Crowns ~ Alec Lightwood

Family Drama

Rory stormed in just when the briefing ended. Everyone saw her furious face before Alec did. His eyes widened at their expressions and knew the argument that was about to come.

"What the hell, Alec!"

The others looked away awkwardly and bowed their heads to stay out of it. She strutted up to him and punched his shoulder, "Why the hell didn't you wake me up?"

"You looked like you needed the rest," he defended lowly.

She scoffed, "The other day you're telling me not to leave you to an empty bed and that's exactly what you did to me! We can't afford to be wasting time!"

"If you don't get proper rest, you're of no use to us here," he muttered, "We both know that you need it."

"No, what I need is for you to stop treating me with kid gloves. We are both heads of this institute and we both have responsibilities over our own personal needs," she seethed, "Don't do it again. Got it?"

He sighed and nodded. She kept her cold glare on him until his head lifted behind her, "Dad?"

She turned around to see Robert Lightwood standing regal behind them, "Hello son. I'm your envoy from the Clave."

Rory grit her teeth and whispered to Alec, "You'll explain everything later."

She turned back around and forced a smile, "Mr. Lightwood, it's great to see you again. Why don't we discuss things in our office?"

He nodded and she led them to the private room. Alec sat down while Robert remained standing. Rory stood between the two, mediating any tension.

"I never thought it'd be you," Alec uttered.

"You're my son," he stated, "I felt it was my responsibility to deliver your orders personally. Allowing Valentine's escape was a lapse in leadership. But our top priority is tracking him down; we believe he may still be in New York."

Rory stood taller as Alec kept his gaze firmly on his desk.

"I convinced Imogen that you know the city better than anyone. You'll remain head of the Institute, along with your wife," he said, glancing at Rory, "But Imogen is keeping you on a tight leash. Don't give her an excuse to give Aldertree his old job back."

"We appreciate the help," Alec said simply, "But don't think this makes up for what you did to mom."

Robert sharply inhaled and straightened his back. The tension between the men grew tenfold. Rory glanced between them, noticing a cold feature in Alec's eyes that she'd rarely ever seen.

She bit her lip, "I think you two should have some privacy."

"No," Alec disagreed, "I want you here."

She saw in his eyes a sliver of fear before she sat down in a nearby chair. Robert looked down in shame and sat too, "Alec...your mother and I have always had a complicated relationship."

"It's not complicated!" Alec snapped, "You cheated on her...there's a reason she returned to Idris as soon as you got here."

"I made a mistake," he admitted, "I never meant to hurt you. But I fell in love. You, of all people, should know what that's like."

"Rory isn't an affair! She is my wife and I am loyal to her!" Alec replied, his tone rising by the word. He looked over and saw how uncomfortable she looked.

He sighed, "I shouldn't have said anything. We can argue all day about family drama once we find Valentine. But until then...we have an institute to run."