Sorry for the late update!

...

It had been Tessa that sent him out demon hunting with Gabriel and Gideon that night. It was Tessa that had insistently pushed him out the door. She had thought it would do him some good, getting fresh air, feeling the adrenaline pumping through his veins—she surely didn't expect to be shaken awake frantically by their new maid Lola late that night.

"Mrs. Herondale!" Lola shrieked in her ear, "Mrs. Herondale!"

"Yes?" Tessa asked blearily, "is Will home yet?" Lola was terrified of the head of the institute, and seemed to think that if Will so much as made a joke in the same room as her it meant she was about to be fired.

"No—it's not that Mrs. Herondale, I mean he is home but—"

"Speak clearly," Tessa said, her attention on the girl now, pushing herself into a sitting position. "What is wrong?"

"Master Herondale is severely injured Miss!" Lola said, twisting her cap between her hands. "Mr. Lightwood and Mr. Lightwood were carrying him to the infirmary, they sent me to get you!"

Time froze. Tessa could hear the words severely injured circling around in her mind, making everything seem suddenly clearer, all dregs of sleep vanishing from her person at once. She kicked back her sheets, reached for her dressing gown, and tugged it over herself.

"Lola, I need you to go wake Cecily, tell her to contact the silent brothers—say Will's severely injured," when the girl hesitated, Tessa pressed on. "Now."

After the girl had finally hurried away, Tessa practically ran in the opposite direction. She knew that if anyone saw her they'd be appalled by how unladylike she was acting, her dressing gown loosely tied, her feet bare, her hair down from it's pins and streaming around her shoulders. She couldn't bring herself to care what other people thought however, because what did it really matter if Will truly was severely injured?

Within no time, she was at the infirmary, flinging open the door with a dramatic flair to rival her husbands.

Any hopes that Lola was wrong, that Will hadn't been really truly injured were dashed at the sight of the room. Will lay in the bed closest to the door, and they had already ripped away his shirt, it lay in a pile of black gear by the door. It was so it wouldn't irritate the wound further, Tessa knew, but it still terrified her. With his shirt off, you could tell what was wrong. The black gear would've masked the blood running down his arm, the sweat sheening on his chest and throat.

She gasped, because there was a chunk of his arm, a sizeable chunk, missing from his arm.

"What the hell happened?" she demanded, not even thinking of her language. She was addressing Gabriel and Gideon who sat on either side of Will, their faces obviously worried.

"There was a Shax demon," Gideon explained in his gentle reassuring voice, "Will took the blow for Gabriel."

"Of course he did," Tessa whispered, trying not to look at the wound that was pulsing blood. "Why is it not bandaged?" she suddenly demanded of the both of them, "Why haven't you tried to stop the bleeding?"

"We used some blood thinner runes," Gabriel said quickly, as if scared of her wrath, "but we feared that the use of a bandage might damage the wound further since it's so—" he gestured hopelessly at Will's arm.

"Gaping?" Tessa suggested, her voice rising, "Monstrous? Deadly? Horrible? Gigantic—"

Tessa. The voice wasn't spoken aloud, but instead echoed inside her head. Tessa whirled around, hair flying every which way, and was greeted with the sight of Jem standing in the doorway.

Of course, he didn't look like Jem, parchment robes and closed eyes, the scars of runes marking his face, dark hair. Still, he was inexplicably her Jem, and she felt her heart seize and falter in her chest. If anyone would help Will, it would be him, she was sure of it.

"Jem," she said quietly. He didn't bother to correct her, to tell her to use Brother Zachariah, but instead went to Will's side, pushing Gideon aside to do so.

What demon caused this bite? He asked, in that eerie mind-speak of his.

"It was a Shax demon," Gabriel substituted, as Tessa pushed him out of his chair and sat down beside Will.

"Is it poisonous?" Tessa asked quietly, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. No one answered, not even Jem. Jem was the one she needed to hear, and she didn't need to hear his odd thought speaking, she needed to hear his voice, his kind voice, telling her Will would be okay. "It is, isn't it?" again, no one said anything.

She forced back her tears and instead bowed her head down, resting her forehead against Will's other arm. She closed her eyes, allowing only a couple tears to escape, splattering onto Will's sleeve.

"Don't cry Tess," said a slow, soft voice. Tessa's head flicked up again, Jem had moved to Will's injured arm, and Gabriel and Gideon were now standing in the corner of the room whispering. Will's blue eyes were half-open, a slight smile turning up his lips. "It's all gonna be just dandy," he said, his words slurred. She smiled.

"Of course it is," she lied, "Jem is here, and he's going to fix you. He's going to make you as good as new."

"Love you Tess," he said, his eyes slipping shut again

"Will?" she asked, jostling his good arm, "Will?"

Mrs. Herondale, Jem spoke in her mind, acting like she was a stranger. He was acting like Will wasn't lying there dying at all. I am going to call the other silent brothers. I am afraid that they will need to be here if we are to save his life.

"Alright," she said, her voice hoarse. Jem glided from the room, and she let out a shaky sob. Gabriel and Gideon followed him out, and she and Will were alone. He had put a bandage on Will's arm, she noted.

"Tess," Will spoke again, "Why're you worried?"

"You're hurt," she said softly, her hand moving to push back the sweaty strands of hair that clung to his forehead and temples.

"Don't worry you're not getting rid of me that easily," he said, and once more, he fell silent.

"Tessa?" Cecily stepped into the room, her eyes huge in her face. "Is Will…is he okay?" she stepped closer to the bed. "Gabriel said he was hurt in the fight, and that the silent brothers have to be here to heal him."

"He'll be fine," Tessa said, even if she didn't believe it herself. Cecily looked slightly relieved, and it pained Tessa. What if he didn't make it through? What would happen then? "Trust me Cecy," she added, her heart breaking at the words. She was lying through her teeth.

I have returned. Jem said, his voice echoing in her head. Both her and Cecily jumped in surprise. Tessa turned, expecting to see a whole assemble of silent brothers behind him. But it was only Jem, his parchment robes trailing against the ground, a bottle clutched in his grip.

"Where are the others?" Tessa asked, standing up from Will's side. Jem didn't answer her, but instead moved beside Will's bed. Tessa watched him with concerned eyes, before moving her gaze on Cecily.

"Cecily, would you be a dear and check on Gabriel for me?" Tessa tried for a calm, reassured tone. "He rather stormed out of here earlier." Cecily obediently left, and Tessa sat back down in her seat. "How bad is it?" Tessa asked Jem quietly.

Mrs. Herondale—

"You know me Jem," Tessa said, raising her chin. "I will not break. Tell me the truth, now."

Shax demon poison is a very peculiar thing, Jem began in a rather hesitant tone, if Silent brothers could have such tones, we only have one antidote.

His words would normally reassure her, but instead they set an unpleasant feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"What 's the twist Jem?" she asked him quietly, "What's wrong?"

The antidote has a different effect on different people. It could cure him, or it could kill him within the next twelve hours.

Tessa let out a sort of gasp, and then placed her head back down onto Will's good arm.

"Do it, if you must," she said between gasping breaths. This was Jem, she knew she could cry in front of him, but the only person she allowed herself to cry around was Will. As much as she loved the Jem she had known, he was not her husband. Nor, considering the monk-state he was in right now, was it ever going to happen.

She didn't watch as Jem forced Will to swallow the antidote, but instead felt it, as his body shuddered up and down. She clutched even tighter at his arm, biting down on her lips so she didn't cry out. Will made a sort of gasping sound, and then went still.

"Will?" she whispered.

We cannot know whether or not he will survive at this time, Jem said, and to her surprise he sat down on Will's other side, taking his injured hand gently.

"Are you staying here with us?" Jem looked up at her then, and she could see the dark shadows of his hair beneath his hood.

I will always stay with the two of you.

They didn't say another thing all through the night to each other. They kept quiet, watching Will breath, waiting for the moment when he would either open his eyes, or take his last breath.

The sun was just rising when Will's eyes flew open, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. Tessa had been afraid that it would be the end, but instead his breathing settled down and he closed his eyes, falling asleep, his face resting gently against the pillow.

It seems he has survived, Jem said, something like fondness in his mind-voice. He stood up to leave, and Tessa looked up in surprise.

"You're leaving? Before he wakes up?"

I think the excitement of seeing me might be to much for him, Jem responded, and Tessa couldn't help but laugh, the laugh full of relief.

"Please play your violin on the way out," she said, and then turned back to Will, taking his hand.

He wasn't dead. Yet.