One Hundred and Twelve Story:

The Bet

Clary POV:

"You ready for senior year Fray?" Simon asked as we walked into the high school for the last year.

"Totally. I can't wait to start my future." I said and he smiled.

"You're lucky. You know where you're going." Simon said and I put my hand on his shoulder.

"You'll get into your dream school Si, I know you will." I said and he gave me a sad smile.

"I just, I applied over the summer, and I haven't heard anything back." He said dejectedly.

"Maybe they were just so impressed, they wanted the whole staff to see you before they let you in." I said and he scoffed.

"Good try Fray, but that wasn't a very convincing lie." He said and I smiled.

"I gave it a try." I said and he laughed as we made it to our lockers. "How is Isabelle?" I asked as I wiggled my eyebrows in his direction. The day Simon came over to my house and said he had a date with Isabelle Lightwood, I nearly shit my pants.

"She's good." Simon said with the biggest smile on his face. He was totally smitten.

"I still can't believe you're together." I said and he laughed. "I mean, Isabelle Lightwood and Simon Lewis, who would have guessed that combination."

"I had my fingers crossed. That's for sure." He said and as if her ears were ringing, in sauntered Isabelle. She walked right over to us and gave Simon a sweet kiss, which caused a chorus of whispers throughout the hallways.

"Hey you two." She said.

"Hey." Simon said. "You ready for homeroom?" Simon asked and Izzy nodded. They were lucky they had last names that both started with an L.

"There is one thing you should know about me Simon Lewis, I'm always unprepared." She said and we all laughed.

"Trust me, I know. I lost a lot of pencils to you over the years." Simon said and Izzy smiled. "We'll see you at lunch Clare?" Simon asked.

"Correction, I have to meet with my math teacher during lunch. So don't worry when I'm not there." Izzy said and we both nodded.

"I'll be at lunch." I said and he nodded. They made their way down the hallway, getting stared at the whole time, and I made my way to my homeroom. I was ready for senior year, and just getting through it, and going to begin my future.

Jace POV:

Senior year of high school was about to be the most uneventful year thus far in my life. I just wanted to go to college honestly. As far as I'm concerned, this year is going to be a joke. The teachers won't care, and we won't care, and the only thing I'm going to be focusing on is sports. I already got into my dream school, so as of right now, class work was the last thing on my mind.

Izzy immediately left me when we got to school to meet up with Rat Face, and I was just meandering throughout the hallways. I got to my locker, I grabbed a notebook, and a pencil, but I doubted that I would write a single thing, but it gave the teachers a little hope that I would, so that's all I really needed.

My schedule was pretty boring the first half of the day. Calc 1, AP English, American Government, Physics, and Business Law, but the end of the day was pretty chill. After lunch I had AP Piano, Gym, and a Study Hall to end the day. I just had to endure the first part of my day, and the end of my day would be pretty sweet.

Thankfully the first half of the day went by quickly, and I was finally going to lunch. My classes weren't that terrible, but sometimes they were just really boring, and that was the hardest part. There is nothing worse than trying to learn about a boring topic. I just takes the interest out of education. I got to my normal table and started eating some chips. I wasn't paying attention to anything, until someone snapped their fingers in my face. I looked up and it was Sebastian.

"What?" I asked.

"Okay, I got a bet for you to start the year off Jace." Sebastian said as we sat at lunch.

"This ought to be good." I smirked and he laughed.

"Oh, it's good." He said. "You're a shoe in for homecoming king. Everyone knows it." I nodded in agreement because it was true. "But this year, I think you should have a new queen." He said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean, instead of Kaelie or Aline, it should be someone new. Someone no one would expect." He explained.

"Okay. I can work my magic." I said.

"Ah ah ah. I get to choose." He said and I groaned.

"Fine. Pick away." I said.

"I've had my eye on her for this particular bet." He said. "Clarissa Fray." He said.

"Art freak Fray?" I asked and he laughed. "How the hell do you expect me to manage that?"

"I'm sure you'll work your magic." He said with an evil glimmer in his eye. I looked over at the table where she sat with her 1 friend. This was going to be a tough bet.

Time Jump – Next Day

Clary POV:

I was sitting in American Government doodling away in my notebook when I heard the desk next to me screech and be put right next to mine. I looked up and there sat Jace, looking at my doodle. I slammed my notebook closed and put my government book on top of it.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I always see you drawing, I was just wondering what it was." He said naturally.

"It's personal." I said.

"It looked like a lake to me." He said and I shrugged.

"Lakes can be personal." I said and he nodded.

"Let me guess, you spent a lot of your summers at that lake?" He guessed, and my mouth dropped slightly.

"How did you know?" I asked and he smiled.

"I took a wild guess. You probably don't go there often, and you're trying to remember it." He said again, and I was pretty impressed with his guesses.

"Something like that." I said as I pull the notebook back out. "My mom's best friend has a lake house, and we'd visit him every year." I admitted. "I haven't been there in almost 5 years now."

"Why not?" He asked.

"Now that is personal." I said and he nodded.

"I get it. I'm not going to pry." He said and I was thankful for that. He was about to say something else when the teacher started talking. He moved the desk back to original spot, and I tried to focus on the lesson, but I was pleasantly surprised by that conversation with Jace. It was pretty natural to open up to him about that, and I liked it.

Time Jump – Lunch

Clary POV:

I was sitting at lunch reading a book waiting for Izzy and Simon to show up. I was picking at some grapes, and not paying any attention to my surroundings when I heard a chair move. When I looked up, I was expecting to see Simon and Izzy, but instead there stood Jace.

"This is unexpected." I said as I put my book down.

"Mind if I sit?" He asked and I shoot my head and he took a seat.

"What are you doing over here?" I asked.

"I ran into Izzy in the hallway, she threw up last class, and Simon is taking her home and they wanted me to tell you they wouldn't be joining you, and I didn't want you to sit alone, so I thought I'd stay." He explained and I was pleasantly surprised yet again.

"That's very un-Jace of you." I said and he laughed.

"I'm a lot more than just the smart jock." He said, and now it was my turn to laugh.

"Right, player is also in that mix." I retorted and he smirked.

"I think I've mellowed out a lot since my freshman year." He said and I laughed.

"You have, congratulations on your character development." I said and he smiled and nodded.

"Thank you. Gotta keep it interesting other wise you just get predictable." He said and I nodded in agreement. "So, finish drawing your lake yet?" He asked.

"Yea. Finished it in AP Chem." I said and he nodded. "I'm guessing you want to see it." I said and he smiled.

"I get if you don't want me to. I know it's personal, but it was a great doodle." He said and he did say he liked it, so why not let him see the finished product.

"You can see it, but I want your honest opinion." I said.

"You will get nothing but honesty." He said and I nodded. I reached down and grabbed my sketchbook. I turned it to the page where the finished product was, and handed it over to him. He was quiet for a couple minutes. His eyes taking in the whole image. When he finally looked up he looked stunned. "This is one of the most beautiful sketches I've ever seen."

"Really?" I asked nervously.

"Really. I can't believe you created this. I mean, you're amazing." He said with true admiration in his voice.

"Thank you." I said shyly.

"Don't be shy about it. You should be bragging about this talent." He said and I couldn't help but blush.

"Well, I had the best teacher around." I said.

"Who?" He asked.

"My mom." I said. "I practically grew up in a gallery, and we lived in a studio for a long time. Art just ran in my veins."

"That's awesome." He said. "You planning on going to school for this?" He asked.

"I am. I was accepted to NYU, and they have an amazing art program there." I said happily.

"No way, I'm going to NYU too. Maybe we'll see each other around." He said and I couldn't help but smile.

"Did we just develop a friendship Jace Herondale?" I asked and he smiled.

"I would like to think so Clary Fray." He said and I laughed. I slide the grapes into the center of the table and we continued to talk for the rest of lunch and share grapes. I don't know what would happen with this newly developed friendship, but I liked it as of right now.

Time Jump – One Week Later

Jace POV:

Spending this last week getting to know Clary was eye opening, and I didn't want to participate in this bet any more. It wasn't fair to Clary, and I wasn't going to hurt her anymore. This bet needed to end, and I was going to confront Sebastian about it today before practice.

The whole day went by too slowly for me. I needed out of this bet, and I needed it fast. There were so many amazing things about Clary, and I've only known her for a week. I can't imagine all the other amazing things I'm going to learn about her during the rest of the year.

When the day finally came to and end, I tracked Sebastian down. I pulled him out of the locker room and around the corner where I knew nobody else would be.

"What gives man?" Sebastian asked.

"I want out of the bet." I said.

"Why? Can't work your magic? I knew she would be a challenge, but I thought you had it in your Jace." He said.

"It's not that. I just don't want to put Clary through this." I said honestly. "She doesn't deserve it."

"Has Jace got feelings for our school art freak?" Sebastian taunted.

"She isn't a freak." I said through gritted teeth. "And she doesn't deserve this treatment."

"Well too bad Jace. You already agreed to this." Sebastian said as he poked his finger into my chest. "You're going to go through with this, and that's final." He said before walking away. I needed to tell Clary about this bet, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings. She didn't deserve that.

Time Jump – One Week Later

Clary POV:

I felt like Jace had been distant lately and I didn't know why. He would sit with us at lunch but he wouldn't really talk, and when we did talk, he didn't seem like he was really into the conversation. Izzy noticed it too, and when she asked him about it at lunch one day, he just got up and left without another word. To say we were all confused would be an understatement.

I had a free period, and I was wondering the halls trying to wake myself up. I was humming to myself when I heard the sounds of the a piano floating through the hallways. I followed it, wondering who was playing such a beautiful piece of music. When I got to the room it was coming out of, I peaked in and couldn't believe that Jace was sitting at the piano. I made my way inside and over to him, and when I leaned against the piano he jumped.

"Shit. Don't scare me like that." He said and I laughed.

"I didn't know you could play." I said.

"Only a select few do." He said.

"You're really good." I said and he smiled.

"Thank you. I've been playing my whole life." He said and I took a seat on the bench with him.

"Is everything okay Jace?" I asked and he looked at me.

"Yea. Why wouldn't it be?" He asked.

"You just don't seem like yourself lately." I said honestly.

"Oh, yea. I just have a lot going on, and practice has been brutal lately. I guess I'm just drained." He said.

"I get that. I've been pulling a lot of all nighters working on a bunch of different projects lately, and I fall asleep in half my classes." I said and he laughed.

"Is that why you've been roaming the hallways?" He asked.

"You stalking me?" I asked and he laughed.

"No, but your hair is pretty distinctive. I see you passing my classes often." He said and I smiled.

"Yea. I figured it would be better than getting yelled at for sleeping." I said and he nodded. "Well, I should probably get back to class."

"Yea. I'll see you around." He said and I nodded before leaving the room. I heard the piano start back up and I couldn't get the smile off my face as I slowly listened to it until I could no longer hear it. I felt like that was a good conversation between us. A genuine one that we've been lacking lately.

Time Jump – One Week Later

Clary POV:

I stayed late at school today working on my latest project. It has been taking me the longest any project has ever before but I wanted to take my time with this one. It was special to me.

When I gathered my things and heading towards the parking lot when I hear someone talking. Now, I'm normally not an eavesdropper but I recognized the voice, Sebastian, and he normally had some nasty thing to say.

"So, how's Jace doing with the bet?" The kid he was talking to said, and that caught my attention.

"He asked me if he could call off the bet like a week after he started." Sebastian laughed.

"Why?" The other boy said.

"He's genuinely developing feelings for her. He asked me to back out of the bet but I think it's fun to watch him squirm. Everything has always come easy to him, it's about time something didn't work out in the golden boys favor." Sebastian said. "I knew he would want to back out once he got to know Clary, but I'm not letting him off the hook." And my jaw practically hits the floor.

"How did you know he'd want to call it off?" The boy asked.

"Because Jace is so easy to read." Sebastian says. "He might not have noticed it, but he subconsciously looks at her whenever they're in the same room."

"But he calls her art freak Fray." The boy said and that annoyed me a little but I knew about that pleasant nickname.

"Yea, but he always gets this look of regret in his eyes every time he says it." Sebastian said. And not everything in me is more angry with Sebastian than I am with Jace, I mean, he did try to call off the bet. "It doesn't matter, once Clary gets that tiara at the dance we will end the bet."

I was done listening and I practically ran out to my car. I knew I had to talk to someone about this and I knew I could talk to Jace, since I didn't want him to know that I knew, so I went to the next best person. Simon.

I texted him and asked me to meet me at Java Jones. I get there rather quick and sit at a table waiting for Simon to show up. Once he does, he takes a seat and I explain everything that I just heard Sebastian admit only 20 minutes ago.

"Wait, so you aren't mad that Jace is in a bet about you becoming homecoming queen?" Simon asked me for the 6th time.

"I was at first, but Sebastian said he tried to call off the bet when he started feeling something towards me, and Sebastian deliberately said no so that Jace would suffer." I explained. "Now, I'm going to make sure Jace wins this bet."

"But you aren't going to tell him?" Simon asked.

"Nope. That's a little pay back on my part. I'm still a little annoyed about the bet to begin with, so having Jace feel bad for another two weeks is fair enough for me." I said and Simon laughed.

"Whatever you need Fray, I'm your guy." He said.

"I need you to tell Izzy that I need Jace to meet me in Central Park in an hour." I said.

"And why is that?" Simon asked.

"Because I would like to know why he's been so distant lately." I said.

"But you know why." Simon said, and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm aware, but he doesn't know I know why." I said. "Just tell Izzy to tell Jace. Central Park. 1 hour." I said before leaving his house.

Time Jump - One Hour Later

Clary POV:

I'm sitting on a bench in Central Park waiting for Jace to show up. I was hoping that Jace would come. He has been distant lately, and now that I knew why, I was okay with it, but I didn't want him to know that just yet.

"Hey." I heard and I looked up and there stood Jace. I got up and walked over and gave him a hug. He happily accepted it, but I heard him give a sad sigh.

"How are you?" I asked as we took a seat.

"You just saw me at lunch today." He said and I laughed.

"Yea, but we don't really talk all the often anymore." I said and he looked down. "Is everything okay Jace? You seem off." I asked and he looked at me.

"Just have a lot on my mind." He said and I took his hand in mine. I never thought I'd be in this position with Jace. We aren't dating, but there were definitely feelings between us, but until I heard Sebastian say they were more than friendly, it finally clicked. I mean, I never thought Jace would feel like that towards me. I could also see how conflicted he was.

"You know you can tell me anything right?" I said and he smiled at me.

"I know." He said as he tucked a curl behind my ear. He was always so gentle with me, which only made my feelings grow so much more, and now that I knew it was because he liked me, that heightened my feelings. "I just need to figure some stuff out on my own." He said.

"Okay, but I'm always here to listen if you need it." I reassured him. He smiled and nodded. I could tell he wanted to say more, I could see how much this was affecting him, but I wasn't going to push him.

"I have to go. My mom said she needed my help, and I told her that I'd only be gone for 30 minutes." He said and I nodded. "I'll see you at school tomorrow." He said as he stood up. I nodded and I watched him walk away. I sat there for a few more minutes before making my way home. After seeing how conflicted and upset he was, completely dissipated any anger that I still had about the bet towards him. He genuinely cared, and that was more important to me.

Time Jump – One Week Later

Clary POV:

Since the friendship between Jace and I formed, I've definitely been catching feelings for him. He was just so genuinely nice to me, and interested in having good and productive conversations with me.

Even after learning the truth about the bet, I couldn't help but start to like him even more. There was just something about Jace, something that he didn't let anyone else see but me, and I liked it. I liked it a lot. I knew this bet was killing him. I knew he felt guilty about it, and seeing that was hard, but also something he needed to feel. It was a terrible thing for him to do to me, and once homecoming was over I would explain that I wasn't mad at all, but for now, I think he deserves a little guilt.

Simon and Izzy have been making it a habit that they start sneaking off during lunch, so it just leaves Jace and I, which wasn't terrible. Most days he just reads, and I sketch, which was totally fine with me. His company was comfortable: silent or in conversation. I was picking at an orange looking at my latest drawing when I heard the chair pull out and I saw him.

"Hey." I said and he smiled.

"Hey." He said back. "Another masterpiece done?" He asked.

"I'm not sure. I feel like it's incomplete, but I don't know what else to add." I said and he nodded.

"I'm sure you'll think of something." He said and I nodded. It was quiet until he cleared his throat. "So, I was wondering, how would you like to be my date to homecoming this year?" He asked, and as much as I knew about the bet, this was still shocking.

"Uh, sure. I'd love too." I said with the biggest smile on my face.

"Cool. Uh, I don't know how into color coordinating you are, but I was just planning on wearing black, so wear whatever you want." He said and I nodded.

"Can't wait." I said and he nodded before pulling out his book. I looked back at my sketch but couldn't really focus on it. I've never been the type of girl to look forward to school dances but this year I was looking forward to it, for more than one reason.

Time Jump – One Week Later - The Night of Homecoming

Jace POV:

I couldn't even bring myself to go to homecoming. I told Clary that we could just meet up at the school, but I never showed. Just another shitty thing to do to her that I can add to the list but I couldn't help it, I couldn't see that look on her face when she found out.

Thankfully my parents were out of town this weekend, so I ordered a pizza and drowned my sorrows away in a large mushroom pizza and sports. It was late, the dance would be over, and I felt more guilty than anything, than my doorbell rang. I got up and opened it, to be greeted by Clary, with a tiara on her head, and a crown in her hands.

"We won." She said. "And my king wasn't there to accept his crown."

"I'm sorry I stood you up." I said. She looked up at me with those wide green eyes. I thought I'd see hate, resentment, anger in them, but they were soft, and kind, just like they always were.

"You know, most girls would have sat in the corner crying the whole night, or left the dance." She said as she made her way into my house.

"And you didn't?" I asked as I shut the door behind me. I took another look at her, a better look. She was absolutely stunning, and it made me feel even worse.

"At first I was upset. I thought, 'damn I must have pissed him off for him to do this to me' but after about 10 minutes, Sebastian asked me to dance." She said and my blood boiled. "Halfway through our dance I realized that I wasn't going to let being stood up ruin my night. I still had a bet to win." She said and my jaw dropped.

"You - you knew?" I stuttered and she laughed.

"Not the whole time." She confessed as she played with the crown. "But Sebastian should be careful where he talks about private things."

"I tried so hard to call the bet off Clary, but he wasn't having it. I felt so awful. I didn't want to hurt you." I stammered out.

"At first I was angry. Why me? What did I do to deserve this? But than I got to thinking: I'm a senior in high school, and I've never had so much fun, and so much self exploration, and plain self confidence in myself, until you showed up." She said and I was truly speechless. "You pulled me out of my shell so much since we officially met and without the bet, I wouldn't have had that experience and that opportunity. So I decided that we were going to win this bet."

"I should have told you." I said and she nodded. "And I'm sorry that I didn't."

"Sebastian said you genuinely liked me." She said. "And it sounded a whole lot more serious than just friendly feelings." She clarified and I laughed and ran my fingers through my hair.

"You're one of a kind Clary Fray. Truly a work of art, and the most compassionate person I've ever met." I said truthfully. "It took me about a week to realize that something special was going to happen between us, and with each week that passed, it just became more apparent, and that's what hurt me the most. That it was all because of some stupid bet." I said and she stared moving towards me. "I don't know how to even begin to start apologizing and making it up to you." I said and she smiled.

"I think two weeks of torture is long enough." She said and I looked at her confused. "I found out two weeks ago. I've just been biding my time." She said and I laughed.

"Biding your time until what?" I asked.

"Until I had these crowns in my possession." She said as she lifted it up a little. "Jace Herondale, will you please accept this crown, and be the king that my queen needs?" She asked and I couldn't get the smile off my face.

"Absolutely." I said. I dipped my head a little so that Clary could reach. I stood back up and she smiled up at me.

"It's customary for the king and queen to have a dance." She said as she held out her hand. "What to you say Herondale? Dance with me?" She asked.

"To any song you ever play, I will always dance with you." I said as I took her hand and pulled her close to me. Her head resting on my chest, and my head rested on top of hers. The bet might have been the best thing to ever happen to me, but I can only imagine what life has in store for us next.

Time Jump – End Of Year

Clary POV:

Since the night, Jace and I have been together, and we couldn't be happier. To say Sebastian was annoyed by our very public relationship would be an understatement. His whole plan with the bet was to embarrass me. He wanted Jace to turn me into the homecoming queen and than drop me on my ass, but it backfired.

We got a lot of stares, more than Simon and Izzy even got, but after a week of ignoring all the whispers and the prying eyes, it all became white noise. Jace and I were happy together, and that's all that mattered to us.

The girls of the school would constantly tell me that Jace and I weren't going to last. That he would get sick of me, and even if we did last, after the summer, college was going to break us up, but we had an advantage. We were both going to NYU, and we both wanted this relationship to work, so we ignored all the haters and focused on ourselves.

The last week of school was pointless, but we still had to go if we wanted to graduate, so basically we sat in class, not learning, and waiting for each day to end so everyone could go about doing things they actually wanted to do.

When lunch rolled around, on the last day before graduation, Simon, Izzy, Jace and I were all sitting under our tree. Thankfully we were allowed to eat outside, and there was this amazing tree, that casted so much shade, that we loved sitting under. Jace was propped up against a tree, and I was lying down with my head in my lap. He was twirling a curl around his finger, and reading a book as I rested my eyes.

"Simon and I have to go." I heard Izzy say, and I opened my eyes.

"Where?" I questions as I rolled over on my side, but keeping my head on Jace's lap.

"Uh, I left my backpack in the engineering lab." Simon said.

"You mean, that backpack?" I said as I pointed to his backpack that was sitting in the grass.

"Did I say backpack? I meant notebook. I left my notebook." Simon said.

"You two just want to make out somewhere." Jace said. "No need to make up excuses. We all know when you two are absent, you're sucking face." He said nonchalantly. Simon blushed, as he grabbed Izzy's hand and they walked away. I couldn't help but laugh.

"It's kinda adorable that he still gets embarrassed." I said and Jace laughed. "They're a cute couple."

"We're cuter." Jace said and I laughed as I sat up.

"You think?" I asked and he smirked.

"Oh I know so." He said.

"And why is that?" I asked. He put his book down and pulled me into his lap.

"Because you're with me baby, and we all know how stunningly attractive I am." He smirked and I laughed. "Plus, you know. You're absolutely beautiful."

"Nice save." I said and he pulled me closer.

"I'm serious. You Clarissa Fray, are absolutely gorgeous." He said before he pressed a sweet kiss to my lips.

"You are such a charmer." I said and he smiled.

"I only tell you the absolute truth." He said and I weaved my fingers through his hair.

"I know." I said. Our foreheads were touching and our eyes were locked.

"Clary." He said.

"Yea?" I asked.

"I love you." He said and my heart started racing. I pulled away and saw those golden eyes radiating love, and I couldn't help but smile.

"I love you too." I said and the biggest smile spread across his face. I lowered my lips and pressed them to his. There was never going to be a better moment than this one right here.

Time Jump - Twenty Years Later

Clary POV:

I lied. There were defiantly going to be better moments in our future, I just didn't know it just yet. When I was 21, I found out I was pregnant. I was stunned. I didn't know what to do, and I was scared to tell Jace. I had no idea how he would react, or if he even wanted kids. I mean, we were only together for 3 years at that point, and now we were going to have a kid. Talk about intimidating.

When I told Jace, he sat there speechless for about 5 minutes. But the reaction after, was the most surprising. He started jumping around the room and cheering. That's when I was speechless. He started talking about the future and doing all these family events and that's when I started crying. He was happy, and that made me happy.

But when I was 4 months pregnant, we got even bigger news. Twins. To say we were shocked was an understatement. It took me like two weeks to fully understand that I was carrying two babies. It was insane.

But the day they were born, was the best day of my life. Rylee and Sawyer were the two best things that ever happened to Jace and I. Rylee started to look exactly like me, and was a totally Daddy's Girl. And Sawyer was an exact replica of Jace, but he was a Mamma's Boy. They were perfect, and Jace and I couldn't be prouder of them.

And now, Rylee and Sawyer were seniors in high school, and their final homecoming dance was this weekend and the nostalgia was flooding my mind. It was crazy that it felt like yesterday that was Jace and I, and now it was our kids.

"Mommy, Rylee won't let me help her get ready!" I heard from upstairs. The twins weren't our only kids. We actually had 5. Rylee and Sawyer were the two oldest at 18, Cameron was our third and he was 16, than Austin was after him, and just turned 15. We decided to take a break after those 4, since they were all so close in age, but about 6 years ago we decided to have another one, hoping that it would be another girl. Pearl was our youngest, she was 5 years old, and a huge bright spot in our lives. When I finally got upstairs, Pearl was standing outside Rylee's room and the door was locked. I knocked.

"Go away Pearl!" Rylee yelled.

"It's your mother!" I called back. And a moment later, the door unlocked. I opened the door and she was sitting at her vanity. "Why won't you let Pearl help?" I asked.

"Because I'm stressed out." She said as she continued to apply make up.

"Why sweetheart?" I asked as I took a seat on the bed.

"I'm up for homecoming queen, and I really want to win." She said. "And AJ is pretty much a shoe in to win, and I want to be the one he dances with."

"You can always dance with him after." I said trying to reassure her that it was okay.

"But what if he likes dancing with Kimberly or Lyla more?" She said in a really sassy tone.

"How long have you two been together?" I asked.

"Almost 2 years." She said.

"If he really wanted to be with Kimberly or Lyla, than he wouldn't be with you sweetheart. Trust him." I said and she nodded.

"Pearl?" Rylee called and she walked into the room hesitantly. "Which earrings do you think I should wear?" Rylee asked as she held two different ones up.

"The pearl ones!" She cheered as she ran over to me and picked her up and sat her on my lap. She looked exactly like Jace. Beautiful blonde curly hair, golden eyes. She was absolutely beautiful. Both my girls were.

"How did I know you were going to choose those?" Rylee laughed and so did Pearl. There was another knock on the door. "Come in." Rylee said and in walked Jace. "Hi daddy." Rylee said and Jace walked over and kissed her forehead.

"You need to stop growing up." Jace said and Rylee smiled.

"It was going to happen eventually." Rylee said.

"Doesn't mean I like it." Jace said as he picked Pearl up and took a seat next to me. "AJ is downstairs with the boys." He said. Rylee took one last look before standing up.

"How do I look?" Rylee asked.

"Beautiful baby." Jace said. "Just like your mother." He said and I couldn't help but blush. Rylee nodded before she headed out of the room. We followed suit and when we got downstairs the boys were all ready and talking. Having 4 kids in high school was pretty convenient, homecoming for them was going to be a blast with them all having each other there to enjoy it.

"Alright kids, curfew is midnight." I said as they all nodded and started to leave. "Hold up boys." I said and they turned around. "I don't even get a kiss goodbye?" I questioned and they all laughed. One by one they came over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. All three boys got Jace's height, so they had to bend to reach my cheek. "Have fun, and don't worry about winning!" I called out to Rylee.

"Easy for you to say mom. You and dad won." Sawyer said and I laughed.

"But remember, he stood me up at homecoming!" I called back and they all laughed before closing the front door.

"Do you always have to remind them of that?" Jace laughed.

"They love that story." I said and he smiled as I walked over to him and Pearl. "Plus, it's the beginning of our story. It's worth remembering." I said and he pulled me into him.

"That it is." He said and I gave him a kiss.

"What's for dinner?" Pearl asked and we laughed.

"What would you like for dinner?" Jace asked.

"Chinese!" Pearl cheered.

"Chinese it is. Go get your shoes on and we'll leave." Jace said as he put Pearl down and she ran towards her room. Jace pulled me back into his arms and pressed his lips to mine again. The kiss was short lived as Pearl came running back in and ran into our legs.

Time Jump - Later That Night

Jace POV:

After got back from dinner, Pearl wanted to watch a movie, so that's what we did. Since Pearl was so much younger, when the older ones were out, we did whatever Pearl wanted to do, and the older ones were very good at including her, but I knew she still felt a little out of place around 4 teenagers. Clary had gone upstairs to get changed at one point and Pearl had fallen asleep. I was just about to move her to her bed when Clary walked back down the stairs with a tiara on we head and a crown in her hands. I looked at her and she gave me a sweet smile.

"Jace Herondale, will you please accept this crown, and be the king that my queen needs?" She asked, the exact same words she spoke to me that night and I couldn't get the smile off my face. That night came flooding back to my mind.

"Absolutely." I said. I walked over to her and I dipped my head a little so that Clary could reach. I stood back up and she smiled up at me.

"It's customary for the king and queen to have a dance." She said as she held out her hand. "What to you say Herondale? Dance with me?" She asked.

"To any song you ever play, I will always dance with you."

Authors Note:

Okay, so it's late, and I'm really tired, so if there are any mistakes, I apologize! I did reread it, and I got all the mistakes I caught, but I'm not perfect, so be flexible. So, I was planning on updating a one shot for one readers birthday, but it's proving to be a challenging one shot, so I apologize for not having it finished yet! But I wanted to give you all something, and this one just kinda hit me at full force and I had to write it! A lot of people actually wanted something to do with a bet, and I've read multiple stories about a bet, so I decided to put my own little spin on it! So here you all are, and I hope you all enjoy it! Leave me a review or a suggestion! :)

Also, the time line for this story. Obviously it starts at the beginning of the school year, so beginning of September. Now, homecoming fell in October since they loved using Halloween as a theme, and pretty much any time in October is an appropriate time to use Halloween! So it was a 5 week bet, and by the end of the first week, as I stated, Jace decided to call it off. I know that might seem really fast, but hey, sometimes when you know you know! And since Clary and Jace got pregnant at 21, they are now 38/39 by the end of this story! Just thought I'd give you a nice little age range in case any of your were curious! Thank you for reading, and I promise to have that next one shot done as soon as possible! :)