The first time he saw her, he thought she was beautiful.

There was something about the way she bit the end of the pencil, staring at the bridge as if it were a puzzle that could be solved. He knew that it was strange, the way he kept on thinking about the beautiful girl sitting under the willow tree with a sketchpad, but there was something so different about her, as if she didn't belong in this broken world. Was it strange if he couldn't fall asleep because he kept on thinking about the way her curly hair tumbled down her violet shirt as she stared at the pond in front of her? Was it strange for him to think of this nameless girl who he'd only caught a glimpse of as he passed through the campus with his friends? Was it strange that he could still see the wind push her hair with the branches of the willow? He could still see her in his mind's eye, with her ripped skinny jeans and her artsy t-shirt. Was it creepy that he noticed the paint splattered on her shirt?

The first time she saw him, she thought he was radiant.

It wasn't just because everything about him was gold - his eyes, his hair, his skin - it was his smile, his laugh as he talked to his friends. Usually she stayed away from the athletic types. They were heartbreakers, and she had watched them break the hearts of her friends. But there was something so captivating about this boy, something so bright - it made her think that there was nothing in this golden boy that could possibly be broken or wrong. But then she saw him notice another girl staring at him, saw the way he winked at her, and her heart fell. He was like the rest of them. She walked on, even as her heart urged her to take another look, if only so that she could immortalize him later in her paintings.

The second time he saw her, he was shocked.

He hadn't expected to see her after that day by the pond. He'd think about her when he passed by the pond and saw the giant willow, but she was a half-forgotten memory in his mind. Even so, his head would turn whenever he saw red hair, as if he was hoping to see her again, which is why he noticed her sitting in the lecture hall as he entered. His heart beat a little faster. Maybe I should say hi to her. Deciding against it, he sat a few rows behind her. He had no idea what was taught that day, but he learned that she was an artist. He learned that she was right handed, and that her hands were covered in tiny freckles.

The second time she saw him, she was drunk.

Her mother had asked for a divorce, and her father had called her angrily, accusing her of scheming with her mother. He called her mother some very nasty names, and she had screamed at him, calling him things that didn't seem harsh enough. He threatened to sue her and her mother, and she'd hung up on him. Whatever. He was an abusive jerk who made her mother miserable. After hearing her sobs, her friends got together and made an impromptu date to go to the bar. She ended up intoxicated, unsure of where her friends were. Making her way to the bar, she ordered another drink, which she downed immediately.

"You should probably slow down."

The owner of the voice turned out to be a very sexy boy with very sexy eyes. She vaguely remembered seeing him before, sometime in the spring when the light hit him and set him aglow. Radiant. That's what she had thought of him.

She giggled. "You're cute," she said, reaching for his face, ready to make some poor decisions.

Surprisingly, he backed away. "Whoa, you must be really drunk. How many drinks have you had?"

"Dunno," she slurred, waving at the bartender.

"Okay, you should probably stop drinking." The boy looked at her worriedly.

She ignored him.

"Seriously, that can't be good for your liver. Do you want me to give you a ride home?"

She looked at him, his eyes pouring into her soul. It wasn't a smart idea, to let some random dude give you a ride home. Who knew what would happen to you? "How do I know you're not a serial killer or a rapist?"

He smiled down at her. "Don't you trust me?"

"I shouldn't."

He nodded, as if pleased with her answer. "My sister would be proud of you."

She snorted and left him, disappearing into the crowd to go dance.

After a bit of dancing, she got tired and decided to leave, even though she couldn't find her friends anywhere. She walked down the dark roads, cold and a little lost.

"Lost?" It was the boy from before.

"Are you following me?"

"Only to ask you if you wanted a ride."

The city was cold at night, and she wasn't sure where exactly she was. "I'm good."

"Just get in the freaking car!" This time, it was the muffled voice of a girl in the backseat.

The golden boy glanced apologetically at her. "Sorry, that's my sister."

She wasn't sure what happened next, since the rest of the night was a blur to her. But when she woke up the next morning, her head hurt like someone hit her with a hammer. She groaned loudly, stumbling out of her bed and making her way to the door.

The problem was that someone moved the door. Nothing was where it was supposed to be, and she realized she wasn't in her own room. At least she was still clothed, which was a good sign.

"Hey." The owner of the voice was the golden boy. He held out a glass of water and a few Advil for her, which she took gladly.

She stood there awkwardly, her head pounding. "Did we…" She gestured towards the bed.

"Have sex? No."

She breathed a sigh of relief before another wave of awkwardness crashed over her. "Um… I seem to have forgotten your name."

He smiled warmly at her. "It's okay. I'm Jace. Breakfast is ready," he added before he left her in the room.

Jace. She made herself decent and went outside.

The third time he saw her, he knew he liked her.

To see her drinking with a vengeance sent a pang through him. As he drove her back to his house - she fell asleep before she could tell him her address - she seemed so peaceful. And in the morning, when she woke up, she seemed so shy. He set down a plate of pancakes in front of her and went back to the kitchen to get the syrup. Usually he wasn't this hospitable, but he felt like being nice today. He wasn't sure why, but looking back in later years, he knew it was because of her. Even then, he loved her so much his heart ached. Even then, he loved her with all the love he was capable of. He loved her more than anyone else, possibly even more than himself.

She still hadn't told him her name.

She ate her pancakes silently, uttering a thanks as she got up and washed her plate. She's gorgeous, he thought. She seemed so small, so in need of protection. He didn't stutter often, but he stuttered when he asked her out for coffee.

She said yes, and he thanked his lucky stars.

She lost count of how many times she'd seen him.

It'd been half a year since she drunkenly stumbled into his life, and she never regretted it. She was happy with him, and she could never dream of a life without him.

They'd gone on many dates since that night, and Jace had always been good to her. She'd originally thought that he was a horrible, arrogant prick. While he was fairly arrogant, he was far from horrible.

In those six months, she learned about his insecurities and she told him about her nightmares. They'd shared hopes and dreams with each other, learned to be together. As they knew more about each other, their souls became more tightly knitted with one another. And because of that - their souls being knitted together - they stuck together, even though one was afraid of commitment and the other had never been in a serious relationship before. They stuck together, even though they had some of the worst fights. Because together, they were happy. Together, they were brilliant.

She was happy that day, as they walked through Central Park, their hands entwined with silly grins on their faces. The leaves had turned colors, and were starting to fall from their branches. The wind was harsh, sweeping the leaves from the ground and into the air.

It was in that cyclone of leaves that Jace proposed. His words left her silent, and he panicked, worrying that they were the wrong words to say. She stared at him, her heart full of love as she looked at everything that made her heart ache: his messy hair (which a leaf had somehow gotten into), his unreadable eyes, his lopsided smile, his high cheekbones, his strong jaw, the hands that held her when she had nightmares, the mouth that whispered sweet nothings and kissed her until she fell asleep again. She loved him so much she thought she'd burst from the amount of love in her body. But somehow, he didn't know that. He was still vulnerable and unsure, hoping that she loved him the way he loved her.

She tiptoed and brushed the leaf out of his hair and kissed him, telling him that she'd love him forever in between kisses.

Later, as she was cuddled next to him, she thought about it fondly. If someone had taken a photo of them that day, they would have seen him looking at her with such intense love in his eyes, and her looking at him with a soft, loving twinkle in hers.

And what a beautiful sight to behold.

A/N: Unfortunately, I'm very busy right now. I'm planning on adding a chapter to the end of Just Another Clace AU due to popular demand, but that's it. Nothing for Just Another Clace AU after that. I'm sorry, but I started that a long time ago. After that, I'll just be working on Heart Attack, my Sizzy fic.

I probably won't have a lot of time to work on those stories, so updating will take a long time. Meanwhile, I plan to upload any oneshots I write here, so keep an eye out for more stories here.

If you'd like to read any particular oneshots, leave a review! I can always use prompts, and if you leave a prompt (NOT smutty, please) I promise to write it. Eventually.

Review if you liked it, review if you hated it.