breath and try to think rationally. Rational, my ass. That's Jon. I trade out one of my 9mms for a throwing knife. I can probably take one down to distract them, and then take out the guards around Jon. I focus my gaze upon a single guard who is in the middle of the swarm of men, but just as I am about to throw it, Jon seems to become more aware.
He catches my eye and silently pleads with me. 'Don't do it. Get out. I'll be fine.' I hesitate, but slightly nod towards his restrained form. 'Okay, be safe.' I reluctantly put my knife back in my boot, but keep my gun out. I start slowly backing up towards the exit of the isle, but I bump into something hard. Strong arms come around my arms and hold me in place.
"Ma, ma, qu'avons-nous ici?" (My, my, what do we have here?) a sickly sweet voice inquires. I force myself to look up at the voice's owner. A man, no older than 50, stands directly behind me. His brown hair is streaked with gray and his gray eyes are unforgiving. I struggle to get out of his iron grip, but something else stops me.
Jon is looking me directly in the eye and hatred is clear in his eyes. Not aimed at me though, aimed at the guard that stands behind me. He starts struggling against the guards that hold him, and soon he is causing a huge commotion. The guard that's behind me is starting to loosen his grip. Jon's eyes start to communicate a new message. 'Run.' And I do just that. I bring my foot down forcefully onto the guard's foot and drive my elbow straight into his face. He stumbles back and lets me go in surprise. I aim a punch at his temple, and then I am sprinting away from the scene. I look back at Jon one last time, to see him lock eyes with me and mouth 'I love you', before using my full speed and running for the others.
They are all still standing by the door, Magnus holding Jace back. As soon as I run into sight, Jace breaks free of his hold and takes me into a giant bear hug. I quickly hug him back, before facing the confused faces around me.
"Where's Jon?" Izzy asks cautiously, as if she is afraid of the answer. I sigh and blink back tears before answering.
"He got caught." I state simply, before leading them towards the entrance quickly. They all trail behind me with angry and incredulous looks plastered onto their faces.
"You're just going to leave him there?" Izzy yells angrily. I swallow thickly, while opening the door, before facing them.
"Look, I'm just as upset as you are. If not more, but we have to go. Now. He said that he'll be alright, and I trust him. I trust him with my life and all of yours, so you better all move your asses before I take them away." I cry frustrated, trying but failing to keep my temper at bay. They all stare at me with shocked expressions, Duh, you just threatened their lives, before following me obediently. I storm out of the warehouse, trying to cool down, and run towards the limo. The driver has moved it closer to the building to make it easier for us to leave. I throw open the door and sit towards the front, where nobody sits. Everybody quickly piles in after me, and soon we are just waiting for the guards to take Jon out of the warehouse.
Not even five minutes later, about 20 guards escort Jon out of the building; bloody and beaten. I suck in a breath and start to tremble at his appearance. His scalp has blood running down one side of his face and his lip is split. He's limping and appears to have trouble concentrating on where he is walking. I press both hands onto the window when he stumbles. The guards just push him harshly towards their car, and then he is in the car and out of my sight.
"Jon." I whimper lowly. I clench my jaw to try to keep the tears from spilling over, but one manages to escape. Jace notices, and pulls me tightly against his chest. I clutch at him for dear life, while Jon's captors take him away. I am vaguely aware of the limo starting to move, but I keep my face buried into Jace's shirt. He rubs small circles into my back and mutters soothing words into my ear as we drive towards the airport.
I finally come to a decision. Stop being a pussy. Jon sacrificed himself for your safety; don't make him regret it. You can cry when you get to the lighthouse. So, like the determined child that I am, I pulled myself together and drew back from Jace. He looks at me with concerned eyes, but I manage a small smile to reassure him of my stability. He smiles sadly down at me and drags me to his side again. I sigh and rest my head onto his shoulder, while he kisses my hair.
"I love you, Rossa." He murmurs quietly into my ear. I smile up at him and kiss his cheek.
"I love you too, Giallo." I whisper back, settling back down for the ride to the airport.
As much as I try, I can't stop my mind from wandering. Jon did the one thing that I never wanted to see again. He mouthed 'I love you' to me, before getting taken away. Sound familiar? I hold back a shudder at the memory of my mother doing that exact same thing before she died. No. Jon promised not to leave you. He keeps his promises. I manage to convince myself of that, and soon my mind is at peace. At least for a while…
Hey, guys. So…Yeah. There's another chapter. Enjoy. :)
Cassandra Clare owns all… Except for the plot and my ideas.
Thanks for all of the positive feedback. :)
Review&Follow