Hi! Sorry for the incredibly long wait. I had writers block :P, and…yeah. I just got the Clockwork Angel manga and i'm so exciteeeeed! Will and Jem look awesome (Tessa's hair is so long) I'm trying to picture an infernal devices anime, oh gosh that would super cool :) And again, sorry for the wait!

Tessa looked at the mirror for quite a long time. Her reflection bore into her as the sparkling gold of her dress glinted in the sunlight seeping across her bedroom. It wasn't that she was checking to see if she looked alright, no wrinkles in her dress, not one hair out of place, nothing out of the ordinary with her face. It was because the day had finally come, and when since she was little she always dreamed of this day to come. She closed her eyes and breathed out through her nose, it wasn't the day just yet. Pearl, Sophie, Pippa, Jessamine, Cecily and the other few ladies in the institute were altering her dress, and it was almost done. They just needed to make a few adjustments, measurements and finishing touches.

While the girls were fixing her dress, she took the time to admire the beauty of the dress. The soft, golden fabric extended past her feet, to the ground, and draped itself two meters if she was walking down the aisle. A transparent, fabric that held tiny glints of sparkling gold covered it all with floral designs mixed with shadowhunter marks. The bodice had the golden floral design as well, with accented black vintage designs mixing with the gold. Her shoulders were bare and there were no puffed up sleeves, it was just a transparent sleeve with the golden lacing wrapping around her arms, ending it off with it loosely at her elbows. Her neck held the jade peony necklace that Jem gave her as her engagement present. But, since this was all an act, Tessa had shadowhunter garb underneath the dress. Pearl helped alter the dress. There was a clasp attached to the bodice and the fabric of the dress below, and if she unclasped it, it would reveal a pair of trousers and boots. Luckily, Pearl designed the bodice to be flexible, since there was going to be a lot of running and all for the wedding.

And it wasn't going to be a real wedding. It would be a fake one, a surprise set up for Mortmain and his infernal creatures. The real wedding would take place after Mortmain and his machines would be destroyed, when the whole matter would settle down so it would be much safer. But still, in the dress, it felt like the day had already come. She watched the girls in the mirror touch her dress, pinning it up with needles to hold it in place, their fingers frantically trying to pull her skirts a bit up so that they could adjust the bottom skirts by thread. For a few minutes, the girls backed away from the dress, admiring Tessa and their work.

Pearl clapped her hands together in satisfaction. "I think." She started. "That we did a fairly well done job ladies. We made Tessa look like an angel princess."

Tessa scoffed at the name silently. Angel princess? The compliment felt over exaggerated that it made her laugh.

"Oh, if Jem was only here." Cecily sighed.

"That will only be when Tessa and Jem's time comes." Pippa added strictly.

"Quite right." Sophie added. "If he saw you now, it won't be the same reaction when the wedding really does take place." Tessa smiled at Sophie.

"And Mortmain wouldn't see it coming." Pearl said eagerly, she reached up and unclasped the mechanism that held the bodice and the fabric of the dress from waist down. The heavy, golden trim fabric fell to the floor, revealing a pair of trousers, a belt that would carry numerous weapons, and laced up boots. Pearl sighed as she thought how surprised Axel Mortmain would be when he thought Tessa didn't come prepared.

"And yet it took us three weeks to make this." Jessamine said in a dull tone. "But, I guess all of the needle pricks and strained backs were worth it."

"They were." Tessa agreed, she turned herself around to meet them, her back against the mirror. "Thank you all for helping out with my dress, it's so beautiful."

They smiled at her in thanks. Pearl walked over to her and turned her around to face her angle. She cocked her head as she patted the lower part of the bodice, where the stomach was and had her turn around once more where the back lacing was done.

"Ah." Pearl said. "It seems that we have one more adjustment to do. The lacing here is ripped, we need another replacement." She looked at Sophie. "You wouldn't mind popping into a store or two to get some lace?"

Sophie smiled as she curtsied. "It would be my pleasure." The girls said goodbye as Sophie slipped out of the door.

Pearl turned to Tessa and clasped back on the fabric of the dress. "We can help you out of the dress now. It must have been exhausting having to stand up for a long time."

Tessa turned around and stared at her dress in the mirror. "No, I would like to stay in it for a while." She said quietly as she ran her fingers through the soft fabric.

She nodded. "Very well, just holler if you want to get out of it." Pearl turned her attention towards the girls."Come on now, let's leave Miss. Gray alone." And with that, the door clicked shut.

As soon as Tessa was alone, thoughts began to whirl in her head, gears were turning. Even thought it wasn't her wedding day, there was a rush of adrenaline and anxiety bubbling in the middle of her stomach. The dress made something out of her; it was like taking a faded wooden sculpture and refurnishing it again to make it look new. She clutched the skirts of her dress as she twirled it around. It was heavier than most of her dresses. She knew that all shadowhunter brides had different designs for their own dresses, she wondered if they felt the same adrenaline and the same anxiety as her. She could just picture going to Idris right now, marching in into the Accords Hall. With Jem waiting for her by the altar, dressed up with the finest suit, his bright eyes staring at her, the crowd staring at the blushing bride with the most gorgeous wedding dress, what a rush…

Tessa was so deep in her thoughts that she nearly jumped out of her skin when the door creaked open. She turned around to only be overcome by dread and absolute fear, and she could swear that he could see it in her eyes. She clutched the fabric of her dress tighter as the palms began to grow clammy. She turned around to face the mirror, even if she could see his reflection in the mirror. Tessa grew very still as her chest heaved.

Will stepped forward hesitantly, as if he didn't want to come near her. His Adam's apple moved as if he there was something hard to swallow. His eyes bored into her reflection and Tessa could feel his gaze run to her head to the bottom fabric of the dress. To Will, it looked like she was wearing sunlight. He hastily took his eyes off of her and set them on the wall.

"Your book order came in." He said. "It arrived a few minutes ago." He walked towards her. The beat of her pulse quickened even more from each step her took. But instead of giving it to her, he placed it on her nightstand.

"Thank you" She responded simply, straightening herself up. "I take it yours hasn't arrived yet?"

"No." He said. There was an edge to his voice as if he was trying to hide something.

They stood there in the silence that they hated, the same one that always was shared between them. She looked at him in the mirror, his blue eyes shied away from her, unwilling to return her gaze. It reminded her of the tale of Medusa in a way. As if Will was Medusa and Tessa was looking at his reflection, knowing that a direct glance at him would turn her into stone, or, make her insides feel as they turned into stone, she kept her eyes on the mirror.

Oh, but she couldn't just stand there in his presence. She knew she needed to say something.

"Great expectations." She started with a dry voice. "Is a work of art."

He looked puzzling at her. "You bought it? When you could have simply borrowed it from the library?"

"The copy in the library is destroyed. The ink is fading, the front cover is ruined, and some informative and very important pages have gone missing. It's falling apart." She replied. "I bought it to replace it."

"That's very considerate of you."

Tessa didn't smile, nor did she speak. Where in the world is this conversation going? She wondered, but she kept her mouth going, as if there was a purpose for her to speak to him. It was as almost she forcing herself to speak to Will, when really, she was afraid of him. She stared into the mirror, trying to read any expression in his eyes, but he wouldn't turn to face her. "It's questionable." She stated dryly. "Charles Dickens left us hanging, did Pip ever forgive Estella?"

His blue eyes grew solemn as he angled his head to the wall."That answer to your question is in the minds of the readers itself. I don't think that he left us hanging at all, perhaps there was a subconscious message that Pip never spoke of Estella again."

"Care to elaborate?" Tessa challenged.

"I do believe that apologies are out of the question. They never quarreled about the return of Estella's love. I think that Estella cared for him, but something was holding her back so she couldn't express her love freely. On the other hand, Pip assumed that Estella simply didn't love him back and was ready to move after all of time that he tried to win his affection. The loss of love expressed in the story was so great to Pip that he didn't find anyone he wanted to be with." He said carefully.

"Then what of Estella? Surely she was affected in a way that Pip just walked away from her."

"I think she was. Though she might seem strong on the outside, she can easily break in the inside. "

"What do you think would happen if Pip ever sees her again?"

"I believe that they will be silent, they won't be able to talk to each other again after what they've been through." He paused. "But alas, that is another story to be told."

She fell silent for a moment, Tessa found herself combing through her dress repeatedly, and it gave her some sort of comfort and relief in the tight atmosphere. "Then-" She swallowed before going any further. "I'm sorry, this might seem out of context, but…what is our story?"

Will blinked in surprise. He opened his mouth to speak. What exactly was their story? It was a type of question that made you think over, search the past and present for a good enough answer. Luckily, he managed to conjure one up in his head. "Our story is…undecipherable. A story that leaves you hanging on every chapter, foreshadowing is evident on every line and you have no absolute clue what will happen next."

Well said. Tessa thought. "And are we on the same page?"

"We're on the same page, but we seem to keep on reading the same line over and over again."

Before Tessa could say anything, a knock interrupted them. "Master Will, Miss. Branwell would like a word with you in the drawing room." A pleasant Irish voice said, as they heard her footsteps distance themselves away from the door.

He grimly nodded towards her as she curtsied in his direction. Will opened the door and closed it silently behind her. Tessa tore her eyes from the mirror and glanced at the packaged book that he left her on the table. She picked it up and weighed it in her hands before tearing off the paper, there, was the new copy of Great Expectations. Full with unopened fresh pages and a smooth cover front to back. Tessa smiled as she put the book back onto the table as she called Pearl to help her undress. As soon as she helped her get out of the dress and back into her normal evening one, she headed out to search for Jem. She always had this urgent urge to see him whenever she encountered Will, like she needed him for protection. She wandered down the hall until she found his room. Beyond the creak of the opened door, he found him sitting on his desk writing something. He smiled at her affectionately as she came in. Tessa wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"What are you doing?" She mumbled against his skin.

"Writing music." He said simply as she watched him scribble notes on the staff.

"What's it called?"

"I'm marrying the most wonderful woman in the world and I can't believe she's mine."

She laughed. "Quite the title you have there. You might have to shorten it when it becomes famous." Tess watched him scribble some more notes on the paper with his feather quill."But really what is it called?"

"It's your song." He reminded her. "Ta shi chong man lee gesheng-She is filled with song."

"That reminds me, thank you again for going through all of that trouble in writing me a song." Tessa said playfully. Twirling a lock of his hair around her finger.

He looked at her, his silver irises growing fuller. He set down his feathered quill, stacked his papers neatly and put them in a pile near the edge of the desk. Jem drew his face closer to hers, she could feel his breath trickling her skin. Tessa looked into his eyes, and then setting them down onto his lips."You know." He said. "This song isn't for free." And with no hesitation at all he closed the gap between them, sealing her lips with a kiss.

Tessa's hands snaked onto his chest as they made their way up to cup the back of his head. She could feel his strong hands grip her waist as he pulled her to him. Her mind went hazy whenever Jem kissed her, like she couldn't think at all, she was completely lost in his world. Jem's kisses made her want another, he made her feel as if she was longing for something, a tug in her heart that kept pulling. She could taste the sweetness of the yin fen on his mouth as they grew deeper and deeper in their kiss. Finally, Jem pulled apart and held her close to him, resting his head on her hair.

"How was the dress fitting?" He asked softly as he rocked them back and forth.

"Exhausting." She replied. "But the dress that the girls made looked so gorgeous. I wish that you could've seen it."

"I guess I'll just have to wait an excruciating long period of time until the wedding." He said in a small laugh as he rested his forehead onto her eyes and continued to kiss.

.oO0Oo.

"Thank you Cyril, I'll be right back."

He nodded as he moved his carriage out of the curb of the street into the bustling streets of afternoon London. Sophie watched the carriage disappear from her sight, getting more anxious as people passed her by. She clutched her purse tightly and drew in a deep breath. She had never been this deep in London before, especially for a piece of lace. Sophie assured herself that Cyril would loop around just in time when she finished shopping. She drew out a memo from her purse, Pearl's perfect handwriting wrote out the directions to get to the specific clothing shop. She swallowed Oh Sophie, you mustn't worry, nothing bad is going to happen. Sophie took another deep breath before wandering out into the streets.

It was a busy afternoon. Ladies with evening gowns walked firmly onto the ground with their heads high with men wearing elegant attire accompanied them. Children clung closely to their loved ones while their eyes grew wide, looking at the big world. Beggars were in small, dark alleys, looking at the common folk while pleading for money and food. The sky was a light gray with a bit of sunshine out, and the air didn't smell so bad. Ahead of Sophie was a long line of shops and markets, with their white trim and bright colors to make up for the sad weather. She watched people in front of her, trying to distract herself from the panging worry that seemed to quicken her heartbeat. Sophie watched a tall young man, dressed in black talking to another chap, who was wearing gray. She didn't mean to eavesdrop, but she could easily make out what they were saying. She spotted a young girl with bright hair in two braids clap and laugh while her mother scolded her to be quiet. The little girl's eyes scanned the crowd, eventually staring at Sophie while she smiled a toothy grin. Something snapped her attention away from the little girl when something brushed her shoulder.

"Out of the way." A mellow voice commanded in a sharp tone. It was a lady with a huge fur coat, wearing diamond and gold earring while her hair was wrapped in a tight bun, accompanied by a weak looking man that was smaller than her. Sophie stared at the couple walking briskly among the crowd. She stared at how extravagant the woman's clothing were and looking down at her own dress. Did a light green dress with a bit of lace and a white shawl seem to plain? Feeling a little out of place, Sophie raised her head high as she took wide steps, holding the piece of paper in her hands.

When she glanced at the names of the streets, she had to literally push herself out of the thick crowd in order to follow Pearl's directions. The alley was a long one, and at the end was a white picket fence guarding a garden. She squinted, she didn't see anyone , anyone threatening to her. Sophie walked hastily through the alley before glancing at the paper again to see the next direction. Through the streets, she began to loosen a little. The little memo giving her more confidence, she walked through the streets like a pro, forcing down a proud smile. When she caught the sight of the shop, she grinned in satisfaction as she walked in. The owner of the shop looked at her.

"Do you by any chance have floral, golden lace?" She asked.

Within minutes, Sophie was done shopping. When she exited the shop she tucked the lace in her purse as she began to head onto the streets again, wearing the grin again. Tessa's beautiful wedding dress will finally be finished! Oh, Miss Gray will be so happy! I wonder what Pearl thought of for the maids of honor, I bet she'll come up with some gorgeous with that imagination of hers-

A sudden gust of wind blew through the street as Sophie pulled up her shawl and held her hat against the wind before passing. She lost grip of the paper as she hurried to catch it, but she was too late, it fell in a puddle. She bit her lip as she scurried to the puddle to snatch the paper from wetting any further. Sophie held the damp paper in her hands and squinted at the writing, it was completely smudged now and it was unreadable. She sighed as she dropped the paper back into the puddle. How was she supposed to go back to Cyril now?

It's not so hard. She thought. "I just need to retrace my steps from memory."

She wandered down the hallway, her lips tightening whenever she took a step forward. She took the streets that she thought she took to get to the shop, slowing her pace. Sophie was very worried, panic invaded her thoughts as she thought of bad possibilities of what might happen to her if she got lost. Sophie kept on checking every single street and going back because she felt so doubtful, until she wound in an alley, admitting that she was lost.

Calm down Sophie said in an assuring voice. I just need to retrace my steps back-

She froze when a sound of heavy footsteps invaded her ears. Sophie spun her head to find a dark figure walking sluggishly down the other end of the alley, the figure was followed by a group. Laughing and crude comments were exchanged as they drew near her. Her heart hammered against her chest as she began to turn around-

"Hey, lady!" a deep voice yelled. She froze in her tracks. It was too late, if she ran they would all catch up on her easily.

The figures walked closer to her. "Do ya have any pounds miss? My friends and I are chipper for a drink or so." She clutched her purse to her side, she didn't want to look at them as they approached her. She looked down, refusing to look at their faces. It was a man before her, wearing dirt covered trousers and a pair of beaten up boots. She leaned against the wall as the man drew closer to her as he touched her face with his grimy fingers.

"You're a pretty one." He commented, he reeked of tobacco. Sophie was shocked, they didn't see her scar, maybe it was because it was hidden in her hair.

"Perhaps I won't buy a drink." He said."Perhaps I'll just take her maidenhood." When he reached to touch the buttons bellow her neckline, she slapped his hand away and kicked him in the shin. He gave a screech as he looked at her. When Sophie began to run, his gang ran up to her and caught her by the arms and dragged her back to their leader. When she finally looked up, terror washed over her face and she could feel her heart stop. The face of their leader-

It was her old master.

"You horny bitch." He snarled, looking down at his injured shin, then he looked at her and a wave of amusement crossed his face. "Hey, I know you." He said, dark humor coating his voice. "You're that whore that refused my kind offers."

"They were not kind offers." She hissed, struggling against the men's grip on her arms. "Where is kind in attempted rape?"

He traced the scar on her cheek as she tried to lean back. "Has the scar done you well? It must have, you are such an unattractive hag."

She ignored the rude comment. In her thoughts flashed Gideon and it deeply angered her for some reason. "If you are so kind, you would let me go."

"Not until…" he trailed off as he produced a wicked blade from his coat, it was a switch blade, sharp enough to sever your head it one slice. The fine blade glimmered in the sunlight as he stared at her wickedly. "…I have some fun for myself." He lunged towards her and blindly slashed at her. Something warm and wet invaded her stomach, he cut a wide wound, and blood began to stain her dress. She yanked free of their grip as she tried to run away from them but he caught up. He pranced at her, but Sophie managed to punch him in the face, leaving a massive bruise on his cheek. He scowled as he whirled his knife and struck her again, she stumbled onto the ground as he hovered in front of her.

"You started all of this." He snarled. "If you followed my instructions, maybe you didn't have to live as a slut." And with that the knife came down, but…

It didn't hit her.

She blinked in surprise, everything was blurry. She blinked again and stared at the figure standing above her, it wasn't her master, but it was another man and he wasn't part of the group. Her eyes widened as tears began to fall, the knife had went through his back in a fine shlick. Hazy green eyes peered sorrowfully down at her before yanking the knife out of his body. Her master blinked in surprise as another shlick was heard, Gideon fell down as she saw Cyril stab her old master with a seraph blade. Gideon was at her feet, bleeding profusely.

"Gideon." She whimpered. "What in the world are you doing here?"

"He followed you in the streets." Cyril responded. "I found him sneaking up on you and decided to join him. When he found me, he said that he was worried about you." He bent down Gideon and pulled him to the side so he could breath more easily. He drew out a stele and began to draw runes of strength on his arm. Gideon's hazy green eyes peered to Sophie as she helped Cyril lift him up so he could lean on him. They limped slowly to the carriage which was on the other side of the corner, leaving Sophie's old master to crawl away and the rest of his gang to walk away. Sophie's heart was pounding with fear and overwhelming sadness. Gideon was worried about her, he followed her to make sure that she was alright, even though she thought that she broke his heart enough. And here, Gideon was bleeding to his death. Feelings of remorse came over and weakened her but she refused to cry, he needed her the most. The cut on her stomach was still bleeding also, but the wound was no more painful than seeing him die before her.

When they carried Gideon to the carriage, Cyril quickly drew runes on Sophie's arm for strength also. He stepped out of the carriage, tucking in his bloody shirt with his tail coat, removing his stained gloves. "It's a long trek to the institute Miss. Collins, you both will have to hold it for a while."

"Thank you Cyril. There's not enough words to say how grateful I am for your rescue."

He tipped his hat with a grim smile as he closed the carriage door behind him. The carriage jostled forward, beginning their long journey home. Sophie placed Gideon's head on her lap throughout the ride. His dull green eyes peering into her soul, she sniffed as she placed her handkerchief on his cut, sealing it from bleeding any further with her hand. He put his hand on top of hers, keeping it there.

"Oh Gideon." She whispered. "How could you have done this to yourself?"

He breathed unevenly; it was painful to watch him struggle to gasp for air. "I had to." He said quietly. "He was going to kill you."

She combed her fingers through his hair repeatedly. While she was holding back the tears. The fear that she felt in the alley with her old master was terrifying, but this, this was nothing compared to the fear that Gideon could die any moment, resting on her lap, speaking ever so softly at her.

"Please don't die." She croaked. "I do not want to go through the same agony again."

He said nothing as he continued to stare at her. Then he noticed the cut on her stomach, he snapped forward, only to wince in pain. Sophie settled him back down and continued to comb his hair with her fingers. "You're bleeding." He said. "He cut you before I came?"

She nodded. "It's nothing compared to yours. I'll be fine."

"I'm so sorry." She whimpered, her voice getting thicker. "I should have done something, I should have-"

"Shhh." He whispered. "Sophie, you did nothing wrong." A tear of blood pooled at the side of his mouth.

"Oh my heavens." She breathed through her sobs."You must hate me. After all of things I've put you through."

With his bloody hand he held hers, and with his other he held her cheek, wiping away all of the tears. "I know that my sins are unforgivable." He said."And I know that some part of you, you still don't forgive me. I am a traitor and I will be forever known that, and I would be forced to live with that guilt for the rest of my life, or perhaps, God will end my suffering-"

"Don't you dare say that!" She screeched, the hiccups of her sobs coating her throat, making it dry. "I refuse to let you die. You will live!"

A ghostly smile appeared on his face. "I'm not finished yet. Even though I am in pain, both inside and outside, I would push it all away in order to protect you." He whispered. "Even if you don't forgive me, I will protect you. No matter the cost."

Sophie bent her head down so it touched his forehead. She closed her eyes, spilling a tear down her face and splashed onto his cheek. She had been waiting a long time for someone to come along and say that to her. She had always dreamt of finally be safe, and to have someone care for her deeply. And now, he was slipping away from her. "I forgive you." She sniffed. "I forgive you, I forgive you, I forgive you." Before he could say anything, she shut his mouth with a kiss as tears were spilling down on her cheeks. He tasted of blood, but he was warm. She broke away and rested her forehead on his again.

"I love you." She said.

She could hear his smile. "Te quiero demasiado." He said.

"What does that mean?"

"I love you too."

.o0O0o.

Several minutes later, they arrived at the institute. Cyril halted the carriage and hurried to the institute. Charlotte opened the door as Sophie watched as her eyes widened in surprise. She disappeared, and in moments she had Will and Jem with her, accompanied by Pearl. Gideon was sleeping on her lap. (Thank God) and Sophie used the last bit of her strength to push open the door to let them in, and then her eyelids were giving in. The wound was eating away at her energy, until her hand went slack as she drifted off into a deep sleep, all she could do is listen.

Jem carried Sophie out of the carriage as Will helped Cyril get Gideon out of the carriage and into the infirmary. After they settled the two in the carriage and had Bridget take care of them, Charlotte went to talk to Cyril. Her hair was wild and her eyes were wide, she hadn't expected this at all, and of course she needed answers. Cyril went back to carriage to free the horses. When she called, she noticed that there was blood stained on his coat, and a splatter of red on his forehead.

"Goodness, Cyril are you hurt?" She asked as she watched him free Bailos.

"No miss, I just got it on myself." He answered. "I suppose you need me to answer some questions."

"Indeed." She replied. "First of all, why was Sophie outside, and what happened to her?"

He told her that she was buying some last minute requirements for Tessa's wedding dress, and that she was cornered up in an alley with a bunch of poorly dressed men. He also told her that Gideon was accompanying her (he didn't want to get Miss. Pearl to get in trouble for letting Sophie go alone) and tried to defend her, and that he himself happened to cross that street. Charlotte managed to swallow all of that information. But she would get the real story when Sophie and Gideon woke up.

"We can't have any of this." Charlotte said in a exasperated voice. "The fake wedding is tomorrow, and we can't have anyone injured at this point."

He nodded as he brushed himself off, ridding himself from the dust that the horses kicked off. She sighed. "Thank you Cyril for protecting Gideon and Sophie."

He tipped his hat and began to unhook the latches on the horses. Before he could put them away, something caught his attention at the side of the carriage. In hesitation, he stepped forward and saw a piece of paper sticking out, jammed in the middle of the door. He plucked it out and unfolded the note to reveal a scrawled up description of some sort.

Expect some unexpected guests tomorrow.

Let's have some fun tomorrow, shall we?

-The ones who warned you

Oooo, so this part of the story is done! Moving onto part 2. (Which, by the way, has a lot of drama, so be prepared!) :) -KKKQ