*a month before*

They sat in the small living room of the house behind the bookstore. Silence circled the room and neither could think of what next to say. Jace's blond hair was ruffled and had a dirty tinge to it, Clary's was silk and sleek, the vibrant red flowing around her face making her look more and more beautiful. The night crept on around them as the silence grew unbearable, and just to break the suspense Clary coughed a fake, yet noticeably fake cough.

"I don't like you hanging out at that club," Jace's words were strong and harsh. However he kept a bemused look on his face, confusing Clary as she could no longer tell if he was serious. She was annoyed though. He couldn't control where she went when she wasn't with him, and it wasn't like having a vampire follow you round meant that your life was constantly at risk. Simon would always protect her.

"why?" were the only words she could bring herself to say. But she knew the answer. It was because it was her and Simon's thing; together they would go to pandemonium and dance till the night was old before finding their way home to bed before sunrise. All these things, being something Clary wouldn't invite Jace to, did she think he was not fun enough? They had met in Pandemonium after all.

"It's dangerous." He didn't elaborate; he just looked down at the floor and began to examine his shoe laces. It wasn't for a few moments later that he looked up with a quirky expression on his face to realize that she wasn't sharing it. Tears ran down her narrow face without making a sound, and when she realized he was watching her she wiped them away.

Jace rose from his chair ad knelt before Clary, so that their faces were level. With his smooth fingers he wiped her tears off her cheeks before lifting her chin up to meet her eyes. There was sorrow hidden behind the bright blue eyes which usually made him grateful. he sighed.

"To you Clary Fray I owe my life and my love. One shadow hunters oath to another, in your eyes I will forever be lost, and in my heart you will forever be held. Forever and always"

He lent forward to lay his lips against hers, and for those moments, he began to forget the world. Nothing no longer mattered to him. He was hers. And she was his.

***

After what seemed like ages, Clary stopped herself from running. She was panting as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the witch light Jace had given her for her birthday.
She couldn't remember a time when she had been so happy. For once she truly felt accepted, and not the accepted which Simon made her feel, but she felt Loved.
Never when her and Simon were dating did she feel that way, the way she felt about Jace. But at the time he was her brother, it was wrong for them to be in love. He was meant to watch out for any guys chasing after her. Not be one of them.
The whole thought of all this made her sick in the stomach. She never wanted to be defying nature, even though now she knew that they were not really related.
She took a deep breath to clear her thoughts. She could worry about Jace later, now it was Luke that needed her help. With her steel in her hand she began to scribble a pattern of familiar lines through the wall of one of the buildings. What she drew slowly turned into a golden arched door, glowing bright with many colours swirling around, lighting up the footpath.

Looking around the street she searched to see if anyone else was around, before holding her breathing, and leaping through the arch. Her last thought being those of the church where the lightwoods lived.

***

Isabelle was the first person which Clary found when she entered the long hall of the institute where the lightwoods lived. She was walking around in her pajamas in search of something which Clary didn't understand. But it looked as if she had just came from Max's room, as in her hands, she had a small toy and a few anime books.
It was then that Clary noticed she looked like she had been crying, but there was no time for that.

"ISSI I NEED YOUR HELP," Clary yelled down the hall. Isabelle was taken aback, startled as she quickly threw her stuff to the ground and wiped her face before staring blankly.
"Its Sebastian, I mean Jonathan, I mean my brother, Valentines son, he is after Luke, and your parents, we need to stop him! And I don't know what to do." Her voice sounded needy as she pleaded.
Isabelle was the last person she ever expected herself to be pleading for help. They had never gotten along well, due to the fact that Issi knew how Jace felt about Clary, and she still didn't think it was right. But Clary tried to put all their differences aside, numerous times. This was one of them circumstances.

"I spoke with him tonight. He wants to make them pay for the death of Valentine."

Blank stares crossed her face as she looked at Clary with a quirky expression.
"Sebastian is dead. You were there when died. You told us all that," her voice was harsh as sending Clary into a state where she could not speak. It took her almost over a minute to regain her confidence.

"No one ever found proof! His body was never found; they said it may have washed down the river! Trust me!" Clary was no longer in the mood to keep trying to convince people. She just turned around and walked to elevator, trying to think of a plan herself, then it hit her.