DISCLAIMER – All things mortal instruments belong to the brilliant Cassandra Clare. I only own the writing, idea, and any original characters. Do not copy, reproduce, or translate without written permission from me.

NOTES – My mind is scattered with TMI fic ideas so i'm going to try a few of them out. I lost the second chapter to Never Surrender so I have to re-write it which I will do this weekend.

SUMMARY – Clary Fray's life isn't what it used to be, in fact she's hanging on by a thread, with the arrival of Izzy and Alec's cousin Jace things get a little more hectic especially when she finds out Jace is hiding a major secret. Can they teach each other how to love? Couples: Clace, Malec, Sizzy.

"Simon! Simon! Simon!" Clary began chanting as she exited her room and ran down the hallway holding her hand out to Simon's room, which was diagonally across from her own in the Institute. The institute was the name for the apartment building owned by Maryse and Robert Lightwood. Currently it just housed Isabelle and Alec Lightwood, Clary, Simon and Alec's boyfriend part time. It was the type of building you had to be invited to rent a room in, being close friends with Izzy gave Clary that invitation and Simon as well.

"Simon! Simon! Simon!" Clary continued chanting as she knocked on the door with her left hand still holding her right one out.

"It's one in the morning, Fray, is everything okay?" Simon asked as he opened the door of his bedroom. His brown hair was messy and his glasses slightly crooked as though he put them on in a rush.

Clary just held her hand out and pointed to her index finger where she had somehow managed to obtain a splinter.

"You don't freak out this much when you're bleeding but when you get a tiny little splinter, a splinter, you freak out as though it's the end of life as you know it every damn time" Simon said with a sigh as he grabbed Clary's wrist and dragged her through his room and into the bathroom. He knew why she always freaked out about splinters, when she was little her older brother told her that if she didn't get a splinter out right away it would slip into her blood stream and travel to her heart and bury itself inside of it before killing her. She was seven when he told her this and she cried over a splinter, being young she believed what her brother told her and ever since (even after realizing the truth) she freaked out over splinters.

Besides slivers of wood in your skin was just not natural, as far as Clary was concerned, and they were rather annoying.

Clary and Simon stayed silent as he removed the splinter from her finger tip. "There" he said after a few moments passed by and he managed to free the splinter from her finger before throwing It into the trashcan. Clary slid off the bathroom counter and exited the bathroom before walking over to Simon's bed and falling down on it.

"What are you doing?" Simon asked with a raised eyebrow, grinning at Clary when she narrowed her eyes at him. She hated that so many people could do it and she couldn't and Simon knew that.

"I don't feel like walking to my room and Izzy wants me to go shopping with her in the morning, if she can't find me then she won't be able to wake me up as early" Clary said as she closed her eyes.

"Okay, was just curious" Simon said with a shrug before getting into bed next to her. Most people would think they were in a romantic or sexual relationship if they came in and saw them sleeping in bed together but for those that knew them they didn't think it at all.

True, Simon and Clary tried dating once in high school but they weren't meant to be a romantic couple. They were best friends and they would always be best friends. Nothing more, nothing less and Simon and Clary have shared a bed more times than either of them could be bothered to remember. They were living proof that a boy and a girl could simply be best friends without wanting to have sex with one another.

The rest of the night and early morning came and went with Clary and Simon sleeping soundlessly and comfortably side by side. Then the sun came up and while Clary struggled to keep sleeping Simon eventually gave in to the bright sun that sent beams of bright light through the windows of his room. He showered and got dressed before attempting to wake Clary up.

"Go away Lewis" she muttered through gritted teeth as she tried to swat him away with her hand before shifting so she was in the center of his bed and curling up. She expected Izzy to come in and wake her up soon anyway, eventually the raven haired girl would realize she was sleeping in Simon's room and drag her out of bed.

Izzy never came and Simon only tried to wake her up a few more times with no success and eventually before she knew it she was waking up and it was nearly six o'clock in the evening. She slept for nearly fifteen and a half hours.

Clary slid out of Simon's bed and left his room before walking back into her own where she found a note on her pillow.

Clare

Had to go pick up my cousin at the airport with Alec, I assume you're in Simon's room (IT BETTER NOT BE TO HIDE FROM ME CLARISSA!) will be home sometime in the evening/night. Shopping shall take place another day (VERY VERY SOON). Love you!

XOXOXOXOX IZZY

Clary sighed before placing the note on her dresser and yawning slightly. She had slept so much it hadn't really done much of anything for her – she was still tired. She had been spending most nights in the past several weeks painting and getting her art portfolio together because during the day she was either working at Luke's bookstore, another job, or sitting with her mother in the hospital.

It had been a couple of months since the accident that left Jocelyn Garroway in a coma. Clary's step-father, Luke, had been just as heart broken and messed up about it as she was. Her older brother Johnathan had been in the car with her mother and unlike Jocelyn he didn't survive after being in the hospital a few days. Clary had been in the back seat of the car and somehow managed to survive, waking up a few days after the accident only to learn that her brother was dead and her mother was comatose. Clary also found herself working odd jobs, including a bartending job that she worked whenever she was needed at Pandemonium, she also sometimes worked as a cashier in Magnus' boutique but there were only so many hours in the day and night to work. The medical bills were quite expensive and Clary didn't want to put that all on Luke. Izzy and her family tried to get her to accept money from them but Clary refused nine out of the ten times she offered it, for the one time that Clary accepted it she swore and declared she'd pay Izzy back every cent.

Clary walked into her bathroom and turned the water in her shower on before stripping herself of her clothing and getting in. She took a rather long shower, something she rarely did but the hot water falling down on her body felt good and she didn't want to pull herself away from it.

After a little over thirty minutes passed by clary finally allowed herself to get out of the shower and wrap a towel around her small body before heading back into her bedroom. After changing into black shorts and a green tank top Clary sat down on her bed and called the hospital to check her mother's condition. She knew what they would say: Nothing has changed and she was still very much in a coma. Every day she called when she couldn't make it and she knew that every day they would say the same thing but that didn't stop her from calling. After hanging up with the hospital she called Luke and spoke to him for almost an hour.

Simon poked his head in once and made a remark about being sleeping beauty and how he was going to start auditioning princes to kiss her awake, she threw a pillow at him and he walked out of her room laughing as though she told him the world's funniest joke.

Clary resumed working on one of her paintings and by the time eleven o'clock rolled around she realized she hadn't eaten anything all day which explained her sudden extreme hunger. Deciding to quit painting for now Clary headed out of her room and straight for the kitchen. She knew the halls so well that she didn't bother to look up as she was walking and instead kept her green eyes fixed on the floor.

She regretted that the second she walked into a bare chest and almost falling over and would have if a set of arms didn't steady her. "Sorry Alec" Clary said knowing that it wasn't Simon by the chest (not that she memorized Simon's chest or the way it felt she just knew he wasn't as muscled as this one). Clary looked up at him only to frown upon seeing that it wasn't Alec. "You're not Alec" she stated as though it needed pointing out.

"No, I'm better" he said with a smirk keeping his hands on her arms as he gave her a once over "Do you make a habit of walking into shirtless guys, little girl?"

"I'm not a little girl" she said simply "Do you make a habit of being in the way when people are trying to walk?"

The male looked Clary up and down and even glanced behind her as though he were checking out her ass and then smirked. "Unless you're hiding a little something extra under those shorts, sweetheart, you're definitely a girl and hate to break it to you but you're little."

Clary rolled her eyes and pulled herself out of his grasp after realizing he was still holding onto her. "I'm not little!" she exclaimed before heading in the direction of the Kitchen.

"Yes you are, you could probably fit in my suitcase" he said as he followed her towards the kitchen, for no reason other than having nothing better to do.

She made a short stop before spinning around to face him only to have him walk right into her. Before she could hit the ground one hand was holding onto her leg while the other slid gently to her back. "You know girls usually fall head over heels for me but not literally as much as you seem to" he said with a bit of a smirk as he held onto her.

"Maybe it has to do with the fact that you don't know how to walk" she said looking up at him as she spoke, her hands on his arms.

"You walked into me the first time, but I didn't mind" He said as he looked down at her wishing there was a brighter light so he could fully admire her appearance.

"Who are you anyway?" Clary asked realizing she didn't know his name yet.

"Jace Wayland. Izzy and Alec's cousin" He replied "And you are?"

"You can let go of me now, Wayland" Clary stated opting not to give him her name.

"As you wish, Red" he said before pulling her towards him her body merely inches from his own. He dropped his hold on her leg and removed his hand from her back and watched as she walked off in the direction of the kitchen before grinning to himself and walking back towards his room.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

* I'll list ages when I finalize them. Note they're in college or at least starting it. Review! 3