Disclaimer:I Really still don't own them. This would have been published in the book if I did, but I don't, do it's on the internet instead.

By the end of the day, Jace had reached the level of boredom that Mayrese Lightwood had nicknamed "The Danger Zone." Lots of children had danger zones, the only difference with Jace's Danger Zones were that they more dangerous to other people then they actually were to him. When most teenagers entered a danger zone of boredom they experimented with hard drugs or alcohol. Jace went out and tried to kill large deamons with small, pointed objects. Since that wasn't an option, he was reduced to restlessly pacing around the Institute's hallways.

During his travels he almost ran headlong into Sophie, and would have knocked her over if his reflexes hadn't been good enough to catch her.

Sophie looked up at the one new occupant of the Institute that she had been trying to avoid at all costs. This golden boy reminded her far to much of Will for her to feel comfortable around him. The two boys shared the same annoyingly assured confidence, and pronounced good looks. Both character made far more irritating by being justified. "Forgive me Sir," she muttered. "It was my fault I'm sure."

"Don't take credit for things you are not responsible for," Jace admonished jokingly. "It's a very bad habit for people to have," then he stepped to the side to allow her to continue on her way.

His manner was much more pleasant than Sophie had expected. Will joked with her as well, but there was much more deliberate malice to his treatment. Jace's manner was different, and slightly off putting. Also, he had stepped out of the way for her. Masters rarely stepped away for their servants to pass them. Sophie narrowed her eyes at him as she passed in case he was planning some kind of a trick. Once she was a little way past, she increased her speed down the hallway.

"Hey, Sophie?" Jace called down the hall, struck by a sudden idea to pass a few hours until someone had established some sort of plan of action. He had been gathering all of the information that he could about the goings on at the London Institute, and was now fairly up to date on the Axel Mortmain and the situation with his clockwork army. He figured that something exciting was just bound to happen soon.

Sophie froze. Of course there was something else for him to say. "Yes Sir?"

Jace rolled his eyes. "First off, don't call me sir. It makes me feel like an old man. Second, why do you look like your preparing to be shot? Your body would be far too much bother for me to dispose of. And thirdly," he concluded. "Can you tell me how to get to the music room from here?"

Sophie felt a bit more on even ground than she had before now that a sarcastic comment had been worked into the proceedings by Jace. Although, the request he had made was unusual. Apart from Master Jem, she didn't know any other Shadowhunters who enjoyed playing instruments, let alone found the time for it. She nodded to Jace. "Of course Sir. Go down to the end of this hall. Go up the stairs, turn left down that hall, the music room is the third on the right."

Jace nodded and walked off, following Sophie's instructions. They turned out to be accurate, and Jace soon found himself sitting at the piano bench. The lid remained shut over the keys. Jace hadn't really touched a piano since he had found out that Valentine had raised him. It was because of Valentine that he had learned to play. He had always told Jace that all men should be able to play an instrument, just like all men should know how to sale. It was one of the few times that Valentine had said 'all men" instead of "all shadowhunters." It had been one of the few times where he had felt that there was more in the world then the manor and the hills surrounding it where he had grown up.

Playing the piano had used to remind him of being a child and feeling safe. When he had thought that Valentine was his father all t had made him think was that he should have known. Later, the instrument had merely made him wonder why he had ever thought that Valentine was his father at all when it was obvious all he had ever been was an experimental soldier. Jace had also questioned weather or not he even liked playing the piano, or was it just something he had learned for the same reason he had learned fighting, or Latin. Because Valentine had set the lessons, and he had never questioned them.

"Sophie said you'd be here," Clary said from the doorway, startling Jace out of his thoughts. She picked her way through the room and pulled out one of the comfortable armchairs that had been left in the room for people to sit and listen to music.

Jace took notice of the fact that Clary was wearing a Victorian style night gown that had obviously been borrowed from someone else. "How long have I been here?" he asked.

Clary shrugged. "About two hours. It's past eleven. I brought you some dinner," she held out a plate with a sandwich and a sliced apple on it.

Jace smiled gratefully and took the plate from her. The sight of the food was making him realize just how hungry he actually was, but he still didn't eat. "Do you remember the picnic I took you on for your sixteenth birthday?"

"Hmm.." she pretended to consider. "It rings a sort of bell. Didn't you show up outside my door in the middle of the night and start jabbering about your metaphysical purpose for being there, and told me you made a mean cheese sandwich?"

"I still do," Jace said with a grin.

"Yeah well," Clary said, leaning over and lifting the sandwich up to his face. "I make a mean PB&J so eat up."

Jace complied with the order and took a bight of the sandwich. "We talked about birthdays too," he remembered. "Did you really want to go around in the drier?"

Clary glared at him. "If you bring that up in front of anybody else I may have to kill you. Or do you want me to start telling people about you taking a bath in spaghetti?"

"Don't you dare," he said darkly, and then finished the her

"You showed me the flower that only grows at midnight," Clary said softly. "It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen."

"I was just watching you," Jace admitted. "I remember that your fingers kept twitching, like you couldn't wait to draw it. It was amazing to me, the way your face lit up. That's part of what was so amazing to me about you at first. The way everything was amazing and magical to you. Even if shadowhunters don't use magic."

"I remember when you told me exactly when you had fallen in love with me," Clary said. "You said it was after I slapped you because there had been ten percent you weren't sure about weather or not it would hurt me."

"I played piano then too," Jace murmured. "I needed to think about something else until you woke up. Even then I needed for you to wake up. When you slapped me is when I knew I had to kiss you before to long."

"Kiss me now," CLary breathed.

Jace was all too happy to comply. He tangled his fingers into the hair at the back of her shoulder blades, and Clary wrapped her arms around his neck. For Jace, Kissing Clary had been the thing that made him understand why kisses in movies were always filmed with the camera panning in circles. He always felt like he was spinning and drowning, and Clary was the only life raft.

Clary broke away when breathing became an evident problem. Unwilling to pull away completely, she rested her forhead against his. She waited for her breath to even out, taking note of the fact that Jace's breathing was just as rapid as hers was. She loosened her arms from around her neck and sat back farther in her arm chair. Then she curled up and took out the blanket she had brought with her and tucked it up around her. She found a comfortable position and let her eyes close.

A lock of her escaped from the messy bun she had put it in, and tickled her face. She reached up to brush the hair away, but gasses fingers got there first. Instead of winding it back into place he pulled her hair free from the bun and tugged his fingers through it until it all hung around her face.

"What are you doing?" Clary asked without bothering to open her eyes.

"I like it better that way," Jace argued.

"Fine," Clary said, and nestled farther into the chair. "Now play for me."

"'As you wish,'" Jace quoted before turning to the keyboard and lifting the lid, He stretched his finger and cracked his knuckles.

"I love you too," Clary murmured. "Although normally your quotations are on a slightly higher par then The Princess Bride."

Jace laughed a little. "I'll come up with something better later."

Then he began to play. The music started out low and dark before rising a few octaves to mix with a few higher notes, and bright spots. Then the music changed to a much sweater tone, with a few dark accents. Then all warmth fell away from the piece to deep, dark, depressing, notes. Then the music shifted to a register that was almost unbearably pure and sweet.

Jace finished the piece and turned to see Clary fast asleep in the chair. Her breath was blowing a few locks of hair away from her face every time she exhaled. He heard something at the door and looked up quickly.

Will was standing in the doorway. "Oh, it's you," he said off handedly. "I though maybe Jem was using some hitherto unknown talent. How long have you been playing the piano?"

"I was five years old when I was given my first lesson," Jace told him. He brought the black polished lid back over the ebony and ivory keys. Then he leaned over and lifted Clary up, blanket and all. Then he walked out the door. Will followed him.

"Jem is always saying I should learn how to play the piano," Will mused. "He says I have the right hands for it."

Jace rolled his eyes at no one in particular. Of course the hands would be a family trait. What else could they possibly be? "Yeah well," Jace said to cover up. "if you haven't learned by now you probably never will."

As they turned down another hallway Will asked. "What was that you were playing? I didn't recognize it."

Jace shrugged. "I made it up."

"How?"

"Clary asked me to play for her," Jace said. Like it was just that simple.

Will looked down at the small redhead in Jace's arms. "You'd do pretty much anything for that girl wouldn't you?"

Jace met his eyes full own. "There is no 'pretty much' about it. If Clary asks me for something I can give her I will do it. No matter the costs." With that. Jace went into Clary's room to put her to bed so she could sleep.

"Yes," Will muttered to the closed door. He saw Tessa'a face in his minds eye. "No matter the costs."

A/N: How was it? Tell me!