Jace's POV

I never grew tired of opening my eyes in the morning and seeing the sun's rays illuminate Clary's sleeping form where she lay beside me. In some ways this privilege was a blessing. Once upon a time I thought I'd only be able to dream about this, late at night when nobody could see how painful it was for me to do so. At the time I'd always suspected she saw the same future for us. It's fair to say we both like this one better. She had her head against my shoulder and her entire length was rested against my right side, her legs intertwined with mine. I've never seen anyone look so peaceful.

I don't know how long I lay watching her. But when the sun's rays came in stronger through the window, her eyes, reluctantly, fluttered open. "Good morning," she mumbled, burying her head into the crook of my neck.

"Morning," I replied, letting a smile spread across my face.

Beside me, Clary stretched, and the feel of her body moving against mine, even slightly, brought back memories from the night before, and sent my pulse hammering through my veins again.

It was as if she sensed what she did to me – either that or she simply heard, my heart wasn't exactly silent, far from it in fact – she smiled at me knowingly, blush colouring her cheeks.

"What time is it?" She asked sleepily.

"A little after seven," I replied.

"You should get up; Maxie knows you have training this morning, she'll be waiting."

"You just want the bed to yourself, don't you?" I asked jokingly.

"I am planning on going back to sleep, but I probably won't be able to without you, so I basically plan to just lie here for a while until I can be bothered to go get coffee," she said, rolling onto her back.

I got up grabbing yesterday's jeans off the floor and shoving them on. "I'll bring you some later," I said, bending down to kiss her cheek tenderly before grabbing a shirt and pulling it on.

I stood at the window, admiring the Manhattan skyline as I did my shirt up, but I couldn't help glancing behind me at the much more spectacular view; Clary had turned away from the sunlight and it now glowed on her bare back, highlighting the tiny scars left from twenty years of being a Shadowhunter. I had to remember to breathe. In and out I told myself, but to no avail. She was breathtaking.

My hand hesitated on the door knob on the way out, a part of me totally unwilling to leave, the more rational part telling me that my daughter was waiting. I turned, and headed back into the room, just to close the curtains though. Now she might have a small chance of sleeping.

I tried not to look back as I left; I knew the contentment would be too much – that and the small smile that always crossed her lips when I did this on other days – and I wouldn't want to leave unless I knew she was coming with me.

As I made my way towards the training room I wish I'd thought to grab shoes, or even socks, the floor was icy cold. I stepped up the pace a little, remembering that the training room was carpeted.

When I arrived I inclined an ear to the door to hear if anyone was inside; silence, but Maxie had been known to be stealthy. Still, I opened the doors expecting to see the room empty, but as predicted by Clary, there was Maxie, back to me. She turned around as I entered, and in her hand was a steaming cup of coffee. I couldn't help but laugh. Like mother like daughter I thought to myself as I closed the doors behind me.

Maxine's POV

I don't know why dad was laughing at me, he knows as well as anyone in this house that I need my coffee in the morning, especially if he expects me to start a training session at 7:30.

I had been surprised when I had walked in to find the room empty, but no sooner had I closed the doors, and crossed the room to get the mats out, had dad walked in.

"So what are we doing today?" I asked, setting my coffee down.

"Not sure yet. If I'm honest, I'm actually running out of things to teach you. You've learnt everything so quickly; I'm not sure why I'm still bothering. You could probably beat me if you put your mind to it – and I've gone up against greater demons," he admitted.

"You really think I could beat you?" I asked, sure my eyes were popping, but it wasn't like dad to admit something like that; even to me. "Wow. Erm...thanks dad. So," I paused, not sure whether to ask or not; "can I go? Since I've learnt everything..."

"You're not getting off that easy I'm afraid." He chuckled seeing the look of disappointment on my face. "You still have to practice. Grab a staff. And, you wouldn't happen to have something you could use as a blindfold, do you?"

"Blindfold?" I asked sceptically.

"Injuries can be serious sometimes; you need to know how to use your senses to the best of your ability – that includes hearing. Visibility isn't always good, sometimes due to injury and contrary to what your mother thinks, there isn't always time to draw an Iratze." He said sarcastically.

"Okay I can see how mom might think that, but I haven't forgotten my training, dad. That's why you did all that endurance stuff when I was fifteen right? To help me cope with injuries?" He smiled so I assumed I was right. "Okay, I'll go get a scarf or something, be right back," I said on my way out the room.

It took me the time it takes me to walk to my room to realise I didn't really own anything that would be suitable for a blindfold, so I made a detour to Isabelle's room. She was bound to have something.

I knocked like I would at a suitable hour, and then winced as I remembered how early it was. I prepared for the look she was bound to give me for waking her up, but true to aunt Isabelle, she looked like she'd only just got back home. The black kohl around her eyes was smudged, the glitter that had probably only meant to decorate her lids had journeyed up to her brow and down to under her cheekbones. Her hair stuck up at odd angles all around her head.

"Clary," she asked distantly, rubbing her eyes. That didn't help with her make-up.

"No, it's Maxie," I said, confusion in my tone.

"Oh, sorry; Faerie party," she said by a way of explanation. "I'm a little out of it," she said, looking like she was about to pass out. "What do want? Isn't it a little early for you to be up?"

"Training with dad," I stated simply.

"Ahh; he's still a morning person then."

"Yup." I yawned. "Do you have anything I could use for a blindfold? He's testing my hearing," I explained.

"Sure hang on." She was barely coherent, her voice slurring. I would tell everyone to not disturb her today.

Her room looked like a bomb had hit it; and that was just the small part I could see from where the door had fallen open. Had the party been in her room? It certainly looked that way. She returned then with a gold silk scarf in her hand.

"That's the best I got."

"Thanks aunt Isabelle," I said, taking the scarf from her.

"I don't know why you call me that. What's wrong with Izzy? It's not like I'm your biological aunt."

Had she been paying attention, she would have seen the look of shock on my face, my mouth fall open... As it was she just closed the door on me like she hadn't said a thing wrong.

What did she mean, not my biological aunt? How could she not be? I have to ask dad, I thought. But as much as I wanted to run back – the sooner to know the answer – my feet moved sluggishly beneath me, and I made my way back in a daze.