AN: I am so sorry for being gone for so long…I was with my grandparents in Colorado...in the middle of nowhere! With no cell service! I'll try to get out as many chapters as I can in the next few days to make up for it. Also, I apologize for this chapter being so short. I promise I will make it up with the next chapter… ;)

Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare owns all Mortal Instruments characters seen in this story.

"Happy Fourth of July," I hear Jace shout behind me. Before I can turn around I am picked up and thrown into the ocean. I jump out of the water, soaking wet, only to have a wave knock me down. "Jace," I shout at him. I turn to glare at him and see that he's laughing really hard at me. I shake my head at him and see that it's getting late. We've been out at the beach all day. Simon, Alec, and Magnus had all recovered from Izzy cooking a week ago, but Izzy has been moping ever since then. They kinda told her that it was her cooking, so…yeah.

The sky is a beautiful orange from the sunset and the waves are getting bigger, so I turn and head up the beach towards the stairs. "Clary, wait," I hear behind me. I stop and turn around to face him.

"Are you really that upset about me throwing you in the water?" He looks at me curiously. I shake my head and smile at him as I say, "No, I'm not mad. It's just getting late and Izzy told me earlier that she wanted me in her room."

~.o.O.o.~

"Hey, Clary," Izzy says deviously, "remember that revenge I was going to get on you a while ago?" My eyes widen in realization. I try to run out of her room, but she wraps a belt around my wrist, pulling me back to her. I swear that girl would be amazing with a real whip. "No, Izzy! Please! You got all the sand out of your hair…it's not like it took 5 weeks to get it all out," I try pleading with her.

She shakes her head and sits me down on her bed. I groan in frustration and she shushes me. Pretty soon my hair is in perfect beach waves and I have been forced into cut out blue jeans, a white ruffle crop top, black cut out heels, and plum lipstick. I'm going to kill her.

While I sit there and take in what I'm wearing, I see Izzy starting to get ready herself. She throws on a red dress and some black booties. "What are you doing Iz," I ask her.

"Simon is taking me to a movie," she says and then marches out the door, leaving me in the damned outfit on her bed. I hear the front door shut and then my phone rings.

"Hello," I ask.

"If you even think about talking off that outfit, I will find out," Izzy says and then she hangs up. Great…now I'm stuck in this for a while. I head outside the room, only to be met with Jace. "Well, aren't you all dressed up," he smirks. I roll my eyes and move past him and into the kitchen. I look behind me, only to see Jace's eyes on me. "This was Izzy's revenge. I was about to get out of it after she left with Simon for her date, but she called me and said that I'm not allowed to take it off," I explain.

Jace opens his mouth to reply, but is cut off by Magnus talking as he comes down the stairs. "Biscuit, Alec and I are going out to dinner. Will you be okay with your beau while we're gone?" I nod my head and blush. I remember the day that they found out. Iz and Mags weren't that happy with me for keeping it from them but they did accept it…only after Simon freaked out.

Flashback:

Jace and I are kissing on the lounge chair on the balcony. I was trying to draw the view from the balcony to Catalina Island when Jace came out. My sketchbook has been discarded on the rest of the lounge chair behind me while Jace and I kiss. I hear a squeak followed by breaking glass behind us and Jace and I break apart. I turn around to look at her and see that her eyes are wide. "Iz are you okay," I hear Magnus say as he rushes over to Izzy while Alec and Simon attempt to clean up the broken ceramic bowl and what I'm guessing is soup.

Izzy is still staring at us in shock and Magnus looks towards us to see what Izzy was so shocked about. Magnus' eyes widen considerably as he takes in how close me and Jace are sitting and how swollen my lips are. I bite my lip and look down at the floor. Jace wraps an arm around my shoulder and pulls me closer to him. Izzy and Magnus come out of their stupor long enough to walk onto the balcony and pull out two chairs in front of Jace and I. "How long has this been happening?" Izzy asks in a scary calm voice.

"Um…3-ish weeks," I say quietly. Jace grips me harder and I hear Magnus and Izzy inhale sharply. Izzy has the crazy look in her eyes and just as she opens her mouth to scream at us, Magnus whispers something in her ear. I hear Izzy mumble something quickly to Magnus and he nods his head. Jace and I are staring at them as they have a quiet conversation. Magnus glances at me and then grabs Izzy's hand and pulls her into the corner of the balcony. They whisper furiously to each other and I see Izzy glance at me. "Why would she keep this a secret," I hear Izzy whisper-shout as her gaze goes back to Magnus.

I don't hear Magnus' reply. All I know is that Izzy isn't happy with it because she crosses her arms and glares at Magnus. "I am her girl best friend! How come she didn't tell me!?" Izzy is not happy…at all. Magnus is actually more accepting about this than I thought he would be…and more reasonable too.

I hear Magnus mumble something like, "Maybe she was waiting for the right time." Izzy huffs and rolls her eyes. "For three weeks!? Come on! Mags, we've been shipping Clace forever!" I heard that one loud and clear. Apparently Jace did too because when we turned our heads to look at each other, we both had the same horrified expression. "You know that we are horrible at keeping things secret, Iz. Maybe she didn't want to make it public yet? Or maybe Jace didn't want to," Magnus tries to appease her.

"Mags…this is CLACE we're talking about. They have no excuse! We have been shipping them for so long and they didn't tell us," her voice drops and I don't hear the rest of the conversation. I whisper to Jace, "Can you hear what they're saying?"

"No," he replies and then stands up quietly. He nods his head in the direction of the house and I quietly stand up. Alec and Simon are leaning on the kitchen island watching everything unfold before them. "What did you two do?" Simon says, smug. Alec looks like he wants out of it and attempts to shut Simon up by walking to the fridge and coming back with two water bottles. He tosses one to Simon and Simon fumbles with it a little before looking around Jace and me at Izzy, who is still arguing with Magnus about what to do. Simon still looks smug as he adds in a jokingly tone, "Are you two dating or something and Izzy just found out?" He snorts to himself and brings the water bottle to his lips. I smile to myself because I know what's going to happen next: Jace is going to tell Simon that we actually are dating and Simon is going to spit water everywhere.

I was right.

Jace smirks and says, "Actually you were right." Simon stops drinking water but still has the bottle to his lips. "We are dating," Jace says and swoops in to kiss me. The moment I feel Jace's lips touch mine, not only do I hear Simon spit out water and start coughing, I feel sparks ignite in me. Kissing him has got to be the best thing ever. Simon is still in his coughing fit when Jace and I break apart. Sometime during our kiss we shifted so I am no longer standing next to Jace. I am now standing in his arms with his arms wrapped around my waist and my hands (I'm 1 foot smaller than Jace so I really can't loop my arms around his neck unless I sit on a counter top) are resting on his neck, messing with the little curls around the nape of his neck.

I am still in his arms, looking up at him when, in my peripheral vision, Izzy and Magnus come into the kitchen to see what's wrong with Simon. "Simon! Are you okay?" Izzy rushes over to Simon and starts patting his back. "Is something wrong Silvia?" Magnus asks and Simon glares at him when he stops coughing.

"First of all it's Simon. I'm a boy. And second of all," he paused and points to me and Jace, "They're DATING!"

Izzy nods her head and turns to look at me and Jace. I hear her gasp and finally turn to look at her. Jace does too and we see that Magnus, Izzy, Alec, and Simon are all staring at us with amazement, wonder, and shock. Simon looks flustered and starts babbling as Izzy grabs his arm and pulls him downstairs. Magnus does the same to Alec, only he takes him upstairs and Alec doesn't look nearly as flustered as Simon did.

When we're alone in the kitchen, I ask Jace, "You told Alec didn't you?" He looks down and nods as he grins sheepishly. I roll my eyes and scoff as I reach up to pull his lips down to mine.

Present day:

Magnus and Alec left about half an hour ago and Jace and I are sitting curled up in one of the blue felt recliners watching a random movie. "Should we get food for tonight or should we make something?" I hear Jace ask and I look up at him.

"I'm going to be honest with you. I'm too lazy to try to make dinner tonight," I respond.

Jace looks thoughtful for a moment before he asks, "How about Gina's Pizza?" I nod my head and get off Jace's lap so he can grab the phone while I grab the menu out of the office. I quickly scan through the menu and as I get to Jace, I tell him what I'd like. "I'm going to have some Alfredo. What about you?"

"I think I'll have that too," he says as he places the phone next to his ear so he can order. After he's done, I ask him, "Where should we eat?"

"How about our room? Then if the others come home we won't be interrupted." I nod my head and agree with Jace's statement.