Crowns ~ Alec Lightwood

Possession of Hearts

Alec hadn't left Rory's side ever since he woke up. Since he somehow had more strength in him, he had carried her back to the Institute. She had fallen asleep soon after his awakening, put to sleep by Magnus' magic.

He laid her down in her room. But once she was set down, her eyes fluttered open. He apologized for waking her but she shrugged it off.

"You need to rest," he stated.

She looked at her surroundings and sat up. He placed his hands on her shoulders and tried to push her back down.

"No. What I need to do is see Aldertree. Otherwise, he'll charge me for some law breaking."

She groaned as she sat up, feeling her gashes widen. Alec's grip tightened and he leaned in close, "Don't worry about him. You just escaped Valentine's ship...I think that deserves a little relief."

Rory made eye contact with him, staring deep into his irises. His eyes met hers and briefly glanced at her lips. She felt his warm breath brush her face. He could still smell her perfume beneath all the blood and grime.

Her lips parted slightly, feeling the hard thump of her heart quicken. He leaned in a fraction closer, hesitating when he looked into her eyes again.

"Morrison!"

Alec stood up abruptly as they jumped and looked towards the door. They both scowled when Raj stuck his head in.

"What do you want?"

"Aldertree needs to see you. Now."

He left and the pair awkwardly looked at each other. He helped her stand up and opened the door for her, "Give him hell."

She smirked, "Always."

-

"Rory Morrison...I'm glad you could make it. Please, make yourself comfortable," the man said politely as she opened the door. She sat down in the chair across his desk.

"Only my friends call me Rory...and it's Lightwood now, actually. I assume you're Victor Aldertree," she stated with a fake smile.

"Representative of the Clave," he held out a hand for her to shake as he passed by but she didn't move. He sighed and moved back to sit in the chair behind his desk.

"Ever since your victory at the Bangkok institute two years ago, I've actually quite admired you as some sort of a legend. A legend that was just on the same ship as Valentine Morgenstern and yet I see no evidence of his death," he informed.

"I wasn't aware it was my job as a prisoner to kill Valentine," she retorted, hands still folded neatly in her lap.

"Well it is your job to protect the Shadow world from any and all threats. Do you think that Valentine is not a threat?" he questioned.

"I think Valentine is taking advantage of our disorganization," she snapped, "Yes, he's dangerous, but to what extent? Threats can be eliminated by high authority powers."

"The Clave does handle threats, Miss Morrison," he replied.

She unfolded her hands and leaned forward. "Lightwood," she corrected, "So then why hasn't the Clave handled this one?"

The man was momentarily speechless, so Rory took the time to speak her own words in place of his own, "If you're here to question my loyalty, then here it is: I don't agree to Valentine's ways...but I don't agree with the Clave's either. If you want loyalty Aldertree, maybe you should try earning some."

She began to walk out the door but was stopped before she closed it.

"Bold words of you to say. That statement in itself can get you deruned Aurora," he stated.