Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
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~~Bella~~
"Hi Mike!"
"Miss Swan, how are you today? Anything I can help you with?"
"Well yes. I...have a hypothetical question for you," I smiled and raised my right eyebrow a fraction.
"Right, hypothetical," he touched the side of his nose conspiratorially.
"Say you were a talented musician that hadn't played a live gig in ages, because if you did, you'd get, like, how do I say this..."
"Mobbed?" he prompted.
I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "Well yes, hypothetically speaking." Of course Mike would know that I was referring to Edward, or rather, his hotel alias, Mr Paul.
"Hmmm, go on."
"Well, where would one take said talented musician so they could play the guitar or piano without the fear of being 'mobbed'? Somewhere like an open mic night, or new talent type of arrangement, but without, umm, a large crowd of females?"
"Ahhh, well, let me see." Mike held out his hands, tapped his forefinger to each of the fingers on his opposite hand as if he was checking off a list. "A place someone could play the guitar or piano, no large female crowds, close to the city, no media, yes?" His eyebrow was now raised.
I nodded.
"Well Miss Swan, I love a challenge. Let me do a little research and I'll be able to supply a list of suitable venues to you by three o'clock."
"Really Mike? That would be so fantastic. Okay, so I'll pop back down to see you at three?"
"Yes, or I can have the list slipped under your door."
"No, I'll come back down at three!"
"Very well Miss Swan, enjoy your day."
I couldn't help the appreciative smile that spread across my face. I walked out of the lobby to the street, pulling my sunglasses off my head and over my eyes to cut the glare from the early morning sun.
I was excited to plan this for Edward. I had no doubt that if anyone could suggest the perfect venue, it would be Mike the Concierge.
Last night in the bar, I had forced myself to get out of my depressive and contemplative mood. I knew my monthly hormone surge was making me mopey. God Bella, so many girls on this planet would give their eyeteeth to sit in a bar with Edward Cullen every night while he played the piano!
Edward said he'd be filming for at least another three and half months! He'd told me that would be the minimum if the production wasn't pushed back because of rain.
I wish I knew some hunky Native American who I could flirt with to get a couple of rain dances going on...
But I couldn't curse the sun for long. The weather was gloriously warm, almost hot and, as I explored the streets of Vancouver, I felt giddy and anxious about seeing the venue suggestions Mike would come up with, and then scoping out each one to find the perfect place.
I would probably never see Edward again after he left Vancouver after filming, unless he ever came to Australia to make a movie. So I was determined, after recognizing my sad-ass wallowing about the copyright thing, that I should make the three months count. I would try and spend as much time with Edward as he would let me.
Friends.
I thought back to the gorgeous picture of him, hanging in Ben's studio. I wanted to see Edward on stage, with that look of intensity and happiness. I wanted to feel the buzz that Angela had felt, when she was in the audience at Ben's gig. I wanted to experience that with Edward.
I still hadn't responded to Jessica's email, the main reason being that I knew her and I knew that she wouldn't be able to keep her mouth shut. She would tell everyone that Edward and I were 'friends' with air quotes, she'd make it sound tawdry, she'd imply we were 'on'. I could just imagine some smarmy smooth-talking journo from Famous magazine or New Idea calling her to get the exclusive on the Aussie try-hard writer who managed to get a long term booking in the same hotel as Edward Cullen. I shuddered at the thought.
No, I couldn't tell Jessica. Not yet anyway.
Plus, there were other things that I didn't want to think about right now, like Riley splitting up with Victoria, and him asking Austin about me. Why would he even want to know?
Irina hadn't responded to my email requesting assistance with the legal side of the song copyright, but I was kind of happy about that. It meant I could drag my feet a little...that surely couldn't hurt?
After spending a lot of time in the cool air-conditioning of a few funky boutiques of Granville Street, and buying the most gorgeous pair of shoes, I decided to walk back to the hotel. It was only midday. I ended up sitting in the hotel restaurant for lunch. I walked back through the lobby at 12:30pm, Mike was nowhere to be seen.
He said three o'clock; don't hassle the poor guy.
I went up to my room, all sweaty and stressed. A swim! Yes! That would be perfect!
I fished my royal blue one-piece from the bottom of my half unpacked suitcase, threw on my floral print Esprit sundress and headed to the indoor pool to do a few laps.
Swimming always helped calm my nerves, the repetitive action, the muted dome of underwater sounds always relaxed me, and at this time of the month, it also helped me de-kink my aching lower back. All the while I was swimming, I thought of my friend Edward, and how wonderful it would be to spend the next one hundred and five nights, - but who's counting - sitting next to him in the bar!
~~Edward~~
"Edward. Can we go for a drink tonight and talk about the trip next week?"
I glanced at Rosalie. We were between takes, hanging around while Marc was being pedantic about some lighting set-up.
"I'm not up for a drink Rose." Well, that wasn't true, I was up for a drink, but only if it included sitting in the VIP bar in the hotel next to Bella.
"I was hoping to talk to you in private actually." Rosalie was admiring her own fingernails.
"Why? Anything you need to say to me, you can say here, it's not like the crew are eavesdropping or anything, right?"
She huffed.
"Just spit it out Rose. You know I hate it when you do this. What's on your mind?"
"I want you to fire Emmett," she said casually.
What? That was completely random.
"Why would I do that? He's my bodyguard!" I knew I was sporting a stunned-mullet look. What is she up to?
"I want to hire him, and I can't do that unless you fire him," she stated simply, as if it was an obvious reason.
"You want to hire Emmett McCarty as your bodyguard?" I scoffed.
"Yes."
"Why? You have that man mountain Felix, why would you even need Emmett as well?"
"Because I want him Edward. Don't question my reasons, just do it!"
Oh, and here we go. Rosalie Hale is used to barking orders at her underlings and miraculously, pretty much whatever she demands comes to fruition.
"You know it doesn't work that way with me Rose. I'm not going to fire Emmett. Even if I wanted to, which I don't, I couldn't, because technically I didn't hire him. The studio did, so you are talking to the wrong person." I couldn't hide my frustration. "What's your motive for wanting him anyway?"
"He's just...I just do." And then she let her guard slip. She was looking off to the distance, and I followed her line of vision to see Emmett, standing at the barrier between the set and the fans that had gathered to watch.
"No way. You've go to be fucking kidding me!" I practically growled at her.
"What?" she turned to me, shocked at my tone.
"You want to hire Emmett so you can get him into your bed? Seriously Rose, you have a major problem. He's not a fucking hooker. You can't buy him. He's a person, not a boy-toy you can fuck and then fire him when you get tired of the sex!"
She scowled at me. "I wouldn't fire him, I have feel...Oh, why am I even bothering talking to you Edward, you're such a..."
"What, what am I Rose?"
"We'll discuss this later Edward." She brushed passed me and stomped over to the catering trailer.
I ran my fingers through my hair and groaned.
How in the hell am I going to survive fours days with her? She's going to be pissed with me about this Emmett thing now. I knew she would keep on and on at me until she got her way. That's what she did. She would wear me down...and I just knew I wouldn't have the energy to fight it. But I'd be damned if I was going to lose Emmett so she could acquire him, use him up and spit him out.
~~Bella~~
"Miss Swan, right on time." Mike handed me a list printed in color on a single page.
I scanned the list; there were three places noted. Each had the contact details, including web address and a map of its location. Mike had even listed a couple of rental car companies that were close by.
"I think the first one would be the best option; the other two may have a younger crowd that may recognize the talented musician," he smiled.
"Mike, you're a genius. You've even given me a map! This is way beyond what I was expecting." I fished some notes out of my purse and awkwardly tried to hand it to him.
He shooed my hand away, "Please Ms Swan, I insist you put that back in your purse."
"But Mike, you know I haven't tipped you and well, I'm sure it is the right thing to do. You know we don't tip in Australia, well, unless we're eating in a restaurant, and the service is exceptional…I will be offended if you do not accept."
"Well, thank you Ms Swan, I happily accept" and he grinned at me again as I handed him the crisp notes.
"Thanks again. See you Mike."
I barreled into the lift and up to my room. My hair was still damp from the pool. I knew if I didn't dry it now, it would turn into a frizz of knots, but I was too excited to wait before checking out the places Mike suggested online.
I snapped open the lid of my Mac and typed in the first web address:
'Laurent's'.
The website was very basic. There was a picture of the stage and the bar. That was basically it. They listed the address and a phone number, no email. I thought about calling them later in the evening and seeing what night they did open mic.
The next two places seemed a little too funky. One of them reminded me of Richard's and they had contemporary bands play every Saturday night and the crowds in the online photos looked young.
The final place listed was 'One-Eyed Pete's'. It could be a possibility. They had 'Amateur turns Pro' themed night. It was on Fridays.
Okay, so Laurent's, or One-Eyed Pete's - they were the two options I needed to check out.
I suddenly felt all giddy and excited. I'm no good at hiding things, how am I going to keep my mouth shut and just arrange to take Edward there. Mike thought of everything, of course I'd have to hire a car, it's not like we could walk there or get in a cab after I had tried to sneak him out of the hotel. Was that even possible? Would he refuse? Would he hate me if we were seen by fans or the photographers that stalk him constantly?
I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. If I analyze it before I've even checked out the venues, I'll talk myself out of it!
I pulled my phone from my bag and sent a text to Edward.
Bar tonight? My shout! -B
I laughed as I hit send. I wonder how long it will take before he asks me what a shout is!
It wasn't even 3:30pm. I was anxious. I can't just stay here until Edward gets to the bar around ten. I picked up my purse and headed out the door and down into a waiting cab. I gave them the address of Laurent's, which according to Mike's map, was only about a ten-minute drive away.
Once I got there, I looked around. The doors were closed. There were no opening times listed, so I stood on the sidewalk and I used my phone to call the number.
"Laurent's!" said a gruff voice.
"Hello. My name is Bella Swan. I was wondering if you could tell me your opening hours and whether you have any nights for musicians to perform, like an open mic night?"
"Well hello, Bella Swan." I could hear the smile in his voice. "Yes, we do, in fact every night is open for musicians to play at my club. Are you a musician?"
"No, it's not for me, it's for my friend. I'd like to arrange for him to play a gig, and your club was recommended to me. I was wondering what time you open, so I can take a look inside."
"My dear, just come down to the club anytime, I'm always here."
"Oh, well, I'm standing on the street now." Maybe I should have mentioned to Mike I was going to check out the clubs. This street looked a little seedy, even in the daytime, and I would have never done anything like this back home. Here I was in a city I didn't know that well, and whilst I'd never felt ill at ease before, I suddenly thought it was a pretty reckless thing to do.
"Bella, I'll come up and let you in." The phone disconnected.
I stood in a bit of a haze and then quickly called the hotel.
"Mike please," I asked the receptionist.
"Concierge," his cheery voice made me feel instantly relieved.
"Mike, it's Bella, I just wanted to let you know that I'm at Laurent's, and I'm going to go in to check it out. Ummm, can you call me back in twenty minutes or so, it's just I thought I should let someone know where I am, not that I'm worried or anything." although my voice sounded pretty fretful, even to me.
"Ms Swan, yes, thank you for letting me know. I've met the owner, Laurent; he is quite well known in Vancouver. I'll call this number in exactly twenty minutes, just to check everything is alright." he sounded calm, which made me relax.
"Thanks again Mike, I really appreciate it. Bye."
Just then I heard a loud clunking and one side of the double doors swung open slowly. A tall dark haired man stood in the doorway, he grinned at me and then stepped forward. "Miss Swan, I am Laurent, please come in, I'll show you my club."
I stepped forward to shake his very large hand. It was a basement venue, so the stairs led down. The lighting was very dim in contrast to the afternoon sun. I stepped inside as Laurent turned to close the door, but he didn't lock it, which I was pretty happy about. I followed him down the stairs.
"So tell me Bella, what does your friend play?" he queried.
"Piano and guitar. He writes his own music too. He's really talented, but he doesn't often get a chance to perform in public." My eyes drank in the stage and the bar. It was quite a small venue, but I instantly thought it would be the perfect place, that is, if it didn't fill up with twenty-somethings.
"Can I ask you Laurent, what is the average age of your patrons?"
He chuckled, "Bella, beautiful Bella, this may not be the right place for your friend. My customers are all in their sixties and seventies. My father started this club almost forty years ago. Now, mainly session musicians come to play here. They've been coming here for years. My father passed away four years ago, but he made me promise I'd keep it opened, for as long as it was viable." He looked kind of sad, and I watched as he walked around into the bar and poured himself a shot of vodka.
"Join me in a drink?"
"No thank you." I grinned, and I turned to look at the stage. "Laurent, your club is perfect. Can I bring him to play? What night, what time?" I gushed, suddenly extremely excited.
He laughed and then downed his shot with barely a grimace.
"Like I said, I'm here all the time, you can bring your friend anytime at all. We're pretty casual around here. My customers take the stage when they are in the mood, they can play anything from one or two songs to a whole three-hour set if they want. The best time to come is after ten. You can always call me and let me know you are on your way and I can make sure he doesn't have to wait too long."
I looked back around the venue. This was the perfect place. I knew I wouldn't even bother looking at One Eyed Pete's. Laurent's had the right feel, the right ambience. I could almost envision Edward sitting on the adjustable stool on the stage with his guitar.
"Oh, does he need to bring his own guitar?" The thought of trying to sneak him out of the hotel with a guitar under his arm would be physically impossible, and he'd know what I was planning and could refuse before we even left the bar.
"No Bella," he crooned. "We have an acoustic guitar here and the upright piano as well, he just needs to show up and play. I even have a stash of sheet music he can use; it can give him an idea of what the audience likes to hear."
"Oh, they have a preference?"
"Yes, your friend will be highly praised if he can master some 1970's classic rock; blues and soul songs always go down nicely. I would encourage him only to play his own material if it's good. You see, my audience are quite vocal in their appreciation, or lack thereof Bella. He'll know pretty quickly if they are not happy, and well, I like to keep them happy."
My smile returned, my stomach fluttered with girlish adoration, as I thought of Edward on stage.
"I guarantee he won't disappoint. Thank you so much for showing me your club, Laurent. I can't wait to bring him here." I smiled and shook his hand.
"Bella, my pleasure."
I walked back outside on a massive natural high. Mike called me, right on time, and I told him everything was fine, and that I appreciated him calling me back.
Once I got to the hotel I had a relaxing shower and re-washed my hair. The frizz was completely hideous; there was no way I wanted Edward to see me like that.
I managed to get up to the bar by eight and then I thought about my text to Edward. What to drink?
James appeared as if he could read my mind. "What may I get you this evening, Miss Swan?"
"James, can you call me Bella? Miss Swan sounds like I'm some tragic heroine in a freaky fairytale or something." I laughed.
He grinned at me. "Of course Bella, I'll try and remember."
"I don't suppose you have any Australian beer stashed away behind the bar do you?"
"Actually Bella, we do!"
He hurried away and I opened my email.
From: Stanis, Irina
To: Bella Swan
Subject: Re: Help!
Bella!
It's so great to hear from you. Everyone sends their love; the office isn't the same without you! I hope glorious Vancouver inspires you? I'm so jealous, I've been dying to go back there, but you know what it's like here, the place would fall to pieces if I left for more than a week!
Song lyrics, Bella, you are a dark horse. So, you've already made friends in Vancouver and with a songwriter no less. I'd be delighted to assist you with the copyright. That's so exciting. Just email me the contact details for your friend's legal person. I think it will be pretty easy and quick to accomplish.
We all can't wait to read your novel, we miss you like crazy, and you've only been gone for a few weeks!
Chat soon,
Love Irina. Xx
I stared at the email. That aching pit in my stomach returned. I couldn't put off having the copyright paperwork finalized. I knew this. Edward was so keen to get it sorted. God, as long as I make sure I take him to play at the club. Maybe he'll still want to hang round with me, at least until filming ends. I just couldn't think about how depressed I'd feel when Edward was no longer in my life.
~~Edward~~
I sat on the cool leather seat in the car on the way back to the hotel and pulled my phone out. Three text messages from Alice:
You are in BIG TROUBLE! Just call me!
You cannot ignore me forever!
You are confusing me Edward, just speak to me. You know I can help! :)
Then a text from Bella:
Bar tonight? My shout! –B
I couldn't help but laugh. She's just too cute. I called Ben.
"Hey Edward!"
"Ben, are you at your computer?" I queried.
"Yeah, God, what happened? Did you get caught by the paps in a compromising position?" he laughed. "I'm doing a Google search right now!"
"Yeah, very funny! Actually, I need you to look up an Australian term for me."
"Ahhh, how is Bella by the way? Have you spoken to Alice yet?"
"Um, no! Why would I want to do that! You know what's she's like. I'd rather keep the existence of my new Aussie friend a secret, for now." I tried not to sound snarky.
"Friend, okay, keep telling yourself that, if that makes you feel any better."
"Ben..."
"God Edward, you are so easy to bait. Angela is waiting for me to watch a DVD, so what's the term?"
"My shout." I stated. I could hear the tap of his keyboard.
"Okay, it says on Urban Dictionary to shout is an Australian saying 'To buy the round of drinks. You can shout a mate anything you like, as long as you have the money. Works on a reciprocal system, unless your mates are tight-asses'." Ben laughed loudly; I had to pull the phone away from my ear.
"Oh, thanks." Bella wants to buy me a drink? I couldn't get the grin off my face.
"No problem, enjoy yourself in the bar with Bella, mate!" he tried to impersonate an Australian, really badly.
"Yeah, real funny Cheney. Say hi to Ange from me."
Bella considered me a 'mate'. I was glad. She was more than a little down last night in the bar, but then her mood lifted. We ended up chatting until well after 2am. Our routine had been pretty consistent. I'd go to the bar; she'd be there with her Mac out, trying to write her novel. We'd casually discuss our days, but we'd stayed away from talking about anything too personal, well apart from that night when I asked if she had a boyfriend.
We were slowly getting to know each other. It had been relatively easy so far; except when I talked about the copyright paperwork when she seemed to get a bit down. Bella hadn't treated me differently; she hadn't fawned over me. I felt like we were equals. I felt comfortable with her, and I actually looked forward to meeting her every night.
I wasn't sure how to reply to her text message. Then it came to me:
I'm on my way, you shout the first round. See ya soon mate! E
I smiled as I hit send. I was going to miss her when I went on that damn publicity junket next week, but I had another ten nights in the bar and maybe we could meet for lunch on the weekend?
I stepped out of the cab and signed a few autographs before rushing up to level 25. Bella was sitting at the booth, as usual; she was reading something on her Mac and frowning. She must have heard the door click softly closed behind me and she looked up, the frown faded instantly, transforming into a dazzling smile.
"Hey!"
"Hi," I started to remove my jacket. I noticed there were two beers on the table.
"You drink beer?" I questioned.
"Only this beer. Lucky for me I'm good friends with James, he mentioned it was one that they stocked. I hope you like it."
I draped my jacket on the back of the booth and picked up the beer. "Australian beer, Cascade?"
"It's from Tasmania."
I watched as she picked up the green bottle and took a long pull. Her eyes were glinting, her lips smiling around the mouth of the bottle.
"I thought Australians drank Fosters." I smirked.
"Ha! No, well, maybe it was popular in Australia in the '80s, but no one drinks it there now. Foster's tastes like shit." She laughed.
I couldn't help but laugh with her. God, she was simply adorable. I thought back to the first night we met; how she tried to mute her accent, restrain herself. Over the last few days she had really loosened up. I was beginning to see the real Bella Swan.
I took a tentative sip of the beer. She was right; I liked it. It was smooth, fresh but full-flavored. She was looking at my mouth, waiting.
"I like it! Maybe we should make sure James keeps the bar well stocked, so I can have a beer with you more often. Although, your choice of Australian wine is exceptional; how did you get such a great appreciation of wine?" I thought back to the nights I shared Bella's choice of white wines. There wasn't one that I had tasted that I hadn't liked.
"My step dad Phil used to be a pro basketball coach. We'd sometimes go to Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia for games. Well, he went to the games, my mum and I would go on the winery tours over the weekends. It was lots of fun, and well, I didn't really learn much, except what I like and what I don't." she smiled.
"Pro basketball huh? That's pretty cool. Did he ever play?"
"Yes, in college. He played in Phoenix. That's where he met my mum when I was two. When he got the job to coach pro in Australia, he said he wouldn't go unless mum and I went as well. Mum jumped at the chance, she was in love and she had always wanted to travel."
"Ah, so you left Phoenix, and moved to Sydney? How did Chief Swan take that news, I mean your mom moving you from Forks to Phoenix must have been hard for him, but then to move you to Australia?" I had never really thought about Charlie Swan, he was always the authoritative police chief that helped my mom with fund raising. I couldn't imagine how he may have felt divorcing his wife and then her having moving their baby daughter out of State and then to a different country.
"Um, well, I was too little to know how that went down, but I always visited him, every two years or so. My mum never talked badly about Charlie, in fact she always told me how much she loved him, but they just didn't work. Phil was always there, for as long as I can remember, and they adore each other. I mean Phil worships her, I guess I just accepted it. He's really a great guy, and he is a great step dad."
"Why didn't your Mom and Phil have any children of their own?" I asked.
"They tried, but it didn't happen. Phil's always treated me as if I was his flesh and blood. He even helped me buy my apartment in Sydney and chipped in to pay my University tuition. He did pretty well for himself, and now that he's retired he's constantly taking mum on holidays and romantic weekends. To be honest I was kind of glad I won this writing prize. There's only so much you can take, I mean sometimes they are like a couple of teenagers. It's pretty gross." She laughed. I thought back to my parents. They were pretty open with their affection for each other, and I knew that sometimes it got a little embarrassing.
Bella took another sip of beer and glanced at her Mac. The frown returned.
"Something wrong?" I queried, nodding my head towards her laptop.
"No, um, I heard back from Irina. She said she was happy to handle the copyright paperwork for me. I've emailed her back the contact details."
I smiled widely, "That's great news. I'm sure it won't take them long to have it all stitched up." I held up my bottle of beer and clinked it to hers.
It made me ecstatic that Bella's words and my music would be forever joined together. I felt that we would now always have a connection. Bella will always be connected to me, and the legal piece of paper would be tangible proof. Plus, I knew that if the song made the soundtrack, this would be the start of my music career.
The thought of pulling back on the acting and moving forward with my music uplifted me. I wasn't sure if it was because of Bella's words, or the fact that since meeting her, I'd been able to recognize that the acting wasn't fulfilling me as much as I thought it would.
I'd only met Bella Swan six nights ago, but her impact on my life was immeasurable.
"I think it's my shout Bella." I motioned for James to bring us another round.
~0~
A/N: Thanks to CandyTwi (candy1 on Twilighted) and LadyZoe for their assistance with this Chapter. Please go and read their stories on
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