Sweet Little Serena (Rewrite)

Why Does Family Always Give You Such A Headache?

"I can do my preliminary just fine, but I need to make sure no magic was used to make this. I need your authorisation to invite Magnus Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn into the Institute," Serena said as she probed at the Forsaken body, latex gloves on her lithe fingers.

"Granted. He's a friend of yours?" Lydia questioned as Serena worked, making notes on a clipboard as she went.

"A friend of ours. He was at our wedding. Here you go, baby," Alec said as he handed his wife the tablet, he'd hooked up to the Institute database, so she could do a digital scan of the body for any kind of foreign matter.

"Thank you, my love," she smiled as she handed him her clipboard and began tapping away.

"I'm actually quite excited to meet him. Did you know that my ancestor, Henry Branwell, the last of the Branwells to run an Institute, and Magnus Bane invented the Portal?"

"Magnus's ego will love that," Serena joked before Alec spoke, and her joy faded at his words.

"No. Just add that to the list of things I didn't know."

He began to walk out and Serena didn't hesitate to set down the tablet and chase after him. Her hand had just grabbed his arm when Lydia's voice said, "I'm sorry. For what it's worth. You shouldn't have had to find out that your parents were ex-circle members. Not like that. Not from me."

Neither one said anything for a time until Serena broke the silence.

"I'll call Magnus. And get Izzy to do the prelim. We need a minute."

Lydia was surprisingly very understanding. "Of course. Take all the time you need."

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

"Alec, talk to me," Serena urged as they walked into their room. Alec began to pace. "Hey. Hey!" she said as she stopped him, hands on his cheeks. "I'm angry too, but you will explode if you keep it in anymore."

"They lied to me." It was a sentence filled with so much sorrow and pain and betrayal that it made Serena's heart hurt as he broke from her grasp. He started pacing again but at least he wasn't silent as he did. "My entire life they drill me about loyalty and honesty and honour, when they've been nothing but hypocrites this entire time. They were with Valentine. They were going to help destroy the Downworld. That is unforgivable. And I doubt they were ever planning on telling us. How convenient for them that it was banned to be talking about the Circle till now. I bet they weren't even planning on telling us!"

Serena grimaced. "Maybe they had a good reason."

"Why are you defending them?!" Alec raged. "They were Circle members!"

"I know, Alec! And as much as I'm angry at them for lying to me, and to us, I can't completely hate the people that took me and my brother in and gave us a home when we had nothing. The least I owe them is an explanation before I decide to hate them."

"You owe them nothing. If anything, they owe you. They owe you way more than an explanation," Alec countered as he rested his hand on her cheek, Serena leaning into the touch.

"Look, let's just get through Lydia being here and then we can talk to your parents."

"Our parents. You are a part of this family too, you and Jace. More so you, since you have my last name."

Serena smiled at him. "Our last name."

And their lips were just about to meet when a knock on the door sounded.

"Come in," Serena called as she grinned at the annoyed look on Alec's face.

"Am I interrupting something?" Magnus asked as he came inside, a red file in his hand.