Summary: Jace Herondale and Clarissa Morgenstern grew up together while their parents toured with their successful rock band, The Uprising. Since the band's rocky break up and their sudden separation, Jace and Clary haven't spoken to one another in years. After an arranged reunion set up by their parents, one unexpected offer will turn everyone's lives upside down. AH, AU.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea to turn The Uprising into a band name.

With her red hair flowing down her open window, Clarissa Morgenstern had the left side of her face pressed against her upper arm with her eyes closed. Her left arm was dangling freely out of her bedroom window in her family's Brooklyn brownstone townhouse located in Park Slope. She opened her eyes slowly and lifted her head up only to rest her chin on her crossed arms. She looked down at the tree planted into the sidewalk, catching a few leaves drop to the ground while a slight breeze passed. She did this the first day of autumn every year since she was thirteen. She would wake up, pull her window open, drink a cup of coffee in a chair she would push against the wall - her feet sticking out the window as she lounged back. Then she would choose the same Ella Fitzgerald compilation record and play it on her vinyl player while she read a book. When she was in middle school and high school, she would wake up when the sun would rise just to get her tradition done – then be a complete zombie during the day. It set off the beginning of her two favorite seasons in the perfect way. Only today, it wasn't as relaxed as Clary anticipated.

She was on her third cup of coffee, she couldn't concentrate enough to get past more than two chapters in her book and she had been up and restless for hours. Clary sat up in her chair, pulling all her hair up into a messy bun that she made too tight and was only making her headache worse. Commanding her mind to calm down, Clary closed her eyes and took deep breaths. She was concentrating on keeping the memories away and wanted only to think of thoughts that would keep her emotions in check and her feelings of nostalgia subsided. She groaned in annoyance and frustration as memorized images of her and a golden-haired blonde boy playing hide and seek in a garage of parked tour buses.

She opened her eyes and her gaze was cast downward. She had been so lost in her own mind that she didn't hear when someone opened her door.

"Sorry to interrupt the first day of Autumn," Jocelyn said and Clary's feet slipped from the window sill. She turned around after the initial shock of it.

"It's okay," Clary said, in a quiet voice. "Jonathan and Luke are ready?" Jocelyn nodded and Clary stood up. "I'm just gonna change real quick." With a small smile, Jocelyn closed the door as Clary made her way into her closet. She tiptoed to grab dark jeans and pulled a black cashmere sweater off the hanger. She pulled on all black booties, turned off her vinyl player then made her way to the window. She stuck her head out one more time, finding her last moment of comfort from her tradition. She pulled her upper body out of the open window then dragged it down to shut.

Taking a moment to look down into the foyer two stories down, she saw the blonde hair of her brother and the gray streak that stuck out from the brown.

"Clarissa," Jocelyn said, in a warning tone and Clary rushed to catch up with her.

"Morning - kind of," Luke said, with a big smile. Clary and Jonathan looked at Luke and their mom when they didn't give each other the 'good morning' kiss. But Clary knew why. Considering where they were going, she knew her mother and Luke were also reliving memories that they didn't want to remember so vividly.

"I've got a meeting at 4:30," Jocelyn informed.

"I've got a meeting at 5," Luke followed up.

This was usually how their mornings went since Jocelyn and Luke were so busy. She was managing a few art galleries in Brooklyn, she being the artist for one of them, while Luke still worked with the PR firm in Manhattan that Jocelyn quit to pursue her second dream. It was jobs they were lucky to have – or to know the right people to have. The luxury of connections from the first dream they were a part of together.

"We have band practice at 7," Jonathan chimed in.

"Okay, so dinner at 9?" Jocelyn asked and Luke turned her from her shoulders.

"It'll be 11 at this rate if we all keep prolonging this little event," Luke said and Jocelyn sighed. Jonathan and Clary looked at each other then followed out the front door.

"You have three meetings today, which will start at 4 so this reunion can only be a maximum of three hours. We were told that they will arrive at the park at 1, so Bat and Raphael will be arriving soon to escort you and your father to the agreed meeting place. Your father already knows this, he called in to say he will arrive in ten minutes," Maia said, finally looking up from a sleek black planner. "But at least you have the night off. Maybe you can meet back up with the friends your seeing today."

Jace stared down at the west side of Central Park and Columbus Circle up from his Trump Tower Hotel suite. "Yeah," He said, putting his hands in his pockets. "Maybe."

"You don't sound very excited," Maia said, sadly.

Jace shrugged. "I am."

Maia laughed a little then stood up. "Very convincing, Jace." Her phone dinged and she looked down at it. "Oh, your father arrived early. Bat and Raphael are already –" She turned her head when there was a knock on the door. "There they are." She walked and opened the door where two of Jace's body guards were talking to each other. "Have fun, Mr. Herondale." His assistant frowned when he didn't budge from the window. "Jace, are you sure you're okay?"

Jace finally turned around. He grabbed his leather jacket off the bed. "I'm fine, Maia. Thank you." With that, he walked through the door, Raphael and Bat behind him, talking about a video game they would be playing each other later that day. Jace stared at the hotel's printed carpet and looked down the hall, where the print only seemed endless. It made him dizzy.

"Your father said the girl we're meeting was your childhood best friend," Bat said, trying to make conversation. He was weary. Jace didn't look like he was up for talking and sometimes when he wasn't, he was rude and it would set him off to have a negative and 'difficult' day as his father would call it when Jace was still young.

"Yeah," Jace said, pressing the button. "Her name is Clary."

"I'm sure she's excited to see you, Jace. Don't be nervous," Raphael said.

Jace looked up at the elevator floor numbers light up and dwindle down.

"Probably not," Jace muttered as the elevator doors slid open.

A/N: This is my second Mortal Instruments story and I hope you guys like the idea so far. It came to mind while driving home from work yesterday and I was driven this whole day to get a chapter done to get this story started. Anyway, please let me know what you guys think of the premise and first chapter! Reviews and feedback please, they would be much appreciated :)

Also, the story title is from a song called Day Late Friend by Anberlin in case anybody wanted to listen!