Of Christmas Trees And Demons.

Well, a TMI Christmas fic! It'll lead up to Christmas. Expect heavy snogging and maybe, just maybe… smut. Oh who am I kidding? Of course there will be smut. AU-ish at times, with no fixed timeset from which book this is set in. Hope you like and Merry Christmas to you all! I hope you like and leave a review! X

-For my lovely ladies. They know who they are-

-x-

"I still don't get why I had to come."

"You really don't want to have to wait til' the last moment to get your presents do you?"

Jace silently sulked as he and Clary walked together along the New York sidewalk, Clary next to getting shoved aside by the sheer volume of the crowd. Jace never answered as he paused to yank her petite form over to him and took her arm in his own so she didn't get carried away. He steered them into the nearest shop, eyes hovering a second too long on the lingerie clad models in the window.

Clarys hair was messed up at the back, the light causing it to look more ginger than it should have been. With a quiet groan, she stepped inside the store and glanced around while telling the young man behind her. "Right. Isabelle first. What would she want?"

"Puppies in a tutu."

Clary ignored Jaces comment, knowing he wasn't taking the whole Christmas thing seriously at all which made her guess "You don't like Christmas?"

Jace tore his eyes from the other lingerie model next to the door to answer her with "Not particularly. Isabelle always insists we put up a tree."

They said nothing else as they walked over to the escalator and moved to the upper floor where Jace stopped dead, looking as if he might make a run for it at the sight of the dresses. Short cocktail ones to the knees, long flowing ball gowns of all colors.

"If you knock me out right this moment-" Jace started in a mutter, but Clary clamped a hand over his mouth and scoffed. "Come on Scrooge."

He just watched her with a raised eyebrow as she walked over to the nearest aisle, her Christmas tree earrings swinging a little and picked up a short gold colored dress and hung it from a finger to show him. Jace was silent and Clary pressed him "Well?"

"You're seriously asking me to give an opinion on a dress? Okay then-" Clary watched his eyes flicker in a mischievous way. "I'd prefer it if it was on the floor around your feet."

Clary flushed at his words, hastily sticking it back on the railing and letting her fingers sort through the sizes, deliberately not pulling out another short number just because of the expression Jace would have on his face. His devilishly handsome features would be sporting a grin.

Jace stayed silent as they walked around, occasionally nodding as she held up a dress. The quicker they got through this torture the better.

In the end, they rejoined the bustle of the sidewalk with empty arms and Jace took control, grabbing Clarys hand and next to dragging her through the crowds to the Rockefeller Center, stopping them before the tree where he let her go. Clary gave up trying to sort her messy hair out, accepting Jaces warm trapper hat and shoved it over her ears, letting out a long breath that made her feel like some dragon when it seemed like smoke escaped her. She glanced up at the tree that was lit up, the lights sparkling through the dusk that was swiftly falling upon the city. Something at the back of Clarys mind reminded her that the monsters would be on the prowl by now. Even at Christmas time.

"Is Santa real?" She asked Jace now, so suddenly that it took him aback and he blinked before answering. "You believe in Santa?"

"No. Not since I caught Luke when I was eight. He was setting up the presents around the base of our Christmas tree at two in the morning."

"There's no Santa, Clary."

"Did you kill him?" Clary asked, pretending to sound distraught. Jace knew she was playing, so he did too with his answer of "Isabelle stabbed him."

"In the face?"

"In the face."

The shivers that had been trying to escape Clary were nonexistent now she had the already warm hat on, gazing up at Jace with his rough blonde hair tangling in the biting wind. He reminded her of a lion, lazing its day away on some Savannah plain with his matching hair.

As she glanced to the gigantic tree, her eyes flickered to the fiber optic angels with their horns, finding it amusing how there was a pair of half angels before them. But then she told Jace "I'm here this Christmas, doesn't that instantly make it better?"

Jace was silent at that, leaning down a little to press a soft kiss to Clarys forehead, replying against her freezing skin with "Immensely."

Clary let her arms twine around his neck, capturing his chilled lips to her own for a moment before muttering against them. "I think it's going to snow. Can we head back? I'm freezing?"

"Sure. I'll grab us a taxi."

She was still going over Christmas present ideas in her mind when they arrived at Clarys house, tripping a little as she got out of the taxi. So much to buy, only a few weeks to go.

Clary had reached the front door, turning to Jace to ask him what Alec might want for his present when lips crashed to her own, taking her aback for a start, but she soon softened to his touch. Jace skimmed his hands down her coat adorned sides, pausing as Clary reached behind her and unlocked the front door, stepping inside and feeling the wall against her back and the sound of the door being hastily closed as his lips assaulted her own once more, her scarf and hat falling, tugged onto the floor.

Jace stopped now and Clary breathed out against his lips, "Maybe we should press pause?" making him cock his head a little as he tugged his own scarf off. Clary glanced down- mundane clothes of black jeans and a matching tight jumper topped off with a dark grey short trenchcoat suited him. Suited him too much. He nodded at Clarys words and shrugged off his coat, hanging it up before stepping into the living room.

"What?" Clary frowned as he leaned against the doorframe like some cowboy with his arms folded watching her. Jace shrugged a little, eyes flickering over to the Christmas tree that was currently turned off, the red baubles glinting in the last few rays of the sun. "Nothing. It's just… extra Christmas-fied in here. Where's Jocelyn anyway?"

Clary glanced around now, frowning lightly as she walked into the kitchen and spotted the bright yellow Post-It note on the fridge, reading that she'd be back later that night. In silence, Clary switched the heating on and rubbed her palms together to warm them. When she failed, Jace took them into his own and rubbed them with a chuckle of "Better?"

"Much." Clary smiled, glancing down their hands when she said "How long are you staying? Don't they need you back at the-" but she was silenced by a hard kiss, hands tightening over her own as he pulled away to reply with "You'd think Christmas would be a busy time for us, but it's the opposite."

"So you get a Christmas break?"

"Of a sort. Unless Santa 'Claws' appears."

Clary rolled her eyes at his remark, allowing him to tug her closer by hooking his thumbs into the loops of her jeans while she suggested "Mom's not back until later." But it was Jace who tugged her upstairs, the bedroom door already open as they locked lips once more, Clary let her arms twine their way around his neck again, kissing him with a passion that made butterflies erupt in her stomach, even more so when Jace rested a hand atop her stomach and pushed her onto the bed with ease.

"This is only a single." Clary breathed against his lips, heart next to hammering against her chest as her fingers slipped up the bottom of his dark woolly jumper and teased it up over his head. Her eyes flickered down to his bare chest, staring with appreciative eyes and letting a finger trail up over the defined contours that made her heart skip a beat. Such perfection should be illegal.

"I don't mind." Jace replied, voice low with an edge of huskiness as he allowed her to flip them over and seat herself upon his hips, tossing his jumper aside onto the floor as Clary placed her hands upon his perfectly smooth stomach, feeling a light shudder shoot through him. It felt good, knowing she had that kind of effect on him. From her cold hands or just her touch in general, she couldn't discern which was responsible as she leaned down until their lips were touching, gentle for a start until Jace raised a hand and fisted it in her hair to pull her closer and deepen the kiss in an instant.

It was when his other hand went to Clarys own jumper, the kisses becoming more and more fervid that the front door slammed closed, making the pair of them freeze- was she back already-? Footsteps up the stairs made her look around and immediately flush a deep tomato color as she spied the form of Luke in the doorway, an eyebrow raised at the scene before him. Jace lying on his back upon the messed up bed covers. His chest bare and heaving with Clary sat atop his hips and hands resting upon his own- they were frozen at the hem of her own jumper. But Clary, her face couldn't have been redder than a tomato. It was impossible from how deep a shade of red she was. Both of their hair was in desperate need of a brush through.

As Clary went to get off Jace, Luke just raised a hand and went in amusement. "Don't stop on my account. But-" the front door shutting made him pause, then add. "Jace, I'd definitely get a shirt on and both of you sort your hair out before-" he was interrupted again by the voice from downstairs calling "Clary?"

He walked out without another word and shut the door, leaving Clary a dark red color from embarrassment. Jace sat up now, Clary shifting back to sit crosslegged upon the covers while he tugged his jumper back on, replying hastily to her mother with "Up here! Hang on a moment."

"You look like a live flame with that red face and the hair." Jace commented, perching himself at the end of the bed in case a certain someone walked in. But then he rethought his situation and decided to press a kiss to Clarys forehead, promising her he'd be back later before sneaking downstairs and out the front door before anyone could notice. The last thing he wanted was to get banned from the house. Yes, him and Clary alone in her room, it was going to be frowned upon… but at least it had been Luke who had spied them and not Jocelyn.

There would be screeching for sure. They both knew it.

Jace was lying upon his bed, feet bare and eyes closed when his door was shoved roughly open. He opened a lazy eye and commented on Isabelles presence with "You mind? I was getting my beauty sleep."

She scoffed and plonked herself down next to him on the bed where she replied with "You're going to be asleep forever then."

"You're so funny Izzy that I forgot to laugh."

A pause, then Isabelle asked him with a raised eyebrow. "Did you get me a Christmas present?"

"Nope."

"Give me a clue!"

"What the hell do I get Clary?" Jace wondered aloud now to himself, letting both of his eyes open and stare up at the plain ceiling. He'd never thought about looking while they were out shopping… because they were mundie shops. It had never registered in his mind.

Isabelle examined a flawless nail on her hand as she tutted out. "You don't know what she likes?"

"Of course I do."

"Name her favorite color."

Jace was silent, and Isabelle suggested in an innocent voice. "A room?" at that, he frowned and sat up to gaze steadily at her. She was wearing a sweater with, may the Angel help him… a reindeer with a red nose. Must be a mundie thing she'd found. Or Simon, in which case he changed that to 'a geeky nerdy vampire thing.' Wow. He'd really gotten under her skin.

"What do you mean exactly?"

Isabelle blinked innocently. "Boy meets girl. Girl meets boy. Clothes come off…"

He certainly understood now, fighting the urge to roll his eyes as he lay back down. "I wonder what happens next (!)" Jace muttered afterwards, eyes once more staring at the ceiling while trying not to imagine Clary naked. He swallowed hard but as secretly as he could make it, knowing Isabelle was probably staring, looking for evidence that she'd hit the nail on the head.

She had, and she just slid gracefully to her feet and told him just before she walked out of the door, an innocent look about her face. "Rock her world for Christmas and you won't need to get her a present. If you're good, she might even forget about a material gift."

Jace just stared at the door as it closed, cocking a brow in disbelief. Typical Isabelle there. But still, the idea stayed in his mind, and he was just a teenager...

So the idea sounded pretty good, and the mental planning began.

-Thank you for reading and reviews much loved!-