Lost part 5

IX


It had been a good day, overall. His parents had had a really good talk with Alec, and things seemed to go smooth again. Robert had still a long way to go before he would be truly able to accept his son just as he was. But at least he didn't want to throw him out of the house anymore.
They’d a family dinner for the first time in what felt like forever. And it had been wonderful.
It felt good to feel the warmth again of the family he had grown up in. The feeling of belonging somewhere, of not feeling out of place, Jace truly welcomed it.
Their parents would be leaving again the next morning, so they had stayed up late talking.
Jace’s phone went off and he took without of his pocket.
~ Sweet dreams. I hope you have a good night xoxo ~
He smiled when he read Clary’s text. It made him feel secure, knowing she was there, just a text away.
~ Sweet dreams to you too. I hope the bad dreams stay at bay. Talk soon. X ~
He pushed send and a soft beep told him the message had been received.
A few seconds later his phone buzzed again.
~ I'm sure they will. Don't forget, I'm only a phone call away if you need me. Xoxo ~
~ I won't forget. Thank you. Same goes for you. Sleep tight. X ~

“What are you smiling about?” Maryse asked, looking at her adoptive son.
It had been quite a while since she had seen a smile that sincere playing around his lips.
“Oh nothing, Just a text from Clary.”
“By the look on your face it's a bit more than just a text.” she coaxed.
“No really, Clary's just a really good friend.” Jace replied a little evasive.
“I should head up to bed. It's getting late and wI you guys leaving early tomorrow I want to get up in time.”
“Alright.” Maryse said.
“Good night son.” and with a kiss on his cheek she turned to put away the last dishes.

The night went by rather uneventful, according to Jace’s standards. Except for a few smaller nightmares, things went quite smoothly.
He woke up well rested, went to say goodbye to his parents and decided to go out for a run. It would help clear his head of the sleepy fog that was still lingering.
He needed a clear mind for that night. He was lucky to have slept rather well. Nights like this were always worse when he was tired.
The running did help and he came home refreshed.
He spent the day reading a new book his parents had brought him the day before. They knew his thirst for new things to read and.brought him an entire collection of Shakespeare's works. It was amazing hand he completely lost himself into the fictional world the writer had created. The book helped him get through the day, for he was dreading what was to come.



It was ten to seven when Jace entered the big manor house.
Valentine had left the door unlocked and wasn't there to greet Jace when he opened the door.
He walked into the hallway and then stopped dead. He heard voices coming from the parlour, and his stomach clenched. It took all his self restraint to not throw up and run for it.
Valentine had invited friends.
With lead in his shoes he started to walk up the stairs.
He was halfway up when a door down below opened and he heard Valentine say
“Not the second floor tonight Jace, go straight up to the third.” and close the door again.
Jace sighed, and kept going, past the library where he was usually expected to go and up to the next floor.
He had known that he would be expected to go there the moment he had heard the voices downstairs.

The room he entered was spacious, the floor a beautiful hardwood laid in an intricate pattern. At the walls there were benches and some chairs, the middle of the room only held a table and a single chair.
Jace sat down, his legs trembling slightly and his stomach completely upset.
He had been prepared to endure Valentine’s treatment tonight, but not this.

It wasn't long before Valentine entered the room.
“Stand up.” he said to Jace, and Jace stood, facing the door, fists clenched at his side.
Behind Valentine he could see the others coming in, several of them unrecognizable due to sunglasses or eye masks.
They walked around them, looking eagerly at Jace, and took place on the benches.
When everyone was seated Valentine started to unbutton Jace’s shirt, slowly and deliberately, pausing between each button and the next.
He suddenly grabbed Jace by the shoulders and roughly turned him around, so he faced the room, and then let the shirt slide down his arms so it fell in a black mass at his feet.
Jace closed his eyes, trying to block out his surroundings, thinking back to the text messages from Clary the night before.
He had read and re-read them over and over again, memorizing them. And now he held onto them as if they were a lifeline.

He felt Valentine place his hands on the table in front of him, bending him over slightly. He heard a desk drawer open to his left, and realized there was a cabinet there. His eyes shot open and he saw a large, slightly pudgy man with a dark red eye mask, rummage through the drawers. He picked out several items, brought them over to the table and put them in a neat line in front of Jace.

Jace breathed in deeply through his nose and blew out through his mouth trying to keep the bile down that forced it's way up his throat. It wouldn't be belt buckles tonight, it would be a lot worse and far more prolonged.

He twitched when he felt Valentine's fingers glide over the half healed welts on his back. One finger followed the line of old scars, made by the man over the past years.
Jace could feel him revel over it, and he shuddered. Every touch made him want to throw up.

Valentine moved over to stand a Jace’s right side. He signalled to one of the other men to take place on Jace’s left. Both of them grabbed a hand and pinnen Jace effectively in place.
The pudgy man picked on item off the table and moved behind Jace.
The swish of the whip made Jace stiffen and he grunted when the lash hit home.
“Count.” Valentine hissed in his ear.
“One” Jace muttered.
Another lash came down.
“Two”
“Three”
It continued to the point where he got dizzy and almost lost track of what was happening.
Men were jeering from their spots at the edge of the room, some got up to get a better look, others sat up a little straighter. Jace’s hands were clenched around the edge of the table, trying to keep his balance. His nails were making markings into the wood, leaving splinters in his fingers, but it was the only thing that kept him from crying out and giving the crowd what they wanted. He wouldn't do that, he wouldn't succumb to their wishes.
He bit the inside of his cheeks repeatedly, trying to change the focus of his mind from the pain inflicted by others to the self-inflicted pain in his mouth and fingers.
It helped, but only a little bit.

The men who held his hands and the ones behind him, wielding different whips, canes and other devices changes at a rapid rate.
The room was filled with noise and it made Jace’s head spin.

Suddenly the hands holding his wrists let go and Jace nearly fell over. This was prevented however when someone roughly snapped his hands together and shackled them to the table, the metal biting hard in his flesh. The position forced him with his torso flat on the table, his back completely exposed.
He felt the remainder of his clothes being discarded, leaving him naked and vulnerable.

Jace grabbed hold of the shackles to steady himself when his feet were pushed apart by a spreader bar.
He bit the inside of his cheek again and closed his eyes to keep himself from crying out in fear and protest. He tried not to struggle, but it was hard. Knowing what was coming terrified him. Silent tears rolled down his cheeks, forming a puddle beneath his face.

He opened his eyes again for a moment, only to see Valentine looking at him, a hungry look in his eyes. Jace stared at him, and he knew there was pleading in his eyes. He silently begged Valentine to stop, but the man only laughed and nodded to the bystanders.

There was a swift, unexpected, hard intrusion that caught Jace completely off guard and despite everything the boy cried out in pain, again and again and again.
He lost all sense of direction and time. The torture went on for what felt like forever. His throat was raw and painful from the screaming, his lips bloody from biting on them.
Tears, sweat and blood had mingled beneath his cheeks making a sticky paste that covered his face.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, it stopped. Jace lay face down on the table, his breath coming out his quick pants between sobs.
His whole body was trembling from the aftermath of the mistreatment. He kept his eyes closed, not wanting to be faced with any of the men in the room.
Behind him he heard the door open and slowly everyone went out until it was just him and Valentine.

Jace sighed with relief when his wrists were freed and his feet unshackled.
“Get dressed, you can go.” Valentine said and he turned around and left the room.


Jace collapsed on the floor, groping for his shirt.
His mind was reeling from the abuse and the only thing he could think of was getting out of there.
With difficulty he managed to get dressed and stumbled down the stairs.
Once outside it took a moment to get his bearings and started walking.
The way home seemed ten times longer than it usually did. He felt dizzy due to the pain and possibly the blood loss. He could feel trickles of it running down his back and his shirt moving over the welts was agony.
It took all his willpower not to pass out onto the street, he kept putting one foot in front of the other, willing himself to get home, to get to safety.

When he finally got there, he saw that all the lights were off, thank God. He snuck inside and dragged himself up the stairs and into the bathroom.
He locked the door, turned on the shower and while he waited for the water to heat he pulled out his cellphone.
~ Clary, I need you, please come over. The door is unlocked. ~ he typed and pushed send.

When he got into the shower, he sank to the floor, the hot water beating down on him and a red stream flowed towards the drain. Sitting there in the shower he tried to wash off the terrible filthy feeling that wouldn't leave him, even after scrubbing his skin raw.
Somewhere in the back of his mind he vaguely registered that, if he didn't want Clary to find out just how badly he was hurt, he'd have to hurry up, get out of the shower and bandage his back, but he wasn't sure he had any strength left to do it. When at last he did get out from beneath the steaming water, carefully dried himself off and bandaged his wounds.
He went to his room and crawled into bed. Checking his cellphone he found a message from Clary.
~ On my way. See you soon xoxo ~
At that moment, his bedroom door opened and Clary walked in, looking incredibly worried.
“Jace?” she said, and rushed over.
Jace didn't say anything. He only pulled his bedcovers back and gestured for her to climb in next to her.
Clary quickly changed from her clothes into a pair of Jace’s sweatpants and t-shirt that she grabbed from his closet and did as he asked.
Without a word, he snuggled up next to her and hugged her.
For a long moment they just sat there, holding on to each other. And then Jace started crying. He hadn't cried coming home from Valentine’s for ages, he couldn't even remember the last time it had happened, but tonight he cried, and Clary simply sat there, holding him close to her, allowing him to let it all out.

Beneath his own anguish, Jace realized that Clary was worried sick and probably terrified by how things were going right now. But he also knew that she would most likely keep her promise and not ask questions, and that was a soothing thought.
She stroked his hair and the side of his arm gently until his crying subsided.
And slowly they both drifted off to sleep.

It was still dark when Jace woke up with a jolt. Beside him Clary got up too and put a hand on his shoulder.
“Jace? It's alright, it was just a bad dream.” she whispered.
Jace didn't react but stated wildly around, not really seeing anything.
“Jace.” Clary said again, and she put the palm of her hand to his cheek to turn him to look at her.
He flinched and drew away, his whole frame tensing under her touch.
When his eyes finally found Clary, he relaxed a little, breathing deeply trying to slow his heart rate.
“It's alright.” Clary repeated, and she let her hand slide from his cheek to his chest, letting it rest just above his heart.
“I'm sorry I woke you.” Jace mumbled.
“Don't be. That's what I'm here for.”
Jace leaned back against his pillow and hissed at the pain that shot through his back.
“Where are you hurt?” Clary asked, Perry etched in her eyes.
“I think a better question would be were it doesn't hurt.” Jace replied wryly, and he pushed himself up again. He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.
“Can you tell me what happened last night”
Putting his face on his knees Jace sighed
“No, I don't think I can. It's still too fresh, it hurts too much to even think about it.”
He shifted, and the long sleeve of his shirt shifted revealing his scraped and battered wrist.
“Jace!” Clary exclaimed and grabbed hold of his arm.
“Jace, what on earth is this?”
Jace jerked his arm out of her grasped and stared at her, his eyes wide, like a deer caught in headlights.

He pulled at his sleeves to make them cover his wrists again.
“It's nothing.” he said evasively, but his brown-blue eyes wouldn't meet Clary's bright green ones.
“Jace, this isn't nothing.” Clary whispered, tears in her eyes.
“This is abuse, this is not something to be wiped under the rug. Please…” she trailed off.
“I'm sorry Clary, I don't want to involve you into this. It's my own mess and I have to clean it up.”
“I am involved, I chose to be involved when we first talked about this in the kitchen. You don't have to do this alone Jace.”
“Yes I do, if I don't, you'll be in danger too. I'm really sorry, but I can't tell you.”
“Alright.” Clary sighed.
“But I want a deal with you.”
She looked up at him, her green eyes boring into him.
“I want you to promise me that if anything as severe as this happens again you will tell what is going on. Do you think you can do that?” she asked, and she took his hands in hers, trying to convey how serious she was about it.
“I mean,” she continued,
“I know that you've been hurt a few times already since we met, but it was never as bad as today, was it?”
Jace closed his fingers around Clary's slender hands, looking at them as if they would bring him all the answers he needed.
“Jace?” Clary's voice pulled him from his thoughts.
Jace nodded, his voice failing him.
Clary pulled him closer to her, so their heads were touching. She let her hands slide through his hair, trying to soothe him.“It'll be alright, Jace.” Clary whispered.
“We'll figure it out together, I promise I'll do anything I can to get you out of this mess.”
“Thank you Clary.” Jace said softly.
“Maybe we should try to get some more sleep.” He said and tried to settle himself more comfortably on the mattress.
Clary joined him and they snuggled up together, holding on for dear life.

X

When Clary woke up the next morning, there was a soft light filtering through the curtains telling her it would be a nice, warm day.
She turned her head to look at Jace, who was still asleep next to her.
His blonde hair was spread around his head so that it reminded Clary of a halo from the old paintings of saints at the local church.
What struck her most however, was the look of pure relaxation on his face. She’d never seen him this unguarded and at peace. It fascinated her to no end.

Not wanting to wake him, Clary silently slid out of bed and tiptoed out of the room.
Hunger drove her towards the kitchen where she was met by Alec who stood at the stove making scrambled eggs and toast.
“Oh hi Clary!” He said when he noticed her coming in.
“I didn’t know you were here.”
“Oh no, I came over sometime during the night.”
“I…” She hesitated a moment, not knowing if she should tell Alec the truth of why she was here or not.
“I had a nightmare and didn’t want to be alone, you know.”
“Yeah, I get it.” Alec replied, a sad look in his eyes.
“How are you, in general, since all that stuff happened.”
“I’m alright most nights. I’m not sure what triggered it this time, but the nightmares are getting fewer and far between.”
“Good.” Alec smiled, obviously relieved.
“I’m glad to hear that. Is Jace still asleep?”
“Yes, sleeping like a baby when I left him.”
“Tell me, Clary.” Alec said, suddenly a little serious.
“Are you and Jace dating?”
Clary looked at Alec dumbfounded.
“I know it’s none of my business.” Alec quickly continued.
“But I’ve noticed Jace acting differently around you than he usually does around girls. So I just wondered.”
He trailed off, looking sheepish.
Clary looked at him for a moment and then started to laugh.
“Oh god Alec, no, we're not dating!” she gasped.
“Jace and I are really good friends, but nothing more.”
“Oh, alright.” Alec replied, a little flushed. “How is Jace doing now? You know, with what we talked about last week.”
“I'm not sure.” Clary said, a sad look in her eyes.
“Generally he seems to be ok, but there are moments when I'm not so sure.”
“I'll keep an eye out.” Alec promised as he took the frying pan off the stove and tipped the scrambled eggs onto three plates.
“There you go.” He said.
“Enjoy your breakfast.”
He picked up the two other plates and left the kitchen, probably wanting to find Magnus.
Clary sat at the kitchen table, her plate in front of her and a glass of orange juice next to it. She thought back to last night, how she had felt when she'd got the text.
She had already been half asleep when her phone had buzzed, telling her a message had arrived. Grumbling she had turned over and grabbed her phone from the nightstand, blinking in the bright light it produced.
The moment she’d seen Jace’s name on the screen however she'd been instantly awake.
~ Clary, I need you, please come over. The door is unlocked. ~ the text read.
Jumping out of her bed she had grabbed her clothes, scribbled a hasty note to her mother and ran off to her car, in the meantime typing back to Jace that she was on her way.
The sound of the text had frightening her. It wasn't the first time a text like this had come, but it still made her more nervous than usual.
Arriving to the familiar view of the Lightwood house had soothed Clary's nerves a bit. The door was unlocked, just as Jace had said, so she hurried through and straight up the stairs.
She found Jace already tucked in bed looking pale as a sheet.
And now she was here, sitting in the kitchen, by herself eating breakfast, worrying over Jace, who was hopefully still asleep and recovering from whatever had been done to him.
She checked her phone for messages and found one from her mother.
~ Clary, found your note. Hope you still had a good night sleep. I'll be out for today and Luke has a late shift. And I forgot to tell you, there’s a letter waiting for you. I put it on your desk. See you for dinner? Love mom. ~

Clary finished her breakfast and put the dishes in the washer.
Going back upstairs she first passed the bathroom, taking a shower and brushing her teeth.
After that she silently slid into Jace’s room to see how he was doing.
When she opened her door Clary saw Jace opening his eyes and rubbing sleep out of his eyes. She smiled at the endearing action and walked to the bed.
Jace looked up at her and scooted over so she could sit next to him.
“How are you feeling?” Clary asked softly when she settled down on the bed.
“Like I got hit by a truck.” Jace said, shrugging and immediately regretting the motion by the grimace on his face.
Clary sighed, a worried look on her face.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll get through this, I promise.”
“I know you will, Jace.” Clary replied. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not worried or sad that this is happening either way.”
“I know, and I’m sorry to cause you worry.”
“Don’t be, I worry because you are my friend. I chose to be your friend, so that’s on me.”
Clary said, and smiled.
“Do you want breakfast? Alec already made me some, but I can imagine you are hungry.”
“That would be great. I need a shower first, though.”
“Alright, I’ll go to the kitchen and make breakfast, you take a shower and eat when you’re done. How does that sound?”
“Awesome!” Jace said, laughing.
He climbed out of bed, grunting when he made a painful move, and disappeared to the bathroom.


Clary was just putting the eggs and bacon on a plate when Jace entered the kitchen.
“Something smells wonderful.” Jace said as he plopped down on a chair at the table.
“Let’s hope it tastes as good as it smells then.” Clary laughed, and joined him with two glasses of orange juice.
“Any plans for today?” Jace asked around a mouthful of eggs.
“I have to go home for a while in any case. Mom texted me something about a letter on my desk and it sounded important. So I should check it out at least. And I have to try and get some stuff ready for school too, if possible.”
“A letter? From university maybe?” Jace said interested.
“Could be, I applied for a few some time ago. Did you get anything back yet?”
“Nothing so far, but it’s still early. Izzy heard back from NYU though.”
“Yes, Simon told me. He got in as well.”
“That would be great. Let’s hope we all get in together.”

“What are you going to do today?” Clary asked Jace when he finished his breakfast
“Don’t know yet. Probably not too much, just trying to recover a little bit. It’s a school day tomorrow, so I have to be able to function somewhat at least.”
“You don't mind being alone today? You could come with me. I'll be home alone anyway.”
“That's ok.” Jace smiled. “I'll be sleeping most of the day anyway.”
“Alright, call me if you need anything, ok?”
“I will, promise. You should go, make sure you're ready for tomorrow.” he winked.
“Fine, I'll be off now. I'll call you tonight at the latest.”
Clary got up and moved over to Jace.
Carefully and a little hesitant she hugged him and placed a butterfly kiss on his blonde hair.
Jace hugged her back, gingerly but determined.
“We'll talk soon.” Jace whispered, and with that Clary left.


Jace sat, a bit dazed, in the kitchen. His feelings all a jumbled mess. Despite that he and Clary had already shared a bed several times, the hug and kiss she had just given him had stirred something, something different deep down.
He wasn't quite sure what to do with what he felt. He liked Clary, she had meant more to him than anyone he had ever met, except his immediate family.

“Jace?”
It was Isabelle who walked in the kitchen, still I'm her pyjamas and a nightgown.
“Hey Izzy, morning.” Jace said, tugging at his sleeves to make sure they covered his wrists. He would have to find a solution for this by tomorrow. Hiding the injuries on his back was usually easy, his wrists were quite a bit harder to cover.
“Plans for today?” Isabelle asked.
“No, not really. I had a terrible night, so I'll probably try to sleep a little more now. What about you?”
“I have to finish the English assignment today, but nothing else. Might try to get Simon on Skype later.”
“Have fun.” Jace said as he put his dishes away.
“Thanks. You should get back to bed. You look really pale.”
“I will, see you later Izzy.”

Jace excited the kitchen and went back upstairs. Going back to bed really was the only option for today, because despite the painkillers he'd already taken his whole body screamed in protest at every move he made. With a sigh of relief Jace lay down in bed, trying to avoid his battered back as much as possible.
He'd been lucky that he hadn't bled through the bandages that night, so he didn't need to change the sheets. Plus it would have made Clary go crazy with worry.
Thinking of Clary made his stomach do a backfill and he smiled. With the feeling of the kiss in the kitchen back on his mind Jace fell asleep, a smile playing on his lips.


Clary found the letter, just as her mother had promised, perched on top of her desk.
It looked official and a sense of excitement ran through her body.
Eagerly she tore open the envelope and took the letter out.
Holding her breath she read it.
“Dear Miss Fairchild,

We hereby inform you that you have been accepted at NYU.
Please find all the necessary information in the letter attached.
If you wish to make use of the university dorms, please fill in the form and send it back as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,
Mr Jackson
Dean”

Clary couldn't believe her eyes, she was in, she was really in!
Euphoria coursed through her as she grabbed her phone and texted her mother and Luke the good news. Next she Skype with Simon, who was, of course over the moon. They would be back together, just like they had been throughout high school. Izzy would be there too and, with some luck, so would Jace.
Clary wanted nothing more than to call Jace, but knowing he'd probably be asleep she texted him instead.
~ Jace, give me a call when you wake up? I have some news to share. XOXO Clary ~

She then decided to make a nice dinner and drive off to the supermarket to get all the ingredients.
On her way there she got messages back from her mother, congratulating her.

Clary was about half way through the dinner preparations when her phone rang with the familiar Jace tune.
“Hi Jace!” she said happily.
“Hi there Clary.” came Jace’s voice from the other side.
“Everything alright?”
“Yes, I'm fine thanks. More than fine to be honest.”
“Happy to hear that. So what's the big news?”
“I got into NYU!” Clary squealed.
“Seriously? That is so awesome! I'm really happy for you! And you know what?” he teased.
“What?” Clary said.
“I got in, too!” Jace laughed.
“No way!” Clary said, astonished.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes I am! The letter arrived Friday but I must have missed it. I found it like half an hour ago.”
“Oh my god, I'm so happy!” Clary exclaimed.
“Listen, I'm making dinner, would you like to come over? I can pick you up in about half an hour.”
“That sounds awesome, but I can get there myself though.”
“Jace! You're not coming here by bike! No way! You stay put till I come pick you up, got it?” Clary said sternly.
“Aye ‘Mam” Jace replied, laughter in his voice.
“Good, I'll see you in a bit.”
She finished cooking dinner, changed and went to pick up Jace.

He was ready, waiting for her in the living room, dressed up all in black.
“Hi.” Cary said when she entered the room.
But before either of them could say any more Clary was enveloped in a whirlwind that was Isabelle.
“You got in! You got in!” she screeched and bestowed a bone crushing hug on her friend.
“Hi to you too Izzy.” Clary gasped.
“Please let go now, you're suffocating me!”
“Oh, sorry!” Isabelle said and let Clary go.
“I'm just really excited. We're all going to uni together!”
“I know! It's really great.” Clary agreed.
“Simon is really happy too.”
She bypassed Isabelle and scooted over to Jace.
“Hi again.” she whispered, and he smiled at her.
“Hi!” he replied and pecked a kiss on Clary’s cheek.
“Let’s go, my parents will be home soon.” said Clary and together they got up, ready to leave.
“Where are you guys going?” Isabelle asked curiously
“Jace is eating over at my place.” Clary answered.
“Oh, have fun you two.” Giggled Isabelle and she left the room.
“Ok, that was intense.” Clary said to Jace.
“Yeah, that’s Izzy.” Jace smiled
“Wait until she wants to organise our graduation party.” He laughed.
“Oh good God, please don’t make me think of that yet.” Replied Clary and they both laughed.



The evening went by in a flurry of congratulations, toasts and lots of fun and laughter.
If had been a long time since Jace had felt this good in a family surrounding that wasn’t his own. And even then, Robert and Maryse were far more reserved than Jocelyn and Luke, which was a nice change. He felt happy, despite the constant pain of his back.
It was late already when they started clearing away the dishes.
“Would you like to stay here?” Clary asked, while Luke and her mother were in the kitchen.
“I don’t know, I need a shower and I have to check my back. I’m just not sure everything I need is here.”
“Jace, Luke is a cop, of course we have everything here you might need. Besides, it’s already late and we both know we’ll sleep better when the other one is around.”
“That’s true I guess.” Jace replied.
“Good, I'll go tell mom you're staying here. I'll be back in a second.”

True to her promise Clary returned quickly and took Jace upstairs.
I'll put some fresh towels ready for you. The bathroom is right next to my room, so if you need anything, just give a shout.
In the meantime I'll get the bandages you need.”
“Thanks, just put them on the sink, I'll find them there when I'm done.” replied Jace and he turned the shower on.
Clary got going taking towels and bandages from the cupboard and returning to the bathroom.
Going in she heard Jace hiss in pain. Looking down she saw a trickle of read on the bottom of the shower and her heart ached for her friend.
“Are you ok?” she asked, keeping her back deliberately to the shower.
“Yeah, I'm ok.” came Jace's muffled voice.
“I won't take long, don't worry.”
“I'm just in the next room, so call me if you need anything.” and she left him to it.
It wasn't long before Jace stepped out of the shower, gingerly dabbing at his back.
The welts looked ugly and stood out dark against the pale flesh of his body. He grimaced, thinking of the scars they would probably leave behind as permanent reminder of what had happened.
A knock on the door pulled him back to the present.
“Jace, do you need help?” came Clary's voice through the door.
“I'm almost done, be out in a minute.” Jace replied as he started to put on the bandages.
The retreating footsteps on the other side of the door told him Clary had gone back to her room.

When Jace entered the bedroom he found cry already tucked up in bed. She held back the covers so he could climb in beside her and he carefully settled himself against the mountain of pillows she had piled onto his side of the bed.
“How are you feeling?” she asked, concern in her eyes, mingled with something Jace couldn't quite pinpoint.
“I'll be alright. I feel like I got stuck.between a hammer and an anvil, but I'll heal.” he said, and took her hand, as if trying to put some extra credibility to his words that way.
“That's not really what I meant though.” Clary said, squeezing his fingers a little.
“I know, but I'm not sure I can really answer your question to be honest. I don't know yet myself. I try to leave it behind. It happened, it hurt, but dwelling on it isn't going to make it undone. So maybe it's better to just move forward.”
“It may seem that way, but be careful, it might backfire. If you're not confronting your emotions, th seem to go away, only to bite you in the mass when you least expect it. That doesn't mean you have to talk about it right now, but just try not to keep things bottled up forever, alright?”
Jace smiled at her and pulled her closer to him.
“Thank you.” he whispered.
“For what?” Clary mumbled sleepily.
“For caring.” He replied, just before sleep overtook them both.