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Chapter Text

We fear the thing we want the most- Robert Anthony

At the age of thirteen, Aline Penhallow was outed to her cousin Sebastian Verlac due to the mark upon her arm. They sat side by side after training, and he pointed out the mark on her arm wasn’t a bruise. Her blood ran cold, and her fingers trembled as she touched the lines, they were a messy, rushed, looping mess of cursive but legible. ‘Taking off my bra, I’m Helen by the way.’

 No. No, no, nonononono.

Sebastian grabbed her wrist, and only then did she realize she’d begun clawing at the mark like she could rip it from her skin. “It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay-“ how long had he been saying that before she actually heard it?

“You have to help me hide it,” she demanded, breathlessly- in a panic.

His thumb ran over the inside of her captured wrist, in effort to soothe. “Okay.”

Her eyes were wide, and her breath stuttered out like she’d forgotten the basic function. “We have to hide it.”

“Aline,” he said her name real slow, like he needed her to pay attention. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not, it’s not.” She’d noticed that her eyes were drawn to women, that they way that they spoke, or their floral perfume, or their laugh would spark a sense of interest. She tried to turn her attention toward boys, like she knew she should, but couldn’t manage. “My parents-“

Sebastian shifted, and crouched before her, both of her hands in his larger ones. “Aline,” he said firmly, ensuring he had her attention. “It’s okay. You’re perfect, just the way you are.”

She didn’t believe that, not for one bit. How could she be a good, dutiful Shadowhunter if she didn’t continue bloodlines?

“This Helen must be something-“

“Just help me hide it,” she insisted. She didn’t want to talk about Helen. She didn’t like Helen. Helen outed her before she’d even figured it out completely herself… or rather forced her out of denial. Helen who would take off her bra when they first meet- how was she to explain this to people even if the fact that her soulmate was a woman was ignored?

Sebastian nodded, and gave her his hoodie so they could make the trek back to the Penhallow house without being noticed by anyone in the streets of Alicante.

::

When she was seventeen, her parents, Jia and Patrick were dispatched to Beijing, and she went with them. She’d been away from Alicante before, but this was the first time it was a long-term placement. She became a master of covering her mark with makeup, or sweaters, or long silver bracelets that reminded her a little of the Wonder Woman comics she’d found in Sebastian’s room when they were younger.

In Beijing she completed her studies, and became a full-fledged Shadowhunter. She made friends, lost a few, battled demons, and spent a great amount of time whittling wooden figures- something her father did from time to time, and while she wasn’t very good at it, it turned into a wonderful way to spend time together, and unwind from their duties.

Of course, Beijing also came with temptation. Li (or at least that was what she has everyone call her- there were those who believed Li didn’t like her full name, and others who believed she got too annoyed with the foreign Shadowhunters butchering the pronunciation that she simply went by a nickname,) was a little on the short side, pixie-cut dyed-blonde hair, brown eyes, and lips that were constantly coated in a strawberry gloss. Her makeup was always minimalistic, with the exception of her smoky eyeshadow. The look made her appear a few years older than the eighteen years she already had.

Aline did her best not to let her crush show, but couldn’t help but enjoy the times when they ended up in the gym at the same time, and Li was always in for some sparring. They even hunted together on occasion, and her crush became crushed when Li admitted she had feelings for Jin, and asked Aline to help her go on a date with him.

And she did, because she was hopeless.

Jin always had Friday nights in house, watching the monitors, and Aline took his spot so he and Li could go on their first date.

“Thank you,” Li had said slowly, her English still a work in progress. “You a good friend.”

“You’re, you’re a good friend,” Aline corrected softly. “Go. Have fun.”

Li smiled, winked with long false lashes, and met Jin at the door.

Only then, staring at those monitors did Aline know that Beijing came with one more thing she’d lacked in Alicante. Technology. Sure, electric light was nice, but having the entire internet at her fingertips was something almost unheard of. She looked at all the keys, the mouse, the monitor.

“Why did I agree to this,” she muttered to herself. Li had taught her the basics of searching Clave documents for demons, or talons, or anything strange they found on their hunts.

Biting her bottom lip, she looked to the second monitor, away from the cameras. She could search for demons, or Downworlders. But there was also a personnel search. She looked down at her wrist, covered with her sweater. With one quick look around, she went back, and opened the personnel search tab, and in it wrote, Helen.

There were three results.

She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath before opening them. She clicked on the first result.

Helen Westmill- London Institute. Her date of birth being a few decades before Aline had been born put her firmly out of the running.

Helen Evansborough- Edinburgh Institute. That Helen was three, so nope.

Aline paused briefly before her curiosity got the best of her, and clicked on the last result.

Helen Blackthorn- Los Angeles Institute.

Aline stared at the screen. That was it. There was no personnel information. No date of birth. No photo. No record of anything other than the Institute she currently served. Had she died? Was that why everything was blank? Was this not her Helen? And if this third Helen was not hers, and the other two most certainly were not her soulmate, then did that mean that her Helen was a mundane, or a Downworlder?

She exited out of the search.

She had thought that searching for her soulmate would lead to answers. She thought her mind would be put at ease. Instead, now she had more questions.

Another two hours of thinking about the mysterious Helen, Li and Jin returned, Li wearing Jin’s jacket. He took over for the rest of his shift, and Aline tried to keep up with the excited Li’s rapidly spoken Chinese.

::

At eighteen years old, Aline had worn the bracelets to the point where they were scuffed and dented. She pried at the metal after a hunt, trying to bend it a little more to take it off, only to be found jamming a blade in the slit by her father.

Patrick sighed, standing in the doorway of the library. “You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“Oh,” she dropped the weapon in her surprise. “It, uh, got a little tight when I deflected with it.

He hummed in response, and sat in the plush leather chair next to her. He set his carving tools aside, as well as the wooden bear he was currently working on. “Do you want some help?”

“No, no, I’m fine, this is fine,” she rambled. “I’ll get it off later.”

He stared at her, and when she didn’t say anything else, he sighed. “It’s clearly cutting off your circulation.”

Her hand was turning a strange shade. “Ah, so it is.”

He grabbed her arm gently. “It’s along your wrist, isn’t it?”

Aline shut her eyes. “Yes.”

He simply turned her wrist over, pried the metal with his fingers, but didn’t remove it. “Better?”

“Yes.”

She watched as her father picked up one of his whittling knives, and the wooden bear, and got to work.

“You’re not going to ask?”

“It’s for you to know, not me,” he said, pausing to look at her. “If you wanted me to know, I already would.”

She felt guilty and stared down at her chipped nail polish. “It’s not that I don’t want you to know.” At least, about her soulmark, it was more that she didn’t want him to know that her soulmate was a woman. She was an only child. Her father had no siblings. She would effectively be the end of the Penhallow line. “I just… it’s not easy.”

“I know.” Patrick whittled away at the wood. “Did I ever tell you that my parents tried to arrange a marriage for me?”

“Uh, no.”

He nodded ever-so-slightly. “They did,” he carefully carved a little more. “Set the whole thing up. The woman was lovely, we met in New York where I’d been stationed for a little over a year. There was a gathering of Shadowhunters in Central Park after a peace treaty had been signed with the Seelies after some discord. She came up to me, and smiled, said ‘I’ve never seen so many stars.’”

“That’s your soulmark,” Aline said, eyes widening. To her knowledge, her father didn’t hide his mark, wore it proudly. In fact, she could see most of it on his arm, only partially hidden by the sweater he’d pushed up the cuffs of to nearly his elbows.

“Indeed.” He kept carving. “I said she must have lived in the city her whole life. You could only make out the brightest of stars from the light of the city. I also couldn’t see her mark, she wore a dress with long sleeves. But she’d said the words, I thought for certain she must be my soulmate. I did as expected, I asked her on a date, and we did, and everything was fine. But it was just that. Fine. There was nothing spectacular about our relationship. Nothing particularly drawing about her. She was nice enough, but I realized after a few months of dating that I didn’t, and wouldn’t ever love her.”

He took a deep breath before continuing. “Despite believing she was my soulmate, I decided it was best to break up with her.” His knife stopped, and he finally looked up at Aline. “She cried, admitted that we weren’t soulmates, said that her parents and mine were practically planning our wedding. My parents had told her what my soulmark was, all she had to do was say it when we were outside at night. Surely believing that she was my soulmate would have me falling into line.”

“Why would they do that? And why would she agree?” Aline asked.

“Two strong families becoming one, we had ties for generations but they broke after that. And she agreed because she’d already met her soulmate, been in love, and married young, but he died young too. I guess she figured I wouldn’t be a bad replacement.”

It was tragically sad, and terrible all at once. “That’s why you don’t mind not knowing what my mark is.”

“Honestly, I’m glad you keep it hidden,” Patrick said. “I almost didn’t believe Jia when she spoke the words.”

“How did she say them?” She’d never heard the story of how her parents met.

His smile was warm, and his eyes turned fond. “We met in Alicante at a meeting of the Conclave. She’d been a powerhouse inside, arguing with the Consul fearlessly. I found her outside, in Angel Square, she was staring up at the sky in wonderment. So, I walked up, trying to find something smooth to say, and end up with ‘A lovely night, isn’t it?’ like talking about the weather is going to get me places.” He chuckled. “But she just continued staring, and said ‘I’ve never seen so many stars.’ It had my defenses up right away, but she then turned to me fast enough you’d think she’d have gotten whiplash, and pulled up the sleeve of her shirt to show the words I’d spoken. And then I knew, I knew for sure it wasn’t a trick, there was no game. She was my soulmate.”

“And you fell in love.”

He laughed. “Yes, and we fell in love, and got married, and had you. Life is good.”

And that’s really what she wanted to. To meet, and fall in love, and get married, and a few children. She wanted for life to be good- but wondered if she could actually have it.

Chapter Text

She still believed in a one milkshake, two straws kind of love. - Anna White

Helen had heard the words on her wrist so many times that it had stopped being exciting. As far as Soulmarks were concerned, ‘what are you doing,’ was a little too common a phrase. She heard it from her Rune’s teacher when she was thirteen, and though he was going to be her soulmate even if he already was in his late twenties. She’d heard it at fifteen from a Vampire who’d smiled as she’d watched Helen try to pick a lock. She heard it from a Seelie at sixteen who’d snarled the words as Helen accidentally trespassed on sacred grounds. She’d heard it from a visiting Shadowhunter who had stared down at her while she’d helped her brother Tiberius who was having difficulty focusing- instead of saying anything back, she took the deprecating tone to heart, and swung up with an uppercut that put the other Shadowhunter on the ground.

So, Helen didn’t put much stock into her own mark being able to help with her love life, however, that didn’t mean that she didn’t believe in love, or in soulmates. She just didn’t think her mark would be a particularly good heads-up that that person was the one.

“What are you doing?”

Helen didn’t even look up from the report she was filling out. “Piss off, Mark.” Her brother had taken to annoying her by using her soulmark, which was fine, because she loved teasing him about his too.

Mark leaned his hip against the desk she sat at. “Wish I could, but alas, Dad has ordered me to go with you to check out a disturbance.”

Her pen scratched along the paper. While other Institutes had the budget for modern technology, their Institute had practically been ruined after a particularly unsettling uprising with Warlocks. The rebuild had demanded funds, which meant budget cuts everywhere, and so they were one of the last three Institutes still using paper and pens. “Demons?”

“Yep.”

She sighed. “Can you grab my blade while I finish this report at least?”

“Yeah,” he pushed away from the desk. “Sure.”

“And my coat.”

“Anything else, Princess?” he asked still walking away, and not looking back.

“Some more patience to deal with you,” she muttered under her breath, but if his sudden laughter was any indication, he heard her just fine.

::

Helen watched as her little brother Julian became secretive. There was no mark on his forearms, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t popped up somewhere else. “Just tell me,” she pried. “It’s your soulmate mark, isn’t it?”

“Just leave it, Helen,” Julian said firmly.

“Come on, Jules,” she said, knowing that if her brother were to confide in anyone it would be either her, or Emma. “You know I can keep a secret.”

He swallowed hard, then looked around. “Okay, come on.”

She followed him to his room where he took off his shirt. He had a platonic soulmate mark on his ribs, the first words his best friend Emma Carstairs had ever spoken to him, ‘what are you drawing,’ was in the intricate design. She looked to his collarbone where there were words. The same words in the same writing as the ones in his platonic mark.

Her breath left her lungs in a rush. “Oh.”

Julian swallowed hard, his breath stuttering on its way out. “Yeah.” He pulled his shirt back on.

“Well, then Emma definitely knows.”

“Maybe her mark is different?” he said, with barely there hope. “Maybe she has someone else’s words. Maybe I just get asked the same thing by two different people.”

“That’s Emma’s writing.” She enveloped her little brother in a hug, and then squeezed extra tight. “Maybe you should trust in the Angel, he blessed you with these marks, they mean something.” She loosened her grip, and leaned back to look him in the eye, or try to, he’s adverted his misty gaze. “You have to have faith, Jules.”

“Do you? Have faith? I mean, how many times has that been someone’s first words to you?”

Helen sighed. “I have faith. Sure, I’ve heard it before, but one day it’s going to really mean something. We didn’t get these marks for no reason, they have to mean something.”

“We’re already parabatai. You can’t be in love with your parabatai,” he whispered, harsh, and panicked. “It’s forbidden.”

“Just because it’s frowned upon, doesn’t mean it should be.”

“Romantic love can corrupt the bond-“

“That isn’t how the stories go,” Helen argued gently. “Falling out of love is what corrupts the bond. But you two are soulmates in every way.”

Julian bit on his thumbnail, as he typically did when stressed. “I’ll think about it,” he muttered.

She kissed his forehead, knowing that Julian would think it over on his own, and would come to his own conclusions in his own time. “It’s not a rush,” she said. “You’re still so young. And soulmates, they’re kind of forever.” She ruffled his hair affectionately. “Come on, let’s get dinner started.”

He glared at her.

“Oh yeah, I’ve drafted you to peel potatoes,” she said with the superiority of an older sibling. “Deal with it.”

::

Nothing happened to the Soulmate mark when one half died. Helen glanced at her father’s during dinner. She wasn’t sure if it was a kindness or a cruelty that the word was just as clear now as it had always been. One word; duck. They’d met mid battle, Helen had heard the story as a child, soon after she understood about soulmarks, and soulmates, and first words.

Eleanor had yelled ‘duck’ at him, and he’d followed the order. She’d thrown a flaming axe over his head and it hit it’s mark, killing and burning the demon till it was nothing but ashes. In a state of shock and awe, he’d turned and stared at her; beauty, and warrior’s grace all in one, and said, ‘I think you’ll have to marry me now.’

And that was that. They stayed together up until the end, until sickness like Helen had never seen took hold of the only mother she’d ever known. Mundanes had a name for it. Helen wouldn’t utter it, wouldn’t think about her mother’s body growing frail, and sickly, until she just didn’t wake up one morning. The younger kids didn’t remember much about that time, didn’t remember much about the illness, but also didn’t remember much about their mother. Helen thought it a small mercy, and felt guilty for it.

The conversation fluttered around the table, Dru spoke of Rune studies, Livia yammered on about the finer points of a crossbow, and Julian joined in. Octavian pushed his vegetables to the side of the plate, small for his age of five, and a picky eater. Helen leaned over to him. “If you eat all your veggies, we’ll sneak out and have ice cream.”

The boy’s sea green and blue eyes turned to her, and his lip curved up into a little smirk. He stabbed a carrot with his fork and popped it into his mouth. His face immediately grimaced, but he chewed determinedly.

As if to distract himself, he poked at some of her marks with his finger tip. Runes; Balance, Deflect, Calm Anger. Then the only soulmark on her arm. “What does this one do again?”

“That one isn’t a rune, Tavvy,” Helen said patiently, stabbing a piece of broccoli. She didn’t like the stuff, it was mushy, the texture all gritty and wrong, and not to mention the smell- but if she wanted her younger siblings to do it, she’d have to too. “It’s a soulmark.”

“What does it mean?”

“Eat your veggies,” she reminded him. He stabbed the mixed veggies once more, getting a carrot, a pea, and a single kernel of corn on the fork.

The mark was nearly a complete triangle with a small section left open, the top peak had another angle above it, blanketing it like snow on a mountain. “It means I’m open to change.”

“Isn’t everyone?” Octavian asked.

Mark met Helen’s gaze across the table. They were old enough to know better. “Afraid not, kiddo,” Mark said. “And some people are only open to change when it benefits them.”

Octavian nodded, as if he understood, and returned to eating his veggies.

After dinner, where since she cooked, she managed to get out of dish duty, she told her father where she’d be taking the youngest, and snuck him out. They walked together, she didn’t mind when Octavian ran ahead a bit, climbed a few stairs of a restaurant and then jumped off of them, crouching low, and pretending then to fight with the streetlamp like he had a seraph blade in hand and it was a demon.

When she walked past his mock battle, he rushed to catch back up. “When will I start getting soulmarks?”

She was a little surprised by the question. With a shrug, she adjusted the small chain that was her purse strap. “I don’t know.” Some children got marks of grief when a parent died, the other Blackthorn children all did, but Tavvy had been so young and had gotten all the more attention especially from Helen in the absence of his mother. He’d broken their heart, toddling around, occasionally calling out for ‘mama,’ but it lessened until it was no more. “I was nine when I got my first one.”

“What was it?” he asked.

“A leaf shape- it’s not natural, definitely from the Seelie realm,” she replied, ruffling her hair a little to make sure it hid the pointed shape of her ears from the mundanes. “I have no idea what it means.”

“Why did the Angels give us marks that we can’t read?”

“I don’t know,” she said with a bit of a laugh. “Maybe they forgot to give us the Grey Book Volume Two.” She stopped outside of the ice cream parlour and pulled the door open.

“Can I get two scoops?”

“You had one serving of veggies, that’s one scoop of ice cream, Mister. Choose wisely.”

He had his hands and nose pressed to the glass display case in a second. In the end, he chose chocolate, like he always did. Helen got hazelnut, and they licked their cones while sitting out on the patio. The energy he’d had on the way there waned by the time they’d gotten through their cones and were on their walk back.

Halfway back to the house, she crouched and he climbed up on her back, wrapping his arms around her neck and snuggling against his back. She knew it wouldn’t be much longer that he’d let her carry him around, soon he wouldn’t want to snuggle with his big sister, or go out on their little adventures. Soon, he’d be more interested in training, soon he’d want to spend more time with his big brothers. It hurt a little, he’d only been two when their mother died, and she’d somehow stepped into that parenting role, her father dealing with his own grief, running the Institute, meetings in Idris…

She could hold onto him a little longer. “Hey, Tavs?”

“Yeah,” he muttered.

“Want to sneak out and go to the beach tomorrow?”

His arms tightened around her neck. “Yeah!”

By the time she got back to the house, his arms were dangling, and she had to walk arched forward a little to ensure he didn’t fall off her back. Andrew helped when she got inside, picked his youngest off of her back, and carried him up to his room. Helen had her purse hung up, shoes and light jacket off when her father came back down the stairs.

He patted her shoulder, a little smile on his face. “You should get some sleep.”

She checked her watch. She had to be at the Institute at one in the morning. “Yeah, I guess so.”

He looked like he wanted to say something, but then just nodded. “Good night,” he kissed her temple, and made his way into the living room where Livia and Ty were playing a board game, and Dru had her nose in a book.

She watched a part of her family for a moment, enjoying the little moments where her younger siblings were still too young to really know the dangers of their world.

“You’re cheating,” Ty accused.

“Am not,” Livia replied.

Ty grabbed the rule slip, and Helen shook her head, and headed upstairs before it could become a fight. Mark actually handled Ty better than anyone else. She found her full blooded brother in her room, sitting on her bed in his full Shadowhunter gear.

She shut the door behind herself, and sat next to him before speaking quietly, “Mark, you okay?”

He just stood, undid his pants and shucked them down. It was odd to say the least, but she remained quiet as he turned a little and pointed to a mark on his thigh. Her brow creased as she studied the lines. “What is that?”

“I have no idea. I’ve checked the books, I’ve checked all the data the Clave has, and the mark is unknown.”

She frowned. “So is my leaf.”

“Think it’s got something to do with the seelies?”

“There are a lot of unknown marks,” she said as he pulled his pants back up.

“What if it means that we go back to them?”

Helen fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Why would we? Our family is here. Our duty is here.”

“Yeah,” Mark said, sitting back down on the bed. He considered it a long moment and then finally sighed. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“Do you want to go to the Seelie realm?”

Mark snorted. “No, no definitely not. Everything I know about the Queen and the Court terrifies me.”

“Well then, it probably is just like any other kind of mark, but since we’re part seelie, we get it in like… a different language.”

“Yeah,” he perked up. “That actually makes sense.”

“Don’t sound so surprised,” she said giving him a gentle elbow to the mid-section. “Now, aren’t you supposed to be off hunting?”

“Yeah, yeah, you better be on time to relieve me.”

“Only if you leave now and let me get some beauty sleep.”

“You can’t sleep long enough for that,” he said, with a laugh as he snuck out her window. \

She rushed to the space he’d left, and saw him standing from a crouch on the grass. “You’re a jerk!” she hissed at him.

He just waved and took off into the night.

And like always, she brushed her fingers over her soulmate mark as she slipped into bed.

Chapter Text

Love without pain is not to be found anywhere- Sicilian Proverb

Aline finished packing her bag, zipping it up, and taking a deep breath. Everything had been such a whirlwind, but she was leaving Beijing for the busy city of New York. Not permanently, at least, not to her knowledge. The increased demon activity in New York had Institutes all over the world, and Idris concerned. They kept sending out fighters, but more and more were being injured or killed.

Knowing the Lightwoods since childhood, she finally went to speak to her parents, and got permission to be in the next batch of reinforcements.

New York had been a burst of energy. Too many Shadowhunters in one spot, and yet, she knew from the number and power of demons coming in, it still wouldn’t be enough. She’d managed to get her assignment from Maryse, the only Lightwood she’d seen since arriving. Close to sundown, she knew to meet her crew outside.

She pushed through the large door, and stepped out into the city, breathing in deep. There was finally space for movement, and she felt so much less confined. One last check for her blade and Stele, she took a look around trying to spot the familiar blonde head of Li, yet another reinforcement sent from Beijing. They were paired up with a couple of New York fighters who knew the lay of the land. (Because wouldn’t that be embarrassing, travelling all this way not to help fight demons, but to simply get lost.)

Her eyes caught onto a familiar tall figure with dark hair. Something about the way he walked- Alec, she was almost sure. Although, the lack of Jace beside him made her question it. The two had been joined at the hip since the age of ten, and it was odd to see one without the other. Instead, a petite redhead walked down the stairs with him.

They were walking toward a man dressed in rather eccentric battle garments, if they could even be called such a thing. There was no way that electric blue wool coat would survive demon ichor.

She almost looked away, now nearly certain it wasn’t Alec, when the dark haired man turned a little to face Mr. Crazy-Battle-Garments. That profile of strong jaw and nose gave it away, Alec for sure. The two men were standing a little closer than most men would, and she couldn’t tear her eyes away as they appeared to greet one another with little smiles on their faces.

And then Alec kissed the man.

Just a quick kiss. A peck. Something sweet and chaste, but a kiss. Alec just kissed a man. Holy shit. Her brain just short-circuited, she was sure of it. A moment later, Alec had pulled the man closer, and their lips met once again, quick and dirty, and there was absolutely no mistaking the fact that they were one hundred percent into each other.

Alec is gay. Alec is with a man. Her mind kept going over the new information, a little bud of hope for her own situation growing in her chest. Alec wasn’t bothered about being with a man, he greeted his boyfriend in front of the Institute!

She forgot about searching for her own crew, and instead walked down the stairs heading toward Alec like gravity pulling her down. She heard them talking, but didn’t make out the words over the rest of the Shadowhunters around.

She stopped a few feet from them.  “You know, Alec,” she said with a grin. “I didn’t know coming to New York would give me both free dinner and a show.”

Alec turned and beamed. “Aline!”

She laughed as Alec’s strong arms wrapped around her and squeezed her tight before releasing. When he stood straight again, he towered over her. In their youth, he’d teased her mercilessly for being so small, until during a training exercise she was the only one able to fit through a vent, then he saw the good in her stature. She’d also been less bitter about him being so much stronger and taller because she wouldn’t have been able to reach the vent if he hadn’t been able to lift her up. The exercise had taught them about the value of a balanced team.  

He hadn’t grown any taller than the last time they’d seen each other, but he had grown into his lanky frame, filled it out with muscles. Objectively, she knew he was handsome, and it really cinched the whole ‘I’m into girls’ thing when she still couldn’t think of him outside of their strictly platonic friendship.

She beamed up at him.  “It’s good to see you!”

Alec’s hand reached out, and the other man took it.  “Aline,” Alec took a deep breath, and turned to the other man, his eyes wrinkling a bit with his smile. “This is Magnus Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn.”

She raised a brow, mischief curving her lips. “And that’s how you greet High Warlocks around here?”

The tips of his ears turned red. “No, but it is how I greet my boyfriend.” They looked to each other, Alec’s eyes soft and fond, Magnus’s smile was blinding.  “And Magnus,” he grinned at her. “Aline Penhallow.”

“A pleasure to meet you,” he said, extending his hand.

She took it without hesitation, happy to meet the man who put such joy onto the usually rather surly Alec’s face.

“Wow,” she said, heart racing. Alec looked so happy. And he was with a man. And she had questions.  She glanced away, she spotted Li waving, then looked back to Alec and Magnus. “I hope we have a chance to catch up.” She needed that like she needed her next breath. “But I’m with that squad over there, I have to go.” She smirked. “Happy hunting.”

As she walked away, she overheard Magnus say; “She seems nice.”

It warmed her heart a bit as she joined the rest of her crew, and prepared for a night of battle.

::

A litany of profanity ran through Aline’s mind as she ran heavy footed through the underground tunnels. A terrifying demon ran behind her, it had a few things in common with a Hellhound, but it appeared to be… inside out? Her stomach rebelled and she nearly had to stop to throw up. The stench of the beast was half the problem. She could hear the demon running behind her, it’s thick, black talons ripping through concrete without a problem. They’d go through her flesh like a hot knife through butter.

The litany of silent profanity continued.

She made the mistake of looking over her shoulder and tripped over the uneven ground. Her hands flew out to catch herself, and she ended up on her hands and knees then completely vulnerable on her stomach. She twisted with her blade back onto her feet, stumbling a bit, the blade deflected the claw, but the blade went flying from her hand under the strength of the demon. With no other weapon, she grabbed her Stele, sacred Adamas is still Adamas, and jammed the burning tip into what she could only assume was the creature’s nose. It made a strange hiss-growl sound that rumbled through its chest and echoed in the tunnel as it stumbled back a few steps.

A hand clamped over her mouth and an arm around her waist forcefully dragged her into an alcove, and the strength couldn’t be contended with. The grip was painful, and Aline struggled against it. Her foot kicked back, and a leg wrapped around hers and suddenly she was shoved against the wall, hands switching but maintaining over her mouth, and the body pressed her so tight against the wall she couldn’t move.

The woman had blonde hair pulled back from her face. A spattering of blood over the pale skin of her neck. Blue-green eyes were severe in their glare. The strength rune on her arms were no damn joke. The demon was quiet now, and the woman tried to communicate in just glares. Aline took in the runes on her collarbone, and relaxed just a little.

The demon started moving again, its claws scratching every time its heavy paws hit ground. Aline watched in horror as it walked up the wall like gravity didn’t apply. The woman was still as a statue, her hand still tight over Aline’s mouth, the other on her shoulder, keeping her pressed to the wall. Her hips were pinned to the wall- and Aline tried not to think about the fact that they were pinned their by proximity, but the other woman’s body being pressed so close. The warmth seeped through her, as she was enamoured with the freckles over the woman’s nose and sharp cheekbones. Her eyes drifted to the perfect little bow of the woman’s plump lips. It was a terrible time for her to get distracted, but the woman was crazy attractive.

The sound of the demon lessened a little. And the woman took a careful step back, peeking out of the alcove. Aline realized then that her shirt was wet, that was the warmth, she looked at the woman and saw her torso was cut open but a massive set of three scratches. Clearly the woman’s Stele was gone.  Then she released Aline’s shoulder, a finger going to her own lips motioning to remain silent. Aline nodded as much as she could with the woman’s hand still clamped down over her mouth.

The woman then stepped out of the Alcove, she pointed to Aline’s weapon, and Aline went and as silently as possible retreated it. She’d lost Li, and the rest of her crew in the tunnels, and had to hope for the best. It was almost sunrise, they just had to get back to the surface, then they could regroup, and maybe return with a larger hunting party next time.

The woman pointed at a rusted door. Then to the ceiling. Aline understood, through that door would be a ladder to the surface, and obviously the other woman really needed to get out. She then pointed to Aline then to her wounded stomach.

Aline shook her head, and made claws out of her hands and put on her best monster face.

The woman’s lips curved a little, and Aline’s heart fluttered. Shit.

The woman swayed a little, and Aline rushed a few steps to grab her arm and resettle her. The woman’s eyes widened, and Aline realized her error. She heard the demon charging back their way, and the woman yanked the metal door which screamed on its rusted bolts, and she ran in, Aline pulled the door shut and slammed her Seraph blade through the handle and into the concrete wall hoping to put a few more seconds between them and the demon.

She turned to see the woman in front of a second door, touching the dead bolt key hole. Then her hands went up the back of her shirt.

Since the demon had already heard them, she figured it didn’t matter much if she spoke. “What are you doing?”

“Taking off my bra, I’m Helen by the way.” With that, she pulled the straps of her bra off her arms then pulled the thing out the front of her shirt.

Aline couldn’t say anything. Not when the woman had said the words. When Helen had said the words. Her Helen. As Helen wiggled the wires of her bra loose, Aline saw the words written on Helen’s wrist, in her own writing. There was no mistake. This woman was her soulmate. The claws at the door sent fear down her spine. They’d just met. The metal weakened and she could see a talon through the hole created in the door. She didn’t want to die here. Not when she’d just found Helen, her Helen, a woman she knew nearly nothing about other than she was pretty, and her voice was almost musical, and she was so very strong, and her muscles do things to Aline that she really wants to explore.

But she was weaponless, and the demon was breaking down the door. Helen made a triumphant sound, and Aline looked, really looked this time, and saw that the metal wires of the bra were stuck in the lock and turning it. Helen then yanked open the second door. “Come on! Come on!” She grabbed Aline and shoved her through the door first, the demon breaking down the first door, and they both slammed the second just in time. There was a ladder, thankfully.

“You first, you’re injured,” Aline insisted.

“That’s why you go first,” Helen replied, winded. “Runes are fading, I’m exhausted. You need to open the hatch.”

She didn’t want to leave Helen down below, not with the demon, not with the injuries, not when she wasn’t sure the other woman would have the strength to climb.

“Go,” Helen demanded.

Aline knew fighting would only waste time, and she could hear the demon at the door. She climbed fast, braced herself best she could, and slammed her hands into the heavy iron cover, pushing, pushing, pushing. She got it up an inch, and slid the manhole cover aside.

She climbed out into the early morning sunlight, and looked back down into the hole. Helen was right behind her, and Aline grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her all the way out. They both collapsed to the ground on their backs in the middle of a quiet street. The demon hissed, clearly having walked into the sunlight a bit.

“We made it,” Aline said softly, she turned her head to find Helen looking at her, French braid in disarray, a dopey smile on her face.

“You never told me your name.”

“Aline, Aline Penhallow,” she replied.

“Aline,” Helen whispered, her eyes dropping, and Aline shot up remembering the wounds. Even though Helen hadn’t shown they’d affected her, they obviously were, and the blood-loss and potentially poison was catching up with her.

“Helen, stay with me!” She stripped off her own jacket, then her shirt, the soft cotton used to absorb the blood as she pressed into the wound. Helen didn’t make a sound. She pulled her phone from the pocket of her jacket, and called the first person in New York that came up alphabetically.

He answered right away.

“Alec, I need help,” she practically shouted down the line. “I don’t know where I am, and there is an injured Shadowhunter with me. Helen.” The Helen who was her soulmate, the Helen she didn’t know the last name of, the Helen who’s blood was staining her fingers.

Chapter Text

Aline had left Helen’s side for long enough to shower the blood from her body and put on a fresh set of clothes. In her rush, she’d ended up putting her t-shirt on backward, only figuring it out when the tag kept brushing against her neck. Tucking her arms in, she turned it around in the middle of the hallway, putting her arms back through, she smoothed out the front.

It was an hour before the Silent Brothers emerged, and that’s when she slipped inside.

And there she laid.

Helen.

Aline wasn’t sure what to do with the relative stranger, but didn’t want her to wake up alone. She sat down, hoping that someone would be along to ID her, send word to the Institute she came from, to some family perhaps.

She reached out, and turned Helen’s arm carefully. ‘What are you doing?’ It was so phenomenally generic. Aline frowned, wishing she’d left something with a little more flourish. Then again, perhaps it was a small mercy. She looked at her own mark; ‘Taking off my bra, I’m Helen by the way.’ At least she hadn’t mentioned taking off unmentionables in their first meeting.

Even though they’d only had a handful of minutes where they’d both been conscious, Aline already found herself in awe of Helen. The woman clearly had a quick mind- both figuring out that the demon couldn’t hunt what it couldn’t hear, and in her quick escape plan. The way she’d moved, so quick and sure, pinning Aline into the alcove, keeping Aline safe and quiet. Both the Shadowhunter, and the woman could respect the warrior before her. And the fact that she was drop dead gorgeous didn’t hurt anything.

But she is still… she.

Aline found herself biting her thumbnail down to the quick, but couldn’t make any real effort to stop. The thought of telling her parents that her soulmate is a woman had her skin crawling. There was no imaginary conversation where it went well. Her father… maybe, maybe if given enough time he would come to terms with it, but her mother? The metallic taste in her mouth had her finally pulling her thumb from her mouth, sure enough she’d bitten the nail down to the bed and caused it to bleed.

There was an alternative. Get up, leave, pretend she hadn’t met her soulmate. Helen wouldn’t even notice, her words so generic, it could be brushed off. Aline hadn’t taken her jacket off until Helen was unconscious so she hadn’t seen the mark. There was no way that she’d know.

She brushed her hand over the wide leather band on her arm that hid her mark. She still had time. She could still walk away.

The door opened, and Isabelle walked in. “Aline!”

She stood, embraced her old friend. “Hey, Izzy.”

“You okay?” Isabelle asked, pulling away, but keeping one hand on Aline’s arm. “Alec filled me in on what happened.”

Aline nodded. “She saved my life,” she nodded her head toward Helen’s prone body. “I just want to make sure she wakes up okay.”

“Alec also said that you don’t know her last name.”

“Didn’t really have time for in depth conversation when we were trying not to be demon-chow.”

“Fair,” Isabelle said with a nod. She walked away and checked the medical chart at the end of the bed. “Looks like she’s on some good mundane pain killers, she’ll be out of it for a while.”

Considering how ugly and deep the wounds had been, Aline was happy to hear it. The runes would help heal her faster, but at least she’d be sleeping through the painful process.

“Any chance that you know which Institute she came from?”

Aline shook her head.

Isabelle sighed. “Maybe Mom can identify her, after all, she did all the mission assignments.”

“I’ll stay with her,” Aline said, and took a seat near Helen’s bed, unsure if she was unwilling, or incapable of leaving her side.

::

An hour later, Maryse stepped inside. “Aline, sorry I couldn’t be here earlier, I was in a meeting.”

“Thank you for coming, Mrs. Lightwood. Any chance you know who she is?”

“There were a lot of people coming and going,” Maryse said getting closer to the bed. “Mostly, I kept people paired up based on which Institute’s they came from. I’m afraid I don’t know most of them personally.”

“So you don’t know who she is,” Aline said.

“Actually,” Maryse reached out, and pushed some of the blonde hair up, the pony tail had been done in such a way that the hair had covered half of her ears, and now that they were exposed, Aline saw they were pointed at the tips.

“She’s half-fey,” Aline said feeling chilled. Fey were notorious for their creative truth-telling, and misleading. Half-fey had no problem lying though. She focused on the runes on Helen’s skin which settled her emotions. Half-fey or not, the woman bore runes and was a Shadowhunter.

Maryse gently pried open Helen’s left eye, and then let it fall shut again. “I’m not one hundred percent certain. I haven’t been to Los Angeles in over a decade, but it’s possible that she is Helen Blackthorn. Her father is head of the LA Institute. Being half-fey and with those eyes, I’d be willing to wager I’m right. I’ll give him a call, see if he sent her here, if so, I’ll have him portalled here to make a positive ID.”

Helen’s eyes opened, and she groaned.

“Maybe that won’t be necessary,” Aline said, taking Helen’s hand. “Hey, Helen. Do you remember me?”

There was agony in her blue-green eyes, but the recognition was there. “Yes. You’re Aline.”

“That’s right,” she couldn’t manage to keep her voice even, instead it was filled with excitement. “We’re trying to contact your family, but we don’t know who to call.”

“My dad,” Helen replied. “Andrew Blackthorn.” She sucked in a breath through her teeth as she tried to move away from the pain.

“We’ll get him here,” Maryse said, finding the button on the side and pressing it. “You just rest.”

Helen settled, her eyes blinking owlishly as the drugs were administered through her IV, her hand tightened around Aline’s for just a second before it loosened and the tension ran out of her body with a sigh. Aline watched as the heartrate monitor moved to a healthy, steady beat.

“I’ll give Andrew a call,” Maryse took a quick look around the infirmary. “You’re still going to be expected to fight tonight.”

Aline expected nothing less, and nodded.

::

When Andrew Blackthorn walked through the door of the Infirmary, Aline didn’t need an introduction. While his dark brown hair didn’t match up with Helen’s wheat blonde, there was something about their cheekbones, the subtle upturn of their noses, the curve of their lips, and the angle of their jaw that gave away their connection. He didn’t even acknowledge her, instead going directly to his daughter’s side, pushing a hand over her hair, fingertips grazing down till they pressed against her neck, feeling the steady heartbeat.

He took a deep breath, and ever so slowly let it back out. Assured that his daughter wasn’t in immediate danger, he finally looked at Aline. “You’re Jia and Patrick’s daughter, aren’t you?”

“Yes. You know them?” Aline didn’t go to all the ‘political’ events that her parents did, but she did know most of their contacts.

“More like know of, although, Patrick and I spent two years stationed at the same Institute when we were much younger. Always liked him.” She grinned, and his lips curved in return. “You have his smile.”

She was flattered. Most people saw the physical similarities between her and her mother, and usually the ones she had with her father were ignored.

“Has she awoken at all?”

“Briefly,” Aline replied. “She was able to tell us to call you.”

“What did this?” he asked.

Aline took a deep breath. “Well… actually, it’s a demon that no one has ever seen before and no one know what it is.” She relayed what she did know, both about its appearance and its apparent lack of sight and sense of smell. “Have you ever heard of anything like that?”

Andrew shook his head. “No, can’t say I have.” He grabbed a pen from a side table. “I need to speak with Maryse, see if there is something more we can do. From all reports, each night it gets worse.” He drew a smiley face on the back of Helen’s hand, and recapped the pen. “You don’t have to stay with her, she’ll be alright.”

She considered the out, she could walk away now, simplify her life. Her mind attacked her with the thought of Alec, Alec smiling, pulling his boyfriend closer, kissing him in front of the Institute. “She saved my life,” Aline told him. “I hadn’t figured out it was tracking me by noise rather than sight. I would probably be dead if not for her. I’ll stay, at least until sunset.”

His blue-green eyes stared at her a moment before a little smile graced his lips. “Alright,” he said, but it sounded like a blessing. He turned and left without another word.

::

Helen woke up less than an hour before sunset. Aline had panicked at first when the heartrate monitor had changed rhythm, but as the drugs wore off, and Helen appeared more focussed, it evened out. Still, Aline jumped to her feet. “How are you feeling?”

“Like a demon stirred my insides,” Helen replied with a grimace. She shifted enough to nearly sit up, and Aline grabbed a pillow from an empty bed to help prop her up. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Aline replied. “Do you want some water? Food? Do you need-“

“Water would be nice,” Helen said, cutting her off.

“Right, okay,” Aline looked around, and saw a mini fridge, she grabbed a glass, filled it with some cold water, and dunked a straw in it before bringing it back. Helen was grinning as Aline guided the straw to her mouth. Helen took small sips then gestured for Aline to take it away. Helen was grinning when Aline turned back. “What?”

“I’m not an invalid, you know,” Helen replied.

“You were injured pretty badly.”

Helen pushed down the sheet and then pulled up her shirt, she picked at the edge of the bandage before Aline could protest and pulled it back. The large gauze pack had absorbed quite a bit of blood, but there were more runes on her body, an Iratze close to the wound that had closed up but still looked angry red and inflamed. “I’ve had worse.”

“That isn’t comforting,” Aline said. She couldn’t help it, her eyes moved from the scars to Helen’s arm. The words there were in Aline’s own writing, impossible to ignore.

“I think it’s comforting. I’m resilient. Like a dandelion.”

Aline raised a brow. “Dandelions are weeds.”

“What you call them doesn’t make them less resilient.”

“It’s just a peculiar flower choice.”

“And what would you have chosen for me?” Helen asked with a smirk and mischief in her eyes.

Aline tensed. “I-I don’t know.”

Helen frowned, and directed her stare forward, away from Aline. She touched her own soulmark. Something so generic, and Aline realized she must have been waiting for some kind of sign, some flirting, or perhaps an outright conversation about the elephant in the room.

The door opened, and Aline turned to see her mother walking past the other beds in the Infirmary to stand next to her. “You need to be briefed for the mission, Aline.”

“Right, okay.” She stood, but turned back to look at Helen. “Um… I’ll check on you when I get back.”

Helen’s eyes were hard, her lips pressed into a firm line. She nodded, just once. It felt more like a dismissal than agreeance.

With a weight on her chest, she followed her mother out of the Infirmary.

Chapter Text

The smiley face on the back of her hand made Helen smile. Her father had been here, and likely had stuck around in New York. She wiggled a little, trying to find a more comfortable position. However, considering her injuries, every movement shot white hot pain along her nerve endings that made her want to cry.

She’d survive.

Her eyes started to slip closed again when she heard the door open, and she blinked a few times, and reached out for the cup of water. She managed, even though it hurt, and took a few sips as the curtain was drawn back and her father appeared.

“Ah, you’re awake,” he said with a smile on his face. “Good.”

“Hi Dad,” she replied, putting the cup back, and sweating from the effort. “Where is Aline?”

“Aline?”

“She… she was here, sitting with me.”

“Yes, I know, I spoke to her,” Andrew replied. “She’s on mission. I’m just wondering why you’re asking for her.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Helen replied.

“Rarely are you this invested in someone you just met.”

“She saved my life.”

“The way I hear it,” he said slowly as he lowered himself into a chair next to her. “You saved hers.”

“We saved each other,” Helen stated. She’d heard the words Aline had said to her first, they rolled off as they did every time someone said something so generic. She thought she had given Aline a good opening to mention the Soulmate mark, or at least, to flirtation, but nothing. And still, Helen couldn’t help but be worried about the woman. “I need you to go to her. Keep her safe.”

Her father raised a brow. “That is not my job, nor my purpose here.”

Panic sliced through her, and she tried to sit up, and cried out with the pain of it. Her father pressed her down by the shoulders, and kept her pinned there as she whimpered through the pain. His grip lessened, and he ran a hand through her hair. “Daddy, please.”

That gave him pause. She was probably eight the last time she’d actually called him, ‘Daddy.’

“I risked so much to save her,” Helen squeezed her eyes shut. “I don’t want her to get hurt.”

“Is there something you’re not telling me?” Andrew asked.

Helen bit her tongue. Maybe, just maybe, she’s my soulmate. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d had the suspicion, nor the first time she’d confessed it to her father. “If you can’t go, then Mark, send Mark. Please. I just… just please.”

He took a deep breath, but nodded. “Okay.”

And then he pressed the pain button on the side of the bed and the meds started coming through her IV.

“No, I need to be awake,” Helen argued, even knowing it was too late. She struggled against her heavy eyelids.

Before she fell asleep she felt her father’s lips against her temple. “Sleep well, Princess.”

Chapter Text

“There is always a choice, Aline,” Alec said softly. “And that choice belongs to you.”

The memory remained at the forefront of Aline’s mind. Alec’s soulmate was the High Warlock of Brooklyn, and a man. He bravely broke away from the rules, followed his Angel given marks, and his heart, and committed himself to his love.

Aline could be brave. She could learn to embrace her soulmate and her sexuality. She could battle demons, she could swallow her fear of rejection. Her hand was probably holding the bouquet too tight, but her nerves had gotten the best of her as she walked through the Institute looking for Helen. Ultimately, she found Helen in the residential wing, door open, bags packed.

After shifting the bouquet behind her back, she tapped on the door with her empty hand.

Helen looked up, her hair down, hiding the points of her ears that marked her as half fey. “Aline, hey.”

“Hi,” Aline replied, heart pounding in her chest, trying to figure out what to say next. Helen didn’t help, just remaining unhelpfully silent, and staring with such intent Aline swore she could feel it in her soul. “You are leaving?”

“Soon,” Helen replied. “I have a portal booked in the afternoon.”

“Oh. Los Angeles, right?”

She nodded.

“That’s… uh… sunny.”

Helen raised a brow. “It is.”

The silence shifted from nervous energy to awkward. Shaking, Aline shoved the fist full of flowers out, clenching her eyes shut. “I picked these for you.”

The silence continued, and then was broken by the sound of Helen’s wedged heels on the hardwood floors. Fingertips grazed along Aline’s skin as Helen accepted the flowers. “Dandelions are weeds.”

“And resilient. Like you.” Aline opened her eyes, terrified of what she might find. The tight coil in her chest loosened, Helen appeared amused, charmed. “And like a dandelion in a sea of grass, you demand my attention.” She cringed. “That sounded better in my head-”

“It’s cute,” Helen said. “I’m flattered.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She brushed a thumb over the tiny yellow petals. “This is very sweet. No one has ever picked me flowers before.”

“Well… weeds.”

“It still counts.”

Aline bit her bottom lip, and then pulled up the sleeve of her blouse. Helen stared at it, then sighed heavy, it sounded so disappointed that Aline’s jaw clenched tight.

“I always imagined I’d say something cooler than that,” Helen said, and huffed out a breath. “Instead, I’m talking about taking my bra off. By the Angel, no wonder it took you so long to say something. Not exactly the smoothest I’ve ever been.”

“Well, I left you with something pretty generic,” Aline said. “That couldn’t have been easy.”

Helen shrugged. “It all worked out in the end, didn’t it?”

“Does that mean you want to… give this a try.”

“On one condition,” Helen said trying to look serious, and then turning away to sneeze. “No flowers.” She thrust them back at Aline. “I’m terribly allergic.”

“By the Angel!” Aline grappled with the things, looked around and then rushed to the bathroom trying to flush the little bouquet down the toilet and only succeeding in clogging it while Helen went through a sneezing fit in the bedroom.

::

“We’re going to be late,” Helen said shoving the post of the earring through the piercing, and attaching the back.

“I’m almost done,” Aline shouted from the bedroom. They rented a place in Los Angeles where Aline had transferred after they’d dated long distance for six months. Aline’s parents were trying to come to terms with Aline’s sexuality, but Helen’s family had welcomed her with open arms.  

Helen frowned into the mirror. Aline had done her hair, and it looked lovely, but the updo showed off the points of her ears, and thus her fey heritage. She’d never been ashamed of it, but Aline’s parents were uncomfortable with the fact that their only daughter was dating a woman, the fact that she was also part fey-

“Stop fretting,” Aline said, walking up behind her, and curving her fingers into Helen’s hips. “You look stunning.”

The red lace had long sleeves and clung to her body, ending just above her knees. “I know.” She then turned, to take in the full image of her girlfriend. “And so do you.” Her eyes raked over Aline’s body and she stalked around to take in the backless yellow silk gown.

“As much as I love having you look at me like that, that is the exact look that nearly made us late in the first place.”

Helen hummed. “When you’re right, you’re right.” She glanced at the over-sized clock on the wall.

“No,” Aline said, grabbing her clutch, and slipping her feet into silver stiletto pumps.

Helen sighed, and put on her black kitten heels adorned with little flowers. “Later,” she said like a promise.

“Later, Aline whispered back, grabbing a set of keys as they left.

::

Later turned out to be mid-reception. Dancing a drinks in their system, and they were making out in a dark corner, Helen’s lips demanding, and Aline returned eagerly, gripping at the fabric of Helen’s dress, dangerously close to ripping the lace. The urgency slowed from desperate to passionate, then one last peck before Helen backed off.

Aline whined at the absence. “Seriously?”

Helen leaned in, her lips brushing against Aline’s ears. “We go any further and my hand will be down the back of your dress.”

“I knew a full length skirt would be a problem,” she muttered back.

Helen chuckled, and kissed the spot just below her ear. “As lovely as you look in that dress, Ali, I can’t wait to have you out of it.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhmm,” Helen replied, then backed off, putting a possessive arm around Aline’s waist, leading her back to their table. Most everyone was around chatting, and drinking. The dance floor was a busy space, save for the corner of it where Isabelle and Simon were wrapped up in each other, holding each other close, foreheads touching, eyes locked, and swaying with one another, not even in time with the music, but alone in their own little world. “One day,” Helen said, leaning into Aline. “That will be us.”

“Do you think they’ll let us?” Aline asked, knowing it was still currently forbidden by the Clave.

Helen shot that roguish, devil-may-care smile that Aline loved so much. “I’d like to see them try and stop me. I’d get married to you in a mundane ceremony in Vegas by an Elvis impersonator if that’s what it took.”

“Only if we wear the glitteriest gowns we can find.”

“Naturally.”

Aline snorted. “One day.”

“One day,” Helen said firmly, a promise.

Aline rested her head on Helen’s shoulder. “I love you. So much.”

The reaction was instantaneous, like every tension Helen ever had bleed out of her. “I love you too.”