After a longer wait than I anticipated, this chapter is finally up... and let me say. It's LONG. 8,000 + words! The reason it took me so long to write is because there are a lot of important plot details in this chapter. It also was difficult to write this chapter, since it's such a critical point in the story. It had to be perfect. I went back and did a lot fo editing to it, and selected songs that I think help convey the emotion in this. The songs are in no particular order this time.

Thank you SO MUCH for the reviews. They're so important to me and I am so grateful that people enjoy this story as much as they do. I promise I'll keep updating. Please continue to review and let me know what you think. Those notifications are the best parts of my day.

Without further ado, here is chapter 14. I think it's a good one, and I'm so happy to finally get this one out to you guys.

As always, Read, enjoy, and please REVIEW! :)

Disclaimer: All of the characters belong to the genius and wonderful person, Cassandra Clare. And all of the songs belong to their artists, producers, etc.

Songs:

"What the Water Gave Me" by Florence and the Machine

"Not About Angels" by Birdy

"Dead in the Water" by Ellie Goulding (particularly the violin part)

"Happiness is a butterfly" by Lana Del Rey

"Unspoken" by Aaron Smith

"Addict With a Pen" by twenty one pilots

Chapter 14.

Jace stared into the bathroom mirror. He gripped the edges of the marble sink with an impossible grip, as he saw the face staring back at him in the mirror. His once-bright-golden eyes were now dark, emotionless, and cold. He had very noticeable bags under his eyes from a lack of sleep. He was sporting blonde light stubble grazing his jawline; he hadn't shaved in days. His hair was longer than usual; he was allowing it to grow out curly again, with little golden wispy tendrils falling in his face. He looked incredibly worn down. After all, it had been 5 days since he had destroyed Clary, and himself in the process.

As he stared at himself in the mirror, he felt nothing but disgust and rage and fear. Disgust at himself, for not thinking of a better solution and not being able to attack this problem head-on. Anger at himself and at the situation in front of him. And fear, that what he had chosen to do had been the wrong decision.

No matter what he did, he couldn't get Clary's face or voice out of his head, looking as if he had stabbed her right in the heart. That night, he so desperately wanted to reach out, hold her in his arms, and tell her how much he loved her. How he would never stop. How he couldn't think, couldn't breathe, couldn't possibly live without her.

But that's not what he did. He wasn't really given a choice in the matter, either. He lifted a hand from the sink and ran it through his hair. He sighed, thinking of the past five days. They had been absolute hell on Earth. It all started with the phone call.

Five Days Ago…

Jace laid on his freshly made bed, with a blissful grin on his face. He had just returned to his room from his charity gala fitting. He was waiting for Clary to finish up and she would meet him at his door.

As he lay sprawled out on the soft, unwrinkled white comforter, he pictured scenes from the previous night. He ran his hands over the soft fabric, thinking how it felt last night to run his tan golden hands all over Clary's soft, porcelain skin. He got chills just thinking about how her lips felt under his, how all-consuming their kisses were.

He stared up at the white ceiling in his room, listening to the soft breeze blow through the thin white curtains of the windows. In all his life, he never thought he would find a girl that would have him so utterly, as the kids say, "whipped." Wherever Clary went, he wanted to be right by her side. He physically and emotionally couldn't stand to be away from her for very long. She was in his heart always; she WAS his heart.

But it was not simple teenage or young adult "puppy love." Their love was a love for the ages. They were always completely in sync, in the things that mattered. Outsiders knew better than to dismiss it as simple infatuation; they were in deep, true, consuming love.

Clary was the first person to have ever seen the real him. Movies and books use that cliche all the time because, well, it's true. He had never felt like he belonged anywhere. He always felt as if he was keeping people an arms length away; he was afraid someone would infiltrate his walls and break him. He'd been too afraid to even try to open up to others. Until Clary. She tore his armor down piece-by-piece. And unknowingly, he'd done the same for her.

Last night only intensified his feelings for her. As he'd told Clary this morning, he'd had sex plenty of times. However, he'd never had sex with someone he was in love with before. He'd heard that people described it as different, or better, when you had a connection with the other person. But he was absolutely mind blown at how it felt to be tied to Clary emotionally, mentally, and physically.

He felt an ache in his heart as he thought about Clary. Her eyes, so full of love as she looked into his own last night. Her fingers, intertwined with his own. Her lips, leaving soft kisses on his lips and neck and chest. Her voice, as she said how much she loved him.

For once in his life, Jace was confident and sure that someone felt the same way about him as he did about her.

He sat up from the bed, and went to open his laptop. He wanted to check if there were any emails from his Professors or any emails regarding diplomatic duties.

His mailbox showed ten new messages. Three from professors updating him about the assignments that he had missed while he was meeting with the representatives from the North.

The other seven were from his assistants, his father CC'ing him on some Royal Business, and an invitation to a brunch in the neighboring country in two weeks.

Jace gave a sigh, and shut his computer. He was in such a good mood right now, and he wasn't going to think about anything business related today. Today was his day with Clary. And he had a very clear idea of what he wanted to do today.

Just as he reached for the remote to put the football channel on, the burner cell phone rang on the bureau. Jace's heart came up to his throat, and his stomach dropped. He felt a cold, spreading sense of impending doom come over his whole body as the phone continued to ring. After a few more rings, he decided it would be best to pick it up. So, he did.

"What do you want? I thought we were done." Jace spat into the old silver flip phone. It was cold against his cheek. He was standing up, his posture rigid.

"We'll get straight to the point. You proved that you have a brain and that you can follow instructions. We're giving you the next task. But don't worry, you have a choice this time." The chilling distorted voice spoke into Jace's ear. His hair on the back of his neck stood up. He didn't imagine he would have very many choices with this next task. "So," the voice continued, "it has come to our attention that you and a young American woman named Clarissa Fray are having relations. We are giving you twelve hours to break it off with her and send her back to America."

"What? You're out of your damn mind." Jace said, taken aback.

"You must destroy her completely. Break her heart so that she never wants to see your face again."

"And why would I do that?" He spat, dripping with pure hatred. If looks could kill, Jace would've been a murderer by now with his stone cold expression.

"Because if you don't, we will kill her." Jace's heart was so far up his throat it was about to fly out of his mouth at this point. He was a green color, as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He felt ill, as if he was going to vomit any second.

"I will never break her heart. I won't do that. I will never let you touch her." He said, maintaining a chillingly calm voice.

"Right, you 'love' her and all that. We do not care about your personal feelings for her. You must get rid of her, or we will do it ourselves. That's your choice." Before Jace could think of another rebuttal, the voice said, "A few rules regarding this task. You cannot tell anyone about this, that you're being forced to do this. Not the King, Queen, your little friends, colleagues, security, Palace personnel, and most certainly not Clarissa Fray. She must be completely in the dark if you want her to live. If you try to tell anyone, or if you do not do as we instruct, Clarissa will be murdered before dawn. Do not doubt that we have access to her. Slitting her throat would be as easy as buying an apple from the marketplace. But, if you wish to test us and put her at risk, that is entirely your choice."

Jace, the boy who never cried, was fighting back tears.

"I- I can't do this." He stammered.

"You must figure out a way to get the job done. You have twelve hours. We'll be waiting for confirmation after it's done." And the call dropped. Jace threw the phone across the room. It didn't shatter.

"Shit. Shit!" Jace exclaimed as he put his head between his hands. The tears didn't come yet though. The one person who could console him was the one he was going to have to destroy.

Back to Present Time…

Jace stared at his reflection in the mirror. He took a breath, watching as his reflection's chest rose and fell. It didn't feel like he was breathing.

Three Days Earlier…

A great banging at Jace's apartment door would have woken him up, if sleep had come to him. But of course, it hadn't.

He softly groaned as he padded barefoot to the door. He glanced at the clock on the stove as he walked by the kitchen. It read 11:30 am. He hadn't left his room since Clary left two nights before. He hadn't spoken to anyone.

The incessant violent knocking continued. He made his way to the door, and opened it to find Isabelle and Alec standing on the side.

"Alec? What are you doing here? I thought you were away with-" Jace was interrupted by Isabelle.

"JACE CHRISTOPHER HERONDALE, YOU ABSOLUTE ASSHOLE." Isabelle barged in the door, with Alec in tow. His arms were crossed and he had a stoic look on his face. Isabelle grabbed Jace by the collar of his black t shirt and pinned him against the wall. She was remarkably strong. "I'm not letting go of you until you explain what the actual hell is going through that idiotic blonde head of yours. Start talking. Now." Jace, back to his deflective and cautious self, gave a blank stare.

"I have no idea what you mean, Isabelle. Nice to see you too, brother." Jace looked up at Alec, who was just looking at him sadly.

"Isabelle, you can let go." Alec said, to which Isabelle shook her head.

"No! Start talking! Jace, why?! What's the matter?" She looked into his golden eyes. He looked at her face, and down at her pleading brown eyes. For a split second, he considered telling them the truth. Then he replayed the phone call in his mind, and thought better of it.

"Nothing is the matter. I simply reevaluated what I wanted, and it no longer included Clary. Now I would appreciate if you would let go of me. Nothing like letting a man sleep around here, huh?" Jace's voice seethed with hostility and annoyance, two things he never directed at the Lightwood siblings.

Isabelle grudgingly released her hold on Jace, who padded to kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. Before following him into the other room, the Lightwood siblings exchanged a nervous glance. They knew there was more to the story, but that didn't really matter right now. What mattered was that Jace was a shell of himself.

"Jace, you know we love you and would do anything for you. Your parents and we are so worried! Can't you just tell us the truth? Why did you send her away? It was awful cruel." Alec said, adding the last sentence softly, almost afraid to provoke Jace.

"Jesus Christ Alec, I know it was harsh!" Jace roared, slamming the pitcher down on the table. "I was there! I did it! For God's sake, can't you two accept that I don't want to talk about it! It's over between us. No loose ends. And I'd like to go back to the way things were before I left." Alec looked as if Jace had slapped him. Jace didn't notice this because he was pouring his water, but even if he had seen, Alec didn't think he'd feel any remorse.

"But, Jace, you love her! I know you do! And I just think-" Isabelle started. Jace whirled on her, narrowing his eyes, saying,

"Have you ever just considered the remarkable possibility, Isabelle, that some people might just not give a single shit about what you think? Has that realization ever crossed your mind?" He said maliciously. Isabelle tried to hide her flinch.

"Jace! Stop it right now." Alec stepped in, always the clear-headed and protective big brother. "We've done nothing but support you. We love you. We are trying to find out what happened and why you continue to self-destruct!" When Jace said nothing and simply stared into his glass of water, Alec continued again. "You can push us away all you want, like you've done for years, before Clary." He noticed Jace's slight wince at her name. "But we. Aren't. Going. Anywhere. Do you hear me?" Alec asked, putting a hand on Jace's shoulder.

Jace nodded, and swallowed hard. Alec gave a curt nod in response, and led Isabelle out of Jace's wing. On their way out, they saw Michael Wayland on his way into the apartment. The Lightwoods greeted him with soft nods, and once they were out of the hallway, Michael softly knocked on the wall inside the hallway of the apartment.

"Come in." Jace murmured, without looking up from the granite island. He was leaning forward against it, as Michael entered the kitchen.

"Jace."

"What is it, Michael?" Jace asked quietly, with a tinge of impatience in his voice.

"I need to speak with you. I have some information you may want to know." Jace looked up at this. He narrowed his eyes, as he thought of possible meanings to that. All his thoughts led to one thing.

"Clary?" Jace tried to keep any emotion out of his voice. While he did sob to Michael the night that… Clary left, Jace did not go into detail. He knew better than to risk Clary's safety. After all, that's the only reason why he did any of this. So, he didn't want Michael thinking he was still attached. Even though no matter how perfect of a mask he put on for others, Michael wasn't fooled.

"It appears that… Well, I'm still waiting to hear back from the Special Agent in Charge at the National Security Office, but it appears that Ms. Fray never got on a plane." Michael explained cautiously, as if walking on eggshells in conversation with Jace.

Jace furrowed his eyebrows, and for the first time, made eye contact with Michael. "What? What do you mean? It's been two and half days now. She had to have left already." Jace was starting to worry. Idiot, he thought to himself. He was a complete idiot for not making sure she actually left. If she wasn't gone, well, he didn't want to think about what might have happened.

"Exactly. It's been a few days now, and they still haven't registered her passport at any flights in the airport. When I called, that same night, to make sure she would arrive home safely, the Chief at the airport assured me they would be on the lookout. Well, I called today, and there's still nothing." Michael paused, attempting to gauge Jace's reaction. "When I hear back from the National Security, we will start a nationwide classified search for her, to locate her. In the meantime… You might want to consider calling her mother." Jace gulped.

"I-I can't. Not after how I treated Clary." Jace stammered. Michael nodded.

"You were indeed in rare form that night. But if you truly cared-care about her, you would recognize that if she really is missing, her mother must know."

"But… But she can't be missing! She couldn't have just disappeared! And who would want to-" And before he could finish the sentence, he dawned on a terrible possible conclusion. He straightened his posture, and directed a steely gaze at Michael.

"Screw the National Security. Begin the confidential search immediately. Don't leave any door unopened. Look at every possibility." He took a deep breath, and said with more confidence than he felt, "I will call Jocelyn."

Back to Present Time…

Jace didn't even recognize himself any longer. His heart, mind, soul, and body had become intertwined with Clary's… Who was he without her? He made no move to walk away from the mirror. He didn't know how long he had been standing there, desperately trying to see some sort of emotion or familiarity in his own face. He just kept staring.

Three Days Earlier…

After Michael left, Jace went into his little study room in his wing. He sat down at the desk, and took the burner phone out of his pocket. He knew what he had to do.

He selected the only contact in the phone, and pressed "Dial." He heard the line pickup, but no one answered. Yet, Jace knew someone was there. He didn't waste any time.

"Do you have her?" He asked, voice devoid of all emotion to his surprise. No reply. He swore, and repeated, "Do you have her? Don't make me ask again." A few seconds went by, and Jace could've sworn he heard breathing or a far away gasp. And after that, the line dropped.

Jace flipped the phone shut, took a deep breath, and took out his own cellphone. He owed Jocelyn a call.

After a long conversation, he explained to Jocelyn that he couldn't give her information over the phone given that it wasn't safe. He informed her that he had broken up with Clary thinking it was protecting her, but it turned out he was seriously wrong. He has reason to believe she's missing.

Of course, Jocelyn didn't take it well. She sounded furious with him. She would be on the flight out tomorrow.

After some convincing, Jocelyn understood what Jace meant and would hear him out when she arrived. She would also keep news of this under wraps. She would be staying in a highly guarded hotel, especially since the Palace was not the safest place to be right now. Jace breathed a little easier knowing that he would soon be honest with Jocelyn.

The next phone call he made was to his secret agent contact, Raziel.

Raziel was a highly-decorated secret agent that worked for the Global Royals Protection Agency. Just 28 years old at the time, when he had been assigned to the Herondale Royal Family years ago, he became a mentor of sorts to Jace. He taught Jace several self-defense skills, and how to stay on guard at all times. They became friends over time as well.

Raziel is the only person whom Jace told about the suspicious texts, calls, and threats against Clary. In fact, that's where he went immediately after the phone call and storming past Clary. Raziel had recommended he comply with the demands for the time being, since Clary's life was at stake and they had too little time to track down this suspect. While devastated, Jace would die for Clary. He would do anything for her, even if meant breaking her heart.

On the call to Raziel, Jace informed of everything that had happened. That Michael was coordinating a confidential search for Clary, and keeping track of the airline records. That Jocelyn, Clary's mother, was on her way out to Idris. That Jace just called and asked the suspect if they had her, and there was no response.

"Listen, Jace. I'm always honest with you, even when it's unpleasant. But if this person or group went to all this trouble to get Clary… Well, bottom line, that's not good. But we need to keep our wits about us and figure out what we can. Please, whatever you do, don't lose yourself Jace. Clary loves you. She will understand. We will get her back, wherever she is." Jace hadn't realized he had been holding his breath while Raziel talked. Jace cleared his throat, and said,

"Right. Okay."

"Okay. I'll contact you when I have something." And he hung up.

Back to Present Time…

Jace finally released the sink. He didn't notice his entire body was shaking. He ran his long, tan fingers through his hair. He played with the gold chain that hung around his neck. It was a gift from Clary for when they first moved back to Idris…

One Month Earlier…

"Jace? Are you in here?" Clary peeked around the open apartment door quietly. She had never been in Jace's private wing before… It was only her second day in Idris after all. She glanced at her watch: 9:00 am. He should be up, she thought.

Not wanting to intrude, she called for him again. This time, as she peered around the already-open door, Jace appeared walking out of the bedroom… in just a soft, fluffy white towel. Clary admired his beautiful chiseled torso… From his perfect abs to his tan, smooth chest, to his muscular and veiny arms. A slow blush crept into her cheeks, as she realized she had been staring quite obviously.

"Good morning, Angel. Come on in." Jace knowingly grinned, as he walked up to her. She took a step in, shutting the door behind her. Immediately after, Jace had her caged against the door in between his arms. She looked up at him under luscious eyelashes, as her fingers ached to trace the defined muscles on his chest and arms. She noticed his hair was a darker gold, since it was still wet. He smelled like the best cologne she'd ever smelled and sunshine.

As strange as it may sound, one of her favorite things about him was the way he smelled. He didn't wear overpowering cologne or aftershave; she wasn't sure he wore cologne at all. He simply had his own personal smell that was so… refreshing, delicious, warm.

Her hands remained behind her back, however, as she was holding something. Jace, always so perceptive, leaned right to her ear, and whispered,

"Are you going to show me what you got there?" She was sure she was red as a tomato at that point. His soft lips and warm minty breath tickled the tip of her earlobe as he spoke in his sexy, just-for-her voice. She grinned up at him.

"You know, you're missing something." Jace looked at her, confused. Still keeping her caged in, almost as if he was afraid she was going to run away, he stood up a bit straighter.

"What do you mean?" He asked, clearly puzzled. Clary reveled in this moment a bit. Jace was never puzzled. She giggled a bit, and took her hands out from behind her back.

In her small cool hands, she held a small unwrapped black box. She leaned up, kissed him on his cleanly-shaven cheek, and said, "I love you."

Jace looked down at her, just like a child looks at his parents on Christmas morning after getting a present he so desired. He was so vulnerable, so personal and open with her. It made her heart swell.

"Well, come on." She held the box out. "Open it, slow-poke!" She teased him. He gave her a soft smile, and lowered his hands from behind her on the door. He ever so gently took the black box out of her hands. As she watched him intently, Clary chewed her bottom lip, nervous as to whether or not he would like it. He carefully lifted the lid off and placed it underneath the box.

Inside the box was a simple golden chain. On the chain was a single golden dog-tag, like those in the military. Intricately engraved into the one side of the tag was the Angelic Rune Symbol. It meant everything to Jace, Clary had learned. He always drew it on his notebooks. He said it brought protection and good look. He mentioned he wanted to get a tattoo of it, but his parents didn't believe it would be very "Royal" of him. On the other side were words. It read:

I will always be your Angel.

Love,

Clary

"Clary…" Jace started. Clary simply smiled at him, and asked,

"Do you like it?" Jace looked at her, incredulous. Before answering, he put it on, clasping it together behind his neck. When he finished, he gently brushed a thin strand of hair out of Clary's face, cupping her face with the other hand.

"Clary," he began, "Asking that question is like asking me, 'Do I love you?' The answer to both is yes, an impossible and infinite yes." With that, he drew her in slowly, leaned down, and kissed her passionately. That was all she needed to hear.

And from that day on, Jace never took the chain off.

Back to Present Time…

Jace was drowning in pain. It's all my fault. It's all my fault. He kept repeating to himself, as he just stared ahead.

Two days earlier…

Clink, clink. The only sounds in the Herondale Dining room tonight were the sounds of forks against the plate, ever so softly. Jace was eating dinner with his parents. They had tried to create small talk, typical superficial bullshit, Jace thought to himself. He didn't participate in it.

After a few unsuccessful attempts at getting him to talk, his parents resolved to silence. If they were trying to force Jace to talk, he wasn't going to. He could care less about what they thought of him right now. He had much more important things to take care of. Speaking of that, he looked at his watch, and seeing that it was 7:30, he picked his napkin up to wipe his face before leaving the table and meeting Raziel.

"Where do you think you're going, young man?" His mother spoke to him coldly. Jace looked up at her, returning a cold stare with the same golden eyes.

"Out." Jace said bluntly.

"I don't think so." His mother said sharply.

"Excuse me? I'm not a child. You cannot force me to-"

"Jonathan, sit down now." Jace, reluctantly sat back down. Throughout the entire exchange, Stephen Herondale was quiet. He knew better than to cross his wife. This is how it usually was, growing up. Jace's mother was bad cop, and his dad was backup. "Thank you." His mother said politely. There was no mistaking the politeness in her voice for sweetness, though. Celine was pissed, and the Herondale men at the table knew it. She took a deep breath, before continuing,

"I understand you have somewhere to be. You decide when you get there. Because before you leave, you're going to tell us what the hell is the matter with you. Your father and I have given you space for two. Damn. Days. Yet you still have not explained yourself nor graced us with your presence. Start. Now." Celine said sharply. For such a kind woman, she sure could be terrifying.

"Mother, I would prefer not to talk about this."

"Sorry, no. Try again." Celine said immediately. Stephen snorted softly. His wife was a force to be reckon with. He also knew that Celine was invested in this particular situation because she saw a piece of herself in Clary. He had come to greatly like and admire Clary, himself. He was saddened when he heard that she had left the palace, but he knew Jace was wishy washy when it came to girls.

"Mother, it's hard to explain. I… I broke up with Clary."

"Well, I gathered that, since she isn't here. What happened? Why?" Jace was growing exasperated. He was beginning to grow tired of explaining what happened to people. He also knew he was struggling to hide his true feelings, a problem he'd never had before Clary.

"Maybe I don't know! Can't you please just leave me alone? I'm sorry, I'm a disappointment and all I do is ruin everything good in my life. Trust me, I know. I know." Jace said raggedly. Celine knew her son, and she knew when to stop pushing. She also knew his heart. She truly believed that he had some other reason for ending things with Clary. She knew how much he loved her, and he would not throw that away for nothing, no matter how self-destructive his behavior could be.

"Fine." Celine said softly. With that, Jace violently stood up from his chair, and stormed out of the formal dining room.

"Well, we know where he gets his hardheadedness from." Stephen said, as he sipped his glass of wine.

As Jace arrived in the courtyard garden, Raziel was already seated on the bench.

"Sorry I'm late-" Jace started. Raziel just shook his head and interrupted,

"No matter. But Jace, you may want to sit down for this." Jace paled, and did as Raziel instructed. He sat down, with his hands gripping the cold stone bench underneath him.

"What is it?" Jace asked softly, so much fear, pain, and sadness interwoven in one simple question. He imagined every possible scenario in his head, before Raziel's actual words brought him out of it.

"There has been a discovery by a patrol on the edge of the downtown county section. Right on the outskirts of the city, at the end of the Palace path." Raziel began, carefully weaving this tale. Jace, confused, nodded for Raziel to continue. "Well, the discovery was blood. Dried blood, and this bracelet." Raziel slowly reached into his pocket for something.

Jace felt the world fall out from underneath him. He felt so very dizzy. His heart cracked a little bit more. He was breathing heavy, as if he had just ran. He genuinely felt numb all over. He blinked several times, trying to make out the shiny object in Raziel's large, rough hand.

Because the bracelet was Clary's.

Back to Present Time…

As he just stared into his own cold, dark eyes, Jace thought about the horrible events of these past five days. He finally had enough of the cold and unforgiving bathroom, so he padded into the bedroom, sitting down in the armchair in the corner of his room, putting his head in his hands.

He couldn't understand how quickly his life had changed in the span of twelve hours. It went from the greatest night of his life, to the worst week he could've possibly imagined.

After discovering Clary had been in some sort of accident, Raziel said there was no point in keeping it confidential anymore. Raziel set up a conference with Michael, the King and Queen, and National Security Agents to explain the entirety of what happened. During this entire conference, Jace simply sat in his chair, staring at the table in front him, not speaking a word. They decided that everyone else would be told only the necessary information, and a nationwide press conference would be performed to explain they have reason to believe Clary is kidnapped.

No one thought Clary was dead, to Jace's relief. But the other possibility wasn't much better. She had been kidnapped by someone who wanted something. There were just so many unknowns. So many people have been working around the clock for so long. Jace had been nonstop investigating into every citizen, every secret location, every possible pathway that could lead to Clary. He had been isolating himself from friends and family, dedicating himself entirely to finding Clary. The only times he allowed himself to wallow, to be depressed, to feel the great pain and guilt of what he did and how Clary isn't here, is when he was in his room. Other than that, Jace wasn't feeling anything at all.

And the worst part for him is that every time he pictured Clary alone, hurt, and terrified somewhere dark, dirty, and cold, he realized that she believed he didn't love her anymore.

Jace's imagination wasn't far off. When Clary finally awoke, she still had pain in the back of her head. She squeezed her eyes shut even tighter. She said a silent prayer, a whisper on her lips, "Please." She prayed that everything in the past twelve hours was a dream: Jace saying he did not love her, her running away, and something smashing into the back of her skull. She drew in a shaky breath, and went to lift her hand to feel the back of her head, but when she slowly opened her burning eyes and looked down, she saw through blurred vision her hands were tied together, and she was tied to a wooden chair. Her heart began to pound. As she came to, she blinked several times, trying to get the groggy out of her eyes. Her head throbbed painfully. As a matter of fact, her whole body radiated in pain. As she looked around her, she saw was in some sort of metal gray room. There was a light at the top corner of the room. Actually, it was a small window, she noticed. It was glass with a few metal bars on the inside of it. It was the size of an air vent, but still something, Clary thought to herself. It must be early morning, she thought, observing the soft light flickering through.

She noticed there was only one door in the corner of the room. No windows on the door, though. She was entirely alone in the room; the room empty of everything except for her in the chair.

She thrashed around frantically, sending a stabbing pain through her head, immediately regretting moving. As she tried to blink away the agonizing pain, she heard a noise coming from what sounded like right outside the door. Sure enough, the door opened.

She expected it to be a large man who kidnapped her, or a gang of sorts. It was not.

It was a teenage girl. A very pretty teenage girl, with long silvery-white hair falling in perfect waves. As she entered the room, Clary noticed she was carrying a metal tray with bandages, rubbing alcohol, and a towel. Clary looked up at her face, and noticed she had bright blue eyes shining back at her, and her mouth… Well, she was smiling.

"Oh finally! You're awake! What wonderful news." The blonde-haired girl said cheerily. Clary fumbled for words, finally finding her voice and croaked,

"Where am I? Who are you? Why- Why am I here?" Clary was truly surprised at the conviction her voice held. The girl giggled, and set the tray down on the cold stone floor.

"So many questions, that's adorable! If I told you all of that, that wouldn't be very good for me now, would it?" Clary just stared at her with a sharp gaze. "Don't worry. As they say, all in due time, Clary." With a bright smile, she walked behind Clary, and started to touch her head.

"OW! Get away from me!" Clary screamed, as she tried in vain to twist away from this girl.

"Clary, come on now. I'm just bandaging up your wound! I might have hit you a bit too hard, I guess." She chuckled to herself. Clary was now even more terrified than before. This bitch is crazy, Clary thought.

"Please. Just let me go!" Clary pleaded. After the girl finished changing the bandages, she came around and kneeled down in front of Clary. She smiled softly at her, and reached out to stroke her hair.

"Poor Clary. Don't worry. Everything's going to be okay! As long as you cooperate with us, we won't need to hurt a hair on your pretty little head." Then the girl smiled at Clary, and walked towards the door. Clary just stared hatefully at her as she walked.

Before she made it to the door, she turned around and gave Clary a glance, as if she was considering doing something potentially dangerous. "I like you, so, I'll tell you. I'm Serena. Serena Morgenstern." With that, she opened the door and let it slam shut behind her, leaving Clary alone with her salty tears and wracking sobs.

Every few hours, Serena would come back in the room to check Clary's head, untie her to go to the bathroom, and bring her food and water. Clary thought, She would actually be a very good nurse, if it weren't for the kidnapping bit. Serena was always cheerful, asking Clary questions about herself and talking about nonsensical arbitrary things. She never talked about herself, Clary noticed.

Clary had no clue how long this went on for. Hours, days, weeks? She tried to keep track of the days according to the light outside, but she wasn't on a normal sleep schedule to pay attention to the window. She was slowly losing hope of ever getting out. Even if she did, it's not like she had much going for her in the outside world.

Jace, she thought painfully. Just his name caused her heart to clench and her eyes to water and her breathing to speed up. He didn't love her anymore. He tossed her out on the street just like she feared he would. Her worst fear imaginable came true: after she had sex with him, he would lose interest. She was afraid it would change things, and apparently, it did. She would never be the same after that. The words he had said to her, the expression on his face, were worse than any physical pain she could've imagined. Her whole world had crumpled to dirt around her.

Stop thinking about him, she chided herself. If she was going to survive this, she couldn't dwell on him anymore. She needed to push him out. She could deal with her feelings if she ever got out… When you get out; Stay positive Clary, she thought. She needed to be as clear-minded as possible if she wanted to survive.

She had no idea that forgetting Jace would be the one thing she couldn't do in this situation.

After what seemed like an eternity of endless intermittent solitude and strange interactions with Serena, finally there was a change of pace. The door opened, and Clary didn't even look up at the door. She was still tied up to the chair, but each time Serena got more lax with the restraints. Clary believed Serena figured there wasn't anywhere for her to go.

However, it was not Serena at the door this time. It was a tall, very intimidating white-haired middle age man.

"Hello, Clarissa." The man smiled wickedly at her. And shut the door behind him.

Clary immediately tensed up. Something about him, other than the fact that he was somehow involved in her kidnapping, gave her a terrible cold feeling.

"I'm sure you have many questions." He began, looking at her for a response. When it was clear she wasn't going to give one, he continued. "I trust that Serena has been taking care of you? Well, as much care as one can receive in this kind of situation." That sent Clary over the edge.

"This 'situation'? You're a lunatic! You're batshit crazy… You freaking kidnapped me! I'll never do what you want, whatever it is." The frightening man gave her an almost sympathetic smile.

"Oh, Clarissa, dear. That's a shame to hear. But no matter." He walked over to the corner of the room and dragged another metal chair over. Sitting down, he continued, "So. let's start at the beginning, shall we?"

As Jace anxiously twirled Clary's bracelet in his hands, he heard a soft knock at the door. He looked up to see his mother, softly smiling at him.

"Hi my love." She said gently, as she walked over to the lounge chair opposite him and took a seat. They were sitting in the formal family room, where they typically had tea and public meetings with other prestigious people. Jace gave her an upward turn of the lips, as a greeting, and then returned his gaze back to the bracelet.

"Are you ready?" Celine cautiously asked Jace. Jocelyn had just landed in Idris, and was on her way to the Palace. She was coming to hear Jace's explanation, as well as to potentially kill him. Jace was not the least bit worried.

He softly sighed. "I just… At first I was nervous. Nervous she would try to kill me, or scream at me, or make me feel worse about what happened. But then I realized that that's impossible. I will never feel worse or more guilty than I do right now." Celine reached out and held his hand in her own two perfectly manicured ones, looking at him sadly. He took a breath and continued. "I just want her back, Mom." Jace said quietly. In that moment, Celine blinked and saw little Jace, a small fragile boy, feeling lonely in the world. She blinked again and saw her grown-up son destroyed by heartbreak and tragedy.

"I know you do, my love. We will get her back to you." Jace nodded, and continued fiddling with the charm bracelet in his free hand.

A few moments later, Michael appeared in the doorway. Jace gave a knowing nod, and Celine got up to escort Jocelyn from the door.

A few minutes or hours later, Jace really wasn't keeping track of time, Jocelyn softly knocked on the door, just as his own mother had a little while earlier.

Jace immediately stood up, making eye contact with her blazing green eyes. He instantly felt as though he has been stabbed through the heart for two reasons: one, being the broken look on Jocelyn's face, and two, for those same green eyes he had fallen completely in love with, which he might never look into again.

"Jocelyn, please listen to me. It's all my fault. Everything. The reason she's heartbroken, the reason she ran away, the reason she's…" He swallowed hard. "Missing. I was a complete idiot, and everything is my fault. Whatever you want to do, I won't stop you." He said genuinely. He couldn't give himself enough pain, in an attempt to distract himself from the pain he couldn't do control. He had a special talent of wrecking himself when he was spiraling out like this.

Jocelyn just looked back at him sadly. She began walking over to him, and Jace closed his eyes, ready to willingly accept any punch, slap, push.

One never came.

Instead, he received a hug.

"There's no need for anymore secrets now, right?" This white-haired man smiled at her. The more Clary looked at him, she noticed a resemblance to Serena. She assumed he was her father.

"My name is Valentine Morgenstern. Fitting name, correct? And yes, Serena is my daughter. Such a disappointment, if you ask me. But that's a story for another time." Clary hoped there would never be another time.

"About twenty-five years ago, I was best friends with Stephen Herondale. We did everything together: took the same classes at University, played the same sports, had the same dreams. We were inseparable. He was the first and only person to understand me. He understood my ambition and thirst for success. While we accomplished great things together, we also, wreaked havoc on our parents, as one might say. This was before he was King, so we had all sorts of mischievous adventures together.

"When I met Serena's mother, Stephen was the best man at our wedding. He was so thrilled for me to have met someone. Most people believed I would never be married. They claimed I was too much of a power-hungry lone wolf. Well, Stephen did not agree with them. He was so happy for me, that I was settling down and having a family while starting my career.

"Serena was born just a few short years later. She is one year older than Prince Jace Herondale." Clary bristled at the mention of his name, but tried not to show it. "After Serena was born, I grew so tired of that family life. I was destined for much greater things than being just a husband and father. Plus, I had begun to break into an… underground business, let's call it. When my wife found out that I was keeping dangerous company, she threatened to turn me in to the authorities if I didn't cut ties.

"Well, that didn't work out very well for her. There was an accident, at our house. Our entire house burned down in the fire. My wife and child were killed. When Stephen heard, he accused me of setting it. I was absolutely infuriated. Of course, he was right. It was me who did it. I never denied that once. But to punish me, to exile me, to cut me out of his life? He had no right!" Clary just shook her head inwardly. This man was absolutely insane.

"So, since that day, I've developed a plan for revenge. You might note that my child, Serena, actually did survive. I don't know how, but she escaped unscathed. This detail proves critical, as she has a central role in my plan. As do you, Clarissa."

"I will never ever help you hurt the Herondales." She said bitterly. Yet somehow, Valentine smiled knowingly at her.

"Not, even after a certain Herondale so nonchalantly disposed of you like gum on the sole of a shoe?" Valentine smirked.

Clary drew a sharp breath in. "Who told you that?" She said in a whispered voice.

"Oh poor Clary. Everyone in Idris knows. Jace is now with someone else… Kelly? Katie? Kaelie, that's it. But don't worry, she's the third one he's been spotted with since your little breakup. You have to admit, though, the boy does more fast." Clary took this news like a sucker punch. She felt the wind literally knocked out of her.

But then she thought about it. How did she know Valentine was not trying to turn her against Jace even more? But then she thought again…How else would he have known about the breakup? All these questions swirling around in her brain gave her a headache.

"Don't worry, dear. You'll get your revenge when I get mine. So, as I was saying. My plan for revenge." Valentine said smoothly. "I want that throne. I want the kingdom. All the power should be mine. I'm ready to lead Idris into a new age, a revolution. But to do that, I first need to get the throne. My original plan was to just kill the entire family… But then I realized the citizens will never follow me if I kill their beloved king. And the more I thought about it, I realized I can be the hero in this story!

"When I discovered you, I realized I could so easily take control. First, I thought about using you as a hostage for the power or money I desire. But, well, I don't think the Herondales care very much about you anymore, do they?" That jab stung Clary, as if she'd been slapped. Clary's eyes filled up but she refused to cry in front of this man. She wouldn't.

"Alas, I needed to be in it for the long game. I devised a plan in which I would kidnap you somehow. You know Jace Herondale better than most others, I presume. So, you are going to tell us everything you learned about him. Every single detail you've acquired about him. Everything that made him love you. You're going to help us win his heart— and then Serena is going to marry him."

Clary swore her heart stopped. "Wha-what?!" She spluttered. Valentine laughed, and got up from his chair.

"Start thinking, Clarissa. You're going to have your work cut out for you. Serena is going to be a project… But with your help, she'll get the job done. Once that Princess title is hers, and she finally ascends to the throne, it will only be too easy for me to swoop in and be the hero. When the new king mysteriously disappears, of course."

With a mischievous wink, Valentine walked out the door, closing it behind him and leaving Clary alone with a big decision to make.