...I think we all know what I own...nothing

There I said it!

Clary's fists clenched hard on the deck's railing. Maia's "friend's" cottage wasn't fancy, the decks paint was chipping and the whole home was small and quaint.

She closed her eyes and just took in the silence. Knowing that in this silence everything was perfect; that once the silence was broken she would have to deal with all the problems ahead of them. She would have to call the community college, say they took a short leave. She would have to call for Maia, ironically, at the animal shelter and tell Jeff she wouldn't be in for a little while which she had, no doubt, he would be fine with. Jeff Lowes was a sweet pump man who had a love of animals and for Maia, Clary smiled.

She would have to call Jody to say Simon wouldn't be in for his daily routine at the local comic store. She didn't know how well that was going to go but she hoped for the best.

And the apartment, Clary questioned her eyebrows furrowing.

She remembered what Alec had said, they had not found the book. That's what they had searched the apartment. And why only the paintings with her initials were destroyed in her room and only her books. Whoever had ripped apart their apartment had thought they would hide the book in the painting which, in all actuality, was stupid.

It was a sign that they were beginning to panic. That's why Clary's room was the only one completely messed up. She furrowed her eyebrows a moment to question how they would have known which room was hers.

She found herself panicking. Had someone been following her, stalking her? She felt a rush relief to remember that her door had the letters of her name in red. That's how they had known; Clary couldn't help but thank the Lord in that moment.

Shouldn't we call the police, Simon had questioned at the time before they had known Remus or Madisa. Or even that hell hounds existed; before they'd known Alec and...Jace.

"Everything will be back to the way you found it." Alec smiled. "They wouldn't want to remember their failure. It's already a slap in the face for Clary eluding them; they won't want to add salt to the wound. "

"Seriously?" Simon raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that a lot of work for just a failure?"

"Yes-"

"Then why go through all that work?" Simon asked.

"Pride." Alec shrugged. "Pride can do a lot of things to warlocks or people in general, especially to a man, and because of this: everything will be back to how it was before they came into our lives."

"So how will that happen exactly?" Clary said with an exasperated sigh, curling her fingers around the bridge of her nose.

"Yeah, cause, please correct me if I'm wrong, but the last time I was home," Simon had her hands on her hips. "It looked like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre went at it."

"Well they can do unimaginable things-"

"And if you don't believe that after the last couple of days we've had," Jace smirked. "You're more in denial than Alec is for liking Magnus." Alec glared at Jace and his face began to heat but all Jace did was shift his body closer Clary's, who was becoming more aware of how close he was to her, and smirked larger.

"Magnus?" Clary said turning to Jace, whose face was far too close to hers to be appropriate.

He waved her off with a hand. "You'll meet him later."

"So, should we call the police to report the break in?" Simon said scratching his head awkwardly, obviously trying to change the subject. "Because honestly the thing I didn't get the most was why we didn't."

"Actually, it's good you didn't." Jace answered. "They've got recruits on the force too." He shook his head with a snort, mumbling. "To protect and serve my-"

"Besmic?" Clary tilted her head cutting him off mist of his profanity.

Jace stared her right in the eyes and she felt a fire she didn't know could be ignited within her by a mere glance, light up. That's how intensely he stared her down. "No someone much," Jace paused as if staring at something beyond her. "Much worse."

But who could be worse than the man who wanted her and this unseen book? Who had threatened everything she held dear?

She couldn't think of that she had too many things to straighten out like calling Madeline, her own boss. She had proudly worked at the book store and cafe Tranquility for, at least, a couple years. She had started when she was little, Madeline had known her mother.

A tear rolled its way down Clary's cheek. She didn't feel the lump in her throat, or that scratchy feeling she sometimes got at the back of her throat, the urge to cry was not there but somehow there it was a single tear.

Shed for the chaos of, what Clary believed to be, the last couple of days. She shed that lone tear for Simon, who had been dragged into this whole mess not by his own decision. She shed a tear for her mother who, even at her age, never really got a chance to live.

The sun was sinking under the icy lake illuminating the sky with light oranges and yellows and dark purples and blues. She smiled knowing if Maia say this she would have her phone out in a flash to capture its beauty. And then complain about how that one picture did not do, what she locked eyes on, justice. And Clary always found that she agreed, how was a picture supposed to catch a beauty only glanced at once a day. To capture something that almost seemed to combined dark and light.
She smiled slightly, just like Maia and herself. Mixing two so very different people and just like the sunset, they complimented each other.

"Hey."

Clary quickly wiped the tear away, not even glancing behind her shoulder. She knew perfectly well who it was, she could tell his voice from anywhere. "Hey." Her voice cracked a little and she prayed he hadn't heard it.

Jace put his hands in the same formation as Clary's against the railing. He stared out at the fading sun too, and gave no indication he had heard her voice waver. His breath, like hers, was coming out in puffs. And she stole a side glance at him, he was so beautiful. His lips looked so soft and she could just imagine what they would feel like on her own.

She stared in front of her, her cheeks no doubt filling with red. She was embarrassed by her thoughts, he was her friend. He would only see her that way; she would have to live with that. People like Jace Wayland didn't fall in love with people like herself. If they had been in the same grade school, he would never have taken a second glance at her.

They stood in silence as the sunset lit up the sky more brightly. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Clary said.

"Yeah it is." Clary looked at Jace as the wind swept his curly locks around his head. And Clary wished that he could have been looking at her when he said that. To be totally cheesy and cliché, and have the moment like in all the sappy love movies where the girl comments on something beautiful and the boy says: "Yes, you are."

She smiled a little thinking of what Simon would have said if she knew that's what Clary was thinking. Probably something like: "What? Have you taken a liking to the taste of cheese?" Clary laughed a little at that.

Jace turned towards her sharply as if surprised by her sudden outburst. She could see his sharp cheek bones and lush lashes that covered glimmering gold eyes from the side of her vision.

"Clary?" Jace asked and she turned toward him without a second thought. She felt wasps in her belly, it was like she had never heard that nickname until Jace had said it. Hearing him say it made her feel light and utterly happy and warm inside.

"Yeah?" She stared at Jace and it almost looked like he was looking at her the same way she was him; with fascination and something else, though it was probably her over thinking it. Or wishful thinking altogether.

"You know we're going to protect you," Jace looked at her hard as if he needed her to know and understand. "Right?"

She turned her head back to the ice encased lake; knowing it shouldn't be like that, she should be able to protect herself. She shouldn't have to rely on hot strangers, with ninja skills to rescue her. She sighed as she saw that the sunset had become darker, dusk taking over. "You shouldn't have to."

"But that's just it-"

She turned back towards him. "You shouldn't have to risk your life for a girl you've known for an overall of 3 days!" She threw her hands up. "You don't have to protect me. You and Alec can still go and escape all this."

"It's my job. I'm obligated-"

She cut him off again. "You shouldn't have to feel obligated to do anything for me!" Clary sent him an exasperated look.

He stared at her for a long moment before softly answering. "Yes, I do." The way he was staring at her told her this had nothing to do with his "job". Or was it her mind playing tricks on her again? Though with the way his eyes were staring into hers, it seemed entirely unlikely her mind could make this up.
Jace took a step toward her and, as the overhead light flickered on, she saw that his hair was slightly damp; he had taken a shower before coming out to keep her company.

He took another step and she found she couldn't move, though for the first time it had nothing to do with fear. No, this was an entirely different emotion, one she hadn't experienced before and couldn't quite put her finger on.

He was standing so close to her his breath was fanning her face. He smelled of mint and something completely manly, something that was simply him. He smelled amazing, and she found she was having a hard time breathing.

"I can't have you getting hurt, Clary." Jace brushed a lock of curly red hair from her face to behind her ear. If he was expecting an answer she was sorry to disappoint him but her brain was short circuiting with him standing so close.

The door creaked open behind them and Jace jumped away from Clary, like he was doing something he wasn't supposed to, and she found she was slightly disappointed.

"Hey!" Maia said walking out toward them. She grabbed Clary's hand and began to walk toward the red car. "We're going out to get something to eat." She glanced over her shoulder at Jace. "Keep up, pretty boy."

Jace laughed. "Don't worry about me, Maia." His usually arrogance back and the vulnerable person Clary had just spoke with was gone. "I'll keep up just fine."

As Clary looked over her shoulder she saw he had not moved from his spot on the deck and his gaze was still locked on her.

Squeezing into a booth with Maia and Simon was easy, cramped but easy. The hard part was having nothing but Jace to stare at and she would rather not watch him work his charm on the young waitress they got. She was silently thankful for the window to her left.

She couldn't believe he had already moved on to the next fawning girl. She suddenly felt stupid, sparing a glance in the direction of Goldie Locks and his latest victim she wondered if she had looked like that too when she talked to him, as the unnatural platinum blonde twirled her hair around her finger and laughed at everything Jace said. The look in her eyes was one of fascination and Clary immediately felt sorry for the girl because she knew the minute Beach Barbie walked away another girl would spark Jace's fancy or maybe just his pants.

But hadn't she been fascinated by him at one point too? Though in her and Beach Barbie's defense, who wouldn't be fascinated Jace was gorgeous.

Disgustingly gorgeous.

Placing her head on the frosted glass, she rubbed her temples. Her head was throbbing and she knew it was from the stress of the last 3 days and lack of food. She closed her eyes and just listened to the sounds of the diner around them. Remembering a time when she had entered the same diner with Maia so long ago when she was too short to be taken as a teenager and Maia's nose was far too large for her face. She had come with Maia's family and she remembered feeling at peace with herself. Until she had ordered the least expensive thing on the menu and Maia's mother had given her a pointed look.

Clary felt a smile crawl across her face that had been the same day when Maia decided she was going to heighten her surroundings and try something new, which, in this case, was a deep fried pickle that not even Clary herself would eat. After that experience Maia had become very closed minded again.
She had gone home after their week ended together. At 14 everything had been funny, and she immediately wanted to share this story of Maia's new experience with her mother. Who had humored her with a laugh, though Clary knew she found it cute rather than funny. Clary never called her out on it, she loved it when her mother laughed or smiled even if it was just to please her daughter.

I will not cry, Clary thought. Tear ducts I forbid you to produce any moisture!

"Clary?"

Clary eyes snapped open and she turned to Maia, who had her eye brows furrowed. Her brown eyes looked cautious and deep with concern. Clary knew she looked like she had tears in her eyes because she in fact did have moisture.

Curse you tear ducts.

"You okay?" Simon said and in that moment she knew she had everyone's attention at the booth. Her eyes wandered to Jace's, who had his gazed lock on hers. The waitress wasn't here and Clary wondered how long she had been just laying there against the window reminiscing about old memories. Turning her head and placing her hands on the counter, she saw her head mark formed into the glass, maybe she was lying there longer then she had expected.

"Clary?" She looked back towards Maia and Simon not knowing who actually had called her name. "Are you okay?" Simon said, both looked equally concerned and she felt something taking hold of her hands from the counter. She looked up at Jace, who smiled at her before she ripped her hands out from under his smacking Maia's shoulder in the process. Jace blinked and furrowed his golden eyebrows plainly confused.

Clary faked a smile at everyone. "Of course." Maia looked at her a moment and Clary knew she didn't believe her much like when Clary knew her mother was faking it but didn't call her out. Simon stared at her a moment in deep concentration before shrugged his shoulders and turning forward to talking to Alec.

Clary stared down at the table, she just didn't understand boys.

Why was it that in one moment he was flirting with the waitress and then suddenly act like he cared about her at all? The way he had acted before they left was that he had an attraction to her; she wasn't imagining it in his eyes.

Or maybe it wasn't the attraction she was hoping for? Maybe he was attracted to her like a brother was attracted to a sister. Maybe she was reading too far into this.

Clary shook her head slowly, a pitying smile on her face. How could she, for one second, have thought that he wanted to protect her so much because he had feelings for her? She scoffed; she was so blinded by her own attraction she was making something up in her head. Her mother always told her she had a wild imagination.

She suddenly found she didn't want Jace here and she could only think that if Jace wasn't around neither would Alec. And though she liked Alec she couldn't take the confusion and hurt that Jace caused; she'd been hurt by too many people in this one day. But she begrudgingly had to admit that without Alec and Jace they would be goners for sure. Whether it was by Remus and his red flames or Madisa and the sharp jaws of her hell hound, they would be gone. And who was she to take Simon's life in her hands, Maia could obviously handle herself, but Simon was defenseless; as defenseless as her.

Are you as defenseless as Simon? Or do you just want to be?

"What are you hiding, Clary?" Simon said as he stared into her eyes.

"Excuse me." She said to Simon and Maia, who moved without being asked twice.

"What's wrong?" Maia said again, not willing to take the lame excuse as she had before.

"I just," Clary sighed as she went to grab her jacket. "Need some air."

Maia seemed to understand but Simon cut in his brown eyes blazing. "Clary, all you've had to eat for days is Mac N' Cheese. And I'm not hatin' on Kraft or anything, but you need more than just that."

"Really? Hatin'" Maia said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah? What's wrong with that?"

"You are not black. I can say hatin', you cannot."

"Don't hate me, cause you ain't me."

Jace let out a harsh laugh that still sounded like music to her to Clary's ears. That fact only seemed to fuel her rage and her headache. Simon and Maia turned to Jace, who smirked. "I thought Simon made a joke. I mean, who would even want to be him? Now, me on the other hand—"

"Alright, pretty boy—"

Clary sighed and tuned them out as she grabbed her coat; she didn't give any more explanation as she stalked towards the door, briefly stopping to say goodbye to the greeter on her way out.

The four teens watched her go; right out the door and into the black night.

Alec sharply turned to Jace. "What did you do?" His voice was hard. He had taken a liking to Clary and didn't want to see her hurt.

Jace narrowed his eyes. "Why do you immediately assume I did anything? You could have done something!" Alec sent him a look. "Granted, you probably didn't…"

Maia's expression turned dark. "If you have done something to hurt her-"

"Whoa, chill out, pup." Jace said his narrowed gaze softening as Maia let out a growl. "I would never want to hurt Clary intentionally."

"So, you want to hurt her unintentionally?" Simon said, raising his eyebrow.

Maia ignored Simon and bit her lip. "Well, we can't just leave her out there all by herself. She attracts trouble." Maia began to move toward the door only to be stopped when a hand rested lightly on her shoulder.

"No, let me." Alec said with a smile as Maia stared for a moment then nodded taking her seat back down next to Simon. They watched as Alec walked out the door, giving a brief and embarrassed wave to the greeter.

"And then there were three," Simon and Maia both sent Jace a disgusted look before rolling their eyes.

He lifted his hands up. "What?" His expression was of nonchalance but his eyes gave him away as he stared with his penetrating gaze at the small diner's door.

She couldn't help the wave of guilt that went through her. They were just being kind and Alec and Jace were doing her a major favor by keeping them safe and yet her mind and her heart were pulling her in two different directions.

She let out another puff of visible air; pulling her wool jacket closer to her. The light from behind him coming from the restaurant and dark background making it impossible to see his face; but his silhouette was attractive, and for a minute she thought it was Jace but this figure was much too lean. Jace was broader shouldered. Looking back in front of her into the darkness she shook her head, even when upset Jace wouldn't get out of her mind.

"Get out." Clary hit her head with her hand.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll just go." Clary looked quickly behind her to see the figure that had come out of the restaurant was Alec, who was walking back where he had come.

"Oh no! I didn't mean you." She said standing up as Alec turned with a smile. "I was talking to myself." She put her hand up to stop him from speaking. "And I know that talking to yourself is a sign of insanity. Save the speech, Simon already beat you to it." Alec's shoulders shook as he laughed, something he didn't do often she observed.

"So, you won't mind if I joined you?" He smiled and she quickly returned it.

"No, having you here would give me an excuse not to think, which would be a blessing for a moment." She sat back down and patted the spot next to her. "And I wouldn't mind the company."

Alec slowly sat next to her, leaving just enough space between them to be comfortable. Spreading his legs out in front of him, he turned to her with a smile. "This is where Jace would say something-"

"Arrogant and Cocky?" Clary twitched her jaw, before taking a breath and closing her eyes. "Something douche-like?"

Alec laughed again while nodding his head. "Yes." He paused a moment and Clary opened her eyes to look at him. He really was an attractive boy, his blue eyes seemed to light p the dark night around them. His black shaggy hair was hanging in his face in an attractive way. "What did he do?"

"Who?" Clary looked at Alec confused.

"Jace."

Clary smiled and thought about it. In all actuality, he hadn't done anything to her except play with her. And it wasn't as if she had told him he couldn't. She had just thought she was different but of course every girl thought that didn't they. She came to the conclusion that he had actually done nothing wrong and she felt even more stupid than before. Now what was she suppose to say?

She could always lie, but she sucked at it. Though she would never tell anyone that she knew perfectly well she could not lie. What was she suppose to say?

Turning her attention back to Alec she saw him waiting for her answer. He was so sweet; he didn't rush her just waited patiently. He was the polar opposite of Simon, who had the attention span of a squirrel and no patience at all.

She smiled. "Nothing."

He raised an eyebrow. "I know I haven't known you long but from that heated stared down the two of you had I wouldn't say nothing." He shrugged and smiled. "Though I know Jace well, and when a pretty girl stomps out of a room angrily he usually has something to do with it."

"Yes, well, rest assured," Clary smiled. "Jace has not conquered this territory." She said referring to her body and Alec let out another laugh. "Besides I'm not that stupid. I know what kind of guy Jace is. He has lots of experience in the hump-and-dump industry, doesn't he?" She looked at Alec expectantly.

"It's as if you've known him longer than just a few days."

"Yes, well, I have much experience with Jace's kind." Clary laughed, not really, she'd just grown up with them but Alec didn't need to know that she thought as Alec joined in the laughter.

"I just don't want you to get hurt." Alec smiled smacking his shoulder with hers. "I know this may surprise you but I do consider you a close friend."

"Same goes for you." Clary said with another smile as Alec gave her a confused look. "So Magnus, huh?"

Alec blushed and Clary laughed. "Uh, yeah." He looked like he was searching for the right word. "He's my…friend."

"Close friend?" Clary said with a smirk gracing her pink lips.

"Closer than most." Alec groaned. "Or maybe not. Why do relationships have to be so confusing? Why can't two people just say they like each other and get it over with?"

Clary threw her head back and laughed at that. She shook her head; if she knew that she wouldn't be in the predicament she was in now. "I don't know," Clary waited wanting to say this right. "Maybe it's something that you have to work for. Maybe it's a prize." She nodded her head knowing that's exactly what she wanted to say.

Alec stared at her for a moment. "I think it's the people you end up with that are the prize, for completing all that hard work. You're a prize; you know that, don't you?"

And in that moment, Clary knew she didn't agree entirely agree with Alec. She couldn't be a prize, then she would have been pursued. And she, also, knew that she would have to settle with whoever would love her.

If anyone could.

Review! Don't worry it will get better :D