It was impossibly difficult for Tessa to keep from staring. Had she imagined what had just happened? She would have believed so, were it not for Jem snatching the occasional glance at her as well. Tessa had always thought Jem was beautiful. He was gentle, delicate, nearly angelic, Tessa thought. Not like Will Herondale.

Will.

As her mind spoke his name, her eyes flitted to where he sat at the dinner table. At first, his head was bowed, almost as if he were praying, though Tessa knew better, and he was mindlessly pushing his food around. But as Tessa's gaze landed on him, he looked up.

Tessa winced. His eyes were cold and hard, the usual deep blue had dried to stone. His customary arrogance had dried up as well, but it was only noticeable to Tessa, who had spent so long memorizing Will. The contours of his face, every scar, the way his cheek would twitch when he was trying not to laugh. She had believed she knew him so well, even if he had tried his hardest to remain closed off, but the way he was looking at her at that moment was foreign, like she was arriving at the London Institute fro the first time all over again.

What had caused such hostility, Tessa desperately wanted to know. Hadn't it only been hours before that they were joking? It hadn't even been a taunting sort of joking, or the back and forth banter that Will so deeply enjoyed. It had been only the two of them, and he had actually smiled. Tess knew she had not imagined that. A smile so lovely was impossible to dream up, even for someone who had read as many novels as Tessa. Then, Jem joined the two of them in her bedroom, Will excusing himself only minutes later.

Tessa still had not removed her eyes from Will, and he was still giving her the same cold stare down. She froze. Had he tried to come back when she and Jem were kissing? Had he seen them? Tessa was struck with a gut-sinking feeling to horrible to describe.

But what did it matter that he saw them? Tess had been at the institute for nearly a year, and even after so long she and Will had only shared two kisses, after both of which he distanced himself from her, pushed her away. Those were the moments that led Tessa to believe that Will was exactly the kind of guy that he claimed he was: he strung women along, charmed them into caring, and then never spoke to them again. Of course, there was usually another step in the process, one that Tessa forbade herself from dwelling on. Was that all he wanted from her, a woman to use for his filthy actions when he got bored of intoxicating himself half to death? At first, Tessa had convinced herself that it wasn't true, but eventually she had to admit the truth; Will simply did not care for her as more than a friend.

So then why was he looking at her so harshly? And why was Tessa intensely hoping that it was out of envy? She could not think of Will that way! Not after the tender moments she had shared with Jem! She was a lady, not a dirty participant in a brothel. And how was it that nobody else at the dinner table even noticed their unusual exchange?

Abruptly, Tessa pushed the wooden chair out from under her and stood. Charlotte looked up curiously. Tess un-tucked the cloth linen from her shirt and set it on the table. "Excuse me," she said, almost timidly. "I need to be excused."

Charlotte nodded and Tessa strode swiftly to her bedroom. Only minutes later there was a knock on her door. It was foolish of her to think, even for a moment, that it was Will. He obviously was not pleased with her and would be the last one consoling her, especially when he was the one that had upset her. When she tentatively cracked open the door, she was greeted with Jem's silver features.

"Are you okay?" he asked immediately. Slowly, she nodded and opened the door wider for him.

"I am," she assured. "It's just that…do you think we made a mistake?"

He went still, his perpetually pale features whitened. "You mean because of my condition?"

"No! Of course not. I just think that it's inappropriate."

The little color that Jem had returned and he grinned knowingly, understandingly. "Ah. Because of Will."

"Are you mad?" she asked, skeptically. "William Herondale does not dictate my love life. I just meant that we live together. Relations between us would not be proper. Besides," she added, "you are a Shadowhunter, I am a warlock! Just because I appear normal and don't use my gift that often does not make me anymore like you than Magnus Bane is."

Jem nodded. "Tessa—" he started, but he was never able to finish. He was interrupted by a furious pounding on Tessa's door. The two exchanged a look, an unspoken conversation between them, that expressed everything they were wondering or needed to say. After a very long moment, Jem nodded once more, granting Tessa permission to walk away from their discussion. They were both very aware who was behind the door, who was spitting out harsh curses and demanding to be let in. And they both knew, Tessa had a feeling, that the instant she let Will in, she would be walking away from Jem and any agreement they were about to reach.

Even with that in mind, she swung the door open. "My goodness, Will, I know that the term 'gentleman' is foreign to you, but it might do you good to learn a little patience." And just to gauge his reaction she added, "We were in the middle of something."

Will glowered down at him, an anger sparking that she had never witnessed from him. And, for once, he had no witty reply, no sarcastic quip to shoot back. That in itself left Tessa nearly speechless. Will turned towards Jem, and in a crisp and very terse manner said, "I need a moment with Tessa."

Without question, Jem obeyed and left, the door clicking softly behind him.

"You are being awfully rude."

Will scoffed. "Rude? You have no right throwing yourself at Jem like that, like some desperate mistress."

She chose to ignore the last part. "Don't I?"

"No."

Was that jealousy she detected? She hated to even think it. She was getting ahead of herself, building her hopes uselessly up. But what else could cause him to act so harshly? He had a tendency to be rude to others, but this has reached a new level. He was being outright spiteful.

"And why?" Tessa asked finally, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer. Because, Tessa. You belong with me. You're the girl I've always dreamed of. Foolishly, she wished he would say something like that. He didn't.

"I know you, you're generally strong, but you have a problem. You love, far too much if you ask me, and you'd sacrifice everything for somebody you love, or even mildly care about. Jem…he is not strong. Sometimes, yes, but without his medicine he is frail and he is weak. Eventually, he will crumble, and if you sit beside him the whole time and watch, you will crumble along with him."

It was nowhere near what she had been hoping for, but Tessa felt a twinge in her stomach. "That's not the truth," she blurted, taking even herself by surprise. The stern expression Will had been holding faltered, his eyes narrowed slightly. Tessa continued. "As much as you refuse to admit it, you care about Jem. If you believed that he and I could form a relationship that led us to…the end, then you would encourage it. You want Jem to be happy. Unless, of course, you want to be happy yourself."

"That sounded like a long-winded way of calling me selfish. What in the world are you getting at?"

Tessa herself was unsure, but it was as if she had lost control over her mind. It was sort of like she shifted into another person's body, like they were controlling the words. She could feel herself speaking, nearly see the words in her mind, but they did not form from her thoughts. But they did. "You love me."

A second too late, Will chuckled deeply. "Wishful thinking," he told her. "It seems that all of those novels have clouded your perception. No wonder it is improper for women to be spending their time reading; it fills their head with so many absurd ideas."

She refused to budge. After the words had slipped from her tongue, Tessa felt the truth behind them. Somewhere deep inside of her core, she knew that she was not imagining things. Will lightened up around her, showed a tad bit of vulnerability that he would reveal to nobody else. Will loved her.

Never having been the one to take control in this kind of situation—not that she had been in one many times—Tessa felt shaky as she stepped closer to Will. One step and then another and soon she was only a short distance from him. He towered over her, but Tessa wasn't intimidated. Not when she rested a hand on his hard chest, or when she brought her face ever nearer to his.

Their lips brushed gently first, but that was not enough for Tessa. She remembered the first time they had kissed, the way she felt like she could never be close enough, the heat that had enveloped her whole body. She craved that once more. Their lips pressed harder against one another's, and soon it was fierce in a delicious fight for dominance. Maybe she was making a mistake, maybe Will really only wanted her as a play toy, but as his hands wound around her waist, pulling her closer still, logic slipped from her mind.

A sense of security wrapped around her, like that exact moment was where she had always needed to be. Like she and Will had created a world in which only they existed. When he was finally able to separate their mouths, Tessa noticed his eyes glittering again. But they were flooded with desire, with what she was positive was love.

"Now," she breathed, hardly capable of words. "Tell me you don't love me."

"I can't," he replied before their lips were once again connected, moving in a synchronized passion.

So, I decided I'm just going to make a collection of ID one-shots. Most likely, they will all be Will and Tessa, but a few may be with Jem. I like the whole one-shot thing because I already have so many stories, and these don't require much of a commitment. Plus, they also involve a lot less thought and planning.

I hope you like! Review and tell me what you think! I really like the fluffy factor in these, because a lot of my other stories build up to fluff, but I don't get to write an excessive amount.

So, once again, tell me what you think.