Hey guys I don't own the characters Cassandra Clare does. Thanks for favorites and reviews, I wasn't going to continue this story but I've been very lazy at writing lately and some reviews made me want to keep going. :)
When Tessa awoke all she could feel was the pain and stinging from the colorful bruises that covered her face and body. She was lying in her new room that was given to Jem and herself after they were married, but Jem was nowhere to be seen and Tessa realized that he was most likely still in the infirmary.
Rubbing her head anxiously she thought it must have been the pain that awoke her as it was still dark outside her window. That was until she heard the unmistakable sound of glass breaking.
Throwing her nightgown on she flew down the hallways until she finally arrived at the infirmary. The crashing and smashing had reached a terrible crescendo but abruptly stopped just as she reached the doors. Tessa thought she heard someone else running down the corridors so she quickly stepped inside to appraise the situation, because Tessa had a funny feeling she knew what the cause of the ruckus was.
Inside Jem was sitting on his bed with his arms wrapped around his knees, resting his forehead on them like a child. Tessa wasn't sure if he knew she was there and she didn't want to spook him. That was until she saw the mess he'd made of the room. A few tables and chairs had been strewn about the room like they were made of paper and medical instruments covered the floor like a child's playroom. The glass was the worst though. It covered almost every inch of the floor around Jem's bed and upon further examination Tessa realized that some of them had blood dripping down them, like rain on a window.
Horrified she stood mutely at the doors, afraid to move. Tessa had rarely seen Jem in such a rage and while she was frightened, it was not for her own safety that she worried for.
"Will, I'm sorry I made a mess but just leave it alone," came Jem's hushed voice. "And while you're at it could you just leave me alone for the moment too?"
"Will's not here at the moment." Tessa replied as soothingly as she could.
Jem's muscles tightened and she heard his sharp intake of breath before he raised his eyes to her. She expected them to be hard or cold and almost any colour gone by the swelling of his pupils, but what she was not expecting was the sad, tortured look he gave her.
"Tessa... I thought you would be sleeping. I'm sorry I woke you."
Tessa took a confused step forward, torn between wanting to comfort him and running to get help from Will or Charlotte. Instead she closed the door behind her so it was only slightly ajar and then picked careful footsteps towards Jem through the broken pieces of glass.
When she sat down on the bed next to him he didn't move away but he didn't acknowledge her either, he simply responded by putting his face in his hands. They sat silent for a while until Tessa saw his hands were bleeding, which explained all the blood on the glass.
Quietly Tessa gathered some bandages and scissors from the ground then crept back to the bed. Gently pulling on Jem's hands she brought them to her lap and wordlessly starting binding them after deeming they would not need stitches. Jem refused to meet her eyes the whole time but occasionally his long scarred fingers would brush along her hands or hold onto her for a moment.
"Charlotte told me about what happened." Jem said finally, bringing his eyes up to meet hers.
She could see his face sadden, taking in all of her injuries. Charlotte had fixed her up as best she could but Shadowhunters aren't accustomed to fixing human injuries, most just use an iratze for healing. Tessa was pondering how useful her bandages were for Jem's torn up skin when he grabbed her hands and pulled her close to him.
"I'm so sorry about what happened. I never meant to collapse or for you to have to defend me." Jem said stroking her hair.
Tessa wrapped her arms around his thin waist with her head resting on his frail shoulders. Sitting side by side she could hear his heartbeat. It was surprisingly strong and while his body remained weak, his stable heart reminded her that Jem was still strong and capable and that gave her hope.
They remained sitting like this for a while until Jem gently shifted her so she was sitting upright and Tessa thought she was going to be dismissed until Jem tenderly grabbed her foot. Confused Tessa looked down and realized she had several cuts that were bleeding.
Silently Jem retrieved the bandages and began working on her just as she did moments before, for him.
"My actions still continue to hurt you." He said sadly.
"I don't care as long as you're alright."
"I'll never be alright knowing that somewhere you're out there hurting yourself to protect me."
They locked gazes and a silent understanding passed through them.
"We both know that you would do the same for me, and have done the same for me." Tessa brushed the hair out of his eyes and moved closer to him. "I should have just gotten Will or Charlotte to give you a rune for your hands instead of the bandages."
"No." Jem said with surprising finality.
Taken aback Tessa could only stare at him confused.
"I don't want the runes. I'm going to heal slowly as a punishment."
"Punishment for losing your temper?" Tessa began but paused after seeing his expression. Sighing she continued, "Punishment for my injuries?"
When Jem didn't respond Tessa knew she was right.
"I can't keep expecting you to clean up after me and fix me up whenever I make a mistake. It's not fair."
Reaching up to kiss him on the cheek she said, "Okay how about I make you a deal?"
Confused, Jem nodded while cupping her cheek with one hand.
"I'll keep cleaning up your messes, if you continue to clean up mine." Tessa said with a smile.
Jem looked at her seriously for a moment before kissing her on the lips and whispering, "Deal."
After laying Jem down to sleep she began cleaning up the debris left over from Jem's rage and the next time she checked on him he was softly snoring. Giving him one last kiss on the cheek she left the infirmary to go back to their room.
Outside in the hallway Tessa almost tripped on something hidden in the shadows. It was a small frayed book. Tessa vaguely remembered the running footsteps before she went in to check on Jem. Inspecting the book closer she realized it was "A Tale Of Two Cities".
Carefully placing the book back on the ground like it was a venomous animal she backed up towards the wall. With her hand on her racing heart she knew without a doubt there would be only one person who would be reading that book in the whole institute. She also knew without a doubt that she had left the door to the infirmary ajar, leaving a small gap to see through if anyone had been outside in the hall.
Tessa walked numbly back to her room knowing that she couldn't allow herself to think about the person who left the book, and knowing that they must have seen her openly showing such affection and love with Jem.