Clary P.O.V

Clary sat on the bench just outside Nicky's bar, it wasn't a cold, cold night but she shivered anyway. A faerie made as if to approach the bar, saw Clary and scuttled away. Clary couldn't help but giggle, the Shadowhunters' really had given themselves a bad rep.

The door to the bar opened and Jace came out, his eyes skimmed over Clary and then at the faerie still running down the street. He laughed. "Did you scare her off?" he asked.

"No, she looked at me and ran. I couldn't help but laugh. We really do scare Downworlders don't we?"

"Yes, most of them were alive when Shadowhunters took spoils from Downworlder hunts. Some hate us so much that they'll try to kill us on sight."

Jace sat down on the bench a small distance away and Clary felt her heartbeat increase. "Why did you come out here?" she asked him. Jace was silent for a moment, debating whether he wanted to answer.

"I wanted to talk to you," he said. Clary sucked in a breath. "I told you earlier, I don't want to talk to you, not like… that."

"What's so bad about talking to me like that? Why can't you?"

"Because it's too damn hard! Do you what it's like to be so completely in love with someone you do anything you can to protect them, bring them back from the dead, to see them kiss someone else?"

"I didn't kiss her! Why can't you believe me?"

"Because I saw you! You leaned toward her as she leaned toward you and you kissed. I saw you!"

"Clary! After everything, after thinking we were siblings, Sebastian, do you really think I would throw it all away just to kiss someone? Clary I loved you, I loved you with everything I had and everything I could give you, ever since I saw you I had belonged to you completely."

"But you don't anymore," Clary whispered.

"What?"

"You don't belong to me anymore; you haven't for a long time."

"Yes I do," Jace said. "I still belong to you, I always will. I love you Clary, you have to know that I love you."

Clary felt tears threaten but she didn't move to brush them away or attempt to blink them away. She could do nothing but stare at Jace, stare at the boy she… well she didn't know.

The door opened and Alec, Isabelle and Simon emerged. Clary stood and blinked the tears away rapidly. "Nicky says that Clarence should be on his break now, he spends it in the alleyway beside the restaurant." Alec gestured to the restaurant and they crossed the road to it. Andre's Delights, the sign read. The restaurant looked pretty full but Clary saw the outline of a man down the alleyway and began to walk toward him with the rest of the Shadowhunters behind her. Clarence looked up and frowned.

"Shadowhunters," he breathed, Clary saw his arm twitch and held up a hand. "We're not here to harm you, we just want to talk."

Clarence scoffed and leaned against the brick wall of the restaurant. He was about the same height as Simon with sandy blonde hair and violet eyes. Clary could tell he was a warlock by his lilac skin. Other than that he didn't seem to have any other mark, any visible mark anyway. He was wearing a white shirt and black trousers, a waiter.

"We wanted to know if you knew where Melanie lives, she's a friend of Emilia Heartstone," Simon said. Clarence's eyes flashed. "You're investigating Emmy's murder right?"

"Yes," Isabelle said. "We need to know where Melanie lives, can you tell us?"

"You won't hurt her?"

"No," Clary assured.

Clarence sighed, "Okay, first of all. Mel has the Sight, but she wants nothing to do with Shadowhunters, she's just friends with a few Downworlders."

Clary nodded and Clarence continued. "She lives in the Plaza Hotel. Has a permanent room there, when she heard about Emmy she freaked, I haven't seen her in four days. You cannot hurt her,"

"We won't," Clary said. "I swear on the Angel, that we will not harm her," Clarence nodded and then his eyes grew wide, Clary whirled and saw a group of demons at the entry to the alleyway. The others saw them too and Jace shoved Clarence back into the restaurant and told him to lock the door.

Jace came and stood beside Clary. He raised a seraph blade and named it, "Ariel," he whispered. Clary raised her own blade and whispered, "Malik," the blade blazed up and Clary got a proper look at the demons they were facing.

The ranged in height and size, some with teeth like razors others with no mouths at all. All were covered in a blackish red fluid and stank. Some had claws or talons others had horns or antennas, some were large others skinny. One had only a tiny body but long legs that seemed like sticks but Clary could see the veined muscle in them. It made her feel sick.

Jace tensed at her side. Then, in a rush of fury, the demons charged at them. There were five, matching the groups own numbers. The demon with the long legs and little body charged at her and Clary had to duck when it swung a slime covered, talon nailed foot at her face. The stench filled her nose and she had to swallow bile. The demon swung at her again but missed as she sliced the blade through its hip, the demon gave a cry of pain but simply grew another leg and charged yet again. Great, she thought.

The demon approached her again and she reached up and cut away part of its body, it screamed and slapped her cheek, sending her flying against the wall. She heard something crack and her left wrist burned. Clary ignored the pain and rose to her feet, in a split second she threw herself at the oncoming demon and tackled it to the ground, it wrestled against her, its long limbs slapping at her, demon flesh burning her skin.

Clary fumbled for a blade and felt around her belt for a dagger, she pulled it free and just as she was going to bring it down into where a human's heart would be the demon reached up and sent its talons through her shirt and into her right shoulder, Clary felt the searing pain and screamed. The demon gave a hissing laugh and rolled away from Clary, leaving her writhing in her pain.

She rolled to her side and watched as the demon ran away, its limbs and slime flowing everywhere. Clary screamed again and somehow made it into a crouch, she grabbed her fallen blade and gritting her teeth she ran after the demon.

Jace P.O.V

Jace threw his blade into the demon he was facing, a thick monster with no eyes and razor like teeth, it was like a big blob of rotting flesh and slime but it moved fast, the demon hissed and pulled back and Jace heard Clary scream.

He looked over to see the demon Clary had fought running away, and Clary pulling up herself and running after it, blood dripping from her shoulder. Jace watched her run, not realising that the demon he had been facing ran up behind him, it wasn't until Isabelle's whip cut the demon straight down the middle that Jace was brought back to himself. "Go," Isabelle breathed; she flicked a strand of her hair out of her eyes as Jace turned and ran out onto the street.

He looked down both ways of the street they were on before seeing Clary's redhead halfway down the road. Jace took off into a run and was surprised at how fast Clary had gotten, her demon however, was faster. For a few minutes Jace lost sight of Clary until he turned the corner, and entered the beginning territory of Chinatown.

Clary ran until she just stopped and collapsed. She was just outside a grocery store and fell at the steps that led up to it. Jace ran faster and dropped down to his knees. "Clary," he said softly.

Jace turned her over and saw the growing wound on her shoulder, "Oh Christ, Clary. Why didn't you iratze yourself? Why did you run after it?"

"I had to try and kill it. That's what we do right? We do whatever we can to kill the demons we face,"

"Clary, we keep ourselves safe too. Demons aren't our only priority. Clary, don't ever do that again, fix you first."

Jace tore away some of Clary's shirt and drew an iratze on her skin. Clary winced but clutched Jace's arm. He gathered her into his arms and she leaned heavily against his chest, burying her face against the hollow of his neck. Jace felt Clary's heartbeat return to normal.

"Jace," Clary whispered. He looked down at her and saw she was staring up at him. She opened her mouth again but then her eyes grew dark and she pushed Jace away. He felt the ghost of Clary against his chest and watched as she stood. "Come on," she said flatly. "We need to get back to the others."