Hey guys! I'm really really sorry to have taken sooo long to update, but I was debating on weather or not to continue the story. I have decided to play around with a little bit of mystery, and I am liking where I am taking the story. It's just been hard to work on everything because I have my mid-terms and ACT tests, so I've been really busy! Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter! Also, I apologize before hand if there are any grammar errors that I missed!


Will turns over in his bed and groans, burying his face in the pillow he is clutching. Golden rays of light pour in through the window, signaling that it is time for him to get up. He doesn't want to move, except for the sharp rapping on his door. There are muffled voices on the other side, but will can't tell what they are saying.

"Master Will, I do say it's time to get up. Charlotte summoned you to breakfast half an hour ago, and they are all still waiting patiently for you. We are expecting visitors today, and she wants to see you before they arrive." Will groans again, not wanting to have to start another dull training day.

"Mr. Herondale, I hear you in there. Now if you don't get up this instant I might have to go in there and get you up myself." Will's eyes fly open, and he bolts up, not wanting Sophie to see the dreadful state of his floor, and a dizzy spell washes over him for a moment as the blood rushes to his head.

"Yes Sophie… I…" He stifles a large yawn. "I'm up… Send Charlotte my apologies and tell her I'm coming, will you?" He hears Sophie huff and storm off down the hall, and he feels a slight twinge of guilt. He had always been moderately fond of Sophie. He heaves his legs over the side of his bed, and realizes that he is fully dressed. He is confused for a moment, before all the memories from last night come rushing in, making his heart leap in his chest, and he shakes his head. That can't have been real. I was dreaming; it was too good to be true.

He stands, steadying himself as he regains his balance, and he shuffles over to the vanity table mirror- Why there is a vanity table in his room, he will never know, but he has never been bothered to remove it, as the mirror has come quite in handy. He gazes at his reflection for a moment; His eyes are a still a little puffy with sleep, and there are slight shadows under them as if someone took some charcoal and smudged it there with their finger. His jet black ruffled hair is growing a little long, and Charlotte has been nagging him to get it trimmed at least, but he detests haircuts. They are only for gentlemen, and he doesn't consider himself a gentleman, really. His vivid blue eyes stand out, striking against his pale skin and jet black hair.

He knows that he is extremely attractive, and he hates it; it just makes it harder for people to hate him, and thus, harder to protect them. He rakes his hand through his hair, sighing, and goes to the tap in his bathroom, filling the sink. He lets the water run for a few seconds, and then cups his hand to scoop some up, splashing it over his face. His thoughts jolt to sharpness as the icy cold water stings his face, waking him up, and he gasps, reaching for a hand towel. He dries his face roughly, and goes back into the room, wanting to change into some fresher clothes for when he sees Tessa at breakfast.


A few minutes later, he steps into the corridor, feeling fresh and new, wearing a black waist coat with a white shirt, the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. He actually made an effort to do himself up a little today, savoring his relatively good mood. Hoping that Tessa remembers the night before, he strides down the hall towards the dining room. His mind is buzzing with thoughts of both optimism and doubt at the same time, making him feel a bit queasy. What if she really did mean what she said last night? Does she even remember? Did I just dream it all up? Maybe… Just maybe there is really a chance... But what if she has changed her mind; regrets what she told me… His stomach is becoming more and more acrobatic with each step he takes, both anticipating and dreading seeing her.

He soon finds himself at the heavy oak doors after many twist and turns, and he pauses before going in, taking a deep breath. He pushes the door open, and the smell of sausages reaches his nose before anything else. He idly lumbers across the room, not saying anything. Everyone else is clearly wrapped up in the middle of a heated conversation, as Jem is waiving his fork pointedly in Henry's direction, clearly trying to make an argument. Henry is obviously not listening, as he is fiddling with a peculiar gadget that is making strange whirring noises, and Charlotte is speaking to Tessa hurriedly. Tessa looks up and spots Will before anyone else and she locks eyes with him for a moment, reassuring him with a smile. Yes, she remembers. Will reaches the table and casually takes the seat next to her, trying not to disturb their conversation and reaches to take her hand for a moment under the table cloth as he tunes into Jem's conversation.

"-And I really don't see how someone would be able to stage something that elaborate in the amount of time they had. It would've had to have taken hours to set up, let alone the time it would have taken to plan the monstrosity. Honestly, who would want to put that much time and effort into one seemingly pointless murder of a young girl-" At this point Jem seems to realize now that Will has joined them, and he breaks into a grin.

"Ah, here you are at last, William! I was beginning to think you had run off and passed out somewhere in the streets again. I was not looking forward to going out looking for you." Will chuckles, knowing that his parabati really would have gone, and he replies in mock irritation, throwing up one of his hands.

"Am I suddenly not allowed to sleep in a bit without everyone assuming I'm drunk or missing?" Jem shakes his head with a grin.

"Well, sometimes it's both. Quite often in fact, and I do not by any means intend to offend, but you do have your days; or rather, nights..." Jem looks at him with a crooked grin as Tessa snorts lightly, suppressing a laugh.

"Not true! Well, not fully true anyway. I've been getting better. Now it's only about twice a month… With a few exceptions." Jem laughs and shrugs his shoulders.

"Yes, yes, this is all good; but we have a serious matter on our hands." Charlotte chides impatiently, "Jem, would you mind explaining to Will what the present situation is?" There is an air of grimness about her face this morning, and Will senses there is something wrong.

"Yes Charlotte." Jem sighs heavily, putting down his fork and leaning forward to rest his chin on his clasped hands.

"Will, do you remember that time that we raided that brothel down in White Castle?"

"Hmm… Which one? I remember taking down lots of brothels."

"The one that was doubling as a demonic trade post." Jem mutters; a touch of annoyance audible in his voice. Will leans back in his chair quickly, releasing Tessa's hand and stroking his chin.

"Ah yes, that one! I remember it quite clearly. That bastard werewolf ripped my nice new coat. I still haven't forgiven him for that; I always find myself in need of it at the oddest times, going to find it only to remember that it's ruined." He pauses for a moment, mourning the loss of his coat, before a horrid thought drifts into his mind, and he groans.

"Don't tell me that they've re-opened! I thought we made it clear enough that next time we saw any of them, we would have no mercy. Was I not clear enough?" Jem shakes his head, a smile teasing his lips.

"Don't worry Will, they won't be poking around here anymore. No, they have certainly learned their lesson. But a little girl was kidnapped and murdered last night, and when we sent someone to investigate, we found the same symbol etched into the side of the building as the one that we found at the brothel." He pauses as Charlotte cuts in, shoving some parchment towards him. The edges are blackened as if someone had rescued it from a fire, and the paper is slightly yellowed with age.

"We think that they are somehow… connected. The little girl was not just any little girl. She was the daughter of one of the most distinguished shadowhunter families in Europe. This cannot be a coincidence." Will pulls the parchment in front of him to examine it, and freezes, his blood running cold.

"Will… Will, are you alright? Is something wrong?" Tessa plucks the parchment off the table to look at it as he nods his head slowly. "Are you quite sure? You look a bit… Well, pale." Will rakes a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. The feeling is gone, just as quickly as it had come, and it left him feeling a bit strange.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just…" Startled? Surprised? He suddenly realizes that he doesn't know what he is feeling. All he knows is that the symbol on the paper is connected to a memory so faint it is almost just a feeling; one that hasn't surfaced for years.

Will eyes the symbol that is party covered by Tessa's thumb; the dark ink seeming to dance across the surface in intricate swirls, strokes and patterns, forming a sort of circle in the center of the paper. It is beautiful, but he senses that it symbolizes something dangerous. He digs into his thoughts trying to recover the rest of that memory, but at that moment he is pulled from his thoughts suddenly as something scorches his hand, searing his skin with boiling heat.

"GAHH!" He yells, jerking his hand up and clutching it tightly as he jolts from his chair, upsetting his plate of sausages that Charlotte had placed before him. He looks around wildly, and realizes that Jem had accidently missed his cup when pouring himself some tea.

"By the Angel, Jem! Pay attention will you? I generally prefer having full use of the nerves in my hand!" He snaps harshly.

"Sorry, sorry Will! I'll just go and fetch some ice…" Jem jumps up and, throws him an apologetic look as he rushes out. Charlotte hurries over and starts dabbing at the steaming pool of liquid that is starting to trickle over the edge of the table.

"Oh dear, what a mess. I'll call in Sophie to have the table cloth changed before the visitors arrive. They are bound to be here soon, and I can't have the table looking such a mess when they arrive." Will groans with exasperation.

"But Charlotte! What about my hand?" He cries, cradling his burnt fist against his chest. "It might have burned out all the nerves! What if I'll never be able to use it again? They might have to chop it! I don't want my hand chopped. Charlotte, I can't feel my fingers. I can't feel them, I think they're dying! Charlotte MY HAND IS DYING HELP M-"

"Oh, for goodness SAKE Will, do stop making such a fuss. Your hands are fine! It is only a minor burn. The most it will do is hurt for a few hours; it won't kill you. Now if you would please go upstairs and change you shirt, I'll send Jem up with the ice in a minute." Will looks down and sees that his previously clean shirt is now indeed coated in little brown specks of tea, and he grumbles something about the one time that he decides to dress nicely for his own pleasure.

Charlotte smiles at him, with an undertone of sternness, wiping her hands on another clean napkin before curtly patting him on the shoulder. "Tessa, would you mind making sure that he actually makes it to the right room? There isn't enough time for any training today. Or at least, not right now."

Tessa nods, standing from her chair after finishing the last of her eggs. "Well, shall we then?" Will smiles, glad to have some time alone with her to talk about the events of last night.

"We shall." They leave Charlotte fussing over the sausages that Will had upturned, and stroll i slowly down the quiet hallway.

"Will… Did you really mean everything you said last night? About… Well, about loving me? You weren't on some alcoholic beverage or anything, were you?" She asks timidly. Will laughs, and shakes his head.

"Tess, I meant every word of it…" He pauses, trying to think of what to say to her. "I had thought that perhaps I was dreaming; that it was all in my sub-conscious or something… But it was; is real. As real as my burned hand here." He realizes that that was a terrible simile as soon as the words leave his mouth, but to his relief Tessa only laughs. He stops walking for a moment and takes her hand in his own rough one. Tessa looks at him and smiles. Her face is lit up, but her eyes are not, and Will knows something is troubling her, his heart sinking.

"Tessa, is something wrong? Do you truly want this? I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to be with me, if you have changed you mind." She shakes her head, chewing on her bottom lip.

"No, no. It's nothing at all like that. Of course I want to be with you. I want to be with you desperately. It's just…" She pauses, not meeting his eyes. Of course. Of course there would be a catch. There is always a catch. I've been a fool not to realize that this was too perfect.

"Just… what?" He asks, not wanting to hear the answer. He finally manages to meet her eyes, and they are filled with worry, startling him.

"Will… I am scared. I am scared for you and Jem, Henry, Charlotte… Well… Everyone. You saw what happened to Nate… His mind poisoned with vile promises and pride and vain… That was because of me. Mortmain used him to get to me, because he knew I loved him. I'm worried that he will do the same with you all if he finds out… I couldn't bear it if any of you were hurt in my defense." Will reaches to brush a strand of hair out of her face, and rests his hand on her cheek.

"Tess, we are all willing to take the risk. We won't let that bastard Mortmain touch a hair on you head without fighting against him. We are all prepared, and know the risks. It's just as you said last night; Jem and I became parabati, each knowing there was a risk. This is the same. We all want to defend you, and we each are putting our all into it willingly." Tessa lets out a sighs and leans in, wrapping her arms around his torso in a tight embrace.

"Thank you... I just… I can't help but worry…" Tessa takes a shuddering breath, burying her face into his neck, and he feeling her warm breath on his skin.

Will stokes her hair for a few moments, and then pulls away slowly.

"We should save this for later… I need to change my shirt still." He smirks and they continue their walk up the musty corridor, more slowly now.


Even as will changes into a clean shirt a few minutes later, along with thinking about Tessa, he can't get that nagging memory out of his head. There is something about that symbol that seems vaguely familiar, but he can't quite touch upon it. As he emerges from his bathroom, Jem charges into the room, his silver hair flying in front of his eyes. He notices that he looks a bit shaken up.

"Will, Tessa… Come quickly. There is something… A- A warning or a threat or something. We're not quite clear but we need you down stairs in the library now, you'd better come see it." Jem turns to leave, but after he throws an ice pack at Will.

"Here's for your hand by the way."


Ok, I know there wasn't as much Wessa in this chapter! (Sorry!) But I promise that I will get some more in for the next one! I was mostly focusing on getting the plot moving. Oh, off of the topic, I got asked to my school Prom today! I just don't know what to do because one of my best friends asked me, and I don't want to really take it farther than best friends... I would feel like a horrible person if I said no, because he's never been to a dance before but... Yeah. Also, I've become a *Little* obsessed with Avatar the Last Airbender. :3 Omg I just... I can't even express my love for that series. (The movie sucks though.) Anyway, yeah! Please please R&R, and let me know if I could do anything better, or even if you just want to talk or something! :) Love you all!