Disclaimer: SOME of the dialogue in this chapter, all characters (but Grace and Philip), the main story line and settings belong to the magnificent Cassie Clare. Grace, Philip and my own story plot belong to me. The Infernal Devices do not belong to me.

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'When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years.'

- My Immortal, Evanescence

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-*-*-*-*- Grace -*-*-*-*-

"What the hell were you thinking?" Will exclaimed as he braced Grace's dislocated shoulder. "What on Earth possessed you to go to a place like that?"

They were back at the Institute and in Grace's bedroom, sitting on her bed. Will was fussing around her as the iratzes Philip drew took hold, but he was also yelling at her. She had woken up as Will was carrying her back to the Institute, and to say that he wasn't pleased was an understatement.

"I'm sorry, all right?" she said. "But he was the only one who had yin fen who Mortmain didn't control!"

"It was a Downworld club, Grace," he said darkly. "If Philip hadn't of asked me for help tonight, you would have been killed!"

"Philip had no right to come to you," she said hotly. "He-" She broke off with a cry as Will popped her shoulder back in and drew yet another iratze on her skin. She gritted her teeth as it burned.

"He was worried about you," Will said. "As much as I don't like him, he risked his life tonight coming to me. He did that for you!"

"I don't care!" Grace yelled. "He ruined my chance of getting more yin fen! You and I both know that Jem is running out, and soon he'll die because of it! We have to do everything we can to keep him alive!"

"Don't you think I know that?" Will shouted. "Don't you think I haven't done everything I can to save him? The drug isn't a cure, Grace! And he'll only suffer more by the end. You have to-" Will abruptly stopped talking as the door to her bedroom swung open. For a moment, Grace was blinded by the witchlight in the corridor. Finally her eyes adjusted and she saw the one person she really didn't want to see right then.

"Will? Grace?" Jem asked in a quiet, fragile voice. He was carrying Church, who suddenly squirmed himself out of Jem's arms and bolted from the room, as if sensing the tension and the storm that was brewing. "What's going on? Why are you covered in bruises, Grace?"

Both Will and Grace were silent, staring at Jem with a mixture of guilt and shock.

"Will? Please answer me," Jem said.

"You might want to ask your sister," Will said venomously, practically spitting the words at her. Grace glared at him. "Maybe she can explain why I had to rescue her from a Downworld fight club tonight." Jem turned to her and Grace suddenly found the floor very interesting.

"Gracey?" Jem asked. He sounded so hurt.

"What was I supposed to do?" she said. "You were running out of yin fen, Jem. Will and I couldn't find anymore from any suppliers. I was desperate so when I found The Ring, I jumped at the chance. I fought Downworlders in order to win yin fen. It was the only way to save you." Jem sighed and closed his eyes.

"You lied to us both, Grace," Will said. "We can't do that, not right now. Mortmain obviously knew that you were going there because he sent Mrs Black." Jem opened his eyes.

"Mrs Black was there?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Well, half of her was there," Will said. "She was only a rotten head stuck onto an automatons body. But in order to win Grace's freedom, I had to fight her. Lucky for me, she ran as soon as I saw she was an automaton. But the point is, if she was there then Mortmain has enlisted her help again, and she knows what Grace was doing."

"Are you telling me, Will, if it was you who found that place, you wouldn't have fought for it?" Grace asked. "Are you telling me that, if our positions were reversed, you wouldn't have taken any deal in the world to keep your brother alive?"

"Not if I was you!" Will cried. "You can't be near Downworlders, Grace! What if the Clave found out? What if the Consul found out? He threatened you only a few days ago! Do you want to be locked up in the Silent City for the rest of your life? Is that what you want? Is that when you'll finally be happy?"

"Will," Jem said quietly. "Just give us a moment. Please?" Will stared at him for a second before storming out the room, making a point to slam the door behind him. Jem watched him go and held his gaze on the door as if he was expecting Will to come back. But when he realised that Will would not, he sighed and walked painfully slow to the bed, perching on the edge next to her. His sharp elbows leant on his knees as he raked a hand through his hair.

"I wish you'd told me," he said.

"If I had, you would have stopped me," she told him, shifting away from him so she leant against the headboard, her knees drawn up to her chest.

"But I could also have helped you," he said softly. "I should have realised that you were fighting this battle. I think I knew but, as I said before, I pushed the thought away." They were silent for a moment, only the sound of a ticking clock filling the room.

"You don't seem angry," Grace said, finally looking up at her brother. "Will is angry. He was furious with me." Her crystal wasn't flashing red, which surprised her. A cool blue flickered instead with a wisp of green swirling within.

"Not angry," Jem sighed. "Just sad. Sad that I didn't notice anything was wrong. Sad that I've left you to suffer on your own. Sad that you were hurting yourself for my sake."

"But you're hurting too," she whispered. He hesitated.

"Only because I thought that you'd accepted that my time is coming," he said. Grace shook her head.

"Don't say that," she said. "There's still hope. There's always hope. Just let me fight and I'll get you all the medicine you need, at least until we find some other cure. I know we can do it and you won't have to leave. You can live until you're old with Tessa, and you and Will will be together always, and-" Jem placed his hands on her shoulders, pulling her into an embrace.

"Grace, Grace, just stop," he said. "Please, just stop." And this time she couldn't stop the tears falling. She wasn't sure how long she sobbed into Jem's shoulder while he rocked her gently, whispering in her ear. She was painfully aware at how thin he was and how fragile, but relieved that he was still just as strong.

After what seemed like hours of silence, Jem finally spoke in a raw voice, and Grace realised that he had been crying too.

"I know that it is difficult," he choked. "And I know that this goes against everything you believe, but you need to let me go." She gripped his shoulders harder, as if she could stop death yanking him away.

"No, no, I won't let you go," she said. "I'll never let you go. Not without a fight."

"Gracey, not even someone as brave and as selfless as you can stop this," he said softly. "It kills me everyday when I watch you come back home covered in injuries, knowing that it may be the last time I see you. I can't do that anymore." He hesitated, clearing his throat.

"So please, promise me that you'll stay by my side until the end," he whispered. "Promise me that you won't ever go back to that fight club even if it gets so bad that your heart is begging you to. Promise me this so I know you are safe when I go, because that is the greatest wish of my heart. If you're safe, then I know Will, and Tessa, and Charlotte, and Henry and everybody I love will always be safe. Please, if you won't do this for them, please do it for me. Promise me, Gracey."

She had made so many promises recently that she knew she wouldn't keep. But this one was different. This one was special.

Because it was her brother's final wish. And, to her dying day, she would do everything in her power to keep it.

"I promise."

***

An eleven year old Grace ran down the main corridor of the Shanghai Institute, a seraph blade glowing in her small hand. As she rounded the corner, a hand shot out from the gloom and grabbed her arm. She didn't cry out because she knew it was her brother.

"Where is it now?" Jian whispered in an urgent voice as they huddled together in one of the spare bedrooms. They had been trying to catch the demon that had broken into the Institute, but so far it had evaded them.

"In the Great Room," she replied. "It's got Father, but I couldn't see Mother." Jian didn't reply. "Jian, what do we do?"

"I don't know," he whispered. "Mother told us to run, but we can't just leave them."

"If we escape now and make it to the Enclave," Grace said quietly. "Then they can rescue Mother and Father." Jian nodded, peering through the small crack in the door.

"You're right," he said. "It looks clear. We should go now." Grace handed her brother the seraph blade and they both crept down the corridor once again. With each room they passed and each corridor they went down, they grew more and more confident that they could escape without the demon knowing. It was only when they reached the stairs that things went wrong.

"Jian! Grace! Run!" They heard their mother's voice echo through the halls. Both the twins whipped around to see her running towards them. Grace wanted nothing more to throw herself into her arms but as she took a step forward, Jian laid a hand on her arm.

"Wait," he told her.

"But Jian-" He spun her around, pushing her towards the grand doors at the base of the stairs. Their mother was still running towards them but she was changing, her face morphing into something else.

"Get out of here!" he shouted. "Grace, you have to run! That isn't Mother!" They tried to sprint down the stairs but something shot out and grabbed Grace by the waist. She screamed as her hand was ripped from her brother's and she was yanked back, a hand wrapped around her throat.

"Perfect," Yanluo snarled as Grace looked fearfully into its black, soulless eyes. "One down, one to go. We're going to have so much fun together, Grace."

***

Grace sat bolt right up, gasping hard. She tumbled off the bed and scrambled towards the window, throwing it open and gulping the cool afternoon air. She was sweating, her body feverish from the nightmare.

Yanluo was just messing with her head. It meant nothing. It wasn't real.

"Miss Grace?" It was Sophie, knocking on the door. "Miss, may I come in?" Grace stumbled back to the bed, trying to sweep away sketch books and papers that she was drawing on last night and into the early hours of the morning. She kicked them all under the bed and then sat in the armchair, trying to look as normal as possible.

"Yes, come in, Sophie," she called. Sophie entered and bobbed her head.

"Mrs Branwell wants everyone in the drawing room, Miss," she said. Then she paused. "Are you all right, Miss Grace? You look slightly...flustered."

"I'm quite all right, Sophie," Grace said. "I just woke up, that's all." Sophie hesitated but nodded slowly before departing. Grace closed her eyes and sighed. That was close. The last thing Jem needed was to be worried that she was going to have an attack after their emotional talk last night.

But she was glad for that talk. Finally she had managed to get everything off her chest, and she felt lighter because of it.

Putting on a fresh set of gear, Grace grabbed one of her sketch books and walked from the room.

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Wow, that was a very emotional chapter to write so I hope you had some tissues on you. Probably should have warned you about that at the start though...

So, what did you think??? Enjoy it??? Comment and vote your thoughts as always please!!!

So, next chapter I'll be getting more on track with the main Infernal Devices story line which I guess is the beginning of the end. I'm not ready to end this yet though!

Love y'all! Thank you so much for your support as always!