•

•

January was one of Jace's favourite months as a surgeon. He knew Liv and most of his family and friends felt similarly. January was generally a quiet month for their hospital, and it was a welcomed reprieve after the chaos that was November and December.

Holidays spent with families inspired many injuries, as most surgeons knew. November was Jace's month to shine with the amount of burns they saw from cooking Thanksgiving turkeys, and December was trauma's month, because the amount of people falling off ladders trying to decorate was astronomical.

Basically, Jace and his entire family were busy most of November and December, and it was rare that the three surgeons and the firefighter all had the holidays off together. Jace got priority on Christmas, purely because nobody scheduled or tried to have plastic surgery at Christmas. His time to shine came again for New Year with firework burns.

He had been able to spend Christmas with Zara, but she'd spent Thanksgiving with Naya and her group of firefighters, and Jace had been able to have a do-over with her the next day. Zara hated Thanksgiving, anyway, so she wasn't bothered, and she preferred to spend time donating at homeless shelters for their Thanksgiving do-over. They'd done that for the past two years and Zara adored it.

Jace adored it, truth be told. He knew, and so did his child, that they were extremely privileged. Jace's family had billions to their name. Julien and his three children owned the hospital, and Naya didn't even work there. It had been in the Bryant family for generations, now, and they were just a few specs on a long line of over-achievers in their family.

Their ancestors had worked hard for their wealth. A century and a half ago, Jace's ancestors had been slaves tending to the fields, but they had left a strong legacy behind, and look where the Bryant family was, now.

It was still good to give back. It was good to instil those values in Zara while she was so young. If she knew what the world truly was from a young age, Jace had prepared her for adulthood. His mother never hid the horrors of the world from him. How could she? She was a white woman raising a mixed race little boy, raising two daughters alongside him.

Jace's privilege hadn't saved him from staring down the barrel of a gun as a teenager more times than he could count. He was too black for the white kids, and too white for the black kids. He had persevered, though, and he stood here years later knowing he'd survived that.

Zara could survive that. He just prayed she didn't have to.

January, though, brought about a sense of freedom for Jace. He didn't have much work to do, most people having received boob jobs or nose jobs in time for Christmas cards to go out, and he didn't have any active long-term cases after he sent the last of the New Years Eve burns home two weeks into the month.

The end of January, the start of February, that was freedom. That was his ideal vacation time from work.

Zara still had school, but Jace made it a point to make these two months extra special because he knew how valuable their time together was when she was so little.

This year, Zara wanted to take a trip around the world.

Which, while an incredible idea, was not feasible with this short of a notice, no planning, nothing booked, and school and work to consider, too. So, they compromised for a few weeks in Europe in the summer and visiting restaurants that served foreign food so Zara could try their food and they could educate themselves on their cultures beforehand.

It was also a chance for them to be exposed to the different languages. All in all, it was great for Zara's development and her enjoyment.

Jace's relaxed working schedule meant he was down to three days a week if he scheduled his surgeries and did three full-ish days, which he did, and then he had two nights on call, but it was rare to be called in for plastics when they had a plastic surgeon already scheduled in.

That meant he had the day off, today, and tonight happened to be Brazilian night. Jace had booked them in at a Brazilian restaurant for six pm, which was early, but they were doing some event this month where you could get an eight course meal experience for three hours and, luckily, it was a Friday, so, Zara could stay up late.

Jace spent the morning in his home gym, spending time on his biceps and triceps before he plugged his headphones into his phone and tucked his phone in the inside pocket of his windbreaker, letting himself out of the house to go for a five mile run.

He was halfway through his run when his phone vibrated with a text. Jace slowed his pace gradually so he didn't cramp and ruin the rest of his run, then pulled his phone out to check.

Penelope:

Work is sooooo boring today. We don't even have a case so I'm just hiding in my bat cave

Jace:

Sounds sooooo boring :) Your bat cave sounds fun though

Penelope:

It is! To both!

How's work?

Jace:

I'm off today!

It's Brazilian night so I've spent the morning in the gym and I'm out for my run now

Penelope:

Trying not to think about your abs rn but sure

What's Brazilian night?

You can text me back after your run if that's easier! x

Jace laughed to himself, starting a call to Penelope and starting to jog again. She wasn't busy, so, it wasn't like she couldn't take his call. They quite often called to catch up if Jace was busy and couldn't physically text, like that time he was making dinner for Zara and Penelope had a plastic surgery question because of one of the reality tv shows she watched.

"Hi, pretty eyes."

"Hi, pretty girl," Jace laughed. "Brazilian night is an eight course meal experience at a Brazilian restaurant tonight."

"Zara's still hunkering down on that travelling the world thing, huh?" Penelope laughed.

"We compromised with a tour of Europe in the summer," Jace said. "I'm gonna have to pull some favours, but I know Dr. Bell wants two months off for his and his wife's fortieth wedding anniversary to take her on a cruise, so, he can cover for me and I'll cover for him."

"That sounds fun! For you and Dr. Bell and his wife," Penelope said. "I've never had Brazilian food. Isn't it kinda spicy?"

"I mean, probably?" Jace said. "I don't know. The only time I had Brazilian food was when I was black out drunk in college and one of the girls Nessa was friends with had a Brazilian boyfriend who made us all, like... Meat? I can't remember much from that night except I woke up with an inflatable pink flamingo in bed with me."

"That sounds like an incredible night," Penelope laughed. "It really does. I hope Brazilian night is just as fun!"

Jace's phone vibrated with a call and he slowed his pace, pulling out his phone.

"Hey, Pen, I gotta go. Zara's school is calling me," Jace said.

"Text me an update!" Penelope said.

Jace ended the call to Penelope, accepting the call to the school.

"Hello?" Jace said.

"Dr. Bryant?"

"This is he," Jace said.

"This is Angie in the nurses office. I've got Zara here. It seems we have a little case of the vomiting bug."

"I'll be there to pick her up as soon as possible. How is she?" Jace asked, turning to run home to grab the car, and maybe a shower first because he was concerned his sweaty smell might make Zara vomit again.

"She's lying down for some rest. She's got a bit of a fever but she's complaining she's cold, so, she might need to sweat it out of her. I'm getting some fluids back into her while we wait for you."

"Thank you, Angie. I'll be there soon," Jace said, ending the call.

He would definitely have to shower. Zara didn't get sick often, but it was bad when she did. Jace would also have to cancel Brazilian night. Zara was getting a beige diet until she could keep food down; saltines and ginger ale to settle her stomach, then dry toast and orange slices when she was hungry again.

Jace sighed. He would also not be taking Zara over to visit Ziggy tomorrow. Vomiting bugs could stay in the system for up to 48 hours and, honestly, the last thing that poor boy needed after enduring his trauma and surgeries last year was a vomiting bug on top of everything. He didn't even have both of his arms back to full motion. How would he be able to vomit alone if he was uncomfortable with Liv being there?

Jace shook it off for now. He'd text Liv, and Penelope, when he'd gotten Zara settled, and then he'd cancel the reservation to Brazilian night and find something for a later date.

•

•

Two hours later and things were...

Well, let's put it simply: Jace had been in the shower three times since his run because his daughter, god bless her, had a terrible terrible time when informing Jace she wasn't doing the best. His car would have to be, like, fully cleaned for the next year to remove the memory of that eventful drive home from his mind, but Zara was doing okay.

The kid was passed out on the sofa after a lukewarm bath and had a bucket next to her for if her terrible talking skills came into play again when she woke up. SVU Law and Order played on the television quietly, the only show Zara ever wanted to watch when she was sick.

Jace couldn't blame her. Olivia Benson could make anybody feel better by being the badass detective she was, and she was a healthy dose of feminism and girl power in media that Jace could get behind. Sure, the cases were... Disturbing, but Zara never actually paid much attention to what the cases were. She just loved staring at Olivia Benson and fan-girling over her.

(If Zara came out at all in the next twenty years of her life, Jace would not be surprised. The girl, much like her father, had a very healthy appreciation for hot women in uniform commanding the room. She also had a healthy appreciation for the guys in those romcom movies that, yeah, maybe weren't the best boyfriends, but they were very good to look at if you ignored the shit they spouted. What could Jace say? His kid was well cultured.)

Jace had cancelled their reservation for Brazilian night. The owner had answered the phone and was sweet enough to let Jace reschedule in a few weeks and waive the cancellation fee. Jace would just tip them double next time to make up for it, 'cause he did feel guilty about them waiving the cancellation fee, even if they were being incredibly kind by doing that.

He had also cancelled with Liv. She was more than understanding, and very thankful that he'd informed her because, as predicted, a vomiting bug was the last thing Liv wanted or needed in her house. Jace just laughed and text back that he'd let Ziggy know if Zara was up for playing on the nintendo things tomorrow.

That left Penelope to update. Jace had shot her a text explaining the situation and he still hadn't received a reply. He assumed that she'd gotten busy at work with a case, or something, so he answered a few texts in the Bryant family group chat from his sisters and father, then dozed off for a nap himself.

Jace woke up at six pm to his phone vibrating against his hip. He blinked wearily over at Zara, who was still sleeping soundly, and then answered the call without checking the caller ID.

"Hello?" Jace rasped.

There was a moment of silence. Jace pulled the phone back to check who was calling him.

"Penelope? You okay?" Jace asked.

"Sorry, yeah," Penelope said quickly, "No, yeah! I'm, I'm great! Fabulous, actually. Um, no, that's an exaggeration. I'm... I'm great! Back to great."

Jace laughed.

"You sound great. What's up?" Jace asked.

"Your just-woke-up voice is hot," Penelope blurted. "And where do you live?"

Jace almost choked on the air he was breathing.

"I- You think my voice is hot?" Jace asked.

"All the time, actually," Penelope said, "But this morning voice is hot. Is it a morning voice if it's six pm? Maybe your body thinks it's morning. I need to make a coffee run. So, your address?"

"I- That's... My..." Jace trailed off, trying to force his brain to wake up a bit faster.

"Daddy?" Zara mumbled from the couch. "Why are you blushing? Are the telemarketers manipulating you with compliments again?"

"They only manipulated me with compliments four times, honey, and no, it isn't even the telemarketers," Jace said. "It's Penelope."

Zara gave him a thumbs up before her snores echoed through the room again.

"You got manipulated by compliments from telemarketers? Four times?" Penelope asked.

"I mean, yeah, maybe?" Jace said. "Why do you want my address? Also, can't you just, like, stalk me in your FBI database?"

It wasn't a far fetched idea. JJ had confessed Penelope had stalked him online after the night in the bar, even if she was drunk when she did it. Or hungover. Jace couldn't remember specifically. It was a passing comment three months ago. Forgive him for that.

"Oh, honey, bless your heart," Penelope laughed. "It's a good thing you're pretty. And I could stalk you, but, apparently, that isn't the right way to go about doing nice things for people. I want to bring Zara a care package in for the next few days in quarantine! She absolutely needs some entertainment to keep her from dying from boredom."

Jace couldn't help the smile splitting across his face. Penelope was downright adorable.

"You know you don't have to do that," Jace said.

"Well, what kind of mermaid unicorn best friend would I be if I didn't?" Penelope said. "Don't break the mermaid unicorn best friends up, Jace."

Jace laughed.

"I won't. You still don't have to do it," Jace said.

"I know," Penelope said. "But I want to. Please?"

"I'll text you my address," Jace said. "Oh, and, Penelope?"

"Yeah?"

"Yes to the coffee run."

Penelope laughed.

"I'll be over with gifts and coffee soon. Thanks, pretty eyes!"

The call disconnected before Jace could reply. He texted Penelope his address, looking over at Zara again. She was already watching him, big eyes staring at him under her messy curls that had wriggled free of the bun she'd thrown it in earlier.

She was extremely head sore when she was sick. She also had refused to get her hair braided with Naya a few days ago, so, maybe she started feeling sick then and it had only now hit her. Either way, Jace needed to tie her hair back out of her face to prevent any incidents that meant he would have to wash it.

That would make Zara cry. She hated washing her hair when she was sick, and her hair took hours. It was not a good idea for either of them.

"You have a big fat crush on Penelope," Zara murmured. "Don't you?"

"I... Have a medium sized crush on Penelope?" Jace said slowly. "Maybe? I don't know. Would... Would that bother you? If I liked someone?"

"No. I have crushes, too. Olivia Benson, for one," Zara said, motioning at the TV screen. "She's just hot."

"She is," Jace agreed. "Good eye."

"Thank you," Zara smiled. "You could do worse, too. I like Penelope."

"Good, 'cause she's bringing you a mermaid unicorn best friend gift basket to cure you of your boredom while we're home sick," Jace said.

Zara's smile widened and she flopped back onto the pillows again, turning her eyes to the TV screen. Jace answered a few texts he'd missed while sleeping, then threw his phone to the side to watch the episode with her.

"Dad?"

"Zara-bear?"

"Why have you never been someone's boyfriend?" Zara asked. "Because of me?"

"No," Jace said honestly. "I've never felt like I could be someone's boyfriend. I worry about how it might impact your life if I date, and I worry about how to prioritise a relationship on top of our routines, too, and... I guess I worry a lot about people sticking around."

"Well, I don't care," Zara said. "If you date. As long as you're happy. And I will always tell you if I don't think they're good enough for you and if they're mean to me. But you won't know any of these things unless you try. I know... I know it's always been just me and you, really, but it doesn't always have to be. The right person will stick around. You just have to find them."

"That's very profound of you," Jace said.

"Thank you! I twisted it from an episode of some show aunt Naya was watching. I'm glad it worked," Zara said. "Back to your big fat crush on Penelope?"

"It's a big fat one," Jace admitted. "I don't know. It's... Grown up dating is complicated."

"It's not that complicated," Zara said. "Does she make you sparkle?"

"She... She makes me want to sparkle. And she always makes me laugh. And she's got the most fascinating perspectives for things that I wouldn't have considered. And she adores you. And her smile makes my stomach feel like the melted chocolate in grandpa's freshly baked cookies," Jace murmured.

"Newsflash, dad, that isn't a big fat crush," Zara said, looking over at him with a grin. "You like her! You want to be boyfriend girlfriend with her!"

"Aren't you sick?" Jace asked.

"I can still be excited," Zara said. "This is calm, for me."

"That's... true," Jace sighed.

"Does she want to be boyfriend girlfriend with you?" Zara asked.

"I have no idea, and you are not allowed to ask her, okay? Just because I will be open and share my feelings with you doesn't mean that other grown ups will. Especially not when romance and love are concerned. People can get awkward about it, and that's okay. You have to let them talk when they're ready," Jace said.

"I know, don't worry," Zara said. "But I do think she likes you. At least, she has'ta have a crush on you."

"I don't know," Jace sighed. "It's... It's a big thing to think about. It's a scary thing to think about."

"That's fair," Zara said. "I think a lot of things are scary."

"And that's okay. Being scared is a part of learning new things," Jace said.

"Dad?"

"Zara?"

"Are you scared to fall in love because I don't have a mom?"

Jace looked over at his daughter. She didn't meet his eyes, staring at Olivia Benson, but he knew she was waiting for an answer.

She knew she had a mother. She knew where she came from, who she came from. She knew she didn't have a mom, though. She knew her mother had given Jace full custody early on and that she'd been gone to the wind since before Zara was one.

(Thank you, universe, for allowing that sweet baby to have overheard a conversation between Nessa and Naya a few months ago that resulted in Jace having to explain a child friendly version of the breakdown of his marriage and his daughter's family.)

She didn't know the specifics. She had asked questions, he had answered, and she'd decided after a few days that she didn't really care. And, Jace had been worried, but even Zara's therapist had reassured Jace that Zara didn't really care. At least, she didn't care right now. It may change as she got older. Jace wouldn't blame her if it did. He'd answer her questions then, same as he always did.

"I'm scared to fall in love because I'm scared of being hurt," Jace said. "It's like that time you fell off your bike and you were too scared to get back on it for a while in case you hurt yourself again. I know what can happen, so, I avoid it in the hope that I'm not at risk."

"But I got back on the bike and I haven't fallen off in years," Zara said.

"You're a lot braver than me," Jace said.

"Riding a bike is a lot easier than falling in love," Zara corrected him.

"That, too," Jace said.

"I don't know," Zara said. "I got back on the bike because I knew you'd be there to catch me if I fell off it again. You caught me the first time. Barely. But you were always there to catch me afterwards. I felt brave because I knew you'd be there to make me feel better if I got scared again."

Zara shuffled across the couch to tuck herself into Jace's side. He wrapped his arms around her gently, kissing her warm forehead three times.

"You can be scared," Zara said quietly. "And you can be brave, too. I'll be here to make you feel better if you're still scared. And Penelope, or whoever you date one day, they can make you feel better if you're scared. Just... Just talk about it. It's a lot easier to not be scared when you don't feel alone."

"I'm very proud of you, you know that?" Jace said softly, looking down at her with tears in his eyes. "You're the best thing I've ever done in my life."

"I'm very proud of you," Zara smiled up at him, her little face pale with exhaustion. "I love you, dad."

"I love you more, baby."

•

•

Jace was unloading the dryer when the doorbell went. Zara sat on the couch, Law and Order still playing on the TV. Jace left the washing basket on the floor, hurrying to the front door and unlocking it.

"Hey!" Penelope grinned at him, arms laden with bags. "So, this is more of a bagsket than a basket, but I couldn't figure out the wrapping and I figured, well, she's sick, so, I doubt she wants to deal with the wrapping."

"Come on in," Jace chuckled, stepping aside for her. "And you're right. She hates wrapping. We argue about wrapping her presents every Christmas and birthday."

"Wait, what about santa?" Penelope asked.

"Santa still brings her presents, but I buy all the big presents. Santa does the stockings and three small presents; something to wear, something to read, something to do. It... It gets a bit sticky in school after Christmas when kids are talking about what santa brought them," Jace said.

"Doesn't she go to private school?" Penelope asked, following Jace into the house.

"Yeah," Jace said, closing the front door behind her. "But about half of the grade is there on scholarships and, last Christmas, some kid cried for a week because santa only got him a toy car and some other kid got a new private jet from santa. It was... It was this whole thing. There was a parent teacher conference, and everything."

"Oh, yeah, no, that sounds... Wow," Penelope blinked.

"It was a whole thing," Jace sighed. "You hungry or anything? Little miss is on a beige diet of crackers until we get to a few hours of being, uh, sick-free."

"I'm all good, but thank you! I also brought coffee. It's in... one of these bags," Penelope said, eyeing the bags on her arms.

"Oh, shit. Come and put them down. Zara's on the sofa. I'm just gonna grab the rest of the clothes from the dryer before the wash in the machine gets all weird smelling," Jace said.

"Oh, that's the worst," Penelope sighed. "Go do your washing. I'll go and find the coffee and shower little miss Zara with gifts!"

"You didn't have to bring so many, you know?" Jace said.

"I know," Penelope grinned. "But I get paid way too much money for sitting in my bat cave bored most of the time, and what better to spend it on than gifts that your kid will definitely let me play with too?"

"That's actually a good point," Jace said. "I'll be back in a few."

When he did come back, he couldn't help but chuckle. The bags had been emptied of gifts, but most of the items sat on the coffee table with the cups of coffee Penelope had brought in. Zara was sat beside Penelope on the couch, the two of them discussing Olivia Benson intensely, while Penelope painted Zara's nails a pretty green colour.

"Oh, that's a cute shade," Jace said, kissing Zara's head as he passed by the couch.

"I picked it 'cause it matches your eyes, dad!" Zara grinned, waving her finished hand at him. "It's cute!"

"It's adorable," Jace chuckled. "Maybe you can paint my nails, too?"

"I'd love to, but I'm sick," Zara sighed. "Remember? Penelope will have to help. You're not great at painting your own nails."

Penelope's eyes widened slightly and she looked at Zara, who gave her an innocent smile.

"It'll match his eyes," Zara said. "He'll look cute, too. More than usual. He's very pretty for a boy."

"He is," Penelope murmured. "I'll paint your nails, Jace. Let me finish Zara's first."

"That's great," Jace said, sitting on the couch beside Penelope. "What episode are we on?"

"Who cares? She's hot in every episode," Zara said.

"Agreed," Penelope sighed dreamily, looking over at the TV screen.

"Double agreed," Jace said.

"Oh, that's your coffee, by the way," Penelope said, nodding at one of the cups on the table. "Extra coffee shots."

Jace sighed, picking up the cup and sipping it.

"This is what wars are fought over. Thank you, Penelope," Jace sighed.

Penelope and Zara laughed, looking back at the nails Penelope was painting.

"And... All done! Let them dry, yeah?" Penelope said, putting the bottle down on the table.

"Thank you," Zara said, looking at her nails. "They're cute!"

"They are," Jace said. "They go nice with your eyes, baby."

"They're like a little piece of dad I have with me," Zara said. "I love them!"

"That's adorable," Penelope cooed. "You're a real daddy's girl, huh?"

"He's my best friend," Zara yawned. "He's so nice and pretty."

"Are you tired, honey?" Penelope asked, looking at Zara with a smile.

"Yeah," Zara murmured. "You can paint dad's nails. I'm just gonna rest my eyes like grandpa says when he's actually about to sneak a nap in after dinner."

Jace got up, helping her lie herself back down. He checked her temperature, humming to himself in satisfaction.

"Fever's breaking," Jace murmured. "You get some sleep, yeah? I'll be here when you wake up."

"Thank you for coming and bringing me presents, Penelope," Zara mumbled. "You're the best mermaid unicorn best friend ever."

"You're the best mermaid unicorn best friend ever," Penelope grinned. "Have a good sleep, bug."

"Thanks for looking after me, dad," Zara mumbled, closing her eyes.

"Anytime, Zara-bear," Jace murmured. "I love you."

"I love you."

Jace sat himself back down on the couch, checking the time on his phone before looking at Zara again.

"Is she due more medicine?" Penelope asked.

"No," Jace said. "I'm debating taking her to bed."

"Olivia Benson," Zara murmured.

"She can stay on the couch," Jace chuckled.

"Great! I can paint your nails, then!" Penelope said quietly, grabbing the nail varnish again. "Hands out, Dr. Bryant. Let me work my magic."

Jace rolled his eyes fondly, holding his hands out to Penelope. She hummed in approval as she grabbed his left hand gently in hers.

"Excellent cuticle care, and your skin is very soft!" Penelope praised.

"We go for manicures as a treat once a month," Jace said. "Surprisingly, I've come to love a manicure. I think I'm also constantly paranoid that scrubbing in for surgery is going to ruin my skin after a few years. We have to be rough to be sure we're clean."

"That sounds so dirty without context," Penelope giggled, starting to paint his nails. "But I get what you mean. I'd be worried, too. I could do with a manicure. It's been weeks since I've had a good one. What's your manicurist like?"

"It does," Jace chuckled in agreement. "And she's great, actually. I'll text you the address of the shop. She's always got room for walk-ins, too, except for Saturdays. They're busy days. Sundays, not as busy in the morning."

"She sounds great, then. I love shops that'll take a walk-in. I can't make appointments. I never know if I'm gonna get stuck on a case," Penelope said.

"You didn't get one today?" Jace asked.

"Well, technically yes, but technically no," Penelope said. "It's a twenty year cold case and the team are all on their way to meet Rossi and Lilah, so, I won't actually have to maybe do something until tomorrow."

Jace winced. He'd listened to Liv rant a lot about Derek Morgan's 'stupid fucking face' several times in the past few months. He knew exactly how Delilah and Morgan being together would go down: a fight, or someone being forced to leave by the other to prevent a fight.

"Yeah, I know," Penelope sighed. "I wouldn't have told the team if I knew she was with Dave. She could solve anything without our help, but I was worried about Rossi and it just... spiralled."

"Yeah, that sounds like how most things in the FBI go," Jace said. "Liv talks a lot. Emily is there when we call sometimes, so, I've been filled in."

"Things have been a mess since October. Lilah and Ziggy going missing, then me getting shot... It's just... I don't feel like our family is a family, anymore," Penelope said quietly, starting Jace's other hand.

"I'm sorry," Jace said softly, turning his hand in hers to hold it. "I really am."

"Thank you," Penelope whispered. "You have really soft hands. And your eyes do really match this shade of nail varnish when I look at them up close."

"Thank you," Jace chuckled, cheeks tinged pink as he ducked his eyes down at his nails. "You're good at painting them."

"Thank you," Penelope smiled.

She moved onto his right hand, taking her time to make sure she didn't mess up. Jace glanced over at Zara, counting the rise and fall of her chest in his head.

"She's okay, y'know?" Penelope said softly. "She's got her own doctor here to give her all the attention and love she could want."

"I know. I just worry constantly," Jace said, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "She's not a sickly kid. She prides herself on her healthy immune system and says it'll make her an excellent surgeon because she won't be calling in sick all the time. She's not wrong. She will make an excellent victim of capitalism, just like her dad."

"That's..." Penelope trailed off, blinking up at him through her eyelashes. "Why has you calling out capitalism made me like you more than anything else?"

"Because I'm not an ignorant rich man?" Jace suggested.

"It's definitely that," Penelope agreed. "But, even still, she is okay. You can absolutely worry. I'm worried. She's so little and being sick is the worst. It sucks. I do know that she has you. And, speaking from experience, Dr Bryant AKA pretty eyes is great company when you feel sick. He knows exactly how to put a smile on your face and make you feel cared about."

Jace's cheeks burned with how much he was blushing. Penelope grinned at him.

"She's also seven and kids get sick at school. Constantly. Even kids like Zara. She'll be back to normal in a few days, and it'll happen again sooner than you can imagine. It's called having children, Jace," Penelope said.

"That's true," Jace laughed. "I'm overthinking, I know. But, thank you. You're very good at pulling me back down to earth."

"I know," Penelope grinned. "It's a talent of mine."

"It's a great talent," Jace laughed.

"It's the best!" Penelope beamed. "You're all done!"

Jace lifted his hands, looking at his nails with a grin.

"I love them!" he said. "Oh, I'm gonna have to send a picture to the family group chat. My dad would kill for nails like this."

Penelope giggled.

"Your dad wears nail varnish?" Penelope asked. "And here I was thinking you were progressive."

"We are progressive, I guess," Jace said. "Growing up, my dad was the only man I knew who wasn't scared of embracing femininity. He taught me how to paint nails."

"It sounds like there's a story there," Penelope said softly, leaning back against the couch cushions. Jace mirrored her position.

"My mom couldn't paint her nails. Her mom did it for her when she was growing up and she was just useless at it. She was a cardiac surgeon. We used to laugh that she could operate on people's hearts, on tiny baby hearts smaller than the palm of your hand, but she couldn't paint her nails without screwing them up," Jace said.

"Painting your own nails is hard," Penelope laughed.

"She couldn't paint anyone's nails," Jace laughed. "But, uh, she moved out of her home state for college and medical school, and she never had her nails done because she couldn't do it herself and she felt weird about asking other people for it. She met my dad in medical school, first year human anatomy class, Monday morning at nine forty five am, on September first, nineteen seventy two. She didn't have her nails painted, and my dad noticed every single class they had together that her nails weren't done."

"The fact you know the exact time and date is adorable, oh my god, I adore your parents already," Penelope murmured. Jace grinned.

"He asked her out on a date eventually, in their third year of school after countless study sessions in the library together and sitting by each other in every shared class they had. And he asked her on the date about her nails. He wasn't being mean about it. He was wondering if it was because of how women in medicine already dealt with a lot of sexism and was concerned she was trying to make herself appear less feminine to make herself less of a target," Jace explained.

"Oh, that's terrible," Penelope whispered.

"She told dad the truth, she just couldn't paint them herself and she never wanted to ask. So, two weeks later, on their next date, dad planned a picnic in the park near campus and brought her favourite cassette tape so they could listen to music. He asked her if he could paint her nails for her. She thought he was kidding and agreed, but he painted them, and he painted them better than her momma ever did. Her words, not mine," Jace said.

Penelope giggled, nose scrunching adorably at the story.

"Turns out, dad went home to his momma after that conversation and asked her to teach him how to paint nails, 'cause grandma always had her nails done. She was confused, but she agreed and taught him. She asked him why he wanted to know, and he said he wanted to paint my mom's nails because she couldn't paint her own. My grandma gave my dad her mother's engagement ring that day and told him to hold onto her, because a woman that would make my dad do this after their first date was love he wouldn't find in another lifetime. She wasn't wrong," Jace said softly.

Penelope's smile was as soft as his voice, eyes squinted in the corner. Jace couldn't help but smile, too. He never got to talk about his parents with anyone except his dad or his sisters, or his daughter, but the grief was too much for the older ones and Zara had never met her grandmother, had no face to put to the stories he told.

Telling Penelope felt like breathing life back into his chest, warming the ache for his mother in his heart until it was just pride at having shared her memory with someone. He was a mama's boy unconditionally and, yeah, he was all grown and a big man now (her words, not his), but he was still her baby boy, just like Zara would always be his baby girl.

"My dad painted my mom's nails for the rest of her life. He would paint them once a week, then carry the colour with him for that week in case she chipped the polish and needed a touch up. He painted her nails before their wedding. He taught us kids how to paint nails. And I taught Zara last year. It's... I like being able to connect with my mom, even though it's been so long, now," Jace said.

"I think it's beautiful," Penelope murmured. "And I think that the love your parents had for each other is beautiful, too. Your grandma was right. That is the kind of love you won't find in another lifetime. I'm sorry she isn't here, anymore. I think she'd be really proud of the man you are, Jace."

Jace stared at her for a moment.

"Do you wanna go on a date with me?" Jace blurted out.

"I thought you didn't date," Penelope said.

"My grandma was right," Jace said. "I don't want to not take chances because I'm scared. Zara was right, too. I can be scared and brave at the same time."

"Then yeah," Penelope whispered, fighting the smile. "I'd love to go on a date with you."

"And Zara-" Jace started.

"Is part of the reason I like you so much," Penelope interrupted. "I know it's both of you or none of you. I'm here for her as much as you. Maybe more. She is my mermaid unicorn best friend, after all."

Jace rolled his eyes and laughed, shaking his head at her.

"You're a beautiful woman, Penelope Garcia. Please never let anybody dull your sparkle," Jace said.

"Well, aren't you adorable?" Penelope teased, though Jace could see how touched she was at his comment. "Thank you, pretty eyes."

"Anytime, pretty girl," Jace grinned.

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