Chapter Nine

Clary realized to her great annoyance that running in heels was incredibly difficult and not to mention terrifying. She thought she was going to break her ankle at any moment as she rushed back to the subway and in turn the apartment. She arrived at 5:59 and it was truly a wonder how she wasn't late. She made sure to smooth her hair down just incase any pieces had come loose before opening the apartment door.

She was greeted by the apartment lit only by candle light and rose petals scattered across the floor. The entire apartment had a soft golden glow to it and the smell of roses filled her nose, a large contrast to Isabelle's fake spelling perfumes. She gasped at how romantic and thoughtful it was. She took a few careful steps inside, admiring all the things Jace had done in the short time she was gone.

Jace stepped out of the shadows wearing a black dress shirt and a gray vest. He was wearing slacks and to her great amusement, shadowhunter boots. He looked incredibly handsome. And sexy. Very sexy. She looked back up at his face to see he was looking at her, his lips parted, his eyes traveling from her face to her body to her fancy hair.

"Wow. You look-incredible. I mean you always do but damn Clary. Did Isabelle do this?" He asked sounding obviously very aroused and slightly surprised. Clary blushed and looked down at her shoes. Was it really that obvious? Was her fashion sense that bad?

"Yeah she forced me to do a full makeover after pointing out I was very underdressed in a tank top and jeans. I was almost late because she kept fussing." Clary said in a rush. She felt anxious although she wasn't sure why. It was only Jace. Maybe because Isabelle had put such an emphasis on how important their first date since he got back was.

Jace walked up to her and tilted her face up to look at him. "You are beautiful no matter what. No matter if you're wearing lots of makeup and a truly stunning dress and very uncomfortable looking shoes or just a tank top and jeans. You'll never be any less beautiful, okay?" He said and he sounded so sincere and confident in what he had said that she couldn't resist and reached up to press her lips to his. She pulled back and dropped her head onto his shoulder and looped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. They didn't hug enough. He automatically put his arms around her and she felt so safe at that moment.

"God Jace how do you always know exactly what to say. I love you so much and I will always love you," She murmured into his shoulder and he hugged her even tighter

"And I love you just as much if not more. I'm always going to be here okay? Through it all. I belong to you completely," He said into her hair. She pulled back slightly to look at him and he stared right back, his entire face open and full of love.

"Jace," She said quietly. "I hate to ruin the moment but I'm starving. Can we postpone to cuddling to after I've eaten?" He laughed and dropped him arms, walking over to the small table they had which had a single candle in the center.

"Of course. I'm hungry as well. It was hard not to eat it while you were gone," He said pulling out Clary's chair for her. Once she took her seat Jace crossed to the kitchen counter and grabbed something. He sat down opposite her and placed a box on the table. Pizza. Of course, he knew her all too well. Well enough to know that she would much prefer a pizza over a fancy steak.

She laughed and said, "you really know the way to my heart don't you?" He grinned and from under the table he produced a two liter bottle of cola, her favorite. He poured it into the champagne glasses and his eyes danced with amusement.

"We must remain classy, don't you see? Fancy glass and silverware but also, pizza and soda is much better than steak and champagne. It is a delicate balance." He said and she chuckled silently.

"Oh yes. What would we be if we weren't classy on date night?" She said, playing along. Jace laughed, a musical sound that made Clary smile. She wished she could paint laughter sometimes. Just with colors. No concrete pattern or image. She considered what paint she would use. Watercolor most likely. She shook her head returning to the present moment with Jace who was explaining how concerned he was about lighting the apartment on fire from all the candles.

"That would be bad indeed." She agreed as they dug into their pizza and soda. They talked and talked. Jace describing Alicante and the current events going on there. Occasionally cracking jokes to lighten the mood. Clary talked about the constant unrest of the vampires and werewolves. About how she was always called upon to diffuse the situation. The plans that were made for tomorrow night to settle a territory. She confessed how nervous she was about the whole thing and how she was glad he was coming with her. With anyone else, except maybe Simon, she wouldn't have said that but with Jace it was different. She trusted him enough to be fully honest and vulnerable.

He reassured her that it would be alright. She talked about how big Max was getting and how he'd tackled her when she arrived the institute. The evening stretched on as the finished their pizza and cookies. They kept talking. Finally Clary yawned and stretched.

"Jace. You were right, these really are uncomfortable shoes. How about we go put on our pajamas and watch a movie?" She suggested, looking for any excuse to change into something more comfortable and wash her face. Plus she'd promised that they would cuddle later. It was later.

Jace seemed to agree as he stood up and walked to the bedroom without another word. She smiled and followed. She finally got to change into a pair of lounge pants and a loose t-shirt instead of the uncomfortable dress. She washed her face and when she came back out Jace was wearing sweatpants and was just picking up a shirt. Clary held his wrist and smiled at him shyly.

"Maybe you could leave the shirt off?" She suggested, looking at him and biting her lip. He tossed the shirt on the dresser and grabbed her hand and lead her to the small living room. They cozied up on the couch, Jace holding Clary so securely yet so gently. They watched a movie and occasionally kissed or giggled at a funny part. This is nice, Clary thought to herself and sitting there in Jace's warm safe embrace she fell asleep, content.

I love writing about cute simple things like date night. Not my most detailed one but I didn't want to ramble either. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed. It makes my day. Keep a look out I'll be posting chapters 10-12 very shortly- Meg