Dark Stained Soul

by Eveythefirst

Alec travels to Edom to bring Magnus back. Something goes wrong and Jace must fix the parabati bond. Both learn that some things cannot be fixed with a wave of magic and a dose of medicine. And that love does not always stay the same.

2. Chapter 2

Dark Stained Soul

By Evey

Chapter Two

Whiiiiirrr.

The sound of the centrifuge sounded quietly in the laboratory. Everything was metal and sterile, several counters along the outside of the room with several worktables in the center. Jace stared up at the blank ceiling and spun his stele in his hands while waiting for the whirring machine to finish its spinning task. Blonde hair still wet from the shower he took to clean the mission and blood off his skin, fresh bandages across his muscled chest from the wound Alec had given him. Wondering just what Izzy was about to find in Alec's blood.

"I'm afraid of what I might find."

That had been her reasoning to Jace when she selected Jonathan's blood first to test. Avoidance.

Face your damn fear Izzy.

She had already completed Jonathan's tests. Had not revealed to him what she found, just that she needed to talk to Clary about it first. When she had asked Jace to give Clary's phone a call Jace had balked and said no. Leaving Izzy to call Clary, leaving her a voicemail to come to the lab when she got a chance. Jace had not explained why he did not want to call Clary and Izzy hadn't pushed.

He spun his stele, the weapon used to activate the angelic runes on a Shadowhunters body, through his fingers in a complicated twist, bringing it back around and flipping it to his other hand to continue.

"Would you stop doing that!?" exclaimed Izzy, snapping her dark head up to glare in Jace's direction, her pen stopping its writing. Jace fumbled, dropping the stele where it hit the ground with a loud snap. Two pieces skittering across the laboratory floor in opposite directions.

Jace gave her a sheepish smile, shoving his hands behind his blonde head in the hopes she didn't notice the broken stele on the floor.

"Pick. It. Up." She growled while pulling her own black hair back into a ponytail away from her face.

"Iz." He started to placate her, saw her dark eyes narrow further in his direction. "Fine. But that thing needs to hurry up." He bent to pick up the two pieces off the floor.

"That thing is a centrifuge. And these things take time. I'm not messing this up Jace. Alec needs us."

Bloodwork isn't going to fix this.

Still he held an inkling of hope that it could be fixed with a wave of magic and a dose of medicine. Because Jace had no idea how to fix a broken soul.

"I was hoping Magnus could use his warlock magic to heal Alec. His knowledge of healing spells must be extensive." Izzy unknowingly spoke Jace's thoughts. "Maybe Alec could use his parabati around as well. Your bond must have some magic tied to this."

Nope. Not answering that.

"Where did Magnus run and hide?" Jace dodged the invitation to delve into that, walking across the room to the bin for broken steles, tossed the two stele pieces into the pile of other weapons to be repaired. Izzy raised her dark eyebrow in his direction.

"Magnus, left to perform some research on damaged souls and how to extract magic from a body safely."

"Yeah. Right. So he can wave his hands and throw some blue sparkles at the problem. That's not going to fix Alec." He muttered more to himself, but Izzy still heard him.

"I sense some unresolved tension here. Jace, you know Magnus would have done anything in his power to save Alec."

"But he didn't!" Jace punched the bucket of broken weapons across the counter, watched it careen off into the floor where it crashed, spilling most of its contents across the floor. He ignored the mess, stepping over it towards Izzy. "He lost him! He said it himself. And now I can't feel anything from him." He knew he was close to crying, reared back away from her to stop any tears from spilling, eyes wide.

"But you know he is still in there." She pointed to his hip, where the parabati rune was hidden under his shirt. Her large eyes shown with understanding. "Whatever happened you two are strong enough to have survived it, together. Alec is infected, we can visibly see that. But he is a fighter, he always has been. You can throw him in a room filled with Shax demons and he would take them all down. You know he is stronger than this. He was always the more stable and rational one between the three of us. If anyone can pull through an Edomic infection it is him."

Jace shook his head. He had felt a small piece of what Alec had gone through. His rune still ached just standing in the room and he had been fighting an urge to go back down to Alec's cell and sleep outside the glass since they had finished their meeting two hours ago.

Stupid idea.

"Izzy. I stood right in front of him. I touched him. I couldn't sense anything he was feeling. I don't know his state of mind and its fucking with my head." He admitted, brow furrowed trying to think. No one but Alec's sister would come close to understanding what he meant by this.

Except that low pulse and burn.

That thought brought back the kiss. That kiss was screwing with his head more than it should have. He shoved the memory to the back of his head where it needed to stay. It kept coming back.

Izzy wrapped her arms around him. "When you were on the boat with Valentine. Alec said he couldn't feel you either. Maybe this is similar, just a block because of the injury from Edom."

I didn't want him to find me back then.

"Izzy, it is not a block."

"All the more reason to discover what went wrong in Edom. Alec informed us he was alright, maybe he is. I counted 28 angelic runes on his body and that was without doing a full body scan. Those runes had to have done something for him. Also, they are males, you get body scan duty."

Jace shot her a look full of loathing at the last part. It was technically standard procedure, but everyone hated it. He also could not shake the feeling that Alec had lied to them about something, maybe all of it.

Ding!

The centrifuge started to slow and stop. Izzy broke away to go start the needed tests.

"Go get some food and bring me back some too. I've had something to focus on keeping my mind off Alec. You haven't. Go play piano or talk to Clary." She suggested while pulling the vial out and beginning to prep the slides.

Jace knew she was right. He had been hovering in her lab. Hiding, since their meeting had broken up. Mostly, with nothing to do but wait. He sighed out a grumbled "Fine." Before turning to do as she suggested.

"And don't forget to pick up this mess!" She hollered.

Jace grumbled but returned to pick up the mess he had made of her floor. Once finished he headed out in search of the piano.

Not avoiding Clary. Yeah keep telling yourself that and one day you'll believe it.

o – o- o- o – o

The first note ringing out from the large black piano brought the same mixture of grief, pain, joy and love it always did. He pushed past like he always did and began to play Chopin. Nocturne Opus was one of his favorites.

Play it right, you make a mistake I break a finger.

Jace let the past memory drift away before it sunk its nails in. Let his hands glide across the keys picking up pace and slowing at various parts of the song. Losing himself in the music. Letting the tension drain from his body, allowed his mind to drift and let his eyes fall half closed relying on muscle memory to continue the song. His fingers went right into another from Chopin, then Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, back to Chopin's Nocturne Opus. Always completing the entirety of composition before moving onto the next.

"I don't think I've ever heard you play."

Jace jumped slightly at Clary's soft voice from the doorway. He didn't want to deal with her right now. He had searched out the piano and its voice strictly to avoid her voice. It brought guilty thoughts full of heat back to the surface. With the guilt came the sorrow of the past couple days the music had briefly obliterated from his mind.

Pathetic, you are the strongest.

He slowly met her gaze, knowing his blue and brown eyes held the sadness he had been feeling since capturing Alec.

"Yeah. I don't play around others." He slightly laughed at himself as he said it, eyes shooting to the side, before landing back on the piano before him.

Played for Alec all the time.

"You know, before I met you. Simon and I were in a band together. Well, he would play all the songs. I just made the artwork." She meandered over before sitting down on the cushioned piano bench beside him. "I can hear the emotion in your music. It brings out the soul of what you feel. It's beautiful."

I need…

He did not want her to understand he was playing for himself. Didn't want her sympathy, didn't deserve it. Instead he returned to his old kneejerk reaction that had been ingrained in him most of his life.

"Clary, I don't feel anything. It's just a bunch of notes." He made a soft laugh, nearly a scoff when he said it.

Wrong thing to say. Clary's green eyes hardened. "Really? We're back to this now? This attitude is how you treated me when I first met you? Jace, I thought you had moved past this with me."

Fuck off.

She continued lecturing, headless of the growing anger on his face. "Just because Alec got hurt doesn't mean you fall apart. The Jace I know doesn't fall apart. He doesn't let anything stop him."

"Alec is my parabati! He's more than just hurt. If we can't cure him our bond will break!" Jace argued, fists clenching over the keys.

"Alec survived it breaking before. Lucian survived it. Even your step-dad survived it! It happens all the time." She yelled back, standing up. "You know what? I came in here hoping for some sympathy from you about Jonathan. Obviously I was wrong." She stormed towards the door, red hair bouncing behind her.

He knew she was right. Parabati bonds broke for a number of reasons; death mostly, if one became a Silent Brother or Iron Sister, or if one became a downworlder. The angelic magic would fade or snap and so would the bond. What she didn't understand was just how painful that would be. Alec never told him what it felt like and Jace had been wrapped up in his own cowardice and problems to ask. The angel raising him from the dead had been a lot to deal with back then. Why the bond returned he just assumed was due to the Angel.

Damnit. Fucking woman.

"Clary wait."

She paused, glanced back at him from the threshold of the door. Jace took a breath, forcing himself to bring his blue and brown eyes to stare into her green. "Look I'm sorry alright. The last few days have been a nightmare that I can't escape from. If there is some news about Jonathan, good or bad. I'd like to hear it."

She smiled softly, the anger in her green eyes shifting to something warmer. "Izzy's tests discovered that Jonathan has zero traces of demonic essence anywhere. He's a normal Shadowhunter. He can live a normal life."

The murdering psycho.

His eyes widened. "You want to give a murderer another chance? Clary. He used you. He tried to kill you. He tried to kill all of us."

"He's still my brother. Valentine threw him away the moment he could. Jonathan wasn't even given a chance to learn what a normal family was supposed to feel like. Everything he has ever know has been taught to him by demons or told he was a monster by Valentine. What if. What if there is a way to rehabilitate him? He is not part demon anymore. He can live the life he was meant to have before Valentine experimented on him." Her voice was filling up with tears, begging him to understand.

"Clary this is insane. Jonathan will try to kill anyone for no other reason than he can."

"You don't know that."

"The Clave will never let him become a Shadowhunter." He stood from the piano bench, needing to move. Began pacing back and forth.

"He already proved himself as a Shadowhunter when he disguised himself as Sebastian. He was amazing as a Shadowhunter. He has knowledge that could help our cause. Expertise that would strengthen even your fighting skills." She tried to reason.

Jace was not hearing any of it. "The answer is no. I'm not giving that murdering psycho a free pass." Jace firmly informed her, staring into her green eyes trying to pierce the answer against her skull.

"Tough. I already called a Silent Brother to review him and begin rehabilitation."

What the actual fuck.

"Clary. No! How would they even contain him? He could take out the entirety of the Brotherhood given half a chance."

"He won't. I talked to Jonathan myself. He's different now. I can see it." She pleaded.

This is going to explode in my face.

"Does the Clave know? They were here earlier for the souls ejection point review."

"No. I had Magnus contact Brother Zachariah directly to examine Jonathan. Apparently, the Brotherhood can do a few things without the Clave knowing." She smirked.

"What about Alec?"

Don't touch him. Please. Don't touch him. If the Clave knew how much Edom's magic had infected him they would quarantine Alec and kill him immediately.

"Well, I just assumed he would be examined as well. This way both get rehabilitated together. Everyone's problems are solved." She sounded so blasted pleased with herself.

Never assume anything.

No. He couldn't let a Silent Brother know Alec was missing a chunk of his soul, knowing Magnus was aware was bad enough.

Jace adopted a casual forced stride past Clary, itching to sprint to Maryse and Lydia's joint Head of the Institute office. Heartbeat pounding in his chest the entire way there, Clary jogging to keep up with his quick pace. He shoved the heavy oak door open. He didn't bother knocking.

Need to proceed with caution, this is Maryse.

Maryse sat at Alec's desk going over paperwork, blue light from the computer screen shining on her face, skin completely clear and bare of runes from her brief exile. She looked up leaning back in her chair when Jace and Clary arrived together.

"Clary wants to dispatch a Silent Brother to Alec and Jonathan's cell. You can't allow it." Jace stated angrily. The earlier reminder to himself failing to rein in his concern.

There went caution.

Sometimes he hated how he couldn't be the perfect soldier.

"Your objection is noted. Why are you suddenly against the idea?" Maryse glanced between the two of them, observing the tension, before setting her pen down and pushing the paperwork to the side. "Jace. The Silent Brother was your idea. And it was a decent one."

No it was most certainly not.

"No, it wasn't." Jace started to defend himself, crossing his arms across his chest.

His adoptive mother must have read his face, because she crossed her arms over her chest, expression shifting into a sterner one. "Yes, Jace, it was. You mentioned it when we first brought Alec and Jonathan in. At the time I did not feel it immediately necessary to bring a Silent Brother into this Institute. It would raise questions back in Idris. However, I can use Jonathan's strange recovery to have Alec looked at as well."

Fuck, he did say that.

That was before logic had sunk in later while sitting in Izzy's laboratory. Parabati bonds were sacred, usually if one of the halves was infected with enough demon blood to change into a vampire or werewolf the bond would break. Alec missing part of his soul had to mean something horrible to the Silent Brothers. Yet, the one Silent Brother Jace had interacted with had covered up whatever was going on with the bond.

Brother Zachariah.

Maryse continued. "Clary came to me shortly after Izzy informed her of Jonathan's results. The Silent Brothers have always had ways of treating the mind that we cannot hope to accomplish here at the Institute. Their own rituals involve the soul. Something Alec will need. But Jonathan needs to be dealt with first. And we need a Silent Brother for that. I cannot let my personal problem interfere with the duty that is required of us."

An icy chill of rage went through Jace.

"You still put your reputation before your own son. After everything we have been through." Jace couldn't believe what he was hearing, her priorities.

I thought you cared about Alec. He is your son.

"Jace. I'm following orders. Orders you would understand if you slowed down. The Clave has brought me back from exile because of Alec's sudden inability to lead this Institute. After Jonathan's decimation of our ranks they require anyone they can get. I presided over this Institute before. I will do so again. There are already questions concerning the decimation of Edom by one single Shadowhunter. People are talking. They need answers to Jonathan's presence here and this Institute needs to show it can still function without Alec. If word got out about Alec's health, they may not wait to have a Silent Brother look at him. They may order him killed."

Jace locked his shoulders back, digging his fingers into his arms where he still had them crossed. Usually, Maryse treated him as the favored son, the perfect warrior, he could still gain some traction for Alec.

"Only Brother Zachariah. No one else." Jace demanded, still uneasy about the idea. He held Maryse's gaze not backing down until he saw her nod once.

I'm not going to lose him to the Brotherhood.

"Thank you Jace." Clary sounded relieved.

A knock on the heavy door sounded.

"Mom. It's Izzy. I have Alec's results." Isabelle's muffled voice carried through the door.

"We will discuss this further at tomorrow's conference. Go get some rest. You look like you both need it. Dismissed." Maryse ended the conversation and returned to her work fully expecting them to obey.

"I'm staying." Jace announced, planting his feet harder into the floor as if that would stop Maryse from throwing him out if she wanted too. Clary moved to the door to open it for Isabelle.

Maryse gave him a long look, weighing her next decision. He saw her brown eyes flicker towards her daughter in the doorway. "Clary, dismissed. Jace, stay." She leaned forward and motioned for Isabelle to come in with a wave of her hand. Clary closed the door quietly behind her and left.

Jace remained locked where he stood. He felt Isabelle approach until she stood beside Jace facing Maryse. A quick glance told him Izzy was still in her white lab coat, file clenched tightly in her hands.

"Well, what did you discover?" Maryse's sharp voice would sound demeaning to anyone who didn't know her. Jace understood it as a demand.

Jace clenched his hands against his elbows harder, digging. Izzy took a deep breath as if to steady herself. "Alec has both angelic and demonic essences inside him."

"So what is he a Seelie now?" Jace tried to cover his nerves with a vague joke. Fingers digging into his arms hard enough to start bruising now.

Maryse remained silent only crossing her arms and leaning further back in her chair.

"I'm not entirely certain. It appears to be from Edom. So definitely not Seelie. I would put him closer to a warlock as their magic comes directly from Edom and other hellish realms." Izzy chanced a glance at Jace, tears shining in her eyes, before facing Maryse again. "Mom, the amount of demonic essence should have changed him into an Endarkened."

Demonic Shadowhunter.

Maryse was silent for a long moment. "Will it?" Maryse whispered, blinking back her own tears for her son.

"It won't. That's the only good news I have. It appears to be locked in a stalemate with his angelic essence."

English please.

"Which means what exactly?" Jace inquired. "Can we just inject him with the remaining vial of heavenly fire?"

Izzy sat down in the nearby chair, looking exhausted, smoothing out her lab coat. "It would work if we had any left. The last vial was stolen sometime between making the sword that broke Clary free and Lucian gaining his runes back."

This can't be real.

"Do we have any options?" Maryse asked, wiping a hand under her eyes.

Izzy smiled slightly, a brief flicker of hope forming in her eyes. "Either Simon or Jace can donate their blood, I can filter out the angel essence from their blood and maybe make another weapon or serum from that. But it will take time."

Jace found he couldn't stop blinking his eyes, kept trying to swallow around the lump in his throat. He felt more than saw Maryse get up from her chair to come around the desk and give Isabelle a tight hug. Knew he was next. Stumbled away from the two of them.

"I need to get to Alec."

He sprinted out of the room. He didn't care how it appeared to the others at that moment. There was a glass pane separating him from his parabati that he needed to reach.

O – o – o – o – o

Thump.

Alec's opened his dark eyes, glanced over at Jonathan only to find the red haired man asleep on his side, back pressed to the wall. He had been resting, drifting really. His side had not let him get a decent amount of shut eye and it seemed insistent on making his life miserable. He vaguely wanted to carve it off his body. Granted his arm wasn't fairing much better as it gave him a sting of disapproval at its mutilated state when he rolled over.

Least it makes it easier to carve the angel rune every hour.

Shuffle, shuffle. Thump.

Adrenaline jolted his body awake, he did a quick scan around the room again turning his dark head towards the glass pane of their adjoined cell, squinting his eyes to peer through the gloom and spotted a lump of cloth. Blankets and a dark blonde head sticking out.

Jace?

His heartbeat eased off. Alec sighed and tried rolling himself back over, intent on going back to sleep. He was still bitter about Jace refusing to let him out of this cage. Jace's faith in him was obviously still zero.

He never listens to me.

His rune had lost some of its frigid cold at least. The warmth lulling him back towards sleep. He let his arm fall to his side where it gave another sting when it hit the floor. He shook himself awake. Right, the angelic rune. Brought his left arm up and proceeded to etch the rune into his skin with his fingernails again, closing his eyes against the pain. Welcoming the burn when the rune was completed. Why it was activating without a stele he wasn't sure, but whatever the reason it was keeping him sane for the moment.

Yeah, because you've been incredibly sane since you left Edom.

Alec growled at himself, glanced back over at Jace. The body now lay quiet.

You better be asleep.

He inched closer, froze for a second when Jace shifted slightly. Then proceeded to army crawl, favoring his right arm, across the floor to the glass wall. Jace lay sleeping on the concrete floor on the other side. Pillow tucked under his head, arms wrapped around it in a choke hold.

Alec thought he would feel several different emotions upon seeing his parabati up close again, anger or that obliterating feeling of passion he had thought he was over. Relief was not one of them, but the rush of relaxation felt amazing as his muscles finally unclenched from the coil they had been locked in since he'd given his blood sample to Jace. He lay down opposite Jace, mirroring his body, pressing his back against the glass and let the warmth coming from his rune lull him to sleep.

O – o – o – o – o

The sword glowed in his hands as Jace brought the seraph blade from over his head down to directly in front of his chest. Spun to face the opposite direction and repeated the maneuver, eyes closed as he tried to picture the attack in his mind. Slow breath in, slow breath out. Turned, directed his blade into a slash to the side. Another rotation and he spun the blade back and forth in an attack.

"Come on Jace, meeting in 10." Izzy called as she walked by the main training room. Coffee in her hand, normal tight red dress in place of her white lab coat, dark makeup.

Jace didn't acknowledge just continued practicing the form until he ended it by slashing the sword back and forth twice in front of him followed by a lunging stab forward. Stood up and hollered after her. "I'll be there."

He turned the blade off and headed down to the Ops Center for the meeting Maryse had scheduled for them earlier. Rounding the corner he spotted red hair moving his way.

I don't want to deal with this.

"Where were you last night?" Clary demanded as she approached him. Her tiny body still smaller than he expected after only a couple months of training as a Shadowhunter.

"Sleeping."

"Really? With who?" She glared, eyes spitting fire. "Because you never came to bed."

They were fast approaching the meeting room and Jace could hear voices from beyond. He had severe reservations about showing up arguing with Clary in front of everyone. Even more reservations about telling her he had slept on the concrete in front of Alec's cell.

Think. Fast.

"No one. I didn't sleep in my room. Slept in Izzy's."

Please, don't ask Izzy.

Clary left his side and walked straight towards Izzy. Jace hurried to catch up.

"Izzy."

"Izzy!"

They both exclaimed at the same time. Jace begged Izzy silently, from behind Clary, to respond to him first, one hand reaching slightly out toward her before he dropped it.

Clary turned to glance back at Jace before whipping back around to look at Izzy, eyes flitted between the two trying to discern an answer to whatever question she had in her head.

"Jace sleep in your room last night?" Blunt and direct as always. Izzy's eyes slid over to Jace where he kept silently begging her to say yes.

"Yeah, we stayed up talking after our discussion with mom." Izzy said slowly, still looking between the two of them.

Thank you.

Jace let out a tiny sigh of relief. His eyes slid towards Clary, hoping she had not noticed the nonverbal exchange between himself and Izzy.

There was still a tension in her body and her lips were turned down into a small grimace of irritation. Jace expected her to continue her verbal assault only for her to turn her head towards him, a soft smile flicker onto her face and ask, "You ok?"

"Yeah. Yeah. We're both fine." Jace assured her, grabbing the top of the chair in front of him.

Clary swung her gaze back and forth between Jace and Izzy, before turning and finding a seat near Simon not far away.

"Want to tell me what that was about?" Izzy whispered, dark eyebrows raised in a sort of mock. She knew his reputation with women from the past. Which was terrible, he had typically just found short relationships that lasted no longer than a couple of weeks at most.

"Not really."

Clary had been his first stable relationship and now he couldn't seem to focus enough to even want her. All because that blistering kiss he couldn't keep out of his head.

"You can talk to me if you two are having a rough patch you know." Izzy squeezed his arm before sitting down near Simon, smoothing out her red dress as she did, dark runes standing out on her arms.

Not happening.

Jace threw himself into the chair in front of him just as Maryse walked in, went to grab his stele to start playing with it only to realize he had shattered it last night and had not bothered to retrieve a new one from the armory. Shoved his hands behind his blonde head instead and looked across the table. Magnus sat directly across from him, wearing some expensive tailored black suit and ridiculously expensive red shirt, complete with his glittery makeup. He was monitoring Jace with a sharp, knowledgeable gaze.

"Trouble in paradise?" Magnus flippantly inquired, sipping what appeared to be a cocktail complete with umbrella sticking out the top.

I would love a drink too.

Jace glowered at him, refusing to respond.

"Let's begin shall we." Maryse stood straight and tall before all of them. Her eyes briefly flickered towards Magnus and his obviously alcoholic drink before deeming it not worth her time. "Isabelle completed the blood tests on both Alec and Jonathan last night. Given the severity of the results I have deemed it necessary to bring in Brother Zachariah to review both of them. Jace, Simon you will begin donating blood to Isabelle at the lab. She intends to make an antidote with the angelic properties in your blood. Magnus, as the High Warlock of Brooklyn, will begin applying his magic to transfuse some of the Edomic magic out of Alec each day until he is healed. Jonathan's mental state will be determined by the Silent Brother. IF he truly is cured of his demonic side he will either be sent to the Silent Brothers or the Clave. Dismissed."

"You can't do that." Clary shouted, slamming her hands down as she stood up, all energy and self-righteousness.

"I can. And I will." Maryse remarked calmly with a bit of steel, back still straight.

"You told me we can try and rehabilitate him!" Clary stomped around the large table towards Maryse, eyes pleading.

"That is precisely what the Silent Brothers will do. Rehabilitate him. But he must answer for his crimes and for that he will need to stand before the soul sword and the Clave." The steel in her voice didn't waver, arms still calmly at her sides as Clary stormed past muttering to herself about the Clave.

Jace did not believe for one second Jonathan could be rehabilitated. He had murdered hundreds. The soul sword killing Jonathan would be an excellent blessing in his mind, Clary would be devastated though.

Magnus took a sip of his drink, swirling it in his hand. "I'm sure Biscuit will be fine. Not everyone understands her sympathies towards that evil ex-demonic sibling of hers."

"Yeah. You and me both." Jace laughed uncomfortably aware he should be following her, eyes still on the door where Clary had stormed out. Instead he turned his head back to Maryse, leaning forward in his chair. "I was thinking of giving Alec a blood transfusion instead. Wouldn't that work?"

"The heavenly fire power in your blood would be frail in that form." Izzy commented. "I already considered it."

Jace crossed his arms and leaned back looking at Magnus. "Couldn't you just drag the demonic essence out of him all at once? Use your magic."

Magnus had been observing him carefully since the meeting started and it was starting to make Jace's skin itch. Jace kept his face impassively blank, rubbed his fingers against his palm, missing his stele.

"That would kill him. Immediately. The amount of demonic power Alec was exposed to isn't like being exposed to regular demon ichor. He would have needed to bleed himself nearly to death breaking all seven Edomic seals. The hellish explosion afterwards would have filled his veins with that power. It should have killed him." Magnus's eyes flickered towards Jace's side. The weight of that golden gaze on his rune turned something sharp in Jace.

"Well it didn't." Jace snapped.

"No, it didn't. Instead he survived because his soul was stretched between two places at once." Magnus calmly stated.

Jace's hand dropped to the parabati rune under his shirt, shielding it. Heterochromia eyes locked with the warlock's glitter covered orbs. He suspected the warlock knew something Jace didn't.

What are you hiding?

"Let me spell it out to you, Jace. Alexander will not get better. You may remove Edom's taint from his body and he will heal, physically. But most of his soul has left. There is no coming back from that." A firm, finality in his voice that had Jace resisting the urge to run back down to Alec's cell and curl up on the floor where he had woken that morning. He resisted it, barely, body frozen instead.

Silence hung in the room. Simon shifted uncomfortably. Izzy gave a soft sob. Maryse pulled the chair in front of her out and sat down heavily.

Jace unfroze, reared back standing up, eyes clenching tight, before snapping open, zeroing in on Magnus in rage. "Alec is paying the price of your decision!"

"And you should never have let him come to Edom in the first place." Magnus's hissed softly, magic flickered angrily to the surface, sparks of blue jumping off his hand around the drink he was still holding.

"Let's work…" Maryse brought her palms down sharply on the table trying to interrupt them.

"Use your magic, warlock. He sacrificed everything for you. Do something!" Jace snarled, heterochromia eyes glaring daggers at Magnus.

"Jace. That's enough." Maryse ordered.

Jace stared at Magnus, taking a step back, head shaking side to side slightly. Tried searching for Alec's soul through the rune again. The same warmth followed by razor ice. The rune pulsed and burned when he reached again.

Please don't leave me, Alec.

He turned to leave, shoulder hitting the side of the doorway as he jogged out. There was only one place he wanted to be now.

O – O –O – O – O

The door to Alec and Jonathan's cell hissed open before Jace, taking a breath in, he shoved the cart full of supplies forward, the two buckets sloshing water over the sides. He may as well complete the task Izzy wanted from him as well.

Get him injected and get out.

The first thing he noticed upon entering was that there was no strong body sleeping pressed against the glass wall. A quick sweep of the room had his eyes landing on the two current prisoners. Alec was seated next to Jonathan across the room, oddly intimate with his right arm stretched across the others lap.

That's not weird at all.

Alec's gaze flickered from Jace to Jonathan before locking on Jace's face. Neither Jonathan nor Alec moved from their spot leaning against the wall.

Jace found himself hesitating which was unlike him, observing Alec's right arm stretched out across Jonathan's lap, littered in new bloody angelic runes. Jonathan hadn't stopped the mauling of Alec's arm until he had completed the newest rune, something vaguely sharp between his fingers. Mission reflexes kicking in, brought Jace to high alert.

He has a weapon.

"A stele would be excellent." Jonathan's green eyes clocked the movements of Jace from across the room, his casual polished voice flowing across the room easily. "It would be rather conducive to healing your parabati."

"He's not here to hurt us." Alec commented mildly, pulling his arm from Jonathan's grasp.

Jace watched a tremor travel up Alec's arm as he pushed to a stand. Jace pulled the cell remote from his pocket along with his new stele, hit a couple buttons to shift the invisible barriers in the room around allowing for him to place the buckets and clean clothes without needing to worry about the two attacking him.

"Nope. Jonathan stand over there, drop what's in your hand. Alec stand there." He picked up the buckets from the cart and dropped them at the indicated points. "Wash up. I've got bandages for your wounds." Jace informed them, dropping the clothes close to each bucket before crossing his arms in front of his chest as he stared down at the pair across from him. Vaguely wondering if the barriers would still allow Alec to cross them or not since they were set to detect demonic presence.

"Bit demanding isn't he?" Jonathan asked Alec, ignoring Jace, as he flicked a tiny piece of metal across the room where it bounced harmlessly against the floor. Jace couldn't make out what the bit of metal was from this distance.

"Do as he says. You argue with him, you won't see Clary." Alec replied, moving to the indicated spot.

Jace kept his eyes flicking between the two as he walked over to the bit of metal, picking it up. It was no bigger than his fingernail, bent out of shape until it was impossible to discern where Jonathan had even found the scrap.

Jonathan glanced at the clock, finally standing up and wandering over to the indicated spot. "I give it 10 minutes before he sees what you really are." He taunted Alec, before stripping off his clothes efficiently and began washing. Jace noted two faded demonic symbols on Jonathan's chest.

Jace wasn't surprised by the nudity. This particular cell was designed as an isolation cell and lacked most amenities the usual cell would house. The surprise came from witnessing Alec strip without complaint or blush. Jace felt a strange awkward tension fill him, forced his gaze to sweep clinically over Alec as he washed. He was here to observe for Izzy, search for any additional demonic runes and injuries that were unaccounted for. Apparently, Simon's suggestion to just knock them out and strip them to search was frowned upon. Jace had felt torn between agreeing with Simon and arguing on Alec's defense.

Right arm needs healing Iratze. Parabati rune enflamed. Wrist swollen.

Alec turned to the side, leaning down to continue washing when he saw them. Three demonic symbols scrawled across his back. He obviously couldn't have drawn them there himself. Jace eyed Jonathan distrustfully. Jonathan ignored him in favor of the bucket of water. The water hitting the floor from each of the detainees was a mild rust red. Watching the blood wash off Alec's arm made his stomach drop, black lines following his veins interlocking with the bloody angelic rune. Some were written over Alec's normal runes as well digging deep under the skin.

Demonic infection certain. Mundane infection probable.

"So what are the demonic runes used for?" he asked just to fill the silence, waving an arm towards Alec's body. Alec's whole body tensed and his eyes searched out Jonathan's form.

That was strange behavior.

"Breathing, extra blood, and stamina." Jonathan responded simply, but Jace could see him watching Alec carefully.

"Somehow I doubt those work similarly to our angelic runes. Your twinning rune overrode Clary's ability to think for herself. What do these do?" Jace kept his arms crossed in front of him, refusing to fidget in front of nudity.

Jonathan shrugged, pulling on the clean pants that were on the cart, grabbing the shirt next. Alec had stopped moving for the most part, hand itching his side, water dripping down his body. Jace felt his gaze being drawn back toward his body, examining the demonic runes on Alec's back.

"I made him live long enough to complete the ritual that broke his boyfriend out. You should be thanking me."

Yeah. Still don't know why you did that.

Alec's harsh inhale and strange jerky movement had Jonathan lunging across the room, only to come up short from the barriers Jace had erected earlier with the remote.

Jace automatically leapt between them, crossing the unseen threshold of one barrier. "Back off, Jonathan. You've done enough damage to him."

"I have, have I?" Jonathan sneered. Green eyes locking onto Jace before flickering towards Alec behind him.

Too late. Jace had not forgotten the viciousness Alec had displayed earlier, but habit had placed his back to Alec. Two strong arms came around his neck in a choke hold, hauling Jace up against a wet body, pressing hard and cutting off his air supply. Jace instantly threw his body weight back and then forward, bringing his hands up to dig in between the space between his neck and the arms cutting his breath off. His parabati rune flared to life bringing with it that strange burning heat.

"You are going to give back what is mine." Alec snarled, wet, muscled body pressed tightly to Jace soaking his clothes. Jace threw himself backwards, flailing his legs and kicking off the floor searching for anything he could throw Alec into that would loosen his grip. They hit the wall. Jace reached up and grabbed Alec's wet black hair and pulled as hard as he could throwing the body over his shoulder.

"You want something, ask for it. I'll give it to you." Jace snapped at him before striding over to Alec and grabbing him around the neck with one hand intent on throwing Alec across the room. He froze. Alec's eyes weren't brown, they were pure demonic black.

No.

The rune at his side flared wildly out of control. A mouth collided with his, moving feverishly against it. His brain must have gone into shock, there was no other reason to explain what he did next. The hand he had around Alec's neck slipping around and hauling Alec closer, kissing him back. A hot tongue slid across his teeth, before teeth bit his lower lip, ensnaring it, breaking the skin there. Alec's hand had fisted into his dark blonde hair at some point ensuring Jace remained stationary. A very wet, naked Alec pressed to his front.

Fuck.

Jace drew back, struggling to regain some control over what had just happened. Jace licked his lips tasting salt and iron. Alec's throat bobbed once, eyes fading from black to brown.

That was not supposed to happen again.

The silence held only their ragged breathing, even Jonathan was frozen in his spot.

Focus on why you are here.

Jace's mismatched eyes stared into brown once more. He reached into his back pocket slowly, grabbing the syringe he had brought with him and slammed it into Alec's shoulder, depressing the needle. Alec's eyes flew wide in surprise. Jace couldn't help the wicked grin that crossed his face.

Demon welcome my angel blood.

"What did you give me?" Alec stammered, backing away and yanking the needle out of his arm.

"Sedative." Jace shrugged. "Go get dressed." He tried to cover his confusion and shock with some normalcy.

Alec blinked, frowned, and then blushed dark red before stumbling over to pull pants on. "Just….just don't touch me."

You touched me first! Again!

Jace took a breath, trying to calm the whirling confusion and heat that had just blasted through his body. Time to finish this mission and get out, hopefully with dignity still intact.

"I told you, tremors and fever. Getting worse, Nephilim. Should ask your parabati to start carving those runes into you." Jonathan commented darkly, arms resting against the barrier separating them, he appeared not to care that it was burning his skin.

Alec rolled his eyes, but the moment his gaze flickered towards Jace it dropped to the ground, a harsh sound of pain escaping him, fists clenching tight.

Jace had no idea what Alec was thinking. Jonathan's comments adding tension to his shoulders. The only fact he did know was that he was about to approach a deadly warrior that was spiraling out of control. The whiplash of emotions Alec's actions were causing in him forming a need to do something.

"Alright. Easy now. Jonathan get off the damn barrier. Alec I'm going to come over there and draw the Iratze runes on you." Jace ordered, mind still scrambling to regain control of this whole situation.

Alec's entire body froze, neck so taut he could see corded tendons sticking out. "You'll regret it."

"Don't think I will." Jace ignored the threat, approaching slowly.

"Don't push me."

"Not pushing you." Jace whispered stopping in front of Alec, stele in hand, hands up. "We're on the same side."

Alec still refused to meet his gaze, body hunched over. Jace reached out with both hands to press against the skin on the mangled arm, slowly starting to draw the Iratze in gold. Alec's entire body shuddered, breathing uneven, when the rune activated, its gold seeping from his skin. Jace drew his hand down the arm tracing the dark black lines of demonic infection before retracing the rune again. The mangled angelic runes healed into something more faded, the demonic symbols on his chest fading slightly.

He chanced a glance up at Alec's face, his brow furrowed when he saw it still turned away.

He moved slowly to Alec's back afraid he might set off another violent attack, but Alec barely moved just kept his head turned to the side looking down. Brushed his hand against Alec's back in warning, watching goosebumps form before drawing a set of six Iratze around the three demonic symbols.

"Huh. Guess parabati bonds are sturdier than believed." Jonathan's low comment carried across the silence of the room. "You aren't dead yet."

Jace ignored him. Walked away from Alec, grabbing the dropped syringe, before returning with bandages for Alec's arm. Alec shifted to a more comfortable seated position. Jace started smearing everything in a salve before wrapping the bandages around Alec's arm efficiently, listening to Alec's breathing finally even out. Letting his fingers find Alec's temple before sliding down to the nape of his neck briefly before brushing down and away, telling himself he was checking for a fever. His parabati rune didn't feel so irritated now, but that pulse and burn was still lodged against his skin, slowly driving a feeling into his body he tried to dismiss.

"Alright, Jonathan, your turn. Any injuries that need to be addressed?" Jace questioned, standing up and moving away from where Alec had sunk to the floor.

"Well, I am perfectly healthy. I have your Nephilim to thank for that. Seems he couldn't let a wayward soul die in Edom."

Great. I came in here to help solve these problems not add to the fucking list.

O – O – O – O – O – O

"Well, here's the list of all known injuries and infections for Alec and Jonathan." Jace set the tablet down on the nearby desk as soon as he entered the armory. Clary was standing across the weapons worktable from her. Both were engrossed in cleaning various weapons of theirs. The entire room smelled of oil and metal. All sides of the room held various weapons displays and hidden nooks for more weapons to be stored.

Isabelle looked up from her work, smirked, then out-right laughed. "What happened to you?"

Alec happened.

Jace glared. He was not about to explain anything that happened down in that cell. He had wanted to change before finding Izzy but lost that opportunity on his way to his room when he had run into several other Shadowhunters on the way needing Shadowhunter advice or requesting training time slots. So here he stood still damp from the fight with Alec, lip still swollen and bloody from the kiss.

"Got in a fight with Alec." He tossed back smiling cockily. "I won."

"With a wet towel?" she deadpanned, eyebrow raised.

"You sent me down there to check on their condition. Not my fault they had issues with a bath and a few healing runes." He leaned one shoulder against the wall near her workbench smiling down at her. Disregarding the strange sensation that went through his stomach at the thought of his dark haired parabati.

"Well, what did you find?" inquired Isabelle, picking up the tablet, eyes scanning the document. "Good, Alec responded positively to the Iratze runes. Odd…Jonathan has zero injuries."

"Yeah I thought so too."

"Could this be more evidence that Jonathan is healed from the injections he received as a baby?" inquired Clary, her green eyes raked over Jace's damp form.

"Maybe." Jace pushed off the wall and sauntered over to the biohazard bin dropping the used syringe inside.

"You had to sedate one of them?" Izzy's eyes narrowed in mild concern, head cocking to the side.

"Who?" Clary immediately questioned after Izzy spoke.

Here this goes.

"Alec. It was the only way I could get close enough to place the runes."

Not exactly a lie.

"Are you ok?" Clary earnestly asked, leaving the worktable and coming toward him. She attempted to touch him but he dodged smoothly away.

"Yeah. Of course. Why wouldn't I be? It's Alec. I know how he fights. But Izzy I will need some more of those needles and a few blood sample containers."

Izzy appeared slightly confused by the request but relented. "Of course." She went over to her drawer of supplies and pulled out a pack of needles and a few empty containers before handing them over. All were empty. Then set the drug vial on the worktable in front of Jace.

Perfect.

"Clary, don't you have training with Jace and Simon soon?" Izzy asked.

Crap, she suspected something.

"Yeah, in about an hour." Clary responded.

"I have an idea. You want to show off that new skill I have been teaching you? Go start warming up, take Simon with you. Maybe two against one will prove Jace wrong as the fastest, strongest, and fiercest."

Clary smiled brightly, loving the idea of a challenge. "Jace, I'm going to win today."

Ever since joining their team she had been trying to outdo Jace and Alec in any capacity she could find. Ok, mostly Alec if Jace was honest. Those two held a competitive edge towards each other that Jace still hadn't figured out. Unfortunately, for Clary, she had yet to find anything she could best them in except drawing the runes the angels sent her.

"I think I'm still going to kick your ass!" He grinned back as she headed out the door.

"I'm going to go shelve these and head down to training." Jace stated, grabbing the vial off the workbench to add to the pile.

"Oh, no. You get to tell me what is going on with you." She smirked evilly at him, as if she found something amusing.

I'm kissing Alec.

"I can't do this right now. I have training to get too." Jace couldn't quite meet her eyes, spun on his heel and left quickly.

"Jace! She told me that ever since your illness you refuse to be intimate with her."

What the hell Clary!

Jace stopped walking, spun around and angrily approached Isabelle. "So we hit a rough patch, like every relationship does." He jabbed a finger at Isabelle's chest. "She doesn't need to complain to you about what we do or do not do together." Jace was trembling in anger, the parabati rune was heating up rapidly.

"Jace? Hey it's ok. I'm not going to judge. Look, I don't have a perfect track record with guys. I just started dating Simon. But I just wanted you to know you can talk to me if you need to about relationships. I might not have the best advice, but I can listen." She was looking at him with a mix of concern and pity.

Listen to me fu…

He viciously cut that thought off. Even as the heat from his parabati rune continued to pulse through his body. Tried rolling his shoulders back to stand normally and release the anger.

"Iz. I'm not sure where Clary and I stand right now and I'd appreciate it if you could back off long enough for me to figure it out."

"Right." She looked mildly annoyed and disbelief was written clearly across her face.

He sighed, rubbing his hand across his face, asking for patience. "Ever since Alec's injury the parabati bond hasn't felt completely normal. It has me on edge and sex is the last thing on my mind lately. I'm sorry that Clary is taking this poorly but she needs to learn that I'm connected to another person."

Isabelle's dark eyes lit with some inner understanding, lips curving up into a wicked smirk. "So until Alec gets better you can't have sex?"

That is so not what I just said.

"Fucking hell Iz. You know that's not what I mean." Jace threw his arms out in exasperation.

"Kind of sounded like it." She was smiling broadly now, holding back laughter. "You know, once Alec gets better, I'm totally hanging that you can't have sex without him over his head. He'll be permanently mortified, that or Magnus will convince you to do a threesome."

Didn't need the mental imagery.

"Iz!"

O – O – O – O – O – O

Darkness and light, the two dichotomies had always fascinated Alec. Two halves of the same whole always needing the other to show the other it existed.

This had been Alec's life for as long as he could remember. The Institutes leader that was never good enough. The brother that sinned for loving the one he should not. His own self-hatred that made him want to kill himself verse the struggle to survive.

The cold floor was still wet. He passed his hand across the bright light above him letting the shadow pass over his face, shielding his dark brown eyes.

"How does sanity feel?" Jonathan drawled from across the room.

Alec rubbed his hand over his eyes, before sitting up from where he had been laying on the floor. "It feels like living. You said "Life is a struggle." Well, so is sanity."

"Do you think I'm sane now?" Jonathan asked for the hundredth time since their escape from Edom.

No.

"You still enjoy pain. You still have an obsession over your sister…" he slid his hands through the dirty water, watching the muck make intricate patterns around one hand.

"She is my sister. She loves me. It's not an obsession." Jonathan leaned forward on his arms, corner of one lip turning up in a slight snarl.

Alec looked up at the lights above him briefly, licking his lips. "You also saved me. So you have some twisted sense of sanity in that head of yours."

"I'm the twisted one?"

Don't remind me.

Alec did not want to go over the massive sins he had committed since exiting Edom. The killing and Jace. Every time Jace got near him he lost all sense of reason.

"How did you deal with it?"

Jonathan smiled, showing his teeth. "I didn't. Do you hate me for it?"

Not anymore.

"I think I'm supposed too. You killed again and again without reason or remorse." He shrugged, looking at the brilliant green of Jonathan's eyes.

Something flickered across Jonathan's face, his eyes closing off. "I did. But I can be good, for Clary. But….how do you be good?"

Alec didn't have an answer to that. His own internal battle slowly driving him towards a madness a larger and larger part wanted to cave too. That part that killed the two shadowhunters he had under his own command, he knew them. The part that wanted to rip Jace apart.

Think of the opposite.

"Love. If you love something I don't think you are supposed to kill it."

"My mother wanted me dead. Father sent me to Edom. He claimed he loved me." Jonathan said tonelessly.

"Your father didn't care about you. He used you." Alec stated flatly.

"Just like your lovely parabati does not care about you? He seemed rather interested in returning your advances. Or is he only using you?" Jonathan advanced towards Alec slowly, grinning, teeth flashing. "That was not a sedative. You haven't tried to attack me in three hours."

"That's because he drew several new healing runes on me rather than just digging his nails in like a caveman." Alec snapped, slapping his hand down into the dirty water. The fact Jonathan had brought up Jace had his hackles rising.

"Next time I'll leave you to Edom's magic." Jonathan growled back eyes flashing briefly before turning to some unknown emotion.

Alec stared at him blankly, piecing together the turmoil Jonathan must be going through with detachment. The red haired man had no one. Alec's non-infected self had decided to protect Jonathan long enough to escape Edom. Jonathan had in turn helped him through those first terrible days even bringing him blood when they first exited.

"Just come over here." He patted the spot beside him, splashing the water slightly.

"Unlike your demented mind. I am not sitting in that. Come to me." Jonathan turned his body towards his usual spot against the wall and slid down the wall, kicking his legs out in front of him.

Alec didn't move. But after 30 minutes of silence Alec pulled himself up, noting the icy burn in his rune growing stronger, before stalking over to Jonathan. Jonathan just leaned his red haired head back in an unspoken challenge. Alec slid to the floor next to him holding his right arm out to Jonathan.

Jonathan inspected the healing iratze runes Jace had drawn on earlier, tracing each one carefully, found an open spot and dug his nails in harshly tearing open the skin. Alec grit his teeth together and said nothing.

O – O – O – O – O – O – O

A small body bounded around the corner to the breakfast hall. Jace spotted the blur and side stepped quickly. Reaching out an arm in an attempt to slow the brown flash down, only for said brown flash to slam directly into Clary who had been walking beside Jace.

"Max!" Jace admonished. "No running in the halls."

Max recovered from his bounce easily, grinned broadly before shoving a piece of paper into both Jace and Clary's faces. "I'm getting more runes!"

Jace squinted at the illegible paper flailing in front of his face before plucking it out of Max's grasp. "Acceleration, Action, Elemental shields….Max this is awesome. Is this because of how well you tracked Alec and Jonathan?"

"Duh. I'm the best tracker in history. Mom says if I keep studying I can learn every rune and have it applied. I'll be better than you. I'll be awesome!" He was practically bouncing in place with glee in the middle of the hallway.

"Congratulations Max. I didn't know there was a ceremony for more runes." The red head beside Jace told Max.

"So when is the big party?" Jace smiled, proud of Max for such a huge accomplishment.

"Mom wanted the party because I'm adding 5 new runes at once. And they usually just have the one celebration for the angelic rune, but since my awesome abilities brought my brother home, mom wanted to make it special." Massive smile still on his face bouncing back and forth in excitement, before darting off to his next victim to invite. "Time is on the paper!"

Jace glanced down at the paper. It was directly before Alec's review with the Silent Brother. An uneasy feeling twisted his gut, making his appetite for breakfast vanish altogether.

Crap.

The parabati rune gave a warning pulse. Sending his mind down a path towards the dark haired man locked in a cell several floors below him.

"Jace? Come on, let's go get breakfast down before training." Clary touched his shoulder.

He jerked away, breathe rushing back in. "Yeah. Don't forget we need to feed the masses."

Clary quirked an eyebrow at him. "I'm sure Jonathan and Alec can sit and stew in whatever misguided decisions they made before we deliver breakfast to their ungrateful selves."

Little harsh for Clary.

Jace scanned Clary's face trying to figure out what that comment really entailed, decided it was not worth the danger of revealing anything happening in his life right now.

"Come on." He headed in the direction of the food, grabbing two platters as he went and started loading them up. Clary joining him with two as well.

Once the plates had been filled, Jace threw them all on a cart and headed down towards the cells, not really caring if Clary chose to sit with Izzy and eat or follow him. She hurried to catch up.

"Jace, wait. Slow down for a second." Clary gained ground at the elevator, dropping her own two plates on the cart. "Look I don't know why you suddenly hate me or if this is just some misguided attempt to push me away, but it is not going to work. We've been through so much together. I brought you back from the Owl. You brought me back from Jonathan."

Come here. It's time…

That whispered voice froze him for a moment, hands clenching tightly to the cart, dumping ice and panic through his body. Thank the Angel he was already standing still.

Push it away. It is not real.

Only it had been real for a time before he was cut free. He logically knew that he was fine, which did not explain the sudden panic. He shoved the thoughts away, pushed them to the back of his mind to join others he did not want to acknowledge.

"Alec and Magnus brought me back. You knew something was wrong and you never said anything to Alec." Jace kept his voice even.

"I trusted you when you told me not to tell him." Clary snapped.

Maybe you shouldn't trust me.

The elevator doors pinged and opened. Jace shoved the cart of food in and punched the button for the lowest level where Alec and Jonathan were being held. Clary shoved her way into the elevator with him. His parabati rune started to heat as they descended. Jace swallowed, nerves plunging through his stomach as he realized just how volatile Alec had been with him every time they were in a room together and now he had Clary right beside him to witness it all.

Just my luck.

"Look, Clary, we have been through a lot in the half a year we have known each other. I can't keep doing this with you." Jace began, acutely aware he was trapped in a small enclosed space with the girl that claimed to love him, when his entire body seemed to want to be elsewhere.

"Are you breaking up with me? Now?" She sounded both angry and hurt, green eyes filling with tears.

"No, I just think maybe we need to take a break. Breathe for a moment where life is not trying to fall down around us." He forced himself to look into her hurt eyes, willed his body not to turn and run to another as soon as the elevator doors pinged open.

"So you are breaking up with me." She snapped, eyes flashing brighter, hands coming to her hips. "Is this about Alec?"

Everything is about Alec.

"Look I can't do this right now." He shoved the cart out of the elevator and strode down towards the cell.

"You started this..." Clary trailed off when Jace broke into a run towards the cells spotting two forms fighting.

He watched Alec snarl something towards Jonathan before charging at the other tackling him to the ground, they tussled before breaking apart briefly. Jonathan punching Alec in the face drawing blood before Alec grabbed the hand twisting hard causing Jonathan to roll with the pain.

Jace slammed into the glass. "Break it up!" He yelled at the two forms fighting. Alec's form froze, gaze swinging towards Jace. Jace's blood went cold. His eyes were demonic black again.

I need to get in there.

"Give him the injection from yesterday!" hollered Jonathan, twisting free of Alec's grasp and elbowing him in the back hard. Alec snarled spinning on Jonathan punching him in the chest first, quickly followed by a hit to the face. Jace could see blood splatter across the floor.

He sprinted over to the double doors, hitting the buttons to unlock. Hit them again to close it behind him. Activated his strength and agility runes with a thought. Grabbed one of the needles Izzy had given him earlier and pushed it into his arm, drawing the blood out, before using his stele to unlock the doors separating him from the two fighting. He shoved the door opened and bolted inside.

Alec had Jonathan pinned to the ground now. One hand wrapped around his neck, the other digging into Jonathan's arm. Jace didn't pause, leaping onto Alec's back and slammed the needle into his neck, depressing the syringe. Alec roared releasing Jonathan and standing up, trying to grab Jace. His parabati rune screamed in pain as Alec threw Jace off him with a demonic strength. Jace twisted in the air to land with his feet and hands under him. Stayed kneeling when Alec ripped the needle out of his neck, crushing it in his grip, screaming.

Alec took a few steps away, grabbing his own hair and pulled at it, screaming again. Before his knees buckled to the floor and he slammed a fist into it. Jace could see the cracks form in the concrete.

Alec, stop. Please.

After a few moments of no movement from the dark haired man, Jace slowly stood up, glancing at Jonathan who had crawled away from Alec and lay there panting. Not a threat. Alec remained where he knelt, gasping for breath, each breath sounded stuttering. Jace drew out a second syringe, this one prepared earlier, he had planned to use it in Alec's drink for breakfast.

May as well give him another dose.

Especially after that violence. He would need to get Jonathan in a separate cell, Alec would have killed him had he not arrived until after breakfast. Jace circled closer to Alec, body tensing ready for any type of attack. He could feel the parabati rune doing its usual pulse and heat, it was strangely a comfort. It told him Alec was still in there somewhere. As he circled closer he realized the knelt form was crying.

Shit. Alec. Pull it together.

In all the years Jace had known Alec he could not recall a single time he had seen him cry. Not when they were younger and Alec was taking care of Izzy, Max, and Jace. Not when they were teens, struggling through all the hormonal bullshit. Not even with Magnus. He was always the strong leader that everyone thought could not be touched, the one that never showed emotion.

Jace slowly knelt before Alec's bent form, reaching out slowly to touch his shoulder. A shudder, another gasped breath, Jace brought the needle up to Alec's neck letting his hand stroke slowly from the shoulder it had rested on to where the needle pointed.

"Do it. Please. I can't control it." Begged Alec, fists tightening on the floor.

Jace pressed the needle into Alec's neck and depressed the syringe, feeling the rune flare briefly before finally quieting. Alec breathed out a sigh, entire body relaxing as the blood entered his system.

Angel blood works. It's helping him.

Jace pulled Alec into an embrace, turning Alec's body easily until the other lay half curled in his lap. He found himself running his hands through Alec's hair.

"Who is in control Alec?" Jonathan called from his side of the room.

Jace felt the tension form under his hands. "What did you do to him?" Jace demanded, watching Jonathan closely, hands now running down Alec's neck seeking to release the tension he felt there.

"He attacked me. Edom's magic is creating foundations to sink into the remnants of his soul. He's losing it." Jonathan actually sounded mildly regretful about that thought. "Good thing he has your angel infused blood, seems to be doing the trick. Might get a bit addicted."

"Jace, what is he talking about?" Clary. He had nearly forgotten her presence on the opposite side of the glass.

"We'll talk about it later. Send the food in via the ports."

He could see her struggle with needing to question him further but relented and sent the food in. Jonathan limped over and picked one up. The other he slid across the floor where it stopped a few feet away from where Jace sat with Alec in his lap.

"I'll need an Iratze this time. And your parabati is going to need a lot more of your blood injections. Carving the rune onto his arm stopped working sometime last night."

You were helping him all this time.

Jace did not leave Alec's side until after he had eaten and Jace had drawn several more healing runes and injected him with another dose of blood. Most of that time he spent running a hand down Alec's back trying to comfort him, mind racing as he struggled to think up a way to give Alec back his soul. Angry at Magnus for not returning sooner with new knowledge from his research. Clary stayed outside the entire time shooting him strange glances and talking to Jonathan.

O – O – O – O – O – O

The black, red, silver, and blue, the kaleidoscope of colors currently arrayed around the room they had decided upon for Max's new runes ceremony had Jace's head hurting. It wasn't that he didn't want to be there. It was for Max after all. But after leaving Alec's side Jace's head had developed a deep throb. Tension, worry, and sleeping on a concrete floor catching up to him. He had positioned himself on the couch, laying down and twirling his stele while Izzy, Simon in his geeky shirt, and Clary sat in chairs to form a circle. On the bright side everyone he knew was present, excluding Alec.

Don't go there right now.

He ordered himself. Instead he kept an eye on Magnus, waiting for an opening.

"This is so cool." Simon informed the group of Shadowhunters. "I always find new cultures celebrations so fascinating and this is just another layer. Max told me that he wants to get every single rune on his body. Is there even enough room for that? What about if you need to double up. I know Jace has two speed runes."

Jace stopped his stele, gaze zeroing in on where the dark haired vampire sat. "Been checking me out?" He drawled, smirking.

"Pfft. No. Clary told me. Also I think I've seen most of you without shirts on." Simon paused. "That did not come out right."

"No. No it did not." Laughed Izzy.

Clary cracked a smile but was otherwise quiet.

Max came bounding over, skittering to a stop in the middle of their circle, before thrusting his arms out and spinning around showing off 3 of the 5 new runes on his arms, the others probably hidden under his clothes. "Check them out! I have the shield of mind and elemental shield of fire on my side. So what did you get me?"

Izzy handed over her brightly wrapped gift, which Max tore into easily. A set of throwing knives.

Jace noted Magnus move away from Maryse.

"Here you go, Max. Make good use of it." Jace reached under the couch where he had hidden his present and handed it to Max. Not willing to share the reason he had selected that particular weapon, just that he felt calmer knowing Max had it.

Max tore into it again, shredding the plain paper, revealing the iron rod with a red jewel at the top. His face lit up. "A skeptron! Woah! How did you even get one? Does mom know you got this?"

"What is a skeptron? I mean obviously a weapon but why is it so special?" Clary asked from her spot, unfolding her legs from where she had been curled.

"It's the most badass weapon. Nephilim used them in Edom when they would be sent there to fight the asmodei." Max said excitedly before grumbling. "Man, Alec killed Lilith and Asmodeus and blew up that realm. There won't be any demons from that realm to kill anymore."

"Glad you like it." Jace patted him on the head before swinging his legs off the couch and moving towards Magnus. He heard Izzy mildly berating Max for wanting more demons and explaining just how many hellish realms existed as he moved towards the warlock.

Magnus had spotted Jace heading his way and changed direction. Jace switched his trajectory so that he cut Magnus off near the drinks table. Magnus summoned a dark amber drink with ice into his hand, taking a sip before looking directly at Jace.

"Something you want to say, Shadowhunter?" Magnus questioned, dark glittery gaze piercing Jace.

Jace crossed his arms, face hardening. "Yeah. Why haven't you begun to siphon the magic out of Alec yet?"

"The preparations to siphon two greater demons magic out of a body, let alone the remnants of a soul takes time. We have one chance to start this ritual correctly. If the first attempt does not succeed, there will be no second chance."

Magnus reached up and twisted the engagement ring on his hand, banishing the drink in the same moment. Jace felt something primal and territorial crawl through him.

"I need Alec back. He's losing it. He attacked Jonathan this morning." Jace informed him. His headache decided it wanted to kick it up a notch by alerting him to the pulse and burn of his parabati rune as well, adding nausea to the mix.

"You are not the only one who wants Alec back. The preparations to begin siphoning will be ready tomorrow morning." Magnus gaze traveled over Jace's before dropping to his side. "I can't rush this. Once I remove all of Edom's taint, only then will we know how Alec's mind was affected."

Jace dropped his crossed arms covering the parabati rune with one hand. A spike of cold anger, along with another emotion he didn't want to name, bolting through him. "Then why are you here?"

"Jace! We need you over here! And bring Magnus with you!" Yelled Simon from across the room, waving his arms to motion them to hurry up.

"I believe we are being summoned by the vampire." Magnus commented wryly, taking the exit presented him easily.

Jace shoved his new dislike of Magnus away. It was completely uncalled for. Magnus was engaged to Alec. The burning heat of a few fiery moments should not mean anything. He swiped a water bottle off the drink table and headed back over to the others. Felt a spike of irritation at seeing Magnus on the couch he had previously vacated, but quickly realized he would look awkward not sitting down near the warlock, since it was the only vacant spot. He sighed internally and threw himself as gracefully as possible onto the couch.

"Ok, we're here Simon. What's the catastrophe?" Jace questioned, intentionally kicking his feet up on the couch to hoard as much space as possible. Magnus gave him a rather amused yet irritated look.

"We are all going to play Loaded Questions." Simon chimed cheerfully, biggest smile on his face.

Great. A mundane game.

"How does it work?" Izzy asked, flipping her black hair back.

"Ok, so each of us gets a card. No peeking. Under each card is a question. You have to read the question to yourself but you must answer it out loud. If you want to keep your question a secret, eat the jelly bean!" Simon's grin had far too much enthusiasm.

"You want us to eat sugar to keep a question secret?" Jace mocked, glancing at Simon, beginning to twirl his stele in his hands.

Simon just grinned at Jace like the ridicule was expected. "These just aren't any jelly beans, these are Harry Potter jelly beans!"

"Your point?" Jace asked, Izzy slapped his head lightly, causing a random spike of pain to join the headache before returning to its dull throbbing.

"Hey!" Jace attempted to dodge the hit but was hindered from his sprawled form on the couch.

"Each jelly bean may be a horrible flavor or a tasty one." Simon instructed as he started passing out cards and small shot glasses with one jelly bean in each, handing one to Jace first.

This is going to be horrible.

Jace felt his stomach do another flip and his headache remained silently battering away at his skull. He took a drink of water as the other grabbed cards and glasses from Simon.

"Jace why don't you start. That way those who have played before go last." Clary suggested.

Jace leaned over and swiped his card, reading it over once, twice.

You've got to be kidding me.

"The options for my jelly bean are buttered popcorn…" He began.

"That sounds not good." Simon stated.

"…or rotten egg." Jace finished.

"That sounds a little better." Simon was smirking at him now, leaning forward.

"So what is your answer?" Clary questioned eagerly.

"My answer is 14 hours." Jace smirked a little waiting, he wasn't disappointed. Magnus was smirking, Izzy had one eyebrow raised suggestively, Simon and Clary were both smiling and laughing at the sexual innuendo.

"Now you tell us the question or you eat the evil jelly bean." Simon informed him.

Can't be so bad.

Jace swiped the shot glass up and tossed it back. He barely got it on his tongue before his body registered poison and tried dry heaving. He jerked forward spitting it back into the glass cup.

The others burst into laughter at his discomfort.

"Did you even taste it?" questioned Simon, pointing and laughing.

Jace just hung his head over the side of the sofa willing his stomach to not empty itself on the floor, head pounding even more, nostrils burning from the damn candy.

"You can smell it!" Jace cried irritably at Simon.

"Really? Pass it down." Jace's upset dignity registered that the vampire, the one with the best nose in the room was pretending to not know what was in each of these stupid shot glasses.

Jace shot him a glare, which just caused Simon to laugh harder, but he handed the vile cup to Izzy who took a waft of it before wrinkling her nose and passing it on to Simon.

"Magnus you go next." Isabelle called waving her hand in a circle to motion the direction they would all be taking their turns.

Jace coughed trying to clear the awful taste of rotten egg from his mouth, taking another swig of water. His stomach still doing flips.

Izzy ended up spitting her jelly bean out, but was daring enough to try Clary's when she refused to eat it. Simon said his was a win-win since he was a vampire and his sense of taste had shifted quite a bit.

Conniving bastard.

Magnus easily answered his question and told them what the card asked him as well. The answers were "in Alicante." And "Where is your ideal location to be proposed to?"

Jace tried not to think, the rune had been emitting a constant wave of heated pain now and he needed to punch something, that or follow through on the treacherous thoughts that had been plaguing him since bringing Alec home.

Jace closed his eyes briefly, willing the headache to leave him before deciding he should just go nap in his room.

"Iz. Come wake me when the Silent Brother gets here for Alec." Jace instructed as he rolled off the couch, almost needing to put a hand out to stop the swaying the room gave him at the sudden movement.

"Uh no. You aren't leaving to sulk about Alec. You are staying right here. Besides I need to update you on me and Simon." Izzy responds back, putting a lean leg out to stop him from walking past.

Do I really need to hear this?

"As you know Simon and I have begun dating." Izzy begins, flipping her black hair away from her face.

Definitely, do not want to hear this.

"Well, I wanted to ask you. Are you alright with it?" Izzy asked, twisting her snake bracelet around on her arm where her whip was hidden.

That brought him up short. Any other guy Izzy dated, she had done just that, dated. She had never asked if either Alec or Jace were ok with any of the guys she chose.

Jace glanced around noting that they were alone and the others had moved away to towards the training rooms to watch Max show off the new runes.

Did I fall asleep?

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine with it. He's good for you. Did I fall asleep?" Jace glanced around again before looking back at Izzy's face. She was watching him intently.

"Yeah, you passed out about halfway through the game. Simon was rather insulted. I figured everything with Alec the past few days finally caught up to you." Izzy quietly stated, before rubbing at the snake bracelet wrapped around her wrist. "You sure you are ok with Simon?"

"Yeah, more than fine. Come on lets go see the last of Max's performance before the Silent Brother arrives."

O – O – O – O – O - O

Red.

Blood red minuscule sparks danced in front of his eyes. Alec blinked up at the hand he had been holding over his eyes. Moved it slightly only for the red sparks to shift and follow.

Odd.

He wanted another dose of whatever Jace had given him at breakfast. He could still remember the warmth that had spread through his system burning away the icy cold numbness he felt now. Instead the cold had returned with that numbness came the thoughts.

…I was never good enough.

…let a demon in.

…I said go.

He clenched his eyes shut, pressing his hands into his eyes, feeling the cold clammy skin on his face. He needed Jace.

Stop. Control it.

He turned over trying to get comfortable. They took Jonathan. His one solace. They took him. And Jace...Jace had become an enigma. An enigma he wanted and craved, made his rune burn hotly, and left his body on fire.

He sensed movement outside his cell. Ignored it.

Unless it's another injection, I don't want it.

He growled at himself. Digging nails into his skin, reaching down and tearing at the parabati rune trying to remove it from his skin.

Stop. Come back to me.

The whisper filtered through his confused mind. He glanced down at the black parabati rune. He had dug so hard the skin was bleeding, but the black was still there.

"Oh Alexander. You poor boy." Magnus's soft voice came from the other side of the glass wall.

Power!

The need to drain that warlock of Edom's magic consumed him, obliterating any other thoughts.

He launched himself at the warlock, bringing his hands up and throwing the red sparks at the glass. It spilled from him in a fury, slamming into the glass, only to be deflected by the wards effectively annihilating his attack.

He snarled and growled.

Kill him.

Murder was easy. He knew how to kill. Had been training for it his entire life. If only he could get out of this cage. He threw another ball of red magic at the wall, smirking when he felt the wards weaken.

"I thought you said he was in stasis. This looks far worse than before." Maryse snapped. His mother, stood beside Magnus, her back ramrod straight, hands clasped behind her back.

"His cells showed he was." Izzy responded with less confidence, eyes wide with fear.

"It's the lack of most of his soul. It makes it easy for the magic to corrupt him. Now let me work." Magnus informed them calmly, blue magic spilling from his hands in an intricate electric pattern.

Blonde hair caught his eyes, he snapped his entire body to face it. Jace stood slightly behind Izzy and Maryse, when their gazes locked Alec could see him swallow, his eyes were wide.

"Come to play with me, parabati?" Alec snarled, pacing back and forth, he grinned ferally when he watched the color drain from Jace's face.

Only Jace does not back down, instead he walks around Magnus to stand directly in front of the glass, less than two feet from Alec.

Alec feels his face twist when the parabati rune start to heat with that uncomfortable fire that he knows will turn to pleasure and make him lose control. He slams his fists into the glass, screaming in rage, only to cut off abruptly. There is a symbol scrawled across the window.

Trap.

He leapt, throwing his body backwards only to land in the middle of another giant trap. Magnus's blue magic flowing into the cell creating the required network for the spell.

"Jace! Release me!" Jace just crossed his arms across his chest, shaking his head. Alec felt his eyes bleed black. "Give. Me. Your power." Some distant part of him informed him that that was not his voice, but the clenched jaw from Jace was enough for Alec to latch onto it.

A response.

"Keep him busy." Magnus calmly called, waving more and more blue magic through the air.

"Jonathan is with the Silent Brothers now." Jace told him flatly. "You will be healed, starting today."

That damn burning at his side would not stop. His mind was in turmoil. Jonathan was the one who knew. He understood. Jonathan was going to change and show him how to change…

He couldn't remember what he wanted to change, just that it needed to happen. Something was missing. Some intricate, vital part was missing.

Why can't I remember?

His eyes locked back on Jace again.

Parabati.

Traveled the length of Jace's body, before landing on his side.

Two souls.

The red magic spilling from his hands cut out sharply. Magnus's magic surged forward, latching into his body. He felt darkness consume him.

O – O – O – O – O – O

Rain pattered against the window. Jace could hear the wind lashing the building outside. Matching the turmoil he felt inside after completing the ritual for Alec.

"Explain to me exactly why my son was throwing around magic like some warlock." Maryse snapped from her large desk to those assembled before her.

They had returned to the Institute head office after the ritual was complete. Alec had passed out halfway through it. Every time he closed his eyes he saw the red magic wink out as Alec hit the ground. He felt something wet slide down his side only to disappear into his black pants.

"First off, your son's ritual was a success. Touch and go at the start but then he let me in. He does not understand how to harness what has been imbued in his veins. I do." Magnus spoke calmly and flatly from where he was seated in the room. Sweat had soaked through his expensive shiny shirt and his hair no longer held its usual spikes and lay flat with sweat.

Drained of magic.

"And will you be able to perform this ritual tomorrow? The silent brothers agreed to take Jonathan off our hands but even they refuse to bring Alec to the Silent City for treatment until he is cleansed of Edom. We are lucky Brother Zachariah is willing to check him over after your ritual." There was a waver to her voice and she held her body stiffly before them.

"No. I will need a couple days to recover." Magnus stated regretfully, still reclining heavily in his chair.

Jace shifted uncomfortably where he was standing, the whole ritual had been bothering him. Alec had not looked away from him nearly the entire time.

"I think my blood can cure him while Magnus recovers." He blurted it out, before he could keep over thinking it.

Brother Zachariah pushed the door open entering, bright blue hair and dull grey robes followed by a head of red hair. Before shutting the door behind him, leaning against it. waiting patiently. Clary moved to stand beside Jace and Izzy.

"Izzy said it won't work, Jace." Maryse dismissed, motioning for the Silent Brother to approach.

"It did. It can." Jace demanded, taking a step towards her.

Maryse swung her eyes back from Magnus to look at Jace again. "And what makes you say that?" Jace snapped his arms back behind himself him, securing his body in parade rest.

Crap. Not telling them about that.

"Uh, a feeling. It's my rune. Something keeps telling me to do that."

Yeah, that was a much better choice to sound intelligent than injecting your parabati with your blood.

He felt Izzy shift beside him. Felt Magnus's golden cat eyes boring a hole into his head from behind him.

"I think Jace should inject Alec with his blood directly." Izzy spoke up, shooting Jace an odd glance.

"What?" The chorus of voices all veered towards Izzy. Jace's included, because he could not have heard her correctly.

"He has potent angel blood. I've been trying to create an antidote from it, but what if Jace injects Alec with his blood on the days Magnus needs to recover. If the strain becomes too much on Jace's body I'll tell him to rest until his body can recover to continue. The serum I am working on should be ready by then."

Jace could kiss her in that moment. She had just given him a free pass to continue his own agenda, one he had witnessed Alec respond positively from.

"You can donate one pint. After that you need to wait about 6 weeks before I can let you donate again. We will see how long Alec can go between injections." She smooths her dress down as she stands, obviously ready to leave and continue her work.

"Alexander Lightwood's body will heal by siphoning out the magic infused within." The baritone of the Silent Brother's voice reverberated in all of their heads.

The Silent Brother turned towards Jace, inclining his bright blue head. "Tell me Jace Herondale. Your parabati bond, it survived your death? It survived heavenly fire from the soul sword?"

Jace glanced at the others in the room, unsure if the Silent Brother was speaking to them all or just him. "Yes, that's true." He responded carefully, watching the others become mildly confused and regard him oddly.

He's speaking just to me again.

"Both of these events should have annihilated your bond. It did not. I believe there is no death until you part for the two of you. Your unique angel blood may be the cause. Alexander's Edom infusion has exacerbated the issue."

"What do you mean?" Jace managed to keep his voice even but it came out a whisper.

"Most of his soul rests inside your parabati rune."

Shock hit him hard. He stumbled back, knees almost buckling, yanking his shirt up to check the parabati rune. He brought his hand up wiping away the thin layer of blood that had formed during the ritual, traced it, trying to find Alec inside.

Alec can you feel me? Are you in there?

The begged question brought nothing but the slow pulse and burn he had grown used to, a flicker of something else stirring.

"Jace? Are you alright?" It was Clary, she had moved beside him. "You're bleeding." Her gaze swung up angrily towards the Silent Brother. "What did you do to him?"

He yanked his shirt back down, standing up straight. "I'm fine. He did nothing."

Clary shot him a look of disbelief, before hardening again. She turned to the Silent Brother, whom had raised one hand up dangerously. "You are taking Jonathan from this Institute. Why?"

The upraised hand remained a silent threat. Jace could feel the hum of magic in the air. Silent Brothers were said to break minds with a thought. "Jonathan Morgenstern will be treated in the City of Bones. His psychological wounds require more assistance than one Silent Brother."

The anger faded from Clary's green eyes, followed by a small hope. "Can I see him often?"

"I will call you when Jonathan is ready." Came the echoing voice in their heads again.

O – O - O – O – O – O

Magnus considered himself powerful. He created Portals for the shadowhunters to use safely before he turned 100. Plus he wasn't the High Warlock of Brooklyn for nothing. But looking at Alexander inside the cell for the past two weeks, siphoning Edom's magic into the orb the Spiral Labyrinth had provided upon his request and a few favors, he felt weak.

Magnus thought it would take a week at most to siphon off the magic into the orb without killing Alec. Instead the fight had drawn out for two weeks with no end in sight. Two weeks that Alec had proven he did not want to let go of the power, fighting and pulling at Magnus's own magical core each time he performed the ritual. It was exhausting.

But I'm anything if not stubborn.

Magnus completed pouring the black powder along the floor finishing the required symbol for the siphon. It looked similar to the demonic summoning ritual but had swirls and hints of angelic writing within, it would match the one his power was going to remake in Alec's cell in a moment. He placed the vial back in his black blazer, rolled his sleeves up, before snapping his fingers and snapping his arms up summoning forth his power in a blue burst of electricity. Only then did he look at Alec.

Alec crouched in his cell, prison really, watching with a predatory gaze and expression Magnus had come to expect each time he did this. Magnus's blue magic already forming the symbol along the floor, as it completed he could see the snarl forming, feel the tension in his own magic as it collided with Alec's. He took a breath and began the silent tug of war directing what he gained into the orb in front of him that sat in the black symbol on the floor.

It starts out white.

The other warlocks had informed him that the orb could hold two greater demons magic with ease and should only shift to a grey color, if it turned red…

Bring it back.

Magnus stomped a foot down in front of him, reaching down with his arms, before pulling his body upright, gritting his teeth, yanking as much of Alec's power with him. Alec bared his teeth bracing his hands against the ground.

Magnus dropped his glamour, yellow glittery cat eyes shining bright.

Can't waste the effort.

"This would be easier Alexander if you would let the magic go." Magnus grit out.

"Not happening." He bit back.

Same conversation as last time then.

Magnus searched Alexander's right arm, the blackness from Edom covered it. His eyes pinpointed the angelic runes both Jonathan and Jace had placed on the arm when Alec had first been brought in. The removal of Jonathan from the cell after the brutal fight had an unexpected backlash none of them could have foreseen. The boy had been right. Even with a broken jaw he demanded to be placed back in the horrible cell with Alec, begged Clary and Jace to draw the angelic runes over Alec's veins each hour. No one had truly listened. Instead they had sent Jonathan to the Silent Brother who had informed them Jonathan had no demonic taint and he could face the Soul Sword to begin his rehabilitation.

Magnus kept his eyes locked on Alec not giving away the position of Izzy and Clary. He had overruled Jace's demand to far in advance with a deliberate attack on the blonde's ego and informing him Alec would still sense him a mile away.

Alec lashed out at Magnus harshly, even with the cell wards and the spell Magnus could feel the deadliness in the attack. The desire to kill.

I'm losing you.

"You are becoming an evil maniacal piece of shit Alexander. Keep this up and Edom's magic will corrupt what is left of your soul." Magnus's barb clearly did not dig deep when Alec just smiled, red magic sparking from his hands.

"Counting on it." He said belligerently.

Izzy gave the signal to Clary and both moved. Izzy lashed her whip out to wrap around Alec's arm and torso, while Clary fired off the equivalent of a stun gun into Alec through the food port.

Magnus felt more than saw Alec's shock, took full advantage of it and weaved a spell forcing him to sleep. He didn't drop the constant tug of war on Alec's magic and as soon as Alec was asleep it eased up.

"Isabelle! Inject him now! That spell won't keep him asleep long." Magnus commanded, arms still out stretched pulling the dark red magic from Alec.

Isabelle was already in motion even as he spoke, dropping to a knee beside her brother and slamming the serum she had made from Jace's blood into her brother.

Magnus felt the change in the silent battle instantly. It felt like a battering ram had just hit Alec's magic, smashing it to bits, letting Magnus catch a tighter hold on what he wanted to remove. A second later he realized everything was about to spiral out of control.

That's more magic than just two greater demons.

With a quick spiral of his hands Magnus starting pouring as much of the magic as he could into that orb watching as it started to pulse red.

Not good.

He flung one hand out to the side splitting the power pouring from the unconscious form, holding onto the part he recognized as Asmodeus, directing the rest into the orb.

Izzy had managed to get out of the room quickly enough, Clary yelling to Magnus that they were clear.

Magnus kept the spell active, watching as the orb turned a brighter and brighter red. Alec's body arched and seized but remained unconscious.

At first Magnus did not notice it, his entire focus still on the glowing red orb attempting to gauge when to cut the spell short, but he did catch it. He felt a weak pull in the magic from Alec. Not to tear the magic away, but to push it towards him. Then it switched like a tide, hauling on Magnus's own essence viciously. He felt the sweat slide down his face as he attempted to maintain control of the spell. Took a breath and cut it short.

The bright blaze of blue magic and the inferno of red inside the cell dying out. Leaving sparks of white across his eyes.

"What happened? Did it work?" Clary's unsure voice filtered in from the side where she and Isabelle still stood.

Magnus's yellow cat eyes flickered to the side searching out the red head and the dark haired girls, assessing that neither were hurt.

"Oh it worked. Spectacularly. Alec just has more than two greater demon blasts stuck in his body and whatever it is does not want to leave easily. But the serum helped immensely, I felt Alexander for just a moment."

Magnus eyed the glowing red orb. It had melted the floor around it, pulsing with the infernal light within.

The Spiral Labyrinth has warlocks that can shift the dark magic into something natural.

With a wave of blue magic he scooped it up, hovering it in the air before him. "I will be taking this. Maybe deliver it to one of Neptune's moons perhaps. Unless Jace wants to be a guinea pig and I can neutralize this with him."

"I think Jace has done enough donating of blood lately. I caught him sneaking some of it into Alec's drinks when he informed me it was too dangerous to go in there." Izzy waved her hand helplessly at her brother, silver snake bracelet glinting.

Pity. Would have been easier controlling the orb myself.

Magnus banished the glowing orb to a secure location until he could deliver it to those he trusted in the Spiral Labyrinth.

"Well, he'll need a few more of those remarkable orbs. But we are on the right track. Bring Jace down here to see him." Magnus brought his glamour back up over his eyes, sighed and turned to fully face Isabelle. "Just don't let them touch."

At the strange command Isabelle gave him a confused and stunned look before something dawned across her face. "Okay."

"I'll go get him." Clary happily obliged moving off to the elevator and heading up.

Magnus glanced back at the unconscious form in the cell. Twisting the engagement ring on his finger silently.

"Magnus?" Izzy put an arm around him in a half hug. "We'll get him back."

I already lost him.

Magnus pulled the engagement ring off his finger, turning so that Izzy's arm fell from his shoulder. "I need you to return this to Maryse." He pressed the ring into her hand, closing it for her.

Izzy face went slack in confused shock. "What? Magnus, Alec loves you. He asked you to marry him. He went to Edom for you and broke you out. Alone." She handed the ring back.

Magnus did not move to take it, turning his head watching the unconscious form of Alexander.

"The Alexander I loved. His soul is not fully there. I fell in love with him, his whole soul, yet what is left does not recognize me." He whispered.

"So you are just going to leave?" Izzy's confused anger was starting to rise in her eyes, she kept her hand out.

"Make no mistake Isabelle. I still love him. I will be here until this ritual in complete. But his soul, it's broken. He's surviving because of Jace. When he does awake he will be sent to the Silent Brothers to become one of them."

"You don't know that for certain." Izzy whispered back.

"I do. Alec should have died. He's alive because of the parabati bond. And I will not hold Alexander to a promise he may not be able to keep." Magnus calmly explained.

"Let Alec decide that when he is fully healed." Izzy insisted still holding the engagement ring out awkwardly, arm wavering unsure.

Magnus irritably waved his hand at the mess on the floor repairing it in a blue flash before turning on his heels and marching out. The elevator doors pinged open to reveal red and blonde hair. Clary and Jace scurried past in some argument regarding sending letters to Jonathan. Magnus could not bring himself to care, just stepped inside the elevator, determined to get through this day and go home.

O – O – O – O – O – O

Clack. Clack. Clack.

The sounds of the training staffs reverberated through the training room. It was partially darkened to help replicate the nighttime fighting conditions, large runes tiled into the floors and along the walls serving as reminders of various abilities. On one side stood an array of practice weapons and training dummies. Jace was currently instructing Clary and Simon. Simon as part of Alec's downworlder program that Lydia had upheld since taking over four weeks ago. Clary because he still could not find it in himself to train with her alone again.

Four weeks and still can't remove that kiss from my head.

It took four weeks of Izzy turning his blood into serums and Magnus's ritual before Edom's essence was driven from Alec. Jace was left uncertain about the warlock, whom Izzy had informed him had returned the engagement ring at some point. The only thing that was certain was training and missions. Jace had thrown himself into every demon hunting mission he was allowed. Buried himself in training himself and others when he was not because the moment he slowed down his rune would pulse and that memory came back again and again. Missions he could not perform every hour of the waking day, training however he could. It let his mind blank long enough to not feel the need to curl up outside Alec's cell, reducing the irritable desire.

"Would you stop hitting me so hard?" Simon gasped, attempting and failing to avoid another strike that smacked into his shoulder from Jace's staff.

"Move faster then." Jace coached him with another jab towards Simon's legs, before swiftly spinning and deflecting the attack coming from Clary, easily rolling her staff to the side making the attack to his back harmless.

"You told me not to use vamp speed." The dark haired boy complained, rubbing at his shoulder.

"Jace! You need to give us a chance." Clary appeared less annoyed at getting hit with a stick than Simon.

Jace threw the staff across one shoulder directing its point easily. "Two against one. This should be easy guys. Vampire." Pointed the staff at Simon. "You being you." He shifted the staff to point at Clary.

"Do all shadowhunters beat each other with sticks or are you just trying to stake me?" Inquired Simon before he rushed to try another attack at Jace.

"Just trying to keep your pretty face from bruising." Jace grinned back, deflecting the blow.

"Aww. You still think I'm pretty."

Jace's smile dropped from his face.

I'm not going to answer that.

Clary chose that moment to try a new attack having circled around Jace. Jace rolled the staff along his shoulders, twisting slightly, and was satisfied with the loud crack as the two staffs met. Clary smirked up at him before launching into a whirling attack that forced Jace back.

"Almost had you." The red head smirked, green eyes dancing.

Izzy's dark head poked through the entrance to the training room. "Guys, Brother Zachariah is here to see if Alec can be released into the Institute." Izzy called.

Clary's staff struck Jace across the face – hard. He spun with the blow stunned more from Izzy than the actual hit before quickly regaining his feet.

Alec.

There went all his carefully crafted walls to obliterate the fights and heat that had formed since the disaster. Because that is what he had named it in his head, The Disaster. It had upended everything he had with Clary.

"Haha! One of us got you!" Simon exclaimed excitedly, high fiving Clary.

"Max you still have to remain up here." Izzy informed her youngest brother who had clearly been walking with her, patting him on the top of his brown head which he batted away in annoyance.

"I'm old enough. I found him! Why can't I see him? It's been weeks." He tried to sound calm but a slight whine was still detectable.

"Hey Max. I wasn't even allowed near him at times when Magnus was working on him." Jace told him. He hated those days with a vengeance, but it did the trick on Max. He relented and headed off to his assigned duty for the day.

O – O – O – O – O

The next few minutes felt like a blur and an eternity to Jace. The sitting around waiting for Brother Zachariah to finish talking to Maryse and Magnus in the Head of the Institutes office. Jace paced, he twirled his stele, he rubbed at the rune, and all his mind could bring forth was what it felt like the last few times he had touched Alec and the demonic black eyes staring at him. He had not seen Alec in two weeks.

Jace slammed a fist into the wall he was pacing besides causing everyone in the hallway to jump. Breathing blowing out hard, he tried shaking his head to clear it. Simon and Izzy looked at him with concern. Clary just rolled her eyes, their arguments had only been increasing the past month centered on Jace's refusal to touch or even hug her. He knew he needed to fix whatever was wrong with his head and talk to her, but could not seem to focus enough.

"Jace, he will get released. Magnus would not suggest bringing a Silent Brother here to analyze Alec if he was not certain he would be." Izzy tried to comfort him. He tried for a wane smile that didn't reach his eyes.

Maryse arrived with the Silent Brother a few minutes later. Bright blue spiked hair and bland grey robes, Brother Zachariah still did not look like your typical Silent Brother. Magnus was conspicuously absent.

"Only Isabelle, myself, and Jace will be allowed on the cell block while Brother Zachariah does his test." Maryse announced, back straighter than normal if that was possible.

Once crammed into the elevator she kept trying to move an invisible piece of hair from her face on the way down to the cell. Jace kept his arms crossed and refused to fidget.

Finally. Finally they were before Alec's cell. Jace knew what to expect visually. The demonic black eyes no longer shown, the Edom runes on his back had faded to nothing but scars, the right arm healed but for faint traces of black along Alec's veins that Magnus had informed them would probably remain the rest of his life. A scar to show how close he had come to being consumed by Edom's magic. But his nerves still felt frayed. Magnus had stopped allowing Jace to be present during the rituals and would only allow Jace to see his parabati after each ritual was complete. The violence and passion Alec had displayed early on had become a strange predatory dance every time Jace was in the room to deliver an injection or food. Jace made certain that they never touched when others were around. Which was not hard, all he had to do was not go in the cell. Yet Alec was supposed to be better now, his rune still pulsed and burned lowly making him question that.

His soul rests inside your parabati rune.

Jace watched Alec stand warily from the floor where he had been doing pushups as the group approached. Alec shifted his stance into parade rest, brown eyes straight forward.

Jace applied his stele to the door to allow Brother Zachariah through the first set of doors. Then again on the second set.

"Jace Herondale, remain here." Brother Zachariah ordered him before entering into the cell. Leaving Jace to stand in the empty chamber in a mix of relief and anxiety.

He could hear the whispered responses from Alec regarding whatever the Silent Brother asked him but could not make them out. Could briefly make out a comment from Maryse saying "that is the truth." Another from Izzy yelling "You can't do that! He did his best!"

The door swung open and he was there. Dark, messy hair, skin pale, and his eyes were brown.

Jace bolted from his spot towards Alec engulfing him in a tight hug. Alec's body tensed before he returned the hug, wrapping his arms around Jace. Relief, Alec was alright. He had beaten becoming Endarkened or whatever it was Edom's magic was attempting to do.

"You're back." He choked out, even as his parabati rune flared to life, the moment it did Alec pushed him away.

"Decide between the two Alexander Gideon Lightwood. I will be awaiting your decision." The Silent Brother stated through their heads for all to hear.

Alec exited stiffly out to Maryse and Izzy where Izzy hugged his rigid body. Maryse wrapped an arm around her children whispering happily, "Alec you beat this. You made me so proud. No one else has accomplished what you have done."

"Alexander Lightwood shall continue to heal physically within the walls of the New York Institute. The hellish magic of Edom has been expelled from his body." The blue haired Silent Brother commanded them, standing oddly still in his grey robes. "Ensure he does not relapse." With that the Silent Brother left them.

Jace felt stunned. Alec barely acknowledged him. They were parabati.

What did I miss?

"Bet you want a normal shower and an actual bed." Izzy smiled up at her brother, her arm latched around his waist. He did not push her off, like he had done Jace.

I thought I had you back.

It was never like this. It had always been Alec following Jace. He was Jace's backup. Alec was always there to ensure Jace did not get himself killed on a mission. Alec was always there to pick up the broken pieces of Jace for him when shit hit the fan.

Jace stared at Alec's back as the two siblings walked away. Alec turned his head and looked back at Jace. Brown eyes locked with heterochromia and Jace felt that familiar heat pool inside him.

O – O – O – O – O – O

The warm shower water felt glorious. One full month of nothing but cold sponge baths and a concrete floor had left his body an aching mess. Alec bowed his head further under the spray, letting it stream down his body just to enjoy the warmth.

I'm never leaving here.

That thought unfortunately brought back one of two choices the Silent Brother had given him.

"Remain within the confines of the Institute, for life."

His fish clenched on the shower handle in front of him. He had thought he was finally escaping the torturous grasp of being firstborn. The pressure to uphold all the values his parents had demanded of him. The pressures of being the Head of the Institute and all those lives under his command. The pressure of always making the hard decisions for those around him. Although he was no longer certain where he belonged in the Institute anymore.

That pressure that had enveloped his body and mind for a month. He ran a hand across his face, closing his eyes, a spark of red crossed his minds eye. Remembered power.

Cut the thought.

Alec took a breath, turning the water hotter until it was nearly unbearable, letting the heat push the memory of the raging magic out of his mind. The insanity of the need to be near Jace however intensified.

He grimaced to himself, Jace and that body. That need had not stopped with the removal of Edom's magic. If he closed his eyes he could feel it, he could picture what it was like to have that body pressed to him. He dropped a hand lower, drawing it down his stomach. One month of this need with no release.

Fuck. Yes.

A pounding on the door broke him out of his trance slightly. "Big Brother! We know it's been awhile but are you even alive? It's been like two hours." Izzy's voice pierced through the haze he had been drawing himself into.

Go away.

Jace and Izzy were directly on the other side of the door. He had already stood under the shower long enough to prune, but he did not care. He slid his hand across himself, groaning softly. Tilting his head back. Letting a forbidden memory surface.

SLAM!

Alec's eyes flew open.

The door the bathroom flew open violently, followed by a blonde who looked like he had just kicked the door in.

"What the fuck! Get out!" Alec yelled at them.

Jace did not move immediately. He stood frozen to the spot. Alec glared daggers through the curtain at where he knew Jace stood.

"Well, he's alive." Came Izzy's voice still outside the bathroom. "If you had answered, Jace would not have gone into an apocalyptic fit."

Alec yanked the dial to ice cold, willing his body to calm down. His heartbeat continuing galloping away and he put his hands on the wall trying to shove the desire down.

"Just give me 5 minutes. I'll be out in a second." Alec growled hoarsely at them.

I just wanted peace. Five minutes of peace.

He gave himself a few more seconds to continue calming his body down before reaching out and shutting the water off. Stared at his hand a moment noting the black veins traveling up it faintly. A towel smacked into his head and shoulder.

"Figured you wouldn't want to flash us." Jace commented from the other side of the shower curtain.

"What are you still doing in here?" Alec growled back.

"Making sure you didn't drown."

Alec wrapped the towel around himself and shoved the curtain aside. "I didn't."

"Could have fooled us. It's been two hours." There was real concern in Jace's voice.

Alec brought his eyes up to Jace and felt his breath catch. Jace was leaning casually against the vanity with a sweatshirt half zipped up and no shirt. When his eyes found Jace's he felt a blast of desire punch through his body.

Jace…

His brain did not seem to want to work. He just stared at Jace, ignoring the rivulets of water running off his body or the towel that had loosened in his grip but did not fall.

"Can I see them?" Jace asked.

What?

Alec remained locked in place. The direction his brain had headed at the simple request had dive bombed into a heady hot blaze. Brain still unable to process what Jace was asking him Alec prowled towards Jace. He watched as Jace's eyes widened with some unknown emotion.

"Alec?"

Alec swallowed, stopping less than a foot from Jace. Breathe coming too harshly.

Every time Jace came close – what he did to him.

Alec yanked his gaze away from Jace, stepping away trying to put distance between them. Grabbing another towel to dry before heading into his room to get dressed.

"Izzy, get out. I want to get dressed without you two all over me." He growled yanking his clothes out of the drawer with more force than necessary.

Izzy shot Jace an indecipherable look before she headed out the door, "We'll catch up tomorrow Alec. You catch up with Jace tonight."

The door closed and with it his sanity.

Control it.

Alec closed his eyes, yanking a shirt over his head. Jace was leaning against the doorjamb to the bathroom but Alec could swear he could feel the body heat from where he stood halfway across the room. Alec reached up with one hand, tugging at his damp black hair trying to ground himself in the slight pain.

A hand touched his shoulder and Alec acted out of reflex, slamming his elbow back where it connected with a warm, solid body before twisting reaching out only to freeze halfway through the maneuver.

"Jace?"

"Still here." Jace rubbed absently at his solar plexus, blue and brown searching Alec for something.

Alec's brow furrowed in mild confusion "What did you ask before?"

"The demon marks. I want to see them." Jace requested softly, something in that voice Alec had never heard from Jace before and he found himself nodding.

Jace pointed at the bed indicating for Alec to lay down. Heat sparked through him, the embers from earlier begging to restart in a blaze.

Alec slowly lay down on his stomach exposing his back for Jace to examine. He pillowed his arms and buried his face there intent on controlling the burning need.

Jace's fingers skimmed across his back slowly, like he was committing something to memory.

"What did they do?" Jace whispered from above him.

"Pure air, Blood Replenishment, and Stamina." Alec felt Jace's hands fan out to rub across his shoulders slowly. "The pure air I had to sacrifice my voice for a little bit. Stamina was affected after Edom's souls were released. I could not move for a couple days."

Not until Jonathan brought me blood.

"And blood replenishment?" Jace continued to run his hands across Alec's back, sweeping down to his sides occasionally. It was causing the need to get worse but he did not want it to stop.

"Blood. I needed blood." The hands stilled on his back for a moment before sliding down his sides again. He bit back a moan, twisting his head to bury it in the pillow.

"I needed you to back. Why didn't you just call?" his softly spoken question made Alec's gut clench with emotion.

You called. I felt it with every fiber of my being.

The thought had Alec's breath catching hard. Entire body shaking with need.

Control it.

"I need you to leave." Alec managed to choke out, before biting back a groan when Jace straddled his lower back with his knees continuing to trace patterns on his back.

The observation that Jace normally was not this physical with him unless fighting swirled away under his hands. He tried shifting subtly just to ease some of the growing pressure off, controlled his breathing to take one breath in slowly. Mind sinking into remembered kisses rather than the conversation.

"Nope. You're shaking. And I'm not leaving. I told you this. Where you go, I go." Jace's head dropped onto his back, breathe softly ghosting across, before Jace's hand slid up to one shoulder slowly before stopping just resting there.

Alec dropped his eyes half closed turning his head to peer back at Jace, struggling not to react.

"I'm here now. Aren't I?" Alec said, reaching for his blank mask he usually kept in place around Jace. Floundered when he could not find it. Feeling Jace's hands dig into his neck instead before sliding down his arms.

"When you were in that cell, you weren't. You were unhinged, you were like some desperate howling demon, and I couldn't reach you." Breath ghosted across Alec's back as he spoke.

You reached me.

"I still can't feel you."

Alec twisted enough so he was half on his side, towel still in place. "You see this?" He took Jace's hand and ran it across the parabati rune on his own side. Heat blasted through the ice that Alec normally felt in their shared rune most days.

Fuck…

If only Jace understood just how much he felt him, how much the need drove him insane in that cell, how it still pulsed through him with an aching demand.

He felt Jace shift off his back to lay beside him in the bed, heating radiating from him in waves. He felt the pillow get pulled out from under his arms where he had buried half his face.

"I see you. I can't feel you." Something in the way Jace said those words had Alec searching the blue and brown eyes, finding something shifting in them that he knew must be part of a dream.

O – O – O – O – O – O

The vampire lair stank of death and rot.

Blood streaked the black floors and the once blue walls now were splattered in grey dust and gore. Several piles of dust scattered throughout the room in vague human outlines served as the reminders of what took place prior.

Jace, Izzy, Simon, and Clary were only in the first room of the lair. They had yet to venture deeper.

"I think I might puke." Clary whispered.

"What happened here?" Simon's vampire nose wrinkled up in distaste at the carnage around him. Apparently, requiring blood for a living still did not change his squeamishness about gore.

This mission is going to be a mess.

Jace's eyes went from vampire corpse to vampire corpse. Each one appeared to be drained of blood, leaving behind the dusty husk that was slowly collapsing in on itself. He inched forward, keeping low to the ground, seraph blade in his hand but deactivated.

"Izzy can you tell how long these have been dead. Er, more dead." Jace whispered, eyes scanning the room trying to probe past the darkness.

"It's hard to tell with all the blood missing, but based on the severity of vampire decay. I'd guess about a month." Izzy crept over to one of the vampire corpses closer to her. Waving her stele across her arm to etch a "breathing under duress" rune before touching it. It fell apart in a puff.

Shit.

Whatever had destroyed these vampires had ample time to set up traps or worse laid demon eggs.

Something further in the building made a slow grinding sound, before silence fell once more. Broken only by the random flickers of Clary's seraph blade as she moved forward to stand near Jace.

"Izzy, Simon take the door on the left. Circle around the building see what you find. Clary with me." Jace spoke it quietly, just barely loud enough for Clary to hear, relying on Simon's vampire hearing to pass the order to Izzy. He did with a touch and a whisper before the two slowly moved towards the other door.

Jace motioned to Clary to stay behind him as they started to scope out their side of the building. Moving to the next room carefully, blade up but deactivated. The last thing he needed was to alert any enemies to his presence if he could avoid it.

"Think whatever killed the Coven is still here after a month?", questioned Clary. She kept her seraph blade lit, light still bouncing erratically around the room as she moved and trembled.

"If it's a demon, definitely. Once they find a lair they tend to stay there. I just don't know of any demon that hunts vampires for blood. It's usually mundanes or Nephilim." Jace eyed a chunk of flesh that hung from what looked like cages. The stench of rot was intensifying the closer he moved to the cages.

"Oh my god." Clary whispered, hand coming up to cover her mouth.

There appeared to be ten humanoid corpses in the cells, all decomposing, bloated and filled with flies. The only thing Jace could tell that was odd about each corpse was that the chest cavity appeared to have been punched straight through.

Jace moved to the next door. Reaching out a hand to swing it open when the door blasted itself off its hinges instead, slamming into him and throwing him and the door to the floor. Whatever had blasted the door open landed on top of the door and Jace squeezing the remaining air from his lungs in a whoosh.

Jace scrambled to gain purchase on the door to lever the weight off his chest. Thanking the angel he did not require a stele to activate runes like any other Shadowhunter, activating his strength rune with a thought. Only to discover he could not lift it.

Damn it.

He pointed his seraph blade at the door, activating it and slammed it upward through the door. Whatever was on the other side let out a shriek and the crushing weight left his chest. Jace heaved the door off his body, coughing. Rolling to a stand just as Clary slashed her blade across the monster's dark eyes. It shrieked again and thrashed. It was massive. Its reptilian body had actually gotten stuck in the doorway Jace had been about to open, the part that had been crushing him now thrashed and clawed at them with long arms filled with sharp nails. Goo was forming under its body, goop that was starting to melt the floor.

Jace lashed out quickly, lunging past Clary to chop part of one arm off followed by a swift stab to the things neck. Wrapping both hands in a better grip on his seraph blade he dragged it down through its neck and into the monsters gut. It stopped thrashing and lay still.

The floor gave way taking the monster with it forcing both Jace and Clary to jump and roll out of the way.

"Jace, Clary. You copy? Simon and I found something in the lower level." Izzy's voice crackled across the short range comm.

"Yeah. You run into anything alive?" Because Jace had no idea what to classify the beast in front of him as. Especially, since it did not vaporize as most demons would.

"No. We found a ritual room. We think it's a rogue warlock perhaps."

Would explain the mean beastie.

"Alright we are on our way. Our path is blocked anyway, so we'll loop back around and take the one you took."

"Affirmative."

Upon reaching Izzy and Simon, Jace could see why they figured it was a warlock. Giant summoning circles were all over the place. The room was covered in blood. In fact he could not see anything but red blood and black ichor across the floor and walls, all flowing towards one location in the center of the room where what looked like a chrysalis stood shimmering darkly in red.

Shit.

Jace felt the instinctual dread forming in his body, but training kicked in easily letting his rational brain override instinct. He circled around the chrysalis preparing to drive the seraph blade through it when he paused. It was open. Nothing was inside, but for some red goop.

Fucking hell.

"Get down!" He ordered the others just as one side of the room exploded inwards. He was forced back away from the others as the wave of snarling demons swept through the room. He could see Izzy and Clary fighting with their whips and blades, couldn't find Simon, but was forced to look away to skewer two demons that had tried flanking him.

He spun his blade into a reverse to stab another, spinning and slashing his way through the wave. Strength blossomed through his body when he activated more of his runes with another thought. He almost grinned when his next attack sliced through three demons instead of just one.

One to the left. Four to the right.

Jace found himself moving to dispatch each one.

Two above you.

Jace rolled out of the way as one dropped where he had been standing, spinning his blade erect as the other demon dropped directly onto the blade in a screech.

MOVE!

Jace kicked off the current demon-beast, deactivating his seraph blade to remove it from the body, reactivating it as he came down in a crouch a few feet away slicing through another limb. Hacking its head half off.

Silence. Except his own panting breathe. His eyes snapped towards where he had last seen the others. The three were facing off with one more demon, backs to each other. Several more demon-beasts lay scattered near them, hindering their movements, with their dead bulk.

Izzy's whip lashed around the demon-beasts neck pulling taut. Clary drew her sunlight rune and blasted it to bits. It was all over in moments.

"You guys alright?" Jace asked vaulting over one of the ginormous demon-beasts bodys.

"Yeah still in one piece." Izzy said, moving her sweat dampened hair out of her face.

"Face isn't bruised yet." Chimed Simon, he looked like might have a bruise on his jaw.

"What the hell kind of warlock does this? Magnus needs to be told." Clary sounded vaguely fearful. For all that she had been through her heart seemed incapable of realizing just how nasty the Shadowworld could get.

"First, let's return to the Institute. I want us all to get checked out by the medics for infection. Far too much ichor and blood in here and I know all of us have scrapes." Jace pointed at the chrysalis. "Then we tell Magnus about that."

O – O – O – O – O – O – O

The medic set all their blood samples on her desk. Turning back to the four sitting on their assigned beds with a stern look all medics seem to carry. The smell of antiseptic permeated the air. White crisp sheets on the four beds each of them had been assigned too.

"Well, I will run the blood samples. But based on preliminary findings you all have nothing to worry about. Simon will need to get some blood in him that we cannot provide here. You are all free to go, you notice any infections beginning return to the infirmary." With that the medic swept up the samples and left to head to the lab or her next patient.

"I don't really feel like eating after seeing that much blood." Simon claimed, rubbing his arms in a shudder.

Jace quirked an eyebrow. "The vampire that survives off blood, doesn't want to be around blood?"

"It's not that. It just smelled so wrong. Cold. Burning. Like something got zapped but was frozen first." At everyone's blank, confused expressions Simon sighed. "It's really hard to describe. It would probably be like you explaining how burning yourselves with runes feels good rather than morbid."

"That's because it does feel good. You gain power from that rune, you get used to the pain." Jace informed him.

"I gain power from blood. Doesn't mean I enjoy the source of it." Simon shot back, before his face twisted into some inner realization. "Oh. Nevermind. I think I get it now."

"Medic says your mission went sideways, slightly. What happened?" Alec's deep voice sounded from the door as he strode in, coming to a stop before Jace. Jace swallowed hard, hands gripping the white sheets.

Waking up beside Alec that morning, he had felt better than he had in months. The fact Alec had not kicked him out but allowed him to stay spoke volumes about how he must be feeling after the cure to Edom.

Alec's dark brown eyes continued to stare down at Jace in silent demand waiting for an explanation.

"Rogue warlock, we think. Lair was pretty ugly." Jace wrapped it up simply.

Alec's gaze flickered up towards the ceiling briefly. "Where was this lair located?"

Jace told him, watched as Alec's body froze for a moment, too short for anyone to notice.

"Brother Zachariah and Magnus will be providing me a charm so I can continue going on missions soon. You don't go back to that lair until then." Alec ordered, hand moving to point at all of them. "Jace, Izzy, I want you both down in the training hall after your write your reports. I need to see where I am at after a month off." He marched off without another glance.

"Uh…" Simon started, rubbing at his nose, probably burning from the warlock's lair and the antiseptic in the infirmary.

"Come on Simon let's go get you some food at the Hunter's Moon." Clary said, hopping off her bed and grabbing his hand. She shot Jace an annoyed look on her way out.

She never gives up.

Jace ran a hand over his face sighing. That mess he still had no idea what to do with.

"Jace. Break up with her." Izzy said as she walked over, patting him on the arm, before sitting down next to him.

"What? Iz, I can't."

"Why?"

"Because I was in love with her. I did everything for her. Defied the Clave, defied Maryse, I abandoned Alec for her." He took a breath realizing he had risen his voice at some point.

Besides we're technically taking a break.

"Past tense. Jace, the two of you went through a lot, but did you ever think perhaps you need to be apart and just learn to be you again? You were possessed by the Owl for weeks. She had that twinning rune to deal with. The psychological trauma of that has to have done something. Break up with her. Sort yourselves out and if you still love her. Get back together."

Jace's gut clenched, a spike of pain blasted through his head, followed by panic that he had no control over his limbs.

He's begging me. Begging me not to do this.

He jerked an arm. It moved.

Relief hit just as quickly as the panic had set in. Heart still pounding rapidly in his chest, air filling his lungs again.

"Yeah, maybe I should."

Safe, bland response.

She appeared not to have noticed his panic, gave him a quick hug before saying something about mission reports and training before heading out herself.

Jace followed her to do the same. Moving each individual finger just to make sure he could as he did.

O – O – O – O – O – O – O

The training room was silent except for the zing for each arrow as it sliced through the air impaling itself in the multi colored target on the other side of the room. Alec brought the silver bow up, drawing the arrow feeling the red fletching just brush against his cheek. Breathe out, he let go of the arrow, letting his arm pull back to wrap around another, watching as the first slammed into the middle of the target joining several others he had already placed there.

The usual peace that would come from firing arrow after arrow never arrived as he had hoped. Instead, the itch that had been in his body since seeing that nurse draw Jace's blood had remained. He refused to explain to himself why he took one of the two vials, now hidden in his room. His body felt frozen. Ever since Jace had left, sometime in the morning before he had woken up, the cold had silently slipped back in. Parabati rune icing over and itching with heat at the same time.

He wanted to talk to Jonathan. The ex-demonic red head had become a twisted, needed friend in the short time they had spent together.

"Appears you have gotten better since your stint in lockup." Jace called as he strode in, heading directly to the practice weapons.

Alec noted the black form fitting shirt Jace wore, letting his eyes briefly travel along the contours of muscle before pulling his gaze to the weapons Jace was selecting. Two swords, then a third sword, and a fourth.

Alec gently placed the bow and quiver down near the wall, safely out of the way. Feeling tension bleed through his body as the familiar pull towards Jace began.

Don't let it take over this time.

Jace tossed him two of the swords, both he caught easily. Jace just raised an eyebrow in silent challenge.

"Ready to get your ass kicked?" Jace challenged an old, familiar banter to their usual sparring, charged with something more.

Alec could recall each time they fought since he left Edom and the heat that had poured through his body like lava by the end of each clash as well. He tightened his jaw determined to act normal. The Edom infection he could use as an excuse for his actions. He had no excuse now.

The vial will take the edge off.

With that small comfort in his mind he turned to face Jace.

"Whenever you're ready." Alec challenged back.

Jace barely hesitated before delivering the first attack. Jumping towards him with a quick downward thrust of the sword that Alec easily parried. Sent a second attack before Alec could regain his balance completely, forcing him to dodge and retreat.

Adrenaline spiked through Alec. Jace must have activated a speed rune, because Alec found he barely had time to deflect each blow. Retreating across the room quickly. When his back hit the wall, cornered, he dropped one of his blades grabbing Jace's to launch himself into the air, spinning to come down with enough force to break the sword out of Jace's grip. It clattered to the ground.

Jace smirked at Alec now that Alec had successfully reversed their positions, leaving Jace with his back to the wall.

Jace launched another overhead attack with the sword, Alec easily locked the weapons together above their heads. Sliding them against each other until they pointed to the ground. Alec broke away only to quickly lunge back at Jace feeling the hard metal connect again as Jace deflected it to the side. With both blades deflected to the side Alec raised a leg up and kicked Jace hard in the stomach sending him backwards into the wall. Watching as the blonde head smacked into the wall once before Jace recovered.

"Always have to play rough, don't you?" Jace's heterochromia eyes were alight from adrenaline the fight brought him.

Alec felt a spike through his side, feeling ice and heat at the same time.

Not now.

Jace must have seen a drop in his defenses, he lunged forward bringing the blade low and swiping up high. Alec deflected the attack, realizing too late that Jace had already spun around and now had the cold blade pressed against Alec's side.

"Got you." Jace smiled, truly smiled. Tapping his blade against Alec's side. "Come on Alec, this is way too easy." Blue and brown dancing with excitement.

That incessant urge grew into a primal need.

Alec growled low in his throat, opting to take a more direct approach to that need. He swung his fist into Jace's face as hard as he could letting the practice blade crack across Jace's face dropping him to the ground in a heap.

Crap.

Alec bent over Jace's prone body, lifted his shirt slightly and quickly drew the Iratze healing rune along Jace's lower stomach.

Jace groaned, hand coming up to rub at his jaw at the rune did its job of healing him. "Fucking hell Alec. Stop hitting me so goddamn hard all the time."

Alec carefully watched the blonde, expecting some retribution. None came.

"Should have blocked it. Thought it was too easy." Alec sarcastically stated, straightening up only to have his legs kicked out from under him.

Jace grabbed him around the waist with one arm, his other arm locking around Alec's neck, hauling him into a hard body.

Heat blazed through his back causing him to arch away with an audible moan. His parabati rune was on fire. He could barely breathe, just short gasps that cut out before he tried to inhale again.

Fuck. Need. Need. Need.

The arm around his neck was already falling away, but Alec grabbed it, spun and used it to slam Jace back into the floor.

Brown slammed into wide dilated blue and brown and Alec realized his mouth was just hovering over Jace's sending tingles and shockwaves down his entire body.

Fuck. Back off. Back off.

Alec could not move, body locked into a war of control and need, breathe still coming sharply.

"There you are." Jace whispered softly.

His brain couldn't figure out the words, just felt the tremble in his right arm, aware of the hard body pressed beneath him. Felt the whisper across his skin but failed to register it as words.

Jace's hand slid up his side skimming the parabati rune.

"Guys?" Izzy's voice sounded uncertain.

Alec launched himself off Jace so fast he nearly sent himself into shock at the change from heat to ice slammed into his parabati rune.

"No!" Jace cried out, reaching for him. "Damnit Izzy!"

"What did I do? You were the two wrestling on the floor like children rather than training."

Alec half stumbled to his bow and quiver, nearly collapsing when he bent to retrieve it. Grabbing his black hair and pulling to try and ground himself. The whole world was spinning.

The vial. Need the vial.

"Alec? Hey you ok?"

No, he was the furthest thing from fine. His damn soul was stuck and everything hurt.

"Yes. Fine." He growled out at them, leaning heavily against the wall.

"You don't look it. You look like you are about to faint." He couldn't tell whose voice that was anymore.

The vial in the dresser.

"Fine. Just need to lay down for a moment." He felt strong arms wrap around him holding him up.

"Come on let's get you to your room."

He was vaguely aware of Jace and Izzy both escorting him back to his room. Of sheets being pulled over his body. Izzy brushing a chaste kiss over his clammy forehead. He heard the door click shut.

The moment it did he rolled out of bed, yanking the drawer open he had placed the vial inside.

Fuck. He was shaking.

"Alec?"

He somehow managed to attach the needle, thankful for whoever came up with the simple device. And slammed it into his arm.

He never got to depress the makeshift syringe. A hand wrapping around his stopping him cold.

Jace?

Rage filled him, felt his face twist into a snarl, that vial of blood was the only thing that kept him sane for a month. He could not survive without it, without giving in to that raw primal need. His fist clenched and he swung but Jace was ready for it. He dodged the fist, twisting the hand holding the vial behind Alec's back pulling hard enough that if Alec moved it would dislocate.

"Give it to me." Jace demanded from behind him.

Alec tightened his muscles preparing for the pain, because there was no way in hell he was giving up that vial. Jace must have felt him tense, the pain in his shoulder ratcheting up a notch. Alec squeezed his hand around the makeshift syringe harder.

"No." He snarled belligerently.

The deadlock held for a moment, Alec straining to hold onto the vial, Jace attempting to force Alec into dropping it with enough pain.

"This is not going to work." Jace informed him, hard body holding Alec in place.

Like you have any fucking clue what's going to work.

Alec growled at him, baring his teeth even though Jace was behind him.

"Alec. Stop." Jace demanded, Alec could feel his hot breath slide along the back of his neck. It was sending heat and friction down his neck.

Alec closed his dark eyes, dropping his head forward. There was no way Jace would ever begin to understand why Alec needed that vial. He felt Jace shift to free one arm still retaining Alec's hand that held the vial.

"Jace. Please, let me go." His voice came out far too deep and rough, knew he was close to begging and couldn't bring himself to care.

That free hand was pressing against his parabati rune, causing that same madness to enter his bloodstream. Blood stirring with want. His arm started to relax the longer Jace stood there stroking his fingers over the parabati rune, the rest of him felt coiled and tight. Arousal pulsing through him. He could not get his mind away from the hot, heat he felt at the nape of his neck as Jace's breath gusted across his spine.

A slight twist and Jace had the vial. Alec's dark head came back up in a snap, whipping around to chase the vial, ignoring the dangerous pull on his shoulder.

Jace tossed the vial on the bed behind him. Shoved Alec back against the wall, lips grazing his ear.

"I felt you. Let go so I can feel you again." Jace whispered into his ear, lightly biting at Alec's neck.

This has to be a dream.

Alec moaned arching his neck, nerves firing off, hips rolling forward in the air. Whatever control he thought he had was being obliterated but that mouth. He couldn't focus long enough to string a sentence together.

He turned his head to look back at Jace. Felt his breath falter when he met the blown pupils of his parabati. Spun the rest of the way around grabbing Jace around the neck before slanting their mouths together.

Heat exploded through his body. He growled into the kiss, pressing into the hard body in front of him trying to get closer to Jace. Backing him up until Jace's legs hit the bed. Jace did not listen to the silent demand instead he hooked a leg around Alec's waist twisting them so Alec landed underneath him.

Don't wake up.

O – O – O – O – O – O – O

Desire pumped hotly through Jace. He felt it in the training room when finally after months of silence in the parabati rune he felt Alec again. Felt his soul on the other end, warm and safe. But the moment their bodies parted he couldn't feel him anymore, the icy razor edges returned in shocking force. Alec had become an elusive ghost he kept trying to find.

Knew you would find me.

Words from a dream so long ago echoed through his mind.

The frustration since Alec kissed him naked in the cell finally finding a way out as he ground against him, soaking up the low groan Alec emitted when he did. He moved his hands across Alec's arms, tracing patterns along his stomach as he lifted the shirt off him. Grabbing the vial in the dropped shirt to toss over the edge of the bed. Alec didn't even notice, dark eyes closed, head thrown back against the sheets.

You kept trying to tell me what you needed without words.

At the thought Jace slid his hands down Alec's legs slowly, leaned down to mouth at his stomach. Alec gave a sharp gasp, abdominal muscles clenching. Then Jace was hauled up against Alec's body, Alec licking and biting at his neck.

Jace pulled back enough to shift the biting kisses to his mouth, swallowing the low whimper Alec let out. Because fuck, the things Alec's mouth was doing to him was driving him towards the edge and he was still fully dressed. He slowly brushed their mouths together before delving his tongue in Alec's mouth. He lost ability to focus, all he could feel was Alec's hot, sensual tongue slide against his.

Fuck…

He felt Alec grip his hips pulling him back and forth, letting the friction guide them. Jace broke the kiss needing air only to shift to Alec's neck, wanting to leave a mark there.

He felt lightheaded and hot, the friction Alec was inducing him with was maddening. He couldn't stop his eyes from watching when Alec moved his hand south to touch himself, towel twisted and forgotten to the side. He knocked the hand aside, needing to touch instead. The moment his hand closed around Alec, Alec's eyes flew open locking on Jace.

That dark gaze held him for a moment before he started moving his hand.

"Jace…"

The moaned name had Jace pressing down on Alec. Alec dragged him in for another hungry kiss forcing him to let go, hands grabbing his hips to thrust up against Jace harder, providing a delicious friction. Chest pressing to chest, hips locked together.

His parabati rune blazed with fire and there. He could feel Alec's soul again.

Alec gave a deep moan coming undone beneath Jace. The sound sending Jace over the edge.