Part I:
"You shall find out how salt is the taste of another man's bread and how hard is the way up and down another man's stairs."
Chapter II:
"Get home soon," Jonathan reads aloud, but Jace doesn't answer. The two walk in silence now, heading home. Jonathan looks at his brother. "I met a girl earlier."
"Good for you," Jace says, staring at the sky with a wavering expression. Jonathan moves closer to him, putting his phone away.
"I told her we're shadowhunters," Jonathan replies.
"Not a lot of us out there. That's a dangerous thing to do."
"She was a shadowhunter. Her and her brother," Jonathan finishes, and Jace turns to look at him, eyebrows raising.
"You told them too much, didn't you," Jace says, and Jonathan nods. Jace grins. "Are you going to tell dad?"
"Of course not. I'm the model kid, remember," Jonathan says, and Jace shrugs, looking forward.
"Maybe I'll tell him then."
"You wouldn't dare," Jonathan says, and Jace nods, laughing.
"Do I get to meet her?"
"We're leaving soon, either way. You won't get to meet her."
"How mad do you think dad will be when we get home," Jace asks, turning to look at Jonathan with a sly smile. Jonathan shakes his head, not playing this game. Jace just loved to frustrate other people. Especially their father... Jonathan thinks about their father for a moment. To say he was their father was a little lie; he was not Jace's father. A friend of his father, but not his father. Yet Valentine tried his best to raise him as his son. Jonathan remembers a fight a long time ago, when Jace sneaked out and got into a bad fight with a demon. Their father was pissed.
"Jonathan, you are grounded," Valentine said to Jace. Jonathan was Jace's real name, but he was called Jace. It would be weird having two 'sons' named Jonathan after all. Jace laughed at that comment though, his gaze fierce.
"Ground me! Kick me to the curb if I cause you so much grief!"
"I won't. You're my son. Now go to your room."
"I'm not your son. I'm nobody's son, l least of all yours. I can't stand you, Valentine," Jace said, but the boy went to his room anyway. And Jonathan knew Jace couldn't stand Valentine because Jace didn't know how to handle love. It wasn't in his nature.
"Answer me," Jace says loudly, and Jonathan looks at him.
"Yes, dad will be upset. You already know that, don't act stupid," Jonathan says bitterly, thinking back to every time Jace messed up. Jonathan had a good connection with their father, why couldn't Jace? Jace sighs, moving away from him.
"Don't call me stupid."
"It was a stupid question."
"Then let me ask another 'stupid question'. Why are you mad at me," Jace asks, and Jonathan shakes his head.
"I'm not mad at you. I'm mad that I gave too much information to that girl. I'm mad that you don't want a healthy relationship with the man who raised you. And the more I think about it, I'm mad that we're moving yet again," Jonathan says, and now Jace shakes his head. "OK, I might be a bit mad at you."
"Stupid things to be mad about. Be happy. Be alive," Jace says, and Jonathan quickens his pace, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"I can't handle your sudden mood swings, Jace."
"Not my fault," Jace says. No. It's not his fault, Jonathan thinks to himself. He remembers that thing, that one thing that weighs on his mind every now and then. That one thing that makes him hate his mother, gets him angry that his father was so blinded a long time ago. That one thing that literally makes Jonathan's blood boil, something that defines Jace so much that Jonathan couldn't imagine Jace without that one thing. But the thought is fleeting, as it always it. Jonathan pushes that thought down.
"Jace, you can try you know. Try and be nice," Jonathan says, and Jace moves closer to him again.
"Why," Jace asks. "Why should I have to try. I have no reason to."
"Because one day, you'll regret your actions," Jonathan says, and Jace scoffs, but Jonathan can hear something behind that scoff. Jonathan looks at his brother. "What about the woman you love? Think she'll stand for your personality? Think your kids will stand for your personality?"
"I might like girls, Jonathan, but no one can interest me enough to attract my attention on that level," Jace says. "There isn't a person alive that can make me truly love them. If that is even possible."
"It's possible. You honestly can win any girl's heart Jace," Jonathan says meaningfully. Usually, girls would swoon for Jace. His blonde hair and dark eyes made for the classic mysterious look, an angel boy that could be labelled as 'bad-ass'. But Jace's personality was something else entirely, and girls might be infatuated with him, but love him? That was a long shot.
Jonathan's phone rings. He answers.
"Don't come home," Valentine says immediately. Jonathan stops walking, a frown forming.
"What's wrong?"
"Don't come home. Go to Central Park, I'll meet you there," his father answers.
"What's wrong?" Jonathan says again, his heart beating. Valentine pauses for a moment that last way too long. "Dad, where'd you go?"
"Just don't come home. The circle is here." The line cuts off, and Jonathan looks at Jace, who was frowning too.
"What's wrong," Jace says, and Jonathan breathes deeply, shaking his head slowly as he stares down at the phone.
"The circle is here. At our house. Dad told us to meet him at Central Park," Jonathan says, and Jace spins around and begins running. Jonathan pauses in disbelief, then runs after him. "Jace! Get back here!"
"We can fight them!" Jace calls back, and Jonathan springs, catching up to him.
"We can't go there Jace! Think logically!"
"I am thinking logically! You and I are more than just shadowhunters! We can fight them off! Ten times better than our father can!" Jace keeps moving, and Jonathan reluctantly follows behind, not wanting to go, but not wanting his brother to go alone. They run to the apartment, stopping at a corner to hide around a building. Nervously, they gaze around the corner.
There was a man dressed in black, standing in the front. Jonathan and Jace back up from sight, looking at each other.
"So, what's the plan exactly," Jonathan asks.
"I was thinking charging in. We can distract that man. You look like dad, so you go up to him and distract him," Jace says, and Jonathan frowns and backs up.
"Why me?"
"Because you look like him. They'll wonder if you're with him. Go into the apartment, pretend to tie your shoelaces, he should come up behind you. Say hi to him too, he's probably wearing a glamour," Jace says, looking back around the corner. "If he's wearing a glamour, he'll think no one will see him. By saying hi you establish that you see him, and he'll want to figure out why. He'll follow you. Then I'll move in. Best to do this silently."
"That's the stupidest plan I ever heard," Jonathan says half-heartedly, but silently agrees. So Jonathan unties one of his shoelaces, then goes around the corner and walks to his apartment.
This is a terrible, terrible idea, Jonathan says, but even he had to admit, it was a solid plan. Jonathan wasn't scared, but dealing with the Circle was the last thing on his mind. He approaches the guy, putting a happy smile on his face, says "hello" and keeps on walking. Sure enough, the guy can be heard following him up the stairs, into the lobby. Jonathan stops, leaning over to tie his shoes.
Where are you, Jace?
Jonathan works slowly, first making a loop, then another, counting the seconds, waiting for his brother-
The front door can be heard opening, and a loud groan. Jonathan finishes and stands up, turning around to see Jace tackling the guy to the floor, holding him in a choke hold. The guy squirms, but he's no match for Jace's strength, and the guy stops moving after a minute. Silently, Jonathan turns and walks up the stairs, the floorboards creaking underneath him. Jace follows quickly, pushing his brother to urge him forward.
At their floor, Jonathan moves slowly to press his ear up against their door, listening. Voices, muffled but calm, can be heard from the inside. He turns to look at his brother, who was holding a knife in his hand.
"You have your weapons," Jonathan whispers.
"You don't?" Jace retorts, and Jonathan goes back to listening to the apartment. "Hear anything."
"No, I don't," Jonathan says, looking back at Jace. "You have a plan?"
"Open the door silently, grab the weapons in the umbrella stand, and charge into the room," Jace says, and Jonathan nods.
"Fair enough," Jonathan says, pulling out his key. As silent as he can, he unlocks the door, moving it slowly. The hinges squeak, and he pauses, but the voices don't falter. They're louder now, the one speaking is distinctly a woman.
"Hurry up and finish, I want to go soon," The woman can be heard saying. Jonathan opens the door all the way, immediately grabbing the only sword in the umbrella stand. Jace's presence weighing on him from behind, Jonathan takes a deep breath and charges into the living room.
Four people, two woman, and two men standing above Valentine, who's on his knees. Jonathan goes for the closet man, slashing his chest, and Jace's knife flies past him to the other man, landing in his chest. One of the woman comes for him with a sword, pointing forward, and Jonathan blocks the blow. He stabs back, slashes, but the woman is just as good as he is, her moves just as striking. They fight, and Jonathan can see Jace in the corner of his eye, fighting the other woman.
The woman fighting him slashes his arm, and he falls back, when suddenly she is tackled to the floor by his father, who grabs her arms, forcing them down. He twists her wrist. The woman screams out, dropping the sword, and suddenly the other woman jumps in, kicking Valentine's side.
Now Jace has leverage against the other woman, since she is focused on Valentine. Jonathan watches his brother grab her arms, but she backs her head to hit him in the face. Jace backs away, and the woman kicks Valentine's face, and he collapses onto his side.
Jonathan jumps in, fighting the 'other' woman. He notices how young she is, but it is only a brief thought before their thrust into their own battle. She fights him off effortlessly, and soon Jace jumps in. She jumps away, her back to the wall, but she jumps forward again, fighting them both.
Jonathan glances over at his shoulder, looking at his father, who was now in hand-to-hand combat with the other woman. Jonathan focuses on the girl in front of him, when suddenly she runs a sword through Jace's leg.
"Jace!" Jonathan yells out, slashing hard with his sword at the girl, hard enough to knock her back. She backs up, away from him, taking a second to pause and just stare at him, a victorious smile on her face. Jace groans, trying to stand up.
Jonathan tries to think of what to say, what to do. So he stares at the girl, glaring: "Fuck you."
The girl laughs, her eyes narrowing, and she lunges forward. He deflects the blow, lifting his free hand to land a blow to her chest. She is knocked back again, but goes straight to circling around him slowly, her footwork careful. Jonathan sneaks a glance at his father, who was handling himself rather well. Jonathan looks back at the girl.
They charge at each other again. Hit after hit, neither of them tiring out, when finally he gets her sword out of her hand. Feeling elated, Jonathan charges, but she moves quickly to the wall, jumping off it to give him a roundhouse kick to the side of his head.
Jonathan goes down onto his knees. The side of his face is burning, but he manages to hold loosely to the sword. Groaning, he turns his head to look and she a foot coming straight to his face. He falls on his back again, staring up at the ceiling.
Get up, Jonathan. Get up. Slowly, he leans up on his elbows, and watches the girl walk to his living room wall, where there is already runes drawn on. He didn't notice that, he was so worried about the people he didn't bother to look at the wall. Who would? Slowly, Jonathan turns his head, pain sparking. A haze was falling on his mind. He looks at his father, where the fight has moved to the kitchen, and the woman was gaining the upper hand, holding a knife. Get up.
Jonathan forces himself to his feet, unsteadily turning to the girl. He watches as a portal begins to form, glowing white blue and enlarging to a round doorway. The girl turns around, her sword ready.
Jonathan takes a breath, then lunges again, giving it all he's got. He misses, nearly gets stabbed, but soon he's lunging again. She fights him, her moves now faster, harder. And she was grinning, the entire time, her smile vicious. Jonathan can feel his head throbbing. Then, he manages to scratch her ribcage, and she hisses and backs away.
"Finally," he can hear her say under her breath, and she moves forward, her move so fast that he barely has time to get ready to block. And he does a second too late, and she's run the sword into the flesh of his arm. Gasping, Jonathan stumbles back, holding his arm. The blood leaks through his fingers.
She smiles, lifting the sword and aiming for his throat. She charges again, and he gets ready to block, when a blonde blur goes by and Jace has tackled her, and the two fall to the side. Jonathan watches as they go through the portal, together.
Eyes widening, Jonathan watches, deciding to go in after them. But he pauses, staring at the portal, seeing a scene in the shimmering door. A green field, blue sky, and a cottage he recognizes as his father's. They used to go there, when he and Jace were little. It was outside of Idris, in Germany. Jace chose a nice spot to portal too. Jonathan stares at the doorway, then looks over his shoulder to see his father still fighting the woman.
Who did he go after? Did he stay with his father? Go after Jace? The portal could only work if you had the destination in mind.
Jace is injured.
That girl is too, though.
I can't create a portal, but my dad knows where that cottage is.
I have a few seconds before the portal shifts and I can't get through-
But I can always re-imagine the destination.
He makes his choice. Jonathan turns around and moves to the other fight, seeing his father and the woman fighting hand to hand again. Jonathan jumps in, sliding his foot across the floor to slip her, but she moves back, and he ends up hitting his father's leg. His father goes down.
"Sorry, dad," Jonathan mumbles, moving toward the woman again, kicking. She blocks it, Valentine throws a punch at her, she blocks it. Jonathan throws a punch at her, and she blocks a second too late, She is knocked back against the wall.
Jonathan smiles, the fight going to his head, when he feels a hard punch to his back. He stumbles away, looking over his shoulder to see the guy that Jace took down in the lobby. The man throws another punch, and Jonathan blocks, moving back to get a better view of his opponent.
The man moves to the side, then comes at him again. Jonathan kicks, the man blocks, Jonathan punches, the man blocks. The two are locked into an even duel, but Jonathan knows his own abilities well. So he moves faster, quicker, letting the angel blood in his veins take over. Angels were natural warriors. And the man is taken aback, all he can do is block Jonathan's shots.
Jonathan leaves no room for error. In another few seconds, he has the man down, and Jonathan jumps on top of him, delivering a few shots to his face. The blood pours, and the man groans, his movements fleeting. Jonathan gives a final blow, and the man lays there.
Standing up, Jonathan looks at his father. The woman is now on the ground, lying on her stomach. His father is watching him, a slight smile on his face.
"Some help would be nice," Jonathan says, and his father nods.
"You were handling it well enough on your own," Valentine says, and he looks at the woman, then back at his son. He glances at Jonathan's arm. "You're wounded."
"What are we gonna do, dad," Jonathan says. "Jace went through the portal."
"What portal," Valentine says with a frown, and Jonathan turns around to point at the living room wall, but now there is no portal. Only black runes. Jonathan lowers his hand, then looks at his dad.
"I think they went to the cottage in Germany."
"Perfect. We can go to Idris after that," Valentine says, moving to the hallway. Jonathan follows, the two walking into Valentine's room, where there is already and open bag on the bed. Valentine begins filling it up with clothes.
"That girl is still with Jace," Jonathan says.
"He can handle himself," Valentine replies.
"Aren't you the least bit worried," Jonathan laughs nervously, and his father sighs deeply, turning to look at him, his eyes tired.
"Don't ask a father if they're worried about their child. It's a stupid question," Valentine says, and he goes back to packing his clothes. Jonathan swallows, looking at the wall. "And start packing a bag. More Circle members might come."
"How did they find us."
"There's no time for talking, Jonathan. Move. Now."
Jonathan turns around and goes to his room, taking his duffel bag off the door. He tosses it on the bed, then goes to his dresser, grabbing some shorts, jeans, T-shirts. A long sleeve shirt, he also pulls on his jacket just in case it gets a bit chilly. One he has a decent amount of clothes, He grabs his set of knives, his sword and putting on his scabbard. He grabs a box from under his bed, full of old mementoes, and takes some money out of his closet.
He goes back to the living room.
Valentine is ready, but he's staring down at the woman with a confused look.
"What do we do with them," Jonathan asks.
"We can't afford to take them with us," Valentine says softly. Jonathan clears his throat.
"So we just leave them."
"That's the plan I guess. Let's go find Jace," Valentine says, and the two head out the door.