Will rolled over on his back, the sheets swathed around his waist, but he was too lazy to pull them up and shield himself from the cold air in his bedroom. He heard gentle footsteps coming down the hall. He knew it was Tessa, from the fluttering steps she took. He realized she had walked past her room, and he muffled a curse. Of course she was going to see Jem. When Will had misled Tessa into believing he had only wanted her for her, erm, womanly uses, he had practically driven her into Jem's arms.

The look in her eyes was imprinted on his brain; the sad, lonely eyes, wanting to understand him, but couldn't find the hope to try and help anymore. But most of all was the love he saw in her eyes. The love that made her eyes shine, and the pain that made them glisten with tears, had penetrated his walls more than anything in his entire life. Even through everything in his life, the battles, the blood, the scars, and the casualties; never had something hurt him as much as the love and the anguish in her eyes. Suddenly, anger made the blood pound in his ears, making him impulsive.

He jumped out of bed, and opened to door with speed that only a Shadowhunter could obtain. Before he knew what had happened, he had Tessa pinned to the wall just outside Jem's door, his hands on either side of her, pressed against the wall. Her warm, sweet breath tickled his face, and he couldn't bear it any longer.

"Will, what on Earth are you-", he silenced her with his lips claiming hers, in a swift, desperate, movement. She resisted at first, but slowly melted into him. He was gentle, trying not to scare her away from him. Without warning, he deepened the kiss, a newfound desire boiling up from inside him. She pulled away, her hands on his chest, trying to get him away from her.

"No, Will, this is wrong. We can't be…", she stopped short, leaning her forehead against his chest, and quiet sobs escaping her throat, making her shoulders tremble. She took her hands from where they rested on his chest, and pressed them against his lips. Tessa looked up; the tears in her eyes ripped him into oblivion. Carefully, he leaned forward once again. This time, she leaned forward as well, capturing his lips. He missed kissing her, though he'd only kissed her twice before.

They were unlike any other girls he'd kissed before. But, the kiss was desperate, and lonely. She was vying for his attention this time, although she'd been avoiding him over the last couple of days. She pressed against him, trying to share some of his warmth. Will reached up and caressed her cheek, and found that it was burning, but her arms were as cold as blocks of ice. He responded to her body, pulling Tessa closer to himself, indulging his maddening urge to be as close at hand as possible with her.

Tessa broke away, stopping for breath, and leaned her forehead against Will's. He took in the sight before him. Tessa was with him with swollen lips and tousled hair, and with her beautiful, shining gray eyes. He could only dream of having someone like her with him at this very moment. She smiled, as if reading his mind, and leaned forward again. He kissed her once, gently, sucking at her bottom lip, and she gasped in surprise, which made him grin and want to go further. But, he stopped himself. He took her hands and brought them up to his lips once more, before turning away.

"Wait, Will, where are you going?" she almost yelled.

"I'm rather exhausted, Tess. I suggest you get some rest yourself." The sting from his words was evident, as he saw the pain return to her eyes, and a stone dropped into his stomach. He'd done it again. But... he didn't have any other options. He had to protect her from the truth. Tessa balled her hands and into fists and looked him straight in the eyes,

"You think you're so strong, William, but you don't realize that sometimes you have to let others in if you truly want someone to love you." She gasped a little, trying to prevent a sob, or something else, "Will, I would love you if you'd only let me see you, Will. Not the William façade you put on every day to make everyone think you're alright, when you're breaking inside! You think I don't know anything about you, but you're wrong! Whenever I see you, I feel this desperate need to be by your side, but then you start talking and I can hardly stand to be around you!" She shook her head sadly, as if trying to accept something intangible, "I love you, Will. But you won't let me." With that she turned on her heel, covering her mouth with her hand as she tried with much effort to muffle her crying.

Will stood in the hallway until he realized that she had disappeared into her room, and the quiet crying had subsided. He opened the door to Jem's room, quietly, checking to see if Jem was asleep. Jem stood in front of the door, his fist against the wall.

"Leave, William."

Will backed away from the door and made his way back to his room, shocked by what he'd just witnessed. All of it. Tessa loved him… Jem loved Tessa…

This… could be very, very bad.