Disclaimer – I do not own any characters from The Mortal Instruments.

Chapter Two – Midnight Tides

Clary was proud. By seven in the morning, her teeth was brushed to pristine perfection, her hair in a ponytail with a few stragglers of what could have been bangs framing her face, her clothes unwrinkled and even a few touches of makeup here and there without ruining her whole look. By seven in the morning, Clary was ready. She had successfully packed a suitcase and a backpack for the two months which was travelling lightly to say the least, with small portions of dried fruit in a flap in her backpack. Isabelle had insisted on various items of clothing, which Clary had never even seen before and strongly believed that Isabelle herself had hidden them in her wardrobe over time. Almost all of the outfits packed for the trip were co-ordinated by Isabelle, for example, what Clary was wearing as she left the house. Denim wash short dungarees layered over an emerald ribbed tee with a slogan like most a Clary's own clothing, this one saying "no hard feelings" in black, her favourite khaki coloured converse high tops on under knitted camel socks, Clary's plane socks which Isabelle had profusely told her not to wear, grey beanie.

Scanning the flurries of daily commuters who pushed through the crowds in haste, Jace still hadn't spotted the tiny redhead and his heart beat a little faster than usual from anticipation. He checked his phone again, on text last night they had agreed on meeting at eight thirty at City airport, he could see it right on the screen. It was eight forty now, and he was yet to see her in the bustle of people. Knowing the press, Jace had come from the back door after contacting one of the staff, and was currently wearing an old hoodie with balls of fabric gathering on it from age, his golden mane of hair hiding behind it, and a baseball cap which covered the majority of his face. He looked up after hearing a loud commotion coming from a door to the left of him, and following it came Clary underneath a grey beanie which failed to conceal the large splay of iconic crimson, the flashes of cameras snapping around her in bright staccatos imposing on her and squashing her small frame, drawing more attention to her. Her eyes lit up when she saw Jace, and he quickly began to elbow and shove his way towards her, grabbing her suitcase in one hand, wrapping his other around body as a shield from the reporters. Together, they headed towards the VIP waiting room where they greeted with a burly bodyguard who lead them into the room where Jace had already set his own things beforehand. The door was slammed shut, blocking away the reporters and the bodyguard left with a few apologies, leaving the two of them alone in the spacious room. Jace looked at Clary's flushed face and felt the blood pumping around his own and the pair began to laugh.

Clary was drained after arriving in Greece, and shattered after the seafood dinner that she had shared with Jace simply because of the colossal size of it compared to the average meal in Britain. They had agreed on travelling their way across the world instead of zig-zagging around in an eccentric manner, before looping back to the UK, and had told the three pilots in private where they each intended to go, before leaving them to plot a journey before taking off. Clary had been delighted when she realised they were in Greece, Greece was on her list and doubted it was on Jace's. Her suspicions had been confirmed when one of the pilots, Alec, had announced it with a flourish, much to Jace's despair. Simon had arranged a penthouse suite for the two of them, their rooms the size of the expanse of the whole floor, each of them having extensive bedrooms with separate bathrooms, the pilots and staff occupying the floor below, this being almost a vacation for them, as a treat from Jace's family who owned Herondale Airways. Jace felt just as tired as her, and the two of them hardly made it to the front door before collapsing onto the welcoming sofas which seemed to embrace them as they furrowed deeply into the soft material, nothing disturbing the silence apart from the heavy breathing emitting each of them.

Jace awoke in a hot panic at where he was, the fabric of the couch and pale blue walls unfamiliar to him, a thin layer of sweat coating his body from the sweltering temperature of the room. He realised he was still in his jeans and thick clothing after the transition from crisp London to humid Thessaloniki, where they had landed the day before. He still had no idea what he was doing here, or what Clary had planned. His mind diverted to problem at hand, and began to pull off the several layers he had on, leaving his chest bare, before he slipped on a pair of shorts to make himself at least presentable for when Clary woke up. Opening the windows, he looked out to the cerulean blue sea through the walls made completely of glass, overlooking the beach of sand so white that Jace knew that his eyes would definitely hurt after looking at them if it was during the day. An urge to swim suddenly tugged at him, knowing that during the day the beach would be squashed and cramped, with the wails of little children and angry adults filling the air instead of the blissful emptiness it currently held. He quickly changed again into swimming trunks before edging his way towards Clary's sleeping form, her whole body curved in on itself like a how Church, his cat, slept when he was still a kitten, her vermillion hair toned down to a maroon in the dark shadows of the night, her glistening eyes covered by delicate ivory eyelids with miniscule rivulets of lilac traced above them. Her eyelashes fluttered as she slept, dusting the tops of her faint cheekbones, a smattering of freckles adorning her angular nose and cheeks, a thin arm draped over half of her face. He edged closer, feeling the subdued body heat radiating off of her, and prepared to wake her up.

Clary had woken quietly, not knowing what had woken her from her deep sleep, and swivelled gently in her position to see that Jace wasn't in the sofa he had fallen asleep in, and felt her breathing increase marginally as she wondered where he could be, the only source of light being the resplendent glow of the moon. She turned to face the large window which created the whole of the wall facing the beach, only to be met with the bare back of Jace illuminated in a heavenly glow, his back muscles defined and his whole body an impressive display, unleashed to its sinewy potential, while maintaining lean outline. She ached to get her sketchbook and preserve this moment forever, his matchless body, the gold of his hair bleached into a pallid silver in the surreal light, and she knew there was only one thing she would add to it. Clary would add wings. All too quickly, she saw him begin to turn around, and she hastily slouched back down to a random position, hoping it looked realistic. She could almost feel him nearing, she could hear his gentle padding before he stopped, from what she assumed could only be about two meters away from where she lay. Clary lost track of time, just mustered as must restraint as possible to move, as the position was hardly comfortable, until she felt him near closer, a familiar warmth coming off of him in waves. She couldn't stay still any longer, and jumped up at an alarmed Jace who shook back and fell over, onto the tessellated carpet in shock, his eyes still wide. Clary began to giggle uncontrollably, doubling over as her stomach ached at her laughter, Jace's expression only releasing an onslaught of pain at her abdomen but she couldn't contain the frenzied sounds escaping from her mouth. She struggled to talk, and seeing the swimming trunks he had on, she simply nodded while continuing to chortle, before grabbing her suitcase and changing into a simple black bikini with cuts at the edges after noticing the torrid temperature outside. When she walked back out with a beach towel thrown over her shoulder, Jace had his one arm slung as he leaned onto the doorway, his own towel draped lazily at his waist and his abs prominently on show, making Clary's laughter instantly die down at the sight of them. Even in the darkness, she was sure that he could see her blush. Avoiding his triumphant eyes, she jabbed his forehead indignantly before bolting out of the room, only to be grabbed by one of his long arms and felt herself being thrown upside down, her hair tickling his calves as he began to walk out, much to her protests.

I hope you liked this chapter, and in the next you'll see exactly what Clary has in store which I hope you will all enjoy. Wow! I got a review and five follows, and that might not seem like much but I really appreciate it from all of you, even if you just read it because it still means a lot to me. This might seem annoying, but I would really like to see five reviews before my next update which will hopefully be in three to four days, if not less. For the four people who review, I'll send a PM to each of you with either Jace or Clary's bucket list based on your choice! Thank you for reading.