Pandemonium was like it always has been in the past, except it evolved over the years. Stripper poles had been added, although there were no actual strippers. Girls could use them as they pleased, while guys stared and adored them, lusting after them like dogs for treats. Screens had been added that hung from the ceiling in a square above the dance floor, showing music videos of the songs playing as well. But some things never change: the smell and the same idiots always seemed to be there. And the bar and dance floor hadn't changed much either and Emily and Karrie found their way over quickly enough to get a drink.

Karrie and Emily found a table, drinks in hand, while they scoped out the place. Emily spotted at least four demons, all separate and scoping out for mundanes to feed on. She focused on one in particular. It looked like a boy, with spiky green hair, a bluish tent to his skin, and a devilish smile that fit his demon side. He was dressed like a mundane, in jeans and a t-shirt, and Emily couldn't wait to stick her blade through its heart.

And when she watched him walk up to a girl with dark hair, who shooed him away, she knew he was the right one. He immediately got angry and chased after the girl, giving them a better view of him as he and the girl argued.

"Karrie, that one," Emily said as she pointed. "Do you see it?"

"The greenish guy?" She leaned across the table to get a better look. Then she grimaced. "He's… not cute."

"Which is why we're going to send him back where he came from." She stood up. "You need to lead him to the storage room."

"Why me?" she protested.

Emily looked at the girl that just denied the demon, and then looked back at Karrie. "You two are practically identical. Young, black hair, and pretty. You can do it."

"I don't know." she seemed genuinely concerned, although Emily couldn't fathom why. Karrie had never been hurt while Emily was watching out for her. Even though they had only been able to do this for a short time, because Karrie was so much younger, Emily always had her back and protected her, like she was her own sister. Not to mention Magnus and Alec would have her head on a platter if Karrie came home with even a scratch. "He seems dangerous."

"Which is why we're not going to let him hurt anyone." When Karrie didn't look convinced, Emily grabbed the younger girl's shoulder and turned her. "Kar, do you trust me?" She nodded slowly. "I'm not going to let him hurt you, I promise. Just do what I say, and you'll be fine."

She nodded slowly again, before finally walking out to the dance floor. Emily stayed where she was, watching her friend as she danced around the mundanes, like a serpent weaving through a forest, graceful and smooth. Even though Karrie was a human, many times it was hard to believe she wasn't a Shadowhunter. Most mundanes were clumsy at some point, but Karrie never faltered, like she floated around on solid ground. Magnus taught her well, even from a young age, and it paid off it seemed, as the blue demon seemed to catch an interest in her and Emily saw his sadistic smile emerge.

"Using mundanes to do your dirty work now, huh Herondale?"

Emily knew that voice, and hated it with a passion. She slowly turned her head to the side, where a figure was propped up on the wall. Just to keep herself from killing him, she grabbed her drink and downed the whole thing in one sitting, slamming the glass back on the table.

"You really can't stand me, can you?"

"Chase, now is not the time," Emily spat at him. He moved to stand in front of her, blocking her view of the dance floor and Karrie. She couldn't help but marvel at him, even if she hated him with every fiber in her being. His brown curls that were always loose and flowed were tucked under a black snapback, some locks sticking out of the sides. His green eyes were intense as he looked her up and down making it blatantly obvious that he was checking her out. The black of his jacket and pants made him darker, shadows casting across his skin that was inked with the same marks she wore. The she noticed the black hilt of his sword sticking up behind his right shoulder. That only meant he really was here to screw her over. When she tried to slide past, his hands came up beside her head, trapping her between his arms. When he smiled, it would normally make other girls want to throw themselves at him, but Emily just wanted to throw him against the wall, head first. "Get out of the way."

He smirked down at her, a dimple showing in his right cheek. He dipped his head so his eyes were level with hers. "You want some help taking him down?"

"I can do it on my own," she said as she shoved his arm away. To her relief, she caught a glimpse of Karrie and the demon heading towards the storage room, and Emily started to move through the crowd.

Unfortunately, so did Chase. "Emily, you know you need my help."

"When have I ever needed you're help, Chase?" She asked as slinked into the storage room way before Karrie and the demon. They were still on the other side, surrounded by people and Chase followed her in, the door closing and wrapping them in darkness. It was practically a routine as Emily clapped her hands, the lights turning on into a dim glow, just enough to make the outlines and colors, but nothing specific.

"Nice little trick," Chase said, ignoring her earlier question.

Emily glared at him. "It's not a trick. The owners got automatic lights installed years ago. I have work to do Chase, so if you want to help, leave."

She reached down and grabbed her seraph blade from her boot. Karrie and the demon were approaching, their footsteps ringing in her ears and she realized that Chase wouldn't be able to leave with causing alarm. He seemed to notice too, smiling like an idiot at her. "Looks like I get to stay."

"Just get over here," she commanded as she grabbed his arm and dragged him behind a crate, hiding them from view. "And I swear to Raziel, if you take my kill, I will personally break your arm and make sure you can't have children."

Chase's eyes widened, but he nodded and put his hands up in defense. "I won't touch him, I promise."

"Like your promises mean anything," she shot back just as Karrie and the demon entered.

Up close, he was even more disgusting than she first thought. His green hair was greasy looking, like he used too much gel and didn't bother to fix it. His skin was slick looking, but she knew that to any other mundane it would look like sweat. She could see that he was secreting it though, and it sure wasn't sweat, but his t-shirt looked like it was soaking in the slime. And she instantly felt bad for Karrie, as she had to occupy him by kissing him.

"Ew," Chase muttered from beside her, like he was going to be sick. "Kill him before I throw up."

Emily rolled her eyes and stood up. But as she took the first step, something unexpected happened. The demon opened his eyes, grabbed Karrie and pulled her against him, her back hitting his chest as he pulled a knife and put it to her throat. Emily froze; the look of terror on Karrie's face was real enough that even Jace would've stopped in his tracks. She whimpered and tried to get away, but his knife dug into her throat, cutting a small line that trickled blood. Alec was going to be pissed.

"Emily Herondale," the demon hissed, his voice having an echoing ring to it. "So glad I could run into you tonight."

"Why do you say that?" she asked, trying to think of a way to get Karrie out of here. She didn't panic. Emily doesn't panic in these situations. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw Chase moving past the crates that lined all the way to where the demon was. He could get on top of the demon without him even noticing. Emily just had to stall. But if he killed the monster…

"I have a message for you," he answered and smiled at Karrie. She shivered as his tongue darted out – it was black and looked rough – and licked her cheek. Karrie squirmed, but she wasn't anywhere near strong enough to break free.

"Michael!" The seraph blade in Emily's hand sprung to life, shining and lighting up the room as it glowed. "Then give it and let Karrie go. Or I will kill you, slowly and painfully."

"She's just a mundane, right?" He looked down at Karrie, smiling with sharp teeth. "What does she matter to a Shadowhunter? Last time I was here, Shadowhunters only cared about their own kind."

"Times have changed." Her grip on her blade tightened involuntarily. "But we still kill demons, and that will never change. Now. Let. Her. Go." Emily announced each word individually, taking a step closer with each word as well.

The demon tensed and glared at her. "Stay put. I'll slit the girl's throat, I swear it."

"Just give me the damn message and I'll–"

Suddenly a blade, a sword in particular, flew through the air, and descended in an ark on top of the demon. He didn't even see it coming and Karrie scream as the blood exploded around her. Emily darted forward, grabbing her friend and shielding her as the demon exploded into ash, shriveling back into its own dimension. The demon's knife fluttered the floor, hitting with a clang by the time it was all over.

Karrie had her head buried in Emily's shoulder, but she lifted it, looking to see what had saved her. "What the–"

"Chase," Emily answered her question before she asked and glared at him as he emerged from the crates. He was smirking, like always, and swung the sword in his hands like a conqueror.

"No thanks needed, Karrie. I was–"

"Being an idiot!" Emily yelled as she released Karrie. She seemed stable enough, so Emily stalked over to Chase and shoved him with two hands as hard as she could. He stumbled backwards, his back hitting the wall, eyes wide. "He had a message, and we didn't get it. It could've been important."

"You trust him to deliver a message? He could've been saying that just so we didn't stick a blade through his heart. Demons lie, Emily."

"I don't care! We needed to hear him out!" He could've had information on who sent that text to Conan. "And you just couldn't stop yourself from killing him, could you?"

He shrugged and the smirk this time just set her on edge. With the angel blood in her, she was fast and stronger than most Shadowhunters, which helped in these situations. Emily grabbed his hand with the sword, twisting it at a painful angle until he dropped it with a scream. Then, in his momentary lack of attention, she reared her knee back and let it fly right into his groin. He doubled over, just as planned, and she wretched his right arm back. With a satisfying crack, she broke it.

"AH!" he yelled as he fell to the floor, gripping his elbow in pain as he rolled onto his back. His face was blood red, the hat fallen so his curls were released. Emily looked down on him, as he glanced back up at her, hatred in his eyes. If looks could kill…

She smiled sweetly at him as he groaned, in too much pain to even speak. Without a word, she reached down and grabbed his stele that had slid a few feet away. "If you want this, it'll be at the Institute."

"But Emily," Karrie protested as Emily moved to the door. Chase's stele in one hand and her seraph blade in the other. "He needs the stele to heal." And there goes Karrie, being the sensible, caring one.

Well, Emily wasn't having it. "He's a big boy. He can make it. Besides, my dad will love to see him suffer."

"How was it?" Jace asked as Emily and Karrie walked into the kitchen of the Institute twenty minutes later. He was shirtless, surprise, surprise, as Clary wondered around the kitchen in one of his t-shirts, making brownies. Most people probably thought it would be cute, the wife wearing the husband's t-shirts, but it was just revolting to Emily.

"Awful," Emily grumbled as she took the seat next to her father. Karrie decided to preoccupy herself by helping Clary, which Emily didn't mind with. Besides, Karrie was always giddy around Jace, which only boosted his ego that didn't need it.

"What happened?" Jace asked as he took a sip of what looked like scotch.

Emily put her hands on the counter, staring at her fingers. "That asshole Chase happened. But look what I got." She raised her hand, revealing the stele that she took. Chase's stele handle was golden, with black inks across the handle, while hers was silver. So when Jace saw the stele, he smiled to the point that it reached his eyes.

"That's my girl. I don't know what you did, but I'm proud of you."

"I broke his arm and kneed him in the balls." She said it so nonchalantly, and Jace's hand flew to his jeans as he imagined the pain.

"Been there, done that," he murmured as he glanced at Clary. Emily's friend and mother had their back to them, but she couldn't help but notice her father's face when her mother wasn't looking. He put more love into it, like he didn't think anyone was paying attention and he had the chance to finally admire her for what she really was. "As for the stele," he grabbed it and examined it in his hands, "is he coming to get it?"

Emily shrugged and took a sip of his scotch, which he didn't even seem to notice. And if he did, he didn't care. "If he wants to heal his broken arm, he better. It's a long walk back to Aunt Izzy's and it's only a short walk from here to the club."

"Otherwise, we've got another prized possession." His eyes gleamed at the thought. "Izzy is going to kill you, you know. Chase may not be her son directly, but she isn't going to be happy about you breaking his arm for the second time."

"It's his own fault he got hurt. He should know better than to kill a demon I had claims on. I warned him what would happen. It's the second time he's done it, so maybe a third time will teach him for good."

"Why did he get the kill?" Jace asked suddenly, and Emily didn't understand the question at first. It wasn't a question of his strength above hers, but of concentration.

Emily sighed and curled her hair around one of her fingers. "The demon had me preoccupied, saying he had a message for me. It didn't help that Karrie was taken hostage by him either. He had a knife to her throat, although I wasn't worried that he would actually kill her. I was more worried about what he wanted to tell me."

"And what was that?"

"I never found out, because Chase thought it was a good time to drop a sword on the guy's head before he spilled the beans."

Jace's jaw tightened. "He doesn't understand what it means to be patient, does he?"

"Remind you of someone?" Clary was suddenly in front of them, leaning across the counter that separated her and Jace. She was looking at him through her eyelashes, like they were flirting. Their level of PDA was getting out of hand, Emily thought.

"Yeah, you," he shot back. "Little Miss I Can't Wait For Anything And Impulsive Is My Middle Name."

"Excuse me?"

"Do you not remember a time in Alicante, which you just had to create a portal to get to?" Clary's eyes widened at the mention of that time, and her expression instantly darkened, although Jace just found it amusing.

"Now you did it," Emily said to her father as she looked over Karrie. She wasn't sure what to do, never was, when Jace and Clary got into their little conversations. Not the Emily blamed her. "Dad, Mom, can you stop the flirting long enough until Magnus gets here to pick up Karrie?"

Jace, as if to notice Karrie for the first time, blinked. "The mundane is still here?"

Clary rolled her eyes. "Jace, stop with that. It's rude."

"It's okay," Karrie said, much to Emily's surprise as well as Jace's. "Dad just says that Jace is rude to make up for his size down under."

Emily's mouth fell open. Jace stared, wide-eyed and Emily finally witnessed her father blush, which Clary couldn't even do when she tried her hardest. And Clary, she just laughed, and laughed, and laughed some more.

Finally, Jace couldn't take it anymore and glared at his wife. "Clary, it isn't funny. And you of all people know that I'm not tiny." He turned his eyes on Karrie. "If you want proof–"

"NO!" Emily yelled.

"That's okay, sir," Karrie muttered as she blushed.

"Mom, control him," Emily begged. "Please."

"I can't be controlled," Jace said with that annoying, arrogant, cocky tone of voice. "Besides, Clary likes it when I'm dominant–"

The bell rang suddenly, and Emily jumped from the stool. "The one time I'm actually happy that Chase is here." She headed towards the door of the elevator, waiting for Chase to arrive. She leaned against the couch, and Jace joined her, twisting Chase's stele in his hands. The joking was gone now; the lines of his face hard and set, like he was preparing for an interrogation with the Mortal Sword.

Emily didn't speak; she knew better than to try to calm Jace. She tugged at her dress, suddenly nervous. Granted, she hated Chase as much as the next girl, but Jace and Chase – she hated how close their names were too – together in one room never ended well for either party.

The elevator opened with a ding, and out stepped Chase, in the same clothes as before as he clutched his injured arm. When he looked up at Emily, she could see the hatred as plain as the runes on his neck. Unfortunately, he wasn't alone.

Isabelle stepped out behind her adopted son. Her hair was pulled up in a bun, a few black strands falling along the side of her beautiful face. Like Jace, age had taken its toll, but she was too beautiful for anyone to really notice. Especially when she dressed in the tight black jeans, and red blouse that probably made Simon weak at the knees. That wasn't what was scary though. She pulled her whip out, slashing it once as it uncoiled with a popping sound, and Emily involuntarily jumped. She hated the fact that Isabelle scared her, but for some reason, the woman was terrifying… like her mother.

"Jace, Emily, so good to see you again," she said with malice as she smiled. Emily then caught Chase's look, the look of triumph, but he hadn't won yet. It was far from over. "We need to have a talk."