Hello again! I know I promised the next chapter to be by the end of last week. I had gotten to writing and completely changed the direction of where I was going. My lovely beta, Lauren, was able to reign me in and steer me in the right direction. You rock girl!

Hope you all enjoy chapter 9!


JPOV

Revealing what I knew about Clary to my parents had to have been the hardest thing I'd ever done. I hadn't forgotten my promise to her but how could I hold to it when I knew her life was actively in danger every single day she went home. My mind was wired to protect people like that, my body had been trained for years. This sort of thing was instinctual, second nature to me. It was a wonder I'd made it this long without snatching her away from that bastard.

"You did the right thing son.." Maryse's voice echoed in my mind. That night I'd confessed everything to her and Robert. They wanted to immediately contact the Institute but I'd convinced them not to. Valentine had evaded them one too many times to be trusted with this kind of information. This was something that had to be handled swiftly and discreetly. There was no room for error when it came to him.

It had been nearly a week since I'd disappeared. In total it had only been 5 days if you counted Monday, but that time had felt like an eternity. Maryse and Robert were the heads in charge of a secret government black ops security agency known as SD-13. The plan had always been for Izzy, Alec, and myself to graduate from our training after high school graduation. But with the urgency of this situation, they'd agreed to fast-track my agent training graduation.

"Hey you're back" Izzy's voice caught my attention as she swung around the corner and threw her bag onto the kitchen counter.

"Iz, hey" I turned.

"Well what the fuck. Where have you been? I've been worried sick!" She squeezed me into a tight hug before pulling back and punching me in the arm. "Jackass."

"Ow! Easy! I just..had some things to take care of."

She stared at me suspiciously, "You did something." I looked away. "Dammit Jace what have you done, I promised her I wouldn't say anything! You told mom and dad, didn't you?" her eyes narrowed.

"Iz, you don't know everything, something like this…I couldn't keep this a secret. It's too big."

"Obviously! Jace how could you? She trusted me!" Nothing I said was getting through to her, she was only getting angrier and angrier.

"Look, I can't tell you everything right now, but I prom-

"Bullshit!" she interrupted, smacking my chest. I glared at her in warning. "I told you everything now it's your turn to do the same, brother" she seethed, thumping my chest again. I restrained her wrists in my right hand, halting her advance but she continued shouting. "Big, tough Jace thinks he can just handle everything on his own. He doesn't care about anyone as long as he's the hero and gets to save the girl at the end of the day" Her words were losing their sincerity and spiraling towards a full on meltdown. And that was simply something I didn't have time for this morning.

"Her dad is the fucking Shadowhunter! " I shouted, pinching the bridge of my nose in annoyance.

That shut her up immediately. . "So now you know why I couldn't let you in on it all immediately. She's not just some girl with a bad home life Iz. She's the whole fucking reason mom and dad's job was even created!"

Izzy's mouth opened and closed every few seconds as she struggled with words to say.

"Her dad…the guy that…he's the Shadowhunter? Like the Shadowhunter?" I could see the cogs in Izzy's brain turning at the new revelation. "Oh God.." she shifted her stance, making her way over to the kitchen table and taking a seat.

"I know." My mouth was a grim line. Clary wasn't kidding when she said this wasn't a game. If only he'd known how right she was before. "Maryse and Robert have a plan. We're going to get her out. That's why I've been gone all week. But until they can get everything together we need to go on as if nothing's changed. We can't risk her father catching wind to this. He can't know we're connected to the Institute or he'll spook."

She nodded deftly, still trying to wrap her head around it all no doubt. "Oh-kay" she said shakily.

"Great. Now come on," I shrugged my bag over my shoulders. "We're going to be late."

The car ride to school was insufferable. Somewhere between the front door and car door Izzy had snapped out of her stupor, demanding to know every detail. It'd been too hard to hold her off and I knew until I put her at ease she'd never be able to pull the whole thing off in front of Clary. An informed Izzy was a much better actress than an annoyed one who had been kept out of the loop for so long.

When we'd finally reached the school parking lot I was surprised by how crowded the quad was. Normally by this time everyone was huddled around their lockers, grabbing books and running off to classes. It was then that I remembered it was Friday; the Dalton Prep soccer game.

Shit. Coach was going to kill me for missing practice all week.

"Oh! There's Clary now!" Izzy jumped but I held her back,

"Iz! What did we talk about," I seethed as quietly as I could through barred teeth.

She shrugged me off "Everything needs to go on unchanged." she glared before throwing on a blinding, teeth barring smile. "Meaning I need to act exactly as usual, you idiot." she snapped before bouncing off in the direction of Clary. My scowl became a permanent fixture all throughout first period.

I'd tried to stay away from her, but there was no escaping Chemistry. By the time I had arrived she was already seated at our table with a book open and another hand scrawling frantically across the page of her notebook.

"Hey" smiled as I approached the table and shrugged off my bag.

"We're on chapter five now, you missed the Anion Hydration Lab, but I finished it for us." she slid a paper to my side of the desk without so much of a glance in my direction.

I stared at the side of her head, covered by a curtain of fiery red curls before picking up the paper she'd given me and placing it into my bag. Her anger was taking me by surprise. "Thanks.."I managed before taking my seat. After a few minutes of continued silence I moved closer to her, draping an arm across her chair and leaning in. "Clary we need to talk after.." I spoke quietly, finally gaining a reaction from her.

"I'll pass" she replied flippantly, continuing to scribble down everything the teacher was saying.

"Please, Clary…let me explain" I begged, lowering my voice as my nose faintly traced the edge of her jaw and up to the outline of her hairline. A shiver rolled over her and I silently cheered.

"Get the hell away from me." she hissed, shoving me away from her and sliding as far away from me as she could.

I couldn't understand where all of this anger was coming from. Our playful banter had never progressed beyond mild annoyance. I reached out, just barely grasping the edge of her arm "Clary I-"

She was up and out of her chair before I could even get another word in. For someone so small she sure could cross a room with impressive speed. "I'm sorry Mr. Roth, but I need to leave. I feel sick" I could hear her murmur. He nodded and pointed towards the door.

My mouth pressed together in a hard line. That conversation hadn't gone at all how I'd planned.

Clary never returned to get her things from class. I thought about leaving them there for being such a bitch but the good in me won out and I packed her bag up before heading out in search of her. At least it'd give me a reason to speak to her.

CPOV

Fuck fuck fuck fuck

I couldn't understand where all of the pain was coming from. Jace had barely touched my elbow and pain had exploded across my entire arm. He must have touched a soft spot on one of my new bruises. The pain had usually subsided after a few seconds though.

I had fled class, needing to be away from him. He did strange things to me and stirred up feelings I had no business having at the moment.

Stepping out into the hallway I greedily gulped in mouthfuls of air. It was like the classroom had been slowly drowning me and I was finally coming up for air. My body sagged against one of the nearby lockers as I pulled it together. It was right smack in the middle of classes so the hallway was deserted. Students rarely had this time off for free period so I figured I could go pretty much anywhere besides the cafeteria and library without being interrupted.

My feet began moving on their own accord as if something was guiding them to where I needed to be. I couldn't focus on anything other than the intense pain flooding my system, it was taking over my entire thought process leaving me vulnerable to everything happening outside of my own body.

It wasn't long before I found myself standing in front of the huge floor to ceiling windows facing the front of the school. I could see the entire city from this spot. It took me a moment to register the fact that I had walked into the old music room. The school had decided to expand the library next door and turn this room into a connected study space so it was undergoing renovations. By the looks of things, they were nearly finished. I could still smell the wet pain on a few of the walls. No one was supposed to be in here but I didn't really care about that at the moment.

My breathing picked up as another flash of pain rippled across my side. It took the wind out of me and I leaned against the window for support. I could vaguely hear someone calling my name in the distance but they didn't matter, only the pain. I squeezed my eyes shut willing the moment to pass. I think a sob escaped my mouth but the pounding in my ears were too loud for me to be sure. I hated Valentine for doing this to me. I hated him for making me feel this way. For forcing me to become used to this kind of a life.

"I'm tired of your lies, Clarissa. This type of behavior simply will not do!" A slash with a belt here, a kick there.

"Please Valentine! I haven't talked to anyone!" I cried through bursts of pain.

"You've been talking to someone I know it! After everything I do for you and you're still just an ungrateful whore!"

"No! No! That's not what I think." Tears were steadily flowing down my cheek, mixing with the black of my mascara and staining in thick black lines down to my neck.

"You had your friend try to drive by to steal you away!" his kick knocked the wind out of me. I was almost certain I'd heard a crack. Something was definitely broken this time. "We saw him! He stopped right in front of the gate!"

"P-please" my voice broke through gasps for air. "I never! Valentine you must believe me! I don't know who that was!" I curled up on the floor, blubbering up any excuse I could think of. "I never spoke to anyone about you!"

Before I knew it, hands had surrounded my waist and were currently supporting all the weight that had been dependent on the wall. The sudden shift took me by surprise and I crumpled against it, my body folding into itself. The pain had made me delirious and detached from reality as I slipped into the memory of last night. "I haven't talked to anyone, I promise… I didn't tell, Valentine please." I whimpered, reliving the beating he'd delivered that night.

"Clary! Clary it's alright. It's just me" A voice broke through the nightmare. "Clary? Clary can you hear me?" the voice repeated. "It's Jace"

My eyes snapped open and collided with my favorite shade of gold. "Jace" I gasped as tiny slashes of fire danced across my skin, stealing my breath again. I pulled away from him, desperately needing to put some distance between the two of us. Breathing a few deep breaths I could already feel the fire subsiding. He stood over me protectively while I leaned over supporting myself on my knees with my hands. After a few moments of silence, I could hear him open his mouth to say something. But it wasn't for another few minutes that he actually spoke.

"Clary…we need to talk." And for once I had nothing to say, because he was right.

I nodded me head, it was the only thing I could manage at the moment. Convincing myself that I was okay enough to leave my bedroom, let alone brave school was ridiculous. "Okay." I squeaked out finally.

He shifted his weight to lean against the window, "But first I think you need to see a doctor."

"Not going to happen Jace. I'm fine" I said.

"You're not fine. You can barely stand on your own" he countered, pissed off and clearly not willing to let this drop as easily as usual.

"Yeah, and whose fault is that" I choked on a sob, rising to lean my head back against the large wall of a window. Fat tears welled threateningly along the edges of my eyes.

For awhile no one spoke as I focused on taking deep breaths in and out. The crackle of lighting and the pouring rain from outside lulled my panic down to a minimum as the room darkened with the oncoming storm.

"Are you...did he hurt you again..." he whispered between claps of thunder. When I didn't answer he moved in front of me as I stared at the ceiling. My eyes were starting to water again but I refused to let the tears fall. "Angel." he breathed gently and I finally lowered my eyes to meet his.

"How did you find my house?" I finally spoke and he looked down, confirming my suspicions. "My father saw you driving by. One of his guys recognized you from the mall trip. Now he thinks you're somehow trying to take me away" I sniffed, wiping at my eyes. I'd never seen Valentine so angry as he'd been that night. Convinced I had been somehow scheming to run away from him again, he made sure I banished all of those ideas.

"I didn't realize he'd notice. I wasn't even in my own car." He shook his head, looking more pissed off by the second.

"I warned you, I hit his solid chest. "I told you to back off and leave it alone!" My anger was quickly returning. "Why couldn't you drop it? Why did you have to go and mess things up! I cried as a few tears escaped and rolled down my cheek. "You couldn't even text me back."

He kept silent, allowing me to continue my useless assault on his chest. He was careful not to grab me this time, instead he caved his shoulders forward and pulled me in to hug as I sobbed. "I'm so sorry Clary." he whispered, stroking my back soothingly.

When I'd finished soaking his sweater with my tears, he gently pulled away, lifting my chin to look at him. "I hate what he's done to you because of me." He stroked my cheek gently. "But I promise, I will make him pay for what he's done." My anxiety snuck back up into my throat. "I have a plan. This will all be over soon, okay?"

I nodded silently, fighting against everything within me that screamed to run away from him. A few seconds later the bell rang, signaling the end of class for lunch. My sobbfest had endured three class periods. "I brought your bag, Jace motioned over near the couches where both mine and his bags lay. "If you want, I can go grab food and we can just hang out in here for lunch. You don't have to go out there." He offered and I very nearly kissed him right there.

I nodded, gratefully as a ghost of a smile appeared on my lips. "That'd be nice." I said and his trademark grin spread across his face, sending familiar tingles down my spine.

"Be back soon" he kissed my forehead before rushing out to the cafeteria. Crossing the room, I bent down and picked up my bag, digging around in it until I found my makeup bag. Settling down into the couch, I pulled out my compact mirror to asses the damage. For the most part everything was still in tact with the exception of the concealer under my eyes and spots on my cheeks. I quickly fixed them both then threw everything back into my bag.

Jumping from the couch I glanced around and assessed the room. The only place I wanted to be was right up by the window but the space was bare of any sitting furniture. The couch wasn't as heavy as I'd predicted and I found it easy to slide the piece across the room and right up next to the large window. I'd also decided on moving the long glass coffee table for whatever food Jace brought.

The storm was still raging outside as the rain crashed against the glass. I settled back down into the couch, waiting for Jace to return. I couldn't believe the amount of trust I was putting into him. I couldn't ever imagine Valentine actually killing me, but I knew for a fact that when it came down to it, the most important thing that mattered to him was himself. If killing me saved his ass, he'd do it in a heartbeat.

The fact that Jace was just a high school boy wasn't doing anything for my nerves either. I wasn't an idiot, this wasn't some stupid romance movie where the pretty boy would defeat the evil monster with a smoldering glare and a carefully choreographed fight scene. Could I actually trust him? How much could he possibly do to save me from a criminal mastermind?

The door swung open as Jace returned before I could answer my own silent question. In his arms was a mountain of food I was sure neither of us would be able to finish. "Okay so good news," he chuckled, crossing the room to where I was and setting the food down on the table. "I was able to sweet talk the administrator into excusing us out of classes for the day with the help of Ms. Fairchild." He grinned, clearly thrilled with himself.

"Wow, and I see you've brought the entire cafeteria with you as well. You do know we have other classmates' downstairs don't you?" I giggled, picking up a slice of pizza.

"Mm, yes I did think about that. Briefly. They'll have to starve I suppose" he shrugged his shoulders, wolfing down his own slice of pizza.

The two of us ate in peace; stuffing our faces with pizza, brownies, and Dr. Pepper. Neither of us brought up the giant elephant in the room and instead skirted around the issue with easier topics such as school and Izzy's latest obsessions. Before long we'd run out of small talk and the only thing left to say was the one thing neither of us wanted to think about.

"So.." I said, chucking a fry in his direction. "What's this grand plan you have concocted to get me free?" I questioned, trying to make light of the serious situation.

He chuckled, flicking the fry off of his shirt. "Well…it's very grand" he grinned mischievously and I rolled my eyes.

"Hilarious"

"Kidding" he said. Placing his plate on the table and walking over to me, he held out his hands to help me up. "It's complicated to explain." he finished, taking my spot on the couch and stretching out before pulling down on top of his lap. I landed with an oof and giggled at his silliness.

"I think there was more than enough room on this couch for the two of us" I said humorously with a bit of curiosity.

"Mm, but not nearly enough to be comfortable" he chuckled, snuggling closer.

"Okay" I seceded, reveling in the hardness of this body meshed between the softness of mine. "But back to your plan."

"Right, the plan!" His arm snaked around my waist and began playing with my fingers. "Well, I don't want you to freak out but just so you know, I've enlisted the help of my parents."

"Oh" my voice was quiet as that new information sunk in.

"They're in charge of this private security contracting firm. Basically, when people need to find someone or need some extra protection, they go to my parents."

"And you're sure they can handle this? I mean...people have been trying to catch my father for a very…very long time." I said skeptically.

He shifted beneath me, "Considering the government is one of their biggest clients, I'd say yes."

I nodded at this. So it was a little comforting knowing the United States chose them over someone like the CIA . But then again, Valentine had been on the run for decades. Who was to say these guys are any better then the others.

"They are the main reason I was gone so long. I had to make a trip up north to headquarters to get special access in order to be on your team."

"My team?" I looked up at him.

"Yeah," he grinned. "There's a whole team of people working on a plan to get you out. Technically I've been in training for the past few years, but since I go to school with you I'm the closest thing to an operative they have with access. I'm so close to graduating anyway so they just moved up my promotion ceremony in order to be apart of the team working to get you out."

"Wow, Jace. That's...really awesome. Congratulations. " I murmured against the arm wrapped across my torso. He shifted pulling me closer.

"It's all going to be alright, Angel. I promise. These guys working on the team, well let's just say this; they're the best."

It made me feel better, knowing there was a professionally trained team working on my extraction and not just a few high school kids. "I trust you." I said. And I really did.

"Good, I'm glad. Soon it'll all be over and you'll never have to worry about living with that psychopath."

I smiled at that thought, burrowing deeper in his chest. Life without Valentine, it wasn't something I'd ever let myself imagine. It was a far fetched dream I never had any hope of attaining. But now, with Jace, anything seemed possible.

"What's going to happen when you get him...what's going to happen to me?" I asked. Without Valentine I wouldn't have any money, no way to live. And with zero work experience, getting any sort of job was going to be next to impossible.

"Don't worry about that now" he kissed my forehead. "You'll be taken care of, okay? I won't let anything bad happen to you."

My heart fluttered as his lips touched my forehead. I suddenly wondered what could happen between us once this was all done. Would he still want me the way he seems to now? Or would the thrill of having the tortured ragdoll wear off?

"Jace, what.. What is this?" I gestured to the two of us. "What am I to you? And what's going to happen once you get my dad?" I said feeling a little stupid for having to ask. But I was too curious to keep it to myself.

Before he could answer, the warning bell for last period shrilled in our ears, drowning out all conversation. We both jumped. Landon and Markus would be arriving any minute. "Shit, I have to go" I said, rushing to grab my bag.

"Hey, wait" he stopped me before I could get to the door. "Do you think you'll make it to the game tonight?" he asked hopefully. I wanted to tell him yes so bad. But I knew there was no way in hell Valentine would let me out for a sporting event. Especially after last night. Far too much vulgarity he'd say. His expression fell as he read my face. "It's okay, there will be other games." he grinned, kissing my cheek again. If he kept doing that I was going to smack him. Don't tease me with an almost kiss, jackass. I just smiled and told him I'd try before heading off towards the parking lot.

I felt like an idiot for asking him about us. He had tactfully avoided answering that question. And with his silence I had my answer. Jace didn't date. I'd known that. But the naïve romantic in me had wanted to see something more.

The house was buzzing by the time we all reached it. Valentine's men were running all over the place. "So…what's going on, guys?" I asked Landon and Kato as we stepped through the front door.

"Your father is gone again. It was an impromptu trip to New York for the weekend. He's having us rearrange some things for when he returns." Landon responded, moving over to speak with Markus.

"Oh" I responded, too shocked to come up with anything better. They weren't telling me the whole truth, that much I knew. But I was also smart enough to know not to ask. Running up to my room, I shut the door and leaned against the frame. I had never tried something like this before but with Valentine gone I was infinitely more likely to get away. Rushing over to my desk, I whipped out a notebook and began to plot.

Later that night, once things had calmed down downstairs, I cracked open the door to my bedroom. Everything seemed to have gone back to normal. Tiptoeing out to the stairs I made my way quickly to the first floor and rapped on Markus' office. "Markus? It's Clary."

"Come in" he said from the other side of the office. "What's up?" He said smiling as I walked through the door. Both Markus and Landon were leaning over a computer screen looking at something when I came inside. They had always been the nicest to me. If anyone would let me get away with this, it was going to be them.

"Are you guys busy?" I asked timidly, glancing at the computer they seemed to be so enraptured by.

"No, nothing too important. What's up?" Landon answered. Moving to sit on the edge of the desk.

"Well.." I started, looking over at the bookcase. "There's this game tonight at school. And I know Valentine doesn't really like me going out..but a bunch of my friends are going and..well" I sighed maybe just a touch too dramatically. "I never really get to do anything fun. It would just be a soccer game, apparently it's a pretty big deal." I finished, looking at them sadly. I was shocked to see how sympathetic they were looking at me. Maybe my theatrics hadn't been too much. "Can I please go?" I asked finally. "All of the teachers and even the principal will be there."

Markus had his hand on his forehead as he glanced up at Landon, the two of them having a silent conversation. "What time does this game start?" He asked finally.

"7:00 o'clock."

The two of them stared at each other for another moment. "Why don't you give us a few minutes to think about this okay?" Landon said, and I nodded my head before slipping out into the hallway. It wasn't but barely 5 minutes before I heard Markus calling me back into the office.

"Okay, here's the deal" Markus said, leaning forward on the desk. "We're going to let you go to this game. But, you keep your phone with you and on the entire time. If I call, you answer. Got it?" I nodded furiously, a giant smile splitting across my face. "You've never given us a reason not to trust you. Let's not start tonight. Okay?"

"I promise!" I jumped, running over to give them a hug. Landon chuckled, ruffling the top of my head. Making my way out of the office I rushed upstairs into my closet wondering what to wear.

I dialed up Izzy the second I'd cleared my bedroom door.

"What's up babes" she answered immediately. After I told her about me coming to the game the shrill that came across the line left me deaf for at least the next ten minutes.

"My God, Izzy! You're going to make me go deaf!" I chided.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so excited. Do you know what you're going to wear?" she asked.

"Why do you think I'm calling you!?"

"Oh! Right, right! Okay. Well it has to be something either black, white, grey, or blue! That's our school colors. If you show up to this game in orange or red I swear to God I will rip your shirt right off your chest."

The two of us laughed back and forth as we decided on what to wear. She had already picked out her outfit days ago but she excitedly threw it on and FaceTimed me to show it off. After an hour of deliberation, we had finally narrowed it down to a pair of skin tight white jeans and powder blue sweater or dark skinny jeans and a white form fitting sweater.

"I think I'm going with the dark jeans Iz," I decided finally.

"Oh but the blue is so pretty!" she whined, having already clearly chosen a favorite.

"I know, but think about those bleachers. As soon as I sit down on those dirty benches my ass is going to have marks all over it." I shuddered. White jeans were only ever good to wear if you knew you'd be in a clean environment. And a soccer game was definitely not that.

"True." she seceded finally, helping me pick out a pair of boots and accessories to add. We agreed to meet in the parking lot at around 6:45 before hanging up. I finished putting on my makeup before attempting my mess of hair. It was out of control today so I settled on a low messy bun, with a few strands here and there hanging down. At least now it looked like the mess was somewhat intentional.

Landon was waiting for me downstairs by the time I walked out. I thanked him again for letting me go as we both loaded up and heading off towards school. When we reached the school it was already packed with students. I saw his hands tense on the wheel but he never said a word or changed his decision. "I'll be okay. I promised, smiling before hopping out of the car and running off in the direction of Izzy and Magnus.

"I can't believe you're here!" She bounced up and down and grabbing my hand.

"Come on you two! I want to see the boys before the game starts!" Magnus whined, dragging us along through the crowd to the main field where everyone was gathering. I couldn't believe how many people had showed up for tonight. And not just from our own school. There was easily a few hundred people here crowding the bleachers. By the time we fought through the crowd it was already 5 minutes 'til game time and no hope to see the boys, but thankfully we'd scored good seats right smack dab in the middle of the field on the front row. Apparently Izzy was quite good friends with the basketball team and they'd defended our seats until we got there. Considering how many people were squished in the stadium it was a miracle they'd been able to hold them for as long as they did.

I'd worn a jacket to the game seeing as it was quite cold outside, but with so many bodies packed together I'd warmed up quickly. Shrugging it off I laid it over my seat before turning around to clap and yell as our team emerged from the locker room. The benches vibrated with how loud everyone was as our boys crossed the field. I had never experienced something so exhilarating.

"Look! There they are!" Magnus cried, pointing across the field as both Jace and Alec had emerged. I sucked in a breath at the sight of him. The uniform was doing nothing to quail the desire that rose up in my throat. I'd known Jace was toned but I had been wrong. Jace was down right rocked. He had on a long-sleeved black shirt fit snug over his bulging muscles with a pair of matching shorts trimmed in grey. I now understood what all the fuss was about him. He was gorgeous. Like unfairly attractive. "Mmph...I love it when they were the black uniforms" Magnus moaned loudly beside me, expressing my exact desires.

From somewhere behind me I hear a girl screaming "Fuck me Jace!" And I fought from turning around and yelling at her. How dare she objectify him like that. She didn't even know him.

"Girls do that sometimes," Izzy nudged me and I hoped she hadn't picked up on my annoyance. "It's so stupid, they don't even know him." She rolled her eyes, turning to glare in the girl's direction. I

"Where's Simon?" I asked, noting her usually present boyfriend was not, in fact, present.

"Oh he's off taking pictures for the paper. He'll probably be by the sidelines for most of the game." she replied, pointing him out from across the field as he shot a bunch of pictures of the team as they ran on the field. "Oh look! I think Jace is looking for us, wave your hands!" she said, leaning over the railing and attempting to wave him down. He saw Izzy first and both he and Alec waved, Magnus blew a kiss to his boyfriend and Alec pretended to catch it, making us all laugh. Jace spotted me next. He seemed to do a double take, checking to make sure it was really me. I waved shyly, feeling my face heat up by the attention. "HA!" Izzy bellowed, "I knew you'd take him by surprise" she shrieked. His face split into a grin as he waved back with a wink. It was a miracle I didn't fall over right then.

When the game started Izzy explained that in addition to being the captain, Jace was one of the forwards for the team and that's why he stayed on one side of the field. Alec stayed primarily on the other end of the field. He was the goalie. In addition to Jace and Alec, I recognized a few of the other players. Sebastian and a few of the guys who had attacked me at the carnival hung around on the field near Alec. They were defenders, and vicious ones at that too. I couldn't imagine half of the stunts they pulled to protect the goal were legal but no one around me seemed to mind. In fact they seemed to like it.

Every time Jace had the ball the crowd went absolutely insane. It was almost a guaranteed goal considering whenever he was passed the ball he made the goal. And while we were good, the other team was too. I understood why it was such a big rivalry. Whenever our team would make a goal, Dalton was quick to follow up with their own.

By halftime we'd managed to get up by two so the score was now three to five. I was pretty excited but everyone around me still seemed tense. It was only halftime so anything was possible. Somewhere along the way I'd become an avid fan, screaming passionately with the students around me. Izzy and I fed off of each other's excitement and before long I felt my voice getting a little hoarse.

As the whistle blew the teams both started walking off the field. "Dalton Prep looks pissed" Izzy snickered. And I couldn't argue. The players walking off the field did look pissed. One of them looked downright murderous in light of Jace's recent score on him.

"We seem to be holding our own pretty well against them considering they're our biggest rivals" I said, rubbing my arm as a chill rolled over me.

"Well that's because I'm on the team baby" a familiar voice came from behind me. I jumped back a few steps, startled.

"Get out of here Sebastian, don't you have some other helpless girl to harass?" Izzy snapped.

"Look's like I'm doing just fine here with this one." he chuckled throwing an arm over my shoulders. I cowered in his grip.

"Don't touch me" I said, shoving against him.

"Whoa, hey, no need to get violent" he laughed. I couldn't' understand Sebastian's infatuation with me. It was clear neither I, nor any of my friends cared to have him around. "You couldn't handle all of me anyway, princess." he leaned down to whisper in my ear before walking off towards the locker room. My eyes widened in disgusted horror.

"I don't get his fixation with me." I shuddered as he walked away.

Izzy had been watching something behind me with a pensive expression. "I'm pretty sure I do." She bit her lip. "And it's storming over this way right now."

I whirled around to see what she meant. The raging bull of seductive fury heading straight towards me was not what I was expecting. Jace looked beyond angry, he was livid, crossing the field faster than I thought possible. His hands balled into fists at his sides, causing his arms to bulge out even more against the tight black fabric of his shirt. His long blonde locks were sticking in all different directions due to the game but they still managed to look sexy and intentionally styled that way. "Did he hurt you!" He growled, looking ready to throw down.

"N-no, I'm fine." I stumbled back, thrown by his sudden fierceness. My heart was beating frantically. I knew he was angry because of Sebastian but I couldn't help the instinctual feeling that the anger was now directed towards me.

Izzy walked up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder "Jace you're scaring her" she whispered.

"Aw shit baby, " he shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "Clary I'm not mad at you, I'm sorry." he said, coming over to wrap his arms around me.

"It's okay, I was just startled." I said, breathing deeper to get my nerves under control. His brief resemblance to Valentine had taken me by surprise more strongly than I wanted to admit. But with his arms around me stroking my back, that fear was beginning to ease.

"Hey, come on let's get out of here, I've got about 15 minutes" he said, leading us away. I looped my hand through his and we took off down the bleachers and towards the main building. Izzy arched her brow at the two of us as we made our way across the field. I couldn't look at her so I turned the other way, following Jace.

"Where are we going?" I asked once we crossed the threshold.

His hand squeezed mine lightly. "I can't believe you're actually here." his boyish grin was back, making my heart flutter. "I mean I know you said you'd try, but I didn't actually think you would."

"When I got home I found out my father made a last minute trip to New York. He left Markus in charge." I said as we passed through the empty classrooms. "I think they've always felt a little bad for me so I played it up a bit."

He laughed at this, shaking his head before opening a door and leading us inside. It was the old music room where we'd spent the majority of the day here. The mess from lunch had all been cleared away but the couch was still in its spot right up by the window.

"If I remember correctly we were having an important conversation in here earlier before we were so rudely interrupted." He said. My face burst into flames as he brought up my stupid question. I wanted to be anywhere except here under his hypnotic stare. His silence the last time I'd brought the subject up had been rejection enough. I couldn't handle talking it out.

"Really, Jace. It's okay I don't need you to explain." I said covering my face with my hand. I felt ridiculous.

"No," he said, removing my hand from my face and bringing his own up to cup my cheek. "I didn't want you to have any doubt about the feelings I have towards you," His voice turned gruff as he closed the distance between us. "I want you. Only you." His lips were on mine the next second, scorching my skin with a fire I never wanted to burn out. My hands tangled up in his hair, pulling him down closer to me. He groaned into my mouth and I very nearly fell over with the lust pumping through my veins. The fact that a single person could have this kind of effect on me left me dazed. Every nerve was buzzing under his touch. I was vibrating beneath the surface and judging by his reactions, Jace was too.

We pulled apart after a few minutes and just stood there, breathing heavily while staring at each other. "Woah" he murmured, running a hand along my face.

"I know" I said, breathless.

"That was intense." he murmured.

"Ah-huh" I agreed, nodding my head. Great verbage, Clary. You really nailed it on that one I mentally chided myself.

He looped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer for a brief kiss, but it was over too soon. "As much as I'd love to stay here kissing you, I do have a game to win" he said with a chuckle.

"Right…I wouldn't want to be responsible for the loss on this particular game." I giggled, taking his hand as we both walked out into the hallway. He kept his hand held securely around mine as we made our way through the building and out towards the field. I'd glanced at him questioningly as we grew closer and closer to the field but he just leaned down to peck my cheek in response.

"Don't worry, Angel' he said, releasing my hand to throw his arm around my shoulder. I nodded my head, looping my arm around his waist.

"Just checking" I grinned as we neared the locker room.

"Wait for me after the game?" He asked, turning to wrap both arms around my waist.

"Of course" I replied, biting my lip before standing up into my tip toes to kiss his lips before walking off towards my seat. I'd debated for a moment whether or not it was okay to do that. But his reaction was all the encouragement I needed to let me know I was okay. "Don't screw up!" I shouted humorously in encouragement as I left, causing us both to laugh.

The field was just as loud as before when I returned back heading towards my seat. People had returned from the food stands and were starting to scream for the teams once again. It wasn't long before the Dalton boys took the field, quickly followed by ours. The volume really took off when our boys ran out onto the green.

"Hey you" Izzy winked as she made her way back to our seat with a bucket of popcorn in her hands.

"Hello" I grinned broadly, stealing a few pieces of popcorn.

"You ain't slick" she giggled, throwing a handful in my direction. But I had a feeling she was talking about more than just popcorn.

The whistle blew just then and the teams were battling it out again. This time around I was much more clued in on how the game worked. The back and forth started again with our boys scoring a goal and then theirs quickly following suit, but soon Alec really started playing hard and was successfully blocking every goal they made. Magnus lost his mind every time his boyfriend blocked a shot.

As the clock wound down our section was getting more and more excited. With the score now five to eight and less than two minutes of game time left, everyone was beginning to celebrate. With Jace firing off another goal, kicking our score up another notch, all of the fire in Dalton was extinguished. People around us begun chanting as the clock wound down from 20 seconds.

"5-4-3-2-1!"

I couldn't begin to describe the euphoria coursing through me at being apart of what was happening in the stands. The feeling was intoxicating, I was quickly becoming addicted to the high. People I didn't even know were hugging me excitedly before running off to the next for a high-five. On the field, the team was celebrating with each other and my heart swelled at seeing Jace so happy.

He glanced up towards me at the same moment, as if sensing my stare. I blew him a kiss, mimicking Magnus' previous display and he reciprocated the silly motion by catching it as Alec had.

"Come on" Izzy grabbed my hand pulling us down the stairs and towards the field. Magnus shot ahead of us, leaving a trail of purple glitter in his wake before launching himself into Alec's arms. By the time we reached the boys they'd settled down and were clapping each other on the back.

"Hey you" Jace came around, slipping his arms around my waist and twirling me in a circle before settling me back down.

"Hey" I giggled, "You didn't screw it up, congratulations." I said and he laughed, smashing our bodies together again.

My phone started ringing in my pocket and I knew I didn't have very much time before Landon and Markus returned.

"Hi Markus, I'm heading to the parking lot now" I answered happily, letting Jace wrap his arms around my waist and pull me in front of him. My arms wrested on his own as he talked to some of the guys on his teammates. It was almost funny how quickly were were syncing up.

"Clarissa, what are you doing with that boy wrapped around you" Valentines voice shouted over the receiver.

I froze, my hands clenching around his arm. Jace noticed, looking down at my face concerned. "Valentine...what are you doing back so soon? I was told you were in New York." I said calmly.

"I had a feeling you were whoring around out here so I rushed back and it looks like I was right. Get to the car immediately." He snapped

"I'm not…no" I said, stepping away from Jace. "That's not what's going on, we were just celebrating the win." I said, fighting tears. He hung up soon after and I knew I didn't have long before he'd storm across the field himself.

"I-I have to go" I said, trembling.

"What's going on?" Jace asked, pulling us away from the crowd.

"My father's back." I choked out. "He knows I'm here, he saw us together" My face paled as the list of possibilities flew through my mind.

Valentine was back.

Valentine was mad furious.

But Jace had a team and a plan

Said team was not ready

Clary was dead.


Thoughts? I hate cliffhangers just as much, if not more than you. I promise the next chapter will be posted soon!

XX Gwen