This weather is not making me feel very inspired, but I sat down and tried my best to write a chapter anyway- just for you guys. It's on the short side and a bit of a filler, but I promise the next chapter will be much more interesting!
ThatBlondeALB: Thank you! I'm glad you found this story too!
PurpleAi: That would be the ideal situation, but like you said, Jace and Clary are both so stubborn...
Zoe0405: Here's the update and I think we all want to give Jace a hug from time to time!
Bubblegum234: You win the funniest review award for the chapter; and don't worry, Clace will win eventually. That's a guarantee.
Sabeling: Thank you so much! Your reaction to the chapter was one of the best compliments I've ever received and the comments about my writing were even better! Hope you enjoy this one :)
Page1of365: Thanks!
raka.b13: Thank you! I hope you haven't died of anticipation before getting to read this!
camimardock: I think the title of the story explains why he acted the way he did; Old Habits. The full saying is 'old habits die hard', and he was proving this to be true by doing exactly what he had been for the past years, which was not revealing to Clary how he really felt. It is a bit ridiculous, but most of us have been in a situation at some point when something inside of us prevents us from telling someone what we really feel. It's hard to make yourself so vulnerable, especially, in Jace's case, when you've been doing protecting yourself for a long period of time. Then there's also the fact that he doesn't truly believe Clary would pick him over Sebastian (even though he's an idiot for thinking that) because he'd tried to warn her off Sebastian in the past and she hadn't listened, at least in Jace's eyes. So I hope that's a good explanation for why I chose to have Jace act the way he did! I'm always happy to listen to someone else's opinion because I think it makes me a better writer to consider a bunch of different viewpoints, so let me know what you think of all of this :) (Sorry for the extreme length of this.)
newt-scamanderp: Thanks! Sorry about the chapter length! I am working hard to make my chapters long, but sometimes it's all I have time to write and I'd rather give you guys a short chapter on time than a longer chapter late.
Guest: Thanks, here's the update!
Guest: Thank you! Of course not dead, but if she doesn't fix this... who knows what might happen.
chesire15: I hope she sees it too!
Enjoy!
Three Years Later
The streets of New York were filled with honking, fumes, and voices of people rushing home after work. It was Friday night, after all, and the clubs would be blaring all night.
Jace hadn't thought it possible to feel lonely in a city so full of people and life, which was part of the reason he'd accepted the job offer as assistant director at Maryse Lightwood's company, the Institute. Tasked with 'bringing a fresh perspective to the workplace', he felt entirely dissatisfied with his current situation.
He wasn't made for a desk job. Every day, he sat, brimming with restless energy until Maryse got sick of him and made him go for a run. It was lucky he was family; otherwise he would have been fired by now. He pushed himself as fast and hard as he could until it was physically impossible to go anymore.
And the other reason for his unsettled mind-
Jace firmly shut the thought down before it could grow.
There had been girls, over the years, but none shone as brightly as she used to. None could take up the same space in his head, although most of them were taller than her.
Not that that would be hard to achieve.
In fact, he had gravitated towards her polar opposites; leggy blondes who had probably never picked up a paintbrush in their life and wouldn't know a Monet if it hit them in the face.
He tugged at his tie irritably, cursing the suit he had to wear to work each day. The air was balmy after a long summer's day, and the sinking sun was drawing away the last spots of intense heat and hints of daytime, leaving Jace with a flood of relief. Another day over and done with.
Maybe Isabelle would come over try and get him to come clubbing with her again. He feigned distaste, but he liked the time with Isabelle and and a break from the discarded feeling that heavily in his stomach every time the redhead crossed his mind for even a second.
It was all ridiculous. He was the one who chose to leave her, and he was the one who enforced the distance. Looking for new jobs out of state, he mentioned the search to Maryse, who immediately offered him the position she'd been looking to fill for a while. The pay was good enough that he could rent a decent apartment in Manhattan; it just so happened to be the same building as Izzy.
Clary had never called. He assumed she was so angry about his sacrifice that she wouldn't try and reach out to him again, which was the way he intended it to go. Her pride was the barrier that formed the unbreakable wall between, only solidifying as time went on- well, her pride and Sebastian.
Cool air wrapped in him grateful reprieve as he entered his apartment building. As he called the elevator and tapped his feet, he shot a smirk to the girl entering the building behind him. Dressed for work in a black skirt and blouse, she was striking, with a tilt to her dark eyes and pin straight, choppy hair. Colour rose slightly on her face and her bright red lips curved into a smile. "Keep dreaming, Blondie."
Jace was almost stunned. Not missing a beat, he replied. "Oh, I will." His voice dripped with insinuation.
The lobby was silent as they both watched the electronic numbers on the panel slip downwards with the elevator.
"So, do you live here?" Her tone was slightly pitying.
Jace bristled but slipped a cool grin onto his face. "Thirtieth floor. Feel free to pay a visit whenever you like."
She laughed again. "I don't think that'll be happening. And so you don't have to ask, I'm just visiting."
He wasn't going to ask.
He had no idea why this girl kept rejecting him. Had someone finally twigged that he would never be able to be serious about them?
The elevator dinged and he stepped back. "I think I'll wait for the next one."
"Don't be so disheartened that I won't go for you." The girl turned, her movement fluid and steady even in high heels.
"You're right, I'm heartbroken. If you could just leave me to deal with it in peace, that would be great."
Her face darkened. "Get on the elevator; this is ridiculous."
"What's ridiculous is that you're trying so hard to get me onto that elevator." He refused to budge. "We don't even know each other's names."
"Who says I don't know your name, Jace Herondale?"
He froze. "How-"
"I'm Aline Penhallow. Remember now?"
Jace almost laughed. "Aline?"
Now that she'd told him her name, he could quite clearly see the lines of the old Aline beneath her sharp, inquisitive face. Their fling hadn't lasted more than ten minutes because Isabelle walked in, demanding to know where Alec was.
"And the friend I'm visiting is your sister. Feel comfortable enough to get in the elevator with me now?" She moved her hand away from the gates.
Jace stepped on, slipping sideways to avoid the doors as they slid closed. He cleared his throat. "How come so many people from school have moved to New York?"
She considered his question. "I think you, Izzy and I might be the only ones living in Manhattan." Her voice was layered with deliberate caution, as if she was trying hard not to reveal something. Jace furrowed his brow. "Most of the people I know from school have gone back to Connecticut after college. Actually," clearly trying to change the topic, false excitement brought a synthetic glow to her face, "Kaelie Whitewillow moved to London."
"Great." Jace said, his voice drenched in acerbity. An awkward silence fell between them, but Jace didn't particularly care. He was stuck on the careful way she stepped around the question of New York, only mentioning Manhattan. Obviously, someone he didn't like or didn't want to see had also come here, and Izzy had probably warned Aline not to tell him.
A soft ding signaled Aline's departure, and she gave him a soft smile. "See you around, Jace."
When people make Aline a really bitchy character, I just want to go and hug her. I know there are limited options for those sorts of characters that are girls in lots of these AH fics, but even Clary says at the end of CoG that Aline is someone who says whatever she's thinking, when she thinks it. (And Clary walked in on Aline and Jace making out! Talk about being magnanimous.)
Anyway.
Where do you guys see this story going? I would really like to know what you think (and if anyone guesses correctly, I might do something special for them... such as a chapter in Clary's POV of their choice... or maybe a chapter from a POV they choose... really, who knows what could happen?)