A/N: I have five words for you today.

Thank you. I love you!

I cannot even comprehend the fact that so many people are reading my story- and liking it. I think, in a way, when I started writing this story, I was broken- not for the same reasons as Clary and Jace, but I was. This story- and you beautiful people- you are fixing me up. I think you did a better job than a band-aid.

Today's my birthday :D so can you give me a prezzy in the form of a review? I will love you FOREVER :D

IPOV

"Simon," I whined.

"What, Izzy," he asked me, rolling his eyes.

"I love you," I replied, leaning in for a kiss. He obliged, and we made out for a while. Before, everything had been slow but suddenly there was an urgency there that hadn't been there before. It was as if both of us were trying to hold on to every bit of time we had.

Time is a precious thing. Every second is weighted, and every little millisecond counts. Sometimes, that's all it takes to show you that you don't have long to make a difference. And I knew, more than anything, I wanted to make a difference. When I died, I wanted to leave something to remember me by. Whatever small the mark was, no matter how tiny the impact, I wanted that.

The only thing I wanted more was that when I died, Simon would move on. I knew him pretty well, and I knew that he would grieve for the rest of his life. But somehow I had to get him to understand that I would always watch over him. Because people's hearts were like stones, and people were like tidal waves at the beach. No matter how small, each wave impacted the stone. I loved Simon.

But sometimes, the best way to show somebody you love them is to let them go.

"Simon," I whispered. "Maybe we should break it off, now. It would spare you a lot of grief."

The look in Simon's eyes was enough to tell me he thought I was crazy, and that he would never let that happen.

"Are you an idiot, Isabelle Lightwood? I love you so much, it would kill me not to be there every step of the way. You think you're sparing me grief? If anything, that would make it worse. Do you honestly think that it's better to feeling nothing at all rather than hurting?"

"I don't know," I mumbled.

"You beautiful, lovely, stupid girl," he murmured in my ear. "I love you, and I'm not letting go of you now."

"It's been a long journey, Simon. But I think it's almost over," I said, my voice so quiet I could barely hear it.

"Don't say that. You don't know that until every drop of energy you have is used, and you don't go down without a fight," he replied, his voice fierce.

I giggled suddenly at the absurdness of his motivational speech. It was so abrupt and random, that even Simon started laughing.

"What are you, a football coach?" I asked him, between laughs.

"Nope, just a concerned boyfriend," he said, shaking with laughter.

"You know what I'm concerned about right now?"

"The fact you haven't gone shopping in forever?"

"Good point," I replied, tilting my head and pretending to think about it. "No, but I was thinking more about how worried I am about your sanity. I swear to God, all the time you spend in the hospital with me is starting to wear off on you."

"Please, I am the Dragonborn!" Simon exclaimed, making Skyrim reference.

"You nerd," I laughed.

"Nobody calls the Dragonborn a nerd! Skyrim rests on my shoulders!"

"Your girlfriend calls you a nerd. Otherwise she takes you shopping and does mean things to your avatar."

"Not the shopping!"

"Oh yes, the shopping," I teased. "I think we'll go to Hollister, and then buy you some really good cologne."

"Over my dead boy are you going to take me into a dark store with overpriced clothes, and pictures of shirtless guys."

"Funny, because I think those guys are hot. "

"Oh, and you're going to leave me for a Abercrombie model?"

"Maybe. You know, we could just avoid this conversation if you just let me call you a nerd on occasion!"

I could feel Simon's deep laugh rumble in his throat a little, and then it built up. I stuck my tongue out at him, and he mocked me a bit.

"Are you mocking me?!"

"Oh, I am the great Isabelle Lightwood," he screeched in an extremely high falsetto, and pretending to flip his hair a bit.

"First off, I don't sound like that. Second, you really need a haircut. Third, I really need to meet that Abercrombie model soon. This is just sad."

Simon beckoned me, until I was practically on top of him.

"Would you want an Abercrombie model now?"

"Depends," I said thoughtfully, pretending to consider. "Only if that Abercrombie model insists he's the Dragonborn."

"I am the freaking Dragonborn!" Simon exclaimed, then realization dawned on his face. "I am the guy you're talking about, right?"

"Depends, Ratboy."

"On what?"

"Does the Hollister model's body fit into mine as well as yours does?"

"Like how?"

"Like this," I said, sinking into the sheets.

CPOV

"That building was so high," Jonathan said in an awestruck voice.

"Yeah, I know," I answered, slightly absently. "You know, at one time, that was the tallest building in North America."

"Really? That's amazing!"

" The wonder of man will never cease," I sighed. It had been a long day, but spending time with Jonathan had been good for me in some ways; with his innocence and all.

I envied him. I wanted his carefree abandon of life, and his innocence. Why couldn't my life be as simple as his was? He didn't know what a stalker was when I met him, for God's sake! And I had seen things no other person wanted to see. I had seen cuts on myself that no person should have to suffer through. Sometimes, wounds go deeper than the skin. You have nightmares, and you will never forget what happens. Every scar is a memory of something you would rather erase. For the rest of forever, I would be hurt, and in a way, never whole. I worried about Jace sometimes; what if he was just like Valentine? He had it all; the looks, the charm, the attitude. The way he had acted when I told him about the picture didn't really help.

What if Jace left me? What if he hated me? What if he hurt me?

"Clary?"

"Yes, Jonathan?"

"Who's that?" he asked me curiously, pointing to somebody behind me. I turned around to find none other than my golden-haired boyfriend with a bunch of roses standing silently behind me.

"That's Jace, my boyfriend," I explained.

"Oh cool," he replied, then said something about going to find Isabelle.

Which left Jace and I alone. Lovely.

"Clary, I'm sorry," he told me, thrusting the roses towards me. I accepted them silently, putting them in a vase with water.

We stood there for a moment, silently, watching each other carefully. He finally broke the silence.

"I can't stand this silence. Say something, Clary. Anything. I'm sorry!"

"What do you want me to say, Jace? That I forgive you, and that it's all okay?"

"Something along those lines would be nice. Especially if it's followed by a hot make out session!"

"Um, no," I whispered, then said it again, this time firmer.

"Why not?" he asked me, bewildered.

"Because you're Jace Lightwood, the god from the heaven. That's the way Valentine was, too."

Realization dawned his face, and he said loudly, "What the hell? Do you really think that I'm as low as Valentine? Do you know anything Clary? I love you. And that's something Valentine never had. You are my sun and my moon. My world revolves around you. And you think I'm like Valentine?"

"I don't know, Jace. Maybe we should take a break," I murmured, almost afraid of his reaction and he got closer, and closer.

He pressed his warm lips against mine, and sparks flew. He wrapped an arm around my waist, and my hand got tangled in his hair. It was the most perfect kiss in the history of kisses, filled with passion, gentleness, and most of all, love.

He broke away first. "Tell me you don't feel that," he demanded me. "Tell me that it means nothing to you." When I didn't say anything, he put his hands on my shoulders on my shoulders and shook me, hard.

"Tell me you don't love me," he breathed. "Tell me I mean nothing to you, and you would be better off without me, and you will never hear from me again."

I took a shallow breath, and stepped away from him. "How can I not love you?" I asked him, and he visibly relaxed. "But I'm a chicken, Jace. I'm afraid of reality. My mother is missing because my father kidnapped her, I just found out I have a brother, and life just kind of sucks right now, okay? I just need space." The last sentence came out tiny and weak.

"Space?"

"Yes, space. I gave you space when you left Taki's, you know. And at least I deal with my problems better than you deal with yours- I know that you got drunk. I deal with my problems, Jace. I don't just completely drink them away like you do! The least you can do is give me space."

"You want space? Fine, I'll give you space," he yelled, walking out and slamming the door.

I stared in shock at the door, not really understanding what had just happened.

Part of me wanted to run out the door, find Jace and tell him that wasn't what I meant- like what happened in the movies. But life wasn't really a movie; reality was so much harsher. There weren't really happily ever afters. It was a bittersweet thing, filled with both happiness and sadness. So I let Jace storm out the door, into the big scary world I called home.

I looked at the roses, which were slowly wilting- even though I had just put them in water. Just like our relationship.

And all I could think was, "What the hell just happened?"

Ok, there :D sorry for the late update :O I'm really really sorry

The lucky reviewer was To Love is To Destroy—because I love that penname.

Because today is my birthday, TWO lucky reviewers will get a sneak peek.

Can you give me the BEST birthday present ever and review? I'll love you forever and give you a Jace cookie (::)

Just press that button down there. Yeah, that one. :P

Thanks for reading!

- lolbeawesome