Love and War ✴ Shadowhunters

Chapter 5

"What are you, her spokesman now?" Alec asked rudely.

"I don't need a spokesman, I need a plan." Clary said and stormed away into Ops.

Everyone went to follow her, but before Alec could follow, Celeste grabbed his hand to stop him.

He turned around and pulled his hand out of her grasp, crossing his arms over his chest, still upset about recent events. "What?"

She frowned at his attitude. "Al, I know you don't like the situation, nor do you like Clary or Simon. But you do like me, and keeping people safe is something that's important to me. You know that. So please, at least try to see that side. Once you understand that side you can make your own decision."

Alec sighed. "I know. But we can't keep breaking rules like this. That's all we've done since this girl got here."

Celeste nodded and leaned into the boy she considered to be her older brother. "I know. And we'll certainly face consequences for it later. But I firmly believe that the consequences that we face can be no worse than this innocent mundane losing his life simply for wanting to stand beside his best friend during a difficult time in her life."

Alec seemed to be giving into her soft words and her logic. And the tight and familiar hug she was giving him probably helped too. "I'll try to consider it for your perspective, but I make no promises."

She nodded and looked up at him with a soft smile, her deep brown eyes showing all of her emotions openly, just as they usually were around those closest to her. "Thank you Al, that's all I ask." They started to go to join the others when she stopped and had a thought. "You don't have to answer this, but just consider it... What would you do if it was me? What would you do if it was me who had been kidnapped?"

"You wouldn't have let that happen. You know how to take care of yourself. You've proved that more than enough times."

She shook her head. "With the way I was feeling earlier, it certainly could have been me." She paused before continuing. "Clary feels the same way about Simon that you feel about me. She considers him to be family, even if they aren't blood related. It's really not so different."

She let him think about that on his own and walked away, not giving him a chance to respond verbally because she didn't need to hear it to know what his answer would be. She already knew that he wouldn't hesitate for a second to save her if she was in Simon's position right now.

When she joined the others with Alec just a few yards behind her, they had just figured out where to find Simon.

"They're at the Hotel DuMort, down on Gansevoort Street." Jace said.

"And we came back here? Why? We have to go there!" Clary exclaimed. "Let's go, now. Come on."

"We need a Clave resolution for that." Alec said, joining the group as well.

"The four of us can't declare war on the vamps all by ourselves." Izzy agreed.

"Five." Celeste corrected, knowing that it was her who was being left out of the count, not Clary.

Jace's eye shot over toward her in slight panic. "No. Not happening. You aren't coming."

"Yes I am." She said seriously.

"Not so soon after how sick you were looking earlier. You're staying here, where it's safe." Jace repeated.

"You don't get to tell me what to do. I'm fine now. And besides, you're going to need everyone you can get when you go in to save Simon, and you don't exactly have a whole lot of other options." She gestured subtly to the other Shadowhunters around them who would certainly get them all in trouble before they were able to rescue Simon.