Epilogue

It only took fifteen years for the war to end after that.

Isabelle found it rather odd that, a war that had been raged centuries ago, could fall apart so quickly. All because of one chink in the armour. A chink that once it appeared, Isabelle grabbed with both her hands and began to chip away at. She, Jace, Clary and eventually Max all worked on making that chink wider, making it not chink any longer but a vulnerability instead. They would not let the Clave reform and fix itself. They took the mistakes they made and used it against them.

The mistake the Clave made having been trying to get rid of Alec.

Of course, Alec had died in the Clave's eyes. Or so they told Isabelle anyway. But it didn't take long for that story to fall apart. Jace knew. Of course he knew. You can't convince a Shadowhunter that their parabatai is dead. It's not possible. They would be the first to know. The fact that the Clave had tried to convince Isabelle that her brother was dead enraged her. It was the incentive she needed to give up on the war completely. To decide that no, that was not going to be the world she raised Max in. This would not be the world Clary was going raise her baby in. This was not how Idris was going to be anymore.

Isabelle created an underground movement. It took about three years to gather enough people, Shadowhunter and Downworlder alike, but once their numbers were high enough, they began raising hell. Isabelle as their leader, ensured the safety of them all, whether they be Shadowhunter or Werewolf or Vampire or Fey. She made sure to protect them all, something the Clave failed to do. The mass acceptance that Isabelle gave; the level of equality and justice she expressed; made her the perfect leader. One that everyone began to drift towards, even those who had been previously loyal to the fight and the Clave.

Throughout the fifteen years it took the underground movement to win, a day did not pass where Isabelle didn't think about her brother. At first, it had been hard. When she returned to the New York Institute to collect Max and her younger brother asked where Alec was, Isabelle couldn't answer him. She could barely face him. Clary had to explain to him that Alec was away, and would not come back for a while. As it grew easier to think about him again, Isabelle always reminded Max about Alec, and how they were doing all of this in his name. When he was older, Max, despite the teachings of the Shadowhunters, didn't bat an eyelash when Isabelle explained that Alec had fallen in love with a warlock and had to run away to protect them.

"So he was protecting us?" Max had asked, admiration shining in his big eyes. He hugged Isabelle when she nodded, seeing that she had been getting choked up again, and held her tight. Nothing else had to be said.

Clary gave birth to a healthy baby girl nine months after Alec disappeared. She and Jace decided to name her Emily. Clary was a natural mother and, due to the maternal instincts she gained through pregnancy, she began to care for any children that were orphaned or left alone when their parents went out to fight. She became a second mother without really thinking about it and raised Emily alongside many Downworlder children.

There were many battles and many deaths. The war was hard, even with the underground movement fighting against it, and bringing down the Clave had not been an easy feat. Malachi was not an easy man to sway and, even when Isabelle stormed the Glass City with Jace and a vampire named Simon by her side, he still tried to convince her that Alec was dead. He still tried to convince Jace that Alec was dead. Maybe the war had driven Malachi to lunacy, for once they infiltrated the Glass City, it was game over and even he knew it. Jace barely exerted himself capturing the Consul and Malachi did not flinch as Isabelle threw her Seraph blade above her head and growled five words:

"This is for my brother."

Because it was true. Isabelle did it all for Alec. Where-ever he was, she hoped that he knew what she was doing, how she was fighting in his name, and in Magnus', to stop the war.

When the war ended, Isabelle didn't know what to do with herself. Peace was such a strange concept and getting it had been such a fight she hadn't prepared herself for what life would be like once they got it. For a while, she just wandered, feeling completely lost. Every day she wished Alec were here to see it. She knew that the news of the war ending must have reached him but what was the use if she couldn't be there to experience the joy with him?

Max went to the human world and started attending mundane university, studying languages and culture so he could travel. Isabelle could understand this as her younger brother had always been fenced in, ever since he was child, and it was partly her fault. Now that he was free, he wanted to see everything.

Isabelle hadn't meant to fall in love. She had always sworn that she would not do it; for it was basically giving someone else an advantage over you that they could so easily break. However, when Max went to university and Clary and Jace were too busy raising Emily and their newest baby boy James who was just learning how to walk, Isabelle grew very lonely. That had been fine with her, until she began seeing more and more of Simon.

Simon had been one of the first to join the underground movement. He had been a mundane but the vampires recruited him for the war without his consent. Not only was he a vampire, but he was also a Daylighter, a very rare but not unheard of thing. Isabelle had always known that he had a crush on her but she had never expected herself to fall for him too. The stupid Daylighter somehow wheedled his way in. Simon knew of everything Isabelle had went through, including the loss of Alec, and had offered a shoulder when the war ended, because he knew what it felt like to lose people without so much as a goodbye. Isabelle had never cried in front of anyone but her family and somehow, showing Simon this vulnerable side of her had been what cemented everything for them.

Now it had been twenty years since Alec vanished.

Isabelle and Simon had a son. They named him Alexander, for obvious reasons, and had been getting on with life. It shocked Isabelle how domestic she had become. Of course, she still went out on missions and fought to uphold the Accords, which had been adjusted and reinstated to benefit everyone, but there were days were she didn't mind staying at home doing housework (which she shared equally with Simon because to hell with her doing it all herself).

Alexander was beginning grade school and Simon had business in the city that he had to see to. So sometimes Isabelle was left alone at home. She used the time to herself; whether it be cleaning; watching t.v; or practicing her whip out in the back garden.

On a particular September afternoon, Isabelle was washing the windowsill in her front room when she saw something outside in her driveway. It was something black out of the corner of her eye and she sighed, thinking it was the neighbour's cat coming to ruin her grass again. She straightened up and looked outside, but what she saw wasn't the cat.

Alec stood in her driveway, his blue eyes shining as he watched her through the window. Isabelle's throat constricted and she covered her mouth with her hand. He was so much older, his shoulders broader and his face slightly weathered. A couple of paces behind him was Magnus, looking the exact same as the day he was arrested by Malachi.

Isabelle ditched her cloth and vaulted over her sofa, nearly ripping the door off its hinges as she ran outside. She was convinced that she was dreaming, and when she went outside there would be nothing but an empty driveway like there always was.

This time was different.

Isabelle jumped at Alec, bursting into tears when he actually caught her. No falling through; no sign of madness or apparition; he was really here. Her legs went around his waist and she clutched the back of his jacket like he was going to disappear if she didn't hold on as tight as humanely possible.

"I've missed you," Alec said, holding her as tight as she was holding him.

"You came back," Isabelle sobbed.

"Of course I did." Alec's breath shuddered in his chest. "I am so, so proud of you, Izzy."

Isabelle smiled through her tears, always having daydreamed about hearing Alec saying that to her but never in her wildest dreams having thought it would ever happen. "I never thought I would see you again," she whimpered.

"I know. I'm sorry."

Isabelle loosened her grip, letting her legs slide back down to the ground again. Her knees felt like jelly and for the first time her feet wobbled in her high heels. "Don't apologise," she scolded, trying to get herself together but failing miserably. "You were doing what was right." She scowled and slapped his arm.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"Thanks for leaving a note!" Isabelle snapped sarcastically, feeling her mascara running down her face and trying to get it under control again.

Magnus laughed behind them and came to stand beside Alec. "We didn't have a pen," he said.

Alec rubbed where Isabelle had hit him subconsciously. His hands were weathered, like his face, the webs between his fingers still there and the claws curled inwards. Isabelle smiled through watery eyes. "You've gotten old," she said.

"Well, it has been twenty years," Alec smiled wearily. "Nearly forty now."

"But doesn't look a day over twenty," Magnus smiled, kissing the top of Alec's head.

"You're such a liar," Alec muttered, shaking his head with a smile. He looked at Isabelle through the strands of dark hair that fell over his eyes. "Max?"

"Studying culture in mundane university," Isabelle answered. She saw all the tension melt away from Alec at the knowledge that Max was okay. "And your nephew is at school at the moment."

Alec blinked, looking stunned. "My what?"

"Your nephew." Isabelle lifted her finger and tapped the gold band. "He started school at the beginning of the month. If you hang around, then you'll be able to meet him."

Alec's eyes watered and Isabelle exhaled heavily through her nose, forcing herself not to start crying again. "You had a baby?" he asked, his voice small.

Isabelle nodded. "His name's Alexander."

Alec closed his eyes and Magnus smiled, rubbing the younger man's back comfortingly. "Damnit, I said I wouldn't cry," Alec cursed, lifting a hand to his face and covering his eyes as if it were going to hide from Isabelle that he was choked up. "I said I wasn't going to get upset about this."

Magnus' cat eyes sparkled as he looked to Isabelle. "I knew he was lying."

Isabelle stepped towards Alec and enclosed him in her arms. She had thought about what it would be like to tell Alec about her son, about how she named him after him because she wanted Alexander to know all about his uncle; who had sacrificed so much in the name of his family. Now that she was actually doing it, she almost couldn't believe it.

The rolling of wheels against the pavement made Isabelle look up. Clary appeared, pushing James in his buggy. Emily was walking alongside her, clearly begging for something. Clary rolled her eyes and looked to Isabelle's house, and stopped dead when she saw the huddle in the driveway. Emily stopped too, frowning in confusion. "Mum?" she asked. "Mum, are you even listening to me?"

"I have to call your father," Clary said, grabbing her mobile from her pocket and ringing Jace. She approached them as she spoke, smiling like a maniac. "Jace, you have to get to Isabelle's house now! Don't question me just do it!"

"How come when I talk to dad like that it's all 'oooh, stop having an attitude Em!'" Emily demanded.

"Alec!" Clary exclaimed once she hung up, leaving Emily with James pram and hugging Alec, despite the older man's slight discomfort. She hugged Magnus too, laughing when he lifted her up and spun her around. "Oh my god, why are you both back? Not that it's not great to see you and all that but, well, is it safe now? You won't be hunted anymore?"

"Since the war ended, it's only been a matter of time," said Magnus. "We waited a few years, just to be sure, but as soon as we were sure, we came home."

Emily pushed James closer, a confused frown on her face. "Wait, wait, wait," she said. "Is this the Alec? The vanished-without-a-trace Alec? Dad's parabatai?" Her golden eyes grew wide with realisation. "Oh."

"This is your uncle Alec, Emily," Clary said. Even she was tearing up. Isabelle didn't blame her. This was always going to be sob fest. "And his boyfriend Magnus Bane."

"The warlock," Emily stated. "I always thought you were telling me fairytales because you didn't want me to know that dad maybe murdered his parabatai or something . . ."

"So you're Jace's children?" Alec crouched in front of James' pram. The salt water that had gathered in his eyes as a result of discovering Alexander hadn't shifted since and his azure iris' where shining with something Isabelle hadn't seen in her brother in such a long time. Happiness. "You both look so much like him . . ."

"I know, you'd think I didn't contribute any genes at all," Clary scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Alec's hand went to his chest and he smiled to himself. "Jace is coming . . ."

Moments later, Jace appeared at the top of the street. "I swear Clary, if this is because Isabelle has a new 'innovative' idea for a hairstyle I'm going to start switching my phone off when I go out on patrol," he said.

Clary laughed, saying nothing. Jace frowned at her but also didn't answer. He immediately went to Emily, kissing her forehead and giving her a hug. "Hi sweetheart, you okay?"

"A bit bewildered, to be honest," Emily answered frankly.

"Why's that?" Jace wove around his daughter to kiss James but was stopped when Alec stood up. Jace looked like he had been frozen in stasis for a moment, simply staring with a confused frown as if he were trying to solve some sort of puzzle. Isabelle watched Jace carefully. It was difficult to notice when Jace would show emotions for he was very good at hiding them.

Jace took a deep breath. "Where the hell have you been?" he asked. His voice wasn't angry, in fact he actually sounded upset, which was rare for Jace.

"I've been away," Alec said sheepishly.

"No fucking kidding."

They hugged. No more words needed to be exchanged because, despite the fact that it was an emotional moment, their parabatai bond basically did most of the talking for them.

Isabelle moved over to Magnus. "Take a walk with me," she said.

Magnus didn't question her, he simply turned and walked with her down the driveway. He combed his hair out of the way of his eyes with his fingers, the sparkly polish on each nail catching the sunlight. "We would have come back as soon as the war ended," he said. "But Alec was scared. Loyalists and the like. We know that it grew to be no secret why the underground movement began, and Alec was worried that his coming back would have painted a target on your head."

"There was already a target on my head because I created the movement," Isabelle murmured. Over the course of the rebellion, there had been many attempts on her life. It had become second nature to her to always look over her shoulder twice and to look left and right not twice, but thrice, to be completely sure.

"Alec spent the past twenty years well," Magnus said, knowing that Isabelle wanted to assurance. Not from Alec himself, because even if he hadn't had a good life, he would surely tell Isabelle that he had. "He fretted a lot, but he was always confident in your ability to look after yourself."

"We're old now," Isabelle said. "All of us . . . Twenty years is such a long time. I can see the exhaustion in Alec's eyes. He's not as young as he used to be."

"I think that's the point of being old," Magnus commented.

"But you haven't aged a day," Isabelle answered, getting to her point. "You look as young as you were the day Malachi arrested you. The last time I saw you."

Magnus smiled, amused. "I am older than you all, my dear," he said. "Maybe not physically but definitely in mentality."

"Now that Alec can be here safely . . . Are you going to leave him?" asked Isabelle.

Magnus' smile faded a little and his eyes grew serious. "I would never leave him. Not then, not now, not ever," he said. "There will be a day where he will die and I will have to move on, however, and even I don't know how I'm going to handle it. I thought over the years I would adjust to the idea but . . ."

Isabelle looked to the pavement. "He grew on you."

"Without even trying."

Isabelle laughed softly. She looked at Magnus and took his hands into her own. "Thank you for looking after him. Thank you for bringing him back to me," she said.

Magnus shook his head. "You shouldn't be thanking me," he said. "I should be thanking you."

This made Isabelle frown. Thank her? "What do you have to thank me for?" she asked.

"Isabelle!" Clary called, interrupting the conversation. Isabelle looked over her shoulder and smiled at the sight of Alec holding James. He was doing it like a pro, like he had been doing it his entire life, propping the baby against his hip and supporting his back with his hand. She ran back to the group, unable to resist hugging her brother again.

Magnus stood at the end of the driveway, watching the reunion fondly. His eyes caught Alec's and the Shadowhunter smiled at him. In that moment, the crow's feet faded and the laughter lines smoothed out, and Magnus could entertain the idea that he and Alec could spend the rest of their lives together. Well, in part it was true. Alec could spend the rest of his life with Magnus. Magnus couldn't spend the rest of his life with Alec, as much as he dearly wished he could.

Alec jerked his head in a 'get over here' gesture and Magnus returned the smile, nodding at his husband. He sighed and answered Isabelle's question, even though she was too far to hear him.

"For setting us all free."

A/N: I'm not normally one to write sappy happy endings but come on, this one is very bittersweet in a good way, right?

Thank you to everyone who read, favourited and reviewed this story! Your constant support kept me motivated, especially during that long, long hiatus where even I didn't know if I was going to be able to get back to it. You're all fantastic readers and I'm so lucky to have you guys :)