Chapter Text
Maryse: Jace, honey, calm down. Tell me what Clary is doing.
For the past 3 months, Jace has been on a roller coaster ride courtesy of his fiancé, Clary. Clary’s pregnancy has been a blessing but also a curse. Clary would be nice and sweet to everyone but Jace. She screams at him, if he does something that bothers her. She punishes him whenever she can. Is Jace angry with her? No. How can he be angry with the woman who is carrying his child. How can he be angry at a woman who loves him no matter how annoying he can be at times.
Jace can’t wait to be a father. He can’t wait to create his own family. However, Jace is scared that he will be like his father and mother. He is scared that he will one day let Clary down by turning his back on her like his parents did with him. Jace doesn’t know everything about his past. Robert refuses to tell him everything even though Jace has told him numerous times that he can handle the truth. Robert would always hug him and tell him that he was his boy and he just wants to protect him.
Jace woke up at 2 am to find Clary on her hands and knees. She was cleaning the kitchen floor. He tried to get her to stop but she shouted at him. He decided to let her be. Now, she is at the coffee shop and his employees are walking on egg shells. Clary came in and began to clean. She got angry with one of the employees for throwing an empty can of soda in the recycled bin. Clary cleaned the bin and she did not want it to get dirty. Jace didn’t know what to do. So, he decided to call Maryse for help.
Jace: Clary has been on a cleaning mission. I woke up and found her cleaning. Then she comes here, starts to clean and she is upset when the employees make a mess or throw something in the trash or recycled bin. I don’t know what to do.
Maryse: (laughing) Jace, Clary is “nesting”. Some women tend to do that before their child is born.
Jace: Did you do that? Did you drive Robert crazy?
Maryse: No…I never did that but Dad did. Robert was nuts before I gave birth. It was so bad, that I stayed with your Uncle Max sometimes. But when they were born, Robert went back to his chill mood.
Jace: So, I just have to wait till my son makes an appearance. I can do that. Clary is due any day now.
Maryse: You can do anything. Is there anything else I can help you with?
Maryse knows her kids and for the past couple of months, she noticed that Jace has been off. She began to get more worried when he started calling her Maryse instead of “Mom”. She was upset at first but she realized that Jace was going through something.
Jace: No… that’s it. Well I better go. I have to make sure that my employees do not quit on me. I’ll call you and Robert later, ok.
Maryse: Ok, love you.
Jace: Bye.
Jace ended the call without telling Maryse that he loved her too. Maryse started to cry. Something was going on. She never went behind Robert’s back before but now she must. There is only one person who can really talk to Jace. Maryse picked up the phone and made her call.
Will walked into the coffee shop and looked around. When Maryse called him and told him what was going on, Will decided that it was time for him to talk to his cousin. Will told Tessa and Jem about the call and they agreed. As he looked around, he noticed that Clary was scrubbing a table. Jace was helping a customer. When Jace was finished, he noticed Will. He walked over to him and gave him a hug.
“Hey, Will! Can I get you something?”, Jace asked. Will is not the type of person to beat around the bush. He looked at Jace and said, “Maryse called me. She knows that something is going on with you and do not tell me that it is stress. I know that it is more. So, tell me what is bothering you.”
Jace went back behind the counter and talked to his employees. He walked back to Will and asked him to follow him. Jace took Will to his office for a bit of privacy. Jace sat behind his desk while Will sat across from him. Jace cleared his throat and began.
“I’m about to be a father. I am having a boy. It will be my job to tell him about who he is and where he comes from. How can I tell him about his lineage when I don’t know? Every time I ask Robert about my parents, he tells me that I am his son and I shouldn’t dwell on the past. I want to know. All I know is that Michael Wayland raised me until he passed away. Robert took me in. Maryse decided that they should adopt me. When we went to a family reunion, I met Grandma. That is when I found out that I am not a Wayland but a Herondale. All I want is answers. I can take it. So, please Will. Please fill in the blanks.”
Will looked at Jace and nodded. He stood and began to rub the back of his neck. He turned away from Jace and quickly turned back. He sat down and took another look at Jace. Jace watched and realized that Will was nervous. When Will finally settled, he began to tell Jace what he knew. Jace sat up and leaned forward in his chair.
“First, I need for you to understand that Robert kept this from you because he did not want to cause you additional pain. You been through hell and back. Robert just wanted you to finally know peace and happiness. Maryse fell in love as soon as you walked into her and Robert’s home. You may not be their biological child but they love you. They are your parents, Jace. I also need you to understand that I know your story because I am a nosey bastard. I listened in on conversations that the adults were having. I couldn’t tell you because I didn’t want to start trouble and I didn’t want to hurt you. Please don’t get mad at me.”
Jace smiled as Will continued. “Grandma talked about your father, Stephen, all the time. She told me that he was a good man. When he was 4 years old, he told her that he wanted to be a police officer. Robert, Michael and your father would always play cops and robbers. Michael was the bad guy; Stephen was the cop and Robert was the lawyer.”
Jace smiled. Robert became one of New York’s best attorneys and he remembered that Michael was an investigative journalist. He never found out if his father became a cop.
“When your father turned 18, he joined the army. After 4 years of active duty, he left the army and began his law enforcement career. He met his first wife, Amatis at the academy. Grandma loved her to bits but their marriage did not last.” Will stopped and looked at Jace.
“Here comes the part that Robert did not want you to know. Do you want me to continue?”, Will asked. Jace nodded and sat up a little more as Will continued.
“Your dad became friends with some bad cops. These cops stole evidence which included money and drugs. The officers were being investigated. Amatis tried to warn him. Stephen ignored her. They fought all the time because of his association with those cops. Then one day, Stephen did something that was unforgivable. I won’t go into details because I do not know everything but I will tell you that Amatis is a strong woman. She walked away from him and the violence. She divorced him and relocated to California. She still talks to Grandma.”
Jace began to understand. His father did something to Amatis. He began to tear up. Will took his hand and asked him again if he really wanted to know everything. Jace told him to continue and Will did.
“Things went downhill from there. Your dad was investigated because of his association with those cops. They didn’t have any evidence against him but the damage was done. No one on the force trusted him. Because of this, he left the force. His boyhood dream ended. After leaving the force, he took odd jobs until he got a job at a night club that was known for its criminal activity. It’s still around. You may have heard of it…. ”Edom’s Fire”.”
Jace heard of that club from Robert. Robert told his kids that if he found out that they went there, he would immediately kick their asses and ask questions later. Jace nodded and Will continued.
“He became a bouncer and then head of security. While working there, he met a woman by the name of Céline. Grandma just told me her name and that he married her after knowing her for 2 months. He also picked up a habit. He started taking pills and then cocaine became his drug of choice. Céline began to use too. Grandma said that it got so bad, that he stole from the club. They fired him. Your dad was addicted, lost two jobs, got married and became homeless in a span of a year. Then he finds out that Céline was pregnant. He cleaned himself up and took a job in a hotel. He became their head of security. Things were going great again.”
Will paused and looked at Jace with an apologetic look in his eyes. He continued to tell the story as best as he could.
“Happiness did not last long. Céline went into premature labor. You were born and your parents were happy. Céline was released from the hospital. You had to stay until you got your weight up. Céline was fine, so they thought. She went to bed and did not wakeup the following morning. A blood clot traveled to her brain and she… died in her sleep.”
Will stopped as Jace began to cry. Will took a tissue and began to wipe Jace’s eyes. “I think that’s enough. I see that you are having a tough time. I can tell you the rest of the story later. Can I get you something?”, Will asked. Jace looked at Will and frowned as he said, “I knew this would be painful. Please do not stop. I need to know. I need to know what happen to my father and how I became Jace Wayland.”
Will nodded but he wished he could end it here.
“When Céline died, your dad died. He fell back into that hole. He lost his job and started using again. He disappeared. Grandma tried to find him. It was like you two disappeared from the face of this Earth. However, Grandma did not know that an old friend came to your rescue. Michael decided that he wanted to write a crime novel. So, he rode with the police for research. On one of those rides, the police were called because someone heard a baby crying in a house that was thought to be a drug den. The police told Michael to stay with the car. He did. When they brought out you and your dad, Michael was in shock. His childhood friend was standing there with a child. They took you and your dad to the hospital. Michael stayed with Stephen. They talked for a long time. The police called children’s services. They were going to place you in foster care but your dad told them that his friend was taking his child. I don’t know what all happened but somehow, they must have allowed it. Anyway, your dad took off. Michael was raising you as his own. Two years later, he was allowed to adopt you but he didn’t. No one knows why he didn’t take that step. Maybe he thought that your dad would come back. Five years passed and that is when Michael and the family found out that he died of a drug overdose. Michael did not go to the funeral and he did not tell the family about you. We actually thought that Stephen put you up for adoption. Michael had every chance to tell us about having you. We still do not know why he kept you from us.”
Jace at this point looked like he had gone on an emotional roller-coaster. “So, you are telling me that my father gave me to Michael and Michael kept me from my family. What the fuck! How could he keep me from my family? Why?”, Jace cried.
“No one knows why. However, your life changes as soon as you meet Alexander Lightwood. You two became friends. When Michael found out that you and Alec were friends, he went to see Robert. Robert and Michael were best friends until they had a fallen out.”
Jace raised an eyebrow but Will held up his hand. Jace took the hint and gestured for Will to continue.
“You and Alec became thick as thieves. You were always at their house. When I started to come around, I never knew we were related. Robert is my cousin and Alec looks like me. There was no clue about you and I being cousins. You, Alec and I became best friends. Maryse was the one who began to call us Will, Alec and Jace… “Partners in Crime”. We were the trio who got in so much trouble. You and Alec went to the same school while Grandma put me in what I like to call “private hell”. After school, you would walk to Alec’s house and Michael would pick you up later. Come to think of it, he never came into the house.”
Jace frowned. Something definitely happened between Robert and Michael.
“Then one day, Michael called Robert. I don’t know what they talked about but I can guess that it was about you because Alec and I heard your name. You began to spend even more time at Robert’s house. Then one day, Michael was admitted into the hospital. We went there every day to see him. He was in there until the hospital sent him to Hospice. He died 11 days later. Michael had terminal cancer. After he died, shit hit the fan.”
Jace frowned. “Is this when Robert finds out about who I am?”
Will nodded and continued. “Robert and Maryse went to see Michael’s attorney. I don’t know how Michael revealed the truth about you. After the reading of the will, Robert had to fight to keep you with the family. Grandma got involved. I didn’t know that she could be so damn feisty. Maryse called in favors. She wanted you and no one was going to take you away from her. All of this was going on and Robert made sure you knew nothing about the state wanting to take you. He made sure you were happy. Then one day, the state gave up. Maryse immediately filed for adoption. Robert thought that you should keep the Wayland last name but Grandma wanted it to be Herondale until she met you. Michael was your father. She didn’t want to take that away from you. However, you, Alec and I found out the truth when we overheard the conversation Robert and Grandma were having. The family reunion was fun but as kids we hated it. Remember when we wanted to hide from the adults who kept trying to hug and pinch our cheeks?”
Jace laughed and nodded as Will continued.
“We hid in a closet in Grandma’s study. They didn’t know we were there. When you heard them, you were so angry but Maryse again was able to calm everyone down. I, on the other hand, was happy that I had another relative. After finding out who you were, we found out that we had another relative…Kit. Jace, this is who you are and you should be grateful that so many people love you. We are your family and we love you.”
Jace took a breath. He can now see why Robert refused to tell him everything. Robert and Maryse loved him. Why was he acting an ass to people who fought for him and loved him unconditionally? “I feel like I’ve been through the wringer. I need to apologize to them. I’ve treated them like shit lately. They love me. They are my family but I almost shitted on that. Thanks for telling me what you know, Will. By the way, I love you too.”
Will stood and held open his arms. Jace immediately went to him. They hugged it out until one of his employees banged on the door and yelled, “Clary’s water broke! She needs to get to the hospital!”
Will and Jace looked at each other and smiled.