Just an FYI; this is the second to last chapter.
Raphael did most of the talking with the police, while Clary was slumped against his side. She felt drugged and exhausted, and it was obvious that the police woman that they were speaking with was worried about her. They asked her a few questions that she answered, but her words were slurred, and from the way that Raphael had his arm around her tightly, the uniformed officer had worries like 'drugged' going through her mind. Clary soothed over her mind, even though her head was pounding, because they really didn't have time for this. She just wanted to get home and rest.
And wait for Jace.
They were let go after an hour, along with most of the other people who were at the event and Clary fell asleep in the car back. Raphael was checking on her every couple of minutes—she could feel the worry emanating off him—but that didn't stop her from going to sleep. The hold that she had kept on so many people had taken a toll on her mind and body, and she knew that she needed to rest. She woke up when Raphael was shaking her shoulder lightly and she realized that they were in the parking lot of Jace's apartment building.
"Come on, babe," Raphael told her softly. "We'll get you upstairs and then you can sleep again."
"Okay," Clary said quietly. The bulletproof vest that she was wearing under her dress felt quite restrictive, tight around her chest, and she knew she was going to take it off as soon as she got upstairs. She felt better, after that small sleep that she had had on the way back to the apartment building, but she knew she was going to need something to eat as well, and she was probably going to fall asleep as soon as she got somewhere comfortable.
Once they got up to the apartment, Raphael asked her if she wanted anything to eat, and when she nodded, he went into the kitchen. Clary went into the bedroom that she shared with Jace and unzipped her dress. She took off the bulletproof vest awkwardly—Jace or Isabelle had helped her the last couple of times that she had put one on or taken it off—and instead of getting changed into something else, she just pulled her dress back up, sliding it back up her arms. She walked back out to the lounge and sat down on the couch and Raphael came out a moment later with a sandwich and a glass of orange juice.
"Thanks," Clary gave him a small smile as she picked up half of the sandwich and began eating. Not only was her energy drained from how much she had used her powers, but she also realized that she had eaten since breakfast this morning. She had been going to eat lunch, but she had been so nervous, and they hadn't thought that things were going to start so quickly at the event, and so she had thought that they would have had something to eat there. "Do you know when the others are going to be back? How far away they are?" Clary didn't want to reach out with her mind and search for Jace for a couple of reasons. One, her head was still throbbing and she still felt tired, and she didn't want to stretch herself. Second, she really didn't want to know what they were doing.
"I'm not sure, chiquita," Raphael told her with a small smile, his knee bouncing up and down. "It could be a while. I think it would be a good idea if you got some sleep after you ate." She could feel how tense he was, as if the bouncing of his knee wasn't a big enough tell. But she knew that he wasn't going to talk about what he thought was happening, he was just trying to keep her safe and calm.
"Okay," Clary nodded. They were quiet again as they fell back into silence. Clary finished off the sandwich and the orange juice and then took in a deep breath through her nose. She needed sleep, Raphael was right about that. But she didn't want to miss when Jace came back. "I'm going to sleep out here, okay? And wake me as soon as you know that Jace is on his way back." Raphael nodded.
"Alright," he said. He got up from where he was sitting and disappeared into the spare room. Clary pulled her dress up, so it wasn't going to get all tangled around the bottom of her legs, and then stretched herself out on the couch, moving one of the cushions under her head. Raphael came back a few minutes later, having found a spare blanket, and he put it over her. Clary was already asleep as he tucked it up over her shoulders, and then moved to sit down in one of the armchairs. He turned on the TV, lowering the volume so that he could barely hear it, and flicked through the channels until he found an old movie.
It was early hours of the morning when Raphael got a text to say that Jace and the others had finished and were on their way back. Raphael stood up from the armchair, clicking his back and stretching his arms above his head. The sun was starting to rise and there were colours of red and gold coming in through the kitchen windows, where the blinds were still open. He waited another fifteen minutes before waking Clary, wanting her to get as much sleep as she could.
"Hey," he murmured as he gently shook her. Clary's eyes opened blearily, and they were a little sticky from the mascara that she hadn't taken off last night. "Jace is going to be here soon." Clary nodded sleepily at him and rolled onto her back. She stretched and then got up, heading toward the bathroom. When she came back, most of her make up had been washed off and she had brushed her teeth. She looked a lot better than she had last night, more rested. She was just about to sit back down on the couch again when she felt a tug at her thumb and the she felt a whisper in the back of her head, and she knew that Jace was nearby. Clary looked toward the door and a moment later, Jace walked in.
He clearly hadn't slept. His clothes were rumpled and he was no longer wearing a tie, but the stress that had been on his face for the past couple of weeks was gone. His eyes didn't look like there was a shadow behind them, and when his gaze fell on Clary, he crossed the room quickly, cupping her face and kissing her hard. Clary's whole body melted in relief as she gripped his arms. She caught glimpses of things that had happened in the past eight hours that they were apart—Sebastian's bloody face, Jace speaking with Jem and some older guy who might have been another police officer, Isabelle with her hair tied on top of her head and a deadly look in her eye—but she pushed them back.
"Everything good, boss?" Raphael asked, coming up behind Clary. Jace put an arm around Clary's shoulders, hugging her in tight against him before nodding.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "We're good. "
"Alright," Raphael nodded, and it was clear that he was exhausted, just like Jace. "Is Izzy home?" Jace nodded. "I'm going to head down there for some sleep. Text me if you need anything." He leaned in and kissed Clary on the cheek before heading toward the door. Clary turned her attention back to Jace.
"Are you alright?" She asked him softly, one of her hands lifting to stroke his face gently.
"I'm fine," Jace replied, taking in a deep breath. "What about you? Raphael get you back here without any problem?"
"Yeah," Clary nodded. "We had to talk to the cops for a while, but then we came back. I had something to eat, coz my head was killing me, and I slept until about half an hour ago."
"That's good," Jace smiled at her. "Can we move to the bedroom? I don't really know how much longer I can stand for."
"Yeah, of course," Clary smiled, linking her fingers together with Jace's and leading the way to the bedroom. Clary got out of her dress, not bothering to hang it up because she had already created enough creases, sleeping in it. Jace got out of his suit, taking the time to put it over the back of a chair, kicking off his shoes and letting out a deep breath as he laid down on the bed. Clary climbed into the bed next to him, her body molding itself against his. Jace's chest rose and fell a few times, and she thought for a moment that he was falling asleep, but then he opened his eyes. "Is it all over?" Clary asked quietly.
"It is," Jace's words were so soft she could barely hear them. "We're going to be fine, and it's over."
"Are you sure?" Clary asked. She wasn't sure what he meant when he said that it was over. She couldn't imagine that Jace would hand him over to the police, not given how dangerous he was and what Sebastian had done to him. But then again, he had been talking to Jem, and Clary couldn't imagine Jem just leaving Sebastian and his people to be killed. "What do you mean?" Jace swallowed hard and he turned his head on the pillow to look directly at Clary.
"His accomplices were arrested and handed over to the local PD, Jem took them in," Jace told her evenly. "They're going to be transported to a maximum security mutant prison in a couple of hours time."
"And Sebastian?" Clary asked tentatively, swallowing hard. She wanted to know. She needed to know. Jace was her partner, she loved him, and although she didn't agree with everything that he did, he was still the most important person in the world to her, and she would stand by him, no matter what. It also meant that she wanted him protected, and given what Sebastian had gone through to get to him, it was clear that he would come after them again.
"He's dead, Clary," Jace said, his eyes never leaving hers, watching her reaction. "He's never going to be bother us again." Clary felt her heart skip a beat in her chest at that knowledge, but surprisingly, she didn't feel bad. She didn't feel upset or angry. She just felt...Relieved.
Relieved that it was over, and that they were safe.
"Is it bad that I'm okay with that?" Clary asked slowly. Jace shook his head, moving his arm so that he could slide it underneath Clary, tugging her in close to him.
"No," he said firmly. "It's not bad that you're glad that he can't hurt anyone." Clary bit down on her lower lip for a few moments before nodding. Jace stared at her for a few more beats before closing his eyes. Clary couldn't believe that she was still so tired after sleeping most of the night, but she chalked it up to emotional stress. It was only minutes before they were both fast asleep.
Hey, guys. Hope you enjoyed the update. Be kind and well.