Clary wandered through the dark hallways of the old house while she was listening to the peaceful silence. The last nights, she had serious problems with getting some rest… It took hours before she finally fell asleep, and if she did she was haunted by horrendous nightmares. The lack of sleep had only made her more and more tensed which made it even harder to get some rest and she started to believe that she would never sleep again. She let herself slide down against a wall, while she sighted deep. She felt like she was going crazy and she seriously needed something to calm her down. She looked through the window across the corridor, hoping that the sight of the stars would calm her down like they usually did. But even those shimmering celestial bodies couldn't make her relax. She closed her eyes and pounded a few times lightly against the wall with her head, as if she could end the whirlwind of thoughts in her head like that.


Suddenly she heard a soft crack and she quickly opened her eyes. A bit disoriented she looked around her. As her vision focused and the blur faded, she saw the source of her interruption. Relieved, she blew out the breath she had been holding unconsciously. She looked at the guy who was walking in her direction. He held a glass of water in his hand and sauntered calmly trough the hallway but she could see that his memories were somewhere far away. The dim light of the stars lighted the hallways slightly and gave his golden curls an almost silver shine. She love the way he looked so… carelessly. It made him look younger and more … human, not as unattainable as he was most of the times. He was pretty close to her now and she quickly pulled back her legs, scared that he wouldn't notice them and would stumble on them.

Somehow this soft sound made him awake from his deep thoughts and he let out a little shout when he saw her sitting on the ground so close to him. He recovered quickly of the surprise and looked clearly irritated. "Goddamnit Clary! What the hell are you doing here in the middle of the night? I nearly had a heart attack!" He shouted after which he looked at his t-shirt with a cantankerous look. He had spilled a big amount of his glass over his grey t-shirt which stuck wet against his body. "I'm… I'm so… so sorry" I stuttered. "I di …. I didn't mean to…" my voice faltered and the end of my sentence was more a whispering against myself than a real answer. Something I did must have drawn his attention, because for the first time this evening he stared right into my eyes. And I don't know what exactly he saw right there, but it softened his look and he kneeled down right in front of me. "Clary? What's wrong? Did something happen to you?" He seemed worried and … protective and his eyes, those beautiful golden eyes that were staring so intensely at me, where full of emotions I couldn't read. Only then I sensed that my eyes were full of tears and that I was about to start crying. I took a deep breath and pushed away my feelings as I stood up. "I'm ok", I said silently after I had turned away my gaze, afraid that I was going to tell him everything when I kept looking into those gorgeous, honest eyes of him.

I didn't want to bother him with my problems, so I tried to step around him, but he took my arm and turned me around so I needed to face him again. "I don't believe you" he said, still worried. "Look me in the eyes, and tell me you're fine. Only then I'll believe you Clary." he said, and I looked him in the eyes. "I… I'm …" I looked away and sighted while I looked at my feet. "I knew it… Clary, you can tell me everything, you know that right?" he said, his voice full of emotion. I wasn't able to respond properly, too shocked by his sudden involvement. He always seemed so unattached and uninterested when he talked to me . All of a sudden he pulled me closer and before I had fully realized it, he was hugging me gently. At first I froze, unused to this kind of physical contact between us, but quickly I melted away in his arms, calmed down by his steady heartbeat.

After a minute or so I broke the silence: "Euhm Jace, I euhm, I don't want to spoil the moment or so, but your t-shirt is really wet you know…" I mentioned while I looked meaningfully at my own shirt that was now wet too. While I said it, I got taken aback by the slight joy in my voice. I couldn't believe that I only needed one hug of him to help me calm down?! His influence on me was just so massive and I didn't want to admit it to myself. He laughed huskily while he let me go and I shivered, not knowing whether it was the cold that hung in the hallways or what just happened that caused it. "You're cold", he stated while grappling my hand, and I could hear a sliver of concern in his voice. "Come on, redhead, I know a place where you will warm up quickly", he said while he dragged me through the corridors. "Where are you taking me?" I asked curious, but with a slight giggle I couldn't suppress. The only response I got was a cheeky and waggishly grin that made my knees tremble.