Chapter Thirteen – Superheroes.
"OH MY GOD! SIMON GET OUT OF HERE!" Isabelle screamed, as his skin started to smoke stronger than before he glanced down at his skin and yelped, trying to slap out the smoke before it flickered with a spark of fire. He ran to the window and leapt out, just as his skin started to light with fire. Simon hit the ground and rolled, his skin ached and huge blisters covered his skin from where the consecrated ground had touched him. Blood trailed thickly from his burns. He opened his eyes, gasping, his eyes flashing a deep crimson as his throat began to scorch, before dimming back to their normal colour. The doors to the Institute flew open as Clary and the Lightwoods - Alec included, his wound forgotten about for a moment, apart from by Jace who was helping him out into the drive - ran to check on Simon. "S-Simon?" Clary called, shaking his arm lightly her voice thick with tears, Isabelle was clutching one of his hands in hers.
Jace sat down beside Alec in the rain soaked grass, he felt terrible. His nerves were on edge because of Alec's behaviour at the moment and now he'd just sat there watching Simon leap in to save his Parabatai, possibly killing himself in the process. He had gotten his Stele back from Clary and was just getting ready to draw an Iratze when Alec stopped him. "Is he okay?" Alec asked, his voice raw as he nodded in Simon's direction.
"I don't know. All I know is that you're not." Jace muttered, reaching his Stele out again before Alec stopped him for a second time. "That was my fault." He muttered.
"No. It was no one's fault. He risked his life to save yours." Jace whispered back, "Now are you going to let me heal that, before it gets infected?" He nodded towards the deep cut that stretched from the point above Alec's heart to his shoulder. Alec shrugged, "You should be making me heal like a Mundane. Like I did to you when you punched your fist through that window."
"Karma is a bitch. But that was temper, this is different." Jace retorted.
"How so?" Alec questioned.
"Me punching through a window was intentional, it was anger. You cutting yourself, that's depression, you can't help it. It's not intentional." Jace replied, staring down at his hands that were tinged red with Alec's blood for the second time.
"Seemed pretty intentional to me." Alec muttered.
"It wasn't, trust me. You'd never do that if you wasn't depressed, would you?"
"No?" Alec sighed, his reply sounding more like a question.
"Therefore you don't get the option of healing like a Mundane." Jace shrugged, hurriedly sketching the Iratze before Alec could stop him again. He sat watching as the wound closed up, skin knitting itself back together and the flow of blood stopping altogether. "You okay?" He asked staring at Alec, who nodded but didn't look up from the grass. A tear dripped into the grass at Alec's feet as his shoulders shook. "I'm s-so sorry, J-Jace." Alec gasped through the tears, "I've b-been putting y-you through hell h-haven't I?"
"Hey, it's okay Alec. Truly. It's okay." Jace reached over pulling Alec into a hug, letting the tears soak through his shirt and onto his shoulder as tears racked Alec's body.
"Clary." Simon whispered as he glanced up at her.
"Oh thank god you're alive!" Clary and Isabelle shrieked.
"You… you have… to… get away…" Simon croaked, his eyes flashing a dim red, "Go…"
"We need to get him into the Sanctuary!" Isabelle cried, "And he needs blood!" She hauled Simon to his feet and staggered down the path towards the doors of the Sanctuary with him, Clary and Maryse following right behind. "I told you he'd be fine." Jace said, helping Alec to his feet.
"You did not." Alec muttered, as he let Jace tow him in the direction of the Sanctuary. Already Maryse was on the phone to someone, requesting blood. "What do you mean we refuse?" She cried down the phone as Jace got Alec sat into a chair. He pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around Alec's shoulders in an attempt to stop Alec's shivering, before sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of him.
Clary and Isabelle, despite Simon telling them to get away, were still determined to look after him regardless. His burns were slowly healing but he'd lost a lot of blood and would need more to heal quicker and to stop himself from feasting on everyone in the room. Jace would do anything to keep Simon away from Alec at the moment even if that meant offering some of his blood for Simon to drink. "We have a Fledgling who has just been burnt and needs to have blood delivered to him pronto!" Maryse snapped, "And I will not let him get my children! If you regard the Accords in any way you will bring a bottle of untainted blood to the Institute immediately!" She slammed the phone shut, fuming. Jace sighed, and without looking back at Maryse lowly toned, "Let me guess. Raphael refused to bring Simon any blood?"
"Spot on. By the Angel. You'd think we were aiding the werewolves with weapons to destroy their clan not save one of their own." Maryse sighed as she sat down on the edge of the fountain, her head in her hands. "Jace?" Alec whispered from where he was sat in the chair; Jace's attention immediately snapped to his Parabatai. "What is it Alec?" He asked, concern clear in his voice.
"I will take the tablets." Alec sighed, "I don't want to cause you and Izzy any more pain than I have. Max would have wanted it this way too." Jace sighed in relief, catching the bottle as Isabelle tossed it to him with a brief smile of relief, Jace unscrewed the lid and tipped a single blue tablet into Alec's outstretched hand. Alec swallowed it and placed his head back against the back of the chair, "Thanks Jacey." He murmured, his eyes falling shut for a moment before he fell asleep.
Jace sat back, on his knees with a sigh as Alec fell asleep. He looked peaceful when he was sleep, no more frowning - the tablets helped too, Jace supposed - but it was like a huge weight had been lifted from Alec's shoulders when he slept this time, Jace could feel it. "You've taken really good care of him." Maryse muttered, careful not to wake Alec.
"It's not enough." Jace replied.
"I don't think it will ever be enough. But you're trying and I'm sure Alexander is grateful." Maryse sighed. Jace looked over at Simon who was desperately trying to get his burns to heal and also control his thirst. "We need Raphael to bring him blood, he won't be able to control it much longer." Jace stated, staring over at Simon whose fangs kept snapping out over his bottom lip then retracting again. "Well, if you want to try talking to Raphael, Jace. Be my guest." Maryse said.
"No," Jace muttered, "he wouldn't listen to me… but there is one person he'd listen to." Jace leapt to his feet, "Clary look after Alec while I'm gone."
Clary frowned while both she and Isabelle called, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to find Magnus!" He ran from the Sanctuary and into the night, the doors swinging shut as he ran through them.