A Leap in Time ~ An Infernal Devices Fic

Will Screws Up

"Five," she said. Her lips and cheeks were flushed, but her gaze was steady.

"Five?" he echoed blankly.

"My rating," she said and smiled at him.

"Gabriel, as I've been saying the entire way here, you've got it wrong-"

"Move aside, Tessa," said Gabriel grimly, as he gently pushed her to the side of the Herondale's front step.

Tessa sighed and held up her hands in defeat. "The only person you'll embarrass is yourself."

"No, the only person I'll embarrass will be Will Herondale," he said as he shoved the doorbell hard at least a dozen times. "When I punch his face in and he cries for mercy."

Tessa rolled her eyes. "I can't say I know him well but I very much doubt that."

Gabriel ignored this. He hit the doorbell of the small townhome again. Hard.

"Come out you, bastard," he muttered. "Come out you sick son of a-"

The door flew open.

"Son of a what now?" a voice that was most certainly not Will's asked, sounding a mix of annoyed and amused.

Gabriel's mouth fell open.

There on the doorstep was not Will Herondale at all, but a girl.

She was very disconcerting. With long black hair tied in a loose braid and blue eyes that shone with an intense satirical gleam she reminded him a lot of all the things he hated most about Will Herondale, even in jean shorts and a faded t-shirt. But this Will Herondale was. . . incredibly pretty?

He didn't realize he was standing there staring with a twisted expression of horror and awe on his face until Tessa tugged his arm.

She had a bemused expression on her face and a hand on her hip. "What were you saying about punching his face until he cried for mercy?"

Gabriel paled and turned back to the girl with a weak, what he hoped was a smile. "Erm . . . Is Will Herondale here?" he asked, his voice cracking.

She shook her head, leaning against the door with a hip. "Nope. He left early this morning without saying a word. You can't really ever know what Will's doing these days." She looked bitter. "But you could come in and wait if you liked. I'm guessing you're from his-" Her eyes darted past Gabriel to Tessa before going wide with shock. Her eyes became an O.

"You're Tessa Gray!" she nearly shouted, looking stunned.

Tessa smiled slightly, looking a bit self conscious. "Oh, yes. That's me."

"Please!" the girl said, looking close to bouncing out of the doorway with excitement. "Come in!"

Gabriel didn't look at Tessa before following the girl inside eagerly. He heard her laugh behind him as someone shut the door.

"Hey, buddy, watch where you're going will you?"

William Herondale ignored the jibe, keeping walking. He was in one of the dirtier sides of London, his phone at home, money in his pocket, and no clear method of self defense against any attacker. The danger was intoxicating. And he wanted to feel intoxicated.

He walked past a series of homeless people lining the streets, all staring at him greedily. He walked lazily, not the brisk pace that the few nicely dressed people in that area took, with their phones out in obvious easy access, 999 a dial away. Will smelled the stench of the area with a sick sort of delighted loathing. He kept walking.