Clary's POV

With my car still inconveniently at the Lightwood's, Sebastian dropped me back at my apartment after the game. As I pushed the front door open all I saw were boxes; big, brown packing boxes. I saw open boxes, closed boxes, boxes on the coffee table, boxes on the couch, boxes on the kitchen island, just boxes everywhere. There had to be fifteen boxes. I was just sort of frozen as I surveyed the boxes in front of me. This wasn't my apartment, it couldn't be.

After my initial shook, I stormed through the apartment glancing through piles of miscellaneous crap on the couch and end tables and kicking boxes on the ground to see if they were full or empty. Then I got to my breaking point. I stood in front of the coffee maker, a large box blocking it from my vision. It was a good thing Jace and Aline weren't here right now, because if they were, I probably would have lost it.

I pulled out my phone and my fingers angrily scrawled through my contact list until I came to Izzy, it was late, after 11:00, but I knew she'd be up.

"Hey-" Izzy started.

"I can't see the coffee maker Izzy. SHE PUT A DAMN BOX IN FRONT OF IT!" I practically screamed.

"Calm down, start from the beginning."

"Boxes! My whole apartment is filled with her boxes! I'm going to just…Ahhhhh." I knew I sounded a little more hysterical than necessary, but it was just one thing after another lately.

"I'm sure they just brought over a lot of her stuff today because it's Saturday and they had the time-" She started in a soothing voice.

"Izzy, you're not helping!" I snapped.

"Ok…You're right…Let me try again…" Izzy took a deep breath.

"…Oh. My. God…She filled your apartment with all her damn boxes?...What a bitch… She's not getting away with this. You want me to come over there? I'll hold her down while you rearrange her face..." Izzy sounded fired up and nearly sincere. The corner of my lip curved up slightly. It was quiet for a brief moment before she spoke again in much more soothing tone.

"…Clary, don't stress…it's going to be alright…just ignore it…it's their mess, not yours."

"I'll die if I can't have coffee tomorrow morning Izzy, you know I will." I said with my voice sounding much whinier.

"Sebastian's hot." I could tell Izzy was just trying to change the subject.

"He's not bad looking." I said as I stared at where my coffee maker belonged.

"So did you two have sex yet?" That momentarily snapped me out of my wallowing.

"No Izzy! God! We're just friends."

"Doesn't matter. You should just have sex and get it out of your system. You need to relax." I dropped my head back dramatically.

"I do need to relax, but sex isn't a cure all."

"I think it is…It reduces stress, burns calories, I've even heard it helps your complexion…" I snorted trying to hold back a laugh.

"…What? It's true…You should do something though...Maybe start hitting the gym more. I don't know. You're getting extra feisty I can tell." I chuckled.

"Extra feisty?" She laughed.

"Would you have preferred if I said you were getting bitchy?" I balked.

"I hate you…" I said jokingly.

"…I'm going to bed." She chuckled.

"Hey, how about we hang out tomorrow? I feel like I've barely seen you all week. I'll pick you up in the morning? We'll grab coffee on the way. We can spend the day dress shopping for my uncle's wedding." I took a deep breath.

"Sure."

"I'll pick you up at 9:00?"

"I need coffee before 9:00 Izzy." I whined as I continued to stare longingly where my coffee maker should be.

"I promise, when you wake up tomorrow morning, you will have access to your coffee maker." I chuckled.

"I'll hold you to that."

...

I woke up exhausted with a headache. I wasn't sure if it was morning or in the middle of the night. There was a glow of light in my room, but a certain amount of the city lights always came through the shades. I looked over at the clock glowing 5:30 back at me. I still had a couple hours I could sleep. I yawned as I repositioned my head on my pillow. 5:34. 5:52. 6:14. 6:31. Dammit. I wasn't falling back to sleep. It was ok, I'd take Izzy's advice and get a workout in. I dragged myself out of bed and put on workout clothes. I opened my bedroom door to find somebody was taking a shower and I couldn't get in the bathroom. I started a mini meltdown, but quickly pulled myself together. I'd pop a piece of gum in my mouth for the time being and use the gym bathroom to pee. I glowered as I walked by the kitchen still in boxes, my coffee maker still out of reach. I took a deep breath, I didn't even drink coffee right before I worked out, I assured myself I'd have access to it when I came back upstairs. I tried to think happy thoughts as I road the elevator down to the third floor, but unfortunately all my happy thoughts involved Jace, and right now thinking of Jace sent me into a downward spiral of torment. The elevator door dinged open and I followed the all too familiar path down to the end of the hallway and into the fitness center.

I tried to get all my frustration out during my workout. I put in a full 45 minutes on the elliptical trainer and even did 15 minutes of hand weights before I headed back upstairs. I felt good. It was a good workout. It was going to be a good day. At least, that's what I tried to keep telling myself. It was just a few minutes before 8:00 when I got back to the apartment. As I opened the apartment door, any peace of mind I gained from my workout started to quickly deteriorate. My focus completely shifted back to the boxes I had nearly forgotten, until I smelled the enticing smell of coffee already brewing. I smiled as I walked into the kitchen. Sure the place was still looked like a storage unit, but more importantly, I had coffee. I poured myself a cup and closed my eyes as I held it just shy of my mouth and breathed in the delicious aroma. That was my happy thought, but it only got better when two warm hands came down on my shoulders. I could already smell his cologne, strong, just applied. He smelled amazing, like always.

"I'm sorry about the boxes." Jace said softly. His hands gently messaged my shoulders as he dipped down from behind and placed a small kiss on my cheek. Maybe it would be a good day after all.

"This makes up for it." I said with a huge smile as I glanced up over my shoulder at him. He smiled back at me as he dropped his hands from my shoulders and reached for a coffee cup. I turned around to face him. He looked good. He was wearing kaki shorts and a tucked in deep green polo. He looked a little too good. He didn't usually bother tucking in his shirts. Dammit. It was Sunday. I bet he was going to church.

"You're up early, you have church this morning?" I asked trying to stay upbeat. He shook his head as he quickly glanced down the hallway.

"No, thank God." I chuckled slightly at his enthusiasm.

"So, where are you going then?" I asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Today is my uncle's bachelor party…We're golfing all day and then having drinks at the Country Club…Not my idea of a bachelor party, but he's old…" He smirked that signature Jace smirk as he trailed off and I couldn't help but smile and chuckle.

"So what's your idea of a bachelor party?" I asked offhandedly. He furrowed his eyebrows at me.

"Alec put you up to this?" I rolled my eyes trying to seem nonchalant, but I was starting to have a mini panic attack. Did he seriously think for one second that I would ever ask him what kind of bachelor party he'd want? To make matters worse, the mere mention of Alec just reminded me of what happened the day before. I could already feel the heat flooding to my cheeks from a combination of embarrassment and stress.

"I just meant generally." I tried to sound laid-back, but my cheeks felt like they were burning up. There was no way Jace would believe me. Jace reached out and grazed the back of his hand against my cheek with a smirk.

"I'm surprised you'd have to ask…" He said with an amused look on his face. He could see my cheeks were bright red, he knew I was lying, but he just carried on like he was playing along. I really didn't want to talk about this, or anything else to do with him and Aline getting married. Yuck, I swear I just vomited a little.

"Well generally…I'm more of a strip club kind of guy." He said with a wink. I just rolled my eyes. Of course he was.

"Why am I not surprised?" I said sarcastically. The doorbell rang and Jace and I both glanced toward the sound.

"I'll get it…I'm expecting Alec." I glanced back at him with a little nod. My natural instinct was to get out of that room; I did not want to see Alec. I went to sidestep Jace, but he quickly dipped down and placed another kiss on my cheek.

"Twenty-five." He said with a smile. I couldn't help but smile a big dorky smile back at him as I shook my head and gazed into his eyes.

"You already kissed my cheek this morning." His smile turned into more of a smirk.

"That was an apology; this is the one that counted." He said with a wink. I just rolled my eyes with the same smile on my face. The doorbell rang again and Jace headed to the door as I walked briskly out of the kitchen shaking my head. Every interaction with Jace just drove me crazy.

"Have fun." I called over my shoulder as I walked down the hallway. I wasn't even halfway down the hallway when I heard my name being yelled.

"Clary!" Izzy's voice range out as she jogged after me. I turned around.

"You're an hour early." I scolded. She shot me a mischievous smile.

"I have gossip…" She whispered as she looped her arm with mine. She walked me the rest of the way down the hallway and into my room. She dropped my arm before turning and shutting the door behind us.

"…Ok…So my dad came home last night…he's going to my uncle's bachelor party too…but I think my mom told him about Jace." She rattled off as we walked over to the bed and sat down.

"What do you mean?" I asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"I mean, Alec was supposed to pick up Jace this morning right, but now my dad is. He told Alec to go on with Max and said he'd meet them over there. He told him he wanted a chance to talk to Jace." She used air quotes on the world talk.

"So?" I just furrowed my eyebrows further and shook my head.

"He doesn't know about…well you know…" I took a deep breath and rolled my eyes. I did know.

"…Anyway…He didn't know about it before he came home…Jace specifically asked mom not to tell him, he wanted to, but I think she said something, and I think he's pissed-"

"Why?" I asked quizzically.

"Because my dad always preaches about how important it is to finish college, get a good job, get our lives in order before we settle down. Jace isn't even done with his Bachelor's degree, he's just applying to Medical Schools, that's what, another three year program I think; my dad is not going to be happy about this at all. He'll see Jace getting engaged as something that's going to ruin his life, get him off track. Trust me. This is going to be so much fun to watch." I gave Izzy a disapproving look and shook my head.

"You think this is going to be fun?…Poor Jace."

"Clary, I thought you'd be happy." I shook my head.

"Jace suffering doesn't make me happy Izzy." She rolled her eyes.

"Come on, he's not suffering that much, plus, maybe my dad will put some perspective on this for him." She gave me a heavy look and I just sort of bit my bottom lip.

"Izzy, I don't know about this. I know your dad's approval means a lot to Jace, if he's mad, I don't really want to make things worse." I said as I shook my head again.

"We won't be making things worse, I promise, we'll just be watching. Let me have this Clary. My dad lets Jace get away with murder. I just like to see him knocked down a peg or two every once and a while." I hesitated for a long moment as Izzy's pleading eyes looked back at me. She never complained about her father, but I wondered if she just felt uncomfortable complaining about him to me seeing that at least she had a father. I felt bad for her though, Robert clearly favored the boys and he often disregarded her completely.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked as I rolled my eyes. She gave me a big smile.

"I just want to be there."

A few minutes later Izzy and I were sitting on the couch drinking coffee, but Jace was no where to be seen. We both looked up at the sound of a knock on the door. I went to get up, but Izzy's hand grabbed at my arm as she shook her head at me.

"Let Jace get it." I rolled my eyes.

"He may not even hear that in his room."

"He'll ring the bell next time." I furrowed my eyebrows at her and waited another minute. There was another knock, louder this time.

"I'm getting the door." I said firmly. I walked away from Izzy's protests and answered the door to Robert as expected. Robert was a large man, just as tall as the boys, nearly six-and-a-half feet tall, but he was brooder than the boys all the way around; a rather intimidating man to behold. I was often surprised how much he looked like an older version of Max. He had the same medium brown hair, though nearly half his hair was now white. He wore his hair short, but it still seemed almost messy the way it fell in an imperfect part slightly off center. He had the same blue gray eyes Max had as well, but his looked harder, he never looked all that approachable. Even the square shape of his face and strong chin were very similar to Max. I never knew if Robert spent a great deal of time in the sun or if it was his natural complexion, but he always looked like he had a deep golden tan. He had a few prominent wrinkles across his forehead and smaller ones around his eyes, but it didn't make him look old, it just gave him a permanent skeptical expression. Although, he was a lawyer, maybe he was just constantly skeptical of everything. Robert usually came across to me as a quiet man and he seemed to absorb more from interactions than provide to them, but his fanatical and often times merciless courtroom reputation was well known and I often wondered if he was really as blasé as he seemed. However, he hadn't seen the inside of a courtroom since he decided to teach at Yale over a decade ago, maybe he changed since then.

"Clary." Robert said in his signature deep, always stern sounding voice. He was never rude to me, but he was never overly friendly either. He always seemed distant.

"It's good to see you Mr. Lightwood." I said cheerfully with a smile. Maryse insisted I call her by her first name, but Robert preferred the formality. He looked at me a moment longer with an almost calculating expression before he walked into the apartment.

"Hi dad." Izzy called from the living room.

"Isabelle, I hear you're going shopping today. Is that really the best use of your time?" He said reproachfully as he glanced around the apartment, but he never so much as looked at her.

"Yep…Dress shopping…That is the best use of my time." She said back with a touch of defensiveness. He seemed to be surveying the disarray throughout the apartment.

"Can I get you a cup of coffee Mr. Lightwood?" He glanced at me ever so briefly.

"No." He said shortly as he wandered into the kitchen. I just shadowed him as he walked.

"Was there something else I could offer you? Water? Tea-" I asked politely, but he cut me off abruptly as he spun around to face me.

"No…I'm not here for a social call…" He said in a low gruff voice. I just stopped and looked at him as he crossed his arms over his chest and gazed back at me. His expression was guarded.

"…I won't beat around bush…" He continued in a quiet voice.

"…I put careful consideration into this approach and I find it advantageous if I can sway you to see things from my perspective. You must understand that in keeping my son's best interest at heart, it is of the utmost importance that at this juncture in his life he focus on his education and career…He has the highest aspirations of being a surgeon, and I commend his ambition. Once he's finished school and has secured a position, then, and only then, should he focus on settling down…" I just furrowed my eyebrows as he spoke.

"…If you care for my son at all, I ask that you realistically weigh the pros and cons of marriage at this young age and see that however romantic the idea might seem, it's rather preposterous in the grand scheme of things…This marriage would certainly have a devastating impact to my son's future. I strongly urge you to dissuade him from this life shattering course of action." I just looked at him with my eyebrows furrowed. Was he really hoping that I might be able to do something about this? I would if I could, but I really couldn't. Somewhat unfortunately, my overwhelming urge to protect Jace took hold of me, even against his own father, even about this.

"I don't understand…I'm not confirming or denying Jace's news…" I used air quotes.

"…is that he's engaged, because he wants to tell you his news himself, but hypothetically, if he were getting married, how would that be devastating to his future? You were young when you got married; you were just out of high school. Do you think getting married when you did was the wrong choice? Do you think getting married so young was life shattering to your life?" I asked defensively. I really wasn't sure I wanted to know his answer. I highly doubted Robert was about to tell me that the reason he felt Jace getting married would be devastating was because he belonged with me. He took a deep breath.

"Things were very different for Mrs. Lightwood and me. We had very similar goals. I wish not to offend you, but you must realize that a man with my son's potential will have a very promising future, and if his mother and I are any example, I can only hope that he finds somebody as motivated and driven as he is to share that future with…" I just looked at him with my mouth agape. I felt like I had been slapped in the face. He said he wished not to offend me, but I was feeling pretty offended. Now I should have made sure he understood Jace was not marrying me, but I was way too insulted to do that.

"…It's obvious your lack of motivation has a great deal to do with your upbringing. I understand you're majoring in art as your mother did before you?" He said in a patronizing tone. I crossed my arms over my chest again as I glared daggers at him. I didn't usually like to be rude to people, I especially didn't want to be rude to Jace's dad, but he pretty much just insulted me and my mother, and I wasn't going to leave that alone.

"Don't you dare insult my mother…" I snapped defensively in a much more elevated tone.

"I didn't mean to offend you." He said in a low voice as he glanced in the living room towards Izzy and reached his hand out towards my shoulder, but I jerked away. I glanced in Izzy's direction for the briefest moment, she was shamelessly watching the whole exchange, but I'm not sure how much she heard.

"How could you not mean that offensively?...My mother's an amazing woman…She could have had the corner window office with the six figure salary, but she followed her dreams and that's what she taught me to do. I might not be going to school to be a rocket scientist, but that doesn't mean I lack motivation. It takes a lot more ambition to fight for your dreams and think for yourself, than to let somebody else think for you and just live in their shadow. You're a lawyer, but I know you're only a lawyer because your father was a lawyer and that's what he wanted you to do. I bet you had dreams of your own once, and your father crushed those dreams, just like you're attempting to crush your children's' dreams. Alec's falling right in line with your agenda, going to school to be lawyer just like you want and I know the only reason you're not pushing Jace into law is because he's going to school to be a doctor. God forbid he had dreams of his own that were outside your little box of acceptable careers, like Izzy-" He cut me off.

"If Isabelle is your poster child for one living their dreams you might wish to rethink your argument. Isabelle has a job that will end as soon as her looks begin to fade, not really a wise decision if you ask me…Your speech is far from compelling and rather better supports my argument than your own. With each word you utter your misguided upbringing becomes increasingly apparent…" I scoffed at his insult.

"…People have hobbies, and if your mother spent a bit more time giving you useful guidance as opposed to nurturing your irrational dreams, she would have told you long ago that you should be thinking of your interest in art as just that, a hobby. You question the dreams I had as a young man, I wished to be a professional golf player, but I can thank my father for steering me clear of that dead-end dream…Parents provide guidance to our children because we have already rejoiced in our accomplishments and lived through our mistakes…We attempt to assure our children do not repeat the same mistakes we ourselves have made…My son needs to forget about this irrational idea of marriage and focus on his future, on his career. If you assist me in dissuading him, I will give you the opportunity to prove yourself, but if you remain obstinate, I will deter my son from continuing this relationship all together, and I assure you I can be very persuasive. I not only provide financial support to my son's education, but I pay for half this rent he's allowed you to naively believe cost considerably less than it does. Understand that this is the only compromise I'm willing to entertain. I will see to it that he gets back on track with or without you, end of story." I was pissed, but I tried to compose myself as best I could. I knew he wouldn't take me seriously if I went off on him like an immature teenager; he was a logical man, and I would try to reason with him. I spoke forcefully and I knew I still sounded confrontational, but I made a point to keep my volume even and refrain from swearing at him if at all possible.

"End of story? Doesn't that sound so irrefutable? You forget, I'm not one of your kids, or one of your students, or a defendant in the courtroom. You think you can intimidate me? That's why you thought this was a better approach? I hope you haven't misinterpreted my polite demeanor all these years as submissive. I hate to break it to you, but I'm pretty thick skinned and I don't back down that easy. You live your whole life based on the executive decisions your father made for you when you were younger, and I'm not going to sit back and quietly comply while you try to do the same thing to Jace. You don't like me, I get that, but you don't have to. This isn't actually about you. This is about Jace. You think you can come over here and throw your weight around the second Jace tries to make a decision outside your agenda? You think you can bribe and blackmail him to do what you want? Are those the principles you want to instill in him? You provide for his education and his rent, and I won't argue that you should get a say on that part of his life, but that doesn't mean you should have influence over every decision he makes. If he tries to change his major to Art, when he doesn't have an artist bone in his body, well then you can threaten to stop paying for college. If he tries to turn this apartment into a meth lab, it'll be understandable when you stop sending those rent checks. He's not trying to do anything destructive to his future, he's still on track to do all those things you want for him, but he has a few dreams of his own too. This is his life, not yours; maybe you should actually let him live it. My mother taught me to make my own decisions, to be responsible for my own actions. Accountability is part of life. I have nobody to blame but myself when I screw up. I've made mistakes, and I'm sure I'll make a whole lot more, but that's life. Maybe you think getting married would be the biggest mistake he could make right now, and maybe it would be, but that doesn't mean you should try to interfere. If this is a mistake, it's one you need to let him make. You can say your peace, give Jace all that parental guidance you gained from all those years of mistakes you made, but let him make his own choices. You're a lawyer, you're always looking at motive; what's a person willing to do for love? You might think you can change his mind, and maybe you can, but you're talking about trying to change his heart. Do you really feel confident you can? Would you even want to? Are you willing to take the risk of being wrong? If you strong arm him about this, and you win, he'll spend the rest of his life blaming you, resenting you. It doesn't even matter if it was a mistake, because he'll never know. That's if you can talk him out of it, but I'll bet you anything you can't." It was quiet for a brief moment. My words hit a little too close to home.

"You speak so forcefully, I can't tell if you're just too proud to concede or if you hold that much conviction in your cause…but let me assure you up front that should this marriage take place it will not be analogous to wining the lotto. You will not spend the rest of your life leeching off my son while you focus on pursing a dead-end dream of being an artist…If a steel clad prenuptial agreement isn't to your liking, you might wish to rethink this endeavor."

"Now you're accusing me of being a gold digger? You can't be serious…" I snapped incredulously.

"…Do you think everybody is walking around with an ulterior motive? I told you before; I'm not even going to confirm for you what Jace's news is. He does have news for you, but he wants to tell you that news himself. I don't know what kind of lawyer you think you are, but you do a really poor job of solving cases. You've said what you wanted, now leave. I've had enough of your pernicious attempts at interfering…I'll send Jace down when he's ready…If you really care about his best interest, you'll treat him like an adult, you won't try to force him into doing what you want, like you're trying to do to me. You might think my upbringing left a lot to be desired, but it wouldn't hurt you to take a few lessons in being supportive and nurturing from my mother. I get the impression your father didn't teach you any of those things. See if you can manage to choke out the word congratulations when Jace tells you the news, even if it's merely for his benefit. You might not believe this, and he sure as hell would get pissed off if he knew I told you, but making you proud means the world to him." I knew I couldn't take much more before I lost my temper, but so far I was doing alright. He was quiet for a moment as he just looked back at me with a thoughtful expression.

"It appears we find ourselves at an impasse." He said softly. It was quiet for another long moment, but a door opening in the hallway had us both looking in the direction of the noise. Jace was walking down the hallway looking at his cell phone. When he was just a stride short of the kitchen he looked up. His face looked shocked when he saw his father and he just froze.

"Dad? I thought Alec was picking me up?" Robert's expression was completely reserved when he looked at Jace, you'd never know what him and I were just talking about.

"Son…" He sounded stern when he spoke, but no more than usual. He took a number of steps to meet Jace across the kitchen. He put his arm over Jace's shoulder and turned back to walk him over to where I was standing. Jace was glancing sideways at his father and he looked completely thrown, but Robert's eyes were on me, his expression guarded. I just gave him a heavy look; I was hoping a little more subtle urging would help encourage him in the right direction.

"…Alec will meet us at the course...I thought we could use this time to talk." Robert said firmly as he dropped his arm from around Jace. Jace just continued to look at his father with an uncomfortable look on his face.

"Did you talk to mom by chance?" Jace questioned hesitantly as his eyebrows furrowed. Robert cocked one eyebrow at Jace.

"Your mother didn't tell me if that's your concern, but Max spent the morning dropping hints left and right." I was biting my tongue; I had no idea what Robert was going to say. He looked over at me with guarded eyes, but I couldn't help but shot him a tiny glare back, hiding my emotions wasn't something I was all that good at.

"Dad I was going to tell you-" Jace started, but Robert cut him off.

"Jonathan, you know my feelings about this…" He started as he turned partially towards Jace. I could no longer see Jace's face the way Robert was standing.

"…You're young, not yet finished with college, far from set in your career…" Jace crossed his arms over his chest and shifted uncomfortably, but I still couldn't see his face.

"Can we talk about this later?…Alone?" Jace's voice was obviously agitated.

"You're not a child any longer Jonathan…I won't treat you like one…I'm not going to lecture you son."

"You're not?" Jace asked with a note of surprise in his voice.

"No." Robert sounded thoughtful.

"You're seriously not mad?" Izzy whined from the living room. Robert turned so he was looking at Jace full on and put his hands on both of Jace's shoulders.

"I'm not going to have the same fight with you my father had with me…I was young when your mother and I married, undoubtedly the biggest decision I ever made against my father's wishes, and it caused a terrible rift between the two of us. My father and I didn't speak one word to each other for some fifteen years…Life is too short for that…" He just shook his head and trailed off.

"…If I could go back now and change things, not marry your mother, just to make amends with my father, I still wouldn't. Marrying your mother was the best decision I ever made…I trust that you know your own heart…I'm proud of you son…Congratulations." Robert put his arms around Jace and my mouth just fell open. Did I do that? Did I really just stave off Robert's wrath? Jace looked back at me completely shocked. I don't think I've ever seen Robert hug anybody, even Maryse. After a momentary hesitation Jace put his arms around Robert too.

"Thank you...And I won't let you down. I'll finish school" Jace said softly.

"Good." Robert said firmly as he pulled back, but left one arm over Jace's shoulder. He looked over at me with much gentler eyes and I just stood there thunderstruck with my mouth agape.

"You know, I remember the day I found out Jace had gotten an apartment in the city…" Robert began thoughtfully as he looked at me. I managed to close my mouth, but I was still stunned.

"…I wasn't all that thrilled, he tends to be a free sprit, and I wasn't confident he could stay out of trouble on his own…Oh we had words didn't we?…" Robert said with a chuckle as he glanced sideways at Jace. Jace just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"…The only one of children that will go head-to-head with me, the only one that's too stubborn to ever swallow their pride and back down, even when they know they're wrong…" Robert said heavily. Jace's lips turned up into a somewhat amused smirk. As sweet as this was, I felt like my work here was done.

"…Out of all my children, you are the one that I most feared would never settle down..." Jace made a slightly uncomfortable chuckle.

"…You're such a headstrong child…" Robert sounded amused and Jace chuckled slightly.

"…But fighting for what you really believe in isn't necessarily a bad thing…" He sounded sincere and when he looked back over at me, he actually looked warm.

"…I'm glad you found somebody with as much conviction as you have to fight your battles with you…" He chuckled.

"…or for you." Robert put his other arm over my shoulders pulling me closer to him. Right about now I was really wishing I had set the record straight for Robert earlier. I looked back at Robert looking down at me tenderly. I was shocked; I'd never seen Robert like this before.

"…Congratulations. I mean it." Robert said softly as he just tightened his arm over my shoulders. I didn't know him well enough to know if he was being sincere of acting, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything that would wipe that kindhearted look off his face.

"Jace?" I pleaded softly for help as I glanced back at Jace, but his eyes were big, he was like a deer in headlights. I looked back at Robert looking down at me, his arms still draped over both Jace and I. He was looking at me so sweetly.

"I do expect you'll make sure he finishes college, completes MedicalSchool…No meth labs…" He said with a chuckle.

"…And marriage is one thing, but children can wait." He said firmly, but gently.

"Jace?" I said again with a little more urgency. He finally snapped out of his trance.

"Dad…Oh God…Dad No…" Robert dropped his arms that had been over both mine and Jace's shoulders and turned slightly towards Jace, I couldn't see his face any longer.

"…You think…We're not getting married…Clary and I aren't getting married." Jace said as he shook his head rapidly. It was terribly quiet for a moment as Robert just looked at Jace, when his gaze looked back at me I just shook my head at him rapidly too.

"Oh…Oh…" Robert said as recognition seemed to wash over him.

"…I can't tell you I'm that surprised…" His voice sounded annoyed.

"…I had higher expectations, but…" His gaze shifted from Jace to me and he looked much more calculating.

"…You nearly had me there Sweetheart…That little performance you put on earlier…Bravo…" Robert's voice was harsh and patronizing. I think this dramatic change in tone completely threw Jace, because he just looked very confused.

"…But if you think tricking my son in this manner will have a positive outcome, it will not! I might not know my son's heart, but I assure you, it wasn't my son's heart that got him in this position…I'm not one of those parents that will push for a quick marriage; I'm one of those parents that will push for you to get rid of it, that's assuming you can even prove my son's the father." I just snapped. I was so furious I barely registered I had taken a half step closer to him and my hand was flying towards his face, but Jace's arms wrapped quickly around my waist securely from behind and yanked me back. Robert didn't even move an inch as my hand swatted out and just missed him. Robert looked disgusted.

"So your true colors come out after all." Robert said in a condescending tone. I could almost kick him if I lifted my leg up high enough, but alas he was just out of reach, it didn't stop me from trying though.

"Clary, stop…" Jace snapped. Robert stared down at me reproachfully, and I just scowled back at him. I gave up my attempts to kick him, but Jace still held me tightly.

"Dad no-" Jace started, but Aline appeared from nowhere.

"Darlin', I'm headin' off-" Aline stopped speaking abruptly when she took in the scene in front of her. I had my arms crossed over Jace's and I was just glowering, but not really at her per se, the expression was sort of stuck on my face at this point.

"Who's this?" Robert asked sternly. Jace took a frustrated breath.

"Dad, this is Aline, my fiancée." Jace said heavily. Aline walked timidly into the kitchen.

"Ya must be Jace's father, it's such a pleasure to meet ya Robert." Robert furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at Aline's outstretched hand, then at me and finally at Jace.

"Jonathan…Are you telling me you got the one girl pregnant and you're marrying the other?" His voice was sharp and severe.

"No." Jace sounded aggravated as his face collapsed into my hair and he made an agitated noise. Izzy just burst out laughing hysterically on the couch. Jace's arms tightened infinitesimally around me and reflexively I squeezed my arms fractionally against his as I leaned microscopically further into him. The movement was subtle and probably unnoticeable by anyone else.

"Who's pregnant?" Aline asked curtly as she crossed her arms over her chest. Jace lifted his head.

"Nobody." He said exasperatedly.

"I raised you better than this Jonathan. You have no idea how disappointed in you I am right now." Robert's voice was a menacing growl.

"God dad…Nobody is pregnant…You just misunderstood." Robert looked down at me and I just continued to glare at him. Robert looked over at Aline with one eyebrow cocked.

"I'd love to say I've heard so much about you Dear…but I haven't…not a single word…" And with that he just spun around and walked out of the kitchen.

"…Don't dawdle Jonathan." He snapped sharply before he slammed the door shut.

"Jace…Ya never even told your father about me?" Aline's voice was small and apprehensive. Weather intentionally or unintentionally, Jace never dropped his arms around me as he addressed Aline.

"Oh babe-" He started, but she quickly cut him off.

"Don't…Just don't." Aline's gaze seemed to flick to Jace's arms around me, and this time he did drop his hold.

"Aline, come on-" He started again as he took a step towards her and reached out his hand, but she just shook her head as she took a step back and cut him off again.

"I love ya Jonathan, but I don't like ya very much right now. I'm gonna be late for church…I'll pray for ya." With that she gave an uneasy look to me and then Izzy before she stormed out the front door. Jace made a terribly agitated noise as he turned to Izzy.

"Isabelle." He growled. She was still just laughing away.

"You can't blame me for that…You did that to yourself." She choked out as she ducked down. Jace looked like he was going to just blow his top, that little vein in his neck was throbbing. I started to tiptoe behind Jace, but he reached out and grabbed my arm.

"You." He said accusingly.

"Me?" I snapped defensively.

"You just left me out there to be crucified?" He snarled.

"I spent a good ten minutes in front of that firing squad before you ever got out here." I snapped back. Jace narrowed his eyes at me.

"My father is going to kill me when I get downstairs…You know how long it's going to take me to convince him you're not pregnant?" He growled.

"That's my fault?…I didn't say anything." I spat.

"You must have said something…What the hell was that performance crap he was talking about?...Did he already say something to you about us getting married before I got out there? Did he ask you if we were engaged?" Besides already being pissed, I was not comfortable with this subject, which just made me more frustrated and hostile.

"No, he didn't ask, but he made his feelings known loud and clear he didn't want you marrying me!" I snapped defensively.

"You couldn't say a single thing to let him know he jumped to the wrong conclusion? I knew my father wasn't going to be happy, that's why I wanted to tell him myself. Why did you have go and make things worse?"

"Whoa…Don't get all pissed off at me…I was trying to make things better, not worse. This is not my fault. It's not my fault you didn't tell him about Aline."

"I was going to tell him tonight!..." He snarled through clenched teeth.

"…Why couldn't you just-"

"What Jace? What did you want me to do? I went with ambiguous, but did you want me to tell him the truth?..." I spat.

"…Excuse me Mr. Lightwood, Jace isn't marrying me, but he is getting married, just to another girl…" I threw my voice to make it sound as fake and cherry as I could.

"…No, no, I'm pretty sure that's your place, not MINE!" I snapped in an elevated tone.

"Fine!...But you couldn't say the words…I'M. NOT. PREGNANT!" He yelled.

"YOU TOLD HIM THAT!" I shouted back as I threw my hands on my hips.

"He's not going to believe me, he's going to think I was lying because Aline was standing right there, and now he's going to think I still am lying."

"Fine! I'll go downstairs and tell him right now." I said as I went to turn towards the door, but Jace's hand was already on my arm.

"No…He'll think I put you up to it." He snapped. I took an exasperated breath.

"I don't know what the hell you want me to do Jace, so just tell me!"

"Well I can tell you what would be the absolute last thing I would have suggested…Smacking my father." He growled.

"He deserves a good smack." I hissed without ever breaking his gaze. His face darkened, he looked so pissed.

"Clary, that's my father you're talking about…My father…If he was pissing you off, you should have just went to your room." He said venomously. I just crossed my arms over my chest and glared daggers at Jace.

"You mean like this!" I spun around and stormed down the hallway.

Izzy's POV

I peeked up from my position on the couch, and I might have expected Jace to start yelling at me, but he just looked deflated as he crossed his arms on the kitchen island and collapsed his head into them. I couldn't leave him like that, my dad, Aline, and now Clary all just stormed away from him. I stood up and took a deep breath.

"Are you alright?" I asked softly as I hesitantly approached him. He didn't even lift his head.

"If you came over here to gloat…Go. Away." He growled. I put my hand on his back and he tensed at first, but then he relaxed. I rubbed his back gently.

"He'll come around." I said softly. He glanced up at me sideways and he looked dispirited, but there was something else there too, a look I couldn't decipher in his eyes.

"He said he was proud of me…Did you hear him?...He said it without mom telling him to." He said softly, and now I could see it, the look I couldn't decipher before, shame. I don't think Jace had ever been ashamed of anything he'd done.

"I heard him…He is proud of you. He's always proud of you." Jace shook his head.

"You didn't see the look in his eyes, he was actually happy for me, for just a few moments, he looked sincerely happy. I don't remember the last time I saw dad happy about anything…" Jace said softly.

"…I was so sure he'd be mad." He said thoughtfully as he looked off into space.

"He is mad." I said with an uneasy chuckle. He looked back up at me and shook his head slightly.

"No…I mean…He wasn't, for a few minutes anyway, he really wasn't mad…What happened this morning between the two of them, before I got out here?" He asked as he gazed up at me expectantly. I took a deep breath and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Let's just say…Clary and dad got in one hell of a pissing contest this morning, and I'd argue that she won…Minimally it was a draw." He furrowed his eyebrows at me.

"What were they fighting about?" I gave him a little smile.

"Mainly you…And she fought fiercely for you." I didn't wait for any follow-up questions; I just turned around and headed towards Clary's room.

Alec's POV

Jace, my cousin Gab, and I were all sitting at a table in the country club dining hall. The rest of the guys that had come for my Uncle Benedict's bachelor party were still golfing. Jace had been really off all day, and when he said he didn't want to golf anymore, I figured I'd stay with him and see if I could find out what was going on. The tension between him and our father was obvious from the moment they arrived, and I hadn't seen our father talk to or even look at Jace all day. Once we were back at the dining hall, and away from our father, Jace finally filled me in on what happened between the two of them. I'm not sure why Gab decided to stop golfing. It's not like he and Jace were all that close, they usually ragged on each other relentlessly if they were together like this, but Jace seemed too glum to bother with Gab right now.

"You see the ass on her?" Gab asked as he nearly fell out of his seat. I just shook my head, but Jace didn't even acknowledge Gab, he just stared down at his phone turning it over and over in his hand. I couldn't remember ever seeing him so focused on a girl that he didn't even glance when somebody made a comment like that.

"You could call her you know?" I said with a gentle smile. He glanced up at me briefly.

"She's pissed at me…I'll let her calm down." He looked back down at his phone.

"Hoping she breaks down first?" Gab asked and Jace shrugged halfheartedly.

"I thought maybe, but-" He started, but when his phone dinged that he got a text, he practically dropped it as his face lit up. No sooner did he check his message then his face completely fell again.

"I'm guessing that wasn't her?" Gab said with a chuckle. Jace cast him a little glare.

"No, my mom was just letting me know that my dad is canceling on me for dinner." Jace said with a loud sigh.

"He couldn't tell you that in person?" Jace glanced at me briefly with a little shrug.

"I told you…It was ugly thing morning…I don't care right now anyway." He looked back down at his phone.

"We'll have a round of beers." I looked over at Gab. They might have both been old enough to legally drink, but I wasn't. That wouldn't have normally stopped me, but seeing as we were at my dad and Benedict's country club, this seemed like a bad idea.

"Dude, you're going to get us kicked out." I snapped after the waitress walked away.

"No way, she's been eyeing Jace the whole time. She's trying to make points with him." Jace didn't even glance up from his phone to see what the waitress looked like.

"Call her, or send her a text, do something man, watching you is getting depressing. Tell her you're sorry for being a great big asshole…" Jace didn't even glance up at Gab's comment.

"…Chicks always forgive you when you say shit like that." Jace gave a little nod.

"Maybe just a text." The waitress came over and put three beers on the table as Jace got up and walked away.

"I've never seen him like this." Gab said as he looked over at me. I shrugged.

"I'm sure a lot of it has to do with our father." Gab shook his head.

"No…I mean…I've never seen him in love…It's not going to be the same playing the field without him, but I'm happy for him." I furrowed my eyebrows at him.

"You think he's in love?" Gab chuckled.

"Well he is getting married, so I should hope so." I shrugged halfheartedly.

"Sometimes I wonder."

"Come on, he never looked at that girl with the ass I pointed out, or the waitress that just left her number on the napkin she put his drink on-"

"She what?" I asked as I leaned over and glanced at Jace's napkin. Sure enough there was a phone number clearly visible on it. Gab just chuckled and continued.

"He was doing horribly at golf. I mean even Max was kicking his ass. He wasn't even paying attention. Don't tell me that's your father either, because normally he'd just try that much harder to impress him." He had me there.

"We're suppose to be having a good time, just us guys, and he can't keep his mind off of her…Come on…You're telling me he's the same Jace he use to be?…I bet just a few months ago he would have taken that waitress in the bathroom and banged her right here." There was a lot of truth to that. Jace came back over to the table and he had a small smirk on his face, he looked better, happier.

"Did you get a hold of her?" I asked as Jace's smirk turned into a smile.

"Yeah. She's going to stop by." He said as he took a seat.

"Whoa, no girls!" Gab snapped. Jace looked up at him.

"Come on, she'll be here for like five minuets-"

"No way man, call her back." Gab snapped.

"I thought you'd want to see her anyway." Jace said with a slight glare.

"Not really…I know that might be hard for you to believe…" Gab said matter-of-factly. Jace just gave a little half shrug and left it at that. Gab and Jace were usually very competitive. Trying to steal girls from each other was a challenge worth rising to, but I couldn't see Gab going after Jace's fiancée, that would be really low, even for Gab.

"…I was just telling Alec I'm happy for you man." Jace looked at Gab skeptically.

"Oh yeah?" Gab nodded.

"Yeah…You know…For getting engaged and all that crap…I didn't think I'd see the day when you got serious about a chick. I can't believe you're getting married." Jace's face changed, a bit of the spark left.

"Ah…Thanks…I guess…Not everybody seems as happy about the news."

"Your dad will warm up to her once he realizes how much you care about her." Jace just sort of nodded, though based on the look on his face, he clearly didn't believe that.

"Sure…Dammit…I should probably call her." Jace said as he stood back up, he had a dispirited look on his face. I furrowed my eyebrows as I opened my mouth to speak, but Gab took the words right out of my mouth.

"Didn't you just talk to her?" Jace shook his head with a tiny spark back in his eyes.

"No…That was Clary." He said before he turned and walked away. Gab looked at me heavily with one eyebrow cocked.

"Clary?" I just shook my head.

"Don't look at me like that Gab."

"He's been that worked over Clary all day?" Gab asked skeptically with an amused smirk.

"I don't know."

"Now Clary I would like to see..." He said as a smug smile spread across his lips.

"…Is she still coming to my dad's wedding?" I furrowed my eyebrows at him.

"Yes…" I answered hesitantly and the smile that spread across his face made him look like the cat that swallowed the canary. I glared at him.

"…Gab, don't even think about it. Clary's off limits, you know that-"

"No, no…That was before Jace changed the game and got engaged…" I went to speak, but the way his eyes flicked passed me had me turning to follow his gaze.

"…Target acquired." Gab said heavily. Sure enough, Izzy and Clary were just walking in.

"Gab…" I started in a warning tone, but when I turned back, he was already gone.

Clary's POV

"Five minutes!" Izzy snapped as we walked into country club dining hall.

"We were passing by anyway Izzy." I said as I rolled my eyes. Two hands came around me from behind and covered my eyes. I might have thought it was Jace, except the cologne was much spicier and was accompanied by the smell of cigarette smoke.

"Guess who?" I smiled, I might not have recognized the scent, but the voice I knew.

"Gab?" He chuckled as he dropped his hands. I turned towards him to be wrapped up in a huge bear hug. Gab was the younger of Benedict's two sons, but he was still a couple years older than Jace. He did not inherit the Lightwood height, at closer to 5 feet 10 inches he was pretty average height, though he still towered over me. He had medium brown hair with blonde highlights, similar to Max, and he wore it straight and messy. Right now it fell over his ears in such a way that it looked like he needed a hair cut. He had striking green eyes, closer to teal. He was wearing a tucked in yellow polo, but it was tighter than anything Jace would ever wear. The way his shirt was fitted over his body emphasized that he was built, not as muscular as Jace, but he was definitely toned.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in forever." Gab said with a huge smile. He kept his arms loosely around me. I rolled my eyes.

"You saw her last weekend." Izzy snapped impatiently. Gab tilted his head side to side thoughtfully. He had been at Jace's birthday party, but I didn't really talk to him much.

"For like a minute, then you were gone, and the rest of the evening I suffered in silent misery." Izzy made a disgusted noise.

"Keep throwing lines, but she's not going to bite!" Izzy snapped. Gab always flirted with me, but he was a huge flirt in general, so I never really thought much about it.

"Where's Jace?"

"He went to go call Aline." He said simply. I took a deep breath.

"Oh." I said with a noticeable touch of disappointment.

"Where's everybody else?" Izzy questioned.

"Come on…" Gab started as he dropped his arms from around me and scooped up my hand.

"…Most of the crew is playing another round of golf, including your dad…" Gab said as he towed me across the room with Izzy following right behind us. I was a little apprehensive as I scanned the room, I still didn't want to face Alec.

"…but Alec, Jace, and I are over here." I felt heat rise to my cheeks when my eyes met Alec's briefly. His looked just as uncomfortable as me and we both quickly looked away from each other.

"Alec." I said anxiously without looking at him.

"Hey…" Alec mumbled back as Gab pulled me down into an empty chair next to his, which meant there was one empty chair between Alec and me, but thankfully Izzy sat in it.

"…I'm going to go see what's keeping Jace." Alec said abruptly as soon as we sat down.

"Alright…" Izzy responded halfheartedly as she reached out and grabbed the beer glass in front of her.

"…Whose beer is this?" She asked quizzically.

"Jace's, but-" Before Alec could get another word out Izzy was already sucking the beer down. Alec just shook his head as he walked away.

"I hear there is a terrible travesty…" Gab started as he placed his hand on my knee. I looked over at him skeptically. Gab's eyes flicked away from mine briefly as a waitress nearby bent over and picked a fork up off the ground. Gab was a huge player, I knew it.

"What travesty?" I asked in an amused tone as I put my hand over his, essentially to keep it from creeping any further up my thigh, but I only reclaimed half of Gab's attention.

"I hear you do not have a date for my father's wedding…" Gab said before his eyes finally fell back onto mine.

"…You know I'd kill to go with you." He scooped up my hand in his and kissed my knuckles. I might almost believe he was being sincere too, the way he was looking deep into my eyes, but when his eyes flicked away again to look at that waitress's ass, I knew it was all a line. I just chuckled and rolled my eyes.

"You mean you'd kill to sleep with her…" Izzy said flippantly next to me. I let out a little scoff mixed with a chuckle.

"…Actually…" Izzy said thoughtfully as she put her hand on my shoulder. I glanced over at her.

"…That's not a bad idea. You should totally sleep with Gab." My eyes bugged out at her.

"Izzy!" I snapped reproachfully.

"How long has it been since you've had sex?" Izzy asked evenly.

"What?' I snapped incredulously.

"Three days…Wait…Today's Sunday?…Four days." Gab said thoughtfully. I glanced back at him and gave him a little glare.

"I'm not playing this game." I said as I looked back at Izzy.

"Considering you told me last night that you and Sebastian aren't sleeping together-"

"Who's Sebastian?" Gab asked quizzically, I would have ignored him, but Izzy felt like filling him in.

"They're just friends…" Izzy said with air quotes. Gab chuckled.

"…Anyway, I can't even remember you going on an actual date in forever, and I'm betting you haven't had sex in a long ass time…I think you've been holding on to Jace for far too long, and seeing he's very clearly unavailable, I'm afraid if you don't do something drastic, you'll end up alone…You need to shake things up if you're going to move past all this…Gab's perfect…No strings attached…You already know each other-"

"Wow Izzy, say no more, with that logic, you make sleeping with Gab sound like a no-brainer." I said sarcastically.

"Move!" I jumped at the sound of Jace's harsh voice behind me. I glanced up at him. I knew my cheeks were bright red, I also knew he had to have heard at least my last comment.

"Me?" I asked incredulously. It's not that I specifically wanted to stay here, but I was being a little stubborn about letting Jace order me out of my seat. Jace had a miserable scowl on his face, but he seemed to be directing it at Gab's hand holding mine. I had nearly forgotten he had my hand and I ripped my hand out of his quickly.

"You're in my seat." Jace said matter-of-factly.

"No she isn't…" I glanced over as Gab spoke and he had a wicked smirk on his face.

"…Your sister Izzy is in your seat…Drinking your beer, but I can't see anything about this seat that you have any claim over." Gab said the words in a sarcastic tone and Jace made an annoyed noise. My gaze returned to Jace. He gestured for me to get up with both hands.

"Jace, you're being ridiculous, there are four other empty seats at this table." Izzy said with a chuckle, I absentmindedly registered Alec's seat was still empty, he hadn't returned yet. Jace didn't even acknowledge Izzy.

"Just let me sit there." Jace said gently as his expression softened. He looked so sweet. I rolled my eyes as I stood up and as I went to take a step away Jace's arm snaked around my waist and pulled me swiftly into his lap as he sat. I let out with a little yelp.

"Perfect." Jace said as he wrapped both his arms around my waist possessively. I just shook my head. Jace and Gab didn't get along that well, and Jace always got pissed off when Gab flirted with me, but that didn't ever stop Gab from doing it. Although, today went well beyond flirting. I glanced at Jace over my shoulder and he was looking back at me with a small smirk, though I could still see the strain in his eyes.

"Are you afraid I'll fall for Gab's player lines?" I asked sarcastically as I glanced back over at Gab. He wasn't even paying attention at this point; he'd gone over to talk to the waitress he was checking out earlier. Jace just made an irritated grumbling noise and tightened his arms what little more he could around my waist. I looked back over at him.

"No…You've been so feisty today, I'm afraid you'll suddenly attack someone." He said heavily with one eyebrow raised. I cringed.

"How are things with your dad?" He rolled his eyes.

"He's not talking to me…He cancelled on me for dinner." I gave him a sympathetic look.

"Jace I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?" He gave me a little smirk.

"Yes…" I looked at him expectantly as his arms tightened infinitesimally more.

"…Just being here…You're doing it." I gave him a small smile as he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I could feel his whole body relaxing. He searched my face as his hand reached up and pushed a stray curl behind my ear.

"I feel like I've been doing things nonstop lately…I'd be nice to just have a quiet evening…You know?...Just have dinner at home…Maybe throw on a movie…Not go anywhere, not do anything…Will you be home tomorrow night?" I smiled.

"Yeah." He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss against my cheek and my lips curved up that much more as a huge toothy smile broke out across my face. When he pulled back he gazed into my eyes for a moment before he spoke.

"Stay away from Gab. He's a heartless snake, he'll just use you." He said with a very firm look.

"Dude, I'm right here. I can hear you." I heard Gab's voice, but neither Jace nor I looked towards him. I narrowed my eyes at Jace playfully.

"But he just asked me to go to your uncle's wedding with him and I'm so excited." I said feigning enthusiasm. Jace's eyes narrowed in a mock glare as his hands grabbed ever so gently at my sides, I let out with a little yip. I knew it was just a warning; he'd really tickle me next time.

"Stay. Away. From. Gab." He reiterated slowly with one eyebrow cocked. His face looked more playful this time. I gave him a little mock glare.

"No, I don't think I will." I said defiantly, but jokingly.

"I think you want to be tickled." Jace said as his eyes twinkled mischievously, his smirk turned into a smile, and his hands dug into my sides. He was being gentler than usual, probably because he didn't want to make a scene. His attacks were quick and intermittent, but I yipped each time his fingers dug into my sides. I tried to wiggle out of Jace's lap, but he just chuckled and kept his arms tightly around me.

"Dad!" Alec's warning was quiet but urgent; I wasn't even sure where he had just come from. Jace's eyes got big as he jumped up and practically pushed me onto the floor.

"You should go." Jace said as his eyes flicked towards the door. Izzy's hand grabbed mine a second later.

"He's right. Come on." Izzy practically dragged me to the back door. I looked over my shoulder just long enough to see the glower on Jace's father's face as he bee lined directly over to Jace. He might not have talked to him all day, but it looked like he was about ready to have words with him right now.

A/N - Thank you all for your amazing reviews! I can't respond to guest reviews, but that doesn't mean I'm not just as excited and happy to receive them!