Overwhelmed [3] 《SHADOWHUNTERS》

Chapter Thirty-Seven

One of the strangest things about death is how life just moves on. It's the one inevitably that a person can rely on, but it always smacked Andina in the face. As she opened her eyes to the tattered world outside of the hospital room – with even Jace demanding she go back to her own bed and get more than three hours of sleep – she saw the cogs rolling again. Maryse and Robert were in more meetings than they were home, much by their own choice as they hid underneath the veil of assisting the new Inquisitor. The pyres had all burnt out and the ash was collected to be moved to the Silent City, with no way to separate Nephilim from Downworlders. Clary and Simon had returned to help them manage the Institute from afar and it was lonely with them gone. Even the grass was returning to the trampled earth that had held a battlefield just weeks ago.

The gusts from the mountains around Idris felt like the only thing holding her body together as she scuffed her toe into the gravel outside of the Lightwood's townhouse. She always felt awkward in public when Alec and Magnus were saying goodbye, only alleviated on their outings to the city when the crowd could swallow them whole and no one really cared what a stranger was doing. Here, there were no strangers. If anyone hadn't known the Lightwood's long story before, they certainly did now, with the family almost single-handedly bringing about the catalyst for a historical war. And Nephilim were full of judgements.

"I'll be back in a few days," Magnus assured his loved ones, although his grip was much tighter than Alec's, who was ready to get back to the hospital for Jace's appointment. "And if everything goes well, maybe you both will be coming home." His warmth was their lifeline, but they still couldn't buy his optimism. Jace had just come off of his sedative and it hadn't been a smooth transition as he discovered none of this was a warped dream that Lilith was still showing him.

"Maybe," Alec echoed, suddenly stalling their separation. They shared a long kiss that neither wanted to end. Leaves crinkled down from the oaks above, a few catching in Andy's hair before she shook them out and they met the gravel near her feet. "Call us when you get settled?"

"Of course." Magnus promised before he turned back to Andy. Alec scratched his neck, just as aware that their neighbors loved to stare from the creases in their curtains. "Take care of yourselves in meantime?" His brows raised as he bore his gaze into the too-pale woman he kept at arms length.

Her shoulders fell and she nodded with a toss of her eyes like an aggravated teenager – which he'd seen enough of from her to be fond of forgetting before he discovered she'd been at his parties rather underage. He stared at her intently, letting her know he didn't believe her half-hearted agreement before he swept her into an embrace.

Any qualms she'd had about other's opinions went out the window as she was met with the soft, blue, tailored winter coat that covered his chest as he hugged her tight. She returned it just as deeply, though both were very aware not to meet their lips as they shared their goodbyes. It was strange the hold back after the month they had just faced, when all she wanted was to ask him to portal her back home and let her collapse into their bed and not look up for eight hours. "Let me know how he does," Magnus said gently before he reluctantly stepped away from them and lifted his hands.

The blue sparks of his magic swirled into the tempting portal home and he paused for a moment to take them in once more, before telling them to take care once again and leaving. It snapped closed all too quickly, leaving Andy and Alec once again in their stricken silence. Not ten feet away, Jonathan had snuck up on Isabelle and ruined their family forever.

Alec's palm found the back of the sliced up leather jacket Andy had dug out of the hall closet. "Are you okay?" It was a well-meant question, but Andina didn't know how more obvious it could be that her answer was no. And she didn't think he could hear that from her. So she stayed silent, which was easier than turning around, screaming, and going insane over trying to track an eight-day-old path from the demon that had murdered her little brother.