It had only been a week, but to Jace, it felt like a month. He and City didn't visit each other at all, and by the time the next weekend arrived, Jace was starting to notice his old emotions resurface. He was speaking harshly to his friends, staying curt and cold toward them. Even Tim couldn't get a smile out of Jace during that week.

Sometime in the middle of the week, his friends had tried to talk to him, thinking he had cooled down.

"Is this about City?" asked Devin cautiously one evening as they all sat around the TV in the living room.

Jace stayed quiet, staring ahead. His silence was answer enough.

"I'm sure you two will work it out," continued Devin.

"What did you do this time?" asked Isaac, never one to sugar-coat his words.

"She said she would wait for me to tell her whatever secret I was hiding..." said Jace after a pause.

"So, tell her," said Isaac. "Simple as that. Man, I should be a counselor."

"She said she would wait, and then she got mad that I was still making her wait," continued Jace, his eyebrows furrowing.

Devin adjusted his glasses. "Seems like you made her wait too long. Sounds to me like she was more than patient in waiting until she realized you were never going to tell her."

Those words cut into Jace. He couldn't handle it; he stood and walked to his room, shutting the door harder than necessary behind him.

After that conversation, Isaac and Devin didn't bring up City again, and Jace continued giving them the cold shoulder. He really didn't want to. He knew he was hurting his friends by shutting them out. But there was that darkness inside him that was threatening to surface the longer he went without seeing his Felicity... And Jace was afraid he would snap at his friends if he stayed around them. The alternative -- avoiding them -- was better. Right?

And then, Saturday night had come, and Jace found himself staring at the bright neon lettering of the Indigo sign that hung on the outside of the club. He had refused to come here all week as he had been deciding what to do about City. Tonight, he was just waiting for his friends.

Isaac and Devin came out and met him outside.

"City is working tonight," said Isaac. "I'm sure she would have liked to talk, Jace."

"She won't want to talk unless I tell her everything," said Jace angrily. The three of them started walking to the street again, Isaac hailing a taxi.

"Then why don't you?" asked Devin, a hint of rare annoyance in his voice. After this comment, he seemed to find even more bravery in his words. "You've been moping around all week over something that you can fix with one conversation! Just tell the poor girl!"

Devin's harsh yet truth-filled words struck Jace like a hard blow. It was his fault that he and City weren't speaking.

"I don't want her to be scared... or get hurt... or leave..." spoke Jace. The taxi came and the three of them piled into the back.

"You're an idiot, don't I keep tellin' ya?" said Isaac nonchalantly. "Her making the choice to leave you is better than you making that choice for her by shutting her out!"

Another hard blow. Jace grew quiet as he weighed what his friends had just said. He was being stupid, he concluded. City deserved the truth; she had been so patient, but Jace had kept her waiting too long, even when she graciously gave him time to tell her...

"I'll talk to her after these two fights," said Jace. "We can swing by Indigo on our way back home."

"That's the spirit!" exclaimed Isaac, his blonde hair falling in front of his relieved eyes.

The three spilled out of the taxi and headed down to the Pit. They had to wait three minutes in the dark, cold, damp subway station underground as a train decided to pass just then. Jace used this time to stretch before this next fight. His side had been bleeding well into the week, and now that it was finally stopped, he wanted to fight again. Despite strong protests from his friends, Jace had come up with the excuse of needing the money from the win. In reality, he just needed an escape from the pain that was building up inside.

Little did the three know that someone had followed them...

That week had been long and painful for Shane, too. He had approached City multiple times throughout the week, trying to get her to talk to him, only to have her reject him over and over. It was so clear that City had deep feelings for Jace, and it made Shane practically want to scream. His only choice now, in his mind, was to try to follow Jace and figure out the secret... whatever it was.

That Saturday night, Shane watched as Isaac and Devin left Indigo and joined with Jace outside. Noticing Jace was waiting for them, Shane figured they were going out somewhere. Otherwise, why would Jace meet them out? Shane took this moment and hoped they weren't just going to eat dinner.

He got in a taxi and made his driver follow theirs at a distance. Then, Shane had his taxi driver drop him off a block away from the three he was tailing. They were each too deep in thought to notice Shane's figure lurking in the shadows.

Shane was surprised to see them not enter the bar but go to the alley on the side. They went down a ladder, into the ground. Shane waited a minute before following after them.

The loudness of the train passing at that moment helped Shane hide his steps down the ladder. He ducked behind a group of pipes that came out of the floor, watching the three cross the tracks once the subway had passed. They went up to a heavy steel door, spoke to a slit in the top, and were allowed entrance.

Shane waited another minute before heading to the door himself.

He tapped on it. No answer. He tapped again with the same result. Growing impatient, he pounded his fist against the door, and this time, the slit near the top flew open.

"That was better than those pathetic taps you were doing," said the man behind the door. The eyes looked Shane up and down through the slit in the steel door. "Who are you?"

"A friend of the man in black," answered Shane with fake confidence.

"Songbird?"

Who? "Yes."

"He never has anyone else come besides those two... He didn't tell me the password to give out..."

"Do you want to go ask him yourself? He's in a hurry," Shane guessed, "and I doubt he would like to be bothered."

"Oh, all right," said the voice behind the door in a frustrated manner. The slit shut with a snap, and the next moment, the heavy door was cracked open enough for Shane to slip inside.

It was much cooler in this place, Shane noticed first. There were the same dampness and water dripping from pipes in here as there was in the subway, and the whole place felt cold and unwelcoming. The room was made of concrete, and all the shouting made the room seem smaller.

Shouting?

Shane looked around properly and immediately recognized this place as a fight club. What else could it be, with the makeshift octagon arenas, men shouting, and card girls parading around? Shane saw the referees, the betting along the side of the room, and the fights that were happening right then.

He stepped forward to one of the three octagons, suddenly lacking even the fake confidence that had gotten him past the security at the door. Shane got to the edge of one of the crowd-control barriers that made up an arena and watched a round.

It was quite brutal. The men fought without gloves, their knuckles as bloody as their faces. There had to be rules against things like biting and low kicks, thought Shane, because the men only seemed to punch and dodge like boxers rather than pull dirty moves. At the end of the round, the larger of the two men had won. Since he had also won the first round, he was crowned the champion of that match. Both fighters were led out, but Shane could have sworn the crowd only got louder. They were anticipating something... or someone.

And then Shane saw him. Songbird, who he figured was none other than Jace Knight, was approaching the arena. The fighter's hood was up, a black mask pulled over his mouth and nose, but it was him; Shane was sure of it.

So, this is what you're up to... thought Shane. He saw Isaac and Devin in the crowd, watching. And there are your annoying friends, too.

When the fighter Songbird got into the arena, crowds from the other arenas came over to watch, and the noise intensified. Shane was practically shoved over at one point as the crowd got rowdier.

Songbird had a look of complete focus in his eyes. Shane shuddered as Songbird's dark gaze swept over the crowd once, scanning, analyzing. Then they moved to size up their opponent.

A card girl walked past holding the number one, the ref blew his whistle, and the fight began.

Songbird had a sort of fire inside him, but Shane couldn't tell if that was normal or if Jace's emotions were just strong that night. In any case, after dodging his opponent for a solid minute, Songbird switched from defending to attacking. Songbird won the first and second rounds.

As soon as Songbird's name was called out by the referee as the winner, the audience went wild again, and Shane took the opportunity to slip out.

He hoped City would be so shocked at Jace's illegal behavior that she would go back to Shane. All he had to do now was tell her.

Jace, breathing heavily and really feeling the pain in his side now, went to the side of the arena where Isaac and Devin were standing. Devin handed him a water bottle.

"You're slow tonight," commented Isaac.

Devin hit him on the arm lightly. "He got stabbed like a week ago, you dummy!"

"Will both of you calm down?" groaned Jace. "Isaac, I'm working on it; Devin, I'm fine. Happy?"

They both opened their mouths to argue more, but Songbird walked away toward the locker room in the back. He had a little bit of time before his next fight, and he was not about to spend it listening to those two. Besides, he had to get his mind focused. And probably rebandage his stabbed side, but that was a minor detail, of course.

"What do you want, Shane?"

"I just want to show you something, and I promise it'll be worth it," urged Shane. He made to grab her arm, but he thought against it. Might not be the best idea to physically drag the girl he was trying to win.

"Fine, show me," said City, swinging back her loose hair. "I just got off work, anyway—"

Before she could barely finish her sentence, Shane was walking off. City frowned but followed. They got in a taxi and sped off, going down some streets that City had never driven before. When they got out, City was more confused than ever.

Her questions were ignored. Shane pressed on, and City proceeded to follow Shane into an alley next to a bar, down a ladder into the underground rail systems, and across the tracks to a steel door...

Songbird, mind cleared, heart steadied, was in the arena, waiting for his opponent. This time, Songbird would make sure to not move so slow. He cursed his side under his breath. That evil man Craton would pay for that eventually, he thought.

His opponent was easy enough to defeat in the first round. By the second round, Songbird had the clear upper hand yet again. After dodging a few weak jabs, Songbird made a quick, powerful combination of a cross and then a hook. This move took the opponent to the ground. Knocked out cold.

Songbird's name was being chanted in the crowd. The betting tables were being rushed as people were trying to get their money after betting that Songbird would win. Isaac gave an approving nod, but as Jace looked over at Devin, he got worried. Devin's face was growing white.

Devin slowly raised a finger and pointed to his right. Jace spun and made to move forward, trying to see what was scaring his friend so badly, but he stopped in his tracks.

Felicity's beautiful, scared face stood out among the crowd. Her hazel eyes were filled with a mix of confusion and disappointment. It burned inside Jace's mind.

Jace pushed through the crowd, trying to get to her, trying to find his way back to her...

But he couldn't find her in the Pit anymore. The crowds were too large, people coming up to him and congratulating him on his two wins while Jace was trying to force his way through. He exited the Pit and ran to the ladder across the tracks.

In the alley again, Jace ignored the bitter wind that brushed back his hood. His eyes searched the street and could just make out two figures in the distance. Jace barely registered the snow that was falling as he ran to the road.

City was just getting into the Uber when Jace arrived. He shouted her name, but she had the excuse of the wind of being too loud to hear as she ignored Jace.

Shane shut her door and looked Jace straight in the eyes.

"You don't deserve her. I told you to back off." And with that, Shane got into the Uber as well, and the car sped off into the distance.

Jace stared after the car. He stood on that street's edge for a long while, a blank expression on his face, oblivious to the snow that was falling heavier now.

Eventually, Isaac and Devin caught up to him, but by then, his eyes showed a coldness that rivaled the snow's.

The next night, Sunday, City poked at her food in front of her, barely listening to Wesley's story about his most recent customer at the auto shop.

"City. City."

"Huh?" She looked up. "Yeah, that's crazy."

Wesley shook his head. "You aren't paying attention."

"I know, I know," admitted City, putting her face in her hands. She took a deep breath and then looked back at her brother sitting across from her at the dinner table. "What do you think I should do?"

City had told Wesley everything: from Shane taking her to the fight club, to Jace's illegal world, to "Songbird's" fight and win. But she had only ranted to her brother, and now she wanted his opinion.

Wesley let out a low whistle. "Of course you had to choose the one person involved in illegal, underground fight clubs."

City scowled. Wesley's face twisted as he said, "Sorry. I know this can't be easy to find out." He sighed. "Do you remember when you found out I was doing something illegal?"

"When you were street racing and modifying cars to race?" asked City.

"Yeah... back in the days when Mom was alive, when I used to live recklessly, stupidly... And you were the one who helped me out of that," said Wesley.

"I know, you've told me before," said City with a small smile. "How is that related to Jace?"

"I know Jace is good for you. And you know I wouldn't just say that," said Wesley in a serious tone. "I really do think you bring out the best in each other. You've never been happier."

City's eyes filled with tears suddenly. The coldness, the darkness in Jace's eyes as he had fought the last night... She would be a fool to say that didn't scare her. She missed his gentle touch, his laugh, his dark eyes gazing at her and only her...

Wesley looked away but continued to talk. "I think... you should get his side of the story. Because I've sorta been in his shoes, I understand what he might be thinking. I stopped all my illegal racing when I decided to be a better role model for you," said Wesley. "I think his intentions were good when he hid this from you."

"How?" asked City.

Wesley looked at his sister again. "He probably thought he was protecting you. Or at least, keeping you innocent. He probably didn't want you involved with all his dangerous acquaintances."

City played with a wavy strand of hair. "You're right... I just don't like that he hid that from me."

"Well, he should have told you, but you shouldn't have found out like this, either," said Wesley.

"It wasn't my fault! Shane didn't tell me where we were going."

"You still talking to Shane?"

City bit her lip. "He keeps approaching me. Don't look like that, he's not doing anything bad. He's quite kind about it, actually. But he keeps asking to date and it's just... He's not Jace."

Wesley showed a small, sad smile. "Talk to Jace, City. He might be able to clear things up. This might be a huge thing for him to share, but if he wants to keep you, he'll explain."

"But when?"

A soft knock was heard on the door. City would have ignored it, thinking it was nothing, unless Wesley hadn't gotten up and walked to the door.

Standing there, his dark hair speckled with melting white snowflakes, his eyes incredibly sorrowful, was Jace Knight.