I'm so excited! This is my first fic that involves one of my favorite romantic pairings! After receiving Effie's review for "Right Girl", I needed to write this.
Post-CP2. Major spoilers for CP2 if you don't know who Cecily is in love with. Angsty fluff.
Being a concerned older sister, Ella visits her brother-in-law when he is vulnerable after a fight with his wife.
Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare owns TID.
Doors slamming were the first thing Ella noticed when she arrived at the Lightwood manor. The sounds' vibrations in the air made Ella shiver, which was unsual given her state of being. The force was strong enough to knock off doorknobs, which meant one thing. Cecily and Gabriel were fuming from an argument.
Ella traveled from room to room, searching for the manor's occupants. Cecily was not in the house. Ella guessed she was on the manor's grounds, briskly walking through her gardens and muttering very loudly on how she was right and her husband was just too stubborn to realize it. Her little sister would calm herself enough to enter the house within an hour or two, Ella was sure.
Gabriel, however, was not in his usual place when he was angry. The training room's lights were not lit, and the door remained locked. Something other than his spat with Cecily must have been bothering him. This time, Gabriel was in the library. He was stretched across a chair tucked in a mostly hidden corner, his hands gripping his hair as he stared at the ceiling.
It was strange to see Gabriel like this. Even after his marriage, he kept his hot-headed demeanor, as had Cecily. It wasn't a bad thing, in their case. Cecily was a Herondale and along with it came an infamous temper from their father. She needed to be with someone who could match her in wits and fury who at the same time could melt her heart. Gabriel did both to make story book knights worship him for his devotion to be with the woman he loved so much.
Tonight, Gabriel seemed more distressed than angry; the sigh that dropped from his lips spoke of that. Ella moved closer to Gabriel. His eyes were molten green, not at all like the vivid emerald she was used to seeing.
Gabriel exhaled again, speaking softly to no one or so he thought. "I can't continue fighting with her like this. It will destroy our marriage."
Ella felt a twinge in her heart. When Cecily announced her engagement to Gabriel, Ella immediately found his mother, Barbara Lightwood. Ella's long talks with her had given her insight to the man her sister was marrying. Barbara was nothing but an amazing storyteller, that after a while, Ella felt that she herself had watched Gabriel grow up. One the stories, which drove both teller and listener to tears, was the destruction of Barbara and Benedict's marriage. This reaction from Gabriel, however, Barbara did not mention, perhaps to protect her son's already fragile image.
Ella now understood. However much he had changed since joining the London Institute, Gabriel was terrified of becoming his father. As per Barbara's stories and her children's avoidance of speaking of him, Benedict Lightwood was no role model; Ella would slap him if she ever met him, for doing what he did to his family. Knowing that he had inherited his father's personality rather than his mother's probably haunted Gabriel more than he could begin to explain to anyone, even his older brother, Gideon.
The poor boy would drown in his thoughts of the past, if someone did not intervene.
She rarely did this, even with her own Gwilym and Cecy, but Gabriel needed this. Exhaling, Ella knelt in front of him, a foot of space between them. Getting too close, she discovered, spooked people, even hardened Shawdowhunters, into leaving immediately. She, however, would not move until she was finished telling Gabriel what he needed to hear.
"You probably have heard this before, but it's important you hear it again, Gabriel."
Her brother-in-law did not move or speak, naturally. Ella continued.
"Having your father's temper haunts you, but I see that you have Barbara's compassion. It dominates over your father's traits. I've been watching you two, of course. Cecily is happy to be with you, and it grows. Have a bit of hope in yourself, alright?"
Ella stood up. It felt nice being able to talk to someone, even if he could not hear her. A door opening and closing a distance away alerted Ella; Cecily was back in the house. Her little sister, more cooled and willing to talk, would come looking for her husband. Ella glanced at Gabriel again; he was still facing the ceiling, but his eyes were very near closing. He was about to drift asleep, and Ella smiled. Although he was a grown man, his expression reminded her of Will when he was a young boy, too stubborn to admit all he wanted to do was sleep for hours. Leaving Gabriel alone seemed wrong with that look on his face. Wanting to be comfortable herself, Ella settled down on the floor next to Gabriel's chair, still keeping her distance and vigil.
She would not leave her spot until Cecily kissed Gabriel awake, the two of them in love and ready to reconcile.
A/N: Gabriel is a king waiting to be awoken with a kiss from his queen, Cecily; he's okay with the role reversal because it's what his Cecy wants. All reviews are loved, as much as Ella loves watching over Gabrily's life.