The Institute - Ops Center
Jace and Alec were walking and talking about Azazel and his whereabouts. Alyssa was with them too but she was silent. Jace had begged her to stay back at the apartment but she'd refused, saying she needed to do something.
"Looks like Azazel's headed south. We've just recovered four dead mundanes with his signature MO." Alec said.
"Okay, let's go." Jace agreed.
The two were stopped in their tracks by the Inquisitor, who looked less than pleased.
"To catch a Greater Demon you summoned to the Institute, defying all protocol and common sense?" She said.
"Don't put this all on Jace. I had a part in this too." Alec said, trying to take some of the heat off Jace.
"Look, if you want to bench one of your best fighters with a Greater Demon on the loose, I'm happy to oblige." Jace said.
"No. First we vanquish Azazel. Then I'll decide what to do with you." Imogen said, then looked towards Alyssa who was still silent and was staring at the ground. "Nothing to say this time, Miss Fairchild?" Jace tensed, ready to speak up for his wife but it wasn't needed.
"I believe I said all that I would have had to say to you yesterday in the basement. I don't like to make a habit of repeating myself, especially when it just falls on deaf ears." Alyssa said softly but firmly, looking up at the Inquisitor.
Imogen stared at her for a while before walking away from the trio. Jace looked to Alec and nodded to him.
"Go. We'll catch up." Alec looked at the couple for a moment, then nodded before walking away. Jace turned to Alyssa. "Hey, you alright?"
"I'm fine, Jace, now stop worrying. Come on, we have a demon to catch." With Alyssa leading the way, the two joined Clary and Alec in the main area, at one of the tables. Alyssa pulled up a holographic map of the city.
"Azazel's attacks go as far south as the Meatpacking District, and then the trail goes cold." Alec said.
"It's no use just tracking dead bodies. With his ability to dematerialize, he could be anywhere." Jace said.
"Besides, he's just toying with you, leaving a fake trail. He's not stupid," Alyssa added as Alec closed the hologram.
Just then Izzy and a blond guy walked over to the four of them.
"Maybe we can help." Izzy said.
"Izzy." Clary said, relief tinging her voice as she hugged the dark-haired beauty.
"We've been so worried about you. Where have you been?" The redhead asked, releasing Izzy from the hug. Izzy and Alec shared a look before she replied to Clary.
"Looking for Azazel." Alyssa hugged her next, eyeing the guy she'd walked in with. There was something off about him.
"And who is this?" Alyssa asked, gesturing towards the blond Izzy came in with after releasing the female Lightwood from the hug.
"This is Sebastian Verlac from the London Institute. When the demon came after me, he saved my life." Izzy introduced.
"Oh, I simply lent a hand." Sebastian said modestly. Alyssa couldn't help but want to be away from him.
"Sebastian's an expert on all things Azazel." Izzy said.
"When I studied abroad at the Paris Institute, I specialized in Greater Demons." Sebastian put in. Alec held out his hand, a grateful look on his face and Jace's faces.
"Thanks for saving my sister. I'm Alec." Sebastian took his hand and shook it.
"Hey. Yeah, thank you. I'm Jace." Jace said, also extending his hand, which Sebastian took and shook.
"The great warrior in the flesh. Your reputation precedes you." Sebastian said, then turned to Clary. "As does yours. You must be Clary, Valentine's daughter." He said, shaking her hand.
"Yeah. Don't hold it against me." Clary said.
"Well, we don't choose our parents." He said before his eyes landed on Alyssa. "And you must be..."
"Alyssa, his wife." Alyssa responded, gesturing towards Jace.
"Yes, also known as L'Hybride at the Paris Institute, The Hybrid." This earned looks from the others who hadn't known this fact.
"Wonderful, now that we all know each other, can we get back to the subject at hand?" Alyssa said, looking away from Sebastian.
"Yes. Tell us about Azazel, Sebastian. How do we take him down?" Jace asked.
"The only way to banish him is to puncture his demonic core. In corporeal form, it's between the T8 and T9 vertebrae." Sebastian informed. "But it's not that simple. The core is about the size of a pea."
"So the entry point's right below his sternum?" Jace asked to which Sebastian nodded. "If I can get close enough, I can kill him."
"Easy there, hotshot. Like your twin blondie over there said, it's not that simple. You'd need a certain amount of velocity to hit the core and if you get too close, you wouldn't be able to gain that velocity; too far and you might just miss it." Alyssa said.
"She's right. And even if you did, the defeat is only temporary. The nasty buggers always find a way to break out of their realm and come back." Sebastian added.
"Yes, thank you for stating the obvious." Alyssa said, surprising the others with her almost hostile tone.
"Thank you for the intel. We'll take it from here." Alec said in a dismissive tone.
"If I can, I'd like to help." Sebastian said.
"We appreciate that but you don't have clearance to go on mission. Not at this Institute."
"Alec, you can't be serious." Izzy said with a scoff.
"Hey, Alec. Look, he clearly knows more than us about Azazel. We could use all the help we can get." Jace said.
"Now, as far as tracking is concerned, we should really think about..."
"We have a very capable warlock for that." Alec said, shutting Sebastian down then turned to the others. "You do what you want. I'm gonna work with Magnus." He said then walked away.
"Jace, I'm gonna go get some coffee. Let me what's going on." Alyssa said. Jace nodded and kissed her cheek before she also walked away.
Unnoticed by the others, Sebastian watched her as she walked away with an unexplainable look in his eyes.
Imogen's Office
A guard let Jace, Alyssa, and Clary into the office where Imogen was seated at her desk. Letting Jace and Clary go first, Alyssa hung back.
"You wanted to see us?" Jace asked.
"Yes, I told you I would decide what was next for you once Azazel was vanquished, so here we are." Imogen replied.
"You can do whatever you want with me, but leave Alyssa and Clary out of this." Jace said.
"Well, that's not possible. The Clave wants to have both you and Miss Morgenstern tested to get a greater understanding of your unique angel blood abilities."
"No. We'll pass on being lab rats." Jace said, moving to leave but was stopped by Clary.
"No, Jace, I want to do this. I haven't been able to use my rune since we summoned Azazel. I...I want to understand why." Clary said.
"Thank you, Miss Morgenstern. Your willingness to put your own comfort aside for the greater good is to be commended." Imogen said, then turned to Jace. "You would do well to follow her example."
"I'm not a follower." Jace replied sarcastically.
"I'll do the testing on my own. When do we start?" Clary said. Alyssa rolled her eyes at Clary's eagerness.
"Clary, you don't know the Clave like I do. First they'll just want you to do circus tricks. The next thing you know, you'll be monitored 24/7." Jace warned.
"I'll do whatever it takes. Look, it's okay if you don't want to do this, Jace. But drawing those runes...for the first time, I felt like there was a reason I became a Shadowhunter. I need to get them back." Clary said. Jace sighed and turned back to Imogen.
"I guess it's your lucky day." He said. Imogen ignored him and turned her attention to Alyssa, who had remained quiet the entire time.
"As for you, Miss Fairchild, I believe you know why I called you here."
"With you, there could be a number of reasons, so I believe you're going to have to be specific, Inquisitor." Alyssa said.
"I'm referring to the unsanctioned portal you took to Alicante yesterday and this morning," Imogen revealed.
Both Jace and Clary looked at Alyssa in surprise, this being the first they'd heard of it.
"I needed to speak to Maryse. She wasn't available yesterday, so I tried this morning." Alyssa said with a shrug.
"And why did you need to speak with Maryse Lightwood?"
"Forgive me, Inquisitor, but I don't think that's any of your business."
"It becomes my business when I have to answer to the Clave as to why one of the Shadowhunters under my authority here took an unauthorized portal to the capital to see someone they aren't known to be close to."
"I needed to talk to Maryse about some issues I am dealing with. That's all you need to know." Alyssa said.
"I need to know the content of the conversation you had, Miss Fairchild. Unless you'd rather I have you arrested so that you can answer to the Clave yourself."
"Whoa, wait, what?"
"You can't do that?" Jace and Clary voiced out.
"Why is it so important you know what Maryse and I discussed? Are you afraid we're plotting something to usurp the Clave or start another uprising?"
"With your blood and what you are, as well as your general behavior towards authority figures, we can't be certain that is not a possibility."
"You can't be serious." Jace said.
"Yeah, Alyssa's nothing like that." Clary said.
"And how would you know that, Miss Morgenstern? With her demon side, we have to assume that she is capable of such things."
"So in other words, I can't be trusted. Well, that works for me because I don't trust either you or the Clave. I don't trust any of you to do right by anyone but yourselves." Alyssa said coolly.
"Since you really want to know why I went to see Maryse, you should know that because of the sicko you have locked up in the basement, I lost my unborn child and almost died saving Clary from a poisoned dagger he threw at her the night we arrested him.
And then yesterday, to satisfy his sick urge to ruin people's lives, he revealed a secret that my father has kept from me since I was born.
That was what I went to discuss with Maryse Lightwood. I needed to talk to someone about how I was feeling, a mother and she's been more of a mother to me than the one whom I thought was my mother ever was to me.
That is why I took an unsanctioned portal to Alicante and why I sought out Maryse. And for your information, I'm not a Fairchild, never was apparently and it's part of why I went to see Maryse. Now you know and if you don't believe me, I don't care. I've told you the truth."
At the revelation from the younger woman, Imogen's face softened slightly at the mention of losing a child, but she quickly schooled her features into a neutral expression once again.
"If you have nothing else better to speak to me about or ask me besides my personal life matters, excuse me." Alyssa said coldly then left the room with Jace and Clary following behind. Imogen stared after them for a moment before looking back down to write something down on her papers.
Rooftop
Alyssa had come straight here after leaving Imogen's office. She leaned against the ledge, placing her hands clasped atop it and staring into nothing. As the wind blew her hair back and the sun shone on her, she cast her mind back to her conversation with Maryse earlier today.
Her thoughts were cut off, hearing the rooftop door open and close. By sense of smell, she realized it was Clary who had followed her upstairs.
"Hey." Clary said tentatively.
"Hey. Jace sent you to check up on me?" Alyssa said, not turning to face the younger girl.
"No. He was going to come, but I convinced him to let me find you instead. So how are you feeling?"
"Unhinged. My entire life has been blown apart these last few days, all by one man. How do you think I feel, Clary?" Clary nodded, understanding her words.
"I'm sorry." Alyssa this time turned and looked at her in confusion.
"For what? Why are you sorry?"
"If it weren't for you having to save my life, you wouldn't have lost your baby. It's my fault and..."
"Clarissa, stop. It wasn't your fault and it never will be. I chose to jump in and save you. You couldn't have known I was pregnant, no one did. There's only one person I'll ever blame for that and that's Valentine. It just sucks that I had to find out the truth from him instead of my dad."
"Alyssa, I may not understand what you're feeling right now but...maybe you should give Luke a chance to explain why he hid this from you."
"It wouldn't matter anyway. This isn't just about him lying to me. It's more than that. I appreciate you trying to help but this isn't something that can be fixed that easily. But thanks for coming to check up on me." Alyssa said with a weak smile.
"Of course. Just because we're not sisters anymore doesn't mean I don't care anymore." Clary said.
Though she knew Clary meant no harm by what she said, hearing her say that they were no longer sisters hurt Alyssa, but she managed to mask her hurt with a smile.
"Of course. You should go back in. I'm pretty sure Imogen's looking for you so she can begin her 'tests'." Alyssa said, making air quotes around 'tests'. Clary nodded and walked away, leaving the roof and since she didn't turn back, she did not see the tear roll down from Alyssa's eye, as the older girl tried to hold in her tears and turned back to lean on the ledge.
A few hours later found Alyssa back on the rooftop, though this time she was just sketching. She'd gotten some of her art supplies which were still in her and Jace's room in the Institute. She was then interrupted when her phone began to ring. Taking the phone from her jacket pocket, she discovered it was Raphael calling and answered the call.
"Raphael."
"I am going to kill your sister's boyfriend."
"Dare I ask what the idiot did this time?" Alyssa asked nonchalantly, going back to her sketch.
"He went after Rosa." Alyssa stopped what she was doing immediately.
"He did what?! How did he even know about her?"
"Probably Isabelle. She's the only one I've told besides you. I'm going after him."
"No, wait, Raphael..." The call disconnected, cutting her off. Letting out a growl, she pocketed her phone and jumped off the ledge, missing Sebastian who had come out onto the rooftop and seen her jump.
He rushed to the ledge and looked down to see her land safely in a crouch then proceed to stand up and run away. He watched her run with the same unexplainable look. Seeing that he'd just missed her, he left the roof and went back downstairs.
Jade Wolf - Inside
Simon walked over to a booth and placed a plate of food in front of Izzy whom he was spending time with and sits across from her in the booth.
"Kung pao for the best anti-bullying expert ever." He said.
"Thank you." Izzy said with a smile.
"Of course."
"But you know, it's kind of hard to celebrate with this place looking like a ghost town." Izzy said.
"How are things at the Institute?" Simon asked, curious.
"Well, everyone's trying to recover. Alec is paranoid about pretty much everyone. And, uh, Jace, you know, he's still spinning."
"About the Soul-Sword attack."
"Yeah, among other things."
"What about Alyssa? Clary told me she lost a baby that night." Izzy nodded in affirmation.
"Yeah, she's dealing in her own way but it seems she can't ever catch a break."
"What do you mean?" Simon asked, confused.
"I'm talking about her not being Clary's actual sister. Jocelyn was not her mother, Valentine revealed it and Luke confirmed it."
"Wait, so that means Luke has lied to her for her entire life? Wow, and how is she dealing with that?"
"Not as well as she wants us to believe."
Suddenly, they heard energy pulsating in the room and stood up from the booth.
In front of them, a portal opened and out walked Raphael with three of his vampire companions as well as a warlock.
Anger clouding his face, Raphael threw Simon to the ground harshly. The other vampires moved and picked him up, restraining him.
"It would have been a lot easier to wait until nightfall to kill you. You come near my sister, you pay now." Raphael said, pulling out a wooden stake.
"Back off, Raphael." Izzy said, trying to defend Simon. Raphael turned to her, angry and disappointed in her.
"You gave your friend some really bad advice, Isabelle." He said, then looked to a female vampire he'd come with. "Keep her back."
One of the vampires, Eloise, takes Izzy by the arm and brings it to her mouth tauntingly.
"Feeling a little weak from withdrawal? I can fix that if you like." She hissed. Izzy stood transfixed, drawn in by Eloise's words.
"Any last words?" Raphael said to Simon.
"You're lucky your sister doesn't know who you are. Because if she did, she'd hate you." Simon said, drawing the ire of the older vampire.
"Say goodbye, Simon." Raphael said. Just then, Luke pulled the doors open, letting in the sunlight.
"Hey." He shouted.
Breaking out of her trance, Izzy pushed Eloise away, who like the other vampires hid from the sunlight. Taking the respite presenting itself, Simon run to stand behind Luke, stepping into the sunlight. But to the surprise and awe of the other vampires except Raphael, he wasn't burning like any vampire would in the sun. He was fine.
"Anyone else wanna take a shot? Come on, Come on. Don't be shy." Simon said, his confidence returning tenfold.
"How can you do that?"
"He's a Daylighter." The vampires murmured.
"Damn right I am." Simon said cockily. Before he could say anymore, his neck was twisted and snapped from behind, killing him temporarily. He dropped to the ground, revealing Alyssa behind him. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she'd snapped his neck.
"Stupid idiot." She muttered, stepping over his body.
"Lyssa." Izzy said, but the brunette only glared at her, making the dark-haired beauty step back and look down, knowing why her friend was angry with her.
"You vampires, have overstayed your welcome. So unless you want to become werewolf chew toys, you need to get lost right now. You're on wolf territory." She said, glowing her eyes to place emphasis on her words. Raphael nodded and turned to his vampires.
"We're done here. Let's go."
Taking the hint, the warlock reopened the portal to take them back. Torn between awe at Simon and fear of the threatening look in Alyssa's eyes, the vampires followed their leader and left the restaurant.
"Lys, I..."
"For the love of God, Izzy, what were you thinking?" Alyssa asked, turning on Izzy who stepped back again. "Where did you get the bright idea to use Rosa against Raphael? He trusted you, Izzy. Until he told you, only Magnus and I knew about his little sister. The fact that he told you means he trusted you enough not to do something of this sort. How could you?"
"He was pestering Simon and bullying him. I did this to help him." Izzy said weakly in her defense.
"No, you did this to get back at him for taking advantage of your addiction to feed his. I love you, Iz. You're my sister, but Raphael is also my brother. I know what he did was wrong, but you bringing Rosa into this..."
"I'm sorry."
"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."
At that moment, a groan was heard from the floor. All eyes turned to Simon, who had just woken up.
"Ah!" He cried in pain, rubbing his neck as he stood up. Wincing from the pain, he noticed that all the vampires were gone. "Are Raphael and his posse gone?"
"Yes, Simon. You should remember that just because you're a Daylighter doesn't mean you're invincible now. Be careful, Simon." Luke advised.
"Noted. Now, who snapped my neck? It hurts like hell." At this statement, all Alyssa's anger returned to her.
"I did." She said, alerting Simon of her presence. "And since you're now awake, let's have some fun, shall we?" She said with a fake smile.
Before anyone could stop her, she moved across the room and kicked Simon out the door, causing him to fall hard to the ground.
"Ow. What was that..." Before he could finish his sentence, he was picked from the ground and then punched across the face, kneed in the gut and then thrown into the restaurant wall.
Alyssa went to attack him again, but was stopped by Luke.
"Alyssa, stop. That's enough. You're going to kill him." He said, holding her back from behind. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Alyssa threw her head back which Luke narrowly avoided but distracted him enough for her to elbow him and push him away from her.
"Please, we both know that if I wanted him dead, he'd be headless and heartless right now instead of leaning against the wall trying to recover." Alyssa said.
"You were also using him as a punching bag to let out all your frustrations." At this, Alyssa shrugged indifferently.
"Alyssa, why did you attack me? Did I somehow get on your hit list?" Simon asked, breaking the father-daughter stare-off.
"Oh wow, looks like you do have brains after all. Here I was, thinking you had none." Alyssa said sarcastically.
"What?"
"Here's something you should know about me, idiot. When it comes to the people I love, I always hit first and then ask questions later or never."
"Good to know."
"Good, because now I'm going to ask why you threatened my brother with his little sister."
"Well, maybe if you'd asked first, you'd have known your brother has been hounding me ever since he found out I'm a Daylighter. He's been wanting me to tell him how I became one." Simon explained, hoping to get Alyssa to be on his side.
"And you didn't think that talking with him and making him understand that you can't reveal that information, would work? A jackass he may be sometimes but he's not unreasonable, you idiot. In fact you might understand him better if you'd bothered to get to know him instead of getting high and mighty."
"What are you...?"
"Just be grateful that I didn't kill you permanently for the stunt you pulled. If you weren't Clary's boyfriend, we'd be having an entirely different conversation right now. One that would have involved your throat being ripped out by my teeth and your head deposited on your mother's doorstep so she could see how such a brilliant person such as yourself can be so stupid."
Simon gulped at the threat. "There's a reason why Downworlders know not to mess with me, Simon. They know what I'm capable of when it comes to my friends and family. Just ask my dad. Stay away from Rosa Santiago and lay off my brother. Don't make an enemy out of me, Simon. You wouldn't survive."
"Is that...is that a threat?" Alyssa smirked, hearing the fear in his voice.
"No, it's a promise. Stop acting stupidly and actually learn something about the world you live in now. As my dad said, being a Daylighter doesn't make you invincible, nor does it make you better than any of the other vampires. Be careful, Simon." With those parting words, Alyssa left the pier, sparing her father a glance before walking away completely.
Magnus' Apartment Building - Outside
Alyssa stood outside the building with her phone to her ear, leaving a voicemail.
"Hey, Mags, it's me again. This would be like the fifth time I've called today and you know that I never call a person this consistently unless something's not right. I just...I really need to talk to you, Mags. So stop messing around with Alec and please pick up the phone and call back."
Ending the call, Alyssa pocketed her phone with a sigh, silently debating on whether to go right up to Magnus' apartment or wait for him to call her back.
"Oh, screw it." She muttered, making her decision and turned to enter the building. But a voice called to her and stopped her.
"Alyssa?" She turned to see Clary, Alec, and Sebastian walking towards her. Seeing the look on Alec's face, Alyssa deduced that something was wrong. She then noticed someone else behind them.
"Please tell me what the hell is going on before I lose my temper and kill him?" Alyssa gritted out, her eyes glowing with anger, seeing Valentine.
"Lyssa, wait. That's not Valentine." Alec said.
"And I'm not werewolf- demon Shadowhunter."
"Being normal and just like everyone else is boring, biscuit." 'Valentine' began to say, making Alyssa frown in confusion. As he continued to speak, realization dawned on her.
"Being different is much more fun. You want to know why? Being different from everyone else is what sets you apart from everyone and makes you stand out. It's what makes you unique and irreplaceable. Don't try to be like everyone else so that you fit in. Be yourself so that you can stand out."
Alyssa recognized that as something Magnus had once said to her when she'd questioned why she was the only one of her kind and couldn't be like everyone else.
"Magnus? Wha..." Another realization hit her. "Azazel used a body-switching spell on you and Valentine, didn't he? And you're all here because the bastard wants his body back and made some kind of deal with Imogen, which to be honest is the only reason why she'd let Magnus in Valentine's body out of the cell for it to happen."
"Well, you catch on fast." Sebastian said, but was ignored.
"Just out of curiosity, who did Valentine use as a bargaining chip?" When they stared at her, she rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, it's not too hard to predict that psycho or that woman in such situations. They're predictably unpredictable and other times unpredictably predictable. So who was it? The Consul or another high-ranking member of the Clave? I need to know so I know just how much of my time I'd be wasting or profitably using."
"Her grandson." Alec said vaguely, making Alyssa frown.
"Grandson? Wait, Magnus, you and Dad told me Imogen was the last of the Herondale after her son, his wife, and kid died so how...?"
"It's Jace, Alyssa. And he said if I'm not there within the hour, Jace dies." Magnus said.
Alyssa's blood ran cold and her expression fell when she heard this. Without another word, she turned and walked inside the building, with the others following right behind her.
"One of these days, I am going to strangle Jace for blocking me out at the times when he needs to let me in the most." Alyssa muttered.
"Don't be so hard on him, Alyssa. I'm sure he thought he was trying to protect you. He really cares about you and..." Sebastian was saying, not noticing the signs that the others were giving him to stop talking.
"Magnus, do you think the secret passage I use to your apartment might be warded off too if Valentine has learned to put up wards?" Alyssa asked, coming to a stop and ignoring Sebastian.
"Even if it wasn't, biscuit, I would advise you not to use it. If Valentine sees you, he could kill both you and Jace. It's too risky." Magnus said. Alyssa looked at him, blinking, then turned to walk again.
"It's so weird hearing that form of endearment coming out of his mouth. I think I might get nightmares." This drew a chuckle from Magnus and a small smile from the other three.
They made their way up to the top floor, where they hid around the corner, letting Magnus go to the apartment alone, waiting for their chance. As soon as the apartment door closed shut, the four of them came from around the corner, walking towards the apartment.
"I don't know why you felt the need to bring him here." Alec said, with Alyssa silently agreeing.
"We need all the help we can get." Clary countered. Reaching the door, Alyssa came to a stop about a foot or two away from it and pulled Clary back when she tried to go through it.
"Careful, Clary. The wards are up." Alyssa said, looking at the almost invisible yet shimmering wall in front of them. "Get too close and you'll fry."
"You said Valentine wouldn't have this kind of warlock power." Clary said to Sebastian.
"Yeah, as always, he defies expectations. Look, we're gonna need you." Sebastian said, making Clary realize he was talking about her runes.
Hesitantly, she took out her stele and tried to draw a rune on the wards but it wasn't taking. She tried again with the same amount of success, none.
"Try again." Alec urged.
"I can't make it work." Clary said.
"Yes, you can." Sebastian encouraged.
"You can do this, Clarissa. Just focus." Alyssa said. Clary looked at her and then tried again but the rune was still not taking. Sebastian took her by the arms and pulled her to face him. This move put Alyssa on edge.
"Tell me what it feels like to have your entire family ripped away from you." Sebastian said.
"What?" Clary asked, confused.
"That's enough." Alec said, stepping forward.
"Trust me on this, okay?" Sebastian said to Alec. Seeing what he was trying to do and what could be causing Clary's block, Alyssa touched Alec's arm and pulled him back.
"Alec, let him." She said. Sebastian gave her a nod then turned back to Clary.
"Look, your mother is never coming back. Alyssa is not your sister. You feel like you're all alone in this world, don't you?"
"Stop it." Clary pleaded, tears in her eyes.
"No, feel it, Clary. Feel it." Sebastian said, shaking her slightly. Alyssa didn't like this, but she knew Clary had to let herself feel the pain and hurt she'd been pushing aside to get through her mental block. "Your mother is never coming back."
"Don't." She pleaded again.
"Your father will never love you. The only reason he wanted you was to use you."
"Sebastian, this isn't working." Alec said, trying to stop the blond. But Alyssa stopped him.
"No, Alec, she needs this. She needs to let the pain in instead of pushing it aside." Alyssa said.
"You wanted Alyssa to be your sister so badly because then at least you'd have someone to share in the pain but she'd not your sister. She never has been and never will be."
"Stop it!" Clary said, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"I can't stop it, Clary." Sebastian said then pointed at her heart. "That empty feeling that eats away at your soul, that makes you feel like you want to die? Day after day, after day. It never stops." He said then took a hold of her hand which had the stele in it. "Now take that pain and use it."
Turning to face the ward again with determination on her face, Clary began to draw the rune again, this time succeeding and making the wards break down. Wasting no time, the four of them stormed into the apartment just in time to see Magnus and Valentine standing up.
"Alexander." Magnus said from his own body, indicating that the body swap had worked. In a running leap, Clary pushed herself and Valentine into a portal behind him. The portal sucked them in and closed immediately after them.
"Well, that was anti-climactic." Alyssa nonchalantly commented, earning a light chuckle from all three men.
The Institute - Main room
Jace was seated next to a panel containing seraph blades. He had one in his hands, looking it over.
"Hey." He looked up to see Alyssa walking over to him. "You okay?" He smiled and put the blade back on the panel.
"I'm fine. It would take a lot more than Valentine kidnapping me to put me out of commission." He said, taking her hand in his.
"I wasn't talking about that but thanks for reminding me." Alyssa said then hit his shoulder. "When are you going to learn to stop blocking me out when things like this happen? I know you feel like you're protecting and all that but you're my husband. I'm supposed to get worried about you. If you ask me, it worries me more when you block me out in situations like that. When you let me in, at least I know you're not hurt and that you're safe."
"I'm sorry. I'll try not to do that if it happens again."
"You better." Jace grinned at her and gave her a gentle kiss, which she returned. "Anyway, back to what I was asking. I was talking about finding out who your biological family is after all this time."
"I'm still processing that part." Alyssa nodded in understanding. Before she could say anything else, they were interrupted as Imogen approached the two with her guards. Alyssa stepped back when Imogen walked towards Jace.
"Now I know where that bold defiance of yours comes from. You're just like your father." Imogen said, then held up a ring, her family's ring on a leather cord. "I retrieved this from Magnus' apartment. It belongs to you now. You've had a lot taken from you, Jace. But that's all over now. You come from a line of great and powerful Shadowhunters. From a family that has been revered by generations and feared...by those who oppose all that is good and just. This ring signifies that. This is your birthright."
Imogen put the necklace around Jace's neck and put her hand on his cheek. "Now my boy, you are about to find out what it means to be a Herondale." She said with a smile. "I would like it if you moved back into the Institute." Jace turned to look at Alyssa, as if to ask if they could. She gave a small smile and nodded, knowing how much this meant to him even though she didn't particularly like it. Jace turned back to Imogen with a smile.
"We will." Imogen smiled back and left. Jace lifted the ring, feeling complete, and smiled. He didn't notice Alyssa slipping out and away from the room, and he certainly didn't notice that she hadn't joined him in bed or had probably left the institute as he went to sleep in his room at the institute.