The Last Hours

1: Cordelia

I gazed out of my bedroom window. In the distance, I could see the beautiful Eiffel Tower. It was lit up since it was in the evening, and it looked magnificent. It had almost been a year since the New Yorker's had left. In that time, my family and I had moved here to Paris to look after the Institute for the year.

I hadn't wanted to go. I couldn't bear leaving Lucie, and not seeing James or Matthew. Lucie had come and stayed with us for a few weeks, a couple months ago. She was coming again today, and I was patiently waiting for her. As for James, well there is not much to say.

I haven't spoken to him properly, since the New Yorker's left. I had tried several times to write a letter to him, but I could never think of the right things to say. On the day I left for Paris we had said a brief goodbye, but he could barely look me in the eyes.

In the first few months, I yearned to see his face everyday, but now I didn't think of him much. I wondered if he had gotten over Grace yet. Speaking of Grace, there had been no word about if Tatiana had succeeded in her plan to bring Jesse back to life. Still, Lucie talked about it all the time.

There was then a knock at my door. Alastair walked through, with Lucie following behind him.

"Lucie!" I exclaimed excitedly as I got up and hugged her.

"Cordy!" She exclaimed back, and hugged me tightly.

Over Lucie's shoulder, I saw Alastair gawking at us oddly. I glared at him, and he smirked at me and then he left. Alastair and I hadn't gotten along any better, but he still taught at the academy in Idris so I didn't see him much.

"How have you been?" I asked her excitedly, as we took a seat on my bed.

"I've been good. I finished writing all of the books about my mother." Lucie said excitedly.

"What did you name them?" I asked.

"The Infernal Devices. Since my mother had described the automatons like that, I thought it would only be fitting." She explained.

"Congratulations Luce." I said with a wide smile. "Anyways, how's everyone else?"

"They're all well. Except James, no surprise. There's always something wrong with him." Lucie muttered.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked.

"No ones knows, except for Matthew of course. He's been very miserable these past few months." She explained.

"How awful." I said with a frown.

"It is. Aunt Cecily and father think that it's because you left." Lucie said.

"Really?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes, though James will not say anything to anybody about it, except for Matthew." She said bitterly.

"Has there been any news about Tatiana?" I asked.

"None." Lucie replied. "But my mother and father are acting very strange."

"How?"

"Well, they haven't been letting Jamie and I out after dark, not that we have anywhere to go, of course. But the other day I wanted to go visit Anna Lightwood-my cousin-at her flat, and my father had insisted that he escort me there." She said. "It was quite strange."

"It seems like I've been missing quite a lot." I said.

"Yes, you have been. When are you coming back, again?" Lucie asked.

"Next week." I said with a smile.

"Thank the angel, things have been dreadful without you." She said, and I laughed.

"Jamie told me something quite interesting, a few weeks ago." Lucie said.

"What was it is?" I asked, intrigued.

"He let it slip that he had a bit of a crush on Scarlett, when they were all here." She said with a smirk.

"I will miss Scarlett's nightly visits." James had said to me, the day that they all had left. I felt sick to my stomach just thinking about it. How I had wanted to be Scarlett then, but not anymore.

"Yes, he implied something like to me before." I muttered.

"What did he say?" Lucie said surprised.

I waved it off, not feeling like elaborating. "Oh you know, just Jamie's usual nonsense."

Lucie then gave me a sneaky look. "So how is Harry?"

I blushed. Harry Townsend was boy I had been seeing, ever since we had moved here to Paris. He made me forget about James, and I loved him. In a month, his family and him are going to move to London as well.

"He's well." I blushed furiously.

"Oh he's more then well. You've fallen in love with him, haven't you?" Lucie teased.

"I think I might have." I said quietly.

"Really!" She exclaimed.

I laughed. "Yes. Do stop being so loud about it, though."

"I cannot wait till you come back to London!" She said happily.

"Me too, I'm yearning to see everyone again. I've missed Matthew." I said.

"Not James?" Lucie asked.

"Of course I've missed him, as well." I said.

"Do you still love him?" She asked, quietly.

"I-I don't think so." I stuttered a bit.

Lucie raised her eyebrow, and I sighed.

"I don't know Luce, I hope that I don't love him though." I said honestly.

"Why?" She asked

"Well, I'm seeing Harry now and James doesn't even fancy me back." I said.

"Cordy, I think he does." Lucie said softly.

I waved it off. "He doesn't, Lucie. I am sure of it."

She just shook her head, and I decided to change the subject.

"So what about you? Do you fancy someone?" I asked with a smirk.

"No I do not." Lucie said.

"Do you remember when you used to fancy Matthew, when we had been thirteen." I asked, with a laugh.

Lucie reddened, and I laughed harder. She had never told anyone that except me. Lucie had been very caught up on Matthew, though he had never liked he back. I think he saw her as more of a sister than a person to fancy. In time, Lucie learned to love him as a brother.

"Let's not talk about that." She said.

She then started to laugh and so did I. I realized how much I had missed Lucie, while I had been away.