Her thin and worn blanket flopped around her frail shoulders as she sat on the family-house porch. It was deep spring but the dew on the threads of grass in the woods still stood. She sighed and raised her chipped coffee mug to her dry lips and sipped the warm liquid, feeling the trickle of it down her throat giving her a fuzzy feeling. After she placed the mug down, she retreated swiftly into the main area of the house. A plush but worn sofa stood in the centre, a round wooden coffee table one of its surroundings, as well as an open fire. She dragged her finger across the shelf ledge, a hint of dust on her finger. Again she sighed and placed herself lazily on top of the centre of the sofa. Slowly, she fell into a deep trance of dreams and hopes for the future.

"Mum, Dad says that I'm not allowed to train anymore!" a voice wailed from a doorway up-stairs.

She sighed, dazed, and sat up as two pairs of feet came soundlessly down the stairs.

"I just said that she didn't help us pack yesterday because she was having a tantrum, so that was her consequence!" Jace winked one of his golden eyes as he watched his daughter take her place in the dent in the sofa next to her mother.

"I think it's fair." he added, slinking over to the fireplace. He perched on a stool and swung round to face his family.

Clara's moody golden eyes squinted at him viciously whereas his wife's, Clarissa Lightwood-Herondale, were a leaf-green, like the core of a plant.

"It is not." Clara protested, swivelling gracefully to look at her mother. She definitely has her fathers grace, Clary thought to herself.

"Mum, please tell him that I'm right!" she looked up with big eyes, a trick she had learnt from her father.

Sighing she stood, reigning over her family like Queen.

"There will be no training for either of you, as a matter of fact, until we are at the Institute. Do you understand?" she felt wary of the response, but her voice had been strong.

"What? What did I do? I PROTEST!" Jace exclaimed as he stood to tower over his wife, like King. He winked at her, the morning haze lightening his eyes.

She shot him a fake vicious look and he slowly sank back down into his seat. "Okay, I guess…" he sighed.

"You guys are so weird. Whatever, at least I'll be able to train with Anya tomorrow!" she said, a smile gleaming on her face.

"Who?" Clary asked, a puzzled look on her face.

"The new trainer at the institute's daughter? God Mum, I thought you'd know this, seeing as you're gonna run it and all." she huffed as Clary's face started to scrunch.

"Ooh, and I'll be able to fight with Alec!" he grinned, looking like a happy puppy on its first walk, "usually parabati don't live so far away from each other, but our bond is so strong we don't need to!" he showed off, swiping his hair out of his eyes.

His daughter groaned, turning to face her father and say "You are SUCH a child. I thought I was supposed to be the child in this family!"

Scoffing, she stomped off towards the door, her red hair swaying as she made her way.

"Be safe!" Clary chirped.

"And kick-ass if necessary!" Jace chimed.

"JACE!"

"CLARY!" She snorted as he began tickling her under the armpits.

"Oh my God, STOP!" she cried as she ran outside, Jace trailing behind her.

"See-ya, losers" Clara rolled her eyes as she trotted away, the door shutting behind her.

"I'm worried about this," Clary announced, breaking the peaceful silence beside the river.

They had chased each other down to Londile River, a favourite spot of theirs. The trees shielded them from possible rain or the sun in their eyes as they lay on the edge of a short cliff leading to a sandy bay.

"About what exactly?" Jace purred softly. He glanced over at her, her hair splayed around her pale head.

"This move. To the Institute. It's a lot to handle, becoming the heads of it, together. And I don't want Clara to get caught up in it all like I did, I want her to have peace. That is why I brought us here after all. And seeing Simon again after everything, it's just overwhelming, all of it." He turned and sat up, his hair falling into eyes as he stared into her.

Her face's complexion and striking eyes, her constant wave of hair. The way her neck is smooth and sturdy, the way her body fits perfectly beside his. She was perfect for him. "Clary, I know this is a lot, but it will be good for her. It will be good for all of us, I promise. We'll be back with our family, back to the city, back to our home."

He looked sincere and also excited. Suddenly she sat up, grasping his hand and placing it on top of hers. She traced his scars with her fingertip, his veins and muscles too. Finally, she looked up, clinging onto his hand.

"Do you really think that? Or are you just saying that?" she whispered.

"I really think it Clary, I really do." and he smiled.

As the started getting themselves together to leave, a tug at Clary's hand startled her. She whipped round to face Jace, his hair gleaming like a halo. "Why don't we go for a swim?" he smirked.

"But I haven't got any… oh. You want me to…" she finished smiling up at him. It's not like he hasn't seen you in your underwear Clary, calm the heck down, she thought as she blushed and they started running towards the river. Jace quickly tore his top off, chucking it on the ground. She did too, her heart racing as she slipped out her jeans until she was in her underwear. He stood, topless, his runes defining his muscular body like clothes.

He grinned as he ran towards her with lightning speed, grabbing her and flinging her onto his shoulder.

"Jace, no no NO AH!" she squealed as he dropped her with a splash into the freezing water. Her body started to shake but stopped when she felt two solid arms around her. Jace. He just completed her.

"Well well well, look what the Herondale dragged in," Clara remarked, not even looking up from her sketchbook as a soggy blonde and red-head crept in through the back door.

"Clara, you needn't do this, you should be in bed, long day tomorrow!" Clary tutted.

"GO! And stop trying to turn into our parents, it's the other way round you rascal!" Jace shouted after her as she pounced up the stairs.

As he collapsed onto the sofa, Clary slowly crept up the stairs, Jace dropping a wink at her as she went. They were still so young and happy, they couldn't help the fun and teasing.

"Knock knock," Clary announced as she glided into the room. It was all white, except the bursts of paintings from when her mother had decorated the room. Clara's artwork covered the walls, the bed covered with a dark crimson sheet and many blankets and cushions.

It was all white, except the bursts of paintings from when her mother had decorated the room. Clara's artwork covered the walls, the bed covered with a dark crimson sheet and many blankets and cushions.

Her daughter snapped her sketchbook shut and shoved it under her sheets. Her mother saw it out of the corner of her eye, and quickly snatched it from the folds hold. Carefully she opened the book to the most recent page, a picture of woods. It looked normal, and as she began to shut it, she saw it. A small blob, almost unrecognisable, but it was there. Her fathers bird, Hugin, perching on a tree.

"Clara..."

"I know Mum, but you and Dad had such an adventurous life and I feel like I ruined that. I wanted to feel how you felt or something...I don't know..." she trailed off.

"Clara, our life was hell. Literally. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone, okay? And the last thing I need is a reminder of it." she rubbed the back of her delicate hand over her forehead. She felt another headache coming along.

"I'm sorry..."Clara sighed. She placed her hand on the spine of the paper and started to rip it out.

"NO! No,"Clary cried, placing a hand over the rip,"it's beautiful Clara, it shows real emotion. But not yours. Be careful with other people's emotions, that's all."

Clara smiled wearily and walked over to her desk to place the book on the surface. Quietly she slipped into bed, her hair flailing around her head, as if she was on fire.

"I love you my darling. You should show more emotion in front of people, you're much more beautiful like this, inside and out."

Clara sat up.

"But I can't be vulnerable, that's a weakness," she pointed out.

"Vulnerability is not a weakness. It's a strength. You don't want to end up like Valentine or Sebastian- Jonathan. You don't want to be known for having a heart of stone."

"I didn't think about that..." Clara sighed, "I never do anything right."

"That's not true. But the institute is a new start, think about that." Clary smiled.

"Goodnight mama," she whispered, snuggling in her sheets.

"Goodnight my red."