𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐂━━━ shadowhunters

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐢.━━━ rebirth

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

"Growing Pains"

"Someone comes into your world. Suddenly your world has changed forever"

'First rule of Shadowhunting... when something explodes, just keep walking. Never think twice. Never look away.'

'And what's the second rule?'

A golden whip slithered it's coils around the Cup and swung back to its owner; Isabelle while she clicked down the stairs in her 6-inch stilettos. Jace rolled his eyes, but the Fairchild cousins were impressed.

'There's nothing a Shadowhunter can't do in heels.' Isabelle taunted.

'Show off.' Kiara scoffed, good naturedly.

'That's not how you pronounce thank you.'

Isabelle tossed the Cup into the hybrids hands. Oddly, it felt quite light despite its size. Kiara felt a queer sensation, like miniscule waves of cold water rush up her veins. The Shadow World's abomination was holding the Mortal Cup. Kiara was surprised no bolt of lightning raged down, to zap her out of existence.

'Alec, what are you doing?'

Kiara looked up from the Mortal Cup, to see Alec—who was downright terrifying when he didn't blink once, while staring at a holographic projection of the Institute. Badgered by Jace who was trying to get his parabatai away from the hologram.

Kiara gave the Cup back to Clary, and for the first time watched the red heads hand sink into the tarot card; the Mortal Cup disappeared into the paint.

'You can stare at this monitor all you want. They need angel blood to get past the wards.'

'And an incredible amount of stupidity, sometimes confused as daring.' Kiara added.

'Ergo, no Downworlder can come into the Institute.' Isabelle grimaced. 'Not without an invite by a Shadowhunter. Or well in Kiara's case.'

Isabelle glanced her way. 'Is part Angel.'

'First off, I didn't need the lesson.'

'You might have.' Jace shrugged. 'You had a habit of falling asleep during class.'

'Secondly,' Alec threw a stray pencil at Jace. 'Last I checked, Valentine is a Shadowhunter.' Alec crossed his arms. 'The Cup is not safe here. We have to give it back to the Clave.'

'Give it back to the Clave? No.' Clary stood up a little straighter. 'Not after everything we went through to get it.'

'Clary, it's not something for a single person to claim.' Kiara droned. 'But... We can use that grey area. Oh I love finding loopholes when it comes to you Nephilim.' Kiara clapped her hands excitedly.

'This better be good.' Alec groaned.

'Well the way I see it.' Kiara began. 'The Cup's our one bargaining chip. And it's also proven to be unsafe in the Clave's possession. And need I remind everyone, Valentine's been alive for years, undisturbed. I hardly think that he's been lying in a hammock by the beach, tanning. Instead class...'

Kiara looked at them all in mock of expectation.

'He could have members of the Clave on his payroll.' Isabelle slumped, closing her eyes.

'I see Izzy's the smart one in the family.'

'You know the witch-bitch, has a point Alec.'

Jace gave Kiara a sardonic smile, which she returned.

'So we keep the Cup close,' Clary grit her teeth. 'It would be safe and secure with only the five of us knowing where it is.'

'I don't like it—'

'No surprises—'

'Let me finish, Fray.' Alec glared at Clary. 'I don't like it but let's do it. Follow me.'

Alec marched off, leaving Clary to follow—half jogging—because the elder Lightwood took long strides. The remaining three loitered off in three different directions. Kiara slid out her phone. Apparently Simon has left her 23 voicemails so she might as well call him back.

Before she pressed the call icon, she caught sight of the date. 2 more minutes and it's her birthday. Huh. She was surprised with how little effect it had on her. She was about become 20 but there she was, at the precipice of a war.

'Hey, you've reached Simon's phone. You know—everybody's favorite geek. But if your last name's Chase please don't leave a message at the—'

Beep

'Hey Si, I'm sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. We had a little fiasco at the police station. I took a drug induced memory trip. And we got the Cup. I didn't check your voicemails, but whatever you were trying to tell me, I'm ready to hear it now. Call me back.'

The moment Kiara ended her voicemail, the ceiling lights glared red, and alarms blared from around the ops center.

The hybrid whipped her head around and joined Jace, Isabelle and Alec, who were staring at the previously uneventful hologram. Now there was a red circle was speeding inhumanly fast towards the Institute.

'I told you...'Alec started.'

'Don't say it.' Jace swung past the screen, twirling a seraph blade across his palm.

'What's happening?' Clary skidded to a stop beside Kiara.

'Someone's trying to break in.' Isabelle went after Jace, her whip uncoiling from her wrist.

'Could be the Circle.'

'Told you so.' Alec sniped.

'Too soon.' Kiara sighed.

Alec, Kiara, and Clary joined the other two outside the Institute. Despite the fact that the building was tucked in the middle of the city, it never looked darker. Like someone decided to draw a veil, shielding the skies and the city from the Institute itself.

Their only light was the ethereal glow of the Shadowhunters' weapons, and the shapeless silvery magic gloving Kiara's hand.

Even the sound of boots trampling grass, rumbling traffic, and chirping cicadas, was hushed. For someone who just stepped out of a church, Kiara felt like she had just walked into one, and there was a coffin by the alter.

It slowly ticked into Kiara that their footfalls weren't the only sounds. Something was sweeping across the grass in their direction. She halted; the others mirrored in suit. Now, only the stranger's footsteps could be heard.

'Don't move.' Jace ordered.

Kiara tilted her head in the direction, Jace was looking at.

No.

The hybrid recognized that silhouette anywhere.

What's he holding? A sack?

'Drop what you're holding. Put your hands up.' Alec notched an arrow.

'Alec wait...' Kiara waved off her magic and placed a restraining hand over Alec's shoulder. The Lightwood's shoulders relaxed by a pinch.

No. No, no, no. This isn't happening.

A man's figure bloomed out of the midnight mist, raven black hair, bright blue eyes holding a limped second person in his arms.

'Damon?'

Kiara had said that quietly, but everyone heard her.

'Not how I imagined you saying my name again.'

Kiara's face fell. The unconscious figure Damon was carrying wore a stained and scuffed t-shirt. He sported bruises and cuts on his deathly pale skin. His head wasn't facing them, but the two Fairchilds knew exactly to whom those glasses belonged.

Everyone lowered their weapons.

'Oh, my God, Simon!'

➳

Damon and Jace lay Simon down on a table, sliding a book underneath his messy brown locks to prop his head up. They were all in an unused sub-basement branched out from underneath the Institute. If it were an actual church, it would have been called the crypt.

It's probably best that everyone else didn't know there was a dead mundane and a vampire in their midst.

'People will be wondering what we found outside the perimeter.'

Jace informed them, shutting the door behind him. For once he had nothing to say simply for the pleasure of annoying Kiara. In fact he even patted her back, giving his condolences. Isabelle had given both Fairchilds a hug; never returned and Alec simply saying nothing, which said a lot.

'I'll go. I'll tell 'em we didn't find anything.' Alec volunteered. 'Nobody will come down here.'

Alec threw a suspicious glance at Damon, before closing the crypt door behind him. Leaving everyone else to stare dumbfounded at Simon; so unnaturally still, but if they hadn't known he was dead. It would have been tempting to say he was asleep.

'I don't know, bus boy over here. Not sure I care. But um..'

Damon looked at Kiara who shook her head, but the vampire refused to take the hint.

'I'm sorry you lost him, Ki.'

'Don't call me that.'

'The vampires breached the Accords. Killing Simon is grounds for war.'

Isabelle curled her fist, glaring daggers at Damon. Kiara was pretty sure if she had the chance Isabelle would be throwing actual daggers.

'Don't get your skirts in a twist, warrior princess.' Damon rolled his eyes. 'The vampires weren't behind this. Just one of them. Camille.'

'C-Camille?' Clary grit her teeth.

'Mmhm...' Damon looked between Simon and Clary. 'Drinks blood. Has two thumbs. Bitchy attitude. Homicidal tendencies. Heard of her?'

'And how do we know you're telling the truth?

Jace fingered the hilt of his sheathed seraph blade.

'You don't. But how about the fact that your friend is here and not staked and shoved in a shallow grave somewhere?'

Why did he say staked? Does that mean...

'I'm not one of the locals but Raphael's not looking for trouble with you and the rest of the breakfast club.'

'Smart decision'

'Hey.' Damon rounded on Isabelle. 'I warned the mundane to stay away... but Camille gave him a taste of her own blood, and like an addict... bus boy came back wanting more. It is what it is.'

'The only reason Simon ever tasted Camille's blood is because of vampires.' Clary raised her voice; eyes a blaze.

'You kidnapped him! You drug him to Hotel Dumort. You... You delivered him to Camille! You—'

'—Saved your lives when they were about string up Ki, warrior princess and the grinch? Your welcome.'

'That was you?' Jace looked at Damon up and down.

'Surprise.'

'Why?' Isabelle inquired.

'Because of my moral high ground.' Damon mocked. 'Psych. I don't have one. Plot twist, I was more interested in saving my ex.'

'Your ex? As in—' Jace looked at Kiara

'Ding, ding, ding. Give the blonde a prize.' Damon drawled.

Kiara hadn't spoken for a while, and she felt everyone's gazes burn her back. Still, she refused to look up or say another word.

While the others had been bantering back and forth, she chose to sit on the edge of the table beside Simon's head and flattened out his hair. She even straightened his cracked and grimy glasses in contrast to all the times she tipped them sideways.

She'll never get to do that again. Or pretend hear the end of it from her favorite geek.

'There is a way.'

'"A way" what?'

'A way to bring Simon back.'

'You can do that?'

'How?'

'Your buddy's a fledgling. A.K.A he's in transition. Meaning, he can come back.'

'No.'

Kiara got up abruptly, her voice shook in sync with a sniffle. She finally made general eye contact and glared at Damon.

'No. Absolutely not.'

'So I could have Simon back?' Clary asked breathily. 'Alive and breathing?'

'That's just it, Clary.' Kiara closed her eyes in exasperation. 'He won't return alive or breathing. He'll be a vampire.'

'And not the sexed up, romantic kind.' Jace cast a dirty look at Damon. 'The ugly, bloodsucking, coffin-dwelling kind.'

'Rude.' Damon yawned. 'First off, coffin dwelling? Secondly, Twilight wasn't completely wrong. But sure, I don't sparkle.

'My bad.'

'It's almost sunrise.' Damon waved Jace off, turning back to the girls. 'Simon must be turned into a vampire tonight or casually staked through the heart— tonight.'

'And if I do neither?' Clary leaned in.

'His soul will be trapped forever. And as someone whose life is forever.' Damon locked his line of sight with Kiara. 'Let's just say forever's a long time.' He sighed.

'You have till sunset. Tick tock strawberry shortcake.'

'Clary won't be deciding anything.' Kiara snapped bluntly. 'But you,' She said to Damon. 'Are going to decide between body-sitting my dead best friend or speaking with me.'

'Now... Alone.'

➳

'Why do I have a feeling you didn't drag me here, to exchange Pokémon cards?'

'You still drink Bourbon?'

'Hit me.'

'I'll try not to take that literally.'

Kiara and Damon were currently in her living room slash bedroom considering her bed rested on a mid-air, wooden platform across one corner of the room. When they had arrived, Kiara found a Shax demon scuttling in her bathroom which she had to banish along with tidying up the mess which—clearly—Circle members had left.

It looked just like the Fairchild/Fray loft. Furniture shattered, Kiara's books, ornaments, pictures strewn across the floor—some in pieces. The hybrid was now multi-tasking. Magic sifted across the room; reconstructing the broken. Placing the misplaced. Detoxing the demon stench. Re-booting wards which Dot had placed.

Meanwhile, Kiara poured both vampire and hybrid a glass of bourbon each.

'It's neat.' Damon sipped his bourbon. 'You're hitting rock bottom.'

'You never know. Call it rock bottom today when it could always get worse tomorrow.' Kiara downed her glass in one.

'Easy, Ki. Or the worst is happening today.'

'Don't call me that, Damon.'

'I see you got your memories back then.'

Kiara set her harder than she meant to on her liquor table.

'I didn't bring you here to talk about us, Damon. How could put Clary in a position like that?

'You mean the kind where she can choose to bring your best friend back?'

'The kind where you give a naïve, heartbroken girl two reprehensible choices, over the fate of her best friend. On which—she has no right.'

'I'm a vampire.' Damon stood up, hands speaking for him. 'I'm living the life.'

'Oh sure you are.' Kiara scoffed.

'Your older and smart enough to stay off the Shadowhunter radar. Simon's best friend is a Shadowhunter. You'd be driving a twisted wedge between their bond.'

'So he doesn't get his old life back, none of us do. You don't see me slumming it.'

'You don't know him like I do.' Kiara poured herself another shot. 'To him it's people over pleasure. I'm not surprised you wouldn't know that.'

'Don't I?'

Damon 's hand found an unruly strand of hair draping her cheek and smiled fondly before letting it go. Kiara made no glimpse of affection toward it. Then again, she didn't tell him to stop either. In fact her breath struck dead at her throat.

As if nothing had been said or done, she carried on.

'You don't know what it's like, Damon. You only knock around the city when you feel like it. The rest of us don't get that kind of freedom. It's always a Nephilim's word against yours. One of their lives over a number of ours. And don't get me started on the ridiculous werewolf vs. vampire brawl.'

'Shouldn't you be saying this to your cousin?'

'Determination runs in the Fairchild gene pool.'

'It's pronounced stubbornness.'

Kiara's lips twitched.

'How did you know she's my cousin.' Kiara raised an eyebrow.

'Your half-brother Houdini and I had a few run ins. When a vampire needed a spell. And a warlock needed a vampire. He used to give me discounts when you and I were the Downworld's power couple.'

Kiara smiled; unaware how small the distance was between them.

'It doesn't change the fact that Clary was never exposed to the kind of pain she's going through now.' Kiara's eyes stung.

'You and I are no strangers to death. We both know even then... We can still see them in everything we do moving past the pain. To Clary, it's either that empty hole in your heart that makes you lose your breath or just.. to not feel it at all. To have Simon back.'

'Kiara.'

Damon almost closed the gap between them by sitting right beside her, to lean his head in.

'I didn't suggest Simon's vampirism for Clary. I said it for you.'

Kiara gulped.

'Weren't you listening to me?'

'I did. I always do.'

Damon reunited with the same strand of hair from earlier.

'All I heard with that talk about "holes and losing breath." Was that Simon's death is breaking your heart.' Damon swiped a single tear from her cheek.

'It is. And I loved him.' Kiara admitted. 'And it's because I do, that I'm not going to give him an eternal half-life when he really deserves the world. His world. The one that vampirism will take away.'

'It's still his world if he's in it. It's just one he's having to make his own over time. Worked out for me.'

'Does that imply you and your brother are in speaking terms?' Kiara quipped. 'Maybe your suggesting you're not waiting for that magical comet. I mean— I'm assuming that's why you threw me aside— your side piece. To make room for your 500-year-old, desiccated ex?'

Damon said nothing, abandoning her hair.

'That's what I thought.'

'Yeah Chase, you deserve better than that.' Simon encouraged.

Kiara slid off her couch and ducked past a flock of books hurtling back to their shelf. Even though Damon wasn't done with his bourbon, it bended into thin air, when Kiara clicked her fingers and everything in the room stopped moving. She frowned. Something was missing.

Next to the front door she usually had a range pictures of herself, Simon, Luke, and the Frays peppering the wall. Even some of Clary's art. But now, one of the pictures were missing; the photograph of her standing at the doorway of her new home, laughing at the camera because of something Simon said.

But thinking about Simon erased the missing photograph from her head.

All she saw in her mind's eyes was his pale and clammy face in death-like sleep. There was a whooshing noise that zoomed from behind her, and in front of her; Damon. She tried to maneuver around him around him, to get to the door.

He held her arm, to stop her.

'I didn't erase your memory for Kathrine, I did it for you. To ke...'

Damon opened his mouth and closed it again. Kiara shook her head, brushing her thumb across her cheeks, to collect the salty tears staining them.

'I was happy, Damon.' Kiara sniffled. 'And it was epic. I thought it was going to end by our own terms, but instead you not only ended it, yourself. You invaded my mind and robbed me of two years of happiness. And now, you won't even tell me why.'

He stayed silent, circling the pad of his thumb across her wrist before letting it go reluctantly.

'I need to go tell Simon's mother she'll never see her son again.'

Kiara flicked her wrist midst snapping her fingers. A Portal shimmered beside them.

'Isn't there supposed to be a law against that?' Damon leant against the wall.

'No one had a problem with it when we dragged Simon into the Shadow World—oh wait, that's right.' Kiara mocked.

The hybrid plucked a picture from her mini gallery. A picture with her knocking Simon's glasses sideways for the first time, while they were traumatizing Venice. Kiara wore a stupid big grin and Simon was trying his best not to smile while feigning a scowl at the Kiara in the picture.

She pocketed it before walking up to Damon, pressing a small kiss on his cheek.

'Goodbye Damon.'

'Happy Birthday, Ki.'

Kiara froze, she had almost forgotten. Nevertheless, she wordlessly stepped into the Portal and materialized on the porch of the Lewis residence. Simon's cat, Yossarian, greeted her by mewling by her ankles.

Squashing his face against them. She sniffled again, this time with a sad smile when she scratched the cat's ear. The only grudge Yossarian kept against Simon was their breach in privacy, every time Simon documented Yossarian's life in minute-to-minute tweets.

Kiara was whitened knuckles were an inch from rapping against the door, when it opened without her persuasion, but it wasn't Simon's mother: Elaine Lewis or his sister, Rebecca but...

'Wayland do you have a death wish?'

'I'm just taking care of your cousin. Had fun with the vampire?'

'Taking... Clary have you told her?'

Kiara rounded on the red head the moment Clary closed the front door behind her. Clary looked on edge. Her eyes darted in all directions, and she was chewing her lip while tugging a lock of her flaming red hair.

'Yeah.' Clary breathed.

'What did you tell her?'

'I um.. I told her truth. The whole truth.'

'And you're okay with that?'

Kiara furrowed her brows at Jace. He was about to answer but she cut him off.

'Of course you are. What Clary says, goes. I'm going to go look after Mrs. Lewis and Rebecca.' Kiara made for the door. 'They loved him more than the rest of us, combined, we can't just leave them.'

'I—' Clary caught Kiara's arm. 'I've been with them for a while now. Rebecca's left saying she wanted to be alone. And Mrs. Lewis is asleep. She said she wanted to be alone too.'

'Clary there are two types of people. People who really do need to be alone. And then the ones who don't actually mean it. She fit's the second category.'

Kiara found it weird that Rebecca would leave her mother alone, in the wake of Simon's death. Then again, she had never seen even the remote sense of sadness from Simon's sister. How would she know what the family is like in reaction to death. Kiara wasn't around when Simon's father died.

'I think she really does want to be alone.'

Kiara thought she saw something catch the corner of her eye and disappear behind Clary's back.

'At least for today. Simon's her son. I'm pretty sure she needs to take the acceptance stage on her own.

Kiara groaned. She raked her hair with her fingers, feeling completely helpless.

'Does this mean you're not considering bringing him back as a vampire?'

Clary sucked her breath sharply.

'Yes.'

'Well then... call me when it's time to stake him. I want to be there.'

'Yeah I'm not sure how I feel about a pointy stick, sticking out of my chest.'

➳

'Ki, I really need to talk. I think I'm turning into a vampire. I'm scared.'

Kiara threw her phone against the stone floor. It skidded across the surface and fit the soles of some's shoe.

'Feel better?'

Alec picked up the phone, noting the white cracks scarring the screen. He tossed it back to her before sitting down beside her, on the metal step of the spiraling black staircase rising upwards to the glass roof of the Institute's greenhouse.

Kiara had found the greenhouse a while ago when she got lost looking for the kitchen. It was by far her most favorite place in the Institute. No one seemed really come around here. It was quiet, calm and the hybrid assumed this was the closest she'll ever get to being in Idris.

Excluding the possibility of her ending up in the Gard.

It made her think about Idris because she counted up to over a hundred plant's she had been taught, only grew there. The city that could have been her home.

The greenhouse was huge glass-walled enclosure, lined with trees whose thickly leaved branches breathed out cool, green-scented air. There were bushes hung with glossy berries, red, purple, and black, and small trees hung with oddly shaped fruits she'd only seen on paper.

It felt nice to pretend she was also on paper, if life were a story and she had the means to write the next page. But she didn't. That sucked.

'My best friend is still dead. And my screen cracked. I feel so much better.'

'In that case I better get the bad news over with.' Alec sighed.

'There's an envoy from the Clave currently making my mother rip her hair out. Her name's Lydia Branwell.'

'Branwell is it?' Kiara felt her memory click. 'That would make her... a very distant cousin.'

'Well if you think I'm all about the law, wait till you meet her. Well... I actually came here to warn you to do exactly anything but that.'

'What does the Clave want? Me in a cell? Surprise, surprise.'

'A meeting with Valentine Morgenstern's last remaining family. But we all know what that means.'

Alec elbowed her when he found she wasn't paying attention.

'Stay off her radar. She's already got full access to the Institute's assets, and she's pissed that you, Clary and Jace are unaccounted for.'

'This day gets better by the second.'

'I can think of one way to make it better.'

Kiara chuckled, she finally faced him, amused. Alec had a rare smile on him, but he kept pawing his worn-out shirt. Kiara picked up on the slightly crumpled, paper bag resting on his lap.

'A picnic?' Kiara laughed. 'You know what? I'm hungry enough to eat anything. Even if it's Izzy's leftovers.'

'For the sake of our health, these are not made by Izzy.' Alec lipped his bottom lip. 'But erm... it's not exactly whatever your used to, I don't think I've ever done mundane shopping...'

'Is mundane shopping, different than Shadowhunter shopping?'

Kiara opened up the paper bag.

'I wouldn't know.'

Kiara pulled out a napkin wrapped cheese sandwich and passed it to Alec. Then she herself dug into a fruit bar, while Alec laid out the rest of their loot. A couple of apricots, nut chocolate and a bottle of water.

'Not a bad haul.' Kiara admired.

The fruit bar was a little soft and limp but good all the same.

'How does it feel? Looting the kitchen. That is an act of theft, Alexander.' Kiara teased.

'You practically left your siblings to starve.'

'They can eat apples.' Alec shrugged, nibbling his sandwich. 'Besides, no one should have nothing for their birthday.'

'Who told you?'

'Your ex.' Alec bit his sandwich a little harsher.

'Who I don't like by the way.'

'Shocking.' Kiara scoffed.

'He has that effect on people. No one really knows him until they...'

Kiara didn't complete the sentence, but she was going to say, 'until they learned to love him.'

Alec said nothing to her silence, he just progressed to snapping the nut chocolate into bite sized pieces. Slipping a few slabs into Kiara's palm.

'It's no cake but um... I wanted it to be better than nothing.'

'I think it's just right, thanks.' Kiara nipped into the chocolate.

'It's not the best day for celebration. But it's also a reminder that I'm... alive. All the pain, the darkness, triumphs, and the happiness... It's a kind of paradise in itself. And if I stop living through little things like birthdays..' Kiara tasted salt running down her face.

'I might as well, be dead...'Simon lived for the little things that made the people he loved smile. It's why he tagged along... it made him happy. He'd probably be having a panic attack if I didn't celebrate my birthday with or without him.'

'I love you too, Ki.'

'Maybe I judged the mundane too harshly.' Alec stuck his bottom lip out, shrugging nonchalantly.

'Oh yes. A little. Just a bit.' Kiara tittered.

Alec eyed a green shrub right in front of them, he flicked his wrist in front of them to check his watch. Kiara tilted her head, to face the side profile of his face, but her eyes were bearing down on the floor where a longhaired grey cat skulked.

Watching her with unyielding yellow eyes. It's face looked slightly squashed and it's ears were tucked in.

'That's Church. Don't be fooled. He bites. Doesn't love anybody but himself. Knows his way around the Institute better than the rest of us though.'

Alec struck his hand out; inviting Church to come closer. The Persian glared at the chocolate smeared hand, which he chose to ignore and instead pushed his head against Kiara's ankles. She smiled and fondled the mewling feline.

Church could have secured a place on Kiara's lap, if Alec hadn't threatened to withdraw Church's next meal. The cat hissed at the Lightwood before stalking off, head held high.

'I've never seen him like somebody.'

'Really? You two have so much in common. If you had stayed a cat, you'd look just like him.'

'Don't remind me.'

Kiara dusted her palms, while letting her tongue slowly savor the birthday chocolate, melting in her mouth. Almost as if she were clocking how long it would take for disaster to strike. Not that what happened next fell under disaster... not really.

'Look.'

Alec pointed at the shrub in front of them.

Kiara hadn't cared much for it then, but when she actually did she noticed the tightly closed buds, coated by a slivery sheen glowed more luminous in the shaft of moonlight drafted through the murky sky.

Suddenly one of the buds began to quiver and tremble, under her gaze. It swelled to twice its size and burst open. Like watching a speeded-up film of a flower blooming: the delicate green sepals opening outward, releasing the clustered petals inside. They were dusted with pale gold pollen as light as talcum.

Kiara hummed, resting her chin on her knees, which she hugged to her chest; watching the rest of the buds follow in suit.

Slowly, clusters of the same flower were erupting in various locations, of the glass enclosure. One of those clusters were right beside her, and the soapy fragrance of the flowers wafted around her. Melding with the already present rich dark smell of earth.

'Moonflowers?' Kiara looked at her companion.

'Of sorts.' Alec coked Hodge would know. Nobody else comes around here as much as he does. Jace used to come here when he first started living here. And he'd well... cry. So me and Izzy pretended we had allergies to give him some space.'

'You know... we never really cleared the air on why you wanted me, and Clary gone, so badly. Not that I'm trying to re-ignite old fights. It feels like a forever ago, really.'

'Well in my defense the two of you might as well have dropped from the sky.' Alec scratched the back of his neck.

'You were new... unexpected, completely out of control. I-I don't like surprises.'

Kiara was shaking with silent laughter, and Alec didn't notice until odd noises of suppressed laughter caught her throat. The tips of the Lightwoods ears flushed pink.

'Go on.'

'And.. you both dragged us into situations completely out of the books and Jace and Izzy were always in danger and... I felt like not being in control meant that I couldn't protect any of you... I've never handled a situation that hadn't already played out in simulation...'

Alec trailed off. The temperature dropped slightly. Kiara wasn't laughing anymore. Her life was always fated to surprise for the better or worse. So she can't say she can relate with the Nephilim, but that need to be in control... that made sense.

'You can't protect everyone, Alexander.' Kiara rested her head on Alec's shoulder.

'And I'm sorry you felt like you needed to protect me. But... word of advice. Control is overrated. You're always going to face challenges, expected or not. When you do, don't... push the people who care about you, away. We're always gonna have your back. Jace, Izzy... even me.'

'I'm kinda going through that right now...the out-of-control part.'

'The envoy?'

'Amongst other things...'

Alec looked down at the hybrid leaning on him, licking his chapped bottom lip.

'Closer to home.'

Kiara looked up, feeling suddenly hyperaware to her current situation.

Manhattan's lights now substituted the moon (which drowned in the clouds). Meaning the moonflowers dimmed a shade darker. The changing in light did funny things with the shadows carving Alec's face. Made his blue eyes oddly bluer, and his stare a whole lot toxic.

Kiara tugged her bottom lip with her teeth, clocking the seconds before Alec mirrored her. The air grew hot and heavy, despite the cool night air, and crushed her chest, in which her heart hammered furiously against. Like it was trying to escape the eventual heartbreak that doomed her every relationship.

'You should... probably not push me away then. Since I'm... also closer to home.'

'Yeah probably.'

Kiara reached up and cupped the Nephilim's cheek, tracing a small circle across his jaw. Alec's eye lid's drooped and leaned in to her touch. Kiara leaned upwards but felt something oddly cold hit forehead, and trickle down her face.

Slowly it dawned on the pair, that the sprinklers were hell bent on showering them.

'Saved by the sprinkler system.' Kiara pulled back.

Alec blinked, wiping off the water collecting on his face. The hybrid chuckled standing up, clutching an apricot leftover from her birthday feast. There was a small pang in her chest, knowing the moment was over for them. Reality had come raining down upon them.

'We should go,' Kiara swept off the hair plastering her face.

'Can't have you sneezing your way through a horde of demons. Hell would catch a cold.'

'Hilarious.'

Alec shook his head, pelleting her with more water. He rose from the staircase step and stumbled after the hybrid.

Kiara tread carefully as the stone floor pooled in with expanding puddles tipping down downwards the channel drains on either side of the pathway. The cold was biting into her clammy skin, so when she took her next step, it was midst shivering.

Losing her footing she stumbled backwards, to be caught by Alec, who held his hand out to steady her. She turned around to apologize and then somehow she wasn't apologizing but in circled in his arms, kissing him.

The kiss tasted like chocolate.

At first, it almost as if he hadn't wanted to kiss her: His mouth was hard on hers; scared to go further, asking for her consent. She had responded by her hands reaching up to wind up in his hair, before her realizing so. Ergo, he pulled her flush against him, and the cold was long gone.

His dampened lips softened and let her meld hers with his, in equal softness purely to give him full conscious of what he was doing. So he knew this wasn't a heat of the moment mistake. Applying the same pressure, Kiara softly bit his lip before pulling away.

She smiled when Alec wasn't aware, until he had learned in for more.

They were now soaked to the skin and panting. Sometime while they were kissing the sprinklers had shut off. Now it was just the two of them and a cat, waiting by the doorway.

'Happy birthday Kiara Chase.'

'I ship it.' Simon clapped

➳

'Luke are you okay?'

Kiara stormed into the Jade Wolf, her hair flying wildly behind her, no longer drenched.

After she and Alec kissed, Church escorted Alec to the ops center and a distress call from Luke, led Kiara to spontaneously dry off by magical means, and deglamour as the appearance of Raj (a fellow Shadowhunter) to leave the Institute undetected before she could Portal herself to Luke,

Now she was looking at the interior of the Chinses restaurant, looking wrecked.

As if a herd of deer chose to randomly appear in New York and stampede the werewolf hangout. Some of the wolves looked like they'd taken a bad beating because they clutched ice packs or beers to steel their nerves while they're self-healing kicked in.

Luke for one had only a few strips of cloth, left from what used to be his favorite shirt. Blood crusted healing wounds on his skin, and he looked like he was having a hangover.

'What happened? You look like crap.'

'Uh... you should see the other guy.' Luke winced.

'Is it so hard for you to not get your ass handed to you?'

Kiara went up to Luke, holding up his arm at eye level to inspect his disappeared wounds, which looked like it had been torn up by a heavy boulder. Kiara coughed, catching an all too familier scent of fire.

'Did your attacker happen to burn all the wontons or something?'

'That's Hellmist.'

'You were attacked by a Forsaken?'

'If you can even call it that.' Luke coughed.

'Anyway, it's dead. It looks worse than it was. Anyway, I called Alec, who left about minute before you came in.'

Kiara shuffled her feet at the mention of the Lightwood, and bit her slightly swollen lip. Luke noticed and cocked an eyebrow up. But said nothing about it.

'He took the Forsaken back to the Institute for an autopsy.'

'Makes sense, Izzy's the best forensic pathologist in New York.'

'The Lightwood girl? Yeah, so I've heard. But enough about me. Ki, what are you doing here? Now that you have the Cup, you and Clary know you should be back at the Institute, protected.'

'Luke.' Kiara rolled her eyes, 'You called me. And told me you were attacked.'

'Doesn't mean you have to come marching in here.'

'I can protect myself, and Clary's safe with her new boyfriend.'

'I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that.' Luke cringed.

'Relax, they're in the 'we kissed, what's next' stage.' Kiara sat down at Luke's table, facing him.

'I also needed to see you. I thought about going to Magnus first, but Magnus doesn't know more about my Mom, than he's already told me.'

Luke gave a muffled grunt, while he sat up a little straighter, resting his elbows on the table. While he did so, Kiara couldn't help but notice that a couple of werewolves were watching her wearily. While a few looked away immediately. One or two still stared, as if daring her to make a move.

'Ignore them.' Luke followed her gaze. 

'You'll notice that it's not just Shadowhunters giving you the cold shoulder. Word travels fast around here. Your recent battles? They fear you.'

'Brilliant.' Kiara grumbled. 'Exactly what a girl want's on her birthday.'

'And that reminds me—'

Luke busied himself with the zipper of a backpack, and pulled out a weather-beaten, green leather-bound book, and slid it across the table. Kiara picked it up and ran her fingers across the cover which had a familier symbol on it.

The initial 'F' cradled by a pair of delicate, and intricately detailed faerie wings.

'The Fairchild family crest?'

Kiara, peeled the book open, finding finely inked words scrawling it's pages, animated with a series of sketches of creatures, places, and people. A few who looked quite familier.

'Yup. That's your mother's journal. She was... the black sheep of your family. Didn't even inherit the signature red hair.' Luke reminisced.

'Guess we have that in common.'

Kiara smiled finding a small picture of an infant peeking out of one page. Next to it were a myriad of names; Theresa, Emma, Leighton, Wanda, Cassandra, Adele... all which seemed to have been crossed out except for one. 'Thalia.'

'I think that's what made the two of you so special. Casual disregard for rules—'

'Not all rules.'

'Fiercely loyal. Well acquainted with trouble.' Luke rattled on.

'That's your Mom, alright.'

'Who was she to you?'

'My best friend,' Luke said straight away.

'And my worst nightmare. A lot like you and Jace in the early stages of our friendship. It was Jocelyn who kept the peace. But towards the beginning of the Uprising, we grew apart. For a while, I thought it was because of my transformation but meeting you for the first time changed that.'

Kiara drummed her fingertips on the book, her mother curled her g's and looped her y's like she did.

'You look a lot like her... but I hope you make better choices. It's what the diary's for.' Luke tapped the peeling cover.

'I'm sorry that's the closest I can get to your mother... I hope you can see for yourself who she is and why she did what she did.'

'Abandoning me?' Kiara said dryly.

'Some of the best choices don't guarantee happiness, Kiara. Careful. You might have to make one of those choices someday.'

'Thank you Luke, you really are the only father I've ever known.'

'I'll always have your back kiddo. Were the Downworlders.'

Kiara was about to open her mouth to reply when her phone hummed from her jean pocket. The werewolves flinched at the sound, unnoticed by the hybrid. Whose cracked screen revealed that her caller was her favorite Lightwood.

'It's Izzy. I better take this.... Yeah, hello?'

➳

'You almost done?' Isabelle slapped on her milky white surgical gloves.

While she was suited up in a lab coat and face shield, and her long dark hair was piled up and pinned with juda sticks. Kiara was in her comfort zone, trying to make a fashion statement.

The birthday girl wore a shimmering bardot that clutched her figure loosely and maintained a low slit. Featuring her hair now tipped with golden locks. Her way of saying: I'm going to be fine. Yet, the whole time she was moving, her hand kept reaching into her pocket to retrieve the photo of her and Simon.

'Patience is a virtue, Iz.'

'Come on. I want to get my hands on that thing.'

Isabelle huffed, quickly taking over the Forsaken' chest, which Kiara had just finished inspecting for any magical means that supported Luke's statement in the case file handed to her when Isabelle called her to conduct the Forsaken's preliminary autopsy.

According to the report the currently very dead and mutilated creature on the operating table had been oddly more focused on using the werewolves as it's chew toys. Making it a lot harder to kill, and a tad bit smarter.

'Speaking of which, how is Alexander? I was hoping I might hear from him.'

'Putrefaction.' Isabelle grimaced, getting a face full of stink.

'It's decomposing and—I'm not sure if you noticed, but my brother is not exactly warm and fuzzy.'

'He mentioned... With mine and Clary's arrival... And Valentine's return...'

'Mmm-hmm. Running the Institute...'

'The envoy from the Clave... Oh, who I hear is very impressive.' Kiara added. 'What else? Oh. Babysitting Jace.'

'And dealing with our parents who are trying to find him a wife.'

Kiara paused; hands frozen in mid action to remove her own face shield. She searched Isabelle face with raised eyebrows. The Lightwood thinned her lips, also stopping her work.

'Sorry.'

'It's quite all right.'

Kiara made a note on the preliminary report she was touching up.

'I suppose Alec is just following his duty.'

'Not everyone gets the luxury of following their heart.' Isabelle looked down at herself.

'Izzy...'Kiara groaned. 'I really respect the lengths you go to for your family. And I can't tell you what to do.'

'Then don't'

'I'm not,' Kiara said calmly.

'Just take your own advice and... do this for the right reasons.'

'And those are?' Isabelle looked up from the Forsaken, hopefully.

'That depends on you doesn't it?'

Kiara produced a scalpel and passed it to Isabelle. In compensation for the Lightwood's silent train of thought.

'I'm gonna go deliver the preliminary findings. It seems like you have everything under control here—happy operating.'

➳

Kiara found Alec, shirtless and punching the stuffing out of a punching bag. It wasn't an unpleasant sight to see, probably the only thing nicer than the greenhouse. It's the distant look in Alec's eyes, that made the girl wonder whether he even knew what he was doing.

When she had strode over to his side, was only then he knew of her presence.

'Kiara. '

Alec panted his greeting, halting his exercise. Kiara didn't respond immediately she was trying to preserve the image of this encounter in her mind.

'Okay, I'm back.' Kiara professed. 'Oh, you don't have to get dressed up for me.'

Alec walked past her, wordlessly and threw on a robe, still catching his breath.

'Fine.' Kiara rolled her eyes. 'But I liked what I saw.'

Kiara handed Alec a large envelope.

'I have the preliminary autopsy findings.'

'Why are you giving this to me? This should go to the head of the Institute.'

Alec skimmed over the cover before tossing it onto the bench. Kiara assumed he was wound up because of what she and Isabelle conversed on, so she figured now wasn't the best time to talk about where they stand.

'And it is.' Kiara reasoned.

'I'm not. And I never will be... Kiara, it's like... it's like my whole life... has been a lie. Now, everything I've ever known is...'

'It's not what you thought.' Kiara finished.

She honestly had no idea what he was talking about, but who better to emphasize with than herself for having to digest more shocking revelations than she's worth.

'I've done everything for my parents... for the Clave and... I've done everything that they've asked.'

'Seems to me you've never actually given yourself a chance to live for yourself. Maybe you should start, now. Do what's in your heart.' Kiara planted a hand on his forearm.

'I can't believe I'm saying this.' He sighed, deeply. 'I think you're right.'

'Well that's offensive, of course I'm right.'

'Like you were right about every Disney conspiracy theory ever?' Simon quipped.

'Shut up.' Kiara grumbled.

'Okay?' Alec looked at her, confused.

'Not you... I...I. I'm sorry I thought I heard something.'

Kiara let go of Alec's arm, to leave but he held her back.

'You don't look okay.'

'The clothes didn't do that for you?'

'You're not the only one who knows a thing or two about running, Kiara.' Alec pulled her back to him.

'The clothes, the smile, the jokes. It's all a disguise, so you can stop thinking about Simon.'

'I'll hand it to you, Alexander.' Kiara patted his shoulder. 'You were only half wrong.'

Kiara shut her eyes when they started to sting again. A miserable lump formed and struck her throat. Rendering her with a strained tone.

'Yes it's an act but... I already know how I feel. And I never tried to stop. But Alec...' Kiara shook her head, breathing in deeply.

'It's not easy... He was my best friend, and he had my back through the best and the worst of times, and that guilt... that I was too absorbed and selfish too pick up a stupid phone is something I'm going to have to live with forever. I mean—I don't know how many times I've played his voicemail on repeat—'

Kiara's phone rang and interrupted her confession, she scowled taking out her phone to see the caller ID; Damon. Not worth it. Kiara declined the call, to get back to Alec but he had bent down to pick up something that had fallen, when Kiara had taken her phone out.

Simon's photograph.

'You look happy here.' Alec said, thoughtfully, Thumbing the card.

'I don't think I've ever seen you look like that.'

'Well..' Kiara sniffed, smiling through a couple of tears.

'There's a lot about me you've never seen. Maybe we could find out.'

'You shouldn't blame yourself for Simon.' Alec gave her back the photo.

'Mundane's a fighter. He survived the werewolves. Me. The Hotel Du Mort. Me. Accounting... It took a group effort of mistakes from the rest of us to take him down.'

'Wow...'Kiara laughed. 'Simon was right.'

'About what?'

'Your bedside manners are irredeemably terrible.'

'It made you smile, didn't it?'

'Hmm...'

Kiara traced tiny pattern's on Alec's forearm with the pad of her thumb, trying to write down everything she wants to say to him, even though had chosen to maintain silence between them once again.

Alec's mouth was slightly agape, until the feeling of their intertwined arms grew warmer, and warmer and he snapped out of it; withdrawing his hand as if he had been burnt.

'Um... I should go, my mother will want the report and well—'

Alec nodded in the direction of the ops center just outside the training room, they were in.

'It's best if we avoid unwanted attention. Lydia's still in control.'

'I understand.' Kiara hid a hint of hurt in her smile.

'You're whipped Ki. You're whipped.'

Kiara's phone rung again, and once again it was Damon. She declined it again, but as soon as she did, he re-dialed.

'Damon—'

'Save the speech. Hear me out first. Because you're gonna want to hear this. It's about your mundane.'

➳

'CLARY ADELE FAIRCHILD!'

Kiara stepped out of a Portal, fists clenched and her teeth biting into her lip so hard it bled. Meanwhile Clary's—whose face was pick from the cold and sticky from the tears—jumped. Whilst Jace and Damon braced themselves stunned by the sudden burst of golden light.

There was fourth member in the party; Raphael.

'Ki, I know your mad—'

'Oh I'm not mad, Clary.' Kiara scoffed. 'I'm livid.'

'I have had your back since day one. Now you have the audacity to go behind mine?'

'It's about you!' Clary cried, making her puffy and bloodshot eyes, puffier.

'Simon's our best friend! Like Hell, was I going to give up on him. How could I possibly tell his mother he died?'

'Yes Clary,' Kiara spat. 'He was our best friend! How could you sentence him to the life of a Downworlder? A life like mine!'

'He'd have us to support him—'

'Oh no—don't give me that crap! You have no idea what it is to be a Downworlder because you've never had a reason to shunned. To be a stranger in your own skin. To live forever and watch the people you love whither and die! It's not your fault. But it is damn well not your decision to make.'

'So you'd have Simon dead?' Clary yelled.

'Yes Clary. I would.' Kiara growled, between gritted teeth.

Clary tried to say something, back but her face was as pale as the mist that wafted around them. She was shocked. Kiara rounded on the three men and shot a dirty look at all of them. The hybrid's eyes fell on the unearthed pile of soil freshly laid over what Kiara knew was Simon's unmarked grave.

She was too late.

'You just let this happen?'

Kiara croaked, tears welling her eyes. So she wasn't sure at whom she was glaring.

'I'm sorry, mi hermana.' Raphael apologized, in his usual silky voice.

'Me and Damon only got the invites well after the mundane's burial.'

'Ki...'

Damon walked up to her shaking figure, searching her tear-stained face with a soft and sympathetic grimace poised by his icy blue eyes, and thin pale lips. He cupped her face, brushing off every fresh wave of tears, without uttering a word knowing it wasn't sympathy she wanted.

'How long?' Kiara managed to hiss.

'Long enough.'

Damon let her lock her arm in his. Kiara shuddered, resting her head on his shoulder.

'It's up to bus boy now.'

➳

As abnormal and as extraordinary as Kiara Chase's life has been. She would have never seen herself venture into the night, under the cover of darkness to bury her best friend in a shallow grave. Let alone waiting out in the cold, sitting on the gras. For him to crawl out of his own grave.

In hope of making Simon's return a hint more friendlier, she spun an orb of silvery light to hover over the fresh grave, like an artificial moon. For the real one hid behind the dimmed lights of heaven veiled by obsidian black clouds.

When minutes stretched into half and hour, Kiara could start to see her breath puff out in wisps. Unlike herself, Clary and Jace. The two vampires were unaware of the cold. Of course the cold was a good thing. Simon was drawing strength from the living in order to rise. Rendering the grass bordering his grave to wilt and wither.

'I've never seen one of the Night Children rise,' Kiara exhaled, quiet enough for Damon to hear.

Not that Raphael couldn't hear it if he wanted too, but she chose to trust him with her privacy.

'What was it like when you turned?'

'Wrong.' Damon said simply.

'One moment there was nothing but emptiness... and I could feel the emptiness. Then... next thing I knew, I wanted to tear out of my own skin, hungrier than ever. I could hear everything. Smell everything. But unlike Simon. I was alone.'

'Sounds awful.'

'As most tales of death and resurrection go, I guess.' Damon fingered the blue gem embedded on his ring.

A sound tore through the graveyard; a sort of pounding rhythm coming from deep underground, as if suddenly the heartbeat of the world had become audible.

'It's happening.' Said Raphael.

He busied himself by undoing the clasp of a duffel bag, pulling out a handful of plastic woven bags. Filled with an all to familier thick, murky red substance; blood.

She then watched the grave's surface was boiling like the churning waves of a storm struck ocean. Rippled and tremoring, it suddenly burst. Clods of dirt flying. A small mountain of dirt, like an anthill, heaved itself upward. At the center of the mountain was a hand.

A set of pale and grimy fingers splayed, clawing at the dirt.

Simon.

Kiara rose off the ground. Damon followed in suit. She paled in silent horror as the hand lunged out to claw more of the surface area.

It grew longer and longer until a grubby lump off clothing was illuminated by Kiara's fake moon. A shoulder. The shoulder connected with, a flash of albino skin and a mop of disheveled, and earth caked brown hair shot upwards from the ground. Sending more damp soil flying.

The fake moon and the already present shadows cast strange shapes over the wild, jerky movements that followed when a humanoid figure crawled on all fours, twitching like they were in the middle of a seizure.

Simon was hissing and snarling. With dirt chalking his pale skin and spittle foaming in his mouth.

'Simon...'Clary called out , hopefully. 'It's me. It's... it's Clary.'

The red head took a shaky step forward, only to have Simon lunge at her, baring his teeth. He couldn't actually coordinate in his weakened state, so he fell on his face.

Kiara pulled Clary back instinctively. Her heart breaking at the sight of Simon's eyes. While they were a unseeming shade of brown per usual, he always had a warm spark kindling within them. Now, it was gone. Extinguished.

Nothing but the wild frenzy of a mad man, looked back at the Fairchilds; not actually seeing them.

'Once reborn, you emerge hungry.' Raphael droned.

He tossed Simon a blood bag, which the newly birthed vampire tore open with his teeth. Slurping it, so harshly, that half of the red contents spilled upon his face, hands, and stained his clothes. With the second bag however, he managed to down almost it's full volume.

'Very hungry.' Damon grimaced.

'Oh Simon...'Kiara murmured.

Raphael had to toss poor Simon one more bag before, the boy's erratic breathing started to calm. Simon blinked; his spark was still gone but now he seemed to have awoken from his frenzy train of stimuli. He looked around wildly, pained and confused as the more he looked the less he understood.

He coughed, spewing a bubbles of blood and saliva that frothed, and popped.

He gagged, trying to string two words but only threw up more gurgling noises. His body was still twitching. Kiara stopped Raphael from passing another bag, and collected it herself, to kneel down beside her resurrected friend.

'Careful Ki.' Damon warned, watching Simon warily.

'I can handle myself, but if you touch him. I will kill you.' Kiara retorted.

The hybrid unclasped the blood bag and helped Simon latch his mouth onto the opening. He closed his eyes, lazily, taking several long draughts before he gasped. Accidently, smacking the blood bag out of Kiara's grip and landing by Jace's feet, spurting leftover blood.

'Ki...'Simon trembled, still gasping. 'What's happening?

'You died.'

Kiara had decided to rip off the band-aid and get the pain over with. Still she bit er already chewed lip, with bruising force. Simon tried to stand up, but he shook and remained on his knees, with Kiara's support.

'I what?' Simon rasped, tasting earth. 'What's this?'

Simon picked up one of the empty blood bags he had cast aside. He sniffed, taking one look before he jerked backwards, tossing away the bag with a breathy yelp.

'That's blood!' He exclaimed, pointing it out to them.

This time, when he spoke, he felt something quite different tantalizing his tongue. Blood.

'Oh, my...' Simon wheezed.

He felt his damp upper body and soil straked face. To his bone chilling horror. Simon fingered the spot where his canines should be and found something else. A pair of needle-like fangs bared and biting into his bottom lip.

'Oh, my...'

Simon doubled over. Looking up at Kiara for answers. She shook here head, morosely and thumped Simon's back as he threw up on his grave. He spat several times to get the taste of dirt, sick and blood out of his mouth before he looked up again, seeing the fake moon afloat above his head.

'Why can't I say...' Simon sputters again.

'God.' Raphael finished for him, indifferent.

'It'll take time to regain the ability. There's a lot you will need to learn.'

'Oh, my...'Simon gagged. 'DAMN IT!'

Tears smeared his muddy face, as he stooped downward, with only Kiara rubbing his back soothingly.

'Simon, it's gonna be okay.' Clary knelt beside him too.

'Am I...'Simon coughed. 'Am I a vampire?'

'Yup.' Damon shifted his weight.

'The whole immortality, fangs, blood sucking package deal. Happy death day, newbie.'

'Clary, tell me...' Simon shook, sobbing. 'Tell me this isn't real.'

He franticly punched the ground repeatedly.

'Tell me this is not really happening!'

'I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!' Clary cried.

Kiara motioned to Jace to pick Clary up, for her own safety if Simon lashed out. The red head struggled but was forced off Simon and into Jace's arms.

'I'm... I'm... I'm repulsive!' Simon yelled.

'No, please...'Clary begged.

'Please don't say that, okay? You're still the same, Simon. You're the same Simon, I've known my whole life. The same guy who... loves sci-fi. And who can recite every line from... from every Nicolas Cage movie. The same Simon who carried me over the Brooklyn Bridge when I lost my shoe, okay?'

'Simon...'Kiara began.

'NO! NO, I'M NOT!

'Yes, you are, Simon! You are the same Simon! You are my best friend!'

'I'm not.' Simon cried. 'I'm nothing more than a monster.'

Simon shook Kiara off, shaking with fury at his own misery.

'That's not true Simon.' Kiara said defiantly. 'I know this is a lot, but I know in my heart you're no monster. And so do you.'

'No...' Simon jerked upwards to his feet, stumbling backwards.

'Stay away! Please just... stay away.'

'Simon...'

He was already gone. Simon had broken into a run, and before he knew it he had vamp sped far away from the miserable little cemetery. Raphael was the first to make a move while the events of the night sunk into the rest.

'I'll look after Simon.'

Raphael promised the Fairchilds, looking most significantly at Kiara.

'You have my word.'

'I don't doubt it.'

Kiara nodded, hugging Raphael before he sped off in the same direction as Simon. Damon strode over to her, eyes fixed on hers.

'I'll help him. Anywhere he might go in case we lose him?'

His home, or this garage we're his band practices. I'll text you the details.'

'Okay.'

Damon leaned over weaving her fingers in her gold flecked hair, to press a kiss on her forehead.

'And how about you... Will you be okay.'

'I'm Kiara Chase. Somehow, I always will.'

A/N: They kissed! Finally. Now the real fun begins and I can't wait to screw you guys over with Act II a.k.a season two (～￣▽￣)～

Bruh, don't hate me if my amateur skills are more showy than usual. But I do apologize :'(