Disclaimer: SOME of the dialogue in this chapter, all characters (apart from Grace), main story line and the settings belong to Cassandra Clare. The rest of the writing, Grace and my story plot belong to me. I (unfortunately) do not own The Infernal Devices.
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'There's a plague inside of me
Eating at my disposition
Nothing's left.'

- Panic Song, Greenday

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Will burst into the library, clutching the dagger they'd found two months back in his hand. Grace sat in the corner, curled on the armchair with one of her many sketch books. Will didn't even notice her as he dived for one of the shelves, running his hand delicately along the leather bound books until he found the one he was looking for.

"I knew it," he whispered. He shoved the book back and was about to hurry out.

"Where do you think you're going?" Grace asked, closing her drawing book. Will froze and cursed under his breath.

"Nowhere," he said, drawing the word out.

"Hmm," Grace said. She stood up, brushing down the gear she was wearing. Grace always wore gear unless she had to attend a special occasion or had to be seen in public. She hated wearing those heavy gowns that Jessamine did. It was much easier to walk about the Institute in gear so, if she wanted some space, she could just go down to the training room. When there were Council meetings Charlotte forced her then to wear a fine gown, much to Grace's disgust. Always had to impress the Clave.

"William, you've found out something, haven't you?" She said to him now. "And now you're rushing out without us to solve the mystery."

"No I'm not," Will protested.

"I'm not that stupid, Will," Grace said. "I knew there was something you weren't telling me when we witnessed the doings of the Pandemonium club. What have you found?" Will sighed and threw himself into another armchair.

"I've just spoken to some members of the Pandemonium club," he said. "I needed to be sure that what they were telling me was true."

"And?" She asked, impatient for his answer.

"All right , all right," he said. "Apparently these warlocks called the Dark sisters have been paying quite nicely for dead mundane bodies. They don't care how they get that way either."

"I've heard of them," Grace murmured. "Business women." Will gazed at her, reading her thoughts. Grace was itching to get out of the Institute today. 

"My thoughts exactly, Gracey," he said.

"Well what are we waiting for?" She asked. Energy was buzzing through her like electricity. "Come on, come on! You obviously know where they live so let's go take a look!"

"Blimey, you'll be the death of me with your excitement to run into dangerous places," he said dramatically, throwing his head back. Grace glided up to him.

"You want to go too and you know it," she grinned. He rolled his head against the top of the armchair towards her, his blue eyes glinting.

"I really really really want to go," he said. She clapped her hands and started for the doors. "Wait, what about Jem?" Will asked, who was only a step behind her. She stopped in her tracks.

"Umm...Jem had...Jem was ill today," she said slowly. She felt the tension in Will's body as he stiffened.

"What happened? Was it bad?" Questions flew out of his mouth.

"It wasn't bad," she said calmly. "Just shocked him a bit because he's been well recently. He's resting in his room now but he's not well enough to go."

"Just the two of us then," Will said, trying to let cheerfulness cover his worry. It didn't work.

"Definitely not just the two of you," a voice said in front of them. Grace looked up to see the head of the Institute, Charlotte, standing in front of them. Her arms were crossed and her foot was tapping on the floor. She did not look pleased. Will and Grace both gulped simultaneously.

"You two are not just going to run off into some demon nest on your own. You already disobeyed my orders about not approaching the Pandemonium club. Oh no, Henry and Thomas are going with you."

"Technically we're just going to the home of two warlocks," Will said, cocking his head to the side. "Details, Charlotte. Details."

"I don't care," she snapped. "You're lucky that I'm letting you go, William. You too, Grace, though I have to say not for the same reasons." Grace did her best to remain emotionless but on the inside, she wanted to run away and hide in her room.

"Please Charlotte," she whispered. "Don't let it stop me from being a Shadowhunter."

"I never said anything of the sort," Charlotte said, making her voice more gentle like she always did whenever this conversation came up. Will rolled his eyes.

"We're wasting time, Charlotte," he said impatiently. "We have no idea if these warlocks are planning something big or something catastrophic. I'm favouring the latter not the former." Charlotte waved her hand.

"Stop being dramatic Will," she said. "Now go and prepare. I'll get Thomas to bring the carriage round and tell Henry to get ready. Your orders are strictly to look around. You will not engage in any conflict if necessary." Will mimed a salute.

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am," he said before pushing past her out of the library. Charlotte sighed.

"What will I do with him?" she said to no one in particular.

"Hang him? Get rid of him? Cut him into little pieces?" Grace muttered. "Might be handy for us all."

"I have to admit sometimes I'm tempted," she said. She looked up at Grace with a look of concern. "You are watching out for him, aren't you?"

"As well as anyone can watch out for Will," Grace said. "Charlotte, don't worry about him. Even if he gets himself into the biggest kind of trouble, he always gets himself out." Grace collected her sketch book then walked out. She caught Charlotte's last words as she rounded the corner.

"I worry about you all," she breathed. "And one day, you won't get yourself out of the trouble you get into."

***

"Will!" Grace whispered furiously some time later. "If you don't get through this window right now I swear on the Angel that I'm going to drag you through it."

"Patience, Gracey," he said, flipping over the ledge and landing lighting on his feet.

"Well I am not patient," she said, tapping her fingers on one of the blades in her belt. "Not when I'm in the home of two warlocks who have been paying London's Downworlders and knowing humans to kill little girls. Oh and did I mention that they seem to be preparing for a party down there?"

"Do be quiet, Gracey or I'll mess up this Open rune I'm trying to draw and we both know how well that went last time," Will said.

"Oh I do know," she said as the first door clicked open. It looked like a room all made up in white. Sheets of material and ribbon floated around the ceiling like ghostly memories. It would have looked pretty for anyone other than Shadowhunters. White was the colour of mourning. 

"God what is this place?" Will murmured.

"No clue," Grace replied. They backed into the landing again, closing the door carefully behind them. They tried the next door but there was nothing in the room. "I'm going to go downstairs," Grace said. "I might find something down there, you stay up here and carry on searching."

"All right, but be careful," Will said to her. "Remember what Charlotte said." Grace rolled her eyes.

"When did we ever listen to what Charlotte told us to do?" she said. "That's Jem' s job." Then she jumped over the banister, landing lightly on her feet. She made no noise thanks to the Silent Rune although she didn't particularly enjoy drawing it. Runes were tricky for Grace.

Creeping to the door at the end of the landing, she slowly twisted the handle, a knife in her hand ready to defend herself if someone was behind the door. There wasn't, thank the Angel. She didn't want to make anymore noise than necessary.

The room looked like an office of sorts with two desks placed against the wall. Grace took a step forward to examine the closest one, picking up documents, letters and what looked like receipts and stuffing them into her pockets. She opened the first drawer, thinking there might be some more evidence of the Dark sisters doings but what she found instead was more horrifying.

Grace collapsed to her knees, her hands cover her ears, trying to block out the excruciating voice that echoed in her head. She knew what was in the drawer, just as she knew what the voice belonged to was. Get out of my head, she thought. She felt the anger and hatred bubbling deep inside of her that didn't belong to her. Don't let it out, Grace. Stay in control. Control it, Grace. Like Philip always told her, she imagined her fist closing around the fire and forcing it down into cool and gentle water below. Finally she felt it subside, sinking down angrily. That was too close.

She looked into the drawer and at the medallion inside. How on earth did they get that? Even warlocks like the Dark sisters shouldn't of had the power to summon even the essence of a demon like-

"Grace!" Someone whispered. "Grace, are you there?" Grace shook her head to get out of her daze and walked out, meeting Will on the landing...with another girl.

"Who are you?" The other girl asked. Grace did a double take.

"I could ask you the same question, Miss...?"

"Gray," the girl said. "Miss Theresa Gray." Grace studied her intently. She had long brown hair with intelligent grey eyes that seemed to shimmer in the light. She was very obviously American.

"Yeah, all right. Pleasure to meet you, Miss Gray," Grace said, impatiently. "Grace Carstairs, and may I say, welcome to England. But now, we really have to go."

"Wait, how did you-?"

"Your accent is a dead give away," Grace said. She turned to Will who was looking at her with a worried expression on his face. God damn his ability to read emotion on someone trained to show no emotion.

"Grace, are you all right?" He asked slowly.

"I'm perfectly all right, Will," she said. "Apart from the fact that we're standing in the home of two warlocks with the place utterly surrounded and perhaps about to be found." She turned to head down the next flight of stairs but Will caught her arm.

"Grace," he said. "Your eyes. They're glowing red again." Grace froze, glancing the new girl who was staring at her wide eyed. "What happened?" Will asked. Grace didn't say anything. "Grace, I'm not joking around."

"I'll tell you once we arrive at the Institute," she whispered, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. She glanced at Will who nodded.

"Back to normal," he said, then added Jem's little code word: "hazel," the normal colour of Grace's eyes.

Suddenly there was a scream from above them. Miss Gray looked up in fright while Will just looked amused. "I think that's our cue," he said. "We've arrived at an exciting time, Gracey." Grace just rolled her eyes and lead the way down the stairs, Will behind Miss Gray, making sure she kept up.

"Not the front door," Grace said, partly to Will but partly to herself as well. They headed down the basement which was stifling hot. "I'll go ahead," she told Will. "You stay with Miss Gray. Remember the plan, Will."

"Agreed," Will said. Grace headed off down the corridor, leaving Will and Miss Gray discussing the temperature of Hell. As she left, she heard Will say:

"Let me give you a piece of advice. The handsome young fellow who is trying to rescue you from a hideous fate is never wrong. Not even if he say the sky is purple and made of hedgehogs." She shook her head and allowed herself to smile. God knows what will happen next today.

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Hi everyone!

So how was this one? Good, bad, awful or just ok? I would love any advice you could give or any comments at all. Anything would be helpful! But if you are one of those silent readers, I understand if you don't want to comment. Buuuuut if you don't want to comment, how about a vote??? If not, don't worry, I'm just glad you're reading my fanfic!

So I hope you don't mind me following the Infernal Devices story. Hopefully you like Grace. Oh and I will be introducing a new character soon (basically if you've read the disclaimer you'll know it's Philip ;))

Right I know I'm kinda throwing things at you all at once so I'm going to stop now, ok, bye.