So this is Chapter 8. Hope you guys like it!

The end of the week came too soon for Clary's liking, and before she knew it, they were back on the road heading towards Idris. They stopped by the Lightwoods first as Maryse had invited Clary, Magnus, and Simon over for dinner before started again the next day. Clary knew something was wrong the instant they walked through the door because Maryse was pacing around the living room, worrying at the skin of her bottom lip with her teeth. Her dark eyes, identical to Isabelle's, widen when she saw them. "Oh good, you're home." She gave a worried glance that she didn't understand. "Clary, there's something you should see." Maryse picked up the remote and turned on the TV, which came to life on a mugshot of none other than Sebastian Verlac. Clary froze as a woman she couldn't see spoke. "Breaking news in Idris tonight, high school student Sebastian Verlac is being released from juvie today due to insufficient evidence in the case of vehicular manslaughter that was the cause of his arrest last year. Reports say that Verlac will be returning to classes at Idris High School the Monday following spring break. The family of the man killed in the fatal crash last June has refused to comment on Verlacs release at this time. Jesse Smith, Idris News." Clary couldn't believe it. It felt as if every bit of breath had been knocked out of her lungs and even after Maryse turned the TV off Clary, Magnus and Simon all continued to stare at it in shock and horror. "Clary, who is that?" Isabelle asked, obviously confused. The ice in Clary's veins made it impossible for her to speak. She barely noticed when Simon and Magnus came forward and grasped her hands in theirs. When she finally managed to speak, her voice was barely audible. "That's the man that killed my brother."

Jace, Alec,Izzy, Magnus, and Simon all stood in the kitchen, none of them with any idea of what to say. Clary had stepped outside to call Luke and when she came back into the room she looked frazzled. "What did he say?" Jace asked. "He doesn't want me to come home yet. Apparently there are reporters camping out in front of our house and he doesn't want me anywhere near them." Jace pulled her into a hug and planted a kiss on the top of her head. "It's going to be can stay here if you want to." Clary nodded but didn't say anything, just buried her face in his shoulder. "I just don't understand how the case got dismissed," Simon said angrily, his hands clenched in fists at his sides. "It was proven that Sebastian was drunk when he got behind the wheel that night." Clary shook her head. "The defense is claiming that they found evidence of 'testing irregularities' that called the accuracy of Sebastian's blood test results into question." Magnus began to rant about how ridiculous the whole thing was when he was cut off by the chime of Clarys phone. She picked it up, frowning, then set it back down on the counter in front of her with a sigh. "What is it?" Simon asked "Luke. Principal Penhallow wants to meet with me before school on Monday. Probably to talk about Sebastian coming back." Magnus visibly bristled. "I can't believe they're letting him come back." "Well they don't really have a choice." Clary snapped, then looked down at her hands guiltily. "I'm sorry. I just don't want to talk about this anymore." Isabelle was about to say something to her when Maryse came breezing into the room, her arms full of plastic bags reading 'The Jade Wolf'. None of them had much of an appetite and after dinner, Simon and Magnus had left. "We'll see you tomorrow Biscuit." Magnus had said before walking out the door, and when her friends had left, Clary excused herself to sleep. Despite her best efforts though, sleep wouldn't come. Around two-thirty in the morning she gave up and, careful not to wake Isabelle, crept downstairs. She poured herself a glass of water, but didn't drink it, just stared as it sat on the counter. "You know, you're not Matilda. You're not going to make the glass tip over just by staring at it." Clary jumped and turned to see Jace standing in the kitchen doorway. "You scared the crap out of me!" Jace just laughed. "Sorry." Clary sighed and pushed her hands through her tangled hair. "I couldn't sleep." "I figured." Jace walked over to the cabinet and pulled out two mugs, putting a partially rusted tea kettle full of water on the stove. Clary watched him as he waited for the water to boil and poured it into the mugs along with the powdered hot chocolate mix he had added earlier. "Marse used to make this for me all the time when I first moved in with them. The key," he said, walking to the fridge. "Is adding milk. It makes it thicker and makes it taste better overall." He handed her a mug and she smiled. "When I was little and I would get upset, Luke would always bring me new art supplies and tell me that I had to make him something out of them. It would take my mind off of whatever I was upset about." She followed Jace into the living room and sat down next to him on the couch. "You really think the world of him don't you?" "He's the only father I've ever known." Jace's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "What about your real father?" Clary took a sip of her hot chocolate. She and Jace talked about almost everything but her biological father was something that hadn't ever come up. "I never knew him." Jace's golden eyes watched her curiously. "He took off after I was born and I haven't seen him since, not even at Jon's funeral." She paused, glancing out the window behind Jace at the stars. "Luke and my mom got married when I was eleven and even though we weren't his kids, he always loved and took care of me and my brother like we were. I couldn't imagine a world without him in it." Jace smiled. "I know what you mean." His expression was nostalgic and Clary noticed that he was fiddling with a chain around his neck. She had noticed that he did it when he was lost in thought, almost subconsciously."What happened to your biological parents?" Jace drew the something out from underneath the hem of his shirt slowly. On the chain around his neck was a silver ring, monogrammed with an 'H' and a pattern of flying birds. Herons, Clary thought. "This is the only thing that I have of my fathers. I don't have anything of my moms." "Herondale." Clary said, tapping her nail against one of the birds on the ring. Jace nodded. "I only know what my social worker told Maryse. Apparently my dad was a Marine and he was killed on a deployment. When my mom found out, she committed suicide and our neighbor, Michael Wayland, took me in because I had nowhere else to go." She heard the soft creak of leather as Jace shifted his weight on the sofa. "When I was ten, he died and I was sent here and this is where I've been ever since." He sighed and topped off the last of his hot chocolate, setting the empty mug on the coffee table. "I'm sorry Jace." He just shrugged, a half-smile on his face. "Don't be. Being sent here was one of the best things that ever happened to me. And besides, Michael gave me a lot. A home, a family, taught me how to play piano. He was my father in every way that mattered and that's how I want to remember him, not as a tragedy." They were quiet for a long time and Jace turned to follow Clarys gaze out the window towards the stars. "When we lived in Brooklyn, on nights I couldn't sleep, Maryse and I would sit on the balcony and look up at the sky. You couldn't always see the stars, but there's nothing as beautiful as the view of the city we had from the apartment….except you." Clary rolled her eyes and rested her head against his chest. She could hear the beat of his heart under her ear and something about it was almost comforting. "Do you miss it? New York?" Jace thought for a moment. "Sometimes, but I'm glad we came here. Because if we hadn't I never would have met you." Clary smiled, remembering when her mom and Luke had first gotten together and she had asked her mother how she knew she loved him. "When you love someone," she had said, "it's like having a best friend, only more. You can talk to them about anything because they love you exactly as you are. Your happier when your with them and they make you a better person. No, they don't make you a better person, you do that yourself, but you do it because they inspire you." Almost as an afterthought, she said, "When you find someone who tries their hardest to stick with you no matter how difficult you are, keep them. Keep them because finding someone who cares enough to look past your flaws isn't something that happens everyday."Sitting on the couch with Jace now, Clary knew her mother had been right. She never would have gotten through the past few months if it hadn't been for Jace. Jace who, at times, seemed to understand her better than anyone. Jace, who made her feel beautiful and smart and happy; things she hadn't felt in a long time. "What are you thinking about?" Jace asked, pulling Clary out of her reverie. "That I'm glad I met you. After everything that happened with Sebastian, I told myself that I was better off alone. But then I met you. You came into my life when I needed someone and I fell for you instantly. I keep expecting that I'll wake up one day and this will all have been a dream." Jace put his hand under her chin so that she was looking into his eyes. "This is real, Clary. This is you and me. Here and now." She leaned over and kissed him briefly. "I know." Jace settled down deeper into the couch, pulling Clary close to him again. "I don't know how I'm going to get through tomorrow." "You will." Jace yawned midway through the sentence and Clary could tell by the way his voice quieted that he was falling asleep. "Besides, I'll be there and so will the others. If Sebastian tries to go near you we'll kick his ass…." Clary smiled and though the words were thoughtful, they did nothing to ease her anxiety. Eventually, Jace's breathing evened out and she knew he was , however, fought to keep her eyes open because she knew that if she closed them she would open them again and have to face tomorrow.

Clary sat down next to Jace in the cafeteria with a sigh, putting her head down on the table and causing Izzy to laugh. "I'm guessing that your meeting with Principal Penhallow went well." Though she knew the comment was sarcastic, Clary groaned again anyway. "She basically called me in there to tell me that if there are any problems between me and Sebastian on campus, she'll have no choice but to suspend me." Magnus looked angry but Clary held her hand up, stopping his rant before the words even left his mouth. "Magnus, don't, it doesn't matter. The only thing I'm worried about now is getting home." The reporters that Luke had warned her about the night before hadn't only come to her house but had followed her to school and though they weren't allowed on school property, they were as close as they could get. Looking out the window, Clary could see them standing on the sidewalk outside the student parking lot, anxiously waiting for her to walk outside so they could shove their cameras in her face. Jace put his arm around her and out of the corner of her eye, Clary saw Isabelle smirk. She had been the one to find Clary and Jace asleep and had not-so-politely woken them up by flicking the living room lights on and off. "I brought my bike today," Jace said, twisting a lock of Clary's hair around his finger. "I could take you around the back and drive you home using Boden Street." Clary frowned. "I thought you had practice before the game." "We do but I should be able to make it back to the Accords Hall in time." The Accords Hall was the stadium the high school used for its games, and it was also on the other side of town from Clary's house. There was no way Jace would have time to drive her home and get back to the Hall in time for practice, even with his bike. "No. Coach Scarsbury will kill you if you're late." Jace started to protest but Clary stopped him. "It's the first game of the season. You have to get to practice on time." Alec gave his brother a pointed look. "She's right." Clary had a smug look on her face as she turned to Isabelle. "Would you be able to drive me home? I just want to drop my stuff off and say hi to my mom before we go to the game." Izzy nodded, covering her mouth with her hand so she could finish chewing the carrot she had just bitten into. "I'm parked in the back lot so they," she jerked her head towards the group on the sidewalk. "won't see us leave." Jace mouthed a 'thank you' to Isabelle before turning back to his girlfriend. "You don't have to go to the game today." Clary poked him in the chest, not unkindly. "And you don't have to keep treating me like a porcelain doll. Seriously, Jace, I'm fine and today is about you and Alec, not me. Nothing, not even a stupid pack of reporters is going to stop me from going to that game." Jace kissed the top of her head and laughed. "You're amazing, you know that?" Clary nodded, leaning up to kiss him when Isabelle pelted them with the carrot sticks left on her tray. "Will you guys stop already, I'm trying to eat!" Jace grinned. "You're just jealous." Isabelle turned to Simon as though her brother hadn't spoken. "What about you Simon? Are you coming to the game with us?" The hope in her eyes was clear. To everyone except Simon. "Yeah, I guess I'll go." Izzy smiled. "Great!" She stood from the table and brushed off her dress, causing the carrot Jace had thrown at her to fall to the floor. "I have to go talk to Mr. Blackthorn about an assignment, but I'll see you later." Simon nodded and watched as Izzy walked out of the cafeteria, his friends all laughing. "What?" That just made them laugh harder, and Magnus clapped Simon on the shoulder. "You, Simon Lewis, are completely clueless."

The parking lot of the Accords Hall was packed when Isabelle pulled into a spot. There were students from both Idris and Edom High School everywhere; climbing out of cars, huddled in groups in empty parking spots, only distinguishable by the colors they wore. Edom High School in red, Idris High School in black. When Clary followed Simon and Izzy into the stadium, she could see the two schools teams warming up on the field, and Jace grinned when he saw her, breaking away from the team to meet her at the fence that separated the field from the rest of the stadium. "You're wearing my jersey." He had given her his away jersey, identical to the one he was wearing save for the two white stripes on the sleeves, to wear for the game, as was the tradition for soccer players and their girlfriends or, in Magnus and Alec's case, boyfriends for the first game of the season. "Of course I am." "I daresay you look better in it than I do." "Wow, you must really love me. I never thought you would say anyone looked better than you." Jace just laughed and reached down to meet her lips with his. He tasted like Gatorade and his favorite spearmint gum and for a moment, her senses blurred. For a moment, the world fell away and it was only her and Jace. "Herondale!" Coach Scarsburys voice snapped her back to reality harshly. "Come on, we have a game to play!" "Yes, sir." Over his shoulder, Clary could see Jace's teammates trying to contain their laughter and she smiled sheepishly. "We have an audience." She shoved him in the direction of his team before he could get distracted again. "Go, I'll see you later." He walked backward for a moment, then winked at her and ran towards the other guys. Clary could hear them whooping and cheering as Jace approached and saw the blonde smack Jordan Kyle on the back of the head, despite the fact that he was grinning. "Come on my lovesick friend. We have a game to watch." Simon grabbed Clary by the shoulders and hauled her towards the bleachers where Magnus and Isabelle were already sitting. Clary just rolled her eyes and sat down next to Magnus who, she noticed, was wearing Alecs away jersey. "What?" he asked, catching her grin. "Nothing. I've just never seen you as happy as you are with Alec. Not even Camille." Magnus looked sad at the mention of his ex and Clary felt a pang of sympathy for him. He and Camille had gone out for almost two years until she decided that Magnus wasn't good enough for her. Magnus had tried to play it off like it didn't matter but Clary had known better. Camille was one of the few people Magnus had trusted and her leaving him had broken his heart. "Alec isn't like other people I've been with. He doesn't try to hide anything from me and he's always, one hundred percent honest and genuine about everything he does. That's why I was okay with him not telling his parents about me because I knew it wasn't because he was ashamed." Clary squeezed Magnus' hand. "Anyone who's ashamed of you is an idiot." Magnus chuckled and looked a little surprised at the ferocity in her voice. "Thank you, Biscuit." Just then, Coach Scarsbury blew his whistle, signaling the start of the game, and both high schools team captains ran to the center of the field. Clary could see Jace, standing with Alec as a forward, watching Jordan and Edom High Schools captain nervously. Everyone on the field stood completely still until Coach Scarbury blew the whistle again and they exploded into action. Jordan got the ball first, bolting to the other side of the field with Alec and Jace following close behind him. It wasn't long before Jordan managed to finagle the ball around the majority of Edoms players and kick it into the goal, scoring the first point of the game. The rest of the game continued like this with Edom in the lead and Idris a point behind. Clary could see that Jace was getting frustrated and she put her elbows on her knees, anxiety building in her chest. "Come on Jace, you got this, you got this. Come on you got this." Her hands were clenched into fists so tight that her knuckles turned white, her nails biting into the skin of her palms. Her heart dropped as the last thirty seconds of the game came and Idris was still a point behind. But then something incredible happened. Jace got ahold of the ball and, evading two of Edom's players, kicked it passed the goalie just before the whistle blew, ending the game. Everyone on Idris' side of the bleachers stood from their seats and cheered, the sound deafening in Clary's ears. Jace's teammates were cheering as well, hoisting Jace up on their shoulders and chanting his name as they carried him around the field. Soon the people in the stadium dispersed, Clary and her friends following them out to wait for Alec and Jace by the entrance. When the two brothers came out, faces bright with sweat and excitement, Jace ran at Clary and picked her up, spinning her around before setting her back down on the ground. "We did it, Clary, we did it!" Clary put her hands on her hips and looked up at him smugly. "See, what have I been telling since you tried out for the team? You should really listen to me more often." She wrapped her arms around his neck as he laughed. "You give yourself way too much credit Fray." Clary grinned and leaned up to kiss him when a voice made her freeze. "Clary." She knew who it was without having to look and even the sound of his voice made her blood run the way Jace tensed, he knew who it was too and Clary gave his arm a squeeze before turning to face the person she had dreaded seeing for months. "What do you want Sebastian?" She didn't even try to keep the hatred out of her voice and Sebastian looked stung, which only made her angry. After everything that he had done, what right did he have to be hurt? "I just want to talk." Simon took a step forward, but Clary shot him a look that made him stop. "There's nothing to talk about." Sebastian looked at her pleadingly. "Clary come on…." "No!" By now a crowd had formed around them, some of them reporters, but Clary was too worked up to care. "Just because a judge believes you didn't do anything wrong, doesn't mean I believe it. You got my brother killed." Sebastian took a step towards her, his hand outstretched, but she stepped back as though he were a wild animal. "I didn't mean for anything to happen to Jon. I thought….I thought I was okay, just please, you can't hate me. Just please tell me how to fix this." Clary stared at him incredulously and had to bite her lip to keep it from trembling. "Are you kidding me? You come here, after everything that you did and have the nerve to tell me what I can and can't do? Well guess what, I do hate you and if you really want to fix this, bring my brother back." Sebastian looked sad. "I cant…." "Exactly. Just stay away from me Sebastian." Her voice shook and she could feel tears falling from her eyes. She turned away, pushing through the crowd desperately. She would not cry in front of him. When Clary got to Isabelle's car, she pressed the palms of her hands against her eyes, trying to stop the tears. Suddenly, she felt arms go around her and she breathed in the scent of sunlight, freshly cut grass, and sweat. Jace. He just held her, letting her cry until she didn't have any tears left. "I'm sorry." she said, her words broken up by hiccups of breath. "You have nothing to apologize for." Clary wiped her eyes and leaned against the side of Isabelle's car. Her other friends stood a short distance away, looking at her sympathetically, and Clary felt worse. They were supposed to be celebrating their first win of the season, not feeling sorry for her. "I do though." Clary said, looking up at Jace. "Today was supposed to be about you and Alec…." "That doesn't mean that you don't have a right to be upset. Okay?" Alec nodded. "Yeah Clary. We're here for you whether we won a game or not." "We would be terrible friends if we weren't." Isabelle cut in and Clary almost smiled. "I love you guys." Simon and Magnus came over and enveloped her in a hug. "And we love you." When she pulled away from her friends, she caught sight of a reporter standing in the next aisle of the parking lot, holding a camera in their direction. "Run!" she yelled and took off in the direction of the restaurant across the street from the stadium. The six of them ducked into the alley between the restaurant and a bank that had closed for the night, collapsing against the wall, breathless and laughing they were sure the reporter hadn't followed them, Isabelle walked over and threw her arm around Clary's shoulders. "Come on. Let's go be psychos together."

At lunch Friday afternoon, the table Clary usually sat at with her friends was empty save for Isabelle and Simon. "Where is everyone?" she asked as she sat down. "Alec and Jace had an 'emergency' soccer practice and Magnus ducked out for work early. Something about paperwork." Simon didn't look up from his phone the entire time he was talking and Clary couldn't help but laugh. Magnus, needing only three more credits to graduate in June, spent half the school day at his job as a medical assistant at the local hospital. He was always complaining about paperwork and how he was 'drowning' in it, so this was nothing new to Clary and Simon. Isabelle frowned and pointed at Clary with a bloodred fingernail. "Is that my shirt?" Clary nodded nervously and glanced down at the article of clothing and question, a simple white, flowy tank top with eyelet lace at the neckline and sleeves. She had taken it from Isabelle's closet when she had slept over after the game a week before and had 'accidentally' forgotten to return it. "Yeah, sorry. I know I should have….." But Izzy never got to know what her friend should have done because she was silenced by the sound of a gun going off.