Sweet Little Serena (Original)

Chapter 40

Their entire lives whenever Jace felt weak or lost a battle, he threw himself into his work and shielded himself with anger.

And that was exactly what he was doing now. Feeling weak and vulnerable after breaking down in front of his sister, Jace was extra irritable as he, Serena, Magnus and Clary jumped through a portal and wound up in sprawling green fields, littered with trees and flowers.

"Ragnor's house is just across these fields," Magnus explained as Jace stormed forward.

"Let's make this quick. We'll talk to Ragnor and portal him back to the Institute for the antidote of whatever Jocelyn took."

"So... brother and sister huh?" Magnus said to the two and Serena shot him a look, pleading with him to drop the topic she knew was especially touchy for her brother.

"I don't want to talk about it," Jace ordered.

"What, so we're just going to be work buddies, now?" Clary asked as they walked. "All about the mission and totally ignore the huge bomb that was just dropped on us."

"Yeah, sounds like a plan," Jace said, and Clary sighed heavily. "What do you want me to say, Clary? That I was attracted to my sister?"

"Point of fact! Brothers and sisters are often attracted to each other. I once knew this one couple in ancient Egypt -"

"Magnus, I love you, and I really appreciate what you're trying to do but you are not helping this situation," Serena said as kindly as she could to the warlock that her arm was linked with.

"Maybe this will all make sense when we wake up Jocelyn. Since she is your mother as well-"

Jace stopped in his tracks as he faced the warlock, face contorted with anger as Serena separated from Magnus, ready to jump between them if Jace's anger got the best of him.

"Don't say that again," he warned. "Maryse is our mother. At best, Jocelyn is the woman who abandoned us."

"Hey, that is not true!" Clary defended. "My mother would never abandon her children, she thought you both died in the fire at Fairchild manor."

"Or maybe she didn't want us," Jace fired back.

"You don't know her Jace!"

"That's right Clary, I don't! Do you?"

"I'm sorry I asked," Magnus piped up. "I came with you to help Serena and Ragnor, not get a front-row seat to your relationship drama."

"What was that?" the twins asked in unison as Jace stepped forward, both of them having heard a strange sound.

"Nice try Jace, but you're not getting out of this that easy," Clary sassed before Magnus's eyes widened at the green flames rising from the grass.

"Look out!" he yelled as he pulled Serena behind him and Jace pushed Clary out of the way and the wall of flames seemed to stretch to the sky.

"Ragnor put up wards to protect his lair," Magnus observed after ensuring that Serena was alright.

"Why is the fire green?" Clary asked she moved over to them from where Jace had pushed them both out of the way of the wall of flames.

"It's a wall of fire that only the pure of heart and intention can pass through," Serena explained as the winds from the flames blew her hair back.

"Are you ready?" Magnus asked them all and Jace moved to take his sister's hand, the reassurance he'd never admit out loud that he needed.

And they walked through the wall of green fire.