Author's Note: Sorry to update again so quickly. Per what is going on in my life this might be the norm for a while. I guess it is a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on what you think of the story. Enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 9

Will found himself cursing the Lightwoods an hour later, after Henry had left him to the cleaning and organizing of the weapons room. Gabriel had gone out on a dispatch the night before, with his older brother Gideon. They had returned in the morning to the Institute, which was the headquarters for most demon hunting operations, and, instead of taking their own gear and weapons home to be washed, had made it the duty of the Institute's weapons specialist. Yesterday, the weapons and gear would have been washed by someone, eventually, but as of today, it had become Will's job to clean up after the Lightwoods.

"Fucking Lightwoods," Will mumbled. The back of Gabriel's armor featured an intricate design depicting the Lightwood family coat of arms. At some point in the night, Gabriel must have found a puddle to roll in, because dried mud and demon blood caked every single inch of the coat of arms. Will cursed and chiseled the mud out with a sharp knife, taking care to not damage the armor. He could only imagine how that would go over. In Gabriel's eyes, Will had ruined enough Lightwood possessions.

"If Jem could see you now," Will heard. He looked up to see Sophie standing at the door to the weapons room, holding a glass of water. She gave him a smirk and took in the mess he was responsible for. Will recalled all of the times he had treated her as his own personal servant and found himself feeling bad.

"Laugh all you want," Will said. "I have a job now."

"I'm not laughing," Sophie remarked. "I brought you some water." She carried the glass over and set it on the table beside Will. He drank all of the water, and then set it down, leaving behind muddy finger prints on the glass. "So Charlie?"

"James Charles," Will said. He nodded and turned back to the armor.

"Wash your hands. I think he's punching me," Sophie said. Will climbed off the stool he had been sitting on and went to wash his hands. When he turned back, Sophie had taken over his seat on the stool. Will lifted his hand and Sophie guided it to a place on her upper stomach. This time, Will let his hand linger on her stomach as the baby incessantly kicked and punched. Will smiled.

"How's your back?" he asked.

"Not so bad right now," Sophie replied. "Thanks for asking." She met Will's eyes and gave him a serene smile, as though this had been all she ever hoped for. Will pulled his hand away.

"I need to get this finished. I have a lot of work to do," Will removed his hand from her stomach, picked up his knife, and continued to work on the armor. It was odd that Sophie had sought him out, again, but he hadn't been home all that long, and there were things they needed to discuss.

Sophie hummed quietly and looked around the weapons room. It was a complete disaster and Will wanted to make the room presentable in time for the Enclave meeting. Henry had said that Will might be met with some opposition when it was announced that he had taken over as weapons specialist, and today, Will didn't feel like giving anyone a reason to be angry with him.

"Is something going on with you and Tessa?" Sophie asked.

Will stabbed at a bit of mud. The knife point hit metal, slipped out of control, and buried itself in the fleshly part of Will's palm.

Sophie took a deep breath and stared at Will's hand. The knife was stuck about an inch into his palm, and when he pulled it out, blood squirted from the wound and dripped down his wrist.

"Tessa and I?" Will asked. He picked up his stele and drew an iratze over a fresh scar on his wrist. This hadn't been the first time he had stabbed himself this morning. The cut healed quickly and Will wiped up the blood with a rag.

"She would make a lovely mother," Sophie said.

"She can't bear children," Will said.

"She doesn't have to bear children to be a good mother," Sophie said. "Besides, I didn't think children were a priority for you," Will shrugged. "Jem told me once that you fancied her. Do you still fancy her?"

"No, I don't fancy Tessa," Will said. "I liked her before, but not now. There's no more going on with me and Tessa than there is between you and I." Will understood girls well enough to see the crestfallen look flicker across Sophie's face.

"Do you fancy Magnus?" She asked.

"I don't… I did… I might," Will said. "Why are you asking me these things, Sophie? I'm trying to work."

Sophie took Will by the back of the head and pressed their lips together. Will considered pulling away but instead, he squeezed his eyes shut and kissed Sophie the way she wanted him to: slow, and sensual. Her lips were unfamiliar, but he found that she still tasted sweet, like the icing from breakfast. The feeling of a woman's lips against his was supposed to have felt good. He was supposed to want more from Sophie, but instead, he wanted Magnus.

Will had enjoyed doing many things with Magnus, but he had always enjoyed passionately kissing the warlock best. When Will kissed Magnus, he was able to forget everything for just a second and focus only on the energy between them. The few times they had been together, before they had kissed until their skin felt hot. Shedding clothes and pressing their bare skin together became the only relief they could find, however momentary that relief might be.

Will had made love to Jem, and had been intimate with him, but he had never felt like he could love Jem as hard and fast as he could love Magnus. Jem had been breakable; Magnus was not. The kisses Will shared with Magnus had the potential to open up a Pandora's box of need and desire. They had contained the spark that would ignite a fire, and Will had a sudden need to burn alive.

"No," Will said. He gently pushed Sophie away and she looked up at him. "What was that for?"

"I wanted to see what it was like," Sophie replied. "I wanted to see if I might like it."

"So that's how you got pregnant," Will said. Sophie walloped him on the arm with her fist, so he grabbed her hand before she did it again. Will held her gently. "Did you like it?" Sophie shrugged.

"It was only my second kiss," Sophie said. "I can't compare it to Jem's kiss… I can't even… I liked it. It was very… very good."

"Good," Will said.

He went back to cleaning the armor and felt his hands shake a little as he thought about Magnus. Will didn't care that Magnus had kissed Camille once. What was one worthless kiss compared to a hundred more worthwhile kisses? He wanted to drop what he was doing and go to Magnus's house to work things out, but there was work to be done at the Institute. Sophie remained at Will's side and didn't notice the change in his demeanor.

"I had to try it," Sophie said. "I had to kiss you. I had to try… you and I."

"You and I?" Will asked. Sophie looked down at her stomach, which took up most of the space between them.

"I want to get married," she said. "I want to have a husband and I want this baby to have a father. I thought, maybe, you would want a wife. I thought, perhaps, I could be your wife."

Will dropped the knife and leaned against the table. This had been bound to come up sooner or later. Had Sophie married Jem and then he died, she would have been a widow, nothing more. But now, she wore the evidence of her impurity in plain view. Of course, she would have wanted to get married, and Will would have made the perfect husband. The marriage would be strictly convenient, nothing more. They would have to make love exactly once to consummate the marriage. Then Will would have a wife, Sophie would have a husband, and the baby would have two parents that didn't love each other.

"Sophie," Will mumbled, sounding pained, "You can't possibly want to marry me."

"I don't want to," Sophie said, "but it's for the best."

"It would never work," Will said. He took her dainty hand and looked down at it. His hands were still slightly stained with dirt, and her skin was porcelain white against them. "I can't love you. Not the way Jem would want me to. Not the way he would have loved you."

"You can't try?" Sophie asked. "Or do you not want to try?"

"I honestly think you deserve better than me," Will said. "This can be life for us, Sophie. We can live here, raise Charlie together… it's not the life either of us wanted, but it's a life. And… if you want to find a husband, I want you to be able to find a husband. I won't stand in your way."

"But you can't love me?" Sophie asked. Her eyes welled up with tears. "Why can't you love me?"

"I don't want to," Will said. "You should want to kiss someone for more than just to find out how you feel about them. You should want to kiss someone because you're already in love with them."

"Are you in love with Magnus?" Sophie asked.

"I want to be," Will said. Sophie climbed off the stool and started for the door but Will blocked her escape. "Sophie. Would you really want to be with someone who didn't love you the way you deserved to be loved?

"You can't ask me that," Sophie said.

"Would you want to be with someone who didn't want to kiss you? Or hold you? Or… be intimate with you?" Will asked. Sophie shook her head. "Neither do I."

"It's not fair," Sophie said. "Why did this have to happen to us?"

"I don't know, Sophie," Will said. "I just don't know."

Will skipped lunch that afternoon. He poured all of his energy into straightening and cleaning the weapon's room and had worked up quite a sweat by the time Henry told him it was time to get ready for the Enclave meeting. Sophie had left long before then. Will hadn't seen her since their conversation.

Will went up to his room, where he took a long, hot bath. He had neglected to wear gloves while cleaning the armor, and try as he might, he couldn't get every bit of dirt beneath his fingernails to come out. Finally, he got out of the bathtub, dressed in a nice pair of a pants and a sharp looking shirt, and walked downstairs. He went into the dining room to see most of the Enclave socializing. Charlotte and Henry were talking with Consul Wayland. Three of the Lightwoods- Benedict, Gideon, and Gabriel, hovered in the corner beside the table of refreshments. Will went over to the table and helped himself to a few cookies and a cup of coffee.

"Excuse me, what are you doing?" Gabriel asked.

"I'm getting a few cookies before I sit down to participate in the Enclave meeting," Will said. Gabriel's nose twitched and he blinked quickly.

"But you're not old enough to be here," Gabriel said. "The Enclave is only for Shadowhunters over the age of 18. You, as I can recall are only…"

"Eighteen, today," Will said. "Happy Birthday to me." Gabriel scowled and Will smiled, then crossed the room and had a seat between Henry and Charlotte.

The meeting was called to order. Benedict and his sons sat across the table from Henry, Charlotte, and Will. The meeting proceeded slowly. Will and Augustine were sworn in as official members of the Enclave, and various reports were given by various people. The progress of Samuel Lightwood and Edward Freeman, two Shadowhunters currently studying at the Academy in Idris, was discussed. Then, the meeting turned towards other topics.

"Lady Camille Belcourt has returned to London and harmed the warlock Magnus Bane," Charlotte said. "I think we should investigate her. She was peaceful before, but she disappeared after DeQuincey's party. At the very least, she should be brought in for questioning. Perhaps she might have something more to tell us about Mortmain."

Benedict laughed. "You want us to spend our time and effort looking for a vampire who bit a warlock?" He asked. "It was a lover's quarrel, is all. The warlock was probably asking to be bit, and then she disappeared and now he wants revenge!"

"He wasn't," Will snapped. All eyes turned to him. "He wasn't asking to be bit. And it wasn't a lover's quarrel. They weren't lovers. She had been gone six months. I don't know why she bit him but he wouldn't have wanted her to." Benedict studied Will with his cold, green eyes.

"Taking the warlock's side," he remarked, "How typically Herondale of you." Henry cleared his throat, met Benedict's eyes, and silenced him.

"I think we should find Camille and question her," Charlotte said.

"I agree," Consul Wayland said. "All in favor?" Everyone raised their hands. "Very well. We'll start the investigation first thing tomorrow. Is there anything else to cover?"

"William Herondale has accepted the position as weapons specialist," Charlotte said quickly.

"But I interviewed for that job," Gabriel protested.

"The position needed to be filled and Will is best suited for the job," Charlotte said. "We're lucky to have him."

"The only reason you gave Will the job is so that he can help the decrepit mundane girl with the opium addict's child," Benedict said. "Admit it."

"I beg your pardon. Sophie is not a mundane and Jem was never an opium addict," Will said.

"You'll speak when you're spoken to, Herondale," Benedict snapped. Gabriel smirked. "I know that the Clave is to take in any child of a Shadowhunter, but I believe an exception should be made in this case. James Carstairs' child is composed of nothing but broken dreams and tainted blood. Just like his adopted father. No good can come from any of this."

Charlotte sharply objected to that comment but Will barely heard her. Instead, he heard hot blood pounding in his ears, and for the first time in nearly six months, he found that he had grown angry. Will took a deep breath and struggled to remain calm.

"You mean me?" Will asked. "I'm composed of nothing but broken dreams and tainted blood? The blood that flows through my veins is pure Nephilim blood."

"Pure Nephilim blood?" Benedict asked. "Are you certain? Was your mother a Shadowhunter, the way your father was? Did she fight demons and serve the Clave?"

"She was a mundane," Will said. His voice cracked a little and for a split second, he doubted himself. Benedict sneered and rubbed his palms together. "Nephilim blood is dominant."

"Of course it is," Benedict said. His voice oozed false sincerity. "And snow is pure white, correct? But what happens when a bit of soot mixes with the snow? The snow is still snow, right? But it's not as pure and pristine as it once was. Am I correct?" Will opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

"Not here, Benedict," Henry said. Benedict kept the smile on his face as he stared into Will's eyes.

"You poor boy," Benedict said, "Your family's past really is a mystery to you, isn't it?"

"My father was a Shadowhunter and my mother was a mundane," Will insisted

"Your father lied to you," Benedict said. "Everyone else chose to ignore your past." Benedict looked to Henry and Charlotte, who were each silent. The rest of the Enclave averted their eyes. "You know that the Herondale line can be traced directly back to Jonathan Shadowhunter himself, right? You are descended from some of the greatest and bravest Shadowhunters who ever lived. You father knew this but he decided to taint your line anyway, with the blood of a witch."

"My mother wasn't a warlock. Warlocks can't bear children," Will said.

"I didn't say warlock. I said witch," Benedict said. "Your mother was a witch. Did you know that?" Henry said nothing. "Do you want to know the truth, William?"

"Tell me," Will said.

"He's going to lie to you," Henry said.

"Tell me," Will repeated. The entire Enclave remained silent, their attention rapt on Will and Benedict. Will leaned forward and folded his hands on the table.

"Your father and I were close friends. Had Carstairs not gotten in the way, we could have done great things together," Benedict said. Will barely flinched at the mention of Jem's father. He had long assumed that their father's had lives together long before Will or Jem had even been thought of. "James Carstairs Sr. and your father were parabatai. I was a few years older than them, and served as their mentor and training partner. We were good friends. Practically family."

"In the early winter of 1860, your father met your mother at a party thrown by the warlock Magnus Bane. He had taken your mother in because she was a hedge witch. She was able to summon demons but not properly control them, so Bane was attempting to teach her how to use her powers properly," Benedict said.

Hedge witches were an awful nuisance. Will knew of several of them, and had dealt with the clean up and banishment of many of the demons they had summoned. Working with a witch and helping them to perfect their powers was against Clave law for Shadowhunters. Had Magnus been working with a witch after the Accords been signed, he could have been punished severely for it.

"Your mother bewitched your father with spells and charms. Your father always had a reason to go see her. It was obvious what was going on. They carried on a passionate affair throughout most of 1860, and by that summer, your mother, the witch was pregnant with you" Benedict said.

Will didn't wanted to believe Benedict, but he remembered a childhood spent in a remote, seaside village in Wales, and a many odd occurrences that could have been explained with magic. One time, during another awful winter, Will had been sick with a fever and couldn't get warm. In moments of lucidity, he could recall his parents arguing. Then his mother had come to him and lay her hands on his chest, and not only did she rid him of the fever, but she cured the illness that had been raging inside of him. Within an hour, Will had felt healthy enough to go outside and help his father collect firewood.

"I'm not lying, am I, boy?" Benedict asked. Will shook his head. "After it was revealed that your mother was with child, your father begged the Clave to make her a Shadowhunter, but what your father had done, mating with a witch, was against Clave law. There was a trial. James Carstairs spoke in your father's defense. He actually condoned your father's behavior, said that your father was in love, and said it was impossible to stand in the way of two people who truly loved one another. He claimed your parents were two wandering the earth who had found one another. They were meant to be. James Carstairs always had been good about believing how powerful love could be between two people, but his testimony didn't convince anyone. Your father was charged with treason, but given a choice: he could cut off all communications with your mother and remain in the Clave, or, he could have his runes stripped and could abandon the cause. We both know what he chose."

"He had a responsibility to me," Will said.

"As any father does. Your father chose family over the Cause. It's admirable, yes. But look at where that choice got him," Benedict said. "He's a lonely old man dying in a house beside the sea. He chose pleasure over purpose. He could have had a proper family with a female Shadowhunter… not with a witch. Now, your blood is tainted. You're not to be trusted."

Will felt his cheeks get hot. He stared at dining room table and wondered if Benedict was right. Maybe there was a part of him that wasn't right, and never would be.

"He's perfect," Henry said. "There is nothing wrong with him. Take that back."

"He should know the truth," Benedict said. "At least one of your parents was normal, William. But think about the blood that will be flowing in the veins of the child you are bound to raise as your own. He'll be one part weak opium addict, one part poor servant girl. Do you really think that baby will be worthy as a Shadowhunter?"

"Jem died in battle. He died a hero," Will said.

"Jem was going to die sooner or later," Benedict said. "Lucky for all of us, and especially you, he went before he had a chance to really drag anyone down."

Will was unsure of what forced him to move. He calmly stood up, walked across the tabletop, and knocked Benedict to the floor. Will put a knee against Benedict's rib cage, wrapped his right hand around his throat, and pushed the old man's head against the floor.

Benedict choked audibly. His face turned red, and then, quickly turned purple. His pulse throbbed against Will's palm. Will imagined himself squeezing his fingers tighter and tighter against Benedict's throat, until the fragile windpipe crushed beneath his hand.

"Don't… you… EVER!" Will said through clenched teeth. "EVER!" Will squeezed tighter and saw blood vessels burst in Benedict's watery green eyes. Beneath his knee, Benedict's diaphragm strained as it tried to bring it precious oxygen.

Henry yelled something, and Will felt an impact slam into his body as he and Gabriel tumbled across the floor. Will leapt to his feet first, and as Gabriel clamored to his feet and came at Will, hands raised, Will couldn't stop himself, not this time. Gabriel lifted his hands to surrender just as Will pulled back his fist and put seven months of pain, frustration, and thirst for revenge through the center of Gabriel's face.

Gabriel fell back onto the table, unconscious. Will felt burning pain as Henry twisted his arms back and pinned Will down on the table. Benedict leaped to his feet and leaned over Gabriel, and Will saw fear in his eyes as blood began to hemorrhage from Gabriel's nose and mouth. In seconds, the table beneath Gabriel's head had become dark with blood.

"My boy!" Benedict cried. "Gabriel!" He put a hand on Gabriel's jaw and turned his head, causing Gabriel's face to flop lifelessly against the table. Benedict turned to Will as his anger masked the fear in his eyes. "You did this."

Will recalled, instantly, the Library in his family's country home in Wales, and his father knelt over a tiny, broken child, saying those same words.

Henry hustled Will from the room and Will went without a struggle. He began to build the walls that had kept his secrets around himself once more. He gave himself over to the numbness that filled his body and reinforced the thought that had dwelled in his mind ever since Benedict had told Will a truth no one refuted. Will was tainted. After all of these years, Will had the evidence necessary to conclude that he wasn't quite right. He was tainted with evil.

"I did this," Will thought. "I have done something awful." He couldn't help but think that perhaps, Benedict had been right after all.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading? Please review? Pretty please? LOOK! I have given you a teaser:

"I've done a terrible thing," Will said. "I've hurt two innocent people. I should be punished."