Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Twilight or Shadowhunters with possible cameos from Supernatural, those rights are reserved for Stephanie Myer, Cassandra Claire, Eric Kripke. I do own the original characters created for this story.

Writer's Notes: Welcome to Hearts in the Stars!

It will be like I never existed… I promise.

Bella stared out the window of the train. She was twenty-one now, still dwelling on a boyfriend from high school. A boy that broke her heart and broke her. She didn't know what he wanted from her. She tried to be perfect for him, but she ended up changing the person she was. Sure, she was quieter, and reserved before, but at least she wasn't mute when she was around people. At least she never had to make excuses as to why she had bruises. Or why she was wearing long sleeves. She was a shell of herself, and she was starting to worry her father. She didn't have a mom, or one that counted. She disappeared when she was eleven to chase the fantasy of being popular and young again with a major league baseball player, and she didn't talk to Bella much. So, it was just her and Charlie, and he was a police chief in Forks. Or he was. Charlie Swan, age 56, death cause: heart attack. She had given her father a heart attack, and it killed him. Now she had to carry that with her. Instead of staying in Forks, she decided to leave with the life insurance money. To start over in a new place, to be a new Bella. She was scared to be alone. Scared to be without the only person that loved her. But she had to do this. She had to be better.

Edward didn't matter anymore. She had to keep telling herself that. It took her a while to realize it, but he was toxic. Despite him leaving her first, she should have left him from the start. She sighed heavily, as the train entered the station in New York City. She grabbed her one bag that she took with her and exited the train. She was in one of the largest cities in the states, and so she was just a mere ant in this world now. Now more sad pitiful stares from the people of forks. No one knew her here, and that's how she wanted it.

She took her phone out and looked at the directions on the phone to the apartment that she was looking at. She wasn't sure how long it would take, so she would likely stay in a hotel until she found a suitable apartment. Her dad's life insurance was a substantial one, so she wouldn't have to struggle hard. The house in Forks sold, and she had that money too. She sold her truck, and she disappeared. She didn't want to draw out goodbyes, so she sent Jake a text telling him to take care of Billy, and that she needed to leave Washington State.

First she needed caffeine. She was tired from the train ride, and she barely slept. She found a Star Bucks, and ducked inside and waited in the line until it was her turn to order.

"Venti mocha white chocolate latte, double shot of espresso please." Bella ordered.

"Name?"

"Bella." She supplied her name, and then paid before stepping off to the side and waited for her coffee to get done. She looked around at the people, their noses either in a book, or in their phone. No one was paying each other any attention, and that somehow made Bella feel better. Her name was called a few moments later, and she grabbed her coffee and left Star Bucks and started walking down the sidewalk, and a man walked into her, making her drop her phone and her coffee.

"Oh, I am so sorry." The man instantly apologized, his eyes holding a certain level of fright.

Bella shook her head. "It's okay. I'll just go get another coffee." She said and bent and picked up her phone, the crack in the screen causing her to sigh.

The man shook his head. "No no, I am terribly sorry. I wasn't paying attention clearly. Let me buy you a new coffee. Please."

Bella sighed again. "It's alright. It's not necessary. I'm also a very clumsy person, I wasn't watching where I was going either. I was staring at my phone…which is now useless."

"I really feel like shit. Please let me get you coffee, and buy you a new phone."

"I have insurance, it's fine. I just need to find out where Union Ave is. I think I need to get to Brooklyn." Bella said.

The man nodded. "Yeah, that's over in Brooklyn. It's like twenty minutes or so if you drive. The subway takes longer. Like forty minutes, sometimes fifty. Getting a taxi is an option, probably take about thirty minutes. You're new to New York?"

"Yeah, just got off the train today. I thought that I had to be here, and then I read the email again, and it's in Brooklyn. So…"

"Union Ave. Apartments. Those aren't really that great not for that price anyways."

Bella nodded. "I haven't had a chance to really look around too much."

The man's phone rang, and he glanced at it and then sent it to voicemail. "Um, let me get you a coffee, and I'll give you a quick list of some places that aren't complete garbage. I'm Simon by the way. Simon Lewis."

Bella blinked a few times. "Wait, you're the Simon Lewis?" She looked at him again. He was wearing normal street clothes, and he was wearing glasses.

Simon smiled wide. "Uh, yeah. You've heard of me. That is very strange for a non-New Yorker."

"Yeah, my friend…she used to go to school here in New York. She uh, said you were a garage band basically, and then four years ago, you made it with a label. She bought your album." Bella admitted. "And I've listened to it."

"Someone I went to school with…" Simon murmured. "Someone that moved away. That would be Alice Cullen."

Bella nodded. "Yeah. She loved your music. She talked about you a lot."

Simon chuckled. "We dated in high school. She moved away, so we broke up. But we were good friends. God, I haven't heard her name in years. This is a big city, but a very small world." He said as they walked back towards the Star Bucks and ordered Bella a new coffee.

Bella smiled. "Thank you. You really didn't have to."

"No, I had to. It's the gentlemen thing to do." He said and his phone rang again. "Okay, I promise I'll give you that list, after I answer this." He said and put his phone to his ear. "Hey babe." He said and then he was quiet and frowned. "Maya wait- "and then sighed. "Maya- "He tried again but then she hung up.

Bella focused on her coffee, trying not to intrude on Simon's privacy.

"I'm sorry. Um…list of apartments." He said and took a pen from his pocket and took the Star Bucks napkin. "I'm from Brooklyn and live there. I only come here for the label on Mondays, so this was a crazy happenstance." He said with a smile. He jotted down some places.

"You are too kind. Thank you." Bella said and took the napkin.

"Not a problem. I still do gigs around Brooklyn because that's where I was born. So, when you have a chance, come check it out. I unfortunately do have to run because I forgot my anniversary last night, and so I'm in really big trouble."

Bella waved a hand. "Go, go. You've done too much. I'm sorry you're in trouble and good luck." She said and watched him leave. She shouldered her bag and took the napkin with her and left the coffee shop to find the nearest Verizon store, which wasn't too far, according to a homeless person she asked out in the street, that she gave twenty dollars to. She walked into the store and was greeted immediately.

Within the hour she had a brand-new phone, that she could use to get around New York. She took the subway to Brooklyn and started at the apartment that she had her first appointment at, and Simon was right about it. It really wasn't all that impressive. She left there and went to the other locations. Finding that none of them had an opening. There was one left on the list, and she sighed and went to it. It was a loft, and older room in what she would consider the artist district. The people were nice around there. The loft was only two stories, and so she met with the manager. He had one opening ready to move in, if she had the deposit, and first and last months rent. She agreed and managed to get a key and the key code for the door since the locks were electronic. She stood in the open living room area of the loft. The large paneled windows overlooked the street below, it just felt so open. It reminded her of the Cullen's old house with the large windows, and that momentarily made her sad to think about. She shook it off, and explored the rest of the loft again. She had two bedrooms and two bathrooms. One in the master bedroom, and then the hall bathroom. It was more space than what she needed, but the price was good for New York, and the area wasn't terrible. The kitchen was open with the living room, with a bar that separated the two rooms, and the appliances were a dark stainless steel, and the cabinets were also a dark oak color. There was no carpet at all in the entire loft. One of the walls was the brick of the building, and she liked that rustic vibe that it put off. She still had plenty of day light left, so she googled some furniture places, and ordered an Uber to get to the Ashley Furniture store around the corner.

She bought a new bedroom set, and then bought a sectional couch to put in the living room with a coffee table. She bought a bookshelf, and that was all she really needed. They would have it delivered the next day. So she opted to go to the target and get an air mattress to sleep on at least for the night, and some other stuff she could use for the new Loft. She didn't usually shop a lot, so by the time she got back to the loft, she was exhausted. It was starting to get dark out, so she put her stuff up, aired up the mattress and decided to take a shower.

The next morning, the delivery guy got there around noon, and got all the furniture moved into the loft with the help of two other guys, and even put it in the place that she wanted it in. She was thankful that everything was already put together, and that she didn't have to put anything together. After they left, she just sat on her couch and relaxed for a moment. Things were starting to come together. She had a place that she could call home now, and she was comfortable. She was starting to smile more, and she wished that her dad could see her now.

She left the loft to go do some more shopping, her worse enemy, but she had to get it done. She made sure her door shut all the way behind her, and started down the stairs, and bumped into what she assumed was the neighbor. He was taller than she was and had blonde hair that was slick back on his head. His eyes were a blue color, and his arms were muscular. He was wearing a black tank top, and dark pants.

"Oh, hello."

"Hi." He said, not taking too long to pause before brushing past her.

Bella watched him disappear into the door across the way from her. She was right about him being a neighbor, but he wasn't that friendly. She just shrugged it off and headed out to get some things that she needed. It didn't take her long to go in and out of the stores she headed to. She wasn't like typical women, with taking forever to stare at one item. She knew what she went in for, and there were no extras in her buggy. She got back to the Loft and unloaded everything. She thought about getting her own car. She just didn't know New York enough yet, but one would come in handy. Uber wasn't as convenient as everyone thought.

Wednesday, she did more exploring by walking from her loft. She wanted to see what was close by that would be a simple walk to and from. She found a bookstore that she browsed in, but didn't buy anything, because she wasn't done exploring today.

She walked down the sidewalk, looking at all the different shops. There were some boutiques, and a small coffee shop that she thought was perfect. They did poetry readings on Thursday, so she made a mental note to come back on a Thursday to listen to people read their poetry. There was also a bar, and not far was a nightclub called Pandemonium. She wanted to check out the nightclub because it was something the old Bella wouldn't do.

When it started to get dark, Bella started back towards her loft, but stopped at the nightclub. She was interested in what sort of club Pandemonium was. She wasn't super poorly dressed, tight jeans, and a nice tank top. Her hair was down laying on her shoulders. She was exploring not wearing sleeves in the summertime, and at first it felt strange, but she was getting used to it.

The bouncer at the door was nice, letting her through after checking her ID. She went inside, the music was loud, but that was expected. There were all sorts of people, dressed in different styles, and it was interesting to see the people of New York out at night. It made her smile, and so she headed towards the bar to get a drink. One thing she admitted, was probably a bad habit. Drinking. But she had done better. After her father died, she drank a lot just to numb all the pain she was feeling. She wouldn't consider herself an alcoholic, because she knew her limits now that she was in a better place.

At the bar she looked at the bartender and it was her neighbor from across the hall.

"What can I get you," he asked, throwing a bar towel over his shoulder.

"We're neighbors."

The man lifted a brow. "Oh, yeah. I suppose we are." He said, and Bella noticed that his voice was lilted with an accent. "What can I get you?"

Bella was taken a little back by his brashness, but she was in New York and people generally weren't as nice. "Uh, sure. Bourbon. Thanks." She said and pulled her wallet out.

"On the house." He said and poured her the drink and slid it to her, and then walked away to take care of another patron.

She was confused by his gesture, but she took the bourbon anyways. She turned and looked towards what looked like a stage. The lights were dimmed, and then they came on and the music died down.

Simon was on stage. "Good evening Pandemonium." There were some cheers and screams from girls that had made it up closer to the stage. "Are we ready for some live music?" He asked and hit a chord on his guitar. There were some more cheers. He started playing and then singing, and Bella just sat back and watched, enjoying the music.

When he finished his set, the lights dimmed again on the stage, and then the other music started back up. Bella finished her bourbon and set her glass on the bar.

Suddenly Simon was up at the bar. "Hey Jace, can I get a whiskey sour man."

"Sure thing." The bartender, that Bella now knew was Jace, said and moved to mix the drink for Simon.

Simon glanced over and then did a double take. "Bella?"

Bella smiled. "It's me."

Simon moved down to her and smiled. "Did you find a place?"

"I did actually."

Jace brought Simon his drink. "Great set."

"Thanks. I told Magnus I would fit it in this week. I promised I wouldn't forget him when I made it big." He said with a smile. "Oh, this is Bella."

Jace nodded. "Yeah, we're neighbors."

Simon looked back at Bella. "No shit. You rented the loft?"

"I did. I decided to explore today. Stumbled across this place." Bella said with a smile.

Jace refilled Bella's glass as she talked to Simon.

Several hours later, Bella was actually laughing and feeling really good and buzzed from the bourbon.

Simon's phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and sighed. "Shit. Jace I gotta bounce man. Maya." He said and then looked at Bella. "Can I get your number? I know that sounds cliché." He said with a laugh.

Bella smiled. "Yeah, of course." She said and took out her phone and handed it to him.

He took it and put his number in and sent himself a text. He then took a selfie and added the contact before handing it back to her. "I'll see you around." He said and waved to Jace before leaving the club.

Bella turned and looked at Jace. "One more drink, then I definitely have to get home."

Jace nodded, pouring her a drink. "So, you're not from New York."

She lifted her glass to her lips, taking a drink before setting her glass back down. "I'm not. You're not from New York."

Jace nodded. "I am not." He said and wiped down the bar in front of him. "How do you know Simon?"

"He broke my phone and spilled my coffee all over the place the first day I got here, and met him." Bella said, recalling the event.

"Ouch. I take it he's the one that told you about the Loft?"

"Yeah, he gave me a list of places. Every one of them didn't have any openings except the Loft, which was fine because I like it the best anyways." Bella took a long drink of her bourbon.

Jace watched her drink the rest of the bourbon down. She set the glass down and stood, wobbling a bit. "Sit down. I get off in twenty minutes. I'll walk you home." He said and glanced over at the other end of the bar, noticing another patron.

Bella sighed and sat back down. She had drunk more than she intended, but she was having fun, something that the new Bella should do. She waited on Jace, and twenty minutes later, he closed the bar. The rest of the club was starting to die out too, and she looked at her phone, realizing it was past one and the club was closing.

Another man appeared, and he was gloriously beautiful. His dark hair was perfectly spiked on his head, his face structure perfect, his Asian features made him exotic, and his eyes were a dark brown, with a little warmth to them. He was dressed impressively, dark leather pants, a dark button hp, with a vest that was dark with golden spirals on it. He wore a ring on his ring hand that was like a large sapphire or other blue stone she couldn't make out. He looked straight at her, and she noticed the dark coal lined his eyes.

"Alright Magnus, I'm finished up here. Greg has the rest. I'm going to walk her home." Jace nodded over to Bella.

Magnus smiled. "You don't usually walk patrons' home Jace."

"She's, my neighbor."

Bella smiled a little. "Guilty." She said and stood up, wobbling a bit more.

Magnus moved closer, putting a hand on her arm to steady her. "Well, that's probably the best idea, walking her home. Alright Jace, I'll see you tomorrow night." He said and smiled at Bella. "Be careful, and take care." He said and released her before walking back behind the bar.

Bella blinked a few times. Magnus' voice held a certain airy tone to it, and he was just mesmerized. Jace walked with her outside, and the air of New York was still warm. It was August, the middle of the summer, so it was still so hot. They started walking back towards the loft, when she stumbled a little, and Jace caught her against him.

"I'm sorry. I- "

"It's okay." Jace said quickly. His hand was at her waist, against the bare skin from where her shirt rode up. He stabilized her and then they kept walking.

Bella knew she would sleep in tomorrow, knowing that she would regret the alcohol in the morning. She got dizzy again, and Jace caught her again. "I'm really sorry." She said, slightly slurred, and with frown.

Jace sighed, and then swung her up in his arms, startling her. "We're nearly there, and you don't weight a lot, so just hush." He said and continued walking, carrying her towards the loft.

Bella slipped her arms up around his neck, to hold on to him as they walked. Her head rested against his shoulder. She didn't know what it was like to be carried, not since she was a little girl, and her dad carried her up to her bedroom after falling asleep during movie night. She felt the sadness hit her, and she fought it off, not wanting to cry in front of Jace.

They got to the loft, and he carried her up the stairs, and got to her door, and there was a man standing outside of it.

Bella looked up, and her heart stopped. She must have tensed, because Jace held her a little tighter to calm her. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I heard about Charlie. Why are you being carried home by a man?"

Bella shook her head. "H-how did you find me?"

"Because I know people. Put her down."

Jace narrowed his eyes a little. He didn't like the tone the man had, and how Bella reacted. "Bella, you obviously know him. Is everything okay?"

"Of course, it's okay. She's, my girlfriend."

Bella's eyes went wide. She swallowed. "Jace, uh. Put me down. Thank you for making sure I got home okay." She said, suddenly feeling more sober.

Jace hesitated, but put her on her feet. "Alright," he said and let her down to her feet. "Have a good night. Tylenol." He reminded her and then went into his own door.

Bella looked at the man in front of her. Edward. "We're not together anymore." She said and went to her door, and used the keypad to put in the code. She opened the door and tried to shut it fast, but Edward stopped her.

"Do you always make it a habit to come home with strange men?"

"Who I come home with, is none of your concern. We haven't dated in four years Edward. You can't just show up at my place, unannounced, and bully your way in!" She said, a little fervor to her voice.

The slap was a shock. Four years of working on herself, and it was all crumbling with the slap. Her hand went up to her already reddening cheek. "I'm sorry," her voice got small, and she looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry."

Edward sighed. "You know I don't like hitting you. Why do you make me do it?"

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." She said, falling back into the shell.

He reached for her, his hands gentle, and pulled her to him. The embrace was a cold one, rigid as Bella tensed. "I'm sorry about Charlie."

Bella just nodded, trying to push back tears, because if she cried, he might hit her again.

"Why don't we go take a shower, hmm?"

Bella swallowed, feeling self-conscious of herself. She nodded, and they went to the bathroom. He started the shower, and then took her clothes off, and got her in the shower. He left her alone, and that somehow was a relief. She stood under the water, and just thought about why he was here, and why now? She just got herself put back together.

She turned the water off and dried off, and got dressed in the clothes that Edward set on the counter. She walked out, hoping that he had just left, but he was sitting on her bed.

"Who is Simon?" Edward asked, and stood, handing her the phone.

"He's a friend." Bella stammered a little.

Edward shook his hand. "He texted you."

Bella swallowed. "He did?"

Edward nodded. "Had fun tonight, can't wait to see you again." He repeated what the text had said. "You're not allowed to talk to him again. Delete his number."

"Edward, he really is- "The slap happened again, this time it knocked her down, and she hit her face on the corner of the footboard on her bed. She knew there would be a bruise there.

"Delete it." Edward said, his voice like ice.

Bella nodded, her hands shaking as she picked up her phone and she selected Simon's name, and deleted the contact. "Okay." She said, her voice shuddering a little.

Edward closed his eyes, and clenched his fists, Bella knew that he was past the point of just being upset now. She closed her eyes, and braced herself for the hit.

[The Next Day]

Bella woke up, and Edward wasn't there beside there. Just a note.

Had a meeting. I'll see you later tonight. Xoxo Edward.

Bella swallowed, and got up out of bed, and dressed quickly. If she ran far enough, maybe she could escape him. But he would just find her again. She could try and get a job, a place where she could spend a lot of time at, to see him less. She grabbed her wallet and her keys, and opened the door and ran into Jace as she rushed out of her door.

Jace steadied her with his hands, but she pulled back immediately, flinching. The bruise on her side was fresh. She forgot to conceal the bruise on her cheek before leaving, and that was what Jace was looking at now. "Bella- "

"I'm fine. I fell in the shower last night." She quickly excused the bruise away. "I have to go." She said and pushed past him and jogged down the stairs.

Jace frowned and looked back at her shut door. He noticed the guy leave this morning early, dressed nicely, so it was clear he was a businessman, or someone with at least expensive tastes. He shook his head, knowing he just shouldn't get involved. He didn't know Bella that well, they were only neighbors, and he had other things to worry about, so he tried to push it out of his mind while he started his morning jog.