Alec had just come back from lessons with Hodge in the library. Jace had snuck several small throwing knives into the library, a typically weapons-free zone. He had Alec whisper targets while Hodge lectured and he would fire off daggers.

They'd been caught of course, but Alec hadn't been the one to require punishment in Hodge's eyes. Hodge was generally amenable to Jace's antics, although Alec supposed the dagger protruding from his shoe had been the one to set him off.

He rounded a corner, past the kitchens and on the way to his room. The institute was massive but to Alec it was almost small. He spent most of his days inside the tremendous cathedral with his parents only letting them go out under strict supervision. Alec wasn't the type to sneak out either.

His ears picked up on the sniffling as he did so. The sound of the back of a hand wiping a nose and a little girl trying very hard not to cry.

Isabelle, he thought and picked up pace. He found her in what was usually a disused broom closet. She had blood all over her face and all down her arm. Assuming the worst, he knelt beside her and began preliminary first-aid. When she noticed him, she let out a small scream and flinched before she appeared to recognize him and relax.

"Ibe taught ube bere dad." She said through a nose that appeared broken. Overall, she appeared not too badly injured but he needed to know what she'd been doing before making any assumptions.

"Izzy..." he whispered, knowing she probably wanted some secrecy on the matter.

"Don't eben!" she attempted to shout at him. "I bwas being dumb and I don't need to hear it." She turned herself away from him.

"I have no way of knowing that, but I think you're being dumb now. Can you just let me see what you did and get you cleaned up?"

She didn't look back at him. "You bwon't tell mom?"

"No-"

"Or dad?"

"Of course not-"

"Fine." She stood suddenly, and marched out passed him headed for the infirmary. Alec took a deep breath. Isabelle had been difficult lately. Well, it was hard to say "lately". Isabelle had been born difficult in some ways and everyone else in the world just had to deal with it. However, in the past few months her tantrums, as Alec viewed them, had become way more frequent. This was merely the first time she'd managed to get herself injured.

They reached the infirmary which was naturally deserted. There was never really any cause for people to be in here, seeing as there were very few shadowhunters who even visited the Institute. Isabelle had sat down impatiently on a bed and waited arms crossed for Alec to tend to her. She ignored the fact that her now swollen nose and the blood that covered most of her upper body made this look completely ridiculous. She kept her nose held high in the air, which Alec realized then, might have been to keep herself from drowning on the blood coming out of her nose.

He worked in silence, washing off the blood first and being gentle around her nose. He didn't ask her any questions, though he certainly had a few. It was better to give her what she wanted initially. She wasn't so much of a brat that she wouldn't reciprocate this kindness with him eventually.

The nose was red from impact but he could see that even now it was swelling and beginning to turn purple. Upon noticing this, Alec bit his lip to prevent himself from asking aloud what he was thinking in his head, What did you do?.

When he was finished he tallied the injuries: a broken nose, a split lip, and an over-extended ring finger. She was cleaned and a curt nod had given him permission to go into her room to find a night gown for her to wear other that her currently crusting ensemble.

She rolled her eyes when she saw the night gown he'd brought her but had put it on anyway. Alec almost thought she would leave after she'd done so, but she'd sat back down on the infirmary bed and tucked her knees into her chest.

Alec finished cleaning up the medical supplies. It was as though no one had been there. Then he went over to his sister and sat on her bed.

She had her head in her knees, not looking at him. Sometimes it was hard to remember how old she was. At times she was simultaneously so old and so immature. Here she looked precisely her age, Alec realized. Isabelle was ten years old to his twelve. It wasn't a huge difference, but they weren't the same.

" I was with mother at first." she began, looking up at him. "She hates the idea of me training with you and Jace. So she was clearly stalling me in the kitchen. We got into a fight like always and I took off. I had forgotten you guys were in the library tonight and went to the training center." She looked back down again. " I guess you could say I took out my anger."

"Not good enough." Alec told her. "Try again."

"After that I practiced falling..." She said quietly.

"Izzy..."

"Stop. You fixed me up and that's great, but I don't need any more help. Thanks, but good night."

"Isabelle, stop. You can't just... I don't agree with mom, but if you can't start acting responsibly then maybe she's right."

"I do everything that you and Jace do and she still thinks I can't handle being what I'm meant to be ."

She wasn't crying like might be expected of her, she was furious.

"I think you need to make yourself happy first. I'll help keep mom out of your way but you have to promise me this, one more incident and I'll join mom in her tirade against you."

"Alec..."

"You can't be a shadowhunter if you can't follow rules, and I won't let you."

"Fine... fine! And thanks."

She began to leave and turned, "Can you tell Jace to stop treating me like I'm five when we're sparring?"

"I can't fix his personality, but maybe if you learned enough to kick his butt he might respect you bit more."

She laughed and left. "Good night, Alec."

He took one last look around the infirmary to make sure he'd gotten everything.

Love you, too.