The Other Wayland

A Violin and an Argument

Elizabeth's POV
"Beth! Wake up!" I groaned and turned into Joe's chest who was some how still asleep. "Elizabeth Wayland! Wake up this instant!"
"Go away!" I threw a stray pillow at him. "I'm sleeping!"
"No you're not! You're talking therefore awake." Jace stood a the foot of my bed glaring at me. "It's seven in the morning come on!" He whined.
"By the Angel it's seven in the morning that positively half the day gone." I rolled my eyes and sat up.
"Bethie come on! Get up! You're gonna miss breakfast!" He was practically bouncing up and down.
"You are such a toddler!" I groaned it was too early for such excitement.
"Come on! Izzy isn't even cooking. That's reason enough to to get up, not to mention the surprise in the kitchen waiting for you." He begged me.
"Fine, give me a couple minutes and I'll be there." I glared at him. "You are so lucky I'm in a good mood this morning."
"If this is you in a good mood then..."
"Oh wow just like that my good mood is slipping." I said dryly.
"Oh you might want to wake Joe up too. Don't think I don't see him there." I threw another pillow at him.  "You live here now, that means I make the rules which means no boys in your bed."
"Why....?"
"Because I'm your big brother that's why. So no more sleeping in each other's beds do you understand?" He held eye contact with me until I gave in
"Yes, now will you go?" I rolled my eyes and groaned.
"Don't let me catch you two again." He warned.
"Fine I won't let you catch us again." I said defiantly.
"I heard that." He said in a sing-song tone.
"You were meant to." I shot back in the same tone.
He muttered something that sounded like. "Teenagers now a days." As he left the room, I rolled my eyes. When had my brother become such a goofball?
"Has he gone?" Joe groaned. He was as much as a morning person as a bat most days and was grouchy until he had several cups of coffee.
"Yes. That is after he banned this." I said waving a hand at our situation. He was shirtless as usual, our legs were tangled together and one of his arms was thrown carelessly over my waist which he grabbed and pulled me down until I was laying on my back. He shifted so he was over me slightly.
"He didn't ban this though did he?" He gave me a sly smile and I giggled. Since when did I giggle?
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Joe's POV
She giggled, it was so sweet that I leant over and kissed her nose as she screwed up her face.
"I think this is the reason he banned sharing beds." She whispered leaning up and saying against my lips. "Good thing I like breaking rules." She pulled me harder against her, wrapping her arms around my neck kissing me. I kissed her back, pulling her up against my chest. She leant into me, her hands moving from my neck to my shoulders.
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Elizabeth's POV
I ran my fingers over the muscles in his shoulders, they jumped under my fingers as they responded to my touch. He was so strong and gentle. He removed his hands from my back so I dropped from his chest to the bed. He ran his hands from my waist to under my oversized sleep shirt I wore and over my ribs. I gasped against the kiss which allowed him access which he took advantage of, slipping his tongue into my mouth, letting it dance with mine.
"I don't hear much getting ready in there!" Jace called from outside my door. Joe jumped away from me rolling over to lay on his back beside me.
"There is much getting ready going on. We're just doing it in silence because it's SEVEN in the morning!" I called back finally getting out of bed and walking over to the bathroom taking clothes with me.
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Joe's POV
She returned from the bathroom ten minutes later wearing light makeup, her hair still damp and starting to curl. She saw me watching her and grinned doing a little twirl.
"Do you like it? It's new." She asked gesturing to her dress. I let my eyes trail over the outfit, the dress itself was navy and white with stripes, the horizontal stripes emphasised how small her waist was and the skirt cut just above the knee. The heels were very red and very shiny, they weren't as high as her usual ones but still managed to make her legs look like they go on forever.
"You look beautiful." I told her and she beamed.
"Thank you." She said walking over to the dressing table and sat straight backed on the stool combing her hair. "You should go get ready. I don't trust Jace not to come barging in any second now demanding to know why we aren't ready yet." She made eye contact with me through the mirror as I laughed.
"Can I use your shower?" I asked hurriedly. She nodded and smiled. I grabbed my clothes off the floor and ran into the bathroom taking a five minute shower. I emerged to find Liza tying a bobble at the end of a long braid down her head. She had dried her hair into perfect neat curls and had braided the top half. It brought the hair away from her face and showed the different tones in her hair. She smiled standing up.
"Ready for some breakfast?" She asked lightly.
"By the Angel yes! I am starving!" I declared dragging her out the room towards the kitchen.
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Elizabeth's POV
He took my hand and dragged me to the kitchen. As soon as we arrived some one covered my eyes and I swallowed a scream. The person walked me a few paces before removing his hands to reveal my beloved violin sitting in it's case on the kitchen table.
"Surprise Bethie!" Jace whispered into my ear from behind me. I spun round and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you thank you thank you." I bounced up and down with excitement so happy to have my baby back. I took it out of it's case and ran a hand over the smooth dark wood. I loved this inanimate object more than I really should. I placed it back carefully in the case and reached for the bow, checking the hairs and holding it between my fingers.
"Play for us." Alec requested from the other side of the room. Izzy agreed and Clary nodded while nursing a large cup of coffee.
"I don't know. It's been a while." I said hesitantly.
"Come on Liza, you are incredible, you know it." Joe encouraged me with a reassuringly smile. I nodded and raised the violin to my shoulder so it was tucked under my chin and closed my eyes letting that part of my unconscious brain take over.
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Jace's POV
I watched as she closed her eyes and raised the bow to the strings and began to play a song that Dad had taught her, an extract of 'The Lark Ascending' composed by Vaughan Williams. It was beautiful and perfect and tear jerking. As she played tears started to damped her lashes against her cheeks. The song took me back to the few happy memories we shared. Of spending long summer evenings training in the garden with our Dad while she practiced, the beautiful notes drifting out of her bedroom on the wind. Of sitting on the piano stool accompanying her on a piece, making beautiful music together. Of watching her practice and the way her eyes lit up while she played, the look of complete calmness as she drew the bow. I watched her now and saw that similar look, as her fingers flew across the strings. I also saw the tears starting to dry and a smile beginning to form. Her whole face lit up as she drew the bow definitively and finished playing. She let out a breath and  her eyes flew open.
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Elizabeth's POV
This felt right. I had started playing without thinking and was surprised when my fingers found these notes. I hadn't played it in years but it still came out as perfect as it had the last time I played. It was then that the voice filled my head.
"You think you love him. You think you can't live without him. It's all lies. You are not possible of love. You are a monster. He doesn't love you. You are impossible to love." He hissed into my ear and I felt my eyes begin to burn with tears behind my eyelids. "I am the only person who would ever be capable of caring about you and that is only because you are my daughter. I am the only one who can protect you once they know what you are!"  I had no idea what he was talking about, I was just me, Elizabeth Wayland the ordinary orphaned shadowhunter. That was it.
"You disgust me!" He spat. "You are pathetic and weak. You are disgrace to me and after all I have done for you. You are a waste of space."  He left my head then and I felt lighter. I drew the bow across my string with as much finality as I could muster and finished playing. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and opened my eyes. Alec, Izzy and Clary's faces were full of shock. Jace wore a knowing smile and Joe, his face was full of pride and love. He was so proud of me and all I felt was sick. I carefully laid the violin down and then unceremoniously left the kitchen.
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Joe's POV
She just walked out the room. She put the violin down and left the room. I frowned, I looked over the Jace who shrugged and nodded at me to follow after her. I found her sitting on the steps outside the institute just staring into space, like she was hearing something I couldn't.
"Liza?" I called and she tensed up. "Liza, are you alright?"
She turned to face me pale and shaking. "I'm fine." She was lying to me, I knew her to well to not notice.
"No you're not." I said sternly. "Don't lie to me about that."
"Fine, I'm not okay. Is that what you wanted to hear?" Her eyes suddenly lit with anger.
"No, Liza, I wanted you to be honest with me. That's all I have ever wanted! I just want you to talk to me."
"You want me to talk, you want me to tell you that I feel like I'm going crazy! That I hate it! That I am weak and a pathetic excuse of a human let alone a shadowhunter! Is that what you wanted to hear?!" She shouted at me.
"Of course I want to hear it! I want you to be able to talk about this! It's not good for you to bottle it all up!" I shouted back. "You don't go through what you have and not feel anything!  That's not exactly normal Elizabeth!"
"Well guess what Joseph? I'm not normal! My own mother deserted me when I was hours old! I watched my father's murder! I lost my brother in the same week! I'm in love with my best friend and my dead father tortured me for hours in my own head by murdering my brother and the love of my life in front of me in the most horrendous and painful ways imaginable!" She shouted her cheeks red with anger.
"What?" I asked stumbling back slightly with shock.
"He made me watch you and Jace die repeatedly before having you kill me." She said coldly like it was simply a fact. I sank to the steps as I let the magnitude of what she had saw sink in. She had been tortured by me, using me. She sat down next to me.
"Joseph?" She whispered sadly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"I was the one who hurt you!" My voice broke with sadness and guilt.
"No, you didn't, the person who is doing this to me hurt me. You have done nothing but love me." She said pulling me against her. "I didn't want to tell you because I knew it would hurt you. I didn't want that. I love you Joe, so don't you dare blame yourself for this! Yeah?" I wrapped an arm around her waist and she rested her head on my shoulder.
"I love you too." I whispered into her hair and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. We stayed there a while just sitting in a comfortable silence as we watched the people passing by on the street.