Work Text:
As the sunset loomed across London and the waters of the Thames ran calmly, a pair of young lovers were eager to capture the moment in one of the Institute's rooms. Meet me in the Afterglow, Lucie had told him.
"Let's do it." She said determinedly.
"I'm scared Luce" Jesse said. With one hand scratching the back of his neck, right where his small group of freckles was.
"You didn't sound so scared when you proposed it." She remarked in amusement, placing her fists on her hips. A position that was common for her and that Jesse found amused.
"It seemed somewhat chessy but necessary" He managed a smile.
"It has to be done before we go." Lucie had started skipping excitedly.
He took her hand delicately and brought it to his lips, planting a kiss in the center. His lips were frozen from the cold in the capital of England. He understood how difficult this was for Lucie that they had just returned.
"A witness," Jesse said.
"That we were here." She completed smiling and a little flushed by the previous gesture.
Her gaze went to the bed where he had brushed her hair several weeks ago, where she had told him her stories and they had cared for each other in the dark, before extraordinary circumstances happened in their lives.
"We could have done it on the bedpost," she declared. "As if it were a tree in the Brocelind forest." Lucie said, pulling away from him and walking towards the center of her bedroom, the one who had seen her grow up, and she touched the huge English oak bed with her fingertips.
When she and James were still children, they played between the sheets, building castles for the bravest Princess Lucinda and the Cruel Prince James. They stacked the library books - including those about demon pox - to build the towers and with wooden spoons they took from the kitchen they defended their positions. From time to time Sir. William joined their expeditions, guided by the sun goddess Tessa who illuminated their paths. They also received comments from the goddess of the wind, Jessamine, who asked them not to fall into the stormy waters of the ground or gave advice on Lucie's wardrobe. Everything was interrupted when Bridget called from the kitchen that gave off the smell of Irish potatoes. The room was filled with memories, old and new.
"We can also do it there." Said a soft voice in her ear, Jesse.
She turned so his green eyes met blue ones. Like the forest that touches the sky.
"We'll have to look for one near the hole where you found me." Lucie said.
"The rabbit hole from Alice in Wonderland." He added. Though it was much shorter than that.
"Where everything began." She said taking his hand where the vision rune was and before there was only a scar.
"Just the first chapter." Jesse replied. It took her breath away, a story they would write together.
She slowly walked away.
"Do it quickly Jess, otherwise Jessamine will caught us." Lucie hurried.
"Wasn't the point of this that others see it in the future, in addition to the adrenaline?" He inquired with a smile curving his lips.
"Sure, but I don't know if it's legal to scribble on walls that belong to the Clave." She objected.
"Lex malla, lex nulla." He winked, his green eyes flashed with amusement.
"Wow, you take risks, will that phrase work for someone one day?" She leaned back against the window.
"Remands to be seen." He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
At that moment Lucie inhaled hard and took the fountain pen that had been kept in Jesse's pockets for a long time, this had been a gift from Cordelia, it was black and with gold details of the crenellations of a castle tower and herons flying. When she received it with affection she thought that she would use it only on special occasions, such as writing in her white journal - James' gift - her final works. But now this pen was going to leave more record in history than would have been expected.
Lucie moved to the window so she could scribble on the paint.
"I'll write yours first and you write mine." She declared with a smile on her face.
"And the sign?" Jesse cooked his head to the side.
"Rock, paper, scissors?" She stared at him. There was a happy shape to his mouth that seemed to change his whole face of him.
"Mmm" he said, perching himself on the windowsill, his favorite place.
Lucie began to carefully engrave the acronym JB, very carefully and highlighting it so that over the years it would not be erased, she felt the heat rise to her cheeks and Jesse's gaze from behind her. His piercing eyes pierced her like an arrow, she couldn't imagine the face she would put on when will come the marriage rune exchange, oh no. She pushed that thought out of her mind so that he would not notice her nervousness. She contemplated her work, his initials had come out perfect.
She turned to start the mythical fight of who would draw the next part, and there he was smiling, his odd little smile, straight black hair in his eyes.
"OK, let's start."
She began to form scissors with her hands but Jesse placed his hand on hers that was still holding the fountain pen so that both hands traced the + sign in the paint, she could feel his warm breath, which moved her hair was loose and it sent shivers down her spine. The Herondales loved only once and Lucie had given her heart to Jesse.
He pulled away "I think it's my turn," he murmured. She watched him as he delicately traced the L of her name, and she could see color on his cheeks and a little smile. He finished the last letter and contemplated it proud of his work.
"Done." Jesse looked at the wall and then at Lucie, his face solemn with his joy.
Jesse's arms went around her and his chin rested in her hair, she could hear both heartbeats in the same room and the gallop of horses carrying carriages through London, and a whinny, Balios awaited them below.
"Time to go, my light." He said softly in her ear.
"I'll miss this place." Lucie could feel the weight of her decision, suffocating her and taking her breath away. But that ultraviolet morning light below told her this love was worth fighting for. After all the Herondales gave their all when they fell in love, why did she have to be any different? She was the daughter of Will and Tessa Herondale, and like her aunt Cecily, she hoped she could write her own story.
“For the last waking dream,” Jesse toasted, turning her with one hand as if they were dancing, and Jesse moved closer, wrapping her arms around Lucie, brushing his slips softly with her own.
"And for the endings that come true."
They took one last look at the room, their work JB+LH and together they flung open her bedroom window, crawled out onto the ledge, and dropped noiselessly into the streets of London.
"No matter how dark and hopeless the world seemed, Lucie could always find beauty in a story." Tessa said years later.