"Sophie?"
The maid straightened up from the fire she had been tending and found herself looking into the impossibly dark blue eyes of Cecily Herondale. "Yes?"
Biting her lip, the younger girl said, "Do you mind if I ask you something? I could ask Tessa, I suppose, or maybe even Charlotte, but I think you would be the most helpful."
"No, of course not," Sophie said, startled. She'd gotten on well with Cecily ever since she came to the Institute, finding her to be much kinder than her older brother, but the two had never really had a serious conversation together. What could she possibly want to know that Sophie would be better able to answer than Tessa or Charlotte?
Cecily hesitated for a moment before blurting out, "What do you do if you love someone who doesn't love you back?"
Sophie blinked in surprise. Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn't that. "Well, it's not a bad thing, as long as they're worth it," she said slowly, remembering a conversation she'd had once with Tessa. "I suppose the only thing you can really do, besides waiting to see what happens, is to tell the person how you feel." When she had been in a similar situation, Sophie hadn't said or done anything about it, but Cecily didn't seem like the waiting type.
"Is that what happened with you and Gideon?" Cecily asked curiously.
"Not exactly," Sophie replied. "It was more of a gradual thing. He loved me first, and every day I grew fonder of him, until…well, until we got to where we are today." She allowed herself to be lost in the memories. Gideon's surly attitude when he'd first arrived, how he'd always exclaimed "Ay Dios mio!" during training sessions, when he'd asked to see her outside of training, the way he smiled when he looked at her, how he told her he trusted her more than his own family, their first kiss…
Cecily cleared her throat and brought Sophie back to the present. "Pardon me," Sophie said, flushing slightly. "Anyway, the best thing for you to do is tell him how you feel, whoever it is."
"Do you really think so?" Cecily asked anxiously, her blue eyes wide.
"Absolutely," Sophie said, nodding. "You'll wish you had later, if you don't. Trust me." Actually, Sophie was rather glad she had never told Jem how she felt, but she figured Cecily didn't need to know that.
Cecily considered Sophie's words for a moment, before saying, "All right. Thank you for all your help, Sophie."
"Any time," Sophie said politely. Cecily vanished into the corridor without another word, and Sophie found herself hoping that everything worked out for the younger girl.
At training the next morning, Sophie asked Cecily in a low voice, "Did everything go all right?"
"I haven't had a chance to tell him yet," Cecily whispered back, "but I think today's looking promising."
Once again, Sophie wondered who Cecily's mysterious boy was. "Well, good luck," she replied, and then they parted to begin their individual training. Sophie still trained with Gideon, and Will had been employed to help Cecily until their sibling bickering had gotten too much for everyone. Gabriel had taken over Cecily's training and Will was working with Tessa instead.
That morning's session went quite well, Sophie thought, and she had only taken a few steps out of the training room when she heard Cecily's voice saying, "Gabriel, could I talk to you for a moment?"
Sophie froze in her tracks. Could Gabriel be the one Cecily loved? She supposed it would make sense; Cecily hadn't seen too many other boys since coming to the Institute. Sophie knew it would be rude to eavesdrop, but curiosity got the better of her and, after making sure Will and Tessa were a good ways off down the corridor (Gideon had left earlier to attend to some sort of Clave business), she crept back over to the door.
It was still slightly ajar, and Sophie peeked through the crack. Cecily and Gabriel were alone in the training room. Gabriel looked surprised and Cecily, standing only a few feet away from him, seemed determined.
"Gabriel," Cecily began. If she was nervous, nothing on her face betrayed it. "I realize that this might seem improper, but I must tell you something."
"Well, do share it," Gabriel replied, sounding a bit confused. Sophie couldn't blame him. "I promise I won't be offended."
There was a moment's pause before Cecily looked Gabriel squarely in the face, despite being several inches shorter than him, and said, "Over the past few months that I have been at the Institute and training with you, I've come to admire you and I—I rather love you."
Sophie's eyes widened. So she had been right in thinking that it was Gabriel who Cecily loved! She couldn't decide whether she should be anxious on Cecily's behalf or amused by the bluntness of her declaration, and then Gabriel leaned down towards Cecily and suddenly they were kissing and locked in a tight embrace. Sophie felt a smile come to her face, feeling proud of herself for giving Cecily such good advice.
"Sophie? What are you staring at?"
Whipping around, she saw Will striding down the corridor towards her. "Nothing," she stammered. "I thought you left with Tessa."
"I left my stele in the training room."
"No, Will, I really don't think—"
He ignored her, as always, and pushed through the training room door. There was an earthshattering silence as Sophie quickly hurried away. But she didn't make it far enough, for soon enough she heard a noise that sounded rather as if Will had exploded. I shouldn't like to be Cecily or Gabriel right now, Sophie thought in amusement, and went to go find Gideon. He could do with a warning that his younger brother might be in a few more pieces than usual the next time they saw each other.
A/N: There really aren't enough Gabriel/Cecily fanfics out there (or fanfics in general that are about characters other than Tessa, Will, and Jem) so I decided to contribute this little piece of fluff. Reviews are appreciated!