in the end ~ d. malfoy

Chapter Fifty-Five

August 2016

The ruins of Chernobyl echoes in silence around them as a very not-dead Michael Wayland stares back at them in utter shock. There's a few moments where no one dares to breathe, to move, to blink, in case the startling moment fractures. But in the end, it's Jace's voice that breaks, "Dad?"

"Son." Michael sighs, before pulling his son into a bear hug, his fragile arms wrapping around Jace in an embrace so sudden it makes the Shadowhunter's balance falter for a little bit before he hugs his father back, "Oh, Jace. I can't believe it." As the older man pulls back to inspect Jace's face, his face pales, eyes catching onto the wound still open on Jace's neck, "Son, you're hurt. How did you find me?"

"You're dead." Jace rasps out, his eyes filled with tears, "Valentine killed you." He looks around the room with scrutiny, "Valentine's here."

"No, Jace. It's me." Michael smiles, before his eyes turn to Clary and her, "I'm Michael Wayland. I'm Jace's father. Look, I know what Jace told you, but I've been here for seven years. Valentine took off and left me."

"And Jocelyn Fairchild?" Clary's tone wavers, bordering on hopeful.

"He took her with him." Her face falls as Michael answers, "You are?"

"I'm Clary, her daughter." Clary swallows, visibly anxious, "Meliorn, the Seelie, told me that he was here with her."

Michael then looks at her, and Maya pauses, something instinctual tell her to choose her words carefully, "I'm Maya, a . . . friend of Jace's."

The aforementioned blond's eyes snap to her in confusion, but before he can raise his trademark eyebrow, Jace's body shudders and he jolts, hand flying to the wound on his neck. "Jace, no!" Clary runs to his side as he groans in pain, looking up at Michael in alarm, "It's Ravener venom. He kept telling me he was all right—"

"We have to find your father, not my father." Jace gasps out, gritting his teeth, "Valentine's..." He doubles over in pain, groaning louder this time.

"His stele. Where is it?" Michael desperately searches Jace's jacket, but as soon as his hand catches onto the ace of cups card that Clary gave to Jace for safekeeping earlier, the redhead snatches it from him, pocketing the card herself.

"Back pocket." Clary raises her eyebrows, reminding him.

"Back pocket." Michael sighs, and Maya's brows knit together as she sees a flicker of disappointment in his eyes, "Got it." He pulls out the stele and lifts up Jace's shirt, tracing the metal apparatus over the iratze on his ribs, but the rune barely flickers as Jace winces from the burn, the wound refusing to heal.

"What's wrong?" Clary looks at Michael in confusion.

"The rune is weak." Michael sighs, "I don't think he'll stay awake for long."

"The venom's spreading, " Maya sighs, "We need to get him to the hospital."

"But the portal's closed" Clary looks at her anxiously.

"There's no need for that, " Michael butts in, just as Maya offers to make one, "Valentine's got a standing Portal. Let's go."

Maya raises an eyebrow as they walk down the hall, Jace heavily leaning on his father for support. She whispers to Clary, "He's interesting."

"Yeah, well, ten years of being experimented on might do that to you." Clary mutters.

"I guess, " Maya mutters, her wary eyes scanning his tall figure.

As Jace's head lolls on his shoulder, Michael grabs his son's face, desperate to help him stay conscious, "Hey, Jace, stay with me." He smiles, "Do you remember our first demon fight? We were way out past the Institute, way up at Kinshasa. You were only eight, but you were so brave. Do you remember what you said?"