Song list for this Chapter…
Not Your Fault - Awolnation
Ghost - Ella Henderson
The Sex Is Good - Saving Abel
Been Caught Stealing - Jane's Addiction
Everlast - Broken
Yelawolf - Love Story
Jessie J - Flashlight
Staind - Right Here
Crossfade - Killing Me Inside
Blue October - Hate Me
Redlight King - Bullet In My Hand
Adelitas Way - Sick
Fuel - Hemorrhage (In My Hands)
Breaking Benjamin - Dance With The Devil
All That Remains - Two Weeks
SIX WEEKS LATER (28 WEEKS PREGNANT)
"Good morning baby." I snuggle into Clary's messy red hair as she groans loudly.
"Get off me; I need to pee." She huffs as I roll off of her and I giggle as she rushes to the bathroom; she leaves the door wide open so I get up and go into the bathroom to brush my teeth as she relieves her full bladder.
"Our daughter really likes your bladder doesn't she?" I mumble around my toothbrush.
"A little too much; I almost peed myself. Not a great way to start my day off."
"No probably not but how about a kiss from me; wouldn't that be a great start to your day?"
Clary glares at me as she brushes her teeth; I smile widely at her and plant small kisses behind her ear as I watch her reflection in the mirror. She tries to hide her amusement but I catch her grin as she puts her toothbrush back in the cup; I spin her around and rapidly pepper kisses all over her face. She squeals in protest but I only kiss her more until she starts to laugh.
"Okay! Okay! Don't be so needy Jace."
"But I love you baby." I purr.
"How do you do that?" She asks and I stop my kisses to look at her.
"Do what?"
"I was supper grumpy when I woke up yet you have managed to make me giggle already."
"How can you resist this face? How can you deny my sweet kisses?"
Clary kisses me quickly and swats my rear end playfully as she exits the bathroom to go get dressed.
"Do you know if there are any English muffins left Jace?"
English muffins are her newest obsession for breakfast and I cringe inwardly when I remember that I made her the last one for breakfast yesterday.
"I meant to go get more yesterday but I guess I forgot."
"Oh…that makes me sad."
"Sorry baby. How about toast instead?"
"Wheat toast?" She asks excitedly. (crisis averted)
"Yes wheat toast. Do you want eggs this morning too?"
"No just some toast please."
We have come to the conclusion that the baby is getting so big inside of Clary's tiny body that Clary is having trouble eating too much food at one sitting; so instead of her eating like three normal meals in a day; Clary now just eat five or six small things throughout the day to keep herself satisfied. I still think she needs to eat more because even though she has a nice round belly; the rest of her body looks too thin to my eyes. I made the mistake of mentioning this to her two weeks ago and she ended up crying for half a day because she thought I was accusing her of not taking good care of our baby. It took everything in me not to punch her doctor in the face yesterday because he mentioned her lack of weight gain. He said she should be gaining about a pound a week but she has only gained about nine pounds since she got pregnant. She ended up overeating yesterday and she got sick three times because of it. So her eating and her weight is a very touchy subject. So now I just keep my mouth shut about my opinion of her thin frame; instead I try to make her snacks that have as much calories packed into them as possible.
After I make Clary her toast I kiss her cheek before heading to the training room.
"Enjoy your walk and tell Simon I said hello."
"I will and do you want me to get you anything from the store? I can just have Simon help me carry the bags home."
"You sure? I can always go when I'm done training."
"No Jace I can go; you do so much for me and I feel like such a bump on a log right now so please let me do something; even if it is only grabbing few things from the grocery store."
"I thought you hated shopping."
"I do but going to the grocery store is different; I don't mind shopping for food; its clothes that I have a problem with."
"Okay baby well if you remember to; can you grab me some shaving cream then?"
"Yes."
"Thank you."
"Love you."
"I love you baby but I got to get to the training room now so I will see you later okay. I miss you already."
Clary rolls her green eyes at me as I jog backwards out of the kitchen and I just laugh at her. When I get into the training room Izzy has an impatient look on her face and Alec has his arms crossed over his chest. I look at the clock and find that I am almost ten minutes late.
"Stop scowling at me you two; so I'm a couple of minutes late. You are just going to have to get used to it because once the baby gets here I am sure I will end up being late on a daily basis."
"Can she come to the training room after she's born?" Izzy asks.
"Absolutely. I mean I'll be here and so will Clary so it's only natural for our daughter to be where we are but when she starts crawling we will all have to keep an eye on her."
"Of course we will; Jace we are here to help. You just try and stop me from changing her diaper." Alec says playfully.
"Iz you are my witness to what he just said so if the baby needs her diaper changes Uncle Alec volunteers his services."
"Don't worry Jace I even recorded the entire conversation on my phone." Izzy jokes.
I am so thankful that the distance that was between my sister and I has managed to fade and now we are back to the same way we always were. I have managed to keep my nose out of her and Simon's relationship over the past six weeks but the suspense is killing me to know what is really going on between them. I think part of the reason why Izzy and I are okay again is because Izzy took a hard hit for me when it comes to Clary. A week and a half ago Clary scared the shit out of all of us when she lost her balance on the treadmill and fell hard on her side; I nearly threw up when I saw her tiny body slam onto the treadmill and then roll onto the wood floor. After everyone calmed down Izzy told Clary that she was no longer allowed in the training room for the rest of her pregnancy. Clary kind of flipped out on Izzy for it but in the end Izzy made her understand that she is just too distracting for the rest of us.
So now Clary goes for long walks in the park everyday with Simon. It's a win-win situation for everyone really. Clary gets her exercise; Alec, Izzy, and I get to train without being distracted by Clary; and Simon gets to have some much needed one on one time with his best friend. I got major brownie points from Clary because her walking in the park with Simon everyday was my idea. Simon didn't hesitate for a moment when I called him and asked him to walk with Clary every day; he understands why I asked him to walk with her. Simon knows that I am paranoid and if I can't be with Clary then the next best person for her to be with to keep her safe would be him. The odds of anything happing to Clary at the park in broad daylight are slim to none but knowing she has a day-walking vampire as a personal body guard keeps my paranoia at a minimum.
At lunch time Izzy disappears without a word and Alec went to meet Magnus for Thai food; since I didn't get invited to lunch and I don't like Thai food anyhow I decide to just eat a bowl of cereal for lunch in the kitchen. I pull my phone out to check to see if Clary called but she didn't so I decide to text her.
Me: 217-0226 – Hey mamma what are you up to? I miss you.
Wifey: 217-7629 – Just having some coffee with Simon. Some dude with green hair is reading terrible poetry. What are you doing?
Wifey: 217-7629 – I miss you too. ; -)
Me: 217-0226 – Being lonely because everyone left me. : -( When are you coming home?
Wifey: 217-7629 – Awe so sorry you are lonely. We just got our coffee and I still need to go to the grocery store so I will be another couple of hours. I can skip the grocery shopping if you want me to come home though. Where did your siblings go?
Me: 217-0226 – No baby that's okay you take your time and I will see you later besides I got to go back to the training room for the rest of the afternoon anyhow. Who knows where Iz went and Alec went to lunch with Magnus.
Wifey: 217-7629 – Why didn't you go to lunch with the boys?
Me: 217-0226 – Thai food YUCK!
Wifey: 217-7629 – Oh yeah you hate Thai food. Are you sure you don't want me to come home. You know I would much rather drool over your shirtless sweaty body than shop for bananas.
Me: 217-0226 – Bananas Huh? Me shirtless and sweaty huh? Well I know where your mind is at right now…hmm maybe you should come home and I can fake an injury to get out of training for the rest of the afternoon. (wiggles eyebrows)
Wifey: 217-7629 – (fans self with hand) (blushes ten shade of red because vampire is reading over shoulder) You know me sooooo well Jace. So is that a yes then? Should I chug my coffee and head home? I can be there in 2 minutes since I have your car.
Me: 217-0226 – (crying from laughter) I was wondering where the car was but I figured you took it. No baby you have a good day and I will see you later. Do you want to go on a date tonight?
Wifey: 217-7629 – (still giggling) Vampire said we make him sick to his stomach; I slapped him. What kind of date? Will there be food on this date? (asking for your daughter) You don't need your car do you? I'm sorry I didn't ask to take it.
Me: 217-0226 – Nope, don't need the car. You don't need permission to take it; I told you that you can take it anytime you want to. Maybe a movie? I think American Sniper is playing at the Cineplex. Tell baby girl daddy will take her to dinner before him and mommy goes to the movies.
Wifey: 217-7629 – (baby girl just did a back flip onto my bladder over her excitement) Yes to the movie; where are we eating dinner?
Me: 217-0226 – What do you want to eat?
Me: 217-0226 – Did I mention how much I am missing you right now?
Wifey: 217-7629 – You mentioned the missing…I offered to come home but you shot me down. I want pizza (eh-hem I mean your daughter wants pizza)
Me: 217-0226 – (crying real tears) I did not shoot you down; I know you will be bored watching me train for the rest of the day and you are spending time with Simon. Pizza's sounds good to me. Talk to you later; need to get back to the training room. Love you.
Wifey: 217-7629 – (feeling bad right now) Love you.
It's my turn to scowl at Alec and Izzy because Alec is fifteen minutes late and Izzy is almost a full hour late for our afternoon training. Alec sincerely apologizes and Izzy flips me off and tells me to go to hell. I just laugh at both of them. The three of us have been throwing weapons at the target for over an hour when Izzy jumps up and down as she claps her hands in excitement.
"Guess what Jace!"
"You are awfully excited so do I even want to know?"
"Of course I'm excited Jace; Clary and I are going shopping tomorrow. I expect you and Alec to have the final touches done on the nursery by the time we get back from shopping."
"Poor Clary; do me a favor Iz and take it easy on her. You know how much she hates to shop. Stop scowling at me; Alec and I only have a couple more hours of work to do in the baby's room so it will be done long before you ladies get back."
"Good because I want to be able to organize baby Wayland's clothes and things. I don't know how Clary can hate shopping. You would think that because we are shopping for the baby and not for her she would be at least a little bit excited but not a chance. Do you know she tried to bribe me into doing all the shopping myself?"
"That's my girl."
"Are you saying that you would let me have full rein over shopping for your daughter?"
"Absolutely but you still have to take Clary with you; I wouldn't want her to regret missing out on picking out baby clothes later in life. Where all are you two going anyhow?"
"I can go grab my itinerary sheet from my room if you want me to."
"You are joking right?"
"No I have our entire day planned out; there are even four scheduled times for meals and I even have time slots for bathroom breaks."
"Oh my poor little Clary; who am I kidding poor me. You know she will take out her frustrations on me because of you don't you? Make sure you take pictures tomorrow and really enjoy your one day of shopping because I have a feeling that after tomorrow Clary will never go shopping with you ever again."
"Nonsense; Clary will have a great time I promise."
"Are you taking my car?"
"Well Clary said she was driving so I would assume so. Why is that a problem?"
"No; it's no problem at all. I should just start calling it Clary's car since she drives it more than I do anyhow."
"Did she clean that pigpen out yet Jace? The last time I was in your car there was enough garbage on the floor to fill a trash bag." Alec joins our conversation.
"No but I cleaned it out a couple of days ago because I knew the girls would probably need it for their shopping trip."
"You spoil her too much. I would make her clean it out because all that garbage is from her not you."
"I know I spoil her but I can't help myself; beside I like to clean so it's no big deal."
"It's a good thing you like to clean Jace because odds are your daughter will end up being a slob too."
"No way Alec! My little angel will be a neat freak like her daddy; her and I can keep Clary's messes cleaned up together. Baby girl can spray the cleaner and I can wipe the toothpaste off the sink; we will make a great team."
"When are you two going to decide on her name already?" Izzy asks.
"We are waiting until she is born to decide on her name. Clary thinks once she sees our daughter in her arms she will be sure of her name choice."
"Well you know my vote goes to Celine but my opinion doesn't really matter." She flips her dark hair dramatically as she rolls her eyes.
"Okay so one vote for Celine; how about you Alec? What name do you like?" I ask.
"I still think you should call her Alexandria."
"Not going to happen Alec; if the next baby is a boy I promise you that we will give him Alexander as his middle name."
"Next baby! Christ Jace are you serious?"
"Clary and I are getting married Alec; so we will be together forever and our daughter will be lonely without a sibling to play with."
"Have you and Clary even discussed having more children?" Izzy asks.
"Yes of course we have. I voted for five but Clary punched me in the balls so we compromised on three."
"Dear god! The spawns of Jace! The horror, the horror." Alec jokes.
The three of us are laughing hysterically when the door to the training room swings open and Clary walks in.
"You three must be really training hard in here." She says with a smile.
When Clary sits up against the wall to watch us I can't help but notice how tired she looks so I make my way towards her so I can see if she is feeling okay. I crouch down in front of her and place my hands on her knees.
"You okay momma? You look tired."
"I am tired. Simon and I were so busy talking that we ended up making two extra laps at the park and after getting all the groceries in the house and put away I feel like I could use a nap."
"Clary why didn't you come get me? I would have put the groceries away; I thought you were only getting a few things."
"I was only going to get a few things but I was hungry when I was shopping so I guess I might have brought home a trunk load of food. It took me five trips just to unload the car."
"Again; why didn't you come and get me?"
"I didn't want to interrupt your training I guess."
"Don't be silly sweetheart; I would have had it all done in less than fifteen minutes."
"You know how stubborn I am Jace."
"Indeed I do Clary. Will you please, please not be stubborn right now and do me a really big favor?"
"What's that?"
"Will you please go to our room and take a nap?"
"Yes I will go take a nap but only because I want to be awake when we go on our date; I have really been looking forward to seeing American Sniper and I wouldn't want to fall asleep."
"I realize that you are really only going to take a nap so you can stay awake to watch Bradley Cooper for two hours but I'll still take that as a win."
"I only have eyes for you Jace." She gives me one of her devilish grins as she stands up.
"Okay so your eyes are on me but what about those lips of yours? Do I get a kiss before you leave me?"
Clary slides her fingers into my sweaty hair and kisses me almost long enough to make me want to join her for a nap instead of continuing my training. Before we can get too carried away I break our kiss and walk her to the door.
"Wake me up when you are done training okay." She asks and I just wink at her before I turn back towards Alec and Izzy. Alec is smiling and Izzy has the look of disgust on her face.
"Why are you looking at me like that Izzy?"
"You two are just so…so sweet it makes me want to gag sometimes."
"That's not very nice Izzy. I think they are wonderful."
"Thank you Alec and I think you and Magnus are wonderful as well. Izzy is just jealous because she doesn't appreciate what it means to love someone and to have them love you back."
"Fuck off Jace!" Izzy scolds.
I laugh off her anger but on the inside I feel sad; I wish I knew how she really felt about Simon. All I do know about her and Simon's relationship is that they are in fact still seeing each other from time to time but I also know that two nights ago Izzy went to the club without Simon. When Simon mentioned her going to the club I had to bite my tongue so I didn't yell at him for letting her treat him like shit. I gave Simon my opinion on how he should handle Izzy once already and I will not give it to him again. As much as I want him to actually take my fucking advice; I am not his keeper so I just need to keep my mouth shut about it from now on. Clary's indifferent attitude towards Simon and Izzy's fucked up relationship surprises me but Clary simply said that she wants to stay out of Simon's love life.
At five o'clock I leave the training room and head downstairs to wait for the delivery that I have been anticipating since I first got out of bed this morning. I am sitting on the front steps of the institute and I have checked the time on my cellphone so many times I feel the urge to throw the damn thing into traffic. Finally I see the delivery man from the Jewelry store making his way towards me and I end up jogging towards him with excitement. He has me take Clary's engagement ring out for close inspection before I sign my delivery receipt and heading back into the institute for a much needed shower. When I glance at the clock on the bathroom wall I realize that Clary and I won't be able to make the seven o'clock showing of the movie if we go to dinner first. I am fucking starving and I am certain Clary will be hungry as well so there is no way we will go to dinner after the movie; we will just have to go to the nine o'clock show instead.
I slide under the blankets and snuggle up to Clary's warm body for a moment before waking her up by whispering in her ear.
"Time to wake up momma…baby girl is getting hungry for her pizza."
Clary rolls over and smiles at me as she rubs her eyes.
"What time is it?"
"Five after six."
"What time does the movie start?"
"We will have to go to the nine o'clock show if we are going to dinner first."
"Okay well do I have time to get a shower then?"
"Absolutely. I am going to give Em a call to see how things are on the west coast while you get ready okay."
Clary kisses my cheek before climbing out of bed to go get in the shower. I continue to lay on the bed as I dial Em's number.
"Hey what are you up to Jace?"
"Getting ready to take wifey out to dinner and a movie in a little bit. How about you? What are you and Sandra up to today?"
"Wifey huh? I think you should wait to start calling Clary wifey at least until she has her engagement ring."
"It just got here about an hour ago; it will be on her finger before the nights over."
"Oh that's great Jace tell Clary to send me a picture of it when she gets the chance."
"Sure thing Em. How is Sandra doing?"
"Well yesterday was a pretty bad day for her but she seems to be in good spirits today. What movie are you two going to see?"
"American Sniper. I'm sorry Sandra had a bad day yesterday."
"I have a feeling the good days are getting fewer and far between now Jace."
"Emma I wish I was there right now so I could hug you; you sound so sad."
"I would kill to have your arms around me right now Jace."
"I can portal to LA tomorrow long enough to hug you and then portal back home if you want me to."
"Don't you dare Jace! I know for a fact that you and Alec are supposed to be finishing off the nursery tomorrow so don't use me to get out of your work."
"At least I made you laugh Emma."
"Yes you sure did; thank you for that Jace. Where are you taking wifey for dinner? Some place nice I hope considering you finally have her ring."
"Clary claims that baby girl wants pizza for dinner so paper napkins and Pepsi will have to do."
"Ooooh soooo fancy Jace. Tell me how can Clary stand how disgustingly romantic you are all the time?"
"Laugh all you want to Emma but it takes a true romantic to put a straw into his ladies drink for her you know. I have mad skills Em; I could give you some pointers if you are interested."
"Yeah, yeah. Look Jace I need to let you go so I can take Sandy some food. I will talk to you soon."
"Give Sandra my love and I will call you soon."
"Love you Jace."
"Love you Emma and I miss you."
"Miss you. Bye."
"Bye Emma."
I shove Clary's engagement ring back into my pocket just before the bathroom door swings open to reveal her smiling face. She took the time to pull some of her curls away from her face with some sort of clip thingy and she has mascara on her eyelashes. My small smile turns to a full blown grin when I take in the pretty white dress she is wearing. The silky material is snug across her pregnant belly and the low cut neckline reveals her breast just enough to tease me but without looking too revealing for the wandering eyes of strangers.
"You look pretty Clary; I really, really like that dress."
"Thank you but I was actually thinking about not wearing it."
"Why not? You look sexy in that dress not to mention slippery; come here and let me see just how slippery you are."
"I think white might be the wrong color to wear if we are eating pizza; you know how messy I am Jace."
My attempt to flirt with her seems to have failed because she continues to scowl at the sad few dresses that are hanging in her closet. It's funny that she even has those few dresses to choose from as it is because before she was pregnant I think she only owned one single dress and maybe two skirts. Izzy is responsible for the six or so dresses and half a dozen skirts that Clary has for maternity clothes.
"What's wrong baby?"
"The dress I have on and this red one are the only two that fit me anymore and I think this red one is a little too much for pizza and a movie at the Cineplex."
"So just wear jeans and a t-shirt instead; you look just as lovely in them as you do a dress anyhow. Better yet just get naked; I can order pizza and we can watch a movie on Netflix while we lay in bed naked together; you naked is my favorite outfit on you momma."
"I really wanted to dress up; we don't really go on that many dates as it is so I thought it would be nice."
"I'm sorry baby."
Clary spins around to look at the frown on my face.
"Why are you sorry Jace?"
"I should take you out more. You deserve to be taken out at least once a week and I have been slacking lately."
"It's no big deal."
"Yes it is and I promise that we will have date night once a week from now on. Besides I love to take you out and show you off to all the jealous guys. When you're not looking I stick my tongue out at them because you are mine and they can't have you."
"You do not!" She says with a giggle.
"I am better at hiding than I thought I was then." I say with a wicked grin on my face. I might not stick my tongue out at the guys I catch staring at my girl but the looks they do get from me tell them to back the fuck off.
"Jace do you know if my purple shirt is clean?"
"Which purple shirt the dark purple one or the light purple one?"
"Um…either one actually."
I get up and sort through her stack of shirts that I have neatly folded in her dresser draw (if I didn't keep her clothes organized they would be scattered all over the bedroom) when I find the light purple shirt I walk over and hand it to her with a wink.
"Here you go baby."
"Thank you. I can wear this with my dark grey skirt."
"You mean the one with that little slit up the back?" I ask as I wiggle my eyebrows at her.
"Yes that's the one."
"Yummy. I love your ass in that skirt."
"Jace! You are terrible you know."
"But I love you baby." I purr.
"You always say that when you are trying to get out of trouble you know. You always stick your bottom lip out and purr those words to me."
"Does it work?" I ask playfully.
"Are you ever in trouble with me?" She smiles at me.
"Not that I know of and definitely not if I can help it. Daddy doesn't like it when mommy is mad at him."
"I couldn't even stay mad at you if I wanted to Jace. All I have to do is look at you and I can't help but smile at you even when I'm trying to be mad."
"Not to change the subject or anything but I meant to ask you how Simon is doing."
"He's good; he had a ton of new jokes for me today. I would tell you some of them but I can't remember any of them."
"Maybe I will go visit him tomorrow for a little bit while you and Izzy go shopping."
"Son of a bitch! I completely forgot that I was going shopping tomorrow. Jace I don't want to go; she is going to drag me all over the city to every single store that sells baby shit. I am tired just thinking about it; can't I find a way to get out of going?"
"Sorry but no. You are just going to have to put your best smile on and pretend to enjoy shopping for baby shit."
"Oh don't say it like that Jace. I didn't mean it to sound like I don't want to shop for things for our daughter it's just I don't want to go with Izzy; she makes everything harder. I am all for bargain shopping but she will go to eight stores to find the cheapest price on a shirt only to end up back at the first one to buy it anyhow."
"I know but it means a lot to Izzy that you are going shopping with her; she is your friend and you sometimes have to suck it up to make your friends happy."
"But it's hard." She pouts and I just laugh at her.
Clary huffs in frustration as she pulls the white dress off her body and I feel my pulse quicken at the sight of her near naked body. I am loving the shape of her body now that she is pregnant; it's a shame she doesn't have just a little bit more meat on her thin frame because her hips and thighs would be deliciously curvy. When she lifts her arms up to put on her shirt her back arches and her chest pops out and I have to look away when I feel my jeans getting tighter.
"Can you zip my skirt up for me please?"
I adjust my pants before getting off the bed to attempt to hide my arousal as I walk towards her; when she giggles before turning around I know that she saw what I was trying to hide. I quickly zip up her skirt and shove my hands in my pocket to keep from ripping her clothes off of her and tossing her on the bed. Clary smiles sweetly at me as she turns around; I think she is going to try to take my hand but she ends up cupping her fingers around my zipper and I let out a surprised yelp.
"Christ Clary." I breathe.
"Do you know how happy I am that I don't even have to try to make you hard?"
"All I have to do is look at you Clary."
"It's the same for me you know." She purrs.
"Really now?"
"Mmm-hmm."
"Fuck woman! If you don't stop touching me like that we are never going to make it out of this bedroom."
Clary giggles as she drops her hand and turns towards the door.
"Let's go eat pizza; baby girl is hungry."
"Damn it you used my weakness for your own gain Clary."
"I know you can't resist a piece of pizza Jace."
"Not the pizza; I was talking about baby girl. She isn't even born yet and already she has me wrapped around her little finger. The little shit is just like her mother."
Clary holds my hand as we walk down the sidewalk towards the pizza parlor. She pulls my arm over her shoulder and snuggles against my side as she lets out a soft sigh with a smile on her face.
"You are going to be such a good daddy Jace."
"God I hope you're right about that Clary."
"Of course I'm right. The way you treat me and the way you take care of me; even the way you are protective of me tells me just how good of a father you are going to be for our daughter. I almost feel bad for the teenage boys that will want to date her when she's older."
"Older being the key word. I was thinking twenty five would be a good age for her to start dating; until then I am keeping her locked in the house."
"Who are you even trying to kid Jace? You said yourself that she already has you wrapped around her little finger; all she will have to do is pout a little and you will let her do whatever she wants to do."
"I know I will end up letting her do whatever she want to do but that doesn't mean I won't be hiding in the bushes to keep a close eye on her. That doesn't mean I won't hunt down every punk ass kid and threaten them within an inch of their lives if they do anything to hurt my baby girl."
"Lucky for you; you have a lot of time before you need to hide in the bushes and threaten any boys."
"It's never too soon to start looking for places to hide the bodies."
"At least you will have plenty of help. I'm sure Alec and Simon will be happy to help you dig a few graves."
"Definitely."
After Clary and I eat dinner we hail a cab to go up town to watch our movie. We are standing on the sidewalk in a surprisingly long line as we wait to buy our movie tickets. Even though there is plenty of traffic running up and down the streets and we are surrounded by at least a hundred people the night is quiet. It's seems like everyone is enjoying the weather and just being quiet as they take in the evening air and sight of the city. I glance down at Clary as she studies one of the upcoming movie posters and my chest feels like it could bust from the amount of love I feel for her. Before I even know what I am doing I am down on one knee in front of her with her ring in my hand. She does a double take as she hears a few people around us gasp at the sight of what is about to happen.
"Jace what are you doing?" Her green eyes go from me to the surrounding crowd of people that are watching us.
"I realize we kind of already did this but I want to make this official. Clary will you spend the rest of your life with me?"
"I'll stick around as long as you will Jace."
After I slide her ring onto her finger I jump up and lift her off the ground to kiss her as the people around us clap and mutter congratulations. I could care less about all these people because all I see right now is a pair of beautiful green eyes looking at me. I know that as long as I get to look into those green eyes every day for the rest of my life; all will be right with the world.
Clary is still wiping away her tears as we walk back towards the institute. I asked her if she wanted me to hail a cab so we didn't have to walk the ten blocks home so late but she said she needed the night air to clear her head after the sad ending to the movie. All my nerves are at attention as we make our way back towards the institute because I don't even have a single weapon on me tonight; I didn't even think to grab a dagger or something when we left. I keep looking over my shoulder because I swear I can hear something following us. I grip Clary's hand tighter and pull her close to my side as my anxiety rises further.
"Are you okay Jace? You're sweating."
"To tell you the truth I would feel better if we had taken a cab home or if I at least had a weapon on me; I am kind of freaking out a little bit."
Clary lifts her purse up and her tiny hand digs through the gum wrappers and receipts before she pulls out two daggers and hands them to me.
"Do you feel better now?"
"Yes thank you baby."
"I am almost disappointed in you for not having a weapon on you Jace. Aren't you the one who always says to never leave home without a weapon?"
"Guess I am a better teacher than I am a student. I was wondering where this dagger was by the way; I guess I will have to start checking your purses from now on too when one of my weapons goes missing."
I do feel better now that I have a weapon but I still can't shake the feeling that something is following the two of us as we walk down the sidewalk. My paranoia is so bad that even Clary seems on edge as she glances around at our surroundings. When I see the high roof of the institute I figured my anxiety would subside but it actually spikes higher when I hear footsteps coming fast behind us. With my dagger ready to be thrown I tuck Clary behind me and spin around in a flash. Just before I can throw my dagger at whatever was following us I manage to adjust my aim so the blade doesn't cut into my parabitai's chest.
"What the fuck Alec!" I shout.
"Holy shit Jace you almost got me with that dagger you know." He says in surprise.
"Why were you following us?" My tone is only slightly more relaxed as I continue to keep my eyes peeled for any movement.
"I wasn't …well I mean I wasn't following you on purpose anyhow. I was on patrol with Izzy and I kind of lost her. I spotted the two of you a couple of blocks from the theatre and I guess I accidently followed you while looking for Izzy."
"What do you mean you lost Izzy?"
"Do you see her anywhere around Jace? I mean I lost her as in misplaced as in…"
"How long ago?"
"An hour maybe."
"Did you try calling her?"
Alec bugs his eyes and slaps his forehead before he narrows his blue eyes at me.
"That's a stupid question Jace; of course I called her. I lost count of how many times I fucking called her."
"Okay don't get shitty with me because you lost our sister. I will take Clary home and come with you to find her."
"I want to help you two look for her." Clary says.
"Not going to happen Clary! You are going the hell home! Fuck I can't even walk you home from a damn movie without freaking out so I will be damn if I am going to have you checking the dark fucking demon filled fucking alleys of this shitty fucking city!"
"Wow that's a lot of swear words Jace." Clary states in an unamused tone at my outburst.
"I know; I'm sorry but please try and understand. Please don't fight me on this Clary; I really, really need to know you are safe at home so I can focus on finding my sister." I do my best to keep my voice calm.
Clary strokes my cheek with her palm and just her gentle touch calms my nerves. I lean forward and kiss her lips softly before we all continue towards the institute. After I take Clary upstairs and change into my gear quickly I kiss her goodbye and meet up with Alec outside. I push the end button on my phone after getting Izzy's voicemail for the second time and quickly find Simons phone number in my list of contacts before pushing the call button.
"Hey Jace what's up?"
"My sister's not with you by any chance is she?"
"No why?"
"When's the last time you saw her?"
"Um…let's see two days ago I think."
"When's that last time you heard from her or got a text from her?"
"Jace what's going on? Did something happen to Izzy?"
"I'm trying to figure that out you fucking moron but you won't answer my questions!"
"S-sorry. Um, okay Izzy text me around eight and told me she wasn't coming over tonight because she had to patrol with Alec."
"Yeah okay thanks Simon and sorry for calling you a moron."
"Wait! Jace please don't hang up!"
"What?"
"Please tell me what's going on! I have a right to know if something's wrong with Izzy."
"Alec lost her about an hour ago when they were patrolling."
"Where?"
"South side."
"Where are you and Alec? I want to help."
"Actually we are only a couple of blocks from your place. We can meet you at Edmonds deli."
"See you in a minute then."
Simon hangs up and I nod towards the deli at the end of the block as I tell Alec that Simon is coming to help look for Izzy. Alec is running his hands through his hair as he paces small circles outside the deli while we wait for Simon to get here. I watch as his fingers tremble before they slide into his black hair.
"Try to calm down Alec; we'll find her."
"I can't believe I lost her. Do you think she's okay Jace?"
"I'm sure Izzy's fine Alec. She's probably fucking some dude in the park." Simon says as he approaches us.
When Alec lunges at Simon I have to grab him so he doesn't hit him.
"Easy Alec; hitting Simon won't help us find our sister." I say calmly.
"Yeah well we don't need a smart ass vampire making shitty remarks all night either!" Alec shouts as he glares at Simon.
"Simon isn't going to be making anymore remarks like than now are you Simon?"
"No, I'm sorry. I really only meant to calm you down Alec; I didn't mean what I said."
"Yes you did! None of us are stupid Simon! We all know that Izzy is cheating on you; including you so don't pretend that you didn't really mean what you said."
"Stop it both of you right this minute! We need to find her! We can't find her if you two are standing around fucking arguing. Now shut the fuck up and start looking."
The three of us split up and agree to call the minute we find her or even a clue as to where she might be. We also agree to meet up at the park in two hours. I have combed the same twelve alleyways about ten times over the last two hours and am no closer to finding Izzy than I was two hours ago. I am jogging towards the park when my phone rings in my pocket.
"Clary? Is she there?"
"No but where are you?"
"Almost to the park why? You better be in our bedroom because so help me god…"
"Relax! I'm at home. I just wanted to tell Magnus where he could find you."
"Magnus? Why?"
"I called him and asked him to come over to get something of Izzy's so he could do a tracking spell."
"Oh you beautiful girl you; thank you baby."
"Your welcome and good luck oh and please be careful."
"I will. I love you momma."
"Love you Jace. Talk to you soon."
"Bye baby."
Alec and Simon are already at the park when I get there and Alec looks like he's is about to fall apart when I look at him. Simon looks even paler than he usually does as he holds something in his hand out towards me.
"What's that?" I ask.
"Her phone; its broken."
I take the phone from his hand to inspect it but I can't tell exactly how it got broken.
"Are you sure this is her phone Simon?"
"I'm sure; see that green heart sticker on the back of it; I put it on there a month ago."
"Fuck. Where did you find this?"
"On Fifth Avenue in the middle of the street."
"We need to check all the nearby hospitals. What if she got hit by a damn car or something Jace?" Alec's voice is still high pitched but there is almost a little bit of hope in his voice too.
"Let's just wait till Magnus gets here." I say calmly.
"Magnus? Did you call him?"
"No Clary called him. He went to the institute and got something of Izzy's to do a tracking spell; he should be here shortly."
"I was going to ask him to try that but I thought maybe we could have found her ourselves. I should have called him right away." Alec sounds sad.
"You bet your tight little angel ass you should have called me." Magnus says cheerfully as he approaches us.