Hello, my Minions! God, have I missed you all ;)

Yes, before you say anything I know it's been a long time since my last update. Unfortunately this year was my GCSE year (which I have finally finished) and I've had a lot of shit to deal with, so just bear with me, yeah? :)

I'm so thankful to all of you who've reviewed, followed and favourited, it just means so much to me and I love each and every one of you!

50 reviews for the next chapter? Pretty pleaseeeee? :')

We'll just get straight on with the story then, shall we?

Disclaimer: I don't own The Mortal Instruments, but you already knew that. Sadly.

Chapter Songs:

Ain't It Fun - Paramore

American Boys - Halestorm

'Where you're from,
You might be the one who's running things.
Where you could ring anybody's bell and get want you want,
You see it's easy to ignore trouble,
When you're living in a bubble.'
Ain't It Fun - Paramore.

It took me a minute to realise that Will was calling my name, waving a hand in front of my face as I stared after Jace, wishing I could shoot daggers with my eyes. Or bullets, that would work too.

"Clary," Will said for the fifth time, exasperation clear in his tone. I blinked twice and turned to look at him as he crossed his arms over his chest, flicking his hair impatiently out of his concerned eyes.

"Sorry," I said, my voice completely flat. "What were you saying?"

He shook his head and sighed, taking a step closer to me. "Is it true that artist's space-out more because they see the world differently?"

Okay, not really what I was expecting him to say, but I snorted despite my black mood. "Who the hell told you that, Herondale?" I asked, my mouth quirking up at the corner slightly, and Will grinned back at me.

"It just seemed accurate," he replied. He glanced down the hallway and back at me, the smile dropped from his face. "I had no idea you'd met him before then. And trust me, I know he's a conceited asshole. Don't let him get to you."

I felt my hands ball into fists at my sides, trying to push down the tidal wave of annoyance that threatened to burst out of me at any moment. I wouldn't unleash that on Will; it wasn't his fault. Although, he could have walked in on his Mom and Dad when they conceived Jace, maybe there would have been a smaller chance of his existence then.

Ah, wishful thinking.

"I won't, Will. It's not me you need to be worried about."

Will chuckled. "I think I might actually agree with you there. Where did you meet him anyway?"

"Java Jones, yesterday. He's dating my ex's cousin."

"I doubt 'dating' is the appropriate word for what Jace does with women," Will stated, lifting his hands to show quotation marks around the word. "It's normally just sex."

"That doesn't surprise me at all." I snorted again, but I could feel the unfamiliar sting at the back of my eyes. He just reminded me so much of Sebastian that it hurt to look at Jace in any way. It wasn't that they looked the same, because they didn't, but their personalities were so similar and being so close to Jace would just bring up old memories from the past that I'd thought were dead and buried.

Will reached his hand out to comfort me but I shook my head, shooting him a look that hopefully said 'just leave it for now'. He understood, because he dropped his hand back to his side with a nod and smiled at me.

"Shall we?" he said, gesturing towards the door at the end of the hallway that would lead back into the main area, and from there into the studio.

I groaned and looked skywards. Dear God, help me now, I thought, as the door opened next to me and Magnus poked his glittery head out through the crack.

"What are you two still doing here!? Luke will flip out if you two don't get your magnificently styled asses down to the studio now!"

Again, I rolled my eyes. "We're just going, Mags. Chill out," I told him, as I grabbed Will's arm that he'd offered to me. I wouldn't have, but I was finding it difficult to walk in the heels, even though they weren't very high.

Magnus crossed his arms and peered at me curiously, his eyes full of sympathy. He knew I didn't want to be back here after everything that had happened before, but there was nothing either of us could do about it now. As much as I disliked Luke for the past, I wasn't going to be mean enough to let him lose the shoot with Nephilim. Family pride and all that.

I took a deep breath and nodded at Magnus, and he gave me a reassuring smile. "I'll meet you down there in a minute, I have to get Camille. Otherwise she'll spend the rest of the day shut up in the dressing room, arguing with Kaelie."

Will laughed. "I don't think I've ever seen those two in a room where they haven't been arguing. You have to admit though, Kaelie does bring it on herself."

"Kaelie deserves everything she gets," Magnus replied with a grin. "She just doesn't seem to understand that she'll never get a modelling contract with Luke."

It was at that moment that we heard a bang from the boys dressing room, and we all turned in surprise to face the door.

"I heard that Magnus!" came a voice, and despite the anger in her voice I found myself smiling.

"But, darling," Magnus yelled back, a wide grin threatening to split his face in half, "I'm just telling the truth!"

There was a loud shriek and I burst into laughter, forgetting about Jace as I clutched my side. Will was laughing too as he kept a firm grasp on my arm to stop me from falling over, and Magnus was bent over at the waist as a fit of giggles erupted from him, making me laugh harder.

After a minute I managed to catch my breath and watched Magnus as he stood up straight, wiping glittery tears from his eyes. "Oh my," he said, still smiling. "It's been quite a while since I've laughed like that. You two better go, or Luke will have all our heads. I'll be down in a minute." He turned to go, but paused and glanced back at me with a smile. "Good luck," he said, dropping me a small wink, before barging through the door to the boys dressing room.

I shook my head after him. I knew why Magnus had started the conversation about Kaelie in the first place; to distract me from thinking about the shoot or Jace. He knew me so well, and he also knew that I'd need a lot more than luck to get me through this shoot without stabbing myself, Luke or Jace with my four inch heels.

"Come on, Short Stuff," Will called as he started down the corridor, and I scowled at his back.

"Don't call me that!"

"I'm sure you can come up with a worse one than that for me."

I rolled my eyes and followed him down the hall, smirking slightly. "Be careful what you wish for, Will, you'll never know what you're gonna get back."

That should be directed at Jace, I thought, listening to Will chuckle as he pushed open the door and gestured for me to go through first. I took a breath as I followed him, my head held high. Be strong, Clary. He's not Sebastian, he's just another arrogant ass. You can deal with him.

That's what I told myself, anyway, when honestly, I just wasn't sure.

xoxo~AABTSATF~oxox

Twenty minutes later I found myself stood in front of an open set of balcony doors on the top floor of the studio, placed inconveniently between Will and Jace as we waited for Alec to finish setting up his camera.

Neither of the boys were close enough to be squishing me, but I felt like they were trying extremely hard to breathe my air and it made me uncomfortable, as it always did when a boy who wasn't Alec, Simon or Magnus was too close to me.

After the whole Sebastian thing, I had become a lot more wary of the boys I hung out with. Sure, Will was lovely, but Jace was a jackass and I knew that I had to keep up my guard round him.

Neither Will or Jace were paying much attention to me anyway; Jace was too busy flirting with Kaelie from across the other side of the room, winking at her and flashing his arrogant smirk that I caught out of the corner of my eye every so often, whilst Will was talking to James (or Jem, as he'd insisted I'd call him), who was his childhood best friend and had just moved here from England.

I kept my attention focused on Luke instead, who was stood over by the stairs with Camille and Magnus. He was talking animatedly, gesturing wildly with his hands with a stern expression on his face, and Magnus replied with something that transformed Luke's face into a grin as he shook his head.

I was shocked. Luke was smiling, a proper smile, not like the usual half-hearted ones I managed to come up with every so often.

A wave of sadness overwhelmed me and I forgot about what I was supposed to be doing as I watched him. It had been a long time since I'd seen my Father smile at me like that, so long that I'd forgotten what he looked like when he did. It lit up his whole face, transforming his hardened features into something much softer as his eyes crinkled at the corners.

Maybe he'd just had to make himself another family here; with Mom gone and me not exactly talking much anymore, Luke had constantly surrounded himself with work and the people there to distract him from what he really felt, so he could just forget.

I already knew that he considered them a second family because I had done the same thing when I'd worked here before, and I was lucky enough to still be close to Izzy, Alec and Magnus, but I had no idea that they were this close to Luke.

The thought of it made my heart ache.

Magnus turned his face towards me then, and I turned my own to the side so he wouldn't realise I'd been staring at them. He always knew how to read my facial expressions, and these days I never knew what he'd take from them, so I hid my face from him as best as I could.

Shivering, I wrapped my arms around myself and gripped my elbows, trying to block out the sadness and unease I felt about being back in this room, somewhere I didn't belong. The cold was affecting me too, the light breeze blowing over the balcony cutting through my thin white dress like it was nothing but paper.

"Cold, Scarlet?"

I looked up at Jace and frowned, my eyes narrowing. "What's it to you?"

"Nothing at all," he replied, smirking. "But I bet I know more than one way to warm you up."

"You are such a perv!" I shot back, keeping my voice low so I wouldn't draw attention to us. "Can't you open your mouth without making a sexist comment?"

Jace looked surprised. "Sexist? I just say what the girls like to hear, Scarlet, you included."

"Then clearly you have no idea what girls want. Not all of us are like Kaelie and Aline you know."

"Aline?" Jace raised an eyebrow and cocked his head slightly, but enough that I wanted to punch it right off his neck.

"Yes, Jace," I replied, curling my hands into fists. "You know, that fake, bitchy, spray-tanned little shit who just so happens to be your girlfriend?"

"I didn't know you knew Aline," was all he said, his mouth pulling up into that ridiculous smirk. "I'd say you sound a little jealous, Scarlet. You may want-"

"I am not jealous of her and I never will be, you got that?" I hissed, jabbing a finger in the direction of his chest, and I'm pretty sure I bared my teeth as well.

Jace leaned back slightly and was about to reply when a bright flash blinded the both of us, the imprint of a black spot on the backs of my eyelids. I forgot my rage as I moaned and rubbed my palms into my eyes, and then glared at Alec and the offending piece of equipment in his hands.

"Sorry Clary," he said sheepishly, setting the camera down and flashing me an apologetic smile. "I'm ready now."

"Took your time, Alec," Will said from behind me, and I turned to see him flash a grin at the black-haired boy. "It's cold stood here, you know."

Alec crossed his arms and grinned back at Will. "You can do my job if you think you can do any better." Will just laughed and held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, and Alec lifted the camera strap over his head, hefting it into his arms.

"You ready, guys?" Alec asked, his question directed at me. I blew out a breath and turned away from Jace, who was still looking at me with confusion and shock at my reaction about Aline, and nodded my head slightly.

"Let's just get this over with. The sooner we're done, the sooner I'll be happy."

Alec nodded and shot me a sympathetic smile, then called Jem over to his side.

"Okay, guys, the first few shots we're just going to have you stood as you are now, in front of the balcony." Jem checked his clipboard and smiled up at me. "So Clary, if you can just make sure you're in the middle, and tangle both hands in your hair. Will, you need to stand with your arms crossed and back straight, and Jace, if you could just sling your jacket over one shoulder and lean slightly towards Clary."

I closed my eyes and shook my head, tilting my face up to the ceiling. I didn't want to be here.

If I never saw this stupid studio again, I'd die a happy person.

"Clary, you have to relax."

I opened my eyes and glanced at Will, who flashed an encouraging smile at me.

"Yeah, easy for you to say, Mr Hotshot Model Superstar," I muttered, and he chuckled.

"You used to be the same as me, Clary. They won't make you do anything you don't want to do."

"Now we both know that's not true."

Will frowned slightly and opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a throat-clearing from the stairway.

"Just do as you're told, Clary," Luke said sternly, his arms crossed. "The sooner you do it, the sooner you can leave."

"As you wish, Dad," I said coldly, refusing to look at him and ignoring the hushed whisper that travelled through the room. I could feel Jace's eyes burning holes into the side of my face as I looked back at Alec and put myself in the stance that Jem had asked for. I was more determined than ever to prove to Luke that I could do something right.

"That's good, Clary," Jem smiled encouragingly. I felt Will and Jace move beside me as they got into their positions but I kept my focus on the camera in Alec's hands, my own hands entwined in my hair.

It went on like that for a while, always with space between the three of us but in various positions; one arm in the air, hands behind my back, head to one side and pulling my dress up slightly, that kind of thing. It was nothing I hadn't done before, and I found it surprisingly easy to mould myself the way Jem wanted.

As much as I hated it, and I did hate it more than anything else, it was one of the only things that felt natural to me after Mom had died. After all, I'd done it for so long that it had become a second nature to me, and, as much as I didn't want to admit it, I was actually kind of enjoying myself.

Until Jem opened his mouth again.

"Okay guys, we want some closer shots now," he said, consulting his clipboard. "So Clary, can you turn to face Jace but stay where you are, and then the boys will move in closer to you and take up their positions."

I turned and jumped half out of my skin when my face almost smacked into Jace's chest.

"What the hell are you doing?" I hissed, turning my face up to look at him and that infernal smirk.

He chuckled and gestured towards Jem. "Just doing what I was asked to do."

I snorted and crossed my arms. "I'm pretty sure he didn't mean you had to get this close."

"Ah, on the contrary, Scarlet," Jace replied in a whisper, leaning down so I could hear him, "We're supposed to get closer than this."

"Fuck you," I snarled, the anger that I'd bottled up over the course of the day threatening to boil over. I reached my hands up to push him away from me but he caught them and held them against his chest, using his other hand to grasp my chin.

"Who knew you had a dirty little mouth, Scarlet?" he said, his face daringly close to my own. "I think I know what we can do about that."

"Get off her, Jace."

Jace frowned and let go of my hands as I jerked them away, falling back into Will as I did. He held my shoulders as he turned me towards him, and it shocked me how different he and Jace really looked. Sure, they had the same nose and the same shaped cheekbones, but that was where the similarities stopped. After that, Will had blue eyes and black hair, and Jace had yellow eyes and golden hair. Will's features were also a lot softer, more relaxed than Jace's, who never had a speck of emotion to show that he cared.

"Clary."

I shook myself slightly and focused on Will's words, knowing I'd spaced out again.

"Look, we should have warned you about this, but I thought Izzy would have told you. It turns out she's useless," Will sighed, and I managed to crack a small smile. "Five minutes, okay? I swear you won't even know what's happening, and we can get it over with as soon as possible."

I sighed and nodded, knowing that I didn't really have a choice. Luke wouldn't let me leave until I finished the shoot completely.

"Okay," I breathed, turning back to face Jace and closing my eyes. I felt the heat from both their bodies as they moved closer to me, pressing me in between them so I couldn't move.

"I'm going to hold your hand, Clary," Will said, and I felt his hand sliding down my arm until he intertwined his fingers with the hand that was facing Alec. "You have to put your head on my shoulder so it looks like I'm holding you up." My whole body tensed as he wrapped his other arm around my side, his fingers splayed across stomach.

"I promise this is as close as I'll get," he said as I leaned my stiff body back into him. "You have to relax, Clary. Just think about something else."

"Easy for you to say," I muttered, forcing myself to relax in his arms. "Okay, this could be worse."

"You haven't got me yet, Scarlet," Jace said, the grin evident in his voice. He stepped impossibly closer to me as I opened my eyes and I felt myself tense again, Will rubbing circles into the back of my hand with his thumb.

Jace was laughing, but his eyes looked more cautious, gazing at me like I might break if he so much as touched me.

He took hold of my hip gently and angled my body so it fit against his, his leg resting in between my thighs. The look in his eyes turned apologetic as he dragged his hand down my leg, wrapping it around my thigh and hitching it up around his hip. I automatically locked it in place so I didn't lose my balance, still looking at Jace's eyes.

And, although it was extremely inappropriate, I could feel him pressed against me in the worst place possible. All of him that he had to offer, and I bit my lip despite the anger I felt towards him.

His eyes went dark as I shifted my leg, and he gripped my thigh hard enough to leave marks, shaking his head with a strained look on his face. Then he curled his other hand around my side and put his face to my neck so that I had to lean my head closer to Will.

"Put your arm around my neck," he breathed against my skin, and I shivered as I did what he asked without hesitation.

"You're doing good, Clary," Will said from behind me, and as Alec snapped pictures of us from every angle I felt myself relax further. I was hyper-aware of the two bodies pressed so closely against mine, their hands on my skin, Jace's breath on my neck.

Jace moved the leg that was in between my own and I closed my eyes, tightening my hand in the curls at the nape of his neck. He breathed deeply against my neck and then, parting his lips, left an open-mouthed kiss on my overly sensitive skin.

Kiss?

Holy shit.

Quickly, I untangled myself from the Herondale's clutches and pushed Jace away from me, putting as much space as possible in between us. I felt the heat pool in my cheeks and knew it was turning my cheeks pink, but I tried not to let it affect me as I ignored Jace's astonished face and Will's protests as I looked at Alec.

"Did you get what you need?"

"Erm, yeah. I think we're good," he replied, clearly shocked at my behaviour.

"Good." I walked towards Luke and stopped in front of him briefly, not bothering to hide the anger in my eyes. "I think I'll leave now. See you at home, Dad."

And with that I walked out the room, my skin still tingling from the heat of Will and Jace's bodies, leaving the entire population of the studio speechless.

I was gonna write a bit more to this chapter but the next bit fits better with what I'm thinking for the next one, so it looks like you'll have to wait, my little Minions ;)

Not long, it'll be up tonight or tomorrow. Scouts honour ;D

Jace: That was sexy.

Clary: Oh shut up, will you?

Jace: You know you like it when I get dirty.

Me: I'm mentally disturbed.

Will: Well, this is all in your head, darling.

Me: Then something is extremely wrong with me.

Jace: Well I'm mentally disturbed too, so we'd make a great couple.

Me&Will: ...

Clary: JACE!

Yes, I am mentally disturbed. Oh well.

So you know what to do, gorgeous people. Favourite, Alert and Review! :D

- TheGrandGiftOfSilence