AN: This was just an excuse to write as much angst and hurt as I could before I had to cry.

There once was a girl and a boy who set out to conquer the world.

And they nearly made it before reality came crushing down on them and punished them for daring to rise above the station Fate had decreed for them.

Fairy tales were meant to be tales after all.

They were outnumbered. They descended upon Clary and Simon and before they even knew what was going on, they had Clary wrestled down and were slowly advancing on Simon.

Clary kicked and bit and screamed, but the attackers just continued holding her down. They didn't give a reason; they didn't identify themselves. Like demons always did. Soon after, they had Simon down as well. Clary saw the flash of steel and then the characteristically sound of metal cutting through bone and flesh.

Simon didn't even make a sound; still too shocked by what was happening. He just kept looking at her and Clary was powerless to do anything.

It didn't last longer than a few minutes. All a blur of darkness, steel and blood – Simon´s, red, so red, it shouldn't be so red! – and then they were gone, as fast as they had appeared. Chasing after them didn't even cross Clary´s mind for a single second; not when Simon was laying there, so still – too still – as his blood seeped into the ground.

"Simon, oh my god," Clary shouted. "Simon…Simon…." She needed to do something. Anything. Once more she cursed the fact that she couldn't use runes on Simon. He needed her!

"Clary, this is it," Simon stated and Clary couldn't believe how calm he was. "I can´t feel my legs anymore. My whole body is slowly turning numb…I can´t even feel the pain anymore."

"No, no, no," Clary protested. "You won´t – you can´t – die here. We just need to get you to the Institute…or Magnus."

"There´s no time," Simon replied. "It´s too much, even for my vampire powers. I can feel my life seeping away. And the sun is rising soon. We won´t make it. Not this time."

"No," Clary cried. "Please, don´t leave me, Simon, please!"

"Don´t cry, Clary," Simon said. It was so typical Simon; always worried for her and always wanting her best. "I know that you´re gonna avenge me. You´re gonna kick some major ass." Clary just nodded, unable to form any coherent words.

"Could you turn me around?" Simon asked. "If I gonna die, at least I want to see one last sunrise."

"O-o-of course," Clary sobbed. Slowly, in order to not hurt him – what a joke, his body is a broken mess – she put her arms around him and turned him around. But then she didn't let go. She couldn't.

Then there was silence between them. They could have said so much – should have said all the things left unsaid between them; the things for which they never had time between the fights and the crisis that always tore at them. But the mark of truly great friendship was that it didn't need words. It just needed two people who were ready to go to the end of the world and beyond for each other; two people that would challenge God himself; two people that would laugh Death straight in the face as long as they had each other.

Clary and Simon definitely had laughed Death in the face more than once. Now he was the one laughing.

The silence was their farewell.

"Y´know," Simon whispered as the first sun rays appeared on the edge of the horizon. "After all this time I never thought that I´d die in your arms." He smiled. "That was way too sappy even for me."

"Simon," Clary sobbed. "No…no…please…" She cradled his broken and battered body in her arms and let her tears freely fall on him. "You can´t leave me now. We haven't been to Paris yet. We haven't tried German beer in Bavaria. We didn't fight in the Colosseum. We didn't hike along the Chinese Wall." It was so unfair! They never had the chance to be anything else but Valentine´s daughter and the Vampire. They never had the chance to escape, to free themselves from the shackles that the Shadow World hat put on them.

Always from one fight into the next. And along the way they had lost themselves. Bit by bit the Shadow World had eroded what had been Clary and Simon and replaced it with the Shadowhunter and the Vampire.

But Clary wouldn't allow that world to claim Simon´s death as well.

He wouldn't die as Vampire – as Downworlder. He would die as Simon with Clary at his side and she would remember him as such.

"It doesn't matter," Simon whispered, blood pouring down his chin. "You were enough. You always were. Just…please…promise me, Clary, promise me…promise me that you´ll find your happiness even if the whole world burns down around you. Even if it´s with Jace." Clary couldn't respond. Knew that she would fall apart if one more word left her lips. Knew that she would shatter like glass, into thousand shards, glittering like diamonds in the sky.

So she just squeezed Simon´s hand and buried her face in his hair and took a deep breath.

"The sun will be up soon," Simon remarked. He was so calm – so collected – for someone who was waiting for death to take him away. Clary looked up and gazed into the sky that was slowly turning orange. "At least I´ll see my last sunrise with you."

"I´m sorry that I could never love you like you wanted," Clary cried as she caressed Simon´s cheek, her fingers soaked in his blood. Simon looked at her and for one short moment there was the boy that Clary had protected from bullies years back in kindergarten. He had grown so much since then, but it had always been her job to protect him.

One last time he needed her.

"I´m not," Simon replied. "Until the end?"

"Always," Clary trembled. "Like we promised."

The sun light reached them. One last look. A last gaze full of love, understanding and compassion. One last time just the two of them, like it had always been. Like it should have always been. Simon and Clary against the world.

Then Simon burned.

And Clary screamed.