Shadowhunters -:- The Road Not Taken

Summary: In an alternative universe to the show, Alec is forced into an arranged marriage seven years before Clary Fray walks into their lives. Now Valentine is back and searching for the cup and a quite magical warlock is being very distracting. Alec's not sure he's gonna survive this one.
WARNINGS: Contains Homophobic Language (Maryse is not a good parent in this) Some Swearing and Graphic Descriptions as well as allusions to Depression/Anxiety - warnings may be updated as we go
Setting/Spoilers: Vaguely follows the plot of season one, so spoilers for that though this is an AU - may also have some book references
Pairings: Malec (slow burn) - Platonic/Married Lydia Branwell/Alec Lightwood - Platonic/Parabatai Jace Wayland/Alec Lightwood - Various Background Relationships (Sizzy/Clace)
Rating: T - though rating is subject to change
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Author's Note(s): So, this is my first work in this fandom - howdy! What we have here is a WIP that I have ideas for but that's about it. Updates will be sporadic at best, and I am very open to any suggestions! There are two plots running in tandem; helpfully labelled *Present* and *Seven Years Ago* - watch for subtitles! Enjoy!

Chapter One

Seven Years Ago...

Everything was beige.

Honestly, Alec had never seen so much of the drab, muddy white colour in his life – and this was coming from the guy whose wardrobe consisted of varying shades of black. The walls, the carpet, the goddamn faux-suede office chairs... all of it. Whoever this office belonged to needed a serious conversation with an interior decorator and-

Since when did he care about interior design? Alec huffed a deep sigh and let his head thud back against said faux-suede office chair. So maybe he was fixating a little on the beige-ness to distract himself from the clusterfuck that was rapidly becoming his life, but who could blame him? The colour pretty much perfectly reflected just exactly how he was feeling right then. He shifted uncomfortably in his suit and stared up at the ceiling, praying to any deity available to smite him down immediately.

He was getting married.

To a girl.

That shouldn't be an issue. If he were normal like his parents wanted, the whole female aspect of his fiancé would be utterly irrelevant. He would be able to properly focus on the rather glaring fact that he was barely seventeen years old and already being married off to a girl that he had never met – his entire future boiled down to a political alliance so that his parents could save face in front of the Clave.

Because they were ashamed of him. Disgusted, even. Because he had committed the terrible crime of falling in love. With a boy.

Daniel Mendoza had been completing his training at the New York Institute for the past year under Hodge's tutelage, his parents staying behind in Idris. He and Alec had been paired up together due to their similar ages and skill sets (both being archers) and one thing had led to another. Their first kiss had been in the training room after a sparring session that had gotten a little... heated...

And jeez, Alec was still blushing about that now.

They hadn't really hidden their relationship. Alec wasn't over comfortable with public displays of affection and Daniel had always respected that; but even without an announcement of their homosexuality, everyone at the Institute pretty much knew what was going on. Izzy and Jace knew and accepted it without any drama, and that was all that really mattered. Their parents didn't know though; or at least, were not around enough to see what was fairly obvious, and that was where it had all gone wrong.

Alec should have known that he was doomed the moment that his mother had called him into her office.

He had walked in, expecting a lecture on the mission reports that were piling up on his desk, but instead was greeted by a sight that he would never forget. Maryse sat at the head of the desk, Robert at her shoulder like a loyal dog and Daniel sitting opposite her with hunched shoulders. His parents hovered to one side nervously; the whole room a powder keg of tension waiting to spark.

"Alexander," his mother started, grinding the extra syllables of his name between her teeth like she had taken a bite that was particularly hard to swallow. "We did not raise you to be this way."

A sarcastic retort waited on the tip of his tongue, but experience told Alec that those never ended well for anyone. Instead he settled in the chair next to Daniel, passing his boyfriend a look that was supposed to be both questioning and reassuring, before resting hazel eyes on his mother's face. She was furious. The twitch of her left eye and severe frown was testament to that. Generally, the best way to handle a pissed off Maryse Lightwood was to accept that, no matter what, you were wrong while she was always right – accept your mistake and apologise.

It nearly always worked when Jace had fluffed a mission with his over enthusiasm and Maryse had seen fit to make it Alec's fault. Or when Izzy had decided that she liked looking good; her choice to trade standard gear for increasingly shorter skirts clearly her older brother's influence. Every time he would apologise, promise to be better (like he had any right to control his sibling's choices) and that was that.

He had never thought that he would have to apologise for being himself, though.

"I'm sorry."

Daniel stiffened beside him. Alec glanced sideways at him, trying to read whether his boyfriend was upset that Alec was ashamed of him (which wasn't true) or angry at his mother for putting them in this position. But Daniel kept his eyes to the floor, head turned slightly away and posture so slumped that he was practically buried ear-deep in his hoodie. None of this was normal. Daniel was the bolder one in their relationship, never one to sit in silence if anyone dared speak ill of them

(the time that he had decked a werewolf that had felt the need to insinuate nasty things about their mingled scents was a particularly fond memory)

but now he said nothing.

"You must understand that this is unnatural," Maryse continued, her tone softening a little but her opinions clearly not. Alec remained silent. He had been dreading this conversation since the first time that he had looked at a boy and thought 'oh no, he's hot' but in a way, it was almost cathartic for it to finally happen – to hear just exactly what it was his mother thought of him. "These, these feelings that you have, are not right. They're not yours. What this boy has done to you-"

"What?!"

"-is nothing short of criminal," Maryse continued despite Alec's outburst. She reached across the desk, aiming for Alec's hand, but he withdrew it in disgust. "He has put thoughts in your head that do not belong there. It is our fault, in a way. We let you be naïve, open to this boy's suggestions. You believe that his advances mean that he loves you but he doesn't, Alexander. He is merely soiling your reputation with this... filth – the Mendoza's have wanted this Institute for years and by degrading you in this way they can ensure that the Clave will never allow you to take over as Head."

Alec's jaw had dropped as his mother had spun her tale, but he closed it then; grinding his teeth in a vain attempt to temper his anger. "You honestly expect me to believe that?"

Maryse sighed sympathetically, as if Alec were a toddler that couldn't understand why he was being told not to play in traffic. "I know that this must be difficult to hear-"

"No," Alec cut her off, making his mother blink in surprise. "You know what's hard to hear? That my own mother can't accept who I am and feels the need to make up elaborate stories to justify why I love who I love. Maybe you should try listening for once and hear this: I'm gay, Mom."

"No, you're not," Maryse denied vehemently, getting to her feet. "You are young and confused and can't see what this relationship would do to this family. A man cannot lie with another man! Do you think that the Clave would look favourably on an Institute run by a sinner? Do you think that they would allow your father to become Inquisitor with a queer for a son? You are a Shadowhunter!"

Alec was standing too, though he didn't remember doing so. "There are gay Shadowhunters, Mom!"

"But they don't run Institutes!"

"I don't give a shit about this goddamn Institute!" Alec snapped right back. "Let it all burn for all I care! I do as I'm told, I follow all the rules! Why does it matter that I'm gay?" his voice broke a little, dropping in volume. "Why can't you just let me have this one thing?"

A hand wrapped around Alec's wrist, and he glanced down to see Daniel looking up at him imploringly. Behind them, the Mendoza's froze, and Alec realised that they were staring at the contact between the two boys as if it were something to be feared; a forbidden taboo. And then Alec looked at his mother, whose perpetual frown had twisted into a smug smile. And it all became very clear to Alec, that it was already far too late. "What did you do?"

"An arrangement has been made," Maryse replied. "It would be best for all parties involved if the Clave were to remain unaware of these discretions. The Mendoza's will be leaving for the Haiti Institute tonight where they are to remain unless ordered otherwise by the Clave. They will be taking their boy with them."

"No..." Alec muttered, dropping back into his seat. Daniel's grip tightened a moment on his wrist, drawing Alec's gaze back to him. And the new rune that was burned raw on his neck.

Maryse caught his horrified gaze. "As punishment for his crimes, a Silence rune has been placed upon him so that he may never curse another with his silver tongue. It is for your protection, Alexander."

Alec swallowed the down the bile in his throat. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"There is nothing wrong with me," his mother had replied. "There is something wrong with you. But I have every faith that you can be fixed, my son. I will see to that."

Alec hadn't seen Daniel since; nor would he dare to seek him out either. Their short eight months together had left Daniel mute and his family banished. Alec didn't want to find out what would happen if he went anywhere near the other boy again, no matter how much he wanted to apologise. It was all his fault. It was selfish of him to believe that he could ignore his duty for love. He was a Shadowhunter.

The Law is the Law and all that.

And now a month later he was sitting in a very beige office in black ceremonial gear adorned with gold runes, waiting to be married to the next person whose life he would ruin.

Save them all the bother, he prayed again, and just take me out of the equation.

A knock at the door drew him out of his thoughts, and he forced himself to sit up straight and fake a smile, expecting either Jace or Izzy to be on the other side. Neither of them understood why Alec was suddenly getting married. Well, no, they understood that it was a political alliance to strengthen the Lightwood family name with the Clave, but they didn't agree with it. They had already tried to talk him out of it.

(As if he had a choice.)

He was slightly surprised when the door opened to reveal a girl, probably about his age, dressed in a golden gown with her blonde hair twisted regally upon her head. She was beautiful, he couldn't deny that, even if it was a beauty that he wasn't attracted to, and clearly nervous. It took him a beat longer than it should have for him to realise that this was his bride to be. In an hour she would be his wife.

"Hi," she said as she closed the door behind her, offering him an awkward wave. "I'm uh, Lydia. Lydia Branwell."

Alec's fake smile twisted into something a little more genuine. "Alec Lightwood. Hi."

Lydia took a deep breath, hesitating a moment by the door as if she were giving herself a mental pep talk, and then strode a few steps forward. Alec remained seated, knowing that his height versus hers would probably make her uncomfortable. "So," she began. "I don't want to get married."

"You've been given a choice?" Alec couldn't help but snort incredulously.

"Well, no, I haven't," Lydia shrugged, a gesture that looked very strange while her posture was forced rigidly into the corseted gown. "Neither of us have, that's not what I mean. I want to get married, obviously. It makes sense, logically, that we should. Two prominent Shadowhunter families uniting would ensure Lightwood control of the New York Institute, which is what I want. I want to head an Institute."

Alec blinked, and Lydia, realising that she had lost him somewhere in that spiel, tried again. "I'm a workaholic. It's a problem, that I have, and I'm competitive too, which doesn't help. Wow, way to sell yourself, Lydia. Look, in this job, there's no point falling in love with anything other than the job. It's been my dream since I was a little girl to head an Institute – I know, a tad ambitious – but this marriage is the perfect opportunity. That's all this is for me; an opportunity."

She paused, going over what she had just said in her head to try and determine whether or not she had greatly insulted him in some way. "What I mean, is that I don't want a romantic marriage," she finished. "I'm not looking for love. Don't get me wrong, you're very hot – like, a lot hotter than I thought you were going to be – but I'm not interested. At all."

Alec studied Lydia for a moment, who had gone bright red in the face and looked as if she were waiting for him to blow up at her. He decided to put her out of her misery. "I'm gay."

"Oh thank the Angel," Lydia breathed, sinking into the faux-suede chair opposite him.

"That's not what my mother said when she found out," Alec couldn't help but chuckle bitterly. "You should probably know the truth too. This whole marriage is a front to hide from the Clave the fact that I'm gay so that my family can keep the Institute. I'm not exactly closeted, but she didn't see it until it became too obvious that I had a boyfriend and that things were getting serious."

Lydia winced in sympathy. "What happened to your boyfriend?"

"My mother exiled his whole family to Haiti," Alec admitted, making Lydia's eyebrows hit her hairline. "Look, I just wanted you to know what you're getting into. My family... my parents are... complicated. I know we don't really have a choice, and we don't even know each other, but I understand if you don't want to do this."

"This is happening regardless," Lydia said plainly. "Let's not think of it as a marriage. It's... it's a partnership. No expectations beyond the job. We've got our honeymoon to get to know each other and set some ground rules and..." she sighed, wincing as the gown restricted her movement. "I know that this isn't ideal, for either of us, but I think that we can make it work. We could be good for each other."

Alec nodded, some of the fear that he had been carrying lifting from his shoulders. He could run the Institute with Lydia. He could pretend for the Clave and his parents that he was normal. He could do this.

"You should probably get going," Lydia interrupted with a laugh. "You're supposed to be waiting at the altar for me by now."

Alec glanced down at his watch before jumping to his feet. "Oh yeah, okay um, see you there?"

Lydia grinned. "Absolutely."

Present

"I'll get approval for the mission."

"Oh, come on Alec," Jace dismissed with a cavalier shrug and an unnecessary twirl of his seraph blade. Alec should have known right then and there that everything was about to go wrong. "By the time you've sent that message, we'll have killed six demons already."

"Besides," Izzy joined in, strutting along in one of her more daring outfits. "It's more fun to break the rules than to follow them."

And that was how they ended up in the middle of Pandemonium, no closer to solving the mundane murders than they had been before they'd gone out on an unsanctioned mission. The music from the club kept going strong, muffled slightly by the curtains surrounding the VIP area; the usual smells of alcohol and sweat blending with the rotten scent of the recently vanquished shape-shifters. Alec rolled his eyes as he scuffed his boot through demon ash.

"Well, that went swimmingly."

Jace shot him a glare before dropping his attention back to the handle of his seraph blade with an almost reverent wonder. "That mundane, she had the Sight and the blade responded to her, but she didn't have any runes."

"That you saw," Izzy added. She had picked up her trench coat from where it had been ditched on the floor, the platinum wig forgotten as she scoured the place for any evidence left behind. "She was dressed pretty conservatively for a nightclub."

Alec was pretty sure that the red-head's top had been see-through, but decided not to comment. "Whatever. Whether she was a Shadowhunter or a Mundie doesn't really matter. Either way, she just cost us our only lead in this case. Lets get back to the Institute before I actually have to come up with a plausible explanation and report this."

"Relax, Alec," Izzy said, grabbing his arm and leaning against him slightly. "Lydia is away in Idris, who have you got to report to, yourself?"

"That's not how it works and you know it," Alec grumbled, his eyes flickering to Jace, who was crouched down and looking for something near the sofas. "The Clave wants to know about our progress on this case; literally every detail. I'd rather pawn this outing off as a false alarm than a total failure and where do you think you're going?"

The last part was directed at Jace, who froze on his way towards the curtained exit. He turned and feigned nonchalance, which was always a dead giveaway. Alec raised an eyebrow. "I found something to track down the Mundane with," he said, holding up a cell phone that must have fallen out of the red-head's pocket. "She could be in trouble. Protect and serve and all that."

"And what, you're just going to ride in on your high horse and save her?" Alec asked incredulously. "No, stay away from the Mundane, Jace. She's trouble."

"She could have information," Izzy pointed out. Jace gestured at Izzy smugly like she had just proven him right and won him the argument.

"She was terrified," Alec retorted. "She didn't have a clue what was going on. She has nothing to do with this case so just leave it alone. Something is out there murdering Mundanes, we should be focusing on that, not some random girl that was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Okay," Jace nodded, and for a brief moment, Alec actually thought that his parabatai was going to listen to him. He should have known better. "You guys do that. I'm gonna check out the Mundane and find out what her deal is. Have fun CSI-ing Izzy!"

And with that the blonde was gone, vanishing through the curtains. Alec sighed and turned to his sister, who was smirking up at him. "What?"

"Nothing, brother mine," she answered with a smile that shrank a little as she studied him. "Just... try and lighten up sometimes. Jace is only trying to look out for the girl, who really could be in trouble, you know. You really want to believe that it was a coincidence that she shows up here right when we're interrogating a suspect? Either she's connected to the shifters and was trying to warn them, or she's caught up with them some other way. Why are you so determined not to follow up on this?"

Alec chewed his lip a moment and then shrugged. It wasn't fair to dump the news that the Clave had passed down to him onto his sister too. She didn't need to know about the shit storm on the horizon.

Valentine was back.

Nearly twenty years since he had vanished without a trace, presumed dead in a fire following the Uprising, Valentine had cropped back up on the radar. Circle members that had gone into hiding were showing up all over the place, clearly looking for something, though no one would admit to knowing just what that something was. Whatever it was, it would be bad. War would be inevitable. Was it really so terrible that he didn't want his siblings on the front line?

There was something about the red-head that set Alec on edge. She seemed familiar, in a way, like he had seen a picture of her before or something. With Valentine back, anything could be connected to him. And Alec wanted to avoid that for as long as possible.

"Just tell me you can find something useful," Alec deflected, gesturing around them.

Izzy nodded and got to work, pulling out various tools from the many pockets of her trench coat as she went full Sherlock Holmes. Alec stayed back, knowing that he just got in the way more often than not when Izzy was on an evidence hunt, choosing instead to keep watch on the party still raging on the other side of the curtain. It always made him a little jealous how Mundanes could just be so unaware of the danger that they were constantly in, without a clue as to just what was sacrificed to keep them safe.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, making Alec smile to himself as he read it. Izzy looked up from where she was perched on the sofa. "Who is it? Lydia?"

"Yeah, she just got out of a meeting with the Inquisitor."

"Ah, dear old dad," Izzy huffed. "Bet that was fun for her. How's Charlie?"

"Shadowhunters, wonderful," a new voice announced sardonically. Alec had automatically stepped between Izzy and the newcomer, but he admittedly froze when he saw the glittery man that had appeared. Dressed fabulously in some brand Alec couldn't ever hope to name, hair styled in anti-gravity and make-up game on point, the new arrival levelled a cat-eyed glare at the two of them. Warlock. "I really need to put a sign up. Your kind is not welcome here."

"But demons are?" Izzy countered, already on her feet with her arms crossed challengingly. "If you have been knowingly harbouring Raveners on your property than you are breaking the Accords. That's not good news for you, Warlock."

"Raveners?" the Warlock asked, manicured eyebrows rising in tandem. Alec doubted that he had known about the demons, but had to remind himself that Downworlders could be tricky. Never trust one. Even if they're pretty (especially if they're pretty.) "Well isn't that just- Okay, I don't think that we've been formally introduced; Magnus Bane. High Warlock of Brooklyn."

"Isabelle Lightwood," Izzy answered. Alec was too busy struggling to remember his name to actually say it, but thankfully his sister was taking charge of the conversation. Was he staring? He felt like he was staring. "The shifters have been peddling Mundane blood to someone through your club, we need to know who. That seems like something the proprietor should know, don't you think?"

Magnus' eyes flickered from Izzy to Alec and back, the cats-eyes disappearing behind a glamour. Alec found that he missed them; which was weird, right? "Earlier tonight I evicted a couple of Circle members, I suggest that you direct your questions at them."

And that broke the spell.

"Circle members?" Izzy repeated and no. Alec could not let her pull on that thread.

"We have to go," Alec said, not a trace of a stutter or his previous fluster in his voice. Both Magnus and Izzy turned to look at him in surprise, but he ignored that. "That'll be all, thanks for your time. Try not to let any more demons into your club. Bye."

"Alec, what the-" Izzy's protest was cut off as Alec grabbed her arm and forced her to leave. He was well aware that even in six inch heels she could most likely take him, but thankfully she stayed with him as they weaved through the club crowd and out into the night. As soon as they hit the curb she tugged her arm free, hitting him with a look that would have singed off eyebrows. "What the hell was that about?!"

"Don't worry about it," Alec said, feigning calm when really his heart just wanted to burst out of his chest. Circle members? Shifters selling Mundie blood. The weird red-head... "I'll pass the details onto the Clave, they'll take over the investigation."

"What? Why?" Izzy demanded. "What is it that's got you so twisted up? You've been acting weird ever since we got this case! What do you know that we don't?"

"It doesn't matter, Izzy, it's-" Alec suddenly doubled over, a burning pain scorching his side, right where his parabatai rune marked his skin. Izzy grabbed his arm, helping him to stay upright. Any residual anger was gone from her expression as she stared at him with barely contained worry, waiting for him to remember how to breath.

"J-Jace."

So yeah, that's chapter one. Chapter two is done and ready to post - it's going up tomorrow if you're interested! Please let me know what you think!