AAHH! The last few weeks have been crazy, and I SINCERELY apologise for not updating. Funny, I've written Chapter 6, but not Chapter 5, so I don't know how that's going to work...
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters and/or certain concepts.
Clary woke up to Jace's warm arm circling her waist. She turned over, meeting a pair of golden eyes, luminous in the mid-morning sunlight filtering in through the curtains. She yawned lazily, rubbing her eyes. "Have you been watching me while I sleep?" She joked.
He smiled the smile that reminded her of the lion, but a lazy one. "Guilty as charged."
"And no sarcastic comeback? Marriage has already mellowed you."
Jace dug an elbow in into her side, making her squeak. "However much you may enjoy it, being sarcastic and witty is my job."
Clary rolled her eyes and went to slip out of bed, but his arm tightened around her. "Where do you think you're going?" He murmured to the back of her neck, sending shivers up and down her arms. She tried to keep her voice as even as possible as she replied. "Uh- to have a shower?" Obviously, she didn't quite succeed. She felt his cocky smirk against her skin.
"I don't think so."
As Clary walked down the cool wood stairs, she could smell something delectable wafting to her from the kitchen. Jace was standing at the stove, flipping something in the pan, his hair messy and slightly damp, sticking to the back of his neck slightly. "Who's staring now?" He asked without turning around. She smiled slightly, going to the bench to pour herself a cup of coffee, but he stopped her, pointing at the perfectly set table with full cups. "Don't thank me- I think Isabelle must have sent someone over to clean up the place."
Clary laughed- just like Isabelle. She'd wanted to plan the entire thing, but Jace put a stop to that very quickly. "The last thing I want," he'd complained, "is to be walking around in a gold suit instead of gear the whole day."
She returned to the present as Jace pulled her over to the table with his arms full of food. Digging into her pancakes, she struck up a normal conversation, chatting idly as they normally did.
A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Clary picked herself up to go and answer it, marveling quietly the whole way. Alec stood outside. "Hey, Alec." She said easily, her cheerfulness disappearing as she saw his expression. "What's wrong?"
"Isabelle." He managed to get out, deathly pale. Jace appeared behind her, shaken.
"What?"
Isabelle had been scratched by a demon, a deep, ugly cut that ran the length of lower leg. The runes weren't working, as they didn't sometimes in the case of demon poison. The Silent Brothers had been called for, but for some reason or another, they were taking a long time. Too long. Alec was furious, his face a dark red, which was a stark difference to the pale white he had been when he'd shown up at their front door.
"Call a warlock!" Jace demanded. His eyes flashed as he turned to the Shadowhunter in the corner of the room. Clary didn't know his name- she shot him an apologetic look as he nodded and scurried out of the room. Probably wants to get away from the crazy family. Maryse and Robert were there, as well as Jace and Alec. They were all frantic with worry, and Clary understood. She was going crazy, too.
A tall warlock strode in a few minutes later, his cat eyes standing out in his face. A messy tangle of black hair tumbled across his forehead. Although his presence was commanding, Clary got the feeling he was drained- his face was tired, but as he saw Alec, some colour came back into his face. She wondered why. He walked efficiently to Isabelle, not pausing to ask permission. Maryse muttered something about the impertinence of Downworlders.
"Drevak poison. Nothing too complicated." He seemed to say it mostly to himself, although the way he looked around the room made it clear he intended them to hear it. "I'm Magnus Bane, and while I'm working, everyone is to leave the room."
Clary was the only one not to break into protest. Magnus held up his hands. "Do you want her cured," He yelled over the din, "or not?"
Reluctantly, everyone filed out. He caught at her arm as she began to follow. "You can stay." He said, the intensity in his eyes burning into her. Jace looked at theme but kept walking. Well, that was strange, Clary thought confusedly. Usually, he wouldn't have left her alone with a stranger, no matter how worried he was about anyone else. He fixed Isabelle in seconds, waving a hand at her. A few cerulean sparks floated to her and danced around her leg and head. Instantly, colour began returning to her face. "She just needs to sleep it off now. So, down to business. Where's Simon?"
"Simon?" Who was this person behind the name that kept popping up?
Magnus sighed, a sigh that spoke of more than a regular exhaustion. He muttered. "Great, now I have to find him, too." Seeing her expression, he wiggled his fingers at her contemptuously. "I like you a lot better in real life. Go on, call the family in and talk about warlocks going crazy."
"What?"
"When you need me, fire-message me. I'll be here as soon as I can." With that, he rose and left, leaving Clary standing in the same spot she had been for the past few- very bizarre- minutes.
Isabelle woke up with a confused noise. "Clary? Why aren't you enjoying your honeymoon? Even if it's in Idris, that doesn't mean you and Jace should actually see us." She glanced down at her leg. "Ouch." Clary grinned, the strangeness slipping her mind. "We'll make you a deal. If you don't get poisoned by a demon again, Jace and I won't speak to you for the next few days."
Isabelle laughed, the bright ringing bringing the rest of her family in. "Done."
Clary let herself sink into the familiarity of the fussing and embellished explanations that was characteristic of Isabelle. And she pretended that the last sentence wasn't going to bother her for days on end. When you need me, fire-message me. I'll be here as soon as I can.
Please tell me what you thought! Simon's next chapter, so review to say what you think should happen!