“So, the bracelet made him fall out of love with her?”
“No, no,” Jace corrected. “It made him fall in love with her. It was almost like a binding spell. But very dark magic. Dangerous stuff.”
However, dark magic could sometimes be cool. He tried not to grin when he said that though. The last thing he wanted was the kid to get involved with dark magic.
“Wait, was this the guy who was obsessed with an STD?” Kit asked.
“No, that was his dad,” Jace corrected again. “William Herondale.”
It felt good to be the one who knew. It felt good to be the one who wasn’t in the dark. It felt good to be a Herondale.
Jace only hoped that Kit would feel that way soon too.
“Will,” Kit smiled, as if thinking of something private. “Jem and Tessa’s Will.”
“Yes,” Jace beamed.
Will had been Tessa’s husband and Jem’s parabatai. They had been Will’s…well, everything. Theirs was a relationship that often made Jace feel pleasantly surprised. It was nice to know that love like that existed - love that surpassed time.
Jace hoped he could build something like that with Clary. A love story that lasted a lifetime.
“Okay, let me get this straight,” Kit said and tucked his feet underneath his lap. “William was the STD one and James was the bracelet boy. Herondales are…”
“Memorable?” Jace offered.
“Sure, let’s go with that,” Kit grinned.
“Ask Jem about Lucie,” Jace said when he remembered his chats with Tessa. “She was a writer. And she could talk to ghosts too. I think you might like her.”
“She sounds dope,” Kit nodded. “Herondales are a little artsy by the way. All the reading and writing and composing.”
“That they are,” Jace said proudly, which was a feel he was slowly getting used to with regard to his last name.
“Do you like to write, Kit?” Jace asked now, because he often felt like he didn’t know anything about the boy at all. Of course, that was the purpose of the monthly visits to Cirenworth. Yet, Jace knew Kit was holding back. He wondered if it he did that with everyone else too.
“Not really,” Kit shrugged. “I don’t play any instruments either. I don’t think I’m artsy like the rest of them.”
“Rest of us,” Jace corrected, it had become a habit with Kit. “Jem told me you like cookies. Cooking is an art too. Do you like to bake them?”
“Nah, I just like to eat them,” Kit pointed out, staring at his shoes. “S’okay. I know I’m not like the rest of them. But hey, in my defense I didn’t know I was one of them until like a year ago!”
“One of us,” Jace corrected again, because he never wanted Kit to forget. “And yeah. Valid point. I don’t want you give you an identity crisis. Been there. Done that. How about we do something? We can throw daggers or sharpen our swords?”
“Pass,” Kit said and flopped back into the grass. “Doing shit is exhausting.”
They were quiet for a moment then. Kit was on the ground with his arms crossed behind his head, simply staring at the sky - probably wondering how long he had to do these monthly sessions with Jace for. Meanwhile Jace himself was picking out grass and trying not to freak out.
“What about love?” Kit asked after a while, his voice barely above a whisper. “Tessa said Herondales are destined for great love stories.”
Jace closed his eyes and saw a flash of colour - the shade of autumn leaves and tempered fire.
“I’d like to think so,” he tried his best not to sound shy, he didn’t want to leave an impression as a softie.
“Were there…Were there any gay Herondales?” Kit asked, his voice quieter with every question.
Oh.
Jace had so many questions. So many. Why do you want to know? Are you gay? Do you like someone? What’s his name? And his address?
But his parabatai had taught him to always listen before speaking. Alec could really get into one’s head sometimes.
“I’m sure there were some,” Jace answered instead of asking. “I mean, it is statistically unlikely that there weren’t any LGBTIAQ+ Herondales in the past.”
Kit laughed out loud, something Jace wished the boy did more often. “Did you just say LGBTIAQ+?”
“Yep,” Jace grinned.
“Someone did their research,” Kit pointed with a smile and Jace felt oddly pleased.
“I did,” he nodded. “After Alec.”
He had asked for Clary’s help in learning more about it. He never wanted Alec to feel like he couldn’t talk to another shadowhunter about how he felt. So, Jace had spent hours after hours reading pamphlets and guides and watching videos on something called MeTube.
It had been mostly confusing. But all the research had left him more informed than he had been before.
He had begun reading once again after becoming the head of the institute with Clary. Being a leader meant understanding the needs of your team members. All team members.
“Do you think there were any gay Lightwoods?” Kit asked, his tone suggesting that he wanted to move on from the topic.
“Yeah, let’s not talk about the gayness of Lightwoods,” Jace chuckled. “We need a whole other day for that.”
“Hmmm,” Kit hummed.
“Whether it’s a boy or girl or a non binary person,” Jace said and Kit grinned at him again in surprise. “There is one rule of love that applies to all shadowhunters.”
“What?” Kit asked. “Wear black on all first dates?”
“Nephilim love only once,” Jace pointed out and explained what he had learned as all shadowhunters before him.
Kit chewed his lip and looked away. “That sounds a bit intense.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Jace grinned.
Kit was quiet again. He was fidgeting with his shoes. Jace understood the boy was nervous. He wanted to help. Jace knew there was much to say and much to know. He knew Kit needed to understand that love required sacrifice, hard work and resilience.
Jace couldn’t help but feel like he needed to give Kit support and guidance to navigate through all of this.
But he also felt that what Kit needed right now was space. So, he decided to do just that.
They sat there quietly, lying on the fields and talking about street food in New York. After a while, Kit looked at him, looking slightly more comfortable than before. “Let’s go back to the house?”
“And pretend we trained?” Jace asked and held out his hand.
“Yep,” Kit took his hand and raised himself up. “Let’s run back. We need to sweat. Also, make sure to ask for water as soon as you walk in. They think you’ve been training hard.”
“Damn,” Jace said, not knowing whether to be concerned or impressed. “Alright. Race you to the kitchen?”
“Are you ready, Jonathan Christopher?” Kit smirked.
“I’m ready, Christopher Jonathan,” Jace winked.
“Oh my god, your family is so wack,” Kit yelled as he broke into a run.
“Our family is so wack,” Jace yelled as he ran after him.
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Clary and Jace go on walks to unwind when they have had a stressful day, and they will go to the green house and just be around the plants
Jace wants to get more plants cause growing plants has become a hobby of his now, he got some cacti and now has an obsession with Cacti
Clary likes to go and buy paints, she brings Jace with her and he will suggest a color cause he says it reminds him of her
There was a time when Clary was teaching Jace to paint and she got the idea to paint on his face and he then painted her face and by the end they were lying on the floor and laughing till it hurt
Jace plays piano when Clary is having a rough day and she'll fall asleep on his shoulder, he puts her to bed and kisses her forehead, and says sleep well my Clar-bear
Jace will fall asleep when it's late and he is working, and he still has trouble sleeping at times, and Clary will find him and pet his hair and say "you work to hard, my love" and she'll put a blanket over him and kiss him on the head
Jace is a little spoon, Clary likes being the big spoon, they also like to fall asleep on each other's chests and just listen to each other's heartbeats
Clary teaches Jace about mundane history and Jace thinks the Clave that still disagrees could learn some stuff from all this history
Jace and Clary both read about their ancestors and Clary reads about Charlotte and is proud to be the descendant of such a strong women, Jace reads about Lucie and is like "I can't believe I am related to a writer" "although I will never meet her"
Sometimes Jace and Clary will go on top of the new york institute roof and just enjoy being up high and talking
Jace will have Clary join him in the green house and he'll tell her about all the different plants, Clary loves the look on Jace's face
Clary asked Jace to go with her to a art gallery and she was so excited and pointed out so many beautiful pieces, Jace would get lost in the look in her eyes
Clary gets Jace into manga, and he enjoys them a lot
Jace has swords hung up on one side of their new bedroom that they got after taken over the institute, and Clary has manga and posters and art stuff on the other side, they have a bookshelf built over their bed cause they both are book nerds
Clary decided to paint the midnight flower for an anniversary present for Jace one time, Jace cried and loved it, Clary felt success and love
Jace had a paint brush necklace made for Clary for an anniversary present, Clary loved it
Clary introduces Jace to panda gifs and now Jace loves pandas
They start to have serious discussions about having kids after they are engaged
When I tell you I drew him in an astonishingly short time I-
Jace hate is really getting redundant, annoying and just plain stupid! Just let people like the characters they like! Jace (like all tmi characters) is one of my favorites and I couldn’t just not do anything after @khaleesiofalicante made #jaceweek soooooo here you go!
JACE WEEK - Heads of the Institute Clace Headcanons
There is a tapestry of Consul Alec in the NY institute library. Jace put it up the day after Alec got elected.
Clary, along with Simon, is responsible for conducting mental health programs for shadowhunters in the NY institute. All current nephilim under the NY institute have access to support services and resources they need to handle issues such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, developmental issues, etc. All members are trained to not only practice useful coping mechanisms such as breathing techniques, but are also trained to respond to a shadowhunter in need of psychological support, for instance they all need to learn grounding techniques to assist during a panic attack.
Jace, in order to support the program in his own way, made each member a customised playlist they can listen to during their patrols.
Sometimes when things get a little too hectic at the institute, Jace and Clary hide out in the greenhouse until they feel calmer. Everyone knows about this, but no-one disturbs them.
Clary and Jace also encourage extracurricular activities among institute members, not just as a skill but even just for pleasure. There is a painting class that takes place every Thursdays and a music class that takes place on Saturdays.
They also incorporated certain aspects of mundane culture into the NY institute. They put up a Christmas tree in December and go all out during Halloween.
Izzy is currently attempting to make Church the official mascot of the NY institute. Clary and Jace agree. Alec has been ignoring their fire messages.
Both of them have been found, many times by many people, in compromising positions and in the weirdest of places.
Meetings with downworlders are not only held in the institute. Jace and Clary visit each downworld fractions in their respective headquarters to establish mutual respect with the local leaders.
The library has been stocked up with mundane YA books, music and games for relaxation and entertainment.
The NY institute has a Netflix account.
Since nephilim from around the world visit their institute, Jace and Clary have established a anti-bullying and non-discrimination policy (of both nephilim and downworlders) on the basis of various identity factors including race, gender identity, expression, sexual orientation, family name etc. This policy was drafted with the support of Luke and Jocelyn and is currently being examined by Consul Alec to be implemented in institutes around the world.
When Clace became the head of the institute, Simin got them a matching t-shirts. But since the position was abbreviated, the t-shirt just says “I’m HONYI”. Clary has ‘lost’ hers and Jace wears his way too often.
Now that they have a bigger bedroom as the heads of the institutes, they have expanded their rooms with more personal items. Clary is trying to sneak in a Pacman and Jace wants a ‘manageable’ bloodhound. They still share one toothbrush though.
When Jace felt a little left out after moving to New York, Isabelle started cooking for him to make him feel better. It was a disaster. But Jace appreciated the thought. (Why are you crying? Are you okay?...Yeah, I’m just touched by your gesture. So touched....)
After Jace moves to New York, Isabelle takes him to all the most popular spots (ones Alec and most people don’t know about). She was the first one to take him to Taki’s.
Jace has given a shovel talk to every single boy Isabelle ever dated. It started out very early. (Are you gonna take good care of my sister?? Tell me, you little punk. What’s your credit score???...Dude, I’m 13!!!)
Jace let Izzy practice make up on her. They also put on aloe vera face masks once a week and dish about the latest gossip.
They both have a secret oath to protect Alec because they know he always looks out for them. After a while, the oath was extended to protect Magnus too.
They also have a mutual understanding to protect each other’s partners. Izzy always has Clary’s back and Jace is forever ready to bitchslap anyone who undermines Simon.
They borrow each other’s jackets.
Jace sometimes randomly cleans Izzy’s room.
They both know each other’s safe spots in the institute and give each other space when things get too much. Isabelle goes to the roof top. Jace goes to the greenhouse.
Izzy and Jace used to practice with Max all the time. Alec worked with him on rune practice, but these two always volunteered to teach Max how to fight.
Jace made sure to teach Izzy all the fighting moves that were deemed ‘not appropriate for young women’. She loves him for it.
They both enjoy listening to hiphop music. Jace learns how to play all of Izzy’s fave pop numbers - including Britney Spears - on the piano.
They had a bet to see who will be Max’s favourite. Izzy figured out Max likes Uncle Jace more. She has her eyes set on Rafe now. (Hey, Rafe. Do you wanna-GET YOUR GREEDY PAWS OFF HIM, JACE! THIS ONE IS MINE!!)
Jace asks Izzy to take over the NY institute if anything ever happens to him and Clary because he thinks she is so much more capable than people give her credit for.
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Jace kept his eyes on the screen. “Yeah, then explain why I’m kicking your ass.”
“Actually, that’s not me,” Simon pointed at the character. “That’s Ben. You are kicking Ben’s ass. Sorry, Ben!”
“Goddamnit, Ben!” Jace said in frustration. “Alright fine. Which one are you?”
“Calm down, we are on the same team,” Simon laughed nervously. “You should be covering my ass.”
“Can we stop talking about your ass?” Jace asked.
“Only if you tell me what’s wrong,” Simon paused the game. “Otherwise imma talk about my ass. And trust me, I’ve got a lot of material.”
“Ugh, fine,” Jace put down the console. “I need to ask you something.”
“Oh. Okay. Hit me.”
Jace turned around on the couch and tucked his feet underneath himself. “We…We are friends, right?”
Simon blinked. “Of course. You can talk to me. What’s up?”
“No, no,” Jace said. “That’s what I wanted to talk about. I wanted to know if we are friends.”
Simon’s eyebrows knit in confusion. “Um, we are? I mean, we are literally playing video games together on a Friday afternoon so I’d say we are friends.”
Jace hummed. “So, you are not hanging out with me out of obligation or anything?”
“Why would I be obligated to hang out with you?” Simon chuckled. “I mean, you did save my life a couple of times sure. But I have saved your ass multiple times as well.”
“No, I meant you aren’t hanging out with me because of Clary,” Jace explained reluctantly. “Or Izzy. I don’t know.”
Simon frowned. “You’re being weird. Why are you being weird?”
“I’m going through an identity crisis right now,” Jace sighed dramatically.
“Jace, you are always going through an identity crisis,” Simon pointed out. “That’s like your whole thing.”
Jace rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Whatever. Forget I said anything.”
“What brought this on?” Simon asked, sounding slightly more serious now. “Did someone say something?”
Jace was quiet for a while. But Simon didn’t give up.
“Jocelyn is throwing a party for Clary and I,” he said after a while. “She asked me if I wanted to invite any friends and I had an epiphany.”
“That Jocelyn doesn’t hate as much as you think?” Simon offered.
“That I don’t have any friends,” Jace corrected.
“What?” Simon laughed. “That’s ridiculous! You have tons of friends.”
“Name one,” Jace demanded.
“Alec!” Simon said incredulously. “Alec is your best friend.”
“Alec is my parabatai,” Jace pointed out. “He doesn’t count.”
“Um, okay,” Simon said. “How about…Aline?”
“See? You had to actually think!” Jace groaned. “And Aline is more of Izzy’s friend.”
“Lily?”
“She tolerates me because of Alec ,” Jace rolled his eyes. “Maia too.”
“I feel like you are thinking too much about this,” Simon reassured him. “You have friends! I mean, we are playing a multiplayer game right now. We know these people! They are our friends!”
“They are your friends,” Jace muttered. “I’m sure Ben doesn’t even know my name.”
“Oh, please,” Simon said and unpaused the game. “Hey, Ben. You know Jace right?”
“Of course,” Ben replied after a second. “Man, that chick is badass. You have her number?”
“Jace is a guy and you don’t deserve his number, Ben!” Simon yelled and paused the game again. “Okay, I know the didn’t go-”
“Admit it. I don’t have friends,” Jace shrugged. “I never had any. I grew up alone. I had never met another kid growing up. Then it was just the Lightwoods. By the time I grew up, no one wanted to be my friend. And all the friends I have are just hanging out with me because of Alec or Izzy or Clary.”
“Well, I’m your friend,” Simon pointed out.
“Because I’m dating Clary?”
“Because I like hanging out with you,” Simon replied. “I mean sure, you can be a dick sometimes. But like…you are also fun. And you make yummy snacks. And you always clean up after yourself. And I can always count on you.”
“Oh,” Jace said.
“Okay. So, imagine I got kidnapped,” Simon said then.
“Simon, you always get kidnapped,” Jace laughed. “That’s like your whole thing.”
“Imagine I got kidnapped,” Simon continued anyway. “You would be there to save me right? But are you going to save me because I’m Clary’s friend or because your friend?”
“Does it matter?” Jace asked. “I care about you. That’s probably why I saved your ass seven hundred times.”
“Stop talking about my ass,” Simon chastised. “But that’s the point, Jace. Aline, Lily and Maia and all those people…They care about you too. And that’s what friends do. They care about each other. So, don’t overthink it.”
“Okay,” Jace grinned. “Thanks, Simon.”
“What was that?”
“I’m not saying it again,” Jace pointed out. “Now let’s get go demolish that jerk Ben.”
“Let’s do it, friend!” Simon cheered with a little too much enthusiasm.
“Oh, one more thing,” Jace said quietly. “If you ever tell anyone we had this heart-to-heart, I will turn you into a rat.”
“Message received,” Simon winked and unpaused the game again.
“Who needs friends when you can have enemies, right?” Jace grinned as he destroyed one player after the other.
“For the record, this probably why your weird ass doesn’t make any friends!” Simon chuckled.
@khaleesiofalicante guess who finally found the time to draw this!
#jaceweek is still going on and with Janus being basically cannon dark!jace and the fandom being obsessed with dark!alec I thought “why not make team dark!parabatai🤔?” And here it is! I hope you like it!
Jace opened his eyes and found himself standing in the middle of the Herondale manor in Idris. It didn’t look the one he was used to, the one Clary had helped him redecorate. This one looked different. It looked older of course, but it looked…homey.
“Am I really here or is this a dream?” Jace asked out loud.
Magnus had said the antidote would have some weird side effects. But he really couldn’t have cared less. The demon poison was coursing through his veins like fire. Jace had hoped for something unpleasant like violent coughing or stomach cramps or a bad hair day. But it was a just a dream. An odd side effect of course. But it was just a dream.
Nothing weird at all.
To be rather honest, he was a little disappointed at the turn of events.
“Aight, I’m just gonna wait it out,” Jace said out loud again and walked over to the balcony.
Magnus better be working on getting that demon poison out instead of making out with Alec. The manor was very cosy, but it didn’t feel like home.
No place that didn’t have Clary ever felt like home.
“You,” a voice called as a shimmer appeared on the balcony. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
He turned around with his hand already reaching for his seraph blade. But it was only a man. A shadowhunter, possibly in his mid thirties, staring at him with his hands on his hips.
Jace wouldn’t have recognised him at all. If it wasn’t for his eyes. He had seen photos, Magnus and Tessa had shown him when he had requested. And Jace never forgot a face.
“Waiting for me?” Jace echoed.
“Of course,” Will nodded with glee. “There is so much to say.”
Ghosts. They always had some ghostly advice to offer.
“Alright,” Jace shrugged. “Say it then.”
“Say what?” The man blinked. “I’m waiting for you to tell me.”
“Tell you about what?” Jace asked, feeling confused.
“About Jem and Tessa of course.”
“Oh,” Jace blinked. “I thought you were going to impart me with some ghostly wisdom or something.”
“Oh,” Will blinked back. “Um…The world breaks everyone, and afterward, many are strong at the broken places.”
“Nice try,” Jace rolled his eyes. “I’ve read Hemingway.”
“Good boy,” Will smiled, looking a little proud. Jace felt oddly proud of himself too.
“Now, let’s see. Advice, is it? Let me see….Ducks dislike the smell of perfume?” He offered.
“That’s surprisingly helpful,” Jace beamed. He was going to bath in after shave the next time Clary drags hims to Central Park.
“Now,” Will looked like a man on a mission. “Tell me everything."
So, Jace did. He told him everything he remembered. About how much Jem enjoyed Spotify. About how Tessa did wonders with the Spiral Labyrinth. About how much the two of them loved Mina and Kit.
“My heart is so full, I feel like it’s going to burst,” Will said after he finished.
“Glad to help,” Jace shrugged with a smile.
“I must go now,” Will said now. “Thank you for telling me about them. I say this with love, Jace. I do hope you get bitten by another one of these demon soon.”
“Uh, thanks?” Jace waved at the shimmering shadow.
And just like that, he was all alone again.
“Okay, I’m done,” Jace said out again. “Can I come back home now?”
Nothing happened.
He sighed dramatically and took off to the library. He might as well do something while he waited for the antidote to work.
As he was looking to get his hands on a first edition, he noticed another shimmer appear near the couch. A young one this time.
“Oh,” the boy frowned. “It’s you.”
Jace recognised him too. He was the only other human who had eyes like him. Do all of them have distinctive eyes? Was it a Herondale thing?
Nah, that wasn’t it. It was probably their very rational fear of certain cannibalistic little shits.
“It is me,” Jace said. “How do you even know I am? and why do you look young?”
It was weird. And why did this one look like a teenager and Will look older?
“I don’t know,” the boy shrugged. “I just do. I don’t have an answer for your inquires.”
Magic. It really do be like that.
“We have the same eyes,” the boy pointed out after an awkward silence.
“I know!” Jace beamed.
“Did you ever feel you had eyes like everyone else?” The boy asked.
“Not really,” Jace shrugged. “They helped me with the ladies. Chicks dig it, am I right?”
“I really wouldn’t know. People called me Demon Eyes,” the boy pointed out. “And please don’t ever refer to women as poultry.”
“Wise ghost advice!” Jace beamed. “Thank you!!”
“Well, then,” James said. “I’m just going to stay here and read until I shimmer away.”
Oh. That’s it?
“You don’t want to know anything?” Jace asked. “I mean, I’m from the future, dude! I know everything! Your dad had like a million questions!”
“Well, I don’t have a Jem or Tessa,” he mumbled. “I am not as fortunate as my father. I’ll probably never find true love.”
Yikes, this one was emo.
“What about your ancestors?” Jace offered, feeling a little sad about the other boy. He remembered being angsty and emo when he was a teenager. That shit sucked. “I mean, the fact that I exist means you did meet someone and…well, ya know?”
“That’s right!” James got up from the couch and walked over to him. “You do know everything! Tell me! Who is it?”
“Dude, isn’t that like spoilers or something?” Jace asked.
“Dude,” James imitated his tone. “This is literally a magic induced dream. Who cares?”
“Alright fine,” Jace chuckled. “It’s Cordelia Carstairs. At least, that’s what the family tree says. I don’t know if we should trust that thing.”
“YES!” James jumped on a table and screamed. “YES! THANK THE ANGEL!”
James decided to let the boy have his moment.
“Cordelia?” The boy repeated in wonder. “How in Dickens’ name did I pull that off?”
“It’s the demon eyes,” Jace grinned. “Told ya women dig it!”
“Thank you!” The boy beamed. “I could kiss you right now.”
“Please don’t,” Jace chuckled nervously. “I’ve already been involved in one incest scandal.”
The boy clearly had questions about that last statement but before he could talk, he started shimmering.
“Well, I must leave now,” James said. “I do hope you know you’ve made me the happiest man on earth.”
“Dude, you need to save something for Cordelia,” Jace laughed. “Good luck!”
And just like that, James disappeared. Wow, dream magic was weird.
He didn’t know who was next, but before he could figure it out, he heard a distant sound. As if someone was firing bullet after bullet really fast.
Jace walked toward the noise and realized it wasn’t bullets. It was a girl. Just typing really, really fast.
“Hello,” he introduced himself. “You must be Lucie.”
“Hello,” she said back, but didn’t look up. Her fingers stopped assaulting the typewriter and she stared at the wall.
“Are you okay?” He asked.
“Just thinking…” she seemed to be in a different zone. “I’m trying to think of a synonym for being aware…Informed sounds rather dull and Sensible sounds…I don’t know. It isn’t quite there.”
“How about woke?” Jace offered.
“Woke?” Lucie turned and blinked. “But that’s just the past te-”
“It’s a new word. From the future.”
“Woke,” Lucie tested it out and started typing again, slower this time. “Cruel Prince James wasn’t the wokest of men. Oh, that does sound good!”
He walked over to her table and picked up a piece of paper that was scattered around it.
“Did you write this?” He asked after glacing through it. “It’s really good. You should consider talking to a publisher.”
“Not possible,” she said, still focused on the writing. “Shadowhunter.”
“Oh, yeah,” Jace said, feeling rather bummed out for her. “Man, I wished you had ao3. It’s like a…it’s a place where you can post your writing without compromising your nephilim identity. It’s amazing. There is so much good stuff in there.”
He may or may not have looked up some James Bond fan fiction after Simon had introduced him to the franchise. No one had to know.
She looked up at that and smile at him. Jace looked at her and realized she looked more like Tessa than Will. He wondered if he had anything in common with her. He didn’t know much about her for that analysis though - not even from all his research. History books often conveniently forgot to mention women.
“Is it hard?” He asked, sitting down in front of her. “Being a female Herondale?”
“It is,” she sighed. “There is so much pressure.”
“To keep up with the men?”
“To keep up with their nonsense,” she rolled her eyes. “Herondale men are idiots. All men are idiots.”
Jace laughed. “Is there anything you would like to know? About the future?”
“Not really,” Lucie shrugged. “Knowing what happens in the next chapter rather takes out all the fun, doesn’t it?”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Jace grinned at her. “Can I just stay here and read your work until you, um, shimmer out or whatever?”
“Are you really interested in my work or are you just being polite?” She inquired.
“It’s really, really good,” Jace replied.
“Ao3 good?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Girl, I would kudos the shit out of this,” he pointed at the papers.
Lucie laughed. “I don’t know what that means. But thank you.”
So they there quietly, the only sound in the room being Lucie’s rapid fire typing, as Jace read her stories. He didn’t even notice her shimmering away until the papers in his hands started shimmering too.
Goddamnit. He really wanted to know what happened after the ghost saved the princess’ life in the bridge!!!
He waited for a while for someone else to show up. But no one did. Maybe that was it. But it didn’t seem like the antidote was going to work anytime soon either. So, Jace decided to go through the manor and look if he could find any of Lucie’s work.
As he was scavenging for the next chapters, he heard the sound of something crashing. He headed towards the sound, which lead him to the music room.
A tall, blonde man was hurriedly picking up pieces of a teapot from the floor. He looked up when Jace entered, the broken pieces fell off his palm.
He was familiar of course, just like the rest of them. Jace had seen pictures.
But he wasn’t familiar too. He wasn’t familiar at all. The one person who should have been the most familiar to him wasn't familiar at all.
“Jace,” the man said.
“How long have you been hiding out here?” Jace demanded.
“I…I didn’t want to disturb you,” Stephen stammered. “I wanted to give you space.”
“Right,” Jace scoffed. “I’m going to back upstairs then. Bye bye.”
“Jace, wait!” Stephe called him. It was weird to refer to him as his father. He had never been his father. And he never will be. “I was just wanted to say-“
“Say what?” Jace almost yelled. “That you are proud of me? Save it. You don’t even know me!”
“But I do!” The man said in exasperation. “I don’t how or why. It’s this weird magic that has summoned me here. I know about you. Not everything of course. But some of it. And I…I am proud of you. But I was actually going to ask if you like music.”
Jace nodded. He couldn’t speak. Stephen pointed at the music room and raised an eyebrow.
“I play the piano,” Jace offered reluctantly.
“That’s wonderful!” Stephen beamed. “Celine always loved piano the best. Debussy was French, you see.”
Jace’s heart clenched at the name.
Seriously? This man just going to name drop his mother and then expect them to discuss Debussy?!?!?
“How about the sex pistols?” Stephen asked now. “Or Green Day? I think you might be more of a Rolling Stones fan.”
“I don’t know what those are,” Jace shrugged.
He did know. He had looked them all up after he had found his father had enjoyed punk rock. But he didn’t want to give the other man any satisfaction.
“Well, that’s unfortunate,” Stephen frowned. “I’m not surprised though. Robert wasn’t the most cultured of men.”
“ROBERT WAS THERE!” Jace did yell this time. “HE WAS FUCKING THERE!”
It was alarmingly quiet then. But it felt like hundred teapots were breaking inside his head. Jace wanted to go home. He wanted Clary. He wanted Alec. He wanted anything but this.
His knees buckled and he sank into the floor. Stephen ran towards him.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Jace pushed him away. “Get away from me!”
“You are sweating,” the man pointed out. “Are you in pain?”
He was. But he would never admit it. Not to him.
“It’s the antidote,” Jace said instead. “It’s not working. It should have worked by now. Why isn’t it working?”
A paralysing thought seized him. What if this wasn’t a dream? What if this was it? What if he never makes it back?
“Listen to me,” the man said. “You’re going to make it back. You are strong. You can fight this.”
“Don’t,” Jace said, standing up and finding himself a chair. “Don’t try to be my father for five minutes. It might make you feel better but it’s only going to make things harder for me.”
“I-“ he stopped. “Alright. If that’s what you want.”
“It doesn’t matter what I want,” Jace muttered. “I’m not going to get it.”
“I just want to say one thing,” he sat down in front of him. “I just want to say I’m sorry. I’m really really sorry that you lost us. I’m sorry that we lost you.”
What was he supposed to say? It’s okay? It’s all in the past?
“Your mother and I…We both were not fortunate enough to have parents who loved us…not in the right way. If they ever did, they certainly didn’t show it to us. We wanted it so badly. He wanted to them to love us so badly. So, I know how you feel. I know what it feels like to crave for a parent’s love. It is a pain like no other. Worse than any demon poison any I know.”
What he was supposed to say? Yeah, it sucks? I know right? Mood?
“We always thought that you would be our chance. Celine and I, we never got a chance to love each other. But I thought maybe you could be something we could love together. We waited for you, you know? Every night, we would sing to you and read to you. We waited for you. We wanted to be the parents we never got. We wanted to give you all the love we deserved but never received. We wanted you to be the most beloved child in the world.”
He took his hand and held it to his face and the wetness startled him.
“Jace. Jace, I’m sorry. I’m sorry we never got to show how much we loved you.”
What was he supposed to say?
“I’m sorry too,” Jace said.
“Is there anything I can do?” Stephen asked. “Anything I can do to make you feel better?”
“There is no point in asking,” Jace said. “You’ll get no reply.”
Stephen blinked - and then broke into laughter. His eyes were the same blue as Lucie’s. But smile…he has seen that smile in the mirror.
“I knew it!” Stephen grinned through the tears. “I knew you would like the Sex Pistols!”
“They are okay,” Jace shrugged.
“Oh, they are better than okay,” Stephen pointed out. “Do you know they tried to sing a-”
He started shimmering then.
“You’re leaving me,” Jace said.
Again, he wanted to say. But he didn’t. How could someone leave if they were never really there, right?
Stephen looked at him in worry. He looked like he had so much to say. Jace had never seen someone who looked like they were going to burst with how much they were holding in.
“Just…Just remember this. No matter what anyone says, you are loved. Jace, you are loved. So so much.”
And with that he was gone.
But it wasn’t just him. The walls of the Herondale manor was starting to shimmer too. Jace looked down his hands to notice, he was slightly shimmering too.
The antidote! It was working!
He was about to close his eyes and wait until he woke up in the institute when he noticed a faint shimmer appear before him.
He had never seen her before. Not even in a picture. Another blue eyed blonde. She was beautiful. Angelic. But she seemed beyond all of that too. There was something about her was neither angelic nor human. She seemed to transcend all of that.
“Jonathan Christopher!” she called out.
The way she said his name…There was so much emotion in her voice. So much love. So much pain.
“I’m shimmering,” he said hurriedly. “Quick. What is it? What do you want to know?”
“Nothing,” she smiled, a smile so sad Jace wanted to wipe it away. “I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for looking out for my baby.”
