Jace was laughing. Real laughter, with his breath coming out in short bursts. Alec sat beside him, his mouth wide open as he laughed with Jace.

Isabelle looked on distastefully. She and Clary had apparently missed the joke; and many others that afternoon. Her phone buzzed, and her face lit up when she saw it was Simon who'd texted. Not, Clary suspected, just because it was Simon. Alec and Jace had been getting on her nerves all day.

"Finally. Sorry to leave you with them, Clary, but I have a date to get to," she sauntered up to the counter and slammed some change down, hard, then turned and left, leaving the poor mundane guy at the counter looking suitably shaken. Clary smiled. Isabelle practically radiated power anywhere she went.

Alec was talking on his phone now, probably to Magnus, Clary thought. He and Jace both seemed to have recovered from their laughter. He ended the call and stood up.

"I have to go too," he said "I promised Magnus I could look after Rafe and Max while he deals with a client," Then he left, looking worried, and it was just Clary and Jace.

They had come to Java Jones because it was convenient; the nearest place to where they'd been that sold coffee. Clary hadn't been here in a while. Both she and Simon had been busy with work and didn't have time to catch up too often.

Jace was looking at her. "Hello? Earth to Clary," he said, breaking her out of her reverie. She glanced up at him.

"Sorry. Preoccupied,"

"I know," his voice softened. He took her hand, absentmindedly twisting the ring on her finger. "It's not your job to figure it out, Clary. Magnus has a few ideas, you just need to give him time to test them,"

Jace was referring to the fact that Magnus had recently found out, through an 'exclusive source' as he put it, that the Shadowhunters in Idris had found some way to keep track of them. It was strange that he wouldn't tell them how he knew, but they all trusted him, and they knew he had his reasons for keeping secrets.

"Yeah, but I just feel so useless right now. Politically, I mean," Clary said. "There's nothing we can do. We're stuck in a stalemate with the Cohort,"

"We just have to wait it out. I'm sure there'll be a huge war and then it'll all be over," Jace said cheerfully, then stood up. "C'mon. Let's go home,"

Home. That was what the Institute was to her now. Had been for a few years. When Maryse had stepped down and she and Jace had been named as the new heads, she moved in there with him. It was her home now, despite her mother's not-so-subtle comments about how she didn't really have to move out, that she could stay with her and Luke… but Clary had wanted to be able to be with Jace without her mother breathing down her neck. Besides, she'd argued. I'm eighteen now. I'm more than old enough to take care of myself.

Her mother had gotten over the initial fear that she would never see her daughter again, realising that they still lived in the same city and it wasn't that big of a change, as Clary was always with Jace anyway. Jocelyn had warmed a great deal to Jace than when she first met him, and had even teared up when Clary had told her that she and him were engaged.

Now, as they rounded the corner of the street where the Institute was, Clary looked up at Jace. The light caught his golden profile and Clary felt a surge of gratitude that he existed. That he was hers. They hadn't talked much about the wedding, and weren't planning on getting married for a while. They were both content to wait, even though their wedding would be a huge statement at this point in time; as Alec and Magnus' had been. Showing everyone that there could still be happiness, despite the schism that had rocked the Clave with international implications.

"You know Jace, there isn't a single thing I would change about you," she blurted suddenly. Jace looked at her, smiling slightly, head tilted. She looked back evenly.

"Not even the fact that whenever even the smallest danger arises, I throw myself headlong into it?" he asked. Of course he'd replied with a joke.

Clary laughed.

"I didn't think you were aware you did that," she said. "I thought it was just instinctual, a kind of built-in danger sensor. Like how vultures can smell dead things,"

"Are you comparing me to a vulture?"

"Yeah, I guess I am," she grinned.

Jace shook his head. "That has got to be one of the strangest metaphors ever used to describe me. Usually, girls describe me as stunningly attractive,"

"'Stunningly attractive' isn't even a metaphor. Besides, I'm a little out of practice. I haven't done any creative writing since high school," Clary countered.

"Maybe you should take it up. You could write me love letters. Extremely descriptive, vivid ones,"

Clary wrinkled her nose. "I'm not going to take up creative writing, Jace,"

"Just an idea," he held his hands up in surrender, giving her one of his trademark grins and exposing his chipped tooth. Clary suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him into a nearby alley.

"Well, this brings me back to angst-filled times," Jace said, confused.

"Just shut up and look," Clary peered around the corner of the alley. Standing by the Institute's entrance was the Seelie Queen, the late afternoon sun making her long gown glitter, flanked on both sides by faerie knights. Clary felt Jace tense beside her.

"What is she doing here?" he hissed

"How am I supposed to know?"

"Oh, do stop that," the Queen said. "I've simply come to talk to you, there's no need to hide,"

Clary glanced up at Jace; the Queen hadn't even looked at them. They walked out of the mouth of the alley and towards her. Jace straightened, slipping back into the internal armour he never wore when it was just him and Clary. They reached the steps.

"My lady," Jace smiled. Clary crossed her arms, her jaw set stubbornly.

"What do you want?" she said bluntly.

The Queen smirked. "Oh, I have missed you two," she said. "Every time I see you again I'm reminded how charming Jace is and how protective you are of him, Clarissa," she glanced at Clary, who scowled. She knew that the Queen had called her Clarissa on purpose. The drawling way she said it dredged up unpleasant memories of Valentine.

"I have not come here simply for a social visit, I'm afraid," the Seelie Queen continued. "I think you are aware that the Nephilim in Idris have found a way to keep track of you, spy on you, while remaining in Alicante?"

Jace nodded slowly.

"You are, however, unsure as to how they are doing this?"

Jace nodded again. "You aren't, though," he said.

"That is true. And I am willing to tell you, in return for a favour,"

"No," Clary said shortly. She turned to Jace. "The fey are far more dangerous to deal with than Zara and her cronies, especially seeing as they're not holed up in Idris. This is a bad idea. We can find out ourselves,"

"I agree," Jace replied. "Thank you for the offer, but we'll pass on your tricks today," He smiled blandly at the Queen.

She seemed unfazed, as always. She made a small motion with her hand. One of her knights stepped forward and placed a small bell in her hand. Clary had seen that bell before; she had been given it years ago by Kaelie. Her eyes narrowed.

The Queen held the bell out to her. "Very well," she said. "If you change your minds, I think Clarissa here knows what to do,"

Clary snatched the bell from her and threw it into a nearby bush. Jace made a strangled coughing sound. The Queen only smiled. She turned to her knights as Clary turned to Jace, grabbed his hand and disappeared into the Institute.