"I think I've seen this play before," Clary said with a slight laugh. "On TV of course." She smiled but it was a fake smile. Then she seemed to look through Jace as if he was no longer there.

Of all the possible outcomes, Clary shrugging off his confession as a pick-up line had not occurred to Jace. He had never felt like this about anyone before. He'd been prepared for rejection of any other kind - she did have a boyfriend after all - but he'd assumed she would have at least believed he spoke the truth. To Jace, it seemed like what he'd said to Clary was so huge, so different from anything he had ever said to a girl before. He'd been nervous just standing near her! Speaking to her had been strange and terrifying. Now, Jace felt dejected and small in a way he had never experienced. Clary moved away from him, but Jace didn't have the energy to go after her. Even if he did he couldn't think of anything to say that she might believe.

When Alec appeared beside him, Jace could see Magnus was still standing stunned by their table. So, Alec had done it; they had both lived up to their side of the deal, but Jace felt worse now than before. Judging from the look on Alec's face, he felt worse as well.

"Jace, you okay?" Alec asked.

"Not really," Jace said. "You okay?"

"Not really," Alec echoed.

"Well, aren't we a pair," Jace sighed. "Man, I need a drink."

"I wouldn't say no," Alec said, hesitantly. "Except that it's 10am." Alec put a consoling hand on Jace's shoulder, and Jace was amazed how comforting the small gesture was. "How about ice cream instead?" With a sigh, Jace agreed and let Alec lead him out of the cafeteria.

The look on Clary's face was haunting him. The humorless smile that hadn't reached her eyes had been her only reaction to his words. That image seemed to be permanently etched in his mind's eye. Jace walked beside Alec and a little behind, following rather than paying attention to his surroundings.

"She didn't believe me," Jace whispered. He'd said this in his head already, but saying it out loud made it more real somehow, like releasing a bird from a cage. There was no taking the words back.

"I believe you," Alec said. "But can you blame her? I mean, you do have a reputation."

Alec had a point, Jace thought. Hadn't he said far more compelling things before to get women into bed without meaning a single word of it? How could Clary think him genuine with so much evidence to the contrary?

"I want her to believe me," Jace said firmly. "Even if she never returns my…" He faltered, Jace hadn't said this out loud before.

"Feelings?" Alec offered. "Affection? Interest?"

"Yeah," Jace mumbled. "How can I make her believe me?"

"Well for a start," Alec said. "You could stop sleeping around."

"I can do that," Jace said. It surprised him how easy an idea this was to accept. "What else?"

"You could show her the truth," Alec suggested. "With actions instead of words."

"How?"

"Do something selfless," Alec suggested. "Take an interest in the things she cares about." Jace nodded. It seemed straight forward enough.

"Thanks, Alec," Jace said. "I couldn't have done this without you."

"I know the feeling," Alec replied. Jace was amazed at how comfortable he was talking to Alec like this. Alec didn't judge him for caring. In fact, Jace suspected his caring was the reason Alec had warmed up to him in the first place.

They walked in silence until they reached their dorm room. Alec went over to his side of the room and returned with a bucket of rocky road ice cream and two spoons.

"Here," Alec said. "I think we've earned it."

"Thanks," Jace said. "Though I'd still rather have a whiskey."

"Tough." Alec's curt reply made Jace smile.

"Do you always keep ice cream in your mini fridge?" Jace asked after they had both had a few spoonfuls of the rich creamy comfort food.

"Maybe," Alec said. "Or maybe I just started eating my feelings recently."

"Magnus," Jace said.

"Uh huh," Alec confirmed, with a nod of his head.

"So, got any ideas how specifically I should show Clary I care?" Jace asked, trying to make conversation.

"Got any specific ideas how I could make Magnus like me back?" Alec asked.

"Nope," Jace said. "I would suggest jealous, but if he doesn't like you at least a little that won't work."

"Great," Alec said sarcastically. "I feel much better. Thanks."

"Anytime," Jace laughed.

"Magnus is Clary's best friend," Alec said. "So I learned a little about her while taking up residence in the friend zone."

"Any helpful hints you want to share with the group?"

"Clary's an art major," Alec said. "She's a very loyal friend, and she and I share a decided lack of fashion." He laughed, but without much humour Jace noticed.

"Have you thought of that?" Jace asked. "Maybe if you dressed great, Magnus would notice you."

"Said everyone on the hook ever," Alec replied.

"Fair point," Jace nodded.

"I just can't get my hopes up anymore," Alec said resigned. "It sucks too much." They ate in silence for a while, but Jace didn't like the mood in the room. Alec was sulking and Jace couldn't blame him.

"If we don't stop eating this ice cream," Jace said trying to lighten the mood. "I am going to have to add years to my workout tomorrow." When Alec laughed this time it felt much more genuine, and Jace was glad.

"I jog sometimes," Alec said. "But working out isn't my thing."

"For a guy who doesn't work out you're in pretty good shape," Jace commented.

"Thanks," Alec said. "But it probably has something to do with carrying all those textbooks around." He laughed. "Why the hell do they need to be that thick anyway?"

"Couldn't afford an editor?" Jace suggested. Alec laughed just as Jace's phone went off.

'Where are you?' Sebastian's text read. 'Meet me at the bar.'

Jace was surprised by how little he wanted to see Sebastian at this very moment. It felt like he was in a bubble here with Alec, and he was worried if the bubble burst Alec could go back to hating him. Jace took a deep breath before texting back.

'I've got a lot of homework,' Jace replied. 'I think I'm going to stay home tonight.'

'You're abandoning me?' Sebastian texted back very quickly. 'On a Saturday night!'

'Sorry,' Jace replied, and he was sorry, but not sorry enough to go out to the bar tonight.

"Something wrong?" Alec asked when Jace put his phone away.

"No, nothing," Jace said, but he was sure his face gave him away.

"If you say so," Alec replied, a little skeptically.

"If you must know, Sebastian wants me to go the bar with him," Jace said. "But I said no."

"He's mad?"

"If he knew I was done with my essay he would be," Jace smiled.

"You told him you had too much homework huh," Alec translated.

"Yep," Jace said. "I can't be going to bars with him if I want Clary to believe me. I'll explain it to him later. He'll understand."

"I don't know," Alec said. "How well do you know him? Cause in high school he didn't seem like the type to understand."

"I've known him forever," Jace said. "Since like kindergarten or something."

"Wow," Alec said. "I don't think I've even known my cousin that long."

"How come?"

"Her family moved away before my sister, Izzy was born," Alec said. "They didn't move back till I was older. I think I met her when we were both about eleven… don't quote me on that, but it was before high school for sure."

"I'm an only child," Jace said. "And I don't think I have any cousins. My family is basically just my mom."

"I can't imagine that," Alec laughed. "I have an annoyingly huge family."

"I can't imagine that," Jace echoed with a smile.

When neither of them could eat any more ice cream they watched a movie together. Jace was worried Alec would want to watch a chick flick, but he was pleasantly surprised by Alec's selection of an action movie. Sure, Jace usually preferred guns to bows and arrows, but it turned out to be a good movie nonetheless.

In the late afternoon, Alec asked Jace if his cousin could join them since she was, in her words, 'bored to tears.' Jace agreed and soon she stood at their door. When he saw her, Jace had the strangest feeling of déjà vu, but he couldn't place her face.

"Hi," Jace said politely, deciding not to make a fool of himself if indeed his strange déjà vu feeling was all in his head.

"So you're, Jace," Aline said with the air of an epiphany. "Wow, it is a small world." She laughed, but Jace just stared, confused. "You don't remember me but that's okay. I didn't know your name so I can't talk."

"Huh?" Jace said shaking his head, as if that would help jog his memory.

"It was back in high school," Aline said. "Maybe grade 11 or something. We made out."

"Oh," Jace said. He had made out, and more, with lot of girls in school, and he wasn't very good with names. This did, however, explain his déjà vu.

"Yep," Aline said. "You were my last experiment." Jace's sudden clarity was gone as he tried to interpret this new remark.

"I was your what?"

"Well, you're hot," Aline explained, with the air of someone saying the sky was blue. "So I figured if I wasn't turned on making out with you, no guy would do it for me."

"Oh," Jace said in a small voice. This was new territory. It seemed the universe was out to flip his world completely upside down in just one day.

"So I brought Catan!" Aline said enthusiastically. She was indeed holding a red rectangular box with the words, 'Settlers of Catan', in large gold lettering. Alec seemed keen on the idea, and Jace had no better ideas so he soon found himself being taught how to play the rather complicated game.

"I'm building a road," Aline said as she placed the token on the board.

"But, you just cut me off!" Alec complained. Jace could tell these two had played this game many times before, though he was still rather lost. "Aline! You just ruined all my plans."

Aline stuck her tongue out at her cousin. Jace enjoyed watching the two of them interact. Theirs was a relationship he didn't have, and never would have. He found himself almost jealous.

"Can I build a settlement?" Jace asked. He held all four resource cards - lumber, wool, grain and brick - that the reference card told him he needed to build a settlement, but he was sure he was missing something.

"You don't have space for it," Alec explained.

"Why can't I put it here?" Jace asked pointing to one of his roads on the board.

"You need a minimum of two roads between settlements," Aline explained. "Why don't you use your wood and clay to build a road, then the next time you can build your settlement."

"Lumber and brick," Alec corrected her.

"When I learned this game I learned different names," Aline said in that tone indicating she was explaining something she had explained dozens of times already. "I will call them what I like."

"Just as long as you don't giggle every time you say wood," Alec complained. Aline giggled, and Alec groaned as he placed his hand over his face.

"What do you even know about wood anyway?" Alec whined from behind his hands. Jace could tell Alec's face was turning red. "Why do you have to giggle like that?"

"It's true," Aline said. "You should be the only one giggling Alec, since everyone else here isn't such a fan of wood."

Alec blushed furiously as he glared at his cousin. Jace couldn't help but think this was the strangest situation he had ever found himself in. His next thought was of the words Sebastian usually used for people like Alec and Aline. Jace hadn't thought much of it before now. Sebastian had always been like that, so it hadn't really registered with him. It was like walking past the same mess on the floor so many times you just saw it as part of the floor, Jace had become numb to Sebastian's vulgar words. Jace suddenly felt uncomfortable thinking about all the things Sebastian had said. Jace didn't usually join in, but he'd never seen it as a problem either.

"It's my turn," Alec said snatching the dice from his giggling cousin and rolling a seven. "Ha! I am so stealing from you." Alec picked up the small grey token they had told him represented the thief, and moved it to one of Aline's places on the board. "And I am blocking your best ore spot."

"Rock," Aline corrected, but Alec just rolled his eyes. She fanned out her cards and Alec took one at random. "And what you just stole was a wheat card."

Alec ignored Aline and proceeded to buy what was called city, by paying three ore and two grain and replacing the small wooden settlement token with a bigger city one.

"Ha!" Alec told her. "See, now I'm winning."

Jace was very behind on victory points he knew, but by the end of Aline's next turn she was tied with Alec again at nine points each. To win Catan you needed ten victory points. Jace was barely even paying attention to his own game play in favour of watching them. By luck, Alec won, but if his turn had been after hers, Aline would have won on her next turn. Jace tried to tell them that was as good as tied but they said a rematch was in order. Jace decided they took this game way too seriously.

"We should do this again," Aline said as she was getting ready to leave.

"Definitely," Alec said, then he turned to Jace and added, "But maybe next time you can pick the game."

"The only games I know are drinking games," Jace said.

"That could be fun," Aline said. "Though I am going to veto day drinking, deal?"

"Deal," Jace laughed. As she left, Jace thought about how today had been both the worse and best day he'd had in a long time.

When Jace woke the next morning, for a moment he thought it had all been a dream - talking to Clary, bonding with Alec - but then he got out of bed and saw Alec sitting at this desk.

"Morning," Alec said cheerily. "How did you sleep?"

And just like that, Jace knew it had all really happened.


Beta read by Holly0114


Do any of you know or have ever played Catan? Sorry if you were confused. Jace was too. lol. Hopefully it was still understandable enough to be an enjoyable read. I just needed something for them to do so Jace could interact with both Aline and Alec and I LOVE Catan. lol. Aline is basically me in this chapter as far as getting way to invested in Catan and using the wrong names for the resource cards is also me. I learned them wrong then when I started playing with a friend she looked up the real names and I was like nope still gonna use the old ones. ^_^ If you are confused about the game you could google it or ask me. I'm more than happy to answer questions!

How are you enjoying the Jace and Alec bonding? Their friendship seems to have become a plot line in and of itself. With means this story has SO many interwoven plot lines! Hehe! It takes alot of planning but its super fun fitting them all together. The Malec, Clace, Wessa, Jessa, Heline hasn't really happened yet and now Jace/Alec friendship and we haven't even gotten to Sizzy yet! hehe

I have been told my times of day are a little confusing. Sorry! Do you guys really need to know what time of day these things happen or is just implied fine. If the time of day matters for the story I usually add it. Like in this chapter when drink at 10am wasn't acceptable to Alec.

And yes I keep doing random time jumps then doing three or four chapters that take place on the same day. Sorry if that's confusing! I try and use dialogue to anchor a scene by repeated the same line of dialogue (one at the end of a chapter and one at the beginning) to show you that its the same scene just a different point of view. But mostly I am having time pass as fast or slow as I need for plot. I have quite a long story planned for this so I don't want time to pass too slowly. In my last story time crept along very slowly for like 40 chapters until it suddenly sped for the last 10 so I wanted to be more consistent with this story. Besides Izzy won't be at the University until the following year and I can't wait to add her! :)


Sneak Peek Chapter 15

"He thinks he likes me now," Magnus said. "But what does that mean really? It doesn't guarantee it will last. It doesn't promise happiness."

"If I ever get my hands on that woman," Tessa said angry. "I am going to ring her neck." Magnus knew she was talking about Camille and he wished she wouldn't. No matter how hurt Magnus was or how mad he couldn't hate her.

"Please don't," Magnus said softly.

"You forget," Tessa said sternly. "The first time I met Alec I thought you were already dating. The way he talked about you!"