This time last year, Lucie was just weeks old. It amazed Tessa how fast her daughter was growing. At just over a year old, Lucie was a very confident crawler who occasionally liked to be standing with the support of her bouncy swing or one of her parents. The bottom two feet of Jem's house had now been totally and completely baby proofed as Lucie didn't like being carried the way she used to, preferring to move with her own power whenever possible.

Tessa had spent the better part of today decorating the house, though it was pretty festive already. Will had already dragged the fake tree out of the basement last week and put it up in the living room, but Tessa had added more lights and tinsel today. She'd needed the distraction. Lucie however, wasn't phased. She'd spent the morning in her play area. It was fenced in with baby gates so she could crawl around and enjoy herself all she wanted without hurting herself. Jem had been out all morning, at the hospital for his usual blood infusion appointment. It was normal for him, and he never made a fuss, but Tessa knew he was always in pain, particularly in his joints.

William had been at work since 2am this morning, putting out a flash fire on the outskirts of town. Tessa couldn't help but worry about both her boys at times like this. If not for little Lucie here with her, Tessa wasn't sure what she'd do. Then again, if not for Lucie, Tessa would probably still be living with Magnus. If not for Lucie, a great many things in her life would have been different, but Tessa wasn't going to think that way. There was no 'if not for Lucie', because Lucie was here.

Tessa checked the clock; Jem said he'd be home about now, so where was he? Her mind instantly tried to turn his routine blood infusion appointment into something dier, raising her anxiety. Giving up on her decorations, Tessa walked over to her daughter, and scooped the toddler into her arms.

"I need a hug," Tessa told Lucie, who seemed only interested in returning to her toys. Lucie's arms were stretched out reaching for them. With a sigh, Tessa put Lucie back down next to her toys, but followed after sitting down beside her daughter on the floor.

"Your daddies like to make me worry," Tessa told her.

"Da-da," Lucie exclaimed as she triumphantly destroyed the almost pile of blocks she'd made.

"Da-da's," Tessa corrected. "Two."

"Da-da-da," Lucie tired.

"That's better I suppose," Tessa smiled. Unable to just sit, Tessa got up and starting pacing. When that didn't work, she turned to the kitchen and started dinner. Jem was probably running late due to traffic or waiting longer than normal for his appoint. And Will was strong and smarter than any fire. She shouldn't be worrying, but the problem was that there was nothing else to do but worry.

Thinking suddenly of a way to change that, Tessa got out her phone and dialed. As it rang, she wondered if maybe she was being a nuscuince. He probably was very busy, and didn't want to entertain an anxious, and yet bored person while she waited for one of her men to walk in the door. Nevertheless she didn't hang up.

Ring, ring, ring… it was just the same as now, waiting for someone to appear. The difference being that Magnus picked up the phone.

"Hello Tessa!" Magnus said brightly. "And Merry Christmas Eve to you."

"I hope I'm not bothering you," Tessa said into the phone as she started walking around the room while still keeping Lucie in sight.

"Not at all, darling," Magnus replied. "In fact, you're saving me."

"I find that hard to believe," Tessa laughed. "Since you're spending Christmas at your fiance's beautiful mansion."

"Maryse planning our wedding over the phone was exhausting," Magnus said, laughing. "In person is so much worse. This wedding better be freakin epic." And just like that, Tessa was laughing. She knew she'd made the right decision in calling a friend.

"So how are you this fine afternoon?" Magnus asked.

"Oh, just waiting for someone to come home," Tessa sighed.

"Have your boys abandoned you?" Magnus asked, a smile in his voice.

"Not intentionally," Tessa said. "Jem's at a routine doctor's appointment, and Will is fighting fires."

"I'm a horrible friend who has totally forgotten why Jem has routine doctor's appointments," Magnus admitted.

"Hemochromatosis," Tessa said automatically. It was a word she knew both backwards and forwards.

"Right, yes because I am totally going to remember how to say that," Magnus replied, awkwardly.

"You don't have to remember it," Tessa said. "Just know that it sucks."

"Noted," Magnus replied.

"Apart from needing a rescue from wedding planning," Tessa began. "How's your vacation?"

"Much like my life," Magnus explained. "I have never before felt like such a slacker! My aunt Aleida was invited here for Christmas as well, but she got invited to a friends and decided to sit this one out. Simon and Izzy are here, as well as Aline, her family, and her girlfriend. It's quite a Lightwood invasion actually."

"Sounds like you are more than surrounded by family," Tessa smiled.

"And it sounds like you could use some more," Magnus said sympathetically.

"More that are present yes," Tessa said. "I don't think more in total would be practical. We are already very not practical as it is."

"Fair enough," Magnus chuckled. "And how is little Lucie?"

"Very interested in her new toy blocks," Tessa explained. "She is over the whole 'mommy is her world' phase."

"Good thing, or bad thing?" Magnus asked.

"Good I suppose," Tessa said. "I mean she was never really clingy with me, but now she's even less needy with Jem and Will."

"Have you considered going back to school?" Magnus asked.

"I have," Tessa said. "Maybe just part time, but I'm not sure. I mean, what will I do with my English degree once I have it anyway?"

"No idea," Magnus replied. "At the moment I'm using my History degree to correct YouTube comments on Crash Course World History videos so…"

"Wow, you need a job," Tessa laughed.

Magnus laughed very exuberant before speaking. "But my mother-in-law would skin me alive if I wasn't about to get time off for the honeymoon. Besides, I'm learning to embrace the laziness, even if it is a little disconcerting."

"We change for the ones we love," Tessa said whimsically.

"That we do," Magnus replied. There were some muffled noises from the other line, as if someone was talking to Magnus.

"Are people asking where you've run off too?" Tessa asked.

"It's just Alec," Magnus explained. "He came looking for me, but I'm hiding."

"Hi," it was Alec's voice. "I have joined in the hiding. Be warned, you are now on speaker phone."

"Well aren't you two adorable," Tessa giggled. "And who may I ask are you hiding from?"

"Mom," they both said in unison.

"In law," Magnus added as an afterthought.

"She has Sizzy to analyze now," Alec added. "I think it's okay if we hide for a little longer."

"How is Simon coping?" Tessa asked. "I do confess, when he and Clary broke up, and I moved out, I quite lost track of him."

"Oh, I think he's alright," Magnus said. "It was nice not to be the one gocking for once." He chuckled lightly before adding. "I think he's gotten on Maryse's good side."

"From the sounds of it that has quite the dire consequences," Tessa laughed. "Has she began planning their wedding as well?"

"Oh no, mom isn't that bad," Alec said. "She didn't start going wedding crazy until after we got engaged." Alec paused only a second before adding. "She's crazy, not actually insane."

"That's good to know," Tessa laughed. Again she heard more voices on the other line, but this time she could hear enough to recognize that it was a female voice.

"So this is where you two have been hiding," the voice said.

"Can you blame us?" Alec's voice asked.

"Nah," the newcomer said. "I just thought you'd want to know that dinners ready."

"Oh sweet, thanks Aline!" Alec's voice called.

"We have to go," Magnus said. "But I wish you swifty returning boyfriends."

"Thanks," Tessa chuckled.

"Oh, before we go, would you mind checking on the cats once or twice before we get home?" Magnus asked. "Jordan is feeding them while we are gone, but he's never had cats before, and you used to live with them."

"In fact, if you want to hang out at our place and keep them company, that would be even better," Alec added.

"Geez guys, they are cats, not children," Aline chuckled.

"They are lonely cats," Magnus objected.

"Sure I'll check on them for you," Tessa said, smiling.

"Thanks!" Alec and Magnus's voice replied as one.

"Oh, I can't wait till you guys have kids," Aline's voice chipped in. "It's gonna be a shit show if your this worried about cats."

"Oh hush," Magnus's voice objected.

"Yes coming!" Alec's voice yelled as if speaking to someone far away. Tessa was imagining his mother calling him to dinner from down the hall.

"Bye," Magnus said before the line hung up and she was once again alone in the room. Well alone, but for an infant. Lucie, it seemed had finally tired of her blocks, and was looking at her mother through the bars of her baby gate.

"Are you ready to give me that hug now?" Tessa asked. Lucie didn't reply, but simply reached up her arms toward her mother. Tessa picked her up, and finally got the hug she'd wanted. Everything felt so much better with her daughter's arms around her neck.

"Ma," Lucie said as she tighten her arms around Tessa's neck.

"Yes that's me," Tessa said. "I'm your ma."

Lucie's eyes closed as her head rested on Tessa's shoulder. It wasn't her bedtime yet, but recently Lucie had taken to trying to fall asleep early, then waking up in the middle of the night very grumpy. Rather than be awoken prematurely, Tessa decided to keep her daughter conscious. Lucie fussed a little, but not much compared to how Tessa knew she'd object to being woken up if she'd actually fallen asleep. To entertain Lucie, and since it was about dinner time anyway, Tessa put her toddler in the high chair at the table.

"What will it be today?" Tessa asked Lucie. "Mushy peas or more of daddy's frozen grapes?"

"Aaap," Lucie giggled.

"Grapes it is," Tessa smiled as she pulled some out of the freezer. Lucie did have her two front teeth now, but they weren't quite enough for chewing real food yet.

Lucie had gummed her way through a bowl full of grapes by the time one of her father's finally came home. Leaving a content Lucie to finish her snack, Tessa went to the door the moment she heard the key turn in the lock.

"Oh hello, I'm late aren't I?"

"Yes you are," Tessa told him sternly then she relaxed, leaning forward to kiss him.

"There was some kind of emergency that pushed all routine appointments back," Jem explained as he came into the house. "I would have called but my phone died."

"This is why I tell you to charge it at night," Tessa said with a shake of her head.

"Will still at work?" Jem asked.

"Yes," Tessa sighed. "He better be covered in soot and sore, or else he's in trouble."

"I could never imagine doing a job like that," Jem said. "Risking your life everytime you go into work."

"I don't know," Tessa said thoughtfully. "You and Will have similar drives. I think if you weren't used to being the weak one, you'd be right out there with him, putting out fires and saving people."

"Thanks Tessa," Jem smiled at her.

Together they made dinner, feeding Lucie more snacks all the while as they knew she wouldn't be able to eat what they were making. But once dinner was over, Lucie started to get overtired, crying like this was a major problem. With Jem's help, and some tender love and care, Lucie fell asleep in her crib with her music playing. The crib was still in their master bedroom, but Tessa thought that in the new year she might try getting Lucie to sleep in her own room and see how that went.

"Do you think Will's alright?" Tessa asked as the minutes ticked by. They were in the living room with the television on, but neither of them seemed too invested in watching it.

"I think that if something was wrong, we'd know," Jem said confidently.

"Like a soul bond," Tessa sighed. It was a comforting thought, even if she couldn't quite believe it.

"Yes, my love," Jem said softly as he kissed the top of her head. "Just like that."

Tessa must've fallen asleep on Jem's shoulder, because the next thing she knew, she was waking up as Jem moved. Her pillow having been disrupted Tessa pulled away and open her eyes.

"Oh sorry! I didn't mean to wake you," Jem whispered.

"What time is it?" Tessa asked.

"Late," Jem said.

"Will?" Tessa asked, but Jem shook his head.

Just then, they both jumped, having heard a sound at the door. Getting up at once, Tessa was the first to reach the door, and standing there looking more worn out than she'd ever seen him was William Herondale.

"Oh thank god," Tessa whispered.

"If I wasn't so tired," Will groaned, walking inside and heading straight for the couch. "I'd have a very witty comeback for that... something like you're welcome."

"Are you alright?" Tessa asked, slightly panicked as her hands fluttered over him trying to help.

"Fine," Will signed, collapsing gratefully on the sofa. "Just a very, very long day."

"Day!" Tessa snapped. "More like 24 hours. What kind of fire was this anyway?"

"The kind that really, really doesn't want to die," Will groaned. "And couldn't at all appreciate my desire to spend Christmas eve at home." Jem laughed, which seemed to be what Will wanted, but Tessa wasn't in a laughing mood.

"You sure you haven't been horribly burned, or suffering heat stroke?" she asked.

"Don't worry, before we get off a shift that actually involves a fire, we have to get checked out," Will said. "I'm fine. Just tired."

"Hey, do you remember the days when we'd have epic group sex in this room?" Jem chuckled, clearly just as relieved as her, but handling it far better.

"Oh wow, yeah," Will smiled. "That takes me back. Though at the moment I don't have the energy to stand, let alone do anything else."

"Why didn't you call?" Tessa asked him.

"Left my phone here this morning in my rush," Will shrugged. "Besides, it was so crazy I wouldn't have had the time."

"Well, you two are both fired," Tessa grumbled. "I was worried sick."

"Sorry," Jem mumbled. "I'll charge my phone tonight, promise."

"And maybe I'll let some walls suffer while the fire burns so I can call you," Will said with a wink. "Just so long as there aren't people in those walls."

"I'm sorry," Tessa sighed, leaning over to rest her head on Will's shoulder. "It's just hard being here all day, not knowing."

"I know," Will whispered. With what looked like a great effort, Will stood up and wandered towards his bed where he collapsed, instantly asleep. Jem and Tessa followed suit, quickly having only stayed up to make sure Will was alright.

Merry Christmas Day! I uploaded this right before I went to sleep so you could read this on Christmas morning if you so wanted though I am sure many of you will catch up and read this later in the holidays.

For those of you reading this in summer or some other crazy binge reading time during the rest of the year I hope your last and future Christmas is a merry one as well. :)

Sneak Peek Chapter 113

Jace looked up at her, groggy from sleep, and she kissed him lightly on the lips as a hello. He smiled and pulled her down for a deeper kiss before either of them got out of bed. Jace was a little less nervous about her parents being down the hall now than he'd been last year though she couldn't say he'd given up the notion all together.

"Why not just get dressed if you're going to change anyway?" Jace asked as she got up and changed out of the extra large t-shirt she slept in and into her jammies.

"It's tradition to wear pajamas on Christmas," Clary explained.

"If you say so," Jace chuckled before getting dressed in his regular clothes like a horrible humbug.

Yes, I know the sneak peek is still Xmas but this Clary chapter (though not yet written is more a New Years chapter and will go up (that is if I write it on my next days off... hehe) on New Years.