Distractions

Forty-One: Blame Game

"All three of us were," Everest reminded her, all of them really.

"Look, Alec, you are a good leader. You can't just let Imogen fire you over something you didn't do," Jace said fiercely.

"Alec will do as he's ordered," a familiar, stoic voice said from just beyond their table.

Everest's eyes narrowed at the man who had the audacity to step foot in her line of sight. Rage boiled in her veins, fury begging to be released and directed at the man who thought it was okay to cheat on his wife and not show up for some of the most important days of his children's lives. Robert Lightwood made her sick, made her head and heart pound with hate and memories and pure, unbridled rage. Distantly, she felt Izzy take her guns from their place on her hip but couldn't bring herself to care. It was probably for the best that she didn't have her main weapons just then. She had her knives and seraph blades still, but those took more effort to draw and use than her guns did. This way she wouldn't shoot Robert Lightwood—probably. It was a 50-50 chance just then.

"Dad?" Izzy said, the word filled with so much emotion that it was barely above a whisper.

"What are you doing here?" Alec's voice was steady, even as he put his ever so slightly shaking hands behind his back.

"I'm the Clave's envoy. We need to talk."

It was a 70-30 chance that she'd shoot him now, even if Izzy had her guns.

...

Trigger Warning: Mentions of divorce, anger

"I never expected it to be you." Alec's voice was soft and ever so accusing, cutting the tension in his office like a dull knife.

"You're my son. I felt it was my responsibility to deliver your orders personally." Robert was backlit by the large window, making his crossed arms and thinly veiled disappointment even more intense and degrading. "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. And I convinced Imogen that you know this city better than anyone in Idris. You'll remain Head of the Institute."

Everest wondered if Robert was aware of how haughty and self-righteous he sounded. She also wondered if she'd get in trouble if she punched or shot Robert, specifically on Institute property.

He was apparently an actual member of the Clave now so probably.

She looked at Alec, at his tense posture and frown and furrowed brows and the way his thumb rubbed the back of his other hand, and took a deep breath. She was going to, at the very least, punch Robert Lightwood. In an ideal world, one where her boyfriend and Parabatai-To-Be and blondest brother wouldn't be vaguely upset by it, she would shoot Robert Lightwood. She still might, but not quite then. Besides, Izzy still had her main guns and she didn't really feel like going to the spare office three doors down for the spare gun she had stashed in there. That was a lot of steps she didn't want to complete and required leaving Alec alone with Robert which wasn't going to happen if she could prevent it.

"That's it?"

"For now." Robert nodded, as if he didn't have so much to answer for. As if he wasn't invading a space Alec had worked so hard to make his own and acting as if he still owned it. "But Imogen is keeping you on a tight leash. Don't give her an excuse to give Aldertree his old job back."

"I appreciate the help but..." Alec trailed off, looking at Everest with a somewhat lost puppy look on his face. She was ready to jump in and did so with no hesitation.