After COHF

Chapter 26

although they seemed to be stuck in that moment for a happy little forever, and the happiness seemed to stay with Clary even after they finished playing, the realization that they were getting nothing done settled in on both of them.

When Clary finally nudged herself to bring it forward, it was Jace who spoke first.

"I guess I should look through that book," Jace said, glancing at the book as though it was a ghost and should hardly be seen. Something that should be ignored.

"It's your choice, I dont want you to seem like you have to." She rested he body against his and felt his chest move and his breath stir her hair.

"I have to go into Idris later for a meeting, with that stupid book on my mind I'll never get through anything. Everyone will know somethings up, and they'll all think its life or death, you know, because it involves me." He pushed his hand through his hair and looked toward the book then glanced at Clary.

"remember when I said I wanted to be an angist riden teenager all my life? To never grow up and face any of my demons or become a real person?"

She nodded slowly, "But that's not you, not now."

"I know, I figured out a long time ago how stupid I was. But now I just wonder why I ever thought to say suck a dumb thing,"

Uh-oh. Clary knew this Jace. Reclusive, he's trying to pull himself away from everyone else and hide in his old self.

"Jace, that was a different time. Nothing to worry about now. We know the Jace you are now has changed."

He faintly nodded. She tried to look up at him, and his face wasnt as marked off as she'd expected from the sound of what he had been saying. He just looked thoughtful, and as dangerous as she knew his thoughts could sometimes be she also knew how it tore at him to look at the book.

"Come on," He took her off the piano bench and lead her with his arm out of the library, picking up the book on his way out.

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(a/n: why is my writing such crap lately? comment!)

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The make shift meeting was in the spacious dining room, it was too big to allow the company of really anyone Jace would comfortably want over. He'd never been much for people coming in and making a mess of things then leaving again when he would just have to pretend to want to invite them over for some stupid occasion that didnt matter.

His glanced moved to Clary, Charlotte had been returned to her mother's arms and Jace was silently glad to see them together. Lottie looked happy there, like her mother's arms had been made to do nothing but hold the baby.

His mind began to wander to his own mother, if he had one, would she be here? With him? Would she have held Lottie like that? Would she have held him like that?

Magnus cut off his thoughts by clearing his throat, which Alec scoffed at and quietly mumbled something to the affect of how impolite the warlock was being.

"Well, Should we look at the stupid book at some point?" Iz broke the silence and got a look from Alec, but before Alec could say anything Jace cut him off.

"Of course, Iz. But I'm not sure whats in the book." or if I want to show it anymore, he wanted to add.

He drew a course of black lines on the book, unlocking runes. But he had already figured out that they didnt work. He just needed time to catch his breath.

"Magnus, could you open it?" His voice got quieter, and the glace he was given by Clary worried him. So she knew how terrified he was, or did she just think he was being stupid?

The warlock had to do little but flick his wrist and mutter something so quietly it was forgotten within seconds and the tiny lock began to sizzle with small blue sparks then exploded in a cloud of flame, that disappeared and took the lock with it.

The cover flew open and the crowd that stood around the table, the only one sitting was Clary with the baby in her arms, as flashes of light enveloped the room.

Jace turned to the first page, at first glance there was a photo of a young woman- her back towards the camera- running from something. Gasping and crying. Blood flew out behind her, and before long the page and the words around the moment evaporated and the picture took on a scene.

All around them it was like before with the visions of Jace as a young child, one of him laughing and playing with who he'd thought to be his father and the other of his running away and being beaten.

The woman continued to run until it was obvious she no longer could. What was she running from? Who? The blood was flowing out freely now, and as she turned and fell to her knees two things became apparent:

She was pregnant.

She had cut her wrists.

Celine. She cowered from a figure that rose before her; her arms raised infront of her like she was going to fight, then she lowered them to cover her stomach.

"Please-" She cried, her voice was thick with an accent, like a mixture of the one heard in Idris and another.

Her body folded backward as the blood drained from her system. She couldn't hold her own body anymore.

The only thing she seemed to do- though it was hard to see in the light- was cover her stomach and rub two slow circles over the enlarged bump before the light faded from her.

The figure began to draw runes on her, bloodloss runes. After two it was obivious it had been too late.

Someone yelled an order- too far off the vision to be seen- the voice was easy to recognise.

The figure dug something out of his pockets and preduced a blade.

Carefully he plunged it in the cold womans body and found a child. The kid was not breathing- but began to squirm. After a moment the figure that had yelled the command to cut the child out- Valintine- grabbed the child violently.

He turned it over, thumped its feet, then its back, softly trying to get it to spit up the fluid it had been breating for months. He patted it on the back of the head.

The chid seemed hopeless, he was so so tiny.

The man drew his finger into the childs mouth and made it cough up the liquid, then he pushed he child into the other mans arms.

The vision sank back.

All eyes were on Jace.