Chapter Eighteen
Time Jump – Summer Vacation
Their first year of college was over and Jace and Clary were thankful to make it out alive. They had both excelled in their classes despite the stress and mini fights they had with each other and they were glad to have a summer to just spend together. Of course their plans spend the whole summer together were crushed when Maryse told them they were going on a family vacation for two weeks over the summer break. Clary couldn't blame her though, with all three of her children all off at school, and Izzy being so far away Clary understood why she wanted some time to just be a family again, but that didn't mean Clary wasn't going to miss Jace.
"We have to be at your mom's house in 25 minutes Jace!" Clary yelled as she heard footsteps coming into the living room.
"I just had a to pack a couple extra things." He said and Clary smiled. They made their way out to Clary's car and started making their way to the Lightwood house.
When they got there Izzy and Simon were already there, along with Alec and Magnus. Clary could tell that Magnus and Simon both weren't looking forward to this family vacation just like Clary, but they deserved a nice family vacation after the last year they had. Robert was busy packing the car while everyone else was seated in the kitchen.
"Alright Lightwood's if we don't leave now we'll be late for our flight." Robert said and everyone started walking out of the kitchen but Jace and Clary lingered.
"I'm going to miss you." Clary said and Jace wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him.
"I'm going to miss you too, but we'll talk as much as we can." Jace said and Clary nodded into his chest.
"How long is the flight again?" Clary asked as she pulled apart.
"About 16 hours. We'll get in and probably go straight to bed, so I'll text you once we land and than once we catch up on our sleep." Jace said and Clary nodded as another tear escaped her eyes. Jace reached up and brushed them off her cheeks.
"I'll be back in two weeks Clary." Jace said and she nodded. "I love you."
"I love you too." He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers for a moment before they made their way outside.
Simon and Izzy had just finished saying goodbye along with Alec and Magnus. Jace Izzy and Alec got into the car and Simon, Clary, and Magnus stood in the driveway and waved as they drove away. They were quiet for a moment before Simon spoke.
"These two weeks are going to suck." He said and Magnus and Clary laughed.
"Amen to that." Magnus said and Clary nodded.
"You staying for the whole two weeks Simon?" Clary asked.
"Yea. Izzy and I drove down together since she wasn't staying, and since I didn't get to see my family during the holidays, this is me making up for that." Simon explained.
"Well, why don't us significant otherless people get together on Wednesday and do lunch?" Clary suggested.
"I'm in." Simon said and Magnus nodded in agreement.
"Cool. Meet at my place, and there is this great restaurant Jace and I love to go to!" Clary said and they both nodded. "Well, I'm going to go home. My mom's coming over for dinner tonight, and the living room is a little messy."
"Surprising seeing as Jace lives there." Magnus said and Clary laughed.
"He was leaving, so he wasn't really concerned with the mess, but when he gets back he might have a heart attack." Clary said and they all laughed. "I'll see you guys on Wednesday, 11:30."
Clary made her way back to her car and headed back to her place. When she opened the door and walked in Clary instantly felt Jace's presence missing. She knew how important spending this time with his family was but she couldn't help but want to feel a little selfish in wanting to keep him close to her for as long as she could.
Time Jump – Early Wednesday Morning
Clary was sound asleep in her bed when she heard a bang that jolted her awake. She was in a deep sleep so it took a moment for her to wake up when she heard things being smashed. She got out of bed and made her way towards the noise, which she knew was most likely a terrible idea.
When she was in the doorway of the living room she saw two huge men ransacking her apartment. She involuntarily sucked in a gasp and they turned their attention towards her and gave her a disgusting smirk.
"Well, look what we have here Pangborn. You're a cute little thing." The one man said ad Clary wanted to vomit.
"You live alone sweetheart?" The other man said.
"No." Clary answered and the two men looked at each other.
"Where's your roommate?" They asked.
"He worked the early shift today." She said trying to convince them.
"Pity." The one said as he pulled out a gun and aimed it at Clary. Clary's eyes widened and he cocked the gun. Before Clary could even move a loud bang rang throughout the whole apartment. Clary felt an awful pain through her whole stomach, and when she looked down Jace's shirt was starting to stain a crimson red. She moved her hand over the wound and looked up at the two men who had smiles on their faces.
Clary hit the ground hard and tried to stay awake, but with all the blood loss it was becoming impossible. The two men proceeded to grab what they could and leave, probably knowing that someone would have heard the shot. Clary didn't have her phone on her so she couldn't call the police. She tried to sit up but she screamed in pain and fell back down to the ground. Her eyes were heavy, and her breathing was fast. She didn't know how much longer she could stay in semi consciousness, but as the darkness started to consume her she saw a figure in the doorway. She had no idea who it was but they rushed over to her and the darkness finally took her over.
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Simon made his way to Clary's house so they could all go to breakfast when Simon saw a swarm of police cars in her neighborhood. Curious, Simon parked and made his way over to one of the officers.
"Excuse me officer, I was wondering if you could tell me what happened?" Simon asked and the police officer turned around.
"Home invasion." He said and Simon nodded. "Do you happen to know the woman who lives in apartment 136?" He asked and Simon's eyes widened.
"She's my best friend. Her name is Clarissa Fray, is she okay?" Simon asked concerned.
"She was unresponsive when we arrived. Her neighbor reported hearing a gunshot and when he entered her place she was close to bleeding out." The officer said and Simon nearly fell over. "She was taken to Idris Hospital."
"Has her mom been notified?" Simon asked.
"They are still processing the scene, I don't know if anyone's been around to notifying the family." He said and Simon nodded. "The neighbor said a couple lived there, but we haven't seen anyone come by."
"Her boyfriend is currently on vacation with his family. They left a couple days ago." Simon said and the officer nodded. "Thanks for the information." Simon went back to his car when he spotted Magnus.
"Simon, what's going on?" Magnus asked.
"Clary's house was robbed last night, and the intruders shot her." Simon said and Magnus's eyes widened. "She's at the hospital. I'm going to go tell Jocelyn, can you go to the hospital and try and find out any information you can?"
"Of course. Are you going to call Jace?" Magnus asked.
"I'm going to call Izzy, and have her tell him. He doesn't deserve to hear this over the phone." Simon said and Magnus nodded.
"Which hospital was she taken too?" Magnus asked before they got into their cars.
"Idris Hospital." Simon said and Magnus was off.
Simon was in a complete daze driving to Jocelyn's apartment. He had no idea how he was going to tell her that Clary was currently in the hospital, with no idea what was going on, but she needed to be there. When he finally pulled up to her house he took a deep breath and knocked on the door. And a minute later Jocelyn answered with a giant smile on her face.
"Simon, this is a surprise. What brings you here?" Jocelyn asked as she welcomed him inside.
"Jocelyn, I'm not here for a simple visit. I have something to tell you." Simon said and Jocelyn immediately got worried.
"What happened to Clary?" She asked.
"There was a home invasion last night, and Clary was shot." Simon said and Jocelyn was immediately on her feet.
"Which hospital?" She asked.
"Idris. I'll drive you there." Simon said and Jocelyn nodded.
They got into the car and made their way to the hospital and saw Magnus waiting in the waiting room. They walked in and Magnus was immediately standing and making his way over to them
"Any news?" Simon asked.
"She's currently in surgery, but I'm not family, so they wouldn't tell me anything else." Magnus said and Simon nodded. Jocelyn bolted to the nurses station to get more information.
"My daughter Clarissa Fray was brought here." Jocelyn said and the nurse looked up.
"She is currently in surgery to remove the bullet, and replace the blood that was lost." The nurse said.
"Do you happen to know how the surgery is going?" Jocelyn asked.
"I can call down to the ER and ask for you." The nurse said.
"Thank you." Jocelyn said and we all made our way over to the chairs to wait.
Simon didn't know how long they were sitting there, and pacing that waiting room hoping the next nurse or doctor who walked in had information on Clary. Simon was waiting to call Izzy until they had something more than just her being in surgery to tell them. He didn't want to give them anything that wasn't concrete.
"Clarissa Fray?" Someone said and they all stood up. "Surgery isn't going as smoothly as they hoped it would. I've spoken to the doctor who is currently working on your daughter and he says they could be down there for another couple hours." The nurse said and walked away. We all sat back down and Jocelyn lost it. Magnus put his arm around her and she leaned into him and just let it all out.
"I'm going to go call Izzy now." Simon said and Magnus nodded. Simon made his way out of the hospital and dialed Izzy's number. After a few rings she answered.
"Simon!" She laughed through the phone, and Simon smiled despite how incredibly sad he was. "I didn't know you were going to call."
"It wasn't planned." Simon said trying to keep his voice calm. "How are you?"
"Great! Currently sitting on the beach watching Jace and Alec make fools of themselves surfing." She laughed and Simon tried to laugh with her but he just couldn't' fake that. "Something sounds off, are you okay Simon?"
"No. I have something I need to tell you." Simon said seriously and Izzy immediately got worried.
"What happened?" Izzy questioned and Simon could hear the worry in her voice.
"It's Clary." Simon said and his voice cracked.
"What happened to Clary?" Izzy questioned.
"There was a home invasion. She was shot." Simon said and Izzy gasped.
"Is she okay?" Izzy asked trying not to cry.
"She's in surgery, and we just got word that it wasn't going well." Simon said and that was all it took for Izzy to start crying. "I need you to tell Jace for me. This isn't something he should hear over the phone."
"I'll tell him." Izzy sobbed and Simon hated that he couldn't comfort her. "I'll tell my parents too. We'll be on the next flight out."
"We're at Idris Hospital. I doubt we'll be leaving anytime soon." Simon said.
"Who is all there?" Izzy asked.
"Jocelyn, Magnus and I." Simon said. Simon looked up and Magnus was standing there motioning for him to come join him. "I have to go Iz, Magnus needs me. We'll talk soon."
"I love you Simon." Izzy said which caused Simon to smile.
"I love you too Iz." Simon said and he hung up and walked towards Magnus. This was going to be an incredibly long day.
After hanging up the phone with Simon Izzy just looked out at the ocean and saw Jace and Alec laughing and having an amazing time, and she didn't want to ruin that, but Jace needed to know what was going on. She couldn't stop the tears from spilling out of her eyes ever time she thought of Clary and what was happening at home. Izzy was broken out of her thoughts when she heard her name being called.
"Izzy!" She heard and looked up and Jace and Alec were heading her way. "Are you okay?" Alec asked and she forgot that she had been crying.
"No. Simon just called." Izzy said.
"What did rat face do now?" Jace said with anger in his voice.
"Nothing, he just had some news for me." Izzy said. "You two should take a seat." Alec and Jace did what she said and took a seat on their surfboards. Izzy took a deep breath and looked at Jace. "Clary is in the hospital." I said and Jace's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"Why didn't she call me herself?" Jace asked after a moment.
"She's currently in surgery." Izzy said.
"What happened?" Jace asked and Izzy could see his eyes become glossy.
"Home invasion. She was shot. That's all Simon told me." Izzy said and Jace was immediately on his feet.
"I need to go home." Jace said walking around looking like a chicken with his head cut off.
"We'll go tell our parents, and we'll be on the next flight out. I promise." Izzy said but Jace didn't look convinced. "She's going to be okay Jace."
"I can't lose her Iz. I just can't." Jace said and Izzy walked over and threw her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to him.
"And you won't. One thing at a time though, we tell mom and dad, we get on a plane, and we figure everything else out once we land." Izzy said and Jace nodded.
They made their way back to the beach house that Maryse and Robert rented for the vacation. When the three of them walked in Maryse and Robert were concerned by the looks on all three of their faces.
"What's wrong kids?" Maryse asked. Izzy looked at Jace but he wasn't in the kind of state to talk.
"Simon just called me, and Clary is in the hospital." Izzy said and Maryse and Robert looked shocked.
"What happened?" Robert asked.
"Home invasion. She was shot." Izzy said and Maryse gasped. "We need to get home mom. Jace can't stay here."
"I'll book the first flight home." Maryse said.
Jace didn't say anything, he just went to his room and left the rest of the living room. It was quiet for a while before anyone dared break it but Maryse was the first one to speak.
"Did Simon tell you how she was doing?" She asked.
"He said it wasn't going well." Izzy said and Maryse sighed.
"I hope she makes it. I can't imagine what Jace would be like without her." Maryse said and the room nodded in agreement.
Izzy soon left the family to go to her room and let the news sink in. She almost didn't believe Simon when he told her, and she couldn't wrap her head around a world where Clary didn't exist. There was a knock on Izzy's door and a moment later it opened and Maryse appeared.
"Our flight leaves at 11 tonight. Start packing." She said and than left. Izzy sighed and started packing her bags. She didn't know how this was going to end, but he hoped to god that it ended happily. She couldn't imagine what Jace would be like without Clary, and she didn't want too. They were perfect for each other, and they belonged together.
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Alec took his seat on the plane next to Jace, and he could tell Jace was completely out of it. He didn't eat, or drink, or even talk. He just stared in front of him and looked like he wanted to cry, but no tears came out. Alec hadn't heard from Magnus yet, but he assumed he was busy at the hospital, and they would speak when they got back. Alec hated seeing Jace so upset, and he couldn't believe that this happened in the first place. All his mom was able to talk about was finding them anew place to live that's more secure, and I couldn't agree with her more.
The flight was incredibly long for Alec, way longer than he liked being in an airplane but for the couple days he was on vacation they had fun, so I guess the flight there wasn't bad, but this flight home was excruciating. Everyone was worried about Clary, and all they wanted to go was get to the hospital.
Finally the flight landed and Alec had to physically pick Jace up out of the seat. He was in shock, and until he saw Clary, Alec didn't think that he would snap out of it. They grabbed their bags from baggage claim and made their way to their car. The ride to the hospital was silent, and took what seemed like forever to get to the hospital but when they got there Jace bolted out of the car. Alec slowly got out of the car and walked into the hospital. Magnus was still waiting in the waiting room for them so he could tell them what was happening. When Magnus saw him he stood up and engulfed Alec in a hug.
"I missed you." Magnus said and Alec couldn't help but smile.
"I missed you too. Anymore news?" Alec asked and the whole family looked at him.
"She just got out of surgery. It was touch and go there for a while. The doctor said her heart stopped 3 times." Magnus said and he could see Jace get paler. "They finally got enough blood in her and her organs started to stabilize. She's currently in the ICU, and the next 24 hours are crucial."
"I should have been there." Jace said and everyone looked at him. It was the first thing Alec heard him say since he got the news.
"You couldn't have known Jace." Magnus said and Jace shook his head.
"I should have been with her. I can't live without her. I just can't." Jace said and Alec went over and pulled him into a hug.
"You just have to have faith that she'll pull through this Jace." Alec said and Jace sniffed and wiped the single tear that escaped his eyes. Alec looked around the waiting room and Simon was holding onto Izzy while she cried, but I didn't see her mom anywhere. "Where is Jocelyn?"
"She's in the room with Clary. They didn't want more than two people in there at a time. So Simon and I just stayed here." Simon said.
"Jace, her room is number 110." Magnus said and Jace nodded and immediately left.
"Does anyone need anything?" Maryse asked. "I'm going to go home and put all out things away, I can bring back coffee and food if everyone is hungry."
"Coffee and food would be great Maryse." Simon said. Maryse nodded and grabbed Robert by the hand and left.
Alec, Magnus, Izzy and Simon all took a seat in the waiting room just to be there in case anything else happened. Alec couldn't believe that this happened to someone has sweet and kind as Clary. She didn't deserve this, and he hoped that for all of their sakes, especially Jocelyn and Jace's that she pulled through this.