𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓲 𝓵𝓲𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝔂𝓸𝓾?| 𝓪𝓵𝓮𝓬 𝓵𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽𝔀𝓸𝓸𝓭

Chapter Twenty-Three

(not me, having a nice, concise intro where i don't go on a hundred word rant! grammarly is getting to me :) sotc is always forever by the cults. happy reading!! i love you <3)

After what felt like a hundred years, they let Alec and Ness go. Neither of them said much, but Idris was in the middle of Europe, and the Clave weren't in the mood to portal them, so they had to stay somewhere for that night, and take the next flight from Paris in the morning.

Alec booked a hotel in Paris for them, but check in time was seven p.m., and it was only four now.

"So, um, what do we do for a good three hours?" asked Ness and they left the building. Alec pursed his lips.

"My parents live in Idris. They want to see me."

"Your parents?" she scoffed. "I sort of forgot you had any."

"So did I" replied Alec dryly. "For all they text. Or call. Or see me."

Ness put her hand on his arm.

"Cool" she shrugged calmly. "We'll see your parents." 

He turned to her and smiled.

"You always say the right thing, you know that?" he asked, and Ness just shrugged.

"It's only the right thing if you didn't mean for it to be" she replied, smiling up at him and he wrapped arm around her and matched her grin, because there was something in that to be honest, and every time she said something like that, Alec started falling a little harder in love.

Alec's house was absolutely huge, and was sandstone, like all of the other houses in Idris. It was definitely a period house, with its monumental pillars and curved archways and Ness glanced at him in awe.

"You grew up here?" she asked, aghast, and he shrugged. 

"We weren't really here ever, but yeah. Why?"

"Because it probably costs more than me" she deadpanned, and Alec laughed.

"You're priceless, Blondie" he joked, and she nudged him.

"So is this house" she muttered darkly, before grabbing his hand an dragging a reluctant Alec up the spotless marble steps of the house he seemed to hate so much.

Despite her earlier confidence, Ness shied a little when they got to the door. She glanced sideways at Alec.

"Knock, then" she instructed, and he glared at her.

"You knock."

"It's your family."

"But I don't want it to be."

"Yeah, well at least they're normal and live in a normal, human, place" she snapped. "If I wanted to see my family, apparently I would have to go to hell. So, suck it up, stop acting like a baby, and just knock!" 

He knocked.

A dark-haired woman who looking strikingly alike to Isabelle opened the door and smiled widely when she saw Alec.

"Alec, sweetheart!" she squealed, hugging him delicately. Alec patted her on the back and tried to look like he wanted to be there.

Good job he was a Shadowhunter, and not an actor.

The woman who Ness assumed was his mother held him and arm's length and scanned him, presumably looking for a fault. Ness had already sussed her out; she was the kind of woman who loved her children but wanted them to be the best of the best, and would probably get quite cross if they didn't meet her expectations.

"By the Angel, you look tired" she tutted narrowing her eyes and studying his face. "Have you been getting enough sleep? Training too hard, perhaps?". She waited for Alec's response, but he just shrugged.

"I sleep Mom" he shrugged. His mother seemed satisfied and was still for a millisecond before turning her laser gaze on Ness.

"I'm Vanessa" she smiled. That's what she told anyone she didn't feel would be happy to meet a Seelie. "Ness, for short" he continued, holding out her hand. Alec's mother shook her hand grudgingly.

"Are you Mundane, dear?" she asked, her voice sickly sweet. Ness shook her head.

"No, I um, I have angel blood" she lied. Well, she wasn't lying. She did have angel blood.

Even though said angel was now fallen and ruled the Underworld.

But whatever.

"I'm Maryse, Lightwood" she said, nodding approvingly. "It's so lovely to meet you. You're Alec's...?"

"Friend" she said quickly, nodding. "We're friends."

Maryse raised an eyebrow.

"I see. Come on in". She didn't wait for them.

"Sorry I lied to your mom" Ness hissed. Alec looked like he was trying not to laugh.

"About which part?" he whispered back. 

It took her a minute.

"What-oh shut up!" she hissed furiously. He just laughed and glanced at their intertwined hands. Ness looked down and turned beet red.

"Oh, shit that's so embarrassing" she gasped, mortified, before wrenching herself from his grip and walking inside.

Alec smiled after her.

She was pretty when she was cross.

Although come to that, she was always pretty.

Alec gave up and walked in after her. 

"So, your parents are Mundane, then?" Maryse asked curiously and Ness shrugged.

"I'm not really sure, Mrs. Lightwood, I've never met them" Ness said, shaking her head helplessly. Not a lie.

"How peculiar" she exclaimed. "Where did you grow up-"

"Mom" Alec cut in. "She doesn't like to talk about it, okay?"

Maryse looked thoroughly subdued.

"I'm sorry I didn't-" she began, but Ness just smiled quickly at her.

"It's okay" she said softly. "It doesn't even matter anyways; I can barely remember being a kid. I'm crazy scattered, I mean hell, I can barely remember what I had for breakfast!"

"You can say that again" Alec muttered, and she raised a quizzical eyebrow at him.

"Sorry, who are you again?" she joked, and that was it- the tension evaporated.

Because of her. 

Alec loved her so much in that moment, for effortlessly getting it, and because she was trying her very best and unlike like Alec's, Ness' very best was good enough, because she tried, and nobody had ever tried for him before.

Alec rested his cold hand on her thigh, and Ness moved closer to him, because the small, secret gesture of affection made her happy, and Ness wasn't very used to people trying to make her happy.

They were horrible for each other, but they were also made for each other.