Fifty Second One Shot:

Intruder

Clary POV:

All the kids were getting in for the day and I was setting up the classroom. I loved being a preschool teacher. It was truly the most rewarding job in the world, and I loved my kids. When they were in my care I was their protector, and their nurturer, and I took that really seriously. I was waiting for one more kid when there was a knock on the door. I went over and was greeted by the principle.

"Hello Mrs. Penhallow, what can I do for you?" I said and she brought me into the hallway.

"Last minute problem, Mr. Halloway came down with the flu and we didn't have enough time to find a sub so we're splitting the kids up among the other 3 preschool classrooms, can you take 5 kids?" She asked.

"Of course I can." I said and she smiled.

"Great, I'll go get them." She said and I went back into my classroom.

"Alright kids, everyone take your seat in your chair, we have a few kids from the other class coming in and we'll start soon." I said.

"Okay Miss. Fray." They all said and I smiled. A few moments later there was a knock followed by Mrs. Penhallow and 5 kids.

"Miss. Fray, these are the five kids. We have George, McKenna, Dean, Rebecca, and Oliver. Kids, this is Miss. Fray, she'll be your teacher today." The kids looked really shy so I bent down on front of them.

"Hi guys, I know this is a new classroom for you today, but I promise you're going to have a lot of fun." I said and they all nodded. "I have a table set up for you guys right over there." I said as I pointed. "Why don't you go put your backpacks down and take a seat." I said. They all nodded and made their way to table and I stood back up.

"Thank you for this Clary, I wish we had a sub ready in the building today but we don't." She said and I smiled.

"It's no problem Mrs. Penhallow." I said and she smiled. She left and I made my way to the front of the room. "Alright kids, we have 5 new friends today, and we're going to do everything we can to make them feel at home in our room today!" I said and everyone nodded. "Alright, we're going to start with our daily color session!" I said and every cheered. "Today we are coloring a picture of a Christmas ornament, or holiday decoration." I said and I started going around giving them pictures.

During their color session I went around to see how they were doing. They were really cute when they colored. They were trying to hard to stay inside the lines, and I could really tell that they wanted them to look nice. After the color session we had a little playtime followed by circle time and than it was naptime. Everyone laid down on their mats and I sat at the desk catching up on some reading that I was doing when the phone in my room started to it. I ran towards it so that it wouldn't wake the kids up.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Clary, there is an intruder in the building. Hide the kids…..no please please don't hurt me." I heard followed by a gunshot. I immediately drop the phone and start waking up the kids.

"Hide. Go in the closet, in the bathroom, anywhere just hide please." I said and than I heard a cock of a gun.

"Now why would you want to do that?" I turned around and there he was, holding a gun and pointing it to McKenna.

"Please, don't hurt the kids." I said and he gave me a sinister smile.

"Why not? They aren't your kids." He said as he made his way closer to her. She was whimpering and I could tell she was scared.

"They are when they are here." I said and he laughed.

"You all don't care about kids. You're here for the money. You don't care what happens to these kids." He says.

"That's not true. I barely get paid. I'm here because I want to make a difference." I said as I tried to make my way closer to him.

"Stop lying." He said through gritted teeth. "My teachers didn't give a shit about me."

"I'm sure that's not true." I tried to reason with him.

"They never cared, and they were always singling me out. They tried to make my life as miserable as possible." He said.

"Than you didn't have the right teachers. I promise, all teachers aren't like that." I said as I inched closer. I just wanted to get McKenna away from him.

"Stop lying." He said as his voice got darker.

"Than hurt me. Don't hurt the kids. They had nothing to do with it." I said. He closed his eyes for a minutes and I bent down next to McKenna.

"Move!" He yelled when he saw me next to her. "Move, or I'll shot her." He said and I took a gamble. I picked McKenna and threw her across the room. Rage filled his eyes and I heard the gunshot, and a searing pain ripped through my abdomen. The next thing I heard was sirens. I looked up at the intruder and he ran away. I looked down at my stomach and put pressure on it as much as I could so that I had a chance of living.

"Miss. Fray." I heard and I looked over and saw McKenna. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. But I need you to go grab me some paper towels." I said and she nodded. A minute later I heard more gunshots and screaming. McKenna came back over and handed them to me. I put them on my wound and before I knew it there were more adults in the room. I was happy to know the kids were going to be safe, and I closed my eyes and passed out.

Jace POV:

I was sitting in my office finishing some paperwork that I had been putting off. It was really tedious and I just didn't feel like doing it, but I had nothing else to do today so I figured I'd get it over with. My phone started ringing and I was happy that it gave me a distraction from my work.

"Jace Herondale speaking." I answered.

"Mr. Herondale, I'm calling from Alicante Elementary School." She said and I immediately thought of my daughter.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

"There was a shooting today." She said and I think I nearly had a heart attack. "The intruder is no longer a threat. He was killed, but we would like you to come down to the school."

"I'll be right there." I said and I hung up the phone. I ran out of my office and nearly ran into Alec.

"Are you okay man?" He asked.

"There was a shooting at Alicante. Didn't you get a call?" I asked.

"Max was sick today. Magnus stayed home with him." Alec said.

"I have to go." I said and he nodded. I didn't bother to hear if he said anything to me. I got into my car and made my way to the school. When I got there it was a mad house. There were parents, and ambulances, and police officers. I didn't know what to think but I just needed my daughter. I walked up to someone and tapped them on the shoulder. "What happened?"

"Some intruder came in and started shooting. They haven't told us if anyone was killed, or injured." He said and I nodded.

"Are they releasing the students?" I asked.

"As of right now, I think they are trying to get everyone accounted for." He said and I nodded. I stood back and just waited for something to happen. I was pulled out of my thought when someone called my name.

"Jace!" I turned around and saw Kaelie running towards me. I wanted to roll my eyes because I didn't want to see her, but our daughter was at risk, and she had every right to be here.

"Hey." I said when she was close enough.

"Any word?" She asked and I shook my head. "Damn it." A moment later there was a bunch of chaos. I turned my attention and someone was being rushed into the ambulance. She was tiny, but didn't look like a student. After the ambulance left, a man walked over to the group of waiting parents.

"Hello parents, my name is Mr. Carstairs, and I am the Vice Principal of Alicante Elementary School. I am sorry about the wait but we had to assess the damage inside. No children were harmed, but there was one death, and two injuries. One to a teacher, and one of a police officer. Principal Penhallow was the only fatality." He said and I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders knowing no children were hurt. "They should be our momentarily." He said and walked away. A moment later the doors opened and children started coming out. I immediately spotted my baby and I ran towards her.

"Daddy!" She yelled and I bent down and she ran into my arms.

"Oh my god. Are you okay McKenna?" I asked.

"I'm fine daddy." She said and than Kaelie joined us.

"Oh baby, I was so worried." She said and gave her a kiss.

"I'm okay mommy. I scrapped my knee, but I'm fine." She said and I looked at her knee.

"How did you do that sweetheart?" I asked.

"Miss. Fray threw me across the room." She said and range filled me. I immediately walked over to the Vice Principal and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, my daughter told me a teacher threw her across the room. I would like to have a conversation with this woman." I said.

"Yea, we'll sue this place for throwing our daughter around like she's some rag doll." Kaelie chimed in.

"Who was her teacher?" The man asked.

"Miss. Fray." I said and he sighed.

"Miss. Fray has been rushed to the hospital." He said and my eyes widened. "What's your daughters name?"

"McKenna. She's supposed to be in Mr. Halloway's class." I said.

"Mr. Halloway called in sick with the flu and we didn't have enough time to find a sub, so we divided the class up. Miss. Fray is another preschool teacher." He explained.

"That doesn't excuse her behavior." Kaelie said.

"McKenna, can you tell me why Miss. Fray threw you across the room?" He asked.

"The man was pointing a gun at me." She said and I nearly dropped her. "Miss. Fray was trying to get him to hurt her instead of me. He closed his eyes for a second and Miss. Fray bent down next to me. He wasn't happy. She picked me up and threw me across the room and than he shot her." McKenna explained.

"Okay sweetie." He said and looked at me. "If Miss. Fray pulls through you may speak with her, but she saved your daughters life. A scrapped knee is a lot better than a bullet wound." He said and walked away. I looked at Kaelie and she still didn't look happy.

"I still want to sue her." She said and I rolled my eyes. "This school can't be serious. He isn't even going to punish her."

"She was shot saving our child Kaelie. She deserves a medal, not a lawsuit." I said.

"She still threw her." She said and I put McKenna down. She didn't need to hear this.

"Hey sweetie, I want you to get that looked at. Let's go over to the ambulance." She nodded and I walked over. I told the paramedic what happened and he agreed to clean up her knee. I walked back over to Kaelie.

"We aren't going to sue her because there is no reason to sue. She might not make it, and we owe her a lot. Because of her, our daughter is getting her knee cleaned off, not getting a bullet removed from her." I said and she rolled her eyes. "We aren't suing her Kaelie, and that's final." I said and I made my way back over to McKenna. She was smiling and laughing at the paramedic making jokes and I just couldn't be more thankful that her teacher sacrificed herself to save my daughter.

"Daddy." McKenna said.

"Yes baby?" I said.

"Can we go visit Miss. Fray?" She asked.

"Of course we can, but she might not be up for visitors today." I said and she nodded.

"That's okay. I just want to see if she's okay." She said and I smiled. Despite having Kaelie as a mom, she was extremely thoughtful of everyone else and I loved that about her.

"We can go see if she's up for visitors okay?" I said and she nodded. We sat there while the paramedic cleaned her knee off. Kaelie apparently had to go back to work, so she left. I rolled my eyes when she told me. I mean, our daughter could have been hurt today, but I guess that doesn't really matter all that much to her. I on the other hand was glad my baby was okay, and was going to spend the rest of the day with her.

Time jump – A Couple Hours Later

Clary POV:

I heard beeping and I slowly opened my eyes. My stomach was killing me, but than I remembered what happened. I was shot. I opened my eyes and I was in a hospital room. I took a deep breath and tried to sit up. It hurt like a bitch, so I stopped. I looked for the button on the bed that lifted the bed, and that was a lot less painful. I didn't know what to do so I clicked the nurses button and a minute later she walked in.

"Miss. Fray, good to see you awake." She said and I smiled.

"I'm in a lot of pain. Can I get something for that?" I asked and she smiled and nodded.

"I'll be right back." She left the room and I took another deep breath. When she returned she handed me a cup with pills, and a cup of water. I took them and handed the cup back to her. "There are some people here to see you, are you up for visitors?"

"Sure." I said confused as to who was here to see me. She nodded and walked out and I waited to see who was coming to visit me. After a couple minutes there was a knock on the door and when I looked over there stood the most beautiful looking man that I had ever seen. He was golden from head to toe and I think my brain forgot how to function. I looked down and saw a familiar face and I couldn't help but smile knowing that she was okay.

"Miss. Fray!" She said and she ran over to me.

"Careful McKenna, she's still getting better." The man said and she stopped. I smiled at her.

"You can join me on the bed sweetie." I said and she climbed up. "Are you okay McKenna?" I asked after a minute.

"I'm good! I scrapped my knee when you threw me, but a very nice man cleaned me up." She said and I smiled. "I didn't even cry!" She said proudly and I held up my hand and gave her a high five.

"I'm so proud of you! You were very brave today McKenna, and I'm really glad you're okay." I said and she smiled.

"You're braver than I am." She said and I grabbed her hand.

"I think you're both brave." The man said and I smiled.

"Thanks daddy." She said and I couldn't help but smile

"I'm Jace by the way. McKenna's father." He said and I smiled.

"Clary. McKenna's substitute teacher." I said and he laughed.

"Thank you for saving McKenna." He said and I smiled.

"I was just doing my job." I said and he laughed.

"Today could have been a totally different day if you didn't do what you did, and I owe you big time." He said and I just shook my head.

"You don't owe me anything. I made a promise when I decided to be a teacher to protect my kids no matter what, and that's what I did today." I said and he smiled.

"McKenna, can you go wait in the hallway for me? I want to speak to Miss. Fray for a moment." He said.

"Okay. I'm glad you're okay Miss. Fray." She said as she got off the bed.

"I'm glad you're okay too McKenna." I said and she skipped into the hallways. It was quiet for a moment before he started speaking.

"I want to do something for you Clary. I can't just do nothing. You saved my baby today." He said and I laughed.

"Honestly Jace, I would done that for any one of my students. It's my job, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat." I said and he smiled.

"Let me take you out to coffee." He said and I thought about it for a minute.

"Is there a Mrs. Herondale?" I asked and he laughed.

"No. Never has been." He said and I nodded.

"Than, I'll agree to coffee." I said and he laughed. He pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to me.

"This is my card. My personal number is on there. Call me when you're ready, and we'll go out." He said and I laughed.

"Sounds good." I said and he smiled. He started walking away before he turned around before walking out the door.

"I'll see you soon Clary." He said and I smiled.

"See you soon Jace." He walked out and I laid back on the bed. That was not what I expected to happen, but I couldn't deny that I was slightly happy that he asked me out, even if it's just one coffee date, I was still super excited about it.

Time Jump – One Week Later

Jace POV:

It had been a week since the shooting and I still haven't heard from Clary. I knew she was going to take some time, considering she was shot, but I was getting anxious to see her again. I was sitting in my office filing paperwork when my phone rang.

"Jace Herondale speaking." I answered.

"Hey Jace, it's Clary." She said and I instantly smiled.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" I asked.

"I was released yesterday. I feel alright, but I'm still pretty sore." She said and I understood. "I was wondering if you were free to get some coffee later."

"Of course." I immediately said.

"Okay, cool. 3:30, Java Jones?"

"Sounds good. I'll see you than." I said.

"Great. Bye Jace." She said.

"Bye Clary." I said and I hung up. I decided to text Kaelie and tell her to hold onto McKenna a little longer.

To Kaelie:

I won't be able to pick McKenna up until about 5.

From Kaelie:

Okay. I know it's your week with her, but I was wondering if you could keep her until Saturday morning. I have plans Friday night.

To Kaelie:

I can do that.

Custody was a bitch, but I would rather deal with this than have to deal with not seeing my baby as much as I do. I continued to do my work until I noticed 3:30 approaching. I grabbed my coat and made my way to Java Jones. I couldn't express how excited and nervous I was to see Clary again, I don't know what it was about her, but I just wanted to see her again.

When I finally reached Java Jones, I looked in the window and saw that gorgeous red hair. It's weird thinking that I knew what I was looking for, and than I see someone who is the complete opposite, and suddenly things shifted. I smiled and walked into the coffee shop, and made my way over to her. She looked up and smiled and I couldn't help but smile back.

"It's good to see you out of a hospital bed." I said as I took my seat and she smiled.

"It's good to be out of the hospital bed. I was going crazy, but my best friend won't leave me unsupervised for a second. I had to practically trick him into letting me come here today." She said and I laughed.

"He seems rather protective of you." I said trying not to sound jealous.

"He is. He has always viewed himself as my big brother. He felt like he needed to defend my honor when guys were being dicks, and bring me ice cream in the middle of the night when I was heartbroken." She said as she looked down at her hands. "He was there when I lost both my parents, and he continues to be there for me throughout this. I'm very lucky to have him in my life."

"I know what a friendship like that means. I'm glad you have him." I said and she smiled.

"So, how is McKenna?" She asked which made me smile even more.

"She's good. She's with her mom right now. I have to pick her up after we're done here." I said.

"You don't have to stay if you need to get her. I totally understand." She said and I laughed.

"It's okay. She's keeping her later tonight, and I'm keeping her for an extra night next week. It's all figured out." I said and she nodded.

"Custody must be hard." She said and I nodded.

"It was challenging to work out, but we finally found a schedule that works for both of us, and we're both willing to be flexible for the other. McKenna's mom can be a nightmare, but she's pretty easy going when it comes to helping me out, so I can't complain too much."

"It's its not too personal, why aren't you two still together?" She asked.

"We dated in high school, but broke up to go to college. A couple years after we were both finished college we ran into each other again and we both weren't dating anyone so we decided to pick it back up but we didn't give it a label. We were just an old fling having some fun. Then she got pregnant, and everything changed. I knew that I didn't want to be in a relationship with her for real, I mean I wasn't looking to settle down, but life happens. I wouldn't trade McKenna for the world, and thankfully she looks more like me, than she does her mom."

"I noticed she has your unique gold eyes." She said and I laughed.

"I was really happy when she had them. Don't get me wrong, I would have loved her if she got her mothers blue eyes, but gold is just something that's so different, and I love that she got that from me."

"I know what you mean. My mother was so happy when I started to look like her. I, of course hated it because everyone always made fun of me for my red hair. I would come home crying because of how mean kids can be."

"That's terrible." I said and she shrugged.

"I decided young that I was never going to let them get to me again. I couldn't change the fact that I had red hair, and my mom refused to let me dye it, which I'm really thankful for now. I love my hair, it makes me different, and it might have taken me a long time to see that, but I get a lot of compliments on it now, and that makes it worth it." She explained.

"I love the color of your hair." I admitted before I could stop myself. Her cheeks turned a bight red and she looked away. "It's nice to see someone embrace something about them that they didn't always like. I've never seen someone with such vibrant red hair. Plus it compliments your green eyes really well." I said and internally I groaned as I said that. I sounded like a girl.

"I've heard that a lot. I've definitely come full circle when it comes to my hair, but someone will like me for it one day. Just have to wait for the right guy." She said and I nodded. I wasn't going to say what I was really thinking, I didn't want to freak her out, so I just smiled and acknowledged what she said.

We sat there talking for about an hour and a half and she just made me laugh like nobody ever could. I was really disappointed when it got closer to 5 because I needed to go pick McKenna up. Clary and I walked outside and we lingered for a moment.

"I had a great time today Jace." She said after a moment and I smiled.

"So did I." I said. "I'd love to do this again, but I feel like it's against the rules." I expressed and she laughed.

"Normally it would be, but I'm not McKenna's teacher. She just so happened to be put in my classroom that day." She said and I smiled.

"Well, how about Next Saturday, I take you out to dinner." I said and she smiled.

"I'd love that." She said. She reached up to my cheek and placed a kiss on it before stepping back. "I'll see you around Jace." She said and than she walked away.

"See you Clary." I said. She gave me one more smile before she disappeared into a car and drove away.

I made my way over to Kaelie's house and just walked right in. If we didn't want to be disturbed we locked our doors, kinda like that lame thing you did in college to let your roommate know you were busy, so I knew she was probably just alone with McKenna. I walked in and saw them sitting on the couch watching TV. I smiled and made my way over to them. McKenna jumped into my arms and I gave her a hug. I grabbed the bags and we said our goodbye's to Kaelie and made our way to my car. I got her all strapped in and started on our way home,

"Why were you late daddy?" She asked.

"I was out having coffee with Miss Fray." I said as I looked in the mirror and she smiled.

"Is she okay?" She asked and I couldn't help but smile.

"Yea she is." I said.

"Good. I like her." She said and it made me happy.

"You do?" I asked and she nodded. "What do you like about her?" I asked.

"She's really nice. When we had to go into her classroom because our teacher didn't show up she made sure we had fun. And she's really pretty."

"She is really pretty, isn't she?" I said and she giggled and nodded. "I'm glad you like her McKenna." I said and she went back to staring out the window. I knew I wanted to see Clary again, but I also knew that I couldn't be with someone McKenna didn't like. She always came first, and I was happy to know that McKenna liked Clary.

Time Jump – Six Months Later

Clary POV:

Today was McKenna's birthday and Jace invited me to the party that him and her mom was throwing her and I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. I haven't met McKenna's mom yet, Jace insisted that I stay away from her as long as possible, and I trusted him, but today was finally the day we were going to met, and I was scared. I was just about ready to go when I heard a knock on my door and when I went to open it, there stood Jace in all his glory. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine briefly.

"You look beautiful as always. You ready?" He said and I nodded and grabbed my present for McKenna and we headed to his car.

I liked Jace more than I thought I would, and it scared the shit out of me. I haven't really been in a relationship since I was in college and some stupid bitch stole him from me, and I just gave up and focused on my career. I loved the McKenna liked me, and I know I shouldn't care, but I wanted her mom to like me too. I was involved with Jace, and we were going to have to see each other occasionally and I'd prefer if those visits were civil. When we got to the house Jace and I got out, he took my hand and we started walking towards the house. It was a beautiful home and it just made me that more intimidated. When Jace opened the door we were greeted with the sound of giggling kids and the low mummer of adults talking. I set my gift down on the gift table and continued through the house.

"I'm going to go find McKenna." Jace said and I nodded and he disappeared into the crowd. I went over to get a drink and was greeted by a voice that I never wanted to hear again.

"Who let you into my house?" I turned around and saw Kaelie. I thought I left her behind in college.

"Your house?" I questioned. She was the last person who I thought would raise McKenna to be such an amazing little girl.

"Yea. This is my daughters birthday party." She said and I took a deep breath. "I want you out. Now." I opened my mouth to say something when Jace cut me off.

"You told me I could bring her Kaelie." Jace said and Kaelie looked stunned.

"She's the girl you've been seeing?" She asked and Jace nodded.

"Wait, you know her?" Jace asked.

"We went to the same college." I said and Jace looked stunned. "I thought I left you there."

"Oh sweetheart, you could never get rid of me." She said and I rolled my eyes. "Just goes to show you go after my leftovers."

"For the record, he was dating me first, and you broke us up." I said and I could tell Jace was utterly confused.

"Wait a second. What is going on?" He asked.

"My boyfriend in college cheated on me with her. Than he left me for her. Than when she left him, he tried to come crawling back to me." I explained.

"What can I say honey, you're simply the entrees, and I'm the main course." She said with that bitchy smirk on her face.

"Look, I completely forgot about you when we graduated, and I'm here to celebrate McKenna's birthday with my boyfriend. Like it or not, we're going to cross paths every now and than, and I'd prefer for it to be civil." I said and Jace smiled proudly and Kaelie looked shocked.

"How come you never mentioned that you knew her before now?" Jace asked after a moment.

"Her last name isn't Fray, and I thought your first name was Clarissa." Kaelie said.

"I changed my last name right after graduation. It's easier for children to say Fray, than it is for them to say Morgenstern, and my name is Clarissa, but I prefer to be called Clary." I said and she simply rolled her eyes and walked away. It was quiet for a moment before Jace started laughing.

"Who knew you already knew each other." Jace said and I playfully shoved him and smiled.

"I can't believe McKenna came from her. They are totally different." I said and he laughed.

"Yea, I like to think she got my manners." He said and I smiled. "Come on, McKenna wants to see you." He grabbed my hand and led me over to where McKenna was.

"Miss. Fray!" The children cheered when they saw me and I bent down and gave them all hugs.

"It's great to see you all today." I said and they had the biggest smiles on their faces. The last one I hugged was McKenna and I held on just s little longer. "Happy birthday to you sweet girl."

"Thanks Clary." She said and went back to playing. Since I wasn't her teacher I didn't want her calling me Miss. Fray everyday, and I told her she could call me Clary and that's what I've been to her ever since, and it made me smile every time.

The rest of the party I stayed by Jace's side. Kaelie kept giving me weird looks, but I ignored her for the most part. I knew she probably would hate any woman that Jace decided to bring home and see, but she hated me even more because she knew me. But she was McKenna's mother, and I liked Jace so much that she was part of the deal, and I liked Jace a lot more than I disliked her so I would find some way to deal, and enjoy just being happy with Jace.

Time Jump – One Year Later

Jace POV:

McKenna and I were going out to lunch today because I had an important question to ask her. I have been thinking about proposing to Clary for the past couple months, but I needed to know that McKenna was okay with it. Clary and her had an amazing relationship, but I needed to talk to McKenna about it because her opinion matters to me. We got to the restaurant and we were seated. I was waiting until we got our food to bring up the topic, and I didn't realize how anxious waiting to talk to McKenna would make me. After what felt like forever, our food finally arrived, and I took a deep breath.

"I have to talk to you about something McKenna." I said and she looked at me.

"Am I in trouble?" She asked and I smiled and shook my head.

"Not at all sweetie. I was actually wondering how you felt about me asking Clary to marry me." I said and her eyes lit up.

"You mean she's going to become a part of our family?" She asked with a huge smile.

"That's exactly what it means sweetheart." I said and she giggled.

"That's cool! Would she move in with us?" She asked.

"Yes she would." I said and she smiled.

"You should ask her soon!" She said and I laughed.

"I plan on it baby." I said and she smiled and went back to eating. Having her approval meant the world to me, and I couldn't wait to ask Clary and start our lives together.

Time Jump – A Couple Days Later

Clary POV:

I was finishing up for the day and was making my way back to my apartment when my phone went off. I was sitting at a red light and decided to check it.

From Jace:

I would like to invite you to have dinner at my place tonight. McKenna is with her mom, so it'll just be the two of us.

I couldn't help but blush at the message. Jace had the ability to make me feel like a teenager all over again, and I couldn't help the butterflies that filled my stomach every time I was with him.

To Jace:

Sounds perfect. I'm going to go home and change, and I'll be right over.

I sent the text than continued driving home. When I got back to my place I immediately went to take a shower. I didn't know what was going to happen tonight, but I figured I might not want to smell like play-doh and glue. Once I was finished with my shower I picked out a simply pair of leggings and a sweater. When I was happy with my outfit I made my way back to my car and headed towards Jace's house.

When I got there I didn't even bother knocking. I walked right in and was hit with a wall of delicious smelling food. I made my way to the kitchen and saw Jace standing there cooking. I couldn't stop the smile that appeared across my face. I took a seat and just watched him for a minute. When I realized that he didn't know I was there, I decided to speak.

"I like the way you look in a kitchen." I said and he turned around surprised.

"Jesus, you scared me Clary." He said as he made his way over to me.

"I figured since I've been sitting here for about 5 minutes." I said and he pressed his lips to mine.

"I was kinda focused on our meal." He said and I laughed.

"It smells amazing." I said and he smiled.

"I tried my very best." He said and I smiled. "Would you mind setting the table?"

"Not at all." I said and I grabbed the plates, and silverware. I set up the table and when I was done dinner was ready. Jace got our plates ready and I poured the wine. The food was absolutely delicious, and we talked the entire time. Things with Jace were so incredibly natural and I couldn't believe that there was a chance that I might not have ever met him.

"There was a reason I invited you over." He said when we were both finished. I nodded and let him continue. "I love you, and I didn't think that I would ever fall in love. I didn't think there was a girl out there that I would want to spend forever with, and than I met you. You are without a doubt the most beautiful, and most caring and loving person I've ever met. You accepted McKenna with open arms and you love her like she's your own, and that's all I can hope for when it comes to choosing my life partner." He said and my eyes widen. He took out a box and put it in front of me. My eyes were welling up with tears, I had pictured this moment a hundred times but it was actually happening and I was overwhelmed. "I love you more than anything Clary, and I would be honored if you would accept my proposal to becoming my wife." He said and the tears finally spilled over. He opened the box and there sat the most gorgeous ring I've ever seen.

"Oh my god." Was the first thing out of my mouth. I looked up from the ring and into Jace's eyes. "Yes." I said and he got out of his chair and slammed his lips to mine. When we broke apart he had the biggest smile on his face, and I couldn't stop the one spreading across mine. He pulled the ring out of the box and slipped it on my finger. I looked at it and than back at him. "I love you." I said and he pressed his lips to mine again.

"I love you too." He said and I stood up and wrapped my arms around his neck. I was so excited to start planning the future with this man, and all the adventures that came with being his wife.

Time Jump – Four Months Later

Jace POV:

I was sitting in my office when there was a knock on the door. I was expecting anyone so I thought it was a bit odd.

"Come in." I said and the door opened.

"Are you Jace Herondale?" The man asked.

"I am." I said and he handed me a folder.

"You've been served." He said and than he left. Confused I opened the folder and saw the Kaelie filed for full custody of McKenna. I was livid. How could she possibly think that this was okay? I immediately dialed her number and after a few rings she picked up.

"Hello?" She answered.

"You're seriously taking me to court Kaelie." I said and I heard her laugh.

"I don't trust my daughter in the care of your new fiancé. I think she would be better off in my house, with her mother raising her." She said.

"Come on Kaelie. We both know that a load of shit. You just don't like Clary." I said.

"No, I don't think she's a good person, but I also don't think she's a good role model for our child Jace."

"You can't be serious." I said.

"We'll settle this in court." She said and before I could say anything she hung up. I slammed my phone down and took a deep breath. Before I knew it Alec was standing in my doorway.

"You alright Jace?" He asked.

"Kaelie is taking me to court to try and get full custody of McKenna." I said and he looked shocked.

"Why?" He asked.

"She doesn't think Clary is a good role model for her, and doesn't want her to be in the same house as McKenna." I explained.

"That's ridiculous. Clary is amazing, and she's a preschool teacher, so she's a great role model for kids." He said.

"Yea, but Kaelie and her have a history, and I think she's just holding a grudge." I said.

"They have a history?" Alec asked and I nodded.

"They went to the same college. Bad blood." I said and he nodded.

"Well, all you have to do is prove in court that Kaelie isn't doing this for the well being of your child, but for her own selfish reasons, and I doubt anything will happen." He said and I nodded.

"Thanks man." I said and he smiled.

"It'll work out. I promise." He said and than he left.

The rest of the day I tried to occupy my mind with other things, but I still couldn't believe that she was taking me to court. I mean, the nerve of that woman to think that McKenna would be better off with just her was ludicrous. I don't care what I had to do, I was going to fight this until the end because there was no way that I was getting weekend visits with my daughter.

Time Jump – One Month Later

Clary POV:

I was currently sitting in the courtroom waiting for the custody battle to begin. I couldn't believe Kaelie would do something like this to Jace. He was the best father to McKenna and to try and take her away from him was the harshest thing I think Kaelie could do.

When the judge arrived and took his seat I instantly got nervous. I wanted this to work out, and I wanted Kaelie to lose. I know she doesn't like me, but that doesn't mean that she should take that out on McKenna and Jace.

"We are here to discuss the custody between Jace Herondale and Kaelie Whitewillow concerning their daughter McKenna Herondale." The judge said and the lawyers both stood up.

"Yes your honor, my client feels that Mr. Herondale's future bride isn't a good role model for McKenna and she wants full custody." Kaelie's lawyer said.

"And what evidence do you have to support this claim?" The judge asked.

"His fiancé has a history of abuse towards the child." Her lawyer said and my jaw dropped.

"Hold it right there." Jace said before I could even comprehend what was happening.

"Do you deny such abuse Mr. Herondale?" The judge asked.

"I most certainly do. She's trying to make my fiancé look like a bad person, when in reality the only reason she's filing for custody is because she simply doesn't like her." Jace said.

"Miss. Whitewillow, is that true?" The judge asked.

"Of course not. She did cause my child harm." Kaelie said.

"You don't have the full story." Jace pleaded to the judge.

"What's the full story?" The judge asked.

"Do you remember when Alicante Elementary School had that intruder?" Jace asked and the judge nodded. "My fiancé is a teacher at that school, and the day of the intrusion my daughter had to be in her classroom for the day because her teacher was sick. The intruder came into her room and was pointing a gun at my daughter. My fiancé tried to calm the shooter down so he would stop pointing the gun at McKenna. When it didn't work, she made a split second decision. She picked up McKenna and threw her across the room, and ended up being shot. McKenna scrapped her knee, and that was the only damage that my fiancé has ever done to my daughter." Jace finished and the judge looked over at Kaelie.

"Is that true Miss. Whitewillow?" The judge asked and Kaelie looked away. "Miss. Whitewillow, you can't just come in here with half a claim and not be able to back it up."

"But she's not fit to be in my daughters life." Kaelie said and I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up and decided to speak my mind.

"Excuse me you honor, can I say something?" I said and all eyes were on me.

"And who are you?" The judge asked.

"My name is Clary Fray, and I'm the fiancé." I said and he nodded.

"Continue." He said.

"Look, Kaelie and I have a history. We went to college together and we weren't friends. We were actually the farthest thing from friends." I said as I laughed. "People would actually describe us as enemies, and said that if we were ever to be described as a super hero and their villain, we're be batman and the joker." I said and the judge laughed. "I'll admit, when I found out that McKenna was her daughter I was shocked, but that doesn't mean that I'm here to ruin her life." I said and I turned to Kaelie. "Kaelie, I love Jace and I love McKenna, but I am in no way trying to come in and take your place. You will always be McKenna's mom, and I'm happy that she has you. My mom died when I was young, and it was hard. The fact that you're around for McKenna and how much you love her makes me happy. I promise, I will look after her when you aren't around, and when she's in Jace and I's care because even though she isn't my daughter, I still promise to protect her like she is my own."

"Miss. Whitewillow." The judge said and Kaelie looked at him. "It looks like Clary is doing everything in her power to make sure your daughter is taken care of. That sounds like someone who I would want my daughter's stepmom to be like." He said and Kaelie hung her head. "The way I look at it is you can do two things. One, you can keep trying to fight with her as much as you want and potentially completely destroy whatever relationship you still have with your daughters father, or two, you can make the best of it and show McKenna that you all can be a family. There isn't anything worse than separated parents who hate each other. Don't make McKenna feel like she has to choose a side. It's not fun, trust me." The judge said and Kaelie simply nodded. "This case is dismissed. Custody is to remain how it is." He said and he smacked the gavel. Jace made his way over to me, grabbed his hand, and we walked out of the courtroom. We were almost at Jace's car when he was called.

"Jace, wait." We turned around and Kaelie was running towards us.

"What do you want Kaelie?" Jace asked.

"I'm sorry I put you through this. I just don't want McKenna to end up liking Clary more than me." She said.

"Why couldn't you just talk to me Kaelie? Why did you need to take me to court?" He asked.

"I don't know. I guess I just always thought maybe one day we'd get back together, and we could be a real family." She said and I honestly felt bad for her.

"Kaelie, you will always have a small piece of my heart because you gave me McKenna." He said and a tiny part of me didn't like the sound of that but I knew it was true. "You gave me one of the best gifts life can offer, but we were never a good couple. We didn't care if we hurt each other, and we fought like crazy. If we tried to be a family for McKenna's sake, it would end poorly. I'm in love with Clary, and I would really like for you two to at least be civil to each other so we can all get together to give McKenna a family birthday party or a family holiday party together."

"I don't know how good I'll be at it, but I'll try." She said and Jace smiled.

"Look, I promise that I will look at McKenna like she is my own, but you will always be her mother. I don't want to take that spot from you." I said and she sighed.

"I'm sorry I've been so bitchy." She said and I smiled. "I guess I just don't like McKenna having more than two parents in her life that she can go to for advice. Now she has another woman in her life. Now if I piss her off, she can go to you."

"I'm not going to undermine you Kaelie. If she asks you for something, and you say no and she tries to get me to say yes, all you have to do is text me that you said no, and I'll say no as well. I'm not going to be her scapegoat when she gets mad at both of you." I said and she nodded. "Plus, how do you think Jace will feel when you start dating?" I said and I felt Jace tense.

"I don't think that will happen for a long time. I like being single, and sure I date, but I never bring them home. I don't want McKenna meeting a guy that I date casually. When I met the one, than she'll meet him." She said and I laughed.

"Look, we're going to be seeing a lot of each other. It's inevitable. And I'd really like to invite you to our wedding, but I won't if we can't try and be nice to each other." I said and she smiled.

"You know, you aren't so bad Clary. Half the reason I didn't like you was because everyone loved you in college. I don't think I could find a single person who had a bad thing to say about you, and it kinda bothered me." She said and I laughed.

"College is behind us. We're adults, who are going to be a family soon, and I'd really like for us to be friends." I said and she smiled.

"I think we can make that work." She said and I reached my arms out and she gave me a hug. When we pulled apart we were both smiling.

"How about we go out to dinner tomorrow night, as a family." I said and she smiled.

"Sounds great. Text me the address, and McKenna and I will meet you there." She said and I smiled and nodded. "I have to go pick McKenna up from my moms house. We'll see you tomorrow." She said and she waved goodbye and went to her car. Jace and I stood there and watched her leave. I turned towards him and smiled.

"That went well." I said and Jace laughed.

"It could have started better, but I think it ended well." He said and I leaned up and pressed his lips to mine.

"Come on, I want to get home and change out of this dress, and cuddle on the couch and watch movies with you." I said and he laughed.

"Sounds perfect to me." He said and we got into his car and made our way back to our house.

Our relationship sure didn't start our in a conventional way. But I can't help but feel like that intruder was a sign that we were meant to be together. Without him, I doubt Jace and I would have ever met, and I couldn't picture my life without him. I may have been shot, but in the end it lead me to the man of my dreams, and I couldn't wait to see what our future held together. This was only the beginning and I couldn't wait to experience every adventure with him, because I knew our life was going to be one crazy ride, but I was ready for all the ups and downs as long as I had Jace by my side.

Authors Note:

Okay, this subject was requested by two different people, HorribleLittleDucks, and TMIShips4Life and I just had to write it. I'm sorry if it's not my best work, but I really wanted to finish this story for you all because I really do like it. I've been going through some personal tragedies the last couple days, and I thought finishing this story would distract me. I'm sorry if it doesn't live up to what I usually write, but that doesn't mean I don't like it, I think that this story is really cute, and sweet. Let me know what you think, and leave a review! I promise I will try to write another story soon, but with everything going on, writing might be kinda slow, but I promise that I'll try my hardest to update my stories, and write a new One Shot for you all! :)