First of all, if anyone still wants to read this, I'd love to hear from you. I've been sitting on this for months, and I don't even know why...I think because it's been so long....but the next chapter is nearly done as well.

Second of all, if there are inaccuracies, I plead forgiveness, and pin it on being AU. In reality, the Mortal Instruments is a bit hazy in my memory. I read them almost a year ago, and I borrowed those copies. So, not owning anything I can read repeatedly, like Twilight, some of the details get lost. Doesn't mean I don't love them, and I'm planning on getting my hands on them again before City of Glass comes out! Hopefully it will make for quicker updates!

Disclaimer: The Twilight Series and The Mortal Instruments Series belong to their respective authors.

Chapter 10

Should I Stay

or

Should I Go

A large travel bus groaned around the corner. High pitched squealing rang through the air as the gigantic gray monstrosity of modern travel slowed next to the official stopping point. As soon as it came around the corner, I spotted Jacob's face pressed against the glass. At first I assumed he was sleeping, but as the bus screeched finally to a stop, I saw Jacob's black eyes wide, eying the entire scene.

I wondered idly as Jace and I waited for Jacob to exit, whether it was being in a strange city, that had him on edge; perhaps, he saw the tall golden figure next to me, and recognized the same ghosts I saw there.

The tall, lanky figure of my best friend stepped cautiously from the last step. The thick glossy curtain of black hair swirled into his face, as the wind ripped down the street. My heart lifted immediately, and I let the smile spread across my lips. Jacob let his gaze fall on me, and returned my gesture, with a forced grin of his own. His eyes remained guarded as he approached me.

"Hey, Bells," he said softly.

My smile grew, and I took two excited steps forward, and flung myself at the familiar chest of my best friend. Thick, sinuous arms encircled my waist, and I felt his face press lightly into the hair at my neck. He held me tight as I let the moisture fall from my eyes on to his black shirt.

"Thank you for coming." I whispered quietly into his ear. "You have no idea how much I needed you."

Jacob released his hold on me, and took half a step backward to eye me critically. His features seemed to brighten before me. "Oh," he said chuckling, "I think I might have some idea..."

I wanted to laugh along with him. Now that my sun was back, I could feel the clouds dissipating. I felt entirely lighter, thanks solely to Jacob and the charisma emanating from him like electricity through a light bulb. Then, I caught Jace staring open-mouthed over Jake's shoulder.

His mouth was gaping, and for once, he seemed at a loss for words. He examined Jacob hesitantly. Maybe he hadn't been expecting some one quite so...huge. That was the best word to describe the boy I had grown so close to during those long broken months. Not that he had even compared then to what stood before me now.

"Um, so Jacob, this is Jace," I finally said, pulling away, and stepping toward Jace. I hoped at the very least, he'd be polite, but he did little to disguise the look of disgust on his face.

Jacob reached a hand forward, but his eyes were narrowed at the blond man opposite him. "Downworlder," Jace finally acknowledged, reaching forward and giving Jacob's hand a quick pump.

We were all silent for an awkward moment, as the boys eyed each other. Finally, Jace ripped his eyes away from Jake and turned them toward me. An intensity burned there. "You'll be safest at the Institute," he warned.

It was Jacob who answered, as I glared at Jace. "We're perfectly capable of protecting Bella. Better than you."

Jace laughed aloud. "Do you have any idea what I am, downworlder?"

"Do you know what I am?" He snapped back.

"Werewolf," Jace sneered. "Downworlder. And I am what sends you back to hell, creature!"

"'Back to hell?' Who is this guy, Bella?" Jacob asked, sniffing the air loudly. "You smell human to me." I couldn't help but smile at what Jake undoubtedly thought as a jibe. Jace's face was priceless.

The bus roared back into life, and started back down the road, while it's other exiting passengers swiftly walked to their destinations. I stepped closer to Jake, and he wrapped his fingers around mine. Even his hands seemed huge compared to the last time I'd felt them. But it was amazing. I could be anywhere in the world, and if Jacob was there, it'd be home.

He winked at me and smiled. "Let's get some breakfast, and we'll get the hell out of this place." He was uncomfortable being so far from La Push. But that may be a little too close to home for me. Wouldn't Billy surely tell Charlie if I go back there with Jacob? And Charlie was always going through the rez on official police business and such. It'd be impossible to hide there, unless Jacob stuck me in a basement. Before I had the chance to voice my concerns, Jace spoke up.

"Sounds great! Where we going?"

Breakfast was probably the most uncomfortable experience of my life. Jacob and Jace glared at each other, refusing to speak, unless it was directly to me. It was childish, and starting to make me furious. This stupid male machismo was taking away Jacob's sunny personality, making him as surly and brooding as I'd been lately.

"You should really reconsider staying, Bella," Jace was pleading again. "At least, until we find who ever it is that's looking for you. Just traveling would be dangerous, even if your destination is safe."

He was trying for my rational side and doing a good job.

"Look, Bells, Sam is expecting us. In fact, the pack can follow the bus, if it's that big a deal."

"What about Charlie?" I asked him. "How can I possibly stay hidden from him in La Push?"

Jake chuckled, his eyes flashing with amusement. "Trust me. It's easy to keep secrets. We've been keeping them for generations."

Jace snorted, but had a curious look on his face. For the first time since their initial meeting, Jace was looking directly at Jacob. "Generations?" He wondered.

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Yes. My father. His father before him, and so on. You know. Gen – er – a tion."

"That's not what I meant," Jace snapped back at him. "I wasn't aware of any downworlder having a family."

Jacob looked offended. "My family has lived in La Push since the beginning of time. We can trace out lineage back to Taha Aki, the great Spirit Warrior."

Jace interrupted him. "Spirit warrior?"

Jake was trembling slightly, but kept his gaze on Jace's. "That's what I said."

Jace stared back in silence for a long time. Just as I was going to try and say something to break it, he spoke again, but it seemed like he was only thinking aloud. "Not a werewolf? Spirit Warrior? What does that mean? It couldn't be..."

"Couldn't be what?" I wondered as Jake and I exchanged a glance.

He was quiet again, gaging our reactions, the skepticism evident on his golden face. "Are you done?"

I looked down at my breakfast that I'd barely touched, and noticed the boys had already finished their plates. I nodded anyway. I hadn't been hungry in months. We stood, and as Jacob shoveled as much of my left-overs into his mouth as he could, and walked back to the street.

After turning the first corner, the crowds dispersed, and we were mostly alone as we made our way down the sidewalk. I walked between the two of them, feeling positively dwarfed. Jacob loped along at a steady glide, but Jace was almost bouncing with poorly restrained excitement. His golden hair shone in the sunlight like pure gold. The way it curled behind his ears was charming, in a boyish way, though the rest of him was the lean and muscular physique of a man. It was not unlike my Jacob, who appeared to be a man closer to thirty, but had the demeanor and humor of the teenager he was.

At the end of that street was a small park, which consisted of a small patch of browning grass and a partially demolished swing set. Some one had rigged the remaining swing so it was the only functional part of the contraption, and I threw myself into it. Jacob stood to my left, digging his toes in the soft sand.

"You've never been bitten?" Jace suddenly asked. He had stopped in front of us, and was staring hard at Jake.

"Do I look look a leech to you?" He snapped back. I noticed his russet hands clenched into tight fists at his sides as he tried to calm the quivers running through his body.

Jace only smiled obliviously. "I didn't say by a vampire. Don't overreact. If you're what I think you are, then we have more in common than I thought."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jacob demanded, looking a little disgusted he would have anything in common with someone like Jace.

"Not werewolf," Jace whispered. "Shape-shifter."

Jake and I stared at him dumbly. Finally, Jace realized we had no idea what he meant, nor the ominous tone he had used.

"Werewolves are like an infection," he began, but Jacob looked affronted, so he put a hand up to stop his angry response. "Please."

Jake shrugged, and Jace went on. "Real werewolves infect humans through biting them, though they usually end up eating them in the frenzy." I balked at that, and noticed a similar expression on Jake's face. "Sometimes werewolves mate with each other or humans, and the offspring carry the infection, but there is no third generation wolves. We suspect that the disease makes them incapable of procreation. Nothing without a soul an reproduce."

My friend snarled next to me, and I held out my hand, and laced my fingers with him as comfort. Jace had a point, and I found his explanation enthralling.

"Werewolves are also ruled by the full moon. That doesn't mean they can't change at other times, but the moon has complete control over their cycle."

Jake snorted next to me, apparently unable to contain himself any longer. "You make it sound like a bunch of girls," he laughed.

Jace smiled his golden smile. "Yes, but shape shifters are something else entirely." His voice took on an ominous tone. "Like shadowhunters, they are descended from angels. Angels who passed to their offspring the ability to fight the forces of evil. The fact that you are a wolf is just haphazard. It could have been any animal. There have been clans of people who shifted into birds and bears and tigers.

"These clans have been gone for centuries. They are legends, bedtime stories for young shadowhunters." He laughed aloud as if in on some private joke. "The Clave would love to get their hands on you."

Jacob and I stayed silent while Jace chuckled to himself. "It really is amazing,: he finally said. "It's been six-hundred years since the last shape-shifters walked this world."

This time, Jacob was laughing. "Goes to show how much you know. My grandfather was a wolf, only seventy years ago, and there have been others – dozens – in the last six hundred years."

"Unreal," Jace murmured.

"What is?" A voice cut across the park.

Our heads turned to see Clary walking toward us with Simon at her heals.

"Well," Jace said, a sarcastic smile spreading across his face. "If it isn't the great Houdini. I hear you made quite the escape last night, though sprint might be a better word for it."

The dark-haired boy scowled at him. "I suppose you'll want a thank you for that, too," he said wryly.

'Oh, shut up," Clary said, and looked over at me, and noticed Jacob at my side. "Nice to see you again."

Jake nodded to her.

"I was just discussing with Jake here some of the finer points of angel blood." Jace told them with a quick smile. "Simon knows all about that, don't you?"

Just then, Jacob tensed beside me, and his whole body was thrown into a fit of shaking, much worse than the small shudders Jace had roused with his earlier jibes. It took a full second for it to click in my mind. Jacob was reacting to Simon, because he was a vampire. I clenched my hand tighter to Jake's, reminding him of my presence, which seemed to calm him some.

"All this is well and good, but I've got to get Bella out of here, before trouble finds her." His voice was raw with tension, but I knew he was within his limits.

Worry crossed over both Jace and Clary's faces at the same time. "You have to stay, Bella," Clary was suddenly pleading. "You don't know what you're up against."

I just shrugged noncommittally. I'd be the first to admit I knew next to nothing about werewolves and demons, but I knew about vampires. There were worse ways to go, and I'd already been living in hell for months now. There wasn't much that could make it worse. Unintentionally, my grip tightened on Jake's fingers.

In a small voice I told her, "I don't belong at the Institute. I belong..." But I didn't really know where I belonged.

Jace snorted, and reach forward, placing a casual hand on my shoulder. He looked into me with bright eyes, and a huge smile. "Why do you think we exist?"

"Why do you think we do?" Jake snarled from my side. "She'll be protected with me."

And I had no doubt to the truth of his words. "He's right. Jake is my best friend. I'll be ok."

Clary pushed her way forward, leaving Simon standing alone in the background, staring at us. "You can't leave, Bella." She almost seemed to choke. "He's looking for you now."

Everyone's eyes turned to her, except the dark headed vampire, whose eyes turned downward.

She went on in a rush, as if hurrying the word would make it less true. "Valentine."

I spun my eyes from her face to Jace's as he registered his own shock. "Your...your dad? I don't understand."

"He's not our father," Jace said in a menacing voice. "When did you hear this?" He demanded Clary.

Her eyes turned to Simon, and everyone else's followed. He looked more than uncomfortable. Standing in a loose fitting black T and thrashed dark jeans, he was kicking at the ground. Jace stomped over to him.

"What is this?"

When Simon's eyes met Jace's, I was surprised at the anger in them. He had seemed incredibly uncomfortable. I knew he didn't care much for Jace, regardless that he had let Simon nearly drain him to save his life. It was an act of love for his sister, not that he was admitting that. It was just obvious to every one but Clary. Hence, the animosity with the vampire-ex.

"There's a price on her head!" Simon snapped back. "The Volturi want her, and is offering a trade for something Valentine wants."

"And why wasn't I told?" His voice took on a vicious tone.

Dryly, Simon sneered. "I didn't know I was reporting to you."

"Listen, I don't much about these Volturi-guys - " Clary started, but Simon interrupted her.

"They are the essence of our kind. The reason vampires are the creatures of nightmares." I shuddered at his words, remembering a long ago conversation with Edward. "Raphael wasn't happy when they got involved. His whole coven is at risk."

Jace was standing up straight again, and started pacing. "What does Valentine want that they would have?"

We were all silent, but eventually, Jacob spoke up. "Even more reason to get her away from you."

Jace laughed and Clary said, "Are you kidding me? That's even more reason to keep her close. We can keep Valentine away."

"And the Volturi?" Simon asked.

"We can cross each bridge as it comes," Jace said confidently. He looked quickly at Jacob hovering over my shoulder. "You can stay here, too."

"I don't know if Sam would like that much."

"Wait," I interrupted the bickering about to erupt again. "Let me think it over." I didn't really feel like going back to La Push, where Jacob would inevitably take me. It was too close to home. I missed Forks and Charlie, but I wouldn't go back to the damn psychiatric ward in the hospital, and if my dad saw me, that's exactly where I'd end up. The thought of rogue vampires, maniacal fathers, and tyrannical ancient cults didn't even factor in.

If I stayed here in the city, under the Shadowhunters' watchful eyes,however, I'd feel just as out of place as I had before, even with Jake beside me. Neither plan seemed the right thing. Every one stayed put as I backed away from the loose circle, and began walking back and forth.

The best idea seemed to be to take none of their suggestions. I couldn't stay here in the city, where I was obviously attracting too much unwanted attention, not that any of it made sense. Neither could I go back to La Push, where Charlie would undoubtedly find me lurking about the rez. It only left one option. "I have to go," I said finally, turning to stop their furious whispering.

Jacob sighed a visible gust of relief, but I cut it short. "But I can't go anywhere near Forks."

His eyes widened, as he thought over my words. Without hesitation, Clary bounded over to me. "I'm coming with you," she said.

"Clary -" Jace started, but with graceful speed, Simon was at her side.

"I'll come with you." His words were only for Clary, who snorted.

"And Maia?"

He groaned, but Jake stepped forward. "Sam's gonna kill me," he muttered, but the heat of his hand closed over mine. I smiled at him, who returned his own wolfish grin, but his eyes betrayed the true feelings of grief. Leaving his home for an extended period, was not something he was looking forward to.

Jace groaned, and was muttering angrily under his breath. "I should call Isabelle and Alec and let them know." Clary shot his a smile that hit his back, but didn't go unnoticed by Simon. He turned around quickly, pulling a phone from his own pocket.

Suddenly, I had an entire entourage. Now, where wouldn't be safe?

A/N: Review if any one is still out there!