So somewhere in my dreams I heard, Update you *********!

Fill in the blank as you will.

So I decided to reply to that oh so kind request by updating :D

I'M SORRY OKEH.

Cough.

Anyways, hi guys!

Trust me when I say I will never leave a story unfinished, because I never will. Even if it takes me a year between updates.

Hopefully you'll like this chapter :D It's starting to get quite interesting.

Moving on~

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

So this is what a high school dance is.

Clary blinked at the bright lights swirling through the otherwise dark and tastelessly decorated gym. Aside from a few stragglers sipping awkwardly on their drinks at the edge of the gym, everyone was in a hot mass dancing in the center.

Clary glanced down at her hand, which was securely held by Jace's. Somewhere between then and now Clary had traded off Simon for Jace, who was instead happily drooling over Isabelle behind her. Clary giggled at the sight of the two; the trade was probably for the best.

Jace glanced down at her at her chuckles and smiled with her. Clary's giggles immediately halted, replaced with a bright red blush. Jace smiled even wider.

"Come on," Jace tugged at Clary's hand, "You've probably never danced before have you?"

Clary felt the blush drain from her face, accompanied by the rest of her complexion. "Da-Dance?" Clary somehow managed to choke out, "Jace Lightwood, I do not dance."

Jace shook his head in mock condescension before giving Clary a confident look. "Well Clary, you've never danced with someone as talented as me, have you?" Jace gave another tug at her arm, trying to lead her to the dance floor.

Clary's eyes shifted fearfully to the pool of bodies at the center, all swaying to the beat of the pounding music that filled the space. She felt a burst of claustrophobia make itself known in her stomach, prompting her to shake her head violently no.

"I refuse to be put to such torment." she huffed, and crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. There was no way Jace could convince her into stepping into that horrible enclosed mass of teenagers. Who knew what kind of awful things could happen to her in that crushing dance zone? A small part of her mind wondered what would happen if she got stepped on.

This was a legitimate concern, considering her small stature.

Jace scrutinized her for a moment then shrugged.

"I guess I can always find someone else to dance with. Now where's Allison…?" Jace raised his head to the crowd, apparently searching for someone.

For a moment, Clary felt a surge of jealousy and immediately grabbed at Jace's sleeve. Jace looked down and cast a nonchalant glance toward her that read, have something to say?

Clary angrily let go of his sleeve and closed her eyes, letting out an annoyed breath before making up her mind and turning back to him. "If I trip and die, I am blaming you," Clary announced haughtily. She narrowed her eyes at him before stalking towards the center. She could sense Jace's smug satisfaction as he followed behind her and her fury grew even hotter. Maybe if I kicked him in the shins…

At the edge of the floor, Clary glanced back nervously at Jace who rolled his eyes and pushed her forward, deeper into the crowd.

You can do this Clary. She took a deep breath and pushed through to an empty space that she and Jace quickly occupied.

Okay. She was here. No one was stepping on her, and there wasn't even any jostling from the surrounding dancers. No big deal.

Clary turned back to Jace, at a loss of what to do next. "Now what?"

Smirking, Jace stepped closer to Clary, immediately sending off alarms in her head. As Clary stood frozen, Jace's arms slinked around Clary's waist as he leaned down to whisper in Clary's ear. "Now you dance," he murmured.

Through Clary's daze, she registered that Jace was slowly moving them back and forth in their small space, completely in discord with the upbeat song that was playing. She felt the strange gazes at her and Jace by all the astonished kids surrounding them. She could hear the annoyed whispering from Jace's admirers.

But none of that seemed to matter, because all she felt was the searing touch of Jace's hands at her waist, and all she could see was the lazy grin that curled at his mouth.

As the initial euphoria of this new experience called dancing began to fade away, Clary studied Jace a little closer. She would never admit it to him aloud, but the artist in her was reveling in the opportunity to be this close to someone so beautiful. In the dim lights, his eyes seemed to smolder even more than they usually did, a feat Clary had previously not imagined possible. His eyes and his hair made the sharp contrast between him and his black suit, painting him in all black and gold.

That was what everyone else could see. But Clary saw even further; she was the pained little boy that Jace had only shown to her once before, at his house. She saw the change the boy had to go through to stand where he was now: an impenetrable wall of sarcasm and arrogance. She saw the moments of weakness that passed through him sometimes, the ones that he hid so well from the rest of the world.

When Clary had first met Jace, she hadn't expected him to have any deeper layer, and still had a hard time believing it completely. How could this boy, so confident and proud, have ever been hurt before?

Jace's sudden smile pulled her out of her thoughts. "Thinking about me, aren't you?" he asked, giving her a knowing look. His arrogant smirk pushed away any thoughts she had about him being weak.

Clary looked down and blushed, but gently nodded anyway. Now was not the time to be shy with him. "It doesn't mean I forgive you for this torture," she replied smoothly. Clary sent a sharp look at him, narrowing her eyes.

Jace's arms suddenly constricted around her further, and she gave a yelp as she was pulled even closer to him. Her head was pressed flat to his chest now, his face disappearing from her view.

"Are you sure about that?" Jace chuckled as he leaned his chin atop her head.

Breathe Clary. Her thoughts were muddled as she tried to sort through for a response. All she could come up with was, "Didn't I already say that I wasn't ready to date you?"

She could have smacked herself. Why did she choose to say that, of all things? Did she want this dance to end, for him to go find another girl to dance with?

"This isn't necessarily dating, now is it?" Jace retorted matter-of-factly. He continued to spin Clary around in their bubble on the dance floor.

Deep down, Clary knew she didn't mind exactly what this was. It seemed to her it was time to give in to what she wanted, regardless of the fact she may just be picking her poison.

But then again, she didn't really care anymore.

VALENTINE

Valentine's distaste for the security guard attire was obvious as he pulled at the cheap cloth covering him. But that didn't matter; his objective for tonight clouded his mind far too much for this minor inconvenience to take too much precedence in his thoughts. He stood outside the school, the sound of music dully filling the air.

Raising the walkie-talkie in his hand to his mouth, he whispered, "All clear?"

A muffled reply gave the yes signal, and he quickly entered the building while avoiding the eyes of all of the people lingering in the hallways.

Valentine turned down a few hallways and halted at a door labeled Ladies. He turned towards the door leading outside that was conveniently close by, and checked to see if it was open.

Good, he thought; the door was unlocked from the inside.

With a quiet disapproving scoff at the school's security, Valentine picked up the walkie-talkie to send a final signal:

"Sebastian, get ready."

After a moment, a brief bout of static came through before Valentine heard the reply.

"You got it, Pops."

Ah, I was waiting for this.

But first!

A big thank you to TMI who graciously accepts my ridiculous updating and doesn't throw the chapter back in my face. You da best girl!

Review guys :D? I missed you lovelies ;;

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Yours,

~A.W.W