around." She snapped loudly before lowering her voice to talk to her mom. "Okay, they're going to kill Jace. He's your son." She whispered.

"I know you think you understand this world, but you don't." Her mother argued.

"Dismissed!" Aldertree called out once he had finished his announcement.

While the older and the younger redhead walked away, Alec, Arya and Izzy followed after the man with frowns carved on their faces.

"You can't do this." Alec insisted, even though Aldertree wasn't even looking at them.

"See, that's the thing about being the boss. I can and I did." He chuckled.

"Then revoke the dead-or-alive order. Jace is one of us." Isabel added and Arya nodded in agreement.

"You can't take over and in less than ten minutes banish someone who's been here years longer than you," Arya also voiced.

"Challenging the authority of the head of the Institute is grounds for severe punishment, including de-runing." He smirked, finally turning and looking between Izzy and Arya while Alec looked at him furiously behind the two before the head stepped back and left without another word.

✧

Later on that day, Alec and Arya decided that the only way to relieve some of that pent up aggression they had towards the new head of the institute was to do some training together—Alec decided. The couple walked into the large room and grabbed their desired weapons

"Come on, let's do this." Alec sighed, twirling a stick he had chosen between his fingertips.

"Do what? You seriously wanna train right now? We have to find Jace before Victor gets him killed." Arya worried, tossing the stick between her hands with nerves.

Alec nods and gets into a stance ignoring her complaints. His girlfriend does the same kore reluctantly but never the less gets herself in the correct position.

"Trainings still important, even with what's happening." Alec insisted and the brunette grumbled an 'i guess' under her breath making a smirk rise on Alec's lips.

Alec swings his stick at Arya and she quickly hops over it, jabbing her own at his. He turns his body to the side so it missed and takes advantage of the miss to grab her stick and pull her towards him again, his hand grasping at her hip. She gasps and his lips hover near her ear. "We need to make a plan." He whispers his hot breath against her neck before he let her go back to her original stance.

"Let's go again," Alec said, readjusting his stick.

This time she swung forwards with her stick and he ducked it, taking the chance to swing his at her feet which she jumped over. He stood back up and she swung her stick at his side. He blocked it with his and a loud hit ricochet through the hall. She swung her stick down to hit his shoulder and he blocked it again, swinging his up so hers went over her shoulder causing her to spin around. Once she was, he approached her and stood with his front to her back.

He held his stick in his right hand while his left hand ran its fingertips over her bare waist. His lips were once again pressed against her ear. "Ever read Tzun Su art if war?" He whispered and Arya nodded—vaguely recalling it. " He once said move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like Fire. But my favourite:" His stick swung up and he placed it under her chin, in a real battle, it would be restricting her breathing but he did it lightly. "To know your enemy, you must become your enemy."

Alec glances at Aldertree to see him watching and Arya does the same thing, sucking in a breath when his fingers still dance across her waist.

Arya smirked, moving her hand and placing it on the back of his neck with her back still to him. She turned her head and acted as if she was leaning in to kiss him. He leant in also, but as he was distracted, she ducked under the stick and kicked his legs out from under him, sending him to the floor with a thud.

She looked down and smirked at him while he dropped from his elbows and onto his back, a chuckle escaping his lips. "I know my enemy." She grinned and from the floor Alec swung his feet beneath her himself, resulting in her falling to the floor also.

He hops to his feet and holds a hand out for her to take. She took it with a scowl on her face. He pulled her up and she stumbled straight forwards into his chest, He dropped his hands to her waist to steady her and she held on to his biceps to hold herself up.

The brunette looked up at him through her lashes and he looked down at her with a smirk. It was the first time the pair had been together—that wasn't going to sleep—and even if it was training, Arya had forgotten how much she enjoyed the company of her boyfriend. He dipped down slowly and met his lips with hers for the first time that day. She smiled into the kiss and he couldn't help but hold her tighter as their lips melded together perfectly.

"This is why we were never allowed to train together." She laughed and Alec did the same--nodding in agreement.

And neither noticed the narrowed eyes of Aldertree who was staring daggers at the pair.

✧

Alec stormed through the main floor of the institute, a look of utter fury riddled on his features. He was storming ahead of his mother who was trying to keep up with his long and fast strides through the halls of the institute.

"Alec. Alec, slow down." Maryse called trying to grab his arm. He finally stopped when they reached the bedroom quarters. "Where are you going?" She asked once she saw the determined look in his eye.

"I'm finding Arya, then we're going to Magnus' and then we're going to get him to help us find our brother."

"Jace is not your brother. He's not your blood." Maryse dismissed.

"He's closer than blood. He's my parabatai." The raven-haired boy snapped back.

"Alec, we looked like fools taking in Valentine's son, caring for him like our own." The woman insisted.

"It was the right thing to do." Alec disagreed.

"It was a mistake. It put our family in danger. You need to forget Jace. He made his choice." She ignored his defiance and continued to state her case.

"Do you even hear what you're saying? If you kill him, you kill a part of me." The man snapped, glaring at his mother for the fact she was willing to destroy a piece of her son for the sake of the Clave. That only showed clearly—the level at which Maryse viewed her children.

"When you have cancer, you cut it out before it destroys you. Son, life is full of hard choices." She insisted, using a metaphor to amplify her opinion.

"Don't kid yourself. You're not making a hard choice. You're saving your own ass. And unlike you, I don't push someone away just 'cause they're the hard choice." He insisted with finality before he turned his back on his mother and walked to Arya's room, closing the door behind him.

He rested his back against the door and breathed a sigh of relief that he was away from his mother. Arya walked from the bathroom, freshly showered, changed and her hair braided, ready to leave with him.

"My mother, is incessant," He grumbled and Arya chuckled in agreement. She threw her jacket over her shoulder while Alec watched her carefully.

"Staring much." She snorted and he dropped his head to look at the floor but continued to look at her using his eyes and not looking up with his head. "You're not discreet." She smirked and Alec chuckled, looking up since he had been caught now anyway.

"it's a good view." He shrugged making his girlfriend laugh lightly. "I like your hair like that." He commented, walking away from the door and toying with the braid on her shoulder from behind her.

She blushed lightly and turned to see him, watching as his smirk grew once he noticed her rosy blush. She ruffled his hair making him throw his head back and groan since she messed up the way he had styled it. "I like your hair more like that." She grinned and the boy smiled looking back down at her, gently kissing her head.

"Are we going to Magnus'?" She asked, grabbing his hand and leading him out of the room and towards the exit of the institute, once again under the beady eyes of the new head. "You know you don't have to do this." She said wearily—knowing they were going to Magnus' so he could perform the Parabatai tracking spell on her boyfriend.

"I know. And you know you can't talk me out of this" He asked in return and she nodded knowing she couldn't. "Good." He affirmed.

✧

After manoeuvring the very busy streets on Manhattan the couple finally made it to Magnus' penthouse. Once they arrived they saw him morphing magic without a shirt on. Arya had raised her eyebrows and Alec had coughed making her look away and Magnus put on a shirt.

But that was an hour ago now and the pair had switched roles. Alec had shredded his shirt and Arya didn't mind one bit. He was lay on Magnus ruby red sofa and Arya was sitting on the arm of it at his feet.

"All right, Alec, ready to track your parabatai?" Magnus suddenly announced, rubbing his hands together, ready to cast the spell that would help them find Jace.

Alec nodded and Magnus began the enchantment while Arya activated his parabatai rune with her stele. It was all silent for a few moments before a look of realisation hit him. Arya and Magnus shared a look and then turned back to the man in question.

"What just happened? Did it start?" Arya asked, taking a step back in case it did.

"I don't need to. I sense him. He's on land." He said with relief. He pulled his original grey shirt over his head and grabbed Arya's hand. They nodded a thank you to the Warlock before they scurried out of the apartment complex and back to the institute to warn them to stop searching for him and to call off their manhunt.

✧

The first thing they did when they arrived back at the institute was spot, Izzy. The pair quickly told her what they had found out and thus the group of them hurried to find the leaders and warn them all themselves.

"Jace is back. Call off your men. Izzy and I will bring him back alive." Alec ordered hand in hand with Arya and besides Izzy.

"One step ahead of you. We got a hit on the map. We're mobilizing now." He declined and the trio looked at each other in worry. They had hoped that they would make it to him in time, but it appeared that was not how it was going to go.

"You're not listening. Go ahead and de-rune me. We won't let you do this." Izzy insisted.

"We can't let you do this," Arya added and the pair on either side of her agreed.

Aldertree looked between the three and then at his guards, nodding towards them. "Hold them here until we get back." He instructed and immediately the guards took a hold of the three, roughly holding their hands behind their backs. Arya struggled against their hold—just like Alec and Izzy were—but to no avail. She, nor the others got free no matter how hard they tried.

"Get off me." She snapped at one of the guards.

"The more you struggle, the harder you'll be restrained," Aldertree called behind him to her. "You're choice."

"I'm sorry, I'll do my best to help Jace," Lydia assured them but it wasn't a strong possibility.

They were in complete defeat. They were going to kill Jace. And all they had left was the hope that they somehow found him innocent, or somehow Clary had managed to stop them. For once—they were at an impasse.

✧

Sorry it took me so long to post the start of season 2, I've been looking for a more efficient way to post and I've found one which means I can post faster now.

hope you enjoyed the first chapter of season 2!