Fourteenth One Shot
Robbery
Jace POV:
When I walk into the bank there is a long line. I sigh and make my way over and stand behind a tiny redhead. The line slowly inched closer and closer to the teller and before I know it the redhead is speaking.
"Name please?" The teller says.
"Clarissa Morgenstern." She replies and the teller starts typing. The next thing I hear is a bunch of men yelling at us to get down. Clarissa and I lean down and put our backs against the desk and the men start to circulate the bank.
They stop in front of us, but they are looking directly at her. He smiles and leans down and starts to rub the barrel of the gun around her face and she shutters.
"What's your name baby?" He asks and she freezes. He slams the barrel of the gun against her temple. "I asked for you name bitch."
"Please." I start. "Please don't hurt her."
"Is this your boyfriend sweetheart?"
"Husband." I say and she looks at me, but plays along.
"So husband, what's your name?"
"Jonathan." I say, not trusting to give my nickname.
"Jonathan, what is your pretty little wife's name?"
"Clarissa." I say and I see her eyes widen for a moment before they go back to normal.
"I don't see any rings on your fingers." He says as he grabs her hand.
"We just got married. They needed to be resized, and we haven't picked them up from the jeweler." She says and I'm glad because I know nothing about rings.
"Give me your purse." He says and she hands it over. He starts searching through her bag until he finds her wallet. He grabs it, and looks inside and smiles. "I'll be taking this." He says before looking back for his boys. "You guys ready?" They nod. "It was nice meeting you sweetheart." He said as he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. I couldn't help but feel angered by this action. Once they all left I looked towards her.
"Let me see your head." I said as she turned her body towards me and I checked out her temple. "It doesn't look too bad. Does your head hurt?"
"A little. Thank you for doing that."
"Of course." Just as I said that the police showed up. They looked around as saw her bleeding and came over to us.
"Ma'am are you okay?" The one officer said.
"Yea. Just the barrel of a gun to my temple." She smiled.
"There is an EMT outside, I'd like him to have a look at it." She nodded and the officer walked away to asses the rest of the scene. I helped her up and led her out to the ambulance. The good news was she didn't need stitches, just a cut on the side of her head. She thanked the EMT and she got up.
"Is there somewhere I can drop you off at?" I asked her.
"Sure. My apartment is just a couple blocks that way." She says as she points to the left.
"I don't think that's a good idea. They took your wallet. They have your address."
"Shit."
"Do you have any family here?"
"No. I live here alone." She says and I think about what I can't do. Than an idea hit me.
"Why don't you come back to my place? We'll tell the police that you're scared to go back to your place and maybe they can monitor it for a couple days, and see if they try and do anything."
"But we don't know each other."
"Well, how about I cook you some dinner, and we can change that." I say and she smiles at me.
"That sound pretty perfect." She says and she smiles at me, and it's absolutely beautiful. I lead her to my car and make my way to my place. When we pull up she looks a little confused. We get into the building and get into the elevator and hit PH. "You live in the penthouse?" She asks and I just nod. We finally get to the floor and I open the door and she looks around in awe.
"Is there any food you won't eat?"
"Eggs. Other than that, I'll eat pretty much anything."
"How does pasta sound?"
"Perfect." She smiles and I lead her to the living room.
"Get comfy, I'll start dinner." She nods and I make my way into the kitchen. 30 minutes later dinner is ready and we're sitting at the table eating. "So, all I know is your name is Clarissa."
"Clary." She interrupts. "The only person who ever called me Clarissa was my father when he beat me." She says and I'm taken aback, and her eyes widen as she realizes what she just said. "Oh my god. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say that."
"It's okay. We all have scars." I say as I lift up my sleeve and show her my scars.
"Self inflicted? Or not?"
"Definitely not."
"I'm so sorry Jonathan." She says.
"Jace. My mother was the only one who ever called me Jonathan." I told her and she nodded. "So Clary, what do you do for a living?"
"I'm an artist. A struggling one, but an artist nonetheless. What about you?"
"I'm an accountant for the Lightwood Law Firm."
"That sounds kinda boring." She says as she laughs.
"I like math. I've always been a numbers guy, and being an accountant fit with that."
"At least you love your job."
"Very true. My parents wanted me to be a doctor, but I can't stand the sight of blood." I confessed and she laughed. She was really cute when she laughed.
"Me either. I can't even watch Grey's Anatomy without feeling sick to my stomach."
"When my parents found out they were pissed, but as you see, I'm doing okay for myself."
"Okay? This place could hold like 5 of my apartments inside."
"I don't live here alone. The firm I work for, I'm best friends with the families son and daughter, and I'm the legal guardian of my sister. They share this place with me."
"How old is she?"
"She's one. I didn't want her growing up in that house. I went to court and fought for custody when she was only 3 months old, and won."
"That was really sweet of you."
"She doesn't need to be exposed to that, and I'll be damned if anyone ever laid a hand on her." She nodded. "What about you?"
"A brother. He's a lot older than me. He's like a mini Valentine, my father. He's just as cold and unforgiving."
"What about your mother?"
"Died when I was 5."
"That's horrible."
"It was bad. My father didn't start getting violent until I was about 11. But he was never nice. I was him and my brothers little slave. They made me do everything for them. It was awful."
"That sounds terrible." She starts playing with her food. I was about to say something when the door opened.
"Jace!" I heard Izzy call. "We're back and Renee is hungry!" She walks into the kitchen and stops dead in her tracks. "Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had company." She puts Renee on the ground and she runs over to me and I pick her up.
"Izzy, this is Clary, Clary this is Izzy."
"It's nice to meet you." Clary said and Izzy smiled. I looked back at Renee and she was nothing but smiles. She looked around and her eyes landed on Clary and she wiggled out of my arms and made her way over to Clary. She looked up at her for a couple seconds before she reached her arms up. Clary laughed and picked her up and she made herself at home on her lap.
"I've never seen her warm up to somebody so fast." Izzy says. "What brings you here Clary?"
"Uh.." She starts and looks at me.
"Clary, could you do me a favor and go change Renee into some comfier clothes, I need to talk to Izzy. Her room is the fourth door on the left." She nods and stands up with Renee. When she's walking away, Renee lifts her head up and waves at me, and I wave back. Once she's gone I look at Izzy. "So I was at the bank today, and it was robbed. The one man was asking Clary her name and touching her face with the gun and I may have told him that we were married. He took her wallet which had her license, which had her address, and she didn't want to risk them trying to come back, so I offered her a place to stay."
"Wow. That's so scary Jace. Are you okay?"
"I'm perfectly fine. Clary on the other hand got the barrel of the gun smacked against her temple."
"Oh my god." Izzy said and I was about to say something when I heard Renee giggle. I looked over and Clary was carrying her back to the living room. I looked back at Izzy and just smiled, reassuring her that I was okay.
"Hey Clary, I was wondering, do you have to go into an office for your job?"
"No. Unfortunately there isn't a building for struggling artists to congregate and cry over their failures yet. Hopefully sometime in the near future there will be though." She says and Izzy bursts out laughing. Clary and I both look at her and she's clutching her stomach laughing. Finally she calms down and looks at us.
"That was hilarious." She says as she is still calming herself down.
"Would you mind watching Renee while you're here? I wouldn't normally ask but I've notice her coughing lately and I'd rather her stay here than take her to the daycare while I work."
"Of course." She smiles and Renee jumps back into her lap.
"Alright, it's dinner time for you Renee and than its bath time!" I say and she starts jumping around. I pick her up and give her some pasta and she eats all of it before I lead her to the bathroom. In the middle of her bath I notice that I forgot a towel. I look around and see that we're all out of towel.
"Clary!" I call and a moment later she's in the bathroom. "I forgot a towel, would you mind getting me one from the laundry room?" She nods and heads across the hall to grab one and she's back a minute later. She hands me the towel and starts to leave when Renee grabs her hand wanting her to stay. Clary just smiles and nods sitting down beside me while I finish washing Renee.
Once bath time is over I grab Renee and start to put her in her favorite footie pajamas. She's running around the penthouse laughing and I couldn't help but smile knowing that I had saved her from a life of misery. She ran right into Clary's arms and hugged her super tight. It was honestly the most adorable thing I've ever seen. Renee was picky when it came to people, so the fact that she bonded so quickly with Clary told me that Clary was a good person.
Clary sat down on the couch with Renee on her lap, I turned on the tv and watched her daily goodnight program, and halfway through I noticed that both Clary and Renee were both fast asleep. They looked so peaceful. Renee has her head resting on Clary's chest while Clary had her arms secured around her back and under her butt so that she didn't move an inch.
I tried to pick up Renee without disturbing Clary but that little girl didn't want to let her go. After a good 10 minute battle with the one year old, I finally got her to release Clary and take her to bed. After tucking her in I went back out into the living room and Clary was still sleeping. I scooped her up bridal style and led her to one of the guest rooms. I had asked Izzy for some PJ's earlier and they were laid out on the dresser. I figured I wouldn't wake her up if she was comfy but as soon as I put her down she started to stir awake.
"Jace?" She questioned and I just put a stray hair behind her ear.
"Yea. I'm right here."
"What time is it?" She asked as she rubbed her eyes.
"Almost 10. I had Izzy leave you some PJ's, they're on top of the dresser when you want to change."
"Thank you. I was wondering, after you get home from work can we go back to my place so I can grab some things? I really don't feel safe going there alone."
"Of course. I'll have Izzy take over Renee duties when she gets home."
"Thank you. For everything Jace." She leaned up and kissed my cheek before grabbing the clothes and disappearing into the bathroom. I say there for a moment trying to figure out the feeling k got when she kissed my cheek. After a minute or two I made my way back to my room with my mind flooded of images of Clary, and everything that happened today.
Clary POV:
Today I was watching Renee and I had to say, she was an easy baby to watch. After breakfast we played with her toys for a little before she looked like she was getting pale so I put her back into her PJ's and we cuddled on the couch and watched movies, I looked down and saw Renee sleeping, and I tried to stay awake, but I felt my eyelids drooping and before I knew it I was in the endless dreamland that was filled with images of Jace and everything he's done for me.
Jace POV:
When work was finally done I was on my way home. I was excited to go back and see Clary, and I never thought that was possible. Renee was the only girl I ever needed in my life, but when I started to get to know Clary, she started meaning a lot more to me than I initially thought.
I opened the door and heard the faint sound of the TV on. When I got into the living room I saw the cutest thing in the world. Renee and Clary were cuddled on the couch sleeping with the TV on in the background. I walked over and placed a kiss on Renee's forehead and realized that it was slightly hot. I placed a kiss on Clary's forehead before getting the thermometer and started to wake them up.
Clary stirred awake and looked up at a me and smiled.
"Hey."
"Hey. She feels a little warm. I'm gonna take her temperature and put her in her room." I say and she nods. After finally getting the thermometer into her mouth, it beeped and when I looked at it, it read 100. "Okay, she's sick. I'm gonna take her to her room and hopefully she can sleep until dinner." I pick Renee up and place her in her crib. I turn the baby monitor on and head back into the living room. When I got back out Izzy was there.
"Hey Jace, Clary says that I'm on Renee duty?"
"Yea. Clary wants to grab things from her place but doesn't feel safe enough so I'm going to go with her, and Renee has a fever, so if in about two hours if we aren't back, could you take it again. I gave her medicine but I want to monitor the temp."
"Of course." She says and grabs the baby monitor before disappearing into her own room. I look at Clary and smiled.
"You ready?" I ask and she nods.
When we get to her place, I'm a little upset that Clary had to live in this place. I felt for her safety, and I couldn't help but wish she didn't have to live here. When we got up to her floor she walked down to her door and realized it was broken. When she opened it, her whole place was trashed. I looked around and saw beautiful painting with holes in them, and ripped apart. I looked at Clary, and she looked completely broken.
When we walked into her room her clothes were scattered all across her room. When she bent down to grab some clothing she realized that there were holes in everything. She sunk down on her knees and started to cry. I bent down next to her and rubbed her back and brought her into my chest. A couple minutes later she calmed down.
"They ruined all my clothes, and all the paintings. I can't believe they did this to me." She said as she grabbed more of her torn up clothes.
"I'll buy you a whole new wardrobe Clary." She looked up at me.
"I can't let you do that Jace."
"I'm offering Clary. I have more than enough money. My parents might be horrible people but I have a rather large trust fund that I won't even touch, but you can have as much of their money as you want."
"Jace I could not use your parents money." She said as I lifted up my shirt and turned my back towards her and she gasped.
"My mother liked to use me as an ashtray, take all the money you want from her. I couldn't careless. You have nothing left here Clary, and I want to help you. Stay with me, buy a new wardrobe, and more art supplies. Those paintings were amazing Clary, and what those men did was a horrible thing. Don't let them win." I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and smiled at her.
"Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. I have enough room for you, I have enough money to help you, and I don't think you can leave after Renee attached herself to you." She laughed and I couldn't help but smile.
"Thank you. Thank you so much Jace." She flung her arms around my neck and I pulled her against me. We stayed like that for a moment and I couldn't help but feel sad when we parted. She walked over to her dresser and opened a secret compartment in her drawer.
"What's that?"
"The last thing I have of my mother. It's a necklace she always used to wear. Before I left home, I stole it from my father. I didn't put it on yesterday morning, and I couldn't help but think that if they did come back, they could possibly find it. I'm so glad they didn't." She clasped the necklace around her neck and sighed. "Can we go talk to my landlord and tell her I'm not coming back?" I nodded, and motioned for her to come on. She walked over to me and laced our hands together. I smiled and we made our way out of her apartment and down two floors to her landlord. She knocked and the door opened.
"Clary, what are you doing here?" An elderly lady asked.
"I came here to tell you I'm not coming back. My apartment was broken into and completely trashed and I don't feel safe anymore."
"Oh dear. I'm so sorry sweetie. I'll have the janitor in there immediately. Is there anything you want us to keep?"
"No. Just get rid of it all." She said and the old lately smiled. Clary turned in her last key and we walked away.
When we got back to my house Clary collapsed on the couch and sighed. I felt so bad for her. She just lost everything, and she just looked so sad. I went to make dinner hoping that I was doing enough to help you out.
Clary POV:
While I sat on the couch, and Jace was in the kitchen cooking dinner, I couldn't help but wonder why he was being so generous to me. I mean, we met yesterday. And he's already given me so much. I was pulled out of my thoughts when I heard crying. I walked down the hall and into Renee's room and she was standing in her crib crying. I walked over and picked her up, grabbed her binkie and she laid her head on my shoulder and started to calm down. I rocked her back and forth and finally she was falling back asleep. She had her one hand death gripped on my shirt, so it was impossible to put her down. I laughed to myself until I heard a voice behind me.
"I think she loves you more than me." I turned around and saw Jace leaning against the door frame.
"Not possible. Your her brother, she's required to love you more." I say as I walk over towards him.
"Still, Izzy was right last night, I've never seen her warm up to someone so quickly. She's normally very skeptical of strangers."
"I'm flattered that she likes me so much."
"Does she feel any better?" He asked as I leaned down and kissed her forehead.
"Slightly cooler than earlier."
"Good. I hate when she doesn't feel good. It breaks my heart." He says and my heart melts. He's a such an amazing guy, and I knew that I would be forever in his debt after this.
"What should I do? She won't let go." I said as I pointed to her little hand clutching my shirt.
"Bring her with you. I only put her in the crib because I thought she'd sleep better, but if she's more comfortable on you, I'm all for it." I nod, and we both start walking towards the living room. I take a seat on the couch and grab the remote and start flipping through channels until I land on a movie. I grab a blanket and put it over me and Renee, and get comfy as she sleeps.
25 minutes later Jace came back into the living room and joined me on the couch. He grabbed a side of the blanket and joined me under it. He placed his arm around my shoulders and I couldn't help but lean into him.
"Dinner will be ready in 45 minutes." He says and I nod and lean my head back on his shoulder.
As I lay there I can't help but start to fall asleep.
The next thing I know I'm waking up, and notice that I'm completely laying down while Renee is sprawled out on my chest. I rub my eyes and at that exact moment Renee wakes up. She looks at me and smiles and I can't help but smile back.
"Hey sweet pea, feeling better?" I ask and she just giggles. I notice that both of our clothes are soaked, which means her fever broke. Just as I was about to get up Jace came back into the room.
"Good. You're up. Dinner is ready."
"Okay. I'll be right there. Her fever broke and our clothes are all wet." I said as he looked at our clothes and just smiled.
"I'll get your plates ready. Just join me when you're ready. Also, can you wake Izzy up from her nap?" I nod and make my way to Izzy's room. I knock and after a moment I open the door. I walk over to Izzy and rub her back until she stirs.
"Hey Iz, dinner is ready." She moans and gets up and rubs her eyes.
"Thanks." She says and I nod and walk away. I go into Renee's room and put her in a pair of sweats and a shirt, and than change my shirt before walking back to the kitchen.
I give Jace Renee and he gives her a kiss on the cheek and than puts her in her high chair.
Dinner went by quickly and it was really funny to watch Renee eat. She was using her fingers, and she hit Jace in the face with her food, and Izzy and I couldn't stop laughing.
"Alright Renee, it's bath time!" Jace said and she started crying. "Come on Renee, you're all messy." He said as he picked her up. She immediately reached for me and I looked at Jace and he smiled. "You can give her a bath if you want. I need a shower myself." He said and I smiled as I grabbed Renee. I got her in the tub and washed her off. She was so cute, she loved the bubbles and splashing around. When she was done I wrapped her in a towel and started towards her room. I looked down at her for a split before bumping into something, or someone. When I looked up there was a wet Jace, and he was wearing nothing but a towel. My cheeks immediately reddened. Renee giggled as Jace kissed her cheek. "Thank you for giving her a bath."
"No problem. She's very entertaining."
"That she is." He said as he walked into the laundry room and I went into Renee's room. I put her in her adorable pink footie pajamas, and she still didn't want to let me go. I picked her back up and when we or into the living room there were two men that I've never seen before. I put Renee down and she ran into the arms of the one with jet black hair and bright blue eyes.
"Clary, this is Alec, Izzy's brother, and his boyfriend Magnus."
"Nice to meet you both." I say as they both look at me.
"Clary is staying with us for a little while."
"Why?" Alec said sounded less than thrilled.
"Long story short, we were both hostages in a bank robbery, they stole her wallet, she was scared to go home, she's staying here."
"Shouldn't she be fine by now though?"
"No. We went back to her apartment today, totally destroyed. Her paintings were ripped apart, her clothes were all cut, everything was trashed."
"Oh my god. Do you know what this means?!" Izzy yelled! "Shopping!"
"I already told her I'd pay for her new wardrobe, so go crazy Iz." Jace said and her smiled got wider.
"This is so exciting! We'll go tomorrow and we won't stop until you can't stand anymore!" She said and I just laughed.
"I just came back to get some things. Magnus and I are going out of town this weekend."
"Alright man. Have a good weekend." Jace says as he grabs Renee. He makes his way over to the couch where Renee cuddles up on his chest. Izzy starts planning the whole shopping day and I go over and join Jace on the couch. Somehow I feel like this whole robbery thing was the best thing that's happened to me.
Time jump- Three Months Later
Clary POV:
I have been staying with Jace for the past three months and it was amazing. I felt like I belonged there, and I felt like I finally had a family, and I haven't felt that way in years. The worst part about staying with Jace was that I was drowning in the sexual tension. I liked Jace, a lot. And we would flirt back and forth and we've almost kissed a couple time but we've been interrupted. It was killing me to not know exactly how he felt.
It was a Friday and I was watching Renee, it became a schedule for us. On Monday and Friday's I stayed home and watched her. I absolutely loved doing it. She was the sweetest and so easy to watch. When 4:45 rolled around Jace finally came home. As soon as the door opened Renee went running.
"Dada!" She shouted and I couldn't help but smile. The first time she called Jace dada we were all shocked. But Jace was her father, and he said when she was older he would explain, but for all intents and purposes, Jace was always going to be her father. He scooped down and picked her up.
"Hey cutie. Were you a good girl for Clary?" She giggled and nodded, and he looked at me and cracked a smile. "Let's go out to dinner. Alec is with Magnus, and Izzy has a date tonight." I nodded and put on my shoes and we headed out.
When we got to the restaurant Jace put Renee in the high hair and gave her some crayons. Five minutes later the waiter came over to take our order.
"What can I get for you guys?" He said as he eyed me up. I looked over at Jace and he looked angry by the waiters wondering eyes.
"I'll have a water, and the little one will have apple juice." Jace said and the waiter wrote it down, and his eyes never left my chest. I mean, finding someone attractive is one thing, but flat out staring was another thing, and I didn't like it, so I decided to have some fun with it.
"Do you have any organic drinks?" I asked and the waiters eyes finally looked at my eyes and he looked confused.
"Excuse me?"
"Organic drinks. It's better for the baby." I said as my hand went to my stomach. He looked down and back at me and than over to Jace. Jace smirked and waved, and the waiter looked back at me. "No? I guess I'll just have water. Thank you." He muttered something and walked away and Jace and I couldn't help but laugh.
"That was great."
"He was creeping me out, I thought it was the best way to get him less interested." He laughed and I couldn't help but see the glimmer on how eye.
The waiter left me alone for the rest of our dinner, which I was thankful for. Renee was an absolute angel until the very end. She started to have a meltdown and threw her cup on the ground. The hostess picked it up for us, and told us how cute Renee was and walked away. The waiter came back with our bill and looked less than pleased. I stood up to grab Renee and the waiter was watching the whole thing so I did the only thing I could think of.
"Hey, I'm gonna take Renee to the car, maybe it'll calm her down." I said as I picked her up. I leaned down and pecked him on the lips, which he looked surprised by but he accepted it. I walked outside and started rocking Renee and she started to calm down. I stood there rocking her for a couple minutes before Jace walked out. He walked directly over to be, put his hands on both of my cheeks and smashed out lips together. I was shocked but had to keep it together because I was carrying Renee. We stood there kissing until we heard Renee giggling. We broke apart and smiled.
"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that." He says as he leans his forehead against mine.
"Me either. I thought we'd never get the opportunity." I said and he laughed.
"I want to take you out on a date. Without Renee." He said and the little girl giggled.
"I would love that." I said as Renee cuddled closer to me. "Come on, let's go home." He smiles and takes my hand and we make our way to his car. On our ride home I couldn't help but smile at how happy I was with my life.
Time Jump - Renee's Second Birthday
Jace POV:
Renee's second birthday was coming up and I didn't want to throw her a party, but she was really into turtles, so Alec, Magnus, Clary, Izzy, and her boyfriend Simon were going to make the penthouse look like a pond and dress her up like a turtle.
Clary was watching Renee today so I could get some last minute things, including her little turtle outfit. When I got into the store I went back to where the costumes were and found one that looked like it would fit her. When I got to the register, the girl working put on what I assume would be a sexy smile and started twirling her hair.
"Find everything okay sir?" She said as she rung me up.
"Yea. Just picking this up for my daughters birthday." I say, because no matter what, Renee is my daughter.
"How old will she be?" She smiles at me again and I just want to get out of there.
"Two."
"Aw. They are so cute at that age."
"Yea. She's a little energizer bunny. I don't know how my girlfriend handles her sometimes, I get tired after a couple hours running after her." I can see her facial expression change, but a fake smile soon crosses her face.
"Have a great day."
"You too." I smile at her and walk back out to my car. I make my way home and when I open the door there is no noise which is odd. I make my way into the living room but Renee and Clary are not there. I start walking through the house when I notice my bedroom door is closed, when I open it I see Clary and Renee cuddled up on my bed sleeping. I smile and make my way in my room, put the costume down, take off my shoes, and join them in bed. When I scoot closer to them I spoon Clary and I feel her wiggle her way back to get even closer. I give her a kiss on the back of her shoulder and place my hand on Renee's and close my eyes. These two were my family. I just knew it.
Izzy POV:
When I got home today it was unnaturally quiet. Normally this house would be filled with Renee's giggles, or Clary's singing, or the smell of Jace's cooking, but today it was completely silent. I walked through the whole place and they weren't anywhere to be found. I finally decided to check Jace's room and when I opened the door I gasped and I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. Jace, Clary and Renee were all cuddled in bed sleeping. I took out my phone and snapped a picture because this family moment was way too cute to pass up.
Clary and Jace had been together for almost a year now, and honestly I knew from the moment I saw Clary and Jace interact that they were going to end up together. The way he looked at her, man it was something I longed for. About six months ago we were all sitting at the dinner table having our weekly family dinners and Renee called Clary mama. Clearly it had happened before because Clary was the only one not shocked by it. From that moment on, I knew Jace and Clary were going to be it for each other.
I walked back out to the kitchen, looked around and decided to order pizza. 15 minutes later Jace walked out and I couldn't help but smile at him.
"Why are you so happy Iz?" He says and I just smile even wider.
"Because you, Clary and Renee are the cutest family in the world."
"She is great with Renee isn't she?" He says and he smiles.
"Great? That girl deserves a medal. Renee is a saint. She listens to everything, she says please and thank you, and when she doesn't get her way she simply accepts it and continues like nothing happened. I know a lot of two year olds that would throw a fit in her position."
"I mean, we don't really deny her a lot."
"No, but she knows that when you or Clary says no, you both mean no. And she doesn't try to bend your arm to get you to change your answer." He smiles and I know it's a genuine smile because when it comes to Clary and Renee, he was his absolute happiest. I was about to continue when I saw Clary and Renee walk in. Renee ran to Jace and he picked her up and kissed her cheek. Clary walked over and he pulled her into his side and gave a sweet peck on the lips. Their relationship was perfect, and I can only hope Simon and I reach that level of happiness one day. "Alright, there is pizza in the kitchen."
"Thanks for getting dinner Iz." Clary said. "I was suppose to start dinner but Renee didn't take her nap when she was supposed to today and she refused to go down unless we were in our bed and I was laying with her and I guess I was tired too. But when did you join us?" She looks up at Jace and he smiles.
"Maybe an hour and a half ago. I came in and looked everywhere for you guys and when I found you I couldn't pass up the opportunity." he said as she leaned into his side and than I realized how much was still left to do.
"I'll be in my room if you guys need anything. I have last minute decorations that need to be finished!" I said as I skipped to my room. Renee's birthday was going to be amazing, and I couldn't wait to celebrate it!
Time Jump - Six Months Later
Clary POV:
Jace and Alec had gone out for the day so Izzy, Renee and I were having a girls day. I was currently with Renee in the living room while Izzy took a shower. There was a knock on the door, and when I went to answer it my blood ran cold.
"Clarissa." My father said.
"W-what are you doing here? How did you find me?"
"You stupid girl. You think I don't have people all over the country. I knew you'd show up eventually. I didn't expect it to take 6 years, but I've come to collect you."
"I'm not going with you." I said and he raised a gun to my forehead.
"You'll come with me." He said as he moved the gun in Renee's direction. "Or the little one gets hurt." I swallowed and nodded. He pressed the gun into the back of my head as I looked at Renee.
"I love you baby girl." I said and she started wailing. "I love you so much okay?"
"Mama." She was crying and Izzy came running out. When she saw what was happening she gasped. I looked at her and mouthed 'my father' and her eyes widened. My father grabbed my arm and started pulling me.
"I love you Renee, and your dada." Was the last thing I got out before my father put a cloth over my mouth and nose and I passed out.
Jace POV:
When Alec and I got back to our place something was definitely off. When we walked inside there were police officers around Izzy and Renee. Renee was balling her eyes out, Izzy looked frazzled, and Clary was nowhere to be seen. Renee finally saw me and ran right into me and I picked her up and hugged her close.
"What's wrong Renee?" I asked and she started to calm down.
"Mama. Bad man." She said and I was confused. I looked at Izzy and she looked so sad.
"What happened Izzy?"
"Her father came by. When I came out he was holding a gun to her head and he dragged her out of here."
"Do we have any leads?" I asked the policeman.
"Not yet sir. But Valentine Morgenstern is a dangerous man. We know what he's capable of, but we don't know how far he'll go with his own daughter."
"Don't put anything past him. He used to beat her." I said and Izzy and Alec gasped.
"Do you know what methods he used?" The police officer asked.
"I know he used to chain her to a wall for several days before he would whip her. He would slap her, or punch her sometimes too. She always said he would threaten to brand her with his name but I don't think he ever actually did it." He nodded and wrote that down.
"Alright. We'll let you know if we find anything."
"Thank you." I say and the officers leave. Renee is still completely distraught. She hasn't had to spend a day without Clary in awhile, so this was new territory for her. After she calmed down she ended up falling asleep. I put her on the couch so that I could start dinner.
"So." I hear from behind me, and I look to see Izzy. "What did you need to do today?" She asked and I couldn't help but smile and toss the small box towards her. She catches it, opens it and screams. "Oh my god! This is so exciting!"
"It would be if she wasn't missing." I say and I see the light leave Izzy's eyes.
"They'll find her Jace. I know they will."
"You don't know that Iz. The things Valentine did to her, I'm surprised she survived for all those years ago. And she ran away from him. I can only imagine it being worse this time around." I said and she looked sad but looked back at me with a fire in her eyes.
"We know how strong Clary is. She'll survive. I know she will."
"And how do you know?"
"Because she has you and Renee. The last thing she said before she was dragged out of her was that she loved Renee, and you. She would never leave you guys."
I nodded and finished getting dinner ready and made my way out to wake Renee up. Getting her to eat was hard. She was so incredibly sad she didn't want to eat, and I couldn't blame her, I was barely eating myself. When I realized that she wasn't going to eat anymore, I picked her up and took her for her bath. She was so sad and I just couldn't help but feel so bad for her. The rest of the night was spent on the couch cuddled together. When it was bed time she didn't want to leave my side and I didn't want to sleep alone. I've grown so used to having Clary in my bed that sleeping without her was going to be weird. I just hope that they find her alive, because I don't know what I'd do without her.
Time Jump - One Month Later
Jace POV:
I was pulled out of my sleep by the phone ringing. I dragged myself out of bed wondering who would be calling in the middle of the night. It had been a month since Clary was taken and I haven't been sleeping well at all. I picked up the phone and answered.
"Hello?" I asked trying to wake up.
"Jace Herondale?"
"Yes?"
"We found her." He said and my heart stopped.
"Is she okay?"
"She's currently at Riverton Hospital. She was found in really bad shape."
"Am I allowed to see her?"
"Yes, but she might be a little skittish. So be careful."
"Thank you so much." I said and I hung up. I debated on whether to wake up Renee, but decided I'd bring her because Clary would want to see her.
Not even 20 minutes later we were at the hospital. Renee was still half asleep, but honestly all I cared about right now was seeing Clary. I got to the nurses station and asked for Clary and they told me she was in room 118. When I got to the room I took a deep breath before entering and when I opened the door I let out a deep breath.
"Clary." I said and she looked over at me and smiled. I walked right over and pulled her into a hug. She winced but I knew she probably needed this hug as much as I did. "I'm so glad you're okay."
"I tried my hardest to stay alive for you guys." She said as she rubbed Renee's back.
"I love you so much Clary."
"I love you too." She says and even though it's not the perfect timing I've been waiting for so long to ask.
"Marry me Clary." I said and she sucked in a breath.
"Jace." She whispered but I cut her off.
"That's where I went the day you were taken. I was getting your ring. I was planning on asking you that night but everything happened. I love you Clary and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
"I would love to marry you." She said and I pulled her into a kiss. Renee finally woke up and when she rubbed her eyes, they immediately locked with Clary and she got the biggest smile on her face.
"Mama!" She yelled and launched herself at Clary. Clary immediately wrapped her arms around Renee and she started to cry.
"Hey sweet pea. I missed you so much." Clary said and she gave her a kiss. Renee started giggling, and I couldn't help but laugh along. We were finally all back together and it felt amazing.
"How long are you here?" I asked as Clary made room for me on the bed.
"They want to keep me over night, check me again in the morning, and if everything looks good I'll be discharged. I had a lot of surface bruises and cuts. I think they said nothing was internally damaged except maybe a few bruised ribs."
"Mind if we stay the night?" I asked and she laughed.
"I would love for you to stay the night." She said and I grabbed Renee so she wasn't crushing Clary's ribs. Clary slowly drifted off to sleep, and I could help but be so thankful that she was safe and we were all back together again.
Time Jump - Ten Years Later
Jace POV:
The past ten years have been absolutely amazing. Renee was now 12, and not too long after we were married did Clary give birth to our twins, Even and Mallory. They were the cutest, Mallory had my blonde hair, but Even was a redhead like Clary.
I decided today to tell Renee about our family. She was asking a lot of questions about our family tree because of a project in school and I thought she was old enough to hear. When Clary picked her up at school and they came home the nerves hit me. Clary looked at me and I nodded.
"Even, Mallory, can you two go to your room please. Your father and I need to talk with Renee." Clary said and they agreed and disappeared into their rooms. Renee looked worried as she sat across from me.
"What's going on dad?" She asked and I took a deep breath.
"You've had a lot of questions about our family tree recently, and I think you're old enough to know the truth." I said and she looked at me with a confused expression. "I'm not your father, I'm actually your brother."
"What?"
"When you were three months old when I fought our parents for custody of you."
"Why?"
"They weren't very nice." I said as I lifted up my shirt. She gasped and I could see tears fill her eyes. "I didn't want you to grow up the same way I did. I wanted a better life for you. I knew once mom had you that I was going to do everything in my power to get you out of that house and raise you."
"So, your my older brother, which makes mom my sister-in-law?" I nod and I can see her taking it all in. After a couple minutes of silence she speaks again. "You two will always be my mom and dad. I don't care who gave birth to me. You two were there for me, and loved me like I was yours."
"You are ours Renee. From the moment I met you, I knew you were my daughter." Clary said and I wrapped my arms around her.
"I love you both. Knowing who my real parents are isn't going to change that." She said and I stood up and hugged her.
"I love you cutie." I said and she laughed at the nickname I've called her since she was little.
"I love you too dad." She said as she pulled away. Clary was next to hug her.
"I love you sweet pea." Clary said as she started to cry.
"I love you too mom." She said and I grabbed both my girls and pulled them into a hug.
"What's going on?" I heard Mallory say and we turned around and they were both standing there.
"Mom and dad were just letting me know that I'm their favorite." She said and we all started laughing.
"Highly unlikely. I'm the only boy, so I'm clearly dads favorite." Evan said and I couldn't help but pull Clary into my side as we listened to our children argue about who was our favorite. I leaned down and kisses Clary on the temple.
"I love you." I said and she looked up at me and smiled.
"I love you too." She said as she pecked my cheek and cuddled into my side. The life we built together was perfect, and we knew that no matter what obstacles got in our way, we'd over come them, because that's what we always did.
Authors Note:
I am so sorry it took me so long to update! This past week hasn't been a good week for me emotionally, so I took some time to just let myself grieve. Anyway, this one shot was requested by Sammywrites, and I have to say, this one was really fun to write! I enjoyed it a lot! Now, I go back to college in about a week and a half so my updates will be less frequent but I will try my best to write every single story suggestion! Let me know what you all think, and if you have an idea send me a message or leave a review! :)
