Chapter Fifteen

"Clary. Wake up."

She opened her eyes with difficulty; her lashes were sticky. The room glowed with the soft beginnings of dawn, a hazy shimmer of gold on the horizon. She sat up slowly, pressing the heels of her palms against her eyes.

"How bad was it?" said Jace.

She shrugged. "The same as usual."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She stared at her hands, knotted together in her lap. "I dreamed he was back," she said dully. "We were in his realm. He'd k—" Her voice fizzled out, and she swallowed. "He'd killed you. And Simon, Izzy...everyone I loved. I could see them all laid out behind him. Like a battlefield. It was so quiet..."

Jace took her hand. She shifted closer to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I'll be okay," she said softly. "One day at a time, right?"

He kissed the top of her head. "That's right."

Clary stared out the window, watching the sunlight begin to pour through the gaps between the buildings. She laid her hand on her rounded belly, stroking it absentmindedly.

"Feeling okay?" said Jace, noticing. She made a noise of assent, not wanting to turn away from the sunrise. Jace put his arm around her, and she instinctively curled against him, a long-practiced habit. "You know," said Jace, his voice a low murmur into her hair, "I've been thinking some more about names."

She looked up at that. "Have you?"

"Yeah. Well, a little. I mean, they're just ideas."

Clary sat up a little straighter; it was such a novelty to see Jace this flustered that she wanted to make sure she was getting a full view of him. "Well, let's hear them," she said, smiling at him.

"I thought..." His ears went slightly pink. "I thought maybe Alexander." He rubbed the back of his head. "I know its cheesy and sentimental and all that, but I want his name to be important to us. And Alec is...he deserves this. I feel like I want to do this for him."

Clary mulled it over for a moment, rolling the name around in her head. "I like it," she said eventually. "I do...but won't it get confusing, having two Alexanders?"

"I guess," said Jace, looking disappointed. "Maybe as a middle name?"

"I actually already had an idea for a middle name," Clary said apologetically. Jace gestured for her to go on, and now it was her turn to be flustered. She bit her lip. "Jonathan."

"Oh," Jace said softly. "Clary, are you sure? I mean, I know why. But you don't think..."

"It'll be too painful?" She rubbed her hands across her stomach. "I don't know. Maybe. But it feels right to me. Like we could raise him the way Jonathan should have been raised. Like he could maybe get a second chance. And I wouldn't—I wouldn't pick it as a first name, I don't think. But to have some part of his name be after my brother...I think I'd like that."

Jace smiled. "I think it's a good idea."

She met his eyes. "You do?"

"Yeah." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You're right. It feels like it fits."

Clary exhaled. She hadn't realized until then how much she had wanted to name the baby after Jonathan, but it did feel right. A way to honor her brother, and in a way, her mother, too. To honor the child she had lost.

"Well, we need a first name, too," Jace said. "Unless we're going to go around calling him Blank Jonathan."

"It has a ring to it," said Clary. Jace chuckled. "Any ideas? Besides Alec."

"I did have one more, actually," Jace said. "Tessa's told you about her first husband, right?"

"Yeah, Jem's parabatai," Clary said. "Will Herondale." She looked at him. "William?"

"Yeah," said Jace. "I think it would be nice to name him after one of my ancestors. And I think it would mean a lot to Jem and Tessa, too."

"I like it," Clary said, smiling. "We should probably ask them if they're okay with it first, but...it feels right."

"It's settled, then." Jace held up his hands as if he were seeing it on a marquee. "William Jonathan Herondale. The newest of the historically badass and hot Herondale family."

"I hope you're including me as badass and hot," Clary said.

"Are you kidding?" Jace demanded. "You're the most badass and hot person I know. I mean, second to me, of course."

"I'm flattered," said Clary, laughing. Her stomach fluttered nervously; she shivered. "God, it feels so real all of a sudden. Like, we're having a baby."

"Wait, did you not get the memo?" said Jace, looking shocked. Clary rolled her eyes, bumping his shoulder with hers. He clasped it, giving an exaggerated gasp.

"Oh, please, that healed a month ago," Clary said, exasperated.

Jace chuckled. "Add a point to your badass column for that," he said. "I don't know how you managed to get me back to the Institute."

"You were saying some very interesting things that night," Clary said, smiling slyly. "Alec was right, I should have taken a video for blackmail."

"Hate to break it to you, but I have a long list of things you've said to me during sex that I could use against you," said Jace very seriously.

Clary laughed. "Ditto. What would the world say if they knew that the legendary Jace Herondale has a spot on his body that makes him whimper like a little puppy when I kiss it?"

"Do they call me legendary?" said Jace, looking pleased.

Clary rolled her eyes. "I'm trying to blackmail you, and you're taking all the fun out of it."

"I, for one, am finding this very fun," said Jace, leaning over to brush his lips against hers. She smiled, reciprocating. Her hands traveled slowly down his body.

"Are you trying to find that spot?"

"Maybe."

Jace laughed, pulling her against him. "You're devious, you know that?"

"Learned from the best," said Clary, kissing his cheek. Jace slid his arm down around her waist, letting his hand rest on the bed beside her. After a moment, Clary took it and laid it on top of her stomach, putting her hands over his.

"What if it's a girl?" Jace asked.

Clary shook her head. "I really think it's a boy. But if it's a girl, I have no idea what to name her. I feel like boy names are easier, somehow."

"Yeah, I couldn't think of a single girl name," Jace sighed. "It's because girls are so complicated all the time."

"I'll tell Isabelle you said that."

Jace blanched. "Don't you dare."

Clary chuckled, leaning into him. "If you say so."

They sat there for a long moment. The sun had risen higher, light beginning to spill over the tops of the smaller buildings down the block. The sky turned a soft baby pink.

Clary's phone chimed. She pulled away from Jace slightly to check it, seeing a text from Jocelyn: Hi, baby. Are you busy today? Haven't seen you in a while and miss you lots.

"Anything important?" Jace asked as she texted back.

"Just my mom," Clary said. Miss you too. Let's do lunch at the Institute. 1pm okay?

Her mother replied. Perfect. See you then. Love you.

Love you too.

"She's coming over for lunch," Clary told Jace, setting her phone back down.

"Sounds nice." Jace stroked her hair. "What time is it?"

"Forgot to check," said Clary. "But as long as we don't know, we can pretend it's not time to get up yet."

Jace kissed the top of her own head. "Now there's the amazing, intelligent woman I married."

Clary snuggled into him as the sun broke into the sky.

The doorbell rang at precisely one in the afternoon. Clary stood up from the desk, grateful for the reprieve from the latest dull form she was filling out. She strode across the library, passing Jace at the table. He saluted as he wearily crossed out something he was writing.

"Your handwriting looks like chicken scratch," Clary told him, pausing and squinting at the form in front of him.

"Ugh." He tossed the pen down. "It's because my hand is cramping. This is, like, the twentieth demon report I'm filling out. How many demons could we possibly have found this month?"

"Probably more than twenty," Clary pointed out. He mumbled something incoherent and picked up the pen again. Smiling exasperatedly, Clary walked past him and out of the library, heading toward the front doors.

She pulled them open to find Jocelyn standing on the porch, holding a tray covered in foil. A large tote bag was slung over her shoulder. "I made lasagna," she said by way of greeting.

"Thanks, Mom." Clary glanced past her to see Luke's truck idling at the side of the road; upon seeing her, he waved and then pulled away from the curb, driving off down the block. "Come on in," Clary said, standing aside to admit her mother.

"You're growing," said Jocelyn, beaming as they walked down the hallway together.

Clary rested her hand on her stomach. "Nineteen weeks as of yesterday. The Silent Brothers say everything's right on track."

"I got you some pregnancy books," Jocelyn said, indicating the tote bag. "And I brought some of my old maternity clothes for you. I'm sure there's some stuff in there you'll like."

"Oh, good," Clary said, laughing. "I'm running out of baggy sweaters."

They arrived in the kitchen and Jocelyn set the tray on the counter, then went over to the oven to preheat it. "Have you felt any movement yet?" she asked as she shucked the tote bag off and set it on the table. "I started feeling it around this time."

"Not yet," said Clary, pulling a stool out from under the counter and sitting on it.

"Oh, it's so magical when you do," Jocelyn said, leaning back against the counter. "Well, at first. But when the baby gets bigger and starts kicking you in the ribs, it gets a little less magical."

Clary laughed. "That sounds amazing. I can't wait for him to start feeling more like a little person."

"You'll regret those words," Jocelyn warned her. She peeled back the foil on the lasagna, crumpling it so that the beads of water on the underside couldn't fall into the tray. Clary leaned forward, her stomach grumbling loudly. Jocelyn chuckled. "Fifteen minutes. I promise."

"I don't know if I can wait that long," said Clary, grinning. "I could honestly just eat it cold."

"Trust me, it's worth the wait." The oven beeped, and Jocelyn opened the door and slid the tray off the counter and into the oven in one swift movement. It was times like this when Clary remembered that her mother had once been a Shadowhunter, trained from birth to be quick and agile and steady. Trained to slay demons. Clary smiled at the thought that her mother's skills could be used in something as ordinary as cooking.

A faint beeping sound reached her ears from down the hall; she recognized it as the sound of the magnified Sensor in the library, which alerted them to demon activity within a mile radius. She ignored it, trusting that Jace could handle whatever it was.

Having set the oven timer, Jocelyn pulled out a stool and sat opposite Clary. "So how have you been?" she asked. "I feel like it's been weeks since I've seen you."

"I know," Clary sighed. "We should start doing Sunday dinners again. But I've been good, mostly."

"Mostly?" said Jocelyn, with a knowing look in her eye. "You look tired, baby. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, just having trouble sleeping," said Clary, looking away.

Jocelyn hummed in response. "I had insomnia the second trimester. Sleeping runes might help."

Clary nodded absently. She hadn't told anyone but Jace that she was still having nightmares; not even Simon knew. Slowly, she had begun to tell Jace the truth about the dreams Beelzebub had sent her. Every time she told him another detail, she felt the weight on her shoulders lighten slightly.

"Are you okay?" Jocelyn said. "You look a million miles away."

"Yeah," said Clary, snapping back to focus. "Sorry. I was just thinking."

"Baby stuff?"

Clary rolled her eyes. "You sound like Maryse. Baby stuff is all she ever wants to talk about." It was why Clary tried very hard to busy herself with work whenever Maryse came to visit, which was often. On the rare occasion that she managed to catch Clary, she would bombard her with questions until Jace pulled her away on the pretense of "Why don't we have a cup of tea? I've missed you." Eternally grateful, Clary would later reward him in ways he couldn't resist.

"Actually, I do have a baby thing," Clary said now, remembering. "Jace and I were talking about names this morning, and I wanted your opinion."

"Mine?" Jocelyn said, looking surprised. "How come?"

"Well..." Clary hesitated. "If it's a boy, we were thinking about his middle name being Jonathan." Her mother's face tightened almost imperceptibly, but Clary plowed forward. "I know it's not easy for you, and we won't use it if you're not comfortable with it, but—"

"No," Jocelyn said softly. "No, you should use it."

Clary watched her. "Really?"

Jocelyn sighed. "It does hurt. I can't pretend it doesn't. But I think it's a good way to honor him. And maybe the name will come to mean something new, with this baby."

"Yes. Exactly." Clary leaned forward. "Are you sure you're okay with it?"

"Yeah," Jocelyn exhaled. "I think it's beautiful, Clary. And...thank you."

Clary smiled. At that moment, she heard footsteps approaching; she turned around as Jace entered the kitchen. "Hey, good news," Clary said, "we can..." She trailed off, seeing the expression on his face. "What's wrong?" she said, her stomach fluttering.

"Don't freak out," said Jace warningly.

She crossed her arms. "That is so not a good way to start a conversation."

Jace took a deep breath. "There's a demon in a warehouse downtown. A big one."

Clary read his face. "You're going, aren't you?"

"I have to," said Jace, sounding apologetic. "Something this big—you know I have to check it out."

"You're going," said Clary again, "and I'm staying. Right?"

"Clary," said Jace gently, "please."

She looked at him for a long moment. "You're not going alone," she decided. "Take someone with you. Simon or Isabelle or Alec, just bring someone."

"Okay," Jace said, looking relieved.

"And..." She slid off the stool, approaching him. Her insides were fluttering again. "Be careful, okay?" she said in a low voice. She put a hand on her stomach, imagining she could feel the butterflies against her hand. "Don't be reckless. Don't be stupid. Just keep your head down and do what you need to do."

It was a mark of the intensity in her tone that Jace didn't try to diffuse her with a quip. Instead, he bent down and kissed her lightly. "I promise. I'll be careful."

She let him go, watching him as he hastened down the hallway, heading toward the armory. Exhaling slowly, she turned and sat back down at the counter. Jocelyn was watching her, but said nothing.

They sat in silence for a long time. By now, Jace was probably gathering his gear and weapons, consulting his mental checklist for anything he might have missed. It was the kind of thing he liked, the careful strategy and planning, the preparation for the fight. Though, in a way, he was always prepared for a fight. It was why he brought weapons along on a late-night walk, why he kept a Sensor in their bedside drawer, extra seraph blades in their closet. He'd been brought up to expect a demon attack at any moment and trained to be on his guard every moment. Not for the first time, Clary longed for her old life, when demons and magic didn't exist, and when love seemed simpler.

"You know," said Clary quietly, "sometimes I wonder whether I'm doing the right thing. Bringing a child into this world. Condemning him to a lifetime of demon killing. It can't exactly be a happy childhood."

"Every world has its problems, Clary," Jocelyn said gently. "I felt the same way bringing you into the mundane world. It's natural to want to protect your child from the world, to want them to be happy and blissfully ignorant. That's what any mom wants. But it isn't realistic in this world or any other. You bring a child into the world and then you love them and do your best to make them happy. That's a mom's job."

"Yeah." Clary wrapped her arms around her stomach. "I just hope it's enough."

The warehouse was a shabby gray building against the sleek glass and shining metal of its neighbors. It sat plain and squat at the end of the block, almost as if it were trying to hide in the corner. The windows had been covered with brown craft paper, a tattered "For Sale" sign tacked up in one corner.

"Took you long enough," said Isabelle as Jace approached. She was sitting on the steps, propped on her elbows with her long legs stretched out in front of her.

"I walked," Jace said, climbing the steps. His weapons clanked against each other. Isabelle looked him up and down.

"I don't think you brought enough weapons," she said. "What is that, two swords, seven daggers, and three seraph blades?"

"Eight daggers," Jace said. Isabelle gave an exasperated sigh. At the sound of footsteps, Jace turned to see Alec coming around the side of the building, holding a Sensor.

"Just one," he said, answering Jace's unasked question. "But I think it's a Greater Demon. And I scouted ahead a bit, this place is a maze. It'll be tricky to find him."

"Well, I always like a good challenge," said Jace. He looked around. "Where's Simon?"

"He didn't come," Alec said, sounding oddly cautious.

"Why not?"

"He's busy," Isabelle said, but she didn't elaborate. Jace glanced at Alec; he shook his head warningly.

"O...kay then," said Jace. "Runes?"

They took turns inking runes of Strength, Night-Vision, and Agility on each other. Once Alec had traced a final Mark onto Jace's neck, Jace drew a seraph blade out of his belt and led the way into the warehouse. Isabelle and Alec followed.

Clouds of dust plumed up around Jace's feet as he stepped through the door; the place had clearly been abandoned for years. In the dim light from outside, he could see the main room stretching out before them, several large grates marking further storage along the walls.

Alec shut the door behind them, plunging them into total darkness. Jace pulled his witchlight stone out of his pocket, rubbing his thumb across it so that it glowed dully, just enough to see by. Alec and Isabelle mirrored him. Squinting at them, Jace made a series of complicated hand gestures, indicating that he would scout the left side while Isabelle and Alec took the right. Isabelle frowned, shook her head, and set off by herself toward the left. Jace raised an eyebrow at Alec.

"Don't ask," he said in a low voice. "I tried talking to her and she got all touchy. She's being really weird."

"I can hear you!" came Isabelle's sharp whisper through the darkness. Jace and Alec exchanged a look before splitting up, Alec following Isabelle and Jace moving toward the right.

The grates were made of corrugated metal; a groove along the top indicated that they rolled up into the ceiling. Jace gripped the handle at the bottom of the nearest one and tugged; with a loud screech and a spray of rust, the grate lifted off the ground and retreated into the ceiling.

"Jace!" Isabelle hissed. "Haven't you ever heard of being stealthy?"

Jace ignored her, venturing into the space. Lifting his witchlight to cast the light into the corners, he could see that more storage spaces branched off of this one. Alec had been right; it really was something of a maze. As he moved forward, his Sensor clicked softly against his leg. He pulled it out of his pocket and continued to advance, the clicking growing steadily louder.

He paused in front of the last grate, listening intently. His Sensor was growing warm in his hand; he stuffed it back into his pocket and pressed his ear against the grate. For a moment, he heard nothing—then, so quiet he almost missed it, a shuffling noise. Deftly, Jace pulled out his stele and carved a silencing rune into the grate. Then, in one swift movement, he yanked it up and turned the witchlight over in his hand, letting light explode into the room. There was a loud screech of pain.

"Ah," Jace said, grinning. "Gotcha."

"Izzy," said Alec. She made no sign of having heard him, moving ahead and pausing to listen every so often. "Izzy."

"What?" she snapped.

Alec blinked. "Um...what's wrong?"

"I'm trying to find a demon and you keep distracting me," said Isabelle shortly, squinting at the storage compartment next to her, apparently deeming it non-threatening, and moving on to the next one.

"Iz, you know what I mean. If you want to talk—"

"Have I given any indication that I want to talk?" said Isabelle heatedly.

"Well—"

She spun around to face him. "Yes, I'm upset. Yes, it's because of Simon. No, I don't want to talk about it. That about answer all of your questions?"

"Not even slightly."

Isabelle gave him a withering look and turned away, proceeding to the next grate. She pressed her ear against it. "Ugh, I can't hear anything. Here, give me your stele." He handed it over, watching as she inked an Audio rune into her wrist.

"What, um...what were you guys fighting about?" Alec asked cautiously.

Isabelle gave an exasperated huff. "Are you seriously not going to let this go?"

"Izzy," Alec said quietly. "You know I just want to help."

She sighed. "We were fighting about...Jace and Clary."

"What?" said Alec, completely nonplussed. "Why were you...wait," he said, a sudden realization dawning on him. "Isabelle, you're not—you know—pregnant?"

"I'm not," said Isabelle crossly. "Why would you even jump to that conclusion?"

"Well, I mean, you've been acting really weird, and I see the way you've been looking at Clary lately—"

"No, never mind, I don't care," Isabelle said, cutting him off. "Can we please just drop it?"

Alec opened his mouth to protest, but before he could, a faint screech sounded from somewhere deep in the warehouse. He spun around.

"Damn it, Jace, why can't you ever just wait?" Isabelle muttered, shoving past Alec and taking off back toward where Jace had been investigating. Alec followed, hot on her heels.

"Hey," said Jace, leaning against the wall. "What's up?"

The demon scowled at him. At least, Jace thought it was a scowl. It was difficult to tell, given the large amounts of blubbery flesh that surrounded the demon's mouth. At first glance, the demon looked simply like a mound of fat, but closer inspection revealed hard scales and, disturbingly, many fanged mouths spread across its body.

"You," the demon snarled.

"Have we met?" Jace said, intrigued. "I think I would remember someone of your...um...ponderousness."

"HUMAN!"

"Ah," Jace said, nodding knowingly. "I see. You hate all humans. Well, lucky for you, pal, I'm superhuman. Or, you know, people call me that. I try not to let the fame go to my head, personally." He took a step forward, raising his seraph blade. "Amriel!" The blade burst to life. "Right," said Jace as the demon cowered from the blinding light. "This handy device here will send you back to hell on the express line, but it can also do a lot of damage before that. So I'd suggest you start talking."

The demon spat; Jace ducked as a large loogey flew over his head and hit the wall with a wet splat.

"Okay, rude," said Jace, straightening. "And also gross. Now, look, I could hit you back with an impressive glob of spit, considering the size of my mouth compared to yours, but why don't we handle this like civilized people—uh—creatures? You can start by telling me your name and why you're here. I'll demonstrate." He gave a little bow. "Hi, I'm Jace, and I'm here to kill you. Your turn."

The demon's face contorted. "I am Hunger."

"Interesting, interesting," said Jace, leaning back against the wall. "I, too, turn into a monster when I'm hungry. Or so my wife says." He pointed the seraph blade casually at Hunger. "And your reason for stopping by?"

"I was sent," said Hunger. "My master is looking for someone."

Jace stood up straight. "I see," he said, all joking manner leaving him. "And who might that be?"

"A boy," said the demon with a glistening smile. "One who killed someone very powerful. Perhaps you know him."

Jace felt his stomach sink. Oh, Clary is going to kill me. "Do you happen to know his name?" he asked, feigning innocence.

The demon gave a chuckle that sounded like bubbles of thick liquid popping. "I know his name, Jace Herondale." The mouths along his body opened, stretching widely and snapping their sharp teeth. "You are mine."

Hunger lunged, but Jace sidestepped easily, avoiding the demon's girth. The demon gave a roar, lumbering toward him, and Jace slashed out with the seraph blade, cutting one of the mouths in half. Ichor rolled sluggishly down the demon's side.

"You know, if your master wanted me captured, maybe he shouldn't have sent literally the most obese demon he could find," Jace pointed out, dancing aside as the demon reached for him again. This time, he was less lucky; though he avoided Hunger's hands, one of the mouths latched onto his arm, teeth digging in. Jace tore himself free, thrusting the seraph blade into the mouth. It sizzled, its light dimming. Jace yanked it out and tossed it aside.

"Ouch," he said mildly as his arm smarted. Hunger gave a wet snarl, rolling toward him—and something silvery shot through the air, embedding itself in his neck.

"Why," Isabelle demanded, marching forward as Hunger screeched in pain and tore out the dagger, "do you try to do everything by yourself?"

"I'm a strong, independent man who don't need no woman," Jace said, backing up as the demon rounded on him again.

"You need to stop picking up pop-culture references from Simon," Isabelle told him, unwinding her whip from around her wrist and flicking it at the demon, deftly opening up three cuts in his back. As the demon shrieked, an arrow drove through his shoulder; Jace turned, catching sight of Alec sliding along the wall, keeping to the shadows as he nocked another arrow in his bow.

Jace pulled his sword out of its sheath. "Hey!" he bellowed as Hunger squinted toward where the arrow had come from, his beady eyes searching the darkness. The demon turned back around just as Jace leapt into the air, severing Hunger's head from his body. Jace rode the body down, jumping off it as the head thudded to the ground and rolled across the floor, coming to a stop at Isabelle's feet.

"Oh, ew," she said, kicking it back toward the body as the demon began to fold in on itself, taking its head with it. "What even was that thing? It's disgusting."

"Hunger," said Alec, emerging from the shadows. "A Greater Demon known for eating everything in sight. I'm surprised it didn't try to eat you, Jace."

"Thanks, Encyclopedia Alec," Isabelle said, rolling her eyes.

Alec frowned at her. "The information is relevant, thank you very much. If the demon didn't want to eat Jace, it must have been here for a reason." He turned to Jace. "Did it tell you anything?"

"Nope," said Jace immediately. "Just wanted to eat me. I managed to avoid it." He glanced at his arm. "Mostly."

"Let me see," Alec said, taking Jace's arm gently and pushing up his sleeve. Jace let him examine the wound, watching as he pulled out his stele and carefully traced an iratze beside it. Jace's heart was thudding with dread in his chest. Magnus had warned him of this, had told him there would be consequences. But it wasn't the fact that someone was looking for him that worried him; it was what they wanted to do with him once they caught him.

"Thanks," he said quickly, pulling his arm out of Alec's grip and tugging his sleeve back down. "I should get back to the Institute, Clary's waiting for me."

"Everything okay with you two?" said Alec.

"Yeah," Jace said. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Alec glanced briefly at Isabelle. "No reason."

"Hm," said Jace, following his gaze. "Simon issues?" he asked Isabelle.

She scowled. "Both of you need to butt out of my marriage!"

"Hey," Jace said, holding his hands up. "I'm not judging. I just want you to know that if you need someone to kick his ass, I'm your guy. No questions asked."

Isabelle frowned at him. "Go home, Jace."

He nodded and traipsed away, sheathing his sword.

"Clary, what's wrong?" said Jocelyn. "You've barely touched your food."

"Sorry. It's good," said Clary, reluctantly putting a bite of lasagna into her mouth.

"I know it is," Jocelyn said. "That's not what I meant."

Clary sighed, setting down her fork. "He should have been back by now," she said, looking at her watch.

"It's barely been an hour," Jocelyn said. "I'm sure he's fine."

Her tone was soothing, but Clary's nerves continued to thrum. She stood and went to the sink, filling up a glass just for something to do. As she sipped at the water, she wondered if she should try his cell phone, or perhaps check the Sensor in the library for a sign of the demon having been dispatched. Calm down, she told herself. Mom's right. He's probably fine. It felt as if her mind and body had separated; no matter how logical or rational she tried to be, her insides continued to flutter anxiously.

"Clary," Jocelyn said, cutting through her thoughts. "Come sit back down. There's no use worrying."

"I know." Clary sighed, her hand going automatically to her stomach. "I just can't shake this bad feeling."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just...I'm anxious. I'm all shaky, and I have butterflies."

Jocelyn's expression changed. "Butterflies?"

"Well, yeah," Clary said slowly. "Why is that—oh. Oh my God." She pressed her hands against her belly. "Oh my God, I'm a total idiot. He's kicking, isn't he?"

"I think so!" Jocelyn said, her eyes shining with joy.

Clary felt another gentle fluttering inside her, and this time she could feel it against her palms. "He's kicking," she said again, tears welling up in her eyes. "Mom, come here, come feel."

Jocelyn obliged, coming around the table and resting a hand on Clary's stomach. Again, Clary felt that soft quickening in her belly. "I felt it!" Jocelyn said excitedly.

Clary gave a shaky exhale, leaning back against the counter as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"What's wrong?" Jocelyn said.

Clary shook her head, smiling softly. "I guess, after everything that happened...and I know the Silent Brothers said he was fine, but...I guess I didn't believe it until now." She ran her hands across her belly. "He's kicking."

Jocelyn smiled. "I told you it was magical."

Clary heard the sound of the front doors opening. She stood up straight. "I have to—"

"Go," Jocelyn said, pushing her toward the door. "I'll wait here."

Clary gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek before hurrying out of the kitchen and down the hall. She found Jace in the entrance hall, unloading his weapons belt. "Jace!" she cried.

His head snapped up; he looked alarmed. Before he could say anything, Clary had launched herself at him, squeezing him tightly.

"Careful," he said, gently prying her away from him. "There's ichor on my gear."

"Give me your hand," Clary demanded.

"Huh?"

Impatiently, Clary grabbed his hand and set it on her stomach. A moment later, she felt a quickening.

"Wha..." Jace looked at her. "Is that—"

"Yeah," said Clary, beaming. "He's kicking!"

Jace's face broke into a smile. "Wow. That's—that's amazing." Clary reached up and pulled him into a kiss; he sank into it for a moment before gently pulling away. Smiling briefly, he turned away to remove the rest of his gear.

Clary's smile faded. "What's wrong?" she said, examining his face.

"Nothing," he said, removing his weapons belt and letting it fall to the ground. "Just tired." He stripped himself of the rest of his gear and gathered it into his arms. "I think I'm going to go take a nap," he said.

"Jace..."

He bent his neck to kiss her lightly. "I'll come back down in a bit, okay?"

And before she could say anything else, he set off down the hallway. She stared after him, her hand sliding back down to her belly as the child within her moved again.

A/N: First Wednesday upload! I hope you're enjoying having two chapters per week. If you liked this chapter, please leave a review! As always, thanks for reading.

~4L