"Okay, you're scary." A girl's shaky voice came from the empty alleyway Jace and I were patrolling. Isabelle and Clary were down the block— our shift had run on for hours because the holiday noise was luring all kinds of demons out. "Let us by, please?"

The demon roared loudly and multiple kid screams filled the air. Jace and I quickened our pace and rounded the corner, catching eye of the kids running away from the demon.

The demon— hears our rushed footsteps and turned its head towards us. It shrieked at us and I looked up at it while Jace went around it. "Nice costume— what kind of demon are you?"

"It's a Dravek demon, Zee." Jace pulled out his seraph blade and buried it in the demon's back. The demon shrieked in pain and Jace held it up in the air so that I could aim sunlight at it and kill it for good.

"I was just trying to make conversation." I sigh dramatically and drew my sun rune on my palm, aiming it up towards the demon and killing it within seconds. "You could have at least let it introduce itself. It could've been nice—"

"Right, scaring the little kids away screams nice." Jace smiled at me and stepped back, accidentally stepping into a plastic sword from one of the kids' costumes that they left discarded.

I put my stele away and quickly rushed over to him, grabbing the plastic sword and pushing the flat, broken edge to his chest. "On guard—"

"Really?" Jace watched me with amusement as I pretended to slash him with my sword. Jace lifted his blade and sliced it through mine, the plastic sword cutting into halves. My jaw dropped and my lips fell into a pout, looking at Jace. He exhaled. "I hate Halloween."

-

"Hey— is now a bad time?" I asked gently, knocking on the open door of Alec's office with Jace by my side after we just gotten back.

"Actually—" Alec began.

Magnus cut him off. "Not at all— what is it?"

"Well, on the hunt— we came across a Drevak demon." I leaned back against the door frame, crossing my arms over my chest when we entered the room.

"Yeah, which is weird, right?" Jace stuck by my side. "They usually keep to the sewers."

Alec nodded slowly and thought out loud. "Maybe the holiday noise is drawing them out."

"Yeah, it could be." Jace shrugged lightly with a laugh. "The streets are packed with idiots in costumes."

"You used to be one of those idiots!" I pointed out immediately. "I remember begging you to sneak out with me and go trick or treating, and you had fun—"

Jace narrowed his eyes at me. "Maybe I was just trying to not hurt your feelings."

"Sure." I dragged out. "You loved it— and I still do. I love Halloween."

"So do I— every year, I would use my magic to decorate an entire city block in Brooklyn." Magnus slowly trailed off and then got quieter when the realization hit him. He sighed. "Fond memories."

Alex looks at us. "Brief ops on the demon."

Jace and I slowly nodded and left them alone.

-

"I ran some tests on Jonathan's blood." Isabelle told us while holding up one of the vials of Heavenly Fire. "The Heavenly Fire serum caused a reaction that purged all of its demonic essence."

Alec looked down at her. "So, injecting Jonathan will burn away all his demon blood?"

"And his demonic connection with Zee." Isabelle set it down and gave me a wide smile. "We've finally found a way to separate you from your brother."

Jace's arms wrapped around me and held me into his chest tightly. "So, once we remove the Twinning rune, he won't have any influence over you— he won't be able to hurt you."

"What about him?" I quietly asked, letting my head rest on Jace's chest. "What will the injection do to him?"

"It will hurt— a lot, you'll feel it, too— but, only until the connection breaks." Isabelle was honest. "After that, both of you will be fine."

Clary nodded with a smile. "Let's do it."

"Kiddo?" Luke's voice sounded from the hall and my head snapped towards it immediately. Luke smiled at us and I tore myself away from Jace, rushing to him and throwing my arms around him immediately.

"Oh my god— how are you here?" I gasped as he set me down. "Did you break out?"

"No." Luke laughed softly. "The Praetor Lupus pulled some serious strings— but, I'll tell you the whole story later. Right now, I'm just here to support my daughter."

Isabelle nodded at him with a soft smile of acknowledgment. "Glad to have you back, Luke."

"It's good to be back." Luke looked down at me. "You ready to get that rune off you?"

I softly smiled. "So ready."

-

"They're trying to tear us apart, little sister." Jonathan brokenly said to me while Alec tightened his restraints. His eyes were glued to me desperately and his body was tense with the thought that I was actually going through with this and not trying to stop it from happening.

"I know." I shortly said and sat down across from him, leaning back against my seat.

Jonathan tries. "Well, you can still stop it."

"If I wanted to, I would have by now." I said to him. "I'm sorry— it just has to be this way."

"Zee, you're making a terrible mistake." Jonathan was growing angry. "None of these people care about you the way that I care about you!"

"You don't care about me." I argued, moving my gaze to the ground. "You're obsessed with the thought of someone loving you for the monster you are— and you want that person to be me."

"You do love me, you just need to see it!" Jonathan raised his voice at me. "You just—"

"Enough!" Luke cut in. "Alec, gag him."

"No— Zee!" Jonathan's screams were muffled with the gag Alec tied around his mouth. "No—please don't do this, Zee!"

"Hey, don't listen to him— look at me." Jace grabbed my chin and moved my gaze up to him when my eyes flickered back to Jonathan for a moment. "It's all gonna be okay in a few minutes, okay? I'm not gonna leave your side— I promise."

"Okay." I whispered and watched him as he grabbed my hand into both of his and squeezed tightly. "Okay, do it."

Isabelle pinched the needle into Jonathan's skin and emptied the contents in the syringe into him.

And it was all black from them.

I had squeezed my eyes shut and my head slammed against the back of seat at the sudden pain the I felt— the burning coursing through my veins and wrapping itself in every one of my muscles. I let out a small scream and squeezed Jace's hand tightly while clutching the arm of my chair tightly, trying to tune out Jonathan's screams.

"What's happening to her?" Clary panicked.

"She's burning up." Jace's free hand was at my forehead. "Izzy, please, you gotta stop this."

"I can't." Isabelle said, her and everyone else's stare burning into me.

Luke rubbed my arm to give me some sort of comfort. "Just a little bit longer, kiddo."

I pried open my eyes at another wave of pain and met Jonathan's eyes, whose eyes went completely black and then the pain was gone— like he turned off the switch.

Clary stared at the rune still clear and noticeable on my chest. "It didn't work."

"The formula must be too weak." Alec sighed.

"I have another idea." Isabelle blurted out quickly before the disappointment fully washed over us. "Each vial of serum contains nanoparticles of Glorious. I can separate the particles out and use them to create a new, more potent formula."

"How long will that take?" Jace was running his fingers through my hair with one hand and holding my hand tighter with the other.

"At least a few hours." Isabelle said and turned her back to us to look at the vials but my eyes were glued to Jonathan.

He saved me from the pain.

He saved me.

-

"Alec." I drawled when walked alongside him during patrol later that night. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Alec kept his gaze on the ground and slowed his steps so that I could keep up with his long strides.

"You've been brooding." I pointed out, looking straight ahead. "More than usual, which, believe or not— says a lot. What is it?"

"Nothing." Alec shook his head again and sighed. "And I don't brood."

"Yes you do." I stopped walking and looked up at him. "Come on— I know something's wrong. I need to get my mind off still being connected to Jonathan anyways, so— please?"

"Okay." Alec huffed and stopped to look down at me. "Just— you can't tell anyone."

I nodded. "I won't."

"I was gonna propose to Magnus last night."
Alec told me, placing his hands on his sides.

"I know." I nod again. "Jace told me. Did something happen? Did he say no?"

"No— I," Alec looked at the sky for a moment and then back down to me. "I got the family ring. I had a whole dinner prepared, and Magnus showed up drunk out of his mind— told me how miserable he is without his magic."

My expression dropped.

"I've never seen him so low." Alec's expression was broken and sad. "I had to do something, so I decided— I would speak with Asmodeus."

My eyes widen. "You did what?"

"I didn't summon him." Alec quickly added. "I spoke to him through a warlock conduit— he agreed to restore Magnus's magic, but only if I broke up with him."

"Alec." My heart dropped and I grabbed his hands. "Please tell me you're not actually considering it."

Alec's eyes watered slightly. "Magnus lost his magic in the first place because of me."

"He chose to save Jace." I told him.

"He knew I'd never get over losing my parabatai." Alec's voice shook. "Magnus sacrificed everything so I could feel whole— and now I have the chance to do the same for him."

"But, he wouldn't want this." I shook my head at him. "Alec, you can't do this to him— you guys fit like pieces in a puzzle— he loves you so much."

"I know, but— I'm not the first person he's loved, and I won't be the last." Alec hit me with valid reasoning. "Breaking up is gonna hurt like hell, but it's the kind of hurt he can recover from."

"But, what about you?" I squeezed his hands and my voice was quiet. "Can you recover?"

When Alec doesn't say anything, I let go of his hands and wrapped my arms around his middle, hugging him as tightly as I could.

-

"It kills me that you have to be connected to Jonathan for another second." Isabelle said to me when I walked alongside her and Clary in an alley, Jace and Alec trailing behind us.

I looked around at the demon ichor everywhere. "Honestly, I've reached a point where I don't mind."

"What?" Clary looked up at me with slight surprise. "After everything that monster has done to you?"

I stopped walking and looked at her, narrowing my eyes. "Jonathan is not a monster."

"What?" Isabelle stopped with Clary.

"He's just hurt— and alone." I argued, my blood starting to boil at her words. "He was rejected by my parents— he was sent to be tortured and mutilated by Lilith. If he's anything, he's a victim— not a monster. He's just broken."

Isabelle's face twisted. "A victim?"

"Zee." Clary shook her head in realization and reached for my arm to give it a squeeze. "This isn't you talking— it's the rune."

I ripped my arm from her grasp and clenched my fists at my sides. "Don't touch me!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Jace's voice cut through my trance when he came to me side and pulled me into his arms.'"I'm here— just focus on me, it's alright— everything's okay."

I blinked a few times and looked up at Jace, then at Clary, Isabelle and Alec. I said nothing.

I was losing control.

Isabelle could tell immediately from the look on my face. "Stay close to her, Jace."

-

"Well," Jace began, looking around at all the demon ichor on the walls and ceiling in the building we were in. "Don't say I never take you anywhere nice."

"How luxurious." I drawled and pulled out my kindjals. "I feel so special, Jace."

"I knew you would." Jace shot a playful grin my way before pointing in a direction with his seraph blade. "Look— Drevak eggs. The queen must be nearby."

"Let's take a look around then, shall we?" I said and walked further into the building, glancing around the room a few times.

It was dead silent for a few moments.

Then, a demon landed between Jace and I. It shrieked loudly and flew both its arms out, one hitting Jace and the other one hitting me— sending us both into opposite directions and farther away from each other.

My body slammed through a wall and I fell into chunks of cement, my eyes rolling to the back of my head. I blinked, trying to focus on staying conscious but I felt myself getting slipped away further and further into the darkness.

Then I opened my eyes and it was so bright I had to squint my eyes and it was— snowing?

"Hello, sister." Jonathan's voice echoed from in front of me and I pushed myself to my feet, seeing him stand before me with black, demonic wings sprouted out from behind him. His arm stretched out and he held his hand out for me. "Join me."

"No, Zee, don't!" Jace's voice shouted from behind me and I turned my head, seeing him with white, angelic wings sprouted. He was shaking his head at me. "Don't do it."

Before I could react, Jonathan grabbed onto my wrist. Jace grabbed onto my other wrist and they were both pulling— but I was leaning forwards.

Towards Jonathan.

I opened my eyes again— I was back in the building. I heard Jace's panicked call to someone. "We have to get to Zee."

I got up and dusted myself off, walking towards the wall and meeting him and— Alec there. Alec looked at me with wide eyes of worry and concern. "Are you okay?"

"Never better." I shrugged simply and put my kindjals away. "Just a little bruised."

Jace put a hand in my hair and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I'm so sorry."

"What?" I blinked. "Why?"

Jace stared down at me, putting my hair behind my ears. "I promised I would never leave your side."

"Jace, we were literally whacked into separate directions." I stared at him. "Relax."

Something in Jace's eye changed and his eyes narrowed at me slightly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Perfect." I smiled at him and pecked his lips.

"You guys go ahead to the Institute." Alec was backing away, shooting me a knowing look. "There's something I have to do."

My lips flattened into a line.

Oh well.

I looked at Jace who was still staring at me suspiciously. "Are you sure nothing's wrong? What did you see on the other side of that wall?"

"Nothing but darkness." I shook my head at him and then dusted out the pieces of cement in my hair.

Jace pulled out his buzzing phone as we began to walk. "Izzy, what's up?"

"The demon attacks were a diversion." Isabelle's voice echoed from the phone. "I think some Seelie nymph is trying to break into the sub cells to get to Jonathan— you have to get back here."

Jonathan.

I slowly grabbed a metal pipe from the ground while I walked behind Jace and watched him turn. "Hang on— we're coming."

I slammed the metal pipe against his head with all my night and watched amusingly as he fell with a grunt, his hand going to his bleeding head. He looked up at me with squinted eyes. "Zee?"

"Sorry— I hope it didn't hurt too bad." I dropped the pipe and crouched in front of him, pushing a strand of his blood streaked blond hair out of his face. "I didn't want to fatally hurt you."

"I knew it." Jace's voice was shaky. "Zee-"

He tried to move but groaned.

"Sorry— game over." I pouted at him slightly and then got up, grabbing out my kindjal and drawing my portal rune for Jonathan's cell.

I entered his cell and swung my kindjal, beheading the Seelie that was about to kill Jonathan. He looked at me with wide eyes as the body fell to the ground between us, where he hung defenseless.

"Don't worry." My voice was low and filled with assurance. "I won't let anyone hurt you."

Jonathan's eyes filled with delight and a smile formed on his lips. "You came for me."

authors note:

i feel as though zee and jace were very goofy in this chapter and i loved it

but, zalec >> love the brotp, love to see it

thank you for 77k !!!

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