Hey guys! So this one is a pretty long chapter. I just had to fit it in all at once, because... Well... I have no logic. I just did. It's pretty great though. I like it alot, and I think you guys will too, purely because of Jace Jacing better than Jace just Jaced in the last chapter. He really makes up for it... And more (cue the wiggling eyebrows). Okay so don't take that in the wrong way... I don't write... that... Let's just get off this subject and ON WITH THE STORY!

CLARY POV

48 hours.

It was a total of forty-eight hours since I'd last slept, and it was really taking a toll on me. I'd tested my luck once with Jace, and judging by his actions the morning after, I wouldn't get away with it again. The nightmares were still there though. They flashed across my eyes if I even dozed off for a second. So that put me between a rock and a hard place. If I went to sleep, I would have nightmares. If I had nightmares, I would wake up a wreck. If I woke up a wreck, I would piss off Jace. If I pissed Jace off, he would say something in the morning-most likely for Isabelle to hear. If Isabelle heard, she would watch me like a hawk at every second. All in all, there was no way it could end well.

My genius solution? Don't sleep.

Granted, it was probably the worst plan known to man, and I was realizing that now, but it had been a quick fix. Sadly, as I moved sluggishly around the kitchen at five in the morning, trying to make coffee, it was backfiring. Every so often, I would stumble over my own feet, lurching in a dangerously far direction before grabbing the counter and repeating the process. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of trying, I was sitting in a stool, sipping my steaming mug of caffeine.

I sighed, setting the cup down. Had I not been afraid that any sign of rest would make me fall asleep, I would've dropped my head into my arms. When a sharp cry penetrated the silence, I groaned. The devil of a fake baby was at it again. Both nights I had been taking care of it. It wasn't as much because I wanted to, but rather it was because it would distract me, since Candy Crush was getting pretty uneventful. Also, it kept Jace asleep, which would prevent him from knowing that I was already awake.

I got up from the chair, fully intending to walk up the stairs, but the crying stopped. Normally, this would've been great, Jace Lightwood actually holding up his end of the assignment. Now, it was different though. He would know I wasn't in bed, and that would bring up questions, because Jace was a nosy person. He would do anything to find out a secret if he wasn't in on it, which meant bad news for me. Then again, he could be too tired to even realize that I was gone. Personally, I was rooting for option B.

Sadly, I was out of luck, because I heard the sound of someone walking down the stairs. I prayed that it was anyone else, but I knew in my heart that life wasn't going my way. For a while, it was silent. I knew he was there, and he knew I knew he was there. Still, neither of us said a word. Finally, who knows how long later, I turned to face Jace, my eyebrows raised.

"Do you need something, or were you just enjoying the view?" I snarked. Normally, it would've earned a sarcastic snort or sassy retort, but today, all he did was narrow his eyes. I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, because I knew that look. That look said that he was trying to get me to crack, all while attempting to figure it out himself, "Jace?" I tried to snap him out of it to no avail, "Goldilocks." Was my last resort, but still, he didn't speak. That was when I shut up, letting him do it in his own time.

"What are you doing up?" He asked simply, and I gave him a flat look.

"I can't sleep." I responded after a suitable amount of 'Duh, you idiot' silence. Just to emphasize my point, I added an eye roll, but he didn't seem fazed. That was when it occurred to me that there was the slightest possibility that he had an inkling of an idea of what was going on inside me, so I needed to get out, "I'm going... Somewhere away from you." I decided on the excuse, then got to my feet. A few steps later, something peculiar started happening. I began to sway from side to side, unable to stop myself, and my hand loosened its grip on my mug of its own accord. A loud crash signaled that it had slipped from my grasp, but it became background noise compared to the ringing that started up in my ears.

"Clary!" I faintly heard Jace's voice call, but it sounded warped, like I was underwater. Then, the world began to tilt on its axis. The last things I felt were strong arms grabbing me, halting my descent to the ground. Everything promptly turned black.

JACE POV

"Clary!" I yelled as the redhead in front of me started to sway, but she didn't even make an effort to stand. Right when she started to actually fall, I lunged forward, catching her just before she hit the floor, "Clary." I called, but there was no response. Her eyes stayed softly shut, and she didn't stir an inch. I cursed under my breath, picking her up bridal style and carrying her to the couch in the living room. As soon as I set her down, I crouched by her side and checked to make sure she was breathing.

Luckily, she was.

When I got over the fact that she was out cold-but alive-I took a closer look. She appeared peaceful. Normally, that would've been slap-in-the-face obvious, but I noticed now that she hadn't looked like that in the past few days. Her heart hadn't really been in the insults she'd thrown my way, nor had she really even attempted to fire back at me when I said something. It was weird, because it had been a long time since Clary had been this quiet. Even then, it had only lasted for a short amount of time. Now, something was really wrong.

I sighed, wracking my sleep-ridden brain for some sort of an answer, but I came up blank. For a little while, it was there was absolutely no noise. Then, it hit me like a freight train.

The nightmare.

It had to be the nightmare, unless something else happened that I didn't know about, which wasn't usually the case. Normally, I knew everything, whether people wanted me to or not, because I was a determined person who didn't like being the idiot in the dark. The next thing that came to me honestly made me want to beat myself up. I was most likely part of the reason this had happened.

I should've just let that whole night between us go. I shouldn't have been so hard on her about it, because clearly, it was more than I'd initially thought. Maybe if I'd just-for once-gotten over my ego, she wouldn't be like this. Still, I didn't know what would make her faint. That is, unless...

The pieces fell in place inside my mind. The baby hadn't cried at night. Clary had been looking like a ghost. She'd fainted.

She hadn't been sleeping a lot. If at all. My pacing commenced as I walked restlessly around the living room. It wasn't even six, so the chance of anyone else being up was zero, and I knew for a fact that my siblings were not ones to be awoken. Sure, Isabelle was light and cheery when she woke herself up, but if I were to try waking her up, hell would ensue. Alec would probably punch me then go back to a blissful oblivion. Max would freak out, because he was probably too young to understand that, even though she was knocked out, he would freak.

The more I walked, the calmer I got. Slowly but surely, the fear was fading, but it was quickly replaced with concern. It was an odd emotion considering the fact that it was directed at Clary, but I tried to dismiss that thought as I realized that I should be caring about her more than being weirded out myself.

That was when she started to whimper. Again, I had absolutely no idea what to do, so for a minute, I couldn't help letting her struggle. Something definitely had to be done though. I searched my mind for something, anything, that would help her, but I came up blank. Then, an idea struck me. Honestly, I didn't think it would work, but there was no harm in trying. I mean, it couldn't really get worse.

That was proven wrong as she began tossing and turning, almost rolling off of the couch. So I did what I had to. Rather than leaving her cramped on the hard cushion, I lifted her into my arms yet again. As soon as she was settled and I started to walk toward the stairs, the shaking stopped. She ended up unconsciously wrapping her arms around my neck, and the thought that I could hold this against her forever entered my mind. I quickly realized that making fun of it would probably cross a line, just like I'd crossed it when she'd had her first nightmare, so I needed to keep my mouth shut.

It seemed like the universe was on my side, because she was light enough for me to brave the stairs. It still seemed like an eternity before we reached my room, and I thanked everything that I'd forgotten to close the door. When I walked in, I gently set her down on the bed, but the second I let her go, a crease formed between her eyebrows. That was when I wondered if she was actually asleep, but as soon as her soft cries began again, I knew she was still in the nightmare.

Then, I decided to try my previous idiotic plan. I crouched beside the bed, taking a deep breath. If she woke up, she would probably tease me forever, but that didn't matter at the moment. What mattered was helping her out. For a second, I thought I should wake her up, but I soon remembered she hadn't gotten any sleep at all, so I decided that it would be better to comfort her as much as possible without actually letting her get up. Then again, she'd fainted, ergo, I probably wouldn't be able to awaken her if I tried.

So Plan A was put into motion. My hand was shaking as I reached out to her, but I paused right before I actually touched her. Hesitating was taking too much time, so I sighed, combing my fingers through her hair. It shocked me when she relaxed marginally. The shaking lessened, and the crease disappeared, making my shoulders slump the tiniest bit in relief. The logical thing to do was pull away right now, but I couldn't seem to stop, because I was scared that, if I let go, it would start up again.

For about five minutes, I stayed in that position, repeating the gesture again and again. Just when I thought she was okay, her lips fell back into a frown. I kept brushing, but it was starting to fail, which worried me even more. Now, I was completely out of any semblance of ideas. I was pulling away, about to start my nervous pacing again, but she suddenly grabbed my hand. That made me pause and lose my breath.

"Hold me." If I hadn't been straining my ears in the previous silence, I wouldn't have heard her words. I swallowed hard, an internal battle raging in my mind. She was asleep, so she probably wouldn't realize if I was there or not. Keeping that in mind, I tried to tug out of her grip gently, so as not to rouse her, but then her eyes opened. A gasp escaped me, and I expected her to drop my hand immediately and scowl, telling me to go. But she didn't. Instead, she stared at me with both panic and a desperate shine in her gaze. I took a shaky inhale, forcing a smile. My mouth opened, and I would never know what I was going to say, because she spoke first.

"Hold me." She repeated, and my heart stopped.

"Clary, I don't think..." I trailed off when a pained expression crossed her face, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was barely a whisper, "You're right. You don't need another crybaby."

"Shortcake..." My heart clenched as my guilt amplified by a hundred. My suspicions were confirmed. I was part of the reason she stayed up, so I really needed to make that up to her. Without another word, I pulled my hand back, and this time, she released it without protest. Her eyes fluttered shut, but she couldn't hide the rolling droplets from me. She thought I was going to leave her. I knew that much, just by her expression.

I was such an idiot for doing this, and it was crossing the line for both of us, but when I took one last look at her face, my mind was made up. Before I walked away, I couldn't resist running my fingers through her hair one last time. Then, I made my way to the other side of the bed, crawling into it and under the sheets. As if on instinct, she flipped to face me, and I blinked hard before lifting an arm. Her eyes widened in surprise, and for a minute, all she did was stare.

"My arm is getting tired." The weak joke escaped me, and I felt a spark of triumph when the tiniest flicker of a smile appeared on her lips. It was only for a second, but it was still an accomplishment. She scooted my way until she was fitted against me, and I locked her into my embrace. There was just enough space between us that when she looked up, our gazes clashed.

"Why?" The one word was so very small, and for once, I was speechless.

"I-I.." I stuttered, shocking even myself. Jace Lightwood didn't stutter. Jonathan Christopher Lightwood did not stutter at such a simple question. Then again, that question wasn't really simple. It had so many layers that even I couldn't identify, so I told her the truth, "I don't know." I murmured. Bracing myself, I waited for the interrogation that was bound to come. Rather than firing questions at me, she nodded. For a second, all I did was sit there, still questioning whether or not she would say anything else.

She didn't.

Instead, she buried her face in my shoulder, tightening her arms around my neck. I could still feel her shaking, so I hugged her closer, rubbing comforting circles on her back. Slowly but surely, her tremors softened until they ceased. My eyelids began to droop, but I forced myself to stay awake, because I knew for a fact that she wasn't asleep yet.

"Clary." My voice was the tiniest bit slurred, "You need to sleep."

"It's almost time to get up." Her voice was quiet and resigned, and I looked over at my alarm clock.

5:30 AM

"You're not going to school today." The phrase came out firm, showing that I was not about to budge. I felt her breath as she sighed against my skin.

"Okay." The one word hung in the air, and I was about to protest until I realized she had, in fact, agreed, "But you realize that you are, right?" That caused me to hesitate. What I wanted to say and what I was supposed to say were two very different things. The silence in the air was heavy. At least, it was heavy for me. She, on the other hand, had absolutely no idea about my inner turmoil. I had half a mind to keep it that way, but the other half screamed at me that I should just get over myself and do what I felt in my gut. I had a feeling she was thinking that her question didn't even justify an answer, so she said nothing else.

"No, I'm not." The words slipped out without my permission, and I found myself frowning. Apparently, I had no verbal filter at the moment. On top of that, my brain was not connected to my mouth either, "I was an ass and went too far, so I owe it to you." Why couldn't I have just shut up? Why did I have to keep talking? I could've, I should've, stopped. I could've, I should've, left it at saying I wasn't going to school. But I just had to go on. Something in me wanted to word vomit some more, so I locked my jaw tight.

"Jace..." Clary trailed off, moving back just enough to look me in the eyes, "You don't owe me anything. This is more than enough." My first instinct was to take it as sarcasm or a joke, but the sincerity in her voice was undeniable. I couldn't help guiding her head under my chin and holding her tighter.

"Go to sleep." I whispered softly

And she did.

I woke up to the warm feeling of sunlight shining into the room. For some reason, there was a slight smile on my face, which was highly unusual considering the fact that I was an absolute beast most mornings. That is, unless I'd had a girl over the night before, whether I kicked her out before I went to sleep or woke up and kicked her out then. So why did I feel at least semi-happy-ish? I went to stretch, but that was when I realized something was pinning me down. My heart stopped when I realized just why I couldn't lift my arm.

I took a deep breath, trying to prepare myself before looking down. Even though I knew, the sight I saw still shocked me. Clarissa Adele Fray was basically using me as a pillow, her head on my chest, and my arms were wrapped tightly around her. Her legs were tangled with my own, and I could feel the steady rise and fall of her chest.

By the angel, what have I done?

I closed my eyes, not knowing whether or not I should untangle us and leave, or stay here and hold her. It wasn't a simple decision, and I didn't know exactly why. My first instinct should've been to get away as fast as possible, then take a hot shower and wash the stench of Clary off of me. Then promptly leave for school without waking her up.

She smells like apples. My oh-so-helpful brain decided to supply. It couldn't have sided with me. No, of course it had to side with that stupid little thing inside me called a heart. Now, I was starting to panic. Total panic. I forced myself to take a shaky inhale, trying to calm down. Then, the risk that someone would walk in occurred to me. That was when I really started freaking out.

I started to attempt unwrapping my arms and sliding her off, but she tightened her hold around my neck.

"Don't go." Judging by the way her words were slurred, she wasn't fully awake, but the pain in them was absolutely clear. She sounded scared, and I didn't know why. If anything, I expected her to kick me out as soon as she was coherent. Obviously, that didn't happen. It was just my luck that she snuggled closer, her heavy breaths fanning across my bare shoulder. I hated to admit it, and I sounded like an ultimate chick, but I was done for. I didn't take time to wonder why in the hell I felt like doing this, or why in the hell I was this nice to Clary in the first place. I just rubbed circles on my back, not knowing if I was trying to comfort her or me.

"Jace, honey?" The yell came through the door, followed by a gentle knock, "It's time to get up."

"I'm not feeling well, Mom." I replied without a second of hesitation. Well, I guess the choice was made. A deep sigh penetrated the door, and I waited for her to tell me why.

"There'd better not be a girl in there, Jonathan Christopher Lightwood." Everything in me tensed, and I stared at the door in shock. I didn't think she ever knew about the girls I snuck in. Well, whether she actually knew or just suspected it was a mystery to me, and I didn't quite have time to ask. That was when I saw the doorknob turning, and I searched mind for anything to do. The only idea I had was to shove her off of me, and I truly contemplated doing it, but when I saw that she looked peaceful for the first time in a while, I didn't have it in me.

So my genius idea was to pull the covers up to my neck and hope Mom wouldn't ask questions. I did it in the nick of time, because the second I yanked them over the both me and Clary, the door opened.

"Hey, Mom." I smiled weakly, trying to make it seem like I really wasn't feeling well. She crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her toes impatiently on the floor, "So, I-" A coughing fit bubbled out of my throat, and her eyes softened a fraction. It took everything in me not to smile triumphantly because I could tell instantly that she'd given in. Then, something changed in her, and I didn't like the look on her face.

"You can stay home." She sighed, resigned, causing my tense body to loosen, but I quickly got the feeling that there was more, "If you pull that comforter down right now." My face must've dropped, because she smirked, knowing she'd caught me red-handed. I had to think of an excuse. Fast, "Let me rephrase that." She gave me the 'Mom look', the look that said 'You will obey me, whether you like it or not', "You are going to pull that comforter down this moment, or I will."

"But... but..." I had nothing. Absolutely nothing. When I made no move to do anything but stare, she began striding towards me, "Fine." My voice came out as a growl, and the way she glared let me know I was treading on thin ice. The new problem was that my arms were pinned, which I really didn't have time for. The top one was easiest to move, and I managed to do so without waking her up. WIth a deep breath, I slid the comforter down, revealing a head of untamed read curls. I couldn't help but snort, and the movement of my chest must've woken her up, because she tipped her head up, eyes groggy and slightly confused.

I opened my mouth to tease her, but the noise of surprise that didn't come from either of us caught my attention. I snapped to face Mom, but Clary must've still been half-asleep, because all she did was drop her head back down and snuggle into me yet again. Mom's jaw was hanging low, and her face clearly portrayed her absolute shock.

"It isn't what it looks like." Were the words that immediately rolled off my tongue, and she raised an eyebrow, "She-" I immediately cut myself off, because what had happened was Clary's thing to tell. Giving out that information, the time that she was absolutely vulnerable, would be nothing less of betrayal. Mom was staring at me expectantly, and my eyes flickered between her and the girl half on top of me. After everything had happened, after everything that would no doubt change between us, I couldn't turn on her, "I can't explain, but we didn't... We aren't... We're not like that." Mom pinched the bridge of her nose with a deep sigh.

"Jonathan Christopher, tell me this instant what is going on." She hissed, clearly fed up with me. I was so grounded if I didn't think of something fast.

"They came back." I heard the whisper below me, and I looked down to find Clary's eyes soft and pained. Her eyes shined with unshed tears, but somehow she held them back, "Jace was just trying to be there for me. I..." She trailed off, taking a deep breath before continuing, "I haven't slept at all the past two nights. I fainted early this morning, and Jace took care of me and I..." Her hard swallow was visible, "I just needed someone to hold me." That was when the first tear fell. Then suddenly, she was sobbing and clutching me so tight that I was scared she would cut off my circulation.

"Clary..." Mom murmured, I forced my eyes away from Clary to look at her, only to find all traces of anger gone from her face. Worried was too small of a word to describe the expression she wore, "Is there anything we can do, Sweetie?" Mom used her soothing voice that she'd always pulled out when any of us would cry.

"Just... Just please... don't tell... anyone... else." She choked out between her hyperventilation fits. All mom did was nod, "They'll... take it... the wrong... way." Yet again, Mom nodded.

"Of course." She trained a comforting smile on Clary, who offered a watery smile back, "And Jace..." She seemed to contemplate her options, and I didn't quite know what I wanted her to choose. If she said no, then I would have an excuse to get out of here. If she said yes, then I could do what I wanted.

What you want? My thoughts shocked even myself, but I couldn't deny them. For some reason, seeing Clary so vulnerable changed the way I saw her. She wasn't some brat like I'd tried to make myself see her. It was irrational how my mind had spun a one-eighty in such a short amount of time-it honestly was, but it happened. There was no way in hell I could let her know that though. Not yet.

"No funny business." Mom pointed at me sternly, and I didn't know whether to be happy or terrified, "You both are sick with a cold, and your phone had better be on so I can call you from work." The last part was directed at me. She then turned Clary's way, "I'll call your mom and let her know."

"Thank you." I could hear the genuine smile in Clary's voice, and it lifted my spirits a little.

"Thank you." I found myself whispering. Without another word, Clary dropped her head back on my chest, continuing to use me like a pillow. For once, my cheeks were burning as my mother was literally watching a girl cuddle me. I mean, I wasn't exactly doing anything to stop it, which made it all the more embarrassing. But that wasn't even the worst part.

The absolute most horrifying thing was the fact that just before my grown mother walked out the door...

She winked at me.

So I think we can all safely assume that Clarissa Adele Fray can be an idiot, but I do see where she's coming from... Well I mean I kinda have to because I, ya know, wrote it :D. So review what you guys think! And the question of the chapter is...

What is the best thing you look for in a partner (like boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or wife)? (It's still February and I forgot to ask this in the Valentine's Day spirit)

So these A/N's are pretty short today! Welp goodbye my faithfuls!

-Shadowhunter5801