So, I hope you guys enjoyed your break. I know having to go back to school must suck, but I hope this chapter will cheer you up (especially you Nicole). I had to do so much research for this chapter, you have no idea. But my beta, HeronFrayWood, was a lot of help. She literally rocks my socks. So, enjoy this chapter on behalf of both of us.

Ps: You guys have some interesting ice cream preferences. I had to look up a few of them, but they sound amazing. Keep up with the reviewing! I always love reading them!

Disclaimer: All TMI characters belong to Cassandra Clare :)


Chapter Songs:

**Radioactive by Imagine Dragons (Scene 1)

**Don't by Ed Sheeran (Scene 2)

**Something Big by Shawn Mendes (Scene 3, pt. 1)

**Young Blood by Bea Miller (Scene 3, pt. 2)


Jace's foot pressed harder on the gas pedal as he weaved his way through traffic. There were too many cars, but that didn't stop him. Throwing caution to the wind, he drove even faster. It was easier for him to do since it wasn't exactly his car at stake. He'd left his behind, figuring that Clary would only use it to track him—and he couldn't have that. Not now. He had to do this alone.

He'd yet to tell anyone about his visits to the center and he wasn't going to start now. His parents didn't even know. It was something both him and Imogen kept secret. Her and Stephen didn't have the best relationship. The last time they visited her as a family had to be when he was a kid. Imogen hated the fact that he stuck her in a living center without her permission and, even though she's come to terms with it, her and Stephen have yet to repair their relationship. So when things got bad like this, Jace was the first to know. He was all she had left and he wouldn't leave her to handle this alone.

Another person honked their horn as he cut them off and if it weren't for his current dilemma, he would have found the situation somewhat humorous. But there was too much nervous tension flowing through him for him to even crack a grin. In reality, he was sort of pissed. This had to be the second time his grandmother had an attack in the past year and the doctors weren't doing a damn thing to help her. And Stephen had more than enough money to pay for a new treatment plan, but he'd dismissed the idea of investing in one. They were giving up on her, but Jace refused to do the same.

When he finally reached the Living Center, he didn't waste another second in getting inside. He quickly parked the car in a handicap spot in the front of the building. He'd already wasted enough time. Finding someone that would just lend him their car with no explanation was harder than he thought. He was able to make Alec cave, but not as fast as he'd hoped. It was like the universe was trying to make this difficult for him.

As soon as he walked through the doors, he was hit with the smell of moth balls and cheap perfume. The walls were a dullish brown, not in the least bit comforting, but he couldn't have cared less. His eyes scanned the place, only seeing a few people. There was a young woman sitting behind the front desk, flipping through a magazine. Jace was in front of her in three quick strides.

The woman's gaze flicked up to him and her eyes widened when they reached his face. She cleared her throat and giggled nervously, shutting the magazine. This was one of those moments where he wished he weren't so stunningly attractive. He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes as her hand reached up to twirl a piece of her hair.

"And what can I do for you?" She asked, her tone flirty. She was probably so used to being surrounded by old people all day that seeing anyone in close proximity to her age was her only chance of social interaction. But Jace wasn't interested, not in the least. For one, she was too tall and even though her eyes were green, it wasn't the shade of green he wanted. And her hair didn't fall in soft waves or resemble fire. It was just . . . wrong.

"Imogen Herondale." Jace said, ignoring the woman's suggestive look. "Where is she?"

She grimaced. "Visiting hours actually just ended ten minutes ago. You could—"

"Does it look like I give a rat's ass about visiting hours?" He was trying to suppress his anger, but failing miserably. There was no way he would wait another day. He was here now and he would be damned if anyone stopped him. Clenching his fists, he said, "So why don't you tell me what temporary room they hauled her off to and there won't be a problem."

"You don't understand. I—"

"No, you don't understand." His eyes narrowed. "I will tear this place apart if I have to. You have no idea what it took for me to get here and I'm not leaving until I know for a fact that she's okay."

A look flashed across the woman's face as she raised a single brow. "Ahh, you must be Jace. The staff has told me a ton about you."

He focused on his breathing. "Then you probably know how serious I am. So, I'll ask one more time. Where is Imogen Herondale?"

She sighed. "The last I heard, she was in stable condition. Catarina—"

"Is right here."

Jace looked to his left to see Catarina Loss rushing over to them in a white lab coat, a clipboard tucked tightly into her side. The nervous look on her face only added to his worries. Removing himself front the front desk, he met her halfway.

"How is she?" He asked.

Catarina stopped in front of him and held her hand out, keeping him from advancing any further. "She was resting. The attack was mild, but it took a toll on her." She sighed. "The doctors think it was from too much stress and I don't think you causing a scene will help in that sense."

Jace glanced at the door to their left before meeting her gaze again. "I want to see her."

"You can." She stopped him again when he stepped forward. "But only if you control yourself. We don't need security getting involved again."

He shoved his hands in his pockets. "There won't be a need for that. I can be civilized if it means I get to see her."

"Well alright then." Catarina sighed and held the clipboard to her chest, motioning for him to follow her through the door. "Follow me."

Nodding his head, Jace trailed behind her and tried his best to calm himself down. He didn't have the best temper. Once he got angry or frustrated about something, it was close to impossible to get him out of his own head. Sometimes it felt like he couldn't control himself when he got that way. He'd been hauled out of this place by security more times than he'd like to admit for letting his anger get the best of him. Not to mention the many times he'd been kicked off of the football field for getting into altercations with other players. Not that he started the altercations, but he always finished them.

There were only a select few people that could even attempt to calm him when he got in that state. Imogen was, of course, one of them. There was also Alec and Isabelle, but after what happened earlier, he knew he could add another name to that list. Jace had no idea how she was able to do it so quickly, but Clary was able to make his anger disappear with two simple words. He didn't understand how one person could affect him this much, but he couldn't deny that he liked it.

After a moment, Catarina stopped in front of a door, turning to him. "She was still sleeping when I called you. The doctors wanted her to get some more rest so, the most I can give you is thirty minutes."

Jace just wanted to get in there. "Thanks, Cat."

She nodded. "She made me promise to call you because she wasn't sure how bad it was going to be. But she's tough, I'll give her that."

He allowed himself to grin. "Yeah, that's Imogen for you."

"Well, don't let me hold you up any longer." She said, her tone soft. "Go ahead in. I'll come and get you when it's time."

He lifted his hand to the door knob. "Fair enough."

With that, he entered the room quietly, the door shutting with a soft click behind him. The sound still stirred his grandmother as she sighed from her spot on the small bed, the only sound in the room being the continuous beeps of her pulse oximeter. Her bed was elevated so she wasn't flat on her back, a single pillow behind her head. She looked so pale that Jace had to look away for a moment to breathe. He didn't like seeing her this way. It made him feel useless because there was nothing he could do to help.

"Jace?" Her voice was weak, strained.

Jace shook himself out of his daze and was at her bedside before he knew it. He sat on the edge of the bed and took her cold hand in his. "Yeah, it's me Nona."

Her gray eyes opened slowly and a small smile slid onto her face. "I was waiting for you."

He reached up and moved some of the dull blonde hair from her face. "I know. I'm sorry it took so long, but I had a game today and there was traffic and that idiot of a desk agent wouldn't tell me where you were."

"Did you win at least?" She asked.

He nodded, his lips tipping up at one corner. "Of course we did, Nona."

She scoffed, weakly. "I see you've yet to find a girl to tame that ego of yours."

Jace allowed himself to chuckle. "Maybe it'll never be tamed."

She lifted her other hand and placed it on his arm. "Someone will tame it." She said. "And turn you into the gentleman that I know you are."

He shook his head. "I'm far from a gentleman."

"Not true," she said in a small voice. "You're a sweetheart when you want to be, and some young lady is going to bring that out of you. I know it."

Jace looked down as his mind was flooded with images of a certain redhead, a lazy smile appearing on his face. It felt weird talking to Imogen about things like relationships and feelings. He didn't really consider himself sweet or a gentleman, but a part of him wanted to be that way for Clary. To show her that being an asshole wasn't all there was to him.

Imogen raised her brows. "Or maybe some young lady already has . . ."

He grinned. "My lips are sealed."

"Bullshit." She murmured, her eyes closing as she swallowed dryly. "I can see it on your face. Who is she?"

His eyes wandered over to her dresser where a glass of water sat. Leaning forward, he picked up the glass and handed it to her. As she took a sip, he sighed and said, "It's complicated."

She handed the glass back to him. "Then make it uncomplicated."

"She's not like the girls I'm used to." He said. "I have to work ten times harder to get a smile or a laugh out of her. She's not making it easy for me, Nona, but there's something about her that just—I don't know . . . changes things."

She smiled. "Oh, I've been waiting for this day."

Jace raised a brow. "What day?"

She looked up at him, her gray eyes softening. "The day you let someone into your heart before your pants."

That was another thing about Imogen. She was blunt as hell. If she had something to say, she wouldn't sugarcoat it. It was probably why Jace was so honest.

He shook his head. "I don't think she wants my heart or my pants, Nona. She made it clear that she just wanted to be friends. Nothing more."

"But is that what you want?" She asked.

He shook his head again. "No."

"Then what's stopping you?" She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Tell her how you feel."

"Feelings aren't my strong suit." He said. "You know that."

"If you can tell me, you can tell her."

"It's not that simple." He couldn't exactly tell her the real reason why things were so complicated. Not unless he wanted her to have another attack. He was trying to reduce her stress levels, not make them through the roof. There was only so much he could tell her.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure you can work around it." The skin around her eyes wrinkled as she smiled again. "I want to see you happy before I kick the bucket and I'm not going to let you being a goddamn pansy ruin it."

Jace stared at her, his lips parted in shock. "I . . ."

"I know why you're afraid to let people in, but what happened to your parents all those years ago, won't happen to you." She squeezed his hand when he tensed. "You can't spend your life thinking that it will."

He hung his head. "How can you be sure?"

"Because you're not like that." She said. "Mistakes were made, but that doesn't mean you have to follow in their footsteps. You can trust people, you know."

"I know I can," he sighed. "But what if I trust the wrong person? You saw what it almost did to my mom when my dad . . ." He trailed off, not wanting to remember. They'd all gotten past it, but things would never be the same. He was already scarred by it.

"But what if you trust the right person?" She asked, her tone not as weak as before. She was starting to sound like herself again. "You'll never find out unless you take that risk."

Jace's brows pinched together. "So, what you're saying is, I should ignore everything I've been telling myself for years and be upfront with her?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure I made that part obvious."

He grinned. "You're a real smartass, Nona."

"I'm aware." She said, her eyes closing for a moment. "I just don't have time to beat around the bush."

Jace could tell that she was getting tired and—even if they did have more time—he wanted her to get the rest she needed.

"You should sleep." He said. "The doctors said you needed to rest anyway."

She shrugged. "It's what they all say."

His gaze drifted to the book sitting on her dresser. Removing the book from the dresser, he thrummed through it and said, "How about I read you something."

She shook her head. "I have a better idea."

He closed the book and put it back on the dresser. "And what's that?"

"It's about the young lady."

He smirked. "Is it now?"

She leaned back into her bed a little more, relaxing. "Could you tell me about her? Please?"

Grinning, Jace raised his grandmother's hand and placed a small kiss to the back of it. She knew he could never deny her anything, especially when she said please.

Chuckling, he said, "Sure, Nona."

.o.O.o.

"You idiots!" Clary yelled into her watch. "I asked you to do one thing! One thing!"

She was pacing the parking lot of the school. Herondale's car was in front of her, but he was nowhere in sight. She'd sensed that something was wrong when the game ended and had decided to do a quick perimeter search. And all she asked of the surrounding Agents was to keep an eye out on Jace while she looked around. She thought she could trust them with the simple task, but she was wrong. So wrong.

"We didn't think he would just disappear." One of them said.

Clary raked a hand through her hair.

"His car is still there isn't it?" Another one said. "Maybe he's still there."

Glancing around the empty field and parking lot, she scoffed. "If he was here, don't you think I would know it?"

"Look, we're sorry okay?" There was a sigh. "We'll find him."

Words couldn't describe how angry she was. "We better. Because if anything happens to him . . ."

"I'm sure he's fine."

"You better hope for your sake that he is." Clary turned towards Herondale's car. Digging into her pocket for a spare key, she opened the door and slipped herself inside. She shoved the key into the ignition and started it up, quickly pulling out of the parking lot. "So just make yourselves useful and track his goddamn phone."

"We're on it."

Her heart was beating a thousand miles a minute. God, she was losing her mind. Where the hell could he have gone? If he was in any kind of danger—no, she couldn't think about that. Her only focus right now was finding him. And when she did, she was going to kill him. He should've known better than to hide things from her.

"Anything?"' She asked, impatiently. Her fingertips drummed against the steering wheel as she sat at a stop sign, waiting for them to point her in the right direction.

"We just got the coordinates." One of them said. "Sending them now."

She removed her phone from her pocket as it buzzed. It only took her a moment to memorize the location before she pressed harder on the gas. The engine purred as she shot forward. It was getting late and the roads were beginning to clear up, making it easier for her to get to where she had to go. She'd turned off her watch, not wanting to stay in contact with those morons. She would only yell at them some more just to calm her worries about Jace.

There was still this uneasy feeling that she had. It couldn't have been anything but a hunch, but she felt it—almost like a ringing in the back of her head. She guessed it was just instincts, but usually those were correct. At least her's always were. It was exactly why she needed to get Herondale home. It was the only safe place.

Clary groaned when she realized she had to go across a bridge to get there. But there were little to no cars on the bridge and she found herself going way over the speed limit as a result. Herondale definitely had a nice ride. It was probably just as fast as her bike—which was a good thing in this case. She needed something fast to make up for the already lost time.

Shifting the Porsche into high gear, Clary sped past cars, her face set in a determined glare. As she drove, she tried to remain optimistic. Pessimism would only make this situation worse. So, she told herself that she would see him soon and that he was perfectly okay. He'd just felt the need to do whatever this was alone. She would see those golden eyes and that annoying smirk of his again. She was sure of it.

After finally get off of the long bridge, she was able to spot a small building up ahead. It looked like a retirement home or a clinic. Changing gears, she slowed down and pulled her phone out again. She was in the right area, but she had no idea why Herondale would be at a place like this. There was something weird going on and she was going to find out what.

Clary slammed the door to Jace's Porsche as soon as she found a free parking spot. She rolled her eyes when she spotted a familiar car in the lot. Well, at least now she knew how he got here. She was on high alert as she burst through the doors, knowing that she wouldn't be rest assured until she saw him. The place was dull and lifeless, not offering any kind of comfort. It didn't look like the best place to live. There was a door up ahead and just as Clary was about to advance forward, she heard a voice call out from behind a desk.

"Excuse me, Miss?"

Clary turned towards the woman. "Yes?" She asked. From the tracker, she knew that Jace was on the other side of that door. If this woman was planning on stopping her, she had another thing coming.

"Visiting hours are over."

Clary stared at the woman for a moment, her foot tapping on the floor. Laughing without humor, she walked up to the door and turned the knob. "Yeah, I don't care."

"Miss! You can't go in—"

The rest of her words were cut off when Clary closed the door behind her. Her eyes scanned the hall as she walked. There were doors on either side of the corridor and she had no doubts that Jace on the other side of one of them. It was only a matter of which one. A door opened to her right and she quickly turned down the hall, hiding herself. Her back was pressed against the adjacent wall as she peered out into the hallway.

Clary's gaze laded on a nurse with a clipboard tucked into her side. Her eyes narrowed when she saw who the nurse was speaking to. Relief washed over her at the sight of Herondale, but that relief soon turned into anger. She'd been worried as hell about him and there he was, not a scratch on him.

"So, I spoke with the doctors and it looks like they'll be keeping her under observation for a few more days."

Jace seemed to be paying close attention to what the nurse was saying, as if he were a responsible adult and not a teenage boy. "Will she be alright though?"

The nurse rested her hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, she'll be alright." She gave him a small smile.

He released a relieved sigh. "Great."

"You should get going." She said. "Visiting hours ended a while ago."

He nodded. "I know, I've got to get home anyway."

"Okay." Her hand dropped from his shoulder. "I still have more rounds to make. You know the way out."

He moved to the side as she began walking back down the hallway. "Thanks, Cat." He called after her.

The nurse smiled, turning back to him. "You're welcome, sweetheart." Then she disappeared around the corner, leaving Clary alone with Jace.

Now that the nurse was gone, she removed herself from the wall and stood in the center of the hallway. Jace's back had been turned and when he turned around, his eyes fell on her and widened. Her fists were clenched at her sides. She could feel her blood boiling in her veins. There was no calming her down now.

Jace sighed. "Listen, Clary—"

But before he could finish that sentence, Clary was on him, slapping away at his chest. She could've hurt him a lot worse, but this was the only way she could relieve her anger without hurting him too much. But he deserved it for what he put her through.

"What the hell did you think you were doing, disappearing like that?" She shoved him back.

He ran a hand through his hair. "I had to do this alone. I knew you would only follow me or stop me if I told you."

She shoved him again until his back was against the wall, shaking her head. "You don't get to just decide to do things alone anymore." He tried to move, but that only resulted in another shove. "God, you're such an immature, dimwitted, asshole!"

"Nothing happened!" He yelled, incredulously. "You see that I'm fine. I'm right here. So, why the hell are you so pissed?"

Her gaze locked with his as she attempted to control herself. She'd stopped assaulting him, her hands fisting into his shirt. "Because something could've happened to you." She said, her tone calmer than before as her anger faded. "And I wouldn't have been there to help."

Christ, couldn't he see that she cared?

He blinked. "What?"

"You heard what I said." She scoffed. "And unless you want me to kick your ass, we need to keep it moving." With that, she turned down the hall, back to towards the door she'd come through. She heard his footsteps close behind.

"Why?" He asked. "Is there something wrong?"

"I don't know." She pushed through the door and shot a glare to the woman behind the desk, not exactly liking the way she was looking at Jace.

"You don't know?" He whisper-shouted. "Well, that's reassuring."

"Oh, shut up." She said as they exited the building. "I'm not in the mood for your sarcasm."

He was right behind her now. "Well, I'm not in the mood for your attitude, but I seem to be getting it anyway, aren't I?"

She ignored his comment and continued towards his car. It was then that she noticed that he wasn't following her anymore. He'd broke off in the direction of the car he'd come with, but before he got too far, she grabbed his arm.

"This way." She said.

He looked skeptical, but he followed her nonetheless. His Porsche soon came into view and she heard him scoff.

"You stole my car?"

"Borrowed would be more accurate." She said, rolling her eyes at him when he opened his mouth again. "I didn't have my bike and I needed something fast."

He glanced over his shoulder. "I can't just leave Alec's car here."

"I'll have someone take care of it." She said. "But for right now, I need you with me."

He looked conflicted, but after a moment he sighed, most likely knowing that she wasn't going to compromise.

"Fine." He muttered.

She watched as he dug into his pocket and retrieved his keys. Without another word, he unlocked the doors, allowing them to get inside. She heard him sigh before he put the car into reverse and peeled out of the parking lot.

Once they were on the road, Clary glanced in the rear view mirror, seeing that the building was still in sight. Biting her lip, she said, "Can I at least ask what you were doing back there?"

He looked at her from the corner of his eye, his gaze still focused on the road ahead. "I was visiting my grandmother." He said simply. "Turns out she had a mild heart attack, but she's fine now."

God, she could only imagine what had been going through his head. She turned her head towards the window, not knowing what to say now that she got the truth.

Jace scoffed. "You're seriously mad at me for going to see my sick grandmother? Do you know how insane that sounds?"

"I'm not mad at you for seeing her." She sighed. "I'm mad at you for not telling me."

"I told you, it was something I had to do alone."

She was about to retort when her watch began beeping loudly. It was like an alarm being set off.

"What the hell is that?" Jace asked.

"Nothing good."

He turned back to the road as she clicked a button on the side of the watch, turning on her communication with the surrounding Agents.

"Agent Morgenstern." She said into the watch.

"We've spotted two BMW's just outside of the bridge. And by the looks of it, they aren't friendly."

"Is that all?" She asked, her demeanor already changing to that of an Agent.

"There's no plates and the windows are tinted. So, if I were you, I would load up."

Cursing under her breath, Clary looked around, not seeing the cars just yet. She knew something like this was going to happen. She'd felt it.

"How many feet?" She asked.

"I'd say about ten thousand, but they're moving fast."

That gave her five minutes. Tops.

"Okay." She was already removing her gun from her jeans. "Keep me updated."

"Copy."

Then she turned off her end of their communication and turned to Jace slowly. From the uneasy look on his face, she knew that he understood. Something inevitable was about to go down, but she accepted the challenge. And when she spoke, her tone was calm, controlled.

"We've got company."

.o.O.o.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Jace turned to see Clary feeling around his floor boards. She looked composed, just like she always did. But Jace was far from that. He wasn't prepared for whatever it was that was about to happen. All he had planned for tonight was a shower and some sleep, but it didn't look like he was getting either of those any time soon.

She lifted his floor mat. "Looks like Starkweather just sent his first round of goons."

He kept driving, but the bridge seemed endless, even if there wasn't another car in sight. "What do you think they want?"

She snorted. "To kill you."

Jace stared at her. "In what universe is that funny?"

"I wasn't laughing." She said, her hands still working on his floor. "I just think their intentions are obvious. Why else would they follow you onto an empty bridge? To invite you over to their place for tea?"

He ignored her sarcasm, knowing that she was just using it make light of the situation. "Is there a reason why you're tearing up my floor boards?"

"I'm looking for something—oh, here it is." She pulled a briefcase from the floor and placed it onto her lap. "We're going to need more reinforcements."

Okay, this girl was insane. "Are you saying that a suitcase full of weapons has been in my car for God knows how long?"

"Yes." She opened the case and withdrew a few guns with silencers. There was also a few grenades that he could see from the corner of his eye. "I told you, I'm always prepared."

"Someone could've found that, you know."

"Not likely." She said as she finished loading another clip. "Considering the only other person that sat in this seat since I put the case in here has the disposition of a fish."

"Five thousand feet." A voice said through her watch.

Jace glanced into the rearview mirror, but he didn't see anything. He heard a soft rustling to his right and before he could tell what was happening, Clary had crossed the console and situated herself onto his lap, straddling him. His eyes widened without his control, his shock taking over.

"Woah, woah, woah." He said, watching as she picked up a gun from the case. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm lessening," she slammed the clip into the gun, "the possibility," she cocked it, "of you getting hit by a stray bullet."

Not that he wanted her to move, but she couldn't have possibly expected him to stay focused on driving if she was sitting on his freaking lap. It would take an incredible amount of self control—something that seemed to always disappear around her.

Focus on the road, Jace. The road.

"So, how well can you drive this thing?" She asked.

He couldn't help but smirk. "As well as I can attract the female population."

She rolled her eyes. "Just keep it steady and do what I say."

"Four thousand feet."

"One last thing," Clary said, reaching into her pocket to get a small card. She handed it to him as their gazes met. "If I die, call this number and they'll send in a replacement Agent to look after you."

He stared at her. "But that's not really . . . plausible. Right?"

She shrugged, as if her life was something as disposable as a gum wrapper or a soda can. "I don't know, Herondale. I'm not psychic."

"But those guys," he said, shaking his head. "They're not as good as you. We can make it through this."

"That's what I'm hoping for, but it's better to be safe than sorry." She said. "What's important is that you make it out of this alive."

"And you." He corrected, not able to even look at the card as he slipped it into his pocket. He wouldn't be needing it anyway—or at least, that was what he was telling himself.

"Two thousand feet."

Jace's tensed at the voice. He just hoped that all of this didn't go to shit. Christ, just the thought of both of them not coming out of this alive made him want to pass out, but he had a job to do and he couldn't let those thoughts affect him. It was obvious that she wasn't allowing it to affect her. He could be just as in controlled if he tried and he would.

Clary picked up another gun and used his shoulder to slam the clip inside, keeping her gaze locked on the vehicles behind him. They were gaining on them, even when Jace shifted gears and pushed the car faster. They were doing eighty right now and that was two times over the limit.

"Five hundred feet."

"Don't even think about passing out." She glanced at him, a gun in both of her hands. "You've got that look in your eyes."

"I'm not going to pass out," he said. "But excuse me for feeling a little stressed out because someone's currently trying to kill me."

"Don't be dramatic."

He scoffed. "Don't . . . don't be dramatic? Are you even listening to yourself?"

"Yeah, that's what people tend to do when they speak."

"One hundred feet."

It was then that Jace saw the white headlights approaching. The windows were way too tinted, making it impossible to even attempt to recognize a face.

"How are we looking?" She asked him.

He glanced at the speedometer. "We're at eighty five."

"Sounds good." Her elbow hit a button on his door, lowering both windows and he tried not to watch as the wind blew her hair to the side. Placing both guns on his shoulders, she reached up and tied her hair into a bun. If anything, that made it even worse because now he could see her neck and shoulders, and those goddamn collar bones.

"Fifty feet and counting."

Clary pressed a button on her watch. "Shut down the bridge. No one else gets in." She said. "And someone call the cleaning crew. This is going to get . . . messy."

"Copy."

Then she turned it off and looked back up at Jace, removing the guns from his shoulders. With a sigh, she said, "It's showtime."

Seeing that the cars were quickly approaching, Jace turned back to her, seeing something in her green eyes that wasn't there before. He didn't know what it was, but there was something about the way she was looking at him. Almost as if she were nervous.

Raising his free hand, he tucked a curly red tendril behind her ear and offered her a reassuring smirk. "We got this, Tiger."

Her eyebrows rose for a fraction of a second, but then she nodded, her confidence now returned and rolling off of her in waves. She had her guns pointed upward, held tightly against her chest. Now she was owning her inner Agent.

There was only another slice of silence before he heard it. The sound carried through the air like a wave, sending both him and Clary into action. Switching gears, Jace lurched forward, hearing three more shots as he did, but Clary had yet to fire. One of the BMW's was in front of the other and when Jace looked out of the rearview mirror, he was able to see an arm reach out of the passengers side, a gun aimed towards them.

It was then that Clary raised to her knees and leaned out of the window, her gun now facing the approaching vehicles. She fired four times and he heard the sound of shattering glass, but the car hadn't slowed. And to make matters worse, there were more arms now, which meant more guns. The cars were still gaining on them, even as he reached ninety miles per hour, then one hundred. There were more shots on each side and he could hear them ricocheting past them over the wind.

Clary shot a few more times and ducked back inside. Her eyes were sparkling, most likely from the adrenaline rush she was getting. One of the cars was currently unloading a clip on them. Jace tried his best to swerve the Porsche, but he felt a few bullets hit the back. But considering the fact that they were still moving, he guessed nothing important was hit.

"Hey," she called out over the noise.

Jace noticed that she'd shot out the headlights on both vehicles and was now working on the actual passengers. He only raised a brow in response.

She stuck her head out of the window before turning back to him. "You don't happen to have a personal connection with that back window, do you?"

He shifted gears again. "No, it's a window. Why?"

She raised her gun. "No reason." Then she began to fire. The glass shattered and soon there was nothing left, leaving the back of the car completely open.

Jace had a good feeling that he would be needing a new car after this, but that was the least of his worries right now. He would ride the damn subway if it meant that they came out of this alive.

The sound of Clary's gun brought him back to attention. She was shooting straight back this time. He watched as a small grin slipped onto her face, her eyes narrowed in focus. The vehicle behind them was getting closer and closer, but by the look on her face, he figured that was exactly what she wanted. Aiming the gun, she pulled the trigger, releasing a single shot. His gaze shot to the mirror as he watched the bullet hit it's mark. She'd aimed for the tire, making the car take a sharp turn off course and into the jersey wall to it's left. It veered up into the air and landed upside down with a loud crunch that sent tremors through the road. It was the craziest thing he'd ever seen.

But Clary didn't stop there as she continued to unload her gun. She pulled the trigger, one, twice, three times, just one after the other. Then the BMW went up in flames, an explosion sounding throughout the entire strip soon afterward. He couldn't see anything for a moment because of the light, but then everything turned to smoke.

"Holy shit." Jace said as he sped forward, trying to avoid the smoke and debris.

"We're not done yet." Clary spoke up as she slammed another clip into her gun. She cocked the hammer and aimed it forward again, waiting.

Looking more closely, Jace was able to see the other car emerging from the smoke and fire. He groaned and shifted gears, seeing as though they wouldn't be slowing down any time soon. The car was vastly approaching, lessening the distance he'd created in no time. She was right; they weren't done yet.

The BMW moved into the right lane and Jace drifted over to the left. He didn't know how many shots were fired from either car, but after a few moments, he found that they were still in the same predicament. They needed to approach this at a new angle. That was the only way they would get the upper hand.

Clary seemed to be thinking the same thing when she faced him again. Her chest was rising and falling faster than before. He could tell that she wanted this to be over just as much as he did. She closed her eyes for a moment, no doubt assessing their options. When she opened them, she glanced around, her eyes landing on the case beside them. She picked up a grenade and turned back to him, catching his questioning look.

"Downshift when I say so." She said.

He eyed the grenade, warily. It was risky, but he trusted her. Nodding his head, he rested his free hand on the gear shift, awaiting her cue. She'd stopped firing and so had the others, but it was far from over. There was no telling how much money those guys had been promised if they got the job done. It was probably a shit-load or they would've backed out a while ago. Especially seeing what happened to the other guys.

The car was about twenty feet away with both windows lowered. They only had about two more miles until they reached the end of the bridge, which meant they had to act fast.

"Clary?" He asked as the BMW got closer.

Her gaze was focused. "Steady . . ."

He could barely hear her over the blood rushing in his ears, but he did. Not that he agreed with waiting this thing out. He didn't understand why she couldn't just throw the damn thing already.

"Clary." He said a little louder.

"Not yet." She snapped.

He breathed through his nose, trying to stay calm and centered. His gaze was focused on the BMW as it closed in. It wasn't until it was no more than ten feet away that he heard Clary's voice.

"Now."

Jace tightened his grip on the gear shift as he downshifted, his foot slowly coming off of the clutch as they slowed down. The engine revved, shaking the car beneath them. This was it.

Now that they'd slowed, the BMW had no choice but to pass them. It was like everything that followed happened in slow motion. His eyes followed every movement. Clary reacted quickly as the car approached the side of his Porsche. Turning his head slightly, he was able to see two men dressed in suits and sunglasses to hide their identity.

The driver had his gun raised and before he pulled the trigger, Jace felt a hand against his chest, pushing him back into his seat. Then the guy fired three times and he could've sworn he saw each bullet as they passed. Both his and Clary's eyes widened as the bullets passed between them and he realized that, if it weren't for Clary quickly throwing her head back, she would've been hit.

With one hand, she aimed the gun and shot the driver in the head, while she used her teeth to pull the pin of the grenade. Only a millisecond passed before she threw the grenade, timing it just right. It landed inside of the BMW just as the passenger attempted to take control of the wheel. Jace shifted gears again, knowing that they didn't have much time until that thing went off. The BMW slammed into the wall of the bridge and stopped completely, allowing them to get away.

The explosion reverberated over the bridge and was as loud as a thunder clap during a hailstorm. Windows shattered as smoke and fire rushed out. There had to have been thousands of pieces of glass, showering down on the road and ocean below. He watched as the smoke rose from the car, changing shape, and cackling with light. It made him wonder how such a small device could cause such great damage.

Once they'd gotten far enough from the scene, Jace came off the gas and pulled off of the road. His breathing was shallow and he couldn't get his heart to stop hammering against his chest. The same question was running through his head like a broken record.

What the fuck?

He felt hands grab his face and then he was staring into a pair of widened emerald green eyes. Her eyes were scanning his face, his chest, everywhere.

"Are you okay?" Her tone was worried, frantic even.

He couldn't speak, couldn't move. Her hands were on him, thumbs brushing over the planes of his cheeks. The look in her eyes was unlike anything he'd ever seen coming from her. There were so many emotions swirling behind her irises and, if he didn't know any better, he would've thought she was scared. It was then that he lost all resolve.

Maybe it was the fact that his emotions were still running high from tonight's events. Or maybe it was the fact the girl that'd been driving him crazy for the past couple of weeks was currently sitting on his lap, looking like an avenging angel. Or maybe . . . just maybe it was the fact that he'd almost lost her.

Bracing himself against the possibility that what he was about to do could ruin everything, he made the decision to take the risk. Because, right now, his life was a shit storm of explosions and chaos. He wasn't the same guy that he was two weeks ago. Nothing about his life was normal anymore. Things have changed and he needed something good for once. Something real.

Before he could overthink it or have his window of opportunity close, Jace lifted his hands and placed them on her hips, pulling her flush against him. He felt her fingers tense on his jaw just before he leaned forward and captured her lips with his. A soft gasp escaped her just as their lips met and Jace felt like he'd made the biggest mistake of his life. But then he felt her relax into him as her hands gripped his shoulders, and she was kissing him back.

They'd been building up to this for weeks and damn was it worth the wait. The kiss heightened every sense and lit up every cell, reaching something deep inside of him. It was an explosion of electricity and warmth. His arms wrapped around her as their lips moved together in seemingly perfect sync. After a moment, she leaned further into him as her grip on his shoulders loosened, her hands slowly traveling up his neck and twisting into his hair.

Jace felt his own grip lessening on her hips as one of his hands snaked up her spine and smoothed over the soft skin of her neck, feeling her shiver as he did. That was all the encouragement he needed to reach up and remove the tie from her hair, allowing the soft waves to tumble down around them. With one hand around her waist and the other mingling in her hair, he opened his mouth slightly against hers, just wanting to taste her, but not trying to force it.

But to his surprise, Clary parted her lips fully against him and tugged gently on his hair, drawing him closer. Jace couldn't stop the groan that worked it's way up his throat at the taste of her. It was all sweetness and fire and her. And God was it amazing.

He'd been wrong. So wrong. Kissing wasn't just kissing. It could be more than that if it was with the right person. He realized that now. This was different from any other experience he'd had with a girl. Girls had always pulled and yanked and grabbed at him, just taking what they wanted from him while they still could because they knew he wouldn't be sticking around. But everything about this moment with Clary was slow, and soft, and careful. It wasn't about taking; not even close.

Both of his hands slid back to her hips and tightened as she molded herself into him, their tongues intermingling as their mouths moved together. Her hands had smoothed over the hard planes of his chest, her touch more delicate than he'd ever felt. And when she pulled away for a breath, he didn't stop. He trailed his lips across her jaw, placing the smallest of kisses in his wake. Once he reached her throat, he continued, placing open mouthed kisses to the creamy skin. He grinned when he reached her collar bone and he couldn't resist taking the skin between his lips, nibbling lightly and making her gasp.

"Jace," his name was nothing but a breath. Her hands twisted back into his hair and he had to say that it felt amazing.

"Hmmm?" He hummed against her skin. She didn't say his name often, but hearing her say it like that almost drove him over the edge. He wanted to hear her say it again. Over and over.

She tugged on his hair, bringing his face back to hers. His gaze fell on her face as he took her in. Her eyes had softened, her face was flushed, and her lips were a darkened shade of pink from their kiss.

She was beautiful.

Clary leaned in and placed a small kiss to his lips before leaning her forehead against his. Their gazes hadn't wavered from each other, not for a single second. Not knowing what to say, he removed his hands from her hips and lifted them to her face. After a moment, she mimicked his hold, swiping her thumbs back and forth along his cheeks.

A rustling sound came from her watch, then a voice said, "Agent?"

Not tearing her gaze from him, she pressed something on her watch. "Yes?"

"Is everything okay?" The voice asked.

"Everything's good." She said, her gaze flicking to Jace's lips for the briefest moment. "Really good."

He couldn't stop the smirk from creeping onto his face.

"Great." There was a pause. "And again, we're sorry about the—"

But Jace would never know because Clary turned the watch off completely, her attention now back on him. She removed her forehead from his and leaned back to look at him fully, her gaze searching.

"What are you thinking?" He asked, surprised that he was able to find his voice. That kiss pretty much did him over.

She looked down before meeting his gaze again. "What was that?"

"The kiss?"

She bit her lip and nodded.

"That," he said, resting his hands back onto her waist, bringing her back to him. "Was me taking a risk." He stated simply. "What was it to you?"

She sighed. "I guess that was me, dropping my shield and going for it." Her hands slid around his neck as she finally took a look around, her eyes snapping back to his after a moment. "We need to get going."

"Wait a minute." He stopped her. "Shouldn't we talk about this?"

She shook her head. "Not now."

He furrowed his brows. "Why not?"

"We just can't."

"But—"

She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, quickly shutting him up. When she pulled away, she brought her hands back up to his face, making him look at her. "We'll talk later, okay? But for now, I need to get you home where it's safe."

He sighed and nodded. "Promise we'll talk?"

A small smile tugged at her lips. "Cross my heart."

"Okay."

Then he released her and allowed her to remove herself from his lap. She placed her guns back into the case before she shut it and placed it onto the floor, situating herself back into the passenger seat. He felt the loss of warmth instantly as he shifted gears again, pulling out onto the road.

They rode in silence and Jace couldn't help but think that he screwed up somehow. He didn't know what she would say when they got home. Would she try to change his mind? Would this just be a one time thing? Jace knew what he wanted, but what she wanted was a mystery to him. He didn't know if this was just a flash in the pan or something more. It was driving him insane.

Clary wasn't looking at him. She'd turned towards the window, leaning against her propped hand. That wasn't a good sign. Right?

But before he could wrack his mind over it anymore, he felt something brush his hand. He'd been gripping the gear shift like a lifeline, but he stopped the second he felt her hand over his. Jace could only watch as she removed his hand from the gear shift and slowly laced it with hers. It was so small and pale in comparison, but it seemed to mold with his. Like it was meant to be there.

Jace allowed himself to breathe, his mind clearing of all previous thoughts. Glancing over at her, he was able to see the small smile on her face and after giving his hand a small squeeze, she continued to look out of the window. That was all the reassurance he needed to stay calm. Even though he had no idea what tomorrow would bring, there was one thing that he could guarantee.

This girl was going to be the death of him.


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A/N: Yay! Clace! Are you guys freaking out? (I know you are) So, we got to dig a little deeper into Jace and, yes, there is a reason why he acts the way he does when it comes to girls. You'll find out why later on, and you'll also find out why Clary is the way she is. We're nowhere near done, my lovelies. This story has just begun ;) But for now, here's the chapter question,

Question: What's your favorite color? And be specific, like emerald, or sapphire, or crimson. (Mine favorite color happens to be white. There's just something about the simplicity of the color that draws me in. Weird, I know.)