forget: Disclaimer- All characters belong to Ms C. Clare.

I have written so far in 3rd person from Clary's perspective, but I'm writing from Jace's in most/all of this chapter (Just like I promised last chapter… Although I really want to write more hot sexy shirtless Jace).

Enjoy.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

"JACE, get out of my god-damned shower! You're using all my hot water!"

The shower continued and steam started to seep under the crack of the bathroom door.

"ARGH! Jace Lightwood, if you don't get out of the shower I will get Simon to turn the hot water off! GET. OUT. OF. MY. FUCKING. SHOWER!"

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The shower finally turned off and Isabelle paced backwards and forwards by the door impatiently. After a minute the door suddenly opened to reveal Jace standing in a pair of jeans and a blue collarless shirt.

Isabelle jumped back at the suddenness of the door opening and cocked her head to one side as she took in Jace's appearance. "Wait, aren't you going to see that Clary chick tonight?"

Jace rolled his eyes. "Don't play dumb Isabelle. It's all Mum has talked about since I told you guys."

Isabelle snorted and turned away from him, making her way down the hall towards her room. "That's the understatement of the Century. And it is for that reason- and for her sanity- that I am NOT letting you go to Clary's house dressed like that."

Jace stepped out of the bathroom and followed behind her. "It's not like I'm going to be wearing anything by the end of the night. Who couldn't resist this?"

Isabelle reached her door way and turned to face him frowning. "Jace, I know you. You wouldn't even kiss her unless she makes the first move. The chances of you and Clary ending up in bed tonight- wait no- you shirtless tonight is almost as great as Simon's band getting a record contract. Not going to happen."

Jace looked at Isabelle and lifted an eyebrow. "Simon's band is just terrible. I, on the other hand, am not." He stepped past her and walked into her and Simon's room and plopped down on the bed.

Isabelle turned around and faced him as she leant against the door frame. She knew he was nervous. This was the first time he had considered seeing a girl in a very long time and his witty remarks were his way of covering his trepidation. "Right, well if you say so. But I am not letting you wear that. Clary is a lawyer dumbass. She likes a well distinguished male who she can relate to on an intellectual level. Look at mum and dad. I don't understand what they talk about half the time together."

Jace rolled his eyes. "A well distinguished male she can relate to intellectually? I hope we don't play Scrabble then because that would be awkward."

Isabelle grinned. Jace was the reigning family champion in Scrabble, and a constant annoyance to their father who could not understand how someone who was not university educated and just cooked all day could be so good at a word game. She walked to her closet and flicked through some of Simon's clothes. She drew out a black long sleeved collared shirt and some dark blue jeans and threw them to him. "Just put those on."

Jace glanced down at them piled on his lap and sighed. "Is my underwear OK or are holes a bad thing?"

Isabelle laughed. "Jace just get dressed. I'm not done with you yet."

He stood up from the bed and walked into the little ensuite. Emerging a short while later, Isabelle inspected him approvingly. She walked up to him and yanked one of his arms away from his body. She deftly rolled the shirt up so that it was a more casual length of three quarters down his arm, and then did the same to the other arm. "There, much more suitable. Girls like Clary like a guy who looks like a decent future husband."

Jace baulked. "Future what?"

Isabelle giggled. "Oh you are so easy! Besides, you cook and you own your own business. What girl could resist that?"

Jace groaned and rolled his eyes. "I'm finding out tonight how good a cook she is apparently." Jace began to walk towards the bedroom door. Before walking out, he turned to Isabelle. "You sure I look alright?"

Isabelle looked at him seriously and nodded her head. "Yes Jace. Just don't be too much of an ass tonight OK?"

Jace shrugged and smirked as he turned on his heel and walked down the hall.

Fifteen minutes later Jace arrived at Clary's apartment building. In his hand he clutched the piece of paper she had given him stating her level and number. He took an elevator to the designated level and made his way to her door.

Knock Knock.

Jace waited a few moments and heard a thump coming from the opposite side of the door. The door still did not open so he knocked again. Ten seconds passed before it was opened by Clary.

Jace immediately felt over dressed. Clary was standing there in front of him in a pair of loose grey pants and a purple singlet. Her skin was flushed and she had a slight sheen of sweat on her face.

Taking a deep breath, he raised a hand up awkwardly in a 'hey' gesture. "Ah, hey."

Clary stared at him blankly. Then she suddenly slapped her forehead to the door she was still holding onto.

"Oh crap! Wednesday. Damn. I completely forgot Jace!"

Oh well, this isn't awkward at all, Jace thought to himself sarcastically.

"Oh, ok, well in that case you know… I can leave." Jace took a step back as he said this and began to turn hesitatingly in the direction of the elevators that would help him escape this embarrassment.

Clary's hand shot out and grabbed his arm. "No, don't leave Jace. It's cool. Come in."

Jace turned to face Clary and took in her appearance. "Seriously Clary, we can do this another time. It's no big deal."

"No. Tonight is fine. I just completely forgot all about Saturday's dare." Clary gestured for him to step into the apartment so she could close the door behind him.

Looking around him, Jace took in Clary's apartment. It was spacious that was for sure, and it was bright and had a few paintings on the walls. There was an odd assembly of furniture ranging from three bean bags, a long couch, and a reclining chair arranged in front of a large television. There was a set of glass doors leading to a small balcony with a view of the surrounding city buildings and facing in the direction of the setting sun. The place was messy and clearly Clary did not live by herself unless she owned a mountain of shoes and a pair of male sneakers.

As they passed by the couches, Clary rolled a stray hand weight with her foot under the reclining chair and Jace suddenly realised why she looked flushed and sweaty. As they approached the kitchen, Clary grabbed a half empty drink bottle off the kitchen counter, and turned to face Jace. "So, dinner. I, ah… Chucked some stuff in a pan last night but I didn't get to eat so I was going to eat it tonight. You don't mind do you? It should still taste ok."

Jace shrugged. He was beginning to feel a bit like an idiot. "Yea, that's fine. Or you know, we could go out to dinner. I know some pretty decent places around here."

Clary shook her head. "No, I said I would make you food, and so I am sticking to that." She walked over to the fridge and opened it. Jace caught a glimpse of a full fridge before Clary bent over and pulled out some glass bottles. She stood up and turned to face him, holding one out for him. "Beer?"

Jace nodded and took the bottle surprised as he saw Clary pull another one out. His impression of her was of a wine girl. He watched as Clary twisted the lid on hers using her shirt and took a long swig. Doing the same with his, but in a more manly way by just using his bare hands, Jace cocked his head at her. "So... food. I'm a hungry man babe. Beer - as nourishing as it is - really won't satisfy me."

Clary rolled her eyes. "Patience. Beer first, food second." She stepped around him and began to make her way to the couch. "You don't mind if I quickly catch the news do you?"

Jace shook his head and followed her to the couch. He watched as she threw herself down and gave a heavy sigh. She leaned her head back and shut her eyes for a moment, but then cocked one open to look at him. "Sit, jeez, no need to be a gentleman."

Jace frowned slightly at her tone and sat down at the end of the couch. Clary lifted herself up and reached for the remote control that was on the low coffee table. "I've been keeping track of a court case that's happening at the moment. I'd guess that Maryse and Robert would have been doing the same?"

He nodded. "Yea, they both have been following it since it's come to Court. It sounds pretty interesting."

Clary snorted. "Interesting my ass! It's in the highest court which means that the decision has to be followed by everyone else. The only reason I'm watching it is because it's a Family Law thing. Normally I'm not bothered with Court decisions not related to the stuff I do."

Jace pursed his lips and turned to face the television. He took another swig of beer to ease the awkwardness of the situation. His stomach growled at him and he realised he had not eaten all day. The news story came on about five minutes after they had sat down, and the story was a quick snap shot of what happened in the court and images of men in white wigs and long black gowns walking away from the court holding heavy looking folders.

"Right! Food." Clary switched the television off after the reporter finished the story and grinned in Jace's direction. "Your stomach is really loud man."

Jace laughed at that. "What can I say? It expected food the moment I got here."

Clary snorted and stood up and made her way towards the kitchen. Jace followed behind her and stopped to lean on the counter as Clary opened the fridge and bent down to pull something out. Standing up and shutting the door with her foot, Clary placed a glass bowl on the counter.

"This is dinner," She said nodding down to the bowl and took a swig of her beer.

Jace peered closer. He was a bit sceptical.

"Soup?"

"Yep."

"Oh."

Clary grinned. "Hey it's not that bad. Vegetable soup. Very healthy."

Jace grimaced. "Vegetables woman? Seriously? What about a chunky beef stew or something with meat? I'm a man. I need the meat to grow."

Clary stuck her tongue out at him childishly and placed the bowl in the microwave. "Your tall enough pretty boy." Grabbing her beer, she gestured for Jace to follow her. They walked outside in silence.

"So, you forgot about tonight on purpose?"

Clary looked appalled. "I actually remember a lot of things. Tonight slipped my mind because I have been really busy at work and the cases I'm working on at the moment just aren't coming together. It's horrible."

"So what, Mum didn't remind you or talk to you about me coming round tonight?"

Clary frowned and shook her head. "Um, no. Should she have?"

"No, and I'm glad she didn't. I wouldn't want you to feel weird about having a date with your boss's son."

"Huh, dinner with you… I thought this was more of a dare then a date…?"

"Dinner with me is a date in any words babe."

Clary rolled her eyes and took another swig from her bottle.

Silence descended over them and Jace started to feel awkward. Usually he was comfortable with silences, and while this was not an awkward silence, it was awkward to sit next to Clary without conversation. "So, ah, work has been bad lately then?"

Clary's face creased into a frown. "Usually I like my job. At the moment I don't."

"Mum is like that sometimes. She calls it the bitchiest business in town."

Clary snorted. "You have no idea."

Silence enveloped them again and Jace resigned himself to the fact that maybe it would be like this for most of the night.

Bing.

The microwave went off signalling Clary's cue to walk back inside.

Jace sighed. Well, this was going awesomely.

Clary walked back outside a minute later with two bowls in her hands.

She handed one to Jace and said "Hope you don't mind sitting outside to eat. I'm usually stuck in the office all day so I like to sit outside and get the air."

Jace shrugged. He did not much care where they ate.

He picked up a spoon and balanced the bowl on his lap. He took a sip and smirked.

"Is this from a-"

"Shut it." Clary interrupted.

Jace grinned. He remembered what canned soup tasted like. The vegetables were all soft and didn't need to be chewed, and there was a light film of oil on the surface of the liquid.

"Woman, I thought you were cooking for me. In what part of my dare did you form the impression that tipping the contents of a can into a bowl and sticking them in the microwave sufficed as cooking?"

Clary slowly looked up from her bowl and turned her head to face him. Jace thought her attempt at the 'evil eye' was pretty good. She probably has a lot of practice pulling it out for other lawyers, Jace thought to himself.

"Are you complaining? Because you know a woman doesn't like a man who complains. And besides, the instructions on the can said to pour into a pan and cook until simmering. The word 'cook' was involved."

Jace snorted. "Lawyers, always finding a loop hole in anything."

Clary grinned at that. "Ok, I admit. I'm a crap cook. Maia does most of it because she prefers to get her fibre from vegetables and not baked beans."

"How do you live?" Jace was looking at her incredulously.

Clary shrugged. "I just never got the hang of it. I left home before my mother could properly teach me and in Uni the majority of ours meals were provided to us. Or I just brought frozen meals. I really didn't have the time to bother to learn to cook, and now I'm kind of stuck with my inability to even make decent spaghetti bolognaise."

"You can't cook mince? Jeez woman, you are terrible."

Giggling, Clary shook her head. "No, I can cook mince. It's the pasta that stumps me. It's either over cooked or under cooked. Maia once choked on a meal I served her because I decided I hadn't made enough pasta and so I stuck some more into the pan even though the majority of it was already cooked. So instead of over cooking the pasta, I decided just to serve it even though it all wasn't cooked. I didn't know it could have the effect it did though."

Jace stared at her with wide eyes as she made this statement. "Are you this dodgy with your clients?"

He was mocking her, and he knew it, but the idea of not being able to cook pasta was something Jace could not fathom.

Jace watched as a crease formed between Clary's eyes as she spooned some more soup into her mouth. "I swear, I just don't know how to cook. It's something that doesn't come naturally to me unless I have clear instructions in front of me."

"Ok, so if you have instructions, what are you like?"

"Pretty damn decent for the most part. I'm just terrible at improvising in the kitchen."

"Just like Isabelle. Although she can't read instructions so I guess I have to give you one over her."

Clary laughed and Jace watched as she scraped her spoon along her bowl collecting the rest of the liquid. "Isabelle really can't be that bad."

"No, she can be."

Jace kept his eyes on Clary for a second longer and then returned his attention to his soup. He had not eaten as much as her partly because he was not used to the quality of the food. It was something he had not allowed to pass through his mouth in many years.

Silence descended over them again as Jace watched the sun set while finishing his soup off.

"Jace, can I ask you something please? I don't want to offend you, so you don't have to answer. I'm just curious."

Looking over at her, Jace noticed the look of shyness and curiosity on her face. "That sounds a bit worrying . If you're asking if I have a criminal record, no I don't. So you don't have to worry about me pushing you off this balcony in blind rage because you lied to me about your cooking skills and fed me canned soup instead."

Clary raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? You would try to take me on? I thought you would have learnt from what happened on Saturday that I can be brutal if I need to."

Jace chuckled. "HA! Kneeing a guy is not being brutal babe. That's just being a bitch and disarming a guy for a moment. If I really wanted to throw you over this balcony I could, no problems."

Jace watched as Clary's eyes travelled down to his arms and lingered there. He knew she could tell how strong he was, and since she had seen him shirtless the other night, knew that she could not doubt his strength. "Ah, yeah ok, I'll avoid getting on your bad side then when I'm near heights. But no, your criminal record means nothing to me. I'm actually curious about what Maryse said to me once about you having had a hard time in life."

Jace started laughing. "Oh dear God! Maryse told you about my childhood? She must really like you."

Clary frowned. "No, she didn't tell me anything about your childhood. Just that you were adopted because of a case Robert worked on."

Jace still had a grin on his face. "Maryse has always thought it was awkward for me to admit I was adopted. I grew up with her telling me I can call her Mum and that all the Lightwood's were my family, biological if need be in case of bullies at school. But I've never been bothered by it."

Clary slowly nodded her head in his direction. "Right, so that explains what she said you had been through so much. She has a lot of affection for you Jace."

"Affection? Who says affection? Clary, you're a girl; aren't you supposed to use the love word too much?"

Clary snorted. "No, not this girl."

Jace gave her a funny look. "Well, whatever word you use, Maryse loves me like her own child. And in a way I am. I mean me and Isabelle and Alec and Max are the closest siblings. We used to fight like them too when we were growing up, and now we are there for each other whenever the other needs us."

"She did raise you well. I got to see a fight between Maryse and Isabelle at work once. It was a scream match, but then when I saw them at the party together, they were like the perfect mother and daughter."

Jace nodded. "Yes, mum and Isabelle are often at odds, but they have a connection neither Alec nor I would have ever been able to form with her."

Clary snorted, startling Jace. "Seriously man, is this a heart to heart? Because it's kinda creeping me out!"

Jace laughed. "We are eating soup and drinking beer on a balcony. It's just too cosy not to have a heart to heart."

"Well technically, you're eating soup. I'm finished. And I will have dessert ready in an hour."

Quirking an eyebrow, Jace enquired, "Dessert too? Is it from a can?"

Clary looked at him with her evil eye again. "No, actually I shall prove that I can read instructions. You shall be the witness to my finest chocolate sauce pudding."

"Uh huh, right. And is having me help a part of this? Because I'm intending to sit on the couch and watch you make this."

Clary stood up and Jace pretended to wince as she smacked his arm. "Get over it pretty boy. I'm no one's cooking bitch. You can help me make this."

Ten minutes later the pudding was in the oven and Jace and Clary were sitting talking. Jace was on one of the bean bags and Clary was lying on her stomach on the couch facing him.

"No way! Simon was a comic book nerd? That is golden!"

Clary laughed and continued. "Yep, we used to read comics together in our lunch break. I always said I could read better than him so it was always up to me to read them. Although I usually just made it up because even I didn't understand every word when I was seven."

"And there was the making of your legal career… bullshitting your way through life even as a kid."

Jace rolled backwards off the bean bag and lay down flat as a pillow came flying his way. Needless to say, had he have stayed in his position the pillow would have flown right past him. Instead it hit him square on the head as gravity pulled it down. Hearing Clary laughing from her spot on the couch, Jace snagged the pillow and hid it behind him as he got to his feet and made his way towards her trying to make himself look menacing.

Clary threw her hands up in the air. "Hey, some of us have to make a living alright. And it's about being the best bullshitter."

Jace ignored her and continued pacing towards her. "Dude, I'm serious. Do you want to be temporarily handicapped again? Because you know I can do it."

Jace shook his head and narrowed his eyes at her while baring his teeth trying to make a scary face. He stood over her, trying to look like a looming dark presence, but Clary just cracked up laughing. "Uhm, Jace… you have green stuff in your teeth."

Oh fuck.

Jace groaned internally but ignored Clary. Bringing his hand out from behind him, he whacked Clary with the pillow that had just a minute before hit him. Jace grinned as Clary screeched and tried to scramble away.

"Babe, I'm the man here. We all know that in a pillow fight, I will win. You started it; I finish it."

Jace watched as Clary attempted to regain her composure. She sat cross legged on the couch trying to put her hair back into its bun. He figured he had not seen it out of a bun yet and wondered if it was a sign of her being uptight. She didn't come across as uptight though.

"Uh, is there something wrong?"

Jace shook himself when he realised Clary had spoken to him. "Um, no why?"

"You were staring at me."

"Babe, shouldn't it be you staring at me? This body deserves attention."

Jace grinned inside when he saw her eyes light up mischievously. Yep, not uptight.

"Your body deserves attention? Well then, I guess I will have to do something about that won't I."

Jace watched as she slowly rose from the couch and made her way to him. She did not even reach his shoulders but he could feel the power she radiated, although whether it was power over him and his body, or the lawyer in her that she radiated he did not know.

"Jace, it seemed like we made such a connection that night at the party. Our bodies fit together perfectly in the pool and you know it. I've been under so much stress lately that I think I need a distraction."

The way Clary was looking at him made him nervous. He hadn't let himself get into a position like this in a long time and it was unsettling to experience it again.

"A distraction?" Jace was thankful his voice did not break.

Clary looked up at him with wide eyes. "Yep, a distraction."

Jace swallowed and tried not to move. He was not sure in which direction he wanted to move anyway. Backwards was safe: forwards was in almost forgotten territory.

Clary stopped in front of him and kept looking at him. She lifted herself to her tiptoes and whispered in his ear, "I need a distraction... I need another beer."

With that, she danced around him and made her way towards the fridge.

Jace stood there dumbstruck. How the hell did she manage to do that to him? Even at the party when he was so sure of himself and his ability to be cocky she could disarm him in seconds.

Suddenly cold pressed against his neck and he jerked forwards. Behind him, Clary started laughing. "Suck it up big guy. It's just a beer. Dessert will be ready in 10 minutes, so I guess we have time for more heart to heart."

Jace was still reeling inside about what she had managed to do to him with her thoughts of 'distractions'. Everything about Clary was unfamiliar to him and it was as unsettling as it was intriguing.

Looking at her lounging on the couch looking at him questioningly, Jace realised tonight was going to be exactly how Isabelle predicted. He would not make a move on her, and he highly doubted Clary was the 'kiss on the first date' kind of girl.

But damn did he want her.

No kiss… naw… Later! :)

So technically, this is my 10th chapter… YAY! I would like to thank you all so much for your support so far! To date, 33 of you have added this or me as a favourite, 48 have added this or me as an alert and there are 56 reviews! I am so, so happy with this response! I love the feedback, so any reviews left for this story make my day!

Good date, bad date? Absolutely cringe worthy being fed canned soup? Let me know :)

The feedback for my proposed next fanfic was supportive. I shall bring news in the future if I am underway with writing it. I have researched stuff for it on Google and I'm pretty sure I have an idea of where I want it to go. (GirlWithoutAHeart... a POV would be amazing. If you would be up to me asking any questions, that would be wonderful! Actually anyone who has a POV and wouldn't mind me asking them some questions so I can get the characters right, would be wonderful.)

:)