TDA Meets TLH

34: Cristina

"And she just like ran into the room, yelling at Alec, Jace, and I not to kill the demon, which she thought was a boy. I remember seeing something pass through Jace's eyes, at the sight of her."

I stood with Anna and Isabelle, by the drinks table. Isabelle was telling us the story of how she met Clary.

"Alec, of course, was rude to her. I wasn't surprise." Isabelle laughed. "And I wasn't sure how I felt about her. Though when she finally came to the Institute, I started to like her, though it took me a lot longer to actually show it. I wasn't used to having another girl around, growing up with two boys, so it took me awhile to get used to her."

"And Simon?" I asked curiously. "When did you meet Simon?"

"He came to the Institute, with Clary. At first, I thought he was a complete nerd." Isabelle grinned. "But as we got to know each other, I fell in love with him. Even when he was a vampire, which is saying something." She chuckled.

"How sweet." Anna smiled.

"Is Izzy telling stories again?" Said Simon, who walked up to us. "That's never good."

Isabelle laughed, and pecked his cheek. A pang went through, at the sight of them. Mark and I would never be able to have that. I looked away from them, frowning at the floor. We all then parted ways, and I went and found Emma. She was watching everyone slow dancing, and I went and stood beside her. I spotted Matthew and Clary, and James and Cordelia, on the dance floor.

"Where's Julian?" I asked.

"Probably with Mark, somewhere." She replied, seeming a bit sad.

I sighed. "We both can't have people we love, can't we?"

She sighed. "Nope. We're cursed."

"And it's all the damn Clave's fault." I grumbled.

"Tell me about it." Emma rolled her eyes.

As if on cue, Julian and Mark walked up to us. They were both dressed in tuxedos, and they look absolutely breath-taking. Mark, especially. His silvery blonde hair was styled neatly, and he looked like a model. My eyes averted from him, and I looked down at the tiled floor.

"Where are the kids?" Emma asked curiously.

"Livvy is with Ty, doing the angel knows what. Dru is walking around with Tavvy, and I'm pretty sure they're with Isabelle." Julian replied, smiling.

I chuckled. "She loves them, doesn't she?"

"She doesn't seem like one who's good with kids." Emma observed.

"Dru loves her. She already told me she wants to be just like her." Julian chuckled.

We all chuckled, and I snuck a glance at Mark. He was staring at me, and I quickly looked away. He looked so beautiful, and I wanted to kiss him so bad. I dug my nails into my palm, behind my back. The slow song ended, and James suddenly stormed past us. I raised an eyebrow.

"Where's he going in such a hurry?" I asked.

"Who knows." Emma said.

A moment, Matthew walked up to us, looking frantic.

"Where did James go? Did you see him?" He asked, sounding worried.

I shook my head. "He only looked like he was upset."

Matthew swore, and walked briskly away from us. A little boy then walked past us, and I did a double take. His skin was blue, and so was his hair and eyes. The boy was yelling, as Alec Lightwood was chasing after him.

"I don't want you, Daddy! I want aunt Clary!" The boy shouted.

"That must be Max. Magnus and Alec's son." Emma said.

The boy started running, and Alec paused in front of us. He swore tiredly, and then started to chase after Max, again. I laughed.

"He's so cute." I smiled.

"And troublesome, it seems." Mark sounded amused.

Jace suddenly walked up to us, and I smirked at Emma. She seemed very embarrassed to see him. She had told me, that when she was younger, she had had a huge crush on him. I couldn't blame her, he was beautiful, just like James was. In fact, if I looked closely, I could see the resemblance between them.

"Have you guys seen Alec?" He asked.

"You just missed him. He was chasing after Max." Julian chuckled.

Jace looked very amused, said thanks, and walked away. I looked over at Emma, who was blushing slightly.

I laughed. "Oh calm down, Emma."

"What? I didn't say anything." She said.

"Exactly." I chuckled.

We all talked for a few minutes, and then Emma and Julian walked away together. Mark and I were left alone, and I avoided his eyes.

"You look beautiful." Mark spoke.

I looked up at him, and blushed. "Thanks, you look really nice, too."

"Everyone's looking at me as if I'm an alien." Mark said.

"They're not used to seeing a Faerie." I admitted. "Don't pay attention to them. Who cares what they think."

Mark gave me a crooked smile, and my heart melted.

"That's why I love you. You always know what to say." He smiled slightly.

"Don't say stuff like that." I looked away from him.

Mark was suddenly right in front of me, and we were face to face.

"What stuff?" Mark echoed. I could feel his breath on my face.

"That you love me. Don't say that." I murmured. "It's too hard."

"I love you. I love you, Cristina Mendoza Rosales." Mark said softly.

"Mark." I whispered. "Don't."

He put his hand on my cheek, and searched my face. "Tell me you love me. Just once, I need to hear it."

"Why?" I asked quietly.

"It's the only thing that get's me through the day." Mark whispered, staring deep into my eyes.

"I love you, Mark." I said, feeling dizzy from his touch.

He started to lean in, and so did I. When our lips were just about to touch, someone cleared their throat. Mark and I sprang apart, and I looked up to see Clary, Jace, Emma, and Julian, all smirking at us. I blushed, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry to have interrupted your moment." Jace smirked, but then became serious. "But we have a problem."