Chase slowly made his way through the Institute to the lowest floor that led to the Sanctuary, taking his time. It really was beautiful now that he got a chance to look at it. Pictures of Angels were hung from the walls, along with portraits of the families that lived there in the past. They mixed together in a world of color as they protected the home of those who protect the world. The lights in the corridor were dimmed, casting shadows across the statues, side tables that held vases, and doors of the Shadowhunters that resided there.

This Institute was different from the one he lived in with his parents. In England, they had servants that helped around the place, cleaning, cooking, and the like. Here, everyone pretty much did it themselves. If he ran the place, those blasted mundanes that Emily was so fond of would be running around here with a dust pan and trays, not fighting demons. That's just how he was raised, and he wasn't ashamed of it.

He burst through the sanctuary doors at the bottom of the stairs, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room. And by everyone, it basically means Simon and Isabelle.

Isabelle was in her Shadowhunter gear, her whip wound around her wrist and her pendant dangling from her neck. The black of her gear made her hair even darker, flowing like a black waterfall.

Simon didn't look quite as good or graceful. His hair was a mess, falling in his eyes and covering his mark, while his clothes looked wrinkly. Although the brown leather jacket looked nice, and his jeans seemed to be designer made. And last but not least, thanks to Isabelle, he had on some decent brown boots to finish it off.

"You made it," Simon observed as he pulled away from Isabelle. She grabbed his hand quickly though, keeping him close, and Chase smiled at them. Even though he still found it strange, and teenage looking vampire with an aging Shadowhunter, they were still kind of cute together. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts a bit," Chase answered as he closed the door behind him. He rubbed the curls at the nape of his neck, feeling a bump that was hopefully fading.

"Of course it would," Izzy said. "You had a pretty bad concussion from what Michael said."

Chase's eyes widened. "Michael?"

"He's as good of a healer as any other Shadowhunter," Simon said. "And when he's in the Institute, there is no reason to call on the Silent Brothers. You should be grateful."

Grateful isn't exactly how I feel about anything at the moment. "Yeah, um, so what's going on? Why did you want to see me?"

Simon and Isabelle exchanged a glance before Simon waved him over to a set of chairs that were all facing each other. "Come sit down. We have to talk about some things."

After giving them a sideways glance, he shrugged and followed. Isabelle was reluctant to let go of Simon's hand as they took their seats. How did this relationship even start? Chase couldn't help but wonder. They weren't two people that would be together in Chase's eyes. Simon was nerdy, awkward, and a gamer. Isabelle was powerful, talkative, and beautiful. But their love was as true as the fact that the sun rises every morning.

It was then, as Chase was thinking to himself, that he noticed something. It was behind his "adopted" parents, on the floor. Four bags, his duffle bags, were stacked in two rows, looking full. He pointed to them, eye brows pulling together in confusion. "What the–"

"Yeahhhhhh," Simon said as he noticed Chase's expression. "I don't really know how to tell you this."

"You're staying here," Isabelle blurted out. "Jace, Clary, and I are going to Idris and Simon agrees that you don't need to be staying at the house alone. It's better for you, safer in the Institute."

The gears in Chase's head were going at a mile a minute as he stared at the couple in front of him. He could feel that his mouth was hanging open, his hand frozen and pointing, but all he could do is stare. He was supposed to stay here, with no company but Emily–

"No," was all he said. He put every last big of denial in it as he could.

Isabelle rolled her eyes but Simon was the one that tried to reason with him. "Chase, I can't protect you if Lilith came for you. We don't know what she wants, and she knows about my mark. She'll be more careful this time, and I can only do so much. But here, she can't even reach you if she wanted to."

"I doubt that Lilith is coming for me anyway," he said. "If she wanted me, she would've taken me at the warehouse. Jonathan obviously thought that I wasn't important."

Isabelle tensed suddenly and her eyes turned hard. "I know that everyone wants me referring to him as Jonathan, but can we please keep it at Sebastian unless Jace is around? After a while, it really starts to both me."

"But that's not–"

"Chase, just call him Sebastian if you don't want to get hurt." Simon's head was in his hands as he spoke, like he was suddenly tired. "And whether you like it or not, you're staying here to keep you safe."

He slumped back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest as he frowned at them. It wasn't the fact that he had to stay in the Institute that made him upset, although living with Emily would be quite exciting too. He couldn't put finger on it, but between Magnus and Emily, it'll definitely be interesting. But the pain wasn't worth it. "You do realize that ninety percent of the harm that's occurred to me has been dealt by the girl you're trying to get me to live with, right? Have you even thought this through?"

Isabelle nodded slowly, her dark eyes never leaving his. "Clary and Jace are talking to her about it tonight. She's supposed to be a good hostess, and she'll listen to her parents, whether she wants to or not."

"NO WAY IN HELL IS HE STAYING HERE!" Emily screamed over her plate of half eaten steak and mashed potatoes. She was now standing, her chair flung to the floor. Jace was at the head of the table, obviously angry about her outburst but he was trying to keep his calm. Her mother had her head in her hands, her red curls creating a curtain around her face. And Michael, well, he was minding his own business.

"He is," Jace said with authority. "And you are going to deal with it, understand?"

"NO!" Her temper was out of control. Her drink had spilled when she jumped out of her seat at the news. It was soaking into the red table cloth and down to the painted floor of the dining room. She didn't even pay it any attention. Her eyes were on Jace, and she could tell that he wanted to just slap her upside the head at this point. "Dad, if he's moving in, I'm living with Uncle Alec, end of story."

"You're not leaving the Institute. Now get your chair and sit down. We're going to talk about this without your temper getting in the way." Emily did as she was told although it wasn't something she was fond of. Her hands were clenched into fists as she sat back in her seat after picking it up off the floor, making sure to slam it against the tile to show how angry she was. "Now, you two don't have to talk to each other, but you will be training and living together and you'll do it without any arguments."

"Yeah, I get it," Emily spat. She poked her food around her plate with her fork, no longer hungry. Clary had grabbed a few napkins, throwing them to her to clean the mess the drink made. "I'm not promising that we both make it through this though."

"Emily." It was Clary, finally looking up. She wasn't angry like Jace was, but Emily could see the worry in her mother's eyes. Whether it was about her staying with Chase, Jonathan, or Lilith, she didn't know. But something was eating at her mother, and it wasn't her place to ask. "The whole point of you two staying here is to keep you both safe."

"What about Conan?" The question threw her parents off, and she took the opportunity to explain. "If Chase and I actually got in a fight, one where we were to the point of killing each other and you know that's bound to happen, Conan is the only one that would actually be able to stop it. Michael isn't a fighter, and he'd just get hurt in the crossfire if he jumped in the mix."

"You expect me to let you stay here with two guys under one roof and no parental guidance?" Jace shook his head. "No."

"So Chase, the asshole that isn't even a part of this family, is allowed to stay while Conan, a family friend for years, is forbidden? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Emily, watch your language," her mother snapped.

"Can I say something?" Michael asked as he raised his hand. All three heads looked at him, and he blushed with the sudden attention. With a hand running through his blonde hair, he said, "I really wouldn't mind if Conan stayed."

Emily smiled at her brother, who gave her a small one in return. They always sided together, which is apparently a crazy thought. Her father though, he wasn't too happy about it. "Michael," Jace said with strain in his voice. "Why are you encouraging this?"

"Chase scares the crap out of me," He answered honestly. "I don't like him any more than Emily does."

"Really?" Clary asked.

"Yes. He's never been kind, although I can't really say Emily has either. And Kadan and Karrie feel the same way. He's just not… comforting."

"Isabelle and Simon wouldn't agree to that," said Jace.

That was true, but that's because they're the ones that accepted him. And besides, Isabelle knew his parents so she actually had a personal connection. With Simon, he likes who Isabelle likes just to stay on her good side. Emily knew that Isabelle wasn't the best judge of character though. The past proved that more than once, with Sebastian, Meliorn, and all her other love affairs. There were too many to count.

But Emily also knew her mother and the relationship she had with Aunt Isabelle. Because of that, Emily would never, ever, get a parabatia. From what Emily observed, it caused you to care too much and submit to one another. She wasn't a fan.

"I'm not letting that animal live here," Jace said with finality as he sat back in his chair. "End of story."

"Dad, he's not an animal," Emily argued. "And I'm sick of you treating him like that. He hasn't done a single thing to make you hate him."

"I never did anything to Maia either," Jace shot back. Clary shook her head in disagreement but he wasn't paying her much attention. The whole conversation was only between Emily and Jace, father and daughter. "But she sure as hell hates me with every fiber in her being. Besides, I know you and Conan were romantic at one point. I'm not letting a guy you used to have feelings for stay with you while I'm gone."

"Who says she stopped?" Michael mumbled. He seemed to not think he said it that loud, because when Emily's glare met his as he looked up, he flushed. "I – I didn't–"

"I don't care if it's recent, current, or in the past," Jace continued. "I know what guys his age want."

"Can we please stay on topic?" Clary interjected.

"What about Magnus? Karrie? Even Kadan? Just give me someone to stay with other than Michael and Chase, please?" Emily begged. She got rid of the attitude, because that road wasn't going very well. She should've known not to fight her dad's fire with her own, but old habits die hard.

Jace lost his fight too, dropping his head into one of his hands that was propped up on the table. The food on their plates was long forgotten. "Emily, if you're trying to trick me, I'm not falling for it. The werewolf–"

"His name is Conan."

"I don't care, to be totally honest. He's staying with Alec and Magnus, and if Alec comes, Magnus comes. Where they go, Karrie and Kadan follow, and with all of them under this room, the werewolf would have to follow. I'm not having it."

"But Alec would keep up apart," Emily argued. Jace took a sip of his wine, not looking at her. "Dad, you know that he'd make sure that nothing happened to me. And Conan knows his boundaries."

"Magnus doesn't," Clary butted in. "He isn't exactly the best role model with it comes to romance."

"So he gave me a condom. I didn't use it so doesn't that count for something?"

Everyone was silent as her parents considered the situation. Michael was minding his own business, eating away like the teenager he was. He was tense, like he always was when a fight broke out, and also terrified. Even when it came to just a vocal argument he was freaked out. Emily just looked down when her parents started whispering to each other. Her steak was good, but cold now that she had spent so much time yelling at her father. But she ate it anyway, her stomach threatening to eat itself.

"Here's the deal," Jace said when he finally broke apart from Clary. "Alec oversees your training with Chase. Conan stays on the bottom floor in his own room that's the furthest one from yours. Karrie will stay in your room, and Kadan will stay with Michael. As for Magnus, he's just going to be here for no reason, unless Michael wants his spells for something. Is that fair?"

Emily nodded after a few seconds of thought, although making Conan stay on the bottom floor was a bit out of proportion. Arguing even more wouldn't help. Michael was happy enough about it too. Kadan was his best friend after all.

Clary suddenly turned to Kadan, her expression stern and motherly. "You and Kadan better stay away from the Art Room too, do you understand that?"

Michael nodded without looking up her, but Jace and Emily just chuckled. At least it wouldn't be too bad. But there was still one problem:

Chase and she were still going to train together. Emily smiled at the prospect of breaking his arm for the third time. It never was that hard to do. He's like a twig compared to Conan.

Actually, she thought to herself as she imagined him in pain again, I could have some fun with this.

Magnus stood in the doorway, staring at the boy on the couch in his living room. He looked peaceful, even for a werewolf. Out of all his experience, Magnus never considered a werewolf peaceful, especially one who just lost his parents, was attacked by a Drevak demon, and had an arrow in his back. But either way, he sat on the couch with his head buried in a book, his black hair falling in his face as he read.

The glittery warlock felt someone come up beside him and he immediately pulled Alec to his side instantly. They morphed together like puzzle pieces, fitting together like magic. "Have you told him yet?" Alec whispered.

Magnus shook his head. "He'll be excited, no doubt, but it's just complicated. He never cared for the Institute."

"Why?"

"No downworlders do," Magnus answered. Alec's eyebrow quirked up and Magnus had to stop himself from planting a kiss on the top of it. Everything about Alec, every little movement, made Magnus more and more curious about him. Even after all the years they've been together, he still wasn't used to it.

Alec's eyes were glued to Conan. "But Emily is there."

"Hey Magnus!" Conan shifted in his seat, and recoiled when he saw the two of them watching him. Granted, Magnus figured it looked kind of strange, but everything about Magnus was strange. "Oh, hi." He held up the book he was reading and showed them a page. "What does it mean when it talks about Lilith? Can she really not be killed?"

Alec was more than confused at the question, but Magnus figured that it would've come eventually. After all, much of what was happening was because of Lilith herself. And Emily sure wasn't going to go reading into books for information. The fact that Conan was actually curious was promising, although when it came to romance, Magnus was rooting for someone else.

Magnus grabbed Alec's hand and pulled him into the living room. Alec sat opposite of Conan in a recliner while Magnus sat next to the werewolf, grabbing the book from him and looking through it. "What made you start reading this?"

"Curiosity," he answered softly. "I mean, she is what is coming after us apparently. I was just hoping I could find something that could help."

"It takes a lot to kill a Greater Demon," Magnus explained as he pointed in the book. It was a drawing of what Lilith looked like, her snake eyes circling across the page. "To kill one permanently, you have to destroy both its physical and ethereal forms."

"So Simon killed her in her physical form?" Magnus nodded. "But how is it she's back already? According to this, it takes centuries for them to reform. It's barely been two decades since Lilith was destroyed."

Alec grabbed the book, looking down at it with a twisted expression. Magnus meant to answer the question, but like always, he was caught in Alec's beauty. His dark hair was falling in his eyes as they scanned the page, and Magnus tried his best to memorize how he looked: hunched over, determined. It was perfect.

"Here it is," Alec answered. His fingers followed across the page as he read from the script. "'If a demon is summoned after death, they have the ability to reform, but they remain weak for decades.'"

"So Lilith is back but she's easy to kill?" Conan asked with confusion. "What's the point of coming back if we could kill her so quickly again?"

"It probably has to do with Jonathan," Alec answered. He closed the book and set it on the table, his worried eyes met Magnus's across the decorations. "Jonathan always did her bidding, until he was killed. But now that he's back too, she can hide in the shadows."

"It's happening all over again," Magnus mumbled. "I fear that this time won't be so easy."

"They're back for revenge," Alec stated. "And they're not going to stop until the Herondales are dead, along with everyone they loved."

Conan's hands clenched in his lap. "We have to do something. I don't want Emily in the mix of this."

Magnus burst out in laughter, despite the situation. Alec's eyes looked at him curiously, and Conan seemed to take it offensive. He put his hands up when the werewolf opened his mouth to speak again. "I'm sorry, but you shouldn't worry about Emily."

"Why?" Conan was genuinely shocked. As Magnus looked at him, he actually saw how tired the boy seemed to be. The healing process was draining him of energy fast. He had a five o'clock shadow coming out, black as his hair. His tanned skin was colored to perfection, even though it was paler than before, matching his dark brown eyes well. The shadows under them made his look even more exhausted, as he rubbed the back of his hand against the eye with the scar just under it. Magnus wanted to ask what it was, but figured he got it in some battle, which would be the logical thing. The black of his t-shirt clung to his muscles, showing the curve of his biceps and abs underneath. Of course, Magnus was taken by Alec but he was allowed to admire others, right?

"Emily is the strongest of us all," he finally answered after clearing his throat. "Sure, she's young, but she can handle herself. If anything, she'll be the one to keep us safe and sound, not the other way around."

"Way to make it rhyme," Alec said when he put his head in his hands, shaking it with disbelief.

Conan on the other hand still didn't seem amused or convinced. "But Jonathan is still stronger than her. And from what I've overheard, it wasn't too difficult for him to render her unconscious the first time. In other words, he could've killed her if he wanted to."

"That's what training is for," Alec said. "Emily will build up her speed and strength. And it isn't like she's going against him by herself. We'll all be there to take him down when time comes."

Alec looked like he was completely sure of everything he was saying. But Magnus knew better. He'd been alive long enough to know that not everything works out for the best, and on many occasions, heroes face the world alone. There was no guarantee that Emily would have Jace, Clary, or anyone by her side when Jonathan showed himself again.

He just hoped that she'd be ready when he does.

"Go pack your stuff," said Magnus. "I need to be at the Institute to set up the portal in an hour."