Chapter 38: Family
Hello and welcome back to another chapter! I hope you all enjoy it!
Flying wasn't nearly as easy with four kids to look after. Clary and Jace were both completely over it, after two flights and a decent car drive, but they were finally at Jace's parents house.
Celine and Stephen come outside to greet them, and Clary feels Teddy hold on tightly to her jeans, nervous about meeting new people. She looks over and sees Ella hiding behind Jace's leg; Lucie and Jamie were both asleep in the car.
Jace bends down and picks up Ella, and then slowly approaches his parents. Clary holds out her hand for Teddy to hold, and then she slowly follows Jace.
"Hi mom," Jace says, completely ignoring his father, "this is Ella, and that's Teddy. This is your Grandma guys."
"Hello," Celine says softly, bending down to be eye level with Teddy, "it's wonderful to finally meet you."
"Hi," Teddy says softly, still unsure about the new company. After a moment, he looks over at Stephen, and tugs on Clary's jacket. She bends down so he can whisper in her eyes, "who's he?"
"That's daddy's dad - he's your grandpa," Clary explains, smiling at Teddy before standing back up.
"Hello young man," Stephen says. When Teddy doesn't respond, it's clear that he's not sure what else to say.
"Should we get everyone inside?" Celine asks after a moment of silence, "I'm sure everyone's ready for a rest after you've travelled for so long."
Jace puts Ella down on the ground, where she hurries off to stand at Teddy's side, so Jace can hug his mom. After a moment, Celine comes over and hugs Clary as well, and then Stephen leads Jace and the twins inside while Celine helps Clary get Jamie and Lucie out of the car.
"Absolument precieux," Celine says under her breath when she sees Lucie. "Oh! Mon petit lion," she adds upon seeing James, clearly seeing the resemblance to his father.
"You two have absolutely beautiful children," Celine tells Clary as she gently carries Lucie into the house.
"We think so," Clary says, smiling down at Jamie, who was still asleep in her arms.
"Just bring them there, Clary, chere," Celine says, leading her into a bedroom that has a beautiful crib and another, smaller bed.
"It's beautiful," Clary tells Celine as she softly places Lucie into the crib.
"It used to be Jace's," Celine explains.
"I don't think my parents kept any of my baby stuff," Clary says, laughing.
"You probably think it's silly… I just couldn't throw it away," Celine says, lightly brushing hair away from Lucie's eyes.
"I don't think it's silly," Clary says, "I haven't gotten rid of any of any of Ella or Teddy's things yet - Lucie is still using most of it, but it hasn't even occurred to me to do it."
Celine smiles up at Clary, before slowly taking her hand away from Lucie's head and standing up straight. "We should go make sure Jace and Stephen aren't killing each other."
Clary chuckles a little bit, but then feels guilty about leaving Jace alone with his dad straight away, and quickly follows Celine down the hall to the living room everyone else had gone to.
Thankfully, Jace seemed to be happy ignoring his father, and currently had Ella and Lucie stood up on a bench so they could see out the window. Stephen was sitting on the couch watching them. Clary couldn't read the expression on his face.
"And way over there," Jace says, pointing out the window, "are the horse stables - we can go visit them tomorrow, when the suns come back up."
"Jace!" Clary says, coming into the room, "get them off the table." She hurries over to where they're all standing, and quickly picks up Teddy, tickling him on the stomach before putting him on the ground.
"It's alright," Celine says, watching Jace help Ella off the table, "I don't mind a bit of mess."
"Thank you Celine, but they really shouldn't be standing on tables," Clary says, shooting Jace a look.
"Should we start putting dinner on?" Celine asks.
"What do you think, Miss Ella?" Jace asks, "do you want some dinner?"
Ella laughs before nodding, and so Clary follows Celine into the kitchen to help make dinner while Jace takes Ella and Teddy off for a bath.
"You know I really wasn't sure," Celine says after a while, "if Jace was going to be a good dad. Stephen tried, but he never really got it."
"He's a great dad," Clary says, smiling over Celine, "he loves them so much."
"I'm glad - it's what you and they deserve," Celine says, and then she turns back to the pot, smiling.
After dinner, Clary and Jace put all the kids to bed and then come back to the living room where Celine had lit the fire and made cups of tea for everyone.
"I think it'll be an early one for Clary and I," Jace says, already yawning.
"I can't imagine how tired you both are!" Celine says, lightly pinching her son's cheek. "They've done such a good job, haven't they Stephen."
Stephen nods, not taking his calculating eyes off his son.
"But anyway," Jace says, not giving his dad a chance to speak, "how have you been mom? I know we speak every week but I haven't seen you in years."
And so Celine begins telling Jace about the new flowers in the garden, and how they'd recently gotten a new horse. Stephen doesn't take his eyes off Jace the whole time, except once, when he quickly meets Clary's gaze.
"And what about you?" Stephen says, speaking for the first time in a while, "have you got any work coming up?"
"Of course that's what you would want to know about," Jace says, finally looking at his dad.
"I'm just curious - you haven't done anything for a little while is all," Stephen says.
"I was a little busy - you know, having a kid!" Jace says, his voice beginning to rise.
Clary gently places her hand on his leg, and she can feel him relax a little bit.
"I thought it was Clary who had the kid," Stephen says, smiling.
"Just because you didn't do anything with me after I was born, doesn't mean all dads are like that," Jace says. After Stephen doesn't reply, Jace says, "but whatever - I'm going to start filming a TV show when I get home."
"Oh Jace," Celine begins, but Stephen cuts her off.
"A television show?" he says, clearly unhappy at the thought.
"What? You think it's below me?" Jace asks, "because I'm also co-writing and producing it."
"I just thought you'd always stick to movies is all," Stephen says, shrugging.
"There's a lot you don't know about me," Jace replies.
"It's getting late," Clary cuts in, before Jace can say anything he might regret. "I think Jace and I might call it a night."
Still looking angrily at his father, Jace stands up. Clary grabs his hand and it seems to bring him back to reality. She bids Celine goodnight and then gently leads Jace up to the bedroom next to all the kids.
"Are you okay?" she asks once she's closed the door.
"I don't know how he does it," Jace says, searching through their suitcase, "but he always manages to get under my skin."
"You're tired," Clary says, massaging his shoulders, "you've been travelling for a long time. You need to have a shower, and then get some sleep and it'll all be better in the morning."
Jace sighs, "I hope you're right."
They spend the next few days just getting the kids settled into being in France and the new timezone. Celine was amazing with the kids - they all warmed up to her straight away, and she seemed to love having them all around. Stephen, however, looked very out of his element. He'd tried a few times to play with Jamie, but he would usually just run straight to Clary. Jace also didn't give him any chance to spend time alone with the kids - not that Stephen particularly seemed like he wanted to.
All of the kids seem to love playing outside. Just like Jace had told Clary, Idris really was spectacular in the spring, and all of the kids loved laying in the fields of flowers and helping collect eggs from the chickens.
Lucie's eyes light up every time she goes near the horses, and she eventually works up the courage to stroke them on the nose.
Jamie loves to follow Celine around and help her where he can, and he even starts trying to copy her French after a little while.
"When we get home," Clary tells Jace, "I think you should start teaching him some French." She knew it could be a nice bonding activity for the both, and she was still eager to get Jamie and Jace to spend more time alone together.
"Ttout ce que tu veux, mon amour," Jace says, kissing Clary on the forehead. (Whatever you want, my love.)
"Et bien tu es un très bon professeur," Clary says, smiling back at him, and quickly kissing him on the lips. (Well, you are a very good teacher).
"You two are very cute," Celine says, coming into the room, holding a basket of laundry, Jamie trotting in behind her.
"Maman!" Jace says, "were you watching us?"
"Not watching," Celine says, smiling over her shoulder, "but I did see. Précieuse!"
Jamie mumbles out something that sounds nothing like what Celine has just said, but Clary can't help but scoop him up and start kissing him all over his face and stomach because he's so cute.
Later that night, when everyone is sitting around the table eating dinner, Stephen asks Jace, "so, when are these two going to start doing movies?"
"You just assume they're going to film movies?" Jace says, colour coming to his face.
"I'd gotten you started by now," Stephen says, not even looking up from his meal.
Jace slams his hand on the table, causing his wine glass to fall over and all of the kids to start crying, "they're not slaves, or things to get me more money - they're my goddamn children and I treat them with the respect they deserve!"
Jace was aware of his mother and Clary getting the kids out of the room, but all of his focus was his father right now, ready to say everything that had been building up since he was sixteen.
"Putting that much fucking pressure on a child," Jace tells his dad, "breaks them. I was scared to do anything growing up in case is got in the way of my career. And it still affects me now. Clary and I have almost gotten divorced because of how much I work. I was putting it before everything else because that's all I knew - but that's not normal. It's not normal to expect your child to do all work in a house. It's not normal to pressure them into a career they may not want. And it's not normal to have such fucking high expectations of a five year old."
"But it got you to where you are now, didn't it?" Stephen says, fighting back. "Everyone has struggles in their life. Everyone has expectations for their kids-"
"No they don't! I have no expectations of my kids. I have dreams for them. I have things I want for them, but I don't expect anything from them! You have children because you want a family and you love them, and you don't expect anything in return for that."
"You wouldn't have your house, or your cars. You could travel wherever you want, or wear your fancy clothes," Stephen continues.
"I don't need any of that! All of that got you nowhere - the only reason you have any sense of normalcy in your life now is because you know I'd cut you off if you got too out of hand!"
"You wouldn't have Clary," Stephen says, knowing it's a winning point.
"Clary doesn't love me because of my job or my money-" Jace begins.
"I never said she did, but you two wouldn't have met without your job," Stephen says.
"Clary and I have talked about that before, and we agree there's no point in looking at what ifs," Jace says, "because it doesn't change anything now."
"Then what's the point in telling me all of this?" Stephen says.
"Because I can't change my past, but I can stop you from interfering in my kids' future," Jace says, calming down. "I'm not going to let you… your not going to fuck them up the way you messed me up."
After a while of silence, Stephen finally says, "I honestly didn't mean to fuck you up. You mother's helped me see where I went wrong… and I'm sorry. And thank you, for everything you've done for us."
"You don't mean that," Jace says softly, rubbing his temple.
"I do," Stephen insists. "You mother said you probably wouldn't forgive me… and that I should give you some time."
"So you just do everything she tells you now?" Jace asks.
"When it comes to this sort of stuff, pretty much. Yeah," Stephen says, shrugging.
"I'm going to go make sure everyone's okay," Jace says, slowly standing. He doesn't know what else to say, and Stephen doesn't look like he has anything more to say, so Jace leaves the dining room to look for his upset kids.
About a week later, they began the long journey home. Jace had seen little changes in his father - he never brought up any of the kids careers, and he seemed to make a much bigger level to connect with the kids.
Clary wants to stop at New York on the way home to visit Luke. They all stay at Clary's old home, deciding it's probably the place they were least likely to get paparazzied, and it is close to Luke's house.
They were only going to be in New York for three days, because filming started the next week, and Jace wanted to get back with enough time to make sure he was ready. On their second day in New York, Luke takes Jamie to a Yankees game. Jamie comes home in the cutest little Yankees shirt, which Clary finds absolutely adorable.
"I don't think he really understood what was going on," Luke tells Clary, "but he had a good time. And he likes his new shirt, I think."
"He looks just like Jon," Clary says, without thinking. She looks up at Luke and then starts waffling, "well I mean, really, he looks like Jace, but just in that little shirt - it's like the one Jon used to have. And he was always so good at baseball..."
"Are you going to see him? Before you go back to LA?" Luke asks softly.
"I called him a few times, but he never got back to me," Clary says, trying not to sound pathetic.
Luke nods, knowing she wouldn't want to talk any more on the topic.
"What else have you guys got planned?" Luke asks.
"We're going to take the kids to Central Park tomorrow morning before we go to the airport," Clary tells him.
Which is what they do the next day. They assumed that they would be safe from most people recognising them if they were all just playing in the park, and they hoped that anyone that did recognise them would let them be. That's what usually happened when they went to parks in L.A.
This would, however, be the first opportunity for a photo of Lucie, and the first photo of the whole family, which Clary and Jace had forgotten.
They hadn't been in the park for ten minutes before they were absolutely hounded by paparazzi. The twins weren't posing this time, but screaming and grabbing at their parents. Jamie was crying as well, and was refusing to move, and Clary could hear Lucie cries coming from in the stroller.
Jace is swearing at the paparazzi, pushing them away from and trying to protect his family. He grabs one of the men's cameras and pushes it into the ground, and then pushes the guy backwards.
In the meantime, Clary is trying to calm down and cover all the kids, and more importantly, make sure they don't get hurt.
After they seem to get all the photos they want, and Jace scares them all away, they are able to get a taxi, and get back to the house before going straight to the airport. The kids are pretty rattled for the rest of the day, and Clary already has already had multiple phone calls about seeing how they can stop the photos from getting out.
It's needless to say, everyone in the Herondale household was happy to get home.
I hope you liked that one! I think there will be two or three more chapters, and then I'll do the time jump forward so the kids are a bit older. I hope you're all happy and healthy, and have a great week :)