Unfinished Business • Alec Lightwood

Chapter 5 {Edited}

"You and Jace okay?" Leona asked Alec after a few moments of silence. The pair was now side by side as they walked back to the parked van at the entrance of the cemetery.

"Yeah," Alec grunted looking ahead. "It's just confusing right now."

"Yeah..." Leona said before letting out a small laugh. "You know I've never seen Parabatai like the two of you." From the corner of her eyes, the brunette saw Alec tense up causing her to frown in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Alec asked timidly.

"I've never seen anyone trust each other the way you do," Leona said as she ran her thumb over a throwing star, unaware of Alec's breath of relief. "I mean, of course, there are people like me and Michael." She paused before saying. "But we weren't Parabatai, you know?"

Alec didn't say anything as they walked, the man was not good with words; not good with talking to others.

"Would you ever want a Parabatai?" Alec asked the girl. Leaves crunched on the ground as the pair walked, making up for some of the silence between them.

"I mean...I'm too old now." Leona laughed before swallowing. "But I guess, I don't know."

"Parabatai is a deep thing, you know? Sharing a part of yourself, having someone feel your emotions and pain..." Leona paused before chuckling. "Being bound together for life."

"I mean look at Valentine. He had a Parabatai, and he's the most dangerous man in the world." She heard Alec hum in agreement at her statement.

Leona looked up to see Alec staring at her with a thoughtful expression. "A marriage rune is almost the same thing."

Leona smiled, looking down at the ground. "I guess it is, but I wasn't afraid." Leona sighed. "Michael always made me feel safe."

Alec looked ahead of them pausing for a moment before asking, "Are you afraid now? Being by yourself?" Alec bit his lip hesitant, afraid of overstepping.

Leona thought about it before speaking, "I don't know. I guess I'm just waiting for something to spook me." She answered jokingly yet her voice was quiet.

The pair stopped as they approached the van at the entrance of the graveyard. Alec licked his lips, the cold causing them to become chapped. He hesitatingly began to speak, "I know we're not close." Leona looked at him in surprise at the topic.

"Alec—"

"No, I mean I don't mind. We've never talked that way before." Alec spoke quickly trying to get his point across. "Only professionally, sometimes casually."

Leona looked at the Lightwood boy before nodding, waiting patiently for what he was going to say.

"I just, what I mean to say is..." Alec coughed awkwardly. "If you ever need to talk or something..." Alec glanced at her nervously, "You can tell me if you want."

"I..." Leona looked at her ring for a few seconds before looking up at Alec, the latter already watching her with a serious but hesitant expression.

Leona knew she needed to find a positive way to deal with everything that happened to her in the past few months. Maybe Alec would be a good support system, she thought. Not that she was only talking to him because of that though.

The brunette had always hoped that the two would become friends one day, just like how she was with Jace and Isabelle so maybe this was the start of that.

"I'd like that."

Alec gave her a small smile before looking at the van in front of them. He sighed and Leona can hear him grabbing something from his pocket.