Clary

"You, my love, are beautiful," Jace smiles at me. "I know you don't think so, but as I lay here with you beside me, all I can think is that your beautiful. I think maybe you need to know that I still know with 100% conviction that you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." I'm so glad it's winter break. I just want to lay here next to him forever. I want to capture his lips in mine and make sure he knows I still have feelings for him.

After an eternity, I gather up the courage to see, to see if I'll be able to do it this time. I lean in closer and our foreheads meet. My head tilts slightly to the right and my lips meet Jace's. I press my lips onto his. He tries to pull back, but I keep a firm grip on his hair with my hands, so he's stuck. When he realizes I'm not going to freak out this time, he carefully and slowly kisses me back. I hesitantly pull away from him. "Jace, we've got to stop Willow is inches from us," I explain breathlessly.

"I'm sorry," Jace comments.

"It's not your fault. We've just got to keep it Willow friendly. We need to make some boundaries. I don't think we should kiss in front of Willow, at least not a kiss like we just did. A peck would be appropriate," I begin.

"Yes, I agree. No making out with Willow in the room. But...what if one of us wants to kiss? What do we do?" Jace asks.

"Huh......do you remember when you asked me what I wanted to do after we left the hospital. I said I we could do a puzzle. So, from now on, as long as it works for you, we can just say something about wanting to put puzzles together. What do you think?" I ask nervously.

"I think that sounds like a great idea," Jace responds. "We should probably wake Willow up have some breakfast."

"Yeah," I agree. I gently shake Willow's shoulders. "Willow, hon it's time to wake up."

Willow's eyes flutter open. A smile lights up her face. "Mama!" Willow exclaims. "Baba hungy." ("I'm hungry.")

"Does baba wan ome bueberry
panacakes?" Jace asks. ("Do you want some blueberry pancakes?")

Ugh! It's so cute when he talks baby talk! "Nummies!" Willow claps. We make our way downstairs. It's still fairly early, so there's no shread of evidence anyone else is awake. I set Willow in her highchair. Jace goes to the counter and retrieves the pancake mix.

"Do you need any help?" I ask.

"Would you mind grabbing the blueberries?" Jace inquires.

"Nope," I can't help but smile. I'm happy. I have Jace and Willow. My grades are good. Sebastian is losing his grip on me. I'm still hurting, but I know I'll pull through. I hand Jace the blueberries, eggs, and milk.

"You're something else love," Jace whispers in my ear. My cheeks heat. I walk towards Willow to keep her entertained while Jace makes breakfast.

"Hey, Willow," I smile at her.

"Mama mama mama, baba hungy," Willow says. ("Mommy mommy mommy, I'm hungry.")

"Dada's mating mummies," I explain. ("Your dad's making food.")

I start pointing out things and asking their color or shape to distract her whole Jace finishes up.  Twenty or so minutes later, Jace sits down at the table with us. "Dada, baba wan nummies," Willow calls as she grabs for her food. ("Dad, I want my food.")

He's cutting it up and making sure it's cooled, but Willow isn't having it. She must be hungry. "Dada!" Willow cries.

"She's really crabby," Jace says to me. "Those nightmares are really cutting into her sleeping time. I...I just wish I knew how to make it better for her."

I grab his hand from the table. "Chili pepper, you're doing the best you can. I'll sing to her before she goes to bed. She can hold you finger while I sing. She'll fall asleep to us watching over her. We can continue sleeping with her between us. We're doing our best. Maybe you should ask you mom about it later," I suggest.

"I'm sorry, but did you just call me chili pepper?" Jace asks.

I blush bright red. "Y....yes, I don't have to call you that again, if you don't like it," I explain.

Alec and Magus walk into the kitchen. "Hey can you guys watch Willow while I walk to Clary in my room real quick?" Jace asks them.

"Romeo, you and Clary can 'talk' for as long as you'd like. Alec and I would be happy to watch Willow," Mangus offers. Mangus stares at me accusingly, and I blush.

We walk up to my room. "Why chili pepper?" Jace asks.

"It's just you are so tough of the outside, but on the inside....your mushy pepper guts. But....you've got a bit of a bite to you, so I thought of chili pepper," I explain. "If....you don't like it, I can try to think of something else." God Clary! Stop screwing this up! Chili pepper really!

I look at by hands. They're white from the fists my hands are in. Suddently, I feel Jace grasp my hands. "I'm sorry Willow interrupted our conversation last night. I don't know if you were done or not," Jace begins. "Clary, I love 'chili pepper.' You could call me anything, and I'd love it because it came from your lips."

"Jace, can you just hold me in your arms on the bed for a few minutes? Alec and Mangus said we didn't need to rush, and I just need to calm down. Maybe we can share a set of ear buds and relax for a little while," I suggest.

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I do not own any of the Mortal Instruments books, materials, etc. All credit belongs to Cassandra Clare.

Author's Note:
I hope you all like it! Please leave comments, votes, and feedback. I'm going to update, when I'm done and it'll be random.

Originally posted: 3/24/17