A/N: Short one shot up ahead. Still playing around with ideas. So, yeah…

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Jace moved through the shadows, footsteps quiet as he listened for any unnatural sounds. Gaia had gone missing. The Shadowhunters were all in an uproar. The angel had to be found.

Gaia, Jace thought, gripping his blade tightly. Whoever or whatever took you…they are going to pay dearly for what they've done…

Jace followed his Tracker, something that a long ago friend had taught him. He moved after it quickly because it was fading as if Gaia was fading from this world.

A dilapidated church stood in the middle of his path. Once beautiful, it looked like a decaying shell of its former glory. Somewhere inside, he knew, was the angel that he had fallen for.

Careful of traps, Jace moved towards the building. No feeling of being watched came over him. No ambushes happened as he crossed the creaking threshold. Only dust rose up to greet him as he entered the relative darkness of the old church,

"Gaia," Jace called out softly.

Soft singing came from the halls ahead. Jace recognized the tones and felt his heart soar. Then break.

Gaia's voice sounded so sad, so pained.

If they hurt her!

Jace quickened his pace and ran into the main hall of the church. Candles were lit everywhere. Hundreds upon hundreds of white candles, casting shadows upon the walls and broken furniture. Upon the kneeling angel on the floor at the altar at the head of the room.

"Gaia."

Gaia's wings were fully out, lowered to the floor as if the angel could not bear the weight of them any longer. She had her hair loosely bound by a leather cord and her garb was simple and white. Jace was still amazed by how beautiful she was through it all. Though he could hardly see her face.

"Gaia," he repeated, casting a glance around the room. "Are you hurt?"

"My heart bleeds." Gaia whispered, head bowed to the altar.

"Did someone stab your there? Hurt you - ?"

Gaia shook her head. "No, no…no, my love. It simply – it simply bleeds. Bleeds for longing of home."

Jace moved closer to her and frowned. "This is your home. You told me that, right?"

Gaia sniffled. "I miss dancing among the stars and the clouds. The streets of gold. I miss everlasting peace and no pain and…" She lifted her head, eyes turned to the cross on the far wall. "I have been locked out for so long…"

Jace put his weapon aside and moved over to her. He put his arms around her, the only Shadowhunter not afraid to touch an angel in such a way. Gaia's body was cold like all of the warmth he had known was being leeched from it with every passing second.

"Gaia, you told me that God had a reason to send you here," Jace pointed out, smoothing his hands over her arms in a bid to warm her skin. "That he chose you out of all the other angels for a reason."

Gaia closed her eyes against a flood of red tears. "He never told me why though! He never told me why He chose me! And now…now I want to go back home and I can't! I can't because it wouldn't feel complete…it wouldn't feel whole anymore! My soul would never be at peace there!"

Jace looked at her, studying her as realization dawned on him. "Because you fell in love with a Nephilim. Me."

Gaia nodded and opened her eyes. "As badly as I want to go back, I want to stay here with you. Wherever you are. Because you make my heart rejoice in new ways that excite me and bleed in ways that scare me…" Gaia's slender fingers curled in his shirt. "Maybe I should repent for my sins…"

"Maybe I forgive you and love you all the same." Jace commented with a smirk. "You are a very persuasive angel when you do that thing with your tongue."

Gaia smacked him lightly on the chest. "Oh stop!"

"Seriously. Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned," Jace said, hands sliding to her hips. "Or should we say 'Daddy'?"
Gaia's eyes flashed ocean blue. "You're awful! Practically terrible!"

"Only for you," Jace whispered, pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose. "Now c'mon, We're going to get you back to the safehouse before any of the nasty brutes find you and I get to prove how many monsters I can take on at one time."

"So modest," Gaia commented with a small shake of the head.

"Yeah, I'm great."

Jace scooped her up and carried her out of the church. But a crowd of people stopped him from going much farther. Or at least, their blades did.

"Put the angel down," the man at the front of the group said and Jace recognized him from one of the meetings. "Slowly. And back away."

Jace glared at them and held onto Gaia tighter. "I don't think so."

Gaia patted him on the chest. Let me go, Jace. Please.

Jace glanced at her and saw the plea in her eyes. "Don't do anything crazy."

Gaia offered a weak smile.

The blond Shadowhunter slowly set the angel on her feet and backed away from her. Gaia wrapped her arms around herself and looked out at the gathered group of people around her. The man at the front gestured at her.

"Come with us," he ordered.

"No," Gaia whispered, eyes glowing. "You are going away."

Gaia threw her hands out suddenly and the people screamed as a flurry of feathers blasted them. Jace threw his arm around his face to shield it from the violent winds and felt the air whip around him.

Then all was silent and still,.

"Gaia?" Jace whispered, slowly lowering his arm and blinking.

The angel was nowhere to be seen. No trace of anyone remained around. Jace cursed and looked around the area, rubbing the back of his neck and seeing nothing.

"Dammit Gaia."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A/N: I don't know when or if I'll be ready to commit to a longer fic for this pairing. We'll play it by ear. Savvy? -Scarlet