Maia was getting really sick of Christmas carols. The store in which she worked had been playing them non-stop for over a month before the dreaded day arrived. That dreaded day being today, December 25th. And for some insane reason her store had decided to be open on this of all days. She wasn't complaining however, apart from the music selection that is. Maia didn't have anywhere else to be today, so why not get paid time and a half to watch an almost empty store? It didn't sound so bad really when you put it like that.

There wasn't a single manager working today, so Maia didn't even have to pretend to work while the store was dead. Besides, she'd already cleaned all the cases so she just sat down and let her mind wonder. her Christmas was rather low-key, but she knew many of her friends were, at this very moment, enjoying fabulous family gatherings. Alec and Magnus had gone home to Alec's mansion for the holidays. Izzy had dragged Simon along with them, which meant Maia had her apartment to herself. She was pretty sure Paige was still at Malec's, likely having been given the task of cat sitting in the couples absence. Jace had gone home alone to spend the holidays with his mother. Clary was, of course, still in Paris. Who was she forgetting?

Ah, that's right… Jordan.

It was strange now to think of all the times she'd pushed him away. For here she was gazing at an empty store and wishing he was here.

"How'd you get suck with this shift?"

Maia jumped. Then turned to see the only other employee who was working today.

"Hey Jamie," Maia sighed, relaxing back into her stupor.

"Oh geez, cheer up!" Jamie ordered. "You look like someone killed your puppy."

"I've never had a puppy," Maia replied.

"You should get one then," Jamie stated. "They are good company, and you look like you could use some."

"I live in a no pets apartment," Maia explained.

"Ah yes, the benefits of basement suits with backyards," Jamie sighed. "You never answered my question."

With a sigh Maia said, "I volunteered for the Christmas Day shift." She turned and added, "And don't give me that look. You're working the Christmas shift too!"

"Yes, but I drew the short straw," Jamie sighed. "It wasn't like I wanted to be here, but I heard you volunteered to work Christmas."

"Guilty," Maia replied awkwardly.

"Are you crazy?" he asked.

Maia really thought about that for a moment. "Possibly," she said.

"Didn't you want to go home?" Jamie asked. "See your family and eat some turkey?"

"We have turkey here," Maia replied, grinning as she pointed to the deli section. Jamie raised his eyebrows at her. "Alright fine. To answer your questions honesty, no I'd rather not go home."

"May I ask why?"

Maia shrugged. "Long standing bad relationships with my parents. Also my brother's an ass."

"Fair enough," Jamie stated.

"If you weren't here," Maia continued. "Where would you be? With who?"

"Interesting question," Jamie smiled. "Alright here's my deal. If I answer, then you have to as well. And be honest." Maia agreed with a nod and he continued. "I have this friend. I've known her going on eight years now, and she'd been with the same guy all eight of those years. If I wasn't here I'd been with them."

Now it was Maia's turn to raise her eyebrows at him. "The same guy huh?" she smirked. "Let me guess. If she wasn't with this guy you'd move right in."

"Either I'm way more obvious than I think I am, or you have some kind of superhuman intuition about such things."

"Both," Maia replied. "I've had people on my hook. I'm currently on a hook, and I've seen it in all manor of other peoples in my dating life. It takes one to know one."

"Fair point," Jamie said. "Alright, you're turn. Where would you be?"

"I'd be… with Jordan," Maia said after a moment's thought.

"Mr. Current Hook guy, I presume?" Jamie inquired. Maia nodded.

"We dated in high school," Maia explained. "He followed me here and pursued me relentlessly until my endless refusals finally sank in. Then he moved on, and I finally realized what I'd lost."

"Ouch," Jamie sympathized.

"Either that, or I'd have taken my roommate up on her offer and spent Christmas at her parents place."

"That sounds like a healthy life choice," Jamie said with enthusiasm. "Why not do that?"

"It felt wrong letting her buy my plane ticket," Maia explained. "Plus the whole intruding on a family thing, and being surrounded by overly happy couples the entire time."

"Ah yes, the woes of being single when all your friends aren't," Jamie sighed. "Speaking as Mr. Chronically Single I totally get it."

"I know why I'm in this boat," Maia laughed. "But you aren't half bad looking, you have a job, and are generally a wonderful person. Surely there is someone out there for you?"

"Yes but she's common-law with her high school sweetheart," Jamie explained.

"Urg," Maia complained. "Love sucks."

"Amen," Jamie laughed.

Just then an actual customer walked in thoroughly surprising them both, but after a few minutes the middle aged man had purchased his cranberries and left. The store, once again empty, Maia continued to pass the time chatting with Jamie. They moved onto television shows after that. Izzy had been trying to get Maia to watch Poldark, and she had to admit there was a certain appeal to Adam Turner's abs that could not be denied. As she doubted this same fact could encourage Jamie to watch the show, she tried a different tactic.

"It's a historical drama," Maia explained. "I know you love history."

"That I do," Jamie replied.

"And it's so well acted. The sets are amazing. Ross Poldark is so hot with a scythe! I could go on, but I suppose I should spare you my descriptions of the guys on the show," she laughed.

"And for that I am eternally grateful," Jamie laughed.

"The female cast is lovely as well," Maia mused. "Though I do tend to pay less attention there." Jamie laughed, a great cackle that had Maia chuckling as well.

By the time they closed the store, Maia was sure she'd convinced him to at least try episode one. She'd even promised to lend him Izzy's DVDs on her next shift. After all, it was Izzy's standing policy that people could always borrow her DVDs if they had a true interest in loving the show as she did. Maia would just have to slightly exaggerate Jamie's enthusiasm if her roommate asked.

As Jamie locked up the store for the night, Maia bid him goodbye then made her way home. It was a quiet walk as very few people were out and about today. Her legs carried her while her mind wondered. Somewhere between trying to remember to put the DVDs in her purse for Jamie, and admiring a rather beautiful piece of graffiti on a passing fence, Maia's thoughts shifted to him. She supposed even if he didn't want her anymore, there was no reason why she couldn't see Jordan. He'd be at home alone today just like her, since Jace was back home for the holidays. The two were very likely the only of their social group still in town. She hadn't concisouly made the decision when her legs started taking her to where she wanted to go.

Maia stood in front of his apartment complex staring at Jace and Clary's names on the ringer. It seemed no one had bothered to update it when Jordan had moved in. For some reason it made her smile. She tried to think why while she stood their unsure of whether or not to press the button. It was, after all, Christmas day. Even if he hadn't gone away, there was no guarantee that he'd be home. She could always leave. Pretend like she hadn't been here and go home… then again what would it hurt to try.

Maia ran the bell and waited. To her surprise she heard Jordan's voice only seconds later.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Umm hi?" Maia replied, unsure what to use as her excuse for being here.

There was a moments silence as he seemed to process her voice. "Maia?" he said finally.

"Guilty," she replied awkwardly. "Sorry to just show up like this. I got off work and just kinda ended up here."

"It's okay," Jordan replied. "Surprising, but okay. Would you like to come upstairs?"

"If that's alright," she replied. His response was to buzz her into the building.

Still unsure why she was here, Maia went inside and made her way up to the apartment. As she walked, she thought about how many people she'd known had at one point or another lived in this apartment. Alec had been the one to pick it out for himself and Jace during their second year of university. Then when Alec got married he'd moved in with Magnus, and Clary had moved in with Jace. Wait... had there been a time when Clary had lived with Magnus before Alec moved in? Maia couldn't remember. Even so, this same apartment had also been home to Jordan and Simon before Simon had moved in with Izzy and Maia. Paige had moved here as well while she'd been with Jordan, but with Paige being Malec's new third wheel, and Clary in Paris, it was only Jordan and Jace living here now.

Though a space so many people she'd known had once occupied, Maia herself had never before been inside this building. It wasn't anything particularly special, a simple carpet with white walls and a black railing along the stairs. Still, it was in her thoughts as she made her way to the apartment.

Reaching his door, she knocked and it swung open. Maia stepped inside without a word and he closed the door behind her. She really hadn't thought this through. What did they even have to talk about?"

"Merry Christmas," Maia said smiling. "I hope I'm not imposing."

"Not at all," Jordan replied. "I couldn't get a shift today so I've just been at home."

"No Christmas plans at all?" she asked. Jordan just shrugged. "You could have gone with Jace you know."

"Mah," Jordan smiled. "Didn't fancy the long trip to see someone else's family. I worked yesterday, and I work tomorrow."

"I still wish you'd make up with your family," Maia counted. "Then you would have had someone to be with today. Somewhere to go."

"I think after what I did I deserve one miserable Christmas," Jordan smiled. "Don't you?"

"What we did, remember?" Maia corrected.

"You were more free than I at the time," Jordan explained.

"I hate to see you so put down," Maia told him. "So, she couldn't forgive you. So, you got hurt. What of it? Are you going to sulk about the past forever, or are you going to pick yourself up and look to the future?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "You know as well as I that sulking won't help anything."

And then he was smiling at her, a wide almost proud smile that sent her stomach fluttering. "I wish your parents were proud of you. I know they aren't, but Maia, you are so much stronger than people give you credit for."

"Thanks," she replied. "Although, if I'd been strong enough to resist you we wouldn't be in our current mess, would we?"

"Ditto," Jordan laughed.

It was strange how such a conversation topic could alleviate the unspoken tension in the room. This was a point they'd never before managed to attain. It felt like friendship, and Maia was glad of it.

"I have some turkey in the fridge," Jordan offered. "And a little eggnog if you want to stay?"

"I'd like that," Maia smiled. He moved to collected the items from the kitchen. When he returned with a Christmas dinner for one Maia asked where he'd gotten the home cooked meal.

"Ah, but it just looked homemade," Jordan smiled. "Bought it at a deli."

"Not my deli you didn't," Maia replied. "I've spent enough time in that meat locker to recognize all of it."

"You caught me," Jordan laughed. "I went to a different grocery store."

"Traiter," Maia chuckled as she accepted the meal and a glass of eggnog.

It wasn't much of a Christmas, but in that moment Maia couldn't have thought of a better way she'd have wanted to spend it.

Hehe this writer is getting lazy! *SunglessEmojiHere* #UpdatingLikeASloth

Oh and an unrelated note I got an instagram! So if you are interested in seeing pictures of my adorable cat and quote graphics I've made you can follow me on instagram. My username there is writesalott. ^_^ Cause I'm predictable like that. My quote graphics are everything from Doctor Who and Harry Potter type quotes, to the Vlogbrothers and historical figures.

Guest Review:
If you don't want me to read it then put this in private, or delete it. Or you cannot stop me from reading this, and commenting on it. Ahaha!

My Reply:
I can't reply privately since you didn't log in. And I never wanted to stop you from reading it. :) I just didn't understand why you were reading it if you thought it too long and tedious.

Guest Review:
My intrigue has been peaked once again.

My Reply:
Yes! That is, as always, the goal. For what would fiction be if it wasn't intriguing? A textbook that's what!

Nunj's Guest Review for Chapter 47:
I don't see Simon being friends with clary and jace in real life

My Reply:
Well they were friends in the books even after Clary dated Simon. Plus Clary and Simon have been friends all their lives. If I was them I wouldn't want to lose such a friend simply because we didn't work as a couple though I've never had a friend like that so I wouldn't know so sure. Also wow! 47… that was a LONG time ago. lol.

Sneak peek of chapter 143

They all sat down to eat. People were talking about this and that; his mother in particular wanted to tell them about what she was serving. Jace usually loved to listen when food was involved, but at the moment he was otherwise occupied, analyzing his mother's body language.

"And there's an apple fritter for dessert," Celine was saying when Jace tuned in. "I even bought ice cream." She smiled, and for a moment it felt to Jace like nothing was wrong, but then he saw her hands shaking.

"What's wrong?" Jace asked firmly.

"Noth-" Celline began, but Jace cut her off.

"And don't say nothing's wrong because I know better," Jace snapped. "I may not be the most observant guy in the universe, but I know somethings wrong. Tell me, now." He tried to say it as firmly as he could so she'd actually answer. With her avoiding questions all holiday he wasn't sure what else to do.