Author's Note: Hi everyone, hope you enjoy the chapter! Sorry I have been absent. School has picked up and I was finishing another Clace story. Go check it out if you haven't already!

It seems you guys enjoyed the twist of the last chapter, and I am glad! It was in the works for awhile.

Clarification: We do not know anything about Clary's family or life really. She says she has a brother and father that she doesn't speak to, and her mother had cancer, nothing about her whereabouts. Simon says he is Clary's brother, and that is all I am going to say.

Disclaimer: I do not own TMI, and I am not a published author nor do I have a beta. So ignore the spelling and grammar errors.

Enjoy!

Chapter 12 (1.8K)

Jace POV

I stumble into my apartment and close the door behind me. My wet hair drips everywhere, but I don't care; why would it matter?

My life is already falling apart.

Ollie is the first one to greet me, and I ignore him heading straight for my liquor cabinet and grab what's left of my whiskey and pour myself a glass. I hear small steps come from behind me, but I ignore them and chug my drink, ignoring the burn in my throat.

I am not surprised when a pair of arms loop themselves around my waist, pulling me tightly against her. The scent of roses fills my nose, and I know it's Clary.

I finish my glass, and she remains like this, not saying a word. Eventually, I spin around, look at her see her tear-stained face, and guilt rushes through me. I wrap my own arms around her and hold her. Taking comfort in her presence as tears start to fall down my own face, so much for being numb.

We stand like this for what feels like hours, and my cold exterior continues to melt away.

Eventually, Alexis comes and wraps herself around my legs. Together we stand there, almost like a family.

A family I have yet to kill.

At some point in the night, we look to the bedroom and all collapse there. We don't speak about what happened, and neither of the girls ask.

Alexis tries to distract me with her toys, but I am too emotionally drained to engage. Clary convinced Alexis to move into the living room to give me time to rest.

It is then Clary confronts me.

She stands before me in my shirt and her typical cotton shorts. Her red hair is pulled into a pretty messy bun since she has only just woken up. She stands a foot away from me with her hands on her hips.

"What happened?" she asks, and in response, I close my eyes to avoid her stare.

"Nothing." I lie.

"Okay, you give me crap for being secretive, but you disappear for the whole night and come back and attempt to drink yourself into an oblivion. Then have the nerve to tell me nothing happened. Jace, you came home, soaking wet, and you started to bawl in my embrace. There is something wrong."

Hearing her say the word 'home' tugs at my heart. I have no home.

I fall onto the bed landing on my back with my eyes closed. The other side of the bed dips, and a hand lands on my arm. It's warm, and a sense of comfort rushes through me.

"Talk to me" she begs.

I open my eyes, and I find myself looking straight into her deep green eyes.

"I did something regrettable that I didn't know would have such big consequences. I can't tell you the details, but it is horrible what I did. I deserve to rot and feel this pain. I can't fix this Clary" I say, and my eyes become clouded by tears. I continue with, "I can't protect you. I am so dangerous the people around me keep getting hurt and might still get hurt because of me" I quickly leap from my lying down position to standing up off the bed.

I go to take a step, and I find Clary's hand on my arm, pulling me back to the bed with such force I actually move.

I spin around and look at her. She wears a sombre expression.

"I know we haven't known each other long, but I thought you knew me better than that. Before I met you, my life was in danger, I made my own choices, and really only two of those choices worked out for me. Me keeping Alexis at a young age and coming with you. In this short time, Jace, you have changed my life. You are keeping my daughter and me safe; that means the world to me. Without you, I would still be in that house, as much as I hate to admit it. You are keeping m grounded, so don't tell me you are dangerous. I lived through dangerous. I know the anxiety and fear I should feel. I have none of that while I am around you; I feel safe, so don't try and get rid of me, talk to me. Open up and explain to me what is happening, and maybe I can relate."

"Can you keep a secret?" I ask.

She rolls her eyes and says, "Uh, duh. I have no one to tell. You think I am going to tell my crazy abusive husband? I have kept my secrets for years, and many of them I will take to the grave. So yeah, I can most definitely keep yours."

"Alright, I will as much as I can" I say, and she nods. I crawl back onto the edge of the bed, and Clary sits beside me and takes my hands and gives me an encouraging smile. "You know I have lived with the Lightwoods most of my childhoods, but my father was murdered when I was 5, which drove my mother into a depression where she'd forget about me. I remember being confused about the situation and where my father was, and my mom would just give me a look and say nothing. After a few days, I ran out of food and adventured outside and saw Alec and his mom. Maryse knew something was up and took me home and called child services." I pause, and I force air into my lungs.

"You can do it" Clary whispers words of encouragement.

"She got my mom the help she needed and took me into her home. The memories of those weeks were suppressed in my mind until last night, where they came back full force. Turns out 11 years later, she is murdered as well, contracted by the same man. That man was a mentor to me and is my boss," I say, and Clary gasps quietly and squeezes my hand.

"I don't know how to fix this. He was a father to me and helped build me up. Or I thought he was. I realized now he was playing me this whole time, and now I am unsure of where to go from here. He has no idea I know what he did. I only found out through someone else who is trying to take him down. I am torn between remaining loyal to the man who was a father to me, that manipulated me or getting justice for my parents by taking him down." I pause and try and relax into the smell of Clary. I have never felt so safe in the presence of anyone, not even Maryse. Yet I find comfort in the girl I barely know, and maybe it is because she can relate to having a bad past, but I feel something inside me that makes me stir like bees buzzing through me from excitement.

"I understand having someone turn around and no longer be a father figure in your life. You just have to remember that it is YOUR life, and you have to live it for yourself." She says while drawing lazy circles on my hand.

I look into her deep green eyes, and the look she is giving me is so hard to describe. It makes me feel loved, even though she can't possibly love me. It gives me the motivation to continue on since I know she cares. She has silent tears crawling down her cheeks that she neglects to wipe away, and she gives me a shy smile. If she didn't care, she wouldn't care to ask what was wrong and instead would've just let me slide into a dark place.

I brush the strands of her hair that dangle in her face and tuck them behind her ear, and she smiles at me.

I pull away and stare at her. I know what I have to do.

I jump off the bed and rush to gather clothes.

"What are you doing?" Clary asks as she jumps off the bed with me.

"I know what is important now." I quickly change my shirt from a black T-shirt to a dark green shirt that reminds me of my fighting.

"What is important?" She asks.

"You," I answer, and she smiles so hard I find myself hoping that smile will never fall. She looks fantastic and has this glow that destroys all my darkness. I continue with, "You are what is important, and someone needs to put you first. My problems can wait."

"You really don't have to, Jace," she warns me and places a hand on my shoulder, keeping me from darting to the bathroom to change my pants.

"No, sweetheart. You deserve your life back, and I am going to get it for you." I answer and smile at her before moving away and changing.

As I close the bathroom door, I hear her faintly whisper, "Thank you."

Alexis POV

I wake up to Jace, closing the front door and Ollie barking at it. I look around the room and see my mom staring at the door.

I rub the dust from my eyes and jump off the couch and run to her. She catches me and runs her hands through my hand as if I am the one that needs smoothing.

"Mommy, wants a new start that makes me feel like myself. Will you be okay with that A?" She asks me.

"Of course," and I smile at her. She presses a kiss to my head and gently puts me down.

"Don't judge me. I haven't cut my own hair since I was a teenager." She says, and she walks to the kitchen with a hairbrush in hand, and opens a drawer and pulls scissors out.

She pulls her bun apart and quickly brushes her hair out. Then quickly goes to the bathroom, and I follow her watching her cutting her red hair to just above her shoulders.

Once done, she turns me to me and asks for my approval, and I tell her she is pretty. She smiles at me and blushes and bids me a thank you.

She then grabs a box and gloves and starts rubbing in onto a small combo and attacks her hair. Rubbing the lotion everywhere.

She tells me not to worry and to go watch TV, so I do.

After maybe 4 episodes of paw patrol, she walks out with her short hair and bright red hair.

"Why'd you change your hair, momma?"

She smiles and answers, "Because I want to be myself again."

I smile widely back at her.

AN: Thank you for reading! Hope I hit you in the feels with this chapter. It is very short and sweet, as we have a Clace moment of Jace coming to the realization of putting things into prospective and doing what he wants to do, even if it is for her.

Hope you enjoyed the extra POV.

Clary's new look is featured on my Instagram, under the name vmarslover. Come follow and see all the sneak peaks and pictures.

Make sure to review and let me know what you think, and you'll receive a preview.

Question time: What was your favorite part? What will happen next? Do we like Clary's new look? What kind of secrets is Clary hiding? and finally, how will Jace take her life back?

I'll give you a hint, the plan will be discovered next chapter :)

See you soon, hope you enjoyed. Special thanks to kazzo96, clacepercabeth4ever, Jling, and Beautiful Evil for their reviews! They make me so happy, I can't thank you enough.

Stay Safe!