Jade Wolf - Outside
It's been a week since the events of the Soul-Sword being activated and since Alyssa had been told she'd lost her baby when she took the dagger meant for Clary. A baby she'd had no knowledge about until she'd been told it was dead. She didn't know how to feel. And it didn't help that Jace kept tiptoeing about her to avoid upsetting her.
She was currently standing outside the Jade Wolf on the pier, waiting for her dad.
In light of everything that had happened, she'd decided to let bygones be bygones and started talking to Luke again. She hadn't told him yet about the baby. He only knew that she'd taken a poisoned dagger to the stomach and that she was fine now with no life-threatening injuries.
"Alyssa." She looked to the side and saw Luke walking towards her. She smiled and let him pull her into a one-armed hug when he reached her.
"Hey, Dad."
"Hey, baby. You okay?" Alyssa shrugged.
"I've been better." The two began walking along the pier.
"What's going on? Did something happen with you and Jace again, or...?"
"No, no. Jace and I are fine, as a couple anyway. It's individually that I'm not so sure about."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm worried about Jace. It's been a week since what happened at the Institute. I can feel he's still hurting and feeling guilty about what happened, but every time I try to bring it up, he changes the topic like he'd rather not deal with it."
"Sounds like someone else I know." Luke teased, nudging her slightly.
"I'm not that bad."
"Mm, keep telling yourself that. You two are very much alike. But give him time. If he's anything like you, and he is, he'll talk when he's ready. Just gotta be ready to listen when he does." Alyssa nodded.
"Ok."
"Good, now let's talk about you and what's going on with you."
"Me?"
"Yes, you. And before you deny it, let's not forget, I know you, baby girl. I know when you've got something weighing down on something, something that you're not sure how to deal with." Alyssa looked down, biting her lip. The two had stopped walking and were now facing each other.
"Lys, I know I haven't been the best dad of late, but you can talk to me. No matter what you're my daughter and if there's something wrong, you can tell me. I may not be able to fix it but I can help you deal with it however I can." Alyssa remained silent for a bit then took in a deep breath and released it before speaking.
"You remember when Jace told you that I took a dagger meant for Clary that night at the Institute."
"Yeah, the poisoned one. He said they'd been able to get the poison out of you before it could do any real damage."
"Yeah. We didn't exactly tell you the whole truth." Worry took over Luke's expression. "The truth is, they did get to the poison in time before it could do any damage to me but only after it had done damage to something else in me."
"What do you mean?" Alyssa drew in a shaky breath.
"I was pregnant when that dagger hit me. I didn't know it at the time. It was only when I woke up that I found out."
"Was?"
"The poison from the dagger killed the baby when it pierced my stomach. The medic said only Jace pulling out the dagger saved my womb from being damaged by the poison. They got to me in time to prevent that, but it was already too late for the baby."
"Oh my God. Lys..."
"And I don't know how to feel. I don't know if I should feel sad or angry or...I don't know. I mean I didn't even know I was pregnant until they told me the baby was dead.
I can't even feel angry towards Valentine who is the reason why my baby's is dead. All I feel is an emptiness and it doesn't help that Jace keeps tiptoeing around me. I just...I don't know. I just want to feel something, anything other than this emptiness." Luke looked at her sympathetically and pulled her in for a hug which she returned.
They remained hugging for some time before pulling apart. Just then Alyssa's phone went off, pinging with a message. "Speak of the devil. It's Jace. Apparently, the Inquisitor wants to see us. I gotta go." Luke nodded.
"Hey, it's gonna be okay, alright. We'll work this out, alright?" Alyssa smiled slightly and nodded.
"Thanks, Dad." With that, she walked away from him to meet Jace.
Institute – Basement Cell
Valentine was locked into a chair in the cell which had a glass wall separating him from anyone outside the cell. Inside the cell were two guards on duty and Inquisitor Herondale who was activating the agony rune on his skin, forcing him to scream out in pain as his skin seared.
"Valentine, you and I both know the cup can control demons." Alyssa, Jace, and Clary walked into the basement to hear Imogen say to Valentine. "In the wrong hands, it could be catastrophic."
"In your hands, I'm a dead man." Valentine said back. The Inquisitor circled the man, speaking.
"Nineteen Shadowhunters died in your assault on this Institute, along with hundreds of Downworlders that you massacred with the Soul-Sword. Justice will be served."
Having said her piece, Imogen ran her stele over the agony rune again, making Valentine scream out in pain. Satisfied, Imogen walked out of the cell with the two guards, leaving Valentine glaring after them, and walked towards Clary and the married couple.
"How long can you keep torturing him?" Clary asked.
"As long as it takes," Imogen replied.
"If you want the truth, why not just use the Soul-Sword?" Jace asked with a frown. Imogen looked at him displeasedly.
"Are you telling me how to do my job?" she asked.
"No," Jace said.
"Yes." Alyssa answered, at the same time. Imogen turned her attention to her, glaring at the older Fairchild girl which didn't faze Alyssa in the slightest. "Don't get me wrong. I have no issues with you torturing the bastard, he deserves it after everything. But you said you retrieved the Sword after the attack, so why..."
"The rune your sister drew to deactivate the Sword ended up damaging it in the process. It's been sent to the Iron Sisters for purification." Imogen said.
"Is that so?" Alyssa said, but Imogen ignored her.
"You've all had a connection with Valentine one way or another, some more than others. Tell me what you know."
"Nothing. Haven't we proven ourselves? Valentine attacked the Institute. We captured him." Clary said defensively.
"At what cost? By taking matters into your own hands, you've planted seeds for rebellion in the Downworld. The Accords will be nearly impossible to maintain now."
"You Clave members are all the same. You never change. You don't like to accept the blame and prefer to lay it on someone else." Alyssa said, causing Imogen to glare at her but this once again didn't faze the older Fairchild at all.
She turned to Jace. "This is what you called me down here for? I thought when you said the Inquisitor wanted to see us, it would be about something more important than this nonsense."
"Alyssa..." Jace warned.
"Well, I just wasted precious time of my life that I will never get back, listening to this woman talk to us as if we did something wrong by actually doing something right and apprehending that bastard instead of sitting on our asses doing nothing like the Clave was doing, which is what they always do."
"Miss Fairchild, I would advise..."
"And I would happily ignore that advice, Madam Herondale. I will not stand here and listen to you speak to us like a bunch of children who have done something wrong when what we did was a hell of a lot more than the Clave ever did when Valentine invaded the Institute or when he first started his stupid crusade.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do." Not even waiting for a reply, Alyssa turned on her heel and walked away, not paying mind to Jace and Clary calling after her.
Alyssa rode the elevator upstairs and made her way to the entrance. She was almost to the door when Jace grabbed a hold of her arm.
"Hey, hey, what's gotten into you? Have you completely lost your mind?" He asked.
"No, I haven't. I'm perfectly fine and have my mental faculties intact."
"Are you trying to get us, and more specifically, yourself into trouble with the Inquisitor? That woman could make our lives hell if she wanted."
"Why? Because I told her the truth? So what? You want me to sugarcoat things and keep my mouth shut because she's a big shot around here? Please, you know me better than that, Jace."
"We're already under a lot of scrutiny from her, Lys, especially you. Everyone knows now that Valentine experimented on you using demon blood. They're watching you for any sign that you could be a threat. And right now, with the way you acted with the Inquisitor, you're not doing yourself any favors."
"And you think I care? That woman hasn't liked me since my trial and she probably never will. Submitting and bowing down to her isn't going to change that. And I couldn't care less if she likes me or not."
It's like you said, everyone knows I have demon blood now. So that means no matter what I do, it's never going to be right with the rest of them, especially the Clave. And even if that wasn't the case, there is no way I was going to kowtow to that woman especially when she's no better than any of you. She's just another Shadowhunter with a title to her name."
"Lys, I get what you're saying but think about Clary and the rest of us..."
"Don't use that as a way to manage me, Jace." Alyssa snapped before she took a breath to calm herself. "Look, I don't wanna fight. We just ended one fight a week ago. Don't take us back there, especially when we're still dealing with..." Jace's face saddened, knowing why she trailed off. Alyssa was saved from continuing as Alec approached the couple with Clary on his heels.
"We got a demon attack." He said to both of them.
"Let's go." Alyssa said, turning around and walking out with the others following her.
Heslodge Bar
The police were going around investigating the scene. Luke, Clary, Alec, Jace, and Alyssa were present as well, with the Shadowhunters glamouring themselves invisible to all but Luke.
"What's this sand on the floor?" Alec asked, referring to the sand that lay next to one of the dead bodies.
"This looks like a demon attack." Clary said.
"I've never seen a demon cause this kind of hemorrhaging," Jace remarked.
"Just because you haven't seen it before, doesn't mean it's not possible, babe. There are demon signatures all over this bar, probably belonging to the same demon that killed them." Alyssa said, glancing around. At the questioning looks she was receiving, she explained. "I glanced around the bar with my other eyes while you guys were chitchatting. Although this demon seems different from all the ones we've dealt with before."
"Is there any security footage?" Alec asked.
"Nothing in the bar. Maybe CCTV caught something outside on the street." Luke said.
Unknown to him and the others, there was another detective outside who observed him thinking he was talking to himself.
Feeling like she was being watched, Alyssa looked up and saw the detective looking at them, although she knew the detective couldn't see them.
"We should get them back to the Institute." Alec said.
"Yeah, that's a good idea." Luke said. Just then the female detective who had been watching him walked up to him looking concerned.
"Detective Garroway? Who are you talking to?" she asked. Coming up with an excuse, Luke held up his phone.
"Just dictating some notes while they're still fresh. Something you should start doing." He said, causing Alyssa to stifle a laugh.
"That's a great idea." The detective said almost eagerly. "They didn't mention it in training but it makes perfect sense—is there some special app for that?" At this point, Alyssa could barely hold in her laughter.
"Uh-can you pull the car up?" Luke asked, avoiding her question. "I'll meet you out front." Slightly deflated, she simply nodded and went to do as she was told.
"'Dictating notes while they're still fresh'? Since when do you do that, Dad? In all my years of seeing you work, you've never done that." Alyssa said teasingly, as she laughed. Luke playfully rolled his eyes at her and nudged her.
"New partner?" Jace asked.
"She's driving me crazy." Luke said with a slight groan, making Alyssa laugh more.
Institute – Ops Center
Alyssa, Jace, and Clary were all walking together to the main room.
"Just got off the phone with Luke. He made it look like some tragic gas leak," Clary informed.
"According to the autopsy, the victims died of massive brain hemorrhaging." Jace said, holding up his tablet, which Alyssa took to see the results and then gave back to him.
"A demon can do that?"
"A Greater demon can." Alyssa said.
"What exactly is the difference?" Clary asked.
"Lesser demons, like the ones we normally encounter, are a dime a dozen in New York." Jace clarified.
"They're not really anything to actually lose sleep over. Unlike the Greater demons who are a whole other story. They have names, personalities. They're much more powerful and a lot harder to stop." Alyssa said, as Jace pulled up a holographic map. "Much like the memory demon that Magnus fed your memories to."
"Oh, you mean the one that almost killed you? Remind me again, who saved you from that one? My memory's a little foggy." Jace teased with a smirk. Alyssa shook her head at him and shoved him playfully, smiling.
"Anyway, they're also incredibly rare. When they do show up, it's never for a good reason. Speaking of which, I have to get going. I'm going to Magnus' place with Alec to see if he can tell us more. I remember him telling me something about greater demons but I think I was in one of my 'I could care less' teenage phases, so I didn't really pay too much attention." Alyssa said then kissed Jace lightly on the lips.
"Stay safe." He said.
"I always do." She said, hugging Clary and leaving to meet up with Alec.
Magnus' Apartment
Alec and Alyssa entered the apartment, finding all the curtains closed, which darkened the room.
"Hey." Alec greeted.
"You must be reading my mind. I was just about to call you." Magnus said.
"What am I, chopped liver?" Alyssa remarked, stepping away from the kissing couple.
"There's a greater demon on the loose, and we need your help." Alec said, then held up a small bag which contained a sample of the sand recovered from the crime scene. "It's been leaving this on its victims."
"Oh dear." Magnus said, taking the bag from Alec. "This sand is from Duduael." Alyssa groaned at this information, knowing where Magnus was leading with this.
"Which is a dimension of Hell?" Alec asked.
"The worst," Alyssa said.
"Did you find this on their face?" Magnus asked, to which Alec nodded. "How did he get loose? He's been shackled for centuries."
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me, him? Why couldn't we get any other greater demon?" Alyssa groaned.
"Who?" Alec asked, confused about what the two were talking about.
"The demon who taught man the weapons of war." Magnus said.
"Azazel, one of the Princes of Hell," Alyssa added.
"Right, a real prince." Alec said then looked around, noticing the darkness of the room. "Why is it so dark in here?" He asked, walking towards the closed curtains. Hearing a movement of air behind him, he turned around to see Raphael standing next to Magnus and Alyssa pointing his blade to his neck.
"Hello, Alec. Hermana, could you put the blade away before you accidentally turn me into ash?." Alyssa rolled her eyes but put her blade away as asked.
"Raphael. What are you doing here, especially at this time of the day? Shouldn't you be with your vampires?" She asked, genuinely curious as to why he was there.
"Raphael has something important to tell you, Alec." Magnus supplied. Alyssa saw a look of anger on Alec's face, making her wonder why he was furious with Raphael.
"Nothing he says matters to me." Alec said angrily.
"Can somebody tell me what's going on?" Alyssa asked, but was ignored.
"Your sister is in trouble." Raphael said, alarming Alyssa.
"You're damn right she is. She's suffering withdrawal back at the Institute because of you." Alec said.
"Wait, what?" This was news to Alyssa. "I thought Aldertree was responsible for Izzy's addiction."
"He was and Raphael helped to increase that addiction by giving it to her straight from the source." Alec told her, making her eyes widen in surprise.
"He what? Raphael..."
"She just came by the DuMort, begging for a bite." Raphael cut her off, hoping this would distract his sister from kicking his ass.
"What?"
"I didn't touch her. You have my word. But there are plenty of vampires who would be more than eager to take a bite." Raphael said.
"I never should have left her alone." Alec said, blaming himself. Magnus held him back before he could storm off.
"It's not your fault. Don't worry, we'll find her." He soothed.
"Here's the address of the closest den. There's a good chance she's there." Raphael said, holding out a card. Alyssa took it from him without a word and turned to Alec.
"Let's go." She, Magnus and Alec all walked out leaving Raphael in the apartment.
The three of them ended up at the address Raphael gave them to find two dead bodies with white foam leaking from their mouths and the same sand scattered on their faces.
Alec knelt by one of the bodies while Magnus examined the other one. Alyssa looked around trying to find any other clues.
"Azazel did this." Alec said. Alyssa spotted Izzy's necklace lying on the ground and picked it up.
"Alec." Alec came over to her. "Izzy's necklace is broken." She said, worrying Alec.
"Where is she?"
The Institute - Ops Center
Alec and Alyssa just told Jace and Clary what they had found.
"I thought Izzy had the flu. Why would she leave the Institute?" Clary asked.
"I don't know. But if he's hurt her..." Alec began to say
"Hey, she could have escaped. We don't even know if he has her." Jace said. Alyssa remained silent, scanning through the footage from the bar.
"She hasn't called. And she's not answering her phone. But she's still alive. I know it, it's just...He's got her." Alec said.
"What does he want?"
"I don't know, but we should inform the Inquisitor, okay?" Jace said.
"She's in a meeting with the Alicante Council." Clary said.
"I don't understand. Why Izzy? What does a greater demon want with her?" Alec asked.
"I could track her down." Alyssa spoke up. "Not by the usual means, but I could try to do it."
"How?" Clary asked.
"If Azazel has her, I could try and find her by tracking him, but that's where it gets tricky. I'd have to let my demon side out to play, and..."
"No!" Jace and Alec voiced.
"Alec, Jace..."
"Why would you have to let the demon out?" Clary asked, curious.
"Demons can track down other demons more easily than other beings, assuming they're not cloaking themselves, which Azazel stupidly isn't." Alyssa answered. "If I tried, we could find Azazel and..."
"No, Alyssa. We're not risking it."
"Jace..."
"I said no. We have no idea what could happen, okay? You could be lost to us forever."
"What other choice do we have then? You got better idea?" Alyssa asked, exasperated. "Wait, Alyssa, can't you track Izzy by scent?" Clary asked.
"Unfortunately no. The poison that was on the dagger dulled most of my abilities. I have my sight and hearing back to normal but my sense of smell and my strength are still getting there."Alyssa explained. "Whatever Valentine put on the blade, it was designed to strip the target of any supernatural bonus they have to allow the poison to do its work. That's why it took me two days to wake up."
"Wow."
"Yeah so right the only way I could track Izzy without a tracking rune would be to track her potential abductor." Alyssa said.
"The answer is still no, Lys." Jace said.
"Again, if you have a better idea then we're listening, but we're running out of time." Alyssa snapped. Jace remained silent for a bit before he realized something.
"It may not be a better idea, but I think I know who we could ask." Jace said, earning a scoff from Alyssa.
"Well then, let's go question the bastard who has been messing with our lives since day one, shall we?" She said.
Basement Cell
Jace and Clary were inside the cell, questioning Valentine. Alyssa just stood back, leaning against the glass wall observing. She noticed that he looked worse for wear without empathy.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, but it's so nice to see both of you." Valentine said with a smile.
"Azazel wouldn't leave Duduael on his own. Someone broke him out. Someone with access to the Mortal Cup." Clary said. Valentine rolled his eyes.
"Circle members. They released the greater demon to break you out of here." Jace deduced, seeming confident in his deduction. Alyssa however didn't share this thought process. Valentine looked at Jace as if he was speaking gibberish.
"I thought I raised you to have common sense." Valentine chided. "If the greater demon wanted to free me, how would I still be here, having this inane conversation with you two? I want to banish demon filth from our realm."
"I can't believe I'm about to utter these words but that bastard has a point." Alyssa said from where she was. Jace and Clary looked at her surprised she was supporting Valentine. "Easy... I'm not supporting the bastard, but if Azazel's goal was to free him, we'd be looking at multiple deaths in the Institute instead of out of it. He's after something else. Something that this psychopath stole from us months ago."
"Well, at least your wife has enough common sense to see the truth." Valentine said.
"If that's true, then tell your followers to give us back the Cup. We can force Azazel to give us Izzy." Clary said.
"I don't know where the Mortal Cup is." Valentine said.
"If you're lying, so help the Angel..." Jace began to threaten.
"If you were smart, Jace, you'd use me as bait." This caught Clary's attention. "The only way to control a greater demon is with the Mortal Cup. Azazel would do anything to destroy it. So summon him with your warlock friend, and tell him I have the Cup. Offer him a trade: me for Isabelle." Valentine suggested. Alyssa narrowed her eyes at him.
"That could work. Once we have Izzy, I can take him out with my sunlight rune." Clary said.
"Why would you want to help us?" Alyssa asked Valentine. "Why would we trust you? How do we know this isn't some ploy to try and escape?"
"I'm not sure I would trust me either, if I were you." Alyssa scoffed. "But...the longer Azazel has Isabelle, the greater the chance she dies." Valentine said.
"We don't have a choice, Jace. Alyssa." Clary said to the couple then turned to Valentine. "This better not be a trap. Your life is on the line too."
"Clarissa, I would never do anything to hurt you. You're my daughter." Valentine said, eliciting a humorless laugh from Alyssa.
"Is she? I'm sorry, but it's hard to remember that when just last week you aimed to throw a dagger at her. One that would have hit her if I hadn't stepped in."
"Which I knew you would which was why I threw it because you, Alyssa, are every bit as selfless and protective as Jace. Unfortunately that trait did not work well in your favor this time, did it?" Valentine asked with a smirk. Alyssa's eyes narrowed as she stepped towards the bound man. "You protected your sister but at what cost?" Seeing Alyssa beginning to get angry, Jace stepped in.
"Not another word, if you value your life."
"You know, your medic was one of my guards and he seemed quite free to discuss the state of your health with the other guard while I was in the room. Now I was aiming to at least take care of you but unfortunately they managed to save you. Despite being one of my greatest achievements, it doesn't make you any less of an abomination. But at least I managed to get rid of the other abomination that was growing inside of you. That's one less demon filth that I don't have to worry about." In rage, Alyssa began punching Valentine across the face before he even finished speaking.
Alarmed, it took Jace and Clary a moment to realize what was going on, before Jace moved to pull his wife away from Valentine before she could kill him. Valentine spat out blood from his mouth and gave a chuckle which further enraged the she-wolf.
She struggled against Jace, who tried to hold her back. Due to her strength, it was a much harder task, especially since she was angry.
"What's so funny?" Clary asked.
"You know, with a temper like yours, Alyssa, it almost makes me wish you were also my daughter. But it also reminds me of your mother's."
"Don't compare me to your wife." Alyssa hissed. "That woman was never..."
"I'm not talking about Jocelyn." Valentine said, cutting Alyssa off and confusing her. "I'm talking about your real mother." This threw everyone else in the room for a loop. Alyssa stopped struggling against Jace.
"What are you talking about? What do you mean, my real mother?" Alyssa asked.
"You mean you don't know? Oh, I forgot. Lucian never told you his little secret, did he?" Valentine chuckled again, clearly enjoying this. "Jocelyn isn't your mother, Alyssa. She never was. She only filled in for your actual mother, not that she did a good job of it, as you well know."
No, your mother, your real mother was a woman named Kayla Starkweather. She was Hodge Starkweather's cousin, twice removed and Jocelyn's best friend. She was a member of the Circle at the time and one of my closest confidants, closer than your father or Jocelyn, and she was your father's wife before she passed away after giving birth to you." Alyssa was in shock.
"No. No, you're lying. You're...You're lying." Alyssa said in disbelief. "My dad didn't..., he wouldn't, he'd never..."
"Oh I wish I was but I'm not. I have no reason to lie to you, Alyssa. Your father on the other hand, felt he had to for reasons, best known to him. You should know the truth. You deserve to know the truth. And speaking of truth, you should also know you didn't get your werewolf side from your father. No, you were conceived and born before your father became one."
"Then how did she get her werewolf side if it wasn't from Luke?" Jace asked.
"The same way she got her demon side...from me. Granted, I didn't have to drug her mother. She willingly agreed to let me inject her with the blood of an Alpha from Brocelind Forest and the demon blood."
"Why are you telling me this? Why are you telling me...is this some kind of game to you?" Alyssa said in a broken tone.
"No games, Alyssa. Just the truth. Like I said, you deserve to know the truth."
"This can't be true. You're lying. This has to be a lie. Just like everything you've lied about." Clary said.
"If you don't believe me, you can ask Lucian. But I'm sure you've already pieced it together, haven't you Alyssa?" Valentine said, looking at Alyssa who stood there speechlessly and looking ready to break down. Feeling overwhelmed, Alyssa walked out of the cell with Clary on her heels. Jace watched her leave the cell sadly and turned to glare at Valentine.
"If I find out that this is all a lie, that this is just some sick game you're trying to play, I'll come back and finish what I should have done a long time ago, whether or not you reveal where the cup is." With those parting words, Jace left the cell to go after his wife.
Catching up with Alyssa and Clary, Jace found Clary trying to calm down Alyssa.
"Alyssa, calm down. For all we know he's lying. When has anything Valentine ever said to any of us been the truth? I know what you must be feeling right now..." Clary said, making Alyssa freeze.
"You have no idea what I'm feeling right now, Clarissa. Last I checked, you haven't been told that you lost a baby and then in the following week, been told that the person you thought was your mother, who made your life miserable, isn't even your mother."
You didn't go through even half of what your mother put me through. So no, you don't know how I'm feeling, let alone understand. If anybody understands even an inch of what I'm feeling, it'd be Jace but then again I can't tell these days."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Jace asked.
"I think you know exactly what I mean, Jace. Ever since the night Valentine was captured, you've completely shut me out. Every time I asked you to let me in, you refused. Alec and even Clary, we've all been trying to get you to talk but all you do is shut us out.
You've been hoarding your emotions, trying to push them away so that it doesn't distract you or cloud your judgment. I know I'm a hypocrite for saying all this since I do same but trust me, hoarding it around like you have, just makes it worse.
Emotions serve a purpose, Jace. You're not a robot or some G.I Joe. You're human and you have emotions; pushing them aside like you have been doing doesn't erase them. It only builds up until it becomes too much and breaks you down.
You have to let them out, Jace. I don't mind if it's not me you talk to but Jace, you have to talk to someone, to get it off you. All that guilt and hurt inside you, it's only going to eat you alive. You're the one that told me to let those around me be there for me when I was going through something similar. So why aren't you doing same?" Alyssa said, then turned and began to walk away.
"Where are you going?" Clary asked.
"I have to see my dad. I need...I need to know that Valentine is lying. I need to know that my dad hasn't been lying to me for the past 20 years of my life." Jace and Clary watched her walk away.
Alley
Luke's new partner, Ollie, was seated in the car watching Luke suspiciously as he spoke with Maia. She even took out her phone to take a picture of them. Her attention was caught when she saw a dark-skinned brunette walking towards the two of them.
Luke and Maia were talking when Alyssa walked over from the other end of the alley to them. Luke immediately became alert, seeing signs of crying and distress on Alyssa's face.
"Dad," Maia turned to see what Luke had seen and was now just as worried.
"Alyssa, what's wrong?"
"Dad, I need you to tell me the truth. I don't want any lies."
"Alyssa, what..."
"Was Jocelyn my real mother?" Luke's mouth and throat felt dry all of a sudden.
"What? Alyssa, what are you..."
"Who is Kayla Starkweather, Dad?" Alyssa asked. Luke immediately froze, hearing the name. Alyssa's heart dropped, seeing Luke's reaction.
"Where did you hear that name?" Luke asked.
"That wasn't the answer to either of my questions, Dad." Alyssa said softly, her heart already breaking from seeing the truth in Luke's reaction.
"Kayla Starkweather was Hodge's cousin and Jocelyn's best friend. She was my wife. She died in the days when I was still a part of the circle, before I became a werewolf." Luke answered after a sigh.
"And how did she die?" Alyssa asked. Luke realized then that someone had told his daughter the secret he'd kept from her since birth.
"She died during childbirth...giving birth to our daughter...you." Luke said. Maia, who had been forgotten while father and daughter spoke, turned to look at Luke in surprise hearing this. Alyssa on the other hand, said nothing. She just nodded and looked to the side with a bitter chuckle. "Alyssa..."
Luke was harshly cut off when Alyssa delivered a right hook across his face, which was strong enough to knock him down to the ground. Maia flinched and stepped back in surprise, having not expected that. Seeing this from the car, Ollie got out of the car and rushed over with a gun in hand.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Alyssa whirled towards her with a glare.
"Stay out of this, Detective. This is between me and my dad. So why don't you mind your own business and butt out of my father's private life?"
"Dad? You're his daughter?" Ollie asked, surprised and shocked. "I didn't know he had a daughter."
"Yeah, well, there's a lot that you don't know about him and apparently the same can now be said for me." Luke got up from the ground with a groan, feeling pain in his jaw from the punch Alyssa threw at him.
"Ollie, please get back in the car. I'll handle this." Eyeing Alyssa once more, Ollie nodded and walked back to the car. "Maia, can you excuse us for a moment?"
"No, she stays." Alyssa said.
"Look, I don't wanna get in the middle of this, so I'll just give you two some space." Maia said and walked away before they could pull her into their family dispute.
"Alyssa, look..."
"All this time, I thought Jocelyn was my mother, and she didn't care for me or love me. I used to think that I was doing something wrong and that's why she didn't love or care for me. I tried hard to be enough for her, to be perfect for but it was never enough for her. I grew up thinking that my mother didn't love me."
"Alyssa..."
"And you let me think that, when you knew all along that the woman wasn't my mother. You let me feel inadequate and unloved, like I wasn't a good enough daughter or like I was a burden to her." Alyssa said in a soft pain-filled voice that broke Luke's heart.
"I'm sorry, Alyssa."
"You're sorry? You're sorry." Alyssa said with a bitter watery chuckle as tears gathered in her eyes. "You are sorry? For what? Lying to me? For letting me find out the truth from a psychopath who used to be your parabatai? For letting me believe there was something wrong with me and that's why the woman I thought was my mother couldn't love me? For letting that woman hurt me over and over again? For letting me feel abandoned by someone I thought was my mother? For what, dad, because I am very confused as to what you're saying sorry for right now."
Luke said nothing, only looking at her sadly. "You know what the worst part is? Not hearing the truth from you. Hell, I wouldn't have even minded hearing it from anyone else.
Instead, it was the psychopath who has been making our lives hell that told me the truth. The psychopath that was responsible for making me lose my baby. The psychopath who experimented on me with demon blood and who knows what else. The psychopath who betrayed you and made your family then disown you. He's the one I had to hear all this from. How do you think that makes me feel, dad?"
"Alyssa..." Alyssa shook her head and walked away. Luke watched her go sadly, closed his eyes, and sighed. Once again, he'd hurt his daughter, messing up their already recently fragile relationship. And this time, he didn't know if he could fix it.
Hunter's Moon Bar
Alyssa was seated at a secluded booth in the bar, nursing a drink that she'd ordered but barely touched. She was still processing all that she had learned today and reeling from the fact that her father had lied to her entire life, letting her think Jocelyn was her mother.
Over at the bar, Maia watched her. She'd been watching the other she-wolf since she entered. She hadn't stayed for the remainder of the dispute between her alpha and his daughter but judging by Alyssa's behavior, it had not gone well and the other she-wolf was hurting as a result. Placing the napkin she'd been using to clean the glasses on the counter, she moved from behind the bar and walked towards her, taking a seat across from her.
"Hey."
"Hey."
"Are you okay?"
"Well, I just found out that my mother wasn't my real mother and that my real mother was not only close to the one I thought was my mother but she was also a Valentine loyalist like my aunt and willingly subjected herself and in effect, me, to be experimented on by Valentine.
And my dad knew all about this but decided to lie and not tell me any of this, instead, letting me believe that Jocelyn was my mother and allowing me to think I wasn't a good enough daughter for her and that's why she abandoned me. So, no, Maia, I'm not okay and I don't know if I'll ever be. And if you're here to defend my dad, save your breath."
"Look, Alyssa, I may not understand what you're going through, but I know Luke. He doesn't do anything without a good reason."
"Before I would have agreed with you on that, but not anymore. Maia, he didn't just lie to me about who my mother was, he knew how I was feeling, about how Jocelyn treated me and abandoned me and yet he said nothing.
I don't even care that my mother was a Circle member. I just needed to know that Jocelyn wasn't my mother. It wouldn't have mattered to me if he hadn't told me the whole truth about who my mother was. All he had to tell me was that it wasn't Jocelyn and she was dead. I could have lived with that. But no, he decided it was better to lie to me and leave things as they were."
"Alyssa..."
"Look, Maia, I appreciate what you're trying to do but this isn't something I can easily forgive my dad for. I have always forgiven him when it came to things he did for Jocelyn's sake while I got the short end of the stick. I've forgiven him for putting me second to Clary almost every time. But this, this I can't forgive just that easily." Alyssa said, then downed her drink in one gulp. Giving the other woman a weak smile, she got up and left the bar, leaving Maia to stare after her.
Alyssa's Apartment
Alyssa was seated on the balcony overlooking the streets, curled up into one of the chairs with a blanket around her. She was lost in thoughts, reliving the events of the day and going back over all that had been revealed.
She felt raw and vulnerable, unable to get past the hurt of her father lying to her all these years. Lost in her thoughts, she did not hear Jace enter the apartment.
Jace entered the apartment, feeling tired and defeated. They had gone through with the plan Valentine had proposed, and it had backfired on them. Looking up, he saw his wife seated on the balcony, looking out into space.
He hadn't seen or heard from her since she'd walked out of the basement cell. Letting out a sigh, he went out onto the balcony and joined her.
Alyssa jumped, feeling someone sit beside her. She turned to see that it was Jace.
"Jace."
"Hey, you alright?" Alyssa nodded but Jace could tell it was just an automatic response and not how she was actually feeling. "Lys..."
"What about you? Are you okay? You don't look alright." Alyssa said, cutting Jace off. Jace sighed, temporarily distracted as he recalled the events from that night.
"I've been better. We tried the plan that Valentine suggested and used him as bait to summon Azazel. But the plan backfired when Clary suddenly couldn't use her sunlight rune and it turns out he doesn't even have Izzy. Azazel was able to escape but we still have Valentine in custody and everyone's fine, so I guess that's a plus."
"Yeah, well things don't always go the way we want them to. So you should appreciate even the tiniest victories." Jace eyed her, as if waiting for a scolding that wasn't coming.
"Okay, what's wrong?" Alyssa was confused.
"What do you mean? Nothing's..."
"Alyssa, I just told you we went along with Valentine's idea of using him as bait to get Azazel and you have nothing to say about it."
"What am I supposed to say, Jace? Granted it wasn't the best idea or plan, it was the only one on the table and Izzy's life was possibly at stake, you had to take the risk. You had no choice so I can't exactly fault you for that." Alyssa said with a shrug. "Anyway, you hungry? I ordered Chinese earlier. There's some in the fridge that I can heat up for you." She went to get up but Jace took her hand and stopped her, making her look at him confused.
"Lys, what happened when you went to speak with Luke? What did he say?" Jace asked softly.
"Say about what?" Alyssa asked, feigning ignorance, but Jace wasn't buying it.
"Lys, stop. What happened when you went to ask Luke about your mom?" Alyssa froze slightly at the question but recovered quickly, although not before Jace could notice.
"Nothing. He told me the truth and cleared everything up." Alyssa said quickly then got up. "Now let me get the food heated up for you." She said, then walked back inside. Sensing that she was on the verge of an emotional breakdown, Jace followed after her and caught her by the arm, pulling her to him. He lifted her head up by her chin to see tears welled up in her eyes.
"Lys, baby, what happened? Talk to me, please." Jace pled. Alyssa began to shake her head, closing her eyes to try and force back the tears. "Baby, please."
"Valentine was right." She said softly, afraid that if she spoke any louder, she'd break. "My dad's been lying to me this whole time. Jocelyn was not my mother. My real mom died giving birth to me." Jace felt his heart break for her as she let out a bitter chuckle. "As if my life wasn't already messed up enough. I don't...I just...I-I-I just...I can't..." Tears gathered in her eyes as she stuttered, her emotions beginning to get the better of her. "Why is this always happening to me? What did I ever do? Why...I-I-I don't get...I..." She began to tearfully say. Jace pulled her into his embrace seeing this.
"Shh, shh, it's okay." Jace tried to comfort. The dam within her broke as Alyssa began to sob into Jace's chest, all the emotions from the week before coming out.