Authors Note:
Okay, so inspiration struck, and I finally found a direction in which to take this story, and I like it a lot! Now, as you know Clary is pregnant, and I'm all for suggestions about baby names! Let me know what you think because I'm not going to name the baby until the next chapter, and who knows what I'll update again! Let me know what you think and leave a review! :)
Chapter Twenty Four
Time Jump – Four/Five Months Later
Today was the day that Jace and Clary were learning the sex of their baby and Jace was freaking out. When Clary first started showing, Jace couldn't believe that they were actually having a baby. The first time he felt their baby kick, was a whole new experience. Jace couldn't keep his hands off her bump after that. Whenever they were together, his hand constantly rested on her belly, and Clary actually loved that Jace did that.
Sitting in the room waiting for the doctor, Jace's hand was resting on Clary's belly like it always was. It felt like the doctor was taking forever to get there, and normally Clary wouldn't mind, but she was anxious to find out what her and Jace were having. It's all she's been able to think about for the past couple weeks, and now that they were so close, she was tired of waiting. Finally when the door opened Clary took a deep breath.
"Good afternoon Clary, Jace." The doctor said. "How are you feeling today?"
"Good. We're just anxious to find out what we're having." Clary said and the doctor smiled.
"Okay, how about you sit back and lift your shirt and we'll find out the sex." She said. Clary nodded and laid back as she lifted her shirt. The doctor put he gel on her belly, which caused Clary to flinch with how cold it was. After a few moments the doctor smiled and turned back to Jace and Clary. "Looks like you two are going to be the proud parents of a little baby girl."
"A girl?" Jace said as he took in the news. The doctor simply nodded and started cleaning the gel off of Clary.
"Come back in a couple weeks for another appointment." She said. Clary nodded and the doctor left the room leaving her and Jace alone.
"We're having a girl." Jace said again.
"Yea. We are." Clary said and Jace looked up at her. "Are you upset?"
"Upset? Why in the world would I be upset?" Jace asked.
"I just know guys always want to have a little boy, and I mean, I know you're going to love our daughter more than anything, I just didn't know if you were a little disappointed that it wasn't a boy." Clary explained.
"I'm not disappointed, or upset." Jace said. "I'm amazed." Jace said and Clary smiled. "I mean, a little girl. That's incredible."
"I love you." Clary said and Jace leaned up and kissed her.
"I love you too." He said and than he rested his hand on her belly. "And I love our little princess."
"I'm gonna call Izzy and tell her that she can finally throw me a baby shower, but to keep the sex a surprise. I want to surprise our family." Clary said and Jace nodded as he helped her off the table.
"Whatever you want babe." Jace said and they made their way out of the office. On the way hoe Clary pulled out her phone and called Izzy.
"Hello?" Izzy answered rather quickly.
"Hey Iz, Jace and I just got done with the doctor." Clary said.
"And what am I having?" Izzy asked which caused Clary to laugh.
"You are going to be the proud aunt of a beautiful little girl." Clary said as she rubbed her belly and she heard Izzy screaming.
"Oh, I am so buying and designing her the cutest line of clothing!" Izzy said and Clary laughed.
"Whatever you want Iz. Hey I was wondering, would you like to throw me that baby shower soon?" Clary asked.
"Um, hell yea!" Izzy said and Clary smiled.
"I would love for you to keep the sex a secret though. I really want to surprise our family." Clary asked.
"Of course. Can I tell Simon though?" Izzy asked.
"Of course." Clary said.
"Oh, and now we can have her be the flower girl in our wedding!" Izzy said and Clary laughed.
"She isn't even born yet Iz." Clary said.
"Yea, but you know Simon and I aren't getting married until I figure out ever little detail, and make it perfect." Izzy said and Clary laughed. "Magnus has made 5 trips up here already to help with the venue, and everything, and we're still undecided. It might take me a couple years to plan this thing."
"Just remember Iz, it's going to be perfect no matter what because of who you're marrying." Clary said as she looked at Jace. "The flowers, the cake, the venue, hell even the dress are so unimportant once you get to the end of the alter, and finally become his wife."
"I guess you're right." Izzy said. "I've just thought about this day for my whole life, and I want it to be perfect."
"Well, Simon is a patient guy, I doubt he cares how long it takes you to actually get married." Clary said with a laugh. "He's just happy you said yes."
"He is rather wonderful isn't he?" Izzy said.
"That he is." Clary said. "Well, let me know when you want to have the shower. Jace and I just got home, and I'm exhausted."
"Sounds good. See you later Clare." Izzy said and they hung up. Clary and Jace got into the house and Clary immediately made a beeline for the couch.
"Can I get you anything babe?" Jace asked.
"Peanut butter ice cream, and double stuffed Oreos." Clary said and Jace laughed.
"I'll run to the store real quick." He said as he gave her a quick kiss.
"You're the best." Clary said and Jace smiled before leaving to get her food. Clary was thankful that Jace was so sweet and willing to do anything for her, and she could only imagine how incredibly whipped he was going to be with their daughter.
Jace was back faster than Clary thought with her ice cream and Oreos, but that only made it better because Clary was really craving them. He got her a bowl and a plate, and than joined her on the couch where she was cuddled under a blanket looking through a baby name book.
"Already looking for names?" Jace asked as his hand made it over to her belly.
"You know our family is going to ask the minute they find out it's a girl." Clary said. "Plus, it's always nice to figure it out now, that way we aren't blindsided when she's born. I don't want to be arguing while I'm in labor."
"How can I possibly argue with that logic?" Jace said and Clary laughed.
"You can't." Clary said and Jace smiled.
"Have you found anything that you like so far?" Jace asked.
"I have two that have really stuck out to me." Clary said.
"Okay, what are they?" Jace asked.
"The first one is Jane." Clary said. "It's cute, and simple."
"I like it." Jace said which made Clary smile. "And the second one?" Jace asked.
"Beverly." Clary said as she took a scoop of peanut butter ice cream out of the bowl. "I just don't know a Beverly, and I don't want our baby to be stuck with such a generic name. I think it's pretty, and different."
"I like them both." Jace said.
"Do you have any names in mind?" Clary asked and Jace thought about it.
"Not really." Jace admitted. "I guess a name didn't even occur to me."
"We have to name our baby something Jace." Clary said and Jace laughed.
"I know that, but until today we didn't even know what we were having." Jace said. "And after finding out, I've just been referring to her as princess or baby girl in my head."
"That's cute. She already has you whipped." Clary said and Jace laughed.
"Honestly, I like both of those names, and maybe a few will pop into my mind in the coming months, but right now I think two is a good place to start." Jace said and Clary nodded. She went back to eating her ice cream and Oreos while Jace turned the TV on. His hand rested on her belly like always and they took the opportunity to spend some quality time together. Before Clary knew it, she was drifting off into darkness, thinking about her baby, and feeling Jace's hand resting on her bulging stomach and she couldn't help but smile as she drifted away thinking about her family.
~/~/~/~/~/~/~
Izzy had been going insane planning this baby shower. And not a bad insane, but insane like she was incredibly pumped to be getting a niece, that Simon sometimes had to rein her in and stop her from going over the top. Izzy on the other hand didn't think she was doing too much. She never got the chance to do this with Max, and as much as she loved Max, this was her first niece, someone she could dress in cute dresses, and with fun headbands, and she was incredibly happy to be able to do that with her.
"Come on Simon, everyone is going to be here soon." Izzy said as she put the finishing touches on the venue. Izzy rented out their favorite restaurant for the afternoon, and she told everyone to meet here at 2:30.
"Iz, you literally don't need my help at all. Everything looks perfect." Simon said as he made his way over to her.
"This is the first time I get to plan one of these, nothing will ever be perfect." Izzy said and Simon laughed.
"You are a natural planner Iz. This place looks great, and you did an amazing job hiding the gender. No one is going to notice." Simon said as he looked around at all the grey details.
"You think?" Izzy asked taking another look around.
"Trust me. Everyone is going to be questioning it until Clary and Jace are ready to tell." Simon said and right as the clock hit 2:30 the doors opened and in walked Maryse and Robert.
"Wow. This place looks amazing." Maryse said as she looked around.
"Thanks mom." Izzy said as she hugged her mom followed by her dad.
"I'm still upset that Clary and Jace wouldn't tell us the gender. It made shopping for a present really hard." Maryse said and Izzy and Simon laughed.
"They wanted it to be a surprise." Izzy said.
"Well, I can't wait to find out." Maryse said and than the door opened again and more people entered. Clary made it known that she really just wanted family here. It's not that Clary and Jace didn't want to share this day with friends, they just really wanted to share it with a more intimate group of people, and that just so happened to be family.
When everyone finally arrived Izzy texted Clary and Jace to let them know it was okay to show up. She wanted them to be the last ones to arrive so that everyone could give them a proper greeting. Izzy was known for going above and beyond what was asked of her, and it was one reason everyone loved her. She made everything special, and this was something that deserved to be extra special. The doors opened and in walked Clary and Jace. Clary had gotten a lot bigger since the last time Izzy saw her and it just made Izzy more excited to meet her niece.
"Wow." Clary said as she made her way farther into the restaurant. "You really out did yourself Iz." Clary said and Izzy gave her a hug.
"I had to make it special for my niece." Izzy whispered in her ear, which caused Clary to smile. "Alright everyone, time to get this party started!" Izzy said and everyone started cheering.
Clary and Jace made their rounds, and said hello to everyone. There was a table sitting in the middle where Jace and Clary were going to be sitting the whole afternoon. Izzy had planned many games for everyone, and when she started Clary couldn't stop laughing at how funny they were. Izzy had a baby food tasting game, and Clary couldn't keep it together when everyone started gagging with how horrible they tasted. Surprisingly though, Magnus had won, but after he informed everyone that he was the official taster when Max was a baby, it suddenly made sense, and Alec had apologized that he had to taste all of that nasty food.
"Okay, I think it's time." Izzy said after the last game and gestured for Clary and Jace to take a stand.
"Okay, so there are clues all over this restaurant about the gender of the baby." Clary said and everyone began looking around. "Jace and I have talked about this for a long time, and we have decided that the person who can guess the gender, will have the opportunity to give our child a middle name. We wish you the best of luck." Clary said and took a seat. Jace and Clary couldn't help but laugh when everyone started looking for the clues. After about 15 minutes they heard a scream.
"You're having a girl!" They hear and everyone turned around to see Alec holding a tiny pink sock.
"We are in fact having a girl." Clary said and everyone cheered.
"How the hell did you find that Alec?" Magnus asked.
"To be completely honest, I dropped something and it fell out. It was all purely luck." Alec confessed and everyone laughed.
"Well, a deal is a deal, Alec, you get to come up with our daughters middle name." Jace said and Alec just smiled.
"Now I can bring the cake out!" Izzy cheered and went into the back and brought out the incredibly pink cake.
"Wow. That is one pink cake." Maryse said and Izzy laughed.
"Since the rest of the baby shower kinda had to be in disguise I went a little crazy on the cake. But that's only because I was able to hide it. Imagine what this place would have looked like if Clary and Jace didn't want to keep it a surprise." Izzy said.
"That is particularly why we wanted to keep it a surprise." Clary said and Izzy rolled her eyes. Everyone settled back down and started eating cake when Izzy made her way over to Simon. She took a seat and Simon put his arm around her shoulders.
"You don't care how long it takes us to get married do you?" Izzy asked out of nowhere, but she couldn't stop thinking about the conversation she had with Clary when she asked her to plan the baby shower.
"Not at all." Simon said. "You've always had this vision of what you wanted your wedding day to be like, and if it takes you 6 months or 3 years to plan that, I'm okay with that."
"You'd wait three years to get married?" Izzy asked kinda stunned.
"I still can't believe you're mine. I was stunned when you became my girlfriend, I was more stunned when you agreed to marry me, and I think I might faint the day you introduce yourself as Mrs. Lewis." Simon said and Izzy laughed. "We have an amazing life together already Iz, getting married will only increase that. And whether that day is next year or in a couple years, that's up to you."
"You are so incredibly patient." Izzy said and Simon leaned over and pressed his lips to hers quickly.
"One of us has to be." He said and Izzy laughed and pushed him playfully. "Seriously though, pick whatever day you want to get married, and I'll be at the end of the aisle waiting for you."
"I love you." Izzy said and Simon smiled.
"I love you too Iz." Simon said and Izzy couldn't believe how incredibly lucky she was to have him in her life.
"Oh my god." Izzy heard someone shriek and she looked over and Clary looked like she was in pain.
"What's going on?" Izzy asked as she made her way over to Clary.
"Something is wrong." Clary said as she clutched her stomach.
"Someone call an ambulance!" Izzy shouted.
"Everything is going to be okay." Izzy heard Jace tell Clary. Izzy couldn't tell if he was trying to convince Clary or himself, but I guess it didn't really matter at this point. They both needed reassurance.
When the ambulance arrived the loaded Clary in and Jace followed soon after and away they went. Everyone else got into their designated cars and followed the ambulance to the hospital. Unfortunately once they got there, all they could do was wait until their was any news on what was happening. Everyone was clearly distraught and dying to know what was going on with Clary and the baby, but it was all a waiting game now, and if there was one thing Izzy hated more than not knowing what was going on, it was waiting.
Time Jump – A Couple Hours Later
There had been no news since the doctor came out and told everyone that they needed to induce Clary and deliver the baby today. Everyone was clearly worried since Clary was only 7 months pregnant. It was scary knowing that the baby was a preemie, and that she could be at risk for a lot of medical complications, but at this point they were just hoping both Clary and the baby were safe, and getting the treatment they needed to get healthy. Everyone was sitting in the waiting room when they heard the doors open. They all looked up and saw Jace standing there.
"What happened?" Izzy asked before anyone else could speak.
"The doctor said the preterm labor was caused by preeclampsia." Jace said. "They don't know why she didn't show any signs of it before, but…" Jace trailed off. Izzy could tell how much today drained him.
"How is Clary?" Maryse asked.
"Labor was horrifying." Jace said honestly. "There was so much blood. And crying, not just Clary. She was as white as a ghost, and for a moment I thought I was losing her."
"But she's okay?" Jocelyn asked.
"She's sleeping right now, and the doctors want her to stay here until they feel like she's prepared to go home." Jace explained.
"How's your daughter?" Simon asked and it never even occurred to anyone else to ask, which Izzy felt horrible about.
"Tiny." Jace said. "She weighed 2 pounds when she came out. The doctors are going to keep her in the NICU until she can breath on her own, and contain her own body heat."
"So everyone is okay?" Robert asked after a moment.
"No." Jace said as his voice cracked. "I'm not." He admitted. Maryse walked over and pulled him into a tight hug. "I almost lost them both."
"But you didn't Jace." Maryse said. "Clary and your baby will both be okay. We will pay for her to get the best treatment. I don't care where the hospital is or if we have to fly the best PEDS doctor in the country out here. They will both be okay." Maryse said as she rubbed Jace's back. Izzy could see Jace nodding along to whatever her mom was saying. She leaned farther into Simon and he pulled her close. Today wasn't supposed to end like this, but Izzy was thankful that everyone was at least getting the care they needed, and as horrible as it might sound, she was glad Jace was crying because he was worried, not because he just lost another member of his family. Everyone knew it was going to be a long journey for them, but Izzy knew that if anyone could survive something like this, it was Clary and Jace.
~/~/~/~/~/~/~
Alec, Magnus and Max were all out grabbing lunch, a much needed family lunch after everything that went down last week. Jace kept everyone in the loop about everything that was going on, and Alec was thankful that everything had worked out despite how incredibly scary it was to see his brother go through that. Plus, it had been awhile since they were really able to do this as a family considering Magnus has been up to his neck with work, and Alec couldn't blame him at all, but that didn't mean that Alec didn't miss the time they spent together as a family. Thankfully though, Magnus had off this whole week, and Alec was going to take advantage of all that time and do as many things as they could together. Max was growing up so fast, and he wanted to create as many memories as he could as a family. Alec of all people knew how short life could be, and he wasn't going to take that for granted anymore.
"Welcome to Rudy's, my name is Cristal, what brings you in today?" She asked in a chipper voice, and not that Alec and Magnus minded, but it was an odd question to start out with.
"We're just having a much needed family day." Magnus answered happily.
"Like, together?" She asked in a pretty harsh tone that caught both Magnus and Alec off guard.
"Um, yes? How else would you spend time together as a family?" Magnus asked genuinely curious.
"I don't know, maybe like every other family. With a man, a woman, and a kid." She said and although Magnus and Alec were not strangers to homophobes, it didn't mean they were used to it.
"I think you need to step into the 21st century and realize that's not how all families work anymore." Magnus said politely.
"I don't serve fags." She said and walked away, leaving a gaping Alec and Magnus. Max, of course, oblivious to everything was happily playing with whatever toy he was given.
"Come on." Alec said as he stood up. "We'll just go somewhere else."
"We shouldn't have to leave just because she doesn't agree with our lifestyle." Magnus said.
"Mags, I'm so tired of fighting with people who don't understand us or who don't support us. If she won't serve us, fine, we'll go somewhere that will." Alec explained and Magnus knew he wasn't going to win. He picked Max up and they gathered their things about to leave when someone came up to them.
"Excuse me." A very nice woman said and Alec and Magnus both turned around and looked at her. "We got a complaint…."
"We're leaving." Alec cut her off before she had the opportunity to degrade them even more. "We aren't welcomed here, and we were just about to go somewhere else."
"Oh sir, no. We got a complaint against one of staff members who we were informed treated you unfairly." She said and Alec and Magnus both looked at each other and than back at the woman. "I came over here to apologize."
"Oh." Magnus said because it seemed like they were both pretty stunned by what she was saying.
"Would you be so kind and tell me who your server is?" She asked.
"Cristal." Magnus said and Alec nodded in agreement.
"Thank you. Please, have a seat. I'll be back momentarily." She said. When she walked away Alec and Magnus looked at each other again, shrugged and took their seats. A moment later there was a huge commotion in the kitchen area, which soon made its way out on the floor.
"You're firing me?" Someone yelled, and when Alec and Magnus both looked back, the woman they talked to just a moment ago was speaking, or yelling, at Cristal. "You can't fire me."
"And you can't call our customers fags." The woman said.
"Figures the queers would rat me out." Cristal said and Alec was about to stand up and confront her when someone else stood up and began talking.
"They didn't complain. I did." A big burly man stood up and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Why the hell would you care about a couple of fags?" Cristal asked, and Alec and Magnus really wished she would stop referring to them in such a derogatory way.
"First off, this is a family restaurant. I don't appreciate you using that type of language around my kids, and other kids in this establishment." He said. "Secondly, just because you don't agree with their lifestyle doesn't mean you have the right to call them derogatory names. Its offensive, not just to them, but to others as well. Especially me."
"Are you a fag too?" She asked and Alec looked back at the man, and he didn't look pleased.
"I'm not. I'm actually here with my wife, and kids." He said as he gestured back to his table and there they all sat, watching the scene unfold just like everyone else. "I find it offensive because my brother is gay. And he was picked on his entire life for who he is. It doesn't matter who you love, it just matters that whoever you want to love, loves you back. Two men can be in love, two women can be in love, a man and a woman can be in love, or you can love nobody. It's your choice, and its their life. They don't need you shitting on them because they're happy." He said and than he turned towards us. "Pardon my French." He said and Alec and Magnus both laughed.
"Don't worry about it." Magnus said. "I would have said much worse."
"This is unbelievable." Cristal said.
"You do realize that you work in a restaurant owned by two lesbians right?" The other woman asked and Cristal's jaw dropped.
"You're gay?" He shouted and the woman crossed her arms over her chest.
"Yes. And me and my wife have been married for 15 years. We built this business from the ground up." She said. "We gave you a job when you were 14, and not even supposed to be working, but you needed the money to support your family, and I convinced her that we should help you out, and this is how you chose to repay me?" The woman said. "By not only calling customers fags, but by completely disrespecting everyone in the LGBTQ community? Which includes me, your boss."
"I didn't know." She said. "Helen you have to know, I had no idea."
"I don't care. You're fired." She said. "And you aren't getting paid today. Just leave, and don't come back." She said and Cristal threw her apron on the floor and stormed out. "I'm so sorry for the way she treated you."
"Thank you for standing up for us." Magnus said. "Both of you." He said as he turned towards the man.
"It was my pleasure. I've never been a fan of bullies, and you three look like a lovely family. The hell with those who don't understand it. Love is love." He said and Alec and Magnus smiled.
"Lunch is on the house today." The woman, Helen said.
"Thank you." Alec said and she smiled before walking away. Max started laughing which caused Alec and Magnus to turn their attention back to their son. Alec wished that he could say what happened today was a rare occasion, but it wasn't. today might have been one of the worser ones but Alec heard the whispers, and he saw the glares, and he noticed when people pointed to them. He wishes he could ignore them but the fact is, there will always be people in the world who won't agree with them, and who will make it known that they thing Magnus and his relationship was wrong, or sinful. Alec was just grateful for those people, like the man in the restaurant today, that took a stand to defend his family and his relationship, because in the end, Magnus and him were happy, and they loved Max more than anything, and that's all that mattered.