Author's Note: Thanks to buring .x. impossibly .x. bright for beting this fast! Also thanks to everyone who has review and rated this fav. story or story alert! Also it seems that Jace's fans have come out, it looks like the table have turned so if you want Damon to end up with Clary you got a vote :P

Disclamer: I don't own The Mortal Instrument series or The Vampire Diaries series - they belong to the wonderful authors of Cassandra Clare and L.J Smith! :P


It had been centuries since Damon had dreamt of Katherine, but tonight she appeared to him - haunting him.

White, Katherine had been wearing white that day. A new white grown of Venetian silk with slashed sleeves to show the fine linen chemise underneath it. She had a necklace of gold and pearls about her neck and tiny pearl drop earrings in her ears.

She had been so delighted with the new dress her father had commissioned especially for her. Damon stood in shadows - listening and watching Katherine pirouette in front of Stefan, lifting the full floor-length shirt in one small hand to show the yellow brocaded underskirt beneath….

"You see, it is even embroidered with my initials. Papa had that done. Mein lieber Papa…"Katherine's voice trailed off, and she stopped twirling, one hand slowly settling to her side. "But what is wrong Stefan? You are not smiling?"

Stefan's fingers closed convulsively around the cool engraved metal, "Katherine, how can I smile, how can I be happy when…"

"When?"

"When I see how you look at Damon, before he came home, you and I were together every day. My father and yours were pleased, and spoke of marriage plans. But now the days grow shorter, summer is almost gone-and you spend as much time with Damon as you do with me. The only reason Father allows him to stay here is that you asked it. But why did you ask it, Katherine? I thought you cared for me?" Stefan's voice filled with pain and frustration.

"I do care for you, Stefan. Oh, you know I do!" Her voice filled with dismay.

"Then why intercede for Damon with my father? If not for you, he'd have thrown Damon out into the street…"

"Which I'm sure would have pleased you, little brother." Damon's voice was smooth and arrogant as he finally stepped out of the shadows and entered the room. He had heard enough from his little brother.

"Oh, no, that's not true," said Katherine. "Stefan would never wish to see you hurt."

Damon's lip quirked and he threw Stefan a wry glance as he moved to Katherine's side. "Perhaps not," he said to her, his voice softening slightly. "But my brother is right about one thing at least. The days grow shorter, and soon your father will be leaving Florence. And he will take you with him -unless you have a reason to stay."

Unless you have a husband to stay with. The words were unspoken, but they all heard them. The baron was too fond of his daughter to force her to marry against her will. In the end, it would have to be Katherine's decision, Katherine's choice.

Now that the subject was broached, Stefan could not keep silent. "Katherine knows she must leave her father sometime soon-'' but Damon decided to interrupt.

"Ah, yes, before the old man grows suspicious," Damon said causally, " Even the most doting of fathers must start to wonder when his daughter comes forth only at night."

Damon could sense Stefan was angry and hurt. He thought Katherine had only told him her secret, but his little brother was wrong. Katherine had also told him of her secret.

"Why did you tell him, Katherine? Why? What can you see in him; a man who cares for nothing but his own pleasure? How can he make you happy when he thinks only of himself?"

"And how can this boy make you happy when he knows nothing of the world?" Damon interposed his voice sharp with contempt, "How will he protect you when he has never faced reality? He has spent his life among books and paints; let him stay there."

Katherine was shaking her head in distress, her chestnut brown eyes misted with tears.

"Neither of you understand," she said. "You are thinking that I can marry and settle here like any other lady of Florence. But I cannot be like other ladies. How can I keep a household of servants who will watch my every move? How can I live in one place where the people will see that the years do not touch me? There will never be a normal life for me."

She drew a deep breath and looked at them each in turn. "Who chooses to be my husband must give up the life of sunlight," she whispered. "He must choose to live under the moon and in the hours of darkness."

"Then you must choose someone who is not afraid of shadows," Damon said, his voice filled with intensity. "Katherine, look at my brother; will he be able to renounce the sunlight? He is too attached to ordinary things: his friends, his family; his duty to Florence. The darkness would destroy him."

"Liar!" cried Stefan. "I am as strong as you are, brother, and I fear nothing in the shadows or the sunlight either. And I love Katherine more than friends or family-''

"Or your duty? Do you love her enough to give that up as well?"

"Yes," Stefan said defiantly. "Enough to give up everything."

Damon gave one of his sudden, disturbing smiles. Then he turned back to Katherine. "It would seem," he said, "that the choice is yours alone. You have two suitors for your hand; will you take one of us or neither?"

Katherine slowly bowed her brown locks. Then she lifted wet brown eyes to both of them.

"Give me until Sunday to think. And in the meantime, do not press me with questions."

Stefan nodded reluctantly, but Damon asked, "And on Sunday?"

"Sunday evening at twilight I will make my choice."

Damon eyes fluttered open; he drew in a deep breath. His lean fingers ran through his messy hair. He shifted his position on the floor, where he had slept for the night, for his bed was being occupied by a young maiden with fiery red hair. Damon grunted as he stretched. He decided to take a shower. Quietly he grabbed his clothing and locked the bathroom door.

The warm water tingled against his cold skin, but that was nothing new. It would also be that way when something warm would make contact with his skin. For he was dead, life had no meaning for him anymore as he embraced the darkness that surrounded him.

His thoughts lingered as that old memory replayed in his mind. Why now? Why was he thinking about Katherine suddenly? Had her unexpected reappearance started to awaken things in himself, which he had forgotten? For the longest time he believed she was really gone, so if she was back, then why did she pretend to commit suicide? Why did she let them both believe a lie? Back then, he was willing to leave everything for her and for her alone. She had captured his heart like no other woman had before.

A low snarl escaped from his lips out of frustration, for nothing was making sense. Damon shut off the water and changed into his usual dress: black jeans, and a black t-shirt with a black leather jacket. Silently, he opened the door to see Clary yawning as she was sprawled over his bed.

"Have a good sleep princess?" Damon asked as he leaned against the doorframe - studying her. Clary's red curly locks hung over shoulders to one side, her right hand held the comforter close to her body, and her emerald green eyes were locked on his.

"Yes." She whispered and quickly turned away from him. A playful grin formed across his face once he saw Clary blushing slightly. "You know, you didn't have to make me fall unconscious last night." She added quickly.

"Clary, we both know that you would have protested if I didn't." Damon replied as he slowly made his way towards her. "And plus you were tried, it was easy to see that... I'm surprised that you killed a vampire though." He grinned.

Clary whipped her head around and a "humph" sound escaped her lips as she glared at Damon. "That's right I did kill a vampire!" She shot back, but her voice softened as she added. "Thanks to Stefan of course. He helped train me."

A silent, yet, irritated growl escaped from his lips. Of course, his goody – goody little brother would help her out, if she asked. He never says no to no one, especially Elena, she usually got what she wanted. If Clary had asked him to help her train, he would have had said yes. All of the sudden, a gentle hand touched his forearm. Damon had been so wrapped up in his thoughts, that he didn't realized that Clary was standing beside him now. Her light touch had snapped him back to reality. Her emerald eyes were staring up at him, sorrow filling them.

"Damon, please don't get angry with your brother. He was just trying to help me defend myself." Clary pleaded, hoping that Damon wouldn't blame his brother for his actions to help her.

"I could have helped you train, if you asked me to. I would have said yes." Damon argued.

Clary sighed, "But that was before I knew what you felt for me, before you told me that I had captured your heart." She spoke tenderly. "Before that, you acted so cold that it hurt to be around you. You cared for no one, but yourself." Her voice slightly started to rise. "How would I know that you would've said yes?"

Damon frowned and looked away. Clary was right. Back then, all he cared for was himself. He didn't care for anyone, he didn't care who he hurt, and he always got his way. Power and lust had ruled him for so long that nothing mattered anymore. Then, she came along…..Clary. She had slowly started to change him; his frozen caged heart was slowly melting away. His dead heart started to beat again, as her presence broke down the walls that he had built around it over the years. A gentle finger made contact with his cheek; slowly he turned to face her.

"Damon, please talk to me." Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Clary, I don't understand anymore." His smooth, confident voice had disappeared.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't understand how you changed me? I haven't felt this way since….." His voiced started to trail off.

"You haven't felt this way since...?" Clary tried to encourage him to continue.

"Since, I met Katherine." He replied as he pulled away from Clary's warm touch. He didn't understand why everything had to lead back to her… to Katherine.

"Damon," Clary's voice was filled with concern.

"I think….I should get you back to your place. I'm sure you want to take a shower and change into some fresh, clean clothes." Damon replied. He didn't want to talk anymore. For when he did, it just brought back painful memories, feelings.

"Alright." Clary quietly agreed. She knew Damon was shutting down, he was distancing himself and when he did that, there was no way he would open up again. She didn't want to press him either, because it would just make him angrier and more upset.

Twenty minutes later, Damon dropped her off at her apartment. He told Clary that he would be around, so if she needed anything, just to call. However, once Damon left and Clary opened her apartment door, she froze. The only thing that started working was her lips as she whispered the word 'Jace.'


Now you just got another glimpse of Damon's mind :P Now it's time for Jace and Clary to have a moment in the next chapter - but it's not going to be excatly how you think it might turn out. Sorry that's all I'm going to say :P Just please don't kill me afterwards cause I might have mob - not sure though :/

Now please go press that button! Thank-you :P

P.S: Those who haven't heard yet the lovely Ms. Cassandra Clare is writing two more books after The City of Fallen Angels - they are called The City of Lost Souls and The City of Heavenly Fire. I must say she is going to be a busy women for the next few years, she still has to write Clockwork Prince and Clockwork Princess on top of that!