Ouat Once Shots

One Shot #33

(Shadowhunters AU)

Emma POV

Emma had never quite been the same since her fianceé had died. A year  had passed, but the light that had always graced her green eyes and the poise and elegance in the way she used to carry herself was gone. They were only eighteen, extremely young to be getting married, but anyone who looked at Neal and Emma knew that they were madly in love, and with them both being Shadowhunters, life was unpredictable, and death was always hovering over their heads. Emma only wished they could've been married before it stole her love from her. Like any one faced with a grievous situation, Emma blamed herself for his death and spend all of her free time training, pushing herself to become, faster and stronger and better, so that no one else would die while she was helpless to save them. That's where she was, the training room of the Institute, when her mother found her. Mary Maragaret was head of the New York Institute, running it alongside Emma's father, David. Emma ignored her soft knock on the training room door, focusing instead on the dummy she was slicing at with her seraph blade.

"Emma, what are you still doing here?" Mary Maragaret asked, crossing her arms, her eyes following her daughter as she sheathed her blade, wiping her sweaty face with her sleeve. Emma had moved out of the Institute last year, she and Neal had bought an apartment together, and she couldn't bear to be in it more than she had to.

"Training." Emma replied bluntly, not meeting her mother's eyes as she took a slice at the dummy. Mary Maragaret caught her arm, preventing her from taking another swing. Emma took the hint, dropping her sword to her side, and facing her mother.

"Emma, I got a call from the Clave, and they don't think it's good for you to stay here in New York. You're almost twenty and haven't left the city." Mary Maragaret said in a sudden rush of words, and Emma scowled, but kept silent. She walked over the bench that ran along the wall and sat down, sheathing her seraph blade and taking a swig of water from a bottle.

"You're being reassigned to Ireland." Emma choked on her water, and it trickled out of her mouth and onto the floor as she coughed.

"I'm not-" Emma broke off and coughed, more water dribbling from her chin, "going to Ireland." she finished with a defiant glare, but Mary Margaret pretended not to notice. She swiftly spun on her heel , turning towards the door.

"Pack enough for six months. Magnus Bane will be here to make a portal in the morning." She called over her shoulder, diapering into the depths of the institute. Emma groaned, her hand finding a stray throwing knife and in one quick motion, she snapped her wrist back, jumping to her feet and embedding it in the wall. Emma didn't want to go to half way around the world, to somewhere Neal had never been. New York was the only place she could feel close to him, and Emma wasn't ready to leave that behind. But this wasn't the first time the Clave had tried to send her away, and she'd refused then too. The wrath of the Inquisitor was something Emma didn't want to endure again. She let out a dramatic sigh, and followed Mary Margaret downstairs.

Living up to his word, Magnus Bane was waiting in the courtyard of the Institute the next morning, leaning against the brick wall, twirling stands of glittery light between his long, painted fingers. A few feet away stood Emma's father, David and her brother, Neal. At four years old, he had just been given his first knife. It wasn't anything special, not even runed, but Neal carried it as if it was the most precious weapon known to Shadowhunters. Emma readjusted her duffel bag on her shoulder, walking over to them, and ruffling Neal's head. He poked her hand with his knife in response. David just laughed.

"Are we ready? I've got places to be." Magnus drawled, extinguishing his sparks and taking a step closer. Emma nodded, turning to her father and brother as Magnus began to mutter, his hands sprouting blue flames. Mary Margaret had to leave for Idris the previous night for some Clave meeting, and all Institute heads were required to go, so mother and daughter had already said their goodbyes.