"Been wanting to try this for a while now. What do you think?" Jasper looked over Emmett's shoulder at the Seattle Electronics Depot ad.

"Sounds like fun. I know Alice will be up for it."

"Jazz, Alice is up for ANYTHING." They laughed and Emmett read the advertisement. "Up to four people. Well, that would be me, you, Alice, and Rose. Maybe we can talk Esme and Carlisle into it too - as much as they love music, I think they'd have a blast. Think we could blackmail Bella into joining us? Can't picture Edward playing anything like this. He's been too damn moody lately."

"Yeah, he has. Did Rosalie tell you about -"

"Plan Fuck the Emo Away? Yeah. I think it's a great idea. Never knew Ed was a virgin, but a lot of things make sense now." Jasper nodded at his brother.

"Same thing I said, actually. Hope it works." He gave the ad another once over. "So, you wanna go get this?" Emmett stood up, nodding emphatically.

"I live to rock! Let's go."

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Alice sailed into the kitchen and waved a greeting at Esme and Bella before sprinting out of the room and up the stairs.

"Wonder what that was all about?" mused Bella. Esme just shook her head.

"I have no idea. But with Alice, you can bet it's something."

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He'd just stood up to put the book back when Alice burst into his room. She tossed a manilla envelope down on the desk.

"You can't open it yet. But you'll need it later." He picked up the envelope, puzzled.

"Am I allowed to ask why, or when, or any other question that might give me a hint?" Alice shook her head, laughing.

"Nope. You'll know when to open it. Don't even think about it beforehand." She gave him a quick kiss and headed towards the door. "By the way," she said, almost as an afterthought. "I'm going to invite Bella to spend a month with us this summer. Since we'll be staying close to home, Charlie isn't going to mind." With that the dark-haired whirlwind was gone. Carlisle stared at the envelope for a long while before placing it in his safe and heading downstairs to spend time with the family.

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"Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no." Bella shook her head and backed away from Emmett.

"C'mon, Bells. It's gonna be fun! You'll see! I have a feeling you're a natural." She eyed the drumsticks in his outstretched hand as though they were snakes. Still shaking her head she took another step back.

"Emmett, seriously. I couldn't even keep hold of that white controller-thingie -"

"Wii-mote."

"Yeah, whatever. Do you really want to hand me any more projectile weapons?" The family room was full of Cullens, all but Edward who was upstairs at the moment, and Carlisle, who hadn't come down to join them yet. Esme was lounging in a huge cushy armchair, laughing as Emmett tried to convince Bella that the drumsticks weren't going to bite her or kill anything. Jasper was adjusting the shoulder strap on a guitar. Rosalie already had the other guitar controller situated and was watching the whole scene with amusement. Alice perched on the back of the sofa, flipping through the game manual and chuckling at Bella, who kept retreating from Emmett every time he took a step closer.

"Seriously, Emmett, I don't think Esme would want anything broken in here. You should drum."

"Awww, please, Bells? It's a family game. You're family. You've gotta join in!" Bella took one more step back and bumped into something solid. She stepped forward again, overcompensated, and tripped, plunging forward only to be grabbed from behind and pulled upright against Carlisle's chest. Blushing profusely she ducked her head, letting her hair fall forward while she tried to ditch her embarrassment.

"Perhaps the drums aren't Bella's style," he murmured, talking to Emmett. He made no move to let her go, and truth be told she didn't want to be freed, so she just stood there enjoying the sensation of his hands rubbing gently up and down her arms. She missed Alice, Esme, and Rosalie glancing and smiling at one another, or Jasper's knowing smirk as he fiddled with the guitar's fret buttons.

"Exactly what I was trying to tell this bear of a vampire," Bella muttered.

"I believe that singing would be more Bella's forte, don't you Em?" As the room in general cheered at that announcement, Bella whirled around to glare at the man still holding her. Holding a glare was ridiculously difficult, however, when the nerves in her body were singing at his touch and his smile was turning her knees to pudding.

"I don't sing..." she began, but he placed one finger over her lips. What would he do if I licked his finger? DOWN, Bella!! Her brain was in overdrive, and she knew by the very slight widening of his gorgeous golden eyes that he caught her scent as her arousal spiked.

"Ah, ah, Isabella," he whispered gently. "I remember Charlie bragging about how wonderful your voice is, about how you were always invited to join school choirs. And I myself have heard you singing in the shower." Oh god! She wanted to melt into the floorboards. From behind her she heard Jasper and Emmett cackling. A quick glance from the corner of her eye showed Alice, still perched like an adorable little pixie gargoyle on the back of the couch, grinning like she'd been handed the keys to the world.

"Come on, Bella! You have an amazing voice! All those high notes, and that volume..."

"ALICE!" Bella growled, mortified. She would have lunged at her friend, but a strong hand brushing her hair out of her face brought her back to her current situation - situation being, she was held in Carlisle's arms as he stared at her with those beautiful eyes.

"So what do you say, Bella love? Ready to show these vampires how much passion a human can put into music?" Put like that it sounded like a challenge. Bella found herself nodding before she even knew she'd agreed to anything.

"Hell yeah! Get over here, Bells, and pick a song!" Emmett was elated, high-fiving Jasper before flopping down on the couch.

"Knock 'em dead," whispered her captor before brushing a kiss across her forehead and releasing her. In a daze, Bella turned and managed somehow to make her way across the room without tripping over anything. She looked at the microphone with distrust. At least I don't have to hold it. If I leave it right there in the stand it won't be able to break things. She sighed and looked around at the family - her family, she realized. Fighting back sudden tears of happiness, she looked back at the screen.

"Okay, let's do this."

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Author's note: So Bella learns to play Lightsaber Duels, and jams out to Rock Band. I just had to add that in there - gaming is one of my other obsessions. Be expecting to see more musical gaming in later Books and chapters. Wonder if we can talk her into joining the Cullens for a night on the town? Maybe they can convince her that dancing isn't as scary as it seems...

Once again, thank you all so much! The response to this is ridiculously flattering - I never expected the story to go over as well or as fast as it has. I'm going to be sad to see it end...but luckily, it's got a while yet. There's still so much more to do! :-D Read on!!