Herondales, Man (Jace and Clary's Daughter)

2.003

*Jace Herondale*

It was easy to watch Cece and Tavvy dance and laugh, drinking champagne occasionally. It was easy to watch Olivia and Nate sit in the corner, talking animately about something. It was easy to talk to Alec about our speculations about Rafe and Cece while Clary and Magnus talked about some interesting fact that would have played better in Game of Thrones.

While Lil, Anna and Luke had been hanging with Max in the upstairs for a little while now to get ready for Christmas morning, something didn't feel right. It felt like we were back in 2007, waiting for Valentine to attack or for Sebastian to make an appearance.

"What's wrong," Alec asked, sipping the beer Magnus had snuck in for us. "You have that look. I haven't seen it in while, but it's there."

"Something feels wrong." I frowned, looking back to Cecily and Octavian. They were seated around a table by the dance floor, talking softly.

"Are you sure it's not because Cece is dating a 'legal adult'?" Alec smirked.

"No it's not that." I gave him a look and shook my head. "It's something else. Something is going to happen."

"What?" Simon asked, joining the discussion. "You feel it too? I thought it was just holiday-jitters."

"You guys are paranoid," Alec frowned. But I could tell that it was something he was trying to push aside. "Besides, what could it be? Demons can't come inside the Institute, neither can vampires and the wards have been brought up to repel Faeries now for almost twenty years."

"No it's not that," I narrowed my eyes as I saw a flash of something, hoping it wasn't just a trick of the light. "Clary!" I rose my voice slightly. Isabelle, Magnus and Clary joined us. And I could see Maryse and Robert coming over too.

I was just about to open my mouth to call Cecily and Olivia over, too but then the windows opened, letting in a literal breath-taking gust of wind in. The lights flickered out, the band stopped playing and everyone froze. My hand found Clary's and we both moved to Cece, who was now standing in the middle of the abandoned dance floor, looking confused.

"Dad," Her voice carried lightly through the room as her eyes landed on us. The gold of her eyes reflecting light. "Mom. What's going on?"

Olivia and Nate moved into our line of sight while everyone else had moved to form clusters of their families.

"Cece," Clary said softly, but even as the chatter rose up around us again, her voice still carried. "Come here. Nate, 'Livia, you too."

As soon as Cece moved towards us, a fire blazed around her. She jumped back into safety as people let out started yelps and shrieks. The flame, I noticed, took the shape of a perfect curling Angelic Power rune, blazing with something I never thought I'd feel again.

Heavenly Fire.

The power was almost overwhelming but it made me jump into action more quickly. I grabbed Olivia and Nate who were almost consumed in the flames of the 'arms' of the rune. Cece looked around, looking for a way to get out of the Mark but every time she moved, the fire grew.

There were shouts for the Silent Brothers and Iron Sisters as people dashed to the library. There were cries for warlocks and their magic. There was a cry from Clary as the flames grew higher and higher until Cece was just hardly visible.

"MOM!" I heard Cece yell. "DAD! What's going on?"

"Stay there!" I yelled back, pushing the kids and my wife back behind me. "Cece! Stay in the center!"

Just as quickly as it the flames began, they doused to just a small blue flame in the floor. Still dangerous. Cece was somehow now shackles to the ground, her dress tattered and her hair falling in her face.

"Cecily!" I heard Rafael shout, racing with the rest of our family to the flames. The Blackthorns were on the opposite side, weapons drawn. You would have never known they were ever dysfunctional.

"I - I can't," I heard Cece whimper. "I can't feel -"

"Cecily Herondale." It was a voice like from a distant dream.

Or, it was until Clary sucked in an uneven breath. "Raziel."

"The Angel of two halves will have but one path." Raziel's voice echoed off the stone walls of the evening hall. The fire grew with each word.

"To bring back the good who never existed and the one so utterly twisted." Cecily was suddenly struggling against the bonds, her eyes wide and wild - unfocusing on anything.

"Forced to end one, your alternate choices are none." Then I saw it, the smoke curling from her back.

"To relive a curse that haunted you ancestor, it is likely that your love will begin to fester." She let out a heartbreaking scream, blood pooling - and separating into two opposite puddles in the far corners of the Mark.

"Your ending may be swift, and all those who are joyed by your gift." The puddles began to solidify into statues Well, they were statues until they began moving. While one, clearly a teenage boy, moved in every direction as if looking for someone, the other seemed to be stretching. The bad feeling in my stomach deepened.

"Least you hail, none will live to tell your tale." The boy-ish puddle of blood became human, dashing towards Cecily as everyone screamed. The boy seemed so familiar.

As Raziel finished the morbid poem, Cecily was spasming. The shackles fell away and she fell heavily on the boy who held her to his chest. His white blond hair fell in his face, but he was eighteen, I could tell. The other person was definitely a man - a man my age.

Like everyone else, I was shouting. Like Clary, I was shouting for my daughter; "CECILY!" I yelled. "CECILY, KEEP YOU EYES OPEN!" It was all I could think of.

The boy used his shirt to stop her back from bleeding - but how it was injured in the first place, I didn't know. The boy was talking to her, that much I knew.

"Cecily Herondale," Raziel said once again, "Like your father before you, you will carry the Fire of Heaven within you." He paused for a brief second, looking to the man. "With opportunity comes sacrifice. The Shadowhunter's will be the return of Valentine Morgenstern for the rebirth of Jonathan Morgenstern."

The room silenced and I could finally hear what the boy - what Jonathan Morgenstern - was saying to my daughter; "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Valentine laughed, his black eyes trailing on Clary and I. "Jace. Clary. My children." Fear flooded me, but just as I couldn't pass the flames to get to Cecily and strangle Valentine, he couldn't get to me. "Isn't it ironic."

"Enough, son of Lucifer," Raziel's voice rumbled. "Tell your Master the deal has been set."

"Of course, angel." Valentine bowed extravagantly. His eyes trained on Jonathan and Cece. "Another time then." A Portal appeared behind him, shimmering, leading to a place that gave me horrible night terrors. Edom. Without hesitation, he stepped through.... And was gone.