"I think you're right." Sebastian's chest puffed out, proudly. "It's not safe for me here, but I think I'm going to call my brother to come get me." I could see the hurt in his eyes but he quickly masked it.

"Fair enough, I'll stay with you until he gets here." I looked at him, dubious. "Just in case of unwanted strangers." What was that old saying? Better the devil you know. At least I knew that Sebastian wouldn't try to drug me or drag me off into an alleyway. I had a feeling that he was overcoming that dark side of himself. Even if it was a slow process.

"I'd appreciate it." I smiled as we stood outside. I penned a quick message to Jon. He replied instantly as though he'd been expecting me to message him. I gave him the address with Sebastian's help and he told me he'd be about 10 minutes. "I feel bad leaving Simon by himself." I admitted to Sebastian as we stood outside of the Frat house, waiting for Jon to show.

"Last I saw of him – he seemed to be enjoying himself." He laughed and I couldn't help but smirk.

"Who'd have thought that after everything we'd been through we'd be actually getting on amicably?" I commented, a little taken aback myself.

"Well I always hoped it would come to this." Sebastian laughed before steadying himself, trying not to get ahead of himself. "I've learned to not take myself so seriously. Learned to enjoy things in life and realise that change isn't the end of the world." I wasn't sure if it was the drink talking or not. "You're much better for having left me Clary, I mean that. Even if it did take me a while to see it." As I was about to reply, Jon pulled up on the sidewalk. I gave him an awkward pat on the shoulder before climbing into the passenger seat.

"Was he bothering you?" Jon questioned, eyeing Sebastian suspiciously as he made his way back up to the house. I shook my head.

"I think he's actually had a bit of a 'eureka' moment." I admitted. Jon looked at me strangely, pulling away.

"Have you been drinking?" He questioned.

"I think I've had one or two – not a lot." I shrugged, settling back into the comfort of the chair. I looked out of the window at the scenery whooshing past. Trees after trees, parks and roads and lakes. Lakes? We didn't have to pass any lakes to go home. But there were lakes on the way to Magnus and Alec's house.

"Hey Jon?" I said, sitting myself up to crane a view out of the windshield.

"Yeah?" He looked over to me, amused.

"We're going home right?"

"Oh, you wanted to go home?" Jon toyed with me. "I thought your message had just said to come and get you." I could see the shadow of a smile on his face.

"You're doing this on purpose. What's going on?" I sighed, sinking once again and rubbing my brow with my hand.

"You guys need to sort this out. I'm sick of Jace chewing my ear off and no doubt you'll be storming about the house once you come out of your little mood. This fixes it for everyone." He told me as he pulled up in front of the house.

"Shame I can't get into the house, looks like we'll just have to go home." I shrunk as far down in the seat as I could. Jon reached into the back seat, throwing an overnight bag at me.

"I've put some bits in there for you." He smiled. "You've got no excuse, Jace is expecting me. So you'll be able to get in just fine. See you at the weekend C." Jon practically removed me from the car, driving away at breakneck speed so that I couldn't make some James Bond level attempt to get back in. I walked up to the house, my ankles now killing from wearing these stupid boots. Note to self – never wear these shoes again. I clunked my way up to the front door, pushing it open lightly. My heels clunked along the marble floor as I searched for Jace. It didn't take long for me to find him. He was stood in the kitchen, a pair of jogging bottoms hanging carelessly from his hips. He was topless, his hair wet and pushed back over his head as he arranged snacks into bowls. I stood in the doorway, just watching him. The way he moved, the way his muscles rippled and the way he sang under his breath as he set himself about little tasks.

"I think I should tell you that my brother is coming around more often." I teased as I finally entered the room, placing my overnight bag over one of the chairs at the breakfast bar. Jace turned around to face me a mixture of confusion, happiness and hurt on his face.

"Clary?" Was all he managed, although I knew he had a different question he wanted to ask.

"The one and only." Jace didn't laugh – bad sign. "Jon forced me here." I shrugged as I started looking in cupboards. Jace nodded as though it was plausible.

"What on earth are you looking for?" Jace questioned me after five minutes of noisy searching.

"Alcohol." I muttered, looking in yet another cupboard. Seriously – how many cupboards did one kitchen need?

"For?" Jace said, bored.

"To cleanse my wounds." I mocked. Jace rolled his eyes, opening a cupboard that was out of my reach, even in heels. He fished out a couple of bottles, placing them on the table.

"They keep the alcohol up high – just in case a leprechaun breaks in." Jace mocked me back. I grabbed some glasses from the drainer, placing them at the table. I sat myself down, but Jace remained standing. "What's this about Clary?" He asked as I poured the liquid between the two tumblers.

"I feel like I need a drink. What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, I just don't see why you had to come here to do it." I frowned, staring at him intently. I hadn't noticed the bruising at first. His chest was various colours, his face also in different stages of healing. I shrugged at his words.

"I'll get out of your way then." I smiled sweetly, picking up the tumbler in one hand and the bottle in the other. "Smell you later." I shouted as I walked from the kitchen. I wasn't sure where I was going but I kept a rule of thumb – always turn left and if you see stairs, go up and not down! After a few minutes of wandering, I settled on a room. It was a bedroom with a stand-alone bath in the middle of the room. A rocking chair adorned the corner and it was there I chose to sit. I looked into my tumbler, swirling the liquid before throwing it back. I squirmed as it burned my throat before warming my stomach. I poured myself another measure into the tumbler, resting it on the side of the chair.

"You want to go carefully with that stuff." Jace was stood in the doorway, his thumbs resting on his hips.

"How did you find me?" I demanded.

"You're clunking like a horse. A horse that's been shot to be specific."

"You know how to help me drink less?" I smiled, turning the conversation away from shot horses, Jace indicated with his head. "Drink some." I held the bottle up in his direction. He stalked into the room, sitting himself down on the bed.

"What are you doing Clary?"

"Drinking."

"No Clary – what are you doing? What are you trying to achieve?" Jace seemed irritated. I drank the remnants of my second tumbler before pushing myself to my feet.

"I have had enough of violence Jace, enough to last a lifetime. Everyone is so happy to solve problems with their fists and it is sooo exhausting." I made sure to exaggerate my words. "Sebastian hits Clary. Jace wants to hit Sebastian. Lana hits Clary. Sebastian thinks Jace hit Clary. Sebastian hits Jace. Jace hits Sebastian for hitting him. And it just keeps going on and on and on, until everyone's hit each other and everyone wants to hit each other some more."

"I didn't realise you were so against violence." Jace commented, innocently.

"When you've been hit enough times for absolutely no reason, you kind of develop a sort of hatred for it. Zero tolerance if you will." I headed back for the bottle, I needed another drink. Jace walked over behind me, his hands moving around me to grab a firm hold of my hips.

"Don't." He said quietly, pulling me back into him. He span me in his arms, looking down at me. "I hate fighting with you Clary. I just wanted to protect you. I see now that I went the wrong way about it." I pressed half of my face up against his torso, savouring his warmth. I wasn't sure if it was the alcohol supressing my inhibitions or my relief at having finally fixed things with Jace but I pushed him backwards away from me and towards the bed. He fell back onto it in a sitting position, looking at me playfully. I moved myself between him before I placed one of my knees on either side of his legs. My crotch came to rest against his as I ran my hands through his damp hair, my lips hovering in front of his. I flicked my tongue against his bottom lip teasingly, as I rocked back and forth in his lap. His hands steadied me, wrapping around my back. One hand snaked up my shoulders, coming to rest on the back of my head. When I tried to tease him a second time, his hand forced my lips to collide with his. I smirked against them, as my thumbs traced out the linings of his chest. His hands were in my hair, against my back, creeping up my shirt. My skin tingled underneath his touch, my heart fluttering. His hands fell to my bum, cupping it before throwing me underneath him. I lay back on the bed, giggling lightly as Jace unzipped and removed my boots. Once they were off my feet, I wriggled up the bed. Resting on my elbows, his arms framed me as his face came down on mine once more, his mouth hungry. I lay flat on my back, my hands pulling Jace into me. No matter how close he was, I wanted him closer. He sat back and I moved with him, not wanting to break the connection between our lips. His hands kneaded at my hips before they rose higher, an inch at a time. My shirt rolled with his hands, higher and higher until he slipped it over my head. Every time Jace kissed me, I kissed him back feverishly. His hand fell to the button on my jeans, unbuttoning it as he nibbled at my neck. I helped him shimmy my jeans down my legs until they lay discarded on the bedroom floor. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he stood up, pulling me with him. My lips crashed into his once more. I felt him beneath me, rubbing against me ever so slightly. I moaned against his lips, shivers rippling up my spine.

"Clary." Jace muttered against my lips as if trying to catch my attention. I kissed him to hush him. He moved me back to the bed, laying me down as he tried to pull himself away from me.

"I want this." I hooked my fingers into his jogging bottom loops, forcing his weight back onto me. He chuckled, indulging me as our lips met once more. Summoning all the strength I could, I pushed him onto his back. Moving down his body, I kissed his throat and all along his collarbone. My fingers traced down his abdomen, stopping short of his hips. His hands pushed against my shoulders, pushing me back from him.

"Clary, you need to stop." He moved himself to a sitting position, still holding me back by my shoulders. I pouted instantly, starting to get insecure. I covered up my body, afraid of the rejection. "Don't be so silly Clary, you're beautiful." He embraced me, his mouth resting next to my ear. "I just don't want it to be like this. You're drunk. I don't want your first experience to be like this. I want you to be sober and alert." He smirked, kissing me softly on the lips. I blushed. "Now, stay put. I'm going to get you some water."

Thank you for reading!

Please feel free to review – it brightens up my day and speeds up the creative process!

All of my love,

Until the next time.

~Sapph