Chapter 7

Jace's POV

In an unusual display of kindness, that had raised many eyebrows, Jace had offered to help Clary clean up the kitchen, whilst the others went for a swim in the river. That was why, at that moment, he was standing by the sink scrubbing the dishes, while Clary made attempts at conversation. He wasn't really in the mood to talk to her though. He was too busy thinking, desperately trying to work out what it was about this girl that had made him fall for her, made him blush when he caught her looking at him, made his dreams become filled with a pair of green eyes. He wanted to know what it was, because more than anything he wanted to take it away, to make himself hate her. Jace Herondale could not, would not, fall in love. He had seen what it did to others, and he would not let it happen to him - to love was to destroy. Sighing, he built back up the wall around his emotions, the wall that had slipped when he had met Clary, and swore not to let it fall again.

Clary's POV

Clary was tired of trying to make conversation with the golden-haired boy next to her. No matter what she said, how many jokes she cracked, he just remained staring stonily at the sink. Finally, when he sighed for the eightieth time, she cracked.

"Why do you insist on being so grumpy?!"

"Hmmm, maybe it's because I simply just don't like you, did you think of that?"

"But even then, surely that doesn't mean you have to be in a terrible mood for the next month"

"Perhaps it does"

With those three words, Jace turned on his heel and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Clary glaring furiously at his back. She had tried, she told herself, tried to be nice to him, and all she had got in return was blank stares and snide comments. She knew that normally, if this was anyone else, she would have developed a strong dislike to them by now. But there was something about him, and she didn't know what it was, but it was kind of like having an addiction to a drug - she knew he was dangerous, and that she should get away from him before she got hurt, but she couldn't. No matter how hard she tried, she was still falling for him, and that scared her more than anything else in the world.

Izzy's POV

Jace was sitting on a hammock staring at the sunset when Izzy found him. She had come to get him for dinner, but the way he was staring at the sky, not with anger in his eyes, but with a sad, and regret filled look, made her sit down next to him. "Hey," she murmured, "What's up?" Jace continued looking straight ahead, but Izzy didn't push him, she could see that he was thinking, deciding whether or not to tell her about what was on his mind. "I don't know what to do" Izzy stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue. "My dad always told me that to love was to destroy, and that I should never let myself fall for anyone, that it would be what killed me"

"Jace, that's terrible!"

"But that's the thing Izzy, it's not. I agree with it, but now I just don't know what to do"

Izzy sighed. She knew exactly what, or more like who, he was talking about. "Clary"

"Yep. The minute I met her, all those years ago, I couldn't stop thinking about her. I thought I was past it, but yesterday, when I saw her again, all those feelings I had fought so hard to suppress came flooding back. I told myself I wouldn't fall for her, and so I was really awful to her instead, and I before I basically told her I hated her, and then left the room. I thought it would make me feel better, if she hated me, but it just made it worse. I'm in love with Clary, Izzy, and there's nothing I can do about it."

Izzy looked Jace straight in the eyes. "That's not true Jace, and you know it. The only reason you are doing this to yourself is because you are scared. You're scared of going against what your father drilled into you since you were born, you're scared that maybe he was right, you're scared that someone has managed to break through your walls that you spent your whole life building up, and most of all, you're scared that Clary won't feel the same way about you." Jace opened his mouth to interrupt, but Izzy wasn't finished.

"No Jace. Don't try to tell me that she probably doesn't after how you've treated her. You've only been here for one night, and in that time I've seen the way she looked at you when she thought no one was watching, I've seen how much effort she's put into talking to you, I've seen it Jace, just like I saw how much you like her. And yes, maybe she is angry at you right now. So apologize to her, and give her time. It's time to stop being scared of your feelings, and be a man."

Jace's POV

Despite the harshness of Izzy's words, Jace knew deep down that they were all true. Yes, he was scared, but it was time that he made a move, before it was too late. Standing up, he thanked Izzy, before heading inside for dinner, with another feeling in his chest that he had never felt before - Hope. Hope that maybe his father was wrong, hope that maybe Clary was willing to forgive him, and hope for them.

Disclaimer: Any characters or quotes that aren't my own belong to Cassandra Clare. If anything sounds like someone else's work, it wasn't intentional, and I apologize :)

Hey guys :), not the best chapter sorry, but please review and let me know what you think anyway.