HOLA! So... I have a confession to make... I may or may not have already written this chapter a few days ago, but not yet posted it for reasons that shall lay unknown in the depths of your minds... MWAHAHAHAHA! Okay, but seriously, my intentions weren't evil. I am sorry I had to withhold this from you guys, but it was slightly necessary. Also, during this story, I've felt like something was missing from each chapter, and I figured it out: I haven't been replying to any reviews. So here it goes now:

AnnaBanana: This is my most important review to reply to. I have to say this, and you have to believe me. You. Are. Beautiful. You is kind, you is smart, you is important. I don't want you to forget that... EVER. I really hope you get the chance to read this, and hopefully, it helps you see how amazing you are.

Sophiecampbellbower: So with the hiding thing, Clary knows that Alec doesn't exactly want this info getting out, and she could tell that he wasn't all that happy about her knowing, so she didn't want to embarrass him. With Magnus... She wanted to let them figure out their own stuff, just like with Isabelle and Simon.

GeekyAsWaffles: I literally had to completely hold back to not laugh out loud in a public place when I saw this. At first, I thought you were calling my fanfiction creepy fetish you-know-what, so I was like 'Huh?' Then I read it again and I'm like 'OOOOOHHHHH LOL'

Clary POV

"Isn't this the part where you offer me the bed?" I questioned, but all Jace did was stare at me blandly. Clearly, he thought I would be sleeping in a chair or on the floor tonight. The key word in that sentence was 'thought', because there was no way I was letting him have the soft, comfy bed while I was lying on the cold hard ground. That was not a Taylor Swift reference. No sir. Completely unintentional.

"I am not sleeping on the floor of my room." He stated firmly, and I narrowed my eyes, wracking my brain for something I could bribe him with. For a fleeting second, the idea of trying to seduce him entered my mind, but it was gone as fast as it came. That didn't stop a disgusted look from crossing my face though, "What are you thinking, Shortcake?" He raised one eyebrow. Ignoring that, I wasn't about to let him have the satisfaction of knowing that I even briefly entertained the idea of making a move on him for risk of him holding it against me forever.

"I was thinking that you need to stop calling me that." I hissed, and he tilted his head a fraction, a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips. My mistake came to me a second later. He hadn't called me that dreadful name until after my expression had changed. Damn, "I mean, I had a vision that you would call me that before you did." Wow, Clary. Your lies are truly top notch. Jace opened his mouth to say something horrible, but he was cut off by an earsplitting wail.

"Dammit." He hissed, marching over to his desk where the baby lay crying, "It's your turn." He walked over to me, attempting to thrust it into my arms, but I stepped back quickly, avoiding his reach. To my great disappointment, he advanced on me. Being the cliche girl I am, I forgot to look behind me, and I ended up hitting a wall. I swallowed hard as his face moved closer to mine, and he set his forehead on my own.

The loud sobbing was the only thing piercing the silence, but I wasn't focusing on that anymore. My full attention was on the way Jace's breath fanned across my face. I was too stunned to move, and the fact that his hand was on my face and his thumb was stroking my cheekbone paralyzed me even more. My inhales were shaky, and I had no idea what to do at this point. I never thought I would be faced with this situation in a million years. I guess I was wrong.

"How about you take care of the baby, and everything will be good." His voice was low and smooth as silk, and my lips parted. It took a second for his words to process, but when they did, reality slammed me full force. My first instinct was to push him away. My second instinct was better. I slid my hands up his chest so that my arms came to rest around his neck, and complete shock took over his features. I decided to take it a step further, raising onto my tiptoes. I made sure that my lips grazed his cheek as my mouth moved for his ear.

"I can't believe..." I trailed off, then let my fingers delve into his hair, "I can't believe you thought you could seduce me." A smirk was firmly planted on my lips as I pulled back completely. He stared at me, brow furrowed like he couldn't fathom the fact that I'd resisted his moves, or that I'd turned his own tactic against him. I used his surprise to my advantage, slipping away from him and jumping on the bed. A satisfied sigh escaped me, and I slipped under the sheets, waiting for him to truly react.

"What the hell just happened?" He still sounded a little bit dazed. I could tell the question was more directed at himself than me, so I curled up on my side, closing my eyes. By some miracle, I was able to mentally block out the crying, and I was just drifting off when it finally stopped completely. I briefly processed the fact that Jace had actually taken care of it, but sleep was quickly overtaking me.

I was so far gone that I didn't feel the pillows being pressed against my back. I didn't feel the bed dip on the other side of the barrier with someone else's weight, and I most definitely did not hear Jace's soft, "Goodnight, Shortcake."

JACE'S POV... FINALLY

I woke up to the sound of soft whimpers reaching my ears, which was pretty astounding considering how deep of a sleeper I was. The world was blurry when I opened my eyes, but it cleared after a minute, and I looked to the baby on my desk. To my surprise, the soft cries weren't coming from there. I propped myself up onto my elbows to look over the pillows, groaning in frustration when I realized that it was Clary who'd woken me up. I had half a mind to shake her too, considering the fact that, when I looked at the clock, I saw that it was 3AM.

I decided that I was going to have a little fun with this, because it was just a nightmare, so maybe I was even doing her a favor. Also, she'd tortured me a couple times lately, so this could only be classified as revenge. That was my justification for climbing out of bed and walking over to her side. A devious smile made it's way onto my face as I crouched down beside her, moving so that my face was inches from her's. I was about to yell, but then, she started whispering something.

"Please..." She murmured, the one word sounding so broken. That made me freeze. Not the word itself, but the tone of her voice. I had never heard it so sad in my life, "Please..." She said again, but this time, it was louder, more panicked, "Stop..." Now, I was curious, and a part of me whispered that I should probably wake her up at this point, though in a much calmer fashion than intended. But the bigger part of me wanted to know what would come out of her mouth next, "No...no... NO!" The last one was a shriek, and I jumped back in surprise as she sat up straight, having woken herself up.

At first, I thought she would see me and ream me out, but it shocked me to the core when she said nothing. All she did was silently stare straight ahead. Soon after, I saw something that I never thought I'd see on Clarissa Adele Fray's face: A tear. It caught the moonlight that filtered through the window and shined like diamond on her cheek. I thought there would just be one, but suddenly, another fell, followed by another...and another...and another. Then, her shoulders started to shake, and a heart wrenching sob escaped her.

My mouth opened and closed as I tried to think of something to say, but I wondered if I should say anything at all. Maybe it would be better if I just stayed silent. I knew she would be embarrassed if she figured out that I was seeing her cry. Still, a foreign emotion in regards to her rose up in me. Watching her cry was, dare I say it, making me hurt for her. I regretted not waking her up, because if I had, maybe it wouldn't have gotten this bad. For the first time in forever, I actually felt bad for something I'd done to her-or rather, hadn't done.

I slowly rose to my feet, walking over to her side. It was like she was in a different world, because even when I sat down next to her, she didn't react. All she did was stare straight ahead as if the answers of the universe lay outside my window.

"Clary..." I whispered softly, and her reaction honestly scared me. She squeaked, jumping up to a standing position. Her eyes were wide with fear as she panted, wrapping her arms around herself. She began to backpedal until she hit the wall, and my eyebrows furrowed in a mix of confusion and concern. I got up, cautiously walking toward her, like I was approaching a cornered wild animal. Her entire body was shaking as I came to stand in front of her. Then, everything stopped. The crying, the sobs, the shaking. She shook her head vigorously, as if pulling herself out of a trance. After a minute of silence, she rubbed her eyes, narrowing them at me. Clarity seemed to wash over her a second later, and her lips parted.

"Jace?" My name was a question, and all I could do was nod, afraid that anything else would set her off. She buried her face in her hands for a minute, then lifted her head so that our gazes clashed. I had no idea what to do at this point. Sure, I'd been faced with crying girls, but that was mostly because I'd dumped them, not because of something serious. For a while, all we did was stare at each other. Finally, I did something that was probably stupider than anything I'd ever done to her, including the Experiment.

I gently pulled her into my arms.

At first, she tensed up, so I began rubbing comforting circles on her back. Slowly, she began to relax, and after what felt like an eternity, her arms wrapped around my neck. She buried her face in my chest, and the trembling started again. I hugged her tighter, wishing that I could do something to stop this for her, but it would be hard considering the fact that I had no idea what I should be stopping. This whole entire thing was weird, because I had never seen Clary so... vulnerable. She was always such a spitfire around me, so this gave me total whiplash.

"What is it?" I asked quietly, but it must've been the wrong thing to do, because her body tightened. She pulled back quickly, wiping her eyes. Her lips parted once again, and I knew whatever she was about to say would be a lie. I could just tell. Just as words were about to leave her mouth, a loud cry rang out. She jumped, then we both realized what it was. Before I could stop her, she was on her way to my desk, picking up the baby and the bottle that lay next to it. Miraculously, feeding it was the right thing to do, because it fell silent the minute she put the bottle in its mouth. As soon as it was done, she set both items back down.

I risked walking her way, but she refused to turn and face me. Even when I put a hand on her shoulder, she stayed stiff as a statue. I wasn't about to give up though. For some reason, I felt like she needed me, and for some reason, I actually wanted to be there for her. It was most likely because she was an absolute wreck, and because this Clary was new to me.

"What was it?" I repeated my question, careful not to speak too loud.

"Just a nightmare." She tried to dismiss it, but I knew-I knew-it was something more. It had to be, because Clary Fray wouldn't react like that to just some nightmare, "I should go to my room." She broke away from me, moving for the door. For a second, I just watched her, not really processing the fact that she was leaving until she was out in the hall. I jogged after her, finding that she was walking at an even pace, head held high like nothing was wrong, which was total bullshit.

I grabbed her wrist, and she flinched, but she stopped nonetheless.

"What, Jace?" She sounded exasperated, but I could hear the underlying note of fear still present.

"Come back to bed." I murmured, hoping she would take the bait and make a joke. To my dismay, she didn't, instead opting to try and tug out of my grip, and I felt totally helpless. There seemed to be nothing I could say, but I refused to let her go, "Clary." My voice was a slight bit firmer, but not quite demanding. Her shoulders sagged in reluctant defeat, and a weight seemed to lift off of my chest. I released her wrist, then did something completely out of character. Then again, I was acting like a different person tonight. The thought that I could be possessed flashed across my mind, but I had more serious things to worry about than making a joke to myself.

I loosely twined her fingers with mine. To my surprise, she didn't yank her hand away, but rather squeezed mine like it was the last thing holding her here. A part of me wondered if that was true. I gulped, frankly a little weirded out by the sudden intimacy between us. My mind whispered that this would no doubt be forgotten in the morning, so anything I did would be fine. It probably wasn't true though-the 'I can do anything' idea, not the forgetting.

We re entered my room, and she released my hand to slip back under the sheets without a word. Yet again, she started trembling. My mouth opened and closed, because I didn't know if saying anything would get me anywhere. It hadn't worked before, so what would change in a matter of minutes? I opted to stay silent, crawling in bed beside her.

"I don't want to go back to sleep." Clary sounded like a little girl who was afraid of the dark, and I froze at the admission. She still didn't look my way, but the muscles in her back were taut, "You can laugh now." If I was standing, I would've taken a step back. After everything that happened in these past few minutes, she still thought I would laugh at her? Did she really think I was that cruel? Then, I realized that I hadn't exactly given her a reason to think otherwise with the way I usually treated her.

"I'm not laughing." I murmured softly, and finally, she flipped to face me.

"You're not?" Her voice was so small that it broke my heart, and I sighed, shaking my head.

"I might be bad, but I'm not that horrible." At that, a flicker of a minute smile crossed her face, and a bubble of triumph welled up in me. The fleeting light in her eyes faded fast, and it turned back to despair, making my heart sink, "I won't let anything happen to you." My words made her eyes widen a fraction, and I couldn't blame her. I mean, who would've thought? Jace Lightwood pledging to protect Clary Fray? What universe were we in? My mind assured me that I was just telling her this to calm her down, and that everything would go back to normal in the morning, but I didn't quite believe it.

"Thank you." Her voice was soft, almost like she was scared she would break the moment. To be honest, I was too. Even though I'd told her what I had, shivers still wracked her body, and I knew it wasn't because she was cold. I closed my eyes, silently muttering about how stupid I was for what I was about to do and about how she would probably laugh in my face. When I reopened them, she was still staring at me, and I lifted my arm. At first, she didn't get it, tilting her head in question, but soon, I heard her sharp intake of breath.

I honestly thought she would either run or crack up, which was half the reason I did it, but instead of doing either, she tentatively scooted my way. I tried not to acknowledge that I never cuddled, not even drunk, as she got closer and closer.

You idiot. I scolded myself, and I was mentally cussing myself out until she actually curled into my side. I swallowed hard, loosely wrapping an arm around her waist. Her arms snaked around my neck, and she buried her face in my shoulder, her trembling slowing to a halt. The fact that I had no shirt on became increasingly clear as she settled herself against me, and I found myself holding her tighter, so there was absolutely no space between us. Sue me for being a guy, but I couldn't help noticing the feeling of every curve pressed to me, and for a short girl, she had a lot. And not in a bad way. Not at all.

To be honest, I had never thought of Clarissa Adele Fray having a body, and I probably shouldn't be thinking about it now. In my mind, it was a general, accepted fact that I was out of her league. She'd never been the hottest girl around, or so I thought. All these years, I'd never paid attention to what she looked like, though I'd told her she wasn't pretty enough for me many a time. All I tried to focus on was the fact that she was the bane of my existence, because there was nothing else to focus on-again, or so I thought.

But here and now, holding her in my arms, I started to question all of that. It didn't help at all when she snuggled even closer, slipping a leg in between my own. Nor did it help when she started to play with the hair at the nape of my neck. I knew it was more to comfort herself than anything else, but it still affected me in ways that it shouldn't. Isabelle's speech was playing in my head, and I didn't know why, because I wasn't attracted to Fray. Not at all. Not even the tiniest bit.

Despite everything I told myself, despite how many times I mentally whispered that it would all go back to normal in the morning, I knew one thing for sure. It didn't matter how much I tried to deny it, which I did very hard.

When we woke up, nothing would be the same.

So... (wiggles eyebrows)... We've got a little Jace insight now. Interesting, isn't it? Does he just feel horrible for Clary, or is it (cue the gasp) SOMETHING MORE. But we all know our sweet little Jace, and we all know that it can't be that easy. I mean, so what he cuddled her? It's not like he doesn't hate her anymore... Well, you see that nothing will be the same, so what do you think? Will he overcompensate and totally bash her, or will he start to open up bit by bit? To be honest, that is still in question for me too. I mean, I know the BONES of the story (Yes, I just did that) but everything to get there can shift ways.

QUESTION OF THE CHAPTER: What is an insecurity you have, and why? It doesn't have to be huge and life changing if you don't want it to be (but that is TOTALLY acceptable), but just something that gets you.

One of mine is when I get pimples... I feel so... self conscious of my face. It's like I feel as though it's all people are looking at, when in reality, that is probably so untrue.

ANYWAYS!

Hasta la Vista for now!

-Shadowhunter5801