So, before you yell or shake your fist at me, read this chapter. Then you can give me all the gruesome punishments. Deal?

Disclaimer: Mortal Instruments and all its associated characters, places and events all belong to Cassandra Clare and the copyright holders. This is a nonprofit fan work and no copyright infringement is intended. Other stuff is mine, though. ;) So, no stealing! :D

By the way, the food people order in the later scene. . . I don't think that's served in that particular restaurant. So, don't quote me on that.

Chapter songs:

I've Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Beans

Amazing (feat. Young Jeezy) by Kanye West (last part [Okay, I have to admit, this songs makes me really feisty! Hence why this was chosen for the last scene]).

*The Clandestine Affairs*

*Chapter Two: Revelation*

"Agent Wayland. Good to have you back." Stephen stood and came around his desk to greet Jace.

Jace narrowed his eyes and shook the Boss' hand once, before dropping it and crossing his arms over his chest. "Couldn't you have called me some other time? I was at football practice." He gestured to the black jersey tucked in his shorts. "We have a game coming up in two weeks and we need to practice. It would be better if we got this 'urgent' matter over with as quickly as possible."

Clary stared as Jace came to sit beside her, ignoring her completely. Never had a Shadowhunter talked to Stephen this way. Everyone knew — even newbies — to talk to the Boss in a respectful manner. But this . . . this Jace Wayland . . . he was different. Clary could tell from his posture and expression that he was unlike anyone she'd ever met before.

Nevertheless, she glanced over to their Boss worriedly. To Clary's surprise, Stephen's expression was exactly as it had been before Jace walked in the room. No sign of aggravation or anger showed on his face. Instead, he walked back to his chair, and sat down. "Thank you, Agent Bane, for bringing in Agent Wayland."

Magnus nodded curtly before leaving the room, shutting the door softly behind him.

"As you'd said earlier, Agent Wayland, it's better if we discuss this matter as quickly as possible. But, I'm afraid your football practice will have to wait a few . . . months."

From the corner of her eye, Clary noticed Jace's mouth drop open, disbelief and rage plain on his face.

The same feelings surged through her veins. She didn't know what was going on or why she was at the Academy after all these years, let alone know what the Boss was talking about.

"Let me explain before either of you start asking questions. I've informed both of you about . . . the Valentine case. Instead of calling it the "Valentine case", the staff and I prefer we call it 'Clandestine Affairs' for safety purposes."

Jace chuckled and laced his fingers behind his head. "Fitting. That way no one will suspect a thing."

Stephen raised a brow in Jace's direction. "Would you prefer another name, Agent Wayland?"

"If you want to keep it Clandestine Affairs then why not call it 'CA'? It's shorter and people won't suspect anything of it."

Boss rubbed his chin. "I . . . I'll think about it. Right now, we have more important matters to discuss. First off—"

"I'm here, Agent Herondale! I'm here!"

Clary whipped her head to find her best friend, Simon, standing a few feet behind her, panting. When their eyes met, Simon's widened.

"Clary? What are you doing here?"

She raised a brow. "That's the exact question I was thinking to ask you."

"Have a seat, Agent Lewis. Did you see anybody else in the lobby? Someone with black hair?" Simon swallowed, and plopped down on the other side of Clary. His eyes widened even more when he saw Jace.

He looked at Stephen, his brows furrowed. "Um, yes?"

"Is that a question or a statement?"

"A . . . a statement."

Stephen nodded. "We can wait a few minutes before getting to our meeting."

Clary chanced a peek at Simon, but he was looking straight ahead. His fists clenched and unclenched. Clary raised a brow. Why was Simon here? And how was he, of all people, at the Academy? She never suspected this from him . . . why didn't he tell her? Why did he seem so nervous? Stephen wasn't going to scold him for being late. In fact, she'd never heard anything bad about Stephen.

"Sorry I'm late. Got caught in traffic. And a few faeries needed some . . . help."

Clary turned, her eyes falling on a girl close to her age. She wore blue fitted jeans, a matching top and clad black boots. Her long black hair hung straight down her back, reaching almost to her waist.

"Isabelle, I told you not to—" Stephen started.

"I know, I know. 'Don't help faeries under any circumstances'. I won't do it again. Promise."

"Good. Have a seat beside Simon."

The Boss motioned her over and Simon's mouth dropped open as Isabelle sat down beside him. Clary fought back a grin. Simon would always be Simon. He wouldn't stop checking out a girl until she yelled at him. Or slapped him. Both of which had happened before.

"Now we can start from the very beginning." Stephen reached for his cup of coffee, placing it in front of him. "The information about the . . . CA," Stephen glanced at Jace, a smile tweaking at the corner of Stephen's lips, "is on your monitor screen."

Clary looked at the Boss, her eyebrows raised. Suddenly, a vrooming sound erupted from underneath the table. A slim, wide, black screen rose from inside the wooden table, stopping at Clary's eye level. It lit up, revealing a page filled with profiles of herself, Jace, Simon, and Isabelle.

Curiously, Clary pulled her hand up to the screen and clicked on Jace's name. His profile appeared - and it contained only a few things about him. His birthday, which was just a few months away - March third - along with his favorite hobbies and his bio. Almost abruptly, the screen shifted to a different page. It was a map of the world with several red dots on distinct places.

"The red dots you all see on your monitor are the places Valentine has already hit. As I've said before, he has captured nine magical beings and we're sure he's on the move for the next ones."

"Why aren't you stopping him?" Isabelle asked, her brows rising.

The Boss smiled sadly. "We can't. That's the problem. We don't know when he's going to strike next or where, for that matter. It would solve a lot of problems if we did."

It was quiet for a minute before Simon spoke up.

"How do you know he'll strike again?" His voice was shaky. He raised his trembling hand and pushed his glasses up his bridge of his nose.

"We have a spy that is very close to Valentine. But recently, we haven't gotten any further information, which worries me."

Nobody said a word. It got so quiet Clary could hear herself breathe in and out. Trying to focus her mind on something other than the matter at hand, she glanced up at the monitor. Surely something on the map could help them out. Clary clicked on the screen, zooming in on one of the red dots. The dot was on Churchill. It zoomed in until three distorted-looking figures stood. Demons. Under them, written in italics, were their names. Asmoday. Azazel. Berith. With dismay, Clary realized she recognized those names. They were very dangerous demons. Some of the most powerful on the planet. In the back of her mind, warning bells rang. She remembered reading about the demons, but she knew they were part of something bigger other than killing people. Clary knew she'd have to try to find out about what was nagging her about the names. Until then, all she could do was try to look for more clues.

Clary clicked on another red dot. This time it was in Havana.

Jace finally spoke up, interrupting. "He wants to make his mark across the world. V, for Valentine. It's a bit unoriginal on his part."

Stephen glanced up, surprise clear on his face. "How do you know?"

"Because, it just makes sense. He seems like one to want to make a mark on the world." Jace pressed his index finger to the screen, focusing in on the entire world. He traced his fingers around the dots, creating a 'V' on the map.

"All right, that makes sense. But what about the killings? How do we know where he'll strike next or when?" Izzy asked.

"He killed three demons on November first, 2009, in Canada. His next kill was in Havana, on the twenty-third of December, 2009. And the last killing, I believe . . ." Jace scanned his monitor. "Yep, just as I'd suspected. February tenth, 2010."

"Jace, that still doesn't make sense," Isabelle pointed out.

"At least use a little bit of that brain of yours, Izzy. The first killing was November first, in 2009. Now, add up the numbers."

"What do you mean?" Simon asked for the first time.

Everybody else was still befuddled.

"November. It's the eleventh month," Stephen muttered. "November first . . . Add up the numbers: It's the first day of the eleventh month, so eleven plus one. Twelve. Then the year: two, plus zero, plus zero, plus nine. Eleven. Add eleven plus twelve and what do you get? Twenty-three."

"Right." Jace nodded. "The next month, the kill happened on the twenty-third. When the outcome of the addition rises above thirty-one, he adds them together. Like the last one. Twenty-three plus twelve plus two plus nine. What do you get?"

"Fourty-six!" Simon piped up.

He grinned at Clary, tapping his forehead. She rolled her eyes in response.

"Good job, Nerd Boy. But the dates in the months only go up to thirty-one, at the most. So he added up the numbers. Four plus six."

"Ten . . . February tenth," Stephen whispered.

"Wow. Genius," Clary said, impressed, unable to hold back her comment.

Jace leaned back in his chair, a smug smile stretching across his face. "I know."

"Brilliant work, Agent Wayland. I never thought Valentine could be so . . ."

"Mathematical?" Jace suggested. "Yeah, neither did I."

"I was going to say methodical, but mathematical works as well. Thank you, Agent. You have done well. This helps us move toward our goal." Stephen shuffled a few papers in front of him before he spoke again. "You all have been called here for a reason. A mission."

"What kind?" Izzy placed a hand under her chin and raised her brows.

"This will be an international mission, Agent Lightwood." Stephen smiled sadly at her.

Clary's mouth dropped open. How could she travel around the world when Jocelyn wouldn't even allow her to go to a store by herself? In fact, she couldn't even think about that question because how was she going to explain all of this to her mother?

Jace stood abruptly, his chair flying backwards in the process. "What are you talking about, Boss?" His voice was muted, but deadly.

"I told you this when you joined us, Agent. You will have to give up a few things along the way."

Jace opened his mouth to reply, but Stephen held his hand up. "I know you have your own priorities — especially with the quarterback position and all — congrats on that, by the way — but, this is the entire world's safety we're talking about here." Stephen turned to look at each of them. "I need you all for this mission. You have been chosen for a reason. Either because of your intellect, creativity, or just for being a great Shadowhunter. This will be the hardest mission you have ever been on. Before we continue, I need all of your consents on this. The mission can't start until everybody approves."

The first one to agree was Izzy. "Count me in. Life's too boring without adventures, anyway."

Next was Simon, then Clary, even though she had no idea how she'd explain all this to Jocelyn.

Jace was the last one to give in. Clary wondered what his problem was. Wasn't the world's safety more important than playing football?

When Clary turned her attention back to Stephen, she saw a look of relief cross his face.

"I cannot thank you enough for agreeing to this dangerous task." Stephen picked up his coffee and took a sip out of it, then situated it back on the desk. "Now to the more . . . entertaining topic of the evening. As mentioned before, the staff and I have already chosen whom your partners will be. Simon with Isabelle, and Jace with Clarissa."

Jace quirked a brow. "Who, by the Angel, is Clarissa?"

Clary felt the air in her lungs whoosh out of her, leaving her slightly breathless. How did he not know who that was? She was sitting right beside him and he didn't even notice whom she was.

Stephen's brows raised in response. "The girl you're sitting beside, Agent Wayland. That is your partner."

He slowly turned his head toward Clary. She could feel Jace's gaze run lazily up and down her. A slight shiver went through her body when he reached her eyes.

"Her?" Jace asked, incredulously. "But she's a little girl!"

Disbelief washed over Clary. "I am not a little girl," she said bitterly. Folding her arms across her chest, she continued, "I turned sixteen a few months ago."

A sluggish smile pulled up at the corner of Jace's lips. "Sixteen? Are you sure? You seem as if you could be . . ." he trailed off, biting his bottom lip. "Thirteen. Or fourteen, at the most."

Anger sparked inside Clary. But before she could volley back an answer, her best friend did it for her.

"I think she would know what her correct age is, don't you think, Agent Wayland?"

Clary shot a grateful glance toward Simon.

"All right, Agents, enough. I have one more request to make before I set you all free. Tomorrow, at ten o' clock in the morning, meet me in the training room. We have tasks set up for you all for the mission. The first one will be dueling each other. The other task, I will explain tomorrow."

Everybody nodded in agreement, then got up to leave. Clary waited for Simon, but he held up a finger, indicating he'd join her in a minute. With a shrug, Clary retraced the path back to the main entrance. A slight twinge started in the pit of her stomach, making her wonder why. Was it because of the mission? Or was it because of . . . Jace? Clary shook her head. Why would she even be thinking about him? He had dismissed her as if he hadn't a care in the world. He didn't even notice her, let alone talk to her. Why was she thinking about him, then?

"Agent Fray?" A voice called from behind her.

Clary turned to see Isabelle striding toward her, her hair swishing around her like black rain falling around her body.

"Yes?"

Isabelle came to a stop in front of her, and then boldly stuck her hand out. "We didn't get to introduce ourselves back there, so let me be the first one to do so. I'm Isabelle. Or Izzy. Or Iz. Doesn't matter." She laughed.

Clary smiled and shook her hand. "I'm Clarissa, Clary for short. Nice to meet you."

The other girl shot her a grin. "You too. Look, just so you know . . . back there, with Jace . . . don't mind him, okay? He's a bit of a hot head and a jerk."

Clary grimaced a little before answering. "It's all right. I don't mind."

Isabelle raised her brows. "You don't? Are you sure? Because if you do, then by all means, you can slap him."

Clary laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Clary? Clary? Clary! There you are!"

Simon came running down the hall, all the while pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, then stopped in front of Clary and Isabelle. He bent down and panted.

"Oh, hey, Simon. Have you met Izzy?"

He straightened up quickly and glanced at Isabelle. "Uh . . . n-no. Hi."

Izzy gave him a small smile. "Hey."

They stood there awkwardly for a second before Clary glanced at her cell phone. Her eyes widened.

"Simon, I have to meet Mom and Luke in fifteen minutes!"

"Crap. You're late!"

Clary rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Captain Obvious."

He grinned. "You're welcome, Sergeant Sarcasm."

Clary giggled, and then glanced at her phone again. "Can we leave? Mom's going to kill me if I don't get there soon."

Simon nodded. The three Shadowhunters bid each other goodbye and went on their way. Clary and Simon walked until they came to the door to the main entrance. He raised his hand and pressed it in the middle of the door. It sounded with a satisfied click and swung open.

Simon motioned for Clary to go first. "After you, Madame."

She laughed. "Thank you, kind sir."

Her best friend followed, and soon they reached the place where Clary had seen Meliorn.

"Hey . . . Clary? Why didn't you ever tell me about this?"

"Why didn't you?" she asked back.

"Good point. But now you've got to spill everything about it."

Clary rolled her eyes. "Of course, Simes. As soon as we hang out."

"Promise?" He stuck out his pinky finger, waiting.

Clary giggled. "Promise," and she hooked his with her own.

"Okay, well . . . Up I go. See you in a few seconds." Simon grinned, closed his eyes, and shot up in the air like a bullet.

The space previously occupied by Simon was now empty. Clary sighed and closed her eyes. A mental image of the pond emerged into her mind: the crisp, fall leaves floating on the turbid water. The small wavelets formed and glided on top. She felt herself shoot up like a bud sprouting into a flower. Clary burst through the water, landing on the ground beside Simon, he was drenched from head to toe. Simon shook his head so that water sprayed from his hair and onto Clary.

She squealed, moving away from him. "Why did you let the water drench you? You know perfectly well it can't harm us in any way unless we order it to. Besides . . . That. Water. Is. Cold. And gross!"

"Oh, yeah? Cold, huh? You want more of that?" Simon strode toward her with strong and confident steps, shaking his head once more.

Another squeak slipped past her mouth. "No, no! No more!" Clary giggled. "Simon! I've got to get—"

"Relax, chica," Simon said, still striding toward her, "I called Eric to come pick us up."

Clary quirked her brows and raised her hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry, but did I just hear you call me 'chica'?"

Her best friend shrugged and gave her a smile. "Is there a problem with that? Don't friends call each other 'chica' or 'chico', or something of that sort?"

Clary fought back a grin and crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah, but . . . girls mostly say that."

Simon blinked. "Did you just call me a girl? Oh, it's so on now, Fray. So. On."

He started toward her but not before Clary quickly ran to the pond, gathered up water in her hands and threw it at Simon. He was about to splash some at her, too, but not before a horn beeped and both of them turned to find Eric's beat-up van standing by the curb.

"Race ya," Simon said, running off like a bullet.

Clary contemplated for a moment before dashing after Simon, easily gaining on him. She reached the car first, Simon coming in after her.

"How are you so fast?" He gasped for air.

Clary smiled angelically. "Oh, I'm just a vampire in disguise." She turned around to knock on Eric's window, letting him know to unlock the doors.

Simon opened the door and motioned her in. "I knew it was something like that." He climbed in after her, and pushed the doors closed.

"Hey, guys," Eric greeted.

Clary opened her mouth to respond, but Simon was already replying. "Hey, Eric. Thanks for the ride, man."

"No problemo. Although I was wondering why you asked me to come here, of all places. I thought you guys would be at Pandemonium? And Simon, why are you drenched from head to toe?"

"Because Clary here splashed water at me. Anyway, it is an odd place, but fun to play hide and seek in. We thought that might be better than going to Pandemonium tonight."

Clary laughed. "Yes, we just love to play hide and seek."

"I see." Eric cracked a smile. "So, where to?"

"White Fence Farm. My mom and Luke are meeting us there."

Eric nodded, then drove off into the breaking dusk.

ζ:Ω:ζ:Ω:ζ

Eric's van pulled to a stop in front of the restaurant. Clary quickly thanked Simon and Eric for dropping her off and was soon on her way inside the restaurant.

When she entered, she noticed the place was crowded with servers bustling about to all the tables they were waiting on. Above each booth hung a magnificent chandelier, the tiny iridescent lights reflected off from it to the walls around them. Clary spotted her mom and Luke seated in the middle of the room.

Clary walked over, maneuvering between the waiters and people.

"Clary!" Jocelyn stood as soon as Clary made her way toward her.

When Clary reached her mom and Luke, Jocelyn continued, "Thank goodness you're here." A look of relief passed over her face. "I thought maybe you didn't get my— "

"Mom," Clary interrupted, smiling, "it's all right. I got the message and everything." Clary pointed to her outfit.

Jocelyn smiled in response.

"Glad you could make it, Clary. Your mother wouldn't stop asking about you," Luke joked. Jocelyn's cheeks tinged with a faint blush and she looked down.

"All right. Before you tell me the "news" — whatever that might be — can we order some food? I'm starving," Clary said, picking up the menu and looking over it quickly, her stomach growling.

"Sure, sweetie."

Clary peeked over the menu, raising her brows at what she saw. Jocelyn shared a menu with Luke, scooting closer to him. Since when did Jocelyn get close to Luke? Never before had she seen her mother sitting this close to him. What was going on?

The waiter came a few minutes after, distracting Clary's mind from the issue at hand, and took their orders. Clary ordered an Indonesian Peanut Sauté. Luke ordered Pad Thai whereas her mom chose Pesto Cavatappi.

The waiter took away their menus, silence hanging thick around them. In the background, Clary could hear people talking about things ranging from movies to school. She wondered what exactly she would be talking about with Luke and Jocelyn. They hadn't hinted to her about anything yet, but she had a feeling it would be good news. That tonight would be a good night — no matter what the news might be.

"I think it's time," Luke whispered to Jocelyn.

She glanced up and saw her mother shaking a little. "Mom? What's wrong?" she asked, alarmed, and started to stand.

Jocelyn waved her to sit down and swallowed hard.

"I'll handle this, Jocelyn." Luke patted her hand.

Confusion filled Clary's mind. "Will someone explain to me what's happening?"

Luke smiled. "We . . . your mom and I . . . are getting married."

Clary's mouth dropped open. "You . . . Her . . . What? When did you propose?"

"This morning. We would have told you earlier, but we didn't know how to go about it."

Almost immediately, Clary's eyes drew to her mother's fourth finger. She identified the engagement ring. It was simple, but sophisticated. The band split two-thirds of the way around into two "V" shaped prongs, meeting once more to surround two small diamond studs in the center.

Clary let out a slow sigh. "Wow. That is beautiful."

"That's what I said when Luke gave it to me," said Jocelyn, slightly smug.

Luke grinned, laugh lines fanning out around his eyes.

"When are you getting married?" Clary reached for her glass of water and downed it in a few seconds.

"Well . . ." Jocelyn trailed off, glancing at Luke before meeting her daughter's curious gaze. "I got an email today from your school, Clary. They said you will be gone for at least six months, traveling to different places — and getting educated from the variety of places, which I do not approve of. I am going to have to talk to the school about this. But, because I don't want to rush through this, we decided we won't marry until everything gets figured about you."

Traveling to different places? Learn in different countries? What was Jocelyn— Then the thought occurred to her. Of course she wouldn't be in New York for the next few months. She was going on a mission. Was the "learning in different places" an excuse for her few month disappearance from her school?

Before Clary could reply, the server arrived, placing the steamy, delicious-looking food in front of them. Clary waited to answer before the waiter left.

"But, mom, you don't have to do that. A few months is a really long time! You can't stay engaged forever."

Jocelyn put her hand over Clary's and gave it a gentle squeeze. "It's not forever, honey. It's only for a few months."

Clary knew she couldn't budge her mom on this, so she turned to Luke. "You're agreeing to this?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, but Clary could tell from his posture that it wasn't what he wanted. "It's your mother's choice. I respect what she wants."

"Fine, but this won't be the last time I argue about this." Clary frowned.

Jocelyn laughed whereas Luke winked at Clary. The three of them soon fell quiet, focusing on their food instead of talking. It felt nice, the silence, even though the room was filled with people talking. But Clary didn't mind. All she cared about at the moment was the place she was in, the people she was with, and how she was spending time with the ones she cared about. What made her even happier was the fact that her mother was getting married to one of the most caring, easy-going people in the world. With that thought in mind, she scooped up the noodles and popped them in her mouth.

ζ:Ω:ζ:Ω:ζ

Clary sat on her bed, sketchpad on her lap and pencil in her hand. She flipped the book to another blank page. Bringing the tip of the pencil to the paper again, she tried to draw, but the only thing that came to her mind was one person. A tall, lean, golden-haired person.

For some reason, Clary kept picturing him. And if that wasn't strange enough, when she drew him, he had a pair of angel wings extending from his back. She didn't exactly understand why she was drawing wings behind him, but her hand seemed intent on adding them just the same.

Sighing, she closed the pad and looked out her window. It was completely dark, as if the sky was covered with a navy-colored blanket, with a bit of moonlight shining overhead. Tomorrow morning she'd have to go to the Academy and fight Jace. The most well-known Shadowhunter in the world. The best one their age. The one that could most likely beat Clary with a sweep of his hand. Clary quickly dismissed that thought. If she kept thinking about her defeat already, what would happen when she actually fought him?

A knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Come in," said Clary.

The door slowly swung open, revealing Jocelyn. She entered the room and came to sit on Clary's bed. Clary noticed Jocelyn's red hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail while dark circles lined the area beneath her eyes.

"Hey, what's up, mom?" Clary picked up her sketchpad and pencils, placing them on the bedside table beside her.

Jocelyn looked at her uneasily. "Are you sure you're okay with me and Luke getting married?"

Clary blinked in surprise. "Yeah, of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Her mom bit down on her bottom lip nervously. "I don't know . . . I think I should have told you before announcing it at White Fence Farm." She took a deep breath and continued. "It's — I don't want you to think that I haven't been telling you about any of this. When Luke proposed . . . it was a shock to me. I couldn't comprehend it at first. But when I thought over it, I knew he was the one."

"Mom, I don't mind. I promise. I also wasn't thinking about any of those things. Just don't worry about it, okay? I absolutely approve. You make a great couple."

Jocelyn smiled.

"I'm glad you approve. Luke is attractive, isn't he?" Jocelyn mused.

"Ew, mom! We are not talking about that!" Clary made a disgusted face, and then burst out laughing. Jocelyn laughed along with her, clutching her stomach.

When the giggling died down, Jocelyn announced she was going to sleep.

"'Night, sweetie," she said as she closed the door behind her.

"'Night, mom." Clary replied a beat late.

She picked up her sketchpad again and flipped to a new page. The pencil flew hastily on the paper. Sighing in frustration, she realized she still couldn't remove Jace from her mind. Clary tried to capture the way he had looked at her, the blank expression with golden, unreadable eyes staring at her. With a groan, she tore the paper out and threw it in a corner of the room. This was ridiculous. Why was she drawing him? With a sigh, she deposited the sketchpad back in its place. She needed to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow, because tomorrow . . . tomorrow would be an intense day.

ζ:Ω:ζ:Ω:ζ

The next morning, Clary waited in the training room, up and ready to fight. She had on her Shadowhunter gear, and had pulled her fiery red hair back into a tight ponytail. She'd also grabbed several steles, seraph blades, and swords. She didn't want to take any risks of not having enough weapons while fighting.

Izzy joined her soon after Clary arrived at the Academy, and they decided to practice fighting each other until the rest of the Shadowhunters came.

It had been a while since Clary had fought anyone in this way. It felt good, natural, to do it again. Isabelle was a worthy opponent and kept Clary on her toes the whole time. She felt the thrill of the fight travel through her veins and awaken the part of her she'd kept buried for so long. The girls circled round and round each other, taking swings and practicing their stances. In some areas, Isabelle bested her, but in others, Clary clearly had the upper-hand. After several intense rounds, Clary swatted away a lash from Izzy's long, golden whip a final time when she heard a throat clear behind her. Both of the girls whirled around to find Stephen, Simon, and Jace standing beside the door. All of them had surprised expressions except for Jace. He looked at them lazily, his mouth fixed into a straight line and his eyes half-lidded, gazing at them as if he hardly saw them. Clary tried to contain the anger building up inside her. Jace was getting on her nerves and he hadn't even spoken to her once.

"That . . . was quite a fight," said the Boss, grinning proudly at his Shadowhunters.

"Yeah! Who won?" Simon asked excitedly.

Both the girls laughed.

"I think Clary won. She left me defenseless without my whip." Izzy smiled.

Clary grinned back in response, her eyes straying to where the other Shadowhunters were. All of them were wearing black gear. Simon looked a bit uncomfortable, but other than that, his eyes were wide open, his mouth formed into a small "O" whenever he looked at Clary. Jace, on the other hand, covered completely in black once again, took the breath out of her. His hair shimmered in the sunlight streaming from the windows, creating a bright, golden halo. Clary realized, to her sudden awareness, his gold eyes burned deeply into her bottle-green ones. Warmth flooded her cheeks and she looked away.

"All right, we should get on with our agenda today," Stephen's voice broke the silence. "We have to make sure you all are ready for this international mission, so the staff members and I thought these tasks would help us decide if we were right about all of you. There will be two main objectives. One will be done today, the other tomorrow. First, the partners will fight against each other. I, along with the staff, will observe how you do. If the fight is well fought, then it's a done deal that you will be going on a mission. If not, we have other backups we can use, but I'm sure that won't be necessary. Second, and this is the task that will be done tomorrow, the partners will face-off against their opponents. Jace and Clarissa will fight against Simon and Isabelle. In this task, we will be able to see how well the partners help each other in difficult situations and how well you respond to one other." He paused, staring off into empty space. "Who would like to go first?"

It was quiet for a moment, but then Izzy raised her hand and urged Simon to do the same. With an exasperated sigh, he did so as well.

"First up, Isabelle and Simon. Good luck to you both."

Then, he turned to Jace and Clary. "You two can stay in here and watch or stand out in the hall."

With that, Stephen left the room. Clary wondered how Stephen could watch them fight if he wasn't going to be in the same room as them, but then shrugged it off. The Academy had their own ways of observing people.

"I'll stay," Jace said, his voice breaking into Clary's reverie, and went to sit down on one of the chairs.

Clary wanted badly to follow and sit beside him, but thought better of it. She needed to be prepared before the fight. Clary had to do well. She needed time to think about it. Without any further delay, she opened the door and walked out, letting it close with a small thud behind her.

She looked up and down the hall. It was eerily quiet and no one seemed to be in sight. With a backward glance at the door, she made her way a few feet from the training room. Clary slid down to the floor and wrapped her arms around her legs. She couldn't believe this was happening. She was going to fight Jace. The Jace Wayland. The one that could beat anyone with a blink of his eye. The one that was named the best Shadowhunter in the world. How could she even try to fight him?

She tried to remember the techniques she'd learned when she was a newbie at the Academy, but they didn't really help her. Though, the fight with Izzy did. With despair, Clary realized Izzy should have been Jace's partner. She was as good as Clary, maybe even better if Clary hadn't left Izzy without a weapon.

Clary didn't know how long she sat there, going through strategies, thinking of what was happening inside the training room. Clary wished she hadn't left. She wished she was there to help Simon somehow. She'd heard him cry out once, but didn't hear it again. The only thing she made out was the clashing of weapons, but she couldn't even hear that now.

Thinking they were done fighting, Clary stood up and went over to the door. With a slight push, the door opened and Clary entered. Simon and Izzy stood in the center of the room, laughing and shaking hands. Jace still sat in the chair he'd occupied when Clary left, and to her surprise, he was smiling too.

Simon came over to stand beside Clary. Even though his face was sweaty and his top lip was split open, blood spilling from it, he had an easy smile on his face.

"You and Jace, huh? Are ya scared?" Simon asked, raising his brows at Clary.

Clary nodded, gulping.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine."

"But . . . but . . . I have butterflies!"

"Oh really? Monarchs or Great Blues?"

Despite the circumstances, Clary smiled, and smacked him on the shoulder.

"Ow! That hurt!"

Clary stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well done, Agents Lewis and Lightwood," the voice boomed from the ceiling, interrupting what Simon was about to say. "Winner was Agent Lightwood, but it was a fight well done by both. Next up, Agent Fray and Wayland. Agent Lewis and Lightwood, if you'd please exit out of the room, it would be greatly appreciated."

Simon raised his head to the ceiling and quirked his brows. "I wonder why we have to leave when you had the option of either staying or leaving . . ." he mused. "Oh well. Good luck, Clary!" He planted a peck on her forehead and left the room.

Isabelle followed him, but not before wishing her and Jace good luck.

Clary pulled out her weapons and turned toward Jace. When she finally looked up at him, she found him twirling a seraph blade, slowly increasing its speed as the time prolonged.

"Are you ready?" he asked without looking up.

Clary gulped. She couldn't believe she was about to do this. Here she was, almost a newbie compared to him, trying to fight a master. What was she thinking? Was she insane to fight someone like him? Clary knew the answer to that. Of course she was insane. Why else would she be here, seraph blade in one hand, a dagger in the other, standing in front of Jace?

"Yes." Clary was surprised that answer came out of her mouth. It sounded strong and sure, just the type of answer she needed to boost her confidence. She placed the stele in her belt.

"Let's get to it, then."

Without thinking, Clary went with her instinct. She ran toward Jace, pulling her blade above her head, and came down hard, connecting with Jace's blade. Even though his was underneath, Clary could feel her hand starting to hurt when he manipulated the position of their weapons. Within seconds, Jace had Clary's blade underneath his and he had her pushed against the wall.

Clary's breath came out ragged and short as she tried to pull away from him. With a grunt, she pushed his blade against his chest, causing him to stumble back, giving Clary a little leverage.

They started circling each other, Jace's stride agile and sharp, while Clary's was vigilant and elegant — the opposite of one another. Clary suddenly shot out her leg, aiming to kick Jace in his shins. But he blocked the kick easily by stepping back slightly. To Clary's surprise, Jace slid his sword back into its sheath on his back. In the spirit of fairness, she returned her blade and dagger to her belt as well.

Groaning in frustration, she struck out again and again, throwing punches here and there. He kept blocking them, but never once did he try to attack her. Clary felt like he was only going to play defense in this. Growing even more agitated, Clary threw a punch at his stomach, catching him off guard. His eyes conveyed that much. Anger flashed across them and with a motion almost quicker than Clary could see, Jace retrieved his sword and swung it in a wide arc, narrowly missing Clary's arm.

"You're good," Jace said conversationally, his eyes shining with amusement.

Clary didn't know how he could talk while fighting. Pulling out her blade with swiftness, she tried swiping at him, and responded with a huff. "Thanks."

Jace, once again, easily blocked the strikes of her blade. When Clary tried to swipe at him, he deflected it. As the time drew out, Clary started getting a bit impatient. She thrust her leg out, once more, aiming for his chest. Instead of fending it off like he did earlier, he took a hold of her foot with one hand. He pulled her leg toward him, causing Clary to lose her balance slightly, until she was a couple centimeters away from his face. Damn it. Game over, Clary thought as Jace hitched her leg around his waist, pulling her even closer, almost flush against his body. What the— Bringing his blade up, he pointed the tip at Clary and pressed the point to her heart. Slowly, he marked an "X" across her chest.

"Got you," he whispered, almost incoherent to Clary's ears.

Being this close to Jace sent tiny electrical shocks from the point where he touched her to the top of her head. Her breathing came out shallow and she was afraid to look up at him. Afraid of what she might see there. But, when Clary looked into his eyes, they were burning so brightly she had to look away almost immediately.

Unexpectedly, she heard the sound of clapping. It increased in numbers as it reverberated through the room. Jace released her almost immediately when he realized he was still holding on to her. She felt weird as they broke apart. Before, she felt warm and was filled with Jace's presence and scent. Now she was left with emptiness surrounding her, as if she lost something important to her.

"Winner is Agent Wayland. But it was well-fought. Good job, to both of you. All the Shadowhunters chosen will move on to the next task. We will meet tomorrow, same time, same place. Once again, great job."

With a faint beep, silence filled the atmosphere. The doors of the room swung wide open. Simon and Isabelle, sparing Clary to make any comments, ran over to her and Jace, congratulating them.

"We were watching you two on the TV! It was awesome!" Simon exclaimed.

"You should have seen him. He was jumping up and down like a girl every five seconds." Izzy rolled her eyes.

"I was not!" Simon protested. "I was cheering."

"And there's a difference between jumping up and down like a girl and cheering?"

"I'm going to have to go with Izzy on this one," said Jace.

Clary raised her brows. Jace never spoke to anyone . . . what changed his mind this time?

"But— Clary, help me out here. That's what best friends do!"

Clary laughed. "Sorry, Simon, I don't see the difference. It's all right." She reached up and patted his head. "You'll be okay."

"Hmmph."

Clary glanced over at Izzy and Jace. They had were deep in conversation about something. Izzy kept rolling her eyes whereas Jace had his normal nonchalant expression.

Absently, Clary pulled the loose curls that had begun to fall out during the fight into a bun. Looking over herself quickly, she noticed she had to take a shower. Every part of her was covered in sweat.

"Simon, I'm going to clean up and go home afterward. Come over, okay? We have lots of catching up to do."

He nodded, a bright smile lighting up his face. "Later, Fray."

Clary turned to leave when she heard a male voice call out her name. She knew it wasn't Simon . . . so it must have been Jace. She took a few deep breaths before spinning around to find Jace standing just a few inches away from her.

"Clary," he said. "That was . . . a great fight. I'm surprised. I didn't know you had it in you. I guess you are good enough to be on this mission."

Annoyance radiated from Clary. But she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing that he had the ability to ruffle her, so she put a fake smile on her lips and replied back. "Thanks. You weren't too bad either."

And with that, Clary spun on her heel and left the room in aggravation, leaving a surprised Jace behind.

Yeah, sorry about the cliffy, but you know how much I love (writing) them! Anyway, didn't that chapter do y'all justice? ;)

Now, I must thank a very special person that you all probably know and adore. And yes, I'm talking about ddpjclaf, my Awesome Sauce Spreading Beta Extraordinaire. You should all bow down to her and thank her a gazillion times for revising this chapter way too many times. Love you! :) Seriously, without you, this chapter would be a FREAKIN' MESS!

More reviews would be awesome. :) (I mean, 22 reviews for just one chapter? Sheesh. You're spoiling me, guys! SPOILING ME! ;))

Also, I'm really, really, REALLY sorry this was out so late. School started and I just. . . I haven't gotten the time to do anything. :( So, I apologize.

Oh, yes, I almost forgot. Jocelyn's engagement ring is posted on my profile.

Have a fantastic week and I hope to see you all soon!