A/N: This is where we start deviating from canon, guys. Up until this point I've been trying to make it as close to accurate as possible, but after this, you're going to start seeing a lot of Wem filtering in. Obviously, this will involve some cutting apart canon.

Jem was confused by the new arrival to the Institute.

Tessa was a lovely girl, Jem supposed. She had nice hair and intelligent eyes. She was both polite and headstrong, and Jem already decided that he wanted to be her friend. She had this way about her that made her very interesting.

That was not the confusing part. London was full of lovely girls, and wanting to be friends with an interesting person wasn't an odd desire.

The confusing part was not the emotion she had elicited from Jem, but from Will.

Will was his best friend in the entire world, and Jem liked to think that he was Will's best friend, as well. Will had his secrets, but Jem knew more of them than most people did. Will was the closest thing Jem had to family, really, and he treasured their time together.

However, that time together had been decreasing lately thanks to a certain brunette with grey eyes.

Jem found Tessa interesting and lovely, but he viewed her strictly as a friend. Jem suspected that Will might be viewing things differently, which bothered him a bit. Tessa was a strong, mysterious young woman with a sharp wit and an interesting perspective. It was natural that Will would be curious, just as Jem was.

Will's interest seemed slightly different than Jem's, though. Jem saw the way Will's eyes were drawn downward along Tessa's tall, thin frame. Out of the corner of his eye, Jem would notice Will staring at her, sometimes, as if she were a puzzle he intended to solve. Tessa seemed to hold Will's attention in ways that Jem had never seen before.

It bothered him more than he would have liked to admit.

At least, that was part of what was disturbing Jem. He did not like that Will was spending less time with him, but he was used to Will being a bit emotionally distant. Jem did not like that Tessa was getting more attention than him, but that was completely logical, as Tessa was new. Jem did not have a right to dictate what Will did with his time. Those were irrational concerns, but Jem was able to excuse them with a little effort

The thing that was most bothersome to Jem was not that he was playing second fiddle, so to speak, but that it annoyed him so much. Jem prided himself on his patience and understanding when it came to William Herondale. Jem was used to Will's stories of girls and alcohol and debauchery. Jem simply accepted them as (probably) false and moved along.

Actually seeing Will react to a girl like this, however, was a different matter entirely. This was not an exaggerated story of Will seducing a young werewolf in a pub or being accosted by an old hag on the streets. This was Will Herondale possibly showing real interest in someone, and the thought was a bit frightening. Seeing Will look at Tessa that way made Jem oddly… well, almost jealous. Jem couldn't explain it

Jem knew he was probably misinterpreting things. He knew that it was unrealistic that Will was actually seriously interested in the girl he had recently met. He knew that Will would probably charm the secrets out of Tessa and move on, hoping to escape before she started to ask him for facts about himself.

Still, the concept of Will viewing someone else as more important than Jem made him bitter in a way he felt was inappropriate. It was frustrating and absurd, and Jem would never mention it out loud. Will relied on him to be stable and considerate and not too inquisitive. It was impossible to squelch the negative thoughts, however.

His feelings baffled him, and he hoped they would fade soon.