A/N: I've never written anything like this chapter before, so I hope I pulled it off! :3 And please don't hate me for the lack of Clace. I promise that this all has a purpose!

Chapter 21

(Clary POV)

So there I was, pressing Simon against a brick wall and practically kissing the life out of him. He responded immediately by pulling me closer against him, not minding at all that I was in charge. That was one of the best things about Simon, he knew his place.

Yet it was Simon who deepened our kiss considerably, as our mouths were soon open against each other's, French kissing. It was nice, even pleasurable. Simon had improved at kissing so much since that time when we dated.

And broke up.

And now Simon was apparently in love with me.

As those thoughts jumped into my head, I removed my tongue from his mouth and looked at him. "Simon, should we really be doing this right now?"

He leaned back and rested his head against the brick wall, smiling sheepishly and giving a near-whimper. "You're the one who started it," he accused playfully, before turning more serious. "Why, what's wrong?"

I sighed, nonetheless keeping my arms around his skinny waist. "Simon, you were just supposed to be on a date with Evangeline. And besides, this can't be good if you're trying to get over being in love with me."

I watched Simon's lips as they pouted, the lower one jutting out more and looking bruised from our fervent kissing. "You're probably right about that. I'm, um, sorry."

"No, no, it's my fault," I said awkwardly, moving away from the wall. "I don't know what came over me, but I was suddenly thinking about our night together and I couldn't get it out of my head. I just wanted to kiss you."

"So you did. Well, I can't blame you. I've done the same in the past," he acknowledged, face reddening. I assumed that he was gradually realizing how awkward the situation was, because it was even embarrassing me slightly. "So…"

I coughed to kill the silence. "So…"

Simon looked at me for awhile contemplatively, before saying, "You know, Clary, you've gotten to be a good kisser." Then he slouched away from the wall and started walking again, motioning for me to keep up.

I scampered after him, saying in mock offense, "What, was I not a good kisser before?"

"No, you were. You've just gotten better," he claimed loftily.

I decided to be cruel out of sadistic enjoyment. Besides, I knew that Simon wouldn't really be offended. "Must be from all those times I made out with Jace. He's a great kisser. Then again, you would know all about that, wouldn't you?"

He turned to me, a hilarious expression on his face. Simon seemed like he was dually embarrassed and trying not to laugh, and barely succeeding. "Yeah, yeah. Bring it up again, why don't you."

"It was pretty hot, seeing the two of you kissing when the door flew open," I said, wanting deviously to embarrass him further.

"I'm sure it was," Simon sniffed. But then he caught my eye and grinned, and I knew that, despite how weird things got sometimes and how confused I was in general about everything, it would all be okay as long as I had Simon with me. He understood me and what I needed, and almost always obliged, even if that meant letting me make out with him against a brick wall and simultaneously abuse his feelings for me. On one hand, it made me feel like an awful person, but on the other hand, I knew that Simon was the best friend I could ever have. He was really one of a kind, in many ways.

(Evangeline POV)

As soon as my lips touched Jace's, it was like I was falling. The world seemed to disappear out from under me and all I knew was Jace and his mouth expertly moving against mine. All of my organs felt like they were rising from their normal place, drawn upward by the flight of a thousand butterflies. But now the butterflies weren't from nervousness. They were caused by my ever increasing desire.

Jace's arms wound around me, drawing me deeper into his kiss, and all I could do was reach one hand up to his hair and the other to rest on his chest. I felt his heartbeat through my fingers, thudding beneath hard muscle. It was such a strange sensation; I had never felt anyone like this before, especially a man who was currently kissing me.

And was he ever kissing me! I could tell that Jace probably had a lot of experience with kissing, manifested in the way he moved his lips against mine. I almost forgot that I was supposed to be breathing, but Jace had no such trouble. Somehow, he coordinated the two processes of kissing and breathing very well.

His arms were wrapped around my back but not staying still, sending shivery sensations up my spine. It was the most pleasurable experience I had ever had, far surpassing our other kisses a few nights before. And, naturally, better than what happened during Spin the Bottle. It was like night and day, no comparison even possible.

One of Jace's large hands suddenly dipped under the bottom of the leather jacket, snaking its way across the back of my thin dress. I gasped against his mouth, mainly from surprise. He pulled away for an instant to inquisitively check my expression, probably because he heard my gasp, but I wasn't having it. Summoning up courage from some unknown part of myself, I pulled our heads back together.

I heard and felt Jace laugh quietly against my lips, which made me laugh too. We immediately found each other's gazes and shared the moment, also using it to catch our breath. His golden eyes seemed brighter, luminous in the darkness. Happy. I was happy, too, very much so.

"Oh, Evangeline," he whispered huskily, removing his hand from my back and using it to cup my cheek. His rough and calloused thumb stroked my cheekbone, and I tilted my head into his touch. "I need you."

The words shot through my mind, thrilling me. He needed me? In what way? I realized that I wanted to find out the answer. Instinctively, I leaned up against his lips again lightly.

Jace pulled back again after a few seconds, taking my hand on his chest and brushing his lips against my knuckles. "We can't stay here forever, you know. We're on a street corner."

I glanced around, remembering that we weren't alone. I giggled slightly at the fact I'd forgotten. "You're right. I didn't even notice."

The way he was looking at me made me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. "Come on, let's go back to the Institute. Then we can pick up where we left off."

I was mildly disappointed, because I didn't want to stop. So much had changed in me since Mama died, I was practically a different person, but in a good way. My eyes had been opened to so much in the world already, and the possibility of more was exciting. I was nearly soaking it up, like a plant being watered for the first time in awhile. I felt alive, despite the mild disappointment of our kiss stopping. "Okay," I said, running my slim fingers through his beautiful golden hair. "But one more kiss before we set off."

I leaned up again, but Jace leaned down at the same time, which caused our mouths to collide with some pressure. And instead of lessening the impact of it, Jace just kept pressing his lips against mine harder and more feverishly. My fingers tangled in his hair again and his did the same for me, and we both forgot that we were supposed to be walking home.

The next thing I was aware of was Jace's tongue tentatively running across my lower lip. Needless to say, I jumped about a foot in the air at the shock of it.

That brought us both back to our senses as we rested our foreheads together, staring deeply into each other's eyes. I decided to be the responsible one this time around. "Come on, let's go back."

He grinned. "Alright, but only because we have to."

I took his hand as he reached out for mine, and we walked together the rest of the way to the Institute.

But as soon as we walked through the door, I peeked around the corner and saw everyone looking serious. Aunt Maryse saw me too, and beckoned for us to walk over.

"What's going on?" Jace asked skeptically, still holding my hand.

My aunt turned to me, looking so much like Mama that my heart skipped a beat. "Evangeline, we suddenly came across a man who claims to be your father."

Father. The word echoed through my mind. I could scarcely comprehend it, especially with all that happened tonight. I had never known a father, it was the one thing Mama never told me. "Where?"

"Here." She gestured to a dark corner, and a man stepped out of the shadows.

A/N: Uh oh, just when things were getting steamy! :O Please review. xoxo