Chapter Text
Tessa was up before sunrise, the house was peacefully quiet and in that silence she thought of Will and felt her heart shatter. James and Lucie were off at university now but she still felt their absence weighing heavily on her, all those little reminders of Will had been lost to her. She missed the days when the kids were young, when the house was so full of life. She subconsciously placed her hand over her growing baby bump. She was going to have that happiness again with Jem and their baby, she was expanding her family, there was enough room in her heart for all of them, yet she feared that James and Lucie might see it differently. They had no idea how complex things had been between her, Jem and Will.
Lucie - Present day.
Lucie had gotten an early start to the day, it was going to be her first day of classes and she wanted to be prepared. She threw on an old t-shirt and jeans, she had never cared all that much about how she looked, yet Jesse made it a point to remind her. "You look beautiful" he said, causing her to jump and turn around.
"What are you doing here? You started me," she glared at him, though it seemed more playful than serious.
"I had to see you," he explained as he watched her turn back to her mirror to fix her hair. He came up behind her putting his arms around her. "I thought you'd be happy to see me" he whispered softly, sending shivers down her spine.
"I'm always happy to see you" she mumbled, shutting her eyes for a moment. She just let herself enjoy being in his presence. "But you can't stay" she added abruptly. "I can't be late for my classes, it's my first day and I just know I'm going to get lost so I want to make an early start"
Jesse sighed softly but only smiled and nodded. He let her go. "I'll see you later then?" he asked and before she could answer he was gone.
Making her way through the busy campus Lucie caught sight of Cordelia, her vibrant red hair standing out amongst the hustle and bustle. "Daisy!" she called as she rushed towards her.
Cordelia couldn't hide her excitement. "Lucie, you're here," she hugged her tightly. Admittedly she had expected Lucie to be late, being organised didn't seem to be her strong point.
"Of course I'm here," Lucie said, as if that should have been obvious to Cordelia. She was determined for her first day to go well. She linked her arm through Cordelia's, ready to face the day. She didn't think anything could slow her down or ruin her day - at least not until she saw Matthew. He was sitting on a bench drinking from a water bottle - which she was almost certain was filled with alcohol - she felt the worry deep in her bones. She let go of Cordelia abruptly. "I'll see you later," she said. She didn't give Cordelia a chance to say anything before heading towards Matthew. His eyes were slightly bloodshot and she could practically feel the weariness coming from him. She knew to the untrained eye he would look perfectly fine, he kept himself together quite well, but she knew him. She knew the parts of him that he kept hidden just below the surface, looking at him was like being home. She had no idea how much deeper it all went. With a dull ache in her heart she knelt down slightly to be eye level with him as he sat. "Math…"
He looked at her, his eyes bright, alert. "Hey Luce," if he noticed her concern he certainly didn't show it.
"Shouldn't you be getting to class?" She asked with her best attempt to stay casual.
Matthew simply shrugged. "Nothing interesting ever happens on the first day"
She sighed and caught hold of his hand, pulling him up with as much force as she could manage. He swayed a little on his feet. She grabbed the bottle from his hand. "Classes are important and you know you can't get into any trouble this year." She spoke sternly but that was all out of worry. Lucie hadn't yet graduated when Matthew had started his first year at university but it didn't take long for word to get back to her about all the trouble he had gotten himself into. She feared if he got into that kind of trouble again he would be kicked out.
"Alright, I'll go for your sake." He snatched the bottle from her hand with an exasperated sigh before walking off.
She watched him go, worry seemed to prickle in the back of her mind. She shut her eyes tightly and when she opened them again Jesse was there, giving her an odd sense of comfort. "You shouldn't be here" she said quietly. Her eyes darting around to ensure no one was watching. Jesse was supposed to be her secret. No one could know.
"I thought I'd walk you to class, you're running late" he explained.
"I'm not late I-" she looked down at her phone, class started in 5 minutes, she might not be late yet but she knew by the time she got there she would be. She sighed and shoved her phone back into her pocket. So much for the perfect first day , she thought to herself. At least she had Jesse, he always seemed to show up right when she needed him.
Will - Distant Past
Will would never admit he was nervous, he was much too stubborn for that, but Tessa knew him well enough to know. "Is the Will Herondale nervous?" she teased.
"Never." He rolled his eyes playfully,
"You're going to do great, darling." She said as she fixed his tie. He seemed calm and confident but she knew how much self doubt he carried. "At least it's not a duck" she added.
"No, just a comparable evil - teenagers" he shuddered for dramatic effect.
"And what about when we have teenagers of our own?"
"I'll run away and start over as a crime boss on the streets"
"You'd rather deal with criminals than our own hypothetical teenage children?"
"Yes."
After more playfully chit-chat, Will went on his way and Tessa got ready to start her own day.