Pain is Universal

Chapter 1

The moment Alec knew for certain that soulmates were real was also the worst moment of his teenage years. It had been an uneventful night of demon hunting and routine patrols, just the way Alec liked it. He, Izzy, and Jace, were making their way back to the institute, talking about the new whip Alec and Izzy's Dad had gotten her for Christmas (though Izzy insisted their mom must have picked it out). Alec opened his mouth to make a comment, but yelled instead. Suddenly, searing, white hot pain was ripping through his chest, seemingly without a cause. Alec clawed at the non existent knife buried in his rib cage and fell to his knees in agony. He didn't realize he was screaming until his sister was trying to out scream him so he could hear what she was saying

"Alec! Jace! What happened?!" Isabelle's voice called frantically. Jace? Alec stretched out from his small position and looked around for his parabatai, his muscles aching in protest. The pain was receding, but he barely noticed when he caught sight of Jace's still form lying not five feet from him.

"Jace!" Alec pulled himself across the sidewalk to Jace, ignoring Isabelle's attempts to make him lie down again.

"Did you see what happened to him?" Alec choked out, and pushing himself into a sitting position. Jace's eyes were shut and his face was contorted in pain, but Alec couldn't see any visible wounds.

"No!" Izzy admitted. "He collapsed just like you did. NO demon could have snuck up on us that quickly without any of us noticing." Izzy sounded certain, but Alec wasn't so sure. Not even the great Jace Wayland could be a perfect soldier all the time.

"Well come on, help me-"

"I'm not unconscious." Jace's voice sent Alec and Izzy reeling away from him, both clutching their chests. Isabelle recovered first.

"Then why the hell didn't you say something?" she demanded angrily. Her dark eyes were flashing dangerously, and she looked about ready to pull out that new Christams whip and test it out on Alec's parabatai.

"I was thinking." Jace said calmly. Alec was sure he saw steam coming out of Isabelle's nose... or maybe that was just her warm breath on the cold, December air.

"Thinking?!" Izzy spat. Jace opened his eyes. "If you were thinking at all you wouldn't have made us-"

"So what did happen?" Alec asked Jace quickly. Izzy shot him a look, but Alec ignored her. She could yell at Jace all she wanted after they healed him. Jace opened his mouth and shut it quickly as he and Alec both winced in pain.

"Nevermind." Alec groaned. "Just give me your wrist. I'll draw you a healing rune." Alec instructed, drawing his stele from a pocket in his leather jacket. "Then we'll get you back to the institute."

"It wasn't me." Jace told Alec suddenly. His eyes had a far away look in them, and he sounded amazed at his own words. Alec and Izzy watched him with concern.

"What do you mean?" Alec asked Jace slowly. He lowered his stele, but didn't put it back in his pocket. The street they were on appeared to empty, devoid of any movement except the changing traffic light. Nothing could be heard except the trio's conversation, the whistling of the wind, and the bustling of millions of New Yorkers in the distance.

"I mean-" Jace turned to look at Alec again, sitting up and taking off his shirt in one swift movement. Alec looked away quickly. He felt his cheeks heating up and prayed Jace and his sister would chalk it up to the chilly air.

"I didn't get stabbed." That made Alec forget about any embarrassment. Alec's head snapped back to Jace's exposed torso. Where he expected to see blood, he saw only runes and old scars. Jace was, externally, devoid of injury. Alec looked to Izzy for an answer. His sister looked as shocked as he did.