Sweet Little Serena (Original)

Chapter 25

"Don't squirm," Robert said as he runed Alec's back, the two along with Izzy and Serena sitting in the infirmary.

Alec and Hodge had been the ones to fight the Forsaken, Hodge managing to kill it with his discs after he and Alec severely wounded it.

Izzy and Serena had arrived just in time to watch Hodge snap its neck before Serena rushed to where Alec had fallen on the floor.

"I know it hurts, but baby, you can't move," Serena said as she tended to the large gash in his arm with mundane bandages and disinfectants until she could rune it, and Izzy holding his hand.

"I'm not. It doesn't even hurt," Alec persisted, and no one said anything as Serena rolled her eyes and Alec's phone rang.

"No talking, just healing," Izzy said as she snatched the phone that rang with Jace's name from his hand before going to answer it.

As she got up, Alec hissed as he flinched as Serena touched the wound on his arm with the alcohol disinfectant, which caused him to flinch at the touch of Robert's stele on his back as he moved as well.

"Ok, you definitely squirmed that time," Serena said playfully as Alec moved back into position.

"Shut up," he said tiredly.

"I love you too."

And Alec couldn't help but smile at that woman.

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"I need a word with you," Robert requested as he spotted his eldest son in the control room, who instantly started walking away from him at the sound of his voice.

"Not now. I'm busy. I have to get the autopsy report from Serena," Alec replied as he tried to lose his father who only walked with him.

"Alec, this is important. Lydia may be in charge but there's still a specific way you and Serena must act if we have any hope of regaining control of the Institute and restoring our family name. And strictly no more unauthorized missions, lest we destroy the Lightwood name even more."

Alec snapped as he turned on his father, stopping them both in their tracks.

"You think we're destroying this family, not the fact that you were in the Circle?!"

Robert's frustration instantly dissolved. "You know?" he asked with a small, shaky voice.

"Did you think I'd never find out?" Alec asked, anger filling his veins because he knew that they were never going to tell them. "All these years you never said anything."

"We couldn't."

"Is that the best you can do?"

Robert only sighed as Alec continued his rant. "You drilled into me that I was never good enough."

"It wasn't that. We wanted you all to be better than we were," Robert assured him, but the annoyed look on Alec's face only stayed there.

"You wanted to sweep history under the rug. You wanted us to save you, to restore the Lightwood name. It's no wonder you were so happy when I married Serena. Marrying a Wayland surely earned you some points with the Clave."

"Alec, it's not like that – "

"It is exactly like that!" Alec interrupted, voice angered but coming out in a whisper. "And guess what? Serena also knows about this and soon Izzy and Jace will too. And despite what you've done, we're going to fix what you broke. But we're going to do it on our own terms."

And Alec stormed off to find his wife.

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"Baby, Ease up. Magnus may have healed your wound, but you still need to take it easy," Serena chastised her husband as she walked in on him whaling on a practice dummy, still obviously affected by the confrontation with Robert last night.

Magnus had come in earlier to recalibrate the wards around the Institute to buy them more time in the event of another Forsaken attack. And when he'd learned that Alec had been one of the ones injured during the attack, he'd offered to heal him, something Serena didn't let her husband say no to.

Jace had now returned from running around the city with Clary, who'd chosen to raise Simon from the dead as a vampire and he'd run off.

"Hey, are you ok?" he asked as he and Izzy walked in, Serena checking the wound on Alec's back.

"I'm fine," Alec assured them as he shrugged off his wife's touch.

"I just spoke to Robert and Maryse, they're being sent back to Idris," Jace informed.

"Another order from Lydia," Izzy muttered.

"Lydia? Lydia Branwell that tried to take Alec from Serena, that Lydia?!" Jace asked in outrage.

"She's the new head of the Institute," Serena informed her brother.

"So not only does she arrest Meliorn, but now she's convinced the Clave that Mom and Dad can't do their job?!" Izzy exclaimed, exasperated.

"She arrested Meliorn?" Serena asked worriedly.

"They think he solicited secrets from me for Valentine. That they helped create the Forsaken that attacked us. They're interrogating him," Izzy said and Alec and Serena shared a grave look.

"I am the Envoy to the Downworld. I have a right to be at that interrogation," Serena said as she began to march towards Lydia's office but Izzy got in her way. 

"There are orders from Inquisitor Herondale. You're not to set foot in that room," Izzy explained and Serena punched the dummy Alec had been. 

Inquisitor Herondale was the only person that had any sway over Serena's relationship with the Downworlders. Serena reported to her and in turn, she was allowed to give the Downworlders any information they asked for, within reason, as well as assisting them with their problems and affairs. 

"Well maybe Mom and Dad aren't doing their jobs," Alec piped up and Serena braced herself for what was about to happen next.

Izzy and Jace both looked at Alec, indicating him to explain.

"The Institute was under their control when the Forsaken got in."

"What are you talking about?!" Jace asked.

"Robert and Maryse were members of the Circle," Serena said, Alec placing a hand on her back in comfort and support.

"What?! They don't have Circle runes!" Izzy pointed out.

"That's because they made a deal with the Clave prior to the Uprising. In exchange for their cooperation, they were pardoned," Alec explained.

"You're questioning their loyalty?" Izzy asked, a look of hurt and betrayal on her face as she beheld the two of them.

"Valentine is back. The Circle is rising. They're under suspicion and we can't do anything about it," Serena said.

"No way," Jace said with conviction as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Robert and Maryse took us in. They raised us and I know what kind of people they are."

"You sure? Because they lied to us," Alec interrupted as he moved closer to Jace. "For years they've been telling us how to act. That we have to uphold the Lightwood name when they're the ones who tarnished it."

"How can you side against them? After all they've done for us?" Jace said to his sister who sighed at the impossible situation.

"I'm not against them, I'm just not with them. I get lying to protect us, but this was the wrong thing to lie about. This was a big thing to lie about. If they truly wanted to keep us safe, they would've told us."

"Are you kidding -"

"Enough!" Alec bellowed. "Leave her alone. This conversation is over."

And he stormed off, Serena following.

They could only hope that their plan worked.