Clary hadn't wanted to leave the comfort of Will's bright blue truck. The drive home from the airport had been all together too short, and now she was standing in the entrance way of the apartment she hadn't seen since last August.

Her memories of this place were dim, but as far as she could remember it looked nothing like it had. There wasn't a single female's touch in the whole apartment. Though she could tell they'd at least tried to clean before she'd shown up since there were no empty pop cans littering the surfaces and exactly zero dirty dishes in the sink. What there was however, was the smell of cologne and dirty socks. Clary could see dust clinging to the unused surfaces around the room, and knew the only dusting had been done by general use of the table and chairs. It didn't feel much like home to her.

"I know it doesn't exactly look like it did," Jace mumbled. "But our room is the same." Jace paused when she didn't speak and then continued. "With Jon and Jordan here this place has become a bit of a bachelor pad, is all. But we can fix it up, change whatever you like."

Her instincts were telling her Jace was nervous, but it had been so long since she'd stood in his presence it was hard to be sure.

"That makes sense," Clary finally said. "Three single guys living alone would end up with a very bachelor vibe."

"I wasn't single," Jace replied firmly. "And Jordan isn't anymore either. Did you hear he and Maia got back together."

"I hadn't heard yet, no," Clary smiled. "That must have been quite something. I hope Paige is okay."

"She's at Magnus and Alec's," Jace explained.

"It's crazy how much has changed while I've been gone," Clary said. "When I left I was living with Paige, Jordan, and you. I didn't move but now my brother's here and Paige is gone."

"Also did you hear about Magnus's father showing up out of nowhere?" Jace asked.

"What!" Clary stopped to spin around. "He didn't tell me about that!"

"He probably didn't want to worry you," Jace smiled.

"Has anything happened to Simon that I don't know about?" Clary asked.

"Not as far as I know," Jace replied.

"Well that's something at least," she signed.

There was a pause in which neither of them spoke. Clary knew they were alone in the apartment right now as Jon was out looking for a job, and Jordan was at Maia's. It had been different in the truck with other people around and in a confined moving vehicle. Just cuddling then had felt nice, with no chance of something else happening. But now it was different. Now she was standing physically near Jace without no one and nothing else to distract them. Why did she want to call Magnus right now, and find out details about his father's arrival? Why did she want to be somewhere else? Isn't this what they'd been waiting for for almost a year?

"Clary, are you okay?" Jace asked finally.

"I'm fine," Clary said automatically.

"No you aren't," he said. "Please, please tell me what's going on inside your head."

"I-" Clary began, but she hadn't a clue where to start.

"I know this isn't easy," Jace said calmly. "I know it will take work to get back to where we were, but that's work I want to do because I love you, Clary." He paused, but she didn't speak. "And I missed you so much. It's all I can do right now not to part you from all your clothes and-"

"And what?" Clary asked, gently taking a step closer.

"You know what," Jace whispered. He was visibly shaking now, and Clary could almost sense how much effort he was exuding to stand a foot away from her.

"But can we just start off where we were?" Clary asked. "Is that even possible? Aren't we strangers now?"

"If we are strangers," Jace began, moving slowly closer. "We are strangers who know every inch of each others skin."

Just the way he said it sent a shiver down her spine, and Clary surrendered. Breaking whatever invisible force held them apart she pushed forward and wrapped her arms around him. His mouth found hers faster than she could blink. Oh, how her body had missed him. She could feel it now, responding to his lightest touch. A fluttering swooping sensation flooded her stomach, and the next thing she knew, Clary had him pinned to the ground, kissing him like her life depended on it.

Soon she could feel him harden, and press up against her leg, though still through his jeans so it wasn't all that noticeable. Still, she didn't sense the same urgency in him that she could feel rising within herself.

"Get those off," she told him as she got up to quickly dart into the bathroom.

She returned, but he'd only just unbuttoned his jeans. Leaning down to kiss him, her hands moved to quickly finish what he'd started. His hands were under her shirt now, tracing over her skin without trying to remove the clothes.

"Don't want to take off my bra, huh?" Clary whispered to him.

"Don't want this to be over too fast," Jace whispered back.

"Don't worry about that," Clary told him. "Over fast means starting again."

And just like that Jace's urgency shifted. Her bra clasp released, and Jace tossed both that and her shirt away. Then his lips found her nipples as he sat up. Clary moaned. It had been so long. She wasn't willing to wait. Suddenly standing up Clary pulled off all her clothes from the waist down, taking from her pocket what she'd collected from the bathroom moments ago.

"You still keep them in the same place," Clary giggled at him as she pulled his jeans down to around his ankles and sat on his thighs. Once she had the condom on Clary moved up and lowered herself over him. Jace let out a gasp as she lowered herself over him.

"Oh god," Jace whispered. "I had forgotten how it felt to be inside of you."

"Your turn," Clary said. "Make me forget my own name."

And then his hips bucked into hers, and Clary was the one gasping. There was no air for talking as she ground her hips into him and he thrust into her. Clary could feel a thin sheen of sweat begin to cover her skin as her orgasm built up inside her. Her toes curled as her muscles tensed and she collapsed on top of him. She sensed from his stillness that he too had finished.

"I love you," Jace whispered into her ear. "I will love you till the day I die, Clarissa Fairchild."

Some small part of her squirmed inside. She knew she didn't deserve such unconditional devotion, but still she had it.

"I love you too," Clary whispered back.

They just lay like that for a moment, until they began to get cold. Clary got up and dressed while Jace disposed of the condom before gathering up his clothes as well.

A half hour later they were curled up on the couch watching a movie with a big blanket draped over both of them. Once the movie was over, they talked for hours about her time in Paris. Clary tried to share as much of it as possible with him. She described in detail the architecture there, how it was a mix of old and new. How much she'd enjoyed painting such unique things.

"Wow, it almost sounds like you'd like to live there permanently someday," Jace said when she'd paused.

"Oh no never," Clary replied. "I am so glad I went, but the air isn't as good, and there are so many people, and everyone's in a rush and rude. It's beautiful, but it could never be home."

She talked about all the interesting people she met on campus, and how she rarely left the campus. But when she did, she noticed a lot of homeless people, and how often everyone ran instead of walked down sidewalks. The city itself had poorer areas and richer regions, though as she'd rarely left the campus except for tourist stuff she hadn't seen a lot of it.

"And I'm glad because some of the poorer areas were kinda scary," Clary added.

"Who did you do the tourist stuff with?" Jace asked.

"Classmates usually," Clary replied. "We rarely had the time with all the school work we had, but it was really great to be shown around by a local."

"You made a friend who was also visiting from Canada right?" Jace inquired.

"Riley yeah," Clary smiled. "He's home now too, though I don't think he lives here. We said we'd email to keep in touch."

"That's nice," Jace smiled back at her.

For hours and hours they talked, forgetting about whatever movie they'd attempted to watch long ago. Hunger won out, and they ordered a pizza as the sun set. When Jon got home he helped finish off the pizza and joined in, listening to Clary talk about Paris.

"Urg, you're making me so jealous!" Jon whined, after a few hours. "I'm going to bed."

Clary and Jace followed suit, locking themselves in their room as talking changed to caressing. Clary's whole body had missed him like an ache in her side. She fell asleep hours later with every muscle in her body burnt out from a post orgasm high.

Everything was going to be okay. She hadn't imagined how good it felt to be near Jace again, that feeling deep inside that had nothing to do with sex. She'd missed his presence, and more than anything this proved what she'd been able to remember all these months, but had forgotten how it felt. This was where she was suppose to be.

Clary woke up to Jace's arms wrapped so tightly around her she couldn't move. It was such a familiar, and yet new way to wake up. She took a moment to take it in before attempted to untangle herself.

"Nope," Jace's voice spoke without the slightest bit of grogginess. Clary suspected he'd been awake a while. "You aren't getting away that easily."

"But I'm hungry," Clary complained.

"Me too," Jace replied. "It's one o'clock, but that doesn't mean you get to slip away without me."

"Wow, we slept in," Clary explained, confused until she remembered the jet lag. "So why am I still so tired?"

"Well it's nine at night your time," Jace reminded her.

"Urg," Clary whined, and rolled over to bury her face in his chest. "Why is time so complicated."

"Because the earth moves around the sun, and the earth is a sphere," Jace replied, grinning.

"How long have you been just watching me sleep?" Clary asked, lifting her head to narrow her eyes at him.

"Not nearly long enough," Jace smiled at her. Clary groaned, unsure what to do with the information that he had probably be lying here totally awake and watching her sleep for hours.

"Fine," Jace laughed. "If you don't want me to watch you then I'll have to find something else to do."

Clary turned slowly, unsure what he meant, but when his fingers found her ribs she suddenly knew exactly what he meant, and was doing her best to kick him.

"No tickling!" Clary all but yelled as she tried with all her might to keep the tickles at bay.

Jace stopped, but he was grinning from ear to ear. "Awake now?" he asked. Clary made it clear she was not amused.

Already pretty tangled together, Jace leaned down and offered an apology by way of morning kisses. After only a few minutes, Clary moaned contently as he teased her skin with his hands and kissed down her neck.

"Hmmmm," Clary mumbled. "If I wasn't so hungry I'd say we should just stay in bed all day."

She could feel Jace's lips pull up into a grin as he continued to kiss her neck. "I'm not hungry," Jace whispered, and then added seconds later, "For food."

"Slow down there tiger," Clary chuckled. "Plenty of time for that after breakfast. Unless you have somewhere you need to be today."

"Nope," Jace replied. "I'm all yours. Got the day off work."

"What's left of it anyway," Clary laughed. "Can't believe I slept till after one."

"Well slacker," Jace smiled. "Why don't we drag ourselves out of his bed, and find some food?"

"Find?" Clary mocked. "Don't you mean make?"

"How does one make a bagel?" Jace replied. "You just find it in the bread drawer and eat it." He shrugged and Clary couldn't help but laugh.

It was a lazy breakfast, filled with spontaneous kisses, and laughter. Though not totally in sync with her old life yet, as the day went on Clary started to feel like she was home again.

Today was for Jace, but tomorrow Clary had to catch up with the other men in her life: Magnus and Simon.

What did you guys think? I'm running low and chapters from my binge writing last week so there is no sneak peek for this one either. (Rock Bottom has no sneak peek either) My days off are coming up so maybe I'll get some writing done then. I will add a sneak peek here as soon as I have one.

Sneak Peek Chapter 154 (Added weeks later)

Just then they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Magnus knew Paige had a key, which meant this could only be Clary. With one last kiss for his husband, Magnus got up to answer the door.

And there stood biscuit, with her bright red now short hair and a grin on her face.

"Magnus!" she exclaimed, rushing over to hug him.

"Well this is a nice change of pace," Magnus teased her. "Worn Jace out already have you?" He chuckled.

"Sush," Clary replied, hitting him playfully on the shoulder. "If you hadn't seen Alec for ten months you would have ignored me too."

"I have a feeling Alec would never allow such a thing," Magnus laughed. "That crazy man would probably ditch all his responsibilities and fly to Paris on his mother's credit card." They both laughed as they moved away from the door and into the rest of the apartment.

"I heard my name," Alec said with narrowed eyes as they approached.

"We were just saying how fond we both are of you," Magnus replied innocently.

"As if!" Alec scoffed, but Magnus just smiled knowingly and turned back to face Clary.