A/N: Who's ready for a super-fast update? I hammered this out late last night, just for all of you! :)

Chapter 38

(Clary POV)

Evangeline and I showed up at the Institute hand-in-hand, and stayed like that for the entire walk to Jace's room. The two of us had discussed on the way over how excited we were to be having this conversation with the boys, finally. It was definitely time for all of us to work out the logistics of our polyamorous relationship.

While we were walking down a hallway, I shot an encouraging smile at Evangeline, which she returned. Prior to Jace and Simon calling to invite us over, we had been talking about our mutual attraction and had actually made out for a while. It had initially surprised me when Evangeline deepened our formerly chaste kisses, but I wasn't going to complain. Especially since she felt the same way about everything as I did, returning my burgeoning feelings and whatnot. It really felt great to be on the same page as her, in the midst of all the confusing emotions and attractions.

"I wonder what Jace and Simon have been up to," Evangeline mused as we approached Jace's door, our intertwined hands swinging between us.

I thought about that morning, when I had called Jace and the two of them sounded awfully suspicious. "They've probably been having sex, knowing them."

"You think so?"

"Well, we'll find out soon enough," I grinned, since we were now face-to-face with the door to Jace's bedroom. I knocked on it. "Jace? Simon? Are you in there?"

Barely two seconds later, the door flew open to reveal Jace and Simon, both of them flushed and smiling ear-to-ear. "Clary! Evangeline!" greeted Jace, wrapping his arms around us and planting quick kisses on our cheeks. "Come in, come in."

"Yes, do," Simon said good-naturedly, nodding for emphasis. Something was definitely up with these two. What was with the formality?

I decided to get right to the point, once we were all inside Jace's plain bedroom. "Did you two finally have sex today?" I asked the boys bluntly.

I watched as they looked questioningly at each other. Jace was the one to speak up, saying, "Yes. Twice."

As Evangeline laughed, Simon playfully hit Jace. "You didn't have to tell them that!" he said, sounding scandalized. Typical Simon.

"Sure he did," I said, very amused. "The four of us are going to try to be in a relationship, which means that we have to communicate openly and honestly with one another."

It was then, looking around the room, that I realized the four of us were all together for the first time since deciding to follow through on this crazy (but amazing) quartet thing. The other three all seemed to become aware of it, too, since the four of us ended up staring at each other in wonderment for several moments.

"Right. Open and honest communication," Jace said at last, turning to look at Simon and me. "Simon, Clary, I hope you don't mind, but I would like to talk to Evangeline in private." I snuck a glance at Evangeline, who seemed excited at the idea. A hopeful smile had lit her face, which made me grin, too. I knew that she had wanted some one-on-one with Jace for a long time.

"That's fine with me," I said. "Simon and I can hang out, just like old times. Right, Simon?" I bumped him gently with my shoulder.

"Well, not exactly like old times," he acknowledged, dipping down to give me a small peck on the lips. "You would have never let me get away with that, for example." All four of us laughed at that.

I was so happy that the jealousy and fighting were now nonexistent that I threw my arms around his skinny neck and kissed him harder. "And you would have probably had a heart attack if I ever did that. Come on, let's go to my room." Even though I had never exactly lived in the Institute, there was still a spare bedroom that everyone considered 'mine'.

Evangeline, meanwhile, said to Jace, "If you want, we could take our conversation into my room." I suspected that Jace's lack of decorations was making her anxious, knowing her.

Simon said to them, "I guess we'll see you guys later! Have fun."

"You too," Jace grinned.

Before Simon started walking out, though, I watched him sweetly kiss Evangeline and then, to my surprise, plant one on Jace. Just like at Seven Minutes in Heaven, the sight greatly captivated me. Who would have ever guessed?

Then, I decided to follow his example and kissed Jace and Evangeline myself. It was incredibly freeing and wonderful to be able to do that, to demonstrate my overwhelming love for everyone in the room in such a physical way. I had just kissed all three of the people I loved within a minute or two, and didn't have to worry about them being jealous or anything. It was wonderful.

Simon's hand caught mine and, beaming, we both exited Jace's room and made way for my own.

(Evangeline POV)

I didn't entirely know why I had suggested that Jace and I go to my room down the hall, but I didn't regret it at all. Having him in my exquisitely decorated bedroom—to think that it had once seemed so plain and devoid of joy to me!—was almost like opening my soul to him, in a way.

Every painting, both gauzy blue curtains, the throw rug on the floor, the pretty bedspread, my countless clothes hanging in the overstuffed closet… All of it had been deliberately put there by me, neatly arranged with my own hands. My manor in France had been beautiful, but I had very little influence on its décor. This room, here at the Institute, felt like it was truly mine, and letting Jace inside was my way of letting him into my world.

He stood by the door, hands in his pockets, surveying the effeminate furnishings. I realized that he had never been in my fully decorated room before, and was proud of myself for suggesting that we come here.

"This room really suits you," he said after a long silence. "It's beautiful."

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. "Thank you. I'm quite proud of it." I became poignantly aware that we were alone for the first time since we had decided to try at being friends. A nearly-forgotten but nonetheless familiar feeling welled up in me: I wanted him to hold me in his strong arms, to kiss me, and to love me. For the first time, I felt that all of those things were possible. It gave me the courage to say, "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Us." Jace paused for a moment. "Mind if I sit down?"

I appreciated his manners. "Not at all," I told him, gesturing towards the bed. He sat down on its edge, and I sat next to him. "What do you mean, you want to talk about us?"

I looked into his beautiful golden eyes as he said, "Well, I have a few things that I want to clear up. And I have a couple questions for you, too."

"Okay…" The butterflies became more insistent.

"Firstly, I am ecstatic that you've decided to pursue this four-way relationship with us. And that brings me to my next point… Evangeline, I'm glad that I don't have to deny my feelings for you anymore. Ever since we met, I've known that you're supposed to be a big part of my life. Remember our instant connection?"

I nodded. "Of course I remember. It was wonderful, but it also terrified me in a way."

"It was the same for me! And I was trying to be faithful to Clary, but we both know how that worked out." That made me recall our first kisses together, stolen on a couch at Magnus's party. It had been like a dream. And then there was the fallout that had ensued… "But I was and still am immensely attracted to you, Evangeline. I'm done with loathing myself, and I'm glad that I can finally own up to my true feelings."

At first, I was surprised that all of this was coming from Jace, but then I considered it and realized that he had a thoughtful and romantic side, despite how much he tried to hide it. "I know exactly where you're coming from, Jace. I think you know how much I'm drawn to you, too. You were the first man to make me feel anything."

"But Simon was the one to seduce you, that bastard," he said playfully, which made me blush.

"I thought we were all past the jealousy," I pointed out, trying to dispel my bashfulness.

Jace just looked at me, then, for a long time. I tried to memorize all the details of his face, every incredible angle. Finally, he announced, "I want to kiss you. Do you mind?"

The question threw me. "W—what?"

"It's been a long time, so I figured I'd get your permission first. Because I do really want to kiss you right now. See if we still have that connection." He ended in a devilish grin, one hand of his coming to rest on my cheek. Without thinking, I nuzzled against its warmth a little and smiled at him.

I found my voice. "By all means. Now you've got me curious," I said, playing along. And although we were putting on slight airs, I knew that we were both actually wondering about it.

"We'll just have to see, then," he smirked, and drew his face to level with mine. Almost immediately, as our lips found each other, I had the same sensation as every other time we'd kissed: it was like the ground had dropped out from under me, and yet Jace was there to anchor me in place. Passion blazed through my veins, making itself known in every rapid heartbeat of mine and spurring me to keep going, to kiss Jace like there was no tomorrow.

Recently, I had begun to feel these things with Simon as well, and even a little bit with Clary earlier that day at her house. But it came the most naturally with Jace, probably because he was the most sexual out of all of us, both in hobbies and overall demeanor. He exuded pure sex, which thrilled me now that I could recognize it for what it was. Being with Jace was a completely different experience than being with Simon or Clary, but I nonetheless appreciated all three the same.

After a while, we both had to draw back for air, so we ended up pressing our foreheads together and laughing breathlessly. "I think it's safe to say that we still have it," I said laboriously.

"Oh, there's no doubt about that." We laughed again, and Jace kissed the top of my nose. "I'm glad that you feel the same way as I do."

I smiled widely. "The feeling is mutual."

His expression turned more serious, imploring me. "But… There is one thing."

I braced for the worst. "What is it?"

"I've known Clary and Simon for over a year now, but the two of us only met a few weeks ago. I want to get to know you better, Evangeline."

That wasn't bad at all! I thought, positively relieved. "That sounds wonderful!"

"Do you have any plans tomorrow?"

"None at all," I told him, my excitement growing.

"Then I'd like to spend the day with you. If we're really going to pursue this relationship, you and I should get to know each other a bit more."

"I absolutely agree, Jace. I think that's a fantastic idea." Especially since I'd already gotten to know Simon and Clary on a one-to-one basis. I found myself eagerly anticipating my date with Jace.

Triumphant, we both leaned forward into another breathless kiss. That is… until Jace's stomach audibly rumbled. I felt him groan against my mouth, which made me pull back and giggle. He was so cute sometimes.

"Hungry?" I inquired, still laughing a little.

"I napped through lunch and missed dinner," he explained, pouting slightly. "Simon and I didn't exactly allot time for meals." I pictured the two of them together, pursuing their mutual attractions. What a funny and beautiful situation, I decided mentally. "Are you hungry at all?"

I considered it. "Yes, actually."

"Then let's go downstairs. I'm sure there's something edible in the kitchen, unless Izzy cooked again." We exchanged a smile and Jace caught my hand, briefly pressing his lips against my knuckles. Feeling confident about such a successful conversation, we made our way to the kitchen.

A/N: If you can, I would really appreciate some feedback! So please review and tell me what you think. :)