Hey guys! This is my first fan-fiction, and I am a HUGE hard core Wessa shipper! 3 I do also ship Jessa, but Wessa is my OTP. I do not own any of these characters, I owe that honor to the one and only Cassandra Clare! Please rate and review this when you finish this, and let me know if I should write more! Hope you all enjoy!
"Mummy, can you read me a story?" Tessa groans as she groggily forces one eye open. Little James is standing at the side of the bed, his big blue eyes inches from her face, almost glowing in the dark, his hair blending in perfectly with the blackness; strikingly alike to his father. She dies a little inside, when she sees him, as James and Lucie have kept her occupied constantly without a break; almost never a full night's sleep.
"Mmm…" She cranes her neck slowly to glance at the clock on the opposite wall, sighing. "James…. Darling it's two in the morning….Mummy needs some sleep." She croaks, groggily. Tessa reaches up and strokes his hair softly, letting her eyes fall shut, and feels James hoist himself up onto the bed and crawl over her legs, nestling between his parents.
"But Mummy, I can't sleep without a story." She groaned and rubbed her face, taking a deep, exhausted breath.
"Oh, alright, just one story, then bed time for you silly boy." She folds back the covers and heaves herself out of the bed, yawning as she lifts James into her arms, his tiny hands clinging to her shoulders. Will rolls over and slowly sits up, groggily running a hand through his tousled hair.
"Tess… I can take him tonight. You need rest." He mutters sleepily. He starts to get up, but Tessa stops him.
"It's alright, Will, I am already up. You go back to sleep, If you weren't already. Sorry for waking you." He grumbles a weak protest, but she insists, and he lets his head sink back down in defeat.
"Good night Daddy." James whispers, and Will mutters an inaudible reply, muffled by the pillows. Tessa smiles weakly, and hoists her son higher on her hips as she walks him to the nursery. She lays him down on his bed and tucks him in and sighs, folding the blankets around him tightly.
"Which story did you have in mind for tonight?" She seats herself at the end of his small bed, feeling the rough, warm cover under her fingers. James puts his middle and pointer fingers in his mouth in his mouth, a funny habit he has when he thinks about something.
"Neverland! Pirates." He stammers, and Tessa smiles warmly. Peter Pan has always been a favorite of his. She raffles through the books on the shelf till she finds the right one, opens it up to the first page, and starts to read. A few minutes later she pauses to yawn and looks down at James. He is asleep, and his chest rises and falls slowly. He looks peaceful as she reaches down to stroke his hair. Her hand brushes his check, and she pauses abruptly.
His skin is hot; burning. Fever, maybe? No it has to be her imagination. She feels his forehead, and recoils her hand quickly, gasping; her fingers burnt a bright red. She starts to worry, wondering what on earth is happening to her son. Call Jem, she thinks. Surely he will know what's going on. But no, I don't even know if this is serious at all. She cradles her fingers against her chest as she stares at James, worriedly. Tessa snatches up a pillow, and rolls him over with it, not daring to touch him. He looks fine. Nothing out of the ordinary, she thinks to herself, knitting her eyebrows. Why is he so hot then?
"Will?" She calls to her husband. "I'm sorry but can you come here a moment?" No answer. He is probably fast asleep, just like she should be. "Will, there is something strange happening with James." There is still no answer. He is definitely asleep. She takes up the pillow again, and rolls James over onto his belly, then back onto his back. There is definitely something wrong here. He would have woken up by now, with my jostling him.
"James…. James, darling. Wake up." She coons nervously. When he doesn't responds, Tessa feels dread seeping through her body. Alright. It's alright, just my imagination. She tries to calm herself. Everything is fine. But no, it's not. Something feels very wrong… Suddenly the room goes cold, and she hears James' heavy breathing stop. The hair on the back of her neck prickles, and she spins around looking for something out of place.
"Will…." She calls apprehensively. "Will, there is something very wrong here. Can you please come now?" A groan from the bedroom and a moment later, a disheveled Will hobbles into the doorway.
"Tess… What-" He covers his mouth as he stifles a yawn. "What's going on? Is everything alright?" He takes a step forward, but is abruptly jerked back to the wall harshly, his back crunching, and he cries out in pain. Tessa screeches, as he is pushed up by an invisible force that suspends him above the ground, pinning him to the wall. He gasps in pain and shock, snapping Tessa out of her shock, and she springs to her feet. Where is my seraph blade? She glances at James in the corner of her vision, not daring to take her eyes off of Will, and is met with a horrible sight.
Instead of James lying in the bed, there is the most horrible slimy, scaly demon she has ever seen grinning back at her, tentacles writhing around it, with scabs colored a sickly blue for skin. He rises almost to the ceiling, nearly seven feet. She screams and jumps backward, but her ankle catches on the edge of the bed, and she sprawls backwards. Crack! Her head hits the old chair, which collapses. It was a goner anyway, barely holding together for years. She grimaces, the demon advancing on her slowly. Blearily she looks up, and in the corner of her eye she sees Will struggling, trying to yell her name, as he is being crushed against the wall. She pulls herself to her feet, and faces the horrible creature, terrified.
"Demon, who are you, where did you come from, and what do you want from my family? What have you done with my son?" She whispers in a low, shaky voice. The demon replies in a deathly, raspy hiss, and Tessa recoils from the stink of his breath.
"My dear, it matters not where I come from, nor where your son is at presently. Just know that this meeting will not end well for any of you, for I have some very tough business to settle with the Herondales, and I intend to take care of it tonight." Tessa glances at Will, meeting his vivid blue eyes, and searches his face which is contorted in pain and panic. Seeing him this way, so helpless and hurt, breaks her heart. No one will die tonight. They can't, I won't let him do this.
"What business is serious enough that it requires pinning my husband to the wall and kidnapping my son?" She inquires, trying to keep her voice from wavering, not daring to risk showing any weakness. "Why can't we settle this peacefully? " She glares at the demon and there is a pause in which she can hear Will whimpering quietly, the demon tightening his invisible force around him, ready to crush him at any moment if she slips up. Stay calm. Must stay calm. The creature advances towards her with a sickly sweet, toothy grin, backing her up into a corner and grabs her wrist, wrapping his tentacles up her arm and around her neck. Tessa cries out as boils start to sprout all over her skin, and she realizes that the tentacles are poisoned. "Will!" She shrieks and thrashes, trying to escape, but her vision starts to go dark from the searing, burning pain coursing through her body.
"I'm sorry my dear, but this business cannot be settled peacefully, and I can't have you around to get involved." The tentacles squeeze her neck tighter, lifting her up, and she claws at them, whimpering weakly, desperately trying to take a breath. No, I can't die, not right now. Not like this!
"James… Lucie…" She wheezes feebly, the pain taking over her thoughts. She hears Will cry out sharply and she feels herself slump to the floor, just before her eyes fall shut.
Blackness. Just blackness. There is strange warmth flowing through her body. Tessa vaguely acknowledges a dull throbbing in her head, and she groans inwardly, not wanting to move. Am I dead? She distantly hears a voice speaking and she listens, deciding that she is not. Wait, there are two voices. They are arguing… about what? One of them sounds familiar, but she can't quite remember. There is a thud, and a yelp of pain. Will. Suddenly everything rushes back to her. Tessa's eyes fly open and she takes in a horrible sight. The demon is leaning over a crumpled mound that is her husband, hissing into his ear, and Will wails in agony, writhing under the poisoned tentacles. Blood seeps from a gash on the side of his head, stiffening his hair and soaking his collar, and his body coated in blisters and boils. His legs are bent at an odd angle, and with a shock she realizes that they are both broken. Tessa suppresses a sob and forces herself to lie still, knowing that if she moves, the demon will kill them both right there. So instead, she shuts her eyes and listens, hoping that she can play dead well enough to save them.
"Mr. Herondale, tell me again why I'm here. I need to hear it one more time." The demon hisses. There is silence, and another thud followed by a sharp yelp of pain.
"Mr. Herondale, I hate to ask twice." He growls throatily. "If you cooperate, I might remember to be nice and kill you faster. Now answer the question. Why am I here?"
"B-b-because…" Will pauses, taking short, irregular, strained breaths that make Tessa's heart break.
"Yessss?" The smell of corpse reaches her nose and she resists the urge to gag, and not being able to take it, she opens her eyes in slits, not daring to open them any further. She watches Will through her eyelashes, as he hoists himself up slowly, wincing, and raising his head to look the monster in the eye.
"B-because you're a coward, and a sore loser come for revenge. You're afraid I'll get to you first!" He mutters through gritted teeth. He spits in the demons eye making him roar in outrage, and he is pinned to the ground once more by a tentacle that snakes around his throat. His jaw clenches and he whimpers in pain. Tessa's heart thumps a mile a minute. I need to do something! She slowly inches her hand behind her searching for something she could use as a weapon, and feels a large splinter of wood from the broken chair. It feels big and strong enough to be potentially dangerous. This have to do, it's all I have. She clutches it tightly, creeping her hand slowly back towards her body.
"Why you… How dare you insult me! I will tell you why I am here. It is because your father locked me in a box and let me starve for twenty years. Since he is dead already, you will pay for that yourself." He snarls dangerously, his teeth glinting in the dim light. He squeezes Wills blistered neck lightly, and lifts him a few inches. His legs shift, and he cries out in agony as he fights for breath.
"I-I already have." Will rasps, glaring at the demon's fiery eyes. "It would just be easier to kill me now. There is no point in keeping me alive. My children are gone… My wife is… S-she… She's dead. You've already won." He spits through his clenched teeth. So they took Lucie too. The monster grins widely, and Tessa struggles to hold back frantic tears, a lump forming in her throat. Will, no! I'm not dead! I'm alive, please don't let yourself die!
"Oh, but I wouldn't want you to miss the show. It's the best part! Oh how I do love tragedies!" The demon growls mischievously and Will's eyes flood with fright.
"I- I don't understand..." He croaks.
"Mr. Herondale… Is your wife really dead?" There is deafening silence, and Tessa sees Wills eyes flicker with hope for a short moment before they withdraw back to doubt and hopelessness. Something only she would notice.
"Yes. She is, don't try to trick me. I-I had to watch you murder her while I was helpless." He gasped sharply. " I-I could do nothing about it. I-I had to watch her die… I had to watch-" His voice cracks, and a few tears slides down his face, mingling with the blood on his cheek. Will never cries, and the demon grins wider. Will grips the demons tentacle, struggling for breath. "She w-was dead. Is. Is dead... There's no way Tessa could have lived." He looks over at her supposedly dead body, and she squints her eyes quickly, hoping that he didn't see her watching,. "I'm sorry Tess… So sorry I couldn't save you…" He chokes over the words, the pain and despair clear in his voice. The knots in her throat get tighter, as every nerve in her body screams at her to move, to somehow let him know… No! He has to think I'm dead. It's the only way this will work, or he might give me away.
"Yes… You are right, you didn't save her. It doesn't mean that she is dead… Yet." Dread and realization slowly seep through her body, as she realizes that she was set up. He drops Will, who crumples to the ground, jerking in shock at having absorbed so much pain. His mouth forms a silent O, his eyes going wide, and she can tell that he is close to passing out.
The demon pushes past Will, slumped on the floor, and towards Tessa. Hold still, just hold still. Her heart is hammering in her chest, and the blood is roaring in her ears. What do I do, what do I do? She scrambles to think of what a book character would do, but not finding anything, she decides that she will have to improvise. She shuts her eyes and waits for the demon to reach her. He said there was going to be a show. He won't kill me immediately. She senses the creature looming over her, and she tries not to shrink away. One of the tentacles caresses her face, burning her skin, and she takes a sharp intake of breath, clenching her hands.
"Don't touch her!" Will shouts hysterically, but the demon ignores him. He wraps his tentacles around her waist, and the burning becomes nearly unbearable, as he lifts her into the air. Tessa's eyes fly open and she gasps, the pain making her vision go dark around the edges.
"Tess!" Will bellows, disbelief, shock, relief, and terror all audible in his voice at the same time. "Let go of her! She has nothing to do with this!" His voice shudders, and the demon laughs.
"William, William, of course she does. She is married to you. Does that not make her a Herondale?" Tessa turns her head to meet Wills eyes, and she sees his look of terror and frustration. She realizes that she is still holding the chair splinter, and she thrusts it down into the tentacle holding her. She crashes to the floor and darts to Will as the demon roars, recoiling his wounded limb.
"Will, oh, dear Will!" She kneels by him and cradles his head, the gash still bleeding. She buries her face in his neck for a moment. "Your legs…" She draws back and gazes into his relief flooded eyes. "He took James, Will." His face turns stony, his blue eyes full of sorrow.
"I know. He also took our little Lucie." He covers his face with his hands, and takes a shaky breath. "Oh God Tess… I thought I'd lost you again. For real this time. You… You were dead. In those moments life had no meaning. My whole family was gone!" Tessa looks at him for a moment, taking him in with sad eyes.
"Such a sweet reunion. It's too bad it won't last very long!" Tessa Jumps, and spins around just in time to see the demon thrust out one of his tentacles and snatch Will up. He screams in agony as his broken legs swing helplessly, and Tessa stares in shock for a moment. How has she been so foolish to loose herself. She should have known it was going to attack again.
"Will!" she shrieks, as the demon brings him close to his face. Will's face is contorted with pain and all he can do is gasp.
"This is a sight I have been waiting to see for a long time now. Will uttures a choked phrase, and the demon looks at him in confusion. "Pardon?"
Will sighs in mock exasperation as best as he could in the moment.
"I said I love books. They hold all kinds of treasures."
Tessa immediately understands. Will, you're a genius. They have a book on their bedside table, into which they cut a secret compartment to hold a seraph blade. She darts into the bedroom and throws open the book, to see the seraph blade shining there. She takes up the glove next to it, because she cannot touch it herself being part warlock, and snatches it up. She runs back into the nursery to find Will struggling to stay conscious in the demons grip. She panics, and throws the blade strait at its heart. It sticks, and the demon howls, as it starts folding in on itself. Just before it disappears, it's mouth clamps shut over Wills chest, and he collapses unmoving onto the floor. No, no this can't be happening. Se dashes over and kneels next to him, supporting his head. "Will, are you alright?" He groans faintly, fixing his gaze onto her face.
"Tess… I'm so sorry…" He murmurs weakly. Why is he sorry? We are both alive.
"Will… Why are you sorry? The demon-" She breaks off as he reaches up and strokes her cheek, tilting her head down. Her eyes travel down his abdomen, and she freezes in horror. One of the demons teeth had stuck in his chest, and there is blood welling up around it. "No… Will, no! We can fix this with an iratze. We just need to get you to a bed.
"Tess… An iratze won't fix with this one…" She shakes her head in disbelief and horror.
"Yes it will. You are not dying on me tonight." She tries to lift him, but he cries out, the blood draining form his face and welling up around the tooth more.
"AH… Tess… Please don't try to move me."
"Will, I can't let you die on me. You won't, I forbid." She takes a shaky breath, her own words not convincing her. His wound is too bad to be treated. Tears well in her eyes, blurring Wills image before falling onto her cheek.
"Alright, Tess… Whatever you say…" She leans down and kisses him, his lips soft and warm, and lets her tears fall onto his face.
"Will…. You can't…" His breathing is rugged and slow, as he gazes at her. "You are my life. We live and breathe words together, remember?" She smiles at him sadly. He laughs, but then coughs and sputters, blood bubbling up in the corners of his mouth.
"Tess... Tessa…." He grabs her hand weakly. "I'm scared…" Tessa sobs, and squeezes his hand, looking into his widened eyes, his expression a mix of fear and pain. Tessa started comforting him, smiling weakly in between sobs.
"I know Will… When you found me in Idris, I saw your face, and it was like a miracle strait from heaven. I almost convinced myself I was hallucinating, or that it was a cruel joke; there was no way that you could have been there. But it really was you who saved me, really you who came, risking your life to rescue me. So no matter what happens, you will always be my Will, the bravest man I've ever known. It would be foolish if you weren't scared right know." Will is speechless for a moment, gazing into Tessa's tear-streaked face, but he suddenly cries out, his body contorting around the bloody tooth.
"Tess, I'm really dying, aren't I? I knew it would happen… B-but I never thought it would b-be this late… I was hoping it w-would be more dramatic…" In her shock, Tessa lets out a choked laugh, covering her face with her hand.
"Will, always the element of surprise. I think this has been dramatic enough for me tonight, thank you very much." Will smiles at her as best as he can.
"Tess… One last thing before I go…" He pauses for a breath, and Tessa smiles down at him, her eyes filled with sadness.
"Yes? What it it?" She leans close, his voice so faint she can barely hear him.
"Don't… Stay away from the ducks at Hyde Park… They are killers, I tell you. They want us dead…" Tessa laughs and shakes her head in disbelief and wonder, biting her bottom lip.
"Aright, I won't even go near Hyde Park. I will stay safe, I promise." She clutches him tightly trying not to jostle him, feeling the sheen of sweat covering his body as she strokes his face softly. I can't lose my Will, I can't. It's not fair. She stays there as his uneven breathing gradually slows, sobbing into his neck.
"Tessa… It will be alright, I promise. Just never forget how much I love you." He smiles faintly fixing his eyes on her and reaching up to brush his fingers against her cheek. "Tess… Tessa… Wake up…." He lets out his last shuddering breath, then goes still, his arm dropping to the floor and his eyes still fixed on her face.
"Will… Wait. Will, no… Don't leave me, please don't leave me!" Tessa shrieks and shakes him, wailing and sobbing. What did he mean by wake up? She couldn't care less right now as she weeps distressingly, clutching his lifeless form as if she would never let go.
"Tessa, wake up. Tess! You're dreaming. It's alright, I've got you… Wake up now." Her eyes fly open and she gasps, feeling warm arms embrace her. She looks up to see Wills face, staring down at her worriedly. But... what? That's impossible, he's dead...
"Will? I-is it really you? But it- it can't be, you died… The children, and the Demon-" Her sobs rack through her, and she clutches his thin cotton nightshirt. It definitely feels real, but it can't be…
"Tessa, my love, it's alright, I am perfectly safe. So are the children. You fell asleep while you were reading to James, and hit your head, quite hard at that. You were having a nightmare; I heard you cry out and I rushed to wake you.
"I-it was all a dream? It… It felt so real… You died Will… You had died…" He clutches her in his arms tightly as he soothes her.
"There, there… I'm quite sure I won't be doing any dying any time soon. But can you tell me about it? I heard that helps a bit…" She shakes her head in response to his question.
"No. All that matters is that you are alive and healthy, and that there are not any demons to take away James and Lucie." Tessa starts to feel better, as she lays against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, which calms and evens out her breath. Will smiles, shaking his head, and kisses her forehead, stroking her hair as they slump against the wall of the undamaged nursery.
"Indeed there are not."
I hope that you all enjoyed this! I know, I know, that was Almost cruel, and I probably made you all panic. Please rate and review! :)