Here we go! Please review! Sorry it's so short...

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING.

Chapter: Belle

Belle felt much better after her talk with Gabriel. She had missed him so much, and it felt good to just catch up, to not have to worry about anything. He was such a good listener… She was lost enough in this train of thought that she almost walked right past the Institute. As it was, the only thing that stopped her was the fact that she ran straight into someone.

"Oh, God, I'm sorry," she said before she recognized the sparkling dark eyes and tousled auburn hair. "Riley! What a day, meeting up with old friends all over the place. I should visit Magnus…"

"Old friend, indeed. I haven't seen you in weeks. What other old friend have you been visiting?"

"Gabriel Lightwood."

He raised an eyebrow. "Gabriel? How did you even find him?"

She explained what had happened earlier, her and Jem being quite rudely interrupted by Will. "And Jem had given me his address earlier in the week–"

"Okay, okay, relax. I've got my answer, that's all I wanted."

Belle rolled her eyes. "Si cela prend trop long à expliquer, vous ne s'en soucient pas, vous?"

He frowned. "I don't speak French, you know that. Stop saying things I can't understand, it makes me feel like you're insulting me."

"All I said was, 'if it takes too long to explain, you just don't care, do you?' If you want me to insult you, I'd be delighted to." She took a deep breath, and Riley took a step back.

"I don't underestimate your impressive abilities, all right? Relax."

"Relax, relax, that's all you ever say. Don't you ever grow bored of relaxing? Don't you ever want to just, I dunno, go on a wild adventure?" she asked with a grin.

"Knowing you is an adventure," he muttered. "Well, I'll see you soon? I can tell you're eager to go back and make out with your boyfriend–"

Belle whacked him in the arm. "Tomorrow, I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you then."

She left him standing there and knocked on the heavy oak doors, waiting– not very long– for someone to answer. Jem pulled it open. "Belle, you're back!"

"It would seem so. Will's not around, is he?"

"No," he said slowly, looking confused. "Did you wish to speak to him? He's out, but–"

She snorted. "What do you want me to do, search every bar and whorehouse in Downworld? I don't want to see him. Hey, if you don't mind…" She shivered. "Il fait froid ici."

"Yes, it's cold. Do you want a cup of tea?" He stood aside to let her come in, Belle looking amused but surprised. "I didn't know you spoke French, James."

"I know a bit. Not much." He let her trail after him to the kitchen, the scene of the morning's exploits, as he put a kettle on the stove. "So how did it go with Gabriel?"

"Well. I haven't seen him in so long… It was like nothing had changed, just for a minute." She sighed sadly; so much had changed. "I could have been fifteen again, still with Michael, still friends with Elizabeth, with a still-living family…"

She shook her head. "Of course, everything is different now. I don't mind some of the changes" – she shot Jem a soft smile– "but others…" Her voice trailed off in a clear "I don't want to talk about it" way.

The kettle whistled. Jem fixed two cups of tea and handed one to Belle, who breathed in the steam like it was precious oxygen. She took a swallow, despite the blistering heat. Sometimes pain felt good.

"Belle?" Jem asked after a few minutes of silence. "Would it be quite all right if I kissed you?"

She laughed. "You have to ask?"

He rested his half-empty teacup on the counter. "I thought that after this morning, you'd want to be more careful about such things."

"Such things?" She put her own cup down. "I don't care," she murmured, throwing her arms around Jem and crushing her lips to his. He was honey-sweet, like most Shadowhunters, with a more coppery taste thrown in, like blood. It shouldn't have been as good a combination as it was. After several minutes that went by much too fast, Jem pulled back to meet her eyes. "I love you," he said in a rush.

Belle stepped away. "You– you– what?"

"I said I love you," he repeated slowly, more unsure of his decision to tell her than he had been a moment ago.

She trembled. "I don't… I don't know what to say."

"Say you love me," he whispered, eyes huge with the realization that this was nothing like he had always dreamed it would be.

"I can't," she muttered.

"Why? Why can't you?"

"Because– because– because you shouldn't love me!" Tears in her eyes, sobs escaping her throat, Belle turned and ran up to her bedroom, leaving a heartbroken and very confused Jem alone in the kitchen.