"Luke! Luke wait!" Jocelyn cried as she chased after him. Her long red hair had come out of its top knot, the rain making it stick to her face.
Rain in Idris was different than rain anywhere else. There was purity to it. No pollution had contaminated it or ever would. It was timeless. Finding it hard to breathe she pushed even harder to catch Luke before he committed to stay in Idris.
Apparently he had heard her cries a while back because he simply stared down at the river that flowed through the city from atop of the old wooden bridge that if not for the runes carved into it, would have crumbled lifetimes ago. Luke had his hands braced on the rails of the bridge as she approached.
"Jocelyn I can't do it any longer, I simply can't."
"Luke, what can't you do?" She stepped forward resting her slight hand over his large one.
He gave her a defeated look took her hand between the two of his and dropped it.
"This." He gestured between their two dripping bodies. "I can't keep maintaining this distance between us. Having you this close to me but making sure I never get close enough that you would question my intentions. For years I had been everything I could be for you and Clary. But I don't think I can do that after all of these events. She knows everything now Jocelyn. There is no reason why we couldn't be together. Nothing I could convince myself of that would make not being with you imaginably bearable, nothing to stop me from doing the very thing I've wanted to do since I realized I was in love with you 20 years ago." His voice was tight with emotion.
"And what would that be?" Tears streamed from her eyes, but with the rain Luke couldn't tell.
"This." Luke said as he stepped forward closing the remaining space between them before bending down and pressing his soft, warm lips against hers.
Luke had been planning on a quick, fleeting kiss. He had known he would never forgive himself if he hadn't kissed her once. But with her hands around his neck, winding her fingers through his hair, molding her body to his, there was no power on Earth that could've made him pull away.
Jocelyn whimpered slightly when his strong arms wrapped around her waist. Wanting to compensate for their height difference, she gave a little jump and wrapped her legs around his waist. Luke made a surprised sound, but no complaints.
Though he could easily hold her up he turned and set her on the railing of the bridge. He had other things he wanted to do with his hands. Her jeans were soaked through instantly, somewhere in the back of her mind she noted that, along with how shocked she was at how her body reacted to Luke's. Here she was a grown woman and she was publicly making out with Luke. If not for the parade going on in celebration of the wars victory, they would've been spotted by now. Thinking about that raised the thought of how all the things she wanted to do right now were definitely not appropriate for this bridge.
She broke away, her breath heavy on his neck. He was about to apologize, but what she whispered in his ear made the apology stick in his throat.
"I love you Lucian. Shall we go back to the house?"
Always the gentleman he lifted her down onto the creaky wooden boards. Her hand found his and they walked back to Amatis' house still trying to catch their breath.
Going to start a pot of tea, Jocelyn noticed the empty house.
"Where is everybody?"
"Clary is getting ready with Isabelle and I'm leaving." Amatis smiled, taking in their wet and tousled appearance. "I guess you won't be staying in Idris then Lucian?"
Guilt crossed Luke's face.
"Did you want me to?" Luke, always self-sacrificing, Luke.
"I haven't treated you as a sister should have and for that I'm sorry. Do not let me hold you back from the thing you have wanted most for so long." Amatis' eyes filled with tears and she hugged her brother. Stepping away she scolded him for getting her all wet. Quickly muttering something about having someone she needed to go visit, she left the house to Luke and Jocelyn.
Pouring the boiling water over the tea, she listened to Luke make his way over to her and put his arms on either side of her, the corded muscles visible through the fabric of his shirt, the smell of rain and man enveloped her.
Noticing her smelling him, he hastily said, "I'm sorry I probably smell like a wet dog."
Her pealing laughter filled the kitchen. "I can't believe you just said that." She gasped between laughs.
Not able to stop himself from laughing with her, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her flush to his stomach.
Her laughter died out when she became acutely aware of her back pressed against his solid abdomen.
Jocelyn pulled his hands into hers and unwound herself, crossing their arms.
"Come on." She smiled and led him up the worn wooden stairs to the room he had been staying in.
Luke seemed to finally realize what she was getting at when they crossed the threshold of the room. He froze and felt his palms grow sweaty. Any nervousness he had was put to rest when he saw the concern on her face.
She whispered his name, drawing closer to him. Caressing his face with her fingers that were weathered by a youth of shadowhunting and an adulthood of painting, she cupped his face, pulling his mouth to hers.
He surrendered to her kiss with a sigh. All these years, this had been what he was missing. How could he have ever waited this long? He could tell that she wanted more. After deciding to stop holding back, he lifted her off her feet and carried her to the unmade bed.
Jocelyn landed with a huff and Luke kneeling over her, staring at her, his blue eyes filled with the yearning of a teenage boy, yet the wistfulness of a man worn but not broken by the years.
His kiss was slow, like dripping honey. His hands were steady as a river, unwavering in their caresses of her body. She deepened the kiss when his hands slid under her shirt.
"You're cold." said Luke huskily.
"Not for long Jocelyn responded. As if to make her innuendo more pronounced she lifted her shirt over her head.
Luke's eyes visibly widened appreciatively as he cleared his throat.
"I doubt taking your clothes off is going to keep you warm." Luke said despite knowing her staying in wet clothes could make her sick.
"No, you are." Jocelyn said with a naughty smile.
Jocelyn was trying to get Luke's shirt off quickly, but Luke stopped her. In answer to her confused look he whispered in a low voice, "I have waited 20 years for this, I intend on taking my time."
Jocelyn shuddered against his lips at her neck as he kissed his way down her arms and back, across her collar bones, through the valley between her breasts and over her stomach. His stubble left her tingling all over. She was a shivering mass of jelly by the time her looked her in the eyes and peeled her jeans down.
Luke marveled at the smoothness of her legs. She was so tiny compared to him; he was scared he was going to break her. He made a move to unclasp her cobalt blue bra, but she stopped him saying,
"My turn."
Ironically, though her slight size, she pushed him by the shoulders deftly, landing on top of him. Shocking him yet again she ripped his shirt open headless of the buttons.
"That was my favorite shirt."
"You have 300 that look the exact same at home." She said in a stern voice.
Luke laughed throatily, grabbed her by the hips, and pulled their bodies together. The feel of their stomachs touching shot a wave of desire through him that lingered at a particular spot of his anatomy.
Feeling his desire against her thigh, she decided she was done messing around. She pressed her hips tightly against his grinning when he let out a growl.
Finally ridding him of his pants she let him roll on top of her. The sensation of their bodies melding together made her eyes roll back in her head.
It didn't take much to get the rest of their clothes off. He stroked her sides softly, which wasn't enough for her.
"Luke I'm not going to break. Touch me."
With that he slid into her, gripping her hips tightly. He had Jocelyn filled to the point of bursting. Jocelyn didn't even notice she was bleeding until she felt something wet on her hips and lower back.
"Ouch." She said in a moment of confusion more than pain.
A look of horror replaced the desire that was on his face only moments ago.
Jocelyn let out a low breath when Luke pulled his claws out of her hips.
Luke's face was ashen. This could not be happening. He stood up, running backwards into the wall and sliding down it.
Jocelyn put her hands to the five puncture wounds on her left hip, drawing away blood. She slid over to the bedside table and pulled the stele out of the drawer. After drawing two izrates, onein the center of each pinwheel of wounds, she set the stele back in its place and slid the drawer shut.
Luke watched her as she gently walked over to him. Once the thought of her naked had been a farfetched dream, and here he was looking at her naked, for him, and it nearly made him sick. The healing punctures on each hip, each glorious hip, were entirely his fault. He had hurt the thing he loved most in this world. He put his head in his hands.
"Go away Jocelyn." The words pained him to say.
"Luke." Her voice was soft with concern, concern for him. He should be the one concerned for her, not the other way around.
"Are you okay?" His voice cracked.
"Luke I'm fine. I barely even noticed honestly. You saw me put an izrate on them. I'll be healed by morning. The punctures were shallow." She made an attempt at consoling him.
"No. You shouldn't have to heal yourself from me. I am no better than any of the other Downworlders we were trained to kill." Luke stated miserably.
"Luke, you know damn well we were trained to kill Demons, and the Rouge Downworlders. You're the farthest thing from rouge I've ever seen. You're a good man. Don't you ever think differently." Her tone was not to be questioned.
"Lucian. Look at me. Look. At. Me." She grasped his hands with hers and pulled them into her lap. Holding both of his hands in one of hers, she used the other to wipe away his tears. "Lucian, loving you is not something recent. I could have never asked you to be with me this way before. Clary would have adjusted fine; I did not want to hurt you, having you hide who you are from her."
"Jocelyn I know-"
"I'm not finished. Now there is nothing to hide. Valentine is dead. I'm free. We are free. I am not going to leave you. I did that before. Twice. Once here and another in Paris, I will never make that mistake again. "
The love shining from her was enough to break his heart.
"All these years I thought of nothing but being with you and now I am and I couldn't control the monst-"
"I know you were not just about to say monster, because that monster has saved me and my daughter's lives more than once. "
Sliding his knees to the ground, Jocelyn straddled his hips.
"Nothing is holding us back. We have waited. We have fought the good fight. It's over. This time it's us, until the end. You showed me love does not always lead to destruction and turmoil. Love can be great, and conquer the most impossible battles."
The matching runes on their arms shone. Mesmerized they both stared at them.
"Our daughter did that."Jocelyn said a matter-of-factly.
Pride, but question filled his eyes. All these years he had been denying the uncle title Clary had wanted to give him. Not wanting to be her uncle, but her father. Silencing all his questions Jocelyn explained,
"You have raised her as your own, you have loved her as your own, you have protected her as your own, she is for all rights and purposes yours as much as she is mine."
That was it for Luke. Nothing could stop him from being with her. He rolled on top of her, pinning her to the floor, but reveling in the fact she could easily kick him off.
"Lucian!" she cried of as he entered her again, but this time he did it again, and again. It would never be enough.
He had been with women before this, but none of them had been Jocelyn, none of them had been like this. Different emotions and sensations overwhelmed his mind.
The hours passed as they learned the most intimate parts of each other's bodies and souls. Their bodies fit together in ways she couldn't have imagined. She knew she could never get enough.
He rolled her to where she was laying along the length of his body. She was a feather's weight on top of him. As if reading her mind he asked,
"So does this mean you'll marry me now?"
"Of course." She answered surely with a lingering kiss. "We should probably make an appearance at the celebration now." Jocelyn said before she wouldn't be able to pry herself away from him.
After showering each other and dressing one another, Jocelyn's nails had dug into her palms with desire when Luke had zipped up the back of her dress, they headed for the party. The rain had stopped since they had been outside.
The pathway wrapped around the outside of town close to the cemetery, when Luke stopped, made an abrupt left turn, and ran for the burial grounds.
Quick on his heels, Jocelyn heard what he must have heard earlier.
The most awful, gutwrenching sobs she had ever heard resonated in the damp air that clung around the graveyard. It was Amatis.
"Stephan. Oh Stephan. I miss you so much. You would have been so glad to see this day. The day Valentine was defeated, by your son no less. He is a strong, brave young man, much like you. I wonder what you would have said if you had been here today. Probably how the son of a bitch got what he deserved. And then sang the demon pox song and ranted about the mutant race of ducks that you believed live near Lake Lyn. One day I rode out to the Lake. I wanted to see if there really was a rampant duck population out there. I look for you in things like that. I hold onto you so tightly. All these years and here I am, still talking to a headstone. Do you remember the time we went to your parent's manor in the country side? I had never been to one and I was so nervous to meet your family, scared they wouldn't like me. Imogene scared me shitless. She was so kind to me, your father as well. Such a beautiful family, and when you asked me to be part of it I had no hesitation in my answer. You had been all I ever wanted. Still are. Once I rode out to the manor. Your mom lived in town then. She moved there after you and your father died. She turned cold after that, as to be expected. I went there and I found a woman living there actually. She claimed to be your ancestor, I do not know if this is true. I had been feverish with grief at the time. She was a beautiful woman, Stephan. She told me a story of the Herondale she loved. It was a beautiful story, tragic at points. His name was William. Will Herondale. She comforted me. I think it may have been a dream for she was gone when I woke up, in the bed where we had first made love. "
Luke tensed at this part.
"We've heard enough Luke, let's leave her be." Jocelyn whispered and tugged on his arm.
The couple turned to leave Amatis with Stephan, clinging to his gravestone for dear life.
"Don't dwell on it Luke. You know she would kick your ass if you ever let on we witnessed her just now. It is how she deals with it. Imagine if you truly lost me. I know I for one would be distraught." Jocelyn mentioned to Luke as they entered the party.
"I don't know what I would do. Amatis is way stronger than I would be." Luke said with respect.
Hand in hand they walked over to the Shadowhunters of their generation. Happy to note the intermingling of Downworlders among the group, Jocelyn sat down on Luke's lap enjoying the evening, watching her daughter from a distance. Somewhere deep inside her she was happy Clary had found Jace. She could see that love radiated for her from his every move. He would protect her. Nothing would ever happen with him around. After seeing Amatis in the cemetery this made her glad, because she knew she would not always be around, and neither would Luke and she knew she was leaving Clary in capable hands. Because as was obvious with Stephan in his days with Celine, he only ever loved Amatis, when a Herondale gave away his heart that was that.
After saying goodnight to the kids and giving the Lightwoods their condolences, Luke and Jocelyn made their way back to Amatis'. She was asleep on the couch, covered in mud and soaking wet. Jocelyn laid out several towels over her bed as Luke carried his exhausted sister down on the bed. Jocelyn covered her with an old blanket. Kissing Amatis' forehead Luke led Jocelyn out of the room, and down the hall way, where Jocelyn put on one of Luke's shirts. Seeing her in his shirt, that reached her knees, made his heart swell. Taking off his shirt and jeans he crawled into bed and pulled her close, snuggling under the sheets with her.
"At least this time we made it to the bed." Jocelyn said with a yawn.
Luke yawned in return and let out a deep vibrating chuckle.
"Tomorrow night we'll have to try out the bed." Luke suggested.
"Indeed, could be better." She said, her eyes closing.
"Every night with you will get better and better." Luke whispered in her ear before they both fell into the most peaceful night of sleep either had had in 20 years.