Part I

Clary

Magnus opens the door with a large grin and folds me into a hug. "Biscuit! Merry Christmas." He makes eye contact with Simon over my shoulder and adds, "Happy Hanukkah as well. Come in, come in!"

As he does every year, Magnus is hosting a Christmas party. It's not like he minds doing it, either. It's an excuse for him to decorate, buy things, and...oh, yes. Throw another party. He looks magnificent and Magnus-like - he has a sequined red blazer pulled on over the top of an ugly Christmas sweater covered in blinking lights. The loft is already full of people milling about. I feel a hand at my elbow and turn around. Jon looks down at me with a worried stare. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yes," I say quietly.

Jon's eyes take on a darker look. "Jace is here. Damn it, Magnus." I can't help it. I turn around and catch sight of a head of tousled golden curls from across the room. They disappear into the crowd and I turn back to Jon. "Stay by me," he says.

Isabelle appears next to us, along with Simon. He grins defiantly at me and points at his bright blue Hanukkah sweater. I grin. I bought it for him a few years back. "Looking good, Lewis," I say.

"Thanks, Fairchild," he says back.

"Clary," says a voice behind me. I turn around to see Alec standing behind me. He's wearing a dark green sweater with white tree designs across the front, which seems about his style, with tinsel draped around his forehead, which was probably Magnus' doing. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

I feel Jon's hand tighten around my upper arm, but gently disengage myself from his grasp. "I'll be fine," I reassure him, and follow Alec to a more secluded corner of the party. I am aware of Jon's gaze on my back as I walk away. When we stop walking, I face Alec. "Look, if this is about Jace -"

"It's not," says Alec suddenly. He rubs the back of his neck like he's embarrassed. "Look - I wanted to thank you, okay? You pulled Jace out of his hole, which I couldn't do. And you introduced me to Magnus." He smiles a little, which makes me smile a little too. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to thank you enough for that."

"Well I'll thank you for making Magnus happy," I reply, rocking back and forth on my heels. "He deserves it."

Magnus sweeps in behind Alec and presses a light kiss to the top of his cheekbone. "What are you two hens gossiping about over here?"

I smile. "Nothing."

Alec grins at me as Magnus leads him back into the party, talking animatedly about the ice sculptures that Alec helped him design. I glance around the party, not conscious that I'm looking for a certain head of golden hair until I find it. Jace stands with a glass in his hand with his back to me, talking to a few people I don't know. Well, and Aline Penhallow. She stands at his side, her dark hair curled softly around her shoulders. Then she turns around and her eyes land on me. For a moment, she looks surprised that I'm looking at her. Then her face splits into a knowing smile and she turns to murmur something into Jace's ear. He turns his head to look at me and I quickly disappear back into the party before he can spot me.

He said that his relationship with Aline was all for show. If it is, why are they even together at all? As far as I'm concerned, Jace only needed a girlfriend to get the job with Magnus. He has one now, so what is he playing at? Ever since he came over, I've been confused and frustrated.

"Girl, you are so tense you're going to pop," says a voice behind me. I turn to see Isabelle, her face split into a scheming grin. She pushes a glass of something dark into my hand and grins at me. "Please have a drink."

I glare at her but raise the glass to my lips. I almost spit out what's inside. "Oh my God, Iz, what is that?"

She makes a thoughtful expression. "Well, the bartender told me it was a 'Panty-Dropping Christmas,' but I don't know if he was talking to me or about the drink."

"Ew, too much information," I groan at her.

Isabelle takes the drink from my hand and takes a sip. Her face screws up. "Wow. That's strong. But you need it." Her eyes flick behind me and she lets out a small gasp. "Give me that." She snatches the drink out of my fingers.

"Hey, I thought you said I needed tha - " I start, but then she shoves me and I stumble into something hard.

Something hard and warm. Somebody's chest. But not just anybody. Someone who smells like lavender and soap and...cigarettes? I look up and my mouth goes dry. Jace stares down at me, his lips slightly parted, his hair outlined with bright gold by the lights above his head. "Clary," he says, and his voice holds no indication of his emotions. I realize that his arms rest lightly around my waist - he caught me as I was stumbling.

Embarrassed, I begin to pull out of his arms, but then his hands tighten around me, and he starts to spin me in lazy circles to the music blaring through the party. The crowd around us is thick, and no one is paying us any attention. I'm not good at dancing, but Jace leads me, and it's clear that he is an amazing dancer; his feet move naturally and gracefully as he pulls me across the floor.

Then he stops moving and his fingers close around my chin, tilting my head up. Beyond his curls, I catch sight of a sprig of mistletoe dangling from the ceiling.

Curse you, Magnus.

Jace

Can I just say how beautiful she looks?

As soon as I saw her, I knew tonight was going to be difficult. Of course, her brother was behind her, somehow managing to look protective and even threatening in a green sweater covered in small red deer and stockings. But I barely even saw him, or anyone else at the party. There was only Clary from the moment I laid eyes on her from across the room.

Her coppery hair is set in soft waves over her shoulders, like a copper river parting at her neck. Her dress is dark green, the same color as Jon's sweater, and it makes her emerald eyes all the more striking. I ache to stride across the room, fold her into my arms, and kiss her until the world falls away, but I will my feet to stay planted next to Aline.

I almost didn't come for this reason. But now I understand how much I'd regret it if I didn't.

"Having fun?" whispers Aline in my ear. I look over at her to see her wearing a small smirk. She must have seen where my gaze landed.

I clear my throat uncomfortably and switch my drink from one hand to the other. "Of course. It's one of Magnus Bane's legendary parties."

Aline glances over my shoulder to where I assume Clary now stands. "Who's that with her? She doesn't have a new boyfriend, does she? Because you have to know I will not endorse cheating -"

"That's Jon, her brother," I interrupt hurriedly before Aline can take that idea any further.

"Ah," she replies, her eyes flicking back to me. "Well, they look nothing alike."

I glance over at them. They really don't look much like siblings - Jon is so tall, with his shocking silvery blonde hair and sharp features, while Clary is small and soft and warm looking. I'm staring at her again, so I look away quickly. "They're very different," is all I say.

"Jace!" says a familiar voice. I turn to see Helen Blackthorn, who Aline introduced me to as her old friend, standing behind me. She's pretty - blonde, with pale blue eyes and a face full of sharp and unique features that give her an almost otherworldly appearance. "Mind if I steal Aline away from you for a bit?"

I grin at her. Aline blushes and tucks her hair behind her ears. "Be my guest," I tell Helen, and she turns her brilliant smile to Aline and leads her away into the party. I finish my drink in one long sip and set the empty glass on a nearby table. I see Alec and Magnus across the room, grinning at each other like idiots while they reattach some fallen garland to the wall. It's great to see Alec look so happy and carefree.

I hear a small gasp behind me and someone falls into me. On instinct, I turn and grab the person gently, lifting them slowly back to a standing position. My breath catches when I see two familiar green eyes staring up at me. "Clary," I breathe out.

She looks terrified. I don't want her to look this way. She begins to slip from my arms but I wrap them tighter around her small frame and begin to rock her, slowly at first and then faster, fitting to the pace of the music around us. What am I doing? I don't care; I don't care. I let her float around me as I sway her to the music, and her eyes flutter shut, hiding her brilliant emerald orbs.

"Hey," says someone in my ear. I turn around, still spinning Clary, and see Aline behind me. She smirks and points above my head. I look up to see a sprig of mistletoe hanging innocently above. "Get 'em," says Aline, and melts back into the crowd.

This is a bad idea. My feet stop moving. A terrible idea. Clary's eyes open, confused. I should not do this. My fingers find her chin, tilting her head upwards. But I want to. I lean down until our noses brush but don't go further than that.

Clary's breaths come faster, matching the pounding of my heart. People continue to dance around us, oblivious to our stopping. My fingers slide up her jaw and into her copper hair. She smells like strawberries and paint and black coffee. Her lips are begging to be kissed. So I kiss them.

It starts slow, just a simple brush of my lip to hers. Then her face tilts upwards to meet mine, a small gesture, but all the invitation I need. My lips cover hers again, and she sighs into the kiss, her hands finding their way to rest against my chest. There is something terribly sad about it this time - I feel my heart squeezing as I pull her closer to me. This could be the last time I ever get to kiss her. I try to pour all of my want, all of the desperation that's been harboring within me since our last meeting, into the pressure of my lips on hers.

Then I feel something wet and pull away. Tears stream down Clary's cheeks, and she looks frantic and cornered, like a deer in front of headlights. "Clary," I say again. "Wait." But she doesn't. She rips herself out of my grasp, pushing through the crowd away from me as fast as she can. I see Jon try to grab her arm, his face confused, but she pushes past him, flinging open the door of Magnus' loft and rushing out. Jon turns around and fixes me with a cold stare before hurrying after her.

I don't feel my feet begin to move, but then I'm out the door and running down the stairs, taking them two at a time.

I need to find Clary.

Ho ho ho. Merry Christmas Eve.

So...this is part one! Part two will be posted tomorrow. This lil two part series is my gift to all of you. If you don't celebrate Christmas, happy holiday season and winter! It's my favorite season. Anyways, it looks like it's going to be a white Christmas where I live. I'm happy, I love school! Everything is so much prettier when it's snowy.

Be back tomorrow for Part 2, our Christmas chapter!

Love you all :) xoxo