Cynthia slept well considering everything that had come to pass. She lay in the unfamiliar bed, staring up at the ceiling with her mind buzzing since seven. Jonathan… no, Jace, he was going to get suspicious sooner or later as to where she'd really been. Cynthia wanted to stay, but knew there was no way in hell she could. She sighed lightly to herself and curled up under the covers, closing her eyes once more-

She just wanted to find that demon boy and go home before she got too attached to Jace once more.

It was a prickle at the back of her neck that woke Cynthia up once more, frowning a little as she opened her eyes, swearing explosively as she sat up.

"Did you have to do that?!" she demanded of Jace as he sat at the foot of the bed, no expression at all upon his young face. "I thought last night was a dream" he just muttered "I had to be sure." There was something in his eyes Cynthia noted. It was a mixture of loss, hurt and curiosity. He was hiding the hurt and loss best he could, but she knew him too well to not notice it. "I have to head off soon" she blurted out now, causing Jace to frown "You're running off?"

"Jace, please… I swear I'll visit you. I'm just in the middle of something and I can't stay long."

"Middle of what?"

"I can't say. I'm sorry." She apologized, reaching out to take his hand into her own, but he moved it away at the last moment, nodding "How many years will it be this time?"

Cynthia scowled, resting her hand in her lap. "I had no idea where you were! It was like… you'd died, that day I was taken from you."

I thought you were dead. Thought… that fire had claimed your life. But no, you're here… and I can't tell you the truth. Not yet at least.

"Did you even look for me?" Jace asked in a mutter, fidgeting with his fingers picking at her covers. Cynthia sighed "Of course I did. Now… can we stop talking about this? We are here and together. Shouldn't that be a cause for celebration?"

There was a pause and Jace nodded once, saying quietly "You're right. I'm sorry, I just… don't know how…" he trailed off and Cynthia giggled, raising a hand and prodding his cheek a few times. "Stop being so weird and give me a hug. Now." Her face turned into a wide grin and Jace rolled his eyes, groaning out "Do I have to? Someone might walk in and see."

"Why is that bothering you? Would you rather get caught with my hand down your boxers?"

His aureate eyes widened at that and Cynthia laughed, her cheeks going red "It was a figure of speech." She leaned forwards and tugged the boy into her arms, closing her eyes against his shoulder, letting out a sigh of contentment-

It was like Heaven.

-LightInYourNightmare-

Cynthia swore to Jace that she'd be back as soon as possible, and set off down the New York sidewalk towards the first Downworlder bar she could find. A pair of vampires sent her a shifty look as she walked through the door in her nondescript clothes of a black t-shirt and matching jeans. They could see the Marks on her arms, stark in contrast to her pale skin. Cynthia flashed them both a look as they passed, and the male one, thickset with dark eyes just glared at her.

She didn't feel nervous. Why should she?

Cynthia strolled up to the bar and flashed a charming smile, asking the barman "Have there been any white blonde Shadowhunters in here last night? Specifically one my age and height?"

"Might have."

"Tell me?"

The barman, a werewolf she sensed, smirked and leaned closer until his nose was almost brushing hers "For a price. And I don't mean the kind that jingles in your back pocket."

Cynthia laughed gently at that, raising a hand as if to cup his cheek, but then the entire bar looked around as he literally howled with agony at the silver blade that was now embedded into the oak of the bar, directly through his hand.

"Silver, isn't it? I've always wanted to do that" she smiled sweetly, cocking her head a little "Now… about that Shadowhunter?"

He stayed silent and Cynthia twisted the blade sharply, making him bite his bottom lip in agony, then nod furiously, exploding with "He never gave his name. But yes, white hair and black eyes."

"When did he leave?"

"He hasn't. He's still here. There's a spare room upstairs that he took for the night. We would never let Shadowhunters crash here, but he paid extra."

Cynthia blinked and pulled the blade out, asking calmly while ignoring the stares she was getting "Directions?"

"Through the back here, up the stairs and first door on the left."

"Thank you." She smiled sweetly, nodding to his hand "You might wanna get that looked at." Then she walked around behind the bar and went up the creaky wooden steps until she faced a whitewashed door, not bothering to knock as she opened it, pulling her dagger out ready and slipped inside.

Cynthia didn't know what she was expecting. For Jonathan to jump at her and press a blade to her throat? That was the top one. But no, as she stepped forwards and nudged the bedroom door open with her foot, feeling the hand that was holding the blade drop to her side.

The bedroom wasn't much, a single bed pushed against a wall with the window above it, a wardrobe next to the door and small table next to the bed. With pale blue walls and carpet, it reminded Cynthia of the sky outside.

And there was Jonathan. He was fast asleep under the dark blue covers with his scarred back to her and his grey t-shirt and black leather jacket lying in a heap on the floor next to him. Cynthia also spied a good few bottles lying around there too, and no doubt some had rolled under the bed.

She crossed over and sheathed her dagger, prodding his shoulder. He groaned and rolled over a little, burying his face into the pillow. Cynthia found herself giggling as she realized- he was hung-over. And majorly too by the look and sound of it.

"Come on Piss-Head-" she sniggered out, grabbing his shoulder and rolling him onto his back, yanking the curtains open.

"Fuck off" he just snarled, not bothering to open his eyes, pulling the covers over his head. Cynthia arched a brow and yanked the covers completely off his form, tossing them onto the floor. Jonathan sighed and raised a hand to his forehead, opening his bleary eyes at last as he muttered out "Since when did you get so good at tracking?"

"Because you holed up in the first place you could find. I'm disappointed- I was expecting a challenge."

"Go away."

Cynthia sniggered once more and sat down next to him. "You are so hung-over. It's hilarious. Did you drink the entire bar or-?"

"Near enough." Jonathan sighed, sitting up and raising a hand to his tangled white blonde locks, closing his eyes again. "What time is it?"

"Just gone midday. Now come on, let's get you back to the valley."

Jonathan growled suddenly, letting his eyes snap open "You told me to leave and I did. And now what? You've come to take me back? You silly bitch."

"Jon. You are drunk slash hung-over. Go have a shower and sober up a little, then we'll talk." Cynthia ordered, reaching down and tugging the Morgenstern ring from his finger with a sigh of "Father really isn't happy with you. I'm keeping this. Not having you vanish on me."

"Piss off and go get breakfast." Jonathan ordered, getting to his feet and wandering over to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. Cynthia found it amusing- hung over Jonathan was hilarious. Swiftly she stole his black leather jacket and pulled it on to hide her Marks, stealing some money from his pocket as she set off.

-LightInYourNightmare-

"What the hell is this?"

"It's a… MacMuffin. Or something. Just try it, it's gorgeous."

Jonathan was staring at his McDonalds breakfast with an expression that was close to disgust, poking it with a finger. "It looks like demon intestines."

"Oh shut up and eat your food." Cynthia snapped, biting into her own- it was gorgeous. How could he say such things? Jonathan gave in and bit into it, cocking a brow as he found it to his liking.

When Cynthia was finished, she looked to Jonathan who was sat at the table in the kitchen, his hair pale and damp, his t-shirt still a heap in the bedroom. He noticed her gaze and asked after he'd swallowed his last mouthful "I know. I'm hard not to look at."

"You disgust me." Cynthia scoffed, walking over to the bin and tossing her rubbish away. She stared at the reflection from the cooker; at his back. She was used to the scars he had, but the whip marks on his back were something else entirely. Cynthia never asked him how he'd gotten them, but she knew deep down that their father had given them to him.

Valentine could be quite the violent man, even she, the apple of his eye, knew that.

"So. I followed you last night." Jonathan smirked out, tossing the balled up wrapping over his shoulder, making Cynthia think show off as it landed neatly inside the bin. But then she realized what he'd said and frowned "What are you-?"

"You were a wreck. It was hilarious. You found out that angel boy was still alive and you just broke down. Seriously, I had to stop myself crying with laughter."

Cynthia felt a rush of anger at that- he knew that Jace was alive? That he was here all that time-?

"Shut up." She snapped, her voice laced with anger, and Jonathan knew it.

"If you two didn't have sex last night I'll be-" he started but Cynthia snapped and launched herself at him, causing the chair to topple backwards as she landed on him with her hands around his throat, snarling out "All these years you watched me grieve over him, and you knew he was alive?!"

With a growl, Jonathan's hands clamped around her own neck, hissing out "So what if I knew?"

"You could have told me-!" Cynthia yelled into his face, noses almost touching. She wanted to cry from the rage and frustration, but she refused to. Jonathan would laugh in her face if she did that before him.

But he laughed anyway as he tightened his grip around her neck "You would have ran away if you'd known! You would have left us the instant you knew."

Cynthia swallowed hard as his fingers pressed with a bruising pressure against her windpipe, just about managing to choke out "I thought that would have made you happy."

"I actually enjoy having you around." Jonathan told her, releasing a single hand from her throat to pull at her own at his neck, but they didn't budge "You're an annoying pest, but you stave off the boredom."

Cynthia felt her grip loosen the tiniest of fractions at that, but not enough for Jonathan to pull away as he placed his hand back upon her throat, telling her "Now. Let go."

"You first." She spat and Jonathan smirked, leaning up until their noses were touching. "I'm not good with orders."

Cynthia felt almost claustrophobic with the young man pressed to the floor underneath her, there was something about the situation that made her heart race with excitement, and those words Valentine had told her echoed in her mind-

I want you to make my son think you're in love with him

It was one of those moments where she could put that plan, that promise and mission of hers into action. Before she could talk herself out of it, Cynthia crossed that last few centimeters and crushed her lips to his own.

He hadn't been expecting it. It was obvious as his body went rigid, midnight eyes widening in utter shock and surprise. Cynthia felt his hands slip from her throat and her own loosen as they trailed down his hard muscled chest, a flutter, tiny really, starting up in her stomach. What the hell were they doing there?

As her own guards were dropped, Jonathan wound a hand into her honey hair for a moment, half-heartedly kissing her back with next to no enthusiasm. Cynthia gasped as they were flipped over, her hands being pinned above her head and a smirking face gazing down at her. "Nice try sweetheart" Jonathan told her quietly, his lips brushing her own as lightly as possible.

Cynthia laughed breathlessly against him, muttering out "It got your hands off my throat. So I'd say it worked."

Jonathan paused at that as he realized, then he was stood up and gone, leaving Cynthia lying upon the floor to roll her eyes. Still, she knew Valentine couldn't complain. She'd kissed his son like he'd basically asked.

But she didn't understand the butterflies that were still fluttering faintly in her stomach. It was nothing she'd felt before.

Cynthia got to her feet, clearing her throat lightly as she shrugged the young mans leather jacket off and draped it over the back of the chair as she stood it up once more. When Jonathan reappeared, he was fully dressed and snagging the jacket and pulling it on, he grabbed Cynthia's wrist, going for the ring that was there when she yanked it away, snapping out "Oh no. I'm keeping a tight hold of this."

As soon as he was ready with his hair still a ragged mess, Cynthia grabbed his arm and twisted the ring upon her finger, leaving New York behind them.