It felt nice for Clary to go back doing what she loved next to who she loved; Amatis had finally accepted, after hours of begging on her knees, letting Clary take her extra art classes along with Jace, she painted while he played the piano. Such a curious thing that he could become a great inspiration for her, even though she was a great painter every artist has a block once in a while, but as longs as he was on her mind, she could do her best always. And the picture she was working on at that moment was the perfect proof of it. Clary had forgotten what was she initially painting the moment that Jace looked back at her and smiled tenderly, what had started as a yellow lily placed at the window of the room was now a portrait of Jace playing the piano; in other situation she would've been happy to death with the results of her loving heart, but this was just bad! She had promised Amatis that Jace wouldn't be a distraction, but her love for him as such power over her, that she couldn't control it anymore, and she didn't mind.

"Oh, damn!" she squealed when she looked at the painting. Jace turned to see her worried.

"You messed it up or what?" Clary sensed that Jace was about to take a look of what she had done, embarrassment took over her and her cheeks showed bright red color.

"Uh, I kind of did it… but it's no big deal, really" she used her own body to cover her big and yet beautiful mistake before he could see it.

"Hey, let me see, it can't be that bad… You're pretty good at it" he insisted, but she did whatever she could to hide it from him. Jace laughed at his lovely wife's attitude "C'mon, Clary, just let me see it! Maybe I can help…"

"No, no you can't! It's useless!" she giggled along with him shyly and said the first thing that came to her mind to distract him "Actually, I would like you to teach me how to play!" Jace looked really surprised after that. Oh, shit, what did you just do?! You have as much potential of a musician as Helen as the potential to be straight, but that's not going to happen either!

"Really?" he asked, Clary smiled.

"Well, yeah… I mean I'm never going to be as good as you are but…" she lowered her voice ashamed; he took her hand before she could continue her nonsense.

"Bullshit, anyone can learn to do anything! Come here…" he took her to the piano, just like they had been the first time she had heard him playing, that time when she had seen the most beautiful part of his should, the one that reflected pure adoration and the most strong and deep desires of his heart. "Alright, are you somehow familiarized with a piano?"

"Um, my friend Helen also plays it so… she once taught me the notes but I've never really played like a complete song or anything…" she confessed, Jace smiled and placed her hand on the keyboard. He moved her finger to the right side and the key made a sound.

"Which note is it?" he asked, she thought for a bit an answered.

"I think that's C…" she replied, he nodded and the moved her finger to the left side of it and pressed a key.

"What about that one?" Clary answered almost instantly.

"That's definitely E!" she said, Jace laughed joyfully.

"So, you're not totally lost, are you?" he said with a bright smile on his face, Clary's heart almost jumped out of her chest.

"No, not really" she told him, and on the inside thought: Actually I've never felt like knowing anything before you came around.

"Alright, so first I think you should learn how to read a score, it's not really difficult but you have to pay attention to it carefully..." Clary listened trying not to get distracted with his deep and cute eyes, the soft sound of his voice that made her shiver to the bones, the touch on his own hands on top of hers, his gentle whisper to her hear, it was far too much. After a long time of practice, they both finally played a song together, Clary played the high notes and Jace the low ones, and together they created the sweetest and most wonderful sound she had ever heard; with him by her side, nothing could go wrong.

"You did it, you do have an artist soul" he said when they finished, Clary smiled and answered slowly.

"Well, that's new! Goldilocks doesn't show off how a great teacher he is! Guess I've helped you change for good" Jace laughed at her comment.

"If you only knew what kind of things you can provoke on me…" he looked at the ground and sighed.

"What kind of things?" she asked curiously.

"Well, just the fact to hear you breathing right now… it's like so special to me somehow, you know? When you look at me, I'm breathless, when you smile I feel like dying at your feet, and don't get me started with when you touch me, it's dreamlike, it's… simply amazing" Clary's heart was about to explode from all the things she felt when he spoke, she neither had felt something so strong before.

"You want to make me cry, don't you?" said the very touched Clary, with teary eyes of course.

"As long as they're tears of joy, I don't have anything against them" he helped her wipe off her face a little bit of liquid emotion she wasn't able to stop from falling.

"Lately, I cannot feel anything else than that…" after saying that, Jace's face got closer to hers, but he didn't kiss he, he just looked right into his eyes and let out that intense sensation in form of words.

"You just complete me, Clary… I would've never realized how immature and stupid I was if you wouldn't have come here" Clary sighed.

"Jace…" but he didn't let her finish.

"It's true… no one had ever dared to say stuff about me as they truly were. But you did… and then it was that I found out that I didn't want to be good for anyone, if I couldn't be good enough for you… And I'm still trying, with all of me… So, if I ever make a mistake so big that it's unforgiveable, you have to tell me… no matter how much it hurts, alright?" Clary's desire to cry became even bigger, and she just nodded because she knew that if she dared to say something, that cute little conversation of theirs would become hours and hours of tears. She was promising far too many things that she didn't really care about thinking if she was able to do them, she just wanted to make him feel happy, and safe and loved, thing that no one had ever done for him.

"I will, trust me" was the only thing she said before their lips met, Jace's kisses had become like oxygen for her, like if all the time she was without him she was just drowning in her loneliness, and when they met again, she was able to go out to the surface and breathe again.

"Hey, wanna do something crazy?" she told him looking out the window, it had started to rain strongly, and she wondered what would he answer to her request.

"Explain it to me before I have wrong thoughts about it" he almost begged, Clary chuckled and took his hand leading him out of the room.

"Have you ever kissed somebody under the rain?" she laughed as they went out to the garden. About to get soaking wet.

"Not that I remember" Jace scowled at the feeling of the cold rain making its way through the fabric of his shirt.

"Well, there's always a first time for everything" Clary whispered, her wet red hair covering her face, her arms rested on his shoulders like protecting him from the raindrops, and she kissed him over and over again.

It had been a long time since Izzy had kissed Simon for the first time, and she was just ready to die at any second. Locked up inside her room she looked at her cell phone like it was a black widow approaching dangerously slow, willing to end her with no hesitation but still without any rush. She wondered if she had done right every minute of the day, Simon just wouldn't leave her head or thoughts, she had loved to kiss him for real, but how could she manage to bring misery to anyone else? She was as guilty as Alec or her mother for not being able to stop her father, and if Robert wasn't planning to regret his actions any soon, they would end up hurting many people, and he just couldn't be included in that group. Like that, Izzy made an infernal list of future broken hearts: first of all Jace, for sure and along with him was Clary, who had gotten so close to her, then there were her aunt Celine and uncle Stephen, her always sweet and loving grandmother, Amatis would be forever disappointed of them, then it was Alec who didn't want to do any of that because it was no good for anyone, then there was her vulnerable and innocent mother who would do anything just to protect them, and the last but not least… the only who could've actually been saved as any of that was his fault, her still unborn baby brother, their mother have told them the sex of the baby not so long ago, Izzy always dreamt of her little brother, what would he be like and if he ever would have the strength to forgive his older sister for being such a coward. That last thought was enough for her and with tearful eyes she went to the window, it was raining for what she could she, but her eyes confused the rain with her own tears; Just like you, Isabelle, you're nothing but a raindrop, the fact they don't want to fall from a beautiful cloud to the dirty and ugly ground doesn't mean they won't fall, they aren't able to help it… and neither are you.

"Kick me if I'm wrong, sis, but I'm sensing a high level of sadness in here" Alec sounded more cheerful than usual, that made her smile for a moment, but her brother knew that smile wasn't totally honest, he hugged her from her back at whispered softly to her ear. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Oh, Alec… I've never seen myself like such a useless and despicable being… the last thing I wanted was to hurt you or mama or anybody… but it seems like lately is the only thing I can do right…" she wiped hiding her face on Alec's shoulder.

"Hey, what makes you think something like that, Iz? None of that is true!" he comforted her, but Izzy needed facts not just words.

"I'm so afraid, Alec; I don't know what to do…" she decided to confess her biggest fear about that whole situation, hoping her brother could help, because if Alec couldn't understand her, then nobody would.

"Afraid of what?" he asked shaking for a moment.

"To become like father…"she lowered her voice, her heart seemed to shrink with that painful confession "to believe like I've always been the good one when I was the one creating a mess, to think I was an angel when I was nothing but a devil in disguise…"

"Isabelle Sophia, what are you talking about? …" began Alec taking her by the chin so he would look right into his eyes, those blue eyes he knew that she couldn't lie to, and he also felt a sharp pain at seeing the reflection of her tortured heart rolling down her cheeks. "Hear me before you wish to rip off my head, I know that father might not be the best person on Earth, but… he at least has the idea of what's justice, and good and love… he's just not projecting it the good way; Ever since I've got to the palace… I could feel that, you know? The fact that he's making all these mistakes, they're also a prove of the pressure he feels… he has never considered himself a good son, or brother, or husband or even father… and now he tries to do something about it, but this is just not the right way. I've tried to help him, Izzy but, in the end, it only depends on him, until he opens his eyes and sees and feels for himself the weight of his actions, he'll never get better… but I cannot put myself into his shoes and make him do that. See, I tell you this because I've also felt what you're feeling right now, but what comforts me is that… I know what kind of person I am, I trust myself enough so I don't forget what's best for me to do, even if I pretend wishing to do something else… Isabelle, you don't have to worry about anything really if you know that no matter what everyone does, you'll stand up for yourself and still fight for what's right, it's in your nature… you won't go against it" Izzy sighed joyfully, at least he had a bit of hope on her.

"I just don't want to hurt him…" she looked down trying to stop the tears; Alec giggled at his sister's tenderness.

"You won't, beautiful. If that guy's smart and brave enough to take the challenge of loving you, he will, and with all that comes with that decision; No one's love is perfect, sis, it hurts and it's confusing and frustrating and all of that, but that's what makes it wonderful, and lucky the ones who dare to pursuit it; if it's true, love blinds us and makes us a bit stupid, but those who are brave are not always geniuses, and those who have brains are not always brave enough… So, don't be a fool for the wrong reasons, if you want it go for it, any way it ends… it'll pay off in the end" Izzy raised her head to meet his eyes one more time, that voice that had been inside her mind for what looked like a century spoke again.

"So you're saying that… If I make a mistake, I'll learn from it and if I don't I'll get whatever I wanted?" just like Simon had told her.

"Yeah, that sounded quite better than what I said… You see what I mean? I might be a fool but at least I'm not a coward" they both laughed at his comment, Izzy hugged him tightly.

"No, you're not; you're the best brother ever, Alexander Gideon" Alec kissed his sister's forehead softly and then sighed.

"Too bad I'm not the best cousin ever…" he said sounding serious.

"Why?" Isabelle turned to face the window and see whatever had made her brother say so.

"Because if I was I would actually want to stop those lovebirds from getting a serious cold, but right now I just want to do exactly the same" he pointed out to Jace and Clary who played in the rain like a pair of 4 year olds, they seemed to be having much fun though, and Izzy was surprised! Jace would've never done something like that. Love makes us foolish, is true, but it's not necessary to be so goddamn smart to be happy!

"Tell the doctor that he'll have two more patients to take care of!" laughed Isabelle and then she dragged her brother out to their grandfather's garden to play along with their cousins.

Jace and Clary were already soaking wet when their Alec and Isabelle came along. Izzy shivered as the cold water fell down to her, her beautiful dress becoming all wet as she ran to meet them.

"Princess, may I ask why you're acting so reckless?" asked Jace when he saw her, she giggled and answered.

"Ask me when you can answer that to yourself, dyed blond!" she knew that Jace would get mad for sure, and she started running all over the garden as he chased her like if she was a mouse.

"Come here, Isabelle Sophia, you'll pay for this!" they both were incredibly fast and Clary laughed seeing the part of Jace that was still a little kid, insanely happy when he had time to be immature.

"You know that Amatis will yell at us until she has no voice left?" asked Alec hugging Clary by the waist.

"Yeah, but still I think we needed some rest from our royal lives…" replied Clary throwing right into his face the water that had gathered in the leaf of a tree, he began to tickle her in revenge as she also tried to run away until she found Izzy, they both build up a plan to protect themselves together, it was boys against girls, no rules in between, this time they were free to do whatever they wanted. It was fun the way Clary thought about their lives, of course that no kid likes having rules to follow; but since they were children, they parents had thought them that the law was more important than anything in life, you had to sacrifice love, happiness and kindness if it was necessary in order to follow the law, the thing they didn't understand was that, if only they had given them some freedom to realize why was that so important, they wouldn't have become so reckless, drown in the desire to try anything besides what they already knew, maybe if they had trusted them… they wouldn't believe that they were nothing but a beautiful and perfect mess.

"Alright, I give up!" laughed Clary as her husband approached dangerously, making her lay on the ground, the wetness of the ground send shivers down her spine and that feeling was confused with the sensation of having him so close.

"We win then!" Jace kissed her nose and got up declaring themselves victorious.

"Or so you thought…" she told him, like that Jace was thrown to the floor again, Izzy behind him chuckling evilly helped Clary to get up, as he looked at them with an intense state of shock showing on his face they high-fived and smiled.

"You! My own blood! You've practically stabbed me at my back!" threatened Jace as Alec helped him up.

"If we take the "stabbing" part out of that sentence, it'd have a much more literal sense" laughed Isabelle as she and Clary went hand to hand to the inside of the palace.

"I don't care what sense it has! You're cheater!" her cousin complained and that made the girls laugh even more.

"He's 18 and already married and he still cries as a baby boy, good luck living the rest of your life with this punk, Clary" said Izzy.

"If that's the case, I guess that I actually will have to consider divorce" fooled him Clary, but still Jace stood frozen in the hall, about to die because of what he heard.

"Oh, c'mon, Jonathan! she doesn't mean it, I'm not going to take you to your room like a damsel in distress!" protested Alec.

"Don't worry about that, highness. I myself will make sure that you all come back to your rooms right now" they listened a familiar voice as they walked through the living room, with tortured expressions the four of them turned to see Amatis, so angry that her cheeks became red.

"I guess this is the first time in years that we'll get our asses kicked" whispered Jace. Clary forces herself not to laugh.

"Highness…" said Amatis walking to meet them, she had already discovered who had been the creator of the wonderful idea to go and play outside while a storm took place "Princesses do not run around under the rain…"

"No? I thought that we just did…" replied Izzy innocently.

"Very funny, princess. Now all of you go to your rooms and don't come out until I say you can" Amatis crossed her arms to her chest.

"Yes, lady Amatis" they said in chorus and went their separate ways. Still Jace grabbed her hand and kissed Clary when she turned, whispering to her ear: This was the most fun I've had in years. And then he was gone, leaving Clary standing lovesick in the centre of the living room.

"Must I repeat what I've just said, princess?" her aunt woke her from her dream.

"No, because if you do… I'll forget what he just said and I don't want to…" Clary headed to her room as Annemarie and Camille followed her to prepare her bath. While her maids got into the bathroom, she let herself lie on her bed, too busy thinking about Jace to mind the fact that she had gotten the bedspread all wet. Loving you this much might get dangerous, Jonathan Christopher… she thought, with such a wonderful feeling overwhelming her heart, how could she know how right she was?

Maia and Helen had thought of going out for coffee after visiting Helen's family, but Mr. Blackthorn had the wonderful idea of asking them to take the kids out too; and to top it off, the presence of a Cairstairs reminded the two friends that ... where were Jules, Emma would be, plain and simple. Like that, all of Helen's siblings: Tavvy, the baby, Dru, the baby girl, the twins Livvy and Ty, Julian, Emma and the oldest one after Helen, Mark mad the perfect company to them that afternoon.

"Alright, you brats! I agreed to take you with me because dad asked me to! But listen to me closely, if anyone dares to make a fuss at the coffee shop I myself will make sure that you never go out of the house again! Understood?" said Helen authorial, making even the baby, who was in Maia's arms, shiver like there was not tomorrow.

"Yes, Helen" they said, their oldest sister smiled and opened the door for them.

"The last one who gets to the table is a mundane!" screamed Julian and his siblings started running all over the place.

"I'm going to hang him from the window by his thumbs when we get home" Helen whispered, the baby laughed hiding his face on Maia's chest.

"Hey, Tavvy likes the idea!" she smiled as she sat down.

"Heard that, Jules? It's two against one, you'll miss your bed tonight" scolded him his sister, Jules stuck out his tongue.

"Count me also, Helen! I bet that Julian will love to sleep facing the cold breeze of the night" said Ty and his twin laughed strongly.

"Why's everyone against me lately?" he complained with his arms to his chest.

"I'm not Jules, I never am! But…" Emma turned her head so she wouldn't see her best friend's angriness when she finished what she was saying "Three against one seems fair enough!" Julian gasped indignantly.

"With that kind of friends and family, why would you want enemies, Jules?" Laughed Mark along with them.

"That was enough, kids" said Maia finally, but still trying to hide her playful smile. After that, the waitress brought their food.

"Okay, guys, it's one cupcake for each one and no more! I don't want to hear any complains, understood?" said Helen, the kids nodded and started eating.

"Careful about acting like a mom, Helen! That's not very heartbreaker-like from you…" mocked her Maia, who got a scowl from her in response, she giggled at her expression.

"Livia, that one was mine!" suddenly yelled Drusilla at her older sister.

"Not true, you already have one!" replied Livvy annoyed.

"Yeah, but I changed my mind about this one, I want the other one!" protested Dru but Livvy wasn't going to give the cupcake to her so easily.

"The first thing I say, the first thing you do… Dru, you picked that one and that's it…"tried Helen to stop the terrible mess the kids were about to begin.

"Let's see how this ends…" Mark smiled already knowing the end of it, just after a second the little fight of two sisters became like World War Three.

"Give it to Dru, Livvy! She's smaller than you!" said Jules in favor of his baby sister.

"That's no excuse I picked it first!" replied Livvy, her beautiful cheeks showing the brightest red as her brother made her get mad.

"Why can't I have normal siblings, why?!" complained Ty, as mature as always. S the fight went on the kids started to use the food to defend themselves.

"Emma, stop it, I mean it! ... Livia you're hurting Julian! … Tiberius, quit yelling at Drusilla" Helen was about to lose her head, and just when she thought that nothing could get worse,; Tavvy, very perturbed at watching that seen, let out a loud cry which made her oldest sister end with the patience she had given them so nicely. "Alright, that's it! You all bunch of brats will follow me to the bathroom and I don't want to hear a word!" scream Helen taking the crying baby from Maia's arms and leading "the Blackthorn army" to the bathroom.

"Lucky me, at least I don't have Daniel to make my life a living hell anymore…" it surprised her to get the enough courage to say her brother's name out loud. Daniel was a dark part of Maia's past that she didn't want to remember; she was just glad that he had decided to leave her parent's house at an early age; it had been like seven years and in all that period of time, she hadn't known anything about him, which gave her a little peace. And talking about Maia's past… she wasn't expecting to see that glowing face again, those beautiful and deep eyes who had almost eaten her once, and the feeling she had sworn she'd never feel again appeared suddenly inside her heart when she turned to see who was entering the coffee shop and approaching to her without noticing.

"Oh by Raziel… Jordan?!" she almost yelled and when he turned to see her, he looked like his soul had left his body.

"Maia?!" he was so surprised that the color of his cheeks was changed to a pale, almost white-like color.

"What are you…? We weren't supposed to… I mean do you…?" she just couldn't find the right words to explain all that she was thinking, and just then Helen came out of the bathroom with her siblings.

"These kids must be demon coming from Edom itself…" and when her gaze left the floor, there he was "Oh, fuck no!" she exclaimed, the kids shocked about what she just had said.

"Well, it's official! I have no luck in this motherfucking world…" she whispered ready to see how Helen became an active grenade.

"What exactly are you big and giant jerk doing in here?!" Helen said almost leaving Jordan deaf, he smiled sarcastically.

"Always a pleasure to see you, Helen… I'm not surprised to see you two like this, but I must ask which one of these little creatures is yours?" he asked to them both jokingly.

"All of them, and no… none it's yours… at least you knew what protection means!" she complained remembering their last vacation, Maia flushed to death.

"These are Helen's siblings: Octavian, Drusilla, Tiberius, Livia, Julian, Mark and a friend of the family: Emma Cairstairs" explained Maia as any best friend would do.

"I'm certainly relieved to hear that… A pleasure, kids" Jordan greeted the Blackthorns.

"Is that the guy Helen says you played with for two whole days?" asked innocently Dru. They both laughed uncomfortable and Maia answered.

"No, baby. We're just friends…" she looked at Jordan like telling him to agree with her.

"Sure, very close friends…" well, at least he tried.

"They don't really want to know how close you two were once" Helen rolled her eyes.

"Does this have anything to deal with the last Health Class we had, Jules?" asked Emma to her best friend, who looked at Jordan from head to toe.

"Definitely, Em… They just think we're fools who cannot notice that" he replied.

"Hey, hey, what's that supposed to mean?" asked Maia worried

"Oh, please! We don't believe in the stork anymore! We know that you…" Helen quickly covered Emma's mouth with the hand that wasn't holding Tavvy.

"Well, at least we can say that you have very smart people, in this case kids, around you, Maia…" finished Jordan, Maia chuckled ashamed and begged on her insides for that very embarrassing scene to end; but there actually was no return for her either, form that day on, Jordan would be part of her life as much as those adorable, very annoying and imprudent kids.

-1 month later-

March 18, it definitely was March 18! Clary had checked her calendar almost a thousand times that morning, she couldn't finish believing it. It was her third month anniversary! The second one hadn't been too remarkable, as she, Izzy, Jace and Alec had spent it taking care of Maryse, who's pregnancy was developing very fast, and as Amatis had gone to a meeting with King Stephen and Robert, they had no other option but to take care of her. So she was planning to make that anniversary way better than the last one. She had prepared everything, with Magnus's help of course, for the moment when she could finally see Jace, but there was one more thing to take care of before she could start celebrating. As she walked through the large halls of the palace, the servants greeted and congratulated her; and she smiled when she finally got to the Queen Mother's chamber, excited yet a bit nervous to hear the answer she had been waiting for so long.

"Good morning, grandma!" said Clary as joyful and kind as always, Imogen smiled and when she noticed she had company, she made a bow and said "Good morning, majesties, sorry I didn't see you"

"Don't worry, princess, please take a seat" said her father in law and Clary quickly sat next to Imogen, who held her hand.

"We've been told about the anniversary gift you've been planning for the Crown Prince…" began Celine. Always serious, but that morning she seemed to be a bit more pleased with Clary than usual.

"And we consider that your idea is wonderful, it'll be a great experience for both Jonathan and you, and we agree to give you the permission to do it…" finished Stephen with a smile, Clary squealed joyful and hugged her sweet grandmother, if it hadn't been because of her, she wouldn't have gotten any support.

"Thank you so much, majesties! You won't regret this, I swear!" Clary told them, her heart wasn't able to control all the happiness she felt. But it actually haven't been her idea, it was rather Simon's; as he had told her that "Goldilocks" had made very clear that he had no idea of how was the life outside of the palace, he though: well, why shouldn't we give him a try of it? The plan was to take Jace to an anniversary party at Jocelyn and Luke's house and make him stay there for a complete weekend, so he could experience that life he had wanted for so long; and Clary was glad she'll get to share his dream with him.

To be continued…

Dreamer.

Hello, my beloved readers! As you may have notices, I decided to give you another little chapter about the first months of Jace and Clary's relationship so it doesn't seem like I'm rushing things far too much, is just that I don't want to make the story long and boring! But as I made you wait for the romance almost 20 chapters, I've been thinking a lot and I think you deserve at least 30 more with actual Clace in them! Haha, so I don't know… should I make the story last for 40 chapters, maybe? You tell me and I'll shorten it or I'll make it longer! This is up to you, fans! And I hope you enjoyed this chapter because I really liked to write it, I know it might not be really only about Jace and Clary but I also wanted to like make you notice the kind of relationship that they have as a couple in front of their families, like they said that they wanted to share their lives and call themselves an us, so I thought that now that Clary's finally accepted the life she got she should start showing it! And the scene with the Blackthorns and Maia, I just love that bunch of kids and this is how I imagined that Maia and Helen's friendship would relate to Helen's family and how Jordan suddenly came and stood in the middle of it, I just thought it was fun, haha! Please comment and we'll see each other in the next chapter, bye!