A/N: This chapter is mostly in Jace's POV and only a little bit Clary so I hope you like being in his mind for a little bit :)
The songs used in this chapter for whoever wants to get them ready for when they show up in the story is:
Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready) Cover - City and Colour
Body Bag - Hit The Lights
Heels Over Head - Boys Like Girls
As usual, the important A/N is at the bottom with thank you's & shout outs!
Jace leaned his head back against the black leather couch that lined the walls of the back of the bus. He closed his eyes and strummed along to the songs that played on Clary's iPod that was plugged into the entertainment area of the bus that was for 'the talent' as Jordan put it with air quotes.
After they had jumped into the black vans where the guys whooped from the exhilaration, they made a short drive to the tour buses that Isabelle and Clary ran towards in excitement. They all threw their bags down into their bunks and Jace laughed to himself when he heard Isabelle ask Clary, "Why do you like top bunks so much when you can't even get up on them?" Clary swatted her with a pillow in response.
They grouped up in the kitchen with Jordan, who stayed on the bus with them, so he could find out what they wanted to eat on their three hour drive from San Diego to Los Angeles. Jonathan yelled "In-N-Out'' immediately, stating that it was essential. Jace asked what it was and after they informed him, Simon laughed when Jace muttered that it sounded like some dirty porn title. Other than that remark, no one said anything because they couldn't find it in their hearts to fight with Jonathan since he looked so ecstatic. They all screamed their thank you's to Jordan after he handed them their bags of food then he headed to 'the team' bus as Jordan put it. With air quotes, of course.
Jace opened his eyes and looked at Clary, who was lying down on the couch across from him. She was looking out the window, her hand tracing something in the air while she sang along to music. Right after eating, Simon and Isabelle went to their bunks, Jonathan and Alec watched a movie in the front area while Clary and Jace headed back where Clary spent the first hour of the trip arranging the band's schedules in her planner. Jace strummed and picked his guitar the entire time, trying his best not to stare. But now that Clary had her mind somewhere else, he freely let his eyes fall on her until she turned to look at him every now and again.
Jace looked down at the floor to the two wooden crates that were under the big TV. Both were filled with a mix of movies, the entire season of FRIENDS, various TV shows and books.
He turned his head when he heard the familiar strumming of the City and Colour's cover of Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready). He knew the song well and by the way Clary closed her eyes, and put her hands down to rest on her stomach, he knew she did too.
Moment of honesty
Someone's gotta take the lead tonight
Whose it gonna be?
I'm gonna sit right here
And tell you all that comes to me
If you have something to say
You should say it right now.
Jace smiled to himself a little as he and Clary sang the song together. He could feel a pressure in his heart from the memory of their voices together sounding so familiar but foreign to him because their voices sounded older and it had been so long, he almost forgot.
You give me a feeling that I've never felt before
And I deserve it, I think I deserve it.
It's becoming something that's impossible to ignore
And I can't take it.
I was wondering maybe
could I make you my baby,
if we do the unthinkable would it make us look crazy?
If you ask me, I'm ready.
If you ask me, I'm ready.
Finally realizing the words coming out of their mouths, Jace snapped his eyes to Clary, who was tapping her fingers lightly on her stomach.
I know you once said to me
This is exactly how it should feel when it's meant to be,
Time is only wasting
so why wait for eventually?
If we gon' do something bout it
We should do it right now.
Jace swallowed as he felt his throat close up a little and his heart paced faster. He kept glancing at Clary wondering if she could hear what they were singing to each other but her face didn't change and she showed no indication that the song was effecting her as much as it did him. He cleared his throat.
I was wondering maybe
could I make you my baby,
if we do the unthinkable would it make us look crazy?
Or would it be so beautiful?
Either way I'm sayin'
If you ask me, I'm ready.
If you ask me, I'm ready.
Jace knew he was singing louder than when he started but a part of him thought maybe if he sang it loud enough, Clary would understand that he wanted Clary to hear that those lyrics were coming from him. He stared down at his shoes when she didn't look over at him when his eyes were begging her to. He even stopped singing along with her during the bridge, only joining her again for the chorus – something that made her smile and he quieted down his strumming as she opened her eyes.
She sat up and grinned at him. "That was cool. We blend well together."
Jace nodded and gulped down the lump in his throat. "Mhm," He murmured. She tapped her foot against the leather couch as she sat with her legs against her chest, wrapping her arms around them to hold them up while she put her chin on her knees. "What did you dream about?" He asked and he noticed her freeze. "On the plane?"
"Um," She started. "It was more of a memory than a dream." She looked up at him and tried to smile. He didn't amuse her by smiling back because he was looking down at the floor, the flashes of the possible memories passing through his mind that would've made her grab his wrist like that.
The images of broken plates littered on the ground and bits of glass that the kids would find after the adults thought they had cleaned any remnants of fighting. The way Jonathan used to scream at his father when his parents fought behind locked doors. The way Clary would cry the whole night beside him until she fell asleep then would wake up, beginning the day as a new one, not letting memories of the night before hinder her. The way Jocelyn would hold him on nights he would scream and thrash whenever it was his parents screaming behind those doors. He winced at the memories of drunk adults, the opaque smoke of marijuana so thick you couldn't see your hand in front of you and the familiar behaviors after someone crashed from cocaine. His eyes flicked back up at Clary.
"Ah," was all he said in reply.
"Jace." Her voice was almost inaudible as she stared at the carpeted bus floor. "I'm sorry for not being there." She looked up at him, making direct eye contact. "For not being there when ..." He saw that she had trouble saying the words, fearing that it might strike sadness or anger in him. He knew that she was trying to apologize for not being there for him during his parent's divorce.
"It's okay," He replied, quietly.
She nodded, as if they both knew that that's what she needed to give him and that his response was enough for her.
"We'll catch up on all the hard times we missed. Maybe one night when we're too filled up on adrenaline and can't sleep," He said, and flashed her a grin. She smiled back but hid her face behind her knees. The two averted their eyes towards the closed door where they could hear Isabelle and Simon bickering. "It's normal," Clary told Jace and he nodded.
"They're funny."
"They are," Clary said. "Hilarious, really."
Jace gave a laugh. "Sometimes you can't even tell they're together."
"Those are the best relationships though," Clary said, matter-of-factly. "Me and Isabelle always say that being friends first are best for relationships." She gave a big nod and Jace internally cursed at his own heart for skipping a beat. "Although she likes to add that for hook ups and short term partners, the less you know, the better."
Jace laughed. He tilted his chin towards the door. "How did those two happen anyway?"
"Well." Clary sat up straight and he could tell she was more than happy to tell the story. "Simon has always been a little bit in love with Isabelle. You know, because she's gorgeous and sassy and like a queen." Jace smirked to himself at her tone of admiration. "Even when we were young, she was just this girl who knew what she wanted to be and she would always get her way and she was strong and ..." Clary's eyes drifted to the door. "I should stop, she might be sniffing out the compliments." She was silent for a moment, listening in to hear any possible giggles from Isabelle. "Anyway, so Simon always had a crush on her and she, of course, didn't see Simon like that at all until we were in high school and she just got her heart completely broken and Simon was there, always making her laugh and making her forget that a part of her felt like it was missing." Clary's expression fell for a moment and Jace wondered for a second if she was okay. "So, after we graduated, Isabelle came to her senses and stopped her heartbreaking ways against various men and set her sights on Simon, who I think, until this day, still can't believe he's with her and they've been together for four years."
"How absolutely insane for Simon," Jace remarked, looking impressed.
"Yeah. People always assume that Isabelle settled for Simon but Simon's one of those rare breeds of people - not only males - just people, with a good heart and good intentions, always. They deserve each other. They're rare and should be rare together," Clary said, then looked up at Jace in a way that he knew she was done.
"You really love and adore them, do they know that?" Jace asked.
"I think so. I'm not one for words but I'd like to think my actions show it," Clary said, with a slight shrug. Jace nodded to himself because he was the same way.
"Well," Jace said, after a few seconds of silence. "I'm almost completely positive that they love and adore you just as much."
She smiled at him then threw her head back, falling back into the couch.
"Holy fucking shit," Jonathan said as they walked up the steps leading to the stage. Last one in line, Clary looked out at the red sea of seats that felt like they went on for forever.
She wrapped her arms around herself, slipping her hands into her sweater not just from the cool weather but the chill that made her shiver and gave her goosebumps.
She looked at Jonathan, who stood in the center where his mic would be later that day and she smiled as he stared out into the empty arena that would soon be filled with a cheering audience.
"Greek theater!" Jonathan yelled. He raised his arms up. "Los Angeles!" He closed his eyes into the light of the sun. "We are MorningWood!"
"Jonathan!" Isabelle scolded and Alec went into a fit of laughter.
Simon snickered as Isabelle gave Jonathan the same speech of not being taken seriously with that name and everything else she said the first time she vetoed it. He walked over to Clary, who stood at the edge of the stage, looking around in awe.
"This is crazy, you know," Simon told Clary and she nodded, mouth still silently open as it registered in her mind that her band babies would be rocking out at venues like this for more than a month.
"I can't even process this yet," Clary admitted. "It's crazy that it isn't my parents on this stage anymore. It's Jonathan and you and Isabelle and Alec and ... Jace." She looked to Simon. "Years later and he plays venues like this all the time." She looked back out at the chairs, trying to imagine them filled. "It's just insane."
Simon put an arm around Clary and squeezed her to his side. "I think you three were meant for this life." Clary looked up at him.
"You mean all six of us," Clary corrected.
He grinned. "Yeah. All six of us. I'm so glad I came up to you because you were sitting alone at a table, scowling." Simon looked out in front of him. "Holy shit."
"Holy shit," Clary muttered to herself as the curtains opened.
After rehearsal, everyone was thrown into the rush of wardrobe then hair and makeup done by the most fabulous man Clary had come in contact with in her twenty-two years of life - Magnus. Then they were escorted around by one of Jace's trusted bodyguards, Raphael to be specific, that she had a back and forth 'yes' and 'no' argument with because he tried to call her 'Miss Morgenstern' and then he said he would only settle for 'Miss Clary'. Before they knew it, they found themselves ready at the side of stage, completely jittery after the hours that flew by like minutes.
As the black curtains opened up, Clary pulled her eyes from the screaming crowd to her family, who almost dropped their instruments in shock. She grinned, holding her hands over her mouth, on the brink of giggling as she watched them compose themselves and she heard her brother's voice echo from the sound system.
She crossed her fingers as he said a few opening words then she sighed in relief. Jordan had been reminding Jonathan not to say phrases like holy shit, what the fuck, this is fucking insane, this is a fuck load of people or how the fuck is this happening right now. Basically if it had a curse word in it, he couldn't say it - even if it was British slang. Clary could feel Jordan's sigh of relief wherever he was in the venue.
Clary felt her heart go into hyper drive as the lights dimmed then colors flashed across the stage - purple, blue, green, red, yellow and orange - melting together as Simon began playing, Jonathan singing along with him.
You're gonna need a body bag,
I'll break bones you didn't know you had.
When I'm done there will be nothing left of you
for your friends to hold on to
when they find you cold and blue tonight,
face down in a parking lot.
Clary gave a nod and as if she cued them, Alec and Isabelle simultaneously began playing. In shock at how much the crowd was singing back at them, Clary continuously peeked at the crowd to watch their reactions. Getting flashbacks of the past, Clary looked at where Jonathan stood and could see her father's presence on the stage. She remembered Luke shredding his guitar where Simon stood, Stephen grinning just like Alec was as he played bass and Isabelle looking amazing just like her mother did behind the drums.
She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at Jace, who was looking past her into the crowd. He was grinning.
"Wow."
"I know," She said, then turned to look the band.
The two said nothing else as they began to sing along and rock out beside each other until Clary stood completely still hearing the song that was on the set list before she was supposed to join them. She watched as Jonathan looked over at her on the side of stage as he sang.
I got your runaway smile in my piggy bank baby
Gonna cash it right in for a new Mercedes
You were worth the hundred thousand miles
But you couldn't stay awhile
Jace looked down at the girl to his left who had gone completely rigid and was as still as stone. Without hesitating, he laced his fingers within hers. He brought their hands up in between them and she looked over.
"You can do this," He told her. "You'll be awesome and the crowd will go mad and love it and you will feel this massive rush like you've taken the most illegal drug." He chuckled a little when he was able to make her smile. "I know you'll be absolutely amazing, Clary."
She gave him a curt nod as the song began to reach the second verse. He dropped their hands down and tried to loosen their hands apart. He tried his hardest to not look at her in surprise when he felt her grip his hand a little tighter, asking him, without words, not to let go.
He tried to direct his focus on Alec and Simon, who were singing the chorus into their mics while Isabelle and Jonathan were left to play their instruments.
Now I'm heels over head,
I'm hangin' upside-down
Thinking how you left me for dead
California bound
And when you hit the coast
I hope you think of me
And how I'm stuck here with the ghost of what we used to be
Jace looked over at Isabelle, who he saw Clary watching in awe as she continued to kill it. She caught Clary's quick smile and bopping her head along as they sang the chorus one more time and he could almost feel her heart stop as Simon's electric guitar faded out.
He could feel her shaking within their intertwined fingers, gripping each other like their lives depended on it as Jonathan began his introduction by saying "Before we bring out our beloved Jacey- poo. He's gonna hate me for telling you guys that nickname. We do have a few more songs for you. For this song we're going to bring out my not so baby sister and the best liked child of The Uprising..." Jace looked down as Jonathan continued and he watched as Clary took a deep breath and then walked out with a smile on her face and an awkward slight wave as she crossed the stage and sat at the piano, looking back at Isabelle, who got up to sit beside her, a mic in her hand.
Jace watched Clary the entire performance, his arms crossed, a permanent smile on his face as he watched her fingers slide across the keys. He watched as she sat up straight in her chair, stiff and professional then witnessed as she slowly became light and comfortable when the crowd and her loved ones sang the song in unison. By the end of the performance, Clary was being hugged in Isabelle's arms, the two of them laughing in glee as she got up and waved goodbye to the crowd.
He watched her as she looked at him then covered her face, her smile so wide that her eyes were closed behind her fingers. She dropped her hands, walking over to him. Jace stared with no shame as his heart swelled and he knew for certain that by the end of the tour, he was determined to somehow find a way to tell her just how much he loved her.
A/N: So, Jace simply kills me when I write him because he's so filled with the feels and he tries so hard not to show it. I hope you liked this chapter and that you guys are enjoying the renewing of their friendship!
I know I always tell you guys that you're all amazing but seriously you are and just the fact that people read this story and love it as much as I love writing & planning for it blows my mind. Please continue to leave reviews & feedback! I adore your reviews and thoughts so let me know what you think and your reactions :)
Thank you to anyone who reviewed, favorited or alerted this story! I have no words or only the words I use repeatedly to express how much I appreciate whoever is reading along and reviewing this story. Sincerely, thank you.
Shout out to Guest, rcs17, Riley207, Guest, LOVERGIRL, Katwood5, RileyLovesClace, Guest (Cici), Islandgirl4evR, shaniamae99, cfire27, Daire123, kay xxxx, imcrazyanditscontagious, tayla, chennye, Definition of Crazy, Guest and silvermice12! You all have contributed to my motivation. You're all lovely, thank you so very much :)
Guest: Thank you for your review! I hope this chapter was worth the wait :)
Guest: So happy you loved it, thank you for your review!
LOVERGIRL: Very welcome for the shout out, thank youu for always reviewing!
Guest (Cici): Thank you for your review :) I tried to describe a little bit what was thrown around in that flashback and I hope I answered your question. I'd love to hear what your theory was though! I was also thinking that you were asking what they were fighting about but I think that'll just be explained over time and as they remember more over tour. I hope you got more of a feel of that flashback in this chapter and I hope you liked it all in all :)
Daire123: Jace is very sweet in the last chapter and he's the cutest. And yes, Isabelle is so adorable, you just want to hug her. She really just wants them to be happy and she's supporting them along their way. Thank you for your review! I'm so glad you love it still and continue to enjoy it.
tayla: Thank you for your review, hope you liked this chapter!
chennye: Thank you for your review! I tried my hardest to get a chapter done since I won't be able to update over the weekend and I hope you liked the Clace moments :)
Guest: Hope you enjoyed this chapter, thank you for your review!