Midnight Flower part 1

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own any of The Mortal Instruments

The sweet, sultry scent of flowers hung heavy in the cool air of the greenhouse. I walked in, holding the door open politely for Clary. This place was magical. The multicoloured lights of New York blinked sleepily through the tall windows; they were dotted around the black sky like fairy lights. I turned to look at Clary. Her jaw was hanging open in awe and her eyes were dilated; she spun around slowly, trying to take in as much of the view as possible.

"Wow. It's so beautiful; here at night." I smiled at the look on her face. This place was beautiful. Just not in the same way as something else I could mention.

You're a fool…a voice snarled in my head. I ignored it. Not tonight, I wasn't going to listen tonight.

"And we have the place all to ourselves, Alec cans Isabelle hate it up here. They have allergies."

All to ourselves I felt unashamedly happy about that. I grinned at her.

"What kind of flowers are these" She asked

I shrugged and sat down on the cool floor, plants tickling my shoulders.

"No idea. You think I pay attention in botany class? I'm not going to be an archivist. I don't need to know about that stuff."

"You just need to know how to kill things?" I smiled at her; she seemed oddly vulnerable like that, her arms wrapped round her torso as she shivered.

"Yes" I answered honestly. "And also, I make a mean cheese sandwich. Try one." I offered her a slightly lumpy package. She smiled at me sweetly and sat down opposite, taking the sandwich from my hand. I pulled out the rest of the food.

"Not a bad haul" She said, admiring the feast in front of her. I took out my knife and started cutting the apples into sections.

"Well, it's not a birthday cake. But hopefully it's better than nothing."

"Nothing is what I was expecting, so thanks"

"Nobody should get nothing on their birthday. Birthdays should be special. My birthday was always the one day my father said I could do or have anything I wanted." I couldn't get over how comfortable I felt around Clary, I'd never felt so at ease before in my life, not with my father, not even with Alec who was my best friend.

"Anything?" She laughed "Like what kind of anything did you want?"

"Well, when I was five, I wanted to take a bath in spaghetti"

Why did I just tell her that? What the hell is happening to me?

"But he didn't let you right?" I paused before answering.

Well, it's too late to back out now.

"No, that's the thing. He did. He said it wasn't expensive, and why not if I wanted? He had the servants fill a bath will boiling water and pasta, and when it cooled down…I took a bath in it." I saw her eyes widen curiously at the word servants, I felt my shoulders tense up resentfully.

"How was it?" She said, the ghost of a smile on her face.

"Slippery"

"I'll bet." She drifted off then, into her own little world. I watched as her eyes glazed over slightly, her vibrant hair framing her small, curious face. She came back with a small shake of her head. "What else did you ask for?"

"Weapons, mostly, which I'm sure doesn't surprise you. Books. I read a lot on my own."

"You didn't go to school?"

"No" I said slowly, I didn't like talking about this; my father, my lonely childhood, and no matter how comfortable I felt around Clary, I didn't think I ever would feel comfortable with this subject.

"But your friends-"She wouldn't let it go.

"I didn't have friends. Besides my father. He was all I needed" I felt her staring at me; shocked.

"No friends at all?"

Why wouldn't she drop it?

"The first time I saw Alec, when I was ten years old, that was the first timed I met another child my own age. The first time I had a friend." She dropped her gaze and stared at the floor sadly. That stung; I didn't want pity.

"Don't feel sorry for me. He gave me the best education, the best training. He took me all over the world. London. Saint Petersburg. Egypt. We used to love to travel. I haven't been anywhere since he died. Nowhere but New York" This was not how I had imagined this evening to be; and I didn't want to spend the rest of it feeling sorry for myself.

"You're lucky." Clary said "I've never been outside this state in my life. My mom wouldn't even let me go on the field trips top D.C. I guess I know why now."

Grateful the conversation had turned away from me, albeit not by much, I replied.

"She was afraid you would freak out? Start seeing demons in the White House?"

"There are demons in the White House" It wasn't a sarcastic remark, she was genuinely curious, I felt like laughing.

"I was kidding. I think. I'm sure someone would have mentioned it."

"I think she just didn't want me to go to far away from her. My mom, I mean. After my dad died she changed a lot." I raised my eyebrow at that.

"Do you remember your father?"

"No. He died before I was born."

"You're lucky. That way you don't miss him." I knew that probably sounded appalling, and in some vague part of my mind I was aware that I was giving away my weakness; my Achilles heel, if you will. I was showing my love for my family; and love for something is never good.

Too love is too destroy, to be loved is too be the one destroyed.

Those words were always floating round my head, always at the tip of my tongue. It was worse now I had met Clary.

"Does it go away? Missing him, I mean?" She asked quietly.

"Are you thinking of your mother?"

"Of Luke, actually"

That surprised me. Luke? I looked to judge her reaction, but her face was carefully blank.

"Not that's actually his name. I've been thinking about him," I told her "something in his behaviour doesn't add up"
"He's a coward." She sounded so bitter that it shocked me, but it shouldn't have really, Luke was like the father Clary had never had." You heard him, he won't go against Valentine. Not even for my mother"

"But that's exactly-" I began to explain but I was cut off by a clock booming in the distance.

Midnight

In books and films, midnight was always the time where magic happened; and it did seem awfully cliché that the flowers I was showing her happened to bloom at midnight.

"Midnight." I said and stood up. I held out my hand and pulled her up beside me. "Now. Watch."

Next Chapter will be the next part of The Midnight Flower. It may be a few chapters, It's a really long chap to type up...

Not that I mind really :)

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