Goddess Bless

by Thargelion

Clara Goodwin was the greatest Dog ever to walk the streets of Corus, the folk say. Her partner Tunstall and her scared every Rat to the Black God's realms. After the events at Port Caynn, Goodwin takes the job of Desk Sergeant. Can she cope with being out of the action, and can Tunstall cope with being at watch without her? After Bloodhound, new plot.

3. Kill Some Rats For Me (The End)

Goodwin

I know that I'm in for it when Mattes runs into the kennel crying his poor eyes out. I stand up. I know exactly why he's here. I've memorized the way his cracknobbed head works. Opening the door to my private office, I drag the looby inside and shut the door again.

"Mattes?" I ask him. "Are you all right, barbarian?" He starts sobbing even louder at my name for him. "No, shush. Unless you've a mind to have the whole of Corus wondering if mayhap the Stormwings returned." His crying quiets some. He looks down at me with his sad, tired eyes.

"It's because of me, isn't it," I say. It's no question, and we both know it. "Because I quit street work." He nods. I feel one of his tears drop on top of my head. "Oh, Mattes." Now I feel close to tears.

"Don't you hate this?" he asks, roughly wiping his eyes. "Sitting here? Out of the action?" I nearly say I do. But then it all comes back to me, Goddess curse it.

The sewers. The Rats. The exhaustion. How I prayed to the Goddess to let me die I was in so much pain.

"I..." I swallow, trying not to sound like a mumper insisting they never pickpocketed anyone. "I don't."

The look on Mattes's face makes me mayhap want to cry. "I saw you when we mustered out," he says pointlessly. "You wanted to go, admit it, Clary." That's when it hits me. He misses me just as much as I miss him. This isn't because he feels sorry for me. He misses me.

"Gods, Mattes," I say. "You might've said this before." Unexpectedly, he wraps me up in a hug. Normally I'd feel really short because he's so tall. Right now, I feel like I'm the perfect height. In fact, my height doesn't matter to me anymore. All I feel is Mattes's warm skin on mine. One of his hands stroking my hair. The tears sliding down my cheeks. And right then, I almost can hear it. I almost can hear him say it. Then he says it agian.

"I love you, Clary."

And then I'm really crying, He's holding me. I can feel myself trembling, thinking of all those nights we watched the Lower City together. Thinking of how hard it's going to be not to cry like this all the time.

Someone taps on the door. In the peephole cut in it, I see Cooper. Goodwin? she mouthes. Tunstall hears her tapping. He ruffles my hair one last time, rubs my back, and lets me go. I wipe my face, not wanting Cooper to see me.

"Kill some Rats for me." I tell Mattes. He looks at me, a trace of a smile returning.

"Goddess bless, Clary. Goddess bless."