A Life for a Life
Chapter 1
A/N: Tessa has finally chosen who she wants to spend the rest of her life with, but will circumstances drive her into the arms of another? Set after the book Clockwork Prince. I know the summary is short but please read. I do not own anything. The honour belongs to Cassandra Claire. This is my first Infernal devices fanfic.
The past few weeks have been a blur to Tessa. The Institute was abuzz with people. Shadow hunters were in and out to see Charlotte and Henry. The hunt for Mortmain was still going strong. Since then Tessa has grown use to being engaged even when some part of her heart was always aching. As if on cue to torture her Will walked into the dining room followed by Jem. Tessa's heart did a flip in her chest. In truth she didn't know for who her heart gave a flip anymore.
When Jem reached her, he took her hand and gave it a light kiss. Tessa's hand tingled. "I have missed you." Jem said with a smile
Tessa gave a small laugh. "You saw me this morning at breakfast."
Jem blushed only a little and added "I know." Jem took the seat next to Tessa while Will took the seat in front of her. "Well, I certainly knew how much you missed her." Will said from across the table.
For a second Tessa thought Will was going to confess what he felt for her, but then the tension left her when he spoke. "You have been going on about it since we left."
Jem simply flashed Will his best smile which Will returned half heartedly. Thankfully to Tessa's relieve Charlotte had walked in with Cicely behind her. Since Cicely had shown up at the Institute, Charlotte had agreed to train her much to Will's protest. It's safe to say that the relationship between Will and Cicely was an awkward one. They barely spoke a few words to each other, but in some strange way liked to be around each other. Tessa was thankful for Cicely's arrival at the Institute. It distracted Will from spending time with her.
"You have an impressive memory Cecily. You seem to remember everything I teach you." Charlotte said while taking her seat at the head of the table. She took a sip of her tea before continuing. "Unfortunately, I won't be able to train you in combat." Charlotte rubbed her stomach which was only showing the slightest indication of a bump. "One of the boys will have to train you."
Cecily turned towards Jem. "You will be turning 18 in a week. I guess you will be my trainer?"
Charlotte giggled. "Oh no dear, Jem will be far too busy planning his wedding to train you. Besides this gives you a chance to spend some time with your brother."
Will and Cecily locked gazes before both looked away awkwardly. Perhaps this will be a good thing for them Tessa thought. "Speaking of the wedding. Have you two picked out a date?" Tessa was a bit shocked at the question. She had not really thought about it yet. She turned to Jem to see what he thought.
"Well, we have not spoken about it yet. However I was thinking maybe we could get married on Tessa's birthday?"
"But that's only a month away." Will said a little too harshly.
Tessa stared at Will in shock while Jem just looked puzzled. "Do you think it's too soon?" Jem asked
Will looked a little bit shocked himself as if he didn't mean to say anything out loud. "I... I didn't mean to intrude on your private business."
"Nonsense! I am willing to listen to any advice from my parabotai." Jem looked at will with such brotherly love, it took all of Will's power not go down on his knees and beg Jem's forgiveness for loving his fiancé.
"What I meant was, why wait. You can never wait when you have true love." Will looked at Tessa which made her blush. Jem's smile only brightened towards his friend.
Later that night Tessa found herself in the library scrolling through the titles of books. How she missed having books of her own. Yes, the library had many and even some of her favourite books, but she still missed calling some of the books her own. The door behind Tessa opened and she already knew who it was. There was only one person who visited the library at this hour.
"Yes Will?" Tessa said softly
Will came and stood next to her near the fireplace. "I am sorry of the way I acted." he began, but Tessa only shook her head. "It's alright. I understand"
They both just stood there, not looking at each other. Both too scared of what will happen. Before the silence got too much for both of them Sophie entered the room. "I am sorry to interrupt Miss Gray, but Master Carstairs wishes to see you."
Before Tessa could answer Will piped in. "I will go fetch him for her. A women should never chase a man, even if he is her betrothed."
With that Will stormed out the doors leaving Tessa and Sophie alone. Tessa sank into a nearby chair, exhausted from the tension surrounding her and Will. Concerned, Sophie went to stand next to Tessa. She laid her hand gently on Tessa's shoulder. "Are you alright, miss?"
Tessa looked up into Sophie's kind eyes. "I'm just tired. Things have been stressful." It wasn't the entire truth, but it was good enough.
Sophie just nodded and sat on the armrest next to her. "I know. You have had a scary past few weeks miss. You're brother died, the magister is still at large, the institute was almost lost, not to mention you're battle with identifying what you are."
Tessa was glad to talk with Sophie. It made her feel better. "Sometimes I pray for my life just to be normal again or at the very least just to have some piece of normality."
Sophie laughed at that which made Tessa look up at her. "Pardon my rudeness miss, but you do have some piece of normality. Master Jem. There is no surprises or tricks with him. What you see is what you get. A normal husband who will love you dearly and never let go."
With those last words Sophie left the library and something clicked inside Tessa. Something she should have realised long ago. Jem was her normal. Will was wild and untamed. You never knew what will happen next with him, but Jem was calm and safe. What she needed know in her life. The door creaked open to reveal Jem. "Will told me to meet you here. Apparently I am forcing you to follow me around." Jem said good naturedly.
Tessa stood up from the sofa and went to place a kiss on Jem's lips. Jem flushed. "What was that for?"
"For your great idea at lunch."
Jem looked a bit puzzled which made Tessa laugh. "I would love to get married on my birthday."
Thanks to everyone for reading! I really appreciate it. I know this chapter was a bit slow, but I promise it will be a bit more upbeat next time. I have a few plots running around in my head. Would love to hear from you guys, so please review.