A nightmare. The beginnings of Jace's own personal exquisite torture were so amazingly simplistic, he defied even himself with his own masochism. Clary's small moan was beautiful pain to his ears as she shifted agonizingly against him in her sleep. A nightmare. He closed his eyes and breathed the delicate scent of her neck. Perchance a dream.

The images had been so vivid in his minds eye; the fear so piercingly real. He had woken still reaching for her, legs tangled in sheets that had doomed his terrifying struggle to get to her, to save her broken and bloody form despite the uselessness of his dreamed actions. He had stumbled down the hall before he realized where his legs were taking him. He needed to see her. He needed to hear her breathe. He needed to feel her beating heart thumping out a rhythm with his own rapid pulse.

He didn't pause when he reached her door, slipping inside with the stealth afforded him by his upbringing; still, she was sitting in bed, watching him. In the dim light of the moon he could make out traces of the tears marking her beautiful face and the uncontrolled movement of her chest with every frenzied breath. As her wide eyes gazed at him he felt his breath hitch and he was moving towards her, even before her parted lips could utter his name in a whispered breath.

"Jace..." she said as if she were afraid he would disappear if she said it too loudly. Reaching her he touched her cheek, wiping fallen tears away with his thumb, wishing he could have stopped them from falling at all.

"Clary," he breathed, "What's wrong Clary?", she didn't answer as she continued to stare at him, fisting her hand in his t-shirt, suddenly drawing him closer and burying her face in his shoulder, hiccuping as her breathing slowed.

"A- a dream. It was just a dream." she seemed to be reassuring herself more than him. "I saw you... and you were-" she stopped as another hiccup cut her off. She pulled him closer, forcing him to lie next to her to avoid squashing her. Unsure of what to do he lightly wrapped his arms around her. Finding no objections he tightened his grip, simultaneously attempting to comfort her and reassure himself that she was still there, still whole.

"Shh... It's okay. I'm here, It's okay," he murmured in her ear. She was speaking and suddenly Jace had to focus on her words to avoid the distraction of feeling her moving lips through the thin material of his shirt.

"Don't go. Please, not tonight. Just stay tonight. It... it was just a dream, but it was so real Jace... Please, just tonight?" As her pleas ceased she turned her eyes back up to him, tears threatening to spill over again. She must have seen the hesitancy in his eyes, the next words she almost choked out "Just... just as my... my brother?"

She couldn't have known the lance those words sent through his heart, he was, after all, the one who had used them on her. The tears that had been threatening finally spilled over and his decision was made. Gently wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes he laid a carefully chaste kiss on her forehead

"Okay," he prepared to twist the pain further "Just as your brother." And she smiled. And he knew, as she invited him next to her beneath the sheets, it was entirely worth it.

He didn't know how long they stayed there, holding each other, reaffirming their existence before her breathing slowed and became regular. He didn't know how much longer he stayed there, gently stroking her hair, basking in the stolen moment as he guiltily enjoyed their embrace. He did know that it was now only 2:54AM according to the blinking alarm clock, and somehow during the night Clary had rolled to face away from him. His arms were still wrapped tightly around her body and she was tucked snugly against his form. A nightmare. She clutched his arms tighter to herself in sleep and a contented smile lit her face. Perchance a dream.