Right, so this is my first ever fanfic and I'll be the first to admit that I am not the best writer but I think as far as first attempts go, it's not too shabby.

The knock at my window frightens the hell out of me. I've used that window for years as an exit point, but nobody has ever used it as an entry point.

I get up from my computer and peer out, and there, crouching on the ledge, is Jace.

Jace Wayland.

Not just a name, but a state of mind I never want to revisit, although I do keep him at the back of my mind for those times I get my hopes raised about something. So then I can slap myself into reality and remind myself of what happens when you let someone into your sacred space.

He doesn't ask to be let in. He just stands up, expecting me to step aside. Technically this could be considered against the rules of my grounding, but I open the window.

He looks down at my singlet and underwear and stares for a long time like it's the most natural thing in the world. Then he climbs in and looks around the room without commenting.

I walk to my drawers and pull on a jumper, which barely covers my thighs.

'Hope you didn't do that on my account.'

I don't say anything and he casually leans against my desk, picking up the novel that's sitting there.

'It's bullshit,' he tells me, flicking through it. 'There's no such thing as Vampires.'

I shrug. 'It'd be good if there was, though. Why are you here?'

'Why else? It's been a year.'

I nod. 'It doesn't seem that long.'

'Has Simon been to see you yet?' he asks.

'No. I haven't seen anyone but you.'

'Please tell me you haven't been holed up in your room all day?'

'I've got nothing better to do. I'm grounded, remember?'

'Yeah, I know, but…'

'But, what? You think I'll get a reprieve just because it's been a year since my brother died. You know my mother, Jace. No crime goes unpunished.'

'I would hardly call ditching the last day of school a crime.'

'Yeah, well, you're not my mother.'

'Yeah, well, you shouldn't be alone…not today. I don't care what your mother says.'

He stands up from where he's leaning against my desk and it's like he hovers over me. I feel his fingers on my collarbone, faintly tracing the thin scars that run down the right of my neck.

It's all too awkward. A few days ago I had brought up one of the most taboo subjects of his life and he had me pinned against the wall and here we were pretending it never happened.

'I shouldn't have said what I said,' I say quietly. 'I don't know why I did.'

He shrugs. 'I didn't come here to ask or give forgiveness.'

And it's like a trigger word, making every pulse inside of me throb and every memory of the two of us come the fore of my mind.

'Forgive me,' I whisper, dizzy from the sensation.

He leans forward and our foreheads are almost touching and for a moment, a slight vulnerability appears on his face.

'Nothing to forgive,' he says.

I shake my head. 'No. That's what he said. "Forgive me". It's what Jonathan whispered in my ear before he shot himself.

Jace pulls away and takes my hand. 'Come on. I'm getting you of here.'

'Jace,' I protest. But it's no good. His grip on my hand is so tight, like he'll ever let go. A part of me wants him too, badly. But a bigger part - the part of irrational logic - refuses, and I concede.

He releases my hand just long enough for me put on a pair of shorts and run a brush through my hair. Then Jace takes my hand again and leads me out of the window and onto the ledge. He climbs down the tree first and waits for me.

I know this tree well. It was Jonathan who showed me which branches could hold my weight and which ones would buckle and break under the pressure. And like Jace, he was always waiting at the bottom to catch me if I fell.

Not the longest chapter in the world but a chapter none the less. Review?