Here we are, my pretty people! Now, as I've said before, this story is coming to a close in the not so distant future :( So sad. But I've got two more stories that I will be adding around Christmas, one is the motorbike fic that I have told you guys about, which is called Hearts Gone Wrong, and the second is Fire and Gold, an idea that I came up with a few weeks ago and have just started playing around with. So that's something to look forward to :) Anyway, on with the chapter...

"Seriously?"

"Shut up."

"It's my house!"

"It's my show."

"It's terrible."

"Shut up," Clary repeated. Jace grumbled under his breath but fell quiet. He was joking; he honestly didn't care. Clary was spread out on his couch, her head resting on the lounge pillows at one end, and her feet in his lap at where he was sitting at the other end. They were watching some show that Jace was really not interested in, but Clary was completely enraptured by. It was a twisted bunch of fairy tales, living in some town without magic, and the only upside was the fact the girl that was based on Little Red Riding Hood was pretty hot.

Jace decided to take a different tactic. He ran his hand up and down her calf and ankle, before reaching her feet and tickling it lightly.

"Jace!" Clary squealed, kicking at his hand and drawing her feet up and away from him. He grinned and left her in peace for the rest of the show. When the credits were rolling, he stood up and stretched. The next episode started and he rolled his eyes.

"I have never been so happy to have work meeting on a Saturday," Jace smirked down at her.

"Oh, you have a work thing?" Clary tightened her stomach muscles to sit up, tucking her legs underneath her.

"Yup," Jace leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. "You can come if you want."

"Uh, aren't work things meant to be for just, like, work people?" She asked.

"Well it's with a hockey player, so it's after his training session today," Jace answered as he pulled a glass out of one of the cupboards and filled it with water from the cooling filter. "I guess it's not your typical work meeting, in a board room and shit. More like a meet and greet, like when we were at the racetrack."

"And so it's a hockey training session?" Clary scrunched up her nose and tilted her head to the side. Jace grinned as he drained his glass and tipped it upside down in the sink. "Not even a proper game where people can win?"

"Nope," Jace confirmed as he came over to the couch. "You could just stay here and watch your fairy tale show."

"Once Upon A Time," she corrected. "And I think I will." Jace grinned as he bent down and pressed a kiss to her mouth. She reciprocated, returning the pressure firmly. When they parted he smiled at her, lifting a finger to touch her gently on the nose before straightening up again.

"I'm not sure how late it's going to run. I gotta be there by three but that doesn't exactly mean it starts at three, ya know? I'll give you a call when I know."

"That's fine," Clary pressed a few buttons on the remote and then grinned. "The marathon goes for another two hours, so I'll be occupied for a while."

"Okay. Later, Cherry."

"Bye, Jace."

Jace still paid for the maid to come in, however she only came in once a week now, on a Thursday, while Clary was at work. He had told her Clary he was more than happy to keep her coming, that he didn't expect her to be cleaning or reorganizing things—that she wasn't required to pay her way with him. But she insisted. On the days that she wasn't at work, she kept herself busy around the house, or went out to lunch with Isabelle. She liked looking after the house that was keeping her safe.

After the final episode finished, she stretched, arching her back and pointing her toes, before falling back onto the couch and staring up at the ceiling. A relaxed smile settled on her lips and she blinked lazily.

She couldn't remember the last time she felt this happy. And not just happy, but free.

Jonathon was safe.

She was safe.

Jace and Simon had made sure of that.

Despite their differences and the years that stretched between where they had once been and where they were now, both of them had come through and proved exactly why she had been friends with them in the first place.

Clary got up, tidying up the remotes and the cushions that she had disturbed while watching TV. Then she went into the kitchen, and washed out the glass that Jace had drunk from earlier. He had been gone for nearly three hours now, and it was just before six. She wasn't sure whether he was going to bring dinner home or if she was going to cook for them, so she sent off a text to him to ask. It was only a few minutes before she got her answer, but he called rather than texting.

"Hey, Cherry," he greeted her. She could hear noise in the background, it sounded like a whistle being blown and lots of shouting. "Sorry, I'm going to be longer. I'm here with one of my bosses, and he wants to look into a couple of the other players."

"No, no, that's fine," Clary couldn't help but giggle as she tapped her fingers along the edge of the bench. "Gotta keep my sugar daddy bringing in the dough."

"Oh, that's what I am, is it?" Jace sounded like he was laughing.

"Something like that," she gave a one shouldered shrug, even though he couldn't see her. "You know what else you are?"

"What?"

"Good in bed," she said.

"Ms Fray," this time she knew he was laughing. "Are you trying to seduce me? Because that's really not fair, given I'm still going to be here for another few hours and I can't get my hands on you until I'm home."

"That really sucks for you then, doesn't it?" Clary smirked.

"Moving on to safer subjects," Jace interrupted. "Anyway, have dinner without me. You could see if Izzy wants to come over? I was texting her earlier and I don't think she's got anything on."

"Yeah, maybe," Clary replied. "It's fine. I'm going to have a shower and I'll just heat something up for dinner."

"Okay," Jace breathed out through his nose. "Look, I better get back."

"I'll see you tonight," Clary concluded as she ended the call. She walked up the stairs, stripping out of her clothes and dumping them on the floor in the bedroom that she was coming to consider hers and Jace's. As she waited for the shower to heat up, she looked at the reflection of her naked body in the mirror. She had marks on her hips and her neck from Jace's loving the previous night, when they had gotten back from dinner with Simon and Isabelle. The finger marks from where he had held her hips were bruised slightly, and there was a love bite on the left side of her neck.

They were completely different kinds of marks than what was left from Jacob.

His were violent, and made her ashamed to see her reflection.

Jace's made her feel powerful, and sexy.

And loved.

Heat rushed over her as she remembered the night before and she smiled as she stepped into the shower. After finishing, she dressed in a pair of underwear, a loose pair of shorts, a wireless bra and one of Jace's shirts. It hung down past the hem of the shorts, making it look as though she wasn't wearing anything underneath, but she didn't care. It smelt like Jace, and given he wasn't here right now, it was the closest thing she could get to being surrounded by him. She was towel drying her hair when she heard a knock at the front door. Clary glanced down at her phone, raising an eyebrow when she didn't see any texts. She hung the towel over one of the hooks on the back of the bathroom door and padded down the stairs.

It must be Isabelle, she thought. Jace had said he was texting her and he probably mentioned that she was going to be alone for a while.

With this information in mind, she didn't bother checking through the peephole before unlocking the door and swinging it open, a smile on her face, preparing to greet her friend.

Her face drained white as she saw who was standing there.

"Hello, Clarissa," Jacob stated, his voice low.

Ooh, the suspense ;) Anyway, thank you heaps for your support and reviews. There's still heaps of you following there in the background; come out, come out and let me know what you think! I'm nice, I promise.

Anyway, if you want a preview, let me know in your review. And if you wanted to talk about anything else, send me a PM! I can be damn lovely :) xx