Sugar and Spice

Nine

Nine

*~*~*~*

"I don't get it, why didn't you just lock her in her room with a rune?" I asked Alec as he and I walked through the streets of Brooklyn, invisible to all the mundanes around us. We had been able to track her to the Brooklyn Academy of Art. "I mean, Izzy and I have done that to Max plenty of times."

"Well, next time you can watch her while I lock myself up in my room." Alec rolled his eyes as we caught sight of the red head further down the sidewalk. It was clear that she'd been smart enough to use a glamour on herself, though when her phone started to ring it sent the surrounding mundanes looking around in confusion, trying to figure whose phone was ringing. We hurried towards her as she began to search her bag for her phone. "Why'd you run out?"

"And what's the point of an invisibility rune if you don't silence your phone?" I raised a brow at her.

"That was childish, sneaking out like that." Alec added as she found her phone and quickly answered the call.

"Simon. Hey." She answered, walking a few steps away from us to try and get some privacy. "I know I should have called you right back. I'm really sorry. Are you okay?"

"I can't really blame her." I commented, causing Alec to look at me.

"What?" His brows furrowed, confused by my comment.

"She's trying to save her mother." I reminded him, crossing my arms over my chest. "Believe it or not, I understand why she's doing all of this. While I may not like her or trust her, I do understand. If there was any possibly way for me to get my mother back I'd take it and I wouldn't listen to all your arguments. Family is the most important thing anyone has, Alec. Of course, you know that, you just take yours for granted because you've never lost anyone."

"I do not take my family for granted." He disagreed.

"Really?" I scoffed. "Then why didn't you stand up to Izzy earlier when Maryse was talking to her as though she were a nuisance? Why was Jace the one who defended her instead of you?"

"Izzy knows that I love her." He said.

"Yeah, she does." I nodded in agreement. "But sometimes knowing something isn't enough. Sometimes you want to hear it or be shown."

"I'm at the Brooklyn Academy." Clary told Simon as I walked away from Alec, watching our surroundings for any sign of danger. "I'm on my way to-"

"Hang up." Alec told her. "That's it. We have to go right now."

"No." Clary shook her head before going back to her phone call. "I'm on my way to the loft. There's something there that I think could help me find my mother.... I'm fine. I'm with Alec and Zia... No, Simon, you've been through enough already."

"Mundanes. Look at them." Alec frowned as Clary put her phone back in her bag. "Running around like ants."

"I can't do this." I muttered as I walked away from the other two, in no mood to listen to another one of Alec's rants.

"Zia!" Clary called my name after a few minutes. I followed after her and Alec, heading in the direction of her loft. The three of us walked together in silence, tension clear throughout our group. As I moved up to walk beside Clary, I could feel Alec's eyes on me. I chose to ignore him though, not wanting to get into another argument with him. After about ten minutes we turned down an alley, finding Simon pacing around at the end of it.

"Oh, thanks for being here." Clary sighed as she pulled him into a hug.

"You don't need to do this alone." Simon hugged her back tightly before they broke apart. "It's not who we are."