Two Years Later

Happy Birthday

"Happy birthday to you..." Everyone gathered around the toddler singing. It was Mackenzie's fourth birthday and Clary was struggling to keep it together. "Happy birthday to you." Jace was in charge of photography so he was weaving in and out of the mob of party guests trying to find the right angle. He came up beside Clary just as the sing was finishing. "Happy birthday dear Mackenzie, happy birthday to you" As the song ended the litte girl waisted no time before blowing out her candles. Jace managed to get a shot of her right before she blew them out with her cheeks full of air and her eyes big and crossed from focusing on her task. It was a great picture and Jace couldn't keep himself from laughing He was just about to show Clary when he noticed she was trying to hide the tears streaming down her face. Alarmed, Jace took Clary by the hand and lead her to the side of the crowd.

"What's wrong?" He whispered only slightly panicking

Clary gave a fake laugh and answered with "Nothing." Once she realized that hadn't been a sufficient enough answer she continued "Honestly it's past my time of the month, I'm probably just hormonal. It's just" she paused and wiped a few more tears away with her hand "Our baby isn't really a baby anymore. I swear yesterday she was two and now she's four years old."

Jace held back a chuckle and wrapped Clary in a hug "She will always be our baby. Now cheer up and come have some fun" he pulled back and gave her an encouraging smile.

Jace had actually made her feel much better. It was very strange for Clary to get so emotional over something like that and she started to feel silly for actually crying. Now she was helping her daughter open all of her birthday presents. It took her back to Mackenzie's first birthday before Jace had found them.

she set a small round cake down on the tray of the highchair and started singing, but by the time she finished the little girl had already dug in with her hands and it was even in her hair. Clary chuckled and wiped her finger through the icing liking it off of her finger. after she had washed all the cake from her daughter's hair they had opened the two small presents Clary could afford at the time, just a brown teddy bear and wooden block set but it was a birthday party nonetheless. At the end of the night she carried the sleepy baby up the stairs to her room and laid her in her crib. After a kiss goodnight she whispered happy birthday and tiptoed away.

Things were so much different, better, now. She wasn't alone anymore. Mackenzie always had huge birthdays with all of the family present and she loved them. She barely remembers when they lived alone but it doesn't matter now because they are finally all together. Clary, Jace, and their beautiful Mackenzie, the happiest little family.