"Did he say anything?" Jace asked Alec when he and I joined him down by where Jonathan was locked up.

"No-" Alec had his hands behind his back and looked from Jace to me, "Underhill's been questioning him about the Morning Star sword, but he refuses to speak to anyone- except Zee."

"Then we know how to get answers, right?" I huffed lightly and ran a hand through my hair, "Alright- just- let me in."

Jace stopped me, "Zee, if you get any closer to him, you're only gonna strengthen his power over you-"

"I'll be okay." I grabbed his hand and squeezed it, "You're here- right?"

"Always." Jace squeezes my hand back, before I nodded once and backed away, heading into the cell.

My eyes were glued to Jonathan, slowly taking off my jacket and putting it onto the ground, before the guard undid the mask on his face, leaving me alone with him.

"Don't worry." Jonathan stares, "I won't bite."

I cut to the chase, "Where is the Morning Star sword?"

"I missed you too." Jonathan smugly smiles at me.

"Jonathan, where is the sword?" I repeated myself, "We know it's capable of opening a rift into Edom- is that why you want it? To release demons into this world?"

"It's a Morgenstern family heirloom." Jonathan stares, "It belongs in the hands of its rightful owners- us."

Jonathan looked past me, "Your boyfriend is keeping an awfully close eye on you, isn't he? Do you think he feels guilty about leaving you alone at the ice rink?"

"Shut up." I snipped at him, "I'm not here to chit chat- so, if you're not going to answer my questions, we're done here."

When Jonathan doesn't reply, I shake my head and began walking to the door, but his voice stops me, "Wait- I'll tell you everything you want to know, if you just stay here a little longer."

I swallow hard and face him, "So tell me-"

"I didn't even know you existed, Zee, 'til not so long ago." Jonathan had his eyes glued to me, "I'd been in Edom for what felt like an eternity."

"Lilith- spoke of- two other experiments- I thought it was only Jace and I- but, she finally told me about you and Clary." Jonathan breathed out, "That was the first time I ever heard your name- Zee Morgenstern."

"It was like music to my ears- I felt something that I had never felt before-" Jonathan's voice lowered, "Hope."

"Are you kidding me?" I cross my arms, "This has nothing to do with the sword-"

"Of course it does!" Jonathan shot back at me, "That moment changed everything for me."

"Granted, I wanted Clary at first- but you- when I met you, Zee- I realized that you were the only person that I needed- I felt it." Jonathan said, "You were the one with the good heart- the kindness- someone who could teach me how to be good-"

"Finally, I had someone to fight by my side." Jonathan continued, "Not against me- not in spite of me, but with me-"

I swallow, "Okay, that's enough-"

"Everything I do, I do for you." Jonathan's voice lowered, "I want the Morning Star sword for you- for us."

-

"What're you hiding?" I questioned, taking a few steps closer to him, "You're hiding something from me- I want to know what it is."

Jonathan denies, "I'm not."

"That can't be it, Jonathan." I stood directly in front of him, "You don't want me to know what your plan is- will it make me hate you?"

"You can't hate me. I'm your brother." Jonathan spoke, "And I would never hide anything from you."

I took a few steps back, "If that's the case, how did you hear about the sword?"

"Mother." Jonathan mumbled, "She told me about it- I had been in Edom just a few years- and I was still naive enough to think that my time there was temporary."

"She told me that- there was a sword, that went by the name of the Morning Star- that could open a rift- and only someone with Morgenstern blood could wield it-" Jonathan began to explain, "She said not a Morgenstern alive cared enough about me to rescue me- no one loved me like she loved me- I'd- I'd scream for hours- shout for help- and no one came."

I stared at him, before taking a few steps back toward the door, my heart beginning to race at the thought that was burning in my mind.

"Zee, are you okay?" Jonathan seemed concerned, but I quickly turned and left the cell, walking past Jace and Alec, rushing back up to the main floor and to my bedroom.

I pulled open my drawer in my desk, pulling out my sketchbooks, tossing them on my bed and immediately started flipping through the pages.

"Zee?" Jace slowly walked in and closed the door behind him, "What are you doing?-"

I don't reply, opening up to each page in every book, tears starting to burn in my eyes, Jace putting a hand on my arm, "Zee?"

"When I was younger- mundane, and memoryless- I had this reoccurring nightmare- it got so bad to the point where I would wake up late at night screaming- and wouldn't calm down for hours-" I pushed the more defined and better sketch toward him, "Jocelyn thought if I drew what I saw in the dream, it would help me overcome it."

Jace stares at the sketch, then looks up at me, "You dreamt of a boy in a burning tower-"

I nod lightly, "It's so stupid- but- there was a boy- a prince- he was in a burning tower- this- evil queen- she kept him locked up so he couldn't love anyone but her- I was- I was supposed to save him- I'd climb the tower but right when I reach the top, I would fall to my death- I never got to the top."

Jace slowly hands me back the book, sighing lightly, "The prince was Jonathan."

"I think- I think it was him-" My voice went quiet, holding the book against my stomach, staring at him, tears starting to fall as I slowly started to collapse onto my knees, "The way he's looking at me now- it's like- he's begging me to save him- to help him- but I can't help him- I can't- I couldn't save him then and I can't save him now-"

"Zee, hey, hey-" Jace fell with me and grabbed my face, "Even if this was a message from the angels- you were just a kid- you couldn't have done anything, don't put the blame on yourself-"

"Because I was raised mundane-" My voice was shaky, "If I wasn't lied to- if I knew I was a Shadowhunter- I could've- maybe he wouldn't be this way-"

"No, my love- it was already too late." Jace wipes my tears with his thumbs, "You couldn't have changed him- you still can't."

His words made me tear up more, but it was the truth, "Jonathan is who he is."

-

"So, you think this can separate Zee from Jonathan?" Clary questioned as we were all gathered in the weapons room, after finding out what Isabelle and Simon had pulled.

"I have to run some tests, but- yeah." Isabelle nods lightly, "That's the idea-"

"This is- insane- I can't believe you guys did this." I looked up, "Thank you- so much-"

"Young, we'd do anything for you." Simon softly smiles at me, "Especially if it means disconnecting you from your creepy brother."

"Well, we have Heavenly Fire." Alec looked down at me from next to me, "We don't know where the Morning Star sword is, but- the only two people who can use it are right here at the Institute."

"Aldertree will be prosecuted for his crimes against the Accords." Isabelle said, "And Jia is considering commuting Raphael's sentence, along with the other Downworlders now turned into mundanes-"

Simon nods, "It's the least they could do."

"All right, well, if I'm no longer needed here, there's somewhere I need to be." Alec softly smiled, before leaving us.

I looked up at my boyfriend, swallowing hard, "Jace- I need to see Jonathan."

Jace nods once, "I'll come with you-"

-

"Don't-" Jace began when I took the mask off Jonathan so he could speak, swallowing hard.

"What's wrong, Jace?" Jonathan smirks lightly at him, "Are you jealous of our bond?"

Jace glares, "I feel nothing towards you."

"Jonathan, we found a way to destroy the Twinning Rune." I swallow, "You won't be down here much longer."

"No-" Jonathan looked shattered, "It's not possible."

"It's more than possible." Jace taunted him, taking a step closer, "It's inevitable."

"No- you won't do it-" Jonathan tried you move closer to me, stammering, "I have so much more to share with you-"

"I'm your brother." Jonathan continued when I walked away from him and next to Jace, my back to him, "Zee, don't let them do this!"

"You almost killed my brother." Jace called him out, "You killed a dozen Shadowhunters- people I trained with- she wants you gone just as much as the rest of us."

"And you know what, you think that your rune is going to draw her closer to you and make her love you, but she's mine." Jace took a step closer to him, his tone lowering, "And once that rune is destroyed, you'll finally understand that rune or not- she will always choose me- because she loves me- she belongs- to me- and I'm not going to let you take her from me-"

"Shut up!" Jonathan shouted at him in anger, his jaw clenched, "Let her speak!"

"I'm sorry, Jonathan-" I turned, gripping onto Jace's arm, starting to tear up lightly while looking at Jonathan, "I'm so sorry- I can't help you- I can't save you- this- this is just how it has to be-"

Jace wrapped his arm around my waist and gently pulled me along, knocking on the cell door to signal we were done with the conversation, but my eyes were glued to Jonathan's.

"Lilith was right." Jonathan's voice sounded broken, "No one's ever coming for me, are they?"

My bottom lip began to quiver, as Jonathan brokenly called out to me when the door opened, "You were supposed to be my princess-"

"Zee?-" Jonathan weakly called out for me when Jace lead me out the cell, the door shutting.

"Zee?" Jonathan continued to call out as Jace lead me to the elevator, his cries loud, my heart heavy and my guilt burning in my chest, "Zee, don't leave me! Please don't leave me!-"

I covered my mouth, tears falling from my eyes as Jace quickly pulled me into the elevator and shut the doors before I could hear more of his cries.

But, they replayed in my head repeatedly.

authors note:

kinda a sucky chapter but it's ight cause zee and jace are v cute

thank you for 52k !

go read redamancy !

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