Chapter Text
There was nothing unusual about the day Clary Fray's life changed forever. She had spent her day like she would spend any other day. She had gone to school where she had fought against the urge to just sleep on her desk, gone to a poetry reading with Simon (not the most inspired lyrics she had heard) and gone to the art store to buy cadmium yellow, scarlet and Prussian blue. After that she had come home like she always did, noting how the sunset transitioned from the delicate ochre to crimson in a matter of minutes. She felt contented, happy, and a bit tired. And she was totally unprepared for what happened next.
When Clary arrived home she noticed something unusual. Muffled whispers behind the door, her mother's voice she could recognise but there was another, lower in tone, a man's voice. Clary wondered if it was Luke, but Luke was away on some kind of trip. Maybe some insurance salesmen talked himself in. Clary opens the door and steps in, not calling out to her mother. She hastily made her way to her room after shaking off her shoes by the front door. She notices that the voices stop the, for a moment before starting up again.
"Perhaps you should call your daughter now," the stranger says. Clary frowned. He had an accent, almost English but not quite. And why would some salesmen want me? or know about me? Is he some kind of family insurance guy?
Clary hears the scrape of a chair against a hardwood floor followed by footsteps heading her way. A few moments later Jocelyn pokes her head in through the door. Why does she look so pale?
"Hey mom," Clary says smiling, "what's up?"
Jocelyn does not return her smile. What the hell is going on? "Clary, I need you to come with me for a minute," she says softly, "and....you're going to learn some things, things I didn't tell you before for your own good....and perhaps I should not have waited but.....I want you to know that I only did it to protect you," Jocelyn's voice seems to break at the last part. Clary stared. She had never seen Jocelyn act like that. Why is she so upset?
"What's going on mom?" Clary asks. Jocelyn purses her lips.
"Just come with me," She says turning around and motioning Clary to follow her. Clary follows, feeling a mixture of suspicion, confusion and confusion.
In the living room Clary sees a man dressed in a business suit and wearing a deep fuschia tie sitting on one of the sofas. He smiles and gets up when Clary enters.
"Good evening Miss....Fray," he says extending his hand to her. Clary shakes it uncertainly. What's with the pause?
"What's going on?" Clary asks.
"It would be best if you took a seat," he says, still smiling cheerfully. Clary watches him warily as she sits on a chair opposite the sofa. She shoots a glance at Jocelyn to find her looking down at the floor, hands clasped tightly together. I wish you'd tell me what's going on mom.
"Well?" Clary says impatiently.
"Miss.Fray, my name is Hodge Starkweather, I am an attorney representing the interest of your- biological-" he says with a glance towards Jocelyn, "father, Marquis Valentine Morgenstern of Alicante."
"My father- my father's dead!" says Clary feeling shocked. She looked over at Jocelyn, "what's he talking about mom?"
Jocelyn looks up at her, a pained expression on her face, "Clary I-"
"I'm afraid you've been lead to hold a false belief Miss. Fray, the man you knew as your father is not truly your father."
"Valentine is not Clary's father! he doesn't deserve to be," Jocelyn hisses, her eyes gleaming with anger. Hodge smiles beatifically.
"So you said all those years ago, I do not know how you faked those DNA results but you cannot deny the facts now! the media somehow carried out their own tests confirming it and now, so have we...there is no doubt that Clary Fray, your daughter was sired by Lord Valentine."
"Wait hold on, can someone start from the beginning?" Clary asks scowling, "I have no idea what you are talking about."
Hodge looks at Clary with sympathy that certainly she could do without, "Of course Miss.Fray, if you would allow me?" he asks Jocelyn who nods slowly, fixing her gaze back on the ground.
"You see Miss.Fray, your mother is the former wife of my employer, Marquis Morgenstern of Idris, they wed twenty one years ago, if my memory serves me well, your mother is also from one of the most exalted families in Idris, the daughter of the late Earl Fairchild, born Jocelyn Fairchild, your mother was wed to Lord Valentine for a period of five years before she wanted to instigate divorce proceedings, of course this would have caused quite a scandal in Idris and neither her parents nor Lord Valentine wished to be embroiled in such an unsavoury situation, so Lord valentine refused to grant your mother a divorce, because of that your mother faked her death and came to this country, of course it was not that hard to track her down, but instead of dragging your mother back to Idris and creating further embarrassment for both families it was decided that it would be best to let her be, of course when we found her you had been born, and according to law if you were Lord Valentine's child you would be required to be returned to Idris, but a DNA test was performed and it somehow," He glanced at Jocelyn, "it indicated that Lord Valentine was not your father, but recent developments have caused quite a bit of trouble, one Mr. Raphael Santiago somehow managed to track down the two of you and gave that information to the media, after confirming through a DNA test that you are Lord Valentine's child."
"So you're telling me, that mom wanted a divorce but my father and grandparents didn't want to give her one, so she had to run away and then you found her, after she had me, and you did a DNA test and thought I wasn't Valentine's-" Hodge winces at that"-daughter, but now some guy got hold of my DNA and tested it again, and I am Valentine's daughter."
"That is the gist of it," Hodge says.
"That sounds like the beginning of some weird chick flick," groans Clary. She had heard about VAlentine Morgenstern before. The American media was weirdly obsessed with Idris and its nobility. Clary knew that he was wealthy and very influential in the politics of that country. She had also heard that he wasn't the most squeaky clean guy. Clary frowns. Parts of Hodge's story checked out and a quick internet search would probably confirm other parts of it. Jocelyn had always been rather derisive of any of the news about Idris and had discouraged Clary from watching any of it. So she didn't really know a whole lot. Well, I guess that makes sense now.
"If all of this is true, why isn't it all over the news by now?" Clary asks folding her arms over her chest.
"We managed to get them to postpone their broadcasts, at till the day after tomorrow," says Hodge, "I'm sure it would have been quite traumatic for you to find out through such an impersonal source, so it wa decided that I should covertly inform you, your father would have loved to come, but his presence would have caused quite a stir."
"I'm sure he wouldn't have bothered," says Jocelyn rolling her eyes.
"So what, what happens now?" Clary asks looking between Hodge and Jocelyn. Clary didn't think she'd like the answer.
"I'm afraid that you'll have to go to Idris, presenting a united front in such a situation is the best course of action for everyone."
"For Valentine's image you mean," snaps Jocelyn. Clary looks at her mother. She obviously hates Valentine, what kind of person is he? Mom isn't the kind of person to hate someone for no reason, he must have been pretty bad if she didn't even want me to know the truth. Although....I wish she had told me before, I mean, when are we going to talk about this? just the two of us?
"How long do we have to stay in Idris? because I have school and I can't mi- what?" Clary asks at the strangely pitying look Hodge is giving her.
"I'm afraid Miss.Frey, you cannot return to this country again, it's simply not safe," he says quickly before Clary could protest, "your father has many enemies, how would seek to influence him, through you."
"But," cries out Clary, a sinking feeling settling in her chest, "I have my whole life here! my friends, my art-"
"Idris is a wonderful country Miss.Frey and I'm sure that a lovely young girl like you will be able to make new friends in no time!" Hodge says patiently. Clary turns to look at Jocelyn.
"Mom!" Clary pleads. I can't leave everything behind! Why do I have to start all over again? I don't want to move to another country, I won't ever be able to see Simon, or hear bad beat poetry or-
"I'm sorry Clary but....I wish this didn't have to happen," Jocelyn says sadly.
Something in Jocelyn's voice makes all of Clary's protests die in her throat. She had never seen her so....broken before. Clary had always seen her as all powerful, a goddess our of myth, beautiful and fierce.
"I know it must be hard to digest," says Hodge softly, "I cannot imagine how hard it must be, but you have to understand that all of this is out of our hands, isn't there a saying here? when life gives you lemons make lemonade? we can only make the best we can of a bad situation, besides it is not all gloom and doom, you will be able to meet you brother again!?"
"Wait,' Clary says startled, "I have a brother?"
"Yes, I'm sorry I must have forgotten to mention it earlier, his name is Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern, he is quite looking forward to meeting you, unfortunately he couldn't come either, he is twenty one."
Jocelyn had gone paler, if that's even possible, at Hodge's statement.
"I need some time to think," murmurs Clary before walking as fast as she could towards her room. She hears Hodge say something but whatever he is trying to say is cut off by Clary's door slamming. Clary takes a few deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart. Her head hurts. Dear however is up there, why do you hate me so much?