A/N: Here's the prep for the party! :D I wish Magnus would invite me to a party. Haha. Enjoy!

Chapter 6

(Evangeline POV)

I was starting to become accustomed to Isabelle bursting into my bedroom and dragging me everywhere. This time, it was to her room to get ready for the party, which was apparently going to be wild and exciting like the rest of Magnus's parties "always" were, in the words of Isabelle.

Before she could actually haul me to her room, I grabbed my new teal dress by its hanger to bring it with me. So once we got in to her sparkly mess of a room, I looked around for a place to hang it up.

Isabelle saw me glancing around and laughed to herself. "Here, give your dress to me."

"Okay," I said, doing as she asked. Isabelle proceeded to throw it unceremoniously onto her bed, which was already cluttered with miscellaneous clothing articles. The whole room was that way, and I couldn't even see the floor. It was astonishing; I had never seen a room that untidy before. "Aren't you going to hang it up?"

"Not planning on it." She then grabbed my shoulders and steered me to her equally messy vanity table. "Time for makeup." Izzy then began to browse the many containers of the stuff on the table's surface. "I know you wear lipstick, but what about everything else?"

I replied honestly, "I don't ever feel the need to wear much makeup." Basic blush and lipstick was all Mama wore. I guess it had never occurred to me to wear anything beyond those.

Izzy sighed exasperatedly at me, which was quickly becoming a habit for her. "It's not a matter of whether you need it or not. It's about enhancing what you already have," she instructed. "Now hold still, and keep your eyes closed."

Isabelle applied a full face of makeup onto me, including eyeliner, mascara, blush, and other such things. When she was finished, she announced, "Your face is done. You may look in the mirror."

I opened my eyes and was instantly surprised. She had given me subtly smoky eyes and extremely long eyelashes, which made my sapphire irises stand out even more. My cheeks were tinged pink and my lips bright red. Overall, I looked even more beautiful than what I would have expected possible. Dazed, I lightly touched my face to make sure that the goddess in the mirror was really me.

"Izzy, I… don't know what to say. Thank you."

Isabelle crossed her arms and smiled in a self-satisfied way. "You're not done yet."

"I'm not?"

"Hair. Have you ever straightened it? Wait. Of course you haven't straightened it. That's going to change today."

That was a novel idea. She was right—I had never straightened my hair before. Every day of my life, I had the same glossy black curls. I wondered what my hair would look like straight.

After a long straightening process, I got my answer.

My long hair was much flatter than usual, and looked like half of it had been removed from my head. But… it still looked good. My bangs, which I always brushed to make them not curl up, now matched the rest of my hair. It was interesting, and surprisingly pretty. It was certainly a different look for me, but I didn't mind it.

"Wow… Izzy, you've outdone yourself," I said, mainly at a loss for words. "I look beautiful."

"Thank me later. Put your dress on while I get ready." So I did, and then watched how quickly and effortlessly Izzy applied her own makeup. "You must wear makeup a lot if you can do that so quickly."

"Damn right," she said, applying a few coats of mascara perfectly. "There. I'm done." She turned around to look at me, and grinned. "Well, don't you look like a city girl."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"Yeah, especially if you're going to a Downworld party like we are. But you need accessories, big time." Isabelle fished around her messy room for a couple minutes, sometimes throwing things in my direction for me to put on. Silver pumps, a gray fedora hat, and a long string of pearls. "Wear these. I think they'll give you a good balance between old-fashioned and modern-day, and they'll look great with your dress."

I did as she commanded, and then looked in the mirror again. It was a new and different look for me, but was one that I liked. And I was still recognizable as myself, only a less naïve and out-of-place version. "Now can I thank you?"

"You may."

"Well, thanks, then."

"Why don't you go downstairs now? The boys are waiting by the door. Tell them I'll be down in a minute."

"Okay," I said, once again doing as I was told. When I finally arrived in the hallway in front of the elevator, I saw that Jace and Alec were already waiting. I walked near them and leaned against the wall. "Izzy will be down soon. She just needs to get dressed, and told me to tell you that it'll only take a minute."

Alec snorted. "More like twenty, knowing Izzy." Alec had traded in his usual sweater-and-ratty-jeans combo for a clingy T-shirt and nice dark jeans. I assumed that he was trying to look nice for his boyfriend, which was cute.

Jace was uncharacteristically silent. I noticed that he was wearing a white shirt with jeans and a leather jacket, sunglasses perched on top of his blond curls. "Why do you need sunglasses?" I joked lightheartedly. "It's going to be nighttime soon."

It was then that I observed that he was staring at me again, not saying a word. Just gazing at me. This time, it seemed almost… more personal, if that's possible. It was like he was staring into my soul, scrutinizing not only my body but also my mind and thoughts. It made me apprehensive, but also intrigued. Butterflies came into my stomach at the sudden attention.

And for whatever reason, I found myself staring back.

(Jace POV)

When Evangeline walked into the hallway, I didn't pay much attention. I just wanted to go to the party already and come back. Clary couldn't come, so it was bound to be a long night.

But when Evangeline spoke to Alec and me, I looked up and found myself pleasantly surprised. Sure, she was as beautiful as any woman in her family, but tonight she looked absolutely breathtaking.

She said something more, but I only saw her lips move. No sound, as I was too busy staring at her. She was so gorgeous, and… I wanted her.

Sure, Clary was pretty too, in a way that most people wouldn't expect. Pretty because she didn't know it. And I loved Clary, I really did, but I couldn't help myself. Even the first time I saw Evangeline the first time, she interested me. How innocent she seemed, how easily embarrassed. It had confused me why I felt that way, and I tried to get over it by taking it out on Clary and having sex with her. And it was fun, as it always was, and I remembered that I loved her as much as I did.

But now, with Evangeline standing in front of me in her teal dress, I was overcome with a different emotion entirely. Clary had gotten my attention from being dressed by Isabelle last year, but that was more over-the-top and obvious. Sexy, definitely. But Evangeline was sexy in her own way, a sort of understated and innocent way, and it made me want her all the more. Just as Clary had been different, Evangeline was also different and it sparked my interest.

And sometimes, I didn't know if my relationship with Clary was going to last. I couldn't picture us getting married any time soon, mainly because neither of us wanted to get married. But I couldn't even picture Clary being the only woman in my life, for the rest of my life. And we had been through so many problems together, but most of the passion had disappeared. Except in the bedroom, but that was different.

Staring at Evangeline in the hallway, I knew without a doubt that she would be mine. I wasn't necessarily done with Clary, but it was time for Jace Wayland-Herondale-Lightwood to reconsider his options. And Evangeline was the perfect girl for my purposes.

A/N: I'm already writing the next chapter, so it should be up soon! :D And we all know what's in the next one... the party! xoxo