Roommates & Soulmates

Ch98: Jace's Question

Since meeting him at Malec's engagement party, Jace had been trying to keep in touch with William. There was however, one major problem they kept encountering. Between Will and Jace's work schedules, plus Will's having to watch Lucie, they never seemed to find the time. Meeting for coffee had worked once after much organization, but it had ended abruptly when Will's gotten a phone call. Something had come up, and he was needed back home to watch the baby. Trying to spend time with someone with a kid was teaching Jace quite a bit about the inconvenient nature of having children. Finally, Jace suggested they just hang out at Will's place while he was watching the baby, which finally seemed to work. The unforeseen consequence of this however, was that Jace ended up babysitting.

"They really are a twenty four hour job, aren't they?" Jace told Will once he arrived at his cousin's home. Jace still wasn't quite used to having a cousin. His whole life, family had just meant his mother, then Sebastian, and now more recently Clary. Will was new.

"That they are," Will laughed. "Thanks for agreeing to hang out here."

"Yeah no worries," Jace replied. "It seems to be the only thing that works."

"That it does," Will replied. Jace walked closer to Will, to get a better look at the baby in his arms.

"And, she is cute," Jace shrugged.

"The cutest," Will said, pride obvious in his voice.

As he looked at the adorable bundle of cuteness, Jace couldn't help but feel that it was strange that babies were the end goal of sex. He'd always looked at sex as something else entirely, but when you got down to it, sex's only real purpose was making children. Sure, you could argue that it helped with stress or was enjoyable, but there were lots of other ways to help with stress or enjoy yourself aside from sex. While intercourse was the only way to create new life.

Jace had never once in his life considered having kids of his own. He hadn't even thought of it hypothetically before. Nevertheless, he found himself asking if he could hold the baby.

"She's all yours," Will said handing her over. "Just watch that she doesn't spit up on you. I just fed her before you arrived."

"Roger that," Jace replied smiling as he rested Lucie's head on his shoulder. Despite only meeting her three months ago, Jace could see how fast Lucie was growing. She didn't have that newborn look anymore, that look where it's as if you could fold their arms and legs neatly against their body and make an oval. At almost nine months old, Lucie looked more like a toddler now, with a big grin and bright eyes. She was still too small to be a true toddler, and she wasn't really talking yet, but she had crawling and babbling down. She was so small, and yet she seemed to consume all the attention in the room. Jace looked up to see Will, who was gazing at his daughter with the strangest look on his face. Jace couldn't get a read on that expression, and found himself beyond curious.

"What's up?" Jace asked.

"Oh it's nothing really," Will sighed. "It's just... well..."

"Spit it out," Jace said. Then added with Will wouldn't talk. "Oh come on, we're family."

Will laughed quickly. "Strangely enough for me family usually means rarely spoken to."

"I see," Jace said. "Well tell me anyway."

"My daughter," Will began. "I know it's selfish and petty, but I can't help but wish that she that she called me 'da-da.'"

"She doesn't?" Jace asked.

"No," Will sighed. "She calls Jem da-da."

"Ouch," Jace tried to sympathize.

"Jem is home with her far more than I am since he doesn't work," Will explained. "So it make sense, it's just I-"