My dear little broccolis💚💚💚
~ So remember that Jace is five years older than Clary in this Fic, and the story is rated M. (I am not removing this warning ever, because some people forgot on other fanfics, and got shocked 60 chapters into the story)
~ Anyway, enjoy the chapter
Love, Mina💚💚💚
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Chapter 40: Reminiscence (2,5K)
‼️IF YOU'RE A GUEST REVIEWER
💚So, I think Fanfic has a personal vendetta against me! At some point, it eased all my stories. Then, it refuses to put the emoji of my life. And now, it played with last chapters over and over. So, for those who only read the sneak peek and don't know what happened in Vegas, go back to the previous chapter.
Also, I just want to tell you guys that this story is a Jace mostly point-of-view. So we won't get Clary's point-of-view anymore. And actually, Izzy and Maryse are also out of the way … Yeah, I am mean like that, it's okay, I know you still like me 😉
And I have to tell you guys that I am scared out of my mind! I am getting my tattoo 2.1 tomorrow and I know it's going to hurt like HELL! it's on my ribcage, and the first part already hurt like hell. I am going to be a sobbing mess by tomorrow night and depending on how I will sleep, I might not be able to write the next chapter or the day after.
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Jace's PoV
When Jace came home, midnight had already struck since a while. Bastille was nowhere to be seen, but it didn't worry Jace. He knew that the cat liked to go out and about on the roof, probably pretending to be the master of the universe. For a while, he sat on his couch, trying to think of nothing of his day and to empty his mind. This was a ritual he had come to do when he got home, following Kaelie's advises on 'decluttering his mind of the outside world'
She had started yoga exercises a month ago and was preaching the method to everyone she encountered. And Jace had to admit that putting his spirit at ease once he crossed the threshold of his home had a calming effect on him. He didn't go as far as trying the lotus position (and he wasn't planning to), but this smile meditation gave him a clear mind for the next day.
After ten minutes or so, Jace went upstairs and took a shower, trying to figure out what he could do for the next couple of days. Every year, on the same date, Valentine gave him those two days off, and Jace never knew what to do with his time. He thought that he should have planned this better, so he could have gone to Macau to see Ping, but he already did that two weeks ago, three weeks after Clary's birthday. And now he had two free days, with no idea how to spend them.
He knew very well why Valentine systematically took those two particular days, so he should have been more prepared, but this year, he kind of let himself live through the motions instead of always being in control when it came to his personal life. Ever since he came back from the dead, as Magnus would put it, Jace had tried to enjoy to the most his moments with Clary, whether they were planned or improvised. And ever since Clary got on the pill, she paid him a lot of improvised visits that left the both of them breathless.
As he walked into his room, thinking of reading a book before sleeping, he found the redhead and his cat sleeping in his bed, while a movie was playing on her laptop. He smiled to himself, despite his surprise of finding Clary there on that particular night, and he silently slipped next to her. Bastille lazily woke up, blinking in Jace's direction before yawning and leaving the bed to live his merry life.
He was about to switch off the movie when it caught his interest, so he put it back at the beginning, curious of what The Shawshank Redemption could be about. Bastille came back as Morgan Freeman showed his skill as a prison fence, jumping with dexterity on Jace's laps and demanding his due petting that Jace mindlessly gave while watching the movie.
It was when Andy was getting beaten up by the prison guards for putting music on, that Jace's interested shifted from the movie to Clary. She stirred a little in her sleep, moaning something that sounded a lot like 'Oh God' and that made Jace grin like a child.
Bastille left, outraged that his massage seance had been interrupted, and though his eyes were on the screen, Jace's focus was on his girl having a wet dream. He had half a mind to wake her and make her dream reality, but he didn't go through with it, sure that would she be awake, she wouldn't have her mind to sex.
Suddenly, she woke up with a jolt, all hot and bothered and Jace paused the movie, smirking at her. She smiled, her brain still assimilating that she just woke up, and she said with a groggy voice,
"You're home." He smiled, loving to hear her say that word. He knew that they weren't living together, and that, given Clary's strong determination to keep her father away, that was bound to never happen, but he still liked to hear her say home when she talked about his place.
She rubbed her eyes, obviously trying to chase the sleep away, and she confessed, "I was dreaming about you."
"I hear," He replied with presumption. After all, it wasn't because she was having a sex dream that it meant that he was starring in that said-dream. Dreams weren't something that could be controlled.
She blushed, looking down slightly before she took in a deep breath and looked at the screen, blatantly changing the topic, "So you're waiting for me to be asleep to watch my movies. I am going to pretend all the time, now."
"It seemed interesting," He said, surprised that Clary, who never lost an occasion to joke about sex, was getting shy all of the sudden because she had a wet dream.
"It is. It is one of my favourite Stephen King with Misery. So? What do you think? Do you think he killed his wife?"
"There are some pros and some cons … But I don't think this is what the story is about."
"You shall see," She mysteriously said, picking Jace's interest for that movie even more.
She smiled to him, slouching so she could be closer to him and rest her face on his chest, and he told her, "I didn't expect you to be here."
She shrugged, clearly not willing to go down the path that Jace was tracing for her, and she asked, "Do you have anything planned for tomorrow?"
He looked down, waiting for her to talk on her own, and so she did, not looking up, "I … would like to spend the day with you. Just the two of us."
This made Jace frown because though he wouldn't mind, he felt that Clary should spend the next day with her father. "Isn't tomorrow your —"
"I don't want to be alone. Dad is travelling. Izzy and Max are both busy with their travelling plans. Alec is out of town. I just … don't want to be alone."
Jace longly stared at her scarlet hair, hesitating on confronting her on the issue, before he kissed her hair, and promised her, "You won't." She squeezed her arms around his torso, and he let her know, "In fact, I was planning on going someplace tomorrow. We could do that together, instead of staying here."
She nodded, before putting the movie back on, all the while avoiding Jace's eyes. And they watched the end of the movie together, hugging one another.
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Jace's PoV
As Jace was reading the newspaper, Bastille kept on playing with the swinging corner on his left side, and he couldn't tell if he was annoyed or amused by the cat's antics. He was skimming through the sports section, his mind half set on investing in a team for his retirement plan, when Clary finally came downstairs, ready to go.
No matter how long they have been together, Jace couldn't understand how she could sometimes spend a whole hour under the shower. Just under the water, not even getting ready with all her incomprehensible products, just washing her body and hair.
The two of them took Jace's car, though Clary tried to convince him to take her brand new red Porsche, and they talked about mundane things while Jace drove them to the particular destination he had in mind. Clary was trying to plan their next travel, Peru still fresh on her mind. She wanted to do something as physical. She was hesitating between doing a safari in Kenya and climbing the Kilimanjaro.
Jace half listened, his mind more preoccupied on how he was going to get her to cooperate with his next move, than on a possible journey to Africa. But when he pulled over, Clary stopped talking all at once, and squinted her eyes in his direction,
"What are we doing here?" She accused, pointing the cemetery's gates. He looked at her, not sure if she was angry or sad, and told her,
"I think you know." She glared at him, scoffing and crossing her arms across her chest, and so he asked, "Did you ever come here on that particular day?"
She pursed her lips, before muttering, "To be honest, Jon used to take me here. For her birthday, on the day of the funeral, for All Saints Day. But after he left … I didn't see the point of coming here when I couldn't even remember her face."
There was a small moment of silence. Jace knew how much Clary was hurting to be shut down by her father concerning her mother. He knew that, though she would never admit it, a part of her holding it against Jace to have killed Hodge, the only person who still talked about her mother to her, because by doing so, he took away a part of her mother. And the thing was, he didn't know how to deal with her pain. He saw how her eyes sometimes got sad when she saw Maryse and Isabelle together, he heard the longing in her voice when she was preparing her best friend's wedding with Mrs Lightwood, he felt her pain in Japan when she tried to recapture a part of her mother's childhood.
But he could do nothing about it. Because it wasn't his place to help her with that pain.
"Clary …" He started, but she shook her head, and demanded,
"I want to leave, Jace. I don't want to stay here."
"Your father comes here every year," He blurted out. She looked at him with round eyes, and he explained, "Every year, your father comes here and spends the day with your mother. Every year he brings her flowers. Every year, no matter what happens at work, no matter where he is on the globe, your father takes time to pay a visit to your mother on that particular day."
"How would you know?"
"A couple of years after I started working for your father, I noticed this consistency in his schedule, I followed him. And the year after. That's how I knew that he had a wife. I would never have known otherwise."
Clary stared at the entry of the cemetery, thinking and processing the fact that her father came here every year. She whispered, "He comes here every year, but he didn't even come to her funeral."
Jace watched her fight against her tears, and he gently put his hand over hers, "I'm sorry, Clary. But your father will never be the one who will make that step you desperately want him to make. If you want to mend that rip between you, you will have to do it yourself. You will have to walk to that gravestone, and talk to your father yourself because he's too hurt to do it himself."
"Why?! It's not fair! He's the one who remembers her! It's his job to talk about her!" She exclaimed, self-righteous, before wiping away with anger the few tears that escaped her eyes.
"Life isn't fair. Life is sometimes about being the bigger person and going toward the one who is in pain, no matter how much we are in pain ourselves. Helping others is sometimes how we heal ourselves. I know you would give anything to remember your Mom, but try to put yourself in your father's shoes. He has the memories. Sometimes memories are more painful than a blank space."
Clary sniffled, still looking at the entrance, and Jace knew that she was fighting between her wounded ego, and she wants to know more about her mother. After all, Valentine had shut her down for more than fifteen years, and no matter how forgiving Clary could be, she was still only human.
"I'm not trying to justify your father's actions, Clary. I'm trying to give you the tools to get what you want the most in life. You just have to make the first step. For both your sakes."
"But … what do I tell him? He's not expecting to see me?" She asked with a small voice, her leg shaking with nerves.
"You tell him the truth. You tell him that you wanted to pay a visit to your mother because we both know that deep down, you wanted it."
"And what if he sends me away?" She insisted, turning her head to Jace and showing how scared she was at that possibility. He gently smiled to her, and assured her,
"He wouldn't dare do that to the memory of your mother. Not on her grave, not on her anniversary."
If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that. Valentine was a loyal man, and though he did not know him at that period of time, he could only guess that he had been a loyal man to his wife as well. He doubted that Valentine would dare insult the memory of the wife he still loved on her tombstone by refusing to talk to their daughter.
Clary gave him a sad smile, though her eyes were still teary, and Jace gave her a pack of tissues before leaning over and opening the passenger door. She took a deep breath and pecked his lips before leaving the car and walking inside the cemetery. And as she did so, Jace couldn't help but think of the consequences this little gesture could have on him if Valentine were to find out that he was the one who got Clary there in the first place. But as he drove away, he realised that … he didn't care, as long as it gave the two Morgenstern some peace of mind.
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‼️PLEASE DON'T BE A SILENT READER AND LEAVE A REVIEW
IT REALLY DOES HELP‼️
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💚Your thoughts and opinions are always welcomed💚
💚 I know you guys wanted a longer chapter, but it is an emotional one, and I can't stretch it out, or cut it somewhere else ...
~ Anyway, question time:
💚What did you think of Jace's gesture for both Clary and Valentine?
💚What did you think of this chapter overall? And what do you think will happen next?
💚What was your favourite part?
Anyway, Cassandra Clare owns the names of the characters from the Mortal Instruments franchise, everything else is mine.
‼️FOR GUEST REVIEWERS‼️
Guest 1: Well, here is a new update, and I hope you liked it as well
TheItalianGirl: Yeah, I know it feels like it … but something bigger is on its way than Valentine finding out … She just wanted to have her full Vegas experience. If I ever go to Vegas, I am definitely going to see Showgirls. It's like … coming to Paris and seeing the Eiffel Tower. And yeah, though the present is a bit impersonal, he is giving her more freedom. Keep that In mind!
Guest 2: hihi, everyone wants Valentine to find out. Jace also wants Valentine to find out but … well, it wasn't for this chapter
Guest 3: Well, keep that in mind, but just part of it …
DidYouJust: Well … you have to wait for many chapters to know what Valentine intended to give Clary … And yeah, though it seems random to have Kaelie and Jace talk about Bastille, it shows how their relationship is evolving. It's more casual now, because they are getting real friends, and even more.
Niamh: Yeah, Clary was holding dear to her heart that Jace wasn't dead, so she wasn't about to blurt her secret. And yeah, Valentine really did think that Jace was dead, he was burying yet another member of his family… As for the L word … you will have to wait and see. And thank you so much for your kind words.
Vally's 1 fan: Yeah, I don't really like when characters make a 180 without any warnings. I mean sure, almost dying changes the way you see life, but … well, not in this case, haha. And don't worry, I didn't take it aggressively.
Guest 4: Well, Yeah, Fanfic is disrespecting us loyal broccoli! I think a march is in the need.
Love, Mina💚💚💚
