Jeez guys. I don't know why you've been asking me for an update so much. It's only been…HOLY MOTHER OF PEARL! FOUR MONTHS! AHHHHH!
I. Am. So. Sorry. Forgive me! This is a fairly fun chapter to make up for it though 3 Thank you lovely readers for being so amazing :)
November: Thanksgiving Day
This year, I'm spending Thanksgiving like I usually do; with Jonathan, Simon and Luke. Except unlike the previous years, we have a few welcome additions; Jace, Isabelle and Alec. When I learned that their idea of Thanksgiving is sitting in the apartment, eating frozen, TV dinner turkey and watching football, I invited them to come with Simon and me to Luke's. The Drs. Lightwood always worked Thanksgiving evening in order to have Christmas free and did not protest at all to the new plans.
The ride to Luke's was surprisingly comfortable. Simon and Jace insulted each other less than usual, which I consider to be an improvement. Beneath the dining room table, I smooth my palms over the skirt of the Thanksgiving dress I bought last week with Isabelle. She had taken one look at my closet, before shaking her head and dragging me to the nearest mall. She dressed me in a red and black plaid dress with the sleeves cut off just past my shoulders. It's loose with the exception of the belt, perfectly matching the pattern of the dress, tied securely around my waist to give me artificial curves.
Unlike the ride to Luke's, the dinner is very tense. Luke seemed to automatically dislike Jace from the moment he walked through the front door. Considering Luke is essentially my father, this is understandable. Jace's strikingly good looks and charm are enough to put any father on edge. I push my potatoes around on my plate, trying to muster up an appetite. Jace's hand slips underneath mine, the back of his palm lying on my knee and his fingers interlacing with mine.
"Why are you so tense?" he whispers to me.
"You and Luke aren't getting along," I mutter under my breath. I feel Jace staring at me, but I avoid his eyes, focusing intently as I shape my potatoes into a tower. He rubs his thumb over my knuckles as the silence in the room grows uncomfortably.
"So, Luke," Jace says, speaking up. "What did you do for work?" I look up at a confused looking Luke who blinks before meeting Jace's eyes.
"I'm retired military. Currently running a bookstore to pay the bills," he answers. Jace grins at this, despite the increased tension in his jaw.
"Well there's something we have in common," Jace replies. "I'm ex-military too." The look on Luke's face changes to one of hesitant respect.
"What branch?" he asks.
"Army."
"You quit?"
"Honorably discharged. Earned a Purple Heart and a DSC."
"What the hell did you do to earn that?" Luke asks. Jace's eyes drop down to his plate and his hand tightens around mine. I look up to Isabelle with panicked eyes. She glances at me, and then looks at Jace again.
"Uh, what's a DCS?" an oblivious Simon asks.
"It's a DSC," Luke says. "It stands for Distinguished Service Cross. It's one of the highest military honors you can be given, second only to the Medal of Honor. He's got to be one hell of a hero to earn that." I watch as Jace's jaw clenches even more. The room is silent as everyone waits for Jace to speak.
"I'm no hero," he says softly. I squeeze his hand softly, trying to give him a little comfort. "I just did what I was trained to do."
After that, the conversation flowed easily between them.
December: Christmas Eve
Simon and I are lying on the couch, watching Christmas specials when we hear a knock on the door.
"I bet it's your boy toy," Simon says, turning the volume up. "Try to make out more quietly this time." I roll my eyes and get up to answer the door. Low and behold, there's Jace standing in the doorway wearing an elf hat and carrying a fairly large present.
"Hey!" I say. "Is that for me?" He kisses my nose and slides past me.
"Nope. It's for Nerd boy."
"You got Simon, and by that I mean Simon Lewis, a present, and not me?"
"Yeah, why not. It's the only one he's going to get. And you'll be getting my present later." I hit him in the shoulder and lead him into the living room.
"Herondale," Simon says, taking his eyes off the television.
"Lewis," he responds, throwing the gift at him. Simon throws his hands up to protect his face. Jace drops onto the sofa, putting his arm over my shoulders as I slide myself down beside him. He plucks the hat off of his head and places it on mine, then kisses me.
"What the hell is this?" Simon ask.
"It's called a kiss. I'd say you should know what it is, but considering who you—"
"I know what a kiss is, Herondale. As much as your PDA disgusts me that is not what I am referring to."
"Oh, then you must be referring to your Christmas present," Jace responds, tugging me closer to his side. I lean into him, soaking up his warmth.
"I hope you didn't want anything in return," he says. Jace rolls his eyes kisses the top of my head. Simon opens the gift cautiously. "This won't blow up in my face or anything right?" he asks.
"Don't be ridiculous! I would never endanger Clary's life like that." I laugh as Simon flips him off. Simon pulls the object out of the paper and pauses for a moment.
"What the hell is this?" Simon asks, staring into the eyes of some sort of stuffed animal.
"It's a Pillowpet!" Jace says.
"Yeah, but what is it?"
"I think it's supposed to be a cat," I interject. Simon flips it over, examining it as if he's never encountered anything like it before in his life. Simon un-does the Velcro and stares at it some more.
"There's a note," he says, looking up at Jace. "Why is there a note?"
"I don't know," Jace responds in mock surprise. "Why don't you read it? Out loud."
"I don't trust you," he says.
"Come on, Simon," I say, nudging him with my foot. He rolls his eyes and un-folds the paper.
"'Dear new owner. Although I've only known you for a few seconds, I already feel very close to you. I look forward to spending the next few years watching you sleep.' Well, that's not creepy…"
"Keep reading!" I say.
"'I hope that one day, after you have grown attached and feel as though you cannot live without me, I will find another who is more attractive then you. Also, I would like a little top hat to wear on my weekend excursions to the brothel. With eternal love until I get bored of you (it will be any second now I'm sure), Ms. Sassy Cat.'" Simon stares at the letter, then at Jace. "What the hell?"
"Isabelle wrote the note," Jace whispers to me. "But don't tell him. He thinks he finally found a friend."
"Very funny, Herondale. One day, when you least expect it, you will wake up and see this—thing staring at you."
"I look forward to it, Lewis. I look forward to it."
December: Christmas Day
I woke up this morning to find a dozen red roses lying on my kitchen counter with a note attached reading, "7823 Lowell Avenue. Be there at 11 AM." I brush my fingers across the letters, written in Jace's blocky, military style hand writing. A glance at the clock reveals that it's already 10:28 so I hurry to get ready.
Half an hour later, I'm pulling up in front of a sketchy looking, windowless, brick building. I climb out of the car and double check the address. The wind cuts through the tunnel created by the buildings, and chills me. I hustle inside the building, pulling my jacket firmly around me. It's scary dark inside. Fear crowds inside me and for a moment I think I've been set up, that this is all some plot to kidnap me.
And then he switches the lights and the room changes. Light blue Christmas lights line every wall, lighting the surprisingly large room with their artificial light. The room is bare with the exception of a Christmas tree, offering the only color. And then there's Jace leaning against the wall, dressed in jeans and a jacket, strained against his shoulders.
"Merry Christmas," he says, walking towards me. He cups my face in his hands and plants a soft kiss on my lips.
"What's all this?" I ask.
"You're Christmas present." He grabs my hand and pulls me to the tree. Lying underneath it is a rectangular box, wrapped in shiny green paper. He picks it up and hands it to me. I flip it over in my hands, trying to get a feel for what it could be, before tearing it open.
"Pencils?" I ask, staring at the artists pencils lying in the palm of my hand.
"I was asking Jonathan what I should get you for Christmas and he told me you used to be really into art. He said you always had a pencil in your hand until your mom left and you stopped drawing."
"So you bought me pencils?" I ask.
"No. I bought you this room. Your new art studio." My eyes flash up to him.
"Is this a joke?" He grins at me, shaking his head. I throw myself at him, tossing my hands over his neck and holding myself tight against him. He spins me around, laughing as he does so. "Thank you," I say, kissing him as he puts me down. "Thank you so much." I kiss him again, deeper and longer. "Next to that, my present looks pathetic."
"Somehow, I doubt that." I drop my gaze and reach into the pocket of my jacket and pass him the crumpled envelope that holds his present. He opens it and reads what I've written inside, then looks up at me, his eyes flashing.
"You do listen to me!" he says, holding onto the gift card to a local auto body shop that would allow him to fix up Betty, something he's been talking about doing but never got around to actually doing. He leans down and kisses me. "Thank you," he says. I look down at my feet. "No, really. Thank you." I look up into his golden eyes and kiss him.
February 5th
I'm just sitting down with my sketchbook and a cup of coffee when someone knocks on the door.
"Simon, can you get that?" I call.
"I'm busy!" he shouts back.
"With what?"
"Hiding!" I look up from my drawing and stare at the wall, completely astounded by the stupidity of that statement. After a moment I get up and answer the door.
It's Jace.
"Where is he?" Jace asks, storming into the room.
"Who?" I ask.
"Who do you think?"
"Simon?"
"The one and only."
"What did he do?" Jace lifts up Ms. Sassy Cat. Ever since New Year's Day, when Jace found it sitting on his pillow, the two of them have been hiding it in places they know the other will find. Jace put it between the bottles of vodka at the bar Simon works at, Simon placed it in Betty's driver's seat, Jace put it in the shower (I was lucky enough to find it that time) and on and on it went.
"Where was it?"
"The ambulance. The douche bag actually got Isabelle to put it in the ambulance." I throw my hand over my mouth to cover the laughter. "Yeah, it's hilarious. Until you hear the part where I'm throwing open the back doors to put a man in the back and this thing is staring at me with a scalpel in one hand and a—"
"Scalpel in one paw," I correct.
"With a scalpel in one paw and a surgery mask on looking like some sort of demented serial killer. We almost dropped the guy."
"Is he okay?"
"Yeah. Well, he died. But not because we dropped him." I shake my head. "So where is it?"
"It?"
"The thing. Nerd Boy. Simon."
"Hiding."
"Tell him to watch his back," Jace says.
"Will do." Jace stops in the doorway as he's leaving, then turns around.
"Good night, Clary," he says, taking a step towards me and tilting my face up. He kisses me once, sweetly and lingering.
"Good night," I sigh back.
"2AM lunch tomorrow?" he asks. I nod and kiss him again before he leaves.
February: Valentines Day
I'm just finishing a suture when Dr. Bane pokes his head in the room, and tells me there's an ambulance coming in. I tie off the stitch, call for another nurse and shrug into a trauma gown. I'm just jogging outside when the ambulance pulls up. The back doors open and there's Jace, pulling the gurney out and onto the ground.
"What do we have?" Dr. Bane asks.
"23-year-old man. Multiple gunshot wounds to the chest. BP's 120 over 70. Neighbor called when she heard the gunshots. He's been down for about 20 minutes." I rush alongside Jace, hooking him up to the appropriate monitors.
"We need five units of O neg!" Dr. Bane cries as he rushes in through the ER doors. "Fray, start the IV." Dr. Bane eases in the intubator, attaches the bag and begins to pump precious air into the man's lung. I take control of the BVM when I'm done with the line. Jace stands back, watching us work. "We need to get him into the OR soon if we're going to stop this bleeding before he bleeds out."
"I'll page the OR!" Maia calls. Two minutes later, the OR team is here and wheeling him away. I glance down at the blood covering my entire body. Jace comes up behind me and turns me around.
"Do you think he'll make it?" I whisper. Jace sighs and rests his forehead against mine.
"Do you want the truth?" I nod. "No. He's lost too much blood." I bite my lip, trying to fight the emotional pain with a physical one.
"I hate this job," I whisper. He kisses my forehead, then each of my cheeks before finally landing his lips on my own.
"No. You don't. You love helping people. You hate watching them die." I wrap my arms around him, shuddering at the thought of the poor man's life's blood saturating the clothes between us. Jace holds me tightly.
"Happy Valentine's Day," he says. His words are tinted with sadness.