EDITED 5/30/2020
Hey Shadowfam! Big stuff coming up in the next two chapters! Don't forget to comment on the previous chapter with your predictions to win the contest. Hope you enjoy!
"So, you and Maia, huh?" Clary asked Simon as they trekked over to his boat house.
"Yeah, um I guess it just kind of, um. Happened." Simon said, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.
"If it makes you happy then that's totally okay." Clary told him, a genuine smile on her face.
After their break up, Clary had honestly thought that she wouldn't be okay with seeing Simon with anyone else. Despite everything, she hadn't wanted to break up. But lately, against her better judgement, she'd found herself thinking about Wesley. Logically, she knew that he had a soulmate, a soulmate that wasn't her. Wesley could and would never be with Clary. But the raven haired Shadowhunter just couldn't help wondering what if.
"Hey." Clary stopped Simon from wandering any further. "I miss you." She told him earnestly.
Simon smiled his incredibly charming, crooked smile before replying with the same intensity and sincerity that the Lightwood girl had. "I miss you, too." He was quick to continue. "But take it from someone who knows all your looks, even if you have a different face now. This is not just checking in with my best friend. What's wrong?"
Clary nodded and looked towards her feet. "Okay, look." She sighed. "Given everything that you and I have been through, I know that asking you for a favor right now might be a little awkward..." she trailed off, trying to find the words and the will power to continue.
"Derek Russel's seventh birthday party." Simon interrupted. "You sat in chocolate ice cream and you were afraid people might think -"
"Yeah, you switched pants with me so that nobody would notice." Clary laughed.
"And I was never invited to another one of his birthday parties ever again." Simon jabbed a finger at her good naturedly. "That's awkward. This," he gestured between them. "Is us."
Clary smiled gratefully as he continued to speak. "You know I always have your back, Fray. And there's no job that's too big."
Clary nodded once and looked up at her friend. "I need you to talk to the Seelie Queen."
"That job's too big." Simon answered, patting her arm and beginning to turn away.
"Hey!" Clary grabbed the sleeve of his jacket before he could get too far. "Luke talked to you about what's happening with Valentine, right?"
Simon nodded and moved back to where he'd previously been standing, awaiting her next words. Luke has indeed filled him in on the Clave's request for the Downworld's assistance in locating Valentine and Jonathan Morgenstern before they could either organize a strike on the New York Institute or leave the city and their jurisdiction.
"If Valentine and Jonathan succeed, everything we know and love will be destroyed. Isabelle went to speak to Meliorn about the Seelie's helping locate them, The Seelie Queen has forbidden her people from helping us. Meliorn said that she doesn't fully trust Alec yet, despite him telling everyone about the Soul Sword. But she likes you. Please, go convince her to listen to my brother. We need the Seelie's help if we're going to win this war."
"How do you know, for sure, that she'll listen to me? Or even let me into her realm?" Simon questioned, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Izzy said she'd been asking about you." Clary revealed with a shrug. "According to Meliorn."
"What?" Simon asked, uncrossing his arms and placing his hands on his hips, leaning forward slightly an eyebrow raised in blatant disbelief.
"Mhmm." Clary nodded.
"The Seelie Queen has been asking about me?" Simon demanded.
"Yeah."
"Oh boy." Simon blew out a breath and looked around nervously.
"She'll at least hear you out." Clary persisted.
Simon nodded minutely, so slight that it would've been nearly impossible to notice, but to Clary it was clear as day.
—
"Papa!" Madzie hollered as Magnus strode into the loft. She ran for him so quickly that he barely had time to crouch down and hold his arms out before her tiny body was colliding with his.
"Hey, sweet pea!" Magnus greeted his daughter, eyes locking with Catarina's over her head.
Catarina was lounging on the couch, beer in hand, still dressed in her dark blue scrubs.
Just behind her, out the open doors to the balcony, Magnus could spot Wesley and Tessa chatting animatedly.
"There's so many warlocks in one place." Madzie told her father delightedly.
"There sure is." Magnus agreed, looking around at his friends. His family.
Wesley happened to look over and spot Magnus and Madzie. He grinned and waved at Magnus before calling out to Madzie.
"Madz!" He called. "Come meet Tessa."
"Okay, Uncle Wes." Madzie replied, running to join her Uncle and his friend.
Magnus chuckled, watching as Wesley gathered the little girl into his arms and introduced her to Tessa Gray. He smiled fondly before looking back to Catarina and grinning wider.
"My dearest Catarina." Magnus said, striding around the couch to stand behind her. Placing his hands on her shoulders and she took another draw from her bottle of beer.
Magnus sat on the table that was beside the couch as he started to massage his friend's shoulders. "Why so tense?" He asked her.
"I just pulled a double in the ER." She told him "Mundanes, can't seem to get out of their own way, can they?"
Magnus made a noise of agreement. "Hm. You would know more than most." He told her. They chuckled. "Thank you so much for coming, by the way."
"Our kind only rallies for birthdays and funerals." Catarina told him. "You're not in a suit, and there's nary a cake in sight, so what's the occasion?"
"Remember when we bottled Malta during that God-awful demon attack?" Magnus stood up and went to sit on the coffee table next to her so that he could speak to her properly, looking her in the eyes.
"What are you trying to keep out of New York?" She asked.
"It's not what." Magnus told her. "But who. Two very bad Shadowhunters that cannot leave New York."
"Did the Clave okay this?"
"We were told to keep them here whatever means necessary." Magnus confirmed.
"Well." Catarina sat up and set her beer aside. "I guess it's a good thing I wear comfortable shoes."
—-
"Why would they hide in a graveyard?" Clary asked as she, Jace, Isabelle and Alec stepped through the portal into the graveyard.
"They probably raided an old weapons cache." Isabelle answered as they stalked through the graveyard.
It was dark out Clary had to watch her feet as she walked, wary that she may trip over someone's headstone. She briefly wondered if that would be considered disrespectful.
"That doesn't explain what happened to everyone else here." Jace added.
"I don't think they left." Alec announced, spotting some blood on a headstone.
"Another demon trap?" Izzy inquired from where she was crouched down on the ground next to some more fresh blood.
"Let's split up." Alec ordered. "Teams of two."
"I'll go with Alec."
"I'll go with Izzy."
Alec and Izzy exchanged a confused look at their siblings' strange behavior before Alec awkwardly answered.
"Okay..." He moved to stand beside Jace who called dibs on going with him.
"Be safe." Alec warned his sisters before the four split ways.
They all ran for a while, Jace and Alec ran towards a curved road that led towards a small building. Izzy and Clary ran towards the mausoleum.
As the girls wandered down the stairs and further into the structure Izzy walked a couple steps ahead of her sister. She peered down the corridor, stance defensive as she prepared herself for battle.
"So," Izzy said conversationally. "Want to tell me what's going on with you and Wesley?"
Clary frowned at the older girl. "What do you mean?" She asked. "There's nothing going on."
"Oh?" Isabelle asked. "I find that hard to believe. Have you seen the way he looks at you?"
"The way he looks at me?" Clary shook her head. "You're imagining things. Besides, he has a soulmate."
Izzy just hummed. The two girls ventured further for a moment more before Izzy suddenly said "stop!"
Clary looked over to see a woman standing across the room holding a cross in her blood covered hand.
"Is she hurt?" Clary asked her sister.
"No." Isabelle told her. "She's forsaken."
Izzy spun her staff just as the woman turned around. Clary flinched backwards as the forsaken woman spun on them and growled loudly.
She charged the sisters and Clary swung out with her seraph blade, cutting through the woman's torso as more forsaken appeared. Together the girls took down all of them, blood splattered the walls around them and stained their faces.
They quickly spun around when two more forsaken appeared in the doorway across the room. Izzy crouched back down, preparing to fight them when they heard the familiar thwp of an arrow being released and the thnk of it hitting its target.
The forsaken collapsed, allowing them to see that the arrow had gone through the first forsaken's head and straight into the seconds, killing them both. Behind them stood Alec, bow still raised. Izzy straightened up and all the tension visibly left Clary's body. Both girls relaxed at the sight of their elder brother.
Alec walked towards them quickly. "I think that's the last of them." He told them as he stepped over the body of one of the dead forsaken.
Izzy and Clary wrapped their arms around their brother, glad to see that he was still in one piece.
Clary felt it as Alec let out a long breath and wrapped his arms around the two girls.
"Alec!" Izzy sighed in relief. "Are you okay?"
"I'm okay." Alec reassured her before pulling back from the two girls. Clary could see the concern in his eyes as they swept over the two girls, examining them, clinically checking them over for major injuries. His eyes met Clary's and she could tell that he was satisfied that both girls seemed to be alright.
"Where's Jace?" Isabelle asked and Clary looked around, peering around Alec to see that their other brother was indeed missing.
"Sebastian." Alec told her. "We've gotta find them."
Clary took a shaky breath. She wouldn't be able to handle it, if Sebastian killed Jace. She couldn't handle losing another brother to that psychopath. Just as she was about to suggest that they go seek the two men out, she spotted a few more forsaken entering through the same door that Alec had come through.
"Guys!" She exclaimed, looking over Alec's shoulder with an anxious expression that made Alex turn on the spot. He raised his bow and notched an arrow.
"Izzy. Go, Alec and I've got this. Go find Sebastian. Your whip's got the electrum. We know it can hurt him. Go!"
Izzy straightened up and left, going to find their brother and his captor as Alec and Clary maintained their defensive positions, their eyes on the forsaken.
Not even a second after Izzy left, the forsaken charged Alec and Clary. Alec released an arrow and it hit the first Forsaken, knocking him to the floor. Clary planted her feet and swung her seraph blade out, cutting into one forsaken man making his blood splatter onto her face and clothes. She could hear Alec fighting as well, the sounds of him releasing arrows and swinging blades. She'd just taken down her third forsaken when she heard Alec grunt in pain. Clary pivoted around and saw the large price of glass protruding from her brother's shoulder.
"Alec!" She called, throwing her seraph blade at the last forsaken as they linger toward the eldest Lightwood.
The body tumbled to the ground as Clary scurried towards Alec, who despite the stab wound to his shoulder, looked to be completely fine.
"Are you okay?" Clary asked, her hands fluttering just over the wound.
"I'm fine." Alec sighed. "Nothing that's going to kill me."
Clary pulled out her stele. "Let me draw you an iratze, and we'll take the glass out."
Alec caught her wrist as she went to draw the rune. "I'm afraid I'm all maxed out on Iratze's right now." He winced. "I had to use a few earlier when the forsaken dragged me through a wall."
Clary opened her mouth to reply when Izzy and Jace burst in.
"Hey!" Clary said to them, enveloping Jace in a hug. "What happened?"
"Sebastian's dead."
—-
Alec shut the door to the loft as quietly as possible as both he and Clary entered. The lights were off and it was completely silent.
The two Shadowhunters shed their shoes and weapons. Leaving their shoes by the door and depositing their weapons in the box that Magnus had placed by the door and Madzie-proofed. Clary took her jacket off and hung it on a hook. Alec had to leave his on as the piece of glass was still lodged in his shoulder.
Once they were done putting their things away, Clary led Alec to the bathroom across the hall from the master bedroom.
"Sit." She told him as she located the bandages and hydrogen peroxide. Alec sat on the closed toilet and leaned back, letting his head rest against the wall as his eyes fluttered closed.
"Hey." Clary said softly. Alec opened his eyes and turned his head to meet his little sister's gaze. "I don't exactly know what I'm doing, so . . . This will probably hurt. Like a lot."
"I'll be fine, Sis." Alec rasped.
Clary nodded and she visibly steeled herself, planting her feet and placing a hand on his wounded shoulder, just above where the glass was impaling him. She used the other hand to grasp the shard of glass.
"Ready?" She asked him.
Alec placed a hand on her waist and the other gripped the edge of the counter, white knuckled. "Let's just get it over with."
Clary nodded again and started to pull the shard out of her brother's shoulder, stopping when he cried out in pain.
"Keep going." He panted. "Just take it out. It's okay."
"I don't want to hurt you!" Clary whispered, features clouded.
"What in the name of Raziel is going on in here?" Magnus snapped.
Both Lightwoods looked towards the doorway in shock. Magnus was standing there in a ratty pair of Alec's sweat pants and was wearing no shirt.
"Uhhh." Clary said helpfully.
She watched as Magnus eyes filled with concern as he took in the scene unfolding before him. He took in the sight of Alec sitting rigidly on the toilet, Clary standing before him, the hand on the glass shard, the blood soaking the shoulder of Alec's blue button up shirt.
"Why don't you head to bed, Biscuit?" Magnus asked, his face impassive as he walked further into the bathroom.
He placed his hands on Clary's hips and eased her away from his fiancé. "I've got it from here."
"Are you sure?" Clary asked. "I can help."
"I promise that Alexander is in excellent hands." Magnus said without looking at the girl. "Get some rest, my dear."
Alec watched as his sister nodded and left the room. Magnus waited until they heard the door to her bedroom open and close until he spoke again.
"What was it this time?" He asked, his voice as void of emotion as his face was.
"Forsaken. There were so many. I'd almost finished them off, it caught me by surprise."
"Hmm." Magnus hummed. He took hold of the glass and eased it from Alec's flesh. Alec cried out as Magnus pulled the glass free.
Magnus murmured quiet apologies as he listened to Alec's cry of pain. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's almost over. There we go. There we go, darling. All done."
He waved a hand over the injury and Alec turned his head to watch the skin stitch itself back together. After the wound closed up, Alec turned back to look up at Magnus who was still standing in front of him. His face still held no emotion.
"Magnus?" Alec called softly. "Baby, what is it?"
"I just wish that you'd be more careful." Magnus admitted. "It isn't that I think that you aren't being careful. I know that you are. I know you do your best, it's just that I don't enjoy seeing you this way. Covered in your own blood, impaled and in pain. This, it just makes me want to wrap you in bubble wrap and hide you away from the world. I don't relish seeing you hurt. I can't lose you. Not again."
"Magnus." Alec took the Warlock's hands between his own. "You can't protect me from everything. And you shouldn't have to. I'm a Shadowhunter. Going out, fighting demons and getting hurt, it's my job. I'm sorry that it upsets you. Upsetting you is the last thing that I want to do. I want you to be happy, always. But baby, you haven't lost me. You've never lost me. I'm right here, sweetheart." Alec pulled Magnus into his lap and Magnus wrapped his arms around his fiancé's neck. He stared brokenly at the wall behind the man, a single tear trailing down his cheek as he thought about how terribly wrong the young Shadowhunter was.
"I love you, Magnus." Alec whispered, pressing a kiss to the crook of his neck.
"I love you too, Alexander."
What is Magnus referring to? Comment your thoughts, feedback is welcome. Vote on the chapter and follow the story! I update on Sunday's!