Bonjour!

I want to really thank you all for reviewing; it means so much to me. So many of you have reviewed on every chapter and it just makes my day and makes me want to keep on writing! 100 Reviews! How exciting guys! And it is all thanks to you! So once again Merci!

I wanted to ask you, I know my grammar and spelling isn't perfect, and I do apologize I am getting a beta to help me out, but I got a review saying that it was "shocking"… do you think this is true? I didn't think it was… but now I'm kinda down about it. So yea let me know? Also am I to pushy for reviews? I got told that to, I want to be a good author that's all…

Anyway… Here's your chapter:

Impulses chapter 13: Emerald Green Eyes

Confusion wrenched the world into its hands, roiling and flipping it. It conquered Jace's mind, causing havoc. He couldn't possibly process the extent of Jocelyn and Clary's injuries. Clary was still at the hospital after undergoing a concussion and some slight bruising to the brain. Although the injuries were disastrous, they were still better than the results the paramedics had originally predicted. But, he couldn't say the same for Jocelyn. Brain dead? What the hell did the term "brain dead" even mean? Did it mean that her brain was actually dead, or did it mean that she was suffering from brain damage?

Damn it, Jace cursed. He felt like his world was shattering in front of him, as if somebody had taken a shot at the seemingly bulletproof walls he had worked so hard to build. He didn't know what to do anymore, and if he tried to build his life back up with the shattered segments of glass, he would just cut himself. However, if he abandoned his life, he wouldn't be able to move in fear of cutting his feet.

It seemed like there was no answer. There was nothing that he could do now that would let him escape from the highway of depression and worry. His wife was unconscious in a bed and he wasn't even allowed to visit her yet, and his mother in law was… He couldn't even think about it anymore.

"J-Jace?" A small, meek voice broke the Shadowhunter out from his haze of thoughts and back to hellish reality. Lifting his head from his hands, Jace recognized the petite girl with jet black hair.

"Aline?" Jace asked, staring into her eyes. Against his will, Jace recalled when Clary had caught him and Aline in the middle of a make-out session. He hadn't known what to do then – he had just figured out that the love of his life was his sister, and having a relationship with her was absolutely forbidden. And then Aline was just there, and she seemed like the perfect distraction for Jace at the time… As he stared at her, Jace once again acknowledged that Aline was in fact, very pretty. However, in Jace's eyes, Clary would always remain the most beautiful girl that has ever existed.

"Um…hey," Aline replied quietly, fiddling with her fingers nervously.

"What are you doing here?" Jace didn't want to be rude since he didn't actually have anything against Aline. But, since the incident in Idris, the uneasiness between her and Clary had grown, and that made it difficult for him as well.

"Um…no particular reason I just –"

"Aline, seriously, why are you here?" Jace questioned; she never seemed to care about Clary before. Was one of her parents sick?

"Okay, don't laugh at me please," Aline begged. Taking a deep breath, she explained. "I came here because I had heard about Clary, and I came to see if…you were okay, and how Clary was doing…" Aline didn't dare look into Jace's golden eyes. Jace had known she was nervous but he was slightly surprised at Aline. She didn't ever seem to like Clary, but the fact that she was holding a bouquet of delicate pale pink tulips – no doubt for his wife – made him think twice about the intentions of the lady in front of him.

"Why don't you sit down?" Jace asked gesturing towards the seat next to him.

"Um…okay," Aline replied nervously while walking awkwardly to the seat. The tulips in Aline's hand looked beautiful and Jace knew that Clary would love them. He just hoped Clary would wake up soon.

"Aline, I'd have to say, I wasn't expecting you to come here. But, I think that it was a wonderful choice and it means so much to me and Clary. At the moment, everything isn't exactly…normal, so it's nice to know that people who aren't part of my direct family actually care," Jace said to Aline sincerely and carefully.

Aline smiled, looking at her lap. "I guess…I guess the real reason why I came here was because I didn't want you guys to have to go through this all by yourself. When we, my aunt and I, had discovered that my real cousin, Sebastian, had been murdered, I didn't have anybody to turn to. I wanted to make sure you and Clary did," Aline replied quietly. Jace murmured his thanks, and they both sat in silence, waiting, just waiting. The silence wasn't awkward, since both teens felt comforted by each other's presence.

A man began to walk down the corridor of the hospital wing towards Jace and Aline with a smile on his face. Many possibilities ran through Jace's mind, but a smile was definitely a good sign, right?

Jace jumped up in a matter of seconds, his face transformed by worry, as the doctor loomed nearer.

"How is she?" Jace asked, flustered. Aline had come up behind Jace, standing awkwardly as if she shouldn't be in this moment, like it was private. It kind of was, but she had made the effort to come, so Jace didn't mind all that much.

"Hello Mr. Lightwood, I am Dr. Greshlim. I am pleased to inform you that Clary is improving quickly. She has suffered some major bruising to her brain, which may cause some difficulties when she first awakens, but they are most certainly not permanent," Doctor Greshlim informed Jace in a very calm and casual tone, which almost angered Jace. How could he be so calm about this? But then again, he probably experiences situations like these every day, and probably worse.

"What kind of difficulties?" Jace looked into the man's deep brown eyes, like tree bark with flecks of green leaves. He seemed kind, but Jace was tired, stressed, and scared out of his mind.

"The brain has been shaken up a bit, which means that there may be a delay in her coming back to consciousness, but the main issue we face now is her ability to remember things. Clary has a limited capacity in her thought intake, so she will easily forget things." Jace stared at the man in front of him in horror. His vision swam in and out of focus, and he used the wall beside him to steady himself. Jace felt a reassuring weight on his shoulder, and turned to see Aline looking sympathetically at him.

"Anything else?" Jace asked, his voice straining to hide his disappointment and anger. He knew he shouldn't be angry at the doctor, but he couldn't help it. His wife was lying unconscious in a bed with only a short term memory! That was not fine, not fine at all. He didn't give a shit that it was temporary – Jace could only scream in his head, "FIX IT NOW!"

"The only other thing that has impacted Clary severely is her ability to be rational. This is extreme, since she cannot tell the difference between what should and shouldn't be said. She will become very blunt, and this may be quite a liability."

"Oh, that's fine, I'm used to the bluntness," Jace whispered hoarsely, trying to make light of the situation. He attempted to laugh, but it came out as a frightened choke that stuck in his throat.

"I will check in with her in about another two hours. She will have to stay in intensive care for another two weeks or so. After that, she may need rehabilitation, but that shouldn't be likely if she rests in this period of time." After Jace said his thanks, Doctor Greshlim turned and walked down the corridor. Jace glanced back to see Aline sitting patiently. She gave him a slight nod, and that spurred Jace to nearly run to the room H09 with a small sign on the door, reading "Mrs. Lightwood".

Before Jace walked in, he beckoned for Aline to come. She smiled, glad to be invited, and quickly rushed to the door. Jace took a deep breath, and turned the doorknob.

-Impulses-

Her pale face was surrounded by the beautiful fiery curls that Jace loved so much, and her eyelids were closed peacefully, tugging at Jace's heart. The most heart-wrenching thing about the scene was the tubes plunged in Clary's arm, hooked up to numerous machines measuring all sorts of medical crap that Jace couldn't have cared less about. A white patch covered his wife's forehead and small, yet numerous, cuts marred her ashen cheeks.

It was so devastating that Jace didn't know how he was still standing. He was extremely grateful that he had Aline behind him to support him through this. It was all he could ask for. The bed Clary was in looked extremely uncomfortable, the steely metal bars emphasizing her condition. A mint rug was placed neatly on the end where a plastic check chart sat. The walls were a plain white colour, draining the already somber room of any happiness it could have had. It was such a sterile room that Jace felt like he should have been wearing scrubs rather than jeans and a t–shirt.

He walked closer to her and sat in the scratchy chair beside Clary's bed and took her hand in his own. Her skin was cold, so cold it was heartbreaking. Her face was unfamiliar, not the usual porcelain tinged with a slight blush. Pale and ghastly, she was set as stone, unmoving except for her shallow breaths. It was hard for Jace to sit there and watch, not being able to help or do anything at all. They'd endured so much – getting attacked at their marriage reception, her mother being brain dead, her unconscious…

"I'm so sorry," Aline whispered behind him as she placed Clary's flowers in a small. They smelled beautiful and were such a lovely color. Jace didn't reply. He knew that if he opened his mouth he wouldn't be able to control his emotions and it seemed like Aline didn't mind the silence. She obviously knew Jace was hurting. Badly.

Jace just sat there, staring at Clary. Aline was tidying up, making room on a bench for flowers and any other gifts that may come. She was trying hard to not be too intrusive, so after about ten minutes, she said, "Do you want some time alone Jace?" Her voice was full of kindness; this wasn't the Aline Jace normally knew, but he was aware that she was only trying to help.

"Thank you, Aline, for everything."

She just nodded sweetly and walked out of the room, clicking the door softly behind her. It was just Jace and Clary, alone, finally. She was so beautiful, so perfect. How could she not see it? He loved her, without a doubt, and seeing her here in pain caused him more agony than any other physical injury. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear the doctor come in from behind.

"She's looking very healthy at the moment, Mr. Lightwood," Dr. Greshlim said quietly, hoping not to startle Jace.

"That's good. How long until she wakes up?"

"We have no idea. Her bruised brain will make it hard to put a deadline on it."

"Okay," Jace replied, disappointment roughening his voice.

"I'll be out near the reception if you need me. If you can't find me, just ask the receptionist." Dr. Greshlim walked out of the room. It was just Jace and Clary, again.

-Impulses-

Five hours had passed and Jace still hadn't moved from his chair. Isabelle and Alec had visited and brought balloons, chocolates, flowers, cards, and five massive teddy bears. Why they bought all that stuff, Jace could not understand. But, it showed how much they loved Clary, which was really great. Luke had come in for a couple of minutes with his own gifts, but got a call from Magnus almost straight after about Jocelyn. It seemed like the Fairchilds and Lightwoods just could not get a break from all this chaos. Simon was visiting Clary at the moment, standing on the opposite side of her bed from Jace. He was just simply looking at his best friend and the girl he had loved once. She was lying before him, motionless except for her chest rising and falling achingly slowly.

The two men didn't speak once. It wasn't because there was tension or dislike between them; it was more because there was no need for speech. They both just wanted to be with Clary and make sure that she was okay. All Jace wanted was to see those forest green eyes staring back at him. He was dying for her to wake up. The machines continued to beep and flash, but Jace did not tear his eyes away from Clary's face. He was afraid that if she woke up, he would miss it. So, for five hours straight, Jace just stared at his wife's face longingly.

And then it happened.

Two glittering emeralds flickered open.

So!

Tell me what you guys think! This one doesn't have as much action but I wanted it to show Jace's side and his feelings in regard to his world literally falling apart.

If you haven't read the Author's note please do, it is important to me.

Okay so I do hope you enjoyed it and that it was well written cause I really worked hard on this, had to re-write it twice to get it the way I wanted it.

Um… another 10 reviews before next update? Is that okay? I hope so ;D

I also just want to say that I am sorry it took so long to update, I just connected with my beta and I got some help but there was an issue with emails so it took a bit longer. I'm new to the beta thing so I'm just getting used to it so this chapter was updated a bit later and the next chapter (which I am sorry I haven't even started writing… but you know… I might write faster with… reviews?) will take a bit longer to. I'm sorry for the wait, please bear with me… I'm trying hard.

School for me starts soon and that will cause a major delay as well in updating, I am SO sorry

Xx

Green-doves