Not my characters or songs. For Elle. Chele beta'd. MsKathy preread.

Summer remained busy for me - more so than I had expected - and it seemed to be the same for Jasper. His band resumed a heavy practice schedule, and every time we spoke, he was telling me about a new song he was working on or something equally as exciting for him. It was nice to see a little life back in my friend, and it was a relief to know he had moved beyond the initial trauma of the Jane situation. Once he accepted that she was being safe, even if he didn't like that she was sexually active, his weekends home became a little less frequent. He seemed more comfortable with everything, which I was very happy to see.

As fall set in, bringing with it my final year of college, I was always on the go. I wanted to do well in my courses, but I also understood the value of the limited time I had left with my friends from school. Living in an environment where I had instant access to the people I had grown to love and cherish over the last four years was sure to be something I would miss. My post-graduation plans were still up in the air, so there was no promise that any of us would end up in the same place.

Jasper's band, Lost Like You, had been playing local venues and colleges around the area, and I could count on two hands how many times he had asked me to come see them. With each request that I blew off, my guilt grew for not being there to support him, so when he told me about a Battle of the Bands they were playing in Seattle, I knew I had to go. I gathered up a carload of friends, and that Friday in mid-October, we drove down to the city to enjoy the bands and see Jasper.

The venue was in the basement of a popular bar, and with over a dozen acts on the schedule, the place was packed. We didn't arrive until about halfway through since Lost Like You was the third to last act. I had a hard time locating Jasper, but I eventually spotted him when he and his bandmates were carrying their equipment in through a side entrance.

"Jasper!" I called, pushing through the crowd to get closer. He finally looked up, shaggy blond hair falling in his eyes, and smiled widely at me. I could just imagine how his flirtatious demeanor and adorable dimples made the crowd go wild when he was on stage.

"Hey!" he yelled back, setting down his guitar case carefully and meeting me with open arms. "You made it!"

He hugged me tightly, lifting my feet off the ground and swaying me in his arms.

"Are you guys on next? I thought there was one more before you."

"There is," he confirmed. "We were just bringing everything in so it's ready when we need to get set. Why don't you come on out with me while I finish up, and you can meet the guys, yeah?"

I agreed and followed him outside to where a big Yukon Denali was parked and several guys around our age were unloading guitars and a drum kit.

Jasper introduced me to Brady and Jared, who played bass and lead guitar, respectively, and by the time we had gotten through those greetings, a voice came from behind us.

"Flirting with the fans already, guys? We haven't even played yet!"

Whoever had spoken clearly meant it in jest, and when I spun around to see the source of that sarcastic teasing, I was pleasantly surprised. The guy was about the same height as Jasper, but he had a little more muscle, especially in his arms. His hair was a dark brown, possibly black, but his light blue eyes completely contrasted it. I didn't know who he was or why I was so affected by him, so I looked to Jasper for an explanation.

"Bella, this is Peter, our drummer. Petey, meet Bella. We grew up together."

"Ah yes, the girl next door. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said with a dangerously charming smile, lifting my hands to his lips and kissing my knuckles. All of the other guys groaned, effectively breaking me from his spell, and the five of us chattered casually for a few more minutes before they resumed unloading their instruments.

I dragged Jasper away to meet my friends, but from across the bar, I kept stealing glances at Peter. He was unquestionably attractive, but there was something else about him. Maybe it was the twinkle in his bright eyes, or perhaps it was the way he stood out from his bandmates and most of the other performers. He was much more clean-cut and preppy than anyone else. His hair was short, his face was shaved, he wore dark jeans, and his shirt, while still a T, was from Banana Republic. I couldn't deny that I wanted to stare at his pretty face, but I also found myself trying to figure him out and understand his place in the band. Despite my analysis of his personal style, the guys all seemed to be good friends and get along well.

Soon enough, it was time for Lost Like You to play, and I was seriously impressed. Jasper had played songs for me or sent me recordings they'd done from time to time, but none of it compared to the sound they created on stage together. Jasper sang and played guitar, of course, but Brady and Jared also backed him up on vocals. The melodies were driving and upbeat, yet full of emotion, pulling the audience in and keeping them captivated. I wasn't quite sure how to classify their music - maybe as modern alternative rock - but I liked it, regardless of any titles or categories.

It was disappointing that each band was only able to play three songs because I really wanted to hear more. I also wanted an excuse to stare at Peter without being obvious about it. He was just as passionate about the music as the other guys, and I had really enjoyed watching the muscles in his arms flex as he pounded away on the drums.

All in all, the guys had a killer performance, and the crowd absolutely loved them. It took them until about halfway through the next band to get all their equipment loaded back into the Yukon, but once it was set, they joined us at the bar to watch the rest of the show. Jasper was immediately flocked by adoring female fans, of course. I smiled widely when Peter approached me and struck up a conversation.

We continued to talk and hang out together for over an hour while the rest of the bands performed and the judges tabulated the votes from the crowd and their panel scores. When the house music was lowered and the Battle of the Bands promoter stepped up on stage, Jasper, Brady, and Jared gathered near Peter and me.

All of the bands were thanked for participating, as well as everyone who came out to support them. Then the top three bands were announced. The third won some concert tickets from a local radio station, second would get free recording time at a local studio, and first received a combination of the other prizes, plus an opening spot when a famous band played Seattle the following month. Everyone waited anxiously as the third place winner was announced.

Then it happened. The promoter shouted, "Lost Like You!" into the microphone, announcing their second place victory. Everyone around us jumped and screamed, giving hugs and high fives in congratulations. Peter snatched me up immediately, twirling me around in a circle before passing me off to Jasper so he could hug the other guys. Everyone was flying high and so happy. They really deserved the acknowledgement.

The bar stayed open for a while longer, and everyone stuck around, drinking and celebrating together. Peter returned to me, speaking even more animatedly after the big second place win. As the night drew to a close and my friends were all ready to head home, Peter really turned on the charm.

"Come back to campus with us. We're all going to keep on partying. It'll be fun."

I bit my lip and dropped my eyes to the floor, trying not to succumb to the alluring look in his eyes. I was totally crushing on this guy, and I was finding it very difficult to say no to him.

"I want to," I started. "I really do, but I have all my friends here with me, and they want to go home."

"So come with us. I can give you a ride back tomorrow. You know Jasper would, too. Please?" He dragged out his final request, giving me the eyes.

Oh, you know what look I'm talking about.

"Another time. I promise," I offered, trying to placate him.

"Tomorrow?" he asked hopefully.

"Maybe."

"We're playing again. On campus. A full show."

I thought about seeing an entire set...an opportunity to watch Peter work the drums, his toned muscles flexing through the beats he created...and that intense look on his face...

"All right. Tomorrow."

"Excellent," he smiled triumphantly.

I smiled back, unable to help myself when he looked at me that way. "Call me then. Jasper has my number."

With that, he took my hand and raised it to his mouth, just as he had when we met earlier. He slowly caressed my knuckles with his lips, and I swear I almost changed my mind about going home.

We worked things out the next day, and I went to see Lost Like You play at UW Tacoma. Jasper sounded amazing and really kept the crowd going, and Peter...I couldn't take my eyes off him. He was sexy as hell on the drums, and as soon as they finished playing, I let him pull me into a dark corner and kiss me hard up against a wall.

For the next month, I was driving out to Tacoma every weekend to hang out with the guys, go to their shows, and spend time with Peter. He continued to charm me, and it was just fun. The distance between our respective universities and the limited time we got to spend together kept us from labeling what we were to one another, but I was falling for Peter. Jasper never seemed to voice his opinion on it, so I just assumed he was cool with everything. What reason did I have to believe he wouldn't be? We were good enough friends that he would tell me if he objected.

It turned out that I was wrong.

The Sunday before Thanksgiving break, I got a call from Jasper. I had been out to their campus Friday night, but I had to head back to the city early on Saturday, so I didn't get a full weekend with Peter and the guys.

"What's up, J?" I asked casually.

"Umm, not a whole lot today," he said, pausing for a moment. "Listen, Bella, there's something I need to ask you."

"Sure. Go ahead."

"Okay, so, how serious are you about Peter?"

I wasn't quite sure how to respond. Jasper had seen us together, so why would he be asking?

"I don't know. I like him a lot, but the distance sucks."

Jasper exhaled loudly, making me feel incredibly uncomfortable.

"There's really no good way for me to bring this up, so I'm just gonna go for it. I hope you understand it's because I care about you and don't want to see you hurt."

"What?" I demanded.

"Peter hooked up with this girl last night," he said, a hint of anger in his tone. "I don't think it was the first time. And I don't think he has any intention to stop. Or tell you. I'm sorry, Bella."

No, Peter and I hadn't said we were exclusive or anything, but I thought... Well, I certainly didn't think he would be hooking up with someone else. Maybe it was naïve of me to assume, but it still hurt. A lot.

"B, are you crying?"

"No," I lied, sniffling and swiping away the unwanted tears.

"Yes you are. Fuck. I'm sorry, Bella. I should have told you that Peter is sort of a serial dater, but you're old enough to choose who you fool around with. I didn't want to piss you off with my opinions."

"I just don't understand. He's your friend..."

"Yeah, and Heidi is your friend. Doesn't mean you share her philosophy on guys, right?"

"True," I said.

After a little more conversation, Jasper admitted that he was in the car, on his way to see me. He hung out until late Sunday night, and when Thanksgiving break came a few days later, we got to spend a little more time together at home. That time together helped me avoid getting too worked up over the psuedo breakup, and I was grateful to have Jasper there – to be honest with me and to support me afterward.

I stopped going to Tacoma on the weekends after that, but Jasper came to see me from time to time. In the spring, he called me, livid, because Peter had quit the band less than a week before they were going to use the recording studio time they had won at the Battle of the Bands. Apparently, Peter didn't feel like he had the time to commit to being pre-med and in a band at the same time. I was infuriated for Jasper's sake and because it rehashed some of my disdain for how things had turned out between me and Peter.

"Sounds like I'd better come there this weekend. I feel a tequila binge is in order," I suggested.

Jasper liked my idea, and when I visited, we headed to the bar and went shot for shot all night long. When Peter unexpectedly came in with a tiny blonde girl hanging on his arm, Jasper slammed his glass down on the bar and wrapped his arms around me possessively.

That was the first time Jasper ever kissed me in public. I wasn't sure if he was making some kind of statement to his former friend or if I was the one trying to stick it to Peter, but we didn't stay at the bar long enough to care. We made our exit after one more shot, and when we got back to Jasper's apartment, my clothes were off before we even made it to his bedroom.

E/N: Bear with me. Lot's of notes...

First of all, OMG - Peter! If you know me, you understand that it hurt to make him be a jerk in the end, but as with Maria, these are college kids who make mistakes and do shitty, selfish things sometimes. We all need our past experiences, heartaches, and mistakes to help us grow and learn.

Review replies from Ch. 6 will be done, I promise. I do want to say that I never intended that chapter to make an outright social or political statement. It was a situation that Bella faced and realized she had to help with. She did it because it's part of who she is, because she loves Jane, and because she understood it would be for Jasper's sake too. However you took it, I appreciate those of you who shared your reflections on the subject with me.

Since I can never say it enough, thanks to everyone reading. Whether you've read my stuff before, you're a curious J/B lover, you came along because it's for Elle, or you just happened to stumble upon the story, I truly and sincerely appreciate your support. xoxo

Note on the band's name- A while ago, I asked Elle for band name ideas for Jasper. One of those involved the word "lost," which got me thinking... The Confederate Army/attempts of the South to break away from the North are often referred to as the Lost Cause. - - - St. Jude Thaddeus is the Patron Saint of Lost Causes. - - - A band I loooove, Anberlin, has a song called *Fin. One of the lyrics in the song is "Patron Saint, are we all lost like you." Thus, Lost Like You. =)