Disclaimer: Normal disclaimer still appy, I do NOT own anything, Cassandra Clare owns it all.

City of Jewels

--- 2. Dead mans spell ---

Clary made her way out of the Institute with Jace by her side. It was quiet for once between the two of them, this was new to Jace. He was use to the fact that Clary always had something to say, or something to talk about. Whether it was about something on her mind or just something to break the ice, but all Jace could hear was the ringing of his ears and the silent paces of their footsteps.

Jace noticed her hands were burning up in his grip, she tightened her grasp as if to tell him that she wasn't going to let go of him. Jace let out a low screech and threw her hand out of his, as if he were holding a burning candle by its flame and the pain had just hit the nerve.

Clary glanced at him sideways wondering what in hell has gotten into him.

"What was that all about?" Clary asked.

Jace ignored her and started shaking his hand in the air like one would do to shake the pain off his fingers and then Jace finally said, "Clary your hand."

Clary didn't seem to notice that her hands were red and filled with moisture; she raised her hands into her view and studied them for a moment.

"Oh my God! What in the name of the angel is happening to me?" Clary asked no one in particular.

"Clary your burning up, come I'll take you back up to the lobby" Jace said in a slight panic tone. Clary thought to herself since when did Jace lose his cool and panic, he always had this calm side about him, like he was in control of his emotions all the time.

"I'm fine, I don't need babysitting all the time" Clary said in a stubborn tone. She slammed her hands back down to her side and started walking ahead of Jace.

A few moments passed and Clary felt faint, her eyes started to pull closed against her will, her knees buckled and suddenly she was in Jace's arms.

he forgot how fast Jace was to her rescue she could hear Jace calling her name but it was fading away.

"Clary!"

Clary saw the image of his face dissolve into the darkness, without hesitation Jace scooped her legs up in his arms and made his way up to the lobby. He placed her gently down on the couch that was sitting in the middle of the room and rushed to the kitchen to find the others.

"Alec!.....Isabelle!....." Jace shouted as loud as he could as he held a towel under cold water.

Alec herd him and rushed in to the kitchen with his Steele in one hand and his shirt in the other. If Jace wasn't feeling hysterical he would of asked why his hair stuck out like a bird had attacked him or made a smart comment to why Alec had his shirt off, but he didn't.

"What's all the shouting for?" Alec asked while he lowered his stele.

"It's Clary, something's wrong with her," Jace said, "she started burning up and then fainted," he said in a frantic panic.

Alec shrugged his shirt on and ran beside Jace as they darted towards the lobby. I

sabelle was already in there on the floor next to her friend that was lying faint on the couch tracing her Steele over Clary's forehead but nothing seemed to wake her up.

Isabelle looked at Clary with wide eyes, her eyes filled with moisture and her chest started shaking, Isabelle was crying.

Jace placed the towel over Clary's forehead to cool it down. Alec was at Isabelle's side to comfort her at the same time he was staring at Clary with a worried expression on his face.

"Jace what's wrong with her?" Alec asked.

And for once Jace didn't have the answer to his brothers question as much as he wished he did he was as clueless as the rest of them. He hated feeling that he couldn't do anything to help his one true love, his Clary.

What could he do? he didn't even know what was wrong with her. The healing rune couldn't help her Isabelle already tried and nothing happened, she needed help and fast.

Clary's chest was rising at intervals so he knew she was still alive, she was still breathing and that was all Jace could think of, that Clary was still alive. He didn't want to think anything else but that Clary was going to pull through.

Jace sat by her side staring at her, he was thinking about the time when Clary asked the Angel Raziel to save him, she could of asked for anything in the world and all he could think of was she chose him, and how he wished that he could do the same for her.

If only he had the power to save her and tell her that everything was going to be okay, because he was going to save her. He leaned in towards Clary and kissed her on the forehead, his lips traced the outline of her cheekbone and slowly made his way to her ear.

He whispered "Clary, out of everything I want in the world it's always going to be you, I want you," was all he said.

He held her hand forgetting the burning sensation that bored through her body, but he didn't care no pain was worst than the feeling he had in his heart, the feeling of watching someone you loved slip away from you.

He noticed something wrapped around her neck, she was still wearing the chain he had given to her two years ago in Idris, he didn't think she kept it, and at the end of the chain was the Morgenstern ring but why on earth is she still holding on to that?, I thought I told her to get rid of it.

Jace thought to himself as he reached for the ring and held it up in his fingers. With a shock he noticed a red mark lingering in the hollow of her throat, a mark shaped like the ring itself, this was weird.

Since when did she have a mark of the ring?. Jace noticed something else about the ring. It had a small crystal like diamond embedded on the inside of it, almost a faint picture of a star.

"That wasn't there before was it?" Jace said as he tugged at the chain as if to break it off her neck but it didn't budge.

Something was holding the chain in its place something powerful.

Jace went to get Alec and ask him to call Magnus and remind him that it was urgent.

Alec hesitated a little remembering that Magnus had just left the Institute a few hours ago and wondered if they knew that he was visiting after hours. Alec nodded as if to say yes to his adopted brother and at the same time he went to fetch Isabelle.

They all made their way back in to the lobby and waited for Magnus's arrival.

"Still no change with her?" Alec asked.

"No, but I noticed a mark of a ring on her throat" Jace said as he pointed towards Clary's throat.

Alec stared towards Clary and rested his eyes where Jace was pointing. He noticed the glint of the silver ring shimmering and under it was a similar red mark of the ring.

Magnus appeared in the room and everyone stared toward him, he wore a tight blue shirt the same color as his spiky hair, a jacket which flowed beneath his knees that had more colors than a rainbow, he looked like a walking disco ball. Magnus smiled at the faces that bored in to him and finally said "Wow! who died and made me King?"

Jace ignored his humor and lack of it and turned his gaze back to Clary.

"Its Clary, we don't know what's wrong with her" Jace said with an even tone.

Magnus followed Jace's gaze and set his eyes on Clary, he stood there for a moment and finally said "Ew she looks terrible."

Jace stood up with his fist clenched to his sides; his expression looked like he wanted to kill Magnus.

"How can you joke Magnus, just tell us what is wrong with her!" Jace demanded.

Magnus gestured for him to sit back down. "Relax I'm kidding but it's pretty obvious, she's under a spell" Magnus finally spoke in a calm tone. "She'll be alright in the morning"

"How do you know that?" Jace asked as he calmed his tone.

"Well I am the great warlock of Brooklyn, I know everything" Magnus said with a little grin.

"A spell what kind of spell?" Isabelle spoke for the first time since this all happened.

"A controlling spell, its an ancient spell that one gives to the wearer of something they have of theirs, such things like a heirloom, a gift, or jewelry, something that's past down from generations to generations. It is only intended for the person they cast it for obviously, which in this case whoever put a spell on Clary, intended it to be for her and only her" Magnus finished.

"So you think Valentine did this" Jace said with a little anger in his voice.

"Its possible" Magnus said while weighing his options "If this is one of Valentine's doing then whatever he had planned for Clary, she won't be in control, and this spell will take over her" he said with a matter of fact.

"So how do we get rid of it?" Jace asked.

"Only Clary can free herself from this spell, this is in her hands." Magnus confirmed while he sharpened his nails with a sharp knife in his hands.

"So what will happen to her in the morning?" Isabelle asked.

"She'll wake up as normal and follow orders so to speak" Magnus said.

"The ring what about the ring" Alec finally spoke.

"The ring cannot be released until Clary herself figures a way to lift the spell, as far as I know she'll be fine, depending on what Valentine intended her to do if this was done by Valentine that is." Magnus finished.

"Follow orders what kind of orders?" Isabelle asked.

"We will soon find out, when she awakes" said Magnus.

"So we just leave her like this and pretend she's sleeping?" Jace choked as if to finish the conversation.

"If that's what you want then sure" Magnus said

"But she will be alright when she wakes up" Isabelle asked in a worried big sister tone.

"Yes I promise she'll be fine, her fever will be gone in a few hours even minutes." Magnus reassured her.

The nerves settled in everyone's expressions as they were promised that Clary was going to be alright. There were smiles once again in the room as they watched Clary's body temperature change to the same pale color she always wore and her freckles came in to view letting her hair stand out as usual. The redness around her forehead and hands were fading rapidly before their eyes and the sweat that dripped down her temples were drying up over her face. Magnus smiled and darted towards the doorway then paused.

"So who's paying me for my troubles and services" Magnus finally asked.

Jace had a smile on his face for once "That will be Alec, he'll be happy to serve you for your troubles" Jace finally said with a bit of humor in his tone.

Isabelle chuckled under her breath and stared at her older brother.

Alec gave Jace an evil look and then his face flushed with a pinkish color and looked towards Magnus, Magnus looked amused at the idea.

"Shut up Jace" was all Alec managed to say.

"Very well then, I'll be on my way." Magnus said as he gave Alec a wink and disappeared out of the lobby, with Alec a few steps right behind him.

--- 0o0o0o0o0o ---

Clary started shaking as if she was cold. Her eyes were out of focus when she finally opened them.

She stared around the quiet room and saw something in her view, no it was someone. He sat opposite her with his head resting on the arm chair. Her view became clearer now and finally she could see what the figure was.

It was Jace sleeping on a chair next to her. She thought to herself that he looked like a lion summoning on a rock, he looked deadly and at the same time vulnerable.

She wondered if she was in her new apartment but she knew the familiar room. She was in the lobby of the Institute.

Clary raised her head and regretted it a few seconds later, her head ached a bit and she shivered again.

"Jace..." was all she managed to choke.

Her mouth felt like sandpaper and suddenly was thirsty. "Jace" she said again and Jace was awake at her side in a instant.

"Clary, are you alright?" Jace finally asked.

"Water?" was all she said, her tone slightly raspy.

Jace had a jug of water beside him and poured it into the small glass cup. Clary sculled it like nothing; she didn't realize how thirsty she had gotten over the last few hours. A moments later Clary had finished the whole jug, this surprised her and settled the cup back down on the floor.

"What happened? Why am I here?" Clary asked feeling better already.

"You passed out for a while, you don't remember?" Jace said while brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"Where's Simon?" Clary asked.

"Simon" Jace said hiding his confusion on his face.

"Yes, you know the mundane that turned into a downworlder, Simon." Clary said with a slight annoyance in her voice.

"I thought he was at your apartment" Jace finally said.

"Why would he be at my apartment?" Clary asked as she shivered a little. Jace couldn't help but wonder why Clary didn't remember anything she had done today and then he asked her "Are you cold? Here take this" Jace said while placing an extra blanket over her.

"Just a little," she replied.

"Clary, there's something you should know" Jace finally said as he watched her eyebrows crease together. Jace searched for the words and failed miserably. What could he tell her?, that she was under a spell of a dead mans ring and that only she can cure it, oh and not to mention its controlling everything in your body and we think Valentine has a lot to do with it.

"Jace, I already know what you're going to say" Clary said.

Jace froze and waited for Clary to speak.

"It's the anniversary of your fathers, I mean Valentine's death and you want your own space, I get it" Clary said, but Clary was way off.

Jace didn't even remember that it was the anniversary of Valentine's death, how could he forget? Did he not know today's date? Or did he not care anyway after all he wasn't his father, he was a pretender, a liar and everything a father was not and he hated him.

"Clary that's not it, but it is about Valentine." Jace spoke with an even tone and carried on. "The ring you're wearing around your neck has a spell and we think Valentine put it there" Jace finished.

A/N:

"Oh my god guys...this is getting interesting." Isabelle said clapping with full excitement.

"So what do you thinks going to happen next?" Clary asked excitedly.

Jace rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't get too excited...it's only Valentine, surely you don't have to climax, everytime someone mentions his name."

"Gross, that's my father we're talking about!" Clary said slapping him up side the head.

Author shakes head. "You guys are mentally challenged."

"Kudos" Jace said with a smug grin.