**ALL CHARACTERS AND EVERYTHING MORTAL INSTRUMENTS BELONGS TO CASSANDRA CLARE**

Chapter Songs:

Transatlanticism – Death Cab for Cutie

21 Guns – Green Day

Fall For You – Secondhand Serenade

November

The whistle blew. "Run that drill again," the coach called. "And Wayland, get the ball to Morgenstern faster this time."

As the team got back into place Sebastian passed Jace, "Get your head out of your ass, Wayland."

"And your dick out of my sister." Jonathan sneered.

Normally, Jace would have thrown back some smart-ass comment, but the thought of Clary brought him up short. It had been nearly two weeks since Magnus's party and he still couldn't get Sebastian's words out of his head.

I'm not sorry I kissed you.

With the scene fresh in his mind, Jace roughly passed the ball to Jonathan and began running the length of the court.

After practice, while he and Alec drove home, Jace checked his cell phone. No calls or text messages. Although he was not surprised, it still made his heart ache. He missed Clary, plain and simple. Sure they talked in school and sat next to each other at lunch and in their shared classes, but the atmosphere around them was tense. There was a wedge between them, and Jace felt that it would only grow if they didn't fix it soon.

Of course, he was not completely blameless. He was the one who said he needed space. But he didn't think Clary would take it quite so literally and be so distant.

"Still nothing?" Alec asked, pulling Jace out of his thoughts.

"Nope. I don't know what to do, man. Am I just supposed to let it pass?" In the two years they had been together they barely ever fought. Jace had certainly never run away from her like he had that night.

"I don't really know how to help; I don't have those types of problems."

Jace let out a chuckle, "Yeah, I guess you don't." They walked in the house and before they could even move out of the entryway Izzy's voice rang out.

"Jace Lightwood!"

"She sounds angry, man." Alec clapped Jace on the shoulder and walked down the hall to his room.

"What, Iz?"

She came storming into the living room. "Have you talked to Clary yet?" She demanded, hands on her hips.

"Of course I have, weren't you at lunch today?"

"No, I mean this whole 'I need time' bullshit. When are you going to get over that?"

"I do need time, Iz!" It was a half-truth. He needed time to figure out what to say to Clary. Would a simple apology work, or was she seriously mad at him?

"Well you need to hurry up. She was crying again, Jace," she added quietly.

Jace looked up from his staring contest with the floor in surprise. "What do you mean again?"

"I mean exactly how it sounds. She's cried a few times since your fight. She thinks you're going to break up with her."

"What? I would… That would never happen! How could she even think that?" He honestly didn't think things were that bad. But apparently she did; of course she did – she always thought the worst.

"Fix it."

"I need to get out of here." But instead of walking out the front door like Izzy assumed he would, he walked to his bedroom, closed, and locked the door. He grabbed his guitar from its stand and sat on the edge of his bed. After strumming a few chords he began to play a familiar song. It didn't mean anything specific to him, but his fingers knew where to go and his lips knew what words to sing.

When he finished he flopped down on his bed with his guitar still in his lap. He needed to talk to Clary. Hell, he just needed Clary – period.

o.O.o

"Hello?" Her voice sounded hopeful even to her own ears

"Hey Clary."

"Oh," she tried not to sound too disappointed. "Hey Izzy."

"Expecting Jace, huh?"

"Yeah, sorry."

"It's cool. Have you talked to him yet? You know, about fixing everything?"

"No. I don't even know if Jace wants to fix everything. He hasn't even talked to me, I mean, not really."

"Well, maybe you should try to talk to him."

"He's the one who said he needed time though, Iz." Clary could feel the tears coming back, but she held them off.

"I think he might be scared."

"Of what!?"

Clary heard the big sigh Izzy let out. "Clary, don't you think he is just as scared of losing you, as you are him?"

"It just doesn't make sense!"

Izzy sighed again. "Clary, you just have to talk to him. I mean he came home today, practically bit my head off, then stalked off to his room and played his guitar."

"Maybe he just had a bad day."

"He's been having a bad two weeks. And so have you. You need to talk." Before Clary had a chance to reply she hung up.

o.O.o

Clary stood at her locker the next day. It had been one of the longest days of her life. In fact, it had been a pretty long two weeks. She had zoned out for most of her classes. During her art class the only she drew was a pathetically lonely flower. The classes she shared with Jace had been awkward and uncomfortable and Clary wondered if anything would go back to normal.

The only good thing was that the rumors about Clary and Jace breaking up didn't seem to bother her as much. Maybe that was because she was starting to believe them.

"Hey," a voice near her said, making her jump back from her locker with a gasp.

"Oh, hi Sebastian." Clary gave him a half smile; it seemed to be all she was capable of at the moment.

"Zoning out?" Sebastian had stuck by Clary during this whole ordeal. Even after the awkward kiss and the party he was still friendly towards her. Each time Clary told him they were staying just friends he would always reply, "I don't mind".

"I guess. Just thinking…"

"'Bout Wayland?" When Clary only nodded, he added: "Have I told you I'm sorry yet today?" That was another thing. For the past week, he'd been apologizing every day.

"No, but that counts." Her half smile grew to a small one.

Sebastian opened his mouth to answer, but closed it immediately. A couple seconds later a strong arm wrapped itself around her waist.

"Hey," a warm, familiar voice said.

Clary turned her head to say hi back, but when she opened her mouth Jace planted his right on top. She closed her eyes instantly as Jace turned her and placed his hands on her waist, she was completely pressed against him. It didn't escalate more than a closed-mouth kiss, but it was the most sensual and passionate kiss she had in the past two weeks. It wasn't the shy peck on the lips Jace had usually given her. In that instant she knew that her Jace was back. He had taken all the time he needed and now was telling her that he wanted her back.

After a minute, Jace pulled away. Clary could tell that Sebastian had left; that was fine, she didn't want to deal with him at that moment.

Jace's hands moved from her waist and cupped her cheeks. He looked her right in the eye and said, "I'm sorry."

"Me too," she said, smiling up at him.

Those were the only words that needed to be spoken. They stood there, for a few minutes, just staring into each other's eyes and smiling. All the unspoken words of the past two weeks passed in silence. Sure they might have looked like idiots, Clary thought, but it didn't bother either of them. They didn't need to sit down and rehash all the details; Clary knew Jace enough to know that those two little words meant everything.

"Come on," Jace said suddenly, taking her hand and leading her down the hall.

"Um, Jace? The doors are the other way." But she didn't turn, she followed Jace to the chorus room.

Once at the chorus room, Clary closed the door while Jace made his way to the piano. He opened it up and began. Clary smiled at the overplayed, cliché song he sang. It was perfect, though. She swayed to the sound of Jace's voice and basked in the emotion washing over her.

So breathe in so deep

Breathe me in, I'm yours to keep

And hold on to your words 'cause talk is cheap

And remember me tonight when you're asleep

Because tonight will be the night

That I will fall for you over again

Don't make me change my mind

Or I won't live to see another day

I swear it's true

Because a girl like you is impossible to find

You're impossible to find

When he was finished he stood up and hugged her; she hugged him back just as tightly. They stood in the room for a while, holding on to each other as if it wasn't physically possible to let go.

o.O.o

"Hey guys, guess what?" Izzy asked at lunch a couple of weeks later.

"You and Simon broke up?" Jace replied sarcastically – which earned him a punch in the arm from Izzy.

"No, asshole. Tyler Johnson's parents are leaving for vacation over Thanksgiving break. Which means he'll be throwing a huge party at the end of the week!"

"Who?" Clary questioned.

"Tyler Johnson. He's this guy that I sort of…well never mind. But I want to go, which means you're going too, Clary. No if, ands, or buts!"

Clary groaned, "Iz, I don't know if you noticed, but I haven't had the best track record with parties lately." She snuck a quick glance at Jace who was intently staring at his uneaten food. Since the day in the chorus room, they had hardly left each other's sides. They never really talked about the whole Sebastian incident directly, but Clary felt that they were stronger than ever so they didn't need to.

"We can all go," said Jace, "it'll be fine."

"Fun even," added Magnus, who seemed equally excited about another party. He smiled at his quiet boyfriend, which made Clary smile also. She always thought Alec and Magnus were cute together and she was glad to see Alec happy after all the shit his parents gave him last year. To say that Robert and Mayrse Lightwood were unhappy when they found out Alec was seeing the most flamboyant student at school would be an understatement.

Clary felt a pinch at her side. To her left she saw Jace piling their trash onto his tray. "What are you thinking about?" He asked.

Gesturing to Magnus and Alec whispering to each other she answered, "They look so happy."

Jace frowned, "Are you not happy?"

She shook her head. "Of course I'm happy. I'm also happy that they are happy."

Looking across the table he said, "I'm pretty sure Magnus is just telling Alec all the dirty things he plans on doing to him tonight."

Clary lightly slapped him across the back of his head. "Way to ruin the moment, Jace!" She stood up and started to walk away when Jace caught her. He threw away their trash and pulled her to his side.

"I could whisper all the dirty things I want to do to you in your ear instead, if you'd like."

She felt the heat rush to her cheeks. "As intriguing as that sounds, we need to go to class."

"But the bell hasn't even - " Jace was cut off by the a shrill ringing. "Well, they really know how to time those things."

o.O.o

There was an incessant pounding on Clary's front door. She answered, sleepily, still dressed in her sleepwear.

"Jace?" Surprise was clear in her voice.

"Happy Thanksgiving, beautiful!" Jace stood on her porch and presented her with a bouquet of flowers. "These are for you. Oh and this too," he held up a can in his other hand.

"Thank you! And Happy Thanksgiving to you, too!" She took the flowers. "But, what is that?"

"It's cranberry sauce. Mom always has cranberry sauce with dinner." He looked questionably at the can. "I've never tried it though, to be honest."

"Well I don't want to try it," Clary turned, leaving the door open for Jace to walk through. "Cranberry sauce freaks me out."

"Don't you have your own family, Wayland?"

Clary rolled her eyes, "Be nice. Jace is eating with us tonight."

"Nice to see you too, Jon."

It was around noon and Clary was dressed and donned in an apron. She had all the traditional foods almost prepared. The turkey was in the oven, along with the green bean casserole, there were potatoes cooking on the stove, and the stuffing was ready to go. After setting the table, she grabbed a dish for Jace's canned cranberry sauce.

"What's that?" Jon asked. He took the canister of whipped cream from the refrigerator and squirted some into his mouth.

"Jon! That's for the pie!"

"There's pie?" and "What kind of pie?" came from both boys at the same time.

Clary smiled to herself. Boys will be boys. "Apple and pumpkin. And Jace brought cranberry sauce."

Jon wrinkled his nose. "That stuff is nasty. Except Jocelyn's; hers was always pretty good."

"That's because she always made it, it was never canned. And she always made two kinds of pies for every holiday." Although it made Clary sad to talk about her mother, she smiled. Her mom always did her best to make holidays 'warm and fuzzy'. It was also the reason Jon was in a decent mood. He loved holidays. Clary never understood it. He was cold and resentful during the regular year, but when a holiday came around he was nice.

She was stirring the potatoes when warm arms wrapped around her. "If you close your eyes, and ignore the giggly consistency, then I'm sure you might like the cranberry sauce."

"Hmm…" Clary pretended to think. "Nah, I don't think it works like that." She gave him a peck on the cheek and moved to check the food in the oven.

"Dude," she heard. "Stop checking out her ass."

"I'm her boyfriend and it's nice, therefore I can check it out when I want."

Clary smiled, they were at least joking this time. They've had some pretty serious conversations before; it was nice to have them being civil with each other. Even if it was at her expense.

She took the turkey out of the oven and when she turned to face the boys Jace said, "You're blushing, Clare." He had his signature smirk on his face.

"My face was just in an oven, it was hot." She countered. Jace nodded his agreement.

Clary took the casserole out of the oven and between the three of them they had the food on the table. They ate mostly in silence, with a few playful comments here and there. Clary was happy, truly happy at that moment.

"Dad called yesterday," Jon broke the silence that had currently encompassed them.

"What did he want?" She didn't want to sound too cold, especially since Jon was being nice today.

"He apologized for not sending money this month, but will send some for Christmas. I guess we know what to expect as a Christmas present then."

Clary only nodded, she had nothing to say.

"Tell me about your dad," Jace said later that night in her room.

Clary curled up on her bed beside Jace. "There's not much to tell."

"All I know is that he is some kind of lawyer and he sends you money every month and holiday."

"That's pretty much it, Jace. Mom left about a year after Jon was born, while she was pregnant with me. I guess she didn't want to deal with the stress of my dad. But Jon always accused her of leaving because of him."

"Was it because of him?" Jace's curiosity was evident in his voice.

"I don't think so, but you never know. It could have been a combination of the shit my dad put her through, taking care of Jon by herself, and carrying me." A realization dawned on Clary. "In a way, it was all our faults."

Jace hugged her closer. "It wasn't anybody's fault. Except your dad's maybe. From what I can tell, you and Jon don't like him very much. There must be a reason."

She shrugged. "I never met him."

"Really?"

"Mhmm. When Mom died, Jon was still under eighteen. So Valentine – Dad – took custody of us, but never actually came here to see us. He only sent money. I guess he feels like he still needs to, even though he's also taking care of all the bills."

Clary didn't really want to talk about her father anymore, and she guessed Jace could tell since he kissed her goodnight and held her as close to him as he could.

"I love you, Clary." He whispered.

"I love you, Jace." She whispered back, before letting sleep claim her.

o.O.o

It was Friday night. The night of the party that he told Izzy they would all go to. The party that Magnus said would be fun. He had been enjoying himself with Clary until Verlac appeared.

Jace watched them dance from the bar in the basement. They looked awkward together, her small body and his slightly lanky form. Clary told him that it was just a dance, but he couldn't help the jealousy that coursed through him. He hated watching another guy dance with her. It was irrational, he knew that Clary was completely faithful and solely his. Just like he was hers.

"Wow, look at them. They're actually pretty cute together." Aline. Jace looked to his left and saw the dark-haired girl sitting right next to him. She was tracing a finger around the rim of his glass.

"Aline," Jace nodded at her and turned his attention back to the dance floor. He hadn't seen her in a while; he wasn't complaining about it though.

"Think about it, though. You guys aren't on the same level." This time Jace turned to look at her.

"What is that supposed to mean? Are you saying that I'm not good enough for her?"

Shaking her head, Aline clarified. "Just the opposite actually. Face it, after you graduate and go to college what is she going to do? She's going to be stuck here."

Jace didn't want to think about this, he took a huge gulp of his drink. "We already sorted everything out. While she's still here, I'll be going to a local college. Then when she graduates we'll both go to a college we want. It'll work." At this point he didn't know if he was trying to assure Aline or reassure himself. Was he too good for her?

Of course not. If anything, she was too good for him.

"But isn't your dream to go to Brown University?"

Jace narrowed his eyes, "How did you know that?"

"Word gets around," Aline smiled at him, but in the dim lighting it looked unnatural – like she knew something that he didn't. "Being popular pretty much means that everyone knows all your secrets."

Jace could think of a few secrets no one knew. "Not all of them."

Aline fell silent for a moment and Jace finished his drink in one swallow.

"Anyway," the silence seemed to be over, "if Clary doesn't get into Brown, which is a possibility, then you'll be sacrificing your dream."

"I'll be with Clary. That's all that matters." He didn't even think about Clary not being accepted to Brown. She was smart, so smart, she had to get in. But what if she didn't?

He really wanted Aline to stop talking to him now. His head felt like it was spinning. No, the room was spinning, that's what it was. And on top of everything he lost track of Clary and Sebastian.

"Come on, Jace. You're smart. Think about it: she'll be pulling you down or you'll be pulling her somewhere she doesn't belong."

Jace slammed his fist down on the bar, hoping the pain would make his head stop throbbing. But it only made his fist begin to throb. "Stop talking. I need…to find…Clary." He stood up from his stool and almost fell back down.

"Whoa, Jace. Are you okay? How much have you had to drink?"

How many did he have to drink? He thought only one, but one drink didn't make him feel this way. Blinking a few times and looking around the large room, Jace realized that all the faces around him were blurry and he hardly recognized anyone. The only remotely recognizable face was Aline's.

"What's happening to me?" Even to his own ears his voice sounded slurred.

"I don't know. But let's lay you down somewhere, okay?" After nodding, Aline helped Jace stumble away from the bar and up the stairs to an empty bedroom.

Jace crashed face down onto the welcoming bed. He was vaguely aware of Aline closing and locking the door behind her. But he couldn't bring himself to care. Sleep was just within his grasp and he welcomed the darkness as it surrounded him.

A/N: So yeah, this kind of sucks... I started a writing class (on top of all my other classes) so I have to start moving this story along. I'll keep it going until I finish it, but everything will be moving a bit quicker. I hope you like the songs this chapter - I love all three of them :)

Thank you to every read and reviewer! You always make my day :) Until next month ~ keep on reading!