It's Sunday. You know what that means? A new chapter/update! Yaayy! :) This one has some action/excitement in it and should get your interests peaked even more...if that's possible. ;) Also, there's a surprise "guest" at the end of the chapter...see if you can guess who it is.

A shout out to rippingbutterflywings for helping me with my mistakes and for giving me ideas/feedback on this chapter. Thank youuu! You're awesome! (check out her stories...she's amaaaazing)

Warning: Rated M for language and sexual themes.

Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare owns all of The Mortal Instruments characters. I only own this story idea, so please do not steal/copy/infringe...etc...my ideas. Thank you.

Chapter Three

You send a message in the atmosphere and everyone starts running.

The way you operate is so severe, so severe so cunning.

You send a message in your beady stare and everyone starts running.

Brooklyn is burning and by your side, by your side we're dancing.

I feel the fire tonight, I hear, I hear the people cry.

I see the people now, I got I got what the people want.

(Brooklyn is Burning – Head Automatica)

The song ended as a bittersweet disposition, hanging in the air almost tangibly. The silence that fell upon them was reverent but short-lived as the crowd of fans erupted into an earsplitting throng of praises. Clary looked across the masses with a sad smile on her face. Her eyes landed on her brother, Jonathon, and his wife, Kaelie. Jon was holding their 6 month old daughter, Seraphina, who was the perfect mixture of both of her parents. His pearly white teeth were shining through a smile so wide Clary thought his face might split. He had always been so proud of his little sister.

She stared at her brother and sister-in-law for a short time, admiring their inseparable bond. Jon had grown up so much since the days when he acted as roadie to their band. Back then his hair was always in disarray and his clothes were always a dirty mess. But then he met Kaelie, the beautiful and curvy blonde with icy blue eyes, and he fell hard in love. His demeanor and appearance had changed almost instantly and instead of his usually unkempt white-blonde hair, he cut it short and kept it neatly styled. In place of the band tees and grungy jeans, he wore crisp, clean designer jeans and stylish Polo's and button down shirts. He looked sharp and very much like their dad, Valentine.

Who, by the way, had just caught her eye as he was standing just behind Jon and Kaelie with his arm wrapped around her mom's narrow waist. Her dad and Jon were nearly identical; if not for the obvious age, difference they could have been mistaken for twins. They had the same white-blonde hair and dark, mysterious eyes, and the same tall and slender, yet muscular builds. Valentine Morgenstern always looked so put together, and, though he usually could be seen sporting top designer suits, tonight he wore a pair of casual slacks with a simple button down shirt in which he had rolled up the sleeves to his elbows. He looked very relaxed and at ease, especially with the beautiful redhead at his side.

Jocelyn was everything Clary hoped she would be as an adult. She encompassed grace and sophistication while still managing to remain down-to-earth and simplistic. Her red hair was far more tamed than Clary's but they had the same emerald green eyes, fair freckled skin, and petite frames, although her mom had a few inches – and a few curves – on Clary. Her mom was also an artist and loved the arts just as much as her daughter did.

Valentine and Jocelyn had what Clary thought was the perfect relationship. It was a subtle balance of respect, love, adoration, and lust. They valued each other's thoughts and opinions and never made a decision without consulting the other. They got along amazingly, and Clary couldn't even recall a time when she had heard them raise their voices at each other. And most of all, they were always in agreement with how they raised their children. They never went behind the other parent's back to dismiss their word on a matter. But because of that, Jon and Clary learned the importance of respect…and family.

Her spirit was lifted, just like that. Clary found herself in the perfect storm of emotions. The overwhelming sadness she had felt before was quickly fading, and in its place was a fondness for the incredible life she had been blessed with. Her family and friends were unbelievable gifts; she really could not have asked for a better network of security.

Her contemplation was interrupted by a steady, thumping hum resonating from Jordan's bass; Sebastian was keeping the tempo with his kick pedal and hi hat. Then Alec's fingers began to glide across the ivory and black keys of his instrument, and Clary's heart picked up at the recognition of her favorite song. It was one of the most difficult The Clockwork Princess had every written and played, but it was also the most outstanding once they'd nailed it down. She remembered why it was chosen for this occasion, because it was Jem's spotlight piece. He had a sick solo right at the intro, and after the first time they had played it live it had become a fan favorite as well.

The anticipation was taking over and her body became a live wire just waiting to spark. She trained her eyes on a crowd of screaming groupies and waited. She knew exactly what Jem's Les Paul sounded like when he struck the first chord – it was an unmistakable, beautiful sound. So when the high-pitched wail that resounded from off stage reached her ears, she couldn't stop her body from reacting with complete and utter shock at its foreign tone.

Who the hell is playing Jem's solo?!

She searched for the intruder but found no one, not even Jem. She glanced over at Alec, whose steely blue eyes were locked on hers, and mouthed the question that was plaguing her mind. Alec shrugged but never stopped his melody on the keyboard. Hoping Sebastian would be able to see something she couldn't from his high spot behind them, she spun on her heels to face her drummer. He was still tapping away but had an extremely puzzled look on his sharp features. Evidently he had just as much of a clue as she did.

Her last ditch effort was Jordan, and as she turned to ask him what was going on he beat her to the punch.

"What the fuck?" he whisper-shouted as he continued thumping on his Ibanez.

Clary's mouth hung slightly ajar as she slowly shook her head back and forth. Jordan's hazel eyes snapped up, peering over her shoulder and the motion grabbed her attention. The crowd's intensity grew, and she knew that the mystery guitarist had just made his presence known.

Either I'm in heaven, or I'm in hell.

Am I losing my mind, yeah, ('Cause I can't tell).

I've been waiting for answers for way too long.

Seems I'm always waiting around.

Spiders in my head, spiders in my mind.

You may take my eyes, but baby I'm not blind.

It all works out in time, you know I'm gonna be alright.

You may take my eyes, but baby I'm not blind.

(Spiderhead – Cage the Elephant)

Himeros.

Her shock grew, as did her gaping mouth, and she was once again frozen in place by the golden god. He glided onto stage with his gold Fender Stratocaster draped across his hard, muscular chest, his long fingers caressing the strings and dancing along the neck. She could still feel them on her skin. His soft curls hung in his golden eyes as he gazed down at his guitar in concentration, a small crease had formed between his brows and his tantalizing lips were pressed into a firm line, with a slight lift at the corner of one side.

A black t-shirt had never looked so sinfully appealing before.

Clary's mouth snapped shut. What was she doing? She needed to get her shit together. Never before had she lost focus while on stage and she wasn't about to let Himeros be the cause of her losing it now. No matter how sexy and alluring he seemed to be, he was also infuriating. He tricked her – Jem tricked her. Like hell she was going to let both of them affect her this way and get away with it. She lifted her mic to her lips and launched into the lyrics of the song, feeling every word that passed through them.

She had to admit, Himeros was rocking this song…maybe even better than Jem.

NO! That is not going to happen. This is not going to happen. This is my band and I have every right to veto a member of it.

And that was exactly what she was going to do, right after this performance. There was no way in hell he was going to be part of The Clockwork Princess.

The crowd exploded into an uproar of cheers, their enthusiasm emanating throughout the club. Clary was stunned by the reaction. She had not expected them to be so accepting of Jem's replacement. Why couldn't they see that he was all wrong for her? For them…all wrong for them.

She was suddenly engulfed in a warm embrace. Jem's scent surrounded her. Before she could react, three other warm, solid, sweaty bodies pressed up against her in a suffocating hug. She couldn't see anything. She could only hear their heavy breathing and the crowds muffled chanting. But she felt absolute peace.

The five of them made their way off stage and into the backstage area where the intensity from before grew. All of their families and friends were awaiting them with smiles and teary eyes. Clary's parents rushed to her side and drew her into a hug, mumbling about how proud they were of her and how Jem leaving wasn't going to affect the band in a negative manner. Jon and Kaelie, and baby Seraphina, were right behind them showing her their support and offering encouragement and affirmations as well. And she needed it. God, she needed it so badly.

"That was awesome!" Isabelle piped up next to her.

Clary turned to face her friend and noticed that she was smiling from ear to ear. And so was Simon. She looked around the room to survey her other friends and realized that they were all smiling too. Was this a happy time for all of them? Weren't they losing someone they all loved dearly? And why did she sound like Jem died and they'd never see him again? She shook the thought from her mind.

And that's when her eyes landed on him. She set her posture and narrowed her eyes before stomping off towards him. He was standing across the room talking with Luke and Jem…and he was smiling.

How dare he smile?

"YOU!" she growled as she crossed her arms over her chest.

The three men ceased their conversation and look at her with furrowed brows. His smile grew.

"Hey there, Pepper."

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she spat.

"I'm not sure what you mean by that." He chuckled.

"You tricked me!" she yelled incredulously as she flung her arms out to her sides and let them drop with a thud against her thighs.

His smile fell. "No I didn't."

"Yes you did!" She was sure her face was bright red at that point.

"No, I didn't," he reiterated. "I just failed to mention some helpful information to you."

"Helpful? Helpful!"

She was beyond livid now and she was just about to lay into him with everything she had when Jem placed a gentle hand on her arm.

"What's going on, Princess?" he asked.

Without looking in Jem's direction, Clary answered. "He cannot join Clockwork Princess."

Jem's hand dropped. "Why not?"

"Because, I have veto rights, and I veto him." She was being stubborn.

Himeros rolled his eyes and Clary glared daggers at him.

"Why would you want to veto him? Did you not just hear him? He's amazing."

Clary didn't respond but felt her blood begin to boil over as Himeros smiled at her smugly.

"Did something happen?" Luke spoke up in concern. He was always such a Papa Bear.

Silence.

"Clary,"Jem spoke again. "What happened with Jace?"

Her hatred stare aimed towards Himeros broke and she looked over at her guitarist.

"Jace?" Her big green eyes sparkled with confusion.

"That's my name, Jace Wayland."

She slowly looked back towards the bane of her existence and surveyed him once again. Jace Wayland. His name is Jace. Jace is a sexy name. Dammit, Clary!

"I think there may have been some…miscommunication," Jace spoke through her thoughts.

"No." Clary interrupted. "There was no 'miscommunication' at all. You intentionally failed to mention that you would be our new guitarist, something that would have been extremely 'helpful' earlier."

"Earlier?" Jem asked.

"Yes!" she cried out as she looked at her friend with wide eyes. "When he hit on me!"

Jem's head snapped in Jace's direction. "You hit on her?!"

Jace raised his hands up in defense. "Yes. But I don't see why this is such a big deal."

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Clary cried out again.

"Why is it so wrong of me to hit on you? You're gorgeous." Jace began. "And if I had told you who I was, would you have danced with me?"

"Of course not!"

"See, that's why I didn't tell you."

She stared at him, her chest heaving as she tried to calm her racing heart. His eyes didn't waver from hers. The tension was so thick it was making it hard to breathe. Why is it so damn hot in here?

"Okay," Jem broke the silence. "I think that we're all just overreacting a bit."

Clary threw her glare towards him and he flinched slightly in reaction to it.

"I just don't think that Jace hitting on you is a good enough reason not to have him in the band. He's an exceptional guitarist and a perfect fit for Clockwork Princess. He knows every one of our songs, Clary. You won't find talent like his anywhere else. Trust me, I've looked."

Clary felt deflated. Jem was right; Jace was talented. And the vibes did feel right on stage when he was playing with them. But still, she needed a solid reason to ditch her veto against him.

"It's not just my choice," she stubbornly replied with her chin in the air.

"Alright," Jem drawled out. "Then let's see how the guys feel about him."

"I think he's fucking awesome," Sebastian's voice floated in from behind her. "And that's saying a lot coming from me."

"True." Jem agreed with a nod. "What about you, Alec?"

Apparently the guys had been close by during their argument. Come to think of it, Clary could recall now how the room became very quiet during the whole ordeal. So everyone heard what had just happened. Even her family…Lovely.

"He is talented. And if you think he's what we need, then who am I to disagree?" Alec replied.

Just fucking lovely.

"Jordan?" Jem hesitated.

Clary turned to face her last hope. Her eyes were large and pleading. Green met green and she held him there. His face was hard to read, but she had a creeping suspicion that he was going to betray her.

"Red," he began. "Jem's right. Jace is the right fit for our band."

She sighed and lifted her hands only to drop them back to her side in exasperation.

"Fine." She turned and looked at Jace. "You can join The Clockwork Princess."

His smile lit up and an audible sigh came from Jem.

"BUT," she added. "No more hitting on me."

Jace's face fell.

"Ever."

She turned on her heels to exit the room, grabbing ahold of Isabelle's arm as she passed by her.

"So, he's the one you were dancing with?" Isabelle whispered. "He's hot!"

"Iz," she warned.

"Like, really fucking hot."

"Seriously."

"I mean, he's the sexiest guy I have ever laid eyes on up close."

"You might want to stop right now."

Isabelle giggled.

"Clare?"

Clary stopped dead in her tracks, Isabelle nearly slamming into her at the abruptness of her action. Clary's heart thudded in her chest, deafening her ears. That voice…why was he there?She looked up and all she could see were those entrancing violet eyes.

Lovely, indeed.

Thank you for reading! :) Please leave a review.