DISCLAIMER: All characters and story world belong to SM. All lyrical references and quotes are property of their original artist. No copyright infringement intended.

[Beta'd by: BlahBlahBlah, Bikechick3]
Special thanks to: Ocdmess

Last chapter I asked for the song you most identified with at your darkest moments in life.
My answer: Staind – Excess Baggage, and Nine Inch Nails – Hurt.
An important person once sang Excess Baggage to me on the phone when I needed comfort.

Chapter Playlist:
Lords of Acid – Kiss Eternal
Marilyn Manson – I Put A Spell On You
Superpitcher – Fever
Martin Gore – Sweetest Perfection
Depeche Mode – A Pain That I'm Used To

http:/ /www[dot]youtube[dot]com/user/BeautifullySacred

Chapter 8
EPOV
Saturday January 14th, 2006 (same day as chapter7)

Emmett's booming laughter rang out clearly from his jeep behind us as he and Kate shared stories about hunting. The two of them had discovered they had similar tastes in prey during the drive to the club. I looked over at Tanya, who was riding shotgun in the SUV that we had borrowed from Eleazar. She met my glance briefly before I looked away.

"How much further into the middle of nowhere is this place?" I asked her while keeping my eyes on the road.

"Nearly there. See the clearing up ahead?" She pointed where the trees seemed to thin.

I nodded and let out a sigh as Carlisle's words filled my head. Try and have fun, Edward, he had reminded me before we left. Jasper sent me waves of calm and generic, manufactured happiness from the back of the SUV. I glowered at him in the rearview-mirror and he shrugged his shoulders, smirking at me.

As we pulled into the clearing, I noticed there was a plain, long, rectangular building with a single door near the left end. Small windows could be seen near the ground, which I assumed were in the basement. I looked over at Tanya once more and saw her smirking. While she preferred to seduce human men, this was one of her favorite places to go when she wanted to remember what she was, what we all were; powerful, deadly, and seductive. She didn't think we, no I, would approve of playing here. I glared at her briefly.

I slowed the vehicle and approached the side of the building where most of the other cars were parked. A few people were standing outside by a side door and talking amongst themselves. They were dressed very similarly, donning black outfits and a simple, black coat.

I stepped out of the SUV, paying attention to the music playing from inside. It was filtered through some sort of distortion, with underlying rhythms under the main beat. The melody was dark and haunting, but heavy at the same time. The lush vocals started and I picked up on the irony of the song. The lyrics were about the thirst of bleeding and begging for a vampires' kiss.

Jasper paused beside me, his door still open, and I shot him a inquisitive glance. He met my gaze and rolled his eyes. 'How cute, but not very subtle,' he said in his thoughts, causing me to chuckle out loud.

"What's so funny, Eddie?" Emmett called from further behind us as he climbed out of the Jeep.

I nodded my head at the building and he looked at it for a second with a confused expression. The chorus played again and his expression changed, first to disbelief, then to amusement. He let out a loud guffaw, which caused the other people outside to look at him curiously.

Alice reached out and wrapped her forearm around mine, repeating the action with Jasper. With our arms intertwined around hers, she practically skipped forward. She drastically stood out from the rest of the crowd here. Her flare for fashion always brought her attention, but today she was dressed to seduce. In knee high leather boots, a short dark purple miniskirt, and black strapless corset. It took an extra twenty minutes to leave the house because Jasper kept trying to get her out of her outfit and into bed.

Two men dressed in grey suits opened the double doors for us. Their minds were running through various things they would love to do to my sister. I held back a growl, but gave them a dark glare.

Carved into the top of the door frame was a phrase written in a cursive script. It read: La Sangue Cantante.

'The Blood Singer,' Jasper commented to himself silently. As the doors opened, a sudden rush of the scent of warm human blood permeated the air around us, causing me to choke. I instantly stopped and looked over at Jasper. He swallowed the venom pooling in his mouth and shook his head. 'I'll be fine. I made up my mind four months ago; it's not an option.'

I nodded in understanding. Ever since the… accident, he'd realized that our lifestyle isn't just something you attempted to uphold. You either made the choice to abstain, or you didn't. Jasper took his lapse in control much harder than any of us thought that he would have, and had proven to have phenomenal control ever since.

"Come on, we still have to set up," Alice said as she hurried us in through the door, not letting any of us focus for too long on the sweet scent. The moment we stepped into the building, she dropped our arms and looked around.

The entire building seemed to be one giant room. The corner to our left had a small dance floor set up with a mixing booth on a stage that overlooked everything. A small female was standing behind the mixer with a large pair of headphones covering her ears. She adjusted the sliders with one hand, as her other hand worked the turntable.

I scanned the rest of the room, taking in the dark and moody atmosphere. Thick, black curtains were draped throughout. Red and purple lights flickered, illuminating the tables placed against the wall. A long, marble bar extended the entire length of the building. Dozens of IV bags hung idly above the bar as decorations. Lights danced through the plastic, making the place glow an intense red.

I shivered at the immense amount of blood the place seemed to be storing. Maybe this was a bad idea. I knew our kind didn't fit in here. Our eyes gave our different lifestyle away and our demeanor spoke volumes. I pushed the thoughts out of my mind and turned to study the bar more closely.

Six large, glass silos were placed at even increments along the wall. Each one was filled with blood and had a tap connected. There was a heating rod placed down the center of each container that's used to mix and warm the blood so it wouldn't congeal. The process of warming blood for consumption could be very tricky, and it was a little daunting to see it being done in such large quantities. I glanced down the bar and saw that only a few stools were occupied.

I was constantly swallowing the venom as it pooled in my mouth. It was reminding me that such a delicious, sweet taste would be so easy to obtain right now. I had once justified my actions of drinking from humans, but I refused to do it again. There was so much human blood in this one small building I wondered how many people had died. The thought nearly made me wretch, causing me to choke once more.

'This is just as bad as the Volturi,' Jasper thought.

I nodded and studied my brother closely. "Are you going to be okay, Jazz? This place is a bit much, even for me. We don't have to play here."

'I'll be okay. Just have to remind myself how many innocent people were harmed just to stock those containers. I imagine this will be similar if we ever play a human venue, only they will still be breathing.'

He was right. I hadn't put much thought into how hard this whole live music idea might be for all of us. I was having doubts on whether this was what any of us truly wanted or not when I caught a peculiar scent.

In the far right corner was a large archway that was covered by purple curtains. Next to the bar at the far end of the room was an open door with stairs that lead down to the basement. I tilted my head to the side and focused on the door. I could smell the overwhelming sweet scent of venom as it lingered in the air. I let my mind focus on the thoughts of those below us.

'… come on Ryan, take him out…'

'… that was a sucker punch, I could do…'

'…this is growing old, someone should find us some newborns; they always make for a good fight…'

A fight club, I thought to myself. When vampires are torn apart or in a fight, we don't bleed, we drip venom from our wounds. The mixture of venom and warm human blood was overpowering. The scents reminded me of finding her on a ballet floor covered in her own blood as we ripped James apart. The smell of venom, smoke, and the sweetest scent was almost too much that night. I wanted to turn, and run back to her and make sure she was okay. Before I could linger on the idea for too long, I was pulled out of my memories by Alice.

'Come on, Edward. Try not to focus on the scent. We should be able to get used to it; we used to sit with high-school students all day,' Alice thought.

Alice tugged at Jasper's free arm as she headed towards the back archway. I looked behind me at Emmett who was still trying to take in the entire room with the most ridiculous and confused expression on his face. Kate glided past me and headed toward her sister who was on the dance floor while I got Emmett's attention and followed Alice.

As we walked towards the curtain, I could distinguish a different song being played on the other side. The man standing next to the archway pulled the fabric back for us and nodded. We each smiled back at him as we ducked into the new, secluded room, taking in the vast differences.

This room was much smaller, and darker than the previous décor. Red curtains were draped along the walls with red lights hanging low throughout. Small, round tables were scattered around with two chairs accompanying each of them. Against the back wall was a long stage that was raised off of the floor a few feet.

There were two men on the stage. One was playing a low-tuned guitar, and the other a small drum set. The man with the guitar was singing a cover of "I Put a Spell On You". His voice was raspy and deep, and reminded me of a darker version of Jim Morrison. His long, dark hair shone in the glow of the red lights. His elongated features made him look emaciated. The man behind the drum set was flailing around so dramatically that I could barely make out much of an appearance besides his shoulder-length, dirty-blonde hair that was thrashing around him.

Alice left our side and strode towards a man standing by a booth in one of the corners. They shook hands and exchanged a few words. She hitched her thumb over her shoulder, indicating us, and the man's gaze followed her gesture. He smiled brightly at us and nodded. Jasper, Emmett, and I smiled back at him and moved off to the side of the doorway. Alice turned on her heel and nearly skipped back to us, snuggling into Jasper's side as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. The man followed behind her and stopped directly in front of me.

"The name is Maurice. You must be Edward, Jasper, and Emmett?" he said with a casual grin, glancing at each one of us as he said our names. I took a brief second to look him over. His appearance was soft, and easy on the eyes. He looked to be in his forties, if not fifty. His hair hung below his ears in subtle ringlets the color of sand. There was a tenderness to him that reminded me of Carlisle, but he spoke with the same ancient Italian accent as the Volturi.

We each bowed our heads out of respect, Emmett still grinning from ear to ear.

'He seems rather genuine, Edward, no awkward feelings, and Alice said she sees him being helpful to us with our music.' Jasper thought. I nodded once more to let him know I understood, and held out my hand.

"It's good to meet you Maurice. If I understand correctly, you are the one to thank for letting us play tonight. I hope that we don't disappoint." I smiled at him politely as he shook my hand.

"Indeed! I look forward to hearing your style; I have a knack for knowing true talent when I hear it." He chuckled to himself. "I've been responsible for discovering quite a few of the greats, if I may say," he added with a grin, and released my hand. "The stage is all yours in about five minutes. Jameson and Christophe are just finishing up. There is a side door that leads to the parking area if you would like to unload your equipment and begin setting up." He waved his hand, gesturing to the door.

"Thank you, sir," Jasper said respectfully. He released Alice, and he and Emmett headed outside.

"Now, where is my dear friend, Kate?" Maurice asked as he looked around behind Alice and I.

"I'm here, Moor," Kate's voice called from behind the curtain as she pushed the fabric aside and entered the room.

"Ah, splendid! It's lovely to see you again, dear child" he said, opening his arms wide as he waited for her embrace.

Kate lingered for a second; a smile spread across her lips, before she hugged Maurice tightly.

"How have you been, dear girl?"

"I've been well. Enjoying the company of my extended family," she replied, turning away from him to gesture to Alice, and then myself.

"Still playing, I hope?"

"Of course, just not for an audience," she replied with a wink.

Maurice turned and faced my sister directly, his arm still tucked around Kate. "This girl is quite talented on the acoustic guitar, and she can sing the blue right out of you," he said, with a giant grin.

The musicians on stage finished their song with a fit of wailing, letting the guitar fade out. The door beside the stage swung open, and I turned my attention to my brothers who were carrying the equipment inside.

Within ten minutes, we were set up on stage. I glanced nervously over at Jasper as he picked up the bass and took a seat on a short stool. He grinned and I felt a sense of calm roll over me. I nodded at him and took in the sight of the small crowd.

There were around twenty vampires scattered throughout the room. Most of them seemed to be bunched together in the two back corners, almost as if they were afraid to be near the stage. I took a quick peek into their thoughts and I discovered that most of them were confused about our eye color, but too cautious to confront us about it.

I eyed Jasper who was patiently waiting to start the show. He cocked an eyebrow and nodded toward the audience subtly. 'Want me to get the place swaying with this first one?' he thought.

"Sure, let's get this started" I turned back towards the audience and grinned. I could feel the waves of excitement rolling off Jasper as he sent it out to the audience. As long as he was careful, no one would pick up on the mood alteration.

"Hello! Thank you for staying. We are Virulent Disease, and this is our first show," I said.

"We have a few covers in store for you, and one original piece. We hope you enjoy the music," Alice said. A few people began clapping while others just stared intently as they waited.

As soon as Alice finished talking, she walked over to the maracas and picked them up with a grin, nodding to Jasper and I. Jasper leaned into the wood of the instrument and pulled at the first string, then the second. The main rhythm was only five chords with an occasional embellishment at the end of a line. Alice shook the maracas in a rhythm that matched the bass as she swayed her hips. She leaned into the microphone and let out a soft moan. I smiled at her as she sang a phrase in Spanish, and moaned once more.

I pressed down on the keys, matching the harmony with Jasper. I took in a deep breath as a grin crept across my face. I leaned into the mic as the intro melted into the first verse.

"Never know how much I love you; never know how much I care. When you put your arms around me, I get a fever that's so hard to bear. You give me fever…" I sang in a low voice.

Alice swayed her hips, and rolled her shoulders as the music vibrated through the room. Occasionally, she would moan or purr into the mic with a wicked grin as she continued the beat with her maracas. Half way through the second verse she wandered off the stage, dancing through the aisles back towards Kate and Tanya. The three of them took each other's hands and took turns spinning each other slowly as they danced.

Alice eventually made her way back up to the stage as the girls danced together. Others began to sway to the music, rolling their hips and nodding to the beat. It almost felt like a beatnik concert as a few people began to snap their fingers, and tap their feet.

I continued to sing in a low voice, pushing the words out through a purr as we had practiced. It felt foreign to me to be acting so open and sexual, but we had agreed to play it for Alice. She loved the sexual tension this song brought out. She'd insisted that no one would be able to sit still to the beat, and she had been right. It was a great way to get everyone moving and loosened up for the show. Even Maurice was dancing with Kate and Tanya in the back.

I glanced quickly at Alice and saw her nod. We had planned to change up the vocals as the song reached the crescendo. She sashayed as she walked over to the lone microphone in the center of the stage.

"Captain Smith and Pocahontas, had a very mad affair," I sang as I watched my sister dance. She was truly enjoying herself. "When her daddy tried to kill him, she said," I stopped suddenly, grinning as Alice picked up the line.

"Daddy, oh don't you dare, he gives me fever…" she sang out with her eyes closed. She let out a gasp and her eyes shot open as she smirked. "…with his kisses, fever when he holds me tight."

She rolled her hips as she bent her knees, lowering herself slowly, and then straightened back up in one fluid motion. It took all of my concentration to ignore Jasper's inner commentary and mental pictures at that moment. She bit her lip and gasped again as she sang. "Fever! I'm his missus, Daddy, won't you treat him right. He gives me fever, when he kisses me. Fever when he holds me tight." With a smirk, she threw her head back and rolled it to the side. She licked her lips and dropped her head, looking back to the audience. "Fever! I'm on fire, fever all through the night."

She spun on her heels and sashayed her way over towards Jasper. His eyes were glued to her as he swallowed the venom pooling in his mouth. I shook my head and smiled, still trying to block out his thoughts. Alice continued the beat with her maracas as she danced around the stage slowly. I looked back at the audience and saw that they were all dancing now. A few were still only swaying with the music, but others were dancing rather sexually.

"Now you've listened to my story, here's the point that I have made," I paused, raising an eyebrow. Jasper leaned into his microphone and purred.

"Cats were born to give chicks fever, be it Fahrenheit or Centigrade," Jasper sang in my place, his voice low and sultry.

We both finished the verse in unison, and repeated the last line several times. Occasionally, I would pause, and say the line a few seconds after him. On the last repeat, I let out a low growl, as Jasper moaned softly.

Silence lingered for a solid three seconds before an eruption of applause filled the room. Maurice, Kate, and Tanya's faces were beaming in the back of the room.

'So much talent, I definitely plan on seeing this band through to the end,' Maurice thought.

"Thank you," Alice said. "What a lovely way to get this place moving! I'm so glad you all decided to dance with me. Let's see if we can keep the place shaking with this next cover."

Alice glanced at Jasper as she walked over to sit on the box-drum. He threw the electric bass over his shoulder and made sure it was tuned properly for the song. Within seconds, he nodded and I smiled at Alice.

"Take it away, Alice."

Her hands flew over the drum in a quick rhythm. She swung her head back and forth, matching the beat with her eyes closed. It reminded me of Stevie Wonder and I smiled, realizing my sister was truly enjoying herself.

"The sweetest perfection, to call my own," I sang quietly, building up the intensity behind the lyrics. I cracked a smile as a few of the audience began to cheer, recognizing the song.

I sang the first chorus, slowly growing louder with each line. When I reached the first verse, I sang with a sense of strength and conviction. The bass line came up in volume as Alice continued with her rhythm. The song held a lot of meaning for me. The lyrics were about needing a drug and calling it your own. It reminded me of Bella. I had once told her she was like my own brand of heroin. Little did she know how strong of an effect she had on me.

Just as we pressed into the chorus again, I looked up to watch the crowd. The whole room was swaying and dancing together, their bodies rocking in a matching beat. I sang to them, confessing my addiction to my own sangue cantante. Her sweet blood and delicious skin. It would never be mine again.

Jasper could sense my emotions dropping into despair and sent me a wave of calm, and peace. I smiled slightly at his act of kindness and finished the chorus.

I sang the next verse rather detachedly, simply going through the motions. I tried to not focus on the meaning behind the words to me, but the last line tugged at my heart. "But I know that nothing can stop me!"

Alice and Jasper both stopped playing, and I began the keyboard solo. This gave Jasper enough time to switch to the electric guitar and plug it into the distortion pedal. After the first few seconds of the piano solo, Alice picked the drum beat back up again, gradually getting louder. I took this time to pull myself together, pushing Bella from my thoughts. I stared out at the crowd and immersed myself in the rhythm. One song left, you can get through this, I told myself. I took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"Sweetest perfection… an offer was made… an assorted collection… but I wouldn't trade," I sang out loudly. Jasper played a chord at each pause, letting it ring through the distortion pedal and echo throughout the room. Alice hit the drum loudly on the last word and paused. Only the lingering notes of the keyboard and guitar could be heard for a split second before everything became silent.

We all grinned at the audience as they watched us eagerly. Jasper stepped on the pedal again as Alice leaned into the drum. We all began the song again, louder than before. Each instrument layered over the other, creating the illusion of a 'round' effect. It gave the song a delayed sound, like a constant echo throughout the room, vibrating and reverberating. This part of the song always made me smile. If I couldn't force a grin before, a natural one was sure to come to me during this portion of the song.

"The sweetest perfection, to call my own," Jasper and I sang in unison. We sang the chorus together, kicking the entire song up a notch in speed. As we finished the chorus, Jasper improvised a guitar solo. The crowd was cheering and clapping loudly as he finished the solo and we joined him in finishing out the song.

'It's easier to ignore the scent of the human blood while I'm immersed in the songs,' Jasper thought.

We finished the song abruptly at the same time and looked out at the crowd with a feeling of accomplishment. If we were humans, we would be panting and sweating profusely. A rush of excitement was buzzing throughout the entire room.

'That was awesome, Brother.' Jasper thought. The crowd erupted with applause and cheers once again. A few females called out to us with lewd remarks, but we just smiled and enjoyed the feeling of approval. 'If they enjoyed that, let's see how well they like our original,' Jasper said silently.

"Thank you," Alice said over the audience. A handful of the patrons wandered into the room through the curtain. "We have one more in store for you guys tonight. You have been awesome, and we hope to play for you again sometime soon. We are Virulent Disease, and this one is an original. Enjoy!"

"This one's called 'A Pain That I'm Used To' and we want to see everyone dancing," I said, trying to maintain the energy in the room. Alice took my place at the keyboard and switcher as I picked up my bass guitar from the stand. Jasper reset the distortion pedal for the right effect, and checked the tuning of his guitar. After a few seconds, he finished and I turned to nod at Alice that we were ready.

She flicked the switch on the board as Jasper stepped on the distortion pedal. He played the opening chords that would always remind me of power tools playing a guitar. I pressed the keyboard programmer and another guitar effect rang out loudly through the room. The crowd looked around at each other's expressions, confused. This song intro didn't sound like anything we had already played. I could hear their minds racing with thoughts of uncertainty.

"I'm not sure what I'm looking for, anymore. I just know that I'm harder to console," I sang. Jasper matched my pitch on the last word, as he sang it with me.

"I don't see who I'm trying to be, instead of Me. But the key is a question of control." Once again I sang the line through a steady voice, letting the last word linger in harmony with Jasper.

We finished the verse and immediately started the chorus with full force. Jasper played the chords harder than ever before as he sang in unison with me. We turned to face each other, only a few feet apart as we screamed the lyrics out with a new found strength.

We would lean towards one another, and then away in unison, almost like a dance with the instruments. The crowd was hollering as they watched us hammer out the instrumental part of the song. Jasper was radiating excitement and pure bliss. He gradually faded out the guitar before silencing it altogether.

I dropped into an almost silent rhythm. The only thing playing was my bass until Alice slowly faded in the keyboard. Jasper took a step to his right, giving me more room at his microphone. The next few lines were always the hardest for me. I swallowed the venom pooling in my mouth from the scent of the human blood still permeating the building. I closed my eyes as I leaned into the microphone.

"There's a hole in your soul like an animal. With no conscience, repentance, oh no," I growled out, singing the last two words with Jasper as he leaned against me.

'It's okay, Edward, keep going,' Jasper thought as he sent me waves of calm and an emotion resembling pride. I simply nodded and took another breath.

"Close your eyes, pay the price for your Paradise. Devils feed on the seeds of the soul." I sang, and swallowed once again. Jasper played the guitar melody in between the verse, leaning his back against my right arm.

"I can't conceal what I feel, what I know is real. No mistaking the faking, I care. With a prayer in the air I will leave it there. On a note full of hope, not despair."

The pain of the lyrics was evident in my voice as I cried out the last few words. Jasper stepped onto the pedal once more, letting the shredding of the guitar play out. The audience moved in waves, rocking to the music as we sang the chorus in unison, closing out the song.

I was flooded with so many emotions, and none of them were sorrow, or loss. For the first time in over four months, I was truly happy. I glanced over at Alice, only to see she wasn't at the keyboard. Instead, she was bouncing towards me faster than I had ever seen her move. She jumped on me, throwing her arms around me in a hug as I kissed her cheek.

"Thank you, Alice," I said quietly in her ear before letting her go. She just beamed up at me for a brief second before she turned and jumped into Jasper's arms. I chuckled softly and shook my head, turning back to the audience.

"Thank you everyone, for letting us play. We hope to be back soon. You guys were great," I said into the microphone. A giant hand clapped over my shoulder and squeezed firmly. I looked up to see Emmett grinning from ear to ear.

"Awesome show, guys! That was totally rockin'!" He laughed his booming laugh and I shook my head, smiling.

"Thanks, Emmett."

I noticed Tanya and Kate in the back talking to a few of the people that had seemed really into the music. Maurice was standing with them, nodding his head in agreement to their conversation. He turned to look at me, noticing my gaze, and began to head towards the stage.

"Edward! That was wonderful, absolutely amazing! Such talent you three seem to posses, and in more meanings than just the obvious one," he chuckled and raised an eyebrow. He had sensed the emotions being thrown from the stage, I guessed. A second later, his mind confirmed my assumption.

"Ah, yes. That would be Jasper. He has a gift. We hope it didn't bother anyone?" I asked politely.

"No, no, of course not! Quite an interesting talent to experience, that's all. No harm done, of course. Now, where is that lovely sister of yours? I would like to speak to you three about booking more shows!"

"I'm here!" she chimed from behind me. She was tugging Jasper along with her.

"Oh good! Now, I was just telling Edward here how much talent you all posses. I would love to have you three play a full show, if you would be up for it?" Maurice asked with excitement.

"Of course!" Alice squealed as she bounced in place. "We don't have enough original music yet, but when we do, I will definitely let you know! It shouldn't take us too long!"

"Sure, of course. That is to be expected. I also thought I should tell you," he paused, looking around cautiously before continuing, "that I also have a recording studio, and equipment for mass production of CDs should you three ever be interested in making a demo. I would love to help you to produce, and even manage your band if you are ever interested. I would be most pleased to have you on my label."

Jasper gasped quietly and looked over at me. I looked to Alice, who must have seen this coming. She smiled brightly up at me and just shrugged her shoulders. I rolled my eyes and sighed. Of course she saw this coming.

"I think we should work on some more original work before thinking of joining a label," I said calmly. Alice's face dropped into a sad expression and she stopped bouncing. I smiled and shook my head at her antics.

"However," I paused, looking back to Maurice, "I think that's definitely something we would be willing to consider in the near future, should the offer still stand." I bowed my head appreciatively at Maurice. He nodded and placed one hand on my shoulder.

"Of course, Edward! The offer will still be there, should you three decide to try and 'make it big' as they say." He reached into his coat pocket and handed me one of his cards. "Just give me a call anytime, with anything you might need. I'd be happy to help." He gripped Jasper's shoulder tightly and smiled down at Alice before turning to walk back to his booth in the corner.

Emmett was already loading the jeep with the gear when we were left standing alone to think about Maurice's offer. I knew I truly enjoyed playing live, much more than I thought I would, to be honest, but I wasn't sure I would want that kind of publicity, and attention.

'How big do you think we could make it, while still being discreet? I mean, the eyes and skin are bad enough, but then traveling, and the smell of that many humans in one arena, plus the possibility of daytime or outdoor shows…' Jasper thought to himself.

"I agree, Jasper. I'm not sure how far we could actually go with this, but let's just worry about making the music first, and see where it leads." I turned and looked down at Alice who had a slightly sad expression on her face.

"There are plenty of ways we could handle those problems. Like contracts that have guidelines stating we won't do daytime or outdoor shows, that we want privacy, and no full lights while on stage. Keep it mysterious as to who we are, and never truly release our identities. I'm sure Jenks could help us out with that part, "Alice commented.

"That's true. I think it's something to really think about. But I agree with Edward, we need to work on making more music first. But I have to admit, that was the most fun I've had in a very long time," Jasper said with a grin.

As we walked outside, Emmett was just finishing up with the equipment. It was all loaded neatly in the Jeep and SUV. When he turned and saw us walking out, he grinned widely and threw his hands in the air.

"Awesome show, guys! I can't wait for the next one! The way you shredded that guitar, man…" Emmett paused to show us his imaginary air guitar skills as he kicked and jumped around. Jasper just chuckled at his brother's antics and shook his head. "It was wicked, Bro, wicked! I knew you guys would be awesome!"

He continued to jump around in the snow, playing air guitar and thrashing his head around. Jasper patted him on the back as he opened the door to the SUV.

"Come on, Emmett. Let's go home. While I enjoyed the show too, I'm not too fond of the club," Jasper said.

"Ah, man! Come on, there was some rocking music going on! What's not to like?"

Jasper shook his head, stifling his laughter. I turned away from my brothers and opened the front door to the SUV. I noticed Tanya and Kate standing in the doorway, talking to some of the patrons who seemed to enjoy our show.

There was an eerie silence and a long pause. When I turned to look back at my siblings, I noticed Alice's eyes were glazed over and wide open in shock. Jasper turned to her and asked her what was wrong. Images from my sister's mind assaulted me, causing me to gasp loudly as I watched her vision flash before my eyes.

A knocking sound as someone gasps. Music is being played somewhere very loudly. A pool of blood is smeared on the wooden floor. Her eyes are open wide, and filled with fear. She falls to the ground as her door swings open. Everything becomes blurred as she screams 'Edward'. She sobs, shaking on the floor in a crumpled mess, covered in blood. Everything goes black and foggy as a scream pierces the music and sobbing loudly.

I shut my eyes tightly as I tried to force the scream out of my head, but it continued to ring out in a perfect, crisp, echo. I opened my eyes and realized it was Alice screaming. She crumpled to the ground quickly. Jasper tried to catch her, but she slipped through his hands and began to shake violently.

"What is it, what did you see? Alice! What did you see!" Jasper asked her firmly, clearly panicked.

He turned to look up at me with a terrified expression. His eyes grew wide when he saw my own reaction. Through his eyes I saw my face twisted into an expression of pain and agonizing terror. I looked from Alice to Jasper, and swallowed. I stared at my brother, wishing the vision wasn't true, but Alice's sobs and shrieks of fear told me otherwise.

"Bella…" I choked out.

"What? What about her? You aren't supposed to look, Alice—" Jasper screamed.

"I didn't! I wasn't looking! It just happened. Oh god, it just happened? Just now. It's happening now. Edward! It's happening now! We can't stop it, she's…" Alice's eyes grew wider with panic as she realized the vision wasn't of the future, but of the present. Bella was dying as we stood here, and there was nothing any of us could do about it.

"But what happened, what did you see, Alice? Maybe she'll be okay; you know how clumsy she is sometimes…" Jasper commented, trying to keep everyone from panicking. He sent us waves of calm, but they had no effect on any of us. They just washed right over us.

Emmett looked from Jasper, to me, to Alice, and back to me, completely confused and afraid to speak. Tanya and Kate had walked up to us, and were watching the situation unfold, uncertain of what to do.

"No!" Alice shrieked, "She didn't just fall down, or get a paper cut! There was blood, everywhere, and… she screamed... she screamed his…" She tried to continue, but turned into Jasper's chest and sobbed louder.

"She screamed out my name," I said quietly. "Before she collapsed to the floor in a pool of her own blood, and screamed in terror; screaming out my name. Then everything went black…" I felt like my mind had left my body. I could hear myself saying the words, but I didn't want to believe them.

"Try to look for her, Alice. Look for her again!" Jasper said with a shaky voice.

Alice closed her eyes tightly and thought of Bella. Her mind was filled, but not with an image, just two colors. All she saw was red, covered by a black fog.

"No…" she whispered, barely audible. "No!" she screamed, clenching her fists in Jasper's shirt tightly.

"It's just red and fog. Just blood red in a fog…" I said slowly, detached. I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes.

The smell of her hair. The innocence in her smile. The color of her eyes. The smell of her skin. The warmth of her flesh. The pink of her blush. The taste of her lips. The feel of her touch. The sound of her heart. The sway in her step. The sound of her laugh. The feel of her breath. The smell of her blood. The taste of her blood.

"NO!" I screamed as my memories came crashing in around me. "Not her!" I cried out.

Alice turned away from Jasper and gasped. Her hand flew to her lips as she trembled. "Edward! You have to go! If you run, maybe you can make it there in time. Don't stop for anything, I'll call you with any plans, so answer your phone, but don't stop running. Edward! Go!"

"What?" I turned and looked at my sister, confused. She wanted me to run to Bella when she was already gone? I couldn't save her, she was gone. I couldn't save her, no one could.

"If she were dead, it would just be black. I can still hear her heartbeat, Edward, I still see a fog. Maybe you can get there in time!" Alice looked at me, heartbroken, but with a glint of hope in her eyes.

"Edward, GO!" she said again, insistent. I just blinked at her, not moving. I could still save her?

"Damnit, Edward, GO!" she shrieked.

I turned and ran.

Song question for the chapter: Name one song you think is extremely seductive, and makes you think lust, either because of its beat, or its lyrics, or where/how you heard it played. I will confess, 'Fever' is one of mine.