For those freaking out about this not being a Clace story, IT IS! They're my favorite couple, so just bear with me. There's only like... 3 or 4 chapters left I guess? I haven't written them so I don't really know for sure but I guess that's where it's heading. But for those of you who hate reading stories where it doesn't end up with Clary and Jace together, well... stay with me.

3 MONTHS LATER

"Just once," Jem begged as he got down on his knees. His hands were clasped before him and his eyes had a playful glint in them.

Clary was becoming a sucker for his puppy dog face. To stop herself, she turned towards the mirror and continued taking off her ear rings, ignoring her boyfriend that had yet to get up off the floor.

"Clary," he begged.

"No, Jem."

"But why not?"

She sighed and turned. "Jem, I just met your parents. I can't think about you meeting mine yet, okay? It's too much to handle."

He sighed and flopped back on the carpet, lying there with his limbs stretched wide. "But they'll love me."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah?" she placed her hands on her hips. "How would you know that?"

"I've got to be better than the other guys that you've brought home," he said quickly. He must not have thought because as soon as he did, his eyes shot to hers and were full of apology.

But she already felt it. She felt the pain and the anger and the frustration at any mention of him. It was horrible how he still haunted her. He haunted her relationship. She hovered around her like bugs with a light, waiting and watching and she hoped that he was dying inside as well.

Because even though she has had a few amazing months with Jem, even when he had to go back to school before summer, she still thought of Jace more than she admitted. Magnus knew and she would always ask Isabelle about him when she would call. Other than that, no one else dared to bring up his name. Jem was especially careful, but apparently he even slipped every once in a while.

She hadn't realized she turned back around and had her hands on the dresser until arms snaked around her waist. Jem stepped up to her, pressing his thin body against hers and holding her, his head on her chin. They did that a lot. They didn't use words to comfort each other. Just the touches and the feelings. And it helped… mostly. She never felt fully whole though.

Her eyes had closed and she felt Jem's breath on her neck when he pushed her hair aside with his nose and pressed a small kiss to her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

That was something that came up a lot too. Jem was always apologizing like he was always doing something wrong. But he wasn't. Everything he said was true. He was the best guy she's ever dated. Better than Sebastian by a mile and better than Jace. That's how it was.

But it didn't feel that way. No matter what he did, she couldn't get that extra push to really fall over the cliff and in love with him. It was like she was teetering on the edge, not sure whether to jump or not.

She sighed when his hands trailed her sides, his lips ghosting over her skin where her dress didn't cover. "You looked beautiful tonight."

Her smiled started to show as she turned in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. "You looked pretty good yourself."

"Will," he admitted. "He may be a bit… explicit, but he's a lot more fashion oriented than me. This suit is not something I would've bought myself if I were alone."

She chuckled. "Well, thank Magnus as well. The two of us can't do anything for ourselves, can we?" she teased.

He shrugged and kissed her forehead. Just as he pulled back to speak again, her phone started ringing. Her mother's name popped up on the screen.

Jem stepped back with a small smile. "I'll go get some warm milk and take my meds while you answer that. I'll be back in a few." He kissed her quickly, and left the bedroom.

It took her a moment, but after she collected herself she finally grabbed her phone and sat on the bed, kicking off her heels. "Hello?"

"Hey, honey."

Clary smiled. "Hi Mom." In the time that Clary had been gone, she found that the distance was good for her family. She and Jon got along better and so did she and her mother. Even Luke called occasionally to talk to her. It was as if she had to leave for everything to work out. And she was actually excited about coming back.

"I know that it's late, but I was wondering when you were coming home?"

Clary thought for a moment. "I'll be landing in Atlanta at six Friday night. That is if everything goes as planned."

"And is Jem coming?"

Everyone wanted Jem to go. It was kind of annoying honestly. He kept asking. Her mother kept begging to meet him. Will would tease her. Magnus would suggest it. It was everywhere.

She sighed. "Mom, I don't know."

"I want to meet the boy that my daughter is dating," she stated matter-of-factly. "Is that so wrong? I just want to make sure he's good for you."

"Compared to my past experiences, this boy is an angel," she said as truthfully as possible. And it was true. Jem was the perfect boyfriend compared to the others. Her mom had skyped with him a few times and a phone call here and there, but she already adored him. So the fact that she wanted him to come was mute. "You have nothing to worry about. You know that."

"Jon wants to meet him."

Clary groaned and collapsed on the bed. "Jon just wants to play basketball with him. That's it."

"Is that so bad?"

"I'm not bringing my boyfriend home so he can spend all his time with my brother."

Jocelyn was quiet for a moment. "Your father would've wanted Jon to approve."

Dammit. Clary closed her eyes at the mention of that. Yes, with Dad gone, Jon was the only one to say yes or no. Jace was a no. Sebastian was a hell no. She wasn't sure what she would do if Jon said no to Jem. But she didn't really have a lot to worry about.

So with a deep breath, she nodded closed her eyes. "I'll see you Friday. "

"We're going to America?"

Clary looked up as Jem stepped into the doorway, a huge smile on his face and two glasses of milk in his hands. She couldn't help but smile back.

"We're going to America."

It had been months by the time the taxi finally pulled up to her house. She felt like a stranger coming to a place that was barely familiar, but yet she still felt at home.

Jem stepped next to her after paying the taxi driver with all the bags on his shoulders. She felt bad, but he refused to ever let her carry anything. He was a gentleman.

"You okay?" he asked, nudging her shoulder.

"Nervous."

"Why? It's your family."

She swallowed. "That's what makes me nervous."

With a breath, she walked towards the house, taking in the details. Jem laughed at her when she would stop and touch the flowers or rub her hands along the house before coming up tot eh front door.

She didn't even get to knock before it swung open and she was engulfed. But it wasn't her mother. It was…

"Isabelle?" Clary asked with a shocked tone, catching her balance and hugging her friend back cautiously. "Wha – what are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," she said, squeezing Clary even harder. "I missed you. I wanted to see my best friend that barely talks to me anymore."

Instantly, the guilt took over. "I've been busy with art and–"

"It's okay." Isabelle pulled back and was still smiling, winking at Clary playfully. "I know you've been busy." Then she moved her eyes to Jem and back to Clary. "Very busy."

Clary instantly blushed. "Isabelle–"

"I know. I know. I'm not sorry because it's true."

Jem stepped forward at that. "Oh, no, we haven't–"

"Clary!"

The trio was interrupted when a figure burst through the doorway, immediately grabbing Clary and lifting her off the ground. She laughed as her brother swung her in a circle, happy to finally see her. It really was better between the two. Surprisingly enough.

"I missed you," Jon said when he finally put her down, holding her by the shoulders. Then he frowned. "You look older."

"I am older."

"I don't like it."

She chuckled. "I can't stop it. And this is Jem." She stepped back and touched her boyfriend's arm, pecking him on the cheek to calm him down. She could feel his heart racing at the moment. "My boyfriend."

Jon eyed him up and down, something he did to everyone that Clary introduced him to. She expected some kind of retort or insult when he finally met Jem's gaze again, but instead he just nodded his head.

"I'd shake your hand, but it looks like you're a little occupied."

Jem nodded and looked down at the bags dangling around his shoulders and arms. "Agreed. Is there a place I can put this?"

"Just follow me," Jon said, waving for Jem to come. "I'll show you where you'll be staying."

The boys walked off, leaving Clary and Isabelle alone on the front porch. She was nervous about leaving Jem with her brother, but they had to get along and that wasn't going to happen until they talked. She really hoped that her brother didn't hate him. She couldn't go through that again.

"Come on," Isabelle said as she walked down the stairs towards the driveway. "Let's go for a walk."

With a sigh, Clary closed the front door and followed, knowing exactly what was going to come next.

After a few minutes of walking and mindless chit-chat, Clary was on edge. Isabelle wasn't being prying or questioning, and it was freaking her out. She was expecting the questions, not simple conversations.

And after they rounded the last corner and was heading back to her house through her old neighborhood, Clary grabbed her friend's arm. "Isabelle, stop."

She did. "What?"

"This isn't something to just get my mind of off Jace, okay?"

Isabelle froze and turned to face Clary. "I didn't think it was."

"Jem is everything Jace wasn't," she continued like Isabelle didn't even speak. "He's nice, charming, caring, loving, gentle. He always thinks of me first instead of his own issues. I like actually coming first for once. Jem isn't just some guy that I was hoping would occupy my time. I really like him. Alright?"

Isabelle was biting her lip with her arms crossed. After a few seconds, she finally said, "You don't have to explain yourself to me."

"I know but–"

"You need to explain it to Jace."

Clary recoiled. "Um, no."

Isabelle rolled her eyes and continued walking, having a short Clary race after her. "I'm not saying that you need to be running after him to tell him that whatever it was between you two is done. That's not what I'm saying at all. What I mean is that when he gets here, you need to–"

"WHAT?" Clary practically screamed. "What the hell do you mean when he gets here? He's coming here?"

Isabelle nodded. "It's Jon's birthday. Of course he's coming. Plus, his team is playing in Atlanta so he's in town. He promised Jon that he would swing by."

Clary's heart began pounding. "Since when are Jace and Jon buddies?"

"Since Christmas. He didn't tell you? They've been good friends for a while. Jon still thinks he's a shit person, but Jace is a professional soccer player, so… yeah. Jon thinks it's cool, and I have a feeling Jace is just doing it to stay close to you. You know how he can be."

This was just getting better and better. She kicked out at a rock on the road. "Fuck me. I'm not going to make it out of this alive."

"Don't be so dramatic." Isabelle wrapped her arm around Clary's shoulder and pulled Clary towards her. "You've only got to survive the one night with him. And Jem is here. You shouldn't have a problem, right?"

Clary nodded even though she felt like she was lying to everyone, including herself. "Right."

"You were a cute kid," Jem said with amusement as he sat on Clary's old bed.

She had just made it back in and plopped herself next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. He was flipping through and old photo album that she left on her desk, smiling as there was another picture of her in the lake with her little floaties.

Jem chuckled. "You look way too happy to be in water."

"I was like five years old," she defended. "You realize how exciting it was to be at a lake as a five year old? It was like Christmas in July."

"What about this one?" He pointed to the picture of Clary in her mother's studio, covered in head to toe in paint. She looked about seven or eight and her hair looked rainbowed instead of red. "Was that just too exciting too?"

"That was the day my mom decided I should be an artist," she chuckled. "She got me drawing books, paints, and everything else a little girl could want. I destroyed more wallpaper for the next three years than I care to admit."

"Seems like you had a good childhood."

"I did," she answered honestly. "We weren't prefect, but it was as perfect as it could be."

There was a knock on the door suddenly and it cracked open to reveal Jocelyn. She poked her head inside, chuckling at the sight of the two with the photo album. "Reminiscing?"

"More like defending all of my mistakes."

"Nonsense," Jem said, wrapping his arms around Clary's shoulder and pulling her to him. "She's just telling me how great her family is."

"Sure," Jocelyn teased, clearing not believing it. "I just wanted to see if you two were going to be here for dinner."

Clary nodded and lifted her head from Jem's shoulder. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"Well… Jace will be here."

"Jace?" Jem repeated. "What's he doing here?"

"I–"

"Mom," Clary interrupted. "Can I have a few minutes alone with Jem? Please?"

Jocelyn nodded before giving Clary and apologetic look and closing the door. She waited for the tick of the lock before looking back at Jem.

"Don't freak out."

He took a deep breath, nodding slowly. "Okay. I'm not freaking out. But… why is he coming?"

"He's my brother's friend."

Jem still didn't look convinced.

"I didn't know," she finally said. "I don't know why he's coming or what the point is. If he's friends with Jon, so be it. But I haven't talked to him since that night that you found me in London. I haven't spoken to him for any reason, and he means nothing to me. Okay? Nothing."

"Don't lie," he said quietly, dropping his head to his hands. "Clary, don't lie to me to convince me."

"I'm–" not lying. That's what she wanted to finish that with. But instead, a "sorry" came out as she pulled her legs up and felt that feeling again. The emptiness of thinking about him. The pain. The suffering.

She was so caught up in the past that when Jem suddenly turned and kissed her, hard and hungry, her eyes opened in shock. But he pushed her back on the bed and climbed on top of her, grabbing her hands and gently squeezing them with his own.

It had been quite some time since he's kissed her with this much… passion. It was almost primal. Jem was never the guy to do that. He was formal. He always believed in courtship, in being kind and gentle, in treating Clary like a woman and a princess. When this happened, it was because of two things.

Jace.

And Jace Wayland.

The last time this happened, Jem caught Clary looking at her phone three days after that dinner night. She was just hanging out with Jem and Will and Tessa, but her eyes kept darting to her phone when her fingers would scroll to his name. Jem was so fed up with it that he wanted to prove a point that night.

And he did. The point was proven, taken, and understood. He could care for her and love her more than Jace ever wanted to, but something was always missing. She fought always against it, like in this particular moment, and kissed Jem back with a fury.

He smiled and pulled her hands above her head, kissing down her jaw and her neck. She squeezed his hands, letting him have his fun before she finally sighed in contentment.

"Jem?"

"Mmm?" he asked into her neck.

"My mom is just down the hall," she informed him. "And Isabelle and Jon are still here. I don't think this is the time or place for… this."

He sighed and stopped but didn't move from the spot on her neck. They stayed still for what felt like ages before he finally nodded and pulled back, pressing his hands into the mattress by her head as hers wrapped around his neck.

"I'm sorry," he instantly said. Those words came out more than they should have. Not because he was bad, but because he tried to take the fault when he shouldn't.

She shook her head. "Don't be sorry. I'm the one that should be sorry."

"Just know that I care about you," he whispered. "No matter what happens, I really do care and I don't want this to end up badly."

She smiled slightly and nodded. "I know."

Clary was sitting on the couch with Jem, waiting for Jace to arrive. Everyone was gathered around and laughing. Jon was telling his own college stories and Jem would butt in to put his two cents in. They actually got along pretty well.

Isabelle and Simon, who finally showed up a few hours after Clary and Jem, bickered the entire time and fought cutely. If anyone should stay together, it was those two. Simon fought so hard for her and finally, after so long, he had her. Clary could see that they still had a few issues but they were working it out and she was happy about that.

Luke and Jocelyn were bustling about, getting everything ready. Clary actually started to like Luke after a while. She was happy if her mom was happy and Luke seemed to make her happy. She couldn't really argue at that.

Jon jumped up when the doorbell rang, racing to grab it. Clary's heart began pounding as he swung it open and she saw Jace's golden curls.

Jem squeezed her knee and brought it into his lap. "Are you okay?" he whispered in her ear.

She swallowed and shook her head, burying it in his neck to hide her true emotions.

"Just breathe," he said soothingly. "You can do this."

She could hear the greets and the smiles and the laughs from Jon, Isabelle, and even Simon as they all greeted Jace. But it was another voice that caught Clary's attention. She immediately pulled back with a confused expression and glanced towards the door when Jon picked up…

Kaelie.

It was Kaelie. She was hugging Clary's brother like they were long lost friends. Then she hugged Isabelle. And Simon. And Clary stared with an open mouth and confusion.

"You didn't know?" Jem asked.

"Know what?"

"That Kaelie and Simon and Isabelle were all friends. I thought they would've told you. They hung out a lot this past semester."

"No they didn't tell me," she growled, falling back against the couch. "What the hell is she even doing in my house?"

Jem frowned. "I honestly don't know, but she isn't that bad. Kaelie can actually be pretty nice if you'd give her a chance."

"I don't care. I don't like her."

"Jace! Kaelie!" Her mother greeted as she walked towards the door.

Clary was ready to scream. Did everyone fucking love these two now? She was gone for six months and suddenly she's replaced with Kaelie? This was bullshit.

"I'm glad you both could make it out for Jon's birthday," Jocelyn beamed. "I haven't seen either of you in so long."

"Mom," Jon whined. "They're my friends. Can I talk to them privately for a bit?"

Jocelyn sighed but smiled and headed towards the door. "Sure. I know. I'm prying. I'll go make sure dinner is ready and you kids have fun."

Clary was still staring at the ground when she felt it. That gaze. It was like it was burning a hole in her head and she found herself looking up, meeting the golden eyes of her ex-boyfriend.

And she immediately stood and left, not being able to handle it before she slammed the door of her bedroom, jumped on the bed…

And cried.

Jace's eyes followed Clary all the way down the hall until she made it to her room. It took him a while to even tear his gaze from her closed door but the feeling of Jem's presence was enough.

The two boys met eyes from across the living space and they glared. And if it wasn't for Isabelle's comment, Jace would've walked over and punched him.

"Stop," Isabelle had said, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. "Fighting with her boyfriend isn't going to get you anywhere."

He sighed, knowing she was right. "So do I just stand by and ignore the fact that he gets the girl that I want?"

"Be her friend," Jon interjected, holding Kaelie to his side. It was still weird that they were together, but it is what it is. "Don't press. Don't pry. Don't annoy. Just be there for her. It's all you can do. I don't want any drama or fighting this weekend."

Jace nodded and frowned when Jem stood and walked down the hall to Clary's room, closing the door with a loud slam. It was obvious that the message was sent: Back the fuck off.

"I'm going to kill him," Jace claimed.

Simon scoffed. "Welcome to how I feel about you."

"Shut up, Lewis. I could kick your ass in a heartbeat."

"I just said no drama!" Jon yelled, growling in frustration. "Isabelle, Jace, come with me," he demanded. "NOW."

Jace followed without much enthusiasm, heading outside as they left Kaelie and Simon to deal on their own. The trio walked quite some distance from the house before Jon plopped down at the end of the driveway, gesturing for the other two to sit. They did, forming a circle.

"So," Jon inquired. "I know that you didn't want this information out so thanks for making that distraction so we could talk."

Jace nodded and smirked. "Lewis doesn't even know how helpful he can be, the little twerp."

"That's my boyfriend you're talking about." Isabelle gave him a pointed look.

"I still don't understand why. You two are so… weird together."

"I like him, okay?"

Jon sighed. "Can we get back to the matter at hand? Jace is moving to Atlanta to help start the new MLS team and there are no details that have been done."

Isabelle leaned back on her hands, shrugging casually. "It's not that bad. His agent is going to figure everything out."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

Jace and Isabelle exchanged a look. "What do you mean? What's there to worry about?" Jace asked.

Jon dropped his head softly and ran his fingers through his white hair. "Where do I even start?" He asked to no one in particular. "You know how Clary's time in London is up?"

They both nodded.

"Well, she has to finish school but Magnus was moving from London this coming year. By Christmas, he'll be in Atlanta and he wanted Clary to come with him. So… she'll be living here within the next six months."

Jace had frozen in his spot, his mind racing as Isabelle and Jon conversed. This was a good, and then it was very bad. If they lived in the same city, it could work. They could work. But then again, they were never good at distance so what if one of them moved again? And then there was the matter of if she even wanted him back.

By the looks of it, she was happy without him.

"What are you implying?" Isabelle asked. "Jace and Clary to move in together and live happily ever after?"

Jon shrugged. "If that's what you call it."

"It's not going to work," Jace said. "She hates me. I've done too much shit. She's happy with Jem."

Jon gave him a stupid look. "You're not seriously that naive, Jace. Right?"

"I…" He sighed and dropped his head to his hands. "I can't do that to her again."

"You've been miserable without her," Isabelle pointed out. "I didn't want to say anything but it's true. You haven't slept with anyone or even bothered trying to move on. You've just put all your time into soccer and it's killing you."

"I've been on dates," He shot back defensively. "It's just that no other girl does to me what Clary did. It's not my fault. I'll get over it eventually."

"No you won't," Jon said with a shake of his head. "And she's not over you either."

Clary wasn't sure how long she was on her bed crying when a knock came at the door. She hastily wiped her eyes and begged for her breathing to relax but it wouldn't. Seeing him, seeing the look on his face, it was too much. What was she supposed to do when he tried to talk to her? This weekend was destroyed because of him.

"Clary? Can I come in?"

She took a deep breath. Jon. Of course he could. So she slowly stood up and opened the door.

He engulfed her in a hug immediately, pulling her inside and closing the door. She wrapped her arms around her brother just as tightly as the tears started to flow from her eyes again. Her head was buried in his neck and he was rubbing circles on her back but nothing seemed to ease the discomfort and overwhelming hurt in her chest.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about him," he said. "But I knew you wouldn't have come and I wanted everyone to be here. I know that I shouldn't have manipulated you but–"

She shook her head. "It – it's okay. Just overwhelming."

"I'm sorry."

"Are you going to talk to him?"

That was the question. Actually the real question was: Could she talk to him without breaking down? That was the issue.

"It's been three months since I've talked to him," she said. "I don't know if I'm ready for that. He left me at the restaurant on my own. I felt abandoned, Jon."

"But Emily–"

"That's the problem," she said quickly, pulling away from her brother and storming towards her window. "Emily is his life, and I can't be angry about it. But I want to be. I want to be furious and I know that I morally shouldn't. So it's just easier to be with Jem. He's… simple."

"But Jem isn't Jace."

She knew that better than anyone. No one was Jace.

She sighed and closed her eyes, attempting to stop the tears. "Jace isn't who I need though."

"You and I both know that isn't true," Jon simply stated. She turned and glared at him but he held up his hands and sat on her bed, continuing to explain. "You can live life without him, but we both know that you'll just be surviving. You haven't been as happy since you've been with Jem. He just doesn't bring out that… fire in you that I've seen before."

"What fire?"

"You know what I mean."

With the look on her face, it was obvious that she didn't.

"Jesus," he continued, rubbing the back of his head as he thought. "You remember the time when you hated Jace? The time when he was just an arrogant asshole that you couldn't stand?"

She did, but… "How do you?"

"Isabelle and Jace both explained to me how you guys met," he said. "But the point is, it was never easy. It was a challenge and Clary, you love a challenge. Your relationship is still challenging but that's what you need. You've never been someone to just settle for the easy and simple solution. If you stay with Jem, you'll be bored for the rest of your life."

"Don't talk about him like that," she fired back, suddenly angry. "Jem isn't just some boring guy that I've settled for. He's genuinely caring and loving and sweet and kind and that's not a bad thing!"

"It isn't," Jon agreed. "But that's not the kind of guy you want. That's not the kind of guy you need."

She turned on the wall and sunk to the floor, pulling her legs to her chest. "I don't know what I need."

Jon stepped in front of her and gave her a small smile. "Yes you do. Just think about it."

Hopefully that will get you guys breathing again. You're not the only ones rooting for Clace, so don't panic! Just stay with me. It wouldn't be a story if it was easy.

Let me know what you think! Review. And stay tuned :)