Chapter 1

Jace woke up to see Clary standing at his bedside, her sketchpad in hand, pencil tucked behind her ear. She smiled when she saw his eyes open. "How do you feel?" She asked.

Clary had come early that day, and Jace was still asleep when she walked into his room. She had been sitting against the wall sketching for the past half-hour – anything she could think of to put down on paper, mostly related to Shadowhunting. She had tried to think of new runes, but as of late, she'd had no inspiration. She had stood up and moved toward Jace just as his eyes fluttered open.

"Er, fine, I guess. What were you doing?" Jace replied, gesturing at the sketchpad.

Clary sat down and began leafing through the pages of drawings. Most were of Jace; attempted sketches of him, really. Clary could never get him right. Now, Clary thought, was one of the best opportunities to try again, when he was sleeping. The sketch she had done in the park – of him sleeping- was still there, too, in the very back. "You're still glowing," she said. "I... wanted to draw you while you were glowing. But I gave up." Clary closed the sketchbook, just as Jace sat up and grabbed it from her unsuspecting hands.

Flipping the cover open, he leaned back against his pillows and began critiquing Clary's oeuvre. She lunged for her sketchbook, but he held it up above him. She smiled and tried to get to the other side of the bed before he moved, but it was a lost cause. Giggling, she sat back down at the foot of the bed. She had nothing to hide from him anyway.

Jace resumed his work. With each new page, a different expression came over his face; he smiled and scratched his head when at last he reached the final installment. "Do you care to explain to me what this might be?"

Clary got up and peeked over Jace's shoulder at her drawing. Oh, dear, she thought. She had drawn a wedding scene – what she thought a Shadowhunter wedding would look like – outside, a flat expanse of grass and wildflowers. In the middle of the expanse was a square stone platform with runes of love and prosperity, runes of commitment and tranquility. At each corner of the platform was a column with a witchlight torch at the top, and more runes running up the sides. In the center of the platform was a circular design; around the edge was the verse on which the Shadowhunter marriage ritual is based. "Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is as strong as death." And in the middle of the circle, standing on the marriage runes carved there, were Clary and Jace. Facing each other, grasping hands and staring into each other's eyes, the marriage runes gleaming like new gold jewelry on their arms; they seemed perfectly happy. The drawing was one of Clary's best, except for one thing: Jace didn't have a face, just a light outline of what should be there.

"Oh. That," Clary sighed, moving back to sit at the foot at the bed again. "... I'm sure you understand the whole scene, but the part... where you face is gone..."

Jace grinned. "I understand the scene. No worries there. It's – "

"I wasn't done!" She paused, thinking over her words, and then blurted, "You don't have a face because I can't ever draw you. You never look right. I figured it's better to have a faceless 'you' than a 'you' with a messed up face."

Jace closed the sketchbook and moved over to the side of the bed, making room for Clary. He patted the empty space, and she settled down beside him. He took her hand and held it up between them, linking their fingers together as he did.

"You know I don't care what your drawings of me look like? Whether they're amazing or just good or even terrible. I don't care." Hesitating, he gave her hand a light squeeze of reassurance. " I can't draw; just that fact that you can makes me not care what I look like in your drawings. And you can make runes, so at least your talent can go somewhere."

"I know. It just really bothers me and I feel really embarrassed that you never look right." Clary leaned her head on Jace's shoulder and closed her eyes. She wondered why she could never draw him. There had to be a reason. Was it her, or was it just Jace's appearance? As she lay there, her thoughts wondered off to less taxing things, like what she would wear to her mother's upcoming wedding. She really liked the dress that she had picked out – a simple yet gorgeous silk dress with narrow straps, a shimmery copper color. She thought of her mother and Luke, who seemed to have no problems, while Jace had Heavenly Fire raging inside of him, and nobody really knew the consequences of such a thing.

He reached to stroke her hair, placing a little kiss against her cheek and leaning his head against hers. Peacefully lying there next to each other, just being close, and having Jace's reassurance was better than any talent she could've received from Ithuriel's blood.

†

Clary and Jace must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she was aware of was a rapping at Jace's door.

"Come in," Jace called with a yawn. The door opened, and Isabelle strutted in, a stylish handbag slung over her shoulder. She looked around the room, taking it all in as if she'd never seen it before.

"This room never really changed, but I get a different vibe from it now that you're back. When you were missing, it was all sad and dark and..." Isabelle paused, searching for the right word. "Gloomy. I'm glad you're back, Jace."

At this, Jace looked around his room, like he was trying to catch some of the vibe that Isabelle was describing. He smiled, then said in all seriousness, "As long as I am far, far away from Sebastian, I don't care what room I'm in – good vibes or not." He put a disgusted emphasis on Sebastian, and Clary remembered that as bad a person that her brother is, nobody hates him as much as Jace does. "What's up, Isabelle?" he added, as Isabelle hadn't exactly announced her purpose for coming in his room.

"I was thinking of going shopping. Clary, do you want to come with me?"

A shopping trip with Isabelle sounded inviting. Fashion-conscious Isabelle, who was wearing black skinny jeans tucked inside leather high-heeled ankle boots, a sheer red bubble shirt, all topped off with multiple silver bracelets, diamond earrings, and a long silver owl necklace. Even so, Clary really just wanted to be with Jace right now. "I'd like to, but I think I'll stay here a little while," she told Isabelle as she sat up and crossed her legs, leaning back on her hands.

"Alright, fine. I just won't have anyone to tell me not to spend a hundred dollars on a dress." She headed toward the door and grabbed the knob. Just when Clary thought she was going to leave, Isabelle turned back to look at them and flashed a grin. "You two enjoy yourselves. And don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Got it, Iz," Jace simpered as Isabelle left the room and closed the door behind her.