"Plant your feet wide" Alec instructs and I follow his instructions, balancing the staff on my chest as I tie my hair up into a ponytail

"Why did you let your Mom say all those awful things about Izzy?" Clary asks and I watch Alec's eyes roll, smothering a chuckle as I do so

Suddenly, Alec's staff swings towards me, not too fast but not safely slow either. I grunt lightly as I connect my staff with his, pushing it away.

"Good reflexes but don't step into the strike though, step through it." Alec comments before answering Clary's question, "Izzy was out of bounds. The law is hard but it is the law. Even I forget that sometimes"

"Spoken like a true - ugh! - politician" I groan, shuddering under the weight of Alec's blow but managing to push his staff back again.

"So you're just gonna let her send Jace out instead of you?" Clary interrogates, cocking her head to the side

"Good block. If I screw up I expect to be punished. I'm supposed to be a leader."

"You know what a leader does, Alec" Clary scoffs as I strike at Alec, remembering to step through it this time, "Makes decisions. You need to find Valentine and stop him. I need to find Valentine and help save my mother."

Clary's words seem to anger Alec and he forgets to go slow with me and starts striking and swinging violently. I manage to narrowly block them with each one stumbling me. Alec's staff catches mine on the floor, blocking me from moving it.

I think quickly and use my foot to kick his staff out of my hands. Acting on instinct, Alec grabs my staff and pulls it over his head, sending me flying over it and onto my back.

My breath leaves me in one gasp and I groan in pain.

"Cami!" Clary gasps, "Cami, are you okay?"

"Cami, I'm sorry, I just...lost my concentration"

"Mighty leader lose his concentration?" I scoff playfully, "There's something I never thought I'd see."

Alec smiles genuinely and I smile back as he offers a hand for me, I take the opportunity to grab his hand...and pull him down with all the strength I have. Catching him off guard, his foot slips on his dropped staff and he wobbles, falling on top of me instead of beside me.

All the breath leaves my body again and I gasp for air.

That was so not my plan.

"Sorry" Alec winces, laughing, "But that's what you get for trying to take me down...again."

I try and laugh with him but stop...because I notice how close he is. His eyes are so beautiful. Full of greens and blues and browns mixing together to form his hazel eyes. I also notice that he's looking into my eyes as well.

"Maybe I should've left the room" Clary remarks, eyebrows raised and Alec clambers off me, not offering a hand this time. I pull myself up from the floor and give Clary a warning look but she just shrugs and smirks at me as I roll my eyes.

"Sure you're okay?" Alec checks

"I'm fine" I roll my eyes again

"You need to work on your defense-"

"What do you think I was trying to do?"

"-But, for an amateur, you defended yourself pretty well" Alec compliments and I feel my cheeks heat

"Do you think we haven't been trying to find your mother?" Alec asks Clary, returning to the previous conversation as though nothing had happened

"Of course you have" I interject, picking my staff back up

"But I know you can colour outside the lines" Clary interrupts, "You're just not letting yourself think that way."

"Oh, yeah? What's the big thought I'm not thinking?" Alec questions, swinging his staff up to hit me again but this time, it's easier to block it.

"We can still find Valentine. I might know a way. Our mother hid a lot from us, but I did see one thing... there's a box."

"The JC box" I breathe, pushing Alec's staff away from me, momentarily bewildered, "Why didn't I think of that?"

"JC box?" Alec frowns

"Mom had no idea we knew about it but we always used to find her, one night a year, opening the box and just...crying over it."

"Because...?"

"It belonged to our 'father.' Had his initials JC on the top."

"You father's Valentine, why JC?"

"Because for as long as I can remember, she told me our father's name was Jonathan Clark. A lie, obviously, but...whatever was in that box meant a lot to her."

"And maybe there's something inside that can help us track him" Clary suggests

"Where can we find the box?" Alec asks, intrigued

"Yeah, that'd be the hard part...it's back at the loft." I inform, swinging my staff up again in an attempt to catch him off guard but he's too fast and we find ourselves in a stalemate, both staffs pressed against each other in an X shape between our heads.

My eyes make contact with his and i find myself getting lost in the swirls of blues and greens again.

"Let's go get it!" Clary exclaims, jumping up from the chair and cutting through my concentration. I pull my eyes from Alec's immediately.

"Uh...hum...that was, uh, that was good" Alec praises as his phone starts ringing, then turning to Clary, he shakes his head, "Absolutely not. Not without permission."

Clary scoffs and Alec waves her off, moving to a corner of the room to answer his phone.

"Let's go!" Clary whispers to me and I frown

"Go where?"

"To get the box, let's just leave, while he's distracted!" Clary says, taking the staff from me and placing it down on the ground silently

"What? With no weapons, no backup, demons and crazy Circle members on the loose? Not likely!"

"I have my stele" Clary clarifies, "And, if you come with me...I'll have you. You're all the protection I need, right?"

I sigh, looking from Alec to Clary. I don't want to leave, I know it's not safe to leave, I know Alec will get in trouble if we leave...but every fibre in my being is telling me to go with Clary.

Fuck this damn curse.

"Okay" I whisper back, taking her hand and letting her lead me quietly towards the door, "But if you die, I'm gonna kill you."

"Ditto."

***

The Brooklyn Academy of Art.

Clary had wanted to make a stop on the way home and, of course, it was to be where she was supposed to be studying, right this very minute.

"I'm sorry" I sigh, placing my hand on her shoulder, "I know that this was your dream."

"Yeah, well...life just got in the way" Clary shrugs...and then her phone starts ringing. The people around us check their phones, frowning when they see they haven't received a call.

Clary had put an invisibility rune on both of us the second we left the Institute. I stroke the red mark on the back of my neck sombrely now, the pain of the burn still stinging slightly.

"Why'd you two run out?" Alec scolds, appearing from thin air and making me jump, "And what's the point of an Invisibility rune if you don't silence your phone? That was childish, sneaking out like that..."

"Simon. Hey..." Clary begins, walking away and ignoring Alec, leaving me to fend for myself.

Fuck it all to hell.

"So?" Alec raises his eyebrows

"So what?" I feign innocence

"So why'd you run out? Surely you know how dangerous it is to be out here..."

"I do but I either came with her and acted as psycho sleeper bodyguard if anything went wrong or she was gonna run out her alone. I thought the former was the safest option. Besides, I knew you'd know where we were headed and wouldn't be far behind."

"You scared me" Alec murmurs, so low I can barely hear it, "Sure, I would get in so much trouble with Mother, but you were...I mean, you both just disappeared. I went crazy for a second thinking Valentine had somehow...I don't know..."

"Well your concern is endearing but I don't need that much protection, Alec"

"It's not about your protection" Alec huffs, "It's about the fact that you up and left and that it took me about 10 minutes to get Magnus off the phone which prevented me from-"

"Wait, Magnus called you?" I frown, "Why?"

"He wanted to know if I was available for a drink" Alec sighs, "He really doesn't let things go."

Oh I am gonna kill that warlock.

I pull my phone out, pretending I'm just checking something but quickly text Magnus.

Not cool, Bane!

"Anyways, I told him I'm-"

My phone pings and I look at the text message from Magnus.

Don't worry he told me he's not interested.

"Not interested" Alec finishes as I read the last line of Magnus' text, at the same time he speaks, echoing the words from my phone to his mouth. My phone chimes again and I look at the screen.

Am I the best wingman or what?

Sure, you're great!

I roll my eyes and pocket my phone, hoping the sarcasm was obvious in my text.

"Who was that?"

"Just...a friend" I chuckle

"Mundanes. Look at them. Running around like ants" Alec scoffs and I raise an eyebrow

"Ahem" I cough, "I am a mundane."

"You're different" Alec sighs softly and I smile...but Clary pops back up beside me before either of us can say any more.

"Simon's coming to help, I tried to talk him out of it but he just wouldn't listen. He's gonna meet us at the old shortcut."

"Let's go" I nod

"Why do you always look so miserable?" Clary huffs

"Clary" I caution her, but she ignores me

"No, really, what is up with him?"

"I don't."

"You do" Clary contradicts, "It must be hard not being able to confess your feelings"

"Excuse me. What?" Alec frowns

"We were both there when that memory came out. Busted, no? Surely you guys have talked about it."

I bite my lip and avert eye contact. I had tried to talk to him about it but I was too angry and confused and he was...well, him so he clammed up and didn't say anything.

"Clary..."

"What's the big deal? It's not like you both don't..."

"Clary!" I exclaim

"Come on just say it, you'll feet better. You're in love with-"

"Clary!" I shout, "Leave it alone, stop meddling in this!"

"I was just trying to-"

"Well don't" I snap, "It's not your business, so stay out of it! Come on, I don't wanna leave Simon alone for too long, he could get hurt"

I turn on my heel and head back the other way, ignoring Clary's pleas. It was hard enough to deal with everything without having romance to worry about too. I'd decided that the moment I pulled away from Alec at the Silent Brothers' and I was sticking to it now.

Despite that, though, I still couldn't help but wonder about that memory...and what that meant for Alec and I.

*****************

Sorry, shorter chapter