You guys will be pleased to know that I cured my writer's block late this afternoon, and I was able to finish this chapter. Hooray for clear thinking! And thank you guys for the follows and reviews! I hope you guys appreciate my play on words with the title, which will make more sense once you read the chapter.

To Arya: I hadn't intended to put the 'Ciao' bit in there, it was a spur of the moment thing. But I'm glad you appreciated it. =)

Will's POV

Will was dwindling the time away, dancing with some blonde girl. She was pretty, but Will had already forgotten her name. He looked for Jem, wishing to get out. He glanced around the room when his eyes landed on the back corner. He saw Tessa, but she wasn't alone. There was a boy with her, and... what on earth was he doing? She looked slightly creeped out, and it wasn't until Tessa started to draw away from the boy who was leaning over her that Will sprang into action.

He ditched the girl, ignoring her frustrated calls. He ran up the steps and reached Tessa. He hauled the boy off of her, setting him upright. Will punched him across the face, sending him spinning to the floor. "What the hell?" he shouted, wiping away the blood dripping from the corner of his mouth and rising to his feet. Will glared at him before he spat "Stay away from her." He pulled Tessa to her feet, not very gently, and stared at her. "Get your bag, we're leaving." Tessa nodded, too startled to speak. She picked up her purse and followed Will, who wasn't looking to see if she was coming. As they left through the main door, Jem ran into them. "Where are you guys going?" he asked, smile on his face. "We're leaving. Tessa here nearly got molested; I think she's had enough fun for one night." Jem's jaw dropped open, and he stared at her. "Tessa, are you alright?" Tessa wasn't really listening. She was looking up at the ceiling, staring at the lights. 'Aw, Will, aren't those pretty? Do we really have to go?" "Yes, Tess, come on." Jem nodded at them. "Hold up, let me grab my jacket, I'll leave with you." He was back in a minute, and the three of them made their way to the curb.

Will hailed a cab, and the three of them slipped into it, with Tessa in-between them. She was really exhausted, and the minute the door closed, she set her head in Jem's lap, and was snoring lightly in an instant. She had also kicked her shoes off and had stretched her legs into Will's lap. Will rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, while Jem smiled down on her and pushed the hair out of her face. He turned to Will. "Will, I told Cecily, Sophie, Thomas, Gideon and Mark that we left. I think they're going for a short walk before they head back. But I couldn't find Victoria and Gabriel." At that moment, Will's phone started buzzing. He pulled it out of his pocket and stared at the screen. "It's from Victoria. It says 'I'm going to Gabe's with him tonight. Don't expect me back.'" Will looked at Jem, and the two of them burst out laughing. They knew exactly what was going to happen. He sent her a reply 'Alright, have fun, and don't do anything that could leave you changing nappies for the next few years.'" Jem snorted. "She'll be so happy to get that." As if on cue, Will's phone buzzed again. He laughed and showed the screen to Jem. 'You're an ass, Herondale. Good night.' Smiling, he tucked the phone into his pocket.

Jem looked at him. "You never did tell me what happened to this one" he said, gesturing to the sleeping Tessa. Will sighed, and turned awkwardly in his seat so he could tell Jem the whole story. When he was done, Jem looked down at Tessa. "In hindsight, we probably shouldn't have made her come. She hasn't been to many of these things before." Will shook his head and turned to look out the window. They had reached Institute. Tessa was solidly asleep, and not willing to wake her up, Will carried her while Jem carried her shoes and bag. They made their way to their dorm, with Tessa nuzzling her head into the crook of Will's shoulder. When they had reached her room, Jem rummaged through her bag to find her room key. He opened the door and flicked on the lights.

The room was a mess. There were clothes, shoes and makeup everywhere: slung over the ends of the bed, on the floor, in the wardrobe, on the vanity. Jem picked his way over to Tessa's bed and dumped the clothes onto Tori's bed. "They can figure out the mess tomorrow. Set her down and come on, Will." Will nodded as Jem left to go open their room. Will set Tessa on the bed and covered her with the blankets, opening the window to let some fresh air in. Will was about to go when he felt something grab his wrist. He turned to find Tessa grasping it, muttering in her semi-conscious state. "Don't leave me." And she was snoring again, her grip loosened. Will sighed and set her hand by her side, turning off the light before he left the room.

Sophie's POV

They had left Pandemonium, walking along the street, heading towards an ice-cream place. Sophie had spent most of her evening with Gideon, dancing and talking. He was pleasant company, and he kept her amused with his goofiness. He was accident prone, and could hardly walk without tripping over his feet. Mark, Thomas and Cecily were walking alongside them, engaged in a conversation that she could care less about.

Gideon was a nervous wreck. He was fidgeting with his hands, and stuttering over every other word. But Sophie didn't really care. She thought it was sweet. Gideon was quiet, like her, and tried to stay out of trouble. Except when the others dragged them into their messes and crazy plans. He worked hard, and was determined to graduate with a full business diploma. The late September night had started to get chilly, so she was glad when they finally reached the shop, slipping into the warm interior.

They picked a table in the back, away from prying eyes. Mark, Cecily and Thomas crowded into one side, while Sophie and Gideon took the other. They ordered a large sundae, big enough to feed a family of four. When it arrived, it was packed so high that Sophie and Gideon couldn't see Cecy, Mark or Thomas on the other side. Gideon grinned at her. "Dig in." Sophie laughed, and pulled the cherry off the top. "You can have it" she said, handing it to him. He grinned and bit into the cherry, juice dripping down his chin. He spooned up a bit of chocolate ice-cream and sprinkles and stuffed it into Sophie's mouth. "Here, try this" he said, before she could protest. And they continued like that, feeding each other bits of ice-cream and before they knew it, all five of them had finished the sundae.

Sophie was giddy with happiness as the group made their way back to Institute by cab. After she and Cecy had bidden goodnight to the boys, the girls made their way to their dorm room, collapsing onto their respective beds, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey Soph?"

"Yes, Cecy?"

"What do you think of Gideon Lightwood?"

Sophie turned her head to look at the other girl. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you like him?"

"I do like him. He's been my friend for two years, you know that."

"You know what I mean."

Sophie did know what she meant.

"I don't really know. He is, essentially, good and kind, and I never feel threatened by him. He makes me feel safe."

Cecily turned onto her side, Staring at Sophie. "Well, I for one think that he would be good for you. You need each other. If you decide to pursue him, Sophie, you should know that he would be worth your time. Every last second of it."

Cecily flicked off the light, falling asleep quickly. Sophie was awake for a while, and even she fell asleep, her dreams were filled with green grasses that looked vaguely familiar.

Victoria's POV

Victoria was settled on the floor of the den in the Lightwood residence. The house was huge, but the den was her favorite place. It was a tiny, cozy room, with an L-shaped couch and a television. She had her back to the sofa and was waiting for Gabriel to come back with the popcorn and movie. He entered and shut the door behind him. He also had a pile of blankets with him. "Here" he said, tossing the blankets in her lap and resting the popcorn bowl on the television stand. "I figured you might be cold in that dress." "I'm fine. Thank you though. What movie did you pick?" He showed her the top of the DVD cover, smiling. Victoria grinned. "The Titanic! That's perfect! You remembered my favorite." He put the DVD into the player, and joined her on the floor. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she put her head on his shoulder. They spread the blanket over their laps, resting the popcorn bowl in between them. The movie started, and they watched as Jack Dawson won his tickets for the Titanic.

Gabriel's POV

Gabriel watched Tori's face more than he watched the movie. He already each line by heart, and besides, she was prettier to look at. He would never admit it, but the Titanic was one of his favorite movies too. He was reminded of himself and Tori when he saw Jack and Rose together. Tori was the one who always knew how to have a good time, like Jack. She was the one who had loosened up a previously stiff and quiet Gabriel. That was why when Jack and Rose disappeared into the backseat of the car, Gabriel turned Victoria's face towards his, and kissed her.

Victoria's POV

She kissed him back, suddenly not exhausted at all. Ther kisses grew deeper and deeper until they were nearly devouring each other, hungry for the other. They knelt up, upturning the popcorn bowl. He pried her mouth open his lips, tasting the sweetness of her and twining his fingers in her hair. When they came up for air, Victoria pressed her forehead to his, hands cupping his face, and whispered "Your room." He nodded in understanding, and flicked off the television, leading her by the hand up a winding staircase. She shut the door behind her, and she barely had a chance to turn around again, before Gabriel was crushing into her. He turned her in a circle, and walked her backwards until they were both collapsed on the bed. They hadn't bothered to turn the lights on; it was a rare London night where the clouds were gone and moonlight was streaming through the window.

Victoria edged herself backwards on the bed until her head was on the pillows, Gabriel crawling between her legs, which were bent up. He rested his elbows on either side of her shoulders, and began kissing her neck, making her gasp. Her hands fingered his shoulders, and made their way down to the buttons of his shirt. She expertly undid them, and Gabriel knelt up impatiently to shrug the shirt off. Victoria sighed as the moonlight lit up his body. It was smooth but hard, a sheet of glass. She slid her hand down his chest and stomach, pausing at his waist. Her touch caused him to shudder. He leaned over her again, this time, not kissing her, but gazing into her eyes. He slid a hand on the underside of her leg, and hesitated when he reached the hem of her dress. She helped him pull it off her. This was not the first time; the first time had been beautiful, filled with flickering candles and soft music. This time, they were desperate. Their hands traced each other. His hand skimmed her sides and back, his fingers fidgeting on her bra strap. Now she was cold. He brought his hand up to stroke her face once before he said "I love you." "I love you too, Gabriel." With that, he moved over her, warming her to the core.

Tessa's POV

Tessa was running through the streets of Manhattan, her white heels in one hand. Her other hand was being held by Chris, her best friend. They were trying to get away from the drug dealers that slipped into the club, who were chasing them. Chris and Tessa had started running, and hadn't even bothered to slow down until they reached Times Square. Tessa had stopped to stare at the lights that lit up the place, and in that moment, she lost Chris in the crowd of people. She was turning around frantically, the sweat piling onto her forehead, until she turned into one of the dealers, who was closing in on her-

And she gasped awake. She put her hand over her mouth, and barely made it to the bathroom in time before she threw up the contents of the previous night into the toilet. She gagged into the bowl, wiping her chin with a piece of toilet paper once she was done. She lied down on the floor, soaking in the coolness of the tiles. Tessa sat up when she was ready, and rose to her feet, staring at herself in the mirror sink. She was still in last night's dress, and she had make-up smeared onto every corner of her face. She splashed some cold water onto her face, and made her way out of the bathroom.

It was dark out, and when she went to check her phone, it flashed 3:30 in the morning. She groaned and sat on the bed, her head in her hands. What on earth had happened? The last thing she could remember was talking to Scott, and everything between that and now was blank. How the hell had she gotten back to the dorm then? She picked up a bottle of water and drank half of it in one gulp, hoping it would flush her head out. She stared at her phone again, and picked it up, clumsily dialing a number.

If she did her math right, it would be about 10 pm in New York. She pushed herself back onto the bed, stretching her feet over the edge and leaning against the wall. The phone kept ringing. Tessa wasn't sure that he would be at home, and she was about to put the phone down when she heard a "Hello?" from the other end.

She sighed in relief. "Chris? It's me, Tessa."

"Tessa! How are you? We haven't spoken in two weeks, I was wondering where you went."

She could picture him sitting on his bedroom floor, leaning against the bed while he spoke to her.

At her silence, he spoke again. "Tessa? Are you alright? And what are you doing up so late, isn't it 3:30 am in London?"

"Chris, I don't know." With that, she began to cry.

"Tessa! What happened? You're freaking me out."

"I was at a party last night, and I had some drinks, and I was with a boy, and I don't remember how I got back to my dorm, and I woke up from a bad dream just now and... I really miss you. I wish you were here" she managed to choke out.

"Oh Tera. I miss you too" was all he said, which made her sob even harder. God she was homesick. "Listen, don't worry about it," he continued, "Go back to sleep, and when you get up in the morning, ask one of your friends what happened. I'm sure it was alright. If anything had gone horribly wrong, you wouldn't be in your dorm right now."

Tessa sniffled and nodded. Then remembering that Chris couldn't see her, she choked out "Thank you. Wait, I have a question for you. What are you doing at home on a Friday night? You hardly ever stay home on Fridays."

He laughed on the other end. "I have to take the SATs in the morning, so I was following the 'do not party the night before the test' rule."

The SATs. Those seemed like a distant nightmare. She shook her head, conversation flowing easier now. Chris was her only friend, her best friend. With all of the changes taking place around her, he was one of the few constants. They spoke about school and New York, reminiscing about old times. Finally, around 4, Tessa said "Chris, thank you again for everything. I think I'm going to turn in now. It's super late and I-" her sentence was cut off by a huge yawn. He laughed. "Alright Tera. Goodnight. Love you." "Love you too. And good luck for tomorrow." She disconnected the call, and put the phone back on her bedside table. She didn't bother changing out of the dress. She curled under the blankets and fell asleep, this time, her rest free from nightmares.

Hope you liked it! I have the next chapter nearly completed, so that should be up in the next day or two. Oh, and I have a question for you. I was originally thinking of stopping this story after these guys finish their school year. But now I'm thinking about writing the next two years for them in different stories. Should I do it? Let me know. =)