virago|c.g.|

xliv

Clary sat at Maggie's bedside, smoothing the hair from her forehead that was laden with sweat. She had been with her for who knows how long, never wanting to stray away or even allow her gaze to wander. However, they did so as she felt eyes upon her, looking up to see Aaron sit across from her. "How are you doing?" Aaron asked the girl, watching as she remained silent for a moment.

Aaron, like many, had been surprised when it had been declared that she was the Angel of Death. It seemed impossible to believe that the girl, who was kind and gentle with those she considered family, had killed members of others.

That revelation died in his mind as she let out a soft sigh. "I'll feel a lot better when we get to Hilltop and get her some help." Aaron nodded in agreement before he watched as the girl tried to make Maggie comfortable, smoothing her hair away and dabbing away sweat with a towel.

The woman slept as soundly as she could, bumps in the road causing her face to screw in pain before relaxing once again. Aaron's surprise could only heighten as he saw the gentleness Clary looked at her with, her hands careful and kind. It was the way Aaron had seen Glenn and Maggie look to her with, speak of her with, that gentleness seemingly shared by the found family.

"She loves you a lot, you know?" Aaron asked, watching her head perk up. "She's glad she has you in her life." Clary nodded her head softly, the corner of her lips quirking up in a small smile. "I love her, too. I'm glad I have her in my life. That I have all of you." Clary met his gaze with a soft smile. "Alexandria gave me a home with Glenn and Maggie. It gave me a new place to fight for, and I won't stop fighting to make sure that our home is safe."

As Clary's eyes met Aaron's in understanding, the man nodded his head as they heard footsteps approaching. The both of them looked away from each other and towards the doorway to see Carl looking to the two of them. He gave a small nod to Aaron before looking to Clary. There was silence for a moment before Aaron looked between the two, noting how they looked to each other. "I'll— um— I'll just go." With an awkward smile, the man left without another word.

Carl made his way to the girl, standing besides her before resting a hand on her shoulder. It brought her some comfort, bringing up her hand before placing it on his. Any other day, she would have shrugged him off, not wanting to display weakness at allowing the comfort. However, she let her head rest on top of both of their hands, closing her eyes to forget for a moment that they were being hunted by Saviors. And if there was one thing Carl seemed to do well, it was make her forget with one calming touch.

"You okay, Clary?"

The small ounce of peace the girl had felt practically dissipated as the question arose, causing her to pull away. "Why does everyone keep asking me that? Maggie's the one in pain, we should be focusing on if she's okay. She's the one that matters." Carl's face softened as he kneeled besides her, his gaze capturing her own. "We're all here for Maggie, but I'm also here for you. You matter a whole lot to me, so of course I'm worried." Carl's hand found its way to hold hers, causing her to sigh. "Well, you don't have to. All any of us have to worry about is getting Maggie to Hilltop." Carl nodded softly. "My dad's trying to find the best route we can take next. He wants to see what you think." Clary nodded her head softly, only stopping as she looked back to the sleeping woman. Knowing she was worried, Carl squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I'll watch over her while you're gone. You go do what you need to do." With a grateful look to the boy, she stood up from her seated position before making her way towards the front of the RV.

Within the small hall, Aaron passing by to check up on Maggie, Clary approached Sasha and Eugene as they looked over the map. With the two of them looking over it, they only looked away as the girl joined them. "What do you got?" Seeing the girl close, Sasha motioned towards the road they have been looking at. "Logrun Road is a straight shot, we'd get there quicker but they could ambush us." Clary pursed her lips, her mind wandering to the roads that made their way towards Hilltop.