The Only Thing

Summary: When Valentine snatches Clarissa from Jocelyn and brings her with him back to Idris, he notices a change in his dark son, Jonathan Christopher. And he cannot seem to tell if his daughter creating a strong bond with his son is a good thing for his plans or not.

Disclaimer: Mortal Instruments and Infernal Devices series and their characters solely belong to Cassandra Clare.

Chapter Seven:

"Where is my mother?" That question managed to make his father look up from his desk work to gaze at him. Three year old Jonathan Morgenstern looked steadily at his father. His black eyes seemed to be getting darker and darker with each passing second. Valentine took his time to analyze his son. Since he took his other son to the Wayland manor, Jonathan seemed to be calmer and less destructive… or maybe it was just because of his younger sister's arrival in their household.

"I believe you have a class at this hour, Jonathan." The boy already knew his father would not answer anything he asked involving his biological mother.

"Does the angel boy have a mother?" Valentine watched as his son blinked so innocently up at him. Jonathan looked a lot older than his age but the innocence… the lack of knowledge in the boy's features told him he was indeed just a three year old kid. He could almost make himself believe that completely if only his Jonathan couldn't lift and swing a long sword around in the weapon's room.

"He doesn't have a mother, does he?... You don't have to take care of him if he does have one." Jonathan said as his gaze looked past his father's figure. He looked like he was seeing something only him could see.

"No, Jonathan. He is an orphan. His parents are dead." Valentine didn't miss the small smile that crossed his son's face for a brief moment. He knew that was what his son wanted to hear. He still couldn't help it but to flinch a little because of the cruel smile that tarnished his son's supposed to be angelic and innocent face.

"Is my mother dead as well? Is that why she is not here with us?" Valentine suppressed the sigh that almost escaped his mouth.

"She is alive, my son." He replied patiently and saw his son's eyes lit up in the way they always did whenever he got something he liked.

"Then why is she not here?" For some reason, Valentine's patience just went from long to nothing. He looked icily at his son and this made Jonathan stood straighter before him. It could have taken a hundred years the boy couldn't really tell. He just stood there as his curiosity devoured him whole. He waited patiently for his father's reply. He watched the conflicted look on the man's face. And then the older man opened his mouth to speak…

"She is not here because of you…"

"Jonathan? Jonathan!... Jonathan!" His eyes snap open. His muscles strain painfully as he moves with so much force and speed. The next thing he knows, he is looking down at the pale and sweaty face of his little sister. Her luminous green eyes are glazed over with unshed tears. She is breathing heavily just like him. He can feel his heart beating so loud and so hard against his ribcage. The dark colored shirt he had slipped on before going to bed last night is sticking onto his body uncomfortably.

Jonathan takes his eyes off of his sister and scans the room with so much panic present in his eyes. There is an annoying buzz in his ears that he is starting to get more aware and more annoy of. He closes his eyes briefly trying to regain stability in his body when he feels some kind of pressure in his hands. He looks back down to his sister. She is trying to slip her pinned wrists out of the vice grip of his hands. Still feeling dazed, he slowly releases her wrists.

"It was just a bad dream! It wasn't real!" His eyes widen a fraction when Clarissa suddenly launches herself on him and proceeds to cage him in a tight embrace. Her hands twist the fabric of his shirt tightly as she tries to hold him as close as possible against her. "Don't be scared… Don't be scared…" She whispers on his ear gently. The tension set on his shoulders eases gradually and he finally notices that it is still dark outside. He closes his eyes again and lets himself to relax in his sister's arms.

An image of a red haired woman holding the small hand of a red haired girl enters his mind. They are walking away from him as he runs after them. He can see the younger version of himself running desperately after the figures. His small arms are outstretched. His little hands are grasping helplessly around thin air trying to get hold of the figures but to no avail. He realizes it is an image of his mother and Clarissa. An image of his mother and sister leaving him. Leaving him alone. Abandoning him. A vulnerable gasp escapes his lips and he unconsciously grabs onto Clarissa's waist. His fingers are digging into the soft material of her cotton shorts.

He is starting to breathe heavily again as if someone is chasing after him. His shoulders start to tense and Clarissa feels so confused and worried. She pulls him closer and closer. She lies on her back on the sheets with the heavy weight of her brother burdening her small frame. She threads her delicate fingers into his silvery white hair and then she begins to hum. Soon enough she feels her brother's body relax against hers as sleep pulls him back into its embrace.

"Don't leave me, Clarissa…"

She hears him whisper before he completely goes back to his slumber. She feels a strong tug on her heart at the sound of his voice so vulnerable and weak. She strains her neck to be able to place a loving kiss on the top of his head.

"Never…" She promises before she closes her eyes to join him in his dreams and be able to chase his demons away.

"I know you can hear me, Jocelyn…" Valentine Morgenstern says in a hushed voice. His usual hard and strong tone has been reduced to a subtle whisper that makes him sound like he's addressing a fragile being. His dark eyes roam over the still body lying on the pure white bed. If he isn't holding her hand, he will think that she is nothing more than a lifeless shell of the woman who was once his beloved wife. No. Valentine still acknowledges Jocelyn as his wife. She is still his even after all the treacherous deeds she had done to him in the past. But he is willing to forgive her… as long as she will be obedient because that is what he likes… obedient creatures… just like his precious little children.

"I know how much you love Clarissa… You do not have anything to fear, my love. She has grown to a very fine lady. I cannot wait for you to finally meet her." A satisfied smile spreads over Valentine's pale lips. It can be just his imagination but he is sure that he just felt it. Jocelyn's pulse has quickened under his touch. She can hear him. He leans in almost as if he will kiss her but he merely presses his lips against the cold shell of her ear. His breath is very warm against her ice cold skin.

"She is not like Jonathan. She's everything you dreamed of her to be," with that Valentine rises from the high chair he has been sitting on for the past hour. He lets go of Jocelyn's limp hand and proceeds to walk away from her bed. He exits the room without giving his wife another glance.

Jocelyn Fairchild-Morgenstern struggles to wake but the spell she has placed upon herself keeps her suspended in the dream-like state she is currently in. All she can do is let a single almost invisible tear roll down her cheek helplessly.

"Where did Father get the note?" Clarissa asks nervously as her palms sweat due to her uneasiness. Her older brother places his hands firmly on her small waist and lifts her up without much effort onto his horse.

"From Jonas…" Jonathan replies without looking at the horror-stricken face his sister is sporting at the moment. He proceeds to simply stroke the neck of his horse.

"B-But Jonas… Father m-might ha–"

"The dog is fine, Clarissa. Father has been aware of his existence for more than a year now… He simply chose to tolerate him for your sake," Jonathan pulls himself up on the back of his horse elegantly. He feels his sister stiffen for a moment. He knows what she is thinking. He can tell by the way she chews on her bottom lip with a conflicted look on her face. He knows that she wants to ask why their Father can't tolerate her befriending Jace then.

"I can do this alone, sister. If you feel like you are betraying your boyfriend then you can get off of this horse now, go home, and wait." Her red head quickly snaps up so that she can look at him. The wind blows gently and Clarissa resists the urge to brush Jonathan's hair out of his dark eyes. She remembers the pained look on his face when he was having his nightmare early this morning. She desperately held onto his outstretched hands telling him she was there but he kept grasping for something she didn't know and couldn't tell and he looked in pain more and more with each passing second. And then when he woke up, his eyes were wild and scared. Her heart aches at the image. She clears her thoughts of that morning's incident for she is aware that her brother will not be pleased to talk about it.

"Jace is not my boyfriend. He… He is just my friend," she says as her hands slowly fist over the hem of the short low-cut green dress she is wearing. She tugs on the ruched skirt in a desperate attempt to make it look longer but it doesn't really make much of a difference. She paired the dress with low-heeled black boots and wore a black half-cut jacket over her dress. Jonathan's clothes are all black. He almost looks like he is wearing his Shadowhunter gear because of all the black he is wearing. The color of his clothes makes the paleness of his features stand out more strikingly.

"So you're willing to do this? We'll leave the manor the moment I get the Book of the White." Clarissa swallows and tries to look away from her brother's piercing gaze. "You want to wake Mother up, don't you?" She can actually feel her heart jump upon him mentioning their mother. Jonathan has informed her that their mother has placed a spell on herself. Valentine has always told them that Jocelyn was a weak woman who lacked the strength to be their mother. Clarissa has never been fond of any thoughts regarding their mother especially after their father told them that she didn't want Jonathan at all because of what he had become. She just wants to wake Jocelyn so that she can talk to her, ask her questions… but for now Clarissa simply wants to gaze at her mother first. Valentine said he possesses no photograph of their mother but he always said that she looks like Clarissa.

"I'm willing to do this…"

"I'm not really expecting people this much…" Jace Wayland says with the tone of utter disbelief in his voice as his golden eyes scan the sea of people occupying the spacious ballroom in his manor.

"It's Magnus' idea. The more the merrier, he said." Alec doesn't look amused at all as he eyes the crowd of Downworlders flooding the floor.

"Last time I checked I am the one hosting this party since it is my house and all. When did your boyfriend start taking matters into his glittery hands?" Jace asks annoyed as he strains his neck to check if Clary has arrived already.

"Argh…" Alec releases a groan next to Jace and despite the ear-splitting music provided by the help of Magnus' magic abusing the room; the golden-haired lad notices this. He looks at his parabatai to see Alec massaging his temples as if he is enduring a migraine. "Mom will not be pleased about this… I mean who invites this amount of Downworlders in a Shadowhunter's house?" Jace aches to tell him that Maryse Lightwood should not concern herself with the party because it isn't her house but then he realizes that the Lightwoods are in the process of 'adopting' him so he simply chooses not to comment on Alec's current dilemma.

"Where's Izzy?" Jace asks as he cranes his neck to look around for Isabelle. He mutters a soft curse knowing that it will be hard to find someone in a place with so much people dancing and grinding into each other. When he sees Alec again, he sees the young man's blue eyes glaring icily across the dance floor. Jace follows his gaze and sees Isabelle dancing thoughtlessly with a werewolf boy. His golden eyes harden at the sight of how the Downworlder is grabbing their sister in almost all the wrong places and Isabelle is just letting him. He clears his throat.

"She's a big girl, Alec. She won't let it go anywhere too far," Jace says seeing the look of pure murder in his parabatai's eyes. The dark haired girl seems to feel their eyes on her. She disentangles herself from the lycanthrope much to his displeasure and walks towards her brothers in her awesome sparkling white stilettos. The whirling bright colored lights in the dark room hit the sequins on the high stretch strapless dress she is wearing. She stops right in front of Jace and Alec and places her hands on her hips as she gives them a charming smile.

"What's with the lost looks you boys are sporting?" She asks loudly looking from Alec then to Jace then back to her older brother.

"I don't look lost. I look murderous." Alec says as he eyes Isabelle's dress with disapproval clearly etched on his face. It's a little bit too short and the neckline is a little bit too low for his liking. He even sees Jace stealing a glance on what his sister has to offer. It makes him more irritated of the party they are currently in. Isabelle just blinks innocently at him before she turns her brown eyes to Jace.

"Can you get me a drink, Jace?" She asks a little too sweetly.

"No. I'm not your slave, Isabelle." Jace says stubbornly as he crosses his arms across his chest.

"Then I won't take you to your little girl… You know the short red haired one with freckles on her face?" Isabelle wiggles her perfect eyebrows at the blonde to emphasize her point. Jace feels his heart beat faster at the mention of Clary and this makes him sprint out of the room to get his adoptive sister something to drink.

"So she's here already?" Alec asks as he looks around. Isabelle grabs onto his arm and rests her head on his shoulder. He feels her giggle and he stops himself from sighing.

"I'm just messing with him," she says with a wide grin on her face.

"You know he's going to kick your butt for tricking him, don't you?" Alec looks around again, this time he's looking for his boyfriend. He just feels his sister hum her response to him showing that she doesn't really give much shit about what Jace will do once he finds out about her little scheme. Just then a medium height girl with straight black hair wearing a purple strapless club dress with sequins rushes towards the Lightwood siblings.

"What's wrong, Aline? I know that the party is a bit… too much. I hope you haven't murdered anyone of our well-distinguished guests," Alec says with sarcasm in his tone. He sees the frantic look in the amber eyes of the Asian girl before them.

"Seb took one of those pink-colored warlock drinks and he started to act funny," Aline Penhallow says as she tries to suppress a shiver. Isabelle looks at a dark haired young man walking towards them on his wobbly feet. Sebastian Verlac looks drunk.

"Is he drunk?" Isabelle asks as she watches Sebastian stumble in his own feet as he tries to desperately walk towards their location.

"He looks like it. A-And… He tried to kiss me! He's my cousin. That was so disgusting!" Aline says as she rubs her hands over her arms to console herself.

"I better get Magnus then. Don't worry. I believe it's nothing that harmful," Alec says at almost the same time Jace returns and hands Isabelle a cup of soda. The blue eyed boy disappears into the crowd in search for the warlock.

"So hot," Isabelle mumbles out and Jace shrugs.

"I know Izzy but you must know that you and I don't really click," he says with a playful wink that earns him a hard punch on the shoulder from Isabelle. Aline follows the other girl's gaze and spots the guy she is eyeing.

"The face of a bad boy. Just my type…" Isabelle says with clear excitement in her voice as Aline narrows her eyes at the tall muscular guy with straight pale blonde hair. She can see he is handsome but there is just something about him that makes her think twice about getting herself close to the newcomer. Isabelle releases a muffled squeal when Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern's eyes lock on their direction.

"That is Clary's older brother…" Jace says in a tone that sounds too bland. Isabelle's eyes light up more and she giggles.

"He is quite the catch. I think I would like to get to know him," she says to Jace and the boy simply gives her a look that says "do-whatever-you-want-Isabelle-you-always-do." Soon enough they are all face-to-face with the newcomers. Jonathan and Clarissa stand hand in hand in front of this new set of people. Jonathan is trying his best to hide his disgust as he eyes Sebastian Verlac who is currently having trouble to stay steady on his feet.

"Clary… You came…" Jace says with clear adoration and relief in his tone that makes Jonathan squeeze his sister's hand. And much to his displeasure, Clarissa slips her hand out of his.

"Of course I will come… We won't be seeing each other for quite a long while so I guess we better m-make best of our remaining time t-together. Thanks for inviting me here… I-It's quite a… big party…" Clarissa says uncomfortably as she eyes the Downworlders lurking freely around the room.

"I didn't know you have so many Downworlder friends," Jonathan's words cut like ice through the spreading warm feeling between his sister and Jace. The blonde looks at him and gives him a crooked smile.

"They are very friendly, aren't they?" Jace reaches out to grab onto Clary's wrist. "I'm glad you accompany Clary here… Please do enjoy the party." And before Jonathan can reply, Jace has whisked Clarissa away into the crowd.

"Don't worry about your little sis. Jace is a good boy… most of the time. She's in good hands." Isabelle says and sticks her hand out to Jonathan who eyes it with doubt in his eyes. "I'm Isabelle. Isabelle Lightwood," she says and flashes him an award-winning smile. Jonathan takes her hand and shakes it lightly. He brings his eyes up to gaze at her chocolate-colored ones straightly.

"It's Jonathan. It's a pleasure to meet you, Isabelle," he says and even through the loud music, Isabelle can hear how velvety his deep voice can sound. Something inside her twists in delight and excitement but as she continues to gaze into his dark eyes she cannot help it but to suppress a shiver. She quickly pulls away from him and proceeds to introduce Aline and Sebastian to Jonathan. When all the formalities has been said and done, Isabelle moves in for the kill.

"Now that we all know each other… Shall we dance?" She grins at Jonathan and before he can politely decline, she takes hold of his hand and drags him into the dance floor.

"I don't think my brother will appreciate you dragging me away like that… You could have introduced me to your friends first!" Clary says with an adorable blush adorning her freckled cheeks.

"I bet he will never appreciate me talking to you at any time or place. I didn't expect him to have come with you." Jace says as he leans his back on the brick wall of the manor house. Clary is sitting on the edge of the beautiful fountain standing several feet away from the side of the manor.

"Well I'm glad he decided to accompany me… I… I was really surprised by the amount of your Downworlder guests," Clary says with a crooked smile on her face. She sees a look of displeasure on Jace's face. She thinks that he doesn't really like talking about her older brother. She shifts uncomfortably on her seat and proceeds to entertain herself with the reflection of the night sky on the water's surface. "So what did you want to talk about?... You said you will say something very important to me before you leave for New York." A minute of silence passes them by so Clary looks up expectantly to Jace, waiting for him to say something. The moment she looks up, he is standing right in front of her. His eyes are hooded. Their color is like honey. She likes the way his soft blonde curls tumbles down his forehead.

She smiles up at him. "I'm really going to miss you, Jace." Her heart twists at her own version of goodbye. "It is really great for me to have met you." The look on her face is serene and sincere but the determined look on Jace's face has not changed since the first second he stood right in front of her. Her eyes widen when he suddenly reaches out and cups her cheeks with his warm calloused hands. The air around them seems to thin suddenly making it hard for her to breathe. She is clearly aware of what Jace will do next but the loud beating of her heart prevents her brain to organize any rational thoughts at the moment so when he leans down to kiss her… She just sits there motionless and with a look of surprise on her face.

"Here…" Isabelle hands Jonathan a cold cup with blue sparkling liquid inside it. She finds him looking out the window with a murderous glint in his eyes. The boy grabs the cup out of her hand a little too hard and as a result, its contents spill over and drench the front of his black shirt. Isabelle gasps in shock and this makes Jonathan acknowledge her presence, tearing his gaze off of whatever he was gazing at two seconds ago. He doesn't even realize that his shirt is ruined with blue sparkling stains on it. The dark haired girl in front of him takes hold of his wrist and pulls him after her out of the crowded ballroom.

"I'll get you a change of clothes." Isabelle says as they stop in front of a door. Jonathan finally takes the time to assess his damaged shirt.

"I guess a fresh shirt will do…" He tells her sweetly trying to hide the rage storming inside him at the moment.

"Wait for me in the study," he freezes a little when Isabelle places a hand on his shoulder and eases herself up to place a peck on his cheek. She grins at him before walking away. The moment she is out of his sight, he stalks towards the door leading to the study. He glares at it as images of the angel boy kissing Clarissa by that fountain flood his mind. He slams the door open with such force and the hinges whine at his rough treatment. His face is contorted with rage and no matter how hard he tries to calm himself… He cannot do it.

He grabs onto the front of his ruined shirt and rips it off of his skin unceremoniously. He finds himself in the study. There is a wide array of books arranged neatly in the shelves. It reminds him of his father's study back home. His face hardens as he eyes a certain set of books at the far-left corner of the room. He looks back to check if the door is firmly closed before he walks over the books. He thinks that he better get out of the manor the moment he gets his hands securely on the Book of the White. He then thinks of his sister and he immediately imagines her with Jace. He grits his teeth and slams his hands against the bookshelf. His nails dig into the wood painfully but he ignores the pain. He clears his head of any thoughts of Clarissa. He focuses his mind on looking for the Book. It does not take long for him to find it because the book it is hidden in, Secret Recipes for Housewives, is sticking out like a sore thumb among the set of books. He finds the Book of the White inside. Untouched and looking as simple as a powerful warlock book can be. He takes his stele out and draws a rune professionally that will make the book invisible to others' eyes and tucks it in his pants.

"Hey… I borrowed a shirt from Jace's wardrobe for you." It's Isabelle. She is just right on time. Jonathan schools his features to a pleasant one before turning around to face her.

"Thank you, Isabelle. I believe we are almost the same size." He says fakely and walks towards the beautiful dark haired girl. Isabelle hands him a gray colored v-neck shirt. He slips it on without wasting another second. Somehow it is not that bothering to think that he is wearing the angel boy's shirt. Maybe it is because he is more bothered of that little kissing scene he had witnessed earlier that evening. He notices that Isabelle is uncomfortably shifting her weight on one foot to the other.

"Do you want to head back? Maybe my older brother is back downstairs. I'll introduce you to him. He is Jace's parabatai." Jonathan's lips stretches out into a knowing smile. He knows this girl doesn't really want to go back. She wouldn't have bothered to bring him here in a safe place for nothing. She could have just let him stay and wait for her downstairs outside the ballroom but she chose to bring him all the way up here.

"Do you want to?" Her brown eyes turn a shade darker when she looked up at him. He is still smiling at her a little too charmingly. "I like it here. It's quiet and… it's just the two of us…" He says suggestively trying his best to stop himself from chuckling like a deranged evil guy. He isn't really looking for any fun. He's not that kind of person. He just wants something that will effectively take his thoughts off of his sister and Isabelle can provide that something for him.

Isabelle takes a moment to think. It's not like it's her first time to be alone with a guy she barely knows. Hell, at her tender age of fifteen soon to be turning sixteen, she had kissed several guys she had just met in the dance floor. Besides, Clary's brother is just her type. Sure, she prefers her boys as dangerous Downworlders. But she believes Jonathan fits in the category of 'dangerous' anyway. So when he takes a final step closer to her and places a firm hand under her chin, she simply closes her eyes and waits for his kiss.

Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern smirks in the kiss. Isabelle feels a lot different than his sister, Clarissa. She is curvier and she's a lot softer than her. He thinks it's because he and his sister had more vigorous training than these Shadowhunters. The lips of the girl in his arms taste of vanilla and he playfully bites down on her lower lip, earning himself a moan from Isabelle Lightwood. Her skilled hands tangle in his light-colored hair as his fingers sink into the fabric of her skimpy white dress. She presses herself closer to him and he admits to himself that he likes the way her softness melt over the hard planes of his well-built body. He vaguely hears the door swing open and then there is this familiar gasp that makes him crack his dark eyes open.

He slowly moves away from Isabelle who has an irritated look on her face. Jonathan can care less about her satisfaction at the moment; he is more concerned with the horrified look on the beautiful pale face of his sister. Her green eyes look so confused. He can tell she cannot bring herself to move or to speak considering how awkward and stiff she is standing by the door at that time. Her chest is rising and falling fast. Her hair is in a sort of disarray. She looks like she was running before she managed to find him… in a very compromising situation in the study. Their eyes meet and he feels his lips move to smile at her in a cruel manner.

Jonathan doesn't know where exactly is the fulfillment coming from as he gazes at the disappointed and hurt look on Clarissa's face.

Author's Notes: Sorry it took so long for me to post this; I got caught up with the final requirements in the university for this semester. Anyway I hope the chapter is alright. I will try my best to post the next chapter before my practicum starts. I apologize for any grammatical mistakes in my stories.

Thank you so much for reading and please do leave your reviews. Also, can I ask you guys to read and review some of my other stories? :3 Thank you!