It has been a while since I've written any fan fiction and I must admit that I got a little bored with the other fics I've started but haven't finished, but bear with me, I will eventually continue them. I have been writing my own novels which take time and I've been trying to concentrate on one thing at a time, but recently I've felt I needed a little breather on the side, something where I can still practice my writing skills and not have it be utterly serious in its production.

This is a new TMI fic which, okay, originally it was just going to be a one shot until I got to the end and decided I wanted to extend (so I had to change the end, of course). It's been quite a while since I've read TMI so please forgive me if my portrayal of their personalities isn't 100% exact. Choosing the title for this story was difficult because I only have one chapter so far and so I'm not entirely sure on what will happen, but I know the basic premise and I hope that you all will enjoy it.

If you have any comments, please say. I love to know what you think and if you think I've done something wrong, do say, but please make sure it's in a constructive manner and not just plain rudeness. I don't appreciate that.

Now, sorry for the essay, but I thought I should explain since I have readers. Although, if no one reads this, then I won't be too heartbroken. It's just for a little light relief. I'm not having any proof readers this time.

The POV'S are little mix and match, but hopefully it's not too confusing.

So I give you...

MISERY BUSINESS

Chapter 1

Off in the distance, the sky was a deep purple; a storm was brewing somewhere, but the patch of sky right above her head was a hypnotic blue. Clary wrapped her arms around herself, attempting to keep some semblance of warmth. She was leaning against a railing in the middle of Blue Bay Pier looking at the sea and the boats currently sailing. It was a small island off the Manhattan coast. Sun rarely hit this part of the country, but Jace had timed it perfectly. So far it had been chilly, as was usual for this part of the year, but sunny.

A week before her eighteenth birthday, Jace presented Clary with a ferry ticket that would take them on a romantic weekend away for her birthday. She was, to say the least, ecstatic. How could she convey to him how much this meant to her?

The wind carried along with it the salty scent of the sea; lifting her hair back from her neck and whipping it about until it blew in her face. It was quiet in this area. Her red dress was not practical, but it was her birthday and Jace was adamant that she wear the present he'd chosen specifically for the day. A blush crept up on her, peppering her cheeks with spots of red, almost matching the vibrant shade of her hair. She swiped strands that caught her mouth and tucked them behind her ear just as Jace appeared beside her.

He leaned over and as she turned her head, she met his lips with hers. He was tender at first but when he wrapped his arms around her, she sunk deep into his embrace, feeling the strong contours of his face as she gathered his face to bring him closer. "You're enjoying yourself, I see," he murmured once they broke apart.

She smiled against his lips. "You're so confident,"

"It comes with the territory. Handsome, awesome fighting skills and overly confident. What did you expect?"

Clary laughed at his lack of humility. There was just something so striking about him that always caught her off guard even in the strangest of moments. His white gold hair styled in such disarray, that you would first assume he'd woken up mere minutes ago. His tongue and cheek smile; a smirk that made Clary fall weak at the knees on a daily basis. He also had the most admirable body; but he already knew all of this. He wasn't shy.

He was inviting her to make out some more, but she wanted to spend longer enjoying the scene; to explore. She looked back out, admiring the view, not bothering to add fuel to his ego. "I absolutely love it here," she told him. "Where did you find it?"

"I remember Valentine talking about it when I was a kid," he said, frowning at the memory. "He told me he tried to take your mom there once, but she then fell pregnant,"

Clary turned, still leaning against the rail. She could feel it dig slightly in her side. "You're joking?" Jace shook his head. She found it hard to believe Valentine of all people would suggest such a beautiful place, but she thought maybe her mother would appreciate the scenery. "Wow, I guess he really was a different person back then." She was musing, not being serious, but the look Jace had on his face was wistful; he was so distant that Clary had to nudge him back into the present. He smiled before checking his watch.

"Oh, look at the time, it's time for Jace's Love time," Clary laughed and he quirked his lips into a wry grin. "What? You love it really,"

"No, I love you," she corrected him, not missing the hint of a joke coming on. "Your attempts at flattery are terrible, though."

He sighed dramatically. "Okay, I'm sorry. Shall we go inside, anyway? It's freezing out here."

After a few moments, Clary had to agree, and she did like the idea of quiet time. It was her birthday and some part of her was nervous. She didn't know why. Maybe it was the imminent future. Whenever she looked at Jace she got shivers and she couldn't imagine ever losing him.

Back in their one bedroom apartment, a short walk away from the pier, Jace walked into the kitchen and switched the kettle on. He was oh so domestic these days, because Clary continued to complain that he couldn't make coffee. A simple mundane drink, and he had to learn. He rolled his eyes at the premise. Anything for Clary.

He had the whole night planned and he was both apprehensive and excited. He'd been waiting for Clary to turn eighteen for what felt like forever and now it was finally here, he couldn't go back and he could not regret. Nothing about their time together thus far had been regret worthy.

He made her a coffee and took it into the lounge. Clary was lying back on the sofa. He was taken aback by her provocative pose that he nearly dropped the mug; as it was he spilt some on the floor, thankfully missing his pants.

He grinned at the image in front of him and he felt a thrill vibrate through him. "You really should be careful,"

Her red hair was fanned out around her head and she'd somehow changed out of the dress I'd gotten her and was now wearing a thin silk under...something. Jace gulped back a groan.

Clary looked up at her gorgeous boyfriend. How could someone so beautiful be so scary at the same time. Sometimes she wondered if she was in over her head, wanting him like this. What if he didn't want this? She smiled, looking him up and down. The bulge in his pants said otherwise. She laughed at him nearly dropping the mug and when he put it down he came over and lowered himself down on the sofa. Her breath hitched, her tongue tied with words she couldn't get out.

"You look perfect," he whispered against her ear, his breath tickling her neck. He pecked her jaw and around until he reached her lips. He caught her bottom lip between his teeth and she leaned up towards his body, wanting him. All of him. He teased, lifting off her and undoing his shirt and his shoes. He kissed her again and she felt butterflies in her stomach, taunting her with nerves.

"You don't look so bad yourself," she said breathlessly, running her hands over his bare chest and abs, admiring the solid architecture that was her boyfriend. Jace. She said his name a couple of times before he stopped her with another kiss and this was so intense she almost lost herself. With his lips still on hers, she reached down to undo his belt and then he shucked off his pants. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Hell yeah," he said then chuckled, "are you?"

She tried to catch her breath. "I've never been so sure of anything in my entire life," she said with assurance. But just as Jace was about to take off his pants, Clary's cell phone rang. She cursed loudly, hoping whoever it was would hang up or leave a voicemail. She let it ring and encouraged Jace to continue but when her phone rang and rang for minutes on end, disturbing their time and most importantly, her mood, she jostled her position so she could reach and grab it off the coffee table. She flipped the lid and rolled her eyes when she saw it was Simon.

"What?" she snapped into the phone.

There was a cough and then Simon's drawl voice had her wanting to punch him. "Sorry, am I disturbing you?"

Clary tried not to giggle when Jace kissed her neck, and pushed at him to move so she could sit up. "What is it?"

"I know it's your special day so I was calling to say happy birthday,"

Clary sighed. "You couldn't have waited until later? Or better yet, rung a bit earlier?"

"Oh, I did interrupt something," She could hear the guilt. "I'll leave you to it."

"Simon, you did not just call me up on the one weekend I told you was special, to wish me a happy birthday when you know I'm with Jace," She spotted Jace grinning out of the corner of her eye. "So just spit it out or I'll be forced to send Alec after you."

Jace nibbled at her cheek and she nudged him away. "Fine," Simon huffed. "I thought you might like to know that there's a demon on the loose and it has Jace Wayland all over it,"

Clary started. "It does?" She bit her tongue to keep from saying something unpleasant. "Can't Alec or Magnus deal with it?" Her eyes found Jace and he wasn't teasing anymore. He was alert and eavesdropping, his expression grim.

"Ah, see, that's the problem," There were noises in the background that Clary tried to decipher, but Simon must have covered the phone because they became muffled.

"SIMON!" she yelled, exasperated with his ramblings. She loved him but he could really be a pain in her ass.

"Magnus and Alec are...missing..."

"What?!" she screeched and Jace grabbed her hand, sending her comfort. It wasn't working. "What...what are you...SIMON!" Clary was growling with anger. She could hear Simon mumbling apologies but she couldn't hear anything past her own heartbeat in her ears. "How could you let this happen? You're supposed to be keeping an eye out! I trusted you! What am I supposed to tell Jace?" Although, that wouldn't be such a hard task since he could hear most of the conversation.

"Cla-Clary calm down," Simon stuttered. "It's okay, I'll find them. I promise. I think I have some leads. I just..." There was a beat. "I needed to tell someone."

"Right," she said through gritted teeth. "Well, thanks for that. I have to go. I'll ring you when I'm back in New York."

She hung up and clapped the phone shut then flung it across the living room. It hit the wall and crashed to the floor. The night time was closing in and the moon sat high in the sky; crickets chirped in the darkness. "What the hell has that daylighter gone and done now?" barked Jace.

Clary bent over and put her head in her hands. Tension built in her shoulders and she couldn't understand how this day had gone from brilliant and romantic to utter ridiculousness, and for once it had nothing to do with her. Well, mostly.

"You heard?" she muttered, lifting her head to gauge his mood. His lips thinned and he nodded.

"I was just hoping what I heard was wrong. Please tell me he's making it up?" He shot to his feet and paced the length of their apartment. "If that bastard has-" Clary met him halfway and pulled him in for a hug, shutting him up before he said something he might regret.

"It'll be alright," she told him.

Jace laughed bitterly. "You sound like the vamp,"

"No, I sound like someone who has faith in her best friend. He will get this sorted and we won't have to worry. But I think we should go home as soon as we can,"

He held her at arms length and stared at her hard, emotion whirling in his eyes. "Are you sure? We could just pretend we didn't know." It was a hope that wouldn't stretch far, Clary knew. She knew what had to be done. Clary nodded. "Alright," Jace sighed. "I'll get our stuff packed and get our ferry moved forward to tomorrow morning." At the look on Clary he stopped in his tracks. "By the angel, Clary, If I'm not going to get laid, then at least let me have my sleep before I have to face the daylighter without killing him."

"You know he'd kick your ass, right?" she teased.

But Jace wasn't playing around. "Oh give me half the chance I'm pretty certain I could show him a thing or two,"

With that, Clary went to put her clothes away and had a shower before bed.