My Beautiful One

45. Solidarity

I could remember falling, but before that, seeing Sebastian's face, which was so incredibly beautiful to me that I didn't want to ever see another image. So as soon as I was falling, I'd closed my eyes and tried to focus on nothing but him as the wind buffeted against my body and blood pounded in my ears.

I'd created a little fantasy for myself as I fell. Despite how fascinated I am by Heaven, and even more so by Hell, I don't believe in an afterlife. Still, I'd let myself paint a hopeful and childlike picture of an angel that looked exactly like Sebastian dressed all in white scooping me out of the air and carrying me up to Heaven even though, if there really was a literal physical Heaven and Hell, I probably deserved Hell.

I could actually feel those arms around me, hear the comforting words whispered in my ear. My body wouldn't move, but I could still see red behind my closed eyes as light flashed somewhere, and then I was being placed down upon cold, hard ground.

Why is Heaven so cold? I thought, confused. There was talking, but I couldn't really decipher words, so it just sounded like a low buzz that irritated me and made me wish I could just fall asleep. Despite the not-so-soft surface I was lying on, I was just about to slip down into the realm of dreams when suddenly there was a loud exclamation and there were other hands on me. They picked me up and cradled me, resting my head against a lean torso.

My eyelids fluttered and then opened.

I'm not in Heaven. I thought ruefully. The first thing I saw was the sky, which was full of dark grey storm clouds that lightning flashed across from time to time. It was exactly the same sky I'd looked at before I died, which didn't exactly bring happy memories. But then I saw a familiar face, and didn't care that I wasn't floating on a cloud or frolicking with fat little cherubs.

"Sebastian..." I whispered. Staring down at me with the happiest smile I'd ever seen lighting up his gorgeous face was my own personal bad angel, and he was holding me in his arms as if he never wanted to let me go. "How did you die?"

He laughed, his eyes crinkling and his smile spreading even wider. "I'm not dead, Silver."

I frowned. Sure, it was stormy and not exactly the Heaven I'd been picturing as I plummeted to my death, but if he was here and he was more concerned about burning down the world...

Then I remembered. The reason I had jumped off the top of the Empire State building in the first place was that this was supposed to be the final push, the last chance to show Sebastian that there would be nothing to gain from raising Lucifer. He wouldn't -couldn't- have me, and he would be left alone trying to wipe a world's worth of blood off his hands.

Despite hoping it, I had never considered him saving me. It takes less than ten seconds to hit the ground if you jump, and less than that before you die of a heart attack.

Then how...?

"You aren't dead yet either," I heard an amused voice say somewhere to my right, and I turned my head to see Magnus Bane grinning down at me in all his sparkling glory. "Though you definitely gave it your best shot."

Of course. I thought, a grin spreading over my face as well as I looked back at him. Of course it was Magnus.

"You just keep saving me, don't you?" I asked him, pushing myself up off Sebastian's lap to sit next to him on the floor. Being this close to him around all these people felt weird; so far our relationship had been so contained, and having Sebastian in the same setting as my friends from the Institute and them not trying to kill each other... just weird.

"Apparently." Magnus replied. Then his gaze switched to Sebastian's face, and I was surprised to see that his expression didn't sour at all. He was smiling, which made him the only person other than me and Clary to ever seem remotely nice to Sebastian. "Jonathan," he said pleasantly, "I would appreciate it if you could take the wards down on the top deck. Having just seen your girlfriend go skydiving without a parachute just so you would stop being an idiot, it's occurred to me that I need to make up with Alec."