Okay, so again I'm posting twice in a day :) I know a lot of people may not read this, but please do.

This is FIVE YEARS SINCE THE LAST CHAPTER. Just wanted to clear that up. Jace is 23, and Clary is 22.

Disclaimer: The only thing I own are my copies of the series, but no I didn't not write them, because I'm not the fabulous CC.

ENJOY!!! :)

JPOV

Jace Lightwood wandered down the streets of New York City. He was going to meet up with Izzy and Simon later, but he had the whole afternoon to himself. He decided to spend it in Central Park. While walking in the grass, he breathed in the crisp autumn air. He looked up at the beautiful trees, turned vibrant colors. Jace looked at one tree in particular, that was all red. For an instant he saw her face. The tree color looked so much like her hair. He sat there and stared at it for a minute, immersed in its beauty. Clary. He thought, involuntarily. Even just thinking her name brought him a burst of pain. Jace sighed, for a moment, then continued walking. He glanced at his watch, surprised that it had gotten so late so soon. He was pulled back into his thoughts of Clary when a flash of color in a window caught his eye. He stared at the painting. It looked so familiar, the brushwork, the colors, even the scene. It looked like something Clary would paint. But no, he thought. She's not even in the same state as you anymore. He searched for the artist's name, and when he finally found it, he blinked. It couldn't be. But it said so, right under the painting:

Clary Morgenstern

Jace sucked in a quick breath, then whipped out his phone.

"Hello?" Isabelle said irritably.

Jace rolled his eyes. Isabelle hadn't changed a bit, even in five years. "I know I'm late, but--"

"Damn right you're late," Isabelle cut in.

"I'm sorry. Really. But I was on my way to your apartment, and I went past a art gallery, and--"

"And..?" Isabelle said impatiently.

"There was a painting on display, and it looked so familiar, so I looked to see who the artist was," Jace explained. He took a deep breath before saying, "It was Clary, Izzy. Our Clary."

Isabelle was silent for a few minutes. "Oh my God."

"I know that's what I--"

But Isabelle cut him off again. "You've got to find her, Jace."

Jace smiled. That's what he hoped she would say. "I will, Izzy."

He hung up, and then found Clary's address on his phone. He took a deep breath, like he was preparing himself, and set off in the direction of Clary's apartment.

CPOV

Clary Morgenstern almost collapsed after she was done vacuuming her while apartment. She almost never cleaned, so this was definitely a first for her. She went back into her bedroom, where she started digging through the dresser drawers. She pulled out a photo, and when she brought it out, she smiled. It was one of the few pictures of herself and Jace she had brought with her when she moved. She traced Jace's outline. It was their first day of middle school. Jace looked like his usual blond, smirking self. Clary was short and freckled. They looked so different in this picture. But it was one of Clary's favorites. She frowned, involuntarily remembering that horrible day when she had left her whole world behind to move to California.

Flashback:

"We're leaving, Izzy." Clary said, trying to sound sure and determined.

Isabelle looked at her for a few seconds, then burst out laughing. "Good one, Clary. I almost believed you for a second there."

She shot Isabelle a sympathetic glance. "I'm sorry, Iz. But it's true. I only wish I were kidding."

Isabelle then burst out sobbing, which caused Clary to start bawling also. After Isabelle had left, Clary looked around her empty house. She had never seen it look so..blank. The job offer had come up so suddenly, and Clary didn't want to tell anyone. It was just too hard. She looked at the one item she had not packed, a picture of herself and Jace. She blinked back the tears and set it back down. He would find it, eventually. She knew he would. She ran down the steps, and almost ran into her mother, looking as cheery as ever.

"Ready, honey?"

Clary spared one last glance as her childhood home, before she left it behind forever.

End of Flashback

California had been alright, she thought. She hadn't met any great friends like she had here in New York, but she managed. After high school, she decided to move back to New York. And when she made it back, she realized how much she had missed all of it. The city, the traffic, even the snow. She was careful not to mention the fact that she was back to Isabelle or Simon, they would tell Jace. But she had told Magnus, Alec and Sebastian. And Sebastian--

Her thoughts were cut off by the knocking at her door. Clary hurriedly got up. She glanced in the mirror, sure she was wearing really old clothes, but she doubted whoever it was would care. So she just shrugged, and went to go answer the incessant knocking.

"Hey, Clary."

She blinked. It couldn't be. But Jace Lightwood was standing right in front of her. She touched his arm to make sure he wasn't a ghost. Well that, and she felt like she was going to faint. Finally her mind started working again. "Jace?"

He grinned. "The one and only."

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes before Jace cleared his throat and said, "I know it's kind of short notice, but would you like to go out for dinner? Catch up.."

Clary blinked. "Uh..sure. Let me just go change real quick. I'm a mess."

Jace's eyes smoldered. "You look beautiful, as always."

She blushed, and hurried up to go get changed. She hoped he wasn't taking he wasn't taking her anywhere fancy because she looked terrible. Clary still couldn't believe he was standing out there. How had he found her? Alec? Magnus? It didn't make sense. She rushed back to him, and they started walking in a comfortable silence.

"So..how have you been?" Clary asked hesitantly.

"Decent," Jace looked at her. "What about you?"

Clary cleared her throat. "Um..fine."

They made other tedious small talk while they walked to the restaurant. When they got closer, Clary grinned in spite of it all.

"Fred's Diner." She stated while Jace looked over at her again. He smiled, too.

"Yeah, do you remember how many hours we spent here, pigging out?"

Of course she remembered. They were the best times of her life. "Drinking the chocolate milkshakes.."

Jace licked his lips. "I just might have to get one of those. I haven't had one in forever."

They got a table, and sat down across from each other. They had gotten more relaxed as their conversation went on. It was almost like old times. Well, except for those occasional awkward silences. When their food came, they both dug in eagerly.

"I didn't realize how starving I was." Clary said with her mouth full. Jace laughed at the picture. Jace dug into his food, and Clary took this moment to study him. He still looked almost the same, five years later. But something in his features hinted unhappiness, underneath his eyes were dark circles from many sleepless nights. Jace looked up and stared at her for a minute, before going back to his food.

"Me too," Jace finally agreed, as he reached for the salt. Coincidentally, Clary reached for the salt at the exact same moment. When their hands touched, Clary felt the same spark she had felt when she last saw him. She figured Jace had felt the same, but when she looked up, she saw he was staring at her hand with a peculiar expression on his face. Clary glanced down. She couldn't imagine what he would be so confused about her hand. then she remembered. Oh shit.

Jace motioned to her hand, "What's that?"

She looked down at the beautiful diamond ring that occupied her finger. She wished she could disappear at this moment. She wished she would've never agreed to coming to dinner with him. She should have expected something like this to happen. But there's no going back now. She thought. Clary took a deep breath before saying,

"Jace, I'm engaged."

I'm so sorry for killing you with these cliff hangers! But I love you guys! I swear! I just looove cliffs :) they keep you interested. Anyways, review!