Collision Course

Chapter 4:

After his shift finished he headed straight to his mother's house, Maryse and Robert divorced when he was finishing his first year of college, Izzy was still a senior in high school and Max was in the 7th grade so he and Izzy really witnessed it first hand while he and Alec were away at school, Robert and Maryse both say it's been coming for a long time now but they never wanted to worry the four of them, like they couldn't see it. But things were better now, they had almost weekly family dinners for them. They talked about work and their lives. Just like when they were younger. Maryse and Robert moved out of the penthouse, Robert to a smaller place in the upper west side and Maryse to a Brownstone house in Long Island. They alternate the places they have dinner between the four of them. Alec got to escape hosting since he doesn't live in New York much and when he is here instead of hosting at his place, meaning the hotel or whichever home he stays at, he takes them out to dinner. Lucky bastard, speak of the devil his phone rang.

"Brother! I was just thinking about you." Jace said as he walked to the subway. "whatever you have to say make it fast because I'm about to lose you."

"Hello to you too Jace," Alec said, he could tell he was smiling. Alec doesn't smile a lot you always have to work it out of him. Izzy and Max nicknamed him a grumpy cat, it fits, because of it.

"I just wanted to tell you what time I'm arriving tomorrow. Although you don't have to pick me up. I think I can make it to my hotel without help.

"Alec," Jace warned, he didn't understand why he couldn't just accept the help, "why can't you just accept that we want to do this? We haven't seen you in what? Nine months?"

Alec didn't speak for a minute, Jace thought he lost him, but he was still on call.

"I know I meant to come home especially for your birthday, but things in the London office got a little hectic."

"I get that. Dad said the same thing, but you're not even coming home for us. You're coming home for work for a friend we've never even met. Who is he anyway?"

"It's now really a conversation I'd like to have on the phone. I'll tell you what I can tomorrow."

The job makes Alec keep secrets or at least withhold the truth. Which never use to happen, Jace and Alec have been close since they met. He was always the one who stuck up for Jace and Vice Versa. He made Jace's adjustment period way easier than it normally was. Even when Alec first became a lawyer he told Jace about his cases. But this was the first (okay maybe the third) that he didn't share with Jace. It's not like he wouldn't understand, he knows all the procedures.

"Fine, I have to go, Alec, I'm entering the subway now. See you tomorrow." Jace knew he was being passive but it's just how he was when someone keeps him out of the loop.

Hopefully, dinner would get his mind off the conversation he had with Alec.

—

The interview went quicker than Clary thought.  Hodge's questions were pretty basic and since she had a recommendation from Jordan Hodge didn't have to ask her much. He just asked her about her time and experience, after everything he told her he would call her by tomorrow with his decision. Clary thanked him and left quickly before she said something that might cause her to embarrass herself. She had a habit of not biting her tongue when it comes to things that are important to her.

Right now she was heading to Eric's parents' place where Simon's band still rehearsed even though they all have places they lived, except Eric who still lived at home. He said that they were on the road a lot there was no point in renting a place. When Clary arrived the boys were nowhere in sight but Maia Roberts, the lead singer of the band, was laying on the couch going through her phone.

"Hey Maia," Maia looked up and broke out into a grin and got up to hug Clary.

"Clary!" Maia was the only girl in the band and she traveled with them a lot. So she doesn't really get to hang out with girls a lot. So she and Clary automatically got along because they were each other's support when they were around the boys.

Clary doesn't really know much about Maia—other than she's from New Jersey, and that she went to a private high school called Alicante with Eric's cousin Maureen, that's how Maia met Simon and the band.

"Where are the guys?" She asked

"Getting pizza, hope you're hungry because knowing them they've bought way too much."

Clary was actually starving, she didn't get time to eat anything besides her lunch and that was hours ago. Clary and Maia caught up while waiting for the boys, Maia told her about the tour and what she was going to do while they were on break.

"Probably just work at the Hunter's Moon, kind of grateful I still have that job. I'm barely there, but they understand. Plus they get free shows whenever Simon invited you to the welcome home gig right?"

"He did. I didn't know it was going to be at the Hunter's Moon."

"Yeah, it's going to be an acoustic set so the bar is big enough for it."

"What else are you going to do? Are you going to see someone special, what happened to that guy you were seeing?"

Last time the band was in New York they barely saw Maia because she was with some guy. A friend from high school was all she said and that it was just for fun. "He's not the type of guy I would get into a serious relationship with, he's great to talk to—plus other things." This made Clary blush, she may live in New York, the most adventurous city in America but Clary was anything but. Her friends had to force her to do things most of the time. But she liked her life she didn't care that she wasn't partying all the time.

"I'm still "seeing" him I guess,  but it's nothing. We see each other when we want too, he's one of my best friends but even I need a break from him" Maia stopped for a minute then laughs, "did that make sense?"

Clary laughed along with her, "kinda."

"What's so funny chickadees?" Julian asked from behind. Which made Clary jump, she groaned and threw a pillow at him.

"Hey, Fray! I have pizza boxes watch it."

"Don't sneak up on people like that."

Eric and Simon got out of the van with drinks and chips.

"It's literally only the five of us why do you have so many foods?"

"Technically 6, I invited Emma."

"You pulled her away from the dojo?" For as long as Clary knew Emma she was always focused on her training. She wanted to become a stunt coordinator so she trained a lot yet she only gains muscles in a small percentage but you don't want to mess with her. That actually where Julian and Emma met, Julian's family owns the dojo and he was working when Emma applied when they were in freshman year when her parents died.

"I may have asked Helen to not let Emma in and force her to come to relax for the night." Helen was Julian's sister and the Dojo's manager.

"She's gonna kill you if she finds out," Maia said as she opened a bag of chips.

"Yeah, she can kill me later when relaxed and had fun."

Clary's friends were her rock, they kept her minds off things that were happening with her right now. Tomorrow was her brother's meeting with his lawyer and since she wasn't allowed to go all she could do was think about it. Other than Simon no one knew about Jonathan. So she couldn't really take about him. But they kept her mind off things so she was grateful.

—

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