A FEW YEARS LATER

"Alright, kid." I whispered to the six year old crouched in front of me. He was hiding behind a bush with me, with his messy hair peaking out of his beanie, and his nose red from the cold. He was all bundled up in a puffer jacket, snow boots and big mittens for his hands. I reached over and readjusted his scarf neatly. "It's you and me. They can't beat us— we're the best team, right?"

"We're the best." He smiled widely at me, reaching down into the snow and shaping a snowball in his small hands. "Can we have hot cocoa after we win?"

"Of course, Reid." I balled a snowball into my hands. "But— we have to beat your dad and your sister first."

"Dad always wins." Reid looked at me.

I pointed at him. "Not today."

"Not today." Reid repeated and nodded.

Then— a ball of snow hit the back of my coat.

"Found you!" Margo's squeal filled the air when another snowball flew past my head and landed against Reid's chest. Reid and I stared at each other with panicked eyes.

"Sweetheart," Alec began as I slowly turned my head to look at him and our seven year old daughter— she was going to be eight very soon. "What part of "Dad always wins" did you not understand?"

I slowly looked back at Reid. "Run."

Reid let out a shriek when he and I were attacked with snowballs, the both of us making a run for it. Margo chased her brother, squealing while she threw the deformed clumps of snow from her fists at him. Alec tackled me into the snow before I could rescue Reid from being attacked.

"You brute!" I gasped and grabbed a fist full of snow, pushing it into my husbands face. "She's a menace— she's going to kill him!"

"That's no way to treat your husband— is it, Lightwood?" Alec grabbed my wrists and pinned them into the snow. "Surrender."

"Never!" I lifted my face so it was closer to his. "I would kick your ass if it weren't for—"

"Mom said a bad word!" I heard Margo's gasp.

I paused and slowly looked tilted my head back as far as it would go, looking at our children upside down. "No, I didn't."

"She did." Alec flatly smiled up at them with a shrug. "She deserves to be punished— she's been a very bad girl."

My jaw dropped and my head snapped back towards Alec. "You dirty bastard—"

My words ended in a gasp when I felt snow hit the top of my head. Then, the squeals of our children as they began attacking me— and Alec, because he was on top of me— with snowballs.

"I said punish her, not me!" Alec shouted in a panic and collapsed next to me, hugging me into his chest while our children bombarded us with snow.

Reid and Margo were laughing wildly and Alec and I traded a look. Then— we grabbed handfuls of snow in unison, and threw them at Reid and Margo. Their laughter only intensified and mixed with screams and squeals of delight when we tackled them into the snow gently.

I pointed my snow coated glove at Reid's face. "You betrayed me."

"You said a bad word!" Reid countered and then hugged himself. "Can we have hot cocoa now?"

"Yes, we can have hot cocoa now." I stood up and dusted my hands off, before reaching for his hand. Reid's small hand grabbed mine and I looked at Alec, who had picked up Margo. She snuggled into his shoulder— her teeth chattering. "Alec, there's marshmallows at the Institute right? I could portal home really quick and pick some up—"

"There's marshmallows— the chef always has everything." Alec assured me as we walked back down the path to the New York Institute. We lived in Alicante— Alec was Inquisitor and I was working a rather high position at the Gard— we had a home and everything, but we visited New York too often.

Margo mumbles from Alec's shoulder. "Can we have jumbo marshmallows?"

"Yes, we can have the jumbo marshmallows." Alec kissed her head and we entered the Institute. Alec set Margo down and I grabbed onto her hand, looking at Alec. "I'll go grab the hot cocoa."

"Only put one marshmallow for each." I warned him quietly with a look. "It gets too sweet for them when it melts and then they don't finish it— and make sure you—"

"I know, I know." Alec pecked my lips. "And I know how you take it too— don't worry."

I softly smiled up at him and then he unbuttoned his coat, walking off towards the kitchen of the Institute. I looked down when I felt Margo tug my arm in a direction, leading Reid and I into a section of the Institute— when I helped her open the doors, I realized it was the ceremonial hall.

"Why are we in here, Margo?" I questioned quietly, looking around. "Don't you wanna go sit in your Aunt Izzy's office? By the fire?"

Margo shook her head and walked over to one of the chairs, dropping her coat onto it. "This was where you and Dad got married?"

"Wait, it is?" Reid let go of my hand and rushed over to his sister, getting rid of his coat as well. "The one from the stories?"

"Yes." I unbuttoned my coat and took off my mittens, putting them in my pocket. "We got married here."

"Not only did we get married here," Alec's voice sounded from behind me, followed by his footsteps. "We had our first kiss here too."

"What?" Margo's eyes lightened and her face twisted in delight while Reid's twisted in a grimace. "How did it happen?"

"Well, your father was marrying another woman." I took Reid and Margo's hot cocoas from Alec, standing onto my tippy toes and kissing his cheek. "Thank you— anyways, I was devastated— obviously."

Margo was staring at Alec angrily while I handed her and Reid their drinks. "You were what?"

"I know right?" I blew on the top of both drinks so they didn't burn their tongues. "I was so hurt."

"Zee— you imp." Alec lightly kicked my side with his boot and then crouched, handing me my hot cocoa— topped with whipped cream and cinnamon. "In my defense— your mother was very mean at the time and I was trying to right the wrongs of my family."

"I was not mean!" I protested.

"Yes you were." Alec sipped his hot cocoa and smiled at our kids. "Anyways— it seemed we both came to our senses at the same time because your mother crashed my wedding."

"I did not crash your wedding, you invited me and I didn't want to go." I shot him a glare instantly. "But, then Magnus convinced me."

Reid sat down in his chair, sipping his hot cocoa slightly. "Can you show us?"

"You want a demonstration?" I set down my cocoa when Reid and Margo nodded and looked at Alec. "Are you up for the part, husband?"

"Yes, wife." Alec set down his cocoa and grabbed my hand, pulling me up with him. "Which side was I standing on again?"

"Left." I pointed with my free hand and shooed him. "So— he was standing up there with his fiancé, your Uncle Jace and Aunt Izzy were up there too."

"Obviously, I was very nervous." Alec ran a hand through his hair. "I was marrying a woman I'd known for just a few weeks because I thought it was the only solution—"

"Your father was an idiot at the time." I backed up towards the doors and hid behind one of them. "I mean, really, really stupid—"

Alec threw his head back. "Zee."

"Right, anyway— I got all dressed up and looking elegant and gorgeous as ever, of course— I dashed in all dramatically." I jogged in and stopped in the middle of the aisle, then fell to my knees dramatically. "Then I collapsed to my knees and went— oh, my one and only true love Alexander Gideon Lightwood—"

"You didn't say that." Alec lifted his head and threw an amused glance in my direction.

I clutched my chest dramatically. "Oh, my beloved, I am yours til the end of time— yours until the stars fall from the sky, until the rivers run dry and—"

"You didn't say that either." Alec deadpanned.

"Alec!" I dropped the act and looked at him. "You are disrupting my performance."

Reid and Margo were giggling uncontrollably.

Alec was smiling. "My apologies."

"You're part of the act." I reminded him.

"Right— okay, well— obviously, when I saw this absolute goddess— I was completely blinded by her beauty." Alec took a step down from the highest platform dramatically. "And when I realized she reciprocated— returned the love I felt for her— I had to choose her."

I smiled softly when he corrected himself so that Margo and Reid understood what reciprocated meant. Margo sipped her cocoa and watched intently. "Then what?"

"Then— I rushed over to your mother," Alec hopped off the last step and charged toward me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me off the ground so I stood on my own two feet but my legs felt like jelly in his embrace. "Gathered her up in my arms and in front of everyone— and I mean everyone—"

Alec didn't finish his sentence and just pressed his lips into mine, capturing my lips in a passionate kiss. I melted in his arms and my heart spiked even after all this time— if it weren't for Margo's squeal and Reid's groan, I would have forgotten we were married with two children and would think we were in our early twenties again, kissing for the first time.

When he pulled away and rubbed his nose against mine, my smile only widened— so much that my face hurt. "I love you so much."

"I love you more." Alec pecked my lips and leaned his forehead against mine. "This was better than the actual thing—"

"I seriously should have collapsed on my knees— it would've made for a better story." I pecked his lips back. "We should keep telling it this way."

"Sounds good." Alec kissed my nose next and then tilted his head towards Margo and Reid. "So— who's up for more hot cocoa?"

authors note:

i'm so sad that this is the last chapter of this book.

i loved writing this book so much, i loved the new concepts and ideas, i just loved every PART of this book. like this book reminded me of how much i loved writing whenever i would procrastinate or have writers block, or have no faith my writing abilities— THIS BOOK IS JUST MY FAVORITE IVE WRITTEN.

i'm so sad it has come to an end, ugh

i think i just love writing this ship way too much because i didn't want to let them go so i'm writing a whole other book on them— which, i love so far btw

but, i wanted to end this book off on a cute epilogue !!! margo is named after margaret if you guys didn't catch that hehe but ZALEC WITH KIDS !!!!! ahhhhhh

if I ever feel like it, I'll definitely add bonus chapters. i love writing parents zalec

thank you so much for reading this book !

and thank you for 144k !!

and go read moira for more zalec !!!

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