Hey guys! I wanted to let you know a couple things. First, I set up a twitter page for this fic so that all guests can comment. Its called TheBachelorTMI. All of you can post anything on there, and I'll do some contests for rewards on there. Sneak previews will also be posted on the site! I made an email for comments and questions directly to me also (thebachelortmi gmail . Com) without spaces, of course. Thank you for all of my wonderful reviewers, and, I really want you guys to ask things about me. I love getting to know my viewers, so I'm going to do another Q&A, but this one will be next time I update. I ALSO NEED A COVER ARTIST BECAUSE I'M PLANNING ON POSTING THIS FIC ON WATTPAD TOO! EMAIL YOUR SUBMISSION TO THE ACCOUNT ABOVE ^-^)
The car ride wasn't too bad. I'd forced the earlier encounter with Jace out of my mind, and, I mean, I was next to Aline and Helen. Jace sat in front of us with Jess and Seelie.
"So, when are you gonna tell us where we're going?" I asked loudly, gaining Jace's attention. He fixed me with a Cheshire Cat smile.
"You'll just have to wait, won't you." He winked at me, and I rolled my eyes.
"Ass." I muttered under my breath.
"What was that?" he raised an eyebrow, as in one singular eyebrow, and I could tell that now, he was just trying to piss me off with his stupid eyebrow.
"You know exactly what I said." I shrugged nonchalantly. He narrowed his eyes, then stood up in the middle of the moving limo.
"Jace!" I exclaimed as he plopped down between Aline and I, "What the hell are you thinking?! Do you have a death wish?!"
"I guess I do, seeing as I sat next to you." He shot me a wide grin that I wanted to smack off his face. I stretched up so that my lips were millimeters from his ear.
"I will kill you slowly and painfully, and I will enjoy doing it." I whispered, making sure that my voice was to quiet for the cameras to pick up. Then, I pulled back, winking as if I'd said something suggestive. His smile only grew wider.
"Of course you would." He replied coyly, catching on to my game. I chuckled as I noticed that his arm now rested across the back of the seat behind me, a classic cheesy move, even though he wasn't quite touching me. I was about to either ask why, or call him out on it when the limo began to follow a series of curves.
Jace's arm dropped to wrap around my waist, pulling me to him. I didn't question or resist the embrace, instead, gladly accepting it. He knew how much I hated curving roads. How, ever since the accident, I'd feared them.
By this point, nothing processed in my brain, though. All I could hear was the squeal of brakes and the screech of swerving tires. All I could see were headlights approaching way too fast. All I could smell was smoke and burning rubber. All I could feel was scaling metal pressing into my skin.
"It's okay." Jace's whisper somehow broke through my haze, "I'm here. You're okay, we're fine. Nothing's gonna happen." I pulled myself back into reality to be met with the concerned stares of Aline and Helen.
"Are you okay?" Aline asked softly.
"Yeah," I kept my voice steady, "Why do you ask?"
"You just got really pale, all of a sudden." Helen told me, "And your eyes got so blank, like you weren't even here."
I'm just really nervous for the date, I mouthed, feeling a twinge of guilt as they offered knowing smiles. We hit a bump, and I stiffened, but the tightening of Jace's arm around me comforted me, even though he was in the middle of a conversation with Jess.
He squeezed my hip, as if to tell me that it was all okay, that he wouldn't let anything happen to me, and I nodded slightly, knowing he was watching me out of the corner of his eye. Finally, the road ceased to twist, and my stomach uncoiled. I didn't quite know how to interpret the fact that Jace's arm stayed firmly around me.
"Close your eyes!" Jace instructed all of us, and we complied as the limo slowed, "On three open them. One, Two, Three!" We all leapt forwards to look out the window, met with the sight of none other than Idris Dance Studio. My face broke out into a wide smile.
"No way!" I was the first one to speak, "We're going to Idris!?"
Allow me to explain. Back in New York, a few years ago in a game of truth or dare, Jace and I had been dared to take a ballroom dancing class. Surprisingly, we ended up liking it, and kept taking the classes at Clave Ballroom Dance. We had (read: wanted) to come to LA about two months before shooting started, to get used to the city of course. Jace and I had complained about not being able to go to dance classes (which we'd been relentlessly teased about), only to find that, as a surprise, the rest of the gang had enrolled us in classes for our free time at Idris. We had, surprisingly, become Haley Scott's (the instructor) favorite pair, and she was so nice too. Her and her husband (Nathan) were awesome to hang out with. And now, we were here again.
"We're taking dance classes?" Seelie asked.
"You'll find out when we all get out of the car," Jace winked, slipping out of the limo. I was close behind, followed by my two friends, then Jess and Seelie.
"Okay!" Jace clapped his hands together, standing in front of the studio's door, "Yes, we are taking a dance lesson. We will be doing the tango and rumba, the hottest dances out there. So, are you guys ready to sweat?!" I rolled my eyes at the innuendo, then cheered with the other girls.
"Any questions?" He asked, then pointed to Seelie, who'd raised her hand.
"Who will the rest of us be dancing with?" She twirled her hair around her finger, giggling in true ditsy girl fashion, "Ya know, when we aren't with you."
"Some of the dancers from the studio that volunteered." Jace answered, but the glint in his eyes told me he was lying. Now, I was curious. "Are you guys ready to go in?" He tried to get us pumped up, and it worked.
"YEAH!" We yelled in response. Then, Jace opened the door with a flourish, and we all bounded in. My first thought when my eyes landed on the back of the tall, sparkly man was No. Freaking. Way.
Then, he turned around, and sure enough, I met the catlike eyes of Magnus Bane. Next to him stood Alec, Simon, and Jordan. If it was possible, my smile grew. I knew their plan instantly, having been friends with them for so many years. They wanted to scope out the girls without anyone knowing that they were some of the most important people in Jace's life.
It took all of my willpower not to squeal and hug them. I only now realized just how much I missed seeing my friends' faces. Haley stepped out onto the floor, meeting my eyes and offering a quick wink that was too quick for anyone else to catch. Good, she knew not to say anything about my relation to the bachelor.
"Hi girls!" her smile was contagious, "My name is Haley James Scott, and I'm the owner and instructor of Idris. I'm so glad that I get to teach you all today! I'm sure Jace told you, we'll be learning the rumba and the tango today. These are my assistants." Haley stepped back, allowing the guys to introduce themselves.
"Magnus Bane, at your service." Said man offered a bow and his trademark grin.
"Uh... I'm Simon." in true Simon awkwardness, he offered a little wave.
"I'm Jordan." his greeting was similar to Simon's, but a little bit more confident.
"Alec." Alec kept the emotionless face and tone he usually used with new people. I didn't miss the subtle elbow to Alec, courtesy of his boyfriend.
"Well," Haley clapped her hands together, "as you can see, my assistants aren't the most... social people." She winked, and everyone laughed, including the boys. "And on that note," she continued, walking over to the stereo, "let's get started! Jace, come up here." She waved him up to the front, and he gladly walked up to her.
"Jace here is going to demonstrate some of the things you might be doing today. Now, we need one girl to come up with him. Don't worry, it'll just be something simple, and Jace will lead you. I think a good pick would be..." I stopped paying attention as she scanned the crowd, knowing she would pick a beginner so that someone would get a learning experience out of it, "You." I tapped my foot, lost in my own mind as I waited for whoever it was to go up, when Aline elbowed me. I snapped back to attention only to find both Jace and Haley staring at me.
"Me?" I pointed to myself, unsure of whether or not this was a joke. Haley laughed.
"Yes, you..." she trailed off, as if asking my name. "Clary." I supplied, even though she already knew it. I strode to the front of the class, feigning confidence as my mind raced. What game were the two playing at. Their smiles had assured me that this had been planned, but what was in store for me?
"Clary, Jace will be showing you some moves, and all you need to do is let him lead you, and the rest should come naturally. The rest of you, watch them. I'll call out any mistakes. I think you'll like the song I have picked out for you guys." she scrolled on her iPod until she came to the one she was looking for, "I'm sure you're familiar with it. It's by Katy Perry, and it's called Dark Horse."
A cunning smirk spread across my own face. I knew what was going on now. You see, about a week after we got here, Haley realized that we were far from beginners, so she asked us to help her with the newcomers. She taught us a certain routine, telling me that at first, I was supposed to act like the one that didn't really know anything, then BAM! We'd shock the people with our mad skills.
Okay, so those weren't her exact words, but I think you get the general idea.
Jace grabbed one of my hands and placed his other one on my waist.
"Now, put your free hand on my shoulder, stand up straight, and lock your form." he "instructed", and I did as he asked, acting like getting it correct took effort.
"Good!" he complimented me, "Now we're gonna start the music, and right away, I want you to step back when I step forwards, then step forwards when I step back, got it?"
"Got it." I confirmed, then Jace turned and nodded at Haley, signaling her to start the music. The intro began to play, and I did as Jace had commanded before.
"Ready to do something a little bit more complicated?" Jace asked over the music after just a few steps.
"Yeah." I replied, we smiled.
Let's rage
Jace pulled me tight against him into a frame, and we started really dancing.
I knew you were
You were gonna come to me
We moved fluidly across the floor, our eyes locked on each other's, the world around us falling away as we became caught up in the dance.
And here you are
But you better choose carefully
And I
I'm capable of anything
Of anything and everything
Make me your Aphrodite
Make me your one and only
But don't make me your enemy
Your enemy
"Tighten your frame Jace. Clary, loosen your hips." Haley called out.
So you wanna play with magic
Boy, you should know what you're falling for
Baby do you dare to do this?
Cause I'm coming at you like a dark horse
Are you ready for, ready for
A perfect storm, perfect storm
Cause once you're mine, once you're mine
There's no going back
Mark my words
This love will make you levitate
Like a bird
Like a bird without a cage
But down to earth
If you choose to walk away, don't walk away
It's in the palm of your hand now baby
It's a yes or no, no maybe
So just be sure before you give it all to me
All to me, give it all to me
So you wanna play with magic
Boy, you should know what you're falling for
Baby do you dare to do this?
Cause I'm coming at you like a dark horse
Are you ready for, ready for
A perfect storm, perfect storm
Cause once you're mine, once you're mine (love trippin')
There's no going back
"Get ready for the lift!" Haley shouted, knowing that her version of the song skipped the rap verse, and we did just that.
So you wanna play with magic
Boy, you should know what you're falling for (you should know)
Baby do you dare to do this?
Cause I'm coming at you like a dark horse (like a dark horse)
Are you ready for, ready for (ready for)
A perfect storm, perfect storm (a perfect storm)
Cause once you're mine, once you're mine (mine)
I ran towards Jace, who braced for me to fly, then jumped into his arms. He held me by the waist, letting me slide down until our noses crossed, and my lips were millimeters were his.
There's no going back.
I felt his warm, minty breath fan across my face, his mouth curving into a smile that rivaled my own.
"That was amazing!" Haley exclaimed, and I wanted to jump with joy. Haley was very nice, but compliments were rare coming from her in regards to dance.
"You can let Clary down now." she laughed, and it was just then that we realized that I was still in Jace's arms. He lowered me to the ground, and we turned and beamed at the rest of the girls, who's jaws were dropped in shock.
"I've taken ballroom dance for a few years." the lie came off the top of my head, "Jace and I planned this last night. It was quick, and we got most of the moves from Dancing With the Stars. It was just a quick fix to shock you guys!" Luckily, against all odds, the girls seemed to accept my fib. I breathed out a sigh of relief as I went to stand with the group.
"Okay!" Haley scanned everyone as the crowd grew silent, "Jace will be assigning you all partners as he sees fit. I trust his judgement, and my assistants all know what to do. I'll be walking around, observing. They'll only do very simple steps with you, and if you have any questions at all, just ask me!" With that, Haley gestured to Jace, who now stood front and center.
"Okay..." his eyes ran over all of us, then the guys, "Let me just remind you, this is a temporary arrangement, all of you will get a chance to dance with everyone, but... Helen, go ahead and go with Simon, Aline go with Alec, Jess go with Jordan, Seelie come with me, and Clary, that leaves you with Magnus."
Tone him down, Jace mouthed to me so quickly that I almost missed it. I nodded, stifling laughter. We all walked to our respective partners, and Magnus and I positioned ourselves accordingly. We'd chosen the secluded back corner so that we could talk without anyone else hearing us.
"So," Magnus smiled, "Who tied you down and forced you to wear a little bit of makeup?" I couldn't help the snort that escaped me.
"Wow, Mags," I deadpanned, "I'm so glad to see you too! I mean, a month away was so long, and I'm so happy you're here." He rolled his eyes.
"What, you couldn't even go a few weeks without my magnificent fashion sense to guide you?" He winked. I blinked, expressionless.
"You've been spending too much time with Jace." I stated simply, and we both burst into laughter.
"I suppose you're right." He admitted, "I think he may be rubbing off on me."
"No." I dragged out the word, sarcasm evident in my tone, "Not at all."
"Rotate partners!" Jace called, and Magnus and I stopped. He pulled me into a hug. "I really did miss you, Clary." He whispered.
"I missed you too!" I replied with a smile, before looking around for whoever didn't have a partner yet. The one that stood alone was the raven-haired, blue-eyed boyfriend of the man I'd just danced with. Wordlessly, he walked over to my corner, locking us both in a frame.
"Hey, Alec," I offered a cheesy smile, "long time, no see." He simply nodded, face still void of emotion. I knew he was trying not to risk anything, treating me just as he had with the other girls, but I wasn't about to stand for it.
I narrowed my eyes at him playfully, then adjusted my expression to match his own void one. When a smile began to tip his lips up, I resisted the urge to break. It became even harder when he shook with suppressed laughter. Finally, he let it out, doubling over as he laughed. That was when I broke, leaning on him so as to not fall over. We didn't even calm down before Jace yelled "Rotate!" once again. This time, I got Jordan.
"Hey Kyle!" I wore the same smile I had with Alec, but Jordan actually smiled back.
"Hey Clare." he spun me around, "So, how's the bachelorette life been treatin' you?" I groaned.
"Let's just say that I might be stuck with a few that I would rather stab myself than go to dinner with." Jordan chuckled.
"So what's the info on the girls here?" he asked curiously. "Helen and Aline are really nice," I complimented, "I've actually made really good friends with them. Jess is sweet, but she's so quiet that I haven't gotten the chance to get to know her. And Seelie... the only thing I can say is, avoid her." Jordan snorted, and I made a face.
"I'm not joking," I told him seriously, "stay away from her."
"That bad?" Jordan raised an eyebrow (singular), and I pinched him. Apparently, Jace's mannerisms hadn't just spread to Mags. He smirked just in time for Jace to yell once again.
"Bye, Clare!" Jordan hugged me before walking away, and Simon approached. I wanted with all my heart to hurl myself into his arms, but I restrained myself.
"Hey, Si." I couldn't keep myself from wrapping my arms tightly around his neck as he approached.
"Need... Air." He choked out jokingly before returning the embrace, "I'm guessing you missed me." I slapped the back of his head.
"Are you psycho?!" I hissed, "Of course I missed you!" He beamed.
"What? Jace too busy with the other girls to play Dead or Alive with you?" his words caused me to flinch, and that was my undoing.
"What was that?" Simon asked, eyebrows (yes, plural, he was actually nice to me) raised.
"What was what?" I asked innocently, but I already knew I was doomed. Simon could read me better than anyone, save for Jace.
"You know exactly what I mean."
"No..."
"So you mean you didn't just flinch when I mentioned Jace being too busy with other girls?"
"Again, no..."
"Well that's good, 'cause I'm sure Jace's gotten some from the other girls, or at least made out with them."
I growled, as in a pure, animalistic growl. I took in a sharp breath as I realized what I'd done. Yeah, there was no avoiding it now, and judging by the triumphant look on Simon's face, he hadn't been anywhere close to missing it.
"I really should've listened to Izzy..." He mumbled, and I gaped.
"Izzy told you?!" My voice came out louder than intended, and I blushed as I felt several pairs of eyes on me.
"I think it's time to rotate one last time!" Jace called yet again, and I let out a relieved breath, thankful to not have to withstand Simon's questioning. Jace himself strode over, but Simon didn't move yet.
"Have fun you two!" He winked at me, then walked off, leaving me with my mouth agape. Jace and I found our positions, but, unlike with the others, I felt Jace's fingers on me like they were burning, my skin tingling under his touch. God, I was whipped.
"What was that whole thing about?" he asked.
"What whole thing?" I asked nonchalantly.
"Well, you just yelled at Simon randomly, then he winked and said 'Have fun you two' all suggestively..." Jace trailed of, and I mentally cringed.
"Simon's still just teasing me about having to fight for your love..." I lied, and, luckily, it came out flawless. Sadly, it was Jace I was attempting to lie to.
"Uh-huh," he said in disbelief, "Sure. So, we have a lot to talk about tonight, like what that whole thing was really about, your dirty dream, and..." Jace trailed off.
"And what?" Now, I had to know.
"Later." He whispered in my ear, then gestured discreetly to the cameras nearing us. For the rest of the time, we danced in a comfortable silence, no words needed between us to feel better. Haley told us all goodbye before we left, giving us each a hug. I only realized how dark it was when we stepped outside.
"Okay ladies!" Jace's voice stopped our chatter, and our attention turned to him, "I know it's late, but we still have one more thing to do. I believe all of us will be having a very nice dinner at Mar'sel's. Is anyone hungry."
"YEAH!" we all shouted, laughing at our own eagerness.
"Then let's go!" Jace entered the limo, and we followed. Well, this would be interesting.
Okay, by far the longest chapter I've written. Almost 4,000 words! Woah. What are you guys wondering now? How's the dinner gonna go down? What was the accident Clary was so freaked out about? What is Jace gonna ask? And what was with the arm thing in the limo? I mean, Jace left his arm there! *Gasp* O_o. THE QUESTIONS FOR THIS CHAPTER WITH THE REWARD OF A SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE NEXT CHAPTER (a short one since you could probably just google the answer) FOR THE FIRST TO ANSWER: What show is Haley James Scott from? And who danced to Dark Horse on Dancing With the Stars? Yes, two questions! Amazing, right?! Jusqu'à la prochaine fois, mes fidèles! (Until next time, my faithful followers- in French this time!)
-Shadowhunter5801