A/N: Okay, this chapter is so long that I'm surprised I'm allowed to post it but I didn't have the heart to cut anything out and I felt like this all had to happen in one chapter instead of two or it would've been a filler. I hope no one minds - the next chapter will be shorter, that's a promise. I'm taking advantage of my need to write these days which explains four updates for two stories in a less than a week. Okay, enough of that - thank you to those who reviewed, alerted and favorited! The feedback is incredible and I love seeing what people have to say and that you guys are interested enough to alert/favorite. My other A/N will be at the bottom. Thank you thank you thank you, on to the chapter.


Jace stepped out of his black Lincoln Town Car and looked up at the dark red brownstone building. "I'll only be a moment," He said, to the driver, who was double parked.

"Of course, Mr. Herondale," The driver replied and Jace gave him a polite smile before closing the door. He had left his hotel room, texting Maia only after he did, so she wouldn't send Bat or Raphael along with him. He slowly walked the steps and he squinted a little, staring at the door. He didn't know if he could even open the door without a key or someone letting him in. He looked to his right at the window that was shielded by a thin lace curtain. He knocked on it then pulled his hand away. He blinked, unsure why he thought knocking on their window would be less startling.

Jace stepped back in surprise when someone pulled the curtain to the side and looked right at him.

"That is not a Morgenstern or Garroway," He mumbled to himself but the woman had already left. Ready to leave the steps, wondering if he wrote down the wrong address that his father gave him, Jace turned around. He looked behind him, hearing the door open. "Oh, hello." He looked up at the array of windows. "I'm looking for the Morgenstern family or Luke Garroway. I'm sorry if I disturbed you. I'm not even sure if this is the -" She left the door and walked away. "- right place." Standing there awkwardly, Jace waited for a few moments before she came back and opened the door for him.

"Jonathan Morgenstern knows you're here," She said and he walked through, side stepping around her.

She closed the front door and started to walk back to her apartment. "Oh, I'm Jace Herondale. Thank you for helping me, um, Miss-"

"Dorothea," She finished for him. "And I know you who are. I saw you on the news this morning."

"Oh," Jace said, with a nod. "Well, thank you."

"You're welcome," She said shortly then closed her door while he stood in the foyer. He looked above him and walked up the dark brown flight of sturdy wooden steps.


Jace spotted the door on the second floor but he figured that the music coming from the floor above him was most likely where Jonathan was. When they were kids, there was music constantly playing - whether it was listening to their parents practice, on the stage or putting them to sleep. He smiled to himself knowing that this probably hadn't changed about them.

Jace knocked on the door panel and peaked inside. To his right was a clean kitchen with all black appliances, silverware and a tea pot that was red. He stepped in, closing the door behind him to see a light tan comfy looking couch and a blanket thrown across it but what caught his eye immediately was the bookcase wall that held vinyls as well.

"Hey," He heard and turned to his right to find Jonathan coming out of his room. "Getting lost in Brooklyn?"

Jace chuckled. "Yeah, a little bit. Just stopping by to say hi."

Jonathan pointed behind him into a hallway with his thumb. "Clary's in her room. She's supposed to be getting ready but I know she's not." He turned and yelled, "Clarissa!"

"I'm getting ready!" She yelled back.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, she's not getting ready. Go ahead."

Jace smiled at their bickering then walked towards the door that was slightly opened, music coming from inside. The closer he approached the door, the more he could see into the sliver. One of her walls was painted a warm navy blue color and he could see the spinning of a vinyl that was playing. He could see that the Arctic Monkey's Suck It and See album was rotating. Her room was filled with natural lighting from an open window, its curtains pulled to the side. He spotted a pile of books on her bed and pillows thrown about.

He closed his eyes for a moment listening to the song. And now I'm stuck, still wondering how it's meant to be. Singing a reckless serenade, reckless serenade. Reckless serenade, reckless serenade. He looked down before pushing on her door.


Clary was slumped into her chair, her t-shirt over her mouth while her laptop rested on her legs. She was scrolling through Jace's tumblr tag and tilted her head at his pictures. She clicked on one and stared intently. Was he really as good looking as Isabelle said? She could admit that Jace was nice to look at but to be ranked amongst one of the best looking people at the moment in popular culture, she couldn't quite let herself see that yet. She looked over her laptop for a quick moment then looked back at her computer screen. She froze in confusion and questioned why she was seeing double. She gasped and slammed her laptop shut.

"Jace," She said, not hiding her shock. She put her laptop on her bed and stood up. "What are you doing here?"

"Sorry, um, I should've knocked before I opened your door. Sorry if I scared you," He apologized and she shook her head, feeling jittery and paranoid that he knew that she was looking at pictures of him. She shook away the thought. He wasn't a mind reader.

"No, it's okay. I just wasn't expecting you," She said. He was the last person she thought she would see at her bedroom door in the middle of the day. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh. Yeah," Jace said. "I was just in the neighborhood."

Clary hid her laugh. "You wanted to cruise around Park Slope?"

"Yes." She pursed her lips. "Well, and I wanted to let you know that I'm coming to the show tonight. With my father. We're going with your parents."

"Oh, great," Clary smiled. "Jonathan would love that. Does he know?"

"Not yet," He said and they stood there. "I'll go tell him." Jace turned around.

"Jace," Clary said, and he looked back at her. "Great job on The Today Show this morning. Pop with a little soul is your thing."

He grinned. "Thanks. I'm glad you were able to catch it."

"Yeah, she set like ten alarms so she wouldn't miss it," Jonathan said, coming up behind Jace. "See, you're not ready. I'm heading out. I'll see you there," He said, towards Clary.

"Jace will be there too," Clary told him quickly to diffuse the fact that he just outted her for waking up at six in the morning just to watch Jace perform.

"Awesome," Jonathan said, clamping a hand down on Jace's shoulder. "See you later then, Jace."

"Later," Jace said, with a wave. He looked back at Clary. "Ten alarms, huh?"

"You are a lovely performer," Clary said, ignoring him and trying her hardest to not have her face flare up in embarrassment.

"Well, I should go. My driver is double parked."

"Right," Clary said, with a nod. Clary watched him raise his eyebrows together then he spun on his heel. She looked down and was ready to exhale the breath she was holding in.

"Clary?" She looked up at him. "I'm really glad you watched. Really."

"You have presence," She complimented him. "You did very well. I can see why you filled up that place with screaming girls."

He laughed. "I'll see you." She waved and she waited to hear the front door shut.

She put her hands over her face, muttering, "Jonathan, you're the worst brother ever. I hate you."


Jace pulled his phone out of the backpocket of his jeans and slid to the right to answer a call.

"Hey, J," He said, holding the phone against his ear.

"Jace, my man. What are you doing tonight?" Jordan, Jace's manager, asked as Jace looked out at the buildings that they were driving past.

"I'm watching a family friend's show tonight with my father," Jace informed.

"Great, I'll be coming along," Jordan exclaimed and Jace's eyebrows furrowed.

"Why?"

"Why not? You're my favorite client and I'm in the city. I'd like to join you," Jordan said.

"Okay," Jace responded, still suspicious. "Don't wear a suit."


Stephen stepped out of his hotel room and walked down the hallway. Since his reunion with Jocelyn and Luke, he felt lighter despite the realization that he had missed them so much. It was as if he completely forgot how it was to have friends who weren't business associates.

He remembered the first time he met them. He was in the waiting room of the hospital that his sister was giving birth in, with Celine by his side and his mother on her way. They were sitting across the room from him - Luke and Valentine. They had worn out leather jackets and black jeans with holes in the knees, while he wore slacks and a dress shirt. Their legs were shaking non-stop and Celine couldn't help but make conversation. She asked what they were there for and they explained that Valentine's fiancee, Jocelyn, was giving birth. Stephen's eyebrows went up in surprise when they said they were his age - eighteen. He couldn't imagine having a child at eighteen and he understood now why they looked scared out of their wits. Being that she had no boundaries, Celine asked the whereabouts of Jocelyn's parents and she was disappointed that there was no other story than her parents living a couple hours away from London. Stephen remembered making eye contact with Luke and Luke giving him a nod along with a friendly smile. He became friends with Luke first since Valentine looked and was so intense. With more conversation and the exchange of phone numbers, they soon became friends that hung out nightly. Celine and Jocelyn grew the closest when they both became pregnant two years later - Celine with Jace then Jocelyn with Clary. It was the love of music and beer that bonded them all together - enough that they decided to take their daily jam sessions out to local pubs.

It wasn't until Jace and Clary were 2 and Jonathan was already 4 that they were starting to become noticed. They all released the stress of their ordinary 9-5 jobs by playing at a pub close to their apartments. More and more people showed up, then more and more offers started to arise. They met one night, business cards laid on the table, the kids already asleep, and decided that they wanted to give it a try.

The band had a rough, slow and steady beginning until it seemed like one night, they soared to the top, after three years of trying. Then it was three years of constant tours and recording albums. It wasn't until they were in the middle of their fourth year together did it start to become extremely difficult. Egos were built and bruised by the media, Valentine always being the frontman and in the middle of their magazine covers. Jocelyn beside him because they had become rock and roll's model couple with their two children and whirlwind romance. Luke and Stephen were constantly pushed to the side and almost forgotten. With the limelight on Valentine, he was often the one to accept invitations to parties causing Jocelyn to always stay home with the kids, appreciating the help she got from her childhood friend, Luke. Before they knew it, Valentine had a huge drug problem, Stephen and Luke were drinking constantly and Celine and Jocelyn were at each other's throats all the time since they were racked with the stress of having to raise the kids.

While everyone was noticing Valentine and Jocelyn's marriage take hit after hit, cheating rumor after cheating rumor, nobody noticed that Luke and Jocelyn had fallen in love. It was a love that was expected. They were closer than any two friends usually were and it was apparent that Luke would have done anything to make Jocelyn happy - which at one point, he thought it was to let her be with Valentine.

The band broke up at the end of their fifth year together as a band in the public eye. The two years of friendship and constantly being together before that wasn't enough to keep them as friends either. Celine and Jocelyn spoke and saw each other often because the kids were so close but Stephen stayed away from Valentine, whom they all blamed for the slow demise, while Valentine blamed Luke and Jocelyn for their affair, accusing they split everyone from each other.

When Clary and Jonathan were 10 and 12, they were the focal point in Jocelyn and Valentine's nasty public divorce. The headlines spoke of the drugs, the affairs and the betrayal of friendship between Luke and Valentine. There wasn't a paper or magazine in Europe that wasn't reporting on it. After the divorce became final and Jocelyn got full custody of the kids due to Valentine's lack of parental responsibility, Jocelyn and Luke disappeared one day with Clary and Jonathan. They had called Stephen, Celine and Jace once they arrived in America. They knew it was always the plan to move once the divorce was finalized and taken care of but their immediate departure still came as a shock. Stephen always got a lump in his throat when he would remember the inital days that they left. Jace often stayed in his room and didn't come out to eat or talk. He knew Jace was dealing with them leaving the worst and Stephen could see that he was never the same after. Until yesterday, when he saw them and he swooped Clary up in his arms.

"Ready, father?" Jace asked, as Stephen walked out of the elevator and into the lobby.

Jace was wearing black jeans, a plain white t-shirt with a pocket and Stephen's leather jacket thrown on. Stephen smiled, saying, "Yeah. It's been a while since I've been to a good rock show."

"Oh, I'm sure." The two walked towards the revolving doors, a few fans already screaming Jace's name. "I'm assuming you mean The Uprising?"

"Of course," Stephen said and Jace gave a laugh.


"I think he's into you," Isabelle said, pulling her hair up into the messy bun she made before every show.

"No," Clary said, passing her her drum sticks. "I think he just wanted to see where we lived."

"Or where you slept," Isabelle said, arranging her shirt.

"Creepy," Simon commented. "Was there anything romantic between you two? Childhood crushes?"

"No. I mean, he was my first kiss. We were like test subjects for learning how to kiss," Clary said and Simon stopped tuning his guitar to look at her.

"Ew."

"Yeah, I wish I'd phrased it differently," Clary muttered.

"Well, I think your radar is broken. We'll see when we meet him," Isabelle said quickly before Jonathan and Alec joined them.

Clary looked at them all, then clapped her hands, holding them together. "Go ahead and kill it, guys. I know you will."

Alec put the strap of his bass over his head. "Thanks, Clary. How's it looking out there? It sounds loud."

Clary grinned and without saying a word, turned around, walking down the stage steps. Coming out from the left side of the stage, Clary couldn't help but screech a little. The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn was full. People she recognized who came to every show waved and she yelled for them to enjoy the show. She walked through the exit into the bar, seated area and spotted Jocelyn and Luke immediately. They were sitting in a booth with Jace, Stephen and a man she didn't know, who looked young and business-like despite the fact that he was wearing jeans.

"Clary!" Luke called out and she pointed behind her.

"Did you see the crowd? It's insane," She said and stood at the end of the table.

"How are they doing?" Jocelyn asked, giddy.

"Good, they haven't looked at the crowd yet so they're eager. They're about to start, should we head in? I think everyone's in there," She said, looking around as the last group of people went into the stage room. Jace and Stephen were sitting at the end of the booth, presumably to hide just in case anyone recognized Jace. "No bodyguards tonight?"

"No, I've already got an exit strategy," Jordan said and Clary looked at him.

"Clary, this is Jordan. He's my manager," Jace introduced. "Jordan, this is Clary."

"Good evening, Clary. I've heard so much about you," Jordan said as they shook hands. Jace hid very slightly.

"Nice to meet you," Clary smiled, politely then turned when the lights went off and the stage lights got brighter. The group rushed into the crowded room and stood in a corner towards the back. "Okay, so, quick orientation," Clary said as Jace stood beside her and leaned down to hear. He was smirking, taking in the view before him. "There," Clary pointed. "Those society guys with their hands in their pockets, those are Isabelle's fans. Those girls right in front usually always come for Jonathan. We have the normal folk that come for good ol' Brooklyn Simon and then there, are the gay guys who love Alec and well, the girls that wish he wasn't gay."

Jace laughed. "Do you have any out here?"

"I have Stuart who willingly volunteers to do merch," Clary pointed at Stuart, who stood behind a large table.

Jace looked forward once the screams began and saw that the band stepped out from behind the curtain. All with wide eyes and huge grins, they assumed their positions. "That's Jonathan's best friend, Alec. He plays bass. That's my sister, Isabelle, she's an amazing drummer," Clary said. "And that," She pointed. "Is Simon. He's my best friend, the lead guitarist and takes the honor of Isabelle's boyfriend." Jace gave a nod but he wasn't smiling anymore. When Clary said Simon was her best friend, a flare of jealously sparked within him and he had to take a moment to push it away.

"Thank you everybody for coming tonight. Fuck, this is insane. We are The Elite Four," Jonathan said into the mic, adjusting his guitar and the crowd screamed once more before it became alarmingly silent enough for everyone to hear the light strumming of Simon. Jace watched as Isabelle raised her drum sticks in the air and pulled them down hard, cueing the guitars and bass.

There was an immediate response from the crowd, their arms going up, moving along to the music.

You're always running around with everyone else but me, you're such a catastrophe, Jonathan sang and the crowd started to sing and kept up with him. Jace looked to his right where Clary was singing the words, back to her brother, bopping her head. Luke and Jocelyn were grinning, their pride radiating. Jace looked to his left at Stephen, who looked at him smiling and gave him a nod. Jace watched as Jordan was scoping the crowd, looking impressed.

Jace looked back at Clary, the mix of green, yellow, purple, red and blue lights illuminating her face and he took a deep breath. He wanted to reach out and hug her. He realized that there, in that moment, with the crashing of drums and the melding of guitars and the bass, the screams and singing along of the crowd reverberating in the room and being beside the people he was with - he felt like he was at home.

Jace spent the rest of the show bopping his head, singing along when the chorus's became familiar. Their group laughed when Jonathan sang, pointing at Jocelyn.

Mother, I know you know, I'm having a good time, I'm sleeping so little, But I'm living the good life.

She responded to him with a roll of her eyes, a big smile, saying, "My silly boy."

It wasn't until Jonathan announced that they were about to play their last song of their night, giving their thank you's - Isabelle standing up in the back, blowing kisses, Simon smiling so big that you couldn't see his eyes, and Alec looking into the stage lights, laughing - did Jace realize that he had a perfect glimpse of the life they built when they moved. Jace never took for granted his lifestyle and what had come naturally in his career, but a part of him ached and wished that they could have been together while their lives happened.

"This is my favorite," Clary told him as the song started, pulling his arm a little so he could lean down to hear her. And he understood why the moment Clary raised both her arms in the air.

The moment Jonathan screamed Come on, check check the crowd completely moved and sang as one.

Meanwhile, Simon and Alec were pointing, prompting the crowd to sing Can you hear me now? while Isabelle's drums provided the music and Jonathan sang Life throws a punch and I hit the floor. Clary jumped, making Jace laugh while she and her brother pointed at each other singing, But she keeps my heart beat beat beating for one beat more. Then she air drummed Isabelle's solo and immediately whooped.

Jace felt someone pull on his arm lightly and he looked over at Jordan. "Your friends are fucking amazing. I think I have an idea," he said, raising his eyebrows at Jace, whose smile slowly faded.


I'm outside. Can you meet me?

After the show, the band stayed around to talk while Clary led the group out the back with a goodbye. Quickly, she and Jace exchanged numbers so they could meet up again and they got into two black town cars, driving off. Sitting on their couch at home, Clary reached over for her phone on the coffee table. She read the text and left the room in a rush. She jogged down the steps and opened the door, wrapping her arms around herself when the cold hit her and she looked at Jace, who was standing on the sidewalk.

"Hey," She smiled.

"Hey." He didn't smile back and she bit her bottom lip nervously. "I wanted to talk to you about something. My father is on the way because we have to talk to you and your family."

"Is it bad?" Clary asked. "I mean, the band is inside and we're planning our next show since tonight went so well and -"

"No, it's better that they're here. They need to hear it too."

"Wait, what? What does the band have to do with anything?" Clary asked, walking down two steps.

"I'll explain everything. I just wanted to talk to you before my father arrived," Jace said but the two were greeted immediately.

"Clarissa," Stephen said, getting out of a cab. "What are you doing here without a coat? It's chilly. Let's go inside. Me and Jace have news."

"Father, I wanted to talk to Clary before -"

"We both have the same thing to tell her, so come on, let's not waste time. This is something great that should be discussed," Stephen said, and took Clary by the hand, leading her in.

She looked at Jace and shrugged, letting Stephen take the lead.

Jace stood there and let his head tilt back. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.


A/N: So I hope the explanation of The Uprising made sense and I hope the way I described the music painted a picture. I really wanted readers to be able to imagine what I was seeing when it came to The Elite Four performing so I used three songs from actual bands. If you guys want to bring those scenes to life, you can listen to the songs. They are:

Catastrophe - Four Year Strong

That For Me - Forever The Sickest Kids

Wrecked 'em, Damn Near Killed 'em - Four Year Strong

The song Jace heard in Clary's room was Reckless Serenade by Arctic Monkeys.

Please continue to be awesome and let me know what you guys thought! A good amount went on, so please, tell me what parts you liked or stuck out to you or just if you enjoyed it. Reviews and feedback, please!


Shout out to Guest (Cici), Guest, LOVERGIRL, Guest, imcrazyanditscontagious, Daire123, cfire27, rcs17 and infinitemaddys! Thank you for your reviews, I very much so am a fan of them. I hope you all enjoyed this long chapter - please let me know what you think!

Guest (Cici): Thank you for your review and reading along! The build up will definitely be paying off and they'll be having their conversation soon :)

Guest: Thank you for your review and thank you so much for commenting on my writing. It really pushes me to write better when readers review nice things like you did!

LOVERGIRL: Thank you for your review! I hope you liked this chapter as well!

Guest: Thank you for your review and for bringing this up! Clary is definitely stubborn enough in this story to not be the one to bring it up, no worries at all and she's not the type to wait around for Jace, even if they were good friends when they were young. I hope this shows more in her personality as the story goes on :)

Daire123: Thank you for your review! I'm really glad you liked the part with them talking, Jonathan involved. I was hoping to make him be the one to make them less awkward so I like that you mentioned him. Also, the moment will be very soon :) Thank you for always mentioning what you like and your thoughts on what may happen, I love it.