My dear little broccolisđź’šđź’šđź’š
đź’š So, this is a story that has been hanging in my mind for a little while, and here is the twist, you can read it as a TMI fanfic, or an FSOG one. I will update at the same time for both of those stories, so pick the characters you want to follow, or do both, haha.
đź’š FIRST OF ALL, Eid al-Adha Moubarak to you all. I hope you will get to spend this
‼️ABOUT THE REVIEWS‼️
1. So, as I said before, Jace can do no wrong in your eyes. Haha. But I was expecting it. So in case, it wasn't clear, Jace really showed his impatience in the last few chapters. They have only been together for two months, and Jace hurried them to move in with him, even though Clary did say she wanted to develop their relationship first. He also forced clary t talk about events he knew were hard on her, instead of waiting for her to come in her own time. And he couldn't even wait 12 hours when Jamie came in the matter. Not saying Clary is perfect, but Jace isn't either.
2. Everyone wants to know about Jamie, and most of you got the big lines, so we will get further into that ^^
3. Also, Clary never held Jace's work ethic against him. She said something about it because he backed her into a corner, and her feelings at the time came back, erupting. But she never said a word about Jace working a lot. Someone seemed to think so, and I want you to keep that information in mind that Clary knows where Jace's priorities lie. Especially after this chapter.
4. Now, Clary is happy as she is. She never said she wasn't happy. In fact, she said several times throughout the story that she is happy. What she said the last chapter was that it isn't Jace's job to make her happy. Because her happiness only depends on her, and no one else.
5. Also, I don't see Ana as closed in this story. Because she openly talked to Christian about her feelings of their breakup, her fears of the future, and mundane things they go through. The only time she kept for herself, was when she went through grief, and that's because everyone deals with it differently. Queen Victoria literally shut herself from a whole country for YEARS. About the pregnancy, it's a trauma, and it's not easy to talk about trauma, especially when you thought of suicide. It's not staying in the past to not talk about it. It's just accepting to move on with your life. Everyone deals with trauma and depression differently
6. And guys, I just want you to remember that this is a sequel. Some things about Jace have already been established in the first story, and I hate it when authors spend half a chapter (or book) rehashing what has already been said before. So I won't be doing that. If you forgot about it, just skim through the previous story. And know that I like subtlety and subtext ^^
‼️DON'T BE A SILENT READER,
LEAVE A REVIEW‼️
đź’š Sweetie, Let Me Give You The Daddy đź’š
Chapter 17: Clematis & Alexandrite (8,6K)
So, this chapter is all about Celine and Clary. Hence the title. Clematis is a pretty light purple flower that is often associated with cleverness, and the alexandrite is a purple gemstone
Jace was peacefully sleeping when he felt someone repeatedly poking his arm. He ignored it for a while, his brain still groggy with sleep, but then the poking became more insistent and he jolted awake when he heard Celine calling out to him, "Daddy, daddy?"
He sat up straight, opening his eyes wide, hoping to chase his sleepiness right away, and he looked at his daughter who was sporting cute pigtails and a bright smile. She curiously looked at her father, still standing by his bedside as she innocently inquired, "Are you sleeping?"
Jace repressed a disabused chuckle, and shook his head, assuring his daughter that he was perfectly awake, even though she was the one who had just woke him up, and he scooched a little to the side so she would come to sit next to him.
She did with a grin, and he noticed that she was already dressed, which he felt he was going to have to address at some point with Clary. Kids were supposed to sleep-in on weekends. He knew that Clary was an oddity who liked to wake up with the sun and didn't understand the concept of a lazy morning (she had always been very active in the mornings, even when he took her abroad for her to relax), but she didn't need to impose this rhythm on their daughter.
"Mama said she was going to check if you were still sleeping, but I said I would. But she said to come back if you were sleeping."
"Well, you can hang with me, then. What did you do last night with your Uncle Alec …? What time is it?"
He could simply check his phone, but first, he hadn't charged it the night before, so there was a high probability that it was dead. Second, Clary had been teaching Celine how to read the time on analogue clocks (since she had something against the simplicity of digital clocks).
Celine scrunched her face in that cute little fashion she had when she was focusing on something hard, and Jace watched her move her hands in what he assumed was the same position of the handles she last saw.
"Ten past midnight!" She said, proud of herself, and Jace corrected her.
"Midday, sweetie. When the small handle is on the twelve, and it's bright outside, it's midday. Because it's the middle of the day."
"Ooooh." Her eyes sparkled with understanding, and Jace rubbed his eyes, trying to shake himself awake, not quite believing that he had slept well into the day.
He had had some issues falling asleep, until Clary forced him to take something, saying that she didn't want him to be grumpy the next day. He had argued a bit because it wouldn't have been his first time pulling an all-nighter, and she had retorted that he needed the rest just as much as she did.
But it seemed that the pill had really knocked him out, even though he only took half of it. Clary had proposed chamomile, and now, he wished he had gone for her gentler approach. He was feeling groggy and hated the feeling of having wasted half the day already.
"Did you already have your spa day with your mom?" He asked, mostly to keep his brain active. Celine nodded, touching her face as if it was the smoothest thing on Earth.
"Yes. And we already had our breakfast as well. Mama made cinnamon rolls because Uncle Alec said he loved them. But don't worry, I kept one for you." He smiled at her thoughtfulness and she frowned, worriedly asking, "Are you sick?"
"No. Why?"
"Because when I wake up late, it's when I'm sick. Maybe you should ask Mama for a sweet kiss. So you don't get sick."
"No, I just … it was hard for me to sleep last night. But I wouldn't turn down a sweet kiss from your Mom."
Celine nodded, showing her agreement with his choices. "She gives the best sweet kisses. She also sings to me and gives me cham…omile when I can't sleep."
"I'll remember to ask her for a song next time I can't sleep," Jace vouched and he finally got out of bed.
Celine followed him to the bathroom, telling him all the songs she liked Clary to sing when she couldn't sleep, and he threw water on his face, deciding he could hold all liquids in until Celine was occupied by her mother. He didn't feel like kicking her out, especially as she was marvelling at how everything in the bathroom was so big.
"Wait until I show you Seattle, everything is even bigger there."
"Daddy, I know you're big, but not that big."
"I like to have my space," he told her, walking to the door so they could join Clary and Alec. But she stopped him, pulling on his arm as she said, "Mama said that if you are awake, you should take a shower first. Because we have company."
Jace smiled at her condescendingly. "Your Uncle Alec does not qualify as company, sweetie. He is just here to eat all the good food your Mom makes for us."
She giggled, but shook her head, "No. There is a man in the kitchen, and Mama told me to make sure you take a shower."
"A man?"
"Yes. Mama said he is my Uncle Jamie."
Jace froze for a moment, though he did his best to keep his features unreadable as Celine went on as if she'd said nothing of consequence, "You know, he has funny hair, but Mama said I can't have the same, because I can't change my mind after."
He gave her a forced smile and told her to go to her room, so he could shower. He didn't care what Clary said the night before, he was going to fire Jamie's ass faster than Celine ate lasagne. She could say whatever she wanted; this was crossing the line.
He was cleaned and dressed in record time, especially knowing that he usually liked to take his time on the weekends. He didn't even take the time to shave. As he was buttoning on his shirt, he was cursing at the fact that he didn't think of charging his phone, meaning he wouldn't be able to call Thomas so he could hear the dismissal conversation.
He found Jamie in the kitchen, along with Clary, Alec, and Celine, who obviously hadn't listened to her father and appeared in the kitchen instead of keeping her distance with that asshole. As soon as he entered the kitchen, he felt that he killed whatever atmosphere that had been there, and did his best to not shout as he gritted his teeth, "My office."
Jamie made a move to get up, but Clary shook her head, setting the mixing bowl down and walked to Jace, taking his hand in hers and forcing him to follow her to his office when he was reluctant to leave Celine with that asshole. At least his brother was there.
As soon as she closed the door to his office, Jace turned to her and his anger exploded as she tried to use her reasoning voice on him, "Jace …"
"He is out of here! I don't care what you say, he is crossing the line, barging into our home, uninvited!"
"He came to talk to me, Jace," she argued, taking his hand in hers to stop him from pacing like a maniac.
"I don't care!" He gritted through his teeth. "He has no business calling in uninvited. You said he is from your past; he has no business talking to you when — "
"He's my brother," she interrupted him, and that sentence managed to shut him up.
This was the last thing he would have ever expected her to say. First, Clary was an orphan. She didn't know who her parents were, and in fact, no one knew. He never told her that he had her past investigated, but even the orphanage had no idea of who she was. Just some baby abandoned in front of a police station.
But more than that, Jamie, though light-skinned, was of African American descent. And Clary clearly wasn't. She was whiter than he was, even if she didn't have parents to back up this information. Snow White looked darker than she did.
Which was why he raised a doubtful eyebrow at Clary. The only 'brother' she had was Magnus, and that was because she chose to make him part of the family she had built for herself. Alongside Mary and Ann, Izzy, and even Dorothea to some extent.
But before he could present her with the cold hard fact that Jamie couldn't be her brother, Clary said, "First of all, if you think it's genetically impossible, you should try opening your mind a bit more. We could be blood-related and look nothing alike. Second …"
She looked down, her hand slipping away from his. "Jamie and I met in the orphanage in Philadelphia. We were amongst the kids who never stayed long in a foster home because … well, we were just meal tickets and an inconvenience.
I don't have parents, and though it might seem great for a closed adoption, it scares probable parents because they don't have a medical background in case something goes wrong. And the older the child gets, the fewer parents want to get stuck with trouble. And Jamie… as sad as it is to say, he didn't fit the stereotype of the black kid. He was too white to bring sympathy from some potential parents, too black to be considered by others.
So … we were often together. And Jamie was a twig. Which is funny when you see him now. But … we seemed destined to end our childhood at the orphanage until the Millers adopted us. Not just as foster kids, but as kids. And the two of us, because they saw we were getting along. And …"
She stopped for a moment, but Jace didn't need her to say more. He could finally make the connection, and he understood why Jamie had always felt oddly familiar to him.
Jace was listening to Jamie give his perfect presentation that he was sure he had rehearsed many times so it would seem fluent and natural. He glanced at Aline who could see that he was not impressed, and she gave him a look to let him know that he should give a chance to the man in front of them. But he had literally just heard all of this from Theo five minutes ago. And though he could be patient with Theo since he was fresh out of Uni, Jamie was supposed to have a few years under his belt.
"How about you ask me what you really want to know, Mr Wayland? You're clearly not impressed neither by my resume, nor my presentation skills," Jamie interrupted himself, and Jace finally found some interest in the potential recruit, in his blatant honesty.
"Why do you want to work with us?"
Jamie raised an eyebrow at him. "Miss Penhallow is the one who came to me, not the other way around."
"I know, but why did you listen to what she had to say in the first place?"
Jamie seemed slightly uncomfortable at first, and Jace promised, "Nothing you can say will impact your job. Aline sensed something in you, and I trust her judgement. I just want to know what your judgment is made of."
"I didn't realise that she was working for you," Jamie blurted out, and Jace raised a disbelieving eyebrow.
In the business world, Aline's name had quickly become attached to his and became as respected as his. Jamie who, unlike Theo, had already worked several years with a rival company, should have known that Wayland was not far from Penhallow.
Jamie took a breath through his nose and explained, "I mean, I realised too late that we were going to work so closely."
"So … you don't want to work with me," Jace summarised.
"It wouldn't have been my first choice. Nothing against you, in fact, I'm sure I could learn a lot from you. It's just … personal."
Jace looked at the man, trying to figure out if he had met him before and wronged him, and decided to dig into his life to know for sure, and at the same time, know if he would be able to rely on him completely, or if Jamie was going to bail on him.
"Family issues?"
"No. I'm not even from here. I don't have a family, and I don't plan on having any. Family … just gets in the way. As I said, it's just personal, nothing against you or your company."
At the time, Jace had thought he had seen something familiar in Jamie's eyes when he talked about family, and he had thought it was connected to him. But now that Clary was telling him about their common past, he realised that the expression that had gleamed in Jamie's eyes was the same he had seen many times in Clary's when people asked about her family. Though Jamie had clearly taken a different route from Clary when it came to future family.
He looked down at Clary, and she sought refuge in his arms, hiding her face in his chest as she told him, "The Millers brought us to New York together, and … that's when Matthew started showing his true colours. Anything was a good reason to teach us a lesson and …
Jamie always took most of it. I tried a couple of times to take the fall for him, but I bruise easily compared to him, and people don't question bruises on boys much, because boys brawl, right? But Jamie … he was so small back then, and younger than me, and …
The day I ran away… I went to the police to report Matthew because he had beaten Jamie so badly that he couldn't walk. And …"
She stopped herself, and Jace noticed that she was mindlessly caressing the scar on her shoulder. He held her closer to him, kissing her hair as she was telling him about this part of her past that she had always kept preciously to herself. She had always refused to talk about her childhood before Izzy, and now that she was finally doing so, he couldn't understand why she couldn't tell him the night before and spare them the rollercoaster of emotions they had.
"Why didn't you tell me yesterday? I would have understood, babe."
She looked up, putting a little distance between them so their eyes could meet. And as she blinked, Jace saw the answer before she could even say it, "I was ashamed.
I went to the station to report Matthew, and they laughed at me. Because he was such a great guy. After all, he was a cop, and I was just that ungrateful little brat looking to stir up trouble. That's when I understood that the cops would do nothing for us, and I decided not to go back home. That's when I ran away.
And I left him there. I left him behind with that monster because I thought he was going to slow me down."
She looked down, but Jace still saw the single tear that rolled down her cheek. He cupped her face, forcing her to look back at him, and he wiped the tear before hugging her to his chest. She revelled in that warm embrace and continued her story.
"I was supposed to take care of him, Jace. That's what I always did. I would get in fights when kids at the orphanage would pick on him. I would share my desserts with him when he got in trouble and they denied him dessert. I showed him how to fight so people would stop picking on us because we were small.
He used to call me his big sister, and … I left him there. I selfishly left him with the Millers."
Her voice got a little bit higher, and Jace held her a bit closer, as he assured her, "It's not your fault, Clary. You were just a kid."
She took a deep breath through her nose, and stepped away from his embrace, though he didn't see it as her pushing him away. Though her eyes were shining, she wasn't crying, and she gave him a small smile as she explained, "As much as I appreciate your words, it's not your place to say them."
He gently caressed her cheek, understanding that he was not the one she needed absolution from, and he tilted her chin up so he could kiss her. Just so he could show her his sympathy and support, that he was there for her, no matter what.
He could understand now why she always insisted for him to spend time with his brother, when she felt that she had failed her own, and why her relationship with Magnus was so important to her. It was a second chance for her.
Clary gave him back his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and colliding their bodies into one another, but before he could even think of enjoying the moment, Celine barged in the room, calling for her mother.
They broke their kiss, whilst Celine was looking at them with her mouth hanging open, before she said with disappointment, "Were you kissing?"
"What is it, honey?" Clary asked, distracting their daughter from her line of questioning and Celine seemed to have forgotten all about her parents kissing, as she told her mother, "You lied, Mama!"
"When did I do that?"
"When you said magicians aren't real. How do you explain this?" Celine proudly brandished a coin, as if it was the irrefutable proof that magic existed and she explained, "Uncle Jamie took it from my ear!" She passed her hand on her right ear, checking if there were any more coins there. Clary smiled and softly shook her head as she took her daughter's hand and said, "Let's go explain to Uncle Jamie that we're not fooled by his tricks."
"It's not a trick, Mama. It's magic."
Jace followed the girls to the kitchen, and as soon as Jamie saw him, he got up, probably to leave. Jace shook his head, feeling that this was his opportunity to show Clary his support. Actions spoke louder than words. So, he sat by Jamie's side and when Jamie opened his mouth and called him Mr Wayland, Jace rectified him so he would call him by his first name.
Alec did not do anything to hide his surprise, but Jace didn't care much. He cared more about the small smile Clary gave him as she served him a cup of coffee. It was small and subtle, but it showed all her gratitude.
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
Jamie stayed for lunch, but it was obvious to Jace that he had not had the chance to do what he had come here to do, talk to Clary. Which was why he let Clary know that he and his brother were taking Celine out for a digestive walk. Celine got excited about it, though she still made sure that her mother would be in the apartment when she came back, and that she wouldn't leave her alone.
As Alec was helping Celine put on her boots, Jace spoke to Clary, in aparté, "Now the two of you will be able to talk about whatever you want, without any filter. Just know that I'll support you, no matter what … even if I'm an ass doing it."
She chuckled and he kissed her before the trio left the penthouse. Jace could tell that his brother was puzzled by his move to leave an unknown man with Clary, especially when that man had a past with her, and so before Alec could try to find a veiled way to question him without alarming Celine, he just said, "She needs it."
Alec nodded and didn't ask more, though he insisted for them to go to 'normal stores' when Jace mentioned the idea of shopping. Celine was over the moon and made them go in every single store they walked by once they were in the mall, which neither of the brothers minded.
They quite enjoyed buying her clothes (mostly dresses and skirts because Alec never had the opportunity). Jace discovered that Celine wasn't much of a toy-kid, even though she always made a point to play with those that were given to her. But she went crazy when they passed a bookstore, jumping from book to book, her glee getting bigger at each new book. Jace promised himself that he would build her a library in their home just to keep that smile on her face.
The car was quickly filled with an increasing number of bags, and Alec made several jokes on how this was not going to be well received by certain people. Jace couldn't agree more; Clary was probably going to lose her mind when she saw them with so many shopping bags, but Celine's next request was probably what would make her really lose it.
"Oh, Daddy, can we get a puppy? So Peanut is not lonely during the day," she asked with her big green eyes pleading as she pointed at the young St Bernard on display in the window of a pet store.
Jace couldn't find it in himself to tell her no, so they walked into the pet store, with him feeling ridiculous that he couldn't even argue with a four-year-old about not getting a pet. Still, he used Clary's tactic to deflect the dog issue. "How about another kitten? We live in an apartment, remember."
As Celine was looking at the kittens, looking for the one that would make her swoon, Alec leaned and told Jace, "You're going to be in trouble, you know that, right?"
"Have you seen her face? How was I supposed to say no to that?"
Alec snickered, and suggested, "I'd say, try bringing flowers as well. To soften the blow. Does she have any favourite flowers?"
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
They got back home shortly before dinner, only realising then that they had spent most of their day shopping. There had been a couple of stops for essentials such as ice cream and waffles, but they mostly spent the afternoon walking around, and buying everything that went through Celine's mind.
Jace did notice that he had to reassure Celine several times that he would get her whatever she wanted, which he took it as Clary had probably had to restrain their daughter's enthusiasm in the past, and Celine had learned to make sure it was okay before asking for something, but this was something he was going to work on. He didn't want his daughter to feel like she should restrain herself.
Jamie was already gone, but Jace saw that Clary looked lighter. So, he assumed that whatever had been said between them, Jamie had allowed Clary to, if not forgive herself, move on. She smiled at them as Celine jumped in her arms to tell her of her afternoon with her father and uncle, but her smile froze when she spotted Alec with a cage and Kyle behind him with a ton of bags.
Jace checked on his watch, hoping that the flowers would be delivered quickly, and Clary sent their daughter to her room to undress so she could give her a quick shower. As soon as Celine was out of ear range, Clary put her hands on her hips and glowered at the two Waylands.
"You two … 'a nice afternoon with Celine' does not mean buying her the entirety of New York City! And Jace, we just got her a cat, and now you bring another one. You'll have to learn to tell her no."
"I did. She wanted a St Bernard."
She glared at him, though he could see the small smile on the corner of her lips. She took a small breath and closed her laptop that she had been working on when they came in. Jace closed the distance between them and planted a kiss on her lips, caring very little about his brother being around.
"Jamie left?" He asked and she nodded, briefly glancing at his brother before letting him know, "Yes. And by the way, Roger called. He said we should go out tomorrow and 'stage' a picture that would go alongside the announcement since there are no pictures with the three of us out there. I was thinking we could see Alec off at the airport."
He agreed though he was annoyed by this new tactic Roger was adopting. In a way, he couldn't blame him because Clary always managed to make him go in the way Roger wanted. So of course, he would go where he knew he would have support. But on the other hand, Roger was working for him, and he shouldn't even try to be in contact with Clary.
Celine ran back to the living room, half-dressed, holding Peanut in her arms as she solemnly said, not at all bothered that she was in socks, her panties and a shirt, "Peanut needs to meet his brother."
She sat on the floor and opened the door, but the grey kitten didn't move, so she had to reach to get him out. She took him in her arms, under Peanut's curious eyes and the small ball of grey hair stuck his nose out, sniffing the air with a bit of fright.
"What are you going to name him, Celine? Butter?" Alec asked, and Celine rolled her eyes, just like her mother would have done.
"No. His name is Gus. Like in Cinderella."
"But … isn't the cat named Lucifer in Cinderella?"
"But he is a bad guy. I'm not giving the name of a bad guy to my cat! That's not nice."
The adults smiled at her as the two kittens were getting acquainted, and Jace hoped that they would start to entertain themselves and stop bothering him when he was home.
Just as Clary told Celine to follow her to the bathroom, the flowers were delivered. A huge bouquet of sunflowers with a few red roses to make the yellow flowers pop even more. Clary blushed as she accepted the flowers and she kissed Celine to thank her. As she kissed Jace, she whispered in his ear, "I know what you did here. But I'm a sucker for sunflowers, so I guess it's working."
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
When Monday morning came, Jace found Jamie waiting in front of his office at the first light of the day. Clary had explained that Jamie and she had talked and decided to try to reconnect on those years they lost. Jace didn't comment much on that because he didn't know what to say, though he could tell that having had the opportunity to talk with Jamie and let him know how she felt had clearly lifted a weight off her shoulders.
He gestured towards Jamie that the younger man should come into his office, and Kaelie followed them in to give them the rundown of what was waiting for them for the day. When she was done Jace opened the file of one of his businesses in London, so he could break it down to Jamie, but he felt this weird awkwardness between them.
He ignored it for a while, but Jamie killed the elephant in the room, "Mr Wayland, about Saturday …"
"First of all, I think you can call me Jace. We're going to work together a lot, and Clary is definitely going to make sure you spend some time at home. Second … What happens between Clary and you, doesn't affect the way I see you professionally. I hired you for your talent, not your past."
He knew that he was being rather hypocritical because he would have gladly fired Jamie when he thought he was one of Clary's exes. But Jamie didn't need to know that. All he needed to know was the fact that he was there, supporting Clary no matter what. And that the relationship between Clary and Jamie would not affect their professional relationship.
Jamie nodded, sitting a bit more relaxed in his chair as he added, "I know Clary said that she put a ban on you firing me. But I also know you don't like mixing personal and business. It's actually the reason I hesitated to take the job. I didn't know that you were still together, and you had a kid. But I knew you had a past with her, and …"
He took a deep breath, "I'd rather lose the job than my chance of reconnecting with Clary. So, if you want me to resign …"
"And lose my head? Have you met Clary? No, you're staying. For both our sakes." Jamie let out a small laugh, and Jace said to lighten up the mood, "Who knows, maybe after a few dinners at our place, you'll finally speak your mind without fearing I'll come after you."
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
The day was filled with many meetings and videoconferences. Jace barely took the time to have lunch, and he made sure that everyone around him was as busy as him. Jamie was his shadow every step of the way, and he kept Kaelie and Thomas (though he was in Seattle) just as busy.
Which did not necessarily help his mood. Thomas was supposed to make his life easier, and instead of just doing as told, he kept asking to talk straight to Clary. His demands were simple, and yet, Thomas was making it more complicated than they needed to be.
It was nearing eight in the evening when Jace finally looked at the time, and it was only because Kaelie popped her head in the office before leaving, reminding him to call his daughter for her bedtime. He cursed under his breath and told Jamie to go home as well. Valentine was supposed to drop by in half an hour, but since it was a last-second meeting, Jace didn't want his shadow to be there. He didn't know what it was about.
He FaceTimed his daughter, who answered at the first ring, with a bright smile, "Mama said that you would call."
"I'm sorry, sweetie. I lost track of time."
"It's okay. I ate all the left-over lasagne. Mama said she will make you soup when you come home," Celine bragged and Jace repressed a grimace, hardly thinking that soup was actually a meal that would sustain anyone.
Still, he checked his phone and saw a couple of texts from Clary reminding him to not forget to call their daughter for bedtime. "How was school today?"
"It was okay. Though I don't think Miss Donovan is a very good teacher."
"Oh?"
"There are a lot of things she doesn't know. Every time I ask her a question, she says later, or that it's not re..levant to the class. Mama said it's because Miss Donovan wants to make sure everyone in the class understands, but my questions are easy. So, I ask them to Mama when I get home."
Jace hummed, not sure what he should say to that, and Celine seemed to be satisfied with his answer as she added with pride, "But that's because Mama knows everything. Like she knew that you would call because you're busy."
"She does know everything."
"Are you going to be busy tomorrow again? Because Seb is coming to dinner, and Mama said she was going to make leek pie."
"Yeah, I should be home, sweetie." Celine smiled brightly before turning the screen so she could show him her kittens playing with each other.
They kept talking for another five minutes before Jace let his daughter know that he still had some work to do. She blew him a kiss, and Valentine knocked on his door barely two minutes later. The older man sat in front of Jace, staring at him until Jace finally asked for his reason to visit.
"So … I read in the papers today that 'you knew all along' about your daughter, and that the girls came back to the US for medical reasons …"
"Really, Valentine? Did you ask to see me today because you know that the news lied?"
"No. I just … had a conversation with Clary this morning, and she informed me that she was leaving me at the end of the year …"
Jace went to his room, expecting to find Clary in bed, but all he found was her laptop open. He had just finished his phone conversation with Mr Cho, since he had missed it on Saturday, and had quickly passed by Celine's room just for the pure pleasure of it. This was the first time she was staying over on a Sunday night, and no matter how simple it was, it made him smile.
He called out Clary's name and heard a muffled response from the bathroom, but when he tried to enter it, it was locked. He let out a sigh, definitely set on having this conversation with her about her new habit of locking bathroom doors. But in the meantime, he went to bed, setting his phone aside. His eyes quickly drifted to the screen of her laptop, but he just laid down, repressing a yawn as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Clary came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, smiling at him as she saw him, and she sat on her side of the bed, putting her laptop on her laps as she explained, "Let me just highlight where I stopped."
Jace made some sound to let her know he heard her, but as soon as her coconut smell hit his nostrils, he upped himself on his elbow and started kissing all the skin he could access, as he told her, "I don't understand why you keep locking yourself in bathrooms. You spent a night at the hospital because of that."
She snickered, "Young and innocent parents. You obviously don't know the value of me-time yet."
He kissed his way up from her arm to her neck, making her chuckle. "I could show you some us-time. I promise you'll enjoy it as much as I will."
"Do I have to remind you that we are 203 steps away from Celine?" She told him in a mocking tone.
Celine had insisted before going to bed the previous night to count how many steps there were between her and her mom once again, and she made a point of complaining that it was a lot of steps and that she was little, so her parents should think of relocating their room where Clary's used to be.
Jace smiled but kept on kissing Clary and her delicious smelling skin, though his ardour had died down. Clary highlighted a new part on her screen, before closing her laptop and putting it on her bedside table. Then, she removed her reading glasses and cuddled in Jace's arms as he joked, "And there I thought I'd be the first one to bring work in our bed."
"To be fair, this wasn't really work. More like studying. I caught up on all my work yesterday when you and your brother were busy turning my sweet child into a spoiled brat."
Jace shook his head, extending his hand to switch off the light of his bedside. "Studying? Aren't you a kickass lawyer already? What more do you have to study for?"
"Tsk, tsk. First, you should always go to bed having learnt something during the day, otherwise, you wasted your day. Second, laws are different in Washington. I need to make sure I'm up to date with that state."
This ought to stop Jace from switching off the light, and he looked down at Clary, waiting for her to look up since he hadn't said a word. She smiled at him, and he cleared his throat, "Babe … about the school and all. I was just browsing, but they take time and — "
"I get it, Jace. But if we could avoid bribing every school that Celine enrols in, it would be best."
"I don't want you to feel like I'm forcing you to move to Seattle. If you want to stay in New York, we — "
"It's okay, Jace. I always figured we would go to Seattle when we would move in with you, to be fair."
"But …" He looked at her, puzzled, and she passed her hand on his cheek, shaded by a five o'clock beard.
"I know you don't like New York. You've always been clear about it. And … okay, I'm not thrilled about moving Celine three times in one year. But it will be best for her. She will be around your family, and she can grow up with her cousins around."
"What about you?"
"Well, … I am a bit sad that I'll leave Magnus and Karl behind yet again. But it will be easier for visits this time. And I'm fairly sure Magnus will demand a designated room for when he'll visit."
"I'll fly him every weekend if he wants," Jace promised, holding Clary close to him and hiding his face in the crook of her neck. She smiled, shaking her head as she reasonably reminded him, "He works in the food industry. He doesn't have many weekends. But don't tell him you said that, he'll definitely hold you to that."
"But I mean it. I'll fly any person you want. Magnus, Izzy from Canada. Even Andrew."
At this, she checked his temperature, and he pouted at her, making her laugh. He shared her smile, before cupping her face and letting her know, "It does feel though that you're compromising a lot. I … I don't want …"
"That's what couples do, Jace. They compromise. I told you that Friday night. Though Celine is always on my mind, I didn't jump in your arms in LA for her sake. I did it because I've always wondered 'what if'?" What if we had tried this whole relationship thing without contracts?
And … well, you expect some things out of this relationship, and I expect some other things, so we just have to meet in the middle."
Jace gently traced the contour of her face, getting lost in the green of her eyes, and he asked, "What do you expect from me, then?"
"Not much. Just for you to be a father to Celine, and to respect me as a person, not an acquisition or an employee. I just want you to treat me as your equal when we're at home."
Jace kept on tracing her face with his fingers, realising with a lump in his throat that he didn't even meet these incredibly low expectations. She took his hand in hers, and gently squeezed it with a smile that told him that she knew what he was thinking and that she wasn't holding Friday night against him.
He cleared his throat, keeping his hand in her as he asked, "And what do you think my expectations are?"
"What we have now. Nothing more, nothing less." She held his gaze, her subtext obvious, and it struck him how well Clary knew him.
They never talked about children, but she knew without asking him that Celine was enough for him. She could have expected him to change his mind, but she knew he didn't because she knew him that well. Just like she knew that the first person he called was his lawyer, just like she knew that work was important to him.
"And you're okay with that?" He asked, dreading the answer. He wasn't good enough to let her go if she wasn't okay.
"I already have Celine. And now, I have you."
"What about all that 'breeding like a Catholic rabbit' thing?" He reminded her. It used to annoy him so much when she would say that, because this was always a reminder that no matter what, he couldn't give her what she truly wanted.
"Dreams change," she dismissed, and he held her chin up."That's not what you said, Friday. You said you gave up your dream, and I know you meant it."
She looked for her words for a while, before explaining, "It was you, or the children. I chose you."
Jace felt his heart make a double beat, and he leaned in to capture her lips in what he had intended to be a sweet kiss. But as soon as he felt her lips against his, something took over him, and in the blink of an eye, he found himself on top of her, kissing her passionately as he was dry humping her.
It was only when he slipped his hand beneath her shirt to imprison her boob in his hand that he regained reason, and he rolled on his back, breathing just as heavily as Clary. For a moment, neither of them said a word, before he pointed out, "I miss your satin night-wears." She chuckled, and so he admitted, "In fact, if you weren't so picky, I would buy you a whole wardrobe of new clothes."
"You do that with Celine and leave my clothes alone." She reached to finally switch off the light from his bedside and he took her back in his arms, spooning against her as he asked,
"As we're steady, and living together, and faithful. I was wondering, when are we going to ditch the condoms?"
"Never."
"Never? Babe, I want to feel the whole of you. With no latex between us."
He felt Clary shake her head. "Nope. We're keeping on the condoms. Shall I remind you how Celine was conceived in the first place?"
"What about the pill? Or the shot?" He suggested, and once again, he felt Clary shake her head.
"Nope. Not taking any of that."
"Babe …" He tried to argue, but Clary was firm on that.
"It's not up for debate, Jace. My body, my hormones, my choice. You can get a vasectomy if you want. But we both know what it means for a man, so, we're keeping with the condoms."
Jace shook his head back to the present time, focusing on his lawyer in front of him, instead of the memories of cuddling and pillow talk with his girl. He raised an eyebrow at Valentine, not understanding how Clary handing in her notice meant that Valentine needed to speak to Jace as soon as possible.
"So? What does that have to do with me?"
"Come on, Jace. Don't play coy. She refused for me to set her up with any lawyer I know in Seattle, and we both know that she's good at her job. So, am I going to have to fish for another big client?"
Jace frowned, lost for a moment not sure he understood what Valentine meant. Valentine had never shied from telling him that he was his biggest client and that was why he always made sure to leave Jace satisfied. Every time he had another lawyer work with him to build a contract or take over another company abroad, Valentine always made sure to have the best. Though Jace had to admit that he was surprised that Clary's name never appeared on the paper.
After all, Valentine always prided in his find of Clary. This had caused some tensions between the two men in the past when it became obvious to Jace that Valentine showed interest in the redhead professionally. He had always made a point to separate business and pleasure, but he had reasoned himself back then by reminding himself that Clary was just a contract and that there was nothing more to it.
But then, he finally understood that Valentine thought that Clary would just replace him as Jace's lawyer. And though it would be more convenient to him to have the person taking care of his international affairs working in the same city as him, he would never employ Clary again. This situation led to too much drama and heartache in the past.
"Honestly, Valentine. That's ridiculous. If I were to get rid of a lawyer, I'd get rid of Thomas. He's starting to get on my nerves. Don't worry, your retirement is still secured," Jace assured the man, and Valentine approvingly nodded, smiling at the jab. He always called Jace his retirement fund.
"Well, is she going to replace Gerald then?" Valentine asked, apparently already aware that Jace had issues with Gerald Thomas.
Once again, he raised an eyebrow at Valentine, before getting up and putting his coat on, packing some work to do back home whilst he would eat his soup. "If your protégée doesn't want to share with you what she intends to do once she no longer works with you, what makes you think that I will?"
Valentine also got up, shaking his head obviously reading between the lines, and he followed Jace out, letting him know something that boosted Jace's ego.
"Well, you succeeded where I've been failing. Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled to have Clary work with me when she came back. But as a mentor, it does hurt to see your pupil not achieve what she had always wanted to do. She put her heart and soul into it, and last second, she decided to go on a different path. I've spent the past year trying to connect her with some high-end lawyers dealing with familial law, and in just a few months, you've convinced her to go back to her passion."
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
All week long, Jace came back long after Celine was in bed. In fact, the night Seb came to visit the girls, the one night he had absolutely not wanted to miss, he had an impromptu meeting with Sydney, and when he came home Clary was already sleeping. Thankfully, Kaelie always made sure to remind him to call Celine to wish her goodnight.
He and Jamie were off to London on the next Monday, and that was why, on Friday morning, Clary suggested for Jace to be the one to take Celine to school so they could spend a little daddy-daughter time together and so Celine wouldn't feel abandoned since he had barely spent time with her since she moved in.
As Kyle was driving them to her school, Jace tried to explain that he did not forget about her, but Celine just dismissed it, saying that her Mom told her that he was busy, just like when they were in London. Then, she complained a little, explaining that usually, Santiago would put music on in the car.
But when Jace told Kyle to turn on the radio, Celine stopped him, and said, "No. Mama puts on the song from Coco. Recuérdame. Because she says that like Hector, 'Te llevo en mi corazón y cerca me tendrás' (for even if I'm far away I hold you in my heart)."
Jace smiled, fairly sure she had just quoted the movie, though he didn't remember it that well. Still, he made a mental note to thank Clary for making sure that Celine knew that he was thinking of her, even though he was not present.
For the rest of the way, Celine excitedly spoke to her father about Peanut and Gus, and based on how much she laughed, she was happy to have them. Jace carefully listened, aware of how obsessed Celine was with her pets. She had insisted that only she could give them food because they were not doing it properly.
When they got to school, Jace walked her to her class, seeing it for the first time, and after she kissed him goodbye, Jace felt a pinch in his heart as he watched Celine go to a corner of the class and grab one of the children books there to read. Every other kid that was already there were all playing together, and Celine had to find herself a friend in a book.
He started walking away, unsure of what to do to make his daughter feel better about her ostracization, but before he could go far, he was hailed by Celine's teacher. He repressed a sigh, feeling that this was the moment Valentine had warned him about when he learned that Clary and Jace were putting Celine through private school. The moment when teachers were casually trying to bleed him dry.
"Mr Wayland, it's such a pleasure to meet you. I'm Celine's teacher, Miss Donovan."
He shook her hand, not giving her anything to work with, even though he could tell she was slightly uncomfortable. She let out a small nervous laugh and confessed, "I did make a fool out of myself several times. I must have confused three different men for Celine's father before that article came in."
"We have many men in the family. Your point?" He coldly retorted, sure that Magnus and Alec were amongst the confusion. And there was a good chance that Andrew was the last one since he knew that he had come with Clary a couple of times to pick Celine and cheer her up due to her lack of socialisation.
Miss Donovan cleared her throat, even more uncomfortable and Jace snapped at her, "I'm a busy man, Miss Donovan. So, if you could make it quick."
"Well … I've been trying to talk to your … Miss Fray, but she's been adamant … The thing is, as I told Miss Fray, I don't think Celine has a place in my class."
Jace quickly glanced at Celine, just to make sure she was far enough not to hear this incompetent teacher diss her. She had been so looking forward to going to school, and so far, it had been nothing but disappointments. And yet, this Miss Donovan character thought she knew better when a four-year-old felt that she didn't know much, to begin with.
He took a quick breath through his nose to control his temper and vowed to call the school later in the day to get that incapable teacher fired, and unable to ever teach again.
"And what gives you the right to be so judgemental of a child? You're a teacher, you're here to teach, not to make judge— "
"No, no. sorry. What I meant was … I can't teach her anything. Kids are learning how to write their names and about the days of the week, and she can already read and count endlessly. This is kindergarten, and she's already bored because she can't learn anything. And that's also why she doesn't bond with other kids. Four-year-olds want to mould playdough, they don't usually care about knowing how the sun can be a star and yet be so much bigger than the other ones. They usually don't even know that the sun is a star."
Jace glanced back in Celine's direction, feeling slightly bad for his snap judgement of Miss Donovan. Celine was reading in her corner, and it dawned on Jace that it wasn't normal for a four-year-old to read. He was so used to Celine being so bright and curious, and Clary so often brushed it off as normal that he stopped thinking about it, but no matter his poor experience with children, he knew deep down that Celine was not acting like a four-year-old.
Miss Donovan sensed that she had piqued his interest, and so she kept campaigning for her case, "Don't get me wrong, she is a sweetheart, but I think she should get tested. I can't be sure, because Miss Fray refuses to get her tested, but I think that Celine is gifted. And if that's the case, we're definitely not the school for her."
.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.
đź’šYour thoughts and opinions are always welcomedđź’š
đź’š Many things happened, and some things did not happen. So just to make it clear, as Jace said, Clary knows him better than he knows her. She knew he didn't want more kids; she knew he went to his lawyer when Celine came in the picture, and apparently, she knew he would work more now that they're living together.
đź’š Also, if you want sneak-peeks and pictures, go follow my Facebook page, Mina's Broccolis ^^
đź’šNow question time,
1. Okay, let's talk about the last thing first. I have planted many hints throughout the story that Celine MIGHT be gifted. But the question is, is she? And why Clary doesn't want to test her?
2. Now, we know about Jamie, and we know why Clary needed time to process. I thought it was obvious and everyone would know as soon as Jace first mentioned his name a few chapters ago, but obviously not. And before any of you jump on my throat, shame and guilt are very powerful emotions. But what do you think of him?
3. Now, it is settled, Clary and Celine are going to move to Seattle at the end of the year. And there will be more talk about Clary's job, but what do you think of that decision?
4. In fact, I am really curious about your feelings on the condom conversation, because I have a strong opinion about this, but I'd like to know yours as well.
5. And we have a new cat. Do you agree with Clary, that Jace should say no to Celine more often/firmly?
6. As per usual, what was your favourite part? Mine was between the song moment with Celine, and when Jace held Clary in his arms as she told him about Jamie
7. And what do you think will happen next?
đź’š Cassandra Clare owns the names of the characters from the Mortal Instruments franchise, everything else is mine.
Love, Minađź’šđź’šđź’š