She Rocks My World
80's Rocker, Edward Cullen, is the frontman for the enormously popular band, Cullen.
He's every woman's dream; handsome, wealthy, and talented, but the elusive rocker has something to hide until an overwhelmingly gifted, doe-eyed beauty steals his heart at first sight and sound.
A/N: I love my Fran. She's still dealing with my late tush!
A/N: Some of you didn't receive a notification from FF for chapter 15, so enjoy both chapters.
A/N: I'm sorry for the delay. The mass shooting in Florida hit home with me. I lived near that area for over forty-three years. My brother is a teacher at the school, and thank God, he's unharmed. It did leave me a bit shaken.
Chapter Sixteen: The Aftermath of MTV
BPOV
The curtain closes, and I'm in Edward's arms, and he whispers, "I'm so proud of you."
I squeeze him tightly around his waist and choke back a 'thank you' into his chest. He kisses the top of my head rubbing my back.
We break apart, and he wipes the tears under my eyes with the pads of his thumbs. "Why the tears?"
I just smile shaking my head and holding back my emotions; it overwhelms me.
Ali grabs me from behind, singing her praises, "It was amazing."
I burst into tears from sheer exhaustion, excitement, and the love I feel from the two of them. "Thank you so much for this chance … both of you."
Then, the others surround us in a massive group hug with Christy and Kate bouncing up and down behind Emmett and Garrett who are howling like wolves.
Emmett shouts, "And we're gonna have an amazing tour, people!"
Still holding onto Ali, Jasper takes my hand, kisses my knuckles ever so gently and smiles. "You have made my girl happy. In return, you've made all of us happy. Thank you, Bella."
"We did it together, Jasper," I gasp with a small laugh.
Mark, along with the other VJs approach us. "You were all fantastic. We're going to raise the curtain for a final bow and call it a night."
All of us file into a line across the stage. Christy and Kate run off to the side while the curtain rises, and we all bow. The crowd reacts with earth-shattering roars. With the house lights up, we can see that not one seat is empty. They beg for another song. Mark explains that it's late and Radio City is about to throw out all of us. But Alan reminds them to buy tickets for the tour.
The curtain falls, and we exit the stage, as our crew, with Seth in the lead, pack up all the equipment and prepare to head back home.
We walk down the long corridor to the dressing rooms and find Kurt Loder waiting for us inside. "Well, you guys showed New York," he rasps.
"Hey, Kurt, my man!" Emmett shouts.
He stands to extend his hand to Emmett. "It has been a while."
They do the one-hand-man hug.
Emmett pats his arm. "Yeah, how've you been, old man?"
"I get around. I figured while you were here, we could do the interviews."
"Saving you some fly time?" Emmett kids.
"Look, you know I'm a little skittish," he admits.
Garrett coughs, "You mean chicken shit."
Kurt glares at Garrett. "Hey, I don't tie one on like you."
Kurt looks at Edward and me. "Now, that's who I want to talk to right now."
Like Moses parting the Red Sea, Kurt clears the area and greets us with his hand out. He shakes Edward's and lightly grabs mine. "You're quite impressive, Bella. Reminds me of someone else about five years ago." I nod a 'thank you'. He looks at Edward.
"Well, I didn't fly onto the stage."
"You didn't? I recall some set up with a trampoline under the orchestra pit."
Edward holds back his laughter.
Kurt tsks, "And didn't you get shot out of a cannon at one time?"
"That was Jasper."
Kurt laughs, "Right, Right. You made him test it for you."
Edward defends, "No, that would be…"
Jasper moans, "Not one of my best experiences." He frowns at Emmett and Garrett. "They shoved me into the damn thing."
Alice, with her hands on her hips, stares them down. "He was in the hospital for two weeks, you fools!"
"Aw, Alice, I owe you a whopping 'thank you'. I loved all the pastries."
Jasper smirks. "She did bribe you."
"No, not a bribe. I had already agreed to do the interviews." He smiles and kisses Alice's hand. "Just great customer service."
Alice nods. "You bunch of buffoons wouldn't be anywhere without my little perks. Sometimes, money doesn't' always do the trick!" Alice informs. "Sweets are nice, but liquor is quicker."
"Yeah, the bottle of Patron was a nice touch, too."
Jasper frowns. "For a minute you scared me, Ali. I thought you meant …"
Horrified, she yelps, "No way. I'd never."
Kurt looks at his watch. "It's getting late. I know all of you must be tired. Give me an hour, maybe order some food, and I can get this ready in two weeks."
Ali gets us 'extra' time with the promise of Radio City being added to the tour and orders food.
After steaks and eggs, Christy won't allow Edward to eat anything else, so we settle down for the interview.
Christy and Kate head back to the hotel, as the eleven of us sit on the stage in a circle as a Rolling Stone photographer takes stills.
"Hope you don't mind if Rob takes a few pictures. He captured some greats ones of the concert."
Ali points, "We need approval."
Kurt shakes his head with his hands up. "You have it." He looks at Edward and me. "Ali apprised me of her 'five-year-plan' to get the two of you together," Kurt begins.
Simultaneously, Edward and I blurt out, "How does he know, and we don't?"
Ali points, "See how much alike they are?"
"So what's the plan now, Edward?"
"Well, the home studio is finished. Jazz and I are setting tracks down for two albums."
"Are we looking at new material for this tour?"
"Yeah, we have some wild ideas with Bella."
"And Cullen is producing?"
"Cullen Crest," Edward corrects.
Kurt nods. "You started your own label."
Jasper nods. "Ali said it made sense."
Kurt chuckles. "One issue of her 'five-year-plan', right?" He looks at Ali.
I bite my lip as Edward crosses his arms over his chest.
"Hey, Kurt knows everything." She corrects herself and defends, "About the music … only."
He catches on. "What? Something you left out?"
Edward straightens up. "Kurt, I had some health issues."
"Is this off the record?"
"No, you have free-reign."
Alice admonishes, "Edward!"
Edward gives her a look.
"The Bad Boy is in rehab?"
He sighs, and I take his hand in mine as he explains his immune deficiency, the misconceptions of the 'bad boy', and my part in all of it.
Kurt takes it all in and shakes his head. "Then, I'd say, she's quite the find."
~*~SRMW~*~
Edward and I exhaustively crawl into bed as the sun makes a slight showing through the blinds. We don't talk. We don't make a move. Just soft breaths that flow together.
When a few minutes pass, I look up at him as he stares at the ceiling. I clear my throat and barely whisper, "What's on your mind?"
"I can't reason whether it was extremely stupid to have told Kurt about my condition or …"
I interrupt, "Or very brave."
We both shift to our sides facing one another.
"I've done many interviews with him. He's a decent guy. I'm not worried about how he'll handle the information. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure I want that part of my life known to the public."
"But Edward, you were unaware what was going on with you. Think about how many people out there might be going through the same thing. They would continue to be in the dark about their condition."
"Hmm, I didn't think about that." He brings me closer with an arm around my waist. "Always thinking about everyone else."
'I'm thinking about you."
He kisses my nose. "We have a lot of work to do when we get home, Bella."
"I know. One thing that Kurt said plays in my head … about what Sting said to him.
"It's not easy to be in a group. It's like marriage without sex. The only lubricant we have is music, so the music has to be good."
"Well, we have both." He kisses my neck, and I giggle.
~*~SRMW~*~
Weeks go by, as we spend our time in the studio writing songs and developing bazaar ideas and passing them back and forth. But when Barry speaks, we all pay close attention, or when Ria has an idea for a costume or set design, Edward just tells them to 'go for it' with a nod. Tonight, we'll be at Rose's place. Edward wants to see the reaction from a crowd to the televised MTV concert and the two new songs.
A friend of mine, well my uncle's, has new and improved instruments for my collection, and we can't wait to try them out and see the look on Edward's face. Ria, Bitsy and I are sneaky as hell with our secret sessions.
We arrive at the club early. Seth and the guys have the stage in order. Edward and the others have their heads together with Rose, which gives me the time to talk openly with my girls.
I look at Ria, and she beams. "I'm so excited about this."
Bitsy agrees, "Me, too.
Ali just stands there smirking. "After we watch the show, I'm going suggest to Edward that Cullen take the stage first." She laughs. "Then, you can blow them all out of the water."
I tease, "Ali, is this part of your five-year-plan?"
She crosses her arms over her chest and gives me the death stare. "Shut it!"
Before we know it, the place fills to capacity.
We sit at three tables and view the show. Edward's hand tightens over mine as we watch my descent to the stage. "I still have a problem with that."
Barry laughs, and Emmett boasts, "Hey, if you only tried it, you wouldn't be such a dweeb about it."
The crowd cheers when the show ends and Edward and the guys get on stage.
Yay, Ali.
Edward stands in front of the mic pulling his guitar strap over his head. "Looks like you enjoyed the concert."
Again, they cheer."
"Well, we're going to play a new song and then, turn it over to Swan."
Jasper plays rapid notes from the base of the neck to the top as Edward sings:
CULLEN
Your Every Delight
"I'm a man who stayed alone for too long
Denying myself the closeness of touch.
Wrapped up in music as an excuse.
It was ridiculous and just too much.
I thought my life was full playing on stage
But after the show, I stayed in my room.
The guys did their thing and I was behind;
Too tired to go, too lost in my doom.
I didn't realize I was hungry
I was starved for love, and I took a bite.
One small taste of you filled my appetite.
I'm addicted to your every delight.
I gotta have you all day and all night.
The music plays in you as it does in me.
I see it in your eyes. You need it, too.
It was my first thought when I woke from sleep.
But it's no longer one replaced by you.
Your caring is more than I deserve.
You have healed my body, mind and my soul,
Giving more than anyone has done.
You are my present and my future's goal.
I didn't realize I was hungry
I was starved for love, and I took a bite.
One small taste of you filled my appetite.
I'm addicted to your every delight.
I gotta have you all day and all night."
The audience roars.
Jasper announces, "Okay, we did our part; now give it up for Swan."
They exit the stage and take our seats in front.
Ria, Bitsy and I go off stage and return with our new instruments. I giggle to myself because the look on all of their faces is priceless.
"Hey, glad to see a full house," I say.
It gets rowdy.
"Aw, Ria, Bitsy, and I are trying something new tonight. These new instruments were made by a friend, and they won't be on the market until the end of the year. So, here's a sneak peek. Ria gave up her bass for the electric cello. Yeah, it has an amazing sound. Bitsy has a new harp. It's smaller, straps around her shoulders, and is also electric. And as you can see, I have an electric violin. I hope you like this."
I settle in and play the intro with the softness of Ria's cello and Bitsy's all work in harmony.
Swan
I Will Take You
"Twirling winds pick up to tousle my hair.
I turn and feel its cool breath on my face.
Walking closer to the meadow I love.
I smell its flowers; my favorite place.
The sound of a waterfall crashes its force
With the rushing streams of blue and white foam.
Rainbows circles over the crest of waves;
Familiar, comfortable to call home.
I love the freeness of this open space.
Just nature and me and my thoughts and dreams.
There's nothing to interfere with the calm,
Just the sounds of the wind and the flowing streams
It's my private haven where I can go
To be by myself without any sound.
Just the birds chirping and the trees swaying.
Easy on the ears and running on the ground.
My hidden Utopia in the woods.
It's past the third tree and you take a right
Down a path over the circle of rocks
To the vast flower beds. It's quite a sight.
I will take you there if you'd like to go.
It's an invitation I've not shared.
So please know that you are special to me
For me to share with someone I do care…
I will take you there if you'd like to go
To lie alone with me upon the blooms.
We'll look up at the sky and count the clouds;
Figure out the shapes and search for the moon.
I will take you there…
I will take you there…
I will take you…"
And as a freeze shot, the crowd erupts, our guys stand and my Edward falls forward.
A/N: Hmmm, what happened to Edward?
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