CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
MY SWEET BOY

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     Adrian looked around him with a dazed expression, his seraph blade dim and loose in his hands. His hands were wet with black blood, and when he wiped his sleeve across his face, it came back stained. His hair was damp with it. Cleaning his seraph blade was a lost cause, so he let it drop from his hand, his breath rasping up his throat. The others were the same as him—covered in blood, dazed at the sudden slaughter of the cult members, looking around the room with slightly vacant eyes. Adrian's gaze flickered between all of them, looking for any sign that one of them was severely injured. Maia and Jordan were alright, any cuts they had gotten healed within seconds, and Isabelle was more than fine, if her kicking at random bodies as she walked through the room was any indication. It was Alec that Adrian found himself concerned over. He was slouched on one of the steps leading up to the raised platform where the babies' bodies still were. His weapon was discarded like Adrian's, and he was rubbing his hands on his pants, as if eager to get the blood off. Adrian released a breath and went toward him.

"Alec," he murmured softly, reaching him and lowering himself into a crouch in front of him. Alec glanced up at him through his hair. His eyes were so dilated that Adrian could barely see the blue color of them. Adrian reached for his hand. "Let's go look for a bathroom. Maybe the water works. Come on." Alec blinked at him slowly, then let Adrian drag him to his feet. Adrian wrapped an arm around his waist and led him out of the room—that awful room with the dead babies still inside—and they roamed the hallway until they came across a bathroom. Adrian and Alec went to the sinks, and both were grateful when water came pouring out. They got to work washing the blood out of their hair, off their faces, and off their hands. Maia, Jordan, and Isabelle joined them a few minutes later, and the only sound in the bathroom was the splashing of water.

Adrian got done first, though black blood remained on his clothes, and then he dug out his stele. He had a few cuts and even more bruises from hits he hadn't been able to dodge, but they could wait. Instead, he walked to where a stack of cheap paper towels rested in the bathroom and took one, straightening it on the wall. Quickly, he etched a message to Maryse on the paper with the stele, then wrote the rune beneath it to trigger a fire message. Adrian watched it burn away, then rubbed a hand down his face. He only turned when he felt someone touch his shoulder. He turned, expecting to find Alec, but it was Isabelle instead. Her face was pale, and her eyes were wide with worry.

"Simon," she whispered. It was only then that Adrian even remembered the larger threat. Lilith was in the building, somewhere, and she apparently had Simon in her clutches for reasons they didn't know. Alec was calling someone on his phone, and Maia was talking on her phone as well, presumably talking to Luke and filling him in on the situation. Adrian swallowed thickly, then grabbed Isabelle's hand to squeeze. He was going to hesitantly suggest they wait for more Shadowhunters to show up—because they certainly weren't prepared to face a Greater Demon like Lilith on their own—but before he could, the entire building seemed to tremble, right down to the very foundation. They all went still as they waited and waited—and then the sound came. It sounded like an explosion. Silent and loud all at once. All of them stumbled at what seemed to be a blast from above them, though there was no heat. Just a force that they had to brace against. It crawled on Adrian's skin once it was over, feeling oily and dark. It made him want to scrub at himself until the feeling was gone.

"The roof," Jordan said, the first one to speak after the disturbing blast. All of their eyes were trained to the ceiling above them. "I think it came from the roof." As one, all of them were moving, ducking into the larger room to receive their dropped weapons before running toward the roof. They had no idea where the stairs were, or if there even were stairs, so they had no choice but to take the elevator again. At the doors, though, Adrian paused and turned toward Jordan and Maia, eyeing both of them thoughtfully.

"Stay down here," he said, though not unkindly. He knew both of them cared about Simon, but fighting a Greater Demon like Lilith wasn't their job, and it seemed unfair to throw them against her now. "We need someone to tell the other Shadowhunters where we are when they arrive. Plus, we have no idea if there are other cult members somewhere. Can you two hold the line here?" Jordan raised his eyebrows, while Maia snorted. Adrian mildly noticed she had ripped the skirt of her orange dress so that her legs had more room for her to run.

"You're not subtle at all, babe," Maia said, but she smiled at him, even leaning forward to punch his shoulder lightly. "But, if it makes you feel better, fine. We'll stay down here, where it's safe from Lilith. You guys be careful, okay?" Maia frowned then, her small smile disappearing. "I will kill if you if die."

"Ask Magnus to help with that," Adrian teased. The elevator doors had opened behind him, and Alec was holding the doors open for him, while Isabelle flicked her whip impatiently. He dropped Maia one last wink, then stepped back into the elevator. Alec immediately let the doors close and punched at the roof number. Adrian avoided his own reflection in the mirrors once the doors to the elevator closed, not wanting to see all the black blood on his clothes. He couldn't wait to get out of them. He sighed, then pulled his seraph blade out of his belt and named it again. None of them spoke at the elevator ascended, which was fine by him. There was nothing to say, really, except for things they already knew.

As soon as the elevator doors started to open, Isabelle was there, sliding through the thin opening and wielding her whip. Adrian was sure she was going to release some type of war cry. Alec was close on her heels, and Adrian took up the rear, all three of them flying into whatever battle there was without a second thought. Only there was no battle. Isabelle skidded to a halt not even five feet out of the elevator, and Alec nearly ran into her. Adrian did run into Alec, cursing as the seraph blade fell from his surprised fingers. Adrian peered over Alec's shoulder, wondering what in the world Isabelle had stopped for, only to blink in absolute shock. Standing in front of Isabelle was an exhausted Jace, and behind him was Simon, holding Clary close to his chest. All three of them looked like they'd been thrown through a woodchipper. Simon was the only one whose skin didn't have shallow cuts and bruises, though his clothes were wrecked. The two groups stared at each other for a moment, bewildered.

"But—" Isabelle gasped, finally breaking the shocked silence. Adrian moved out from behind Alec. They had briefly looked for Jace and Clary before leaving the party, but they hadn't been able to find either of them. Adrian had assumed they'd gone off for a rendezvous. Somehow, though, it didn't surprise him they had been dragged into whatever this situation was between Simon and Lilith. "What are you doing here?"

"We could ask you the same question," Jace said dryly.

"I didn't—We thought you and Clary were at the party," Isabelle revealed. She was rattled, her relief over seeing Simon safe a near physical thing. Adrian could feel it through their bond, though vaguely. Like a weaker echo. "We were looking for Simon."

"You were?" Simon asked. He and Isabelle stared at each other. Isabelle flushed slightly.

"Well, don't look so surprised," Adrian told him, breeching the space between them to grab Simon's shoulder. Even with the Mark of Cain etched into his forehead, Adrian still cast a keen eye over his person, double-checking he wasn't hurt. He did the same to Clary.

"Jace?" Alec said behind him. "What are you doing here? And for Angel's sake, what happened to you?"

"Stele," was what Jace chose to respond with, his voice bone dry. His voice cracked. "Do you have a stele?"

"Of course," Alec said, baffled. Adrian took one of Clary's hands and was shocked by how cold she felt. "If you need an iratze—"

"Not for me," Jace said in that same choked voice. "Her." Adrian glanced over his shoulder to see Jace pointing at Clary. It was only then that Adrian realized why this had been so odd to see. Simon was carrying Clary, not Jace. Jace was keeping his distance from her, even when she was clearly hurt. That was very, very unlike him. "She needs it more than I do. Please, Alec. Help her for me." Jace turned then, away from their group entirely, and walked until he was at a set of glass doors. They were inside what seemed like one final room on the roof; he could see plants like a garden out the glass walls.

"You can set her down," Adrian told Simon gently, hands prepared to catch Clary if she fell. It was only when she was standing straight, though she slumped back against Simon for support, that Adrian saw how bad it was. Her golden dress was ripped to shreds, and there were deep cuts leaking blood all over her legs, abdomen, and legs. The only thing keeping her covered was Simon's red hoodie thrown over her shoulders. "By the Angel, Clary—"

"Who did this to you?" Alec demanded, joining Adrian, his stele in his hand. He bent to gently draw an iratze across Clary's abdomen. That was where her vital organs were, so getting that spot fixed first was smart.

"I—" Clary winced as her cuts slowly started mending. Alec got to work on her arms, itching one iratze each on the inside of her elbows, and she cast a desperate look over at Jace. He was still facing the glass doors. Clary waited until Alec had drawn iratzes on both her knees before she finished with a weak, "It's hard to explain."

"Why didn't you summon us?" Isabelle demanded, sounding hurt. Adrian blindly reached behind him, eyes still glued to Clary, and felt her link their fingers together. Her hand was shaking. "Why didn't you tell us you were coming here? Why didn't you send a fire-message, or anything? You know we would have come if you needed us." Adrian nodded in agreement, though he kept silent. He didn't feel as betrayed as Isabelle did for Jace, Simon, and Clary going on their own little mission together. He felt more relief than anything. Still, he wanted to know what in the world had happened here.

"There wasn't time," Simon admitted. "And I didn't know Clary and Jace were going to be here. I thought I was the only one. It didn't seem right to drag you into my problems." Adrian raised his eyebrows.

"D-drag me into your problems?" Isabelle sputtered. "You—" She released a sound of frustration, then dropped Adrian's hand and flew at Simon, throwing her arms around him desperately. Simon fell back a few steps, then caught his balance and embraced her back. Isabelle was cursing at Simon under her breath, and Simon just rested his chin on top of her head. Adrian looked at them for a moment, then focused back on Clary. Alec was murmuring to her softly, checking over her for other wounds.

"I think you hit your head," Alec murmured. "Magnus ought to look at you. What about Jace? How badly is he hurt?"

"I don't know," Clary admitted with a shake of her head. "He won't let me near him." Adrian looked over at where Jace was still by the doors, wallowing in his own misery. Alec turned Clary's head by her chin and etched another iratze on her neck, right under her jawline.

"What did he do that he thinks was so terrible?" Alec asked. Adrian was wondering the same thing. There was only one reason he could think of as to why Jace was refusing to touch or be near Clary, and that was a self-imposed punishment for something. He had done it before.

"What makes you think he did anything?" Clary asked.

"Because I know him," Alec said, releasing his hold on Clary's chin. "And the way he punishes himself. Not letting you near him is punishing himself, not punishing you."

"He doesn't want me near him," Clary said stubbornly. There was a pettiness in her tone that surprised Adrian. If he and Alec had been having problems before a life-threatening battle, and then both came out alive, he wouldn't be petty at all. He would have thrown himself into Alec's arms and never would have let him go.

"Come on, Clary, you know better than that," Adrian scoffed. "Don't you know him at all by now? I mean, you were his sister at one point—" He broke off when Clary sent him a glare so lethal that he actually found himself wary. He offered a small smile. "Too soon?" Alec dug his elbow into Adrian's side, though he was fighting back his own smile.

"You're all he ever wants," Alec added, turning the conversation back to Jace. Alec glanced around at the small room then, surrounded by glass, and frowned. "How did you two wind up here, anyway? We didn't even notice you leave the party with Simon—"

"They didn't," Simon cut in. He and Isabelle had finally detached from each other. "I came here alone. Well, not exactly alone. I was...summoned." Clary nodded.

"It's true," she confirmed. "We didn't leave the party with him. When Jace brought me here, I had no idea Simon was going to be here, too."

"Jace brought you here?" Isabelle and Adrian asked at the same time. Adrian looked over at Jace again while Isabelle continued on her own. "Jace, if you knew about Lilith and the Church of Talto, you should have said something."

"I guess it slipped my mind," Jace murmured. There was no emotion in his voice.

"It wasn't really Jace," Clary said in frustration, shaking her head again. "He was being...controlled. By Lilith."

"Possession?" Isabelle asked in disbelief. Adrian shook his head.

"But that's not possible. Shadowhunters are runed against possession. We have that ritual before we even get Marks, when we're babies..." Jace had moved, and it made Adrian fall silent. He watched as Jace tugged the collar of his shirt down to revealed a rune Adrian had never seen before. A deep cut ran right through the middle of it.

"This," Jace said emotionlessly, "is Lilith's mark. It's how she controlled me."

"Jace," Alec said worriedly, "usually the only way to sever a demonic connection like that is to kill the demon who's doing the controlling. Lilith is one of the most powerful demons who ever—"

"She's dead," Clary cut in. "Simon killed her. Or I guess you could say the Mark of Cain killed her." Everyone turned to stare at Simon.

"And what about you three?" Simon asked curiously. "How did you end up here?"

"Looking for you," Isabelle explained. "We found that card Lilith must have given you. in your apartment. Jordan let us in. He's with Maia, downstairs." A shudder went through her then. "The things Lilith's been doing—you wouldn't believe—so horrible—"

"Wait, everyone, slow down," Alec requested, raising his hands. "We'll explain what happened with us, and then Simon, Clary, you explain what happened on your end." So they did. Isabelle explained the dead babies downstairs, how they followed clues to find Simon, and then it was Clary's turn. She explained that Lilith had lured Clary, Simon, and Jace here to bring back Sebastian—who she viewed as some sort of son—and she had wanted to use the power of the Mark of Cain to bring him back. She was then going to bind Sebastian to Jace, who no longer had the protections against possession, since the angel Raziel had brought Jace back from the dead all those weeks ago in Idris. It wasn't even Jace's resurrection that made Isabelle interrupt. It was the fact that Sebastian's dead body was there, on the roof, encased in a glass coffin.

"Sebastian?" Isabelle hissed. She snapped her whip hard enough to open up a crack in the marble below their feet. "Sebastian is out there? And he's not dead?" She rounded on Jace. "I saw him die. I saw Jace cut his spine in half, and I saw him fall into the river. And now you're telling me he's alive out there?"

"No," Simon corrected hastily. "His body's there, but he's not alive. Lilith didn't get to complete the ceremony."

"'Not alive' isn't dead enough for me," she said through her teeth. "I'm going out there and I'm going to cut him into a thousand pieces." She started toward the doors.

"Iz!" Simon lurched forward to grab her shoulder. "Izzy. No."

"No?" she repeated, whirling to face him. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't chop him into worthless-bastard-themed confetti."

"Look, you understand about the ritual, right?" Simon asked. "Because Jace was brought back from the dead, that gave Lilith the power to raise Sebastian. And to do that, she needed Jace there and alive, as—what did she call it—"

"A counterweight," Clary whispered.

"The mark that Jace has on his chest," Simon continued. "Lilith's mark." He motioned to his own chest, resting his fingers over his heart. Adrian tilted his head to the side, wondering where he was going with this. "Sebastian has it, too. I saw them both flash at the same time when Jace stepped into the circle." Adrian frowned.

"And?"

"I think she was making a tie between them," Simon explained breathlessly. "If Jace died, Sebastian couldn't live. So if you cut Sebastian into pieces—" Adrian's eyes widened at the same time Clary sucked in a sharp breath.

"It could hurt Jace," Clary finished for Simon. Tears pricked at her eyes. "Oh, my God. Izzy, you can't."

"So we're just going to let him live?" Isabelle demanded.

"Izzy, he's not alive," Adrian cut in. "The ritual wasn't completed, remember? He's not alive."

"Cut him to pieces if you like," Jace said dryly. "You have my permission." Adrian shut him a glare.

"Shut up," Alec snapped at him. "Stop acting like your life doesn't matter." Alec looked at his sister. "Izzy, weren't you listening? Adrian's right. Sebastian's not alive."

"He's not dead, either. Not dead enough."

"Are you willing to kill Jace to fix that?" Adrian snapped at her. That finally made her fall silent, though she wasn't happy about it, if her glare was anything to go by.

"We need the Clave," Alec said gently, cutting through the tension. "We need to give him over to the Silent Brothers. They can sever his connection to Jace, and then you'll get all the blood you want, Iz. He's Valentine's son. And he's a murderer. Everyone lost someone in the battle in Alicante, or knows someone who did. You think they'll be kind to him? They'll take him apart slowly while he's still living." Isabelle stared at Alec for a long time, and then tears filled her eyes, dripping down her cheeks. She choked on them.

"I hate it," she muttered. "I hate it when you're right." Alec pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. He murmured something to her that Adrian didn't catch, and then she drew back. "Fine," she said, taking in a deep breath. "I won't touch Sebastian. But I can't stand to be close to him. Let's go downstairs. We can wait for the Clave in the lobby. Maia and Jordan are probably worried, too."

"Someone should stay up here to keep an eye on—things," Simon pointed out. He cleared his throat. "I'll do it."

"No," Jace said. He sounded more like himself now than he did minutes ago. "You go downstairs. I'll stay. All of this is my fault. I should have burned Sebastian to ashes back in Idris when I had the chance. And as for the rest of it..." Adrian frowned at him. He knew where Jace was heading with this.

"Jace, Lilith's actions are not yours. You know that," he pointed out. Jace didn't respond. He pointedly turned away from him, and Adrian sighed. Isabelle frowned as she pressed the call button for the elevator.

"Alec," Isabelle said lightly, "maybe you should stay up here with Jace."

"I don't need help," Jace said stiffly. "There's nothing to handle. I'll be fine."

"You're sulking," Adrian said flatly. Jace made a face at him. Adrian felt a flash of relief.

"Ugh," Isabelle grunted. She had lost patience long ago. "Let him sulk up here if he wants. You win, Jace." The elevator arrived, and she stomped into it, her whip trailing on the ground behind her. Adrian cast one last glance at Jace, then shrugged and joined Isabelle. Alec leaned against his side, then Simon and Clary came inside, Clary settling in front of Alec. Isabelle leaned forward to press the lobby button. The doors began to close, and then Alec placed his hands on Clary's shoulders.

"Alec, what on earth are you—" Clary started to ask, and then she yelped, because Alec had pushed her out of the elevator. Clary turned to stare at him with wide eyes at the doors closed, and Alec gave her a small smile and a shrug. Adrian snorted, barely able to keep from outright laughing.

"Well," Adrian said as they descended, "that's one way to get those two to talk."

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They only had to wait ten minutes in the lobby, all of them leaning against the walls. None of them wanted to risk sitting down on anything. If they sat down, then they were likely to crash, and none of them wanted to do that until they got nice, hot, and very long showers. Adrian spent the time stripping himself of anything that he could. Most of the suit was ruined, his jacket gone, and Adrian eventually gave up in favor of looking over at Alec. Alec was playing with a small dagger, twirling it around his fingers. Adrian opened his mouth—to say what, exactly, he didn't know—but he stopped when the lobby doors flew open. Shadowhunters came pouring in, all of them armed, all of them dressed in gear. They paused, however, when they saw the group waiting for them. Adrian was surprised to see a few guests from the engagement party arrive as well. Jocelyn and Luke had come, and they immediately went over to Simon. Adrian pushed himself off the wall. He knew, as soon as he saw Maryse, that he would be asked to give a report. He was mentally preparing himself for that when he caught a glimpse of familiar blonde hair.

"Alice?" he asked, shocked. His mother turned at the sound of her name, and relief split her face apart. Her heels were in her hand. Adrian didn't see Adam anywhere, or his siblings. It was just Alice. Brought along by Luke and Jocelyn, most likely. Alice weaved through the crowd of Shadowhunters until she was standing in front of Adrian. He could see her shaking. "What are you doing here? How did you know I was here?"

"Abigail saw you leaving," Alice said with a shaky smile, "and Jocelyn told me when she got the fire-message that you had battled..." Her voice got choked up, and she pressed a hand hard against her mouth. Adrian could only stare at her, his eyes wide. "By the Angel, I—Adrian, I know this is a lot for you. Meeting me, getting to know us. I know you might not be comfortable enough for this, but—may I give you a hug? It's just—when I heard you were in a battle, I have never felt that much terror in my life, and I really—if you let me, I would like—"

Adrian pushed off the wall and threw his arms around her. He didn't care if he was staining her dress, and she didn't seem to care, either. He was a bit too tall to curl up under her chin, so he tucked his face against her shoulder instead. He was shaking harder than she was, the sight of those dead babies still flickering through his mind each time he so much as blinked. Her arms wrapped around him, and he felt one of her hands come up to stroke his dirty hair.

"Oh, my sweet boy," Alice whispered, still stroking his hair. "It's alright." It wasn't. It wasn't. All those innocent babies, poisoned by their own parents, dead for no reason, for an evil reason. They had probably died in pain, only months old. He hadn't let himself think of it up there, hadn't let it sink it, but now he could feel tears coming. He had never faced something like this. He was dimly aware that Alec had slipped away from his side, giving him a private moment with his mother alone. He didn't know how long he cried into her shoulder, didn't know how long she held him and stroked his hair, but when he finally raised his head, he saw that the group of Shadowhunters had dispersed through the building and that Maryse was standing nearby, Alec at her side.

"Sorry," Adrian muttered as soon as he saw Maryse. He pulled out of Alice's arms and wiped at his face. "Did you need a report from me? I saw everything Alec and Izzy did." Maryse's face twisted with something like pain, and Alec released a pained sound as well. Alice sucked in a sharp breath when she turned and saw Maryse. Adrian glanced at her and saw his mother wipe her own tears from her face. That pained him. He hadn't meant to make her cry.

"I have all I need, Adrian," Maryse whispered. She glanced between him and Alice a few times, then stepped forward and cupped Adrian's cheek. "I'm ordering all of you—you, Alec, Isabelle, Jace, even Clary—to take a week or two off from your Shadowhunter duties, to recover from what you saw up there. Even Shadowhunters cannot be expected to bounce back from...that." Her mouth twisted enough to show she knew exactly what he had been crying about. Maryse stroked her thumb against his cheekbone, then smiled gently at Alice. "How about you spend a night or two with your family? I'm sure it will ease your mother's mind."

"Oh," Adrian breathed. He turned a hesitant gaze Alice's way. In truth, it sounded nice, the thought of spending time with his biological family. Spending the night in a house that wouldn't remind him of Shadowhunting, and thus, wouldn't remind him of those dead babies upstairs. "I—I don't want to impose—"

"We have a spare bedroom," Alice rushed to say. She cleared her throat a moment later. "It has a treadmill in there, and a few weights, but it has a bed, and a bathroom across the hall. I'm sure Michael has something you can wear." Alice shifted on her feet. She looked like she wanted to grab him and run. "You are not imposing on anything, swe—Adrian." My sweet boy. That was what she had called him. A ball lodged itself into his throat. He glanced from her to Alec, searching his boyfriend's clear blue eyes. The smile he offered Adrian was sweet.

"Go," Alec murmured. "I know where to find you."

Adrian did. He followed Alice to her home, let her lead him to the bathroom. He showered until the water ran cold, got dressed in spare clothes of Michael's, slept in the spare bedroom with the treadmill facing the window. He let Alice hover, because she was worried, and it felt nice to have a mother hovering over him. He let Adam bring him a mug of tea to drink, let Abigail climb up onto the bed and ask him questions about Shadowhunters. He even let Michael complain about Adrian stealing all his clothes, even as Michael hovered in the doorway, worried in a way Abigail wasn't. Unlike Abigail, Michael had seen the black blood all over Adrian before he had showered. All of it had centered him, and when Adrian woke the next morning, he did not flee in a panic. He just hesitantly went downstairs and joined them for breakfast, shy in a way he normally wasn't.

He didn't know Jace had disappeared, along with Sebastian's body, until two days later.

END OF PART ONE

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Part one is done! Finally! This is mostly unedited, so excuse any mistakes xoxo