I love these two an insane amount! This story was loosely inspired by Fighter sung by In This Moment. Every song by them is absolutely amazing, and you should listen to them all!
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, only the mistakes, which I'm sure there are a lot of, because I'm incredibly tired.
It hadn't initially started with dislike between them. In fact, it had actually started pretty damn well. Jace Wayland had been out with two of his work mates, Alec Lightwood and Jordan Kyle, when he had spotted her for the first time. She was sitting alone at the bar, which was what set her apart to begin with. She was gorgeous and it was a Saturday night—sitting alone in a crowded club was an abnormality. Alec had picked an argument with Jordan over which one of their partners made a better banoffee pie, and so Jace had quickly lost interest, focussing all his attention on the red head.
She wasn't sitting alone due to the lack of trying on others behalf. She coolly dismissed everyone who approached her and offered to buy her a drink—both male and female. Jace couldn't help but grin and shake his head when she sent a particularly persistent man packing as she fixed him with a withering look. He threw back the rest of his drink, pulling his lower lip into his mouth, weighing up the pros and cons of going over there and trying his hand with her.
That was when she looked directly over to him, her emerald eyes locked on his and one of her eyebrows raised almost like a challenge. That look went straight through him and right to his cock, and it made his decision a whole lot easier. He said goodbye to Alec and Jordan and wound his way through the crowd and over to the red head.
"Hi," he began, keeping his greeting short and sweet, assuming correctly that she would be able to see straight through any pick up line he had.
"Evening," she responded, her body language careful as she turned partly in her booth to face him.
"Jace," he said, holding out his hand.
"Clare," she shook his hand firmly, which for some weird reason, turned him on more.
They hit it off well.
She was funny and sarcastic and self confident and when she threw back the rest of her bottle of beer and asked him if he was ready to get out of there, he thought he had died and gone to heaven.
The sex was even better than what he had been thinking about in the back of the taxi, her fingers massaging his upper thigh.
They went three times, and then he ate her out one last time before they collapsed in a sweaty pile on his bed.
Now, Jace was no newbie when it came to one night stands, but he wasn't a strictly wham-bam thank you ma'am kind of guy. He was a damn good judge of character—he had to be in his line of work—and he could tell the crazy ones who were good for just a wild night, and he always made sure that he went back to their place so that he could escape in the morning. But then there were the other girls, the sweet ones who were out with their friends or the older ones who were letting off steam at the end of the day, and he had no problem with them. Sometimes, they had breakfast, once or twice it had ended in a couple of dinner dates.
So he thought he had read Clare correctly.
He thought that when he woke up in the morning, she was still going to be there and they would have some coffee and maybe go another round.
But no.
When he woke up, the bed next to him was empty and the sheets were cold and the apartment was completely silent. Jace's head was throbbing a little from the lack of sleep and alcohol that he had had last night, and as he stumbled out of his room and checked the rest of his place for any sign of Clare, he felt his mood worsening. He had just decided to go back to bed when his phone rang shrilly. He sighed and picked it up to his ear.
"Wayland," he said shortly.
"Murder on the south side," his bosses voice was clipped. "Get there." And then the phone went dead, the dial tone buzzing in his ear. Jace grumbled under his breath as he fumbled around, trying to find briefs and jeans. He speed dialled one and tucked it between his shoulder and ear, pulling up his jeans.
"Hey," Alec said into his ear.
"Swing by and get me?" Jace asked.
"Be there in five," Alec agreed. Jace dropped his phone onto the bed as he found a clean shirt and a leather jacket. He fastened on his holster, slid his gun in and clipped his badge onto his belt before snatching up his phone, wallet and keys and rushing out the front door. True to his word, as soon as he hit the pavement, Alec was pulling up alongside the curb. Jace slid into he passenger side and Alec jerked back into the traffic, ignoring the toots of protest.
"Bet your bed buddy wasn't too happy about being kicked out this early," Alec commented as he sped through traffic, taking a corner far too quickly and making Jace slide to the side.
"She had already left," Jace muttered.
"What was that?" Alec asked, his attention focussed on the road.
"She had already left," Jace repeated, his voice sharper this time. Alec looked over at him in a split second of surprise before letting out a laugh. "Well, I'm glad that one of us is at least having a good time," he muttered bitterly and Alec snorted again.
"Get off your high horse, man," he replied as he pulled his car over as they approached the flashing lights and bright yellow crime scene tape. "You're just acting all high and mighty about leaving because you're not used to having a girl walk out on you." Alec killed the engine of his car and took off his seatbelt.
"Never," Jace said as he got out of the car.
"What was that?" Alec asked as yet another police car pulled up at the scene, this one with it's siren blaring.
"Never!" Jace raised his voice, almost to a shout to be heard. "I've never had a girl walk out on—" the siren was suddenly cut and a couple of people turned with raised eyebrows to look at him. "On me," he finished lamely, dropping his voice back down.
"Well, that's always good to know," Luke Garroway grunted from behind the two boys and they both instinctually stiffened their spines and schooled their expressions. "Now, if we can direct our attention toward the dead girl. Thank you," he passed them and they quickly followed after him. As they approached the body, Jordan looked up from where he was crouched next to the medical examiner and some red head that Jace didn't recognize from behind. Maybe the ME had a new intern. "Okay, let's catch these boys up," Luke said roughly. "Hopefully they've had enough beauty sleep to work properly."
"Multiple stab wounds—looks like a real messy job," Hodge Starkwhether said. "Ripped clothes, no underwear—signs of sexual assault. Also strangulation marks around her neck, but not from that ribbon that she's wearing." Jace noted the light blue ribbon tied around her neck in a perfect bow, which was a little strange since it should have been disturbed in the attack.
"Do we have an ID?" Jace glanced between Luke and Jordan.
"Rayna Lewis," the red head announced as she straightened up and turned around, and Jace's stomach jumped into his throat.
Clare.
Their eyes met, and confusion and panic clouded her pretty features before swallowed hard, and looked down at the bloody licence in a clear evidence bag in her hand.
"Rayna Lewis," Clarissa Fairchild repeated, her voice a pitch higher than it was before. "She's only nineteen. Was only nineteen," she corrected herself. "Looks like she lives a couple blocks over." Luke was nodded and looked over at Jace and Alec.
"Okay, I was hoping that we might be able to make the introductions a little differently, but you all knew that we were having someone transfer in," Luke spoke up in his gruff voice. "This is Clary. Clary, you've met Jordan. This is Alec and Jace," he pointed to each of them in turn. Clary nodded at Alec and then at Jace, giving off no indication that she knew him before looking back at Luke.
"Want me to go and check out her place?" Clary asked, running her fingers through her hair.
"Yeah, pair up with Alec," Luke nodded. "You two go and see if there's anyone else there." Clary nodded and gave Alec a tight smile. Alec grinned back at her and then gave Jace a strange sideways look, undoubtedly because of the way he was frozen to the spot. Jace then realized that Jace and Jordan had no idea who Clare—Clary—was. He had told them that he was ditching them to hit on the 'hot chick at the bar', but he hadn't pointed her out.
"You driving?" Clary asked as her and Alec started walking back down the alley. "I got a lift here."
Jace tuned out of the conversation at that point.
She'd gotten a lift.
So she had bailed on him...For someone else?
It was ridiculous how pissed off he was right now.
"Oi! Wayland!" Luke looked angry, as in—angrier than usual—and Jace shook his head sharply to snap himself back to the now. "You with us?"
"Yes sir," Jace nodded. Jordan gave him a look before getting up and dusting off his hands.
"You boys head inside," Luke nodded to the club that backed onto the alley. "See if anyone saw this girl last night and if they have any security cameras."
"Dude, what's up your ass?" Jordan hissed as they two of them headed inside. Jace glanced over at Luke, who was walking toward the coroner a few feet behind them, and then turned back to Jordan.
"You know that chick from last night?" He began.
"Oh, okay," Jordan let out a short laugh. "She got you all distracted, does she?"
"You could say that!" Jace cried. "She's Clary!" Jordan stopped short and blinked at him before letting out a loud laugh. Jace's expression hardened and he punched his colleague in the arm. He was glad that they had already stepped through the doorway and into the club, because laughing at a crime scene was definitely something that was frowned upon.
"Shut up," Jace growled at him.
"Okay, man, I'm sorry, but this feels like one of those moments that only comes around once in a life time. I feel like I'm Jenko and you're Schmit from 22 Jump Street," Jordan said, a grin on his face.
"What are you on about?" Jace asked.
"He's fucking the captain's daughter, he's fucking the captains daughter," Jordan sung out under his breath. Jace looked at him blankly and Jordan's grin just widened. "She's his step-daughter man, man!" Jace's usually golden skin colour seemed to drain in colour and Jordan clapped his hand down on his friends shoulder. "Good luck with this one."
It only took one day for Jace to realize that Clary didn't want to acknowledge that they had spent a night together, and only another two days for him to resent her more than anyone else he had ever worked with. Jace generally got on with everyone—it was all part of his charm—but there was something about Clary that rubbed him the wrong way.
The first problem was that she was a know-it-all and set stubbornly in her ways. It was like she thought the sun shone out her ass with the way she walked around their office—completely making herself at home.
The second thing was that from the second day forward, she always had to drive, unless it was Luke in the car with her. Alec and Jordan didn't seem to care, but Jace did. He loved taking his car out in the field, and being the one behind the wheel. The tension when the pair of them had to drive together became oblivious pretty quickly and Alec and Jordan worked hard to keep them separate.
The third thing was that no one else could see how frustrating she was. Everyone else seemed completely in love with her—even Hodge, who seemed to hate the human race in general. Luke clearly had a soft spot for her, and more than once sided with her over Jace.
And the last thing was that he was still fucking dreaming about her! He just couldn't get her out of his head.
It was now two months since Clary joined their department. They had never solved the first case, when he had first met her as an officer, but it was still pinned up on one of their boards in the office. More than once, Jace had caught Clary staring at the board, almost obsessively. Tonight was no different. It was just after eight, and they were the only two left in the office. Jace was still going to be another hour or so, and he decided to order in dinner. Clary was sitting on her desk, arms crossed her chest, glaring at the board.
"I'm going to order dinner, you want something?" Jace asked her gruffly.
"What are you ordering?" Clary asked, not turning around to look at him when answering.
"I was just gonna get Chinese," Jace replied, already feeling irrationally annoyed by how uninterested her body language was.
"Just get me whatever...Thanks," she added absent-mindedly, her back still to him. Jace made a face and picked up his phone, dialling a local Chinese place that delivered. He got two of everything he was already going to order, figuring that he would probably eat whatever she left behind. They ignored each other for the next twenty minutes until the food arrived. Jace walked out to collect the food and paid. Clary had now sat down at her desk and was reading something intently on her screen, a manila folder in one hand. "Dinners up," Jace announced as he stopped by her desk and she blinked in surprise at him, as though she didn't even know he was in the same room as her.
"Oh, great," she gave him a tight smile that didn't read her eyes as he divided up the cartons. Jace waited for a 'thank you' or an offer to pay for half, but she kept staring at her screen, eyebrows furrowed. Jace let out an exasperated sigh and practically stalked back to his desk. It was almost half an hour later, half an hour of Jace stewing silently at his desk, when he spoke up.
"You know, you could at least chip in to cover the cost," he couldn't help it if his tone was a little snippy. Clary finally looked up at him, a blank expression on her face.
"What was that?" She asked slowly. Jace had no doubt in his mind that he had red splotches of anger on his cheeks.
"You could cover half of the dinner bill," he repeated through clenched teeth. Clary's lips parted and she let out a snort of disbelief.
Jace was being petty.
He knew that.
But they were at the end of a week where they had been pulling fifteen hour shifts, and it looked as though they were going to be back in tomorrow at the crack of dawn. And now here he was, spending his Friday night with a self-righteous red head who was making him pay for dinner, which was something he only did when he knew he was going to get laid afterward.
"Right," Clary got up from her desk, picking up her keys and wallet and walking over to his desk. She pulled a few notes out and slapped them down in front of him. "You have a good night, Detective Wayland," she cooed out in a voice dripping with so much fake sugar his teeth ached. She turned on her heel and left their office. Despite how pissy he was, Jace couldn't help that his eyes drifted down to settle on her ass, which looked positively sinful in her jeans.
"Fuck," Jace growled.
"Come on, pretty girl," Sebastian Verlac was taunting Clary. Jace and Alec were sitting down on a wooden bench a couple of metres away, both of them sweating and drinking from their bottles after their own work out. Alec wasn't looking particularly happy as he watched the two spar, and Jace felt he same. Sure, he didn't like Clary—there were even days when he would go as far as to say that he hated her, but she was still part of his team. And she was also a girl, which grudgingly made Jace feel a little more protective over her, and he definitely knew made the other members of the team act the same way.
So when Clary managed to catch Sebastian off guard and land a punch to his upper cheek, almost the bridge of his nose, Jace couldn't help but grin. Sebastian gave her a pissed off look but grunted that it was a good match before stalking off the mat. Clary watched him go with a blank expression on his face, but then when she turned around and was walking back over to Alec, there was a small smile on her face.
"Nice job," Alec told her as he passed over her drink bottle.
"He's a fucking asshole," she muttered as she took the bottle and swallowed back a mouthful of water. Jace snorted at her words, his head bowed slightly and shaking it. She was completely accurate; Sebastian was an asshole. Clary straightened up and flexed her shoulders, rolling her neck, and then looked as though she was going to say something when their phones all started beeping.
"It's the boss," Alec stated. "Better get going."
"Shit, you think we have time for a shower?" Jace cringed as he stood up and rubbed his towel over his face. Clary snorted as she picked up her bag and threw it over her shoulder. "Well you don't exactly smell like a flower either, Princess," he said to her snidely as she began to lead the way out of the gym. She just rolled her eyes and pulled the fingers at him before disappearing out the door.
"Geez, man, you need to chill the fuck out," Alec shook his head as he got up and followed after Clary, Jace at his side.
"What?" He asked defensively.
"You. With Clary. You need to chill out," Alec repeated. "I don't know what your issue is, but it's pretty obvious that you two don't like each other, and we're meant to be a team."
"She acts as though she's better than the rest of us, she never lets anyone else drive and she's rude!"
"And?" Alec snorted. "That just sounds like the female version of you." Jace didn't bother answering, his eyebrows furrowed as they got to Jace's car outside. Clary was parked next to him, and she was already in her car and putting on her seat belt. She turned over the engine and was reversing out of the park by the time the boys reached the car, and they picked up the pace. "No, put really. Luke's noticed it as well."
"Shit, you think?" Jace winced as he unlocked his car and got into the car.
"You're kidding, right?" Alec rolled his eyes. "Luke see's everything."
"Valid point," Jace sighed as he turned on the car.
"And she's clearly his favourite. So if it carries of for much longer and she makes a complaint against you, then you're the one that's going to get in shit. You realize that, right?" Alec said as he got into the passenger seat.
"What are you on about? She's not going to complain," Jace made a face as he accelerated after Clary.
"Last week you called her a bitch in front of everyone when she spilt coffee on your shirt," Alec reminded him. "That was kind of uncalled for."
"And she called me a jackass right back," Jace shrugged. "I feel like we're even."
"No, you two just started off on the wrong foot, and because you're so similar you just fight all the time," Alec said. Jace pursed his lips to stop himself from talking, glaring over the steering wheel and out the front window of his car as he followed after Clary. Alec looked at him for a moment longer and then shrugged and looked out the window, snorting under his breath. Jace ignored the snort as well, although his fingers clenched tighter around the steering wheel. The crime scene was only a couple of blocks away from the gym and when they got out, Jace couldn't help but notice that the exercise leggings that Clary was wearing emphasized all the gorgeous curvy features of her lower half. "Eyes up," Alec muttered as he surpassed his golden haired partner and ducked under the crime scene tape.
"Fuck you," Jace growled back as he pulled on a sweatshirt to cover up the sweaty tee-shirt he was wearing. Luke gave the three of them a long glance before his rolling his eyes down to the body on the ground.
"Tell them what we've got, Hodge," he grunted.
"Stab wounds," Hodge said, a little unnecessary. "Ripped clothes and underwear, visible signs of sexual assault. Also, here we've got signs of her being strangled as well." He pointed to angry red and blue marks around her throat against her skin. "And then, if you'll notice—the blue ribbon."
"Same as that girl from a few months ago," Clary said quietly as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her hoodie.
"Same perfect bow," Jace noted.
"I can't say it for certain until I get her back to the lab, but I'm going to guess that it was tied post-mortem, just like the first girl," Hodge said.
"You think this is the same murderer?" Alec asked.
"It definitely looks like it," Hodge straightened up and nodded over at his assistant. "We're ready to move the body once you're finished." Jace nodded and then realized he didn't have anything from his crime scene kit, everything still back in his truck. Luke looked over at him and then to Alec and Clary.
"You three stink. Let Jordan finish up here and get back to the precinct to shower and change," he muttered before turning on his heel and heading back toward where their cars were parked. The three detectives exchanged looks, and if Jace squinted, it actually looked as though Clary gave him a half smirk.
The two murders looked exactly the same, although apart from the blue ribbon and the similar method of murder, there wasn't anything to tie them together. There was no DNA tying them together, and despite the fact that both girls had been raped, the killer must have worn a condom because there was nothing to be picked up. Clary threw herself into the investigation, and it was uncommon for them to come into the station in the morning, and she was fast asleep with her head on her desk or stretched out on the floor with her jacket used as a blanket. Dedication like that didn't go unnoticed, but it was bordering on obsession, and Jace heard Luke twice tell her to get her ass home.
She didn't listen.
She was probably the only person who openly defied Luke and managed to live to tell the tale.
"I'm heading off," Alec announced, exhaling heavily and rubbing his hands over his face.
"Can you drop me home?" Jordan asked, getting up from his seat and picking up his jacket and tossing it over his shoulder.
"Sure thing," Alec nodded. "Night, Jace. G'night Clary."
"Night," the pair called out in unison, before exchanging narrow eyed looks and then turning back to their computers. It was almost midnight, and Jace wanted to head home, he could barely keep his eyes open, given they were working until after two that morning, and had only got about four hours sleep. But Clary had promised Luke that she would go home at twelve, and Jace had told their boss he would stay until she went home. Make sure that she actually did.
At ten past twelve, Jace turned off his computer and purposefully drummed his fingers against his desk as he watched Clary. Either she was pointedly ignoring him, or she was so completely absorbed in her work that she was oblivious. Finally, he cleared his throat and she blinked and looked up at him.
"Sorry, did you say something?" She asked, look earnest.
"You told Luke that you would go home at midnight," he said bluntly. Clary blinked again and looked down at the watch on her wrist and sighed.
"Yeah, you go ahead," she muttered. "I'll catch up." Jace narrowed at his eyes and took a step closer to her desk.
"You've been wearing yourself out. It's time to go home," he said it a bit more forcefully this time.
"I'm almost done," Clary narrowed her eyes at him before resting her hands back on the keyboard, her fingers flying over the keys. Jace pursed his lips and looked irritably toward the door, before going right up to her desk and putting his palms down, staring at her. She stopped typing and looked up at him. "What?"
"Clary," his voice was lower now. "What's so special about this case that makes it important?"
"I didn't realize there had to be something special about two girls being raped and murdered for it to be important," she shot at him.
"I'm gonna let that one go because I know that you know I care just as much as you about these girls and because I'm pretty sure you're running on about five hours sleep for the past week," Jace replied, his words clipped but nowhere near as harsh as he would usually speak to her. "But, girl, you need sleep. And as one of my partners, it's my responsibility to look after you." She looked surprised at his words, her eyebrows raising.
"Okay," she finally uttered. She sighed and slumped back in her seat, rubbing her fingers in her eyes as she let out a yawn. Jace took a moment to study her, and realized how terrible she actually looked. Her face was pale and drawn, which was obvious now because her daily make up had mostly warn off, and her usually piercing green eyes were faded. Clary stood up and shrugged her jacket on, grabbing her keys and phone from the top drawer of her desk, walking toward the door of their office. Jace followed after her, watching carefully as her feet dragged along the ground. Their cars were parked close to each other out in the car park, and Jace paused and waited for her to walk toward her car. She was nearly there when her foot got hooked on a pothole and she almost sprawled forward. Jace was at her side in a second, grabbing her elbow and steadying her.
"Hey, careful," he murmured as he pulled her up against his sturdy body. Clary shivered and Jace shook his head. "Okay, you're coming home with me."
"What?" Clary managed to give him a look of mild disgust, clearly nowhere near as what she was trying to muster.
"Oh come on," Jace shot her a teasing smirk. "It's nothing you haven't enjoyed before." Clary narrowed her eyes at him and Jace couldn't believe it when he actually let out a short laugh. Since when were they in this place, where they were holding a conversation and he didn't feel so frustrated he wanted to throat punch her? "You can sleep in my bed, I'll take the couch. I just don't want you driving home." Clary sighed and nodded. He kept a grip on her elbow as he directed her to his car and waited for her to get into the passenger seat, and then walked around to his side.
"Thanks," Clary muttered as she leaned her head back against the head rest and closed her eyes. Jace drove back to his place, and noted that by the time he was pulling up at the lights just outside his apartment building, she was fast asleep. He parked in the underground parking lot and then woke her up gently. Clary yawned and gave him a tired smile that made her look completely adorable and sleepy, and Jace wondered what it was about her that rubbed him the wrong way. "How long has it been since you changed your sheets? I think I'd rather take the couch if you take woman home as often as boast."
And there it was.
Jace rolled his eyes at her as he took of his seatbelt.
"Well you have first hand experience as to why woman want to come home with me," Jace smirked at her and Clary just huffed as she took off her own seatbelt and got out of the car. They were silent as they walked through the dark and echoing parking lot toward the elevator. Jace pressed the button for his floor and the whizzed upward. Once they got to his floor, he waited for her to walk out first and then followed after her. His room was on the left and he unlocked the door and they walked inside.
"I'm just going to go and wash my face," Clary mumbled, directing her heavy feet toward the bathroom. Jace watched her go and then went into his kitchen and filled a glass of cold water, swallowing it all back in one mouthful and then swiping his hand across his mouth. He unhooked his holster, unloading his gun and putting the bullets and gun separate, just like he did every night, placing his badge next to his gun. When he turned around, Clary was standing there, the top couple of buttons on her shirt undone, showing a hint of her bra, and her hair was pulled back in a messy bun at the nape of her neck.
"You want a drink?" Jace asked.
"Thanks," she gave him a tight smile as he refilled his glass and handed it over her. She drank slowly, never taking her eyes off him. When she finished, she swallowed hard and sighed. "You asked me what was special about the two girls?" He nodded. "It's stupid, but the first case I ever worked on the force was a rape and murder. It went cold, and we never found out who the attacker was." Jace didn't say anything, just nodded sympathetically. The first was always the hardest case, but having it go unsolved was even worse. "The girl was only fourteen years old," she added, her voice catching. Jace's feet began moving before he even processed what he was doing, and he cupped her face gently, tipping it upward to meet his.
"Hey," he murmured. "We're going to find this asshole, okay? This isn't going to go cold. It's not the same." Clary nodded but she didn't look convinced. Jace brushed his thumbs over her cheekbones, his fingers moving slightly to tangle in her hair and his eyes darted down to her full, pink mouth. He felt her take in a deep breath and then she tugged away from him slightly, and he dropped his hands to his sides. "Okay, well," he inhaled sharply. "You know where the bedroom is—don't worry," he gave her a part smile. "Sheets are changed weekly." Clary nodded and turned around, disappeared from his line of sight. He could hear her moving around in his room as he walked toward the hallway cupboard, taking out a couple of blankets to use on the couch. He was taking off his shirt when Clary appeared back in the doorway, no pants on and wearing one of his oversized singlets.
"You can come and share the bed with me," she told him.
"I, uh," Jace was taken aback by her offer. "No, it's fine, I can sleep—"
"Come on," she gave him almost a teasing smile as she jerked her head backward toward the room. "Nothing we haven't done before."
"Didn't realize that was on the menu," Jace arched an eyebrow at her and Clary let out a soft snort.
"I meant sharing a bed, not getting it on," she shot back at him. Jace grinned easily and then nodded. She turned back around and Jace followed her. She crawled into the bed, and it pulled the singlet tight over her ass, showing off her toned lower half and he had to quickly divert his eyes and looked down as he undone his button and zipper of his jeans. He flicked off the light, and rolled into the bed next to her. They lay in quiet for a while, staring at the ceiling, before Jace looked over at her dark shape next to him.
"Why did you sneak out that first time?" She let out a laugh in response. "What? I want to know!"
"It was my first day on a new job," she replied easily. "Luke was picking me up from my place at seven sharp. If it wasn't there...Well, he's my step dad. Didn't exactly want to tell him where I was. And that's why I pretended I had never met you before. You really wanted me to say I knew one of his agents because I had been banging him the night before? You think that would have gone over well?"
"Probably not," Jace admitted. He went quiet again but then frowned. "Then why do you act like such a bitch?" Clary let out another laugh and rolled onto her side, facing him.
"That's just my natural charm," she said. "Although you aren't exactly a prince yourself."
"I was just reacting to what you were putting out," he defended his actions. Clary shook her head. She shuffled under the blankets, getting closer to him and finding his hand across the mattress, linking her fingers together with his. Jace was surprised by her action, but returned the pressure, tightening his hand around hers.
"I'm not sure how long you've worked for Luke," she said softly. "But he has a pretty strict rule about not dating your co-workers."
"So you've been acting like a bitch because you have a crush? Isn't that a little primary school?" Jace mocked her, although he couldn't help the grin that was stretching over his face.
"You call me a bitch one more time and I will not hesitate to break your nose," she said warningly, but there was a teasing not to her voice.
"Right, well," Jace thought for a moment. "It's not like we're always going to be co-workers."
"Highly unlikely," Clary agreed.
"And then there wouldn't be any rule stopping us from dating," Jace continued.
"Absolutely not," Clary nodded.
"And we would owe it to ourselves to give it a go."
"Most definitely," Clary nodded once more before leaning over and giving him a quick kiss on the mouth. Jace wouldn't let her pull away, though, putting one hand behind her head and holding her there, kissing her with everything he had. He sucked on her tongue and licked at her lower lip until they were both panting and their mouths were swollen.
"I'm going to hold you to that," Jace panted.
"I expect you too."
"You're looking better today," Luke noted gruffly as he came into work the next morning, nodding at Clary. She looked up from her work and flashed him a quick smile before going back to her computer. She already had two empty cups of coffee by her elbow, so she had probably been here since six or seven, an hour or so before them. "Alright, Alec! Jordan! I want you two to go back to the crime scene and have a look over the tapes. Clary, Jace! I want you to go around to talk to the family. Be gentle—and do not kill each other in the process." Jace looked over at Clary and she looked back at him, their expressions never changing as she pointedly picked up her keys.
"I'm driving," she stated bluntly as she grabbed her jacket and started for the door. Jace let out a growl under his breath and made a face behind her back as he followed after her, but there was a small smile on his face as he ducked his head.
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