I FINISHED CITY OF HEAVENLY FIRE! DEAR GOD, I THINK I AM AS EMOTIONALLY DAMAGED AS I WAS FROM CLOCKWORK PRINCESS.

I will never be the same.

Cassandra Clare has given me everything I need in 9 books.

I don't want to wait for TDA. I WANT IT NOW!

No more spoilers for those who haven't finished it!

Okay, here are my responses! :)

Morning and Eve: Hi friend! :) No! I would never try and kill you. Ever. You'll see why Alec is working with Mortmain. It is a pretty screwed up situation, though. Yay! Heaps of feelings. Or, like Will Herondale says, "You kindled me, heap of ashes I am, into fire." OH GOD WILL HERONDALE! JACE HERONDALE! JAMES CARSTAIRS! I can't. I'm done. I found all my loves in 9 books. Even Jonathan... he could have been so amazing...
Okay. Enough with CoHF. I'm sorry. I'm just recovering from the crying.
You will be happy to know that today I went and bought "The Fault In Our Stars" for my flight to Paris. :) I'm really excited. I also got "The Shadowhunter's Codex." MWUAHA!
How many more continents do you have to travel to? If you come to North America, make sure to go to both Canada AND America. Don't just choose one.
Oh, my God. I give you confidence. *Tears of joy.* I didn't know I could do that for anyone.
No, the Jessa "curveball" wasn't exactly a baseball reference haha. Well, I guess it is. It's a way of saying you were thrown off track, that's all.
I'll try and message you the day of your birthday! I think that's the day before we head to Paris, for we will still be in Normandy (staying with a host family) so I'll try. If not, I will when I return to my country.
I'll see you when you review! :)

bow down to me peasants: I have no idea how I stopped either. I kept getting interrupted. It upset me because all I wanted to do was read!

SilverCarstairs: I commend you for reviewing twice. It made me smile. As for Alec... yes, he doesn't want Jagnus to be together. That's why he is working with Mortmain. Evil, right?
Wrong. It's deranged.
By the way, I loved all that spelling and grammar. It was beautiful. Really captured society these days!
Oh yes. Camille's descriptions. Actually, after you told me the first time you liked her description, I wanted to describe her like that again. BRAVO to you for inspiring me. Actually, your writing inspires me a lot.
Of course. Magnus and the glitter. One cannot exist without the other! HAHAHA JEM!
So yes. I shall be updating Divide and Conquer again soon. :)

Thalia (Guest): YAY! Now 21. :) I wasn't sure how the length would turn out, or if it would be too choppy, but I'm glad you liked it.

Tessa Elsa Herondale: Aww... thank you! :D I hope you enjoy this (and try not to have a heart attack-that would be bad.)

Guest: Thank you soooo much! :) Well, you know guys. They do things to impress their friends. And thank you. I'm so glad you like my writing. It means so much to me. I finished CoHF... and I did love it. I did laugh and cry and yell. My mom looked at me like I was crazy too. And thank you! :) Again. Enjoy the chapter! :)

Nevaeh: Thank you! haha

Mrs Jace Wayland-Herondale: I didn't think it turned out as much of a plot twist as I was hoping, but I'm glad you liked it! Well, I tried to compensate what happened with Camille and Alec in CoLS into this. How Alec wanted to take away Magnus's immortality? I kind of viewed it like that.
Oh. THE BUDDY SYSTEM DOES WORK! Taken is the reason the buddy system needs to be used!

Bookthief1317: Thank you! And I will. :)

TESSA'S POV

I woke sometime later in a frenzy. I was in the middle of Mortmain's library; the scenery was all-too familiar, in the worst way possible. My mind reeled back to last summer, back to Mortmain pushing me against the bookcase, running hands up and down me, murmuring predatorily in my ear.

I shuddered and turned my head. Camille and Mortmain stood there, together, laughing at me. Their laughter echoed, but they sounded as if it were underwater.

"Oh Tessa," Camille growled, her red lips a stain in her pale face. "When will you ever learn?"

I coughed, putting my hand to my mouth. It came away spattered with blood. "Learn what, Camille?"

"That Will is and always has been mine." She gestured to the far end of the room, where it was thickly shadowed.

I squinted to see what she was motioning toward, and froze. Even in the darkness, I could make out the disheveled head of black hair, the tall boy, broad shoulders. He was so close it hurt.

"Will," I exhaled softly. My head whipped toward Camille. Mortmain was grinning at me as well. It was sickening. "What is he doing here? What did you do to him?"

Camille just grinned wider. "I have done absolutely nothing. He's here on his own will."

My heart swelled with hope, and I glanced back at Will. He was still standing in the shadows, still and calm, his pale skin the only other thing visible about him. "Will? Have you come to save me?"

He laughed coldly.

So did Camille and Mortmain.

"Don't be a fool, Tessa," Camille said, slithering into the shadows beside Will, ruffling his hair. He leaned toward her as if he was fond of her. "He's here for me," her voice said.

The underwater effect was back again as the world started to tilt. "What? Will, what is she talking about?"

The two silhouettes collided, their lips pressing together, his hands feeling every inch of her.

No.

I tried to run toward them, but my feet wouldn't move. I glanced down and noticed my ankles chained to the floor. I looked back toward Will and Camille, now effectively stripping clothes, and felt my stomach twist and flop over, tears blurring my vision as the world spun faster, my heart dropping, squeezing itself so tight...

I coughed and jolted awake. Really awake this time, I told myself.

But then again, I had had that reoccurring dream over and over again, several times in a row, and every time I woke up feverish and sick, always catching a bare room around me, before the world turned back again.

My clothes and hair stuck thickly to my skin. The room I was in was cold and still, not a noise other than my ragged breaths.

It was just a dream. Was just a dream. Just a dream. A dream. Dream.

The words bounced around in my head as I searched around my frantically, my head whipping back and forth. The room was a basement of sorts; it was all stone, cement, smooth and dusty, windowless, with a single door set in front of in the wall.

I caught my reflection. I looked like hell. My hair had fallen out of its pins, straggling around my face messily, matted around my head. My makeup was smeared under and around my eyes darkly. My skin, on my face, my neck, my collarbone, had a sheen of sweat on it, glittering in the dim light. I was somehow dressed in a tight-fitting black dress, only reaching to my knees, the sleeves reaching my wrists. The fabric clung to me tightly, even more so since I was drenched in sweat.

How the hell had I gotten in that dress?

It looked so familiar...

My ankles and wrists were bound to a chair I was sitting it. I thrashed around, trying to yank free of my restraints, but the chair was nailed to the floor.

Damn it.

I closed my eyes and took deep, rattling breaths.

A pair of luminous blue eyes flickered across the backs of my eyelids.

Will.

I love you so much, Tessa. I don't tell you that enough.

I gulped and opened my eyes. My heart throbbed for him. I thought of that moment between us, in that room in his house. I thought of his lips and hands on mine, of him wanted to keep my eyes open the whole time, watching the reactions fleet across each other's faces.

I thought of Will the first time I had seen him. I remembered thinking he was just another arrogant boy, bumping into my carelessly. I remembered him asking me to pretend to be his girlfriend. I remembered Jessamine yelling at us, at me kissing him, at him taking me upstairs to that bed... That bed that I now knew so well, that I had slept in for so many nights.

I thought of Will in the library, when I had seen him with Aline, of me kissing him to get her to back off. I remembered being angry with his anger toward me, though we didn't know each other well then at all. I recalled pulling his jersey off, throwing it at him, and stalking out of the library.

I thought of Will in the locker room, looking at me with longing, and Jem glaring at him. That wasn't long after he and I had slept together.

I thought of Will coming to my dorms in the middle of the night, just to talk to me, after I had had a panic attack. Of how he had taken my mind off things with his consuming, intoxicating touch, his words, his lips...

I thought of Will-

The door opened, and in stepped three people.

Axel Mortmain, Camille Belcourt, and Alexander Lightwood.

I glared at them all. "What do you want from me?" I managed through gritted teeth.

Mortmain stepped forward, grinning mischievously. "I'm glad to see you awake. You've been out for quite some time. Well, in and out, I should say. How are you feeling, Miss Gray?"

I glowered at him as he reached out and brushed hair from my face, his cool hand resting against my warm skin. I got the pleasure of seeing two fingers wrapped in a white bandage.

He raised his eyebrows expectantly, his grey-blue eyes never leaving my face. "Well, Miss Gray? I take it you've had a fitful sleep. You've been calling out for Will for hours now. We eventually had to leave until the effects of the drug wore off," he said.

My eyes flicked to Camille. She grinned triumphantly at me, her arms crossed over her perfect, perky chest, her hip popped. "Too bad Will isn't here to save you now, huh, princess?" she purred.

I gnashed my teeth together, refraining from showing them any emotion. I looked back at Mortmain. "The chloroform? What you used to knock me out?"

His shoulders shook in laughter and he stepped back. "No, Miss Gray. Not the chloroform. The drug we injected into you."

I jerked back. "You what? What did you put in my body?"

Camille moved to stand beside Mortmain. She cocked her head to the side. "It originates from China. It's a form of opium, called yin fen, though it is much more addictive, highly addictive, in fact."

Alec paled behind the two of them. "I didn't agree to this-" he started.

"Shut up, Alexander," Camille snapped without looking at him. "We recruited you. We call the shots here."

"Keep calm, Camille," Mortmain said, then met my gaze. "The yin fen is extremely addictive, and deadly. After a few doses, your body will begin to crave for it, want for it. After a few more, your body becomes addicted to it. It will need the drug to keep going."

Shock washed over me. What did they do to me? Was I going to die?

I must have visibly paled because, a moment later, Camille scowled at me. "Axel, I think the drug is already taking its effect on her outward appearance."

Amusement colored his features. "Indeed it is. This is very interesting. I didn't expect it to happen after three injections."

"What is wrong with my appearance?" I demanded, feeling panic spread through my veins. Maybe this was another dream.

Camille giggled, then stepped forward, a compact mirror in her hand. She aimed it in my direction, and I caught a closer reflection of myself in it. My hair had a few silvery streaks, from root to tip and a purple bruise flowered on my cheekbone.

I gasped and slammed into the back of the chair, cringing away from the mirror. "What did you do to me?"

Mortmain chuckled. "Don't worry too much. It's all a side effect of the drug. You're not addicted to it yet, Miss Gray, but since you have been injected with it such few times, it's causing you to hallucinate and dream, making you unconscious and feverish."

A silvery image danced across my vision, hair and eyes...

"Jem," I whispered.

Mortmain grinned. "Yes, your Jem is like that, too, but not for the same reason. A couple generations back, someone in his family became addicted to the yin fen. You see, the drug is not only addictive, but it's a killer. It'll kill you slowly, from the inside. If you're addicted, and you stop taking it, you'll die. If you're addicted and take larger doses of it, you'll die faster. If you're addicted and take smaller quantities of it, you won't die as quickly, but you will eventually. Well, the relative in James' family was addicted to it, and the coloring passed down through generations. Some with the hair, some with the eyes, but Jem got both," Mortmain explained, his hands clasped behind his back like a professor giving a lecture.

I coughed; blood sprayed across my hands and legs. I looked up at them with panic clear on my face. "What is going on with me?"

Mortmain waved a hand. "It's normal. It would get worse if we kept injecting you with it."

Alec pushed past them, walking toward me cautiously. He knelt in front of my chair, raising his blue eyes to mine. "Tessa, I'm so sorry," he whispered, almost inaudibly. "I had no idea this was going to happen."

The backs of my eyes stung, but I focused on Alec, focused on not cringing from him, focused on a familiar face that I liked. I didn't understand why Alec did what he did, but somehow, I forgave him. I smiled softly and nodded. His shoulders dropped and he stood up, returning to his spot by the door.

I met Mortmain's gaze on mine. "Tell me what you want with me."

His smile held no happiness; it was sleazy, dirty, devious. "I want to marry you."

WILL'S POV

I sat beside Jem in his car, clenching my hands into fists tersely. Charlotte hadn't given us the OK to go, so we were on our way to save Tessa. We had discussed whether they were taking Tessa to Axel's house or Camille's house. We decided on the latter, considering the crime scene the last time Tessa was taken was at Mortmain's.

Jem was speeding. I glanced lazily over at him. His skin and hair shimmered with glitter. I grinned. "James, your sparkling is rather throwing me off. I can't help but wonder if you're a vampire from those Twilight movies, let alone take you seriously."

He looked at me incredulously. "We are in a rush to go save your girlfriend and my best friend, and that's what you choose to say to me?"

I shrugged. "It won't do Tessa any good to give myself high blood pressure. I could have a heartache and keel over and die. I don't think that would help her situation much."

Jem shook his head. His hair caught bits of fragmented moon. "I know this humor of yours. It's what you use to conceal what you're actually feeling."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever you say, James."

Magnus leaned forward from the back seat. "William, do stop harassing my boyfriend. You're unnerving him."

I slitted my eyes toward Magnus. "He's my parabatai. It's what I'm supposed to do. I know him better than anyone."

Magus raised his eyebrows. "Really? I'd be happy to tell you I've seen every-"

"That's enough, Magnus," Jem said, though his tone was playful.

I smirked. "No, James, it's okay. Jem and I know each other quite well. How else would he know of the tattoo of the Dragon of Wales on my-"

"William!" Jem barked. It was affectionate, but his cheeks were flushed, so I dropped the topic.

Cecily, beside Magnus in the bag, gasped at my statement. "You can't be serious, William!"

I shrugged. "There are some things you never need to know, little sister."

She scowled at me. "You're older than me by five minutes. It hardly counts."

I grinned. "Five minutes is five minutes. I'm still older than you. You should respect your elders, Cecy."

"Will, we're here," Jem said.

I spun around in the front seat, my heart suddenly racing. Camille's house loomed up in front me like the Monster House. I gulped and climbed out of the car, the others followed. I carefully strode to the front door and knocked.

To my surprise, Raphael Santiago answered the door seconds later. "Camil-" he started, and then broke off upon seeing me, his dark eyes narrowing in confusion. "Will Herondale. You are the last person I expected to see. How can I help you?"

My stomach dropped. "Camille isn't here?" The look on his face had me backtracking. "I think she kidnapped my girlfriend," I added, hoping to clarify my intentions.

Raphael's eyes were dark, his curly hair tousled. He looked young in the dark light shining from the starry sky. "I'm afraid I can't help you much, Will. Camille hasn't been home in a few days. In fact, I was under the impression that she was going to Charlotte Branwell's New Years Eve Ball tonight."

I swore. "Alright. Thank you, Mr. Santiago."

He nodded curtly. As we turned away, he called out to me: "Will. A man came to visit her the other night. She called him by the name of 'Axel.' They were discussing plans of what to do with a girl named Tessa. Is that who you're-"

I bounded back up the front stairs so I was standing in front of him. "Yes. Yes, that sounds like everyone involved. What did they say?"

He shook his head. "I didn't hear much. Just that they were getting revenge, and something about a boy named Alec. Their new recruit? They said he was going to help get ahold of this girl. I considered going to someone about this information, but I had no physical proof."

I risked a glance at Magnus. He was pale, still, cautious, calculating. I looked at Raphael. "Did they mention anything else? Where they would be taking her?"

"No. That's all I heard before they saw me."

TESSA'S POV

My jaw dropped. "You want to what?"

Mortmain's grin didn't falter. "Marry you, of course. You know, be wed in my name, live happily ever after."

I gawked at him. "You want to marry me. But you don't even love me."

He began pacing. "Well, of course I do." He stopped in front of me, reaching out and grasping my jaw with a bruising force. "I've loved you since you walked into my class at the beginning of last year," he said gruffly into my ear, his foul breath making me gag. He smelled rancid; of stale coffee, blood, and alcohol.

I struggled against his grasp, but his fingernails dug in to my skin deeper. It stung, and I gasped with the pain. Blood trickled around his fingers; I felt the warm substance blossoming from where his hands gripped the sides of my face, where it dripped down my neck and collarbone, into the black dress I was wearing.

"You don't love me. Will loves me," I ground out.

Mortmain released my jaw, but backhanded me, on that side without the bruise. I felt the blow hit me hard, and I knew that side was going to bruise as well.

I glared at him with rancor. "You're a sick bastard. You raped me. You took my virginity. As if I would ever marry you."

Alec sucked in a sharp breath.

Mortmain's eyes flashed. "I took it because I love you."

"YOU TOOK SOPHIE'S TOO, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" I screamed. I couldn't contain my anger any longer. My chest heaved up and down; I leaned forward, pulling against my restraints. "How can you tell me you love me when you did the same thing to another girl? In fact, you took her back to your bedroom before me."

He smirked. "You know what they say. Best for last. Besides, don't you recognize that dress? You wore something very similar to it that night."

I was shuddering from head to toe. I wasn't afraid anymore. What he did to me couldn't scar me any longer. "No matter what you say," I said, calmly, "I will never believe you love me. I will not marry you."

"Yes, you will. You will have no choice, no say in this decision."

I gnawed on my lip; blood was still slowly trickling down my neck. "There is no benefit for me here. There are only benefits for you and Camille." My gaze shifted toward Alec. "And Alec, they won't give anything to you. They just said that because they needed more assistance in kidnapping me."

Camille was suddenly behind me, gripping a handful of my hair, and yanking, hard. Tears sprung to my eyes as my head snapped back, and I cried out.

"You stupid little bitch. Shut up," she seethed.

I saw Alec. His eyes were very wide, and he knew I was right.

"Camille," I said, slowly, trying to breathe out the pain of her pulling my hair. "The plan is that Mortmain marries me, gets me out of the way of Will, so you can have him?"

"That's right. It's not like he could want you. He probably still hasn't noticed you're gone."

I raised my eyes to Alec's; he nodded, turned, and left the room. Mortmain just made a noise of disgust and muttered how useless he was.

"It doesn't matter anymore," I whispered. "I will never want to be with you, Mortmain. What are you going to do to me if I refuse? What's the worst you'll do to me?"

WILL'S POV

As we all piled in the car again, my phone started ringing. I glanced down at it, and my vision momentarily went white.

Alec Lightwood.

It was his fault Tessa was gone.

Well, part of it.

He had been the one who was yelling at me for being pussy-whipped. He started it. He triggered my outburst on Tessa. She got angry with me for it, and went off alone.

But I decided to pick it up anyway, on the last ring.

"What the fuck do you want, Lightworm?" I snapped into the receiver.

He took a deep breath. "I understand you hate me with a passion right now, Will, but-"

"Damn straight I do. So tell me what the hell you want, since you kidnapped my girlfriend," I said.

"About her. She's downstairs right now, and I'm scared for her. I had no idea any of this was going to happen. I only agreed to because they said I could get Magnus back, but now I realize that nothing could break him and Jem up. Will, Tessa needs you. She's in big trouble."

I gripped the door handle tightly, my knuckles white. "Where are you, Lightworm? Tell me, now, and we'll be there soon."

Alec rattled off an address. "You need to hurry. I don't know how long she has. They injected her with some drug, and she's been hallucinating the past few hours, and now Mortmain-"

A banging sound rang out, and Alec hung up. I stared at the phone in bewilderment. What was Mortmain up to? I shook my head and gave Jem the address, refusing to tell anyone else what Alec had told me.

They had unlocked my restraints. I stood up, barely having time to stretch my legs out before they attacked.

Camille, still in her dress, had kept her stilettos on. Her leg swept out, knocking my legs out from under me. I hit the ground, hard, on my knees. I felt them purpling instantly. I was about to drag myself to my feet when her foot came in contact with my side. I groaned, clutching it, collapsing on my stomach.

Mortmain, that fucker, was laughing on the side.

Camille kicked me again, narrowly missing the already-tender spot. I coughed from the pain, and more blood dribbled from my mouth. The blood on my neck and throat and collarbone was dry now; sticky when I moved my head to see Camille.

She stood above me, her pretty features twisted into an ugly snarl as she kicked at me again, savagely.

I curled into a ball, letting her kick me, over and over again, letting myself cough up blood until there was a small pool of it around me.

In the back of my mind I registered Alec returning to the room, sickly looking, meeting my eyes and nodding almost imperceptibly. I allowed myself to feel some relief.

Mortmain was yelling at Camille to spare my face, that the rest could be covered up with the dress.

Somehow Camille had managed to pry me off the ball I was in and roll me over, so she was straddling me. My ribs ached, every time I moved, they ached. Every breath I took burned. The pain was so intense, I wasn't sure I could bear staying conscious much longer.

Her fingers dug into my thighs; her nails dug in slightly, but her grip was bringing blood to the surface, bruising my legs as well as drawing blood to my pale skin.

"Do you still think he'll think you're beautiful, Tessa?" Camille demanded.

Her voice sounded muffled to my own ears, like she was far away.

"Come one, princess, answer me! Will he still want you when you're purple and blue and scratched? Will he?"

My mind registered all the pain at once; the unbearable pain in my ribs-I was certain a few were broken-the aching at the back of my head, the pinpricks of pain on my jaw, my cheekbones, my legs. Blood was trailing down them, and I had a sudden flashback.

Sophie and I were forced in front of mirrors-a whole wall of them hidden behind bookshelves. The bald-headed, blue-eyes man gripped me firmly in place. It hurt. Every part of me hurt, and not in a good way.

I swallowed, averting my gaze away from my reflection as his voice whispered in my ear.

"Do you see these marks I've made on you? That's so you think of me whenever you look in the mirror. I've made you a beautiful princess-a woman. And you don't even realize how much I've done for you..."

My eyes finally shifted to the mirrors. What was this crazy man talking about?

As soon as I caught a glimpse of my reflection, I knew what he meant.

There was dried blood between my thighs. I knew what it was from, an fit scared me. It had really happened.

He had really done that to me.

I cried out, throwing my hands in front of my eyes so I couldn't see any more.

HIs hands wrapped around my wrists and forcefully pushed them to my sides.

"No, you're not seeing the marks I made on you. Ignore the blood. Do you see them now?"

I didn't want to see them, but I did. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing I saw them.

But I, unfortunately, had already given him too much satisfaction-satisfaction I hadn't wanted to give him.

The image shattered before me as Camille pulled my shoulders up and slammed me against the ground.

Just like back then, I raised my hands to my face, allowing a cry of pain to tear through my throat, every pain and thought and evil memory extracting itself in one horrifying, bloodcurdling sound.

And I finally let the pain take me away.

I somehow awoke. Camille was shaking me violently to wake me up, and I unwillingly cringed at the sight of her.

I was in a bedroom, in a bed, wearing a white nightgown.

What the hell?

"Wake up, dumb bitch," she remarked bitterly.

"Don't touch me," I whispered.

She cocked a perfectly plucked eyebrow.

God damn.

Even her eyebrows were perfect. Was there anything about her that wasn't perfect? Well, outwardly appearance, that is.

"Sorry to break it to you, princess, but it's time for you to get cleaned up and put in that pretty white dress." The words did not come out nicely.

I glanced over her shoulder. Hanging up was a white dress, a tight bodice and poofy skirt. Next to it was my blue dress.

I sighed and tried to sat up, but fell back down again. The sky was still dark outside.

I groaned, feeling a wave of nausea roll through me. "I don't feel too good."

Camille's emerald green eyes widened. "Don't throw up here-"

But it was too late. I had rolled over to the edge of the bed, retching up everything in my stomach. Camille's lips curled back in disgust. She grabbed the back of my nightgown and yanked me up when I was finished, pulling me into the bathroom, despite my screams of protest and pain.

Everything after that was a blur of pain. Camille had stripped me and bathed me, washing away makeup and dirt and blood. She wasn't gentle with me, but eager. As she marched me past the bathroom mirror, I caught sight of my body. My whole torso was nearly completely purple, as were my elbows, thighs, and knees.

It was a horrid sight.

And then came the worst part.

Camille was dressing me in the wedding gown; tears slipped silently down my cheeks at how little energy I had that I couldn't bring myself to fight back anymore.

The pain of Camille lacing me into the dress kept my mind alert, focused. My gaze settled on my blue dress, and Will flashed across my vision. How long had I been asleep? Would he ever come save me? Was he even worried about me at all?

As if on cue, the bedroom door swung open, and my beautiful Will stood in the doorway. His blue eyes, so beautiful and full of worry and love, widened at the sight of me.

He completely ignored Camille, who was looking at him as if he were the stars above.

"Tessa!" He cried, barging into the room.

Behind him were several police officers. Through the spaces between them I caught sight of Mortmain glaring at me, his hands cuffed behind his back. I couldn't find myself to smile or feel pleasure about it. The pain from the tightness of the dress was making my breaths come out short and quick, sweat beading at my neck and hairline.

But then Camille was getting taken away, screaming and kicking, but I couldn't focus on her.

I only saw Will; my avenging Angel.

WILL'S POV

I burst into Mortmain's house with Magnus, Jem, and Cecy behind me. Mortmain was standing in the main room in a tuxedo, looking particularly startled at their arrival. Mortmain didn't have time to react, for the police officers our small group had rounded up pushed their way past us, and straight toward Mortmain. Mortmain protested, his eyes flicking nervously to a door just a little down the hall.

I followed his gaze, half-running there, and threw the door open. Tessa stood there, looking deathly pale and in pain, being laced into a wedding dress by Camille.

At my arrival, Camille dropped her hands and started toward me, saying my name over and over, looking at me like she worshipped me.

But I didn't see her. I only saw Tessa, and the painful, relieved look in her eyes. What was going on with her?

But as she turned her head toward me, I saw what was wrong; or rather, part of what was wrong. Along her jaw line were several crescent-moon shaped cuts, and her cheekbones had purple bruising swelling on them. My veins filled with more anger and hatred than they had been before.

I was vaguely aware of Camille being taken from the room, screaming my name and begging for me to save her, but I ignored her.

I stepped toward her, folding her into my arms, but she squirmed and cried out, pulling out of my grasp, her eyes wide with tears, her chest rising and falling quickly.

I glanced over my shoulder, then shut the door.

"Tessa? Are you okay? What happened?" I asked gently, but she was shaking her head, stepping away from me.

"No," she gasped, her hands on her hips as she doubled over. "Will-the dress-get it-get it-off!"

I got what she was saying and went around her, very carefully pulling at the strings until they loosened down her back. The dress practically fell off her, and my heart lurched at what was underneath.

Tessa stood in a bra and underwear, whimpering in pain. Her shoulder blades, and the rivets of her spine, where black and blue. Her sides and stomach were the same color, and, as the dress pooled around her ankles, I saw her knees, elbows, thighs, the same shade.

Someone did this to her. They had hurt my Tessa.

And I was not okay with it.

"Tessa, who did this to you?" I demanded, trying to keep the anger out of my voice.

She leaned into me, gently, collapsing in my arms, groaning. "Make the pain stop."

"Sh," I cooed. I grabbed a blanket from the bed, wrapping in around her shoulders as softly as I could. She shivered and pulled it as tightly as she dared. I pulled her into my arms.

"It's going to be okay, Tess. It's going to be okay," I said as soothingly as I could. I carefully brushed her hair out of her face, which was wet from most presumably a shower.

"No, Will. It's not. They're just going to keep coming after me," she said, and her breath hitched as she broke down in sobs.

My heart felt like it was being torn in half. To see Tessa like this was like... watching the world burn before my eyes.

"No they won't. The police are arresting the both of them right now. Alec's getting a minor punishment, but Camille and Mortmain are going to be out of our lives for a long, long time."

She shook her head. I felt her tears soaking through my white shirtsleeves, which was, evidently, what I had left on out of my tuxedo. "Will, they injected me with yin fen. I think three times. It made me hallucinate, dream of you and Camille together. It was awful."

I pulled away to look at her, examine her. Indeed, strands of her hair had turned the very familiar silver I had only ever associated with Jem. But Jem hadn't been directly exposed to it...

"Am I going to die, Will?" she asked, so quietly I almost didn't hear her.

I snapped back to attention. "Absolutely not, Tessa. You barely have any of it in your veins. Unfortunately, it begins to effect the appearance first, quickly, which is why your hair is like this. But you'll be fine. There isn't much in you, and your body will cleanse itself of it soon. Don't worry in the slightest bit."

Tessa searched my face. "How do you know so much about it?"

I sighed. "There was a time when Jem was very curious as to why he was all silver. Turns out it was a family trait from some guy generations back, but we learned a lot about yin fen."

Tessa was quiet for a moment. Then, "I'm so sorry, Will. For getting angry, for storming off. None of this would have happened-"

"Hey," I said, gently tipped her chin up with my fingers, carefully avoiding her cuts. Tears ran down her cheeks; I bent down and kissed them; they tasted salty against my lips. "It was my fault for letting my ego get the best of me. I'm the one who's sorry. It's my fault this happened to you, Tessa. I could never make up for this." As I said the words, my voice cracked, and I fought down the emotion as much as I could, but my eyes burned, and I kept seeing all of Tessa's bruises.

"No, Will-"

"Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa," I whispered, closing my eyes.

"What does it mean?" she asked softly.

My fault, my own grievous fault.

I repeated the lines to her. "My fault, my own grievous fault. It's Latin."

And, by the Angel, despite everything, she smiled. She reached up, taking my face between her small, frail hands. "It's not your fault. It's not my fault. It just happened."

I stared down at her. After she had been through tonight, this is how she acts?

"Tessa, I-"

"No," Tessa said, placing a finger against my lips. "What do you say we spend the rest of this break staying in your house?"

I grinned at her. "Angel knows you need to rest."

Her grey eyes, wide and innocent, looked up at me. "And something else, too, I hope?"

My grin faded. "Tessa, no. I'll hurt you-"

Her brow furrowed. "Will, I'm not delicate china. I can handle it, if you're gentle."

I gave her a look.

She gave me one right back. "It's not as if it's going to happen right away! Give me a few days and I'll be okay. A little tender, yes, but nothing I can't handle."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're not a piece of meat, Tess."

She rolled her eyes. "For God's sake, Will! I will have sex with you when I want it! You don't get a say in it. I'm the injured one!"

With that, she stuck her nose up in the air and turned away, starting toward the door. She paused at it, looking at me expectantly.

"What?" I asked.

"You're supposed to open the door, sugar," she said jokingly.

I stared at her incredulously. Was she taking control of this relationship now? I didn't mind it, not at all. In fact, I found it attractive. How she was able to still act good-natured even though she was covered in bruises.

I walked toward her, touching her as gently as I could, and pressed my lips to hers, hot and sweet and lingering, before pulling away. She looked at me with gleaming eyes.

"I love you, Tessa. I think I loved you since I saw you at that party, and I didn't know it. With those grey eyes of yours... I can't explain it. But every time I see you, it's like seeing you for the first time, and falling in love with you all over again. I never get tired of seeing you," I said in a rush. I didn't know where this rush of emotion came from, maybe from seeing her like this and still acting strong, but it came and needed to be said. "I think all the time about how we came to be today. From Jessamine yelling at us at the party, to you finding me in the library while you wore my jersey like you owned it. From me stalking you to your dorms that night-" she smiled at this, "-to you shoving me in a closet so Agatha wouldn't find me. From you showing up at my door just to study, and not do anything else, to us going out to dinner that night. To us sharing our secrets, to our morning playful sessions, and not just the sexual kind. From you obsession with my spaghetti-" her grin stretched wider now, "-to our snowball fight. That was the day I realized I was in love with you, Tessa. That was when I started planning how I would tell you I was in loved with you. I waited to say it because I wanted it to be a truly special experience for the both of us. Something memorable."

Tessa's eyes were watering, and then tears were rolling down her cheeks. She raised her blanket clad hands and wiped them away. She was waiting for me to say more, I could sense it, so more came out.

"When Nate showed up that night, I wanted nothing more than to protect you from everything wrong and corrupt in the world, from anything and everything that could have hurt you. And then the night I told you I loved you, I was so nervous, Tessa. I was so nervous. Not just because of the way I was going to say it, but in fear that you wouldn't return my feelings. But then-" I took a deep breath, "-but then you did return them, I could see it on your face, and all of my worries fell away, and it was just you and me in the world. And then the very next day Camille showed up. And I was terrified, Tessa, absolutely terrified. I was scared of what she would do or say to you, and I was so caught off guard, I didn't know what to do to protect you from her, but then you stood up for yourself and I realized... Tessa, you don't need protection. You're already so strong, so independent and strong-willed that you are self-capable of anything. It is one of the many things I love you for. God Tessa, I love you so much, it hurts sometimes."

"Will-" she croaked, bursting into tears, but I wasn't done. I carefully snaked my arms around her waist, placing a small kiss on the top of her head.

"And then you got put on probation, and that nearly tore me apart. I hate not being able to see you, Tess, and how convenient it happen right after I tell you I love you? How perfect was that? You probably started to doubt my feelings, but they never once wavered. In fact, they got a hell of a lot stronger when I realized how miserable I was without you and how much I missed you. And then the night Jem got the call from you that you were at Devil's Den. I was so angry going in there, seeing you dancing with Alec Lightwood, but I was also so relieved that you were alright. I know our little drinking game probably wasn't the best way to deal with things, but it got you talking. I never know what extent I need to go to to get you to talk. But I love that about you. You're stubborn and real and you."

Tessa's grey eyes stared at me in awe, filled to the brim with tears, but she didn't bother wiping them away this team.

"Of course, there's you and your weird obsession for peanut butter on pancakes-" she laughed, "-but it's cute, as is everything you do. Whenever I see you, whenever you're in the same room as me, you're all I see. I only have eyes for you, Tessa. Something about you captivates me. Hell, everything about you captivates me, mesmerizes me. It scares me sometimes when I realize that I could never be the same without you, Tess. I was terrified when I had bruised you that one time, terrified you would leave me. I just don't want to do something to you and you leave me. That's why I'm so careful with whatever I do, Tessa. I'm afraid to mess up. The dreams of me hurting you..." I shook my head. "They were almost too much to bear. I don't know what I would do if I did hurt you, Tess, because you hold my heart in your hands, you see, my whole world in your hands. You are my everything, Tessa. My beginning and my end, the middle, and everything it between. You helped pick up the pieces of my life when I had made a complete mess of them. You helped me put me back together."

My heart was racing, beating so wildly I was sure that it would fly out of my chest at any moment. But it didn't matter, not when Tessa's eyes blinked up at me the way they were, not when her lips formed an O at my words.

"I love you more and more every day. Every day I am thankful to be with you because, well, because you're perfect. You're perfect for me. You're so beautiful, and smart, and strong and independent, and sweet and compassionate, funny and a little weird. But it's okay to be weird, because it makes you unique. And for me to have found someone so unique, so special, so different than everyone else, that's what's made me truly a lucky man in this world. To be blessed with someone as amazing as you, someone who I'm not ashamed to say, yes, I am whipped. I am wrapped around not just your finger, Tessa, or your baby finger, but your whole hand. I am yours, all yours, and only yours. And that's how I want it to be, forever, until the end of time. Because I have finally found someone whose weirdness matches mine, and we somehow simultaneously fell into this relationship into something called love. So, Tess, my Tess, if you want me, now and tomorrow and next year, years from now, please tell me now, because there's nothing more I could ever want, nothing else I could imagine for myself."

Finally done with my speech, I exhaled sharply, searching her features frantically. Her eyes, filled with such admiration and awe and tears and raw emotions, met mine. Very slowly, she stood on her tiptoes and placed a ghost of a kiss on my lips.

"Will, I believe that has been the most beautiful thing you've ever said to me," Tessa replied, her voice breaking. "I don't even know what to say; you've rendered me speechless. All I can say to that, really, is that yes, that is what I want. I've been thinking a lot about us, Will, and where we could go. And I've found that I want nothing more than to be with you, just as you said, because I want you and only you. I have never loved someone the way I love you. I have never been so comfortable and happy around someone like you. I have never had someone to turn to like I have you, someone to help me with my problems, to will them to go away. Only you can do that, Will, for whatever reason. But I can't help but feel like it's because we are meant to be, just like you said, because we fell in love, in the most unexpected way possible. We fell in love when we both needed it most, and we picked up the pieces of our broken pasts, putting them together again, better than they were before. And we were only able to do that by the sheer power of our love. Because that's how strong our love is, Will. We have the power to mend the broken, to stand up and brush ourselves off when we fall down. And we can only do that with each other. So, yes, Will, to answer your question, yes. Yes, I want you now and tomorrow and next year, and many years to come, for the rest of my life. We may have been together only a few months, but they have been the most real, the most heartfelt, growing months of my life, and the best thing I have ever experience," she replied.

I felt it, then. Something I hadn't felt since I was thirteen years old and Ella was in the hospital. Tears burning at the backs of my eyes. I tried to blink them away, but they wouldn't go away. For a split second, I was afraid Tessa would judge me, but then I thought of everything she just said to me, and realized that that was a crazy thought.

Tessa was crying, and then I was crying. I pressed my forehead against hers, exhaling on the relief that she was alright, even if she was hurt, it was better she was alive. Relief from laying my heart on the line, every inch of it, every emotion I had ever felt, and knowing that she felt the same way in return.

Finally, after not long enough with her alone. I wiped my eyes with my sleeves and smiled at her. It was a smile I knew told her I loved her, a smile I reserved for her and her alone.

And she knew it, judging by the smile she flashed back at me. She smile that matched mine.

"Shall we go out there?" I asked in a whisper.

Slowly, she nodded. "Yes. Yes, but I want you to hold me as we do. And don't let go. I'm feeling particularly exposed and vulnerable right now, especially after all these emotions."

I grinned. "Okay, Tess."

I gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder, kissed her quickly, told her I loved her, and opened the door. I coaxed her down the hallway to the main room, where Mortmain and Camille were cuffed and speaking to officers. They both looked over as we emerged, shocked expressions on their faces. Our friends were there too, looking grim. Tessa and I walked right past them, out of the house, and into the car, where we sat in the back seat together, recounting stories of our relationship to each other.

And if the police needed to ask Tessa any questions about what happened, they'd be damned to do so at that moment, when her and I had made a major breakthrough.

And so it waited until later.

And I let myself lose myself in the presence of her once again, absorbed by all the things that had made me fall in love with her in the first place.

Hi friends! :)

How did you guys like the last chapter of the story?! Kind of spur-of-the-moment, I know, but I had a great idea and I sprinted with it. I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did! I know I really enjoyed writing this story and reading everyone's reviews. :)

Anyway! You guys are awesome. Truly.

Playlist:

1. Angel-Leona Lewis

2. No One-Alicia Keys

3. Haunted-Evanescence

4. So Obvious-Runner Runner

5. Darling-Avril Lavigne

6. Your Smile-The Naked Brothers Band

7. Pick Up The Pieces-Jason Derulo

So yeah! How did you guys like the story?!

... I'M TOTALLY KIDDING.

This is nowhere near the end of the story. I have so many plans for this story, it's not even funny.

But really, I leave in 2 days, so I don't know if I'll be able to update again before then! So, I tried to make this one longer than most of them. I hope you enjoyed it! I liked writing this chapter. It took me several hours, but I finally got it all out!

So please, please, PLEASE review this! I would love to come back from my trip with a lot of reviews. It would be a dream come true. Please help make that review happen! I would like anywhere between 185-190 reviews by then. That's my girl, but if I can't get it then... I'll be sad. :(

Anyway! Yeah! :)

Xoxo!
Bisous!

~Caitlyn