Eighty Fourth One Shot:
Birth Defect
Clary POV:
I was sitting at home when the mail was dropped off. I went to get it and when I was looking through the bills I noticed the familiar penmanship. I groaned as I opened the envelop.
Dear Jonathan Herondale and guest,
You are formally invited to the annual Herondale family dinner this Friday night. Cocktails start at 5:30, followed by dinner at 6. If you're running late, don't even bother coming. We look forward to seeing you at this years annual dinner.
Celine and Stephan Herondale
I rolled my eyes at this letter. We get one every year and Celine refuses to acknowledge that I was married to Jace, or that we had a daughter. Forget about me being the 'wrong match' for Jace according to Celine. Ava was born without a left leg. When Celine for saw her, she walked right out of the room and never said a thing about her ever again, but I'd take that over her talking shit about Ava any day.
"Babe, I'm home." I heard Jace call.
"In the living room." I called back.
"What's up?" He asked.
"We got the letter." I said and he laughed.
"Oh great. Its that time of year again." He said. "I would think they would just stop inviting us." He said and I laughed.
"Oh please. This is Celine's time to insult me as much as she wants and I don't get to retaliate because I'd be tarnishing the Herondale name." I said.
"You could never tarnish the Herondale name. If anything, you make it even better." Jace said as he pressed his lips to my head. "How is my baby doing?" He asked as he looked at a sleeping Ava on the couch.
"She's exhausted. She ate like 3 bites and than threw up. I gave her some medicine and she fell asleep." I said.
"My poor baby." Jace said as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "She still feels warm."
"Yea. I took her temperature before she fell asleep. It was still the same. I'm just waiting for it to break." I said.
"At least she doesn't have to go to this dinner." He said.
"I know. For the first time since she got sick I'm actually glad she is so that she can miss it." I said.
"If only we were that lucky." He said and I laughed.
"I think we're pretty lucky." I said. "We have a great house, and an amazing daughter, and I have a pretty sexy husband." I said.
"Is that right?" He said and I nodded as I bit my lip. "You can't do this to me. Ava is right there." He growled out and I giggled.
"I know." I said.
"You're evil." He said and I smiled and nodded. "What would you like for dinner?" He finally asked.
"Spaghetti." I said and he laughed and nodded. Jace went into the kitchen and I took a seat and started rubbing Ava's back. Ava looked peaceful sleeping, and I hoped that she would get back on her feet as soon as this flu went away. I hated seeing her sick.
Time Jump – Dinner
Clary POV:
I finished getting ready and I made my way downstairs to see Jace talking to Izzy. Thankfully she could watch Ava tonight because she knew what to do and how to work everything to help Ava and that was such a relief.
"Okay, we should be home before 10." Jace told her. "We don't normally stay as long as we should."
"I totally get it." Izzy said. "Just try and have a little fun." She said and I laughed.
"Good on Iz." I said. "There is no way to have fun in that house."
"I can attest to that. Even as a kid there wasn't any fun being held in that house." Jace said and Izzy nodded. Jace and I walked over to Ava who was sitting on the couch.
"Hey baby." I said and she looked at me. "Mommy and daddy have to get going, but you be good for Aunt Izzy."
"Otay mommy." She said and I kissed her forehead. And Jace did the same. "I love you." She said to us.
"We love you too sweetie." Jace said and she smiled. We grabbed out coats and made our way to his car. The drive to his parents house was silent, but I think we were both preparing ourselves for what was to come. It was always different, but always condescending, so we were just trying to get through it.
When we pulled into his driveway, there were a lot of cars there. We walked up to the front door and rang the bell. A moment later a waiter opened it and ushered us in. he took our coats, and we made our way into the foyer. The Herondale family was gathered around and talking to each other. Jace grabbed my hand and he led me to the bar. We got out drinks and when we turned around there stood Celine and Stephan.
"Mom, dad." Jace said. "Good to see you."
"Jonathan, Clarissa." Celine said. "Where is the other one?" She asked referring to Ava, and it took everything in me not to snap.
"Ava came down with the flu earlier this week." I explained. "She is still under the weather. We didn't want her out."
"Ah. I see." Celine said. "Well, we'll be around." She said and they walked away.
"Wow." I said. "If she was any colder, she's be an ice cube." I said to Jace.
"Just a couple hours. Than we don't have to see them for another year." He said and I nodded.
Dinner was called and we all took our seat as the food was brought out. Imogen, Jace's grandmother, was one of the sweeter ones towards me. She sat next to me, and she had the biggest smile on her face.
"How is the little one?" She asked and I smiled.
"She is currently sick with the flu." I told her. "She's at home with my friend."
"Oh dear." She said. "That's awful."
"It's tough to see your child sick." I said and she nodded.
"That it is." She said. "Stephan was always getting sick as a child. Every spring he would get bronchitis. Eventually I would start taking him before he even got symptoms just because I knew it was coming." She said and I laughed.
"I can't even imagine that." I said and she smiled and nodded. I turned when I heard Ava's name, and I was confused but when I saw Celine talking I just knew it was her. I stopped listening to everything else and focused on her so that I could hear what she was saying.
"I'm so glad she didn't bring the kid. It was a hassle getting that stupid wheelchair in and out of here. You'd think they would teach her how to use her stupid fake leg." Celine said and that was my breaking point.
"That's it." I said as I slammed my hands on the table. "I've had enough of this."
"This is incredibly rude Clarissa." Celine said. "We invited you into our home, and this is how you behave?" She said, but I was way to furious to stop now.
"You invited me into your home to humiliate me in front of the whole family." I said as I looked around. "I know you don't like it, but I'm a Herondale too."
"Not by blood." Celine said.
"And neither are you." I spit back which caught her off guard. "You don't know the first thing about me. And you've never taken the time to get to know me."
"Why would I take the time to know a gold digger?" Celine said. "I can't even believe you last this long, especially with that deformed child of yours."
"You leave Ava the hell out of this." I seethed. "She's your granddaughter. Your family. And you don't even acknowledge her existence. You know how horrible it feels when your 4 year old daughter knows she isn't loved by her grandparents?" I asked and everyone was silent. "It fucking sucks."
"Language." Celine chastised.
"No. I'm going to be as candid as I want because this is the last time I ever step foot in this house." I said. "For the last 7 years you've invited me to family events, dinners, celebrations. In the beginning I would get so excited because I finally thought that it was going to be the day you accepted me in your life." I admitted. "Eventually that faded. But the day we came to tell you about our engagement was probably the most eye opening experiences." I said. "I was thrilled. I couldn't contain my happiness or my tears. I was going to be spending the rest of my life with the man who saved my life." I said as I looked at Jace and he smiled. "Nothing made me happier. We got here and I showed you my ring and you were just stoic. The whole time. Stephan asked Jace to step away momentarily to talk business, and you offered me 1 million dollars to run away and never contact Jace again." I heard a gasp and I looked over and saw Jace's shocked expression. I never told him this. "You told me that I was ruining his life, and that he could find someone much more suited to this lifestyle." I said. I was trying to gauge her reaction but she was emotionless. "When I refused you told me that you were going to make my life a living hell until one day I cracked." I said. "Well guess what? That day has come but I'm not letting you get off that easily." I said. "You have been a complete and utter bitch to me since the day I met you, and truth be told, if it were up to me, I'd never ever speak to you ever again. But you're Jace's mom, and I respect that. I respect what you've provided him with. I respect how you've raised him. I respect the life you've built for yourself." I said. "You've created an empire. I mean, look at this house." I said and the guests chuckled. "I could dream up a house and it still wouldn't compare to this one." I explained. "But coming from money myself, I can't ever imagine it making me as cold and heartless as it's made you."
"Coming from money?" Celine scoffed. "Jace found you on the street." She said.
"It's true. I was currently unemployed, and didn't have a place to live when I met Jace but you don't know why." I said.
"Jace never told us." Stephan cut in.
"Because I asked him not too." I said. "My family wasn't known in this world for being one of the good families. Mostly we were known as being crooks. Thieves." I explained. "My mother knew early on that she didn't want me to be known the way they were. I was kept out of the public's eye, and than sent off to boarding school under a different name. My mothers maiden name. That way no one could find me."
"That doesn't explain why you were homeless." Stephan said.
"Once I finished college I went home. I hadn't been there in years, but I felt it was time." I said. "My father tried to marry me off to one of his friends. He was twice my age, and in the same line of business. I refused." I said. "That night I was beaten within an inch of my life. I had been home for one day, and I almost died. I knew I had to leave. So I did." I said. "Jace found me about a week later in an ally. My family faked my murder and I haven't spoken to them since."
"We had no idea." Stephan said.
"I didn't expect you too. It normally takes some conversation to get to know a person." I said bitterly.
"Who are your parents?" Celine finally asked.
"That doesn't matter." I said. "The point is. You call me a gold digger. You call me a slut. Hell, you've called me a bad mother when you don't even care about her. You don't know the first thing about me, and now you never will." I said. I pushed my chair out and than back in because I still had manners. "Goodbye Stephan, Celine." I said and I walked out feeling lighter than I have in years.
Jace POV:
After Clary walked out the room was silent. I took this as my cue to leave and I stood up. My parents still said nothing so I turned around and looked at them.
"I only have three things to say to you." I started. "1. You ever say anything about my daughter like that again, you will be incredibly sorry 2. You ever say anything about my wife again, you will also be incredibly sorry 3. You've never approved of my relationship with Clary, and I knew that." I said. "You've made it painstakingly clear these past 7 years. But I decided to go against your hundreds of protests because I was doing what made me happy. Marrying her, and starting a family with her is the best thing I've ever done." I said. "And if you can't see that. Than I don't want to see you again."
"We will cut you inheritance of Jonathan." My mother said but I just rolled my eyes.
"I don't care mother." I said. "I know I've never done it but I'm sure I can survive without money. You know why?" I asked but she was silent. "Because I have Clary, and my amazing daughter by my side no matter what. We're a family, and we are all each other needs." I said. I pushed my chair in and straightened my tie. "Goodbye mother, father." I said and I walked away. I got outside and went to my car where Clary was waiting. When I got in I looked over at my beautiful wife.
"I'm sorry I blew up like that, but I had too." She said.
"I don't blame you one bit. They heard what they needed too." I said and she nodded. "Now, lets go home to our baby girl." I said and Clary smiled.
"You're an amazing father." She said and I looked at her.
"And you're an amazing mother." I said and she laughed. I reached my hand over and she interlocked our fingers. Tonight was much needed after all and I'm glad we finally said what was on our minds and I could tell Clary felt lighter, and so did I.
We drove home and all I wanted to do was see my little girl. When we got there, we walked in and Izzy was sitting on the couch. She looked up confused because we weren't supposed to be back so soon.
"You're back early." She said.
"Yea, and we probably won't be invited back there ever again." I said.
"What happened?" Izzy asked.
"Clary finally had enough, and frankly so did I." I explained.
"I can handle the shit talking, but the minute she brings Ava into it, I just can't control it anymore. My mama bear comes out, and I get protective." Clary said.
"How is she?" I asked Izzy.
"She at half of her dinner, which was more than I was expecting. She drank her juice, took her medicine without complaint, and she went to bed about an hour ago." Izzy said.
"I can't wait until she's over this flu. I hate when she's sick." Clary said and I nodded in agreement.
"Thanks for watching her Iz." I said.
"Of course. She's my favorite little girl to babysit." Izzy said. "But remember, you're watching Caden next weekend so Simon and I can go out." She said and I laughed.
"Of course." I said and she smiled.
"I'll see you guys later. Tell Ava I had a great time with her tonight." Izzy said.
"Of course." Clary said and Izzy left. Clary turned back towards me and I smiled. "I know she's sick, but how would you feel about waking her up?" She asked.
"I think you read my mind." I said and she laughed. I took her hand in mine and we made our way to Ava's room. When I opened the door, there was my precious little girl sleeping soundly in her bed. Clary and I made our way to the bed and got in and she woke up.
"Mommy? Daddy?" She questioned.
"We're here baby." I said.
"I missed you tonight." She said with a yawn.
"We missed you two sweet pea." Clary said as she kissed her forehead.
"How were grandma and grandpa?" She asked. She was honestly the sweetest little girl who just wanted to be loved by her grandparents, and it hurt that she wasn't.
"Not very good baby." Clary said.
"Were they mean to you?" She asked.
"Yes they were, but they aren't going to be mean ever again." Clary explained. "If they don't want to get to know me, or you baby, they don't deserve our time."
"Otay mommy." Ava said. "I love you."
"I love you too sweetheart." Clary said.
"I love you daddy." She said and my heart melted.
"I love you too baby girl." I said as I kissed her. She curled against my side, and I pulled Clary towards me. I put my arms protectively around my girls and Ava and Clary fell asleep. I knew blowing up at my parents was a terrible idea, I mean, without their money, I wouldn't have been able to accommodate this house for Ava, and I was grateful that I was able to do it. But they were way out of line, and I didn't want my wife and daughter to be subject to my mothers brutal words. They didn't deserve it.
Time Jump – A Couple Days Later
Clary POV:
I was currently sitting in the living room with Ava putting a puzzle together. Jace was in the kitchen making lunch when the doorbell rang. Jace said he would get it and I continued to work on the puzzle when I heard a throat clear behind us. I looked back and there stood Jace and Stephan.
"Stephan." I said as I stood up. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to apologize." He said which caught me off guard. "Celine was totally out of line the other night, and you didn't deserve that."
"Why now?" I asked. "Why not 7 years ago? Or even 4 years ago?" I asked as I gestured to Ava.
"I wish I had a better reason, but I was a coward." He said.
"Hey Ava." Jace said.
"Yes daddy?" She said.
"Mommy and daddy have to talk to grandpa about grown up stuff. Can you go to your room to play?" He asked.
"Otay daddy." She said and Jace picked her up and put her in the carrier. He handed her the remote and she pushed the button and it started moving. Before it carried her out of the room she stopped it. "Hi grandpa." She said.
"Hi sweetie." Stephan said. Ava smiled and continued to be carried upstairs. When we heard the door close, we knew we were in the clear. "You have a nice set up here."
"Ava isn't very mobile on her new prosthetic yet, which happens when she gets a new one." I explained. "And we didn't want her to feel confined, or when she simply didn't want to wear it." I said. "So Jace had the amazing idea of building her a machine that could help her around so she wasn't so dependent on us."
"She's 4." Stephan said. "She's supposed to be dependent."
"Not when she wants to go from the living room to her bedroom." Jace said. "Clary and I would be more than willing to carry her up and down the stairs whenever she needed us too, but we want her to know that she's just the same as every other kid out there, she just has a little extra hardware." Jace explained and Stephan nodded.
"What are you really doing here?" I finally asked.
"I wanted to come and tell you that I have no intention of cutting your inheritance Jace." Stephan said. "I told Celine to go spend a week at our home in Spain and collect herself and think about her actions in the past." He said. "Last night was really eye opening to me, and to the rest of our family. To put it nicely, they were all very unhappy with the way she treated you. Especially Imogen."
"Grandmom was mad?" Jace asked surprised.
"Oh, she had some nasty words to share after you two left." Stephan said. "It made me realize that because of her narrow mind, she was keeping me away from my son, and my daughter-in-law and my granddaughter." He said. "I don't even know her middle name. What kind of grandfather does that make me?"
"Jean." I said, and he looked at me. "Her middle name is Jean."
"Ava Jean Herondale." Stephan said. "It's beautiful. She's beautiful."
"She has the Herondale charm." I said with a laugh. "Blonde hair, and gold eyes. She's going to be a force to be reckoned with."
"That she is." Jace agreed. "Thank you for coming by dad. It means a lot to us."
"I will do whatever I can to make up for how I've been in the past." He said to me. "I was letting Celine speak for me, and I should have stood up for myself because I in no way agree with her." He explained. "You, my dear, are the best thing that's ever happened to Jace." He said and I blushed. "Anyone who knew him before you, knows how good you've been for and to him."
"I'd do anything for him Stephan." I said.
"Please, call me dad." He said and I couldn't help but smile. I walked over and hugged him and he hugged me back tighter.
"Thank you for coming dad." I whispered and I felt him laugh, and I couldn't even begin to explain how good it felt to have a father again.
"You're welcome here anytime you want dad." Jace said when Stephan and I broke apart. "But we won't be coming over."
"I understand that." Stephan said. "I wouldn't expect you to come back after everything that went down."
"Would you like to stay for lunch?" Jace asked. "I was just making some for Ava, Clary and myself."
"Sounds lovely." Stephan said. Jace nodded and went to the intercom and clicked the button.
"AJ, you can come back down baby." He said and I smiled. I have my suspicions that he wanted her middle name to start with a J simply because his name started with a J, and it gave her a cool nickname, but he wouldn't explain his reasoning, and I was just going to have to live with that.
"Otay daddy." She answered. Before we knew it the chair was making it's way downstairs and back to the puzzle. I made my way over to her, and I lifted her out of the chair and put her back on the floor. After a few moments she looked up at Stephan.
"You wanna join grandpa?" She asked. The best part about 4 year olds. They don't hold grudges for too long.
"I would love too." Stephan said and he sat on the ground and started putting the puzzle together. I made my way into the kitchen where Jace was and he smiled at me.
"Do you think Celine will ever come around?" I asked and his smile fell a little.
"My mom has always been set in her ways." He said. "Even when I was a kid she never deviated from her norm. I can't imagine her changing much. I mean, she's kicked friends out of the house if she didn't like them."
"How does your dad do it?" I asked.
"He loves her." He simply said. "He sees something in her that not many people do, and he loves that part of her." He explained. "Like how I love the way you wrinkle your nose when you don't like something, or the way you arch your back when you brush your hair." He said as he walked closer to me. "Or how in the middle of the night, you snuggle closer to me and sniff my shirt while you're sleeping."
"I do that?" I asked shocked and he laughed.
"Yea. All the time." He said and I blushed in embarrassment. "But I love that about you. I love all the little things that you don't even know you do." He said. "I think my dad fell in love with the little things my mom does, that she doesn't show the world."
"You make that sound so romantic." I said and he smiled.
"In a way it is." He said. "I know my mom can be a pain in the ass, but there is more to her than meets the eye, and I think my dad is the only one who has ever seen that side."
"I wouldn't be surprised." I said and he laughed.
"My mom is the only one who knows what she's going to do." He said. "We have to accept that."
"I know, and as much as I don't like her, or like what she's done to me the last 7 years, Ava deserves to know her grandparents. They are the only two she has." I confessed.
"I know, but only she can change her mind." He said. I nodded and he kissed my forehead. "Lunch is ready." He said. I nodded again and he handed me two bowls and I made my way out to the living room.
"Chicken noddle soup is ready." I said as I set it on the table in front of Stephan and Ava.
"Yummy. Thanks mommy!" Ava said. I kissed her head and smiled.
"No problem baby." I said. I went back into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl myself. Jace and I sat at the breakfast bar as we watched Stephan and Ava play with the puzzle. This was a step in the right direction, and I was proud of Stephan for coming over here and taking a positive step to be in his granddaughter's life. That's all I ever wanted for her, and I felt like I was finally getting that.
Authors Note:
Okay, so I don't know if I read a review about Clary and Jace having a child with a birth defect, or if this was purely from my imagination, but I felt really inspired when writing this, and I think that it's a really sweet and adorable one shot, and I hope you feel the same! Let me know what you think, and leave a review! I'm also currently working on another one shot that I just don't know how to end, so I should be updating with another one relatively soon, so be on the look out! :)
Also, I can't believe how different the lengths of my one shots are! I know people think that even getting to 3K works is long, but if I'm being honest, most of my one shots range from 6K - 9K easily. I mean, I can bang an 11K word one shot out like it's my job, and when I do a one shot thats completely done and under 5K, I always think it's so short, but it's complete, and it just shocks me that I can get an entire idea completed in that amount of words! Anyway, I just noticed that and thought I'd share my discovery with you because I thought it was so weird how all over the place my one shots can be! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! :)
