{Clary POV}

I couldn't look at Jace or Aline as I waited for them to respond. I'd known, from the moment Jonathan had said it on the beach that Jace would not be happy, which is why I'd never planned on telling them. But I couldn't say no to Jace, not anymore. I'd probably give him just about anything he wanted as soon as he looked at me with those gorgeous amber eyes of his. "Clary?" he said quietly. I still refused to look at him. "Clary?" he said again, a little louder and more forcefully . I took a deep breath before meeting his gaze. His face was set in that mask I hated so much again, and I fought back the urge to snap at him for it. "Is that why you let him off, Clary? Because he said he loves you?" I stared at him for a second, before I let out a sharp laugh.

"No. Not really." And it wasn't even a lie. Jonathan telling me he loved me didn't affect what I chose at all. It had only helped solidify the decision I had already made. Jace and Aline shared a look I couldn't read before they turned back to me in unison.

"Then you have to explain, Clary. Why the hell wouldn't you want him to be punished? He deserves to, after everything he put you through," Aline told me. I smiled sadly at her before I turned to look out over the ocean. For a long time after getting to the island, every time I looked over the water, I'd be searching for a little white dot on the horizon, growing in size as a boat coming to rescue me got closer. But after being with Jace and becoming best friends with Aline, I couldn't wish for rescue anymore. I knew my parents probably already thought I was dead, and I hated that they had to go through that pain. But I liked where I was now. I was happy. Despite that, though, I still didn't completely belong, not like Jace and Aline. Not like Jonathan did.

"I let him off without trouble because, well, it's basically my fault." Both of them opened their mouths to interrupt, probably to argue, but I held up my hand to stop them without even looking back. "No, listen to me. It's my fault. If I wasn't here, if I was still back in New York, none of this would have happened. Jonathan wouldn't think he was in love with me and needed to be with me. And Sebastian and Kaelie would still be together because Kaelie wouldn't have gone to Jonathan for help getting me away from Jace. I've caused so many problems and so much pain to so many people, I just wanted it to stop. I didn't want to make it worse on anybody, not even Jonathan. And if I had to make the decision again, I'd choose the same way." Neither of my friends behind me said anything for a minute, and curiosity got the better of me. I turned around and met their gazes, and instinctually flinched back. Both of them were pissed, which was something completely new with Aline, since I'd never seen her so mad before. And with Jace . . . I'd seen that look in his eyes before, and it led to me sprinting through the forest and hiding in a tree crying to get away from him.

"Are you kidding me, Clary?!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "That's your excuse?!" I looked down at the rocks and braced myself for him to say something to hurt me again like he had that day, but no hurtful words came. No one spoke again, and I was getting fidgety until a pair of strong, extremely familiar arms wrapped around me and crushed me to the hard chest I'd practically memorized. "You have to stop thinking like that, baby," he whispered to me. I turned in his embrace and wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face in his chest. I inhaled deeply. He smelled so good, and it felt so right being in his arms again.

"I can't," I mumbled back truthfully, and he tensed. I waited for the blowup again but he just tightened his hold on me.

"Try." And with that word, that insignificant syllable, the conversation was over and I knew that all was forgiven, at least with Jace. After sitting motionless in his arms for a moment, I sighed and pulled back, brushing my lips across his cheek before I turned towards Aline. She was staring at us. She still looked angry at me, but there was something else in her eyes, something that looked a lot like . . . envy?

"Aline, I know you don't -," I started, but she cut me off.

"I don't agree with you." I nodded and waited for her to continue. "I think you do belong here. But if that's the decision you made and you insist on standing by that decision, there's nothing I can do. So, we'll leave this whole thing in the past since I now know what I wanted to know." I smiled brightly at her and immediately pulled her into a hug, moving my lips to ear.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "And don't tell me nothing." She stiffened for a second before relaxing again and turning her head towards me.

"I just wish I had what you and Jace have, you know?" I nodded sadly and squeezed her tighter, until she giggled. "I need to breathe some time, Clare bear." I pulled away with a sheepish smile, and she grinned back. "Okay, I'll leave you guys alone now." With that, she stood up and bounded back towards the forest without waiting for either of our responses.

As soon as she disappeared into the trees, I turned and launched myself at Jace, knocking him onto his back on the rocks. Before he could speak, I slammed my mouth down on his. I sighed happily when he kissed me back without hesitation, tangling his fingers in my hair. And I finally realized something: that was where I belonged, where I was happiest. And that was with Jace, in his arms, with my body as close to his as I could possibly get.

~LOTI~

About a week later, I could not fall asleep no matter what I did. I tried everything, from counting imaginary sheep to thinking of as many sweets as I could to humming a lullaby to myself. Nothing was working. Finally, at what I guessed was about two hours or so before dawn, I gave up and rolled onto my back, crossing my arms under my head as I stared at the ceiling. I could not figure out what my problem was. Why couldn't I sleep? Everything was perfect with Jace again, I wasn't homesick, I wasn't scared of Jonathan so much anymore because he was pretty much being supervised all day, every day. Nothing bad was going through my head, so I didn't understand what it was that was keeping me up. And after a few moments, I sighed and rolled out of bed, choosing to go to the beach and lay under the stars.

I just had to make sure I was back before dawn so Jace didn't get the wrong idea and worry for no reason.

For about half an hour, I laid on the sand on my back, staring up at the stars. Though I did it less and less often, I still occasionally wondered about my parents. Did they think I was dead? I was pretty certain they'd given up looking for me by that point, but I wondered if maybe they had a feeling I was still alive and happy. Like parent's intuition or something. Were they happy, even without me there? By then, the show they were supposed to be in would have already started live. Did they postpone it, or stay on schedule? Or maybe even cancel it? I really hoped they didn't cancel it on my account. I could still remember the gleam in my mother's eyes whenever she spoke about it. She'd been so excited to be working with my father again in another show, and she had immediately fallen in love with the script. And it would suck if she couldn't do it because of me.

When thinking about my parents became too much and I felt my eyes stinging with tears, I tried to think about something else. The first thing that popped into my head was Jace, which immediately brought a smile to my face. There was just something about him that made me insanely happy. I couldn't even describe it. It was more than just his looks –though he was more than just a little gorgeous. He was so sweet, and he never failed to make me laugh. He knew just how to make me feel better whenever I was sad or homesick. And I loved that he could read me so well, to the point that he practically knew what was bothering me before even I did.

God, I liked him so much. So much it hurt sometimes. If I didn't feel as strongly about him as I did, what he'd said wouldn't have hurt me so much. And it was crazy how much I trusted him. Even after everything that had happened between us when I first reached the island, and our most recent fight, I trusted him with my life. And as I spent more and more time with him, I was starting to trust him more and more with my heart. It was weird to think about, since I'd never felt so strongly about anyone before. Despite Jace's and Aline's assurances that I belonged here, I still didn't believe it sometimes. But knowing that I had someone like Jace, someone who would always be there for me when I needed them most, made me feel like I could belong.

Suddenly, for the first time, I wasn't afraid to admit it to myself. And I knew I'd admit it to Jace as soon as I got the chance, as soon as I was convinced it was the right moment. Just to prove to myself that I was done denying it to myself, I said it out loud. "I am in -." My words were cut off by an odd sound I didn't think I'd ever heard before. I stood up, prepared to defend myself if the situation demanded it and really hoping I didn't freeze in fear, and turned around to face the forest. I narrowed my eyes and scanned the trees in the little light the moon provided. When the sound continued and I didn't see anything, I turned slowly to face the water. The sound was getting closer and closer, louder and louder, and I let my eyes follow the line of water over the horizon until a speck of white caught my attention. It was getting closer to the island, slowing down as it approached, on the other side of the beach from me. I stood frozen where I was in disbelief.

It can't be. It can't. I'm dreaming, I thought to myself as I stared at the boat. I couldn't see anyone on deck, but it was slowing down, so I knew there was someone on it. But despite that, I didn't let myself hope. I wouldn't allow myself to be crushed if it wasn't. Just in case it was someone who could hurt me, I quickly got on my stomach behind the rocks about thrity feet from where the boat was about to land on the coast. I really hoped my bright red hair wasn't too noticeable when I peaked over to get a better look. It came to a stop on the sand, and I bit my lip at the loud gritting noise. I refused to take my eyes off of it until I was sure, but I curled up a little more, hoping to blend in with whatever shadows the rocks and trees were making around me.

For a few moments, nothing happened, and nobody appeared. The boat rocked slightly every time the tide washed in. The moon continued to sink slowly in the sky, and a pink hue from the sun could just barely be seen over the horizon, causing a small sliver of ocean to light up. A slight breeze blew over the beach, stirring sand and leaves. It was so silent and I was so focused, the rustling sound was almost loud in my ears. But still I kept my eyes focused on the boat. And no matter how hard I tried to keep it from happening, a small sliver of hope bloomed in my chest. Could it be? Maybe they hadn't given up on me after all.

Finally, after what seemed like hours but was probably only a few minutes, a small door on the floor of the boat was pushed up, blocking my view of whoever was pushing it. I held my breath as tears stung at my eyes. I would be so disappointed if it wasn't them. I stared at the opening as a head popped into my view, but it was too far away and not light enough for me to see who it was. All I could tell was that it was a man with dark hair that reached passed his ears. I gulped; my father never had long hair. He hated it. Pain shot through my chest as disappointment coursed through me. It wasn't them.

But I kept watching anyway, just in case the man was in trouble and needed help. Celine would help him no matter what, and I would lead him to her if need be. I blinked back tears as the man jumped off the boat, landing on the sand quietly, and looked around. After only a moment, he turned back to the boat and motioned with his hand that someone should join him. I swallowed hard and followed his gaze. Just as my eyes landed on the still-open door, someone else climbed out, and my heart started pounding in my chest. The person was slim yet curvy, which told me right away it was a woman. And even in the low light from the moon, I could see the color of her hair, which was just a few shades darker than my own. It took me a whole two seconds to make this discovery before I jumped to my feet and took off down the beach towards the familiar silhouette of my mother.

"Mom!" I screamed, my voice thick with tears. Both my mom and my dad –who I recognized as I got closer- turned towards me, their faces hopeful. They had only been facing me for about five seconds before I launched myself at my mom, wrapping my arms around her neck. "Mommy," I sobbed as I buried my face in her neck. She smelled just the same as always; lemons, fabric softener, and nail polish. She smelled like home. After practically squeezing the life out of her and feeling her squeeze me just as tight in return, I pulled away and looked at my dad, who hadn't moved since they turned. He was staring at me and my mom, one hand over his mouth, his blue eyes shiny with tears.

"Daddy," I cried, jumping at him. He caught me automatically, but held me loosely, like he was afraid I'd break or he'd wake up from a dream. But I wasn't having that. I wrapped my arms around his neck and tightened them until it was a wonder he could breathe at all. But it seemed to break him out of his daze, as his arms snaked around my waist. I felt his face against my hair as he fell to his knees and brought me down with him.

"Clary. Clary, Clary, Clary," he whispered, and I cried harder. I couldn't believe it. After all I'd been through, the months and months of thinking they'd moved on and forgotten about me, they were here, on the island. They found me. Suddenly, my mom fell to her knees beside us and joined in on the hug, pressing small kisses to my temple as my dad moved one of his arms to include her.

"Clary," my mom joined in on the chant. We sat there, wrapped up in each other for about ten minutes before my mom pulled away. She kissed my forehead once before smiling so wide I was surprised her cheeks didn't split. "My beautiful Clary, I can't believe we finally found you," she murmured and I couldn't help but smile back. It felt so good to see them again that I couldn't think about anything else.

"Come on, Clary. Let's go home," my dad added before pulling my mom and I back into his arms. But my muscles locked down, making me unable to move. It was getting harder and harder for me to breathe as I thought about what he'd said. Let's go home. I knew I should have been ecstatic to go back home, see my friends, live my 'dreams', and move on with my life. But I could only think of one thing:

Jace.

Did anyone expect that? I hope not, because I was going for an element of surprise in this chapter ;D

Anway, I know what some people might think when they read this chapter. You may think it's too fast. How on Earth can it go from Clary hating Jace after Jonathan attacked her, to her parents showing up on the Island? And I understand that. I can see how some people might think that. But if you think about it, there really isn't much else that could have happened. They're back together, Jonathan has kept his distance. If I added any more drama, I think it'd be overkill. And as much as I hate it, it's time to wrap up the story. There's nothing left to say. The only thing left unresolved was her life back in New York and if she was ever going to live it again.

I'm sorry if it disappoints anyone. Truthfully, it disappoints me, too. I don't want the story to be over either. But I also don't want to push it past it's limit and make it boring. Sorry, but this is the way I've decided to take it.

Well, now that thats out of the way, THANK YOU. The reviews I've been reading have kept a smile on my face for hours at a time. I've practically been smiling since I updated last Wednesday :D I appreciate your reviews so much, I cannot even tell you. You readers are absolutely amazing. Honestly.

Keep reading and reviewing. There are only a few more chapters left to go! :D I love you all.

R&R and all that jazz. Yanno, since it makes me smile. :)