A/N: Hey guys! I hope you guys like this chapter. I feel like for a modern couple that this chapter is pretty realistic.

Clary stepped into the apartment, slumping against the door. Alec was already moving around the kitchen, but she needed a minute to collect everything. So much has happened in the last few hours, and she is over come with sleepiness. She inhaled a deep breath, ruffling her hair. She felt a weight lifted off of her shoulders because of the divorce. She still had his actual trial to testify in, but she could do it. She felt like she was becoming herself again, like she was getting free. She pushed off the door, sitting at the kitchen island.

"What do you want to eat? I'll make you anything you want. I think you deserve to cheat on your pregnancy diet today." Alec clapped, slinging a dishrag over his shoulder. She did deserve a treat. She deserved to give into her craving today.

"Mozzarella sticks in some sort of onion sauce, drizzled with chocolate." She grinned deviously, as she propped her elbows against the counter. She could feel her stomach calling for cheesy, onion, chocolately goodness.

"Interesting choice, but your wish is my command." He laughed, turning to the fridge.

Clary chewed on her lip, thinking about the night before. She remembered Jace speaking and kissing her pregnant belly, and she started to smile. Last night was so perfect. She couldn't believe she was officially dating Jace, but she was excited about it. It was new and exciting, which is something she wanted to explore more. She wanted to see him more. It's been so long since she was someone's girlfriend, which made her uneasy. What was the code of conduct for dating now? "Would it be weird if I called Jace and asked to see him again tonight?" She asked, feeling her cheeks heat up. She hasn't spoken to Alec a lot about dating his best friend, but right now he was the best person to talk to about him.

"He spent the night last night, didn't he? He was fumbling around in the dark this morning." Alec snorted with amusement, tossing the dish rag to the counter, as he piled supplies onto the counter.

"Yeah." She grinned even wider, biting her lip. Alec probably assumed they fooled around, or maybe he didn't. Sebastian never stayed the night, so she didn't know how to handle roommates the day after.

"Did you two..." He trailed off, wiggling his eyebrows, as he made a horrific gesture.

"No!" She exclaimed with laughter, putting her hand on her face to hide the embarrassment. "You know I'm not like that." She felt like her face was on fire from the slight humiliation.

"You're no fun." Alec chuckled, dumping chocolate into a bowl above boiling water.

"I'm plenty fun." She rolled her eyes teasingly, having heard the same little speech from Isabelle earlier that week. "The sad thing is I'm super horny like all the time. My hormones are all over the place." She groaned, putting her face in the crook of her elbow.

"Just have sex with him. Get all that frustration out." He shrugged, stirring things together.

"I don't want to have sex with him because my baby wants me to have sex. I want to have it with him because I love him and because we got married or something." She huffed, leaning back in her seat. Jace was a perfect specimen, and she knew he had to be good at it. He was a player for years, which shocks her. He doesn't act like that at all with her.

"Ok, I get that." He nodded in understanding.

"So is it weird if I call him to hang out tonight?" She groaned, heaving a sigh.

"I don't see why not?" He shrugged, looking over her with soft eyes. "How are things going on your side?" He questioned quietly, probably knowing everything dealing with Jace's side of their budding relationship.

"I think things are going great." She blew out, shaking her head with her lips curled slightly upwards.

"But..." He raised an eyebrow at her, wondering if there was a downside.

"I'm worried that this is getting too serious too soon." She sighed, shoving her hand in her hair. "I'm just worried he's going to end up like Sebastian, trying to control me." She murmured, feeling her heart heavy in her chest.

"Jace isn't controlling you." Alec stated plainly.

"I just feel like it's so soon to be in a relationship with him, and I'm worried that I'm going to let him take advantage of me because I am in a vulnerable place. I literally just got divorced today." She exclaimed, not knowing how to deal with this new relationship.

"Jace would never take advantage of someone, and you have been fighting everything all on your own. If he had been controlling he would be speaking for you, which he doesn't do. He lets you do things yourself and if you need him he'll come." Alec explained.

"What does he say about me?" She breathed, wanting to know what he told other people about her.

"He talks about you all the time. I've never seen him like this. He was a dog before he met you and then he just stopped." He shrugged his shoulders, bringing his eyes to hers. "He worships the ground you walk on, and I'm not sure if he has processed you being pregnant yet, but I know at the end of the day he really wants a family." Alec smiled, watching her expression.

"I think he processed that last night." She smiled to herself, flashing back to his mouth her stomach.

"That's good. I think you should call him. Spend as much time as you can with him before the baby comes. Once he comes everything is about him, so enjoy freedom while it last." He turned around; fiddling around with the pots he had on the stove.

"I haven't thought about that." She inhaled a deep breath, realizing that she had four months until everything was about Jonathan. "How is everything with Magnus?" She changed the subject, glancing over him.

"It's good." Alec grinned, placing her mozzarella sticks on the table. "He asked me to move in with him last night." He grinned, scooping some chocolate sauce out of the pan, drizzling it elegantly over her cheese sticks.

"What? That's amazing. What did you say?" She exclaimed with excitement.

"I said I would think about it. It's a big decision." He poured the onion sauce into a bowl, pushing her food in front of her.

"What's holding you back?" She asked curiously. Alec and Magnus had been together for what seems like forever, and they were so sweet together.

"My lease isn't up for another six months, and well your here." She mumbled, playing with the countertop.

"Don't stay here for me. I'll be fine." She exclaimed, dipping the sick in her onion sauce. She didn't want to hold Alec back from the man he was in love. Even though her love life was complicated, it doesn't mean that Alec couldn't be happy.

"You're sure? You've had such a rough time, and I don't want to abandon you." He inhaled a sharp breath, wanting to be there for his friend.

"You wouldn't be abandoning me. You were kind enough to let me stay here. I'll be ok." She assured him with a smile. She could move into the master bedroom, so she can make her room into a nursery for little Jon.

"How about I wait until my lease is up and then I can sign it over to you?" He suggested, sitting next to her.

"Deal." She grinned, bumping into his arm.

"When are you going to call him?" Alec asked curiously, taking one of her cheese sticks.

"Well, it's only the afternoon. I'll call him a little while later. He's probably in meetings." She pointed out, chomping down on her amazing cheese sticks. They were delicious, and she had never been more grateful to be living with Alec.

OoOoO

Clary flopped on her back, holding her phone above her, as she flicked through her contacts. She still felt a little nervous about calling him so soon, but Alec was right. She needed to enjoy her freedom with him while it lasted. It just made her a little nervous because she didn't know dating etiquette anymore. What was to be expected when it comes to these things? She clicked his name, bringing the phone to her ear. She had to take a jump. She had to let herself fall.

"Hey there," Jace voice was rather chipper, making her smile.

"Hi," she bit her lip, feeling her heart thump with excitement. "Are you free later tonight to hang out?" She asked, as her cheeks fill with heat. He always asked her out, so she felt like she was going on a limb asking him out.

"Actually, I'm not." He sighed, sounding a little disappointed. "I have this formal dinner with some people from my committee that I'm in, and then I have to go to back to New York this weekend, so I can meet with my Constituents." He explained.

"Oh," she stated quietly. The warm feeling in her chest disappeared, and she closed her eyes. She felt disgruntled because she built herself up only to get turned down. Of course he was busy. He has a life, and they just started seeing either other. It's not like he can blow his responsibilities off to comfort her.

"If you want to come to the dinner with me you can." He offered, hearing that the let down in her voice.

"No, I can't be around that crowd yet." She murmured, sighing heavily. "Besides all they would do is talk about me and what happened in court." She grumbled, remembering the way Sebastian flipped over a table. She felt like that was her lowest point so far because of her outburst. She couldn't believe she had gotten thrown in the courts cell. It was so humiliating.

"What happened in court?" He asked, sounding heavily concerned about her.

"I totally blew up at Sebastian, and he yelled back then filled a table." She huffed, shaking her head. Other than when Sebastian attacked her he was never violent, so when she saw these eruptions, it terrified her. "They threw me in their cells, and then Sebastian kept asking me about the baby, and then I cried." She sighed, rolling into her side and propping a pillow between her thighs.

"I am sorry. I have another meeting to get to, but I promise I'll FaceTime you once I get to New York. Ok? I really want to hear about your day." He spoke softly, which touched her heart.

"Alright, what time would that be?" She bit her lip, feeling herself get excited. He wanted to FaceTime her to hear about her day, which made her so happy.

"Probably 11? Is that alright?" He guessed.

"Yeah, sounds good." She pursed her lips, attempting to keep from smiling widely.

"Good, I'll talk to you later." He hung up the phone, and she groaned loudly. She slapped her pillow to her face, heaving a sigh. She was glad he was going to FaceTime her, but she really wanted him to actually be here. She inhaled a deep breath, feeling her chest drop. She felt overcome with sad emotions, and she didn't understand why.

"You don't need him to hold you when you're upset. You're fine. You're your own person." She told herself, as she sniffed heavily.

She felt tears running down her face, and she growled at herself. Why was she crying? Her day was rough, but she got over it. Why was she crying now? She a sob choked out of her, as her emotions overwhelmed her. She rubbed her eyes, curling into a ball. She couldn't stop it anymore then she could in the cell earlier that day. She knew she wanted Jace here, but that couldn't be why she was crying. Stupid pregnant hormones. She felt pain in her gut, making her grumble in frustration. The baby moved into an awful position, and she gasped. Now she had to pee. She huffed, climbing to her feet. Jonathan was being a little butt now wasn't he. Today had been frustrating enough, and now her babe is was acting like he wanted to kill her.

OoOoO

Clary blinked her eyes open, seeing that her phone was ringing. She quickly looked at the clock, seeing that it was 11:03. She slapped her hand to her face, fishing for her phone. She fell asleep. She flicked the light on, as she answered it. "Hey." Jace smiled before furrowing his brow. "You were asleep, weren't you?" He asked, seeming a little disappointed. "I didn't want to wake you. If I would have known, I wouldn't have called. You need your rest." He pouted at her, as he climbed onto his bed.

"It is ok." She rubbed her eyes, and attempted to flatten her hair. She felt like she looked hideous, but she probably looked worst last night. "I wanted to talk to you." She smiled sleepily, trying to find another comfortable position.

"What do you want to talk about?" He laid on his side, propping his phone the best he could against something.

"I don't know." She murmured, pulling the covers to her neck. "Tell me stuff I don't about you. I feel like I'm always talking." She whispered, curling under the covers.

"Where do you want me to start? That's really broad." He teased with a smile.

"Your childhood?" She questioned softly, biting her lip.

"My dad was a thug and my mother was crazy. I spent most of my time at the Lightwoods, and they pretty much adopted me at 10. It's kind of odd we didn't meet sooner." He chuckled, propping his arm behind his head.

"Yes, it is." Her cheeks became pink when she realized that it was weird that they hadn't met sooner.

"What else is there?" He hummed. "I played football growing up."

"Boring!" She laughed. "Something interesting." She encouraged with a faint smile.

"Hmmm... I hate ducks." He wrinkled his nose, as he revealed a fear of his.

"Ducks? Why?" She snickered, ducking her head against her shoulder. She laughed heavily, turning her head into her pillow. He hates ducks. What is that about?!

"I don't know. I look into their eyes, and they seem dead inside." He squinted his eyes, pursing his lips along with it. He looked so silly like that, which just made her giggle harder. Her sides were starting to hurt by now, so she tried to calm herself down.

"Well now you look dead inside." She joked, soothing her blankets down.

"I look totally lively." He gave her a suggested look, making her laugh even harder.

"You are an idiot." She snorted, shaking her head at him.

"I'm amazing." He countered, sending her an air kiss. She pecked her lips at the screen, making Jace grin at her.

"How was your dinner? Who all was there?" She asked, as her giggles subsided.

"The usual people." He shrugged, sighing heavily. He obviously was bored the entire time, which made her wonder how it would have gone if she went with him.

"So Adlertree, Starkweather, and- oh… It was a woman. Maia?" She offered. "Along with their wives and husband, of course." She grinned deviously, knowing that she was right. She had dinner with him more times then she could count, and they were the dullest people ever.

"You're good. Is it just me, or did it seem like Maia and her husband were a little…" he winced, gritting his teeth. "Tense." They were awkward to be around, and you couldn't help feel bad for her husband. It was obvious that he adored her, but she just didn't return those feelings.

"I never really knew her very well, but I know that she isn't in love with her husband anymore." She sighed, inhaling a deep breath. She felt bad for both of them, especially now that she was going through this divorce with Sebastian. If Sebastian and her had separated sooner, much sooner, they might have been happy.

"That's too bad." He murmured before they fell into silence. She was glad he woke her up for this because everything was so simple. She felt at ease and relaxed. "You're originally from New York aren't you?" He changed the subject to a much happier one.

"Yeah, my mother lives there." She smiled, realizing that she probably should call her soon.

"Do you want me to bring you to New York the next time I go?" He offered shyly, knowing that it was a big jump for a budding couple. Going away together was a big deal, and normally that's when couples screw around, which is something they won't be doing. It made her a little nervous because he might have certain expectations. She knew he probably didn't have those kinds of expectations, and she was just being paranoid.

"I would like that." She breathed, feeling her heart contract in her chest. She was excited to go home, and see some of her old friends.

"Sounds good," he murmured with a grin. "How's Jon doing?" Jace asked softly, curling under his blankets. The way he said Jon made her so happy. He said it with such endearment it made her so glad that he cared about her baby.

"He was being a little pain in my butt today." She looked at her stomach accusingly. "He sat in uncomfortable places, made me have very dramatic food cravings, and made me cry multiple times." She snickered, shaking her head slightly.

"Don't cry." He pouted at her, nuzzling under his covers.

"I'm not crying now." She laughed, shaking her head at him. "I have already cried in front of you more times than I would like to count." She snickered, slipping further under the covers.

"I like it when you cry." He whispered, and then his eyes widened. "I didn't mean that I like it when you cry, but I like being there when you need a shoulder. I guess." He blushed heavily. "You know what I mean." He put his hand on his face, seeming a little embarrassed.

"I get it." She nodded, feeling her eyelids get heavy.

"I think I'm going to let you go. We need some sleep. I'll call you tomorrow though?" He suggested.

"Yeah, sounds good. Good night." She bit her lip, as she hung up. She smiled at the phone before setting it on the side table.

A/N: What did you guys think?

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