Alec Lightwood (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
strongest_faith) wrote2018-07-29 08:29 am
strongest_faith) wrote2018-07-29 08:29 am
City of Bones, Meeting Clary
Jace was shaken.
He didn't show it, but Alec could tell. He could always tell what his parabatai was feeling, and he'd been shaken since that night in Pandemonium. Since that mundane girl had shown up and nearly gotten Jace killed.
And it wasn't the nearly dying that had shaken him. Alec had seen Jace almost die many times before. Jace specialized in almost dying. Jace's goal in life seemed to be to almost die more times than any other Shadowhunter since Jonathan Shadowhunter himself.
No, it was that girl.
When Hodge agreed that she should be brought in, Jace insisted on going himself to bring her in. Insisted on going alone.
He'd brought her back limp and unmoving, poisoned by a Ravener demon, and Alec could see it in Jace's every movement, could feel it through their parabatai bond.
He'd seen Jace go after girls before too, but not like this, even if a part of Alec hoped that, like every other time, once he'd slept with her, he'd lose interest.
Which was why, when Jace hadn't gone to check on the mundie girl as she lay, unconscious and possibly dying, in the infirmary, and Izzy said, "I guess he doesn't care," Alec knew it wasn't true. Jace was staying away for the opposite reason.
Sometimes it surprised him that, even though they'd both grown up with Jace, close as siblings, Isabelle could still misread him when Alec saw right through him.
The mundie girl lived, and Alec surprised himself with how angry he was at the news she was awake. Keeping mundanes alive was literally the purpose of the Nephilim. He should have been pleased.
Instead, he'd cast aspersions on her story of having killed the Ravener with Jace's sensor, calling her, "a mundie...and a little kid, at that," though she was the same age as Izzy.
"Isabelle hails from one of the greatest Shadowhunter dynasties in history," he'd said. "This girl, on the other hand, hails from New Jersey."
Not that any of his comments had done any good. Hodge had shooed them out to speak with her alone, and Jace had taken them to the weapons room to wait for news.
"Where's Hodge?" Jace asked when Church had led the girl back to them.
"Writing to the Silent Brothers," she said, like that wasn't a horrific thought.
"Ugh." Alec couldn't quite hold back his shudder. The Silent Brothers gave him the creeps, as they did to most Shadowhunters. Alec's gaze shot to the girl's wrist, where Jace had shown them the scar left by the mendelin rune Jace had drawn on her to hide her from the demons. Not so mundane, though he wasn't ready to call her a Shadowhunter. She'd have to earn that title.
Alec saw the way Jace's eyes traced her movements, heard him fumble at his usually flawless game of words, and he felt it slice through his heart. Was this it? Was this the moment he lost his parabatai forever? To a mundane?
"Hodge said I can go home," she was saying, and Alec almost couldn't contain his relief.
The seraph blade Jace had been holding clattered to the table. "He said what?"
"To look through my mother's things. If you go with me."
She was looking at Jace, only at Jace.
"Jace," Alec said, hoping he sounded chiding rather than pleading.
"If you really want to prove that my mom or dad was a Shadowhunter," the girl continued, "we should look through my mom's things. What's left of them."
"Down the rabbit hole." Jace had that grin on his face, the one he got right before he did something Alec was going to have to protect him from. "Good idea. If we go right now, we should have another three, four hours of daylight."
"Do you want me to come with you?" Alec asked, already getting out of his chair, ready as ever to follow his parabatai, to protect him.
"No. That's all right." Jace didn't so much as turn to look at Alec, but the girl did, and Alec felt an unfamiliar jealousy, poisonous as a Ravener, well up in his chest when she met his gaze. "Clary and I can handle this on our own."
And then he was out the door, and Alec stared after them in shock.
He felt Izzy's hand on his shoulder as he dropped back into his chair. "She'll be gone soon," she said. "You'll have him back."
But this time, Alec wasn't so sure.
[All but the last line of dialogue come from Cassandra Clare's City of Bones.]
He didn't show it, but Alec could tell. He could always tell what his parabatai was feeling, and he'd been shaken since that night in Pandemonium. Since that mundane girl had shown up and nearly gotten Jace killed.
And it wasn't the nearly dying that had shaken him. Alec had seen Jace almost die many times before. Jace specialized in almost dying. Jace's goal in life seemed to be to almost die more times than any other Shadowhunter since Jonathan Shadowhunter himself.
No, it was that girl.
When Hodge agreed that she should be brought in, Jace insisted on going himself to bring her in. Insisted on going alone.
He'd brought her back limp and unmoving, poisoned by a Ravener demon, and Alec could see it in Jace's every movement, could feel it through their parabatai bond.
He'd seen Jace go after girls before too, but not like this, even if a part of Alec hoped that, like every other time, once he'd slept with her, he'd lose interest.
Which was why, when Jace hadn't gone to check on the mundie girl as she lay, unconscious and possibly dying, in the infirmary, and Izzy said, "I guess he doesn't care," Alec knew it wasn't true. Jace was staying away for the opposite reason.
Sometimes it surprised him that, even though they'd both grown up with Jace, close as siblings, Isabelle could still misread him when Alec saw right through him.
The mundie girl lived, and Alec surprised himself with how angry he was at the news she was awake. Keeping mundanes alive was literally the purpose of the Nephilim. He should have been pleased.
Instead, he'd cast aspersions on her story of having killed the Ravener with Jace's sensor, calling her, "a mundie...and a little kid, at that," though she was the same age as Izzy.
"Isabelle hails from one of the greatest Shadowhunter dynasties in history," he'd said. "This girl, on the other hand, hails from New Jersey."
Not that any of his comments had done any good. Hodge had shooed them out to speak with her alone, and Jace had taken them to the weapons room to wait for news.
"Where's Hodge?" Jace asked when Church had led the girl back to them.
"Writing to the Silent Brothers," she said, like that wasn't a horrific thought.
"Ugh." Alec couldn't quite hold back his shudder. The Silent Brothers gave him the creeps, as they did to most Shadowhunters. Alec's gaze shot to the girl's wrist, where Jace had shown them the scar left by the mendelin rune Jace had drawn on her to hide her from the demons. Not so mundane, though he wasn't ready to call her a Shadowhunter. She'd have to earn that title.
Alec saw the way Jace's eyes traced her movements, heard him fumble at his usually flawless game of words, and he felt it slice through his heart. Was this it? Was this the moment he lost his parabatai forever? To a mundane?
"Hodge said I can go home," she was saying, and Alec almost couldn't contain his relief.
The seraph blade Jace had been holding clattered to the table. "He said what?"
"To look through my mother's things. If you go with me."
She was looking at Jace, only at Jace.
"Jace," Alec said, hoping he sounded chiding rather than pleading.
"If you really want to prove that my mom or dad was a Shadowhunter," the girl continued, "we should look through my mom's things. What's left of them."
"Down the rabbit hole." Jace had that grin on his face, the one he got right before he did something Alec was going to have to protect him from. "Good idea. If we go right now, we should have another three, four hours of daylight."
"Do you want me to come with you?" Alec asked, already getting out of his chair, ready as ever to follow his parabatai, to protect him.
"No. That's all right." Jace didn't so much as turn to look at Alec, but the girl did, and Alec felt an unfamiliar jealousy, poisonous as a Ravener, well up in his chest when she met his gaze. "Clary and I can handle this on our own."
And then he was out the door, and Alec stared after them in shock.
He felt Izzy's hand on his shoulder as he dropped back into his chair. "She'll be gone soon," she said. "You'll have him back."
But this time, Alec wasn't so sure.
[All but the last line of dialogue come from Cassandra Clare's City of Bones.]