Summary:

Alec was worried, normally Alec could easily tell if the worry was his own or Jace's but for the last several days he had been nearly overcome with worry, terror and sadness, none of which had been his own because he had been in the midst of planning their assult against Valentine's base with Magnus and Izzy.

Now Alec could feel his stomach twisting and churning and Alec had thrown up twice in the last few hours and Jace had refused to leave Simon's side, his hand holding the Vampire's tightly while the Rune bled black, Simon had yet to start convulsions again and Magnus and Catarina had told Alec that it was likely that Simon would just fade away into a proper death anytime now and Alec, Alec didn't know how to help Jace.

Simon was drifting in the freezing darkness, there was nothing around him and Simon could feel his own existance but could see nothing beyond himself.

"Hello?" Simon called, his voice echoing out into the nothingness, "Is anyone there?"

Something bright came into sudden existence behind him and Simon spun around, wondering why he did not feel the urge to shield his eyes from the light.

"Zevedyah." A strange voice echoed into the nothingness and vanished into the darkness.

"My name is Simon." Simon said in a confused voice.

The being of light seemed to expand before contracting into a smaller form, "Once you were named as I called you, come Zevedyah."

The being seemed to offer a hand and Simon was compelled to take it in his own, frowning at the dark grey light that engulfed his hand, Simon almost wondered why he was reaching out with his left hand when he always used his right but when he wiggled his right hand he found it restricted and something squeezed his hand.

"What's going on?" Simon asked.

"A journey." The being told him.

"A jouney?" Simon asked, confused, "What kind of journey?"

"The kind that changes you." The light told him.

Simon frowned, "Why are we here?"

Simon and the being were watching the day he met Clary in pre-school. Clary was crying because one of the other children had taken the crayon she had been using and the teacher had only told her to share, little Simon had frowned and then offered his own orange crayon to the crying girl, 'It matches your hair.' Baby Simon had said and Baby Clary had giggled and nodded and used that color for her drawing instead of the red she'd been planning on using for her own hair.

They'd been best friends ever since.

"Because this is when your redemption actually began." The being told him.

"Redemption?" Simon asked, "Redemption for what?"

The being turned away and led the way through the darkness, blurred visions of old memories being passed by as they walked.

The being eventually paused and turned to another Memory.

The Simon in it was clearly older and he was sitting next to Jocelyn and hugging her.

"I don't remember this." Simon said.

"No, she took this memory from you but it is still important, Zevedyah. You caught her vanquishing a Demon and were scared but you told her that she was still your best friend's mom and a second mother to you." The being offered as they moved on.

"I don't understand why I need redemption, what did I do that needs redeeming?" Simon asked.

"It is not so much what you did, Zevedyah, but rather what you refused to do."

"What did I not do?"

"You did not speak when you should have, you did not protect when you were asked, you watched when you should have acted." The being told him, "And now you must find the right path and help others to it, this will be your task from now on, guide them to be better than they are."

"Who?" Simon asked.

"All of them." The being said and a thousand faces flashed in his vision as a thousand voices echoed in his ears and Simon began to scream.

Jace ran from the room when the scream split the air, the Clave trying to stop him but Jace would not be stopped, he nearly fell beside Simon's bed and grabbed his hand.

"Simon?" Jace asked as the scream tapered off and lifted Simon into his lap.

Simon blinked slowly, his eyelids seeming heavy as he tried to open them.

"Jace." Simon whispered reaching to grasp Jace's shirt.

"Yeah, I'm here." Jace murmured into Simon's hair.

"What's going on?" Simon slurred into Jace's chest.

"Nothing important." Jace said, ignoring the afronted gasps from the Clave members that had followed Jace's mad dash and Alec and Magnus' giggles.

"They're not very good people." Simon whispered, "I can hear people screaming and begging them to stop, that they've not broken the Accords."

Jace frowned, "Who is screaming?"

"So many people, so many children. She killed them anyway, why would she do that?" Simon asked.

"Who?" Jace asked softly, eyes falling on the shifting Clave members, several of them seem nervous.

"All of them." Simon whispered turning blank silver eyes to Jace.

Jace was startled by Simon's eyes but he nodded, "We can investigate."

"There's nothing to investigate." One of the Clave members snarled, "The Vampire's gone mad due to the Angelic power from the Rune."

Simon settled his head on Jace's chest heavily, tiredly.

"What is going on?" Magnus asked.

"So many voices." Simon murmured, "So many sad screaming children."

"Shh." Jace murmured into Simon's hair, gently pushing Simon to lay next to him, taking his hand in his and glaring at the members of the Clave.

One of Clave members pulled a blade and moved quickly, trying to kill Simon, Jace was startled and shoved to the ground and Simon jerked in the bed as the blade entered his stomach.

A light burst into the room, blinding everyone in the room.

The light dimmed nearly imperceptably but still left everyone blinking rapidly trying to see clearly.

Simon felt a half smile crawl onto his face, "Hello, Raziel."

The members of the Clave stiffened and Jace picked himself up from the floor, still holding Simon's hand as he stood by the bed.

"Zevedyah." Raziel said with a nod, "I have been sent to give you a choice."

"What kind of choice?" Simon asked.

"It has been decided that your task has already been completed, you have helped guided several of those that were lost back to the right path, they will remain so all their lives. This has been weighed and has balanced your scales." Raziel nodded regally.

"Who?" Simon asked.

"Jocelyn Fray would never have returned if you had not assured her that you would always love her as your second mother, without your insistence on remaining with Isabelle Lightwood the Lightwoods would have remained ignorant and derisive toward Vampires." The Angel paused and gazed into Jace's soul, "And Jace Wayland, named different at Birth would have fallen to Valentine Morganstern's ideals, many lives that are necessary would have been lost. Many things would have had to be rearranged."

Simon squeezed Jace's hand in his.

"You have a choice to make, you may come with me and become as we are or you can be born again." Raziel offered.

Simon took several breaths, wondering which to choose, which one would be better.

Looking at Jace Simon realized that he had only one choice really. What else could he do but stay with the man who loved him, the man that Simon may have come to love himself in the cages where Valentine had kept them.

Raziel smiled down at him and nodded, he understood and perhaps even approved.

Simon let the Angel lay his hand on his shoulders and a kiss on his forehead and then the Angel vanished, leaving everyone blinking rapidly again to clear their vision.

Simon shifted a little, vaguely noting that the wound he'd been given was healed and the Rune on his shoulder no longer burned or bled black as it had only moments before. And holding his hand was Jace as the Clave gaped in shock but Simon wasn't worried about them, because he had Jace's hand in his and Simon knew that they could make it, they could, they just had to try.

Simon smiled at Jace and used their hands to tug the man closer, making him stumble and fall over Simon's lap and then Simon was kissing Jace and it felt so right and perfect and all the voices that had been screaming and begging and crying were silenced and all that was left was the feel of Jace's lips on his, his free hand clutching his hair as the hand in his squeezed tight and the Wedded Rune Jace had carved on his shoulder glowed gold.