A big thank you to sexy_as_a_noodledish (wattpad username) for helping me ever so much with the smut scene in this chapter, because I'm hopeless :)

Jace got up from his place on the bed, sighing as he walked across the room to the front door, wondering who would visit at this hour. The knocks on the door got more panicked as he reached. He opened the door and was surprised to see Clary standing in front of him, looking dirty and hurried. Her usually bright green eyes looked dull, and she had streaks of mud across her face. Her fiery red hair was tangled. She didn't look like the Clary he knew. But then again, he wasn't Jace anymore, not really. Grief had turned him into another person entirely.

"Clary?"

"Hi, sorry, I just- I don't know. Can I stay here for a while? Please don't ask questions," she said, wringing her hands.

"Of course," he said, surprised, and confused as to what was so urgent that she asked to stay with him at his flat.

"Thank you," she let out a relieved sigh.

It had been a year since Sebastian had died. Clary and Jace hadn't spoken in in a few months.

"Anytime."

"Can I use your washroom? I haven't showered in days."

"Yeah, sure. You know where it is."

"Thank you so much." She hurried past him, leaving him standing in his living room, bemused, but hopeful.

Clary took off her clothes and got into Jace's shower, relishing the feel of the warm water over her tired muscles. Jocelyn had died a few weeks after the whole deal with Sebastian, in a car accident, and Luke not soon after due to a heart attack. The thought made Clary think it was all a dream. After all they had been through, Jocelyn passing away from something as everyday as a car accident. And Luke, he couldn't handle the pain of losing Jocelyn. At first, she blamed it on the drunk driver who had hit the car, but now, she just felt sorry for him.

Clary, not being able to cope with the pain of losing both Luke and Jocelyn in one day, broke up with Jace, not wanting him to get hurt because of her. Hypocritical, she knew, but there was nothing she could do. And now, here she was, begging him to let her live with him, all because she was running away from... okay, she didn't want to think of that. She could've asked Simon, or the Lightwoods, but she didn't want to trouble them. Not that she wanted to trouble Jace, she, well... Okay, okay, she asked Jace because she missed him.

She knew she shouldn't be so pathetic, and desperate, but she couldn't help it. She remembered the feel of his skin, his scent, and it was driving her crazy. She needed him like she needed air, she needed him to survive. He probably didn't have the same feelings for her, not anymore, not after what she did, but the fact that he let her stay made her feel hopeful.

Clary walked out of the washroom in just a towel, trying to be as unnoticeable as possible. She cursed herself for forgetting to get clothes. She could wear her old ones, but they were muddy and wet.

Suddenly, she bumped into something hard and found herself staring at Jace's chest.

"Oh!" She squeaked, "Jace, hi. I, uh, forgot to get clothes and I was just-"

Jace finally found his ability to speak and he dragged his eyes to her face, "Oh do you-do you want to borrow mine? I mean umm-"

"Yes, thank you!" She sighed, relieved.

"Umm I-I'll just go get them." He walked into the room, tripping over his feet.

He came back a while later with a sweatshirt and sweatpants, both of which were way too big for Clary's tiny frame.

"So uh these might be a bit big for you but they're all I have. And, uh, you... left these over here a few months ago." He brought out a pair of red, lace panties, the colour matching both their faces.

"Thank you," Clary said, her voice unnaturally high. She snatched the clothes from him and quickly walked back to the washroom, feeling mortified. She locked the bathroom door and took off her towel. She picked up the sweatshirt and buried her nose in it. It smelt like soap and... Jace. She slipped it on, feeling safe for the first time in a while. She looked at the panties and blushed, remembering the last time she had seen them. She shook her head and wore them, quickly pulling on the sweatpants as well.

She walked out of the washroom and looked at her watch, 2:57 am. She yawned and stretched her arms. She went up to Jace.

"So uh, I guess I'm sleeping on the couch." She said, awkwardly. Jace's flat only had one bedroom.

"Oh, no. It'll give you a horrible backache tomorrow," Jace said, frowning.

"But then where... will I sleep?"

"You can sleep on my bed if you want."

"But the couch is too small for you."

"I'll manage."

"No! We could... share the bed? I mean- um, if you're comfortable with it. I mean I won't- I uh-" She stammered, cringing at herself.

"If-if you're okay with that?"

"Yes! I mean- I mean, sure." She felt her face warm up.

"Okay. umm okay. Great." His cheeks coloured too. "So, uh," He gestured to the bedroom door, and Clary meekly walked in and sat on the bed. Jace walked in too, and did the same.

Clary was reminded of all the nights she spent on this bed, her and Jace. She was broken out of her thoughts when Jace spoke.

"So should I turn off the lights now?"

"Yes, of course."

He turned off the lights and lay down on the bed, with her following him.

"Goodnight Clary."

"Goodnight, Jace," she whispered back, thinking of how long it had been since she said those words. It was the first night in many that she felt at peace.

Even with the familiar comfort of being in Jace's bed, being beside Jace after all that time was nerve-racking. Clary tossed and turned, trying to calm her pounding heart. She could feel the bed shift behind her as Jace moved in his sleep and suddenly her own shifting left her pressed right up against him. More specifically, her ass pressed against his crotch.

Although layers of sweatpants separated them, not much was left to the imagination. Eyes wide, Clary tried to pull away. A slight change in Jace's breathing caused her to panic, moving right back to where she just was.

Clary frowned slightly, feeling a twitch against her ass. Huh, she thought to herself before brushing it off. She shifted again, deciding to just get comfortable and sleep there. Scooting backward into Jace's warmth, she pressed even more onto his clothed length.

Finally getting comfortable, she ceased her movements and was just closing her eyes as a cold hand gripped her upper arm and caused them to fly right open again.

"Clary." A warm breath made the back of her neck tingle. She froze suddenly aware of a hard length pressed up against her.

Oh my god, she repeated over and over in her mind.

She wriggled a bit, trying to move away. The grip on her arm only tightened and a low voice whispered, "Clary, stop that."

Clary shifted one last time before stilling. "Or what?" She whispered.

Suddenly the hand was on her hip, thumb already slipping under her waistband. "Is this okay?"

"Yeah," she breathed, heart rate picking up.

In the blink of an eye, Jace had extracted himself from behind her and was moving down the bed to hover over her lap. With him, he pulled down her sweatpants and sweatshirt until she was left in just the red lace panties and her pants were somewhere on his bedroom floor.

Jace's golden hair was in his eyes as he stared down at Clary. His fingers now rested right above her underwear, his feather-light touches turning the skin to goosebumps. His eyebrows were raised in question and at a dip of her head in approval, his lips curved into a smirk. In one swift movement, he yanked the red fabric down as well.

Keeping his eyes on hers, he spread her legs and lowered himself down until his head was between her pale thighs. He nipped at the soft skin there, humming as her breathing got slightly heavier. A low whine as he sucked a hickey onto her inner thigh finally caused him to glance up again. Jace smirked and turned his attention to what she was asking for.

Pressing his lips together, Jace blew a thin stream of cold air, causing her to jolt and gasp loudly. He chuckled to himself before finally, finally dipping his head and licking several long stripes. Clary wound her hands in Jace's hair and pushed his head down.

"Jace," She moaned, and then felt him chuckle against her wet skin. He plunged his tongue into her opening, Clary fucking his mouth shamelessly. She bucked her hips and pulled at his hair, making him laugh again. And finally, he got to the part she ached most. He nipped and sucked at her clit, making her reach her climax. She came screaming his name, as she arched her back and gripped his hair in a way that she guessed was painful. Jace didn't seem to mind, he had a little... problem. She looked him dead in the eye and said two words.

"Fuck me."

"Are you sure, Clary?"

"Jace, I swear on the angel, if you you're not inside me in one second, I will kill you."

"Patience, grasshopper, you don't want to seem overeager."

Clary wondered how the fuck Jace could make a reference at a time like his, but that's why he's Jace, she supposed, "Jace..." She warned impatiently.

"Okay, okay." He reached for a condom from the nightstand, but she stopped him.

"I'm on birth control. I want you inside me, no barriers."

Jace's cock twitched at the thought, and he quickly sheathed himself of any clothes.

He slipped inside Clary, and immediately moaned at the feeling of being surrounded by her wet heat.

"Clary, you're so tight."

His words turned Clary on even more, she pushed her hips up, and his cock found that special place inside her.

She moaned loudly, and Jace reached down with his hand and started rubbing her clit in circular motions. This sent Clary over the edge, and she came again, clenching around him. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she climaxed, and Jace came inside her soon after.

Jace smiled at her then got up from the bed and went to the washroom, returning with a wet cloth. He cleaned them both up and soon they both fell into a blissful sleep, together at last, like they were supposed to be.

Clary woke up and smiled, suddenly getting a feeling of deja vu. She remembered being in the exact same position 6 months ago, in jace's arms after a particularly wild night. Her heart raced, but this time it was from excitement instead of fear. She clearly remembered the events of last night, quite vividly in fact. She would have thought it was all a dream if it wasn't for them being naked. She felt Jace wake up and nuzzle his face in the crook of her neck.

"Good morning."

"Morning," Jace replied in a sleepy voice.

Clary turned and faced Jace, "How are you feeling?"

"The best I've felt in a few months." His hand sneaked up to her breast and he started lightly sucking and biting her neck.

Clary moaned but reluctantly removed his hand, "Jace, as much as I would love to, we need to talk."

"What about?" He said, still attacking her neck.

Clary resisted the urge to give in and instead answered him, "I'm assuming you're wondering why I'm here?"

Jace sat up, he had been wondering that since last night, "tell me everything."

Clary sighed, "So it started three months ago. I met this guy at a coffee shop, he seemed like a mundane. He was nice enough, and got talking. His name was Noah. He looked like you, Jace. blonde hair, brown eyes. I thought he could fill the void inside of me that opened up when I broke up with you. We went on dates, and he was nice enough, at first. I moved in with him. Soon, he started becoming more and more aggressive, when one day, he hit me. Nothing too big, nothing a healing rune couldn't fix, but he did it none the less. He made some excuse about being stressed, and I believed him. This went on for a while, he hit me, I forgave him. Until one day, he came home drunk and started-he started..." She took a deep breath, "he touched me Jace, forcefully. He touched me in places he shouldn't have. I mean, we had-we had... y'know, done it before but... This time I didn't want to and-I tried to stop him, but he was too strong. I tried, Jace, I tried. He was a werewolf, and it was a few days to full moon. I don't know how I didn't notice. He raped me that night I-" She broke down and tears streamed down her face, "I ran away, and then I ended up here. He's after me, Jace. And he'll find me"

Jace listened to all this, silently fuming, he would kill that bastard, but right now Clary needed him, "It's okay, I'll protect you." He held her in his arms, "He'll never hurt you again, I swear on us. I'll find him, and I'll kill him." He seethed.

"Jace?" She said quietly.

"Yes?"

"I love you."

He looked at her, he hadn't heard those words for six fucking months, "I love you too, Clary, I love you too."

And that's how they stayed all day, in each other's arms, and happy at last.

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