Changing Power (TMI Fanfiction)

18-The same?

Third Person POV

Jace had thought that it would take time. That he would have to wait for her to get things ready. He thought Clary would take days to finally take her back, but that wasn't the case.

Clara stood up and walked over to one of the plain walls. Jace stared at her, wondering what she was about to do.

"Well?" Clara asked "Are you coming or not?"

Jace jumped to his feet and was at her side I'm milliseconds. She drew a rune on the wall and the next thing her new she was pulling him into a whirlwind. The feeling of the portal that had become so familiar in the time he spent with Clary, was there again.
His boots slammed onto stone and he could see the library of the institute.

"Jace!" He heard Maryse call.

Hugging him, she started to spring a multitude of questions towards Jace. She asked where he'd been, why there was so much blood, why they couldn't track him, and why he'd never reached out.

"Okay, okay, Maryse. I'll answer everything but-" Maryse's gasp interrupted him.

"Clary?" She asked.

"Hey Maryse, long time no see." And suddenly Jace was left behind and Clary was the one being smothered in hugs and bombarded with questions.

Jace noticed that Clary was rigid and uncomfortable in Maryse's embrace, so he went to the rescue.

"Maryse. Maryse! Well explain everything. Both of us. But I'd think it'd be better if we could do that with everyone at the same time. Where are Alec, Izzy and Simon?"

In an instant, Maryse was back into her head of institute role. She led them into the kitchen where she asked them to wait as she went to call the kids.

Jace had scoffed at her reference of them as kids, but had let her go, turning around to Clara and grasping her hand.

"What are you going to tell them?" Jace asked.

"The same thing I told you, only the short version. I assume they'll ask as many questions as you did, but I'm just excited to see them."

"You bet your adorable little freckles they will. They love you, Clary. Almost as much as I do." He said with a wink.

When she didn't immediately blush and look down, we was taken aback. Her immediate response was,

"I'm Clara, Jace. It's another nickname for Clarissa. You can't just pretend that nothings changed. I'm different. And you're sure as hell different if I had to drag your ass away from a pool of your own blood. We are still going to have a conversation about that, by the way. I remember a certain promise I was made and I do not take light to the breaking of pro-" she was cut short by the clicking of heels.

Both of them turned their gazes towards the kitchen door and Clara took her hand away from Jace's.

The moment Izzy crossed the kitchen's threshold her eyes zeroed in on Jace and Clary. They widened, then teared up. She ran across the kitchen in her 8 inch heels and was suddenly dragging Clara up by her forearms, grasping her head in between calloused fingers, and staring intently at Clara.

"Clary?"

"It's me, Iz. Kind of."

Then they were hugging and Clara looked over Izzy's shoulder- who was whispering affectionate words- and saw Simon. His eyes furrowed for a second and then he looked completely shocked. I seconds he was as their side, embracing both of them and thanking the angel, saying he loved and missed her.

The scene repeated itself when Alec came in, but he joined the embrace in silence.

When Isabelle began to pull back, they all did and now everyone- including Maryse- were staring at her with smiles and asking about what happened.

Jace intervened again "maybe we should all sit down so she can explain." But it seemed he did so more so that he could ask his own questions than to save her from the onslaught of inquiries.

Clara took at the head of the square table and all glaring at him Izzy, Simon, Alec, And Maryse did the same.

"Okay, here goes nothing," Clary mumbled as she stood again. "So— When the ritual failed I changed. A lot. Obviously my hair and eyes changed, but I had my memories of feelings, experiences, and how I acted, so I knew I was different personality wise. I couldn't feel those feelings though, I wasn't attached to any of you anymore. When I went dark after the ceremony I left on instinct. The only thing I could think of was to run away. I pretty much just explored the world for the first month, but then these feelings started to grow back. I was homesick. So I started to come back here occasionally and research about what had happened to me. I found out that I can't be possessed by Johnathan, and that I'm not half demon, now. My DNA is the same. When I cam back here one day and saw Jace I trouble, I essentially kidnapped and healed him. So now I'm here. And I missed you guys, and home, and I love you. All of you. But, I'm not Clary- not exactly. What I mean is that yes, I have the same body and the same memories but my personality is different. The people I met took to calling me Cara instead, and that's who I have become. So, basically, hi everyone. My name is Cara, it's a pleasure to meet all of you."

"Okay, what!? That was too much for me to process." That was Simon talking.

  "Yeah, I do t really know what else to say."

"So, you mean to tell me that you are Clary, except you aren't, but you are, and you want us to call you Clara? And! What? Treat you like a totally different person?" Izzy was clearly struggling to make sense of everything. The other seemed like it too.

"Something along those lines, yes."