WARNING: MAJOR INFERNAL DEVICES SPOILERS! (and CoHF spoilers too)

Disclaimer: I don't own TMI or TID.

I've been thinking about Jem and Magnus's reunion for a while, so I decided to write about it when that meme (the boys are back) came up and we discussed it on an FB page. Hope you enjoy!

Magnus Bane thought he was still dreaming.

For the last couple of days, he had been drifting in and out of consciousness. He had dreamed about many things: Edom, Asmodeus, Alec, Raphael, Camille, and Tessa… Sometimes he had dreamed of waking up, only to find himself drowning in a pool of blood.

This time he woke up to a room with bare white walls, and it seemed to have only the bed he was on. He assumed he was in the Basilias, the infirmary in Idris; that would be rational. The only irrational thing was that the face looking down at him now was unfamiliarly familiar.

He had the same high, Marked cheekbones and almond eyes, but those eyes were no longer closed; they were wide open with what Magnus though was concern, and they were not the pure silver he remembered from so long ago either, instead they were a rich dark brown. His hair was raven black, with a hint of silver in it. The most unsettling thing about the scene was the boy's clothes. Even if this were the boy he remembered from the nineteenth century, why was he wearing a green hoodie and modern blue jeans?

"Magnus," the boy, looking no more than twenty, said, "are you alright? How are you feeling?"

The voice triggered so many memories from Magnus's past that it was almost painful. Images flashed before his eyes like one of those old black-and-white movies. The voice was beautiful and melodic, like a violin. English accented, too.

"James?!" his voice came out rough, and Magnus remembered that he hadn't used his vocal cords in days.

He cleared his throat, "James? What the hell is going on? Am I still dreaming?"

A smile tugged at the boy's mouth, "It is rather nice to hear my name again. And, no, you are not dreaming. I am not a Silent Brother anymore. I will tell you how, but first, I think you should eat something."

Since Magnus realized that he was extremely hungry indeed, he did not object. Jem (so it really was Jem?) got him some food, juice and water. As Magnus ate, Jem told him everything that had happened since the kidnapping: the Citadel battle and how he was cured, their discovery of the fairies' betrayal, the Dark War… Magnus was truly impressed by all of it, but he kept coming back to one point.

"So the answer, the cure, was merely heavenly fire? How come none of us figured it out before?"

Tears stung behind Magnus's eyes as an awful realization hit him.

"I wish... I just wish we had figured it out earlier so that Will could… so that he could have seen you… just one last time. I am so sorry, James. I have failed both you and him."

"You have not failed us, Magnus. I cannot even count the times you have helped us. Besides, it isn't like we have magical access to heavenly fire whenever we needed it. Therefore, even if we had figured it out, we could not have come up with any. Also, it wasn't so much of a cure as it was… a miracle."

"That sounds like something Tessa would say."

"It is something that Tessa would say," said Jem in a small voice, playing with the fabric of his jeans. Magnus involuntarily wondered whether Jem found modern clothing comfortable.

"Have you talked to her yet?" he asked out loud.

"No."

"Why?"

"What would I say to her?"

"Well, whatever you're going to say, you can't keep hiding from her forever. Isn't your annual meeting in a few days, anyway- oh, I'm not supposed to know about that, am I?"

Jem made a face, "No, you're not. But I guess it doesn't matter now."

"I found out by accident."

"Even if Tessa told you, I trust her judgment."

It had always fascinated Magnus how Jem, this boy –a man now- who had endured so much pain and loss in his life, can rarely be bothered. He held so much love in heart for Tessa and for Will, his parabatai… Magnus couldn't quit wishing Will were with them.

After a few minutes of silence, Jem asked, "Do you think she still loves me?"

Magnus stared at him, trying to figure out if that was a trick question.

"You're right. It is a stupid question; wishful thinking. Of course she doesn't love me anymore."

In the boy's eyes Magnus saw something that was all too familiar, something he saw every time he looked in the mirror: sadness. Sadness greater than any mortal can feel. Desperation and years upon years of suffering and darkness that can only be mended with love. It was also the same look he sometimes saw in Tessa's gray eyes.

"Why," Magnus spoke in a gentle voice, "on earth do you think she doesn't love you anymore? Have you any idea how much she always looks forward to your meeting? Or how miserable she is when she gets back from them?"

"That does not mean she loves me. She might consider me a friend only. Don't forget, Magnus, she had a great life with Will, and children. Her feelings for me could easily have faded over time, the same way an echo fades after a while."

Magnus grunted, "You don't understand! I lived with her for quite some time, James. I am fairly sure that I understand her more than you do, no offence. She still loves you. That much I am certain of."

"Why are you so certain?"

"Because a few decades ago, I asked her whether she would consider going on a blind date that I set up for her, and she refused."

"Probably because you set it up. I bet you had a glittery woman in mind."

"That is… surprisingly true. However, that was not the only reason she refused. She said that there were only two men –and she pressed on men- that she had ever loved: you and Will, and that as long as she could not have either of you, she would not be with anyone else. In other words, if she were to ever love again, it would be you. She needs you, James, to mend her heart, just as much as you need her to mend yours."

Jem smiled, then. He smiled that smile that Tessa had often described as a contagious one, and Magnus found that that was true, for he started smiling as well.

"You are very wise, Magnus. Thank you for the advice."

"You're very welcome. What have you decided to do?"

"I shall go see her on Blackfriars Bridge, and tell her of my unchanged feelings towards her. But, Magnus, I have a question," Jem smirked, "What of you and Alexander Lightworm?"

"It's Lightwood."

"I can't believe you care for him enough to correct me," Jem chuckled, and so did Magnus.

"You know," Jem went on, "when I was a Silent Brother, I always wished I could call them Lightworms as an inside joke, but I did not want to freak them out more than the usual. Anyway, you did not answer my question."

Magnus sighed, "I don't know. I have realized the mistake that I made when I broke up with him; I was afraid of my own feelings and the future. But the future is not all that matters; it is the present. I will apologize to him, and try to win back his trust, but I have no idea how he will react."

"Good luck. I am… what do they say these days? Oh, yes. I am rooting for you."

Magnus burst out laughing, "It's so strange to see you all modern! It's like you got plucked out of the past and thrown into the present, which, in some twisted way, is exactly what happened. Good luck to you, too, my friend. Not only with Tessa, you won't need much luck with her, but with getting used to this age. It is a very crazy age."

"Speaking of that," Jem said, a small blush forming on his now-healthy-looking face, "Isabelle Lightworm –sorry, Lightwood- muttered to Clarissa Fairchild when she first saw me that I was 'hot'. What does that mean?"

Magnus couldn't control his laughter anymore, and his tummy hurt with it. Jem was laughing, too, though he clearly didn't understand why Magnus was.

"Oh, god. Isa-Oh!- Isabelle called you hot? Now, I'm not saying you aren't hot. You are. You aren't my type though."

Jem stared at him curiously.

"Fine. Hot means, if you put it in a very blunt way, sexy or attractive," Magnus smiled charmingly at him.

"Oh," color rose high in Jem's cheeks, "Oh. And… I'm not you type… alright. I'm not interested in men anyway."

Magnus was still laughing.

1) Do you think Jem ships Malec? Because I do! 2) Did you guys catch that Percy Jackson reference? :P

Reviews, follows, favorites, suggestion, etc are all appreciated. You can also check out my other story, The Bane and Gray Days. Thanks for reading!