Lost. (an A.L story)

Chapter 1

"Daddy?" Sophia said looking up from the picture in her hand. "Yes, baby girl?" Alec asked as he looked down at her from his seat on the bed.

"I miss mommy. " She said her voice cracking slightly. As some tears slid down her cheeks.

Alec pulled Sophia into a hug. He had to be strong, not for himself, but for her. She was already 5 years old and she already lost her mother. "I miss her too, but she's in a better place now."

He remembered the announcement that happened just last week. Cece went on this mission. It was a long one, but as the weeks moved on into a month, she didn't call even once to tell them that she was okay. They knew something was wrong. So once they got a message, saying that Charlotte Lightwood was found dead, they knew.

Sophia got up, wiped her face and walked over to the window and out onto the balcony, sitting on the bench that was out there. "She is up there." She asked as she pointed to the brightest star. Alec came over and sat beside her. He smiled slightly as he nodded, "Yeah. Mommy's up there. Sweetie, you know she loved you. So much." She nodded. "So when you miss her, and are feeling sad, remember that she is always with you. You just have to look right there. " He said as he pointed to the star again.

This was hard for Alec, Charlotte was everything to him. And now so was Sophia, and he knew that he would do anything to keep his daughter safe, if it was the last thing he did.

She nodded and snuggled into his side, eventually falling asleep. Alec picked her up and put her in her bed, covering her up with her blankets, and kissing her forehead before he left the room.

He went into the garden area and sat on the bench, putting a hand through his hair. "Hey. You okay?" Jace, Cece's brother and Alec's Parabatai, asked as he sat down. "Yeah... Sophia brought up Cece again. She pointed at the brightest star, and said that, that is where her mommy was. In a better place. " Alec sighed slightly as he looked at his hands. "God, I miss her." He said again.

Jace put a hand on Alec's shoulder. "Will it ever get easier? No. No, it wont, but we have each other. We all know she wouldn't want us to be like this forever. We will get through this, together. "

Alec nodded slightly. "I don't know how you can deal with this so well. She was your sister." Jace sighed and looked down at the floor.

"Trust me, it hurts like hell. Every time I go past her room, or even see Sophia, being the spitting image of her, it makes me feel like I failed her. But when I see you, and I see Sophia, I know that Cece wouldn't want us to be this way. She would want us to move on. "

It was silent for a few moments, before Jace left. Alec decided that it was probably time for him to go to bed, as well.

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The next night, Sophia had to stay at the institute as her dad and the others had work, so she had to entertain herself.

She sat in her room for the longest time, before she decided to take a walk inside the institute.

She went down the hallway, and bumped into a red headed girl, Clary, "I'm sorry, sweetie." The red headed girl said. "Its okay." Sophia then went on her way again.

Clary stayed where she was, as she watched the little girl walk away out of site. The girl reminded her somewhat of Jace. She decided that she'd ask Izzy about it.

Walking into Izzy's room after knocking, she waited a few minutes before she said. "Izzy.....That little blonde girl, who is she?"

Izzy stilled slightly, not because of Sophia, but because she didn't want to talk about Cece yet. "Sophia."

"I meant, like, is she related to you? I guess why I'm asking, is because she sort of reminds me of Jace."

"Look. Clary, I can't say much, because its not my place to say. Sophia is Alec's daughter."

"What happened to her mother? "

"Its not my place to tell, you would have to ask Alec."

"Please, Izzy. Alec doesn't like me as it is, I doubt he would ever willingly talk to me about it. "

Izzy sighed, before she patted the bed beside her.

"Clary, what I'm about to tell you, is.... Well, its hard to talk about. Charlotte was her name,-- she was Jace's older sister, my best friend,-- and Alec's wife. She.... She went on a mission, it was supposed to be a longer one. Days went by, she was supposed to call, but she didn't. Those days, turned to weeks, and the weeks turned into months, and still nothing. Until the beginning of last week..... "

Izzy paused and took in a breath, but before she could continue, someone else did.

"Where we got the news that she was found.... dead. She was everything to Alec. So when we first heard the news, he distanced himself from everyone, except Sophia. That's why he's the way he is now. He's gotten better with not pushing us away, but with new people, that's hard for him."

Jace said, as he walked in and pulled Izzy into a hug.

Clary didn't know what to say, "I... I didn't know. I'm sorry, i shouldn't have asked." She never knew that this could be the reason, of why Alec was the way that he was.

"No, it's okay. You're practically one of us now, you deserve to know." Jace told her.