Alyssa's Apartment
It's been a few weeks since Jace moved out of the Institute and Alyssa with him into her apartment. With Jace's help, Alyssa had moved some of her stuff from Magnus' place and had asked Izzy and Alec to bring some of her things which had been at the Institute.
They'd barely been in contact with anyone, minus the occasional call from Luke to find out how Alyssa was doing.
Currently, the married couple were in the bedroom, laying on the bed with barely any clothing on, talking about just anything.
Jace was sat up, leaning against the headboard and Alyssa was lying next to him with her head on his chest and her arm across his stomach while Jace had his arm wrapped around her waist, occasionally rubbing his thumb on her skin with his other arm behind his head.
"Hey, do you ever wonder what would have happened with us, if we didn't have our soul bond? Do you think that without it, we'd even be together?" Alyssa asked, trailing a pattern on Jace's chest. Jace looked down at her but she wasn't looking up at him. Her eyes were trained onto the imaginary patterns she was making.
"What brought this on?"
"Just wondering. I mean if it weren't for the soul bond I don't think we'd have ever met or come together."
"I don't think so." Jace said, turning onto his side and causing Alyssa to lie on her back, looking up at him. Even without the soul bond, I still think we would have met with Clary being your sister and all, and I think even then I would have fallen for you, and we would still be together."
"Really? Are you sure…"
"Babe, why are you asking this?" Alyssa sighed, contemplating whether to throw him off or tell him exactly what she was thinking.
"Because I still feel like this whole relationship was forced on you. I mean you went out on night on a mission, and suddenly you find out you're soul bound to someone you didn't even remember meeting when we were kids. You…"
"Alyssa, I thought I clarified this the night Magnus removed the block on our memories. I never felt forced into this relationship with you. Even before we knew about the soul bond, before Magnus removed the block, I was still drawn to you. And I know it wasn't the soul bond making me feel that because at the time, it was still blocked so there's no way it could have influenced my decision. I love you, Alyssa, bond or not and nothing's gonna change that." Jace said, then leaned down to kiss her.
Alyssa wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her and deepening the kiss. Just as they were about to go further, they heard a knock on the front door. "You've got to be kidding me." Jace growled. Set on ignoring whoever it was, he leaned down to continue what they were doing but the knocking became louder.
Jace groaned and rolled off Alyssa, grabbing a pair of sweatpants from the floor and putting them on. Alyssa also got up and put on one of Jace's shirts. Alyssa followed Jace out of the bedroom as he went to see who was at the door. He barely opened the door when Alec barged in without invitation.
"Of course, please do come in." Alyssa said sarcastically, crossing her arms and leaning against the entry way of the arch leading to the living room. "Can we help you or did you just feel like barging into our home as if you own the place?"
"We have orders. Let's go, both of you." Alec barked without preamble. Alyssa lifted an eyebrow at the tone he was using.
"We're a little busy at the moment." Jace said with a sigh, leaning against the closed door. Alec turned to Alyssa, expecting a different answer, but all he got was a sarcastic smile.
"This is your solution? Hiding out?" Alec asked Jace, gesturing towards the apartment.
"If we were hiding, you wouldn't have known to find us here, Alec." Alyssa said.
"We have obligations."
"Spare me, Alec." Alyssa said, rolling her eyes.
"Obligations? Aldertree wanted me gone, and I'm gone." Jace said with a shrug.
"So you got demoted. So what? You'll work your way back up." Alec said. Jace shook his head at him.
"You don't understand."
"Then tell me. Whatever it is, it can't be that bad." Alec pleaded and turned to Alyssa. "And what about you?"
"We both know that where Jace goes, I go. I'm pretty sure Aldertree is elated that I'm out of the institute." Alyssa replied.
"So you're just going to turn your back on us? On Isabelle? Clary?" Alec said, looking at Alyssa pointedly as he mentioned the last name. Alyssa's eyes flared up as she realized what Alec was trying to do.
"Don't try to use that guilt trip tactic with us, Alec because, brother or not, I will consider hurting you if you continue. And concerning Clary, if she needed me, she'd have spoken and told me herself. But ever since the Rite of Mourning, she hasn't spoken to me. She still blames me for her mother's death."
"She's still your sister, Lyssa."
"I never said she wasn't, Alec. That still doesn't change the fact that if she or either of you needed me or Jace, you could and would have called on us."
"Alec, you should go." Jace said and opened, noticing how agitated Alyssa was getting. "We don't want you getting benched too." Alec looked at the two of them in disbelief.
"This isn't you, either of you." He said.
"Yeah, well when you find the real us that you're looking for, you let us know." Alyssa shot back. Alec looked at both of them again before storming out. Jace closed the door behind him and looked towards Alyssa with a concerned expression.
"You okay, babe?"
"Yeah, I'm gonna make us something to eat." She said, moving towards the kitchen. Jace nodded with a sigh and went to take a shower.
Two hours later, Alyssa was showered and changed. She prepared something to eat in the kitchen.
Jace was seated in the living room, reading a book when her phone started ringing.
"Babe, who is it?" She asked from the kitchen. Jace picked up the phone from the table in front of him and checked the ID of the caller.
"It's Luke. Want me to pick up?" Hearing her say he should, Jace answered the call.
'Hey, Luke.'
'Hey, Jace. Is Alyssa there? I need to speak with her.' Alyssa entered the living room then, sitting beside Jace and passing him a glass of juice.
'Yeah, she's right here.' Jace responded, giving her the phone.
'Dad.'
'Hey, honey. Could you come to the Jade Wolf?'
'Is everything okay?'
'Yes, but can you come here?'
'Yeah, sure, I can be there in a few minutes. Why? What is it?'
'It's nothing serious, honey. Just get here.'
'Okay. I'll be there soon.'
Alyssa hung up the phone with a slight frown on her face.
"Everything okay?" Jace asked, seeing the look on her face.
"Yeah. He said he wants me at the Jade Wolf."
"Want me to come with you?"
" No, it's okay. He said it was nothing serious." Alyssa answered and pecked his lips, rising from the couch they were seated on. "I made some sandwiches if you're hungry, they're on the counter. And you know there's more juice in the fridge."
"Sandwiches? Are they safe?" Jace asked, teasingly. Alyssa playfully narrowed her eyes at him.
"Very funny. I used to cook for my dad and Magnus sometimes. Being Izzy's best friend doesn't make me Izzy, babe." Jace chuckled and stood to pull her to him.
"I'll take your word for it." He said, pecking her lips. "Got a weapon on you?"
"You know I always do." She replied, pulling her sleeve back to show him her whip bracelet and a sheath full of spikes on her arm. "I also have my blade strapped to my thigh."
"That's my girl. What about your knives?"
"I think I have enough for now. I gotta go." She placed a quick kiss on his lips and stepped out of his arms. "I'll call you if we need you. In the meantime, you could…"
"Don't worry. I can keep myself busy." Giving him one last kiss, Alyssa left the apartment.
Jade Wolf
Alyssa arrived at the restaurant and was shocked to see Clary running her stele over an Iratze rune on a familiar person she hadn't seen in years. It was her aunt, Cleophas, Luke's sister.
"Of all the places you could go, you chose to ask a Downworlder for help." Luke said, glaring at his sister who stood up. "A soulless monster. A filthy animal. Or have you forgotten all the names you called me? Because I haven't."
"I hope to hell she remembers." Alyssa said, announcing her presence. "Because I seem to remember she also had some choice words for me when she found out I inherited the wolf gene."
"Alyssa." Cleophas said, a smile on her lips, one her niece didn't return. "Alyssa, I…"
"What is she doing here, Dad? I thought she was at the Citadel, enjoying her wonderful life and service as an Iron Sister to bring back 'honor' to the family name." Luke gave a shrug and gestured towards Clary.
"Luke. Alyssa." Clary said in a warning tone, then turned to Cleophas before Alyssa could say anything else. "What happened at the Citadel?"
"Valentine's men infiltrated. We tried to fight them off. They…they killed Magdalena and took me." Hearing that Magdalena was dead, Alyssa inhaled sharply. Cleophas looked at her sympathetically. "Alyssa, I'm sorry, I know how much Sister Magdalena meant to you and…"
"They only took you." Luke said, bringing them back to what they were talking about. "Why is that?"
"I don't know. He brought me to New York, locked me up. I managed to get a jump on one of his guards and fight my way out."
"Do we look stupid to you?" Alyssa said in a deathly quiet voice but they all heard her. "No, tell me, do we look that stupid to you that you think we'd believe this story?
You forget Cleophas, that we know you. You expect us to believe that Valentine and his men infiltrated the Citadel, killed Magdalena but left the other Iron Sisters alive and captured only you. Do you see how many holes there are in your story? How sure are we that you didn't kill Magdalena yourself to fake an infiltration of some kind?"
"Alyssa!"
"Stay out of it, Clary!" Alyssa snapped at her sister. "You don't know this woman the way Dad and I do."
"It's okay, Clarissa. I know where Valentine is hiding. I can lead you to him." Cleophas said. Clary's eyes widened and she turned to Alyssa and her father figure.
"And there it is. The true reason for showing up after 14 years of no contact." Alyssa said.
"Luke, Alyssa, we have to do this. It's our chance to find Valentine." Clary said.
"No way. I couldn't save your mother, but I'll be damned if I put you in jeopardy." Luke said.
"If we could just discuss this…"
"Not now, Clary."
"Please," Clary said, giving both father and daughter a look. Alyssa glared and gestured towards the kitchen. She then made her way there with her father and sister following while Alaric and some other wolves stayed back to watch Cleophas.
Kitchen
"Look, I know my sister's convincing, but you can't fall for her lies." Luke said once they entered the kitchen.
"She's not that convincing. I wasn't sure until she called me Clarissa. Only Valentine calls me that and occasionally, Alyssa when she's mad at me. Besides, Alyssa was right. Too many holes in her story." Clary said. Luke smiled at her, looking impressed but Alyssa's expression however didn't change.
"Well done." Luke commended. "Now, what the hell are they planning?"
"That's what we have to figure out. Valentine has the Soul-Sword, Luke. If she can lead us to him —"
"Out of the question."
"Not happening." Luke and Alyssa said at the same time.
"Well, isn't that what cops do? Go undercover?" Clary retorted.
"I didn't realize you had a badge." Luke said sarcastically.
"This is our chance," Clary said, not backing down. "…to make Valentine pay for what he did to Mom and stop him before he hurts anyone else."
"Do you remember the last time you had that same thought process? Jace almost died on the first attempt, and on the second, Valentine almost got his hands on the Mortal Cup. Do you really want to take that shortcut again?"
Clary opened her mouth to speak but Alyssa spoke again. "And what makes you think that you can get the jump on Valentine even if we go along with this stupid plan? Cleophas is loyal to Valentine through and through. She'll kill anyone, and I mean anyone who tries to get in Valentine's way. There are only a few circumstances that could break through that loyalty and those are rare circumstances."
"We still have to take this chance to..."
"Have you listened to anything I've said?" Alyssa asked in disbelief.
"Alyssa's got a point, Clary. It's not a chance worth taking. We're turning Cleo over to the Clave. They have more resources." Luke said.
"We need to do something now. If he has the Sword, who knows what he'll do next." Clary asked. Alyssa narrowed her eyes at her sister at the mention of the Soul-Sword.
"Clary, we'll find another way. I'm gonna talk to the pack. We're taking Cleo to the Institute." Luke said, a tone of finality in his voice. He then walked out of the kitchen with Clary calling after him. She sighed in frustration and turned back to her sister to see her looking at her suspiciously.
"What?"
"You're hiding something from us. And I'm not talking about your new rune ability."
"How did…did Jace tell you?" Clary asked before Alyssa could continue speaking.
"Not directly but his memories showed me everything that happened the day you went to Iris Rouse's place, when we had to save you. I've known since it happened. He can block me out all he wants during the day but when he's sleeping, all walls come down, especially when he thinks I'm also asleep."
"Okay, but if that's not what you're talking about, then what are you talking about? I'm not hiding anything."
"Keep telling yourself that. Honestly, I don't care if you hide things from me. You've made it perfectly clear that we're not close."
"Alyssa…"
"Don't. I already told you I can't go down that road with you again. But a word of advice, if I were you, I wouldn't keep important things from the people who care most about you, the ones who took you in when you had next to nobody. You may think that doing that protects them, but all it does is hurt them in another way you never intended." Alyssa eyed her for a few minutes then left the kitchen.
Pier – Outside the Restaurant
Alyssa had stepped outside to get some fresh air and clear her head. She also needed to wrap her head around the fact that one of her mentors was dead. A woman who had accepted her, flaws and all, despite the fact that her own aunt had rejected her because of said flaws. Alyssa had always looked up to this woman when she was a child. And now she was dead.
Alyssa was brought out of her thoughts by her phone ringing. She took out the phone to see that it was Jace calling.
'Hey.' She said, answering the call.
'Hey. Is everything okay? I can feel some pretty strong emotions going on inside you. Did something happen?'
'I'm fine. It's just been a day, my aunt showed up.'
'Which aunt?'
'Cleophas. That was why my dad asked me to come over. She showed up and came to my dad for her. According to her, Valentine's men infiltrated the Citadel and attacked her and Sister Magdalena then killed Magdalena and captured her, bringing her back to New York. She says she was able to get the jump on one of the guards Valentine stationed to watch her and escaped, making her way here.'
'Why does it sound like you don't believe her story?'
'Do you?'
'Not really. Too many holes.'
'That's what I said. Thankfully, no one's buying her sob story, even Clary. Unfortunately, she's got it into her head that we can use Cleophas to lead us to Valentine and somehow get the jump on him.'
'Is she crazy?'
'Probably but I blame you.'
'What did I do?' Jace's voice held a tone of amusement at her blaming him.
'You're the one who got it into her head the first time that even just two Shadowhunters, experienced or not, could go after Valentine and succeed in apprehending him.'
'And how did I do this?'
"Do I really have to recount the events from months ago when she'd just stepped into the Shadow World?"
'Depends. Are you going to go over the events of how we got together and after we got together? Because I have to tell you those events were some of the main highlights of that time for me.' Alyssa rolled her eyes but couldn't wipe the smile of her face.
"Flattery will get you nowhere, baby."
'Oh, don't worry. I don't need flattery to get me wherever I want to be with you, baby.' Alyssa rolled her eyes again. 'I can practically hear you rolling your eyes right now.'
'That's because she probably is, blondie.' Alyssa's eyebrows furrowed when she heard Maia's comment in the background.
'Jace, what are you doing at the Hunter's Moon bar?'
'Trying to have a quiet drink and chat with my wife, but some people don't know when to give others privacy.'
'But what are you doing there in the first place?'
'I got bored at the apartment and decided to come, have a drink, sit for a while till you got back.'
'And somehow, you managed to go there on the night that Maia was working.'
'Tell me about it.' Alyssa laughed a little as Jace groused.
She turned her head towards the restaurant and saw Luke stumbling out of the entrance. Her smile instantly disappeared from her face.
'Jace, let me call you back in a second.' She hung up without waiting for a response.
"Dad, what happened?" she asked, walking up to Luke.
"Clary. She tased me and ran off with Cleo. She thinks she's doing the right thing going after Valentine." Anger at Clary coursed through Alyssa when Luke said this. Her anger was so potent it brought her wolf to the surface, making her eyes shift.
"Dad, call Jace and tell him what happened and to meet us." Luke nodded and did as she asked without question.
They met Jace in the alley behind the bar.
"What happened?" He asked.
"Clary happened. No time to explain, we have to find her now before she gets into more trouble." Alyssa said, walking towards the car. The men followed her immediately.
They tracked Clary and Cleophas down to an alley behind an industrial building. It was lightly raining. They got out of the car and saw Clary and Cleophas running out of the alley. Luke pulled out his gun and pointed it at Cleophas while Jace drew his blade.
"Cleo, you hurt her and I'll drop you where you stand." Luke shouted. Clary immediately stepped in front of the Iron Sister.
"Wait, no."
"Clary, move," Alyssa said.
"Get out of the way." Jace said.
"Luke, don't. We need her," Clary pled.
"Why? What is going on, Clarissa?" Alyssa asked.
"Valentine has an angel and there's a storm coming. He wants to activate the Soul-Sword. All he needs is lightning now. We have to stop him." Clary explained.
"An angel here on earth? How?" Alyssa asked in shock. When she was a child, Cleophas would tell her all about the angels and how as an Iron Sister, she could hear their whispers while they forged weapons.
"I don't know, but I can hear him and he's in a lot of pain right now. We have to do something." Clary said. After a while, Luke and Jace lowered their weapons.
With a plan made, the Fairchild sisters and Jace made their way to the rooftop while Luke and Cleophas distracted Valentine.
"If Valentine needs lightening to activate the Sword, he probably put Ithuriel up on the rooftop." Clary said, as they climbed up the stairwell.
"Cleophas could have been lying, Clary," Jace said. Clary was about to deny it but Alyssa beat her to it.
"No, she isn't, not about this. My aunt may have been stupidly blindly loyal to Valentine but she has always revered the angels. She only followed Valentine because she believed that in some twisted way, what Valentine is doing is what the angels would want. Discovering what Valentine has done to an angel, a being that is considered sacred to Shadowhunters, especially the Iron Sisters, to her, it's the act of utmost betrayal. She would never follow him after this, not willingly anyway." Alyssa said.
"How do you know?" Jace asked.
"Because she's once my aunt and someone I knew. Trust me."
"Always have and always will." Jace said, giving her a smile which she returned. The three burst through the door leading to the roof and found five Shadowhunters guarding a chained up angel. The storm grew as the wind began to blow wildly.
"Ready for some fun, babe?" Alyssa asked with a grin, pulling out her whip and seraph blade, tossing the blade to Jace. Jace caught it with a grin of his own.
"Always." The two charged at the Shadowhunters, while Clary made a beeline for the angel, killing the Circle members that tried to stop her.
Jace and Alyssa fought the other four together, working in sync.
Soon all four circle members were dead and the couple joined Clary who was still trying to free the angel. Jace joined her, slashing at the chains but they wouldn't budge.
"Nothing's working." Jace yelled over the howling wind. The storm was getting stronger, and lightning streaked across the sky.
"Why can't we break the chain?" Clary yelled back in question.
"I don't know."
"Valentine must have had a warlock spell the chains using dark magic." Alyssa said, gesturing towards the symbol on which Ithuriel was stood upon. The angel looked up and began to scream softly but for Clary it was a loud noise, making her clutch her head. But she soon discerned what the screaming was and pulled out her stele.
"What's happening? What are you doing?" Jace asked.
"He's communicating with me." Clary said.
"He's…" Jace trailed off and looked at Alyssa, who just shrugged at him. They watched as Clary drew a rune, one they'd never seen before, on the shackles binding Ithuriel's wrists. The chains broke, freeing Ithuriel whose wings appeared and stretched out behind him. Alyssa watched all this in awe.
The angel reached out his hands towards them. Jace and Clary hesitantly placed their hands in his and gasped as they were pulled into a vision. Alyssa also gasped when she saw it through her bond with Jace.
A sword fell from the sky and hit the ground, wedging itself into the earth. A demon appeared and wrapped its hand around the hilt of the sword. As soon as it touched the sword, it disintegrated together with the sword.
The three of them were brought out of the vision then.
"What was that?" Clary asked.
The angel didn't answer, but instead let go of her hand and reached out his free hand to Alyssa. She took it hesitantly, and an electric feeling coursed through her and Jace.
Out of instinct, the couple clasped their hands together. Their soul bond runes began to glow brightly, causing a light to envelop them. The light soon dissipated and the angel withdrew his hands.
"What just happened?" Alyssa asked, both she and Jace stepping a bit away from Ithuriel. The angel didn't answer, only looked up to the sky and took flight, leaving for its home.
The storm calmed down, with the wind dying down and the lightning ceasing. The three of them looked at each other, confused as to what had transpired.