FRUCTUS ARBORIS VENENATO

Fruit of the poisoned tree

RATED M / VIOLENCE, ADULT LANGUAGE, SEXUAL SITUATIONS, AND PROMINENT INCEST / JONATHAN AND CLARY FANFICTION

COMPLETE SUMMARY - Takes place before the events of City of Bones. Clary never met Jace, therefore never found out about the shadow world. In the war between Valentine and the Clave, Valentine wins, and with a demon army at his command and all of the Mortal Instruments at hand, every shadowhunter must succumb to his will or be executed. The Circle is once more, and in a world of war, it's kill or be killed. Clary is thrust into the shadow world as she and her mother are abducted by her father, self proclaimed King of Idris and are taken to their home country by force. Taken from the only home she had ever known, Clary grows to despise her father.. and her brother. But perhaps over time, she'll grow to love her newfound family... or not.

*For the intents and purposes of this story, the Gard will be more of a palace than a meeting hall*

CHAPTER ONE - ABDUCTION

Clary knew from the moment she got home that something was wrong. The front door was completely torn off its hinges, pathetically lying on the floor of the family room. Nearly every piece of furniture was moved out of its place, the books on the shelves were littered on the wooden floor, the canvases with her mother's paintings were ripped and torn apart, shattered remains of vases and glass and mirrors lying haphazardly on the floor. Angry tears formed in her eyes. A break in.

"Mom?" She spoke hesitantly, her voice barely a whisper as she made her way through their tiny abode, careful not to step on any sharp shards. The kitchen was in similar conditions as the living room, pots and pans scattered across the linoleum. Suddenly, a hand covered her mouth and a large arm enclosed her, her arms trapped, leaving her defenseless against her attacker. Clary thrashed and kicked, but all her attempts of escape were futile as she was dragged away into her mother's room. Her screams were muffled by the hand, and she knew no one would come to her rescue. Upon entering the room, she noticed her mother was bound by a thick rope, duct tape covering her mouth, her gaze frantic as she watched Clary brought in. Also in the room, a man covered in black clothing and strange tattoos held bindings in his hands. He came up to her and helped her captor tie her and gag her so she wouldn't scream, letting her sit on the floor next to her mother. For robbers and possible killing rapists, they were surprisingly gentle and careful as they tied her and set her down. Clary looked at her mother for answers, but found none; only a strange courage she had never seen in her mother's eyes before.

"We were given strict orders not to hurt either of you, but to bring you by any means necessary. It'd be in your best interest to come with us willingly." Her captor said, and only then did she notice that he wore the same dark clothing and had the same tattoos that the other did. Jocelyn nodded, but made a motion indicating she wanted the tape on her mouth gone. Their captors looked at each other, pondering whether it would be a wise idea or not to let her speak. A few moments of silent conversation passed, and one of them moved forward to remove the tape from her mouth. Clary watched as her mother calmly licked her lips before speaking.

"Who has sent you?" She asked, her voice steady as she faced the men.

"Valentine."

The color from Jocelyn's face drained, "But he's been dead for sixteen years."

The man shook his head, "Valentine Morgenstern is very much alive, and has acquired each of the Mortal Instruments. He took down the Clave, killed each of its members and everyone else who opposed of him. He's made it his mission to purify the Blood, and rid the world of demons and Downworlders. But you aren't a fool to his plans, Jocelyn Morgenstern. You knew this would happen, one way or another, sixteen years ago or now. You were only foolish to believe he was dead in the first place."

Clary and her mother were taken to what Clary could only describe as a time warp - a blue rippling thing that was reminiscent of water. The men, on either side of them, had them held by their upper arms as they all walked into the time warp. For a moment, Clary felt weightless- and then it was gone. The smell of blood and decay hit her hard, and she opened her eyes to a morbid sight. All around her, there were people on the streets cleaning. Scrubbing the pavement, washing away ash, or dragging away human corpses to pile at the very center of the street. If there hadn't been duct tape covering her mouth, she would've wretched. The smell was overwhelming, and worse was the scene. She was pushed, herded along with her mother and forced to walk on, staring at the people who stopped their work to watch them pass by, defeat written over their face and pity as they saw them tied and hauled forward. Whispers began, but Clary only caught a few words of it. Morgenstern women, Jocelyn and Valentine's wife and daughter being the most prominent. Clary glared accusingly at her mother, who knew what was going on and didn't even bother to tell her why this was happening. If what the men said and the whispers of the people were true, her mother was wife of this man named Valentine, and she was his daughter. The thought was ridiculous, because her father had died in battle long ago and her mother never remarried, and to Clary's knowledge the only man she had ever married was her father. Jocelyn ignores Clary's glares, and addressed their captors.

"Where are you taking us?" demanded Jocelyn, turning her head slightly to give the men a glare of her own.

"To the Gard, Valentine's current residence since the war. You and your daughter will be living there from now and Jonathan will be pleased to have the both of you home."

Jocelyn paled, and for the first time since their abduction, genuinely looked afraid. "Jonathan?" Her voice shook.

"Aren't you excited to see your son again? He's grown into quite the young man, and looks just like his father."

Her mother did not respond, and Clary has had just about enough. She twists out of her captor's grasp, her foot coming up to kick his shins. But just as soon as it began, it ended as he grabbed a hold of her again and squeezed her tightly enough to bruise her. She silently screamed under the tape, a thousand questions running through her head, questions that no one would answer. Her mother shouted profanities, but they fell on deaf ears as he grabbed Clary by the hair and pulled at it roughly, his breath was hot against her ear as he sneered, "Next time you try to escape, I'll do worse than that, girl."

For the second time today, tears formed in her eyes, only this time she let them fall.

After a few minutes of walking, they reached the center of the city where a tall structure resembling a castle stood proudly. Clary and Jocelyn were pushed not too gently up the stone stairs leading to the grand entrance. The entrance was too large for a door- instead, there was a marble angel on either side of it, crossing their swords at the center. The foyer itself, however, was a disaster. Banners that once hung proudly were torn from its place, the once white walls covered in ash. The floors were slippery with blood, and a large crystal chandelier that had fallen from its place hanging from the ceiling at the center of it all, thousands of shattered glass crystals littering nearly every inch of the floor. There were more people cleaning up here; using brooms for the glass, mops for the blood, and paint for the ash. Clary had never felt more disoriented in her life. In just an hour, she was abducted from her home and realized that her mother never told her any of this shadow crap, or Valentine Morgenstern, or the Mortal Instruments. Even in their current situation, Clary couldn't help but feel betrayed over her mother keeping this from her. She wondered whether or not they'll ever return home. Would Simon realize they were kidnapped and call the police? But what good would the police do against these dangerous people? Clary shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. She didn't want Simon involved in this. If this was her fate, so be it.

They enter a particularly large throne room, complete with ornate walls and polished marble floors; the only room in the Gard that was in a much better condition than the rest of it. On the throne at the very end of the room, sits the man she assumes is Valentine himself, with a younger version of himself standing at his side. Jocelyn doesn't take his eyes off of the young Valentine, and Clary gathers that it is Jonathan, Valentine's son. Both have nearly similar features: white blond hair, prominent cheekbones and lean, muscular structures. Clary found that their only difference was Jonathan's hollow onyx eyes. He catches her staring, and smirks at her. She quickly looks away, trying to convince herself that did not just happen. As Valentine watches them enter, he stands, a grin settling upon his face. He raises his arms as if he were to embrace them, and said:

"My wife... My daughter."

Clary waits for her mother to deny it. She doesn't. All her life, she has known that her father was a deceased soldier who had died a couple of months after she was born. Now, not only to find that the man she had grown up to believe her father wasn't, but to find that her father was very much alive - and very much evil.

"I thought you were dead."

"I thought you loved me," he retorted, the smile now gone from his face, a grimace in its place. "You left me. You betrayed me."

Jocelyn's response was a whisper. "You left me no choice."

"You could've stayed!" He shouted, walking towards them. "You could've stayed, but you didn't!" He grabbed Jocelyn by the chin, forcing her to look up at him. "Instead, you went off with the Downworlder." He spat the word, as if it was a curse. Then, his face softened, his hand at Jocelyn's chin suddenly gentle. "Why didn't you stay?"

Clary watched a tear roll down her mother's cheek as she whispered, "You changed."

Valentine wiped away his wife's tear, lovingly, shaking his head. "None of it matters now. You're here, and that's all that matters."

Jocelyn's eyes harden, moving away her face from his grasp. "We are not staying."

Valentine smiles cruelly. "You have no choice in the matter, carissime."

He then shifted his attention to Clary, placing a hand on her shoulder. Clary flinches away, but his hold is hard and unrelenting. He ignores Jocelyn's protest, gently peeling off the tape from Clary's mouth. His touch is soft as he takes in her appearance, her skin, her eyes, her hair. His gaze is intimidating and she looks anywhere but his eyes. "My daughter… we finally meet."

Him addressing her as his daughter made the situation all too real, and she felt a pang of betrayal in her heart over her mother's lies.

"What is your name?"

"Clarissa Adele Fray."

"Well..." His fingers found her chin just like he had her mother's, "You are Clarissa Adele Morgenstern now. I am your father, Valentine Morgenstern, and this is your new home. You and your mother will stay here with me and Jonathan, your brother, and we will be a family. Do you understand?"

She hesitantly nodded, shamelessly fearing his wrath had she told him otherwise.

Valentine smiled pleasantly. "Good."

Jocelyn spoke up. "If you think we are staying here, you really must be out of your mind." Clary watched as Valentine's face contorted from contentment to anger. His nostril flared as he turned to her mother and slapped her with the back of his hand with enough force to knock her to the ground. Clary slightly whimpered as she watched her mother fall, a searing hatred beginning to settle inside her over the man who claimed to be her father.

"You will learn that it is not wise to go against me. Do not forget I am the same man who dismembered the Clave and killed all of those who got in my way. Do not defy me, or you will not be safe off the consequences. I am confident that you will come to see it my way again someday." He gestured to the captors - Clary hadn't noticed they were still around - to take them. "Take them to their designated rooms."

Clary watched as one man hauled her mother to her feet, pushing her forward to the hall on the right. There were two halls, one on either side of the room. The other man pushed Clary to the hall on the left, and she looked back to spare one last glance at her mother. Clary didn't know how or when, but she would get them both out of this. She swore it.

Author's note: This chapter was pretty boring, but necessary. I tried to describe Alicante as best as I could but to be honest, I rushed through City of Glass and cared more about the dialogue than the actual scenery. Jonathan/Clary interaction will come in the next few chapters. Reviews are welcomed and so is constructive criticism, but if you're just going to bitch about how much you don't like Jonathan and Clary as a ship, don't bother. Other than that, the more you review, the more I write. :P Let me know if I need to clear up anything, though I'll be explaining the war and everything in the next chapter.