When they got to the abandoned orphanage, it was getting darker by the minute. Clary looked at the building, shivering a little. Jace shot her a worried look, but gestured her to go through the gate, that was barely on its hinges. Their footsteps were silent on the grass as they approached the shed. They stopped before the door and Clary took a deep breath, shuddering. Jace glanced at her and then took her hand in his silently. Clary smiled at him and nodded. "Trust me, okay?" Jace whispered and the redhead nodded again. "Let's do this." she said, determined, and Jace opened the door. The shack was not well lit, so their eyes had to adjust to the darkness. Jace's other hand was on the hilt of his gun on the right, while Clary coughed a little. "Jeez, this place is dusty." she commented in the dim lit room and someone scoffed behind them. 

Jace turned them around quickly, letting go of Clary's hand to put his hand on the other gun. "Sorry, sis. I would've invited you to a hotel, but this will have to do for now." Jonathan snarled, stepping out of the shadows and in front of the door. Jace realized he was not alone this time. Two other men were with him, both looked as menacing as Jonathan, although the redhead had a wicked grin on his face. "You were almost late. I was starting to write Simon an eulogy." Jonathan commented, striding a bit closer, his eyes fixed on Clary. Jace gritted his teeth. When Jonathan stepped closer to the girl, Jacce moved in front of her a little. The man stopped, eyeing him angrily, but Clary touched Jace's arm softly. "It's okay, Jace." she said, reassuringly. She stepped out from Jace's shadow and stared at Jonathan defiantly. "Dear sister, we look more alike than I thought." he mused and then leaned in to touch her hair. Jace saw Clary shiver a little and anger rose in him. "I never knew I had a brother." Clary croaked out, her voice almost pitiful and Jonathan's hand dropped. His eyes reflected black. "Your mother... our mother just abandoned me. She took my family from me and I have no idea why. But now that I've found you...well, we have a lot of catching up to do." he stated, his face stoic. Clary drew in a sharp breath and Jace moved forward, just as the other two men did.

Before he could pull out his guns, they were captured, Jace's hands were pulled behind him in a tight grip and Clary shouted, surprised, when the other man twisted her arms back. The guy removed Jace's guns from him. Jonathan smiled menacingly. "I thought we could take a little detour. Shall we?" he asked and moved to leave the shed. Clary gave Jace a horrified look, when the man who held her captive shoved her forward. Jace struggled with all his strength but it was no use, the guy was twice his size and his bullet wound hurt when he twisted his shoulder, making him wince. Fuck, he thought. He prayed Mark was already there and he saw them leave, so they could follow. Otherwise... He tried not to think of it.

Jonathan pointed them to a black car and the men shoved them in, but not before they had bound their hands with zip cuffs. Jonathan sat in the front while a man sat between them on the back, the other one driving. Jace tried to count the seconds and minutes, to understand how far they were going, but lost his trail of thought when Simon popped into his head. He prayed that he'd be alright. He glanced at Clary, who was staring at Jonathan with wide eyes and he could see something in them...it looked like pity. Jace frowned. This must've been hard for Clary, but the girl knew Jonathan was a bad man, in the end. He hoped that Clary would keep her word.

When they had been driving for a while, the man in between them took out two blindfolds, setting them on their eyes. "Can't have you knowing where we're going, can we?" Jonathan asked. "After all, you're little friends might be following us." the man continued and Jace felt his heart go cold. So he knew. God fucking damn it. Jace almost cursed aloud but remained still, seeing only pitch black. When the car finally stopped, Jace couldn't tell how long it had been. 15 minutes? Half an hour? An hour? He had no clue. The blindfolds were taken off and in the dark he could see that they were in a secluded area, with a vast field on their right. He tried to look for any other signs that could tell him something about their whereabouts, but there was nothing but a small dirt road from which they had come from and a big building on their left. "Come on." Jonathan commanded and went first, stepping towards the concrete building. It seemed to be like an abandoned office building, the concrete pillars still standing but the ceiling was half-collapsed. The men shoved Jace and Clary forward, when Jonathan stopped in the middle of a vast room. The windows on both sides were broken and Jace could smell the dust. The redhead smirked at them.

"Well, Jace. I wonder how you had planned this. That you'd get Clary out? Your friends come to the rescue? Let me tell you, I have eyes everywhere. Just like Raphael did. His people are my people." he stated, as if he was having a normal conversation and he took out his gun. Jace shuffled, trying to budge the man's grip behind him, but it was no use. Clary stared at him in defeat. "Jonathan, for what it's worth, I'm sorry I never met you. I always wanted a brother." she said, her voice small in the quiet room. Jonathan stilled. He looked like he might explode but then his face changed into a blank canvas again. "You know nothing about me. So don't be sorry. I got along fine without our pathetic excuse of a mother and I'll do fine on my own. I just needed to see what you were like." he said, stepping a bit closer, eyes on Clary. The girl breathed in sharply. "Don't talk about our mother like that! I know she had a good reason to do what she did, I'm sure of it..." she replied angrily, and Jace could hear that she truly believed that. Jonathan gave a hollow laugh. "Really? So she dumped me into an orphanage, let me be beat and abused all my childhood, let me become this-this criminal, and you say she had a good reason? I don't give a flying fuck about her, Clarissa, so don't talk about the things you know nothing about! She betrayed you, too, by never telling you about me!" Jonathan yelled now, and Clary's eyes seemed watery.

Jace stared at her, willing her to look his way, but her eyes stayed on Jonathan. "Clary, don't listen to him. Jocelyn loves you, and she had a good reason for all of this, just like you said. I know she did." Jace tried, but Clary didn't look at him. Her face was still. "You don't know her, Jace." she said, her voice monotone. Jonathan smiled. "Jonathan, please, don't hurt Simon. I'll-do anything. Just let Jace and Simon go." Clary now said and Jace protested loudly. "No, Clary! Shut up!" he shouted, not caring that he sounded a little brutal, but the redhead shook her head, asking for him to be silent. Jonathan smiled, coming closer to her and cocked his head, observing his sister. "Oh, Clarissa. I would love for you to join me, but I have unfinished business with this one..." he nodded towards Jace "...and Simon." he finished. Just then, Jace heard something behind his back, like footsteps approaching and he saw Jonathan look up, with an amused expression. "Speak of the devil..." he said and Jace's heart stopped, when he heard an all too familiar voice.

"Let them go, you dick, I'm here now." Simon's voice echoed in the building and Jace closed his eyes for a brief moment. No, this was not happening. What the fuck was Simon doing here? Then something in Jace's mind clicked. The phone call Simon got right before Jace left...and the way he paled after that, even though he brushed it off, saying it was Alec calling. Jace couldn't believe his ignorance, he should've seen the signs.

Jonathan nodded to his henchmen, who turned them around and the redhaired man stood in front of them all, facing Simon. Jace glanced at the brunette - he stood straight with a defiant glint his eyes, that faltered for just a moment, when his eyes drifted to Clary and then Jace. He looked back at Jonathan, anger boiling in him. "I said, let them go." Simon repeated, gritting his teeth. Jonathan smirked. "I think not, Simon." he stated, as if he was wondering about something trivial. Simon took out a gun and held it to Jonathan, his hands not shaking one bit. This made Jonathan laugh. "Oh, Lewis. You are hilarious." he stated, moving to nod to his men, who shuffled behind Jace and Clary. The blonde felt a blow to the back of his knees and he was forced down. Clary was now down on her knees as well. Jonathan took out his gun, holding it to Clary's head. Her eyes went wide and Jace shook his head so fast, he almost got dizzy. "No, no." he mumbled, staring at Simon. The brunette froze, his eyes on Clary and then he shifted his gaze to Jonathan.

"What do you want?" Simon asked, his voice clear in the silence and it didn't falter. Jace had to admire Simon's composure. "Simon, don't." Jace said, but the brunette's eyes flicked onto him, telling him to be quiet. Jonathan seemed like he was having the time of his life. "You know, I always wanted to meet my sister. Right now, I would really love to see the man who killed Raphael, dead. I would also like to see the man, who made that possible, dead." Jonathan conversed, his gun now shifting to Jace. The blonde didn't move and he didn't take his eyes off Simon, who seemed to flinch a little. "But then I thought, hey. I'm not that bad of a man, right? Only one has to die, because only one life was taken from me." Jonathan said, his voice deadly and even a little silent, as he said this. Jace's hear beat faster than ever, when he felt the cool touch of a gun on his temple and he saw Clary flinch a little, when one of the men pointed his gun at her as well.

"So, Simon. Now is your time to shine. You can save one of them, but only one. Choose one to save, and I'll let them go with you. The other one stays with me. I have use for Jace, no doubt, and I'm sure Clarissa would be a valuable asset as well. So, if you can make this choice, both will live. If you do not choose, I will kill both. And make it quick, I don't have all night." Jonathan drawled, smirking at Simon with a victorious expression.

It was eerily quiet and Jace could see Simon's panicked expression. "What?" he asked weakly and for the first time, his gun shook in his outstretched hand. "Simon, it's okay, it's okay." Jace said, trying to sound not as shaken up as he was. No way he would let Clary die, or Simon. He was fine with paying the price, if he'd never met Simon, none of this would've happened. Simon would've never come to his rescue, would have never killed Raphael and would've never met Jonathan. Simon stared at him, gaping. "I don't - You can't expect me to choose between them!" Simon blurted out, glaring at Jonathan. His hands were now shaking visibly and Jace tried to will him to stay strong. His eyes were glued on him, trying to assure him, that he was fine with Simon choosing Clary. The brunette just shook at his glance, mumbling 'no'. Jonathan laughed. "I can. I just did." he stated. Jace prayed for Mark to find them. 

"Simon, it's okay. I will be fine, he's my brother. He won't hurt me. Take Jace and get out." Clary suddenly said, her voice sounded a little strangled but her eyes were dry as she glared at Simon. The brunette looked at her, shocked. So did Jace. Jonathan cocked his head, looking at Clary like she was the most interesting thing in the world. "Clary, shut up." Jace said sternly, but the red-head gave him a death glare. "Jonathan won't hesitate to kill you, Jace. But he won't kill me." Clary said, her voice clear and her brother looked at her, amused. "Quite feisty, isn't she? Choose, Simon." Jonathan said, turning back to Simon, who's eyes flickered between the two. Jace's knees were starting to hurt and he felt a little dizzy. Jonathan's hand was now squeezing his shoulder, near his bullet wound. He tried not to think about it, but Jonathan snapped. "Do you need further motivation?" the man insisted and pushed his fingers to the bullet hole, making Jace groan in pain involuntarily. He bit his lip almost instantly, to stop from making any noise and he tasted blood. It hurt like hell, but he wasn't about to make Simon more guilty. He had to make the right choice.

Jonathan pushed the gun to Jace's head harder and Simon shook his head. "I don't- no, please don't." he rambled, trying to find a way out. Jonathan glared at him, smirking. "Simon, tick- tock." he said impatiently and the other man grabbed Clary's hair painfully, making her call out loudly. "Simon!" Jonathan yelled and took out a knife, pushing it into Jace's shoulder and the blonde couldn't stop from screaming out. "Simon, just pick her, take Clary!" Jace shouted, his voice much higher than he intended it to be but the pain was just so unbearable. Simon held onto his hair and screamed. "I can't!" he yelled at them both and Clary's eyes were now tearing up. "She's your best friend and if you love her, you'll do it." Jace said, panting hard, when Jonathan took the knife away, holding the gun to his head still. 

"I love you both!" Simon yelled back and Jace's head shot up. He stared at the brunette and Simon stared back, eyes wide like he was surprised. Jace saw Clary smile weakly in the man's grasp. She looked so little, but she was definitely stronger than she seemed. "You...what?" Jace asked weakly. His world was spinning. "Simon, this is so not the right time." he continued, almost feeling a hysterical laughter bubble inside of him. Simon loved him. He loved him.

Jonathan seemed amused by the whole ordeal. "Ah, what a shame. I never thought that this could get more interesting, but it just did. Tyler." Jonathan said, nodding to the man holding Clary, who clicked the gun and Clary's breath hitched. "Fuck, fuck!" Simon yelled and Jace shook his head. He felt weak, but he tried to focus on his breathing and on Simon, his beautiful Simon, who loved him. "Hey, hey, look at me." he tried and Simon's eyes stilled on him. They locked eyes and Jace smiled faintly. "I love you, too. Now go. I'll be fine." he said, his voice softer now and he tried to let Simon know with his eyes, that he really was just fine. The brunette was now crying, his face the definition of anger and frustration, as he lowered his gun. He took in a sharp breath.

"I- I can't -" he stammered, but Jace smiled. "Yes, you can." he said, not trusting to be louder than a whisper. Clary was now crying, too. Simon fell to his knees and he held himself, breathing hard. "Clary..." he whispered, so low that it was almost inaudible. Jonathan's head whipped towards the girl and then to Simon, with an evil smirk on his face. He nodded to the man, who removed the gun from Clary's head and pulled her up, cutting away the restraint and shoving her forward. She tried to lash out at Jonathan, but the man grasped his hands and pressured her to move onwards. Jace was still smiling softly. He felt the blood drip from his wound to the ground but he was fine. He willed himself to be so.

Simon got up and hugged Clary, who's knuckles turned white when she held Simon tightly by his neck. "Simon, I-" she tried but the brunette shook his head. He stared at Jace, who's eyes started to drift. "I can't lose you, again." he said softly, knowing they were just words. There was nothing he could do, Jonathan's gun was still on his temple. "Hey, you're not losing me. I'm still here. Just don't forget about me." Jace replied, his voice happier than before. He felt weird, like he was falling into a dark pit or something, the pull way too strong and his eyes started to close again. "I can't say I'm happy about letting my sister go, but a promise is a promise. Make sure they stay put, we're leaving." Jonathan said, eyeing Clary. He stood up, pulling Jace with him. The blonde staggered and Jonathan pushed his fingers to his shoulder again, making him scream out in pain. "Don't fall asleep on me, Jace. We're not done yet." he said as he moved them forward. Simon took a few angry steps towards them, cursing loudly while Clary protested with a scream, but the other man, who had held Jace, stepped in front of him, while Jonathan's eyes shot to him. "Careful, Lewis. I can still kill him." he said, smirking. Simon's eyes were watery and a tear fell down his cheek as he watched Jonathan drag Jace away. "I'm so sorry, I'm so-" he tried, his voice was hoarse and it didn't even sound like him, but Jace shook his head, trying to stay awake. "It's okay. Simon, I'll be fine. I'll be fine. Take care of him, Clary." he said, turning to the redhead in the end, who cried, looking at him and nodded through the tears. 

With one last look at them, he was shoved out the door, where the cold air hit his face. "Come on, stay awake pretty boy. I'll make sure that they'll forget you soon enough. They will wish they never met you." Jonathan whispered to his ear, the gun still on Jace's temple. The blonde wanted to fight back so bad, but all the strength was gone from his body. All he could think about was Simon, saying the words he had longed to hear. He loved him. Jace was going to be just fine.

***

"No, no, no, no..." Simon kept mumbling the words, on the floor where Jonathan and his men had left them, holding the gun to his head. "Simon, stop. Please, stop." Clary trembled, taking the gun away from him. Simon released his grip reluctantly, while Clary set it down on the ground gingerly. She had never held a gun and she wasn't going to start now. "How could I-" Simon started but Clary hugged him. She felt guilty, so guilty, that Simon chose her. If Jocelyn had told the truth from the beginning, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Simon wouldn't have had to choose between her and Jace. Her stomach clenched when images of Jace flashed in her mind, on the floor, pale and Jonathan stabbing a knife into him. Her tears wouldn't stop as she hugged Simon. The brunette seemed like he was having a panic attack, which was very likely. "We'll get him back, we will, like you did last time. Remember? It'll be alright Simon, I promise." she comforted him, holding her arms around Simon, who wouldn't stop rambling. 

In the end it was too late. When Mark and his team rushed in, guns raised and eyes going about the room, it was too late. When they saw Clary and Simon huddled on the ground, dusty, wrecked and crying, it was too late. When they saw the pool of blood left by Jace it was too late. And when Simon screamed at the top of his lungs, it was too late, because Jace was already too far. When Mark and his friends took Clary and Simon to the hospital, the brunette felt a sting in his stomach, where the old wound was. The nurses rushed around them, even when he said he was fine and they put him on a bed next to Clary, because the redhead refused to leave him alone.

Simon couldn't decipher the words of the nurses or how Mark and his teammates apologized for being too late, he couldn't hear his friends who had come there almost straight away, he couldn't see his mother crying and couldn't see Isabelle holding Clary, when she told her what happened. He couldn't hear the faint beeping of the machines and he couldn't hear the silent whispers about Jace and how he was gone.

He felt only the pain on his side and the words that Jace had said to him, the only comfort at this moment. "I love you, too. Now go. I'll be fine." Simon didn't even notice himself crying and he didn't feel Magnus's hand in his, couldn't look at Alec's worried face or Becky's red eyes. He repeated the words over and over; still not believing that Jace was gone, again. This time, he was afraid he couldn't reach him. Or even if he could, it would not be on time. A memory appeared in his mind, almost like a dream, when he had gotten Jace back and they were in Simon's apartment one afternoon.

"You are such an idiot!" Jace yelled, laughing, but Simon just smiled, holding his laughter in. "Open up, come on." he said again, holding up the small, green grape, ready to throw it. Jace's face was slightly red because of all the laughing and he reluctantly opened his mouth from the other side of the couch. Simon threw the grape at him, only Jace didn't know he was holding more than one. About four grapes hit Jace in the face and Simon howled with laughter, while Jace glared at him, a smile on his face. "You little...Come here, Lewis!" he shouted and pulled Simon down on him. Simon laughed harder, bracing himself against Jace by holding his arms, but Jace accidentally slipped, causing them both to tumble down on the ground. They laughed again, voices loud in the apartment and Simon couldn't breathe.

He steadied himself, watching down on the blonde who was now under him, panting and tried to catch his breath. Jace's face was flushed and his smile was bright, his eyes clear and soft when he looked at Simon. The brunette wanted to say those three words so bad but he felt like his mouth was glued together. "Simon?" Jace asked, happily, and the brunette just leaned down, feeling so happy just being there, with him. Their lips met in a sweet and slow kiss, Jace's hands were holding him, wrapped around his waist and Simon's right hand went to Jace's cheek while the other snaked into his hair, sliding through them. They were like soft silk under the touch and Jace smiled into the kiss, when Simon tugged them a little. He opened his mouth slightly and Simon slid his tongue in, tasting chocolate and salty caramel, evidence of the milkshake they had made earlier and shared. Simon moved closer to the blonde, never wanting this moment to end. His heart pounded in his chest and his felt a tingling sensation on his skin, when Jace's fingertips touched his lower back under his shirt. When Simon pulled back, Jace's face was like an angels, bright and golden, eyes like a mid-day sky, sun shining in them perfectly and the brunette smiled softly. "I'm never letting you go again." he said quietly, making Jace's lips curl into a smile just as sweet as Simon's, before the brunette dove down again, capturing the blonde's lips once more.

Simon felt tears flowing freely now. He had broken his promise to Jace and what's worse, he had lost someone he finally loved, heart and soul. Jace was his safe haven, but he had rescued Simon more than he would've liked, and now they were faced with another obstacle. Simon held his face in his hands, feeling the pain in his stomach multiply with the pain in his head and his chest. He felt like his heart would explode, and all he could do was cry. It wasn't fair, it just wasn't fair. 

He heard people around him talk but he paid no mind to them. When he was all out of tears, he just stared at the ceiling, stoic and un-moving. Unnoticed, he had fallen asleep at some point and when he woke up it was still nighttime. He turned his head, to see Clary fast asleep, with Isabelle on her side, half-laying on the bed and holding her girlfriends hand. Simon's eyes were wet again but the breathed in, trying to hold them back. He looked to his right and in the dim light he could see Magnus curled up on the small armchair in the corner, while Alec was sitting next to his bed, reading a book in the very low and soft light of a lamp behind him. Simon thought about pretending to be asleep again, but he decided against it. His throat was sore and painful when he tried to speak. "Why are you sitting in the dark?" he asked, his voice hoarse and barely audible. He coughed and Alec glanced up. "You were sleeping, I didn't want to wake you. Besides, it's more than enough of light." the young man said, closing the book and putting it on the bedside table, before leaning in to see Simon better.

His brow was creased with worry and soft emotion, what he usually displayed for the man sleeping behind him in the armchair, but this time it was directed at Simon - Alec looked at him like he thought Simon might break down any minute. "How are you?" he asked carefully and quietly. Simon rolled his eyes. "Don't look at me like that." he only said, voice still gravelly and tired. His head pounded like crazy. Alec looked down on the ground for a moment, breathing out. Then he looked back up, his eyes searching Simon's. "Look, I won't say it's going to be fine. Most likely, it'll be hell and you'll probably feel angry, frustrated, sad, heartbroken more than once, but I've been there. So trust me when I say, you'll get through this, because you have us. We won't ever leave, Simon. And Jace...we won't leave Jace either." Alec said slowly, still looking into Simon's eyes, the hazel meeting brown and his words were determined. Simon blinked fast, avoiding tears and smiled slowly. "I thought Magnus was the one with a way with words." he stated, glancing at the sleeping beauty in the armchair. Magnus let out a little snore and Alec chuckled lowly, looking at his boyfriend. "He is. But I have my moments." the raven-haired boy stated, staring at Magnus lovingly and Simon felt an ache in his chest again. 

"We'll get him back, Simon. You just have to believe it." Alec said, looking back to him. Simon stared at Magnus for a while and then at Clary, who was peacefully sleeping, Isabelle's grip tight on her arm. He looked back at Alec and nodded slowly, trying to speak past the lump in his throat. He was so thankful to all of his friends and he couldn't possibly put into words how much he appreciated them, loved them. Alec smiled, as if he knew what Simon was thinking and patted his hand softly. Simon smiled back and then looked up at the ceiling. When he glanced at the far end of the room, he noticed a window, behind which he could see the night-sky. He looked at it, thinking if Jace was looking at the same sky. 

"I won't leave you, I promise." he softly whispered into the quiet of the room.

***

"Get up and moving, blondie, we don't have all day." the man said to him and Jace rolled his eyes, holding onto his shoulder. The blood was still dripping, but it wasn't like he could be taken to the hospital. It looked like Jonathan lacked the medical skills as well, so he would just have to endure. The night was colder than before, but the sky was clear and littered with stars. He saw a huge white building in the pitch black, but before the guy could shove him in behind Jonathan, he stared up at the north pole star, that winked at him. He hoped Simon was safe and okay. He was comforted by the fact that Simon could see the same blanket of small but bright stars, and he didn't feel so cold anymore.

"Be safe." he whispered, before he stumbled into the building, unknown territory around him and with only one thought in his head - he would kill Jonathan and escape, whatever it took. He was going to get back to Simon. Jace Herondale had not given up yet.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Okay, hear me out. I know this is so cruel of me, but I needed to sort out the Jonathan thing once and for all. I know they have had enough drama, BUT this will only make them stronger. Also, they love each other!! So, yay, right? Okay, you may live out your frustration now. xxx