Yep, I'm back again with the mystery oneshot you've all been waiting for! So this is my interpretation of what Will and Jem would be like in modern day England.

There are mature themes in this one as labelled.

Enjoy!

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He first met William Herondale at a funeral, the funeral of Ella Herondale.

Jem Carstairs had sat in Tessa's car for a good half an hour before he finally plucked up the courage to actually get out and attend the funeral. Even then, it had taken both Sophie and Tessa to convince him to walk inside the church. The two girls stood either side of him, each clutching one of his hands as they walked him up to the doors of the church where Ella's mother Linette, her husband Edmund and their two remaining children stood, welcoming people to the service. Jem watched them from afar as the three friends waited for their turn, studying their faces and trying to swallow back his panic.

"Alright, we're almost there," Tessa whispered, smoothing down her black dress and making sure her hair was fixed.

"Everything is going to be fine," Sophie assured Jem, squeezing his hand as she brushed some dust from the shoulders of his suit. "I promise." He didn't answer. He couldn't answer. He didn't know what he might say if he opened his mouth.

They waited for another few minutes before they finally came face to face with the Herondales. Jem felt his face drain of blood as Linette looked up at him, her cheeks tear-stained. His hands curled up into fists, his nails cutting half-moons into his palms as Edmund wrapped an arm protectively around his wife's shoulders, his other hand clutching Cecily's. Jem thought he was going to be sick.

"We are so sorry for your loss, Mrs Herondale," Tessa spoke up. "I can't imagine how truly devastating it must be for you." Linette only nodded, giving Tessa a weak smile. Her gaze returned to Jem and, for a moment, he considered running. Either that or he was sure he was going to faint.

"Jem," Linette said softly. "Come here, love." And before Jem knew it, he was wrapped in Linette's loving hold. He pressed her face into her shoulder and let the tears fall, almost shaking with emotion. It was almost too much for him to handle. How could she still be so loving after everything he had done? So when Linette finally let go, he quickly wiped his face with his sleeves.

"Alright, let's go inside," she said softly. She turned to take Edmund's and Cecily's hands and led them inside the church. After making sure Jem was okay, Sophie and Tessa followed after them, leaving only Will and Jem standing outside.

It was only then that Jem looked at Will Herondale.

He had been leaning on the wall of the church, his head down so he was looking at the floor. His black hair fell softly on his forehead. Jem had never actually met Ella's brother, only seen pictures of him. Whenever he was round Ella's house, Will was either locked up in his room or was out with his friends, meaning that strangely Jem never saw him. But he did now.

Will finally looked up, his piercing blue eyes locking with Jem's gaze so swiftly that Jem had to take a staggering step back. Those eyes were so much like Ella's that it was almost like a punch in the gut. The way Will looked at him almost killed him. But Jem quickly stopped himself before he could let his emotions get too far ahead. Ella was Will's sister. He would be feeling so much worse than Jem right now and it was wrong for Jem to even feel upset under Will's gaze.

So he held his chin up, gave Will a small smile and walked inside the church, not realising that Will kept watching him as he walked.

***

The funeral was beautiful. Jem really couldn't have thought of a better way to say goodbye. He told Linette and Edmund so when he spoke to them at the wake later on. They smiled and nodded, thanking him for being there.

"It was the least I could do," he replied. "Especially after everything." Linette pursed her lips, placing a hand under Jem's chin to make him look up.

"It wasn't your fault, Jem," she said. "It wasn't. And I know that Ella doesn't blame you either. None of us do." Jem could only nod. They talked for a few more minutes but Jem could feel the pressure building up behind his eyes, just waiting to explode out. Quickly excusing himself, he pushed his way through the crowd of people in the Herondale house and opened up the back door, stumbling out into the garden and crouching down with his hands on his knees. His head was spinning, his legs felt like jelly and any moment now he knew he was going to either throw up or faint.

Breathe, Jem, he thought to himself. Come on, just pull yourself together! Just breathe!

Finally, he managed to get a hold of himself and controlled his ragged breathing. Straightening up and running a hand through his hair, he quickly fixed his shirt and tie, making sure he at least looked presentable. He really needed to see someone about this. If he was going to have a panic attack every time someone mentioned Ella then it was really going to become an issue.

Turning around, Jem thought about maybe finding Tessa and Sophie to get them to take him home considering he probably wasn't safe to drive in this state. But it seemed the fates were feeling cruel today and Jem turned around to came face to face with Will Herondale. He was leaning on the wall by the back door, a cigarette between his fingers as he watched what had just happened with emotionless eyes. Jem felt a chill going up his spine. How long had Will been standing there for? How much had he seen? The last thing Jem wanted was for the Herondales to know just how much the accident had effected him. They were the victims after all, not Jem. They had a very extensive list of things to worry about and Jem was determined to make sure he wasn't on that list.

"Are you alright?" Jem looked up sharply as the words that seem to fall from Will's lips. Once again, those blue eyes locked onto him, staring at him with what Jem could only describe as mild concern.

"Yeah," Jem replied. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just...just a lot of people in there. I needed to get away for a few minutes." Will nodded, laughing slightly.

"Yeah," he muttered, taking another drag of the cigarette in his hand. "Ella would have hated all this. Half the people in there hardly knew her. She would have wanted only the people she really knew in that house. But alas, I have been told that is not how funerals work."

Jem shifted in his stance awkwardly. How could he not when Ella's brother, her undeniably hot brother, stood before him? She had always told Jem that Will was definitely his type, but Jem had dismissed her hundreds of times...

"I don't want to get with your brother, Ella!" Jem exclaimed, laughing as they left Starbucks and headed for Jem's car. "God, that would be so awkward!"

"No it wouldn't!" she said reaching for the passenger door handle then pausing. "Okay, so maybe I wouldn't get to quiz you on what you do with guys anymore but think about it! My best friend would be my brother-in-law! How cool would that be?"

"You say yourself that Will sleeps around a lot," Jem pointed out. "No offence to your brother or anything but I don't want to be used as a one night stand then left, Ella."

"He just hasn't met the right person yet," she had replied. "He says himself that the people he gets with are not who he wants to be with in the end. They're just..." She waved her hand in the air to think of the right word. "Practise."

"And what makes you think that if he met me I wouldn't be 'practise'?" Jem asked with a smirk as he unlocked the car and sat inside.

"You're drop-dead gorgeous for one," Ella said, taking a sip of her mocha as she joined her best friend in the car. "You're smart, musical, funny, and from what I here very good in bed-"

"Alright, shut it now," Jem cut her off while laughing, his cheeks burning.

"Anyway," Ella said. "I think things will be different when Will meets the one. Maybe when he meets you..."

Jem shook the memory from his mind before he let it progress further and forced himself to look back at Will. "Ella would definitely have hated this part," he agreed with him. "Did you see Tatiana Lightwood in there? I mean, she didn't even know Ella and yet she's blubbering over her like they were best friends." Will grunted in agreement, dropping his cigarette and crushing it under his foot.

"Tatiana is only here because of me," he said. "She thinks if she can get close enough to the family then I'll agree to go out with her again."

"Again?" Jem questioned, an eyebrow raised.

"Tatiana and I were..." Will thought for a moment. "I suppose you would call it 'enemies with benefits'. She wanted money without too much work, I wanted someone without commitment. It worked at the time until she decided she wanted more. At least, more than I was able to give."

"Oh." Jem really didn't know what to say. This is was his argument whenever Ella brought up the subject of Will. Sure, he seemed nice and all but right now, Jem could never see it working between them. Unless, of course, he was 'The One'...

"You want to go for a walk?" he asked. "Might be good for both of us to get out of here. Besides, I never met Ella's real best friend. I would like to get to know him."

"Yeah, sure," Jem nodded, thinking it wasn't a bad idea. "Likewise."

Will pushed off the wall and they both wandered down the garden. The Herondales owned a huge estate being incredibly rich, so their garden was basically a huge field with flowers pots and vegetable patches. They talked as they walked and for the first time in a while, Jem found himself actually being able to talk about Ella without feeling sick. He wondered if Will knew what he had done? And if he did, how could he even stand the sight of him?

They reached the bottom of the estate where the sun house stood just in front by a huge red-bricked stone wall. The house was well out of sight and the only sound that could be heard was the cool breeze rusting the leaves of the trees. Will stopped by the garden wall, turning to face Jem who was beside him. "Do you want to know the real reason I took you down here?" he asked, studying Jem intently. "I did it because I needed a distraction." Jem swallowed hard as he looked up at Will.

"What kind of distraction?" he asked, his heart beating hard and his stomach doing flips. Will smirked that devilish Herondale smirk before striding forwards and smashing his lips against Jem's, grabbing his arms to hold him in place. Jem's breath caught in his throat as he gasped in surprise, truly shocked by Will's bold move. With his lips still attached to Jem's, Will backed Jem into the garden wall, his hands moving up so he could unbutton Jem's top button and undo his tie.

Once the item had been discarded, Will attached his mouth to Jem's neck, making the other boy groan completely against his will. His hands untucked Jem's shirt and slid underneath, his fingers sliding over ridged scars and sculpted muscle which set fire to every part of Jem's skin. He was left panting at the contact as Will brought his lips back up to Jem's.

"Will," Jem gasped against his lips. "Will, this isn't right. This is Ella's funeral. You can't do this now."

"I know what you're thinking, Jem," Will murmured, unbuttoning the rest of Jem's shirt and trailing bruising kisses down his abdomen, apparently not caring about the horribly gruesome scars that Jem was way too self-conscious and ashamed about. "But this is how I cope, by letting myself forget for just a couple of hours. Even if I shouldn't."

"But-" 

"Shh now," Will hushed him, his lips reattaching themselves to Jem's neck. "If you want me to stop then I will, but you and I both know that you need this just as much as me. You need to forget like I do." As much as Jem wanted to protest, he found that Will was right. This entire day had proved that. Jem did need to forget. He needed to forget, even if it was only for a few hours. The rational part of his brain knew that Will Herondale was kissing him and that would only end in disaster. But the bigger, more convincing part definitely knew that Will Herondale was kissing him and he very much liked it. A lot.

Tentatively, he raised his hands up so they were tangled in Will's wild black hair, allowing himself just to enjoy the sensation of Will's lips against his skin. He felt Will smirk, his fingers grazing Jem's sides as he pulled him towards him, walking him backwards and into the sun house, kicking the door shut behind them.

***

"I can't believe you did that," Tessa exclaimed, grinning like a madwoman. They were sat in a cosy coffee shop just off the main high street, both huddled up in the corner with two luxury hot chocolates in front of them. It was two weeks after Ella's funeral and Jem was only just recovering from its events. He had dropped by the Herondales a few times since to visit, even staying to have dinner with them for a couple of nights. And every time he was there, so was Will. It was strange considering that when he was round the house with Ella, Will had never made an appearance. But now, he seemed to be everywhere Jem went. It was almost scary.

"I don't know why I did," he muttered, his cheeks burning red. "It just...happened."

"James Carstairs," Tessa laughed. "That is the lamest excuse I have ever heard! You, Mr Carstairs, fell for the Herondale charm and you know it! Just admit it." Jem opened his mouth to deny it but found he couldn't. She was right, of course. He had fallen pretty hard for Will's soft touches and gentle words and it made him feel like awful, especially after complaining to Will himself about girls like Tatiana Lightwood.

There was something else, though. Throughout his entire encounter with Will, there was a sense of desperateness in him. To anyone else, they probably would have missed it completely. But Jem had experience in dealing with emotional Herondales. Ella herself always had the same sense whenever she was upset. Jem remembered, at the death of her grandfather, just how desperately upset she was, so much it made her do reckless things. It was clear to him that Will was the same.

"I don't know what to tell you, Tessa," Jem replied, sighing heavily. "I told him that we shouldn't, that it was Ella's funeral and we should go back to his parents. But he pretty much refused. He said he needed a distraction, and that I needed it too. To be honest, he was right."

"So you're nothing but a distraction to him?" Tessa asked, eyebrows raised. Jem only shrugged.

"It only happened once, Tessa," Jem chuckled. "He needed something to take his mind of Ella and I just happened to be the closest thing to him at the time. You know what guys like him are like. Besides, it's in the past now." Tessa pursed her lips but nodded, settling back in her seat. They were quiet for a moment until Tessa's lips curled up into a mischievous smile.

"Ella would so be freaking out right now," she smirked. "She tried to get you to meet Will for ages. Imagine what she'd say now you've slept with him." Jem groaned, his face dropping into his hands as Tessa burst out laughing. They were still giggling ten minutes later when the door of the coffee shop opened.

"No. Way," Tessa suddenly gasped. Jem whipped around, staring in absolute astonishment. William Herondale had just entered the shop and he was walking right towards them.

"Hey, Jem," Will said once he had reached the two friends. He leant on his elbow on the back of Jem's seat, looking down on him with violet eyes. Jem felt his throat constrict at the sight of him. Was Will actually trying to kill him?

"Err- Will," he choked out. He glanced at Tessa who was also staring at Will in complete shock. "This is Tessa. She was also a friend of Ella's." Will's gaze flicked to Tessa who managed to put on her most dazzling smile and stood up to shake Will's hand.

"I've heard a lot about you, Will," she said with a smirk. "It seems you've made quite an impression on our Jem here."

"Tessa," Jem hissed but to his surprise, Will only laughed.

"I can see why Ella liked you so much," he said. "Anyway, I was wondering if I could borrow Jem for a minute? It won't take long, I promise." Tessa blinked in surprise but nodded, walking over to the till to flirt with the barista. Will settled down in Tessa's place, crossing his legs over.

"So," he said. "I don't usually do this but I feel bad about the other day so here I am." Jem bit his lip, his hands clutching the almost empty mug of hot chocolate in his hands in anticipation. It was safe to say that his nerves were very much on edge.

"Okay," he said. "Go on." Will smirked that devilish Herondale smirk again which made Jem both want to run away and throw himself at him at the same time.

"I want to take you out on a date," Will said simply. Jem almost choked on his drink.

"You what?"

"I want to take you out on a date," Will said again, his smile still just as strong and charming as it was when he first walked through the coffee shop door. "I felt bad about Ella's funeral. You clearly aren't like every other person who throws themselves at me for my looks and money and I'm afraid I acted like the very people I despise so much when it came to you. Therefore, I want to do this properly and take you out on a date. So dinner tomorrow? My place?"

Jem didn't know what to say. This was probably the first time ever that Will Herondale had asked someone out on a date. In fact, he knew that because Ella always said that Will was never the one who asked. So that made Jem very unique...and he wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. 

"I er- alright?" he replied. Will grinned.

"Excellent," he said, standing up again. "I shall see you tomorrow then. Maybe come at seven?" He turned to leave.

"Wait, Will," Jem called, catching his sleeve. Will looked down at him, an eyebrow raised but still with that smirk plastered all over his face. "I just...um...can you promise that this won't end like the last time we were alone?"

"Didn't you enjoy it?" Will asked, grinning again. "It certainly sounded like you did." Jem felt his cheeks burn again as he flushed with embarrassment, looking decidedly away from Will's bright eyes.

"It's not that," he said, keeping his voice down so no one else in the café would hear. "It's just that I...I'm not usually like that. Like, at all. I'd rather save that until I get to know someone. I'm sure you understand, right?" Will's face softened.

"I understand," he said. "If it's any consolation, I wasn't going to suggest that at all. I'd rather just spend the evening getting to know you instead. Ella certainly was always singing your praises to me. I want to see if her match-making skills were good enough." Jem nodded, watching as Will made his way back across the café.

"Oh, and Jem?" Will said before he left. "You're cute when you blush." And then he was gone, leaving the entire café staring at Jem's bright red cheeks.

***

The next night came much too quickly for Jem's liking and he found himself standing outside the Herondale residence at seven just like he had promised. Before he had even made it to the door, Will had already opened it, leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed and yet again a sly grin on his face.

"Hey," Jem said as a greeting.

"Hey," Will replied, gesturing for Jem to enter. "Come in, please."

It seemed that Jem spent his entire life around the Herondale house now which was strange because the only reason he had ever had to be here before was Ella. But now it seemed that his reason had shifted to Will.

"So, I thought we could have a low key evening," Will was saying as he led Jem to the living room. "Watch a few movies, eat some dinner. It should be nice."

"Yeah," Jem said, nodding, trying to swallow down the nerves that were crawling up from his stomach and into his throat. If Will noticed his apprehension then he didn't say anything, just proceeded to sit Jem down on the sofa as he busied himself with putting on a movie. It was then that they started to talk.

The first thing that Jem realised was that the Will he thought he knew wasn't that person at all. Ella had always insisted that Will, although he presented himself to be cold and unfeeling, was actually very sweet and caring. Whenever she brought the subject of Will up (usually to try and get Jem to meet him) he'd usually point out that Will was probably off with some guy or girl at that very moment. But sitting here and talking to Will now, Jem began to realise that he was a very different person on the inside than he was on the outside.

But that only made Jem feel guilty. Will was being so kind and gentleman-like, pulling out his chair when they sat for dinner, offering him drinks all the time. Jem could see that as the evening went on, Will was coming out of his hardened and cold shell more and more, giving Jem a very rare glimpse of the real Will that perhaps only his family would see. The fact that Will was showing this side of him to Jem... It showed that there was some part of Will that was finally trusting someone.

Jem didn't know if he could take that.

"Are you okay?" Will asked. Jem looked up from the spaghetti that Will had made.

"Yeah," he said, clearing his throat. "Yeah, I'm fine." Will raised an eyebrow.

"You're doing it again," he said.

"Doing what?" Jem asked, genuinely confused.

"You're drifting," Will replied. "I've noticed you do it every time you think of Ella, of the accident." And just like that, Jem felt himself spiral. The world shifted, spinning around him like he was the centre of a tornado and the chaos around him was the fallout of Ella's death. He needed to get out. He needed to find fresh air, to remove himself from anything to do with the Herondales. But that was near on impossible as Will's hand clamped around his arm, anchoring him to reality. It was only then that Jem found that he was on the floor, his back to the cupboards as Will crouched next to him.

"You're alright," Will said softly. "You're alright." Once Jem had calmed down, Will offered him a glass of water and sat on the floor next to him.

"I'm sorry," Jem whispered. "That shouldn't have happened."

"It seems to happen a lot," Will pointed out. Jem ran his hands over his face, taking low breaths though his nose.

"Will, I don't know what your parents told you about what happened with me and Ella," he finally said, hating at how thick his voice sounded. "I don't know how much you know at all, actually. I almost didn't come tonight because of it."

"Jem," Will said. "Do you really think that I don't know what happened?" Jem risked a glance at his face to find a kind and concerned expression staring back at him. That was all the Herondales had been to him since the accident. Kind and concerned.

"It's all my fault, Will!" Jem cried, tears falling down his cheeks. "I don't know how you can even stand the sight of me, much less spend such a nice evening with me. Your family have been so understanding but I don't deserve that! I don't deserve forgiveness!"

"Jem," Will said calmly, taking his hand. "Let me explain things to you. You were driving Ella to work as you have done everyday for the past three years. You were talking, as you always do. You stopped at a crossroad like any safe driver would do. You waited for the light to go green. Then an idiot went straight into the back of you and shoved you into the middle of the road where three cars went into the side of you. You were rushed to hospital. You both went through hours of surgery. But only one of you made it. And that is not your fault Jem. In fact, none of it was. It was a drunk driver who has gone to jail for manslaughter. It was him and not you."

"But if I hadn't of been late that morning," Jem sobbed, "then Ella would still be alive! Linette and Edmund would still have their daughter. You and Cecily would still have your sister and I would still have my best friend! I killed her, Will! I killed her and no one else seems t understand that!" Will simply pulled Jem into his arms, allowing him to cry into his shoulder.

"Jem, you didn't kill my sister," he said. "Believe me. You didn't kill her. You wouldn't hurt anyone."

***

After that night, things got better. Knowing that the Herondales forgave him, Jem opened up his heart to accept them as family as he had once before. They were grateful too because the more Jem was around the more Will's cold shell was broken until it was no more. He allowed the person he really was to shine through instead of hiding it away. In time, Will's instinctive need to bury his emotions completely disappeared.

For Jem, he couldn't believe he had waited so long to meet Will. After all the years of Ella pushing him to meet her brother, he finally understood what she had meant. She was right, after all. Of course she was.

Ella was right about everything.

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