I've had a really great response from you guys, so I'm going to keep on updating Balancing Act here for you. Keep up the reviewing, it makes me happy to see that people are enjoying it and that they still want it being posted! ;)

Set the day after the previous chapter.

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All three Wright women in the sitting room looked up as they heard the knock on the front door.

"I'll get it," offered Clary, eager to get away from the account keeping her mother was making her practice. She walked quickly into the hallway and opened the front door to find Tom grinning at her.

"Thought I'd come and see how you're doing," he explained.

A scowl came over her face. "I'm sick of the poxy thing already," she replied. "I wanted to go swimming again today."

"I thought you might be sulking." He pulled out a rose from behind his back and held it out to her. "I brought you this to cheer you up, and to congratulate you on being a woman and all that." She stared at it, and he laughed. "It's not going to bite you." He gently pressed it into her hand and then ruffled her hair. "I just can't believe my little Clary's all grown up."

She straightened her hair and glared at him. "I'm not little and I'm not yours. I'm mine." She couldn't help but admire the rose though. It certainly smelled wonderful. She tilted her head up to look at him and gave him a small half smile. "Thank you, Tom. It's beautiful."

He suddenly shoved a hand into his pocket, pulling out a raisin patty wrapped in a clean handkerchief. "Before I forget, I got this for you too because they smelled good when I walked past."

Clary grinned and broke it in half, handing one half and the handkerchief back to him.

Tom shook his head, looking sheepish. "I already had one on my way here."

She poked him with the hand that held it. "Take it."

"Don't you like it?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's called sharing, you ducknobbed looby. Don't tell me you can't fit another half in."

He chuckled and took it. "If you're sure. I've always got room for a little bit more."

"You're sarden predictable," she informed him, although she couldn't help but grin a little as she said it.

They bit into their pasties at the same time. "I told you it was good," mumbled Tom around his.

"You're supposed to swallow before you talk, it's sarden revolting," Clary complained.

"You just said that with a mouthful too," he pointed out.

"But I can't see myself doing it, so obviously I don't have to watch it."

Tom gulped down the rest of his pasty and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I was thinking that tomorrow we could go on a picnic, a big one this time. Make it a bit of an adventure, to cheer you up a bit."

"What do you mean by 'a big one'?" she asked warily.

"Well, I was thinking we could go a little way into the Royal Forest. Ma already said she'd pack us a picnic lunch, and Da said I could borrow the horse and wagon from the shop just for the day."

Clary's face lit up. "Really? The Royal Forest? And going on the wagon with the horse to get there?" Her face fell again as she realised something. "Mother will never let me go. It's not proper."

He chuckled. "I know. I thought we could invite Klee and Leena along too. Would your ma agree to that?"

Clary thought about it and then gave him a small smile. "I think she might." She swallowed the last of her pasty and brushed the crumbs from her hands. "I'll ask her now."

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Rosalind had gone upstairs to try on her dress by the time that Clary went back inside.

"Ma? Tom wants to know if me and Klee can go on a picnic with him and Leena tomorrow."

Her mother set her needlework down. "What's that you've got?"

Clary looked down and realised she was still holding the rose. "Tom gave it to me to congratulate me."

"Getting flowers from boys already?"

Clary blushed. "Tom doesn't count. Please can we go? Tom said it'll cheer me up."

"You haven't even finished yesterday's chores yet."

"It's not my fault I got my sarden monthlies. Please, Ma? I'll do all of yesterday's and today's and tomorrow's chores today. I promise."

"Where is he planning on going?"

Clary fiddled with her skirts and resisted the temptation to lie. "The Royal Forest. He's borrowing his da's horse and wagon."

"The Royal Forest? Clary, that's not proper."

"Mother! Tom's just being nice, he's doing it to cheer me up. And there'll be four of us. Please?"

"You'll need to ask Cook if she can give you some food, and –"

"Tom already said his mother would pack us a picnic."

"I can't go sending you off with nothing to contribute."

"I'll sort something. Can we go?"

"Only if your father says Berkeley can have the day off."

Clary beamed. "Klee's just an apprentice, Da doesn't actually need him for anything important." She saw the look on her mother's face. "I'll ask him anyway."

……………………………………………………………..

Clary raced back from the workshop to Tom. "We can go!"

He grinned at her. "That's great! In that case, I've got to go and help Da finish some things off before tomorrow."

She pulled a face. "I have to do all my chores today too."

"We'll come here and get you tomorrow morning at ten then." He ruffled her hair as he turned to leave, and she was too excited to even manage a proper scowl as she fixed it.

...............................................................

Clary opened the door before Tom even reached it. "I heard the wagon pulling up," she explained.

Klee came around the corner carrying two bags. "You mean you saw it too. She's been watching the road since half past nine."

Clary glared at him. "Have you got everything?"

"I haven't touched anything since the last time you checked it all."

"We've got a bit of food too," Clary told Tom, pointing to the bags. "And other things Ma thought we might need. And I baked apple pasties."

"You mean Cook did," corrected Klee.

"Cook helped," she snapped. "Go and put those in the wagon."

"Leena's out there with Sawdust," added Tom.

"She put salt instead of sugar in the first batch and then burnt the second," Klee informed Tom as he passed.

Tom chuckled as her face turned red. "My da always says that practice makes perfect. I'm sure they'll taste delicious."

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Clary was almost disappointed when they found a nice picnic spot in the forest, just off the side of a small road. She'd enjoyed sitting up in the wagon and watching everything go by, and it was exciting to travel somewhere outside of the city. Jumping down from the wagon, she looked around at the grass, the trees, and the stream. "This is a nice place," she admitted, and began to unload the wagon.

Tom looked around and saw Clary watching him with Sawdust. "I finished unloading," she said hastily, and he grinned.

"I'm just attaching a lead rope so I can let him off the wagon while we're here." Clary nodded and gave Sawdust's long nose a couple of pats. "Have you ever ridden a horse?" Tom asked suddenly. "I know you've come on the wagon delivering with me and Da a few times, but I don't think you've ridden him."

She shook her head.

"Do you want to have a go now?"

"Me, now?" She looked up at Sawdust. All of a sudden he looked a lot bigger, but riding him did sound like fun. She could picture herself galloping along like the lady knights did.

Tom chuckled at the look on her face. "You'll be fine. It is a lot harder than it looks though. And I didn't think to bring a saddle, so you'll have to try it bareback."

Clary nodded, and climbed up onto the wagon while Tom brought Sawdust close for her. She gathered up her skirts and clamoured on. She finally got herself settled comfortably and gently took hold of Sawdust's mane. "That wasn't so bad," she said.

Tom started walking forward, holding the lead rope, and Sawdust followed. All of a sudden, everything under Clary was moving in different places and at different times. She squeaked and clung on, causing Tom to burst out laughing. "It does feel funny at first," he told her. "But don't worry, you won't fall." He led them in a full circle, right around the clearing where Leena and Klee were setting up the picnic just to prove she could stay on. Finally, he tied the lead rope to a tree by the stream so that Sawdust could have a drink and eat some grass. "Just lean forward, swing your leg over, and slide off," he instructed. She did as he said, and felt her feet touch the ground before her ankle rolled and she fell over. She could hear Leena and Klee laughing, and even Tom was grinning a bit as he asked if she was alright and gave her a hand up.

"I know people get sore legs from riding, but I didn't know it happened that quickly," teased Leena.

"I just landed on a clump of grass and lost my balance," Clary grumbled.

"Sure you did," said Klee, still snorting with laughter.

"I did! It's right here, see?" She pointed at it.

Tom laughed and slung an arm around her shoulders. "I see it. Come on, let's have some lunch."

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They were all enjoying their picnic lunch when Klee pointed behind Clary. "Look, a squirrel!" They all turned to look.

"Maybe it's hungry," said Tom, and began breaking off pieces of his bread roll. He held them out to the squirrel, but it wouldn't come any closer.

"Trust you to think it's after food," replied Clary as he set small chunks of bread out in a line towards the squirrel. "It's probably just about to attack us because we're too close to its favourite tree or something."

Tom shrugged. "It doesn't hurt to offer it something." Sure enough, the squirrel came forward and started eating the chunks of bread as they watched, gradually coming closer to them.

"It's probably got fleas," Clary complained.

"You're sounding like Ma," pointed out Klee, and Clary rolled her eyes.

The squirrel soon ended up in the middle of their rug, happily accepting food straight from Tom's hand. "I wish we could take it home," said Leena. "It's cute."

It had probably just eaten its fill, but as soon as Leena spoke, the squirrel took one last piece of bread from Tom and scurried off. Clary laughed so hard that her stomach hurt.

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Clary lay on her back in the sunshine as Tom munched on one of her apple pasties. "You're not sulking because you can't go swimming, are you?"

Of course she was sulking. She could see and hear Leena and Klee sitting on the bank and splashing their feet in the cool water. She knew she could be too, but it would be tormenting herself because she knew she couldn't properly go swimming. "I'm fine," she said. "It's nice here in the sun too."

"I told you these apple pasties would be good, and I was right."

She sat up suddenly and sneezed several times, and then smiled at him sheepishly. "The sun was in my eyes." She quickly touched a knuckle to her nose and it came away stained red. She swore and fumbled to find her handkerchief. "I thought it felt like that had happened."

Tom was staring. "You sneezed and got a bleeding nose?"

Klee and Leena had heard and looked over. "She just gets those sometimes," explained Klee.

"Ma said she got them quite a bit when she was younger too," added Clary's muffled voice.

"Are you going to be alright?" Tom asked, concerned. "Do you think it will stop soon? It wouldn't be good if you lost too much blood."

"It's just a nosebleed Tom, I'll be fine when it stops."

"It's not just the nosebleed I'm thinking of." He raised his eyebrows, and she realised what he meant.

"Great," she muttered. "Now I'm sarden bleeding out of both ends."

Tom couldn't help but laugh. "Poor Clary. You can have my handkerchief too if yours gets too bloody."

"Thanks, but I think it's slowing down now."

A few minutes later it had stopped completely, and Clary got to her feet. "I hate stupid, poxy, sarden, fen-sucked nosebleeds," she complained. She coughed and then spat a big clot of blood into a bush. "It's sarden revolting, I hate the taste of blood."

Tom handed her the water pitcher. "Have a drink, and eating a bit of food might help too."

"I couldn't eat another bite. I think I'd throw it up on the wagon ride home."

"Speaking of that," added Leena. "Hadn't we best be going? We've been here a long time."

"Ma said she wanted us back before dark," agreed Clary glumly.

"Only if you think you'll be alright to go, Clary." Tom looked at her, concerned. "If we go too soon, the wagon might jolt your nose into bleeding again."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Tom, I'm fine now. Really. I don't want to go, but we should. Let's get packed up."

.............................................................

Tom handed the reigns to Leena and jumped down to help Clary and Klee get their things.

"Thank you, Tom. I had such a wonderful time, and you were right, it did cheer me up. Thank you for such a great day!" She felt like she should say so much more, but couldn't find the words to express her gratitude enough. Impulsively, she stretched up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

Klee's mouth fell open. "Clary and Tomlan, sitting in a-"

"Shut your gob," she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. "It wasn't like that." Leena was stifling giggles. "It wasn't," she insisted, and scowled. "So much for being friendly."

"Thank you, Tom," said Klee. "I'm not kissing you though."

Clary huffed and rolled her eyes, and Tom laughed. "I know you were just being friendly," he told her, and ruffled her hair. "I'll see you whenever I see you then," he said with a grin, and jumped back onto the wagon. Clary and Klee stood and waved as Tom and Leena drove off down the street.

Once they were gone, Klee grinned at his sister. "Clary and Tomlan, sit-"

She kicked him lightly as they started walking up the path. "Don't be such a ducknob."

"You're the ducknob, you completely missed his lips." He made kissing noises and laughed. "I'd tell you to plant a big sloppy kiss on his mouth next time, but kissing you would be disgusting and I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

Clary shoved him.

"What? I have to say that, I'm your little brother."

She grabbed hold of him and planted a kiss on his cheek, then walked through the door laughing as he complained and tried to rub it off.