Afterlife
Death had freed her, given her more than life ever could.
"The servants of God are protected by invisible, rather than visible, beings." -St. Ambrose
It was not with a heavy heart that Jessamine Lovelace died. After all, it was the easy thing to do, the cowardly thing, and Jessie had always taken the easy path. She was no hero, not like Will and Tessa and Jem; she did not have those same self-sacrificing qualities.
As she felt her life ebb away, flowing from her in red tides of blood, she looked up into those stark blue eyes of Will's- a storm brewing- she thinks, and hopes that he will find his happy ending. That he, whom she once admired for his relentless cruelty, would attain the happiness she never would.
She had loved him, in the only way she knew how to love. He had been harsh, hatred had come easy to both of them. But sometimes at night, when the sadness became too much to bear, when the loneliness threatened to swallow her whole, she found herself thinking. We both feel pain, she would think, life has made us this way. Why not share the pain together? But dreams only dreams, and in life, dreams didn't come true. Life was bitter, unfulfilled; she hadn't wanted it or chosen it. Being in the Silent City had broken her, scarred her. Her only hope in the past had been marriage; now, technically she was married, but her husband was dead and she was dying.
So it was with her last breath that she told Will what he wanted to hear, but he didn't understand.
She tried to explain, to elaborate, but it was too late. Her last thought was that Will cared for her while she was dying more than he ever did while she was living.
"Life is full of risks. Death is simpler." -Jessamine Lovelace
Passing over wasn't a choice. Jessie wasn't curious of the afterlife, not at all. She didn't think there would be much happiness for her there anyway. The way she had lived...no angels would welcome her, no praises sung of her brave deeds. She wanted to live, to experience all the world had to offer, but in this, like in life, she had no choice.
So the responsibility fell to her to guard the Institute. But she found that the bitterness she carried with her in life had faded. Will had Tessa now, and instead of feeling resentful or jealous, she took it upon herself to impart some advice- after all, who knew more than her about how proper suitors were supposed to act?
It's been years, though time passes strangely for a ghost. Jessie floats contentedly through the passageways of the Institute, finding with ease the room she is looking for. She lingers by the door, not quite sure if she is welcome, though no one can see her anyway. Except...
As Will cradles his newborn son in one arm and his wife in the other, he looks up to see Jessamine, the blood upon her nightgown still a blooming red rose, but the smile she gives him...a smile so bright he finds himself wishing she would have smiled with such happiness in life. He dips his head in acknowledgement, in respect, in thanks, and Jessie smiles brighter than the very sun.
James Herondale may not have the clockwork angel his mother did, but he would have his own guardian angel nonetheless.
A/N: I always found Jessie tragic, and oh so human. I thought she deserved a happy ending, so here it is...