A/N: Helloo! Very excited to post this chapter so I'll just get to it, and do a rare personal life insight in the AN below. It's pretty late where I am, so I know this update is happening at a weird time but I'm hoping you guys see it. And I'm hoping you guys like this chapter! I sat in a coffee shop two Saturday's ago for 4 hours straight and made sure I got this chapter done. I was there until ten at night, and I regret nothing. Was so happy to be able to sit and write for this story.
The songs used in this chapter are:
Funny Little Feeling - Rock n Roll Soldiers
Without The Bitter The Sweet Isn't As Sweet - Mayday Parade
For the second song, which I feel like is such an important one to listen along with, or listen to before reading the chapter, Jace is bold, Clary is in italics, and Jonathan is underlined. All three for when the trio sings together.
After Jonathan got the group to get out of the water, they all sat on the beach, their sweaters wrapped around them as they shivered, to watch the sun rise. There was absolute silence—other than the sound of the waves. And when the sun rose high enough so that they were squinting from the reflection of the water, Clary stood up in front of the group and whispered, "see you later."
Simon immediately stood and followed up with, "yeah, in the summer."
They left the beach, the calm peace still around them as they sat in silence in both cars, letting only music fill the air.
They agreed to meet in Central Park after getting ready. And they all forced Jace to make sure that Raphael and Bat would be there with them in case mayhem broke out.
"So," Clary started as she stuffed a piece of everything bagel with cream cheese in her mouth. She looked up at the group, who sat under a tree in Sheep Meadow, picnic blankets laid out beneath them. The park wasn't crowded, and, probably since it was a cold day in December, people who didn't have work or school decided they would stay in. "We're getting tattoos."
"You and Jace?" Isabelle asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, all of us."
Immediately, Dylan and Simon choked on the coffees they were individually drinking.
Dylan raised a hand. "Can I opt out?"
"No," Clary answered while Jace said, "Yes." The two looked at each other in surprise and repeated their answers.
"You can opt out," Jonathan whispered to Mari and Dallas, sitting across from him.
"Actually," Mari started and looked at her brother. "We've always wanted to get tattoos together."
Dallas nodded and looked around, up at the skyscrapers and the park hiding in the madness. "First sibling tattoo in New York City with people famous enough to have bodyguards? I'd say this is the time."
"Raphael? Bat?" Clary looked over her shoulder, as they sat on a different rock. "You in?"
The two looked at one another, and then back at her. "No, thank you, Miss Clary. We will sit out on this one," Raphael answered for them both.
Clary smiled in return and then turned around, her smile fading slowly. "I wish they wouldn't call me that. I told them that they didn't have to."
"I requested it. I know how much it bothers you," Jace told her, and she elbowed him.
"I'd like to sit out on this as well," Magnus announced. "I'm not ready for a spontaneous tattoo today."
"You mean you don't want Alec's name tattooed on your bottom?" Jace asked, snickering, and everyone looked at Alec, who looked surprisingly calm about the statement. That, or he was pretending not to hear it.
"I would never get a name tattooed on my ass," Magnus said, sternly. "It would be a tramp stamp if need be."
The group snickered and Clary reached into her bag after hearing that she got a text.
"Hm." Jace looked over when she made the noise. "Jordan texted me." She looked up, and everyone looked at her.
"Did something happen?" Jonathan asked, concerned.
"I don't know," Clary replied, looking through the apps on her phone. "He told me to make sure we were listening to z100 for the next couple minutes."
Simon pointed his bagel at Dylan. "It's probably Sophia talking about Dylan."
"Or The Elite Four?" Mari stated the obvious, and Simon turned his bagel to her.
"That too, of course." Isabelle rolled her eyes at him and very subtly flicked yogurt his way from her parfait.
Clary turned up the volume on her phone as she turned on iHeartRadio and placed it in the middle of them. Everyone inched their way as they formed a tight circle.
"Okay, so I know we've been mentioning Jace Herondale a lot lately on the Morning Zoo—"
"Yes, you mention him a lot," Danielle interrupted. "It's getting creepy, Elvis. I'm not gonna lie to you."
"Well, the entire city, and the whole country is obsessed with him, so forgive me for not taking that as an insult," Elvis retorted, and the rest of the morning show laughed.
"Alright, you got me there. That is true," Danielle said, admitting defeat.
"Anyway, before you interrupted the tri-state area's love for Jace, I was actually mentioning him to lead up to who we will be raving about this morning—The Elite Four."
The others made a collective noise of agreement.
"Yes, yes. I know if you've been a fan of Jace, you're becoming a fan of The Elite Four. Or Jace and Clary. Either way," Elvis took a deep breath. "Everyone cannot stop talking about either of them—their music, even though it is vastly different, and just the people in general."
"Yes," Danielle followed up. "And we actually had a live stream going on last night that followed The Elite Four during their show at Jones Beach last night. And can I just say that there were"—she paused for dramatic effect— "thousands of viewers on that live stream last night. So if you haven't heard of The Elite Four, I can tell you right now, you're about to really soon."
"We actually had someone who works with us do some interviewing with them, and we have her this morning," Bethany spoke up. "She's been in with us before, we just want to introduce Sophia to the show this morning."
The morning show whooped and chanted her name, prompting Sophia to giggle. She then said, "Hello."
"Okay, Soph." Elvis clapped his hands together. "We heard you had an amazing night last night."
"Yes, and it included a date!" Greg T was immediately met with boos from his coworkers. "What? Was that not public knowledge?"
"Why would her personal life be known to the public?" Bethany asked.
Under her breath, Danielle added, "Well, it is now."
"Um, thanks for that, Greg," Sophia spoke into the mix. "And I don't believe it was a date. I think we were just getting to know each other with all their friends around. Friends meaning The Elite Four and Jace Herondale. And Jake, of course."
"You mean your friends? From what we heard earlier, you got along with them really well."
"That's true, Elvis. They really made me feel welcome and part of the group, which only one the beautiful things about them. Other than their actual looks. Because they are beautiful. Inside and out. I'm being completely embarrassing, but I don't care. I know it sounds like I'm in love with them." She paused. "And you are completely right—I am."
Sophia was met with laughs, and she joined them.
"Tell us more! What did you love about them, other than looks and the fact that they treated you like family?" Bethany urged.
Sophia took a moment. "I can't quite describe it. It was the most unique experience I've had with someone with fame. It might be due to the fact that they have no idea just how famous or influential they are."
"I can see that," Danielle agreed. "I know it happens, people blow up out of nowhere, but The Elite Four came out of nowhere. And while it is due to Jace inviting them on tour, they kind of took a life of their own on the idea."
"Yes!" Bethany interjected. "Usually, when a group gets famous due to another, there's more of a focus on the more famous one, but what has happened with The Elite Four and Jace—and I credit this to what Sophia has confirmed about them being like a family— is that those two parties are very, genuinely fond of each other. I think it shows."
"Definitely," Sophia followed. "And what you see with all of them is what they are. I didn't spend too much time with Jace in that professional setting, but it's the same with him."
"What's interesting with Jace and the media is that you were able to see him grow," Elvis spoke. "In that light, I think he is comparable with the boys of One Direction or anyone who has grown up with the press being a presence in their life. You can trace back the difficult moments in his life when he was this bad boy of London, but it's very evident now that he has become this businessman, and is very in charge of his career."
"I agree. I mean, we just met Jace this year, but if you just look online, you can literally follow major events that happened in his life, and it's nice to see how he's a young man now," Bethany said, and the group laughed. "It sounds like we're his parents."
"I feel like we've felt the same with all this worldwide sensations. You know when any of these huge names blew up, they made their way through Z100 at some point when they were just watching their dreams come true, and it's amazing to see," Elvis said.
"We need to get The Elite Four in here at some point," Danielle brought up.
"Yes!" Elvis replied, excitedly. "Actually, we're gonna work on that, and that is a great introduction to a song that we're going to play on the radio this morning. For the first time ever, Z100 is exclusively playing the first Elite Four song on the radio."
The music started in the background as paused, "This is 'Stay Out' by The Elite Four. You're welcome."
Shocked into silence, the group stared at the phone and then up at each other as the song continued to play.
"Is this real life?" Clary asked, absentmindedly.
"Someone pinch me," Simon whispered, and immediately he was met with one from Isabelle. He screeched and leaned away from her.
"Was Z100 just talking about us? The entire morning show?" Jonathan paused. "The Elvis Duran?"
After spending the morning in silence, since he was half asleep, Alec stood up first, and in a voice loud enough for someone a few miles away from them to hear, yelled a very clear, "HOLY SHIT."
Smiling from Alec's use of profanity as his first words of the morning, Clary and Isabelle stood up, held hands and began jumping a in circle. It prompted everyone to stand up. Simon and Jace hugged each other, violently pulling each other from side to side as if they couldn't express their excitement any other way. Magnus and Jonathan screamed their heads off while shaking each other's shoulders. Dylan, Mari, and Dallas faced in the direction of innocent bystanders walking past Sheep's Meadow and screamed the words stay out all night, cause rest is for the dead when the chorus played.
Clary turned around as Isabelle turned to tackle Simon to the ground with a hug, and watched as her brother and Jace found it the best time to race each other. She laughed when she heard Alec say fuck it, let's get the tattoos and she kneeled to find her phone and immediately called Jordan.
"Hello, darling," Jordan answered, and she could hear him smiling. "What's that noise? Are you being attacked by fans? Where is Bat and Raphael?"
"No, no." She shook her head. "That's just Simon screaming his head off."
"My goodness, he sounds like a group of fangirls," Jordan mumbled.
"How did you do this?" Clary asked, walking away from the group. "How did you pull this off?"
"I didn't have to do much, Clarissa," he answered, sounding amused. "They already loved you. Sophia actually asked me when a single would be released for radio, and, well, I talked with her after she got home."
Clary exhaled and sat down in the grass, a mile away from her group, which was still screaming out the lyrics of the song. "Thank you, Jordan. I can't thank you enough for this."
"You all deserve it. What the morning show said about you is true. It was bound to happen."
"You are the honorary member of The Elite Four. Forget Jace," Clary told him, and he erupted in laughed.
"What an honor. Oh! Maia is asking if you're still going to be there for Jace's rehearsal tonight, the one that Rolling Stone is going to be attending."
"Yes, of course," Clary said, and stood up. "I've gotta—"
"Go celebrate. We'll see you tonight."
"Thanks." She grinned. "We're getting tattoos. See you later!"
And before she could hear any protests, she ended the call and began running back.
"That's it?" Isabelle asked, looking at Clary and Jace's right wrist. His had a triangle on the right side, and Clary had the same triangle but filled in. "That's your couple tattoo?"
Clary shot her a dirty look. "What were we supposed to get? A 'JC 4ever'?"
Isabelle dropped their wrists. "Fine, cool and collected, just like you both." She held out her wrist, and the three smiled slightly at the tattoo they all had on their left wrists. Each of them had the date September 24 in various forms. There was Jace's, which was 24/09, Clary's which was SEPT24, and Isabelle, who had September in cursive with a small 24 beside it. A shared date for the day that Jordan went to The Elite Four show and Stephen asked them to join the tour.
"I like them," Clary whispered. "Big day for all of us."
"Even more so for Jace," Isabelle mumbled, and Clary looked up at him. "I mean, it's obviously the day that he first told you his feelings for you. Even though he lied and said he didn't feel that way anymore." She looked between the two, and pursed her lips. She swiftly stepped away, and Clary shot her a glare.
Jace shrugged. "She's not wrong."
Clary looked down at the tattoo. "An essential day," she said, reaching down to hold his right hand with her left, intertwining their fingers together. She stared at the empty space next to his triangle. "I have another tattoo in mind." She lifted up her right hand, and Jace noticed the empty space next to her triangle too.
"What were you thinking?"
Dylan leaned down to stare at the tattoo on the back of Mari's right shoulder. Simon did the same to Dallas, who had his on the back of his right arm.
"Reptar," Simon whispered as Mari glanced at his own new tattoo, 0924."Genius."
Dallas and Mari grinned at each other as the two boys awed over their matching tattoos. Mari looked over her shoulder at Magnus, who sat beside Alec as he got his tour tattoo. He chose Roman numerals, which everyone muttered was so Alec.
"Still a no to the tattoo, Magnus?" she asked, and Magnus looked up, scrunching his nose.
"Still a no. I'm not sure what I'd like to mark my body with yet." Magnus leaned back into his chair. "The only thing I can think of is Alec's name, and I just don't want to give Jace the satisfaction."
Jace snickered, coming from behind Magnus, and, in return, Magnus glared at him.
"I think we have another, Jonny," Clary said, sitting beside her brother while he was getting his tattoo down as SeptemberTwentyFour. Jonathan looked over and raised an eyebrow at his sister and Jace, who were smiling. "The Uprising."
Jonathan sat up a little as his tattoo artist was finishing up. He looked between them, not sure if they were being serious. "Really?"
"Yes." Clary and Jace simultaneously showed their right wrists. "Here." Jonathan lifted his right wrist, and Clary grinned when she saw that it was unoccupied space amongst her brother's many tattoos.
Jonathan looked to the tattoo artist, who was smirking now. "You heard the boss, Max. Another one."
"I can take another," Matt, the other tattoo artist, said. He got close to Alec's wrist to check out his work, and Magnus raised an eyebrow. Spotting him, Alec slapped his arm lightly, and Magnus looked away to see Simon behind the counter, looking through an iPod. "It's okay." Magnus looked at him in surprise, now feeling a little suspicious of how he was close he was to Alec. "They frequent here enough to be changing songs."
Simon smirked when he changed the song to one filled with drum beats and a tambourine. Isabelle turned around and whispered, "Simon."
"No, it's okay." Clary stood up and walked towards her best friends. "It's fitting."
Jace looked over at Jonathan, who had his eyes closed and had already begun to play the electric guitar part. He smiled and stood up to stand next to Clary, who was already using pens on the counter to drum along. He watched her mouth along to the lyrics with her eyes closed, and he could hear her sing I"m bored, still bored, I'm so bored.With that, she spun along with the change of beat in the song.
Not being able to help but smile at the way she moving and enjoying the song, Mari quietly asked Dylan beside her, "Who sings this song?" She looked up at him to see a smile in his eyes.
He glanced at her and grinned. "The Uprising."
Mari looked forward to find Isabelle and Jace singing the chorus to one another. Simon had come out from behind the counter to air-drum beats with her. She turned to find Jonathan with his eyes closed, air playing the guitar. When she faced forward, she found her brother and Dylan with Clary and Simon, following their drum beats.
"I think I'll get one," Magnus told Alec, who was watching his family with a smile on his face.
"Yeah?" Alec asked, turning his attention to him as he stood up. "What are you getting?"
"A small landscape of buildings will do." Magnus stood up when Alec stood before him, waiting to take his spot.
Max pulled out a piece of paper and patted the seat. "Draw it for me. You're next."
Jace groaned when he plopped next to Simon on the couch. After getting tattoos, the group went back to the Morgenstern apartment to have their practice and teach Jace the new song. It had taken hours, and everyone was starting to feel the effects of night before. He watched as Simon edited videos that he had been taking the past couples days, and raised an eyebrow.
"Which song are you gonna use?" Jace asked.
"I think I'm gonna use 'Funny Little Feeling,'" he told him. "It inspired me."
"Good choice," Jace whispered, and then closed his eyes. "I'm exhausted."
"Not sleeping and being in the water at the end of November can do that to you," Simon told him. "But you need to get up. You have your practice in 30 minutes. You should be on a train right now."
"Ugh, so responsible," Jace complained.
Simon shrugged and continued his work. Jace glanced at Clary's bag at the end of the couch and reached into it, looking around to make sure no one would see.
"Hey," Jace whispered, and Simon turned around because he was suspicious at the tone of his voice.
"She will kill you," Simon said, grabbing a pillow to hide the journal Jace took. "If you're trying to find out her deepest, darkest thoughts, that is not the way to go. Believe me, I've tried."
Jace gasped. "You read through Isabelle's journal? You're a monster."
"I was young and dumb."
"When was that? Last year, or a couple months ago?" Simon glared and tried to take the journal. "No, listen to me. Clary has a song in here that she wrote at the beach, and it is amazing, and I think you should post it on their Youtube."
"Without her permission?"
Jace bookmarked the page. "I'll convince her. And I'll tell Jonathan." Jace handed it to Simon. "It's personal. He'll want to read it first."
Simon took the journal from his hands and shook his head. "I don't condone this."
Jace looked at the floor. "I think she needs this. Today. We would only be able to this song today."
Simon sighed and nodded. "I'll take your word on it."
"Okay, good. We should be back in three hours. It'll be late, but please, Simon. Convince Isabelle and Alec to play it." Jace stood up. "I'm gonna tell Jonny."
With his right arm stretched out and his head on his bicep, Jonathan stared up at Mari, who was staring at his living room.
"I miss this already," she confessed.
"This whirlwind life of swimming in the cold ocean at the end of November and tattoos?"
"And screaming in Central Park."
"And being behind the scenes at shows."
She smiled. "And being with you all for your first recognition on national radio for one of the biggest radio stations out there." She looked down at him. "Yes, I miss all of that already."
Jonathan's smile fell, and he cleared his throat. "Would it be dumb of me to ask if I can come visit you next week?"
Mari raised an eyebrow. "Did you just ask me if you could come visit me next week?"
Jonathan sat up. "Yeah, I guess so."
She rolled her eyes. "Smooth." She looked around. "Please don't get upset at me when I say I don't think you should." She took a deep breath as she watched his shoulders fall. "You guys were just on Z100. You're going to play MSG. If you think you'll have the time to visit me this time next week, I don't think you're paying attention, Jonny."
He took a deep breath. "Is it wrong of me to be afraid of it?"
She gave a laugh. "No." She shook her head. "It's terrifying." She gulped. "And I'm a little terrified our worlds might be a little too far apart from each other."
"What?" Jonathan asked. "That's definitely not true. Why would you think that?"
"I met you on tour," she told him, leaning in. "Your ex-girlfriend is an internationally known model."
Jonathan held his hands together. He shook his head. "That stuff doesn't matter."
"I think it matters," she said, clearly. "Jonny, I—"
"But I'd like to make it work." She opened her mouth, and a little too loudly, he confessed, in a messy mumble of words, "I'd like to make it work with you." He took a moment, but kept his eyes on hers. "Not with her, or some other model, or some other singer. I'd like to make it work with you."
Forcing herself to break their eye contact, she whispered, "Just a girl from Texas?"
"Yes," he responded, clearly. "A girl from Texas who picked me up again, and made me believe in myself, and helped fix me by showing me how she fixed herself." Mari put her hands over her face to hide her smile. "She also has a brother named Dallas when he was born in Austin, if that isn't specific enough." He reached out for her hands when she laughed. "And she has a Reptar tattoo on the back of her right shoulder. Do you know anyone else like that?"
"I'm sure there is a Mari with a brother named Dallas, with a Reptar tattoo, who also lives in Austin."
"Oh, but is she as sarcastic as you, because let me tell you—"
"Jonny?" The two looked up at Jace, who shifted uncomfortably. "Can I speak with you a moment?"
Mari let go of Jonathan's hands and mouthed go, and the stern look on her face knew he had to.
Stepping into the hallway, towards the bedrooms, Jonathan crossed his arms. "I'm only allowing your awful timing because you look deathly serious."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."
"It's fine. You are a little brother."
Jace chuckled at that, and then pointed at Simon. "I gave Simon Clary's journal—"
"Are you trying to end up in the hospital? Is that how you're trying to get out of the European leg of your tour?"
Jace looked at Jonathan, who looked completely serious. "That's a nice idea, but no. There's a song she wrote in there. She wrote it at the beachand I think we need to record it somehow. I told Simon we should have a video."
"Why in a video? Why not in the studio?"
"Because I think your father should see it."
And with the statement, Jace knew that Jonathan could feel what he did—like he couldn't catch a breath, and a wave of pain pierced his heart.
"What is the song?" Jonathan whispered.
"It's from the view of our parents, and it's painful, and beautiful." Jace looked past Jonathan at Clary, who was resting her head on Dylan's while his mouth was wide open as he slept. "I think we have to do the video today. If we don't, after all she's said to me about your father, and this tattoo..." Jace held up his right wrist and Jonathan looked down at his own. It said THE UPRISING, and Clary shared the exact same one. "I don't think we'll be able to do another time, and I believe that song has to be heard."
Jonathan nodded. "What did she say about him?"
"That she understood him."
Jonathan took a deep breath. "Right." He turned around and made eye contact with Clary, who began to sit up. "We'll practice it."
Clary smiled when the woman who came to interview Jace from Rolling Stone closed her notebook. "Thank you for answering these questions, Clarissa. I appreciate it that you were willing."
"Of course," Clary said, and stood up when she did. "I didn't mind at all."
With that, they shook hands, and Clary sat back down next to Maia and exhaled.
"I'm so anxious; she was terrifying," Clary whispered to Maia, who giggled.
"Anyone from big magazines seem to give off that aura at first," Maia informed. "I know you'll get used to it once The Elite Four has more big name magazines asking for interviews."
Clary smiled and leaned her head back to look up at the roof of MSG. She looked around at the empty seat and then up at Jace, who was on the stage talking to Jordan. Catching her looking at him, he winked briefly and turned his attention back to him.
"I don't think I can explain how nice it is to see him in love," Maia told Clary, and she looked over at her. "Seeing him have some type of stable family is amazing to us."
"What do you mean? You're his family. You, Jordan, and Magnus."
Maia inclined her head. "That is true. But Jace always carried a loneliness, and we were never able to fill that spot." She looked up at the stage. "But he's whole now. I guess it's because he always knew what his family felt like."
"You're a part of that family for him," Clary reassured and put a hand over Maia's. "I don't want you thinking we replaced any part of you three. He needs you guys."
Maia put a hand over hers. "Thank you, Clarissa." Clary gave a nod and looked forward. Maia looked down and cleared her throat. "I actually wanted to tell you that The Clave will be at the show tomorrow."
Clary froze for a moment. "Yes, of course."
"It's just this is a—"
"Huge moment for Jace," Clary finished and looked over at her.
Maia was quiet for a moment. "Do you hate them as much as Jace does?"
Clary let out a laugh. "Yes. I wasn't aware he hated them."
"I think Jace stuck around with them because they took him in as a client when he was so young, but…" Maia searched for the words. "Let's just say he doesn't quite have the same familial love for them that he does for me, Jordan, and Magnus."
Clary bit her bottom lip and nodded. "Yeah, well, they never really have anything else on their mind other than publicity and money." She looked over at Jace. "No matter the consequences."
"Hey, why don't we stop by the tree?" Clary asked as she abruptly stopped walking. She almost lurched forward when Jace didn't stop and kept walking towards the subway. "It's only eight, we would have time." When Jace didn't respond, she pulled her wrist out of his grasp.
He turned around then, looking surprised. "What happened?"
"Did you not hear me ask about the tree?" She crossed her arms. "What's going on? You're flushed the same you are when you're scheming. What have you done?"
Jace walked back to her, shoulder falling. "I probably should've told you on our way to rehearsal, but I stole your journal—" He raised his arms when Clary immediately made a move to hit him with her purse. "Careful! Paparazzi everywhere."
She groaned and stomped her foot like a child. "Why would you—"
"The song." He put his hands in the air. "That song, Clary. It's the only thing I've been thinking about today, and I just feel like we need to perform that song."
With that, she dropped her bag, and turned away. "But that song—"
"It's amazing. And our parents should hear it." He began to walk backwards. "Clary, please. Everyone has learned it."
"When have you had the time to learn it?"
He paused and looked up. "I did not think about that."
Clary let her head tilt back, and she breathed in the cold air, letting it fill her lungs as she stared at the lights at the top of buildings that towered over her. She didn't try to fight the feeling that Jace was right about having to perform it as soon as possible. As if the peace she had found for the day could easily be the lost tomorrow, and she wouldn't feel the same kind of freedom from her past when she looked The Uprising tattoo when she woke up the next morning.
"Alright." She looked at him. "Better hurry, since you need to learn it." She rolled her eyes, walking past him. "Boys."
Clary closed her swollen eyes as Simon began to play the beginning chords of a song for the seventh time. After Jace learned it, they each had to overcome the tears that followed, the solemn silence that seemed to bond them closer, the heaviness that weighed in their hearts, and the anger that radiated from Jonathan after he slammed his bedroom door behind him and came out ten minutes after, ready for another try.
It was the most time they spent trying to get a song right, and it was only three minutes and thirty-two seconds long. Although, it was by far one of the most difficult ones.
Clary opened her eyes when Jace's voice cut through her thoughts.
We used to be something surreal
Others looked to us for what we built
We were envied until the point
The point in which we fell
She was in the middle of the three stools placed in front of Isabelle at the drums, Simon on the left with his acoustic guitar, and Alec on the left with his bass.
We fell by the wayside, and slowly watched ourselves die
A lonely death in which no one cared and no one came
When the walls cave in, we only have ourselves to blame
Clary closed her eyes again when her brother swiftly followed up, trying to ignore the way she could hear the brokenness in his voice. Trying to ignore the picture of him slamming his fists against wooden doors that held the arguments their parents had behind him. Opening her eyes, tears on the edge, Clary willed herself to make the image disappear.
And even if it's dark at least we'll be together
Slowly sinking in the earth to lay forever
You better grab a hold and hold on for your life
Because you don't get lucky twice
Jonathan watched Clary bite her bottom lip as Jace sang the part of the next verse.
Now even if it's perfect, I can't get carried away
And motivate my tongue in twisted ways
He watched as she tried her best to hide her lip that quivered, and she kept her eyes on the ground so this take on the video wouldn't catch the way she forced herself not to cry. He glanced down when she sang next.
It felt like a good night, for dancing and the moonlight
In empty streets, well, everybody's got a reason why
If we could only just get it right
Jace looked over at Jonathan as they sang the next part together, pushing the constant thought that he and Clary were lucky, because they were lucky enough to feel something towards their father, when all he felt was a literal void. As if he couldn't reach the part in himself that would even be angry at his own mother.
Maybe it will all work out like in the movies
But I know Romeo must die before the ending
With a final poison kiss delivered gently
And as they sang the last line together, he looked directly into the camera, hoping she would see it. Hoping she would feel it for him.
Because you don't get lucky twice, and that's the truth
Clary almost smiled when Simon's guitar roared over them, when Isabelle drums came to life, and Alec's beat carried them both. Because this mix of instruments, which they hadn't gotten to in their previous tries, made the song feel triumphant.
Sing to me sweet, just like my memory
If New York City still moves me
Then I found something real
I'll be okay, I could go on for days
But I just don't have the courage that it takes to be real
Isabelle tilted her face up as she played when they began to sing together, her fingers, which gripped her drum sticks, shaking slightly as she tried to control herself not to cry. Simon kept his eyes closed. Alec stared at one spot on the carpet to keep himself calm, trying to keep himself together as images of Clary and Jonathan fighting through their past when they were younger.
And even if it's dark at least we'll be together
Slowly sinking in the earth to lay forever
Finally opening her eyes, Clary looked over at Jonathan and Jace, both singing with their eyes closed.
You better grab a hold and hold on for your life
Because you don't get lucky twice
No, you don't get lucky twice
She watched as Jonathan opened his eyes and met hers. Slowly he nodded at her, and then past her at Jace, who did the same.
He glanced up at Dylan, who stood behind the camera. He inclined his head, and Dylan reached from keeping his arms crossed, and stopped the recording.
A/N: Okay, so much happened in this chapter, or at least it feels like it to me. I would really love to hear what you think about it! I have the rest of the story planned in bullet points, and I'm thinking there might be two more. Two more! Three, if you count the epilogue. I've been saying that amount for a while now, lol, but it's because I just kind of write on but now there's a plan. Anyway, that's crazy to me. This story has just been around forever, because my updates are months apart now, and also, just because I feel like I've been mentally planning for this story for so long.
Okay, so the personal life stuff I mentioned above. I rarely do this, but I'll share. I'll start with how I saw DeathCabForMari a couple months ago, and it was a pleasure to be wild & reckless & our ages together as Mosh & the MLs. Shout out to you my dear friend, Mari. Second thing I wanted to mention was that I'm engaged! For about a month now. To the MLC I'm always shouting out. I feel like that's just a huge thing in life and I need to share that with you guys. Lastly, I'm currently winding down from a Halsey concert as I write this. She was amazing. If you guys get a chance to see her, take the opportunity because it is well worth it. And I love her and her hips. Other than that, it's just work, and trying to balance relaxing and having a social life, and now, wedding planning.
This AN was all over the place, and it'll be huge but let me know what you guys thought about the chapter! And let me know how you guys have been. I hope everyone is having a nice summer, and enjoying! Reviews & feedback, pleasee.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for the reviews, alerts & favorites! Thank you for reading along. Ya give this story so much life.
Shout out to rippingbutterflywings! Really wishing you were with us at the Halsey concert tonight. I was pretending you were enjoying with us. Thank you for beta'ing and dealing with me when I'm not sure about how I'm feeling about my writing. I'm always sending you hugs and love, I hope you always know.
Shout out to Rwch3l, LOVERGIRL, Guest (KB), insolitasum, A Brunette Angel, Caitlin smith, Islandgirl4evR, , pure-black-wings, JMDeaton, Guest, bookaddict223, I'm A Writing Dreamer, Ads S, Debra Williams, Page1of365, casandra70, Mystic Fairy Tame, ShadowhunterC, Dramione-Fan 17, atmc35, brightdarknessx, Through Darkness, Guest, Guest, Guest, Guest (Hailey), and ShadowTabby! You reviewers have my love, always. Thank you for being kind & letting me know what you think. I'll be replying to reviews tomorrow.
LOVERGIRL: Thank you for your review! Sorry this update took a while too, but I hope you like it!
Guest (KB): Thank you for your review! I loved reading it, honestly. Loved seeing everything that you enjoyed. I wish they could've made City of Ashes too! I was really hoping, but Shadowhunters has been great to watch. Always a fan of M Daddario. It's a blessing to be able to see his face weekly, when the episodes were airing. And same here, I definitely have so much love for Lily. Hope you're doing well :) and hope you liked this, too.
Caitlin smith: Thank you for your review! Of course, I could never leave this story unfinished :) so much has happened, and I got too invested in it to ever just leave it without an ending. So glad you enjoyed the chapter! I hope you like this just as much.
ShadowhunterC: Thank you for your review! You are awesome for doing that. Absolutely amazing. Thaaank you for taking the time to do that, and for even procrastinating homework to do so. You are very kind, thank you so much. There will definitely be an epilogue for this story! A couple chapters before that, but it will have an epilogue that goes into a couple months after this point in the story.
Guest: Really love that you thought it was brilliant! It's always nice to write Dylan and Clary, even if it isn't romantic because they just genuinely care about each other very much, and it has become one of my favorite friendships to write. Your review was amazing, thank you for leaving it! Enjoyed reading everything that you liked about it, thank you so much.
Guest (Hailey): I'm thinking you left the four guest reviews towards the end just because they went through the chapters, and you didn't, I'm so sorry for replying to all four here! Thank you so much for your reviews! Loved, loved, loved reading your reactions as you caught up with the story. Thank you so much for your kind words. They had me grinning. I would absolutely love to publish a book one day, and it's kind reviews like yours that give me courage to someday do it.