I know it's been a long time, and I know this chapter is quite short but I did say they were going to be shorter from now one as the story is coming to an end.

So the chapter name for this is called 'Stay With Me' based on the song by Sam Smith, so disclaimer for him, I don't own the song.

I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 21

Tuesday 10th September

Stay With Me

Won't you stay with me?

Coz you're all I need

As Clary stood there, staring into the hospital room, at her mother lying in, what the doctors told her was, a coma, she had never felt so afraid. She was more afraid now than when she ventured into Jonathon Shadowhunter's house in Brocelind forest barely hours ago. It was now just after 6.30am in the morning. She was tired, but she couldn't sleep knowing that her mother wasn't waking up.

The last couple of hours happened so fast. All she remembered were the loud droning of the sirens in the distance. She and Jane were the only ones conscious. Jace was slipping in and out of consciousness but she refused to leave his side while they took him away on the stretcher. Jem had woken up on the ride to the hospital whispering Ashley's name. Jane was in the ambulance with him and held his hand all the way; reassuring him that Ashley was safe at home.

Valentine and Jonathon were taken away in the police car along with a man Clary found out was Mortmain. They were all fine and out of their lives, heading to the police station. Detective Belcourt had tried to ask Clary as many questions as possible, but Clary didn't feel like answering them. Jane helped out as much as she could, being the only one who wasn't remotely injured.

Clary had asked about her cousin, Tessa, who needed the shard of glass removed from her foot as soon as possible along with stitches. Will too; they had to remove the knife from his shoulder and the police had taken it away for evidence. He too had stitches and his shoulder was going to be stiff for the next couple of days until they could get the stitches out.

Nate, Tessa's brother, was severely damaged and needed immediate attention from the hospital, but as soon as he was good to go he was going straight to jail for trying to murder Will. He was being treated on a different floor to the rest of them, being heavily guarded by police.

Clary folded her arms and a single tear slid down her pale and tired face as Luke reached out and took her mother's hand as he sat by her bed. Jocelyn made no movement what's so ever. The heart monitor by her side was the only thing that was reassuring Clary that her mother was still alive.

She could hear footsteps coming from the side of her, but she had known the sound for many years that she didn't bother looking. Simon stood beside her and smiled.

"Hey," he murmured, trying to sound as if everything was going to be okay. Clary gave him a weak smile in reply, it was the only thing she could do. Simon sighed, but continued, "Any updates?" he asked.

Clary shrugged, "The doctors said she took something in defiance to what Valentine did to her. They don't know when she will wake up." Her voice choked slightly on the words and Clary wrapped her arms around herself even more, feeling cold.

Simon, like the brotherly-friend he is, wrapped his arm around her shoulders and rested his head on hers. "I'm sure she'll wake up soon. And when she does, she is going to be extremely proud of her daughter for saving her. She's going to be relieved that she's not going to have to put up with Valentine any longer."

Clary slowly rested her head on his shoulder and he felt her nod against him. It was a good shot at reassuring her but there was so much at stake for Clary. Simon rubbed her arm up and down. "Tessa's just came out of surgery. Will and the others are on their way now if you want to come with me?" he asked. She looked up at him with a smile and glass eyes.

"Can we get some coffee first?" she asked.

Simon stifled a laugh, "Of course."

Tessa's eyes fluttered open briefly and she could smell the hospital products in the room. A heart monitor next to her was making a steady beat to the rhythm of her heart. She breathed in, filling her lungs with the clean air around her. She felt something around her foot. Bandages. She had been out for the past hour or so where they performed surgery on her foot to remove the glass.

Tessa pulled herself up to a sitting position as a small knock came from the door. She could tell who it was already. Will opened the door anxiously and Tessa winced at all the blood on his shirt. He was holding a hospital shirt in his left hand that the doctors gave him to change his shirt. His entire right sleeve was missing and a horrible bandage covered his shoulder. Tessa felt a pang of guilt.

"May I come in?" he asked, all too shyly that it worried Tessa.

She smiled, "Come here," she mumbled, reaching her hand out towards him. Will walked up to her side and took her hand, sitting in the chair next to the bed. He pressed her hand against his cheek, feeling the warmth of her skin as if to commit it to memory. He kissed the inside of her hand before meeting her gaze.

"How are you?" he asked.

Tessa rubbed his knuckles with her thumb, "I'm fine now that you're here. I was worried about you," she proclaimed, "Last I saw you were-" The remembrance of him carrying her out of the house and at the same time losing blood was slightly overwhelming for Tessa to bear. Her hand shot up to her mouth in a gasp. "Oh, Will, I'm so sorry!" she cried, her eye filling up with tears.

Will leaned forward and kissed the crown of her forehead, "No, Tess. I am the one who is sorry, I should have protected you, you should never have been taken, and you should never have been hurt."

"Shh, it was not your fault," Tessa replied, "Don't you dare blame yourself. Will, I lo-"

The door burst open and in came Cecily, holding a bouquet of dendrobium orchids, with Gabriel, Jem and Ashley by her side. "Hi," she greeted in a soothing voice. The others gave her soft smiles and greetings. Tessa looked to Will who looked at her with hopeful eyes. He wanted to hear her say it. It had been so long since she said it.

Cecily set the flowers on top of her bed side table and reached to give Tessa a warm hug, "I was so worried about you!" she cried, muffling her words into her neck.

Tessa giggled, "I'm sorry," she replied, "But I'm okay now. We're all safe." Her hand automatically went to Will who took it without a word. She gave it a light squeeze and he never let go.

Ashley gave her a hug as well but it wasn't the same as the one Cecily gave her. It seemed Ashley still felt as if she wasn't part of the group yet, like she was a plus one to a party.

Cecily turned to Will with a deathly scowl on her face, "You! I don't care if you are older than me, do not make me worry about you like that ever again!" she cried. She was practically screaming at Will, her face flush with anger. But yet she flung herself at her brother giving him the embrace she so desperately needed to reassure herself that he was okay. As she did so, Will never let go of Tessa's hand, in fear that she might slip away from him once again, though he was determined to never let that happen.

A small tap came from the door and everyone turned their attention to the corner of the room. In came Jordan and Maia, holding hands and trying to put on a brave face. They greeted Tessa with the same love they have for their friends.

"I'm sorry," Maia whispered into Tessa's ear, "I didn't know much about what was happening."

They talked for a moment. Tessa held onto Will's hands as everyone wanted to talk about things other than last night's events. Everyone was careful not to crowd Tessa or hurt her foot, so they gave her some room. Will was the only one who was closest to her, and he knew, that from then on, he would do whatever it takes to ensure her safety.

Clary stood impatiently in the waiting room as Simon went to go and pay for a tray full of coffee for everyone that was coming. She had texted Jace and told her to meet her there once he was ready. She feared for him. He received horrible cuts around his back and he was getting tended to. Clary hoped that he would still be able to play in the game at the end of the month.

She looked up and his golden hair, even covered with mild dirt and sweat, was shining throughout the room. His golden eyes landed on hers and Clary burst into a sob, rushing towards him with her arms out in front of her. She was careful not to hurt him, but she couldn't help herself. He gladly took her into her arms and kissed the top of her head.

"It's okay," he whispered in her hair, "I'm okay now." Clary looked up and pressed her lips gently to his, committing his lips to memory. She had missed his lips. "What happened after I passed out?" he asked, once they parted.

Clary told him everything from the point when the sirens came and took them all away in the stretchers. How she remembered seeing 2 other ambulances and several police cars surrounding the house. She told him about the injuries of the others, how Will apparently was stabbed in the same shoulder he was shot in, about Jem passing out in the ambulance, about how Nate was being treating upstairs. She mentioned her mother to him, and he replied with nothing but a sympathetic look. She told him about Mortmain and Valentine being taken away in separate police cars along with Jonathon. She could feel Jace tense up around her when she mentioned their names.

It was like putting ice on a burn, relieved to know that they were being dealt with for their crimes. He kissed Clary one more time before Simon returned with the drinks and cookies.

When Clary, Jace and Simon arrived they found nearly all of their friends there. Tessa was in the centre, smiling at the others as she laughed her same laugh. She smiled even wider when she saw them walk into the room holding trays of coffee and cookies. Clary rushed to Tessa's arms and hugged her so tightly she was afraid she would hurt her even more.

"I was so worried about you!" Clary mumbled, crying into Tessa's shoulder. Tears stained her hospital gown but she didn't care. She was so happy that her loved ones were safe.

"How's your Mom?" Tessa asked. Clary froze in her arms and pulled back, giving her a bleak smile and small shake of the head. She didn't want to talk about it. Instead, Clary handed Tessa a cookie and a cup of coffee.

"Here," said Clary, ignoring her question but it seemed understandable. "We thought you might need these."

Tessa took the cup and the cookie appreciatively, smiling up at her cousin. "Thank you."

Clary took a seat next to Will while Jace stood behind her, keeping a hand on her shoulder. They talked for a long moment, happy to be in the same room with everyone. Tessa realised, for the first time that she could never ask for better friends than the ones sitting right in front of her.

All of a sudden, Isabelle swung the door open with Alec and Magnus in tow. Everyone made more room for them to come in, especially when Magnus was carrying a handful of balloons with the words 'GET WELL SOON' written on each of them...in glitter. Isabelle swung her arms around Tessa, almost knocking the cup out of her hands.

"I cannot believe what just happened!" she cried, "But thank the Angel you're safe."

Magnus nearly pushed Isabelle out of the way to get to Tessa where he pulled her into a tight embrace, still holding onto the balloons to make it even more awkward. "Darling! I'm so glad you're alright! You almost gave me a heart attack when I found out!" He produced the balloons to Tessa which she could do no more than giggle at and he set them on the bedside table, next to the flowers Cecily brought.

It wasn't long until the nurse came in with a grave face on her, holding her clipboard close to her chest. She manoeuvred around everyone to get to the machines around Tessa. She took some notes down on her clipboard and asked Tessa if she was feeling better, to which she replied with a nod.

"Nurse," began Will, "is there any news?"

The nurse looked shyly to Will because of his eager tone and looked back to Tessa, "Everything is fine Miss. Gray. I'm sure you'll make a full recovery and you can leave in two days. Though I must warn you, you will be in crutches for the next two weeks."

"Two weeks!" cried Maia, "But that means she'll miss the cheer for the game."

Tessa looked down at her hands sadly, and Will reached to reassure her, "I'm sure she'll be able to cheer even if she needs to sit down for it."

Tessa tried to put on a brave face, but it soon turned into a weak smile. They had been practicing for this cheer and she had been looking forward to wearing the new outfit Magnus designed.

As if reading her mind, Magnus spoke up, "Don't worry Darling," he said, "You can still wear the sexy new cheerleading outfit I'm composing for you all!"

They laughed together, but Tessa stopped when she noticed the nurse injecting something into one of the tubes. "What's that?" she asked.

The nurse smiled, "Just some morphine to help with the pain, but I'm afraid you need you're rest." She discarded the needle in the bin and turned to everyone else. "Tessa needs her sleep now, I'm sure after school you can come and visit her."

With grumbles, everyone complied with the nurses commands, kissing Tessa on the forehead and giving her hugs. She gingerly ate her cookie while everyone left. Will was the last to leave. He kissed her gently on the lips, kissing away the crumbs on the side of her mouth, before getting up out of his seat.

Tessa reached out for him, "No, Will. Please," she smiled, "Stay with me."

Clary and Jace were holding hands when they made their way down to Reception. Clary stopped when she saw Detective Belcourt. She was talking to Luke about something she couldn't hear. Luke was smiling to her and she could see that she mouthed the words 'Thank you' to her.

Detective Belcourt noticed Clary and Jace standing there and she smiled, "Are you alright, Miss. Fray?" she asked. Clary held onto Jace's hand even tighter before replying with a nod.

They had done the questioning that morning and Clary had tried to answer them as best as she could with what little energy she had left. Luke moved towards her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "I think I'll just take her home. You can have another day of school if you need it."

Clary smiled, "Please?"

Luke kissed her forehead and the three of them headed out to Luke's car.

When Tessa asked Will to stay with her he was more than happy to make her feel as safe as possible. They were lying on the hospital bed, Tessa's back was pressed up against Will's chest and his arm was wrapped around her waist. He couldn't think of a better moment than holding her in his arms.

"I like it when you hold me," murmured Tessa. Will planted a kiss on her shoulder and held her even tighter, before she continued, "I feel safe when I'm in your arms."

She turned in his arms and brushed a few strands of hair away from his forehead before he brought his lips down on hers. The kiss was more or less desperate and full of wanting. Tessa buried her hands in his hair, bringing him closer to her. She wanted to feel him, not just his body but his mind and soul.

"I love you," he whispered in between kisses. "I love you, Tess."

Tessa pulled back and stared into Will's deep blue eyes, "You better," she replied with a giggle. "I love you." The morphine began to kick in and Tessa drifted off to sleep.

So yeah, that was the chapter - a little lovey dovey but there is also more of that to come in the next couple of chapters!

Also, I said in a Authors Note last time that I will be doing more stories. I have started to write a prologue for the Avengers and the TID ones so if anyone wants to have a sneak peak of whats in store for them, PM me and I'll let you in on my little secrets ;)

Until next time!

Caz :D