Chapter Twenty

Simon POV

I stagger through the building, clenching onto the wall's for support. I know I only drank a few hours ago but I am dry as a bone. Weak. But I must keep moving. That is not a question. It's not...

"Ahh," I wince, sharp needles of pain lancing through my side. It feels like I am being torn apart from the inside out. I don't know how I managed to get this far but I still have a tiny ways to go yet.

A tiny way that feels like all of eternity stretched in front of me.

Hauling myself down the hall, I splutter, one hand wrapping reflexively around my side. It's like I am holding myself together. The door is so close, so temptingly close, but I cannot reach it. With a crash I lose my footing, falling limply to the ground. I moan, stretching out my hand. If only...

"Isabelle," I cough, my voice small and dusty. "Isabelle! Alec! Someone help," I gurgle, unable to breath. Reaching up I dab at my face weakly, drawing my hand away. Alarm hammers me through me. It's slicked with blood.

"Isabelle!"

As if by some miracle the door knob shimmies. My eyes swim and for a moment I wonder if I'm imaging it. A figure steps out, dressed in all black. I hear them exclaim loudly. Arms hook under my elbows, pulling me upwards and inside. Warm air ripe with the smell of Shadowhunter blood hits me and I crinkle my nose. After the concoctions Simon forced me to guzzle down I wonder if I'll even be able to look at them normally again. The very thought of their blood turns my stomach inside out.

Someone is slapping my cheeks, shouting my name frantically. I want to tell them to go away, to stop, but I can't find my voice. A quiet voice, higher than the rest, pierces my ears. Everything hurts.

A small hand reaches out, touching my face. It's cold at first and I squirm, wanting to pull away, but something keeps me held to the little grasp. Somehow I feel the pain begin to leech away, the burning in my torso vanishing into nothing. With a gasp, I sit up, eyes wide. I feel my fangs, clearly visible, and am embarrassed. It's a reflex I'd developed in my possession - try to make myself look formidable so Sebastian or whatever creature he sent to torture me into agreement would be intimidated. It rarely worked but I'd grown used to it.

Isabelle is sitting at the end of the couch, her hands grasping my legs. I offer her a wane smile and suddenly she's throwing herself at me, crying and yelling and demanding I tell her what happened all at the same time. I clutch her to me, stiffly rubbing her hair.

"You had me scared to death!" She yells, then bursts into a new wave of tears. "I thought you died!"

I shake my head, tipping her chin up so she has to look at me. Her dark eyes meet my own. "I'm alright, Izzy. Look at me. Perfectly fine."

"Magnus said you were poisoned when we brought you in! Poisoned! By a rare demon blood that makes you delirious and extremely sick. He thought you were going to die, Simon!"

The words strike me with fear, but I don't let her know. Instead I kiss her, slow and reassuringly. When I pull away she isn't any calmer. "I'm alive, Isabelle. I'm alive, and I love you."

She looks at me blankly. I know what's going through her head. Isabelle never says the "L word" no matter what. In fact, this is the first time I've dared to say it to her. I self consciously notice the group assembled around us and know that I will surely die for real of embarrassment and shame if she doesn't say anything back.

"Simon..." she pleads, giving me a strangled look. Defeated, I shrug. Her eyes well up with tears again and she makes herself look away.

Magnus steps forward, assessing me, his finger tips glowing a shimmering blue. I never fully understood warlocks or their power but it certainly is fascinating. Satisfied that I'm not about to fall over dead, he steps back, making a surprise noise in his throat. "He's healed," he announces.

Jace, who has been protectively holding onto the small boy I seen the last time I saw Clary, makes a strange noise. "How? He had a very rare form of Yanulo poison injected directly into him. He should be dead."

I shoot Jace a glare. He's just as I remembered him. Not a cozy warm fellow. Alec looks confused, regarding the little boy with a distant expression. I myself am confused to how I'm alive.

"I'm not exactly up to date on what's going on either," I say, clearing my throat. All eyes in the room turn to me, some calculating, others cold. "But I'm not going to waste time thinking about it. We have a much more important job."

Jace snorts, rolling his eyes. "Thank you for your wise insight, Simon. We've happened to notice Clary is missing. She was supposed to be going for you actually, so would you mind telling us where the hell she is?"

Alec gives his parabatai a look, but Jace ignores it. I square my shoulders, standing up from the couch. I'm still slightly wobbly but I'm solid. "No need to be a jackass, Herondale. I know it comes naturally and all but just shut your mouth for a minute, would you?"

He complies. Shocked, I ramble on. "Sebastian has Clary." I confess. Isabelle lets out a cry, Jace's face falling. Alec grips his arm, concerned, and Magnus looks strangely indifferent. Her son looks confused by our talk, tugging on his father's pants. He is asking him something but Jace isn't answering. "And before you ask why I didn't fight to get her back from him let me explain."

Magnus looks at me, eyes clouded with some emotion. "So she asked you to tell us that?"

I nod, resting my hands on the table. "Yes. And believe me, I didn't want to leave her. But I had no choice. Sebastian would have killed me if I tried to stay."

Jace looks down at his lap, face pale. "So what does this mean for us? We can't exactly show up on Sebastian's front door and demand he give her back nicely."

I roll my eyes. "Obviously not. But we do have a weapon at our disposal." Magnus and Jace share a look. I raise my eyebrows. "What?"

Alec gets up, pushing his chair in and stalking away. Magnus watches him go with a sad look. When the bedroom door slams shut he speaks. "I've prepared a trip downstairs, so to speak. I'm going to talk to my father. I think there may be a weapon forged in the depths of the chasms of Hell that could kill Sebastian where he stands."

It sounds dangerous. "Burn out evil with greater evil," I murmur.

Magnus nods. "Exactly. I'm leaving tomorrow because I'm the only one who can go. Alec is not too happy about the whole idea." His cat eyes squint as if he's been poked. "Not that I blame him."

"So you're going to find a blade and we've got to figure out a way to make Jace the Human Torch?" I tip my head to the side. Isabelle and Jace look confused. I remember they've never read comic books and feel stupid. "Never mind. But we've got to figure out a way to light him up, so to speak?"

Magnus nods once. "Yes. If in the event something goes wrong and we don't get the hell blade, Jace will be are only shot. Just like Clary told you - the fires of Heaven can leech the evil out of someone if properly applied. Whatever that means."

Stephen, who has been quiet throughout the meeting as if he somehow understands it is important, pipes up. "Will I get Mommy back? I miss her."

Isabelle presses her hands to her face to hide her wet eyes, and even I feel sorry for the poor little thing. He's so young, so innocent. A life without his mother seems too cruel.

Jace takes his son into his arms, holding him fiercely. "Yes you will. I'll get her back. She'll be home before you know it."

Stephen smiles up at his father. I'm stuck by just how similar they look. I'm also curious to how an arrogant prick's kid can be so sweet and cute. It's the Clary in him, I decide.

"There's another thing we haven't worked out," Isabelle says at last, her brown eyes on me. "How did Simon manage to survive the poison? I mean, when we pulled him in he was nearly dead-"

Magnus's mouth twitches. "I figured that one out myself. Stephen."

Jace looks confused. "What does Stephen have to do with this?"

"Don't you get it? He healed him. How, I am not sure. He does have a lot of angel blood pumping through his veins. I assume it's a gift, but I'd have to have more time to be absolutely sure. For the time being there is no doubt about what he did, though. He somehow managed to pull the poison out of Simon and give him strength to be healthy."

We all stare at the warlock, shocked. I look at the little golden haired boy perched in Jace's lap, disbelief flooding me. How could someone so small and young manage to do such a thing? Angel blood or not, it seems almost unthinkable.

Shaking his head, Jace eventually speaks. "Well, we always knew he was special." He kisses his son's forehead. "I guess we just found out how."

Isabelle looks thoughtfully at the boy. "When he grows older he could be extremely useful. Healing those otherwise doomed. Staying on the battlefield to mend the wounded."

Jace tightens his grip around Stephen. "Please don't talk about him like that. He's only a baby."

A wistful expression crosses Isabelle's face. I take her hand, threading my fingers through hers. "What is it?" I ask, tone soft. I'm still trying to forget the sting of her not saying I love you back to me, but I know later when I'm alone that it will gnaw at me like a dog does to a bone.

"Nothing. It's just that Clary said the exact same thing..." she trails off, eyes misty. I swallow against the lump in my throat, and Jace goes white again. As we sit in silence I realize one thing. The only thing that matters.

We have to get Clary back. No matter what happens. No matter how hard it is. She risked her life to save me, even when I had been the world's biggest asshole. Maybe it's my turn to risk my life. Anything to bring her home.

Because when I look at Stephen and Jace I realize that that is exactly where she belongs. Right there, with her little boy and the man she loves more than anything in the entire world. She is the missing piece to their puzzle.

She belongs with her family, and I will die before I let Sebastian keep her from them.