Hey guys! Long time no update! Sorry about my absence, and everything has been pretty crazy lately. I would sit and make excuses and explain what's been going on, but I think you would rather just read the chapter haha.

Jace

Jace hoped Clary hadn't noticed the parallels in the story he had told her to their relationship. The blonde prince who had an odd attraction to a short, fiery, red-head princess. When he thought he had made it too obvious, he noticed Clary's even breathing and wondered how long she had been asleep.

He scolded himself for even hinting at his strong feelings for her out loud. He wasn't crazy in love with her, and he didn't even know if he felt anything romantic towards her, but he knew there was a strange force that pulled him towards her. The last thing Jace wanted to do was make that know to her because she was already dealing with everything with Sebastian, and she didn't need anything serious in her life. A light easy friendship is what she needed, so that's what he was going to give her.

A sigh pulled Jace out of his thoughts. He looked down at the girl lying beside him and couldn't help himself from smiling. She had a small pout on her lips, and he could tell she was dreaming about something that wasn't making her very happy. He imagined it was her fighting with her brother; her hand was on her cocked hip, and she had a sassy scowl on her lips. She had a pretty big attitude in her for such a small girl.

He watched as the pout on her lips turned sad, and her frowned. A few stray pieces of hair had fallen into her face, and Jace gently pushed them back behind her ear. He let his fingers linger on her cheek for a second, and was shocked when Clary's hand came up to lightly grip his. At first he was worried that he had woken her up, but he eyes remained closed and her breathing even. She continued to hold Jace's hand as she rolled into him. She released a content sigh as she snuggled into his chest.

Jace couldn't breathe. She positioned herself so that he couldn't easily get away, and the last thing he wanted to do was wake her, but he felt like he shouldn't be cuddling with her. He spent a few moments trying to decide the best course of action when he realized that he didn't have to do anything. She rolled into him in her sleep; it was completely innocent. He didn't see the point in creating some bigger meaning or making the situation something that it wasn't, so he let her stay like that.

A sudden exhaustion from the day washed over Jace, and he felt himself begin to fall asleep He wrapped his arms around the girl that clung to him, and let himself drift into oblivion.

Clary

Clary awoke slowly because of something bright, shining through her eyelids. She pouted and rolled over trying to avoid the light. She almost screamed when she felt her body collide with something, more like someone, else. Her eyes shot open, and she immediately relaxed when she remembered she had fallen asleep on the trampoline with Jace.

Jace was still asleep, his breathing steady and even. Clary took a moment to really appreciate his coloring in the morning sunlight. His hair looked like, if he shook it, sparkles would fly everywhere, and his skin was a glowing tan. He contrasted to the colorful blankets surrounding them both. She wished she could somehow capture this moment and draw it; it really was a beautiful sight. How she would love to lay and watch him like this all day.

Just as she had that thought, Jace began to wake up. He groaned and blinked his eyes open groggily. Much like Clary had, he seemed dazed and confused until his eyes settled on her, and a soft smile settled on his lips. His eyes were pools of gold that Clary had to fight to not fall into.

"Good morning," Jace mumbled. His would was rough and thick with sleep, and somehow that made him even sexier. Clary's breathing accelerated just being near him. She fought to calm down her racing heart before responding.

"Good morning," she whispered, as if she would somehow break the comfortable peace that surrounded them. Suddenly, Clary realized how close they were laying. Their faces were barely a foot apart, and she could feel the heat radiating off his body. Her heart picked up in double time, and it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. She tried to control her facial expressions seeing as how Jace was staring at her, and it didn't seem like he was going to stop.

"How did you sleep?" He lowered his voice, much like she had.

"Surprisingly well for someone who spent the night on a trampoline," she responded quietly. Their hushed conversation seemed incredibly intimate to Clary, and she could feel herself blushing slightly. She dropped her head before Jace could notice. She felt his silent laughter shake the trampoline.

"I like the trampoline. It feels like I slept better last night than I have in a long time. Maybe that wasn't because of the trampoline," he said the last part so quietly Clary wasn't sure whether he had meant for her to hear it.

"What do you mean?" she asked, still whispering. She might have imagined it, but she felt like she and Jace had moved closer to each other, the space between their faces shrinking. He watched her for a moment before answering. His face turned serious, and everything seemed to slow down for a few seconds. Finally, and small smile spread across his lips.

"Nothing," he responded. Clary could tell him was keeping something from her, but she decided not to push it. If he wanted to tell her, he would.

"Do you know what time it is?" she asked him. She wasn't sure how her mother would feel about finding her sleeping with a stranger on a trampoline instead of her room. That was assuming she didn't already find out, but considering they had made it to morning undisturbed, Clary was pretty sure John hadn't woken Jocelyn up to rat on his baby sister.

"It's a little after seven, why?" he asked after checking his phone.

"I don't how my mother would feel if this is what she woke up to is all," Clary answered. "I should probably get going." She sat up and searched around the pile of blankets for her phone. After she found it, she offered to help Jace clean up the blankets and everything.

"That's okay. My family's probably still asleep, and one person lugging around a bunch of blankets and doing laundry is enough noise," he responded as he helped Clary down from the trampoline. He walked her to her door in comfortable silence. Once they got there, Clary turned to face him instead of going inside.

"I know it's not enough for everything you did for me, but I want to thank you for last night. I was having a really rough night, and you helped so much. Sorry that I'm being such a damsel in distress," Clary said quickly. She dropped her head because of how embarrassed she felt for all of the crying and hopelessness she'd made him deal with.

"Hey," Jace responded, and when she didn't look up, he put his fingers under her chin and gently forced her to look at him. "You are not being a damsel in distress. I get that the thing with Sebastian and your brother can be really hard, and I'm happy to help. And, it's nice to play the hero for once," he joked.

Clary couldn't help herself from wrapping her arms around Jace's neck and holding him to her. He was such a good guy, and she couldn't believe that she was lucky enough to have him to help her deal with everything happening. She felt his arms wrap around her waist and pull her even closer. "Thank you," she whispered into his shoulder. He held her for anything minute before releasing her and given her a goofy smile.

"I just remembered that Isabelle got my mom to rent out the all-ages club for her birthday. She wanted me to ask you if there was any way you could get the news out to, well, everyone really. I understand if it's too much to ask, but I know she would really appreciate it," Jace reasoned.

"I can get the word out," she responded immediately. Even if she had dumped Sebastian, she still had connections. Jace's smile got brighter.

"Ok I should probably go, but I'll send her over later with the details," he said before turning and walking back towards the trampoline.

Clary stood for a moment watching him walk away and smiled before turning around and opening the kitchen door. She expected Jonathon and Jocelyn to be asleep, and she would have no trouble going to her room to get another two hours of sleep. Unfortunately, she wasn't that lucky, and Jonathon was waiting at the kitchen table holding a cup of coffee, his knuckles white from his grip. When the door opened, Jonathon's head snapped up, and his eyes narrowed at his baby sister.

"So you spent that night with him." It wasn't a question; it was accusation. Clary could hear the venom in her brother's voice. She rolled her eyes and walked towards the stairs, ignoring his comment. She would deal with Jonathon after she got a few more hours of sleep.

"You're lucky I didn't tell Mom," he called from behind her. The torment Clary felt last night turned into white, hot rage as she turned to face Jonathon.

"I'm lucky? I'm sorry, Jonathon, but I don't really think you have the right to tell her," she responded through gritted teeth. Jonathon shook his head and sighed like their conversation as a waste of his time.

"You've changed, Clary. Mom and I both see it. Mom is hopelessly confused, but I know it's because of him," Jonathon spat. "Ever since you met him you dumped your boyfriend for no reason, broke into a closed park, and spent the night doing Lord know what with a guy you barely know. The Clary I know is not stupid, not a rule-breaker, and most definitely not a slut. You got mad when I said it last night, but you proved it." Jonathon looked at her disappointedly. It sounded like the same exact thing he had said last night, but Clary was not upset about what he said this time. She was just pissed.

"You've changed too. Or maybe you haven't. Maybe I was just really blind because the Jon I knew wasn't a complete ass, and he put his sister first. He trusted her and let her tell her side of the story. The Jon I see know can't see through his best friend's lies, and it's making him think the worst of the sister he's had for his entire life. I dumped him for a perfectly good reason that you won't listen to, and yeah I broke into a park, but I can name several worse things you've done. Oh, and that guy a barely know? His name is still Jace, and he's been kinder to me in the past few days than everyone else in my life combined. And, last night, we hung out on his trampoline eating junk food, and fell asleep while talking. We weren't touching at all, not even holding hands. But I can see how that's not believable since I'm a lying little slut. Now if you don't mind, I'm tired, and I'm going to go sleep for a few more hours. Oh, and go ahead and tell Mom. It's not like I did anything wrong, anyway." Clary finished her speech and stormed away, leaving Jonathon gaping at her from the kitchen table. She made her way up the stair and tiptoed into her bedroom, so she wouldn't wake her mother.

As soon as she was close enough to her bed, Clary collapsed onto the mattress. She crawled into the middle of the blanket and spread her limbs out like a star. She stared at the ceiling as she thought about all the things she had just said to her brother. Her outburst had made her completely awake, so it was no use trying to sleep, anyway. She realized that Jon was right about one thing: she had changed. Before Jace, she let people push her around and use her, and she was quiet and had no backbone. Jace had helped her realize that she was actually like that, and she didn't want to be like that anymore. Her life would be completely miserable if she let people step on her without her putting up a fight. She had let Sebastian, but she would not let her own brother treat her like that.

Clary suddenly felt more powerful than she could ever remember feeling. She sat up and went to grab her sketchbook off of her desk. She let her pencil race over the page, letting her feelings decide what she drew. First, she drew a picture of herself on a thrown with Jonathon, Sebastian, Jocelyn, and everyone else who had ever pushed her around bowing down to her. She drew pictures of her dad looking at her with pride, and Simon ruffling her hair. She drew Isabelle and Alec, focusing on their similarity but also their differences, like the contrast in their eyes. What she drew more than anything else was Jace: him sleeping next to her on the trampoline, him running in front of her towards the dock, his golden eyes.

She was in the middle of sketching Jace playing lacrosse when there was a soft knock at her door. She turned her chair and saw Isabelle peeked around her door with a sheepish smile on her face. When she spotted Clary, she looked a little nervous.

"Hey, Jonathon let me in and said I was free to come up if I wasn't worried about permanent injuries," she said. Clary grinned at the girl and ushered for her to come in. Isabelle sighed in relief and entered the room.

"He's just mad because we're fighting right now. I promise, if anyone is experiencing permanent injuries, it will be him," she responded. Isabelle laughed and dropped onto Clary's bed.

"Awesome! I was scared for a second that we wouldn't be able to plan." Clary looked at Isabelle in confusion for a second before she remembered what Jace had said about the party.

"Don't worry! I'm up for a good party. I could really use it right now," she sighed. Isabelle smirked at her.

"Well it's a good thing I throw one hell of a party whether my parents are okay with it or not," was her response. Clary smiled. Now this is a girl who doesn't let anyone push her around, she thought. "Sounds perfect! So, what are you thinking about for the guest list?" Clary asked.

And a beautiful friendship was born.

This chapter is a little shorter than usual, but if I didn't stop here, it would've been ridiculously long. The next chapter will include the party, and it will be a lot longer.

I hope you guys liked the development of Clace so far, and a little Clary and Izzy action has begun. But how does everyone feel about Jonathon right now? How do you thing he and Clary's relationship will be in the next chapters?

I hope you will check out my other two stories if you haven't already, My Very Own Cinderella and Off Limits.

Remember, more reviews = sooner update!

Love you all!