Sophie sighed again, folding the last piece of laundry before leaving to start cleaning out the rooms. She spotted Jem and Tessa, hand in hand, walking down the corrider further along. They smiled at each other, and she could not help but feel a pang of pain in her heart.

She wanted to be completely okay with it, she wanted Jem to be happy with Tessa, but of course he wouldn't like her back the way she liked him. She was just a servant.

Sophie shook her head to clear her wistful thoughts and started up the stairs to the Institute's training room. She needed something to take her mind off of Jem, and training worked well. As Sophie neared the entrance, she heard the whistling of a sword's blade swiping the air, and heavy footsteps dancing across the floor, evading invisible enemies.

She walked inside uncertainly, and saw Gideon practicing with a sword, his movements fluid and precise. Watching in a trance, she took a few steps closer admiring his agile footwork. Throughout the whole thing, his expression was one of great concentration and he kept completely silent.

Gideon must have heard her arrival, for he stopped a few seconds later, panting while turning around, a smile playing at his lips. "How was that?" he asked her. "Entertaining, was it?"

"Yes, of course, Master Lightwood," Sophie said, nodding quickly in agreement.

He stared at her, which made the servant squirm uncomfortably under his gaze. Then, he sighed. "Why won't you call me Gideon?"

She pursed her lips tightly. "I am, but a lowly mundane servant, born only to serve the Shadowhunters of this fine Institute, and to any others who they wish for me to serve as well."

He chuckled lowly. "My, my, what dedication you give."

"Does the matter amuse you to any extent?" Sophie asked, trying to contain her irritation towards the Shadowhunter.

"Why must you be so cold towards me?" Gideon asked, now solemn.

"I am just a servant, Mister Lightwood. I am only carrying out my duty."

"But you're ignoring my feelings-"

"No! You don't! You don't have any! You're lying!" she screamed, choking now. If anyone found out, she'd be the one who was punished, not him. It was always her who was punished. Always. And she was just plain sick of it.

"No, I'm not lying!" he said, shocked at the sudden outburst. "I know how I feel, and I believe that you have feelings as well."

Suddenly, Sophie felt that she should slap some sense into the Shadowhunter's head. "You should really wake up right now! This isn't a matter to take lightly! Don't you see? Shadowhunters and mundanes don't mix! We can never be together, and we're caught, then I'm going to receive the consequences, not you!"

"So what? You're just going to hide your feelings? Ignore them?"

"Yes," Sophie said, turning away from Gideon's crestfallen face. "I just wish you would leave. Leave and never come back. You're only making it harder for both of us by staying here."

That was an undeniable fact, and they both lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. "Love is a rather strange thing, isn't it?" Gideon said, more to himself than to her. "It can completely ruin you. It blinds you to the point where you'd sacrifice everything.

"Yeah," Sophie agreed quietly.

"Love is strong. I always like to think that we have that kind of bond that can overcome everything, so that we will remain together, always," he said.

A single tear ran down her cheek, and she sucked in a shaky breath. "Then you're mistaken if you think love can overcome anything. You've overestimated it, because no matter how much we really care about each other, we will always be in two separate worlds."

"I'm sorry that you feel that way." Sadness coated his voice, which only made Sophie want to cry even more.

"Apology accepted."

"But I don't want to leave," he whispered. She turned in surprise, staring at him. After all that she's said, he still wanted to stay?

Gideon took a step forward; she took a step back. He slowly advanced, and Sophie didn't realize until too late that she'd been backed all the way into the wall. "What are you doing?" she whispered.

He did not answer, instead leaning in and pressing his lips gently against hers. She couldn't seem to find the will to fight back, just letting him kiss her more roughly. Sophie hesitantly placed her hands up behind his neck. Warmth crept throughout her body as Gideon pinned her against the wall. She went ahead and made the kiss deeper, threading her hands through his sandy-blond hair. He placed a hand on her cheek, caressing her scar ever so slightly.

Then the door opened. "Hey, Gideon, have you seen my-" They both broke apart, giving each other wide-eyed glances while gasping for much needed air. Sophie felt her cheeks flush.

Gabriel stared at them both, then smirked. "Did I interrupt something important, my dear brother?" he asked.