HELLO MY FAITHFULS! I have finally found inspiration again! All you Malec lovers will like this chapter...I hope (insert nervous laughter). So basically I'm just so happy that I FINALLY GOT THIS. After MONTHS of writer's block, I GOT THIS! I'm so excited to be back with you guys, because everything you all say means a lot to me. We have also reached OVER 300,000 VIEWS ON THE BACHELOR! It's pretty amazing, and I couldn't have done it without you guys! You are a big part of the reason I absolutely adore this site, so thank you all. And now ON WITH THE STORY...

CLARY POV

A week had passed since Jace and I had made the truce, and boy was it glorious. My life had been absent of demeaning jabs and insults, so all in all, things were pretty great. The thing was, we were keeping it on the down low, because there wasn't a doubt in our minds that Isabelle would take it as a romantic turn of events. In truth, there was nothing romantic about it. Jace made out with Seelie half the time. I continued to be happily alone. All in all, the world was a better place.

And today was the day.

Today was the day we would finally get rid of the godforsaken demon that was supposed to resemble a child. In all honest, that was probably exactly what it would be like to take care of a newborn-perhaps even on the better side. Needless to say, I wouldn't be having babies anytime soon. Not by a long shot. It wasn't like it was even a possibility considering the fact that I had no boyfriend, but I'd like to think it was my choice.

"Clarissa!" Jace hissed, elbowing me in the side and pulling me out of my daze. I shot him a playful glare, then tilted my head in question. He rolled his eyes and gestured for me to turn forward, and I am not proud to say that I squeaked when I was met with the sight of Starkweather in front of me. The teacher raised an eyebrow, and I blushed, shoving the plastic creature into his hands.

"I see you two are getting along." He said pointedly, and for some reason, I blushed. Jace snorted at my reaction. I shot him a cold glance, but that only made him chuckle. Then, I realized what I should probably do, despite the fact that I didn't want to say it out loud.

"I-we-should probably thank you." I admitted, staring our teacher straight in the eyes. He smiled as if it was what he wanted to hear.

"You're welcome." Was all he said in response, then walked to the next pair to collect their demonic beast. That was when I turned to face Jace with a smile, only to find that he was already looking at me. He was wearing a curious expression, and for some reason, it unnerved me. Maybe it was because of the way his golden eyes were narrowed, as if assessing something about me. The thing was, I had no idea what, exactly, he was scrutinizing.

"Why did you blush?" He asked simply, and I furrowed my eyebrows, not knowing what he meant, "When Starkweather said we were getting along." Jace clarified, and I chewed on my bottom lip, not embarrassed in the slightest. Being embarrassed would mean I had done something wrong, which I hadn't. It was a general reaction to the way our teacher had said it. I told Jace as much, and he nodded as if taking it into consideration. Finally, he seemed to be satisfied with my answer, and I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding.

"So I guess that means no more cuddling." Dammit the suggestive way he said it had me blushing again. The truth was, the cuddling hadn't stopped, because the second we tried not to, the nightmares would come back full force. Now I was embarrassed. I shushed him frantically, my eyes flicking toward Maia. She was across the room, so she couldn't have heard, but there was the danger of someone, anyone, else eavesdropping, and if that got to Izzy, we were dead meat. All Jace did was smirk, as if he hadn't just endangered our lives.

"No more cuddling." I agreed, and I tried to ignore the fact that I knew I would miss it. Sue me for liking the feeling of someone holding me when I was scared. No guy had ever done that for me before, so it was only logical that I would like it. And want it. And hate wanting it. Especially from Jace. It wasn't that he was a bad guy, not anymore, but he was way, way off limits. That was when he leaned over, placing his lips inches from my ear, and I froze completely.

"You're cute when you blush." He murmured, and my jaw dropped. My heartbeat kicked up more than a notch as he pulled back away to a normal distance, and my cheeks turned a deep shade of red. His smirk became more defined, and I rationalized that he was just saying it to mess with me. The devious look in his eyes only proved my point. Still, I couldn't help but stare at him, flabbergasted, until the bell rang a moment later. It snapped me out of my daze, and my eyes narrowed at him.

"What's your game?" I asked in suspicion, but he only grinned as he got up and walked away, merging with the crowd. When I rose to my feet, shaking my head to get the moment out of my mind, my eyes connected with Maia's. Her's were wide, and they clearly communicated that she'd witnessed the previous scene. As I rushed past her into the hall, only one thought repeated in my mind.

Well, shit.

Lunch went without a hitch, and I thought I was in the green. I honest to god thought I was in the green, because Maia didn't say a word. Oh how wrong I was, because the second I stepped out of the school's double doors, I was being dragged somewhere unknown. My captor paid no heed to the fact that I did not have their leg length, ergo, I could not walk as fast as them.

So commence the relentless stumbling.

After what seemed like an eternity of going, we stopped behind the bleachers.

"Alec, you realize this is a make out spot, right?" I pointed out when said boy spun around to face me. He pinned me with a flat stare, and I crossed my arms over my chest, rolling my eyes, "Is there a reason you dragged me here?" My eyebrows were raised in mock irritation, and he frowned the tiniest bit. His look told me that I should know what had him kidnapping me at the first sign of the day's freedom, but I honestly had no idea. I was just thanking the gods that it wasn't Maia who'd taken me away.

"You know exactly why I dragged you here." He mimicked my crossed arms, his gaze steadily meeting mine. My heart pounded in my chest, because he was right. I did know. For a while, I'd had the suspicion that Alec had walked in on Jace and I one night. The curious looks he'd been shooting us in the mornings were my key clue. Then again, I could've been seeing things, but judging by our current position, my assessment had been accurate.

"It's not romantic." Was the genius sentence I blurted out. It was true, but I'd said it in probably the most incriminating way possible. My tone was slightly higher than normal, and I was currently blushing like crazy. I had no doubt that my face was red. Tomato red. To my great surprise, Alec was staring at me like I was a lunatic. Maybe he didn't believe my statement. Scratch that. There was no way he believed my statement.

"I mean, it was only because I was having nightmares." I backtracked, this time in a much calmer voice, "We would've never done that in a normal situation." Then again, it had become Jace's and my 'normal situation,' but I wouldn't be saying that to Alec anytime soon. I realized in that moment that Alec's expression wasn't one of disbelief. It was of complete and total confusion, "Wait, I think we're thinking about two totally different things." I realized aloud.

"What are you talking about?" Alec narrowed his eyes, and I shifted nervously from foot to foot. If anyone found out, I had no doubt that Jace would personally murder me. Despite our budding friendship, he had a reputation to uphold. That reputation did not involve cuddling. Especially with the girl he was still rumored to hate, "Clarissa..." Alec trailed off, his tone leaving no room to budge.

"You were the one who brought me here for a reason." I challenged, finding it in myself to stand up taller, "So unless you really do want to make out with me, start talking." Hopefully, my forcefulness would outweigh his, because generally, Alec wasn't the most confrontational type of person. That is, unless there was something he really wanted. For a minute, there was an intense battle of wills, neither of us willing to back down. Then, Alec sighed, the fight suddenly leaving him as he looked down.

"Magnus." The one word was barely audible coming from his mouth, and clarity washed over me.

"Who's he?" I asked softly, hoping to appear welcoming rather than all-knowing. To be honest, the latter was what truly applied to me, because now that I knew, Magnus had talked about it freely with me. He had no one else to talk to about it, so it was only expected that I knew every last detail about their relationship-or rather, lack thereof so far. Again, not something I would be telling Alec.

"You know who he is." Alec whispered after a long pause, eyes still trained on the ground. It was my turn to sigh, and I set a hand on his shoulder. He finally raised his head. I smiled softly.

"But I want you to tell me who he is to you." I murmured, hoping I didn't sound too demanding. Judging by the fact that Alec hadn't run for the hills yet, I was doing pretty alright. He opened his mouth, about to say something, but the shrill ring of my phone cut him off. I was going to ignore it, but he gestured for me to answer. When I gave him an unsure glance, he rolled his eyes, silently urging me further. I pulled the device out of my pocket and almost bursted out laughing when I saw the caller ID.

Magnus Bane

I answered the call. The phone barely touched my ear before a voice shattered my eardrums.

"WE'RE GOING ON A DATE!" Magnus yelled, seemingly at the top of his lungs, and I almost dropped the phone. Okay, I did drop the phone. I scrambled to pick it up, grumbling under my breath about his 'damn volume issues.' When I looked up, I realized that I had another problem on my hands. Alec had clearly heard Magnus' outburst, because his eyes were as wide as saucers. If he hadn't been sure I knew before, he was sure now.

"I love you so much, and yes of course I want to talk about it, but Alec is kind of standing right in front of me at the moment." My words were met with silence. Complete and total silence.

"Wait why is he at our school?" Was the intelligent reply I got after a while of waiting. To be honest, it was a good question. It hadn't occurred to me that Alec wasn't a student until Magnus pointed it out. I tilted my head in question at Alec, but of course, that he couldn't hear. Instead, he continued to stare at me with what looked like slight constipation.

"I should probably ask him that." I muttered, for some reason coming to the logical conclusion that if Alec couldn't hear me, he would magically forget I was talking to his not-before-but-maybe-now boyfriend. Not the case. I realized that a second later, "Again, I love you so much, but can I call you in like a half hour?" I hissed.

"Alright, Darling." He sighed in what I hoped was mock disappointment, "Squeeze some information out of him if you can. Favorite flower, perhaps?" So yes, he was fine. I chuckled, shaking my head.

"I'll try." I assured him with fake seriousness, then ended the call.

"I knew you knew!" Alec exclaimed, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his statement of the obvious. All of his previous nervousness was lost, as if me talking to Magnus had been the cure-all. Maybe him calling hadn't been such a bad thing after all. Then, the nervousness was back, as if me just thinking everything was alright was a trigger, "So what does he think of me?"

"He worships the ground you walk on." I couldn't help the snort that escaped me, and Alec's face lit up, "He has for a while."

"Really?" The Lightwood boy in front of me looked like a kid on Christmas morning. I nodded vigorously, his happiness contagious, and surprisingly, he seemed happy with just that. To be honest, I wanted to grill him about every little thing about his side of the relationship, but considering the fact that he'd just been brave enough to actually say something, I decided to hold off for a bit.

"Alec, I know this is random, but what type of flowers do you like?" Real smooth, Fray. Just slip it in. Totally natural. He gave me a knowing look.

"Tell him to surprise me." He shrugged with a smirk.

You had one job, Clary. One job.

"So what were you going on about earlier?" He switched the subject fast enough to give me whiplash, and for a second, I had no idea what he meant. Then, what had happened only minutes before came back. My verbal vomit that could never be taken back. My mouth bobbed open and closed as I searched for a reasonable explanation, but being the brilliant liar I am and all-note the sarcasm-I came up blank, "Does it happen to involve Jace?"

Damn. So maybe the weird looks weren't all my imagination.

I started to say god knows what when I was saved by the bell. Actually, Isabelle.

I'm so punny. I thought to myself, joking despite my situation. Then, I realized that the girl's presence might not stop Alec's questioning-actually, might further it-so I shot him a pleading glance. He narrowed his eyes for a minute, but just before she came to a stop in front of us, he nodded minutely.

"What the hell have you been doing?" She nearly yelled, voice shrill, "I called you five times!" Luckily, I wasn't at the brunt of her anger. Actually, she hadn't even seemed to notice me, so I started to slip away. I would've succeeded if a hand hadn't caught my forearm. My head snapped up to glare at the blonde staring down at me, but all he did was smirk.

"Not so fast, Fray." He shook his head. His sister still hadn't seen me, so I decided to jerk out of his grip and make a break for it. I got two steps before I was pulled back into a hard chest, my arms constricted by those of the boy currently holding me. My struggling brought no results, so I ended up slumping against him in defeat. To my great surprise, he didn't release me. I had a feeling it was because his eyes were glued forward, amusement dancing in them as he watched his brother get a harsh talking-to.

"Would you mind letting me go?" My voice was loud enough to be heard by Jace, but not by his siblings, who were still distracted. He laughed, and I thought it was because Isabelle had just thumped Alec on the back of the head, but when I turned my head to face him, he was looking right at me.

"Does it make you uncomfortable?" His eyes glittered mischievously. I found myself swallowing hard, because he was so close. If I rose up on my tip toes, I could kiss him. Not that I wanted to. It was just a closeness comparison. Just to say how close he was. Only that. Nothing else. Damn. My train of thought needed to be derailed. I needed to be careful what I wished for, because when Jace leaned closer, all semblance of functioning was lost.

"No." Somehow, the word came out even, and I was proud of myself. That is, until he seemed to take it as a challenge. Then, I was screwed. I couldn't look away from him, because that would be a sign of submission-old habits die hard-so when he turned me his way and set his forehead on mine, there was nothing I could do. Actually, I probably couldn't do anything if I wanted to, but I'd like to think it was by choice.

"Are you sure?" He murmured, and my breath caught in my throat. The look in his eyes told me he was getting a kick out of this, which promptly pulled me from my daze, so I rolled my own, lightly shoving his chest. This time, he let me go with a grin. It was just in time too, because the second I turned around, both of the other siblings looked at us. We were now standing a healthy three feet apart, so suspicion was avoided. At least, Isabelle's was. Alec seemed to look closer, hopefully not at my red cheeks. His slight terror from Isabelle's wrath probably took away a little bit of his attentiveness, so I had a feeling that we were in the green.

"What are you doing here?" Isabelle asked curiously, and Jace chuckled.

"You just saw me?" I asked with a slight smile, and she nodded, unashamed. Luckily, that meant she hadn't witnessed...whatever Jace had just done, so I was pretty alright with it, "I was talking with Alec." Obviously, that was the wrong thing to say, because she narrowed her eyes. It became clear to me in that moment that, yes, we were still in a make out spot, and yes, we were alone, "Just talking." She stared for a long while, then sighed, seeming to take my word.

"Wait hold on." Alec piped up, and I hoped to god that he wouldn't say anything by accident before he was actually ready, "I get a talking to, and she gets a sigh?!"

"She wasn't supposed to take us home half an hour ago." Isabelle pointed out, and that was how I got my reasoning for Alec being here. So it wasn't just to question me. Despite the result of the length of our conversation, I was a little glad about that. It would be a little creepy if he'd just come for me and no one else. Then again, there was someone else. Speaking of the devil...

"There you are, Darling." I turned to find Magnus striding towards us, and I raised my eyebrows. Of course, he wasn't looking at me, but rather the boy with the blue eyes. I cleared my throat to get his attention to focus on the person he was actually talking to, and it worked. Something in me said that he'd been speaking to Alec, and judging by his red cheeks, said boy knew that too. For the sake of his cover, I smiled, hugging the sparkly boy in front of me.

"You were looking for her?" Alec asked, voice slightly squeaky. I resisted the urge to snort, because really? Could he be more obvious? Then again, I already knew, so I would be more clear to me. Still, the questioning look Isabelle shot him said that he might not be so discreet.

"Of course." He offered his famous catlike grin, "I'm her ride home."

Yeah. Right. And I'm Britney Spears.

I made a noise of affirmation to please the situation though.

"Would you all maybe want to go to Taki's?" The words spilled out of my mouth before I could stop them, "For a homework session?" All I wanted to do was get Alec and Magnus some time together, and I could tell they knew, because hope registered in their expressions.

"But Alec is driving us?" Jace phrased it as a question, "And I'm not exactly one of your group." He pointed out, and I turned, training a 'shut the hell up' glare on him. He smiled as if getting the message. I thought he would ignore it, honest to god I did, but he huffed, "I guess I can grace you all with my presence for a while." Then, he turned to Alec while I stared at him in shock, "If you're okay with it."

"Yeah. Totally. I'm cool with it. Cool as ice. Wait, ice isn't cool. It's cold. I'm not cold. I'm like a cucumber. Yeah, cool as a cucumber." Alec's cheeks grew red as he finally stopped rambling, partially courtesy of the look I gave him that was identical to the one I'd given Jace seconds prior, "I'm going to the car." He mumbled, and I smirked at the lovestruck grin on Magnus' face that no one else seemed to notice. Isabelle followed shortly after, and Jace and I took up the rear.

I ambled along slower than the rest, but to my surprise, that didn't last for long, because suddenly, Jace's hand was on the small of my back, pushing me faster.

I pointedly ignored my soft, sharp intake of breath.

Sooooooooo how did you guys like it? I know Jace switched pretty fast, but that's why I put the week long gap in there, so it wasn't like he started flirting the second they made that truce. But who knows. It might be a game. It might be real. It's honestly super fun to tease you guys like this. I remember when I first did that with The Bachelor dream chapter (to be honest, I can't think of the name off the top of my head). But anyways... thank you all. I've been writing for like two hours and will continue with the next chapter right now!

Question of the Chapter: If you have to pick a favorite thing about yourself, what would it be? Mine is my creativity. Think hard. There's always something about you that you know you love!

With so much love to you my Faithfuls,

Shadowhunter5801