Requested by anonymous: In which Clary and Jace share a cute moment after the battle at Lake Lyn.
Jace couldn’t help but smile at the laugh that erupted from Clary as Luke hugged her. That laugh, which was so pure, so genuine, made Jace’s heart tug slightly. Jace couldn’t take his eyes off her. He’d been so close to losing her. He’d died. But she chose him. She chose him to be brought back. Jace had never been anyone’s first choice and it had left him speechless.
Jace was pulled from his thoughts when Luke came at him for a hug. “No no,” he said with a chuckle. “Too sticky, man.”
Luke laughed and backed off, a huge smile covering his face. “I’ll come for you, son.”
Jace scoffed but something inside of him broke at the word son. Coming from Luke, he knew he meant the sentiment. Nothing like Valentine.
As Luke walked away, Clary focused her attention back on Jace, the smile still plastered on her face. It took Jace’s breath away.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she questioned.
He knew deep down he wasn’t, because coming back from the dead was bound to come with problems. But with Clary smiling at him, with Clary seeming so incredibly happy, he couldn’t ruin that for her. So he squashed his own pain down and grinned at her. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just can’t believe I’m sitting here with you.”
She put a hand on his shoulder. “If you’re having any doubts about me bringing you back, don’t.”
“But you’re mother--”
“My mother has been gone a while and I have grieved naturally, Jace.” Clary finished his sentence before he had the chance. “You were the last straw, okay? I already told you, I can’t lose you too. I need you.”
Jace swallowed dryly, any words escaping him. He’d told her he loved her because he thought it would be the only chance to, but he knew in that moment he could say it over and over again, to whatever end.
“Do you wanna get out of here?” Clary asked quietly, as if she could sense what was going through his head.
He nodded once and without hesitation, she grabbed his hand and lead him through the bar and out the door. Once they were out, she didn’t drop his hand, and Jace knew it was going to take time for him to truly get used to this. To them. He couldn’t believe she actually wanted him that way, after everything. He couldn’t believe she’d chosen him.
They started walking, with no real destination in mind. Clary exhaled and closed her eyes, tilting her head towards the sky. “I haven’t felt this free since I found out I was a Shadowhunter.”
Jace smiled slightly. “Do you miss not knowing? Do you miss being an ordinary mundane?”
Clary opened her eyes and thought for a second. “When you joined Valentine for a bit, when everything was so complicated, I seriously wanted an out. I wanted to go to art school and back to my normal life.” She bit her lip. “But that feeling left as quick as it came. I always felt like I was missing a part of myself, but now I feel whole. So to answer your question; no, I don’t miss being an ordinary mundane.”
“Good,” Jace said quietly.
“But,” she said, a small look of mischief in her eye, “there are some things I miss about being a mundane.”
Jace tried to ignore the nervous feeling in his stomach. “Like what?”
“Like going on a normal date,” she said with another smile. “You know, ice cream and movies instead of swords and demons.”
The nervous feeling disappeared instantly. “I don’t really do ice cream, or movies, but I could do pizza?”
“Pizza sounds great, I’m starved,” Clary replied. “Killing your psychotic father really does take it out of you.”
Jace noticed the shake in her voice despite the joke she tried to make, so he stopped her instantly. “Clary,” he said softly.
But she didn’t let him continue. “I’m okay, Jace, really. We may share the same blood but he was never a father to me. He was going to kill the whole Downworld, he killed you. I don’t regret taking his life. Not one bit.”
Jace knew she meant it. He didn’t think she’d ever realise what she’d done for the Shadow World or how strong a Shadowhunter she really was. But he knew she didn’t care about that, she only cared about making sure the people she loved were okay. And that was why he loved her.
“Anyway,” Clary said, breaking Jace’s train of thought. “No more Valentine talk tonight, okay? Tonight we’re gonna go on a normal date and just relax for the first time in a long time.”
Jace squeezed her hand softly. “That sounds great.”
“By the way, I wasn’t kidding about being starving,” Clary grinned sheepishly. “I could eat a whole pizza right now. And since it’s a date, does that mean you’re paying?”
Jace couldn’t help but laugh as he threw an arm around her shoulders, pulling Clary against him. “I didn’t peg you for someone with such ancient views on dating. I’ll pay tonight since you saved the world, but next date is on you.”
“There’s gonna be another date?” Clary asked, the happiness evident in her voice.
Jace pressed a kiss to Clary’s forehead. “There are going to be many dates.”
“Okay,” she grinned. “I guess I can get the next one; you did save me from getting my head chopped off.”
Clary’s grin grew brighter as she wrapped her arm around Jace’s waist and nestled into him. And even though he knew deep down something was wrong with him, right now, for the first time in a long time, he was genuinely happy.
In which Jace is jealous that Clary and Simon went on a date so is taking his anger out on her during their training.
Words: 2000
Clary fell to the concrete for the fifth time that afternoon. She grunted in pain and looked up at Jace who was gripping his seraph blade tightly, no sign of sympathy on his face. “Look,” she muttered. “I know you’re Shadowhunter royalty now and your grandmother is watching, but you don’t need to go so hard on me.”
“Valentine isn’t going to go soft on you,” he growled. “You need to be prepared.”
“I have plenty of time to prepare,” she said as she rubbed her now sore arm. “I can prepare tomorrow. In the training room.” She glared at him. “Where the ground is softer.”
He rolled his eyes, which were now glowing gold. As he jumped into the air, Clary hauled herself up. Jace landed right in front of her, and she stepped up to him in challenge. They’d barely spoken in the last few days and she wanted to know why he was being prickly. So trying to get a feel for the situation, she tried her hand at a small smirk and glanced fleetingly at his lips. Clary could feel his power radiating off him, mingling with her own.
“Or,” she said in a low tone so only he could hear, “we could carry this training on later. Alone, without any company.”
They’d been doing this for a while now, her and Jace, flirting and taking harmless digs at each other. It was fun and easy and a nice distraction from the chaos brewing around them. Neither of them had made a move yet, in fact Clary wasn’t even sure Jace was into her in that way. So Clary tried for that harmless flirting again, to see if he’d reiterate it and prove that everything was fine between them.
Jace clenched his jaw. “I don’t think I’m the best person for that. Why don’t you ask Simon. I’m sure he’d love a second date.”
“Wait, that’s what this is about?” she replied in disbelief.
Jace retreated, his jaw tightening again. “Training’s over.”
He stalked out of the courtyard, leaving Clary gaping at his grandmother.
Once Clary had got her composure back, she followed after Jace. It wasn’t until they were back inside the main room of the Institute that she finally caught up to him.
“Hey,” she said, irritation surfacing. “Can you just wait a second?”
He didn’t even turn around, just waited for her to catch up. She stepped around to face him. “What is your problem?”
“I don’t have one,” he responded sharply.
“That’s a damn lie,” Clary cut back. “Is this about me and Simon?”
“You and Simon going on a date is none of my business,” he growled. “And even if it was, I wouldn’t care.”
She crossed her arms defensively. “Then why the hell were you being such a jerk to me out there? We’ve had rough trainings before, but that was excessive.”
Jace mirrored her pose. “If you think I train you too roughly, get Isabelle to do it.”
“Look, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but you had plenty of chances to make a move, and you didn’t,” she said matter of factly. “I’m not gonna wait around forever.”
He raised his eyebrows, as if her were mocking her. “Are we done here?”
“Yeah,” she muttered brushing past him, “we’re done here.”
Clary avoided Jace for the next few days, and when Simon asked her to go to Max’s rune ceremony together, she didn’t hesitate in saying yes. If Jace had actually asked about her date, instead of being all brooding and crabby, she could’ve told him that it didn’t actually go that well. Simon was her best friend, and had been since she was little, and it didn’t take long to realise that they both didn’t see each other in that way. But Jace was too stubborn to even listen so she let him think what he wanted to.
The party was in full swing when Simon and Clary arrived. And it wasn’t even 10 minutes later that Isabelle approached them to say hello, dragging Jace behind her.
“Aw, you guys are matching,” she cooed. “I love it. What do you think, Jace?”
“Well, you two look cute together,” he said, a fake smile plastering his face.
Clary plastered a similar one on hers and glanced at Simon as he thanked Jace.
She noticed Jace clenched his jaw slightly despite his smile not faltering. Simon looked at Clary. “I’ll get drinks. Do you want anything?”
“I’ll have whatever you’re having,” she replied.
“I’ll come,” Izzy said with a smile between the three of them. “I need a refill.”
She looped her arm through Simon’s and led him to the bar. Clary looked at Jace, whose smile had vanished. She crossed her arms but before she could say anything, a stunning brunette slipped her arm around Jace’s waist.
“There you are,” she said, her velvety voice carrying smoothly. She looked at Clary and stuck out a hand. “I’m Kaelie. You must be Clary.”
“Right,” Clary replied in surprise before shaking her hand. “That’s me. It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too,” she smiled then looked at Jace. “I’m going to get a drink, do you want anything?”
“No,” he replied. “But I’ll meet you at the bar soon.”
Jace pecked Kaelie’s cheek before she disappeared towards the bar. Clary glanced after her, noting her perfect figure and insane beauty. She bit her lip and looked at Jace who was now smirking. “Problem?” he said smugly.
She put on a smile she didn’t mean. “Of course not. It’s not my business, and if it was, I wouldn’t care,” she said, throwing his own words back at him.
His smirked seem to grow, as if he knew he’d gotten under her skin. He stepped closer to Clary and she felt his warmth, felt his power reach out to her, inviting her in. Jace looked down at her, that smirk still there. Clary held her breath, not wanting to move in case her body betrayed her and leaned in closer to him. “If you can date,” he said lowly, “then so can I.”
“I’m not stopping you,” Clary said, gritting her teeth together. “You can do whatever you please.”
“Oh I will,” he said slyly with a smirk on his face, before retreating towards the bar.
Clary rolled her eyes, her arms staying crossed in front of her. They were playing a dangerous game here. Before, it had been harmless flirting, a touch here and there, but never anything more, never anything personal. It had been easy, but as she looked at Kaelie laughing over something Jace said, she felt a bubble of jealousy rise up inside of her.
Kaelie put a hand on Jace’s arm and Jace seemed to love it, stepping closer to her, whispering something in her ear. Her head fell back with a rich, velvety laughter and all of a sudden Clary needed fresh air. She needed to not see that anymore.
She’d made it halfway down the corridor when the door to the party opened and shut behind her. There were footsteps and then someone grabbed her arm. She whirled around to see a smiling Jace. “Leaving so soon?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I’m tired.”
He stepped closer to her. “It had nothing to do with me and Kaelie?”
“Your ego is astounding,” she said as she rolled her eyes. “I’d rather leave than be a jerk about it, like you have been over me and Simon.”
“Now who has the astounding ego?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow.
“Still you,” Clary stated. “Look, I don’t care--”
“You care,” he interrupted. “If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have left.”
She stared up at him, not daring to break his gaze. “If you know I care, then why do it?”
He clenched his jaw but didn’t say anything. Clary took a short breath as if to say something, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She didn’t want to do this, didn’t want to get caught up in some messy web. She didn’t want to play games. She kept his gaze a second longer before walking away. He followed her instantly.
“Hey hey,” he said, grabbing her arm once again. “What’s gotten into you? It’s all fun, isn’t it?”
She looked at him. “It was supposed to be, Jace. But then you started being a jerk.”
“You went on a date with Simon,” he argued.
“And if you ever thought to ask about it, I would’ve told you we work better as friends and there are no deeper feelings there,” she shot back immediately.
Jace tilted his head to the side, seemingly surprised at her words. “You don’t like Simon in that way?”
Clary rolled her eyes. “No, Jace.”
The smirk returned to his face. “Oh? That’s interesting.”
He took a step towards the redhead, the smirk growing. Clary felt it again, his power tingling between them, reaching out towards her. Her gaze darted to his lips before meeting his eyes. Jace took a step towards her and she took a step back.
“You don’t get to be angry at me over nothing and then pretend it never happened,” Clary growled, meeting his smirk with a glare.
Jace smiled and stepped back. “Fine. I’m sorry about the training.”
“And?” she said, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.
He took a breath and clenched his jaw. “And I guess it got to me that I thought you liked Simon as more than a friend.”
She smiled slightly, knowing she was getting somewhere- knowing they were beginning to fall back into that easy banter, like it had been previously. It was a dangerous game, but the way his power seemed to be nipping at her, the way he was looking at her, she didn’t care.
“And?” she challenged.
Jace’s smirk returned as he took a step back towards her. “And I’m more than happy to take you up on the offer of more training. I think I recall you saying alone, without any company.”
A chill ran down Clary’s spine. She managed a laugh that didn’t sound choked. “That sounds fun and all, but I’m wearing a dress and you’re wearing a suit.”
“Well I’m more than happy to help you take off that dress,” Jace said, his tone dropping lower.
Clary quirked an eyebrow. “Oh really? I think I could fight you, even with the dress on.”
Jace stepped closer and Clary could feel his power encircling her, as if waiting for her permission to seep into her. She swore his eyes had a gold tint to them. Clary didn’t back away. She couldn’t. She knew this was dangerous but she didn’t care.
“Is that a challenge, Clary?” he said, his eyes darting towards Clary’s mouth. Another chill ran down Clary’s spine as she acknowledged just how close Jace now was. Jace smiled slightly. “Because I’d much prefer--”
Before Jace could finish his sentence, Clary reached up and kissed him. All this playful banter, all the harmless flirting had become too much. Seeing him with another girl, that jealous feeling she had felt, was too much. Jace was surprised by Clary’s kiss but she didn’t care, she just needed to get this out now before she exploded.
A second had passed and Jace hadn’t returned the kiss so she was about to pull back, but then she felt Jace’s hand come up to her head. He grasped her neck and stepped into her, immediately deepening the kiss. And it was in that moment she felt it, that raw power of his that seeped into her, filling every part of her, right to her fingertips. The power he got from the extra angel blood mixed with hers, igniting her whole body.
Clary grasped him, half wanting him closer, half to keep herself grounded. All the mindless flirting had led to this, and this was so much better than anything she’d ever felt between them.
Before she was ready, he pulled back, and she immediately noticed his power vanish. He still held her though, not retreating too far. Jace looked down at her, a small smirk on his face. “About the training...” he said slowly.
“Yeah?” Clary replied, her eyes darting towards his lips.
“If you had let me finished, I was about to say that I’d much rather train you with the dress off.”
requested by anonymous: In which Jace and Clary chat with Imogen after the battle at Lake Lyn.
send me requests or prompts and I’ll whip something up! x
“After the events at Lake Lyn, with Valentine and Sebastian now dead, I would like Clary to go to Idris for further testing,” Imogen said to Jace and Clary. “Effective immediately.”
Jace was already shaking his head before his newfound grandmother had even finished speaking. He didn’t let Clary reply either before he spoke. “No. No way. She doesn’t need further testing.”
Imogen raised an eyebrow at her long lost grandson and he stepped in front of Clary slightly, as if protecting her. It was an action that didn’t go unnoticed. “Perhaps,” Imogen said slowly, “your personal relationships are clouding your objectivity, Jace. Emotions cloud judgement.”
Clary cleared her throat and stepped out from behind Jace. “And it was my emotions that brought your grandson back from the dead,” she said defiantly, ignoring Jace’s flinch at her words. “So yeah, personal relationships have everything to do with this. Don’t bother trying that argument, I think everyone here is past ignoring their emotions.”
“Fair enough,” Imogen said with a small smirk. “Well, are you willing to go to Idris for further testing? It is, after all, your choice, Clary.”
Jace clenched his jaw and Clary could feel the anger pulsating off him. She slipped her hand into his and gave it a small squeeze. She knew he didn’t want her to go, but she also knew he would accept any decision she made, no matter how hard it was to accept. It was one thing she loved about him- that through everything, he always allowed her to make her own choices.
“I’ll do it,” Clary said as confidently as possible. “But I don’t want to be kept in the dark with what they do. Are we clear?”
“Certainly. I appreciate the co-operation,” Imogen replied.
Clary shrugged but her posture was tense as she looked Imogen directly in the eye. “I’m not doing the testing for you, I’m doing it for Jace, after all you can’t have me tarnishing the Herondale name... you know, since me and him have a personal relationship.”
Jace frowned and stepped towards the red haired Shadowhunter. “Clary--”
Clary instantly broke her gaze on Imogen to look at Jace. Her face softened, with a voice to match. “Jace, it’s okay. Like Issy said, the Herondale’s are Shadowhunter royalty.” She grabbed his hand again and gave it a comforting squeeze. “You’ve finally figured out who your real family are and I will not jeopardise that, not after everything you’ve been through.”
Jace swallowed dryly, clearly unsuspecting of Clary’s words. He squeezed her hand in way of reply before skipping a beat and looking at his grandmother. “If these tests do anything to put her in danger I swear on the angel I’ll--”
“They won’t,” Imogen said with a stern look. “I’ll personally oversee the tests.”
“Good,” Jace said in finality. “And she’s not leaving effective immediately. She just killed her father and saved the whole damn Shadow World- the least you could do is give her a week to relax.”
Imogen nodded. “Very well. She can leave for Idris next week.”
Jace let out a long breath, as if he’d been holding it the whole time. Clary knew he was still getting his head around being a Herondale and every encounter with Imogen was a tense one. He’d been let down so many times by people claiming to be ‘family’ so it was as if he was still waiting for the other shoe to drop, for everything to be ripped away. Clary knew he had a guard up.
“I have a meeting with Alec now, so if we’re done here, I should be heading off,” Jace said to Imogen.
“Indeed. You’re dismissed,” she said.
Jace nodded then turned his attention towards Clary. His voice dropped into a soft murmur. “I’ll see you later tonight, okay? Try and stay out of trouble until then.” He gave her a small half smile.
She grinned back at him. “Valentine is dead now, what trouble could I possibly get into.”
Jace’s half smile turned into a full blown smirk. “Oh I’m sure you’d find some way.”
Clary rolled her eyes but chuckled nonetheless. “You shouldn’t keep Alec waiting. I’ll see you tonight, and yes, I’ll stay out of trouble.”
“Good,” he replied. And to Clary’s surprise, he quickly pecked her on the lips before retreating away from her. “I’ll come find you after I see Alec.”
He walked away without waiting for a reply and Clary found herself replaying that small peck over and over in her mind. It was so seemingly normal and so mundane and so unlike Jace that it had left Clary reeling. But in amongst all that she couldn’t help but admit she enjoyed it, enjoyed the thought of it- her and Jace being able to be normal, just be themselves without an impending war hanging over them.
Clary would’ve kept thinking and dreaming of these things had she not felt Imogen’s intense stare directed at her. She vowed to get lost in those thoughts later before turning towards Jace’s grandmother.
“I see the way he looks at you,” Imogen said quietly.
Clary wasn’t sure what to say to that so she let Imogen speak again.
“The Herondale family has been around since the dawn of Shadowhunters--”
Upon hearing Imogen start, and thinking about where she was going with this, Clary then found the words and cut her off. “If you’re about to go on about me not being good enough for Jace, then you can quit while you’re ahead. Bloodline or not, I care about Jace. And I know what family means to him, so I would never do anything to ruin that. So don’t worry, you don’t have to warn me about tarnishing your precious name.”
Imogen chuckled slightly. “I can see why my grandson likes you- you’re beautiful as much as you are fiery. If you had let me finish, I was going to say that the Herondales would be honoured to have someone like you amongst them. You and your peers have proved that this is a new era.”
Clary cocked her head to the side, surprised by Imogen’s words. “I’m only 18, you know. There’s no way we’re thinking about linking our bloodlines right now.”
Imogen smiled as if she knew something Clary was yet to figure out. “Either way, I’m glad Jace has found someone like you, Clary. But you are right, there are images and traditions to uphold so I’m glad we’re on the same page with that.”
Clary managed a smile, unsure of how to take Imogen’s words. She didn’t get to reply before Imogen spoke again.
“I knew your mother, you know. If you ever want to learn more about her as a Shadowhunter, come find me.” She squeezed Clary’s shoulder comfortingly and Clary smiled in reply. “For now, I have a meeting with Maryse, so I must be off.”
Clary took a deep breath, trying to sort everything out in her head. Imogen squeezed her shoulder once more by way of farewell and left without another word. When she was out of sight, Clary took a moment to regather herself. Imogen was so tense on the outside, but on the inside, Clary thought, she was just a grandmother so relieved to have found her grandson. And Clary couldn’t fault her for that. Because just like Clary, she cared about Jace and would do everything in her power to protect him.
In which Alec is dying and Jace is willing to give him all his power to save him, and Clary is willing to do the exact same for Jace.
Word Count: 1700
“Jace, please,” Clary begged, her voice coming out as mere whisper. “Please don’t do this.”
“I have to, Clary,” he said, his voice breaking. “Alec is going to die and I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try everything to get him back.”
Tears welled up in Clary’s eyes. “It could kill you too.”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Jace replied solemnly.
Jace grabbed Clary’s hand. There was so much to say, so much he wanted to tell her. But so little time. So all he could do was give her hand a small squeeze. The tears spilled from her eyes as he pulled away. She was speechless. There was nothing she could say or do to make him change his mind. And that was the selfish part of her- because Alec was dying and all Clary could think about was keeping Jace alive. And it was selfish, because she cared about Alec too, loved him like a brother. But Jace... Jace was different.
Clary loved Jace, not like a brother, but the all consuming love, the take your breath away kind of love. She didn’t want him to die. They could find another way. They had to find another way.
“Jace I--”
“It’s okay, Clary,” he said, cutting her off with a small yet sad smile. “Everything will be okay.”
Before Clary could say anything, before he let Clary stop him, he sat in front of his parabatai. Grabbing his hands, he began to recite the Shadowhunter creed. He fed all of his power down his weakened, almost non-exsistent parabatai bond. Jace gripped Alec tighter, willing him to take the power he was offering. “Come on, Alec,” he said through clenched teeth. “Please. Wake up.”
Jace could feel the power seeping from him, through his grip on Alec, through his bond. But he didn’t care, he just kept feeding it to Alec- anything for him to wake up.
He vaguely heard Clary say his name. He knew he was giving too much but he didn’t care. Alec was his brother, he was twice the man Jace ever thought he himself could be. If anyone deserved to live, it was Alec. Isabelle and Max and Magnus and Maryse needed Alec, but no one needed Jace like that. So he could do this, without a second thought.
He felt the last of his power, coming from his pure angelic blood, seep out of him. He gave one final yell at Alec as he fed the rest of his power into him. Jace felt himself slip, felt himself go. The grip on his parabatai loosened as he fell to the ground.
Clary screamed out as Jace fell to the ground. She dropped do her knees beside him. His name fell from her lips.
Jace was barely conscious, he was trying so hard to fight it. But he’d given too much, there was nothing left for himself. His eyes drooped as he saw Clary knelt beside him. And then a second figure appeared behind him. Jace smiled.
“Alec,” he whispered. “You’re okay.”
Alec dropped beside his parabatai. “I am. And you’re gonna be okay too.”
Jace had saved him. That was all he wanted. He smiled again. “Everything’s okay. Everything’s--”
Talking was a struggle as felt himself slipping into oblivion. He felt Clary grab his hand. “You can’t die on us,” she breathed, her voice thick with tears. “Please. Take my power.”
Clary tried with all her might to send anything to him, any ounce of her angelic power that might help him. But it didn’t work. She wasn’t his parabatai, they didn’t have a bond. She didn’t know how to transfer her power, she was kidding herself.
“Jace, please,” she cried.
Jace managed one more smile. He didn’t want to leave Clary, not after everything they’d been through. But he knew this was his time, and what’d he’d been through wasn’t going to change that. He squeezed Clary’s hand with whatever he had left. Her tears ran down her face, dripping onto his body.
For weeks, he couldn’t get her out of his head. Couldn’t function without knowing she was okay. And now he was leaving her, but he knew she’d be okay. He knew Alec would always protect her, no matter what.
“You’re all safe now,” Jace whispered. His eyes closed, and he let oblivion take him.
“No,” Clary whispered, the tears dripping down her face. “Jace, please.”
She tried to shake him, hoping to wake him up from whatever nightmare this was. She whirled around to Magnus. “Please, save him.”
Alec had rocked back, away from Jace, his face pale. Magnus stood behind him, his anchor. For once, the warlock was utterly speechless. He just gaped at Clary, unable to form any words.
“Magnus, please!” Clary yelled hoarsely.
“I... I can’t,” he whispered, deflated. “I’m sorry.”
Clary turned back to Jace. “No!” she screamed. “Jace. I need you.” Her head fell onto his chest in defeat. “I love you,” she whispered. She’d never said it aloud, never confessed it to anyone. But she didn’t care, she would try anything to get him back.
“I love you,” she said a little louder than the last. “And I need you. Please.”
It’s then that she felt it, that power she harnessed, lying dormant deep inside of her. She felt it’s warmth, it’s strength and with every fibre of her being, she tried to draw on it.
The warmth inside of her began to grow. She welcomed it, encouraged it. All this pure angelic blood had to be good for something- Jace had saved Alec with it, and now she could save Jace with it. She didn’t care if he was dead, she could bring him back. She loved him. She was going to bring him back.
Clary felt the power surge up inside of her. She felt her eyes begin to glow, like Jace’s did when his power had activated. The runes on her body slowly lit up, glowing a bright gold. She’d only ever been able to draw new runes, she’d never had power like this. Never felt power like this. But she didn’t care, she had no idea how to control it, all she knew was that she didn’t want Jace to die.
Clary stood up, feeling the strength inside of her growing.
“What are you doing?” she heard Alec say. It was muffled though, like the only thing she could concentrate on was the power growing inside of her.
“Get back,” she said, a voice that didn’t sound like her own erupting from her.
She felt her body heat as she stared down at Jace, lifeless and unmoving. Please let this work, she thought to herself. Whatever it takes, whatever he needs, I’ll give it. Her inner thoughts seemed to scream. She wanted him back. Needed him back. She loved him.
With her power bubbling inside of her, so close to the edge, she let out an ear-deafening scream. There was so much of it, and it needed to get out. Needed something else to inhabit, someone else.
Alec gasped at the sight before him. Clary’s hair, usually a faint red, was glowing bright like fire. There was an aura around her, circling her like a shield. He could feel the energy in the room, didn’t need to have blood like hers, to know that what she was harnessing was incredibly powerful.
Magnus grabbed his arm, pulling him back. “Alec,” he breathed.
Before Alec could react, Clary stepped towards Jace. The halo of light circling her grew brighter. Her tears had gone, and all that was left on her face was stone-cold power. She looked down at Jace, the halo of light waiting for her direction. She closed her eyes and dropped to the ground.
And that’s when she exploded, a ring of light shooting outwards. It hit Alec and the sheer force of it knocked him backwards. He blinked once. Twice. Trying to see through the blinding light where Clary and Jace had previously lay. The light burned bright for a second before fading away completely. And the sight in front of him was enough to take his breath away.
Clary stood, her runes gold, with Jace standing a breath away from her. The runes littering his body burned a matching gold, burning away the remnants of his t-shirt.
He was alive.
The two of them stood there, not daring to look away from each other, both of them glowing. Alec couldn’t take his eyes of them. They looked like angels.
“Are you real?” Clary whispered, looking up into Jace’s eyes. “Is this real?”
Jace put a hand to her face, caressing her. “This is real.”
He could feel his runes glowing. He could feel the power circulating through his body. Her power. He felt alive. He felt like he was burning. He felt strong.
“What did you do?” he said, his voice thick.
“I don’t know,” Clary admitted. “All I know is that I was going to do anything to get you back.”
“I heard you,” he said quietly. “You said you loved me. You needed me.”
“I do,” Clary replied. She felt warm, so incredibly warm. “I do love you. I do need you.”
Jace’s hand trailed from her face down to the gold runes littering her collarbones. He traced them carefully. “I love you, too,” he whispered.
“Please don’t ever do that to me again,” Clary said with a shaky breath.
And before either of them moved, before the glowing dimmed, before anyone could shake her from this, she leaned froward and touched her lips to his. The kiss was soft but the feeling was electric. He met her eagerly, obviously feeling it too.
He held her face gently, kissing her softly as their power seemed to mix and grow. The warmth she felt previously doubled and travelled through her body, filling every part of herself.
She had no idea how’d she’s brought him back, but she didn’t care. All she cared about was that he was here now. With her. Alive.
Jalec, requested by @morgandeeyue: In which Alec drinks water from Lake Lyn causing him to hallucinate things about Jace.
Feel free to pop requests into my inbox and I’ll see what I can do.
“You’re a monster!” Alec growled as he brought the seraph dagger up to Jace’s throat. He was crouched over his parabatai dangerously. “You demon blooded monster.”
“Alec, you’re hallucinating,” Jace managed to say through his teeth as the blade dug into his skin. “It was the water from Lake Lyn. This isn’t you. Please.”
Alec’s eyes were blazing with fury and pain and hatred. It scared Jace right to the core, to have Alec looking at him this way. They’d both made their way to Lake Lyn upon Sebastian’s instructions, but Alec had ended up in the water for some reason and now he was hallucinating.
“I’m not hallucinating!” Alec yelled, pressing the dagger harder. A thin line of blood appeared under the edge and Jace struggled to breathe. “You’re a demon. You deserve to die.”
“I’m your parabatai,” Jace whispered. “Your brother.”
“You’re nothing to me,” Alec hissed, and Jace swore something broke inside of him at his parabatai’s words.
Truly thinking Alec was about to kill him, Jace brought a knee up into his back. Alec grunted in surprise and Jace was able to shove him off. Alec went sprawling and Jace tried quickly to rake in as much air as he could. He ignored the tingling of the cut on his throat and kept an eye on Alec.
“Alec, please, it’s me. It’s Jace,” he said lowly.
Alec made another lunge for Jace, but Jace managed to dodge him at the last second. Alec lunged again and this time, he wasn’t quick enough. The two went to ground with a gross thud. Alec punched Jace, once, twice, and then a third time. Jace felt his eyebrow split in the impact.
“Alec,” he whispered desperately, lifting his head up as the blood dripped down his face.
“Demon!” Alec growled, pulling out his dagger once again. “Abomination!”
Jace’s eyes fluttered in defeat and his head fell back to the ground, deflated. “Kill me then,” he croaked. “I don’t want to be alive if we’re on different sides, Alec.”
Alec put the tip of the dagger to Jace’s heart. He pushed it in and blood appeared around the edges. Jace drew in a sharp breath. “I’m going to kill you,” Alec seethed.
And Jace didn’t care anymore. Jace had thought he once had demon blood, and he wasn’t surprised when he found out. Because he was broken. And he wasn’t capable of loving. He wasn’t capable of emotion. But then he discovered he had pure angel blood, and it didn’t make sense, because how could he have something so pure and be so damaged?
“Do it then,” Jace said quietly. “You’d all be better off without me.”
If this is what made Alec snap out of his hallucination, then so be it, because Jace could deal with that. Could deal with dying if it meant Alec lived. Because the only way he’d be able to stop Alec was by killing him, and he could never do that. Alec was twice the man Jace could ever be, so he was okay with this. He just wanted Alec to be okay, no matter what.
Alec dug the blade in deeper, testing Jace.
“Do it,” Jace said, his voice rising. He lifted his head and looked directly at his parabatai. “DO IT!”
And then all of a sudden Jace’s eyes were glowing gold, and that pure angel blood coursing through him was set alight. And he felt his iratze rune burning and he felt the cut on his throat heal over. And he felt the power travel to his parabatai bond. And all of a sudden, Alec’s eyes were a bright gold, and the dagger slipped from his hands. And the wound that Alec had caused healed over too.
Just as Jace’s eyes faded back to normal, Alec’s did too, and all of a sudden there was no pain there, no fury, and no hatred. His parabatai looked like himself again.
“Alec?” Jace said, his voice coarse.
“Jace?” Alec’s breathing was heavy. “Wh-What happened? I was going to kill you. I couldn’t stop myself. I... I wanted to kill you.”
A tear slipped from Jace’s eye. Relief. Disappointment. Happiness. Fear. A whole range of emotions washed over him and he couldn’t make sense of any of it. “I know,” Jace breathed. “I know.”
“How did you... I felt some kind of energy through our bond. I think... I think it healed me,” Alec whispered, as if he thought he was being crazy.
Jace nodded slightly. “I activated my iratze rune, and I think you got some of its power through our parabatai bond. You were hallucinating, and it healed you.”
Then all of a sudden Alec was grabbing at Jace, pulling him into a bone crushing hug. “I didn’t mean what I said. It’s hazy, but I remember. You’re not a demon. I need you, Jace. I would never,” Alec hiccuped, “I would never want you dead.”
Jace hugged his parabatai back tightly. “I know, Alec.”
“I’m so sorry,” Alec said.
“I’m just glad you’re okay,” Jace replied, meaning every word. “We’re okay.”
And even though Jace had been so close to dying, he would’ve let Alec do it. But he would never tell Alec that, so he kept his mouth shut and hugged his parabatai, glad he was finally okay.
+
Something quick I whipped up, sorry if it’s not that good! I wanted to answer the request though because it had been sitting in my inbox and I felt bad. Hopefully I can come back to it soon and give it a good edit. x
requested by anonymous: in which Azazel puts a curse on Clary making her sick.
word count: 2400
[send me any prompts or ideas for a one shot and i’ll whip something up]
https://helloclaxe.tumblr.com/ask
Jace could see that Magnus’ power was slipping, and the demon Azazel was gaining the upper hand, but nothing prepared him for the blast of power that errupted from the demon. The force hit Jace in the stomach, sending him flying backwards. It hurt but he was lucky that he’d activated his blocking rune before going into this-- you never knew what was going to come from a Greater Demon.
He landed on the ground with a gross thud but was able to pull himself up quickly. He had his seraph blade out as Azazel approached a worn-out Magnus. Next to him, Alec was armed with his blade. Coming from behind, the parabatai pair sliced through the demon simultaneously, who then burst into a cloud of black flying insects.
Jace sheathed his blade as Alec helped Magnus. Jace checked to see if Valentine was still chained and there, which he was, before he scanned around to check on Clary.
She was lying on the ground, unmoving. “Clary?” Jace asked as he approached her. She didn’t respond. Within a moment, he’d dropped to his knees beside her, putting a hand on her head. “Clary?”
She was unconscious and Jace noticed markings on her neck, as if the veins beneath her skin had turned black. “Magnus, something’s wrong.”
Jace pulled out his stele and tried to activate her iratze rune, but it only glowed for a second before fading out. The lines on her neck didn’t disappear. “Magnus, what’s wrong with her?” Jace asked the warlock, a mild panic surfacing up inside of him. He tried to swallow it down. “Why isn’t her iratze working?”
Magnus dropped next to Jace, laying his hand over the markings on Clary’s neck. His cat eyes appeared as a faint blue glow floated from beneath his palm. After a moment, he looked at Jace, his eyes back to normal. “Azazel sent out a curse with that blast just before, Clary must not have had her blocking rune activated. It’s embedded itself in her.”
“Can you heal her?” Jace questioned, the panic rising dangerously.
“Not here,” Magnus said, his expression solemn. “It’s made her very sick. We need to take her back to my apartment.”
Within an instant, he’d created a portal. Jace scooped up Clary in his arms, her lifeless body dangling limply. “Take Valentine back to the Institute,” he addressed his brother. “Fill them in on what happened.”
Alec nodded once and Jace made to move past him, but Alec stopped him by putting a hand on his arm. He must have sensed the panic through his parabatai bond, because he said, “She’s gonna be okay, Jace. Magnus will heal her.”
Jace only nodded in reply before following Magnus through the portal.
Clary lay unmoving on Magnus’ bed. It had been two days and the markings had spread further up her neck, right to the edges of her face. She looked pale, like she was so close to death, and the thought of that had bile rising up in Jace’s throat. It had been two days of pacing at the end of the bed, as Magnus tried to figure out how to extract the curse from her body.
Jace took a break from pacing to sit on the chair next to Clary. He grabbed her hand and he grimaced at the coldness of it. “You have to wake up,” Jace whispered, lowering his head to rest his forehead on their hands. “Please, don’t leave me.”
The bedroom door clicked open and Jace rose to see Magnus and Alec enter. “Any news?” he asked by way of greeting.
Magnus’ looked tired and stressed. “I can’t find anything in my spell book. I’ve contacted a fellow warlock who has a higher expertise in all things Greater Demons.”
“And how long is that gonna take?” Jace asked, frustration lacing his voice over the lack of progress.
Alec put a hand on Magnus’ back in comfort, sensing Jace’s unease.
“I just sent the fire message, he should be here within the hour,” Magnus replied.
“Yeah and how long is it gonna take to figure out a cure?” Jace clenched his jaw, balling his hands in fists as a way to keep a lid on his anger. “How long does she have left?”
Magnus seemed hesitant to answer, but the look Jace was giving him forced one out of him. “The curse is spreading to her heart, and once it does, she’ll die. She has until tomorrow morning.”
Jace tensed his jaw until it hurt, his breathing came out hard but slow. “So you’re telling me, we have to wait on some other warlock while we sit here doing nothing? Waiting for her to die?”
“Ragnor will come--”
“And what if he doesn’t have a cure?” Jace cut him off angrily. “You need to be doing more!”
Jace felt his eyes glow gold, felt his angelic power bubbling up inside of him. He hadn’t learnt control yet, didn’t even know what triggered it, but he did know that it was surfacing, and if he wasn’t careful, he’d lash out.
Alec noticed Jace’s eyes and felt his anger through their bond. He stepped forward. “Magnus is doing his best, Jace.”
“Well his best obviously isn’t good enough,” Jace spat back.
Magnus retreated at Jace’s harsh comment but Alec stepped up to his parabatai. “That is way out of line,” Alec said, his voice dropping lower. “Get a grip on yourself. Magnus is helping.”
“Alec--”
“No,” Alec cut him off. “You’re not helping anyone. Get out and calm down.”
“I’m not leaving Clary,” his parabatai replied.
“Yes you are, Magnus will stay with her,” Alex said as he grabbed Jace’s arm. Jace felt his eyes go back to normal, the power inside of him settling down. “You need to cool off. You’re not helping anyone.”
Before Jace could object again, Alec dragged him out of the bedroom. He dragged him all the way to the roof of Magnus’ loft, despite the curse words Jace was throwing his way. Once they broke out into the daylight, Alec shoved Jace away from him.
“What is your problem?” Alec growled, his anger now unleashing. “Magnus is doing his best, he’s the only hope Clary has of surviving, and he can’t do it if you don’t cut the attitude.”
“She could die!” Jace growled back. “She has until tomorrow, Alec, don’t you get that?”
“She’s not gonna die. Magnus is gonna cure her.”
Jace rolled his eyes, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t push down his anger. “I think you’re opinion on the matter is a bit bias.”
Alec threw his hands up. “Honestly--”
“Alec, just stop!” Jace yelled. “Please. Just stop. Clary could die. She could die.”
Jace’s voice cracked on the last word, and it was a like a key to the floodgate of emotion that he’d tried so hard to bottle up over the last two days. It overtook all the anger swirling around him, the only emotion he’d allowed to show; it was the only emotion that didn’t make him vulnerable.
Alec took a step towards Jace and put a hand on his shoulder, he could feel him breaking apart bit by bit. “We’ll figure it out,” Alec said softly, the anger gone from his voice.
Jace looked up at his parabatai and Alec was shocked to see the expression on his face. He’d never seen Jace look so lost. So... helpless. Alec hadn’t even seen this when his father had died, even back then he’d had control over his emotions, not letting his true feelings show.
“I don’t know what to do,” Jace whispered, his head dropping. “I didn’t get to tell her, Alec. I didn’t get to tell her I...” Jace trailed out, unable to say it. But Alec knew what he meant. He had felt the exact same way when the Soul Sword was activated and he’d thought Magnus had been caught in the blast.
“You’re going to get to tell her,” Alec said. “Magnus is going to figure it out.”
Jace looked up at his brother and noted the belief he had in Magnus. Jace wanted that, he realised, wanted what Alec and Magnus had. He wanted it with Clary. He made a vow to tell her when she woke up. If she woke up.
Alec pulled Jace in for a hug then held him at arms length. “Ragnor will be here soon, let’s go back.”
Jace nodded once and followed Alec back to Magnus’ loft.
Ragnor was already there when they got back. Before Jace went into the room Clary was, he apologised to Magnus. Luckily for him, Magnus understood his pain, and forgave him quickly.
When the three of them went into the bedroom, Ragnor had his hand over Clary’s body, a deep orange glow emitting from his palms. He stopped after a moment and turned towards them.
“The curse is embedded deep, Magnus. It’s going to take both of us,” Ragnor said, ignoring the two Shadowhunters in his presence. “I must warn you though, using this much magic on her could kill her quicker than the curse.”
“Wait what?” Jace piped up.
Ragnor finally acknowledged him. “Humans, even Shadowhunters, are fickle beings. The small amount of angelic blood you have doesn’t match the amount of magic we possess.”
Alec stepped forward and spoke before Jace could object to whatever they were about to do. “Clary has more angelic blood than the normal Shadowhunter. Would that make her chances better?”
Ragnor flourished a hand. “Oh yes, Valentine’s experiments. It may help, but I cannot promise anything.”
Alec looked at his brother in question, giving him control. Jace clenched his jaw. He felt backed into a corner. “And there are no other options?”
“No,” Magnus answered. “This is our last shot.”
“Then do it,” Jace grimaced.
Magnus gave his arm a comforting squeeze before standing on the other side of Clary, opposite Ragnor. Like the time Magnus healed Luke, Alec set himself up beside his partner, knowing he’d probably need Alec’s strength to help. Jace mirrored him and stood next to Ragnor. He grabbed Clary’s hand, it was even colder than before.
“Please get through this,” he whispered, before looking up at the two warlocks. Jace took a deep breath and nodded for them to start.
Together, Ragnor and Magnus began to chant in Latin as their power flowed from their hands. Nothing happened at first, but as the moments passed, Clary started to stir. A faint murmur escaped her lips and she writhed around.
“What’s happening?” Jace asked, the panic inside of him rising. Neither warlocks answered, even Alec was concentrating on Magnus, the grip on the warlock’s arm tight and unmoving.
Suddenly, he felt Clary grip his hand, squeezing it hard. He looked down at her and his panic rose even higher. Her body seemed to be elevated, her back arched towards the ceiling as her teeth ground against each other in pain.
“Magnus!” Jace yelled, his gaze unmoving from Clary.
Panic raced through Jace as the warlocks chanting grew louder, their power heightening. Jace felt his own power surface, the fear of losing Clary triggering it. But he felt something else, something different to the other times his power was activated. His power felt stronger where he gripped her hand, as if it had travelled there because it sensed her connection, like it wanted to mix with it.
Clary writhed around and before Jace could think, before he even knew what he was really doing, he put all his energy into sending his power to Clary. He had no idea if it’d work, or if it was even possible. But he needed her to stay alive, he needed her to take his power. Feeling his eyes glow gold, he urged Clary to take as much as she needed.
Clary’s eyes snapped open as she jerked up. The marking’s on her neck had disappeared. She was still pale and deathly looking, but they’d gone, all traces of the curse missing. Ragnor stumbled back, taking deep breaths of air. Across from him, Magnus was leaning on Alec for support. He looked at Jace, his magic visibly drained. “I felt you give her that power,” he said quietly. “I didn’t know it was possible, but it saved her. She was slipping away.”
“I know,” Jace said, his voice hoarse. His power had retreated the moment Clary woke, but he could still feel small remnants of it, almost like a hangover. “I could feel it.”
Clary looked between them and brushed her hair behind her ear, confused. “What happened?”
Alec glanced between her and Jace, before making eye contact with him. “We’ll give you two a minute. Magnus and Ragnor need to recuperate.”
He lead them both out of the room as Clary looked at Jace expectantly. “The last thing I remember was Azazel blasting us. Is he dead?”
But Jace was barely listening to her, all he could fathom was that she was alive. Eyes open, moving, breathing, and alive. She was talking to him, but he wasn’t listening. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. He kept his gaze locked on her face, his eyes scanning over every inch of it, taking in every little detail. They’d been so close to losing her.
Before he could second guess himself, he leaned in. His lips touched hers and Clary paused in surprise. Jace pulled back, but only a fraction, enough to look her in the eye. “You almost died,” he said, his voice thick with emotion, “and I almost went out of my freaking mind.”
“Jace--”
“I couldn’t bear it, the thought of losing you, you know? I... Please don’t do that to me again,” he said, cutting her off. He needed to get this off his chest, he didn’t want to miss the chance like he almost did before. “I care too much about you.”
This time, Clary leaned in, kissing him softly, tenderly. They’d kissed before, but those kisses were urgent and filled with lust. This one was different, it was soft and filled with a much more deeper emotion.
Clary pulled back and Jace kept his hand on the side of her face, her skin so much warmer than it was before.
“I’m here now. I’m safe,” Clary said softly, before leaning in for another soft kiss. And in that moment Jace felt all the fear and panic and unease fade away into oblivion.
Jace fell to the ground, his hand over the place where Valentine had just stabbed him. The blood seeped through his fingers and he knew it was over. He knew there was no coming back from this.
He managed to keep his eyes open long enough to see Clary drop to the ground over him. She placed her hand over his, tears pooling at the corners of her eyes. His name fell from her trembling lips, the desperation evident in her face.
His breathing came out in fragments, each second passing making it harder to get any air in. Jace looked up at Clary, as he remembered the kiss they’d shared yesterday. After everything, they’d finally acknowledged their feelings for one another. She’d healed his wound with tears in her eyes, and admitted she couldn’t lose him, not after her mother.
And he’d let her down.
“I’m so sorry, Clary,” he managed to say.
He didn’t want to leave her. He never wanted this. He knew people died in war, had accepted that long ago. But now, seeing the fear in Clary’s eyes, seeing her in so much pain, broke him more than being stabbed by the man who raised him.
“Hey,” she whispered through the tears dripping down her face, “Save your breath, okay? Don’t say anything. You need your strength.” Jace nooded meekly. “It’s gonna be okay,” she said, trying to smile through the pain, trying to reassure him. “It’s gonna be okay.”
But Jace knew she was trying to reassure herself, trying to convince herself that he wasn’t at the edge of death. A tear slid from Jace’s cheek as he came to terms with the fact he was going to die. At the fact he had let everyone down; Alec and Isabelle and Max and Maryse and Clary. He let down the one person he’d allowed himself to feel something for. He blinked once trying to will the tears away as if not to cause Clary any further pain. He’d let her down. He never wanted to hurt her and he had. He was. He’d let her down.
Jace felt himself slip away. But he couldn’t leave her with so much pain. He couldn’t leave her without saying it, without her knowing.
“I love you,” he whispered.
And that’s when he saw it, saw a small shred of light pass over her face in amongst the grief and fear and suffering. And he clung to that light, clung to the idea she’d be okay, one day, eventually, without him. Jace clung to the small look of warmth as he took his last breath and let himself be dragged into oblivion.
Clace: In which Clary doesn’t want Jace to die so offers to give him her power in order to beat Sebastian/Jonathan. (Uses that scene from 2x19).
Note: I know I have requests in my inbox and I’ll try get around to them soon, I just really had the urge to write this after 2x19!
Clary took a deep breath and closed er eyes. It was the first time in weeks she was able to spend more than ten minutes by herself, save for the few hours of sleep she managed to fit in each night. She played with the stele in her hands, fighting back the tears threatening to spill over. The war she’d been thrust into was coming to its peak, slowly building up over the past weeks. And now, being alone, she could finally and freely admit to herself that she was so incredibly scared. Everyone around her was so strong, able to handle everything thrown their way. Jace, Isabelle and Alec had learnt to stifle their fear and swallow down any emotion in order to get the job done. But Clary wasn’t like that, she’d grown up a mundane; she was a beacon of emotion she could barely contain. She loved deeply and cared too much, something she’d inherited from her mother.
So she was scared. She was scared of dying herself, but she more scared of losing anymore people she cared about. She’s already lost her mother, and Dot who was like a sister to her, and Clary knew she couldn’t handle losing anyone else. Not Luke. Or Simon. Or Magnus. Or Isabelle, Jace and Alec. None of them, she didn’t want to lose any of them.
She didn’t have any living family left, aside from her psychotic father and brother, so these people were the closest she had to family. Luke was like a father to her, and Simon like a brother. And Isabelle, Jace and Alec had somehow woven themselves into every fibre of her life.
When she first found out about this world, she wanted to learn everything there was to know about being a Shadowhunter. So the three of them educated her, and trained her, and somewhere along the way they accepted her as one of their own. It had taken a while for them to warm up to her, raised together as children, the three of them were strong and brave and sceptical. But in the end they were drawn to her. Drawn to her ability to love, her warmth and her kindness. She was everything they weren’t, and it was like she was a way for them to stay connected to their humanity. They’d all bottled their emotion for so long, it was as if Clary forced them to bring them to the surface. Clary managed to keep the tears back as she put her stele back in her pocket. It had been interesting navigating the extra angel blood and the powers that came along with it, but now that the war was coming to a head, she hoped she could control whatever she possessed. Taking a deep breath, Clary tried to regain some sort of control on her emotion before heading out to her debrief.
Alec, Jace and Issy were gathered in the operation room when Clary arrived. None of them looked happy.
“What’s happened?” she question, a small panic rising in her.
Alec clenched his jaw and folded his arms. “Valentine and Jonathan were caught trying to portal to Idris. Presumably, they now know that the Mortal Mirror is there and not here.”
Clary’s stomach dropped as Jace carried on talking. “The warlocks have put up wards around the city, no one with Nephilim blood can portal in or out of the city. So we’ve blocked them in. Now we just have to catch them before they figure out how to escape.”
The fear and emotion Clary had just managed to squash down threatened to surface again. She took a deep breath. “So what are we gonna do? How are we going to find them?”
“We’ve got people searching,” Alec replied. “I have no idea how we’re going to stop them.” Alec looked at Jace and as he ran a tired hand over his face. “Valentine trained both you and Jonathan, so you’re our best shot at taking him down. Those demon powers he has may give them the upper hand.”
“And I’ve got angelic powers,” Jace said, putting a comforting hand on his brother’s shoulder as if to calm him down. “We’ll find them and I’ll take him out.”
“But what if you can’t,” Alec replied incredulously. “You don’t know how to control your powers.”
Jace shrugged, always calm and collected. “Just having the extra angelic blood makes me stronger and faster. I don’t need the powers. I can do it.”
Clary bit her lip nervously. Jonathan had almost killed her on his escape out of the Institute. She’d seen the hatred in his eyes, the pure evil look he’d given her. No matter how strong Jace thought he was, she wasn’t sure if he would be able to over power the thing Valentine had created in the devil’s image.
Alec finished the meeting and the three Shadowhunters around her disbanded. Clary followed after Jace, grabbing his arm before he could disappear. He’d been avoiding her on and off for the past few weeks.
“You’re going to take down Jonathan?” she questioned.
Jace looked at her, his eyebrows cast downwards. He folded his arms. “If that’s what it takes.”
“But he could kill you,” Clary said, the panic rising.
Jace gave Clary a look she couldn’t figure out, but it was gone as quick as it had surfaced. “People die in war, Clary.”
A knot formed in Clary’s throat and she couldn’t form any words to say. His words hit her like a tonne of bricks. She knew people died in war, had experienced it firsthand, but this was exactly the fear she had been trying to bottle up, and he was making it really damn hard.
In the beginning, Jace didn’t take to Clary as easily as the others. Valentine had raised him until he was a young boy, teaching him to cap his emotions, teaching him that to love is to destroy. It had taken Clary alot to chip away at him, to fight his sourness with kindness. But she’d managed it eventually because opposites attract, really. Where Clary was kind, Jace was not. Where Clary was warm, Jace was cold and standoffish. Clary openly loved too much and cared too deeply, and Jace failed to do that. Jace definitely loved and cared about his family, but anything past that was a big black void. So Clary brought warmth to his life, whether he wanted it or not, and somewhere along the way they’d formed an unlikely friendship.
It had helped that they both shared their angelic bond, but they hadn’t had much time to study it or learn control any further than when it surfaced randomly. Like at Lake Lyn, when Jace had managed to heal her with his Iratze rune. Clary still remembered the way she felt his power seep into her, like a warm embrace. She was drawn to it. And he’d been distant ever since, only checking in on her when Jonathan escaped.
Clary snapped out of her thoughts when she realised Jace was still looking at her, waiting for a response. Except she didn’t have one, so her gaze dropped away from his.
He let out a low breath. “I have to debrief my team. We leave to join the search in an hour.”
Jace left without waiting for Clary to reply.
+
Clary couldn’t shake the fear, couldn’t bottle it up like everyone else. She paced her room nervously, mulling over everything, trying to figure out a way to keep everyone safe and simultaneously defeat Valentine and Jonathan. But of course she came up short, she was never going to find a way to do that. Hell, she’d only just managed to hold her own in a fight after months of training. Jace, Issy and Alec had been doing this since they’d learn to walk. She was almost near useless in a fight compared to them, if anything, she’d just get in the way.
Clary kept pacing, her fear rising quickly when she gasped in shock. Her eyesight blurred and reappeared with new images. She knew her connection with the angel Raziel was proving her with a vision, like it had done a few times before. Clary stayed frozen in the middle of the room as flashes of images sifted through her mind, of her drawing new runes, of Jace’s eyes glowing gold, and of a rune she’d never seen before. The vision disappeared as quick as it come, leaving Clary gasping for air. She mulled over the message before it all clicked into place. Grabbing her stele, she went to look for Jace.
She hurried through the maze of the Institute, frantically looking for that grimace and flop of blonde hair. Finally, after what felt like forever, she found him near the exit, briefing his team of Shadowhunters.
“Jace,” she breathed.
He dismissed his team and faced her. “We’re about to leave, Clary.”
“I know,” she replied. “I think I can help.”
He was already shaking his head before she’d even finished. “No way, you’re not coming on mission--”
“No,” she said, cutting him off. “I got another vision of a rune I could use to help.”
His jaw clenched and she knew he was contemplating dismissing her. He paused a second and Clary held her breath. It was a farfetched plan, she didn’t even know if it was going to work, and Jace knew that. He let out a deep breath. “Come on, let’s go to the courtyard where it’s quiet.”
She nodded once and followed his lead. They emerged in the courtyard, where it was silent and undisturbed. Lit candles littered the concrete, a slight wind threatening to blow them out. Jace shed his jacket and Clary followed suit, then grabbed her stele.
Jace stood in front of her with his arms crossed. She could see his mind ticking over, the frown was evident on his face as he looked at her. She stepped towards him, it was the closest they’d been since Lake Lyn she realised. Clary held out her arm and began to draw the rune she saw in her vision.
“Alec said you were the only one who could take Jonathan out because Valentine trained you both,” she explained as her arm began to burn from the rune. “But his demon powers may give him the upper hand. I can’t help fight, but the vision I was sent made it seem like I could give you my power.”
The rune seemed to burn as expected, so at least she got that right, but as she said her plan aloud, it all sounded silly. She felt her face redden, but she tried to believe it would work. “I know it sounds like it won’t work, but this coming from the girl who can shoot sunlight out of her hand and make portals out of thin air.”
She tried for a smile as she spoke, and Jace managed one in return as he said, “Well, sometimes.”
“Well--” she had nothing as she cut herself off with a smile. He was right, she could sometimes do these things so who knew if this would work. She was about to scratch the whole plan when Jace stepped forward, as if he knew she was doubting herself. She looked at him and he nodded once, as if to say he believed whatever she was trying to do was going to work.
She bit her lip and gripped her stele. She was about to give him some of her power, and something about it seemed so intimate, so raw. But she knew it was the right thing to do, because she didn’t want him to die, and she would do whatever it took to keep that from happening.
Nervously, Clary gripped the bottom of his shirt and tugged it upwards. The image in her head showed she had placed the rune over Jace’s heart, as if that was the direct link to his power.
“I have to draw the rune over your heart,” Clary felt the need to explain as she tried to pull his shirt higher. It wasn’t giving her easy access though, so as confidently as she could, she said, “Could you...”
Jace got the gist of it and pulled his shirt over his head. Clary swallowed dryly and kept her eyes on the blank spot on his chest. She felt her power swirling around in her, so bracing her hand up against his chest, she drew the same rune on him.
It began to glow instantly, and Jace looked down at her, suddenly aware of how close they were. She felt her hand against his chest, the cool tip of the stele and the burning of the rune. He was all too aware of everything, as if having her this close with all that power she was harvesting was causing his senses to heighten. Jace looked down at the rune as Clary finished drawing it, and when he glanced back, she was looking at him so deeply he couldn’t take his eyes of her.
Clary felt her runes light up, as Jace’s did the same, glowing such a dazzling gold. He had been avoided eye contact as she drew in such an intimate spot on his body, but as soon as it lit up, he had looked directly at her. She wasn’t expecting the intensity of it, but for some reason it felt right, and she couldn’t look away.
She could feel her power growing inside of her, harvesting just underneath her skin waiting to be used, waiting to be directed somewhere. It was heating her from the inside out and she savoured it. And as Clary looked up at Jace, she knew the rune was working, knew that whatever connection they shared allowed her to pass on her power. She could feel it seeking out his, seeking out him.
The moment was so raw, so intimate, and Clary felt so vulnerable. But it was in that moment that she finally realised why she was so drawn to him, why she felt so connected to him. It was the angelic power that had linked them before they even knew it, before they formed a friendship, before they formed whatever relationship they had going now. The feelings swirling around her were powerful, but she felt so connected, so centred. It was the first time since her mother died that Clary actually felt balanced.
She felt Jace raise his hand to her face, cupping it gently, and leaned into his touch. She felt her power seeping out of her and into him, and with every fibre of her being, she knew it was the right thing to do. She didn’t want him to die today, so she was willing to do whatever it took to keep him alive.
The power inside of her was almost overwhelming, enough so that her eyes fluttered shut for a second, as if to focus on what was leaving her. But when she managed to keep her eyes open, they were locked on Jace’s. The connection was like nothing she’d ever felt before. It was otherworldly, a feeling Clary had never experienced or expected. And even though the power seeped out of her, she felt more alive than ever.
Clary just needed to be close to Jace, she needed him to take her power, needed him to be strong enough to defeat Jonathan. Her eyes fluttered shut again and she felt herself lean towards him, wanting to be as close as possible, the power drawing her in. She guessed he felt the same, because Jace didn’t hesitate in bringing his arms around her, pulling her against his body.
Clary’s eyes fluttered shut once more and their runes continued to glow brightly. Their power continued to mix, and the for the first time in a long time, Clary felt whole again.
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This moment was so amazing I know my writing could never do it justice, but this is how I picture that scene as opposed to the tracking storyline they went with. My clace heart! Hope you enjoyed.
