"Jace, Clary, I'm sure you'd be welcome to join us." she offered with a slight smile.

"No thanks. I don't tend to keep company with the likes of you." he snarled back.

"I'd love to." I replied reverently, ignoring the look of utter shock as Fawn offered a smile and began to walk out of the room behind the others.

Before I could leave, Jace had pulled me back and grabbed both my arms. "Clary… are you really going to let this girl come between us?" he asked accusingly.

"No, but you're the one driving this, this stake between us. Even Alec and Isabelle appreciate the compliments she gave them." after pausing for a few seconds, I couldn't help but feel like his glare was burning holes through me. "Look Jace, everyone here is going through a hard time, I think… that maybe you should try and show some gratitude to everyone, I mean they've stuck by us all the way. I just don't see why it's so hard for you."

"Clary, it's either me or her, you can't have both." he warned.

"I'm not choosing between you or her. I'm not choosing anyone. I just think that it might be good for everybody to be around someone who knows how to flatter people. It's what they need."

I suppose in a way, it hurt me to say those things. Perhaps it was because after everything we'd been through. All of his stubborn acts and stupid doings, we had been torn apart by something so ridiculous as his dislike for someone else.

"Are you alright Clarissa?" Fawn's startling voice called out through the hall as I snapped from my constant bothering thoughts and turned to look at her with a startling expression.

"Clary," I corrected her quickly as she smirked and nodded her head slightly, before proceeding to walk down the hall, and away from myself. "Wait…" I called out as she halted mid step and froze on the spot. "Okay, I'm not alright. It's… it's Jace." I closed my eyes tightly before sighing and running a hand through my hair. I didn't normally trust people this way, and if anything, this was not her part to say anything, so I shouldn't have brought her into this. But I was sick of making decision for myself... maybe it would be better to have someone else's opinion.

"I see." she turned on me abruptly, an unreadable expression on her face as she sauntered slowly to my side and turned to face me. Looking to her with disbelieving eyes, I couldn't find it in me to see her with anyone other then the people she would most likely be fighting against.

"I just don't know what to do anymore. You seem nice and pleasant, so I can't see what he has against you. But he's hurting the people he loves and he doesn't even see that he's doing it." I sighed and moved to one of the cushioned benches at the side of the hallway, leaning forward, I pressed my head into my hands and was only half aware when the cushion beside me moved and I felt the slight weight hold down the seat.

"I know for a fact that you all believe I'm some vicious hybrid, but as much as I'd like to believe, apart from all the training, I've lived somewhat of a normal life before." I turned to Fawn and shook my head when I saw her looking in the opposite direction, as if contemplating something important. "Alright, even if it was just for a couple of days undercover." she added abruptly as I smirked and suppressed a laugh.

"Fawn! Clary! What are you two doing?" I turned to see Isabelle sauntering down the halls with Alec hot on her heels. "We're suppose to be training!" she argued defensively as Fawn jumped to her feet quickly and stepped forwards a little bit.

"Isabelle, I apologize. But Clary and I were speaking, if you give us two minutes, we'll follow you to the training room. I just had a quick question to ask her." looking between the back of Fawn, and Isabelle, I was shocked when Isabelle smiled, nodded her head and turned to join Alec as they marched back up the halls and to the left.

Turning to face me, she had a smile on her lips as I smirked and stood up profoundly. "Thanks…" I muttered as she nodded her head and offered a smile. I knew for a fact if Isabelle and Alec would have seen me this way there would have been no doubt I couldn't run from the prying side of their genes. "I owe you." I added after a moment as she stood beside me and sighed.

"Clary… I do hope you don't think any less of me because of how I've been raised."

Bowing my head slightly, I couldn't help but ask myself that question. It was true, after what Jace and the other's had told me, there was no doubt that my patience and trust had worn a little thin. But then again, I knew what it was like to be judged because of where you came from, or who you were raised as. So I was in no position to be picky.

"Honestly, I did at first. The stories they told, they seemed to make your kind out as ruthless, undisputed killers that got away with everything." looking to her, I expected to see, well something more of an emotion then what she had.

With a laugh, I starred at her disbelievingly when she turned to me. "You know Clary, I wouldn't hold it against you if you thought like Jace. I mean, I can see where's he's coming from, and the stories are true. My kind are killers, it's how we're taught to live. We don't have time for people to get in the way, so… we take the easiest way out."

"Killing people?" I asked incredulously as she nodded her head. Suddenly, I could see Jace's reasoning more and more.

"Look Clary, I know that you know what it's like to be raised away from the world you really belong to. But this is how I've been raised. We hunt, we find, we kill if people they get in the way. It's not a choice we're given, it's a binding to a life that we've been handed. You of all people should know the importance of family." sighed said nonchalantly as I shook my head. I had almost thought she was normal for a moment, but Jace was right.

"Yeah, but I also know when to say no. When to stand against the people you're meant to love in order to see through what is really right." I said as she sighed and shook her head slightly. As if I were a misbehaving child that didn't know the difference.

"Be that as it may, I also presume you know what's it's like to loose people you care about, people you love. To see other's that gave their lives to help you, die from a cause that it better and stronger then you are. A fate for people that you could have avoided had you made the other decision, perhaps not the right one, but the one to save others." I knew there was truth in her voice. And the times I thought about everything that could have been avoided, everything that I could have stopped if I would have made a different move, retrace my steps and think things over clearer.

"Look Clary, I don't expect you to understand my life, or how I live it. But at least respect the fact that my people live for each other, and no one else. So when our secrecy and safety are brought into the picture, we will do anything to be sure that they are kept secure and protected." as much as I hated to admit it, it made sense, and though there were many reasons to think otherwise, she couldn't be much more of a less person for wanting to protect her people.

"Maybe we should get a move on towards the others, for I fear that perhaps Isabelle will come back and release her full fury on us both." as she began to saunter up the hall, I remained in the same spot. I don't know if I was catching a case of a minor bipolar disease or something, but I just couldn't decide if I liked this girl or not.

"Yeah, well hell hath no fury like an irritated Isabelle Lightwood." I smiled while following her towards the institute's training room where Alec was practicing his sword combat and Isabelle, hitting targets with her whip.

"It's about time you two showed up." Isabelle commented, never loosing focus but the annoyance in her voice enough to steer clear of her area all together. "Alec and I were beginning to wonder what had happened to you." she added after slight hesitation.

Nodding my head, I looked around just in time to see Jace walk into the room also, a hard, mean glare stuck to his expression, and his eyes never leaving Fawn and I. Immediately, he walked over to one of the target lines, and picked up a small handful of the daggers used more likely for throwing then real battle. Watching him with cautious eyes, he starred at me for a few moments before turning to the target and throwing the small knives with perfect precision.

"Would you care to try anything?" I asked Fawn as she watched the others closely.

"No thank you Clary, for now I'll just wait and watch." nodding my head, I sauntered towards Jace as he began to speak.

"Why not Reaper? To modest to practice in front of us?" he asked in almost a mocking tone as Isabelle and Alec froze on the spot and stiffened slightly. Turned to Jace, I glared hard at him as he turned around slowly and subtly, a cruel glint in his eyes.

"Of course not, but I would rather not right now." she countered, just as coolly as before.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say that you either weren't good enough, or think your just too good." he tried again when her expression turned unreadable and she turned on her heal abruptly, heading for the door.

"Show some respect." he hissed as I looked at him disbelievingly, "Don't walk away when someone's talking to you." without a second thought, he twirled the dagger in his hand and poised for a throw. Sadly, even with enhanced movements, there was no doubt I wasn't fast enough to stop him.

So as the knife flew towards Fawn, I held my breath and starred unmoving, as in the blink of an eye… she had popped her own sword up into her hands and whirled around, as if knowing already where and when the dagger would strike. With one easy movement, she collided her weapon with Jace's and sent his skittering to the floor.

Relieving herself from her stance, she placed her sword back in it's belt and stood up defiantly. Jace was frozen, a hard glare on his face and his hands clenched at his sides. Isabelle and Alec were petrified, as if someone had shocked them into paralysation. "You have something to say?" Jace demanded boldly as Fawn shook her head as if in disappointment.

Leaning down she picked up the small dagger and played with it in her hands, juggling it back and forth before weighing it. At first, I thought she was going to throw it back, but when she looked up to meet his eyes, something changed. "Throw it, I dare you." Jace's mocking voice tantalized her every move, as she smiled and shook her head.

"Rule number one…" she started as I turned to her and watched more closely, seeing every fleck of anguish and cool, collected self reliance before it was masked over again. "Never attack the blood of comrade that you would give blood to keep."

"What's that suppose to mean?" he asked childishly as she dropped the dagger and it stuck straight into the wooden floor. It's hilt and blade forming a perfect angle.

"You are weak… the ultimate warrior leaves no openings, except in his mind. Foolish to attack your own blood." she added before turning and walking from the training room, silence following her footsteps as I turned towards Jace, anger clearly showing.

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?"

"Maybe it means if you would have spilled your blood, she would have done the same to you. 'Attack your own blood.' Like an eye for an eye." Alec shrugged his shoulder and went back to his previous doings when Jace finally looked me in the eye.

"What is wrong with you?" I demanded hoarsely as he scoffed and shook his head, turning back to the targets and taking more daggers out.

"Some things, you'll never understand Clary." I heard him sigh as I shook my head.

"That's it Jace, I'm done. I don't want to put up with it anymore. You win, I quit." I admitted, retreating towards the door and following after Fawn.

"Clary…" he called out, as if it was hard to believe what I had said. Though I was pretty sure I spoke loud and clear. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Leaving, I'm finished Jace."

"What's that suppose to mean? You hardly even know her!" he yelled, anger leaking from his voice as I turned on him and tried to control my voice. I didn't want anyone else involved in this that I didn't need.

"You attacked her from behind Jace! I thought nobody was coward enough to do that, but apparently I'm wrong! It's like a don't even know you anymore!" I argued as he began to walk forward, but with a single shake of my head, he stopped mid-step.

"Come on Clary." he countered defiantly.

"Forget it Jace, I'm done." I replied, walking from the room and chasing after Fawn as I could hear his angered groan and a large clatter of metal from behind me. But I didn't care, if he wanted to be like that, then he could. Just don't ask me to watch.