hihi! we finally have the explanation here! i also just wanted to write a quick note based on a couple of comments made on one of the sites i post fic. i started (and finished) writing this fic a long time ago. this was originally posted back in october 2018, four years ago, and i finished writing the rough draft within six months of that. in the four years since this story was started, i've changed a lot, and if i had the time and hyper-focus to go back and make some changes to this story, i would.
but the bottom line is, authors are allowed to express and write their characters how they want, because fiction is so fucking fun to explore a hundred different perspectives/lives. readers are allowed and encouraged to express how they feel, but just don't be rude when something isn't tailored to your particular liking, because it's incredibly easy for you to just click out and move onto another fic.
okay, on with the explanation we've been waiting for!
Clary was obviously hesitant about getting on the back of Jace's bike, but she did.
She got on the back and gripped Jace's hips before her hands slipped around his waist for more security, her whole body stiff as he waited for her to relax and slide forward, like the other times that she had been on his bike, other than the first few times.
She didn't, she kept her spine ramrod straight and stayed as far back in the seat as possible, refusing to make herself comfortable.
Jace pursed his lips at the action, but he let it go, because he knew that he was lucky she was going with him. In fact, he had half expected her to scream bloody murder when she had seen him at the game last night. Clary could be a drama queen, which was all just part and parcel when becoming involved with a rich girl who almost always got her way, and he had actually been banking on her ego not to make a scene last night when he had shown up. He'd been lucky with the way things had gone last night, given how rightfully pissed she was, and he was even luckier that she was choosing to come with him now. There was a lot that she needed to hear, and he knew at this point it was overdue.
Based on what Maia had told him about what was said in the clubhouse, he definitely owed her an explanation.
And an apology, although he really wasn't good with those.
After Clary had taken off from the clubhouse, Jace had demanded to know what had been said. He'd heard the ass end of it, Isabelle trying to get Sebastian to calm down, and Will and Maia had filled him in later. He had wanted to punch Sebastian's face until it bled, but he settled for just one solid punch, which he was pretty sure had broken Sebastian's nose.
Isabelle had shouted at him about that.
Alec had arched an eyebrow when he found out.
Maia had shrugged and said he deserved it.
Will hadn't really paid any attention.
Stephen Herondale, on the other hand, had said that Jace needed to find the 'Morgenstern girl' and bring her over for a chat. Jace's whole body had prickled at that, and his first instinct had been to say absolutely not, and figure out how to get Clary as far away from this life as possible.
Which was the first time he'd ever felt that way about someone who wasn't family, and who wasn't part of their MC.
Jace revved the engine of his bike and accelerated forward when the lights in front of him changed, noting that Clary had finally slipped forward a bit more in her seat, although was still incredibly tense. She stayed like that as they drove out of the city and into the hills, past the road toward his house, another ten or so minutes.
When they arrived at the house that Jace had grown up in, he couldn't help the nervousness in the pit of his stomach beginning to claw its way upward into his throat. It was an incredibly off-balancing feeling. He parked his bike up next to the red BMW that was right outside the front door and he flicked out the bike stand before resting his foot on the gravel. Clary was still tense behind him, and when they got off the motorcycle, he reached out his hand toward her.
Clary regarded his hand for a moment and it looked as though she was going to ignore it, but then the front door opened and Stephen Herondale's body filled the doorway and he looked down at them with his usual imposing stare. Clary snatched Jace's hand up, lacing her fingers together with his and gripping it tightly.
"Clarissa," Stephen nodded at her and then at Jace before jerking his head backwards, into the house, an almost exact gesture that Jace frequently did himself, and left the door open before heading back inside. Jace looked at Clary and gave her a small smile that he hoped was at least a little comforting and led her into his childhood home. They didn't take off their shoes and as Jace closed the door behind them, he noted the way she looked around with curious eyes, and he glanced around as well.
He had never wanted for anything, growing up, and his family was pretty well off given all of their connections, but the place was nothing like Clary's. The photos that hung on the wall weren't professionally taken and they didn't all hang in uniform frames. The shoes that were piled into the corner behind the door weren't all brand new and weren't at all tidy. The carpet was clean but it was faded and there were some frayed edges. As they continued down the hall and toward the lounge, while the lounge suite all matched and was massive, to accommodate for their extended family, it was getting a little old and there were a few stains and tears that were covered with a few pillows and a fluffy throw.
It was home for him, but Jace knew that it looked nothing like the home that Clary grew up in.
"Jace," Celine Herondale came through the archway that connected the living room to the lounge. His mother had kind eyes, but right now, they were shrewd, looking at Clary who was partially hidden behind Jace. Stephen was sitting on the armchair near the couch, and he was looking at his son and Clary expectantly.
"Come on," Jace murmured, nudging Clary for her to sit down. She looked down at the couch before primly sitting on the edge, taking her hand back from Jace and clasping them together, on her knees, eyes moving from Celine, to Stephen and then back again. Jace couldn't help but be proud of the way that she kept her head high and her chin out, not letting her nerves get the better of her, even though her knuckles were white from where her hands were clenched together. Things were tense and quiet for a long time before Jace cleared his throat. "Dad," he said, giving his father a pointed look.
"Right," Stephen rolled his shoulders and then softened his eyes a little, not looking quite as standoffish as he first had to Clary, but still untrusting, suspicious. "So I understand that you heard some things the other day."
"Yes," Clary responded, the word clipped and short, but she was meeting Stephen's gaze directly, and Jace's lips quirked upwards a little at the flare of surprise in Stephen's eyes, ducking his head quickly so that no one saw. Celine, however, noticed his expression and filed it away for later. Jace unfolded his arms and rested his hand against her lower back, lightly trying to comfort her.
"Jace has asked that I tell you what happened between your father and brother and our family," Stephen stated, the words coming out easily but causing Clary's whole body to jerk and look at Jace. The small smile on his face had disappeared, and his expression was tight. Clary looked back at Stephen, waiting for him to continue. "Your brother used to buy drugs from us, from the Reapers Sons," he began, and that news itself didn't surprise Clary too much. She knew that her brother did drugs, and she had always known that the Reapers were some of the biggest distributors—hell, that was how she and Jace had been introduced. "But it wasn't just your brother that we had dealings with, it was also your father." Whether she knew she was doing it or not, Clary was pressing herself back, against Jace's hand, subconsciously seeking comfort from his touch. "It was actually through your father that we met your brother. Because Valentine has a lot of clients—a lot of regular clients—in his hotels that have certain requirements."
It sounded strange, hearing her fathers' name come out of his mouth, tied into all of this. Part of Clary didn't want to listen any further, but she knew that she had to.
"We have connections; with drugs, with girls—things for his guests and for the parties that they have. The reason Valentine is as successful as he is is not just for the hotels that he has, but for the service that he provides in them," Stephen continued. "And he pays well, so it was an agreement that benefited both of us."
"It was?" Clary clarified quietly and Stephen's eyes darkened.
"Yes. It was," he let out a heavy sigh through his nose. "We dealt with your father for several years, your brother just for one or so. We didn't realize this at the time, but there was a joint task force between the local police and the DEA who were trying to follow the drugs that were passing through big businesses, and the hotels were a component of that. We hadn't realized this at the time, though, and they had become aware that your father's hotels were where a lot of the trades were happening. Your father clearly has no backbone and had no problem with selling us out for something that he was fully a part of." Clary's eyes narrowed at that, and her lips were pressed so firmly together that they had turned pale. Stephen's eyes were narrow as well, staring back at her. "He's a snake, and he took the coward's way out, choosing to turn on people who helped him out to cover himself."
"Sounds like it was just a business deal that went wrong. A good businessman would save himself and his life's work and investment before looking out for any business partners," Clary responded, a little woodenly, like it was something she understood, but not necessarily believed. Jace knew what she was essentially saying, but that was purely from a business point of view.
There were people involved here.
His people.
And Valentine had screwed them over.
"Because of your father, two of ours went behind bars!" Celine snapped from the doorway and Clary's body jerked at the unfamiliar voice, and the anger in her words. Clary didn't say anything, but she was breathing heavily. Jace could imagine the things that she wanted to say, but he was glad that she didn't say anything because even after all this time, the wounds were still fresh.
Very fresh.
"He didn't just choose his business over us," Stephen's words were snipped. "We wouldn't expect some...Some Suit to understand the loyalty that we have to each other, but it wasn't just that. He told the pigs that we were blackmailing him. He said that we were forcing him to sell through his motels and threatening his family. And so when Max and Sebastian showed up that night to make a delivery, there was a sting waiting." Clary had only heard the name Max in one conversation, and that was when Jace was first telling her about his close friends—or his family, he called them all his family, and his brothers. "Thank fuck the boys had made most of their deliveries beforehand, or else the sentencings would have been worse." Clary swallowed hard, not sure how to process what she had just heard.
So, her father had lied to the police and to the DEA.
Which would have undoubtedly made things worse for Jace's friends.
"Sebastian had smack on him, but because it was such a small amount, and because he didn't have any prior federal or state charges for narcotics, he got just over a year, but he's now been paroled. Sebastian also had a gun on him, though. An unregistered piece," Stephen told her and Jace exhaled heavily beside her. Clary spared a glance to look at him, and Jace was looking down at the floor. "Max took it from him, he took the fall. It was a concealed, unregistered weapon along with the bullshit your father was running about us threatening him, that put Max in juvie, and was given a sentence of three years." Clary thought of Isabelle and Alec, of the way neither of them particularly liked her, and she guessed that this was the reason. Her frown deepened.
"Juvie...How old is Max?" She asked quietly.
"It was his sixteenth birthday two months ago," Celine growled out. "And that boy spent it in jail." There was anger in her voice and she obviously cared a lot about Max.
"He's doing well, ma," Jace spoke up. "You know the kid is strong. He's doing us all proud." Celine continued glaring and Clary sighed.
"How do you know that my dad actually said that?" Clary asked slowly.
"There was a court hearing—two," Jace said beside her. "He testified to it, both times."
"The only reason that there weren't blackmail charges brought against the pair of them is that we have a damn good lawyer," Stephen added. "But it wasn't from Valentine's lack of trying." Jace wasn't sure that all of this was sinking in for Clary because there was so much, but he knew that it would eventually, once she had time to process it all. Clary drew in a breath and rolled her shoulders, pushing them back, and Jace couldn't help but be worried about how this conversation would end, because they were drawing to a close. "When you and Jace first met, you told him your name. He knew who you were," Stephen was blunt and to the point, and Jace felt the moment that the words hit Clary.
Her whole body, which was already so incredibly tense, just became even tighter and her head whipped to the side to look at him.
"Max is family to us, and so is Sebastian. And your father fucked them over with his bullshit and his cowardice. Our code calls for justice, and screwing over one of our family members means screwing over his," Stephen's words were clipped, coming out harder, and Clary's face had drained of all colour. "The one we had dealings with was Jonathan, but Valentine managed to whip him away and we haven't been able to trace him in months and months. Which leaves—"
"You," Jace's voice was hushed, and Clary was still staring at him, her green eyes so wide and so betrayed. "Although, your father keeps things wrapped up tight, we didn't even know you existed because he managed to keep everything so separate—we didn't even know that he lived here, because all of our dealings with him happen in the city, and your brother went to a different school from you. So when I met you..." Jace drifted off, and he didn't think he had ever felt as small as he did as when he looked at Clary right now.
It had been a whole lot simpler when there hadn't been feelings involved.
The night they had first met, and he had told his father that he had given Clarissa Morgenstern a ride home, he hadn't thought that all of this shit was going to happen.
And now he was here, and they were telling her everything.
"You decided that I was the family that you could get back at him with," Clary breathed out. There was a long gap where no one spoke, and Jace pursed his lips as he looked over at his mother, who was studying Clary critically.
"Everything we do is build on a foundation of family, of brotherhood," Stephen got up from his seat, and he towered over Clary. "We understood loyalty, more than a lot of people. We're not asking you to choose between them—" he hissed out the word and it undoubtedly meant her father, her family. "And us. You barely know us. But we barely know you, and we're trusting you with this information because for some reason Jace trusts you." It was obvious on his face that he didn't understand it, but he respected Jace, his son. "Don't fuck him over in the same way Valentine fucked us over." Clary licked her lips and she finally looked away from Jace. She got to her feet, a little unsteadily, but holding herself high.
The calculated expression on Celine's face shifted to something different.
Something like respect.
Or at least, the beginning signs of it.
"I understand what you have said," Clary's words came out stronger now, but it was clear that she was picking her words carefully. She turned to Jace and the contempt was clear on her face. "If I had another way home, I would take it. But I don't want to be here longer than I need to while waiting for a town car. Take me home." Jace wanted to say something more, but he felt uncharacteristically nervous. He hated it, and he was trying to squash it down in the pit of his stomach and when he stood up, he refused to look at her, because he hated the way she was looking at him.
He knew it was selfish and unfair, but he was glad that he'd had the time to get to know her before it had gotten before this.
"Yeah," Jace said, already walking to the front door, his movements stiff and his cloudy. "I'll take you home."
okay, so... we have some big things being revealed in this chapter! i hope you all enjoyed it!
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