AN: Hi! I really shouldn't be starting a new story, since I'm already writing two others, but this plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone. This will probably be a pretty short story, just a few chapters, but I'm really excited about it :).

Things you need to know before you start reading: This is before City of Bones, Clary and Jace have never met. Clary lives with Luke because her mother died (you'll read more about that in the story).

Things you need to remember when you are reading: Of course going to the hospital/police is more logical, but if Clary and Luke did that, there wouldn't be a story. So just go with it ;).

Disclaimer: I don't own The Mortal Instruments, pout.


"Roger!" Clary yelled, slightly out of breath. She'd promised to go for a walk with Luke's dog, Roger, but had regretted it the moment she'd left the house. For one, it was freezing outside. Even all bundled up, wearing two pairs of socks, two sweaters, mittens and a hat, she was still freezing to death. Roger was the second problem. He was huge. She'd known that, of course, she'd been living with Luke for over a year now, but it had never occurred to her that he would also be so strong.

He was some kind of mixture between breeds, and looked more like a wolf than a dog. His pelt was thick and soft, and at the moment covered in snow. Clary was waiting for him to come back from between the trees. She'd felt bad for him: having to walk on a leash while he obviously wanted to roll around in the snow. Well, she wouldn't make that mistake again. It had been impossible to get him back on the leash.

Clary wiggled her toes anxiously, making sure they were still there. Usually this was Simon's job, but he wasn't allowed to leave the house because of a cold. Clary yelled one more time, and to her relief Roger came running towards her. She quickly fastened his strap to his collar and wrapped the other end around her hand, trying to prevent it from slipping away.

"And now stay with me!" She said sternly, holding up her index finger to show him that she was being serious.

The dog whined and let its tongue hang out of its mouth.

Clary jumped up and down a few times, trying to stay warm, and pulled her hat over her ears. She'd gotten it from Luke for Christmas, dark blue with dark, fake fur.

"Okay, now don't go running off, let's just walk around the lake without further problems, alright?" She said to Roger while walking down the trail covered in snow. Simon always came here to walk with Roger, so she assumed it wouldn't be too hard.

Clary managed not to slip on the icy pathway and Roger was being a good dog, until he suddenly halted. He raised his snout and sniffed the air, ears pointing upward.

"No, no, no, no! Roger, don't." Clary pleaded with him. This was exactly what he'd done the first time, before he'd run off without her. "Leave the cute squirrels alone." She said in a soft voice, trying to calm him.

It didn't help. Roger pulled away like an arrow, snapping the leash and leaving Clary behind.

"Roger! Bad dog!" Clary ran after him, skidding a bit, and followed him down the side of the trail. He was descending towards the water, which was covered with a thick layer of ice, and Clary pushed harder to keep up with him. She had no idea what she would do if he walked onto the ice. Images flashed before her eyes, the ice breaking, Roger falling in, herself falling in after him or trying to pull his wet weight out of it.

"Roger, come back!" She yelled, but then caught sight of him between some trees near the edge of the water. He was standing over something, his head low. She guessed it was a dead animal, or garbage, but when she came closer she recognized a hand.

She froze, a scream building up inside her. Had they found a body? If she came closer, would she really see someone lying there, dead? Roger prodded his nose into what had to be the person's stomach, and Clary heard a faint groan. She let out her breath and relaxed. It wasn't a dead person. She approached Roger, fastening the broken leash onto his collar and knotting it to a tree before taking a closer look. When she was sure Roger wouldn't run off behind her back, she slowly turned around to look.

It was a boy. He seemed as old as she was, or maybe a little older, and he didn't look good. Or, he did actually, but not right now. His blonde hair was wet and dirty, sticking against his head. He was wearing only a long sleeved, black shirt and black pants. His lips were turning from purple to blue and dirt streaked his face. Just looking at him made Clary shiver, who would go out dressed like this when it was freezing?

"Hello?" She knelt down beside his face and tapped his shoulder. "Hey, can you hear me?"

He swallowed, but didn't do anything else.

"I'm Clary, can you open your eyes?" She pulled off one of her mittens and touched his cheek. Ice cold.

Clary bit her lip. This wasn't good. She fished her cell phone out of her pocket and dialled Luke's number. It rang five times, and for a moment she was afraid he wouldn't answer, but then she heard his voice.

"Hi, Clary. Is Roger causing you problems?" Luke actually had the nerve to sound amused.

"No. Not now, at least." Her voice shook.

"Clary, what's wrong?" Luke asked, worried now.

"I found a boy. He's lying unconscious near the lake and he's freezing."

"Do you know him?" Luke asked, confused.

"Not at all. I just found him here, or actually Roger found him." Clary explained. She studied the boy again, trying to find a backpack or some sort of jacket. "Oh!" She gasped. One stain on his shirt she'd interpreted as water from the lake, had made a red spot in the snow beneath him.

"What is it?"

"I think he's hurt. Luke, you have to come and help him." Clary said worriedly, tears were burning behind her eyes, and the intense sorrow she felt surprised her. She didn't know this guy at all, yet somehow she cared about him.

"I'm on my way." Luke said, and Clary heard him hang up.

She hesitated, what was she supposed to do now? She couldn't just leave him there on the ground until Luke came, he'd freeze! She sat down on her knees behind his head and tried to lift his upper body so that it rested against her. At least he wasn't touching the snow anymore. Then she pulled of her mittens and awkwardly pushed them over his hands. She shrugged out of her jacket and covered his chest with it. His wet back and hair pressed against her stomach, making her shiver.

After a few minutes she was freezing, and really wanted Luke to come. She wondered what they would do then, take him to the hospital? She didn't think so, hospitals disgusted Luke after her mom died in one. He claimed they didn't really cure anything and just pumped you full with drugs until you seemed okay enough to leave. Clary didn't really share that opinion, but she had to admit that everything about her mother's illness had made her cautious around doctors.

Luke knew some people who could help, like Magnus, he'd probably call them. Clary smiled a little when she thought of Magnus. He called himself a warlock, but she didn't believe in that sort of thing. Not really. He'd cured her from a cold once, and his tea worked wonders when she had a headache, but that wasn't magic. He was just very good with all the herbal stuff. The boy on her lap shifted a little, startling her.

"Hello?" She asked again, maybe the little bit of warmth had given him enough energy to wake up.

The boy swallowed and frowned but his eyes didn't open.

"Can you hear me? What's your name?" Clary pushed the loose strands of wet hair out of his face.

She barely understood him. His lips moved only little and his voice was hoarse. "Jace."

"Oh. Well, we're going to help you, Jace. You'll be warm soon." She assured him, pulling her jacket even tighter around him. She thought she saw him nod, but wasn't sure.

After a few minutes, she heard Luke's truck drive by on the trail.

"Luke! Down here!" She yelled, but the truck didn't stop. Clary eyed the leash she'd knotted around the tree and shrugged. The strap was broken anyway, and Luke could deal with Roger if he ran away again.

"Roger, fetch Luke!" She commanded, pointing to where she heard the truck's engine.

Roger cocked his head to the side and set a few steps in the right direction.

"Go on! Go!" Clary yelled, making big gestures towards the truck. "Break the stupid leash, I don't care."

Roger seemed to understand her, yanked the strap loose and ran away.

After a minute, Luke reached her and eyed Jace worriedly. "That doesn't look good." He said.

"We need to get him someplace warm." Clary held his shoulders while she manoeuvred away from him.

"Let's just taken him home for now, did you find some sort of ID?" Luke asked. He took over Clary's hold on Jace's shoulders and lifted him a little. "You take his legs." He said.

"Be careful. He's been bleeding somewhere but I don't know if it's serious. He didn't have anything in his pockets, no wallet." Clary lifted Jace's feet and helped carrying him to the truck. "He did tell me his name, Jace, but then he passed out again."

They managed to lay Jace down on the backseat and Luke went to get Roger. Clary wedged herself between the backseat and Luke's seat, so she could make sure nothing happened while they were driving.

Jace was getting closer to waking up. He moved a little, and tried to speak a few times. Clary stroked his hair and tried to calm him.

"Shh, it's alright." She pulled a thick blanket from under the seat and covered Jace's shivering body with it. "Jace? We're taking you to our house, okay? Then you can call your parents." She said soothingly.

To her surprise, he reacted. He shook his head a little.

Clary raised her eyebrows. "If you don't want to come to our home, that's fine. Just tell us where you live." She wouldn't like being taken to a stranger's house either, and she didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable.

He shook his head again. "No…" He licked his lips. "No parents." He said hoarsely.

"Whatever you want." Clary said. Why shouldn't they call his parents? Maybe he had run away from home, but then where was his stuff? "Just wait until we get you warmed up, we'll figure things out, okay?"

Jace didn't say anything else.

Then Luke got in the car, Roger jumped onto the passenger seat and they headed home. Clary worried about Jace when the truck bumped up and down, and made sure he didn't slide off the backseat. Her fingers hovered above his cheek and she realized she really wanted to see his eyes. She wondered which colour they were, how they would fit in his handsome face. She tried to imagine what he would normally look like, clean face and dry hair, and smiled a little.


AN: So, I hope you liked the first chapter! This is my first MI story, and I'd love to know what you think about it :). Please review?

Thank you so much for reading!