AN:
Hello! So. Things that have happened since ch13:
I posted on the EC instagram (twice!). Its not defunct anymore lol. Also that was the first post of mine on social media for 3 years so… not too shabby.
I shaved my head and finished my first year of undergrad (THAT is a story). I moved out and almost missed my flight home. Surprised my republican parents (you can't choose 'em! I have to live with them!) because I didn't tell them and my family went on vacation to Utah and Arizona. I turned 19 on the 12th and dont feel a day older than I was a week ago. And I celebrated my pride day on the 8th by not telling anyone.
Housekeeping:
I have a new story! It is teen wolf and will be debuting sometime in the next month (maybe. Remember I'm a no good bastard without an updating schedule). It WILL NOT BE ADDED TO THE POLL AND WILL NOT BE THE PRIORITY! Happenstance is. If you would like more info please visit my bio on FF (Ao3 gives me like 2k characters and it's not enough).
I've signed up for summer classes. IF ANYONE KNOWS PHYSICS HIT ME UP! I need all the help I can get. All the time I wanted to have for writing this summer… yeah it's been eaten by the monster that is physics.
Also to clear up any confusion: I actively watch my stats on FF and Ao3 for about 48 hours after I post a chapter/story. I get emails from FF and Ao3 when people comment/review/favorite my story or me as an author/give kudos and likes/ect. If yall do something more than read my story then I get a notification about it. It's the stats that I watch. Also FF has a better stats page than Ao3. Just sayin…
Now to the story!
Clary walked out of the Circle meeting with a pounding headache- not entirely from her concussion -and worry blossoming like the bruises on her wrist. Stephen was maniac, that much was true, and he had sentenced his own son to death by shipping him off to a guerilla war. God, Clary thought, what a fucked up situation.
She had walked out as soon as Stephen called the meeting to close, not bothering to wait and kiss up like some of the other people in the room were doing. Half the people she didn't even know who they were or what they did.
Clary remembered looking at a light blond girl that sat between Jordan and a girl with a scar on her face. She looked straight off of a catalogue depicting what the perfect business woman would wear. Hair curled and coiffed to perfection, not a speck of lint or a hint of a wrinkle anywhere on her. From what she had seen, the girl hadn't spoken, she had only taken notes sporadically throughout the meeting. She was probably a secretary of sorts.
Shaking her head lightly, Clary wandered back into the kitchen. The cold granite and black cupboards making sense to her now. This was a house run by Stephen. Not a home with Jace.
Clary traced the lines in the granite, black, grey, and brown all weaving together to create the textured layers she saw but couldn't feel.
Light feet padded into the kitchen from the door to the foyer causing Clary to turn. Her eyes met ice blue and she shrunk internally. It wasn't Alec, though they looked almost the same. Will nodded to her, eyes growing soft.
He cleared his throat lightly, gaze looking her up and down. "So you're Jace's girl." Not a question.
She- what? Jace's girl? Bullshit. If anything, Jace was her boy. Wait, she thought, that wasn't… Nope. She wasn't going there.
Clary shook her head lightly. "I'm not anyone's anything."
A light flush overcame the man's cheeks and he opened his mouth quickly before closing it. "I-Im not… Um." he lighty stuttered out. "Uh, anyways. What did you think about the meeting? It was your first one, yeah?"
Clary rolled that around. How did she feel about the meeting? It was interesting, sure. Noisy at times? Definitely. She mainly was frustrated by Stephen and his complete and utter disregard for human life. She didn't know why she was still stuck on Jace and Stephen's treatment of him. It was probably because she was a doctor and was trained to care about human life. At least, that was the answer Clary was going with.
"It was fine I guess." She answered dully. Truthfully, she just wanted a nap and the good drugs for the headache that was quickly encroaching into migraine territory. "What was with Alec?" Clary asked suddenly, not even sure she ran it through her brain first.
"Uh…" Will rubbed the back of his neck lightly. It seemed to be a heritable trait through the Herondale lines. "Well, he's been a little preoccupied lately but…" With this his expression turned serious, eyebrows knitting together and eyes tightening, "I don't want to talk about it. You never know how hot the room is. I rarely trust the A.C. unless I do it myself."
Will left then, suddenly and swiftly through the hall that led to the bathroom and bedrooms Clary was in earlier. If anyone was acting strange, Clary thought, it was Will. That was clearly a warning though. What did he mean by a 'hot room'? It was always hot in the summer, even if it was New York. She had grown accustomed to the heat while doing her underground and then med school in the south.
Clary threaded her fingers lightly into her braid. This was, God, what a shit show. Really, if she had known what helping Jace would bring then she might not have done it. All this and she wasn't even positive that she helped a good guy. In her opinion, this whole family was fucked up. Maybe even worse than her own; a feat if she'd ever seen one.
Jace though… the jury was still out on him. Maybe Will and Tessa as well. They were nice, Jace was nice. It was hard to come to a decision because of how complicated he was. One moment he was ready to chop heads and shoot people and another… Well, he was kind. He even asked her what she liked to eat.
The redhead shook her head, braid tapping her cheek. Now was not the time to think about the morality of the Herondale family and whether or not she could live with it. Even just thinking was a pain now.
She walked lightly behind the island to the cabinets. It looked like someone had been in the kitchen to clean things up. Clarys mug was resting on a disk rack in the sink and there were pots and pans soaking in sudsy water.
The redhead searched through the cabinets for the mugs, taking out a purple one with a black bobcat carved into the side of it. Poking around for the tea bags- they were somewhere, where in the house was the question -Clary moved around the dishes and foodstuffs, hairs on the back of her neck rising. She felt… on guard was probably the best way she could put it. Clary felt the need to grab a knife and tuck it into her clothing. The redhead did just that. None of the knives on the magnetic strip had a cover, and there was no way she was putting one under her clothes without one, so she rummaged through the drawers almost frantic.
She found a small green one, barely used with a green cover to match, and tucked it lightly into her sweats, cinching the drawstring tight and low across her waist. This way she had something, anything, to use. She also had surprise on her side.
Maybe she was losing it, she thought. After all, Will had delivered to her the perfect murder mystery clue. It would be enough to put anyone on edge.
Clary filled the mug and put it into the microwave above the stove. She was standing there as a knock, knuckled rapidly tapping wood, sounded throughout the quiet, acoustic, kitchen.
Whirling around, Clary put a hand to her heart and another to her hip. "Oh, it's just you Tessa." Clary had made it a point to remember Tessa's name.
A light, carefree chuckle bounced around the countertops from the brunette, "Just me?" Her teasing voice betrayed the slight pout of her lower lip. "Who were you waiting for?" At this her voice took on a different tone.
Respectfully, to Clary they were not friends. They were two people who both cared about the- wait what?
Clary shook her head. Regardless, she didn't know Tessa and Tessa didn't know her. "No one. You were better than some of the other options though. I think your husband went up to y'alls room?" Clary really did try to be kind about sending her on her way.
"Ah yes, thank you. Jace would like you in his office."
The redhead's eyebrows furrowed as she waited for the microwave, "His office? Is that his bedroom?"
A light shake of brunette curls temporarily obscured Tessas face. "No, but it's close. I can take you if you'd like?" Her tone was hopeful, a light uplift at the end.
"Yah I'd-" the incessant beeping of the microwave went off, Jesus fuck that was annoying. Clary quickly grabbed the steaming mug, tendrils dissipating into the kitchen air. "I'd really appreciate that. Where are your tea bags?"
Clary turned around slowly, fingers grasped tightly to the handle, trying to balance the scalding mug and water. Tessa's face, wrought with disgust in the pull of her top lip to the tensing of her forehead, was a surprise to Clary.
A light scoff fell from Tessa's face, "I- That is not the way to make tea. A tea kettle exists for a reason."
The redhead looked to the stovetop. Sure enough, a bright red- why red of all colors -rested haphazardly in the middle. "Where's the tea bags Tessa?"
"I-" a small sound of dissatisfaction "They're in the very back of the leftmost cabinet. It's always filled with this exotic tea. I've always loved it even though the boys can't stand the taste." Tessa chuckled lightly at that. "Will refills it but I've never asked him where the teas from. It's just one of the little things we do for one another."
Clary turned back to Tessa, tea bag bathing in the hot water. The brunette's face was pulled up into a smile, soft expression rested in her eyes. She and Will were almost revoltingly in love with one another and it was obvious to everyone around them.
She wished for that. Somewhere in the deepest recesses of her heart, woven into the microfibers of her soul, Clary wished for a great love like the one they exemplified.
()()()()()()
Tessa led the way through the maze of a house- a mansion, really -as though she had lived there her entire life, to the hall Clary had been in hours earlier. Knocking lightly on a nondescript door, Tessa walked in quickly after.
Jace, Magnus, and Will were all seated at a round table, smaller than that in the war room but large enough to fit many others. Magnus, face pale and hands and fingers winding themselves around one another, was the first to acknowledge her and Tessa with a light nod, before turning back to staring at the weaving motions of his fingers.
"Thank you," Jace said, startling Clary from where she was watching Magnus, "I think that's all Tessa."
Well… Jaces dismissal of Tessa, while not rude, was unexpected. Clary looked closer at his frame as she heard the door behind her close lightly. The blond man's lips were thin, taught and in a line. His tawny eyes bored into hers, moving lightly and searching- for what, she didn't know -but he seemed to come to a conclusion.
Clary watched as his eyes flicked to Will and then back. "Clary, if you could sit." Jace motioned to a chair next to him.
It wasn't a question she realized. With a light chuckle she looked at the three men, "Are we conducting our own war meeting?" She asked playfully, relaxing into the seat to the right of Jace. Will sat to Jaces left and Magnus was on her other side.
The boys weren't paying attention though, Jace and Will being caught in a heated exchange. Little movements, what looked to be a random muscle jump in Will's jaw was retaliated by a sharp raise of Jace's eyebrow.
"Boys!" God, Clary thought, she was tired of these hidden conversations and being kept out of the loop. It was so frustrating for her. "English or, hell, even Spanish, would be better than this eye fight-whatever the fuck you both are doing."
"You're sitting in the seat." Magnus interjected, a light spasm of his cheek created a hint of a smile.
"The seat? Youve got to be fucking kidding me. I'll just switch."
Jace's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist from where it rested on the table. It wasn't like with Stephen, a grip that was forced obedience and the threat of retribution. Stephens grip on her was the winds of home that picked ice pellets off the ground and slapped people in the face. Jaces was standing outside for the first time after winter and feeling the barely there sun begin to warm the very soul of a person.
They weren't the same and, this of all things, allowed Clary to justify treating them differently. Slowly, she turned her hand palm up and relaxed her arm.
"So, boys,"Clary began, eyes meeting the rest of her companions around the table, "what are we going to do about Jace shipping off to Peru?"
The redhead met Will's eyes across the table, a grim look on his face. Why, she didn't understand. Being upgraded had to be a benefit, she imagined.
Will cleared his throat and made a partially aborted gesture with his right hand. "You could always go with him. Save Magnus here the trouble since we've all seen how you can fight."
"Will thats-"
"Our best bet, Jace."
"-Not what I was going to fucking say."
Clary watched as the blond's eyes narrowed and the air was sucked from the room. This wasn't the Jace she had seen to in her kitchen days ago, light conversation amongst an exchange of names. That Jace was almost soft, if a little rough around the edges and tired.
This Jace- the one that had eyes of a wildfire and power of authority laced in his aura -this Jace was almost scary. Except for the eyes, Jace was a replica of Stephen. It was at the very least intimidating.
He reminded her of the ocean, a boy of the sea. Someone able to turn on a dime and shuffle through emotions like the sea changed tides. Clary hadn't even seen red skies that morning.
With a huff Magnus interjected lightly, "I can do it." Eyes betraying the gentle calm of his face. "I mean- How long are we going to be there? And what exactly are you going to be doing, Jace?"
Clary watched as Jace interlocked his fingers and lightly pushed his thumbs together, nails turning an opaque shade of white. " 'M not quite sure what I'm going to be doing. The tourist gimmick is probably best. How's a honeymoon sound, honey?" Smile gracing a tensed face.
Magnus laughed lightly, breaking the tension and silence in the room. Clary let some of the tightness in her stomach and back bleed out and into the cushioned seat. For some reason, she still felt armour around her chest, filling in the places between her ribs and pulling them together.
The corner of Magnus' mouth lifted, light twitch of the muscle. "Sounds great… lover." Similar smile to match the sarcastic tone.
A throat cleared- Will's, by the dour expression plastered on his face -and Clary watched as his eyes shifted between the other two boys. "Jace," he said, tone saturated in patronization, "you can't just wing everything down there."
Clary watched as Jace rolled his eyes and leaned back, crossing his arms and raising his chin, "I know. Who's been doing this for longer, hmm?" He paused briefly, letting out a soft sigh, "I know what I'm doing. Tourist gimmick and then complain about being disowned for being gay and about how much the wedding costed. If they think they can grab me with money then that's the best way to go."
That sounded… absolutely absurd to Clary. She rolled the idea around, picking it apart and putting it back together like she did people. "They really think that people will go that far for money?"
"People've done more for less." Tone flat and voice tired. Jace rubbed a hand down his face. "People will do almost anything if they're desperate enough. I just have to convince them of that."
Clary nodded along, not much else to do. Her eyes lingered on one of the floor to ceiling bookshelves that lined the room except where a small fireplace stood.
Some bookshelves, those closest to a dark stained desk pushed back into the corner furthest from the door, were brimming with books. Their titles, ranging from 'Goodnight Moon', facing out from the books, to 'A Case Study with Forensics: The Making of the Modern Day Empire', were haphazard at best, stacked similarly as well. Other shelves were all but barren, dust thick with anticipation.
There was a single picture frame resting on one of the shelves closest to the desk. A woman with dirty blond spiked hair was facing up, the camera hovering above her. Her eyes were closed with a soft smile resting on her face, surrounded by flowers.
Clary looked back at Jace, ignoring most of what he was saying. Her attention was waning and thinking was becoming hard. She knew, logically, that it was the concussion destroying her ability to function, but it was still frustrating.
There was a certain similarity between the picture and Jace. She traced the line of his nose with her eyes, the small arch of where bone turned to cartilage. He was almost pretty.
Her brain was supplying general feelings but the words were hard. Just… thinking in general was becoming harder and harder as the night went on.
Clary watched as Jace explained his idea to both Will and Magnus, saying, "I'll get close enough to verify some of the lead people in Peru and take them out while I supervise and get Circle operations up and running." His hands waved errantly in the thickening atmosphere.
A grimace raced across Will's face, pulling together his eyebrows as he sighed lightly. "So you really think that they're not going to catch you?"
A laugh, a choked, forced, gasp of air, fell from Jace's mouth onto the wooden table. "There's not much else I can do. I have to go above and beyond to get back to where I was."
"You mean heir?"
Another forced laugh. "Of course." A soft discontented sound came from Jace. Light enough that even Clary, as close as she was, had to strain to catch anything. "It has to. I have no other reasonable choice." A scoop of tension and a sprinkle of desperation. It wasn't the ninth inning, but it wasn't the first either.
She understood their stress- after all, their whole livelihood was on the line -but Clary didn't have any real stake in the game, any reason to force her attention.
Will sighed, again. A light and breathy sound that managed to portray a condescending attitude. "I know you're probably fine. I just worry, you know? Especially now that I have more on the line." He looked at Jace imploringly, Clary thought, almost persuading with his eyes for Jace to understand, to agree.
"Fine." Jace replied heavily.
Clary watched as his eyes roamed around the room, as if taking it in. Lightly, a hand tapped her knee- one, two -before settling and squeezing once.
Clary looked down at the tanned skin, Jace of course, as she heard him call the meeting to close.
A chair shuffled back off to her left and Clary looked up at Magnus, at a man she didn't know well before the mess she had gotten herself into but knew well now. She would miss him at work and miss his ability to make a 36 hour shift sound better than licking satan's testicles.
Clary watched Magnus leave, a small forced smile adorning his face. He shot her a glance and nodded once lightly. Clary hoped she would have the ability to talk with him before he left.
Will followed soon after, not without a brisk word before he left though, "I want a written idea with contingencies of what you're going to do on my desk before you leave."
Jace rolled his eyes lightly and made a shoo-ing motion with the hand not resting on her knee. "I've got it. I'll hand it to Tessa when she gets me those cookies I asked for earlier."
Chuckles followed Will out.
Clary turned in her seat heavily. She hadn't been seated this much in years, always either in the OR or rounding. She even often preferred to work standing, multicolored notes decorating a whiteboard.
The move dislodged Jaces hand and he let it fall to his side.
"Well," Jace began, "I just want to say that this room isn't... hot. The walls aren't warm. I've made damn well sure of that." He leaned back, crossing his hands over his stomach.
Clary watched as his eyes roamed the room, self satisfied expression pulling up his cheeks and at the corners of his eyes. "You can ask me anything you need to." He told her, still not making eye contact. "I know a lot of what went down the last couple hours has all been in jargon."
She could work with that. He did say anything. "So," Clary began lightly, mouth moving faster than her brain at that point, "what is the seat?" She modulated her voice, dropping it an octave playfully.
Crimson raced across Jaces cheeks, competing to his ear lobes. It was… pretty, Clary decided. Jace, while normally a handsome man, blushed as soft as the sun rose out the window of her childhood bedroom.
With cheeks adorned and a bashful smile pulling at the corners of upturned lips, Jace made an aborted gesture with his hand. "It's, well… It's something that my father started. He loved medieval history and he implemented it into the Circle and Herondale Enterprises.
"Basically you have your most trusted person sit on your non-dominant- or weaker -side to help protect you from attack. Since I'm left-handed…" He trailed off, tawny eyes finding hers.
So she… huh. Clary was digesting that piece of info that he had given her. "So I'm your most trusted advisor?" Teasing lilt to an otherwise serious question.
Jace nodded, blond curls almost glowing as they jumped around. "At this point, yes. Magnus doesn't have the tacticle mind necessary, it's not his job, and I'm mad at Will…" he sighed lightly, hanging his head, "even though its irrational."
Cocking her head, Clary eyed Jace. She had assumed that the two were on good terms. "Why then?"
"It has to do with the meeting, with how my father decided things. I'm really mad at him but taking it out on Will. I know that much." Jace replied heavily. A physical weight resting on his shoulders.
Jace lightly drummed his fingers along the edge of the table. "Anyways, any other questions?"
Clary rolled that around for a second, dredging up her best. "Uh… what exactly is a 'hot room'?" She asked hesitantly, not knowing until then that she had questions about that.
A light chuckle escaped from Jace. He leaned closer, resting his head on his hand. "I keep forgetting that you haven't been here all that long. It feels like a year or more." A small smile, hesitant to grow any larger pulled at his eyes.
"A hot room," he continued, almost without thought, "is a room that's bugged. We say a room is 'hot' to indicate that we're not the only ones listening in."
"So when it's cold…"
He smiled lightly, fleeting in its time. "Then we're safe to say anything and everything. I personally went around this room and took the necessary precautions." His proud tone matched the set of his shoulders.
"Your dads an ass."
It wasn't what she meant to say but… Clary couldn't exactly claim that she didn't think it to be true.
Jace was temporarily caught by surprise, perfect mask shattering to pieces on the floor as his mouth gaped and eyebrows shot up. Luckily he laughed though, loud and hearty. It rang throughout the room, symphony playing on the bookshelves. If this was his true laugh- and Clary believed him to have a level of authenticity with her -then she knew then, more so than ever before, that she would do anything to let him laugh like this.
He was gasping lightly, eyes tightly shut. It was beautiful just how free he was. "I-" Jace delved into laughter again, right hand reaching for his chest, "I-god. Yes he's totally horrible."
He seemed to sober up then. Clary watched as his mouth, the one that had just been laughing with joy and surprise, thin. "I don't know if he's always been like this and I was blind to it- a child idolization -or if this is new.
"Anyways," Jace straightened his back, bracing himself. It was obvious that he was trying to avoid the topic any further, "I'll let you get to bed. I'm sure that this has been a hell of a day."
A smile like melted chocolate, soft and sweet, settled into place. Jace motioned lightly to the door; a suggestion, not a demand.
Clary cocked an eyebrow. He wasn't planning on leaving the office with her. "Are you going to be sleeping here?" He couldn't be serious, Clary thought.
"Um," A pink sunrise rose on his cheeks, "it's kind of a tradition by now."
Tradition? To sleep in his office? Clary was sure her face was morphed into both surprise and disgust.
Being… not as well off back in her earlier days of being a doctor, she'd had her fair share of sleeping on floors and couches and other unsavory places. To her it was a necessity, not something to look back on fondly.
Clary looked around. It was a bare room, all things considered. It felt sad and impersonal. Something straight out of a catalogue.
Turning back she smiled lightly, mind already made up. "What's the tradition?" Clary asked, tone soft. She wasn't going to let him sleep on the floor before shipping off to a hellhole.
A light chuckle sounded from Jace and his eyes narrowed. He cocked his head a tad and Clary just knew that he was thinking. "I'll tell you if…" he paused, "If you promise not to tell Will."
Clary rolled that around. How bad could it be, really? "Deal." she replied.
Jace rose and turned to the back corner of the room, to his desk. He motioned for Clary to join him, hesitancy laced in his gesture.
"Now, promise you won't tease either. I don't need shit from you as much as I don't need it from Will."
Clary smiled, face moving of its own accord. That was two things he asked of her. It was probably worth it though. "Sure."
Jace sat heavily in his chair behind the desk. His hands moved, hidden behind the wood, and into the drawers that he opened. There was a light scraping noise and a loud bang.
Clary winced. A little warning for her eardrums would have been nice.
The blond's hands reemerged, in them he held a poker stick with two sharp points, a bag of marshmallows, some chocolate bars, and a pack of unopened graham crackers.
Worth it, Clary decided. Agreeing with him was totally worth it. She couldn't remember the last time she had actually sat down at a fire and roasted a marshmallow.
Jace handed the supplies to her and told her to turn on the fireplace, explaining the knobs as he rummaged around- again! What else did he need, Clary pondered -more drawers.
They got settled, Jace bringing over a few blankets and laying them down while Clary opened the bags and wrappers.
Clary stuck marshmallows on the poker, one for each, before she finally asked what had been on her mind since Jaces dodge earlier. "So... " She trailed off, feeling eerily similar to the awkwardness of her first date in highschool, "your father. Wanna talk about it?"
A scoff sounded to her left, "Wanna talk about your mother?"
His tone was slightly condescending. Clary knew that it was a touchy topic but it sounded like he had a lot of… feelings towards him.
"Sure." She found herself saying, tone flat.
"My mother…" Clary trailed off. What was there even to say? "My mother did her best. She was absent most of the time. Doing what she could to support us because no one was going to do it for her."
There was so much she could say about her mother. So much unresolved tensions and anxieties and anger. "I wasn't the best kid. I loved learning and hated school. I was naturally curious so I'd ask as many questions as possible until I or the time ran out. She wanted me to be happy. And I vowed to never be like her."
That wasn't all of it, by no means, but it was enough. If she left the floor open, Clary thought that Jace would step in.
"I-" he cleared his throat and took the poker from her hand, turning in and watching the flames, "I was an amazing kid. Always paid attention in the lessons he gave me, always got the best grades in school. It didn't matter if I tried hard because success is measured by accomplishments."
Jace pulled the tanned clouds off and smooshed them under the cracker and chocolate. "I beat Will in most of the tests we had. I went to school for business- even though I hate it -and had job offers from around the country." he sighed. Handing Clary her smore. "But I'm here. Playing second fiddle to someone I both love and now despise. And it's all my fathers fault."
Clary didn't know what to say to that. She knew, obviously, that he was feeling neglect even as an adult. Hell, she still felt neglect from her mother who she never called and who never called her, the father she never got the chance to know, and her brother who left to catch a ghost and caught a future. Yeah, Clary knew that she could relate to him pretty well.
"It fucking sucks doesnt it?" she supplied. "Being stuck here doing the same thing over and over again. Do you even like your job?" A faded yawn escaped. It wasn't that she was bored it just… it was late.
Jace covered his mouth with a hand, speaking through the barrier. "I don't… not really. DO you?"
Clary smiled wryly, not quite reaching her eyes. "I like that I get to help people and medicine is very interesting. I just… I think I thought my job would make me happy but it only made me content."
"So were just two lonely souls searching for happiness huh?" Jace asked, though it was rhetorical more than anything.
Clary nodded and held up the remaining portion of her smore, not a lot but enough. "Cheers." she replied, tapping them together.
She didn't know how late they stayed up, not talking. They sat there, the doctor and the businessman, long into the night. Chocolate melting between the lines of fingerprints as the fire died.
Her last conscious thought, as her eyes became too heavy in spite of her efforts, was that maybe, just maybe, the floor wasn't so bad after all. Not when you had someone to share it with.
AN:
The last part of this chapter was a bitch. This is the bad thing about writing and posting as you go. I want continuity but have a hard time achieving that because I dont remember what I wrote last time… ugh.
Responding to reviews:
Guest: Thank you! I really like knowing that people are being active readers and giving me feedback. I'm glad you like my writing! Thank you for reviewing!
Jling: Thank you! One of my biggest… I dunno… things in life, I guess, is that I believe everything comes from something. People act the way they act for a reason and figuring out that reason provides an explanation. Delving into the characters and how they feel and their interactions with one another is really telling as to their behavior. I have reasons for why my characters act the way they act. I just haven't given you all the pieces yet. Thank you for reviewing! I will admit that there's a lot going on. Maybe even too much…?
TouchMyMangoFuckers: 2 reviews 1 chapter?! I must be special! Hahaha I tried so damn hard to give you what you wanted but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't come up with a reason or a justification for sending Clary off with Jace. I read your comment and was like "Dayumn!". I went and rethought the next like… 2 chapters I have planned out to satisfy that but… no dice. I tried to have the characters explain but let me know if it's confusing at all! Im also hella sad that Im splitting up Mags and Alec but it was a necessary evil and you'll see why shortly. Hang in there. I already promised that none of the 6 and Tessa and Will won't die. This has a happy ending because I want it to.
Stardust128: Yes there was tension! This chapter may have shed some light on stuff but probably not well… oof. Anyways, Jace is definitely upset. It's misplaced anger but it's upset. He's working through things and his rock (Will) has now been swept out from under him because of this new dynamic with a change in their hierarchy. This is partially why he clings to Clary. She's new and bright and hasnt fucked him over yet.
Eatsleepmovies14: Yes. Stephen… he is a special one isn't he. He wasn't supposed to be this big character but… here we are. Thank you for your comments on my writing style. This is really the first thing I've ever written of this magnitude and I am honestly such a better editor than writer it's not even funny (I don't edit my own stuff). This also means that I rely on you guys, the readers, to let me know what I do right and what can be improved upon. This helps me grow as both a writer and editor so I really appreciate it!
Reginaldthelion: I saved you for last. Usually I go from most recent to least recent but for you I make an exception. I'm also going to address your comment in parts.
~Stephen: That is on purpose. I refrained from delving too deeply in my reply to others because I knew that I was going to address it here. I'm going to let you in on a little secret: I did that on purpose. I don't want to spoil the story but I gave him a sob story so you'd love him despite what he's done to Jace and the fact that he literally kills people and profits off of drugs and other illegal things. Then I revealed his faults and what he's done to Jace. Then I showed you how he interacted with people. Now you don't know how to feel because I basically started the hardwiring for pity. Sorry… It was kind of a dirty trick. (he also does what he does for a reason. I'll let all of you sit on that one *cackles slightly evilly*)
~I'm glad you like the story! Thank you for taking the time to read it and to respond. I appreciate the insight into how people view Happenstance.
~Jace: I'll be honest. At first I wanted to be mad because I directly disagree with you. Then I really thought about it. Hard as hell. I thought about why you saw it this way and why you were getting this feeling. Finally I decided that I must have fucked up. Every character has reasons for what they do and for how they feel. They are about as 3D as I can possibly make them. They even go so far as to direct me to where the story goes. If what I was trying to convey with Jace's actions did not come across correctly then that is a fault on the writer. One of the things I love about fanfiction in general is that the author is not dead. I am able to interact and ask questions and give answers. So I ask you this Reginaldthelion: When were you thinking "come on man"? When did he make dumb decisions? What is the right decision? I ask this because the more I can see into how you see Jace, the better I can write him and the more accurately I can write my characterization of him that my readers pick up on. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I'm going to be completely overhauling this story with the continuity and betaing that it deserves once I finish it. CH13 Jace is going on my list!
AN:
Review (they make my day), vote on my poll (because this is the control I give you so please use it),
If you want to be a beta for me for any of my stories let me know. I really need one for Run Together, My Family because it's completely different from any story I've written before. It would literally be you reading it and telling me if it makes sense.
If you are interested in co-authoring with me on Sense 8 but TMI let me know. I'm trying so desperately to get this off the ground lol.
See you guys for ch 15 sometime in the future! Woot woot.