Clary waited impatiently, her hands resting on her bouncing knees, for CeeCee's name to be called. They had already called a few G names, and Clary was sure it was only a matter of moments before it was CeeCee's turn to walk across the stage.

"For the love of God, stop moving," Kaelie hissed from next to her.

Clary shot her a glare but stilled her movements and bit back her retort. Now was the time nor the place to get into with Kaelie. Although, Clary was slightly suspicious as to why Kaelie had bothered showing up. Kaelie had apparently not been very present during CeeCee's spring break visit, and Clary wanted to know why she had suddenly decided to be involved in the little girl's life again that night. Clary felt Kaelie either needed to commit to being an active part of CeeCee's life or get out of it completely.

Jace didn't seem to agree with her, though. It hadn't taken them long to realize that CeeCee's sudden clinginess was most likely caused by the sudden distance between her and her mother. What Jace was focused on right now was how happy CeeCee was her mother around again. What Clary was focused on was how CeeCee would feel when Kaelie inevitably distanced herself again. Clary understood that it was difficult for Jace to watch his daughter being heartbroken; it was difficult for her, too. But he was focusing too much on the present and not enough on the future. He was usually so good about what was right for his daughter, but at that moment he was coming up short.

CeeCee's name was finally called. Clary immediately jumped out of her seat and started cheering. The little girl beamed as she walked across the stage in a bright yellow gown with her golden curls tucked underneath a matching cap. A wide grin was spread across her face, two dimples prominent on her cheeks. She took a rolled piece of paper from the principal and paused while a photo was taken.

Clary didn't sit back down until CeeCee was completely off the stage. Jace reached over, placing a hand on her knee and squeezing gently. He was smiling broadly, his eyes shining with tears and pride.

Clary felt a sudden pang of jealousy, one she hadn't been expecting. She was it with the realization of just how lucky Jace and Kaelie were.

She had always thought they were lucky; CeeCee was an amazing child. But now, it was dawning on her that they had been allowed to watch CeeCee grow into the person she was—from newborn infant to kindergarten graduate. Having known CeeCee for less than a year, Clary was only experiencing a small amount of the pride and emotion Jace must be feeling. She couldn't even imagine knowing what it was like to help bring a child into the world and then be able to watch everything they accomplished and did as they moved through life.

"Are you okay?" Jace asked quietly as more names were called.

She nodded, forcing a smile. "Yeah, just feeling a little emotional."

He continued to look at her for a moment, seemingly searching for something. With another squeeze of her knee, he turned his attention back to the stage to watch the rest of CeeCee's peers. Once all the names had been called and the closing statements were given, they left their seats to find CeeCee.

They found her chatting excitedly with her teacher, but she stopped talking and ran over as soon as she spotted her parents and Clary approaching. She wrapped her arms tightly around Clary's waist in a hug before moving onto Kaelie, who surprisingly reciprocated the sign of affection. After CeeCee and her mother had their moment, Jace picked the little girl up and held her on his hip. He placed a wet kiss on her cheek, causing her to fall into a fit of giggles.

"You're growing up so fast," he said, feigning a groan as he adjusted her on his hip. "How do you want to celebrate now that you are officially done with kindergarten?"

"Pizza!" she yelled without missing a beat.

"I think Miss Clary and I can arrange a trip to Marco's," he said, shooting Clary a knowing look. They had already discussed the fact that CeeCee would most likely want to go to the pizza arcade a few blocks from home.

"Is Mommy going, too?" she asked as she turned her head and looked expectantly at her mother.

"I'm sure your mom would love to come with us," Clary said, giving Kaelie a pointed look.

The woman ignored Clary, though. "I've actually already got plans," Kaelie said. "Your grandparents are looking forward to taking you out soon, so we can celebrate together then."

Clary risked a glance at Jace. His face was impassive, but she could tell his jaw was slightly clenched.

"I'm sure you could afford to reschedule whatever plans you have in order to spend some time with your daughter," Clary stressed.

"I'm sorry, but Raphael had to pull a lot of strings to get our reservation, and we can't just cancel." She leaned over, giving CeeCee a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later. Love you, honey."

Clary watched as Kaelie moved her way through the auditorium and left. She turned her attention back to Jace and CeeCee. Jace was glaring daggers in the direction Kaelie had walked, and CeeCee's eyes looked slightly glassy. Clary felt her own anger and disappointment growing. She knew Kaelie was going to end up hurting CeeCee again; she just didn't think it would be so soon.

She didn't want to let anything ruin CeeCee's night, though. She put a smile on her face and clapped her hands together. "So," she started, breaking the tense silence, "pizza?"

Jace offered a weak smile back. "Of course," he replied, setting CeeCee back down on her feet. "You ready, baby girl?"

CeeCee nodded, taking her father's hand, but it was obvious that she wasn't as into it as she had been earlier.

Clary reached down and took CeeCee's other hand, giving it a slight squeeze. "What type of pizza are you going to get?" Clary asked as they walked out of the auditorium. "One with broccoli? Or how about anchovies?"

"Ewww!" CeeCee squealed. "I like just cheese. Remember, Miss Clary?"

"Silly me. How could I forget?" she said with a smile. They reached the car, and Clary worked on buckling CeeCee into her car seat. "We'll get just cheese. No broccoli or anchovies."

CeeCee let out a giggle, any signs of her sullen mood gone, and Clary ruffled her hair before closing the back door. She slid into the passenger seat and looked over at Jace who was sitting behind the wheel. He mouthed the words thank you to her. She just shrugged and smiled, reaching over to lace their fingers together over the center console.

CeeCee chattered aimlessly during their drive back home. They were going to drop her things off at the apartment before walking down to Marco's. Once they were inside, CeeCee took off to put her things away in her room and change out of the dress she wore under her gown. The second she was out of view, Jace turned to Clary, placing his hands on either side of her face and bringing his mouth to hers.

Despite her initial surprise, she melted into the kiss right away, her arms instinctively wrapping around his torso. His hands moved from her cheeks to fist her hair, allowing him to deepen the kiss. They pulled apart, breathless, when they heard drawers slamming open and closed in CeeCee's room.

"What was that for?" Clary breathed, her body still pressed against his.

He stepped back slightly, his hands smoothing her hair down where he had messed it up. "For being so amazing. For loving my daughter as much as I do and working so hard to stand up for her and keep her happy."

"It's hard not to love her, you know," she said, lifting and dropping a shoulder.

He gave her a lopsided smile. "Yeah. I do know. You both have that in common."

Her cheeks heated, and she pursed her mouth slightly to keep from smiling. "Shut up," she said, lightly shoving his shoulder with her hand.

"Miss Clary!" CeeCee gasped from behind them. "That's a bad word!"

Clary jumped slightly, not having heard the girl leave her room. She then comprehended what was said and gave Jace a questioning look. Shut up? she mouthed to him.

He gave her a slight nod before turning to his daughter. "Miss Clary accidentally said it, and I'm sure she didn't mean for you to overhear it," Jace said. "Are you all ready to go?"

CeeCee nodded excitedly, easily forgetting about the "bad word." She quickly put on a pair of shoes that were sitting in the foyer, and Jace knelt down to help her tie the laces. They took off again once her shoes were tied.

Clary and Jace walked next to each other down the sidewalk, their hands laced together, while CeeCee walked about a foot in front of them.

"So," Clary started, "shut up is a bad word?"

Jace let out a low chuckle, his eyes remaining on his daughter. "At her age it is. Do you really want a bunch of six-year-olds yelling at each other to shut up?"

"I guess not. I just wasn't expecting to get reprimanded by a six-year-old for using a pretty common phrase. I'll try to watch my language more in the future. Wouldn't want to corrupt her young mind," she joked.

They walked in silence for a bit, both watching as CeeCee jumped over cracks in the sidewalk and avoided puddles from the day's earlier rain. A slight chill suddenly ran up Clary's spine despite the warm temperature outside. She looked around and didn't notice anything that seemed out of the ordinary. Still, she couldn't shake the heavy feeling that was forming in her stomach.

"Hey, sweetie," she called out to CeeCee, "do you wanna come hold my hand?"

Jace looked down at her, his brow furrowed. "Everything all right?"

"I just have a weird feeling, I don't know," she said quietly as CeeCee bounced back to them and grabbed Clary's free hand.

Clary saw Jace scan their surroundings, just as she had done. He must not have noticed anything either because they didn't stop or turn back around.

It didn't that much longer for them to reach Marco's. By the time they ordered and sat down, the uneasy feeling had subsided mostly, though it still lingered. Clary offered to stay at the table and wait for their food while Jace took CeeCee to play some games. The random anxiety settling in her system wasn't putting her in the best mood, and she didn't want to risk CeeCee catching on to it.

She rested her elbow on the table and put her chin against her fist as she watched the father-daughter duo begin a game of Star Wars pinball. Jace helped CeeCee as she randomly hit at the buttons on the side of the machine. Clary couldn't help the smile that spread across her face when CeeCee let out a squealing laugh as the pinball machine lit up and started making noises.

It wasn't long before their order arrived, and Clary motioned the pair back over. CeeCee sat across from Jace and Clary, happily munching on a personal cheese pizza as Jace and Clary shared a supreme. Clary picked at the slice in front of her while Jace easily downed half the pizza.

Jace placed an arm around Clary's shoulders and pulled her into his side. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly in her ear when CeeCee's attention was fixed on a group of older kids playing skeeball.

She put her head against his shoulder and shrugged. "Just not feeling so great," she said. It wasn't a lie. As soon as the food had been placed on the table in front of her, something had turned in her stomach, and she lost all interest in eating.

He pressed a soft kiss against her hair. "You wanna go home?"

She shook her head, angling her neck so she could look up at him. "It's a big night for CeeCee. I'll be fine," she said, offering what she hoped was a reassuring smile, despite the rolling in her stomach.

Her bare feet were almost silent on the cold floor as she padded down the hall. She had woken with a start from a nightmare she could not recall, in a cold sweat with the sheets and comforter tangled around her exposed legs. She had blindly reached over, searching for the comfort of the body next to her, only to find nothing but cold material. Jace was no longer in the bed.

She quickly threw one of his discarded t-shirts over her near-naked body and went in search of him. CeeCee was spending the week with her grandparents, and Clary didn't have to worry about being seen by her.

It didn't take her long to find Jace, the light spilling out from the crack under his office door like a neon sign pointing to his location. She wasn't surprised to find him there. For the past week or so since CeeCee's graduation he had been extremely strung out over work. He had already been stressed because they still had been unable to replace the research scientist they had lost over a year ago. On top of that, there had been a few hacker attempts on the systems at work. Jace had been wound up over the fact they didn't know who was doing it or exactly what information they were trying to access. There was a lot of confidential information both about clients and about research projects on Herondale Pharmaceuticals' systems, and whoever the hacker was could be trying to access any of it.

Clary quietly pushed the door open, not even bothering to knock. Jace was staring at the computer, dressed casually in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. His hair was an unruly mess, showing obvious signs that he had been running his hands through it. He looked up when he heard her enter, his brow furrowing.

"Hey," he said softly, "what are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing," she replied as she approached him. She squeezed herself between his desk and his chair and forced him to scoot back a little so she could sit on his lap. She sat down, her cheek pressed against his chest and her legs hanging off the side of his.

"Couldn't sleep," was all he offered as he reached around her to grab the mouse and scroll through the document he had pulled up.

"Hm," she hummed in response. "Whatcha doing?"

"Looking through some more applications," he said, stifling a yawn.

"Still haven't found anyone?" she asked, pausing as he nodded. "Why'd you fire the other guy if you needed him so bad?"

He placed his free hand on her knee and began rubbing small circles with his thumb. "He was stealing supplies from the facility to do his own research at home. Never asked what it was, and his performance had already begun slipping, and I just couldn't keep him on after that." He exited out of the page was looking at before pulling another one up. "Now, you never did tell me why you're awake."

"Bad dream," she said, pressing her face into his chest and listening to the sound of his heartbeat.

"What was it about?" he asked, letting go of the mouse and moving his hand to rub up and down her arm.

"Don't remember. But I woke up and you weren't there," she said, adding a slight whine to her voice.

"Sorry," he let out with a soft chuckle before turning a little more serious. "How are you feeling, though?"

"Okay," she answered, shrugging slightly in his hold. She'd been having random bouts of nauseous for the past week but nothing had ever come from them. She was blaming it on the unexplained anxiety she had been experiencing and the stress of knowing Jace was stressed.

"I still think you should go see a doctor," Jace said before kissing the top of her head.

"You're a doctor."

"Good observation. But I mean a general practitioner who has the tools and everything to properly look you over."

"Nothing has ever stopped you from thoroughly looking me over before," she teased as she removed her face from his chest and reached up to place an open-mouth kiss on his jaw. She could tell how tense he was and wanted to help him relax a little. She also, selfishly, didn't want to go back to bed alone.

"Clary," he groaned, his one hand stilling to squeeze her thigh. "I have work to do."

"It's the middle of the night, Jace," she said as she rearranged her body so that she was now straddling his lap, "work is not the thing you should be doing." She wrapped her arms around his neck and began trailing kisses along his jaw, feeling the effect she had on him as he stirred beneath her.

"And what exactly do you propose I should be doing instead?" he asked, his voice raspy as she rotated her hips against him.

"I think you know the answer to that," she replied, bucking her hips against him once more before placing her mouth on his.

He groaned against her mouth, his hands pushing up her shirt and finding purchase on her waist. He pulled her flush against him, his tongue easily sliding between her lips. A soft moan bubbled up from her throat as his tongue flicked against hers. He pushed his hips up, his arousal pressing into her, and she gasped into the kiss.

His hands moved from her waist back down to her thighs, his fingers digging slightly into her flesh. He ended their kiss, both of them breathing hard, and a squeal of surprise left her as he stood up, bringing her with him.

"Where are we going?" she breathed, trying not to let the lips that were now nipping and sucking at her neck distract her.

"Bedroom," he said before scraping his teeth lightly against her pulse point.

"No hot office sex?" she managed.

He hummed against her neck, his grip on her thighs tightening. "Nope," he said, gently taking her earlobe into his mouth.

"What a shame," she said, gasping as he pressed her against a wall and ground into her.

"I don't plan on you having much use of your legs by time we're done," he murmured into her ear, "and I don't feel like spending the rest of the night on the office floor."

A groan escaped her lips before he removed her from the wall and finished their journey back to the bedroom.

Clary sighed, pressing her forehead against the cold wall of the employee bathroom. She knew it probably wasn't the most sanitary thing for her to do, but the cool tile felt nice against her flushed skin. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the rolling in her stomach. She had already dry heaved into the toilet but produced nothing, and it just left her feeling clammy.

She had no idea what was up with her. When she had shown up to work, she had felt just fine. It wasn't until about two hours in when she had been suddenly hit with nausea and rushed to the restroom. She was trying to regain some feeling of better health before returning to work. It was one of their busier nights, and she needed to be able to perform well.

Forcing herself away from the wall, she walked over to the faucet. Her hands gripped the edge of the sink as a sudden wave of dizziness overcame her, and she blew out a harsh breath. This wasn't the first time she'd felt lightheaded or dizzy or of the past few weeks, and at this point, she was considering following Jace's advice and seeing a doctor.

A knock on the door grabbed her attention, and she turned her head in its direction. As she was about to speak, Helen's voice came through the wood.

"Clary?" she called. "Are you alright?"

Clary made her way to the door and pulled it open, leaning on the block of wood for support. "Yeah, I'm good," she said, trying to keep her voice even. "Just taking a breather, you know?"

Helen raised an eyebrow at her, the corners of her mouth turning down slightly. "Really? Because you kinda look like shit."

Clary rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks. Just what I wanted to hear. But seriously, I'm—"

"No you're not fine," Helen interrupted. "You really look like you should go home."

"But we're so busy, and—"

"Maybe, but the last thing we need is you puking on someone or passing out on the floor."

Clary huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "It'll pass if you'd just give me a few minutes. I'll be fine and ready to go back out there."

Helen shook her head at her. "Nope. You're going home. And if you won't listen to me, then I'll bring Bat in as reinforcement."

"Fine," Clary bit out. If she went home with Helen's directions, she could at least come back the next day. If Bat got involved, he wouldn't let her come back until she had a clean bill of health complete with doctor's note. "But if you get overwhelmed with this crowd, call me and I'll be right back."

"Yeah, whatever," Helen said with a slight laugh. "We'll be fine, Fray, I promise."

Helen turned and walked back out to the club. Clary waited a few seconds before going and grabbing her things from the employee break room. She paused while digging through her bag for keys. If she was being honest with herself, she really wasn't feeling that great, and she wasn't sure she wanted to drive while still feeling dizzy.

Ceasing her search for her keys, she pulled out her phone and dialed Jordan's number. He had been surprised to hear from her and was adamant about making sure everything was okay before agreeing to come get her. She went out the back entrance to wait for him, and it didn't take long for him to show up.

"Finally decided to end your Miss Independent streak?" Jordan asked as she slid into the passenger seat.

"Shut it," she said, buckling her seatbelt, "or I won't ask for your help again."

He chuckled as he pulled out of the alley and started down the road. It wasn't long before he pulled up outside her building. She had gathered her things and had her fingers wrapped around the handle when he stopped her.

"Are you going to be alright?" he asked.

She nodded, opening the car door. "I'm probably just going to sleep it off."

"Okay," he said. "Don't be afraid to call again if you need anything."

She gave him an affirming nod before exiting the car and walking quickly into her building. Once inside her apartment, she took her time showering and getting ready for bed. She pulled on her favorite pair of pajamas and had just slipped under the covers when her phone rang on her nightstand.

She answered the incoming video call, and Jace's face filled the screen. She could tell he was sitting in his living room based on the background.

"Hey," she greeted, offering him a small smile.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" he asked, taking in her appearance and location.

She shook her head. "I was just getting settled in. What's up?" she asked, wanting to know the reason behind the late-night call.

"Jordan told me you weren't feeling well. I wanted to check in."

She held back an eye roll. She shouldn't have been surprised that Jordan shared the information with him. "Yeah. I'm just planning on getting plenty of sleep this weekend."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Will you finally go see a doctor now?"

She sighed, burrowing herself slightly more beneath her comforter. "Yes, Jace. I'll try to get in on Monday."

"No. You will get in on Monday. I'll make a few calls and get you in with someone."

This time, she did roll her eyes. "I honestly don't even feel that bad. It's not worth you pulling strings."

He just shrugged at her, smiling. "I have connections, Clare. Let me use them."

"Whatever. I don't think I'd have much say in the matter anyway."

"Not really," he admitted.

They continued to talk about menial things, just enjoying each other's company even if it was digital. When Clary let out what had to be her seventh yawn, Jace gave her a soft smile.

"I'll let you get some rest," he said. "I love you."

"Love you, too," she responded softly.

Clary sat in the parking lot of the doctor's office, trying to process what she had just been told. She couldn't believe she had been so stupid. So forgetful. She'd had an appointment to get her shot during the week Jace had taken her to Paris. She had cancelled it due to the trip but had completely forgotten to ever reschedule it. And now here she was, anxious, nauseous, and pregnant.

Closing her eyes, she threw her head back against the headrest. Pregnant. She was pregnant. For the second time. Again, it was unexpected and unplanned. While she knew Jace's reaction wouldn't be anything like Raphael's, she wasn't so sure he'd be happy with the news. He had said that he wanted more kids in the future, but he wanted to be married and to plan and prepare for them.

She didn't know how to break the news to him. She didn't even know how far along she was yet. With the shot, she didn't get her period and couldn't give the doctor a last menstrual cycle. He wasn't prepared to do a sonogram or anything, but he did refer to an OB, telling her to make an appointment as soon as possible. He had told her a second unsuccessful pregnancy was unlikely, but it was better to be safe than sorry. She had called the OB and made her appointment for the following week, hopefully giving her time to sort things out with Jace. The first appointment would be to find out a due date, but the OB would also probably want to keep a closer eye on her due to her history.

Blowing out a breath, she sat up straight in her seat and started the car. She had to pick up CeeCee from Jace's office. CeeCee was back from her time with her grandparents, and Clary was supposed to go back to watching her today, but Jace had insisted on taking her to work while Clary went to her appointment—which was easily made for that Monday morning thanks to Jace's connections.

As she started her trip downtown to Herondale Pharmaceuticals, she tried to think of how to break the news to Jace. It didn't help that she wasn't sure how he would take it. Hell, she wasn't even sure how she was taking the news herself. On one hand, she knew she wanted a baby and part of her was ecstatic that she was being given a second chance at motherhood. On the other hand, she knew she and Jace weren't ready for a baby together. They were supposed to be taking things slow, and she had no idea how bringing a baby into the mix would affect their relationship.

With her first appointment set for the next week, she knew she'd have to tell him before then. She just didn't know when the right time would be. She didn't know if she should try to do something cute or special to let him know or if she should just be blunt and straightforward about it.

She felt tears of frustration prick at the back of her eyes, and she willed herself not to cry. The last thing she wanted to do was show up at Jace's office with bloodshot eyes and smeared mascara. She was too close to Jace's office to even consider having a breakdown.

Pulling into a space in the parking garage, she took a few deep breaths in an attempt to gather her bearings. She walked at what was most likely a less than acceptable pace into the building, hoping she could use the few extra seconds to calm down. The elevator ride up gave her even more time to regain her composure, and she made sure she had plastered a friendly smile on her face by time the doors opened.

She gave Catarina a friendly wave as she walked by and into Jace's office. Jace was hunched over his desk, papers sprawled all across the surface. The pen his hand moved furiously across one of the pages. CeeCee was sitting on the floor, her back against the couch, with a book in her lap. She looked in Clary's direction as the door opened, and a grin immediately took over her face.

"Miss Clary!" she yelled as she threw her book down and jumped off the couch.

Jace looked up at his daughter's outburst, and Clary let out a little "oof" as CeeCee charged at her and took her in a hug. Clary placed a hand on the little girl's head as she squeezed her arms around her thighs.

"Hello, sweetheart," she said, trying to keep her voice even. With the news she had received that morning, she couldn't help but imagine a day when someone was yelling mommy to greet her instead.

"I missed you," CeeCee said, her voice muffled because her face was pressed against Clary. She had returned that morning from her grandparents', but Clary had left for her appointment before she arrived.

"I missed you, too, sweet girl. Were you good for your daddy today?"

"Mhm," she hummed. "I read and colored and was on my bestest behavior."

"Is that right?" Clary asked, moving her eyes to look at Jace.

Jace put down the pen he was holding and stood from his desk. "I can whole heartedly confirm that she was on her bestest behavior," he said, crossing the room. He wrapped an arm around Clary and placed a kiss against her temple. "How was your appointment?"

"I-It was fine," she answered.

"What'd the doc have to say?" he pressed.

While Clary didn't know how to tell him about the new life growing inside of her, she did know that this was not the time or place to do so. Not in his office and definitely not in front of CeeCee. "He, uh, he said it's probably just stress," she stammered out.

"Oh," Jace said, a small wrinkle appearing between his brows. "What's stressing you out that badly."

She gave him a noncommittal shrug. There were now quite a few things she could list. She decided to change the subject and looked back down at CeeCee. "Since you were so good today, why don't we go out and get some ice cream?" she asked.

The little girl squealed and nodded her head in affirmation. Clary turned to Jace. "We should get going and leave you to your work. We'll talk tonight?"

He cocked his head to the side, his brow furrowed. "Uh, sure."

That night would be as good a time as any to break the news, she decided.

Clary sat on the couch, her knees drawn up and her sketchpad resting on them. With pencil in hand, she drew graphite lines on the paper's surface. The image beginning to form was what her and Jace's child looked like in her mind's eyes. His loose curls and jaw with her cheeks and eyes. She wished she had brought her colored pencils out so she could put more detail into her drawing.

She glanced at the clock, which was nearing midnight. Jace had left with Luke and Jordan in tow about twenty minutes ago. There had been some sort of attempted break in at the office, and they had gone to investigate. Jace had a feeling it was the same person that was trying to hack into their systems.

She had yet to tell him about her pregnancy. CeeCee had been riled up and excited all night, telling them about every little thing she did while with her grandparents. She hadn't gone to bed until around eleven, and Clary hadn't been given the chance to sit down alone with Jace before the break in happened.

With all the excitement from the day, Clary found herself getting more and more tired. She wanted to stay up so she could talk with Jace when he made it back home, but her heavy eyelids told her it might be a losing fight. She set her sketchbook aside, telling herself she would close her eyes for just a few minutes.

She was startled awake by a soft banging sound, like an object being dropped. She glanced at the clock above the television, which told her that she had only been asleep for about fifteen minutes. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the couch, listening for any other noise.

"Jace?" she called out, wondering if maybe he had come home in those short minutes. All the lights were now off in the apartment, and she knew they were one before she fell asleep.

Just as she stood up to investigate, a bloodcurdling scream came from CeeCee's room. Clary went to check in on her, trying not to bump into anything as the only light was coming from that night's moon. She had just reached the hallway when an arm wrapped around her from behind, causing her own scream to escape.

There was something oddly familiar about the person's hold, but she instinctively knew it wasn't Jace. She fought against their hold, kicking her legs and trying to free her arms. When she felt the prick of a needle in her neck, she started to panic even more. She had no clue what was going on or what she had just been injected with, but there was no way it was anything good.

Her movements began to slow down, her arms and legs suddenly feeling heavy. Her head felt like it was full of content and her tongue like it was made of led. Through the fogginess, she watched as someone came out of CeeCee's room, the small girl unconscious in their arms. Had they drugged her, too?

The intruder walked through a patch of moonlight, and even through her muddled mind, Clary recognized the man's shockingly white hair. She tried to open her mouth to say something, to let him know that she recognized him, but her body wouldn't cooperate. Whoever was holding her began to set her limp body down on the floor. She struggled to get back up, but her arms and legs felt like they were being weighed down by cinderblocks, and the edges of her vision began to fade out.

The last thing she saw before everything went black was the backs of the two men as they entered the elevator with CeeCee in their possession.