Disclaimer: Not mine! Hahahahahhhhhhaaaa!!! I have majori experience with Lighting desks and inappropriate goings on around them though. And i can programme ten submasters in less than ten minutes.
Mouse555 now knows how this story is going to end up. And I think she likes it. She is my Epic Beta and provides me with fun, laughter and the dangerous red pen! LoveYa!!!
Enjoyy!!
Bella:
"Hello?" Jasper's number. I frowned, confused, because he should have been in sound check by now.
"Bella?" His voice was thick and I worried immediately, "Bella, I need you to come pick me up." I resisted the urge to go Aww at him because he probably would have beaten me up for it.
"Jazz, are you okay?"
"No," He managed, "I feel sick." He sighed, "I might have quit."
"Might have as in you have," Which confused me, because he loved to play bass, "Or might have as in you haven't but you're nearly there?"
"As in I think Edward wants to beat the shit out of my pretty face." He coughed thickly again, half laughing, and sniffed, and I wondered whether he was actually alright, or whether something terrible had happened.
"Okay," I nodded, even though he couldn't see me, "I'll be there in ten. Where are you? Inside the hall?"
"Outside. By the stage door." He sniffed again, "I'm fucking soaked."
"I'll try and steal Rose's car," I only had a motorbike, and if he was already soaked, that wasn't going to be comfortable, "I'll be there quickly, I promise, Jazz."
"See you, Bella." And the line went dead.
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"H-hi, is this Bella Swan?" I recognised that voice.
"Yes, it is, who's this, may I ask?"
"Jasper Whitlock, er, you might not remember me, I..."
"Edward's bassist, right?" I sighed, remembering his tall, lithe structure and his big green eyes that seemed to look through my clothes, "The one that likes his icon on his boots?"
"Wow, you remembered?" He sounded genuinely stunned, "How did you-"
"Selective memory... and it's kinda hard to forget the worst night of your life, Jasper." He laughed lightly, and I felt myself smiling, regardless. It had been nearly four months since that gig, and this was the first I'd heard from any of them about it. I hadn't even been paid. Bastards.
"Yeah, well, I kinda...er…sorta wanted to talk to you about that," He said slowly. Dread filled my stomach as I wondered warily whether he was going to berate me even further.
"Go on," I frowned and sat down on the closest bench.
"Er..." He smiled slightly, "I... kinda wanted to apologise."
"For what?"
"Everything?" He quirked lightly, "Bloody Emmett, eh?" A small pause as I raised an eyebrow, confused. He continued, "Yeah, I saw that. I'm really sorry I didn't say anything before – Edward can be pretty scary when his temper's up..."
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Edward can be pretty scary when his temper's up... Edward can be pretty scary when his temper's up... Edward can be pretty scary when his temper's up...
It stuck in my mind as I gunned the engine of my bike and roared to the concert hall, pulling up at the pavement where Jasper was standing. At least it looked like Jasper – his hair was plastered down, and his eyes were cast down too – though I could barely tell, because his face was so swollen.
I cut the engine and pulled off my helmet, terrified for him.
"Jasper?!" His head shot up, and his hand lifted to his neck. He was groaning from the effort, then, slowly, as it clearly hurt so much, his fingers drifted down to his stomach. "What happened, baby?" He let out a soft chuckle and yelped at the pain.
"Edward happened," He murmured, "Alice happened," He let out a full on guffaw as my fingers drifted to his cheeks, the laughter punctuated with a loud shout of pain as my fingers touched his cheeks, the gash in one of them looking even better than stage makeup. "Shit happened, Bella."
"I guess you really did quit, then?" I managed with a soft laugh, "Looking for somewhere to go?"
"Yes and yes," He laughed lightly and glanced up at the bike that was sitting against the kerb. "Am I gonna have to ride that?"
"Yeah, sorry." I shrugged, "Rose was going out, so I kinda... had no other option." He laughed again, and I offered him my hand, "Come on, I'll get you warmed up."
"Of that, I have no doubt," He sniggered, wincing as the swelling on his face stretched painfully. My lips curved up into a smile as I pulled him toward me as fast as I could possibly allow and his fingers locked with mine as the stage door grated open loudly. "Come on, Bella."
But I had frozen in the doorway. Two people were stood there, one girl, one man. Alice Cullen and her brother, Edward. I couldn't help but smirk because neither of them would recognise me. I knew that. I was sure of that one.
"Jasper!" Alice reached her hand toward us, limp-splashing in the puddles as she tried to get across the pavement to him. "Please, don't!" A pause, "Not like this."
"Bella, come on." I stood firm, because she was on the verge of tears, and I didn't want to miss her crying. My mind was immediately filled with horrible thoughts, until my rational side spoke up.
No Bella, she's upset. Can't kick a Cullen while they're down. Or can I?
"We can fix this, Jasper." Edward managed, calmly, collected and calculating as he looked at me. He stared straight through me and I felt a burn in my chest that I worried was something worse than panic.
"Bella, please-" Jazz tugged at my arm and I looked over at him, shaking my head, trying to absorb as much as possible from the moment.
"Bella?" Alice looked at me, her eyes growing wide, and suddenly, for possibly the first time in my adult life, I was visible. She looked me up and down and I smirked, "Bella Swan?"
"Who?" Edward was looking between Alice and I, and I raised an eyebrow at him, challenging him as I felt Jasper tugging on my hand again.
"Bella Swan." I paused, speaking over the intensified splashing of the rain and letting out a soft sigh, "But you would know me better as the shit-bitch-techie." I laughed lightly and looked over at Jasper, nodding back at him as I glanced at the stunned face of Edward and the horrified face of Alice.
I had to have that satisfaction.
"C'mon, Jasper." I whispered, putting an arm around him and smiling up at him. "I'll take you home."
He limped back to the bike and I handed him the second helmet I kept, before placing my own on my head. As he wrapped his arm around me and squeezed me tightly – surprisingly tight for someone who had recently been beaten to hell and back, we risked one glance back at the pair of superstars standing in the rain.
"Jasper!" Alice shrieked, all traces of composure sent three ways into the wind, even though her voice was muffled by the helmet, "We need you tonight! We can't do this without you!" She blinked a couple of times, wiping her eyes, "How can you do this!? We need you! We do-"
My Jasper flicked up his visor and glanced over at them, waving a hand at the two stage crew holding the doors open for Alice and Edward. His voice was calm as he sent them a parting shot which would change our lives forever.
"Now you know how they feel." He squeezed me tight, and we tore off into the rain. I hoped they got caught by the spray of the back wheel.
A/N: Thoughts?