The Shadowhunters

Heatred, Regret, and Love

into his life, he had ordered a sweet hot chocolate. When Jem found out that Will liked Tessa, he had ordered a mocha – half sweet and half bitter, all unsure.

Perhaps Jem was weird that way, but it was what he did.

A girl, probably seventeen – Jem's age – walked up onto the small stage with a guitar.

One thing Jem liked about this coffee shop was that there was live music and an open stage. Whoever wanted to go up could. Even Jem had gone up several times. The girl that was

playing had played before in front of Jem.

Jem observed the girl that was singing on the stage. She was a small one and clearly had a passion for music. Her voice was absolutely beautiful. Her quiet voice began to lull Jem

into a peaceful calm. The girl had black hair – probably the same shade as Will's. Her eyes… even from the back of the shop, Jem could see that her eyes were a shade of violet.

Interesting.

Jem stood then, finished his coffee.

The taste of bitterness was still on his tongue, though it wasn't only from the drink. Jem sighed before walking out, the girl's voice still ringing in his ears. Jem turned around one

last time as he exited the place.

The girl caught his eye. Jem nodded to her and the girl winked as she sang, her voice becoming a haunting lullaby.

And Jem left before he could recognize the song.

…

"What are we going to do about Linette Herondale?" Cecily asked Will. Sophie had left along with the Lightwood brothers and Tessa was off at her job. Jem was still not home, leaving the remaining Herondale siblings to talk.

"I don't know," Will said, a grimace on his handsome features. "She's not going to stop until she gets what she wants and honestly, I don't want to be her toy," Will said.

"I hate this," Cecily sighed, falling onto her brother. Her head was in his lap and her feet dangling off the other end of the couch. Will sighed, playing with her hair. "You haven't done that since we were thirteen," Cecily said thoughtfully.

Will shrugged. "I would always play with your hair and Ella would be at your feet, tickling you," he said quietly.

"I miss her," Cecily said quietly, shutting her eyes. "Would Ella be proud of me?" Cecily asked softly.

"Why would she have a reason to not be proud of you?" Will retorted. "You're amazing, Cecy. You don't take any of the crap that Linette gives you and you aren't weak. I mean, did

you see your punch!?" Will grinned. "You totally knocked that guard down."

"She sent guards to come after us, Will," Cecily sighed. "What was she going to do after she got us? Chain us up until we call her 'Mum' again?"

"She has turned insane," Will sighed.

"But I wouldn't give up Tessa or Sophie. You would never give up, Tessa, would you?" Cecily asked.

Will was silent. "I would if I had to," he said, so quietly that Cecily strained to hear.

"What do you mean?" Cecily asked.

"If Linette threatens her… if she hurts her… And I'm the one responsible… I can't live with that," Will said. "If I leave her, she still has a chance. Linette Herondale is a powerful

woman and she can destroy Tessa's life so easily."

"Will, you aren't going to help if you leave her," Cecily protested, looking up at her brother's face. A tear slipped from his cheek, falling onto Cecily's.

"I didn't say I was going to," he said harshly. "Just…" his voice became soft again. "Just if she threatens her. Tessa can't be hurt, Cecily. She can't."

…

Tessa was wiping the tables, her hair pulled back into a brutal ponytail. There was a particular sticky spot that the three year old boy had left behind for her to clean up.

The ice cream shop door opened then, the familiar bell that rang when the door was open rang again.

"Sorry, shop is closed…" Tessa said, looking up and voice dying off when she saw who it was. "Hi Mr. Herondale," Tessa said, waving.

"Hello Miss Gray," Mr. Herondale smiled. "You're closing up?" he asked. Tessa nodded, continuing to scrub the table as hard as she could.

"What brings you here, Mr. Herondale?" Tessa asked.

"Miss Gray, just call me Edmund," Mr. Herondale smiled.

"Then you call me Tessa," Tessa said. Mr. Herondale nodded.

"I check up on my shop often, Tessa," Mr. Herondale said.

"Your shop?" Tessa asked. "Then all that money…"

Mr. Herondale shrugged. "You were struggling a lot," he said.

"I…" Tessa sighed before saying, "I don't accept charity."

"It isn't charity, Tessa," Mr. Herondale said, grabbing a towel and beginning to wipe down the counter. "You were working extremely hard, so I paid you the right amount."

"One thousand pounds a week?" Tessa scoffed. "That's an unrealistic amount for an ice cream shop."

"I told Patrick that every time you refused the high offer, he would just add to it. I'm surprised you stopped at one thousand when you could have gone further."

"I… It's not right," Tessa said, looking down. "I'm just stealing your money then."

"You're working, aren't you? So I'm paying you," Mr. Herondale said. "So you should accept it."

"But why are you..." Tessa said and she let her sentence go unfinished, sighing again.

"Why am I being so kind? So unlike my wife?" Mr. Herondale said, knowing Tessa's answer. Tessa gave him a nod. "I love my children, Tessa, just like my wife does. Her way of

showing it is overprotectiveness, whereas I give into my children's happiness. Linette has been constricting them, long before Ella died. She's scared," Mr. Herondale sighed.

"Because of that," he continued, "My children are rarely happy anymore. And when Ella died, it became even worse. Will never smiled anymore and Cecily grew angry. But when

they came across you, the change was so drastic. Cecily began to open up more and she would come home from those girls' nights you have so often and her spirits would be high. Will never smiled, but once you walked into his life, he began to laugh and enjoy life again."

"I…" Tessa started. "I am not…" Tessa bit her lip. "Perhaps they moved on."

"No one moves on in a day so quickly, Tessa," Mr. Herondale said wisely. "Now that my children have completely cut off themselves from their mother, Linette is looking for

someone to blame. She is stubborn, a trait that all of my children have inherited," he smiled wryly. "And you, Tessa, are at the top of her list. Watch your step, Tessa. My wife is

not the most patient, nor the kindest. She is, rather, the most dangerous because she never gives up until she gets what she wants."

"I still love her," Mr. Herondale sighed. "I still see that girl I met in university. She was not always like this, but she was always headstrong and bold. Be wary, Tessa," Mr.

Herondale said, dropping his towel.

"Good night to you," he said, nodding to Tessa before exiting the ice cream shop, leaving a very confused and slightly frightened Tessa behind.