So I've gotten some reviews that people were immediately turned off on the story by the Simon and Clary scene particularly because they thought they had sex. Now, I'm wondering, was this a common misconception? Do I need to review and edit? Because, see I meant it written as just some hardcore make-out and heavy petting. Which I think would be plausible for two friends who use to be intimate... and were bored and stoned. Especially, when neither of them are seeing anyone else, I think it would be easy to fall back into old patterns. And sometimes even when you know your don't have romantic feelings for a person your hormones take over and your just like "Fuck it, I. want. the. D." You know?... No? Just me?... Alrighty then! But, anyways, yeah I wrote about shirts coming off but no pants. But, if you guys think I need to take another look and clear some things up, let me know!
"Family meeting!" Jocelyn announced, loud enough so Jace would hear her upstairs.
"Please don't call this a family…" Clary whined to her from the kitchen. There was no blood or even marriage between them and the Herondale men. They were not family.
Clary sat at the dining table trying to study for her Biology final. Safe to say, it was kicking her ass.
"Honey, what have I told you about that?" Jocelyn scolded. Clary defiantly rolled her eyes. She could tell Jocelyn was trying to contain her frustration. It wasn't the first time that Clary had openly objected to the word "family." Basically, her mom was just worried that Stephan and Jace would get offended and leave. If they could only be so lucky…
Clary tossed the pages of her text book shut and raised her palms in surrender. "Fine. Family meeting."
"Good, come sit on the couch." Jocelyn instructed. Clary grumbled in reply but, took time putting away her study materials.
Jocelyn leaned over the staircase railing. "Jace, honey, will you come down here, please?" She shouted up to the second level. Moments later, Jace bounded down the steps and wasted no time throwing himself onto the couch.
"What's up?" He questioned. He looked comfortable enough with his arms tucked behind his head and his legs stretched along the length of the couch. He crossed them at the ankle.
"We're having a family meeting, about Christmas." Stephan explained. He was already sitting contently on the adjacent couch. He folded up his newspaper and took another sip of his coffee.
"Family?" Jace sounded just as skeptical as Clary. Stephan reached over out of his seat and swatted Jace's head with the newspaper. Although, his son barely flinched.
Jocelyn was standing in the middle of the room waiting for everyone's attention. The Christmas tree was aglow behind her… as well as the television, but it was put on mute.
"Jace, could you make some room for Clary, please." Jocelyn asked sweetly. She was always so polite with him.
"Don't bother." Clary mumbled. She tossed a leg over the couch back and climbed over to sit atop the cushions, her feet propped up on Jace's calves.
Jocelyn clasped her hands together. "Great, now that I have everyone's attention…" She headed over to the far shelf on the entertainment center and grabbed the cap that was filled with a few slips of paper. "Is everyone excited for Christmas? Just one more week." She sang with excitement. Jocelyn turned back around and her smile fell to scowl. They were all staring mindlessly at the muted movie still playing on the screen, even Stephan.
She took a large stomp over to the T.V. and pressed the power button. "Hey!" She shouted, wanting their attention.
Clary glanced at her mom. "Sorry, what were you saying?" She asked innocently.
Jocelyn tried to regain her enthusiasm. "I said: Is everyone excited for Christmas?" She asked again.
"Not since twenty-ten, when I found out Santa wasn't real." The resentment in Clary's voice was apparent.
"You believed in Santa till you were twelve?" Jace asked curiously, though he was obviously judging her.
"I was a very imaginative child." She clarified.
"Hmm, for me, Christmas died along with my mother." Jace said. His voice was blunt and vague of emotion like it didn't even bother him. Everyone else in the room, however, shared awkward looks of discomfort.
Jocelyn cleared her throat and idly shuffled the papers inside the cap. "Well, anyway… Stephan and I decided we should do a Secret Santa this year. You know, with the four of us." She offered.
"Good idea! I want Jace. I'm gonna get him a dildo so he can go fuck himself." Clary quipped. She shot Jace a cheesing grin.
Jace played along with her sarcasm. "Oh, you don't have to do that. I will just borrow yours."
Clary glared at him, her nostrils flaring. "Ew! Don't say shit like that in front of my mom." She told him with several slaps to his chest.
She looked back up to her mom and shook her head embarrassed. "Mom, he's joking. I don't have a dildo." She said, trying to set the record straight.
Jace sat up and relaxed back into the couch cushion, his shoulder now brushing against her legs. "I'm sorry you're right. It's not a dildo, it's a vibrator." He corrected himself, laughing.
Clary reached for a decorative pillow and whacked him in the face with all her strength. He stopped laughing and ripped the pillow from her fingers to give a threatening stare.
"Jace, knock it off, dammit." Stephan ordered, looking the angriest Clary had seen. Jace looked over at his dad but, didn't respond and placed the pillow in his lap.
Jocelyn still stood in front of the room, stumped by the words and events that had just unfolded. After a long pause of silence she opened her mouth to continue.
Just then, Jace swooped up the arm next to Clary right under her legs and she flipped backwards over the couch. Clary let out a short shriek of surprise before she thudded to the ground. Her head promptly popped back up and she puffed the hair from her eyes. Jace tightly pursed his lips trying to keep his smile at bay.
"Son of a bitch, Jace. Go to your room!" Stephan raged.
Jace made to get up but Jocelyn swiftly stepped in. "Hey, hey now! Sit down, no harm done." She said trying to smooth things over.
"Yeah… to you!" Clary inserted angrily.
"Let's just draw names then all go separate ways and cool down a bit. Okay? Okay." Jocelyn said hurriedly as she offered the hat to everyone.
Clary grabbed her scrap of paper and glanced at the name. It read 'Stephan.' She snorted quietly. Hope he likes holiday ties, she thought to herself.
Clary made for the stairs, heading to her room like Jace, but her mother quickly caught her.
"Clary, wait…" Jocelyn started.
"No, I will not tell you who I got." Clary said, guessing the question her mother would ask.
Jocelyn rolled her eyes. "I was going to ask, what time should we do the gift exchange? Christmas morning, night? Christmas eve? When were you planning on seeing your dad?"
"Tonight, actually, he wants to give me my gift now. Guess what he's doing for Christmas? Taking Camille to Brazil." Clary spoke with a hint of disgust.
"Oh, yeah? Do you know what airline they are taking?" Stephan's voice came from across the kitchen. He scrubbed at the lingering dishes in the sink. Clary sighed. She knew the shmuck was asking because he wanted to know if it was the one he worked for.
"He's taking his private jet, Stephan." She told him reluctantly.
"Oh, right." Stephan mumbled. Cue the aura of awkwardness that fell upon the room. Clary and her mom shared a sympathetic grimace.
"I'm actually just going to leave now. I told him I would meet him at Taki's at 6." Clary added, with a quick glance at the clock.
"It's getting dark, honey." Jocelyn added, full of motherly concern.
"I'll take a cab." With that Clary grabbed her coat and satchel then, left out the door.
A couple hours later, Clary sat slurping at the bottom of her strawberry shake. Her dad was still chewing his last bite of burger. He wiped the greased from his hands and tossed the napkin onto his empty plate. Valentine was still dressed in crisp suit, as usual. He was just the professional type and Clary had grown accustomed to it. But he lacked a tie and that was what always differentiated between casual and formal.
"So, do I get my present now?" Clary inquired cheerfully as she pushed her empty shake aside.
Valentine smiled and reached into the inner pocket of his blazer. He pulled out a long velvet box. The kind Clary knew held jewelry. She took it in her hands and pried open the lid to reveal a thin bracelet of gold braided around small white pearls. Clary lightly petted it with her finger tips. She was never much for the finer things, but the bracelet was gorgeous.
Clary looked back up to her father. "Thank you, daddy." She smiled. He looked pleased to see that she liked it.
"And what about my gift?" Valentine wondered amused.
Clary pulled the bracelet from the box and offered it to her father, as well as her wrist. She rested her cheek in the palm of her other hand as she watched him secure it.
"Yes, whatever would I get my dad, who seems to already have everything?" Her voice was soft.
Valentine smiled and released her wrist. Clary held it up for a moment in admiration then turned to her bag to retrieve his present. It was packed in a bit snug, but after a little shimmy she was able to pull it out. It was a thin canvas painting,a little larger than a standard piece of paper. The canvas depicted a small country home surrounded by farmland and wild flowers. There was a long, white picket fence and even a small porch swing. Clary tried to add as much detail as possible.
She passed it gently over to her father. "Here you go, just as requested. I painted you a Birmingham to add to your landscape collection." She giggled, amused by her dad. Every Christmas, since the divorce, he had asked for a different landscape painting. When she was little, she was overjoyed to think that he so appreciated her talent. Then, as she grew older she doubted that they really meant much to him. But still, every year he asked for another and Clary couldn't help the pride she felt to see his face.
Valentine studied the painting with a grin playing on his lips. "This is truly lovely, Clarissa." He said in almost a whisper.
Clary blushed. "When are you going to let me buy you an actual gift?" She teased.
Valentine carefully tucked away the painting inside his briefcase. "Oh I see. You want to buy me a gift with my own money? I can see how that would be much easier for you." He poked fun.
"It's the thought that counts! And it would be mom's money." She humorously declared.
"Well, in that case…" He played along. "In all seriousness, I wouldn't give up your paintings for the world, Clarissa. Besides, when you become a world famous artist and I have collected a large sum of landscapes, we can auction some off for charity." He smiled.
"My, my, good to know that you have it all planned out." She humored him.
The waitress then came by and set the check down on the table. Before she could leave, Valentine politely stopped her and handed her back to bill folder with his credit card. The waitress nodded and smiled politely and glanced at Clary to give another smile. Unexpectedly though she paused.
"Okay, I wasn't going to say anything but, you look so familiar it was starting to bug me and I just have to make sure!" The bleach blonde waitressed explained. However, Clary just stared at her confused because she actually hadn't explained anything.
"Aren't you Jace Herondale's step-sister?! Mary, right?" The bubbly girl asked. It suddenly dawned on Clary that this was that tramp Jace had brought over at the end of the summer! Though, she couldn't understand why the girl acted like that made them old friends.
"Uhmm, it's Clary and he's not my step-brother but, yeah." She replied stiffly.
Clary couldn't remember the girl's name but, she flipped back her long hair and lightly gave Clary's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "OMG! I thought so. I'm really good with faces. Good to see you again, girl! Oh and I will get this right back to you sir." She waived the bill folder at Valentine and waltz away.
Once she was gone, Valentine time raised a questioning eyebrow to Clary. She simply waved her hand dismissing it and he didn't push further.
"Anyways, speaking of using my money…" Valentine continued. "Didn't we say you were going to get a job when you turned sixteen? And when was that? Oh, yeah, last year." He stubbornly pointed out.
Trying to brush off that weird encounter with one of Jace's girls, Clary picked at the fries leftover on the plate in front of her. "Yes!" She pointed at her dad in acknowledgment. "We already had that discussion and I told you I am going to work on it." She swallowed a large gulp of fries
"Mmhmm" He hummed and chuckled at his daughter. Abruptly, he covered her hand with his. "Come with us to Brazil. We can make it a family trip." He begged.
Clary pulled her hand away and rolled her eyes. "There is that 'family' word again." She complained.
Valentine gave her a confused look but, sighed in defeat. "Family isn't always about blood or marriage, Clarissa. It's the people that are there for you and love you." He explained.
"Camille doesn't love me." Clary knew she was arguing like a child but she didn't care.
"Yes, she does. She's trying, honey." Valentine urged her to understand.
"Allow me to correct myself then, I don't love her."
"But I do…" He replied earnestly and Clary immediately felt guilty. Technically, Camille had been nothing but nice to her, Clary just had no desire to get to know her.
"Alright daddy, I'll stop the complaining and be nice to her." She muttered grudgingly but her voice turned soft. "I'd still like to stay around here for the holiday, though, if that's okay?" She asked him.
Valentine smiled and reached forward to pat her hand with love. "Of course dear, now, come along or we will be late." He quickly gathered up his coat and briefcase.
Surprised, Clary hurried to do the same. "Where are we going now?" She asked curiously.
Valentine didn't reply but, he collected his credit card that Jace's waitress friend returned, thankfully silently. He reached into his wallet and threw a hundred dollar bill down on the table. He then ushered Clary toward the doors.
She snorted to see him drop such a large tip. "If you got it, flaunt it." She mocked to him.
Valentine let out a hearty laugh and rubbed her back. "Tis' the Christmas season after all, and she's a friend of yours right?" He defended as they left the table. To correct him and have to explain why, really didn't sound appealing at the moment, so Clary stayed silent as they walked out the diner doors.
After just a step outside, Clary stood frozen in awe at the sight in front of her but, Valentine only gave her a pleased smile. On the street before them sat a sleigh of red and gold, hoisted up on carriage wheels. It was covered with ribbons and garland was even hooked up to two large reindeer! On top of that the back of the sleigh was packed full of small gift wrapped boxes.
"Dad, what is all of this?!" She demanded in wonder.
Valentine had stepped over to the street, where his town car parked just in front of the sleigh. He handed his coat and briefcase to the driver in trade for a furry, red Santa coat and two matching hats. He slid his arm through the sleeves and then spread them wide in presentation. "All children deserve presents for Christmas!" He sang.
Clary wasn't sure if the man had lost his mind or was actually Santa Clause. His look wasn't that far off, he the white hair down already. He was just missing the beard… and maybe another forty years of aging and twice as much weight. Valentine marched over to the sled and pulled himself up while Clary slowly approached the reindeer.
She gave it a gentle pet down its neck and jumped back with a laugh when the animal snorted loudly.
"Where did you get a reindeer?!" She exclaimed.
"I know a guy." He replied blankly, too preoccupied with organizing the sleigh. After a moment, he reached out a hand and offered it to her. "Hop in, darling, we have several foster homes and homeless shelters to stop at." He told her, as they clasped hands and he yanked her up.
He passed Clary a Santa hat. "And mom says you're 'too serious'. You're kind of awesome." She complimented as she snuggled the hat on her head.
Valentine laughed quietly. "A love lost changes a man." He replied and with a whip of the reins, away they went down the snowy city streets.
It was nearly eleven by the time they were on their way back to Clary's house. They had returned the beautiful sleigh and Valentine insisted on escorting her home in the town car.
"So, how has it been having them there? I'm sure it's gotten better." Valentine asked, making small talk.
"Stephan is…" Clary pondered trying to come up with a word to describe him. She ended up settling for "fine."
"Mainly, I feel bad for the guy. He's pretty good looking but, kind of a dork." She continued.
"I'm sure your mom still sees him as rebel with a motorcycle from high school." Valentine insisted. "What about Jace? Are you two still butting heads?" He pushed.
Clary laughed. "Honestly, I don't know anyone that gets under my skin more than he does… But then, there are times… I don't know… where he's not terrible to be around." She tried to explain.
"Sounds like he is growing on you, then." He smiled. Just, then the car pulled to a stop in front the steps to her door.
Clary leaned over to hug her dad. "Thanks for tonight daddy, it was amazing." She pulled back to look at him. "Seeing the faces on all those kids, I think it gave me the Christmas spirit I was lacking."
Valentine patted her hands. "You know, I've strived so hard for success not so that I would have the most. But so that I could give back the most. Everyone has a story of their own struggle." He kissed her forehead.
"Thanks daddy, I'll take note." She joked.
"Clarissa you are an amazingly smart and caring girl, stop trying to convince yourself otherwise." Her dad teased with a wink.
That probably struck a nerve with her more than he even intended. Maybe her dad was right, Clary tried to make it very apparent what little fucks she gives, about bad grades, annoying teachers, what people thought, etc. She even demonstrated more often than not to Jace and Stephan how little she cared about them. But, Jace had lost a parent for goodness sake… and who knew what other life struggles Stephan had endured.
Clary suddenly, paused on her way out the car door and she turned back to Valentine. "One more thing dad, I was wondering if there was something you could help me with?"
I like this chapter peeps. It's kinda sappy and cheesy at the end but, you know what!? all good stuff is! So, I hope you like Valentine's character, pretty different. Him and Clary have a good relationship though I think. Clary and Jace had a very sibling-esque vibe going on with their fighting and I think its going to be interesting to see how and where their relationship develops from here.
Oh also, while I was writing this chapter my computer decided to randomly shut down to upload some bullshit and i lost everything and had to rewrite. So, I beat my laptop to death and went to buy a new one... Jk I just yelled profanities at it for a bit then apologized and got back to work.
*I may or may not be tipsy on wine right now* Cheers and review!:)
