Jace's POV

Straightening out my black tuxedo, I gulped, hoping my nerves would disappear. It was the day of Valentine Morgenstern's trial. And I was designated to be Clary's lawyer.

What have I gotten into?

As a law student… well, let's just say that my grades are okay. Who am I kidding? My grades are below average. I got D's on all of my undergraduate courses last year. To be honest, I've just never had the motivation to study hard and learn. It didn't matter to me, anyways. My mother was the school principal, and she would never allow the teachers to give me an F. Since I didn't study, I just hung out with my hockey team and flirted with girls. I constantly had one night stands, and the list of girls I have dated could go on and on.

And yet, somehow, Clary changed all of that. She was special: all of the other girls blushed and stuttered when they saw me, but Clary put up a fight. The first time I saw her, she stormed off of the public bus and yelled at me to move my car. She was so hot when she was pissed off.

For the first time ever, I fell head over heels for a girl. And she wasn't even remotely attracted to me. I almost entirely stopped flirting with other girls (key word: almost. After all, it's hard to change bad habits quickly.) The fact that I could lose Clary in an instant scared me to death.

Clary Fray. Something about her was so special. I felt that I had to protect her from her abusive father. As soon as I told Mother about Clary's situation (omitting the fact that I, Jace Wayland, was deeply in love with her, of course), she decided to take the case to court. However, she decided that I needed to improve my skills, since I was failing all of my classes, and told me to intern under the local law firm for a month before representing Clary in court.

I don't think she realized that she was making a huge mistake, but Clary's safety was on the line. Without even complaining, I accepted and set to work. I studied the textbooks and historical analysis of child abuse cases from 9 am to 8 pm every day for a month.

Clary Fray. Because of her, I was willing—no, eager—to study more in a month than I have studied in my whole life. She was so special. And I loved her.

As I straightened out my tie, I could feel my heart thumping in my chest. Jace Wayland, you can't screw this up.

I grabbed my briefcase of evidence and ran out the door, grabbing my car keys and checking my watch: 7:50 am. The court case started at 8:15 am, and I would be royally late if I didn't hurry my ass to Clary's house.

Hitting the gas pedal, I soon screeched into Clary's driveway. She was already waiting for me. She was wearing a plain black dress and shiny black high heels, but she still managed to take my breath away. Her wild red hair fell into her eyes as she stumbled towards me, almost tripping in the process.

I jumped out of the car and helped her inside the car. "How are you feeling?" I asked, taking my place in the driver's seat.

She took a deep breath and smoothed out her dress. "Nervous."

Despite my shaky nerves, I let out an easygoing laugh. "Don't be. We're going to win the case. I won't let us lose."

"I know. I trust you, Jace."

The rest of our car ride was silent. I circled around the parking lot, trying to find a spot. The clock on my car read 8:09, and I gave a frustrated sigh. I glanced at Clary, and she looked a little car sick from my endless circling.

"Clary, why don't you get off the car first? I'll be back after I find a parking spot."

She gave me a gratuitous smile and got out. I drove away. Thankfully, a sleek black Mercedes-Benz pulled out of a parking space and left. I gave the driver a relieved wave before maneuvering into the spot. Stepping out of the car, I ran to Clary.

She was shaking badly when I found her. "I saw my father," she whispered hoarsely, leaning on me for support.

I wrapped my arms around her in a hug. "Everything will be okay." I asked the receptionist for a cup of water and gave it to Clary to calm her down.

After a few minutes, the color returned to her cheeks and I calmly led her into the court room.

A burly security guard stood in front of the wooden doors in front of the court room.

"I'm representing the plaintiff, Clarissa Fray," I announced.

Without a word, he opened the door and we stepped inside. The room was full of people: mostly students at our college who wanted to watch drama unfold. They must have volunteered to be part of the jury.

I gently led Clary to our table. Frowning, I met eyes with the lawyer who was representing Valentine. He was a large man with bushy eyebrows. His lips were set in a menacing smirk.

He stood up and approached me, nodding politely. "I'm Raphael Santiago. Nice to meet you."

"Jace Wayland. It's a pleasure." Not.

Raphael turned his attention to Clary. "Good morning, Ms. Fray," he said politely, an odd gleam twinkling in his eye. He shook her hand. "We may be enemies in court, but I hope that I will have the pleasure of making friends with you outside of this room."

I immediately stepped in front of Clary. "The case is starting, Mr. Santiago," I interrupted rudely. I didn't like the look in his eyes as he observed Clary.

He gave a curt nod and headed back to Valentine.

A woman stood up—she must be the bailiff—and announced, "All rise. Department Four of the Superior Court, Judge Joseph presiding, is now in session. Please be seated."

The judge's ringing voice resonated throughout the room. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We are calling the case of Clarissa Fray versus Valentine Morgenstern in the subject of child abuse. Are both sides ready?"

The judge went through the opening court procedure, before turning to me. "Would you like to make an opening statement, Lawyer Wayland?"

I nodded and stood up. "Your Honor and ladies and gentlemen of the jury: the defendant has been charged with the crime of physically and mentally abusing a minor. The evidence will show that Valentine Morgenstern has constantly attacked his daughter, Clarissa Fray. The plaintiff no longer feels safe in her own home. I will show you the safety precautions Ms. Fray has set throughout her own house as well as full evidence of bodily harm. The evidence I present will prove to you that the defendant is guilty as charged."

Clary's POV

I kept wiping my hands on my dress, but they were still as sweaty as ever. My nerves crashed against each other. I glanced at my father and his lawyer, and then back at Jace's confident figure. If we didn't win this case, my father would torment me forever.

The opening procedures flew by in a blur. Jace presented his case and showed pictures of evidence. The first picture showed the three locks on my bedroom door.

"If Ms. Fray felt safe and secure, would she install these locks on her bedroom door? For most people, one lock would suffice. However, only a truly scared and fearful person would install not one, but three locks to protect herself."

Next, Jace showed a picture of the bruise on my cheek.

"Mr. Morgenstern attacked Ms. Fray and gave her this bruise."

He showed another picture of me lying on the floor, covered in shattered glass. With a shudder, I remembered what had happened. That was the night when Valentine ambushed Jace and I and attacked us with a broken beer bottle.

Jace concluded his speech and sat down next to me, looking smug.

"I think we're going to win," he whispered softly, discreetly gesturing towards the jury. Indeed, they were all whispering with looks of shock on their faces.

Then, Raphael stood up.

"Your honor, Lawyer Wayland is manipulating the facts. My client, Mr. Morgenstern, was simply trying to discipline his daughter. That's what parents are for. If they do not punish their children, our world would be filled with unruly children, and eventually unruly adults."

Jace moved to stand up, his golden eyes filled with anger. He clenched his fist before restraining himself and sitting back down.

"There'll be time for objections later," he muttered to himself.

Raphael glanced at Jace and looked pleased when he saw that Jace was still sitting.

"Furthermore, you cannot prove that the bruise on Ms. Fray's cheek came from Mr. Morgenstern. Perhaps she simply fell down and hit her head on something, resulting in the bruise."

Jace broke into a satisfied grin, but he carefully erased it from his face before standing up.

"Objection, your honor. I have a doctor's report, stating that Ms. Fray's cheek contains 80% broken capillaries, which can only result in an injury of brute force. An accidental collision could not possibly cause such an injury."

A security guard walked over and Jace handed over the report. The judge looked over the report and glanced at Raphael. "This doctor's report is valid."

Raphael's face turned red and flustered.

I smiled, feeling victorious. The rest of court case flew by in a blur. I nervously made my statement, with Jace by my side. Before I knew it, the jury had made a decision and the judge was handing out the verdict.

"The jury finds the defendant guilty. Valentine Morgenstern, you are sentenced to seven years in jail and termination of parental rights of Clarissa Fray. Thank you for your time, ladies and gentlemen. Case closed."

I turned to Jace and joy filled my eyes. Hugging him tightly, I let tears of happiness spill onto his immaculate tuxedo.

"I love you, Jace, thank you so much!"

***-6 months later-***

Clary's POV

The wind blew through my fiery red hair as I rode Jace's orange skateboard down the hill. Grinning, he caught me as I reached the foot of the slope.

"Did you like it?" he asked with a toothy grin.

"Definitely. Now I finally understand why guys like to skateboard so much."

We walked back to my house, hand in hand. Mother opened the door and ushered us into the kitchen. "I prepared a bowl of watermelon for you two."

Grabbing a fork, I stabbed a large chunk of watermelon. "Say 'ahhh'!" I cooed to Jace. When he opened his mouth, I guided the watermelon into my own mouth.

"Yum, that was great!" I murmured dramatically. Jace pouted.

"Clary," he whined, "I'm huuuuungry."

I grinned and leaned closer, kissing him on the lips. I fed him a chunk of watermelon.

"Thanks baby," he grinned.

My mother pretended to gag. "As long as you two are under my roof, you can't have any public displays of affection."

Jace turned red. "Sorry, Jocelyn."

I laughed. Even though my mother pretended to be angry, I knew that she was happy for us. She loved Jace like he was her own son.

"Jace, it's already three," my mother reminded. "Didn't you say that your mom wants to see you?"

He scrambled to his feet. "Oh yeah! Clary, I'll see you later, okay?"

Jace gave me a peck on the cheek before racing outside.

"He's so silly," Mother muttered.

I smiled. "That's true, but I still love him."

My phone suddenly rang, and I heard Simon on the other end.

"Hey Simon!"

"Clary, do you want to get some ice cream?"

"Sure! It's so hot outside—ice cream sound great."

"Okay, I'll pick you up in five minutes."

Hanging up, I turned to my mom. "I'm going to go get some ice cream with Simon."

"Alright, honey. Enjoy your Saturday."

Soon enough, Simon and I were getting in line for ice cream. The ice cream parlor was packed. I asked for a single scoop of Mint Chocolate Chip while Simon settled with three scoops of Triple Stripe Chocolate. I raised an eyebrow at him, but he just shrugged.

"It's my favorite flavor; don't blame me for eating three scoops of it! Besides, I've never seen it at any of the other ice cream parlors, so I have to eat as much as I can," he protested.

I peered at the ice cream and realized that it was milk chocolate, with stripes of white chocolate and 90% dark chocolate. "You're such a chocolate fanatic, Simon," I chuckling.

"Remember when you loved to play with bubbles when you were a kid? You were a bubbly fanatic, Clary," he retorted.

"That comeback makes no sense whatsoever."

"So?"

I rolled my eyes and took a seat at a table near the corner.

Suddenly, a flash of movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I turned and saw a mop of golden hair. The boy with golden hair was locked in an embrace with a beautiful brunette. I could only watch as the girl wrapped her arms around the boy's neck and crashed her lips into his mouth. Sickened, I turned away from their make-out session.

Simon was following my gaze and almost dropped his ice cream on the table.

"Is that Jace Wayland?"

My Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream cone fell to the floor, and my white Converse sneakers sank in the green mess as I ran out of the ice cream parlor.

Shouts of "Watch where you're going!" and "Who do you think you are?!" flooded through my eardrums as I raced outside.

But I didn't care. I just saw my boyfriend kissing another girl.

Hi guys! So my "hiatus" didn't turn out to be very long :) But I can't guarantee weekly updates anymore. The only reason I was able to churn out this chapter was because we have a wonderful three-day weekend and I had time to write. The good news is, I'm already halfway done with Chapter 11, so that should be up next Tuesday. Since school is so busy, I might forget to post it on Tuesday, so just drop me a PM/review and remind me that "BUBBLYFANATIC! It's Tuesday already! Where's Chapter 11?!" Anyways, thank you guys so much for reviewing and supporting this story.

A big shoutout to Ciarainwonderland for taking the time to review every single chapter. That was a huge gesture and it honestly made my day :)

I know the drama is kind of slowing down, but I don't want to rush the plot. Let me know if you have any plot suggestions, or if you want me to add in some fluffyness between Clary and Jace.

I'm setting a goal for 100 reviews! Hopefully we can reach that goal soon :) Just 15 more to go!

~BubblyFanatic