Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. I was hoping to get this chapter out by Monday and I am quite pleased to have it out today! I hope you all enjoy and have a wonderful weekend. Happy Holidays to those of you that will be celebrating this weekend. Please enjoy and review as always.

Chapter 2

Clary was led slowly through the city, no longer looking around to the artfully crafted buildings surrounding her. She was lost in her own thoughts. She wanted at least to get the chance to say good-bye to Sebastian, even though she had no idea how long the Clave planned on keeping them apart. Clary felt like the whole thing was stupid, just because her father was sick and twisted did not mean that his children would be. At least she would be here with Jace, after the past couple months they had been at each other's side constantly but the communication between them had been nearly non-existent.

The guard stopped in front of an impressive looking building, Clary looked up and saw it had 4 stories and was covered in large windows. The building was tan like all the others around it, with a cobble brick roof that matched the streets. All the shutters were painted black, but they looked as if they were merely for decoration and seemed to be secured open at all times. It was a much grander house than some of the others she had passed.

The guard opened the door for her and she slowly walked in, there was light everywhere coming in from all the windows. It smelled like warm apple cider with hints of vanilla and cinnamon making Clary feel a bit more at ease. This house was filled with love and warmth. The guard bowed and left without a word. Clary closed the door behind him and jumped as a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her into a now unfamiliar embrace. It had been a long time since Jace had been so openly affectionate with her; maybe their night last night had done more good for them than Clary could have imagined it to.

Clary melted into his arms, Jace had a way of making everything so much better, so much more tolerable. "Looks like I am going to have plenty of time to show you around the city." He whispered into her ear, tickling a loose hair against her neck.

Clary turned to face him without leaving his embrace. "Yeah looks like we will be staying for a while. I just don't understand why all this is necessary; Sebastian isn't going to hurt me or try to sleep with me. We don't need to be separated."

Jace leaned down and kissed Clary's forehead, letting his lips linger against her skin for a moment before he spoke. "I have known Sebastian all my life, and he would never hurt you. But, there is something…off about him right now. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there is something different in the way he just is. I think it's a good idea to keep you safe until Sebastian either readjusts to being away from all those demons or we figure out why he is acting so strange." Jace said.

"I haven't noticed anything different." Clary said, her eyes closed.

"I think you are so excited that he is alive you are not catching the subtle differences." Jace said, taking one of the stray strands of hair between his finger tips and twirling it lightly.

"Aren't you excited that he is alive?" Clary asked opening her eyes to look at Jace.

"Of course I am, but I am telling you he is different. Maybe it is because he spent so long in another dimension and he just hasn't adjusted yet, but until he is more…normal, I don't want to risk you being hurt." Jace said releasing the strand and tucking it gently behind her ear.

Clary went to the tips of her toes, wrapping her hands around the back of his neck to pull him down to her. She touched her lips to his gently, inhaling the scent of copper and sunshine, tasting him against her lips. She had missed this closeness, she felt completely, uniquely whole with him by her side. "Alright, if you think it's for the best then I will go along with it for awhile." She said softly, breaking from the kiss.

"Well, let me give you a tour of our temporary home." Jace said stepping away from her, grabbing her hand and lacing their fingers as he pulled her out of the entryway.

The house was huge and contained over 20 bedrooms with 2 single beds in each room. It was primarily used during summer conventions when Shadowhunters from all over the world were invited to Allicante to convene on laws, rules, and regulations. During the rest of the year there were few times when the house was actually used. Jace had already picked a room for them up on the highest floor. He had pushed the two single beds side-by-side and stuffed a blanket into the crack between the beds, making as close as he could to one large bed. It wouldn't be as comfortable as their bed back in their house, or the ones in the institute, but it would serve its purpose for now.

"They let me go back to the house and get a few things before you got back. You were meeting with them a lot longer than they met with me. I grabbed some of your favorite clothes, some drawing supplies, and your adamas stele." Jace said crossing the room to the dresser, opening the top drawer to show Clary it was full of her belongings.

"I don't think I am going to be bringing my stele along with me for my rune demonstrations though, I did enough damage today. But it was their own fault for pissing me off and insinuating that I was a liar." Clary said running her finger along the stele, watching as it glowed under her touch.

"What did you do?" Jace said trying to sound parental but he could not hide his amusement.

"They put me in a glass box like I was an animal at the zoo, then they doubted what I could do with runes. They asked for a demonstration in order to prove myself not a liar….so…..I turned the box into sand which fell to the ground around me and left me free." Clary said looking away from Jace. They had talked this morning about not over showing the Clave what she could do. He was worried if they were to take particular interest in her it would not turn out well for them.

Jace's eyes were wide. "You couldn't show them a harmless rune like make yourself invisible or something?" Jace asked, she had done exactly what they had discussed she not do this morning.

"Jace, they practically called me a liar, I was mad, that was just the rune that popped into my head." Clary said throwing her hands into the air in defense.

"Well I guess tomorrow we will get to see just how interested they are in your rune powers, when do you have to go?" Jace asked flopping himself down on the bed.

"They said to be there at 9am sharp." Clary said joining him on the bed.

Jace curled his arm around Clary, pulling her into his chest. "How about we take a nap and then I will show you around the city?" He said lovingly.

Clary yawned wide. "That sounds perfect." She said snuggling into his chest and closing her eyes.

Sebastian had been taken off to his own room to face the Clave alone; he was well used to the routine after several years of being summoned in the same way to the Clave. "So, any new gossip you want to dish before they get me in there?" Sebastian prodded to his escorting guard; it was the same one he usually got. The guard said nothing, as usual. "Alrighty then, good to talk with you as always." Sebastian said as he reached his destination and the guard turned quickly to leave.

Sebastian was in his usual glass cage and grabbed a chair that was left in the room for him. He spun it around and straddled the chair, draping his arm over the back. He sat there for a long time; they must be busy talking with Jace and Clary. The lights in the outer room turned on and Sebastian could see the cloaked figures standing before him.

"Sebastian Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern, we held a funeral for you a few months ago, would you like to explain to us how you are in-fact not dead?" The voice filled the tiny glass room.

"Well to put it simply I didn't die, so I guess you were all a little preemptive on the celebration." Sebastian said arrogantly. He had never spoken to them with much respect, not after they had taken him and tortured him for years trying to get information out of him about Valentine.

"Is that all that you have to declare?" The female voice asked; Sebastian could hear her smile. She always had been the most sadistic of all the Clave members.

"Well I couldn't imagine you would be satisfied with that answer considering I have not given you anything other than what you can clearly see. So let me go through it real quick, the house came down around us, I was pinned by a large beam that fell. Valentine was killed, a brick to the skull. I passed out, waiting to die, woke up outside the rubble. My demon mom was there, she had pulled me from the rubble and nursed me back to health before sending me back here." Sebastian said, making sure he was giving about the same amount of details as he had to Jace and Clary. He eagerly awaited their response.

"Your demon mom saved you?" The female said sounding a lot like Jace. "What interest would she have in saving you?"

"I really guess it was just because we shared blood. She must be one of those demons with a huge maternal kick or something. I have a scar from the beam if you would like to see it." Sebastian said lifting his pant leg.

"That will not be necessary at this time." The voice rang out and Sebastian dropped his pant leg. "Did you see Valentine dead?" The voice asked.

Sebastian paused a moment, slight confusion running across his face. It lasted only a split second before it cleared and Sebastian answered confidently as if there had never been any uncertainty. "Yes, I saw the brick hit him above the eye, and I saw as his brains squirted onto the floor, I would consider that pretty dead."

"Thank you as always for your cooperation. We will be holding you in your usual cell until we decide to free you, as usual." The female voice sneered.

"Of course." Sebastian said through gritted teeth, a part of him had hoped he would be on his way without the usual rounds in the jail cells beneath the building. The cloaked members began to leave and Sebastian's guard had returned to gather him and take him to his cell. They kept one special for him, the same one he had been placed in when he was 16, every time he came to visit he would be put back in his cell for at least one night.

The guard smiled, holding out his hand for Sebastian to produce his stele. This was a little game they have been playing for years, and Sebastian knew the alternative for not giving up his stele or submitting to the weapons check. Sebastian pulled his stele, dropping it to the floor at the guard's feet, giving him a wide smile. "That damn thing, seems like it slips more and more each time I get it out." Sebastian said, backing his way into his cell, his hands flat in front of him. Once he was beyond the cell opening, the door slid shut in front of him. The guard bent down and picked up the fallen stele with a smile, pocketing it before turning and walking away.

Sebastian was left alone, he made his way over to his usual bed, which was more like a mattress with all the padding ripped out and left with nothing more than just the springs. Sebastian lay down on the bed, looking up to the ceiling. Surprisingly it was not as uncomfortable as he remembered it being, it was still better than lying on the ground for those months while his leg healed. He just wished it was a little warmer here.

He had a feeling they would be keeping him longer than his usual one night stay. It was more frustrating this time as he was anxious to be back out in the world, back out with Clary. He found he drifted into an easy sleep thinking of her and the future he had planned for them. The fun with the Clave would be beginning in the evening and he wanted to be fully rested for what they had in store for him.

Jace woke first from his nap, turning his head to look at Clary. Her eyes were closed, her long lashes curling up and away from her eyes. They were a deep red color, more like the color of her mom's hair than her own. He loved it when she didn't wear mascara because then when the light hit her eyes in just the right way the slight shimmer of red would appear. He tucked a stray hair behind her ear and watched as her eyelashes fluttered as her eyes opened. He was always mesmerized by her brilliant green eyes which looked lovingly into his smoldering golden gaze.

"How was your nap?" He asked softly, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"I feel much better now." Clary said softly, her voice still heavy with sleep. "Are you planning on taking me for a tour of the city now?" Clary asked.

"I had a little something else in mind for right now." Jace said giving Clary a panty dropping smile. How could she ever refuse him?

He bent down slowly kissing the tip of her nose. Clary smiled at his light touch, feeling her blood sing through her veins.

"What are you smiling at?" Jace asked softly, teasing her.

"You." She said simply.

"What about me?" Jace teased.

"I just love being close to you again." She said looking deep into his eyes, studying his face and the way his hair hung down around him. His hair was golden and the exact same color of the angel's that was tethered in the basement at Valentine's manor. Clary had not gotten a whole lot of features from the angel. She wondered if that was only because she had not been exposed to the angel blood for as long as Jace had been. If she had, would she have ended up with golden hair and golden eyes like Jace? Would people mistake her and him for siblings?

"Where did you go?" Jace said brushing his fingers lightly across her cheek.

Clary snapped out of her thoughts. "I was just thinking about how much you look like the angel that Valentine had captured." Clary said bringing her hands up to his temples to run her fingers through his hair.

"Yeah? Well I have always said I looked like a god, now you know the truth, I literally look like an angel." Jace said giving Clary a dazzling smile before leaning down, this time to kiss her on the lips. Clary melted into the kiss as she felt her body come alive under his touch. He shifted lightly so his body was on top of hers, making her his prisoner.

Her fingers ran through his hair, feeling the silky tresses slide through her fingers. She stopped at the back of his head clamping down on his hair; pulling him tightly into her while she slid her tongue into his mouth. She elicited a low groan from him as he extended his tongue to meet hers.

He flattened his body against hers, pressing her into the soft mattress below. Their kiss deepened as they felt the passion and heat coursing through their veins. Exploring the city would definitely have to wait until later, there were more pressing needs at the moment.

Jace took his time, slowly undressing her, taking time to cherish each bare area before moving to the next. Clary relinquished all control to him, letting him move and strip her as he pleased. He rid her first of her long loose sweater tossing it to the floor. He kissed her newly exposed collarbones trailing light kisses from one to the next. Clary's hands slipped from his hair, running down his muscular arms, gripping his biceps tightly as he nipped lightly at her skin.

Jace sat up slightly, ridding himself of his white shirt, gripping it tightly at the collar and pulling it off his head. She looked to his bare chest, chiseled with muscle and marked with runes. She reached up tracing lightly with her fingers over each of the runes, tickling his skin. He closed his eyes beneath her touch needing to just feel her against his skin. His eyes opened as she trailed lower, leaning down to give her a passionate kiss, pressing their bodies together tightly. His hand roamed down to cup her breast through her shirt and bra. He gave her a tender squeeze.

There was a knock at the door startling both of them, Clary gave a small squeak of surprise. Jace laughed lightly, pressing his forehead to hers. "Guess we will have to continue this later." He said, kissing her lightly before getting up to answer the door.