This little ficlet just came to me and had to be posted. Nothing too dark, so I hope you will enjoy it :)
Disclaimer: No matter how much I wish it to be so, The Infernal Devices will never belong to me. It belongs to Cassandra Clare.
Charlotte had never gotten used to living outside of the Institute. Even if she had had to move to Idris with Henry, the pair was constantly living away in London, especially during the summer, and for once, she didn't feel guilty. For once, she didn't feel as if she were shirking her duty as she stared up at the front steps of the Institute where the small group was huddled.
It was usual for Henry to stay behind in situations like this. While he had finally got the automated wheelchair to work, and was free to move about the Institute as he pleased, it did little good in battle and so he was lumbered with caring for the children around the house. Of course, Charles always helped, but he had his studies to attend to and couldn't be expected to run around after the little ones all the time. Besides, Charlotte was certain that Henry enjoyed reading to little Lucie, even if she probably didn't understand a word that he was saying.
They were there now and Charlotte felt bad that she had to give them the bad news. She glanced to the side of the carriage, where Will was seated, but he hadn't moved once since they had sat him down and she doubted he would be able to descend from the carriage all by herself. She resisted the urge to cry as James ran down the steps, eager to greet his father after a particularly nasty Shax demon had been sighted around the docks. James was always so keen to join them on a hunt and, strangely enough, it was always Will who had told him no.
"When you're older, Jamie. I promise," To which the reply was always, "But I am older!"
"Auntie Charlotte!" James cried now as he reached the carriage and she jumped down. "Auntie Charlotte, did you get it?" And then, seeing her face, his own amber eyes suddenly grew ever so slightly wider. "Auntie Charlotte, where's father?" She didn't have the heart to lie to him. He reminded her so much of Will when he had hidden from his parents, that day so many years ago. There was just something about the pair of them that you couldn't refuse. Lucie may have gotten Will's eyes (God only knew where James' amber ones had come from- neither Tessa nor Will had ever questioned it) but James had pretty much gotten everything else, right down to the curly black hair and fear of ducks.
"Your father isn't feeling his best right now, Jamie," she said, glancing up towards the steps where Tessa was waiting. She had agreed to stay with Henry that night since Lucie had been feeling out of sorts. Clearly the toddler was feeling better as she was sitting on Henry's lap and giggling as he tried to keep her pudgy hands from his now greying hair. Tessa's eyes widened and she began to hurry down the steps as James struggled to get past her.
"If daddy's hurt you have to call for Uncle Jem!" James cried, slipping under Charlotte's arm. She thanked her lucky stars that they had covered up the bite before leaving. It wouldn't do for James to see such a hideous thing at only seven years of age. She and his parents were hoping he would hold out at least until his teens before being confronted with something so horrible.
"I have already called upon the Silent Brothers," Charlotte said as Tessa caught up with her son. She gently pulled the younger girl to one side as James curled up on the seat next to his father. Henry either hadn't noticed that they were gone or was tactfully keeping Lucie occupied as both Charles and Matthew stood behind him, sending each other worried looks. Charlotte got the feeling that it was the former.
"What happened?" Tessa whispered urgently, her eyes wide. It was a testament to her character that she could stand by Charlotte poised as if nothing had happened in order to reassure her children. It came naturally with being a Shadowhunter.
"The Shax demon got nasty. We managed to corner it in an alley off Baker Street when it began to get vicious. Will was stuck behind it in the corner and it got to him before I could finish it off." Charlotte paused, seeing Tessa bite her lip and she swallowed the guilt that had risen in her chest. Will had known the danger, even before they had begun the hunt. She couldn't count the number of times that she had sent Will off on his own or with Jem to hunt down the creatures, and not once had anything of this scale of disaster occurred. The fact that this particular demon had happened to be more volatile that the others had barely crossed her mind- she and Will had only been a part of a group of four Shadowhunters out tonight, the other two members of the Enclave.
Cyril was currently helping Gabriel lower Will out of the carriage. He seemed to have come back to some kind of consciousness, enough so that he was putting up some kind of a fight. Charlotte quietly suspected that it was because James was still there, his small face pale at the sight of his father in such a state. And now that he was out of the dimness of the carriage, Charlotte could see how bad he was already. The venom was moving quicker than she had thought, no matter how many iratzes she used on him. Will's face was a horrible sickly yellow colour, his lips tinged blue as if he were intensely cold, but his cheeks were a bright red with fever. Sweat glistened at his brow, and blood- his own and that of the demon- was splashed across his shirt. Tessa hurried forward to help as Will attempted to shove Gabriel away.
"I can walk well enough, Lightworm," he mumbled, hissing slightly in pain as Cyril gently pulled one arm over his shoulder. Will was almost as tall as Cyril, but he was weak and his couldn't seem to quite get his legs working. Tessa was already there, gently moving Gabriel out of the way. The pair had not quite gotten over their rivalry, despite Cecily's marriage to Gabriel, but it was something more of a friendly competition full of banter rather than anything sinister as it might once have been. Tessa had been a good influence on Will, as had both parenthood and the reunion with his parents.
James had darted out of the carriage and was expressing his own urge to help and Tessa glanced her way, her eyes pleading for Charlotte to help. It may be some time before the Silent Brothers arrived- although she doubted that Jem would waste any time hurrying over if he had heard about what had happened to his once parabatai- and so Charlotte carefully put aside her feelings of guilt at having gotten Will into the situation in the first place, and took stock of the situation at hand.
"James, if you want to help, I need you to look after your sister. Your father may be ill for some time and he is going to need you to be strong for her and your mother. Do you understand?" Charlotte asked, kneeing to his level. She imagined that Will had once been like this, small and delicate, before he had grown and Shadowhunter training had taken over. James was not quite as slim as Will had been when he first came to the Institute (mainly because he attended the early tutoring sessions for young Shadowhunters) but he was not fully trained yet. At the moment, he would be more of a hindrance than a help. For a moment, James looked ready to argue, but a glance at his mother, already at the foot of the steps to the Institute and the wavering, confused looks his sister was sending both himself and Henry as Tessa and Cyril had to practically drag Will up the steps, made him back down.
"I will, Auntie Charlotte. I promise," he said quietly and took her proffered hand as they ascended the steps themselves. It was not often he did this and Charlotte knew that it was a sign that he was frightened, even if he didn't want to show it. Henry had enough sense to not say a word when they reached him, stead letting James take his baby sister into his arms as she babbled questions at him in a tiny voice.
"What wrong with daddy, Jamie?" she asked her eyes wide. "He has to read story!"
"Father can't read us a bedtime story tonight Lucie," James murmured, in a surprisingly calm and reassuring voice. His eyes were still wide and he was still pale, but he was putting an effort in to soothe his sister. "He isn't feeling very well. Like when you weren't last week." Only the week before, they had discovered that Lucie was allergic to, of all things, peas, where she had been violently sick after eating them. The girl scrunched up her nose at the memory. "But don't worry," James continued, his voice suddenly firm. "Uncle Jem is going to come and make him all better again."
"You pwomise?" she asked, her blue eyes as serious as any toddler could get at those words. James nodded his eyes equally serious.
"I promise, Luce." And with that, they disappeared inside.
It was not long before Brother Enoch arrived and soon after he had left, having done all he could in order to save Will's life, James appeared. Charlotte supposed that he had been banned from coming due to his studies technically still being in session with the Silent Brothers, but he had snuck out so many times, Charlotte wondered whether or not the others Brothers were aware, or if they just ignored it. After all, Jem had never really become a complete Silent Brother and never would- which was also why the children knew him as 'Uncle Jem' rather than his actual persona now of Brother Zachariah.
Charlotte wasn't sure what had started that particular name. Will insisted on calling Jem by his real name, and both Charlotte and Tessa had agreed. Henry had never argued with her opinion simply because he held the same opinions, and so it was almost as if he had never truly left. In fact, it was a shock sometimes, to see him addressed as Brother Zachariah, and when the children had first heard this they had stared blankly at the man talking to them. Unfortunately, it had been George Penhallow, the now Inquisitor of the Clave and he had been none too impressed when James had turned to his father and asked, as only a four year-old could, "Why is he calling Uncle Jem Zachariah?"
"Brother Zachariah is a Silent Brother now. He should have split all ties to his former life. You of all people should not be condoning this kind of action, Charlotte!" he had snapped at her in private, as they moved away from the little family.
"I condone it because I cannot bear to part a pair of parabatai by force when they have not broken the Law. Besides, there is nothing in the Law that states that those who have known a particular Silent Brother before initiation may not carry on calling them by their given name afterwards," she had replied. George's eyes had softened silently but he did not budge.
"It was not put into the Law because it was agreed anonymously that there shouldn't be need of one in the first place." He had, however, conceded that since there had never been a split in parabatai in this nature before that Will and Tessa may carry on so long as they didn't do it in public. Hence why the children had been taught that if ever they met Jem in public or in the Silent City – Heaven Forbid they ever had to go there – that they would speak to him only as Brother Zachariah and not 'Uncle Jem'.
Jem's presence here now was not entirely comforting. He arrived silently, in the manner of a Silent Brother, but unlike Brother Enoch he rocked back and forth on his heels, clearly anxious to see his brother in all but blood.
Where is he? Jem's voice was quiet in her mind, but strained. How is he?
"I don't know," Charlotte said quietly, leading him down the corridor. "Brother Enoch has seen to him, but he said that right now it was equal chance as to whether he would die. If William manages to last the night, the chance of his survival is greater but it doesn't mean it is certain. For now however, we can do nothing but wait." She paused at the door to James and Lucie's room where Tessa was tucking them into bed. Or at least she was tucking Lucie in as James was reading to her quietly from her favourite book – Alice's Adventures in Wonderland – a task that was usually performed by Will. Neither she, nor Jem mentioned that fact however.
James and Lucie are looking well Jem murmured. It felt strange still, to hear him say his own name but Charlotte was slowly getting used to it.
"Yes. Lucie will by three soon and will not let us forget it. I think James is upset since his birthday is still some months away," Charlotte said, smiling softly at the pair's antics as they carried on down the hall.
And your own sons? Charlotte smiled a little wider at that, glad every time he asked after them that he had lived, even as a Silent Brother, to see them born, to see them live and grow as he would have done had he not joined the brotherhood.
"They are very well. Charles wished to go on to study law and become a part of the Council. He is as obsessive about it as Henry is about his inventions. Matthew, however, is much more partial to pulling pranks with James." She said it wryly though, but whatever pleasure she found in discussing her sons with Jem was lost when they reached the door to Will's room. She took only a moment to pause and gather her strength, before pushing the door open.
Will looked, somehow, even worse than before. He was no longer conscious, and had clearly spent some time tossing and turning. Even now, his head twitched slightly, as his body fought the venom raging through his blood. There was a basin of water by his bed but Charlotte suspected that the water within it was no longer cool. The veins stood out on Will's neck, some a dark poisonous green, the others a stark contrast to his usual pale skin. She heard Jem take in a gasp pf breath, the first audible sound she had heard him make in some time.
Could you… leave us for tonight Jem whispered in her mind and because it was him, because it had been so long since the pair saw each other and so long since Jem had made a noise outside of her head, Charlotte conceded, closing the door behind her.