Clary attempted to maneuver around the panicked people around her that were now trying to evacuate the room, making it harder for her to make her way towards the Inquisitor. And even though this women had always been so cruel to her since the very moment they had met, Clary felt it was her responsibility to make sure she was taken care of since she had gotten hurt by her brother, and with that in mind, she shouldered past people in a hasty manner, but what she saw next nearly made her stop dead in her tracks.
She witnessed as Jace was crouched down beside the Inquisitor, and it appeared as if the both of them were speaking in a hushed manner to one another. It took her a moment to come back to her senses, but when she did she ran over towards Jace, proceeding to kneel down beside him as she couldn't help but feel like an absolute wreck that she hadn't been able to stop what had just happened, but she knew that she could help right now with this current situation. "Help me remove the knife as quickly as possible and give me some room so I can help her as best as I can." She said in a rush to Jace as she reached down towards her weapons belt to retrieve her stele.
Jace had been so caught up in the moment that he hadn't even heard Clary making her appearance beside him, which made him jump in alarm before he peered over at Clary with a grim expression upon his face in response to her words. "I don't think that's a good idea. She will bleed out. We should wait for Magnus. He will be able to help her better than we can."
"Please just trust me. I can help her in the meantime while you go get Magnus. I don't think he can get to us since everyone is panicking to leave. Now go get him. I promise that I will make sure that she's taken care of." She voiced in a serene manner, holding his gaze as she smiled faintly at him, hoping that he would see that he could trust her with this task.
Jace's golden hues skimmed along Clary's features, noticing immediately that she was being honest, which made it easier for him to trust her to take care of the Inquisitor as he prepared himself to find Magnus. "I will be back as fast as I can."
The Inquisitor's breathing was ragged by this point, but she didn't allow herself to make any noise even though she was in complete agony. She waited until Jace was out of earshot before she turned her attention onto Clary. "Why are you helping me after how I've treated you?" She croaked.
"Shh. Don't try and talk. None of that matters right now. But I need you to trust me and prepare yourself for what I'm about to do. Can you do that for me?" She waited until she got the okay before she tore off a huge piece of her shirt then proceeded to remove the knife from the Inquisitor's abdomen before placing the fabric of her shirt firmly down upon the wound as she used her other hand that was now holding her stele to draw an iratze, concentrating on putting all of her strength into it as she gritted her teeth in response to all of her energy being put into this rune, but all of that energy didn't go to waste because within a moment she noticed the bleeding had gradually slowed to a stop and the wound was starting to seal shut.
"What did you just do to me?" The Inquisitor inquired in a breathless manner as she felt such a rush of relief when her pain was now just a subtle achy feeling.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Clary's mouth as she peered down at the Inquisitor. "I think it's quite obvious. I healed you." She murmured as she was trying her best to keep herself from collapsing in front of so many people in response to draining herself with how much energy she used to put into the rune. She looked up when she heard someone let out a whistle, meeting Magnus's gaze.
"Well, I'll be damned. I guess my services weren't needed after all." He mused aloud with a bemused expression upon his face.
"Actually I think I might need your services, but I hope you'll give me a special discount. Because I don't have access to my funds at the moment." Clary retorted in a semi-joking manner as she felt like she was really on the verge of passing out.
Jace was in complete shock when he got a good look of the Inquisitor when she was being helped to her feet, noticing that the only sign that even showed that she had a wound was the faint red mark on her abdomen. He tore his gaze away in order to stare at Clary in disbelief, but he stopped himself from saying anything when he noticed that she was swaying a little, causing him to wrap his arm around her shoulders, keeping her close to him as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Let's find your mother first, so we can take you back to your Aunt's house."
Clary shook her head as she carefully withdrew from Jace's hold even though she wanted nothing more than to let him hold her, but she knew that there was a far more serious matter at hand, making her smile faintly up at him. "I will find my mom in a minute, but you should go check on how the Inquisitor is doing. She needs family beside her while she is still healing fully."
Jace hesitated as he took in what was said, because he was still in shock with what had just been revealed a while ago, and right when he was going to agree with what she told him, he couldn't help but notice that Clary was beginning to look paler than usual, causing him to shake his head in a stubborn manner. "That can wait. Let's get you back to your Aunt's house. I don't know what you exactly did for her, but you are in dire need of some rest."
Magnus watched the couple for a moment before he released an exaggerated sigh as he made his way towards them. "Since, I'm in such a gracious mood, I suppose that I can give Clary a family discount, and help escort her safely back to her mother. Now you listen to your lady and go off to see your grandmother."
"There you see? Problem solved. Now please go look after her. I promise that I will go straight home. Alright?" Clary all but begged him.
Jace sighed in a defeated manner before he switched places with Magnus, making sure that he was holding her upright just fine before he placed a kiss against Clary's cheek. "I promise that I will come check on you as soon as I can." He turned his attention onto Magnus, narrowing his eyes just slightly. "You better make sure to guard her with your life."
Magnus rolled his eyes before he waved off Jace. "Stop worrying so much. You're going to cause yourself to have an aneurysm."
Clary stifled a laugh when she saw the look upon Jace's face after what Magnus said before he left to make his way towards the infirmary. She finally turned her gaze back onto Magnus with an amused expression upon her features. "If I remember correctly… I believe you mentioned a family discount a moment ago, but I don't recall us being related."
Magnus fought back the urge to laugh, but that didn't stop him from smirking in a mischievous manner. "Of course we aren't related biscuit. But I suppose you'll find out what I meant by that soon enough."
Clary found herself trying not to laugh as she heard him call her biscuit once again, finding it kind of pleasing that she had another nickname to add to her short list, but there was no way that she was going to let him know that she liked it when he called her that. "You know that I never approved of you calling me that."
"You should be honored that I even blessed you with a nickname. I don't just give them out to just anybody." He replied in a playful manner as he kept pace with her as they walked towards where he now spotted her parents.
~~
"Am I the only one who is seeing this weird, but colorful shit? Or am I just really out of it right now?" Clary inquired in disbelief as she waved her hand in front of her for further emphasis when it appeared that colorful sparks were emitting from Magnus's fingers.
"Clarissa! Mind your language in front of company!" Jocelyn exclaimed before she pinched the bridge of her nose in response to her being so appalled by her daughter's poor choice of words.
Magnus had to try his best to not laugh ad he continued to literally work his magic over Clary, watching as her once pale complexion was now showing some signs of color.
Clary refrained from rolling her eyes in response to the scolding she had just gotten before she turned her attention onto Magnus. "Thank you for helping me. I really appreciate it."
Magnus waved off her apology as a hint of a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "There's no need for you to thank me. I am more than happy to help in any way that I can. Especially with what's happening right now."
"I'll make sure that a payment will be arranged as soon as possible." Jocelyn retorted.
"That won't be necessary. I already informed Clary that this was on the house." He tapped his index finger against his chin as he titled his head to the side when a sudden thought came to his mind. "But I was wondering if I may have a word with your daughter alone?"
Jocelyn bristled a tiny bit in response to his request. "Whatever you have to say to her, you might as well just spit it out because there is no way that I'm leaving her alone with you. I do not mean to be rude, but we hardly know one another."
Clary reached out to pat her mother's hand. "It's alright, mom. I'll be okay. And if I need you for any reason, I will call out to you."
Magnus elicited a subtle sigh before he shrugged his shoulder. "No, it's alright. I don't mind asking in front of your mother, Clary. I just figured that you would be more comfortable if she weren't in the room when I ask you of something."
Clary arched a brow as she moved into an upright position. "Now I'm really curious as to what you want to know. Go ahead and ask."
Magnus began to pace around the room, feeling both of their stares on him as he did so. "Before the attack happened, you were just about to reveal something, and I was hoping that you could go on with what you were going to say."
Clary stilled for a brief moment before she regained her composure back, whilst sneaking a peek in her mother's direction, noticing that she seemed pained, which made Clary reach out to grasp her hand gently. "It's alright, mom. If Luke trusts him then I think we can trust him too." She waited until Jocelyn nodded in a solemn manner before she drew in a deep breath and turned her gaze upon Magnus. "If you were wondering if my father experimented on me, then yes you were correct. He exposed me to the blood of an angel when my mother was pregnant with me, and it gave me certain advantages as a Shadowhunter."
Magnus stopped dead in his tracks as he met Clary's gaze. "So, that is how you managed to heal the Inquisitor?"
Clary nodded her head in answer to his question. "Yes, exactly. I was able to lace some of my energy into the rune as I drew it onto her. It's one of the abilities that I have at my disposal."
Magnus's brows rose up in surprise as he took in everything she had just said. "You have other abilities besides that?" He suddenly shook his head before she could answer his question. "No, wait. Don't answer that. It's better that I don't know. It's not safe to risk my knowledge of it, but I promise that I will keep what you just said to myself. The Clave shouldn't know of this."
Jocelyn nearly sighed in relief as she heard what Magnus said. "I will hold you to that promise."
"And I will do my best to keep it. But I think it's time for me to leave. Clary looks like she still needs to get some rest." Magnus voiced in a neutral manner.
"I have to agree with you on that. Thank you for your help, Magnus." She smiled at him when he waved at her before he exited the room with Jocelyn at his heels. And once the door was closed behind them, Clary turned off the light and settled down on her bed to attempt to get some rest.
~~
It seemed only like a short while had passed when she suddenly stirred in her sleep in response to feeling some movement from beside her. "Jace?" She inquired in a sleepy manner.
"Yes, it's me. I'm sorry that I woke you up. Go back to sleep, babe." He murmured as he gently pressed a kiss against her shoulder blade.
Clary smiled as she felt him proceed to wrap his arm around her waist after he placed a kiss against her bare skin before she fought back the urge to yawn. "No, I don't want to sleep."
Jace leaned down to nuzzle his face against her neck, smirking to himself in response to her stubborn ways. "What do you want to do then?"
Clary turned around in his hold in order to bury her face against his chest. "How did your visit go with her?"
Jace stilled when she reminded him of what he had been doing not too long ago, making him take a deep breath to calm himself down in order to speak in a hushed tone. "It went as well as anyone could expect when two complete strangers are left alone to speak to one another. It was awkward at first, but once she really knew that I was indeed her grandson… Well let's just save that for another day. It's still too fresh to speak about."
Clary nodded her head as she raised her hand up to rest against his cheek. "I promise not to pry anymore. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay."
He kissed the palm of her hand in attempt to soothe her worries. "You weren't prying. But I promise that when I'm ready to talk about that, that you'll be the first one I go to."
Clary shivered slightly in response to his lips brushing against her hand before she pulled her hand away as she gave herself a moment to summon up the courage to speak about one particular matter that had been on her mind for a while now.
"What's wrong, Clary?" He inquired when he noticed that she had suddenly gone quiet for so long, making him think that he had hurt her feelings in some way, causing him to pull her closer against him, allowing him to rub her back gently.
Clary closed her eyes as she basked in the feel of the warmth coming from his body, whilst his gentle touch was helping to calm her down a bit. "I was wondering what Jonathan meant when he said that my father had taken you under his care. It doesn't make any sense. I would have seen you at some point if that were actually true. Do you think that he was lying?"
Jace went all rigid when he was reminded of Jonathan's speech before he vanished out of thin air, making him try to look back upon his earlier memories, but he found nothing that would prove that this statement was true. "I don't really remember anything from when I was younger. I can only remember the day that I was taken in by the Lightwoods."
Clary pursed her lips as she took in what he said, trying to look back upon her own memories, and that's when a flash of a symbol was displayed in her mind, causing her to gasp aloud before she sat upright.
"Clary, are you alright? Do I need to get Magnus?" Jace voiced in a distressed tone as he too sat up before he reached out blindly to switch on the bedside lamp in order to better see Clary.
Clary blinked a few times to adjust to the lighting before she peered up at Jace with a distraught look. "I think I know why we don't remember anything."
His brows furrowed in response to her words. "What do you mean by that?"
Clary bit down on her lip before she managed to make herself speak. "I think that our memories could have been taken from us."
A look of horror flashed upon his features as he took in what she had stated, because it wasn't until she had said those words that he recalled the dreams that he would have of places and people that he wouldn't recognize after he had woken up, which would prove her words to be true. "I think you are right."
Clary moved into a kneeling position in order to place her hands against his shoulder as she willed him to meet her gaze. "I think that I know of a way to help us remember at least a little bit of what was lost to us for the meantime until I'm fully rested to go at this more properly, but I need you to trust me in order for us to go through with what I have planned."
"Of course I trust you. Just tell me what I have to do." He noted in a calm and collected manner.
"I need you to give me your stele for staters, and then roll up your sleeve. But I can't promise that this won't hurt the both of us." She grimaced after she spoke her last words, silently praying that what she was about to do went smoothly and was as painless as possible.
Jace couldn't lie and say that he wasn't worried by her sudden request, but his curiosity had gotten the best of him, causing him to get off the bed in order to cross the room to retrieve his stele from the pocket of his jacket. He then held it out for her to take hold of before he got back onto the bed. "I'm ready whenever you are."
"Alright, just keep still for me please." She retorted in a hushed manner as she placed the end of the stele against his skin before she proceeded to draw the rune that she had seen just a moment ago onto him before she hastily drew the same rune onto herself, hoping that this worked and that this would allow them to experience the same memories together.
Jace quirked a brow when nothing seemed to happen, but as soon as he even started to say something, they both hissed in unison as a throbbing pain overcame them before multiple visions were suddenly showed to them.
A younger version of Clary ran out of a manor with tears streaming down her face as she made her way down towards the vast amounts of trees that surrounded the property. She was so worked up that she hadn't noticed that she was lost until it was too late, and she then began to panic and lose all hope that she could make it back home on her own. But she suddenly froze a moment later when she heard someone speak.
"Why are you crying?" A young boy asked as he started to walk over towards Clary.
"M-my daddy is mad at me." She wailed as she covered her face with her hands.
The boy walked over towards Clary in order to embrace her in a gentle manner. "It's okay. My daddy gets mad at me too."
Clary pulled back a bit to look up at the boy with a hint of a smile playing at her lips in response to him understanding what she was going through. "My name is Clary. What is your name?"
The boy smiled warmly as he let go of her in order to extend his hand out towards her to properly introduce himself. "My name is Jace."
~~
The woods suddenly disappeared around them until now both children were playing hide-and-seek in what looked to be an unfamiliar manor.
"I found you!" Clary exclaimed before she let out a squeak when Jace began to chase her.
"I'm going to get you!" Jace yelled as he let out a laugh.
Clary squealed in delight as she ran faster, but that's where she messed up. She hadn't seen that there were some toys lying against the ground, and it was too late to move out of the way, and soon she tripped and landed harshly onto the floor.
"Clary!" He yelled as he ran over towards her before he looked her over to see if she was okay, but that's when he noticed that she cut her knee badly. "Shh. Don't cry, Clary. I will make it all better. Just stay here." He made sure that she listened before he ran off towards the bathroom and grabbed the first-aid kit before he all but bolted back to where Clary was.
She sniffled as she watched Jace take things out of the kit. Her lower lip trembled as she tried not to cry more when he cleaned the wound and then placed a band-aid on it because she was told by her father that Shadowhunters never allowed themselves to cry or show that they were hurt. And she didn't want him to witness her crying because she knew what the consequences would be if he did.
Jace placed a gentle kiss against her knee before he smiled up at her. "There all better now."
Clary smiled in return before she threw her arms around him to pull him into a hug. "I love you, Jace! You're my bestest friend!"
~~
The scene changed one more time and this time Valentine stood in front of both Jace and Clary. He was fuming as he had Jonathan by his side. "What are you doing with him, Clarissa?" He inquired in a angered manner.
Clary stepped in front of Jace as she looked up at her father with a look of defiance upon her face. "Leave him alone, daddy! He's my friend!"
Valentine raised his hand as if he were going to smack her, but he stopped when he saw someone enter the room. "I told you to watch over the boy at all times. And now look what has happened!"
"I'm sorry, my Lord. I swear I looked away for just a moment."
"Take him back home, and I will deal with him after I have dealt with my daughter." He said through clenched teeth before he moved closer towards Clary.
"No! Don't touch him!" Clary yelled before she charged at her father and began to blindly kick at his legs, but it was useless. He pushed her aside so harshly that she fell onto the floor.
"Clary, stop. You know what will happen." Jonathan said as he pulled her onto his lap, trying to hold her still as she tried to break free of his hold, but his gaze was narrowed onto Valentine as a look of hatred was displayed on his features in response to him laying a hand upon his sister.
Clary felt helpless as she watched Jace being carried away, but soon her line of vision was obscured by her father's appearance, making hot tears pool in her eyes in response to how upset she was. "I hate you!"
Valentine tsked at his daughter before he tilted her face up to look at him. "I'm sorry that it has come to this, but I can't risk anyone knowing about you or how special you are. I hope that one day that you will learn to forgive me for what I'm about to do."
~~
"Oh for fucks sake!" Clary cried out as she tried to rub her forehead as if that could make the unbearable pain go away after she was brought back to reality.
Jace gritted his teeth in order to refrain from groaning as he tried to withstand the throbbing of his head until it finally stopped, allowing him to look over at Clary, but he wasn't expecting to see tears running down her face.
Clary hastily wiped her face before she felt Jace shift onto the bed and proceeded to pull her onto his lap, making her hiccup as she willed herself to stop crying in response to what she had just seen.
"Shh… It's okay, Clary. It's over now. Just breathe for me." He crooned as he ran fingers through her hair.
She sniffled woefully against his shoulder before she mustered up the courage to look at up him with such sadness showing upon her features. "How could he keep us away from one another?"
Jace was just as distraught over what he had just seen with her, but he knew that he couldn't let her see how upset he was, because it would just make her feel worse. And with that thought in mind he pulled her closer to him, brushing his lips against the top of her head. "I promise that no one will ever keep us apart ever again."
Clary pulled back a little to look up at him through her tears with a faint smile upon her lips. "Do you pinky promise?"
Jace couldn't help but laugh a bit in response to her words, knowing that she was feeling a little better now. "Yes, I pinky promise." He held out his pinky for her to take, grinning as she immediately intertwined their fingers together.
Clary felt her heart flutter when she saw how he was looking at her, but before she could even act upon how she was currently feeling, she felt his lips suddenly pressed against hers. A soft moan elicited from her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck, returning his sweet and gentle kiss whilst she shifted in his lap in order to straddle him. And in that loving moment they shared, nothing else mattered. She didn't know what was to come the following day, but she would be damned if she didn't take advantage of every single moment she was grateful to have with him.
~~
Jonathan's POV
Jonathan had been toying with the necklace that was hanging loosely around his neck in an absent-minded manner when he suddenly went still, noticing a subtle change in the room, causing him to turn around to face his current company. "Why, hello, mother. I didn't expect to see you so soon."
A smirk played at Lilith's lips as she crossed the room to stand in front of him. "I couldn't wait any longer to congratulate you on your most recent work, and to tell you how proud I am. You are going to rule this new world so well." She said in a dulcet tone as she lifted her hand to caress his cheek.
Jonathan pinched his eyes shut for a brief moment when she brushed her fingers over his cheek before a malignant smirk descended upon his lips. "I hope they are ready for what I have in store for them. This world has been in a dire need of help for far too long."
Lilith withdrew her hand from his face as she inclined her head slightly to the side as she looked up to meet his steady gaze. "Have you decided on what's to happen with your sister? I know it's not a topic that you enjoy speaking about, but you need to figure out what you are going to do if she does not willing come to join us."
Jonathan refrained from reacting to her words about Clary, but he still couldn't help but notice that he always felt a dull ache in his chest whenever he was reminded of her. "I know without a doubt that she will come around eventually, but she is definitely testing my patience."
Lilith reached out to tip his face up in order to meet her gaze when she noticed a change in his attitude upon her reminding him of Clary. "I know how much you care for your sister, and how you would do anything in your power to protect her, but I need you to put that aside for tomorrow. You cannot allow your desires for her to cloud your thoughts when your goal is just within your reach."
Jonathan broke away from her touch by taking a step back from her in response to her calling him out about his only weakness, which only ended up infuriating him nonetheless. "I am fully aware of that. I don't need another reminder. Now if you only came to pester me over some nonsense then I suggest you take your leave, because I have important matters to attend to." He said through gritted teeth as his hands curled into fists when he suddenly felt himself gradually becoming riled up.
She arched a brow as she processed how he had just spoken to her. "Careful, son. You forget with whom you are speaking to."
Jonathan released a sigh before he nodded his head. "I apologize. I didn't mean to lash out at you."
Lilith reached out to rest her hand against his arm with a subtle smile upon her lips. "There's no need to apologize. I know how much pressure is now resting upon your shoulders. But I also know of a way to help settle your doubts about your sister. It's time that I told you something that I've kept from you."
A bewildered expression crossed over his features for just a moment before he composed himself. "What information have you withheld from me?"
"When it came to my attention at how attached you were becoming with your sister after she arrived upon your family's doorstep, I took it upon myself to give her a push here and there in order for her to feel just as deeply about you as you felt of her. And soon I didn't need to do that anymore because she would seek you out on her own, and I could tell how devoted she was with making sure that she did her very best to please you anyway she could. But once that silly boy came into the picture, I noticed a change in her. She soon became too soft, and it started to change how she saw you, so I took it upon myself to give her a particular dream of you both, just to see what would happen."
Jonathan was taken aback at the lengths she went through in order to have Clary adore him as much as he adored her, but upon hearing her last words, he froze. "What kind of dream did you show her?"
The corner of her mouth twitched as she fought back the urge to smirk in a devious manner. "I simply showed her a dream of you both together in the way that I know you desired you both to be."
Jonathan recoiled from her so suddenly as if she had slapped him before he set his jaw in a defiant stance. "You had no right to do that. She shouldn't be pressured to feel that way about me. And if she weren't to desire me in that way ever then so be it. I will not force myself upon her. I'd rather her love me as her sibling then force her into something that she doesn't want."
Lilith tsked at him as she shook her head with disappointment. "That right there is the mundane side of you that you got from that retched woman. Do not let it overpower your true self. It will fade away once you rid yourself completely of your mundane side. Now listen to me carefully. It is my blood that runs through your veins alone. Not the blood of a Morgenstern or Fairchild. You are my son. And if you want Clarissa to rule alongside you then you go on and take care of that nuisance of a Shadowhunter that has her in his grasp, and bring her back where she belongs. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, I understand you completely. And I believe it's time for me and that golden haired boy to come face-to-face with one another very soon." He retorted in a malefic manner before a sly smirk curved his lips.
A/N: I had intended to carry on with another scene after the last part of this chapter, but I didn't want this chapter to drag on for too long, and I also didn't want to rush what's to come next. I will update as soon as I can.
