AN: hey guys! so this is the last chapter of s3 so i'll have a week off from updating here before i'm back with S4!

•

As helpful as girls night was for Jace's self confidence, which was a lot, it was entirely unhelpful in giving Jace any sort of plan for asking Penelope to be his girlfriend aside from agreeing with his paper ring idea and demanding he cook.

So, Jace was figuring the rest out himself. Penelope was free this Saturday, and Liv was having Zara over for the night, so, that was sorted.

The rest was down to Jace.

He wasn't sure what she'd want to eat, so, Jace went grocery shopping and pretty much bought some of everything so he would be able to use any recipe Penelope wanted. He then felt inspired to completely scrub the kitchen from top to bottom, and then deep cleaned the rest of the house while Zara slept through the night.

He was going overboard, but he was prepared for company. And Jace knew the house still looked more like a home than a fancy show home, because Zara's personality and his personality beamed out of every corner of their house. Their front door was painted pink because of how much Zara loved Legally Blonde.

Jace was just panic cleaning, a habit he inherited from his mother, and he was trying not to be worried at the idea Penelope might say no.

But he didn't let it get to him. Jace found the perfect flowers to go on the table, found some adorable fairy lights Zara picked out and wanted to hang on the back porch for the vibes, or something, and even found a really cute set of matching aprons with cats on them.

They did just encourage Zara to beg Jace for a cat, however, and he was close to giving in.

Cats were a lot easier than dogs, and Zara had been asking for over a year, now.

But it wasn't a today problem. He'd worry about that after he'd asked Penelope to be his girlfriend.

•

•

Saturday came by almost too fast for Jace to comprehend. Liv picked Zara up in the early afternoon so Jace had time to get ready. Penelope had said she'd drive herself to Jace's, so, Jace got a shower and made sure his hair was perfect and he didn't skip a single step in his skin care routine.

He got dressed in a pair of black cargos and a grey t-shirt, putting on his aftershave and his jewellery. He didn't wear a lot, just his golden chain around his neck and the golden chain bracelet around his wrist.

He did have a Bryant family signet ring, too, but he didn't wear that unless he was actually with the extended family. The chain and bracelet were gifts from his parents; the chain for his eighteenth birthday, the bracelet when he received his college acceptance letters.

When he was done making sure he looked presentable enough for Penelope, he cleaned up the mess he'd made in his room and headed downstairs to get himself a drink. Penelope would be here in the next twenty minutes, so, he quickly made sure everything was good.

The fairy lights on the back patio were set on a natural timer for when the sun started to set later this evening. Jace lit a few candles around the downstairs, turning Law and Order on for background noise, and then turning it off to play the kitchen radio instead.

He headed into the pantry and opened the latch in the floor, climbing down the small spiral staircase into the wine cellar.

Jace had bought the house his mother's parents had lived in before they died when it came back on the market. His grandfather had handbuilt this wine cellar for his grandmother because she loved hosting parties for the family. Jace had always loved coming down with his grandad to pick out grandma and mom's favourite wine for said parties.

He didn't know which wine Penelope would prefer, if she'd want any at all, but he did pick one he knew she would love just in case. It was too sweet to even taste like wine, really, and it was from the vineyard his cousin Calvin owned in California, but it was one of Jace's favourites because it reminded him of a cocktail.

Jace's doorbell went while he was still in the wine cellar. He headed back up and knocked the latch back over, putting the wine on the kitchen side and heading towards the door. He pulled it open, giving Penelope a smile before his eyes and brain made a connection.

She was so beautiful.

It never mattered to Jace what she was wearing, but god did Penelope know how to put on a fashion show. She looked stunning in her sunflower patterned dress with yellow ribbons tied in her hair.

She looked as bright as the sunflowers. Jace loved sunflowers.

Jace also loved Penelope.

"Hi," Penelope giggled. "You done checking me out?"

"Sorry," Jace said, stepping aside with a sheepish grin. "Actually, I'm not sorry. You look beautiful, Penelope. Incredibly beautiful. You literally suit every colour, but I think this might be one of my favourites."

"Thank you," Penelope beamed, kissing his cheek as she stepped inside. "It smells lovely in here."

"Zara picked out my scented candles," Jace said, closing the front door behind him. "Come on."

She followed him into the kitchen, Jace moving to grab wine glasses.

"I didn't know which wine you preferred, but I think you might like this one best," Jace said.

"I can't have too many," Penelope said. "I'm driving."

"Well, I figured a way around that," Jace said. "I'm not having more than two, so, I can drive you home. Or you can crash here. Whatever you're most comfortable with."

Penelope gave him a soft smile, rolling her eyes as she walked over to stand in front of him.

"You're very sweet, Jace," Penelope said. "Really. You're cooking us dinner, you're also offering to drive me home or have me stay over. What are you up to?"

Jace gave her an innocent smile.

"Just giving you the attention you deserve," Jace said.

"You have something up your sleeve," Penelope said.

"Fine," Jace sighed. "I may have made you a fae flower crown for the ren faire," Jace said.

Penelope's eyes lit up.

"Really?" she gasped.

"I'll show you later," Jace chuckled. "And I'll show you Zara's costume. I have nothing for mine, yet, but that is my plan for my next day off, so, don't worry."

"I can't wait!" Penelope beamed. "I've got the time off work. I'm so down for this, you have no idea. I need to make fairy wings!"

"You do," Jace laughed. "You'll look great."

Penelope's nose scrunched cutely as she looked up at him.

"You hungry?" Jace asked.

"Yeah," Penelope said. "What are we making?"

"Whatever you fancy," Jace said. "I have pretty much every ingredient you could ever want to make a meal of your choice."

Penelope's eyebrows furrowed, a small smile spreading on her face.

"What?" Jace asked.

"Nothing," Penelope said. "You're just adorable."

Jace's cheeks burned with how much he was blushing right now.

"Thank you," Jace said. "Food?"

"Food," Penelope grinned, kissing his cheek again.

She picked a vegetarian chilli, Jace gathering the ingredients and getting the mince on quickly. Penelope poured them both glasses of wine, sipping on it and nodding approvingly.

"Very nice," she said.

"I will be sure to feed back to Calvin," Jace laughed.

"Who's Calvin?" Penelope asked.

"One of my cousins," Jace said.

"How many cousins do you have?" Penelope asked.

"First cousins? Sixty four," Jace said. "Dad's one of fourteen, and a few of his siblings remarried. My oldest cousin is in their fifties, but my youngest is only in their twenties, so. Grandma was having kids for twenty one years."

"Jesus christ," Penelope exhaled. "How many cousins does Zara have?"

"First cousins? None," Jace said. "First cousins once removed, however? We're in the hundreds, at least. My family tend to populate faster than Catholic rabbits."

"Fucking hell," Penelope said. "And you all live in Virginia?"

"No," Jace laughed. "God, no. Calvin, for one, lives in California at his vineyard. I have two cousins in New York, one on Broadway and one on Wall Street, I have seven over in England doing a lot of things. Uh, I have five in Paris working as models and fashion designers, and there's about fifteen of us over in Europe. I think we have another branch of the family who are over in Africa, but that's grandma's brother's side, so, I have no idea without calling my dad or getting the family tree out. There are fifty two of us in the state of Virginia, though."

"How many Bryants are there?" Penelope asked.

"Over three hundred worldwide in our family," Jace said. "But that is every living relative we can trace back through the slave histories. We've never met a lot of them."

"Your family were slaves?" Penelope asked softly.

Jace nodded.

"Bryant isn't even a real surname," Jace said. "I mean, they made it their surname. It wasn't a surname they were born with until the new generations. See, our oldest ancestors, they were owned by a slave owner. His son, Brian, inherited the slaves. Brian was a sickly boy, the last of his family line, and he wasn't married with heirs. He didn't agree with slavery, made a deal with my ancestors that he would pay them living wages and give them good accommodations and space to raise their family if they wanted it. If they wanted to leave, he would give them money to survive on their own."

"What did they decide?" Penelope asked.

"Well, they decided to stay," Jace said. "They'd been with that family for generations, and that generation got to watch Brian grow up. They knew the boy's true nature, how kind and soft he was, and they loved him. He loved them. Slavery was abolished a year later, and Brian's gesture of kindness gave my ancestors a position to help newly freed slaves in building their lives, too. Brian died about six years later, left everything to my family. To honour the gesture and freedom that Brian had given them, they made their surname Bryant, 'cause their accents made it sound different than I say it."

"That's..." Penelope trailed off. "That's such a monumental piece of history, Jace. The fact that it's been passed on for over a hundred years... It shows just how much your ancestors gave you. I think they'd be really proud of you, if they could see where you are. You're a surgeon, and a father. You are everything they fought for."

Jace couldn't help the warmth in his chest as he looked at Penelope. He held his hand out. Penelope took it, letting Jace tug her into his side. He pressed a kiss to Penelope's temple.

"You're everything to me, you know that?" Jace asked softly. "Everything."

Penelope rested her head against his collarbone, but Jace could see the smile she was trying to hide.

"Yeah?" Penelope murmured.

"Yeah," Jace whispered, kissing her head. "Everything."

He had to turn back to the food, eventually, but he kept Penelope tucked into his side. She wrapped her arms around his waist, humming along to the songs on the radio as Jace cooked.

It was so domestic, something Jace had never experienced with such a soft gentle love that Penelope gave him freely. He truly loved her. He was so in love with her.

They didn't need to speak. The easy silence was more than enough comfort for them. They basked in it like Penelope seemed to bask in sunlight all the time.

Food was done, eventually, so, Jace plated it up for them and Penelope poured them another glass of wine each. Jace glanced over at her, Penelope giving him a nonchalant smile and a shrug of her shoulders.

"You said we had options," Penelope said.

"We do," Jace said. "Just checking you're okay with it."

"I'm good," Penelope assured him. "I promise. I want to be here."

Jace smiled, nose wrinkling cutely as Penelope sauntered across the room to stand in front of him.

"Come on," Penelope said. "Let's eat, yeah?"

"Yeah," Jace murmured, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "Let's eat."

•

•

Dinner was a success. They talked about work; how busy Penelope was, how quiet Jace was; then talked about the exams Jace's residents were taking right now and what that meant for them.

"So, they're not doctors?" Penelope asked. "Not until they pass these exams?"

"No, they are doctors," Jace said. "As soon as you graduate medical school, you're a doctor. You then go on to do a residency in a hospital, which is usually about five years. You have your boards in fifth year, which make you an attending in your chosen speciality. When you're an attending, you can do procedures alone and run rotations without supervision, and you have your own residents to take care of and teach, too."

"So, you're an attending?" Penelope asked.

"I'm the chief of plastics," Jace said. "So, I rank higher than any attendings in any departments, but that's obviously not going to come into play if there's a cardio patient having a medical episode because my plastic surgery skills aren't going to be any help to that patient and the cardio surgeon knows the better calls."

"That makes sense," Penelope said. "So, you're, like, the Hotch of your department, and your dad is like, the Strauss of the hospital."

"Yeah, exactly!" Jace said. "My dad is the chief of surgery as a whole, but we have oncology departments and non surgical departments. He's not the chief of them, but he's on a board of chiefs. My dad owns the hospital, though, so, he technically is also the director of the FBI, if we're using this analogy."

"How does your dad own a hospital?" Penelope laughed. "Is this why you're rich?"

"I come from about five generations of surgeons," Jace laughed. "And, years ago, my family bought shares in the hospital, and we've managed to continue buying shares until we were the majority shareholder, and my mom and dad bought out the other shareholders when I was a kid. So, we own the hospital."

"Isn't that stressful?" Penelope gawked. "Owning a hospital on top of working there?"

"I mean, probably," Jace said. "But that's why dad has a team full of people to worry about the logistics of owning a hospital. We have a legal department, on site electricians and medical equipment specialists, so on and so forth. Dad just has it all handled, I guess."

"That is insane," Penelope said. "I can't believe you're, like, old money rich. This isn't even like, filthy rich. You're old money rich."

"Is there a difference?" Jace asked.

"Old money rich doesn't flaunt their richness or act like they're rich," Penelope said. "Filthy rich throw it in your face. You're quietly wealthy."

Jace shrugged.

"It's nepotism," Jace said.

"It is," Penelope laughed. "But it's well deserved. It's not like you're lazy. You're a surgeon. That's a big job."

Jace did agree.

He didn't know many people who had the stomachs to cut people open.

Actually, that was a lie, considering most of his friends and family had careers in surgery, or had experience with witnessing blood and gore, so, theoretically, would manage with the gore side of surgery, and were probably smart enough to get a fair way through the training.

Especially Spencer Reid. That boy would be an absolute gift if he was a surgeon.

"You done?" Jace asked, taking his empty plate to the sink.

"Yeah, thank you," Penelope beamed, carrying her plate over to the sink, too. "I can do this. You cooked. It's the least I can do."

"It's okay," Jace assured her. "I've got it. You just sit and look pretty."

Penelope rolled her eyes fondly, but sat herself at the island with her wine and watched Jace start washing the dishes.

"Can I ask you something?" Penelope asked.

"Yeah, anything," Jace said.

"Just so we're on the same page," Penelope said, "Do you want... Do you want more kids?"

Jace looked over at her, shrugging his shoulders.

"To be honest?" Jace said. "Not really? I'm content with Zara, but I also wouldn't be opposed to it if it came down to it. Like, say there's a kid that needs a home and I can help, absolutely I'll help however I can. I just... I think I'm indifferent. I am in a position to have more kids if I wanted them, so, I guess it would be a decision that's made at the time of potentially considering this route. I'm happy either way."

Penelope nodded.

"Do you want kids?" Jace asked.

"I don't know," Penelope said. "I've never really felt like getting pregnant is something I want to do. You hear so many horror stories about labours. I guess I've never really thought about it. I just figured it was something we probably should talk about?"

"Well, how about we don't worry about it? I'm happy either way, so, if down the line and you feel like it's something you want, we talk about it? If you wanna do it, we can. If you don't, we never have to," Jace said.

Penelope nodded, shoulders dropping as she smiled at him.

"That sounds really good," Penelope murmured. "Thank you for being so understanding."

"Well, of course," Jace said. "It's your body, Penelope. I can't make you do anything you don't wanna do, and pregnancy is a big thing to do. The journey of being a parent is a big thing to do. If you don't wanna do it, we don't do it. Kids are one thing I've learnt that you can't compromise on."

"Oh, definitely," Penelope agreed. "It's not fair to the kid. But, you do know this is different to Zara, right?"

"How so?" Jace asked, drying his hands.

"I know that..." Penelope started, trailing off as she flapped her hands slightly. "Let me figure this out. Hang on."

Jace walked over to her, gently taking her hands in his and stroking his thumbs over her knuckles. She looked up at him.

"Just say it how you think it. I'll figure it out," Jace assured her.

"Just because I'm not sure on kids doesn't mean I'm not sure on Zara," Penelope said quietly. "I know... I know, as our relationship progresses, I'll see more and more of her. I don't want you think I don't want to be involved with her because I'm not sure about having kids."

"I don't think that at all," Jace said softly. "I know you want to be involved with her. It's kinda obvious how much you adore her, you know? Dating someone with a kid and having a child are two completely different things. For one, you were lucky enough to miss the ew stages of pregnancy and the sticky toddler phase, too."

Penelope chuckled, nodding her head.

"Luckily," she agreed. "I just... I don't know how involved you and she will want me to be in her life in the future. Obviously, it's one of those things that she gets a say in as much as we do because she's old enough to understand things. I wanted to make sure you knew that I'm happy to be in her life however she wants me to be. We can stay mermaid unicorn best friends, if that's what she wants."

"Penelope?" Jace asked.

"Hm?" Penelope said.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're the sweetest, most kindest and considerate person in the world?" Jace said.

Penelope's cheeks flushed.

"I'm serious," Penelope said.

"So am I," Jace said. "I know you well enough by now to know you overthink the things that matter most to you. I know you adore Zara, and I know that she, and I, adore you too. You have nothing to worry about with any of this, okay? As far as I'm concerned, we're all good. We'll take this one step at a time, together, and figure it out."

Penelope flushed, nodding. She leaned forward, resting her forehead against Jace's collarbone. Jace kissed the side of her head, letting go of one of her hands to tilt her chin upwards.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

Penelope nodded, resting her forehead against his.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm going insane with how much I feel for you. It's fast, and I know it's fast, but I spend time with you and Zara and it feels like the most natural thing in the world," Penelope whispered. "Tell me I'm not insane. Tell me I'm not the only one."

"You're not insane or the only one," Jace whispered. "I promise. Sometimes, I think the only reason I was on my own for that long was because my heart was looking for yours. Sometimes, I think I feel so much for you because my heart is making up for lost time and doesn't want to waste a moment we have together. You're not the only one, darling."

Penelope's hands wrapped around the back of Jace's neck, tugging him down into a kiss. Jace gasped into her mouth, hands moving to wrap around her waist as she pulled him to stand between her legs on the stool.

Jace couldn't help but get lost in the kiss, get lost in the feeling of Penelope's hands on his skin moving from his neck to his cheeks to his arms, then to his hips to hold him in place. Her hands were warm as they slipped underneath his grey t-shirt, and he couldn't help the hitch in his breath at the feeling of her nails against him.

Penelope pulled back from their kiss, chest heaving for breath but a devilish smirk on her lips, lipstick smeared slightly. Jace used his thumb to wipe it away, but Penelope kissed the pad of his thumb with an innocent smile, now, batting her eyelashes at him as he groaned and shook his head, stepping back from her with a grin.

"You're a tease," Jace said breathlessly. "Jesus christ."

"You love it," Penelope grinned, tugging him back to her by the waistband of his cargos.

The utter glee on her face when Jace failed to stifle a moan at the feeling of her hands on his skin was almost worth the redness in his cheeks.

"I do," Jace agreed. "You know, we don't have to do anything."

He hadn't even asked her to be his girlfriend, yet, and here she was kissing the life out of him! He absolutely wasn't complaining, but his cargos and boxers were getting tighter the longer she looked up at him through her eyelashes with those big beautiful eyes, that teasing and lovable and sexy smile painted on her pink lips.

He was so far gone. It wouldn't even matter if he could turn back, if he wanted to, because there was no going back from this woman. She was everything. She was the most beautiful person in the world.

"I know," Penelope said. "What if I wanted to?"

Jace chewed the inside of his cheek, staring down at her for a moment as his brain tried to catch up with things.

On one hand, this was not a gentlemanly thing to do. On the other hand, Penelope wanted it, and Jace wanted it, so fuck being a gentleman. He'd do whatever she wanted because he wanted it, too. He wanted everything with her.

"I'd do it," Jace murmured. "Whatever you want."

"Whatever?" Penelope said, eyebrows raising with a grin.

"Whatever," Jace whispered.

Penelope bit on her bottom lip, sucking in a shaky breath.

"Jace?"

"Yeah?" Jace murmured.

"Before, you said, if I wanted..." Penelope trailed off.

"You can stay here," Jace said softly. "Whatever you want, darling."

Penelope pulled him closer, again tugging on the waistbands of his cargos.

"I want you," Penelope whispered.

Jace leaned down, using one hand to lift her chin. He kissed her, thumb brushing over her jawline softly.

"I'm yours," Jace whispered. "In every single way."

Penelope kissed him again, deeper and more urgent than before. Jace matched her intensity, his other hand moving from her waist to her ribs, fingers tracing patterns onto her dress. One of her hands kept him anchored between his legs by holding the waistband of his cargos.

The other hand snaked under his shirt, skin smooth against his abs, and Jace couldn't help the whine Penelope granted from his throat when her nails scratched over his skin. She laughed into the kiss, doing it again to earn the same reaction from him.

"Penelope," Jace groaned, pulling back from the kiss with a smile. "You're such a tease."

"I know," Penelope giggled. "But you like it. I can feel how much you like it."

Jace wanted the ground to swallow him up.

Sometimes, he really hated having a penis. Why was his erection exposing him right now?

"I'm sorry," Jace said.

"Don't be," Penelope said. "I promise, I wouldn't bring it up if I didn't like it, too. Are you okay with this?"

Jace nodded.

"Yeah," Jace said. "I just wanna treat you the way you deserve, no matter... what we're doing together?"

Penelope giggled again, rolling her eyes.

"And what exactly are we doing together?" she asked.

"Right now?" Jace asked. "Making out in the kitchen. Or we were, before you pointed out my situation."

Penelope laughed, and Jace couldn't help but laugh, too. Penelope kissed him again after a moment, stroking his cheeks gently with her fingers.

"Jace?"

"Pretty girl?"

"Take me to bed?"

Jace lived to serve. Who was he to deny the love of his life what she wanted?

He grabbed her by the thighs, lifting her easily off the kitchen stool. Penelope gasped, laughing as Jace swung her to be bridal style in his arms.

"To bed," Jace grinned.

•

•

Jace woke up the next morning feeling incredibly warm.

It was all because of Penelope.

Literally.

The girl was a human furnace in the bed and Jace loved it as much as he hated it because he knew he would never wanna get up for the day when he had Penelope in his bed. And not even in a sexual way, though they'd done plenty of things like that the night before.

It was because she was so fucking beautiful when she curled into Jace in her sleep, bare bodies hidden underneath the blankets, curtains left open to let the morning sunlight splinter in and illuminate the very light freckles on Penelope's arms.

"I can feel you staring at me."

Jace grinned, watching Penelope blink her eyes open to look at him.

"Good morning," Jace murmured.

"Waking up to you makes it the best morning," Penelope murmured.

Jace nose scrunched as he smiled, and Penelope reached an arm out of the blankets, tracing over the bridge of his nose gently.

"You're so beautiful," Penelope murmured. "Your eyes are so pretty in the morning sun."

"I was thinking the same thing about you," Jace murmured.

"Sweet talker."

"You love it," Jace chuckled.

"I really do," Penelope murmured. "What time do you have to get Zara today?"

"Liv said I can get her whenever I want," Jace said. "She's probably having the best time with Ziggy."

"I hope so," Penelope said. "They're hilarious together."

"They are," Jace chuckled. "You hungry? Actually, let me guess. You need coffee?"

"You know me so well," Penelope beamed.

Jace laughed, sitting up in bed. He grabbed his t-shirt off the floor, offering it to Penelope. They both still had their underwear on, though she was without a bra. They hadn't done all the way, mostly because it was still early on in their relationship, but Jace had been playing the night on replay since the moment he opened his eyes.

"Thank you," Penelope murmured with a soft smile.

"I'll get you a toothbrush sorted," Jace said, kissing her forehead.

Penelope's nose scrunched with her smile as Jace headed into his bathroom, grabbing a new toothbrush from the cupboard and taking it out of the packaging. He started brushing his teeth, giving Penelope room to join him when she made her way into the bathroom.

His t-shirt was massive on her because of their height difference, almost brushing her knees, and Jace couldn't help but chuckle at how cute she was. Penelope rolled her eyes, nudging him in the side as she started to brush her teeth, too.

"I'll get you a coffee started," Jace said when he was finished, kissing her temple.

Penelope leaned into him for a moment, then moved so Jace could head downstairs. He opened the back door to let some fresh air in, tidying the few dishes from last night after he filled the coffee machine with water and fresh grounds.

He may have invested in an amazing coffee machine and coffee bar back when they moved into this house, and he had machines that rivalled a coffee shop. Penelope could make all the coffee and iced teas that she wanted to, but Jace knew she preferred her first coffee to be quite simple, with just milk and sugar before she dove into her more extreme coffee choices.

He heard Penelope padding downstairs not long after, then felt her arms slide around his bare waist from behind. He smiled, turning in her arms to look at her.

"Good morning," Penelope murmured, resting her head against his chest.

Jace wrapped her into a proper hug, running his fingers through her hair gently. Penelope closed her eyes, a content sigh slipping from her lips.

"Happy Sunday," Jace sighed, kissing her forehead. "You hungry? Toast?"

"Toast," Penelope mumbled.

Jace moved with her to throw four pieces of toast in the toaster, leaning against the kitchen side and pulling Penelope against him properly again. She nestled herself into his bare chest, body warm against his.

Jace stared at her for a few seconds, sure he probably looked like a love sick fool in this moment, but he didn't care.

She was so fucking beautiful.

"I can feel you staring at me again," Penelope murmured.

"I can't help it," Jace murmured.

Penelope chuckled, breath warm against his skin, and he was so fucking in love with this woman.

"I had a plan for last night," Jace said softly. "And I don't want you to think I'm doing this because of what we did instead last night. I had a girls night with Liv and Nora and Colin and Haley to figure out my plan for this 'cause I wanted it to go perfect."

Penelope blinked up at him, a warm smile on her lips like she had already known all along about this, like she'd been waiting for him to actually just ask the thing he'd invited her on this date for.

Of course she knew. He didn't think the fact he was madly in love with her was hidden, and Penelope was very observant and perceptive. She knew exactly how he felt about her, and that smile on her lips would damn him for the rest of his life because, fuck, he didn't care about anything except the fact that Penelope knew him.

She saw him, she knew him, and she understood him.

Jace opened the kitchen drawer behind him, pulling out a small jewellery box.

"It's not an engagement ring, before you panic," Jace said. "I promise."

Penelope laughed, nodding her head.

"I did have this speech planned in my head, but I can't think of it right now because your laugh is the most beautiful poem I've ever heard," Jace said, a small smile on his face and head feeling quite hazy because, honestly, it was so hard to concentrate when she was looking at him with those eyes so full of love.

"Is that so?" Penelope asked.

"Yes," Jace said. "And I love poems, but I can't write them very well, but sometimes I don't think I have to. I mean, your laugh; that's the poem. You're the poem, you know? You're everything poetry is. You're... You're beautiful, and you're so bewitching and enchanting and I can't help but want to spend forever getting to know everything about you. There's nobody else I ever wanted to risk things with, but you're worth everything. I don't want to let go of the best person I've found."

He used one hand to open the box, showing her the pink paper ring lying on the black velvet. Penelope gasped slightly, looking up at Jace with tears in her eyes.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" Jace asked.

Penelope leaned up on her tiptoes, tugging Jace down into a kiss. He almost dropped the box, but he managed to put it on the side before wrapping his arms around Penelope to kiss her back properly.

"Yes," Penelope murmured. "You're so fucking adorable and I think I'm falling in love with you and, actually, I know I am, because you just asked me to be your girlfriend with the origami paper rings I saw at the craft market on our first date and that's just... Fuck, Jace. You're... You're everything to me."

Jace laughed, kissing Penelope again. She kissed him back, hands moving to his cheeks to hold him in place. Jace got lost in her, lost in how warm and safe and lovely she was, lost in how beautiful their moment was, lost in the life they were beginning to build together.

Penelope pulled back after a moment to catch her breath, blinking at Jace with a grin.

"Put it on me?" she asked.

Jace grabbed the box, picking up the ring carefully. Penelope held out her left hand, allowing Jace to slip it onto her ring finger.

"It's beautiful," Penelope whispered, leaning up to kiss him again. "And you're so thoughtful, and sweet."

"I'm falling in love with you, too, for the record," Jace murmured.

Penelope's nose scrunched, so adorable and familiar, though her smile faded after a second.

"Can you smell burning?" she asked.

"The toast!"

If their breakfast was burnt toast, nobody had to know. Penelope Garcia was Jace Bryant's girlfriend, and that was the only thing that mattered in this moment.

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