Author's note: Again, I own nothing. Cassie Clare owns everything :-) and I do hope you won't get confused with the switching PoV, I just can't see it written any other way. Rate and review!
Clary looked at Jace's pale face, the silver scars reflected by the moonlight. Even so, he looked like an angel. There was a contained silence between them.
"Jace?" she said, her tone rising unexpectedly. "Yeah?" he answered in almost the exact same tone. Clary took a deep breath. " I just wanted to tell you... I'm sorry." Jace blinked. "For what?" his expression was curious.
Clary closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again and said, "For what I said. I never meant to hurt you, in any way." Jace's body was half-turned to her now, his wild curiosity evident. "What was what you said?"
Clary looked at him disbelievingly. Despite the fact that he looked beyond oblivious, she knew better than to conclude right away what Jace was thinking on the inside. Does he really want to make it this hard? Nevertheless, she continued. "Telling you that it was 'sickening'. That wasn't what I meant, because it wasn't. It isn't and will never be."
Jace was silent. He contemplated this for a brief moment then took her hand and laced his fingers through hers. "We don't have to make this hard for ourselves, you know."
Clary felt comfort in the warmth of his hand. "I know. And that's why I'm strongly tempted." Jace looked at her. "Tempted to do what, exactly?" He braced himself for her reply.
"To run away with you. Keep it our little secret."
Jace looked at Clary unsteadily. His head was spinning. Was all of the world coming down on him? No, that can't be true. It was impossible for him to have gotten everything he ever wanted in one day. He squeezed her hand lightly, wanting to know that it was all real, that they were still breathing.
Clary looked at Jace's golden eyes with conviction. Jace looked back, swallowing hard. "Well... what are you waiting for? Let's go right now."
Clary had to laugh at that. For someone who was always steady on his feet, someone so sure of everything, Jace was being quite impulsive. "You're kidding, aren't you? I can't just possibly pack my things and leave Luke. I mean, what am I going to say to him? That I've decided to run away with my brother?" Jace put his arm around her shoulder, hugging her tight to him. "You know...in a perfect world, those things won't even matter." He paused for a moment, then brushed the hair off Clary's face. The gesture was almost instinctual.
Jace's touch made Clary's skin tingle. "And we've still got one thing to be sure about," he said, being more certain of himself as the seconds ticked by. "Cause I have a strong feeling that we're not..." he trailed off, wanting Clary to finish the sentence and realize it herself.
"...That we're not related?" Her tone was pleading. If there was one thing she wanted more than anything else in the world, it was this. But she shook her head slightly. "I don't know, Jace. Valentine said it so himself."
Jace didn't even hesitate. "Valentine could be wrong," he said softly. "After all, he'd been wrong about one thing before."
"Saying that to love is to destroy," Clary guessed. Jace nodded. "I never felt that way with you, in case you were wondering."
Clary looked up from Jace's chest and focused on the eyes that twinkled, eyes full of love and faith and hope.
