Distractions

Forty-One: Blame Game

The alternate titles for this chapter were "Blame the Clave" and "New Mom Unlocked" if that gives you any idea of the chaos of this chapter.

This chapter has been in the works for months now, but it's been delayed by life's general chaos and my brain pitching fits and spinoff ideas left and right. Plot bunnies, am I right?

I'm rather proud of how this chapter has turned out, regardless of how long it has taken, and I hope you all enjoy it.

Trigger Warnings: Mentions of weapons, mentions of divorce, anger, sparring

Trigger Warning: Mentions of weapons throughout entire work

"Clace drama alert," Everest muttered, watching the bitter smile on Clary's face and the desperation in Jace's eyes but barely pausing in her scribbling.

"Ten bucks says he tried to confront her about what happened in the Seelie Court," Izzy said with a smirk.

"Twenty says he's trying to talk to her about it but she's pulling a Jace on him," Everest rebuffed.

"Deal."

Alec rolled his eyes as the two of them shook hands to seal the deal.

"Any word from Magnus or Luke?" Clary asked as she and Jace all but stomped up to the table they had commandeered in the Ops Center.

"No." Alec sighed and Everest ran a hand over his arm in comfort. She knew how hard he had worked to get the cabinet set up. "With Valentine free, the Downworld Cabinet has been holding secluded meetings in the Seelie Court."

Jace frowned. "That's not good."

"You think anything good happens in the Seelie Court?" Clary scoffed, giving Jace a side eyed glance that had the other three sighing. This was the fifth time in twenty minutes they had seen her do that. And it was the twelfth time Jace returned the look without Clary noticing.

Everest made a disagreeing noise. "I mean, I found out one of my exes is the Seelie Queen."

"Fuck off Purple." Jace rolled his eyes goodnaturedly. "Nobody likes a bragger."

"Guess no one likes you then, huh, Dye Blonde?"

Jace opened his mouth to retort, but Alec interjected before he could. "The Clave isn't going to let this go unpunished. The Inquisitor sent an envoy to assess the situation."

"Because that went so well the last time," Everest grumbled, switching to a green colored pencil to scribble across the random piece of paper she had grabbed from her room.

"Chances are, they'll be the one replacing me as Head of the Institute," Alec finished, not without some level of bitterness.

"Not if we could recapture Valentine," Izzy said. "Sebastian and all available personnel are already searching. We already know Duncan managed to hijack the Portal."

"If he was Luke's accomplice, he could have been orchestrating the secret transfer all along," Jace said with a thoughtful look.

"Listen, I appreciate the effort, but Valentine escaped on my watch. I deserve to take the heat for it."

Everest and Izzy's hair whipped around them in a wild inferno of purple and black as they stared at Alec incredulously.

"This isn't your fault, it's mine. I was the one in charge of the transfer team," Izzy protested.