Chapter 26

Birthday texts were the sweetest thing ever.

First, Isabelle, with happy bday clary! don't forget ur party and don't u dare ditch me. xo

Maia: happy bday girl! have a great one!

Simon: happy birthday clary, don't b late 4 the party or isabelle will kill u

Clary laughed to herself as Jocelyn set a plate of chocolate covered pancakes in front of her. "Happy birthday, honey. Here you go."

"Thanks, Mom," Clary said, jumping up to hug her.

Halfway through her first pancake, her phone rang.

"Happy birthday," Jace's voice said cheerfully.

"Thank you," she replied through a mouthful of chocolate goodness.

"Are you eating?" The incredulous tone in his voice made her giggle.

"Yes, actually. Haven't you heard of breakfast?"

"Yes, I have. Haven't you heard of not talking with your mouth full?"

"Shut up, you sound like my mom."

Jocelyn looked up and raised an eyebrow. Clary waved her away with a grin.

"What are you eating?" Jace asked curiously.

"Chocolate covered pancakes."

"That's disgusting. How could you even let that near you?"

Clary laughed and took another bite. "It's delicious. You should try it."

"Not on my life. Anyway, I'll see you later. I love you."

"Love you too." Clary set her plate in the sink as she closed the phone.

"So, you're going over to Izzy's later?"

"Yup. Jace is picking me up, so don't worry."

"Okay." Jocelyn fussed with the arrangement of the painting she was hanging, then beckoned Clary. "Come into the studio for a second?"

Clary looked around the studio when they entered. "What do you need?"

"Come over here, Clary," Jocelyn called from behind a large, covered canvas.

Clary went to stand by her mother's side. "Happy birthday!" Jocelyn exclaimed as she uncovered the painting.

Clary reached out to run her finger along the side of the painting, her other hand pressed to her chest. It was the painted equivalent of a scrapbook, a seamless collage of beautiful moments. Her flaming hair stood out in scenes of her as a baby, a toddler running from Simon at a park, playing in the fields of the farmhouse with Isabelle and Alec, and sitting at a table sketching with a golden head bent next to her.

"This must have taken you ages," Clary said, moved.

"It's been an ongoing project, probably one of my favorite ones." Jocelyn fidgeted with the edge of the canvas. "Do you like it?"

"Like it? I love it! It's amazing," Clary exclaimed, rushing at her mother and hugging her tight.

Jocelyn patted her back. "You should be getting ready. Don't be late for your own party, now."

"I hope I am late," Clary muttered, but she pulled back and kissed her mother on the cheek. "Thank you so much. It's the best birthday present ever."

"If we go in there, we'll be in danger," Clary told Jace.

"In danger of what?" Jace laughed, squeezing her hand as he pulled her up the drive. "It's just a party."

"It's never just a party if Isabelle's involved," Clary insisted. "You know, once she dumped pink confetti on me when I entered the room. It took a month for my hair to be completely free of tiny paper."

"That's not that bad, come on." Jace rang the doorbell and grinned. "I mean, it could have been chocolate or something."

Clary rolled her eyes. "I actually like chocolate. But not pink. Or confetti."

Jace snorted as Alec's head poked around the side of the door. "Oh, hey guys. Happy birthday, Clary."

"Thanks." Clary moved cautiously into the Lightwoods' home. She was suspicious, as Isabelle would usually be rushing to open the door at a party.

"See? Nothing happened," Jace told her smugly.

"Not yet," Clary said under her breath. "Watch out for Izzy-she could be anywhere."

"You're being dramatic," Jace pointed out.

"She's actually not. I wouldn't trust Isabelle either," Alec put in.

"Great, that makes me feel so much better." Clary tiptoed around the corner, following the finally-chosen lavish blue decorations on the wall. Even the piano in the living room had a blue bow attached to the lid.

Alec made a face as they entered the dining room. "My sister is completely insane."

Isabelle had covered every inch of wall in streamers and party paraphernalia, and the table was set with flowered paper plates and plastic utensils, with the words "don't stay here; go outside!" written in marker on each plate, along with a name.

Clary picked up her assigned plate; Isabelle had added a bouquet of blue flowers to the bundle holding her utensils. She had to appreciate the care Isabelle had taken with this party, even if she was still wary of any surprises.

They went out into the garden, per Isabelle's instructions, but Isabelle was nowhere to be seen. Clary's guard was up, but she still jumped as a shower of blue rose petals fell over her and Jace as they passed under the white bower that Isabelle had installed by the patio.

"Happy birthday!" Isabelle announced as she emerged from the door adjoining the kitchen and the patio.

"Isabelle!" Clary brushed petals off her hair. Next to her, Jace was picking petals out of his hair and clothes with a disgruntled expression.

"I'm going to smell like roses for the whole day," he complained.

"I know, isn't it great?" Isabelle chirped as she approached.

"It's beautiful," Clary said truthfully. "But where did you get blue roses?"

"My secret."

"Were you just coming from the kitchen?" Alec asked, a worried tone in his voice.

"Yes."

"Were you-cooking?" The horror in his voice seemed to baffle Jace, though Clary grimaced in agreement.

"No, I wasn't. God, Alec. And Clary, how could you take his side?"

"Because I've actually had your cooking, Izzy." When Isabelle pouted, Clary patted her arm. "As long as you weren't cooking, it's fine."

Isabelle threw up her hands in frustration. "What is wrong with my cooking?"

Clary and Alec were spared answering by the pounding footsteps of Max approaching with Simon in his trail. "Someone's here, Izzy!"

"Simon!" Isabelle greeted him with a hug.

Simon waved at Clary when she let go, and handed her a present. "Happy fifteenth."

"Thanks, Simon." Clary hugged him too, struck by how tall he was; her head rested below his shoulder, and he wasn't stick-skinny anymore.

Isabelle snatched the present from her hands and placed it on top of three others. "Those are from us. You can open them later."

The pile of presents grew a little taller as each person arrived. Next, Magnus swept in with a hug for Clary and Isabelle and a kiss for Alec. When finally Jordan and Maia stepped into the garden together, Isabelle allowed them to begin eating.

The party wasn't that bad after all, Clary had to admit. It was significantly less flamboyant than what previous experiences had foreshadowed, for which Clary was grateful. Mostly, they hung out in the garden, laughing and talking like usual.

She did protest vehemently when her friends insisted on singing to her. Magnus even added a flourish of vocalization to the end of the song, causing everyone to break into laughter.

Isabelle and Magnus wheedled them into a series of party games that usually involved either Alec's or Clary's embarrassment, though the others received their fair share of ridicule.

In the middle of a roar of laughter following Alec's disgusted face as he picked grass out of his hair, a sharp ringing cut through the noise.

Jace fumbled at his pocket as he chuckled, glancing down as he pulled out the phone.

His expression wavered-a wrinkle of uncertainty, then a forced upturn of his lips as he looked up at the group. "Sorry, I'll just take this inside."

Clary bit her lip as she watched his retreating back. She didn't like the brief glimpse she'd had of his face as he'd looked at the phone. Resisting the urge to chase after him, she turned back to Isabelle and smiled. "Who's next?" Clary asked with false cheer.

Jace was subdued when he returned. Even when she told herself not to worry, Clary's eyes tracked Jace as he bent next to Isabelle's ear and whispered, as she nodded and smiled. His silence was so unusual, Clary contemplated the mysterious phone call till the party wound down.

Alec and Magnus ditched the cleanup to see a movie, and Simon begged off with a questionable appointment with his Dungeons and Dragons buddies. Clary and Jace helped quietly, stacking plates with Isabelle in the lingering light of the summer evening.

Isabelle shooed them inside before they were done, insisting that she was fine finishing up by herself. Clary eyed her suspiciously, noting the glance she and Jace shared. But she didn't have time to protest before Jace had pulled her inside.

"So, did you have fun today?" Jace said immediately.

She could have sworn he was almost nervous. "Yeah, it was so much better than I expected."

"That's good." Jace was flexing his fingers, tense. As Clary glanced at their intertwined fingers, he stopped abruptly.

"Jace, are you okay?"

He tilted his head at her. "Of course I am."

She shook her head. "You've been acting strangely since that phone call."

Jace's eyes flickered. "Of course you noticed," he said, almost to himself.

"You can tell me anything, you know." Clary worried that she was pushing too hard, but she truly felt something off about Jace.

"Not now." He stopped her protest with a finger on her lips. "For now, I want your birthday present to be perfect."

Clary stared at him uncomprehendingly as a small smile curved on his face.

She followed him, baffled, as he walked towards the grand piano in the Lightwoods' living room.

Clary ran her eyes over the gleaming black paint of the giant lid of the piano, the blue bow standing out garishly. "Isabelle used to play this when we were kids. She messed around a lot. Alec was way better," she laughed ruefully.

Jace grinned. "Well, I haven't messed around on one of these for a while." He pulled back the piano bench professionally and sat.

Not until he placed his hands gently, almost lovingly on the ivory keys did Clary realize. "You can play piano?"

"So I've been told."

Clary gaped. "How did I not know this?"

"I never told you."

"I-do you have a piano at home?" she asked curiously.

"Not like this. Just a small keyboard." Jace's expression as he contemplated the piano was pure adoration.

His fingers pressed down on the keys, but he paused. "Remember that day I went to the mall with Isabelle? We were going to buy you a present, but I couldn't seem to find something special enough. Then we passed this music store-a music store, in the mall. I just had to go in. And there was a piano in there, and Isabelle, perceptive as she is, noticed that I was itching to play it. She found this pile of sheet music and dumped it in my arms." They both laughed at the image, vivid in Clary's imagination.

"There were all these beautiful pieces, but they were too grandiose-too ornate for you. And then the title of one of them caught my eye. It was a piece for violin, but it was perfect. Not a concerto, or a strange German word-but just Salut D'amour."

"Love's Greeting." Clary's voice was a whisper; Jace was always so eloquent, always knew what to say.

Jace smiled. "Yes. And I went home and transposed it for piano. Happy birthday, Clary Fray."

Clary propped her chin on her hand, leaning against the piano, as he began. The sweet melody rose and fell in a graceful wave, washing over Clary with all the emotion Jace put into it.

His eyes closed as his hands flowed over the keys, not missing a note. Clary was torn between watching him play and just shutting out all the world except his gift to her, the lovely tune presented with all his talent.

He'd never seemed so open and raw before. The music brought down any defenses he might have had, and what she was seeing was utterly beautiful.

As the music died out in a last progression of chords, Jace's head dropped. A breath lifted his shoulders as he laid his hands flat on the keys and looked up at Clary through his lashes.

"Now, this is proof of undying devotion," Clary broke through the lump in her throat that had rendered her speechless for the past minute.

Jace straightened and laughed softly. Clary slid into the circle of his outstretched arms as she sat next to him on the piano bench. She rested her head on his shoulder. "Thank you. My best birthday present, ever."

"I should hope so. My skills are unparalleled."

"Your ego is unparalleled and bigger than this entire house," Clary muttered.

Jace nudged her playfully and pulled her up. "I'm going to forget you said that. Come on, I should get you home before your mom gets worried. And bites my head off."

Clary narrowed her eyes. He was being overly excited, deflecting her preemptively. She searched his eyes, but he remained stoic and asked innocently, "What?"

"Nothing," she replied, following him out to the car.

Jace drove off unusually quickly after dropping Clary off, leaving her with a stack of presents in her arms and bewildered eyes.

She was in her room when she realized she'd lost her phone. Cursing under her breath, she wracked her brain trying to think where it was. Finally, she picked up the landline to call Jace and ask if he'd seen it.

"Hello?" Jace sounded tense, putting Clary on guard immediately.

"Hey...Jace. I think I might have left my phone in your car."

"Really? Oh. I'll check for it." His tone was carefully neutral, and Clary twirled her hair unconsciously.

"Thanks." After a silence, she mustered the courage to say, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Ye-" Jace's voice was cut off by an unintelligible yell.

Clary heard Jace mutter an oath over the sound of the car door opening and him rummaging around. "Your phone is right here. I'll bring it over tomorrow, okay?"

"What was that?" Clary's hand stilled in her hair.

"What was what?"

"I'm not stupid, Jace. I heard someone yelling. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Several car doors slammed in quick succession in the background of Jace's voice.

"Are you seriously lying to me right now? Christ, Jace-"

"I can't do this right now, Clary. I'm sorry-I promise I'll tell you later."

Clary huffed and hung up. She glanced out the window; the summer light was still weakly illuminating the lawn outside. She grabbed a jacket and pulled on her ratty sneakers quickly, banging out of the house.

Jace's house was relatively near, and she reached the neighborhood just as the light was leaching out of the sky. Before she was in sight of the house, though, a voice cut through the silent evening.

"Get off me!" the voice, unmistakably male, yelled. "This is insane. I've done nothing wrong!"

"Don't fight them, please," a woman's voice said calmly, but with a hint of desperation. Sarah, Clary thought.

Another step took her past the tree blocking her view of the house around the bend in the road.

Clary stared at the flashing red and blue lights, then broke into a run towards the line of police cars.

A/N: wow, this one took me forever again. school restarting meant, apparently, a load of homework. anyway, just a word about Salut D'Amour: i played that song on violin a while ago, and ever since it's been one of my favorite melodies. If you want to hear it, search it on youtube! or, if you'd like specifically the piano arrangement, search "salut d'amour piano" and there's guaranteed to be one. i recommend hearing a violin version as well; it's haunting.

Thank you for reading and please review!

~Sami