Jace & Clary | Clace

One

Clary Fairchild watched the boy working behind the counter and thought how he looked out of place.  Out of place amongst the patrons of the coffee shop; amongst the coffee cups and pots.

He was the very embodiment of an Angel, full of fire, a bright beam of light in a grey grey world. He was tall, and so very beautiful, but he looked somber and resigned doing his work.

His blond hair was long and unruly and he donned a faded black apron.  His hands were immersed in a sink of soap and water, rinsing off coffee cups and spoons.

This, she thought, was the Herondale that Jem and Tessa Carstairs were looking for, the one they had tasked her to find.

Well, she had found him. 

"You don't look like a barista." Clary said suddenly.  She placed her hands on the cold metal counter and drummed her fingers patiently.

The boy looked up from what he had been doing.  He stared for a moment at the redhead who seemed to have appeared suddenly out of nowhere.

He gave her a half smile. "What does a barista look like?" His eyes flicked over the tattoos peeking out from her leather jacket, decorating her neck and her wrists.

Clary glanced at his name tag expecting to read Jonathan; that is the name Tessa had given her. Instead the name tag read: JACE

She frowned. "Jace.  Is that your name?"

"Yes..."  He furrowed his eyebrows, his response more a question than a confirmation. 

"Is it short for something?"

"It's just a name." His smile had faded, but he continued to stare at her curiously.  "Are you going to order something..?"

"No." Clary gazed at him. "Are you going to ask me to leave if I don't?"

Jace's smile returned, amused, "I would, except I'd get in trouble with management."

Yes, he had to be a Herondale.  He looked and reminded her of Kit.

Clary laughed, "Fair enough.  What are you doing tonight?"

Jace stopped what he was doing and stared at her, "Are you... do I know you?" His eyes bore into hers and for a moment she actually felt rattled by the intensity of it.

He was incredibly beautiful, and the fire inside him seemed to seep out of every pore.  His eyes were bright and sharp as they studied her.

Jace waited.

"I'm Clary, do you want to get something to eat tonight?  After you're done here."

A beat passed and he shook his head with a short laugh, "I...  Sure... Clary?  Where?" He looked at the address she scribbled on a napkin and handed him and he raised his eyebrows. "It's an abandoned church."

"No, it's not." She smiled.  "Will I see you?" She sounded too hopeful realizing she was holding her breath.  For Tessa.  She didn't want to disappoint Tessa, that was all.  He meant a lot to Tessa.

"You'll see me." He tucked the napkin with the address into the pocket of his apron.

"Come as you are." She advised.

"I wasn't going to spruce up." The smile had left his eyes as he regarded her.

Clary nodded, slightly relieved. "Of course not."  She paused as she started to walk away.  "It's Jonathan, right?"

If he was surprised that she knew his name he didn't show it.  He nodded though, yes, he was Jonathan, but he tapped his name tag.

Jace.

She turned to walk away then, her hand on the door of the coffeeshop, when she froze seeing the shadow-demon snake its way in.  What the...

The shadow-demon hissed at Clary, "Daughter of the Angel."

Clary's heart quickened. Had it been tracking her so blatantly?  "You're about to ruin my day."  She muttered, she glanced back at Jace Herondale but his attention was with a customer now.

The demon hissed, its eyes shinning. "What is this place?"  The demon shimmered.

Clary realized she was all that stood between this evil and Jace, and she decided to engage it, "Why don't we do this outside?"

The demon jerked towards Jace, a wisp of smoke that flared with excitement, "An Angel."

It smiled suddenly, wickedly, baring razor sharp teeth and with a quick movement of its long hands the shelf above Jace's head snapped in two sending a stack of heavy porcelain mugs and knives raining down.

"Jace!"

Time stopped for Clary.

She moved with lightening speed, she skidded over the counter and rammed into Jace, the two of them toppled over, barely missing the on coming torrent of glass and sharp steel that crashed to the ground.

Jace, laying underneath Clary, both of them unhurt, looked at her in complete surprise.

Her hands were on his chest, her heart hammering in her own chest, her eyes were wide, "Are you ok?" Her long red hair fell like a curtain around them.

"Are YOU?" He growled.

Clary nodded and sat up, trying to ignore the fact that she was straddling Jace, her thighs pressed against him.

He had very much noticed that she was straddling him and his hands hovered inches from her waist, not knowing if he should touch her, help her up...  

"I have to find it and kill it now." Clary whipped her head around but the demon was gone.

"What are you talking about?" Jace then wrapped his strong fingers around Clary's upper arms and with great ease he shifted and swept them both up off the floor.  She glanced up, feeling the pressure of his fingers still lingering on her arm even after he had let her go, and she patted his chest. "See you later tonight, Jace."  She looked distracted.  "Don't say I never did anything for you."

Jace watched her walk out of the coffee shop, talking to herself, and disappear down the street.

He raked a hand through his hair, standing in the center of broken glass and silverware, thinking what the hell had just happened?

Jace managed to finish his shift, but his nerves were on edge as he stepped into the street.

He glanced at the address the redhead - Clary - had given him and he stared at it.  Was he seriously contemplating going to the church?   

With a sigh he pulled out his cellphone and called his closest friend, his brother basically, whose family had adopted Jace when Jace was just a child.

"Simon..." Jace spoke into the phone as the New York wind ruffled his blond hair. "I'm going to be late... sure I'll eat when I get home... leave the key under the mat?" Jace laughed suddenly at something Simon said. "...thanks..."

Jace hesitated for a moment, and then he started moving towards the abandoned church to meet Clary.