"Slow down. We don't know if she did anything yet." Arya paused him. "And wrongfully accusing someone of a crime is dangerous. Trust me. Me and Izzy have been there done that." She tried to persuade the blonde.

"Lydia was right there when we were talking about Ragnor Fell. If she's not gonna admit what she did, I'm gonna make her admit it." Jace said firmly but Clary quickly stopped him. None of them could be sure when he was actually sure it was her or whether he was in a bad mood in general considering the whole situation with Clary.

"Jace stop. You are too worked up to talk to anyone right now." Clary insisted and the parabatai pair behind them nodded.

"Especially not an important envoy from the Clave," Isabel added.

"Let me talk to Lydia. If you accuse Alec's fiancé of treason, you will ruin whatever relationship you have left with him." Clary affirmed.

"Clary's right, Jace. If Lydia did this, she might not be so defensive with Clary. She might let her guard down. Slip up." The lightwood persuaded.

"Fine. But I want to know everything she says." Jace agreed reluctantly before Clary headed to question the woman.

Arya had a bad feeling about this.

✧

That night Isabel threw Alec a bachelor party.

"Isabel said you wanted to talk." Jace sighed once he arrived and found himself in a downstairs room with Alec. There was dance music playing and a few bottles of alcohol behind a rather empty bar.

"I don't know what she thought I wanted to say." Alec scoffed, folding his arms over his chest.

"Great. I guess I'll go. I've got work to do anyway." The blonde said quickly, retreating towards the stairs so he could leave. But he knew Izzy was right deep down. His parabatai was getting married tomorrow. He couldn't not be there for him. "You know what? She's right." Jace finally concluded. "We do need to talk."

"Okay. Well, It's my bachelor party, so you go first." Alec said childishly but firmly.

Jace nodded. "I don't know how things got so messed up between us. But I do know my life has been a lot harder not having you to talk to." Jace admitted.

"Mine too." Alec agreed still somewhat coldly.

"I know it seems like I've been making a lot of crazy choices lately." The blonde said and Alec nodded. "And I know you think that I was only thinking about myself...and Clary, and I wasn't thinking about the consequences to anyone else. All I can say is, I've been going through a lot. But I only ever did what I thought was right, Alec. But I never wanted to hurt you. I'm sorry." The blonde declared and not once had Jace been the first one to apologise unless it had truly been his mistake.

"I know. You know, We just...got caught in all this drama." Alec sighed.

"Yeah." Jace scoffed. "I mean...you're getting married tomorrow." He said sort of shakily. He wasn't entirely sure this was what Alec wanted. He knew what Alec and Arya were like together. He knew they were made to be together. So why couldn't Alec see that too?

"And Clary's your sister. You know, what's up with that?"

"Oh, yeah, uh, don't even get me started on that," Jace grumbled and Alec grinned a little as he sighed. "I kissed her. What's worse, I wanted her. I was falling in love. I must be sick or something, I don't know." The blonde sighed, rubbing his hands over his face in confusion and frustration.

"No. Nah. You're not sick. Situations just...it's confusing. And trust me I know. It's like, you have this plan for your life...right. and you know what you need to do and what your responsibilities are. And you think, you know, if you follow the rules, everything's gonna be fine. Then somebody comes along and...pushes you off that path—unintentionally. You just..." Alec sighed, running a hand through his hair. Jace knew he was talking about Arya.

"Hey... I get it." Jace smiled.

"The point is we're shadowhunters. Emotions get in the way. And if you get knocked off the path, you have to focus...and find your way back."

"You still have to be true to yourself." Jace contradicted.

"I am. I'm fulfilling my duty. Look, would you be my suggense and give me away tomorrow?" Alec asked hopefully, trying to ignore the pang in his heart when he talk about the wedding.

Jace smiled. "Alec, if this is what you really want. I'd be honoured. I'm always going to be here for you." Jace said honestly.

"Me too." Alec agreed and the pair did their fist bump thing.

But while the boy's promise was the truth. Everything else was lies.

✧

The wedding. The dreaded day for not only Arya but others who would never share their truth.

Arya walked into the hall of the institute—it looked beautiful. It was perfectly dressed up and looked amazing—Izzy had done a great job. It all seemed beautiful to her until she remembered who the wedding was for. Lydia and Alec. And just like that, the room seemed dark again. The petals beneath her seemed to wither, the chairs seemed to rot, the flowers seemed to die, the statues seemed to crumble, the confetti seemed to lose its shine and the stained windows lost their colour like it had been stripped of its beauty and then in a second it was all back again, it made her feel sick to her stomach.

Isabel had asked her to go earlier that day—insisted almost and she had convinced her. But being here, looking at all this, experiencing it without the engaged couple made her want to be sick, she couldn't. Not anymore.

✧

Alec stood before all of his friends and his family, members of the clave and distant relatives but he didn't feel sure. He watched his sister walk first with the bracelet and the necklace on the pillow, followed by Lydia. She wore a gold and white gown and her hair had been arranged in a bold and decorative braid. He held his hand out and helped her up onto the platform swiftly and cleanly.

First, she slipped the bracelet on his wrist, then he placed the necklace around her neck. He shared a look with his parabatai and then his sister, both of which looked happy for him but not thrilled—they looked like they had settled for this. Had he settled for this too?

"It is time for Alec Lightwood and Lydia Branwell to mark each other with the wedding union rune." The silent brother announced. "A rune on the hand, a rune on the heart." He listed, placing his staff against the cool block of ice which then displayed the rune, it was circular almost and reminded Alec of the moon. "A union is born." He said finally.

Lydia took her stele from Isabel who still looked unsure. Arya was like her sister, she was her parabatai. She and Alec were destined to be together, or so she thought. This didn't feel right in the pit of her stomach but it wasn't up to her to stop. So when Lydia touched the tip of the stele onto the ice which held the marking—the strong smile she had been holding dropped. A dark cloud dawned on her and she realised that although it wasn't her choice, she felt within her that she would never be truly happy for Alec and she somehow felt that he never would be either.

Just the same as Izzy, Jace wondered what his parabatai would feel after this. While their wound was weak he still felt as if there was this restraint on him that was trying to hold him back—he wondered whether that's what Alec was feeling. He knew Alec and he knew Arya. He too hoped that Alec wouldn't go through with this, he needed the Legacy girl and he just hoped that Alec knew that too.

Just as the tip of the Stele touched Alec's wrist a gentle thud could be heard from the corridor. From behind one of the walls emerged Arya and Magnus Bane. He had convinced her that she must show and so she had. Alec had been her friend long before she fell in love with him. She couldn't not be there for him because her feelings interfered. "Sorry." She mumbled, walking down the aisle and towards her seat beside Simon and Clary at the front.

Alec couldn't help but think that she looked stunning—even more so than the girl before him, wearing the wedding dress. He looked at his sister and he could see the hurt in her eyes when she gave Arya a sympathetic smile as she took her seat and then he looked at Jace. He saw the way that his shoulders had deflated when she walked in and sat down. he had hoped she would have fort but alas she wanted Alec to be happy—she thought this was making him so.

He finally turned and looked at his mother. She was torn. She had known the Legacy girl since she was young and she had seen first hand the connection she had with Alec. But as well as this—Alec's relationship with Lydia could remodel the family image. She didn't know what she wanted him to do. But at the same time, Alec knew what he wanted, and what he should do. He wanted to be selfish for once. One time in his life he wanted to be selfish and do what would make him happy.

"Don't mind me," Magnus smirked—taking his seat at the back but not before looking at Alec and then back at Arya.

"You gonna be okay, buddy?" Jace asked supportively.

Alec couldn't bring himself to nod. He simply stared at the brown-haired girl, then the girl in front of him and then her again. He knew what he wanted, what he so desperately wanted. He just didn't know if he could do it without knowing the consequences.

"Alec." Lydia smiled, trying to get his focus back on her. "Hey." She chuckled but Alec's breathing got heavier and he started to panic. He had mere seconds to decide whether he should do what he wanted to do or what he thought his family wanted him to do. "I—I can't breathe." He admitted shakily.

"I know. It's okay." Lydia tried to soothe. "I can't do this." He mumbled and Her face dropped.

Arya felt conflicted. She might have just ruined this for Alec. This is the thing that would save his family's image he needed to do this for them. After all, everything the lightwoods had done for her— she felt as if she owed them this too—which was why she decided she would leave. She stood up and started to leave back down the red aisle.

"I thought we were doing the right thing, but...this isn't it." He rushed out. "You don't have to explain," Lydia assured when she saw how he was longingly looking at the girl who was leaving the ceremony. "Lydia I'm sorry." He sighed sincerely.

"Hey...you deserve to be happy," Lydia said honestly. "Okay? I'll be fine." She promised. "Go get her." She smiled and Alec nodded, turning to face the front.

He walked down the aisle again, deciding his fate. He walked after her. "Alec..." His mom whispered but he ignored her implicitly and carried on for the girl.

Everyone watched in silence as he reached her towards the end of the aisle, he gently grabbed her wrist and spun her around to face him, slamming his lips against hers before she even had a chance to comprehend what was happening and those split seconds where she didn't kiss him back—he was sure he had ruined everything.

but when she kissed him back her hand cupping his cheek while he held her waist firmly in place he knew that he wanted this. He needed this. He wanted her. He needed her. It was Arya Legacy or nothing. And he chose her. He was selfish.

Lydia smiled slightly—even though she didn't enjoy being dumped on her wedding day she knew that Alec was never truly going to be hers when he was in love with someone else, which was exactly why she had made Magnus invite her.

Jace and Izzy grinned at the pair. Alec had finally gotten what he wanted. Arya had finally gotten what she wanted. This is how it was supposed to be. Clary and Simon gripped each other's hands happily as they too watched the pair, withholding their inner squeals of happiness for the pair.

"I can't believe you just did that." She whispered with a slight smile on her face. "I'm happy I did." he grinned, aware of all the eyes on the pair. "What did I just do." He chuckled—he made a last-second decision but he had no doubt in his mind that it was the right one.

"I am so happy for you," Izzy assured with a smile once she had ascended the aisle, the pair ignoring their mother who was still trying to work out whether she was happy with what had just happened.

"Guys that was incredible." Simon also raved once he came over. "It was like watching a live version of the graduate. You know, the Dustin Hoffman movie? The amazing one?" He rambled. "You were Ben." he directed pointing at Alec. "Elaine!" He fake shouted. "And you were Elaine." He assigned again pointing at Arya. "A hotter and more badass version of her." He added making Alec raise a warning eyebrow at him. "But at the alter, though, you were like..."Ben" he mimicked. "And then...and then now, you're both sitting on the bus at the end of the movie, both stocked, but wondering, like..."What're we gonna do now?" You know?" He finished finally while everyone was either smiling or frowning at his enthusiasm.

"Who invited the vampire," Alec asked causing Simon to frown. "Seriously he huffed and Arya laughed, all the while, Alec's had and been firmly placed on her waist, a contact he had to withhold from wanting for almost a week and it had been killing him.

✧

Once the ceremony was over, Magnus called them all out of the large hall and to the main floor of the institute where a table had been placed which held all the items Magnus had discovered from Ragnors possessions which could potentially assist them in finding the book of the white.

Clark picked up on a bookmark in the centre of the table. It was blue with yellow stitching and appeared to be torn at the end.

"I've seen this before. In the alternate dimension." Clary explained, glancing at Arya who nodded in agreement. "You showed us a book of spells, and this was in it." She explained to Magnus. "It must've been the Book of the White." The redhead suggested.

"If that's the case, we can use the bookmark to track the owner of the book," Alec suggested and they all nodded.

"Okay." Jace agreed before Magnus snatched it out of Clary's grasp before him.

"Warlock tracking is stronger." He assured, taking the bookmark between his hands. "Well, they're good news and bad." He admitted once he had done so. "The good news is I know the owner."

"The bad?" Arya asked.

"It's Camille." He said bluntly and Arya groaned.

"Camille?"  Clary questioned.

"Looks like Raphael has her locked up in the basement of the Hotel DuMort," Magnus explained.

"Well, after I punched her, there's no way she'll help me." Clary sighed.

"She won't have a choice. Trust me." Jace interjected, the pair sharing the first look with eye contact they had since they found out they were related.

"Arya, talk to Raphael, set up a meeting," Jace ordered and Arya's eyes widened slightly.

"Why me?" She groaned.

"Why her?" Alec also groaned at the same time.

"Raphael likes her best, like it or not, it's gotta be her." Jace shrugged, eyeing the jealous look on Alec's face when he did so.

"Fine," Arya grumbled, walking off to go and send him a message.

"Really, Jace," Alec grumbled.

"Still gotta use her as leverage, even if you two are together." He shrugged and walked away with a final smirk at his Parabatai.

Magnus watched the interaction with a smirk. He enjoyed the competition. Even if he was competing against Alec. Even if he was competing to lose.

✧

"I'm so glad we're finally alone." Alec grinned, looking up at Arya who was standing between his legs as he sat on the end of the bed.

"I have to hand it to you, Alec. You certainly know how to make a statement." Arya smiled sweetly as Alec held her before him by her waist.

"Yeah, well, I decided to be selfish for once." He told her truthfully and she nodded. "I want you, Arya. Your all I've ever wanted." He assured her and she sat on the end of the bed beside him.

"I want you too, Alec." Arya smiled, their faces lingering close, noses millimetres from touching, lips eager for one another's touch. It was as if on instinct that they both moved forwards ever so slowly, so slow it was as if they weren't moving. But when their lips finally touched m, brushed against each other, they knew they were equally enamoured with each other. They finally connected completely and it was as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.

They were back to being free to do whatever they wanted.

While they didn't say those three words they did say three others which confirmed their feelings for one another. The fluttery sensation between the pair was one neither had ever experienced. They felt connected. Like a parabatai bond but ten times stronger. Alec and Arya were finally Alec and Arya—unofficially.

✧

Okay, this isn't perfectly edited cus it took my former to write and I didn't want to edit it all.

BUT HERE IT IS!! The chapter you've all been waiting for. I HOPE YOU ENJOYED.

VOTE AND COMMENT IF YOU DID 💕

Xoxo--LCC

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