This short story came to me as I have spent a lot of time on the beach with family and friends. For those reading Angel Wings, I'm still updating just wrote this story to help writers block a little.

Read on and review!

Clary P.O.V

The fire crackled, the sprites of flies that flickered from the beast of flames rose up and then travelled its way down to the burning destruction. I watched it smiling, wrapping my arms tighter against my waist trying to keep in the warmth of body heat that my old scruffy cardigan wasn't doing so well.

It was beautiful; something like dancing demons shouldn't be casted or told as pretty or beautiful. But it was, to my surprise. The fire had a secret, as every other nature did storing it all away so that no one could see it. I felt the itch in my fingers to pick up a blunted pencil and sketch the flames.

I closed my eyes, blanking out the thoughts such as domestic wise, loving the sounds of laughter and squeals around me. I smiled even more when I felt two arms wrap tightly against my middle and give a brief squeeze.

I twisted round in his arms half way so that I could see Jace's beaming face.

'Hi' I say quietly, loving the sounds of waves crashing against the shore before abruptly leaving.

'Clary,' Jace sighed instead, he cupped my face reaching down to press a small brush of lips against mines.

We both look and hear a squeal coming from Izzy and an annoyed huff coming from Maia. I laughed with Jace as we spotted the reason for the noise on the other side of the soft beach, Simon and Jordan were both laughing delinquently spraying water from plastic water guns that I assumed they stole from Celine and Michael. My children. Our joy.

Celine and Michael, I smile as I look to see there little legs trying to run after Simon and Jordan demanding their guns back. Izzy and Simon's daughter Sophie was giggling as she crawled on top of Magnus's back and started pulling at his glittered hair causing him to yelp in pain.

'Look's like Sophie found her new toy,' I remark to Jace.

Jace gave an amused snort. 'Saves me. Izzy has clearly influenced the poor child in jumping all the guys and giving them unthinkable pain,'

I give Jace a look. 'I'm sure you mean that in the purest way possible,'

Jace grins at that, the light shadowing his cheekbones and chiselled jaw, causing me to blink. 'It's ambiguous. You can interpret any way you want,'

'Give me a very good reason why I married you,' I told him, although I can't help the small tug of smile at the corner of my lips.

Jace pushed my hair back. 'Because I'm awesome,'

I roll my eyes, and twist fully in his arms, locking my hands behind his neck. 'Of course,' I murmur. 'You are awesome,'

'Come on Clary.' Alec, who had come back from the summer house with a clean nappy on his and Magnus son Conrad, groaned. 'You're enlarging his ego,'

I laugh and roll my eyes again as Jace says an ass comment.

I look to see Magnus still in mid fight with Sophie. His hands trying their best to overcome the damage done to his glittered hair.

'Aren't you going to save him?' I ask Alec.

'And be drawn in by Izzy's monster Barbie child? I'd rather live and stay with Conrad,' Alec says as he puts Conrad down on the sand. He folds his legs so that Conrad can crawl into his lap.

I ah at that and pull Jace down to sit next to me, Jace spreads his legs so that I can slot in, as he rests his chin on my shoulder laughing as Izzy pushes Simon face first in the water causing him to splutter and shout out death threats.

'Idris is a great place,' Jace says smiling looking at the sandy beach with stuck out pebbles that can scrape against your feet if your not careful to the dark cloudless night that has a full bucket of glittering starts tipped out on the black cloak of night.

'Yeah it is,' I beam as I feel Jace card his fingers through my red hair, as a small wind from the waves of the sea blow at my strands. Jace pulls on a thick clump of my red curls so that it's easier to put in a loose plait. He kisses my neck, chuckling as I shiver.

'When do you think Maia and Jordan will get married?' I ask as I watch Jordan lift Maia in his arms, his gun being taken by Michael in great victory, Jordan's face compelled with happiness.

'There not even engaged yet,' Alec reminds me cuddling Conrad and pushing at Conrad's curly hair.

'Well I got engaged before all of you couples,' Jace says out of nowhere causing me and Alec to look at him with raised eyebrows.

'Your point is?' Alec says.

'Isn't obvious?' Jace asked. He looked to blank faces. He let out a sigh. 'I'm awesome-'he cut off as our daughter Celine launched on Jace from behind pulling at his golden curls.

Alec and I burst into laughter as Celine put her chubby cute hands across Jace's eyes causing him to moan as she wouldn't get off.

'And you thought Sophie was bad, ' Alec wheezes out still rubbing Conrad's back as Conrad makes a whining noise at the peace being disrupted.

I help Celine off Jace, sniffling laughter at how red Jace's face and how he comically blinks his eyes again and again to retrieve his sight. Alec gets up seeing Sophie run to her parents a gleeful expression on her face in hijacking all of Uncle Magnus's glitter from his pockets. That leaving Magnus with empty pockets from his shorts and nearly all the glitter from his hair strewn out.

'Nice look,' Simon calls to Magnus sniggering as he towels his wet hair and face. Magnus shoots him a dark glare, which Simon ignores. I watch as he swoops down in picking his little demanding girl up, giving her small kisses as Izzy watches on happy.

She catches my eye and smiles sweetly. I return it as I see my little boy running up to me. His birthday had gone yesterday and he was six years old, but that still didn't stop him from still wearing his party hat that Luke and Jocelyn had brought yesterday before there journey with Maryse and Robert along with Simon's mom to a road trip around Seattle.

I still remember raising my eyebrows at Mom as she laughed joylessly at doing it.

Michael jumps in my lap, his plastic sword jabbing here and there. Jace watches on proud lit up in his eyes, unaware of Celine chucking handfuls of sand down his back. That is until he starts squirming.

'Celine,' he complains grinning as he pulls off his shirt.

'You're using our child as an excuse on you stripping your clothes, that's low Jace,'

'You like seeing it though,' Jace says his nose in the air. I looked down briefly at his muscled bronzed chest, sighing inside at the ripples his chest made as he moved. He met my eyes in I told you so way.

I shrugged pulling him in a quick kiss, his tongue touching my lip teasingly then moved away. I blush as he mouths a kiss on my cheek before turning to an annoyed Celine who wants Jace to sit straight so that she can draw him on the new sketch pad I had brought her for the holiday.

Michael stabs at the sand with his sword, taking delight in doing it. He laughs as I pull him to me, blowing raspberries on his chubby stomach, his squeals echoing down the beach.

I smile because now I know it's not the fire that's beautiful, it's us. Each rosy cheeked person here is beautiful, making every thing dangerous turning into something safe to believe in. And I wouldn't trade this life for anything else in the world.

What did you think of the one shot? Please inform me in the review box.

Toddles!

xx