Chapter Fifteen

A/N: Thank you to Veridissima for reviewing the last chapter.

Jocelyn sat at the kitchen table, half-heartedly sipping at a mug of lemon water. It was a familiar scenario now, returning home in the early hours of the morning to find Luke waiting in the sitting room, watching the fireplace for messages, his hair stuck up at all angles and his face grey with worry. When he saw her walk through the door, she had never seen him smile so wide.

Clary, fortunately enough, had slept through the whole ordeal. It was the only relief Jocelyn could find in her actions, that she had not caused her daughter to worry about her again. Lately, it seemed like she did little else but cause problems for her family and friends.

"You're beating yourself up again." Luke commented, from where he sat opposite her. His wife looked up in confusion. She did not know whether she found it irritating or endearing that the man knew her so well he could read her heart on her face.

"Yeah, well, when I stop doing stupid things, then I'll stop beating myself up over them." she retorted, taking another sip of the tart water.

"Joss, you're under a lot of stress right now." Luke protested, and Jocelyn had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes. Luke was always the first to jump to her defence, even if she did not really want him to. "The baby's going to be here soon, you're not sleeping. There's so much going on, it's not surprising you wanted to get away for a couple of hours. I just wish you'd have told me."

"Luke, I don't know why I didn't say anything." the redhead stated, shaking her head. It was a lie, of course. She knew exactly why she had not woken her husband before she disappeared; she did not want him to share her agony, knowing the truth of what had happened to their child. Then another lie. "I guess I didn't think about it."

"Well, next time, come and talk to me before you go wandering out in the dark." Luke chastised gently, laying a hand on her shoulder. "It's too close to the baby for you to be on your own. I don't want to risk anything happening to you."

She could have retorted in anger, reminded him that she was a warrior long before she was an artist and more than capable of defending herself. But instead, she nodded, smiling contentedly. "I'll be more careful, I promise."

Her husband visibly relaxed at her pledge, his tense shoulders drooping slightly, causing his glasses to slide a little down his nose. As he scrambled to catch them before the glass should shatter on the counter- a regular occurrence in their household- Jocelyn could not help but laugh. How she ended up with such a wonderful man, she would never know.

As if in agreement, the baby landed a powerful kick to her abdomen, and the redhead quickly sucked in a breath, catching Luke's attention. He quickly made his way over to her, looking into her eyes for permission as he always did, then laid a hand on her stomach, delighting in the feeling of their child moving beneath his fingertips.

"Not long now." he pointed out, settling into the chair beside her with a beaming smile. "Soon I'll be able to do this for real. I mean, I'll get to hold the baby too, to see them kicking and flailing about just like you can feel now"

"Oh, you're more than welcome to." Jocelyn jested, nudging her husband gently on the arm. "I think I might be keeping my distance until the kicking and flailing dies down a bit. It's no picnic, looking after a newborn, you know."

"Yeah, but this time, you've got me." Luke reminded her. The joking mood suddenly became somber, but not in a bad way. The man pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, a pledge of his own. "You're not going to have to do it alone this time, I promise. I'm going to be here for every second."

"Well, then," Jocelyn reasoned, trying to keep her tears at bay. She was almost successful, and both she and Luke pretended the tear that trickled down her cheek did not exist. "I guess it won't be so bad."

"It'll be great." Luke promised, taking her hand and placing it over his on her belly. "It'll just be you, me, Clary and our new little one, a proper little family."

Jocelyn tried to force a smile, but Lilith's words echoed in her head. You took my child from me, Jocelyn Graymark. Now I will do the same for you.

"Luke, we won't let anything happen to this baby, will we?" She knew how the question must have sounded, when her husband did not know anything about her encounters with the Greater Demon. "I mean, after everything that's happened, the experiments… I just can't stand the thought of the baby being hurt."

"Jocelyn, you're one of the strongest Shadowhunters alive, even now." Luke smiled, with a pointed glance towards her swollen belly. "You've fought tooth and nail for all these months in the war to protect Clary and you'll do the same for this baby. You know I will too. Nothing will happen to this baby, I promise."

He seemed so confident, so full of hope, that Jocelyn could not stand it. She could not allow him to continue believing this lie, even if it would be painful to end it. And so she took a deep breath, placing her other hand protectively on her belly, and let the words spill forth.

"It was Lilith." she whispered. The name felt like poison on her lips. "She's the one that experimented on the baby, she's the one that made all this happen. It had nothing to do with Valentine. She wanted revenge for what happened to Jonathan. She told me that… because she lost a child, so would I. Luke, she's going to try and kill the baby, and it's all my fault."

By now, Jocelyn was sobbing, and Luke could do nothing but shift his chair closer, bringing her head to his shoulder as she cried. The revelation was so overwhelming, all the pieces falling into place, that he could hardly believe what he was hearing. There were a thousand questions he wanted to ask, fear gripping his heart like a vice, but now was not the time. For now, all he could do was hold his wife, his hand still resting on her belly, and hope that Lilith did not have the better of them this time.

A/N: Not much new info here, but I couldn't deal with Jocelyn this secret any longer. Lilith is on the rise, and they have to face this together. Hope you enjoyed and please review!