A Christmas Story

New York can only be described as one of the cities who go to the absolute extreme for things…and Christmas is one of them. The frenzy starts right after Thanksgiving with people camped out in the blistering cold for Black Friday (even though she loved great deals, Clary loved her toes more) and throughout the miraculous holiday, there would be the lights on the tree in Rockefeller Center or the ice skaters at Chelsea rink. New York during the holidays can only be described as chaotic and that was is the sort of thing that would make even a stone, cold New Yorker smile.

"At least you don't have an aunt who wants a New York style cheesecake flown in to California." Clary muttered as she walked up and down the aisles. She was already receiving odd looks from the man behind the counter as she had already walked past him about ten times. Simon's laugh filtered through her cellphone.

"Are you kidding? My cousins in France want me to ship over the lights from the tree in Rockefeller Center. They think I'm capable of climbing up the tree like a freaking vampire and grabbing the lights."

"Well they're four and I mean you are unusually pale…"Simon scoffed at her.

"Have fun sending moldy cheesecake Fray/" He laughed before he hung up. Clary groaned. She needed his support! How the heck was she supposed to find presents for everyone! Clary ran a hand through her hair, trying to avoid the shopkeeper's stare. She hated Christmas.

There is an untold beauty in giving.

Way to be specific, Clary thought as she read the paper. She crushed it in her pocket as she ran down the street. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw him standing there, waiting for her.

"Way to be consistent." Jace smirked as he took her hand, warming her cold skin. Clary thought that Jace was some kind of alien, he never seemed to get cold.

"Yes, yes I know I'm late…way to rub it in Herondale." He chuckled, releasing small, white clouds of steam into the air. "I was trying to do my Christmas shopping."

"You still haven't done that? It's in a week." Jace snorted as he rubbed her fingers.

"I know it's just…I can't think of anything…and I can't think of how to figure out my act of kindness." She sighed as she showed him the paper. Jace pursed his lips thoughtfully.

"It is Christmas…the season of giving. You could think of things outside of your own family." Clary rolled her eyes.

"What am I Santa? Should I just fly around the world, lugging gifts around?"

"You'd get the milk and cookies." Jace pointed out. Clary laughed as she tugged him closer, taking in more of his body heat; her mind spinning with different ideas.

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Clary, by no means, lived in a wealthy neighborhood. Her building was all working class with a land lady who always smelled like scrambled eggs for some reason. It had grown more desolate over the years, financial troubles hitting families hard and soon Clary had to say goodbye to many of her childhood friends as they moved away. The hallways were no longer warm and alive with the smells of curry and Spanish cuisines, the afternoons were no longer loud with gossip and rounds of mahjongg.

Clary glanced around at the darkened hallways and the staircases literally full of cobwebs. It seemed nearly eerie now, silent and unfamiliar. Clary unlocked the door to her own apartment, her mind already working. Clary Fray wasn't a big fan of Christmas but it didn't take watching all of the cheesiest, holiday movies in the world to know what the holiday could do. The tinsel seemed to want to strangle her and the tree glittered mockingly at her as she sighed. She grabbed her coat and walked out into the freezing air. She hated Christmas.

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Thomas Tool prided himself in keeping his little brother grounded in reality. At a young age, he knew there were no such things as the tooth fairy or ghosts and there was certainly no such thing as Santa. Yet his brother was adamant about the existence of Santa. He whole heartedly believed in a fat man in a red suit to bring joy and happiness to the world by squeezing himself in a chimney…one of society's most…colorful beliefs Thomas had to admit.

He was challenged that Christmas morning. His parents were at work, like always, when he heard his brother's squeal. Christmas was usually celebrated with chicken bought half price at the supermarket and their exhausted mother reading stories to them about Santa. Usually, it was just Thomas, his brother and 24 hours of A Christmas Story. His brother lunged on his bed, holding a bag.

"Told you he was real!" He smirked smugly. Thomas rolled his eyes.

"Probably left for someone else." Thomas muttered as he rolled back to go to sleep.

"No, it has our apartment number on it!" Thomas shot up as he snatched the bag.

To the boys of apartment 4C

Merry Christmas

With cookies and milk, an elf

Inside was an assortment of candies, chocolates and Starbursts. Thomas glanced at the open window. He was rethinking his decision to not write a wish list for Santa the next year.

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Clary's cheeks were red and her eyes were already drooping. Running up and down the stairs delivering candy to everyone wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do. She thanked God for Jace's help as she walked with him through the park.

"Have you gotten anything for Christmas yet?" Jace muttered as they walked. Clary stopped and grinned at him.

"I still have to give you your present!" She forced him to sit down on a bench as she pulled out a sharpie.

"You've always wanted a tattoo right?" With that, she lifted his sleeve to expose bare skin. She traced the marker in spirals and shapes, using her artistic skills to make it as precise as possible, despite her hand shaking. Jace looked at it curiously.

"What does it mean?" Clary smiled.

"Strength." She said. He grinned as he kissed her softly, his hands going behind her neck. Clary suddenly felt something cold and foreign around her neck. She pulled back to see a small, silver ring on a thin, silver chain. Jace quickly pressed his lips to hers.

"Merry Christmas." He murmured. Clary grinned. Christmas wasn't so bad.

A/N: I'm sorry, I know I haven't updated in a while! But here it is and I added some fluff for you guys. School sucks and huge projects suck even more. I will try to update more often but if I don't please know that I also have other priorities. But thank you to for reminding me of my dedicated reader. You guys are awesome. I know it's a bit early for a Christmas story but I know if I write it later that I'm not going to have any time to actually write it so might as well do it on my down time. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks for reading!