Clary looked at the state of her kitchen and wondered if she was actually unemployed. If she got paid by the hour, Clary was starting to think she could call herself the live in maid. There were dishes stacked precariously on every surface, in varying degrees of gross. Mugs with tea bags or coffee grounds still in them had been left to sit and congeal. Empty takeout containers were scattered across the table and counter. Bags of chips, boxes of crackers, and all manner of non-perishable foods hadn't been put away, and were mixed into the mess as if someone was trying to play russian roulette with food poisoning. She knew at least half of this mess was Jordan's, but she also knew the other half was Jace and Simon's fault. Alright she would admit - if only to herself - that part of this was also her. Still, Clary felt sure that the majority of it was their fault.

Clary had been excited to have Simon move in, especially since it had meant they could suddenly afford the lovely apartment. What she wanted to know now was how that had lead to her being the only woman living in a house full of guys? And that begged the question of why her singular female status somehow meant she had to do all the cleaning.

Okay she knew it was more than that. After all, Clary was the only person without a job for the summer. Jace was working at the docks where Magnus had worked last summer, and he'd been trying to get Jordan a job there too since it paid better than fast food. Jace had yet to get this worked out however, so Jordan and Simon were still at Timmies. Even taking into account all the rational reasons, the longer this went on, the more Clary fantasized about killing them all! It wasn't like she wasn't helping with rent… or rather her parents were. But once she graduated, she was totally going to pay them back.

With a sigh of defeat, Clary walked forward and began. First she put the actual food away, closing up boxes of crackers so they didn't go stale and putting them away. Then emptied the sink of dishes and scrapped leftovers. By now the trash can smelled like it was growing new life, so she took that out then came back replaced the bag. Plugging the drain Clary started running the hot water and squirting some dish soap into it, before donning her gloves and started the dreaded chore, starting with the mugs. Clary was trying to think happy thoughts while her hands worked. She put on music, but it was hard to distract herself. She reminded herself that this situation was temporary. When Jace and her got a place of their own, she was sure they could sort things out more evenly. Maybe she'd have a job by then. The water was turning green, and she had no idea why until she found the tea bag. It had stowed away in one of the cups, and was steeping (turning the water to tea) her soapy dish water. Well at least it smelt like green tea and not mold right?

The mugs were now sitting in the drying rack, so she stacked all the plates in the water, and the cutlery on top, before pulling a pot on top of it all. When no one rinsed dishes, soaking them was the only way to do it. Clary had known she'd done too many dishes when she realized she'd developed a system to make it faster. She'd wash mugs first, then soak the plates and cutlery, while washing the pots and pans. By the time she had what was left of Jace's scrambled eggs off the pan, the plates were ready to be cleaned. Since they'd soaked, everything cleaned up quickly, and Clary then only had the cutlery left in the sink. She picked them up in handfuls and used her scrubber to wipe them down before rinsing them. Setting everything to dry, Clary stared at the remaining containers and miscellaneous dishes with hatred.

"Fuck this," Clary told the hated dishes. She drained her water, took off her gloves, and went to lay on the couch. Why were dishes so totally and completely mind numbingly boring? Right now she was staring up at the ceiling, which was somehow infinitely more interesting. There was no one else home. Her phone was in her pocket still blaring out music that had tried to increase the quality her dish washing. Clary pulled it out and started typing.

'Hey,' she typed. She got a reply right away.

'Hey yourself,' Brett texted back.

'My house is a mess,' Clary texted. 'How are you?'

'I'm good,' Brett said. 'How big a mess are we talking?'

'Tea bags are growing things,' Clary explained. 'It takes like a half a second to throw them out, and yet I find them everywhere.'

'It's such an easy thing to do,' Brett replied back.

'I know right!' Clary ranted over text. 'I mean, I know I'm not working and they are, but this is getting out of hand.'

'Do you want help cleaning up?' Brett messaged her.

'I can't ask you to do that,' Clary replied. 'It's not your mess.'

'It sounds to me like it isn't your mess either,' Brett texted.

'It's more my mess than yours,' Clary typed. She knew all this texting was just her putting off cleaning the dishes she'd left by the sink.

'I'd be happy to help if you want,' Brett texted.

'Nah it's okay,' Clary typed. 'I can do it. I am almost done now anyway, but it's nice to have someone to rant to I guess.'

'Anytime,' Brett replied.

'How's your summer going?' Clary asked him.

'Same old,' Brett replied. Clary wasn't surprised. Brett wasn't the type of guy to talk about himself. She found he often switched the conversation back to her, but at the moment, all she really had to talk about was dishes, and she didn't want to bother him about that more than she already had.

'I should probably finish cleaning,' Clary texted.

'Talk to you later then,' Brett replied. With a sigh, Clary opened her music app and changed playlists before walking mournfully back to her dishes. The mugs were dry so she put those away to make room for those last few. The cheese grater and the sieve were a pain to clean. She was just washing the stove, all her dishes drying on the rack, when the front door opened. Clary turned to see who had entered. Jace looked exhausted while Simon looked more annoyed than tired. Jordan was nursing one arm. Clary greeted them with a wave.

"How was work?" she asked the room at large. It was rare that they all came home at the same time, but then again, they'd all left for work together this morning as well, so Clary should have guessed as much.

"I had to tell someone the same thing eight times before they realized what I meant," Simon grumbled. "And she didn't even buy the sandwich."

"I burnt my arm cleaning vats," Jordan said, turning his arm to show them the red mark there.

"Ouch!" Clary sympathized. "I hope you put some ice on it."

"Twice," Jordan grumbled as he made his way to the freezer, probably for round three with the ice. Clary made a mental note to find that man some burn cream or at least check if he'd applied any at work.

"I need to learn to lift with my knees," Jace stated, a hand holding his lower back.

"I am going to go watch mindless television until I can sleep," Simon announced, before disappearing into his room. Jordan was running his arm under cold water, and Jace walked straight to the couch and collapsed onto it. With a smile, Clary walked over and sat beside him.

"Did you clean when you lived with Alec?" Clary asked absently into the silence.

"Alec had a maid," Jace explained.

"That actually explains a few things," Clary chuckled. "You hungry?"

"Always," Jace replied.

"What would you like to eat?"

"I'll eat whatever you want to eat," Jace said.

"But I asked what you wanted to eat," Clary whined. "If I knew what I wanted to eat, I wouldn't ask."

"I don't mind what we eat really," Jace shrugged.

"It's so annoying when you do that," Clary sighed. Jace just laughed lightly and leaned over to kiss her.

"I know," Jace sniggered.

"Why do you do it then?" Clary asked.

"Because I really don't know what I want to eat," Jace replied.

"Even if you could literally have anything," Clary continued. "Even if it didn't matter what groceries were in the house, or how much it cost?"

"Yep," Jace said.

"I hate you," Clary replied glaring at him.

"No you loo-ve me," Jace said grinning from ear to ear.

"Damn it," Clary grumbled, before leaning forward to kiss him. Jace's arms came up around her, pulling her on top of him, and deepening the kiss as they both fell into a horizontal position on the couch. She loved the feeling of Jace's hands at her waist, but she loved it more when they slowly moved over her curves. Clary angled her legs to straddle him, as she removed her lips from his to kiss down his neck. His hands went under her shirt, and she gasped before he seized her lips again.

"Missed me, huh?" Clary whispered into his mouth.

"Always," Jace replied, pulling her closer.

"You know, it's only been eight hours since you saw me last," Clary giggled at him.

"That's eight hours too long," Jace replied with a grin.

"Get a room," Jordan's voice burst their bubble. Clary sat up, and turned to see Jordan holding an ice pack to his arm while walking over.

"We'd have a room if you weren't in it," Clary informed him.

"This is the living room," Jordan explained. "And it's got my tv in it."

"Why do we live with him again?" Clary turned to ask her boyfriend with a grin on her face.

"Because he's besties with your ex," Jace explained. He was still lying under her, with Clary sitting on his hips. She could already feel how this was affecting him.

"Well, when you put it like that," Clary laughed.

"Plus he has a widescreen tv," Jace added.

"Sold!" Clary laughed as she climbed off her boyfriend and sat properly on the couch. "What are we watching?"

"Tease," Jace grumbled as he pulled a pillow into his lap. Clary just giggled.

"I was thinking something with werewolves," Jordan said.

"Vampire Diaries is good," Clary suggested. "Or there's Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

"Did someone say Buffy?" It was Simon's voice. He had just left his room and was coming over to them.

"Indeed we did," Clary said. "Oh, or we could watch Supernatural. That has werewolves right?"

"Yeah but on Supernatural, all the werewolves are the bad guys," Jordan explained. "Like zombie movies, they just can't be saved and always get killed."

"Oh, who here has seen iZombie?" Simon asked. "It's zombies, but they are intelligent main characters. Very cool."

"I've heard of it," Jace admitted. He looked more comfortable now, and Clary was sure he didn't need the pillow anyway, though he hadn't moved it. She promised to make it up to him later when everyone else was sleeping.

"Sold," Simon said picking up the remote and loading Netflix. "You're all gonna love this show. The main character's name is Olivia Moore, but she goes by Liv and she's a zombie who livs more. Get it!"

"When did you become Magnus?" Clary asked chuckling.

"I shall take that as a compliment," Simon smiled, and within moments, they were all watching the first episode. And then the second… and the third. Clary was starting to get tired when she remembered she had plans that required not being tired tonight.

"Three is my limit," Clary said before Simon could just let it autoplay and trap her on the couch again. "But it really is a great show. We should all watch it together."

"Sounds like a great idea," Simon enthused. Clary stood up and held her hand out to take Jace's.

"We're going to bed," Clary explained. "Don't watch more without us."

"Don't be too loud!" Jordan called after them.

"More iZombie tomorrow night!" Simon added. As they walked away, Clary heard Simon and Jordan start debating about what they were going to watch next. She smiled. It was so wonderful to have her best friend back in her life again.

Clary held Jace's hand, leading him down the hall and into their bedroom. She shut the door, then pressed him up against it, kissing her boyfriend until his hands were back where they'd been hours ago. Her hands made their way to his belt, loosening it prematurely. She trailed her fingers across the defined muscles of his stomach, and then felt his hands on her ass. Jace lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around his hips, their lips still linked together in a heated kiss.

"Oh my back doesn't like this," Jace chuckled.

"Bed," Clary suggested. Seconds later, she fell backward onto the bed with Jace on top of her. The next thing she knew, her shirt found it's way across the room, her hands further exploring Jace's body, tossing his shirt aside as well. He was very adept at unhooking bras, and Clary wasn't surprised when hers suddenly went slack. Jace was kissing her heated skin from her collarbone to her navel. His fingers hooked into her jeans, and they slide down before she felt his lips on her thigh. She was quickly distracted as his mouth moved up over the curve of her hips, to caress her beast. He had her nimple in his mouth, his hand between her legs, when she felt herself climax.

"Now you are just teasing yourself," Clary gasped.

"I like watching how my touch effects you," Jace whispered back. That was all very well and good, but it was his turn now, and Clary was going to make sure of it. Using her hands, she pulled his firm arousal from his boxers, and pushed the unwanted fabric down. Jace seemed to be on board with her plan and helped her get them off. Then Clary wrapped her legs around him until she felt that hard shaft press against her wet throbbing loins. He filled her, and Clary let out a slow satisfied breath. She squeezed him once, enjoying the look on his face when she did so. Then he started moving in and out. Clary swayed her hips with his, and Jace was collapsing on top of her in no time. She kissed his forehead, went to the bathroom to wash up, then returned to bed and snuggled up next to him. There were whispered I love you's and then they fell asleep in each other's arms.

Yes I wrote over three paragraphs of dishes description… and yes you are right in thinking that I have washed A LOT of dishes in my life. I actually found this whole chapter rather cathartic to write and have had it finished for longer than the previous one. Describing dishes got me out of my lazy 'I don't feel like writing' funk. I hope it didn't bore you or make you nauseous. After my beta edited this she was like OMG SO GROSS!

Also if you hadn't guessed yes it is iZombie that I was up till 5am binge watching the other night… and yes my sleeping pattern has suffered greatly… Supergirl is also ruining my sleep lately but since I am out of season 2 episodes my writing and sleep would probably bounce back pretty quick.

Also my beta has finally published her Malec story! She's been working on it for ages guys and it's really good so you should go check it out. It's called Conditional Love and her username is Allienna. I have just spent the last few hours editing it for her and I ended up editing like six chapters in one go. I promise you will love it!

And this is what happens when you don't update in freakin ever! All the review to reply to at once!

Smilie1smilie1's Review
How cute. Love your Malec. Seeing both sides of how they lived is interesting. Can't wait for the next Malec. Thank you.

My Reply:
I would have PMed you back but you have those turned off. Just wanted to say thanks and I'm glad you enjoyed it. :D

Guest Review:
I absolutely loved this chapter. The puns had me dying laughing and I just really love the dynamic you've established between not only Magnus and alec but also between Magnus and his aunt! Really great character work and writing! You're story is such a joy to read :)

My Reply:
Hehe those puns killed my beta too. It seems I picked the right ones. ;) Awws thanks so much! Magnus and his aunt are becoming my fav it's true. They were like a team when Magnus was little so they have quite alot of friendship mixed into their parent-child relationship which is very important in adult child to parent relationships. Thanks so much!

Guest review:
You are back. I was so worried!

My Reply:
Awws don't worry. I always come back eventually. ^_^

Guest Review Chapter77
OMG! This was written so well! I had my breath caught in my throat! Great job!

My Reply:
Thanks so much! Yeah that chapter was a little intense. :D

Guest review Chapter
Still awesome! Keep going strong!

My reply:
Thanks so much. It seems such a small thing to say 'thanks' but I really mean it. It's reviews that keep me going strong so I appreciates it!

Sneak Peek Chapter 97

"Can I tempt you to a shopping trip?" Izzy asked him the moment she saw him.

"Ummm," Magnus replied.

"You do know that in marrying my brother you are going to be stuck with me for a sister-in-law," Izzy stated.

"I was aware," Magnus said unsure where she was going with this.

"As you know, I can be quite annoying," Izzy grinned. "You sure he's worth it? Forever is a long time."

"I am sure," Magnus replied easily. "Very acceptable compromise."

"Good," Izzy exclaimed sharply. "That was the correct answer. Any other one and I'd probably have had to bury a body." Magnus was having a hard time figuring out if she was joking.