𝕊ℍ𝔸𝔻𝕆𝕎ℍ𝕌ℕ𝕋𝔼ℝ𝕊

TᕼIՏ ᗯOᖇᒪᗪ IᑎᐯᗴᖇTᗴᗪ & ᗷᒪOOᗪ ᑕᗩᒪᒪՏ TO ᗷᒪOOᗪ

Next Day
The Institute - Main Room

Alyssa yawned as she walked into the ops center over to where Izzy was. She had returned to the Institute after Meliorn said he was going to help Clary find Valentine and had spent the night in Izzy's room, unable to sleep in Jace's room without Jace around. Even still she was unable to sleep properly and it showed. Izzy could see it.
"Still tired?" She asked Alyssa.
"Yeah, sorry. I guess I've forgotten how to sleep well without Jace around." Alyssa said, stifling a yawn. She drew her stele over her stamina rune to keep herself awake and to overcome her tiredness.
"You know, that's not going to last forever. I could give you a sleeping pill or something to help you." Izzy suggested. The other girl smiled and shook her head.
"Thanks Izzy but no. I might become reliant on the pill if I start taking it."
"You sure?" Alyssa nodded. "Ok, but make sure you at least get some coffee. Your stamina rune can only do so much." Alyssa nodded again and followed Izzy into the main room where Alec was speaking to a Shadowhunter. He looked up and saw the two and excused himself.
"Where the hell have you two been?" He demanded.
"Where we needed to be. Away from you and your fiancée." Izzy answered for herself and Alyssa. The other girl just glared at Alec.
"Jace and Clary are on the run. I can't protect you, either of you, if you don't tell me the truth." Alec said lowly so he wouldn't be overheard.
"Well then prepare to be disappointed. We don't need protecting." Alyssa said.
"Meliorn's alive. That's all that matters." Izzy added. The two tried to walk past him but he grabbed their arms. Alyssa immediately pulled from his grasp.
"Hey, just...tell me this. Is there any way Raj could have seen anything incriminating?" He asked just as lowly as before. He cast a look behind him and the girls followed his line of vision to see Lydia speaking with Raj, a few feet from them.
"Why don't worry about yourself and your fiancée, Lightwood? Izzy and I can take care of ourselves. We don't need your protection, especially me. I've been protecting myself for a very long time, after all I don't have much of family to do that for me, like you do, right?"
"Alyssa..." The girl walked away before Alec could say anything else. "Alyssa!" He closed his eyes and sighed.
"Ok, what was that?" Izzy asked. "What have you done or said to her?" Alec sighed and turned to his sister. He reluctantly told her what he'd said to Alyssa the previous day. To say Izzy was shocked and angry at her brother would be an understatement.

Sometime later...

Alyssa was seated at a table with her sketch book and pencil in hand. Izzy stood beside her, with a tablet in hand while Alec stood in front of a monitor, staring at it with his arms crossed. The three looked up when Lydia and Raj walked over. Lydia came to stand next to Alec while Raj walked past and went to stand behind Izzy.
"I'm sorry." Lydia said to Alec. He looked back down at her.
"For what?" Alyssa stood up from her seat, sensing something was about to happen that no one was going to like. Izzy looked over her shoulder at Raj then at Lydia. Lydia walked past Alec without answering him, towards Izzy.
"Isabelle Lightwood, by order of the Clave, you are under arrest for high treason." Alyssa did a double take while Alec walked over.
"What?" Both he and Alyssa said.
"On what grounds?" Alec asked.
"Only a handful of people knew about the Meliorn op." Lydia said.
"And everyone knows she's sleeping with him." Raj said. Izzy scoffed and looked from him to Lydia.
"You might wanna hold your tongue, Raj. You wouldn't want me to tear it out now would you?" Alyssa said, glaring at him then she turned to Lydia. "Besides you've got the wrong person, Lydia. I'm the one who intercepted your mini-execution and saved Meliorn. And I'm the one who knocked out this sorry excuse of a Shadowhunter. Call it payback for being a pervert." Lydia narrowed her eyes at her.
"Alyssa, what are you doing?" Izzy asked.
"Telling the truth." Alyssa simply said. "I'm not going to let you take the fall for me."
"You expect me to believe you're the one who ambushed the unit and saved the person who sold you out to save himself."
"I'm full of surprises. I did it for Izzy's sake. She's like a sister to me and I'd do anything for those I love. You were about to lead a man who knew nothing of what you were asking him, to his death, all because you wanted someone to blame. No way was I going to let that happen, even if he sold me out to save himself, not like it even helped him. So if you're going to arrest someone for treason, take me. I'm the one who's responsible."
"Alyssa." Both Izzy and Alec said, but they were ignored. Lydia nodded at Raj and he went over to restrain Alyssa's hands.
"And you know what, Lydia. You're no better than Valentine with the actions you took. But at least he had the guts to tell Downworlders to their faces he wanted them all dead. You...hide behind the law." Alyssa said.
"I don't hide behind it, Alyssa. I simply follow it. Because it guards against one very important thing. Shadowhunters fighting other Shadowhunters." Lydia said.
"Is that all it does?" Alyssa said pointedly. Alec looked at Lydia.
"You can't do this. If she's convicted, she'll be stripped of her runes and banished. I can't let that..." He said but Alyssa cut him off.
"Don't waste your breath, Lightwood. It's not your fight." Alyssa said. Raj led Alyssa away. Alec and Izzy watched them go in shock. Alec looked at Lydia then both he and Izzy walked away. Lydia watched them go with a sigh, feeling guilty.