The plastic tarp crinkled under Clary's feet as she moved to dip the roller brush into the paint-filled plastic tray on the floor. Once the roller was covered in a thick layer of violet paint, she went back to moving the brush up and down the wall, watching as the old pink paint disappeared under a fresh coat of purple. She bopped her head mindlessly to the music playing through her earphones, oblivious to the figure in the doorway.

She turned around to get more paint, and let out a yelp of surprise when she saw someone standing there. She dropped the brush, one hand flying to her chest, and the other reaching up to yank out the ear buds.

"Holy shit," she breathed out, "you scared me."

Jace chuckled. He was leaning against the doorjamb, his arms crossed across his chest. He was dressed more casually today, in a pair of loose hanging jeans and a button up. "Sorry. Didn't mean to. I just wanted to see how things were coming along."

She bent over and picked up the brush. "I'm almost done with the base coat. Once that wall dries," she pointed to the wall that once had princesses painted on it, "I can really get to work."

Jace detached himself from the door and walked farther into the room. "You know you don't have to do this, right? It's not in your job description, and I could easily hire someone."

She shrugged as she dipped the roller in the paint again. "CeeCee seemed pretty adamant about me doing it, and I don't really have anything better going on." She turned back to the wall. "How is Kaelie?" she asked. It was a Friday of one of Kaelie's weekends, and she was supposed to have taken CeeCee to her mother's. However, Jace insisted on doing it, saying he wanted to discuss some things with her in person. Clary had a feeling it had to do with her previous encounter with the woman.

She heard him sigh, followed by the sound of bedsprings squeaking. She assumed he sat down on CeeCee's bed, which had been moved to the middle of the room so it wasn't blocking any walls.

"She's fine. Seemed excited to have a girl's weekend with CeeCee. Apparently she has a bunch of beauty and pampering things planned to get her ready for school next week."

Clary scoffed and rolled her eyes. "She's five. What kind of pampering does she need?"

"Exactly. Honestly, Kaelie looks for any excuse for a spa day. But I figure it won't harm CeeCee in anyway, so there was really no point in questioning it."

"Maybe it could be a tradition for them?" she offered. "My mom would always make me breakfast for dinner the night before the first day of school. She started it the night before kindergarten and continued all the way until I graduated."

"That's really nice. Your mother sounds like a wonderful woman."

"Um, so what do you typically do on the weekends when you don't have CeeCee?" she asked, wanting to move the subject away from her mother.

"Usually I just work through them. Sometimes I catch up with old friends. Do you have any plans for this weekend, Miss Fray?"

She faltered in her painting for a second. "I, uh, am going to hang out with Simon tonight." She hadn't told him about her job at Pandemonium. She wasn't sure if he'd approve, so she decided she keep it under wraps for now.

The ringing of a cell phone cut through the air. "Excuse me, but I really have to get this," Jace said. "I'll leave you to continue doing what you're doing."

She heard him leave, his footsteps being marked by the crinkle of the plastic tarp. Once he was out of the room, she exhaled loudly. She felt terrible about lying to him, even though it really was none of his business what she was doing in her free time. It just felt wrong to be dishonest with him, and she tried to justify it to herself by arguing that she technically would be spending time with Simon.

She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and checked the time. It was a little bit after seven, and she had to be at Pandemonium by 8:30. She made quick work of putting away all the paint and supplies before crossing the hall to her own room to get ready.

After showering and doing her hair and makeup, she threw on a pair of jeans and t-shirt, shoving her work clothes into a small backpack. She figured walking to work in that outfit wouldn't be a smart idea so late at night and knew she could easily change in a bathroom.

Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, she made sure the coast was clear before quietly leaving her room. Her sneakers squeaked slightly as she tiptoed across the wood floor and to the elevator. She felt silly for sneaking around, but she didn't want Jace to ask any more questions and she didn't want to have to bend the truth any more than she already had.

She walked the short distance to the subway station, shivering at the cold air. She forgot how much the temperature dropped at night, even in the summer, and regretted not grabbing a jacket. Holding her backpack tightly against her body, she stepped onto a subway car and sat down in one of the few open seats.

Clary stared mindlessly at her shoes as the subway rattled along the rails. She was suddenly hit with the feeling of being watched, but when she glanced up, nobody was even looking in her direction. She put her head back down, and the unsettling feeling came back a few moments later.

This time when she looked up, Clary caught a man on the other side of the car quickly turning his head. He looked to be well into his 40's with hair so blonde it was almost white and eyes so dark they seemed black. He was dressed in a well-pressed suit with fancy dress shoes and didn't at all look like someone who would be riding the subway.

Every time she looked away, she could feel his eyes on her. She finally couldn't take it anymore, deciding to get off a few stops early and just walk the rest of the way to work since she had plenty of time. She waited until the last possible second to stand up and exit the car, not wanting to give the man a chance to follow her. She didn't at all enjoy the vibes she was getting from him, and she'd rather take her chances walking than stay in the car with him constantly watching her.

The air was cool and she walked briskly, knowing it still wasn't a good idea to be walking around the city alone at night. The street lights above her flickered, and she shivered as a slight breeze blew down the street. She picked up her pace even more, wanting to be in the safety and warmth of somewhere in doors.

She turned down the street where Pandemonium was and immediately noticed the long line already outside the building. She slid behind the line and into the alley, entering through the side employee entrance. She could feel the bass of the music vibrating the floor through the thin soles of her sneakers as she walked across the floor and toward the bathroom.

She quickly changed into her work outfit and let her hair out of the loose bun she had put it up in, letting the curls cascade down her back. She then hastily applied make-up, drawing dark lines around her eyes and coating her lips in a shiny, seductive red. Her stilettos clicked against the bathroom tile as she left with her backpack slung over her shoulder.

She strode across the club, threw her bag under the bar, and shot Helen a greeting. There were already a few trays of drinks sitting on the bar, and Clary picked one up after asking what table it belonged to. She delivered the drinks and returned to the bar to see Simon talking to Helen.

"Hey," he said, turning his attention to Clary. "You're number one customer is here."

Clary rolled her eyes, taking Sebastian's usual from Helen. "Shut up, Simon."

"He's also not alone this time."

"Oh?" Clary responded, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Some other guy and a chick."

"Maybe I can work my charms on them, too," she said, laughing lightly.

"They're in the back booth." He nodded his head in that direction.

Clary started toward that booth, and as she neared it she saw Sebastian facing her. Due to the angle of the booth, she couldn't see who was sitting with him.

"Cherry!" he shouted over the pulsing music.

"Hey, Seb." She smiled and handed him his drink. He slid a bill into her hand as she did so.

"Let me introduce you to my friends," he said.

Clary turned to look at his company, and the smile immediately fell from her face. Sitting in the middle of the booth was a small, voluptuous woman with short black hair and almond shaped eyes, but next to her and across from Sebastian was none other than Jace Herondale. He looked equally as shocked to see her.

"Cherry, this is Aline and Jace."

"Clary, what are you doing here?" Jace asked, ignoring Sebastian. His voice was hard and she did not like it.

"I, uh, work here?" she squeaked out.

"That's funny. Because last time I checked, you worked for me."

"Wait," Sebastian interrupted. "You two know each other?"

"Clarissa is an employee of mine," Jace said cooly.

"That doesn't mean I can't have other jobs," she defended. "That was never a stipulation."

"It wasn't but this is simply very inappropriate. I can't have you running around a nightclub dressed like some slut."

"Hey!" she shouted, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm sorry we can't all have dignified, classy office jobs. Plus, what I do in my free time is none of your goddamn business, Mr. Herondale."

"What if CeeCee sees you dressed like that? That's not setting a very good example."

"I changed here. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work."

She went to leave, but his hand shot out and grabbed her forearm. She froze at the contact. The feeling of his hands gripping her arm and the scent of alcohol in the room was all too familiar to her. She suddenly wasn't looking into Jace's golden eyes, but into a pair of black irises slightly covered by thick black curls.

Panic was beginning to rise in her chest when the contact was suddenly broken. She shook herself out of her stupor and saw Simon standing next to her with Jace's arm in his hand. Simon's eyes were blazing while Jace's looked somewhat concerned.

"Hands off the girls," he said through clenched teeth. "Including the servers."

Before Jace could respond, Simon put his arm around Clary's shoulders and led her away from the table. He took her into one of the club's storage rooms and closed the door behind him.

"Clare, look at me," he said, bending down to eye level. "I need you to calm down."

Clary hadn't even realized how heavily she was breathing until that moment. "S-Sorry."

"Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine. I just freaked out for a second there."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Simon. I- I just thought about Raphael for a second and panicked. I'm fine now, though."

"Who even is that guy?"

"Jace Herondale."

Simon's eyes widened. "Jace Herondale? As in your new boss Jace Herondale?"

"Yeah. I didn't know he'd be here tonight. I didn't even know he knew Sebastian."

"Has he ever touched you before?"

"No. And all he did was grab my arm. It's no big deal."

"Really, Clary? Because your reaction didn't seem like no big deal."

"I know. I'm sorry. I haven't had that happen in awhile. I was just taken by surprise."

"If he ever lays a hand on you again, let me know."

Clary laughed. "Please, Simon. You wouldn't get past the security that man has. We should probably get back to work."

"You're right." He moved to open the door, but paused. "I don't want you serving that table any more tonight. I'll put someone else on it, okay?"

"Simon, it's really no problem. I'm a big girl and can deal with it."

"Please just do it for me? After Raph-"

She groaned, cutting him off. "Fine, whatever," she grumbled. She knew he felt guilty about the whole Raphael situation, and she hated that he felt that way.

He smiled and opened the door. "After you," he gestured in front of himself.

She rolled her eyes and left the storage room with Simon in tow behind her. When they got back to the bar, she heard Simon tell on of the other servers to take Sebastian's table. Helen gave her a questioning look at this, but Clary just gave her a small shake of her head in return.

She spent the rest of the night with a forced smile plastered on her face. She ran around the club handing out drinks and even helping Helen behind the bar when things got a little crazy. Despite her best efforts, her eyes always seemed to find Jace. She found herself glancing in the direction of Sebastian's table. If he wasn't there, she could usually find him in the crowd of bodies on the dance floor.

No matter where he was, Aline always seemed to be attached to him like a leech. Clary felt a pang of jealousy run through her every time, but tried to shake it off. She had no reason to feel jealous. Plus, it made sense for Jace to be attracted to Aline. She was absolutely beautiful and sexy. She was also within his social caliber; she wasn't someone he'd be ashamed to be seen with.

When Clary's shift finally came to an end, she felt too drained to even bother changing back into her street clothes. She grabbed her bag from under the bar and glanced at the dance floor one more time. She caught sight of Aline and Jace dancing sensually with each other. They were facing each other, chest to chest. Jace's hands gripped her waist, and Aline was moving her hips against him.

With a sigh, Clary said goodnight to Bat, who had taken over the bar for the rest of night since Helen's shift had also ended. She left through the employee door that led to the alley and almost walked into a man standing right outside. She gasped, caught off guard, before she realized who the man was.

"Luke?" she exhaled. "What are you doing here?"

"Mr. Herondale asked me to take you home."

It was then that she noticed the sleek black car parked in the alley behind him. "That's unnecessary," she said, moving to step around him.

He blocked her efforts and moved in front of her again. "He really doesn't want you travelling home alone this late at night."

"That's nice and all, but I can handle myself."

She went to walk past him, and he thwarted her efforts again. "Miss Fray, I can stand here all night. It'll be easier for both of us if you just get in the car and let me drive you home."

She crossed her arms and stared him down for a moment. She actually didn't have much of a desire to walk home and ride the subway. Getting a ride from Luke sounded pretty nice. However, she did not want Jace to get his way.

Uncrossing her arms, she sighed. The ache in her feet and exhaustion washing over her body won over. "Alright. I'll agree. But I'm only doing it for you, not Jace."

Luke chuckled as he opened the car door for her. "I'll make sure to pass your message along."

The next morning, Clary woke up incredibly hot and covered in a thin layer of sweat. As she kicked off the comforter, she realized she was still wearing an old paint splattered pair of jeans and t-shirt. Her brow furrowed. She hadn't remembered getting into bed. When she had gotten home, she had suddenly felt restless and decided to work on CeeCee's room some more. She couldn't recall leaving that room, though.

She completely kicked off the comforter and climbed out of bed. She changed into a pair of cotton shorts and a clean tee before exiting her in room and heading to the kitchen. After turning on the coffee pot, she dug around in the cabinets for a cup. As she filled the cup up, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She looked up to see Aline walking up to the breakfast bar.

"I take my eggs over easy with a side of turkey bacon," Aline said as she slid onto one of the stools at the counter.

"Excuse me?" Clary responded, arching an eyebrow.

"My breakfast order?"

Clary picked up her coffee cup and took a sip. "That's not my job."

Aline scoffed. "I don't think Jace would like to hear that his employee is refusing to her job."

"I'm his nanny."

"So? That prevents you from making me breakfast how?"

Clary set down the cup and placed her hands on the counter, leaning towards Aline. "Being his nanny means I take care of his daughter. Just because you might also call him Daddy doesn't mean I take orders from you."

She heard someone snort and turned to find Jace standing at the bottom of the stairs. A pair of pajama pants hung low on his hips, and that was the only article of clothing he was wearing. He looked like he was trying to hold back laughter. Aline followed her line of sight and shot Jace a look that made him straighten his face and clear his throat.

"I'll make you breakfast, Aline," he offered. "It's really not Miss Fray's job."

Clary didn't bother saying anything else and picked up her coffee to take back to her room. As she walked away, she could hear Aline complaining to Jace about her and rolled her eyes. Once she closed her bedroom door, she could no longer hear their voices.

Digging through her nightstand drawer, she pulled out one of her sketchpads and a pack of pencils. She put on some classic rock music before climbing onto her bed and getting to work. She didn't really think about what she wanted to draw and just let her hand move across the blank page, leaving graphite lines behind.

As she got farther into the drawing, she recognized the scene as one from Pandemonium. It was of a couple dancing. All the other dancers were blurred mass in the background, with the couple being the only clear part of the drawing. Clary angrily turned to a blank page as she realized who she had drawn the couple as. It was Jace in the same position he had been last night. However, instead of his partner being Aline, it was Clary. She didn't know why she had drawn that, and she did not want to spend time dwelling on it.

Right as she was about to start a new sketch, there was a light knock on her door. She called for the person to come in and closed her sketchbook, placing it on her lap. The door slowly opened and Jace stood awkwardly in the doorway. He had changed into a pair of slacks and a button up.

"Hey, can we talk?" he asked, his voice low.

"Yeah, sure," she said, shrugging.

He walked further into the room and sat down on the edge of her bed. "Listen, I just want to apologize about last night. I was completely out of line and don't know what got into me. That being said, why do you feel the need to have another job? Am I not paying you enough? I can easily increase your wages."

She shook her head. "You're paying me plenty. I just wanted to be able to put some more money into savings. Thanks for apologizing."

"Thanks for letting Luke take you home." He cracked a smile. "Even if it wasn't for my benefit."

"I was honestly too tired to argue."

Laughing, he pushed himself off her bed. "I figured. So, I'm going to let you go back to whatever you were doing." He paused in the doorway. "And if I'm ever an ass to you again, don't be afraid to call me out."

She smiled at him. "Don't worry, I won't."

Super sorry for the late update. I'm back in college now and was really busy with job training for awhile. I'll try to update again as soon as I can.