I do not own the Mortal Instruments or any of its characters. Cassandra Clare does.

The door slammed to the penthouse slammed open, causing her to jump slightly.

"Clarissa, dear, come here!" Sebastian called out. The sound of her fiancé's sickeningly sweet voice made her skin crawl. After buttoning her blouse, she gingerly walked into the living room. Sebastian was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and eyes closed.

"Yes, Sebastian?" Clary said tentatively. She could smell the alcohol on him from several feet away. A drunk Sebastian was never was never a good Sebastian, especially in the morning.

He opened his eyes and looked her over. A frown appeared on his face. "Where are you going?" he slurred.

Clary refrained from rolling her eyes. "Work, Sebastian," she answered while looking around for a coat. She located one and slipped it on before heading towards the door. "I'm already running late. I'll see you when I get home."

She reached for the door, but his hand shot out and caught her wrist. He spun her around to face him and looked down at her with dark eyes. He pinned her to the door and brought her face to his, brushing his lips against hers. "You're already late. What's another half hour going to do?"

Shaking her head, she tried to push him off of her. "Not now, Seb. You're drunk and I've been late everyday this week because of you. Luke's threatened to fire me if I don't get my act together."

In response, Sebastian grabbed her hips and pulled her against him. He brought his mouth next to her ear. "All you worry about is work. I just want to have some fun with my soon-to-be-wife. Is that too much to ask?"

She thought about it for a moment before shoving him away. "Yes, it is. I really need to get going."

Clary turned to leave, but Sebastian grabbed her again, harder than before. His fingers dug into the flesh of her upper arm and she knew there would be bruises. "You're cheating on me with one of those lawyers aren't you?" he asked through clenched teeth.

Her jaw dropped and she stared at him with wide eyes. How could he accuse her of something like that? "Seb-"

His hand cracked across her face, cutting her off. "You whore!" he yelled, finally losing his temper. "I give you a good home, find you a nice job, and ask you to marry me and this is how you repay me? By fucking somebody else behind my back? It's Wayland isn't it?"

"I'm not cheating on you!" she yelled. "Especially nor with Ja-"

"I'm not stupid, Clarissa!"

"Seba-"

" Just leave already. I don't even want to look at you right now."

"Sebastian," she said quietly, trying to calm him down. "I would never, ever, cheat on you."

"Get. Out." he seethed, opening the door and shoving her into the hall.

Clary held herself together until she got into her car, where she broke down into sobs.

She missed the old Sebastian. The Sebastian she fell in love with. The Sebastian that would never even think of laying a hand on her. But that Sebastian left months ago when his father died, leaving a monster in his wake. At first, there would be an argument here or there with harsh words and insults. Then it escalated into slaps until he finally started full on beating her.

Clary had let it go in the beginning, thinking it was just his way of dealing with his father's death. After all, he would always apologize profusely the next day and buy her flowers. She now knew how wrong his behavior was, but couldn't bring herself to leave him. She was holding on to a tiny thread of hope that he would go back to his old self. However, as the days went by, that seemed less and less likely.

She pulled into the parking garage and double checked herself. Once deeming herself presentable- emerald eyes no longer bloodshot and bruises fully covered by makeup- she made her way inside the building.

In the center of the lobby was a large marbled desk with the words "Garroway and Lightwood" in gold plated letters on the front. Behind the desk sat a caramel skinned girl with dozens of braids in her hair. She looked up from the computer and smiled at Clary.

"Late again, Clarissa? You should be ashamed of yourself," she mock scolded.

Clary shrugged and leaned on the counter. "You know me, Maia. I'll be late to my own funeral."

Maia laughed for a few seconds before stopping abruptly and scowling at something behind Clary.

"Hey, Fray," a honey smooth voice said as an arm was slung over her shoulders. She stiffened at the contact and looked up to find golden eyes staring down at her.

Clary forced a smile. After the morning's events, Jace was the last person she wanted to see. "Hello, Mr. Wayland," she greeted while removing his arm.

He smirked at her. "Luke wants to see you in his office right away."

Something about his expression made her feel uneasy; like he knew something she didn't. She nodded and walked briskly over to the elevators. The reflective metal doors slid open and she enter, Jace behind her.

She looked at him curiously as he pressed the button for the floor she needed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were following me, Mr. Wayland."

Another smirk covered his face. "In case you have forgotten, my office is right across from Luke's."

"Oh, believe me, I haven't forgotten."

His smirk grew wider. "I suppose you haven't. It would be pretty hard to forget having this," he gestured to himself and ran a tan hand through his golden curls, "right across the hall. So close, yet so far away."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "No. It's hard to forget the egotistical asshat across the hall."

He cocked his head to the side. "Asshat? That's a new one. I actually quite like it."

Crossing her arms across her chest, she glared at the elevator doors as they reached their floor. She stepped out the second the doors opened, desperate to get away from Jace. She was outside Luke's door when he called to her.

"Clary?" She looked back at him. "Good luck," he said with a wink and disappeared into his own office.

Luck? she thought. Why would I need luck? Another bad feeling began to form in the pit of her stomach. She slowly opened the door to reveal Luke leaning back in the chair behind his desk with his eyes closed.

She cleared her throat and he opened his soft blue eyes. "You wanted to see me?" she asked nervously.

Luke nodded and gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. "Have a seat." She sunk down into one of the plush, leather chairs and waited for him to speak again. He smiled softly at her. "Clary, you have probably been the best assistant I've ever had." She smiled at the compliment. "However, I don't currently have the need for an assistant."

The smile fell from her face. "Oh my God. You're firing me," she whispered.

His eyes grew wide and he sat up straight. "Oh, no. I could never fire you."

Clary sighed in relief, but the relief quickly turned to confusion. "Then what are you doing?"

"I'm handing you over to somebody who desperately needs an assistant. A good one at that."

"Who?" She didn't want to leave Luke. He was probably the best boss she would ever have. He was laid back, actually cared about her well being, and had taken on a kind of father role to her over the past few years.

"Jace," he replied simply.

"No!" she said a little to loudly, shocking Luke. She coughed awkwardly. "I mean, I can't work for him."

"Why not?"

Because of Sebastian. "Do you want a list? He's a jerk, his ego is huge, and he's had more assistants than actual clients. There's more if you'd like to hear."

Luke chuckled softly. "No, that won't be necessary. However, those reasons are exactly why he needs you. He's a great lawyer and needs someone like you to keep him in check and help clean up his act."

Clary sighed deeply. "Luke, I-"

He raised a hand in the air to silence her. "Please, just try."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she exhaled slowly. "Fine," she muttered, standing up. One questioned echoed in her mind. What is Sebastian going to think?

He grinned at her. "Terrific. I told Jace I'd send you over right away."

She paused at the door. "If it doesn't work out, I can have my old job back, right?"

"Of course."

She nodded in acknowledgement and crossed the hall. Jace's door loomed in front of her and she stared at it for a few moments. Finally, she raised her fist and knocked lightly on the surface.

AN: This is my first fanfic, so sorry if it sucks. But you should review and tell me what you think.