"So, Magnus, how long has it been? One hundred? One hundred fifty years?" Camille asks, her voice sickly sweet as she struts after an uncomfortable looking Magnus, her back arched and chest inflated so far I wonder how long until her spine breaks in two.
Hopefully soon. Though I doubt even that would shut her up.
"One hundred and thirty-eight. Oddly, I haven't missed you." Magnus mutters, though by the side look he gives her and the uncomfortable shifting on his feet, I can tell that deep down there's something unresolved there.
It makes me feel nauseous to even think about.
"Of course you have, my love." Camille retorts, stopping in front of Magnus, her chest brushing his as she practically traps him up near the column.
"You can have your disgusting little lover's reunion later" I snap, making Camille turn back to me, irritated yet obeying. "Right now, we need to find the Book of the White." We all watch Camille expectantly, and the longer she dallies and toys around with us, the less patience and calm I seem to have.
"And you will, but not without payment." She leers, turning to Magnus with a feline smirk, "You of all people should understand that." Magnus merely frowns back, turning with a raised brow to me.
"She wants a Writ of Turning-Me-Into-A-Vampire." Clary spits out, her teeth grinding at Camille, "And we need you to draft it."
Magnus sighs, his black painted nails coming up to rub gently at his right temple before he straightens, a frown coming onto his face as he narrows his eyes down at Camille. "Hmm. I thought I was done with you." He mutters, disdainfully, though Camille smiles brighter as if she doesn't notice.
"We'll never be done with each other." She whispers back, inching closer to him, a chuckle escaping her deadly mouth as Magnus preens back. I scrunch my nose in disgust, my eyes averting at their close proximity, and from what I can see, everyone else feels just as uncomfortable as me.
"I'm gonna go call for backup" Izzy mutters, though from her retreating steps, I can tell she's glad to be away from the tension of this room. I nod at Simon and Clary and swiftly walk off to the next room, my blood boiling from all the time I've spend with that she-devil, blood-sucker.
I take a seat on the satin covered linen of the four poster bed, my eyes lifting as I watch Simon and Clary enter, both grimacing, probably from the view in the other room. Simon sighs heavily, crashing lazily down beside me, his cold skin brushing my thigh as he does so.
"You don't have to go through with this. If you want to go out there and stake Camille through the heart, I will hold her down while you do it." Clary offers, a sad frown on her face as she stand before Simon, her words sincere- almost conveying a sense of guilt, a need to make amends for her role in this all.
"Or, I can do it if you don't want to" I volunteer, teeth shining through my grin, "Though I can't promise it will be as quick and painless as a stake through the heart, not after everything that bitch has done."
Simon's lip quirks at the corner at my words, but still he shakes his head, "I don't even care about that anymore. Nothing matters but Jocelyn." He looks to me, eyes wide in desperation, "We have to wake her up. "
"She loves you so much." Clary says, gently seating herself beside Simon, her hand coming up to hold his own.
"She was always kind of like a second mom to me." He mutters, "Remember when she got me that sealed copy of Battle-toads?" We laugh in unison, nodding our heads at the memory, one that feels like a lifetime ago, so far away it's as if it wasn't even real.
It's like some crazy fever dream, I can't even remember what life was like before we fell into all this Shadowhunter mess.
"But Simon, Camille's dangerous. If you sign this thing, we'll just be setting her free to kill again." Clary says, her brow set in worry, the creases between her eyes showing the stress and pressure since our 18th birthday.
"No. She's not half as bad as Valentine. Your mom beat him once. If Valentine has a weakness, she knows it. Or... maybe she is it. But, we have to at least find out." Simon explains, a slow and marching process, but his words come out clearly all the same, and I nod, accepting his words.
I open my mouth again, ready to tell Simon we would follow him in his decision, but I'm cut short as the sound of footsteps entering interrupt, and we all lift our eyes to see Alec stood before us, broody and serious as ever.
His eyes meet mine instantly and my breath catches as we look at one another. I quickly feel myself unconsciously looking him over, my eyes scanning over his leather and jean clad body, desperately searching for any injuries or blood. I feel myself sigh in relief when I see none and Alec smiles slightly, acknowledging my worries and mentally assuring me he's ok.
"Alec, did you find Hodge?" Clary asks, alerted by his single presence.
Where the hell is Jace?
"Yeah, but Valentine has the Cup." He states, gritting out the harsh words.
"What!" I exclaim, standing up beside a now terrified looking Clary, the both of us exchanging harrowing looks.
"Where's Jace? Is he okay?" Clary asks, her eyes scanning behind Alec, as if any second now Jace may strut in, smirking, winking, laughing, just like he usually did- but the sombre look in Alec's eyes tells me otherwise.
"He went after Valentine by himself. It's like he's totally lost it. I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen." Alec explains, a brief shadow of fear and hurt flashing across his eyes, and I hold myself back from asking if he's ok, knowing now wasn't the time.
"We need to find Jace. He's in a dark place, we don't know what he's gonna do." Clary jumps forwards ready to run and find him, but Alec swiftly steps in her way, gently pushing her back, his eyes bright with warning.
"Luke is out looking for him and Jace wants us to stay on mission." He states, though Clary's scoff shows she couldn't care less what Jace wants right now. "That means we have to find the book."
"He's right, we have to wake up your mom." Simon says softly and despite the battle in Clary's eyes I can see that she agrees, her shoulder slumping as she takes a step back.
"It's the only way to stop Valentine" I whisper, my eyes soft as I grip Clary's hands, a reassuring pressure passing between us.
***
"Wow. You've got a lot of books." Alec states, though his tone suggests a sense of tediousness to it rather that actual awe. I would smirk or retort but I'm myself too enthralled by said books, the seemingly never ending bookshelves of them capturing my attention and interest.
At least she isn't a total barbarian.
"I've got a lot of time on my hands." Camille shrugs, eyeing Alec slightly and I frown, that familiar pit bubbling in my stomach. She seems to notice my shift in attitude and merely smirks, mockingly shifting closer to Alec, though he's to busy scanning the room to actually notice.
"This place creeps me out" Izzy mutters, her eyes shifting over the other doors and rooms that lead out from this enormous library and I watch as Alec nods in agreement.
"Yeah, let's check the perimeter." Alec states, nodding to me and Izzy.
"Good idea." Magnus says, leering around, "If I know Camille, she'll have a trick or three up her sleeve." With that we all stalk off, Magnus and Izzy splitting off to the left through the ornate golden doors that seems to lead to a dining room, while Alec and I move off to the right, venturing into a lengthy corridor.
We walk silently as we first enter the mahogany and nude themed corridor, the silence deafening as we scan the area, ready to intercept any threats.
And with Camille and her vicious personality there could be threats anywhere.
My right hand holds tight around my trusted serph blade, the weapon gleaming a bright blue as it ignites to my touch, while my left hovers next to my thigh holster, my throwing knives tucked neatly and readily into its holder. Alec walks beside me stoically, his hands gripping the bow and arrow with deadly precision as he aims left and right, his jaw set defining his sharp features and his eyes narrowed.
The silence we remain in is comfortable, no tension or awkwardness as we check in and out of several rooms, but still I feel the need to see how he is doing.
"Are you okay?" I ask, my voice meek and quiet, catching Alec's attention immediately as he loosens his grip on his weapon and turns his head to looks at me with a curious expression. "I know you're probably worried about Jace and- I won't pretend to know what the parabatai bond is like, but I just don't want you shouldering all the stress yourself"
I watch as he sighs, a deep chested sigh, his body relaxing as he does so. His gaze flickers back forwards, though his bow and arrow is hanging loosely beside him in his hands now.
"Jace is more than a brother to me, it goes deeper than that, but it's like ever since he's found out about Valentine that somethings changed and I can- feel it, like in my bones." He shrugs, looking to me with a dark sadness fleeting in his eyes. "I don't know how to help him with this, it's like he thinks just because his father is bad that it automatically makes him bad too- I just don't want him to do something stupid"
I nod, a frown curving my lip, not just because of Alec's sadness but for Jace, my brother, suffering and losing himself. "I don't know Jace well, obviously not like you, but from what I've seen he knows that you will always be there for him, no matter how badly he fucks up, so right now all you can do is just wait for him to be ready to talk, wait for him to be ready to come back"
"And besides, Jace is not an evil or bad guy, I don't need to be psychic or be his parabatai to know that. He is nothing like Valentine and he never will be, we'll find him and we'll bring him home- even if I have to yank him back by his pretty boy hair to do so". I say, a grin reaching my lips as Alec laughs out, his eyes shining brighter as he smiles down at me in amusement.
"That's one way to fix it" He mumbles, chuckling to himself as he steers to a stop, his body now turning to face me, his eyes fixed on me. I blush slightly under his watch, the silence stretching as we stand before each other, the territory moving away from Jace and into more intimate subjects.
Alec opens his mouth, a deep smirk playing at his lips, but I quickly feel the air shift and from the peripheral of my vision, my eyes catch the intruders. "Alec!" I exclaim, my hand ripping my dagger from my thigh holster as Alec lifts his bow, though before either weapon can be released, we're captured. Two large and brutal circle members constrain us, serph blades at our throats before we can even blink and our weapons ripped from out hands by two other men.
"Fucking assholes" I mutter, fighting against their grips as they haul us through the corridors, Alec behind me as we are shoved back into the library. My eyes fall first on Jace, whose eyes widen in conflict as he sees the position that Alec and I are in, his blade dropping from its threatening hold.
"Ah Camilla, how lovely to see you again" Valentine exclaims, smirking cruelly as I fight against the hold of his little bitch member. I snarl, spitting at his feet in disgust, though this only seems to amuse him further, as if he lives for the chaos.
"Let us go" Clary hisses, stepping forwards with the brown leather clad book wrapped in her arms, "You can have the book, we won't be able to stop you" I feel myself ready to protest, but as my eyes lingers sideways to a trapped and fighting Alec, I stop, knowing that I wouldn't risk his life.
"Ah, Clarissa. So like your mother, willing to do anything for those that you love." Valentine grins, looking to me before stepping back from the book. "I want you to wake up your mother, I know that you'll all join me eventually. It's fated." He grins, the words falling disgustingly smooth from his lips.
"When hell freezes over" I hiss, narrowing my eyes down, desperate for this man to get his hands off of me so I can get mine on Valentine, and hopefully end this once and for all.
Ignoring me, Valentine turns, his eyes greedily landing on a defeated Jace, "You ready?" He asks, though it seems rhetorical and I fight harder against my captor, the blade so tight against my neck it feels piercing.
"If I go with you, promise me you won't hurt them." Jace demands, his voice cracking slightly as he looks apologetically from Clary to me, before holding Alec's desperate stare for a few moments.
"You have my word."
"Liar! Don't trust him Jace, this is madness" I cry out, my eyes stinging as he frowns at me, though he makes no move to fight back, not when we were so out numbered.
"Jace, what are you doing? You can't be serious!" Clary exclaims, her voice cracking, tears rolling down her cheeks as she clutches the book to her. "Valentine is wrong. You're not like him. I'm not, Cam is not. You're not!" She's pleading, and by the fogginess of Jace's eyes I know he's hurting, that this is not what he wanted.
"I'm sorry, Clary" He mumbles, shaking his head as her turns away from out eyes.
"Let them go" At once we're all released, and I instantly go to step forwards, as do we all though Jace raises his blade, pointing it out towards us all.
"Step back, I mean it Alec" I watch Alec sneer, his legs hesitantly stepping back as he retreats, his eyes holding so much pain and sadness as he watches Jace, watches his parabatai move closer to the now open portal, ready to leave with Valentine.
"Jace!" Clary sobs, rushing forwards as Valentine and Jace step through the portal. The world seemingly slows down as she runs toward him, tears streaming down her face, though mere second before she gets there, Alec intercepts her, stopping her as the portal closes.
"What are you doing!" She growls, ripping herself from Alec's hold and slamming her hands harshly against his chest, her voice dripping in accusation as she glares at him.
Alec doesn't get angry though, clearly as tired and devastated as Clary, "Saving your life. If you enter a Portal not knowing where you're going, you'll be stuck in limbo forever." He mutters, and I watch, tears soaking into my shirt as Clary breaks out into sobs, falling weakly against Alec.
And to my surprise he holds her to him as tightly as he can, anchoring their pain down together at the loss of Jace.
***
" Do you really think this is gonna work? " Clary asks, hesitant and scared, her eyes hovering over Magnus.
We were currently in the Ops centre, my mother's unconscious and sleeping body lay floating before us, the lime green bubble of magic surrounding her still not yet penetrated. Magnus held the Book of the White in his hands, his sleeves rolled up and eyes narrowed, ready to break the spell.
"Let us hope" He mumbles back, sending a warm smile to both Clary and I. I look up beside me as I feel an arm brush mine and I instantly relax, seeing Alec stood next to me, his fighting leathers gone and replaced by a simple black and form sitting t shirt.
Noticing my nerves watches me, his fingers entwining with my own, his grip reassuring. I smile up at him with gratitude and he returns the look, the both of us facing back to my mother, the only sense of calm coming from the small yet peaceful gesture of Alec's thumb gently rubbing the back of my hand.
Magnus snaps his fingers, activating that magnificent flame of purple and blue around his hands, the magic cascading over my mothers figure.
"Jocelyn" He exclaims once, before he begins to read the incantations from the book, the power radiating off his hands like waves as he chants louder. The green bubble begins to pulse in beat with his magic, the layers slowly dissipating bit by bit.
My grip on Alec's hand tightens in fear and anticipation, my heart hammering across my chest as the bubble suddenly disappears from her body. My legs seem to turn to jelly in fear and noticing this Alec swiftly releases my hand to wrap an arms around my waist, my mind thumping as he hold me against his chest, my eyes never leaving my mother.
Luke rushes forwards and grabs my mother before she falls, tucking her into his chest. For a second I fear she hasn't woken, but I feel tears prick at my eyes and a laugh of relief escape my lips as she lifts her head groggily, her eyes widening.
"Luke" She mutters, smiling.
Clary turns to me grinning, and we're both already sobbing messes.
We have out mother back.
Hello everyone,
I know it's been way too long and I can only apologies- your girls been busy and lazy, if I am being completely honest, please don't hate me. But I am here now and hopefully will be uploading some more.
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And I will see you all next chapter xo