Hello, my Faithful Followers! So this chapter is short. And by short, I mean short, but I have to post, because I know I've been MIA for a while. Life has just gotten extremely busy, and I'll be honest, I've hit a writer's block here. I mean, I know exactly where this story is going, and I have future scenes already planned, but it's just the filler and the actual GETTING THERE that's the problem. I'm sooooo sorry I've been gone, but I've also got exciting news! (Well, exciting for me...hehe...) I GOT A NATIONAL SILVER MEDAL FOR MY POETRY IN A WRITING CONTEST! It was literally the accomplishment of my life, and I just had to share it with you guys, because a lot of the time, you're all my support and inspiration. So thank you for always motivating me to be a better writer.

LAST REALLY IMPORTANT THING! Please check out my bio. It's new and updated and it's become way more professional, so take a look and if you like what you see, PM at any time!

CLARY POV

I woke up in Jace's arms. Again. At least this time I knew who it was, and didn't think it could be some random stranger holding me. At least, this time, I didn't feel the urge to get up. Then again, that could've been the sleep-fogged mind talking. I lifted my head slightly to meet Jace's gaze, but sleep was calling me back, so I promptly returned my head to its previous position on his chest. I couldn't help but snuggle closer to him. For warmth. Purely for warmth, because body heat helps with cold.

Yeah, right. Warmth. A frown crossed my face briefly at my own inner monologue. What surprised me next was that Jace's arms tightened around me, and I couldn't help the blush that rose to my cheeks. There wasn't a semblance of a rational thought in my head, except for the fact that it was comfortable. For some reason, I made no effort to move, but rather sighed, basking in the coziness that our position brought.

Sadly, I felt Jace begin to stir, and I part of me was a little disappointed, which shouldn't be a thing at all. I just knew he would let me go, destroying the safe feeling that encased me. It was extremely weird that I felt this way, because it was Jonathan Christopher Lightwood holding me. There was no way this would end well, and I knew I had to brace myself for the worst. Yet again, he would try to balance the scales, so all I could do was prepare for it.

"Morning, Shortcake." The gravelly words came out of his mouth, and he started to untwine us. Just like I'd expected. My eyes were cast downward so I could avoid the look in his, which would no doubt be triumphant. I reluctantly unwrapped my arms from around his neck with a deep exhale. As soon as I saw the clock, surprise took me over.

11:04 AM

"You stayed?" It came out as more of a question than a statement, as I finally looked up to meet his gaze. I waited for the insult. I waited for his inevitable sneer, his dry laughter and teasing. It shocked me that, when it was time, they didn't come. In fact, nothing really came, because all he did was stare at me. He settled on shrugging, which shocked me to the core. I made the wise decision not to question it and wait for him to respond. Again, I made an assumption that it wouldn't happen, but again, he took me off guard.

"Yeah..." He scratched the back of his neck as I moved off of his chest into a sitting position at his side. Jace mimicked me, and we both leaned back against the headboard. For once, the silent between us wasn't tense or uncomfortable. Instead, it was a calm silence, neither of us wanting to break it in fear that words would ruin it. Then, Jace turned my way, and for some reason, there was concern in his golden irises, "Do you need to go back to sleep?" His words were barely audible, but I heard them loud and clear. I briefly wondered if he meant he would stay with me, but when he got out of bed and switched to standing, I got my answer.

"I'm fine." I whispered softly, even though it was only a half-truth. Jace stared at me warily, probably knowing I was telling a white lie. He opened his mouth to say something, but promptly shut it. My head tilted to the side on instinct, conveying my curiosity, yet he chose to ignore it. "What Jace am I going to get?" The question rolled off my tongue of its own accord, and I silently screamed at my lack of filter. Now it was his eyebrows furrowed. My jaw bobbed up and down while I searched for an explanation that wouldn't be too harsh, considering what he'd done for me. "Am I going to get the Jace that I saw last night and this morning, or are you going to try and balance the scales by being all mean again."

As soon as the words were out, the air became suffocating. I waited impatiently for his reply, and I could tell there was a war going on in his mind. His hands clenched in his pockets, causing me to try to distract myself with the slight anger that girl's pajama pants didn't have that luxury. It was honestly a stupid thing to focus on, but waiting in agony would drive me insane.

"How about the Jace who apologizes for being an ass?" My eyes snapped up to meet his at his half-statement, half-question. For the first time since I'd met Jace Lightwood, he had never looked this vulnerable. His lips were twisted in a half-smile, and I realized that maybe, just maybe, things would change between us for the better. Things would change no matter what, but it was possible that they might in a good way, "I'm sorry." He murmured quietly, and when I processed the words, a slight smile grew on my face.

"Apology accepted." My grin only grew, and I found myself biting my bottom lip and staring at him through my lashes. It wasn't in the seductive way, but rather it was hopeful and nervous. When he flashed his teeth, the worry fled, and I realized that we'd just made an unspoken treaty. Still, I had to make sure, so I held out a hand, "Truce?" I asked softly, and to my surprise, he shook it immediately. I had no idea how things changed so fast. Maybe it was because we saw different sides of each other that made us seem more... human. Honestly, I was baffled, but I didn't want to question it.

That was when we both notice that our hands were still connected between us. We cleared our throats at the same time, releasing each other and dropping our arms to our sides. For a minute, we looked around the room, avoiding each other's gaze, because this was new to us. Normally, when we were together, we were fighting to the death, so actually having a civil conversation was foreign to us.

I opened my mouth to say something, but a loud ringing cut me off. Jace huffed out a sigh, walking over to his phone on his nightstand and accepting the call.

"Yes, we're fine." Jace answered whatever question he was asked, and I knew that it was no doubt Maryse on the other side. Being me, I couldn't help but eavesdrop, "No... we just woke up... Mother!... I told you there would be none." His eyes flicked to me, signaling that it was probably her questioning about 'Funny business.' That caused my face to grow hot, but luckily, Jace switched back to looking elsewhere, "Yes... Okay... Uh huh... Love you too...Bye." Right when he ended the call, he breathed out a sigh of relief.

"What did she ask?" I questioned, waiting for the impending embarrassing response.

"Just if we were okay and how you were sleeping." He wisely chose to leave out the implication part. I nodded, not really knowing what else to do, and the silence quickly turned awkward, "Hey!" The exclamation came out of nowhere, causing me to jump, "Would you mind making breakfast?" There was a hopeful look on his face, and I had a feeling it was because my eggs were awesome. I'd known he liked them for a long time, because he was constantly stealing Isabelle's plate.

"Fine." I made a mock exasperated noise, but I couldn't suppress my grin, "Let's go." He followed me downstairs and to the kitchen like a puppy. When I turned away from the refrigerator after getting the ingredients, I couldn't help but laugh at the desperate look on his face. He must've been hungry since it was 11 o'clock, and he'd stayed in bed with me all night and morning. That propelled me to work fast, and before I knew it, I was sliding a plate toward him, along with some bacon I'd cooked on the side. He didn't even wait a second before digging in, and a snort escaped me. He finished before I'd eaten half of mine, so needless to say, he'd been starving.

"Well, I would've told you to slow down, but I didn't have time." I teased, but it was good-natured rather than filled with malice. He rolled his eyes, yet he couldn't keep his smile at bay. After only about an hour, it felt more amazing than I'd ever dreamed to get along with him. There was a weight that seemed to be lifted off my chest, and I couldn't stop the happiness that bubbled up inside me. I quickly finished my breakfast, silence falling over us again. This time, it wasn't awkward though. It was comforting and friendly as we just enjoyed each other's company.

Suddenly, a wave of drowsiness hit me again, like the biggest food coma I'd ever had. Jace seemed to notice, because his eyes shined with concern. Without a word, he picked up both of our plates, setting them in the sink to be washed later. Then, he grabbed my arm gently, leading me back toward the stairs.

"I'm not tired..." I whined, but the yawn that left me didn't help my case. Not at all.

"Sure you're not." He shot me a bland glance, then continued to tug me along. I groaned, following despite myself, and I didn't have to see his face to know that he was wearing a smug smirk. That brought me the urge to dig my heels into the ground, but I knew Jace would drag me along, whether I was on my feet or not. It was sad, but he would be able to do it without an iota of effort, so I didn't even bother.

We got to the room, and I huffed, shooting him a mock glare before crawling back under the sheets. I sighed, staring at Jace with slight disdain. We then had the same thought at the same time. Was Jace going to join me, or would he do the expected thing and say 'I hope you feel better' then walk downstairs and watch a movie or TV show or whatever the heck he wanted to. I could see the war going on in his brain, and I waited nervously to see which side would win. To be honest, I didn't know what I wanted either, so I left it up to him.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." He said under his breath, and my heart pounded as he slipped in beside me. Now it was awkward, because it could go two ways yet again. He could stay beside me and just watch me from where he was, or he could cuddle me again. I guess he decided on the former, because he made to move to hold me. With a deep breath, I laid my head down on the pillow, closing my eyes, but the second I did, images played in front of me. I tried with all my might to make them disappear. They wouldn't. No matter how hard I tried, they wouldn't go away.

Apparently, the universe was against me, because I was falling asleep to the flashbacks. The farther I got to fully sleeping, the more vivid they became. Finally, I was trapped, and my mind convinced me that it was all real. The fear. The pain. Everything.

I woke up screaming.

Yeah... I mean it started happy... Well, I guess that's it for now! I will try as hard as possible to come up with more ideas for this, so please be patient. It will all come in due time. OH AND ALSO THE BACHELOR HAS REACHED BOTH 700 FOLLOWERS AND 17TH PLACE ON THE K-T MOST FOLLOWS RANK!WOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO!

Question of the Chapter: If you could change one thing in the world today (it can be simple or humongous), what would you change? And BE ORIGINAL! Say something that really matters to you, something that helps shape your view on the world.

Adios for now, my Faithfuls!

Sincerely,

Shadowhunter5801

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