Wessa's European Adventures

Chapter One: Rome

Rome, Summer 1879:

They'd been away from the London Institute for no more than a day when they reached Rome. The initial plan had been to escape to the Tuscan countryside, but Will had received a note from the Rome Institute about heightened demonic activity and couldn't help but go and investigate. With some spare time on their hands, they'd decided to go on a midnight adventure. Or at least, Will had, and Tessa wasn't going to be left behind.

'Are you sure this is a good idea?' Tessa looked warily at him, but a smile appeared on her face nonetheless as she saw the excitement with which Will practically skipped towards the Pantheon in front of them, his blue eyes sparkling.

'No-one will ever know we were here,' Will said, taking her warm hand in his own and turning her to face him, 'although just in case, a kiss for your fiancé? For good luck?' And before she had a chance to reply, he pulled her towards him, his hands moving to her neat hair and undoing the pins she'd carefully placed there, kissing her with his usual fervour as if he couldn't ever get enough of her lips on his. Thankfully, the cover of the night sky meant no one saw as she ran her own hands up and down his strong back, feeling every muscle as she melted into the kiss. They fit together perfectly like two puzzles pieces who could only complete each other. No matter how many times they did this, every time still felt like the first, he tasted like salt, and the chocolate mints they had had as dessert after their pizzeria dinner. Everything about him felt right.

She pulled away first, both of them breathless, their eyes alight and their cheeks flushed, 'does that mean our plan to break into an Ancient Roman building just for fun is now sealed with a kiss?'

'Of course. If you ask me, that's how all plans should be sealed,' he stopped and rubbed at the slight stubble on his chin, cocking his head to one side, 'maybe I should contact the King. Then again, I'm not sure he'd be anywhere near as good a kisser as you are, cariad aur.' My precious darling, he'd taken to flitting between different Welsh nicknames for her, and though she couldn't always understand them, she didn't complain.

'I wonder what Jem would think of this,' Tessa said, neither her nor Will's love for the silver-haired boy diminished any less, no matter how much time they spent together. They talked about him almost every day, and Will had already decided – with no disagreement from Tessa – that if they ever had a son he would be named after Jem: James Herondale.

'I'm sure he'd be wanting to scale it right alone with us, although, come to think of it he might well be rolling his eyes at me about the plan to break into it, must you always be so reckless, Will?' Will put on his best Jem impression, causing Tessa to giggle and slap him lightly on the arm. She would never have dreamed of being so casual with a man before she'd arrived in London, but the year of adventures and hardships they'd been on had made her realise Shadowhunters didn't hold the same proprieties as the mundanes. Plus, keeping her hands to herself when around Will was easier said than done.

'Don't be ridiculous, he'd want to join right in.' Tessa lifted her hands to try and fix her hair where it had fallen down over her shoulders, but it was to no avail. Sophie would be horrified at her looking such a state out in public, then again, Sophie didn't have to contend with Will Herondale and his antics all day long.

'We'll ask him next time we see him,' Will stated, as if it were the simplest thing in the world, as if Jem were just waiting back at the hotel for them to retell their adventure, 'now, are we going to climb that thing or what?'