"Jace, I'm not drawing you." My finger glided against the sketch paper in my sketch book as I blended charcoal in, seated on a table in the Ops Center.
I was dressed in a white v neck, tucked into black jeans, black combat boots and having on a beige leather jacket.
"Well, we've kissed." Jace wraps an arm around me, looking over my shoulder, "You've got a whole book without any drawings of me in it? Where are the romantic novels?"
"We've kissed once." I emphasized and placed my sketch book to the side, "Don't get ahead of yourself."
"Alec, what are you doing?" Jace walks over to him where his back was turned to us, "You can stare at this monitor all you want, they need angel blood to get past the wards."
"Yeah." I swung my feet lightly, "No Downworlder can come into the Institute."
"Not without an invite by a Shadowhunter." Isabelle and Clary join our conversation, as Clary held the card the Mortal Cup was in.
"Last I checked, Valentine is a Shadowhunter." Alec faces us, "The Cup is not safe here, we have to give it back to the Clave."
"Give it back to the Clave?" Clary handed me the card, "No, not after everything we went through to get it."
"My brother is right." Isabelle sides with Alec, "The Cup is extremely important."
Alec looked almost baffled, "Are you agreeing with me?"
Isabelle shrugs, "I'm full of surprises."
Clary exhales deeply, "This Cup is the one chance I have at getting my mom back."
"I don't think we should hand over the Cup just yet, we need it." I held the card, "Soon- just, not yet."
"I agree with Zee, we can't give the Cup to the Clave, not now." Jace sides with me, "It's our only bargaining chip."
"Look, Alec- I know how powerful this Cup is." I put my hair behind my ears, "It's capable of a lot, but, trust me on this. I promise you, I will not let Valentine acquire it."
"There you go." Jace gestured to me, "You have her word."
Alec held his palm out with a sigh, as I smiled, handing him the Cup, knowing that he would put it in the safe on the training room floor.
-
"What do you think?" I asked Jace, my back against his arm as I showed him my newest drawing, holding a piece of charcoal in my hand.
Jace looks from his tablet and over my shoulder, his hair tickling the side of my face, "Average."
"Average?" I looked at him, baffled.
"If it was me, it'd be outstanding, handsome, gorgeous-" Jace began to list off, as I hit his arm, earning a small laugh from him.
Suddenly the alarm was blaring loudly, Alec looking at the monitor, "What the-"
I got up, looking at the screen, "There's something outside the perimeter."
Alec began, "I told you-"
"Alec." I stop him.
Clary walks over, "What's happening?"
"Looks like someone's trying to break in." Isabelle joins us as we began walking towards the door.
Jace grabbed his seraph blade, "Could be the Circle."
Alec looks at me, "Told you so."
"Too soon, Alec!" I pulled my kindjals out as we ran out to the front, inching closer to the man who had his back to us.
"Don't move." I immediately said, saying in position.
"Drop what you're holding." Alec raises his tone, "Put your hands up."
Then, the man turned, revealing Raphael Santiago as he was carrying a dead Simon Lewis.
When Clary finally catches up to us, she gasps loudly, "Oh, my God, Simon!"
-
My eyes looked over Simon after we laid him down on the table, "People will be wondering what we found outside the perimeter."
"I'll go." Alec offers and turns away, heading up the stairs, "I'll tell 'em we didn't find anything, nobody will come down here."
"I might be a vampire but I was raised a good Catholic." Raphael stepped back, his eyes scanning Simon.
Isabelle eyes were filled with small tears, "The vampires breached the Accords- killing Simon is grounds for war."
"The vampires were not behind this." Raphael was defensive, "Just Camille- she attacked Simon on her own."
Jace looks at him, "And how do we know you're telling the truth?"
"I could have gotten rid of him, but instead I brought him here." Raphael points out, "I don't want trouble with the Shadowhunters."
I glared at him, "Smart decision."
Raphael sighs, "I warned the mundane to stay away but Camille gave him a taste of her own blood, and like an addict he came back wanting more."
"The only reason Simon ever tasted Camille's blood is because of you." Clary accused him, "You kidnapped him- you drug him to Hotel DuMort, you- you delivered him to Camille!"
Raphael stares at her, "I never meant for this to happen."
"Simon." Clary cried into Simon's dead body, "Simon, please come back, please!"
Raphael sighs, "There is a way."
I looked at him, "A way what?"
"A way to bring Simon back." Raphael said.
"You can do that?" Clary suddenly looked up, "How?"
"He's a fledgling." Raphael spoke, "It's a state of transition- your friend can be resurrected."
I shook my head immediately, "Clary, no."
"So- I could have Simon back?" Clary could only focus on that, "Alive and breathing?"
"That's just it- he won't return alive or breathing." Isabelle shot at her, "He'll be a vampire."
"And not the sexed up, romantic kind." Jace eyes Raphael, "The ugly, bloodsucking, coffin-dwelling kind."
Raphael looks at him, "That's offensive."
"Really?" Jace almost scoffs.
"Coffin implies wooden box." Raphael sat up, "We have caskets now- they're made of 14-karat gold."
Jace clicks his tongue, "My bad."
"It's almost sunrise." Raphael took notice, "Simon must be turned into a vampire tonight or staked through the heart."
Clary sniffles, "And if I do neither?"
"His soul will be trapped for eternity." Raphael told her, "You have till sunset to decide- the clock is ticking."
-
"Clary, I really need to talk- I think I'm turning into a vampire." Simon's voice filled the room through the voicemail, "I'm scared."
Clary sobs, putting her phone away, "I'm so sorry I wasn't there."
Clary covers her mouth, "This is all my fault."
I sigh, "Clary, this isn't your-"
"No, it is!" Clary cuts me off, crying out, "If it weren't for me, Simon would have never even known about the Shadow World."
I put my hands up in surrender, backing up into Jace without realizing he was behind me.
"He would never have been kidnapped by vampires- he wouldn't have met Camille." Clary sniffles, "He would- he wouldn't be dead."
"A fledgling." Raphael corrects her, "He's in transition."
"And now I am left with two- two reprehensible choices." Clary stutters, "And I can't figure out which one is worse."
"If I, uh-" Clary looks at Raphael, "If I bury Simon- what are the risks?"
"Clary, no." I began walking towards her, "Absolutely not- there's no way in hell-"
Jace was grabbing my arm and stopping me, as Clary cries out, "I need to know!"
Raphael sat up, "If Simon is buried and he doesn't emerge he would be trapped under the earth starving for eternity."
"Oh, my God." Clary gasps, sobbing, "And, uh- if I stake him?"
"He'll die a human death." Raphael shrugs, "It's painless, as far as I know."
Clary covers her mouth, "Simon, I'm so sorry."
-
I sat alone in my room later that day, the pad of my finger rubbing in charcoal into the sketch pad paper.
Clary was out with Luke after the Forsaken attack at the Jade Wolf, debating whether or not she should tell Simon's mother and needed his assistance on deciding what to do.
I inhale sharply, when Jace barges into my room.
I slam my sketch book shut suddenly, not wanting him to see what I had been drawing.
It was a drawing of him, like he wanted.
But, I didn't want him to know.
I looked at him, startled, "Don't you knock?"
"Zee, your Mom-" Jace was breathing heavily as if he had just ran here, "She's awake."
My eyes widen, "She's what?"
"She's awake." Jace ran a hand through his messy hair as I was already getting up from my bed and throwing my sketch book to the side, "She woke up a few minutes ago- she's asking for you-"
I was already out of my room, running through the halls of the Institute, Jace hot on my tail.
I ran into the infirmary, where I jerk to a stop when t eyes land on my mother, who looked exhausted but was sitting up, alive and breathing.
Jace skids to a stop behind me to make sure he didn't run into me, looking from me to my mother.
I exhale deeply, feeling so shocked that I couldn't move, "Mom."
My mother softly smiled at me, her hands on her lap, small tears in her eyes when she laid eyes on me.
"Mom-" I force myself to move, sitting on her bed and hugging her as tightly as I could, tears burning in my eyes, "Mom-"
"I missed you so much." Tears fell from my eyes, a small sob leaving my lips, "I thought I'd never see you again-"
I could hear in voice that she was crying too as she held me, "I know- I know."
I suddenly pulled away in alert, staring at her with red tinted eyes, "Who took you? Tell me who took you and so help The Angel, I will murder them with my bare hands-"
My mother looked down at our hands as I held hers, as she began shaking her head.
"Mom." I felt myself get slightly angry, as Jace placed a hand on my back to comfort me, "Mom, tell me."
She swallowed hard, sighing deeply, "Valentine."
My expression dropped in anger, my voice dangerously low, "What?"
-
"I didn't think I'd live to see the day where you'd carry Simon." I eyed Jace as I walked next to him as he carried Simon through the graveyard, Raphael and Clary ahead of us.
Jace looked at me and could tell I was hurting from earlier, but went along with it, not wanting to mention to make me more upset, "Well, today's your lucky day."
Jace places Simon onto the ground once we were reach an empty spot, Raphael holding a shovel.
Suddenly, there was a sound of rustling, our attention diverted towards Camille, who stood tall and daring.
"Okay, you know what- I am not in the mood." I stepped towards her, "What the hell do you want?"
"I want my property back." She doesn't move, speaking demandingly, looking towards Simon's dead body.
Clary already had tears in her eyes, "Simon is not your property."
"If you'll just hand him over, I'll be on my way." Camille ignored her, looking at us.
"Like hell we will." I scoff, pulling out my kindjals.
"You heard Zee." Jace pulled out his seraph blade, "You're not laying a hand on him."
"Fine." She snapped her fingers, vampires backing her, "I tried to do this the nice way."
"I'm glad you brought everyone here to witness your demise." Raphael stepped up suddenly."
"Camille killed this mundane." Raphael gestured toward Simon, "Now, I have all the proof- she's been breaking the Accords for too long now, he's the evidence we need to show the Clave what Camille has been doing."
Camille almost laughs, "Are you trying to overthrow me?"
"No." Raphael revealed his fangs, "I already have."
"Don't listen to him." Camille defended herself, "Raphael doesn't know the first thing about leading. You need me. I've given you everything you could want. All the riches. All the pleasures you could desire."
Raphael called her out, "By breaking the law, which will only destroy us."
"We can fix this." Camille persuades her best, "If we just get rid of the body, this mundane means nothing."
I move past Jace, walking right over to Camille, swinging at her, clenching my hand into a fist last minute, letting out all my force in that one punch.
I needed to punch someone ever since I found out Valentine was the one who kidnapped my mother.
She gasps, a grunt leaving her lips, touching her jaw, her eyes slightly wide.
I turn, walking away, the vampires surrounding her instantly.
-
"Clary, it's time." Raphael walks over to her and held up the shovel and stake as her choices, "Which will it be?"
Clary stares at them for a moment, before grabbing the shovel, not saying a word.
And we let her go with it, soon enough there was a hole something dug into the ground.
Simon laid on the side of it, Clary sobbing after she had put him in something, "When your grandfather gave you this at your bar mitzvah, you told me how much it meant to you. It was a symbol of the day you became a man."
She cried, "Simon, no matter what happens no matter what you become- you will always be that man to me."
Clary got up and weakly nods, Raphael placing Simon at the bottom.
I grabbed the shovel and began shoveling some dirt in, continuing despite the sore pain in my arms.
Jace walks over to me and stops me, taking it from me and began shoveling dirt in.
Clary's sobs filled my ears as I walked over to her, sighing deeply as I let her cry into my shoulder.
-
"Hey." Jace sat down next to me on the grass by the tree after we had buried Simon, "You okay?"
Raphael stood a few feet away from us, and Clary sat by Simon's grave, waiting for him to emerge.
I had talked to her already, assuring her that Simon would make it out and that he was a fighter.
But, as much as I tried to make her feel better, it didn't make me feel better myself.
"I don't know." I don't even look at him, staring ahead, "How would you feel if your father kidnapped your mother and tortured her for years until she fell into a coma?"
Jace sighs deeply, wrapping an arm around me, pulling me into him, "I know it hurts."
"Emotions cloud your judgment, Jace." My voice was monotone, "It doesn't hurt."
"But, It does." Jace knew even when my tone was blank, "But, it's gonna be okay."
"I'm gonna kill him, Jace." My jaw was clenched, "I'm going to him kill him- I swear on the Angel."
Suddenly the ground started rumbling, cutting our conversation short as I jumped up along with Jace, Raphael rushing over and Clary backing away towards us.
I already knew, "It's happening-"
The dirt broke as Simon crawled out of his own grave, covers in dirt, his hair messy and his glasses gone.
"Simon, it's me." Clary began, "It's- it's Clary."
Simon hisses at us, making us all jump back, except Raphael, who tossed a blood bag onto the ground in front of Simon.
"Once reborn, you emerge hungry." Raphael tosses more Simon who was ripped the bags and gulping the blood down, "Very hungry."
"Clary-" Simon musters out when he's done with all the blood bags, "What's happening?"
Clary inhales sharply, "You, um- you died."
"I- what?" Simon notices his stained shirt, "What's this?"
"That's blood!" Simon jumps away from it and splutters, "Oh, my- oh, my- why can't I say-"
"God." Raphael says it for him, "It'll take time to regain the ability, there's a lot you will need to learn.
"Oh, my- damn it!" Simon shudders then looks up at Clary, "Am I- am I a vampire?"
Clary exhales deeply, "Yeah."
"Clary, tell me tell me this isn't real." Simon began shaking his head, "Tell me this is not really happening!"
"I'm sorry." Clary became repetitive, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"
"I'm- I'm repulsive!" Simon raises his voice.
"No, please- please don't say that, okay, you're still the same, Simon- you're the same Simon I've known my whole life." Clary stutters, "The same guy who loves sci-fi, and who can recite every line from from every Nicolas Cage movie- the same Simon who carried me over the Brooklyn Bridge when I lost my shoe, okay?"
Simon shook his head, "No, Clary, I'm not!"
"Yes, you are, Simon!" Clary yelled, "You are the same Simon! You are my best friend!"
"I'm not." Simon got up, "I'm nothing more than a monster-"
"No, Simon, you-" Clary began to step closer to him, except Simon was backing away.
"Stay away!" Simon yells, "Please just- stay away."
"I'll look after Simon." Raphael assures is when Simon ran off, "You have my word."
"What did I do?" Clary cries out when Raphael went after Simon, "What did I do?"
authors note:
this was a sucky chapter, I sorry
but they cute
gah, I'm so tired, it's 5 am
vote and comment loadsss