Catwalk Love

CHAPTER SEVEN

Theresa Gray

I didn't know how Jessamine had persuaded me to go to this horrible, dingy place. A jail wasn't something on my top ten places to go before I die. In fact, it was on the list of top ten places I never want to go to. Ever.

Yet I stood outside London's maximum security holding center, waiting to be paged in to see the one man who had completely ruined my life a year ago.

Axel Mortmain.

The name itself sent a shudder running through her. And not the good kind that I always got when Will came around. It was the kind that made people feel uneasy about going somewhere.

Will, was another whole problem in itself. The man was making me do strange things, things that I promised I would never go through again. Never get close, and never ever fall for another stupid man. But Will was relentless in his efforts, and I didn't know how much longer I could last.

"Theresa Gray." Someone said calling me out of my daze. "You may follow me now." I got up and looked at the short, stocky guard. He didn't look like a prison guard. His eyes where a warm brown, and that wasn't muscle that was making his uniform fit a little to snuggly. As I got up to follow the man, I saw that his name tag read Tim. He defiantly didn't fit the cold and secluded guard that I had pictured in my mind.

"You're very brave miss." Tim said in a heavy accent, "Most ladies wouldn't want to visit their crazy stalker." I huffed my agreement, to afraid to talk. I knew that if I opened up my mouth now, all my fears would come bubbling out and any sane person would drag me as far away as Mortmain as they could. But I needed to talk to him, needed to understand the note that was crinkled in my fist as we walked toward the visiting area.

Finally, we came to the individual rooms. A huge mirror in front showed me that Mortmain was already there, a wide smile plastered on his face. His hair was more gray then I remembered, but he still had his taunting light gray eyes, and his skin paler than most. He was also a lot skinner, less muscled, but still menacing. I had to look at each of the four guards that where standing in the room just to calm myself enough not to run like hell in the other direction.

"Don't worry miss," Tim said from behind me, "He's chained to the table and those four are the best guards in London." I nodded my head at him, giving him the briefest of smiles.

Finally, I took a deep breath, and entered the silver shinning room.

"Theresa dear." Was the first thing out of his fowl mouth, "What brings your lovely self to me?" he asked eyes glinting.

I stood standing by the door. I had no thoughts of taking a seat on the other side of the silver table he was chained too. I didn't want to get any closer than I had to him. There was a reason why I was wearing baggy sweat pants, and a plane shirt. I didn't want him to touch me, or even think about me in any disturbing way that is mind could conjure up.

"I must say," He continued, "It really makes getting arrested worth it if you're now the one coming to visit. I have of course imagined this meeting very differently. No guards, no jail, and you would be wearing much more appealing clothes."

"Shut up." I whispered. Mortmain chuckled slightly, continuing like he didn't hear me.

"But you are always beautiful my dearest, my Tess. Do you remember the time you wore that hideous pink frilly dress, no one could have pulled that off except my precious Tess."

"I'm here for a reason." I said louder this time, Mortmain eyes flicked to mine a smile forming on his lips,

"And what is that my Tess?"

"This." I said unfolding the letter and showing it to him. Mortmain squinted his eyes trying to read, even got up to tried to get closer, but like Tim had said he was chained to the table and couldn't move.

"What is This?" He asked, "I would look at it myself…but as you can see I'm in a little of a situation."

"It's a letter." I said, "I got it with a rose last night." He looked at me strangely. His head was tilted and his brow furrowed together in confusion.

"And this is pertinent to me because…?" he let the sentence dropped, his head was still cocked. I sighed, trying to get all my nerves out for what I was about to do.

Slowly I walked towards the table. Mortmain was smiling blissfully. I quickly spread the letter in front of him so that he could see it. Mortmain inhaled deeply.

"You still smell so beautiful my Tess." He said. I snapped away from him, a look of horror on my face. Quickly I returned to my post besides the door. Mortmain smiled before he put his face down to read the letter.

As he read I saw his face morph, but surprisingly it was the opposite of what I thought it would be. I thought it would have morphed into something happy, blissful as he read his own work. But his face seemed to become angrier and angrier as he read the disgusting piece if paper. Finally, he looked up his eyes blazing in hate, more than I had ever seen in one person.

"Who wrote this?" he seethed.

"You did." I said glaring.

"Theresa dear I haven't wrote to you since the day that you put me in here. I've tried many times, but they won't send my letters, and they most defiantly don't let me have anything with your beautiful face on it."

"But then…who…?" I said confusion written clearly on my face. I shook the rushing thoughts of danger away. I didn't need to think about this new knowledge right now. All I needed to do was get away from Mortmain as fast as I could. Even if he didn't write this letter, he had written plenty of others.

Quickly I turned around and started to open the door to exist. I was half way threw the threshold when I heard Mortmain voice ask a question.

"But I am curious Tess," he said, "Who is this mystery boy of yours? I haven't even seen the pictures yet and I'm quite jealous." I turned around giving him a glare that would have stopped anyone in there tracks.

"Someone that you will never be." I said venom in my words. Mortmain raised a brow.

"I'm really jealous now." He said smiling. I barely heard those words before I shut the heavy door and walked away from a man that had caused me so much grief and pain. He mad almost made my life unbearable.

William Herondale

I had knocked on Tessa's door several times before I realized that she wasn't home. When that finally had clicked I had sat down by her door, waiting nervously for her to come back. I didn't care if she got here at three a clock in the morning, I was here to stay.

Finally I saw the elevator go pass my floor and head towards the penthouse. I stood up, plastered on a grin, and waited for Tess to come out of the elevator.

"Hey Tess I was…Tess what's wrong?" My grin was gone once I saw her walk through the door. All the progress I had made that morning seemed to be wiped off her face. No slight smile, no anything. Her face was pale, her eyes read and puffy. To be honest she looked like crap, which I had thought was impossible for Tessa to look like.

"Will." She said almost softly, "Oh god Will I'm so stupid." She ran her hair through her hair, messing it up in a perfect way. But her eyes where glistening again, and I could tell she was trying to hold back the tears.

"Tessa what happened?" I asked taking a small step towards her. It seemed that I had been doing this a lot lately. Trying to comfort her. I liked the fact that I got to hold her when it occurred, but I didn't like that fact that she had to be sad while I held her.

I wanted her to be happy when she was in my arms. Full of bliss and joy that she could only get when she was with me. I didn't want her crying. No more sad memories with me in it, just happy. But that wasn't going to happen today, because Tessa was already running past me covering her face and off into her apartment.

After staring blankly at where she had been standing for about a minute, I finally regained my composure and fowled Tessa inside. Making sure that I locked the door behind me, and seeing that the knife still lay by the door, I went to look for her.

She was in her bedroom.

I hadn't been in that particular part of the house, we hadn't gotten…that far. God how I wanted to get that far, but with Tessa it was something completely different.

Her room was a dark red color, with a white carpet and a king sized bed covered in a huge white and red comforter. Pictures hung everywhere and there was just as many clothes. A huge bookcase covered one wall, filled with different books of all sizes and width. There was a closed door that probably led to the bathroom, and another door that was open, revealing a walk in closet with even more clothes inside.

Tess was on the white bed, her face shoved into a decorative pillow, her dark brown hair a great contrast compared to the decor. She almost looked like she was sleeping, except for the fact that her shoes where still on, and the sound of her sobs coming from where she lay.

"Theresa." I said coming closer to the bed. She rolled over onto her back, starring blankly up at the ceiling. I was slightly happy to see that no more tears where rolling down her cheeks

"You must think that I'm a wreck." She mumbled up toward the ceiling.

"No," I said, "I don't.

"Then you must be crazy." She laughed, but it was hollow. Sighing I sat at the end of the bed sinking deeply into the soft mattress. Tessa didn't move.

"Tess what happened?" I asked.

"I went to see him." She said simply, "That sick bastard." The last part was spoken with such venom that I couldn't help but flinch away.

"Who is he?" I asked. Another hollow laugh escaped her laugh.

"That's right," she said, "You don't know what's happening. You don't know anything; about me, about him."

"I would like too." I said.

"Which one?"

"Both." I whispered. She suddenly sat up. She was looking at me an unreadable expression on her face, but there was something there that made me move closer, so that our faces where only inches apart.

"Why?" she asked.

"I have no idea." We stared at each other, gray and blue eyes searching each other for any sign, any. But we where both too good for that, we have both have trained ourselves to well to let down the walls that quickly. Finally Tessa nodded.

"Ok." She whispered, "Ok." She pulled back and fell on the bed again, looking up at the damn ceiling. I laid down next to her, are shoulders and legs brushing against each other.

"I went to see Axel Mortmain." She said.

"M?" I asked knowingly.

"He used to be." She said softly, her eyes were empty, almost lifeless.

"What the hell does that mean?" I asked.

"He used to…" She sighed heavily, "He used to send me notes like that. Along with pictures of me, and little gifts he thought I would like. Sick, sick gifts. But that was a year ago, and before he was sent to jail for trying to kidnap me like six times."

"So why did you go see him?" I asked. Rage was surging through me that this Mortmain character had brought her so much pain.

"I wanted answers." she said, "They said that I would never have to deal with this again, never get one of these letters from him. And then Jess some how convinced me to go see him. I don't know how she does it but she gets me to do the stupidest things." I could see tears starting to form in her eyes. I wanted to comfort her, but I honestly had no idea what to do.

"I think I'll have to talk to Jessamine." I mumbled. A slight smile formed on her lips, and I couldn't help but feel happy that I had done something right.

"When…when I saw him I showed him the letter. Will, he got so angry at it, furious actually. He said that he didn't write it, he said that they wouldn't let him have anything to do with me Will. He was angry because someone was copying him. Who the fuck is that crazy to copy him? Why can't they stalk someone else? Why can't they Will?" Tears where now running freely down her cheeks. She turned towards me snuggling deeply into my chest. I felt my arms wrap around her automatically holding the broken girl close to me.

"Tess I have no idea what to do right now," I said to her my voice a plea. "What do you want me to do Tessa? I will do anything. Just tell me how I can make the tears stop." I didn't realize I had said those words aloud until the sobbing stopped right after I said it. I felt my stomach knot as I realized what I had just said, what it had meant, how I said it.

Tessa slowly raised her head away form my chest so that she was looking right into my eyes. Her gray eyes where puffy and red, but they where still beautiful, so, so beautiful. With out thinking my hands raised and cupped her face.

"Will." She said her voice low and husky. I felt myself push against her harder as a chill ran through me.

"Yes?" I asked my voice was just as husky as hers. I felt her breath hitch and she slowly licked her lips. She moved closely so that her mouth was right by my ear.

"Just hold me Will." She said her breath warming my ear, making me close my eyes in bliss. "Hold me and don't let go."

And that's what I did.

I held her. Wrapped her up in my arms so tightly that you couldn't put a piece of paper between us.

"Always." I whispered back.