I own nothing.

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Am I better off dead?

Am I better off a quitter?

They say I'm better off now

Then I ever was with her.

As they take me to my local down the street

I'm smiling but I'm dying

Trying not to drag my feet.

"'Nother shot," Jace demanded of the wolfish bartender. It was but a few moments later that he received the single swallow of the strongest whiskey the bar had in stock. The liquid fire was down his throat before the barkeeper could blink, and the golden eyed boy asked for another.

"I think you've had enough, Nephilim." The gravelly voice of the barkeep grated on Jace's nerves. He was here for a reason, and he would be damned if anyone got in his way.

"I'll tell you when I think I've had enough," Jace answered through his gritted teeth. "So until I reach that point, be a good little Downworlder and keep the drinks coming." The man-wolf growled throatily, his lips curling dangerously, yet poured another shot. Jace swiped at his nose with the corner of his sleeve; the action reminded him of Clary.

That night on the roof of the Institute, her birthday. Her jacket, her tears. She had wiped her eyes just as he had wiped his nose.

Why did everything make him think of her?

Maybe he would be better off dead.

He wouldn't have to deal with this absolute anguish if he were dead. Quitting the pain that his life was wrought with would be so damn easy.

Isabelle and Alec kept telling him that he was better off without her. She wasn't really Nephilim. She could never lead the life that they did.

Plus, you know, she was his sister.

How screwed up was that? First time he ever saw himself loving someone and she was his sister.

He had to get away from them. Jace was so tired of smiling and pretending nothing was wrong, but he couldn't take it anymore. He went to the seediest Downworlder bar he could find and drowned his sorrows, knocking back shot after shot after shot. His ultimate goal was to get so trashed he couldn't even stand. He wanted to pass out in a back alley, hook up with some random redhead that, even in his inebriated state, would never, ever come close. He needed that.

They say a few drinks

Will help me to forget her,

But after one too many,

I know that I'll never.

Only they can see where this is gonna end,

They all think I'm crazy,

But to me it's perfect sense.

It is rapidly becoming clear to Jace that no amount of drinks could ever make him forget the smell of her hair, the soft caress of her lips, the way that her small fingers laced perfectly with his long ones. He just wanted to touch her again, see her again, kiss her again.

It was pretty obvious to everyone else in the bar how this was going to end. Jace was already halfway there. He was drunk off his ass, clearly distraught over a girl. The regulars saw this every night, and every all of the crazy bastards thought that they made perfect sense.

And my mates are all there

Trying to calm me down

Cuz I'm shouting your name all over town.

I'm swearing if I go there now,

I could change her mind and turn it all around

And I know that I'm drunk,

But I'll say the words,

And she'll listen this time even though they're slurred.

I'll dial her number and confess to her

I'm still in love, but all I heard

Was nothing.

Slowly, Jace became aware of someone tugging at his arm, saying his name. Blindly, he shoved at the disturbance, but Luke had the advantage of being sober.

"Jace, enough. You need to come with me. Let's go back to my house; you can get some coffee and sober up before you go back to the Institute."

Jace tried to shrug him off, but somewhere, somehow, he knew that he had to get out of the bar. He had to see Clary, and he knew that Luke was the way to accomplish that. He allowed Luke to haul him to his feet, and fetched up hard against the bar while Luke paid for his drinks.

"Get out of here." Luke said savagely.

Together, the two of them stumbled back to Luke's house. The cool night air helped him to focus, and Jace shouted Clary's name. Once, twice.

"Luke, lemme go. I can talk to her, make her undershtand. Let me go, I have to see Clary. I have to get to her." Jace's words were slurred and broken, but every word he meant.

Thanking the Angel for providing him a moment of clarity, Jace's hand left Luke's shoulder, and though he staggered forward, he succeeded in pulling his phone from his pocket. He managed to dial the first few numbers of Clary's number before Luke's reflexes swiped the phone from him.

Jace attempted to take his phone back, calling curses down on Luke and his family, but its effectiveness was dampened by Jace needing to stop and vomit.

So I stumble there

Along the railings and the fences.

I know if I'm face to face

That she'll come to her senses

Every drunk step I take leads me to her door

If she sees how much I'm hurting

She'll take me back for sure

After the painful retching, Jace had forgotten all about his phone. Instead, he focused for a few moments on placing one foot in front of the other, passing railings and fences as Luke stayed a step behind, ready to assist him in his lurching steps.

Jace stopped short, a stroke of brilliancy hitting him once more. Finally, a real idea. All that he needed to do was see her face to face. She'd understand. Clary wouldn't be able to see him in such pain. She would need to ease it. She wouldn't leave him in such misery, surely.

She'd take him back, sister or not.

And my mates are all there

Trying to calm me down

Cuz I'm shouting your name all over town.

I'm swearing if I go there now,

I could change her mind and turn it all around

And I know that I'm drunk,

But I'll say the words,

And she'll listen this time even though they're slurred.

I'll dial her number and confess to her

I'm still in love, but all I heard

Was nothing.

She said nothing

Oh, I wanted words, but all I heard was nothing

Oh, I got nothing.

I got nothing.

Oh, I wanted words, but all I heard was nothing

Jace broke into an uneven, reeling run, wanting, no, needing close the distance between himself and Clary. Luke yelled for Jace to stop, but he was sobering now, between the air and activity, he would be fine soon. Jace had put only a few feet between himself and Luke, but it was enough. He ducked into the stopped cab and tossed two twenty dollar bills over the seat, barking out the address tersely.

He just had to see Clary.

His mind and heart screamed for her.

He was there.

She was inside.

He threw himself from the cab and staggered to the porch, pounding the flat of his hand against the battered wooden door.

He cried, sobbed, wailed, slurring words together unintelligibly, begging her to come out and face him.

Oh, how he needed her, needed her more than words could ever express and he needed to see her now, feel her in his arms.

He collapsed to his knees on Luke's porch, still screaming hoarsely for her.

Finally, the light flicked on, and Clary's flaming hair appeared in the well worn door. Her green eyes widened, and then sparked with anger. He reached up for her, but she stepped back.

"Clary," his rough voice sounded terrible even to his own ears, but she had to understand. He was drunk off of love and his feelings for her would never end.

He poured himself out to her, words running together.

Sometimes love's intoxicating

Oh, you're coming down

Your hands are shaking

When you realize there's no one waiting

Clary stepped back inside.

Turned off the light.

She was gone.

She had said nothing.

His feelings, his bared soul, his empty self, were nothing to her.

He closed his eyes and collapsed on the porch, reaching up toward the now darkened window panes, reaching for her.

A single tear fell from his eye, dripping down over the apple of his cheek, the strong curve of his throat, splashed on the rough wooden planks of Luke's porch.

Am I better off dead?

Am I better off a quitter?

They say I'm better off now

Then I ever was with her.

How could she have said nothing?

Nothing at all.

Maybe they were right and he was better off without that girl. That maddeningly gorgeous, infuriatingly delicate girl that he knew he needed.

He wasn't better off without her; that was insanity.

He was only better off in her arms.

The next morning, Jace sat in Luke's kitchen nursing a cup of black coffee and a slice of toast. His eyes were ringed in black, the whites tinged red with blood.

When Clary emerged from her room, fully dressed and showered, Jace said nothing.

Nothing at all.

~:~

And my mates are all there

Trying to calm me down

Cuz I'm shouting your name all over town.

I'm swearing if I go there now,

I could change her mind and turn it all around

And I know that I'm drunk,

But I'll say the words,

And she'll listen this time even though they're slurred.

I'll dial her number and confess to her

I'm still in love, but all I heard

Was nothing.

She said nothing

Oh, I wanted words, but all I heard was nothing

Oh, I got nothing.

I got nothing.

Oh, I wanted words, but all I heard was nothing

Oh, I got nothing

I got nothing

And I got nothing

Nothing.

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Credit for this goes to the ever incredible Danny O'Donoghue.

I will be continuing this, and I would be interested in hearing what pairings you think would go well with specific Script songs, so leave it in the reviews?

That'd be great, thanks.