virago|c.g.|

xx

Clary never realized how happy she would feel as they drove up to the tall walls of Alexandria, surprising her with the relief she felt as they were able to make it back safe. As the gate opened, Carl placed the CD case into her bag, the teenage boy not revealing how happy he felt that the girl seemed to finally begin to trust him.

As they drove in, Clary stopped the car at the front gate, the two teenagers exiting the car as the gate shut behind them. They didn't get any chance to take a breath as Olivia rushed over to them, the two guiding her to their findings another Alexandrian followed close behind with a cart. The two of them sifted through the supplies, thanking both Clary and Carl for their findings before continuing to dig through the items.

As Clary gathered her stuff, Carl doing the same, she was surprised to see Glenn and Maggie approaching as she looked up. She smiled, shutting the door to the drivers side as Maggie wrapped her arms around the girl. "Sasha told us she saw you guys driving in. How'd it go?" As Clary pulled away from the woman, she spoke to the two of them, telling them about the medication and what else they had found. Of course, she left out the details of the trouble they had encountered. However, as she spoke, she was unaware as Carl looked on from the other side of the car, a soft smile on his face as he saw how comfortable she looked with the couple. His attention was taken by Michonne as she approached, well dressed in the constable gear, a smile on her face letting him know that she was happy to see him okay.

As Clary finished up telling Glenn and Maggie about their findings, Glenn looked between Carl and the girl before him. He knew the two would have to gather their stuff, so him and Maggie departed, telling her they'd meet her at the house. As Clary turned towards the car, she saw Carl approaching her. "So, I'm guessing I passed your test?" Clary shrugged her shoulders playfully, shouldering her items before walking towards the house. Behind her, she heard a dramatic gasp come from Carl. "Hey! I say we make a pretty good team. Even if you kind of did all the work—" Clary only shook her head as she turned back around, a humored smile on her face. "Yeah, maybe we shouldn't mention that to anyone. If we did, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't let us go out again anytime soon." Carl raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying this could happen again?" Clary thought for a moment before she nodded, allowing a smile to paint over her face. She had never felt so at ease, especially considering her ill feelings towards the boy before. "I'm saying you're not half bad, so yeah, maybe." Carl nodded, glad he had been able to break through to the girl. "Good, I'm glad. Although I do have a question." Clary looked to Carl expectantly as they made their way towards the homes. "What is it?" Clary looked confused at the boy. "Can you teach me how to use a sword? Trust me, I like my gun but I think I should get better with some other weapons." Staring at the boy, Clary could see that he was deadly serious about learning. With that assurance, she shrugged. "I don't see why not. I'll see if Olivia will let me snag my extra sword that I had on Montu so you can use it for training."

Giving a mock salute, she turned away from Carl and entered her house, Carl doing the same. As Clary shut the door to her home, she saw Maggie and Glenn leaning against the counter. Glenn looked at her, a knowing smile on his face. "I'm assuming it went well?" Glenn questioned, causing Clary to nod her head. "Yeah, you were right, he's not half bad. It'll take some getting used to but he's— well, he's nothing like Ashton." Clary looked to Maggie to see her nodding, happiness on her face. But Clary knew she hadn't told the woman, her questions answered as Glenn spoke. "She had noticed your unease with Carl, so I told her about Ashton. Trust me, what you say will never leave the three of us—" Clary waved her hand, dismissing his reasoning. "I know. I think with what you two have kept from everyone else to protect me, I can trust you."
Clary sent them a small smile before Glenn and Maggie looked to each other, the two feeling at ease with the young girl before they gathered at the counter and spoke about nothing in particular.