They reached the island somewhere around mid-afternoon the next day. As Jace had already known, Maryse was waiting for them and she looked pissed. It clearly did not help that all five of them were completely hungover.
"Do you guys know what time it is?" Maryse snapped.
"Please don't shout. My head hurts" Magnus moaned from where he was being held up, supported by Alec's arms.
"Mom, I am sorry. We lost track of time. The after party turned into stag night. And we all got completely wasted." Jace said in an effort to do some damage control.
But from the look Izzy gave him, he wasn't as successful as he thought. Simon was too hungover at the moment to be much help and Alec was focused on keeping Magnus upright. This was one argument Jace wasn't going to win.
"Did you know Clary is here?" Maryse said looking at Izzy. "She came this morning with Jocelyn."
Izzy looked up in mild surprise, looking as if she couldn't even remember who Clary was. Jace felt as he was about to vomit.
"You mom is here too." Maryse said pointing at Simon.
"Oh shit!" That seemed to pull Simon from his haze.
"Elaine is here?" Jace said in excitement. In the year when Jace had lived with Simon, Elaine had become something of a second mom to him. He absolutely adored her.
"Yes. They are all settling in their rooms." Maryse told her son.
At that very moment Simon swayed dangerously and then puked all over Magnus' very expensive shoes.
Izzy burst into silent giggles "Simon that was epic."
"No, Izzy." Alec said, cringing away from his boyfriend "that was epuke."
Maryse just shook her head, looked at them with barely disguised disgust and went away after telling them one last thing. "Family dinner tonight. Get sobered up and be there on time."
So, sober up they did. After drinking atleast a 100 cups of black coffee between the five of them, they were feeling atleast a little better. Simon had stopped puking his guts out, and Magnus was able to stand without the support of his friends. So, Jace and Simon took off to meet Elaine, while Izzy went to welcome Clary and Jocelyn. Magnus and Alec decided to spend the time taking a well deserved nap.
Elaine was very much the same. Kind, jovial and a total sweetheart. Jace loved her. She asked him all kinds of personal questions about his love life, but she asked them with such genuine curiousty Jace couldn't find it in himself ti refuse to answer.
When Jace finally left her room, he went straight to the master bedroom where he was staying. The island was, once upon a time, the primary residence of his grandparents. So, the island had a big main house and lots of cottages spread all over the property which were used by the help at that time. At the moment, the family as well as Jocelyn and Elaine were living in the main house, while the others will be given their own cottages on arrival. It was really quite the talked about wedding and Izzy had been selective with the guest list accordingly. So, the cottages should be more than enough. The caterers and the rest if staff had their own quarters in the back of the island.
It was time for dinner. Jace freshened up, put on his clothes and went out to the beach. It had been decided that dinner will be held by the seaside. As he left his room, he saw Izzy coming out of hers.
"Ma'am can I have the honor to escort you to dinner?" he asked bowing in front of his sister and extending his hand.
She giggled "Why kind sir? You may have that honor." She said putting her hand in his.
It was a old game of theirs. Jace was the prince and Izzy the princess, because Alec was always, always the king. But Jace and Izzy were never a couple. They were always siblings, running around their palace and creating havoc. Jace smiled remembering the memory.
"Prince Jace, I daresay that you are suffering from nostalgia?" Apparently Izzy was on the same page.
"Princess, I believe you to be correct."
It was only when they were about to reach the beach that their mood soured a little.
"Ready to meet her, big brother?" Izzy asked squeezing Jace's hand.
"No." But none the less he took a deep breath and marched forward.
The view was beautiful. In the distance the sea, and someone had lit a large number of small fires all around the table. It was one of the most fancy dinners they had till date. But Jace knew he had to get used to it. In two days' the rest of the guests would arrive, and then it was fancy dinners and even fancier wines.
He caught sight of Clary too. She sitting next to Elaine, and both them were talking quietly. On her other side, sat a woman who looked like an older version of her, Jocelyn. She was talking to Maryse and Robert and gesturing with her fork. His friends were not the table but were instead sitting by the bar. Izzy went to join them.
Jace was about to go to Jocelyn and introduce himself and maybe say hello to Clary, if he ever got enough courage, when he heard Magnus calling his name.
"Blondie! I know you make a mean cocktail. Get your ass to the other side of the bar."
"Mags. This is a formal dinner." Alec hissed from his side.
"Oh sorry. Get your butt to the other side of the bar." Magnus said, sounding apologetic.
Simon snorted.
But by now everyone's attention was on him. He normally loved that but the way Clary was looking at him, with a mixture of pain, longing and distrust was hurting him something bad.
Jace sighed but went to make the cocktails. Alec was the only one who denied. Others seemed to think Jace was their personal bartender. Even Maryse and Elaine wanted one. As he finally deposited the last on the table, in front of Elaine, he turned to Jocelyn.
"Hi, I am Jace Herondale." he said with a charming smile.
"Jocelyn Fray." She said with a blush. Jace smirked, the smile never failed.
He completely ignored Clary as he went to take a seat. Just then Zeus came from where he was playing in the sand and sat in Alec's lap.
"Awww..Alec you got a new puppy?" Clary cooed from her place.
"No, its a apology gift." Alec said, with a sideways glance at Jace.
"Ohh, Clary, I got an apology gift too. But I got this." Izzy said, thrusting her hand towards the redhead and showing off the new bracelet.
"I got a deal. Free reign over decoration of his house without money restraints." Magnus declared taking a sip of his cocktail.
"I got the most kick ass bachelor party ever. With VS angels!" Simon added, sounding dreamy.
Clary just looked at Jace, over the rim of her glass, a mocktail glass in her case. She still didn't drink.
"Well, Jace, sounds like everyone got something." She said, with an unreadable expression "what do I get?"
Jace gulped. But he was a strong guy who didn't need no woman to back him up. So he put on a smirk and asked "What do you want, clare bear?"
Jace could literally hear his inner shudder. Clare bear? Where the hell did that come from. That was horrible.
Clary just smiled, full of promise.
"Remember you once said that a photograpjer was the best tour guide? I love Rio. I want a tour guide. And you owe me." She said, pointing her finger at him
Jace nodded.
"So its a date?" Clary asked, full of cockiness.
Jace suddenly remembered a different trip, a different city but somehow the roles had changed. Jace finally felt as if he had found his match. Why did he ever let her go, he will never know. But well, he was pretty, he didn't need to be smart.
"Its a date." He said, raising his glass in a silent salute "we will leave tomorrow morning."
Clary nodded, satisfied.
"But" Jace continued "know we won't be able to return the same day. We will nees to spend the night."
Clary blushed, rather violently. Jace felt as if he taken control of atleast some aspect of the conversation.
But finally she looked at him and said "Okay."
"Don't you need to ask your mother? You do that. Atleast you did that." Izzy interrupted them from her seat.
Jace high fived his sister.
"Seriously? You are team Jace?" Clary asked feigning hurt.
"Yup. We all are." Izzy said, as Alec and Magnus nodded.
"Wait? What is the competition." Simon finally asked, fed up of being left out of the conversation.
"Well, Lewis, you noticed the sexual tension between the two. The competition is who will bow first." Magnus explained.
"Well then, I am team Jace too. Sorry Clary." Simon managed to look apologetic.
"Well, you..you should know one thing...I will never ever fall or touch that.." Clary shouted, pointing at Jace. Her sudden outburst was enough to draw the attention of the parents sitting on the other end of the table.
"Clary? Biscuit you have already touched him. You slept with him remember?" Magnus gently reminded the girl.
Alec snorted, which was decidedly not taught to him ever.
"Um.." Clary finally seemed out of words "well let me just end with. This is war, Herondale."
Jace just laughed.
His chances at winning his girl back seemed better than ever.