Disclaimer: This all belongs to C. Clare, end of story.

Happy Hanukkah Simon

She stands in the late afternoon cold knocking on the door. Shivering, she walks over to the window and peeks in. He should be home. She steps briskly over to the door and knocks again, louder this time. Finally she hears a quiet creaking inside for a moment, but no footsteps on the stairs. The door suddenly opens and Simon is standing there smiling. Clary is still getting used to the change in Simon since he became a vampire. He is just different in every way.

"Hiya" says Simon, "C'mon in.

Clary enters his house, her own second home since she was a girl and looks round like it was the first time visiting. There are no lights on and it is difficult to see in the winter late afternoon dim light. Simon notices her squinting.

"Sorry, I just don't need the light to see." says Simon.

"Where's your mother?" asks Clary.

"She's at Temple, Hanukkah party" says Simon.

"You didn't want to go?" asks Clary in a mocking voice.

"I was conveniently napping." retorted Simon.

"Well, lucky for you, I came by then." said Clary with a glimmer in her eye as she held up a drug store shopping bag.

"Clary, you..., uh, I'm speechless" says Simon.

"That's a first" remarks Clary as she marches into the kitchen flicking on lights in every room she passes through. Once in the kitchen she starts unloading the bag full of a tin menorah, a box of candles, matches, netted bags of gold coins, dreidles, cookies, small grape juice bottles, and a book about the best Hanukkah jokes.

"Wow, look at all this. I haven't seen this much stuff since I was a kid." says Simon.

"Thanks Clary, this is nice. But it is Christmas, why aren't you at the Institute with Jace and the rest of the Shadowhunters?" asked Simon.

"Because they are busy with their traditions and you are all alone." answered Clary.

"How would you have known I was all alone, I could have been whooping it up ." Said Simon.

"Whooping it up with all the Jewish vampires of NYC? I think you may be a bit more of a minority then you think Simon dear." says Clary.

"Why are you really here?" asked Simon

"There were going to be lots of guests and you know how I hate big crowds. I just get lost in them and turn invisible." Clary said in a quiet voice. She told him the truth. She knew he knew it already anyway.

" Yeah, me too." said Simon. "So, let's have Hanukkah. Wait, I don't have a present for you. Let me think. Stay right here, I'll be right back." And before Clary could tell him presents were not important, she looked up and he was gone. She really has to get used to the new, faster, quieter Simon. Clary gets busy setting up the menorah. Simon returns.

"Alright, I'm ready now." said Simon.

He breaks open the bag of cookies and puts them n a plate for Clary and opens a small juice for her. She starts to nibble as she takes out the dreidle.

"Hey, how 'bout some strip dreidle?" asks Simon with a raised eyebrow.

"SIMON, please." answers Clary.

"Ok, ok, can't blame a vampire for trying." said Simon.

"If this is how you are going to be from now on I can just.." starts Clary.

"I said OK." shouted Simon.

It became uncomfortably silent. They stared at each other. Clary was thinking, maybe he is just too changed to stay friends with. She saw nothing in his eyes. She would never again see life in his eyes even though she knew he cared for her. Clary felt like she was mourning for him all over again. It was overwhelming and it led to her thinking about her mother still in a coma and Jace being her brother when all she wanted was him to be her lover. Over come with grief Clary started to cry. Simon, rolled his eyes and went over to Clary and put his arms around her.

"There, there. I'm sorry. Come on now, calm down." he said while rubbing her back. His voice sounded flat, tired. And Clary took it all in and became more sad while thinking, he couldn't even comfort her as a friend anymore. She felt more alone then ever and clung to Simon hoping to feel something of friendship again. Simon clung back.

Outside, darkness came early and the bright light from the kitchen illuminated them, shadows on the ground into the backyard. At the edge of the frame of light from the kitchen window stood a figure watching them. Maia arrived just as Simon walked over to Clary and put his arms around her. She never saw Clary's face. Maia just stood there feeling defeated. Then the bushes rustled and Maia jumped and turned, landing in an attack crouch. Jace came into view. They said nothing. They had both seen the same picture. Jace turned to Maia and spoke.

"I followed her here. I saw her leave the Institute and I couldn't understand why. Now I do." said Jace.

Maia said nothing. She was heartbroken.

All of the sudden Simon let go of Clary and sped outside to where Jace and Maia were standing. He was there in a flash, leaving Clary with a look of wonder on her face. Simon's new keen hearing was always on. She cupped her hands by her eyes as she pressed her face to the window, trying to see outside into the blackness.

"Oh, it's you two." said Simon. " You gave me a scare. What are you both doing standing in my backyard?"

"Well," said Jace at the same time Maia said "I..." and they both stopped.

"Yeahhh, righhht" said Simon. "Why don't you come on in then."

"No." said Jace quickly. "I don't want to ..." Maia jumped right in "Me either, you don't need any other..."

"What is wrong with you two?" asked Simon as he turned to see Clary blinded look like she is staring into a mirror and then he realized what they had witnessed or thought they witnessed. Simon took in a a dramatic deep breath and cocked his head to one side looking only at Maia.

"It was definitely not what you are thinking." said Simon. And he meant it. He was really into liking
Maia and he didn't want her to get the wrong idea. Jace, well, if it was just Jace he would have played him like he has watched Jace play the piano. And he would have enjoyed seeing the painful sorrow in his eyes. But with Maia there, he just ignored Jace completely.

"Well, I know what I saw." said Maia.

"No, you don't." said Simon with a force in his voice. "Please come inside."

They all went into the house and into the kitchen.

"What is this?" asked Clary with pure wonder?

" I followed you here Clary." said Jace. " I know it was wrong, but I wanted to know why you left on Christmas?" Jace had a look of a lost puppy dog on his face. Clary walked over to him and put her arms around his back and drew herself into his chest, snuggling in.

"Merry Christmas, Jace. And thank you for caring." said Clary with as much warmth as she could show in her voice. She wasn't mad that he followed her, she actually felt like she had never been more loved then by him at that moment. It wasn't about being over protective, but she just needed to know someone noticed her and missed when she left right now. Especially because she was truly feeling the death of her friendship with Simon. Maybe she liked that Simon crushed on her even though she only saw him as a brotherly friend. Maybe she was ready to move onto her future with Jace, whatever that was becoming between them.

Simon hadn't seen a thing between Clary and Jace because he was too infatuated with Maia. She smiled at him and he thought it was the most perfect smile, lips closed, ends of mouth turned up and her eyes full of life.

The party broke up quickly after that. Jace and Clary left saying they were going back to the Institute. Simon left with Maia, not wanting to be home when his mother returned.

"I need to tell you something." said Clary

"What?" asked Jace nervously. All of the sudden Jace was nervous that she was going to make some speech about their not sure about being brother and sister or staying platonic. He wasn't sure what he would do if she wasn't feeling the same about him as he felt about her.

"I still don't want to go back to the Institute yet. I really don't like big parties and..." explained Clary.

"Oh, oh, sure." laughed Jace.

"What's so funny?" asked Clary. "I really..."

Jace cut Clary off as he stopped her under a street lamp. He looked down at her bewildered almost angry face and smiled his angelic smile that melted her heart. It was cold out and their breath was swirling around them.

"Clary, tell me anything you want, alright? Anytime. I need to, I need to learn about what you like and don't like." said Jace. The wanting showed in his eyes. Clary saw it, she had seen it before, but wasn't sure if she was making it up. Now she felt sure. Nothing mattered but this moment. She reached up and put her gloved hands around Jace's neck. He then followed her pull and brought his face down hers. Their lips lined up but not quite touching.

"I want to learn ALL about you too." said Clary. "And we have all the time in the world. We can take it slow, no need to rush."

Jace felt elated. More happy then even after a rush from a spectacular battle. He knew they were agreeing on their feelings without even saying anything about them. Her eyes said it all. She loved him. She was here in his life and she was here to stay. She wanted to be around him, not avoid him. His insecurities melted away. He never wanted this moment to stop.

They didn't kiss. They separated and started to walk together and talk about abstract things around them, nothing in particular. Jace making cabbie jokes and loving life in the city. Clary pointing out the beauty of the older architecture around them. The city was alive like it was a sunny business day, not a holiday evening and they were going to take it all in.

Happy Holidays everyone!

( I wrote this in under an hour, hope it doesn't show too badly.)