Sugar and Spice

Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

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"You should come inside." Magnus told me for the third time as he leaned against the doorway to his balcony. I only glanced over at him, having situated myself on the edge of it. My feet dangled over the edge as I looked out at the city, the sun having already set for the night. It was the same place I had been ever since I'd woken up, unable to keep my mind from running ramped. I couldn't bring myself to stop thinking about everything that had happened in the past forty-eight hours. From Valentine taking Jace to Aldertree revealing the truth about my parents to everyone, my life seemed to just be falling apart before my own eyes.

"I'm fine out here." I assured him.

"You know, if you weren't glamoured to all the mundanes, people would be calling the police about a young woman preparing to commit suicide." He pointed out, walking out to stand next to me, resting his elbows by my feet. I could see the worry in his eyes as he looked at me, the downturn of his lips. "You haven't said much since we left the Institute. You're starting to worry me."

"I... I just-" I sighed, cutting myself off as I ran a hand through my hair. "I don't know what to do, Mags. I knew what would happen when I told the others about my father, about who he was. I knew that it would cause problems, but I thought that I would be able to control how it happened, what was said. It was supposed to be my choice. Now Aldertree and Maryse have taken that from me, just throwing the news out for everyone to know."

"It may not have gone the way you wanted it to, but they all know the truth now. And isn't that for the best?" He asked me, his voice soft. "I know that this is hard for you, Elizabeth, but this is for the best. The others will still be there for you. They won't let something as simple as blood wash out everything you've all been through. You're a family."

"Maybe. But did you see Alec's face?" I shook my head. "He knew that I was hiding something, but he never could have thought it was something like this. He was raised to hate Downworlders, Magnus, to see them as less than himself. He looked so hurt, so upset. He's never going to forgive me for keeping this from him. He's never going to look at me the same way."

"You don't know that for sure." He tried to comfort me, resting a hand on my knee. I didn't say anything for a moment, neither of us did. We just stayed there in silence, looking out over the city, until a familiar voice spoke up behind us.

"Magnus. Zia." We both looked over to find Alec standing in the doorway, looking at us. His eyes landed on Magnus for a moment. "Can we have some privacy?"

"It's okay." I assured my friend when he didn't move from my side.

"I'll be right inside." He told me before he left the balcony, leaving Alec and I alone.

"I'm not good at apologies..." Alec began, seeming to be struggling to figure out what to say. "But I'm... I'm sorry."

"Continue." I pulled my knees close to my chest.

"I'm... Really sorry." He said.

"For?" My brows furrowed, wondering if he actually knew what he had done wrong before or if Izzy had just sent him here, ordering him to apologize.

"Look, can you just look at me for a second?" He asked. I rolled my eyes before I slid off the balcony's edge, crossing my arms as I turned to face him. "You were right. When I called off my wedding, that was for me. But this is all just... It's very new."

"This may surprise you, but you're new for me, too." I pointed out.

"Look, with Jace missing, it's just like... The ground has shifted, and I can't keep my balance. Just..." He grabbed my arm when I went to move past him and go inside, not wanting to hear his talk about this anymore. I understood that he was upset about Jace, but he kept seeming to forget that Jace was my brother, too. That I understood what it was like to have a parabatai. "I didn't mean to take it out on you. I'm sorry."