Jace's POV

Jem spiked another ball to the front of the court as Aline decided it was the perfect time to tie her shoe, again. I'd get it, except she was just in my way and I'd trip over her if I tried. Aline really sucks. Jem has mad skills and I didn't even know what Kaelie was doing. She seemed to be able to serve pretty good, but most of the time she just stood there. She refused to run after the balls. I think she was just trying to stay out of Jem's way for the most part, unlike Aline. She seemed to always be directly in my way. I didn't even know how I let Sebastian convince me not to play with Clary and Will. Some bullshit about how I was supposed to be giving Clary space. How does everybody seem to know that? Did Clary advertise it to everybody?

"JACE!" I heard the shout loud and clear from across the court. My head snapped towards the sound of Will's urgent voice as a tennis ball whizzed by my head grazing my hair. I didn't even look to see who had taken my sudden distraction to try to hit me with a ball, but I figured it was Kaelie. Jem seemed too polite. I took off at a light jog as I heard my name being yelled again. I hadn't really been paying that close of attention to the other court after Sebastian left with that other girl. Alec was surprising reassuring when he said that Clary wasn't interested in Will. Something about the way they interacted, I could see it now. The way they joked, or she'd whack him or jab him in the ribs, it didn't seem like flirting as much as how I might interact with Izzy, sibling bantering. Will jokingly calling me Clary's husband also gave me the feeling he wasn't trying to move in on her. I just didn't feel as worried about him. I saw them on the far side of the court. Will was crouched over a small figure, tan shorts, navy blue top, my heart tightened. I didn't need to see her face or even her hair to know that was Clary. I knew exactly what that small frame looked like. He looked up in my direction and I felt my feet moving that much faster. I had to get through two sets of gates, so it took me much longer than I would have liked. Her legs were bent sideways on the ground, but he was cradling her head. When I was still half the court away he looked over at me again.

"She fainted. Probably the heat. She was just saying she felt light headed and that she's passed out before…" As I dropped to my knees beside them, without any hesitation or request, he immediately shifted her weight to my reaching arms. I rocked her gently. She looked so pale, and Clary always looked pale, but she looked like a white sheet of paper and her lips were gray, no color at all.

"Then she said your name and collapsed." He said the last part very quietly as I adjusted her in my arms. My heart contracted. I should have been here with her.

"Clary? Wake up. Come on baby. Wake up." I said softly as I patted my hand to her cheek lightly.

"It's too hot out here Jace, and the ground is cooking. We should bring her back to the car. Put on the air conditioning…" Without a second thought I was cradling Clary in my arms and heading to the parking lot, Will hot on my heels. She felt like deadweight in my arms. I couldn't keep my eyes off her face. I wanted her to open her eyes, stir, just move a little, but she wasn't. I needed to see those beautiful green eyes, those eyes I had gazed into in the living room just hours ago. I shook her gently and continued to urge her to open her eyes, wake up, just move, anything.

"I'll grab a couple bottles of water from the cooler in my car. I'll find you in the parking lot." Will took off towards the parking lot.

"Jace." Only her lips moved, parting slightly to whisper my name. It was one of the happiest sounds in the world. I pulled her closer to my face and kissed her hair.

"I'm right here honey. Stay with me." She was quiet. She didn't say anything else for a long time.

Luckily Will use to be a volunteer fire fighter, because honestly I was somewhat disconnected from what was going on and I wouldn't have been as quick on my feet with what to do as he was, though I wasn't going to be quick to admit that. He was taking my keys, turning my car on, blasting the ac, opening the door to the backseat, helping me lay her across the seat. At one point Jem came over with Kaelie and Aline, and Will asked him to drive them back to their cottages. Will had some small hand towels in his car and he soaked one with cool water. I held it to Clary's forehead and cheeks while I continued to try to coax her to wake-up. She seemed to slowly stir, but her color never returned. She could talk a little, she said she didn't feel well. She felt groggy and like she was going to throw-up, but Will said that was normal. After we got the car cooled down, Will said he'd drive us back to the cottage so I could stay in the backseat with Clary and he'd just have Jem come and pick him up and bring him back for his car. He really did seem like a decent guy. I slide into the car and propped Clary's feet on my lap, Will said it was better to elevate her feet, but worse to elevate her head at all. Will and I didn't talk hardly at all, though I should have said something, a thank you at least, but I was too focused on Clary's fragile state to say anything. I kept trying to talk to her, but she wasn't talking much, but she did seem to have enough energy to ask me not to mention that she fainted to anybody. Like that was going to happen. Even if I intended to keep it a secret, which I didn't, she was still feeling dizzy when we got back, and looked white as a sheet. I carried her to her room, but of course Alec, Magnus, Izzy, Simon, Maia, and Jordan all just happened to be in the living room and that turned into a bit of a fiasco. Though nobody said anything alarming as I walked through the living room with Clary, they just rushed me, probably noticing she looked extremely pale. Of course when I got her shoes off and got her settled in her bed and went to get some water for her, that's when I walked in on the fireworks.

I could have just bee lined from the hallway to the kitchen, I didn't have to take the longer route all the way down the hall into the living room, but I was drawn into the living room by the sound of hushed arguing. Not that anybody was really fighting with each other, they were fighting Clary, but she just wasn't there to defend herself. Will was filling them all in on what happened, and there were a lot of concerned and cranky faces. Apparently that issue that Maia isn't thrilled about that Jordan was starting to talk about the other night at the diner, is that Clary lives alone, completely by herself. My beautiful, young, fragile Clary, has nobody at home waiting up for her, making sure she makes it home. Making sure she is alright. To make it even more distressing, apparently this isn't the first time she's passed out, far from. She's a bit of a fainter. If she doesn't eat right, or needs to get a vaccination, or blood work done, or pretty much just jumps out of bed too fast, she gets dizzy, and some of those times she passes out. Apparently it started a few years ago and her mother had tests done and it's nothing serious, she's just one of a group of people prone to get dizzy and faint. She'd be a little less delicate if she ate right. Maia was livid when she heard all Clary ate today was a little bowl of soup and a scone. Apparently since the accident Clary seems to be a little less conscious of making sure she eats right and she tends to skip meals. It was just a lot to walk in on, every time I hear something else about Clary I realize how much I don't know about her. I knew Clary was waiting for me to come back, so I couldn't stay in the living room any longer, and really, right now, I was already overwhelmed and couldn't handle much more without losing it. After a few minutes I headed into the kitchen to get her some water. Will followed me briefly just to suggest I try to get her to drink some Gatorade and eat some toast. He said it would be best if she drank plenty of liquids, but slowly, otherwise she might vomit. This time I managed to get a thank you out, not just for the recommendation, but for everything. He waved off my thank you very politely. While I was in the kitchen, Jem and Aline showed up and Will left to great them, before returning to the living room. Jem must have dropped Kaelie off first, that's what took so long. I opted not to walk through the living room again and just go from the kitchen to the hallway on the way back.

Clary still looked pale when I got back in her room. She wouldn't eat any of the toast, but she drank a little of the Gatorade. Remembering what Will had just said, I figured she probably shouldn't drink too fast right now, so a little was better than nothing or too much. She didn't say much, she was still so groggy, so I didn't push her to talk either. Everything was racing through my mind right now, especially the lifeless way she looked crumbled on the ground. I had such an overwhelming need to protect her, but how was I supposed to keep her safe if she wouldn't let me be with her. I tried not to focus on that. I tried to think about the fact I was with her right now. I held one of her hands in both of mine, gently rubbing it and occasionally kissing it. She didn't pull it away or tell me to stop. She just had a faint smile across her gray lips as she fell asleep.

I watched her sleep, never dropping her hand. I watched the color slowly return to her face over the course of the next hour; her face turned a much healthier shade, her lips got pink, a light rosy color came into her cheeks. I watched her face transform from a disheartening lifeless state to a healthy peaceful looking state. Then over the following hour or so I watched as the color faded from the sky and her room became dark. I couldn't see her anymore, but I still held her hand in mine. Later, long after all the doors in the hall had opened and closed several times and I imagined all the extra guests were long gone, and everybody was relaxing in their own rooms or asleep, Clary awoke. I felt her stir and squeeze my hand ever so gently.

"Are you still in that chair?" Her voice sounded very soft, I wondered if she was just still so drained or if she was whispering on purpose.

"Um Hum" I brought my head down and kissed the back of her hand gently.

"You know. You don't have to sit in that chair all night. I know you told me that those chairs aren't comfortable." I half snickered. The chair wasn't comfortable, neither were the sweaty clothes I was in, but that didn't matter. Clary was all that mattered right now.

"I'm fine. Go back to sleep." I whispered and kissed the back of her hand again.

"Jace." She whined. I really didn't want to leave, I wasn't sure I could leave, not without somebody forcefully making me. I just needed to be with her. I kept imagining the way she looked on the ground, the way she looked in my arms; so pale, gray lips, arms and legs hanging freely. She looked like she had died. I needed to know she was alright.

"Clary." I knew my voice sounded desperate. I was pleading. I squeezed her hand tightly in both of mine. She squeezed my hand back. It wasn't as strong as I would have liked, but I didn't know if that was because of how she felt or not. She took a noticeable breath.

"Tell you what. You help me to the bathroom and then you can change while I'm in there. Then you can help me back to my room and stay and lay next to me." Though I was thankful she was telling me I could stay with her, I didn't like that she was asking me to help her. That pretty much confirmed my suspicion that she still didn't feel well. She really hadn't drank much in the car or since we got back. Will said she should drink plenty of fluids. She was probably dehydrated.

"How about this, I don't want to leave you for a minute, so why don't I help you to the bathroom and wait outside the door if you need anything." I felt her hand tense.

"I'll just be within earshot. I'll get Izzy if you need anything. I won't come in. Then I'll help you back to my room, so you're right there when I change. You'll just have to promise to close your eyes…" She laughed ever so slightly, but it still brought a smile to my face.

"I know how much you like my bed, so we can both sleep there."

"Sure. That sounds fine." She said softly. I was thrilled she agreed. I had to drop her hand long enough to get up and open her bedroom door. Izzy keeps a couple plug-in nightlights in the hallway, so there was no need to turn on any more lights. I carefully helped Clary out of bed. She hesitated for a long moment when she first got up, though when I asked if she was dizzy, she just said she needed a minute and she leaned on me heavily. I didn't like that. I had a bad feeling she was dizzy and wasn't telling me. I didn't say anything though. I didn't want to upset her. I could bring it up to her another time when she felt better. I wanted to carry her, but she insisted on walking. So stubborn. Though, she didn't seem to lean on me at all while we walked down the hall, but I still wouldn't drop her hand. She was able to do whatever she needed to in the bathroom by herself and she let me take her hand as I walked her back down the hall to my room. I was a little concerned at this point she'd just say she wanted to go back to her room alone, but she didn't. She walked back to my room with me and I only let go of her hand when she was crawling onto the bed. She was still wearing the same shorts and tank top she played tennis in, so I offered her one of my t-shirts to sleep in, which I was happy she accepted. I grabbed some boxers and gym shorts and told her I was going to the bathroom really fast. I actually had to take a piss pretty bad. On the way back, I quickly grabbed the water and Gatorade from her room. I locked my door once in my room, walked over and flipped on the fan and the lamp on the nightstand, before turning off the overhead light. Clary was changed into my t-shirt by this point, which was much too big for her, but I liked the way it looked on her. After a little persuasion, she indulged me by slowly drinking about a cup worth of Gatorade. I didn't want to freak her out, so I opted to sleep with gym shorts on. After she got settled I carefully climbed into the bed next to her and turned off the light. I didn't want to startle her, I just wanted to be near her, so I tried not to touch her. As soon as I got comfortable and stopped jostling the bed, I felt a little hand reach out and touch my arm, then trail down my arm and knit her fingers into mine. I smiled. I automatically brought her hand to my lips and kissed it gently. A paused for a second as my mind caught up to what I was doing, I wasn't sure if this was too much, but she squeezed my hand gently, reassuringly.

"Goodnight Jace." Her voice was soft and sweet. I slowly lowered our hands and placed them between us, still intertwined. I couldn't help but smile a huge smile. What a crazy couple of days. Yesterday we were horseback riding, which was amazing. Then last night she was gone and I was terrified, which led to a horrible sleepless night, followed by a rather lousy day. Then after that, when I thought things couldn't get worse, and nothing could scare me more than Clary being gone all night, she passes out. Seeing her like that was definitely a million times more terrifying than not knowing where she was. Now, having Clary say goodnight to me before we fell asleep together, her hand in mine, this was probably the happiest thing that ever happened to me in my entire life. I would have loved to be holding her close to me, but right now, this was pretty amazing.

"Goodnight Clary." I closed my eyes. I had intended to stay awake longer, to savor the moment, but the peace I felt with Clary's hand in mine, her lying next to me, and after so much recent craziness; sleep found me way too quickly.