After all of the hype had died down, and everyone had come over to shake Simon's hand and congratulate him, the Shadowhunters started to spill out of the doors of the Council room and eventually it was only the New York lot left behind. The vibe in the air was such a fantastic, positive vibe that it was hard to believe that all of them had nearly died less than a year ago.

"Right!" shouted Luke, "We'd best get going and get ready for the party!"

"Party?" Simon said, sounding confused.

"Yes, the party," Luke replied. "The party to celebrate your Ascension."

"I thought Shadowhunters didn't bother having a party after an Ascension anymore?" Alec said.

"Well, they do now. Simon is the first to Ascend. The great and mighty Simon Fairchild, the vampire saviour of the Nephilim. Now that's something worth partying for," Luke said with a teasing laugh, "Come on everyone, let's get going."

Luke started to round everyone up and herded them out of the doors, leaving only Simon and Jocelyn behind. When the doors had shut, Jocelyn turned to face Simon. Her smile was such a wonderful thing to see, after so much hurt she'd been through, and it made Simon smile back at her. She took one of his hands in hers, and rested her other hand on top of it.

"Simon Fairchild, hm?" she said, "Why? Why did you choose Fairchild?"

Simon looked at her, and he saw nothing but love in her eyes. "Because...because... I guess it's because out of all the memories that have been returning to me, nearly all of them are of you and Clary. A lot of my memories from the Shadow World have been coming back to me as I've been studying, and I can remember a lot of what's happened to us all, but I look at you and I know, I can feel, that I've known you my whole life. I know that when I wasn't at home with my mom, I was at your home with you and Clary, and Luke."

"I know that you were just a big a part of my upbringing as my mom was, and you didn't shut me out and declare me legally dead when I became a vampire. Even with missing memories, and vague recollections of some memories, whenever I look at you, I can feel that you've always been there for me. I can feel it in my heart." He looked down. He could feel the heat in his cheeks and knew that he was blushing. He wasn't used to being sentimental, especially towards Jocelyn.

"Is that the only reason?" Jocelyn said. Her voice was sweet. It was always sweet. So soothing, so caring, a voice that could make anyone feel at ease. He knew that Clary had gotten that from her, because it certainly wasn't from Valentine.

Simon looked up again. "Clary... Clary is the sister Rebecca should have been. I'm not saying Rebecca is a bad sister, because she wasn't, and I love her a lot, she just...she's never been Clary. And I thought, well, maybe, seeing as I no longer have a mom, and Clary is already basically my sister, that you could...Well, what I'm trying to say is..." He took another deep breath. He'd done that a lot today. "What I'm trying to say it that I hoped you could be my mom from now on. So I chose Fairchild, hoping that you would take me in, and I could carry on your name, now that you're a Garroway."

Jocelyn stood still, looking in to Simon's eyes as if she was trying to read them, to see whether he was telling the truth or just joking. He had always been a bit of a joker, with a wonderful sense of humour, but there was no humour in his eyes. He was deadly serious. She felt as though her heart had just swollen, and her throat was being constricted. She felt the longing - that horrible, painful, excrutiating longing - of always wanting a son, and then she felt the pain of losing her son, again, as soon as she had gotten him back. But now, now she was gaining a new son, one she had got to see grow up. One that she already loved unconditionally, It suddenly all became too much and she fell to the floor, crying her eyes and heart out.

Simon was mortified, but he knelt down beside her and wrapped his arms around her. She cried, and cried, and cried. It was a weird cry, Simon thought, like a mixture of grief and happiness. He cradled her and let her cry until she finally stopped. She looked up at him, and he wiped away the tears from under her eyes and all down her cheeks. "Yes, Simon. Yes. I will be your mother. I will be your mother. I will be your mother..." She repeated it softly and quietly, her head rested against his chest. His chest, with the beating heart.

"Thank you," he managed to whisper. Tears filled his eyes, and when he blinked, one slid down his face, "Thank you, mom."