Alec sat at the table, cold coffee untouched in front of him. Isabelle was on the phone in the other room of her apartment, speaking in hushed tones. Alec's hands clenched the sleeved of his jumper, wearing away the thin fabric. His bottom lip felt dry and chapped. He hadn't slept since he'd woken up in the guest room of his sisters house. She'd had to lock the door to keep him from running all the way back to Brooklyn. Now, he was a little less… clingy. Magnus wouldn't have liked it.
Isabelle stepped into the room without a snarky comment about how shit he looked, so Alec knew something was wrong immediately.
She sat opposite him, "That was Jace."
"Didn't know you still had him on speed dial. Let me guess, he's you're Friday Night Special?"
Isabelle's expression didn't change, and Alec felt the sense of dread boiling in his stomach crawl up his esophagus.
"Clary Fray tortured Catarina Loss for information," she said softly, "Loss told her everything. Including our address. So pack quickly, she could be coming…"
"Catarina Loss is Magnus's right hand woman," Alec stood up, "What happened to Magnus? Did he escape?"
The look on Isabelle's face told him everything, but he slammed his hands down on the table, "Goddamn it Izzy, what happened to Magnus?!"
Isabelle walked over and touched his shoulder comfortingly.
Alec slid back into his chair, "I could have helped. If he'd let me stay…"
"Clary Fray took down Maureen Brown, the entire Bloody 88 and Camille Belcourt in without more than a scrape, then killed the High Warlock of Brooklyn and maimed his best friend all in the length of about half an hour," Isabelle said seriously, ignoring Alec's flinch, "You wouldn't have stood a chance. She's… insane."
"I could have been there," he said softly, "I could have died with him."
"Alec…"
He shoved her away, walked to the door and pulled out a jacket and a quiver of arrows. Sliding both on, he said to his sister with his voice trembling, "I'm not going to run from what I did. But I'm not going to sit around like everybody else, waiting for her to show up. Get out of here, sister, if you want, but I'm going to find her. And if I kill her, it's over. And if I die…"
"No!" Isabelle shrieked, "You can't go! I prohibit it!"
"I'm a grown man Izzy!" he yelled, "I trained in the Squad just like Clary. Just like all of you. Yet you seem to think I'm not capable of defending my self?"
Isabelle voice went up an octave, "No one can defend themselves from that murdering, red head bitch!"
"Then we're all screwed anyway, aren't we?" Alec grabbed his bow and a hunting knife, "Goodbye Isabelle."
He opened the door, but Isabelle grabbed his arm.
"Please," she begged, "I don't want you to go."
Alec smiled at his younger sister, "I remember I used to say that every time you went away on a mission," he stroked her dark hair, "So I'm just going to say what you said to me every time," her shoved her away, "Get over yourself."
H slammed the door behind him and left his sister to scream.