Clary stood in the doorway of Jace's bedroom and tried to take it all in one last time. She knew that he would be completely heart broken when he read the letter. As much as she wanted to tell him what was happening, she knew in her heart that Jace would never let her go and he would go to extreme lengths to get her memories back, even if it defied the angels wishes. She took a deep breath and turned to walk toward the exit of the institute. She felt a slight twinge of pain and looked down to see another rune disappearing from her arm. As her tears flew freely from her eyes, her surroundings began to appear fuzzy. Shadowhunters who were once guarding the doors of the institute disappeared without an explanation. She stepped outside into the fresh air and shuddered when the chilly night air hit her pale skin. She continued to walk away from the institute and started to feel a bit confused as to what was actually happening. She felt another stinging pain on her neck when her last rune, the first rune she had ever received when Jace saved her from a demon attack the night they first met, disappeared.
Now she felt tears on her face but couldn't explain why they were there. She turned around to see that she was standing in a New York City park alone at night, wearing a thin party dress. She had no recollection of why she was there, all she knew was that she needed to go home. She started to walk in the direction of her Brooklyn loft apartment.
"Clary!" A voice shouted from the darkness. She turned around in a flash but couldn't see anything but the darkness. "Clary, wait!" She heard the same voice again. That's when she noticed a figure with golden hair running towards her. He was wearing a suit and carrying a letter in his hand. When he finally reached her, he bent over to catch his breath. She noticed that his eyes were looking red and puffy, much like her own eyes. "Clary." He said, still attempting to catch his breath. He scanned her body with his teary eyes. "Your runes..." he said quietly.
"My what?" Clary questioned.
"They're...they're gone." Jace sounded shocked. He instinctively touched her arm where the angelic rune used one was and her eyes widened at his touch. He pulled back quickly, realizing that she might not even know who he was anymore. He felt a pain in his chest where his heart was breaking into pieces.
"The letter...your memories..." Jace raised the letter so Clary could see it.
"What letter?" She asked and took it from him so that she could read it. She recognized the handwriting as her own, but the words on the page were not making any sense. Dear Jace, By the time you read this letter, my memories of you and the shadow world will be gone. "Shadow world." She said out loud, as if doing so would make her understand. Suddenly, a rush of memories surged through her head. Images of calligraphy-like shapes, people, places, buildings, weapons, but most of all, Jace. Clary dropped the letter to the ground and covered her mouth with both hands in surprise. She pulled her hands away from her face and examined her skin.
"My runes!" She shouted and started to cry again. Jace pulled her close to him and she buried her face in his chest. She pulled back suddenly as fragments of her memory were being pieced together. "Jace!" She cried and a wide smile spread across his face. He softly ran his fingers through her hair.
"Thank the ang..." Jace started to say but thought better of it when he remembered what the angels had done. "I love you so much, Clary." He said.
"I love you. I'm so sorry I left without saying goodbye..." Clary cried harder and he pulled her close again, kissing the top of her head before resting his head on hers.
"Clary, do you remember what I said tonight about you loving me unconditionally?" He asked and Clary nodded. "Well the same goes for you. I don't care if you are a shadowhunter or a mundane. I'll go wherever you go, Clary Fairchild. I am not going to let the love of my life slip away again. If I have to be stripped of my runes to prove it to you, so be it."
"But the clave...you were born and raised to be a shadowhunter..." She said and raised her head to look into his eyes.
"The clave...and the angels...I think I have done enough for both of them. I died, remember? Look, we're going to figure this out together. But I promised you that I would never leave your side, and I sure as hell plan on keeping that promise as long as you still want me." Jace said sternly.
"I will never stop wanting you." Clary smiled. Jace leaned down to kiss her softly at first, but as always, passion took over and he kissed her like it was the last time he was going to see her. Clary, with the loss of her runes, clumsily led Jace into a more secluded area of the park as she began to loosen his tie. The moment was interrupted when Jace's cell phone buzzed in his pocket. He groaned in frustration and Clary nodded, silently giving him permission to check it. It was a text from Maryse.
"Apparently it's time to cut the cake..." Jace said and turned his phone so Clary could see a selfie of Maryse and Max leaning over a large wedding cake.
"Do you want cake?" Clary smirked and tucked Jace's phone back into his front pocket, seductively reaching her hand all the way in so he could feel her soft touch. Jace shook his head furiously and leaned down to kiss her again. They didn't know what the future held for either of them. All they knew was that they wanted and needed each other.