AN: So this chapter took a long time because I'm really not happy with it . but anyway, there's awkward Will/Gabriel feels so win? Also, really sorry about Henry guys I love him but he had no role in this story :( Also the next update will be pretty slow since I need to work out where I'm going with this.

And sorry for lamest evil guy plan ever. :D failure all round! Lyrics and title from Running Up that Hill which is completely irrelevant to this chapter but fitting for the Will/Tessa/Jem love triangle and even Will/Gabriel. Sort of, if you squint and turn your head to the side.

You don't want to hurt me,
But see how deep the bullet lies.
Unaware that I'm tearing you asunder.
There is thunder in our hearts, baby.
So much hate for the ones we love?
Tell me, we both matter, don't we?

"It'll be okay," Jem whispered, taking Tessa's hand in his own. "They'll find us before anything happens."

Tessa hummed and pressed herself closer to him. She could feel his heart beating, slow and steady. Slow and steady. The carriage they had been driven in had no windows so they had no way of telling where they had been taken. When they let out of the carriage they found themselves in front of a grand country cottage and had been promptly led round the back to a cellar door and left in a small cell together. They had no idea how much time had passed but at some point during the night Mortmain had entered their cell, grinning. He said the same thing he had as before; if Tessa agreed to marry him the other Shadow Hunters would not be harmed. But Jem and Tessa knew the truth.

The demons that had driven them to Mortmain's current house clearly had a different idea of how Mortmain's plan was going. They spoke of Mortmain's plans to destroy Shadowhunters so that Downworlders could live freely. But it was more sinister than that. He wanted to use his automatons to rule them, king of the Downworlders. And then the world.

"We'll be okay," he murmured, kissing her forehead.

But Tessa wasn't worried about herself. She didn't think Mortmain would hurt her; the Magister still had plans for her. It was Jem she was worried about.

They didn't have his medicine.

When Will woke up there was a heavy weight on his chest, for a moment his dream lingered and he expected to look down and see Tessa pillowed against him. But of course, he didn't. He groaned and rubbed his eyes. Gabriel was still asleep and for a moment Will surveyed him. Perhaps Tessa was right, he wasn't completely hideous, but as soon as the thought entered his mind he pushed it away.

There was a heavy sigh from his right and he looked up to see Gideon Lightwood sat on a chair between Gabriel's bed and Sophie's. He was watching Will with an unreadable expression in his green eyes. Well this is awkward.

Will sat up and his first instinct was to blurt out a hurried nothing happened! But he didn't, instead he said, "Morning."

Gideon sat back in his chair. "Good morning, William."

Will was expected something along the lines of 'why the hell are you in my brothers bed?' But Gideon said nothing of the sort so Will stood up and looked at Sophie, pale and still. "No change?" he asked softly.

"No change," Gideon confirmed. Will noticed that his fists were clenched so tightly that the knuckles had gone white and he wondered what Gideon was thinking about. Will untangled himself from Gabriel and stood up.

"Did Magnus leave?" Will asked when the silence stretched too long for him.

Gideon nodded, "Charlotte's gone to the Enclave, she won't be back for a while."

Will nodded and left the healing room, the Institute was empty. He closed his eyes and let silence crash down around him. Everyone was gone leaving only a dull ache in his heart, he wouldn't let himself feel anymore than that. Not until he'd found Jem and Tessa. Not until he'd destroyed the Magister for what he'd done to Henry and Charlotte. What he'd done to him.

With Tessa and Jem gone Will felt incomplete, empty.

He knew he shouldn't, he knew Charlotte would want him to stay in the Institute but how could he? It should have been him stepping forwards to go with Tessa. He grabbed his gear and left without a second glance.

Tessa held her head up high as the automaton did the back of the golden wedding dress up. The Magister certainly wasn't wasting any time. They hadn't seen him since that first night; they'd only seen automatons since and once a warlock with curled horns like a ram.

She took a shaky breath as she looked at herself in the long mirror opposite her. The dress was beautiful, she had to admit and the way the automaton had done her hair made her look like a princess from the fairy stories she had read when she was younger. But it made her skin crawl.

This wasn't how her wedding should be.

She thought of Jem, beautiful Jem, sat alone in their tiny prison. She was glad and slightly surprised that they hadn't moved them to separate cells; a tiny part of her knew that the Magister was keeping them together so Tessa would have to watch Jem fade and wither.

He already was. He had been exhausted by the fight and looked paler than usual and Tessa was beginning to wonder how much longer he'd last.

The automaton clucked approvingly and left for a few minutes and Tessa's eyes fell upon the barred window at the end of the low room. For a few mad moments she entertained the idea of changing in to someone stronger, someone who could rip those bars apart and escape after daringly rescuing Jem, of course. But she knew she couldn't. She hadn't changed in to anyone strong enough to rip apart iron bars and she had no idea where they were.

The door swung open again and this time the Magister himself strode in, smirking. "Beautiful, Tessa." He said, eyeing her up and down. "You look perfect." He stood beside her, "What a handsome couple we make."

He took her hand and she glanced at him, do anything and Jem dies, his eyes said. Tessa clenched her jaw and resisted the urge to strangle the man beside her.

"Why are you doing this?" she spat.

He grinned, "Patience, dear girl." He said in a voice of black velvet. He turned and strode back towards door pausing when he reached it to smile and say, "We will marry when your silver flame goes out."

This time Tessa couldn't resist the urge to leap at him and he smiled before slamming the door in her face. She was seething with rage when the automaton led her back down to the cellar but it vanished when she was pushed in to the cell.

Jem was slumped over, his whole body shaking with violent coughs.

"Jem!"

"Tessa," he managed between coughs, "I'm-I'm fine!" She helped him up and on to the thin mattress they'd been given. He leant heavily against her panting and she clutched him to her willing his body to stop trembling. His left hand was bloodied.

When it did he looked at her and smiled weakly and she kissed him softly on the cheek. "Where did they take you?" he rasped and Tessa wished she could offer him some water, or anything, to soothe his throat.

"To try on a wedding dress," she said and even as she said it she realised just how absurd their situation was. "He says I'm to marry him..." she paused and looked at Jem who was watching her with wide silver eyes. "Soon." She finished lamely.

Jem raised his unbloodied hand and touched Tessa's cheek gently. "Don't worry, love. They'll reach you before the wedding. I'm sure of it."

"It's not me I'm worried about," she half sobbed as she took his hand in hers. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his chest and Tessa thought of the raw, bleeding agony she'd felt in Gabriel's mind at the briefest memory of a kiss.

The streets of London were deadly silent as Will slipped through them. He'd been searching for almost three days. Three days of desperation. Three days of nothing. His feet ached, his head pounded and his stomach growled pitifully. He swayed slightly as he walked; the warm buzz of alcohol was the only thing keeping him going.

As he reached the doors to the Institute the silence was shattered by the eerie cry of an urban fox and Will paused at the gates. This wasn't his Institute anymore. It was an empty, broken thing filled with ghosts and could-have-once-beens. For a moment he entertained the idea of running away, leaving London and his days as a Shadowhunter behind him. He could go back to Wales, build himself a new life, start over. He had done it once, he could do it again!

Could you though? Could you really just leave them all? His conscience (that sounded annoyingly like Jem) whispered.

He thought about Tessa and Jem and how happy Jem had looked announcing their engagement, how brave Tessa had been when she went with those demons. He thought about Henry and how courageously he had died, he thought about Charlotte and wondered whether their baby would look more like Henry or her. He thought about Sophie, poor, sweet Sophie lying in the healing rooms with Gideon keeping a silent vigil. And he thought about Gabriel sobbing against him.

And he knew he couldn't leave.

With a heavy heart he strode through the gates and in to the Institute.

He had expected that everyone would be in bed but as he passed the library the warm flicker of flames caught his eye and he peered in. Gabriel Lightwood was sitting beside the fireplace, nose buried in a thick black book. Church was curled up purring enthusiastically in his lap.

Will took a couple of steps in to the room. Gabriel looked well, if a little pale. "I was wondering when you'd turn up," Gabriel said suddenly without looking up from the book.

Will jumped slightly and Gabriel grinned slyly, still not looking at him. He blamed the alcohol for the strange warmth Gabriel's grin sent through his body.

"Yes, well," he said stiffly. "I thought I should at least try to rescue my best friends since no one else was doing anything."

Gabriel huffed but ignored Will's scathing tone. "Charlotte was worried."

Will nodded and sat down heavily in the chair opposite Gabriel. Church blinked haughtily at him and Will glared at the cat, "Traitor," he said. "He's only been here a week and you're all over him. I helped rescue you, you ungrateful fleabag."

Gabriel chuckled and shut the book, Will looked up to find Gabriel studying him through bright green eyes and he looked away, busying himself with wrestling his shoes off his poor feet. "How's Sophie?" he asked, still looking at his feet.

"She'll live," Gabriel replied sighing. "She's still not awake though."

Will nodded and once he'd successfully freed his feet he looked up to find Gabriel still looking at him. In the fire's soft glow Will had to admit Gabriel did look good, but he blamed that on the alcohol. "Going to admire me all day, Lightwood?" he asked, looking away with a smirk and trying hard not to allow his voice to shake.

Gabriel eyes narrowed at Will's remark but instead of the angry retort Will was hoping for Gabriel sighed. "I don't understand, Will. I know it was you who was calling to me when I was out of it. I just don't understand why, though."

"I felt sorry for you." He lied. Will didn't look at him; if he had he would have said something entirely different.

He closed his eyes and wished he was with Tessa and Jem.

And if I only could,
Make a deal with God,
And get him to swap our places,
Be running up that road,
Be running up that hill,
Be running up that building,
If I only could, oh...