AN: I'm sorry this has taken so ridiculously long. RL and writer's block got in the way - thanks to Brooklyn10 for chivvying me along! Hopefully (fingers crossed) the next one won't take so long, as I'm nearly on Christmas break. Hope you like this and please review! Love Jude ;) x

Last chapter:

She froze as her gaze met a strangely familiar pair of dark eyes.

It was him. It was Soda Boy.

He reached up to brush that same dark blonde hair out of his eyes, the coloured lights glinting to momentarily colour them red in a face to which her memories had not served full justice. Seemingly even more gorgeous than before, a guy for whom modelling agencies would contemptuously throw aside their best in favour of. Becca's eyes skimmed down his body, noting how his dark shirt contrasted with his pale marble skin – why was tan fashionable, anyway? – and how his perfectly fitted jeans hung low on his hips...

Her eyes slid back up, almost guiltily, to find those lips twisting slightly at one side in a small smile. Becca's heartbeat quickened, and she blushed; she could have almost sworn in that moment that he suddenly froze, but in a split-second she made her decision and diverted her course towards Hamish so that she headed for the door instead.

She was still a few steps from him when he took one sudden, graceful step back, holding the door open in a mute offer for her to precede him outside.

Without a second thought, she did so.

Broken Melody

The abrupt chill of the night hit her as she stepped out, and Becca paused to allow her eyes to get used to the sudden darkness as the door swung closed behind them. She could smell his scent in the air around her as she brushed past him, an electrifying jolt shooting through her arm as their skin briefly touched, and led him a little further from the union building so that the music faded and she could hear her own heartbeat throbbing in her ears. He moved so silently that she wasn't quite sure that he was following until she turned round and came, once more, face to face with him. That sweet, intoxicating scent she remembered washed over her so that her reflex reaction was to breathe in deeply.

Becca saw him smile, but she must have been imagining the queer note of bitterness in the slight twist of his mouth. "You haven't been around for a while," was the first thing she could think of to say.

"No," he replied softly.

A short silence. Music pulsed steadily in the background, while the wind whispered more quietly around them, tugging insistently at Becca's hair. She couldn't move her eyes from his.

"You remember me," he added at last.

Not sure whether that would appear to be a good thing or not, Becca hesitated before settling on the truth. "Yes." Her word was as simple as his first answer.

"Not a lot of people do." Something flickered in his eyes. "But you did before, as well."

Another pause. The silence was strangely comfortable, none of the awkwardness that Becca would have perhaps expected in such a bizarre situation.

"What's your name?" Becca asked at last.

"I'm Shade." His lips quirked slightly, as though at some intensely personal joke, but she was distracted from thinking about it any more by the delicious curve of that mouth.

"That's...unusual." She eyed him suspiciously, and Shade chuckled.

"No, really. That's my name."

"Shade." She tried it out, savouring it on her tongue before nodding once. "I'm Becca."

"Pleased to meet you." Again that strange, self-mocking twist to his lips which she couldn't place a reason for, and for a moment sent a flicker of uncertainty sweeping through her; for a second she considered turning away, going back to the familiarity of the loud music and where her friends gathered together in the warm light, away from this man whose dark, captivating eyes held secrets. Yet even as she considered it, Becca knew she would not walk away from him so easily.

There was a quiet again, broken only by the insistent beat of the music which had somehow seemed to fade until there was nothing but him and her, her heartbeat thudding so loudly in her ears she was almost certain he could hear it; indeed, he lifted a finger to rest directly over the pulse in her neck. His touch, although feather-light, was enough to make her shiver as his finger – freezing from the chill of the night air – brushed across her skin, his eyes never leaving hers as she was unable to look away from him either.

Her breath caught in her throat as his fingers grazed lightly once, twice up and down her neck, as his head dipped down towards her –

And then, suddenly, faster than she could blink, he had pulled back, was standing a distance away from her with his hands caught in his hair so that his shirt rose up to reveal a sliver of his toned stomach, but it was the tortured expression his his face she saw as he turned.

"Too close," he murmured softly. "Too close..."

"What do you mean?" Becca asked him. "What's the matter, Shade?"

But he didn't answer.

"Are you all right?" she pressed worriedly, taking a slight step forward, but he flinched and she froze mid-step. "Shade..."

His eyes lifted to meet hers once more. "Amazing," he whispered. "I was so close to...and you're worried about me."

"I don't understand."

Shade dragged his hands through his hair again, his frustration almost palpable. "It's nothing," he told her shortly.

"Fine." Irritated, confused, Becca half turned away, couldn't help but spin back round to face him. "Who are you, Shade?" she demanded. "Why are you here? Because nobody ever seems to know you, nobody remembers you." Her eyes sought out his, begging him for an explanation. "I don't even know why I care, but for some reason I do, and something tells me I shouldn't."

"Maybe you feel like you shouldn't for a reason," Shade murmured softly. "Maybe you should listen to that something."

Becca took a step closer, pleased when he didn't move away. "I very rarely do what's good for me," she replied just as quietly; saw his brow wrinkle into a frown.

"You should," he told her seriously. "I could be anyone – anything."

"You're sending out very mixed signals, you know," Becca told him. "You're telling me – what? – that I shouldn't have anything to do with you, and yet you were the one who spoke to me first." She held up a hand, and after a moment's hesitation he placed his in it. A shock ran between their conjoined fingers, Becca drawing a short, involuntary breath at the sensation, but Shade's eyes were shadowed and unreadable.

"You fascinate me." He spoke quietly enough that she had to strain her ears to hear, and Becca couldn't help thinking that she wasn't really meant to. "How could you not, when you do that?" He lifted their linked hands in a way that made her abruptly glad it was dark so he couldn't see her blush as she considered the electrifying shock. "You give every appearance of being sensible, and yet...well, you're here. I could be anyone," he said again. "I could be..."

"Promise you won't hurt me, then, and I'll believe you," she laughed.

He closed his eyes. "You shouldn't be here."

Becca felt an odd, sharp pang to her heart at Shade's rejection. If he didn't want her, what was he doing? "But I am."

"You're a sweet girl, Becca."

For some reason it struck her that he hadn't actually said her name before that moment. There was a note of resignation in his voice as he did say it, as if he'd made some sort of decision. Becca hoped that the decision didn't involve what was 'best' for her. "You don't know that," she contradicted him with a smile, her voice shaking.

"I do," he replied with a certainty to his tone which confused her.

There was a long pause in which Becca wasn't certain what to say. The music seemed to swell in volume to fill the quiet, the wind swirling around them to stir the girl's hair and caress her cheeks with fingers somehow warmer than the ones which still held her own. It was as if the wind was whispering in her ear, trying to give her a warning she couldn't quite hear, because the pulse of the music was just insistent enough that the voice of the wind died unheard. Music...

"Damn, I need to get back!" Becca's exclamation must have startled Shade, for he dropped her hand abruptly. "I'm meant to be playing soon..." She hesitated.

"Go on," Shade urged her.

"Will you be here...?"

Shade shook his head slowly. "I don't know."

"But why not?"

The wind ruffled through his hair, sent dancing shadows across his face so that it was impossible to see what emotion was written across it as he took her hand again. "That's why. I like you, Becca."

"That should make it easier, then." She tried to smile, not quite able to manage it as her eyes met his earnestly.

He laughed, but it wasn't a happy sound, and he didn't say anything.

"Please, Shade."

He paused a moment longer, before lifting her hand to his lips and brushing a light kiss across her knuckles which sent a queer shiver down her spine. He held it there for a second more, eyes closed as he inhaled deeply with something akin to agony suddenly clear on his perfect features. "Goodbye, Becca."

"But..." For some reason tears leapt into her eyes.

"Go on." His cool fingers traced a path down her cheek. "You don't know me. Go back to your friends. Be safe."

"Shade, please."

"Go!" Suddenly harsh, he let go of her fingers and Becca stumbled back, blinking – but when she looked again, he had vanished into the darkness. She stood dumbly for a moment, unable to speak or move, before she turned quickly to go back inside, suddenly afraid of the night surrounding her as chills ran down her arms and the wind's unintelligible murmurs seemed all too suddenly menacing.

"Nice of you to join us, Ryan," Jamie teased as he gave her a hand up onto the stage. "I was about to come look for you."

"I was talking to someone," she apologized. "I forgot what time it was."

"Sure, talking." Jamie grinned. "I'll believe you, though, little sister. Thousands wouldn't." He peered at her more closely. "Are you okay, Ryan?"

"Of course I am. Why, don't I look fine?" Becca turned away, pretended to fuss with her reflection in the window, and sure enough Jamie backed right off.

"You look great, Ryan. You ready to sing for us?"

"Absolutely." She forced a smile, found it even harder as Matt appeared behind her with his guitar slung on its strap over his shoulder. "Did you find Sarifina then, Matt?"

He shook his head. "I don't know where she went. You didn't see her, did you Becca?"

She felt like screaming at him for calling her Becca, but she knew he'd only look at her with those wounded brown eyes and ask her what was wrong, so she didn't. "I'm sure she's around," she told him comfortingly. "She wouldn't miss watching you play."

All the feelings which Shade's presence had somehow held at bay came flooding back. The problem, Becca considered morosely, was that Sarifina was actually somebody she'd like to have as a friend – if she wasn't dating Matt. And that was what the issue came down to in the end.

"Everybody set?" Chris's grin was wide as he jumped back onto the stage followed by his cousin. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah." Jack flashed his teeth nervously in an impression of a smile. "Always better with some alcohol."

"Yeah, well I hope you haven't drunk enough that you'll screw up," Chris growled.

Jack opened his mouth to retort, but Becca jumped in, sensing that with the nerves and tension the boys were more likely to fight. "I'm sure it'll be fine," she assured Chris. "Is everything organised, Ross?"

"Ready to go," he nodded. He lifted a small, hand-held camera and aimed it at them all with a grin. "Any final words?"

"Ross, don't be an idiot," Chris rolled his eyes. "Just...good luck, everyone. You feeling okay, Ryan?"

"Jesus, why does everyone keep asking me that?" Becca complained laughingly, nonetheless fidgeting with her hair. "Just because I'm a girl –"

"You're a girl?" Jamie pretended to fall back in mock horror. "Well, in that case, how's about a good luck kiss?"

"And he wonders why he doesn't have a girlfriend," Jack laughed good-naturedly as Jamie grabbed Becca in a hug. He glanced sideways at Matt, who was glowering at the bassist. "Oh, lighten up, Matt," Jack muttered under his breath. "Ryan isn't your girl, remember?"

"I know you're nervous, but you'll be great," Jamie murmured in Becca's ear as he hugged her. "Love you, baby sister."

For some reason, Becca found herself clinging to her friend, the tears she'd held back before pricking at her eyes. At least the love she had for some of her bandmates was uncomplicated, and she couldn't have had better brothers in Jamie, Chris and Jack if they'd been related to her. "Thanks, Jamie. Love you too." He dropped a kiss to her forehead, chuckling at Matt's scowl.

"Any time, Ryan. I think you'd best go kiss the others, too, before Matt bites my head off."

Rolling her eyes, Becca obeyed, quickly going to hug the other boys and coming to Matt last with a sudden shy awkwardness. Her arms slipped around his waist, his over the top to meet in the small of her back, and her nose nestled – because that was where it reached – in the crook of his neck. Becca couldn't help but note how easily they fitted together, only a second before her mind added that he didn't smell as good as Shade.

Where had that come from?

Distracted, Becca barely noticed as Matt pressed a kiss to the top of her head, didn't really hear the murmured, "Becca, baby," which he mumbled into her hair. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out onto the centre of the stage with the others as the lights died down, and the cheers rose, eyes scanning the crowd restlessly to find Jen who mouthed good luck to her as she stood in Dan's arms.

Her eyes drifted on further as she took hold of the mic, and Becca froze as they met a dark gaze filled with shadows. She looked again, but Shade was gone; but Becca knew he was there, and she heard the opening beats of the song with satisfaction and a smile on her face.

Please please review! Love Jude ;) x