8

The plane ride was smooth for the most part, but was still extremely long, which irritated Clary more then she remembered.

Yes, Clary had never been the most patient person in the world, but she surely didn't ever feel impatient. But, by now, what didn't shock her?

Halfway through the 10 hour flight, Clary had gotten up to use the bathroom for the sixth time just so she could feel some semblance of pacing.

When she got back to her seat, she squeezed past a snoring Aline and an adorable baby-faced sleeping Jace to her window seat. She sighed, pulling up Jace's jacket that he had insisted she used as a blanket and closing her eyes, attempting to sleep.

She shifted positions many times before finally settling on laying her head against Jace's shoulder, not caring how it looked or what it implied about how quickly she was obviously falling for him. It was perfect, as if they naturally fit together.

Jace shifted, Clary cringing in hope she didn't wake him, only to have his head rest atop hers. He exhaled contentedly, the sound contagiously traveling onto Clary, causing her to close her eyes and fall into a semi-peaceful sleep.

Clary woke with a start, her moms screams and Sebastian's cackles echoing through her head. Her head jerked off of Jace's shoulder, the sudden movement waking him as well.

"What happened? Who died?" Jace exclaimed groggily, Clary's hand landing on his shoulder to calm him.

"Hey sorry, looks like I fell asleep on your shoulder and woke you when I woke. Sorry." She said again, and Jace smiled, his light hair falling over one of his golden eyes. "Well, anyways," She continued, breaking the stare-fest, "looks like we've got an hour 'till landing. You could probably catch another 45 minutes." She said, turning to her plugged in phone, flustered for no reason at all.

"What woke you?" Jace inquired, and Clary exhaled, puffing her cheeks out. She refused to turn to him and gush her guts up about her nightmares. "Clary, come on." Jace nagged, running his fingers through her hair in attempt of annoyance.

"I have nightmares. Vivid ones." She blurted, angered at her mouth for betraying her like that, having not sharing that part of herself in forever.

"Oh…" Jace said, and Clary turned her head to look at him, her cheeks red, his face unreadable. "Well, its nothing out of the ordinary. You're in a stressful situation, of course your brain isn't reacting well." Clary's jaw dropped a bit at his response. Normally she was just granted a "oh that must suck" or a "weirdo". "What?" He asked, worried.

"It's not just now though. It's been always." Clary argued.

"There's no difference. We all have things. Yours makes you, well, you." Jace said practically, as if everyone knew and believed this thought.

"Thank you." Clary said, smiling at him.

"For what?"

"Not sure yet." She answered, and he grinned, a boyish gleam coming to life on his angelic face.

They landed in Canada at midnight for their bodies but mid-day Canada time.

When they exited the airport, Clary felt a tension come to live in herself that she hadn't felt in a while, even only being in Vancouver, since all the Victoria airports were tiny.

The Brits, on the other hand, were ecstatic. Jace had practically skipped off the plane along with Alec and Magnus bound in toe. Aline came off whilst on the phone, Isabelle with her camera and Maia already half-asleep.

They ended up loading into a cheap motel, Isabelle and Maia getting one room, all three boys bunking together and Clary ending up sharing with Aline.

After hanging out with Isabelle and Maia until around 19:00, they were all so exhausted, Clary decided to retire to her room.

"You two don't go to crazy tonight. Love you guys, I'll see you in the morning." Clary said to the couple before leaving their room and heading down the hall to her room, not feeling tired in the slightest.

When she arrived in the room, Aline was busy on her computer, working whatever she was always working on with her cell phone propped against her shoulder and her ear, looking up when the door clicked signaling that Clary had entered into the room.

Clary shook her head at Aline, trying to indicate that she didn't have to hang up and talk to her but obviously failing when Aline knocked the phone off her shoulder and into her hand, ending the call.

"How you feeling?" Aline asked, patting the seat next to her. Clary inwardly sighed, not in the mood for a girl talk, but coming and sitting next to Aline nonetheless.

"Well, I mean…" Clary started, having no clue what she would say, when she was saved by the chiming of her phone going off. "It's probably Isabelle." Clary assured Aline, who shrugged and went back to her computer. Unlocking her phone, Clary blinked, surprised to see 'Jace' on the screen. "Yeah?" Clary asked, after she answered.

"Are you tired? I'm not tired. Lets go do something. I need to go explore Vancouver. You in?" Jace questioned, rushed and sounding almost skittish.

"Please, will you go out and just babysit him? He's driving us insane." Came Alec's muffled voice from the phone, causing Clary to giggle.

"Alright, only for a bit though. And only to the places I know!" Clary added at the end, realizing she only knew the 'touristy' areas of the city since that's where she would stay with her mom when they came on holiday.

Clary hung up the phone, giggling to herself before grabbing her scarf up from where she had strewn it off in the bed and wrapping it around her neck, heading towards the door when she heard a throat clearing behind her.

"Heading back to go at it with those two?" Aline asked, smirking softly at Clary in suggestion.

"Very funny. No, Jace was just asking for me to take him out, since I know the streets and stuff. Alec practically begged me so I said yes." Clary said, figuring the conversation was finished at that, swiveling on her foot when she heard Aline continue talking.

"That isn't a mature idea at all." Aline stated, throwing her opinion out there, making Clary knit her brows. "A criminal who is in the same country as you is searching for you, and you're just going to go out with a random boy who was assigned to work with you and you'll never see again after the case?" Aline's voice was loud by then, bordering on a yell.

"I have a feeling this isn't about Sebastian." Clary said, standing her place, holding back her anger. Aline couldn't have been six or seven years older than Clary, she really couldn't be making wise adult calls yes.

"Jace and you will never work out. He's only hitting on you because this job doesn't give many options and you'll have to write up a full review on him if he wants to pass the assistant classes, you're being used." Aline articulated, quieter this time. "Plus, we already have a thing. He's my assistant." Aline added, Clary almost missing the final comment or the possessive way she said my.

"Whoa, Aline, no problem, was only going to chaperone. I'll catch you later." Clary said, not giving Aline a chance to attack her again by swiftly heading out the door, slamming it behind her.

Clary's pot was boiled over. Yeah, Jace flirted with her. Yeah, she flirted back. It's called the life cycle, human nature forced it. Clary didn't think Jace really wanted to get in her trousers, no matter what she felt for him herself. He was a lovely boy, and she enjoyed his company. Plus, he'd be lost wandering Vancouver on his own.

And with that, Clary had decided.