"He smoked! Isn't smoking bad?" The child interrupted with a horrored expression on her small face.

"At the time, no. It wasn't entirely bad. To her, it added character." She explained.

"Did they love each other instantly? Was it love at first sight?" The old woman shook her head, staring down at her locked hands and smiling to herself. Her hands, that were once smooth and creamy, were now veiny with a bluish hue. A reminder of the passage of time.

"I suppose it was. In a way, they both knew that they couldn't forget each other." Her audience looked up at her curiously, not understanding exactly what she was saying. A few words formed on the child's face before she smiled brightly.

"Was the man a gentleman? Did he buy her flowers, candies, stuffed animals?" It was all too much for her to take in, which question she was supposed to answer first.

"I suppose he wasn't proper, not like her family at the mansion, but he was lovely. He was his own spirit and he wouldn't let anyone take it. Rich or poor."

"Hey!" Clary squealed as he lifted her up into the air to see the parade from a better view. Jace settled her on his shoulders. Her cheeks reddened as his face was under her cotton dress. She could practically feel him smile against her thighs, taking it upon himself to literally sweep her off her feet.

"You can't miss the parade! Come on!" He encouraged from beneath her. He was right, as the massive balloons floated not twenty feet from the ground and people danced along the streets wearing absurd painting on their faces. She was laughing like a small child, giddy with delight at seeing what her father called anarchy. Her mother had described this too her not so long ago, declaring that she missed it terribly. Clary didn't understand how someone could throw this away for a man that she didn't even love. It was clear on Jocelyn's face that she'd grown detached from Valentine, so why did she stay? Why didn't find someone like Jace? "Tell me what it looks like!"

"Oh, it's beautiful!" She cheered as strange animals galloped across the cracked brick pavement. Jace laughed and she felt the air swirl around her thighs. A man with a face painted white and lips a shocking red waved at her. Clary hesitatingly waved back, her blush returning with a vengeance. He tossed a flower her way, and surprisingly she caught it. Catching it drew attention away from the parade and a few eyes bugged out when they saw Jace underneath her dress, holding her up. Nevertheless, at the neighing of a horse, they gaze back at the show without a word of dispute.

"Was that a horse?" Jace gasped, his fingers still secure on her legs as he held her. She nodded before realizing that he had no way of seeing it.

"Yes! Oh it reminds me of the ones at my house, but these have colors painted on them! Is this real? Do people celebrate at random like this?" Clary asked him. Before he could answer, joyous music floated in to the air. Her feet wiggled freely as she remembered all those lessons on dancing her brother had taught her. "Can we dance?"

"You know how to dance?" Jace asked, which made her laugh.

"What makes you think otherwise?" She questioned as he lifted her off his shoulders and to the uneven sidewalk. He had his dazzling grin stretching his sun-kissed face, her fingers twitching to paint him. To remember this moment.

"Well, besides the fact that you can barely walk, and I met you when you weren't wearing any shoes, I figured your feet had been damaged in some way." He explained as he took her hand and began walking. She burst out in laughter, blushing when he flashed her a grin and dazzling wink. They pushed past people, her apologizing as he continued without a care in the world. Trumpets played smoothly, other brass instruments as well. She swore she heard the vibrato of a violin, but had no way of confirming this as people's tall stature blocked her view. Jace continued his walking until he broke through the final barrier of the parade's audience, the sound of it becoming louder. They stepped into the brick road, her having to be cautious as she wore nude heels that scraped along the pavement. He didn't mind that they were the only people to begin dancing.

"Despite your lack of faith in me, I do know how to dance." She scoffed as he took her small palms in his and started to twirl her as if they were on ice. A laugh escaped her throat as he picked her up a few inches off the ground, spinning her. His golden eyes were bright and burning, her green eyes soft and tender on his face. Never had she felt so… safe. His strong arms encompassing her as if she were nothing and yet everything to him. He was warm against her chilly skin, summer and winter. Fire and ice. Balancing each other out. Cameras flashed, children giggled and animals made various sounds. His white button up was revealing a tan chest, enough to make her crave more.

"Okay, so I was wrong. How ever will you forgive me?" Jace pouted. A wind blew through, twirling her curls around her neck and forcing dry leaves off their trees and into the air. It carried his scent into her nose, the smell of sweet apples and peppermint. Her heart thudded a few times in her chest as she gazed into his eyes, never before having found someone so perfect. So oblivious to the hatred that swirled amongst the world's population. Jace's smile faltered as he too felt the intensity of the moment, the realization that they were so much more than romantic interests to one another. Not now, and not ever could she imagine leaving his side. Leaving his arms.

"I'll always forgive you." She swore softly, sighing in content when he pulled her close and to his sturdy chest. They were swaying slowly, but that didn't matter because others had joined them on the road to dance. Clary heard his heart beating against her ear. A steady thump, thump, thump. His hands no longer gripped hers, instead holding her tightly as if she'd blow away with the dry leaves.

"Are you sure? Always means forever, and forever's a long time." He asked her after a while. The cheap cloth of his shirt scratched at her cheek yet she nodded.

"So they were perfect?" The old woman rolled her eyes as the child interrupted her. "Did she really forgive him for everything he did after that? Forever?" She continued on.

"At the moment, she felt as if he could do no wrong. Only time could tell her if she made a mistake in saying that." The child looked at her with intentment crossing her eyes.

"And did time really tell her?"

"Yes."

"Did the answer make her happy?"

"No."

AN: Short, I know! But it's a filler chapter. What do you guys think of the fluff? Too much?