To Broken Pasts and Mended Futures

Summary: Two years after the end of WWII, Clary Fray has just been released from serving five years in a state penitentiary. Jace Wayland, just back from the war, is serving as the sheriff in a small town. What will happen when the glorious hero meets the ex-con with a troubling past? AU/AH. Based on Love Released: Women of Courage 1.

Chapter One

Jefferson City, Missouri, 1947

As Clary was escorted down the halls of the Missouri State Penitentiary for Women, she could think of only one thing: freedom. After five long years of being locked away from everyone, she was finally going to be free. Her only knowledge of the day came from the guard that had told her about a month ago that she would be released on her birthday.

Her only belongings were that of the hideous jumpsuit on her back, which she decided she would immediately discard at the earliest convenience, and the shoes that sat beneath her feet, uncomfortably flopping with each step she took. The guard ahead of her had his shoulders squared, his demeanor one meant to intimidate, though she noted that the guard at the door was a bit friendlier, the corners of his lips almost tugged up into a smile. Clary knew better than to fall for that, though. Five years had taught her that she couldn't trust a man.

After being roughly shoved into the head guard's office, Clary was handed countless papers to sign.

"Wherever you settle, you have to check in with the local sheriff when you get there. You can't leave the state of Missouri, and make sure you check in within forty-eight hours. If you don't, you'll find yourself back here by the end of the week," the guard sneered as he looked down at Clary. "We'd love to have you back," he added, his eyes raking over her body.

Clary gathered her copies of the legal forms and left the stuffy office, eager to get away from the prying eyes of the guards. As she reached the front door, the guard politely smiled and opened the door, quietly urging Clary to be careful.

The brightness of the sun stunned Clary for a moment, causing her to pause and soak up the warm glow from the sky. A soft smile played at her lips as she realized she was finally free. No more shared baths, no more humiliation at the hands of the guards. She was free to do with herself as she pleased, and she couldn't be happier.

She looked to the street and saw her family's car pulled up to the curb, the familiar face of the butler she loved more than her own father stepping out of the driver's seat.

"Good morning, Miss Clary," he drawled, his accent heavy and his voice thick with age.

"A good morning it is, August. It is so lovely to see you," Clary beamed at the man, truly delighted to see a familiar face after so long. As August opened the rear door to her father's town car, Clary climbed in. Soon, she would be far away from this awful place and soon, she would never have to see it again.

August shut the door and walked around the car to climb into the driver's seat. Once the door was shut and the car was moving, Clary couldn't stop the eager grin that stretched across her face. She knew her happiness would be short lived, for as the moment she got home she was sure her father would begin another session of tyrannical deprecation. She just couldn't find it in herself to tear the smile from her face, though.

Clary was thankful that her father wasn't present to berate her publicly, but she was also slightly saddened. His absence was a sign of that he felt she was undeserving of his presence. She had never been overwhelmed with a need to impress him, but the lack of compassion he felt towards her had always been unsettling.

The expression on August's face did little to comfort her, but she assumed there was no point dwelling on that. No, she should come up with a plan to set into action as soon as she arrived at her parents' home.

Clary found little point in dragging on the meeting with the authorities, so she decided she would take care of that as soon as she arrived back home. She also found no point in extending what she knew would be a dreadful experience at her parents' home, and the only way to leave would be to have her medical license reinstated, so she would begin compiling her evidence for her claim.

While preparing her mental to do list, August had been trying to come up with a way to tell the determined young woman exactly what was going on.

"Miss Clary," he uttered, almost hoping the woman wouldn't hear him. However, the redhead's green eyes met his in the rear view mirror, and he knew it'd be better to tell her now. "I hate to be the one to tell you this, Miss Clary, but you're daddy said you can't come home," he urged, his sad eyes watching as Clary's entire posture stiffened, her eyes reddening in despair.

Clary refused to let her father's cruelty get the best of her, though. Instead of crying like she wished to do, Clary steeled her nerves and put on a brave face. "I see," she responded, her voice unwavering. "In that case, I must ask, August, how much money do I have in my bank account?" She asked the question knowing the answer. She could only hope her father would've cared a little bit and had left enough for her to find a place to live. She might need to put her to do list on hold.

"There's none in it, Miss Clary. You're daddy said he had to use all of it to pay the lawyers."

Clary wanted nothing more than to lie down and cry. After five years of going through hell, now she didn't even have a place to stay. The whole situation was so unfair that she wasn't even sure what to do. She refused to give in, though. She maintained her poker face and continued her questioning, "August, where are you taking me?"

"When your aunt Jocelyn passed away a few years ago, she left her house to you. Your daddy tried to get rid of it, but he couldn't find a way to get it out of your name to sell it. It's all yours," August paused briefly before continuing, "he's also sending you with Emma's son, John."

Clary's heart dropped with the new information. Her father was not only banishing her, but her nephew? Her heart hurt for the child, immediately empathizing with the boy who hadn't known love since his mother's passing.

There was no way she could say no to keeping the boy, but she couldn't help the doubt that swam in her heart. How could she possibly care for the child with no job, money, or a way to get a job? She supposed she would figure it out when she got there.

August pulled up in front of a small house with chipping paint and a front porch in shambles. It was evident that the house hadn't been lived in for years, the grass in the yard stretching higher than Clary had ever seen, the steps to the front door were caving in, and the one of the shutters was leaned against the side of the house. The screen door had little screen and could barely serve as a door, but to Clary, it was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. For the first time in five years, Clary would have her own place. A place she could share with John and they could turn it into a home.

August opened the door and told Clary that his wife was already here with John and that they had spent the day cleaning, but he wasn't sure how much progress they would've made.

Clary watched as August's wife, Lauren, emerged from the house with a young boy with green eyes to match Clary's and blonde hair like his mother.

Immediately, Lauren wrapped her arms around Clary for a hug, taking in the young woman she had always regarded as a daughter for the first time in five years. Clary noted that Lauren's dark hair had started to gray with her age and Clary felt a wave of sadness wash over her. She had missed so much during her time away, but she would never regret the actions that made her leave.

"I've missed you so much," Lauren told Clary while smoothing down her red curls.

"I've missed you, too," Clary responded, her voice muffled from having her face snuggled into Lauren's shoulder. Pulling away from the hug, Clary looked down to John's green eyes, curiosity and sadness swirling in them.

Kneeling down to be eye level with John, Clary grasped his shoulders in her hands. He was skinny, she noted, and tall for his age. He stood tense as the awkwardness of their first meeting, or at least one he could remember, surged through the air around them. "Hey, John, I'm your Aunt Clary," Clary smiled softly at the boy, hoping to ease some of his stiffness.

"Lauren said I'm going to live with you now, is that true?" John forwardly asked, his eyes searching Clary's face.

Clary looked back at John, still smiling, and responded, "it is, and we're going to have so much fun," Clary beamed at him.

At that, John's eyes lost a little bit of the sadness, but Clary could tell he was still anxious. She pulled him in for a hug, though he remained stiff during it. Clary could smell the soap on his skin and in his hair from his last bath and wanted to cry in that very moment, but she wouldn't. Now, she not only needed to stay strong for herself, but for John, too.

After the hugs were over, Clary and John followed Lauren and August into the house. John ran straight to his room while Lauren and August walked Clary through the house.

The tour began in the kitchen, where Clary couldn't help but to gasp at the sparkling, white counter tops. A window sat above the sink and the old, wood floors were beginning to shine after their first cleaning. A white table sat towards the side of the room and four chairs with chipping white paint were pushed against the wall.

Looking beyond the table, Clary could see a green couch and floral chair in the living room, with a coffee table in front of the couch. The walls were quite bare, but Clary was excited to decorate and make it her own. A tattered rug covered the dusty, wood floors and Clary was sure it would need to be replaced soon. Connected to that room there were three doors. One of the doors led to Clary's room, where there was a small dresser for her undergarments and other belongings, and a large bed, with fluffy, white covers dressing it.

Lauren explained that all of the furniture she had seen so far had been her aunt's and that they had just cleaned it up a bit, though it still needed a lot of work.

"It's wonderful, Lauren, thank you," Clary beamed, truly amazed that this small, white house was hers.

The room next to hers was a small washroom, and next to that was John's room, containing a small cot with blue covers and fluffy pillows.

Before Lauren left, she told Clary that was able to save her some dresses to have and that they were hanging in her closet, and that she had a small amount of money for her to get started with.

With a final hug to August and Lauren, the couple left Clary and John alone in their new home. Clary sat at the table and counted the money that had been left for them to be about $75, and Clary knew that they would have to make it last until her next paycheck. She also knew John would be hungry soon, so she called him into the kitchen.

"Do you want to go grocery shopping, John? It's going to be dinner time soon and we don't have anything to cook," Clary asked, and John smiled a bit at the thought of food.

"Sure!" John responded, looking forward to dinner. He scampered to the door, anxious to get out of the house. Clary chuckled at the sight and collected the money she had into a small purse. Just as she was about to reach the door, she remembered she hadn't changed from her prison uniform.

"Wait one minute, John. I need to change clothes," she told the boy, who nodded in understanding.

"I didn't think you'd ever grow into those shoes, anyways, Aunt Clary," the boy said innocently.

Clary offered a small smile with her response, "me either." She walked into her room and shut the door gently behind her. Walking to her closet, she noticed that Lauren had managed to save one of her favorite evening gowns, though she supposed she wouldn't have much use for it here. Her closet was full of simple, everyday dresses. She pulled out a light blue, cotton dress and held it to her. She collected some undergarments and reveled in the feeling of the silk slip Lauren had left her.

After five years of going without, the feeling of having underwear and properly fitting clothes overwhelmed Clary, and as she clutched the clothes to her chest, she couldn't help the dry sob that escaped her. Alas, with John waiting on her, she quickly dressed and slid on different shoes, a pair of simple flats Lauren had left behind.

She stepped into the washroom and rinsed her face off with water, smoothing her short hair down in the mirror. Fiddling with the ends of her red hair, she knew that, with time, it would grow, and for that she was thrilled. The prison-short length was not appropriate for her red curls. Vanity, though, was not her main concern, so after a final glance in the mirror, she collected her purse and grabbed John's hand.

After a fairly short walk into town, Clary and John had made it to the town's grocery store. She had, of course, picked up the bare necessities, but she also made sure to splurge on a few things. She had collected some chicken for her and John to enjoy for dinner as a form of celebration. With a cart full of what she deemed appropriate to last until her first paycheck, the pair headed to the register.

On the way, Clary couldn't help but notice the look of longing on John's face as they passed through the sweets isle. After determining that it wouldn't hurt anything, she permitted the boy two candies. He ran straight for the Tootsie Roll container and ran back to her clutching two of the candies, a lopsided grin plastered to his face. She returned his smile and they continued their walk to the register.

While loading their purchases up, Clary noticed the stacks of notebooks and pencils near the register.

"Good afternoon! Did you find everything you needed today?" the friendly girl at the register smiled. Clary returned it, "I think so, but if you don't mind my asking, when does school begin?"

"It'll start back in four days, they've got a mighty fine new school teacher," the girl said. With that, Clary turned and grabbed two of the tablets and a pack of pencils.

"That's good," Clary smiled, happy that John would be able to go to school and make friends. As long as no one found out about her past, they should be okay.

"You just move here?"

"Yeah, my Aunt Jocelyn left me her house, so my nephew and I moved in today," Clary smiled.

"Joce was your aunt? She was the sweetest lady! And a good schoolteacher, too. She taught my daddy and me. I'm happy somebody's gonna be livin' in her house. It sure does need some work, don't it?"

"It does, but we'll get it done," Clary replied. With the groceries bagged, she thanked the cashier and she and Jacked walked out, with Jack carrying the lightest of the bags.

When they walked out, Clary looked up to see the sheriff's car slowing at the corner. Her hands went sweaty and she immediately avoided eye contact. He was the one person in this town that could take away her freedom in the blink of an eye. She knew that she would have to face him eventually, but she decided that there was no need to do that now.

Finally mustering up the courage to look up, she released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding when she saw that the car was gone. She and John continued their walk home.

The rest of the day went by without a hitch. Clary fried the chicken for herself and John and roasted some potatoes to go with it. She let John stay up for a while to listen to a radio show while she ventured to the back yard to look around. She noticed a shed near the back and decided to investigate.

The shed contained basic lawn care tools, including a mower that looked to be in good shape. The rest of the tools, though, didn't seem to have the same fate and she was sure that she wouldn't be able to use them until they were properly oiled and cleaned. She walked to the fence and noticed that her neighbor's apple tree had some branches falling onto her side of the fence. An elderly man walked over to it with a scowl on his face. "You livin' here now, girl?"

"I am, sir. I'm Clary Fray, my nephew, John, is living with me, too."

"Well, you need to have that tree cut down," the man insisted, pointing with his cane to a tree in her front yard, "all of its leaves fall into my yard in the fall and I'm tired of havin' to rake 'em up."

Clary immediately remembered her aunt telling her stories of this man. She had always compared him to Satan and Clary was racking her brain for his name. Laws? Hughes? Lewis? That's it, Clary thought. Lewis.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I don't think I'm going to be able to do that right now. Seeing as it's summer that tree shouldn't be bothering you for a while, and when it does, John and I will come and rake up the leaves," Clary told the old man.

"I don't want you to rake the leaves, I want you to get rid of the blasted tree," Lewis responded angrily.

"With all due respect, sir, the only solution I currently have is the one I've just offered, you can either take it or leave it," Clary said, not backing down. Though the man grumbled, he nodded and walked into his house once again. The sun was beginning to set and the air was cooling.

Clary walked into the house and started a pot of coffee. She got John ready for bed and tucked in before pouring a cup of the now hot coffee and sitting on her porch steps admiring the night sky. It had been so long since she had seen the stars shining that brightly and she was determined to have the view forever imprinted in her mind.

A low rumbling sounded in the distance and Clary looked up to see the sheriff's car slowly gliding down the road. Startled, Clary shakily stood to head inside, but not before making eye contact with the man inside the car. Even with her aversion to men after the atrocities she had seen while in prison, Clary couldn't help but admit that the sheriff was a beautiful man. His golden hair had a halo effect around his head, but Clary knew better than to be fooled by appearances. His eyes were a soft, warm gold and they were all encompassing.

Turning quickly, Clary went into the house and locked the door behind her. Slumping against it, she allowed a soft sigh to escape her before she set about getting ready for bed. Tomorrow, she would have to approach the sheriff, and in order to do that, she would need a good night's sleep.

AN: Hello, everyone! This is my first story on this account, and I'm excited to see what you all think so far! As stated above, this story is based on Love Released: Women of Courage 1, so if you're interested in reading that, it is available for free on the Nook, Apple Store, and the Kindle store! It's an easy read and, obviously, one of my new favorites, so make sure you give it a read! This first chapter was very similar to the first bit of the book in order to establish a background, but as the plot thickens, it will begin to differ from LRWC. You've also noticed some OOC, I'm sure (cough Simon cough), but don't get too nervous just yet. I'm also sure you noticed the spelling of John's name. Yes, I know CC didn't spell his name that way. That was done on purpose. Give me some time, people.

I make no promises on the next update, but I'm hoping it's soon! I'm super motivated to write for this story, so hopefully I'll be back with an update by the end of the week. If I don't finish the story by the end of summer, though, expect my updates to be less often in the fall, as I'm going to college! Woo! I'll be putting a lot of time into getting accepted to the school of journalism, so, unfortunately, this story will be put on the back burner.

Until next time, I'll leave you with a disclaimer: all characters belong to Cassandra Clare and most of the plot belongs to Geri Foster. Anything not recognized from TMI or LRWC belongs to me.

See you later!

-ccmurphy