Hey guys, so it's been a minute... a few minutes actually.

Three weeks to be exact.

I wish if I had a really good excuse but I don't so I'll just hope you guys forgive me and go on with the chapter.


Disclaimer: I do not own the Mortal Instruments series.


Recap: Jace and Clary were getting hot and heavy in the car after the explosion of Isabelle, Sebastian and Raphael.

And then the cops showed up.

Okay on with the chapter.


"Heads" Clary said bored, leaning her head against the bars of the prison cell, sitting on the dirty floor at the station with one leg resting over the other.

Jace on the other side of those same metal bars, resting his head against the spot where she had rested hers, flipped the penny he had, capturing it in his hand and flipping it over his other, looking at it solemnly, "You lost, that's five to nothing".

"I'm beginning to think you're cheating" Clary said but made no move to look behind her and check what the penny actually showed.

"Would I ever do that?"

"Yes" Clary answered with a deadpan tone, "What are even the odds to winning five times in a row".

"One in thirty-two, it's basic probability" Jace answered and Clary grumbled annoyed, does he have to be so annoying when he says it? Isn't it enough he is insanely hot, he's smart too? The world was just unfair.

"What are the odds that I might smack you over the head?" Clary asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"One in two" Jace answered casually.

"So only half? I feel like that is wrong" Clary said.

"No because the only two options are you smack me or you don't" Jace explained.

"No I know, I just feel like that is wrong for the amount of irritation I have for you now" Clary said.

"0.8?" Jace suggested instead, jokingly.

"There you go".

"Are you not gonna go home?" Jace asked suddenly after a long sigh, a hint of tiredness in his tone.

"I already told you no" Clary said, Jace had given her his keys and told her to drive home when the officer arrested him and she was free to go but she refused and drove the car to the station, despite his constant insistence, "I'm not letting you stay the night in some prison all alone... even if it is well past my bedtime".

"I'm not alone, I have Carl with me" Jace said gesturing to the police officer who arrested him, who was reading a newspaper and laying back in his chair, both feet resting on the desk.

"I doubt he's great company... and he doesn't seem to like you much" Clary said.

"We just need to get to know each other better" Jace argued.

Carl looked up from his newspaper, looking at Jace with an unimpressed look, "No" he said in all seriousness and turned away.

"You're really not going?" Jace asked.

"No, someone has to stop you from starting another fight" Clary teased, "I can't leave you alone".

"Worried about me?" Jace said with a hint of teasing and a smile on his face.

"Around people with guns? Yes I worry very much for your safety" Clary said, "Too chaotic for your own good".

"Usually I'm remarkably good natured. Try me on a day that doesn't end in y" Jace joked.

"And let me guess February 30th is a day you're especially good natured?" Clary said with sarcasm.

"I love how you get me" Jace teased and she couldn't help but laugh, he declared then "To be clear, this is not the special first date I was talking about".

"Well it is special enough" Clary joked, "How are you gonna top getting arrested then?"

"I'll think of something, I'm very creative you know" Jace said and Clary just rolled her eyes, "Pick again".

"Heads" Clary declared, she heard the sound of the penny being flung into the air behind her but she kept her eyes on the paper in her hand, the drawing paper that Carl has given her to draw on, he offered her some pencils that she politely declined because she had an elite travel sized drawing kit in her pocket.

And when she says elite travel sized drawing kit she means that she keeps a few bars of chalk and a drawing pencil (because it's not the same as a regular pencil) with her on all times in a little small metal box that used to hold a sewing kit belonging to her mother that she stole five years ago and haven't let go of since then.

And when she says she politely declined she means that she scuffed offended and whipped out the kit as if to show off, to which Carl just rolled his eyes and said, gesturing with his head to Jace with a nod, "If you hand him a pencil and he stabs himself, I hope he bleeds to death".

"You lost" Jace declared.

"Jace I swear by the Angel, you are cheating" Clary said.

"You want to try and flip it?" Jace asked.

"No, we're playing another game" Clary huffed out, sounding furious "One you can't cheat in".

"You mean one you can't lose in" Jace argued.

"Let's play 21 questions" Clary said, ignoring his comment, luckily for him because otherwise he would be dead. In fact, she didn't kill him not because he would be dead then but because Carl would stop her and arrest her as well and she can't have that. Despite the strong temptation.

"Theoretically you could still lose in 21 questions" Jace said.

Clary lowered her voice to a whisper so that only Jace could hear her, a hiss in her tone "Theoretically I could gouge your eyes out and feed them to Carl".

"My pretty golden eyes?"

"Your pretty golden eyes" Clary confirmed with a hint of a dark tone but to her dismay, Jace only laughed at that.

"Like you could hurt a fly" Jace said, "Although you did take down four guys on your own so maybe I should watch my mouth".

"If only you could" Clary joked, remembering the time Jace walked in on her beating down Azazel.

"Not going to lie though, it was hot watching you take them down" Jace admitted and Clary blushed, refusing to acknowledge his comment.

"I'll start" Clary said, "Okay I got it, if your life was a book, what character would you be?"

"Are you kidding? I would be the tortured hero, taking down bad guys and getting all the girls" Jace said it with such ease.

"All the girls, ha?" Clary teased.

"But there would be this one girl, blonde, five foot two, stubborn, anger management issues..." Jace listed off.

"It started out so sweet, why did you have to comment on the anger issues?" Clary said with a shake of her head, but she was still smiling.

"I find it adorable" Jace said making her blush, "My turn, what's your zombie apocalypse plan?"

"Throwing anyone who isn't useful under the bus" Clary joked, "You would make a pretty bait".

"It's always the handsome one who dies first" Jace commented with a dramatic sigh, "But I could be useful for you, I'm very good with war strategies".

"Of course you are" Clary said with a roll of her eyes, completely not shocked, he was great at everything.


"Iz come on, just calm down" Alec said as he walked up the stairs of their home, three steps behind Isabelle as she climbed quickly and stubbornly, with a sort of angry thumping to her feet on each step.

"I am calm" Isabelle said in a tone that was not calm.

"Just talk to me, what happened?" Alec asked.

"There's nothing to talk about" Isabelle argued as she reached the top of the stairs and headed to her bedroom.

"So you're saying you randomly decided to cut out one of our friends from your life, just like that? With no reason?" Alec asked as he reached her door and stood over, leaning against the frame of the door.

"Yes" She said with finality to her tone as she slammed the door down in his face.

Alec sighed heavily, he was never really good at this thing, Isabelle was the better sibling who made you feel like you could tell her your darkest secrets and he just felt like he put his foot in his mouth whenever he said something. Never knowing if what he was saying was the right thing, like how Jace always knew the right thing to say.

"Just" Alec said loudly against the door, softening his voice "If you change your mind... I'd like to listen and you know where to find me".

He sighed and went to go to his room, before he closed the door opposite of Izzy's, the other door popped open and Isabelle's head poked out as she said "Thank you, Alec" in a soft tone, and a look of gratitude on her face before closing the door and going in again.

Alec smiled to himself, maybe sometimes he would figure out the right thing to say.


"Okay, my turn" Clary said excitedly, "What is one thing you keep with you always?"

There was a minute of silence that Clary regretted and wished she could take back the question when he didn't say anything, maybe she went too deep? Maybe it was too personal? She couldn't see his face to decide and she was about to turn around to look at him when his voice finally answered, "My ring, my Herondale ring, I keep it in a chain around my neck, it's a family heirloom".

Clary sneaked a peek to look at it, Jace held in his hand a sleek silver ring, decorated with Herons and a letter H, holding it to his neck was a simple silver chain. Clary realized how important the ring must be to Jace and allowed herself a moment for her heart to flutter at the thought of him sharing this with her.

"It's beautiful" Clary commented as Jace sneaked it back under his shirt.

"My turn now" Jace said, "What do you wear to sleep?"

"Jace" Clary squealed, sending her elbow back between the bars to hit Jace in the side.

"Hey, it's my question, I can ask whatever I want" Jace argued.

"I'm not answering that when anyone could listen in" Clary hissed in a whisper, she didn't want Officer Carl and the creep three cells down to know of her night attire.

Jace leaned his head back against the bars with an evil grin and said lowly, "Maybe you could whisper it in my ear".

He said it teasingly, as a challenge and Clary felt herself blush embarrassed, "You are incorrigible".

Clary also was just a little bit pissed and definitely in the mood to take revenge. So she put down her drawing and her kit down and shifted her weight so that her body was closer to the bars of the cell, she leaned closer, putting a nail under Jace's chin to raise his head up as she whispered in his ear, putting as much of a sensual tone as she could muster, "Nothing".

It was a lie, but seeing the way Jace closed his eyes blissfully as his whole body shivered was worth it, but she wouldn't stop there, "You know I'm really glad you asked see because my next question was going to be if you think about me in bed as much as I think about you, every night, Jace-"

"Okay, okay" Jace suddenly yelled out, practically begging her to stop turning him on while he was in jail, "I get it, I deserve that".

"Are you sure that's enough? Because I just want you to have a clear image-"

"Oh trust me, the image is clear. Way too clear, in fact I need you to stop for a moment" Jace said, grabbing her hand from his face and pulling it away, he clearly hadn't expected her to bite on the whole situation and she grinned triumphantly.

"Jace-" she started.

"Not a single word, give me a minute or else Carl's gonna get an eyeful he won't forget" Jace said, making Clary chuckle.

She decided to have mercy on him and not mention how hot she thought it was when he tried to regain control, she sensed that would not bode well for him. She went back to finish her drawing, a smile clear on her face as she awaited for Jace to calm down.


Aline, with Sebastian's arm over her shoulders and his entire weight on her, dragged the poor boy to the garage where his room had its own entrance, separate from the one connecting it to their house. Aline had been a little young when Sebastian first came to live with them, back before high school and at first she didn't really like him.

There was nothing wrong about him, it was just the fact that her supposed cousin who she never met has just decide to suddenly live with them and had took over the garage which she was planning to renovate into an awesome hangout, and everyone just started gushing over him, her parents, her friends, her teachers.

But over the years, Sebastian and her have had their own ups and downs and had come to see each other eye to eye, she realized she was being too hard on him, she couldn't have imagined what it would be like to be an orphan, but she figured even if her parents could give him all the love in the world, it wouldn't be the same for him.

She grew out of that phase of despise and jealousy and it was a good thing too because she found in him a dear friend, a brother even, that she wouldn't replace for the world.

"You are getting too heavy" Aline complained as she practically dragged him inside his room.

She did love him but love didn't make anyone lighter... she assumed.

"Way to kick a man when he's down" Sebastian mumbled into her hair, his head leaning on her shoulder, eyes closed, still drunk.

"You're not down, you're just... wounded" Aline argued as she put him on the bed, pulling off his shoes and letting him change out of his jeans alone. She covered him with a blanket and went off to get a glass of water and aspirin for him in the morning. He's gonna have quite the hangover.

"You know you're the best, cousin" Sebastian said as she placed the water on his bedpost.

"I know" Aline declared with a grin.

"The best" Sebastian repeated.

Aline sighed as she sat at the edge of the bed, she ruffled a few hairs away from his face as she looked solemnly at him, "You're not so bad yourself" she said softly.

Sebastian grinned, his eyes already closed as he was -she assumed- surrendering to sleep, she asked before that "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No" Sebastian mumbled.

Aline nodded, respecting his wishes, "Okay, if you ever want to talk, I'm always here for you", she bended down and kissed his forehead as if he was a small child, "You better be too drunk to remember this in the morning though".

Sebastian chuckled, "You're too late cousin, I already know you're a lot nicer than you seem".

"Drats, I'd have to work on that" Aline joked but Sebastian was already asleep, she shut off the light and with one last look back before she closed the door she whispered "Goodnight, cousin".


"What do you plan to do after high school?" Jace asked.

Clary froze up suddenly at the question, "I don't know" she answered slowly, hoping he would let it go.

"What do you mean?" Jace asked.

Clary took a deep breath, "I haven't given it much thought". She has spent most of her life just getting through one day at a time, she never thought ahead far enough for after high school, if she was completely truthful with herself, she didn't expect to make it this far even.

She didn't dream of college, she could never attend one, because colleges aren't like high schools, you can't just transfer in the middle of the year from one college to the other across the country. College meant staying in one place for years and she can't afford to settle in one place.

And what can she do if she doesn't have a degree?

"Are you planning on taking a year off? To think things through?" Jace asked.

"Yes" Clary said tightly, Jace probably got the hint not to comment any further on the subject because he grew quiet, so she asked "Have you figured it out yet?"

"No but I'm looking for ideas, that's why I'm asking" Jace joked.

Clary chuckled, "My turn".

"You had your turn" Jace argued, "You asked me the same question I asked you".

"No that was me making conversation, if it was my turn, I would have said it was my turn, like I just did, so this is my turn" Clary argued.

"But you didn't really answer my question to begin with so I demand to get another" Jace said.

Clary rolled her eyes, "Fine ask another".

"If you could do one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?" Jace asked.

"What do you think?" Clary asked as she put up her drawing as an answer for him to see, she felt him shift behind her back to look at her drawing, she heard his sharp intake of breath and hoped it was good. It was a drawing of them, right now, Jace and Clary leaning their backs against each others with metal bars separating them symmetrical in the middle of the page, almost as if someone took a picture of them from the side, and the officer in his chair behind Clary in the short distance.

"That's amazing" Jace said in awe, his tone sounding a bit surprised and almost breathless, she looked back at him and saw the fascination in his eyes, he looked it over admiring the little details, "I look good from this side".

Clary rolled her eyes at the comment, he reached out between the bars to hold it in his hand, focusing on the details, she drew the shadow of his beard just right, or at least he hoped his beard looked as good as it did in the drawing, and her features from the side were nothing short of perfect, that's exactly how she looks when he glances at her without her knowing, she even got the gum on Carl's shoes detailed.

"This is amazing Clary, your work is... amazing" Jace said, "Have you ever considered pursuing this? Like a career?"

Clary blushed, "Well I did want.. maybe just a little, sometime ago to.. you know go to an art school in New York after high school but everyday it just seems even less likely to happen".

"Why do you say that?" Jace asked.

"Life is getting.. more complicated and besides I can't go back to New York" Clary said.

"Why not?" Jace asked and Clary remained quiet, silently remembering a time long ago.

"No, That's Sam" a young Clarissa corrected irritated but still laughing at the expense of her brother.

"I thought that was Sam" Jonathan thought outloud in confusion as he gestured to the girl with blonde hair on the TV screen.

"That's Clover, silly" Clarissa corrected laughing.

The sound of her laughs were cut short as the front door opened instantly to reveal her father, an angry scowl on her face and his eyes immediately found hers and glared. Clarissa felt her entire body freeze up, chills ran down her skin as the horror of that look settled in.

"Jonathan go to your room, I will be speaking with you in a minute" Valentine said but his eyes only lingered in a cold glare at Clarissa.

Clarissa looked up at her brother, silently begging him to stay and also begging him to go, she knew what comes next and she knew that there was nothing Jon can do to help her, in fact he would be getting just the same in a few moments. She saw the conflict in his eyes and she silently nodded, letting him know she would be okay. It was a lie they both knew and both wanted to believe so Jon nodded and left, his eyes on his sister as he left to his room.

"Clarissa, I just had the most lovely talk with your teacher today" Valentine said, his features shifting into a dark smile, his body losing its intensity to settle for comical confidence, he was almost mocking, his tone teasing as he talked but Clary knew there was no humor is his eyes, "But she said something weird, she said something about you failing your last math test which was strange because I remember you saying you had an A+."

"I..." Clarissa started as she sucked in a breath trying to come up with a lie but fell short, there was no point now in lying, her teacher had already ratted her out, she looked around for an answer as if it was supposed to be plastered on one of the walls.

"Look at me when I am speaking to you, Clarissa!" Valentine exclaimed in a harsh tone.

"I- I- I'm sorry-"

"What did I say about stuttering, Clarissa?"

Clarissa hesitated "That it is for the cowards" she answered, looking him right in the eyes even though she desperately wanted to look away from the anger in them.

"And what did I tell you about Morgensterns?"

"They're not cowards" Clarissa answered with horror in her eyes.

"That's right, I will not raise a cowardly daughter, Clarissa" Valentine said as his hands edged to the belt of his jeans and coldness number Clarissa then. She obeyed silently as she was told to turn around and bend over the table, tears welled in her eyes but she wouldn't let them drop, and she wouldn't sniff in fear of him hearing her. He cannot see her cry, he would know she was weak then, and Morgensterns can't be weak.

The first strike of the belt made her flinch and she almost wanted to yell at the horrible pain that zapped through her back. A cry stuck in her throat that wouldn't leave her. Her back painted red and blue after each strike of the belt on her skin as Valentine said, "You will not lie to me Clarissa again! I do not want to hear that you failed any other test".

"I am just trying to help you understand, Clarissa, you need good grades and it seems you need more motivation" Valentine said, taking a deep breath before bringing the leather down on her back again in a harsh slap that echoed in her ears. "I am helping you focus your life, Clarissa, this is only for your own good".

She couldn't say anything to that, she knew why he was doing it, he just wanted her to be better, it was harsh but fair, she thought then. He just wanted her to be better, to work harder. She needed to work on herself, to be better, to be enough. She told herself silently as the whip of the belt scratched the skin of her back, it would be bleeding now for sure, she was familiar with the feeling now, of recognizing the exact moment when her skin would break.

"You have to be better Clarissa, I can't have a weak coward for a daughter" Valentine said as he brought the whip down on her bloody back, "I'm just trying to help you Clarissa, I am just doing this for your own good, so you would be better Clarissa".

She let out a harsh sniffle by mistake, she hoped he didn't hear her then but he did and he brought the leather down again, "Stop being so weak Clarissa, when will you understand you can't be weak, I will teach you to be strong Clarissa".

Her vision and focus blurred from reality back and forth a couple times after that, her eyes closing, her vision fading, all her focus leaving her and she surrounded to the darkness, the thought on her mind was that she would have to be better.

The next time she opened her eyes, she starred up into a pair similar to her own. Jonathan, she thought happily at seeing her older brother but her smile faded as she saw the black eye, she reached out but he stopped her, she looked around she was in her room. Her mother was sitting on the edge of her bed, eyes wide and teary, puffy and red, she must have been crying for hours.

Clarissa sat up quietly, she let her hand wander back and she felt her back was patched up, her mother no doubt. Her mother pulled the two in a hug as she whispered apologies to them, "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry" she kept repeating.

Clarissa didn't know why her mother was apologizing, it was her own fault wasn't it? She failed the test and lied about it, her father was just helping her be better, wasn't he?

Her mother pulled back from the hug and started stroking Clary's face, pulling the orange curls away from her face as she apologized frantically, "I will get you two out of this, I promise".

Clary shivered back into the real world, her memory fading away into the darkness it belonged in, she thought about how different her life would have been if her mother hadn't took them and ran that night. She would have probably lived a life blaming herself for everything wrong Valentine did, excusing the way he treated her, pretending that was what fathers would do.

"Things were just... bad in New York, I can't go back ever" Clary confirmed, "And I can't leave my mother either. She is all that I have".

Though Clary can admit to herself that the memories of New York weren't all bad either, in fact she can remember many times she was happy, vague memories of walking home from school with her best friend Simon, hands interlaced as they smiled and laughed. Of playing with her brother Jonathan outside on the street, running around and dodging NY cars. Of her mother cooking her her favorite dinner before tucking her into bed knowing fully well Clarissa would turn the lights back on as soon as she left so she could draw the dark sky and the stars that night.

And maybe someday when she thinks of those memories she won't feel the pang in her chest burn as heavily as it did. Maybe someday she would think of those memories and smile fondly instead of feeling this dull aching.

Because every memory she shared with Simon just reminded her that she was the reason Simon was killed. Every memory of her brother reminded her of when he died in front of her eyes, green eyes wide and staring back at her with fear and coldness, dark red pouring out of his chest. Every memory of her mother making her favorite dinner reminded her that it was only an attempt to cheer her up after her disciplinary lesson from him.

It was kind of sad really how one person or one bad memory could overthrow all the others, how one bad moment in life -or several in her case- could shadow all the good, how one person could turn a place you loved into a place of hate, a place of bitter memories that leave an acidic taste down your throat just thinking of it.

Through it all she could see clearly her mother, a source of light in the dark, for so long she was the only person she had in her life and now that she and her mother were fighting it was like her home was turning into a place she hated as well, because at every turn she could see her mother, staring unhappily at her, she could feel the urge to talk to her and tell her of her day bubbling inside of her, but her pride was too great, and she didn't want things to go back to what they were.

No, she couldn't do that anymore, feeling trapped in her own house, feeling like she had no control, she couldn't do that again.

Jace stayed quiet for the longest time after she talked or maybe she was too zoned out in her own head to notice if he said anything, but when she was brought back to the moment before her, she heard him say, "For the record, you have me too".

Clary smiled to herself, she felt a tug at her heart as she looked away from the intensity of the moment, "You have me, and Izzy, Sebastian, Maia, Aline and trust me Alec hasn't growled when he says your name for a week so you have him too".

Clary laughed despite herself at Jace as she turned around to face him, "Is that so?"

"Well it is almost a week, technically" he said as he turned around to face her, looking at her with those eyes that meant everything.

"Let me in before I sue each and every last one of you for everything you have" a voice breaking through made them both look up startled, as they saw someone stomping their way towards them, escorted by a police officer.

"Who is that?" Clary whispered to Jace.

"My grandmother" Jace said with horror clear in his eyes.

"You will release my grandson to my custody right now or I am calling my lawyer to bury you in legal allegations" Jace's grandmother said with a hard tone, clear and full of authority.

"She seems friendly" Clary joked as she stood on her feet and so did Jace.

"Not so fast, we have a lot-"

"Let me be clear if you haven't picked it up yet, I think you're familiar with good cop, bad cop? Well let me assure you I am good cop here and if I have to call my lawyer, Maryse Lightwood and tell her you arrested her son, you might just see bad cop tonight. Of course that would mean she would have to get on the next plane so she just might be in a bad mood then, she would bury you in legal allegations before you could-"

"Okay okay" Carl said, holding his hands up in surrender as he looked at Imogen Herondale. Clary saw the recognition and fear in his eyes when Maryse's name was mentioned and she looked off impressed. She knew Izzy and Alec's mom was a good lawyer but she didn't know she was that good, "I just need you to sign some release papers".

"Well then get me the paper to sign for his release.. now" she said and Carl cursed as he walked away, she squared her eyes at Jace, "And what the hell happened?"

"Uuumm what do you mean?" Jace tried, being cheeky.

"I mean the call I got at three thirty in the morning that you are in prison? If it doesn't ring any bells I can gladly leave you here for the night until it does" she said, crossing her arms over her chest as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Oh that, see funny story" Jace started licking his lips, "We were parked on the side of the road".

She perked up at the mention of 'We' and looked back at the blonde girl standing next to her grandson, looking at her as if she were an alien, "And what exactly were you doing, parked on the side of the road?"

"Making out" Clary answered, trying to hide the deep blush, she felt the need to look strong in front of this obviously strong woman that she knew Jace admired.

"And how much of your clothes were off, exactly?" Imogen said with the hint of accusation in her tone.

"Imogen" Jace warned then sighed at her hard fixated look, "She was shirtless".

"That's it?" Imogen asked, unbelieving. "They couldn't have arrested you for that".

"No they arrested him for mouthing off to the officer" Clary said, hiding a grin.

"Well that makes infinitely more sense" Imogen said, "You make any of your smart jokes?"

"Well there was this one about his hair" Jace said, sounding proud of himself, even if he didn't show it.

"I think what got to him was the comment that if he was getting it then he wouldn't be as uptight about other people doing it as he was and perhaps then offering the number of a stripper named Rose which we will talk about later" Clary said.

"Rose is an exotic dancer, not a stripper" Jace argued.

"That just means a stripper with better dancing skills" Clary argued.

"Rose is very serious about her dancing skills" Jace said jokingly.

"By the Angel, you're just lucky he didn't shoot you on the spot" Imogen said, then whispered under her breath, or tried to but her voice was clear to both of them "I would have".

"Thanks a lot grandma" Jace said with sarcasm.

"And I am guessing this is the famous Clary?" Imogen said, making Clary's cheek blush red, her gaze snapping towards Jace.

"Imogen" Jace warned.

"She's even more lovely than you mentioned, which is very weird since you have gushed night and day about her" Imogen commented with a smile, looking at the two and how they interact.

"Imogen" Jace yelled out horrified, "I did not gush".

Clary turned to lean on the prison cell with a satisfied smirk, "You talk to your grandmother about me? That is so sweet" Clary cooed and Jace glared at her.

Carl showed up with the paper work and Imogen tapped Clary's shoulder with a grin, "Give him a hard time for me, will you?"

"With pleasure" Clary said and Imogen chuckled as she went to check on the papers and sign what she needed to sign.

"Don't even think about it" Jace warned Clary in a harsh whisper.

"You can't stop me" Clary grinned at him, tapping her head, "It's here forever".

"Imogen doesn't know what she's talking about" Jace argued.

"If you're gonna lie to your girlfriend, don't start it with 'Imogen doesn't know what she's talking about'. Now that is a dead giveaway" Imogen said, not letting her eyes up from where she was writing.

"The universe is just not on my side today" Jace whispered under his breath with a groan.

"How come you never mentioned you talking to your grandmother about me? I would have loved knowing that" Clary said with a teasing smirk.

"It's not as gooey as you're making it out to be" Jace argued.

"But it is so sweet" Clary said with a grin as she leaned forward on the bars, he looked at her with a glare but she only chuckled at that.

"Alright, here you go" Carl said as he grabbed the keys and opened the cell's door for Jace. As soon as he stepped out, he held Clary by the waist and kissed her lips in a soft peck.

"I've missed you" Jace joked.

"You two have been in here for barely an hour just stop" Carl said with annoyance, "You two make me sick".

Clary couldn't help the grin on her face as she saw Carl shiver with disgust at them but she saw with the corner of her eyes Imogen smiling to herself, it was brief and was gone before she could be sure if it happened or if she had imagined it.

"Hang on, I just need to check your ID" Carl said to them before they headed out.

Clary turned in shock when she realized he was talking to her, "Why?"

"Because you were a visitor, it's just procedure" Carl said.

"But you said I was free to go so you can't ask me for my ID now" Clary argued.

"I can actually because you came to the station and visited him" Carl said gesturing with a nod of his head to Jace, "If you had decided to go home after that, then I would have no right to ask you for an ID".

"But I-"

"I'm not opening you a file or anything, just need your ID to write down your visiting hours" Carl said.

Clary took a deep breath, briefly considering making a run for it, but she figured she couldn't outrun a cop's gun, "I don't have mine" Clary lied efficiently, Luke would kill her if he found out she was in prison at four in the ungodly morning, even if she weren't arrested, and if the cop scanned her ID, Luke would be calling her in less than sixty seconds.

"You should always have an ID on you" Carl reprimanded.

"I know but I forgot mine at home and obviously I didn't think I would be arrested, I figured I wouldn't need it" Clary lied with ease, the cop must have thought nothing of it, he must have believed her story or he just thought she was a harmless little girl and it wouldn't matter, so he just nodded and allowed them to leave.

"Now Jace" Imogen started, "Why don't you drive your girlfriend home and meet me back at the house. Fifteen minutes".

Jace nodded, knowing fully well why she insisted on the time limitation. He edged Clary with a hand on her lower back to the car and she got in quickly.

Jace drove her home in mostly silence, they were both tired, and very lucky it was now Sunday so they wouldn't have to wake up in a few hours for school. They were drained of energy and each had a lot on their mind, Jace for example was wondering why Clary lied about not having her ID, he was sure he saw it with her when they were at Pandemonium.

When they reached her house, Clary thanked Jace and stepped out but Jace followed her out, stopping her before she went inside, "Wait Clary, there's something I need to say".

"What is it?"

"I'm not used to thanking people often, but thanks" Jace said, "Staying with me in the cell, you definitely didn't have to do that, most people wouldn't have".

"I couldn't imagine being anywhere else" Clary said with a smile.

"Go on a date with me" Jace said.

"Jace let me explain to you the boyfriend and girlfriend thing one more time" Clary joked and he rolled his eyes.

"I mean tonight" Jace explained, "Go on a date with me tonight".

Clary almost froze in her spot but finally let out a smile, "Pick me up at seven".

"I'm actually kinda busy at seven" Jace joked and Clary lightly smacked his shoulder teasingly and he chuckled, "Seven it is".

"I can't wait" Clary strutted to her house, not wanting to delay Jace any further. The house was dark and empty, her mother was asleep and she tried to make her way to bed with minimal noise, avoiding the spots on the stairs where it creaked.

She called Isabelle, even if it was four in the freaking morning, and was not surprised when it went straight to voicemail "Hey I figured you wouldn't pick up, look you left quite suddenly and you seemed pretty mad... Actually you were furious... Actually I am pretty sure I saw volcanos erupt with less steam, I just wanted to say, if you need someone to talk to... or not talk to, I'm here for you".

The phone beeped after that and Clary sighed, shutting the phone off and throwing herself into bed, she took each shoe off with the other foot but other than that, she didn't try to change into her pjs and just surrendered herself to sleep.


Clary woke up slowly, tiredly, her brain had woken up before she could urge her eyes to open and adjust to the blinding light, coming through the window. Why does she always forget to close the shades?

She could feel the tiredness of the last day get to her still, her head spinning a little but she tried to push through it, she had no choice, there was no freaking shades still, she had to get up. Realizing she was still in her clothes from last night, her breath stank and her hair smelled like the inside of a jail cell, which she can now say she knows what that is like.

A small smile spread over her face as she thought of last night and Jace's arrest, luckily they decided not to press charges or rather Jace's grandmother threatened them not to press charges, she thought of her date tonight with Jace as she wondered what could he possibly come up with.

She showered quickly and got into comfortable clothes, her Maya Blue loose sweatpants with dotted stars on them and a white tank top, as she descended the stairs, she saw the place at work. Rosin paper laid a thick cover over the floor as big spots of color decorated them, her mother was in the middle of it all, her hair wrapped in a bun, wearing the coat she used when painting, a brush in her hand and a canvas in front of her face.

A part of Clary ached for painting with her mother, to share this with her like they did so many times before, but all she could feel is awkwardness. How do you talk to someone you had a fight with when all the fighting has left you already? When you are just left with this awkward silence and silent nods of acknowledgement when you see them.

She passed by her mother on her way to the kitchen who looked up as if shocked to see Clary in her own home and darted her eyes back to her painting. Clary searched through the cabinets to find the coffee powder.

"Third on your left" she heard her mother say.

Clary looked back at her mother who was staring at her with a bit of harsh coldness but soft eyes, she opened the said cabin and found her coffee. She gave her mother a short nod but said nothing, not even to question how she knew what she was looking for.

Clary took a deep breath, "Would you like some?"

"No" her mother said quickly, too quickly and Clary nodded shortly, feeling awkward, her mother seemed to regret her words as she said them, she coughed, clearing her throat, "I mean no thanks, I just emptied a pot".

"You're probably gonna stay up for a week straight now" Clary said, their coffee was strong.

"I'm not very fond of sleeping anyways" her mother joked back after a second of hesitation.

"Well it is for the weak" Clary said with a hidden smile as she started making her coffee mug.

"Not to alarm you or anything but I did have lots of sugar with it so I would probably start my sugar rush any minute now" Miranda joked.

"You start while I catch up with you" Clary said jokingly as she put two sugars in her cup, and walked over to her mother, feeling the awkwardness before melt casually as they conversed.

"You know what's a good way to beat a sugar rush?" her mother asked in a tone that said she wasn't looking for an answer, as she raised a tube of cherry red water paint almost as a peace offering.

Clary hid a smile that tucked at her lips as she said, "I'll get my coat".


A/N: Hey guys hope you liked it, I just want to say thank you for everyone followed, faved or reviewed, especially those who have been reviewing and asking for an update and wondering if I am okay. So I am, and I'm sorry I am not updating as often, I just don't always find the time to write a good quality chapter that I like, sometimes I delete drafts, sometimes I don't find time so I'm really sorry but I am trying to update as often as I can.

So hopefully I will see you next week then