City of Heavenly Fire: My Version

As Luck Would Have It

Emma and Clary caught up to Jace and Julian who were waiting outside the Accords Hall. Jace was leaning against the wall, Julian next to him trying to look just as cool. When Clary came into Jace's sights, he pushed himself off the wall and held his hand out for her, which she gratefully took.

Emma walked over to Julian and leaned against the wall next to him and they started talking in low voices. It gave Jace the opportunity to check in on Clary. "You alright?"

Clary nodded and smiled at him and turned her gaze back to the two younger kids. "You seem to get along well with Julian," Clary spoke in a hushed voice.

"He's a good kid."

Clary looked up at him. He was staring ahead of himself at the kids, like Clary had been doing. She rested her head on his chest as he moved his arm for her. "I think you'd really like Emma too. She's a lot like you so of course you might buttheads sometimes; you know, like we do. But I think you might really get along with her. And I think it could be good for her for her to get to know someone that went through the same thing as her. Maybe not the exact same thing, but you both lost your parents, and you both went with different families. Only she is going through it now. You could be like a mentor to her. Someone to relate to. You know?"

Jace chuckled and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "How do you always think of everyone else before yourself?"

"I guess I've never really cared about myself when there are other people who need help more."

Jace kissed the top of her head again, but this time he let the kiss linger and he spoke, his voice muffled by her hair. "How did I get so lucky?"

Clary giggled, and leaned into him more. With a sigh she nestled her head closer to Jace's neck. "I ask myself that question every day."

Jace's arms wrapped around Clary's body and held her close. "Come on, we should probably get back in there."

Clary groaned, "Fine!" She grunted as she pushed herself off of Jace, making him chuckle. He grabbed Clary's hand as she started walking—well, waddling, to the door to go back to the council and their family. She turned to look at the pair of kids that were leaning against the wall and talking. "Are you two going to come in with us, or are you going to stay out here?"

They exchanged a look and took their eyes right back to Clary, "We'll come in," Emma said pushing herself from the wall.

Walking back in, Clary could see Jia talking to Jocelyn, Luke, Maryse, and Robert. Magnus, Alec, Simon, and Isabelle weren't in the room anymore, and neither were any of the other blackthorns either. When the couple approached them, they stopped talking. Clary and Jace missed the conversation, but Clary caught when Jia said last. They should get to choose if they want to see it. "What are we talking about here?" Clary asked after they shut up.

The parents gave Jia a narrowed look, which she ignored and she smiled at the couple. "Well, I don't care what your parents are saying. Since you two are engaged and having a baby, I can consider you two as adults and it's your choice." She continued to ignore the protests of the parents behind her. "I wanted to offer the two of you the chance to check out the Herondale Manor. I mean, it is technically yours Jace. You are the last surviving Herondale and you should get the chance to look at it. And because you and Clary are continuing your lives as adults, I believe it is your right to stay there if you want too. It will be yours completely. Whether or not you decide to live in the New York Institute before or after you have the baby and get married, or if you want to permanently want to live there from here on out. Either way," Jia held out her hand and in it was a pair of black skeleton keys with the shape of a heron on them. "I think you should have it. There are the two keys, one for each of you. And we also have the Herondale carriage keys, and barn keys for you to tend to horses if you decide to go. We will escort you there with someone else driving and have a carriage follow you to bring the driver back in you want to go."