Hello everyone. Here's another chapter by yours truly. There will be some Clace scenes in the future, but for now, I want their relationship to go slow...like a calm sea wave...

Thanks to everyone that reviewed, favourited and followed! You guys are amazing

Read on!

Clary was standing in the kitchen with Maryse, helping her to peel the potatoes for supper. She wanted to be the best guest possible, and besides, everyone else had already left early in the morning for school and work.

"I suppose if you are staying with us for a while, we should at least enroll you into school." Maryse had said after Jace, Izzy and Alec had fled out the front door, Izzy rambling about being "too rushed to find her black pumps" and "no other shoes would do". "You'll start next week, I promise. But for now, you can stay with me." Maryse smiled down at Clary.

So there she was, mastering the art of potato peeling and carrot chopping.

"I would have Gladia do it," Clary assumed she meant the servant, "but she seemed so tired, so I let her off for the day." Maryse seemed like a genuinely nice person, and Clary had been warming up to her the most. Of course, she hadn't really spoken to anyone else for the last 24 hours, but she didn't really want to. This family seemed to be a little maniacal.

"That's okay, I've always wanted to learn how to cook, but I never really got the chance until now."

"I'm glad. Now you get to learn from an expert. Sadly, my skills in the kitchen have not been passed down so graciously to Isabelle." Maryse's eyes flickered to Clary's in a mild terror. "Never taste her food." Clary laughed.

Suddenly, a loud bang sounded from the front hallway. The two women looked at each other and ran towards the noise.

"Damned wind!" A man dressed in nothing but tight leather pants and a tight fitting mauve and black cropped top looked at Maryse in horror. He was wearing more make-up than anyone Clary had ever seen before and was covered head to toe in purple and silver glitter. "Excuse me, ma'am. I didn't mean to bang your door open like that. It was the wind." He pointed a lazy finger towards the door which was still flung open wide. He made no move to close it.

"It's quite alright, Magnus. How are you, dear?" Maryse cupped a hand to Magnus' cheek as if she were caressing him. Clary found it sort of creepy.

Clary saw the uncertainty in his cat eyes just before a look of ease overtook them again.

"I've been better. I went down to the town over a little ways for family business. Gram's not doing too well with the arthritis. It's getting worse." Maryse pulled her hand back to rest it over her chest. It was covered in glitter.

"I thought you said she was getting better!"

"It's on and off again. Just yesterday she was back on her feet and walking about a mile to the market, but before I left this morning she was back in the wheelchair, unable to get up to even go a few steps to the washroom." He shook his head solemnly, but Clary saw through his façade. She didn't know why, but she felt as if this glittery man was lying. Maybe it was his demeanor, or maybe it was the quick spark of hesitance every time he began to speak.

"Well, next time you go, send her my best wishes." Maryse started to go back towards the pots that had begun to boil over. "She always made the nicest quilts for me, I can never…" Maryse's voice became inaudible as she walked back down the hallway, mumbling something about old age striking us all for dead.

Magnus looked over at Clary and took a step back, startled. It was as if he had just noticed she was there. His cat eyes narrowed ever so slightly and he seemed to be trying hard to figure something out. Suddenly, his eyes flew open, and it was all he could do not to suppress a gasp.

"Clarissa Morgenstern?!" He half yelled, half whispered. Clary covered his mouth just before he could call out to Maryse, who was humming in the kitchen, and pleaded to him.

"Please. I have no clue how you know who I am, but I am not here to harm anybody. I ran away." Clary unclasped her hand from around his mouth as she was ninety nine percent sure he wouldn't yell.

"How can I trust you?" He finally whispered. Clary steered Magnus into an office just down the hall and shut the door.

"How can I trust you? I don't know who the hell you are! You just flounced in here and practically gave me away to Maryse! I would be shunned from a home that has taken me in so graciously. If that happened, I wouldn't have a place to go! Plus, my father's men are looking for me, and…" Clary looked at Magnus from under her eyelashes and, striding across the room, pointed up at his face with a fiery rage. "How do you know who I am? Who even are you? No one I've ever met has been able to place me so quickly. Are you a Circle member? No, no of course not, you would have been halfway back to camp with me by now." She looked over at Magnus to see he was gaping at her.

"You don't know who I am?!" He gasped. "I am only the famous Magnus Bane! It seems that while you are awed by how much I know of you, I am appalled at how little you know of me. Really, it should be the other way around. As I am of high importance, you," he looked her up and down in scrutiny, just as Jace had done in the alleyway, "are not. Those clothes look ridiculous on you."

"Okay, enough about my poor taste in clothes."

"That is quite a dilemma in itself." Magnus inquired.

"How do you know who I am?" She pressed, taking a step closer. Magnus eyed her warily before speaking.

"I've been, ah, how do you put this lightly?" He coughed once. "I've been surrounding myself in the presence of a bunch of hooligans in black cloaks who have no fashion sense what-so-ever and have been articulating the degree of accuracy that has been promoted into the upcoming rival of two sides with much to lose and nothing to gain." There was a long, agonizing silence.

"So, you've basically been spying on us." Clary stated.

"Well, if you put it that way," Magnus sighed.

"You can't be serious! My father has too many guards to have that happen to him! How did you do it?" Clary asked curiously. She was dumbfounded and a little impressed that he had managed to sneak his way into her father's encampment.

Magnus once again looked at her hesitantly before walking past her and striding out of the room.

"Hey! What-?" Clary called, following him out and into the front foyer.

"This discussion is over. I promise not to let out your little secret as long as you don't repeat anything I told you about myself. In fact, we never even had this conversation."

"So I take it you weren't at your Grandma's, then?" Clary asked. Magnus smiled at her.

"You catch on quickly, my dear." Magnus grabbed his coat and hat off of the coat rack and was about to open the door when suddenly it flew open and Alec, Izzy and Jace ran through it.

"I tell you! He was so angry when I stole the damn thing, I- Magnus?" Jace looked at him in confusion before drifting his gaze over to Clary. A slow smirk spread over his lips. "I take it you've met the grand Magnus Bane. Was I right?"

"Right about what?" Magnus looked at Jace in puzzlement.

"Magnus!" Alec cried, and ran over to him. "When did you get back? I've been so worried…" This was the first time Clary had actually seen Alec smile instead of glare, and she sensed something was going on between the two boys. She waved over Izzy and Jace, a sign to leave them be.

The three walked into the kitchen to where Maryse was just putting the potatoes into the oven.

"What are you feeding us, woman?" Jace questioned Maryse and threw himself onto one of the island barstools. Maryse fixed a hard glare onto Jace's face.

"Steak and potatoes." She said. "And Clary helped, too." Jace looked over at Clary.

"Well, I hope she's not as bad a cook as Izzy." He stated simply.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?!" Izzy cried, folding her arms over her chest in anger.

"I don't know, maybe because it's true?" Jace teased. "Really, Iz, your food would make even the starving opt to go hungry." Izzy made a noise of protest in response.

"It can't really be that bad, can it?"

"Thank you, Clary, for believing in my housewife professions." Jace roared in laughter at this, nearly falling off of the stool.

"You? A housewife? Please, someone tell me that the apocalypse has arrived and I'm George Clooney." He chuckled.

"You're George Clooney?" Alec asked, striding into the kitchen. Magnus had obviously left but Alec seemed much happier now. "You'll need a bigger beard."

"Please, smooth is sexy." Jace replied, stroking his chin in the process.

Clary could feel the air of tension that had been there when she had arrived being lifted, and she was glad that everyone seemed to be in a better mood. Except Izzy, she was stilled miffed about the jab at her cooking.

"Well, the potatoes look to be about ready. We'll wait for Robert to come home and then we'll eat. Does that sound good?" Everyone grunted a 'yes' and took off to their rooms.

As Clary was mounting the steps up to her new bedroom, she felt for the thin gold bracelet her mother had given to her for her tenth birthday.

"If ever we are parted, I want you to look at this and think of me. I have one too, see?" She held up her left wrist to show the sparkling chain. "Remember I'll always be with you."

But now, as she felt for the chain on her wrist, she started to panic. Not because she was missing her mother too badly, yet, or because she felt homesick.

It was because the gold chain wasn't there.

Valentine collapsed by a tall white mountain just a few kilometers away from a town. He had been running for so long, and desperately needed sleep. He wasn't following the trail of glitter anymore, as the wind had blown it all away, but he guessed that it lead into the town. The sun was beginning to set, and he knew he would have to find shelter.

Looking up the steep incline of the mountain for any ledges or cliffs, he spotted a cave not 5 feet up. He hoisted himself up and looked around for any creatures lurking in the dark. Satisfied, he settled himself down, prepared to sleep.

Just as he was closing his eyes, he noticed a gold glint. He cautiously walked over to the gleaming object and picked it up. In his hand was a small gold chain that was very similar to the one his Clarissa always wore on her wrist.

Valentine smiled menacingly.

"I'm coming, my dear, sweet Clarissa. I am coming."