A/N: The awesome cover above is by the fabulous m4dl4a!!!! Thank you so much! I love it! This one is dedicated to you!

Enjoy!

-*-*-*-*- Tessa -*-*-*-*-

Tessa sat at her vanity table, methodically brushing out her hazel hair. It was quite late at night but no one in the Institute was sleeping. They were all waiting up for Will and Jem to come home. They still hadn't returned from looking for clues at Gunthorpe street, and Tessa was worried beyond belief.

What if the person who took Will decided that they wanted him back? What if they were hurting both Will and Jem? What if they both lost their memories all over again? What if-

Tessa slammed the brush onto the table to stop herself from going insane. They were fine. They probably just got wrapped up in the mystery and didn't realise how late it was. They had always done that, being boys after all.

But yet again, there was a sick feeling in her stomach. It was the same feeling she had before they found Will. Something was very wrong; she could just feel it.

As if on cue, there was a knock on her door. "Come in," she called tiredly. Sophie entered the room carrying a letter.

"This just came for you, miss," she said, handing Tessa the envelope. Tessa nodded her thanks and Sophie left. Sitting on the bed, Tessa tore open the letter, scanning the contents with increasing alarm:

My dear Miss Gray,

I just thought to let you know that your fiance and Will are currently in my care at the apartment I am staying in with Woolsey.

I regret to inform you that James was not well when I found them and, although I have given him all of the drug that Woolsey had when he was studying it, but I fear that he may not have enough to recover fully.

Please could you make haste to my apartment at once with some of James's medicine.

Your loyal servant,

Magnus Bane.

P.S.

I am extremely concerned about Will. He has told me that he was kidnapped and lost his memory, but I cannot seem to get the whole story from him. I hope you can explain the situation to me when you arrive so I can discover the best way to help him.

Tessa gasped and leapt from the bed, ringing the bell for Sophie to help her change again. "Miss?" Sophie asked as she hurried into the room. "Miss, what on Earth is the matter?"

"Magnus wrote to me," Tessa said breathlessly as she tried to put on her corset. "Jem and Will are with him, but Jem is ill. I must go to him at once." Sophie gasped but proceeded to help Tessa changed back into her dress.

"Do you want me to fetch Mrs Branwell, Miss?" Sophie asked as she hurriedly tied Tessa's hair into a chignon.

"Just tell her where I've gone," Tessa replied. "Explain that I will be back as soon as I can. I do not want her to worry." Sophie nodded.

"Of course," she said. She opened the door and they both hurried into the corridor. "I shall get Cyril to fetch the carriage," Sophie said before running off down the corridor.

Tessa crossed the corridor and opened Jem's door, slipping inside. It was as tidy as ever, all his clothes folded neatly in the draws. His precious violin was in its case and laid on the trunk at the foot of the bed. Tessa could remember the many times that he had played it for her. She would just sit there and let the music wash over her, making her forget all her worries and fears. Although lately, Jem had been playing it less. In fact, Tessa didn't think he'd played it at all since Will went missing.

She quickly crossed the room to the bedside table, carefully lifting the silver box where Jem kept his medicine. She flicked the lid open, satisfying herself that it was half full. She then left, shutting the door behind her and hurrying down the corridor to the Great Doors.

Sophie was on the steps, saying something to Cyril who had already brought the carriage around even at this late hour. "Thank you so much, Cyril," Tessa said graciously.

"It's really no problem, Miss," Cyril replied, tipping his hat. He held out his hand and helped Tessa down the steps and into the carriage. After he shut the door, Tessa sat with her hands clutching the box. She couldn't help but feel sick.

What if she was too late?

-*-*-*-*- Magnus -*-*-*-*-

Magnus watched Will sit on the window seat, his long legs pulled up to his chest as he hugged his knees. His head rested on the glass window pane as he watched the rain fall outside. Magnus himself stood by the fireplace, his cigar in hand as he watched over the boy.

"So you're telling me that for five years of my life I thought I was cursed?" Will said, his voice raw and fragile. "You're telling me that I ran away from my parents, my little sister, because I thought I killed my oldest sister? You're telling me that I pushed everyone that ever tried to love me away for years? That I hurt people, possibly even got them killed?"

"You were never really cursed, Will," Magnus said gently. "No one was ever in danger."

"And yet my entire life was ruined because of it," Will said listlessly. Magnus felt his heart break as Will turned to look at him. Those clear blue eyes of his were so full of confusion that Magnus couldn't remember the last time he had seen so much fear in a person's eyes.

"Who am I, Magnus?" Will whispered to him. "Who was I before I was kidnapped? What kind of person was I?" Magnus sighed and came over to Will, perching on the seat next to him.

"You were a good person, Will," he said softly. "You are a good person. There was no doubt that you were broken when you first came to me; you had suffered so much for others that you forgot to look after yourself."

"Why didn't Jem tell me any of this?" Will asked. "In fact, why didn't he tell me he was ill?"

"That is not something I would know," Magnus replied, laying a hand on Will's shoulder. "But know this, Will: Jem cares for you like you were a brother. He's done nothing but protect you from yourself since the day he met you. Perhaps he was doing so again here."

"It seems I always need protecting," Will mumbled. Magnus smiled a little.

"If you could just remember what you have done for him, for Tessa, for everyone, you wouldn't be say that," he said gently. Will looked at him and opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a knock on the front door.

"That shall be Tessa," Magnus said, standing from the window.

"You summoned her?" Will asked. He looked slightly shocked and a little nervous.

"Yes," Magnus replied. "I have learnt from experience that whenever there is a problem involving you two, Tessa is always the one to summon." He left the room and went to the front door, opening it.

"Where are they?" Tessa demanded as soon as Magnus had let her in. "Where's Jem?" She was clutching a silver box in her hands which Magnus guessed contained Jem's medicine. She looked almost wild, as if she had hiked through a jungle to get here.

"This way," Magnus said, hurrying down the corridor to Jem's room. Tessa followed him, their footsteps echoing on the stone. They reached Jem's door and Magnus opened it gently, letting Tessa run inside to the bedside.

Jem lay in the bed, his cheeks flushed and his breathing rapid and laboured. He was murmuring in his sleep, switching from Mandarin to English constantly. Just one look at him and Magnus knew he had made the right decision by calling Tessa here with more medicine.

"How much did you give him?" Tessa asked, turning to face Magnus but not releasing Jem's hand.

"About half a tea spoon," Magnus replied. "It was all I had from Woolsey's studies." Tessa nodded and held up the box.

"He needs half a tea spoon more," she said. "An attack this bad..." She trailed off, looking at her fiancé. Magnus took the box from her, turning away and tipping a little more of the drug into some water. He went back to Jem, lifting his head and letting him sip the water.

Within seconds, Jem relaxed, his breathing going back to normal. With enough of the drug now in his system, he could properly heal and recover.

Tessa leant forward and kissed Jem's forehead. "I'll be back soon," she whispered before straightening and asking Magnus to take her to Will.

Magnus led her back down the corridor towards the drawing room. "I'm glad you came," he told Tessa. "Will has...well, I would say he hasn't been himself but he has lost his memory, so if of course that is the case."

"He's rather confused at the moment," Tessa replied. "And so he should be. I just hope there might be a way to help him."

"Well, once I have the full story from you and whatever Will remembers, hopefully we can start to work together," he said. He opened the drawing room door then froze, looking about the room. The bitter truth hit him hard.

"God damn it, Will," he whispered to the empty room.

Will was gone.

-*-*-*-*- Will -*-*-*-*-

Will walked down the street, his hands deep in his pockets and his head bent to avoid the rain. He had to get out of that apartment. It was all becoming too close and overwhelming, and he had to get out into the fresh air.

The truth was, Will had come to realise that he had caused a lot of problems for Jem and Tessa and the rest. They probably thought it was a blessing when he lost his memory. They were kind people; they deserved to be happy without having to worry about him all the time.

And it seemed that Jem already had enough to worry about.

Will couldn't imagine what it was like to live with an illness like Jem had. He was sure it was an illness now; his dream and the events of that afternoon confirmed it. Perhaps he didn't have long, or maybe they were close to finding a cure. But either way, Will didn't want to get in the way of his happiness...of his health.

"Will!" Someone shouted. "Will, wait!" Against his will, he stopped abruptly. The sound of her voice was like a spell being casted on him. Slowly, he turned to face Tessa, her hair already soaked in the rain.

"Where are you going, Will?" She asked him. "What are you doing? Jem needs you. He-"

"Did you know I was cursed?" He suddenly asked. "Did you know that Jem was ill? Did you know all of it?" She looked up at him, her beautiful grey eyes wide. She looked so sad, so tired. It only made Will feel more guilty.

"I did," she whispered. Will felt his heart shatter and he slumped back against a nearby wall, sliding down it with his head in his hands. God, it was true. It was all true. His best friend was in mortal danger. He himself was cursed and was still living in the consequences of that curse. His life was just a total wreck.

"Will," Tessa said gently, reaching out for him them stopping herself. She crouched by his side instead.

"He's dying, isn't he?" Will said, his voice fragile. "Jem is dying."

"Yes," Tessa said softly. "He wanted to tell you, but you're stressed enough as it is. He wanted to tell you in his own time, in his own way."

"But why didn't he tell me I was cursed?"

"The same reasons," she replied. "He's trying to protect you, Will. Just as soon as you get your memories back, your life back, then everything can be explained." Will looked up at her, his eyes filling with tears that he couldn't control.

"What if I don't want this life back?" He whispered. "What if I just want to give up?"

*******************************************************************************************

Hello my lovelies!

How ya doing? So, I hope you enjoyed this one! It was kind of just a filler but there shall be more exciting things next chapter...including a memory from Will....and perhaps a bit of Wessa/Jessa...basically, I'm going to spoil you a bit hehehe.

So below is a rough blurb of my original book that I'm planning called 'Project Midnight'. As I said, it is only a rough summary and not the finalised one but if you could let me know your first thoughts then I'd be so grateful!

Okay then, that's all from me. Any questions/edits/anything at all then feel free to PM me or drop it in the comments.

Don't forget to vote and comment!

Love y'all!

CricketCat

Project Midnight:

Given the power, nine people can change a life. Given the power, nine people can change a war. Given the power, nine people can change a world.

The Flame has been at war with the Unity for almost 50 years, and neither side are close to winning. The stalemate is draining both side's resources and manpower, and soon, there may not be much left of a country to rule. In one last desperate bid to defeat the Unity, the Flame utilise Project Midnight, nine top secret weapons that they have been hiding for years.

Ariana is one of those weapons. She and her friends make up Project Midnight, working for the Flame to defeat the Unity's evil. They are assassins, spies, scouts, agents, all with the gift of their powers and high training.

When Ariana's best friend, Oscar returns from a mission, compromised and injured, she and her boyfriend, Max step up to complete perhaps the biggest mission of their lives. Placed right in the middle of Unity operations, they begin their task of feeding back information to the Flame, ready for the big attack in a month's time.

But the deeper in they go, the more they begin to realise that things at the Unity are not all what they seem. Can Ariana and Max warn their friends of the danger to come and, more importantly, keep their own lives?

So yeah, let me know what you think! ;)