While the first few months of Aurelia's life were spent in blissful peace, apart from the crying and screaming that came whenever the infant was uncomfortable in some way, Jace had just truly given thought to the fact that he and Clary had a little girl to take care of, and said little girl was now five months old. He, like the majority of his friends and loved ones, had expected a boy when Clary had first discovered she was with child. He'd imagined having a little copy of himself to train, love and bond with like only a father and son could.

But now, he had a daughter.

And a daughter meant bows and frills and pink and purple and fingernail polish and kittens and puppies and dolls... The list went on and on. But none of those things bothered Jace. Yeah, he could buy bows and frilly things and learn how to braid hair and paint nails and stuff. Puppies and kittens weren't even out of the question, and they already had about a thousand baby dolls for their little princess. The one thing that had been bothering him was something that he thought should come pretty easily, but did not.

He needed to learn how to host the best tea party in the entire world.

He'd tried hard already to perform said task - his little girl was taking a nap, and Clary and Isabelle were out shopping with Tessa, who, along with Jem, had been staying at the Institute more frequently since Aurelia's birth. They had Simon and Isabelle's baby girl, Maxine, with them, so Jace and Aurelia were by themselves. Well, apart from Alec, who was taking a nap after a long date night with Magnus. Jace was actually surprised that his parabatai had come back to the Institute - Maryse and Robert still ran it, but they were hardly here, and though Alec lived with Magnus, he sometimes decided to come spend the night at his old home. Jace always enjoyed having him back, but him staying at the Institute usually meant that he and Magnus had had a falling out, and he really wasn't looking forward to the drama that came with the squabble. Regardless, it was nice to feel the invisible cords that bound them not be so tightly stretched. Alec was near, and it soothed Jace's nerves.

Well, for the most part anyway.

He'd set up the little table and brought out the teapot and boiled water and steeped the tea and stirred in the sugar, but it tasted disgusting and the reality of everything was beginning to hit him. He really didn't know what to do, and now that he was thinking about it, everything else that came along with having a girl seemed so much more daunting. What if he had to go dress shopping? What if he had to learn what kind of makeup she liked? What if he had to buy perfume and shampoos? He just hadn't thought about how hard these little things were, and if he was already having trouble setting up a tea party, what else would he mess up on?

He decided he needed help.

Jace sat the teacup in his shaking hands down and ran out toward Alec's room, and didn't even knock before he bolted inside. "Alec! Alexander Gideon Lightwood, get up immediately. I need your help!" he shouted in a whispery tone, just in case his raised, panicky voice would wake his precious little girl from her nap. She was in Jace and Clary's room down the hall, but one could never be too careful.

His parabatai jumped and disentangled from the blankets ungracefully before flopping onto the floor, his black hair a mess and his blue eyes round in panic. "What? What's wrong?" he demanded, leaping to his feet and grasping about for a weapon. Jace, for a moment, had to stifle laughter at how ridiculous his friend looked. But then again, he hadn't woken Alec up like this in the past unless something seriously bad was going on. He supposed being a failure as a father and tea party host fell into the "bad" category.

"I need to learn how to host a tea party immediately, and I thought you might know something about it," Jace explained quickly, reaching out to grab Alec's arm. The black-haired man looked incredibly confused, still half-asleep, so Jace decided he might need to elaborate. "For A.J. She's a girl. What if she would rather dress up than fight demons?" He heard the panic in his own voice, and he hoped he was still making sense, as he continued, "I don't want to force her to do things that she doesn't want to just because I don't know how to be a good father."

To Jace's surprise, Alec actually seemed to understand. But in all honesty, he should've expected it. Alec took his role as Aurelia's uncle very, very seriously, and he couldn't stand the baby being unhappy, no matter what it was about. "You're right," he began, his eyes wide in alarm. "I didn't think about any of that."

Jace raked a hand through his messy golden hair, turning his eyes pleadingly up toward his best friend. "I didn't until just a little bit ago. Will you help me?" he asked, hoping that Alec would understand the deeper meaning behind his desperate need to do this correctly.

He didn't want to be anything like Valentine.

Alec just nodded and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Jace. We'll figure this out," the black-haired man stated, and Jace had to admit that he felt just a bit better.

For a while, at least. As it would happen, Alec's tea somehow tasted even worse than Jace's had, and they'd managed to spill a whole kettle full of water on the floor, broken two teacups, and made fifteen unsuccessful cups of tea. It was a disaster, and with each disgusting sip, Jace's anxiety rose. He felt on the verge of an actual panic attack, and wished desperately that Clary would get home soon. She probably knew how to make everything look nice, and how to make the tea taste good.

"What are we doing wrong?" he finally burst out, flinging one of their beautiful little teacups across the room. He took some form of satisfaction at the shattering noise it made as it hit the wall. He'd probably have to buy a new tea set after this anyway. He just hoped that they didn't have any sentimental value.

Alec didn't look any better than Jace felt, his fists clenched in his tangled hair, still a mess from sleep. "I don't know. I haven't ever had tea this disgusting, and we practically poured sugar into it. It's not sweet at all!"

The two exchanged a despairing glance, and Jace sat down with a bump in one of the tiny chairs they'd bought for Aurelia. "I'm going to be a terrible father," he murmured, thumping his head down against the table. "Poor A.J., getting stuck with a dad who can't even set up a good tea party. If she doesn't want to hunt demons, she's going to hate me for not trying harder."

"You sound like you're giving up."

Jace and Alec both glanced up at the new, unexpected voice and found that it belonged to James Carstairs, who was standing in the doorway between the playroom and the hallway. He wore the amused expression of a person who was trying not to laugh in order to spare someone else's feelings, and he was dressed in a very nice tuxedo.

"I am," Jace conceded, lowering his head back down onto the table and closing his eyes. "We've been at this for hours. I don't know what else to do."

With a soft chuckle, Jem shook his head and entered the room silently, reminding Jace not for the first time that he had once been a Silent Brother. When he reached the little table, he bent down and picked up one of the teacups and brought it to his lips before scrunching up his nose in disgust.

"See?" Alec asked miserably. Jace could only imagine that his parabatai was beating himself up just as much as he himself was.

Jem tilted his head to the side. "Do you not know what you've done wrong?" he questioned, looking genuinely concerned for the two disheveled men who were sitting at the undersized pink-and-white table.

"No," they moaned in unison, and Jem let out another laugh - a real one this time, as if the situation were just too funny to care for their feelings.

He sat the teacup back down on the table and pointed to the sugar container. "You've put salt in the tea. That's why it doesn't taste right."

The other two men exchanged a glance, and Jace pinched up some of the substance in the sugar container before putting it in his own mouth. His eyes widened immediately and he glanced over at his parabatai. "How did we not notice?" he demanded, feeling the anxiety begin to ebb, before it came back full force. "By the Angel, Alec. I can't even tell sugar from salt. What is the matter with me?"

Jem patted the back of Jace's shoulder comfortingly. "Well, in your defense, you were nearly hysterical."

"How did you know?" Alec asked, his eyebrows knitted up in confusion. "Were you spying on us?" His tone was nearly suspicious.

The other black-haired man smiled softly before pointing up at the ceiling, not at all fazed by Alec's accusatory tone. "I was trying to get some rest. My room's right above this one, and you two were being so loud that I could've heard you from outside. I'm honestly surprised that Aurelia's still sleeping. Now," he said slowly, his smile turning into one of amusement again, "I understand that you want to set up a perfect tea party. Is that right?"

Jace nodded slowly.

"All right, then. I can help you with that, if you want, for I am quite good at serving tea," he informed the two, and there was absolutely no way that Jace was going to decline the offer.

And as it would happen, Jem was fantastic at hosting tea parties.

An hour later, though, when Clary, Isabelle and Tessa returned, it was difficult to explain why all three men were dressed in suits and sipping tea at the tiny, beautifully-decorated table.

This was my try at cutekitty5597's adorable idea. I would like to say that I won't be formally taking requests for this story, but if you have an idea that you want to share, I'd take it into consideration c: That doesn't mean I'll be doing every one, though. I only took this one because I had terrible writer's block and the idea of Jace and Alec stressing out and trying to throw a tea party intrigued me. c:

Also, I know this chapter is short. Please forgive me. I'll try to make some of the next chapters longer. There may be a time skip coming up.

As always, read, review, favorite, follow and pm me if you have questions c:

Fun fact: The title of this story is based on the question asked in the summary of the hardback copy of The Bane Chronicles: "Are all Herondales as problematic as Will?"

Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare owns The Mortal Instruments, The Infernal Devices, The Bane Chronicles, and everything related to them.

God Bless you all, and I hope you have a great day.

anim8or

P.S. May the Fourth be with you :D