This chapter's had more re-work than the rest so far, including the addition of a cute – at least I think it's cute – Malec scene that wasn't in the original draft. It just came to me as I was editing. As always; hope you enjoy.
Clary's POV
"It's beautiful; as always. Just like you," said Jace, kissing the top of my head. I secretly liked the fact that he didn't have to bend down to reach me when I was sat on my art stool, like he would if I were standing.
"Thank you for the compliments," I said smiling, he couldn't see my smile though, he'd already sat down on the bench behind me.
I'd been thrilled when he'd walked me up to the old greenhouse and I saw what he'd done with it. I was a little wary at first. Nobody really went up there much ever since Hodge... But now it was my sanctuary. The glass walls gave me an expansive view of the city and I was never short on inspiration for my latest masterpiece.
"I started after I saw Maxie," I told him, "the one in her room looked lonely; I thought I'd make a whole collage type thing on her wall."I explained putting the oil pastel down. I turned on my stool to face him. "Oh no," I said; warning him.
"What?" He asked innocently, stalking towards me. He stopped in front of me, putting his hands on my waist.
"You're wearing white," I pointed out; "and I've been working with oil pastels," I held my hands up as evidence; they were covered in residue.
"Doesn't matter," he said moving closer so my hands were rested against his chest; he'd nudged my knees apart and his hips pressed against the inside of my thighs. "I never really liked this shirt." Then he kissed me effectively ending my argument. My hands moved from his chest to his sides and then continued up to his shoulders, so I could pull him towards me; my legs wrapped around him.
"You know-I'd love to-but," I managed between kisses, not really wanting to stop.
He sighed, pulling away slightly. "But..." He said, frustrated.
"I was gonna check on Maxie again, she seemed fine before. I wanted to make sure..." I told him reluctantly. Maxie always seemed to get in the way whenever I wanted Jace lately. Maybe it wasn't a completely bad thing though; we were all over each other all the time at the minute. We should probably take a break...should, but probably won't.
"You could come with me," I suggested unable to push him away.
"Always," he said simply, stepping back and offering his hand; I took it, jumping down from my stool.
I had to drag Jace down the stairs, but him being stronger than me, managed to pull me back to him more than a few times, making the whole journey take three times longer than it should have done. When the last few steps were in sight he pushed me against the wall, consuming my mouth with his. Somehow I managed to regain thought processing long enough to push him backwards, so he stumbled down the last few steps, falling out into the hallway.
"Somebody had fun; or did Magnus get you?" I heard from behind us.
Jace rolled his eyes. "Very funny, Alec," he said condescendingly, whilst turning round to face him.
"Well I thought so," he replied, looking smug. "Seriously though, he'd award your effort. Probably wear it himself." He finished, smirking.
Beside me I could tell Jace was starting to get annoyed. Probably because Alec just killed the playful mood we had going.
"Alec," I warned him. "I would stop before he finds something heavy to throw at you."
Jace got a look in his eye then started to take his shirt off. "Jace? What are you-" I started to ask.
"Here," he said throwing Alec the shirt. "Give it to him as a present."
Alec was stunned. I had to hand it to Jace; he was a piece of work. I bet Alec never saw that coming. Boy wasn't his face a picture right now. He looked like a recently gay teenager again, afraid of how to act around Magnus.
Before he even had time to reply Jace had grabbed my hand and was tugging me down the corridor towards Maxie's room.
"What was that about? Not that I didn't enjoy seeing Alec's face when you started taking your shirt off-"
"And that; is precisely why I did it." He cocked an eyebrow at me. I had to laugh at him.
I knocked on her door. "Maxie?" My voice was more of a chuckle.
"Hey, I'll wait out here. You know how she gets uncomfortable when her dad struts about the place half naked." I laughed even harder at him.
"Maxie?" I pushed her door open. She wasn't in bed. I moved to check the bathroom, opening the door without knocking.
Nothing.
Oh no...
"Jace!" I cried out, worry in my tone; I turned round and he was right behind me.
"What is it? What's wrong?" He asked, nervous, his hands reaching out at me resting on my head, my cheek; trying to soothe me. It wasn't working.
"She's gone," I whispered; and shock settled in as a permanent feature on my face.
I felt Jace grab me as I sagged. He sat me down in the armchair.
"Clary?" He was worried too; only for me, not our daughter. He didn't know her like I did.
"She's gone," I repeated.
He seemed to debate for a second – probably wanting me to be wrong – before he agreed with the assuredness in my voice. "Stay here," he told me – like I could do anything else. "I'll go...do something," he said hastily, stroking my hair again before departing.
I could only nod mutely.
Maxine's POV
"Ow!" I cried out, after landing on my bad ankle. So much for portalling being less painful than walking.
"Who's there?" I heard Simon ask. "Max?" He rounded the corner, a confused look on his face.
"Yeah, it's me," I said steadying myself. "You know I actually didn't see the point in portalling here because I thought you'd be out; but nope, trust you to be the only New Yorker that stays home on a Friday night."
"Yeah well, I don't go out and eat like normal people do," he retorted. "What are you doing here? Do your parents know you're out?" He asked, whilst turning around; he walked back into his living room and I followed him.
"No, they don't actually, which was kind of the whole point." I said solemnly, sitting down to his left on the sofa. I put my head back and closed my eyes.
"Max, what's wrong? Did you guys have a fight or...?" He'd shifted when I opened my eyes. He'd brought his left leg under himself and his head was in his hand, his arm resting on the back of the sofa. His right hand was placed on my forearm which was what had caused me to open my eyes. His eyes were full of concern and I suspected that he had the same protective edge for me that I did for him, because to him, I was the youngest; I was the one who needed protecting.
"No, we haven't fought, but it'll probably head that direction if they keep lying to me." My voice held a mixture of hurt and anger, but so far I was managing to keep my composure.
"Lying to you?" He asked dubiously.
"Yeah; they're hiding something from me and then lying to cover it up." I told him assuredly.
"So now they're hiding something." God he could be so condescending.
"Simon I'm serious! I swear they're hiding something. Something you probably know about," I reminded him, "since you would be there when it happened; whatever it was." I sighed, frustrated. I slunk down in my seat, my left leg crossing over my right and turned my head towards him, my eyes begging him to believe me. We weren't that far apart now.
He was just looking at me in a 'maybe she's going crazy' kind of way, with one of his eyebrows raised incredulously.
Why wouldn't he believe me? He knew it was true, I know he did. "Simon I've even asked them, and it feels like they tell me the truth, the whole truth; but then they'll do something and it makes me wonder if it was anything but the truth." I sighed. "Simon, please; you're my best friend."
I felt so lost. It must have shown because Simon reached his hand forward and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear before resting it on my cheek. He looked me in the eyes. "Max; I think you need to talk to someone, a professional," he joked, laughing at me.
I shoved him, hard; he wasn't expecting it. He fell back into the cushions and I went with him, my hands pressing against his chest; my leg had also fallen in between his. My breath came out fast and I had trouble breathing back in again. I opened my mouth to say something but the same hand as before reached up and tucked the same strand of hair behind my ear; his hand resting on my neck, his thumb stroking the length of my jaw.
My stomach was doing somersaults and a strange kind of warmth was flowing through my whole body, lighting my nerves on fire so they seemed to prickle where Simon was touching me. Despite that I still managed to plaster a timid smile on my face. I leaned down tentatively, my eyes going from his to his lips then back again. He came up to meet me.
It didn't, strangely, feel weird kissing Simon. The hand that had been on my neck entangled itself in my hair, and the other which had been nowhere in particular ran down my spine coming to rest at the small of my back. Mine stayed pinned on his chest under my own weight.
The kiss deepened and I rolled slightly towards the edge of the sofa, causing him to hold me tighter; which had been my intention. I could also move my hands now and they both wrapped securely around his neck. I brought my knee up to his hip and his hand moved from my back, down the back of my thigh and grabbed my knee firmly. I moaned softly, my hips rolling slightly against his.
He pulled away and pressed his lips together. "This is wrong." He moved to sit up, so I got up off him, wiping my mouth on the back of my hand.
"Why? Because you were in love with my mom?" I asked him. Urgh I sounded so whiny, rejection did not suit me well. I came to a horrible realisation. "Oh god; were you thinking of her when you were kissing me?" I felt sick.
"No, of course not," he told me, appalled that I'd come to such a conclusion. "Your mom never kissed me like that," he finished, talking to himself more than me. "And it's not wrong because I was in love with her. It's wrong because...because..." He trailed off, searching. "You're like the ba–"
"Do not call me a baby," I said sternly.
"Fine. But you're still youngest; I would be taking advantage," he tried to convince me. Instead it only angered me more.
"Take advantage. Take advantage!" My voice rose two octaves and I jumped up, throwing my arms about in exasperation. "Tell me Simon; how can you take advantage when I wanted tha- this," I corrected; "wanted this?" I asked, my voice softening – hurt flooding in. I pointed out the link between the two of us with my outstretched finger. My eyes started to well up and I fought back the tears; I would not cry in front of Simon. Not now. Why didn't dad teach me endurance for this pain?
"Max," He said tenderly, standing up and reaching out toward me.
"Don't," I whispered backing away from him; could he hear the hurt in my voice as well as I could. I hoped not. "I have to go...I need to..." I was having difficulty speaking, my coherency lost. I need to get out of here. I walked away from him, shrugging him off and picking up the pace when he tried to stop me. I needed to escape. The portal was about to close. I just made it through, feeling relieved that he wouldn't be able to follow me.
Magnus's POV
"Don't take this the wrong way," I requested, popping my head round the bathroom door to speak to Alec who was currently laid on the bed, "cause you know I love you, but," I said, returning to the bathroom mirror, who's reflection held the majority of my attention; "don't reach too old an age; I'm not sure I fancy anymore wrinkles." I prodded at the stubborn crows eyes and raised my eyebrows to a scary level to see if they budged; no difference. "Do you know how much effort it takes to hide these ones?" I asked, sighing and reaching for my stash of anti-wrinkle and concealer products. We were supposed to be going to dinner and no way was I going like this.
"I wish you wouldn't," Alec sighed; he was leant against the door. "Hide them I mean." He walked towards me and raised his hand, the tips of his fingers tracing the patterns; he could still give me shivers. "Do you have any idea how much I love you for this? How much it means to me? That you would go through all this just to be with me?" He'd stopped, and his hand now simply cupped my cheek, his eyes staring into mine. "Do I have to show you?" He asked, inclining an eyebrow.
I nodded my head slightly as I brought my lips to his; or I would have had he not brought his other hand up and used his hold to pull me down to him. I never got sick of this; the feel of Alec's lips against my own, the way he never thought twice about kissing me like this anymore, the flavour of his lips that was so uniquely Alec... I pushed him back into the door and began to ease his sweater up over his abdomen.
We were interrupted by a knock on the door, which was followed by the sounds of it being thrown open. "Do you two have to be doing that now?"
I broke apart from Alec's lips and sighed heavily, turning my head towards the door. "No one said you had to watch," I told Jace.
"Jace, what's wrong?" Alec asked. I still had him pinned against the door; I stepped back so he could go comfort his brother who did look strangely anxious. I hadn't seen him look like this in years.
"Ma-Maxie's ran away;" I'd never seen him struggle for words before; "she's not in her room. Could you come with me, please? I have to get back to Clary," he was already half-in the hall as he said this.
Alec followed him without another word. I followed Alec. Don't get me wrong; besides Alec, and possibly his sister; Maxie was probably my favourite resident here. She was the perfect combination of her parents, though more like Clary than Jace, which was probably why I got on with her. Needless to say me and Jace still grinded against each other; he was one of the many reasons why me and Alex escaped for the weekend.
"Church," Jace addressed the cat who was sat licking it's paw at the end of the hall. "Can you take me to Maxie? And could you two go get our darling Isabelle? I'll meet you at Maxie's room," he called over his shoulder before disappearing round the corner.
"Okay, Church only knows where people are in the institute, why would Jace ask Church where she is? He said she ran away," Alec said beside me.
I took his hand as we headed in the direction of Izzy's room. "He's probably just double checking," I told him.
"And what was the 'darling' Isabelle comment supposed to mean?" He continued, almost cutting across me. I realised he wasn't really listening to me.
Still, I answered him. "I expect we'll find out soon enough."
Clary's POV
It didn't take Jace long; he was soon back outside her door and was conversing with Alec, Magnus and Isabelle. "She's very fragile at the minute," I heard him say, most likely with a pointed look at Izzy. My heart went out to her, those looks could be ugly; and this wasn't her fault, she just helped the process. It had to happen sometime, though I wish it hadn't been today. "We need to find out if she's still here, and if she's not, find where she went to. Magnus could you do a tracking spell of some kind?" He continued. "I asked Church and he just brought me back here."
"It's no use. You won't find her." I said softly, they probably didn't even hear.
"Of course; I'll need something of hers...but you know that." Magnus said, walking into the room. "What's most special to her? Jace? Clary?"
"It's no use," I repeated, shifting my position for the first time since I sat down so I was sat a little straighter. "I scanned the room. She took everything remotely special with her. Or, you know, just hid it; her painting's gone," my voice broke on the last word, my eyes welling up as I spoke. "This place is huge, by the time we found anything to use she could be anywhere... Anything could have..."
"Shh, shh; it's going to be fine." Jace was in front of me, pulling me close. "I'll find her." He told me pulling away and looking me in the eyes, his hands cupping my face.
I was probably one bad thought away from being hysterical. I was starting to tremble slightly.
"I'll find her, I promise you, I will find her," he looked so helpless yet still managed to sound so fierce that it was hard not to believe him, but a part of me still knew we wouldn't find her; not if she didn't want to be found.
"How?" My voice sounded so hopeless; what was wrong with me? Didn't I have any faith in him?
"The old fashioned way," he said. "It'll take longer, but I'll bring her home." I nodded, trying to convince myself to believe him. He switched to holding my hand and then took a seat on the chair arm. "Now the question is where would she go?"
"Somewhere busy?" Alec suggested. "Make it easier to hide in a crowd..."
"She'll have a lot on her mind," Izzy said quietly. "She'll want somewhere peaceful and familiar so she can think."
"We should phone around," I managed. Jace was the only one close enough to hear me. My voice sounded hoarse and I tried to work around the clamp that was holding my throat shut. "See if anybody's seen her, ask them to help search... Jace? Could you call my mom and dad? See if she went there. I can't deal...I...I can't face them right now...I-I need a friend; I'll call Simon," I said getting up and leaving the room.
I felt his eyes on me as I left, but I guess he understood that I needed a minute as he didn't follow me as I made my way... I didn't really know where, I just needed to think.
I eventually found my way to my studio and I collapsed on the bench. Deep breath. I looked around and suddenly realised this was the wrong place to come to; I wished I hadn't come here; the expanse of the skyline, knowing she was out there somewhere, I fought the next wave of tears and worked on steadying my breathing. I reached in my pocket for my cell phone and typed in the familiar number.
The dial tone sounded in my ear. One ring; two; three. Come on Simon, please.
"Hello," he sounded distracted.
"Hey, Simon, it's Clary. Maxi-Maxie's run away," I tried to keep the tears at bay so I could finish. "Have you seen her?"
"Erm, yeah; yes, she's here." He still sounded distracted.
"Oh thank God!" Relief washed through me. "Can I talk to her, I mean, I realise she probably doesn't want to speak to me right now-"
"Clary what are you on about? I said she was here, not she is here. I tried to hang onto her but she ran away from me, portalled as soon as I was clear from her. I'm sorry."
I didn't really hear him, firstly because my relief turned back into hopelessness, and secondly because the phone slipped out of my hand and clattered off the hard floor, breaking apart and skidding to the edges of the room.
"Clary?" I heard Jace pick up his pace behind me. "Clary," he was on his knees in front of me, he looked just as helpless as he had done before so I couldn't imagine what my face reflected. I probably didn't want to know. "Clary? Did you talk to Simon? What did he say?"
"She was there," the tears were rolling slowly down my face. "Was, not is. She got away from him. Portalled somewhere else. Jace, what are we gonna do? My baby girls all alone and I have no idea where she is; she could be anywhere." The tears were falling freely now, new ones taking the place of the ones Jace managed to wipe away; there were so many.
"Clary, love," he sounded so tender. "Do you think you can get us to Simon's; it's quicker than any other transport."
I nodded.
"Okay, I'll go tell everyone where we're going. I will be one minute." He reassured me, leaning in and cupping my face. He looked me in the eyes then kissed me once, softly, slowly – as if he were afraid it would break me – before departing.
He was so much less than a minute; he said everyone had been close by, but the colour in his cheeks told me otherwise. I didn't care though. I needed him.
"You ready?" He asked, taking my hand. I let him use it to help me up. I tried to smile, and squeezed his hand when I didn't quite manage. I took out my stele.
Even after all these years I still hated that sensation. At least I'd learnt how to land on my feet though.
"Simon!" He was waiting for us when we got there, he must have known I'd come. I ran over to him, hugging him tightly. "Tell me what happened! When did she leave?" I demanded of him.
"About a minute before you called. I was gonna call you, I just... She was so upset. What's been happening at your end?" He asked, still distracted. He ushered us into his living room.
"I'm sure she told you," Jace said arrogantly, sitting down next to me on the sofa, leaving Simon to take the armchair.
"Very briefly; she accused you guys of hiding something, and then lying to cover it up. She also assumed that I know what you're hiding. Clary, relax," he told me, as I'd visibly started to freak out after learning that my daughter knew so much. "I played it down, teased her, told her she should see a professional," he laughed at himself. "Then she hit me and, not expecting it, I fell back. Then, next thing I know I...she...we..." He was struggling to explain, and I could have sworn he was starting to blush.
I stared at him, trying to figure out what he was saying; out the corner of my eye Jace was watching me, him and Simon were never best friends, even when they did get along, but lately they'd almost reverted back to how they used to be when they first met, I'd never asked them what the difference was. I tried to imagine the scenario in my mind, imagine it and find some conclusion for his behaviour. It hit me like a blow to the head; a very hard blow. That was the difference. I'd suspected it...Jace must have seen it.
My mouth fell open, the conclusion I'd come to causing me more shock that it normally would have. I stared at him until he met my eyes; and when he did I knew I was right. "You kissed her didn't you?" I asked.
"What?" Jace's voice was like venom. I took his hand to stop him from killing Simon; I couldn't stop him from talking though. "You filthy downworlder, how dare you even touch her!" He was livid.
I was more shocked than angry; shocked and slightly uneasy. "Simon she's my daughter!" It's weird... I added silently.
"If you'd have listened to me, you'd have heard me say 'she' in there somewhere." He sighed, knowing he'd have to explain, and how uncomfortable it would be. "I was teasing her and she shoved me; hard. I fell back into the cushions and she landed on top of me. It felt so natural; like breathing," he joked, due to his exploitation of the exercise. "She leaned down into me, and I came up and met her." He half smiled to himself, sadness in his eyes and I began to feel sorry for him; poor Simon. He loves her. "I'm sorry," he said, "I never should have...I stopped though, told her it was wrong; that's when she ran away." He paused, and I could tell he regretted letting her go, in both meanings of the word. Concern for my friend ran through me; but there was no way Simon would talk with Jace here, he would get his head ripped off if Jace heard more than he already knew.
I could tell he was still watching me and refusing to look at Simon, his whole posture was statuesque and his breathing sounded forced, showing the effort he was exerting to keep his anger under control; I knew he would happily rip Simon's head off given a seconds notice. I turned towards him and silently pleaded for him to leave for a few minutes. He understood and got up grudgingly, muttering until he was out of earshot. I looked back at Simon and he had relaxed visibly. He smiled timidly, which I understood to mean 'thank you'.
"She ran away from you because you rejected her." I stated.
"Yeah," he admitted, sighing again.
"She didn't want you to stop kissing her," I continued and then paused. "And neither did you." His head shot up. "Simon, it's...well it's not okay, but, I kind of had the feeling you would fall for her. She's exactly like me, except with Jace's better qualities. It was pretty much inevitable." I laughed sympathetically.
"I wish I hadn't." He sounded so sad. "It's not like I can really be with her; she's gonna grow up...I'm not." His face showed sadness then went blank, and he was suddenly lost in thought. Then he suddenly perked up, like a light bulb had been switched on somewhere in his mind.
"She's your daughter," he explained to me, prompting me to get to where he was.
"Yes and now I'm back to square one with no idea where she is so if you have an idea just tell me, please," I begged of him.
"She's your daughter, just like you – you said it yourself. Where do you go when you're upset?" He asked.
I finally saw where he was going. "High ground," I answered, my brain trying to think one thought ahead of itself.
"And where's the highest place in New York?" He asked, anticipation in his eyes.
I sucked in a breath; I was finally where he was. "Thank you," I said, after getting up and moving over to him; I kissed his cheek. "Thank you," I said again, already running to get Jace. He barely saw me before I was yanking him after me; back through the portal.
Maxine's POV
I've always loved the Empire State building, ever since my dad first brought me here as a child. The look on my face had been like when a kid sees the castle at Disney World for the first time. The height excited, rather than frightened me; so I had, of course, ran straight to the edge...giving my dad a figurative heart attack. Which I loved, but I'd ran over and hugged his waist till he relaxed.
I smiled briefly as I remembered. But it didn't last long.
I'd never felt before the way I did when I was kissing Simon; yet I was still managing to miss it, as I stood all alone on the observation deck, the wind whipping my hair around my face. Where had everything gone wrong?
An answer with so many questions, I thought. I knew when my world had started to crumble, but despite that, I couldn't bring myself to be mad at Izzy. She'd only told the truth; unlike my parents. I got the feeling I'd only started to scrape the surface of the iceberg. Who knew what they were really hiding. What really annoyed me though, was the fact that I'd always thought I had a really good relationship with them.
I thought about what dad had said, about his name being Herondale, did that mean my whole identity was a lie? Maxine Herondale. Urgh; I shuddered. I hated it! It was a lie! No, it was the truth, which was infinitely worse! I felt like I should be crying, but I couldn't even if I wanted to; there was too much anger in me. I was griping the railing so tight my hand was starting to cramp.
I hated the name 'Herondale,' and all those that lived under... Oh my God. A name flashed up in my head, one that I'd completely forgotten about. Amatis. Amatis Herondale. My great Aunt I suppose is the official title; I just call her by her first name. How could I forget? We visit her every year when we go to Alicante. How had I not made this connection before now? I had to talk to her. What time is it? I wondered, looking at my watch. 9 p.m. Crap; it was like three in the morning in Idris.
Over the sound of the wind, I heard a noise on the rooftop round the corner; a sort of thump, like the sound you make when you land. They'd found me, I was sure of it. The decision I'd been debating for the last few minutes suddenly had to be made very quickly. On the one hand I wanted to confront my parents and ask them straight out what it is they're hiding; but I still had the feeling they would lie to me. I realised I only really had one option so 3 a.m. or not; Idris here I come.
I took my stele out my pocket and began to draw the familiar rune. I worked hard to make sure the portal was strong enough to get me there, but weak enough to make sure it would disappear the moment I was though, like all the other portals I'd drawn today. I didn't want to be followed.
"Maxie!" My dad shouted from behind me. I didn't have much time; in fact, the speed dad could run...I was out of time. I stepped hastily through the portal, thinking only of the glass towers as I left New York far behind me.
Just to let you know, the next chapter may take a little longer as it's one of the one's that didn't get finished when I first wrote this. I have one or two POVs to completely write, but bear with me; I'll get it to you eventually.