Golden Guts

I can't believe it. When they walk into the library tonight, where I have been reading, waiting for Jon and Sera to get home, my girlfriend is apparently covered head to toe, in werewolf blood. My jaw drops open as I look up at her. She notices my surprise and she grins. "Honey, I'm home!" She exclaims, throwing her arms wide as if she expects me to rush into them. All I can do is shake my head.

"Shower, NOW!" I exclaim, exercising what little authority I have with my free-spirited little pixie. "You smell like a bloody wet dog, Seraphina!" I grimace. She laughs at my expression of disgust.

"Not until I get these to Father. He's expecting us. Where is he, in his study?" She asks, holding up a blood soaked, cloth grocery bag for me to see.

"Yeah, I think that's where you'll find him. You'll wash up just as soon as you're done, then?" I plead.

"Yeah, yeah, fine, fine, spoil sport." She sighs, spinning on her heel and dragging Jonathan down the hallway to find our father. I imagine she's going to get brownie points with Daddy dearest for the show of gore as well as performing yet another successful werewolf massacre. It'd be nice if he'd give Jonathan some of the credit as well for these missions, but we all know better than to expect that. Jonathan is basically brought along as a glorified bodyguard and protection for Sera, but Father always tells him he's in charge, knowing that Seraphina has Jon whipped anyway. Just don't say that to Jon of course, I think he's oblivious to the fact.

I decide I'm done with reading, for the time being and I figure I'll surprise Seraphina when she gets out of the shower. They should be done meeting with Father by now, so she's probably already washing up. We each have our own en-suite bathrooms, because Father wants us able to be ready at a moment's notice, which we can't do if we're waiting for our turn in the shower. So I decide to slip into Sera's room and wait for her there.

To my surprise, Jonathan is sitting perched on her bed with a direct line of sight to her shower because she has left her bathroom door open. The shower itself is made of clear glass and is not currently steamed up in the slightest, so he's getting an excellent view. To his credit, he isn't touching himself, which is surprising, considering the show Sera is putting on (which is obviously intentional).

"Do you want me to go make some popcorn?" I ask, sitting down on the bed beside him. "It would only take me a minute." I offer, dripping with sarcasm.

"Nah, kick back and enjoy, man. She can't be in there all day." He smirks, clearly trying to make light of the situation.

"I wasn't invited, but thanks." I say, about to stand up and leave the room.

"Wait, Jace! Sera's your girlfriend, I seriously doubt you need an invitation in order to watch her shower. I'm sure she left the door open hoping you'd show up anyway. It certainly wasn't for my benefit. I'm not that lucky." He says, obviously hoping I'm not upset with him. "I figured she'd kick me out when I made a point of staying but since she didn't I've been trying to burn the image into my memory, since, I surely won't get another opportunity like this." He smirks.

"Oh, I doubt that is the case. If she knew you were here, and was simply tolerating your presence, it would have just been a straight up shower, no fuss. Nah, this is your show man, enjoy it, I'm out." I say, and am about to leave, when Sera finally notices I've been here and motions for me to join her. I shake my head and turn toward the door, only to find Jonathan standing in my way.

"Either way, Jace, I'm not letting you storm out of here all pissed at her. That's not cool man, she's just taking a shower, it's not like she's cheating on you." He says, obviously intent on keeping me here. Fine, if he seriously wants to hash this out, I'll play along.

"Yeah well, it's not fidelity to me that's keeping her faithful. It's only the fact that she doesn't wanna get her ass whipped for banging you Jon! If she thought for a single second that the Rents would look the other way on this, she'd be all over you! Don't you get it? She doesn't want me Jon, she wants you!" I'm practically screaming at him now, even though none of this is actually his fault. I mean, he's as helpless when it comes to Seraphina as I am, but I have to get this off my chest and he brought it up, so sue me! He looks as if I just punched him in the stomach and knocked all the wind out of him. Neither of us noticed the water shutting off part way through my tirade.

"You don't honestly think that, do you?" He asks, so quietly that I almost don't hear him.

"Yeah, Jon, I do. And before you tell me it's not true, don't bother. I've read her diary, so I know exactly where I stand." I sigh, hanging my head. I'm so tired of dealing with all of this melodrama. Sera has come out of the bathroom now and is standing between us.

"Oh yeah, and did you happen to read the sections about you, or just the ones about Jon, Jace?" She asks. "Did you read the part where I said that if it wasn't for having the greatest boyfriend on the planet, I probably would have gone insane by now? Or how about the part where I said I would rather die that hurt you? Or the part where I wrote about all of the reasons I'm glad that I fell in love with you? Did you actually focus on any of the good parts, or just dwell on my conflicting feelings for Jonathan? You see, Jace, there are two sides to every coin but it seems you're intent on only calling tails and never heads." She sighs, lying down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"You really put all that stuff in there about me?" I ask, feeling super vulnerable but not wanting to show it.

"Yeah, I did, Baby because, regardless of whatever else I feel for Jonathan, I am still in love with you, Jace. And that's not likely to change, okay?" She assures me, looking up at me through the lashes of those beautiful green eyes. And for once, it doesn't feel like she's playing games. For once, this seems like the genuine truth of the matter. It's like we're finally getting a glimpse of the real Seraphina, beneath all the bravado and theatrics. This is the side of her that I fell in love with. This is the girl that I was afraid of losing. The one who I would fight to the death for, if it ever came down to it. The one who, it seems, doesn't plan on leaving me after all.

I rush into her arms, and begin kissing her fiercely. I allow myself, for just a moment, to forget that Jonathan is still in the room and that we were just fighting. I even manage to forget we are on the eve of war. For a few precious moments in time, there is only Seraphina, with one hand on my ass and the other tangled in my hair. My Seraphina, with lips, that taste like ginger and teeth that bite at me playfully. My beautiful girlfriend. My precious sister. The love of my life. The girl who means more to me, than practically anything else in the world.

And it's at that moment when it all comes crashing back and I realize that in getting caught up in this moment, I have completely disregarded the feelings of the only other person on the planet who means as much to me. I realize, that right next to the bed we're kissing on, probably in agony right now, stands my own Parabatai, my brother, the other half of myself. And here I am, most likely traipsing on his heart. "Sera stop!" I say, pulling quickly away. "We can pick this up later. I have to go and run an errand for Father, and the two of you should probably talk, okay?" I say, directing that last part to both Jon and Sera.

"Just talk?" She asks, quietly enough for only me to hear.

"I didn't say that. Just, be done with the head games, okay Sera? Either you want him or you don't but don't fucking string him along, okay? Cuz that's just not fair Babe, and I think you know that." I sigh, pressing my forehead against hers, still talking quietly.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just scared, Jace. What should I do about Jonathan?" She asks, searching my eyes for her answer.

"That's up to you and Jon, Babe. But just know that, whatever happens on that particular front, I'm not gonna be an ass about it. Nothing that happens between you and Jonathan is gonna affect you and me, Sera. I promise you this, okay?" I smile.

"Thank you Jace. At least I'm assured of you, even if the rest of my life goes to shit. At least I have us. You really are my Angel, Jace." She says, giving me one last kiss before sending me on my merry way.

"And you are my little Fallen Angel, Baby!" I laugh. Using my naughty little pet name for her, because in spite of Seraphina having angel blood, she is still so damn devilish!