DISCLAIMER: See Prologue.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi, guys! Hope you're doing well. I really like this chapter, actually. It's not as good as the last one, I don't think, and it's a bit of a filler, but it will set up the next two chapters, which should have some adorable Finline moments. And this chapter is long, too, which is good as well. I don't really have much to say here today, but I hope you like Chapter Twenty-Five! (Wow, twenty-five chapters! Amazing!)
REPLIES TO REVIEWS:
booklover1598: Ness is actually pretty cute in this chapter, I think. She almost gets… jealous. (!) Anyways, I won't spoil any more for you – just read it! :)
XxStarrEvansxX: Aww, thank you! Any suggestions on something I can do better, let me know! And I've noticed that a lot of people are coming up with names like that for Kristal, hahaha, but I think yours is my favorite.
Reading Addicted: Your review is definitely my favorite! I'm so happy you liked it – those were some really fun lines to write. And I want them to kiss, too… But I can't. I have it all planned out already, but Kristal and a certain green-eyed boy's jealousy is going to mess it all up… ;)
Kawaii-Kaiya-chan: Aww, yay, I'm glad! If there's ever anything I can improve, let me know! :)
Thalia Michele: I want my virtual pancakes. :)
Frenchornfanatic: I didn't have Jack tell her story to Ness, but you'll find out why in the chapter. (That, and I'm too lazy to explain it, lol.) And I'm glad you like it! Tell me if I can improve anything!
Jaclyntaylor0504: Thank you so much! Tell me if you have any complaints or suggestions. :)
Lilly1111: Wow, thanks! And I'm really trying to finish this fanfic, because I've never actually finished one before. I usually will stop at like Chapter Nine and be like, "Yeah, I don't get reviews. So who cares?" but I actually get reviews on this story, hahaha, so I'll definitely be continuing.
MidNiteFay415: Yes, I definitely love plot twists, and there will be many, many more, I assure you. And Finn and Kristal's part was my favorite, too. Those scenes usually are. :)
Arocksprpl2: OMG, thanks so much! I'm super glad you like it. I like hearing the scenarios people come up with about Kristal… I find them really funny. And you were my two hundredth reviewer, by the way. :)
Thanks for two hundred reviews! Enjoy!
Chapter Twenty-Fiv
"Really?" Jacqueline asked. Though she was happy to learn about Vanessa's crush — it distracted her from the possibility of her own, which was something she certainly didn't want dwell on — it certainly came as a surprise to her. Despite the fact that Vanessa knew about clothes and makeup way better than she did, it never struck her that someone like Vanessa would ever get a crush on a boy. "You know," she added, giving a wry smile, "I knew him, back when we were younger."
"No way!" Vanessa exclaimed, showing more energy and enthusiasm than she had ever shown in front of Jacqueline. "But… how? Kristal's parents aren't his birth parents."
Jacqueline swallowed, cursing herself for saying anything about it at all. She knew she wasn't going to tell Vanessa the whole story of her past, like she had with Finn, because it was too raw for her at the moment. With the flashback and the panic attack she'd had only minutes ago, Jacqueline knew she'd probably end up sobbing if she brought it up.
It wasn't just for her own sake, though. Vanessa, even if she wasn't entirely showing it, was most likely still not feeling too great about bringing up her own past either, and adding in two bad histories to one morning wasn't Jacqueline's idea of a good time.
Well, she had gotten herself into this by saying that she had known him. Damn it, she thought. What the hell am I going to do now? "I, um, lived at an orphanage before I came to the Institute," she said, hoping the time she had taken to respond hadn't been too long.
"Oh, okay," Vanessa said warily. "Were you two, you know… friends?"
She was so surprised by her tone that Jacqueline almost fell off of the chair she was sitting on. For a moment, Vanessa had sounded almost… envious. This was very odd, because she had never even pictured the words "Vanessa" and "jealous" in the same sentence.
"Vanessa Trueblood!" Jacqueline exclaimed, shaking her head. "I've never, and I'll repeat it, never, have had a crush on Tony. We just… knew each other. And we were like eight, for that matter."
Vanessa blushed, but she laughed, so Jacqueline took that as a good sign. "Sorry about that," Vanessa said. "I've liked him for a really long time now, so any time somebody even mentions that they knew him… I get jealous."
Me too, Jacqueline thought, thinking of Kristal and Finn. "Well, I can always put in a good word for you at training," she replied. This sort of conversation about boys and crushes was odd to her, having never actually had a friend like Vanessa with whom she could talk about this stuff, but that seemed to be the right thing to do.
Vanessa's eyes lit up. "Really, Jacqueline? You could do that for me?"
Jacqueline smiled. "Of course I can, no worries on that."
After all, focusing on someone else's crush was much better than focusing on her own.
—•—
After hanging out with Vanessa a little while longer, Jacqueline was feeling tired, both from her panic attack and the training with Tony she had undergone earlier that morning. Combining those two things with her late night yesterday, she really wanted to go sleep for the rest of the day — but a nap for an hour or two would probably suffice.
The two girls had never actually talked about the reason why Jacqueline had been in the hallway, Vanessa having been much too focused on Tony. She didn't mind, though, because she'd rather see Vanessa happy and relaxed like this than anything else. The image of her crying into Clary's arms about Tyler was far too familiar, and bringing up Jacqueline's own past would remind Vanessa of that.
She walked to her bedroom with ease, finding it amazing that she could navigate the Institute's complicated hallways so effortlessly, considering this was only her fifth day here. And only a few days ago she had been thinking that she didn't belong here at all!
Of course, those thoughts were still plaguing her mind — along with a few that revolved around Finn, unfortunately — but Jacqueline told herself that thinking of them would just make it worse. She needed to sleep and not worry about anything, at least for a little while.
So, upon reaching her room, Jacqueline decided once and for all that she was going to push any thoughts about Finn or Kristal or golden Runes or the orphanage away from her mind so she could rest peacefully and without worry. After throwing on a comfy pair of shorts and a blue camisole that Clary had bought for her, Jacqueline twisted her hair into a messy bun on the top of her head and fell asleep within a minute or two on her bed.
—•—
Jacqueline woke up to the sound of a very, very loud noise. At first, she thought it might have been her alarm clock or something, but it seemed almost too loud to be that. And, besides, it most certainly wasn't coming from her room.
Maybe someone was cooking lunch, and the smoke alarm had been set off? She wanted to curl back under her bedspread and pull a pillow over her head to block out the noise so she could sleep again, but when she had checked the time, she realized it was already about six o'clock in the evening. Well, certainly not lunchtime then, but it might be dinner or something.
Whatever the noise was, Jacqueline knew she couldn't stay in bed all day. (She'd slept for about six hours, so that was already a quarter of the day wasted.) Having missed lunch, she was really hungry at the moment, so she decided to go and find the source of the noise — and to get some food.
She walked downstairs, listening as she passed by rooms to hear the noise. Though she could still hear whatever the hell it was that was being so loud, Jacqueline realized that it was farther away from her than she had thought.
Moving more quickly, just because of her curiosity, Jacqueline hurried down the stairs. The noise got louder and louder as she moved closer to the center of the main hallway.
Wait, hold on a minute.
Was the noise coming from… the infirmary?
Imagining that something bad was happening to Finn and fearing the worst, Jacqueline wrenched open the door to the infirmary and saw Finn in the middle of the room, looking absolutely fine.
Jacqueline exhaled in relief, watching Finn. He was standing up now, though Jacqueline doubted he was technically allowed to, what with the fact that he was still supposed to be resting and recovering from his injury. It wasn't like Finn Herondale was one to follow the rules, but she thought he might at least follow thatone — considering, you know, he had almost died last night.
The oddest thing about this situation, however, was the fact that Finn was holding a tiny bundle under his arms. A tiny, wailing bundle. Well, I guess that's the noise, she thought. But what is it?
"Uh, Finn?" Jacqueline said, quite loudly for her, so she could be heard over whatever was making the noise. "What are you doing?"
"Eddy won't shut up!" Finn yelled back to her, revealing Eddy's face as he tried to brush a piece of hair away from the screaming baby's eyes. "My mom told me to watch him while she ran out to Taki's for dinner, but he just keeps crying, and it's not like I have any idea what the hell to do with a crying baby!"
Although Finn looked incredibly frustrated, Jacqueline thought he looked really adorable with Eddy in his arms. His hair was in a complete mess, pieces of blondish-red hair sticking up all over the place, and he looked extraordinarily large compared to the small, only months old boy that was in his toned, bare arms.
"Try rocking him back and forth, maybe?" Jacqueline suggested, tugging at a strand of her own hair and biting down on her lower lip like she always did when she needed to think.
Finn slowly began to rock the baby. Although she could tell he was trying to be gentle and soothing, his awkward movements — he really did have no idea how to do this — were actually making Eddy cry harder.
"Here," Jacqueline murmured, extending her arms out to him. "Let me."
In that moment, she noticed how thin and unhealthy she looked, her appearance reflecting that of the one when she had been living on the streets. The bones at her wrists, though not exceptionally prominent, were still noticeable. Immediately feeling self-conscious and insecure, Jacqueline remembered the curvy figure Kristal had and felt insignificant and frail — not strong, like a Shadowhunter was supposed to be.
But, when Finn placed Eddy inside her arms, she felt as though she had regained some strength. Jacqueline felt as if she were protecting and shielding this little boy from the rest of the world, and felt a bit steadier as she held him close to her body.
Whether it was because she was rocking him better than Finn or just because she was a girl (and therefore a more "maternal" sort of figure), Eddy stopped crying a few seconds after Jacqueline began holding him.
"How the hell did you do that?" Finn asked in amazement.
"What, I don't get a 'thank you'?" Jacqueline teased, smiling down at Eddy. His eyes, she noticed, were the same beautiful shade of green that Finn had. I bet he'll look like Finn when he grows up, she thought, but quickly pushed it away. Those were not the things she wanted to be thinking about if she was trying to not have a crush on Finn.
"Alright, then," Finn said, taking a step nearer to her. "Uh, thanks."
Jacqueline laughed, picturing the situation from earlier when Finn had been trying to get Eddy to stop crying. Thinking of that and the way he had just given her his awkward expression of gratitude made the whole thing especially humorous — to Jacqueline, anyway.
"You have a nice laugh," Finn said suddenly. He almost looked as if he hadn't wanted to say it at all, but gave her a bit of an embarrassed smile to try and cover it up.
"Yeah, right," Jacqueline said, rolling her eyes and trying to shrug off the compliment. I don't have a crush on him, she tried to tell herself sternly, but her heart told her otherwise.
"No, honestly," Finn said sweetly, but again he looked as if his words had just slipped out. This time, though, his gaze lingered on her for a little bit longer, and (shockingly) she felt self-conscious.
"W-what?" she asked nervously. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"No, it's not anything bad, it's just…" He trailed off, swallowing. Did he look… nervous? Jacqueline thought he did, but figured she was just imagining it. "What are you wearing?" Finn asked finally, looking only into her eyes and nowhere else.
Jacqueline looked down at herself and her clothes. She was still wearing the camisole and shorts from when she had been sleeping, which now looked especially skimpy and were barely covering any of her skin. "I, um, took a nap before," she said shyly, "I'll just… go and change."
She was too nervous to have his eyes on her like the way he was, and just as she was about to walk (or possibly speed-walk; she wanted to get out of here quickly) out of the room, she realized Eddy was still cradled in her arms. "Um, here," she said quickly, feeling awkward and embarrassed as she handed the baby back to Finn. "Try to not, um, get him crying again."
And with that, she quickly left the infirmary, feeling incredibly stupid. Finn Herondale, Jacqueline thought as she walked back to her room to change, you're making it very difficult for me to not have a crush on you.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I have a question for all of my reviewers today. Actually, well, two questions, so I'm going to number them. If you answer them both in a review, I'll be extremely happy and send you a virtual hug. :)
Can you picture Jacqueline singing any songs about Finn? If so, send me a title and the artist, please!
I didn't write this chapter in order. It was the beginning of the Finn / Jack / Baby Eddy scene, and then I started the Vanessa / Jack scene, and then I went back and forth between them until I did the middle, lol. Could you tell that it wasn't written completely in order at first?
And, of course, tell me what you thought about the chapter in general. I've noticed that when I get more reviews I tend to write more quickly, honestly, so if you want to review, I'd be especially grateful – and you will probably get a faster update.
Sorry if there's any grammar errors!
MY FAVORITE QUOTE FROM THIS CHAPTER: "Finn Herondale, Jacqueline thought as she walked back to her room to change, you're making it very difficult for me to not have a crush on you."
Thanks for reading, and have a great day! Remember to review!
Until next time,
-Mimi