Tessa had practically lept out of her chair when she’d gotten the call. A Jem Carstairs arrived and asked to see you, they had said, and Tessa couldn’t even remember the words that had come out of her mouth with her response. Kit had been available to watch Mina - this time just to spare her from probably having to see her father cry and letting him get it out of his system before he’d likely swoop in to swing her around.
She knew there was no way she’d get Will to stay behind, though. There were many things Tessa could convince Will to do, but this wasn’t one she would ask for. She did, however, manage to convince him to stay in the hall as she entered the private arrival room where Jem was at.
Tessa had promised it would be a short-lived wait. She wouldn’t keep either of them from each other longer than to just give Jem a moment to get his bearings. “Jem,” She looked flushed and happy and smiled so brightly at him before she just threw herself in his arms. Even as she was looking forward to this reunion between former Parabatai, one she never thought she would see, she’d missed Jem in her month here. It had been the longest she had been away from him since they had reunited, and that pain was felt every time Mina asked for him. Every time she curled into bed without Jem.
Now it was every time she looked at Will. Even if Will had been more than willing to hold her at night, they were missing him, as if a piece was gone.
Tessa held on tight, arms wrapped around his shoulders. “Are you all right?”
"Yes," Jem's response was immediate, just as immediate as he had been on his feet when the door opened to reveal Tessa, as immediate as he had started toward her, arms outspread as relief flooded through him. "Yes, yes--I'm all right."
In truth, Jem didn't realize until that very moment that he perhaps hadn't been all right before she'd arrived. It had been an odd sort of day, though odd was likely undercutting it. It wasn't every day that one was found in a forest after just appearing there, then escorted into an unfamiliar city, received an explanation about the magical world he had found himself in, and finally given a new phone of all things as a welcome gift. Still, he was James Carstairs; somewhere between his general demeanor and a long life lived, he could roll with certain sorts of punches.
Still, Jem could feel the tension leaving his shoulders and chest as he held Tessa tight. He had asked for her as soon as he could and had no reason to not believe the person who claimed she'd been summoned, but it was nevertheless the reassurance that having her in his arms, solid and so undeniably there, was palpable. All of this was strange and unexpected, but he had Tessa, they had each other.
"Are you all right?" Despite not wanting to put distance between himself at Tessa, he pulled away with his hands on her shoulders, just far enough to pass his eyes over her; no injuries, it appeared, nothing to cause immediate worry. "Is Mina here? Kit?"
She let herself relax in the same way Jem had. In his arms, held tight, warm and comforted. She knew they were only a moment away from the same happening with Will and Jem and it took all of her willpower to not shout it out right there. “I’m fine,” She was soft and reassuring, and shereached up to cup his jaw with her hand. “They’re fine. Kit has Mina, we’ll go to them in a second. We have a lot to talk about but I’m so glad you’re here.”
With the reassurance that he knew her, and knew their little family, she leaned in to kiss him. Too briefly, as Tessa hadn’t been able to kiss him in over a month and that was far too long for anyone to go without kissing Jem Carstairs. When she pulled back from the kiss, she actually gave them space, but kept a light touch on his arm. She moved to the side a little and glanced towards the door, which she’d left open behind her.
“But first, I have a surprise for you. Oh- maybe I should have had you stay in your seat, Jem, you won’t believe it. This one--” She broke off with a little incredulous laugh, Tessa still couldn’t believe their Will was here. “Will. Come in here.”
Will had argued about staying out of sight. He had wanted to be there immediately, to look upon Jem Carstairs and restake his claim to him as the both of them once had. But as he waited, he realized how right Tessa had been to go in first. Nerves bundled around his chest, squeezing with anticipation.
The last time Will had seen him, truly, completely seen him as Jem and not as Brother Zachariah was deathly ill, waning and clinging to life. It felt as if he would spend his whole life viscerally remembering the moment and wished he had been there instead of feeling the crackling sever of their parabatai bond when Jem had died. He would have been lying if he said that even after years had passed, he woke up with nightmares about it, and then gently coaxed back to sleep by Tessa. He missed him, he missed him every day, and he missed him now, on the other side of the open door.
So why was he so scared now? William Herondale did not have fear. He looked fear in the eye like a challenge he knew he'd win. With his heel metaphorically pressed into the dirt, ready to stand his ground. But now the steps he took, in reality, to round that corner and look upon Jem were hesitant, tentative. Will was a child again, afraid for what he would see.
He didn't linger in the doorway, when Tessa called him in. He simply kept walking toward the both of them, his attention locked on Jem—his best friend, his parabatai, his greatest wonderful mistake. He was smoothing down the wool of his sweater, absently. He was trying for nonchalant; Will was the surprise for Jem, not the other way around, right? "I feel underdressed for the occasion, my friend."
For just the briefest of moments, Jem was confused by Tessa's words. Surely being brought here in the first place was surprise enough for one man, but then she said it: Will.
Like Will, Jem could easily remember the last time he saw his parabatai. In a way, there were two last times: one as Jem, the other as Brother Zachariah. Both were a goodbye, one from a very ill young man, the other from behind the glass that stood between himself and his emotions. The memories couldn't have prepared him for this, though. Will, his best friend and part owner of his heart, walking through the door. Young, healthy, and whole.
"William." Jem's voice was barely a murmur, as he ripped his eyes away from Will to glance once at Tessa, as though needing confirmation from her that this was truly happening. It had to be real, though; Jem was fairly confident he wasn't dreaming and this was hardly something that Tessa would jest about. He didn't bother asking for the how or what. He didn't care about those answers at that moment. Instead, with one final squeeze of Tessa's shoulders where his hands still remained, he pulled away to close the distance with Will, his arms immediately pulling his friend into a tight embrace.
Will was ready with open arms for Jem's embrace. He had already been partway there, unable to play casual at their meeting. There was a wholeness there that Will had never imagined missing from Jem. His body still felt like his in his arms, but a strength that had been stolen from him in their years of youth was back. He wouldn't have believed it was the same person, the same Jem, if not for the other parts—the intangible, the incorporeal parts—that connected them.
His face buried immediately and shamelessly in Jem's shoulder, his hand coming to cup the crown of his head so that Jem would not move away before Will was ready to let him go. Will could hide the pain and relief he felt all at once in this space. This confusing place had brought them together in an equally confusing manner. But to have all three of them together like this? Made Will luckier than he imagined. He did not deserve this, and nearly said as much.
He would not cry, he wouldn't, but his voice broke like it did. "If this is a dream, do not wake me from it yet," Will said into Jem's shoulder. He lifted his head, just enough so that he could look at Jem in earnest, his eyes watery with tears. "The modern world has been kind to you, Jem Carstairs, when it was so unkind before. I wish I had been there to see it."
Will touched his hair, his cheek, and then looked to Tessa for some kind of confirmation. "But we are all together now. Again."
Tessa had her hands pressed to her mouth, both as a way to stem off any crying she might do (it was still a close thing and she made no promises) and because this is what she’d been longing to see. For so long. It had never been the same when it was Brother Zachariah coming to their house for every little thing that Will could come up with, because even though he would always be Jem to them, he still had a role to serve as Silent Brother. She had never denied him that, because it served her the same.
And now, to see them embrace. To have them both here with her, healthy and whole.
Oh, no, now she was crying a little. Tessa sniffled and nodded. “Together, at last. How it’s meant to be. Now I’m never going to let the pair of you hear the end of Christmas miracles, I hope you know that.”
"Together," Jem repeated after Will and Tessa, as though punctuating the statement and needing to confirm it for himself, too. Not minutes ago, he would have deemed such a possibility to be impossible, thanks simply to the onward charging passage of time. But, apparently this world they found themselves in didn't care for such things and made up their own rules. This world also must have been late in the year, he realized and he added, "And a Christmas miracle, on top of it. I might go on about them too, if they are all so good."
Jem was still taking Will in, memorizing his youthful looks and blue eyes all over again. What a blessing that was in and of itself. There was so much that he wanted to tell Will, to find out what Tessa had already filled him in on and what blanks he might be able to insert his own retellings and insight on the past years.
But he had heard the sniffle from Tessa and Jem pulled his gaze away to look at her. His heart warmed all over again and he gave her a soft little smile as he reached out a hand, inviting her into their embrace.
"No Christmas miracle could be better than me," Will said, finding a way to interrupt the moment with his own brand of teasing. He was not so egotistical to believe he was enough, contrary to popular belief, to be a gift. But Tessa and Jem were used to it, or had been. He hoped they had not grown weary of his antics in the century he had been dead. But the smile he had brought to Tessa's face in the last few days and the tears from both of them now made Will certain that he didn't have to worry about being too much.
He didn't let Jem go, but welcomed Tessa into their embrace all the same. He kissed the top of her head, and then pulled Jem into him to do the same. Will had spent so much of his life avoiding such affection with his parabatai that to be able to do it now unencumbered was its own blessing. Plus he was also sussing out his hair and whether or not it was real. It had been a lifetime since he had seen Jem with anything but silver, touched by the yin fen.
"Oh, I have also kissed your wife," Will said, and his smile was back, tearful as it was, but he was happy. It was something that Will had been learning he could be more and more as the years went on. But this was a new happiness and so he fell into step with his usual ridiculous behavior. "But you have also kissed her, so I do believe we are even."
“Will,” Tessa shot back sharply, and even as she was pulled into their embrace she found herself pinching his side. Fondly. Or as fondly as one could when pinching your husband. It wasn’t clear exactly what she might have been Will-ing him about, the kissing comment (that she had intended on telling Jem about but not like that) or the Christmas miracle that he wasn’t wrong about.
She leaned her head against Jem’s shoulder, having missed touching him, sure that she’d never have her fill of it even in the current days of being able to do it whenever she liked. But a month away felt like torture now. Tessa wasn’t worried he’d be upset, the three of them had never been like that with each other, there had always been a mutual understanding of Tessa’s love for the two of them.
Still, her grey eyes sparkled as she glanced up at Jem. “Don’t worry, I made him keep his pants on. But he’s complained a great deal about that.”
A burst of laughter left Jem, a literal manifestation at the joy that had built up within him in the last handful of moments alone. He was clearly not concerned at all about this kissing, Tessa and Will having had come to the correct conclusion there in the first place. Jem had long since come to understand how simple the love between the three of them really was; the odd outsider might have assumed it complicated, but it truly was not, not to Jem, not anymore.
And yes, perhaps a conversation would have to be had, but in that moment Jem was just overwhelmed with happiness. After everything they had gone through, it felt very good to have that happiness--with Tessa, with Mina and Kit, Emma, and now with Will. If this was a dream, as Will had said, Jem also didn't want to be woken yet.
Tipping his head to the side so his cheek could come to rest on Tessa's, Jem left one of his arms looped over Will's shoulders to keep him close. "An impressive feat," he said with an easy, teasing grin, "getting him to listen with only complaints. Though, I suppose if anyone could manage it..."
Will gave Tessa an apologetic look, but he didn't seem apologetic. They were going to have to tell Jem at some point. And Will had spent so much of his early relationship with Tessa hiding it from Jem, yearning for a life and the loves he could not have. He did not want to keep secrets from him anymore. There was no need, and having Jem back in his life now and not as a Silent Brother was enough of a reason to be forthcoming. Or, well, more forthcoming than he usually was with the two of them.
But he did not want to leave this small cocoon of comfort with Tessa and Jem. Will might have been ridiculous, and seemingly self-centered, but these two people knew him the best. Better than he knew himself, really, and his teasing was obviously only that, teasing. "I could take them off now, just to be contrary to both of you, but I happen to like these trousers. Custom fitted, by a vampire."
Lifting his chin as if to say ah-ah, no, he tried to stop Jem from interrupting with his displeasure of Will's company. He would have used his hand, but he did not want to remove them from Jem or Tessa. "And before you ask, I did not bite him. Yet. He still is on an incredibly short list of suspicious people I have come across in this world."
It was normal, painfully so, to be in such casual conversation with his parabatai. This was what it was supposed to be like: uncomplicated between them. Even if this time displacement between the three of them was complex from the outside. "Not much has changed, Jem, you are just in time to see me get into copious amounts of trouble or save me from it. You and Tessa will have to decide what is an acceptable amount."
Tessa had the distinct feeling they were going to be letting Will get away with a lot more than usual. Though, truth be told, she’d always found his antics amusing in a way. The days of when he was riling up Gabriel by stealing his items and returning them broken, or of when he was using a headache as an excuse for a Silent Brothers to visit.
Or even when he was biting vampires, as Will was unfortunately known to do.
To Jem, she stared with such a pleased, fond look on her face. “I’m so very glad to have you here for added support in that. I don’t know how much longer I would have been able to do it alone.” Not to mention all of the other reasons she appreciated having him here. “Mina has missed you too. But you might be pleased to know that Will managed to save her from a rather feral looking duck just the other day.”
The duck had not actually been feral looking. Or violent in any way. Mina had even been thrilled it was approaching her as she held out a hand with a carrot, only to be swept up by strong shadowhunter arms in the most dramatic of fashions. Tessa had laughed the entire time, and was grinning about it now. “Such heroics.”
If ever there was a problem that Jem would be happy to help with, it was keeping Will out of trouble. That easily spoke of just how long it had been since that was Jem's full-time job, of course; Tessa was certainly not wrong that they were almost certainly going to be let him get away with more than the usual. They had only been reunited for a few moments, but Jem was quite sure that the novelty of it all was not going to wear off anytime soon, not at all.
"How terribly brave of you," Jem said, naturally building off of Tessa's story. That, too, felt good. The shock was still there, bubbling beneath the surface, but the teasing had always come so easy. "Facing your fears like that. Well done."
Though, speaking of Mina, he looked between Will and Tessa. "I'd like to see her, so she does not have to continue missing me for too long and to see how much she's grown while you've been here." Now there was a thought.
"It would be a disservice to the both of you if I allowed my namesake to have been mauled by a duck at such a young age. Have you not been teaching her?" Will asked, but did not wait for an answer. "I see my work here has only just begun. I have found a new purpose. You would do well to learn from me now, Jem about parenting."
He knew he could get away with the joke. He knew, because Tessa had told him, that they were not far off from their own children. That they would have what she and Jem had in this modern world. And Will had seen Mina for himself: bright, curious, sweet. Everything that was Tessa and Jem mixed into one, and it had made him mourn for what he didn't have yet and for what Jem was missing then by not being with them. But that had quickly been banished, among other maudlin thoughts as he still clung to Jem. Very real, very healthy, very alive.
His other hand was rubbing a slow line up and down Tessa's arm, to comfort her and himself. "Come, come." Will started tugging them toward the door. "We shouldn't be standing around here waiting for someone to interrupt us. The house is much more welcoming, aside from the demon."
Will paused and looked to Tessa, as if waiting patiently for her to scold him.
She only sighed. Heavily, and with much feeling, as that sigh was. It was one they had both heard before, but typically pointed in Will’s direction, and now was no exception.
“The demon is a topic we can touch on while we walk. His name is Silas.” Because Tessa would continue to remind Will of that - the demon had a name, just as she did. She slid her hand into Jem’s and squeezed it even as Will was pulling them along. “I’m glad to share this burden of keeping him out of trouble with you. Let’s go see our children and listen to Will’s parenting advice.”