Warning: Minor Swearing.

Clary blinked as she stared at a blank white wall, suddenly unsure as to where she was. Her head was throbbing and making it hard to think, and a small gasp escaped her lips when she tried to move. Immediately, there was someone by her side. "Here, take this." She recognized the voice of their school nurse, Mrs. Fray. "It'll make the pain go away in an instant." She patted her on the head as Clary quickly gulped the painkillers down her throat. Closing her eyes, she rested her head on her palms, waiting for the pain to recede.

"Hey."

She looked up, startled as she met a pair of golden eyes. "Jace? Oh, hi." She rubbed her temples as he pulled a chair to sit by her bed. "How are you feeling?" He asked, and Clary managed a smile. "Oh, I'm great." She waved her hand in the air, wincing as a fresh wave of pain hit her. Jace's brow furrowed as he leaned closer, helping her adjust on a pair of cushions. "You're not supposed to move much, you know." He reminded her. "Your mom said that after an attack, it'll take you some time to get rid of the headache." Clary sank on the soft pillows, sighing comfortably. She closed her eyes as the sharp throbs turned into dull pangs, and Jace just stayed there by her side.

"Thank you so much." She said after some time. "I – I don't know what would've happened had you not been there." She confessed, sitting up as the pain started fading away. He pulled at his chair to get closer to her, his fingers resting on the side of her bed. "I was honestly very scared when I saw you like that." He replied quietly. "I mean, you're always so – efficient. In control of everything." He raised his head, his eyes meeting hers. "It must be something very large to shake you up like that."

Clary dropped her eyes to her hands, looking everywhere but at him. "Why do you have panic attacks, Clary?" He asked, a strange gentleness in his voice she wouldn't have guessed he possessed. There was something about him, something about the way he inquired about the dark shadow that haunted her life day and night that made Clary want to tell him the truth. Not that she had any option anyway, he had seen everything.

"I have PTSD." She said, her voice only slightly louder than a whisper. "It's uh – umm, a mental condition." She twisted her fingers together, not meeting his eyes. "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Some things that – that I'm afraid of, they can trigger panic attacks. Like today." She slowly explained as Jace looked at her intently. "It's nothing I usually can't handle, but sometimes they – they get out of my control." Finally gathering the courage to look at him, she raised her head.

His eyes were darker than she had ever seen them, and his mouth was set in a firm line. "Something happened, something that causes this, didn't it?" He quietly asked. "Someone did something to you. Something that broke you." His tone was cold, devoid of any emotion but Clary could see the anger flashing in his eyes. To say she was surprised was an understatement: Till this morning, she had never even spoken to him properly. Why did he care so much about a girl he didn't know when he could have practically anyone on the planet?

But that wasn't the only thing that bothered her. It was the fact that someone, more specifically Jace who was unhappy because of her. She didn't like it, burdening people with her grief. "It doesn't suit you. Not being happy." She impulsively blurted out and Jace looked at her, surprised. "What?" He asked, bewildered and Clary felt colour rise to her cheeks. What the heck, you started it. She told herself, so end it now. "You're a happy guy." She shrugged. "The kind who doesn't have any worries, any regrets." Any pain. "You should always keep smiling, it – it fits you." She finished with a sigh, hoping he'd not think of her as some retard.

Jace froze in his chair, shock written across his features. It melted away into a smile that almost took her breath away. "You're something else, aren't you?" He chuckled softly, and shook his head. Looking at his watch, he smiled at her apologetically. "I have a football practice now. I had thought I'd drop by and check up on you on the way." He got up. "And oh, I completely forgot." He said, as if remembering something. "Dad wanted me to invite you and Mrs. Morgenstern for dinner at our place tomorrow night. He'll call your mom, of course, but I was supposed to tell you beforehand. Almost everyone from the neighborhood will be there." Clary flashed a smile at him. "We'll be there."

Just when he was at the door, Jace turned. "Take care of yourself, Clary."

XXX

"I still don't get it. How did you bang your head against the table, again?" Isabelle asked, frowning as they carried their trays to their table in the school cafeteria. Clary sighed. "I slipped, Isabelle. That was it. Jace was there, so he took me to the clinic." She sat down and plucked a fry from her plate. "Could've happened to anyone." She added.

"But it happened to you, woman!" Isabelle shrieked, and Clary exhaled slowly. "I don't get it. I just don't. How can you not swoon over him? That man carried you, he carried you in his arms. You touched that heavenly body of his. Did you feel any –" Isabelle was interrupted by Clary's disgusted but amused voice. "Goodness, Isabelle. Shut up, please. I don't want to hear anything more about this, okay?" She wagged her finger at her friend. "He simply performed his neighbor duties. That's it." Isabelle mumbled something, but gave up on the topic. "You two would look great together, just for the record." She defiantly said before turning to her food.

Clary's thoughts wandered back to the conversation she'd had with Jace in the morning. She hadn't gotten any time to think about it because as soon as he had left, the nurse had handed her the phone to talk to her very panicked and anxious mother. It had taken a lot of calming and soothing her mom to make sure she didn't jump in the car and come to the school straight away. After that, she had persuaded her maths teacher to teach her the basics of the class she had missed. Finally, she had to face a very excited and worried Isabelle.

It had been a busy day.

So now, she finally let the question she had been avoiding occupy her thinking space: Why did Jace care what happened to her? It wasn't like they were friends. Perhaps they were, but not close at all. Just acquaintances. What was worse was the fact that his interest in her didn't make Clary afraid, like it should have. She hadn't even told Isabelle about her disorder, and telling Jace about it had felt completely normal. Natural.

Her train of thoughts broke midway as a tall shadow fell on their table. "Hey, baby doll." A heavily built guy smirked, leaning forwards towards Isabelle who had stiffened in her chair. "Missed me?" Isabelle slowly pushed her chair back, standing up to meet his gaze. "You fucking wish." She spat, her normally laughing eyes cold as stone. "Now do us a favour and get lost."

Clary felt her blood boil as Jordan only smiled wider. He was Isabelle's ex, and they hadn't exactly split on the best of terms. She had found him sleeping with one of the cheerleaders, and had cried for a week after the blowup. "Now, don't be a spoilsport." He tsked, stepping closer to her. "I have a few ideas as to what we could be doing instead of fighting." He leered at her, shamelessly checking her out. Isabelle fumed visibly, her hands shaking by her sides. "Clary, let's go." She barked, picking up her bag. She turned, but was surprised when her friend didn't follow her.

"Don't you dare talk to her like that." The whole cafeteria was watching them by now. Not many people had ever seen Clary angry, and it wasn't a pretty sight. Her eyes bore into his, her face immobile with anger. "And come near her again, I swear to God it won't be good." She vowed, and Isabelle shivered. Angry Clary was never a good proposition.

Jordan froze for a second before laughing. "Yeah? And what will you do, tickle me?" When Clary didn't budge, he peered down at her. "Listen, kid. I will do whatever I want with Isabelle, because she's my girl. And I don't give a fuck about the rest. I can talk to her whenever I want, I can fight with her whenever I want, I can touch –" He never completed the sentence as Clary's hand swung hard, slapping him across his face. There were a few gasps, but other than that no one dared to breathe. Isabelle tried to pull her friend away. "Don't waste your time on him, Clary. Let's go."

Shaking her hand free from Isabelle's, Clary stepped up to the man who was shaking with anger. "Now you listen to me." She breathed into his face, meeting his flaring eyes with equal ferocity. "Assholes like you don't deserve a woman, much less own her. You might have rippling muscles, but you're nothing but a coward. A bloody, fucked up coward." His eyes glinted dangerously. "Shut the fuck up, bitch." He shouted, but Clary paid no attention to him.

"Or what?" She taunted him. "What will you do, hunh?" Gone was the girl who everyone knew. This was a Clary who was fierce and deadly as a lioness. This was a Clary who wasn't afraid. "Like I said, you're a pathetic excuse for a man." She laughed suddenly, the noise echoing off the walls. "Bloody idiot, thinks sleeping with women makes him a stud. Here's the deal, Jordan Kyle." She poked him in the chest. "You're a sad, lonely man who tries to believe that ..."

"I SAID SHUT UP!" He roared, his hand flying out and hitting Clary in her face. The impact made her crash to the ground, and a few guys rose from their table in anger. Isabelle flew at Jordan, but Clary was up in a flash and stood between them. Shaking her head at the boys who were striding towards them, she chuckled as she pressed her thumb to her split lip. "There. You just proved it." She laughed again. "Feel sorry for yourself, Kyle. This is all you're capable of, hitting women because you can't face the truth about yourself."

Isabelle pushed Clary aside as she faced Jordan, her body shaking with suppressed fury. "You are going to pay for this." She swore, and a guy from the table next to theirs roughly caught Jordan by his collar. Clary recognized him to be the 'hot' guy from her History class. Some more boys she knew by sight surrounded them. "Let's go the Principal, buddy." The hot guy said, disgust clear in his voice. "You two need to talk."