Edited as of 1/23/16.

A/N: WOW! I am so amazed and humbled by all of the attention this is getting. You guys are really the absolute best! I hope you all continue to enjoy my story~

And just to clear something up, a reviewer asked if the boy with the ski cap in Chapter 1 was Valentine. He's actually a parallel of the blue-haired demon from Chapter 1 of City of Bones, but he may be returning in this story, and his reappearance may just have to do with Valentine... ;)

This chapter is based on the last part of CoB's 4 and most of 5. Enjoy!

4
RELIEF

The official investigation had been going on for quite a while. After Jace had fortuitously knocked out the man who was trying to mug Clary, the two of them immediately used his phone to call the police. Clary had already given them her witness accounts of both the attempted robbery and the looted apartment, and also told them about how her mother was missing. Currently, the apartment was cordoned off and being examined by investigators. Her attacker, now fully conscious, was sitting handcuffed in a nearby police car. Jace was animatedly talking some distance away to the detective called to the scene, Jeremiah Brudder. Even Ms. Dorothy, her grouchy neighbor, had been brought out of the building to be interviewed by an officer. And Clary was alone, trying to keep it all together.

What a mess, she thought miserably. She still had her suitcase and messenger bag but had no idea where she was going to stay that night. On top of that, her phone was destroyed beyond repair, since she had dropped it while being mugged. And then there was the little matter of her mother having vanished off the face of the earth. Clary was exhausted and emotionally spent, to the point where she almost felt numb.

Time passed by in a blur. Eventually, someone sat next to her on the stairs. Clary glanced up, startled, and saw that it was Detective Brudder. "You were very fortunate that your boyfriend was close enough to help you," he said to her. "A tennis racket isn't the most traditional weapon, but it got the job done. He's a very clever young man."

"He's not my—" Clary started to say, but decided to let it pass, as she was too exhausted to explain everything. She looked over to where Jace had been standing, but didn't see him anywhere. Had he left? "I mean, thanks."

The detective appraised her through kind, crinkled eyes. While interviewing her before, he had been calm and considerate of her emotional stress, and Clary gave him a lot of credit for that. "Miss Fray, I know that this must be a very trying situation for you, but I want to let you know that we've got it under control. You did the right thing in calling us."

"Thank you," Clary said listlessly. "I just hope we can find her."

"We'll certainly try," the detective told her in a reassuring voice. "You may want to stick around here for a little while, but it shouldn't be too much longer before you can leave." Then he stood up again and walked away to confer with a couple police officers.

Clary let her head drop into her hands and massaged her forehead. Barely a minute passed before someone else sat next to her on the steps.

"Hey." It was Jace, half-smiling and offering Clary a to-go cup of coffee from Steamy Indulgences. "I got this for you."

"Wow. Thanks." Clary felt marginally better as soon as she accepted the warm cup from his outstretched hand. But why was he being so relentlessly sweet to her? "That was really nice of you."

"It was no trouble," he replied with a good-natured shrug. Even just sitting next to her, Jace looked incredibly handsome, which only further confused Clary. He could have been doing anything else, and yet he was here with her in this unpleasant situation. And they had only met the day before. "How are you doing?"

"How am I doing?" she echoed, thinking about it. "I guess I'm a little cold." Night was fast approaching, and she didn't have a sweater. Up until that point, she hadn't even realized the change in temperature.

Jace was silent for a brief moment and took a sip of his own coffee. "I could sit a little closer, if you think that would help."

"I—I guess that would work." Abruptly, at the thought of being closer to Jace, Clary felt her heartbeat speed up. It was puzzling to her on a certain level that she could even have a reaction like that in the midst of all this chaos, but she decided to go along with it anyway.

She was hyper-aware of Jace's body as he scooted closer to her, until their sides were touching. He was surprisingly warm, and Clary could feel herself unconsciously relaxing against him. After a few seconds, his muscles tensed, which made her worry that he was moving away. But Jace only stretched out his arm around her shoulders. "Do you mind?" he asked, giving her a tender look.

"Not at all," she breathed in response. His arm, so strong and powerful on the tennis court the previous day, was now unspeakably gentle as it held her to him. Tentatively, Clary rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, breathing deeply. All of her negative emotions were diminishing and fading away, leaving her unusually peaceful.

Clary heard footsteps approaching and opened her eyes, seeing that Detective Brudder was now standing in front of them. "Miss Fray. Mr. Wayland," he said. Jace Wayland, Clary mused to herself, deciding that the name suited him. "We've secured the scene, and I can assure you that the full investigation is underway. You both are free to leave now. We'll be in contact with you in the coming days."

"Thank you for all of your hard work," Jace said diplomatically. Clary, thoroughly worn out, was grateful that he had spoken instead of waiting for her to say something.

The detective chuckled to himself. "You don't have to thank me. I'm just doing my job. Well, I wish you both luck in this difficult time. If you need to get in touch with me, here's my card." He handed his business card to Clary, who tucked it into her messenger bag for safe keeping, and left them alone again.

Jace said quietly after a moment's silence, "So, what do you want to do now?"

"I should call Luke and see if I can stay with him," Clary said. "He's my mom's best friend. Can I use your phone? Mine broke when the mugger… you know."

"Sure thing." Jace reached into one of his pockets with his free hand and brought out a smart phone. But when he tried to go to the home screen, the display stayed black. "Oh no… My phone must have died during the investigation. This sucks."

"Oh," was all Clary could say.

"I think I have a charger in my car. And if we sit in there, it'll get us out of the cold."

Clary realized that she didn't want Jace to let go of her, but at the same time acknowledged that it wouldn't be practical to sit there all evening. And Jace's warm car did sound more appealing than a cold stoop. "Okay. We can do that."

Jace removed his arm from her shoulders and got to his feet, offering a hand to Clary to help her up. "Let's go. I'll take your suitcase for you."

Her initial reaction was to protest, but instead she smiled and let him take it. Jace just seemed like a natural gentleman who honestly wanted to go out of his way to be nice to people. It was extremely refreshing, and only enhanced Clary's attraction to him. "Thanks."

"You're very welcome." Jace was grinning now, which of course made him look even more impossibly good-looking. "Come on. My car is this way."

"I could have sworn it was in here!" Jace said bewilderedly, his face a perfect mask of astonishment. As much as Clary wished that he hadn't forgotten his phone charger, she had to admit that he looked pretty cute. "I must have left it at home this morning. See, the adapter is still here, but the cord is missing."

"That's too bad," said Clary, trying not to sound overtly amused.

"Alec and Isabelle are probably freaking out. I texted them earlier, and I thought it was weird that they weren't getting back to me… I should have realized that my phone was dead. I must be having an off day."

Clary snorted despite herself. "You're having an off day."

Jace glanced over to her, and his expression turned remorseful, comical in its sincerity. "I'm sorry. That was insensitive. I don't know what I was thinking."

She gave a tired smile. "It's fine, Jace. I'm not offended at all."

"Alright, if you're sure," he said airily. "If you really need to call someone, I could take you back to my place for a little while. My family wouldn't mind, given the situation."

Clary weighed her options. She could ask him to take her to the dorms at SXU so she could stay with Simon, but that wasn't the best idea, since the rooms were small and Simon's roommate, Eric, was obnoxious. She could also have Jace drive her to Luke's house, but there was always the possibility that he wasn't home. "That would be great," she decided, secretly pleased that spending more time with Jace was the best option.

"Excellent." Jace and Clary locked eyes briefly while he was starting the car, and they both smiled.

"This is your house?" Clary asked in awe as Jace's car pulled into the long driveway of a magnificent brick mansion with bright white windows. Even in the twilight, she could see that it was comfortably nestled among trees and manicured shrubbery, with ivy winding up the tall sides, and overall looked more like an old university hall or a historic hotel than a house.

"I was adopted by a very wealthy family," Jace said simply, as if he were discussing the weather.

"It's enormous! And so pretty… You must have professional gardeners with bushes like that." Clary indicated a row of boxy, immaculate hedges outside her window.

Jace drove into a roomy four-car garage and parked. "Only twice a week."

Clary's mouth dropped open. "Twice a week?" She felt abruptly insecure about her small apartment and how she could fit most of her possessions in a single suitcase.

As if sensing her thoughts, Jace gave her a gentle smile. "You'll see that it's a house just like any other. It has a kitchen, a dining room, a living room, bedrooms… The size is irrelevant. I can give you a tour after your phone call, if you want."

"That would be nice…" Clary said, taking in the sight of the row of fancy cars and miscellaneous sports equipment—canoes, oars, a soccer net, skis, and countless other accoutrements—as they made their way towards the main building. There was even an aerodynamic-looking speedboat on a trailer and a fireman pole leading from the floor above. Must be a sporty family… she mused internally.

"Normally, I'd lead a visitor through the grand foyer at the front of the house, so you'll have to forgive me for using the side door and sparing you from the pomp and circumstance. It's closer, and I know you're tired."

"Thank you." He was right; she was very tired. She hoped that calling Luke and going back to his house wouldn't take too long, since her eyelids were already feeling heavy.

They reached an elegant white door, and Jace held it open for her. "After you."

"Thanks," Clary said as she walked into a gorgeous modern kitchen: almost all black and white with stainless steel appliances and a huge counter island. "This is a great kitchen." She imagined what it would be like to cook in this state-of-the-art room, and decided that its layout was much more efficient than her usual handkerchief-sized kitchen.

"We had it remodeled last year. Isabelle especially loves the new design," Jace said, leaning on the counter island.

Clary thought about the statuesque, black-haired girl from the day before. "I met Isabelle yesterday, right?"

"Yes," he grinned approvingly. "You also met her brother, Alec. They're my adopted siblings. You won't be able to meet our parents, though, since they're overseas with the baby of the family at his first junior tennis tournament."

"Do you all play tennis?" Clary asked, slightly in awe. If only her mother could see her now…

"It's something of a family tradition."

At that moment, Alec entered the kitchen through an archway and stood with his arms crossed. His austere expression made Clary extremely uncomfortable. "Jace Wayland, you had better have a good reason why you were missing all day."

"I actually will have you know that I have an excellent reason, Alec Lightwood," Jace said calmly. "You remember Clary from yesterday?"

Alec glanced briefly at Clary, then went back to accosting Jace. "Where were you? I've been trying to contact you for the past several hours. You've had me worried sick. Izzy, too."

"I'll explain it all to you in a minute, Alec. Clary needs to make a phone call."

"Can you at least tell me why you weren't returning my texts?" Alec asked impatiently.

"I forgot to bring my car charger."

Alec heaved an exasperated sigh, a movement that undulated through his entire lanky frame. "Of course you did, you absentminded—"

"So, Clary," Jace interrupted, turning back to face her. She just wanted to be left alone, but was too tired and emotionally drained to say anything about it. Giving her a long look, he seemed to understand her desire for privacy and gestured for her to follow him into a small, adjoining room. "You can make your call in here."

"Thank you," Clary said. This room, outfitted in dark mahogany, held a miniature bar, stools, and a couple leather armchairs, one of which she sank into. Jace picked up a landline phone from an adjacent end table and handed it to her. For a second, she was distracted by the table's lamp, since its base was curiously shaped like a mallard. Jace saw what she was staring at and grinned. "Quaint, isn't it? Our dad loves hunting. I can't exactly say that I agree with his decorating choices, but ducks are pretty classic." Clary gave a weak smile in response. "Anyway, good luck. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me," he said, closing the door behind him.

Sighing and giving one last look at the duck lamp, Clary dialed Luke's cell phone number and waited for him to pick up. Please answer, she thought desperately.

"Hello? This is Luke Garroway. Who is this?"

Clary breathed a sigh of relief. "Luke, it's me!" she said, tears springing into her eyes.

"Clary! Is everything alright?"

"Oh, Luke, it's horrible," Clary said, really starting to sob as she thought about everything that had happened. "The apartment was ransacked, Mom is missing—"

"I know. The police called me a little while ago. Thank you for giving them my number as a contact. How are you coping? Are you okay?"

She sniffled, despite her efforts to stop crying. "I'm doing alright. I'm with a friend."

"That's good to hear."

"Are you home? When can I come over? I have my stuff with me."

"Oh, Clary… I wish I could have you over, but I'm actually on the road right now. I left a couple hours ago to visit an old friend in Massachusetts."

"Oh." Clary's heart sank.

"Do you have somewhere to stay?"

So she would have to spend the night with Simon and Eric after all, in their cramped dorm room… "I—I think so. I'll be fine."

"Just remember that you can call me at any time, okay? I should be back in town in a couple days, so just hang in there until then. Can you do that?"

"Yeah. I'll see you then," she said, wiping her cheeks dry.

"Listen, Clary. Your mother will be fine. I've known her for a long time, and I can tell you that if she was really kidnapped, she's probably making her captor's life hell right now and insulting his interior decorating. She's a resilient woman, and she would never abandon you."

Clary gave a weak, teary laugh, feeling comforted by his words. "You're probably right. And the police did tell me that they have it under control."

"Exactly. Now you hang in there, and call me if you need anything."

"Okay. Bye, Luke."

"Bye, Clary. Stay strong."

When she entered the kitchen again, Isabelle had joined Jace and Alec. She and her brother were both looking at Jace, who was speaking enthusiastically with lots of arm movements.

"—the Mortal Cup. We'll be fine." Then he glanced over and saw Clary. "There's our guest! How did your phone call go, Clary?"

"It went really well," she said with a small smile. Alec and Isabelle were both looking at her sympathetically, so she assumed that Jace had already explained everything to them. "I feel a lot better now."

"Great! Would you like something to eat?"

She yawned. "I'm okay. I'm not exactly hungry at the moment."

Isabelle tilted her head to the side, regarding the petite redhead for an instant through inquisitive, dark eyes. "It's getting kind of late… Do you need somewhere to stay? We have a few spare rooms."

Maybe generosity runs in the family, Clary thought. Aloud, she said, "Oh, that's really too much to ask from you guys…"

"Well, do you have somewhere else to go?" asked Jace.

"I was going to…" Clary trailed off and pondered briefly what staying with Simon and Eric would actually be like: presumably a spot on their old beanbag chair, listening to Eric complaining or snoring while Simon played video games. She switched gears, somewhat embarrassed nonetheless. "Well, not exactly, no."

"You can stay with us for a few nights," Alec offered kindly. "It's fine, really. You're kind of under extenuating circumstances."

Clary exhaled, before smiling gratefully. She was incredibly touched by their kindness in her time of need, especially since the Lightwoods hadn't been terribly friendly the night before. "You guys are all too generous. I can't thank you enough."

Jace returned her grin, unable to contain his obvious excitement. It was a wonder that he still wanted to spend time with her after everything that happened. "So, you are staying, then?"

"Yeah, I guess I am." It was also a wonder that Clary wanted to spend more time with him after everything that had happened.

"Excellent. Let me just grab your suitcase, and then I'll show you to your room," he said delightedly, his brilliant blue eyes twinkling as he strode to the door to do just that, while Alec and Isabelle exchanged fond eye-rolls behind him. Clary didn't know what she had done to deserve to know an all-around great guy like Jace, but she definitely wasn't complaining. There was just something about him that made her feel secure and comforted, which was especially welcome in the midst of all of the day's chaos.

That night, burrowed beneath incredibly soft blankets and her head cradled by a plush pillow in one of the Lightwoods' many guest bedrooms, Clary slept more peacefully than she could have ever imagined.