Disclaimer: I do not own the Mortal Instruments series.

Also in the last chapter I said Maia wasn't with the group because her cousin was visiting which was a mistake, she was on a date with Jordan, my bad.


"You're going soft on me now, kid?" Luke questioned lightheartedly. Despite the air of familiarity in the room, Jace did not ease, in fact he stiffened more, keeping Clary's body right behind him, shielding her from this man's gaze.

Her breath evened out as calmness set, her heartbeat stabilizing and her anxiety easing. Before she scowled angrily, "You scared me half to death".

Luke laughed at her angry expression, peaking out from behind this guy's back "You used to be so much better at this".

Clary rested her hands on Jace's shoulder, letting him know that it was okay and he stepped aside for a moment, her touch calming him slightly but his glare and stiffness didn't waver. He doesn't know this person and Clary had never mentioned a 'Luke' before. Now he was suddenly in her house at night alone just waiting for her? He didn't trust this man. Who even sneaks inside houses at night like this?

Her touch pulled him to her, an actual pull, a magnetic force. Whenever she was close, he wanted her touch and when he had it, he didn't want to let go. She had an effect on him that he never experienced before. Like things he only ever read about before in books.

And seeing her so scared before almost set him off. He hated seeing her like that. Like she was seeing a ghost.

Her hand lowered from his shoulders, down his arms and then holding his hand, which he didn't expect. She was silently telling him she was okay, but he didn't trust that.

"Sorry, if I scared you shitless, kids" Luke said as he walked closer, noticing their contact.

"I wouldn't say shitless" Jace joked dryly and Luke let out a light chuckle.

"I would. The knife was a good idea, though" Luke said, sounding impressed.

"Luke you should have texted, I was ready to stab you" Clary said, sounding still breathless. She should have known, this wasn't the first time Luke had showed up like this. It was one of his exercises for protection and she realized sorely that she failed, forgot about the burner phone in the bathroom and her room, that should have been the first thing she went for. But she couldn't, not with Jace with her. How will she explain burner phones under the sink to him?

In fact, how would she explain Luke to him? Jace obviously could feel something fishy going on and by the glare Clary had caught him cast Luke, she realized he would not be so easily convinced of any lie she tells him.

"Sorry, kiddo. Your mom was supposed to tell you" Luke said but he didn't look sorry, he looked amused.

Clary looked over the room from Luke to Jace, both guys looking uneasily at the other, awkwardness in the air and she cleared her throat eyeing Luke with the corner of her eye, "Luke can you give us a minute?"

Luke nodded and Clary took Jace's hand in her own and pulled him down the stairs after her, the familiar tingles of his touch on her skin sending shivers up her arm. She knew Luke saw that and she wouldn't hear the end of it.

When she was sure they reached the bottom floor's front door and were out of earshot, Clary breathed out a sigh of relief before chuckling, "I am so sorry, Jace. I didn't.. know.. you must think I am crazy".

"Well yes but it has nothing to do with today" Jace joked, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly as he heard her laugh and she smiled seeing Jace less tense.

"I'm sorry" Clary said, "Luke is.. a family friend. He is just a little weird, I mean if I would have known it was him I wouldn't have.. you know freaked you out like that.. I probably looked crazy".

"You didn't, stop apologizing. You saw the front door open, nine times out of ten taking the knife would have saved your life" Jace said, seriously and she shook her head, a soft smile on her face.

She looked up slightly as she leaned over the door frame, him looming over her with his towering height in comparison to hers, making her even more nervous. She fidgeted with her fingers "Thank you".

"For what?"

"For having my back," Clary said, "You didn't have to do that.. you didn't have to stay or help me".

He took a step closer to her, almost closing the distance between their bodies, he raised his free hand and Clary saw it stop and hover slightly in the air, unsure, before it settled on a decision as he brushed the hair away from her face and locking it in behind her ear, his touch light and almost feather like and though it barely made contact, the closeness of him sent shivers through her body and a familiar feeling of butterflies in her stomach erupted.

"I'm always gonna have your back, Clary" Jace said, the sincerity and intensity of his tone shocked her yet again.

She felt her cheeks hot and a sinking warm feeling in her stomach pulling down and she gulped looking into his eyes, golden eyes the overwhelmed her, engulfed her in. His soft lips, the redness of it making them so temptingly kissable. At that moment she could only feel the need to pull him to her, to touch his lips with her own, to feel his body press against hers, to brush her fingers through his hair as she pulled him closer to her, impossibly close.

"Jace I," she didn't know what to say, she didn't know why she even said his name, she felt embarrassed at that.

"Clary" he matched her breathless tone. The look in his eyes, the look of complete daze in his eyes, he was looking down at her with pure intensity and a sort of wild need that left her feeling empty, an intensity she had never experienced before. The look a lion would give its prey before devouring it. And Jace indeed looked like a lion, in all his golden glory.

He was so close she could feel his need for her as deep as her need for him, if only she could just let herself have this. With a finger under her chin, he brought himself closer to her. With each inch the distance between them shortened, her self control slipped away with it. It made it impossible for her to think rationally.

The danger she was in, her father, Luke, everything slipped out of her mind, thoughts of Jace overpowering her every sense. He was going to kiss her, she could see it in his eyes. Her eyes were fluttering shut as she found herself letting go of her self control, with barely an inch separating them.

Honk Hoooonk.

Clary snapped her eyes open and pulled herself back like she was electrocuted, letting her head hit the door frame as she did so, the sound of a car honking breaking through the moment, and extinguishing the fire of it, as if someone dropped a bucket of ice cold water on her. Her shock immediately turning her pale and cold.

It was probably Izzy, tired of waiting in the car and Clary looked down, breathing out a sigh. The excitement under her skin washing out and turning into embarrassment. She looked down, not daring to look up at Jace, afraid of what she might see in his eyes.

"Damn you, Izzy" she heard him mutter as she backed up, wishing the door frame could just swallow her up.

How could she be so stupid? How was she going to let herself...

She shouldn't have done this.

"I guess I should go" Jace said, the sound of disappointment in his tone not falling on deaf ears. He took a step back from Clary, giving himself room to breath, but everything smelled like her, it was driving him crazy. "Do you trust this guy? Luke?"

Clary looked up, still trying to bring her brain back to his full capacity after that moment, she nodded, "I trust him with my life". Very few people she could say that about. In fact it was only him and her mother. She would trust him with her life until the day she dies, there has been no one else who fought for her and protected her as he did.

"I don't" Jace said honestly, sighing as he grabbed her hand with his free one and handing her the knife, "But if you do..."

"I do" Clary insisted, taking the knife in one hand while safely crossing the other over her body as if it would give her shelter. Jace nodded, he looked like he was going to say something but he stopped himself from it. "Thank you" Clary repeated then shook her head, embarrassed, "For the having my back part".

Jace nodded as he took a few steps back, out the door, "Goodnight Clary". The sound of his voice making her stomach flutter again.

"Goodnight Jace" she said watching him turn around and head for the car, she watched the car drive off, not missing the way Jace stopped to look at her through his window before the car accelerated away and out of her sight, and she sighed closing the door.

What was that?

How could one person have such a hold on her? Where has all her self control gone? If Izzy didn't interrupt them, she wondered what would have happened. She simultaneously wanted to thank Izzy and strangle her for that.

How could she be so stupid? She knows better doesn't she?

Apparently not! She scolded herself for letting her want for Jace get the better of her. She is going to have an earful from Luke.

As if he was listening in to her thoughts, when she turned around she saw him, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned on the edge of the stairs' handrail, an accusing look on his face and she gulped.

"I still have the knife so I wouldn't say anything if I were you" Clary said with a jokingly warning look.

Luke scuffed, "Like that would make a difference, now kid seriously, what do I gotta do to get a hug around here?"

Clary rolled her eyes as she dropped the knife on the counter and ran back to Luke letting his arms wrap around her, "I've missed you" she admitted.

"I missed you too, Clary" Luke said, "Now tell me everything about this boy".


"And what have we learned?" Clary asked as if she was speaking to a three year old.

"You suck at bribery?" Luke suggested as he munched over the mint flavor chocolate chip cookie ice cream AKA the bribery. Clary narrowed her eyes glaring and he sighed, "Not tell your mother you were sucking faces with boys".

"I wasn't sucking faces with Jace. Damn it Luke" Clary growled, frustration coming over her.

"Because your mom would have killed you, right?" Luke said.

"Right and that is why I need to hear you say it like you believe it" Clary said.

"But I don't" Luke said, almost amused at Clary as she released a frustrated sigh.

The sound of a car outside perked up Clary's ears and she looked from the kitchen window, seeing her mom coming in and she panicked "It's her, oh by the angel, I haven't prepared you enough for this. Just don't say anything, do not say anything".

"I won't say anything" Luke agreed seriously.

The front door opened and her mom walked in tiredly, "Hey guys".

"Hi mom"

"Hi Miranda"

Her mom looked over them and she narrowed her eyes, "What are you two hiding?"

"Nothing" Clary squeaked out instantly while Luke said "Clary was making out with a boy".

Clary's eyes widened in shock as she looked back at Luke and he shrugged as he took another bite of his ice cream. "You what?" her mother growled. Clary took the cup with the ice cream from Luke and threw it in the trash instantly as she glared at him and he looked dumbfounded, almost looking hurt at her.

"I was not making out with anyone" Clary argued.

"Is it that boy Jace?" her mother asked instantly.

"Mom I was not making out with Jace" Clary said, trying to stay calm and keep her mother calm as Luke chuckled under his breath, amused at the whole scene, Clary shooting him a glare as he walked over to get himself more ice cream.


Clary swung her arm out, remembering the steps Luke taught her, right right then swing left and leg. She was now training with Luke in the living room, having woke her up early for a lesson before school which she didn't mind, it's been a while since her last lesson. So they had pushed back all the furniture as Clary got into her training outfit.

"I still can't believe you told my mom I was making out with a guy, when I wasn't. I had spent two hours convincing her that I was not in a relationship" Clary said as she packed a punch which Luke dodged easily, taking her arm in his left as he made a stabbing motion on her back with his other hand and she rolled her eyes, "I don't get what she has against him anyways, she never even met him".

"Maybe it's not about him, maybe it's about you" Luke said as he released her and she came back at him with a swing in her right arm that he blocked and she raised her knee, stopping before it made contact with his stomach and gave him a smirk.

"Meaning?" Clary got back into position before starting again, this when she took a swing with her right, Luke blocked her and so she tried with the left which he dodged swiftly turning behind her and she quickly turned around to face him, not letting him stand behind her again.

"Meaning you never have shown any serious interest in anyone before" Luke said as he took a hit with his right and she blocked it with her arm. "And your mom and I thought it will never happen", he joked.

"You make me sound so dull" Clary said as she dodged his arm again and stopped the other, stepping closer and she pretended to elbow his jaw and Luke nodded looking impressed.

"That's cause you are"

"Luke!"

"I'm kidding" Luke laughed, as he gestured for her to start over.

"She was the one who suggested me getting a boyfriend in the first place" Clary said.

"Parents say stuff they don't mean" Luke said, "Or maybe now that is happening she is realizing how much you've grown up and she doesn't like it".

"She can't just not like it" Clary argued with a roll of her eyes as she got into position.

"Clary your mother is only ever looking out for you, if you like this guy-"

"I don't" Clary interrupted abruptly. She didn't really. Maybe having him so close brings her chills and she likes having him around and think his smell is perfect and under the sun light her fingers itch to draw him. But that doesn't mean she likes him.

Right?

Her mind fogged back to their moment last night, what did it mean? She knew she had really wanted to kiss Jace. As much as he wanted to kiss her. The desire in his eyes, the desire for her pulled at the flutters of her stomach. Freaking butterflies.

She knew it wasn't smart and she can't afford not to be smart, she just can't. She has to be better than that, look out for herself, as well as him. So she decided with a certain finality to her thoughts that there would be no more flirting, no more jealousy, no more maybe fantasies and definitely no more almost kisses with Jace Herondale.

"Maybe if your mother got to know your friends better..."

"Absolutely not" Clary stated.

"I'll try not to take offense to that" her mother's voice interrupted and Clary looked back, cringing slightly, embarrassed to be caught.

"It's not like that. It's just that I haven't met any of their parents besides Dr Robert. They don't even talk a lot about them and I am not asking my friends to come meet my mom like if I was a seven year old who needed her mom's permission to make friends" Clary said. She wondered that if all this fuss her mom was making was because of her and Jace, what would she have done had she known Alec saw her without her wig?

Probably ship them off again or something.

"Come on Miranda, sometimes you just have to let the kids do their own thing" Luke said and her mother sighed.

"Is that not what I was doing?"

Clary stopped herself from yelling 'no' as she knew that would not help and she looked outside, the sun was rising and she needed a shower and when she said as much Luke nodded, "Yeah you do".

She glared at him teasingly, as she headed up the stairs, aiming for a long hot shower with absolutely no thoughts of Jace.

She failed.


"This shit again" Clary sighed as she messed with the lock on her locker again. This thing has to hate her. She took a deep breath before trying again, calmer this time, remembering how Jace and Izzy both have done it before, convincing herself that her fake aura of calmness would somehow let the locker think it is in a safe place and that it can open now, no one will hurt it.

It didn't work, "Piece of shit".

"You will never learn this, will you?" the sound of Jace's teasing cut through her failed attempts and she groaned annoyed. She hated that he is right, so she stepped back as he came closer and opened it to her with ease.

"This thing is biased" Clary said as she, with a loud thump, put her books down aggressively and took out her history book.

"When it comes to me, isn't everyone?" Jace teased and Clary rolled her eyes closed her locker. "What would you do without me?"

"Enjoy a life with less headaches?" Clary suggested with a smirk and Jace chuckled, "Maybe also have less books?"

"Boring. That life would be boring without me" Jace argued.

"Maybe you are just too arrogant for your own good" Clary said lightheartedly as she started walking to class.

"I would like to think I'm not arrogant enough" Jace said as he walked by her side.

"By the angel, don't tell me there is more arrogance you are hiding?" Clary teased, looking jokingly horrified.

"Much more" Jace nodded.

"By the angel" Clary joked as she sat down in her usual seat, Jace sitting beside her as always. "Since you are here first, I assume you made some shenanigans so that Izzy and Alec would take Max to school?"

"Do I ever?" Jace joked, "I will say one thing, the shampoo wasn't really shampoo".

"Do I even want to know what it was?" Clary's nose scrunched up slightly.

"You really don't" Jace shook his head, managing to look both pleased and disappointed with himself at the same time. Clary chuckled a bit before Jace changed the subject, "So Luke's visit?"

"Yes?" Clary asked tensing. She didn't want to talk about Luke with Jace, in fact she didn't want to talk about last night with Jace at all.

"Who is that guy? I mean I'm assuming he isn't... your dad?"

Clary stiffened, shivers ran all over her body from head to toe and not the good king of shiver, the ones the left you feeling numb and cold at the same time. "No he is a family friend, very close family friend".

"I never hear you talk about your dad" Jace said and Clary gulped down, hoping her anxiousness wasn't visible to him. That is because she didn't want to talk about him, if she could never think of him again in her life, it would still be too soon. "You talk about your mom, and your.. brother all the time but you never mention him".

Clary licked her bottom lip, taking a moment before responding, "There isn't much to talk about him. He's dead". She wished that were true. She wasn't surprised, she figured this conversation would come sooner or later. Hell she even had this conversation about Jace's parents long before so she wasn't surprise that he was curious about her family.

"I'm sorry". I wouldn't be. "I shouldn't have asked" Jace said looking away.

"No it's okay, I... I'm glad you did" Clary said as she looked up at Jace. He seemed to be studying her for a moment before ultimately looking away.

"I don't like him" Jace said.

"Who?"

"Luke" Jace admitted, "Who even breaks into someone's house at night? Family friend or not. I don't trust him" Jace said, a knot forming between his eyebrows.

Clary shook her head, "No Luke is seriously.. like a father figure to me" More than my own father ever was. "I trust him with my life".

"Clary he scared the shit out of you last night" Jace argued.

"He didn't mean to, it was a harmless accident" Clary defended, feeling protective of Luke.

"Harmless? Clary if only you'd seen yourself" Jace shook his head annoyed, anger seeping through his teeth.

"Why does this bother you so much?" Clary asked.

"Because I didn't like seeing you that scared, okay?" Jace admitted, in a harsh tone. Clary's beating heart stopped for a moment and picked back up quicker than before.

What did he mean by that? He didn't like seeing her scared? It was normal for her, in her life where she always had to look over her shoulder, she couldn't help it. But fear wouldn't stop her from living her life, if it did then that would mean he has won. "Why?"

"Why?" Jace asked as if it is ridiculous she is even asking that, "I think you should know by now, Clary".

Clary stopped for a moment, both in fear and in awe at the realization "You care about me?"

"You make it sound like a foreign concept" Jace said, only half joking. And if she didn't know any better she would have thought he was , but there was that look in his eyes. A look that made her question everything, and later she would come to see the humor in it, that this conversation was happening five minutes before class starts in a room full of strangers.

But in that moment all she could feel was the accelerating in her heart, the warmth in her cheeks and those damn butterflies fluttering in her stomach uncontrollably. And all she could see was Jace, but it wasn't like the night before where they almost kissed, the wild need was filtered with a raw feeling of vulnerability that Clary recognized immediately.

And then it all came crashing down on her, washing away all those fluttery feelings. It was happening, it was all happening in her head again, Simon and Jonathan. No! She couldn't let it happen again. Not to him.

"You shouldn't" She said determinate, the meaning of her words clear as the air between them. Clary looked away immediately from the intensity of his gaze, knowing that looking at him would break whatever false front she had put on. She felt his gaze linger on her features a moment too long before he got up and walked out of class.

Clary's saw his stiff back and his angry posture as he stomped out and she realized he was beyond angry. She closed her eyes, as she leaned her head back at the wall, an angry sigh leaving her. She tried to let the concept that she was doing the right thing cheer her up but it didn't, it wouldn't.

She knew this was her fault, she was just prolonging the inevitable, this was always how it was meant to be and she had put it off for too long. It wasn't fair to Jace. She should have done this awhile back, she shouldn't have let her feelings cloud her judgement. She should have set Jace straight from the start then maybe now he wouldn't be as angry at her as he was.

All she could think about was the unfairness of it all. It wasn't right. Feeling this way about Jace and knowing he has feeling for her too and not being able to even entertain the possibility of a future together was ripping at her insides.

"Are you kidding me? He sticks us with Max duties and still shows up late?" the sound of Izzy's voice broke her out of her state as she looked back at her.

"He left" Clary answered dryly, not really in the mood to talk about it.

"Why?"

Clary shrugged her shoulder back as she murmured a sound that showed she didn't know, even though she totally knew. But what could she even say?

My father is sociopath and now I can't have feelings.

Well actually yes that is a good description of it, in a nutshell.

"Whatever, but at least Max is going to school again so all in all, it's a good day" Izzy said with a shrug as she planted herself down in her usual seat on Clary's right.

"Oh that is wonderful" Clary said, genuinely happy. She hoped it was her talk with Max that helped him get his strength back and go back to school but she knew that little boy was strong, he would eventually have gone back with or without her help. He reminded her too much of Simon.

"It is, also a cute guy just asked me out" Izzy said.

"Anyone I know?" Clary wondered.

"Do you even know anyone besides us?" Izzy teased.

"Hey I know plenty of people" Clary said faking defensiveness.

"Like?"

"Like Magnus" Clary argued, but then her voice dialed down as she failed to think of other people she knows.

"Well alert the Oxford dictionary editors, the phrase plenty has been redefined to mean one" Izzy said.

"Oh please like if I had any other friends you wouldn't threaten to kill them" Clary said rolling her eyes.

"Only threaten?" Izzy joked, "But no really it's Raphael Santiago".

"Oh he is my science lab partner" Clary said, "He is still afraid I might blow up something".

Izzy paused for a moment before asking "Would you?"

"Very likely, yes" Clary said dryly before she scrunched her nose irritated "Your head smells like butter and pickles".

"I don't want to talk about it".


Jace hadn't shown up to the rest of the class. Clary knew it was because he was upset about what she said and she gulped down at the memory of it, hating to be reminded of it. She should have done that a long time ago, it was the right thing to do, if she couldn't stop herself from caring about Jace then she will make sure he doesn't care about her. He can't.

The fact that she was doing the right thing should have given her the tiniest bit of ease of mind or at the very least self assurance, but it didn't, it just felt so wrong.

The sinking feeling in her stomach didn't ease. The opposite in fact, it only intensified, the ache in her chest burned her from the inside as bile rose in her throat, she had that need to throw up and the longer she shoved it down, the more it came back with a stronger wave.

And she couldn't stop thinking about it all through class, every second she had thought back to her and Jace and how their situation was different now than it was the day before and thoughts of him just distracted her further.

Although it had proved enjoyable when Raphael sensed she was distracted and went into over drive trying to make sure everything was exactly right with the ingredients and measurements, not wanting her to blow up the class because her mind was somewhere else. And her driving it hard, pretending to be more distracted than she actually was.

"Wait that is highly flammable, I think I should be the one to pour it" Raphael had said and Clary stopped herself from chuckling.

"Are you afraid I am gonna burn that pretty face off?" Clary asked. Making fun of Raphael was surprisingly cheering her up. Not that the fact that making fun of people cheers her up was so surprising, but rather that it had as much effect as it did.

"Si chica" Raphael admitted.

Clary rolled her eyes, as she wouldn't budge and hand him the tube, preferring to do it herself, "Better take cover then". She was only joking but the fact that he took a few steps back was very encouraging indeed.

Note the sarcasm.

She poured the content steadily and slowly, actually managing to do it right. She turned to look up to Raphael with a triumphant look but then she noticed something with the corner of her eyes. She turned around slowly to look at the class and saw that most of them had stepped back and taken cover.

"Oh come on you guys, I'm really not that bad" Clary whined, she turned to Mr Rey for assurance but she noticed him gone, peaking slightly from behind his desk and she sighed, "Mr Rey, not you too".

Mr Rey had jumped up when nothing happened, straightening out his tie and coughing slightly to clear his throat, "Right class, so next we have..."

Clary tuned Mr Rey out as she groaned annoyed, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in her chair annoyed. Well that kind of trust can boost someone's ego any day, right?

Is she always gonna be that girl who once blew up the science lab?

She shoved a certain voice that popped into her head to the back of her mind, the voice of a certain boy who would tell her jokingly to embrace the title and blow up the lab again just for the fun of it. 'Might as well enjoy the chaos of it?' She would have imagined him saying.

"Chica?" Clary's attention was pulled back to Raphael when he said that and she noticed a small grin on his lips, proving to her that he was talking for awhile while she was lost in thought.

"Why do you always call me that?" Clary said annoyed.

"Chica? It's what you are. It means a little girl" Raphael explained as if it was simple.

Clary's smile dropped, "My name is not little girl".

"Dios Mio"


Jace hadn't shown up to lunch and Clary grew wary, she understood he was mad at her but to skip lunch all together just to ignore her? That was a bit too much for her liking.

It disappointed her further that he wouldn't accept the fact that they can't be together, because if he refused to be her friend and only her friend, if it was all or nothing with him then she was afraid she was gonna lose him for good.

She wouldn't just be losing him either, she would lose all of them, Jace is Alec and Izzy's step brother and they had all been best friends since they were kids and it's no surprise that if it came down to it, they would all chose his side.

Not that she would blame them. It did leave a bad taste in her mouth the more she thought about but she knew all too well where their loyalties were, and it wasn't a shock or a big revelation that it wasn't with her. And that shouldn't bother her, but it did.

To think that their bond is so fragile, that a fight with Jace would lead to a break up with everyone.

She would be, like her favorite show liked to put it, Kip.

She knew she was getting ahead of herself, she was still sitting with them at lunch and no one knew about her and Jace's spat yet. But it would all be a matter of time, wouldn't it?

And really could she blame them? She had known them for what? A few weeks perhaps? Two? Three, at the very latest. She certainly didn't expect any of them to have any favoritism to her.

Has it only been a few weeks? It felt longer, it felt like these people have been in her life for much longer than that. She had grown accustomed to hanging out with these people every day, it felt so wrong when she didn't text them at night or if they wouldn't chat at lunch. Even having Jace missing was so wrong.

She looked over at where he would usually sit, right across from her and next to Izzy. He would probably have made a comment about her looking at him if he was. Or maybe capture everyone's attention with something new that he learned like juggling or something, trying to show off to her.

Where was he? She thought grimly.

"Hey guys, where is Jace?" Maia asked like she could read Clary's mind.

Izzy shrugged, "Haven't seen him in class".

"He's either with a girl or training" Sebastian said. Clary tried not to react to that little hint of information. She didn't know how she feels about that info, and she didn't know if she had the right to feel anything about it either.

"Gross, anyways Maia how was your date with Jordan?" Izzy said, changing the subject, saying the boy's name is a singing teasing tone.

"So good, he took me to a concert just outside the border and we danced all night, and then we talked all the way back in his car, he is so funny and hot" Maia laughed.

"What did you guys talk about?" Izzy asked and Clary leaned forward to hear Maia's answer, who blushed slightly before going on.

"Oh you know, family, friends, goals in life and what not. It was kind of that talk that must have gone on for hours but you feel like it was only a couple of minutes, where you could just say anything and everything. You know what I mean?" Maia said.

"Awe" Both Clary and Izzy cooed which made Maia turn cold and annoyed again like someone had just switched off the control button and she just rolled her eyes, as she pretended it wasn't a big deal, but Clary could still see the hint of a blush in her cheeks. She could tell Maia wasn't used to being the girly type and wasn't used to sharing these things but Clary saw the hint of change in her under that tough girl front she put on.

"It wasn't that cute" Maia tried teasing to deflect the situation while the girls barely noticed that just across the table from them Sebastian had leaned closer to Alec, rolling his eyes as he muttered "Girls".

Aline shrugged, "I agree". Maia looked at Aline, taken back, her eyes fell slightly in an almost hurt manner but she quickly shrugged it off.

"So while you were off on your date last night, Maia. Our family dinner has gone splendid" Sebastian said in tone dripping of sarcasm.

Aline rolled her eyes, "Don't remind me".

"What happened?" Clary asked with a smile, not realizing how interested she was in Sebastian's story until he looked back at her with just a hint of shock, which he played off quickly.

"So there we were welcoming my Aunt who mind you raised me herself, and she is the most pretentious French woman ever. And she is always wearing big hats, like the very big hats with feathers on top and a big head, if you ever go to Paris and see a six foot eagle in heels, that is my aunt" Sebastian started talking and Clary couldn't help but be intrigued.

She hadn't had that much time with Sebastian and she never realized how good of a storyteller he was, he had a tone that pulled you in, he was very charming actually. Not as charming as Jace, she noticed but she liked listening to him tell stories, "So there we are in the middle of dinner and as per usual, nothing impresses her, she critiques the food, the table, us. It's really just a self esteem wrecking all around".

"And there he was, pretty boy, her golden child, acting all proper and polite" Aline interrupted.

"Hush, I am telling it" Sebastian says, "Anyways there we were with my aunt singing my praises when little Aline, so incredibly jealous-"

"I was not" Aline interrupted.

"Hush, I am telling it" Sebastian repeated with a smirk, "Anyways, my French Aunt was sitting there a cigarette in her hand, puffing smoke everywhere, saying how she managed to raise the perfect child to be like her, which is of course a facade I put on for her so she would not take me back to Paris, and Aline, in a mass of fury and jealousy, said: Well good riddance to the mystery of why Sebastian has a stick so far up his own arse when you are around".

Clary, enthralled in the story looked at Aline in shock who only glared at Sebastian as she shook her head irritated, sticking her tongue out childishly at him. "But Aline did not stop there" Sebastian said.

"I wish had I stopped there" Aline sighed, looking like she deeply regretted it.

"So Aline betrayed her favorite cousin and continued further: Of course it is always so entertaining when you leave and he pulls out that stick to use for parties, for pinata actually, like a true Frenchman" Sebastian said quoting as Clary covered her mouth from both shock and trying to muffle her laughter.

"I can't believe you said that" Maia said.

"I can't believe it took you this long to say that" Izzy countered.

"You betrayed me, cousin" Sebastian said in a low tone as if he was disappointed but Clary was shocked to see that it was the opposite, actually, and he was chuckling, he didn't seem particularly upset about Aline ratting him out.

"You loved it, you ran around the block for hours screaming naked 'I'm free, I am free' "Aline argued.

"Oh is that what that was?" Maia asked.

Alec smacked the palm of his hand to his forehead "I think someone sent me that video but I didn't know it was you".

"You filmed me?" Sebastian turned to Aline, accusing.

"Me and everyone on the block, I think it is on YouTube now. I might actually frame it and give it to you as a Christmas present" Aline said chuckling.

Sebastian seemed to be thinking it over before he settled on "Now I wouldn't mind that".

"Please don't, you just know he'll send it the rest of us, signed, as well" Alec argued.

Sebastian rubbed his fingers over his chin, pondering over it, "Actually I didn't plan on it but now that you mention it, I just might. Thank you Alec".

"Yeah, thank you Alec" Izzy said with sarcasm.

Clary chuckled along with the rest of them, welcoming the brief distraction to her anxiety and hurt.


A/N: So please don't hate me.

Tell me what you guys think, what you liked and what you didn't. By the way guys thanks to all of you who review at the end of the chapters, I am so glad you like the story. You guys are the real MVPs just FYI.

And I'll see you next time.