AN: Hey, guys! I think maybe I should officially make the update schedule every three days. I know that's a little bit specific, but I noticed for the few chapters that's about how lon it's been between updates. What do you guys think? Thanks so much for reads, reviews, follows, and favorites!

Meeeeeee: Sorry! Sometimes it just feels natural. Sorry for the misunderstanding, I didn't mean there'd be Clace IN that chapter. I meant the story would have Clace in it. (They'll eventually get together and stuff." Although, I am still deciding whether they should end up together in the end or not. It doesn't really bother me when other people curse, I just don't like to curse often myself past minor words. Wow, that sounded kind of lame... Anyways, do whatever you want! In my opinion, the choices people make are their business and whatever it is is fine as long as those choices aren't hurting other people. Woah sorry didn't mean to drop my opinions all over you... I know exactly what you mean! I always get really weird and excited when a long review comes in! I love hearing what other people have to say, and I like how it becomes a conversation even though it's through the story! Oops, I think the response is even longer this time...? Thanks for the review!

Guest: Nope, he doesn't currently have one. He and Aline may have some history though... Read the chapter to find out! Thank you for the review!

ohmymultifandom: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it! Also, this is random, but I like your username! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own the Mortal Instruments.

"Jace!" she called, walking over quickly with her long back hair trailing down her back.

"Aline!" He replied, slightly shocked to see her.

"What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in, god, I haven't seen you in eight years!"

"What about you? I thought you moved to Chicago!" Her showing up was a welcome surprise amidst the annoyance of the past hour which hadn't been going very well.

"I've been back in Manhattan for more than a year! How'd we never see each other?" she asked.

"Manhattan is a big place. Listen, are you here with someone? We should catch up!" He looked around the table. Isabelle and Simon were having some deep conversation, and Clary and Sebastian were laughing to each other as if no one else existed. No one was really paying attention.

"I was actually waiting for a friend, but she literally just called saying she can't make it! I'd love to sit down and talk with you! It, uh, really has been a while, hasn't it?" He chuckled in reply, nodding clearly.

"Yeah, I haven't really seen you since your graduation party," she mused.

"Was that really the last time?" he questioned, somewhat disbelievingly.

"Yup, I'm pretty sure. Oh my god, we were such idiots!" she mused, laughing loudly. It didn't really matter, as the restaurant was quite packed.

A few minutes later, as they were reminiscing, Isabelle finally looked up. She was the only one who had been there during his high school days, so she was the only one who remembered Aline.

"Ally?" she asked. It was an old nickname she sometimes used. Aline was in the grade below Jace the grade above Isabelle, and Alec's grade, so she managed to be pretty good friends with all of them thanks to the closeness in age. They were like cousins.

"Iz!" she replied, running over to give the younger girl a hug. Clary, who had just looked up thanks to the commotion was looking rather confused.

"Who's this?" she questioned. Sebastian too looked up, wondering the this girl was that had captured his girlfriend's attention.

"This is Aline: me, Iz, and Alec's friend from high school! And, uh, we used to go out for a little while, but that ended really quickly. It was too awkward since we were friends." He cringed slightly at the last part of his explanation. While they had quickly gotten over it, it was still a little bit of a dark time in his life. For a short while after the breakup, he had lost one of his closest friends.

"Oh, um, nice to meet you!" chirped Clary, yet there was a hint of falseness in the midst of her enthusiasm.

"Sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but who are you three?" Aline asked, gesturing to Clary, Simon, and Sebastian.

Simon went first. "I'm Izzy's boyfriend. My name is Simon."

Next was Clary. "I'm Izzy's friend Clary! I met her through Simon, but our friendship has kind of grown into its own thing."

Lastly, and awkwardly bluntly, was Sebastian. "Clary's boyfriend. Sebastian." He didn't even bother to use full sentences. He didn't mean to be rude, but he was often a cold person to people he wasn't close with.

"Mary, Sigmund, and, um... Adaption?" she asked, not really having been able to hear any of them.

"Clary, Simon, and Sebastian," recalled Isabelle, speaking with a louder voice than they had.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, feeling pretty awkward that she hadn't even managed to hear their names correctly.

"Don't worry about it, it's pretty loud in here," replied Simon, smiling and shaking her hand as a sign of good faith.

"Thanks, I appreciate it," Aline responded, glad they weren't offended.

As the minutes went on, conversation continued. However, instead of two small groups and one person left out, they were all chattering to each other about this and that.

An hour or two later, he headed home. Doing this and that, sweeping here and there, he tried to convince himself that it didn't bother him that Clary had a boyfriend. Tried being the key word, this didn't really work out too well. Not knowing what else to do, he called Alec, wondering if hanging out with his brother would get his mind off of things. Quickly he agreed, and in ten minutes or so he arrived.

Unfortunately for Jace, the first words out of his mouth were, "Isabelle told me what happened. Sorry, that really sucks."

Not wanting to talk about it, he played dumb. "I don't know what you're talking about," he replied smoothly, but if you looked closely you could see a few blonde hairs on his eyebrow twitch.

"Don't lie to me, I can see right through you. Unrequited love, or unrequited like in this case, can really suck."

"How would you know?" he asked, curiously relenting.

"Well, once upon a time eleven years ago, I was a fourteen year old boy. I had a crush on a fifteen year old boy. Said fifteen year old boy is now my brother. But, uh, it was before Mom and Dad finalized the adoption, when you were still a foster."

"Do you- do you mean... Me?" he asked, completely shocked. He prided himself on being able to read other people's emotions, and yet he had never even gotten a hint of that from Alec.

"Yeah, I know that's a little weird. Even to me it sounds totally strange now. Ever since I got over it, you've just been my brother."

"Er, wow... Maybe we could, uh, talk about something else?" he asked, still shocked at this new piece of information.

"Sure. Um, how about those Yankees?" he asked jokingly.

"Idiot," he replied, but there was a huge smile on his face.