Fandom: The Infernal Devices

Story Title: "All I Am, All I'll Be"

Summary:"We have to stop meeting like this." Five times Will and Jem meet at a wedding.

Character/Relationship(s): William Herondale/Jem Carstairs, Tessa Gray/Jessamine Lovelace, Henry Branwell/Charlotte Branwell, Cecily Herondale/Gabriel Lightwood, Gideon Lightwood/Sophie Collins

Rating: Hard T

Warnings: Language and hints at sexual behavior.

Story Word Count: 5,500+

Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable.

Notes: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEL. I love you x1000, you deserve nice things. Nicer things than this, even. I wish you the best on this wonderful milestone.

All I Am, All I'll Be

01

"William Herondale, you are coming with me to this wedding or else."

Will looked up at Jessamine from his couch, where he was currently sprawled in just his boxers and a matching scarf, and then glanced back at the TV where characters were dying spectacularly. "You don't scare me anymore," he told her, sounding as bored as he could.

"I know the password to the safe where you keep your first edition Dickens novels, don't push me," Jessie told him, walking to his television and shutting it off with a sharp jab. "Besides, you have to come, you promised Charlotte."

"Don't even pretend like this is about Charlotte. You're only forcing me to come because Nathaniel Gray is going to be there and you want to save face."

Jessie sniffed and glanced at her perfectly manicured nails. "Maybe."

"You just want a big bisexual beard to save you so that you don't look single and desp-"

"No, I do not need to be saved. What I need is for you to not be a wanker and to fulfill your commitment and be my date because that's the nice thing to do and I know for a fact that you don't have a date."

"How do you know that? You don't know that," Will said, glaring at her.

Jessie rolled her eyes and walked into his bedroom without a word, and came back out with pants, a dress shirt and tie, as well as a jacket. She threw everything at him, and then grabbed his nicest shoes from their spot in front of the door and aimed them at his head.

"Hurry up and get dressed, traffic's going to be mad."

"I'm not going, and you can't make me."

"I can't believe you made me come," Will pouted, fiddling with his tie. Jessie had done it for him, as always and as always it was far too tight.

"Shut up. And quit messing with your tie. You're just mad that you couldn't wear your scarf."

Will glared and was just about to say something sharp when Charlotte came up to them. She was beautiful in her wedding gown, even though some of her hair was escaping from the elegant up-do. Henry wasn't far behind her, and they were both beaming with happiness.

It made Will feel sick, and one glance at Jessie told him that she felt the same way.

"Thank you both so much for coming, I wasn't sure if you two would show!"

"We wouldn't have missed it for the world," Will lied through his teeth, side stepping Jessie's stiletto clad foot before she could hit his. "You look beautiful, Lottie. You're a lucky man, Henry."

"I know," Henry said, turning as red as his hair at the thought. He and Charlotte looked at each other, and between them passed love and affection and other disgusting things. Will could smell it from where he was standing.

"Lovely party," Jessie complimented, grabbing Will's arm as she began walking away. "Have a nice night." They were only a few feet from the couple before she started again. "God that was disgusting."

"I know," Will agreed. "Bet you twenty quid that they're both virgins and tonight goes spectacularly bad."

"If I agreed to that I'd be out twenty quid, no thank you." Jessie paused, before pulling them to a stop. "Oh God there's Tessa Gray. Don't look. Will, I said don't look," she hissed.

"You told me not to look; of course I'm going to look," Will told her, looking. Tessa Gray was indeed in attendance, even though he had yet to see Nathaniel. On Tessa's arm instead was someone that Will had never seen before. He was taller than Tessa and slightly angelic looking, bringing Paradise Lost to Will's mind. He was the most beautiful thing that Will had ever seen, and from beside him Jessie snorted.

"Oh God, not you too."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Will pulled his arm out from hers and Jessie rolled her eyes.

"Sure you don't," she said from behind him, but Will was still looking at Tessa and her date. They were talking and both smiling. They looked happy, and Will found himself wishing with an intensity that surprised him that they were just friends.

It was almost a relief when Nathaniel Gray finally showed up, tapping his sister on the shoulder and giving her a hug. "Ex alert, two o'clock," Will warned Jessie, nodding towards the brother sister duo and mystery date.

Jessie cursed, and then turned around so that her back was to them. "How does he look, does he look fine?"

Will appraised Nate, who looked clean enough, before saying, "He still looks like his left eye needs a bruise to match his right, but other than that he's fine."

"May I remind you that I can do my own punching, and have."

"Yes, I know, the evidence is still on his face."
"It is?" She turned around to glance back at Nate before turning back. "It looks like he got his Slut of the Week to do his eye make-up because it isn't covering one inch."

"He's coming over," Will warned.

"Oh no he's not," Jessie said. "I'm not turning around, you're lying."

"I'm not lying he really is."

"No he's no-"

"Hello, Jessamine. William. How lovely to see you here." He smiled at them, a greasy and grimy thing, and he obviously hadn't changed a bit. Will had never liked him, and Nathaniel's recent reveal as the biggest douche in the known world had been an exciting development.

Jessie whirled around, her hair hitting Nate in the face. On purpose, Will was sure, but he bit the inside of his cheek just the same. "Hello, Nate. Sadly I cannot say that the feeling is mutual. Now are you going to leave or shall I?"

"Jessie," Nate said, changing tactics. He made his voice low and soothing. "I'd really like to talk to you. I'd even forgive you for the, you know, on my face."

Jessie straightened up and looked down her nose at Nate, as much as she could from the middle of his chest. "That's it, I'm getting a drink. Go to hell, Nathaniel Gray," she said with as much dignity and nobility of a queen she walked away.

"If you don't get away from me right now I'll make sure you've got two eyes to cover up badly instead of one," Will warned, and Nate began walking in the opposite direction as quickly as he could.

With that awkwardness out of the way Will found that it was high time that he talked to Tessa's date. They were still talking, when suddenly Tessa began walking to the same drink table that Jessie was currently occupying. Good.

He tried not to make it too obvious that he was headed towards that table, but it became unavoidable when he sat in the chair beside Mystery Date.

"Great party, isn't it?" Will asked.

"Sure," Mystery Date shrugged. "It's a nice enough wedding, a celebration of their love, etc."

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height. My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight..." Will quoted. This usually got a good response, and he was crossing his fingers that it would work here as well.

Mystery Date just raised his eyebrows. "Browning, really?"

"Don't tell me you don't like Browning?"

"I actually hate poetry," he admitted, and Will put an offended hand to his chest.

"You don't like poetry? Clearly this isn't going to work out after all."

He just smiled and held out his hand. "Jem Carstairs. And you are?"

"William Herondale. So how do you know Charlotte and Henry?"

"Tessa's actually the one that knows them, she and Charlotte work together as I'm sure you know. I'm just here for her."

"So are you two..?" Will trailed off, and braced himself for the answer. Jem seemed too good to be true. He understood Will's references and was attractive and seemed like a nice guy, a step up from some of the other people Will had dated.

"Oh no, Tessa's great but we're just friends." Jem studied Will's face, before glancing over the crowd. "What about you and your date?"

"Jessamine? Not at all, no. That would be like incest, and not the sexy Game of Thrones kind."

Jem smiled. "Good to know," he said coolly before, "Do you want to go out on the terrace? It's getting kind of hard to breathe in here, all the commitment and love."

Will laughed. "Just what I was thinking."

The air was cool, and they were the only two people on the terrace, which Will found to be both a blessing and a curse. Charlotte and Henry had decided to have the wedding at Charlotte's family home, and Will could see why. The stars were beautiful and the trees were lush and created a romantic atmosphere with lights twined around them.

"Please don't start quoting poetry at me about how the stars are the 'bright torch of love' and the 'radiant crown,'" Jem said suddenly.

Blake, Will thought to himself. Nice. Jem seemed to know a lot of poetry, despite claiming to hate it. "And why not? I thought I'd impress you some more."

"I couldn't kiss you, not with the taste of poetry on your mouth," Jem told him, and suddenly Will was leaning in and Jem's hands were in his hair and fuck it'd been a while since Will had felt like this. For a moment there was a feeling of déjà vu in the pit of his stomach, but that went away as Jem's tongue slid over his again.

He wanted to back Jem into a wall and kiss the hell out of him, wanted to take off that suit jacket and shirt and feel Jem's skin underneath his hands. He was about to do just that when the terrace door opened and they both pulled away in shock, breathing heavily.

"There you arrrrrrre," Jessie said. She tried to take a step forward, and instead managed to start a trip face first into the concrete. Will quickly moved and caught her before she could. "I've been looking everywhere. I want to go home. Can we go home, Will, please? All this happiness is making me sick. I hate happiness." Her eyes filled with tears. "I used to be happy but I'm not anymore. Happy."

"I'm sorry," Will apologized to Jem, who was smiling faintly in amusement. "I've really got to take her home."

"I understand," Jem said, and straightened his tie before walking back through the doors and disappearing.

"Jessamine, you bitch," Will sighed, before looking down on his friend. She was still mumbling something about being happy. "Let's just go home, okay?"

02

"I'm beginning to think that bringing you was a mistake," Will told his sister, who was bouncing in her seat.

"Oh do shut up, Will," Cecily said, glaring at him. "Sophie would have killed you if you didn't bring me."

"I don't know why Sophie even invited me to her wedding, she doesn't even like me."

"No one likes you, but you still manage to have friends," she pointed out. "Just be glad you got to come and that she invited me as well so that you didn't have to bring Jessamine."

"Well I like Jessamine more than I like you, so there's that."

"Why are you so grouchy?" Cecily suddenly asked, turning around in her chair to actually look at him. "I mean normally you're annoying, but this is completely terrible. So stop it, right now."

He wasn't about to tell her the real reason—which was because he had seen Tessa Gray but she had decided not to bring Jem as her date. He hadn't heard from Jem in two months, ever since Henry and Charlotte's wedding, but he hadn't been able to stop thinking about him either.

Jessamine and Tessa were friends now, of a sort (evidently they had gotten drunk together at the last wedding and Jessamine had decided that was enough reason to occasionally meet with her ex-boyfriend's sister for lunch a few times, as well as shopping trips that Will point blank refused to go on) and as such he could have easily gotten Jem's number through that channel.

He just...wasn't sure if he wanted to. Jem was great (more than great), but Will could have been reading too much into it, could have gotten too attached too fast.

Will had a tendency to do that sometimes.

So instead he moped and pined from afar. And evidently grouched at weddings. Maybe he should go live in a trash can next, that would be nice.

Instead, he told his sister, "Oh, why don't you go dance with Gabriel Lightwood?"

"Maybe I will," his sister declared haughtily. "At least he's less of a horse's ass."

"Well at least I don't look like one."

One glare later Cecily was gone, stalking away, presumably to find Gabriel. That was a horrible combination, and Will would never understand what his sister saw in the youngest Lightwood. But they were both annoying, so maybe that was it.

"Finally," Will muttered, reveling in the peace and quiet.

"Fancy meeting you here," he heard a voice from behind him say, and turned around to see Jem. "What was that about? She looks decidedly angry."

"That was my little sister, don't worry about her," Will told Jem, trying not to look as though his heart was threatening to beat out of his chest, even though it was. Jem looked just as good as he had at the last wedding that they had been at, though his haircut was slightly different and his tie was red instead of black. "She's gone to be a nuisance somewhere else, and hopefully won't be back. Ever."

"You two seem a lot alike," Jem said. "Annoying an-"

"Oh don't even start," Will said, interrupting him. "I don't want to know what you're going to say because there's no way you noticed that much about me. We only saw each other for a hour the last time we saw each other."

"Oh it was a bit longer than that and you know it," Jem said. "But fine, I won't tell you what I noticed about you."

"Good. So how do you know Sophie and Gideon?"

"Sophie and I were friends in uni. You?"

"Gideon teaches maths in the same school that I work at, and Sophie bullies me." Will shrugged. "It's enough to be invited, I guess. I feel like everyone's in a mad dash to get married this year. Everyone I know has been putting on suits and white dresses lately."

Jem nods. "So who do you think is next? Those two?" he asked, nodding towards Cecily and Gabriel Lightwood.

They were dancing, almost the same height when Cecily was in heels. They gazed adoringly at each other, smiling and acting like no one else is in the room, or even matters. It was disgusting and Will suddenly felt some nausea coming on.

Sophie and Gideon were nowhere near as disgusting as Henry and Charlotte, so he'd hoped that he would be getting spared. Apparently not.

"Ugh, don't even say that," Will shuddered, at the though of Lightwood and his sister as much as the thought of having to go to another wedding. "The Herondale name already has me, it doesn't need further tarnishing."

"Gabriel isn't...that bad," Jem mused. "Not all the time at least. Would your sister be dating him if he was that terrible?"

"I long ago washed my hands of my youngest sister and don't understand her taste in men at all, don't ask me."

Jem smiled, and for a moment they were quiet. It wasn't a bad thing, because it was comfortable enough, but Will never couldn't always stop himself from saying horrible things, and this was one of those times.

"So...I've seen a closet in here that seems like it could use some action, and we both know that Sophie is too prim and proper to use it like it should be used. Someone should take advantage, don't you think?"

For a moment Will was horrified by the words that came out of his mouth, and Jem seemed to pause before he answered. "Sure," he said. "Might as well make a tradition out of it."

Though, to Will, it seemed like not much time had passed, Jessie was waiting outside the closet when they came out, straightening their ties and their hair. She was tapping one stiletto clad foot, and smirking.

"Lovely to see you again, Jessamine," Jem said, nodding before turning to look at Will. "See you at the next wedding?"

"Of course," Will replied, and Jem smiled and walked away. Once he was far enough away Will whirled on Jessie. "Why the hell is it always you?" he moaned.

"You look like you had your brains blown out your dick. Did you?"

"That is none of your business, get your own sex life."

"Also, you've really got it bad, don't you?" Jessie asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Don't tell me William Herondale is having feelings."

"Just because we can't all be cold bitches like you-"

"At least I manage to have relationships that last more than two weeks-"

"If you can even count that thing with Nate Gray a relationship-"

This was, of course, the moment when Tessa Gray decided to come near them. Will had met Tessa a few times, back when Nate and Jessie were dating, and he thought she was a sweet girl. A bit bland, but nice. Now, however, he wanted to kiss her for distracting Jessie so thoroughly.

"Jessamine?" Tessa asked, a thread of caution in her voice. She placed her hand on Jessie's shoulder. "I just wanted to tell you that Jem and I are going home, so that you didn't come back and wonder where I was."

Jessie smiled—actually smiled. With teeth and everything. As Jessie's best friend, it was a smile that Will had seen plenty of times over the years, but it was also a smile that came out rarely.—at Tessa and said, "Of course. Text me later."

"Text me later," Will mocked when Tessa had walked away. "You say I've got it bad, but look at you. Filthy hypocrite!"

"Better than you. Of course my arse William Herondale."

"Can we just not do this right now?" Will asked, suddenly drained. Between Cecily and Jessie, there was just no winning for him. This wedding had been awful, blowjobs aside.

For a moment Jessamine's face softened into something remotely human, but only for a second. "Come on, let's just get home."

03

"So, can I just say how saddened I am that you actually turned out to be right?" Will asked, sitting beside Jem.

"We should have had a bet, I would have taken a fortune from you," Jem replied.

"I mean, dating him is one thing, but actually marrying him? And taking his name? Unbelievable."

"I hope you at least got one obligatory threatening older brother conversation in there."

"Of course I did. I might have scared him so terribly that there may never be consummation of their marriage bed ever, and Cecily will never forgive me, but that's fine too."

Jem rolled his eyes, but looked amused enough that Will knew that he wasn't actually aggravated. "If you'll excuse me, though, I have to go give a speech. One moment."

Will walked to where the wedding party, and himself if he knew Jem wasn't invited, was supposed to be sitting and hit his glass a few times. The chatter slowed before stopping completely, and so Will began, "Honestly, I don't have a lot to say here. I don't particularly like Gabriel and I don't think I ever will. He is, to put it in PG, a jerk." Will glanced back at the head table, where neither Gabriel nor Cecily looked thrilled, and smiled. "But, I have never seen my sister happier, and she has dated quite a bit.

"No one but Gabriel Lightwood has ever made Cecily smile like she does now, nor has she ever been so in love. She tolerates Gabriel, which has to count for something. They are perfect for each other, in a very disturbing way and slightly terrifying way, and I wish them all the happiness that I can. Esto perpetua, little sister."

"Let it be forever," quoted Jem, raising his eyebrows. "You really are pretentious, aren't you?"

"It comes with the territory of scarves and the smell of old books," Will replied. "You'll learn to love it."

"I'm sure," Jem said.

"So I have a key to a hotel room because I'm part of the wedding party," Will started tentatively. He wasn't sure how else to go about this, so he just rushed head on.

It wasn't that he just wanted Jem because of the sex—even if the sex was unbelievable. It was more than that. It was because Jem knew his poetry, and his Latin, and the fact that he laughed at Will's jokes even when they were particularly bad.

They didn't know each other very well, but they couldn't, because all they did was meet at weddings. It also might or might not have something to do with the fact that Will was scared of fucking all of this up, because that's what he did with relationships.

Everything would be going well, brilliantly even, but Will would do something, say something, just fucking breathe and everything would begin to unravel. It would unravel and then it would burn and then it would be a pile of ashes blown away by the wind.

Will didn't wish this, wish himself, on anyone, but especially not Jem.

"I was wondering if you'd like to join me there, later. Once the wedding is over."

The words came out wrong, slow and stilted, but they still came out.

For a long moment Jem just looked at him, and Will felt as though he was being thoroughly examined, before Jem answered. "Yes."

They smiled faintly at each other before Jessie interrupted them, as was becoming habit with her. "Where is Tessa?" she asked Jem suddenly, grabbing the lapels of his jacket and shaking Jem a little. Will was about to tell her to bugger off when Jem answered.

"She's either in the corner of the room, looking for you, or by the refreshments," Jem answered automatically. "Go get her."

Jessie let go and strode determinedly to the corner of the room where, as Jem had predicted, she was standing.

"Do you know something more about this than I do?" Will asked, and Jem waved his hand.

"Just wait and see," he told Will, and so Will did.

It looked like they were arguing, or at least Jessie was yelling, waving her arms around and stamping her foot the way she was apt to when she was angry. And then...she stopped as Tessa began talking and then, all of a sudden, they were kissing the hell out of each other at a wedding, in front of the hundreds of people that Gabriel and Cecily had invited.

"I have to admit...I wasn't expecting that one," Will finally said, when he found words. Tessa and Jessamine were still kissing, and seemed to have moved onto using tongue with surprising speed.

"I was," Jem laughed. "I'm honestly surprised that it didn't happen sooner."

"Jessie once called Tessa 'plain and boring and smelling of old books even worse than you, Will' so I have to say this is quite a change."

"Yes, well, Tessa's been known to do that. But it looks like they're done kissing, so I'm going to say congratulations. Are you coming?"

"No, I think I'm just going to...sit over here and process the fact that Jessie and Tessa were just exchanging saliva."

Jem smiled faintly, but walked away. When he did, Cecily came and took his place.

His sister really was a radiant bride, color high in her cheeks even though Will knew that the word 'blushing' could and would never be used to describe his youngest sister. "I just want to thank you when you weren't glued to Jem's side," she said. "I know how hard it is for you to be even the smallest bit nice. And I want you to know that I plan on making it last forever."

"Good to know you didn't go into this marriage thing lightly, then," Will told her, watching Jem talk to Tessa.

Cecily followed his gaze and then nodded. "You know, if you just told him how you felt instead of angsting about it and having sex in closets..."

"First off we did not have sex in that closet, it was a blow job. And second off, how did you find out about that."

She rolled her eyes. "You ditched me and left with Jessamine, I had to find out why. Plus you were in that closet an awful long time and you weren't by yourself, so..."

"Oh Jesus. Go be a bride or something far away from me, I don't need this in my life."

"You're acting like I want to know about my own brother's sex life. But really. Thanks for the nice speech. Gabriel and I both wanted to say that, even if Gabriel would never admit it."

"Have a good one, little sister," he told her, squeezing her hand before letting her go back to her husband. She would be happy with Lightwood, Will knew. But it was still weird to watch her go.

"Are you getting sentimental over this?" Jem asked as he sat down next to Will again.

"Sentimental? Me? Never," Will snorted, blowing it off. "Don't make me talk about feelings or else I'll start quoting poetry again."

Jem smiled. "We wouldn't want that, would we?"

The next morning was, as most next mornings are, awkward. Will found himself unsure of what to say as he watched Jem button his sleeves and locate his pants which had, interestingly enough, found their way behind the television stand.

"So I think I should get your number," Jem said finally, after he was done. "So we can actually talk this time, yeah. Just in case there isn't a Tessa and Jessamine wedding in our future."

"...okay," Will said after a moment, and threw Jem his phone before snatch Jem's and typing his number in with the name 'Cummings' to see if Jem would get the phone. "See you around?" he asked once they exchanged phones once again.

"Of course."

04

"I don't see why you're wearing white, everyone and their mother knows that you're not a virgin. Literally their mother their mother, because I'm pretty sure Mrs. Gray knows that you've had sex with both of the fruits of her womb."

"That's it, your best man status is revoked."

"You can't revoke my best man status on the day of the wedding!" Will protested.

Jessamine slammed down the brush that had been going through her already perfect hair and glared at him in the mirror. "Then stop being such a fucking arshole, William Herondale. Your clogged and repressed feelings are pissing me off, and you are not allowed to piss me off today. I'm getting married and if you're going to be on Terrible Human Being mode then you can just leave."

"Fine," Will said finally.

"I know you're upset about Jem but if you would just te-"

"If you say 'if you would just tell him about your feelings' one more time I'm going to step on the hem of your dress and ruin it on purpose," he threatened.

"Fine. Be a miserable arsehole on the inside but if you do it on the outside I will kill you and Tessa will let me."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Well it's good that everything's fine," Charlotte's voice came from the door, "but it's time for Jessamine to get to the end of the aisle."

"That's my cue," Jessie said, adjusting her hair in the mirror one last time before reapplying lipgloss. She pouted her lips at herself before standing up."How do I look?"

"She walks in beauty like the night," Will quoted, offering Jessie his arm. "Of cloudless climes and starry skies, and all that's best of dark and bright, meet in her aspect and her eyes."

Jessamine beamed.

"So the ceremony wasn't bad," Will said, feeling like he was walking on eggshells. This was the first time that he'd spoken in person with Jem since Cecily and Gabriel's wedding. There had been lots of phone calls, and the forwarding of wedding plans, but that was all.

The rehearsal dinner had been a disaster, predictably, and so they hadn't been able to talk, besides being the best men to both girls and being the only members of the wedding party.

"Not really," Jem replied, awkwardly too.

Will wondered what had happened with them—if he'd said something wrong, or done something, or if he hadn't done something.

They watched from the head table as the girls twirled together on the dance floor, pearlescent skirts flowing together. Will looked at Jem, who was looking at the girls, back to Tessa and Jessie, before back to Jem.

"Do you want to dance?" he asked finally.

For the first time all day Jem finally looked at him. Really looked at him, not just through him.

"Yes," Jem answered. "I do."

A slow song came on, and they danced. It was a slow thing, Will's arms around Jem's waist. He could see the place where Jem forgot to shave, just under his ear, and could smell his aftershave. Will wanted to say something, anything, but he found that he couldn't.

Before he knew it the song was over and he had to release Jem, even if he wanted to. But he did it anyway.

Tessa had a microphone in her hand, and began speaking when everyone quieted down. "Jessamine and I decided not to let people speak at our wedding, seeing as how one half of the best men tends to be quite creative with his," people chuckled as Tessa paused to look at him, and Will smirked. "As such, my best man Jem Carstairs is going to play one of his original compositions for us."

Jem smiled at Tessa, finished tuning his instrument though he had already done that before the reception started, and then began. The notes started out slow, but then grew faster and faster. The bow flew across the strings and Will could see how this could pertain to Jessamine and Tessa.

How it could be their story after all.

Will almost didn't realize that Jem had stopped playing, the music still ringing in his ears, but when he looked up Jem had put the violin down.

Jessie had tears running down her face. It was a rare thing, to see Jessamine cry, but she was doing it because of Jem's song. To be honest, so was Will, but it wasn't a thing.

Jem walked over to him then, and sat down next to him. "I want to write our song someday," he told Will.

"I want to hear it."

05

"Are you sure you want to marry him, Jem?" Tessa asked, for the third time. "I wouldn't."

Jem sighed. "I know you wouldn't, but that's you. This is me."

"Jem just loves me for my body, which of course wouldn't appeal to you because you are a lesbian. Deal with it," Will told her, before gripping Jem's hand. "But are you sure you want to marry me? Because it's fine if you don't want to, it's not like I'd lose any sleep over it."

"Maybe you wouldn't, but I would," Jessie said from Will's elbow. "If nothing else, marry him for my sake."

"Only for you, Jessamine," Jem said, but he squeezed Will's hand back.

"I do."