Guess who is BACK, lovelies! Miss me? Because I sure missed you? And I'm certain that all of you believed that I had abandoned my stories, but truth is, my life has kinda sorta been a lot to deal with over the course of the last ten months, so for those of you that stuck it out...thank you SO SO SO much. I can't even begin to express how much it means to me to have loyal readers. And yes, you've waited ten months for this chapter, and yes it's well over due, but it's kinda fluffy and kinda funny (well I thought it was) so I hope you enjoy. And for those of you that are angry with me, and just want answers, well here they are: I had never been to a funeral before this year. And my first two were back to back. Two of my close friends passed away together in a car accident, and that was heartbreaking. I didn't know what to do with myself. I just kinda, fell into a hole. And then, only a month later, I found out that someone I had grown up with, that was like a brother to me, had been in an accident. I attended my third funeral that same week. Then, my uncle passed on about two months ago, and that was my fourth funeral. I hadn't been able to write, hadn't even been able to think about another person's happiness until now, so I hope you'll bare with me as I slowly transition back into writing. Thanks, lovelies!

Clary woke when the sun was barely above the horizon, a pale light seeping through the edges of the motel's tacky curtains. She'd barely slept last night, still to jittery from Jace's whispered proclamation. He loves me! Her heart shouted at her all night. He loves me! She felt as giddy as a school girl who'd picked all the petals of the prettiest flower and finished with those three little words. "He loves me," she mouthed now into the darkness, turning her wide green gaze to the sleeping angel splayed out beside her.

He was face down, his shaggy hair falling across his forehead in messy waves. His golden eyelashes brushed his cheekbones, and the hard façade that usually guarded his expression had fallen away, leaving behind an innocent, child-like happiness. A small smile played on his parted lips, his chest falling in synchronization with his soft snore. Even in his sleep, Jace's strong arms had wrapped protectively around Clary's tiny waist, prepared to shield her from any oncoming threat. She almost giggled at this, only stifling it because she didn't want to disturb something so peaceful. Somehow, she managed to disengage their tangled limbs and slip silently from his grasp, gliding through the room like a ghost.

She shut herself inside the hotel bathroom, gasping at the girl in the mirror before her. She didn't think she'd ever looked this terrible before. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying in vain to tame the wild mess that a bird had nested in last night. Her face was pallid, dark freckles marring her cheekbones. Dark, purple bags decorated her lower eyelids, and her lips were cracked and chapped. "Damn it!" she cursed at herself, regretting that she'd never been one of those girls to carry spare makeup in her purse.

Not only did her face repulse her, but her cut-off shirt was wrinkled, and the spandex did nothing to cover her pasty legs. She groaned, knowing full well that she would never go out in public like this. There was a small knock at the door, and she groaned even louder. "Go away!" she called through the wooden barrier, sinking down against it and leaning her cheek against its cool surface.

"Testarossa," Jace wined from the other side, and the pet name made her heart flutter, though it quickly returned to stone as she remembered the odd person blinking back at her from the mirror.

"I said, 'Go away!' Why is that so complicated to you?" She banged her fist against the door for emphasis, hearing a low chuckle from the other side.

"Why so serious?" he asked in a spot-on imitation of The Joker, but then again, when did Jace Herondale ever fail at anything? Clary snarled at him, or rather, at his sheer perfection. She could only imagine the sexy golden bedhead that adorned his sculpture-worthy face, with his husky voice and hooded eyes. She bit her lip to keep herself from sneaking a peak.

"Jace," she said, his name a barely audible squeak, "I look like I was banished to hell, fought my way back to Earth, and fell back down all in one night." She heard his throaty chuckle.

"Seeing as that I'm here, this is definitely anything but hell. And come on, Clary. I've never seen you look terrible." Clary scoffed as he attempted to spoon-feed her his lines.

"How many girls have you said that to in the morning," she spat at him, hearing a sharp intake of breath. Good. She'd struck a never. Maybe he'd leave her alone to die in this bathroom, in her humiliatingly gross state. She could hear Jace's fingers drum against the wooden doorframe.

"Well, Testarossa, I've never woken up beside a girl before you, so just one." Clary gasped and immediately felt ashamed of her actions. She started to apologize, but Jace waved it off immediately. "I was once a player. I'm not surprised that you had expected me to have—" Clary tried to interject, but Jace just kept on talking. "—had millions of girls sleep in my bed. But no, Clary, the only one I've allowed to sleep there, was you." Tears sprung into Clary's eyes as his words brought back to mind the three little words he'd said last night. I love you. Who would know that such a simple phrase could make such an impact on a person's life? It was as if she'd been holding her breath her entire life, nearly suffocating, until those words were uttered to her, and she could again breathe. And the way he said it, sheltered by the darkness of night, whispered for only her ears to hear. It was like a secret that only the two of them shared, something sacred and special that only the two of them understood. Just then, she thought back to last night. She didn't say it back to him. She began to panic. She didn't tell Jace that she loved him! Did that change his feelings? Did he rethink things and realize it was a mistake. Her body began hyperventilating, and a sound jolted her out of her reverie. She hadn't realized that Jace had been trying to talk to her during her musings.

"Hmmm?" she hummed in question, hearing a sigh in answer.

"Is there anything I can do, baby? Just tell me, and I'll do it." Clary contemplated the embarrassing acts that she could command Jace to perform. Maybe running around town wearing a giant hotdog suit, or forcing him to wear high heels in public. She laughed inwardly, deciding to keep those filed away for a later date.

"Could you—" she paused, hating asking others for favors. But when Jace asked for her to continue, eager to help his damsel in distress, she felt comfortable enough to accept his help. "Could you run to the store and get me something to wear? And maybe some soap? Or makeup?" Jace laughed, and she could just imagine the crinkles on the edges of his golden eyes, the curve of his lips, she way his shoulders bobbed up and down with his laughter.

"Anything for you, Testarossa," was his curt response, and before Clary could say anything, Jace had vanished outside the motel door.

X.O.X.O.X

Clary had thumbed through some text messages on her cell phone was Jace was away. She listened to Isabelle's frantic voicemail and notice eighteen missed calls from the black-haired beauty. Laughing quietly to herself, she dialed the number, her laughter bubbling over when her friend picked up halfway through the first ring. "Clarissa!" the sharp voice snapped in her ear. "Do you think you can completely ditch me and laugh?" Isabelle's mock-anger tone only caused Clary to laugh harder, which in turn sent her into a fit of hiccups. "Oh, jeez, Clary. Drink some water or something."

After finally calming down, Clary explained to her friend that her mother and her brother had both dropped bombs into her life, shattering the foundation that she had once thought of as sturdy. Isabelle knew better than to inquire about these so-called "bombs," knowing Clary well enough to realize that she would be informed when Clary was ready. She also confided in her friend that she'd felt off ever since the accident, that she just needed to get away for awhile and collect her thoughts.

"Fine," Isabelle said in conclusion, "but when you return, I'm giving you a full-fledged makeover." Clary groaned into the mouthpiece. "Oh, no complaining now," she could hear the smile in Isabelle's voice. "It's my treat." Clary kept her expletives to herself and said goodbye, hanging up the phone with a stupid grin on her face. Somehow, any chat with Isabelle was a good chat.

X.O.X.O.X

"Jace?" Clary called as she heard the motel door open and close.

"Yo," was his quick greeting as she heard the rustle of bags. His fist rapped gently on the door, but Clary made no motion to open it. "You know, in order for you to get all these goodies, you have to pull down on the lever and open the magical portal between us. That's the point of a door." Clary moaned, casting a sidelong glance at her reflection.

"Just…drop the stuff and go sit on the bed."

"What? Is this a stick up? Are you going to hold a gun to my head and force me to do whatever you please?"

"Wouldn't you enjoy that…" Clary responded sarcastically, flipping the lock on the door and sticking a pale arm out the crack. She'd expected Jace to snatch her wrist and yank her into full view, but to her surprise, she felt the weight of the bags in her hands.

"I get it," he murmured into the space between them. "If you don't want me to see you in your current state, I won't look." Clary was at a loss for words as she retreated back into her bathroom oasis. She saw a bag with shower gel and shampoo in it, snatching its contents first and stepping into a steamy stream of water. Clary applauded her boyfriend when she realized he'd bought her a razor and shaving cream, and relished in the feel of her smooth legs against her palms. Maybe that was more for his benefit than hers, but she didn't care.

Once she felt fully clean, she exited the shower and coated her body in the lotion Jace had purchased for her, smelling wholly of strawberries and cream. She brushed her teeth and controlled her hair with a thick braid that fell almost to the small of her back. She began applying makeup when she saw a small, blue box sitting on the floor. "Ah, Jace?" she called. She didn't wait for his reply before continuing her question. "Why did you buy me tampons?" She heart throaty laughter from a distance away.

"Well, for one, you were being completely grumpy, so I thought I'd pick them up just in case," he chuckled as Clary threw a few curse words his way. "And, for two, it really helped when I told the lady at the checkout that I was preparing for the surgery." Clary couldn't help but laugh along with him, nearly messing up her brown eyeliner as she did. She finished applying eye makeup, which Jace had picked out rather perfectly, nearly matching all her usual shades, before rifling through her new belongings in search of clothes. She growled at what she came up with.

"You bought me a SLUTTY NURSE COSTUME?!" More howling from presumably the bed.

"It was on sale! You know, since Halloween is so near." She growled and threw the costume out the door. Come to think of it, maybe she would need those tampons soon. Her emotions were really on edge. "Awe, babe, come on. It was a joke." She hadn't realized that she'd left the door open, and Jace's arms wrapped around her towel-clad waist from behind. He kissed the skin behind her ear. "Here," he said, extending a bag she hadn't known he'd been holding. It was from American Eagle, one of Clary's favorite stores. She smiled as she pulled out a pair of dark-washed jeans that flared slightly at the bottom, and a green, loose-fitting top. A pair of brown flip flops sat at the bottom of the bag, and Clary stretched up on her tiptoes to kiss his lips.

"You know me so well." He grinned at this, and extracted another bag from behind his back. This one was pink and all too familiar.

"And this," he said, addressing the striped bag, "is for underneath." Clary slapped him playfully as he winked and exited the bathroom. To her surprise, the Victoria's Secret bag didn't hold any sexy lingerie, but rather a simple pink bra and some bikini bottoms. She dressed quickly and bounded out of her haven, only to throw herself into the arms of her sanctuary.

"Jace," she breathed into the soft cotton of his presumably new American Eagle t-shirt. She tried not to get distracted by the perfect way it clung to his muscles and how it moved over him like a second skin. "You didn't have to spend so much on me." Jace laughed and kissed the crown of her hair.

"My grandparents left me a rather large inheritance," he responded, hugging Clary tightly against him, as if he thought that letting go would cause her to disappear.

"How large?" she asked, ready to refute the fact that spending that much money on her wasn't a big deal.

"Let's just say the invented the maker of a very famous beverage." Clary's brow furrowed, but before she could ask another question, Jace had his lips pressed against hers, swiping his tongue across her lower lip, asking for access which Clary gleefully granted. His distraction had worked. He had rendered her speechless. Before Clary knew it, Jace broke away, and she felt an odd weight hanging against her breast bone. Looking down, she saw a necklace there. It was gold, formed into the shape of two interlocking hearts. It was edged with diamonds, and Clary fingered it gingerly. "I saw this, and I thought it perfectly described how I felt for you. You forever have a piece of my heart, Clary. Nothing can ever change that."

Clary, tears threatening to spill over, threw her arms around this man, this perfect, loving man, and burrowed her face into his neck as his lips peppered hers with kisses. "Jace?" she murmured against his warm flesh.

"Hmmm?" he buzzed, the sensation sending shockwaves up her spine, nearly paralyzing her ability to speak.

She mustered all her strength and focus, moving her face so that their lips were just a whisper apart, touching but again not touching. She looked into his steady golden eyes. "I love you, too."

Ooh La La by Britney Spears was my inspiration. Fun, upbeat, kind of sassy. Yep, just like me in a way ;) So anyways, Tackling Destiny next? Any objections? No? Well, alrighty then! :) Umm...I started a FictionPress story. My pen name is BallinBlonde21 and it's titled Blackened Soul. (It's about werewolves!) Check it out, please? That would make my day! And so would a review! Thanks for reading, Lovelies!

All my love ~ BallinBlonde21