Broken. Helen had no other way to describe how she was feeling. It seemed as though everything in her life had started to fall apart. The few concrete beliefs she held throughout her lifetime were slowly being stripped away.
The first had been family. Helen’s family was certainly far from perfect, but there was not a single thing in this world she cherished more. Of course, Aline and Emma had long before become a part of the family she had loved so dearly. Never did she think there would come a day when her family would be torn apart.
Her mother’s untimely passing had only been the start, falling victim to an untreatable disease. Helen knew that Eleanor had not been her biological parent, but the Blackthorn matriarch had loved Helen and Mark with all her heart. Never having met her birth mother, Eleanor had been the only one to show Helen that kind of love. Then one day, that love was gone. It hurt her just as much as it hurt her siblings, siblings that Eleanor had never favored over her. Helen was loved and cared for equally in her mother’s heart. It taught: blood did not make you family. The longing ache that surfaced after Eleanor’s rite of mourning had become duller, but it had never gone away. It probably never would. Yet, Helen could not fathom other losses would add to it.
Sebastian, or whoever the hell he was, completely chipped away at what was left of Helen’s family. He attacked the Los Angeles Institute... her home, and left devastation in his wake. Her father and Katerina had turned Endarkened, Mark was taken hostage, and the rest of her siblings— still so young— were left to flee for their safety. As for Helen… she had been unable to help them. She hated herself more than she hated Sebastian. For being unable to protect the one thing she believed in more than anything else.
Images still flashed through her mind of how she had failed her family when they had needed her most: her brothers and sisters painfully gripping the mortal sword while being ruthlessly interrogated by the Clave, Dru and Tavvy screaming awake from the nightmares that haunted them, Emma mourning the loss of her parents, and the knife— buried in her father’s chest by Jules’ hand. These were the memories she would forever try to forget, adding to the stinging she still felt inside her chest.
Aside from the ties of family, Helen had once valued being a shadowhunter. At the council meeting after the Dark War, Helen was expecting for someone to acknowledge the "abomination" that was her mixed blood. It led them to assume that she and her brother, Mark, could no longer be trusted. Rallies for banishment echoed throughout the room, regardless to the family Helen would leave behind. Helen had made her alliance clear, “I fought at the Burren, and at the Citadel, and in Alicante, to protect my family and protect Nephilim. I’ve never given anyone reason to question my loyalty.” Helen was a shadowhunter. Despite the faerie blood that coursed through her veins, she had never known anything different. There had been efforts to help her, vain attempts made to insist upon Helen’s allegiance.
Helen was sure that the Clave, whom she had always respected, could not be so cruel as to send her away. Ultimately, arguments had been futile and hope had been foolish. Helen was "re-assigned" to Wrangel Island. Mark had been left to the mercy of the Wild Hunt. Helen was devastated, gripping Aline’s hand so tightly in her own that she was sure both turned white. She remembered thinking: if this was how shadowhunters treated their own kind, there was no value in that.
The meeting had come to an end, and Helen felt as though her heart had been shattered into a thousand tiny pieces left broken on the ground for everyone to trample on. The only person who could bring her some sense of clarity and comfort in that moment was the girl who had never moved from her side. She and Aline were currently inside the Consul's office waiting for Magnus to open the portal to Wrangel Island. Helen had already said goodbye to her siblings, trying her best to reassure them in the face of her pending absence.
"I'm so sorry about this, Helen," Jia Penhallow had, no doubt, noticed the endless sorrow in the blonde's eyes. "Truly, I am."
Helen nodded, wiping the tears from her cheeks as she reached down once again to hold Aline's hand. It was something her body did automatically now, whenever she needed the other girl to strengthen her resolve. "It's okay," Helen responded, her voice thick. She cleared her throat, sniffling in the manner of someone who had just finished crying heavy tears. Helen glanced up at the Consul. "It's okay," she repeated, this time slightly more convincing. Helen's appearance betrayed her false pretense. Her face was paler than usual, the grief easily shown through her paper thin smile. Helen looked ill: face wet, hands shaking, eyes empty and tired. The reality only made her more sad and undeniably angry.
Helen shook her head, looking as though she was about to start crying again. "No. No, it really isn't," she decided with a sigh. She squeezed Aline's hand for courage. "It's not going to be okay, not ever." she stated firmly, standing tall. "Not until I am able to take care of my family like I need to."
She offered Jia a thankful smile, "But that isn't your fault, nor is it mine. This was a harsh decision brought on by fear, fear that has been well earned in my opinion. I understand it, I understand that fear. I have felt it myself... and no, I am not at fault. But, I am still being sent away. I'm the one they want to punish, but it's my siblings who are truly paying. That's what isn't okay."
Helen took a deep, shuddering breath as she finished her small speech. When Helen had nothing left to add, Magnus lifted his hands, a portal now swirling open beside them. Helen could not find the physical strength within herself to let go of Aline's hand. It wouldn't be goodbye forever. Her girlfriend had promised to come stay with her only a short week later, once the council meetings had finally concluded. Helens arms reached around Aline's slim frame and embraced her. Tears began to stream slowly from her already weary eyes as she leaned her head against Aline's shoulder. "I love you so much," it was all Helen could say to thank her for all she had done since coming into her life. Helen unwound her arms and placed a quick kiss on Aline's cheek. She shifted slightly, reaching up to stroke Aline's hair and placed another softer kiss upon her lips. Helen pulled away reluctantly and stared at the portal glowing in front of them. Magnus and Jia had stepped back to allow them some form of privacy.
"It's only a few days, right?" Helen asked, stalling, wishing her girlfriend would be coming with her right this second. Her hand slipped from Aline's as she took a step toward the magical doorway. With one last glance at the brunette standing next to her and a forced smile, Helen stepped through toward her bleak future. She said a silent goodbye to her former life.
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Basically just a Sapphic make-out sesh, cause why not? No smut.
Start of fic:
The sunlight, pouring in through the large glass windows, and dancing along the polished wooden floorboards was the first thing Helen noticed when she walked through the door of her girlfriend’s room. It reminded her of a golden fire in one of her brother’s canvas paintings.
She took a few long strides until she was in the middle of the room, and spun around slowly, taking in the unfamiliar space.
It was so very… Aline; the messy bed, the tidy desk, the glimmering wall of weapons; her prized blades carefully placed on a mantle, the dozens of papers strewn about the floor and the loveseat placed against the only bare wall of the room, the sparse bookshelf. It felt safe, and familiar somehow… just like the pretty girl still standing in the doorway.
“Well? You’re not just going to stand there, observing me observe your room, now are you?” Helen said over her shoulder as she made her way to the Aline’s desk.
“Not all afternoon”, she replied softly, “No”. She stayed where she was and watched Helen run her fingers over the table, the back of the sturdy chair, the rim of the pen holder. Her fingers… They were so long... And strong... And-
“Take your time, babe”, Helen said, looking up with a smirk dancing on her lips, effectively snapping the other girl out of her daze.
Aline huffed, then finally made her way to Helen and, almost hesitantly, took her hands in her own, thumbs automatically moving to glide over pale knuckles. Helen only quirked an eyebrow, still smirking. She just wanted to kiss that annoying expression off of her face, and so she did. Helen reciprocated readily, and tried to untangle her fingers so she could slip them around Aline’s waist. But Aline held fast, and moved Helen towards the empty wall, still kissing her hard.
When they finally got to the wall, Aline slipped her hands out of Helen’s fingers, and looped them around her thighs instead, pulling them up around her own waist. She felt Helen gasp into her mouth and deepen the kiss.
She felt breathless. She hadn’t thought she’d get this far… Not that they hadn’t made out before. They had. Many times. But it’d always been Helen who initiated before. She felt triumphant, and her triumph only soared as she pulled away to look at her girlfriend. Helen had a dazed, surprised expression on her face. She’d surprised Helen!. Her beautiful blue-green eyes were shining, as were her lips. Her chest was rising and falling softly, the movement stirring her pale gold locks so prettily. Aline thought her heart would just about burst out of her throat with the way it hurt when she looked at Helen. Her girlfriend was just so goddamned beautiful...
“Well done Aline!” Helen said at last, letting out a shaky laugh Aline’s heart couldn’t help but stutter at. “You’ve kissed me and pinned me to your wall. Now what?”
The proud expression Aline wore faltered and she opened her mouth as if to say something, but only a weak, baffled groan came out. Helen almost felt sorry for her.
“Come here you!” She laughed, and tightened her legs around Aline’s waist. She then grabbed her by the collar of her loose white shirt and pulled her close, just brushing her lips across Aline’s, before moving to kiss her along her jaw. She kissed behind her ear, then slipped one of her hands into her hair and tugged her head back, exposing her long, slender neck. Aline gasped sharply as Helen kissed down her throat, murmuring soft words of endearment as she went. She buried her face in the crook of the neck and started to suck. She heard Aline moan as she marked her warm brown skin. It was the best sound in the world, and she was glad she was the one who brought it out.
Aline’s long fingers had slipped from Helen’s thighs to her waist by then, her thumbs moving over the small strip of bare skin above her waistband. Slowly, but this time surely, she snaked her left hand up under Helen’s top, earning a groan and a light nip to her skin. It felt good, so Aline kept going. She ran her hand over Helen's smooth stomach, her defined waist, the strong muscles of her back, until it was tangled in the fabric of her tight top. Then she pulled her arm out, grabbed the hem with both hands, and pulled upwards, forcing Helen’s lips to leave her neck.
Helen’s heart started to beat just a little faster as Aline pulled her top off completely, but she wasn’t uncomfortable just yet. And she definitely didn’t want this to stop. So she just smiled at Aline, as the girl tried to kiss her, and grasped the buttons of her shirt.
“Uh-uh. You too Alie!”
She started to slip the buttons out of their loops, one-by-one, making sure her finger tips JUST brushed Aline’s skin, knowing it would drive her mad. Sure enough, her breath hitched every time it happened, and her body shifted to get a little closer each time. Once the buttons were all undone, Helen started to push the shirt off her shoulders, kissing the bared shoulder as she did. Aline groaned and snaked her hands around Helen, one on the back of her neck, tangled in her hair, and the other wound around her waist, drawing her closer. And then they were kissing again.
Helen’s tongue slipped into her mouth, expertly exploring it. It shocked Aline every single time how good she was at kissing. Helen could bring Aline to her knees with just her mouth if she wanted to. Aline tried to engage more, running her own tongue along Helen’s bottom lip, nipping at it with her teeth, sucking. She pulled her closer, hands roaming along her long, lean body, moaning hard into her mouth when Helen’s fingers brushed against her nipples. She finally found a spot on her hip that, when she squeezed, made Helen gasp and pull away a little, before promptly kissing her back even harder.
Aline’s body felt so perfect in Helen’s hands, like it was made to fit in their embrace. “Helen?” the other girl whispered, pulling away “I love you so fucking much”. Helen didn’t- couldn’t- reply; could only hold her closer. She had kissed so many people before. They’d left her breathless. Aline was the only one who also left her full.
Haline AU: “I tried to rescue you from being mugged but instead I got knocked out and you had to take me to the hospital after having your wallet stolen”
From the AU idea of @drewbearimore via @dailyau
“Alec, I’m fine. America really isn’t that big and scary. I can handle it...Yes, I know. I’ll message when I’m home. God, you’re worse than my mother....Yes, okay. Bye Alec. Bye. Bye!”
Aline rolled her eyes affectionately and shoved her phone into the back pocket of her jeans. Alec was great, but he was a chronic worrier. She was a family friend of Alec and his siblings, but it had been a while since they’d hung out. Aline’s parents were governors in a small country near Europe and she hadn’t been to America for years, and when she had visited it had always been to New York. Now she was here in Los Angeles for a few months while her parents worked with local dignitaries in the area.
It had taken some serious convincing (and her dad buying her some pepper spray for her gym bag) for Aline’s parents to allow her to go to the gym a few streets over in the evenings to train and spar with other amateur boxers. She understood their concerns, of course; she was a girl in her early 20s walking alone in the dark, and she had to be equipped to protect herself. And equipped she was.
She zipped her hoodie up and unravelled the hand wraps from her knuckles, shoving them into her kit bag. She was cold in her yoga pants and she jogged between the yellow-gold pools of illumination cast by the streetlights, the patches of artificial sunlight in the built-up city. Pausing briefly to put in her earbuds, Aline stopped. She could’ve sworn she’d heard something...
“Get off me!”
Aline turned and froze. Down an alley across the street a nab had his hands tight on a girl’s arm, trying to prise her purse out of her grip. Seemingly, though, she wasn’t about to surrender it without a fight. She kicked him hard in the shin but, though he cried out, he clung on.
“Hey fuck-knuckle!” Aline yelled, marching over.
She kicked at the back of his knee, sending him to the ground, and grabbed the back of his jacket, yanking his head back violently to make him look at her. He spat up at her and she felt the wetness hit her cheek. She tugged hard on a clump of his brown hair and he let go of the other girl to put a hand around her throat and squeezed hard. She clawed at his hands breathlessly, choking, and he punched her sharply in the temple and she went down like a tonne of bricks, vision blurring a little at the edges.
“Stop!” the other girl yelled shrilly, trying to pull the man back. Nevertheless, the last thing Aline saw before she blacked out was the sole of the man’s boot as it stamped hard on her face.
“She’s coming around, see? She’ll be fine.”
Aline coughed at the scent of plastic in her nostrils and batted at the oxygen mask over her face. It felt like it was pulling all the moisture from her mouth and she choked on an inhale.
“Oh my God.”
A man in an emergency responder's uniform gently slipped the mask off her face. It took a moment for her to get used to breathing unaided again, but eventually she was drawing even breaths.
“You okay, miss?” the man asked and she nodded gingerly. There was a sharp pain in her head like a migraine that was making her woozy but overall she felt alright.
“You’re awake! Thank God!”
Aline turned her head to the side and looked at the girl sat beside her in confusion. She was pretty, with blonde waves of hair that hung just past her shoulders. Aline noticed first that she was beautiful, and second that she was crying. Tears dripped from her chin, slim and pointed in her heart-shaped face, and she rubbed at her wet cheeks with the sleeve of her purple striped sweater.
“Why are you crying?” Aline croaked out. Every word scratched her throat like she’d swallowed needles.
“I thought you were going to die!” the girl said tearfully. “I thought I’d killed you!”
“Stop, I’m fine,” Aline said, though it wasn't strictly true. In fact, as she said it, a wave of pain surged through her head, hot and sharp as a heated blade slicing into her brain. The ambulance attendant moved quickly, but not quickly enough for Aline to hear the end of his sentence as he called to the vehicle’s driver to hurry.
Aline awoke in an unfamiliar bed to a room full of strangers. She blinked up at the bright lights of the hospital ward, wriggling to loosen herself from the starched bedding it seemed like she’d been practically sewn into. She heard a little gasp and a hurried “Out! Get out!”. Aline turned her head to the side confusedly and saw the girl from before shutting the door to the room. She settled herself in a chair by Aline’s bed.
“Hey, you’ve come around,” she smiled. “Hopefully you’ll stay awake this time.”
“What happened?”
“You got your ass kicked fighting off a mugger for me.”
“Did I win?”
“Would it make you feel better if I said yes?”
Aline laughed weakly. “What’s your name?”
“Helen.”
“I’m Aline.”
“I know,” Helen nodded. “I checked your driver’s license in your bag,” she admitted shyly. “Sorry for snooping. I needed to tell the doctors. A receptionist called your parents; they’re on their way.”
“Oh God, my parents,” Aline groaned, wincing. “They'll seriously freak. I’m so dead.”
“More likely they’ll execute me instead. I’m the one who nearly got you killed,” Helen said guiltily.
“You really need to quit saying that,” Aline told her. “This isn’t your fault. I chose to step in. All you did was inadvertently play into my weaknesses when it comes to pretty girls.”
Helen gave a coy giggle and blushed, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Shut up,” she muttered, pink-faced.
“Who did you send out when I woke up?” Aline asked, giving Helen a moment to gather herself.
“My embarrassing family,” Helen laughed. “I called them - from your phone; I hope you don’t mind,” she added. “- and they all showed up.”
“All?”
“Yup, all eight of them.”
“Christ, how did they all fit? A shoehorn?” Aline coughed in shock.
“Well, my dad, my siblings, and my brother Julian’s best friend, Emma,” Helen explained.
“Also, my phone?” Aline questioned. “I guess my rescue mission didn’t go as planned then?”
“Sorry,” Helen winced. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news.”
“What’s the damage to my face?” Aline asked and Helen handed her her phone. Flipping it to the front camera, Aline surveyed her blacking eye, bruised cheeks, and bloodied temple. “ Well, this is a brilliant first impression, isn't it?”
“I think you’re beautiful,” Helen blushed. Aline tried to hide her face in the bedclothes, giggling. She hoped the liberal bruising on her face hid the flush spreading across her cheeks.
The door creaked open and a young girl with brown hair wearing a Jack Skellington sweatshirt stuck her head around the door. “The nurses are saying we’re taking up the hall and it’s a health and safety risk. Can we come in?”
Helen cast Aline a look and the latter nodded. “Sure, come on in. You eight out there sounds like an absolute fire hazard.”
The girl nodded and waved the others into the room. When they poured in, Aline took the opportunity to observe them curiously. Only one of them looked particularly like Helen, a blonde boy who looked a couple of years younger than Helen herself, with the same ash blonde hair. A blonde girl lingered at the back of the room, but her hair was a darker colour than the other two and she was sticking by a boy with the same brown hair as the girl who had come in earlier; Aline guessed this was Julian and his friend Emma. Then there was a man who was obviously their father, and a little boy who looked sleepy, along with a girl and boy, the latter with headphones over his black hair and grey eyes incongruous to the rest of the family.
“This is Aline. Try not to be too weird; she just woke up.”
“You look like a zombie,” the little boy said, seeming to perk up at this interesting development.
“Thanks for that, Tavvy,” Helen deadpanned, burying her face in embarrassment.
“Say you’re sorry,” their dad insisted and Aline waved it off casually.
“Don’t worry about it. He isn’t wrong,” she laughed, then turned to warn Tavvy: “Just don’t let me catch you, or I’ll turn you into a zombie too.”
“You know, you could have Cotard’s delusion. It’s a mental illness that makes you feel detached from mortality. It’s also referred to as walking corpse syndrome,” the black-haired boy put in. Aline had assumed he was listening to music through the headphones, but only then she noticed he was twirling the unplugged wire in his hands. “Helen said the attacker stamped on your head. Lesions in the parietal lobe are associated with Cotard’s syndrome.”
“Okay, Ty, let’s go check out the books in the hospital store,” the girl behind him said quickly, tugging him by the hand. “It looked like they had some cool mystery novels.”
“Why don’t we all go and leave Helen and Aline be until her parents arrive,” their dad suggested. When they’d all filed out, he paused at the door. “Let your parents know we’ll cover all your medical expenses. Helen will give you all my details.”
“That’s not necessary, sir. Thank you very much though.”
“We’ll see. We’re a very persistent bunch,” he laughed. “I hope you heal up soon. And thank you for protecting my daughter.” With that, he left to corral his children, leaving Helen and Aline alone.
“Sorry about my family,” Helen said, running a hand through her hair bashfully.
“I like them,” Aline assured her. “They seem sweet. I can’t believe they all showed up.”
“They wanted to meet the person who called my mugger a ‘fuck-knuckle’ in person.”
“I don’t remember saying that, but I also don’t doubt that I did,” Aline laughed.
A knock on the door made Aline and Helen turn around. A nurse at the entrance tapped a clipboard in his hands. “Ms Penhallow, your parents are in the waiting room,” the nurse said. “Shall I bring them in?”
“Yes please,” Aline replied. “Just give me a couple of moments to thank Helen for calling the ambulance and everything.”
The nurse nodded and retreated to go and bring Aline’s parents in to see her.
“I should probably go, but I just want to give you my information so we can sort your medical bills. Obviously my cellphone is gone, but here’s my landline and my email address,” Helen said hurriedly, writing things down on a paper towel from the sink in the corner of the room.
“I’ll email you, but I can’t accept your money. Spend it on buying yourself a new phone so I can text you.”
Helen cast a rapid look behind her at the door and dropped a quick kiss on Aline’s cheek before opening the door, only to walk almost directly into Aline’s parents.
“Sorry,” she mumbled and hurried away.
“Baby, what happened?” her mother asked, stroking her daughter’s hair back in worried affection as she sat down in the chair Helen had vacated.
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Aline insisted.
“Who was that?” her dad asked, and Aline felt her mouth curl into an inadvertent smile.
“Helen,” she said giddily. Her parents exchanged a look but decided to leave the questions until another time. Their daughter was okay; that was all that mattered.
A short drabble for Haline day (inspired on my sickness dfdfsf)
Aline hated Wrangle Island with her whole being. Everything about the Island was cold and deserted and so white. If she hadn’t been there herself, witnessing it, she wouldn’t have believed you could get tired of looking at white. Sometimes she had to stop staring at the ground cause she was scared of going blind.
But none of this made her hate the island so much as the fact that Helen seemed to get sick every single time she stepped out of the house. Which was, thanks to her job, fairly frequently.
“’Lin” she heard Helen call (whine) from the other room. “‘Lin I’m dying.”
Aline sighed inwardly and put down the pen she was holding. She had been trying to write a letter to her parents, but so far had three scratched-out lines and... that was it.
She got up from the the small kitchen table and went to the couch where Helen was lying, sitting on the floor next to her wife’s head.
Helen’s nose was read and her eyes puffy, her hair spilling from a very messy bun. Despite everything, she looked as gorgeous as always.
“You’re not dying, baby,” Aline said, pushing back Helen’s hair. Helen closed her eyes at the gesture and let out a breath through her mouth, since, Aline guessed, her nose was too stuffed to be of much use. “You’ll be fine tomorrow, you’ll see.”
Helen turned her head to look at Aline through half-lidded eyes. “Pr’mise?”
Aline smiled despite herself, and leaned down to peck her wife’s lips.
“Alineeeee what are you doing?” Helen said, slightly horrified, pulling back. “You’re gonna catch it too! We can’t have two sick people in the same house! How are we gonna take care of each other if we’re both snotting all over the place?”
Aline really loved Helen when she was sick though. There was something about her red nose and hoarse voice that just melted her. She smiled again. “Then we’ll just share the tissue box. Now move over, I’ve been told my cuddles work miracles.”
Helen, suddenly looking aware, squinted at Aline. “Who’s said that? Who’ve you been cuddling?”
Aline just rolled her eyes and placed herself behind Helen on the couch, putting her arm around Helen’s waist and pressing a kiss to the back of her head.
“You, baby,” she whispered in Helen’s ear. “You’ve said it.”
She felt Helen relax under her touch and push back to settle herself in the curve of Aline’s body. She sniffed.
“I hate this goddamn island,” Helen said, and even though Aline couldn’t see her face, she could picture her pout perfectly.
In honor of tonight’s episode, when Helen Blackthorn will finally bless our screens, some light battle!Haline.
as requested by @xonatural-disaster
After the Dark War, Helen had been expecting the shadowhunters to assume she could no longer be trusted as a result of her faerie blood. Balogh had been persistent in his effort to separate Helen from the rest of the Nephilim, from her family. Helen had made her loyalties clear, yet others began to rally behind his proposition for exile. If it had not been for the efforts of the downworld representatives (namely Luke and Magnus), Diana Wrayburn, Consul Jia Penhallow, and even Aline herself, Helen was sure she would have been sent away. Instead, Helen had been granted permission for temporary control of the Los Angeles Institute, contingent upon Aline's agreement to co-head in the endeavor. Aline had happily obliged, but Helen knew there were still those within the Clave who disagreed with the council's decision. If the Blackthorns made one wrong move, Helen would certainly pay the price.
One could not dwell on the past, as time did what it always would and moved on. The institute was far from boring: Aline had taken to her position as leader quite impressively, Diana had come onboard as the institute's new trainer, and Jules and Emma kept Helen on her toes. Life for the Blackthorns had slowly been creeping back to a state of normalcy...well, as normal as the life of a shadowhunter could be. Helen only just started to suspect something was wrong when Emma mentioned it seemed as though every demon they hunted had been specifically targeting them. It certainly was odd, but there was never any concrete evidence that she and her family had been the intended mark. Only after Julian had been close to ending the life of an eidolon demon had Emma's theory been confirmed. Before meeting its end, the demon muttered, 'They will never stop coming for you.' Helen was not entirely sure who he meant, but she knew that it did mean her family was in danger. Aline had suggested bringing the matter to the Clave, but Helen still rightly, did not trust them when it came to her family's safety.
The plan had been worked out earlier. Helen, Julian, Aline, and Emma had gathered in the weapons' room to discuss the possibilities as to why demons were being sent to eliminate them. Aline was throwing around the idea that the demon had been lying to stir up trouble, when Emma suggested, "Let's go catch us a demon and find out!" Helen knew that the younger girl was a spitfire, but she sounded way too excited at the prospect of risking their lives. Regardless, it had been the only plan to make any remote kind of sense. Though Emma was itching to fight, Aline made an executive decision to have the younger blonde run point back at the institute. In all fairness, Helen did not trust Emma to keep a demon alive either. Aline and Helen secured their gear to leave on mission before any of the children could interfere.
Dark clouds accumulated above, blocking out what little remained of the moon's light. The potent aroma of water filled the night air as light rain hit the dock's surface. Helen stood erect at the edge of the Santa Monica Pier, her view focused over the shadows scattered across the dark scenery of Pacific Park. Rain fell heavier as thunder echoed across the sky. Its florescence flashed in the dark, a striking light in the blackness. Aline had been concealed somewhere in that darkness, waiting for opportunity to strike. Her voice rang through Helen's com as she communicated with Julian, "Are you sure this is right? I don't see anything." Having activated a vision rune, Helen's enhanced optics surveyed her surroundings for any small sign of movement. There was none. Julian, from the institute's headquarters, answered, "Sensors are picking up an unusual amount of demon activity within that area." His voice sounded sure, but Aline continued to question him, "My sensor hasn't detected any demonic signatures from the immediate vicinity." "Maybe it's broken," came the response. And before Helen could deactivate her com to better focus, she had heard Emma in the background scolding, "Maybe they can hear you from all the talking." That brought a smile to her face. Helen knew the comment had been made as a frustration from having been benched, and not as any type of hurtful criticism. Even in the gravest of situations, Emma could find a way to complain of things having not gone her way. Both Helen and Aline found it somewhat endearing: it was the action of a younger sibling.
As if on cue, Helen's sensor began to vibrate in her back pocket. Three silhouettes entered into view from the distance. Their speed increasing as they neared her position, Helen grabbed her staff from the case harnessed to her back. The sound of quick clattering behind her alerted Helen to the presence of several ravener demons skittering across the pier toward her rear. She could hear their desperately loud screeching as Aline's seraph blade sliced through their scaled carapace. Helen met the icy blue eyes of the eidolon demon leading the small group in front of her. Angered by the failed ambush, the demon flashed a myriad of sharpened teeth as his jaw split open in four opposite directions. Flanked by fellow shape-shifters on either side, he charged forward toward the young shadowhunter. Without hesitation, Helen twisted the two ends of her staff in opposite directions. Allowing it to detach at the center, she pulled the handgrips apart to reveal two adamas blades.
Aline never dropped her guard or second guessed herself in a fight, she was too well calculated. The moment she realized Helen as the planted bait had succeeded, she jumped into action. Ravener demons rarely traveled alone, but they weren't known for being the most intelligent of creatures. As predicted, with their attention focused on her girlfriend, Aline was able to take out several of the horde before the others had even noticed. The skies encouraging her with a thunderous applause, Aline maneuvered expertly from one demon to another. Her body dodging stingers and toxin laced fangs, Aline's seraph blade whipped through the air burning each insectile beast until they had all turned to ash. The task now over, Aline had only one other goal in mind: to help Helen.
Footsteps mixed with light splashes of rain water as Helen circled around the two remaining eidolons who stood hesitant and unsure by the loss of their leader. Eliminating the first demon had been too easy. Underestimating Helen's dexterity had led to a blade straight through its chest. Contemplating her strategy, Helen noticed Aline inching ever closer from behind their targets. Helen could see her love's blade at the ready, so she flipped back. Her palms connected with the ground as she elevated her body to kick out as hard as she could. Helen's feet connected with one demon's abdomen, sending it flying into the light of Aline's seraph blade. The last of their prey came to crouch over Helen and her shadowhunter survival instincts kicked in. Absent deliberation, and before the demon could make a move, Helen sat up to stab one of her blades into the side of its throat. The wind carried away its disintegrated remains.
Helen stood and Aline's hands immediately cupped her face. Frantically searching Helen's eyes for assurance, she asked, "Are you okay?" Helen kissed away her girlfriend's concern. "I'm fine," the elder girl smiled and let out a relieved sort of chuckle. If Aline was worried for her well-being then that meant she was also okay. When Aline was sure Helen had not been harmed, she nodded and released her hold. Securing her weapon, Helen realized that in the rush of adrenaline, the mission to capture had ultimately been unsuccessful. Yet, she could not muster up the provocation to feel upset. Aline had tossed her head back to allow the rain fall over her. She stood there dripping in a mixture of water and ichor, and Helen had never seen anything so beautiful.
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From the outside, the Gard somewhat resembled a fortress. Fortified by stone walls and demon towers, the structure was architecturally designed as the Clave's stronghold. As per tradition, the Consul and her family had been expected to accept the Gard as their new permanent residence in Alicante. Aline could not, and probably never would, be able to call it "home". From before her mother had even been named Consul, Aline never felt comfortable there. She had been dragged to so many meetings in the Council Hall where shadowhunters, time and time again, enforced their old-fashioned customs and traditions. It was a constant reminder that in order to fit into the lines of Clave law and expectation, Aline had to hide part of who she was. Home was supposed to be the one place Aline could be herself... her true self. Her eyes slowly drifted to the remembrance rune she now bore on her right forearm. Sebastian was the one person Aline told of all her secrets, and he had loved her for exactly who she was, without question. It pained Aline to realize, that for the longest time, Sebastian was home... and he had been stolen away from her.
Aline had been busying herself with distractions in order to avoid her grief. With new purpose, she made her way towards her mother's office to discuss matters of the Council. Reaching the end of the corridor, Aline could hear her parents' voices echoing in quiet whispers down the hallway. She knocked on the open door and made her business known, "I have a message from Alec Lightwood."
Jia motioned for her daughter to come inside as she silently dismissed her husband with a kind smile and a quick tilt of her head. It was a gesture Aline had seen far too often and knew all too well. It meant that they would continue their conversation later, away from curious ears. Patrick crossed the room to place a gentle hand upon Aline's shoulder. Following a slight squeeze of acknowledgment, he was quick to disappear down the very corridor from which Aline had arrived. Jia proceeded to place her arms atop her desk, one resting above the other, "What news do you bring?"
Aline was now standing, at parade rest, directly in her mother's line of sight. "Mr. Lightwood respectfully declines the Council's offer and wishes to remain on site as Head of the New York Institute."
Jia lent her daughter a knowing smirk, almost as if she had predicted this very outcome. "Very well," the Consul paused shortly before requesting, "Be sure to send him my regards."
Assuming her mother had nothing more to add, Aline nodded in confirmation before turning to leave.
"It’s a shame," her mother’s words pulled Aline's attention back. Jia stood from her seat, walking around to the front of her desk to sit at its edge; the new, casual position indicating that the formality of their meeting had ended. "We could use more shadowhunters like him on the Council."
Aline scoffed at the idea, "I hardly think the Council would approve." When her mother shot her a questioning gaze, Aline clarified, "The delegate position had merely been offered as a formality."
"Was it not deserved?" Jia seemed shocked by her daughter's dismissive attitude.
Aline was quick to answer, "Of course it was!" Aline could not have been prouder of the man Alec had become. He was a leader by its very definition, and he deserved every accolade that came his way because of that. It was no secret, however, that several Council members had doubted the eldest Lightwood's effectiveness. Aline had a sneaking suspicion that it had a lot to do with his relationship to the Downworld, both political and personal. She wished in her heart that the Clave held the capacity to be more understanding and accepting of those they deemed "different"... not just for Alec's sake, but for her own.
Aline had found a kinship with Alec from a very young age. He reminded her very much of herself: so afraid of disappointing those close to her, that the need to prove herself overtook everything else. It was a burden that weighed heavier on her shoulders the older she became. Aline saw what overcoming that burden had done for Alec. He seemed happier and more self-assured. He had stepped out of the shadows and was no longer afraid to stand up for who or what he believed in, regardless of Clave tradition. Aline hoped that once Alec had been appointed Head of the Institute, the Clave would be more open to newer ideals. That hope had been premature, to say the least. Nothing had changed. Those not brave enough to criticize Alec to his face had done so behind his back, both in hushed conversation and quite openly to anyone at the Council meetings who were primed to listen. Such a backwards institution would never, in this lifetime, be fully accepting of the kind of leader Alec positioned himself to be.
Almost as if she could read Aline's mind, Jia spoke to that very concern, "Times are changing. The younger generation doesn't see things as black and white as we once did. We should have a Council that reflects that, don’t you think?" Jia and Patrick Penhallow were hardly sticklers for the law. Their marriage had been one of mild controversy, and plagued the discussions of Clave members for several months after they had already taken over the Beijing Institute. Aline had heard the stories, and she still admired her mother's backbone in light of such contention. After all, look where it had gotten her. Jia Penhallow was one of the most respected Clave officials in all of Alicante, the very reason she had been elected Consul.
"It doesn’t matter what I think," Aline remarked defeatedly. Despite recent events, she had long ago succumbed to the Clave's rigidity.
"On the contrary," her mother was never one to yield in the face of adversity, "it matters very much." Jia had a way of speaking that inspired the will of others, Aline included. "Your voice, and others like it, will make all the difference in this fight for tolerance."
Aline speculated the idea that maybe her mother knew more about her than she let on. Before she could further dwell on this particular thought, Jia continued, "Alec can do his part in New York, but the delegates we select for the Council should help pave the way for the future." It was clear, given her years of service, that Jia had expected such political reform. "The Clave is not without its faults," it was a fair admission, "but the Council did not object in any way to take on Alec Lightwood as a delegate. Nor did they oppose the recommendation of Andrew Blackthorn's eldest child."
Aline's curiosity peeked at the mention of the Blackthorns. It was a last name that had become synonymous with scandal within the shadowhunter community. When the family patriarch was rumored to have had Seelie-born children, it was impossible to remain unnoticed. The Clave viewed the blending of pure shadowhunter blood with that of a downworlder as unconscionable; the Blackthorns endured the unfortunate consequences of that judgment for several years. Even though they had been allowed to remain Co-Heads of the Los Angeles Institute, Andrew and Eleanor were never invited to attend Council meetings or important Clave ceremonies. In turn, they were not subtle in their disdain for the Law, their children having long suffered under its prejudice. Yet despite these setbacks, Andrew's daughter Helen had made quite the name for herself in her commitment and skills as a shadowhunter. Still, her trustworthiness had been called into question on several occasions, given her faerie blood. It was a wonder that the Council agreed to offer her a position as one of their delegates. Aline suspected the Council's lack of resistance was a ploy to keep a closer eye on the girl. Either way, with her mother at the helm, Aline was quite optimistic to how this might play out.
And in that moment, as she seldom did before, Aline silently allowed herself to hope.
Swirling winds outside seemed to cause the worn down cabin to shudder and creak in its attempted resistance. Gusts sang through the night air, almost deafening in their intensity. A wintry draft made its way inside, through the small fractures and edges of their so-called home. Helen was buried underneath layers of blankets and bed sheets. Aline was sound asleep next to her, her girlfriend's body heat providing some form of natural warmth. The stormy bluster of the winds had become a familiar sound, and the cold air had never prevented Helen from a night's rest before... nor did it now. Something felt amiss and whatever it was, she was determined to set right.
Somewhere in the darkness, barely audible in the night breeze, came a sound Helen did not recognize. The sheets were pushed back slowly as Aline began to stir beside her. There was rustling, followed by a deep sigh, and then a mess of dark hair rose from the bed.
"I can hear you thinking," Aline's voice was still dripping with sleep. The room was so dimly lit that Helen could barely make out the woman lying next to her. Her eyes opened further as her shadowhunter instincts took over and she glanced up to find Aline sitting, propped up against their headboard, staring at the half-faerie.
"What time is it?" Aline's question was left unanswered. Covers were thrown off, and Helen twisted her body until her legs were hanging off the side of the mattress, and she sat arrow straight at the edge of the bed.
"By the Angel, where do you think you're going?" Drowsy eyes shot Helen a glare.
"I heard something outside, I'm just going to check it out," Helen answered, earning a groan in response. She heard Aline mumble incoherently about stubborn Blackthorns before her slim frame had turned back around and miraculously drifted quickly back to sleep.
Helen inhaled sharply when her bare feet connected with the icy floor. The weapons' chest they kept in the bedroom was waiting for her at the foot of their bed. The selection was not as vast as the one available at the institute, but it had suited the two just fine: there was hardly a need for extensive weaponry in isolation. The flaxen shadowhunter reached inside to pull out one seraph blade and an arm sheath that held a adamas dagger. A routine check of the perimeter did not usually call for heavy artillery. She fastened the sheath unto her left upper arm, and the thigh holster that now contained her blade was secured next. She then proceeded to slip on her knee-high black combat boots. The wool leggings and long sleeve t-shirt she had went to bed with would not keep her properly warm but anymore layers would only hinder her dexterity. Finally Helen threw her mob of wild curls into a ponytail at the top of her head. Just as she had finished wrapping the hair tie around her golden locks, her ears caught the sound of rustling from just outside. It was enough to send her jumping into action.
Helen had searched the entire perimeter around the house to no avail. She was so certain she would find something that she was almost disappointed that she hadn't. She was now back inside shaking out her arms and legs trying to get feeling back into her frozen limbs. It was no use, it was just as cold inside the house as it was out in the woods. If she had brought her stele, the nephilim would have applied several thermis runes to her body but, much to her dismay, Helen had left the darn thing on her nightstand. With the extreme lack of use for it, Helen had grown careless in forgetting to bring it with her wherever she went. The young girl cursed exasperatedly under her breath as she made a move to return to bed and the warmth of her girlfriend sleeping beside her.
A pale hand opened the door to her bedroom and she entered the small space to find her Aline, not asleep in bed, but waiting up for her at their small writing desk. Aline sat upon the desk's accompanying metal chair with a warm cup of tea in her hand. Helen noticed the liquid was still letting off steam in the cold air. The smell of mint and honey wafted through the small enclosed space of their bedroom. Aline rose from her seat and placed the cup she was carrying gently in Helen's hands. Helen gave her a grateful smile and was met with a kind look in return. Aline's eyes held Helen's with a discerning stare. Helen knew they saw through her forced facade. Still, she pretended as if her behavior this night, and the several before, had been completely normal.
"The wards keep out any kind of threat," Aline stated factually. "You can go out there every night," she sounded sympathetic now, "but you're not going to find what it is you're looking for."
Sea green eyes drifted from the face of her beloved, to the warm drink now securely grasped in her hands. "I miss them," Helen admitted.
Aline didn't have to ask for clarification, "I know." She closed whatever minute gap stood between them and placed her forehead against Helen's, her right hand coming to rest upon the elder girl's left cheek.
Helen's vision began to blur as small tears began to gather in her eyes. Her now shaking fingers lost grip of the cup she held onto. As if it were her last line of defense, when it crashed into tiny porcelain droplets against the floor, she could no longer hold back her emotion. The tears flowed as freely as the liquid now running across their floorboards.
Aline pulled her into a tight hug. "It's okay," she whispered. Helen wasn't sure if she meant it was okay for her to miss her family or that it was okay to cry. Maybe, she had meant both. "I'm here," her love continued to console her until her breathing had returned, from short and ragged gulps, to calmer breaths.
"I love you," Aline breathed out against her neck. And it was enough. Enough for Helen to realize that while she would always ache to see her brothers and sisters the longer they were parted, she still had her family. Aline was here. And that was everything.
There would never be enough words in the human language to describe how much Aline meant to her. For now, all Helen could do to show her appreciation was to say, "Thank you." And though she hadn't elaborated, Helen knew Aline understood what those words had meant.
Thank you for being here, thank you for loving me.
