Isabelle was surprised when Simon followed her from the room out to the loft. She had left Alec sprawled clean and bandaged in Magnus' own bed, a pampered prince being waited on hand and foot. Magnus had Maia and Clary in other rooms, so she'd expected Simon to go straight to Clary's. She turned to him, confusion on her face. She still remembered the things he'd said when he was holding her, the gentle feel of his caress. It made her wish for his touch again, but she knew that hope was in vain. She turned to him, waiting for him to speak. Simon's warm brown eyes burned into hers for a moment as they stood in silence. Then drawing a deep breath, he spoke quietly, dropping his gaze.

"I know what you think. I know that it's my fault that you were hurt. That you think I didn't care." He paused, his eyes studying the floor as he sought the words to explain himself. "I didn't want to care, that much is true. It was selfish and wrong, but I very much wanted to put you all out of my mind. To forget you and move on. But it was impossible." He crossed to her, reaching out and then letting his hand fall away, afraid to touch her. "You don't understand how afraid I am. Everyone I know, everyone I love I'm going to have to watch die. I'll watch as every one of you withers and dies, while I stay locked in this existence. I tried to move away from you, to let you go, but I couldn't. And then you were always in danger, always trying to be in the very center of everything. The only way I could think to keep you as safe as possible was to keep you on the sidelines. And so you thought I was choosing Maia over you. But that is impossible." This time he did take her hand, and when she looked up at him, he answered the wordless question he saw in her eyes. " I'm not just going to love you for the rest of your life, Isabelle. I'm going to love you for the rest of mine."

She blinked away the tears that had started to flow down her cheeks and crumpled against him, overwhelmed. Taking her chin in his cold hand, he turned her face to his and kissed her softly, reverently.

Clary couldn't find a place on her body that didn't hurt. She lay there a few moments, taking inventory of her various sore spots. Her body felt like one large bruise. A sound to her right had her eyes fluttering open as she tried to fix the movement in her wavering gaze. Magnus stood nearby, bedecked in a red satin and sequin jacket over a black silk shirt. Once her eyes cleared from her own fog, she squint at his brilliance as the morning light struck the sequins and threw scarlet stars across the bed and the wall.

"Did I miss a rave?" she moaned, looking away. Jace was slumped in a chair below the window, wearing a clean white t-shirt and flannel pants that didn't quite fit properly. The depth of his slumber made her instantly suspicious. She eyed Magnus, and he shrugged, waggling his fingers at her. Blue sparkles fell from his fingertips, disappearing before they hit the gold lame quilt that covered the bed.

"He refused to leave, afraid you'd wake up and he wouldn't be here," he answered, "He took quite a few knocks himself, and he needed the rest. Besides if he was hovering all over you, I wouldn't be able to do everything I had to." He fixed her in his gaze and his face was serious. "This might hurt some, Clary. You almost died. If I hadn't walked in just as I did, you would have."

She knew that of course. She remembered flying from the catwalk and the horrified look on Jace's face as she went down. Then she remembered searing agony for a split second, before everything went dark. There was no light, no sound, nothing. And she hadn't been able to move. She was just lying there in silent darkness and not able to move. She shuddered at the memory. When she did, searing pain tore through her spine and she couldn't help screaming. She watched as a fresh batch of blue sparkles found their way to Jace. He stopped his thrashing and stayed asleep. Magnus was all business when he addressed her.

"You snapped your spine like a dry stick, Clary. You're going to be here a while healing. I stopped the damage and mended the bone. Too much healing though, would drain you more than you can handle. You'll have to take it easy and be still. I will be able to help it along, but only in small increments until you're stronger. What I did," he broke off, eyeing Jace, "was entirely against Clave rules. I know that they wouldn't care, but they can never know. If they did and didn't report it, the Clave would consider them guilty as well. You should have died, darling. I interfered with the natural order, reversing the process. I kept you in your body and mended the damage around you. If the Clave knew I could, or would do something like that, my life here would be over. You can never tell anyone the things that you may remember."

"I don't remember anything, Magnus. Just darkness and pain," she answered, willing herself to be still.

"Even better," he answered. "Now pretend to be asleep," he said, blue sparkles once more dusting Jace and then disappearing.

"Magnus?" she whispered, watching Jace for signs of life.

"Yes, Clary?" his tone was already annoyed. A small smile broke out that she couldn't quite keep in.

"Is that fairy dust?" she asked, snickering.

"Oh, you must feel better. That was almost funny, Fray." And then he was gone.

Keeping her eyes closed she listened as Jace woke and then dragged the chair closer to the bed. When she felt him take her hand into his, she fluttered her eyelids as if waking. His other hand touched her shoulder so gently, she could barely feel it. She opened her eyes and looked into his. As she drank in his face, her vision turned watery with her tears. She'd been so afraid she'd never see him again.

"Are you angry?" she asked. She searched his eyes for his answer, but saw only exhaustion and relief. He looked so tired; her heart went out to him. He had bruises himself, but nothing that looked truly dangerous.

"No Clary, I'm not angry. I was, for about twenty minutes, then I found your letter." His voice was soft, but his tone was still firm. "Do you think it was any different for me? Do you think it was any easier for me to fear that you were hurt or dead? You will never do that to me again," he said. It was a demand, not a request, and she knew it. She nodded as best she could.

"I never meant for you to be hurt. I just couldn't bear…" her voice trailed off and her tears spilled over.

He reached out, smoothing her hair back from her face and brushing away her tears. His hand lingered on her cheek, warm and solid. It was the simplest of touches, but it comforted her more than he could have known.

"I know, but it's over now. He's gone," he said. She lay her head back and allowed herself the peace that washed over her at those words. It was really over. Jonathon was gone.

She reached for Jace with her free hand, wanting to pull him to her, to bury her face in his shoulder and wallow in his smell. Sunshine and lemons, like always. He saw the pain it caused her and gestured for her to be still. Instead, he stood and rounded the large bed. Pulling back the quilt, he slid in beside her as gently as possible. Even the slight movement he caused as he settled in wracked her with tremors of agony. She bit her lip so hard to keep from crying out that she tasted blood in her mouth. Afraid to attempt anything more, she turned only her head to him as he wound himself around her. The warm feel of his body pressed against hers was worth any discomfort she felt though. Pushing aside her shirt, he started to draw lazy circles on her bare side. She noticed several healing runes etched along her ribcage that she didn't remember having before. His face grew dark as he saw them too. His eyes rose to meet hers, and although she could see there were several things he wanted to say about putting herself in danger, he didn't say any of them.. Instead, he said only, "I love you."

And kissed her as carefully as he could manage. The feel of his lips on hers, the smell of him this close was as powerful a magic as any Magnus had. She was overcome with a sense of well being. When he broke the kiss and leaned back from her she was silent a moment, enjoying the feel of his fingertips on her bare skin. Then she said what she'd been thinking since the moment she'd seen Jonathon in the park. Since even before that, since the moment at Lake Lyn when he'd fallen to the sand.

"My life has no meaning now, without you in it."

His lips ghosted against her temple before he rested his head against hers. Then she drifted back to sleep, safe in the circle of his arms.