Jace and Clary's Wedding

Chapter 11

*tessa pov*

I found it interesting to watch the family at the New York institute from the sidelines. It reminded me so much of my original family at the London institute. The younger Will was so much like my Will that he slowly became one of my favorites. He had the passion in his eyes that Will had, the plain brotherly love for his brother and Tess. Even his mildly stupid actions were so much like Will that he brought back old memories. I watched My Jem bond with the kids here, like he had always been with them. I mostly stayed with Tess, and Rose. I helped them train, I tried my best to be a mentor. I thought of all of them like my own children. Especially the Herondale family. My own true family. The boys even had the pale star that never failed to pass down generation to generation. Seeing that star was always bitter sweet. The whole New York institute was bitter sweet. The fairchilds mixed with the herondales. The lightwoods mixed in with the Herondales. Even seeing Jem work with little james. Our four families had never broken apart.

I rather enjoyed helping the children train. While they insisted they were not children, I still thought of them as children. They took every little detail in. Often I would laugh and remember me and Sophie training all those years ago. I did not look old on the outside but on the inside, the memories weighed me down so I felt as old as I was.
"Ms. Tessa?" A voice snapped me out of my day dreams.
Tessa Lightwood stood knife in hand.
"Yes dear?"
"Do we bring back memories?"
"Pardon?"
"The four of us. Me Jem will and rose. Sometimes when you help us you daze off. You close your eyes and sometimes you smile sometimes you frown."
"Yes." I whispered "You 4 bring back bitter sweet memories of mine."
She pulled out a book from her bag and sat next to me.
"This was yours I think." The book was old. The cover was worn but I could still read the spine.
"A tale of two cities"
Tears sprung up in my eyes.
I opened the front cover carefully. But sure enough they first page was written on. I couldn't see most of it, but I knew exactly what it said. I could make out one thing though.
With hope at last,
Will
"Oh Will." I whispered to myself.
The tears fell down my face.
"I'm sorry ms.tessa! I didn't mean to make you cry. I just found this in my aunts bookshelf!"
"No no don't worry tess." I held the book to my chest. I felt ridiculous crying infront of this teenage girl. But the memory of Will came swimming back.
"Tessa."
I looked up to see the one person who would understand this bitter sweet pain.
I handed him the book silently. His fingers lightly traced the signature.
He idly touched the pale scar of the parabati rune on his chest. I squeezed my eyes shut trying to force the tears to stay in my eyes. But they fell right through my eyelids.
"Tessa," Jem touched my arm.
"Come on." He took my arm and led me to our room. The tears continued to fall silently.
"Shhh it's ok" he pulled me to his chest.
"I'm sorry for crying over him when I have you." I sniffed. He pulled back and looked at my face.
"Don't ever apologize for crying over him Tessa."
More and more tears fell. I wiped them away furiously. I felt like a child crying like this. But I couldn't stop.
"I hate this!" I sob
I could see Jem's eyes starting to water.
He led me over to our bed and laid down. I curled up to his side and let my sobs over will rack my body.