Chapter 5: Pulse

This chapter loosely follows the events of episode 1x08.

When Melody woke up she found herself in her own bed, shoes off, wrapped safely under the covers.

"You're awake," said a voice to her right. She turned to see Alec Lightwood leaning against her wardrobe doors with his arms crossed. He moved over to her and crouched down to her level. "How are you feeling?"

Melody frowned slightly and sat up. "How did I get here?" she asked. Alec stood up and reached over to the jug of water and glass on her night stand.

"The mundane drove us." He explained as he poured her a glass of water.

"Who?" she asked as she accepted the glass and took a sip.

"Clary's friend, Simon. I would have taken you back upstairs to Magnus' apartment but I figured there was a reason why you left so quickly so I got him to drive us here."

"Simon?" Melody asked in surprise. Alec frowned.

"You know him?"

Melody nodded with a smile. "Simon, Rissa and I were all friends once upon a time."

Alec's frown deepened. He didn't like the idea of the mundane and the beautiful warlock being friends.

"He doesn't remember me. Just like Rissa." Melody said softly. Alec nodded as he took in what she had said.

"Where is he now?" she asked wondering if he was just outside her bedroom door in the lounge room.

The shadowhunter shrugged. "He dropped us here and drove off." Melody nodded.

"Thank you for bringing me back here," she said gratefully. He ignored her.

"Why don't you have any protection runes on your door?" he asked forcefully. "I was able to get here in here with a simple unlocking rune."

Alec's eyes bored into hers and Melody felt like she was in trouble. Did he really care so much that she didn't protect herself from the Shadow World? She brushed it off as him being a typical shadowhunter soldier.

Melody half shrugged half rolled her eyes. "If I put runes up it would be a like an announcement to all shadow folk that I'm here. I don't want that life."

"And yet you came running when Luke was in trouble." Alec countered.

"And so did you." Melody deflected. "I can't imagine Maryse sanctioning a mission to save a werewolf."

Alec folded his arms and instead of explaining himself he muttered that he should be going. "You need to eat something!" he commanded as he made to leave but Melody wouldn't have it.

"Oooooo, we're not happy with mommy dearest," she said in a sing-song voice and she hopped out of bed to follow him, forgetting her weakened energy levels. As her feet touched the ground a sudden dizzy spell hit her. Alec was there to catch her for a second time that night. His hands grabbed her hips and she automatically gripped his shoulders. Even in her weak state she could feel how broad they were.

"I'm sorry," she murmured softly as he lowered her onto the bed gently. She opened her eyes to find the shadowhunter's ocean blues staring at her with raw concern and she was very aware of his hands cradling her back. For a moment they stayed like that. He doesn't seem like a mindless drone right now.

Alec pulled away and cleared his throat. "I'll get you something to eat." He said as he headed for her tiny kitchen.

He came back with a simple sandwich and stayed to make sure she ate it. She told him he was welcome to sit on the bed if he had to stick around but he declined. She didn't know it was because he was trying desperately hard to resist temptation.

"So what did Maryse do to piss you off?" asked Melody as she took a bite.

Alec sighed but actually answered. "I think she wants to arrange my marriage."

The warlock's eyebrows raised in surprise. "What a controlling bitch!" she said passionately.

"You're not wrong," he agreed quietly.

"What are you going to do?" she asked curiously. She couldn't put her finger on the reason why but she really disliked the idea of him marrying anyone.

He shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't care. "I'm not doing it."

Melody cocked her head to the side and studied this rebellious shadowhunter before her. "You're not who I thought you were Alec Lightwood."

He smiled slightly. He stayed until she finished eating and left once she promised to go to sleep. He has also given her his number "just in case." She fell asleep thinking of the ocean.

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Days passed and Melody struggled to remain focused on the mundane life of her choosing. During the day she went to class, some nights she went out with her mundane friends and three nights a week she sang at a local club so she could afford to pay her rent, but mainly because she loved to sing.

Each night she struggled to dream about Valak. Her mind would either drift to Clarissa, Simon, Alec or Magnus. Seeing Clarissa again made her yearn for the days when they were best friends who knew nothing beyond the natural world. The days of watching sci-fi movies with a goofy Simon. She wondered if he still watched them. Seeing Magnus made her miss when she and her mother had lived with him. He was like the cool uncle who taught her about all that magic could do. She couldn't figure out why she thought about Alec though. It annoyed her that she kept imagining him as a groom.

After nights of trying to meditate on the image of Valak before she fell asleep and failing to dream about him, she gave up. She let her mind drift to wherever it wanted to go. She thought of choc mint ice cream, wedding dresses, Star Trek and floating balls of light until finally she fell asleep and dreamed the dream of a barren wasteland, floating beings and piercing eyes that made her soul shiver.

She awoke long after the sun had hit noon. She had missed her classes for the day but she didn't care. Her pyjamas were soaked in her sweat and she still trembled slightly. The images of the demon dimension haunted her again and again. She tried to shower them away. She forced herself out of the house to get something to eat. It seemed as though every person had the eyes of a demon.

She knew it was just the after effects of visiting the hell dimension and she reminded herself that it would wear off soon. She entered a local café, ordered her breakfast off the lunch menu and texted Clarissa to let her know everything.

An hour passed by and she didn't get a reply. This annoyed Melody. They were the ones who had showed up at her door and begged her to help them and now, no reply from Clarissa Fairchild herself. She decided to text Alec to see if he would respond. He did within minutes.

{Where are you? I'll meet you now.}

Melody shook her head slightly and rolled her eyes at the serious, commanding tone that came through from him even via text message. Who the hell did he think he was to say, 'I'll meet you now.' What if she was busy and had things to do? The polite thing to do would have been to say, 'can I meet you now?' But then again, shadowhunters weren't known for their politeness.

She sighed and texted him her location trying to ignore the buzz of excitement she felt. She decided to order a glass of white wine and move to the tables outside.

He didn't take long. He sat down opposite her, didn't say anything and wouldn't look her in the eye. She could feel waves of anger radiating from him.

"Are you…ok?" she asked tentatively. His head snapped up and his eyes locked with hers.

"Why do you hate my mother so much?" he almost snarled. Melody blinked in surprise at the viciousness of his tone and the icy look in his eyes.

"I-I told y-you," she stuttered. "She t-tried to make me become something I-I'm not."

"What does that mean?" Alec snapped.

"I-well, s-she," the brunette sighed and gave up. Alec's eyes were intense and it was intimidating.

"Alec," she began gently. "Why are you so upset?"

The shadowhunter hunter calmed down slightly after hearing her say his name. He shook his head. "Forget it," he said quietly and stood to leave. "I shouldn't have come here."

He was walking away from the café before she could begin to process what had happened. She quickly slapped some money down on the table and ran after him.

"Alec! ALEC!" she called after him but he pretended not to hear her. "Yo! Lightwood!" she yelled as she walked briskly to catch up with his long strides. "Stop being a dick!"

He stopped abruptly and swerved around. She would have crashed into him but he grabbed her shoulders to stop her just in time. He didn't let go of her and shook her slightly.

"What do you want from me?" he barked, eyes boring down into hers with raw emotion.

"Tell me what happened." she replied as calmly as she could though her whole body was alert. They stared each other down, him gripping her shoulders until finally she won.

He sighed and let her go.

"Did…" he started and ran a shaky hand through his thick, dark hair. He sighed again. "Did you know my parents were members of Valentine's Circle?"

Melody blanched at this. "What?! I-I no! Who told you that? How do you know that it's true?"

The shadowhunter swallowed slowly. "Lydia Branwell, an envoy from the Clave. She said it like she assumed I knew. She wouldn't lie about something like this."

The warlock stood there dumbfounded. She couldn't think of anything to say.

"After everything I've done for them, for the Clave," Alec murmured to himself. "They didn't even have the decency to tell me."

He was devastated and Melody's heart went out to him.

"Alec I'm so sorry," she said softly and placed a gentle hand on his arm. As her hand touched the bare skin of his arm they both felt something similar to an electric current pass through them.

The shadowhunter drew his arm back as if he had been stung and glared at her. She took in a shaky breath and his eyes snapped to her neck and because of his rune that acted like binoculars he could see the pulse that was beating there. He suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to crash her to him and kiss her senseless. He wanted to kiss her neck and hear the sounds she would make if he did.

He sharply took a step back from her.

"I don't need this! Emotions only cloud your ability to do what's right."

He swiftly turned without saying anything else and walked away as fast as he could. He didn't dare look back. He had never felt desire like that before.

Melody, confused about what had just transpired between them, didn't go after him.

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Alec went back to the institute to beat the crap out of a punching bag. All he could think about was his parent's betrayal and the confusion he felt when he was around the warlock girl. How could everything become so messed up in a matter of days? He tried to think about how he could bring order back into his life and he was interrupted by the High Warlock of Brooklyn staring at him in awe.

They exchanged words and something Magnus said about following his heart had struck a chord with him. For his whole life he had worked at becoming the perfect shadowhunter. He had hoped that one day he would run The Institute and now his parent's dealings with Valentine had ruined the reputation of their family, of the Lightwood name. He quickly began to think of a way to re-establish that reputation and salvage his future. Not to mention Izzy and Max' future too.

That night after finding out that the Clave was going to be taking full control of The Institute, he asked Lydia Branwell to marry him. She said yes.

Later that night as he walked towards the training rooms of The Institute his mind continued to drift to the image of a beating pulse on what he imagined to be silky smooth, olive skin.

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