I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update! I know there's really no excuse, but 1) I kind of forgot about fan fiction (I'm a terrible person, I know) and 2) school, and life, has been crazy busy! So here's a filler chapter, hopefully it will suffice until I can figure out where to take the story from here!

They landed with a small thud, but on their feet. Jace let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding, he had half expected these strangers to lead him to a trap. He smiled bitterly; Valentine, his own father, had made it so hard for him to be able to trust anyone, he was always on edge in the Morgenstern Manor. "Jace! What do you think of Alicante!" Jace was pulled out his thoughts then, Isabelle and Alec looking at him expectantly. He finally took in his surroundings, mentally chiding himself for letting his father ruin something else for him. The famous City of Glass was much more beautiful in person than in any of the books he read about it. The sun was shining on the glass towers in the distance, making them sparkle and shine in ways he didn't know were possible. The cobblestone streets were perfect, the people walking and milling about made him feel happier and less alone than he had felt in a very long time. "It's so beautiful! I don't know how to thank you both," Jace was at a loss for words, suddenly emotional. These people had treated him with such kindness, and he wasn't used to that. "It's really no problem! All we did was show you where we live! Besides, most Shadowhunters live in this city, too, so we really didn't do much of anything! But I'm glad you like it so much!" This was the most Alec had said since they had become acquainted, and when Jace looked at him he had a strange look in his eyes. Jace merely nodded, not trusting his voice to speak. These people had helped him through that forest, had made a portal for him, and now expected nothing in return. He couldn't wrap his mind around it, and he was beginning to wonder why these people were being so nice to him. If this was really all a trap, he didn't know if he would be able to tell. However, if he showed that he was on to them, he would never get information out of them. So, he pretended to be oblivious as Isabelle said, "Come on, we should be getting home." Jace said, "Oh, my apologies I didn't mean to keep you!" Isabelle said cheerily, "It's really no problem! There are some people you absolutely have to meet!" That made Jace a little nervous, were they the people that would capture him and take him back to his father? He shuddered at the thought, but realized that if they were planning on ambushing him, then they wouldn't reveal so much about their plan. "All right, let's meet them then," he said with more confidence than he felt.

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Once they finally reached the house, after walking and Isabelle talking so much he thought her tongue would fall off, his eyes widened in slight awe. Their house was almost more grand than the Morgenstern Manor, with a beautiful, huge door and huge stain glass windows on several of the multitude of floors this house had. It seemed to stretch on forever into the sky. "This is... your house?" Jace asked, slightly jealous but mostly not trusting them in the slightest. Isabelle laughed, "Of course it is, silly! We wouldn't take you to some random person's house!" Jace smiled slightly at that, as Alec lead them up the steps and through the door. The inside of the house was even grander and more beautiful, with red velvet couches and a huge glass table in the center of what must be the living room. "Come on, you must be starving Jace." Alec said softly. Jace realized that he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, which felt like it had occurred a million years ago. "I, er, yes I am quite ravished." He said as Alec lead him through the door on the other side of the huge room. The kitchen was beautiful, with white marble countertops and white tile floor. It was spotless, too, but that didn't come as a surprise to him. It took him a moment to realize that there was a beautiful girl in there, too. With long, curly, flaming hair, and the most beautiful emerald eyes he had ever seen. Isabelle greeted her warmly, "Hi, Clary! Did you miss us?" Clary, even her name was beautiful. She laughed a soft, delicate laugh, "Of course I did!" Isabelle smiled, and then said, "Clary, this is Jace," she gestured over to him, "Jace, this is Clary." He smiled, "nice to meet you, Clary." He offered his hand, and she shook it almost immediately. He sat down gingerly next to her as she said, "So, what brings you here, Jace?" He was trying to think up a lie as Isabelle said, "We found him in he forest, and he almost killed Alec!" "What?" She asked, slightly disbelieving and slightly angry. "He surprised me! I wasn't actually going to kill him.." he trailed off defensively. "You had a dagger to his throat!" "You tried to sneak up on me!" "All right all right!" Alec said, after a few more minutes of them bickering. "Let's just put this behind us, okay? It wasn't that big of a deal, and I'm still alive and well!" Isabelle said, "Fine," as Jace said, "Thank you!" Jace was worried that they were going to hate him, and he was beginning to really like these people, "I'm sorry, really, I didn't mean to hurt you." Alec smiled softly, "You didn't Jace, really. It's fine!" He sneaked a glance at Isabelle and Clary, and they weren't looking at him with hatred or anger, something he was all too used to. In fact, Clary was smiling and Isabelle wasn't scolding like she was before. "Anyways, now that that's settled, we should probably get lunch started," Isabelle said nonchalantly. "I'll start cook-" "IZZY NO!" Alec and Clary said at the same time. "There's no need, er, we can order pizza," Alec said quickly. "Order... pizza?" Jace asked, confused. Valentine never ordered anything, and always had the servants cook something. "Yeah! Haven't you ever had pizza?" Clary asked suspiciously. "Er, no..." Jace trailed off, suddenly not wanting to be an outsider. "Oh my gosh, you have to be kidding! Everyone in the entire world has had pizza!" Isabelle said dramatically. "Well, I must not be a part of this world," Jace said, winking at the horrified look Clary was giving him. Alec rolled his eyes and said, "it's settled, we have to order pizza."

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Jace ate almost an entire pizza by himself. It was the best thing he had ever put in his mouth! Clary looked disgusted by how much he was eating. "How can someone eat that much in one sitting?" She wondered aloud. "I'm a growing boy, what can I say?' Alec laughed and said, "Now that I have exposed you to the glory that is pizza, you can never go back to regular food for mere mortals." "Agreed," Jace grinned. He was becoming increasingly happier and more comfortable with these people. He also new he had a crush on Clary, with her delicate hands, gorgeous face and hair, and beautiful laugh. "So, Jace, we don't really now much about you, besides you can eat enough for four people," Clary remarked. Jace froze, pizza slice halfway to his mouth. He laughed uneasily, "What do you need to know, besides that I'm also the most gorgeous man alive?" Clary rolled her eyes, "Modesty is an important virtue, you know." "Only for ugly people," He winked. She rolled her eyes again, but he noticed that she was blushing. "Let's start with a last name." Jace racked his brain for a believable last name. "Wayland. My name is Jace Wayland. What's your last name?" "Fray, My name is Clary Fray," she replied quickly. Jace nodded and Clary continued, "Where do you live, when you aren't traveling through a forest." Jace faked being scared, 'Do you want to know my address so you can come to my house and stalk me?" Clary nearly choked on her pizza, "I, uh, of course not!" She stuttered. Isabelle was trying hard not to laugh. "Sure," Jace said sarcastically, flashing her a smile to show he was only kidding. Clary punched his arm playfully. "Ouch! You're gonna leave a bruise," he said, rubbing his arm. "Oh, so you aren't used to fighting, huh?" Clary said, her eyes filled with challenge. 'Oh, if only you knew,' Jace though to himself. "Is that a challenge, Clary Fray?" "Definitely." She replied, a determined look in her eyes. Isabelle smirked, "I can show you both the training room, of you would like to settle this there?" Clary and Jace made eye contact and said in unison, "Definitely."

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After they had finished eating, and let their food digest, much to the dismay of Jace and Clary (they had wanted to fight as soon as they possibly could), they made their way to the training room. Jace had conveniently packed training gear in his bags, more out of habit than anything else. He had decided to place his bag in one of the many unused bedrooms in the mansion, after asking Alec and Isabelle multiple times if it was ok for him to stay the night. He would be moving on at dawn, of course, but he wouldn't be able to get far if he left during the night, he realized. He met Clary back the training room, and was in awe of her beauty. The black training gear fit her perfectly, and brought out her flaming red hair and her beautiful pale skin. He shook his head, he wouldn't let love destroy him, too. He grinned, "Are you ready to see just how often I fight? Or are you scared?" She look surprised for a moment, and a slight blush came to her cheeks as she replied, "In your dreams, Goldie. I'm not scared of you!" "You will be soon, Red," he said playfully. She smirked, "I'm having trouble believing that." then she crouched into a fighting stance, and he did the same. She threw the first punch, he easily blocked and sidestepped, and threw a punch of his own. It connects with her shoulder, and she stumbled slightly. That seemed to fuel her anger slightly, as she punched at him harder, he sidestepped her again, and landed another punch to her stomach. She was really angry now, kicking at him and punch at him faster and faster, he blocked almost every one of them, letting her land some o them so she wouldn't feel too bad. He feigned left, before faking her out and landing a kick that knocked her flat on her bottom. he smirked, "Need some help there, Red?" Anger flashed on her face, "I don't need your help, Goldie." She rejected his outstretched hand and stared attacking again. He couldn't help but laugh at how ferocious the small redhead was attempting to be. That made her furious and she attempted to knock him over, but he used her momentum against her, and flipped her over his shoulder and onto her back. The wind was obviously knocked out of her, and he said, "Still sure you don't need my help?" She scowled, but let him help her up. "You're a good fighter, Clary Fray, and you're much more ferocious than you look," he said softly, feeling a mixture of guilty and taken aback by how pretty she looked, even with her fair falling out of her ponytail and her face flushed in exhaustion and anger. Surprise flashed across her face, and her face got even redder, "Er, thank you. You barely had to do anything to beat me though! I was trying my best and you still beat me without breaking a sweat!" He smiled, "Don't worry, I get a ton of practice. I've been training since I was five, so most people wouldn't last as long as you did." He wasn't trying to be cocky, it was the truth. Her eyes widened, "really? Since you were five years old? Wow, your parents must be tough on you!" He flinched at the mention of his father. He prayed to the Angel that he hadn't noticed Jace's absence yet. he looked at his watch, it was already 5'o'clock. "Jace? Are you alright?" Clary asked, putting her small hand on his shoulder. "I, er, I'm fine," he said, feeling anything but. "Come on, we should get cleaned up." She said, leading him out of the training room and up a large flight of stairs.

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"This is the shower," she said, ending her tour of the upstairs. The whole time she was talking, the only thing he could pay attention to was her pretty mouth. He mentally chided himself again, and tried to pay attention. "Thanks, Clary," his voice came out sort of hoarse, so he cleared his throat. She took that as him saying that the situation had become awkward, because she said, "I guess I should let you get cleaned up. Whenever your hungry, theres plenty of leftover pizza," she winked, and the left. He smiled to himself, and then got a change of clothes out of his bag and took a shower, letting the warm water soothe his surprisingly sore body. He also let I soothe his mind, realizing that he missed his brother and father in some twisted way. He didn't know why, besides the fact that maybe they were the only family he had ever known. His mother left them a long time ago, but she didn't blame her. he would've left too, like he was now. Then, he realized that he felt guilty. He was hurting his father like his mother had, and was opening old wounds. He let a single tear fall, and then felt his face harden. Valentine had drove him to this, hurting him, making Jace feel like he was merely a tool for Valentine to use, not really his son. He realized that the closest thing he really had to family were Isabelle, Alec, and Clary, and he wanted to get closer to them. He knew he couldn't and that he would probably be alone for the rest of his life. He quickly finished his shower, and put on fresh jeans and a close fitting tee shirt. he ran a comb through his hair, and then went back down stairs. He saw two older people in the living room, and froze. So this was a trap! he cursed himself for being so trusting, but before he could turn around and escape, Isabelle said "Jace! Come meet my parents!" He came down cautiously, and said, "Hello, it's nice to meet you." He took them in, the woman looked a lot like Isabelle, despite her eyes being like Alec's, with her long dark hair and full lips. The man looked a lot like Alec, despite having brown eyes like Isabelle. He was broad shouldered and tall, like Valentine, making Jace a little nervous. However, he greeted Jace with a smile, and hook his hand, something Valentine would probably never do unless he was pretending to be kind. "Hello, Jace, I'm Robert Lightwood and this is Mayrse Lightwood, gesturing to the woman. It is very nice to meet you, and we are happy to have you in our home." Mayrse smiled at him as well, and said, "Yes, you can stay here as long as you wish. It's not like we don't have enough space." Jace smiled a real, genuine, smile, "Thank you both, very much. Your kindness means a lot to me." He was surprised by their kindness, and how they didn't expect anything in return. He was really going to miss these people. Perhaps he could come and visit them once he was in the clear and away from his father. They smiled at him just as Clary came down. Her hair was still damp from her shower, and it was falling in damp ringlets around her shoulders. She was so beautiful to him, it hurt. She noticed him staring and said "See something you like?" Isabelle smirked and Alec laughed softly as he said, "Er, I was just admiring how beautiful your house is," he said to Mayrse and Robert, trying to change the subject and trying to get on their good side. Mayrse smiled and said, "Thank you, sweetie," completely oblivious to his intentions. Clary stuck her tongue out at him, and he rolled his eyes and grinned. "Hey! We should go demon hunting!" Isabelle said brightly. Clary and Alec groaned as Jace said, "Yeah!" "Fine then, Jace and I can go and you losers can stay here!" Just as Alec was about to protest, Jace interjected, "If that's alright with you, Mr. and Mrs. Lightwood?" looking at Mayrse and Robert. Robert sighed, "Fine, just be safe." Jace grinned, "Thank you!" He quickly changed into hunting gear, and met Isabelle at the door. "You ready?" She asked. "I'm always ready."

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"Do you like Clary?" Isabelle asked suddenly, as they were walking towards the abandoned warehouse that Jace had portaled them to, after Alec had shown him how to make one. Jace nearly dropped his weapon in surprise, but quickly played it off, "Why do you ask?" Isabelle smirked, "Come on, it's sooo obvious!" He scoffed, "Well, I don't, so you must be bad at reading people." She looked at him from the side, "You stare at her like she's the most beautiful thing in the world, Jace." He felt himself blush as she said, "And she totally likes you, too. She would have never asked about your personal life if she didn't, or asked to fight you f she wasn't trying to impress you." "R-Really?" He asked hopefully. "Yes! I knew it! but also, yes really! You should totally make your move. Her mom is pretty overprotective, though, and we are quite young. But, that doesn't mean you guys can't wait until your older! If it's meant to be, it will be!" Jace smiled, "Thanks, Isabelle." "Please, call me Izzy! You are like my brother, you know." Jace felt warm inside, and very happy. "You have no idea how much that means to me, Izzy. Thank you. You're like the sister I always wish I had," he said quietly, surprising himself at how honest he was being with people he barely knew, but felt like he had known for a lifetime. Isabelle pulled him into a hug, and he hugged her back, feeling more loved than he had in a long time. "Now, it's kill some demons!" He nodded in agreement, and slipped into the demon infested warehouse, ready for any challenge placed in front of him.

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Jace felt like his legs were lead, and every muscle in his body was on fire. He had killed so many demons, he had lost count. "Oh my god, I feel like I just killed every demon in the world!" "Agreed," Have breathed, leaning against the warehouse wall. "Do you feel like you can make a portal?" "Yes, of course," he said, beginning to write the runes on the wall. He checked his watch as the portal was forming, and realized in was already 10'o'clock. "Oh crap," he mumbled. "What?" Isabelle asked. "It's already 10'o'clock!" "Oh my god, Mom and Dad are going to kill me." He gulped, and said, "We'd better hurry home!" They went into the portal, and landed right outside of The Lightwood's home. He checked his watch again, and realized it was even later than he though, it was really closer to eleven. Isabelle went up the stairs and through the door first, and Jace followed closely behind. He saw that most of the house was dark and quite, but clary was still awake, reading a book. "Oh good, your home! I was worried sick!" He assumed that she was talking to Isabelle, but he realized that she was talking to him, too, when she hugged him. "We're fine," Isabelle laughed, "but thank you for worrying!" He thanked her as well, and she just smiled. "Of course! Anything for my friends!" Jace smiled, she though of him as her friend?They had just met. "Well, Im gonna take a shower and go to sleep. I'll leave you both alone to talk," she disappeared up the stirs with a wink. They both blushed scarlet. He changed the subject by asking her what she was reading. "Oh! I'm reading Wuthering Heights." Jace knew his father loathed the book, saying it was "too soft" for a shadow hunter and that the characters were annoying and lovestruck, but he secretly loved the book. "I love that book!" He exclaimed. She laughed, "Don't spoil anything! I haven't finished it yet!" He smiled, "Of course I wouldn't, I hate when people do that." "Me too," she agreed. 'I'm tired of reading, though, and I can't go to sleep," she grumbled. He grinned, "We could always talk until you get tired. I would love to get to know you better." She blushed, "I would love that." She lead him up to her room, and they talked for a little while before she said, "Oh! There's something I have to show you! We have to hurry, though, or we'll miss it!" She lead him past her room and up another set of stairs. He was confused, but didn't protest, secretly going being near Clary. When she finally stopped, they were in a room full of various types of plants. She lead him to the center, where a silver-y plant was in a tight bud. He opened to ask her why she was showing her this plant, when she put a small finger to his lips and said, "Just wait for it." And so he closed his mouth and waited patiently. When the clock struck midnight, the plant opened. He was taken aback by the sheer beauty and size of the plant, the center glowed blue and the petals shone with a beautiful light, full of an otherworldly beauty. It reminded him of Clary, beautiful on the inside and outside, too, especially when she opened up. "It's beautiful, Clary, thank you for showing it to me!" She blushed, "It's really no problem! I love to come up here when I can't sleep. I can never remember the name of this plant, though." He smiled, "It's fine, you can just tell me later when you remember." The way the moonlight shined on her hair, paling it to an almost strawberry color, and brought out her cheekbones and eyes, was mango him feel reckless. He leaned down, put his hands on her shoulder and neck. Surprisingly, she didn't all away, just stood on her tip toes to get closer to him. Finally, after what seemed like hours, their lips were on each other's, and Jace couldn't help but put his hands in her hair. Their kiss was full of slow, burning, building passion, setting Jace's nerves on fire. Suddenly, Jace pulled away, Clary reached up to him, for more, but he put a finger to hr lips. "Clary, I- I can't get attached," he stuttered. "What?" She asked, bewildered. "I, I have to leave at dawn. I'm on the run." "From what?" "From," he hesitated, "From my father. I know he doesn't really love me. I can't stay in that house any longer. I'm sorry I wasn't, couldn't be, honest with you Clary. I'll come back when I can and visit, I promise you." She was silent for a minute, and the said, "You promise?" "Yes, Clary, I promise. I never break and promise." She smiled softly, "All right, I'll be waiting for you. I have to leave and go back to New York, but I always spend July here, in Alicante. I'll be waiting for you here, every July until you come back to me. No matter how long it takes, I won't give up on you." Tears filled his eyes, but he blinked them away. He had to be strong, if not for himself then for Clary. "I think I love you, Clary Fray." "Is that a promise?" He grinned, "It's a promise." "Then, I think I love you, too, Jace Wayland." "It's Morgenstern." "What?" "My last name, it's really Morgenstern." "Oh, well in that case, I think I love you, too, Jace Morgenstern." He smiled, and then said, "You can't tell anyone else about this, Clary, just in case my father comes and looks for me here." "I promise I won't, Jace." "Thank you, Clary. You mean so much to me."

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He could hardly sleep that night, so went dawn rolled around, he had barely slept for an hour. he was full of energy, and adrenaline, though, so he quickly and quietly showered and changed his clothes. He realized that the Lightwoods had washed his other clothes. He was filled with sadness at the thought of leaving these people who had been nothing but kind to them, so he found a pen and paper and wrote them a note, saying that something had come up at home and he had to leave to help his family. He thanked them profusely for their kindness and hoped that they understood. He also said he would come back and visit when he could. Satisfied at his goodbye, he quickly slipped out the back door, and started on the long journey ahead, hoping that he would find a kindness like he had found with the Lightwoods again.