Clary POV
I take a breath and lift my hand up to my necklace; the one that holds the Herondale locket and my Morgenstern ring. I unclasp the chain and slip the ring off into my palm, before re-clasping the chain back onto my neck and sliding the ring onto my finger. I close my eyes and focus on connecting to Jon.
We are all gathered in the kitchen, planning on rescuing Jon. Magnus asked me to contact Jon so that we can make sure of his location again, so I am doing exactly that. It has been four days since I have last contacted him, so that is exactly what I'm doing. Magnus sent the SD-card to Headquarters yesterday, so at least we don't have to worry about that anymore. Headquarters said that Jon was our next mission, because once we get back to New York, they are going to charge Hodge with all of the crimes that were recorded onto the hard-drive that we retrieved about a month back. Apparently, they already have him half-way convicted; they just need one last push to put him away for good. Take that, bitch.
I glance towards the small calendar that Izzy hung up on the fridge two days ago and internally groan. August 27. Holy hell, we've been at this mission for almost two months! I am brought out of my haze, by my ring projecting Jon's face into mid-air. I smile at him tentatively, but frown when I catch the solemn look that seems to be plastered onto his face.
"Jon? Are you okay?" I ask warily. He grimaces and nods slightly, while trying to muster up a convincing smile. Sadly for him though, I see completely through his façade. "Jon?" I ask again, starting to worry. He sighs and gives up his fetal attempts at a smile.
"Yeah, Clare. I'm fine." He mumbles, sounding exhausted. Thanks, bro. That really relieved my concerns.
"No. You aren't. What happened?" I ask quietly, trying to keep the fear out of my voice. Be strong for Jon. He slips me a half-grin, before sighing again.
"These bastards sure know how to wear you down, I'll tell ya'." He says tiredly. I try not to show any signs of worry, because I know that Jon loathes me worrying over him, but I know that he notices by the slight eye roll that he sends my way.
"What did they do." I demand softly, trying not to stress-out my brother anymore that he already is. He closes his eyes and groans softly over the audio.
"I back-talked some shithead, and I'm almost positive that he dislocated my shoulder." He murmurs sheepishly. I feel the tell-tale signs of rage course through my blood at the thought of anyone hurting Jon and can feel my features fixing themselves into those of hatred.
"I'm gonna kill a bitch." I growl to him, unconsciously causing the whole group to turn their attention towards me. Jon chuckles halfheartedly and nods.
"Yeah, I'll help you when I get out of this hellhole. By the way, when are you guys going to come save my ass?" he asks, gaining some of his old joking personality back. I smile slightly, before an arm is draped around my shoulders, effectively taking my attention away from Jon. I look behind me and find that Magnus is hanging off of me. Kind of like a sloth. He grins, like his usually sparkly self, at Jon and waves jokingly.
"Hello, you look strangely familiar. Do I know you from anywhere, because I could swear that our little Hot-Cheeto here has a brother that looks exactly like you." He says lightly, causing me to look at him incredulously.
"Hot-Cheeto? What the fuck?" I demand, fighting back the smile that is threatening to break through my lips. Magnus just shrugs and smiles innocently.
"I figured that it fit your personality best." He picks up a strand of my hair and curls it around his finger. "The red is almost identical. And let's face it; you sure know how to burn a hole into someone's ego. Suspiciously like how a hot-cheeto burns one's tongue." He states factually, causing the whole room, and Jon, to burst out laughing at his logic. Where does this guy get this stuff?
"Thanks, I guess." I mumble quietly after we have all calmed down. Magnus just smirks at me, before turning back to Jon.
"Okay, so we are planning on coming for you in about two days; maybe three. It really all depends on how quickly we can make it to the Maine Institute. We'll have to take their jet, considering that you're all the way in Italy." He explains, suddenly all business. Jon frowns in confusion for a moment, before looking sharply at Magnus.
"Shit! I knew that I forgot to explain something." He mumbles to himself, causing all of us to look at him in confusion. "The guards moved me last night. Threw me onto a huge-ass jet and shipped my ass over to the U.S. I don't actually know which state I'm in, but it has a lot of mountains. Maybe Colorado or some shit like that." He quickly explains. I furrow my brows and look towards Magnus, only to see that he looks immensely relieved.
"Great! Now we can come get you tonight." He exclaims, before looking down at his phone. "Okay it's around 2:30pm, so we should be able to track you and take the jet to wherever you are before 9:00. We don't even have to be careful and quiet this time. Starkweather is going to be locked away for a long time, so if we disturb some of his guards' bases, it most likely won't matter to anyone. Well, anyone important anyway." He says brightly, before going back over to the table and typing something into his laptop. I turn my attention back to Jon and smile softly at him.
"We'll get you out. Hopefully tonight." I promise him, causing him to smile genuinely for the first time since his face has been projected today.
"Wonderful. I really need someone to pop my damn shoulder back into place, because I can't make myself do it. It hurts like a mother-fucking bitch." He mumbles quietly, his face showing signs of relief and discretely shown pain. I sigh slightly and sit down at an abandoned chair.
"I'll make those ass-wipes pay." I whisper angrily, causing him to chuckle.
"Of course you will. That's why I love you, little sis'. You always know how to make me feel better." He says back to me, causing my heart to ache for him. I muster up the courage to smile back though and nod.
"Love you too. I miss you." I mumble breathlessly, trying desperately to keep the tears at bay. After all, the entire group is sitting not even five feet away from me. Jon's eyes get sad and he takes in a deep breath, before speaking.
"I miss you too." He pauses, causing my heart to drop to my stomach when I hear the sound of a door opening. His eyes go wide and he frantically looks back at me. "They're coming. I have to go. Bye." He whispers reluctantly. I nod slightly and swallow against the tight feeling that has gathered in my throat.
"Bye, Jon." I whisper back, before his face disappears and I am left with an empty feeling in my stomach.
I clear my throat and take a deep breath, but I can feel the emotions coming and nothing is going to be able to stop them. I hastily stand up from my chair, ignoring the worried looks and concerned gazes sent my way, and run towards the stairs. I quickly make my way up the large spiral, and soon I am stomping up the small staircase that leads to the loft.
I walk over to the small space where Jon and I placed old mattresses to use for beds and sit down. I bring my knees up to my chest and bury my face into my arms. I take in a ragged breath, before letting the tears fall. I feel like I am mourning over someone who isn't even dead, but the hallow feeling that has settled into my heart tells me that it's a different story. I'm either just being idiotically emotional or I have detachment issues. I'll go with the latter. I close my eyes and let my mind wander off into my memories.
Jon and I playing with Simon, Jon and I celebrating our birthdays, Jon and I going over to Grandma Seraphina's house to bake cookies, Jon and I going to Grandma Seraphina's funeral, Jon and I sneaking into our parent's secret library to steal books, Jon and I going on treasure hunts down by the tide pool, Jon and I taking karate classes in the Pre-Agency program, Jon and I graduating the Agency program, Jon and I going to our parent's funeral, Jon and I living with Robert until Jon turned 17, Jon lying to the government about his age and becoming my legal guardian, etc.
The memories hit me like a freight train, making me gasp for air. I am now crying silently and trying to make myself disappear. I end up laying down on the old mattresses, curled up into a ball and my body racked with sobs. I end up finally calming down enough to think rationally, temporarily anyway.
Why am I even crying? It's not like Jon died or anything. Man up! You might miss him, but this behavior is a little unacceptable. Stop being a pussy and go back downstairs. They're all probably looking for your weak ass. Get up bitch! I try to convince myself, but I can feel my eyelids getting heavy and soon enough the weight of sleep is pulling me under. Right before I let the dark abyss consume me though, I vaguely hear my name being closed, but I'm too far gone by now. With one final sigh, I relax and try to find some peace. At least for a little while…
Time Jump
I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing that I know, is that I'm being carried by strong arms. I groggily open my eyes, to see Jace's face looking down on me worriedly. I try to get up, but he holds me tighter to him, and that's when I remember that I am being carried. I relax slightly and lay my head into the crook of his neck. I hear him open a door, and then I am being set down gently onto a bed. I sit up slowly and take in my surroundings. My room. We're in my room. I feel the bed dip and look over to Jace, who is sitting next to me and watching me with unhidden concern.
"What happened?" I ask confusedly, my voice coming out thick from the earlier tears that I shed. He slowly shakes his head and blows out a breath.
"I don't actually know. One minute you were talking to Jon, and the next you were booking it up the stairs. We literally looked for you everywhere, but nobody knew about the loft. We all thought that it was some sort of closet, because you said that it wasn't a bedroom. We were all so worried." He finishes; his voice no louder than a whisper. I frown and look down at my lap. I never wanted them to worry. I was just upset and needed some time alone.
"I just miss Jon and got upset over nothing. I'm fine." I mumble quietly, avoiding eye contact and playing with my fingers. I her him sigh and the next thing that I know, his arms are around me and are pulling me tightly to him.
"You just scared me. I thought that you left or something. Nobody could find you, but after about an hour I ended up going up into the loft. They're all probably looking for you still." He says softly into my ear. I sniff a little and wrap my arms around his waist.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to worry you guys. I just needed to be alone for a while." I whisper into his t-shirt. He kisses the top of my head and starts drawing patterns onto my back.
"It's okay. We should probably get downstairs though. You've been gone for a little over an hour and a half. They're all probably frantic." He declares while standing up, bringing me up with him. I nod and stifle a yawn. He starts towards the door, my hand clasped tightly in his, and then we are descending the large spiral-staircase and walking into the kitchen. Everyone is gathered around the table again, but they don't seem to notice me and Jace yet.
"-so that means that we can leave in about two hours. Jon is located in Olathe, Colorado. He's been locked up in some sort of office building. It won't be that hard to find; Olathe is one of the smallest towns in Colorado. We should just be able to go in, get Jon, and get out. Starkweather's guards aren't going to make some captive the main priority, when Hodge is presently in Court. According to Headquarters, he's basically going to be convicted either way; even if we do get Jon and go back to New York. He's going down and is going to try to take everyone that he can with him. We should probably go straight to New York after we retrieve Jon, just in case Starkweather has other plans." Magnus explains, completely oblivious of Jace and I still. Jace walks quickly to his side and sits down into a spare chair, taking him by surprise.
"So, we should go get ready shouldn't we? I mean, we still have to drive to the Maine Institute." Jace says. Magnus nods slightly and types something into his laptop.
"Yes, but one of their cars will come pick us up. We have to go all of the way back into Augusta, so we'll have to bring all of our stuff with us. We most likely won't be coming back here after we get Jon; we'll go straight to the New York Institute on the jet that we're going to take to Olathe." He says tiredly. No one has noticed me yet, so I decide to make my presence known.
"Um, when are we leaving?" I ask quietly, causing every single head, save Jace, to snap over to me.
"Clary! Where were you?!" Izzy exclaims, jumping up from her chair and running over to capture me into a giant hug. This display of affection takes me by surprise, so I stumble a bit before regaining my balance and standing there awkwardly while Izzy squeezes me to death. I finally am able to untangle her from my slight form and I look around at all of the curious faces.
"I was in the loft." I state plainly, looking to Jace for help. He seems to sense my desperation, because he gets up from his chair, grabs my hand, and pulls me down onto his lap.
"Leave her alone guys. We have more important things to attend to right now." He declares lightly, but his tone shows a hint of warning in it. They all nod reluctantly and sit back down. Magnus clears his throat, before speaking.
"We need to leave in around two hours, that's when the car from the Institute is going to be here, so we need to have all of our luggage out front and ready to load into the limo when it gets here." He explains. Jordan raises an eyebrow and smirks.
"We get to ride in another limo?" he asks incredulously. Magnus just nods and motions towards the stairs.
"You should all go gather your belongings. You need to be dressed in your gear when the limo arrives and have all of your shit out front. Now go." He commands teasingly, adding a sly wink at me before disappearing up the stairs himself.
Everybody follow him closely behind, except for me and Jace. We amble slowly up the stairs; not talking but not in an awkward silence. When we reach the hallway that divides up the rooms, he grabs my hand and pulls me to his chest. Taken by surprise, I fall onto him and he has to catch me to keep me upright. I look up into his eyes and am surprised at how brightly they are glowing. The sight takes my breath away, so I can't seem to make myself talk. Before I get a chance to though, his mouth collides with mine. I wrap my arms around his neck and he winds his around my waist. We press closely to each other for only god knows how long, before we finally break apart; gasping for air. I look up at his face and quirk an eyebrow at him.
"What was that for?" I gasp out curiously, causing a child-like grin to take over his features.
"Can I not just kiss my beautiful girlfriend?" he says lightly, pressing his forehead into mine. I slightly shake my head against his and let out a breathy chuckle.
"Not that I'm complaining, but that was really sudden." I state, still trying to catch my breath. His grin widens slightly and he looks deep into my eyes.
"Did you not like it?" he inquires teasingly. I breathe out a silent giggle and lean up to kiss his nose.
"Maybe." I say playfully, before leaning out of his grasp. His eyes sparkle mischievously and he reaches out to grab me again, but I dance away further. "Go pack. We have to leave soon." I say mock-sternly, I even go as far as pointing a finger at him, before walking towards my room. I hear him chuckle quietly and hear his retreating footsteps towards his room.
"You sound like my mother." He mumbles softly, but I still hear him. I turn towards him and cock an eyebrow.
"So, you just go around and randomly make-out with your mother?" I ask innocently, causing him to full out laugh.
"Go pack, Rossa." He says half-heartedly, before closing his door and leaving me to do the same.
Time Jump
Exactly two hours later, a large black limo pulls up in front of the lighthouse. Magnus calls everyone outside, where all of our luggage is already, and then we are all being loaded onto the limo along with our stuff. The ride to the Augusta Institute is about 45 minutes, so we all settle down for the ride.
Soon enough, we are at the Augusta Institute and we are lead to the jet by another agent. We all pile onto the large tin-can and take our seats for the long flight to Olathe. Colorado here we come…
So, yeah. There's another chapter. Enjoy. Cassandra Clare owns all; except for the plot and my ideas.
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