Disclaimer: I do not own any of the familiar characters you see from The Infernal Devices trilogy.

The Wheel of Time

Chapter Two: Plenty of Sense in Nonsense

"I most certainly am not!"

Tessa was on the verge of tearing her hair out. "Magnus, it's not like I'm asking you to raise the dead."

"Somehow I think that'd be a preferable alternative."

"You cannot possibly mean that," she said flatly. "It's him, I'm sure of it. He still acts and talks the same way he used to. He has dreams about Jem, Magnus! If that's not him then I will eat my hat."

He grumpily stared at her head. "You're not wearing a hat."

"By the Angel…"

"What will you do, Tessa?" Magnus said, cutting her off. "What will you do when you find him again? Tell him about his life in the late 1800s? Tell him that he's actually the same age now as his great, great, great grandson?" Blue sparks shot out his fingertips as he gesticulated, and one of them brushed Tessa's hand, making her jump a little. "I am certain that would go over flawlessly!"

She blew out a loud sigh and crossed her arms. It had been a very long time since she had gotten so upset over something, and an even longer time since she and Magnus had gotten into an argument. The experience was almost surreal.

"Of course I'm not going to tell him his life story. But I just want to see what kind of life he's living now. Who he is. What he's doing." Tessa lowered her voice then. "Aren't you curious, Magnus? You told me long ago that there are some people who will never be forgotten. I am certain Will is one of those people for you."

Magnus turned sharply at her words, the abrupt gesture sending a shower of glitter from his hair to the floor. Chairman Meow, who had been resting near his foot, let out a loud disagreeable yowl and scampered away.

He watched the cat go detachedly. "You're treading a dangerous path, Tessa. You know as well as I do that there are certain things we immortal beings should not meddle with."

She knew… of course she knew. "But this is Will."

"Especially because this is Will." Magnus' cat eyes were wide and sorrowful when he looked at her. "You have always been so clear-headed. Do you honestly see a scenario where this confrontation will end well?"

Tessa lowered her head and fiddled with the sleeve of her sweater. She had tugged on it so much throughout the course of the evening that it was unraveling at the seam. Much like her life was at the moment. She couldn't help but smile ironically at that thought. Since when had she gotten so dramatic?

"I promise I'm not trying to turn him into someone he's not. But I do believe things happen for a reason."

"And does Jem agree with this?"

Tessa was surprised that he even had to ask. "Of course. If anything, Jem is more eager to find Will than I am."

Magnus tipped his head back with a loud groan and scrunched his eyes shut in thought. The gesture was so human that she wanted to laugh. It was clear that Alec's constant presence was inducting Magnus back into the realm of humanity.

"Far be it for me to give you relationship advice," he finally said, eyes still closed, "but I hope you understand the additional complications this may bring."

Tessa felt her cheeks flush even though he wasn't looking at her. "I am aware." Their love story had never been simple, even from the start, but she also knew that now was not the time to focus on it.

Magnus slumped down on the leather couch next to her, having apparently grown tired from all the pacing. He rubbed his eyes wearily. "Are you certain about this?"

"Yes."

"Very well then. I will help you find Will Herondale."

Tessa stepped into the London Sports Club—a rather straightforward name for a not so straightforward place—and felt mildly overwhelmed.

Magnus really hadn't been kidding when he said that the Will Herondale of the twenty-first century was essentially living in the lap of luxury. It was apparent that having a father who served in the House of Commons meant few expenses were spared when it came to making sure his family had the best of everything.

The club itself was a sprawling six-story menace, boasting the most up-to-date amenities for all of its star clientele. Tessa had barely walked past the sliding glass doors when she came face to face with four sweeping escalators that reached the second and third floors. To the right was a glass elevator that looked like it belonged more to a five-star hotel than to a sports facility.

Situated in front of the glass elevator was the reception booth, carved out of dark mahogany and topped by a clear glass panel. There were comfortable leather couches and tables to the far left for people to rest in and work at, and Tessa could see a café hidden behind the double doors to her left.

Now this was the true meaning of "spare no expenses."

Tessa sucked in a breath and headed towards the restrooms on the first floor, wishing not for the first time that Jem could've been here with her. Thankfully, the stalls were empty when she entered and she quickly situated herself into one, securing the door behind her. She took in a deep breath to ready herself, and then palmed the button in her pocket.

The transformation was quick and simple. She had snatched the button off a girl who had walked out of the club ten minutes ago, and as she felt the familiar onslaught of a stranger's emotions taking over her mind, she knew the transformation had been a success.

With a forced confidence in her stride, Tessa walked back out towards the reception booth. One of the attendants looked up when she approached and then smiled at her in recognition. "Ah, Miss Wilhelm. Back already?"

Rebecca Wilhelm's mind told Tessa that she knew this attendant fairly well. A little too well.

"Unfortunately, yes," she giggled. "I forgot my purse in the locker room."

The attendant, whose name was apparently Jacob, let out a bark of laughter. "As forgetful as always, Miss Wilhelm. I can ask someone to fetch it for you if you just wait here?"

Tessa waved him off briskly. "Oh don't worry about it, Jake. It's no trouble for me. Can you just beep me into the system please? My ID is in my purse, I'm afraid."

Before he had a chance to say anything else, she hurried off to wait in front of the escalator going up to the third floor. A quick beep and a flash of green told her that he had authorized her entrance and she gave him a quick smile and wave before she hopped on.

Tessa shed her disguise the moment she was safely ensconced in the women's locker room reserved for the club's fencing team. She didn't think she could stand Rebecca Wilhelm's mind any longer, especially not with all the disturbingly intimate things she knew about Jacob the Attendant.

The locker room housed all equipment needed for fencing, so Tessa quickly fitted herself with a jacket, breeches, and plastic chest protector, and then grabbed a glove and mask on her way out. She hoped she had dressed herself appropriately, given her limited knowledge of the sport, but she just needed to appear professional enough to step into the training room. She was hardly preparing to do any real fencing.

The room itself was easy enough to locate. There were some twenty to thirty people milling around, practicing their swings, but either class hadn't started yet or this was an open session. Regardless, she now had time to scout out the premises and locate Will.

It took one sweep of the room to find him, situated near the back. He was already dressed and ready to go with a weapon in hand, but he was still speaking with what looked like the coach.

Tessa hovered near the entrance, wondering for a second if maybe she ought to wait until practice was over to talk to him. But then she saw Will disengaging from the conversation, and told herself she would not chicken out now. She was half demon, half Shadowhunter. Neither of these bloodlines had given her cowardice as a trait.

And so it was with baited breath that she walked over. Will had been practicing what looked like lunges, but he slowly straightened when he saw her approach.

Tessa stopped a few feet in front of him, feeling oddly breathless for no reason.

"Oh," he said. "It's you."

"Well… I'm glad you're happy to see me?" she asked hesitantly.

He shrugged and held up his weapon absently, as if examining it. "I wouldn't consider myself particularly thrilled, but I'm also not inclined to run you through with my sabre." He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. "So sure, I'm happy to see you."

Tessa managed a weak smile and swallowed. This meeting was progressing more awkwardly than she had imagined, but she knew she shouldn't have expected any different. He had walked out in a huff the last time they had interacted, so all things considered, this was actually going fairly well.

"What are you doing here? I could be wrong, but I'm fairly certain you're not a member of the fencing team."

"You're right, I'm not," she admitted. "I just needed a way to talk to you without you running in the opposite direction."

Will lifted a brow, looking mildly incredulous. "Aside from the fact that I now think you're a certified stalker, I hope you realize there are still plenty of escape routes available to me."

Well, that was certainly true, she supposed…

"But," he added, sounding impossibly important, "given that I am a man of boundless courage, I will not entertain that option. You can go now. I don't want to talk to you."

Tessa's jaw dropped. "Did you just dismiss me?"

His eyes were hooded when he looked at her. "Yes."

Now she was angry. "I'm sorry, but you'll find that I'm not at your beck and call," she snapped. "I don't care if you don't want to hear me out. If I have to follow you to the ends of the earth, I will. I am nothing if not persistent."

"And a little terrifying," Will added.

Tessa deflated slightly. "Yes, that too. But that was unintentional. I apologize."

He regarded her now with a renewed sense of wariness. "Look, as much as I'd love to hear you out, I have a practice to attend. The talk will have to wait."

Her shoulders slumped slightly. As demanding as she wanted to be, she was very well aware that it was rude of her to barge in and expect him to drop everything. She wasn't that unreasonable yet. "All right, well then I'll just wait out-"

"Catch."

Tessa looked up and nearly tripped over herself trying to catch the weapon he had just thrown at her. She managed to grab it, hilt first, and then stared at him, eyes wide.

"What are you playing at?"

Will was already lifting his sabre, and he gestured at hers with it. "Come on, blade up. What you're holding is called a sabre. Hold it so that the hand guard is turned outward." Through a state of hopeless confusion, she did as she was told and tried to mirror his positioning. "There. Now, watch my stance. We're supposed to be practicing our offensive techniques today, so you're going to be my partner."

"I'm what?" Tessa struggled to maintain her balance, given the strange position he had moved her feet into. What looked so natural for him felt so awkward for her. "Will, I don't know how to fence!"

"Yes, that was made evident a while back," said Will. "But, since you're here and I'm not going to waste a perfect practice on you, you'll have to make do. Now, hold your sabre in parry position."

Tessa was stupefied into doing so. She held her blade up in front of her face, and Will tapped it gently with his sabre to correct her positioning. "Good. I'm going to attack you now. Watch my blade. It'll be a basic straight thrust. Parry by knocking my sabre to the side. Ready?"

She was so focused on his words that she belatedly realized she could see his blade all too clearly. "Wait, aren't we supposed to be wearing masks?"

"Technically, yes, but I wasn't planning on skewering you. If you're worried, put yours on. I can wait."

Tessa eyed him cautiously. Her instinct trusted him beyond doubt, seeing as he had saved her life time and time again. But that was the old Will…

She shook her head and held up her sabre again, trying to mimic the position he had put her in earlier. He spent the next couple seconds adjusting her footing again, during which she was sorely tempted to tell him that she was actually very aware of how to protect herself with a blade. All the years of Shadowhunter training hadn't been for nothing, but she held her tongue in light of all the rules she would've broken, not to mention all the confusion she'd stir up on his end.

Will readied himself again. "Ready?"

She nodded.

He lunged, his right leg snapping forward. His sabre flew at her in a straight shot, just as he had promised, and it took all of her reflexes to parry the blow, ready to knock his sabre to the left.

But to her surprise, the blades didn't connect.

The tip of his sabre was just a foot short of where hers had been positioned. He remained steady in his lunge for a couple of seconds before he straightened in one swift move.

Tessa felt her heart racing. "You were feinting," she accused.

Will was assessing her with a curious gleam in his eyes. "Yes. For someone who can barely hold a blade, you move very fast."

Her eyes narrowed. "Well you did say you were going to attack me. I wasn't going to just stand there."

"I didn't think you'd be able to block me," he admitted.

Oh. "Well… that's insulting."

Will let out a startled laugh. "Given the way you were handling that sabre, you couldn't have expected me to think any different. But you're uncannily fast, which leads me to believe you've been trained before. Very few people are born with such quick reflexes."

Tessa considered her words carefully. "You're not wrong," she finally said.

He was looking at her as if he was trying his best to place her. One second, two seconds, and then he slapped a hand to his forehead oh-so-dramatically and muttered a few choice words about his "damn curiosity." When the theatrics finally passed, Will shot her a pained, almost resigned look.

"All right. Against my better judgment, you have my attention now. You wanted to talk? Let's talk."

Tessa didn't know whether she ought to feel excited or bewildered. "What about practice?"

"This isn't my standard class. I was just here to help out as a favor to Coach, but he won't mind if I say something's come up."

Will disappeared into one of the adjoining rooms, where Tessa guessed the coach was lounging before the class officially began. It wasn't two minutes before he came back out.

"Meet me at the front doors in ten," he declared, and then disappeared again through another set of doors.

Tessa was left in the room, feeling oddly bemused. Will was handling the entire situation in such a brisk manner that it was almost as if he was scared to slow down. Regardless, she did as she was told and hurried back into the women's locker room to change, appearing ten minutes later on the dot.

Will was already at the foot of the escalators, dressed in casual black jeans and a dark blue Polo shirt, a sweater in his hands. He nodded when he saw her and motioned for her to follow him out of the club.

A car was waiting for them in the circular driveway.

"I called Joseph earlier and asked him to swing by," Will said, by way of explanation. He opened the door and gestured for her to enter first, before following suit. "I figured it was easier than trying to walk in this weather."

Tessa took in the dark leather interior and the reflection of the man sitting in the driver's seat. He was decked out in a typical black suit, and it didn't take a genius to know that he was the Herondale family's chauffeur.

"Thank you," she finally said. "That's very considerate of you. But where are we going?"

"Somewhere we can talk." Will was scrolling through his phone and didn't spare her a glance. "I told Joe to find us a nice little decrepit alley. Figured it'd be easier to hide the body afterwards, you know?"

Tessa glared. "I hope you're joking."

He lifted his eyes from the screen and smirked. "Oh, I don't know. It all depends on how badly I want to add another stalker to my collection. I already have a harem…"

She reacted on instinct and slammed a fist into his arm, eliciting a lout cry of pain. "Bloody hell! What was that for?"

"Your uncouth behavior."

"Uncouth? Are you fifty?"

Tessa raised her fist again. "Want to try me?"

Will scowled and clicked his phone off with a vengeance. He grumbled something under his breath that she couldn't quite make out and then turned to stare out the window.

They didn't exchange conversation for the rest of the ride.

The car rolled to a stop some fifteen minutes later, and when Joseph kindly opened the door for her, Tessa saw that they were not, in fact, near some grungy alley. The street was on the narrower side, but it was nice and quaint and filled with small cafes and cute family-owned boutiques.

Will appeared at her side, now with his sweater on. He looked preppy and warm, and it made Tessa feel seventeen all over again.

The café he guided her towards was small and intimate and gave off a homey vibe. Bookshelves lined two of the four walls, and the espresso machines and mini bakery were at the back of the café. Wooden tables painted in different pastel shades were scattered throughout the shop, and if you got lucky, you could sit in one of the two window seats that were lined with thick cushions, coupled with two fluffy decorative pillows each.

Tessa was awed. She didn't think someone like Will would frequent this place, but then she got close enough to take note of all the classics on the bookshelves, and she suddenly understood.

"Not many people know this place exists," he said quietly, and chose one of the two-person tables towards the side of the shop. "I like to come here and read, sometimes think. It's a nice change of pace from downtown."

She couldn't have agreed more. "How did you find it?"

He grinned at one of the baristas behind the counter and held up two fingers, pointing first at Tessa and then himself. The barista gave him a thumbs up and flipped on the espresso machine. When Will turned back to her, the smile was still on his face.

"It was by complete accident actually. I was eight and upset with my parents, so I ran away from home. It had been raining at the time and so I came in here to wait it out. The lady who owns this place was actually the one who talked me into going back home."

The barista brought over two lattes in dark blue mugs and Will thanked her with a hug. Tessa took the time to examine the intricate leaf that had been drawn in her mug and smiled at the thought that had gone into it. When she looked up again, she found Will watching her, his gaze unreadable.

He looked away when she tilted her head and lifted his mug. "Try this. I may be biased, but I think this coffee is the best in the city." His lips quirked. "Plus, I really like the latte art."

Tessa took a sip. She had always been more of a tea person than a coffee person, but the moment the foamy liquid hit her tongue, she was gone. The coffee itself tasted like dark chocolate, and the milk added a mild sweetness to the aftertaste.

"This is delicious," she said honestly. "Thank you for bringing me here."

Will set his cup down. "I'm going to do both of us a favor now and stop beating around the bush, if you don't mind." His voice was suddenly serious, and though Tessa was surprised by the abrupt change in conversation, she didn't mind. This was what she had sought him out for after all.

"Sure."

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the light blue table. "Correct me if I'm wrong. You think you know me, except you don't exactly know me, per se. Am I right?"

Tessa blinked, processing his words. He had essentially gotten it right in one go, but how had he known? Were his powers of deduction truly that outstanding? "Yes… maybe that's not exactly how I would phrase it, but you have the gist of it." She fiddled with the handle of her mug. "Will, how much have your dreams told you? About… about Jem, about anything?"

He frowned. "Jem? Ah… you mean your friend in the bookstore the other day?"

"Yes. His name is James Carstairs, and well…" She trailed off then, unsure of how much she ought to say. Magnus' words came to her mind, unbidden. Do you honestly see a scenario where this confrontation will end well? Could she bring herself to tell him everything?

She was watching Will closely, but he was showing no outer signs of surprise or worry or anxiety. In fact, he was completely calm, an observation that bothered her slightly. Given how he had acted the other day, she had expected him to have the same adverse reaction now.

Will was watching her patiently. "Yes?"

"You guys were… you guys were close."

"Were we now."

"Like brothers," she insisted.

His voice had lost its inflection. "I don't have a brother."

And those words, for no reason at all, caused something in Tessa to snap. Jem wasn't your blood brother, but he was your brother in every other possible way, she wanted to scream. She wanted to tell Will about the man he had been… the warrior, the brother, the husband. She hadn't even realized just how much she had wanted to see him again until today, and now that he was sitting right in front of her, looking exactly like how she would've imagined him to look if he had lived in this day and age, she couldn't help but yearn for that something more.

"He wasn't your brother, but you guys were inseparable," Tessa said, and despite her best efforts to remain calm, she could hear desperation creeping into her voice. "What do you remember of him? Do you remember ducks? His violin?" She leaned in closer, almost knocking over her mug in the process. "Why did you choose fencing as a sport? Did you know that you used to excel in a very similar activity?"

Will looked at her with his blue eyes, his expression unwavering. His mouth was set in a firm line, his hands clasped on the table. He was the perfect image of poised contentment, but Tessa's well-trained eye could make out the tenseness of his shoulders, the barely-coiled muscles in his arms.

Her breath left her in one shallow gasp. Will was angry.

"Are you done?" he finally asked.

"Will-"

"I don't remember Jem, or ducks, or his violin. I have no idea who he is, but I see his death every single night in my dreams. But I don't want to." Will's voice was rising now, and the sparks in his eyes were tinged with fury. "I chose fencing because I'm good at it and because my dad was a fencer when he was young. No other reason.

"And before you ask again, no, I don't remember you. Tessa, I don't know who you think I am or who you think I was, but I am not that person. Do you understand?"

She could only nod as his voice plowed over her, slowly shattering her dreams.

"I admire your persistence and your resilience, but I don't understand why you insist on turning me into someone from your past. It's an insult to his memory and an insult to me."

Tessa dropped her face into her palms and let out a small groan. By the Angel, Magnus had been right. How could she have thought Will would just take her word for it and accept everything? He was neither dumb nor susceptive, and given how limited she was with what she could say, she sounded at best like a lunatic pining for her long-lost boyfriend.

She couldn't blame him, she really couldn't.

Seconds ticked by. Tessa didn't know whether it was her undoubtedly pitiful expression that made him take it easy on her or whether he personally felt bad for blowing up at her, but when Will spoke again, his voice was softer.

"You look as if you see a ghost every time you look at me." He gently pried her hands away from her face, and Tessa briefly marveled at how his hand could be so warm but his words so cold. "I can't empathize, but I can sympathize. It must be hard losing a loved one, and I'm sorry I remind you so strongly of him. But like I said earlier, I am not him."

Was this was heartbreak felt like? All over again? To come so close and then to lose him so violently? Was this the punishment of immortality?

"But your dreams," Tessa whispered dejectedly. "Your dreams of Jem… those aren't lies. You can't deny them. I saw your reaction when you saw him. That can't possibly be fabricated."

If she had expected those words to shatter his resolve, she was greatly mistaken. "I know I'm not normal. I can see things a lot of other people can't. I always just assumed the dreams were a part of it." He released her hand and leaned back in his chair. "But that also doesn't mean I want to pursue this any further. I want to live my life on my own terms, Tessa. Not anyone else's."

Will downed the rest of his coffee and stood up. "I know you didn't want to hear this, and I wish there was another way I could tell you. But stop trying to turn me into a copy of someone you had lost. I am my own person, and I would like you to respect that."

Will reached into his pocket and counted out a couple of pounds, which he left on the table. Then he turned and walked out of the café, away from her and out of her life for the second time.

Author's Note: Thank you all so much for the heartwarming reviews and for taking the time to drop by and read this story! Any feedback is greatly appreciated, as always. A couple things about the content in this chapter:

1) The London Sports Club mentioned here is a complete figment of my imagination. If one does exist out there, know that this was not fashioned after it.

2) I don't know too much about the technical aspects of fencing, so if I mixed up my terminology, I apologize in advance and would appreciate any corrections!

3) You may have noticed already, but the chapter titles are taken from quotes by or about Will in the trilogy. If you guys have any good suggestions you'd like to share, please let me know!

Thanks again for reading and please enjoy this chapter! It's a little on the longer side, but I figured Will and Tessa's encounter deserved more than just a few words. :)