A/N:

Remember, this story is rated M! There will be SMEX! You have been warned...


"What do you mean he didn't see me?" Nexus stood up, dusting her butt off.

Ben was watching her, his green eyes almost black, "I was the one who saw you walking off with the Changeling. Max was talking to the real Patrick on the phone, consoling him about his break up. Maybe now's your chance, or are you so conceited that you'll wait until just before he finds someone else to make your move, putting him in a bind?"

She was going to let him yell and swear at her, but when he brought Patrick into it, the gloves were off and she was beyond screaming, "For one, I would never do that! Secondly, I'm the kind of girl that waits to be swept off her feet by the prince. Thirdly, I may sink low in our fights, but I'd never go as low as to mock your love life!"

He looked as if she had slapped him, "You... You just don't get it, do you?"

She was too steamed to hear him any more, so for she knew, he had just offended her fathers and their way of life, "God, you're so - "

"So what?" He challenged her to finish her sentence.

Clenching her fingers to keep fro scratching his eyes out, she kneed Ben in the groins, making him bend over so that she could reach his face without having to stand on her tippy toes. Once it was low enough, she backhanded him with all of her current strength, which was considerably more than either of them had expected. He shoved her back with both hands on her shoulders, ramming her into the wall of a deli, the smell of rotting sandwich ingredients petrifying someplace nearby. She thought that he was going to hit her as he raised his fist into the air, but he brought it down harmlessly against the brick, catching some of her hair.

"You're such an idiot." His voice was husky as he lowered his head so that there was barely any room between the two, mouth hovering inches from her lips before suddenly jamming their lips together in wild passion.

She thrust her face forward, a surge of white-hot something allowing her the power to meld into Ben. The newly freed Nexus grabbed his hair, winding her fingers through the unexpectedly silky, bronze metal-fire jumble, "And you're a jerk..."

The hand that had been pinning her hair to the wall raked itself down her body, pulling the thin, cottony dress along for the ride. He jerked his head back to get a better look at her, the milky flesh hidden beneath a light blue bra, the lace barely covering the skin at all. She pulled him back against her, rubbing her skulled tongue-ring along his mouth as she unbuckled his belt. As she pulled his pants down, his hands had found their way to her hips, traveling downwards to pull the hem of her mini-dress up. Nexus jumped into his arms, her legs twisting around his middle, Ben hoisting her up so that she was only being supported by him and the wall. Running his hand along her thigh, he brushed against an aqua stocking, its ribboned garter snapping as the nylon was snapped cruelly against her leg, the net-like material falling down to her knee. His other hand was going up the small of her back, yanking on her hair. She rolled her shoulders in pain, tearing her shrug off.

"Ben," She whispered his name, "Don't be gentle..."

XxX You Think You Love Me XxX

Max jumped awake when he heard the door creak open and sigh closed. Ben, who had been staying with him while his parents were away on their second honeymoon, stumbled into the room, plopping down on the bed across from Max. Normally, any guests would have just stayed in their own rooms, but Isabelle, the current head of the New York Institute, had decided to remodel the rooms, so that meant that Ben and Nexus who were really the only guests that the Institute had, would have to share a room with Max and Ash respectively. He was wide awake, staring at the ceiling, so Max didn't feel bad for what he was about to do.

"You've been gone all, night, where were you? You didn't kill Nexus, did you?" Max pulled himself upright, worried that Ben had gotten so mad at Nexus that he had snapped, killed her, and buried the evidence.

Ben looked at him for a minute, then burst out laughing, "That's a good one!"

Alarmed by the sudden change in his friend's behavior, Max pointed an accusing finger, "You did kill her!"

"Would I be happy if I had?" Ben settled down, reverting back to his moody, sulky self, though he seemed... Lighter.

"Is that a trick question?" The younger boy thought about it, "Well, you do really seem to hate her... But that's only becuase you love her. Ben and Nessy sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love, then comes marriage, then a baby in a baby carriage."

Ben tossed his pillow at his friend's head, "Shut up."

Now it was Max's turn to sober up, "Sorry, but it is kinda obvious that you - "

He shot him a dirty look, somewhere between a glare and a frown, "What? That I like that annoying twit?"

"That you love her." Max sighed and reluctantly got out of bed, looking at the clock on the floor, "Want some breakfast?"

As much as Ben wanted to drop it and go get some breakfast, he could only gap at his friend, struck dumbfounded by his words, "What did you say?"

"It's obvious that you love her. Even our parents can see it," Max sighed, explaining how he knew that every one knew, "We all bet on it. Mom had faith that you two would hook up this weekend, but your mom thinks that you two won't realize it until later in life, like her and your dad. Magnus bet big bucks that you two will end up getting married someday, and Alec says that nothing is ever going to happen, but that if it ever did, you two would try to hide and deny it. Ash thinks that you're going to date for a while, but you'll break up. I agree with Magnus, and we're actually going to split the money if we're right."

"Everyone bet on us?" Ben was at a loss for what to say.

"Yep. Jace is somewhere between Alec and Ash, and Clary agrees with her mom and the rest of the pack." Max just sold every last one out.

"How did we not know?" Ben was astounded that his family, friends, and pack had all hid from them.

Max shrugged, "I have no idea."


A/N:

Ok, so maybe it wasn't graphic... Descriptively graphic... But, as an author, I felt that it was my responsibility to warn my readers, just in case anyone is opposed to certain kinds of things... Fair enough, they should be aware that something could happen in an M rated fic, but... Ah, gambling is much fun, isn't it? Well, funny. And sad in this case. Frigging everyone was betting on Ben and Nexus behind their backs!