Lost part 6

XI

School had been going for a few weeks again, and by now everyone was getting seriously worked up about their exams.
The fact that most teachers just kept running their noses raw with revisions and lectures about how important these tests could be really didn't help. If anything they just made everyone even more nervous and on edge. Throughout school several students had already been brought to the nurse with nervous breakdowns. Sudden screaming outburst echoing through the hallways were an almost daily occurrence now, as were fainting spells and sudden vomiting.

For Jace, Isabelle and Clary there was the added stress that this were their finals.
Jace had thrown himself into studying, which helped to keep his mind from Valentine and the pain of the welts on his back. They were deeper than usual, so healing took all lot longer and was far more painful than it had ever been before. He hadn't seen Valentine again since that fateful night at the end of the holiday, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he decided to rear his ugly head again. He was smart enough though not to do it during the exams, thank God. Their sat encounter had taken a lot out of Jace, both mentally and physically. His nightmares had gotten worse again, and only the past weekend he'd called Clary in the middle of the night, half blind with panic after waking up from a particularly realistic dream. Clary had rushed over, only to find him in tears. They had clung together for the rest of the night. Clary mumbling sweet nothings in his ear, soothing him.
Jace hated himself for being so weak. He ought to be stronger, not break down so easily. Big boys don't cry, they man up and keep going. It was something Valentine had instilled in him for so long, often by being cruel to him.
The first night at the Lightwoods he had woken up crying. Maryse had rushed into his room to check on him, having been woken by the sound of his sobs.
Jace had expected to be punished at least, if not beaten. It was to his enormous surprise that she had picked him up and cuddled him on her lap. It was only then that he slowly started to realize that what Valentine had always done, wasn't exactly normal.


It took all of Jace’s strength to get up in the morning and get going for school. It was usually the thought of seeing Clary that helped him through it. She was there for him at every turn.
The constant studying also kept him from dwelling too much on how he felt about Clary. He liked her, alot, but it was different from how it had been with girls before.
He had always been, as they say, a player. A lot of girls would have thrown them at his feet had he asked it of them, though he never did. He knew he could get most girls, if he wanted. He flirted a lot, but the moment a girl tended to get closer to him, he pushed them away, often rather savagely just to make sure they didn't invade his personal space.
But with Clary, thing were different. There was no desire, no lust, no feeling of just wanting her.
There were however feelings of caring for her, being worried when she wouldn't answer her phone, wanting to be with her and most of all, wanting to share his feelings and life with her. He wanted to share his secrets with her, something that had never happened before, not even with his family.
But despite the fact that those feelings made him incredibly happy, they also terrified them.
No one could know what happened to him at Valentine’s. The man had made that very clear from the start. Whatever happened at the manor, would have to stay a secret.
And the reason for that was Jace’s mother.
Jace was absolutely sure that Valentine knew something more about his mother’s disappearance, but the man wouldn't spill it. From the first time he had laid hands on Jace he had told him that if he was a good boy, one day his mother would return to him. That she had left him because he was a failure, because he wasn't good enough.
The kind of lies that stuck to a frightened and desperately sad ten year old boy for years.
And even though Jace didn't really believe those things anymore, there was still a little part of his brain that kept the doubt alive. A part that had never stopped worrying that he had indeed been a disappointment to his mother and that that was the reason she had left him so abruptly all those years ago.


“Izzy, for God's sake stop pacing!” Jace said irritated.
Isabelle had been pacing through the living room for the past hour or so and was seriously getting on his nerves.
It was their final exam today and they were all nervous.
Jace had been edgy for some days already.
His nerves were frayed and he was in desperate need of a way to relax a little. He hoped once today’s exam was over he'd be able to just ask Clary over and sit back, enjoy the nice weather, watch some movies or read a good book. The vision of himself and Clary, just having a good time together in the back yard, gave him back some energy. He just needed to get through the next few hours and things would be over.
His phone rang and he jumped, startled, before picking up.
“Jace?” came Clary's voice from the other side of the line.
“Clary!” Jace said, “Hi! Is everything alright?”
“Yes I'm fine, thanks. Just wanted to ask if I had to pick you up today or you would drive with Alec and Izzy.”
“Please come pick me up!” he answered. “Izzy is driving me insane!”
“Alright, I'll be there in a bit.” Clary laughed and disconnected the line.
Jace went upstairs to get his schoolbag and went to wait on the driveway so at least he was free from Isabelle’s constant fretting.
It wasn't long before Clary's car pulled up in front of him and he got in.
“Hi.” Clary said, a smile on her face.
“Hi to you too.” replied Jace, and winked.
“So, how do you think today will be? Ready for your final exam?” he asked while grabbing a book to do some last minute revision.
“Not in a million years.” Clary sighed. “You know how awful I am wit math. I just don't get what it's all about. But who knows, it might be my lucky day.”
“You'll do just fine.” Jace reassured her. “Starkweather’s exams aren't so bad usually. Don't worry too much, try to keep a clear head.”
“I'll try.” Clary said, not convinced.
Once they had arrived at school they did all they could to avoid too much contact with other students. That would only lead to questions, last minute textbook checks and a ton of added stress no one could use.
Clary and Jace had retreated somewhat at the end of a grass field, under the shade of a willow tree.
They weren't taking, they just sat there enjoying each other's company and waiting for the bell to signal the start of three hours of torture.
“Break a leg.” Jace said to Clary just before they entered their classroom and gave her a hug.
“You too.” she whispered, looking a little green.
They both sat at opposite ends of the desk and started working.


It was a little over three hours later that Clary and Jace met again in the parking lot.
“That was awful!” Clary said when she arrived.
Jace had finished some time before her and had been waiting, leaning against the hood of the car.
“I'm sure it wasn't that bad.” Jace soothed.
“It was, I blacked out over half of the questions!” Clary exclaimed. “I'm so going to fail this one.”
She looked sad, her eyes downcast.
“Don't worry about it. We'll get our results back in a few days and then we'll see what happens. You're going to NYU for arts, not rocket science, so it probably won't be such a big deal if you would fail, which I'm sure you didn't.” Jace hugged her tightly for a moment.
“Do you want me to drive?”
“I'll be ok I guess. Let's go.”
“My place?” Jace asked.
“Sure, I don't want to be alone now and mom and Luke are working.”
Together they drove out of the parking lot and off to Jace’s house.


The afternoon sun found Jace and Clary spread on a blanket in the backyard of the Lightwoods house. It had warmed nicely that day and they were enjoying the warmth the sun had to offer.
Clary lay flat on her back, eyes closed soaking up all the vitamin D she could get, wearing a tank top and shorts.
Jace had his head on her stomach, his knees drawn up and a book on his lap.
It was bliss, just laying there.
The past weeks had been hard on all of them.
Jace had been having rough nights since his last encounter with Valentine, but due to their exams Clary hadn’t always been able to stay with him.
It had resulted in countless nights with little to no sleep. So often he had woken, screaming and drenched in cold sweat, only to realise it wasn’t even 2 am and knowing he wouldn’t be able to sleep again.
He had dragged himself through the days on painkillers and energy drinks and right now he was just about to crash completely.
He was dozing off while Clary’s fingers were running circles through his hair.
It was quite amazing, Jace thought, that he would have found a soulmate in a girl he only met a few months before.


The day went by in a slumber of reading, sleeping, eating a little and generally just enjoying each other’s company.
By the time the sun went down Clary had to go home. Her mother had prepared dinner and was dying to have a mother-daughter evening for the first time in forever.
“I’m sorry I have to go.” Clary said.
Her eyes looked sad and her fingers kept caressing through Jace’s hair.
They were in the living room, hanging out in the couch with the TV on in the background.
“I know, but your mom deserves to have you just for her every once in awhile.” replied Jace, looking up at her. His head lay in her lap, his feet dangling over the edge.
“I’ll be back tomorrow.” she promised
“That’s fine, just make sure to avoid Izzy or you’ll be dragged into her plans for the graduation party at the end of the week.”
“Ok, I’ll try.”
Clary got up, shifting Jace’s head to a pillow and took her car keys.
“We’ll talk soon. And if you need me, please call and I’ll see what I can do.”
She kissed his forehead and left.


Jace just lay back in the couch, not moving from the position Clary had left him in, and listened to the car backing out of the driveway, the sound of the engine slowly ebbing away.
The place where her lips had touched his forehead was burning a little bit, his fingers touching it lightly.
He smiled to himself, feeling happy and at place for the first time since very, very long.
His phone buzzed, lighting up from the side table.
He turned his head reluctantly to grab at it and read the message:
~ Don’t tell anyone, remember. ~ It read

Jace jumped up, his heart hammering in his chest.
How was this possible? Had someone been spying on him? It must be.
Fear made his stomach clench and his hands trembled so violently that he nearly dropped his phone.
Trying to breath deeply so as not to pass out he looked at his phone and almost vomited.
~Let me know when you get home. Miss you already. Xo ~ he texted Clary, hoping she wouldn’t see his terror through the message.



Clary read Jace’s message and frowned, he never texted her something like this.
~ I'm alright, got home fine. Are you ok? Let me know if you need anything. Xoxo ~ she send back.
“Are you alright?” her mother asked, you look worried.
“It's fine, just Jace who sent a weird message.”
“How is Jace?” Jocelyn required. “He looked so tired last time I saw him, and the exams her even started yet.”
“He's ok now. He has some trouble sleeping from time to time, but with the exams over I think things will get back to normal soon.”
“If he needs anything we can help with, just ask. He's a sweet kid and life hasn't exactly been easy on him, has it?”
“No, not really. Although he got lucky with the Lightwoods taking him in.”
“That's definitely true, it could have been much worse if he'd ended up in the system. You two seem to get along very well to, don't you?”
“Yes, we're good friends.”
“Just friends?”
“Yes mom, just friends, we're not dating or anything!”
Clary’s phone buzzed again and a text message appeared on the screen:
~ I'm ok, don't worry. Enjoy the evening with your mom. Xo ~
She smiled at the text, her fingers flying over the screen to send a reply
“It's getting late, you should go to bed.” Jocelyn said to her daughter. “You look really tired, so a good night's sleep will surely help.”
“I know, I'm going to take a shower and head to bed. Night mom.”
“Good night sweetheart.” her mom said and gave her a kiss.

After the shower Clary fell in bed exhausted. She quickly grabbed her phone to change the settings so only Jace’s calls and messages would get through and send him a text.
~ I'm in bed, exhausted, hope you are ok and get some sleep. Talk soon! Xoxo ~
After that she felt asleep, wrapped up under her blanket and cuddling a sweater Jace had left last time he had stayed over. In her mind, it still smelled like him and it soothed her when she woke up sweating at night.



Jace stood in the middle of the room on the third floor in Valentine’s manor house. His hands were bound behind his back, a metal chain looped the the bonds and was shackled to a peg in the floor.
Sounds we're coming from down below, voices of men, and a higher voice that gave off a trickle of recognition in the back of his brain. The noises were slowly coming up the stairs and he could hear a note of desperation in the higher voice.
Suddenly the door behind him burst open and a group of men entered, holding a struggling petite figure in their midst.
Jace whirled around,trying to get a look at the one being held by the men. He hurt his arms and wrists with his rough moves, but he didn't care. He hardly felt that the skin on his wrists was being scraped off every time he pulled at his bonds.
He recognized the voice now and saw flaming red hair flying.
He screamed, and screamed, and screamed again when he saw Clary's face standing out pale and desperate. And in his ear he heard Valentine’s cruel laughter.

Jace shot up in bed, his breath heaving,drenched in cold sweat.
It had been a dream, just a dream. He repeated it over and over to himself, pulling up his legs and hugging them close to his body. Out of all the nightmares he'd had over the past years, this might well have been one of the worst. It had been so realistic, the fear he had felt still coursed through his body, making his heart hammer in his chest.
Looking out the window he saw it was still dark outside, though the sky had that pale bluish glace to it that announced the coming of early morning sunshine. He knew Clary would come over that day, but having Isabelle at the house stressing over a party would make finding any rest and solitude hard.
Jace took his cellphone off the bedside table and texted Clary
~ Mind if I come over to you today? Need some peace and quiet, won't get that with Izzy here. Just let me know. Xo ~
After that he went off to take a shower,knowing he wouldn't sleep again anyway.




XII


Throughout the next days both Clary and Jace did what they could to avoid Isabelle and her mad drive to get throaty organised.
“Isabelle, honestly I don't really care I'd the theme would be unicorns or mermaids or even transformers to be honest.” Clary said exasperated when she had been caught by Isabelle after all.
“But people have to know how to dress up! It's important Clary!” Izzy said.
“Go for unicorns then, it's easier to walk around with a horn on.your head than a tail around your feet.”
“Alright, unicorns it is!” Isabelle said cheerfully. “Come on Clary, I need help when I go to the store to buy all the sectors and order the rainbow cakes and stuff. Hurry up, take your shoes and let's get going!”
“I promised Jace I'd be here today.”
“Jace is still asleep and I'm sure he'll manage half a day without you. Seriously, Clary you two seem joined by the hip or something. You, my dear friend, are coming with me, and we're going to have tons of fun today!”
Recognizing defeat Clary put on her shoes,texted Jace that she was off with Isabelle and got into the car.

Her friend had been right though, they did have a lot of fun picking out the funniest decoration, ordering cake from the local bakery who was over the moon with their rainbow idea and finally scoring some huge inflatable unicorns that could be put in front yard.
It had been a long time since Clary had had such a liberating afternoon with no worries.
On their way home they bought lunch for everyone and did some general grocery shopping.
“So,” Clary asked while they were loading their groceries in the car. “How are you and Simon doing?”
Isabelle blushed and kept her eyes down.
“We’re doing great. He's probably coming over for the summer. And he got admitted to NYU so I'm hoping he can come and stay with us.”
“That would be awesome. Jace asked me the same thing. It's funny how we all managed to get in at the same place.”
“It was a lucky stroke I guess. Do you know when he plans to come over?”
“No, he didn't tell me. But he's going on.holiday with his family first, so it'll be a few weeks I think. Might be sooner if he gets home earlier. Not really sure.”
“I'll give him a call later today.” Isabelle concluded as she backed the car up the driveway.
“Let's get everything unpacked.” Clary said when she hopped out of the car.
Grabbing a box from the trunk she walked up the front porch ready to push the front door open with her foot when she collided with something tall and hard.
“Hey there,” came Jace's voice from above her. “Let me get that for you.”
He took over the box from Clary and walked into the kitchen.
“Is there more to get out of the car?” he asked.
“What do you think?” Clary laughed. “I went shopping with Izzy to organize a party. There's tons more.”
“Shouldn't have asked, should I?” said Jace. “I'll come help you. Just keep the door open.”
He walked out to get the other stuff while Clary started sorting through whatever was already inside.

Lunch passed with laughs and giggles, the three of them spread out on the grass in the backyard. Even Jace seemed to be less stressed than usual, even though the black smudges under his eyes betrayed his lack of sleep.
Clary noticed him dozing off every now and then, only to jerk awake a few seconds later.
When Isabelle had left them to it Clary nestled herself close to Jace and whispered: “You need sleep, Jace. You're exhausted, why don't you go for a nap?”
“I know you're right, but I'm not going to sleep anyway.” he sighed.
“Nightmares?” concern colored her voice.
“Have they gotten worse?”
“Yes, I think the stress and not sleeping enough might be the cause, but it's an endless circle isn't it?”
“Seems like it. But maybe you could just try, get every minute you can get. Why don't you go up already and I'll come to you as soon as I can?”
“I can live with that, I think. Come soon, I need sleep but I need you before I can get it.”
He got up slowly, his hand brushing Clary's head, and walked inside.

“Do you need more help Izzy?” Clary asked when she got into the kitchen.
“Don't think so, no. Most of the stuff is put away and we won't need to do anything till the day before the party to get it all ready. I might try to fabricate some rainbow drinks or sing though, but that'll be for tomorrow I think. I'm going to try to call Simon!” and with that she pranced out of the kitchen.


When Clary entered Jace’s bedroom she found him sprawled on top of the covers, still dressed, clearly asleep.
She picked a blanket off his desk chair,draped it over his sleeping form and crawled in next to him.
As if drawn to her like a magnet, Jace’s sleeping body curled itself around Clary's, his arm folding over her protectively. His breathing slowed and all the pent up attention went out of him with a deep sigh.

It was several hours later that Jace woke up. Rubbing sleep out of his eyes, he noticed hair tickling his nose. It wasn't until that moment that he realised Clary was sleeping next to him. He smiled, looking at her relaxed features.
For the first time in what felt like forever Jace felt a little rested. Sleeping straight for a couple of hours really did work wonders, he thought. He slipped quietly out of bed, not wanting to wake Clary.


During the next days Clary and Isabelle prepared their graduation party together. It gave Clary the perfect excuse to stay over at night and help Jace catch up on some much needed sleep. He looked better than a few days ago and his humor and naturally gentle behavior came back. It had been a hard couple of weeks for all of them.

The day before the party Alec came back home with Magnus.
“Oh good God, what kind of bomb went off here?” he laughed when he entered the house.
Every room from the hallway to the kitchen and living room was decorated with bright and brilliant rainbow themed items.
“A rainbow bomb.” Isabelle giggled as she hugged Alec.
“It’s for our graduation party!”
“Of course!” Magnus exclaimed. “What a wonderful idea! Do you need any help?”
“Give your imagination free reign Magnus! Some rainbow drinks would be awesome!”
“That's a done deal! Let's see what I can find in the kitchen.” And he trudged off, tagging Isabelle along.

“Where is Jace?” Alex asked Clary.
“He's asleep in his room. I think.He's got some catching up to do.”
“Yeah, he did look incredibly tired just after the exams. Do you know if it were his nightmares that were playing hope again?”
“Yes, it were the nightmares. But he seems better now. Probably just the stress if you ask me.”
“Glad to hear he's doing better.”


Jace woke with a start when his phone buzzed next to his pillow.
Looking up through bleary eyes he grabbed for it and looked at the screen.
~ Saturday 8 pm ~ it read.
It took all of two second for the message to sink in and for his back to get drenched in sweat.
Just at the same time his bedroom door opened and Clary walked through, holding a tray with lunch.
“You're awake.” she said cheerfully, but her expression changed from happy to concerned when she took in the look on Jace’s face.
She dropped the tray hastily on his desk and came over to his bed where she perched herself on the side, taking hold of his hand.
“Jace, what's wrong?”
“What? No, nothing, I only just woke up.” Jace said evasively, not meeting her eyes.
“Jace, it's me you're talking to. I think I know you well enough to know when something is wrong and when you're lying to me. When I came in you looked like you'd seen a ghost. What happened?”
“Please, it's nothing, really.”
“Jace,...” Clary whispered “Does it have anything to do with what happened during the holiday?”
The little color that had remained in Jace’s cheeks drained from it when Clary said this.
“I'll take this as a yes.” she said. Her hand stroked the side of his face, trying to get him to look at her.
“Please, look at me.” she begged. “Look at me and tell me what is going on.”
“I can't Clary, I'm so sorry but I can't. You have no idea how much I would want things to be different.”
The look of despair and defeat that was etched in his eyes broke Clary's heart.
She sat closer to Jace and hugged him tightly.
“I really hope things will change soon. That you'll get the help you need, and you deserve.”
Jace hugged her back, pouring every ounce of fear, despair and hope in it.
They sat like that for a long while, just holding each other, willing the world to go away and let them be.


The party on Friday night rolled by before either Clary or Jace had much time to consider the matter any more.
Friends from all over town stopped by the house, enjoying the food and drinks Isabelle and Magnus had provided.
Clary kept a wary eye on Jace most of the night. He was absent and withdrawn, brooding over his glass of punch.
“Clary, come on, stop fretting over Jace and go have some fun!”
Isabelle pulled her friend by the hand and pushed her towards the dance floor.
“Izzy…” she whined, but before Isabelle could reply, a guy grabbed her by the hand and pulled her along.
“I'm David,” he said, leaning close to her. “Let's dance.”
He put his hands in the small of Clary's back and guided her onto the dance floor.
They swayed from side to side, David setting the pace. His breath reeked of alcohol and Clary wondered where that had come from. She knew Magnus and Isabelle had banned all alcoholic beverages from the party.
“Clary, isn't it?” David whispered, his mouth so close to Clary's ear that she shied away from it.
“Yes, that's me" she confirmed, not sure what to think of this situation.
“I've seen you in class so often, dreamed about you even.” His voice slurred a little, making Clary really uncomfortable.
When David swirled them around, Clary's eyes fell on Jace, who was watching them. His eyes were dark and he was sporting a deep frown on his forehead.
Cry tried to catch his eye, but before she could, David had turned her again to face a different part of the yard.
He was dancing uncomfortably close to Clary and his hands were roaming lower and lower over her back. She grabbed one of his hands and forcefully pulled it back up.
“Don't push it.” she said, and David chuckled.
“Don't be like that.” He said, and dropped his hand again.
Wanting to get away Clary tried to turn around, but his grip was suddenly strong around her waist, keeping her in place.
“Oh no, you don't.” he growled in her ear, and a wave of panic struck Clary's stomach.
She was swept away again, looking at a different section of the dance floor. Her eyes frantically sought out Jace, willing him to be looking at her. She couldn't find him, he clearly wasn't in the chair anymore that he had occupied only moments before.
David kept coming closer to her, his leg between hers and his body grinding to the rhythm of the music.
“Stop it.” Clary said and pushed at him, but he had an iron grip on her and shouldn't budge. Panic was slowly fogging Clary's brain and she was unable to think of any other means to get out of this situation.
“You have been flirting with me ever since you arrived here at school. Don't even try to deny it, I know this is what you want. You've been asking for it for so long, now you get what you had coming.”
No, no, no… was all that buzzed in Clary's mind. This can't be happening.
She felt David steer her away from the dance floor towards the trees that lined the side of the garden.
There were bright colored unicorn lamps strewn across the hedges, lighting the path.
By now Clary was struggling hard against David's hands, but her voice still wouldn't work when she tried to call out to her friends.


Jace had gone inside to get himself another drink. Seeing Clary dance with that guy from school had seriously annoyed him and he hadn't really wanted to watch it.
David Stinton was one of the popular group from their parallel class. He had never liked him, thinking him sneaky and underhanded. He was known for taking what he wanted, especially with girls.
When Jace came back outside his eyes were immediately drawn to the dance floor, wanting to know where Clary was.
He didn't see her, and walked over to get a better look.
Halfway there however he crossed paths with Sandy, a girl who he knew to have a crush on him, but he wasn't interested in.
“Hi Jace!” she thrilled, trying to sound seductive.
“Hi Sandy.” Jace replied absent minded.
“Wanna dance?” she asked, and with our waiting for his reply, she grabbed his hand and pulled him along.
“Sandy, I'm sorry, but I don't want to dance.” he said, pulling his hand out of hers.
She looked hurt, huffed at him and turned on her heel.
Waking on Jace spotted Alec, standing next to Magnus at the outside bar.
He strode over and pulled Alec apart with a quick apology to Magnus.
“What's wrong?” Alec asked.
“Have you seen Clary around? She was dancing with David Stinton just before. I went in to get a drink but now I can't find her. And to be fair, I don't trust that guy.”
“I think I saw her going off to the trees earlier. Not sure who she was with though.”
Jace swore colorfully under his breath and stalked away.
His mind was filled with images of what could be happening to Clary right now, mixed with all the possible ways he would get back at Stinton if he had dared to hurt her.
A rustle to his left made him look up and he saw a flash of flaming red hair disappearing behind a tree.
Without thinking twice Jace ran after them, first clenched.
“Jace!” He heard Alec shouting behind him.
“I found her, just come with me!” Jace yelled back without breaking pace.
He went in the general direction of where he had seen Clary vanish.
He heard a disturbance just ahead of him and burst through the foliage, Alec and apparently also Magnus hot on his heels.
The first thing he saw was Clary, cowering against the trunk of a tree. The next thing he knew his hands were clenched holding the fabric of David’s shirt hearing it tear with the force of his pull.
Whiteout conscience thought his firsts collided with the guys face, again and again, pure fury breaking loose.
It took the combined effort of Alec and Magnus to pull him off.
“Jace!” someone yelled in his ear, and he looked up, slightly dazed. It was Alec, holding him by the shoulders staring him squarely in the face.
“Jace! Clary needs you! Go look after her and let me and Magnus deal with this idiot!”
This sobered Jace up immediately, he turned and rushed over to Clary.
“Clary?” he whispered “Clary, please talk to me!”
Clary was still huddled against the tree, her knees drawn up to her chest. She was pale and her entire fragile frame was shaking like a leaf caught in a winter storm. She turned around suddenly, catching Jace off guard and threw up violently next to the tree.
Jace caught hold of her, rubbing circles on her back and holding her hair out of her face. She heaved several times and then fell silent, leaning heavily against his chest, completely spent.
“I couldn't find you.” She whispered. “I looked for you and I couldn't find you.”
She hung close to Jace, holding on like her life depended on it.
“Alec, give me your sweater.” Jace said, looking behind him, gesturing to his brother.
Alec shrugged his sweater off and handed it to Jace who draped it carefully over Clary.
“Come on,” he said, he wrapped his arms around her. “Let's get you inside.”
He scooped her up and carried her away, bridal style.
“What will happen to the guy?” Clary asked softly.
“Magnus and Alec with take care of him. I think they already called the cops. He needs to pay for what he did.”
Clary nodded, still dazed while Jace hurried to get her inside and up the stairs with no-one seeing them.
Once there he opened his room and gently put Clary down on the bed.
“I'm so sorry I wasn't there.” He murmured and pulled her close to him. “I'm so, so sorry.”
“Don't be, you couldn't know this would happen.”
“Rationally I know you are right, but it feels so wrong. If I think what could have happened, here, in our own backyard…” he trailed off, hands clenched, trying to control his anger.
“Can I get you anything?” he finally asked, when he trusted his voice again.
“A cup of hot chocolate and a shower would be great.” Clary answered.
“Alright, I'll get you settled for the shower and after that I'll go make a cup of hot cocoa.”
“That sounds nice.” Clary said, and smiled a little at him.

Jace stood in the kitchen a little while later when Alec came in.
“He was arrested.” he informed Jace, who turned to look at his brother.
“Is Clary ok?”
“As well as she can be I guess.” Jace replied. “She’s taking a shower now and I'm making her something hot to drink. We'll have to wait and see what the night brings. I'm afraid it'll bring up quite a few memories better left alone.”
“I'm so sorry. I cut believe this actually happened, here of all places.” Alec said sadly. “Lucky you noticed she was gone.”
“Yeah, I don't want to think what could have happened otherwise.” Jace said, his stomach clenching at the idea. “I'm headed back up, see how she is. I'll stay with her for the rest of the night, so she won't be alone.”
“That's fine, give her a hug from me, will you? I'll go tell Magnus she's alright.”

Jace took the hot cup back upstairs and placed it on his desk. The water in the shower was still running, so he knocked softly.
“Clary? It's me, Jace. Do you need anything?” He said through the crack of the door.
“I'm almost done, but I think I forgot to take clean clothes. Could you bring me something?”
“Sure, I'll be right back.”
Dropping a pair of sweatpants and a shirt on the sink a minute later Jace left Clary to herself to get dressed.
When she walked in his room after a few minutes she looked tired and drained.
Making space on the bed so she could lying down Jace took the hot cocoa and put it on the nightstand next to her.
“Just if you want it.” he said, before crawling into bed next to Clary.
She snuggled to his chest, holding him tightly and cried.
Jace just held her, offering whatever support he could, simply by being there.
He held her until she fell asleep, still crying.

A soft knock on the door made Jace look up.
It was Alec who stuck his head around the door.
“Luke is here.” he said softly as he walked over to the bed. “He wants to talk to you.”
“I don’t want to leave Clary alone, she only just fell asleep. Why don’t you ask him to come up here?”
“Sure, I’ll send him up.”
“Is he angry?” Jace asked, some trepidation in his voice.
“Not at us, no. He was livid when he arrived and I think it was for the best that David had already been taken away by his colleagues. But he’s not angry with us. He said to me that we did what we had to do.”
“Ok, thanks, just send him up here. I’ll talk to him and he can see Clary is alright.”
“Will do, see you in a bit. I’m getting everyone to leave now. Izzy is really upset, thinks it’s her fault.”
“I’ll talk to her later, she didn’t do anything wrong.”
With that, Alec left to get Luke and Jace just stayed still on the bed, holding Clary close and rubbing soothing circles on her back.

It was a few minutes later that Luke came in, tiptoeing to the bed and looking at Clary.
Jace gestured for him to take the chair from the desk so he could sit.
“How is she?” Luke asked, concern etched all over his face.
“It took awhile, but she fell asleep about fifteen minutes ago. I had her take a shower and gave her some clothes to change into. I’m glad she’s sleeping now though. She can use the rest.”
“Yes, she definitely can. Thank you for taking care of her.” Luke said, looking straight at Jace. “I’m happy to see she can count on you. Alec told me that it was you who noticed she was missing.”
“I couldn’t find her on the dance floor so I went looking for her. I’m relieved that I found her when I did. It could have been much worse. I hate to think of what that bastard could have done to her if we hadn’t gotten there in time. But you should thank Alec and Magnus too. They made sure to call you guys, and they stopped me from outright killing the dude.” Jace chuckled.
“I wouldn’t have minded.” Luke said, and he grinned at the younger man. “You did a great job here, thank you. Please tell Clary to come home in the morning. Or I can pick her up if she wants to. I think it would be good to have her home for a while. Jocelyn is really worried too.”
“I’ll make sure to tell her.” Jace promised.
“Oh and Jace, you are welcome too. If you want to stay with her, or she wants you there, please come along.”
“Thank you sir.” Jace replied.
“Just call me Luke, sir makes me feel really old. I'll leave my phone number in case you need me.”
Jace nodded and the two men shook hands after which Luke left the room.