{Chapter Nine}

~o.O.o~

"Clary, the apartment is spotless, you have to stop dusting." Jace tried to pry the rag away from his girlfriend. Clary had a deathgrip and her knuckles were turning white. Jace knew she was nerve wracked, she had been up since five cleaning the entire apartment. Jace didn't like sleeping without her and he liked the vacuum at that time even less.

"What if she doesn't like me? What if she hates my guts and thinks I'm not good enough for you and then we have to break up because she's family and I lose you and-" Clary rambled, her hands moving animatedly. Jace wanted to tell her she was his family, his home, but he couldn't. He couldn't tell her yet.

"That won't happen. Even if Nana doesn't like you, I'm not going anywhere." Jace rubbed her shoulders soothingly and kissed her forehead. Imogen Herondale was coming back to New York for a week and, having heard about Clary through the grapevine that was Isabelle Lightwood, wanted to meet his girlfriend.

"Promise?" She asked in a small, uncertain voice.

Looking into her eyes, Jace knew that even if his grandmother hated Clary with her entire being he wasn't going anywhere. "Promise."

Clary placed a chaste kiss on the corner of his lips. "I love you." Hugging him around the waist Clary looked up at him. He was hers. Jace ducked his head.

"I love you, too." He replied against her lips.

The doorbell rang and Clary jumped away from him, her hands straightening wrinkles in her clothes that Jace was certain weren't there. Her face was flushed and she studied the room again, making sure there was nothing out of place. Shaking his head, Jace opened the door. His grandmother was a stern woman. Her clothes impeccable, greying blonde hair cut cleanly at the shoulder, and a medium sized suitcase at her feet.

"Nana," Imogen grinned, the crows feet on her temples stretching. Jace hugged her and he felt the familiar warmth from his childhood seep into his bones from the tight embrace his grandmother held him in.

"My darling, let me look at you. I swear you get bigger every time I see you." Imogen slipped passed him as Jace rolled her luggage into the livingroom. "You've redecorated!"

Jace glanced around the room. Imogen was right, it was a lot different than the last time his grandmother had been there. From the colorful pillows on the couch and the easel in the corner of the room to the family pictures hung on the walls. Clary had told him she found the album in his locked drawer and, even though he wasn't sure at first, she had convinced him to make copies and frame his favorites. Along with those there were pictures of Alec and Magnus' wedding, the Lightwoods, Isabelle and Clary, and his personal favorite, a bigger canvas print of Clary and himself.

Before it had been cold, he realized that now. The whole apartment had been an empty place because he had been an empty person. All he cared about was getting girls and his siblings. Sometimes they would even take the backseat if he had a sure thing lined up. It wasn't like that anymore. Not since Clary came into his life. Now it felt warm. The apartment, his family. He spent time more time with Alec and Izzy, he even took Church to the veterinarian for Magnus once in awhile, but most importantly, he had Clary.

To love, to hold, to treasure. For as long as she would have him.

"Clary did it," He finally said. Not elaborating that it was more than just the living space that his girlfriend had turned into a better place.

"I see," His grandmother said not unkindly. She eyed him and nodded absentmindedly. Clary came into the room from the kitchen. "Hello dear, I'm Imogen and you must be Clary."

Clary shook his grandmother's hand and nodded, "It's very nice to finally meet you."

Her voice was soft and Jace could hear the timid tinge. Clary wound her fingers and pulled at a loose string on her sweater, it was one of her nervous ticks. Jace stepped next to her and took her hand, stopping her from unraveling the knitted pattern because of her anxiousness. Imogen watched their fingers intertwine with interest.

"How long have you two been together?" Imogen questioned, sitting on the nearest chair in the living room. Clary and Jace sat opposite of her, Jace's thumb circling her knuckles.

"We've known each other almost two years and we've been going out nine months." Jace replied honestly. He wasn't planning on lying to his grandmother and he didn't see a reason why he should want to. The only thing he wanted to keep between Clary and himself was their sexlife, everything else was public knowledge.

"That's quite a long time." Imogen clicked her heels against the floor, looking at them curiously. Jace could hear the wheels turning in her head, she knew he was never in a relationship this long. Imogen never met any of the girls he "dated".

In fact, Jace could remember only introducing Imogen to one girl other than Clary in his entire life. A one night stand he had that was leaving when Imogen had popped up for a visit.

Jace pulled their joined hands into his lap, "Yeah."

Imogen could see the love and affection on her grandsons face, his features were softened and his eyes were staring at his girlfriend like she was the only one in the world.

"I see." Imogen rose out of her chair with poise. She wanted to ask more questions but she could tell how nervous Clary was. The girl would be more comfortable with her after a good night's sleep. "Well, I'm very tired and it's getting late."

Clary perked up, "Are you sure? I made dinner if you're hungry."

"Thank you dear, but I'm getting older and these long flights are taking a toll." Clary nodded and gave his grandmother one of her sweetest smiles. Imogen returned the gesture and continued down the hallway, pulling her bag behind her.

When Imogen disappeared inside Clary's old room, Jace turned to his girlfriend. "Try to breathe, baby. Just relax." He stressed.

"I can't help it." Clary turned off the lights in the living room while Jace locked the door. "I just want her to like me. She's your grandmother and I know how much she means to you. I want her to like me because I already like her and I don't want to be in a one sided relationship."

"You are an angel." Jace kissed her nose and she giggled. "I love you."

"I love you." Clary had felt liberated to be able to say it. She made it a point to tell him everyday, especially when she was mad or nervous. Stressful days like today made her feel even luckier to have him than normal.

"I never get tired of hearing that," Jace grinned as they walked through their apartment and into their bedroom. Clary kicked off her jeans and slipped one of his tee shirts over her head. When she crawled into bed and into his arms she felt home and safe. "Hey, Fray?"

"Hmm?" Clary angled her head to see her boyfriends face.

Jace's fingers ran gently up and down her back. "I'm really happy you didn't end up collecting your nail clippings and back hair into a jar."

"You don't know all my secrets." Jace's chest rumbled with laughter as he kissed her temple. "Sweet dreams."

"Sleep tight, pretty girl."

Across the hall, Imogen listened to their goodnights with the leather of her grandsons album resting heavily in her hands. She twisted the little box in her lithe fingers before opening it. Inside, nestled in the little crevice, was her daughter-in-law's ring. Princess cut with a 14 carat diamond. It was a grand ring, one she's given to her son from her own mother.

She wondered if the redheaded girl knew that Jace had it.

~o.O.o~

Jace took his grandmother out to breakfast the next morning, not letting her question his girlfriend anymore before he got a chance to talk to her. She needed to know that Clary wasn't just a phase or after his money. She was the real deal and he wanted Imogen to like her.

"I heard Alec and Magnus got married, how wonderful." Imogen said, stabbing at her omelette as she spoke. Her eyes crinkled when she smiled.

"Yeah, it was a beautiful ceremony. Clary spent weeks planning it." He said with pride.

"Does she know Alec and Magnus well?"

Jace nodded, swallowing his food before speaking. "She went to highschool with Magnus and she's known Alec and Iz as long as she's known me."

"Have you met her parents?"

"Last December," Jace said with a simple shrug. He had gotten to know Jocelyn and Luke more over the last couple of months. He knew that Clary got her natural artistic ability from her mother and her fiery temper from her dad. Jace liked her parents, they called once in awhile to check in with them. It was an interesting feeling to have them in his life. "She really wanted to meet you, Nana."

Imogen's thin brows rose, "Did she? I was afraid I'd gone and dropped in unwelcomed."

"Nonsense, you're family. You can come to our apartment anytime." Imogen noticed how he claimed the apartment as theirs, not his. "Nana, maybe you should ask Clary some questions too, you know, get to know her?"

"This is important to you, me knowing her?"

"To both of us," Jace amended. "Just sit with her, have a cup of tea and get to know my girl." He let the words hang between them hopefully, he knew that even if his grandmother hated Clary for some reason or another it wouldn't change the way he felt about his girlfriend.

"For you," Imogen covered his hand with her warmer one.

"Thank you. Now, tell me about your wild and adolescent trip around the Baltics." They sat and talked. Catching up on missed holidays and miscellaneous adventures in distant countries. Jace always loved spending time with his grandmother, it was like the best Christmas and birthday present combined growing up.

Jace could remember the countless childhood bedtime stories Nana Imogen would whisper in his ear while tucking him in. She had the best anecdotes- ones that warped his young mind like bendable plastic. It had all seemed so impossible. Imogen's backpacking through Europe, a cruise ship she stirred into harbor, a forgotten library she'd discovered.

Of course now, Jace could see the small exaggerations in her stories. They were all true except with the occasional fib to keep his little attention span focused on her. For example, the lost library she'd found hadn't actually been lost, it was actually an old monastery that had been abandoned by monks less than a decade ago. Mostly because of the structural instability of the caves they were in. Still an interesting tale, but Jace doubted he would have found it as fun if it wasn't for his obsession with Indiana Jones.

Jace listened intently as she retold the trip she accidentally took to Bermuda last week. She'd told him over the phone after it had happened but he loved listening to her. Imogen was an avid talker. She gestured with her hands when she spoke and her face lit up.

"Nana, you get into so much trouble. Are you ever going to settle anywhere?" Jace asked.

Jace was never the type of guy who thought about the white picket fence, two kids and a dog running through the backyard trope. The chance hadn't happened with Clary overnight, it wasn't like a switch turned in his head and he wanted to live in and out of a daycare. But the chance was there. Suddenly he didn't mind thinking about a house in the suburbs or two frizzy haired kids chasing a puppy around the yard. The one complete certainty he had in his life was that Clary Fray would be apart of whatever future was in store for him.

"I never thought I would hear you talk about settling," His grandmother gapped. "It was always about the adventure with you, never about the destination."

"I guess I finally got to the destination."

~o.O.o~

Clary grinned at her boyfriend's grandmother. Her fingers curled around the warm ceramic of her coffee mug. Imogen had been staying with them for two days but this was the only time Clary had been able to sit and have a normal conversation with her.

Well, as close to normal as the two women could get. It wasn't that they were hostile, openly anyways, there was a level of coldness that Imogen emitted. Clary could see the softness in her voice when she spoke to her grandson but when Jace had left, the warmth had gone with him. Leaving behind the levelheaded and calculating woman behind.

"Has Jace ever told you about his parents?"

Leaning forward in her chair she slowly nodded. "His dad was the CEO of Alicante International and his mom was a model in Milan. They met during Paris fashion week. Got married six months later and another eight months after the happy day, Jonathan Christopher Herondale was born. Three years after that, Cecily was born." Clary stopped to take a breath. It was hard for her to talk about Jace's life, she couldn't imagine living it.

"He told you all that?" Imogen poured herself another cup of tea. She studied Clary calmly but Clary could hear the edge in her voice.

"We stay up talking a lot, sometimes he talks about them." Clary explained lightly, Imogen wordlessly prompted Clary to continue. "He was twelve when they died in a car accident and he went to live with you, here, in New York, but you would travel so much that he moved in with Alec and became apart of the Lightwood."

"After my family died it was hard for me, but I had to stay strong for Jace. Sometimes it got so-" Imogen's eyes clouded with sadness. "So difficult to look at Jace. He was a carbon copy of his dad at that age and even now..."

Unthinking, Clary reached out and grasped her hand. "You don't have to defend yourself. I can't imagine going through what you did, what you both did. Jace was -is- lucky to have you and the Lightwoods."

"You aren't like the other girls Jace would hang around with." Imogen squeezed Clary's startled hand. A slow smile spread on the elder woman's face. "He's different around you, happier. I haven't seen him that way since before the accident. Thank you for that."

"That's all I want for him." A moment of understanding passed between the two women. Imogen could see how much Clary loves her grandson and Clary could see how much Imogen wanted the best for Jace. Imogen respected Clary for that, for how much the redhead meant what she said, she really did just want happiness for him.

"Enough of this dreary topic, let's look at some of his more embarrassing pictures." Clary smiled thankfully, it seemed like Imogen was approving of her on some level. It put Clary at ease at least a little. She was worried that Imogen not liking her would lead to tension between her and Jace. And not the good kind.

Imogen stood from the table with an elegant sweep of her skirt, "I know he keeps one of his more humiliating albums in an old copy of Sun Tzu's Art of War. I'll be right back, dear."

While she disappeared down the hall, Clary broke apart a cookie with her fingers. It was all going well with his grandmother. It calmed her nerves down, she was thankful that Imogen had come to visit. It was nice to see the softest side of Jace, the one reserved for his family.

"What's this?" Imogen held up the little perfume bottle with tears in her eyes. She read the label 'Cecily', and ran her fingernail against the ribbon around the neck. "I remember the day the last one ran out, Jace was devastated. He spent hours trying to find a replacement but he never did. How he cried that night, oh he wouldn't stop." She searched Clary's face for the answer, although she spoke mostly to herself. "How is this here?"

"Jace vaguely mentioned that his mom knew a perfumer in France." Clary started. "He said that for Cecily's eighth birthday their mom made a perfume for her. I tracked down Celine's agent while she worked in Milan and then he told me about her personal perfumer. Francis made the bottle for me and I gave it to Jace for Christmas."

Imogen walked towards Clary, for a second the redhead was afraid that she might break down in tears. The older woman wrapped her arms around Clary in a bone crushing embrace. Clary heard her sniffle into her shoulder and she gave her a few comforting pats on the shoulder. It wasn't that she didn't know how to help people who were upset, it's that she was socially inept when it came to it sometimes. Like when her boyfriends grandmother is crying and holding a bottle of her deceased granddaughters perfume in her hand.

"Nana?" Imogen and Clary broke apart at Jace's voice drifting from behind them. "Baby? What the hell did I just walk into? Did you two bond over murdering someone?" Jace glanced around the room, as if searching for the dead body that had to be responsible for the hug.

"No, you silly duck," Jace cringed away from the offensive animal name. "Clary and I have been having a great morning."

Jace foreigned a look of indignation. "That's shocking."

"Oh, bite me, Jace." Clary joked with her boyfriend. At Jace's cat-ate-the-canary grin she quickly backpedaled. "That wasn't an invitation." Jace grabbed onto her hips and nipped at her shoulder. She giggled and squirmed away from the ticklish love bites.

"Alright, you two. Let's go to lunch." Imogen smiled at them kindly.

"Let me just grab my bag." As she passed by Imogen the older woman patted her back.

Jace watched his girlfriend round the corner, "So you like her?"

Imogen nodded in earnest. "She's a sweet girl, considerate too. Nothing like the regular girls you used to hang out with."

"How do-?" He had kept a very tight leash on any girl he spent time with. He didn't want them getting it in their head that they were an item now. He especially didn't want his grandmother finding out and looking at him disapprovingly.

"I'm old, Jace, not senile."

Clary appeared with her bag slung over her shoulder. "Ready?"

"Yup." Jace popped the word in a higher pitch than he expected.

~o.O.o~

The bar stool dug uncomfortably into Jace's ass. It was his first night out with Alec for a while. Clary was his first priority, whom he spent all his time with and then Magnus had whisked Alec away. "How was your honeymoon, Mr Bane?"

"He's the one with the hyphen and surprisingly uneventful. We sat around in our little oceanside hut and drank mimosas by the gallon." Alec waved the bartender for another round. Smiling in thanks, he turned back to Jace.

"That can't be good for your kidney," Alec looked down at the handful of empty shot glasses between them with a raised eyebrow. Jace snorted and split the new shots evenly. "Bora Bora, does it live up to the hype?"

"Definitely. You thinking about testing it out for your own honeymoon?" Alec joked. When Jace didn't laugh or answer, Alec lowered the full glass of tequila and turned to fully look at his longest friend.

Looked relaxed, he looked like he always did. Leather jacket, knowing grin and his pianist fingers tapping against the wood of the bar. Jace had changed so much over the course of the last year. Everything about him had shifted slightly- his smile became more genuine, he thought about the future more and he didn't spend his time going from bar to bar. Clary was the catalyst of the change in his life.

Jace took a sip of his beer and dug into his pocket. "Nah," He popped a black box next to Alec's hand, tapping the lid with his forefinger. "I was thinking Venice is more Clary's style."

"Wait, you're serious?" Alec eyed the box in front of him with concern.

It wasn't that he didn't think Clary and Jace were perfect for each other, they were. The gnawing feeling in his gut wondered sick, little thoughts that wondered if Jace was ready for such a commitment. This was the first time that Jace had ever shown actual human emotions for a girl, other than lust. Alec was just worried that Jace might regret his choice of moving so fast later on in life. And both of them deserved better.

"I love her, man. I can't imagine spending my life without her." Alec popped open the little box and gaped at the ring inside. "Holy shit, dude. This is nicer and bigger than ones we looked at when I was about to propose to Magnus."

"You and Magnus got married? Thanks for the invitation, Lightwood." Jordan sat perched across the bar waiting for his drink.

Alec didn't hate Jordan- certainly never liked him. He was always too cocky, too full of himself, too much of an encouragement for Jace's dark side. Jordan cheating on his girlfriends didn't seem like a stretch to Alec. When he saw Maia and him together it always seemed staged. Like a play performed for other people's entertainment.

"What are you doing here, Kyle?" Jace's eyes narrowed when Jordan smirked.

Jordan's eyes were glazed over from the alcohol. Alec could tell this hadn't been his first drink for the night. Alec's apprehension grew when Jace slid out of the seat. "This isn't your apartment, you can't kick me out for no reason."

"No reason? You cheated on Clary for months and then walked into our apartment like you didn't do anything wrong." Alec stepped between the two men.

"Okay, I think we all need to take a step back." Alec gently pushed them away from each other. Alec could feel the tension between the old roommates.

Jordan studied him, his fisted hands and growing annoyance. Jordan laughed humorlessly. "Oh, I get it. You're fucking her, aren't you?"

"What I do with my girlfriend is none of your business."

"Girlfriend? What did she do to get you, of all people, to bend over backwards and commit? Or maybe she's the one who bent over backwards." Jace growled, baring his teeth.

Alec wasn't too certain if it was the alcohol or the natural piss mood that Jace was in anytime Jordan Kyle was mentioned, but the next thing he saw was a blur diving over the stools between them. Jace's fist connected with Jordan's stomach, doubling him over. Alec pried himself between them, dodging a few shallow punches from Jordan. Jace slammed his hands against Jordan's chest- Jordan fell over a barstool, knocking several bottles and chairs to the ground. With a renewed fury Jordan tackled both of them to the floor.

Alec tried to avoid hitting Jordan as much as he could but that didn't last long when Jordan kneed him in the groin. All bets were off. Alec crawled out from the two battling men. Jace was straddling Jordan's waist, his hair whipping against his momentum. Jace's fist connected with Jordan's face, over and over again. An infuriated scream tearing from his throat.

"Jace, stop! That enough! Jace!" Alec clutched Jace's jacket. Pulling his arms behind his back. Jace fought against him, he had tunnel vision. All he could see was Jordan hurting Clary. Alec finally ripped him away from Jordan, slumping dead tired.

"There! Those three," A scared waitress pointed towards them, a police officer eyed them with contempt- his fingers wrapping around the handcuffs on his belt.

Alec closed his eyes tightly, it'd been years since the two of them had gotten thrown in jail. He believed the last time they were arrested was when they were trying to cross the Mexican border after having all their documents stolen by an old woman.

"You have the right to remain silent…"

Jace sat in the barred room with his head in his hands. How could he do something so stupid. He wasn't a teenager anymore, he had to think about his actions While in lockup Jace thanks more than ever. He stretched his sore fingers and glared at his bloodied knuckles. His eyesight was blurred and the left side of his face was purple and bruised.

"Magnus is going to kill us," Alec groaned from beside his best friend. "I don't blame you but I do call dibs on the entire Star Wars trilogy for the next two months."

Jace chuckled before thinking better of it and clutching his hurting side. "Does that include Isabelle keeping quiet about this whole thing and not telling Nana Imogen?"

"Absolutely," His best friend held out his fist.

Jace bumped his closed hand against Alecs and grinned lightheartedly. "Deal."

"Can you two shut up? I have a headache." The third man in the cell bit out. His brown head buried in his bent legs. Jace's fingernails dug into his palm as his fists balled at the man's voice. He was so enraged at the man who just sat there, broken nosed and angry.

"Hey!" A blue clad police officer came around the front of the cell. He held out a cellphone in his hand. "You three, which one of you wants his phone call first?"

"He'll take it," Alec said, pointing at Jace's slumped form, before the other man in the cell could speak up. Alec shoved Jace towards the outstretched phone.

Jace dialed her number from memory. He distantly recognized that it was late and both his girlfriend and his grandmother were asleep but in that moment he just wanted to hear Clary's voice. His girlfriend answered on the second ring. "Hey, baby."

"Jace, it's two in the morning. Where are you?" Her voice was groggy but he could hear the concern laced with her words. He could hear the rustle of sheets as she sat up in bed.

"I know it's late but I did something stupid. I kind of got arrested."

"Jace Herondale, after I bail you out of jail I'm kicking your ass." Clary growled dangerously. "I love you." She added as an afterthought.

"I love you too." He heard her sigh before the line went dead.

"So you two are already on the 'I love you' stage, took her two years to say that to me." Jordan drew from behind him. Jace could see his eyes look at the phone and turn away.

"Aren't you going to call someone to bail you out or do you get your rocks off on sitting in a cell?" Alec questioned with a discreet snarl.

"Maia broke up with me last night, my family lives on the other side of the States and you were my only friends in New York. There's no one to call." Jordan stressed.

"Who's fault is that? You screwed up with Clary, you screwed up with Maia, you screwed up with us. Can you see the constant variable?" Jace poked his finger in Jordan's stiff chest. "It's you, Jordan. You're the faulty little piece in all of our lives."

"Jace…" Alec whispered. He understood why Jace was so angry but a part of him wondered if he was being cruel.

"I should thanks you, actually. Thank you for cheating on Clary, thank you for moving out so she could move in, and thank you for giving me the chance to find the love of my life."

Jordan faked a confident smile, "You're welcome."

~Clary~

Clary marched down to the NYPD precinct in rightful state of pissed off. It was three in the goddamned morning and her boyfriend was an idiot what landed himself in jail. She couldn't believe he would do something so juvenile. Clary didn't even know what he did but she was certain that if he didn't have a good reason he was sleeping on the couch.

"Excuse me," Clary gave the desk clerk Jace and Alec's full names and signed the bail slips. She couldn't believe that both of those idiots wound up in jail. They had better have stellar reasons behind whatever happened tonight.

When Jace and Alec left the apartment around ten, Jace had promised not to cause any trouble. How wrong could a boy be? Apparently time in jail wrong.

She was so angry by the time the officer pointed her towards Jace and Alec's holding cell. There he was, sagged against the wall with his face and hands bloodied. All the rage drained out of her when she read the distress on his face.

His head snapped up to attention when he heard her, "Clary. I'm so sorry, baby."

"We will talk about this when we get home." Clary warned.

"Herondale and Lightwood, you're free to go. Keep yourselves out of trouble from now on, for this nice lady, eh, boys?" The pudgy officer clicked the passcode into the door, swinging it open on its rusted hinges. Alec thanked him on the way out and gave Clary a hesitant hug.

That's when she noticed the other man beside her boyfriend and his best friend. Jordan sat on the bench, stuck in the corner and glaring towards her boyfriend. With a sigh, Clary pointed at her ex. "I'll take the third power ranger wannabe, too."

"You sure?" She could feel the questioning look from both Alec and Jace but she nodded her head towards the policeman.

She didn't know what made her say it but Clary felt bad for him. Jordan was never the type to start a fight. Whatever the hell was going on with him since she broke it off wasn't her business, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized how alone he must be. Clary didn't wait for Jordan to walk out of the cell, she didn't wait for Alec and Jace to follow her- Clary bolted up the stairs.

When the four of them stepped outside into the cold breeze of New York, Clary fisted her hands into her pocket and continued to walk ahead of them. "Clary."

"Not right now, Alec, just keep quiet right now." She held up her hand in a silent plea for him to not make things worse for her right now. How could the three of them get into a fight and thrown into jail? What the hell were they thinking?

"Clary, please."

"Don't you 'Clary, please' me. You want to have this conversation, right now? Fine, let's talk. I am so fucking pissed off with you, all three of you. What the hell were you thinking? You're adults, adults don't start bar fights, adults don't get thrown in jail, adults don't-" Clary stopped yelling with a heavy breath. Tears welled up in her eyes and she couldn't move from her spot on the street.

Jace stepped towards her, "I'm sorry." His hands reached out to her but he pulled away before he could touch her. "Let's go home."

Jordan waved down a cab. "Thanks for bailing me out. See you around."

"You'd better hope not, Kyle." Jace called out after him. A hard smack hitting his arm.

"Stop being so damn hostile and making things worse for yourself." Alec inclined his head towards an upset Clary. "Thank you, sweetheart." Alec kissed the crown of Clary's head as he passed by her. Neither of them noticing where he went.

Jace and Clary walked home in silence, untouching. The apartment was dark and quiet when they went inside. Everything looked the same- the tidy television area, the soft golden light drifting into the sitting room from the kitchen. It was a tense silence that stretched between them. Jace dropped his keys in the twine bowl next to the door.

Jace glanced around the room, fingering the box in his pocket. "Where's Nana?"

He half expected Imogen to run out of the guest room like a bat out of hell, probably with a weapon of some sort.

"I think she figured out there would be a lot of yelling tonight and moved to Izzy's spare room." Clary said lifelessly and without turning to face him. She shrugged her jacket down her arms and Jace could see her pajama top peeking out, it reminded him how late it was.

"Clary-"

"What the hell were you thinking, starting a fight like that?" She ranted. "Maybe you thought you were protecting me or fighting for my honor Princess Bride style, but getting yourself a criminal record doesn't exactly make me want to have sex with you. Well, maybe a dark fantasy, but not right now. I just don't understand how you thought it was a good idea."

"I know how mad you are right now, and I really wish that I didn't want to do this right now," Clary finally whipped around towards him, confused about what he was talking about. Jace was on his knees, velvet box propped open to reveal the sparkling ring inside.

"You'd better not be doing this because I'm murderously angry with you." She whispered muffled behind her hands. "Because I will have you know, this is not a Disney movie."

"I wanted to do this at a better time but tonight made me see everything so clearly. Clary Fray, you are the love of my life, as unorthodox as that life may be. You are beautiful when you're pissed at me and right now, after you bail me out of jail, isn't ideal. It isn't normal or the perfect proposal I had in mind, but it's us. I'm not going to ask you to marry me, I'm asking you to be my partner. Clary Fray will you-?"

"Yes." She said before he could ask.

Jace laughed at her eagerness. "You didn't let me finish. Will you marry-?"

"Yes." He stood from the floor and pulled out the ring from it's sitting place in the box. Holding it out to her, he wiped away the moisture from her cheek.

"Clary." Jace bit out, but his face was lit up with a smile. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes."


To Be Continued...


Guys! One more chapter and this story is over! I'm so excited!

Okay, so I've decided that the December story of the month is..drum roll.. There isn't one! December is a free for all, whatever story I post for is what's apparently happening now. January is going to be the first official story of the month.

Review!