Jace was eyeing her worriedly, obviously unsure how to interpret her silence. She met his gaze and opened her mouth. 'Jace, I–'

'Jace! Clary!'

Jonathan was waving at the newlyweds from the other side of the lawn, beckoning them over to join the two sets of parents that had come together for photographs of the family. For a mythical society where mundane technology supposedly didn't work, Shadowhunters were strangely addicted to pictures. Perhaps the perpetual fear of imminent death had something to do with the wish to keep records of faces, families and friends.

Clary's ruminations were cut short as she and Jace reached their parents. Celine Herondale had died giving birth to Jace, at which point his father Stephen had disappeared for years, leaving Jace in the care of Michael Wayland. Upon his return to Idris, the Mortal War had broken out, so Stephen joined Valentine in the struggle against Hodge Starkweather, despite only meeting his son a few days before. Michael and Stephen had fallen in the same battle, and as a tribute to his parabatai Michael, Robert Lightwood had taken Jace in at the age of ten. He and his wife Maryse already had three children, but the addition of Jace had merely added a new link to the Lightwood chain.

Maryse stepped forward to embrace Clary, as Robert looked on with a smile. The Inquisitor, despite being physically imposing, seemed to have an innate fear of publicly demonstrating affection – a trait he had passed on to Alec. As Maryse released Clary, her husband awkwardly stuck out his hand for her to shake. With an inward eyeroll, Clary grasped his hand and shook it.

'Welcome to the family, Clarissa. Clary.' He corrected himself as he caught sight of Jace's raised eyebrow. Although they had been a couple since they were sixteen, Robert's job meant he was often working when most Shadowhunters weren't, so he didn't know Clary well, despite her frequent visits to Lightwood Manor. Much of what he knew of his new daughter-in-law came from memories of Valentine, with whom he had worked closely before and during the Mortal War as heads of important Institutes – the Lightwoods leading the New York Conclave, and the Morgensterns temporarily at the head of the London Enclave. Calling her Clarissa was something he had picked up from her father, but Clary never corrected him – it was like having Valentine back, even just for a moment.

Clary stepped back, dropping his hand and tucking herself under Jace's arm. 'It's a good one to be a part of,' she said. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jonathan waving over other family members. 'Now I have another three siblings – although I'm not sure if that's a good thing yet. Isabelle really doesn't need another form of blackmail against me – the fact that she is now my sister just means she has more leverage to get me to do things that aren't necessarily my choice.'

'They may not always be your choice, but they're always what you need to do!' Isabelle appeared beside them, and taking Clary and Jace's hands, dragged them over to Alec and Simon, who were standing in a slightly awkward silence. They were good friends, but Alec's generally introverted nature combined with Simon's relationship with his sister meant it was rarely a good idea to leave the pair alone.

'Yeah, because learning how to fight a Rahab demon in six-inch heels and a minidress is definitely an essential skill.' Clary grinned at her friend, who smiled angelically.

'If I don't teach you how, what would happen if you were on a date and were attacked?'

'I'm not sure she would need to defend herself. I would save her heroically long before she had to do anything.' Jace took on a martyred air. 'But I would be tragically struck down while defending her honour, and would die an agonising death at the hands – well, talons – of the fearful beast. Clary would live on, torn apart by grief, but with a son with my eyes that she could take com- hey!' This last part was interrupted by Jace's cry of pain-slash-annoyance at Clary's sharp punch on his shoulder. He looked at her apologetically, but his expression turned from ashamed to puzzled as she avoided his eyes. 'Was I monologuing again? You probably did the right thing stopping me, I could have gone on for ages…' Jace broke off again. Turning to Isabelle, he said, 'Hey, Iz? Head over to Luke and ask if the cameras are ready? Oh, and you might want to take your brother and Lovelace with you, before things get really awkward with them.'

'Since when do you care about… Oh right.' Isabelle stopped herself, noticing Jace's pointed look. Turning to her brother and her boyfriend, she caught each of them by the hand and dragged them towards Luke as the boys shared an awkward, yet somehow relieved, glance.

Clary watched Izzy and her boys head over to her parents, then realised that Jace was just standing there, not saying anything but simply gazing at her intently.

'What?'

'You've been acting strange for days. What's the matter? Did I say something? Did someone else? Tell me, Fairchild – sorry, Herondale – and we can fix it. But if you want me to help, you need to tell me.' Jace's voice, which had started out worried, had made the transition to simply earnest as he surveyed his new wife.

'Nothing's wrong.' Clary forced herself to meet his eyes. 'Just nervous about the wedding, I guess.' Jace looked sceptical. 'What, like you've been a bridegroom before? Don't tell me you weren't nervous – Alec said you almost refused to go to your own bachelor party because you were worried you'd still be drunk today. And since that was two days ago, and since you can hold your alcohol like nobody's business, that didn't seem like a valid reason.'

He still didn't seem to believe her, but before he could go back on the offensive, Luke waved the couple over.

The photoshoot took forever. Everyone wanted a picture with the newlyweds. Which was fair enough on one level – the boy who had defeated Hodge Starkweather by sacrificing himself, and the girl who had brought him back with the help of the Angel Raziel. But at the same time, Clary couldn't cope with the constant attention, people watching her every move, able to see every tiny crack in her mask of composure. Jace knew something was wrong, and she knew she had to tell him… but not yet. She wasn't ready for that confrontation.