"I'm going to be fine. Now stop worrying so much." Clary retorted in an exasperated manner when Jace was making sure that she wasn't anxious or worried for what felt like the millionth time to her ever since they had awoken in each others embrace. It was due to the fact that she was going to a Council meeting soon. She initially wanted to get out of the house without Jace noticing since she figured he would still be napping like she had been after they successfully snuck back into the manor, but he had some kind of radar or something that informed him of whenever she was on the move because within no time he had managed to exit his room in time to block her path when she had been making her way downstairs to meet with Maryse.
Jace refrained from sighing and instead offered her a subtle smile as he hugged her once again. "I know you're going to be more than fine. I just hate that I can't go with you."
Clary leaned up on her tiptoes to place a kiss against the corner of his mouth. "Let's just hope that the meeting goes smoothly, and within no time I'll be back at your side." As she was speaking she had begun to trail her fingers down along his chest whilst a prurient smirk played at her lips. "Because I still have some needs that weren't fulfilled last night, and I hope you're fully rested so we can continue on in my bedroom later today."
Jace looked around to make sure no one was around before his hands traveled down her back until his hands rested against her ass, giving it a gentle squeeze before he smirked in a sly manner when he heard her yelp. "Oh, really? I was under the impression that I met your every needs last night, especially since you got rather loud near the end." He replied in a cheeky manner.
Clary hadn't been expecting that bold move he had just made, but that didn't stop her traitorous body from responding to his touch. "Careful, Jace. You wouldn't want to start something that you can't finish right now."
His golden hues shone with excitement as he smirked furthermore. "I'm more than willing to get things started and finished right here in the open, but if you are afraid about getting caught then I guess we can wait until another time?"
Clary scoffed as she set her jaw in a stubborn stance whilst she glared up at him. "I'm not afraid of anything."
"Prove it." He retorted as a challenge, thinking that she wouldn't be so bold.
Clary didn't bother to look around to see if they had an audience and instead she took him by surprise as she pounced on him, wrapping her legs around his waist as her lips found his in a fervid manner.
Jace was momentarily caught off guard, making him stumble back slightly, but within a second he recovered in time to cup her ass in order to keep hold of her as he managed to part her lips in order to slip his tongue in her mouth before he nearly groaned when she immediately ground herself against him.
Clary choked back a moan when his fingers dug into her flesh after she had teasingly ground herself against him, and if that mere action alone wasn't enough to excite her, the moment she felt him take charge by turning them until her back was suddenly pressed against the wall had finally caused a noise of contentment to spill from her lips. Within a moment she recovered enough to bite down on his lip and was rewarded with a low groan, making a shiver of pleasure travel down her spine.
Jace was about to take it a step further to see if she would make him stop and prove his point that he was right about her being worried about being caught like this, but what he didn't expect was to hear someone gasp so loudly from behind him. He froze as he broke their kiss and forced himself to look over his shoulder in the direction of the person who had caught them in the hallway.
Clary was about to protest when he suddenly broke their kiss and was starting to set her down on her feet, but that was when she noticed that they weren't alone anymore. "Maryse." She squeaked.
Jace made sure Clary was standing upright on her own just fine before he turned around to face Maryse with a sheepish expression. "Good morning?"
Maryse was beyond fuming right now in response to the scene she happened to come across. She shook her head in disbelief as she glared at Jace for a moment before she turned her attention onto Clary. "It's time to leave. I will meet you at the front door after I have a word with my son."
Clary flashed an apologetic smile at Jace before she scurried off and wordlessly went on to do as she was told whilst she was currently blushing so furiously.
~~
The walk towards the Gard was rather awkward to say the least. Clary still felt a little unnerved to be in Maryse's presence alone, but she wasn't about to let her know that she was slightly intimidated by her.
Maryse cleared her throat and tried not to react when she noticed that Clary had jumped in alarm in response to that sudden action. "I'm hoping that I don't need to remind you about how important this meeting is." She noted dryly.
Clary spared a glance in Maryse's direction before she released a low sigh. "I'm well aware that this is a serious matter. I'm going to tell them exactly what they want to know, and deal with whatever punishment they seem fit for me. It's not like they're going to trust me, no matter what I say anyway."
Maryse refrained from sighing as she knew that Clary's words were true, but she admired how strong she was. "You remind me so much of my son with how you carry yourself." She murmured more to herself, but she knew that Clary would have heard her.
Clary arched a brow as she peered over at Maryse with mild interest showing upon her features. "And how exactly do you think I carry myself?"
The corner of Maryse's lip twitched as she fought back a subtle smile. "You're just as headstrong, brave, and sometimes rather reckless. It's rather amusing that you both actually get along instead of always butting heads all the time."
A dulcet laugh escaped Clary's lips in response to Maryse's comment. "Oh, but we do. It's just that we usually settle our disagreements during our training exercises, and by the time that those are over, we are already back on good terms… Well not immediately when it's times that I get the best of Jace."
Maryse couldn't help but laugh as she pictured the look upon Jace's face that she had seen so much when he was younger when he would be upset that he failed at something. "Oh, I wish I was there to see that. Sometimes that boy can get so smug at times. It's good that you put him in his place when he needs to be. I'm very pleased that he has someone else in his life that makes him happy besides his family."
Clary almost tripped over her own two feet in response to how shocked she was when she had heard Maryse actually laugh in front of her along with her touching words. She had never heard that woman laugh at all since she'd been staying with the Lightwoods, but she liked this side of her, which made Clary grin. "If they are lenient with the decision of what to do with me by the end of this meeting, I promise to let you have a front row seat to watch us fight. Just make sure to bring tissues in case I hurt him too badly and make him cry." She murmured with a playful lilt, and was happily rewarded with another laugh. And soon their walk wasn't awkward anymore.
~~
Clary was surprised at how calm she felt as the both of them had made their way into the Council Hall. She took notice at how eerie it almost was in response to how quiet and deserted it was at the moment, but she didn't dwell upon that fact as she was then led through the doors, and was instructed to stand in the center of the room in order for her to face her current audience.
That particular audience would consist of the members of the New Council that were carefully selected individuals to represent each Downworlder faction, meaning the fey, werewolves, vampires, and warlocks. She knew that this new Council was probably one of the many reasons that Jonathan wanted to make his new change to their world, but it didn't bother Clary at all. She actually thought it made sense that matters involving Downworlders should allow the input from their own kind in order for the issues to be resolved more fairly. And with that final thought being cleared up, she tried to clear her head as she noticed the others that were seated by the Council, which were the Inquisitor, and the Consul. She had to refrain from grimacing when she saw Inquisitor Herondale, and instead allowed her verdant hues to skim along the now seated individuals until her gaze rested onto Luke. He was the only person at that table that she was actually happy to see, but what she wasn't expecting was to see that her mother was seated right beside him. She was momentarily confused as to why she would have been asked to come here until it dawned on her that of course they would want the one responsible for bringing herself and Jonathan into the world. She turned her attention back to the matter at hand when she heard someone clear their throat in order to grab everyone's attention, watching as a tall man stood up from the table before he spoke in a stern-like manner.
"We are all gathered here today to discuss the current threat that is targeting not only the Nephilim, but the Downworlders as well. It has come to our attention that Jonathan Morgenstern has now two Mortal Instruments in his current possession." He turned his attention onto the Inquisitor before he took a seat. "You may relay what you have informed me of earlier to our fellow peers now."
"What was just stated is true, but I believe that Jonathan may be receiving some help with his current actions, which is why Clarissa Morgenstern is here today." The Inquisitor averted her gaze upon Clary with a slight glare. "If you wish to defend yourself, now is the time."
Clary tried to keep a blank expression whilst also refraining from rolling her eyes out of annoyance since the Inquisitor was still managing to rile her up, and that's how she had missed when it was said that Jonathan had two items in his possession. "I know it only seems logical to think that I would be aiding my brother, but that isn't the case. I agreed to the trial by Sword in order to prove that I am innocent, so if I were helping him as many probably believe. Why would I even offer that option? Do you think that I'm some kind of masochistic, and want to be hurt by The Sword in response to its repercussions if I were to be lying while holding it? Because if that's what you're thinking then that would be quite absurd. " She surprised herself with how mellow her tone managed to be even though she was being sarcastic towards the end.
The Inquisitor's lips twitched as she fought back the urge to smirk. "It's funny how you just referred to the use of the Mortal Sword, because it mysteriously vanished the day the Silent Brothers were killed rather unmercifully."
Clary was caught off guard by this sudden revelation, but then as she thought back to her last encounter with Jonathan it hadn't occurred to her to find it odd that he had been heavily armed and she recalled seeing something that was strapped onto him. It was that mere thought that almost made her groan aloud. This would just raise more suspicion for her. She didn't know how to even go about defending herself until she realized she had some rather juicy information that would be able to save her ass for the time being, so instead she shrugged her shoulder as if she was unfazed by what was just stated before she held the Inquisitor's gaze. "That's new information to me, and before you even try to say that I had something to do with the Mortal Sword being stolen. I do recall very clearly that my wrists were rather bound too tightly with the handcuffs that you demanded to be placed on me during the time." Clary almost smiled triumphantly when she heard a chorus of gasps throughout the room along with the smug look being removed from the Inquisitor's face.
The Consul raised a hand to silence everyone before he directed his attention to the Inquisitor. "Is it true that you ordered Clarissa to be bound?"
Before Clary could allow the Inquisitor to even try to defend herself, she cleared her throat to grab the Consul's attention. "I may have forgotten to add that she also had two guards escort me to Silent City in order to stay a night down in their prison. Oh, and I almost forgot the best part. One of the guards got a little too handsy with me during that time as well. I'm thankful that an iratze was able to fix up my injuries, but my internal scars from that incident will probably not heal as easily." She made sure there was a subtle doleful lilt around her last remarks, hoping that would earn her some brownie points.
Not even a moment had passed when all hell broke loose. She was escorted out of the Council Hall in order to allow the adults to handle the Inquisitor, but as she was leaving she heard the most vile thing she's ever heard spill from Jocelyn's lips, which made Clary choke back a laugh as she imagined the look on the Inquisitor's face in response to that comment.
~~
Just as she was beginning to become bored from all the waiting she turned around in response to hearing a door open, watching as Jocelyn was striding over towards where she was sitting.
Jocelyn had closed the distance between them within no time and had taken a seat on the step beside her daughter before she reached out to caress Clary's cheek in a tentative manner. "Did one of them really lay a hand of you?"
Clary tried not to flinch when she felt Jocelyn caress her cheek, and shrugged her shoulder in a casual manner when she heard what was asked. "It wasn't anything that I couldn't handle. More of a love tap than anything."
Jocelyn sighed softly as she pulled her hand away. "I should have been there to protect you. I'm sorry."
Clary peered over to look at her, seeing as a look of remorse was displaying on her features, and with a sigh of her own she reached out to grasp Jocelyn's hand. "Don't be sorry. I'm a big girl now and I don't need someone to watch over me anymore."
Jocelyn stilled for a moment out of shock when she felt Clary grasp her hand, making tears fill her eyes in response to her actions. "You're right. But I will always feel the need to protect you. No matter how old you are."
It wasn't until now that they were sharing this moment together that Clary felt old wounds beginning to open up again. She didn't like feeling angry at her mom, and to be honest she wanted nothing more than to cry her little heart out as her mom held her, but she knew that had to wait for another time. In the meantime she knew what she had to do to help mend their relationship. "I'm sorry for how I acted the last time that we saw each other. I was just in shock when I saw you lying on the floor, and I didn't want to believe that Jonathan was doing such terrible things. Do you think you could ever forgive me?"
"That's all in the past. There's nothing for me to forgive you for. I love you so much, Clary. I always will. And I promise from now on that I will be a better mother to you." Jocelyn retorted in a gentle tone.
"Oh, mom!" Clary cried out as she immediately threw herself against Jocelyn, not caring if anyone saw this moment between them. She didn't know how much she needed her mom until now.
Jocelyn hugged Clary so tightly as she fought back tears whilst she rubbed her daughter's back. "Shh… Everything will be okay. I won't let anything happen to you."
Clary sniffed as she willed herself to blink back traitorous tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks whilst she allowed herself to enjoy this little moment for a short while, and once she felt she had fully composed herself, she leaned back to peer up at Jocelyn. "We should probably get back inside, right?"
Jocelyn shook her head as a faint smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "They can wait a little longer. You take all the time you need, and then we will go back inside."
~~
The meeting had been dismissed for the day and it was determined that Clary was to stay under the supervision of Jocelyn and Luke in the meantime.
The Inquisitor had been removed from her case, which delighted Clary since she wouldn't have to see her any time soon. The Council and the Consul were going to have another meeting the following morning with hopes that they could manage to get more information, and give Clary time to see if she could be of help to think of what her brother's next move would be.
It also turned out that Clary, Jocelyn, and Luke would be staying at a relatives house, and to Clary's utter surprise she was actually looking forward to spending some time with Jocelyn, but what she wasn't expecting was to be now seated at a table about to have a discussion with Jocelyn. She was trying not to fidget as she waited for Jocelyn to return with their two cups of tea.
"I know that you've had a long day, and probably aren't in the mood to talk anymore, but I don't want to have any more secrets between us. Can you promise that you'll keep an open mind, and won't overreact to some things that I'm about to tell you?" Jocelyn inquired as she set down the two cups of tea beside the food that Luke's sister, Amatis had made for them.
Clary reached out to grab her cup of tea, lifting it to carefully take a sip of its contents even though it was hot. She needed to calm her nerves before the discussion began. "I promise that I will hear you out before I say anything."
Jocelyn clutched her cup of tea as she looked down at the table before she took in a deep breath to center herself. "I assume that over the years that your father has said some things about me, but it's time you've heard my side of the story."
Clary nodded for her to continue on as she kept her word of staying quiet whilst she had begun to eat her food.
"I know you may find this hard to believe, but I really did love your father so much. He was way different back when we were younger, and he had everyone wrapped around his finger at the time. It wasn't until his parents had passed away that resulted in his slow downfall. He became obsessed with taking on missions, claiming that he couldn't stand for this world to be corrupted by those that he thought weren't worthy of being here amongst our kind. At the time I figured that he was just taking his oath as a shadowhunter extremely serious, and I followed his lead as well as our closest friends. Then some time had passed and I became pregnant with Jonathan. It began like a typical pregnancy until I had started to suffer from the most terrible nightmares. Your father would try and help me by making me an assortment of concoctions that helped very little." She paused to take a drink of her tea as she felt a feeling of dread wash over her when she knew the worst part of her story was about to be said.
Clary was fully engrossed in the story by this point whilst her mind was racing with the possible ideas of what Jocelyn was going to say next, but it was then that she realized a look of distress upon her face which made her reach out to rest her hand against hers. "It's okay if you don't want to continue on right now. I will understand."
Jocelyn felt at ease as soon as Clary grasped her hand, giving her the strength she needed. "No, I'm alright. I have to say this now before I don't get a chance to. As I stated a moment ago, I suffered from nightmares throughout my entire pregnancy, but one in particular had scared me the most. I dreamt that your father was torturing innocent Downworlders in order to use them for such horrible experiments. I didn't want to face him the next morning, but of course things don't always go as planned, because that was the day that Jonathan came into the world. I had been so happy when I found out that I was expecting, and from the very beginning I knew that I was going to have a boy. I was lucky to have been able to have one good dream that was about my baby that made me even more happy, but that feeling was gone the moment I laid eyes upon my baby after the most excruciating hours of labor. He didn't look like the beautiful baby boy that I had grown to love so much." She gripped onto Clary's hand more tightly as she choked back a sob in response to remembering that day.
Clary was beyond in shock by this point. She could easily see how much sorrow was being shown from her mom, but that didn't stop her from feeling so hurt by the fact that it seemed as if Jocelyn had discarded of Jonathan so easily. "Why didn't you love him the way he came out? Your motherly love shouldn't have changed just because he didn't meet the expectations you had because of that dream. Your blood runs through his veins just as it does in mine, so you should have loved him as much as you love me." She winced a bit when she noticed that her tone had started from gentle and ended with an almost venomous manner.
Jocelyn lifted her free hand up to wipe away the stray tears that managed to escape her eyes before she turned her gaze back onto Clary as an humorless laugh escaped her lips. "That's where you're wrong. It's not my blood or your father's blood that runs through his veins."
Clary's brows knitted in confusion as she pulled her hand away from Jocelyn's grasp as she choked back a gasp. "I don't get what you're saying. He's my brother and you gave birth to him. So, how could he not be blood related to you or father. You're not making any sense."
Jocelyn smiled meekly as she spoke in a neutral tone. "Yes, you're right that it only seems logical to think that he is my son since I gave birth to him, but when I was carrying him in my womb, your father had been devising a plan unbeknownst to anyone at the time, and it was far too late to have stopped him because he had already been exposing both me and Jonathan to the most vile substance imaginable, which was demons blood, but not just from any demon. It was the blood of Lilith. That is why I couldn't bear the sight of Jonathan. He wasn't my precious baby anymore. He was your father's and Lilith's darkest creation, and as I feared it seems that all of his humanity has been burned out by the other part of himself."
Clary bolted upright, knocking her chair over in the process as she looked at Jocelyn with a look of horror displaying on her features. "No. You're lying. That can't be true! There is still good in him! I've seen it throughout all of the time that I've been with him. That is how I know that there's still a chance to save him."
Jocelyn stood up from the table, making sure to hold her hands up in a defenseless manner as to not trigger Clary any further. "I'm sorry that, that's not what you wanted to hear, but it's the truth, and before you stand there and try to make me feel even more horrible than I already felt for so many years, you need to listen to me. I tried to raise Jonathan into a sweet boy that I wish he could be, but there was too much corruption within him that I couldn't save him, and when I caught wind that your father was experimenting on another pregnant lady that happened to live near us, I was preparing myself to leave immediately. I didn't want him to experiment on another child of mine, but of course things don't always go as planned. I had waited too long and my other baby had already been exposed to her father's latest experiment." Her voice cracked near the end as she watched as multiple emotions flashed across Clary's features before a look of clarity stayed put there.
"Are you saying that my blood has been tainted in the same way as Jonathan's?" Clary was starting to feel physically ill and it didn't help that she felt as if the room was starting to spin.
Jocelyn shook her head. "No, you were not exposed to demon blood. Instead you were exposed to something far greater, and that has something to do with how you have exceeded past anyone's expectations and how you're able to do such imaginable things."
Clary pinched her eyes shut as she tried her hardest to stay focused. "No, that can't be true. I'm just like every other shadowhunter except I was just trained differently."
"Oh, my sweet little girl. I wish that were true, but you have to see that what I am saying is the truth. Haven't you done something that you know deep down that no one else could do except yourself?"
It was then that realization hit her so hard that the breath was almost knocked out of her. How could she be so stupid? The truth of her mother's words were resting in her mind. There were two things that she could do that no one else could. That was creating portals, and making her own runes. This was too much information for her to handle, but she knew that she needed one last answer before she dropped this conversation all together. "What exactly are you accusing my father of doing to me?"
Jocelyn took in a deep breath to calm herself as she spoke in a hushed tone. "He exposed you to a blood of an angel."
Clary couldn't believe what was just said, and wanted nothing more than to get away and be alone to be able to process everything that happened today. "I need some time to myself." She murmured to Jocelyn, waiting until she nodded before she turned on her heel and made her way towards the guest bedroom where she proceeded to shut and lock the door before she all but threw herself onto the bed, turning until she was lying on her back in the fully darkened room.
Was everything that her mother had just told her the truth? She wouldn't… No, she couldn't believe that both her and Jonathan were only some sort of experiments to their father. He had to have loved them right?
Her head was starting to hurt, and as she tried to get comfortable on the bed she found it was useless since her current attire was too constricting. She reached out to turn on the lamp that was on the bedside table before she forced herself out of bed in order to change into her pajamas before she shut the light off and got under the covers.
She pinched her eyes shut, but within a moment her mind was a mess when every detail of the day was flowing through it. It was too much for her to handle, and as if her mind finally agreed with that thought, it had allowed her drift off into a sleep with the hopes of forgetting today's events for as long as she could.
~~
A soft noise emitted from her lips as she turned onto her side before she reached out blindly to grasp the edge of the blanket since she must have uncovered herself during some point of the night, which was why she had awoken feeling so cold. Only her hand didn't collide with the soft material, but instead something rather sturdy, making her gasp, but what she didn't expect was to be suddenly laid flat onto her back with something pressing against her mouth to keep her quiet. That didn't stop her from proceeding to thrash against the bed as she tried to kick whoever was now resting above her.
"Calm down. It's only me." Jace murmured in a low tone.
Clary went still as she heard the familiar lilt of his voice, making her feel immediately calm down a bit, because she had feared it had been someone else that was with her.
Jace removed his hand from her mouth and was in the middle getting himself off of her, but that was when he felt her punch his shoulder. "Hey! What was that for?" He inquired as a smirk was tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Clary huffed as she felt him move to lay beside her. "It was for nearly giving me a panic attack."
Jace turned on his side before gently bringing her to rest her back against his chest, and proceeded to place a kiss against her hair. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you."
Despite her earlier panic, she now felt at peace in response to being in his embrace. She smiled in a content manner before she spoke in a hushed tone. "Not that I'm not happy that you're here… But do you have some kind of death wish or something?"
Jace tried to contain his laughter in response to her comment. "No, I don't have a death wish. Why do you ask?"
Clary smiled furthermore when she felt his chest rumble against her back in response to his silent laughter. "Well I thought you did, because if my mom walks in on us like this… I don't think I could keep you safe from her wrath."
He brushed her hair aside in order to nuzzle his face against her neck, closing his eyes as he breathed in her familiar scent. "Mm.. It would be worth it though. As soon as I found out where you were staying I came over, and I couldn't bring myself to wake you up though. I missed you. "
Clary shivered in response to feeling his warm breath caress her skin, making her press herself against him a bit more. "I missed you too, but now I don't think I'm going to be able to relax and go back to sleep if you keep teasing me like that." She murmured in a slightly breathless manner.
Jace smirked deviously as a sudden thought flitted through his mind, making him pull away from her slowly before he gently turned her so she was lying on her back. "I think I know how to help with that."
Clary arched a brow as she was more than confused when he had pulled away from her before she allowed him to help her get onto her back. She was about to ask what he had in mind, but she stopped as soon as she felt his fingers hook into the waistband of her pajama shorts. "Jace…"
He felt her stiffen ever so slightly when he had begun to tug her shorts down, causing him to pause his actions to go on to place gentle kisses against her inner thigh. "Yes, Clary?" He inquired in a rough tone before he continued on with his gentle kisses until she had relaxed.
Clary bit down on her lip in order to muffle a moan when she felt his lips begin to trail kisses along her inner thighs, which caused her to blank out momentarily before she realized he had said something. "Umm… Shit… We shouldn't." She stammered out in a rather embarrassingly manner.
Jace nearly chuckled when he heard her stammer over her reply to him. "Are you sure? Because I think you want me to continue on."
Clary's thoughts were all clouded as she was trying to think straight. She knew that it was far too risky to do anything of this nature whilst her family was in the home, but on the other hand the mere thought of being caught was a little too enticing to pass up. "Don't even think about stopping now. It's far too late for that."
This time he did chuckle in response to how eager she suddenly was, which only encouraged him more as he rid her of both her shorts and panties in one fluid motion before he went back to trailing kisses up her thighs until he was now at his intended mark.
Clary's breathing hitched up ever so slightly as she felt him work his way up until he reached where she was so desperate for him to be. She almost lost it when she felt his mouth go straight to work, making her forget everything as she allowed herself to enjoy this most pleasurable moment in the midst of her chaotic life. She deserved a reward after everything she had just been through, right? At least that's what she told herself in order to justify this moment.
And within no time, Jace kept his word, and soon enough she was beyond exhausted. She playfully tugged at his hair to signal for him to come back up to her where she then kissed him in an amorous manner before she let him go in order for him to strip out of his clothes. She smiled to herself when she felt him get into bed behind her before he got them back into their spooning position. "I love you." She replied in a sleepy manner.
"I love you too, Clary. Now get some sleep. I promise that I'll be here when you wake up." He murmured lowly before he too closed his eyes and went to sleep.
