Sorry it's taken me so long to update readers! I got a little caught up with my other stories. I swear I either have nothing to write or I have a million different ideas.

"Does Magnus do this a lot?" Simon questioned as he shoved his hands into his pockets. He dodged around the piles of garbage bags lining the narrow Brooklyn street, the stench strong from the heat of the afternoon.

"What? Family dinners?" Clary asked before shrugging her shoulders. "I have no idea. Jace and Izzy only found out about it today and they seemed as surprised as me so I guess not. I think it's usually just him and Alec."

"So you don't know if we should be afraid or not?" he joked.

Clary laughed loudly, shaking her head. She flinched at the movement, rubbing the side of her temple. It had been a day since fighting the tentacle demon and although the Silent Brothers assured her that she was fine, her head still ached a bit, especially when she moved too suddenly. For the most part, she felt alright; she just wished the throbbing would go away.

Simon frowned as he saw her flinch, his brown eyes worried. "You sure you should be moving around? Maybe you should take it easy."

"Don't start with me too," Clary warned. "I already had a shouting match with Jace this morning."

He raised an eyebrow as he looked at her, "You fought with Jace?"

"Don't sound so surprised; couples fight all the time," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. She frowned deeply as she remembered the fight she had with Jace that morning; they had argued before but nothing of that magnitude. She had gotten so angry that she had gathered her stuff and gone home, ignoring Jace's texts and calls. "And he was being stupidly overprotective. He thought I was fine enough to go get Taki's last night, but today he freaks out about me breathing too hard. He kept fighting with me so I went home."

"He was probably in shock yesterday; that's why he didn't freak," Simon commented easily.

Clary punched his arm as they walked up the steps of Magnus's building. "Are you defending him? You're supposed to be on my side," she complained.

Simon laughed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "I'm always on your side, Clary. Unless it's against me, in which case I'm not. I'm just saying I understand why he flipped out."

"I'm a Shadowhunter just like him, Izzy and Alec. Injuries happen," she muttered as she rang Magnus's doorbell.

"Who dares disturb the High Warlock of Brooklyn?" Magnus's voice boomed from the intercom.

"It's me and Simon," Clary replied with a laugh.

"Oh hey cupcake," Magnus greeted her as the front doors unlocked with a soft buzz. "Come in."

"Finally," Magnus sighed in exasperation as the pair entered the apartment. "I was startng to think you two had turned down my dinner invitation."

"You know I can't eat anything, right?" Simon commented.

"Nice to see you too, Sherman," Magnus replied as he hugged Clary. "Dinner's gonna be done in a few. Drinks are over by the bar; I even stocked it with some blood."

Magnus's apartment never ceased to amaze Clary. Today it looked like the inside of a palace, a long wooden table sitting in the center of it. The table was surrounded by ornate, highback chairs that were covered in red velvet. The table was covered with china and silverware, glittering beneath the crystal chandelier. A marble bar was set against the far wall with Izzy and Jace sitting in the bar stools.

Jace looked up as Clary entered, his eyes locked on hers. Although she was still upset with him, she couldn't help the fluttering in her stomach at his hesistant smile, couldn't stop herself from returning it with one of her own. His blond curls looked darker than normal, most likely still wet from his shower, and his v-neck shirt showed off his tan skin and glimpses of his Marks.

He set his glass down on the bar, quickly crossing the room to her. "Simon, mind if I steal Clary away?" Jace questioned.

Simon glanced at Clary before shaking his head, "I'm gonna go say hi to Izzy."

"Why didn't you ask if I minded?" Clary asked as Simon walked away.

"Because you would have said you did," Jace answered easily, taking her hand in his. "Would have ruined my apology. Especially since you refused to answer my calls earlier."

She raised her eyebrow, her fingers unconsciously lacing with his. "Apology?"

He nodded, squeezing her hand gently before brushing his thumb against her knuckles. "Izzy pointed out after you left that I may have been a little overbearing this morning."

"A little?" Clary replied dryly.

"Or a lot. I can't remember really; she punctuated her argument with a few punches," he chuckled. "Good thing I've got a hard head." He ran his hand through his golden hair with a sigh, looking down at their joined hands before gazing into her green eyes. "But she was right. You are right. You're a Shadowhunter like us and I said I'd support you-"

"And instead you decided to be overprotective and fight with me," she interrupted, a small smile on her lips.

"Yes, I was overprotective-"

"Even after you said that I was doing well on my own-"

Jace laughed loudly, "You wanna take over the apology?"

"Just making sure you get all of the main points," Clary replied innocently. "Not a good apology if you forget the details."

He rolled his eyes playfully, wrapping his arms around her waist. The fluttering in her stomach got worse as she felt Jace's warm hands on the small of her back, her body relaxing into him. "Forgive me for being an overprotective boyfriend?"

Clary was quiet, a smirk playing on her lips. "I suppose I'll forgive you this time," she answered, kissing him lightly. "Next time you won't be so lucky."

"With the ass-kicking Izzy gave me, there won't be a next time," Jace promised, leading her over to the bar, his arm still wrapped around her waist. "Let me get you a drink; Magnus has some nice vintage wine that he probably stole from someone's wine cellar."

"Did Jace apologize properly?" Isabelle asked as the pair walked over, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Jace. "I nearly murdered him after he tried his first version on me."

Clary laughed, nodding her head. "Well I'm glad you didn't. 't was a perfectly adequate apology."

Jace gasped dramatically. "I think it was much better than adequate," he replied, "I think it was fantastic."

She bumped her shoulder against his, "I think you're a little crazy," she replied.

"We all knew that," Simon laughed, taking a sip from his own glass.

"What is it, harass Jace day?" he grumbled as he moved behind the bar, grabbing a wine glass.

"Yes," the three of them answered with a laugh, earning a glare from Jace. Clary climbed onto the empty bar stool, smiling at Jace as he poured her glass of wine.

Magnus cleared his throat dramatically as he came back into the living room, waving his hands so blue sparks rained from the ceiling. "If the children are done bickering now, it's time for dinner."

"This I can't wait to see," Jace laughed, taking Clary's hand and heading to the table. "Hopefully the food is safe to eat."

"I'm not above poisoning you, Jace!" Magnus warned.

Anything you want to see for dinner night? Let me know!