"I still can't believe they set their carriage on fire." Tessa sighed, twisting her pendant as Sophie loosened her corset. "I know that Gabriel's cruel, but they could've been hurt."
"Would serve them right, miss." Sophie said, uncharacteristically strict as she handed her friend her nightgown. "What he said was right unkind."
Tessa smiled, changing into her clothes and pulling her hair back as Sophie busied herself with the tea tray she'd brought to her friends room. "I'm just glad that everyone's alright. I wouldn't have wanted the Jace or the girls to have gotten hurt because-"
"They're all fine." Sophie insisted, banging the cup in its saucer and standing.
"Sophie?" Tessa asked, as her friend started to leave the room. She must've been angrier then she thought, Tessa realized. "Are you alright?"
Sophie relaxed, albeit slightly. "Yes, miss. I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
She had gotten to the door when Tessa's voice made her pause.
"She wants to draw you." Tessa admitted, her gray eyes bright. "Clary, you see. She'd an artist."
Sophie turned around, eyes wide. "She does?"
"She'd love to." Tessa promised, remembering the look of wonder in the red haired girls eyes. "You wouldn't have to if you didn't want to but I'm sure-"
"No, miss." Sophie whispered. "I would love to be drawn by her."
. . .
"It's useless." Charlotte sighed, leaning her head against the table with a sigh. "There's not enough time. It'll be impossible to find Mortmain and figure out why everyone appeared out of the blue and-"
"Charlotte? " Clary asked, standing in the doorway of the library. In the witchlight, her bright red hair blazed like copper, strangely similar like Henry's. "What are you doing in here?"
"Work, sadly." Charlotte admitted, raising her head. "Though I don't seem to be getting much done, I'm afraid."
"I'm sorry," Clary crept forward, her green eyes wide as she scanned over the hundreds of papers that littered Charlotte's desk. "Is there anything I can help you?"
"I don't think so, but thank you for offering." Charlotte smiled at the younger girl. "Why don't you sit? It be nice to talk to someone besides myself for a bit."
"Alright," Clary sat down in the plush leather seat that sat in front of the large desk and pulled her dressing robe, borrowed from Jessamine, closer. It was the same dark shade of green as wild moss and warm.
"Jessamine gave you that, didn't she?" Charlotte asked, nodding to the robe. When Clary nodded, Charlotte shook her head. "I should be guessed. That was mine, when I was young. I gave it to Jessamine when she'd first come here and complained about the cold. I should've known she wouldn't wear it."
"Charlotte," Clary asked, pulling her legs close to her body. "If you don't mind my asking, where are Jessamine's parents? And Will's and Jem's and Tessa's?"
"Oh," Charlotte's eyes dropped, wringing her hands together. "I'm afraid, we're all orphans here. Jessamine's died in a fire some years ago, and Jem's were lost in a demon attack. Tessa had lost hers in a carriage accident when she lived in New York and the aunt that raised her died quite suddenly so, we all live here."
"Oh, I didn't know." Clary whispered. "My mother...she told me that my father had died in a car crash when I was little but...well its complicated." Charlotte nodded in understand and Clary found herself smiling. "You remind me of her. My mother I mean."
Charlotte smiled. "Thank you. You remind me of, well myself. When I was your age. You have that fire in you."
Clary took a deep breath, ready to tell Charlotte everything. That she was a Fairchild too and that she could have gotten that fire from her, but Charlotte shook her head.
"I don't know how Will manages it." She wondered, with a sigh. "Knowing that you'll have children, that your children will have children, before you've even married."
Clary froze. "What do you mean?"
"I don't mean anything against Jace." Charlotte explained quickly. "I just don't think that I would be comfortable with it. Or well, it would drive me mad. The curiosity, wondering how my life would turn out and what would happen. I'd just, rather let it happen."
"Oh," Clary mumbled, and felt a weight lifted off her shoulders. All the stress hadn't exactly disappeared, but it had eased.
"It's late," Charlotte stood, wiping her hands on her dress. "You must be tired, I can have Sophie send up some tea for you to help you sleep if you'd like?"
Clary remembered the dark look Sophie had given her and shook her head. "No, it's fine. Thank you, though."
"It's no trouble." Charlotte promised with a warm smile. "You're a special girl, Clary. I don't know many people who would have jumped to save a girl she barely knew."
"Thank you," Clary stood, wiping her hands against the robe as she turned to go. However, she stopped at the doorway and turned, her hand against the grainy wood and smiled. "Charlotte?"
"Yes?" Charlotte asked, curiously.
"My mother would have loved to meet you." Clary said hurriedly. "And, I'm glad I have a chance to get to know you. I'm the lucky one."
Charlotte nodded. "Thank you. Oh, and Clary?"
"Yes?"
"You may want to wash your hair out with something stronger than lavender. It still smells faintly like smoke."
. . .
"So, that's how it happens then?" Magnus asked himself, staring into the familiar eyes of his future. "That's how all this nonsense will end?"
"That's it." Magnus nodded, yawning. "Quite spectacularly, if I do say so myself."
The Magnus of this era looked doubtful. "And they don't expect anything else? Their memories-"
"Completely unaltered." The older Magnus promised. "Everything, turns out fine. Don't worry about it."
"I don't have to worry," Magnus smirked. "I'm not the one dealing with a pack of demons, especially those nasty little-"
"Shh," Magnus stood, his eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"I…" Magnus shook his head running a hand through his spikey dark hair. "Nothing. I just thought I'd heard something. Or someone."
The younger Magnus shrugged, leaning back in the chair. "You know, from what I've seen, I'm going to enjoy my future with him."
Magnus smiled, bemused. "Trust me, you will. And he's going to drive you crazy too."