A week passed, and Will went out of his way to avoid me. I barely saw him. Jem and I, though, spent all of our free time together. I talked to Charlotte and help Henry out with one  of his inventions. I even went shopping with Jessamine, since I needed clothes to wear that wouldn't cause everyone to stare at me. Jem noticed that something was wrong with Will and I, and one time, while we were in the library, he brought it up.

"Aurelia, I feel like something has happened between you and Will." Jem says gently, and I look up from my book.

"I...I don't know." I say, looking out the window, and up at the grey sky. "I..." I lean my head against the cool glass of the window. "Oh, Jem, he hates me. And I just wish that I knew why. If I did something to upset him..." I shake my head and run my fingers along the window pane.

"I'll talk to him. Maybe-."

"No, Jem. It's alright. You've done quite enough for me since I got here, and I can't hope to repay you." I say and his hand rests overtop of mine.

"Aurelia..." He says softly. I smile at him, but it's a forced smile.

"Jem...I have to tell you something." The words come out of my mouth before I really have the chance to think about what I'm saying. He nods thoughtfully.

"I have to tell you something as well." He answers. "Aurelia...I..." He shakes his head. "Let me start over. I remember the first time I saw you. You were standing on the steps of the Institute, looking at me. There was so much...love in your expression. I thought...I thought you were an angel. Aurelia, I thought I was going to die." He whispers, looking at me with more vulnerability than I have ever seen in his beautiful eyes. "You...you looked at the demon, and your expression changed. Your glared at the demon with such force...with such fury. When you attacked it, all I could see was the look in your eyes, the determination. You were determined to protect me. And you did. I remember seeing you sing. I remember how you put everything you had into those words. You lost yourself in the music, and I could feel every word that you sang. When you do something, you do it with all of your heart. You have so much love in you. And I..." He runs his fingers through his silver hair, trying to find the right words. "I want to be the one you give that love to." As he says this, I feel a tear fall down my cheek. Those words, the words I've wanted him to say to me since I first closed Clockwork Angel. But I have to tell him that. And once I do, he will regret saying what he just said.

"Oh, Jem." I say, looking down. "You don't understand...I assume Charlotte told how I know everything?" He nods, looking at me with a hurt expression on his face. I get a sinking feeling in my chest.  He thinks I'm telling him that I don't care for him the same way that he cares for me. I could stop now. I could tell him that I love him and everything would end up the way I want it too. But that's not fair to Jem. He deserves to know the truth. "When I read those books...something caught my attention. You. I fell in love with you the first time I read that book, and I have loved you ever since. To be here...and to be here with you telling me this...oh, it's all I have ever wanted." I shake my head and close my eyes. "I didn't want to tell you because I thought that you would think that my love for you wasn't real." I say softly, and Jem doesn't answer. I am crushed inside, and tuck my legs in close to me. I curl myself into a ball, feeling defeated. For one perfect moment, all my dreams were coming true. I feel like crying, but I am also proud of myself. I told Jem the truth.

"You...you love me?" Jem asks finally. I look up at him and nod, not trusting my mouth to say anything. And to my surprise, Jem smiles. "I didn't think you would. I thought you were telling me that you didn't think of me in that way..." He trails off, a look of joy spreading across his face. I stare at him incredulously.

"Jem...how could anyone not love you? You are perfect." I say, and he blushes. I move towards him, snuggling against his chest. He holds me close, and I kiss his cheek. "I love you, James Carstairs." I breathe.

"As I love you, Aurelia Rose." He answers, and I lean in to kiss him on the lips, but the library doors fling open. Jem and I jump apart, and I blush. I tuck my hair behind my ear nervously, and see Will Herondale standing in the doorway. He takes one look at us and turns abruptly. I stand up, wanting to go after him. But I don't want to leave Jem. Jem puts his hand on my arm. "Go." He says softly, his eyes full of tender affection.

"You're making me want to stay." I say teasingly, and he smiles. Jem's whole face seems to glow when he smiles and it makes my heart flutter. Literally. I feel it in my chest as I open the door and look back at him.

"Go on, darling." He says, and I absolutely melt. I love when he calls me that. I close the library door carefully and look around for Will. I walk slowly up the stairs, trying to think of what to say to him. I can't lose my temper. I need to be calm and reasonable. I walk down the dimly light hallway, until I reach Will's room. I knock on the door softly.

"Will?" I ask quietly. There's no answer. I open the door, and see Will sitting on his bed, staring at me with those stunning blue eyes.

"Get out." He snaps. I don't move, don't let the words hit me. Instead, I step inside and shut the door behind me. "I don't want you in here-."

"Stop it!" I say, losing myself for a moment. "Please, Will." I whisper, shaking my head. "Please stop." My voice comes out small and vulnerable. I decide that since I've already told Jem the truth, I might as well tell it to Will. "Will, you mean so much to me. I read the stories of you and Jem and..." I stop, not wanting tell him about Tessa. He needs to meet her on his own. "You're going to laugh at me, but I don't care. When I was having a hard time at school, or with friends, or with my family, I would always imagine what you and Jem would say to me, and it helped me get through so much." I don't look over at Will, and instead, study the plain wallpaper that decorates Will's bedroom walls. "Will it hurts me so badly to have you say those things, more than anyone's words have hurt me in a long time. Because when you are the one making me upset, I can't imagine how you would tell me that it's alright." I walk over and sit next to him in his bed. To my surprise, he lets me. "Oh, Will, please tell me what's wrong." I plead, looking over at him. He stares down at the ground, and I can't see his face. I sit patiently, waiting to see if he will answer me.

"Aurelia, you need to go." He says finally, speaking quietly. I shake my head.

"No, I need to know why you are so mad at me." I reply, trying to see the expression on his face. But his head is down, and his black hair hides his face from my view. "Will, whatever I have done to make you so angry, I am so terribly sorry, I-."

"Oh, by the Angel, stop it Aurelia." Will interrupts. I blink and look at him, wondering if I have made it worse. "I am not mad at you. You have done absolutely nothing wrong." He sighs, and looks up at me. There is no anger on his face. "I am the only one who has done anything wrong."

"No, Will." I say, and shake my head. "You haven't."

"Yes I have." He replies bitterly. "I walked into your room one night, to make sure that something hadn't eaten you already, which, with your curiosity and stubbornness, I'm surprised that something hasn't, and when I saw you and Jem, all I could see was how he looked at you. I've never seen him look at a girl the way that he looks at you. He loves you, Aurelia. And I cannot bear if...if my curse takes you away from him." Will stares ahead of him, focusing on something that I cannot see. I lean close to him and wrap my arms around him. He looks at me, startled. "What...what are you doing?"

"It's called a hug, Will." I say, resting my head on his shoulder. "Please stop this."

"I can't." He answers, sounding agitated. His blue eyes are filled with bitterness and anger and love for Jem. "I care about Jem too much to do that to him."

"We don't always get as much time as we would wish with the ones that we love," I say, thinking of my baby sister who didn't even even get to take her first steps. "But I think as long as we have even a second, we are lucky. Because I would rather have a shorter life time and get to spend it with you and Jem and my family than to live forever and to be alone." I take Will's hand in my own and stand up. "Just...think about it, okay?" I say, and let go of his hand. I walk to the door, and leave Will's room. I'm so lost in my thoughts, that I run into Jem. I shake my head and smile. "Oh, Jem, I'm sorry." I laugh at my clumsiness. Jem looks somewhat distant though, as he nods. I look at him questioningly. "Jem are you-." I'm interrupted by Jem coughing, and I move toward him quickly, putting my hand on his shoulder. He draws back, turning away from me. He don't stop coughing and I don't know what to do. "Jem..." I want to go and hold him close to me, to let him know that I'm here for him, but I don't think he will let me. So instead I stand, biting my lip nervously. He stops coughing, and I walk towards him slowly. Jem turns his head the other way, and I take his hand. "Look at me, Jem." I say, suddenly feeling uneasy. He doesn't move. "Jem." I whispers, and rest my hand on his cheek. He flinches and I pull my hand away. It's covered in blood. I nearly scream, not for myself, but for Jem. "What...what should I...?" I try to speak calmly, but it's a bit hard at the moment.

"I'm fi-." Jem tries to speak, but starts coughing again. I feel panic surge through me, and look around for some water, but before I can move, Jem falls towards me. I catch him and sink to the floor, holding him close to me.

"Will!" I scream, looking down at Jem. There's blood dripping out of his mouth and he looks so pale. "Will! Will!" I cry, desperately trying to wake Jem up. I hear footsteps behind me, and a sharp intake of breath. Will drops to his knees beside me, and picks up Jem. He carries him to his room quickly, and I follow, trying to calm myself down, but failing miserably. Will lies Jem down on his bed, and runs over to a drawer. He yanks it open, nearly tearing it out of the cabinet. I sit on the edge of Jem's bed, clasping his hand as if as long as I hold him tightly enough, he will stay right here, and not leave. Then he starts to cough again and I choke on a sob of relief. He may be sick, but he's alive and that's what's important. Will runs over with a cup of water, pours it into Jem's mouth, and watches carefully to make sure that Jem drinks it. Jem continues to cough, until eventually, he falls asleep. Will sits on the other side of the bed, and we fall asleep on either side of Jem, as if we can shield him from his curse with our mortal bodies.

I wake up with my head on Jem's chest. He's already awake, and whispering to Will. I yawn, and blink up at him. He looks down, but doesn't meet my eyes. "Are you alright?" I whisper gently. He nods. "Then what's wrong?" I ask, my voice soft. The sun streams in from Jem's window, making his hair glow. Will looks over at Jem, and I can tell that he's been trying to figure out the same thing. Jem sighs and shakes his head.

"You two shouldn't have to see me like this..." He murmurs, casting his eyes downward. "Aurelia, I'm so sorry about your shirt." He says, and I look down at myself. There's blood covering the front of my white top.

"Oh, Jem, I don't care about the shirt," I say, leaning in close to him. "All I care about is that you are okay."

"That's true of both of us Jem," Will says quietly. "This isn't anything to be ashamed of. It's part of who you are, and I am certain that both Aurelia and I love every part of you." My eyes confirm Will's statement as I stare at Jem, willing him to believe this. With Will and Jem near me, as I am in their world, I feel love stronger than I have ever felt before.

For two and a half months, I stayed with Jem and Will and the others. Will and I grew close, closer than Kat and I. I learned so much about him and the short time that I was given to spend with him. And he knew more about me than anyone except Jem. My time with Jem was worth more than anything. Holding his hand under the table, listening to him play his violin, 'I love you's whispered to each other in the dark, kisses when I least expected them. Once, when I was child, I thought love was finite. Now I know that's not true. There isn't enough time in the world to let Jem know just how much I love him. Unfortunately, we have less time than most. Because every day, no matter how perfect, made me nervous. Every day, I hoped that this was not the day that Will was supposed to rescue Tessa. I had come to realize that I needed to leave before I damaged the story so much that it could never be fixed. Charlotte kept the portal locked up safely, but I couldn't leave there. Not then, when there was so much damage that I had done. When I spotted Magnus in park, I had an idea. It was possibly the best idea I had ever had. And possibly one that would break the part of me that could love. Forever.

A/N: I'm sorry that it took so long to update! As an apology gift, I made a fan video of Jem and Aurelia so that's what the video is. Here's the link if it's not working:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yvD9pP0foIM