Together

Chapter 8 Mirror

A few hours after locking herself in the institute room Clary calmed down and walked out of the room. The entire place was dead quiet till she hear the sound of soft laughter. She followed it towards a grand double door and opened it a crack. the sight inside made her heart hurt.

There was Jonathan sitting and laughing watch their mother as she painted a breath taking landscape. Greens and Blues popped off the canvas be hide Jocelyn as she turn to smile at her son. Why was she feeling like this? What was this emotion? It was like some part of her yearn to be a normal shadowhunter. A part of her wanted nothing more to join them as if she belonged with them. Just as she was about to turn and walk back down the hall she heard Jonathan call out.

"Do you paint?" He asked opening the door wider, ushering her into the room. She walked in and stayed far away from the woman who gave birth to her. They were on opposite sides of the room. "So do you?" Jonathan asked going back to seat near his mother. Clary just nodded her head ,crossing her arms across her chest, and looked down at the table near her that was covered with different art pieces.

"What's your favorite thing to draw?" Jonathan asked. The question shocked her. It wasn't an uncommon question it was just she never really though about. When people asked her she would just say whatever came to mind at the moment. But now as she though about it the thing she truly loved to draw and paint was her family. The places they had been together and the things they loved to do.

"My family." She whispered as she contuined to look at the table till she saw a stack of tarot cards. She picked them up and looked at every single one closely.

"Mom's paintings are amazing aren't they?" He asked as he saw her staring at one card in particular. Clary looked up into his eyes and then looked at their mother. her face was that of a frightened child. She put the stack of cards down bracing herself against the table she looked down as she said

"Some of them are."Jonathan smiled. To him it seemed that his sister was finally opening up. Maybe someday soon they would all be able to be a family and there wouldn't be this iciness in the room when it was just the three of them.

"Glad to see you put on some clothes." He teased her and was happy to see the small smile that graced her face at his words.

"I got cold." was her reply as she pulled down the sleeves of her sweater and rubbed her hands on her yoga pant incased legs. "Where is everyone?"

"They got a call about a disturbances near taki's." Their mothers said. it was the first thing she had said since her daughter had walked in. the room grew silent after that. Neither mother or daughter knowing what to say to one another.

"I'm sorry about the way I've been acting and treating you." Clary said she pushed her hair out of her face. " It's just hard. I don't know how to act around all of you. You all are strangers to me and I've always been taught that in front of stranger I have to act a different way than I would act around my family or you know people like Blackwell and Pangborn. So I'm sorry." She said in one big breath. Jocelyn smiled at her daughter.

"It's okay and I'm sorry too. I should understand that it would be hard for you especially after you were..."

"Please don't say what I know you want to say. He's not the monster you all paint him as."

"Oh really?" Jonathan asked her raising his eyebrow.

"Ya. I wouldn't expect you to believe me but he is. He's very caring, sweet, loving, and even funny."

"Funny?" Jonathan and Jocelyn looked at each other making clary laugh. When they looked back at her she explained.

"I guess you've never seen him drunk before." Just then Luke rushed in with Jace.

"You'll never believe what happened." Jace said.

"He's here." Luke said at the same time. Neither one of them noticed Clary till she zoomed passed them all and ran out.

"Oh crap." Jace said chasing after her. the three others going after her as well. She lead them to the infirmary and sight in front of them was shocking. There was a lean, broad shoulder, platinum blonde man laying on a bed. Clary pushed all the members of the institute away from him. She forced the awe struck Alec and Izzy towards the door along with an angry Maryse, Robert, and Stephen and finally a scared Hodge and Celine.

Clary looked like a mother bear protecting her young as she pushed them all toward the door. Once they were all there Jonathan was able to get a better look at the man and was immediately pushing forward to get closer. Of course he was stopped by clary.

"Why does he look like me?" He asked looking toward his mother.