Jace is feeling the warm slide of the alcohol smoothing out the creases on his soul. His shoulders relax and he watches Alec leaning against the back of the booth they're sitting in. He can feel that they're both at the stage that they can talk about this, without coming to blows.

"Alec, you really don't want to marry Lydia. What are you doing this to yourself?"

"Family. Respect. Something I have to do." Comes the barely audible response. Good job Jace has enhanced hearing or he'd not have heard a word of that.

"Alec...Alec look at me..." He waits for his slumped parabati to sit up and look at him.

"You can't martyr yourself like this. You're never going to be happy. And Alec you deserve to be happy." He says sincerely. He loves Alec. All he wants is for his brother to be happy.

Alec looks exhausted, as though everything that's happened in the past few weeks has completely zapped the life out of him. Jace is so used to him being at his back, tall, stiff and ready for action. His broody, all seeing eyes, his set mouth ready to call Jace out on his shit. Seeing him like this hurts Jace almost as much as his own- in love with my sister- pain.

Before Jace can say any more, a weight of supple flesh, red nails and blonde curl falls into his lap. An arm round his neck, overpowering sent of rose and a nose nuzzling his ear.

"Jace," a sultry voice says into his ear, "where have you been?"

He swiftly turns to look at the girl now settled onto his lap. She's still holding onto him and he's now almost nose to nose with her. She's cute and vaguely familiar. She certainly seems to know him. He wracks his brain trying to come up with a name. While she grins at him, she pulls away unsteadily to get a better look at him. His arm automatically coming up to hold her back as she grasps his shoulder to stop herself from falling off him.

Alec's right eyebrow is almost at his hairline. He'd got so used to Jace being with just Clary that he'd suppressed memories of his parabati's more alley cat ways. Unfortunately the bubbly blonde now sitting in Jace's lap has now brought them all back, like a wet fish being slapped in his face.

"Fuck this I need another drink." Alec mutters to himself, as he stomps away from the booth.

Jace wants to go after him, but Katie... no Katya...no- He still can't quite grasp the memory- Seems very firmly placed on his lap. Her fingers scratching at the short hairs at the back of his neck. Her other hand holding tight to his shirt just above his heart. Jace smirks at her, maybe this is what he needs- They do say the best way to get over someone is to get under someone, right?

Clary had successfully managed to forget about him for the past hour- success being relative. It still counts if she has refused to allow herself to dwell on his presence every time she sees a flash of blonde. They've kept themselves to the back of the dance floor as far from the bar and booths as possible. Izzy is dancing with some tall, dark haired Seelie. He looks vaguely familiar, but she didn't introduce him and Clary was happy to keep her eyes shut and her brain focused on the music.

Unfortunately her bladder has other plans. It was always going to happen and usually it wouldn't be an issue, but the restrooms were much closer to the bar and booths than she would like. She had no idea where Jace and Alec were, or even if they were still in the club. What she does know is that they were nowhere near the back of the club. She couldn't put it off any longer, so opening her eyes and starts to make her way through the crowd. She does her best to stay within the crowd of dancers, leaving it to the last minute to break through and make her way towards the restroom. Hoping that her luck will hold and he'll be looking the other way or be too busy to see her or gone- She's shake away the ache that that thought brings, refusing to acknowledge it.

She keeps her head down as she finally breaks through the dancers. Fingers tightly crossed trying to make herself as invisible as possible. A laugh that she'd know anywhere brings her to abrupt stop- Don't look, don't you dare look, her brain tells her, but her heart is much stronger and she looks. She immediately wishes she didn't. He's there in a booth not far away and he's not with Alec.

She's stuck, her legs rejecting any attempt to move. She takes in the scene slowly, his laugh, his smile. The curly blonde's hands in his hair, at his chest. Her face so close to his. His face turning slightly so she can speak into his ear. His fucking smile again at whatever she's said. His hand resting on her knee, his arm around her back.

She jumps as a hand touches her arm. Her head whipping around to see Alec, one hand on her arm the other holding what looks like a bowl of fruit topped with an umbrella and pink froth. His eyes trying to tell her something. She can't tell what it is, doesn't want to know what he's trying to say. She pulls herself free, one final look at Jace and stumbles away to the restroom.

Xxx

Alec watches her stumble away. The look in her eyes before she fled just kills him. He likes Clary and she doesn't deserve this. Sure he finds her annoying and he spent the first few weeks of knowing her being a complete utter jealous ass. Not that she needs to know that, but lately he's been discovering that you love who you love. Hopefully if you're lucky they love you back.

Sucking on the two straws sticking out of his latest Fruity Fuck Me...yes, yes that's not it's real name, but that's definitely it's effect. He glances over at Jace flirting with the random blonde that he'd bet that Jace has no idea what her name is. Grabbing his phone out of his pocket he sends a quick text.

At Pandemonium, come and save me please.

He waits and seconds later gets a reply.

Be there in a blink of a demon dancer's eye.

He turns and heads back towards the bar. Jace already occupied and in no need of Alec's company. Plus Alec had no wish to have a front row seat to that shit storm.