Hope didn't want to leave her room, she didn't want to see or talk to anyone, all she wanted to do was eat a pot of Nutella in her room and cry. She didn't have a reason to cry but she knew if she was still alive she would be on her cycle.
She was about to cry harder when she heard a knock on her door and she wiped away her tears, "Come in comrade." Alec opened the door, shut it firmly behind him as he leaned against it as if he was afraid to move anywhere else. She held out her Nutella and he came and sat next to her. She hands him her spoon.
"Where is Jace?" she couldn't help but ask and he knew she was going to ask. The two had been avoiding each other and Hope had been avoiding everyone. She was just so angry and she didn't know why. "He and Clary went somewhere with Magnus. I came here because I wanted to ask you something." he ate a scoop of the Nutella, swallowing it before leaning back and resting his head on her Hello Kitty pillow, frowning a little when he saw it.
"You wanna ask little old me something?" she pokes him and he slaps her hand away.
"I regret it."
"You haven't even asked yet."
"No, I mean I regret meeting you." he takes another spoon full, "Come on, spit it out."
"Well," he drags out the l as he sits up, pulling his leg up onto her bed. She kicks his shoe off before his foot can go onto her bed. "I need a best man."
"Oh my fuck."
"Jace and I are fighting and you're the only other person I could think of." Alec tries to calm Hope down but she's already jumping on her bed. "I do." she tackles him and he groans, pushing her off him.
"I regret it."
"I do, I do, I do." she sings, jumping off her bed, "I'm planning you a bachelor's party, there will be strippers."
"No."
"There might be strippers."
"No."
"There will be Nutella."
"Yes, that's it. Nothing else."
"Of course, just food." she says out loud. "And strippers." she whispers to herself which he can hear but chooses to ignore.
"Should I get strippers?" Hope asks Clary and Izzy, she hadn't seen them in what felt like forever.
"No." Izzy and Clary turn to her and she pouts. "What can I get him that screams, 'Im your best friend and I know you the best'."
"If that were true you wouldn't be asking us." Clary sasses and although she had a point, Hope didn't agree, she cussed Clary out under her breath. "I don't know what to do, give me some advice." Hope was desperate, she wanted to make it perfect.
"There's only one person that can help you with this." Izzy sits down on her bed as Hope rests her head on the girl's lap. "No." Hope doesn't even want to think about it. She didn't need him, she didn't want to need him, he was right, she did have an ego and it wouldn't allow her to beg for his forgiveness.
"Sweet Hope," Izzy brushes her bangs out of her face, "This is what you can do for Alec, reunite him and Jace." Izzy looked down, watched Hope's eyes meet hers, played with her hair, twirling it around her fingers. Hope found serendipity in the gentle touch, her bones aching from exhaustion. She hadn't slept since she saw Jace and before that she hadn't slept in days.
"If you love Alec as much as we know you do, you'll do it." Clary lays down beside Hope who groans, kicking her legs like a child. "When did things get this hard for us?" she sighed, closing her eyes and Izzy is the last thing she sees before her mind slips away, her body at peace for the first time.
Hope doesn't talk to Jace, she leaves a note under his door telling him to meet her outside on the grass and then she tells Alec they should have a picnic together because for some reason he doesn't want to go clubbing with her.
"Mini pizzas, so manly." Alec shoves one in his mouth as Hope watches. "If you choke, I'm not performing the heimlich on you."
"Good, I don't want you to touch me."
"I hate your guts." she gets up, "Come here." she grabs his arm, moving him behind the apple tree. "Get me that one." she points at the one at the very top branch and he turns to her. "Try to get it yourself first." he gave her a slight smirk and slapped his arm, hard. "Just get me one while I get us some juice." she slapped his arm again before walking away.
When she got to the doors she walked into Jace. He cleared his throat when he saw her and she did the same. "I got us a picnic." she pointed out to the grass and was glad when neither of them could see Alec.
"I'm just gonna get us some juice." she walked away before he could say anything. She hoped that her picnic would get them to talk to one another, who can be angry with three different kinds of cheese around.
She decided to go back to her room, where she spent most of her days but on the way, she caught a glimpse of Clary sitting with her mum, the woman still in her magical coma as Hope sits down beside her, resting her hand on Clary's. "Your mom would've loved to go to Alec's wedding."
"She loved weddings." Clary's laugh was wet, hurt evident in her tone. "She loved wedding food." Hope corrected, Jocelyn and Hope would always go to weddings just for the cake, they would crash random weddings for it. Hope wondered if Alec's wedding would have cake but Izzy was involved in planning it so she knew it would be perfect.
"I wish she were here, I know she's here but here here, you know?" Clary turned to Hope, wiping her face clean as Hope nods, "I know. You're going to get her back. I believe in you. Always."
"I love you, Hope."
"I love you, Clare Bear." Clary laughs at the childhood nickname, resting her head on Hope's shoulder, "We'll be alright."
It was the wedding of the century, or that was what Alec's parents hoped, their hope died when they saw Hope.
"Second best man here for duty." she gave Alec a side hug and he pretended he hated it as he turned to her, "You're twenty seconds late."
"That means Jace is thirty seconds late." Hope turns to the door where Jace walks in, in all black. "Alec, you have to get out there." he points to where everyone was waiting for the bride and the groom.
"Of course." Alec spoke, his parents went in ahead of him, Jace and Izzy following. They were the best man and the maid of honour, they had to go in after Alec's parents and Max, the flower boy and then it would be Hope and Clary, Alec and lastly it would be the bride.
"You look great." her heels lessened the space between them. He still looked down at her while she straightened his tie, and he brushed her bangs out of her face. "Are you sure you want to do this? Lydia is pretty but you don't seem to be in love with her."
"You wanna talk about this right now?" she wanted to bring it up earlier but she never found the right time, this was the furthest thing from it but it would be the last time. "You should be happy, you deserve it."
"Happiness is irrelevant to people like me."
"I want you to be happy."
"Life is not about what you want or what you want to do but what you must." he said and she took a step back from him. "Okay Maryse." and then she saw Clary approach her, and she smiled before they walked through the door and down the isle, Hope finding her spot next to Jace. Alec followed and the finally, like a vision from God, Lydia walked through the door, ready to tie her soul to Alec's for the rest of their mortal lives.
They took hands and Hope looked over at where Izzy was already looking at her. The wedding was beautiful but all Hope could look at was Izzy and then Jace caught her eye, she didn't know where to look so she met eyes with Clary. They were both new to this world, they watched as Alec and Lydia performed their rituals, a small part of Hope proud to be there for Alec at such an important moment. The ritual is on the verge of ending when the doors burst open and Magnus Bane walks through the doors.
"What is that warlock doing here?" Hope hears Maryse asks and she whispers, "Having his speak now moment." and she realises she's whispering it to Jace who gives her a soft smile.
"Magnus, leave this wedding now." Maryse approaches him but he doesn't even look at her, "This is between me and your son." he walks down the aisle like a bride on the rampage when Alec finally turns to him, his gaze escaping Hope's. He looks like he might have a panic attack.
"I can't do this." he whispers to Lydia, "I thought we were doing the right thing." he takes her hand into his own. "You deserve to be happy."
"So do you, go."
And he does, for the first time in his life, he chooses himself above all else and right now that means choosing Magnus.