Their Souls Entwined

Don't Let Go of Me

Clary led them through the city, her hand in his. She was speed walking and chatting excitedly. "Where are we going?" he had asked her but all she did was shake her head, "It's a surprise," she replied looking up at him beaming. It was that smile that he loved more than anything in the world, he had fallen in love with that smile from the second he had first seen it and from then on all he wanted to do was make her smile. "You know I don't like surprises," he chuckled before removing his jacket and placing it over her shoulders. Her hair brushed his fingers and he longed to kiss her again, but he held his composure. "You will like this one, I promise," she replied whilst giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. Jace hadn't paid much attention to where they were going after that, she could be leading them into a demon ambush and he wouldn't even notice, his eyes were fixed on her and he couldn't help but still feel shocked. "Alright we're here," she said and turned to face him. They were standing outside the apartment Clary had shared with her mother, the same one that Jace had saved her life in, the night they met. Jace had spent countless hours outside this apartment over the last year. He checked up on her every day, sometimes multiple times in the day, to make sure she was okay. The night she had left, he had followed her and when she returned to this apartment, he had slept on the steps to make sure she would be safe, now that she didn't have any runes or weapons to protect herself. He couldn't return to their room without being reminded of all the times they had been there together and it took just over a month before he slept in their bed again. Clary unlocked the door and walked in, bringing Jace in with her. 

As they entered the living room, he sighed and Clary looked at him with a puzzled expression. He pulled her close to him, "I just can't believe we're here, together." He was speaking in a low voice, "For a year I didn't know if I would ever get to hold you again, I didn't know if I would ever get to kiss you again." He swallowed hard, "I was always there though, close-by even though you couldn't see me. I just needed to know that you were safe and happy." Clary brought her hand to his face and he closed his eyes against her touch, there were tears in her eyes now, " Jace, when I left you that letter, it was because I couldn't stand the thought of you putting your life on hold to look after me. I wanted you to be happy and move on and hopefully find someone who loved you how I loved you. I'm so sorry for everything I put you through." Her throat had tightened, she couldn't imagine what he had been through. As grateful as she was, she felt guilty that whilst she lived her life, he stopped living his. Tears were now streaming down her face and Jace cupped it in his hands and wiped them away. "Clary, I could never love anyone else but you, I could never be happy with anyone but you, you are my life. Even though I couldn't be there with you, it gave me some comfort to see you happy, to see you laughing and smiling." He brushed his nose lightly against hers and she smiled. "I was never truly happy though," Clary replied, "deep down I felt like I was grieving the loss of something, of someone. Even though I couldn't remember you, I felt the loss of you every single day, and when I saw you at the exhibit, it was as if I could suddenly breathe again, as if this whole time I was underwater and you had pulled me up to the surface." Jace brought his lips down onto hers and whispered against her lips "I love you, Clary." His body was shaking now. Clary could feel it under his shirt as her hands found his chest. "I love you too," she whispered. 

At that moment he crumbled, never again did he think he would hear her tell him she loved him, his lips found hers once again and he brought Clary up in his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck and held onto him as she explored his mouth with hers. They were kissing ferociously now, kissing away the pain the last year had brought them, and making up for the time they had been apart. Jace moved them from the living room into her bedroom. He sat them on the bed and reluctantly pulled his lips away from hers. "Clary," he was breathing heavily and his eyes were washed over with desire, "We can stop if you want." This was Jace. For years he had a reputation of being the player, of never sticking around, but that had all changed when he met Clary. "I don't want to stop unless you do?" She replied with a grin. He had missed this, her teasing. He let out a chuckle, "as if you even have to ask me that," he replied and he brought them down together. Nothing had changed, he knew her like the back of his hand, just as she knew him, and their voices were carried away into the night. They eventually fell asleep in the early hours of the morning with Clary's head rested against his chest, her hand over his heart, and Jace's arms wrapped around her, holding her close.