Chapter 184:

Birthday Celebration

May 13th. Jace's birthday. The girls had worried they'd miss it with everything going on. Biorganix took up most of early Springtime after dealing with his father in late winter, just as Spring was coming into season. It had been hectic.

Spring had come early in February, which saw his fight with his father near its end. While March and a bit of April saw them take on Biorganix along with a few peaceful days. The rest of April saw him meet Rumi, leading him to Rachel and their eventual relationship.

Each day had been full, making time seem to move faster than it had. Leading into May, they had just barely made it on time. Thankfully, Kiera had already had a lot of it planned out with Selene, making the whole process easier.

Even so, Jace admonished Kiera out of concern when he learned that one of the reasons she pushed herself so hard was because she wanted to finish it all on time for his birthday. She didn't want to deal with it during a time of celebration. He was quick to forgive her, as he could never truly stay mad at any of the girls for long.

With all of that said, they had made it on time, but just barely. They had gone all out on the decorations. Streamers of various shades of blue flew everywhere. Giant letters hung from the second-floor balcony over the large living room spelling the word Happy Birthday Jace.

There were tables set with foods of all kinds. From his favorite dango street food to sandwiches and pasta. A buffet of sorts that was catered to by Mercer Agents, with Arthur leading them.

There was a table with a basket where cards and presents were placed. Everything felt so festive. They had really gone all out. He couldn't have been happier with the results.

Even his mother had recovered completely in time for her to not only live with them, but now join them in the celebration. There were several people, in fact, who had come to join his birthday. Like some of the Nobles from Radiance's staff who had arrived with Balek. Some, he didn't expect.

Mainly, and most particularly, was his Aunt Zahra. Her dark, silky hair cascaded down her shoulders, of which were exposed by the lavish clothing she wore. A dark blouse with see-through, billowy sleeves. The blouse went down into a long, split skirt where her legs were revealed wearing sheer stockings.

Her green eyes, like her moniker, glanced in his direction. Her delicate, yet sharp features brightened, and her luscious lips curled in a smile as she saw him enter. She was currently talking with his mother and Briana, as well as Gabriel and Gloria who were nearby.

Before he could go and say hi, he heard a very familiar voice.

"Jace!" the sound of a light, childish voice exclaimed in glee.

To defend himself against what he knew was coming, he had to quickly release Rachel and open his arms as the child known as Evelyn came running into his arms. Throwing herself up into his embrace, she hugged him in a death grip around his neck.

"Oof, hey, Evie," Jace smiled, picking her up in his arms and returning her hug, "You've gotten bigger. You haven't been eating too many sweets, have you?"

He teased her, poking her adorable chubby cheeks. She wasn't that much bigger than when he last saw her. She was still as light as a feather, or perhaps he had simply gotten stronger. She wore a nice, stately pink dress with white socks and black dress shoes.

"Not that many!" She huffed, crossing her arms.

Those golden hazel eyes of hers sparkling as she pouted, the rings of dark silken hair framing her face like a doll. Jace laughed and she soon smiled, unable to stay mad for long.

"It's good to see you, Evie," he smiled and hoisted her up with one arm as she sat on it, holding her arms around his neck, "Are your parents here as well?"

"Mhm! Both papa and mama!" she said it with such sincere astonishment, "By the way..."

She narrowed her eyes at him, glancing around his head at Rachel before leaning into her ear.

"Did you get another fiancé?" she whispered, "She's also very pretty. Do you collect pretty girls?"

Jace suppressed a sudden laugh, glancing at Rachel mirthfully who was blushing from hearing Evelyn call her pretty.

"Not fiancé, no, but..." Jace smiled fondly, "She is mine, yes. One day, fiancé. If she behaves."

Jace smirked as Rachel's blush deepened.

"Come on..." she pleaded with him, "Don't joke like that."

"I'm not joking," Jace told her firmly, "One day, you will be. I don't do things half-heartedly."

"O-Oh..." Rachel smiled shyly, hugging his arm and hiding his face in his shoulder.

Evelyn looked at her curiously, reaching a hand over to her. With childlike innocence, she patted Rachel on her head.

"There, there," Evelyn told her gently, "It's okay. He said one day, right?"

Rachel nodded, looking up at Evelyn with a red face.

"I'm not sad, I'm happy," Rachel mumbled.

"Oh!" Evelyn shined with a smile, "That's good then!"

Rachel's smile grew soft as she agreed with Evelyn.

"I really do collect cute girls, don't I?" Jace commented as he looked at Rachel's adorable face, mimicking what Evelyn said earlier teasingly.

Suddenly, Evelyn struggled to get down.

"I gotta go tell papa!" Evelyn said seriously as she jumped from his arms, "Mama better be careful! Evelyn too!"

She giggled, laughing as she ran away. Jace watched her as he chuckled to himself. He wasn't sure if she was joking or not, but seeing Evelyn really eased the anxiety in Jace's heart. She was always a ball of energy and soothing for the soul.

"She was...colorful," Rachel whispered to him.

"She is indeed," Jace replied and explained a bit more, "I'm sure you know who that is, since you watched me for a long time, but she's the one I saved from the Vultures."

"Mhm," Rachel nodded, "She's also...well, that's a secret, isn't it?"

"It is," he nodded, "You did good not saying it, even if we're among friends. Only if they say it is it okay."

Rachel beamed at his praise and he escorted her over to the one person he wanted her to meet. His mother. He had admonished her before about staying away from family, but that was only if she was going to do what she did before. Rachel understood better now, and Jace knew she wasn't a bad person. She was much softer than she tried to be.

"Mother, Aunt Zahra," Jace greeted the two of them who looked at him with brilliant smiles.

"Happy birthday, Son," her mother told him for the hundredth time today, "I see you have another present on your arm."

She teased him with a knowing smile. Briana looked up at Rachel and the two of them made eye contract. Jace watched as he swore he saw a spark between them. It wasn't anything malicious, but like two kindred spirits saw each other for the first time.

"I suppose I do," Jace felt embarrassed, but remained calm, "Mother, this is Rachel. She'll be around a lot. I hope you two get along."

"Of course, my dear," his mother smiled lovingly, "It's nice to meet you, Rachel. I'm Delilah. Please feel comfortable to talk to me anytime."

"Y-Yeah..." Rachel nodded shyly with a small smile, "I'm happy to meet you, Delilah."

"This is also my Aunt Zahra," Jace introduced, "Though, not by blood, but still. She's family."

"You're such a sweet boy, Arc," Zahra teased him as he rolled his eyes, "Truly, Jace. It's good to see you again, and you as well, Rachel."

Zahra offered her hand and Rachel took it, shaking it gently. It was then that other movement caught his eye.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Briana stood up, offering her hand as well with a beaming smile, "I'm Briana. Jace's girlfriend."

"Yes, a pleasure..." Rachel spoke politely, taking her hand delicately, "I'm Rachel. Jace's number one fan and girlfriend."

"Number one, hmm?" Briana inquired, and Jace was surprised to hear a slight edge to her otherwise pleasant tone, "Is that so? Well...I'd love to hear all about it."

"Wait...you two aren't fighting, are you?" Jace glowered at Rachel and gave a look of warning to Briana.

The last thing he wanted was there to be friction between anyone. Especially those he was close with. To his surprise, both of them looked at him with wide eyes as they quickly smiled.

"Fighting?" Briana asked with a light laugh, "No, silly. We're just...gauging one another."

"She's right, dear..." Rachel mumbled, shifting under his hardened gaze with a smile, "We simply recognized each other as similar. If it's alright with you, can I go and speak with her?"

"Yes! Can she!?" Briana suddenly became excited, grabbing his hand with both of hers and looking up at him with puppy dog eyes, "She can, right?"

"I...hrmm," Jace was a bit flustered.

In the face of not only Briana's puppy dog eyes, but also Rachel who was looking at him with pleading, hopeful eyes. It seemed to him that they had actually come to a mutual understanding and appreciation of the other instead of what he initially thought of as a conflict. Of course, there were also his mother, Zahra, Gabriel, and Gloria looking at him with amusement as they awaited his response.

"...Alright, fine," he sighed, but gave Rachel a hard look, "Behave, my little dove. Briana is precious to me. As are you. I don't want anyone fighting."

"I promise, I'll be good," Rachel told him with a light blush as she trembled slightly under his gaze, "I know you'll bring a lot of people to you, and...I have to learn to share. I'll be a good girl. So...reward me later?"

"H-Hey! I want to be rewarded too!" Briana suddenly exclaimed, "Me too! Me too!"

"O-Okay!" Jace felt suddenly overwhelmed, "Just...play nice. The both of you!"

"Okay!" Briana beamed happily, "I'll be on my best behavior!"

"Me too," Rachel said, more toned down than her, but still happy.

Briana then wrapped her arms around Rachel and began leading her away.

"By the way, I love your dress!" Briana told Rachel as they walked away, "Where did you get it? I used to watch Tears of Eden when..."

Briana's words trailed off as they grew farther away. Jace was surprised to hear that Briana knew of the anime, but smiled as they seemed to genuinely get along. He had been worried there for a moment.

"Don't worry, son," his mother spoke up reassuringly, "Bri is a good girl. Rachel's in good hands."

"I'm worried about both of them..." Jace chuckled, shaking his head, "Though, more for Bri. Rachel is quite...possessive, and she isn't used to socializing like this."

"She'll be fine, dear," his mother assured him, "Rachel seems like a nice woman. They'll get along just fine. Trust your mother's intuition, yeah?"

She looked at him with that knowing look of hers. He couldn't ignore his mother's words. She had an uncanny way of understanding and knowing just what was going on when he didn't.

"Alright, I will," Jace sighed, taking a deep breath, "By the way...I'm surprised you're actually here, Auntie. You were able to come?"

"Well, when I heard they were having a birthday party for you..." Zahra smiled gently, her eyes looking him up and down in a sultry manner, "I couldn't very well miss it. Besides, I wanted to see how these girls were getting along."

She glanced over at Gloria and Gabriel who seemed to straighten up more in her presence.

"Zahra..." his mother spoke with a warning tone, "Get your flirting eyes off my son. He's an adult now, but you're practically ancient."

"Hey! I'm not that old..." Zahra pouted, being no match for his mother, "He is a strapping young man now. Are you sure I can't give him a nice birthday present?"

"Sure...if you want to deal with them," his mother motioned over behind them.

Glancing back, across the room were his Angels. They were talking amongst each other with Balek and the Rosemist Family. The moment they looked over, it was as if they sensed it and glanced in their direction. Each of them smiling lovingly at Jace and glancing at Zahra.

"...Women's intuition is terrifying." Jace thought with a shiver.

"I...fine," Zahra huffed with a glower.

Jace felt strange hearing this from his Aunt, but it wouldn't have been the first time she flirted with him. Often offering other rewards for the jobs he's completed for her, but he always denied it. He wasn't as shy around women anymore, but still became bashful at how bold they could be sometimes. Still, now he was looking at her in a different light.

Something he caught himself on, shaking his head as he had looked her over. "Just because you have permission to pursue...doesn't mean you should get ideas, Jace." He admonished himself.

"Look at what you've done," his mother admonished Zahra, "You're putting weird ideas in his head. Jace, sweetie. Don't let this old fox get to you."

"Come on, Lilah! I'm not that bad..." Zahra defended herself, "You know I care about you both."

"Yeah, but I'm not trying to sleep with your kids," his mother shot back with a steely gaze.

The two of them glared at each other before the both of them cracked up laughing.

"Oh, it's really good to see you again, Lilah," Zahra leaned down and hugged her, "Really...I was so worried about you."

"I know," his mother replied softly, rubbing her back, "Thank you for looking after Jace in the way that you could. I heard you gave him plenty of work."

"It's the least I could do," Zahra replied to her and stood up with slightly wet eyes, wiping them clear before a look of mischief replaced it, "I did try to offer other rewards, but he always rebuffed me."

His mother laughed, and Jace honestly felt soothed by this banter. It was how these two bonded, but also, he knew that Zahra meant no harm. Though, he did wonder if her words were true. Once again, he pushed those thoughts from his mind.

"I'll leave you ladies to talk," Jace gave his mother a loving hug, "Enjoy the party, mom. You two as well, Gab, Gloria. Wait...it is alright if I call you Gab, yeah?"

Gabriel hugged one arm to her and looked away sheepishly.

"Yeah...it's fine," she tried acting tough, but Gloria nudged her with a gentle smile.

"It's fine, Jace," Gloria told him, "She's just a tsundere."

"Hey!" Gabriel playfully hit her on the arm.

Gloria laughed and Jace smiled. Before he left, he did give his Aunt Zahra a hug. He hadn't seen her in a while, and she did a lot for him. He was grateful.

However, now that he was overly conscious of her, he felt her shapely body against him. His thoughts assaulting his mind as he fought them off.

"It is good seeing you as well, Auntie," Jace told her softly, a light blush to his face, "Thank you for those jobs. I hope Arthur didn't give you too much trouble."

"No, not at all," She stated, her embrace snug around him, "I can handle that for you."

As Jace tried to remove himself from her hold, he found himself stuck. She practically buried his face in her chest as her arms tightened around him. She smelled of subtle spice and cinnamon.

"Just a little more," she pleaded, "I haven't seen you in forever~"

"...Zahra," his mother growled, "Behave yourself!"

Suddenly, everyone saw the strength his mother once had, if only a fraction of it. Despite being such a small, frail looking woman, as soon as her fingers gripped Zahra's ear, she was helpless against his mother. Jace was freed as Zahra was pulled away from him.

Jace chuckled, recovering a bit from the aggressive embrace. Looking at the two of them, you could tell that they were friends even as his mother admonished her again while holding her by the ear. Even Gloria and Gabriel looked on with surprise at how easily his mother handled Zahra.

Making his way away from them, he went to greet the Rosemist's and Balek, who was holding his own ear in remembrance.

"I tell you one thing, son," Balek mumbled as he drew closer, "I don't envy her right now...oof. I still have nightmares about that grip of hers."

"Thankfully, I was never on the receiving end," Jace chuckled softly and Balek's expression softened.

"Aye, that you weren't," his smile was gentle, "You're her precious son. You went through that whole ordeal with that bastard. She wouldn't do that to you. Honestly, you'd think Zahra would know better."

"Indeed..." Selene agreed while casting a glance in Zahra's direction.

"Relax, Selene," Liana placed a gentle hand on her arm, "Zahra's always been like that. Well, not always, but it does seem she has a thing for Jace."

"A cougar, huh?" Kiera raised an amused eyebrow, "Well, we'll keep an eye on her. If a fling does happen..."

"You three..." Jace shook his head with loving disbelief, "Never change. I love you all, but as for Zahra...don't worry. I won't do anything there. She's family, and-"

"Never say never," Selene teased with a sparkle to her eye, "Though, we're glad you want us to be okay with anything that happens."

"...You need to stop reading my mind," Jace sighed, "Yes, I want to make sure anything I do is with your permission. This whole...freedom thing you've given me is a little hard to wrap my head around."

There was a mutual warmth in the air as his Angels surrounded him with a loving embrace. Making him sit down, they gathered around him, sitting together.

"Mama, papa..." Evelyn seemed to be in deep thought, sitting upon her mother's lap, "What's a fling?"

Jace glanced at Kiera who smiled with a shrug.

"That's...something that happens spontaneously between people who like each other," her mother answered, "Something that you only do when you're an adult. I'll tell you more when you're older, okay?"

"Okay!" Evelyn seemed happy with the answer, much to Jace's relief.

"Oh, by the way...I also hear that I need to be careful," Camilla spoke with a wry smirk, "Apparently, you collect pretty girls. According to Evie, I'm a pretty girl."

"Mhm! The prettiest!" Evelyn nodded vigorously with a serious expression.

"Heh, thank you, little one," Camilla chuckled.

Jace blushed as he was teased, and everyone looked at him with amusement.

"Just between you and me," Dorian, Camilla's husband leaned over, "She is very pretty, isn't she? If anything, you should be careful. She's insatiable."

Jace hid his embarrassed face as everyone laughed lightly. He was being teased nonstop, but it was all in good fun. Even so, he had to wonder if it was his birthday, or teasing Jace day.

"Honestly, you guys..." Jace groaned as he shook his head, "Come on, it's supposed to be my birthday."

"Exactly," Selene stated gentle, "It is. So, happy birthday, my love. We just want to show you how loved you are, and to know that you mean the world to us. You've touched all of our lives, so it's no wonder you'll attract attention. Just know, you will always have us at your back."

"You mean the world to us," Liana added, taking his hand in hers, "No matter what happens, we'll always be there for you. Your happiness is our happiness. After all, you've given us something that cemented our union..."

Liana placed a hand over her belly and smiled lovingly. Kiera nodded along in agreement.

"You've given me a family, Jace," Kiera told him with genuine sincerity, "Something I never had. I love you. Happy birthday, Hun."

Together, everyone said happy birthday to him. He smiled gratefully and felt his heart ease. Especially since Nadine was also there, and though no one could see her, she also said happy birthday to him. He gave her a look to ask if she wanted to appear, to which of course she nodded.

"I'd love to see little Evie again, or...well, for her to see me," Nadine stated, glancing at the smile child, "I haven't seen her since she was a baby, so I hope I don't frighten her."

"You won't," Jace answered her.

As he did, Balek looked towards him with a raised eyebrow and a smile.

"She's here, huh?" Balek chuckled, glancing in the direction Jace was looking in, "I knew she would be, but...it's always strange not seeing her after you've let me."

"Balek?" Camilla inquired and his eyes went wide.

"That's right!" Balek exclaimed, "Sis, you're not going to believe this, but...do you want to see Nadine?"

Camilla's expression grew curious and skeptical.

"Jace, what is he talking about?" She inquired, and Jace smiled softly.

"My Ascended ability," Jace explained, "It evolved once I became a Paragon. I can...summon her, among others, but...yeah. Balek's right. Would you like to see Nadine? My other mother?"

Camilla's eyes immediately began to tear up, and even Dorian looked on with surprise as Camilla immediately nodded. Evelyn looked confused as to why her mother was crying, but as she explained that Nadine was her aunt who had died a couple years after she was born, Evelyn grew sad.

"I can see her?" Evelyn asked in awe despite being sad, "You're not lying, are you Jace?"

"I wouldn't lie to you, Evie," Jace promised her.

Evelyn would have been roughly two years old when Nadine died. It was just shortly before his mother went into a coma. Taking a deep breath, Jace summoned Nadine. Anchoring her and giving her physical form.

Now, the party was complete. Camilla hugged Nadine and greeted her like a sister. They both had tears in their eyes as Evelyn playfully embraced her. Seeing Nadine glow, smiling as she zoomed around the room with Evelyn, flying her around was a sight and wonder to see.

"I-Is that really Nadine?" Zahra inquired in awe, his mother finally letting go of her ear, "I...damn."

Zahra had known Nadine a bit, meeting her a few times. They all knew each other for one reason or another. Jace didn't know exactly how they all met, but they had all been friends. The Nobles who came with Balek looked on with tears in their eyes, for though they had seen her at Radiance when Jace anchored her to Balek for a few hours every so often, many of them still missed her.

Gloria and Gabriel looked on in awe as well, seeing for the first time Jace's power over the dead. Even the Mercer Agents who were there catering the party stood with pleasant smiles on their faces. They seemed to enjoy seeing such a heartwarming reunion.

Jace basked in this atmosphere. He even caught a glimpse of Briana and Rachel again, with Rachel beaming and Briana looking a little defeated. However, as they caught sight of what was going on, a look of wonder appeared on their faces. Catching their attention, he called the two of them over.

"Rachel, Bri," Jace called to them, motioning to Balek and Nadine who was still playing with Evelyn, "This is my surrogate father, Balek. That's my surrogate mother, Nadine. For all intents and purposes, they are my parents just as much as my mother. Though...I'm sure Rachel has known this."

"Mhm!" Rachel nodded proudly as Briana sulked a bit, "Though, it's still amazing seeing your powers, dear."

"It is a sight to behold," Briana agreed, and the two of them sat down next to each other.

"By the way..." Jace narrowed his eyes at the two of them, "What were you doing, and why do you seem upset, Bri? Rachel, did you-"

"No!" Rachel was quick to defend herself, raising her voice slightly before lowering it with a sheepish expression, "We just...played a game."

"I lost..." Briana stated with a sad smile.

"Oh? Is that all?" Jace was relieved nothing bad happened, "I apologize for suspecting you, Dove. What game did you play?"

"I-It's okay," Rachel told him with a smile, "I understand. I promised you I'd be a good girl."

"It...was a game about you," Briana crossed her arms and sulked, "We wanted to see who knew more about you, but...it's unfair! Did you know she had clairvoyance! She's watched you for years! How am I supposed to compete!?"

Jace chuckled softly and made his way to her, his Angels freeing them from their gasp to allow him to comfort her. Placing his hand on her head, he knelt down and did his best to sooth her.

"I'm sorry, Bri," Jace told her gently, "If I had known, I would have warned you. Her claiming to be my number one fan wasn't a joke, but...you have all the time in the world to get to know me, and me to get to know you."

"Really?" she looked up at him with a hopefully pout.

"Really," he told her affectionately, "For example. I didn't know you liked anime as well. I heard you mention it as you left."

"Oh yeah!" her face brightened, and she quickly took Rachel's arm in hers, "Rachel asked if I wanted to watch anime with her! She said I could only if it was okay with you. It is, isn't it? Right? Right?"

"Really?" Jace looked to Rachel in surprise, who blushed lightly with a shrug.

"Well...she seemed to like it, and so do I..." Rachel's eyes sparkled as she looked at him, "Is it...okay? I promise, I'll be good!"

"Of course, it's okay," Jace answered softly, his heart melting at the two of them, "I love seeing you two get along. Just one condition."

"What is it?" Rachel wondered.

"Well...as long as I can watch with you." he told them and the moment the words left his lips, their eyes widened, and stars sparkled within them.

"You will!" Briana practically leapt up and hugged him, "Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes! I'd love that! Right, Rach? You'd like that too, wouldn't you? You already said he watched with you. Oh! We can have a sleepover! We can watch all night, and-"

"Bri..." Jace took her head between his hands with a chuckle, "Relax."

With that, he kissed her deeply, causing her to melt into his arms and slink back against the couch she was sitting in with a giggle.

"Hehe...okay," she told him and settled back.

"I didn't forget you," Jace smirked, seeing Rachel look on in slight jealousy and anticipation.

He gave her a kiss too as she blushed.

"Is it alright for her to watch with us?" He asked, pulling away from the kiss and cupping her cheek, "It was our time together. So, I want to make sure it's alright."

"Mhm, it is," Rachel answered him, half in a daze from the kiss, "As long as I can spend time with you, and...it's nice meeting someone who likes what I do."

Jace smiled and stood up, petting Rachel on the head.

"Jace..." Evelyn's voice brought his attention to her as she came down from playing with Nadine and ran to stand protectively in front of her mother, "Another one? Mama, be careful! I like Jace, but he's dangerous."

Jace couldn't help but chuckle, and everyone else joined in. Evelyn looked around in confusion, unsure why people weren't taking her seriously. She adamantly stated that Jace was dangerous, stealing all the pretty girls.

-----

Nikushimi

Life is busy for them. A lot happened in a short amount of time. I hope timeline isn't too confusing. It's never been my strong suit whenever I try to be accurate. Hopefully it can be overlooked if it's too horrible. :P Thank you as always for reading and hoped you enjoyed and are enjoying these more lighthearted chapters.