A/N: This update is later than I wanted so I'm really sorry about that!

I'd just like to thank every single one of you for the wonderful response I received last chapter! It was actually a really hard chapter to write and I was thrilled when I was notified about any new follows/favourites/reviews. :)

On the note of reviews, I'd like to single out chaewonielee for correctly noticing the time of death! This is discussed briefly over the course of this chapter but I'm glad someone picked up on it!

So today we enter the penultimate chapter of WoS. This is the first half of the epilogue and it examines the aftermath following Val's death and Valentine's arrest. The second half is a little more cheery, but I hope you enjoy this chapter!

(shameless self promo - I released a new fic recently called 'Happily Ever After?' and it would be lush if you'd like to check it out)

a few weeks later - 20th December

Parking the car with ease, Jace sat back and heaved a sigh, absorbing himself in the radio. Naturally, five days before Christmas meant every radio station was on Christmas lockdown; the song playing for his pleasure currently was Merry Christmas Everyone by Shakin' Stevens.

The Herondale household was far brighter this year with Stephen's return; Jace hadn't seen his mom so happy in ages and he greeted this new lease of life openly. Although she'd always been pleasantly optimistic and sunny, Celine had a new spring in her step. However, she certainly didn't have a spring in her step when she got a phone call from the hospital informing her that her son - her only child - had been shot.

Fortunately for Jace, he'd got lucky. A few days cooped up in hospital hadn't been ideal, but as far as he was concerned it was better than being six feet under.

Repressing the memory with a shudder, Jace lifted his arm to glance at his watch. 4:04. She's usually out by now. Probably talking things over.

As if she heard his thoughts, she suddenly appeared at the end of the concrete path, drawing her black parka tightly around her as she was almost knocked over by a gust of wind. Scarlet ringlets fluttered behind her in the breeze like a kite, tangling up into knots she'd have to yank out later.

Once she drew close enough, Jace leant over to open the passenger door for her, shivering a little himself until she got in and shut the door behind her. "Hey." she greeted him casually.

"Hiya, Little Red," Jace replied, turning the engine back on as he spoke. "Good time at therapy?"

Clary rolled her emerald eyes at him. "As much fun as I can have pouring every detail of my life out again." she snorted, putting her feet up on the dash and furiously texting.

Luke had been true to his word with the remaining Morgenstern children. He'd applied to be their legal guardian and within days of Val's death they'd moved into his house. He even paid for them to go to therapy to get extra support in the aftermath of their trauma; Jon had easily complied with his therapist and was on the road to recovery, but Clary was a little more tentative about opening up. Everything was still raw for her, so Jace ensured that he was equally supportive. After all, they were still dating.

Last Christmas by Wham soon filled the car, forcing a sigh out of Clary. "This will be the first proper Christmas we've had since Mom died, and Val won't even get to witness it."

Jace couldn't find the words to comfort her, so he decided to change the subject. "You still up for going to Alec's and Izzy's tomorrow?" he queried.

Every year for as long as Jace could remember, the Lightwoods held an annual Christmas get-together. Their friends would all come over and they'd give out Secret Santa presents with Christmas dinner, rounding off the evening with games. It was a bizarre affair, but it was one everyone looked forward to.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Clary answered, raising one eyebrow suspiciously. "I'm fine, Jace."

"If you insist."

The rest of the journey was painstakingly quiet. If anyone else had witnessed this, they would've assumed that the couple were strangers sitting next to each other on a bus. Neither even looked at the other.

"Thank you for picking me up." Clary mused after a long while, eyes still glued to her phone.

"I'd do anything for you." Jace vowed out loud, which in turn stifled a dry laugh from his red haired girlfriend. "Charming as ever, Herondale."

He turned to glance at her while stopping at a red light, furrowing his golden eyebrows disapprovingly. "Did something happen? You've been a little too bitter today." he exclaimed.

She wriggled uncomfortably in the seat, wrapping her arms around her skinny frame with a deep sigh. "Living my initial life was hard enough. Reliving it with a middle aged woman is getting beyond what I can deal with," Her eyes were brimming with sorrow that struck a chord with Jace. "I don't know how I can bounce back from this."

"You can and you will," Jace declared adamantly. "It might take a little time and perseverance, but one day it won't hurt as much anymore."

She sighed again. "We'll see about that."

Within a few minutes, they'd eventually reached the tidy red-brick street where the Morgensterns now resided with Luke. It was a little further from Idris Academy but also closer to Jace, so he wasn't too bothered. However, he was bothered by one thing. "Loving the inflatable Santa." he sniggered.

Clary let out a groan, dropping her head into her hands. "Don't even go there. Luke said it was a conversation piece, but if anything it's ruining my Christmas spirit." she explained.

The inflatable in question (who was probably a bit taller than Clary but her boyfriend wasn't willing to admit that out loud in case he lost a limb) and featured everybody's favourite Christmas figure, but Jace was convinced this 'jolly fellow' was out of a horror film. Initially he appeared pretty innocent - same red clothes, same curly white beard, same chubby tummy - yet the issue rested with his eyes. Rather than bearing kindness and joy, they struck fear and terror into children all over the world. They were the same red as his suit; he looked like a psychotic demon instead. Who even let this go on sale? Jace pondered.

Rather than staring at it any longer, the two teenagers left the car and made their way sharply indoors, relieved to escape the bitter cold and evil Santa. Clary rubbed her tiny pale hands together in an attempt to warm them, just as Luke appeared from the kitchen. Clad in a navy Christmas jumper with white reindeer flying across and a santa hat on his head, he was the epitome of 'Christmas Dad'. "Hey guys," he greeted them with a goofy wave. "We're Christmassing up in here so I hope you're prepared."

"I was born ready," Jace declared with a smirk, ignoring the eyeroll he received from Clary. "What's first?"

"Jon's currently sorting through tree decorations so you can probably start there," Luke offered. "After all, the tree is pretty crucial."

"I'm going to take a shower." Clary announced lamely, shouldering past them both and hurrying up the stairs. With her out of earshot, Luke turned to Jace with worried blue eyes. "Is she okay?" he asked timidly. "Did I say something?"

Jace's heart broke a bit at the older man's concern; he was truly trying his best with Clary, but that was sometimes like treading on eggshells. "She's struggling to come to terms with a real Christmas, especially as it's one without Val. You haven't done anything wrong, don't worry." he assured him.

Luke relaxed somewhat at his words, scratching the back of his neck. "She's a tough nut to crack and in turn she's a very hard girl, though I suppose she's had to be. I know she trusts me, but I don't know how long it'll take for her to fully recover." he admitted softly.

"I'll go talk to her," Jace decided, slipping his black coat off and hanging it on one of the metal hooks near the door. "I'll help Jon in a sec."

He bounded up the stairs effortlessly, trawling along the corridor until he stood outside Clary's closed door. Taking a deep breath, he rapped his knuckles on the wood a few times. "Can I come in?"

On hearing a weak "Yeah", he turned the knob and let himself in, closing the door tentatively behind him. The redhead was sprawled across her bed, her face in the pillow in a blatant attempt to block everyone out. Jace perched on the edge of it so his lower back was against her knees and cast his eyes around the room. Clary and Jon had returned to their old house a few days after their little sister's death and retrieved what possessions they had left; the fire had damaged a few things and some carried too bitter of memories. Naturally, Clary's walls were decked out in band posters, so much so that only a few inches of the pale yellow walls were visible; it was like she was trying to construct a portrait gallery. One wall, however, showcased her own art. She'd put work there she was particularly proud of, with most of it featuring her siblings. The whole wall radiated talent, but one in particular caught Jace's eye. He was among the selected few to be immortalized on her wall in watercolour and black ink, his trademark smirk captured perfectly as well as his other golden features. He found himself touched by the amount of effort and consideration his girlfriend had put into it. "I made the wall, I see."

He felt her stir beside him, hauling herself up to sit beside him with their legs touching. She had Penny in her hands, holding the penguin to her stomach. "Course you did." she replied quietly

"What's on your mind, Little Red?" Jace asked, turning to face her by pulling his legs up onto the bed. "You can talk to me about it."

Clary collapsed into him, her head falling into his lap as his fingers traced patterns onto her temples. "You're starting to sound like my therapist." she grumbled, forcing a snort out of Jace. "I'm much hotter." he insisted.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," She tightly squeezed her eyes shut as she contemplated what to say next. "I'm just having an off day. Don't worry about me."

Jace's eyes wandered over to her bedside cabinet. Two photographs sat on top of it in plain brown frames, both showing Clary at different ages. One was a family photo taken during a family vacation of some description at the beach, featuring a noticeably pregnant Jocelyn. He could now see where Clary and Valentina got their looks from; she shared her red curls and forest green eyes with her daughters. She stood barefoot in a white chiffon maxi dress with her hair tumbling down her back and her slim pale hands holding her bump. Thanks to her pregnant state, she was positively glowing and her smile reflected that. Beside her stood Valentine, offering the camera an uncharacteristic goofy grin - the picture had possibly been taken mid-laughter - and with an arm firmly around his wife. He was wearing a pastel green shirt with white shorts; it was difficult for Jace to imagine him in this way. In front of the couple stood their children, both of whom had their arms around their sibling like they were unwilling to let go. Jon was only in dark blue swimming trunks, his white hair dripping with sea water. A completely dry Clary in a pink t-shirt and denim shorts stuck her tongue out at the camera, her carroty curls held up in a high ponytail. Jace knew that she was ten when her mother was killed, so this was clearly a picture she'd valued over the years. Thank God the fire didn't touch this.

The other picture was more recent - a selfie taken by a possibly sixteen year old Clary in a field. She wore a bright smile similar to her mother's in the previous picture, as well as a Paramore t-shirt and her hair (now longer and slightly darker) hanging loose over her shoulders. Jon had definitely grown up since the earlier picture; he practically towered over his sister now and had become far more muscular, though his eyes remained the same iconic green. The new addition to the photos was a grinning Valentina sitting on her brother's shoulders securely. She was in a pale purple tank top decorated with glittery silver unicorns with white leggings. If anyone had seen this picture of the Morgenstern trio, they would've assumed that they were living their best lives.

Clary had finally clocked Jace's thoughts, for she cleared her throat. "Mom and Val died at the exact same time. They both went at eight forty-six pm." she murmured partially to herself.

Jace heaved her up easily and held her close, his chin resting on top of her head. "She's safe up there with your mom. I bet they're watching over you now," He inhaled her sweet vanilla scent before carrying on. "They loved you so much, Clary; I doubt they'd want you to mope around feeling sorry for yourself and shutting everyone out. Jon, Luke and I want nothing more in the world but your happiness. We want you to live."

"It's so hard..." She trailed off as Jace cradled her tighter. "Live. That's all you and I need to do, just live."

Suffice to say, he was rather taken off-guard when the petite redhead placed a kiss on his collarbone. It wasn't anything hot or heavy; it was merely a butterfly kiss that lingered on his skin long after she'd left, but it still caught him out. Rather than responding, he just held her tighter until she gently pushed him away. "I'm taking my shower. Jon will probably be wondering where you are."

"Looking good, boys!"

After spending far too much of their time rearranging and untangling, Jace and Jon had nearly completed the tree. Jace's perfectionism really came to light during this process, though Jon had politely accepted it. If anything, they'd bonded.

"We couldn't have done it without you, Luke." Jace told him, his voice dripping sarcasm.

"I can see why Clary complains about you," Luke said sweetly. "Anyway, I'm doing secret things for Santa so I'm a bit busy. You clearly are too; I'll leave you to it."

Once he was out of the room and therefore out of earshot, Jace turned to Jon and raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Secret things for Santa?" he echoed.

"Oh, he used to do that when we were little," Jon explained with a laugh. "Old habits die hard, I guess."

The two teenagers gazed upon the artificial tree for a while until Jace asked "Right, what are we putting on top of it? It's gotta be pretty show stopping to compete with the rest of the tree, so I think my face is the only obvious-"

"Could you put this up there?"

Both boys were taken aback by the sudden emergence of Clary, who had come down in grey sweatpants and a plain khaki hoodie with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She was cradling Penny in her arms which bewildered Jace. "Wait, what?"

"I just thought it would be a nice tribute," Clary mumbled softly, her eyes on the ground. "Val would've loved this."

"I think it's great," Jon assured her. "She can be the angel on top of the tree."

Holding her hands out, Jace gently took the cuddly penguin from Clary and fished some leftover grey thread that he'd used earlier to thread baubles. He made quick work of fashioning a tiny belt, making it loose enough to expand slightly but tight enough to not fall off. Eventually, the honour was left with the oldest Morgenstern to set Penny on top of the tree and leave her there, taking a step back to fully appreciate the tree. "What do you think?" he queried.

Clary smiled against the tears trickling down her cheeks. "Perfect."

Crazy to think my next update on this story will be my last!

In the meantime, I'd love to know what you thought about this chapter. :)