Hey guys! Happy Sunday! And happy new week! :)

I told you sparks would start to fly this chapter, and they diiiiiiiddd! And they will continue very soon! :)

Pizzanna: Here's your update! And thank you. :)

Elaine (Guest): I'm glad you're liking it! :) I hope you continue to like it!

Dana (Guest): I haven't completely decided yet, but it'll be something cool, I'm sure. :) Thank you!

Caitlin smith (Guest): 1. I kept the flashbacks in. Seems to be a signature now. :) 2. I took your advice and made Clary a natural with firearms, as well as the flashback with it!

Debra Williams: Here's the Clace you've been wanting! :)

Guest: It would appear that is so! I guess you'll have to stick around to find out!

oesteffel: I know! I totally panicked and threw Magnus in there. But don't worry, he'll still get his sparkles and glitter... and meet Alec this way. You'll find out about Jace soon enough, and yes he will be jealous but not as possessive.

Guest: Stick around for more! :)

Okay, so done with the reviews, and onto the story! :) Enjoy the chapter, and I'll see you at the end! :)

Chapter 4: Ready, Aim… Sparks Fly

"The first thing to remember when using a firearm," Jace was saying, "is that it should always be pointed at the desired target. Never, ever point it at someone as a joke. Not even when it's unloaded. Firearms are an extremely dangerous weapon, and should only be used when absolutely needed. Use of a firearm should never be abused."

I was expecting to be actually using a gun at this point, but that clearly wasn't in Jace's plan. Simon told me they had already been using guns, so he and Magnus went out to practice, while I got roped into staying inside the lodge at the shooting range to get lessons about the safety of firearms.

"Second rule: a gun should always be unloaded when not in use. In our case, it should be unloaded until we head out into the field. Got it?"

"Yes," I mumbled, stifling a yawn. Wasn't this stuff common sense?

Jace paced in front of me, his hands clasped behind his back, while I sat at a desk like I was back in high school. "Good. The third thing you should know is that you should never rely on your firearm's 'safety' mode," he said, using air quotations. "A firearm is not reliable enough to assume that the safety mode will work. Therefore, never have your finger on the trigger unless or until you intend to shoot. And never fire with the safety mode on, or if the switch is between 'safety' and 'fire.'"

I was so bored listening to this. He didn't believe it, but I knew all about gun safety. I may not have used a gun before, but I certainly knew the rules. I knew how to disarm someone with a gun, too. At my own expense, I zoned out Jace's voice and tried to think of something more entertaining. I thought of my mother and one of my favorite memories with her.

I was only five years old, before everything started. Before I ever met him. It was just my mom and I, in our small house in Arizona. It was early summer, so it was dry and hot outside. I loved the heat, and so did my mom.

We were outside in our yard, where the grass that my mother tended so carefully to was. We had a surprisingly lush front lawn, and I loved to lie in the grass beside her, staring up at the sky. Today it was clear, with no clouds, and I was running through our sprinkler, the cool water welcome to my hot skin.

"Clar!" My mother called from inside the house. I stepped out of the way of the sprinkler and looked at the front door, left open except for the screen door. She pushed it open, holding two tall glasses of ice cold lemonade. Her dark red hair, much darker than my orange hair, was pinned up, and she was wearing overalls despite the heat.

I skipped over to her and eagerly took one of the glasses from her, gulping down the sweet yet sour lemonade. "Mommy, you make the best nemolade," I said. I could never say the word right, and my mother absolutely loved it despite her attempts to fix it.

She plopped down in a dry area of the grass, and I sat down next to her. "Do you know what my favorite color is, Clar?"

I shook my head, hanging on to her every word.

"Yellow. It reminds me of you," she told me, her green eyes sparkling.

I frowned. "But mommy, I'm not yellow," I said.

She laughed, and it was beautiful. "I know, sweetheart. But yellow is the color of the sun, and you are my sunshine, Clarissa. You are my happy little girl, and you shine so bright. Don't let anyone take that shine away. Okay?"

I nodded, grinning up at her. She was my whole world. "Yes, mommy." I set my cup down and crawled into her lap. She held me tightly and the smell of her bosom and the scents of summer made me close my eyes in bliss…

The memory faded away, but I felt at peace. I felt a small smile shaping my lips and I sighed contentedly, only to be rudely forced out of my happy place by Jace.

"Clary, are you listening to me?" Drew demanded, standing over me like a disappointed teacher.

I rolled my eyes, my smile fading away but my good mood staying firmly in place. "Yes, give me the damn written test and I guarantee you I'll pass it."

He looked at me skeptically but opened the folder he had picked up while I was daydreaming. He removed a packet, setting it down on my desk, along with a pencil. He glanced up at the clock on the back wall. "You have thirty minutes to complete the exam. You may begin."

I almost scoffed, but decided to hold my tongue. I didn't need thirty minutes to complete… I flipped through the pages, seeing there were thirty questions on it. They weren't asking what gun safety rules were, but identifying safety rules in situations, rules that were broken, and how to fix the behavior. I nearly swore under my breath but worked through it as quickly as possible.

"Only missed three," Jace said as he graded my exam. I rubbed my temples from the stress of getting done seconds before my time was up.

"So I passed?" I asked, sitting on the edge of the large desk he was now occupying.

His eyes flicked to my legs and traveled up until he met my gaze. He blinked a few times and then seemed to snap out of whatever thought had crossed his mind. "Sorry, yes, you passed. Ready to learn how to actually handle a gun?"

I nodded and stood up. I watched as he filed my exam into the briefcase he had brought with us. Jace then opened a small black case and removed a gun. He slowly turned to face me, his grey gaze tentative and slightly unfocused.

"This gun will be the one you will be using. You will get an identical one issued to you after you pass," he explained, then removed his gun on a holster attached to his belt. "See, this one is issued to me."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, got it."

Jace scowled. "You better be ready." He turned and started toward the door, and I started to feel a bit nervous about all of this. What if I made it through the training only to fail at the end?

I shook my head and exhaled sharply. Positive. I needed to think positive.

I followed Jace outside, into the warm summer air. I heard shots being fired around the corner, where the shooting lanes were. Each lane was separated by tall wooden walls, and then a waist-height wall spanned the length of it. Jace lead me over to one of them, several lanes away from Simon and Magnus, and handed me a pair of ear protectors and goggles. I put the protectors around my neck and my goggles over my eyes as Jace did the same and awaited further instruction. Then a gun was placed in my hand, and I clutched it gently in both of my small hands.

"You ready?" Jace asked in a soft voice. "You've done a lot today. If you're too tired, we can work on something else.

I cocked my head to the side, smiling. "You've got a soft spot. Cute," I responded. At his glare, I laughed and then said, "Yes, I'm ready."

Jace then stepped behind me. "I'm going to have to adjust your posture, okay? Don't… don't get any ideas about what I'm doing. Just a warning," he whispered in my ear, almost drown out by the sound of the guns. He was now close enough that I could feel his breath on my ear, the warmth of his skin against my back…

"Okay," I said, because I wasn't nervous about it… for once.

"Stand with your feet apart," he instructed. I did as he said. "A little bit more." He gently nudged my feet out with his. "Make sure your hips are forward." He placed his hands on my hips and turned them slightly until they were centered.

"What's next?" I wondered, trying to ignore the flush creeping into my cheeks and the fact that my body was reacting to the closeness of his.

"This." Jace reached up and grasped the ear protectors, sliding them over my ears, fingertips brushing my neck. "And now…" his voice trailed off as his arms reached around me, shaping my hands around the gun and aiming it forward. "Now you have to be focused. Every shot should be deliberate."

It was a little hard to hear with the ear protectors, but I could hear the softness of his voice and feel his racing heart against my back. I rolled my shoulders back, and in doing so pushed my hips back a little.

Jace groaned and his grip on my hands tightened. "Focus on shooting right now. Not on me."

I bit my lip and turned my face to the right, ever so slightly. Jace's lips parted, and he pressed his cheek into mine.

Tearing myself out of the strange hormones that momentarily possessed me, I faced forward, aiming for the center of the target at the end of the lane. I took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger.

Mommy and him were in another fight. I was curled up in the corner beside the TV, wishing I could melt into the walls and not hear the screaming anymore.

"I told you to stop using or to get out of this house!" My mother shouted.

He got up in her face, waving a small handgun around wildly. "Kick me out and I'll kill myself. You know I can't live without you, Jocelyn."

My mother slapped him. "Don't try to guilt trip me. You put me and Clary in danger when you use, you bastard!"

"Damn it, Jocelyn," he snarled. Suddenly there was a gunshot, and I whimpered and covered my face. I feared my mother had been shot, but when I dared to peak, I saw that it was on the floor next to her feet. "That was a warning shot in case you try to kick me out again."

"Clary? Clary, come on, snap out of it!" Jace declared, his arms wrapped tightly around me, holding me on my feet as the rest of the horrible flashback faded away.

For a brief second, I allowed myself the pleasure of leaning back in Jace's arms, the surprisingly comforting smell of him surrounding me, before I pulled away to see that Simon and Magnus had joined us and were looking at me in concern.

"I'm fine," I panted. "I'm really okay. Just, um, just a…" My voice trailed off. What could I tell them? Surely not the truth, no, never in a million years. "It just freaked me out. I've never shot a gun before."

Simon whistled. "Well for someone who's never shot a gun before…"

"Damn, Clary, you're making up for the fighting earlier," Magnus said.

I frowned and turned to look at the target, gaping at what I saw.

It was a bullseye.

"What the…" I started, looking at Jace. "Did you do that?"

Jace smirked at me. "No, that was all you."

I glanced back at the target. "You mean…"

"Yes, I mean you did that by yourself. Looks like you're a natural," he said, placing his hands on my shoulders.

I sighed. "One less thing to worry about."

He leaned in close to my ear. "I guess that means you really don't want me touching you since you got it down right away."

I gulped. But I kinda liked it, I wanted to say.

I opened the door to my apartment, thankful for the welcoming smell it brought. I kicked off my shoes and locked the door behind me. I flicked on the hallway light as I made my way to my bedroom. I couldn't wait to take my sweaty workout clothes off, so by the time I was in my room, my clothes were almost completely off.

After getting completely ready for bed and making sure all my doors and windows were locked, I climbed gratefully into my bed, my sore muscles protesting.

Jeez, when was the last time I was this sore?

I collapsed onto my back, plugging my phone in and settling deep into my blankets. My mind immediately wandered to Jace, but I tried to block those thoughts.

No. No, no, no.

I closed my eyes, sleep already pulling at me, when my phone blared, startling me back to complete consciousness.

"Hello?" I mumbled.

"I wanted to talk about what happened today," Jace said.

I groaned. "Jace, I'm tired. Can we talk tomorrow?"

"No, we won't get a chance to," he replied.

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, what is there to talk about?"

"It won't happen again," he said.

For some unknown reason, my heart dropped. "Oh. Well, thanks for letting me know."

"Yeah…" he said. "Anyway, get some rest and I'll see you tomorrow morning. Eight in the morning."

And then he hung up.

I scoffed and dropped my phone on the bed next to me, curling up to go to sleep. I was pouting, I know, and it was ridiculous.

Because for some strange reason, my body reacted to Jace. My body was flooded with hormones that I had never thought I would ever experience.

And I kinda liked it.

And I wanted more of it.

Hey guys! I know this chapter was kind of short, but I said I would try and update before the weekend was over, so here you go! :)

Any more thoughts, questions, suggests, or comments? Leave a review! Please leave a review! :) It's greatly appreciated. :)

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed it! I'll see you next chapter! :)

-Caitlyn