Ignore the Mortal Instruments title. The lyrics are supposed to kinda represent Asher and Thea somewhat of a relationship. And the pic is of Raph and Char:) Enjoy!

Thea's POV 

It's been about a three weeks since I was kidnapped.  To say I am feeling slightly better would be a lie since I still feel like shit. I did, however, get out of tube feeding which was just terrible and I can physically walk myself to places without help. My bullet wound still hurts but it's bearable and I can finally sleep on back now since my cuts from the glass stopped hurting. 

The boys and I are staying at my family cabin back in New York. Even though the house had terrible memories it had few good ones as well, it was way better than staying in Russia I can tell you that. I am pretty sure the incident scared my opinion on Russia cause turns out I was kidnapped from France and smuggled into Russia. 

Anyways I was glad we came back to the cabin. It turns out one of Grandpa's best friend heard about it and felt sad for him he that he conducted a funeral service for him. They buried his body right next to the big old tree. I knelt beside it and whipped away the leaves falling from the shedding trees. 

BEN WOODS

November 22, 1950 - October 31, 2016

A loving friend, husband, father, and grandfather. 

A stray tear rolls down my face and I give in no effort to wipe it off. Today would have been his 66 birthday if he was still here. Jake and I used to give him handmade crafts when we were kids and he would keep them in a shelf in his room. 

Jake. 

Another person I lost this year without saying much of a goodbye. 

"Ouch women! Raph calm down your women!" 

I jumped from the sudden noise and I turn around. Leo was rubbing his shin while glaring at a girl. She had a white dress and a black winter coat on  with her red hair falling around her shoulders. Her smile could light up a whole room and her eyes were a beautiful hazel color.  Caleb, Raph, and surprisingly Asher was there as well. For the past three weeks, we were here he wouldn't even look me in eye since he was staring at his laptop 24/7. 

"Oh sweety," the girl came up to me and wrapped me in a bear hug. 

I was least to say I was shocked. I am not much of a fan of hugs, especially with a stranger. 

'Who is this,' I mouth to  the boys who were behind her. 

Asher was on his phone and Leo was still rubbing his shin. Caleb and Raph finally caught on that I was uncomfortable and Raph gently pulled the girl away from me. 

"Honey you're scaring her," Raph said. 

"I am not! Your just jealous cause I didn't give you hug today morning."

"No, I am pretty sure you're scaring her."

She looks at me with her big hazel eyes and I swear my heart melted. 

"Am I?" She asked me. 

"Um..... not necessarily scaring me. Making me uncomfortable, very but not scary," I said with a nervous smile. 

Instead of feeling hurt she gave me an even brighter smile. "Well, that's my fault! I should introduce myself first."

She extends her hand and I shake it. 

"I am Thea."

"My name is Charlotte but you can call me Char or Charlie. Raphael's is my fiance ."  

My mouth went wide open. I didn't knew, if I should be surprised if his full name was Raphael even though it did make sense or that he was freaking engaged!!! 

"Hey look she has the same reaction too!" Leo said pointing a finger at me. 

"Don't worry it took us a while too," Caleb said next to me. 

"You're engaged?" I asked slowly. 

Charlie gasped and held her hand over her heart. "You didn't tell her about me! How could you?!" She asks in mock hurt. 

"Sure cause I totally had the time in the world to tell her I was engaged," Raph said rolling his eyes. 

"Don't you dare roll your eyes, mister," She said pointing a finger at him. "You could have told her when you first met."

"Well, in all honesty, I don't think that would be the first thing that pops up when you're forcing someone to jump off a building," I said. 

Charlie gasped again. "This is just unbelievable. Raphael D' Angelo did you force a sweet person like Thea to jump off a building!"

He rubbed the back of his neck and he started to look scared. Look's like someone is afraid of his future wife. 

"You see here...... it was Leo's fault-"

"How is it my damn fault! Don't you dare steer the demon my way!"

"Did you just call me a demon?" Charlie asked. 

 "What who said that?!" Leo started to look tensed. "Caleb, how could you say that?"

"How could I say what?" He said while looking up from his phone. 

I chuckled at their behavior. They were all like a small happy family but they were missing one person. I slowly walk away from the group and look for Asher. I almost gave up until I spotted him sitting on a rock next to a river calling someone on his phone. 

"I do not care! Just fix the damn problem!" Asher yelled as he hung up. 

"Though day," I ask while sitting next to him. 

He glances at me and looked away. 

"What do you want Cahill?"

"Do I have to want something to ask you a friendly question?"

"Yes, you do cause we aren't friends."

"Ouch. Why not?" I ask. " I mean sure you were an ass and slapped me and left me for death but look at me being the bigger person and patching it up. I mean I could care less at this point based on how you were a douche bag all time." 

Instead of glaring or yelling at me he smiled slightly. It was beautiful, his smile, even if it was a tiny one it brought warmth into his eyes that were brown not black this time. 

"You don't have a filter do you?" 

"You can bet your ass I don't." 

"We can't be friends Cahill, I mean we can't even stand each other for about five minutes but I guess I can try to tolerate you." 

"It's a deal Martinez." 

We sat there in silence and that would be the first time I talked to Asher without wanting to kill him with my bare hands but as quickly as the moment came it left.

"Why don't you smile," I ask which was the rolling stone of how it all ended. 

"There's nothing to smile about in life anymore," he said gravely. 

 He sprung up and turned around to leave. By insticnt, I too jumped up but instead of landing my feet they slipped on the wet rock. I fell backward and hit the cold water sending sharp pain on my back. 

Damn I can never catch a break, can I? 

"Cahill!"

I was trying to get my head above the water but the current was too strong. Water entered my mouth and I tried to spit it out but that made it worse. The strong currents pulled me deeper into the freezing river and I floated helplessly. 

"Cahill! Try to hold on to something!"

I tried but I couldn't lift up my arm since they were already too numb to move. It seemed like Asher understood my situation and he did something that I would never expect anyone to do. He takes off his jacket and dove into the  water swimming effortlessly to my side.  His warm arms wrapped around my body and he held me against his chest that was already quite warm. 

Carefully he swam his away to land and set me carefully on the ground. I wrap my arms around my body to stop the crazy shivering. My lips were blue and my skin was whiter than a sheet of paper. Asher takes his warm dry jacket and wraps it around my body. Once I was a bit warm he picks me up bridal style and walks towards the Cabin. 

"Thank you," I stutter out. 

Asher merely nods. 

*********************************************************************************

"I swear Thea you're like fucking magnet of attracting bad things," Leo says. 

Asher and I were back in the cabin with sheets wrapped around our bodies. Charlie made us hot chocolate and Raph started a fire so I was now a bit warm. 

Charlie slaps the back of his head. "Be nice Leo."

"Yes mother," he mutters. 

"What was that," Charlie said cupping her ears. "Didn't quite hear you Leo."

Leo takes a big gulp of his cocoa. "Damn this is good Charlie." 

"You're so adorable," I say chuckling. 

He smirks at me. "I can be more than just adorable babe."

I smiled at his player side and shake me head but Caleb glared at him and slapped the back of his head making him choke on his drink. 

"Dude what the hell was that for?!"

"Don't hit on Thea."

"Bruh you can have her if you want but just remember bros before hoes." 

I roll my eyes and go to the kitchen for more cocoa but to only find Asher working on the table. I roll my eyes. 

"Give yourself a break Martinez. Your businesses isn't going to disappear after a blink of an eye." 

"True but it might be the starting of it."

I pour myself a cup of cocoa and lean against the table. 

"Hey, where are all the pictures?" I ask suddenly remembering we had a ton of pictures in this house. 

"It started freaking me out seeing your smiling face watching me everywhere so I took them down."

"Of course, you did," I said rolling my eyes. 

*****************************************************************

I started at the ancient priceless artwork that almost cost my life laying on the kitchen table. 

"I don't see it," Leo said groaning. "I don't get what we are supposed to find."

Gently I brush my fingers against the painting. 

Who would have thought I would be touching The Mona Lisa with my bare hands. 

"Why are you guys still up?" Charlie said yawning. 

We covered the painting with our bodies and smiled at her.  Charlie doesn't know about the Tech or the clues. Raph thought it would be better for her safety that way and I agreed with him. I didn't even want to imagine someone hurting her. 

"We were just talking. Why don't you go back to bed sweety." Raph said. 

It was still a weird concept to me that he was engaged and he seemed a bit softer when Charlie was around. 

"Eh, I am not tired anymore. What you guys talking about?"

She tried to peek in but we leaned in further making the painting less invisible. 

"Talking about stuff," Caleb said. 

"What stuff?"

"You know.... stuff," Caleb says. 

She raises her eyebrows and glares at us. "What are you all up to?"

"The wedding," I shout. 

They all stare at me and I start to get nervous. 

"The wedding?" Charlie and the boys said at the same time. "What about the wedding?"

"Yes, Thea what about the damn wedding," Asher whispered in my ear. 

"Yes the wedding," I said. 

"Oh right the wedding," Caleb said trying to save me. 

"Yeah, but what about it wedding?" Char asked again. 

"Leo buddy wanna answer that one," Caleb said. 

"Umm....... you see here Raph was getting cold feet and we just tried to give him some advice," Leo said. 

Asher groaned and slaps his forehead next to me. 

"You..... as in I can not get a girlfriend for more than a week.....wanted to give Raph advice on.......... marriage?" Charlie asked dumbfounded. 

"I am a man full of surprises?" Leo said unsurely.

"Oh, what the damn hell are you hiding?!" 

She pushed her way past us and we heard a gasp as she saw the painting. 

"Is that... is that..... OH MY GOD!"

She turns to look at us with a hanging mouth. 

"YOU GUYS STOLE THE MONA FUCKING LISA!!!!"

"Yes just scream it out Char," Leo said. 

"Actually, it's the Mona Lisa there's no fucking in it," Caleb said. 

"Explain." She said deadly serious. 

*****************************************************************************

We told her about the Tech and the clues which lead us to the Mona Lisa. 

"What if it's the history behind the painting?" Char said. 

"No mom said it was physically in the painting."

"Wait what if it's invisible?"

"What?" I asked her. 

"I know what she means. I mean it would be pretty dumb to have a clue visible behind a priceless painting," Asher said. 

Invisible. 

Clues. 

Think Thea! Think! It has to relate to mom, come on Thea. Something mom loved and you could relate to. Come on.........

"I got it!" I said as a light bulb went off in my brain. 

"What is it?" Raph asks. 

"Well if National Treasure is correct then we need lots of lime juice and a very high powered hair dryer."