Your questions can now be answered, beautiful people :) You'll know what the snippets meant, what Clary was thinking, and how pissed Isabelle gets because she's just dramatic. I love it.

Clary pulled the zipper of her bag closed slowly, like she was contemplating what she was doing. The day came that they all had to leave to go their separate ways for Thanksgiving break and she felt empty inside.

It was like going home wasn't going to be enough. She didn't really want to be with her mother and her brother, who had yet to find a way to get along peacefully, and watch as Luke tried to take the place of her father. Granted, she knew that it was bound to happen. But she didn't have to like it. She felt like it was too soon.

And she had no one to help her anymore either. There was no Jace there to keep her calm, and that practically tore her apart. She spent the past twenty four hours in near breakdown mode, always wondering when she wasn't going to be able to be strong and she'd crack. It had yet to happen, which she was grateful for, but she want to test how far she could go. All she wanted was to be alone instead of being with people who had bigger problems than worrying about her love life.

"Okay," Isabelle cheered, slapping her bag lightly with finality. "Finally, I'm packed and ready."

"Good for you."

Isabelle paused and sighed, turning to look at Clary who sat on her bed with her head down. She hadn't moved in twenty minutes, staring at a half filled suitcase on her bed or the floor.

"Okay, spit it out."

Clary looked up, momentarily, before looking back to the floor. "What?"

Before Clary knew it, her friend was in front of her and giving her a stern expression. "You've been down in the dumps and quiet since you and Jace broke up. Other than the morning you got back, you haven't said a word about it."

Clary sighed. "Because I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine," Isabelle said with a roll of her eyes. She stepped back and grabbed her back, slinging it over her shoulder. "Sulk on your own. I can't help you if you don't let me."

"Just go." She sighed and fell back against her bed, closing her eyes. "I'll you see Monday, Isabelle."

With an exasperated breath and a look of anger/annoyance, Isabelle stormed out of the suite. She slammed the door as she left, doing nothing to hide how pissed off she was.

And she had every right to be mad at Clary. Hell, Clary was mad at Clary. Since the breakup with Jace, that's all she'd been able to think about. Because of that, she couldn't focus on anything else. When she couldn't focus, she was a wreck. She tried her best to think about something else or do something else, but two things always happened. When she thought about Jace, which always happened, she'd either want kiss him or slap him. There was no in between. Mixed, emotional feelings were going to be the death of her.

She hated how this felt. At least with Sebastian, when she left she liked the idea of leaving. Now, with Jace, she hated the idea. She hated the thought that they could stay broken up, that there was a slight chance that they might never get back together.

If they didn't though, that was partially her fault. She was the one that initiated the special situation, and now she was thinking about how she wished it wasn't such a difference. Sadly, she was more wishy washy about this than she had been about anything. Since when was she such a girl?

Her body suddenly felt heavy and she fell back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She pulled at her hair and actually screamed in frustration. "God! Why is this so confusing?"

"You tell me."

She shot straight up and her eyes went immediately to the doorway. Jace, with his silence movements, now stood in the open doorway with his golden intense eyes. A duffly bag was slung over his shoulders as he watched her, more like studied her. The dark clothing and leather jacket made it that much harder for Clary to enjoy her decision to separate the two. It only made her want him more.

It was like they hadn't seen each other for years. They were so foreign, and it hadn't even been that long since the separation. But they looked at each other with longing, with pain, with frustration.

And Jace looked… different. She wasn't sure how, but something was up behind his eyes.

"Um," Clary said slowly, trying to find the words. "What are you doing here?"

He sighed and dropped his head momentarily. "Isabelle seems to have… tricked me."

"Tricked you?"

"Tricked us," he corrected and looked back up at her. "Let's just say, she and Simon left without me about two minutes ago."

Clary's eyes widened in shock. "What the hell do you mean?"

"They're gone." Jace slipped inside the room and leaned against Isabelle's bed, dropping his bag on the floor. "And she took my room key. I can't get into my room. She kind of tossed her key out the window as she drove off and yelled something about not being sorry. This was the only place I could go so… Here I am."

Dammit, Isabelle. "So you're either stuck here over the entire break by yourself or you come with me to see my family?"

He nodded but he didn't smirk like she expected. He actually looked slightly uncomfortable. "You don't have to invite me back to your home," he said quickly. "I know how you feel about the idea. I wouldn't make things any easier between your family. And I get that you hate me and–"

"I don't hate you, Jace," she shot back quickly. Her knees came up to her chest as she hugged them, attempting to keep control of her own emotions. "I'm just… trying to figure this out. It hasn't been easy to... adjust to everything."

He nodded, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "I think we're both attempting the same thing without many results."

She studied him as he looked to the floor, and she realized how bad this was getting to the both of them. Jace's eyes had the same circles that she did. His hair was just as messy as her own, their curls flying everywhere and looking like they've never brushed it a day in their life. His clothes were the same, but he didn't wear the soccer gear with confidence. Instead, he looked awkward and unsure. This was just… a mess.

Clary's phone started ringing before either of them could figure out what to do. She grabbed it off the table and took a deep breath before answering.

"Hey, sweetheart," Jocelyn said in her most loving tone. She only used that when bad things happened and Clary's heart sank. "Have you left your school yet?"

"No," Clary answered with confusion. "I'm still here."

"There's a change of plans for Thanksgiving. You're not going to be able to come home."

"What?"

"I had something come up, and I have to go to New York to figure it out. Tonight. Luke is going with me. It's an art emergency and has to be worked out. And Jonathan found refuge with some of his fraternity brothers and is heading there for Thanksgiving. I'm sorry, honey. You can still come home, technically, but you'll be alone."

Great, Clary thought to herself. She pinched her eyes shut and tilted her head back. "Okay then. Um, thanks for the heads up," she sighed.

"I'm sorry," Jocelyn said again. "I know that this wasn't the plan but–"

"Its fine, Mom. I'll talk to you later." Clary hung up quickly, not wanting to talk to her mother any more than that. She fell back against her bed and kicked out in frustration, sending her bag to the floor in a display of rage and annoyance.

Jace's eyes widened as he eyed the fallen bag. "Problem?"

"I don't need your snarky comments right now, Jace."

"Okay?..." He looked down again, something that was happening quite often. "What was that call about?"

"My mother ditched me. My brother ditched me. Isabelle ditched you. Both of us are just two peas in a pod right now." She sighed and stared at the ceiling. "Everybody hates us."

She hadn't even realized what she said until she actually said it. She had nowhere to go. Jace had nowhere to go. It was Thanksgiving and they were both going to be alone. All they had was each other, and because of the week's past events they didn't even have that much.

Maybe Isabelle planned this. Someone that conniving would totally come up with something like this. Clary made a mental note to beat her best friend's ass later.

"So you have nowhere to go either?"

Clary shook her head. "I could go home, but it's pointless. I'd be alone the whole time."

Jace nodded once and took a step closer to the bed, looking a little like his old self again. "Well, what do two college students do when they have a whole four days to themselves with no interruptions?"

She knew exactly what that tone implied. That was his seductive tone. His 'I want you' tone that he used on her so much. Before this week, she always brushed it off and joked. Maybe it was because of the change of events, but now she felt herself get heated and hot at his words.

To hell with morals and what was right. Who cares if their relationship was a wreck right now? Why not go full speed ahead with no direction? That's what college is all about, right?

Who was she kidding? She knew why she couldn't do that. It wasn't who she was. Of all the things she could be, Clary always wished that she could be that person that didn't care and just had fun. But she was too nervous, too freaked out, and too emotional for something like that. Even if she wanted to just have fun with Jace, she knew that it couldn't happen.

They weren't in that place either. Jace's tone might have been playful, but she could see through it. They were both walking on eggshells, trying not to say something that would bring the whole thing back down on their heads.

So what were they supposed to do?

She looked up and met his gaze with a hesitant one. The hope in his eyes didn't burn completely, but she saw it fade. "Maybe we can start with something to eat?"

He caught the hint and nodded, pulling out a set of key that still belonged to the rental SUV. "Have to start somewhere, right?"

"You know, I like campus when there's nobody here, like this. It's better."

Jace smiled at Clary momentarily before tossing a grape up and catching it in mouth. "Why is that?"

She gestured to the open lawn in the middle of campus. One student who also had nowhere to go was walking along a path, but that was the only other person around. "It's quiet and peaceful. And none of the people we know can bug us because they're not here. It's like we have the whole place to ourselves."

He just smiled and tossed another grape, catching it like it was the easiest thing in the world.

If nothing had happened earlier in the week, Clary would've considered this situation perfect. A picnic with Jace out in the open with no worries was what she always wanted. She wanted to just watch him smile, laugh, and talk without having worries. But lately, every time she tried to think like that, Kaelie popped into her head.

It was like a neon sign that shined in her face every time she tried to forget. The pictures were so vivid that Clary made, too. Kaelie kissing Jace. Kaelie making him laugh like that. Kaelie making him smile. It was hell to think about. They still didn't know if the two actually slept with each other, but that made it more frustrating. It made her mind wander even more.

The past few days haven't been that bad though when she pushed those thoughts away. They were actually enjoying themselves. Well, as much as they could. There were times when Jace would say something or reach up to brush her hair behind her ear and she froze every time. Her hesitancy didn't go unnoticed by him, and it was visibly frustrating to him. But what could he honestly have expected?

It didn't help that they couldn't get the information from Kaelie if it actually happened or not. That would at least get the mystery out of the way. But no. The bitch refused to answer text messages from Isabelle or Simon, and Clary sure as hell wasn't about to talk to her. So the mystery went on and Clary just couldn't help but have it nag at her. It was annoying.

"Not that I don't mind the staring, but it's kind of creepy," Jace teased, pulling her out of her thoughts and causing her eyes to break from his face. "I know I'm gorgeous, but you should know better than to tease me."

Clary shook her head and frowned. "Tease you?"

He nodded, picking at another grape and rolling it between his fingers. "When you look at me like that, I think that you still want me how I want you. But I know that isn't the case."

"Jace–"

"I'm just saying." He held his hands up defensively. "If I'm not allowed to be near you, you shouldn't be allowed to look at me like that. You know that this isn't exactly easy for me."

Clary sat up and glared at him. "I have good reason for not letting you touch me. But looking at you isn't harming anything."

It was obvious he didn't feel the same way. He gave her a sideways glance and pointed at her with his index finger. "You need to get your emotions straight."

"Excuse me?"

"I didn't stutter," Jace shot back rather calmly. He leaned back against his hands, staring out at the buildings and mountains. "You're more up and down than anyone. We've spent the last three days together and you haven't let me even kiss you, which is frustrating as hell by the way. Sometimes I want more than just being around you. Being around you and not being allowed to touch you is more like torture than fun." He turned his head and met her gaze. "I'm sorry for what I did. I really am. I tried to show you that by doing everything your way, by trying my best to prove to you that I'm more sorry about that than anything, but you won't even give me another chance."

Clary shoved her hands in the pocket of her hoodie – Jace's hoodie as a matter of fact – and looked at her boots. "It's not that easy to give out second chances."

"Sure it is. A simple 'I forgive you' can work wonders."

"I can't just forgive you, Jace."

"Well, why not?"

She reached up and tugged at her hair, wishing she had the simple answer that he wanted. But she chose the one she knew was right. "Because you can hurt me more than anyone, and that makes it a lot harder to let you back in after what you did to me."

A silence fell between the two of them. The only sound was Clary's own breathing and the gentle breeze, blowing leaves off of the trees and scattering them around the lawn.

"Here's the thing," Jace said slowly. "You say I hurt you, but you hurt me to."

"Not to that extreme." She looked up just as he nodded and bit his lip before looking down at a piece of grass between his fingers.

"Maybe, but–"

"There's no 'but'," she said as forcefully as she could. "Jace, you had sex with someone else."

He sighed and tore at the leaf, ripping it in two. "We don't know that."

"It doesn't hurt any less."

"I was drunk. Clary, I don't drink for that exact reason. But you hurt me that bad when you told me you kissed Sebastian."

"He kissed me," she corrected.

"You kissed him back."

"I thought it was you."

Jace opened his mouth and shut it quickly, falling back against the blanket. "This sucks."

Instead of answering, Clary stayed quiet and watched him. He ran his hands over his face. Then he'd reach into his hair and pull at it. Then he'd sigh and do it all over again. It was getting to him.

She was getting to him. The idea was appealing actually.

"You know," he said after moments of silence. "All my life I never thought I'd meet anyone like you. And now here you are but you're just out of arms reach because of mistakes that never should've happened."

"What do you mean?"

Jace tilted his head and his golden gaze burned into her. "If neither of us would've been drinking, it would've been fine between us. We'd be fine right now instead of… whatever the hell this is."

"You mean friends?"

He shuddered and groaned. "Please, for the love of all that is holy, don't ever say that word again. You say it like its second nature and that's just fucking heart breaking."

She watched silently as he closed his eyes and lowered his hands. Even in his attempt to calm himself, she could see the frustration in the lines of his face and the set of his jaw.

Maybe she was overreacting. No. She wasn't over reacting. Any smart girl would distance herself from someone that would do that to them. But she was sick of distancing herself. She hated begin around him and having restrictions as much as he did. So maybe if she pushed the thoughts of Kaelie out, maybe if Jace could prove it to her that he cared and it wouldn't happen again, maybe it could work.

"What would you do?"

He popped one eye open and glanced at her briefly. "What are you talking about?"

"If I…" Dear Lord, was she really about to do this? Yup. She was. "If I gave you that second chance, what would you do?"

Slowly and gracefully, Jace sat upright. His eyes were wide and cautious, like it he was facing a test. "Anything you'd want me to do."

"Anything?"

He nodded and a small, genuine, kind smile tugged at his lips. "Anything and everything until the day I die."

She couldn't stop her smile either as she leaned over towards him. Was she actually going to do this? After everything she told herself, she was going to give in. Her will power was fading and she knew it, but she couldn't stop herself.

His eyes went straight to her lips, and she bit her own in response. That look could do wonders, and she found herself moving towards him even faster.

He met her halfway eagerly, their lips touching lightly. It was soft and gentle at first, like they were both hesitant about it. But Jace almost immediately added more pressure, pulling her towards him with his hands on her cheeks as he tried to deepen the kiss. Their lips moved in sync as they always did, like they knew each other inside out.

As much as Clary wanted to let it happen and continue, she knew that she couldn't. This had to go slow, so she put her hand on his chest and slightly pushed. He got the message and broke away from her, a small smile on his face regardless of the barrier she put up.

"You get one chance, Jace," she said. "Got it?"

He nodded, his smile never fading. "That's all I need." And then he leaned in and kissed her again.

She didn't push him back for a while either.

Needless to say, Isabelle was pretty pissed when she got back the following Sunday night. Clary knew that was going to happen. Whatever plan Isabelle had, it failed dramatically by the way she reacted. And the satisfaction that Clary got when she saw Isabelle's shocked expression was more than priceless. It was perfect.

"You WHAT?"

Clary shrugged nonchalantly, taking in the scene before her with a smirk. "I told him that he'd have to work for it, but we aren't technically together or separated. I'm not going through that again."

Isabelle stared at Clary like she grew a second head. "But you kissed him."

"Yes."

"You do a lot of 'let's kiss and then be friends' when it comes to Jace. And I don't get it." She waved her hands aimlessly and grabbed her bag, pulling her stuff out form the holiday weekend and tossing it on the bed.

Clary jumped up on her own mattress, kicking her feet off the side. "What did you think was going to happen?"

"Sex," Isabelle claimed, tossing a black thong onto the bed.

She rolled her eyes. "Realistically, Isabelle."

Her dark haired friend turned and tossed her hair over her right shoulder. "I was expecting more than what you just told me, that's for sure. To hear that you two spent the past four days together and did nothing but kiss a few times blows my mind."

"It's called restraint."

Isabelle slit her eyes at Clary. "Are you sure you're straight?" Clary rolled her eyes. "Okay, you are. But I just don't get it. I would've jumped his bones in a heartbeat."

"Okay," Clary said slowly. "That's the last time I ever leave you two alone in the same room."

Isabelle laughed, pulling out clothes on hangers and moving to hand them in her closet. "You know," she said, "Jace and I are never going to get to that point. I'm just saying that if I didn't have Simon and if you and Jace were never together, then there might be a chance that–"

"Don't finish that sentence," Clary pleaded, covering her face in her hands. "It's disgusting just to picture it."

Isabelle smirked and tossed her bras into a drawer in the closet. "Well, it's true. He's attractive."

"Yes. He is."

"And he's into you."

"Maybe."

Isabelle turned and gave her a stern expression. "You're blind if you don't see it."

"It's not that," Clary insisted. She pressed her hands into her bed by her legs and leaned forward, staring at her feet.

Isabelle waited but when Clary didn't say anything else, she asked, "Then what is it?"

"Sometimes I think he's too into it."

"Too into it?" Isabelle laughed a few times. Clary didn't see the humor and glared at her. Her friend just shrugged it off. "He hasn't pressured you into anything Clary. Not like Sebastian did. Jace is crazy into you, but he knows his limits and he'll wait. I don't see why you think it's bad that he's so attracted to you."

"It's just weird," she claimed, kicking out at the air lightly.

Isabelle just shrugged. "You're weird." Clary just shrugged in response, not sure what to say and blushing too bad to look up. "Are you inviting him over tonight?"

Clary's head shot up. "Are you leaving me or something?"

Somehow, in the process of tossing a few of her clothes where they belong, Isabelle had changed into some running shorts and a tank top. It was her normal sleep attire, but it shocked Clary how fast she got it on.

And she nodded, grabbing her phone and her keys. "Yeah. I'm staying at Simon's tonight."

"Since when does that happen?" she asked incredulously. "You two sure jumped into this dating thing quickly."

"Well, we've decided to give it a go," Isabelle said. "That's what normal people do when they realize that the feeling is mutual."

"Shut up."

"Besides, we've gotten closer over a long period of time, Clary," Isabelle said as if it was obvious. "These things happen. And when you spend four days with someone, things get a little more serious." She paused and looked Clary up and down before shrugging. "At least, it should. You go against the book."

It was still hard to comprehend. "But… Simon?"

Isabelle laughed and nodded, heading towards the door. "You should invite Jace to stay the night."

Clary leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. "The point of taking it slow is to not have him stay the night."

"That's not slow," Isabelle said. "It's glacial. He stayed in here all weekend anyway. What's one more night?"

"A lot. This weekend he slept on your bed and I made sure he kept his distance. You're ruining all the progress I made."

"Just call him," Isabelle demanded before opening the door. "Or I will!" And then the door shut and Clary was alone.

She frowned at first but then realized that maybe Isabelle was right. She wouldn't let Jace stay the night, but what could a small movie hurt? Right? They've been getting along and he's been doing exactly what she wanted lately without pushing anything.

And who was she kidding? She missed him. She really, really missed him. Without another thought, she grabbed her phone quickly.

Hey, wanna bring a movie and come over for a bit? – C

He texted back almost immediately.

I thought you'd never ask. Be over soon ;) – J

Clary groaned and threw her pencil across the room in frustration. Once again, she got it wrong. She was always wrong. There was a reason she was an art major. Other subjects in school were never her cup of tea, and here she was being forced to learn college algebra and failing.

With finals starting soon, she had to buckle down and focus. It was going to take a miracle to get her through math, but at least her other classes wouldn't be that bad. Art was never that difficult if she put in the effort and had the inspiration. So she wasn't worried about that. At least she had something in her life in order.

Jace sighed and hopped off the bed, grabbing her pencil from across the room and jumping back up next to her. "Look, you're just over-thinking it." He handed her the pencil again, which she snatched in annoyance.

"Says the genius," she grumbled. "I hate how this is so easy for you. It irks me."

He smirked and grabbed her notebook, placing it on his lap. "Watch and pay attention. You're going to get this if it kills me."

The spent the next hour going over those stupid problems with the x and the y and what to do with them. Clary never understood the point of having to find what x was. It was a letter, and yet it had a number? How does math even have letters? It was stupid.

But Jace turned out to be a pretty decent tutor. Slowly but surely, she started to get a hang of it. He would point out her mistakes as soon as she made them, which was kind of aggravating. Mainly because they were so frequent at first. She wouldn't even finish the first step before he said, 'wait' and would tell her everything she's doing wrong.

It didn't help that she was unintentionally boosting his ego. Since everyone was gone doing their own studying elsewhere, it was just Clary and Jace. And she found herself getting lost in him more often than not. She'd watch his lips move and his jaw clench when he spoke to her. His brows would furrow when he'd get a little confused before he'd figure it out and smirk.

This was all Isabelle's fault when Clary thought about it. She kept telling Jace to come over, and then would leave. The not so little vixen was on a mission to get Clary and Jace on better terms, and she was trying hard. Really hard. It was working, naturally, but the fact still bugged Clary.

Not that Clary could actually complain. Yes, it scared her, but spending time with Jace always proved to be fun and exciting. The boundaries were still there, although Clary felt them slowly fading. Each day, one kiss turned into two. The next it was three or four. The next, they caught themselves making out and Clary had to bring herself back to reality. It was harder now, especially now, because the realization that the semester was ending hit her hard. Soon, they wouldn't be just a few hundred yards apart. They could be hundreds of miles.

Her eyes studied his face and his own golden colors, memorizing it. When he caught her staring at him a fourth time, he didn't break the gaze. "Is there something wrong?" he asked with an arched eyebrow.

She shook her head and bit her lip. "Not necessarily."

He nodded and looked a moment longer before staring down at the pencil in his hand. "Clary, you need to stop that look. I've told you not to do that."

He was right, sadly. She should stop. She needed to stop. But she didn't want to. Her resolve was fading as the days passed. Jace had to be able to feel it, but he still didn't pressure her into anything. He'd initiate enough, which she loved when he did that, but he never pushed. Now, though, looking at him and feeling what she felt, she couldn't stop herself.

Maybe it was the stress of finals, the lack of sleep, or how perfect he looked that just made her forget all her reasons for wanting to take it slow.

"Jace?"

"Yeah?"

She reached forward, touching his chin and tilting his eyes to hers. "What if I don't want to stop?"

He tensed. "What?"

Her eyes trailed to his lips when she spoke. "I miss you."

"I'm right here."

"Not that," she said. Her hand slipped behind his head, gripping his golden curls. She looked up into his heated gaze. "I miss you. All of you."

He visibly swallowed, staring down at her lips. "This is just the stress of finals. And you don't want to study."

"I'd rather study… something else."

She watched as his eyes roamed her up and down, finally landing on her lips and remaining there. "You mean…"

She didn't answer. Instead, she pulled him towards her and their lips crashed together in a heated fire. It wasn't like anything they've done lately. The little pecks, small kisses, and short make outs were over. Clary missed the heat, the passion, and Jace was willing to give it all to her. She wanted to mentally slap herself for pushing this part of him away.

They fell back against the bed as they kissed. Jace grabbed the school supplies and tossed it somewhere on the floor that neither of them cared about. All that mattered was this. They were touching. They were kissing. It was more than they've done in weeks, and Clary wanted it all.

Her hands trailed from his hair to his shoulders. She quickly made work of his sweatshirt, tossing it to the floor before reaching for the hem of his white, under armor, long sleeve shirt. He smiled when he realized what she was doing and reached back to pull it off, immediately falling back down to her and kissing her neck.

It was like exploring him for the first time. Her fingertips brushed his scorching hot skin, feeling the muscle tense and relax.

Jace, in that process, kissed across the lines of her neck before leaving what she was sure to be a massive hickey on the crook of it. He worked that spot with his mouth, and Clary couldn't bring herself to make him stop. So what if Isabelle would tease her about it? She was going to let herself have this moment regardless of the consequences.

Before she knew it, Jace had pulled her jacket off her body and peeled her tank top away, leaving her in her bra. He pushed himself up on his hands, staring at her in awe. His golden gaze did strange things to her body, and he wasn't stopping it anytime soon. All he did was… just stare.

"What?" she asked, feeling the need to cover herself up but she didn't.

Jace parted his lips and met her eyes briefly. "I just, uh…"

"Jace?"

He shook his head and brought a smile to his face that lit up his eyes. "Clary, can I ask you something?"

She nodded and tightened her arms around his neck, pulling him down from his hands to his elbows as he hovered over her.

He sighed, playing with a red curl in his right hand. "Do you trust me?"

She looked taken aback. "What?"

"Since all that stuff Thanksgiving week, have I earned your trust back? I know you wanted me to prove myself, and I will eventually, but if you're only being like this because of the stress and not because you trust me again, I don't want to continue."

It took her a while to come to a conclusion, but when she did she was certain. "This isn't because of the stress," she said. "I'm sick of distancing myself from you. It bothers me when I can't kiss you because something inside me says it's a bad idea. The thing that might have or might not have happened with Kaelie has been driving me insane, and I want to just forget it. I just want to be what we were before. I know that's not possible, but I mean the way we could have fun and tease each other without worrying about crossing a line."

He nodded, kissing her lips lightly. "We'll get there. These things take time. We made mistakes and we have to be patient with each other."

"We've given it enough time," Clary whined. "And maybe I'm sick of being patient."

"But… you're the one that said we should take it slow?" It came out as a confused statement and a question.

She bit her lip and looked at him through her lashes. "Let's say I'm taking it back."

Neither of them moved for the longest time. Jace stayed above her, staring at her like he was trying to figure her out. His eyes were slightly slid and his brow was furrowed. "So…"

"So…"

"You still didn't answer my question." His fingers moved from her hair to across her cheek before following a path to her collarbone. "Do you actually trust me, or is this a lust thing?"

Clary wanted to answer but the way his hands moved over her made it difficult. He was leaning on his elbow while his other traced her bra and around her stomach, touching the tip of her pants before coming back up. All she could do was close her eyes and breathe.

She felt him bend down and kiss her pulse on her neck, making it speed up even more than it already was. "Because I understand the lust thing," he whispered. "I am quite addictive. But I want to know if this is just because I'm irresistible or because you know that I would never hurt you like that again, that you believe me when I tell you that."

"Can't you just–" she gasped when he bit down on her nape of her neck lightly and her hands shot to his hair. "Can't you just kiss me?"

He shook his head. "I need to know, Clary."

She groaned in frustration, pulling at his hair and forcing his mouth to hers. She wasn't sure where the aggression came from, but it came full force as their lips collided, and she kissed him with everything she had. Her hands pulled him closer, giving him no room to escape by which he came willingly regardless.

The effect he had on her was so indescribable that she never wanted it to fade. It was like they were magnets, pulling against each other without actually meaning to. It was just natural. Even if they would twist and try to push as well. She pushed him away. He pushed her away. Until they collided one drunken night that did NOT end very well. But she had to get over that if she was going to be with him. She knew that.

And what was the point of staying mad? She was being a typical girl and holding a grudge! That wasn't who she was.

She nodded and pulled back, her eyes having to try harder to focus. When they did, she saw his own were closed and he was breathing with his mouth open. "Jace?" He opened his eyes. "I trust you."

He smiled, his chipped tooth showing. "You do?"

"I do."

"It's about damn time."

He crashed his mouth to hers instantly, his hands roaming everywhere. She was acutely aware of his hands and his mouth as he trailed kisses down her stomach, touching everywhere he could until he reached the top of her sweatpants.

Their gazes met and the question was in his eyes. Is this alright?

She nodded and bit her lip, watching as he slowly started to pull the material down. She lifted her hips to give him better access and before she knew it the material was on the floor.

Jace slowly pulled himself out of his jeans as well, keeping his eyes on her the whole time until all their clothing but their underwear hit the floor.

"Come back here." She lifted her finger and curled it in the 'come here' gesture.

He laughed and bent back down; sliding on top of her so every part of her touched every part of him. It was intoxicating to feel him like this. Every muscle worked in his back and his shoulders, moving under her fingertips as he kissed her. Her brain mentally painted what her fingers felt, like she was trying to memorize it and figure it out. She never wanted to forget at this point.

Her hands skimmed down until she touched the material of his boxer, tracing the band with her fingers. "Jace?"

"Yeah?" he asked into her neck, nipping at her sensitive spot that drove her insane.

"Do you–"

"Clary! I was wondering if you… Jesus Christ! My eyes!"

Clary turned her head to see Simon standing in the doorway as the wood of the door slammed against the wall. He looked shocked and confused with wide eyes and his body was stiff. In his hands was a white piece of paper, which he then proceeded to drop to the floor, completely forgetting about it.

Jace sighed and dropped his head to Clary's stomach, not even bothering to get off of her or cover them. "What the hell do you want, Simon?"

"I want to gauge my eyes out with spoons at the moment."

Clary rolled her eyes and stuck her hands in Jace's hair. Maybe if she kept him close she could prevent a fight. "Ignore him," she whispered, referring to Jace. She turned her head when Jace's lips secretively nipped at her stomach, teasing her out of Simon's view. She struggled to find the words, but she finally asked her friend, "Um, what do you need?"

He slit his eyes at Jace a moment longer before bending to pick up the dropped slip of paper. "Izzy said you had the answers to the History final, which I could seriously use right now. But I guess you're kind of busy not studying like you should be."

"We've been studying long enough," Jace said, finally lifting his head from her skin and letting her calm down. "And I was quite pleased with what came after, so if you don't mind, leave."

"That's the shit I'm talking about," Simon pointed out, stepping in the room and tossing his study guide on the bed. "He talks about you like you're just a sex toy to him."

"I do not."

"You do too! You act like an asshole because of it."

Clary groaned, frustrated for more than one reason. If she was sexually frustrated, which was probably true, that was new. But the frustration at the two boys before her was something she should be used to. And yet, she wanted to slap them both.

"I find her attractive, so that makes me an asshole?" Jace asked, sitting up. Clary felt the absence of him as soon as he left her skin. "At least I can admit it when I find someone beautiful. It took you how long to tell Isabelle you liked her?"

"Don't bring me and Isabelle into this. I treat her way better than you treat Clary."

"I'm doing exactly what Clary wants me to do," Jace shot back. "And if she ever told me to stop, I would. But," he looked down at her, still sprawled on the bed in her underwear and bra and smirked, "I'm pretty sure she enjoys it as much as I do."

Her hands shot up to cover her red stained face.

"And I care about her," Jace continued. "So don't tell me how to treat my girl."

Clary's heart stopped and fluttered again at that. My girl. She was his girl. That idea alone sparked something else inside of her that she'd never felt, but loved all the same.

"I'm not telling you how to treat her. I'm telling you how she deserves to be treated. There's a difference."

"Can we stop, please?" Clary threw her hands down on the bed and pushed herself up, glaring at Simon. "You don't know how he treats me, and it's none of your business. I know you're my best friend and all, but I'm not going to let Jace treat me anyway he shouldn't. I know what I deserve, and so does he. Okay?"

Simon nodded and set his jaw, obviously unhappy.

"Jesus," she sighed, falling back to the bed. "And knock next time!"

Simon frowned. "Since when have I ever knocked?"

She opened her mouth but closed it quickly. "Just get out."

"And you might want to get into that habit," Jace said, slowly falling back to lie on top of Clary. "Also, you might want to leave if you don't want to see this."

Simon glared at him but reluctantly left the room, making a note to slam the door on his way out.

"That was fun," Jace sneered, kissing her lips softly. "He's always entertaining when he's riled up."

She rolled her eyes and looped her arms around Jace's shoulders, holding him to her. "You antagonize him more than you should. He's only going to keep hating you."

"I'm okay with that. His opinion means nothing."

"It means a lot to me."

Jace sighed, dropping his forehead to hers. "I know, babe. But come on, I'm trying with Maia, so can't I at least have a little fun with Simon?"

"Fine." That earned her a peck on the lips and a bright smile. "But I do have to keep studying. This grade is my life at the moment."

"Of course it is," he said sarcastically. But he immediately rolled off her and grabbed the notebook, jumping back on the bed.

She tried to slide off to grab her clothes but Jace gripped her wrist.

"Um," he said, "What are you doing?"

She pointed to the pile on the floor. "Getting my clothes?"

"Why?"

She stared at him like he was an idiot, but then she remembered who she was talking to. "Jace, Isabelle and Simon are just outside and–"

"They won't be coming back in here anytime soon," he teased. "Just… stay like that for a while." He looked her up and down, smiling and leaning in to peck her cheek lightly. "Underwear is a good look for you."

She blushed and playfully slapped his bare shoulder, grabbing her pencil again. "Whatever. Just explain the whole factoring thing again."

I couldn't keep them apart for long! I just couldn't. It was breaking my heart lol

And you guys have been so supportive lately, which I Love! The reviews have been crazy and I'm pretty sure I read through them all four or five times. Keep it up, PLEASE! I love it when you guys tell me how excited you are or tell me what I could improve on. You're the reason I write these stories to begin with. It's all for you!

So I decided to give you guys a bigger part this time, not a few little things so here's the one and only snippet:

She fisted her hands in his jacket. "You have no idea."

"Flight to Los Angeles, final boarding."

Jace pulled back, glancing over his shoulder to the line of people that he'd be flying with. Clary watched with a scared heart as he bent and picked up his bag again.

She swallowed, not sure what to do. "Be safe," she said lamely, not sure what else she could say. "Okay? Call me when you land?"

He nodded and turned, ready to walk away. Her heart stopped beating as he took that first step, but then he froze. She watched as he turned back and grabbed her suddenly, kissing her one last time. It was harder, stronger, and she felt a tear fall on her face. Not hers.

His.

How you like that one? ;)