Sixty Eighth One Shot:
Zoo
Clary POV:
Chandler has been begging me to take him to the zoo since April, and since it's a pretty nice day out, and I finally had time off of work, I figured it was the perfect opportunity. Chandler was my 3 year old son, and just the splitting image of me. He had right red hair, and my green eyes. I couldn't even begin to explain how happy I was when he didn't look anything like his father. I was a fool when we got together, and didn't realize how toxic he was until Chandler was born. Turns out he didn't really care much for our son, and I packed my things, and left him. He hasn't called, or tried to make any contact with Chandler, and I was happy about that, but I knew it was only going to get harder as he got older, and he started to ask questions.
Chandler was pretty pumped when I told him where we were going, and I had to hold him back while walking towards the entrance because he was just too excited for his own good. He was all about the alligators. No matter what, that's what he wanted to see the most. I got our tickets and we made our way into the zoo, and I immediately started guiding us towards the alligator exhibit, and just seeing the joy in his smile brought so much happiness to me. It may only be us, but I wouldn't have it any other way. Chandler was my world, and he always would be.
"Mommy, look at the alligators!" Chandler said as he pointed to them.
"I see them baby." I said. "They look really scary." I said.
"They just look like giant lizards." Chandler said. "Just like Lizzy!" He said referring to his pet lizard. I was against getting him one at first, but he never really asked me for anything before, and he really wanted it, so I got him one for his birthday and he was so incredibly happy.
"They're a little bigger than Lizzy." I said and he laughed.
"Of course they are mommy." He said and I laughed. After looking at the alligators for about 25 minutes I heard his stomach growl.
"You hungry little man?" I asked and he nodded. "Lets go get some lunch." I said and he nodded. I stuck my hand out and he grabbed it and I started walking towards where the food was. We found an empty table and I told Chandler to sit there, and I would grab us something to eat. I wasn't going far, and he would always be in my sight, so I didn't mind leaving him at the table alone. I grabbed us both something to eat and when I started making my way back to the table, I saw the cutest little girl standing next to Chandler talking to him.
"Hi sweetie." I said when I got over to them. "Where are your parents?"
"I lost my daddy, and I didn't know where to go." She said in the saddest voice I've ever heard.
"Where did you last see him?" I asked as I kneeled in front of her and wiped her tears away.
"By the giraffes." She sniffled and I nodded.
"Why don't you take a seat next to Chandler." I said and she nodded. "Are you hungry?" I asked and she nodded again. I handed Chandler his food, and gave the little girl mine. "What's your name sweetheart?"
"Natasha." She said.
"That's a really pretty name." I said and she smiled. "What's your last name?"
"Herondale." She said and I nodded.
"How old are you?" I asked trying to keep her mind off the fact that she lost her father.
"I'm 3, but I'll be four soon." She said.
"Chandler here is 3 as well, but his birthday isn't until later in the year." I said and she nodded. "Do you remember what your daddy was wearing today Natasha?" I asked.
"He wears black a lot." She said and I nodded.
"Okay. Why don't you two stay here for a moment, and I'll be right back?" I said and they nodded and I walked over to one of the eating establishments. I could still see them both, and Chandler was comforting her, and it was really sweet. "Excuse me, but you don't happen to have like a megaphone that I could use do you?"
"What for?" The man asked.
"This little girl lost her father, and I just want to get his attention and tell him where to meet her at." I said and he seemed to soften up when it came to a child.
"Okay." He said and he handed me the speaker. I clicked the button on the side and the music that was playing immediately stop.
"Mr. Herondale." I said into the speaker. "Please make your way over to the food court. Thank you." I said and I released the button and the music started playing again. I handed it back to the man and smiled. "Thank you."
He nodded and I made my way back over to the kids. They were still eating, and Natasha seemed to calm down a bit, and was actually laughing at something Chandler said. I didn't know how long it would take her father to come, but I was going to sit here until he did.
"Daddy!" I heard Natasha yell and she jumped out of her seat and ran towards a man who looked like he was out of breath.
"You scared me half to death Natasha. Where did you go?" The man asked as he clung to his little girl.
"I wanted to see the tigers, so I walked away." She admitted. "I thought you were following me but when I looked around you were gone."
"Next time sweetheart, just tell me you want to look at something else." He said and she nodded. He finally looked up and saw me and smiled. "Thank you for looking out for her."
"She found us." I said with a smile. "I hope you don't mind, but I fed her."
"Not at all." He said with a gorgeous smile. "I'm Jace by the way."
"Clary, and this is my son Chandler." I said and Chandler waved.
"Nice to meet you both." Jace said.
"Daddy, can I go look at the alligators with Chandler?" Natasha asked.
"That's up to Chandler and his parents sweetheart." Jace said.
"It's just me." I said with a smile. "And we've been looking at the alligators all day Chandler. Don't you want to see something else?" I asked with a laugh.
"I want to show Natasha them, after we can look at something else." Chandler said and I smiled.
"The more the merrier." I said and Natasha and Chandler both cheered. Chandler hoped off his seat, grabbed Natasha's hand and ran away. "Do you mind?" I asked as I gestured to the kids. "I should clean up after them." I said and he smiled and shook his head before running behind the kids. I cleaned all the mess up and made my way over to the alligators. When I got there I heard Chandler talking all about Lizzy.
"You have a lizard?" Natasha asked.
"Yea. She's great. Mommy didn't want me to have her at first, but when she gave me her for my birthday I was so happy." Chandler said.
"That's so cool." Natasha said. "We have a pet pig!"
"Really?" Chandler said like it was the coolest thing in the world.
"Yea, her name is Pepper." Natasha said. "She's great."
"Your mom and dad let you get a pig?" Chandler asked.
"I don't have a mom. It's just me and my daddy." Natasha said and I felt kinda sorry for the little girl.
"That's okay, I don't have a daddy." Chandler said like it was super common. They went back to discussing the alligators and I looked over at Jace.
"A pig?" I asked and he laughed.
"I tried to get her to change her mind. Maybe get a cat, or a dog, but she was so set on having a tea cup pig, and it's so hard to deny her sometimes." Jace said and I laughed.
"That's how I felt about the lizard. He was begging at one point, and I figured, he never really asks for much, so why should the one thing he wants, I deny?" I said and Jace nodded.
"I totally get it." Jace said.
"Mommy, can we go look at the tigers?" Chandler asked. I looked between the two and Natasha was smiling eagerly.
"Of course." I said and they cheered. "But stay in our line of sight, and hold hands." I said and Chandler grabbed ahold of Natasha's hand and they started walking towards the tigers, after we pointed them in the right direction. Jace and I followed behind and watched our kids talk and walk through the zoo like they'd been doing it forever.
When we got to the tiger enclosure, Chandler and Natasha were standing at the glass looking up at the animal completely amazed by it. I couldn't help myself, I took my phone out and pointed it at the kids. They were still holding hands, while their free hand was on the glass. It as the cutest thing in the world, and I couldn't pass the opportunity to document it up.
"Can you send that to me?" Jace asked and I smiled.
"Of course." I said. He gave me his number and I sent the picture. After a minute I couldn't help but realize what happened. "That was very smooth." I said and he laughed.
"I really did want the picture, and it cut out a step." He said.
"How so?" I asked.
"You know those two aren't going to just separate after today." He said and I laughed. "My little girl is the friendliest kid in the world, and she's going to ask before we leave here if she can have a play date with Chandler." He said and I laughed.
"I guess you're right." I said and he smiled.
"Mommy! Come look at this!" I heard Chandler call and I walked over to him. "Look how cool this is."
"It's very cool baby." I said and Jace came up and stood next to me. He picked Natasha up and put her on his shoulders.
"Whoa, its even cooler up here." Natasha said.
"Why can't you be that tall mommy?" Chandler asked.
"I wasn't blessed with height baby." I said and he pouted. A second later Natasha was back on the ground and Jace was picking up Chandler and putting him on his shoulders.
"Wow, you were right. It's way cooler up here." Chandler said. Natasha looked up and smiled. She lifted her arms up and I picked her up and situated her on my hip. It was weird how natural this felt. I had only met these two today, and we were enjoying our day at the zoo like we were a family.
"Do you know the tigers name daddy?" Natasha asked.
"Her name is Savannah." Jace said as he read the little description. "She's 8 years old."
"Wow, she's older than me." Chandler said and I laughed.
"Can I just say…" We heard from a voice behind us, and we all turned around. "You two have the most beautiful children I've ever seen." She said and I couldn't help but blush, and before I could say something Chandler cut me off.
"Thanks!" He said and Natasha laughed as she rested her head on my shoulder.
"I'm sorry if that was strange, but I've just been watching you interact, and I just had to tell you." She said kindly and I smiled.
"It's completely okay." I said and she smiled.
"I bet you hear that a lot." She said with a laugh.
"Believe it or not, you're the first one to tell us that." Jace said with amusement in his voice.
"Well, I hope you have a lovely rest of your day." She said. We nodded and waved and she walked away. Jace and I turned towards each other and laughed slightly.
"Can we go look at the snakes?" Chandler asked, and sometimes it creeped me out how much he loved reptiles.
"Ew. Snakes are gross." Natasha said.
"Please mommy." Chandler said and as much as I didn't want to look at snakes this was his day.
"How about we go look at the snakes, and your mom and Natasha can go look at something else?" Jace suggested and Chandler looked thrilled by the plan. "Is that okay?" I didn't know if it would be weird to trust a man who I just met with my kid, but for some reason, I had no problem with it, and he trusted me with his kid as well, so why not.
"Of course." I said and he smiled. "Where would you like to go Natasha?"
"Can we go look at the penguins?" She asked.
"Of course." I said and I looked at Jace. "Where should we meet up?" I asked.
"Red pandas?" Jace suggested. I smiled and nodded. He turned and started walking away with Chandler still on his shoulders. I still had Natasha in my arms, but I put her down and grabbed her hand as we made our way to the penguins.
Natasha seemed like a quiet girl. She was sweet, and very polite, and friendly, but I got the feeling that she wasn't much of a talker unless she genuinely had something to say. Our walk to the penguins was quiet, but I didn't mind it at all. She was looking around at all the people, mostly families I gathered, and it made me curious about what happened to her mom, but I wasn't going to ask a 3 year old that, and I just met Jace so I wasn't going to pry into his life, but I was curious. When we finally got to the penguins, her face lit up and she started walking fasted towards them. I laughed and started walking quicker because I knew when a three year old was excited they rarely calmed down.
"Look at them Clary." She said and I smiled. "I wish I could have a pet penguin." She said and I laughed.
"Do you like penguins?" I asked.
"Yes! One of my favorite movies is Penguins of Madgasar." She said and I smiled.
"Penguins of Madagascar is one of my favorites too." I said and she smiled at me.
"Maybe we could watch it together." She said with so much joy in her eyes.
"We'll talk to your dad, and set something up." I said and she nodded enthusiastically and looked back at the penguins.
We were in there for about 45 minutes when we decided to head over to the Red pandas. Again, the walk was quiet, but I didn't mind one bit. She kind of reminded me of myself as a child. Not particularly shy, just not very talkative, and it was a drastic change from Chandler, who could talk your ear off about anything he wanted too. When we got to the Red pandas, Jace and Chandler were already there looking at them. We made our way over and Natasha stood next to Chandler and they started sharing stores.
"Sorry we were gone for so long." I said and he smiled.
"I knew you would be. She loves penguins." Jace said and I laughed.
"I learned, and we may have also decided on having a movie date and watching Penguins of Madagascar together." I said and he laughed.
"She watches it daily." Jace said and I laughed.
"How were the snakes?" I asked.
"Pretty cool. I wouldn't have made it over there with Natasha, so it was nice to be able to go." He said.
"Yea, I appreciate you taking Chandler cause there was no way I was getting out of that, and I hate snakes." I said and he laughed.
"We had fun, but man can that kid talk." He said and I laughed.
"I know. He's a chatter box for sure." I said.
"I'm used to silent walks, and drives, so getting the opposite end of that was pretty intense." He said and I laughed.
"I noticed she's pretty quiet." I said and he nodded.
"Yea. One quality she got from her mother. She wasn't particularly shy, she just never really said anything unless she felt the need, and Natasha is the same way." Jace said.
"I don't mean to pry, considering we just met today, but what happened to her mom?" I asked and Jace sighed.
"Natasha wasn't planned." Jace started to explain. "Neither of us were looking to settle down, but when she found out she was pregnant, everything changed. I hate to admit it but the way we met was terrible." Jace said. "We were both drug addicts, and ended up attending an AA meeting. Seems weird that drug addicts would attend and Alcoholics Anonymous meeting but my parents insisted, and so I went." He said. "We turned out to be each others biggest down fall." He admitted "She cleaned herself up while pregnant, and so did I, and I haven't touched drugs since Natasha was born, but she couldn't stay away." Jace said. "She OD'd when Natasha was 9 months old."
"That's terrible." I said and he nodded.
"It's not something I'm prepared to tell her about, but I know she'll be curious when she's older, and I'm not thrilled with her finding out my past." Jace said.
"I'm in the same boat you are." I admitted. He looked at me and I smiled. "Chandler's father and I met like 8 years ago, and it was a toxic relationship from the beginning but I didn't realize how bad it was until I got pregnant with Chandler." I said.
"How toxic?" Jace asked curiously.
"He had a violent temper." I admitted. "And he was a big drinker."
"Why were you together?" Jace asked.
"I had graduated from nursing school. got a job in the local hospital and he came in when one of his buddies busted his skull opened." I admitted. "He was sweet, and charming. He knew exactly what to say to get me to agree to go out with him." I said. "Things were good in the beginning. IT was a normal relationship, but when he was drunk, he wasn't the most patient guy in the world, and I knew how to handle him, but sometimes he was just unbearable." I said.
"Was he abusive?" Jace asked.
"Yea." I honestly said. "Mostly verbal, but he got physical occasionally too."
"Why didn't you leave him sooner?" Jace asked.
"I didn't have anyone." I said. "When I decided I wanted to be a nurse, I found a school in Tennessee and moved away. I had nobody with me." I said. "When I found out I was pregnant with Chandler, I knew I didn't want to raise him in that environment, and his father wasn't even interested. I told him I was pregnant, and his response was a grunt." I said with a humorless laugh. "I was done with him out of that, but I stayed until I gave birth cause I thought that maybe he would change, but I was wrong." I said. "He was there when Chandler was born, but once the nurse cut the cord he actually said 'glad that's over' and walked out of the room."
"What a dick." Jace said and I laughed.
"Yea. I didn't even put him on the birth certificate." I admitted. "I was released a couple days later, packed my things and moved back here. I haven't heard from him since."
"I can't even imagine someone having a child and not caring." Jace said. "I mean, Natasha is everything to me."
"I know, but he doesn't deserve Chandler." I said and Jace nodded.
"Daddy." We heard and Natasha walked over to us. "I have to use the bathroom."
"Okay sweetheart." Jace said.
"You know, I was just about to go myself, would you like to come with me?" I asked and Natasha smiled and nodded. "You don't mind do you?" I asked Jace realizing that she isn't my kid, I need to ask permission.
"Not at all. I'm gonna check out the red pandas with Chandler." Jace said and he started walking over to Chandler. Natasha reached her hand out and I gladly took it and started making my way over to the bathrooms. Once we were done we were walking back when I heard Natasha whine.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"My feet hurt." She said and I looked down and noticed that she was wearing sandals.
"Come here." I said as I picked her up and continued walking. When we got over to where Chandler and Jace were I put Natasha down and reached into my bag. "Chandler is such a mess that I basically carry around an extra outfit everywhere I go. I have a pair of his sneakers, would you like to try them out?" I asked and she nodded. I took her sandals off and replaced them with socks and sneakers.
"Thanks Clary." She said and I smiled. She ran over to Chandler and showed him that she was wearing his sneakers. Jace made his way over to me and I handed him her sandals.
"I told her these were going to hurt her feet, but she insisted." Jace said and I laughed.
"Luckily Chandler is such a mess, that I always carry around extra everything." I said and Jace smiled.
"Thank you." He said.
"It's no problem." I said.
We walked around to about 4 more exhibits before I could see the two kids starting to get sleepy. I picked Chandler up and he rested his head on my shoulder, and Jace did the same thing with Natasha. Since they were pretty spent, we decided to just start walking towards the exit.
"Clary, when can we have our movie day?" Natasha asked after a while.
"I don't know. When are you free?" I asked.
"Everyday!" She said and I laughed.
"Well, I need to talk to my boss, and see when I can get off." I said and she nodded. "When are you free?" I asked Jace.
"I'm a high school teacher, I have the whole summer off." Jace said.
"Lucky you." I said and he laughed.
"Just tell me a day, and it'll work." Jace said.
"How about a week from today?" I asked.
"Works for us." Jace said and I smiled.
"Then it's a movie date." I said and Natasha smiled. We finally exited the zoo and stopped momentarily.
"I'll text you my address, and you can come over at like 12?" Jace said and I smiled.
"Sounds good." I said. "I'll see you in a week Natasha."
"Is Chandler going to come?" She asked.
"Of course." I said and she smiled.
"Cool." She said.
"Bye Jace." I said and he smiled.
"Bye Clary." He said and we parted ways. I walked back to the car and strapped Chandler into his seat. On the drive home I couldn't help but smile and think about the day I had. It was great, and I couldn't wait to see Natasha again.
Time Jump – One Week Later
Clary POV:
I was getting Chandler ready to go over to Jace's house. Part of me was nervous to see him again, but I was also really excited to see Natasha again, and so was Chandler. He was so excited to see his best friend again, and I couldn't help but smile at how incredibly cute that was.
We got to Jace's house and it was a pretty nice house. Much nicer than my apartment, that's for sure. I walked up and rang the doorbell and a minute later Jace opened it.
"Hey." He said and I smiled. "Natasha is in the living room little man." Jace said and Chandler darted in the house and I laughed. "How are you?"
"I'm good. You?" I asked as I walked into the house.
"I'm alright." He said and I smiled. I followed the sounds of children laughing, and found Chandler and Natasha in the living room playing with a pig.
"Mommy look! It's Pepper!" Chandler laughed and I smiled.
"I see." I said. She was very tiny, and you could see how much Natasha loved the pig.
"You hungry?" I heard Jace ask. "I was going to make Natasha and I some lunch. Have you and Chandler eaten yet?"
"Lunch would be great." I said and Jace nodded before walking into the kitchen. I made my way over and sat on the couch.
"Clary!" Natasha cheered and ran and gave me a hug, which I lovingly returned.
"Hi there pretty girl." I said and she smiled.
"Daddy got the movie all ready for us." She said and I nodded.
It didn't take Jace long to make lunch, considering it was just sandwiches. He made Natasha and Chandler peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and he made us grilled cheese. He came out and handed the kids their plates. They sat at the coffee table and ate their sandwiches. Jace brought two sippy cups of milk out but before he set it down in front of Chandler I grabbed it.
"Chandler is lactose intolerant." I explained and he nodded and took the cup back.
"Does he like apple juice?" Jace asked and I nodded. He went back into the kitchen and returned with another sippy cup of juice, and than two glasses of iced tea for us. Jace pressed play and the movie started. Once the kids were done with lunch, Natasha climbed onto the couch and cuddled into my side, and Chandler followed her lead. Jace cleaned up the lunch mess and than returned to the couch.
Halfway through the movie Jace's phone started going off. He ignored it at first, but whoever called, clearly wanted his attention because they called back. He looked at his phone and answered.
"What's up Izzy?" He asked as he stood up and left the room. A part of my heart sank. Of course he had a girlfriend. How could someone as good looking as him not have a girlfriend? I mean, it just made sense, and we just met. We didn't talk about our personal lives, accept for what happened with the other parent of our children. I should have never expected that our friendship turn into anything else, but I guess a part of me was a little hopeful.
Jace returned and reclaimed his seat. The movie finished and Natasha and Chandler looked like they were ready for their naps. When I checked the time, it was almost 3, and almost time for time to nap. Jace grabbed Natasha and picked her off my couch.
"Daddy, I don't want to nap." She said and Jace laughed.
"You know it's important princess." Jace said as he rubbed her back, and I could see her eyes drooping.
"I don't want Chandler to leave." She said and I smiled.
"We can have another play date soon." Jace said.
"But I haven't even shown him all my cool toys." She said and I laughed.
"I actually have to run a few errands." I said. "Would it be okay if Chandler stayed and took a nap with you?" I asked and she nodded as enthusiastically as she could while being tired.
"Come on, I'll show you to her room." Jace said and I nodded. I picked Chandler up and followed him upstairs. We walked into her room, and it was nothing like I expected. Her walls weren't pink like other little girls rooms, they were green, and one wall was actually a chalkboard, which I thought was pretty cool. Jace set Natasha down, and I put Chandler right next to him. They were both knocked out, and I knew he was going to get a solid 2 hour nap out of this.
Jace and I made our way downstairs and I grabbed my keys and put my shows back on. Jace walked me to his front door, and I turned around and smiled at him.
"Thank you." I said and he smiled.
"It's not a problem." Jace said.
"I should only be gone for like an hour, maybe two." I said.
"Take your time. I can entertain them myself. And when you get back just walk in. No need to ring the bell, or knock." He said and I laughed and nodded. I got to my car and pulled out of his driveway and out of his neighborhood. I could see how attached Chandler was getting to Natasha, and I thought it was great, but that meant I had to see Jace even more, and there was something there, something that felt so natural, and normal about us being in the same room, and interacting with each others children.
Jace POV:
After Clary left I took a deep calming breath. I had never met a woman who affected me the way that Clary did, and being in the same room as her just made me crazy. It took everything in me not to pick Natasha up from her side during the movie and pulling her into my arms. Ever since the zoo I haven't been able to stop thinking about her, and Natasha hasn't been able to stop talking about Chandler. She called him her best friend, and it just melted my heart. They got along so well, and they were the cutest little set of friends.
I decided to take the opportunity to clean up the living room. Pepper had made a mess, and Natasha didn't clean up her toys when she was done playing with them this morning, but she was just super excited about Clary and Chandler coming over, that I couldn't blame her for not cleaning up. I had put everything back in it's place, and was satisfied with the results. I turned the TV on and decided to just chill until they woke up or until Clary got back.
It had been almost 2 hours since they went down, and I was surprised that they were still asleep. Not that I'm complaining, they both clearly needed the sleep, and I was all for them taking as long as they needed. When the door opened, I expected Clary to walk through the door but was surprised to find Izzy instead.
"What are you doing here?" I asked as I stood up and gave her a hug.
"Do I need a reason to visit my brother?" She asked and I laughed.
"I guess not, but you normally don't stop by unannounced." I said and she laughed.
"I know, but I'm in town for a couple days, and I wanted to come by and see you and tell you that mom and dad are having a huge family dinner tomorrow night." She said.
"Sounds good." I said.
"Is Natasha napping?" Izzy asked and I nodded. "Man, I have the worst timing." She said and I laughed.
"You'll see her tomorrow." I said and she smiled.
"Well, I'm meeting Alec and Magnus for dinner tonight, but I just wanted to stop by and see you." She said as she gave me another hug. We lingered on this one. Izzy travelled a lot for work, so seeing her was rare, and I missed my sister. I guess I was caught up in having her back that I didn't hear the front door open.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt." Clary said as her cheeks flushed.
"You didn't." Izzy said with a smile. "I was just leaving." She said as she backed away and gave me that signature Izzy look that meant I had some explaining to do. "Remember, dinner tomorrow night Jace. Don't forget."
"I'll be there." I said and she nodded and left. I turned back to Clary and there was something different about her body language. "How were your errands?" I asked.
"Fine." She said. "I have the early shift at the hospital tomorrow, and I have to get Chandler settled in with my neighbor. I feel bad taking him considering I promised Natasha she could show him her toys, but my neighbor can be kinda reluctant to flexibility." She said.
"He can stay here." I said without thinking. "I mean, Natasha loves having him around, and I don't mind watching him for the night."
"Are you sure?" She asked.
"Of course." I said and she smiled and nodded.
"Okay. I have a bag of clothes in my car for him. One second." She said and she left and came back a couple minutes later. "Everything is in there. Extra clothes, pj's, toothbrush, medicine if he gets sick, some of his favorite snacks, his favorite drink to have before bed." Clary explained and I smiled.
"Wow. You weren't kidding when you said you were always prepared." I said and she shrugged.
"Sometimes I can't rely on my neighbor to watch him, so I have to find someone who can, and it's just easier to always have a bag ready." She explained.
"Well, I will have Chandler explain his routine to me tonight." I said and she nodded.
"I'm just going to go up and talk to him, and let him know what's going on." She said and I nodded. She walked upstairs and I took another deep breath. I don't know what she was going to me, but it was driving me crazy. She came back downstairs a couple minutes later with both Natasha and Chandler. They immediately ran into the living room and started playing and Clary made her way over to me. "He's excited to be staying here." She said and I laughed. "I have to go though. My shift starts at 3 am, so I need to eat dinner and get some sleep."
"That sucks." I said and she laughed.
"That's what being a nurse is. Long shifts." She says.
"Well, come over when you're done and collect him. Doesn't matter what time." I said.
"It'll probably be around 3 in the afternoon, but sometimes things happen." She said and I nodded.
"Well, we'll be here. Friday's are our movie days." I said and she smiled.
"Chandler." She called and he came running in. "I'm going to go home now, but I want you to be on your best behavior for Jace." She said and he nodded. "I'll be back tomorrow to pick you up okay." She said and he nodded again. "I love you."
"I love you too mommy." Chandler said and he gave her a kiss. She stood back up and smiled.
"I'll see you tomorrow." She said and I nodded. She walked away and I heard the door shut and I took another calming breath. She was killing me and she didn't even know it. I made my way into the living room with the kids and started playing with them. I don't know why this felt so natural for me. I was used to having Natasha, but having her and Chandler together just felt like it was what I was meant to be doing. I couldn't explain it but I liked it, a lot.
Time Jump – End of Clary's Shift
Clary POV:
I was exhausted and all I wanted to do was get home, and get into my bed and sleep. Since Jace offered to keep Chandler as long as I needed, I decided to just text him and tell him I needed a tow hour nap before I could come get him, and Jace understood and told me to take my time. My shift was an absolute nightmare and I knew that Chandler was going to talk my ear off about his time with Natasha and Jace, and I wanted to be fully awake and invested when he told me, and I just couldn't do that right now.
When I woke up, I didn't even remember falling asleep. I was still in my scrubs, and my shoes were still on my feet. I was exhausted, and my disheveled appearance clearly told that story. I looked at the clock and it was almost 5:45, and I remembered that Jace had dinner plans with that girl tonight, so I wanted to grab Chandler so that he wouldn't be late. I didn't even bother getting changed at this point. I got into my car in my scrubs and made my way to Jace's. I knocked on the door and a minute later it opened revealing Jace.
"Hey, you look rough." He said and I laughed.
"Long night." I said and he nodded. "How was Chandler?" I asked as I made my way into the house.
"Great. We had a lot of fun." He said as we made our way into the living room where there was a huge blanket fort. I couldn't help but smile. "Chandler, your moms here." Jace said and Chandler emerged from the fort.
"Mommy, look at this cool fort Jace built." He said and I smiled.
"It is cool, but we have to go baby." I said and he pouted.
"I don't want to mommy." He said and I kneeled down in front of him.
"You can't stay here forever baby." I said. "Jace and Natasha have other things to do as well."
"Otay." He said and he walked over and gave Natasha a hug, than he made his way over to Jace and gave him a hug as well.
"We'll get together again soon little man." Jace said and that seemed to make him a little happier.
"Come on, we're going to go out to dinner." I said and he smiled.
"Taki's?" He asked and I laughed.
"Why of course." I said and he smiled even more. "Thank you for watching him Jace." I said as Jace handed me his backpack.
"It was no trouble." Jace said and I smiled. I grabbed Chandler's hand and we made our way out to the car. Chandler talked the entire way to the restaurant and I couldn't help but smile at how much fun he had with Natasha and Jace. I didn't know when we'd see them again, but I knew Chandler couldn't wait.
Jace POV:
After Clary and Chandler left, I got Natasha ready for dinner with my family. She was excited to see everyone, and I couldn't blame her, it's been awhile since we were all together. Once we were ready, I started our trip to my parents. Now, they weren't right around the corner, it took us about 30 minutes to get to their house, and the car ride was silent, just like it always was, but I didn't mind. She was probably all talked out from her afternoon with Chandler. When we pulled up to the house, everyone else was already there. I opened the door not bothering to knock and walked straight to the living room where everyone was gathered.
"Grandma!" Natasha cheered and she ran to Maryse.
"If it isn't my favorite granddaughter." Maryse said and Natasha smiled. "How are you sweetheart?"
"I'm good grandma, I made a new best friend!" She said.
"Oh really? Where did you meet them?" Maryse asked.
"Daddy and I went to the zoo, and I got lost." Natasha said and Maryse looked up at me with the signature disapproving look. "I saw this little boy sitting at a table and walked over to him cause I didn't know what else to do." Natasha explained. "His mommy helped me find daddy, and then we spent the day together at the zoo. It was really fun."
"What's his name?" Maryse asked.
"Chandler." Natasha said. "He likes lizards, and stuff, but he's pretty cool." She said and everyone laughed. "We had a sleepover last night, and it was great. He really likes Pepper, and he wants me to meet his pet lizard, her name is Lizzy. I don't think I'll like her as much as he likes Pepper, but I still want to meet her cause Chandler loves her so much."
"That's very sweet of you." Maryse said and Natasha nodded. She went to greet everyone else and Maryse made her way over to me. "You lost her?" She asked in a hushed tone.
"No. She walked away from me." I explained. "I was panicking for about 25 minutes before Chandler's mom made an announcement to meet her at the food court, and there sat Natasha and Chandler eating lunch together." I said. "I was mortified."
"And this Chandler, what's he like?" Maryse asked much more accepting now.
"He's a cool little dude." I said with a smile. "He is really into reptiles, and we actually looked at the snakes together at the zoo."
"You got Natasha to go to the snake exhibit?" Maryse asked shocked and I laughed.
"Oh god no. Chandler's mom took her to go look a the penguins." I said.
"You just let a strange woman take Natasha?" She asked.
"She let a strange man take her son." I pointed out. "It isn't like that. Clary is really nice, and Chandler and Natasha are best friends. I trusted her with Natasha."
"I'm guessing that's the woman who walked in when I was over yesterday." Izzy said and I nodded. "She was pretty."
"She's really nice. And Chandler is great." I said and Izzy nodded.
"What about Chandler's dad?" Maryse asked. "What's he like?"
"Not around." I said. "Clary told me he wasn't the nicest and that he didn't care one bit about having a kid."
"That's horrible." Maryse said and I nodded. "Okay, well dinner is ready. Let's eat."
We all made our way into the dinning room and took our seats. Natasha was telling everyone about her day, and what Chandler and her did. I couldn't help but smile at how happy she was and how much she loved Chandler. I was only half listening considering I was there the whole time when Izzy elbowed me.
"You like her don't you." She said.
"There is something about her." I admitted. "We spent the whole day at the zoo together, like a normal family would, and it just felt so right."
"And do you think she likes you?" Izzy asked.
"I don't know. She's kind of hard to read, well when it comes to me." I said. "I can tell she loves Natasha."
"That's always good." Izzy said and I laughed and nodded. We both turned out attention back to Natasha who as still talking about Chandler. Everyone seemed fascinated by her story, and I couldn't blame them, she was quite the story teller.
Time Jump – Two Weeks Later
Clary POV:
Jace had asked me a couple times if Chandler and I wanted to get together with him and Natasha and I have been avoiding him. I couldn't get that girl out of my head, or should I say woman, gorgeous woman, who was totally in his league, and he was totally out of mine. I thought that maybe if I didn't answer the first few times, then he would get the hint, but he didn't, and Chandler has been asking about seeing Natasha so it was time to bite the bullet and text Jace back. I took out my phone and opened his latest message.
To Jace:
Chandler and I were going to go to the pool today, would you and Natasha like to join us?
I put my phone down and continued to get Chandler ready for the pool day. It was incredibly hot today, and I knew he was going to enjoy it, and it was a good opportunity to invite Jace and Natasha along. When I checked my phone again Jace had replied.
From Jace:
That sounds fun. Where?
To Jace:
My mom actually has a pool in her backyard.
From Jace:
Sounds fun. Send me the address. Mind if I invite my siblings?
To Jace:
Not at all.
From Jace:
Cool. See you soon.
He said back and I took a deep breath. I sent him my address and than put Chandler in the car. Thankfully my mom was traveling this summer, so I wouldn't have to explain all these people to her, although she wouldn't really care anyway. I got to her house and used the spare key to let myself in. The house was like I always remembered, cold, and unwelcoming. I didn't come back here often, and seeing this house for the first time in years, reminded me why.
I made my way out to the backyard, and got the pool ready. My mom had hired help for when she was travelling, so the kept the pool in tack, and I was thankful for that. I grabbed all the toys out of the shed and went over and put on some music. My mother was unnecessarily wealthy. She had things that she never needed, but bought simply because she could. This pool, rarely got used, but it made her look better, so she got it. The hot tub, I don't think anyone has been in it since I was a sophomore in high school, and the fire pit, never touched. She made no sense to me, but that was her style, and I learned to accept that long ago.
"Holy crap." I heard from behind me. I turned around and there stood Jace and his entourage.
"Channy!" Natasha yelled and she ran over to him. Her nickname for him was so cute and I couldn't help but smile.
"Hey. Welcome." I said and they all walked in further. I noticed the girl from before was here with him, and I guess I still wasn't completely over it because my heart sank a little.
"This is insane." Jace said and I shrugged.
"You know rich people. They like to make everything look expensive." I said and they all laughed.
"Trust us, we know." The girl said. "Our parents are the same way, although, they never did invest in a pool."
"Come on, you know mom would never do that on account of the numerous parties you would try and throw." The one boy said and the girl laughed.
"Clary, these are my siblings." Jace said after a minute and my gut twisted. Siblings. "This is Izzy, and that Alec. And the sparkly dude is Magnus, Alec's husband." He explained before turning to the kids. "And those two are my nephews, Max and Rafe. They are Alec's and Magnus's."
"Mine should be here soon. Husband that is." Izzy said. "He got held up at work." She explained and I nodded.
"Well, make yourselves at home." I said. "I'm going to go talk to the chef, and ask that they start dinner."
"You have chefs?" Izzy asked.
"My mom has chefs." I explained. "Me, I'm the chef in my household. Burgers and hot dogs good with everyone?" I said and they nodded. I walked in the house as I saw them all getting ready. Siblings. They were siblings. I couldn't believe it.
Jace POV:
After Clary left, I looked around at the backyard, and it as absolutely insane. I mean, I knew what it was like growing up with money. After everything my real parents left me, and getting adopted by the Lightwood's, money was always a constant, but this was truly insane.
"Did you know she was loaded?" Izzy asked after a moment.
"I don't think she is." I said honestly. "She made it sound like she doesn't get anything."
"But look at this house." Izzy said.
"Yea, and in the text, she said it was her mothers." I said and Izzy shrugged.
"I thought our parents were loaded." She said and I laughed. Clary made her way back outside a couple minutes later.
"Mommy, can I swim yet?" Chandler asked Clary.
"Let me put your floaties on." Clary said and Chandler made his way over to her. She slipped them on and than Natasha walked over and handed her hers. "Oh, I like yours." Clary said and Natasha smiled. "And I like your bathing suit."
"Thanks. Daddy won't let me wear the one Aunt Izzy got me." She said and I laughed.
"But it's so cute!" Izzy said.
"It's a two piece bathing suit Izzy. She's 3 years old." I said and Izzy huffed.
"It's still cute." She mumbled and I shook my head.
"Well, I think this one is absolutely adorable." Clary said again and Natasha smiled.
"Thanks. Daddy picked it out." She said as she looked at me and I just smiled.
"He has some pretty good taste." Clary said and Natasha nodded. "Okay, be careful you two, and no rough housing."
"Hear that Max, and Rafe." Alec shouted. "No rough housing." The boys sighed but got into the pool anywhere.
"Aunt Izzy, come swim with us!" Natasha cheered and Izzy stood up, took her cover up off and got into the pool.
"Oh my god." I heard Clary say and I looked at her. "Is she like a super model?" She asked and I laughed.
"Actually, yes." I said and she looked at me. "She just got back from a show in France."
"I was kidding, but like now I get it." Clary said and I laughed. "She's gorgeous."
"Yea. She's always been that way." I said and Clary nodded.
"And her husband? Is he a male model?" She asked and I laughed.
"Oh god no. Simon is like her opposite in every possible way." I explained.
"How did they meet?" Clary asked.
"High school believe it or not." I said. "Simon was her tutor in math, and they just kind of clicked." I said and Clary nodded. "He's a weapons engineer for the military."
"That's intense." Clary said and I laughed.
"Yea. They make it work." I said and Clary nodded. A minute later the gate opened and there was Simon.
"Sorry I'm late. My commander was not being very cooperative." He said.
"Uncle Simon!" Natasha cheered from in the pool. Simon made his way over and gave Izzy a kiss and splashed Natasha playfully, and she giggled.
"No worries." Izzy said with a smile. He turned around and looked at Clary and I.
"I'm Simon by the way. Nice to meet you." He said and to Clary.
"You as well." She said. Everyone at this point was in the pool except for Clary and I, and I thought this was a perfect opportunity to ask why it took her so long to respond to me.
"So, it took you quite some time to answer my texts." I said and she sighed.
"I know. I'm sorry." She said.
"What happened? I thought everything was going well." I said.
"I'm gonna sound so childish for a moment, and I won't be surprised if you laugh at me." She said and I nodded. "The day I was at your house for the movie date with Natasha, and you answered the phone, I thought Izzy was your girlfriend."
"Oh god." I said with a laugh.
"Yea, so I just thought that keeping my distance would help." She said.
"Help with what?" I asked.
"My confusing feelings for you." She admitted.
"What's so confusing about them?" I asked after a moment.
"I guess I'm just being cautious, considering that my last relationship wasn't a very pleasant one." She said. "And the fact that we only met a month ago, and I feel something between us that I've never felt with anyone else before."
"What's that?" I asked.
"At home." She said. I was quiet for a moment because it seemed like she wanted to say more. "I'm sure you look at this house and think 'wow, she's a rich girl' but this house never felt like home." She explained. "I never knew my father, he bailed when I was 2, and my mother was a really good painter, and decided that she was going to explore that area, and her fame escalated practically overnight." She said. "I was always handed off to a nanny, and when my mom was home, she wasn't very nurturing. Which is one reason I went all the way to Tennessee for school. It was far away, and I could truly be independent of her."
"I know the feeling." I said. "I lost my parents when I was 5, and the Lightwood's adopted me when I was 13. I knew what I was like to be tossed aside."
"I'm sorry." She said. "That must have sucked."
"It was hard, I won't lie, but the Lightwood's are great." I said as I looked at them all playing together in the pool.
"They seem great." Clary said with a smile.
"I have feelings for you too Clary." I said after a moment and she looked at me. "Not confusing one, but strong ones."
"Really?" She asked and I laughed.
"Is that so hard to believe?" I asked and she shrugged.
"I don't know. I mean look at you, and look at me." She gestured to herself.
"You're beautiful." I said and she blushed. "Look, let me take you out. No kids, just you and me, and we see where it goes." I offered and she looked at me.
"Who would look after Chandler?" She asked.
"Alec can do it. He always babysits Natasha when I need him too." I said and I could see she was thinking about it.
"Okay. Sounds fun." She said and I smiled.
"When are you free?" I asked.
"I don't work this weekend." She said.
"Saturday night. 7 o'clock." I said and she nodded.
The rest of the day and night went by perfectly. Eventually Clary and I joined everyone in the pool. Chandler and Natasha were having the best time and I couldn't help but smile every time I looked at Clary. I was excited to be going out with her and seeing where our relationship went, because I wasn't lying when I said my feelings for her were strong, I just hoped hers were just as strong.
Time Jump – One Year Later
Clary POV:
"Chandler I'm leaving." I yelled while I gathered my things. I was called in tonight, and I wasn't happy about it, but Emma, who was supposed to work tonight but has the flu, promised to cover any shift that I needed covered, so I guess that was a good perk.
"I thought you weren't leaving tonight mommy." He said as he ran into my legs.
"I wasn't supposed too, but someone got sick, and they need my help." I said and I kneeled down in front of him. "I'll be back in the morning." I said and he was still sad.
"Mommy!" I heard from the hallway, and before I knew it Natasha was running to me.
"Hi pretty lady." I said as I gave her a kiss. "Be good for daddy, and I'll see you both in the morning." I said as I stood up. Jace was leaning against the doorframe, smiling at us. "I'll be back at like 5 am." I said and he nodded.
"We'll hold down the fort." Jace said. "Right little man?" He asked Chandler.
"Right daddy!" He said as he gave him a high five. I smiled and gave Jace a kiss before walking out to my car.
This past year had been absolutely amazing. After our first date, I just knew everything was going to be okay. Chandler and Natasha loved each other, and always referred to each other as brother and sister, and the first time Natasha called me mommy, I nearly cried. I told Jace about it, and he told me that Chandler called him daddy as well, and that just solidified it for us. We were a family, and nothing was going to change that. After about 2 months of dating I actually moved in with him. Call us crazy, but we were ready for it. Chandler was pumped and Natasha couldn't stop talking about it for a week, I think Chandler's talking abilities had worn off on her, cause she was turning into quite a chatterbox as well. My life seemed so surreal, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Jace POV:
"Ready or not, here I come!" I called after a counted to 100. I started searching through the house for Natasha and Chandler. They were both pretty good at hide and seek, and sometimes it did take me some time to find them, but they enjoyed it so much that it didn't matter.
It amazed me how many new hiding spots they could find. I searched in all the normal ones but they weren't there at all, so I started to think outside the box. I checked the closets, but no luck. I chest under the stairs, but they weren't there either. I went in Clary and I's room and checked the bathtub but they weren't there either. I decided to check under the sink cause that's unusual right? I opened the door and there wasn't a child there, but there were 4 pregnancy tests sprawled out. I kneeled down and picked one of them up. Positive. My jaw nearly hit the ground. I picked up the other three up. All positive. Clary was pregnant. With my child.
I heard some movement from in the hallway, and I put the tests all down, and closed the door. I made my way out in to the hallway and saw Natasha and Chandler running down the stairs.
"Now I know why I can never find you!" I said as I chased after them. "You're always moving you little sneaks!" I said as I picked Natasha and started tickling her.
"Daddy that tickles!" She said and I smiled and out her down.
"You two are tricky." I said and they smiled. "How about we get some dinner?"
"Can we go out daddy?" Natasha asked.
"Please!" Chandler asked and I laughed.
"Of course. Come on, let's get your shoes on." I said and they ran to the front door and started putting their shoes on. We got the restaurant and were seated and the kids started coloring. They already knew what they were getting, since they get the same thing every time, so there was no need to look at the menu. After we ordered, and our food was brought out I decided that it was the perfect time to talk to Chandler. "So little man, I have a question for you."
"What is it?" He asked as his mouth was full with French fries.
"I was wondering how you felt about me asking your mommy to marry her." I said and his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Really?" He asked and I simply smiled and nodded. "Than you'd be my real daddy!" He said and I laughed.
"That I would little man." I said and he climbed under the table and over to my side of the booth. He wrapped his arms around my neck and I gladly returned the hug. "So you're okay with it?" I asked and he nodded his head. "How about you Natasha, are you okay with it?" I asked and she nodded her head enthusiastically as well. The rest of dinner went by amazingly and I just couldn't wait until Clary got done work and talk to her about the pregnancy tests, and marriage and the rest of our lives.
Time Jump – End Of Clary's Shift
Clary POV:
I was dead on my feet, but I think that had more to due with the pregnancy, than anything else. I still haven't found the right time to tell Jace about the baby, but I had my blood taken during my shift, which in fact concluded that I was in fact pregnant, and nearly 2 months along. He or she was due on Valentine's Day, and I couldn't wait to meet them. When I got home, I walked up to my room and to my surprised Jace was sitting up in bed reading.
"Why are you awake?" I asked and he smiled.
"I couldn't sleep." He said as he put his book down.
"Are the kids okay?" I asked and he laughed.
"The kids are great." Jace said. I made my way over to the bed and he pulled me into a kiss. "I know Clary." He said and my eyes widened.
"How?" I asked.
"I found the pregnancy tests in the cabinet." He said. "How long have you known?" He asked.
"A couple days." I admitted. "But I got my blood work done tonight, which in fact confirmed that I am pregnant. Almost 2 months along." I said.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.
"I guess I wanted to be sure." I said. "Pregnancy tests can be wrong, or give out false results."
"This is incredible." He said with the biggest smile on his face.
"Really?" I asked.
"Absolutely. Why wouldn't it be?" He asked.
"I don't know, because we've only been together for a year, because we aren't married and Maryse will probably hate me even more, because we have Natasha and Chandler to worry about…"
"Clary." Jace cut me off. "Maryse likes you. I promise you. So what if we've only been together a year. I'm more in love with you than I've ever been in love with anyone in my entire life. And Chandler and Natasha will be excited about getting a sibling." Jace said. "And as for the marriage thing…" He said as he shifted his weight and opened the bedside drawer. He pulled out a box and I gasped.
"Jace." I said but he stopped me again.
"This ring has been siting in that drawer for 3 weeks just waiting for me to work of the nerve to ask you." He said and I laughed. "After I found the pregnancy tests, I knew it was the right moment." He said as he opened the box, and in it sat the most gorgeous ring. "I asked for Chandler's permission this afternoon, and he was more than willing to say yes." He said and my eyes started filling with tears. "I love you Clary, and I love our kids, and I love our one on the way." He said and I smiled. "Will you marry me?" He asked.
"Absolutely." I said and slid the ring on my finger. He pulled me into a kiss and I couldn't help but smile. When we broke apart our eyes locked. "Does it make me a bad woman that I don't want a wedding?" I asked and he laughed.
"Courthouse. Wednesday morning?" He asked and I couldn't help but laugh.
"Sounds perfect to me." I said and he kissed me again. Yesterday I was just Clary Fray, I had a son, and a boyfriend, and the cutest little daughter. Now I'm Clary Fray, soon to be Clary Herondale, with a son, a daughter, and one on the way, and I couldn't be happier.
Time Jump – Birth
Jace POV:
Clary went into labor about 3 hours ago, and the doctor said she was getting close. I was anxious to meet my cute little babies. You heard right, babies, as in plural, as in Clary was having twins. We were shocked at first. Like, floored, but Natasha and Chandler were super excited to be getting two new siblings instead of just one, and that calmed us both down a little. But finding out that they were both girls, I think that floored me even more. I was now the father of three daughters, and I think I'm going to be in over my head with how much I'm going to want to spoil and protect them, but I couldn't wait to meet them.
Chandler and Natasha were spending the day with Izzy and Simon, and I was thankful that they volunteered to take them. They sacrificed their Valentine's Day plans to help us out, and although I had to babysit their son for a make up Valentine's Day date, it was worth it. My family was waiting out in the lobby anxiously waiting for the two to come into this world, and I couldn't blame them because I was anxious as well.
"Alright Clary, lets see how far you are." The doctor said as she examined Clary. "You're ready to push."
"Oh thank god." Clary said and I laughed.
"Okay Clary, next contraction, push." The doctor said and Clary nodded. It was about 2 minutes later that Clary started screaming, squeezing my hand and pushing. I was prepared for this to take some time, but apparently they were more than ready to come out. "Wow, she is eager. Alright Clary, push a little harder." The doctor said and Clary started pushing. A few moments later cries filled the room and I couldn't believe that I had another child. Clary leaned back against the bed and I kissed her forehead.
"You did great babe." I said and she nodded.
"Okay Clary, next contraction, push." The doctor said and Clary nodded. When the next contraction hit, Clary pushed even harder than she did with the first one. "Wow, this might be the fastest birth of twins I've ever been apart of." The doctor said. "Big push Clary." She said and I didn't think it was possible for her to push any harder, but she did. A moment later more cries filed the room. Clary leaned back and I kissed her lips.
"You did it Clare." I said and she gave me a sleepy smile.
"Who wants to hold who?" The doctor asked as two nurses walked over with two pink bundled babies.
"Doesn't matter." I said and the nodded. The nurse closest to me hand me a baby, and the other one handed the other one over to Clary. "Who wants to be who?" I asked and Clary laughed. "Okay, which one of you wants to be Emerson?" I asked and the one in Clary's arms sneezed. "You got it baby girl." I said.
"Which makes that little one Anastasia." Clary said and I nodded.
"Emerson, and Anastasia, welcome to the Herondale family." I said and I kissed her. My family came in shortly after. I called Izzy and asked them to bring Chandler and Natasha over. It took them about 25 minutes but they finally arrived. Chandler and Natasha got up on the bed with Clary and were looking at their sisters.
"What are their names?" Chandler asked.
"Daddy is holding Anastasia, and I'm holding Emerson." Clary said and they both nodded.
"You can get closer guys." I said and they moved closer to Clary. Chandler leaned forward and gave Emerson a kiss on the head. Natasha did the same thing after. I leaned forward and Chandler and Natasha gave Anastasia a kiss as well.
Clary scooted over in the bed and I sat down with her. Natasha was sitting on Clary's legs, and Chandler was sitting on mine talking about their adventures with Izzy. Anastasia, and Emerson were asleep at this point, and the rest of my family was gathered around listening to the stories. I looked over at Clary and she looked over at me and smiled.
"Mommy, Uncle Simon let me go down the icy slide." Chandler said and we both looked over at Simon.
"He was sitting on my lap." Simon said and everyone laughed.
"It was so cool." Chandler said and I couldn't help but smile.
"It sounds like you guys had a good time with Aunt Izzy and Uncle Simon." Clary said.
"It was so much fun!" Natasha said. They continued to talk about building snowmen, and making snow angels, and I just took it in and couldn't believe that this was my life. Everything had worked out so incredibly well, and I couldn't be more thankful, and it was all because of the zoo.
Authors Note:
TMIShips4Life I have finally done it, and completed one of you suggestions, and I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself! You are one of the most loyal readers of my stories, and you always give me great suggestions, but this one really hit me and I loved writing it! I hope you don't mind that I gave Clary the son, and Jace the daughter, but I'm just such a sucker for Jace being wrapped around his daughters finger, and I had to write it! Please let me know what you think, and let me know if I've lived up to your expectations! I really hope I did! :)
Also, I know I didn't really address the father of Clary's son other than Clary's history with him, but I just wanted to add in this note that he's dead. He was sent to prison when Chandler was 2 for soliciting a prostitute, and he pissed the wrong people off, and they shanked him (for those who don't know what that means, getting shanked in prison means stabbed with a homemade knife. His pants were not pulled down to his ankles!) Anyway, so since he was no longer in the picture, like at all, Jace was allowed to adopt Chandler, and Clary adopted Natasha a few months before the twins were born! Okay, I think thats all I wanted to clear up! Let me know what you think, and leave a review! :)
