So sorry I haven't updated lately, I've been very busy with school and such! Anyway, Rate/Review. Let me know your favorite parts, your likes an dislikes. I don't want to continue this story is no one likes it so... yeah anyway. Here you go:

Chapter Six: The Breakdown and Backstory of Jace Herondale

"So you're Maia." Clary walked around a circle around Maia. Maia giggled.

"Yes. I'm Maia and you're Clary, the one who has intrigued the great Jace." Clary only scoffed though.

"I don't know why everyone is so obsessed with Jace and I but yes. I am Clary."

"Pretty cool. Okay, so I gotta keep workin', ummm Master Robert don't like when I bring him his dinner late."

"Got it. I totally understand. So-"

" Now you can say you've met Maia!" Max interrupted, as he grinned at her. "Now come on, let's go play outside. I think Daddy wants to have another family meeting, meaning we should get outta here. He hates when I'm even near them when he calls a family meeting. 'They're only for the big people little Maxie' Daddy always says. No one likes him anyways though. Or at least, that's what Jace always says. Izzy loves him though. She practically worships Daddy. Alec always rolls his eyes when she tells Daddy that though. I don't know why." Max rambled, and Maia's mouth fell open as she heard Max continue to talk. "Anyway, let's go Clary! I don't want him to hit me, Daddy sometimes does that when he's really angry. I hate when he does that. It hurts a lot and sometimes, it even makes my head hurt. So let's go NOW Clary!"

And with that, Clary allowed Max to grab her hand and lead her out of the room, casting an apologetic smile to Maia, whose mouth was still open. Since when did Max talk so much?

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"I want my girl back, Jace. I want her back now. We can go shopping and read books and write stories and help me dress in pretty things-" Izzy said to Jace. Her, Jcae, and Alec were seated comfortably around the fire, while their father was at the slave auction in North Carolina, their mom was off to who knows where, and Max was out playing with Clary, as usual. They had been discussing Max and Clary's friendship when Izzy announced this statement.

"Iz, you didn't want her before so you can't have her now. Max and I have her and that's how it's staying," Jace replied through teeth gritted. Only his sister would be selfish enough to ditch someone until they became cool. He understood Clary, how it felt to be left behind by people so many times that it felt like no one cared anymore.

"But Jacie, she was bought for me and you just had her until she healed. I mean, Clarissa would want to be with another girl anyway, wouldn't she? Max and you are so... boy-ish."

"You don't know that Izzy. You don't know a thing about her! You don't even know that she hates being called Clarissa, that she loves Max because no one else does, and she loves her job at this place more than anywhere else she's ever worked! YOU DON'T KNOW HER AT ALL SO WHY SHOULD YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO TAKE HER AND LEAVE HER! SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE LEFT HER AND THEN WHEN SHE BECAME COOL, TOOK HER BACK! BUT, YOU CAN'T HAVE HER! I'M NOT GOING TO DO TAT TO HER. I WON'T DROP HER WHEN SHE'S A LOSER AND PICK HER BACK UP WHEN I WANT TOO. THAT'S HOW PEOPLE BECOME SUICIDAL. WHEN NO ONE CARES ABOUT THEM!"

"ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE RIGHT ABOUT HER JACE? ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT HER, AND NOT YOU?!" Izzy shouted.

Izzy and "GUYS!" Alec exclaimed, shouting over the both of his siblings. "THIS IS UNCALLED FOR!" Both Izzy and Jace fell silent, Izzy, irritated, and Jace, fuming. "So, Izzy, you're acting like a real brat right now. Jace is right. He got Clary and Clary should stay with him, and Max. Jace, I think you need to work out some internal problems though, before you shout at Iz, because I hate to say this- it's really cruel, but Iz is also right. When you were saying those things, were you shouting at Iz about Clary? Or at your mom about you?"

"I- I- God, everybody stop getting on me about my birth mom! I shouldn't have told you about her,f because it seems all you ever do is use her against me! Don't talk to me, I'm going out, and none of you better follow me, or else you're in so much trouble.

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"Just close your eyes, the sun is going down, you'll be all right. No one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound," Clary sang. She finally tucked Max in and hopefully, that song lulled him to sleep, she knew it used to for her. That was one of the few things she remembered of her mom, the lullaby her mother sung her every night.

She stood and slipped out of the room, but not before she heard Max say quietly, "I love you Clary. You can be my new sister."

She smiled, gratefully and her eyes watered. How often does a girl hear that from such a young boy? Deep down though, she knew she was pathetic, finding the one person who cared about her was a ten-year-old was not an accomplishment. That showed the sign of a loser.

Clary walked through the house and out the back door, following the path down to the stables. She knew she wasn't supposed to sleep in the stables, with the guys (Kyle and Magnus), but sleeping under the same roof as Robert Lightwood and Alec Lightwood completely scared her. For two totally different reasons- Robert, fear. Alec, embarrassment.

It was just easier to sleep in the empty stalls near the guys.

Just as she walked into the stables, she heard a sound. And it couldn't be the guys because Magnus was with Robert and Kyle always sneaked out with Maia at this time. So who was it?

She had no weapon, so Clary was ready to punch the mysterious person when she heard the noise again and she froze. It wasn't a violent sound. This sound she knew all too well. It was the sound of complete misery and despair-the sound of weeping.

Clary rushed towards the sound, walking blindly, except for the dim light of the moon and when she finally found the source of the weapon, she tripped. The sobbing cut off almost immediately. When she opened her eyes and she saw blurry golden eyes, she had to blink. Once. Twice. Thrice. Why was Mr. Golden-Boy crying? Wasn't his life practically perfect? She sat up and scooted right next to him.

"Jace, what's wrong?" Clary whispered and reached out to wipe away his tears. Her fingers were inches away from his face when he froze and then swiftly pushed her fingers away, covering his face. "Jace, you can tell me. Whatever has happened, I will probably understand. I tend to understand what people say very easily." Clary tried to use the most calming voice she had. The one she used when a little kid had been whipped. The one she used when Max fell off the horse and skinned his knee.

Jace shrugged, but began to talk, and even if his voice was muffled, Clary understood him."My life is wretched. I'm a horrible, unwanted human being who doesn't deserve to live."

"That's horrible! How could you say that?"

"My dad was hated my mom, only married her because his boss said to. My mom birthed me and stayed with me until I was five. Then, she sold me to some plantation she found in Virginia. I was raised a slave, Clary. Just like you. And by the time I turned fifteen, I had been to hundreds of houses, because of my attitude and my mouth. Just like you. I got transferred to the Lightwoods and the made me work until I was tamed, and then they freed me and adopted me. But, no one cares about me, Clary! Maryse is too busy, Robert never liked me, Izzy only cares about herself, and Alec is the peace-keeper. He acts like he likes me, but I know it's only so I don't get mad at him. My last name is really Herondale, not Lightwood because my adopted family doesn't really consider me family. My life sucks, Clary. And no one wants me around, at all. I deserve to die in a hole because if a person is loved by no one, do they really exist?"

"Shhh," Clary whispered in his ear. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him close to her body. Jace put his arms around her slim waist and buried his face right in the crook of her shoulder/neck. "You aren't unwanted Jace. I want you here." And with this comment, Clary felt her wall snap. "You are a handsome, funny, young man who is loved by more people then he possibly knows. His father, who married for money, never met his son. His mother, who left him, left may have because she couldn't raise her son properly, so she left him with someone rich and hoped the family would raise him right. The godmother who is too busy may be busy tracking down the missing mother. The godfather who never liked you may just see things from a different view, because he was raised differently. The sister who only cares about herself may just be trying to look good so the boy looks like he had a better past, one that she wishes he had with her. The peace-keeping brother who acts likes he likes you, but it sounds very fake may just be bad at showing affection.

"All these people do love you, Jace. Just they all have problems too. It's not just you, Jace. Your past is your problem. It made you believe that you are the only one suffering. The truth though? The one you're scared to face? Not everyone is perfect. The boy in this story thinks if everyone else's problems aren't as intense as his, they don't exist. That's a lie that you keep telling yourself though. No one is worry-free, Jace. But, look at it this way." Clary pulled Jace's face out from her shoulder and held his stubbly chin so he was forced to look into her eyes.

"You can live your life in despair and misery forever. Or you can look at the world with new eyes. Try to find the issues, the cracks in people's facade, and think about things from other's points of view. I believe you're stronger than this, Jace. You can fight through this dark spot in your life. Trust me."

Jace nodded and sniffed once before he hugged Clary to his body again and placed his face back into her shoulder, inhaling her curly red hair. She hugged him back and they stayed like that, glued together, until the both were asleep.