A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. You rock!

This is Clary´s point of view of the same morning. Enjoy!

This chapter had been beta´d and pre-read by: cboo2501, aliherondale333, bethgreat97 and Worm in the Apple.

And we all know that I don´t own the characters. I´m just borrowing them for now.

Dreaming of you – Selena

Do you remember – Jay Sean ft. Lil Jon and Sean Paul

What hurts the most – Rascal Flatts

Far away – Nickelback


Chapter 3

Don´t dream it´s over

September 18th 2012

Clary wiped her sudden sweaty palms on her jean clad legs.

"Ya doin' good, nalla? Qhuinn asked softly.

"Uh-hu…I guess…,"she tried to slow down her breathing, "…I´m just a little nervous."

"Why? Didnae Iz tell you he ain't fuckin' anyone else right now?" he asked incredulously.

She was so used to him that his bluntness didn´t bother her anymore. "Well, yeah…" Clary hesitated. "…but what if he really is over me? What if he forgot about me?" she asked in a small voice.

"Then he´s a fidiot," he declared firmly. "And ya ain´t gonna be dating no fidiot, ya know what I´m talkin' 'bout?"

She smiled despite the lump in her stomach. "Okay, dad."

"Dad?" he put his hand over his heart with mock hurt. "Ouch! I ain´t old 'nough. I´m more o' a cool big bro' that tells you to get the fuck outta this car n' go get some."

"You´re not gonna to help me down today?"

"Nah, I think you´ll do good," he grinned. "You´re a big girl now."

Clary was both grateful that she wouldn´t have to be carried out of the car like a child and worried that she would fall flat on her face in front of everyone. She took a deep breath and opened the door. "Wish me luck," she smiled over her shoulder. Just as she got ready to jump down from the car her foot got caught in the strap of her messenger bag. She would´ve fallen to the ground if someone hadn´t been there to catch her

"Shit," groaned a voice she would've recognized anywhere as he got the wind knocked out of him from the impact as they tumbled to the ground together.

"Jace," she whispered, surprised to see him and happy to be in his arms again after all this time, even if she was embarrassed for falling on him. "Oh, I´m sorry," she tried to get up but he tightened his hold on her.

"You can fall for me anytime," he smiled his beautiful smile.

She blushed furiously and became very aware of how close is body was to hers. "Um…" Clary struggled to think of something, anything to distract her from what was growing against her hip. "I´ve missed you," she blurted out unintentionally.

Jace's smile widened and he crushed his lips to hers. His tongue trailing along her bottom lip, begging for entrance. They both moaned as they deepened the kiss…


Clary was rudely awakened by someone throwing water in her face. She bolted upright and sputtered. "What the…duck." Even though Qhuinn cursed more then everybody she knew…combined, he always got all pissywhen she did it.

She opened one eye and looked into a pair of eyes – one blue and one green - that sparkled with mischief. The pale sunlight shining through the window reflected off his piercings, momentarily blinding her.

"Waddaya dreamin' 'bout nalla?" he asked, ignoring her angry glare. "You were moaning so loud I swear Blay fucking blushed."

"Argh," she felt the familiar warmth creep up her cheeks and flopped down on the bed again but jumped up quickly when the soaked mattress hit her bare shoulders. "I hate you," she grunted.

"Nah…" he laughed and headed towards the door. "You loooooove me."

"No I don´t," she pouted. "I´m locking you out from now on."

"Like that would stop Qhuinn the great and powerful. I would just kick it down."

Clary grabbed the first thing she could find and threw it at him. The book hit the closed door where his head had been just a second ago.

He opened the door and grinned at her. "When you´re done throwing shit around you might wanna hit Izzy back. She´s been calling for the better part of the hour."

She checked the time on her phone and noticed that she had 12 missed calls from her friend and it was only 6.30 am. She had forgotten about Izzy's crazy 'early bird' mentality and was glad she turned the ringer of last night. "Ugh," she groaned. "I better call her."

"Yeah," Qhuinn agreed with a chuckle. "N' while yo at it tell 'er to lose my number, me and Blay was kinda in the middle o' somethin'," he winked at her.

"Will do…dad," she added the last word because she knew how much it annoyed him.

"That is it, nalla," he hollered with mock fury. "Getcha ass outta bed or Imma bring the fuckin' hose."

His red-headed fiancé appeared in the doorway, rolling his clear blue eyes, "You better do as he says, baby girl. When he starts talking like that you know he means business," Blay smiled softly at his love.

She giggled. "Yeah, I´ve learned that by now." The phone in her hand started buzzing and Izzy's name flashed on the screen. "I better take this, before she calls Qhuinn again."

"Talk to your friend and I´ll have breakfast ready when you´re done," Blay promised. "I´ve already packed your lunch in your bag."

She gave him a small finger wave and answered the phone. "Mornin' Iz."

"Clary!" she whisper-shouted. "I´ve been trying to reach you for a goddamn hour. Why didn´t you answer your phone."

Clary chuckled quietly. "I was sleeping, you know, the thing all normal people do this early in the morning. Why are you whispering?"

"Alec´s up and I don´t want him to hear me talking to you," she admitted. "We agreed that it should be a surprise, remember?"

"Yeah, I know." Clary sighed. She was worried how they would react to seeing her again. Today was exactly thirteen months since she rode off to the airport, give or take a couple of hours. "But why are you calling me at this time? You interrupted Qhuinn and Blay´s 'morning workout'.

"Oh...? Oh!" Izzy giggled. "Tell them I´m sorry."

"Sure thing. So about today…" Clary worried her lip nervously. "The parking lot seems a little to public…can´t we just, I don´t know… skip it and wait for Ja...them to notice me in the halls?"

"No," Izzy said impatiently. They had gone over this several times since Clary moved back. "The parking lot is the best place for the reunion to take place. You´ll see them all together and Jace won´t act like an ass in front of the whole school," she stated confidently, but added as an afterthought; "At least I hope so."

Clary fingered the chain around her neck nervously. "You know… I´ve heard that homeschooling is the cool new thing. Maybe that would be the best choice for me at the moment. Blay and Qhuinn are pretty smart. Between the two of them I think I could get a full education out of it."

"Clarissa Adele Fray," Izzy chided her, "you listen to me…"

"Um, it´s not Fray anymore," Clary cut in. "When Qhuinn signed the legal documents to be my guardian we changed my name. It´s Lohstrong now." When she´d been asked if she wanted to take his last name she had jumped at the opportunity. She didn´t feel the need to keep the name of parents she´d never even met.

"Huh? Oh, who cares?" Izzy raised her voice, no longer caring who overheard her. "You´re going to school today missy, or…or…else."

Clary laughed. "Or else? That´s the best you got? I have to say Iz; I think you´ve lost your touch. You used to be waaaaay scarier. Simon has made you into a softy."

"Gimme a break, will ya," Izzy snorted. "It´s the first day after the summer, my brain hasn´t caught up yet. Don´t worry, I´m sure I´ll think of something."

Clary was quiet before she finally got up the courage to address what had been on her mind for three weeks. "What if he won´t talk to me? What if he hates me? What if he really is over me?...What if he´s forgotten about me?"

Qhuinn's booming voice came through the closed door. "That would make 'im a fuckin' idiot, wouldn´t it. And you ain´t goin' near no idiot, feel me?"

Her laughter was a little shaky. "Iz, I should go eat breakfast if I wanna get to school in time. See you there, okay."

"Okay Sweetie, bye."

Clary put her phone down on her nightstand and headed towards the kitchen.


She stared in horror atthe huge stack of buttermilk pancakes on the plate in front of her on the oak table, that was large enough to fit ten people at the same time.

"You can´t expect me to eat that," she looked at Qhuinn with wide eyes.

"Sure I do," he grinned. "You´re gonna need the energy to get through the day."

"Ugh," she groaned. "Let´s not talk about it now, okay. I´ll lose what little appetite I have," she cut a small piece and chewed carefully. As she swallowed it dawned on her that there was someone missing from the table. "Where´s Blay? I thought he would wish me luck before I leave for school."

Qhuinn smirked sheepishly. "He went to the club to go over some last minute changes before the pre-opening on Friday."

"Oh?" she had a feeling there was something he wasn´t telling her.

"Yup," he nodded. "He knew I´d be needin' the Hummer…so he took the Benz instead."

"What? He took my car?" she yelled and stood up so fast the chair almost toppled to the floor behind her. Qhuinn had bought her a Mercedes Benz e550 cabriolet after she got her drivers license. "How the hell do you expect me to get to school then? Walk?" she answered her own question. "No, that´s too far. I´m not riding with Jace, it´s bad enough that I have to see him at all today." She was hit with a sudden feeling of dread. "Qhuinn Lohstrong, don´t you dare tell me that you´ll be driving me. Don´t. You. Dare," she punctuated every word by slamming her tiny fist on the table.

He raised his big hand in front of him in the universal sign for surrender. "Okay, I won´t say it," he snickered. "But it doesn´t make it any less true, feel me?"

"I´ll give you something to feel alright," she picked up the coffee cup and prepared to throw it at his huge, grinning face.

"You don´t wanna do that, nalla. What would Blay say if you got coffee on his newly painted cupboards?"

"He would agree that you deserved everything you got," she huffed, but sat back down and continued eating.

"Atta girl," he praised her. "Now, eat up and get ready to get your man back."

Clary ate in silence, the only sounds coming from utensils against ceramic. She kept her eyes on her food, while trying to figure out how to explain to him how she felt. "You don´t know what it´s like," she whined.

"I don´t, huh? Lemme tell you something, nalla," she looked up at him when she heard the muted anger in his voice. "I´ve been in both o' yo shoes, so don´t tell me I dunno what it´s like."

Clary felt like she shrunk under his heavy stare. "What do you mean?" her voice trembled slightly, she was almost afraid to ask the question of what brought out that kind of reaction to the sweetest man she knew.

"Fuck nalla," he sighed and walked around the table and pulled her into his arms. "Imma not really mad at ya, 's just…" he took a deep breath. "Diddya know that I lost Blay to someone else for a while?"

"What?" the mere concept of the two of them ever not being together was incomprehensible. "No, I had no idea."

"Yeah," he ran an unsteady hand through his black hair, the pain in Qhuinn's eyes was as raw as if it had happened yesterday, and she felt like it was choking her. "He got sick o' waiting for me to admit that I was gay, at least to myself, so he met a guy that could give 'im what he needed."

Clary stopped eating completely, the little appetite she had was long gone. "Who…? I mean… Did you know the guy?"

His smile was bitter. "It was my fuckin' cousin."

"Qhuinn…" She wrapped her arms around his waist. "I´m so sorry."

He stroked her over her hair, but continued speaking asif she hadn´t said anything."He was Blay's first and they stayed together for over a year. So don´t go tellin' me I don´t know how it feels when the one you love moves on."

She pressed her face into his hard abs, to ashamed of herself to look at him. "I shouldn´t have said that. I don´t know why I did."

He backed away and placed his huge hands on either of her cheeks. "'S not really you I´m mad at you, nalla." He swallowed hard. "I also know what it´s like tryin' to get over someone by fucking everything that´ll have ya. I´m not saying that´s what yo boy´s been doing. But...Don´t give up on 'im yet. You´re worth the wait, and if he can´t see that...Then he better stay the fuck away from ya, feel me?" He pressed a sweet kiss on her temple.

Clary giggled and got up from her chair.

That was the thing with Qhuinn. He had never been good at PDA, but was quick to show how much you meant to him. He could be out there and give her a hard time for acting like a little bitch, but he always came back and made her feel like she was the single most important person in the world and that he was truly sorry for hurting her feelings. "You´re the best dad a girl could have, you know that?"

"Argh," his growl was somewhere in between playful and annoyed."If you don´t stop with the 'dad' shit I might forget that I love you and give you a good spankin'. Now get yo ass in the shower, you don´t wanna be late."

With a small squeal she ran to her room and closed the door behind her. She looked around her room and really took in everything for the first time since she moved in. Blay had decorated the room to fit her. The brand new HP-Envy TouchSmart 17.3" sat on the antique wooden desk and the drawers were filled with everything she would need, whether it was for sketching or doing schoolwork. The huge walk-in closet was filled with more clothes than she could possibly use and had made Izzy green with envy. There was everything from the sheerest bras and panties, to jeans and sweats. From 'the little black number' to work-out clothes. The shoe-rack was filled with flip-flops, delicate sandals, knee high boots with high heels, shit kickers and everything in between. Her favorite was the queen size bed. The mattress was just the perfect mix of soft and firm and she hadn´t slept better anywhere else, ever. On the ceiling above it was her very own flat screen, placed exactly over her head so that she could cozy up in her bed and watch one of her shows or a good movie.

The en-suite bathroom was almost as big as the room itself. There was a shower, a large, modern-looking tub, two sinks and a cabinet filled with everything a teenage girl could ever need, and a whole lot more.

Clary turned on the shower and brushed her teeth as she waited for the water to heat up.

She studied herself in the mirror and wondered if Jace would like the way she looked now. Her cheeks weren´t as soft, her breasts were fuller and she had lost the last of her baby weight by spending hours in the gym with Qhuinn or Blay. Being the experienced personal trainers they were helped with toning her body to perfection, with just a hint of a six-pack and biceps. Her biggest fear had been that of turning into those gross women who trained at the Black Dagger Gym that looked more like men with their bulging muscles, but they taught her which equipment to use and how to work her body to make sure that it would never happen to her.

She stepped under the spray and almost moaned when the hot water hit her tense shoulders. While she lathered her hair she let her thoughts linger on last night's dream and about what Qhuinn told her. Was that her fate? Had her fears of trying to manage a long distance relationship for an indefinite time cost her Jace? Tears spilled from her eyes,mixing with thewater. Was there a chance that Qhuinn could be right? Were the other girls his way of coping? Maybe he hadn´t moved on after all? She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind for the time being and washed her body quickly.


Clary chose a set of matching white lacy bra and panties, but couldn´t make up her mind about what else she should wear. She moved the hangers from side to side and searched through the shelves. "You´d think I would be able to find something," she grumbled to herself.

Qhuinn threw open her door and barged in, without knocking as usual.

"Hurry the fuck up, nalla. We ain´t got all day."

She was completely comfortable in her state of undress in his presence. He had never looked at her in any other way then as a daughter or a sister.

"I don´t know what to wear," she pouted.

"For the love of..." Qhuinn walked to the rail and grabbed a pair of black skinny jeans and a V-necked tank-top. "Here, take these. The jeans will make your stubby little legs seem longer and the tank pushes yo boobs up nicely."

"You´re weird," Clary rolled her eyes at him. "Aren´t you supposed to discourage me from wearing clothes that shows off my breasts? Isn´t that what dads do?"

Qhuinn huffed. "Fuck no. Do you think I want you living with us foreva'? I want you good and ghost as soon as possible so me and Blay can get some privacy of our own," he winked at her. "Just need to find you a guy that wanna take you off my hands." His grin was wicked. "Besides, isn´t the girl motto: 'Show 'em if you got 'em' these days?"

"You´re unbelievable!" she giggled.

"Meh, you love me, nalla," he smacked her ass playfully. "Now hurry up or you´re going to school necked."

She brushed her curly hair until it flowed smoothly down her back and applied a light make-up - just a little mascara and lip-gloss. She gave herself another onceover in the mirror. "I´m as ready as I´m ever going to get."


Qhuinn was surprisingly quiet on the drive to school, which Clary was grateful for. The loud and obnoxious rap music filled the car and kept her from dwelling on Jace.

Izzy had sent her a text, letting her know that they had arrived and that she would keep them in the parking lot until Clary got there,

Her heart rate picked upas they drove through the gates, her eyes sought out and found Jace immediately.

"Ready, nalla?" Qhuinn asked, put on his shades and reached for the door handle.

"No," she sighed, earning a laugh from the man beside her. She took the opportunity to admire Jace while still hidden behind the tinted windows.

Her door opened and Qhuinn grabbed her ankles, spun her around and placed his big hands on her hips. "C'mon nalla, lemme grab that ass before someone steals it away from me."

Clary laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her from her seat. When she was out of the car she was relieved to see Izzy running towards them.

"Holy crap, Clary, look at you. You look great," Izzy beamed at her.

She just smiled as butterflies the size of crows tumbled around her stomach. Soon she would see Jace again. "You saw me last night, Iz," she reminded her friend.

"Yeah, but the guys are totally gonna blow it when they see you." When Qhuinn chuckled and raised his eyebrows behind his shades she realized what she had said. "Their minds, not their loads. Duh."

Clary threw her head back and laughed, her long hair cascading down her back in waves of red.

"C'mon now, big Daddy," Izzy giggled when Qhuinn grunted a curse. "Let´s go meet the masses."

He lowered her until her feet touched the ground and grabbed her messenger bag frominside the Hummer. He placed his hand on the small of her back and stroked his thumb in soothing circles to help calm her nerves.

As an unspoken decision they approached Alec and Simon first. She could feel Jace´s eyes on her, but didn´t dare meet his gaze.

"If looks could kill, I´d be a burning pile of ash right 'bout now," Qhuinn whispered from the corner of his mouth. "I´d say you´re golden, nalla."

Clary ignored him as she greeted her long lost friends with hugs and kisses on their cheeks.

"Damn, Short Stuff," Alec grinned with his arms around her. "I can´t believe that you´re here," he glared at his twin. "How could you keep this from us?"

"Aw Alec, don´t be like that," Izzy chided him. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

Simon grabbed Clary´s arm and pulled her against him in a tight embrace. "So this is what you´ve been up to?" he asked his girlfriend. "You can forget about gifts for the next five years, this is the greatest surprise ever."

Qhuinn cleared his throat and caught the boys' attention.

"Um, Short Stuff?" Alec sounded apprehensive,"Who´s the big dude towering behind you?

Clary smiled. "Guys, this is Qhuinn, my guardian. He´s the reason that I could move back here," she patted him affectionally on his bicep. "Qhuinn, meet my friends, Alec and Simon." They shook hands and Qhuinn smiled down at them. "It´s good to finally meet ya, nalla has told me so much 'bout ya."

"It´s a pleasure to meet you too," Simon said politely, looking slightly intimidated by the man's size. He nodded in Jace direction. "Did he know?"

Izzy bit her lip and shook her head.

"Shit," Alec whispered.

Clary couldn´t agree more and contemplated hiding behind Qhuinn as he steered her to the other side of the car.

She focused on the dark-haired stranger to give herself a little extra time before having to face Jace.

The boy in front of her smiled in a way that probably was supposed to be 'panty dropping' but only made her feel dirty.

He reached out his hand towards her and she took it, thinking that he intended to shake hers, but instead he placed a sloppy kiss on her knuckles. "I´m Seb," he winked. That made her skin crawl and she blushed with discomfort. He chuckled, obvously thinking the blush meant something else entirely. "It´s a pleasure to meet you."

She tugged her hand away from him and wiped his kiss on the back of Qhuinn's wife-beater, trying to hide her disgust.

"Okay. Well, I´m Clary and this is Qhuinn, my...um..." the close proximity to Jace made it hard to formulate a full sentence.

Qhuinn shook Seb's hand with more force than necessary if the look on the boy's face was any indication. "I´m her guardian," he said.

Jace scoffed and the three of them turned to him.

Her time was up and she couldn´t postpone looking at Jace any longer. Her eyes drank in all of him from his Chucks, his faded, ripped jeans to his black t-shirt that fit snuggly on his perfect body. His arms hungdown his sides and he was clenching his fists, making his biceps flex mouthwatering.

Her eyes reached his face that was just as gorgeous as the rest of him. His tousled golden hair, square jaw with scruff in the same blonde color, his soft lips, with the bottom one slightly fuller and his golden eyes that had haunted her in her dreams since the last time she saw him.

Even though his gaze was turned away from her she took a small step in his direction. "Jace..." she started, but he ignored her and spoke to Izzy that stood a little to the side.

"You knew, didn´t you?" he asked, sounding furious. "That´s what you been up to these last three weeks? You fucking knew!?"

"Um...yes."

Then, finally his eyes landed on her and Qhuinn. Clary took another step towards him, but he backed away. "Jace..." she tried again.

He didn´t listen, just spun on his heels and stormed off.

She watched him with a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach; he was obviously in a hurry to get away from her.

"Did I miss something?" Seb asked.

"No Seb, what makes you say that?" Izzy muttered sarcastically.

"C'mon nalla," Qhuinn put his arm around her shoulder. "Give 'im time. It must´ve come as a shock to see you again."

"Yeah," Simon walked up to them. "He hasn´t said a word about you since you left."

His words were supposed to be encouraging, but it only made her feel worse. He hadn´t spoken about her this whole time?

Then he must really be over her.


A/N: nalla means beloved.

What did you think? Worth the wait? Let me know.

The next chapter should be up by the same time next week!