It had been a long day, emotionally most of all. Clary climbed into her side of the bed and waited for Jace as she settled into the cool sheets. When he came out of their bathroom, he did not look at her, or speak. He had been quiet after dinner as she told him of her day with Isabelle and quiet for most of the evening after.

"Is there something you would like to say?" Clary inquires as she releases her hair from the knot she'd put it in before her shower. Jace's eyes followed her fingers as she loosened the tendrils, then trailed to her face.

Water dripped from his wet hair, meeting the edge of his towel as he said, "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why would you let that-that wench back into your life after what she did to you?" His voice raised as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair, "Why would you open yourself up to more pain, and betrayal, and frankly, more bullshit"

"She's my best friend-"

"The day someone sleeps with my husband is the day we stop being friends, let alone after they marry him and have his child" he scoffs

"Well, how fortunate you don't have a husband"

"Don't make jokes Clary. You can't possibly have forgotten what it was like to walk in on them, Isabelle and Simon, two equal players in this game. Yes, he hurt her. Yes, she was abandoned, but that is not your problem!" Cornelius began to circle his feet, roused from his sleep by the harsh tone. He whimpered softly, but Jace only continued his pacing.

"Why does everyone think I'm doing It for her?" Clary mutters to herself before looking up at Jace, still dripping wet in his towel, looking so damn disappointed in her, "I'm doing this for me, to help me heal. Forgiving her isn't forgiving him, but it's a way to let go of some of the anger I've been holding onto,"

"So what's the grand plan here?" Jace was beginning to pace, "First Izzy, wait a few months, then you make up with Simon. Have dinner parties all four of us by the time the year was out. Why not invite them to the wedding while we're at it! Simon the best man and Izzy the maid of honor!"

Clary sat in silence as he continued to pace and breathe, pace and breathe. Then, "Simon made a commitment, vows. I could never forgive him for breaking those,"

Jace finally stopped and stared. He had never looked at her like that, as if for the first time in their lives, he didn't understand her, "What about the vows Izzy made?" With that, he grabbed a handful of clothes from the nearest drawer and left the room. He did not return before Clary fell asleep, and when she woke to a cold bed, she knew he had not returned while she slept either.

It was days before Clary saw Jace again. He was up and out early, and returned home late. He ate the leftovers from dinner, but left the lunches she prepared for him untouched in the fridge. And he did not return to their room.

It was the end of the week, Friday, and Clary was on edge. She had not spoken to Jace, but she also had not spoken to Isabelle. Her conversations with Jace made her rethink if she made the right choice leaping back into a friendship with her. Yes, it was so easy to fall back into how they'd always been, but did that make it all okay?

She was sat in her studio, her newest paintings lacking their usual luster. The colors dull and the scenes generic. Needing fresh air, she grabs her coat and locks up her room before heading to the art store, the smell of canvas and acrylic always welcoming.

As she browsed the aisles, her phone pinged and looking down, noticed it was a message from Jace. Lunch?

She rechecked the name, and confirming it was her fiancé, Clary responded, Pick me up at the art supply store. So she finished her shopping and waited by the front window for Jace.

He arrived promptly, getting out of his car and entering the store with a blank face. Looking around, his eyes landed on Clary mere feet away, the closest they had been in days and his eyes softened.

"I'm sorry," was all he said as he moved forward and took her hand. Before she could respond her leaned close, breathing in the scent of her hair, her skin…her. The woman he loved and had not seen since their argument.

"I love you," she said. The discussion would continue, but at the moment, nothing seemed as important as making sure he knew that.

"I love you too," he smiles before leading her outside and to the car. They drove in silence for a few moments before stopping in front of a restaurant Clary did not recognize. Jace wordlessly got out and opening her car door, walked inside with her. They got a seat against the window and ordered their drinks before her met her eyes.

"I've missed you" he said it as if he'd been far away, for far too long.

"Why didn't you come to me? I was always there,"

"I know," he sighs, circling the top of his glass with a single finger, "I didn't know what to say. Whether to apologize or continue to lecture you. It took me until this morning, seeing you in our bed-our bed, for me to realize I am your partner in all of this. Not your keeper, or your teacher, but your partner. And I should have taken the time to understand you,"

"And do you? Understand me?" She held her breathe.

"In a way, I do. It was hard, because my course of action is cut all ties, because no pain is worth living through twice. But you are not me, your heart is so big that hurt like that is barely a scratch. That you have the capacity to forgive such things. And I realized that forgiving her set you free, even just a bit. Free from the anger and pain. I understand that now," he reaches across the table to take her hand, skin soft, but hand shaking, "I understand. I see you,"

"Thank you," she responds, "There is nothing more valuable in this world than to be understood,"

That night, as Jace lay in bed beside Clary for the first time in a week, she asked him a question.

"If you believe no pain is worth living through twice, why did you give me a second chance?"

"Because I knew this time would be different. I wouldn't get hurt, because unlike last time, I know what I want and am unafraid to fight for it," he could not see Clary's sweet smile at the small promise held in his words.