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ASHER LEANED AGAINST the wall as she looked out into the streets of New York.

The large gray hoodie she woke up in at the infirmary draped over her frame and the tight clothing she had on earlier laid messily on her floor. She touched the stain glass delicately with one hand while the other laid on her stomach, right above her scar. It's faded, barely there, but one could still see a faint pinkish hue underneath her runes if they looked close enough.

Silence surrounded Asher as she remained perched on the small ledge underneath the window. She hoped that the lack of sound would calm her, but it only made her thoughts grow louder. Cries and screams rang inside of her head and dead bodies flashed in and out of her room. It's been years, but Asher remembered that night as if it happened moments ago.

A knock resounded through the room, breaking Asher out of her daze. The ear piercing cries dulled to a faint whisper and she found herself once again alone in an empty room. The door creaked open slowly, the person not bothering to wait for an invitation inside. The brunette didn't move as she remained in her original position. "Isabelle." Asher groaned, turning to who she expected to be her friend. "Now's definitely not the-" Her words caught in her throat.

Jace leaned against the post of her bed, arms crossed and muscles straining against his black shirt. "Hey."

The brunette stared at him for a moment before returning to her original position. "No sarcastic remark?" Low footsteps grew closer until she could see Jace from the corner of her eye. He hesitated for a moment beside her before sitting down on the other side of the ledge.

Jace looked out through the window and then down at his hands. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay." "Well, like you said," Asher leaned her chin against her fist, eyes not once moving to look at him. "Everybody has a sad song. I just don't sing it as much as others."

"Would you be willing to sing it to me?"

Asher saw his hopeful expression through the reflection of the window. Licking her lips, she let out a sigh before turning her body to face him. She pulled out her stele and brushed her hair away, slowly moving her stele along her collar bone to reveal an unusual-looking rune. "When I was eight, my parents took me to the Vatican Institute. Only a select few were asked to be there as a service to protect the Pope, and they were a part of those few."

Jace's eyes traveled the curves of her face from her eyebrow to the small dip of her chin as she spoke. "What people didn't know," Asher continued. "-was that they were actualy there to guard the Mortal Cup after news spread of the Circle and what they were doing to Downworlders." The male Shadowhunter's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but remained quiet to let her continue.

"One day, as everyone's guard was down, someone on the inside portalled members of the Circle to the gates and let them in. They swarmed the Institute, killing anyone who dared to get in their way. Valentine was there too." Asher raised her hand to hold her necklace. "My parents were trying to protect me when he killed them." Her hands began to shake slightly. "I remember him turning to me and then putting his hand over my mouth before he-"

Asher shut her eyes and breathed slowly to even her breath. Her hand clutched the necklace tightly, her knuckles turning white as she held onto the cherished pendant. Asher opened her eyes again, but this time she seemed distant as she thought back to that night. "All I remember is bleeding out beside my parents as I watched Valentine kill the kids that I trained with."

Asher pursed her lips as she focused her gaze on Jace. "I fell unconscious and then woke up three days later with a bandage on my torso and Julian Blackthorn hovering over me, telling me that my parents died." She nodded slowly before looking back out through the window. "Now, I have a scar on my stomach that reminds me of it every day."

Jace looked away as he processed everything she told him. Moments of silence passed before he willed himself to talk. "The Clave told everyone that your parents died on a mission. Why did they do that?"

"Like I said, the Clave wants every memory of the Circle erased." The brunette shrugged, eyes glancing over to him briefly. "Doesn't matter to them if Shadowhunters aren't remembered for what they did. They took an oath to protect mundanes up until their death."

"But you don't seem like the kind of person to give up easily." Jace brought his leg up to rest it on where they sat, turning his profile to face Asher completely. The female Shadowhunter chuckled silently and fully looked at the man in front of her. "Are you reading me now?"

"Ha ha." Jace mocked her. "But haven't you tried talking to-" "Of course I tried." Asher sighed and played with the hem of the sweater. "I've spent years trying to get the Clave to give my parents the recognition they deserved. All of that time wasted has only made me realize that every Shadowhunter is dispensable, even the good ones."

"That's not true." Jace's voice softened as he moved closer. He paused for a moment before reaching to take Asher's hand from the bottom of the sweater. "The Shadow World lost their greatest warriors that day, and went the time comes for you," Jace intertwined their fingers. "They'll be losing the best Shadowhunter they've ever had."

"You know," Asher moved her other hand away from the window and gently played with his fingers. "I've been in this game ever since my parents died. I was given my first rune in a hospital bed, unconscious. I made my vow two days after I was released."

The brunette stopped her actions and laid the three hands limp in her lap. "After a while, it's hard to remember why you're still fighting." "You're compassionate." Jace told her, making Asher raise her head to meet his gaze. "Unlike other Shadowhunters, you care about the people you save. I've seen you watching over Clary, like you're her guardian angel. Your humanity is what makes you the better of us."

Asher scoffed lightly, looking away. "Emotions are what get you killed in our line of work." "We may be half angel, but we're also half human." Jace leaned closer and raised his free hand to gently move her head so that she was looking at him once again. "It's the human side of us that deems us fit in protecting mundanes."

Asher looked down at their intertwined hands. She still didn't understand Jace's motive behind these actions. It was like she was talking to a completely different person. "Why are you being so nice?" She questioned softly, her cheeks slightly heating up due to their close proximity. Jace inhaled deeply, shaking his head. "We may not be close like you and Izzy, but I just want you to know that I understand what it's like to lose everything."

"And I thought you didn't have emotions." Asher teased lightly. A small smile creeped up on her face and she pressed her cheek against her shoulder in attempt to hide it. It was poorly thought out since Jace was staring at her the entire time. The slight positivity radiating off of her was incredibly infectious, leading Jace to copy her grin.

"You're a survivor." Jace stated, staring straight into her brown eyes. "And you have so much to fight for. The scar on your stomach proves that." He reached for her other hand and held both gingerly in between them. "Fight for Alec, for Izzy. Fight for your parents. Fight for Clary." Asher looked down at the mention of her name. Guilt coursed through her as she thought back to their last encounter. "And, if you need another," Jace lowered his head slightly, making Asher flicker her eyes towards him. "Fight for me."

Asher let his words resonate in her head as she peered into his eyes. The more she observed his features, the more she noticed how his eyes were shades of different colors. The right was a deep iridescent blue while the other was a bright summer sky mixed with a soft earthy brown. They left her breathless.

Asher couldn't help but reach out and brush away a loose strand of hair that prevented her from seeing his eyes in all of their glory. "Your eyes." She breathed out. "They're beautiful."

Her fingertip left behind a blazing trail along his cheekbone. That fire seemed to seep into the blonde Shadowhunter's skin and reappear on the apples of his cheeks. It started off as the faintest shade of pink before darkening to a not-so-innocent rose. For one of the first times in his life, Jace found himself blushing.

He murmured a soft 'thank you,' but neither Shadowhunter payed much attention to it. They were both wondering what it would be like to move an inch closer until there was no space left in between them. An unknown passion appeared in the air, one that wasn't there in the beginning.

Jace flickered his eyes down to Asher's parted lips. They were shades darker than the small tint of color along her cheeks. A soft sheen glinted along the curves of her lips from the soft moonlight that filtered through the window.

Asher fluttered her eyes at the soft breath fanning her face. It was warm, like the breeze that would flow through Idris on a summer night. Her mind grew hazy from the faintest scent of lavished plants and citrus. It was like a drug that made her mind forget all of the turmoil and focus on one thing: Jace.

Asher felt her body lean forward involuntarily, a  sudden craving to be close to him. Jace proceeded to do the same until the tips of their noses touched. His iridescently blue eyes silently asked for permission, and Asher responded with the slight tilt of her head to the right. Her eyes fluttered closed at the small brush of his lips against hers.

A loud rapping against the wooden door jolted their eyes open. Asher repelled from Jace and press her back against the wall. "Asher?" Isabelle's muffled voice carried from behind the door. "Are you okay?" Asher cleared her throat before calling back. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

The handle to the door turned and Asher quickly sat up in case she needed to slam the door shut. "No!" She winced at how suspicious it sounded. "No, i-it's okay. I just needed some time to think." Asher bit her lip at the silence that followed, fearing that Isabelle knew something was up.

"Have you seen Jace?"

Asher let out a breath of relief before glancing at the blond Shadowhunter sitting in front of her. "No." Jace huffed in annoyance and ran a hand through his almost-completely slicked back hair.

"Well can you tell him we're meeting in the Ops Center? We're also hoping you'll come too."

"Yeah." Asher tried to hide the embarrassment in her voice. She wished that Isabelle would go away. "I'll let him know. See you in 10." The clicking of her heels faded away and left an awkward silence in its wake.

Asher's eyes were glued to her lap. She cleared her throat and stood up, walking to the other side of the room. "I'll meet you guys in therer in a few minutes." She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. Jace lowered his head in defeat before standing up himself. "Yeah, uh-" He cleared his throat and headed for the door. "See you then."

"Yeah." Asher murmured to herself as he closed the door behind him. Her gaze stood there for a moment, thinking back to their conversation. She couldn't get him out of her head; it was driving her crazy. Letting out a small huff, Asher stood up and headed to the clothes laying haphazardly on the floor, pushing her feelings to the side.

She didn't need him distracting her from her job.