So, I'm going to be pumping out chapters like a madwoman. Fueled only by a trenta iced coffee and sheer will, this process is no doubt going to be an interesting one. But I doubt y'all will mind the wide influx of chapters. Without further ado, enjoy!

(a very overcaffinated) Megan

Chapter Song(s):

One Of The Drunks – Panic! At The Disco

Shooting Star – Gavin Mikhail

Love Is A Drum – Cider Sky

Aeroplanes (Acoustic) – The Woodlands

Golden curls in various stages of drying littered the linoleum floor of the kitchen, disrupting the white and black pattern.
"Don't turn your head!" I ordered Jace, forcing his head forward again. "Do you want me to accidentally cut your ear off?"

"Sorry, mom." He said. I smacked his head.

Focusing back on the task at hand, I combed his hair and continued snipping off the too-long pieces with the cutting shears. Ten minutes later, we were done. I reached to the tops of my toes, threading my fingers through the freshly trimmed hair above his ears.

"It wasn't that bad before." He said. I pecked him quickly on his lips.

"No, it wasn't." I lamented. "But, a spotted dog was bound to show up asking for scooby snacks soon if you had let it grow any longer."

"Seriously?"

"Hey, I only tell the truth, shaggy."

"Okay, insinuating was one thing, but name calling is just not okay."

"Yeah?" I stepped closer to him, until the white tips on my converse were touching the black tips of his boots. "Whatcha gonna do about it?" He leaned his face into mine, our noses touching. His warm breath whispered across my lips as he said "This." His lips briefly brushed mine, and then, before I knew it, the ground sailed out from underneath me. The room tilted in a rapid cartwheel as Jace gripped my waist and threw me over his shoulder. "Put me down!" I squealed.

"Nope." He said, patting my butt. "You've gotta pay for that mystery gang comment." Suddenly, my surroundings changed as he left. The white and black linoleum of the kitchen transitioned into the hardwood of the living room. Not soon after, my vision went sailing again as he plopped me down on the couch. He swiftly climbed on top of me, and my thoughts suddenly went to very good, but very naughty, places. His lips met mine in a slow, savory kiss that had me curling my toes inside of my shoes. "I could get used to this kind of punishment." I whispered.

"Oh, that wasn't your punishment." He said, running his hands slowly from my hips to my torso. "I just couldn't resist doing it."

He pressed a delicate kiss to my neck. I bit my lip. "No complaints here." I said.

Oh so slowly, he made his way back up, gently nipping on my ear lobe. "This is your punishment." He whispered, and I barely had a moment to process those words before his hands were at my sides, and he was viciously tickling me. I jumped, letting out a squeak. "No, no!" I laughed, squirming. "Stop it!"
"Say you're sorry." He said.

"No," I gasped.

He moved, and suddenly his hands jumped up and down my body, and I was breathless between laughter and squirming.

"Okay, okay!" I said. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

I jumped as his hands found my sides again. That was my weak spot, where I was most ticklish, and that bastard, he knew it.

"For saying you were the real life version of shaggy."

He stopped, and I breathed in rapidly, my face hurting from my wide smile.

"You're forgiven." He said, and then my breath was again stolen as his lips met mine in a dizzying dance, and I'll admit. That was the best Monday afternoon I'd had in a while.

I didn't notice my necklace was missing until I'd gotten out of the shower Thursday and realized that it was no longer around my neck. I wore it so much, it felt like a part of my skin. I never took it off, and often barely noticed it was on. As I stared in the mirror and saw that my neck was bare, a bolt of panic shot through my stomach. I gripped the towel wrapped around me tighter as I searched the shower, and then the entire bathroom. After I got dressed, I tore through my room. I then searched the living room, overturning couch cushions and shaking out the folded afghans. I even went through the kitchen, pushing aside containers as I sifted through the contents of the counter, hoping to see a flash of silver. It wasn't until I'd torn through Jonathan's room that I felt the panic rise to my chest, tears stinging the back of my eyes. The necklace was a silver chain holding a ring. An F was stamped into the worn metal, bookended on both sides with little fairy-like wings. It was a family heirloom from the Fairchild family, which was my mother's maiden name. It had been given to her mother from her grandmother, and then from her mother to her, and then from her to me. It was the last thing I had of her, and losing it felt like a piece of me had been torn from my body, leaving me not entirely whole. That necklace had always felt like a small part of my mom with me, and losing it felt like losing her all over again. The tears overflowed, spilling over my cheeks. My view of Jonathan's room blurred, and I breathed in roughly. I didn't hear the footsteps, so I wasn't aware my brother had entered the room.
"Clary?" I turned at the sound of my name. He stood, highlighted by the light from the hallway. I hugged my arms tighter around myself. "What's wrong?" He asked in a concerned voice.

My voice hitched on a job. "I lost mom's necklace." I said.

He left the light of the hallway, and strode across the dark room towards me. He wrapped his arms around me, and I clutched the fabric of his sweater, my tears darkening his dark grey sweater where they fell on the material. The tears fell freely, and my voice shook as I quietly said "It was the only thing I had of her left, and even though I know she's really gone, it didn't feel like it completely, not until now. Having that necklace felt like having a part of her with me, but now..." I hiccuped as I buried my face in the material of my brother's sweater. After a few moments, he gently pushed me back.

He grasped my shoulders, squeezing them. "Look at me." He said. I raised my eyes to his, finally able to see now that the worst of he tears had cleared. "I know that losing that necklace feels like mom isn't close to you anymore, but it's just a piece of jewelry."

I tried to interject, but he gave my shoulders another gentle squeeze. "Let me finish, okay?"

I nodded.

"Mom will always be close to us. She's a part of us, just like we were part of her. Like, genetically. She's literally a part of us. No matter what, she'll always be with us, because we're part of her. Nothing can take that away."
"I just miss her so much."

"I know." He said, his arms going around me again. He rested his chin on the top of my head. His voice was thick when he said "Me too."

I skipped cheer practice Friday. I still felt raw and achy from the day before, and I couldn't muster enough energy to be peppy. After my sobs had faded into soft sniffles, and my tears had dried, Jonathan had taken me out. We had gone to the jewelry counter of the store, and he'd bought me a new necklace. It hung on my neck now, a silver chain with a small, loopy F hanging from the chain. I fingered the delicate charm as I shuffled past the gym. It wasn't the same, but it helped. A lot. My mom may be gone, and my dad may care more about his football team than me, but I had a pretty amazing brother. And that made the other stuff better. It still wasn't okay, but it didn't hurt as much. And I was so, so grateful.

Hope y'all liked these two chapters. I don't exactly have an update schedule, but I will tell you that I intend to go crazy with the writing of this story. And when I finish this story, I think I'm going to try and rewrite some of Crash Course, because that story got way too crazy. It was kind of embarrassing re-reading some of it. And then I might add some more to Across The Hall, Terrible Love, Simon & Isabelle, and The Prospect of Forever. I will be adding more to Switched. I'm already in the process of writing chapters for a few stories. They're just not finished, or aren't going like I'd like them to. Until the next update. Bye guys!

- Megan