Disclaimer: SOME of the dialogue in this chapter, Jem, Will and the main story plot belongs to Cassandra Clare. The rest of the writing, dialogue, Grace and my own story plot belong to me. Basically anything that isn't in the Infernal Devices to put it simply.
************************************************************************************************
'Heart beats fast
Colours and promises
How to be brave
How can I love when I'm afraid
To fall.'

- A Thousand Years, Christina Perri
************************************************************************************************

She took a deep breath of the thick London air as she waited for Will and Jem to come round the corner after the demon they were chasing. When Grace first came to England, she remembered feeling like she was choking on the very air as the boat came into the port, let alone when she and her brother made it to London. But Grace was used to it now. She'd even dare to say she liked it because it was normal for a city like London. Normal wasn't easy for her.

The roof tops below the smog were set alight by the orange glow from below. It was late and people were turning in for the night, if not already in bed. Grace didn't envy them though. Night was always the worst time for her. She'd rather be up and about than left to the mercy of the darkness.

A screech made her jolt out of her thoughts. Below, she saw Will bounding off a wall after the demon, slicing it's knife across it's back. She saw the glow of the seraph blade as it cut through the black night. Grace rolled her eyes and smirked as Will missed the demon by two inches, cursing as he did so. God he got so annoyed when he missed something, which wasn't very often so she savoured these moments.

The demon and Will were right beneath Grace now. She turned away, the heels of her boots balancing perilously over the edge. With her hands on her weapons belt, Grace launched herself backwards into the empty air, flipping over elegantly. Whipping out two seraph blades, she plunged down into the dark alley, landing on top of the monster's back and driving the knives into it. It screamed then exploded into demon ichor, splattering her.

"Really Grace?" Will inquired. "That was rather rude, dropping in like that."

"Well then, you have my most sincere apologies, William," she said sarcastically, with a mischievous grin on her face. "But it seemed like you needed a hand."

"I still stabbed it before you did," he said, thrusting his burnt arm in her face and pointing to the acid eaten blade in the puddle. "Look, proof. And William Herondale does not need a 'hand.'"

"But I got the kill blow so I'm afraid that one goes to me," she smirked, choosing to ignore the last comment. "So what's that then? Twenty five to me and twenty three for you this week? I've slipped ahead, William. You better watch out."

"Oh do shut up," he said, glancing up at where she'd just jumped from. "You know, that was dangerous even by my standards."

"Exactly why I did it," Grace said, wiping away the demon ichor from her hands and face on a cloth she had brought along. "It worked, didn't it?" Will sighed then turned around.

"James," he called. "Your sister is being infuriating. And she almost killed herself...again." There was no answer from the street ahead. Will glanced at her and slipped his hand to the knife on his belt. She pulled out two more daggers slowly, glancing momentarily at the crystal pendant around her neck. It gave no flicker of life apart from a faint blue glow.

"He's sad," Will whispered to her, looking at the crystal. "Why would he be sad?"

"Jem?" Grace asked. "Jem, are you there?" Will and Grace slowly advanced into the street and the light. Jem was nowhere in sight. She tried to push down the panic that was rising in her stomach. What if he became ill suddenly and fell behind without Will or her noticing? Stupid, she thought. You should have never of climbed that building.

"What on earth-" Will started before a soft voice interrupted him.

"Will, Grace, over here!" Jem said. He appeared out of another alley. Grace sighed with relief and sheathed her blades.

"Honestly James," she said, not keeping any of the frustration and worry that had just overwhelmed her out of her voice. "You really shouldn't scare me like that..." she trailed off when she saw his clothes. He was covered in crimson blood, staining his gear.

"Jem..." Will said, stiffening.

"It's not my blood," Jem said, holding out his hands in a reassuring gesture. "I promise you, it isn't."

"Well who's in God's name is it?" Will asked. Jem gestured his head into the darkness and pointed.

"It's hers," he said. Grace looked round him then ran into the alley while Will started cursing about how they were too late. She knelt by the little girl's body. It looked like she was stabbed to death but the trail of blood that lead out the alley seemed to suggest that she had dragged herself here. "The poor girl," she whispered, bowing her head. As she did so, the glint of silver caught her eye in the dim light. There was a bloody knife by the side of her with the strangest symbol.

"Will," Grace said. "What do you think of this?" She stood up and and tossed Will the blade. He snatched it out of the air, turning it over in his hands to examine it.

"It looks like some sort of occult symbol," he said. "James?"

"I'm not so sure," Jem said. "Why would an occult want a little girl dead? A mundane girl at that." Will slipped the dagger into his coat pocket, his blazing blue eyes alight.

"I don't know," he said. "But it sounds like an awfully good investigation to me, what do you think James? Grace?" Grace sighed. There was no end to Will's enthusiasm for thrusting himself into dangerous situations that he knew next to nothing about. But then again, she did the same thing, much to her brother's annoyance.

"Why ever not?" Grace said. "Sounds like fun."

"Oh good God, you're not going off again, are you?" Jem asked her. "Remember what happened last time you and Will went off to investigate something strange."

"That werewolf had no business being there," she said. "That was entirely his fault."

"Grace," Jem said sternly. "That's not what I'm talking about." She looked away and clenched her fists at her side. He was right and she knew it...as he was usually although she didn't like to admit it. "I won't always be there to pull you out," Jem continued.

"Then it's a jolly good job I am," Will said, trying to lighten the mood.

"I can control it," Grace said to her brother. "It's not always my fault."

"And I'm not saying it is," Jem said, laying his hand gently on her arm. "I just want you to be careful, that's all. And also not to leave me out of it again." Grace allowed a smile to come to her lips at the last comment. Jem always had a way of talking seriously to her and yet made her feel almost comfortable too.

Almost.

"Well it wasn't me who said we had to leave immediately with no preparation whatsoever," she said, directing the comment at Will. Will shrugged as if it made no difference to him.

"As I recall it was you who wanted to catch the devil," he said. Jem rolled his eyes at the both of them.

"Sometimes I wonder how I put up with you two," he said. Will grinned.

"Grace is just good at keeping up with me, which is not something I say about many people," he said. "I am so marvellously ahead of everyone which means that for someone to come close to me causes conflict. You're just in the middle of us, James."

"I just thought that Grace is the only one who you cannot beat in a battle of wits," Jem said simply.

"That is true," Grace said, discarding the last conversation about...well, never mind.

"But how about getting back to the matter at hand," Will said, seeming partly to not want to argue about Grace always beating him to it and partly sensing that they were closing in on a matter Grace did not want to discuss or be reminded of. "Who killed this girl and why?"

"Well that's what we're going to find out, isn't it?" Grace said.

***********************************************************************************************
Hello you lovely lot!

What do you think of chapter 1 then??? So I'm hoping to show Grace as quite a feisty character in contrast to Jem so she and Will are always having some banter ;) But as the story goes on you'll find out more about her because she won't be the same as Will. The next few chapters especially she'll seem quite shaky and on edge so yeah, I hope she isn't too bad...

Please vote and comment because I absolutely love them!

See ya guys!