And here it is, the promised epilogue. I've had so much fun writing this fic and I'm kinda sad that this is the end!

~~~Epilogue~~~

"Are you ready, Clary?" Alec called from the car outside.

Clary picked up her bag from beside her bed - a proper bed, not a mattress on the floor. She'd been sharing a room with Isabelle for almost a month now, and she still couldn't quite believe how different life was.

"Coming!" Clary yelled, hurrying down the hallway to the front door.

Simon appeared from nowhere - he'd been over at the Lightwood's house a lot lately, much to Clary's delight. "Good luck, Clary!" he said, giving her a bear hug.

"It's just an art class, Simon." Clary said, grinning as she stepped past him to open the door.

"An art class you've been dreaming about forever." Simon told her. "At Idris Academy."

Clary felt a slight flutter of nerves. "I know."

"You'll smash them, Clare." Isabelle announced, appearing suddenly. "Have you got your supplies?"

Clary opened her bag to show. "My sketchbook, pencils…"

Isabelle swiped the pack of watercolours from Clary's bag and stared at it. "Oh, no, Clary. You are not going with these."

Okay, so Clary had owned those pencils since she was a toddler. Yes - half of them were barely taller than her fingers and extremely blunt, and yes, maybe the pack was half falling apart, but still.

Clary opened her mouth, but Isabelle was determined. "No way. I am coming with you, and we are going to get new pencils right now."

It was hard to argue with Isabelle when she had made up her mind about something. Clary meekly followed her to the car.

"Wait for me!" came Jace's voice, and he ran down the drive a moment later, diving into the passenger seat next to Alec, who was driving.

"Why are you coming?" Isabelle said exasperatedly.

"It's my girlfriends first art course - of course I'm coming." Jace said. He met Clary's eyes in the re-view mirror and grinned. "Also, I was hoping we'd be stopping for coffee on the way."

Clary leaned forward and shoved him, but she was smiling.

Alec drove them to the weird art and books shop, and Clary clambered out with her friends.

A bell tinkled when they entered the shop, and Clary looked over to see the same strange woman from before, standing behind the counter. There was really no doubt about it - the woman looked almost exactly like Clary. Red hair, green eyes, pale skin dusted with freckles.

It was… uncanny.

Clary tore her eyes away and went over to the watercolours section, hands running over the pencils in search of a pack like her own.

"What about this one, Clary?" Jace asked, holding up a set of pencils.

Clary opened her mouth - but was cut off by a strange gasping noise. She, Jace, Alec and Isabelle turned round to see the woman behind the counter staring at her, eyes wide. "Clary?"

"Have we… met?" Clary asked hesitantly.

The woman stepped out from behind the counter. She was tall, slim and graceful, almost like a dancer. Her hands were shaking. "Clarissa Adele Fray?"

Clary, Jace, Alec and Isabelle stared at the woman. She stared back, but only at Clary.

"How do you know my name?" Clary asked, starting to get freaked out.

Then she noticed that the woman had tears in her green eyes - eyes exactly like Clary's own. "Because… I named you, Clary."

Clary stared. "You're my… my - "

"I'm your mother." the woman said softly - a single tear escaping down her face. She wiped it away with a forced laugh. "This is really crazy…"

"Yeah, it is." Clary said curtly, backing away. Camille had told her that her mother wasn't dead - but Clary had believed the lie for so long that she still hadn't wrapped her head round it, that her mother was out there somewhere. She'd been trying not to think about it, actually.

Camille's words flickered in Clary's mind about her mother. She abandoned you. She hated you.

Jocelyn Fray - Clary's actual mother - stepped forwards slightly, her arms opening almost like she was asking for a hug. "Clary? I know it's a lot to take in, but…"

Clary felt Jace's hand on her arm. He gave her a worried look, but she shook her head. This was something Clary had to handle on her own.

"Why did you leave me with dad?" Clary asked, almost sharply.

Jocelyn shook her head violently. "Clary, baby, I didn't leave you!" She stepped forwards again. Clary stepped back.

"Your father and I split up when you were a year old." Jocelyn said, voice earnest and desperate. "You were my baby - I fought with everything I had to keep you, but your father obviously couldn't bear me owning anything that he thought was rightfully his. So he ran off with you, and that awful Camille woman, leaving me desperately searching for you."

Clary blinked. Jocelyn looked so earnest, so vulnerable…

"Please believe me, Clary." Her mother didn't bother to wipe away a second tear, or a third. "I've been searching for you all these years, but your father completely disappeared - changing his address, number, everything."

"He did that for Camille, too." Clary said quietly. "Left her almost as soon as he could - and dumped me with her."

Jocelyn put a hand to her mouth. "Clary, nothing I say will ever make up for this, but - "

"It's not your fault." Clary told her.

And it wasn't. As Clary looked at her mother, she felt no resentment, no hurt or anger. This woman didn't feel like family exactly, but Clary knew somehow that she would, if they both tried. Clary imagined them catching up for dinners, Clary working with her mother in this shop, Clary moving in with her.

Jocelyn was biting her lip - exactly what Clary did when she was nervous. Clary took in the paint splatters on her mother's shirt, the pencil sticking out of her hair.

My mother. My mother. My mother.

And then Clary was running forward, stumbling slightly over her own feet, and then they were hugging each other so tightly Clary could barely draw breath, and Jocelyn was crying into her hair, and Clary breathed in her mother's scent of paint and roses - just like she remembered.

Her knees gave out, and they both sunk until they were kneeling together on the shop floor, neither of them letting go.

Clary could see Jace, Alec Isabelle standing together over her shoulder, smiling at her. She smiled back, and said, "I might have to miss my art class today, guys."

Her mother laughed, and as they stood up together, their shadows merged and blended on the shop floor into one person. You couldn't tell where Clary's mother ended and where she began.

If Clary was going to paint this scene, she thought, she would line the room in gold.

The colour of happy endings.

*dramatic closing scene music* THE END! Hope you guys enjoyed and please leave a review! Oh, and bonus content below (I was bored, okay?).

~Bonus Content~

(sorry I just couldn't resist guys)

Below is the record of an exclusive interview with the cast of 'Just Before Midnight.'

Interviewer: Hello, everyone. It's such an honour to talk to you all. I'm a massive fan.

Jace: Why thank you. I'm afraid I don't do autographs at the moment, by the way.

Alec: Shut up, moron.

Interviewer: *smiling awkwardly* So, Clary, let's start with you. How do you feel that your character is similar to the character of Cinderella?

Clary: Well, I mean, Clary lives a pretty normal life, with, uh… kind of far off dreams she couldn't really explain, just like Cinderella. And then she gets pulled into this way cooler world, makes friends, falls in love… yeah, uh…

Jace: And she looks damn good in a ball dress.

Clary: *blushing* uh…

Interviewer: Aw, you two are so cute. How about you, Jace? How do you compare with the prince character?

Jace: That's easy. I'm the Prince Charming. Handsome, dashing, uh… charming. I can really pull off the whole popular prince thing.

Isabelle: You also pull off the whole 'inflated ego' thing really well too.

Jace: I'm going to pretend I didn't hear you say that.

Interviewer: *smiling nervously* Okay then… uh, how about you, Isabelle? How do you think you fit into the fairy godmother roll?

Isabelle: Well, I mean, I give Clary heaps of fashion advice, and I help design her outfits - like the ball dress, and -

Magnus: eXCUSE ME

Magnus: I'M THE REAL FAIRY GODMOTHER!

Isabelle: BACK OFF, I'M THE FAIRY GODMOTHER!

Magnus: I DRIVE THE GODAMN PUMPKIN FOR GOODNESS SAKE!

Jace: Technically, the pumpkin driver in the disney movie was a horse or a frog or something.

Magnus: *gasp*

Magnus: HOW DARE YOU CALL ME A FROG!

Interviewer: *hurriedly* Now, now, calm down everyone. Um, ah… Simon! How does your character, uh…

Simon: Well, I mean, I'm Clary's best friend though out the story. So I guess that makes me…

Jace: One of the mice? *smirks*

Clary: Awwwwwww *pats Simon's head*

Simon: *glaring* Oh, shut up.

Interviewer: How about you two, Kaelie and Seelie? How do you feel about being the ugly stepsisters?

Kaelie: Ugh. I feel like it's kinda unfair. I mean, sure, Seelie is technically a slightly evil faerie queen, but I'm just a faerie who used to go out with Jace, who works at a restaurant called Taki's. I mean, seriously. Why am I always the mean girl in fanfics? I was literally in, like, one scene in the whole series!

Seelie: Yeah. If anyone should be the ugly stepsisters, it's Jonathan and Sebastian.

Jonathan: Uh, what did you just say?

Sebastian: ARE YOU CALLING ME UGLY?

Jonathan: *quietIy* I think Jace and Sebastian should be the ugly stepsisters, since they're both so obsessed with their images.

Jace: EXCUSE ME?

Sebastian: Jace, you're totally one of the ugly stepsisters.

Jace: FIGHT ME!

Sebastian: COME AT ME!

*muffled crashes*

Magnus: BREAK IT UP, YOU TWO! *chucks glitter at Jace and Sebastian*

Interviewer: Uh… *sweating* *winces at a muffled thump* I think... it's about time we - we finish up the interview. It's been a pleasure talking to you all… and, uh…

*Crashing, fighting, and glitter throwing intensify*

Interviewer: Uh, um, well, thank you, and… um… bye!

~~End of recording~~

Adios amigos, thanks for sticking with this fic to the end and hopefully I'll be back soon with even more weird story ideas! Whoo!

Love you guys, have a great day!

- s.i