Haha yes! The Salvation of Clary Morgenstern is back! Why? Because of the demand. SO many have been asking and asking and well, I've heard you all. It was startling how many wanted it to be continued. Also, TSOCM has been revamped! It's still going to be sexy and angsty, but not as much as Ascension. I'll change first chapter into this tense eventually, but for now, enjoy and review! x


Jace insists he pay for the pair of drinks from the corner café.

"You gave me enough money to run a small empire," he tells me seriously as he sips at his drink, wrinkling his nose. "Urgh. Bergamot. Gross." He sets the cup down with a light thud, turning those enchanting eyes of his back onto me. "So where were you for, what… three months? I was beginning to wonder if my dashing good looks stunned you into never coming back."

Okay, he has an ego. "No. Guys that look like women from the back don't do it for me, sorry."

Jace stares. "I look like a woman from behind-? Has my… hair really grown that long?"

My eyes widen. "No! I mean… your hair is long, but um… you don't look like a woman."

"So…" Jace leans forward over the table. "Does that mean you think I'm hot?"

I roll my eyes and drain the rest of my coffee. "I think I should be going right now."

"Shit, did I offend you? Sorry," Jace sighs, rolling his eyes. "I'm just so used to the others being like that."

My interest is piqued. "Others? Other buskers?"

Jace shakes his head, stirring his half finished cup of tea with a finger. "No. I'm, uh, a student. Music student as you've probably guessed." He smiles, showing perfect teeth but for one incisor that is slightly chipped. "You're probably wondering why I busk, right?"

"Well…" I was. I'd spend a lot of time while watching him play imagining his life. Maybe he was homeless, or some lost prince who was hoping his princess would find him, attracted by the music.

The last one is ridiculous and Jace will never know of it. "I guess so."

Jace looks kind of guilty as he admits "I'm paying off my student loans. I store half of my takings for when I finish music school to pay off the loan, and the other half goes on food and essentials."

So busking is… a kind of job for him on the side while he attends school? That scenario has never even entered my head. It just sounds so very ordinary.

"So I was helping you pay off your debt? You don't spend it on alcohol and get drunk out your face?" I ask in a teasing voice. Jace grin cheekily. "I only get drunk on Friday. Or Saturday. What about you anyway? I mean… you must have given me over a thousand dollars." He shakes his head a little. "Did you rob a bank or something?"

"My name is Clarissa Morgenstern," I tell him stiffly. If he truly is a music student, he'll know that last name.

Jace's confused expression fades into one of utter and complete surprise. "V-Valentine Morgenstern's daughter-? Are you serious?" he sounds flabbergasted. "Holy fuck. Whack me over the head with my guitar, because I think I'm dreaming. Aren't you a celebrity? Did I just buy Miss. America cheap assed coffee?"

My cheeks go scarlet. "No. That's my father and brother. I, uh, I'm on the sidelines. At the back."

"No offense, but you're gorgeous. Why should you be on the sidelines?" he stops dead, realizing what he's just said. My cheeks burn. Oh my god. Jace glances down at his now cold tea. "Well, that wasn't an insult? Right?"

"No, it was a compliment. And thank you." My cheeks feel like they are going to spontaneously combust.

"I think I should go… now," I laugh lightly. "You'll be there Tuesday, right?"

"Always am" Jace chuckles, leaning back in his seat. They are hard dark blue plastic that creaks if you put too much weight on them. A far, far cry from the lavish restaurants I'm used to. I like the cheap smell of coffee and tea, the burnt toast and fried sausage and eggs. It all smells so greasy and imperfect and it is fantastic. There's no one there telling you to sit up straighter, to start with the outside cutlery, making your way in. Even the coffee has been in slightly chipped mugs.

A little dingy café cheers me up in ways a five-star Michelin restaurant never could. One day I want to go to McDonalds and try the cheap fast-food there. I've never been allowed it.

My father has scared me too much to try and break most of the rules he'd imposed upon me.

Jace probably lives on McDonalds. That sounds like a fantastic lifestyle.

It's when I reach the car that I heard a yell behind me. Turning back, I find Jace back. His hundred megawatt smile has returned. "Uh, my stuff is still in your trunk."

I stare like an idiot for a minute before realizing. "Oh! Oh, I almost drove off with your stuff. Sorry." I unlock the trunk and Jace gathers his stuff. "See you soon" he tells me before leaving.


I spend the night in the back of my little car, curled up with my jacket over me like a blanket. My mom has tried calling me at least five times, but I don't bother answering. She'd only want me to come home. Or it would be dad, demanding I return his money.

With a sigh I tug the jacket more over me, feeling utterly miserable. I could stay in a hotel of the finest quality with the amount of money that I have. But I don't want to. For one thing, it reminds me too much of home.

At least dad can't track me by my new card. I'm free in that sense.

The next morning, I wake up because of a policeman tapping on my window. When I roll it down, he asks politely if I can move on. I apologize and climb into the drivers seat, turning on the engine and driving around until I'm forced to stop for something to eat.

Where am I supposed to go?


Simon sighs when he opens the door to find me stood there with my hair unbrushed and clothes crumpled. He smiles sadly and draws me into his arms, stroking the back of my head. "Your father rang, asking if I'd seen you," Simon tells me, still not letting me go. "I was worried. I've been so worried for months." He holds me at arms length, inspecting me closely through his glasses. "How are you?"

"I'm fine" I tell him truthfully. "I guess. Just lost at the moment." I can't feel anything. I can't even smile. How disgusting is that?

"Dear god girl, what have you gotten yourself into?" Simon groans, letting me go at last. "You spend months off the deep end, now you've run away?"

"I prefer the term 'moving out.'"

Simon rolls his eyes. "Fine. Moving out. You do know your father will chase you wherever you go, right?"

My jaw clenches. "I'd like to see him try."

I stay in Simon's house until Tuesday. But I can't stay any longer. His mother is fond of me, but after a while I see the exasperated glances she so often shoots in my direction. I have worn out my welcome, apparently. Simon would insist I was seeing things, but I'm not. It's time to move on again.

And this time, away from New York.


Jace is playing a 30 Seconds to Mars song when I turn up. He sits in his usual spot, hair messy and unruly as it always is.

"We were the kings and queens of promise," Jace sings, his voice growing louder and louder. His guitar grows in volume as well. "We were the victims of ourselves. Maybe the children of a lesser god, between heaven and hell." His dark golden eyes find my emerald own, and for the rest of the song, he doesn't break eye contact once. It should feel unnerving, having a young man stare at me in such an intense way, but it makes me smile instead. When the last song ends, I hang back to avoid the masses.

"Good taking this time?" I ask him as he counts out the money in his hat. He nods, not looking up. "Not bad. Could be better. I need to find some new songs." Why does he sound so down?

"What's happened?"

Jace sighs, sitting back and smoothing his hair back with a hand. "Things took a turn for the worst last night. Let's just say, I'm not going to need the money for accommodation anymore. It's all over."

I frown. "Why? What happened?"

"I'd rather not talk about it. I'm sorry, but I'm leaving. Grabbing the first bus on the way out of the city."

He is leaving too?

"That's… sad," I mutter. Jace smiles faintly and shrugs. "It had to happen one day."

"But where will you go?"

"I don't know," Jace laughs, eyes flickering to the sky above us. It's an overcast day with the clouds starting to gather. Rain clouds hover on the horizon. "Isn't that amazing? I have no idea where I'm going. All I know is that I'm leaving."

As he packs up, the most insane of ideas pops into my head. It really is completely and utterly nuts. Maybe I'm losing my mind.

"Why don't you travel with me?" I ask.

Jace very nearly drops his guitar. He sets it down before looking at me, eyes wide in surprise. "What?"

"Look- I've spent the last three months confined to my room, wishing I could jump off the nearest roof," I tell him. "I'm… I hate life at home. I slept in my car the day you left with your stuff. Then I spent the other days at my friends, but I can't stay there. I don't want to stay there. I want to be free." I bite my bottom lip. "I want to be… I just want to live. And I can't do that while I'm here in New York."

Jace scratches at his cheek, frowning lightly. "You don't even know me, yet you're asking this? I could be some murderer. Or an alien."

I shrug. "Sounds fun."

"Sure then. Count me in."

Wait.

"Are you serious?" he looks serious from the way his eyes sparkle with excitement. "Hell yeah I'm serious," Jace replies with a laugh. "This sounds like a shitload of fun. You, me and the whole world ahead of us."

This sounds more than appealing.

The young man sighs, rising to his feet. "You want to live, right? Live dangerously?"

Did I want to? "Yes."

What am I doing? Jace calls it 'living,' but this is downright dangerous and stupid. Yet why does it sound so appealing?

"Are you sure this is for you?" Jace asks, scratching his cheek again. "It's a far cry from your lavish lifestyle being a Morgenstern."

I growl and roll my eyes. "I never should have told you about that. I'm not some rich brat."

"I didn't say that," Jace groans, twirling a lock of hair around his finger in such a feminine way it almost makes me laugh. He cocks his head. "Here we are, two strangers going on a road trip together."

The word strangers causes alarm bells to ring inside my head.

Yes. I really have lost the plot.

But you only live once.

"Let's leave straight away," I tell Jace. "I don't want to hang around. Let's just go."

"I don't have my clothes with me?"

I groan, closing my eyes. "Fine. I'll drive you to your place where you can grab your stuff."

"No!" Jace half yells, making me jump.

I blink. "Fine."

"No, it's not that. It's just… if my parents heard of you and me packing…" he sighs, closing his eyes. "They'd assume the wrong thing."

I nod a little. "Well, why don't I park around the corner then?"

Jace is fidgeting with the hem of his jumper. He nods. "Okay, that's fine. Mind if I drive? I can get us there faster."

Once more I nod and Jace grins. "Are you sure you want to travel the great beyond with me?"

"I could ask you the same thing. I'm a crazy girl who spent the last three months in bed." I stare at him for a long moment. "I'm insane."

Jace snorts in laughter. "You are not insane. Being depressed doesn't mean you're insane. It just means that you were hurt. You feel better now right?" He frowns. "You're not gonna wig out on me while we're on the road right?"

"No," I tell him with a scoff. "Let's go, anyway. I'm not getting any younger here."

"Sure Crazypants," Jace grins cheekily.


It only take Jace fifteen minutes to pack. I sit around the corner, the music blaring and my foot tapping in time to the beat. The area isn't some grungy, filthy alley, but a perfectly clean and respectable street. It looks so ordinary where Jace himself is far from that.

When he returns, he has a single case with him. He heaves it into the trunk with my own, squashing it down. "Oi!" I call behind me. "If you're squashing my case-!"

"Chill! It's fine." Jace slides back into the front seat next to me, slamming the door shut. "Right," he says, sounding like an excited puppy. "Ready?"

"First thing- rules," I start, turning off the engine. "One; no back stories, yeah? We both have shit ones, but there's no need to go into detail."

Jace nods. "Fine by me. Rule two?"

"No abandoning the other," I tell him seriously. "It would be extremely crap if we got separated. That reminds me, give me your phone number."

Jace smirks. "Now now, I haven't even agreed to a date yet."

I slap his shoulder before I can stop myself, causing him to laugh with his eyes twinkling playfully. He leans forward slightly. "Rule three; no unprotected sex."

For a moment I wait for the inevitable punch line, but one doesn't come. I stare at him. "You're serious?"

Jace stretches in his seat, closing his eyes. "Hell yeah. I plan on getting laid during this road trip, sweetheart. What? Are you some prude virgin?" he opens an eye, gazing at me lazily. I snort in laughter. "I'm not a virgin." It's not a lie. Not really.

"How many times?" Jace asks, reaching into his pocket. He pulls out a packet of cigarettes and I shrug once more. "Three, four… I forget. " Once. And I will never forget it. "You?"

Jace shrugs back. "Lost count."

"Manwhore?"

He snorts in laughter. "I have standards, dear Clary." He pulls out a pack of matches from his pack pocket and stuck the cigarette between his lips. He struck a match and lit it, lounging in his seat.

I growl softly and snag it before smoke can fill the car, rolling down the window and toss it outside. "Hey!" Jace yells, throwing up his hands. "What gives?"

"You're not filling my car with disgusting smoke," I tell him sternly, holding out a hand. "Give. Now."

"No."

"Put them in the dash then," I groan, opening the compartment in front of him. "Rule four; no smoking in the car."

"That rule sucks," Jace grumbles. "I don't like that rule."

I smile sweetly at him. "Tough shit. My car, and there will be no smoking in my car or I'll push you out on the highway."

Jace's smirk returns. "I bet you would as well."

"Rule five," I say. "We stop at the cheapest places we can find. But not sleazy ones. No sleazy ones where you can catch AIDS just from looking at the place."

Jace nods. "Rule six; we go half on the payment."

"Yeah, whatever."

"Rule seven," Jace adds, "we take it in turns with driving. If one is too tired, the other drives."

"That's fine." I agree. "Rule eight; respect each other's privacy."

I smirk at the next one. "Rule nine; no bringing strange women or men back to the motel room without warning the other."

Jace laughs so hard tears run down his face, nodding his head. "That one's good. What about ten?"

We sit for next to ten minutes trying to think up a ten, but we can't decide on one. As we're about to leave, my phone starts to ring. The name on the front reads Dad.

"Not gonna answer I guess?" Jace says as I press the red button. I shake my head. "No." For good measure, I switch the phone off and shove it under my seat. When Jace frowns, I tell him "tracking. I wouldn't put it past him at all."

"He sounds like some controlling asshole" Jace notes.

"You have no idea." I turn the engine back on and smile at Jace. "Anyway… where first? Which direction?"

Jace looks thoughtful for a moment, but then shakes his head. "No maps. Just signposts and that kind of shit. Pick a road and let's go."

And so we do.

-Don't forget to review! :D