Charlotte had finally given in to Henry. It had been three weeks now, and Tessa barely saw him out of his work area. He skipped most meals, and the new maid or Charlotte had to bring the food to him.
Tessa wondered how he would make it work. She had many questions to ask him, but he was never around.
So she asked them to Will. "What do you think Henry is doing down there?"
They were in their chambers, getting ready to sleep. Tessa was brushing her hair, while Will was already settled on the bed, reading.
Without putting his book down he said, "Probably a portal. But one that allows you to travel in time, of course."
That makes sense, she thought. Henry already knew how to create a portal. He only needed to make it time travel. Easy for sure.
"When do you think it will be ready?" She asked.
"It depends on how fast Henry works." Now he did put his book down. His gaze was intent on hers. "Why are you so interested in this?"
Tessa shrugged. "I'm just curious, that's all."
Will raised his eyebrows. "You know, there's a saying in Spanish that says curiosity is bad."
"There is?" Tessa said with mock interest.
Will didn't seem to be bothered by her snickers when he spoke. "La curiosidad mató al gato. Curiosity killed the cat."
"First of all," Tessa said, setting the brush on her dresser. "I am no cat." She walked over to the bed, shoving Will off what had become her side.
"And curiosity will certainly not kill me. You don't have to worry about that."
"I always worry." Will said, kissing her forehead before turning off the lights.
Henry showed up tardy for breakfast the next morning.
"Magnus stayed up late with me last night, helping me finish the portal." He said, eating a piece of bread. "We think it's ready."
"Are you going to test it on anything?" Cecily asked.
Henry didn't answer her question. "I expect to see all of you at noon."
There was no need to say where. But Tessa wondered, what could be so important that he needed to gather all of them?
She turned to Will and saw the same question in his eyes.
"I will explain everything once Cecily and Gabriel get here." Henry announced.
They were in Henry's work area, where papers full of sketches littered the floor and walls, except for a door-like figure on the near wall.
Will was about to get up and drag them here himself, when the door opened and the two of them came rushing in.
"About time, don't you think?" Will said, irritated by the way Gabriel held his little sister's hand. They were both in better terms now, but that didn't mean Will couldn't act like the protective older brother he was supposed to be.
When they settled down, Henry clapped his hands twice as to grab their attention. There was no point in doing that, for everyone was already staring at him intently.
"I will get right to the point," He said, "I need two to test the portal."
"Two what?" Charlotte asked.
"Two people, of course." Henry said. "Preferably two people named Will and Tessa."
There was silence. Then, "We will do it." Tessa broke it.
Will turned to her, his look one of confusion. "What? No we are not. It hasn't even been tested yet. Anything could go wro—"
"That's why Henry needs us." She replied.
"Magnus and I have already taken every precaution as to make sure nothing goes wrong." Henry interrupted. "The chances of something going wrong are three out of fifteen."
"I won't take that chance." Will said, his voice grave.
"You don't even know what we're to do." Tessa said, with frustration in her tone.
Before Will could reply with some smart retort, Henry interrupted once again.
"It's really simple, actually. This time machine works just like a portal. Just think about someone or something—with a time period in mind, of course—and it should take you right to it."
Tessa turned to whisper to Will. "Please, Will." She said.
"I can see that you are not just curious." He replied, referring to the talk they had the night before. "This is too risky, Tessa."
"It's exciting." she said.
On the other couch, Cecily cleared her throat.
"Gabriel and I can do it." She offered. Gabriel turned to give her a distressed look.
"I would prefer for Tessa and Will to do it." Henry said.
"Why us?" Will asked.
Henry smiled a rueful smile. "Because you're the next closest thing to parabatai." He replied. "If Jem had still been here, I would have asked you, Will, and him to test it."
The room grew silent once again. The memory of Jem still stung to everyone, but it certainly affected Will the most. He was now imagining him and his parabatai, setting off to new adventure.
The thought hurt too much. What could have been doesn't exist. He mentally chastised himself for thinking about that.
Will looked at Tessa again, and saw what was probably the reflection of his own pained look.
At that moment, he realised that they both needed this. A distraction. To form new memories. So he said, "We will do it."
Tessa quickly looked up, her eyes sparkling a little. Will couldn't identify if it was of tears of sadness or excitement. Probably both.
"Let's get on with it, then." Henry said, wheeling to a nearby table to grab his steele.
Will and Tessa stood up, going to where Henry was already creating the portal on the free space of wall.
"You have to commit the whole experience to memory." Henry said. "As soon as you get back here, pen and paper will be waiting for you to write on."
"How do we get back?" Tessa asked. Will noticed that she was getting a little bit nervous. So was he.
"The portal should remain there for about half an hour. Plenty of time for you to explore."
A wall of green lights appeared where Henry had been writing. The portal was waiting.
Will took Tessa's hand anxiously in his while Henry wheeled back some safe distance away.
"Try to go to the time when Charles was born." Henry said loudly to be overheard the portal's humming.
"Don't try to scare any of us!" Gideon exclaimed, a small smile on his lips.
"Don't come into contact with any of us," Henry said. "It could disrupt anything."
Will and Tessa both nodded in understanding.
Clenching Tessa's hand tighter, Will turned to her and asked, "Are you ready?"
Tessa massaged their joined hands with her free one. "I'm ready when you are."
With that, they both walked through the portal, falling into nothingness. Never letting go of each other.
A/N: I hope I didn't make you guys wait for long. I started working on this chapter ever since I uploaded the first one, and I wanted to make it better than the last one (that I later realised wasn't as good as I thought). I will post the third chapter soon. Please bear with me.
Hearts With Love: I'm so glad you liked my story! I hope you like this second chapter too.
MagicMissy: Here's your update! Thank you so much for making my story one of your favourites.
DeepthaHerondale8D: I appreciate your understanding. Thank you for following/favouriting (is that even a word)? my story.
SNEAK PEAK: The next chapter's name will be A Stroll Through Time.