Hey, guys. I'm sorry this update is about a week later than normal. I've been going through some tough spots with my boyfriend lately, so...yeah. I haven't really been feeling this lovey-dovey romance stuff. And I'm sorry this chapter is short, but I just thought this part would work better being split into two short chapters. So, hopefully, there will be another short chapter posted soon. Again, I'm sorry to keep you guys waiting so long after a big ol cliffhanger! :( Oh! And I hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own The Mortal Instruments. All rights go to Cassandra Clare.

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Chapter 9:

"Jace!" Clary yelled from behind me. My strides were twice the length of hers, so she had to jog to keep up with my fast walk. I was planning on ignoring her, but then she caught up to me and grabbed my bicep. "Jace!" she hissed again. "Stop."

I spun around, my jaw clenching and eyes burning. "Clary." I had to try hard to keep my voice calm. I didn't want to yell at her, considering she wasn't the one at fault in the situation. "Clary, you know I never ask you for anything. Ever. So please listen to me when I ask you to do something for me this one time. Please go wait in the car."

She opened her mouth to argue, then shut it again. Something passed over her face then, and I prayed it was acceptance. Finally, she nodded, turned on her heel and took a few steps toward the car.

With her out of my way, I continued on my way to Meliorn. Thanks to Clary, I had to walk pretty fast to reach him before he got to his car. He was just separating from his friends when I reached him.

"Where the hell do you get off, molesting innocent girls?" I yelled once I was in ear shot.

Meliorn stopped dead in his tracks and looked around him, theatrically. Over the left shoulder, over the right, back to me. "I really hope you aren't talking to me, Herondale."

I reached him then, stopping only a foot away from him. I crossed my arms over my chest and he mimicked my actions. "Don't act dumb. You know good and well what I'm talking about."

Meliorn quirked a girly, manicured eyebrow at me. "If you're talking about my harmless flirting with your girlfriend, I would hardly call that 'molesting'."

I was nearly shaking I was so mad. I wanted to use my old line-she's not my girlfriend-but I was too mad to change the topic even the slightest. "You grabbed her butt, without her permission, I would hardly call that 'harmless flirting'."

Meliorn had seem amused moments before, but now his eyes hardened. He leaned closer to me. "Look, buddy, you tell that little slut that if she doesn't want to be hit on then don't dress like she does."

Before I could even think about what I was doing, my fist was cocked back and about to slam into his nose. A hand on my fist and a voice stopped me short, though. "Jace, stop! He isn't worth it!" Clary.

I lowered my fist slowly and turned to her. "I told you to stay in the car." My voice was as low as a rabid dog's growl.

She ignored me-again-turning to Meliorn instead. "Listen up, scumbag. If I were you, I would get out of here real quick, before it's too late."

Meliorn smirked and dragged his gaze from me to Clary. Just the way he looked at her made me want to snap his pretty boy neck. "Don't worry about me, dear. I'm fully aware that your guard dog's bark is much worse than his bite."

I had to stifle a growl that would rival any dogs.

Clary opened her mouth, but Meliorn cut her off. "Your boyfriend's right, Clary. You should go wait in the car, because this is men's work." He leaned in a little closer to deliver his next line. "And I mean my car, of course, because I'd definitely like to take you home and finish unzipping that jacket of yours. But why stop there? We could-"

A fist zoomed up and hit Meliorn in the cheek. Clary's fist.

His head snapped to the side and Clary swore thanks to her own pain. Meliorn stretched his jaw and rubbed his cheek. When he looked back at Clary, all signs of flirting were gone. His eyes burned with fury. "You little bitch!" he swore. Then he back handed her across the face. Hard enough to make her fall onto the pavement.

My first reaction probably should have been to make sure Clary was okay, but I was definitely more of a fighter than a lover. I put all my strength behind me and tackled Meliorn to the ground. Then I pinned him down with my knees and punched him right in the nose, again, and again, and again. My hands and shirt were covered in blood, some his some mine, but I barely noticed. I just kept punching and punching, even after his body went limp. You don't hit a defenseless person, especially a defenseless woman, and you definitely don't even dare to touch Clary. Not as long as I'm around.

Eventually I felt hands on me. They pulled me off Meliorn, and I knew they weren't Clary's because they were too big and strong. Two sets of hands restrained me. "He's unconscious Jace! You'll kill him!" Alec.

"Jesus, Herondale. Breathe!" And Simon.

My entire body was shaking and I could hardly breath. I forced myself to calm a little and I looked down to see Meliorn unconscious on the ground, his face covered in blood. "Oh, God," I moaned.

"Jace!" Clary. Oh, God, Clary… "Jace, look at me." Small hands grabbed my face and forced my gaze to the side. Emerald eyes burned into mine. "Jace, honey, I'm okay. You're okay. Breathe."

I shut my eyes and took a couple deep breaths. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry…"

Alec and Simon's hands let go and Clary's little arms wrapped around my waist. I clutched her tight, not caring if it was too tight. I was still shaking when a teacher came out.

"What is going on here?" Mr. Graymark asked.

I pulled away from Clary and took a deep breath, attempting to make my voice understandable. Before I could so much as open my mouth however, Clary spoke up. "What's going on, is this scumbag grabbed me and tried to force himself on me! Lucky for me, Jace was here to push him away. Then Meliorn tried to retaliate, and things got a bit…heated."

Mr. Graymark scoffed. "'Heated' seems to be an understatement." He turned to me. "Is this true, Jace?"

I had to drag my gaze from Clary to respond. "Yeah. I came just in time."

Mr. Graymark nodded, then turned to Alec and Simon. "And where do you two come into play?"

Alec floundered, but luckily Simon was pretty quick on his feet. "We were on our way to our cars when we heard shouting. We ran over to see what was going on and got here just in time to see Jace shove Meliorn to the ground. That's why he's unconscious. Jace punched him a time or two, then pushed him off of him and he must of lost his footing or something. He slipped and hit his head. We were just about to go get the nurse, but then luckily we saw you running over here."

Simon and Clary were phenomenal actors, I'll give them that.

Clary nodded empathetically. "Yeah, you got here just in time. Will he be okay? God, he's a piece of crap for what he did, but I don't want him to be seriously hurt." She even looked a little worried. I was impressed.

Mr. Graymark ran a hand over his face. "I don't know, I'm not a doctor. Alec, will you please bring the nurse out here?" Alec gave one nod and jogged off. Then Mr. Graymark turned to the rest of us. "I can't technically punish you because this happened after school hours, and considering you were defending a ladies honor, the principle would probably let you off easy anyway."

I cleared my throat and shoved my still shaking hands in my pockets. "Thank you, sir. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

Mr. Graymark held up a hand. "Don't thank me yet. Just because I can't punish you right now, doesn't mean you won't be punished. I'm going to ask to see you, your parents and Meliorn-God permitting-and his parents in the principles office tomorrow before school. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Now you may all go. But, Jace, I would suggest telling your parents your side of what happened tonight. When you tell the story first it tends to make you look less guilty."

I swallowed. I was so dead. "Yes, sir. Thank you."

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So, let me know what you guys thought! If the response is super great I may update the other small chapter tomorrow! Oh, this is a little late, but I had a few people saying Jace was no friend if he said Clary looked slutty, and I didn't mean for it to be showing how awful a friend he is. I actually based that on something that happened between my best guy-friend and I. I was wearing a sweater that hung off one shoulder (and I also was wearing a sportsbra with think straps, so it wasn't a dress code violation) and he took one look at me and told me to "stop slutting up the place." Yeah. Needless to say, I was pissed.

So, I don't know if you guys have heard, but apparently I'm out of the loop, because I just found out that they're turning The Mortal Instruments into a TV series starting production in 2015. I'm SUPER excited! So, my question is: Would you like a recast, or kethe same cast? Also, additional thoughts on the TV series?

Love always,

YesIWriteForFun