Walking down the street, it was eerily quiet. Although Jace was walking towards a slum area, he was still surprised that there were only a few homeless people in sight. He stepped over a puddle of mud and saw the building he was looking for, when he turned a corner. It's roof had nearly collapsed, but when he approached it, he saw the old plaque that was still standing. He could decipher the words 'Orphanage' and 'St. John', but the rest had faded into nothingness. He shrugged his shoulders, zipped up his leather jacket and felt the inside pocket, where his gun was hidden. He didn't need any surprises and it didn't hurt to be ready. After all, he knew Jonathan well enough to expect nasty surprises.

He took a deep breath and went along the narrow pathway that was ingrown with grass. Stopping at the foot of the small stone steps, he looked up. Jace saw that the building wasn't secure to go into, so he wondered where Jonathan might have been. He looked to his right, seeing an old shed. To his left, a trail led to the back of the building. He stood, contemplating, when he saw a figure shifting in the shadows and Jonathan stepped out behind the corner of the house. Jace tensed visibly, his hand going to his gun that he couldn't reach anyway and Jonathan stepped closer. "You came. Smart move." he said and his voice sounded tantalizing. He looked just the same as before, the red hair reminding Jace of someone - who he couldn't pinpoint - and his eyes appeared black in the dark, vicious and demanding. His hands were behind his back like a soldiers, but Jace was ready for Jonathan to pull a gun on him.

Jonathan stepped over and smirked at him. "This way. And I suggest you keep your hands where I can see them." he said, pulling his own hands from behind his back and revealing, to no surprise to Jace, a handgun, that he pointed at Jace, signalling for him to move in front of him. "Charming." Jace replied, rolling his eyes as he moved in front of Jonathan and started walking towards the shed. "What is this place, anyway?" he asked, trying to get something useful out of the man. Jonathan scoffed, opening the door to the small shack and shoved Jace in. The blonde saw that it was filled with old tools and was reeking of mold, but otherwise the shed was fairly empty. Jonathan locked the door and turned, his gun on Jace. "Alright, Herondale. Let's have a chat." Jonathan said, smirking and ignoring Jace's question. His eyes were cold and calculating as he eyed Jace.

"What do you want, Jonathan? I understand that Simon basically screwed you over by saving me, but we're done. I'm done with that business." the blonde asked defiantly, he raised his chin and he unzipped his jacket, before he turned to Jonathan, so he could get to his gun easily, but it was still hidden under the clothing. The red-haired man glared at him, lowered his gun and stepped towards him slowly but menacingly, and Jace's hand flew instinctively to his gun. Jonathan stopped, smirking. "You want to play the 'who's going to shoot first' game? Trust me, Jace, you don't want to be doing that." he said and Jace eyed him. Something in Jonathan's voice told him that it'd be foolish to just shoot him right now. "You might not know this, but Raphael was the only family I had." Jonathan now said, looking at him thoughtfully, but Jace's eyes widened. "What?" he asked, disbelief evident in his voice. Jonathan chuckled, walking around him in circles and waving his gun around. Jace's eyes never left the firearm.

"This place, well, it's practically where I grew up in. Raphael saved me." he said now, his voice dark and he looked like he was remembering good times. "In this shed?" Jace asked, confused. Jonathan rolled his eyes. "I grew up in this orphanage, but I wasn't really favored by the other kids. Nor the people responsible for 'raising us', as they called it...So I spent most of my time in here, alone." Jonathan now said, looking around the small space. Jace's head was spinning at this new information. How did they not find this intel on him before? "Raphael came here once, believe it or not, but the man had a kind heart. He was an orphan himself, you see, and he made frequent visits to the most miserable orphanages. One day, he came by here, and saw other kids picking on me..." he stopped in front of Jace and suddenly approached him and Jace automatically took a step back. Jonathan was quicker and he held the gun to his temple. Jace stared back, focused on not showing any emotion, but was frozen in his spot. "They were calling me names, kicking me, like I was a punching bag..." Jonathan whispered and Jace tried not to look at his eyes, that seemed glazed over with hate. Suddenly, he laughed and took the gun away, and Jace almost let out a sigh of relief.

"Raphael saw it, stopped them, and took me in. He trained me to be better, to be a soldier, to be loyal to your family. He was my family, Jace, and you and Simon took him from me." Jonathan's voice was now low, he was standing right in front of Jace and his eyes were fixed on him. Jace could feel the gaze burning in to him. He swallowed and tried to force his voice to be calm. "I am sorry. Seriously, I've lost family, too. But it's all on me, not Simon. Leave him out of this, Jonathan." he tried, but the man just laughed. He held the gun to his temple, like he was trying to say 'think, Jace, think' and he looked almost maniacal. "Simon shot him, Herondale. And that won't go unpunished." he stated, moving towards Jace, holding him on gunpoint. Jace forced his eyes to stay open. If he'd die, at least he'd die with dignity, standing up and looking his killer in the eye. "But it wouldn't be fair to not give you a choice." Jonathan now said and Jace stared at him, confused. "What?" he croaked and cursed his voice, that had gone hoarse. Jonathan smirked at him, wicked look on his face, and stared at the ceiling, while he sighed. "You see, I recently found out about another family member. I never went looking for her, because I had Raphael. But when I found out about Simon, thanks to you, I found out that she was in fact closely related to Simon as well." he stated, thoughtful. 

It all clicked into place and Jace stared at him in horror. So that's why he could remember the fiery red-hair, but couldn't place them. "No." he said now, like that could undo what Jonathan had revealed. "Oh, yes." Jonathan said smugly, his gun still pointed at Jace as he came closer, so he was just inches away and his gun pressed against Jace's heart. "Clary Fray is a Morgenstern by birth." he whispered and Jace felt his heart sink, his hand trembled on the gun he had placed it on. Jonathan smiled, searching his eyes and then leaned back. "I though it'd be nice to meet her, don't you? After all, I have never met my sister." he claimed, stepping back. Jace shook his head real fast. "No way. That's not...You have me. Leave them all out of it." he said, almost pleading. He didn't care. He couldn't let Jonathan get to Simon, or Clary, for that matter. "So naive." Jonathan shook his head. He went to lean against the wall of the shed, staring at his gun lovingly. "I would love to kill you both, but that would only make it so easy. So here's what I need you to do, Jace." Jonathan stated, his gaze now coming back to the blonde and he smirked. He seemed demon-like at that moment.

"You are going to get Clarissa for me. Bring her to me, and Simon lives." he stated and Jace stared at him in shock. "You...can't be serious." he said, out of breath slightly. Jonathan stared at him angrily. "Do I look like I'm joking?" he raised his voice as he did his gun, clicking the round in it. Jace held up his hands. "Okay, okay. What if I..." he started and then quickly pulled out his gun, aiming it at Jonathan's head while he advanced and the redhead did the same, so they were standing in arms stretch from each other, guns pointed at each others heads. Jonathan clicked his tongue disapprovingly and smirked at him. "I know all your moves, Jace, I had enough time to study them." he laughed, his voice echoing in the shed. "You think I don't have eyes on Simon? On Clary?" Jonathan spoke again and Jace watched with dread as Jonathan took out his phone, making a video call to someone. There was a muffled voice and then Jace could hear a man. "Are you in position?" Jonathan asked, his eyes not leaving Jace's. "Yep, can see him clearly." came a male voice and Jace's breath quickened. Jonathan raised his screen, showing it to Jace. The blonde could see a dark street, but the window that he could spot was unmistakably Simon's. He could see the brunette sitting on the couch, watching TV, just where he'd left him. Jace pulled his eyes from it, staring at Jonathan in horror. Fuck.

"Reggie, are you ready to execute the order?" Jonathan now asked and Jace's hand trembled, his gun slightly lowering because of it. "Ready as ever, boss." came the same voice and Jace heard a rifle click. "Wait, wait." Jace said, his voice trembling, gun still in his stretched out hand. Jonathan smirked. "Three..." he said and the blonde felt panic. He pulled away his gun and stepped back. "Two..." Jonathan said and Jace's eyes went around the room, looking for anything, anything that could save him from this. "One..." Jonathan said and started to say something else, when Jace screamed in frustration. "Wait! Stop!" he yelled, putting his hands on his head, with the gun still in hand, and hit his temple. "I-I'll do it. Please, don't hurt Simon." he begged, defeated and Jonathan smirked. "You have 24 hours, Herondale. I'll be here, exactly at the same spot at the same time, 24 hours from now. Bring Clarissa, or my friend Reggie here...well, let's just say he's never missed his mark." Jonathan stated and Jace could hear the man on the other end of the phone laugh. Jace felt panic and terror rising in him, but he still raised his gun at Jonathan. The man just smirked, cocking his head to the side. "24 hours, Jace." he warned and moved to leave. 

Jace still held his gun to him, and still held it to his back when the shed door closed. His gun was still raised, when his phone rang about 5 minutes later. He almost dropped it, trying to fish it out. His heart pounded like crazy, when he answered it. "Grandma." he said, trying to sound light, although his hand with the gun was still shaking. He lowered himself and set it down, just in case. He didn't trust himself right now. "Jace, darling. I wanted to let you know that I have a meeting on Thursday, so we'll have to postpone the dinner. Is Friday okay with you and Simon?" Imogen asked, her voice stern but still loving. Jace swallowed the lump in his throat and cleared his voice. "Um, actually, grandma, I think we'll have to postpone it to next week, if that's alright. Tuesday, for example." he said, sounding strange to his own ears. "Oh...Of course, darling. Is everything alright?" she asked and her voice was concerned now, making tears well up in Jace's eyes. He breathed out, trembling as he fell to his knees. "I'm fine, grandma." he said, his voice monotone and he prayed Imogen wouldn't pick up on anything. There was a shuffling on the other end and then his grandma sighed. "Jace, are you sure? You can tell me anything." she said, echoing something Simon had said to Jace in the past and the blonde felt a tear run down his cheek. "Yes. I am. I have to go. Goodnight, grandma." he said, trying to end the conversation. "Alright. But remember, I'm always here if you need me. Goodnight, darling." she replied and Jace hung up. He threw the phone down on the floor, kneeling and letting the frustration leave him in loud screams and tears, when he held his head. 

He would have to kidnap Clary. Simon's best friend. Deliver her to Jonathan, who happened to be her brother. Jace was positive Clary didn't even know she had a brother. He breathed out, stood up, taking the gun with him and hiding it under the jacket, and glared at the door, from which Jonathan had left. "Fuck." he whispered, his voice the only sound besides his loud, beating heart, that drummed in his ears.

***

"Jace?" Simon asked, when Jace was staring at the wall blankly, his legs on Simon's lap. It was the next day, almost noon, and Simon was frustrated with him. He couldn't blame the brunette. Jace snapped up, looking at his boyfriends eyes, that stared at him in annoyance. "What's with you? That's the 4th time you've completely zoned out on me. Am I boring you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Jace sighed, rubbing his eyes. He wanted to tell Simon, so bad. But he couldn't. Jonathan had them watched, and he couldn't risk Simon's life. He realized how selfish he was, by admitting that he most likely will do just as Jonathan asked, because he needed Simon alive. He realized, he was the worst person ever, choosing Simon over Clary, when he knew Simon would never forgive him for it. But he couldn't stop himself from coming to the conclusion, that he couldn't let the man he...loved, die because of him. Yes, Jace knew it. He knew he loved Simon. But he was going to do what Jonathan asked him to do. Which is precisely why he didn't say anything to Simon. 

"Of course you're not, babe. I'm just distracted, Imogen asked me to do a charity event tonight, I told you that. So my mind's on it all the time, I haven't done one of those in a while." he lied, feeling his heart contort, when he looked Simon in the eyes. He hated this, so much. But he had no choice, he had given himself none. Simon crawled closer to him, smiling softly as he put his hand on Jace's cheek. "Darling, you'll do great, I told you. I can come with, if that'll make you feel better." he said, but Jace shook his head. "No, it's going to be boring. Why don't you go to Magnus and Alec's, like we promised? At least you wouldn't be alone." he replied and Simon seemed to think about it. He nodded eventually. "Yeah, I'll call them and say that you can't-" he started but his phone rang. He scrunched his eyebrows but stood up, fishing his phone out. He stared at the screen and the held up a finger to Jace, who nodded. Simon moved to the bedroom to answer and Jace stood up, sitting on the couch and rubbing his eyes. He had about 4 hours until he had to go and...He shook his head. He hoped to god that his plan would work and he could save Clary and save Simon. He just needed to go and set his hypothetical plan in motion. 

When Simon came back, he looked slightly pale. Jace stood up immediately, going up to him and searching his face. "What's wrong?" he asked, but Simon seemed to be lost in his thoughts. He stared at Jace and then he smiled, but Jace could tell it was forced. "Nothing, it was Alec. Said they were actually busy tonight, so we rescheduled." he replied, going to move back on the couch but Jace grabbed his arm, pulling him close. Something was off.

"Simon, are you sure you're alright?" he asked again, feeling the irony of the situation, this time holding Simon's chin in his hand so he couldn't look away. Simon's eyes seemed sad but his tone was cheerful. "Jace, I'm fine. Didn't you say you had to go and get ready for the event?" he asked, kissing Jace's lips slightly. Jace melted against him, not letting Simon leave so easily. He wrapped his arms around him and savored the feeling of Simon in his arms. Who knows if he'd get to experience that again?

"Yes, I do. But I don't want to." Jace stated honestly, pulling back from Simon's lips. The brunette laughed, genuinely this time, and he smiled at Jace. "You're hopeless, you know that? Go on, get dressed." Simon said, kissing his lips quickly, before the turned Jace around and pushed him a little towards the bedroom. Jace smiled at him, before he went to choose his outfit. His mind went back to Clary and Jonathan and he peeked at Simon through the bedroom door. The brunette was humming a tune, when picking up the blanket from the floor, tossing it on the couch and Jace smiled sadly, his heart aching. He wished for things to be different.

***

After leaving the building, Jace stared down at his phone. The words were still echoing in his head. "Just make the call, and we'll be there. Don't worry, he won't get away this time." Jace made his way towards the subway and prayed that the words of comfort would be right. That was all he had. On the subway, he sat on the seat, looking at his watch that read 5 pm. He had not nearly enough time, but he hoped with all he had, that Clary loved Simon just as he did, maybe even more, considering they were best friends since kindergarten. That was the thing Jace leaned on, that was his leverage.

When he knocked on Clary's door, he silently prayed for her to be alone, and not with Isabelle. The redhead appeared on the door, hugging herself in the cardigan she had on. "Jace?" she said, surprised to see him. He tried smiling. "Hey, Clary. Can I come in? It's important." he stated and his voice allowed the seriousness of the agenda. At least, Clary seemed to understand, because she silently nodded, a little stunned, still. She moved away, so he could come in. "You alone?" Jace asked and then realized that sounded creepy. He turned around, looking apologetic. "I mean, it's not a conversation for anyone's ears but yours." he explained, and the weirded out expression on the redhead's face disappeared. She nodded again. "Yeah, mom and Luke are out having a dinner date and Isabelle is with her family today." she said, inviting Jace into the small kitchen, where she put the kettle on. "Tea? You look a little...rattled." she said, fishing out two cups, so Jace just nodded. Nothing else about Clary, only her hair, seemed to remind him of Jonathan. As he sat behind the small table, he observed how Clary put the teabags into the cups and searched for honey, her movements graceful and her eyes soft as she concentrated on the task. She was definitely nothing like Jonathan, she gave off a warm aura, not a cold and ominous one. This made Jace feel even worse.

"So, what's up?" she asked, when she set the two cups in front of them and took a seat. She held the cup with two hands, her nails polished into a bright orange, her locks falling to her face a little, so she had to tuck them behind her ear. Jace inhaled the scent of peppermint tea and closed his eyes, taking a sip. When he opened them, Clary was looking at him, waiting. "It's about...you. And Simon as well." he started, not knowing if he could tell her everything. But she had the right to know.

Clary raised an eyebrow. "Is he okay?" she asked immediately and Jace nodded, thankful that Clary was such a good friend to Simon. No, best friend, a little voice in the back of his mind stated. Fuck, this was not going to be easy. "He's fine. It's about...Jonathan." he said, the name tasting bitter on his tongue and he tried not to flinch at the memory of him holding a gun to his head. Clary's eyes widened. "What? Have you got any news? Luke..." she started, but Jace cut her off. "Doesn't need to know. No one else can know of what we are going to speak of Clary, you have to promise me that." he said and Clary's eyebrows knitted together. "What?" she asked, confused, but Jace sighed. He breathed in slowly and then set his cup down again. "Clary, this is very important. It's for Simon. So he could be safe." he said, feeling how his chest became hollow at the thought of losing him. Clary's eyes cleared a little. She almost instantly nodded. "If you're serious than okay. This is between you and me." she said. Again, Jace thanked the god that Clary was so understanding. She won't be in a second, Jace was pretty sure about that.

"Jonathan and I met, last night." he started. Clary looked terrified but surprised at the same time, though she didn't interrupt Jace when he finished his story. He told her everything, to the last detail, except the way Jonathan had held a gun to him. He didn't need to scare her so. She was quiet for a long time, when Jace stopped talking. She eyed him, then closed her eyes and Jace saw her pained expression. "I- have a brother?" she stammered, voice wavering. Jace nodded. "I checked...it all adds up. Jocelyn had another baby, but she gave him away to the orphanage. Why, I don't know. That you'll have to ask her." he said, feeling sorry for the petite girl in front if him. She hugged her knees, but didn't cry. "What does he want from me?" she asked quietly, but Jace could only shake his head. "I don't know. But I promise, I won't let him hurt you." he said. Clary stood up suddenly, and paced around. "I can't believe I never knew anything about him! I just...my mom would've never...I don't understand." her voice broke a little and Jace got up, going to Clary and hugged her tiny figure. Her hands were weak when she put them around Jace's neck and the blonde held her in his embrace. "Clary, I'm really sorry, but I didn't know what else to do. I don't want to ask any of this from you but-" he started but Clary shook her head against Jace's shoulder. "Simon is like a broth-he's my best friend." she said, choking on her words a little.

She pulled back, smiling at Jace through the tears and let go of him. Wiping away at her cheeks, Clary straightened up. "What's the plan?" she asked and Jace had to admire her courage. "I contacted Mark and the others. You know, Simon's buddies? They will be apart of the plan, but the less you know the better. Jonathan is real good at reading people. Just trust me when I say, we will be getting out of there, alive. And I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." Jace said and Clary's eyes stopped at his, scanning him. "You know, I always thought that maybe you're a little too...much for Simon. Too reckless, dangerous. But I see that you care about him so much, it warms my heart. I am so happy he found you. I trust you Jace, but don't promise me my safety. Promise me, that Simon will be alright." she said, holding a hand to Jace's arm and letting it stay there as she looked at the blonde. Jace felt his heart warm up at her kind words and he hated himself, for the millionth of time tonight, for lying to Simon and for doing this to Clary. "I promise." he said, smiling at Clary and he meant it. He'd do anything to keep Simon safe. 

She nodded and straightened her cardigan again, looking around the house. "So, it's almost 6. What do we do now?" Clary asked with a determined look in her eyes and Jace nodded, letting the plan flow before his eyes, one more time, remembering it, memorizing every detail. "Alright, first, you have to change and call Jocelyn, tell her you'll be at Isabelle's. And I'll tell Simon I'll be staying at Imogen's tonight. I hate lying to him, and I know you'll hate lying to your mom, but this is the only way everyone stays safe." he said, patting down his jacket, feeling both of his guns on either side of him. The redhead nodded. She stopped, before she went up the stairs and lingered for a moment, looking at Jace hesitatingly. "I know he's a bad person but...he's still my brother. I just- I can't see him get killed." she said, her face showed the inner conflict she must've been struggling with. Jace knew this was the moment, the only moment, she'd have to lie to her. He smiled slightly, reassuringly and set a hand on her shoulder.

"We won't kill him. I promise. That's not who we are." he said and Clary sent her a trusting and thankful glance, before she scurried up the stairs to change. Jace exhaled and leaned on the wall. He knocked his head back on the wall and groaned inwardly. Then he took out his phone and sent a text.

"Get into your positions. We'll be there in 10."

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A/N: I know that in this story, Jace isn't adopted by Alec's parents, so I thought I won't make Jonathan into Clary's brother either, BUT then I had a great idea, a revelation, if you will, so boom, they're siblings. Don't hate me!! xxx