I slip on the long, white, halter top dress and white sandals and grab my stele from the mantle and walk out the door. Tonight was his funeral. As I walk out the door to my room, I meet El as she walks down the hall. She gives me a small smile but anyone can see she is clearly distressed by her tear stained cheeks. I walk past her and she follows behind me. We meet everyone else in the foyer. Meg is popping out Aaron's collar of his white and black striped button down while Paul runs his hands through his hair.

"We're all ready," says Laken behind me. I turn to meet him in confirmation and he nods his head. I lead everyone out of the institute and we walk down the crowded New York streets that somehow seem bare and desolate tonight. We arrive at an old cemetery and walk to an old archway that could crumble any minute. Standing on the other side of the arch is four silent brothers including brother Jeremiah.

An antique wooden casket with a glass cover sits in between everyone. His death was a valiant and noble one, says brother Jeremiah, but it is now time that our fallen shadowhunter join the rest in the silent city. The four silent brothers walk in unison over to a patch of green grass and wave their hands over it. The grass disappears and a steel door appears in its place. As it opens brother Jeremiah says, if you wish, this would be the time to bless him and send him. I give him a numb nod and we all walk closer to the casket. We all take out our steles and kneel in front of the wood and draw different runes. The rune I draw is for peace. I hope he will always be at peace. We all rise, our steles still glowing a brilliant blue, and hold the steles vertical at our chests as we walk with the casket to the doors. We stop walking as the Silent Brothers descend into the dark abyss and we watch as the box follows. When the gate closes there is nothing but silence and the grass returns to its place. We stand there in silence for a moment until Aaron is the first to turn around and we all follow him to leave.

When we get back to the institute there is a sudden wave of eeriness that accompanies us. Aaron goes straight to the mantle and grabs the bottle of scotch and pours himself a drink. "Want any?" he asks us.

"What are you doing Aaron?" asks El desperately.

He takes a large swig and says, "Just drinking to a fallen friend."

I shake my head and leave the room. I wonder down the halls aimlessly until my feet stop in front of a door. I can't quite remember whose it is so I knock lightly on the wood and wait. I turn my back and am about to go back to my room when I feel a warm hand on my shoulder. I crane my neck back and see the warm caramel eyes of Jace and I immediately turn around. "Come on," he says and juts his head to the side. I walk into the clean room. The only thing that seems off about the room i9s the various crumbled up pieces of paper that are scattered around the desk and floor. I pick up one of the papers and uncrumble it so I can read what is written.

Clary,

I know you hate me but-

And then the letter stops. I walk to the desk and pick up another paper.

Clary,

I can't tell you how much I miss you and-

Again, the letter stops. I turn to face him, the paper still in my hand, and I see him staring at me intently. "What are these?" I ask as he moves closer to me.

He is only centimeters away from me when he takes the paper out of my hand and says, "I could never find the words…" but he leads off. I tilt my head to the side and ask, "What do you need to say?"

He doesn't say anything; instead he wraps me in his strong arms and plants his lips firmly on my forehead. I could tell by his stiff posture that he wanted more but he was respecting the fact that I was just at my boyfriend's funeral. I untangle my arms from his and place my hands on his strong arms to push him away. He looks hurt for a moment but I quickly amend that by grabbing him by the sleeves of his t-shirt and gently pulling him closer to me. He stares at me while I stare at him lips and before he can say anything, I softly press my lips to his.

I can feel his breathing hitch and the small smile curving on his lips as he tries to push me closer to him. I separate after a few seconds and see his eyes have a small spark in them and his breathing has picked up. He presses his forehead to mine and says, "Thank you." I let out a few strangled breaths.

"I'm tired," I say neutrally. He nods and says, "Yeah, right. I'll see you in the morning then?"

I let out a small laugh and say, "Trying to kick me out?"

I see his eyes light up and can tell he is trying his best to suppress a smile and he says, "Never."

He motions for me to lie down and I oblige. I lay down without changing into PJ's and I feel the pressure of the bed go down as he climbs in after me. His strong arms wrap around me protectively and I spin around so I am facing his strong chest. I'm drifting off when I hear him breathe out, "I love you, I love you, I love you," and I do the last thing I thought I would, I smile and think the same thing.

Jace pov

I wanted to be with her now. I wanted to be with her while she was at her lowest point but I knew she wouldn't let me in. I spent all night trying to explain everything to her but I always come at a loss for words. My feeling could not be put on paper and I got so frustrated! I crumple up yet another piece of paper when I hear a knock on the door. I figure it is Isabelle here to lecture me yet again so I muster up the courage to face her. When I open the door, however, a small and broken red head stands there with a neutral look on her face.

She looked so broken and emotionless and I hated seeing her like this. "Come on," I say and motion for her to come in with my head. A flash of relief plays across her face as she steps in. I watch as she picks up one of my futile attempt off the floor and reads the few words. She walks to my desk and picks up another.

"What are these?" she asks with nothing but curiosity written on her face and I answer,

"I could never find the words…" but I lead off as I begin walking towards her. I wanted nothing more than to be closer to her but I knew she needed her space. She tilts her head and asks in that incredibly enticing voice, "What do you need to say?"

I still don't know what to say, I just need her in my arms so I wrap her into me and press my lips gently to her forehead. My whole body is stiff in anticipation and then in disappointment when I feel her pull away from me. She looks at me for a moment and then grabs me by my sleeve and pulls me closer to her. My heart beats a mile a minute and I can only pray to the angel that she can't hear it. In my greatest surprise, she presses her soft petal-like lips to mine softly- yet firm at the same time. I feel those fireworks that I love so much go off in my head and I want to stay like this with her forever but I know it can't last. She pulls away and that warmth is gone.

I stare at her and say, "Thank you," because I don't know what else to say.

A few moments pass until she says, "I'm tired," and I realize that she must want me to let her go so I step back and stutter out, "Yea, right. I'll see you in the morning then?"

A small smile appears on her face and a light laugh as she says, "Trying to kick me out?"

A wave of relief washes through me and I say, "Never." She lies down in my bed and I crawl in after her, relishing in her warmth as I wrap my arms around her. I breathe in the scent of her hair and she turns around in my arms so that she is facing me. I think she is asleep so I mutter out, "I love you, I love you, I love you."

A/N: I cannot tell you how sorry I am that I waited this long to update! Regional's for cross country are coming up and I am very proud to say that –even though I am the youngest on the team- I get to lead us into REGIONALS! I hope you all can forgive me for the long delay! We run 11 miles a day without stopping and I am absolutely out of it when I come home- then I have homework and… it's just a big mess!

The season is over on November 2nd so this won't last that much longer!

I have fall break coming up soon and practice will be from 4pm to 8pm so I will be able to update before then DEFINITELY! Thank you to all the people that have stuck with this story so far!

I was trying my best not to make Clary look like a slut in the end so I didn't put a makeout session in and I know that Jace was a little OOC but that will change in the next chapter.

I'm sad to say that when Cross Country season ends- that doesn't mean practice ends. After the season practices are cut shorter but I also have Lacrosse coming up and- UGH! I'm just really sorry…

I will try my best to update as much as possible over the weekends and over my fall break.

THANKS FOR READING! REVIEW!