Sixty Ninth One Shot:

Divorced

Clary POV:

"What brings you two in to my office today?" Mrs. Stevens, the lawyer, asked us.

"Our therapist told us that it might be time to consider divorce, and referred us to you." I said. I didn't even bother looking over at Jace.

"Okay, and why might that be?" She asked.

"We've been separated for about 3 months now, and she doesn't think couples therapy is working for us." I admitted. "She told us that you were one of the best in the state, and I trust her."

"Because she always takes your side." Jace finally spoke and I just rolled my eyes

"Not true." I said as I looked back at the woman.

"Okay, there is obviously something straining your marriage." She said. "I'm assuming you two were seeing Dr. Wilson correct?" She asked and I nodded. "Her and I go way back. Do you know why she referred you to me specifically?" She asked and I shook my head. "I'm a different kind of divorce lawyer." She said. "I'm not here to just write up a contract, and have you two sign it and than end the marriage. Do you two have anything else to do today?"

"No. We're both free." I said and she nodded.

"Good, cause this could take a while." She said as she wheeled her chair around her desk and was now sitting in front of us. "What we're going to do is take a stroll down memory lane. There are 4 different events that I want you two to both think back too." She said and I nodded. "The first day you met, your first date, your wedding day, and the day you separated." She said and I nodded. "I've helped 45 couples who came in here seeking divorce stay together, and continue thriving in a marriage that they thought they wanted to end. If after our meeting today, you two both feel like divorce is what you want, I will write the contract up, and I'll get you two divorced."

"Okay." Jace and I said together which kind of shocked me.

"Now, lets talk about the first day you met." Mrs. Stevens said and I thought back to that day, and it feels like a lifetime ago.

Flashback:

Seventh Grade

Clary POV:

I was sitting on the brick wall outside during recess drawing. I was caught up in my own little world when someone sat down next to me. I looked up and there was a kid who I'd never seen before. He smiled at me and I smiled back and continued to work on my picture. It was quiet for a minute before he spoke.

"What are you drawing?" He asked.

"A lake." I said and he nodded.

"Can I see?" He asked. I sighed and turned my body so that I could show him. I wasn't really proud of it. It could have been way better and that bothered me. "You're really good."

"It's not my best." I admitted and he laughed.

"If this isn't your best, you must be pretty good. I stuck at art. Like really badly." He said and I smiled and laughed.

"I haven't seen you before." I said changing the subject. "Are you new?"

"Yea. I just moved her over the weekend." He said. "I got a new foster family."

"That sucks." I said without thinking. "I mean, the fact that you are in foster care. Not getting a new foster family." I said trying to make it sound less bad.

"It's okay. The last one wasn't that great. I was glad to move." He said and I nodded.

"Is the family you're with now nice?" I asked after a minute.

"Yea. They're nice enough. Still not the same as having a real family." He said and I shrugged.

"Sometimes real families aren't that great anyway." I said thinking about my family.

"I guess." He said. "I'm Jace by the way."

"Clary." I said and he nodded. "How come you aren't playing with the other kids?" I asked.

"Wasn't feeling it. People tend not to let the new kid join right in you know?" He asked and I nodded.

"You know, I could teach you how to draw." I offered and he smiled.

"Nothing too complicated." He said and I flipped the page to a blank one.

"Let's start with a tree." I said and he nodded and I continued to show him how to draw for the rest of recess.

Flashback Over

"I learned how to draw my first tree that day." Jace said with a smile on his face. A real one, something I haven't seen in a while.

"Not a very good one." I said with a laugh and he laughed as well.

"Not everyone can be as good as you Red." He said using my old nickname, one that I thought he totally forgot about.

"You progressed quite well. By the time the year was over, you were finally able to draw actual leaves instead of that big cloud of squiggles that you normally did." I said and he laughed.

"What grade were you two in?" Mrs. Stevens asked, and for a second I completely forgot she was there.

"Seventh." Jace answered. "I was the new kid, and I saw her sitting alone, and I wanted to be her friend immediately." He said while he looked at me. "I have no clue why, but I did."

"Okay, how about your first date?" She asked and I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face as I remembered where he took me.

Flashback:

Eleventh Grade

Clary POV:

I was incredibly nervous for this date tonight. Jace had I had been friends for so long, and I thought that dating would totally ruin that, but at the same time I was really excited about it. I liked him immediately, well after getting over his whole ego, and cocky attitude. He was a really sweet guy, and easy on the eyes. He told me to dress casually, which was nice. It meant that our date was going to be very chill, and easy going, which is exactly what I liked.

The doorbell rang and I went to answer it. Thankfully my family was out so I didn't have to deal with them. We had gotten into a huge fight this afternoon, and my mother went to her 'friends' house to calm down, my dad went to a bar, and Jonathan went out with his buddies, probably to do drugs. Who really knows with him. When I opened the door I couldn't get the smile off my face. It was like the whole day completely got washed away and all that mattered was Jace.

"You ready?" He asked and I nodded. I walked out of the house, locked the door and proceeded to walk to his car. "I figured we'd get pizza first, and than I'd take you to the main activity."

"Sounds good. I'm starving." I said and he smiled. The car ride was quiet, which wasn't a bad thing. Being in his presence was really calming, and I didn't mind the silence.

Dinner went by quickly and we laughed the whole time. He knew some of the trouble I had with my family. He's been on the receiving end of some of my breakdowns, and has always been really understanding and comforting which was nice, and something I really needed from someone and he took on that role. When we were finished, we got back into his car and started driving. The drive took about 35 minutes, but when we finally arrived I was confused. We were in front of a warehouse, that wasn't really well advertised.

"Oh god, are you going to kill me?" I asked and Jace just laughed.

"No. But we are going to break things." He said and that only confused me more. We walked into the warehouse and all I heard were things shattering. The more we entered, the more confused I got until I finally saw what was happening. People were throwing plates at targets. I laughed and I looked up at Jace.

"We're going to smash plates?" I asked with a laugh.

"I figured it would be a good release." He said. "I know it's been tough at home the last couple months. And I know you bury it all deep inside, and I totally understand that, because I do the same thing, but if it sits in there for too long, it starts to become toxic. So I figured this was a perfect way to let the anger out, plus getting to do something that is forbidden in every house." He said with a laugh.

"It's perfect." I said. We got out stake of 10 plates and went over to the throwing area. I never knew how much pent up anger I had until I started smashing plates. Jace was right, I needed a good release, and this was it.

Flashback End.

"I broke so many plates that night." I said and Jace laughed.

"80 to be exact." Jace said. "At one point I just told the woman in charge to just bring over the next stack when she saw you getting low."

"I must have been one expensive first date." I said and Jace just smiled.

"I never cared how much it was going to cost. I knew you needed it, and I was glad that I could do something." Jace said.

"I don't think I ever told you that my family got into a really bad fight that day." I said as I looked at him. "It might have been the worst fight we've ever had, and you taking me there really let me get it all out of my system." I explained. "I mean, I knew you were doing it for the fights that happened months before, but that particular day, it was really needed, and I don't think I ever told you how thankful I was for that." I said.

"You never had to thank me for anything Clary." Jace said. "I would and still will do anything for you."

"Was that the only date you two ever had like that?" Mrs. Stevens asked.

"No. He actually took me on a lot of other dates similar to that one." I said.

"Like what?" She asked.

"There was a similar place that let you throw hatchets." I said with a laugh. "It wasn't as easy as smashing plates, but it was a nice friendly competition to see which one of us got a hatchet buried into the barrel." I said.

"I won, obviously." Jace said and I laughed.

"You're a lot stronger than me." I said with a smile. "It was impossible for me to get that hatchet stuck. Plus, I remember kicking your ass in bowling the next week, so I was content with that victory."

"Bowling has never been my thing." Jace said.

"Mr. Athletic got 5 gutter balls that night." I said to Mrs. Stevens and he just laughed.

"Like I said, not my thing." Jace said and she nodded.

"Okay, what about your wedding day?" She asked and I looked over at Jace and he smiled at me and we both laughed. Our wedding was unconventional, but totally worth it.

Flashback:

Wedding Day

Clary POV:

I was laying in bed dreading getting up. My mother has been so incredibly annoying with this whole wedding planning. I mean, she didn't even like Jace in the beginning, and boycotted our engagement, and now that she knows we are serious, she is going overboard. I didn't like it. I just wanted something simple. I didn't care about the flowers, or the cake, or the dress honestly. I just wanted to be married to Jace. That's all I needed. Our bedroom door opened and in walked Jace with a steaming cup of coffee. I sat up and he gave me a sweet peck on the lips.

"Good morning." He said and I smiled.

"Morning." I said.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I'm so over the wedding planning." I said and he laughed. "Seriously, my mom called me six times last night. At 3 in the morning." I said and he laughed even more. "She's getting out of control."

"I'm sorry babe. Just tell her to calm down." He said.

"If only that worked. She won't listen to a thing I say. It's like my opinion of my own wedding don't even matter." I said and he brushed my cheek.

"Your opinion is the only one that matters." He said and I smiled.

"Yours does too." I said and he smiled.

"I just want to marry you." He said. "Nothing else matters to me."

"That's all I want too." I said and he got that wicked look in his eyes. "What are you thinking about?"

"Let's elope." He said and my eyes widened.

"What?" I asked and he laughed.

"Let's go to Vegas and elope." He said again. "You don't want to deal with a huge wedding, and neither do I." He explained. "We could take a fun trip to Vegas and get married and finally make it official."

"My mother is going to kill me." I said through a fit of giggles because it sounded perfect to me.

"So? You've never cared about what she thought. This is our life Clare. Our wedding. Not hers." He said.

"When can we leave?" I asked and he smiled.

"This weekend? We could both take Friday and Monday off. Make it a long weekend for the both of us." He said.

"Sounds perfect to me." I said and he leaned forward and kissed me.

Time Jump – Weekend

We got to Vegas, and I honestly was so excited to be here. Jace was right, this was about us, and our wedding, our life, and our future. This had nothing to do with my mother. She never really even approved of my choice to marry Jace. We had gotten here early on Friday, so the rest of the day we were spending apart getting ourselves ready for tonight, where we would be getting married. Thankfully, Jace's adoptive sister moved out here years ago, so she was meeting with us, and going to be our witness.

She met me at a nail salon and we spend the day getting our nails done and looking for a wedding dress for me. I wasn't going over the top, but I wanted to get married in white. Something super casual, but still classy looking. Thankfully his sister had a really good eye for fashion and we found something in about 3 hours, which would have taken me like three days to find. By the time we were done, it was almost time to meet up with Jace and I was a ball of nerves. We pulled up to the chapel, and I took a deep breath before opening up the doors. Jace stood at the front looking better than ever, and I couldn't get the smile off my face. I made my way up to him, and he was smiling the whole time too. I stood in front of him and he took my hands in his.

"You ready?" He asked and I smiled and nodded.

"Absolutely." He said and we turned our attention to the officiate. The whole ceremony was kind of a blur. I couldn't take my eyes off Jace, and all I heard was him asking if I took Jace as my husband, and I couldn't say 'I do' faster. Before I knew it our lips were tangled together and we were finally married.

Flashback Over

"And was your mom pissed?" Mrs. Stevens asked.

"She disowned me." I said. "Stopped talking to me for 5 or 6 years."

"That seems incredibly drastic." She said.

"My mother is insane. To put it nicely." I said and Jace laughed.

"That's an understatement." He said.

"Have you spoken recently?" She asked.

"She reached out a year or two ago." I explained.

"And have you reconciled?" She asked.

"Nope." I said and she nodded.

"Okay, let's talk about why you separated." She asked and I dreaded this because the atmosphere was pretty light, and pleasant, and the minute she said that it got dark again.

"About a year ago, I miscarried." I said as I remember that horrible day. "I was a week shy of my second trimester, and I just woke up in immense pain, and the sheets were all bloody, and when I got to the hospital, there was nothing they could do." I said as I tear escaped my eye. "It was the worst moment of my life."

"I'm so sorry for your loss." She said.

"I kinda disappeared after that." I said.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"She locked herself in our room for 2 weeks." Jace answered before I got the chance. "She didn't eat. She didn't drink anything but vodka. I slept on the couch, and hoped that every day she would unlock the door."

"How did that make you feel Jace?" Mrs. Stevens asked.

"Useless." He said. "Losing our child was the worst thing that's ever happened to me as well." He admitted. "I had a horrible childhood. Bounced around from home to home until I was adopted in 9th grade. I saw my parents die right in front of me. I got abused in some of the homes that I was sent too. It wasn't fun, and I haven't had a family since I was 7. And than losing the only blood relative I had, and it being my child, I sank into a deep depression."

"Is that why you two decided to do therapy?" She asked.

"We barely talked in 5 or 6 months, and I felt like we had lost everything we had." I said. "I thought that maybe therapy would help. I was wrong."

"Why were you wrong?" She asked.

"Because Jace doesn't take it seriously." I said.

"That's not true." Jace said.

"Oh really?" I asked. "You barely talk, and when she gives us suggestions on how to fix our marriage you blow it off." I said. "I'm tired of being the only one trying."

"You literally just shit on me the whole session, and than she gives me dirty looks, as if I'm the worst person on this planet." Jace spit back. "You disappeared for 5 months Clary." He said. "I didn't have my wife. You were a shell of a human."

"Was I supposed to be happy Jace? I just lost my baby." I nearly yelled as the tears streamed down my face.

"And I lost my baby too." He said. "You weren't the only one suffering. I was too. I was so sad. I lost my baby, and than I lost my wife too. How do you think that felt? You pushed me away. You didn't want anything to do with me." He said and than I realized that I never even thought about how it would affect him. I was so consumed in my own guilt and sadness that I never thought about him.

"I didn't realize." I said softly.

"Of course you didn't because you left me to fend for myself." Jace said. "You know I planned her whole funeral? I picked out her casket, I designed her grave. Where were you?" Jace said.

"I don't know." I said honestly.

"You were drunk. That's where you were." Jace said. "I would visit her every week because I had no one else to grieve with but her. Do you know how awful that felt? The one other person who knew what I was going through, what I was feeling, wasn't even there anymore." He said.

"I thought you blamed me." I said honestly. "You were so quiet when we got the news, and than after we held her for the few minutes that she was alive you were so still, and emotionless."

"Why in the world would I blame you Clary?" Jace said and I shrugged. "You had no control over what happened."

"I lost our baby Jace. I blamed myself, and convinced myself that you blamed me as well." I said as I wiped the tears from my cheeks. "I was so lost, and upset, and depressed." Jace got out of his chair and kneeled down at my feet and took my hands in his.

"I never once blamed you for that Clary." He said in a soft voice. "I saw how much that destroyed you. I could see it every single day, and I couldn't do anything to help you because you wouldn't let me." He said and I sighed.

"I'm so sorry." I said and he kissed my knuckles.

"I just wanted my wife back and when you suggested therapy, I was all for it because I wanted to salvage whatever was left of our marriage, but once we stepped into that room it was like it never happened and I was the worst husband in the world because I didn't do anything for you." Jace said.

"I've been horrible to you." I said and he smiled at me.

"Marrying you was the best thing that ever happened to me Clary." He said honestly. "You were the only one I wanted to share my life with, and that hasn't changed one bit."

"Even after I kicked you out?" I asked and he laughed.

"Like I said, I was willing to do anything to make our marriage work." Jace said.

"Seems like you two figured out a lot today." Mrs. Stevens said and Jace went back to his seat, and he was about to let go of my hands but I didn't let him. "What would you like to do?" She asked and I looked at Jace and smiled.

"I don't think we need a divorce lawyer after all." I said and she smiled.

"Than, it was lovely meeting you two, and I wish you the very best." She said and Jace and I stood up. We shook her hand and walked out of her office. On our way to the elevator I saw a girl checking him out hard core, and I didn't like it.

"He's married." I said and her eyes shifted from Jace to me.

"Not for long sweetie." She said as she handed Jace her number. "Call me the minute the divorce is finalized."

"Oh, we weren't here for a divorce." Jace said casually. "We were just catching up with an old friend." Jace said as he pointed back to the office we just came out of. "We all went to high school together, but thank you for the offer." He said as he handed her number back to her. She walked away and Jace and I continued to walk to the elevator. Once we were inside and the doors closed Jace started laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"I forgot what it was like when you get jealous." He said and I huffed.

"I was not jealous." I said and he looked at me.

"Clary, you were jealous." He said and I rolled my eyes. "Don't be embarrassed, I missed it."

"Really?" I asked and he nodded.

"You realize how many women you get off my back when we're out together?" He asked and I shook my head. "I've missed that. I've had to do it myself." He said and than something popped into my head.

"You didn't date while we were separated, did you?" I asked hesitantly and he looked at me.

"I know most people view separation as them being single again, but I never took off my ring." He said and I looked at his left hand and there the ring sat.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because you are my wife." He said. "And you have been my wife since the day we got married."

"I love you." I said and I couldn't help but realize how foreign those words sounded coming from my mouth, but also how good it felt saying them again.

"I love you too." He said after a moment. "I never stopped." He said and I got on my tip toes and pressed my lips to his, for the first time in so long, I kissed my husband, and I finally felt at home. "You have no idea how much I missed that." He said when we broke apart.

"I'm sorry it took me so long." I said and he pulled me into a hug.

"The point is that we got here, we're getting better, and through our problems. That's all that matters." He said and I nodded. The elevator finally opened and Jace took my hand in his and we walked out to he parking lot like the couple we were before, and nothing has felt more right in my life.

Time Jump – One Year Later

Jace POV:

This past year had been more amazing that I could have anticipated. When I finally moved back into the house I couldn't believe how good it felt to be back, and than to finally sleep in the same bed as my wife, was a feeling that I truly missed. Clary and I were getting stronger every single day. There were some days where Clary was incredibly sad, and I understood, but she let me help, and be there for her, which is what I've wanted from the beginning and I was glad that she was allowing me to help her properly.

I just got home from work, and I was exhausted. It had been a pretty hard week, but I was glad to have the weekend off and just spend some time with Clary. We made it a mandatory thing that weekends were spent together no matter what mood we were in. I didn't care if we spent the weekend in bed because Clary was having a hard time, or if we went out every night and did something. Just spending time with Clary was all I needed and what we did didn't matter.

"Clary?" I called when I got into the house. "Where are you?"

"Bedroom!" I heard her call and I walked up the stairs and into our room. She was sitting on the edge of bed looking at something in her hands.

"What's that?" I asked and she looked up and I could tell she had been crying.

"I'm pregnant." She says and my heart stops momentarily.

"Come again?" I asked because I'm not sure I can fully comprehend it yet.

"I'm pregnant." She says again and I make my way over to her and look at the stick. "There are four more in the bathroom that are all positive."

"You're pregnant." I say and she nods. "We're having a baby." I say and she nods once more. "We're going to be parents." I say and she nods yet again. I looked up and our eyes lock and I smile. "I love you."

"I love you too." She says and I press my lips to hers. When we break apart I smile and so does she.

"Are those happy tears?" I asked and she laughs.

"The happiest." She said and I picked her up and spun her around.

"This is amazing." I said and she laughed.

"I made an appointment for next week." She says and I nod. "Wednesday, 12:45." She said.

"I'll be there." I said and she smiled. "Come on, we're going out."

"But I thought we were just going to stay in and order something?" She asked and I laughed.

"You just told me we're having a baby. We're going out." I said and she laughed.

"Okay, just let me change." She said and I nodded.

"I'll be downstairs." I said and she nodded. I made my way downstairs, and waited for Clary. When she finally came down and wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me quick.

"I love you." She said and I couldn't help but smile.

"I love you too." I said as I took her hand and led her out to the car. We made our way to the restaurant and I let my hand rest on Clary's thigh the whole time. I couldn't believe that we were going through this again. It was exciting but also pretty terrifying, but I was ready. I was ready for us to be parents, and for Clary and I got get through all the highs and lows of pregnancy. We were robbed last time, and we went through something that was incredibly heartbreaking and depressing and we almost lost each other because of it. This time, Clary and I were stronger, and we were going to do everything in our power to make sure everything runs smoothly. After the last couple years Clary and I deserved happiness, and that's exactly what we were going to get this time around.

Authors Note:

Okay, so I don't know who requested this one, but I enjoyed writing it and I hope you enjoy reading it! This is probably one of the shortest one shots I've ever done, but I felt like it didn't need anymore! I feel like I hit all the parts that I wanted, and fulfilled the wishes of the reader, and I'm pretty pleased with the results! Let me know what you think and leave a review! :)