***************** Chapter 18 *******************

"Clary." Her brother called for the third time.

She didn't flinch or move. Jonathan grunted and went to kneel down next to her. Alec was already beside her looking at Jace and checking for a pulse. By this time the Vampire and Werewolves had joined them. The vampire reached down and put his hand on Clary's shoulder. Clary jumped slightly at his cold touch but didn't respond. Her eyes still focuses on the unconscious boy laying in blood on the floor. Jonathan struggled not to slap the vampire away but resisted when his sister finally looked up. The vampire had been saying the same thing over and over again. She hadn't noticed he was talking until now.

"He is still alive my child. I can hear his heart." He spoke sweetly.

"Use your stele Clary! Your runes are stronger than ours; you might be able to heal him." Jonathan said.

"An iratze isn't strong enough to heal head injuries though." Isabelle said before Alec elbowed her in the ribs.

"He's right. Clary's runes are more powerful than anything we have seen." Alec stated. "Go, Clary. Give it a shot!"

Clary nodded at Alec and pulled out her stele. She thought about the first time she had ever met Jace and how he looked at her with the beautiful golden eyes. She remembered the first time he kissed her in her room and the first time he had told her that he really loved her. She could feel the energy draining from her as she finished the last line. Her thoughts flashed to this morning when she gave her virginity to him. Making love with him felt like the most perfect thing she had ever done.

"I love you." She whispered finishing the rune. "Please don't leave me."

The mark flamed red as Jace's skin began to glow all over his body. Clary watched as his skin began to stich itself together. She could see the glow reach his head. A few minutes passed before Jace's chest began to breathe normally and the light faded away.

"Jace." Jonathan called out to him.

Jace's eyes fluttered open before closing sleepily.

"Five more minuets Jonathan." Jace replied groggily.

Jonathan smiled as Clary breathed a sigh of relief.

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It took about thirty minutes before Jace was standing on his feet again. He was still drowsy but it looked like he would live. The group inspected the outside of the cave for anymore Forsaken but found none. The vampires had rushed forward during the fight, finding two of Valentine's guards and snapped their necks. There were no more Forsaken and the group needed to begin evacuating. Clary created portal after portal. She created a portal for the werewolves who were going back to London. They thanked her profusely before stepping in and allowing the portal to swallow them up. The vampire had already gone through but refused to say where he was going.

The portal would close each time someone left so Clary would have to draw the rune once more. The task toppled with healing Jace and opening the cells had physically exhausted her. The only one left was the faerie girl who ran to the room down the hall when the Forsaken attacked.

The gang stepped through the door and saw the faerie girl, Vidi, kneeling down next to a boy. The boy was panting and twitching in obvious pain.

"You're still alive?" Jonathan said surprised.

"Alive…. and kicking." Simon replied bitterly.

"What is your name?" Isabelle asked kneeling down next to the poor boy.

"Simon…Simon Lewis." He gasped looking at the beautiful girl.

"Simon! As in Simon Lewis from New York City? With a sister named Rebecca?" Clary gasped running to the boy's side lowering her hood to reveal her face. Simon nodded and studied her face.

"Do you remember me?" she asked.

"Clar….Clary?" he said surprisingly. "It's a small world… after all."

"What happened? How did you get here?" Clary begged.

"I don't know… I just woke up here and…the man…the man with white hair. He… he kept putting these symbols on my skin…he kept saying…I would die." Simon gasped.

"Simon." Clary said cupping his face in her hand.

He looked up at her meeting her eyes. Clary could see the fear emitting from them. Simon was strong, stronger than probably most mundanes.

"Simon… Valentine, my father, put those symbols we call runes on you. They are used to give a person powers but only Raziel's children the Nephilim can use them. They will turn normal humans into monsters."

"So I'm going…to…be a… monster." He pushed the words out.

It was obvious Simon was fighting to stay conscious. Clary looked down at him with tears in her eyes.

"No, I am not going to let you turn into a monster Simon." She said sweetly.

At this Jonathan and Jace looked at her dumbfounded. All of them were looking at her in fact. Isabelle and the others lowered their hoods to better look at the boy.

"Are you going to kill him in order to put him out of his misery?" Isabelle asked.

"Maybe." She answered taking the card out of her pocket.

Jonathan and Jace gasped when they saw the card. Realization at what their sister planned to down lite their face.

"Clary! How?" Jace asked.

Clary ignored him. She took out her seal and traced the rune on the card. Then she lifted her hand and reached through the painting, pulling out the Mortal cup. Everyone looked at her in awe.

"Is that what I think it is?" Alec asked.

"Yes," Clary replied dismissively.

"Simon," she said looking down to meet his eyes once more. "This is called the Mortal Cup. It turns humans into Shadowhunters also called the Nephilim. If you are worthy Simon it will turn you into one of us and you will live. If it doesn't find you worthy it will kill you… but," she hesitated. "You won't be in anymore pain. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Simon whispered nodding his head.

Despite how crazy it all sounded what choice did he have? If the cup saved him well that was hope and he desperately needed hope. Clary leaned down and brought the cup to his lips. Simon opened his mouth and took as big of a drink as he could manage. Finally he closed his eyes and seemed to fall to sleep. After a few minutes his body seemed to relax and his breathing shallowed. He didn't seem to be in pain anymore.

"Did it work?" Clary asked out loud.

"I think so." Alec replied. "It didn't kill him and he doesn't look like he is in pain anymore. We won't know for sure until he wakes up but I am fairly certain it worked."

"Thank the Angel." Clary said. "But now what do we do with him. He can't just go back home."

"We will take him with us. Valentine doesn't normally travel to New York and we are so far away from Idris that we rarely get visitors. He can be close to home and be trained properly." Isabelle said.

Clary nodded and stood up weakly. Her strength was leaving her fast. Alec reached down and threw Simon's body over his shoulder. Clary leaned back down and created another portal.

"The sun will be coming up soon. Go!" she commanded.

The group looked at her and nodded. The faerie Vidi stood up and walked over the Clary.

"Thank you. All of you for saving me. I am forever in your debt."

"It was the right thing to do." Clary smiled.

Vidi turned to Jonathan and kissed him seductively on the lips.

"I will never forget you handsome. If you are ever in need of help come to the Steelie court. I will help you" she smiled.

Jonathan gave her one of his hot and heavy grins. She batted her eyes before turning around and stepping through the portal with the others. When the portal finally closed Clary reached down to draw another one. Her hand was shaking as she forced her hand to draw the last line. The wall lite up blue. Clary began to stand but her legs gave out from under her. She fell to the floor panting. She tried to get up once more but failed. Jonathan rushed forward and caught her before she hit the ground the second time.

"Clary! Why didn't you tell us you were exhausted?" Jace asked leaning down putting an energy rune on her arm.

"Because it doesn't matter. We have to get out of here before-"

A sound down the hall alerted them that someone was here. Jonathan quickly pulled Clary up onto her feet.

"I'm fine let's go!" She said grabbing the cup and stepping into the portal.

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Clarissa walked softly back into the house with Jonathan and Jace behind her. They had landed in a bush in the front yard of the house. In her haste she must have imagined the front of the house instead of Jace's room. Which was surprising considering all she wanted was to jump in bed and sleep. The sun was coming up and their father would soon discover their absence if they did not hurry. The cup glowed in her hand but she paid it no mind. All of her concentration was focused on getting safely into a room where she could rest before portaling herself back to New York. The energy rune Jace gave her enough energy to stand. She opened the front door and stepped inside. They didn't have enough time to put on any silence runes and their footsteps seemed frightfully loud in the quiet house.

The boys fell behind as Clary led the way. All she wanted was her own bed. They turned down the hallway and were almost at her bedroom door when the master bedroom door suddenly swung open in front of them.

Crap!

It was her mother. She looked startled when she saw her daughter. Clary was like a deer in headlights. She felt paralyzed and she couldn't seem to move. She looked at her mother with sheer panic.

"Clary?" her mother whispered. "What are you doing here? And why are you in gear?"

Jocelyn asked sweetly eyeing her up and down. She could see her mother's eyes grow when her eyes fell upon the cup in her daughter's hands. Clary's eyes grew wide with fear as she realized what her mother was staring at. Why did she forget to hide it? She could have put it back in the card or something. She was so stupid! She let her fatigue cloud her judgement.

"Clarissa?" Valentine asked stepping out of the bedroom door shirtless.

Oh NO!

Just great. Jonathan and Jace were frozen in place behind her. Her father looked at her and the boys.

"What is going on here?" He asked following his wife's gaze.

His eyes grew wide. Jocelyn looked at her daughter with silent horror.

"Is that what I think it is Clarissa?" Valentine asked.

Clary hesitated. There was no point in lying; not that she could think of a good lie to cover this situation anyway.

"Yes." She whispered.

His jaw fell open. She had always thought about what she would do if Valentine ever found out she had the cup. Usually it involved begging for mercy but she had come up with a backup plan; quite a few back up plans actually. One suddenly came to her. It wasn't like she had a choice now. It was time to sink or swim.

"Yes father. We have brought you the Mortal Cup." She said extending the cup out to her father and forcing a fake smile onto her face.

Her father took the cup into his hands carefully examining it.

"Yes, it is… but how did you-"

"Jonathan, Jace and I found it. We found a lead and followed it. We wanted to prove to you that we are ready and worthy to join the circle father." She stated flatly.

She could feel Jonathan and Jace's bodies tense beside her. Without the cup her father was a powerful man, with it he was even more dangerous. He was planning a siege on Alicante with demons and Forsaken. Being in the circle meant that she and her brothers had more information and therefore power to stop him. It wasn't the best option but it was the only one they had at the moment.

After a few more minutes of examination Valentine looked at his children and smiled wickedly.

"You have done well my children. You have proven yourself more than worthy of taking your place by my side in the circle. Now-"

"Father?" Jonathan called interrupting.

"Yes?" Normally there father did not tolerate being interrupted.

"Forgive me father for interrupting but Clary, Jace and I have been out all night. With your permission I think we would all like to rest."

If it wasn't for the adrenalin in her system Clary would probably have passed out by now. She could feel Jace's arm wrapped around her waist relieving some of her body weight onto him. The action didn't go unnoticed as her father smiled.

"A reasonable request. I think all of you have earned some sleep. I will send a fire message and let the Lightwoods know that you will be spending the rest of the week here Clarissa. No sense in sending you back when Jace's birthday is in a few days."

"Thank you father." The three replied.

"You have done very well my children. Beyond all expectations." He said.

Valentine walked back into the bedroom and closed the door. A few moments passed silently as Jocelyn stared at her daughter and sons.

"I will see you later, when you have rested." She said sternly with a 'we will talk about this later' tone of voice.

They were in for it now but Clary didn't care. She needed sleep. Jace scooped her up into his arms and opened the door to her bedroom. He laid her softly onto the bed as Jonathan took off her shoes.

"Don't leave." Clary begged trying to keep her eyes open.

"I won't my love." Jace replied taking his shirt off and throwing it onto the floor. Jonathan kissed her on the forehead before heading out the door. Jace pulled her into his chest lightly kissing her hair. Clary smiled against his warm body and closed her eyes; letting sleep finally consume her.

***************************** Authors Note *********************************

So how mad would you guys have been if I started this off with Jace dying and Clary getting with Jonathan?

What no takers? Lol Just kidding. That would be really mean. This story has been taking a lot of my time and I intend to finish it the right way. I know what is going to happen it is just going to take a while to get there. I'm hoping to have everything wrapped up by 25 chapters but I doubt it. Hope you liked it. More action to come along with a bit more smut. Speaking of smut, did you think the smut scene between Clary and Jace was too much?