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Magnus had been thinking about Jace’s birthday for months now. At first, he wasn’t going to get him anything; to Magnus, he was just a shadow hunter. But then Alec mentioned that he didn’t have a gift either, and it got Magnus thinking. What was something Jace would want? So Magnus did what Magnus did best. He did some snooping around, trying to find something that would ensure Jace had the best birthday.
Magnus followed Jace around for weeks, and there was nothing. Everything that made Jace happy, he already had. He didn’t need new steel, he didn’t need new weapons, he didn’t need new textbooks. He had everything.
“Okay, there is officially nothing we can get Jace,” Magnus spoke, sitting down in the living room. Alec sat across the room from him, working at the kitchen bench.
“I do this every year. I will find something.” Alec spoke back. “Just have to find the perfect thing.”
“How do you even look?” Magnus questioned
“I’m not even sure. I just seem to find something he would want.
“Well, what does he want?” The question slipped out of Magnus before he could stop it.
There was a pause in the room. Both men knew what Jace wanted, what he needed, but it was long gone. The copper-haired girl would have had enough sass to fill a whole room.
The same girl who had sacrificed everything just so everyone around her would be safe.
The room’s light faded also as if the clouds had realised what had been mentioned. But Magnus got an idea, and Alec caught the look on his face.
“Whatever you are planning, stop it now. Alec spoke, sipping his coffee, but Magnus was already off. Without a word, Magnus disappeared into their room with a soft thud of the door. Alec took a soft breath, already knowing that in about 15 minutes magnus would come flying out that door with some wild plan. A plan that Alec would get dragged into. A plan that has no structure. Alec just hoped for the sake of Jace’s birthday that maybe this plan would have more structure than Magnus’s last few.
Lo and behold, Magnus did come flying out the door with something in his hand. A glittering potion of some sort that he held tight in his hand. Alec tried to say something, to question what Magnus was doing, but he was already out the door, grabbing his coat along the way. Alec sighed again. God only knows what Magnus was about to do.
Magnus never ran. He never saw the point. He would live forever; what was the point of getting anywhere fast? But this. This might have just been the most important thing he would do in his everlasting life. He came to a skidding halt just after the gates of the institute. He was outside the portal now, and with a flick of his fingers, he appeared outside a small house just outside New York. It was so quiet out here: Magnus could hear his own breathing. But he didn’t stop. He walked straight up to the small door and knocked on it. It was late afternoon. The sun brings all sorts of oranges and pinks onto the front of the house. It was opened by an older woman. Dark brown/orange hair fell around her face. Magnus froze at that face. It was Jocelyn Fairchild. A woman he hadn’t seen since Clary had left.
“Magnus?” She asked, her voice full of questions. “What are you doing here?”
“I need to see Clary.” Magnus’s voice was so certain.
“Listen,” Jocelyn spoke, pulling the door closed behind her, “I’ve tried to get her to remember, but she knows nothing. Magnus, Nothing. “
“I know, but I figured it out,” Magnus spoke. “Here.” He gently pushed the potion into Jocelyn's hands.
Jocelyn pushed it back into Magnus’s hands as if it burned her. “You need to understand. She is finally safe. I can’t ask her to go back to what she used to do”
“Jocelyn, please. It's not the same. Sebastian is gone. She would be safe. Nothing is the same without her.”
“I can’t.” She hissed. “She is safe and normal.”
“It’s Jace’s birthday tomorrow. His first normal birthday, and the only thing he wants is for his girl to come back and know who he is. To know what they did.”
Jocelyn looked away and sighed.
“This potion is safe?” She questioned after a moment of silence.
“Safe and tested.” Magnus was quick to answer.
Jocelyn took a deep breath before reopening the door: Magnus followed her in.
“Clary, can you come here for me?” Jocelyn yelled down the hall, and Magnus heard the scatter of feet moving down the hall. And then he saw her. Nothing had changed. Still the same bright fire red hair, same build. She was the same person who had walked away all those months ago.
“Oh. I didn’t know we had guests.”
Oh, that voice. Magnus almost broke into tears there and then. How he had missed hearing that voice in the institute, on missions, just in general.
“This is Magnus, sweetheart,” Jocelyn spoke, watching Clary’s face.
“Have we met before? You look so familiar.” Clary spoke, studying Magnus’s face.
“Well, that's what I came to talk to you about,” Magnus spoke, before Jocelyn cut him off.
“Clary, do you remember how you were having those weird dreams? With the magic and the people?” Jocelyn questioned.
“Yeah. I thought it was just my brain being weird.”
“Well, sweetheart, that’s real. All those things are real.
“What do you mean? Mum, you are being weird. “
“Clary.” Magnus finally spoke. “You used to be with the wizards and the magic. You had to leave to protect some people. It is finally safe for you to come back. I came to ask if you wanted to come back.”
“Of course I want to come back. What sort of question is that? Let's go now.” Clary spoke, moving to grab her coat and shoes.
“Clary,” Jocelyn spoke, firm. “I need you to understand something. It can be dangerous, and you need to be safe. “
“I will be. I promise.
“I have something for you before we leave,” Magnus spoke holding out the vial.
“What is it?” Clary asked, taking it from his hand so gently.
“It will bring everything back, all your memories of what you lost
Magnus had never seen Clary move so fast. She uncapped the lid and threw it down her throat. It tasted almost sweet. Magnus watched as her face changed. As everything seemed to hit her at once.
Magnus watched as she went through every emotion. The happy, the scared, the sad. Then she slowly pulled her eyes open and took a deep breath. She turned back around to face Magnus with the biggest smile on her face. She just looked him up and down for a moment before throwing herself into his arms.
“Magnus.” She spoke after a moment, “I remember. I remember it all.”
If Magnus hadn’t already been crying, he sure was now.
“ Oh, poppet. How glad I am you are back.
Both of them just stood there for a few minutes, both with happy tears streaming down their faces, before Magnus pulled away.
“Let's get home.” He spoke, holding his hand out, which she took in a heartbeat, along with a nod.
With a click of his fingers, both of them appeared at the gate of the institute. Clary just stood there for a long moment, just looking. Taking everything in.
“You have no idea how much I have missed this place.” She spoke after a long moment.
“Let's get inside. Alec will be so surprised.” Magnus spoke, leading her inside.
Alec heard the door open and called out
“Magnus, is that you?”
“Not quite,” Clary spoke, stepping into the lounge room. Alec froze just at the sight of her
“Clary?” He asked after a long moment.
“Hi, Alec.”
Clary didn't even get her words out before Alec was out of his seat and wrapping her into his arms.
“I'm sorry for leaving.” She got out after a long while.
“Don't.” Alex cut her off, “Don't apologise, I'm so glad you are back.”
Magnus watched this interaction happen. Alec had almost been like an older brother to Clary. To watch him almost fall apart over the sight of her being home? It was something Magnus would treasure for the rest of his life.
Alec finally pulled away.
“How did you get here. How do you remember?”
“Magnus.” She spoke. “New potion he made.
“I have been messing around with some magic recently, just sort of found it.” Magnus piped up.
“So, how do we sneak you into Jace’s party without him realising?” Alec asked.
Oh Jace. How even the name brought a flutter to her heart. The amount of crying she had done with no memory of Jace, but simply an unexplained broken heart that she didn’t know how to fix. Now that was all explained, and how glad she was that she would be seeing in only a few hours. She wasn’t sure she could even last that long. She could barely walk away in the end, and that was with no memory of him. How would she last a few hours without him? One thing she did know, however, was that once she got him back, she would never let him go.
“Don’t worry about that, pretty boy. I've got that sorted.” Magnus spoke back, which caused Clary to laugh, much to Magnus’s confusion.
“Oh, how I have missed you two lovebirds.” She spoke, sitting down on the couch.
Clary watched them. She used to joke that those two were couple goals. That they would be able to talk and work through whatever issues they face, really said something. The longer she watched them, the more she realised how true that was.
She watched as Magnus sat down next to her on the couch with Alec hovering over the back, hands on Magnus’s shoulders.
“You have no idea how happy Jace will be that you are home. He hasn’t shut up about how much he wants to see you. “
This caught Clary almost off guard. She knew Jace would have missed her, but that much? She never would have dreamed that much.
“Come on then. Let's get you ready.” Magnus spoke, pulling both himself and Clary to their feet.
The party was quiet. Jace never liked loud parties. Too many distractions, too many issues that could happen. He knew Magnus and Alec had been planning something big. He had told them not to try, to try and promise to keep it lowkey. But knowing those boys as well as he did, it would never happen. For all he knew, there was a sparkling pony outside.
If only he knew what was coming.
Alec and Magnus walked in just as the party was kicking off, surprisingly empty-handed. Maybe they had actually listened for once in their lives.
It was later, just as people were starting to wind down, that Magnus walked over to Jace.
“I have something for you, birthday boy.” He spoke.
Oh no. Here we go, Jace thought.
“Relax, it's just outside in the courtyard.
Jace walked slowly outside. So scared of what was about to jump out at him. Knowing Magnus, it could have been anything, but this was definitely not what he was expecting. Alec was standing there, in the moonlight at the start of the path down to the river. It was so pretty at this time of night.
“Alec?” Jace questioned as he came over to him. “I'm so confused.”
“Magnus and I got you something extra special,” Alec spoke, turning just enough that Jace caught a glimpse of a person further down the path.
He froze as Clary looked at him, and he looked at her. Literally just frozen in place. What? How? When?
“Hi, Jace.”
She spoke after a moment. That broke the wall. He took off running straight down the path. Full sprint before he all but tackled her, pulling her so close into his arms.
“Clary.” He spoke in a soft, almost scared his voice alone could shatter this moment. That she would disappear again, that he would go back to hell, he was living.
“I’m here, Jace, I’m here.” She didn’t dare let go of him, making up for all the time she had lost.
God, they must have stayed there for hours, the party long forgotten. Jace held Clary so tight, whether it was her wrapped in his arms or just even holding his hand, he never let go. He was too scared that this was all a dream, that she was about to disappear, and he would have to wake up without her again.
They made their way back into the house. It was quiet with only Magnus, and Alec sat on the couch together. Everyone else left long ago. Jace was sure he would have to tell everyone why he had disappeared, but that could wait for later.
Jace sat down on the couch, followed by Clary, who sat down and immediately cuddled into his side.
“So Jace,” Magnus piped up after a moment “, How was your birthday?”
It took Jace a moment to answer. He had to think about how to put this day, these last few hours, into words.
“It was perfect. Thank you. "
Clary looked up after another beat of silence.
“You have no idea how much I have missed you, and I didn’t even know you. I love you, Jace.”
“I love you more.” He spoke, looking down at her curled into his side, already half asleep.
Magnus and Alec crashed in one of the guest rooms after Jace finally dragged Clary up to bed.
“Thank you for making him this happy. I was so scared that we lost that Jace.” Alec spoke, lying down in the dark room.
“How will we top this next year?” Magnus asked, which caused Alec to laugh.