Archive of Our Own

A weight was lifted off of Alec’s chest, one that had been hanging there for nearly 7 months. Now that Alec knew that Jace still loved and supported him he could breathe freely. Alec walked around the institute, bored out of his mind after the events of only a couple hours before. Alec heard Clary talking to someone in her room but only caught the last part of her sentence.

“… He said my name, he said your mother for the cup,” she said. Alec ducked into the room and saw she was talking to Jace.

“Who said that?” he asked.

“Valentine,” they replied in unison.

“He’s with my mother,” continued Clary. Alec walked further into the room until he was next to Clary. Something caught Alec’s eye and he turned to Jace and saw he was holding the necklace Clary was always wearing.

“And he can speak to you, with that necklace, here in the institute,” Alec said. Wow, he really needed to ask Magnus to update the wards, well, beg. He knew Magnus didn’t really like the institute, Alec didn’t blame him.

“It’s like when I saw Dot,” Clary said.

“When did you see Dot?” Clary opened her mouth to answer Alec but he waved a hand. “Wait, don’t answer that, I don’t care.”

Jace glared at Alec and went back to examining the necklace, then, he had a breakthrough. “It’s a portal shard, that’s why your mother made sure you had it,” he declared.

“Where are they,” Alec asked.

“I don’t know.”

“You said you saw Valentine, were there any identifying characteristics? Equipment? Weapons? Photographs?”

Clary shook her head, “I don’t remember, it was so horrible,” she groaned.

“Alec, lighten up,” Jace said gently.

“No, Jace. I’m trying to get something out of this.” Alec turned back to Clary. “What did you see exactly?”

“Valentine has my mother; I don’t care what I saw!” she yelled.

Alec sighed, “I know you’re distressed, but right now you need to get a handle on your emotions or a lot of people could get hurt. It’s my job to protect the institute, if Valentine can see in that’s a door I need to shut. Now, let me take a look at that thing.”

Alec reached his arm out to Jace and opened his hand for Jace to give the necklace to him. Jace didn’t do it immediately and for a second Alec thought Jace just wasn’t going to do it, then he put it in the palm of Alec’s hand.

“Thank you,” Alec said and closed his hand around the portal shard. “Now it’s in the proper hands.” Alec turned and stalked out of the room leaving Clary and Jace to run after him.

Alec quickly walked down the hallway with Jace and Clary tailing behind him. He ignored their shouts of confusion and continued to walk, keeping his hand closed tight around the necklace.

Alec walked down the steps into the main room and heard their pounding feet behind him.

“Alec, hey, where are you going?’ Clary panted.

“To put this somewhere safe where no one will be tempted to use it,” replied Alec.

Jace caught up to Alec and grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks.

“We should use it, Alec, we should use it against Valentine,” exclaimed Jace.

“We don’t even know how it works,” Alec said. He wrenched his arm out of Jace’s grip and walked to the room where they kept the safe. Alec kneeled down and started tracing the rune that will open it.

“Besides,” Alec continued, “if I were Valentine and I knew how much Clary loved Jocelyn, I’d lure her to me and trade her mom for the cup.”

The safe opened and Alec pocketed his stele. He put the necklace down into the safe and pushed it back down.

“I like Jace’s idea, we saved Simon from the vampires by trading something,” Clary said.

“Yeah, vampires. Bored, self-involved vampires. Valentine is a real threat and can’t be handled by three-and-a-half Shadowhunters.”

Alec got up from his spot on the floor and turned to Clary. Alec examined her, her wild red hair, her determined eyes, and he decided that he didn’t give her enough credit, she could be a perfect Shadowhunter with some training.

“Four,” Clary said with her chin in the air.

“Just leave the necklace there.” Alec gestured to the safe and jumped down the steps. He was planning on going to his room. He heard someone following him, and judging by how the footsteps sounded it was Jace. Alec just kept on walking.

When Alec got to his room he sat on his bed and faced the door, steeling himself up to talk to Jace. Jace appeared in the doorway and sat down on the bed next to Alec where they just sat in silence for a few moments.

“You know we’re going to have to talk about you and Magnus,” Jace said softly. Alec stiffened and opened his mouth to speak.

“Jace I-,” he began.

“Wait, no, I just realized how that sounded.” Jace sighed and ran a hand through his hair while Alec relaxed. “I mean, what are we going to do about it, obviously we’re going to keep it a secret. And I need to talk to Magnus, scare him a bit.” Jace joked the last part.

Alec burst out laughing, “Jace, he’s the High Warlock of Brooklyn, you aren’t going to scare him.”

“I still have to try.”

Alec snorted and Jace rested his head on Alec’s shoulder.

“Remember when I was taller than you,” Jace remarked.

“You were never taller than me, you just weren’t shorter for a while.”

A beat of silence passed before Jace spoke again. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a huge dick to you, you’ve been under a lot more stress than I have.”

“My stress doesn’t invalidate yours,” Alec responded.

“I know, but, mine is just over Clary, which is totally trivial. Yours is about you and Magnus, the fact that you like boys, serious, life-impacting things.”

Alec laughed and buried his head in Jace’s hair. “Clary’s been pretty life-impacting so far.”

“Yeah… she has.”

Alec inhaled deeply and sighed. “I used to have a crush on you,” he confessed, “but now that I look at it, I think I just wanted something to justify the fact that I was gay and you were the best option.”

“That’s okay, I don’t mind.” Jace lifted his head up and smiled at Alec, “I am pretty irresistible.”

Alec shoved Jace down on the ground and they collapsed into laughter.

When Alec calmed down he looked at Jace and said, “I promise I’ll get Magnus to actually talk to you sometime soon.”

“You better, ‘cause I’ll knock on every door on Brooklyn until I find his if you don’t.”

Alec was about to respond but then he cocked his head to the side and noticed how quiet it was. Jace noticed it too and they both got up in order to check out what it was.

They walked into the training room and Alec blanched when he saw his mother.

“Welcome back, didn’t expect you,” he said stiffly. Maryse walked over to him and gave him a hug, which he awkwardly reciprocated.

“You should always be prepared, whether you expect me or not,” she reprimanded when she pulled back.

Alec and Jace nervously laughed.

“Yes ma’am, we are,” Alec said. He put his hands behind his back and looked down at the floor, not wanting his mother to see his face. He hadn’t seen his mother once since he started dating Magnus and he was afraid she was going to ruin the beautiful thing he had built for himself. While gazing at his shoes he missed Izzy’s sad look at him.

“We’ll cover the institute later, right now we have a bigger problem,” Maryse said, not knowing her son’s feelings. “The seelies have stopped communicating with the Clave and won’t explain why, my guess is they’re still upset we asked them to send scouts to look for Valentin, no one in their realm will talk.”

Maryse walked in circles around them, scrutinizing their every mood, Alec just kept his head down.

“I have seelie friends,” Izzy offered hesitantly.

“Yes, I know all about your seelie friends,” Maryse snapped.
Alec glanced at her, here we go again, he thought. He prepared himself for her hate, which would be much worse now, but his preparation didn’t help him close off his emotions.

“Isabelle, we stay separate from downworlders for good reasons, the wrong move, the wrong word, you seem to think there’s such a thing as harmless rebellion.” Maryse walked closer to Izzy until she was barely a foot away from her. “Who knows what offends these sort of creatures, maybe you told him, them, something they shouldn’t know, maybe you broke one of their ridiculous customs without knowing it!”

“Wait I don’t understand; you’re laying this all on Izzy just because she has a friend in the downworld,” Jace exclaimed. Alec almost wanted to tell him to shut up, but if Jace shut up he wouldn’t be Jace.

“When someone upsets the natural order everything falls apart,” Maryse said.

In that moment Alec thinks he hates his mother.

Clary took a step forward, “Natural order, what are you saying?” she asked.

“I can help, I know how to talk to seelies,” Izzy stated.

“She’s right, let her visit with Meliorn and see what he knows. I can go with her if you want,” Alec said blandly. He just wanted this conversation to be over.

“I’d rather Jace go along this time,” Maryse said and patter Jace on the shoulder.

Alec’s head snapped up and he looked at her in surprise. Every time someone has gone to talk to a downworlder, Alec has gone, Maryse claimed it was because she wanted Alec to be good at communicating with them. A thousand scenarios of her finding out about him and Magnus flashed though Alec’s head in an instant.

“Alec, you stay with the Fairchild girl. I want her under control, she’s caused enough trouble already.”

“Maybe that’s because I wasn’t even a Shadowhunter until a few days ago,” Clary snapped.

Maryse turned to Clary and smiled an almost feral smile.

“And what an exciting few days it has been. The Clave counts on us Lightwoods to maintain order here.”

“You don’t have to tell me that, if the mission is important to the Clave I would prefer to be the one who goes with Isabelle,” Alec said. Alec didn’t know why he didn’t just keep his mouth shut, it would have been easier for him. Yet, somewhere deep down he still wanted his mom to love him, no matter how mean she was.

“While you’re so eager to do what you prefer, it’s time to face the truth; life isn’t about what you want to do, it’s about what must be done. I have given you your assignments now carry them out. You and you, with me, now!” Maryse pointed at Izzy and Jace and stalked out of the room.

There was silence in the training room, a silence that was so deep Alec thought it would never end.

“Well that was a window into the weird, what’d you do to piss your mom off?” Clary asked.

“Probably all the unsanctioned missions I’ve been on since you got here. Once she finds out that her firstborn is gay and is dating the High Warlock of Brooklyn, she’s probably going to like me less.” Alec said the last part in a voice so low Clary could barely hear it.

He tried to walk away but Clary wouldn’t let him.

“Why do you let her treat you like that, why do you act so small when she’s around, don’t you ever just want to scream and get mad?” she asked. She balled her fists and raised her voice, as if she was looking for a fight.

“No,” Alec said simply. The special thing about Alec was that he wasn’t an angry person, not truly. He took everyone’s anger and disappointment and kept it hidden, where it festered into something so strong it made his chest ache. Magnus made Alec’s chest ache, in an entirely different way though, Magnus was the loveliest person Alec had met and the thought of having to give him up made Alec want to cry.

Clary dropped her arms down by her side and stared at him, defeated.

“I’m sorry I’ve made things so hard for you since I’ve got here,” she said honestly.

“Why, I’m the one who’s been treating you like a child.”

“I’ve been acting like one.”

Clary collapsed on the floor and sat down with her legs crossed, Alec felt as if he had no choice but to copy her.

“I just… I miss my mom so much, and I feel like I’m already mourning her, which makes no since,” she confessed.

“I can’t even begin to imagine how you feel, if I lost Jace or Izzy I’d go on a rampage until they were found again,” Alec said. The unspoken “or Magnus” that was in there rang throughout the room.

“We should stop being mean to each other,” Clary stated, “I feel like we could be amazing friends if we tried.”

“So do I.” Alec grinned at her and she grinned back. “One thing though,” he added.

“What is it?”

“Could you not tell Simon about Magnus and me?”

“Of course, but he’s pan, so it’s not like he’ll mind.”

“Simon doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut.”

Clary laughed at that. Alec saw Jace crossing in front of the room with a stormy expression on his face so he got up.

“I’m going to go deal with Jace.” He dusted off his pants and waved bye to Clary.

“Why is she back?” Was the first thing out of Jace’s mouth when Alec walked up to him.

Alec shrugged, “Clary has probably caused quite a stir in Idris, she didn’t want Clary to mess up mom’s reputation.”

Jace scoffed and rolled his eyes. “This is a diplomatic mission, you should go,” he said.

“Nope. I have to obey orders to watch your girlfriend,” Alec joked. Now that he was okay with Clary he didn’t really mind, he also didn’t expect Jace to react the way he did.

“Clary? She’s not my girlfriend, more like my responsibility,” he said nervously. Alec squinted at him, Jace wasn’t normally so flustered.

They kept walking until Jace grabbed Alec’s shoulder to stop him.

“Hey, you’ll keep an eye on her, right?” he asked. Alec nodded, but his mind was somewhere else. All this talk about Clary made him think back to the conversation he had with her earlier, the one about his mom.

“What’s wrong?” Jace questioned. “Did you put my leather jacket in the washing machine again?” Jace laughed and tried to pat Alec’s arm but Ale stopped him.

“I think mom is suspecting that I’m gay,” Alec blurted out. Jace recoiled in shock. “She acted so differently towards me earlier, it’s scaring me and I don’t want her to find out just yet, so I’m just trying to obey her orders.”

Jace nodded solemnly, “I understand. Just promise you won’t take your eyes off Clary.”

Alec grinned and Jace laughed and hugged him. They separated and Alec walked over to the training room here Clary was, quite horribly, twirling a staff around.

“For what it’s worth, I think your mom is too tough on you,” she said.

“Mothers are like that,” Alec grumbled.

Alec grabbed a staff and twirled it around properly, Clary looked momentarily amazed.

“I know we just had that bonding moment earlier, but go ahead, knock me on my ass; it’ss make you feel better,” Clary quipped.

Alec smirked, “Don’t make me tell you you’re right about something,” he said. “Plant your feet wide.”

Clary did just that and readied her staff. “Why do you let your mom talk to you like that?” she asked. Alec striked with his staff and hit her shoulder after she failed to block it.

“Move through the strike,” he advised. “And I do it because I don’t want her to find out about me and Magnus, it’s best if I just take it.”

“It’s not like it’s illegal to be in a relationship with a downworlder,” Clary said. Alec hit her with the staff again but Clary grunted and just barely blocked it.

“Well, no,” Alec began, “you can’t be punished for it. But seeing as I’m a guy who likes a guy who is a downworlder, the will do what they can to make me hate myself. While I’d rather have Magnus more than any career, I’d like to have both. According to the Clave ‘the law is hard but it’s the law’,” Alec mocked.

Clary laughed, “That’s stupid.”

“It is.”

Clary striked and pushed against Alec, but he pushed her staff down and she backed away. They fought more, quick strikes and fast movements until Alec finally pulled away and smiled at her.

“You have Shadowhunter reflexes,” he complemented.

Clary knocked the staff out of his hand and when she rushed forward to strike him, Alec grabbed her staff and used it to flip her over. She lied on the ground breathless while he looked down on her.

“But you need to work on your defense,” he continued. Clary groaned and Alec laughed then reached a hand down to help her up.

“We really need to start focusing on finding Valentine,” she panted as she clutched her stomach.

“I know, but I don’t know how to do it without the Clave- “

“You mean your mom,” Clary interrupted. Alec rolled his eyes at her.

“Finding out,” he finished. “I understand you mostly just want to help your mother, but do you know anything that could help us find Valentine?” he asked.

“My mother didn’t- doesn’t,” she corrected, “normally keep secrets from me, but she did keep one. It was a box, she didn’t think I knew about it, she opened it once a year?”

“Because…”

“It belonged to my father, it had the initials JC on top,” Clary explained.

Alec squinted, “But his name is Valentine.”

“Yeah, and for 18 years she told me it was Jonathan Clark, it was a lie but the box was still important to her, maybe there’s something inside that can help us track him.”

“Where can we find the box?”

“I think it’s still back at the loft, let’s go get it.” Clary twirled the staff.

Alec opened his mouth to speak but his phone started ringing. “Let ‘em talk cause we’re dancing in this world alone,” sang the voice from the speaker. Alec flushed red while Clary jumped excitedly.

“Is that Lorde? I love Lorde!” she exclaimed while Alec walked to pick his phone up.

“Absolutely not, stay there,” he said and pointed his finger at her. He picked up his phone and was greeted by Magnus’ wonderful voice.

“Hello Alexander, how’s the prettiest person in the world doing?” Magnus questioned flirtily.

Alec grinned, “I don’t know Mags, how are you doing?”

Magnus made a choked sound and something that sounded like a… giggle? Yep, Alec’s centuries old boyfriend just giggled because Alec flirted with him. By the Angel he’s adorable.

“We need to have that date that was cancelled, I was looking forward to it,” said Magnus. Alec could hear his smile through the phone and just hoped he was blushing. Alec heard a small sound behind him but was too preoccupied to turn around to check it out.

“Yeah, I was looking forward to it too,” he said.

“Would you like to go out for a dink sometime soon?” Magnus asked.

Alec laughed, “What, At Pandemonium?”

“Of course not, I’d do it a little more subdued,” Magnus said.

“Then that sounds fun, when?” Alec leaned his forehead against the wall.

“How about right now?” Alec turned around to check on Clary and nearly fell over when he saw that she was gone.

“Now’s really not the best time,” Alec rushed out.

“Are you alright, Alexander?” Magnus sounded concerned.

“Yes it’s just, I’m supposed to be watching Clary but she disappeared and I don’t want to get in trouble since my mom is home.”

“Oh, Maryse,” Magnus said bitterly.

“Yeah, Maryse. I love you.”

Alec hung up the phone before Magnus could say it too, he didn’t mind, he knew Magnus loved him. Alec stuffed his phone in his pocket and sprinted out of the room to Clary’s room, he knew that she had probably already left by now and he had to track her. He looked through her stuff until he found a pencil she had used and he grabbed it and ran, tracking her as he ran. He took a quick stop in the weapons room to grab his bow and quiver, which Magnus had helpfully enchanted to never run out of arrows.

She’s in Brooklyn, he thought, of course she’s in Brooklyn already. Stupid fucking speed rune. He followed the tugging in his gut to Clary who stood in front of the Brooklyn academy of Art, where she was frantically trying to get her phone out.

“Why’d you run off, and what’s the point of an invisibility rune if you don’t silence your phone?” he questioned in her ear. Clary ignored him and answered the phone, where she proceeded to talk to Simon. After two minutes he got impatient.

“Hang up right now, we have to go,” Alec demanded.

Simon said something and Clary shook her head. “I’m fine, I’m with Alec.” Simon sounded even more angry and Clary laughed, “He’s a good person, chill, don’t come Simon.” Clary tucked her phone in her bag and turned to Alec, an apology evident on her face.

“I’m sorry I ran off like that, but I saw you weren’t paying attention so I just decided to take my chances,” Clary said.

Alec rolled his eyes and huffed. “After the talk we had I thought you’d know that you taking your chances is going to get me in trouble.”

Clary rubbed her hands on her shirt and pleaded, “I know, I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking, but please come with me.”

Alec studied her while Clary stared up at him in earnest until he nodded his head She smiled and patted his shoulder then lead him through a series of streets and alleyways until they came across Simon.

Simon and Clary embraced while Alec looked around to make sure no one followed them.

“It’s not the end of the world, calm down,” said Simon.

“The world has been ending for a thousand years, you just now know it. We need to move,” Alec said.

Clary pulled back from the hug and gestured behind her, “My mom’s loft is just across the street.”

“We still need to be careful, almost everyone in the Shadow World is looking for you,” Alec stated.

“We’ll be fine, you may know the Shadow World, but I know Brooklyn,” Simon said cockily. He turned around and marched through an alley.

“We’re literally just walking 100 feet,” Alec mumbled. He followed them and watched Simon vault over a wall, he seemed to be less fragile than last time Alec saw him. They walk through more greenery until they get to a fire escape and Simon jumps over to climb it.

Clary laughed, “Have you been doing parkour or something?”
Alec went up last, bewildered how climbing a fire escape excites mundanes, he’ll never understand them. They arrived at Clary’s loft and they saw that the whole place was covered in runes.

“Woah, I don’t remember this,” Clary gasped.

“These are runes and wards of protection cast by a warlock,” Alec said to her.

She walked up to one and out her hand on it, “Now I can actually see them,” she murmured.

“Yooo Clary, what are these tags,” Simon practically yelled. Both Alec and Clary turned towards him.

“You can see them?” Alec asked incredulously.

“How could I not, the wall is covered in them.” Simon laughed and touched one of them. Clary and Alec glanced at each other.

“For a Shadowhunter these would be pretty hard to miss, but you shouldn’t be able to see them,” Alec said.

“Well I can, and whoever drew these should get some advice from Clary, their, uh, work is pretty sloppy.” Clary and Simon shared a laugh but Alec was still confused. Clary walked over to a tag that was CF+SL in a heart.

“This is from when Simon and I were engaged to be married.” Clary stared softly at the tag and rubbed her hand on it.

“You were engaged? I’m almost certain I don’t want to hear this story.”

“We were- ”Clary started but Alec put up a hand to stop her.

“I don’t care, let’s go inside.” Clary nodded, sensing she was still in rough withAlec because of earlier. Clary tried the door and it didn’t budge, but then Simon stepped forward to try and ripped the door of its hinges. They both stared at him until Clary shrugged and went inside. Clary didn’t know enough to be weirded out, but Alec did and considering where Simon was not long ago, Alec has an idea about why Simon is like this.

Alec stepped inside and stopped to look around at the charred loft, it was burnt to a crisp and Alec couldn’t help but admire Jocelyn’s brains.

“There’s nothing left of me,” Clary whispered.

“Your mom did it to protect you, to erase any proof you ever existed,” Alec told Clary

Clary snorted, “Well we see how well that worked.”

“You’re alive, aren’t you,” Alec reminded her. It was quiet, until Simon decided to be annoying as ever squeaking some floorboards.

“These two boards sound different, do you think there’s something in here,” Simon said. He bent down and peeled the boards back, which revealed a dark whole underneath. Simon was just about to reach his hands in until Alec slapped them away and reached in instead, he wasn’t about to have the mundane hurt while he was watching him.

Alec moved his hand around inside and was just about to pull his arm out when his fingertips touched something. “There’s something down here,” Alec declared. He grabbed the box and pulled it out, blowing the dust off. Simon coughed and Clary took the box, examining it.

“This is definitely it, she used to wait until she thought I was asleep then take it out,” Clary said.

“Let’s open it!” Simon said excitedly. Clary pried it open and Alec leaned over to see what was inside and was disappointed to see it was a rattle and a little pouch.

“What?” Clary squinted at the box, it wasn’t what any of them were expecting. “I don’t know what any of this is,” she said.

A loud bang sounded from outside and Alec was up before either of them could blink.

“There’s someone here, get what you need and do not move until I get back, we’ve been here too long.” Alec didn’t wait to see their response and jumped from the fire escape to the ground. Alec summoned his bow and notched an arrow. A growl came from Alec’s right and he spun around to shoot, but nothing was there. Alec walked through the garden more and came to a stop when something grey and furry dashed in front of him. Werewolf, he thought as he aimed his arrow once more. Alec walked around more, hearing more growls from around him. A wolf ran around him and out the exit, where Alec turned just in time to see Clary and Simon being arrested and pushed into a car.

“SHIT,” Alec yelled as he sprinted down the street. He was too late, and the police car was already speeding away by the time he made it to the curb. Alec ran a hand through his hair, put his bow and quiver away, and pulled out his phone to call Jace, quickly dialing his number.

“Jace, hi, Clary’s gone, meet me here,” Alec said. He rattled off the address and tried not to take it too hard when Jace hand up without saying anything else. Alec climbed back up the fire escape and sat on the remains of the bed, holding Clary’s bag in his hand.

Alec heard footsteps and Jace ran into the room, closely followed by Izzy. “Where is she, tell me where Clary is,” Jace demanded. Izzy hung out near the doorway and watched the boys interact.

“She’s gone.”

“What do you mean gone,” Izzy questioned.

“She and Simon got arrested while I was securing the area, I was just trying to help,” Alec admitted.

“The mundane was here,” Jace growled. Jace was clearly pissed.

“Simon, he’s gone too?” Izzy asked. Alec nodded at her and she slumped down.

“They were shoved in a car, I don’t know where they took her,” Alec said.

“Alec what did you do,” Jace barked. He stomped out of the room and jumped onto the ground, Alec put his head in his hands. Great, just, great. Izzy grabbed Clary’s bag and hugged her brother, “It’s not your fault hermano,” she said.

Alec hugged her back, “I know, but Jace doesn’t.” They joined Jace on the ground where he was trying to track Clary with something he grabbed while Alec wasn’t paying attention. Alec and Izzy watched him while Jace groaned in frustration. “Damn it, she’s not showing up. Let’s parabatai track.”

Alec nodded and let Jace draw the rune on his hand. They stared at each other and concentrated, but Alec couldn’t quite reach the signal.

“Alec, concentrate,” Jace hissed.

They tried it again but the feeling was still slipping through Alec’s fingers.

“Alec!”

“I’m trying, Jace.” Alec let go of Jace’s hands and stepped away, “It’s just not working.” Jace stomped away and Alec was saved from having to talk to him by Izzy’s phone.

“Just what I thought, they weren’t arrested, they were just taken.” Izzy pointed her phone screen at him but the words on it made no sense to him, Izzy was better at the criminal stuff than he was.

Jace went up to Alec, “It was your job to look after her,” Jace yelled.

“I did my best Jace,” Alec said. He didn’t want to start this argument with Jace.

“Maybe your mother was right and your best just wasn’t good enough,” Jace growled. Alec recoiled in hurt and shock and Izzy gasped.

“Jace,” admonished Izzy.

“Clary snuck out,” Alec retorted. “She snuck out and I went after her, I did nothing you hadn’t done a thousand times before.”

“Yes you did you lost her!”

“Enough Jace,” Izzy reprimanded. Alec turned and went to sit next to Izzy.

“Whoever took Clary must be holding her over a body of water, that’s why our tracking rune won’t work,” Jace said. He leaned his head against a nearby trailer covered in graffiti.

A ringing came from the backpack next to Alec and he realized Clary must have left her phone. Jace sprinted towards it and grabbed the phone, lifting it to his ear.

“Hello?” he asked.

The person responded and Jace nearly jumped, “Where are you? Where’s Clary?” Alec and Izzy shared a glance, Simon must have been smart enough to call Clary’s phone.

“Jace is being a dick,” Izzy said to Alec softly. Alec nodded, he is, he mouthed. Izzy rested her head on his shoulder and he carded his hands through her hair. In that short amount of time Jace managed to get an address out of Simon.

“They’re at the Jade Wolf,” he said. Izzy nodded and they got up, ready to run there. Alec faintly recognized the name, he and Magnus have dates there.

They arrived at the pier and Alec breathed in the horrible smelling air, “Werewolves, I know this place,” he said. They ran to the docs and see Luke holding Clary. Izzy and Jace ready to attack but Alec stopped them.

“Hi Luke.” Alec waved at him and Luke grinned.

“Hey Alec. How’s Magnus.”

“He’s good.”

They were all staring at him and Alec blushed.

“Magnus and Alec have dates at the Jade Wolf,” informed Luke. Clary climbed out of Luke’s arms and planted her feet on the ground.

“We have to get Simon,” she said

“Go, I’ll watch for other werewolves,” Luke said. The ran off towards the restaurant where smoke poured out of its windows and doors.

“I’ll go rescue Simon,” Izzy announced. She activated a protection rune and strutted into the building, leaving Clary, Jace, and Alec outside. Clary hugged Alec and Jace stared at them, surprised.

“I’m glad you guys got here,” she said. Alec smiled at her and she smiled back. Simon and Isabelle came out of the building and Clary seemed to remember something. “I have to get the box,” she gasped.

“It’s alright, Izzy’s got it,” Alec said. They were about to leave when growling came from all around them and Alec’s muscles froze up.

“Simon, whatever you do, don’t make any sudden moves,” cautioned Izzy, Simon was too freaked out to do anything but whimper. Glowing eyes broke the darkness all around them and Alec summoned his bow.

“This can’t be good,” mumbled Jace.

Glowing green eyes stood out the most and Alec notched an arrow and aimed. The green-eyed alpha was about to attack when a wolf that Alec recognized as Luke appeared and fought it. They all watched in horror as they rolled around, growling and scraping until they were both covered in blood. The tumbled behind a box and waited as the growling stopped. Blood rushed in Alec’s ears and he knew that they wouldn’t be able to fight all these werewolves out if Luke lost, all he could do was hope that Luke would be the stronger werewolf and that Alec would be able to see Magnus one more time, he was really regretting not staying on the phone long enough to hear Magnus say “I love you too.”

After an eternity, Luke stood up from behind the box and all the werewolves howled at him, accepting him as the new alpha. Alec faintly heard Jace explain to Clary what just happened but was too relieved to really grasp what he was saying.

“Clary,” Luke panted. Clary walked over to him, “I promised your mother I would always protect you.” Before Luke could say anything else he collapsed, leaving Clary just barely holding him up.

Jace quickly helped her, then turned to Alec and pleaded, “He’s gravely injured, he needs a warlock to heal him.” Alec could hardly believe he was asking him to do something even though he was being such an ass earlier, but Alec didn’t want Luke to die because of him.

“I’ll Magnus,” he said.

“I’ll drive him over to Magnus,” Simon declared. Jace and Clary got Luke into one of the police cars after Simon stole the keys from Luke’s pocket. Izzy stayed behind with Alec.

“Are you and Jace okay?” she asked.

“I have no idea.”