A/N: Please review :)
From the moment Jace had met Clary, the one thing that had struck out about her was her height.
She was so tiny, and it had only made his decision to protect her more concrete.
As he had gotten to know her, as she had showed him her true self in her vulnerability, he had never associated her by the word small again.
Because what she lacked in size, she made up with in her fiery spirit, her strength and will-in who she was. She was bigger then him, and she was the biggest person Jace had ever met.
This image was shattered as soon as she stepped out, as soon as she met his eyes.
Any ill feelings, ill wishes and ideas Jace had had crashed with it, and all he could think about was the girl that he loved, standing in front of him looking like that.
And what Jace would do to make her looking anything like that.
He would do anything.
Because here, in this moment, she was so, so small.
The reason why they were here in the first place, and what Clary had just done was muted as he surged forwards, only for it be brought under clarity as she flinched.
He stopped, his chest heaving from the strain, and his nostrils flaring as he tried to keep everything at bay. Because Clary needed him to be strong, even when she pushed him away at every turn. She still needed him, and he had to be there.
Even if he felt like breaking himself under the weight of it.
The only things holding him together was the secret search for the monsters that had done this to her, the promise to torture and execute.
And Clary.
She would always hold him together.
"Hey, baby," Jace said gently, and Clary's body slumped. He could tell as small relief hit her, that she had been expecting some sort of brawl. There would be time for words later, but right now, all that mattered was Clary.
"Hi," She whispered back, taking a single step away from the nurse who hovered beside her, and up to him. Jace could feel his lips threaten to crinkle-because although it was such a small movement, it felt huge.
Clary's eyes began to fill with tears, and Jace's expression fell.
"I'm so-sorry!" Clary sobbed out, her eyes wide and pleading, her shoulders shaking. She began to wheeze, and Jace took the next couple of steps, and very gently and slowly, reached out and took her by the shoulders.
Clary stopped under it, but her chest still continued to heave silently as she stared up at him, waiting for him to condemn her.
"Clary, listen to me. It's-it's okay. Whatever you had to do, you had to do. Just-can I take you home? I want to make sure you're okay." One hand moved from her shoulder and up to her face. His fingers stretched out, and when Clary made no movement to pull away, Jace continued his progress. He cupped one of her cheeks, and swiped his thumb under her eye, wiping away the tears.
It was almost as if the-the removal wasn't just of the baby. Almost as if-as if some of the fight that Clary had had-had been sucked out with it.
It sounded horrible, and it was horrible.
Jace chose not to think any more on it.
"Can I take you home, baby?"
Clary bit down on her lip, her eyes flickering across her face. He stopped his movements, and just looked back at her.
Once upon a time they communicated like this-but she had shut that part of herself down, and he only had an inkling of what she was thinking, and trying to put across to him.
Clary took a deep breath that vibrated through her whole body.
"You need rest. Please, Clary."
"Okay, Jace. Take me home."
Isabelle had to do something.
She could not just sit around and do nothing while Clary shut her out, or lashed out at her. Perhaps it was because she was a girl, or because she felt comfortable enough with her to do it. Isabelle didn't know, but assumed there was some psychological reason behind it.
She also knew she had no right to feel hurt, or even betrayed by Clary.
But she could not stop what she felt-she could do something about it.
When Alec disappeared, mumbling some excuse before following Jace out the door, Isabelle began to go over the notes that they had.
She went over where Clary had been, why she had been there.
They had covered all those bases and tracks, but were no closer to finding anything. And Isabelle knew why.
It was because of Jace and Alec.
And even if they saw Isabelle, she was still protected, and they would never show themselves, never do anything to arouse any kind of suspicion.
She knew what she was going to do was beyond just the idea of stupid. Inviting, provoking that kind of danger to one's self was-was insane.
Was asking for it.
But if it meant bringing the humans that had done this to Clary down, then she would do whatever she had to do, to accomplish it.
Even if the results of what could happen were staring her in the face-and even if the thought of it happening to her terrified her beyond any fear she had ever known, had ever experienced.
Even then.
She would do it.
Isabelle wasn't just a shadow hunter-she was a guardian, a protector.
She had thought it was enough to hunt down what humans couldn't see or protect themselves against. It was a cause she would give her life for; a cause she had given her life to.
She'd never considered that sometimes, the monsters were humans.
And now she did.
She was just doing her job.
At least, that's what she told herself as she got ready, scribbled a note, and walked out the front door.
