Based during/around the second book.

She was on the far side of the room, hiding. Not from the demons, Jace had seen to it that they were long gone. No, now she hid from Jace. There was nothing wrong with him, in fact this was one of their better days. No, Clary hid out of humiliation.

The day could have been fine, good even. It would be one of the very few since Jace and Clary had found out their joint parentage. They were slowly, oh, so slowly learning to deal. It wasn't really dealing with it either, it was more that they were pretending it never happened and trying to hide their feelings for each other. Neither of which was easy or working.

They had been fine, content but still restrained. The strain was always there, holding them back. There was never any room to be happy or comfortable, but they had been content. They had spent the day with Alec and Isabelle which relieved some of the tension. They hadn't had much to do so they spent the day out on the town, strolling and window shopping.

Alec and Isabelle had left to meet their mother for training. That's when the demons ambushed them. The real surprise wasn't the demons themselves but the fact that neither Clary (and most surprisingly) Jace hadn't noticed until the demons were right on top of them.

Of course, with next to no training Clary was no help. Which is why she was hiding in humiliation now. Jace had had to fight off all the demons, playing hero while Clary played the damsel like usual. And she hated it. Every time something happened she cowered while around her people she loved defended and protected her.

It made her feel weak, so weak, and useless. There was no way to get around the feeling. Clary had always found pride in the fact that she was a strong person, an independent person but all that changed when she met Jace.

That was when her world had changed and she was no longer the protector, but the protected, no longer the strong, but the one needing strength. No longer independent, but the one depending on others, always needing help. How was she supposed to not feel weak?

Jace was making his way to her. She pressed herself closer to the wall, wishing she could disappear. She leaned her head against the wall, considering banging her head against the wall to force unconsciousness. It would be a painful way to avoid the situation. She could pretend to have fainted of fear but she would only end up facing a larger amount of embarrassment later.

His steps were slightly more rushed then usual, picking through the rubble of the abandoned building they had wound up in. He knelt down in front of Clary. "Are you alright?" There it was. Like she was fragile. What hurt the most was that she couldn't take care of herself. It wasn't a matter of Jace being overprotective, it was that he had to do it, or someone would.

Gritting her teeth she ground out, "Yeah. Fine."

His concern obviously grew at that point. His eyes scanned her quickly, not lingering as they might have at one time. He was trying to be quick, keep his glance clinical, but to her his eyes were always an open book. Behind the concern there was a want, a want that, if they both would be honest with themselves, would never go away.

"Whats wrong?" He asked quietly.

"Nothing."

"Alright."

"Don't say it like that." Frustration crept into her voice.

"Like what?"

"Like you don't believe me."

"It's not my fault you're lying." He argued right back, quick as ever. That much would never change about Jace. That was one comforting thought she held onto. When everything was different, when they were two different people who's lives couldn't coincide in the right way, Jace would still be the same. Even though everything was different, he was the same.

"So are you going to tell me why you're embarassed or am I going to have to make up a humiliating story and tell everyone we know? It could end very badly for you. My imagination is...Vivid."

"I-" There was no getting out of it now and she knew it. "I just hate being weak, that's all. It's nothing, I'm just being stupid."

"That would be a accurate assessment."

She shot him a glare. "Thanks for that. Why don't you just rub some salt in my wounds while you're at it?"

"Don't be silly. Lemon juice would be easier to use and much more effective."

They stared at each other for a while, two opposing forces of bullheaded, stubborn pride.

Jace relented, "You were being stupid. You're one of the strongest people I know." His eyes wouldn't meet hers, it would be too cruel for both.

"Now who's the liar?" She muttered.

"You know just as well as I that I am not lying. You may not have the bulking muscle I do, but you're brave, and smart. There isn't a single weakness in you."

Tears sprung to her eyes. She was touched, truly.

"Let's go, Fray." He said it simply, not unkindly.

He stood, and held out his hand, a reflex. That one move hurt more than any blow she could take, any rune she could burn into her skin. She flinched. Jace jumped back. "Clary- I'm sorry-I... I didn't mean to-" his voice cut off abruptly and if Clary was right about Jace (and she almost always was) it was out of emotion.

She couldn't be around him. It was too hard. It brought up to many painful memories of-of what could have been, but never would be. On the other hand, she couldn't not be with him. Being with him was like breathing, like the beating of her heart. Without him-no, there was no without him, not anymore.

The tears she held threatened to spill. "No. It's not your fault, never your fault." She choked out. He stood above her, looking at a spot on the wall right above her head. His gaze finally rested on her as she shook with emotion, with raw pain. Slowly he reached out and grasped her forearm. She gripped his arm tightly and he pulled her up.

They stood for a moment, arm in arm. Reluctantly, Jace let her go and she did the same. She stood there, looking at her feet. She stared at one floorboard, stared at it so hard. She tried to concentrate on breathing, on gulping past the lump in her throat.

He too remained where he was, watching the emotions flashing on Clary's face, her beautiful face. The face of his sister. Suddenly he had to clear his throat around the lump that had formed there.

She took a small step toward him, and his eyes darted to follow her movements. She took another step and curled into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. His mindset was this when placed his arms around her shoulders and squeezed back: 'Siblings hug. Brothers and sisters comfort each other. It's normal. Perfectly acceptable.'

Clary gasped in a deep breath. It smelled of Jace, a mix of a slight burnt scent as a result of his many marks and a more musky distinctly male scent.

She blew out the breath in a puff and pulled away. "I have to go, Jace. I just-I have to get away for a while."

"Don't go far, just...Just in case we need you...Or something."

"I'm always a phone call away." She turned and left.

"A phone call and a couple broken hearts."

A/N: Two chapters in one day! I'm tired! Hope you all enjoyed!