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Jace walked out of his last final with his head held high. He didn't care if he passed or failed, even though he knew that he did fine. All that mattered was his next move. All that mattered was that today was the day he was leaving back for California for a month. An entire month.

A month away from Clary.

He picked up the pace, looking like a man on a mission, and headed towards her room. It was scary to think that it wouldn't be until January that he'd see her again or kiss her again after today. Especially with how close they've gotten lately. They've been so close to actually having sex, but Jace could feel that she was still hesitant so he stopped it every time. But still… just being in the same room with her made things better.

And a month without that presence wasn't going to be easy. Especially when he had to deal with his father.

He smiled when his phone buzzed, pulling his thoughts of dread away and replacing them with Clary.

Are you done with that test yet?- C

Yeah. Just got out. You still in your room? - J

Waiting for you actually. Hurry the hell up! - C

You don't have to tell me twice, beautiful ;) - J

He felt like he'd sprint the whole way back to her room, but before he even got started, he heard it.

"Tell me what the fuck I'm supposed to do. I'm sick of this waiting shit."

Jace froze and leaned back against the wall that rounded the corner, poking his head around the side of the building. The alleys between the two buildings were often occupied with couples during breaks between classes. The shade from wandering eyes made it easier to hide. It was empty now except for Simon and Sebastian.

Simon stood with his back to the wall, his bag on the floor at his feet. He didn't look comfortable or causal. His fists were clenched and he looked worried, his eyes round and wide behind his glasses. They were almost fearful but Jace saw something in his stance. A fight in him. He didn't know the guy had it in him.

Jace's jaw clenched when he saw Sebastian.

That asshole had Simon against the wall, looming over him since he was so much bigger. His anger was apparent in his stance, and he had one hand on the wall with the other in Simon's shirt. His fists had tightened in it, pulling Simon forward and slamming him back when Simon didn't respond. Jace moved to intervene, but stopped when Sebastian spoke.

"Tell me or you'll regret it, Lewis."

Simon shook his head and swallowed. Jace saw the fear, despite the fact that the nerd was trying to be strong. "Look, Sebastian, I hate Jace as much as you do, but I'm not going to help you get Clary back. She's happy with him."

Sebastian moved like lightning, and before Jace knew it he had Simon on the floor, looming over him with his hands still in the nerd's shirt and slamming him against the grass.

"You little punk," Sebastian growled. "Do I have to show you what happens when you refuse?"

"Break my arm if you have to, but I'm not helping you," Simon shot back, earning him a punch in the gut. He coughed and choked, clenching his stomach in pain, attempting to catch his breath. "You've done a ton of shit already and it hasn't changed a thing. I'm not going to let you ruin her."

"Bad decision, Lewis. Prepare for the beating of lifetime."

"Now, let's just hold on a second," Jace announced, stepping out from behind the building and dropping his bag to the floor.

Sebastian turned his head and slowly stood to his full height, stepping over Simon and blocking Jace's view. He saw him roll and cough a bit, but it was obvious that Simon was trying not to show whatever pain he was in.

"You okay, Simon?" Jace called, glaring at Sebastian.

Simon coughed again, getting on all fours and gripping his abdomen. "Never better," he groaned.

"How long has this, uh," Jace gestured between the two men, "Bullying situation been going on exactly?"

Sebastian answered with "What does it matter?" at the same time Simon said, "Months."

"Shut the hell up," Sebastian growled, turning to kick Simon while he was down.

Jace moved as quickly as possible, running as fast as he could before his body collided with Sebastian's, sending them both to the floor.

Sebastian was able to twist them and caused Jace to hit first. The air rushed out of his lungs and he grunted, the pain shooting through his chest. He twisted in the grass just as Sebastian tried to pounce, and lifted his legs to kick out. He caught Sebastian in the chest and sent him flying back again, landing on his back in the dirt.

He slowly moved his head up and glared at Jace. "Alright, Jace. You're really starting to piss me off."

Jace slowly pulled himself to his feet and couldn't stop the smirk that he sent in Sebastian's direction. "That's the idea."

Sebastian sat up slowly, making his eyes seem even blacker and creepier with the angle. "I'm going to enjoy kicking your ass."

"I doubt that," Jace said. "Oh, and Simon." He turned to find Simon leaning against the wall, breathing hard with his eyes clenched shut. They opened at the mention of his name, but the pain was obvious. "You want to call Clary and tell her I'll be a little late."

"Sure," he wheezed, sinking to the floor before he pulled his phone out. Jace was about to tell him to, like, run or something, but it was obvious that he was either too damn tired or too damn interested to leave. He looked too injured to move.

Whatever.

"She's never going to stay with you after what you did at the party," Sebastian said, pulling Jace's mind from Simon back to him. "You know that, right? You made a huge mistake."

"Like she'd stay with you anyway? You actually cheated on her more times than I could count."

"I never said it was about that," Sebastian said. Jace cocked his head to the side but Sebastian continued. "Getting you distracted and while she stumbled out of the cabin was easy enough. And she kissed me, just like I planned. You also slept with Kaelie, another part of the plan." He smiled and stood straighter, holding his arms out. "You see, Jace, that entire night was my genius. Now, if Simon wouldn't have taken her home, she'd be mine right now."

Jace opened his mouth but closed it quickly with a frown. "Wait, what?"

"I wasn't happy about it either," Sebastian continued. "Simon ruined everything, so he deserved the couple beatings he got the next few nights."

"You're an asshole," Simon breathed, dropping his phone. "I wasn't going to let you anywhere near her no matter how many times you hit me."

Jace froze for a moment, glancing at Simon who pleaded with his eyes for Jace to go along with it. The message was received instantly. Simon had lied. Damn. Jace should've given this boy more credit, even if he did despise the kid.

"Well," Jace said, "Good thing Simon was there to save the day."

"Just like how you are now?" Sebastian stepped forward, taking each step slow and steady as he talked. "You might stop me from kicking his ass this time, but don't forget what I told you before, Jace."

Jace slit his eyes and made sure his façade didn't waver. He knew exactly what Sebastian was talking about. Right now, he was apparently spending all of his time torturing Simon, but why Simon never said anything was what pissed Jace off even more. But Sebastian wasn't going to touch any of Clary's other friends, and Jace was going to make sure of that.

Sebastian was in front of Jace suddenly, their bodies barely inches from each other. Jace could easily headbutt him into oblivion, but he didn't and kept his ground.

"The consequences are of your own doing, Jace. If you keep seeing her–"

Jace held up his hand and pushed Sebastian back, cutting him off. "If you even think about touching her or Simon again, I'll kill you."

Sebastian smiled, like it was the reaction he wanted. "You've got quite the temper, Wayland."

"So do you. But you know not to test mine," Jace said quickly.

They both stared at each other for what felt like eternity, their eyes making the threats that their mouths have already said twenty times over. Jace was clenching and unclenching his fists, trying his best not to wipe the smile off of Sebastian's face with his fist.

Sebastian took a step back after a while, nodding once. "Okay. I get it." He held his hands up in surrender. "Just tell Clary I'll be around. I won't touch her, but I'm not quitting just yet. You'll screw up eventually," he reached into his pocket and tossed Jace some kind of paper that was balled up. "That's for you."

Jace frowned and watched wearily as Sebastian walked away. He waited until he was out of sight before going to Simon, squatting next to him.

"You alright?"

"Fantastic," Simon groaned, letting Jace assist him in getting to his feet. "Normally he's not so open about how pissed he is."

"You mean like the shoulder thing a few months back?"

Simon sighed and nodded. "Look, I'm just trying to keep Clary safe."

"If you want to be the hero, by all means do it." Jace stepped back and looked him up and down, watching how Simon had to use the wall for support. "But I don't think you have the man power to actually keep it up."

"Excuse me?"

"You're like a rat," Jace said, gesturing to Simon. "Like… you're small and tiny and kind of… yeah."

Simon rolled his eyes. "Wow. Thanks for that."

"You're welcome."

"What is that thing Sebastian tossed you?"

Jace looked down at the paper in his hand and shrugged. "Hell if I know."

Simon reached forward and plucked it out of Jace's hands, breathing heavily as he did. He still wasn't recovered and Jace gave him a sideways glance.

"You sure you're okay? You look a little… weak. Which isn't really different from normal but still."

"Fuck. Yes. I'm fine," Simon said adamantly, glaring at him. When Jace's gaze didn't waver, Simon sighed. "Problem?"

Jace shook his head with a small smile of amusement. "No problem. Just trying not to laugh at this point."

"Asshole." He pulled at the sheet of paper, opening it to sit in his hands. It was small and wrinkled, with what looked like numbers. "Unbelievable."

"What is it?" Jace wasn't sure why he asked because he reached forward and grabbed it anyway.

Staring back at him was Kaelie's name, her phone number, and in Sebastian's handwriting it read:

Have fun with her, Jace. You'll need her soon enough.

Jace scoffed and balled it up again before tossing it over his shoulder. It hit the grass and he stomped it quickly, digging it into the dirt. When he glanced back up, Simon was eyeing him with an actual look of respect for once.

"We better get going before Clary has a shit fit," Jace said before walking off, Simon dragging behind him.

The walk back from Simon's room felt longer than usual. Clary kept glancing towards Sebastian's old dorm the whole time, wanting nothing but to go over there and beat the shit out of him. Of all the things he could've done, he'd gone after Simon. The thought made her blood boil and her hair stand on end. He needed to get taught a lesson.

She opened and slammed the door to her suite loudly, picturing Sebastian's face in the doorway just for the pleasure of it.

"I'm literally going to kill him," she announced when she walked into her room, finding Jace sprawled on her bed.

Luckily Isabelle was at Simon's, taking care of him like a caring girlfriend. Maia and Jordan already left for the break. Aline and the rest of the girls were gone, so it was just Clary and Jace until they had to leave for Jace's flight later that night. That also meant she was allowed to be loud and pissed off without anyone asking questions.

He glanced over at her and raised a single eyebrow. "Me?"

"All of you."

"I'm confused."

She walked over and leaned against the foot of the bed. Her eyes might have been angry, but they instantly started to soften with Jace looking at her like a confused puppy. But she swallowed and got the words out. "You. Simon. Sebastian. I'm mad at all of you."

Jace sat up and pointed at himself. "What the hell did I do? I saved Wonderboy, thank you very much. You can at least be grateful."

"I know, and I get that," she said with a wave of her hand. "Simon was an idiot for not telling me anyway. I can't believe he kept that a secret. But you let Sebastian walk away. Why didn't you beat his fucking ass into the dirt?"

Jace dropped his hand and his jaw in shock. "Um, what happened to the Clary that didn't want me to fight Sebastian?"

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, something she caught on from Jace over time. "She found out he's been beating Simon, and I want to see him rot. God!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe I thought he changed."

Jace was quiet for a moment, watching her carefully before he said. "Don't beat yourself up thinking it's your fault."

"Isn't it?" she asked with a shrug of her shoulders. "I should've noticed."

"So should Isabelle, but she was just as clueless. Hell, she was dating the guy and didn't see it. I give Lewis one thing: he's a damn good actor."

"I don't understand one thing."

"Which is?"

"Why did he tell Maia? She knew out of all of us, and just because she and Simon crushed on each other at some point doesn't mean she's his best friend. Isabelle and I should've been the first to know."

Jace shrugged. "She might have just been at the right place at the right time to see it. Kind of like how I was. That doesn't mean anything."

Clary stared at the floor, knowing that Jace was right but not wanting to accept it. The empty bed, stripped of everything but the last sheet that she had to get off, creaked as Jace moved and grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards him.

"Would you stop worrying and come here?"

It was like she couldn't say no even if she wanted to. Jace pulled her into his chest once she was on the bed and lied back, drawing circles on her shoulder. They stayed like that for a while, just letting the soft silence seep over them as they held each other.

But Jace broke the silence after a while with a heavy sigh, kissing her hair and touching her delicately.

"What is it?" Clary asked, squeezing herself closer.

"A month is a long time and I can't stop thinking about it."

"Thinking about it?"

He paused before answering. "Yeah. About how I'll be with my dad all over again, by myself dealing with him, while you're on the other side of the country without me. I would rather stay here but I can't."

"I wish you could," she said, turning her head and kissing the material of his shirt over his heart. "I don't want to go home any more than you do."

"I've never actually… missed someone before."

Clary slowly sat up at his words, looking at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged casually at first. His hand that wasn't holding hers moved behind his head, and he looked up at her with the brightest eyes she's ever seen. "You're the first person that I've actually wanted to stay with."

Those words might have been so casual for anyone else, but that kind of confession from Jace was more than she's gotten before. He always avoided the subject of certain emotions, especially attachment, and she found herself lost in the sounds as he continued talking.

"And I don't know why. I thought I missed my mom at first, sure, but I got over that really quick after she left. I realized I didn't really care. None of my old girlfriends are missed. I don't miss my dad. Hell, when I left I felt better away from him." He broke their gazes and stared at the ceiling. "But the thought of separating from you for so long freaks me out."

She pressed her forehead to his temple, breathing him in. "Then stay."

He glanced at her. "I wish I could."

"Why can't you?"

"I can't intrude on your family for a month," he said it like it was obvious. "Your brother would kill me, and I'd murder him. And your mom… she doesn't exactly like me."

Clary sighed and nodded, dropping her head back to his chest and snuggling into him. "I just wish that you didn't have to go. After everything that's happened, I just want to be near you without worrying about the outside world."

"You have no idea." He sighed, running his hand through her hair. "All I want is to just forget everything that happened. I was such an asshole, and I'll never apologize enough for it. And Clary, the thing is…"

He continued on but Clary was finding it hard to focus. His heartbeat, his heat, his touch was doing strange things to her, and she felt something growing inside of her.

Without a word, she lifted her head and found Jace's eyes on her as he talked. His lips were moving swiftly and her gaze trained on them. They were gorgeous, captivating, and she couldn't take it after a while.

"Jace?"

He stopped talking and gave her a curious look. "Yes?"

"Stop talking and kiss me."

He smirked with that playful expression that made her weak at the knees and pulled her towards him. His hands wrapped in her hair as their lips collided with heat. They moved in sync until Clary was straddling Jace, kissing him with everything that she had and touching him everywhere that she could.

His hands trailed up her back, lifting her shirt slightly before trailing back down to her shorts. It was a fire trail. Everywhere he touched was hot and caused goose bumps to rise. He smiled against her mouth when his hands skimmed the waistband of her shorts, chuckling as she moaned above him. He continued that torture for what felt like hours but only could've been a few minutes. Then, before Clary realized what was happening, he flipped them.

Her back landed lightly against the bed sheets and he quickly slid on top of her, attacking her neck with his mouth. He kissed it lightly a few times before finding her shirt and pulling it off her body slowly, letting his hands touch and travel her silky skin.

Almost immediately she reached for his, yanking it from his body and pulling him back to her. He did what she begged for, kissing her with a fire and a passion. They were battling for dominance but she could tell that Jace loved every second of it. She fought him playfully, hoping that he liked it. Most girls probably just fell into him and let him have his way with them, but Clary liked the light in his eyes when she'd fight back.

When her hands found his hair, he reached up and pulled them away, entwining their fingers and pushing the back of her hands against the pillows. It made her be completely vulnerable to him, but she was still fighting him erotically. His grip was too strong to pull out of and his lips were pretty distracting at the moment. She found a strange pleasure in it, one she didn't think would be her. For someone who hated being controlled, she found this… exciting.

He moved her hands above her head, grabbing them both with one of his own, immobilizing her. His other slid down her arm slowly, tickling her lightly in its wake. He let it trace her arms, her shoulder, the valley between her breasts and over her bra, and past her stomach before coming to the top of her pants.

But he froze, continuing to kiss her but she could feel the hesitancy in his hands.

"Take them off," she moaned against his mouth, lifting her hips and brushing them against his. He groaned, sinking onto her but still didn't answer her. "Jace, please, take them off."

"But–"

"Jace, just do it," she snapped, yanking at her hands to get them free.

He let her go, pushing himself up and staring at her like she was insane. "Are you sure that–"

She didn't let him answer and pushed him, shoving him hard enough to where he fell straight back. His eyes widened at her force, but she saw the spark in them. A forceful Clary was an attractive Clary to him, and she saw that. She liked that.

Her hands trialed down his chest lightly before coming to the top of his jeans, popping the top and pulling the zipper. The sound echoed through the room, reminding her of exactly what she was doing. And what she really wanted was what was about to happen.

He helped her get his pants off slowly, keeping a watchful eye on her the entire time. Once it hit the floor, he sat up and caught Clary's hands, keeping her still.

"You really think this is a good idea?"

She nodded, leaning forward to kiss him softly and pressing her forehead to his.

"Yes."

He stared at her for a few moments before slowly bringing his hands to her shorts. One by one, they pealed each piece of clothing gently dropping them to the floor. It was a delicate dance between the two, slow and luxurious. Jace treated her like she was the most precious thing in the world, kissing anywhere he could as her clothing revealed more and more of what he's never seen.

She knew that she should feel self-conscious or nervous, but she couldn't find herself to actually feel that. Around him, all she felt was confident and sexy. The last thing she wanted was to hide around him.

Jace laid her down and kissed between her breasts, lifting his head to plant a small one on her forehead as well. "God, you're so beautiful, Clary."

Beautiful. Not hot, sexy, or smoking like other guys would've said. Those are the words that Sebastian would've used. But Jace respected her more than that, and that's' when she realized that. He treated her right, with respect.

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his back, kissing his throat.

"Not going to lie," he said with a throaty voice, "I always pictured you more flustered when this part happened."

She kissed his shoulder, smiling when his breath hitched. "Flustered?"

"Ye – yeah." His stumbling over the words just amused Clary and she kept it up, lifting her hips to meet his and making him tense above her, his hands shooting to her bare hip and keeping her still. "Jesus, Clary."

She pulled back and raised her eyebrows at him, trying to hide her amusement but failing. "Is there a problem?"

He shook his head, pressing his face into the pillow. "No. No problem."

"You're breathing a bit hard, Jace."

He took a deep breath, laughing slightly. "The things you do to me…"

"Care to share?" she asked, raising her legs and linking her ankles behind him back, bringing him even closer.

He swallowed, making some kind of strange, but sexy noise into the pillow. "You better stop before I do something extremely stupid. I don't even have a condom–"

"You don't need one," she encouraged, tracing her fingers along his back. "I'm on the pill."

Jace yanked his body back, staring down at her with confusion and awe. "Since when?"

"Since…" She bit her lip. "Well, since that night before Thanksgiving break. I just figured it was best to be safe. And as long as you're smart about it…"

She left the rest for interpretation. The implication was there, and she hoped that he'd abandon sense for once. She sure as hell was. It wasn't like she was in danger of a pregnancy, but for God's sakes, she wanted him before he left. Was that so bad?

He sighed, dropping his head to her chest and squeezing her hips with his hands. "I can't… I can't risk that, Clary. The pill isn't enough to reassure either of us. Maybe you, but I don't trust it. And I can't promise you that I'll have enough willpower to… pull out when I should."

Without realizing how frustrated she was, she dropped her head and closed her eyes, trying to calm her nerves. Her entire body was alight, burning with a need that she didn't realize she had before. She felt like a glass that was half full, half empty. One way to being to complete but not reaching it.

"Clary," Jace said softly, touching her cheek and forcing her gaze to his. "I'm sorry but as much as I want to do this, we can't. I don't trust just one thing, and I'm not going to be the idiot that ruins your life by knocking you up. I'm not."

She sighed, closing her eyes and whining in frustration when a thought struck her. "Isabelle."

Jace pulled back and frowned. "You're thinking of Isabelle in a time like this?"

"No." She pointed with her finger to Isabelle's desk. "The top drawer, just open it."

With a look of utter confusion, Jace slid off her with a sigh and did as she asked. Her eyes followed his nude skin until he opened the drawer and reached in, pulling out a small, foil package.

He eyed it with disbelief. "Isabelle has these?"

"Obviously."

"Damn," Jace muttered, tossing it up and catching it with his hand again. "The little dork must have more to him than I ever thought. That break sure did spark something between those two."

Clary pushed herself on her elbows, glaring at him from her wonton spot on the bed. "Jace, do you mind?"

He turned and smirked, ripping the package open with his teeth as he stalked towards her. It hit her then that he had a hungry look in his eyes, a lustful look, but it was more than that. He had something else, something more sentimental, but she was too focused on the sexiness that was his preying gait to pay attention to anything sentimental.

"You sure you can take it?" he teased, sliding back onto the bed and kissing her neck. "You sure you think you can handle me?"

She wrapped her body around his again, pulling his face to hers before planting a hard kiss on his mouth. "Yes, I am."

He smirked and winked. "Well, let's just test that theory."

The airport was crowded, hot, loud, and overwhelming. People scrambled everywhere like meerkats running from hyenas in the Lion King. It was barely early December so why there were so many travelers in the Atlanta Airport was a mystery to Clary. She figured it would be more packed closer to the holiday season, but maybe not.

She sat down on one of the benches, overlooking the crowd and waiting for Jace to verify his tickets. This was the moment she was dreading. The time when she'd kiss and hug him goodbye and watch as he walked away for a month. It was going to take all of her strength to keep from running after him, especially with what happened that earlier afternoon.

It was still perfectly imprinted in her brain. Every detail, every sound, every touch, every noise was painted on the back of her eyelids. When she closed her eyes, she just pictured it instantly without even trying and feeling that longing all over again. He was perfect.

"Well, it's all set," Jace announced when he took the seat next to her, immediately grabbing her hand and pulling it to his lap. "The plane is boarding in a few minutes."

Clary sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder, sliding closer to him. "Just a few minutes?"

"Yeah. Just a few."

They were quiet for a while, listening to the busy people and intercom calling them one after another. Jace played with her fingers in his lap, sometimes leaning over and planting a kiss to the top her head. No words were needed. They just sat and held each other gently, waiting for the dreaded words that would rip them apart.

"Flight to Los Angeles, now boarding."

Those were the words that Clary dreaded to hear. She stiffened against Jace, pressing her forehead to his shoulder and breathing him in. She wanted to memorize him. His smell, his voice, his lips, the feel of his muscles under her fingertips; she wanted to have a perfect image in her head of all of it.

Slowly, Jace stood and grabbed his back, swinging it over his shoulder without letting go of her hand.

She immediately jumped up and wrapped her arms around his stomach, pressing her cheek to his chest. "Please don't go."

"I don't want to." He pulled her closer, using one hand behind her head and the other around her back to hold her to him. "But I have to. My dad said he has something for me to do, and I can't exactly say no."

Those stupid feelings were coming that Clary swore she wouldn't have. Those stupid tears… she sniffed, trying to force them back down but one slipped through and she reached up to wipe it from her face.

Jace caught her chin in between his fingers and before she realized what was happening, his lips were insistent but soft on hers, kissing her with so much emotion that she felt overwhelmed. They both responded instantly, pulling each other closer until Jace's bag slid to the floor when he engulfed her in his grasp.

Many people glanced at the public display of affection, but Clary couldn't have cared any less. Let them look. Let them see. She just wanted to focus on the man before her, not insignificant people. It was the feelings that Jace gave her that made her realize that he was what mattered in her life.

He pulled back after a while, slowing the kiss to small, chaste kisses before pulling away completely. His eyes were closed and he pressed his forehead to hers, taking deep breaths. "I'm going to miss you so damn much, Clary."

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.

"I love you, Clary," he whispered against her lips, kissing her one final time before turning and hurrying off, leaving her there to recover from everything that just happened.

I love you.

She watched his figure fade and touched her fingers to her tingling lips. "I love you too, Jace."

It was two hours later that Clary made it home, and she still hadn't recovered from what happened at the airport. She was still shocked, still trying to wrap her mind around what happened.

Jace loves me, she thought to herself. She pressed her forehead against the steering wheel of the SUV that Jace let her keep through the break, trying to believe that it really happened. Even after calling Isabelle, Simon, and Maia, she still couldn't believe it. They could, but she just… couldn't.

"He actually said he loves me," she said to no one in particular. "And I said it back."

Her eyes landed on her house and she figured it was best to go inside before her mother and her brother thought something was up. So with a happy, yet heavy heart, she slid out of the car and grabbed her bag, heading inside.

"Mom?" she called, stepping over the threshold and into the living room.

Her mother rounded the corner as Clary stepped towards the hallway, smiling when she saw her. "Hello, honey."

She immediately pulled Clary into a hug, but it wasn't like before. Affection seemed to be forced in her family since her dad died, and her mother just didn't… treat her like she did before. IT wasn't bad, but it was loving or caring either.

"How were finals?"

"Good," Clary said. "Hard, but good."

"And you're piece that was going to England?"

Over everything that's happened, Clary had almost forgotten about her artwork that Madame Dorothea sent to England. "Um, I haven't heard back yet but it should be during Christmas break when I hear about how it turned out. Madame Dorothea said she'd call whenever her friend tells her what happened."

"Clary?" She looked past her mother and down the hall, finding Jonathan shirtless in sweatpants with his head sticking out his door. He smiled when he saw her, something that doesn't happen often. "You're home."

She waved with a confused look. "Yeah, I am."

"I have something to show you," he said, stepping across the hall to her room. "Come here."

"I'll make dinner while you see your brother," her mother said, stepping aside. "And Luke will be joining us tonight, if that's alright with you."

"That's fine," she answered, although it was going to be weird. She liked Luke, sure, but it was just going to be strange. And probably not in a good way either.

Clary made her way to her room, finding Jonathan leaning against the wall. She tossed her bag on the bed, the weight of it pulling her a bit.

"Well?"

Jonathan gave her a suspicious look and pointed to her desk.

On the desk was a bouquet of flowers, roses actually, with a note attached at the base of the vase. She walked over and plucked it from the vase, opening it quickly.

I'm going to miss you so much that it hurts but I didn't want you to feel sad or empty when you got home. I know things aren't going to be the best for either of us over Christmas, so just stay strong for me. You can do anything. I know you can.

I'll see you soon,

Jace.

Clary smiled when she read the note. She glanced up, catching Jonathan's watchful gaze. "Still think he's an asshole?"

She tossed him the note, letting him read it just to get her point across. If anything, she was going to prove to her family that Jace was better than what they gave him credit for. He was everything, and they'd understand that if it killed her.

He read it slowly, tossing it back to her when she smirked up at him. "He may not be an asshole, but I still don't like him."

She rolled her eyes. "He's going to grow on you eventually."

"And I'll fight it as long as possible," Jonathan shot back, giving her a small smile anyway. "Meanwhile, I'm glad you're home though, Clary."

"I can't say 'me too', but I did miss you a bit at school. The good side of you," she pointed out, "not the asshole part of you."

Jonathan chuckled and shook his head. "I shouldn't expect anything less. Maybe between the two of us, we can get through this month without wanting to kill ourselves."

She dropped her gaze to the note in her hand and clutched it tightly. "Maybe."

The "L" bomb has been dropped! I repeat: The "L" bomb has been dropped! Shit just got real!

For those of you that are worried about the fact I'm keeping them apart over Christmas break, don't be! I have a plan for those two sneaky children.

And here's the next snippet coming up for all of you beautiful people interested:

Snippet 1: She dropped her head, pressing her forehead to her forearms and praying that this was all just a nightmare.

Snippet 2: Jace shook his head. "Now do you know why it was so hard to tell you?"

Snippet 3: The blonde, beautiful woman before her smiled and held up a picture of Clary, one that she knew very well. She was smiling at the soccer field, a notebook in her hand as she drew on the pages. Jace was holding the camera that day, sneaking the picture without her knowing.

Clary pointed to the picture in awe. "How the hell did you get that?"

Any ideas of what I've got planned? Let me know what you think will happen based on these bits and pieces! I'm interested in hearing where you all think the story is going.

And who's the random girl? And why does she have Clary's picture? I dont know. You tell me ;)

So REVIEW and stay tuned!