Playlist:
List- I'm Yours by Jason Mraz
Ready- Home by Phillip Phillips
Surprises- Called Out In The Dark by Snow Patrol
Gift- Cosmic Love by Florence & The Machine
Charles- Selene by Imagine Dragons
Cake- Creep by Radiohead
"You got your toothbrush?" He asked her, sliding his hand across the glass screen of his phone. Clary pushed the wind-blown curls out of her face, wishing that he'd just hurry up with his irrational list. She was there, wasn't she? What did it matter that she left a rubberband or a bar of soap. The only thing she couldn't leave behind was herself.
"Yes." She answered, waiting to hear the next item on what was to be checked off of his list. For what had felt like hours, they were just doing this. Clary was sure that if she hadn't died from the coma, it was lack of entertainment that would kill her.
"How about your brush." He reminded, tearing his eyes away from the small screen
"Yep." She said, popping the 'p.' Him laughing at her did nothing but make her promise to make her suffer when they left.
"Shampoo? Conditioner." He chuckled. She may have lost her memory, but in making new memories she found it was difficult to forget things when you had nothing but blank space to fill. The doctors found it fascinating and told her to do weekly check up, or at least to tell them of any progress she'd made. Especially Dr. Bane, he wanted to see her and her friends again soon.
"Ya know, I kind of think you want me to stay." Clary whined, watching as people of a climbing number got to leave the hospital with smiling faces and happy families.
"Answer the question."
"Yeah, I have the shampoo and conditioner. Now tell me, what's next on the Herondale's list of supplies?" Clary groaned, knowing well enough that she had everything packed and ready for their departured. They weren't even in the hospital room anymore. Currently, they were standing in front of the actual hospital, looking like idiots as they scanned her bags for everything. The excitement she got from being checked at was now dwindling to boredom. A very painful boredom.
"All your clothes? Got 'em?" Jace asked her, smiling when he saw her eye roll.
"Jace, I came here as naked as the day I was born. The only clothes I have are the ones Jocelyn- my mother- brings." Clary answered with a heavy sigh.
"It's annoying now, but I don't want to be driving home and have you realize that you left something you just can't live without." So he resumed to check off little things on his phone. It amazed her still that technology had progressed so much, even if she had nothing to compare it to. It was practically magic to her newly-formed conscience.
"Can we please go now?" She whined. Jace walked up to her, tugging at the neckline of her shirt until her face had been pulled close to where he could breath on her face. Not that he was going to do that. This was Jace Herondale, a man who was insatiable for her. But she was Clarissa Adele Fairchild, a girl who was crazy for him.
Yesterday was what Isabelle would define as a Clam Jam, seeing as they went as far as kissing till he reminded her that they had to return to the hospital.
"I think we're forgetting something." He breathed. Her eyes popped open and she let out a string of groans as she paced her way back to the hospital doors, ready to ask the staff if she could grab something she'd left in her room.
And then he was laughing.
"We didn't actually forget anything, did we?" Clary winced. Jace walked up to her again, skimming his hands along the small of her back to push her against him once more. She could see amusement sparkle in his eyes. And adoration, but if she paid too much attention to the fact, she'd be blush a bright red. His nose brushed against hers, making her feel that the moment was too cheesy for him. He didn't look like the kind of man to play such games. To be so adoring towards a woman when she knew he'd rather take his energy to the… bedroom.
Their bedroom.
"You, are an amazing woman. And I hope you know that every day you spend with me I'll be treating you as such." Jace vowed, no amusement in his tone as he told her this.
"Keep saying stuff like that and I won't want to leave," she joked. At his immediate response of furrowing brows, she did the only thing that could assure him that she would not leave him.
So she planted her lips on his, winding her hands to the back of his neck and pressing him to her. Though, he wouldn't have left her anyways. It was spectacular, as if kissing him or simply being with him could take her away from her environment. No longer were they in the hospital parking lot, but in a darkness that was only lit him. She had spent too much time in the darkness and he was her light. Her bright beacon of hope.
A car honked at them, pulling her out of her happiness and sinking her into murky memories. She fought them hard though, treading above them and clinging to Jace until she wasn't in fear of drowning in her own nightmares. It was like she could feel this other persona surfacing and fighting to take her place. But she wouldn't let it, wouldn't let it separate them.
He held her tightly, pulling back to cup her chin.
"You're alright, Clary. I won't let anything happen. We're safe." Jace assured, and she had no will to doubt him. She wanted to be safe. She didn't want anything to happen to them and was sure that he would prevent.
"Let's go home?" She pleaded. If she had the low self esteem, she would get down on her knees and grovel. Practically beg him to take her away from the cold and boring hospital.
"Never in the last five years did I imagine you saying that." Jace admitted, holding her to him as he carried her bags to his car.
"That's weird," Jace commented as he put his key in the lock. A long drive back home and all she wanted to do was sleep. She'd even sleep in his arms if he'd let her. Which he most certainly would if she threatened him with never kissing again.
Something he was already so well adapted to.
"What it?" Clary wondered, anxious to go in the house and never come back. Never have to see the disappointed face of those she couldn't remember.
"The door is already unlocked." She didn't know what this meant, or what had been done to the door, but his protective stance made her believe that something was definitely wrong.
With one push of the door, it was like all her nightmares had come to life, screaming at her with their joyous faces. Probably mocking her impaired memory. The smell of roasting food filled her nostrils, making her mouth water but still fearing the creatures inside. But, as the light hit the monsters and the voices began speaking words, she realized with great horror what was going on.
They were throwing her a party.
"Welcome home!" They all cheered, nearly stunning her with their deafening tone. Jace had been more startled by the screaming and pulled her to his side with a grip so tight she believed that he would no longer let anything happen to her. If she was to bet, it would be that he had just growled in her ear at the sight of his sister wearing a party hat. It reminded her of the small party she'd witnessed while out with Sebastian.
Who was currently shouting along with the rest of the crowd in the seconds it took for Clary to gather her thoughts and allow time to continue ticking.
"You could have informed me about a party at my own house, Izzy." Jace chided. She rolled her eyes and settled with standing by Clary's side, telling her of the elaborate plan that had to be made in order to make the party happen. She almost wished that her friends weren't as smart. Actually, she did wish it. She didn't even know them that well to feel guilty anyways.
"Just because you don't want to suffer from blue balls doesn't mean she can't have a party thrown for her." Isabelle snapped once she'd seen Jace glaring at her. Whatever the term meant, Clary saw Jace choke on his beer, having to need Alec to pound his back until the liquid had cleared from his lungs.
"Is that Dr. Bane?" Clary gasped at the familiar looking man who had his arms wrapped around Alec's shoulder. She was surprised to see a man who'd once prescribed prescriptions to her, drinking out of a red solo cup.
"Yeah, him and Alec kinda got close while you were in a coma." Jace laughed.
"You mean to tell me that while I was recovering from a horrific car accident, I was also Alec's wingwoman?" Clary guffawed.
"If you put it that way, then yeah. You were." Clary scowled at Alec, wondering just how he could use her coma to his advantage.
"Clary! Oh Sweetheart we're so glad you're home!" Jocelyn said, waving a red cup of her own as Luke held her up. The sun had only begun to lower and she was already taken away the privilege of driving! That's Mom, always giving you a friendly surprise, the voice groaned.
"Me too." Clary said slowly, eyeing the smeared mascara on her mother's cheek. Luke was grinning too, but he hadn't seemed to touch the alcohol. He mouthed a silent apology to Clary as he carried Jocelyn away to wherever it was she demanded.
"Clary, you have to let me dress you up sometime! Show Jace what he missed out on in those five years." Isabelle pleaded, pouting her lip. She wanted to tell Isabelle that Jace hadn't missed out on anything. He had Kaelie to thank for that.
"Sorry Isabelle, but I don't really like dresses." Clary apologized. Isabelle's eyes widened, and Clary could see that she might have been as drunk as her mother. Maybe even more.
"Nonsense. You just have to learn to love them!" She insisted. Clary just flashed her a fake smile so that she'd walk away. It was hard to believe that this model was her best friend.
While she stood, watching everyone get trashed by the beverages in her hand, she looked around for Jace. Her eyes rested on him laughing along to something Alec had said. This was probably the happiest she'd ever seen him. He wasn't suffering like he was when he had to take her out or simply spend time with her. And for that, she felt guilty.
She had practically robbed him of his youth by throwing him into a pit of depression with her car accident.
"Well he seems to be having fun." Someone chuckled next to her. Clary turned to see Sebastian staring at Jace with a drooping frown.
"Yeah, more than me, and this is supposed to be my party." Clary sighed. Sebastian gave her a pitiful smile, and she noticed that his hand was pressed behind his back.
"What are you hiding?" Clary asked him with a giddy smile that on one seemed to giver her for the previous hour of the party.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Sebastian argued, yes his smile said otherwise. Thinking that he wouldn't expect it, she lunged at him, grabbing hold of his bicep and tugging at it until the rest of the arm was revealed. There was a small pink box placed in his large hand, encouraging her excitement.
"A gift? You got me a gift?" She laughed. He placed the box in her hand, saying something she couldn't hear. "I'm sorry, what was that?" It was almost impossible to hear over the sound of her friends doing karaoke.
"Come on, let's go some place more quiet." Sebastian insisted. Clary took one glance back at Jace, seeing how he was having so much fun with what appeared to be his best friends instead of hers.
Sebastian guided her to the back of house, a door leading outside. Another stone pathway led to a smaller building but he didn't take her there. Just had her sit on the back porch as she struggled to open the box.
"Let me get that." He insisted, pulling at the silk ribbon till it slicked open. Hesitantly, she lifted the small pink lid, gasping at what was nestled above a cotton pillow. Her fingertips brushed against its smooth cool surface, scared that she'd break it if she was anything more than gentle.
"Oh, oh it's beautiful!" She gushed, taking the necklace out and holding it out to the moon. The milky stone it held appeared to give off its own light. The chain itself was beautiful, elegant, but with the addition of the stone, it was more than she could ever ask of someone who she couldn't remember.
"Really? You think so? I didn't know if you would have liked it and I remembered how lovely the moon looked on your skin the day I took you out. I wanted you to have a little piece of that to remember. To remember me." His words were just as dazzling as the necklace.
"What is this?" She said, tapping the stone gently.
"It's opal." He answered.
"Thank you." Clary smiled up at him. "Can you tie it around my neck?" She asked him. His fingers grabbed the ends of the necklace. Sebastian watched as she brushed her hair to the side, exposing her ivory skin. She squirmed as his fingers brushed against her neck, eager to see the necklace on her. To show that a hospital bracelet wasn't only thing she could show off.
He took her hand, pulling her up with him and they walked back inside, and her mood had improved tremendously. Clary couldn't see why Jace hated him so much when he was such a thoughtful, kind person. When his eyes caught her, and how Sebastian was behind her, his smile faulted for a millisecond, snapping back to its original grin and making her question if it fell or not.
"Everyone! Gather around!" Jonathan yelled, startling about half the room. Placed on the wall was a white sheet, and Simon was holding a metal box still. "We're going to watch some family videos!" He exclaimed. Clary could feel her stomach tighten in nervous anticipation. Not only was she to see pictures of herself, but now she'd see the old Clary in what was to be called her everyday life.
Like Jonathan ordered, everyone did take a seat in her and Jace's living room, whispering to each other as he got the projector started. A few annoyed grunts came from Simon as he tried to get it started, but when his efforts started to work, he smiled to himself as Isabelle kissed him on the cheek. Clary didn't know if they were just drunk, or if they were in an actual relationship.
The once blank image on screen now flickered to life. The first thing Clary saw was the room of a hospital, swearing that she saw half the room turn and look at her.
"Move," A little girl grunted as she pushed a little boy, although older than her, out of her way. "Momma, I want to hold Charlie too!" She demanded. The person who was holding the camera focused on an exhausted-looking Jocelyn, holding what Clary had pointed out. A baby.
"Clary, you were so cute!" Isabelle squealed, making Clary realize that it was her that she was looking at.
"What about me?" Jonathan croaked.
"Eh," Isabelle shrugged.
"You have to be Careful with his head, baby." Jocelyn reminded as Clary held the baby. Did she have a brother?
"Momma, he looks so ugly." Clary groaned.
The entire room erupted into Laughter.
"It's a shame that Charlie couldn't be here to see this." Clary watched as Jonathan's smile softened.
"Who's Charlie?"Clary asked him.
"Your brother, Charles actually." Jace amended. Her eyes widened, feeling horrible for not knowing that she did not know she had another brother. He certainly wasn't in any of the photos. Or maybe she just skipped over him. "He's at a college in New York, he felt horrible for not being here on the day you woke up." The day I was supposed to die, the voice realized. "But, he promised that he'd be here for next week." Jace added.
"So, I have a brother?" Clary whispered. They were all able to hear her after the crowd had quieted down, wondering if she was going to have an episode and flip out, yet still pretending that they were watching the movie. It made her feel so… distant.
"Half-brother. Mom and Luke had him when you were two." Jonathan quietly commented. Clary swallowed a thick ball of emotion, wondering if she should be angry for not knowing the entirety of her immediate family. She had a younger brother, someone who she protected as hard as Jonathan did her, and yet she couldn't even acknowledge his existence until someone pointed it out to her.
"Looks like we got some cakes to make up for." Simon commented.
"What?" Clary asked, confused as to what he meant. Confusion was starting to feel like her default. At least, for the past week it had.
"You missed five birthdays, Clary. That's five cakes that we need to make up for. Tonight." He explained with a serious tone that both worried and amused her.
"Tonight? But there's no cake here! And it's not my birthday!" Her heart rate picked up as she imagined the crowd circling her and singing at a very loud volume. Having so many people in the same room as her was already nauseating, but having them crowded around in Birthday tradition was to surely make her have a panic attack.
"Actually, I brought the cakes." Jonathan grinned. "Simon, pause the movie, were throwing having us a celebration!" The group of people turned their eyes to Jonathan as he sprinted to the kitchen and messed around in the fridge. She could hear him moving stuff on the table, but didn't bother to actually turn around.
"How old am I anyway?" Clary asked Sebastian.
"Don't women always want to forget their age?" He questioned.
"I think the circumstances are a little different." She reminded him. Clary watched as his mouth formed words of numbers he was counted, though she knew he was doing this on purpose.
"Twenty four," he answered her.
"I was nineteen when I got in the accident?" She gasped. Still a teenager!
"Yeah, the news portrayed you like you were some twelve year old or something. That's what everybody thought when they discovered your body. I think it was your height though. They listed you as some Jane Doe until we made the pieces between your disappearance and the car accident." Sebastian continued.
"So for a while, no one knew who I was?" She questioned.
"Your family thought that you needed space. But after a week…"
"A week! I was gone for an entire week?!" Clary's eyes widened at the absolute panic that must've been racing through their minds as they. Something as simple as a clumsy nurse made her worry, but to have a child be gone after having a major fight with her fiance? That was unbearable!
"The cops thought that Jace killed you because neighbours reported you two fighting before your disappearance." He noted. Clary shook her head, not wanting to think about how her recklessness could have the man she- loved?- be framed for murder.
Thinking about it, did she love Jace now? Was that the overwhelming feeling of need she was feeling whenever she saw him, or didn't? Emotions were tricky to her, and they probably were going to be for the rest of her life. There was no changing the fact.
And still he loved her.
Something that was easy to see when he pushed his way through the crowd and wrapped her in his arms.
"Hey, I haven't seen you in a while." Clary said softly. Sebastian's eyes flicked up past her height, eyeing him like competition.
"I missed you, I'm sorry I didn't stick with you." Jace apologized. Despite his bona fide sincerity, she could hear the tightness in his voice as he used her as an anchor to keep from launching himself at Sebastian. She definitely didn't want that to happen. As much as she didn't like the party, she would much rather prefer everyone to leave without a black eye.
"That's okay, I kept myself occupied." She winced at how her words might have made him suspect of something else. Jace held her even closer to him, his hands wrapping around her waist in what she assumed was jealousy. The man had a temper she was scared to see at its full form. To see what had made her drive down a highway at such a high speed. To make her so reckless. And then literally wreck her.
Jace's fingers dipped under her necklace, feeling the foreign object with an angered interest. Sebastian was no longer next to them, leaving and muttering something about checking up on Jonathan's progress.
"What's this?" He asked her, though his anger had receided from what it was at his last sentence. She placed her palm on the opal, loving the gift despite how she knew Jace would hate it. No matter what Sebastian had been to her before, it didn't mean anything now. She was a changed woman, different from the one that he dated. If only Jace could see this fact. If only he could see how much she already cared for him after a week.
"Can we - can we just get to the cake?" Clary asked, and smiles broke out among the crowd as the pulled a chair to the center of her and Jace's small table. There was a very large cake just waiting for them to dig into. The colors were various and not at all matching and she realized that they had just pushed five cakes together. In its center was a clump of skinny candles and Sebastian had already begun to light them.
With Jace's hand on the chair, they began to sing the traditional song she couldn't remember. She felt so odd. She had to keep reminding herself of a particular name, and even then could she not deny feeling surprised each time they showed their independent personalities. No two people were the same. And this made her so bitterly frustrated.
Even her mother, who had a camera positioned so that she could capture everyone in their harmony, Clary felt insulted at how they just assumed she'd bounce right back to that same girl. Had they never known such a thing as patience? She had only learned her a few days ago and now she was supposed to smile at the camera?
And as they sung to her, holding eachother by the shoulder as they swayed in their own bliss, clapped as she blew out the candles and flashed a fake grin, she couldn't help but feel alone. Utterly and painfully alone.
AN: So, not such a welcoming feel on her first day home?
Leave your thoughts in the reviews!
