Clary stood in front of the New York Institute with her hands on her hips; she hadn't been here since Jace. When they had returned from Edom together, and had faced the Clave hand in hand… Clary shook her head; she didn't want to think about him like that. They hadn't spoken in three years.

She remembered the time, in Idris, in Amatis's spare bedroom, when they had slept side by side all night, barely touching. Believing that they were siblings but still in love with one another. A smile made its way to her lips, she pushed it away.

Now, things were different. Clary was nineteen now, and a fully trained Shadowhunter. Another memory came to her, not of Jace but of becoming parabatai with Simon. The way the rune burnt her skin, just below her collarbone. Simon stood next to her, also looking at the Institute. Clary wasn't sure what he was seeing.

"What do you think will happen?" Simon asked her. The only reason they were here was because of the recent Downworlder murders. It had been going on for a while now, a murder reported the odd time, the Clave investigating and finding nothing. Then it had become more regular and this time the investigations turned up something to look for. The murders had been happening a lot now, the New York Institute now being the lead in the recent investigation. The truth was Clary didn't know what would happen. She hadn't been too involved in it, and mostly worked with Simon when they were on a hunt.

"I don't know," she admitted. "But we aren't going to find out what'll happen if we stand out here all night. And at this time of year, New York's cold at night," Clary walked toward the steps that led to the big wooden doors of the Institute, Simon behind her. She heard the sound of her boots on the cement ground and realised how quiet it was.

Clary pressed her hand against the door and it swung open before she uttered one syllable. She and Simon walked in and were greeted by Isabelle who was waiting by the elevator, coiling and uncoiling her silver-gold whip. She looked the same as ever with her heels making her taller than Clary, her raven-like hair trailing down her back, lips full and red. Clary remembered being jealous of Isabelle, she wasn't anymore.

"Finally! You took forever," Isabelle moved towards them, her heels clacking on the floor. Simon, Clary noticed, averted his eyes and blushed. Clary thought that even he was still adjusting to the fact that she was his girlfriend. Isabelle smiled at Clary and then kissed Simon on the cheek, his shoulders slackened and he smiled.

Isabelle looked at Clary, "I almost thought you weren't coming," she said. Clary rolled her eyes, "We aren't exactly late. And I wasn't going to ignore the Clave, I learned my lesson, I think."

Simon scoffed and tried not to laugh. "Yeah, right," he said, Clary punched him in the arm, softly and tried not to laugh herself. "Is Maryse here?" Clary asked.

Isabelle's eyes darkened, if that were possible. "No, she's in Idris, with dad and the Consul. She left Alec in charge and he's been so worked up he's hardly spoken to us, not even Jace."

Clary felt herself tense at the mention of Jace, Isabelle must've noticed this because she gave a small smile. "There is one thing I should mention before we go anywhere," she said.

"What is it?" Clary asked.

"Jace doesn't know you're here," Isabelle said. She bit her lip and shrugged at Clary's unbelieving expression. "I forgot to mention it, besides it'll be a nice surprise!"

"Isabelle!"

"Sorry! But it cannot be changed now. So push your petty feelings aside and help us with this investigation. Otherwise Alec will go bald by tearing out his hair, and Magnus will not like that."

Everyone was silent in the elevator, Clary could think of nothing to say, her stomach was in knots about seeing Jace. The day she had left him came to mind, his eyes burning like fire, his face red, hands clenched at his sides.

The elevator opened and Clary, Simon and Isabelle walked along the hallways filled with paintings of Raziel and the display cabinets that showed Shadowhunters' through the generations. Isabelle led them to the library, standing at the door whilst Clary looked around at the library she remembered. With its rows and rows of books and displays and paintings and statues and Hodge's desk and the fire and Jace.

Jace.

He was standing by the fire, the flames reflecting in his golden eyes. He hadn't noticed them there, standing by the door. He was leaning against the mantle, his hip sticking out, and one arm by his side, the other resting on the mantle, and his chin on his hand. Before Clary had realised it, she had descended the steps and was walking toward him. Jace turned at the sound of her footsteps, and his eyes grew to the colour of amber with disbelief. "Clary?" her name came out in a whisper.

Behind her, Clary heard Isabelle shuffling Simon out of the library and closing the door. For a moment it was silence, she had no idea what to say to him. Or even how to say anything to him. Jace seemed to be the same way.

"You-you're here," he said. It was one of the only times Clary had heard him stutter. Clary gave the smallest of nods and Jace blinked, "You never told me," he said.

"I thought Isabelle or Alec would," she croaked. "I thought you knew I would be here, I was wrong."

"You still look the same," Jace noted, Clary stayed silent and rubbed her hands on her jeans, she wished now that Isabelle and Simon hadn't left. Just then Alec stormed into the library, Isabelle and Simon right behind him. Alec briefly looked at Clary before heading toward the table in the middle of the room.

"Okay," Alec mumbled, he shuffled a few pieces of papers together and then collapsed into a chair. "I was talking to Mom, she says that another Downworlder is dead, a young warlock in Brooklyn."

Clary moved to where Alec sat and glanced over his shoulder, the pieces of paper were files, stating who each victim was and what had happened to them. There were a lot of files. Clary chanced a glance back at Jace, "What are you doing here?" he asked her, not unkindly but not softly either, he looked upset now more than star-struck. She had expected that. "The Clave, they paired me and Simon with the Institute because we're in the same location, a onetime thing no doubt."

Jace seemed to wince at the words, but covered it with a shrug. "Whatever, what do we do?"

Alec looked at Jace and Clary realised that he had fallen asleep. "Um-uh- Magnus spoke to some clients, found out a few things. I thought maybe tonight we could read through what we have," Alec rubbed his eyes and yawned. Jace touched his parabatai's shoulder. "You are going to bed; you'll fall asleep down here."

Alec made as if to protest but Isabelle already a hold of his wrist and was pulling him from his chair, she looked at Clary and then pulled Simon up too, "Simon come help me," Simon looked confused then glanced at Clary and nodded. He followed the Lightwood siblings out of the library leaving Clary alone with Jace.

Clary picked up her stack of paper and sat down at the other end of the table. For the first ten minutes Jace said nothing and then: "Simon's your parabatai,"

It would have been a random thing to say, had she not been in the situation she was in. "Yes," she said. "Happened when I was seventeen, it was only fitting."

"It's good that he's not in love with you anymore, otherwise he'd be breaking the law," the words came out bitter and cold.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Clary demanded Jace looked at her, with a death glare. "It means what I said,"

"You still have a problem with him, don't you?" Jace shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "No not necessarily, I made my peace with rat-boy long ago,"

Clary stood, knocking her chair back, she heard it hit the floor. "Why are you acting like this?" she demanded, setting her hands on the table. Jace shot up, his own chair falling backwards, "Acting like what?"

"The way you used to act, like nothing could touch you, that you felt no emotion. What happened to you?" she asked softly.

"You happened to me," Jace said flatly. "You came into my life and made me fall in love with you,"

"I made you fall in love with me? How could I have done that?!"

"You did, you let me."

"You're feelings are neither my problem nor my fault. I didn't make you do anything, no one can do that to you Jace Herondale," Clary had intended to say his name like she had said everything else, harshly. Instead it came out in a soft way.

"Don't do that, Jace said. Clary took her hands from the table, "Don't do what?"

"Don't say my name the way you used to,"

"Why?" she asked.

"Because that was when you loved me."

Jace P.O.V

Jace sat on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. The image of Clary was painted to his eyelids, her curling red locks, the emerald eyes that had took his breath away. When he had first saw her he had been taken back to their first kiss in the greenhouse, when her lips tasted like apple and were sticky. He had had to use every ounce of strength he possessed not to go and kiss her.

But then, he had remembered when she left, what she had done to him. And he had been filled with rage, at her, at himself. The urge to kiss her was still there, but it wasn't as strong. The way she had said his name in the library had sent shivers down his spine.

Very reluctantly, he forced himself to read through the Downworlder murder files, Clary had left the library shortly after their conversation, and he had too. Another memory came to him, of when he had kissed Clary in this room, even though they were under the belief that they were siblings. Jace had thought that that was the worst thing that could ever happen to him. He had been wrong, so very, very wrong.

There was a knock on his door, Jace slid off of the bed and opened it to see Alec standing on the opposite side. He looked more awake now, his hair and clothes slightly rumpled. "I came to see if you were okay," Alec said.

Jace grinned. "It's good to see you awake, and well, back,"

Alec himself grinned, "Yeah, I think I was just sleep deprived. But never mind, I'm here in strict orders."

"From who?"

"Isabelle, she instructed me to inform you that presently Clary is in the training room. Isabelle thinks you should talk to her."

"I have, well sort of. We argued."

"Uh-huh, well I don't know what to say to that, I was just told to say that, so um yeah." Alec shuffled his feet together, Jace sighed, and he came out of his room and closed the door behind him. He had no idea why he was even doing this, but his feet weren't listening to his brain and were walking him along the hallway. Alec left him at the door to the training room, grinning before he went.

Clary P.O.V

Clary hurled the smooth pointed dagger at the target and didn't feel an ounce of triumph as it hit the centre. She had lost track of how long she'd been in the room and didn't care. As Clary walked toward the target, she heard the door open and turned to Jace walk through it.

"Hi," he said, almost shyly. Clary stared at him; she was surprised at how empty she felt, even at seeing him. "Hey,"

"You hit the bull's eye," Jace said, looking toward the target, he seemed surprised. Clary shrugged. "I covered it in my training, managed to throw it straight."

"You don't give yourself enough credit," Jace said. He strode over to the target and plucked the dagger out, he then crossed the room to her. "You were always good at being a Shadowhunter. You fought in battles, went to hell, literally, all before your training was complete. You have faith in others not yourself, you should do."

"I remember saying something similar to you, about changing, growing. You had no regard for your life, but for others. Alec, Izzy, even Simon. You cared about them."

"And you," Jace said. "I cared about you too,"

Clary felt something spark in her chest, cared. He doesn't care anymore. "Why did you come here?" she asked.

Jace sighed, "Isabelle sent Alec to get me and bring me here to talk to you, about what I do not know,"

"I don't want to talk to you, right now,"

"You don't?"

"No, I don't."

"Why?"

"Because Jace! I don't want to talk to you! I just don't, I don't even want to be near you!"

Jace stared at her, his eyes burning into her heart where they never left. "Then leave," he said.

"What?"

"Leave. If you don't want to be near me or talk to me then leave. You don't have to be here, not really, the Clave didn't give you an order."

Clary felt her mouth open a little, but she didn't move. Her feet were rooted to the floor. "No," she said.

"No?"

"I wouldn't do that to Izzy or Alec, they need to solve this. They're my friends. I can tolerate you,"

"Tolerate me?"

"Yes," Clary took the dagger from Jace's hands, or tried to. Her fingers brushed his and she stopped, clutching the knife, her fingertips just touching his.

Clary pulled away first as the door opened again and Simon walked through this time, "There you are, come on, Alec found something."

Clary entered the library and saw Alec's black head bowed over two files on the grand table, he was talking to Isabelle but looked up as Clary, Simon and Jace walked through the door. "Here," he said walking toward them. "It says here that two of the victims, Emilia Heartstone and Javier Flowerblossom, drank at the same bar, Nicky's Joint. It isn't much but if we go down there and talk to the bartender. It's a Downworlder bar, Nicky's a warlock."

"I've heard of this place," Jace said, shrugging at Alec's raised eyebrows. Nicky's very cautious of Shadowhunters, we'll need to be careful."

Clary nodded, "Should we go?" she asked.

"Yes," Alec and Jace said at the same time.

Nicky's Joint was an old run down bar in upper Brooklyn, it wasn't a bad place, the inside definitely looked better, it was furnished like Freaky Pete's but had a different selection of alcohol, suiting to the tastes of faeries, vampires, warlocks, werewolves, and mundane's.

Clary looked around and identified a few faeries and wolves, there weren't many people there but it was only seven o'clock.

"That's Nicky there," Jace pointed to a tanned woman behind the bar with cobalt blue hair and a tattoo of wings covering her upper back and shoulders, she was wearing a white corset top and black skinny jeans with heels about the same size as Izzy's, her cobalt hair was bright against her shoulders and she frowned when she saw the Shadowhunters' by her door.

"What're you doing here?" she asked. Jace advanced toward her, whispered something in her ear and Nicky gestured for them to follow her to the back. When they had she locked the door and stood against it. "You're here about Emilia and Javier aren't you?" she asked.

Clary was surprised she knew this, but of course, rumours went around Downworld like a wild fire in a forest. "Do you know anything about them?" Isabelle asked, "Did anyone ever say anything about killing them?"

"No," Nicky said. "They were regular customers but I never really knew anything about them. I knew Javier was dating someone from the court, and that Emilia was dating another faerie somewhere, but that was it. What happened to them?"

Clary looked to Alec, "Their throats were cut. Their bodies dumped by the docks."

Nicky shuddered, "God, I wish I could tell you more but I got nothing. You could talk to Melanie though,"

"Who's Melanie?" Simon asked.

"Melanie is-was-Emilia's best friend, she lives somewhere in Manhattan, I don't know where. But she might know more about Emilia than I do."

Clary looked to Jace who was looking at Alec; both boys seemed to be having a conversation with their eyes. Like she and Simon sometimes did. "Thank you," Clary said, Nicky raised her eyebrows, and Clary was sure that she saw the wings on her shoulders twitch.

"Never been thanked by a Shadowhunter before," she said. Clary gave a small smile, and then Alec said, "Do you know her address?"

Nicky shook her head. "No, I don't. But Clarence might. He's a mutual friend, works in the restaurant just across the street," Nicky glanced at the clock, "He's on a break in an hour, you can talk to him then."