AN: I hope you guys like this. Let me know what you think. Love it? Let me know! Hate it? Let me know! Feel like flaming it? Go right ahead! Lol I really don't care what you say, so just say something.

Disclaimer (I hate disclaimers and there will only be this one that goes for the whole story). I own nothing. I am just a fan girl who loves to write. This is and I really don't see why we do these things...anyone agree?

I like to put songs with chapters and characters (the characters "theme songs" change as the story goes on) so here goes,

Simon's "Theme song" for the chapter is I'm For You by TobyMac

Clary doesn't have a song yet, any suggestions?

The song for this chapter is Those Nights by Skillet

Clary couldn't sleep, she tossed and turned for hours, finally she pulled out her phone and texted Simon.

'You still up?'

Almost instantly she got a reply, 'I am now, thanks Fray.'

She smiled, her mothers maiden name. The name she would someday go by. Only Simon called her that. Her father didn't like it when she used her mother's name, so she didn't, not around him anyway. Around him she was Clarissa Morgenstern...unless of course she wanted to make him mad. Making him mad was never a good idea...not that she didn't do it every now and then. Someone needed to put him in his place and since everyone else was too scarred to that left her, not that it ever worked...or ended in anything other then pain. But some times it was worth it. She was a red head after all and sometimes she just had to give in to her temper -Simon called it giving in to her hair...Simon said lots of stupid things.

'Sorry next time turn off your phone if you don't want to be awakened' she texted back.

'what's wrong?' she sighed he knew her too well.

'long story, the short answer is dad'

'when is it not? Get over here Fray' she smiled. She had been hoping he would say that.

She got out of bed, she was wearing sweatpants and a cammie, she didn't bother changing her clothes, just grabbed a tee shirt and threw it over the cammie, she didn't bother with shoes, shoes were to loud. She stood on top of her dresser once again cursing her shortness (what sort of 17 year old was only five feet and apparently done growing?) she carefully slide the air vent cover aside and pulled herself up into the vent. The vents were big, like the ones people were ways crawling through in movies. Only in real life a fully grown man probably would fit up there and if he did it was highly doubtful it would hold his weight. This was a the side to being short and tiny and she knew she would never trade for being normal sized. She was always the one to go crawling through the vents never Simon, they we afraid that anyone bigger then her might break it, it was after all very old. They had discovered that they could use the vents like this when they were twelve. Actually Clary's mother had showed them the vents and how to use them, that was just before she had gotten sick, now Clary often wondered if maybe her mom had known she was getting sick. Had known she would be leaving her daughter to fend for herself (her brother Jonathan did what he could for her but that wasn't much, if he got caught helping her they would both regret it). So her mother had made sure that she had a way to get to a safe place, Simon's room. Simon was a student at the center, he had started taking classes there when he was 5, he and Clary had been best friends since the day they met. He had moved in as a live in student when he was 10 shortly after his father died.

She was now above his room, she silently slipped out of the vent and landed on the floor, Simon who was laying on his bed didn't even hear her, she smiled, she was good, she soundlessly came up behind him and jumped onto the bed. He made a squeaking sound of surprise and she laughed. He smiled being scared out of his mind was worth in if it got her to laugh, she almost never laughed anymore and he missed it, he just wanted her to be happy again.

"You may well scare me to death one of these days, then where would you be?"

'Without a friend in the world.' her mind answered. She didn't say anything though, just whacked him with a pillow.

"Would you mind telling me why you're still awake at 1:30 in the morning?"

"Sorry... I just...needed someone... to talk to..."

He sat up and put his arm around her, "Don't be sorry."

She leaned her head on his shoulder, some people might think she and Simon would make a good couple but she loved him like a brother, nothing more, nothing less. He had like liked her at one point but he was over that now, mostly. He knew he would never trade her friendship for anything and there was this new girl at the center, Mia...

Clary didn't say anything for a while, just sat there with her head on his shoulder. Finally she said, "Dads going to get extra strict tomorrow, all those new trainers are coming next week, and he'll want us to all be at our best...especially me..."

So this was what was bothering her. He didn't know what to say so he squeezed her shoulders in what she thought of as a Simon hug. This was apparently the right thing to do because she went on, "I'm going to start teaching too, once they get here... I'm scarred Simon." she was two belt levels ahead of him and qualified to teach. She was now a fourth don back belt and he was only a second don. But for 17 year olds being above first don was something to be proud of, especially here. Her father ran the best and strictest training center in the U.S.

"You'll be fine. You're great with kids."

"Yea I guess... I just..." she sighed. "I miss my mom...like a lot." she whispered, not that anyone but Simon could hear her anyway, but somethings just couldn't be said aloud.

He nodded, "I know, Clary, I know." that was the thing about Simon he really did know, he wasn't just saying it. She hugged him. As he hugged back she started crying. She hated crying but if she had to cry the best place to do it seemed to be into Simon's shoulder. He held as she cried, like he always did, she had done the same for him many times. As she started to calm down he rubbed her back, she filched.

"Clary, did he whip you again?" she shook her head, she always did.

"Lie down" she hesitated. "Now."

She lay down on her back, despite the pain in her back it was part of what she always did. "Clary." his voice was gentle. "Now." she didn't move so he gently flipped her over and pulled up the back of her shirt. He tried not to show the horror he felt at the sight that awaited him. There was a new mark, it was the only red one thank God. He stroked her hair, she was so brave.

"Clary you have to tell me, so I can make it better."

She didn't say anything. Nothing made it better, they both knew that, he did make it hurt less though and that was something.

"I'll be right back." he went to get the first aid stuff out of his draw. He poured hydrogen peroxide over it and let it sit for a moment, her knew it stung but she never complained. Then ever so carefully he patted it dry with a soft cloth. Lastly he rubbed in some anti itch cream, it wasn't nearly as bad as some of the injuries he had treated for her and it would get to the itchy stage quite quickly. She hated the itchy stage, and anything he could do to make her life a little better was not nearly enough.

"You should get some sleep now." he said quietly. She didn't want to leave. "Can I sleep here tonight?" she hated to ask even though she knew he didn't mind, it seemed like showing weakness- Simon and Jonathan were the only people still alive that she trust enough to show weakness to. They had slept in the same bed as children when they would have sleepovers so now when one of them needed comfort in the middle of the night they did the same.

"Duh." Simon answered.

They lay down under the comforter. Simon wrapped his arms around her and she was almost asleep instantly.

Just before she fell asleep she whispered, "Wake me when it's over." it something they said when they were "in the depths of despair". Simon had said it first shortly after he moved into the center, when the pain of losing his father had seemed too much to bear, the first night they slept together here. It had stuck and now they both used it as a sort of code that meant 'thank you for being here for me', 'I don't know how much longer I can take this,' and so much more, all in just 5 little words, "wake me when it's over."

Simon stroked her hair again and whispered good night. She was already asleep. He smiled and soon followed her into the land of dreams, but not before wondering for what had to be the thousandth time what he could do to get her out of here. He didn't really want to live here forever either but there was no way he would leave Clary here alone.

So how was it? :) If you find and weird mistakes (and this goes for every chapter) please point them out! I am spell checking and proofreading about a million times but stupid dyslexia gets in the way anyway. Totally off topic but does anyone else think that the person who named dyslexia was laughing their head off the the whole time? I mean really! Why would you name it something so hard to spell? :P lol Sorry I just had to get that off my chest.