The White Knight

By Hazelmist

Summary: He was her white knight but he was no angel… He didn't flinch. He shivered where she touched him and shut his eyes. "Tessa."He cleared his throat…Jem/Tessa.

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Cassandra Clare.

A/N: Holy Cow, 48 reviews for the last chapter! I don't know if I've ever got that many reviews for one chapter, thank you! I apologize for the delay, I didn't want to disappoint. Please forgive me.

PART 3

Tessa drowsily cracked open her eyes. Everything was a pale grey, lit by the earliest rays of a sun that had yet to breach the horizon. She was warm and comfortable, burrowed beneath the sheets of her bed. But she wasn't in her bed and she wasn't alone.

Tessa started, almost waking Jem who looked even more beautiful and ethereal arrayed in the half light of a fast approaching dawn. She looked down in fascination at her own limbs bathed in the same pale light and tangled with his. In this light it almost looked like they were both angelic and otherworldly beings. Of course, that made it all the more painful for her to recall the harsh truth that she was forced to swallow the night before. No matter how much of the angel's blood beat in his veins, Jem was mortal and his death was creeping closer like the light of day. He was so still and peaceful that for a moment she wondered if death had already taken him from her in the night. But his breath stirred her hair and warmed her cheek. He slept on but his heart beat steadily beneath her palm.

"Get up."

The voice was soft but too harsh to be Jem's. Tessa was suddenly hyper aware of another presence behind her. She knew the gaze even before she was forced by a rough, calloused hand to look into those blue eyes. Her breath caught in her throat. Tessa wondered why she hadn't immediately sensed him - sitting in the chair by the bedside, glaring down at her for God knows how long - and realized with a jolt that she had been more fascinated by Jem's ethereal beauty.

"You need to leave," Will hissed, curling his fingers around her forearm, "and don't you dare wake him." His eyes flitted back to Jem, his expression immediately softening. While Will was distracted by his concern for his parabatai, Tessa quickly and gently untangled herself from Jem and his bed sheets. She sat up, flinching when Will dug his fingers into her arm. Her bare feet hit the cold floor as Will roughly hauled her up and dragged her from the room.

He pulled the door shut behind them, allowing Tessa to wrench her arm out of his painful grasp. She tried to make a dash for her bedroom, but Will was too fast for her.

"We're not finished yet." He grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face him. Tessa was powerless between both of his strong hands. She felt her back hit the wall as his face pressed closer. His blue eyes were darker and brighter than she remembered. Tessa was struck by a memory of the last time that they stood this close together. He had held her tightly then and melded his hot mouth with hers. She would be lying if she said that she hadn't enjoyed that last kiss, but the words that had followed it…

"Let go of me," she ordered coldly.

"Not until you promise me to stay away from him." His eyes flashed with a barely disguised threat, his hands tightening on her shoulders. But Tessa lifted her chin defiantly.

"I will do no such thing!"

"That was not the answer I was looking for," Will growled, shoving her up against the wall. Tessa squirmed and pushed at his chest with her hands.

"Mr. Herondale, unhand me, now!" she demanded.

Will relaxed his grip on her shoulders so that it was no longer painful, but not yet loose enough for her to escape. He still clutched at her sleeves possessively, causing Tessa to have a sudden epiphany.

"You're jealous," she gasped. The effect it had on Will was instantly apparent. Two spots of color rose in his cheeks but his eyes flicked downward before she could read his reaction fully and claim her victory.

"I am not jealous." When he lifted his gaze again, his face was guarded and his eyes were hard. His mouth twisted into an ugly half smirk. "I thought that I made it perfectly clear how I feel about warlocks and their uses; and well, you're not exactly improving your kind's reputation…" He nodded toward Jem's bedroom.

Tessa was paralyzed. She felt her face flush, but her face wasn't the only thing that was burning. Old wounds were opening, and a new shame flamed through her as she finally processed what she and Jem had done. She opened her mouth to defend herself, but what could she possibly say? She had willingly made a choice to spend the night with him. With this knowledge Will could slander her reputation and ruin her. She looked into his hard unforgiving blue eyes. He was merciless. Hot tears that she hadn't realized she'd been holding back, slid down her cheek.

"I want you to stay away from him," Will repeated, but his voice wasn't as harsh as before. His hands on her shoulder were gentle. Her tears were making him uncomfortable. "You don't understand Jem. He's not the sort of person who needs to be caught up with a warlock especially now when -"

"He's dying," Tessa whispered. Will tried to brush it aside like he always did, but this time Tessa wouldn't let him.

"You don't understand," he repeated mechanically.

"I think I understand a lot more than you think, Will," she continued, pitching her voice low. "I found him last night. I know, Will. I know."

Once again she felt his fingernails digging into her arms, but Tessa bore the pain willingly. She welcomed it, realizing that Will was not as unfeeling as he pretended to be. Will might hate her and be indifferent to everyone else, but if there was one thing that he cared about it had to be Jem. When Will's eyes met hers, the anger drained out of her and she trembled.

"It was awful. I've never seen him like that. I don't know how you-" She cut herself off and swallowed hard. She flashed back to the night before when she had to hold Jem down. The moment when she thought he had taken his last breath would be forever imprinted in her mind. But when he finally breathed again, the relief had been dizzying. "He's all right, but I wasn't sure, so I stayed with him," she said, answering the question Will was too afraid to ask. She knew that wasn't the only reason she spent the night with Jem, but that was something private between herself and Jem.

"I didn't ask," Will said, stubbornly reclaiming the facade.

"But you were going to," she said softly, feeling an almost annoying sense of pity for this boy that had just said some horrible things to her. They stood there in silence with the truth that Will refused to accept, hanging in the air between them.

"If you know what's best for you and Jem, you'll stay away from him," he finally said gruffly. The words struck her hard. She knew that in a way Will was right. It would probably be better for her to stay away from Jem, but the thought made her heart plunge. There was so little time. Perhaps it was selfish, but she wasn't ready to say her goodbye yet.

"Jem is more than capable of making his own choices without your interference," she argued. "Now, unhand me."

"You're making a terrible mistake," he warned.

"Let go of me, Mr. Herondale."

To her surprise, he yielded. She felt his hands leave her shoulders as he stepped back.

"Remember what I said. If I catch you again with him-"

Tessa shoved past him and went into her bedroom. She slammed the door shut in his face, throwing herself down on the bed. His fingers had left faint bruises on her arms, but it was always the wounds beneath the skin that hurt the most. This time, though, Will wasn't the only one that Tessa was thinking about.

The room was bright when Sophie came to wake her. Tessa hadn't realized that she had drifted off again, missing breakfast and sleeping well into the morning.

"Was Master Jem all right?" she asked almost shyly as she helped Tessa dress. Tessa had to busy herself with something on the vanity so Sophie wouldn't notice her blush.

"Yes, he was fine when I left him," Tessa assured her. She chose not to mention that she had only left him after being physically dragged from his warm bed the next morning by his ill tempered parabatai.

"Thank you again, Miss Tessa," Sophie smiled gratefully. At least she had one person that might defend her if Will accused her of being a warlock harlot. Then again, Sophie didn't know that she had climbed into bed with Jem after she left. Considering that Sophie secretly loved Jem, Tessa didn't think that she would be as willing to stand up to her after that revelation. Tessa bit back a sigh as she followed Sophie from the room.

To take her mind off everything Tessa decided to wander down to the library. She could really use a good novel after the night and the morning that she'd had. God only knew what Jem thought of her climbing into his bed like a brash hussy. The Angel knew that's what Will thought of her and he had made it perfectly clear that he could besmirch her reputation at any moment.

She bit her lip, wondering how she could possibly explain what happened between her and Jem if Will did decide to scandalize her. The truth was that they were both scared and upset so they comforted one another. That night comfort had come in the form of sharing a bed, and sleeping in one another's arms. They hadn't done any of the things that Will would imply, but Tessa found that there was a voice in the back of her mind whispering that perhaps she wouldn't have minded all that much if they had…

Blushing, she suppressed a wild fantastical thought of a bare-chested Jem glowing in the moonlight, and looked up to discover that she'd been so wrapped up in her mind that she had passed the library several minutes ago. Berating her foolishness, she turned to go, but the sound of raised male voices arrested her in mid-step. She looked around, but saw no one. They must have come from the weapon's room.

"This is about Tessa again, isn't it Will?"

Tessa recognized the sound of Jem's voice and caught both of the names that rolled off his tongue. The library would have to be put off a little longer, because her feet were already in motion, propelling her forward. She pressed against the wall, tiptoeing toward the doorway.

"No, Jem, this is about you. I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine, Will."

"You don't look fine," Will observed. Tessa had finally gotten close enough to steal a peek. The two boys were facing each other across the table; the glowing blade between them was forgotten. Will was wrong. With his bright silver eyes, his tousled pale hair, and the slightest tinge of color in his cheeks, Jem had never looked better to her. Seeing him standing there, dressed and so very alive, Tessa felt her heart skip a beat.

"You don't look fine either, but I suspect that's because you don't sleep anymore," Jem said, smiling ruefully. He stepped back from the table and folded his arms across his chest. "What's your story this time Will? Was it Six-Fingered Nigel or a night of reckless gambling? Was it a night of drunken abandonment or did a ravishing young woman hold you hostage for all hours of the night?"

"You know I wasn't doing any of those things," Will snapped, lowering his voice. "But I know that you had a woman in your bed."

Tessa sucked in a breath; her face flaming and her heart hammering in her chest. So, this was it, she thought mournfully. Will was going to ruin her. He had probably already informed Charlotte, possibly even Henry and Jessamine. She'd have to leave the Institute, and London, and Jem. Her chest constricted painfully as her eyes fixated on the beautiful boy.

Jem wasn't as surprised as she expected him to be. His eyes did widen fractionally, the color in his cheeks heightening slightly; but it was almost as if he had been waiting for it. After a minute of stunned silence, he uncrossed his arms and leaned his hands on the table.

"So, this is about Tessa," he said, giving Will a gentle but probing gaze that he couldn't ignore. Will's mouth tightened into a thin angry line and his eyes slid away from Jem's. It was the wordless answer that Jem needed.

"Will, I'm not blind," Jem continued so softly that Tessa had to strain to catch his voice. "I saw the way you looked at her when you first brought her here. I saw the way she looked at you too." Jem's voice was smooth and soft, but it pierced through her, affecting her in a heart-wrenching manner that was meant for Will. But Will was indifferent. His lack of a reaction made it more painful for Tessa because she couldn't tear herself away.

"I understand how easy it is to like Tessa," Jem said, smiling beatifically. "She's a pretty girl and she's so wonderfully different from other women with her compassion, her humor, her intelligence, and her spirit." Tessa was startled by his compliments, but she reminded herself that Jem always saw the best in people (including Will) and was almost too unfailingly kind.

"What I don't understand, Will, is why you're hurting the poor girl." The smile was gone, but Jem was still watching Will closely.

Will's head jerked up as if he was noticing Jem for the first time.

"Girl?" he echoed. "She's not just a girl." He straightened up and shook his black hair out of his eyes. This time it was Will who regarded Jem with a look of disappointment. "James, you're missing a very important detail. Tessa's a warlock and a downworlder," he spat the words out like they were venom. Tessa flinched as if she had been slapped. The words burned in her ears.

"Stop that," Jem scolded him, but he had gone ghostly white and was gripping the table.

"Stop what? Telling the truth?" Will asked, flashing him a careless grin.

"She's human," Jem insisted.

"She's half human and half demon," Will corrected him.

"She's human in all the ways that matter!" Jem let go of the table and stepped around it toward Will. The other boy shrugged and turned his back on his friend.

"Ah, yes, her anatomy is definitely entirely human. I suppose you know all about that now, don't you, James?" Will smirked. Jem blushed and lowered his eyes. Will seemed to have won the argument and made for the door, but Jem reached out and caught his arm.

"Will, why do you act like this? I don't understand, she did nothing to deserve this kind of poor treatment from you."

"What's so difficult for you to understand, James?" Will asked coldly. "She's not one of us. She's not even human. Her kind can't reproduce, isn't that proof enough for you that she's a monstrous anomaly? I agree that she would make a pretty harlot but in the end she's nothing more than another filthy downworlder."

Jem's eyes widened and Tessa felt as if she'd just had the wind knocked out of her. She groped for the wall so that her knees wouldn't give out on her.

"You don't mean that," Jem said quietly. His wide eyes were pleading with Will to reel the words back in. Will's lips quirked at the corners as if he was amused, but his eyes were so hard and masked that even bullets wouldn't have shattered that armor. Tessa's heart sunk as she braced herself for the worst.

"If you must know, James, she kissed me," Will confessed smugly, "but even I have my limits when it comes to the allure of downworlders. When I refused any further advances she went crawling into your bed like a common whore-"

"You're lying! Take it back!" Jem ordered, his face flushing and flooding with an alarming amount of color. His eyes were a furious, unforgiving silver.

"I knew you wouldn't put her in her place, so I took the liberty of telling her myself. No need to thank me, James."

Tessa felt as if she'd just been delivered a painful blow to the stomach. Not only had Will exposed her and Jem, but he had then destroyed the privacy and intimacy of the kisses that they had shared, twisting and warping it so that it transformed her into a woman that belonged in the brothel house that he had rescued her from. It no longer mattered how Will saw her, but she cared about how Jem would feel about her after hearing that. Tessa wanted to march into the room and put her hands around Will's neck, squeezing until his smirk fell away and the cold amusement in his eyes died a painful death.

But Jem got there first. He struck Will across the face, knocking the infernal smirk from his face with a loud crack. Will stumbled backwards, fetching up against the side of the table.

"God damn you Will!" Jem's chest heaved as he stood over his closest friend with clenched fists and barely controlled fury. "Teresa Grey is a young lady that deserves respect and from now on you will treat her like one."

Will clutched the side of his face, gazing up at Jem with round blue eyes as if he hadn't heard a single word. Tessa knew that Will was skilled at hiding his emotional reactions, so Jem must have shocked him in a way he never had before. Jem never let anything Will say affect him and was normally so mild mannered that it was stunning to see him trembling with rage, breathing hard, and struggling to control his anger.

"James-" Will whispered, but the words died in his throat as Jem lifted his hand again. Will automatically flinched away from the raised hand, and this seemed to check Jem's fury. He dropped his hand immediately, as if the full extent of his outburst had just dawned on him, and took several unsteady steps away from Will.

"James," Will tried again.

"Please, leave," Jem told him in a voice that shook with the emotions that he still hadn't quite gotten under control. When Will didn't immediately obey, Jem raised his voice and unleashed the last of his anger in the form of two words: "Get out!"

Will practically tripped over his own feet in his haste to exit the room. Tessa had been so transfixed by the scene that she didn't bother to run or hide herself. Luckily, Will was in such a daze that he went the opposite way without seeing her. Tessa breathed a sigh of relief and stepped back from the doorway as he passed out of sight.

The sound caught Jem's attention and his gaze snapped to the doorway before she could escape. Tessa froze in place, wondering if he had seen her, wondering if he would know that she had overheard them, wondering how angry he'd be.

"Tessa? Tessa, is that you?" his voice was soft, and though it wasn't as steady as it usually was, it was still gentle.

Tessa carefully stepped into the weapon's room, revealing herself to him. She tried her best to look innocent because she knew that eavesdropping on a conversation like that was a sinful violation of privacy. Jem stood with one hand gripping the table for support and the other hand clenched into a tight fist. His face was still flushed and full of unusually hard lines; his posture stiff and tense. It was the turmoil in his silvery eyes that broke her. He saw the immediate change in her expression and he knew that she knew. In three quick strides, he crossed the room and closed the door behind her.

"How much did you overhear?" he asked, watching her closely. This would've been one of those rare moments when it would have been acceptable to lie, but Tessa could never lie to Jem. She lifted her eyes to his and he sighed as if he could see everything that she had saw just by looking at her.

"You shouldn't have witnessed that," he said, shaking his head and suddenly looking exhausted.

"I know, and I'm sorry, Jem," she apologized, glancing down at her hands. And she was sorry, so sorry; but she had been punished sufficiently enough. Will's harsh words would burn in her mind forever. She would remember her place from now on.

"No, Tessa, look at me." She felt the light touch of his hand on her shoulder as he stepped closer to her. It was the same hand that had struck Will, but now it handled her as if she were something delicate and breakable, something treasured and precious.

"Will's a liar," he told her firmly. Jem was trying to make her feel better but Tessa could feel the sharp familiar pinprick that meant she was going to cry. She forced them back, swallowing past the painful lump forming in her throat. Jem was right; Will was a liar. But there had been a thin lining of truth to his words and Jem deserved to hear it.

"Not everything he said was a lie," Tessa whispered, clasping her hands in front of her and focusing hard on them. She vividly recalled the warning that Will had given her earlier that morning and a part of her knew that he was right. Jem would be better off without her, so she steeled herself to convince him of the truth of Will's lies.

"Will and I – we did-" her voice faltered as she grappled with words that should've come easily to her. Jem moved closer to her and his fingers traced her shoulder; soothing her with feathery strokes that she felt through the thick fabric of her sleeve. When he spoke, his voice was soft and calming in her ears.

"I know what happened, Tessa. And I know that he wouldn't affect you like this if it hadn't meant something to you."

Tessa closed her eyes, focusing on the warm pressure of his touch, just as she had done during her first frightening transformation into Camille.

"I thought that he liked me," Tessa whispered, and she hated the way her voice cracked.

"He did – he does," he corrected himself hastily, but Tessa had heard him and her eyes opened in time to catch the flicker of doubt. Jem reached to take her other shoulder so that she was forced to look at him. "Tessa, he didn't mean any of the horrible things that he said."

Tessa wished she could have believed Jem, but she knew – they both knew – that Jem wouldn't have hit Will unless Jem had been sure that Will had meant it. Her eyes started to burn again and she bowed her head, blinking back tears.

"Tessa." She felt his hands leave her shoulders, slowly sliding down the length of her arms until they reached her clasped hands. Her arms tingled in the wake of his touch and her fingers relaxed, allowing him to gently detach one of her hands from the other. He had done it before, but she was still shocked when he took her hand and delicately brought it to his lips. The touch of his mouth was so light that she wondered if she had imagined it, but he did not release her hand.

"Tessa, I can't answer for Will, but I can tell you that I meant what I said. You're-" he stopped to clear his throat, keeping his eyes trained on the hand that he still held in front of her. The pad of his thumb brushed over her knuckles, causing her pulse to jump as his silvery eyes met hers. "You're a beautiful young woman that deserves to be treated with respect and-" He was hesitating again, as if there was something more that he wanted to say but he was holding himself back. His eyes bore into hers with an intensity that Tessa was unfamiliar with but did strange things to her heart beat. She waited on bated breath before he finally said,

"And I'll make sure that William remembers that."

Tessa sensed that that wasn't all that Jem wanted to say to her, but it was a reminder that he had in fact just struck his closest friend because he had been disrespectful toward her. Before he could drop her hand, Tessa's fingers laced through his as another thought gripped her.

"Do you think he'll tell Charlotte about…" she tapered off, blushing. Jem's cheeks turned a soft, fleeting shade of pink. Tessa was momentarily distracted by how adorable and becoming a blush was on Jem's usually pale face.

"No," Jem reassured her quickly, "I don't think that he'll tell anyone."

"But how can you be so sure?" she pressed, anxiously tightening her hold on his fingers.

To her surprise, Jem smiled and brought his free hand up to touch one of her rosy cheeks. His fingers were cool against his skin which is why it was so strange that the feel of his hand on her face made her skin ignite into flames. His fingers swept over her cheek, tucking a wayward curl behind her ear so that he could lean forward and whisper:

"You don't have to worry about him, Tessa. You might find this hard to believe, but I have enough blackmail material on William Herondale to fill a scandalous novel."

Tessa laughed as he drew back to watch her through silver eyes sparkling with amusement. She laid a hand on his arm to support herself as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Just think of how Charlotte will react when you tell her what he's done with Six-Fingered Nigel," Tessa giggled and was rewarded with the sound of his laughter. They leaned into each other until their giggles and snorts of laughter subsided.

The last laugh died in her throat when she noticed that she was the only one laughing. Jem had sobered up and was gazing at her with the same intensity as before. It was then that she realized how close they were standing. She had her hand on her arm and her other was still wrapped up in his. His arm had wound around her waist at some point to steady them both. They had spent last night in each other's arms; but somehow, standing here in the weapons room in broad daylight, this was different. There were no tears, no blankets, and no darkness to hide behind. It was just her and Jem, and they were alone in the weapons room, and standing so very close together.

Tessa's heart was hammering so hard in her chest that she wondered how Jem couldn't hear it. Perhaps he did hear it, and that was why he was staring at her as if he had never seen her before. Tessa licked her lips and his eyes seemed to darken as they followed the movement of her tongue. His fingers tightened on her waist as if he was going to pull her against him. And for a half confused moment, Tessa truly thought that he was going to lean down and kiss her.

But Jem did not kiss her, because suddenly the door beside them flew open with a bang. Tessa and Jem were so startled that they froze in place, caught in the act. Fortunately, the red-headed man was too flustered and too busy conversing with himself to notice. Henry bustled into the room like a colorful hurricane; nearly tripping over a particularly dangerous metal object and knocking over a display of swords before he found what he was looking for. His face lit up as he fished something small and glowing out of the debris; and then just as quickly as he had appeared, he was gone, slamming the door shut behind him.

Tessa blinked at the closed door before turning to Jem.

"Well, that was-"

"Henry being Henry?" Jem supplied, grinning, but not without affection for the ginger haired man. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Jem's grin was infectious and Tessa found herself grinning back, even though a part of her was cursing Henry for interrupting them.

They had let go of each other, but they were still standing close. The charged moment between them had ended with Henry's arrival. Jem's eyes had returned to their usual hue of silver and were no longer scrutinizing her with an intensity that caused her heart rate to sky rocket. Tessa was relieved, but at the same time she felt as if she had been reading a thrilling novel, and right when she got to the best part – the book had slammed shut and hidden itself away. Tessa desperately wanted to know what would have happened if Henry hadn't shattered the moment. Jem was smiling again and was as polite and warm as he always was, but she sensed that he had closed a part of himself off from her, tucking it away somewhere in the back shelves.

"Well, I should probably clean this place up," Jem said, gesturing at the mess that hurricane Henry had left in its wake.

Tessa recognized the dismissal. She smiled, trying to hide her disappointment. Of course he had things to do; even if he was ill, he was still a Shadowhunter with responsibilities.

"I was on my way to the library," Tessa recollected.

"Watch out for Will," Jem warned her. "Sometimes he lurks in there when he's upset."

Tessa was surprised when Jem mentioned Will and she felt nothing. Jem had successfully distracted her and lifted her spirits. Even if he hadn't kissed her, he had soothed away her worries and cheered her up.

"If he insults you in any way or form, I want you to tell me or Charlotte." His face grew serious. "He has no right to treat you in that manner and I'll remind him that you deserve better."

Tessa smiled softly at Jem, wondering what she would do without him. He was more than her friend; he was her valiant white knight. When she had first met Will she had mistakenly thought that he had been a hero from a novel sent to rescue her and sweep her off her feet. She had been wrong. Her hero had taken on another form.

"Jem," she said.

Jem turned to look at her. Tessa closed the space between them in a few tentative steps. He stiffened as she laid a light hand on his shoulder, dangerously close to the bare white skin of his neck.

"Tessa?" his voice was strained.

Before she lost her nerve or got distracted, she leaned forward to press a kiss on his cheek. His skin was warmer than she had expected, and so soft that she let her lips linger there. She caught a whiff of his scent and forced herself to withdraw her lips before she did something silly like sniffing his hair.

"Thank you, Jem, for everything," she whispered with one last shy smile. She hurried from the room before he could see the steady blush that crept up her neck and consumed her face.

When the shock had worn off, Jem smiled and touched the spot where her lips had been. Several minutes passed before he dropped his hand and finally tore his gaze away from the doorway. He could feel the imprint of her lips on his cheek for the rest of the day.

A/N: I apologize profusely for my grammatical errors and run on repetitive scenes, I did not have a beta for this chapter. I'm sorry for the delay too, the holidays were hectic, I'm having a difficult time figuring out my life, and I was disappointed with how the chapter turned out. I still am, even after months of trying to piece it together. It seems like every fic has a scene exactly like this one, but I feel like it's an important part to the relationship between Will, Jem, and Tessa. Before Jem and Tessa can move forward they have to deal with Will, because it is a love triangle, and all three of them do love each other in their own ways. So this was my idea of how the scene might go and hopefully you'll get some enjoyment out of reading it. Should I continue?