HAHAHA remember when I had said there would be a new chapter soon lololol that was eight months ago YIKES. I'm trash, sorry.

Anyway I hope this was worth it? Thanks to everyone who stuck with this story despite my inconsistent updates. I appreciate u

Also thank you as always to Mrs. Jace Wayland-Herondale who I'm sure nearly died of shock when I messaged her telling her that I had a new chapter for her. Thanks for being patient with me u real

I don't own tmi if I did I probably would've finished Lord of Shadows by now but alas I have not. (What's so crazy about this fic is I was talking about Lady Midnight at the beginning of it and now I'm finishing it with Lord of Shadows. Wild. Has it really been that long lol)


The last time Celine Herondale spoke to her husband before his violent murder, he had seemed nervous. Paranoid, even. Looking back, she was certain he had known it was coming. Intuition, she later reckoned.

When she had found him, he was face down on the wooden deck, his head and arms dangling off the edge.

Stephen had always been a large joker. He liked to freak his wife out sometimes, because he felt she worried too much. He also was the kind of person who could fall asleep anywhere. She supposed he was probably just giving her a hard time.

"Okay, very funny," she said, laughing forcefully. Stephen didn't move. "Come on, Stephen. It's time for breakfast. Jace will be up any moment. I know you wanted to spend some time with him before you left today."

Still nothing.

Maybe he had passed out from all the drinks he consumed last night?

"Stephen, come on. This isn't funny anymore."

Something was wrong, she realized with dread. Usually at this point, Stephen would have jumped up and laughed at her for overreacting, again.

But he didn't. He remained frightfully still.

Celine tapped his shoulder, checking for consciousness. "Stephen! Get up!"

No response.

Now fearing the worst, she slowly pulled him toward her.

He didn't fight her. He didn't do anything. He remained motionless.

As she pulled him towards her, his head slid onto the doc and Celine felt her heart stop. A part of Stephen's head was missing. Instead what remained was hideous, gaping bloody hole. With horror, she turned him over, hoping that this all just the works of very convincing looking prosthetic makeup.

A bullet hole, located perfectly between her husband's two eyebrows, greeted her, partnered with a pool of his blood.

Many would later describe hearing Celine's scream echo through the neighborhood.


"How's Izzy?" Jace asked without looking up from his Call of Duty game.

"I don't want to talk about it," Clary grumbled.

"She'll come around," Jace promised. "Did she lash out at you?"

Clary shrugged. "Kinda."

"She copes by treating people like shit. Don't think anything of it."

"Can I join?" Clary asked, gesturing to Jace's game.

Jace gasped. "My girlfriend is smart, smoking hot, AND likes Call of Duty? I think I hit the jackpot with this one, folks."

Clary grinned. Jace was plugging in the second game controller for the Xbox when there came a knock on the door.

Jace jumped up and jogged to it, opening it widely.

"Maryse?" he greeted in surprise.

"Jace," Maryse said warmly, her arms wide. Jace responded to her hug, and then turned to Clary.

"Maryse, you remember Clary, right?"

"Of course," Maryse said with a grin. "I always remember telling Valentine he needed to keep an eye on her because I knew she would be a beauty like her mother. I can now see her beauty exceeded the expectations. How are you, Clarissa?"

Clary smiled faintly. "I'm great, Mrs. Lightwood."

"Oh, please. Call me Maryse. Mrs. Lightwood makes me sound so old."

She turned to Jace. "Now how long have you two been together?"

Jace glanced at Clary with a panicked expression.

I forgot to tell him that everyone already knew, Clary realized.

"A few weeks," Clary replied for him. "Though we did date a little in the years before, but I'm not sure if you'll count middle school dating as real." She laughed lightly.

Jace gawked at her, but then nodded to Maryse.

"How wonderful. I'm happy for you two." Maryse smiled again, and Clary noticed something fake in her smile. Something was wrong.

"Jace," Maryse started. "May I speak with you alone?"

Jace raised his eyebrows. "I guess. Wanna talk in the kitchen?"

Maryse nodded. "That would be good, yes."

As the pair walked into Jace's kitchen, Maryse's eyes locked with Clary's. And in that moment, Clary knew that the news Maryse had could not possibly be good.


"When was the last time you heard from your mother, Jace?" Maryse asked after closing the kitchen door.

Jace shrugged. "I dunno. A few days ago? We text every so often. We Facetimed last week. Why?"

Maryse's face fell. "Your mother is dead, Jace."

"No she's not," Jace deadpanned.

Maryse sadly nodded. "Yes, she is. She committed suicide at your home in Brooklyn last night."

Jace shook his head violently. "No. My mother would never do that."

"It said in her file that she was clinically depressed?"

"Just because you're depressed doesn't mean you're suicidal," Jace hissed. "She wasn't like that."

"I'm sorry, Jace. But she's gone. And since I am not only a family friend but your family lawyer, they felt it would be best that I share the news. We have a lot of responsibilities ahead of us. We have to plan and arrange her funeral, organize her stuff, sort out the inheritance."

Jace shook his head again. "She's not dead, dammit!"

Maryse sighed and put her face in her hands. "I saw her body, Jace."

Jace couldn't discuss the matter any longer. He exited the kitchen and ran toward the family dock that his father's body had been found at only 5 years before.

"What's wrong?" Clary asked Maryse in horror.

"Celine killed herself," Maryse sighed.

"Oh my God," Clary gasped, placing her hand in front of her mouth. "Poor Jace."

"Poor Celine," Maryse said quietly.


They all left Jace alone for a while. Clary had wanted to chase after him, but Maryse advised against it. They both knew that he needed time to think.

"I just hope he doesn't do anything stupid," Clary sighed.

"You seem to have a lot of faith in your boyfriend," Maryse commented.

"Oh you know what I mean."

Maryse nodded. "I do."

The others agreed. "He'll come around," Alec reasoned after Clary and Maryse had discussed the matter back at the Lightwood house. "He just needs to think. I don't think he'll do anything stupid, either. The worst he'll do is get drunk. And he's drunk half the time anyway."

Clary couldn't bear knowing Jace was alone however. After a rather somber lunch with the others, she snuck out to walk toward her family dock.

"I know where you're going," Izzy called out to her.

Clary froze. She slowly turned to Izzy.

Izzy sighed. "Look. I'm sorry for the crap I gave you earlier. Really, I am. The reason you left is none of my business. Maybe one day you'll feel safe enough to tell me about it. But you don't have to."

"Thank you, Izzy," Clary breathed, giving her friend a brief hug.

"What really matters is that you're here now."

Clary smiled and nodded. "I don't want him to think he's alone."

"He knows he isn't."

"I want to be there as soon as he wants to talk."

Izzy shrugged. "You are such a good human, Clary Fray. I hope you always will be."

Clary grinned. "Same with you, I suppose."

Clary slid outside and crossed from the Lightwood lawn into hers.

She found Jace lying face down on his dock.

"Jace!" she yelled out to him. "Jace!" She ran towards him, finding herself fearing the worst. Any other day she wouldn't have thought much of it. But given the circumstances...

He popped his head up, turned toward her.

"Jace," she said again concernedly. "What were you doing?"

"That was how my mother found him. My dad. Lying face down on our dock, his arms and head dangling over the edge. Sometimes I lie in that position to reflect upon what it must've been like."

Clary froze at the mention of Stephen. It's your fault he's dead. You could've done something. You could've warned someone. You're the reason Jace is like that.

"And my mother was never the same after. Less cheerful. More quiet. I can see why she slit her wrists, I just don't see how. My mom really wasn't that kind of person."

"Jace," Clary started.

"I know. There's something wrong with me. It's morbid. It's fucked up. I know."

"I wasn't going to say that. I just wanted to make sure you know that you don't have to keep these thoughts to yourself. I'm here to listen, and everyone else is too."

Jace, somewhat wobbly, stood up. He slowly sat down next to Clary and pulled her body towards hers. Clary snuggled into him.

"I just don't understand," Jace said again. "My mom hated the sight of blood."

Clary shrugged. "The mind can be a confusing place."

"I'm an orphan now," Jace said quietly. Clary was silent. She didn't know what to say.

"I don't know what to do," Jace said numbly.

"Celebrate their lives the best you can," Clary responded. "That's what you do."

"The five year anniversary for dad's death is within the next few weeks and I don't think I can deal with it on my own," Jace whispered hoarsely.

Clary was shocked at this brutal honestly that Jace was providing- he normally wasn't forthcoming on his fears, even to her.

"You won't be alone," Clary pressed. "You have Maryse. the Lightwood's. Jon. And me. You will not be alone. Never again."

For a long time, they stayed there in that same position, with Jace's face pressed into Clary's shoulder and Clary comforting him, silently crying plenty of tears of her own.


"Don't look at him weirdly," Alec muttered to Isabelle when they received a text from Clary saying that her and Jace were coming back to the house from the dock to have dinner with Maryse and the rest of the family.

"Of course not," Isabelle whispered back.

Maryse had kicked everyone out of the kitchen, and was furiously cooking up a little bit of everyone's favorites that evening. She had yet to mention that her personal stylist had been frozen on the couch as she walked into her home, knowing she had technically given him the weeks she was out of town off.

"Does she know about Magnus yet?" Isabelle asked him.

Alec shook his head. "I don't even think she noticed him. And if she did, then I guess that just means our relationship is out in the open now. No big deal."

"Aren't you worried that she'll fire him or something?"

Alec shrugged. "I'm trying to remain optimistic."

Isabelle slowly grinned. "Since when have you ever attempted to be optimistic?"

Alec smiled back. "I don't know. Maybe he has that effect on me."

The two were startled at the sound of the sliding glass door opening and closing, admitting Clary and Jace hand in hand.

"I'm so glad you guys don't have to hide from us anymore. You two are too cute," Izzy gushed.

"Thanks, Iz," Clary grinned.

"Jace, you will not believe what I found in the basement earlier," Alec started, pulling out the classic board game Monopoly. "Are you ready to ruin our friendship? I figured we could somehow turn into a drinking game of sorts."

Jace smiled slightly. "You can turn anything into a drinking game if you put your mind to it."

"I want to join," Izzy said immediately.

"Me too," Clary added.

They began to set up the game but soon Maryse was calling them all to dinner.

"Where did you even hide Magnus?" Izzy said Alec in a hushed whisper.

"In my room. He's just kinda hiding out in there for tonight. It's not like mom is going to find him there."

"Oh and he's hiding in your closet, too?"

Alec stayed silent.

"You've already come out to her and dad. And yeah, they were kind of dicks about it at first but it's been a while, hasn't it?"

Alec shrugged. "He's my first serious boyfriend, Iz. I don't know if they even took my coming out seriously. I think they had hoped I would grow out of it."

"That's stupid. You're a grown ass man."

Alec was silent as he ate his dinner.

"So, Clary, Jace. You said you two dated in middle school and have now gotten back together?" Maryse asked.

"Yes," Clary said with a smile. "We never told anyone, though I think some may have suspected." She nodded at Izzy.

Izzy laughed. "I tried going through Clary's phone for evidence and everything."

"I was very careful. I would always delete our texts," Clary grinned.

"Why didn't you want anyone to know?" Maryse asked with a smile.

Clary looked at Jace who had been staring at his plate. She grabbed his hand and stroked the back of it.

"I don't know. The thrill of it? I can't really remember now that I think of it."

"It was because our parents were business partners and we thought it would make it weird if they somehow found out," Jace finally spoke up. Clary felt herself grow cold, as it always did when Jace mentioned his father.

"Then why did you keep it a secret this time?" Izzy asked.

"Clary wanted to," Jace said with a shrug. The entire table turned towards her.

Clary shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. It all seems silly now."

I didn't want my father to kill him.

"Mother, I'm seeing someone," Alec abruptly stated.

Everyone stared at him.

"That's...nice, Alexander," Maryse said slowly. "Who?"

Alec mumbled something.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Maryse persisted.

"Your stylist, Magnus," Alec admitted.

There was a pause, and then Maryse laughed. "Oh, I already knew that."

"You did?" Alec asked.

"I noticed him sitting on the couch. Why else would he willingly stay here when he has penthouses in Paris, Rome, and Beijing?"

Alec shrugged.

"I was just waiting for you to tell me," Maryse smiled. "Magnus is wonderful, I adore him. You've made an excellent choice."

Alec exhaled loudly. "Thanks, Mom."

Once dinner was over, Alec went upstairs and came back down with Magnus. He greeted Maryse properly with several hugs and kisses, and the couple sat down with the others as they set up their game of Monopoly.

What resulted was a rowdy 5 hour game filled with laughter and shouting and slurred words and made up rules for when to drink. Clary went bankrupt almost immediately and contently watched as she rested her head on Jace's shoulder. Alec was next to go, and the last two hours of the game consisted of a vicious standoff with Isabelle and Jace, but it was all over once Jace achieved a monopoly over the railroad.

Magnus laughed at Alec when he lost and claimed that he would have done far better.

Once Jace emerged victorious he immediately fell asleep in Clary's lap, and she gently stroked his hair.

Alec smiled at them. "How is he?" he asked.

Clary shrugged. "He's alright, I suppose. Thank you for bringing out Monopoly, though. I think it helped distract him."

Alec nodded absently.

Before they could continue their conversation, Clary's phone beeped and she pulled it out to find a text from Jonathan.

Dad's home

Her heart sunk. Her father was the last person she wanted to see right now.

"What's wrong?" Alec asked, sensing her nervous energy.

"It's nothing," Clary shrugged, trying to diffuse the tension.

Where are you? He's looking for you

A knock at the door causes Clary to jump straight out of her seat, causing Jace's head to fall out of her lap and onto the ground. It would have possibly been humorous in another setting, but her fear of her father took priority in her mind at that present moment.

She considering hiding behind the couch. She considered jumping out a window. She even considered taking a knife from the kitchen and just stabbing herself right then and there so she wouldn't have to face her father.

But she did none of those things.

She stood tall as she watched Alec get up and walk toward the door.

She listened intently as he opened the door.

"Oh, hello Mr. Morgenstern," Alec said, sounded surprised.

"Hello, Alexander," Clary heard her father say. "My, it has been quite some time, hasn't it? You really shot up."

Alec laughed lightly. "I suppose I did. Come on in."

He led Valentine into the kitchen and flashed Clary a confused look. The terror she felt in her chest just grew more and more tumultuous.

"May I interest you in anything to drink?" Alec asked.

"No, that's quite alright," Valentine sighed. "Do you happen to know where my daughter is?"

"I'm here," Clary said, walking into the kitchen slowly.

"Ah, Clarissa, there you are," her father said with a tight smile. "I need you to come home right now. It's urgent." He glanced at Alec. "Family emergency."

"Yes, of course," Clary stuttered, refusing to look him in the eye because she knew that tone of voice her father was using. It was very similar tone to the voice he had used right before he attempted to drown her.

"Excellent," Valentine replied, crossing his arms behind his back. Without another retort, he turned toward the door and exited.

Clary began to follow but Alec grabbed her arm.

"Clary, he technically can't boss you around. You are an adult."

"Not until tomorrow I'm not," Clary responded.

Alec frowned. "I don't like this. Something about him just now...I can't quite put my finger on it but it was very unsettling."

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Alec. Really," Clary lied. "My dad just gets tense sometimes."

Alec slowly let go of Clary's arm and nodded. "If anything happens you know you can come over here."

"Thank you, Alec."


Valentine was waiting outside the door as Clary exited the Lightwood home.

"Some loyal friends you've found yourself here," Valentine commented.

"Yes, sir," Clary said with a nod.

When they reached the Morgenstern estate, Valentine began to walk toward backyard and toward the docks.

"Some wonderful friends. Do any of these friends include a certain Jonathan Herondale, by any chance?" Valentine asked, turning towards her slowly.

Clary felt her blood then to ice.

"I suppose," she answered blankly.

Valentine snorted. "You suppose." He shook his head. "You know, I have ears all around here. You should know by now that there is absolutely nothing you can keep from me. I know you are sleeping with him like the common whore you are."

Clary remained silent.

"When one is intimate with another, it's astonishing how quickly the secrets begin to come out. Pillow talk, you know." Valentine began fidgeting with his Morgenstern ring on his finger. He turned toward her.

"Celine Herondale confronted me a night or so ago. Telling me she knew of the circumstances of her husband's death and how she had proof of my involvement in it. She had to be taken care of, of course," Valentine said casually, as if he were discussing the specials of the day.

Clary swallowed hard. Jace was an orphan primarily because of her father. He killed both of Jace's parents. Her boyfriend was in agony because of the actions of her father. She resisted the urge to vomit.

"They said Celine killed herself. Slit her wrists."

"That's what we made it look like," Valentine rolled his eyes. "Please, Clary. My people aren't amateurs. And Celine was unstable. She probably would've done it herself eventually anyway. It was merciful. I've saved her from the years of paralyzing depression she would have faced had I not taken care of her. Your boyfriend should thank me."

With those words, something in Clary snapped.

"You sicken me," she told him. Valentine turned his head in fury.

"Do you think I give a damn about how you feel, Clarissa? This is your fault. If you hadn't told your boyfriend the truth about Stephen and he hadn't told his mommy then she wouldn't be dead now. Try to explain to your boyfriend how you both killed his mother."

Fury filled Clary. "I didn't tell Jace anything, I promise you. I have kept your secret close for years. I haven't told a soul."

Valentine casually pulled a gun out of dress pants, which had been shielded by his suit jacket. Clary froze, reminded of the time her father pressed a gun to her forehead five years before.

"I don't believe you. Happy Birthday, Clarissa."

And with that, her father pointed the gun to her chest and pulled the trigger.


Jace awoke face down on the ground. Besides a few spots in his vision and a brief period of dizziness, he felt generally okay. He sat up and looked around, finding Alec sitting across from him looking deeply troubled.

"Where's Clary?" he asked groggily.

"She went home with her father."

"He's in town?" Jace asked with surprise. "I didn't know that."

"Neither did Clary. I think he just got here."

"I guess it makes sense, with Clary's birthday being tomorrow and all."

Alec nodded slowly, his troubled expression not fading. "What has Clary told you about her dad?"

Jace frowned, trying to rack his brain.

"Not much," he said. "They just don't get along, like, at all. When we were younger they used to fight all the time. She would come over sometimes afterward to cool off. And then at the beginning of this summer I found her crying on her dock after his visit." Jace shook his head. "He seems like a huge dick."

"He had this crazed look in his eyes," Alec muttered. "I can't even describe it. But I feared for my own safety in that moment. And I feared for Clary's as well."

Jace sighed. "I need to make sure she's okay." He started to get up.

"It was clear that Valentine wanted to be alone with her," Alec stated.

"If you were worried for her safety, that's irrelevant."

As they began to argue, a gunshot echoed through the neighborhood. Jace's heart fell into his stomach.

"Oh my God," Alec whispered.

Together, they sprinted to the backyard, toward the sound of the gunshot.


Clary felt like she was on fire. She could feel her blood pooling out of her body. She could feel her pulse quickly weakening, and her breaths were already becoming more and more difficult.

This is the end, she had decided. Her panic subsided as she accepted her fate. Gone were her thoughts of her regrets and everything she had not yet accomplished. There was nothing she could do about it, now. The thought was kind of relieving. Clary already felt so much lighter.

"What the fuck is happening here!" Clary heard her brother exclaim. She also heard other footsteps running toward her, and a male voice desperately calling 911. The last thing she heard was more footsteps, running past her now, and several more gunshots. She flinched as each one sounded. She blacked out.


Clary later woke in a hospital bed, her hand being grasped by an exhausted looking Jace.

"Clary?" he asked with a hushed voice when he saw her eyelids begin to flutter. "NURSE!"

She later found out that, luckily, her father had never been the one to act upon the assassinations he had ordered. This was lucky because this meant his aim wasn't as great as his employees' were, and the bullet didn't hit her in a spot that would have killed her instantly.

She did however almost die from blood loss, despite Alec's every effort to stop the bleeding, and she fell into a coma for a few days.

The other gunshots she had heard as she was losing consciousness had been from when Jonathan and Jace attempted to charge Valentine and he had tried to fight back. Luckily, the two managed to dodge his bullets.

Jace was successfully able to tear the gun from Valentine's hands after a great struggle but soon after Valentine held his own son in a choke hold, forcing Jace to have to aim very carefully at Valentine's head, delivering the fatal blow.

"My father is dead?" Clary asked with a croak as the group gently broke the news to her with a social worker a few hours after she had awoken.

"Yes," Jace responded solemnly.

"Will you be okay?" she asked. "You won't get charged for murder, will you?"

Jace shrugged. "It was an act of self defense."

A tear fell down Clary's eye. Not of sadness, but of relief. Of gratitude. "Thank you," she whispered.

Her tormentor would gone, forever. She was free.


A few years later

Maintaining a long distance relationship in college was hard. So hard that Jace and Clary mutually decided to give up trying after six months.

They went through their college years trying not to think of each other, but they always were- especially during their nightmares of the events that had taken place the evening before Clary officially became a legal adult.

They still saw each other each summer, of course, but at a different lake. Jonathan and Clary sold the Morgenstern property at Rolling Morris and never looked back. Jace followed suit, along with the Lightwood's and Penhallow's.

Now they ruled a different community on a different lake in the state of New York, and they were perfectly content.

Each summer when they saw each other, it got less weird. As time went on, they grew comfortable with each other again. And once college ended, they spent a lot more time together. And fell in love all over again.

Alec and Magnus really kick started it with their wedding. Clary and Jace hooked up at the wedding after not having seen each other for at least a year and a half, and the rest was history. Simon and Izzy had hooked up at that wedding as well, and were also going strong.

A year later, Jace popped the question. And Clary said yes, of course.

One evening while relaxing in their new apartment, Clary rolled over towards Jace and made an interesting suggestion.

"I want to go back," she said.

"Go back where?" Jace asked distractedly as he continued to read his book.

"Rolling Morris."

Jace frowned and glanced at her. "Are you sure? Don't you worry it would be potentially triggering to you?"

Clary shrugged. "I need to face my fears eventually, don't I?"

That was how Clary, Jace, and Jonathan found themselves visiting Rolling Morris.

Or what remained of it. When they arrived, it was nothing but rubble and reconstruction.

"I guess no one wanted to buy the cursed property that was the sight of one murder and another attempted one," Jace mused.

The trio sat in the road and stared at their former vacation homes that used to be full of memories of joy but now were just full of ghosts.

"I have something to admit," Jonathan said after a great period of silence. Clary and Jace turned toward him in wonder.

"You said Dad shot you because he thought you told Celine about his...business, correct?"

Clary nodded. "Yes."

"But you hadn't told anyone?"

Clary shook her head. "No. Not a soul."

Jonathan sighed. "I was the one who told Celine about Dad's business. Dad introduced me to it when he had visited the month or so before. As if it was a business to be proud of. He had hoped I would inherit the business."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Clary asked, bewildered. "Why now?"

Jonathan shrugged. "I felt so fucking guilty. That bullet should've been mine. I was the one who had betrayed him or whatever. I don't know why he thought it was you."

"Probably because he was raging sexist who hated me and is hopefully burning in hell?" Clary suggested.

Jonathan laughed lightly. "Something like that, I guess."

Jace put his hand in hers in a comforting gesture. Clary reached down and kissed the knuckles of his hand.

"Well, I forgive you. It's all behind us now, just like this stupid lake will be when we get up. Come on, let's go." She stood up, dragging Jace up with her.

And with that, the three of them had turned away from the ghosts of their past. Hand in hand with Jace, Clary found herself finally at peace and eagerly awaiting the future her fiancé and brother and best friends would bring her rather than obsessing over her past. And that was the greatest victory over Valentine of all.


THE END

Well cool cool cool I finally finished this fic (I wasn't sure if I would finish it or die first if I'm being quite honest.)

Thank you for reading and joining me on this journey! I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review if it tickles your fancy. Reviews are wayyyy better than summer reading (which I have to get to now. Dammit.)

Also if you saw my error when I originally published this chapter please pretend you didn't see that it was a note from my beta I forgot to delete lol please forgive me it's 2 am

Till next time,

-hufflepuffamity