Disclaimer: the Mortal Instruments may rock, but I'm not Cassandra Clare. Her writing doesn't suck like mine does. Lyrics and Song belong to Lemar. I got the lyrics off , so if they're wrong, I apologise.

Oh yeah, and I'm from Wales, so excuse the English-isms. And I take ages to write stuff, so I'll update when possible; but not speedily; that's just not me.

She was late. Again.

Clary flew down the hallway to the training room, cursing her alarm clock for failing to work for the fourth time that week. Jace was already waiting for her, throwing knives at a target, bored. Lemar's The Way Love Goes was playing quietly in the background, barely audible above the heavy thunk of the knives finding the bull's-eye.

Jace liked the song. It reminded him of himself, the way he'd lost nearly all hope in love before he'd met Clary, the way he wanted to be the best he could be for her, the way she had saved him. He took the track back to the start, turned the volume up, and began singing along quietly, just something to pass the time while he was waiting for Clary to appear.

Oh whoa
Oh oh
I never thought that I would ever love again
I might be wrong cos I can feel it happening
A little scared but I am not petrified
I love forever, I promise to stay by your side
Heart broken, my first and never spoken
I waited to hear and I gave it a year
So I stopped holding on and then you came along
And then you came along
I'm gonna, I'm I'm I'm gonna

I'll hold you and love you the best that I can
Until you understand that I need your hand
And I can't dance alone cos the beat's just too slow
That's just the way love goes,
That's just the way love goes (uh uh)

I used to think that I would never get to be
In love again cos that was the only one for me
And now I feel that you have come and saved me
This heart of mine awoken by your smile
Heart broken, my first and never spoken
I waited to hear and I gave it a year
So I stopped holding on and then you came along
And then you came along
I'm gonna, I'm I'm I'm gonna

I'll hold you and love you the best that I can
Until you understand that I need your hand
And I can't dance alone cos the beats just too slow
That's just the way love goes,
That's just the way love goes

I'll hold you and I love you the best that I can
Until you understand that I need your hand
And I can't dance alone cos the beats just too slow
That's just the way love goes,
That's just the way love goes

(Gotta get strong, keep moving on) (x8)

Someone's coming to save me
Someone's coming to save me
Save me, save me, save me

I'll hold you and love you the best that I can
Until you understand that I need your hand
And I can't dance alone cos the beats just too slow
That's just the way love goes,
That's just the way love goes

I'll hold you and love you the best that I can
Until you understand that I need your hand
And I can't dance alone cos the beats just too slow
That's just the way love goes,
That's just the way love goes

Clary could hear the music as she pushed the door open. Jace was lying splayed out on the floor, his eyes closed, and singing along to the stereo. The remote was in his lap, and there was a collection of knives imbedded in a target at the end of the room.

She had forgotten just how good a singer he was, the way his lips shaped around the words in a gentle caress, the way the he hit the right notes perfectly. The song drew to a close, and Jace stood up, his back to her, and pulled another knife out of its sheath. She decided perhaps now was a good time to make her presence known.

"Hey Ja..." the knife he was holding came flying towards her head. She ducked, and it ended up sticking out the wall in the hallway behind her. Jace swore.

"Don't sneak up on me like that. You know I get jumpy." He chided, before grinning as he wrapped her in a bear hug. She buried her head in his warm chest, his face pressed into her hair. "Maryse is going to kill me." He muttered grimacing. She could feel his expression, anyway.

"I thought we were meant to be training today. That's why I set my alarm clock, but it failed." She commented. Jace chuckled.

"That explains everything... except why your "alarm clock" has "failed" for the past four days." He pulled away, looking at her sceptically.

"So what, now you're not believing me? What kind of boyfriend are you?" Jace walked over to the pile of weapons he'd dumped on the table, producing two swords.

"The kind that wants his girlfriend to be the best" he said, handing her one.

Isabelle watched as the demons descended on her and Clary, and swore, pulling out her whip furiously. Clary, on the other hand, unsheathed an elegant dagger, curved to deadly perfection.

A few minutes later, both girls were utterly exhausted, covered in demon blood, and scratched to pieces. Clary was drawing healing runes on Izzy's arm, whilst Izzy was wincing and complaining vehemently.

That was when the wolves chose to attack.

These weren't like Luke's wolves, wolves which would never break the law and had a general respect for shadow hunters, and who wouldn't want to inflict what had happened to them on others. No, these wolves were like rabid dogs, wild and out of control.

Izzy was off the ground in a flash, but Clary, her reactions being slower, got caught out as one of the wolves came for her. She slashed out with her knife, only cutting air until, at last, the blade met the wolf on top of her. Bright blood smeared its surface, and the wolf slumped over her, its eyes no longer seeing.

She wiggled out from under the creature's body, and sank her knife into the next wolf that leapt at her. Izzy seemed to be holding her own against the horde. The problem was, the wolves just kept coming. Clary faltered, but the wolf that was on top of her let out a deafening howl and died. A familiar hand helped her up, and she met Jace's golden eyes with a sense of relief.

He smiled grimly and flung a knife at an approaching wolf, luckily the last one. The minute the boys had appeared, it seemed, the wolves had run away with their tails between their legs. Jace led her over to where Alec was crouched over an unconscious Izzy, rubbing his forehead.

"She head butted me." He explained. Jace chuckled, before suddenly shouting, too late

"Clary, look out!"

The wolf was dead by the time she came round, its body in the fire with the rest. The three of them were looking down at her anxiously. She winced as she sat up, and they breathed out an audible, collective sigh of relief.

Jace walked Clary to her room in the Institute, kissing her good night. She shut the door behind her, and pulled her arm out from behind her back.

For something that could do so much damage, it barely hurt.

She couldn't stop staring at it, the offending thing, and thinking about what it meant.

She knew one thing though, she couldn't stay.

Dear Jace,

I never meant to hurt you. Maybe one day you'll be able understand why I had to leave, why I had to break both my own, and your heart in so many million pieces.

I heard you singing this morning, and I knew you were singing it for me. I'm crying as I write this, thinking about just what I'm doing. If it makes you feel better, I'm not running off with Simon to get married to some rich bastard. I'm leaving to protect you, Izzy, Alec, everyone I love.

I'd actually appreciate it if you could tell Simon I'm gone .I daren't go near his house, for fear he'll see me and ruin everything by using his vampire powers to catch me and bring me back.

Tell my Mom too, I couldn't bear to leave her a note. But I owed it to you, my love; my soul mate. I think writing this is the most painful thing I've ever experienced, more painful than when I thought you were my brother, more painful than when Valentine killed you.

It may seem cliché, but I've taken everything that will remind you of me. Very new moon, I know, but I didn't want you to look at that photo and remember me. I want you to be able to get on with your life without me, so that maybe, one day, you can fall in love again, get married, have kids, and be the father you never had. The father I know you can be.

Don't come looking for me, you won't find me. If there's one thing I've learnt from you, it's being able to vanish without a trace.

I love you, and I wish it didn't have to be this way.

But it is.

And now, I have to leave, and I swear on the Angel that I won't be coming back anytime soon. Oh Jace, I don't want to go.

But I have to.

I have to be strong and protect you.

All my love, and my bleeding heart is yours

Clary

Goodbye.

Jace had tears forming in the corners of his eyes. Jace, who never cried, was heartbroken. He couldn't understand why Clary had gone; only that she wasn't coming back.

He felt as if his insides had been put in a blender, beaten to a pulp, and then stuffed inside him. Everything he was had been ripped to shreds by 347 written words, by eight tear stains and by one bewitching red head.

Izzy came barging into his room, without caring to knock, as usual.

"Jace! Have you seen..." she trailed off as she caught sight of the tears and the letter he was clutching, as if it was the only thing keeping him alive.

"She's gone Izzy. What am I going to do?" he sounded utterly defeated. Isabelle sat on the bed next to him.

"Oh Jace... I am so sorry" she put her arms around her broken, lost, adoptive brother.

my first story, so constructive criticism is welcome. And reviews giving ideas. reviews in general

MortalEnemies1234/Vikki;)