Clary set down her paintbrush, hearing a small cry come through the baby monitor. She washed the paint from her hands in the kitchen before entering the nursery and lifting Jonathan from the crib with quiet shushes.

"Did you have a good nap?" she asked, receiving a gurgle and gummy smile in response.

After changing and feeding him, she carried him back out to the living room with her. Setting him down on a blanket that was spread out on the carpet, she played with him for a while, her heart filling with his squealing laughter.

The past six months had past unbelievable fast, and she was amazed at how much Jonathan had already grown. It felt like just weeks ago that he was still that wrinkly newborn and not the chubby baby in front of her.

She couldn't believe she'd made him. There were nights she would stand at his crib, just staring at him and watching his small chest rise and fall as he breathed. Sometimes, she would go to bed terrified that she would wake up and it would all have been a dream. But every morning, she woke up and everything was so very real. A life she never thought she'd have, the exhaustion and elation included.

Between taking care of a new baby and planning her best friend's wedding, she'd been run ragged for a few months. Throw in the holidays that happened in between, and she still didn't know how she managed all of it. Things were finally beginning to slow down again, and she was grateful.

Izzy's and Simon's wedding had gone perfectly, and they were currently honeymooning in Barbados. Clary was adjusting to being responsible for a tiny human that needed constant attention and supervision, and she was getting her stay-at-home mom routine down. She'd taken over most of the household chores, but Imogen still came over to make dinner during the week to give her a reprieve. She planned on going back to school or starting work again once Jonathan was old enough for preschool. That was if there weren't any new additions to their family by then.

During the times the household tasks were complete and Jonathan was sleeping, she'd been able to work on her art. Jace's office had become a storage space for her new paintings since they didn't have any spare rooms and she needed somewhere to put them. She had been considering bringing up selling the penthouse and buying a real house. Not because she wanted an art room, even though she did, but they would need extra space if they were ever going to expand their family.

Clary picked CeeCee up from school in the afternoon, Jonathan strapped into his car seat. CeeCee was still getting used to not being the center of attention anymore, and there had been some more frequent tantrums since they brought the baby home. She was also upset that she couldn't play with him the way she had expected to yet. There were also times like now, though, when she could look in the rearview mirror and see CeeCee playing with his finger and toes and smiling at him.

When they got home, Clary set CeeCee up with a snack at the table and went to the couch to feed Jonathan again. As she was putting Jonathan down in his playpen so she could focus on helping CeeCee with her schoolwork, her phone rang in her pocket. She answered it without checking the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"I'm surprised you answered, princesa," Raphael's voice came through the speaker.

She felt every muscle in her body tighten as she turned away from Jonathan.

"How did you get this number?" After everything that happened, they had filed for, and been granted, a restraining order against him. She had also changed her number for good measure to keep him and anyone else from her past from getting in touch.

"I still have friends in high places, Clarissa. I might be locked up, but I'm not completely powerless."

"You're not supposed to contact me."

"I'm already in prison because of you. There's not much more for me to lose."

Her hand gripped the phone at his words. Friends in high places. Not much more to lose. Were there people in his pocket who could do more than track down a phone number? Was there more he was willing to do to get back at her?

She was about to ask what he wanted but looked down at the baby in the pen next to her. Jonathan was looking back up at her, his eyes, which had been turning to a green color like hers from their original grey, wide and innocent. She squared her shoulders with new determination.

"You're not the only one who knows people," she said, her voice low and threatening. "Don't you even think about contacting me again or prison will be the least of your fucking worries."

Hanging up, she turned her phone off and tossed it somewhere on the floor. It was an empty threat she made, and she knew that. All she could really do is let their lawyer and the police know he broke the order, and Raphael would probably end up with a slap on the wrists. But she refused to let him continue to toy around with her. She had more at stake than just herself now.

Imogen showed up while Clary was helping CeeCee with a book she was trying to read on her own. Jace came home shortly after, and CeeCee immediately abandoned the book, running toward her father.

"Daddy!" she shouted, throwing her arms around his legs.

Jonathan, who was in a highchair at the table with them, began to wiggle, trying to get to his dad. Clary picked him up and walked over to Jace. Jonathan reached out with his little fists, and Jace gladly took him, placing a kiss on Clary's head.

"I'll never get tired of being greeted like this," he sighed.

Clary snorted. "Just wait until that one hits twelve," she said, gesturing toward CeeCee.

"Well, at least I've still got a good five years or so. How was your day?"

"Fine," she shrugged.

He raised an eyebrow at her, hearing the underlying uneasiness in her voice. She mouthed the word later to him and he nodded. She wasn't going to hide anything from him, not after all the progress they'd made with their relationship, but there was no way she was bringing up Raphael until after the kids were asleep.

Jace played with Jonathan for a little bit after dinner until it was time to bathe him and put him to bed. Clary took care of the feeding and diaper change again, while Jace tucked him and sang a lullaby. They then watched some television with CeeCee. The time between Jonathan's bed time and hers was always dedicated to giving her a chance to spend some time alone with just them, no baby interrupting.

After they tucked CeeCee in, they retired to their own room.

"Are you going to tell me what happened today?" Jace asked as he smoothly ran a razor through the shaving cream on his neck.

Clary spit out the toothpaste in her mouth, rinsing out her brush. "Raphael called me."

His hand jerked and he hissed out a curse as he nicked himself with the razor. "How did he manage that? He's not supposed to be allowed to call you. The prison has your new number to make sure, and he shouldn't even have it to begin with."

She shrugged, washing her hands. "Said he still knows people. Guess he had someone track it down for him. Probably wasn't that hard."

He wiped down his face and met her eyes in the mirror. "What did he want?"

"I didn't ask."

"So you didn't talk to him?"

"Not exactly." She relayed their brief conversation to him.

He sighed, the corners of his mouth turning down. "We'll have to file a report tomorrow, you know."

She shook her head. "I don't want to. Can't we just let this go?" She was afraid a report might piss him off more and cause him to retaliate in a bigger way.

"We need to, Clare. If, God forbid, something does happen because of him, there has to be a trail. This will also have the right people keeping a closer eye on him. I don't know who he has in his pocket, but I'm sure it won't be hard to find out."

She sighed, gripping the counter. He was right. "Okay," she conceded.

Jace moved behind her, placing his hands on either side of hers and pressing into her back. "I love knowing you stood up for yourself, for our family, like that," he murmured, kissing the side of her neck.

She let her head drop back against his chest. "Yeah?"

"Mhm. Very mama bear of you," He nipped at her skin. "Very sexy."

She turned in his arms and pulled him down for a kiss. "Before Jonathan inevitably wakes up?"

He nodded eagerly, easily picking her up and carrying her to bed.

"How would you feel about going on a date on Saturday?" Jace asked, not looking up from the Sunday paper.

Clary paused, a spoonful of mashed bananas she was trying to feed Jonathan frozen in midair. "A date?"

"Yes." He set down the paper. "It's what two people who are in a relationship go on when they would like to spend some time together. Also a dried fruit."

"I know what a date is, asshole."

"Hey. No cussing in front of the baby."

She rolled her eyes. "He doesn't know what I'm saying."

"For now. Watch, one of his first words is going to a curse. Anyway, date? I know I haven't been around much lately, but I'd like to do something to make up for it."

It was true. For the past few weeks he had been working longer hours, coming home late, taking phone calls on the weekends. She tried not to let it bother her, especially when his excuse was always "It's work stuff" with no further elaboration. But it had started to put a little bit of a strain on them.

"I don't know." She went back to trying to get Jonathan to eat the bananas. "Who will watch the kids?"

Once Jace was granted full custody of CeeCee, they'd lost a babysitter in her grandparents. They'd let Kalie around CeeCee one night without Jace's permission and he couldn't trust them anymore. Plus, they couldn't ask them to watch Jonathan, who wasn't related to them in any way. They're friends and even Imogen had watched the kids a few times when they had things during the day that they couldn't bring children to, but never at night.

"I already asked Maryse. She's going to take them over night."

"We haven't left Jonathan alone with anyone for more than a few hours."

"And it's been seven months, Clare. You can't always keep him attached to you. An overnight sitter has to happen at some point, and if anyone is qualified to do it, it's Maryse."

She chewed on her cheek before letting in. "Okay. I guess we can go out."

"Way to sound excited."

"Sorry. Let me try again. Why yes, Mr. Herondale. I would be absolutely honored and thrilled to accompany you for the evening this upcoming Saturday."

"Better." He stood and dropped a kiss on her cheek. "I'm going to go get changed and we can take the kids to the park."

"What do you think about buying a house?" Clary asked, her eyes trained on CeeCee as she ran around the playground with a new friend. It was a bigger conversation to have than going on a date, but she figured it was as good a day as any to bring it up.

Jace didn't falter as he bounced Jonathan on his lap. "A house?"

The side of Clary's mouth lifted up as he walked into his own trap. "Yeah. It's a building that people live in. Usually comes with a yard. No doorman. No upstairs or downstairs neighbors."

He quickly covered Jonathan's ears to throw a smartass in her direction. "You want to buy a house? Do you not like the apartment anymore?"

"I mean, I don't dislike it. But it has some bad memories." She swallowed. "It's where CeeCee was taken, and there are some nights I can't help but see that replaying in my mind when I get up to get water or something. And there's good memories, too, but what if we found somewhere new to create even more great memories? It would be nice to raise CeeCee and Jonathan outside the city. And if we have more kids, we'll obviously need more space. And having a yard for them to play in. And maybe get a dog or a—"

Jace reached over and covered her mouth with one of his hands. "Slow down, Clare," he laughed. "Do you really want more kids?"

She nodded, and he removed his hand so she could speak. "Yeah. I do. We need to get CeeCee that sister she wants," she said with a soft smile. "Unless you don't?"

"No. I would like at least another one. However many you'll give me."

"Let's wait until we see how the next one goes before thinking of more. Maybe we can try sometime after Jonathan turns two?" Hopefully they'd be married by then, and she could give Jace the planned, post-marriage baby he wanted.

"I think that sounds perfect. And it gives us plenty of time to find a house."

"Really? We can get a house?"

"You were right. We'll need at least one more room if we're having another kid. We could also look into getting you a room to use as a studio."

"Don't forget about a big yard," she said. "I want them to be able to play outside whenever they want. A nice porch, too. One of the wrap-around ones, you know?"

"Whatever you want, baby. We can meet with a realtor and work on finding you your dream home."

"I want you to like it too, though."

"As long as I get to come home to you every day, I know I'll love it."

Clary moved around Maryse's house, double checking that everything was baby proofed as she gave a detailed rundown on Jonathan's routine. As she was going over what to do if he woke up in the night, Maryse politely cut her off.

"Honey," she said gently. "I know you're nervous, but I had two babies of my own. I think I can handle everything."

Clary blew out a breath. "Sorry. I just—We've never left him over night before. I know you're more than capable, but…" She trailed off with a shrug.

"Like I said, I 've been there before. The first time we left Alec over night, I was a mess. I didn't even make it the whole night before going back to get him. The first time is always hard, but it'll get easier. I don't want you to worry. He's in very good hands, and I could use some baby time before I get grandbabies of my own. Focus on having a good time with your man."

She nodded, running her hands down the front of her black dress. "Do I look okay?" Jace hadn't told her where they were going, only that she should dress up for the occasion.

"You look beautiful. Now go have fun."

Clary said goodnight to CeeCee, who was happily coloring, and kissed Jonathan's head, being careful not wake him up. She met Jace back outside, where Luke had a town car waiting for them. Jace pulled her close once they were inside.

"He's going to be fine," he said into her hair.

"I know," she sighed. "I'll try not to let my worrying ruin our night."

He hummed. "I think you'll be a little too preoccupied to worry much."

"Are you finally going to tell me what your plans are?"

"Not a chance. You'll just have to be patient."

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, causing him to chuckle and kiss her temple.

They ended up going to a small French restaurant for dinner, but the kind where the menu was in English and they actually listed the prices. He said it was to remind her of their time in Paris, when they very likely conceived their son.

Their meal didn't take long, and she tried not to be disappointed as they headed back to the car. Was that the whole date? It had barely been over an hour, and there was no reason to have someone keep CeeCee and Jonathan over night for that.

The car started going in the opposite direction of home, though. She gave Jace a questioning look, but he smirked and zipped his lips. She started to recognize the route they were taking, and her curiosity only grew more.

They pulled up in front of the mall as she suspected, and her brow furrowed. It was well past closing, but there were still lights on inside and quite a few cars in the lot.

"What are we doing here?"

He grinned at her. "It's a surprise, as I've told you multiple times, Clare. I'm not ruining it now that we're this far."

He climbed out and came around to her side, opening the door and offering his hand. They walked through the unlocked doors of the mall, and she could begin to hear faint classical music playing from somewhere.

They stopped outside of what used to be Magnus's store. All the shelves and fixtures were gone, and the space had been turned into some kind of event or reception. People milled about in suits and cocktail dresses and waiters carried trays of champagne and hors d'oeuvres. Tall tables covered in clothes were scattered around and people stood at them chatting.

"What is this?" she asked as they stepped inside.

"An art show."

"Oh? Who's the—"

She stopped, her eyes landing on a familiar paining of the New York skyline.

"You didn't," she breathed, bringing a hand to her throat.

"Oh, but I did," he said.

She slowly walked around the room, Jace following behind, and looked at the pieces covering the walls. Each and every one was something she had created. There were rough sketches and polished ones in black wood frames. Canvases she had pained since meeting Jace were also present, including her Christmas present to him from the previous year.

It was like looking at her life on the walls. There were pictures of CeeCee and Jonathan and Jace. Even one of her mother and another of Izzy and Simon. There were also a few of strangers that she made while people watching, like the couple in the coffee shop.

After circling the room, she went back to stand in front of the skyline painting. It was the first painting of hers that Jace had seen, and the one that made him push her to continue pursuing art. That had been the first moment she really felt their relationship shifting.

He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Your work is as breathtaking as you are, and it's time other people saw it."

She leaned back into his chest, her hands wrapping around his forearms. "How did you do all this?"

"The paintings were easy. You were already keeping them in my office, so I had easy access. The sketches I had to sneak from your books and hope you didn't notice. I tried to take ones from farther back. As for setting up the event, I had a little help from someone familiar with the space and a knowledge of art."

She turned her head to look at him, and he tilted his own head in toward one of the walls with a smile. She followed his gesture and saw Magnus standing there with a glass of champagne and talking to a woman she didn't recognize.

Jace released her and she made her way over to her former boss. Magnus smiled as she approached and put an arm around her shoulders. "There's the woman of the hour. Camille, this is Clarissa Fray. Clary, this is Camille Belcourt, a dear friend of mine."

"Nice to meet you," Clary said, reach out to shake her hand.

"You are quite talented, Miss Fray."

"You can call me Clary."

"Well, Clary, I must go mingle, but I do hope to see more work from you in the future." She handed Clary a business card. "Magnus, dear, I will find you again later."

Clary looked at the card, her eyes widening when she realized Camille owned an art gallery well known for hosting up and coming artists. She tucked the card away in her clutch for safekeeping.

"You helped Jace pull this off?" she asked Magnus.

"All I did was tell him where to hang the pieces and who to invite. Everything else was him. Quite a catch you've got there."

She couldn't help the dopey grin that took over her face. "Yeah. He's pretty great."

"You better hold on to that one."

She met Jace's across the room, and he shot her a wink. "Don't worry. I'm planning on it."

She spent some time catching up with Magnus. Since closing the store, he had also dedicated more time to his work and was doing freelance design on the side for income. She gave him some updates about her life and proudly showed him pictures of Jonathan. He never brought up the Raphael/Valentine debacle, even though she knew he had to be curious, and she didn't offer any information.

Magnus took her to meet important people he knew, who in turn introduced her to people they knew. Everyone had something positive to say about her work, and she collected more cards. Some were from gallery owners, other from people who were interested in possible commissions. She felt bad for not having a card of her own to offer.

She felt like she was floating by the time Jace met up with her again as the evening started to wind down. She pulled him in for a chaste kiss and smiled at him. "Thank you for all of this. It was absolutely incredible. I'm sorry we didn't get to spend more time together."

"Don't worry about it, Clare. This night was all about you."

"I loved it. Is this what kept you busy so lately?"

"Yeah. I know I was kind of short by saying it was work stuff, but I had to keep it a secret."

"What would you have done if I didn't agree to go on this date?"

"I would have been screwed, but I had a feeling I could convince you." He ran a hand through his hair, his demeanor shifting to a more nervous one. "Take a walk with me?"

She nodded despite her confusion. Take a walk where?

He grabbed her hand and led her through the mall. It was eerie at night with most of the lights off and all the store fronts having their metal gates down. They were silent as they walked, and Clary found her confusion fading into nerves. Jace led her down a corridor and let go of her hand. She looked around, realizing they were outside of the security office.

She turned to ask him why they were there, but the words stuck in her throat and her hands flew to her mouth.

Jace was behind her on one knee, a black velvet box in his hands.

"This is where we first met. You were returning the most important thing in the world to me, and I had no idea how important you would end up becoming yourself. I didn't know I would fall head over heels in love with you. I didn't know you would end up being an amazing mother to my daughter. I didn't know you would gift me with a son. I didn't know there would be a day where I couldn't imagine a future without you in it. That's why, in the spot where we first laid eyes on each other, not knowing our paths would cross again in such a life altering way, I want to ask you, Clarissa Adele Fray, to marry me." He opened the box to reveal the ring. The thin silver band held a solitary diamond she knew was small by his standards but perfect by hers.

She nodded her head frantically, tears streaming down her face. "Nothing would make me happier."

He stood and took her left hand. She could feel the slight tremor to his hands as he removed her promise ring and replaced it with the new one.

As soon as it was on her finger, she grabbed his face and brought it down for a kiss that left them both breathless.

"I love you, Jace Herondale."

"And I love you, soon-to-be Mrs. Herondale."

"Take me home."

"But the art show isn't—"

She cut him off with another kiss, gently biting his bottom lip. "The kids are with Maryse. The apartment's empty. Take. Me. Home."

"I'll have someone else close it down," he said, taking the hint.

He grabbed her hand once more, and she couldn't stop the giggles that escaped her as they all but ran out of the mall and toward their future.

Thank you to everyone who stuck with this story despite my terrible updating inconsistencies. It's been a great ride and I'm glad to know so many of you enjoyed it. I have a few story ideas floating around in my head, but will definitely try to write them out more in advance so I don't leave you with months in between chapters. I'll hopefully see you next time.