Title: The Broken Chain.

Summary: Preseries. "Don't you want to live, Jem?" The next words caught him off-guard. "I don't want to die, Will." Jem discovers that Will is still searching for a cure for his illness, and Jem finally cracks.

Note: The characters and the Shadowhunter world belongs to Cassandra Clare. I am only one of her beloved fans who decided to expand upon her idea, and twist the characters and the plotline into something new. Thus, this still belongs to Cassandra Clare.

Enjoy!

A shriek echoed in the hallways of the London institute.

James Carstairs had been practicing his violin at the time, and his best friend, Will Heronade was sprawled out atop of his bed, reading one of his all-time favorite classics, A Tale of Two Cities. Jem's grip on his violin loosened, and he almost would've dropped his instrument if he hadn't recovered in time. Will jumped at the harsh sound, knocking into the stack of books lying next to him.

"What the bloody hell?" Will replies, setting his book down with a small frown. Damn, he was so eager to find out whether Darnay will be released from prison or not, but the disturbance had ignited an interest within the blonde boy. "What was that?"

Jem set down his violin carefully in his case, and slowly loosened the strings of his bow. "Care to find out?" he grinned at his friend, only to wince as another shriek filled the entire building.

"I bet it's Jessie," Will grumbles, sliding off of the bed.

He headed towards the door, and once Jem had acquired his cane, he was right behind him. As they exited from Jem's room and made their way downstairs, Will realized with a sudden jolt that their steps weren't in sync. He scrunched his eyebrows together, befuddled. How was that possible? He and Jem had been parabatai for almost two years now, and ever since they swore an oath, their steps have always been in unison. Will shook his head, dismissing the thought immediately. He'll figure it out later. For now, he was determined to discover the source of the scream that had disrupted his beautiful reading environment merely moments before.

As they entered the dining area of the institute, they discerned Jessamine Lovelace almost right away. She stood on top of the table, her eyes wide with fear and terror as she lifted a wavering finger to the corner of the room. "Get that revolting creature away from me at this instant!" she shouted.

Charlotte Branwell stood to the side of the long table, her face creased with agitation. "Jessie," she repeated in a soothing voice, "it's barely nothing! It is just a—" She wasn't able to finish her sentence, though. Jessie had elicited another harsh scream, which didn't help Jem's migraine at all.

Then Jessie noticed Will and Jem. "Will, this was your doing, wasn't it?" she scowled, her eyes directed towards Will with irritation and disgust.

"My fault? I just got here!" Will defended himself, though the smirk that dwindled on the edges of his lips told him otherwise. He strode towards the corner of the room, and crouched down, gathering something on the palm of his hand. Jessie's face was a mixture of horror and alarm. He stood up, and with a low chuckle he enunciated from deep within his throat, he began ambling towards Jessie.

"Will, don't you dare take another step!"

He opened his palm, and whatever unknown specie that lied upon his hand had jumped towards Jessie with incredible momentum. This time, Jessie's scream was the loudest of all the screams she had vocalized before. Will's benevolent laugh filled the dining room afterwards, and Charlotte hastily tried to settle down the aggravated Jessie who had the intense desire to murder Will with her bare hands. Jem had been observing the scene that slowly unfolded in front of him, and he couldn't help but join in with Will.

Charlotte snapped at Will, which made Will and Jem laugh even harder, if that was possible.

She sighed.

This was going to be a long day.

A few hours later, Jem was thumbing through the pages of an old, worn-out book, his eyebrows scrunched together in concentration. His eyes easily skimmed through the pages, but his mind wasn't thoroughly processing it. It was elsewhere. "This is incredibly boring," Jem complains, tossing the book on the table with a defeated sigh.

Will, who was concentrating on practicing on his thrusting and plunging his dagger repeatedly in the air, stopped to gape at his best friend in utter astonishment. "Incredibly boring?" he echoes, "how?"

Jem chuckles. "I'm not sure how you can indulge yourself fully in these classics, Will, but I simply cannot impel myself to get engrossed in the novels that you are deeply fond of."

"You're not human," he replies simply.

Jem couldn't help but roll his eyes at his childish answer. "Of course," he snorted, "I'm a shadowhunter, aren't I? Half angel and half mundane?"

Will scowled. "You know what I meant."

"No, please do tell me what your true intentions are, professor William," Jem jested, his eyes wide as if he was fascinated in Will's theory.

"Don't call me William," Will huffed, throwing his towel at Jem. Jem laughs, ducking and the towel sailed over his head. He seized the book that he was currently reading just a few moments ago, and hurled it across the room. Will lets out a gasp, half surprised and half yelping as the hardback volume slammed into his chest, knocking him off his feet. This time, Jem couldn't contain his laughter as he bent over, his shoulders shaking. Will, who was sprawled about on the floor, scowled at the ceiling. "Shut up, Jem!" he snaps, and even though he tried to conceal it, there was a small smile stretched upon his lips.

Jem, who still continued to laugh, felt a cough creeping up from his throat. Before he could prepare himself or realize what was happening, he had bended over as painful coughs wracked throughout his frail body. Will leapt up from the floor and dashed to him.

"Jem!" he cried out. His friend didn't respond, but continued with his coughing fit. Will, his lips set in a grim line, repeatedly rubbed circles on Jem's back for a few moments, hoping and trying to ease his friend's pain. He was a tremendous loss of what to do. His friend was dying of a rare sickness, and he hated just standing there and doing nothing as light diminished from Jem's eyes. But what could he do? Was there anything that could've been done?

Will handed Jem his handkerchief, and Jem wiped it with his mouth. When he pulled the handkerchief back, dark specks of blood stained the cloth. Will tensed. "Shall I call for Charlotte?" he asks gently.

Jem hastily shook his head. "I—I'll be fine," he rasped, wincing as he evoked another cough, "no need t—to worry the others."

Will pursed his lips, but nodded dutifully without objection.

If that was his parabatai's wish, then so be it.

After making sure that James was sleeping soundly in his bed, Will silently withdrew from the room, shutting the door softly behind him. His brisk footsteps padded in the hushed hallways as he made his way to the institution's grand library.

It had been four hours since Jem's last coughing fit. He was resting now in his bedroom, and Will had been sitting in the chair right next to his bed, eagerly waiting for him to gain consciousness. Once he realized that Jem wasn't going to wake up any time soon, Will decided to search and figure out the solution to Jem's sickness.

There had to be one, right?

Will faintly recalled a few years back when Jem had asked everyone to stop hunting for the solution to his rare disease. "I'm not sure there is a cure to what I have," he had said, a hint of sadness laced beneath his tone, "I would gladly appreciate it if you would all stop searching now. You are wasting your time. There's nothing we can do about my sickness. I beg of you... to stop immediately. Please."

At first, Will had respected his best friend's wishes and ceased to look for the cure of Jem's illness. Yet, over time, as he helplessly watched the sickness grasp ahold of Jem's life, waning and lessening his source of health each day, Will couldn't bear it no longer.

Just about a year ago, Will had continued his search for Jem's disease once more, and he wasn't going to give up without a fight. The others might have given up on Jem's health, Will thought stubbornly as he turned a corner, but that didn't mean he was going to. He was Jem's best friend. He was his parabatai. He just—he couldn't leave his closest friend to die, could he? He had to do something, anything, even if it meant to prolong Jem's impending death or jump off of a building to save his friend.

Will entered the doors of the library, and his eyes raked across the endless bookcases that littered amongst the library as he wondered where to start. His eyes lit up as an idea had suddenly emerged from his mind, and he set to work right away.

He didn't how much time had passed.

Will was so engrossed in his work, that he didn't notice that he had been working for the entire night. Hell, he probably wouldn't even realize a century had passed before his eyes. So, of course, when Jem's words echoed in the soundless library, he didn't even acknowledge them at first. "What are you doing?"

Will's fingers tapped endlessly on top of the wooden table, as he scrutinized the book with furrowed eyebrows. His eyes ran over from left to right, his memory mentally memorizing the words and twisting them, trying to find a clue or perhaps a solution hidden within the words.

"Will."

This time, he looked up, almost robotically. "Hm?" he murmured, distracted.

Jem regarded him with a worried look. "By the Angel, Will, you look horrible," he commented. He strode towards where Will sat, and tugged on his cuffs. "Come on," he urges, "why don't we—" he stops abruptly, as his line of sight flickered over to the pile of books stacked upon one another. Loose papers littered around the table. Ink had been spilled upon one of the papers, but Will either didn't notice or cared enough to clean it up. Jem's eyes narrowed as he proofread over one of the papers. His eyes widened a fraction of an inch, and that is when Will snapped back to reality.

He immediately slammed the book shut, but it was too late.

Jem had already seen it.

"Jem, what are you doing up so early?" Will lets out a frustrated sigh. "You need to be in bed... resting." He stood up and after composing his posture, he began to push Jem lightly. "Come," he says half-heartedly, "we must get you back to bed as quickly as we can, before Charlotte notices—"

"What were you doing all night?" Jem asks quietly, his eyes flashing. Will froze. He gulped, and when he turned his gaze towards Jem, he was astounded to see a calm expression adorning his face. Jem's eyes seemed sad and distant, as if he was there, in the room with Will, but at the same time he wasn't. Will felt like a piece of his friend had gone missing, and it was too late for Will to retrieve it. It was gone forever. "What were you doing all night?" he repeats harshly, his voice tinged with malice and anger.

Will pleaded, "Jem, you have to understand, I—"

"Understand what?" Jem lets out a laugh, but it wasn't the same laugh that Will was used to hearing. This laugh had no emotion, yet only despair, sadness, and betrayal was laced within. "Understand that my best friend, my parabatai—" Will flinches. "—decided to not respect my wishes by doing the exact opposite of what I said? I totally understand." His voice was mocking.

"I couldn't stand watching you die!" Will says shakily, his hands trembling. He reached out to grasp onto Jem's sleeve for comfort and forgiveness, for anything, but Jem simply ignored Will's gesture and walked past him. "It killed me on the inside, knowing I couldn't do anything to help you! If maybe I could find a cure or—or perhaps a solution to your sickness, then maybe—"

"There's no maybe, William." Jem's voice was cold and hard. "I'm supposed to die. It is my destiny to die in the future. There's nothing that could stop it. There's no cure for this disease."

"Can't we change our destinies?" Will begged.

Jem stopped at the edge of the door. "Will, drop it."

"No! I can't drop something when it threatens my best friend's life!" he shouted, taking Jem in by surprise. Will takes a deep breath, and says in a softer voice, "There must be a way to find a cure, Jem. When there's a will, there's a way. If we keep on looking, perhaps we could come across a cure or a clue that leads us to your cure! But—we mustn't give up! Don't you want to live, Jem? Don't you want to go to the museum once more, and eat your favorite food out in the balcony? Don't you want to fight demons? Don't you want to explore the world, the stars, the galaxies? Don't you?" Will hadn't realized that he was crying. Tears streamed like thick rivulets down his flushed cheeks, and he stubbornly wiped them away with his forefinger.

"Don't you think I want to live too?" Jem says quietly, and Will's eyes snapped up to meet his. "I have long since accepted my fateful death, and there's truly nothing you can do to stop it. The demon made sure of that. I wanted—I wanted you all to stop searching for the cure, because there is no cure. The demon told me himself. He yearned for revenge, and after forcing me to watch my parent's die, he had decided the best punishment for me was to enjoy a long and painful death. Will, I wanted to live life to the fullest and forget about my problems for one day. I didn't want you guys to get disappointed. I don't want to die, Will, but it's not like I have a choice." Jem whispers, his eyes casted downwards.

Will felt all his anger ebbing away. He wanted to reach out and comfort his friend for keeping his feelings bottled up for so many years; he wanted to erase the horrible memories that has been haunting Jem ever since he was young. Instead, he stared at Jem, who's back was turned to him. Before Will could say something, anything, Jem walked out of the room without a second glance.

And for once, Will didn't come after him.

A/N: Yes, I know... another depressing one-shot? I'm just full of surprises, aren't I? Just to clarify, there is no romance between Will and Jem. I tried to make them seem closer, because they're parabatai and they share a bond that is closer than brothers. Just throwing it out there!)

Don't forget to drop in a review, okie?

—Esha Ali