Hello again! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, followed and favourited. You are all beautiful people.

I'm going to mention the people who got at least one thing right about where the story is headed. Go check them out if they have an account because they are obviously smart!

Guests who guessed something correctly:

Clace shipper

Logged in people who guessed something correctly (CHECK THEM OUT! Even if they haven't written stories, they've probably followed some awesome ones):

Bubblegum234

oesteffel

Ella Blackrose

Oregongirl1992

raka.b13: Thank you!

AJ (Guest): The waffle was very much appreciated

PurpleAi: I don't want to spoil anything but they do have a run-in very soon... as in, this chapter. I'm glad you appreciated the non-bitchy Aline!

Page1of365: Thank you! Jace is a bit sad at the moment but he may cheer up soon. On the other hand, it's Jace. He may not.

ThatBlondeALB: There's not a huge story with Kaelie but Aline will be reappearing soon!

Bubblegum234: You're partly right, but you'll have to wait and see! I promise Clace will be soon though

oesteffel: You've got a really good theory! You'll have to wait and see, but you'll see I did mention you in the list above!

Guest: Thanks!

Ella Blackrose: I think it's safe to say that your theory was very, very sound.

Oregongirl1992: It would be a very Clary-like thing to do, having an art studio and living in Brooklyn

Guest: This is 100% a Clace story

Catielynn09: Glad you're interested

Clace shipper (Guest): Good job! I won't tell you which part of your prediction was correct, but you'll see very soon!

Something collided with him, leaving him off balance for a moment. As he stumbled, mid-morning sun dazzled his eyes. The noise of thousands of mellow voices enjoying the weather and their weekend coffees faded into the background as the splattering of something hitting the pavement and a curse in a familiar voice followed a sharp ripping sound.

"Watch your language, Clarissa." The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could swallow them.

The face he never thought he'd see again gaped up at him. Her hair had gotten longer, he saw, and he drank in the sight of her. Her face had matured slightly, stealing the last traces of childhood roundness. His eyes lingered on every difference. Even the red of her lips seemed brighter. The only thing that was entirely familiar was her eyes. The same startling green peered up at him.

"What are you doing here?" She looked surprised.

Jace ignored the tumultuous waves of his stomach. "I live here." He tried to sound as bored as he could.

He tried to sound like he was over her.

But of course he wasn't. He hadn't even tried to pretend to himself; denial was useless. Alec and Isabelle, they wanted the best for him and meant to help by setting him up on blind dates and the like, but they could never fully grasp what Clary meant to him.

She didn't say anything else, just stood there, staring. A smear of lavender paint stained her cheek, and he almost smiled. Still the same Clary.

Suddenly, anger flew across her features. "What happened to not seeing me ever again? Not speaking to me?"

An painful ache spread throughout him and he struggled to keep his expression unreadable. Of course, the same Clary was still furious at him. "This may be news to you, but I'm not so desperate to see you that I would orchestrate a whole encounter just to bump into you." He let his voice sharpen, let the anxiety and shock of seeing her feed his acidity.

"So out of all the people in Manhattan, I just happen to run into you."

"Oh my, you're right. I just forgot the months of planning that I needed to see you for a whole ten seconds. These things do tend to slip away."

Jace paused. Her whole tiny body was practically vibrating with anger and her eyes were trained, intent and blazing, on his face. Her lips were slightly parted and her cheeks flushed with fury. He wondered if he would ever see her smile again; if this was any indication, any encounter they had would be filled with harsh words and irritation. The thought sent a painful ping through his body.

Then he noticed what had split open on the floor between them.

"As captivating as I am, I think we should pick up the paints that just exploded all over you. Or at least what's left of them." Not we, Jace cursed himself. You. Nothing is we anymore.

She glanced down and let out a horrified little shriek. Dashed over her jeans like a Pollock painting, the colours looked as though they were slowly soaking through the denim. Cool red over burnt orange, splashes of sky blue at the very bottom. It looked almost like an abstract sunset, the beautiful colours incongruous with the whirlwind of emotion swirling within.

"Oh my god, I've got a forty-minute subway ride home." She groaned, her voice still holding traces of anger.

His heart thumped. "My apartment is a five-minute walk from here. You could- you could come and clean up, if you wanted." He tried to look disdainful. "The paint smells worse than Isabelle's cooking, and I'm thinking of the poor people on the subway. They'll have to deal with the smell all the way to…" He trailed off, not knowing where she lived.

A fact he thought he'd come to peace with.

"Brooklyn." She said. "I live in Brooklyn now."

He pulled a face. "Brooklyn." Painful imaginings cropped up; a small terrace house with Clary's art on the walls and Sebastian's stupid sports coat hanging over a chair. One level of an apartment building, messy because Clary hated cleaning. The smell of fresh paint and coffee grounds, mixed with no doubt disgusting cologne. That idiot probably didn't appreciate how lucky he was.

"And it's fine, I'm used to having paint all over me." She was holding herself carefully, trying not to touch her paint-soaked jeans.

Jace raised a single eyebrow, knowing how much it annoyed her. "Not that much paint."

"Jace, it's fine."

"Clary, it's not fine."

"I have to get home. I would say it was nice seeing you again, but quite honestly, it wasn't." Defeat and betrayal hung in the air, as noxious as the fumes from the traffic.

"Say hello to Sebastian for me. Oh, wait, that's right." He smirked. "He won't know about this little encounter, will he?"

Clary shook her head. "Not because of any decision I made; that choice was all yours, Jace. So don't try to put it on me."

Sorry for all the bitterness... but I'd be pretty bitter if my best friend decided what was best for me too.

Let me know what you thought!