Epilogue

Here is the final chapter of this story. I would like to thank all of you readers for sticking with me, even when I wasn't able to update regularly, and I hope you enjoyed it.

"Jonathan Christopher, no running in the house." Clary yelled at the blonde streak that disappeared around the corner with a little red head close behind. There was a crashing sound and Clary sighed as she put down her paint brush.

"Jonathan Herondale, what in the Angel's name did you break this time?" Clary made her way to the office where the crash had emanated. As if sensing her presence, Jonathan spun around real quick and faced her, his hands behind his back and an innocent look on his face. Scanning the room Clary didn't notice anything out of place, but Clary could just make out the skirts of Celine's dress from under the desk.

"Celine, honey, come out."

After a few seconds a headful of red hair peaked over the desk and Clary locked her eyes on the golden ones that were so much like her husbands. Those golden eyes glanced at Jonathan and then back to Clary. Celine stood up and walked over to Clary.

"I swear I didn't do anything wrong, Mom." Jonathan stated. Clary looked back at her son, who was an exact replica of his father only with her green eyes.

"Then what, pray tell, was the crashing sound I heard?" Clary put her hands on her hips and gave her twelve year old son a stern look.

Jonathan gulped a little and then glanced behind him. After shooting a glance as Celine, he stepped to the side and hung his head a little. When he moved Clary saw the remnants of a vase shattered on the desk and floor.

"I swear it was an accident!" Jonathan exclaimed. "I bumped into the desk and it fell before I could catch it."

Clary watched her son carefully and then looked down at her daughter and then back at her son. Sighing, Clary closed her eyes for a second.

"Fine, you're not in trouble this time, but I do expect you to clean up this mess before your father gets home." Clary said.

"Yes, Mom." Jonathan nodded.

Clary nodded and then looked down at Celine. "As for you, young lady, I do believe it was time you picked up your studies."

"Yes, Mama." Celine said softly and then made her way off to go to her room, glancing back over her shoulder a couple times as she did.

Looking at Jonathan, Clary was about to say something else to him when a knock sounded from the front door. After shooting Jonathan a warning look Clary left the office. Opening the front door, Clary saw a delivery boy.

"Mrs. Herondale." The boy said politely as he offered her a letter. "I was asked to deliver this."

"Thank you," Clary replied and gave the boy a couple of silver coins. Shutting the door, Clary broke the seal and opened the letter. She frowned a little as she scanned it quickly while making her way back to the office to make sure Jonathan was cleaning up the vase.

"What's wrong?"

Clary looked up and saw that Jonathan had a somewhat troubled look on his face as he studied his mother's face.

"Your father got tied up in the city and won't be back until tomorrow night at the earliest." Clary replied, more than a little frustrated.

A frown covered Jonathan's face. "But, he was supposed to be back tonight."

"I know." Clary said softly. She sat the letter down on the desk and walked over to her son. "How about I finish this up and you go train a little."

"But you told me to clean it up."

"It's alright. You are almost finished anyways." Clary smiled a little.

Jonathan nodded his blond head and left. Clary closed the office door behind him and walked back over to the desk where she sunk down into the chair. Laying the note on the desk she sighed a little. Jace had been called on to discuss government things and Clary hadn't wanted travel with the kids since it had been storming really badly the night he left two weeks ago. At first it had only supposed to be for a few days, but a few days turned into a week and a week turned into two. Clary understood that what he was doing was important and that the other Shadowhunters respected her husband, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't frustrated. Their children missed their father and Jace was had been called away a lot lately, more than in the past.

Trying to calm her thoughts a little, Clary laid her head down on the cool wood of the desk. She hadn't even realized she had fallen asleep until she felt someone shaking her shoulder and calling her name gently. Groaning a little, Clary sat up and rubbed her eyes a little. The soft voice called her name again and Clary turned her head and looked up at the man beside her, dressed in Shadowhunter black.

The moment her eyes settled on him she squealed, jumped up from her seat, and threw her arms around his neck. Clary breathed in his scent and nuzzled her head in the crook of his neck. She could feel the rumble in his chest at he chuckled a little. Pulling back just enough to look up at him, she smiled.

"I missed you too."

"Jace." Clary said, looking up at her husband with pure adoration. "I thought you weren't going to make it home tonight."

"I didn't think I was either, but we finished up on things a little sooner than we thought we would and I came home as quick as I could."

"What took you guys so long to discuss?" Clary asked.

Jace's eyes darkened a little for a second but it quickly passed. He then looked down at his wife as if he was searching for something.

"They were discussing a number of things really, but the priority of the meeting was about rather to leave Sebastian in his cell or to execute him."

Clary's eyes widened for a moment. She hadn't thought about that man in nearly fifteen years and she instantly brought her hand to her stomach.

"And the decision?"

"We are at a standstill and have decided to break from the sentencing for a short time." Jace replied, looking a little worried down at his wife. "You know he can't hurt you. He's locked away in the Silent City and only a select few of the Silent Brothers know where. There is no way for Sebastian to escape or even contact anyone, if there remained someone for him to contact."

Clary raised her right hand and rested it gently on her husband's cheek. "I know, but anything that has to deal with that man makes my skin crawl."

This was only a half truth. Anything that contained revolved around Sebastian Verlac did make Clary's skin crawl, but there was also the constant worry that if Sebastian ever were to get out or even learn that Clary had a family with Jace Sebastian would do everything in his power to take it all away from her. She knew that deep down this would never happen and that when she did let the worry make its presence known in her mind it was silly, but Clary also knew that Sebastian would always see her as something that belonged to him.

"So, how did your day go?" Jace asked.

Clary sighed a little, she was glad Jace had changed the subject. "Your son still hasn't learned how to not run through the house."

"Why is it whenever he does something wrong or gets into any kind of trouble he is my son and when he does something good or excels in something he's your son?" Jace asked with mocked hurt in his voice. Clary just gave him a pointed look.

"Alright," Jace held his hands up in mock surrender, "point taken. But I still don't see how it's fair."

"Well, our son has also taken the responsibility for taking the blame for his sister as well." Clary shook her head.

"What do you mean?" Jace quirked an eyebrow at Clary

"I mean, I heard a crash in your study and when I went to see what had happened Jonathan said he broke the vase that had been on your desk by accident, but Celine and him kept exchanging looks and he didn't even complain when I punished him."

Jace nodded his head. "He's a good boy, but I'll talk to him."

"No, don't." Clary said, putting a hand on Jace's shoulder. "At least not until it gets out of hand, for now it's just trivial things. In fact, I think it's sweet that he's willing to protect Celine."

Jace looked down at Clary for a few seconds but finally nodded. "Fine, but I'm still going to talk to him. Tell him that while it is his duty to watch out for his sister there are some lessons Celine will have to learn on her own."

"Alright."

"Now," Jace smiled and placed his hand on Clary's stomach, "how is the youngest Herondale getting along?"

Clary smiled up at her husband. "Just fine, the little rascal is learning how to kick though."

"Really?" Jace's face lit up and Clary couldn't help but look up at her husband with adoration. He was always so thoughtful and concerned about the baby when Clary was pregnant. It was sweet, to see her husband show such a soft side.

"Mama!" Celine's voice carried from somewhere else in the house.

Clary detached herself from her husband and went in search of her daughter. She found Celine at the bottom of the stairs with her tiny arms wrapped around her body. Clary glanced at the clock that was a few feet away from the stairs and saw that it was nearly three in the morning.

"Celine, honey, what's wrong?" Clary knelt in front of her daughter and pulled her into her arms.

"I had another nightmare." Celine whimpered a little.

"It's alright, Mama's with you and I think I know just what will make you feel better."

"What?" Celine asked quietly, looking up at Clary with her wide golden eyes.

"Your daddy." Jace said, kneeling beside Clary.

"Daddy!" Celine squealed and lunged her small body at her father, who took her into his strong arms and stood up.

"Mom?" Jonathan appeared at the head of the stairs, rubbing his eyes. "Did Celine have another bad dream?" Jonathan opened his eyes and when they landed on Jace they widened a little and then his legs were flying down the stairs.

"Dad!" Jonathan cried as he slung his arms around his father's waste. "We missed you."

Jace chuckled a little and ruffled his son's hair a little. "I missed all of you as well; it's so good to be home."

Clary stood back a little and just looked at her family. Nearly fifteen years ago she would never have thought that things would have ended up as well as they had. She had a husbanded that adored her and was kind and understanding and two beautiful children with a third on the way. The road had been easy, but in the end Clary wouldn't have wanted things any different than they were right now. And Clary was never going to let anything happen to her family. Not even Sebastian was going to ruin her family if he ever got the chance.

"Hun?" Jace said as he looked up at her. Clary smiled a little and walked towards Jace and put her arm around his waist. Her husband wrapped his arms around her shoulder and looked down at his children who were firing questions at him. After a few more minutes of that Clary interrupted them.

"Alright, I think it's time you two went back up to bed. Your father isn't going anywhere and you guys can see him as soon as you get up."

The kids started to protest a little but Jace stepped in immediately. Removing his arm from around Clary, Jace patted Jon's shoulder and told him Clary was right. Jace then followed his son upstairs as he carried Celine in his arms, who was slowly going back to sleep.

Later, after the kids had been put back to bed and everything in the house was taken care of the two went to their own room.

"I missed you so much." Clary said as she wrapped her arms tightly around her husband's body and breathed in his scent.

"Missed you too, you and the children, more than you know."

Clary looked up at her husband. "I love you."

Jace smirked a little, not the arrogant smirk he had used so much during his youth but a slightly more grown up, understanding smirk. It wasn't cocky or flippant, but full of knowing. "I love you, too."

"No, I mean." Clary shook her head. "I love you and our life together. Yes the road at the beginning wasn't the smoothest, but I would never change that. I wouldn't change anything because in the end our love carried us through the worst year of our lives. And nothing will ever part me from you."

Jace's face was more solemn now as he looked down at his wife and his eyes turned soft and adoring, a trait Clary had come to love and cherish.

"Same here," Jace said, leaning his forehead down to Clary's, not taking his eyes of hers. "You know, we started out like a Shakespeare play, and if I was Romeo than means you were my Juliet. Only, we had a much better love story than they did."

"Yes, yes we did. Ours didn't end before there was a chance of a happy ending." Clary smiled, amused at her husband's analogy. "Sometimes I wonder how we were blessed to have each other in the end. So many things could have gone wrong, so many things did, and yet we are together. Forever and always."

"The answer is simple." Jace whispered.

"Really?"

"Because it is our love story."

And that's the end. I hope you enjoyed it and if you haven't read some of my other stories I encourage you to check them out. I will admit some are a lot better than others, but hey, not every idea comes out perfect.

Also, for those of you who just can't stand not having more I have a proposal: Since there wasn't very much Jace throughout different sections of this story I have decided that if there is a particular scene you would like me to write in Jace's perspective I will try my best to do so, so just message me or leave a comment to let me know!