I feel we know everyone's relationship with Jessamine in the Institute (Gideon, Gabriel, and Cecily never met her properly) except her relationship with Jem.
"Hey," Jem Carstairs greeted Jessamine like an old friend. Jessamine looked up and felt a flare of jealousy. He was dressed properly. His silver hair was wet like he had just taken a bath. Jessamine would love to take a bath, she smelled like she was rotting, maybe she was. Jem looked so happy. Everyone loved him, dying or not. He was about to get married to the girl he loves who actually loved him back, who wasn't using him. Ironic how this girl just happens to be the younger sister of the bastard who used Jessamine, made her think he loved her, and is now dead. He was useless to her. Jem also had a family.
A Shadowhunter family, Jessamine thought bitterly, but she felt a pang of regret. She may have hated Shadowhunters, but she would do anything to be back, safe with them. Surprisingly, she missed her fights with Will, she missed Charlotte's motherly love, she missed Henry's bizarre inventions, she missed Sophie helping her get dressed, she missed Jem's kindness toward her, and she missed shopping with Tessa, telling her how she really felt about the Shadowhunters.
At first when Charlotte sent her to Silent City with the Silent Brothers, Jessamine hated Shadowhunters more than she thought was possible. Then Jem and Tessa came and convinced her to save her life by helping them. In that moment, she felt scared for her own life and helped. When she found out Nate was dead, she fell into a state of depression. She wanted to kill herself but there was nothing she could use to kill herself in her dungeon. It was sad and pathetic.
"James," she greeted him. She should have said it coldly in another universe, but the Silent Brothers seemed to suck out the coldness in her heart, leaving behind a helpless useless warmth.
"How are you?" he said politely.
"Wonderful," she said sarcastically. She still was sarcastic. It was a sad kind of sarcastic though. "I had breakfast with the Silent Brothers earlier and later we're planning to go to the park. Care to join us, James?"
"You never called me James," Jem commented.
"The Silent City can change you," she muttered darkly. "What do you want? Do you want my help again?"
"No," he said, "I came to check on you."
"Oh I'm doing fine. You never did answer me if you wanted to come to the park though."
"Jessie.." he trailed off, his kind silver eyes searching her face, begging her to open up. He looked a lot healthier, Jessamine noticed.
She began sobbing, not wanting to pretend. It Jem, after all. Kind and nice Jem. The same boy who had come to her room when she had nightmares and comforted her. When he calmed her down, he'd stay beside her as she fell asleep. The first time he comforted her, she woke up that morning worried that Jem would have told anyone about it. The embarrassment if they know cold and tough Jessamine was having bad dreams. Will would never let the matter go.
However, at breakfast, Will just commented on her arrival saying that the witch has arrived and they all better hide from her, but that was that. Nothing showed that he knew about her nightmares. She met Jem's eyes during breakfast and he had smiled at her reassuringly. Two months later, the bad dreams stopped.
"I hate it here!" She cried, now. "It is like a bad dream, but worse! It is real, Jem! I want to go back home or at the very least die! At least I would be with my parents!" She sobbed harder. Jem pulled her close and hugged. Jem was aware that even if this was a friendly hug he was not allowed to do especially since he had fiancee, but Tessa would understand. Jessamine was like a little sister to him. He remembered her tears when he entered her room and shook her awake from her nightmares. The fourteen year old girl at that time never looked so much younger as her face was pale and streamed with tears.
"It will be okay," he said, "you'll be out here soon." Jessamine didn't care for the promise or Jem's words. She was just aware in that moment of warm arms around her, as if they were keeping her from falling down with the dead. She listened to the beat of Jem's heart and felt relieved that someone was alive for she felt she was dead. It comforted her outside this silent and horrid place there were good people in the world. However she was not one of the good people.
Yet it didn't matter in that moment. She felt safe now in Jem's arms. After all, the best comfort for the dying was from another dying person.
This was so sad. Do not mistake this as JemxJessamine one-shot. It is a friendship one-shot. I think this is my best one-shot yet. I'm actually proud about this. What did you think? Tell me your opinion in the reviews!