This has been roaming around in my head for the last several days after reading Born to Endless Night. Jace and babies? Yeah, there definitely needed to be more of that. The part in Italics is directly quoted from pages 50-51 of Born to Endless Night, by Cassandra Clare. Currently, this is planned as a one-shot, but I could be persuaded to continue if there is interest.
Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing. Cassandra Clare owns everything.
"He's so sweet." Clary whispered to Jace and Simon. "It's strange to think he's Alec and Magnus's, though. I mean, can you imagine?"
"It's not that strange," Jace said. "I mean, I can imagine."
A flush rose on his high cheekbones. He edged into the corner of the sofa as Simon and Clary both turned and stared at him.
Clary and Simon continued to stare judgmentally. It made Simon very happy. Judging people together was an essential part of best friendship.
Then Clary leaned forward and kissed Jace. "Let's pick up this conversation in about ten years," she said. "Maybe longer! I'm going to go dance with the girls."
Later that night, Jace was lying in bed waiting for Clary to finish her nightly ablutions. He kept replaying the conversation from earlier in the day over and over in his head. He couldn't deny that he was incredibly disappointed in Clary's response. Ten years? That was practically another lifetime away.
Clary came back into the room and climbed into bed smelling of minty toothpaste and sweet, fruity lotion. She rolled onto her side facing Jace, "What's up? You look like you're deep in thought?" she questioned.
Jace inhaled deeply, held it for a minute and then exhaled through his nose, using the extra time to gather his courage. It was strange to be so nervous around Clary, but this suddenly felt far too important to take lightly. "I was just thinking about what we were discussing earlier today…" he began.
"You mean when you agreed to stop torturing poor Simon?" She raised her eyebrows skeptically.
"Well, no, I didn't actually agree to anything, per se, but that's not what I'm talking about. I meant when we talked about babies. And marriage." He replied looking incredibly uncomfortable.
"Oh. I see. Okay. What about it?" She asked cautiously.
"Even before baby Max arrived, it has been on my mind far more than I'd care to admit. It's just… I am the last Herondale, you know" He hedged. "The Herondales have a long and proud history, and if I die tomorrow, then that's it, no more Herondales! I guess, after spending some time with Tessa and learning about my father's family, it made me realize that I don't want the family to end with me. I want to, uh, leave a legacy, when I'm gone." He rushed nervously.
Clary bit her lip, but kept silent to encourage him to continue. Obviously, this was something he had been putting a lot of thought into, and she certainly didn't want to discourage him from discussing his feelings with her, no matter how tense the topic was making her feel.
"Shadowhunters don't have a very long life expectancy, and there is never a guarantee for tomorrow, let alone ten years from now. I mean, look at what we've been through in the last few years, Clary. I died. I was literally dead for several minutes. And we've both been severely injured multiple times." Jace grabbed her hands and brought them to his chest.
Clary nervously cleared her throat. "So, let me get this straight. Your argument for me getting married and pregnant at 18 is that one, you want to extend the Herondale family name. Two, we are likely going to die any day now..."
He cut her off, "And most importantly, Clary, is that I love you. I love you more than I have ever loved anyone or anything in my entire life. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, no matter how long that is. I want to be tied to you permanently, and I want everyone to know it. I want you to take the Herondale name. I want my daughter to have your fiery hair and a son with your emerald eyes. I want all of this with you, Clary. Only you. What's the point in waiting when I know exactly what I want?" he finished, blushing profusely.
Clary couldn't help the small smile forming on her lips. Leave it to Jace to try to flatter her into submission. "Well, you make a pretty good argument there, but neither one of us have any experience with babies, Jace. How in the hell are we supposed to take care of a baby? Where would we even live!" she argued.
"You saw what happened at Alec's today. It's not like we would have to do it alone. Maryse and Robert would be thrilled. We would have to beat them back with a stick. Isabelle has already got the baby-proofing thing down. Alec and Magnus could give us advice and hand-me-downs. Plus, we can practice with baby Max," He replied. "And we can always live at the institute if we want to stay close to our families. Or, I also have the Herondale manor house if wanted to live in Idris. We could even get an apartment in the city, like Alec and Magnus. We have plenty of options, Clary."
Evidently, he had answers for everything, and she wasn't going to be able to wriggle her way out of this one so easily. "Fine. You made your point. I'll think about it." She decided.
Jace arched an eyebrow at her, "Really? You'll actually think about it, or are you just saying that to shut me up?"
"I'll think about it. You have my word." Clary promised as she leaned in for a goodnight kiss.
That night, Clary had an exceedingly vivid dream. She hadn't had a dream like that since Ithuriel had died. She dreamt that she had walked into a brightly sun-lit room, to find Jace in a wooden rocking chair, humming to a tiny bundle wrapped in a flame colored blanket. When he heard Clary approach, he looked up at her calmly and gave her a truly blinding smile. She had never seen Jace look so incredibly happy and at peace. It filled her heart with such joy she thought it would explode. When she woke up the next morning, she was left feeling slightly hollow. She knew that she wanted to see that look on Jace's face again. She wanted to feel that all-consuming joy. She was ready.
Jace started to stir beside her. He opened his eyes slowly to find Clary staring at him intently. He stared back at her, "What? Was I snoring or something?" he joked.
"I thought about it." She answered simply.
His sleep addled brain couldn't keep up, "Um. What?" he blinked.
"I thought about what we discussed last night" she clarified.
"Oh" Jace's face suddenly looked crestfallen. He knew what was coming next.
"And…Okay." Clary nodded.
"Okay?" He probed.
"You have won me over with your master debating skills," Clary grinned at her joke, "But, I have one condition."
"What's that?" Jace was trying desperately to tamp down the hope and excitement flooding into his chest.
"You have to get my mother's permission first." Clary beamed.
"Shit! I'm doomed" Jace groaned.
UPDATE: This story has had over 200 visitors already! WOW! However, I am getting very little feedback as to whether or not people would like to see more. So, I've decided that if/when I receive at least 20 reviews/favorites/follows I will consider that adequate interest and will start wiritng additional chapters to turn this into a multi-chapter story. So, If you'd like to see more, then don't be shy, let me know :'*
