A/N: City of Bones rewrite starting after Magnus's party, but the Clace greenhouse kiss scene doesn't happen and Simon's gone home so his mother doesn't worry about him. Clary hasn't yet figured out where the Cup is yet, so everyone's just kind of milling about, waiting for something to happen. Mostly Clary POV. Will keep most of the original plot points from CoB, but prob just rework them.

I'm in the Institute library. It's about ten in the morning. I think it's Saturday, but all of the days have been blurring together. I'm not sure where everyone else is, but I don't mind. Everything has been so crazy lately, it's nice to have some time to myself.

My mind wanders to Simon for a moment. I wonder how he's doing. A part of me wants nothing more than to just run away with him and forget about everything else. I want to just ignore it all, pretend nothing's changed, that nothing's happened, but I know I can't. Everything is different now, I'm different now, and all I can do is accept that and move forward.

It's so funny, though, 'cause if you'd asked me just last week if I believed in angels and demons, I would have laughed right in your face. And now… now I find out that not only do demons exist, but I have angel blood coursing through my veins... I can't even wrap my brain around it. My whole world has been turned upside down, and I'm trying my best to adjust. It sure as hell isn't easy.

I'm trying not to think about my mom… or Luke… or the fact that I feel so alone. I know I still have Simon, but I'm also acutely aware of the fact that he doesn't belong in this new world I've been thrust into, and I know that he's aware of that, too. I can tell that he's nervous about me getting hurt, uncomfortable about me staying in the Institute with all these strange people we just met, and a bit jealous about me being a Shadowhunter. Simon's always wanted magic and stuff to be real, and now that he knows it is, I'm sure he can't help but feel a bit left out about not getting to be a part of it all. I wish more than anything that he were a Shadowhunter, too, and that we could be going through all of this together.

As I'm walking around the beautiful old library, I breathe in the smell of dusty old leather-bound tomes that's hanging heavily in the air. It reminds me of Luke's shop, which gives me a pang in the heart to think of, but the books here are older smelling, and I focus on that to distract me.

I run my fingers over the large volumes of Shadowhunter history, relishing the feel of the aged bindings. My hand stops on an especially worn spine and I struggle to wrest it free from its brothers. Just as I crack it open and begin flipping through the ancient pages, I nearly jump a foot in the air when I hear what sounds like someone clearing their throat only a foot or so behind me. I whirl around, almost dropping the huge book and find Jace sitting casually on the loveseat nearest to me, his white v-neck t-shirt snugly spread across his sculpted arms and chest.

"Jace!" I gasp in surprise before I can stop myself. A crooked smirk flashes across his face. He's clearly pleased at having startled me.

"Well, look at you being all studious." He stands and in two large strides is towering over me, his body only inches from mine. He drops his voice and practically whispers in a low, throaty voice, "Shall I test you?"

His golden eyes bore into mine and I gulp painfully. I'm so taken aback that I hardly notice the book sliding slowly from my fingers into his. I feel paralyzed, transfixed to where I stand, overwhelmed by the heat emanating from his body and his earthy scent wafting over me. My mind is so blank that I don't even register his words until it's too late.

Jace straightens upright as he flips open the musty tome and pages through it decisively. His eyes flick back up to mine and his expression is challenging and amused. I feel the blood drain from my face when I realize that he's surely going to ask me something I have no clue about and make me feel really stupid for not knowing the answer. I brace myself.

To my surprise (and immense relief), he slams the book shut and leans about as close to me as humanly possible without us touching. I feel my entire body flush and my eyes widen, completely bewildered and confused as to what he's doing when I realize that his left arm, the one with the book in its hand, is outstretched toward the bookshelf.

Oh. He's just putting the book away. Jeez, was that really necessary? What a jerk.

Jace smiles smugly down at me when my eyes move to the floor, my weight shifting awkwardly. I can feel him eating up my discomfort. He abruptly leans backward again and turns around to leave. He grabs me by the wrist and practically drags me out of the library behind him.

When we're about halfway down the corridor, I wriggle my hand free from his and am about to pointedly ask him what he's doing when he turns around and preemptively answers my question.

"I figured a better use of time would be to begin your training." When he sees me still looking perplexed, he adds, "Don't go repeating this to Hodge, but I personally find that preparing for battle is much more useful than learning all about the first Shadowhunters and how they spent their time, which, granted, is impressive. They're probably pretty disappointed in their descendants for having dropped the ball so hard. Well, except for me, of course. I'm clearly the most amazing Shadowhunter to have existed since them."

Sometimes I have a really tough time figuring out whether or not Jace is being serious when he says things like that. He certainly acts as if he's God's gift to man, though, I guess, if you think about it, Shadowhunters technically are God's gift to man, but you know what I mean. I wish I were better at thinking of snarky comebacks in the moment. He's just so good at catching me off guard. I'm typically better at thinking on my feet when I'm comfortable, like when I'm with Simon. Jace is just so intense. I can't imagine ever being at ease around him.

"Fine. Whatever. Let's go." I shove past him in an attempt to seem unfazed. I've decided that when I can't think of a witty retort, I'll just ignore him. That should piss him off.

It seems to work. He catches my shoulder and spins me towards him.

"Not so fast, Red." His eyes move up and down my body slowly, causing me to feel very self-conscious and he makes a face. "Sorry, but you can't wear that."

"What, are you the fashion police now?"

"If I were, you can bet your sorry ass I'd have your hands behind your back by now." He grins deviously.

I feel myself get flustered again. Oh, relax! He just means he'd cuff you. Though that could still be suggestive, especially the way he says it… Gah! Just shut up already, Clary!

"Then what? Not black enough for your Shadowhunter sensibilities?"

"Wrong again, Red." He tugs idly at my sweater. I resist the urge to pull away. "Change into proper exercise attire or you'll be sorry."

I drop my sassily defiant demeanor and bite my lip with worry.

"I don't-"

"Ugh." He mockingly rolls his eyes and starts back down the hallway. "Do I have to do everything for you? You're like a helpless little child. Much needier than any pet I've ever encountered."

"Oh, shut up." I snap, following him. "I guess I must have missed the guided "Shadowhunting Institute of New York Tour" in all the commotion of late. Glad you've taken pity upon me and agreed to catch me up. Anything else I should know, aside from, you know, everything?"

"Eh, just stick with me, kiddo, and you'll be fine." He turns his head and winks at me.

I just roll my eyes, though I don't think he notices.

After Jace garners some clothes from Isabelle for me to borrow, he insists on following me into my room while I change in the bathroom. He eyes my unmade bed with a raised brow and I can tell he's judging me harshly. I try to ignore him. Why should I care what he thinks?

He takes a seat by the window and shouts insouciantly at me through the door while I'm changing.

"First, we'll start with some warm up exercises, then we'll do some cardio and strength training, mild sparring and grappling, and finally some cool down exercises. All in all, it should take no more than three hours tops."

"Three hours?!" I shriek, almost ripping the minuscule gray rib-tee I'm trying to squeeze into. I'm starting to think Isabelle got confused and lent me her childhood pajamas instead of exercise clothes seeing as how more of my skin is left exposed than covered.

I open the door, still fretting over the fact that I've never worked out for more than half an hour at a time, let alone pushed myself as much as I'm sure I will have to when training with "Mr. Shadowhunter of the Year" himself. Jace looks like he was about to reply to my distress with contented enthusiasm, but his face freezes when he sees me. He's looking at me like he's never seen me before. My embarrassment level shoots up exponentially.

"This is ridiculous. I think she got mixed up and gave me a little girl's PJs. Somewhere there's a tiny bemused child wondering what she's going to wear to bed." I tug pointlessly at the black booty shorts, unsure as to whether or not I'm glad I have no butt right now.

Jace quickly recovers himself, but looks away as he abruptly stands. "Well, I guess it'll do for now." He strides briskly towards the door and barks at me to follow him without looking back.

Not caring if Jace will object, I snatch the blue hoodie carelessly sprawled across my bed and tug it hastily over the skin-tight tank top in an attempt to regain some modicum of my former modesty. I mentally curse Isabelle for doing this to me. As if things aren't awkward enough between Jace and me as it is. Now this? Great. Juuuust great.

I trudge behind him in silence, not looking up from my feet, which I later regret when I collide headlong into him. He's stopped in front of the door to the training room, probably waiting for me to catch up. Even if his legs weren't a billion times longer than my midget ones, his pace is far too quick for my tastes. I suppose I'll have to learn to be faster if I want to be a Shadowhunter. I bet there's a rune for that.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Jace patronizingly shakes his head down at me like a disappointed parent as he grabs me by the shoulders to steady me. He puts a finger under my chin and raises my head so that our eyes meet. "First rule of Shadowhunting: always be aware of your surroundings."

I shove him away from me with a glare and he laughs.

"Seriously, Fray, you'd better get your head in the game if you ever hope to shake your mundanity. You reek of it so bad, even a deaf blind person could tell."

"What does that even mean?" I scowl as I follow him into the dimly lit room. It smells of sweat and metal. I'm reminded of gym class and suddenly feel my stomach do a flip. I hate gym class.

"It means listen up. From this day forward, you're going to be my Galatea. You'll be kissing my feet after I've transformed you. I'm the best trainer around. You won't even recognize yourself when we're done." Jace flips a switch and a succession of ceiling lights flicker on. The room is a lot bigger than I expected.

Rows upon rows of gear, equipment, training dummies, and weapons line the room. There are mats covering a third of the room, and the rest has a bare hardwood floor covered in innumerable scuff marks. It looks as though the matted bit of the room is for exercising/working out and the rest for sparring.

Just as I expected, Jace forces me to shed my sweatshirt. At first, I can't stop thinking about how naked I feel in front of him, but when we start training, I'm actually grateful for the minimal coverage because of how hot I'm getting. Though everything we're doing must be child's play to Jace, the room is growing warmer due to my energy expenditure, and eventually he takes off his shirt, too. It makes me feel a bit better about my outfit (or lack thereof) despite the fact that I feel like my body temperature has further increased just from seeing his bare chest. I look away and we get started.

I have to admit… Jace really is a great trainer. He pushes me enough without making me feel incapable, he encourages me and motivates me instead of criticizing and teasing me, he makes me feel relaxed and focused instead of self-conscious and embarrassed, and he paces everything we do really well so that I don't feel overwhelmed or exhausted. He's great at changing things up and explaining why the exercises are important and what areas they help strengthen. He talks about the application of the techniques he's teaching me in battle, which inspires me and distracts me from the pain of my exertion. This Jace is actually pretty tolerable to be around. Why can't he be like this more often?

What amazes me most, though, is the fact that as time goes by, my energy levels actually seem to be increasing. I'm getting excited and feel enthusiastic to continue. I would have thought I'd be so out of shape from never exercising that I'd have crapped out before the first hour ended. Instead, halfway through the second hour, both our bodies slick with sweat, I'm picking up the pace, which seems to thoroughly please my blonde-haired trainer. When I mention how surprised I am at this fact, he just smiles knowingly and says,

"Proof you have Shadowhunter blood in you. We live to fight. If you watch Isabelle, Alec, any Shadowhunter, for that matter, they never look more alive than when they're in battle. It's why we exist. What we were made for."

It rings true and makes perfect sense to me. I'm making rapid progress and he's already teaching me various grappling techniques. Everything he shows me feels familiar, as though I somehow already know it all, but have just forgotten. Within a short period of time, I'm able to start pinning him down, though I know he's letting me do it just for the practice.

It seems he's decided that I've gotten good enough to start being harder on so we begin to wrestle more roughly over the mats. I'm sure he's barely exerting himself, but I start to really push myself, using all the strength I have. I call upon all the maneuvers he's shown me and even some he hasn't yet but that I saw him do when he was fighting. When I use one of the latter, it throws him off and I manage to land squarely on top of him, pinning his arms by his sides, my sweaty legs wrapped around his. We pant heavily at each other. Wait, why is HE panting?

For a second, it looks as though his eyes darken, and when I let myself relax, his arms and legs slither out from under mine and entwine around my body as he rolls us over so that he's now on top and I'm trapped underneath. His grip on me is tighter and closer than mine was on him, and his hair is ever so lightly tickling my forehead. I can't look him in the eyes; somehow the position just seems too intimate, even though I know it's just a fighting maneuver. I'm looking down at his Marked chest, watching the sweat glint off of the black runes. I inadvertently lick my lips and I notice how dry my mouth feels.

Jace isn't moving. He's just leaning over me, our torsos inches from touching. My breath is shallow and I'm afraid I'm going to run out of air. I finally force myself to look up at him and I swear he's starting to move his face down towards mine but an amused sounding voice comes from the doorway and interrupts his movement.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know the room was, uh, occupied..." Isabelle is leaning against the doorframe, smiling. "I'll just come back later then, shall I?" Jace topples off of me and tries to smoothly recover himself. His look of casual indifference is more forced than usual.

"No, it's fine. We're done here anyway. She did well. Didn't break anything, at least." He's standing now and has moved towards one of the shelves on the wall. He grabs a towel and wipes himself down before shrugging his shirt back on.

"Go get cleaned up. We'll continue training tomorrow." And without so much as a glance back at Isabelle or me, he exits the room.

I slowly, painfully sit up on the mat. A surge of emotions floods my chest and the familiar phrase of, 'God, what a jerk,' enters my head again. Isabelle must be able to read my mind because she crosses the room and holds out a hand to help me to my feet, saying,

"Don't mind him. That's his way of saying you did really well." I mumble a sheepish thanks to her as I follow Jace's lead and also towel off. Isabelle smirks slyly at me as I make my way to the door.

"That full body ground lock is a real doozy, huh?"

"What?" I turn to look at her, furrowing my brow.

"I just mean… he must have gotten you pretty good that last time. You guys were so close together on the floor you were practically kissing."

"What?!" I repeat, this time with more volume than I'd intended. I quickly check myself and struggle to maintain an even tone. "We weren't- I mean, we weren't that close. Besides, had you not walked in, I probably would have gotten away from him easily."

"Riiiight…" She says obviously unconvinced of something, her smirk spreading, but she doesn't say anything else. I gladly take the opportunity to hurry back to my room.

As I shut the door behind me and lean up against it, trying to catch my breath, I replay the events of the training room in my head. I feel warm all over but can't tell if it's from exercising or something else. Regardless of why I feel so hot, I decide that a nice cold shower is in order.

Why, oh, why does everything have to be so intense all the time? Can't a girl catch a break every now and then?

As I step into the tub, letting the cool water splash over me, I resolve to avoid Jace for the rest of the day. I need a little time to recuperate from all that… training… A nice cup of tea, my sketchbook, and maybe even going up to the greenhouse if Hodge isn't there sounds just perfect. I make a mental note to call Simon later.

It suddenly strikes me that I didn't even think about him once while we were training. In fact, I didn't think about anything that's been bothering me lately. Aside from the confusing emotional turbulence training with Jace causes, I realize that I really enjoy it. I'd be more excited for the next session if Jace weren't the one training me. Ugh, he has a way of making things so complicated. I wish he could just be normal for once. God! Why am I always thinking about him?! Yes, getting some distance from him is definitely the right thing to do.

I've finished dressing and am heading towards the door when I decide to give Simon a ring while I remember. I'm lying on my bed, phone in hand, but my fingers never press call.

I must have passed out because when I open my eyes, it's dark. Guess the training took more out of me than I thought.

Forgetting all about Simon and my phone again, I remember the date with myself I'd made and am heading towards the door with my sketchbook in hand when a knock sounds.

What now? I can't help thinking. All I want is some alone time.

When I open the door, guess who's standing there. Jace, of course.

"We have a problem," is all he says and from the look on his face, I know that tea and sketching is definitely not going to be on the agenda today. Le sigh.