Hey everyone! I just want to say thank you a million times to everyone who has read this story and reviewed/put it on alert/etc. I know it's cheesy and cliché by now, but the all the action really does spur me on to keep writing more than you know, so please please I beg you, keep it up!!

Secondly, I wanted to address something that I thought may be bothering some of you… I don't want to give away the plot, but I do want to say that I don't plan on having Edward and Bella cheat on Jake (at least not physically). Infidelity puts a nasty taste in my mouth, and I don't want that to cheapen anything E and B may have going on. Plus, even though I'm not really on Team Jacob, I still respect him and I don't want to do that to him. Hopefully that helps you guys stomach this plot more.

Oh, and in case you are wondering… if you want to hear the band that I am loosely basing Volterra on, go listen to From Autumn to Ashes for the musical style and Coheed and Cambria for the epic-ness of their concept. If you want to know what I'm basing Wolf Runner on, go check out bands like 3 Inches of Blood or Hatebreed. Hope that helps! Onward to the next chapter, shall we?

BPOV

I grasped the mix c.d. Edward had made for me. After we had parted ways in the club, I had to run back to van to get my laptop and my headphones so I could devour it. The butterflies in my stomach were trying to claw their way out as I loaded the c.d. into the disc drive. I waited impatiently for it to start, staring at his beautiful handwriting on the back of the jewel case. I was familiar with some of the bands, but not with all of them.

I felt the music start to flow over me. The first song was so sweet and gentle. I felt my hands shake as I listened to it. When he started singing, "won't you fly away with me?" I felt my stomach twist. I tried to ignore the words and just appreciate the song without trying to read into the underlying message.

I sat back and closed my eyes, picturing the way Edward's crooked smile stole over his beautiful mouth. It was like a flash of sunlight; it wasn't something you could stare directly at without burning your eyes.

The next song started up. It had a dirty delta blues feel to it. I was immediately excited to hear more from this band, because I grew up listening to blues courtesy of my mother's eclectic taste in music. I always felt somewhat silly listening to musicians that were around way before my time, so I was really happy to find a band that had the same style in current pop culture. The song itself felt sexual. I blushed. I was not going to go there in my head!

I decided I needed to open my eyes so I would stop seeing Edward's face. I pulled up the internet and started researching the bands on the mix so I could hear more of their stuff. Midway down the list, I realized that so far all of the bands were from the Midwest. I felt the butterflies in my stomach go into overdrive. Did he really remember that part of the conversation we'd had the other day? I was shocked because I figured Edward had just been killing time, not really interested in my little quirky habit that I had admitted to him.

I felt a little bit more of my steadfast resistance against my crush on Edward dissipate. I really needed to stop this before it got out of hand. I just couldn't do this to Jake.

Oh, a cover of Amazing Grace was on the c.d. a couple songs later. I loved this song. My mother always got tears in her eyes when she heard it, because Grace was her mother's name. My maternal grandmother had died when I was just a baby, so I didn't remember her, but my mother had been really close to her. I felt a tear drift down my cheek. Edward obviously didn't know my personal attachment to this song. I enjoyed the unique take on the song and girded my mind against the emotions running over me. This was a coincidence, but being emotional about it still made it feel like there was a deeper connection and I really didn't want that to happen.

I listened to the rest of the c.d. and took a few moments to myself. I wanted to relax and get myself together before I went to find Jake. I wanted to forget Edward and focus on my boyfriend. I steadfastly ignored the tiny voice in my head that urged me to find Edward and thank him. I didn't need to be around him right now, it would be too much.

I climbed out of the van and tried to keep my eyes straight ahead, scanning the outside of the club for Jake. I spotted Embry and Quil out of the corner of my eye, so I headed toward them to ask them if they knew where Jake was. They told me he was inside the club watching the last band, so I headed in that direction.

I found him standing near the back with Seth, nodding his head to the beat of the double bass pounding from the drummer's kit. His eyes were focused on the movements of the lead singer, undoubtedly analyzing his performance. Jake was always doing that whenever we saw bands like his; he wanted to be the best performer he could be so he spent a lot of time trying to perfect his onstage act. I personally thought Jake was already really great when he was up there. He had such charisma and he really knew how to work the crowd. He was always a lot of fun to watch.

I walked up to him and laid my hand on his elbow. He immediately looked down into my eyes and smiled. "Hey babe," he said.

"Hey. Are you having fun?" I asked.

"Yeah I am. These dudes totally rock!" he answered.

"Well I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out with me somewhere before we have to leave for the next show," I pleaded. We hardly ever got alone time and I felt like I really needed to focus on us. I was trying to drum up as much excitement as I used to have at the idea of being intimate with Jake. I felt angry with myself for letting my stupid emotions get this far out of my control.

Jake's smile spread across his handsome face and he grabbed my hand, walking swiftly toward the back of the club. We found Quil hanging out with Emmett and Jasper in the staging area where all the equipment was waiting to be loaded up.

"Hey guys, do you want to get some rooms tonight instead of driving? We have the next two days to get to the next town. I know we were planning to get there early but Bella and I are beat and I really want to take a shower tonight. What do you think?" Jake asked the guys.

They all agreed and went off to find everyone else and tell them the plan. Jake offered to go ahead to the motel and get the rooms. I grasped his hand as he practically jogged out of the club. Just down the street was a nice motel that appeared clean and inexpensive. We paid for the rooms and Jake dragged me towards the elevator, obviously impatient to be alone with me. I sighed and smiled, enjoying his blatant excitement. We hadn't had sex since before we stopped in Seattle, so I knew what was on his mind.

We got to the room and went inside. I had thought to grab my bag from the van, so I had my toiletries. I wandered to the bathroom, ready to take a shower and clean up a bit. I would have to find a Laundromat soon so I could wash some of my clothes; they were starting to smell seriously funky.

I stripped out of my clothes quickly and climbed under the steaming hot water of the shower. I was washing my hair, humming one of the songs from Edward's Midwest mix c.d. when I felt a cold gust of air from the bathroom door opening. I continued to wash my hair, rinsing the soap out just as Jake climbed into the shower behind me. I looked up at him, my eyes drifting over his wide chest. He was heavily muscled and extremely tall compared to my own petite frame. His face glowed with lust and excitement as he ran his hands down my sides, pulling me towards him.

Our kiss was comfortable and warm. We had been together so long now that the electricity we once had had settled into a comfortable buzz. I felt my arms reach up and wrap around his neck as I stood up on my tiptoes to deepen the kiss.

Jake's strong arms wrapped around my waist and I became aware of an unpleasant feeling settling into my stomach. In my mind's eye, I could see the last person my sanity wanted to be seen, and the first person my errant hormones felt needed to be there. I valiantly tried to push the image of Edward's arms wrapped around me out of my head. Finally, I succeeded and lost myself in the moment with Jake.

Later, as we lay on the damp sheets, I felt the unpleasant feeling coming back. I felt so angry with myself for not being able to shut off this stupid crush. I had a really good relationship with Jake, and I didn't want to hurt him. He was a good man, and I knew how much he loved me. Jake was always the one who was so sure of our relationship, even in the early days when I would nervously dance around the issue. My parents loved him and I got along with all of his family and friends as well. I tried to focus on the warm feeling of contentment that settled over me at the thought of our future together.

Suddenly, though, our future had a grey cloud hanging above it. I no longer felt as assured about my love for Jake. I wondered if it was enough.

EPOV

After giving Bella the mix c.d., I wandered around the club awkwardly. I didn't know what to do with myself. The girls in the crowd were still staring at me and I felt the usual discomfort. There was absolutely nothing sexy about a sloppy drunk girl hanging all over me. I shook my head and tried to find the rest of the guys.

I wandered into the back staging area and found Jasper and Emmett hanging out with Seth and Quil. Embry was wrapped around some chick in the corner, trying with all his might to suck her face off. I grimaced as I quickly averted my eyes. Quil's gaze followed the direction of my eyes and yelled at Embry, "Dude, get a room!"

Embry just continued devouring the girl while he lifted his left hand, flipping Quil off. We all laughed and I turned to Emmett and Jasper. "Hey, so what's the plan for tonight? Alice and Rose told me that we were getting some rooms instead of driving tonight?" I asked.

"Yeah, Jake and Bella said they wanted to get rooms tonight so they could shower and sleep before we drive to the next town." Jasper said.

Quil just snorted and said sarcastically, "Yeah, I'm sure they're just interested in 'sleep!'" He then nudged Emmett and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and they both busted out with loud obnoxious laughter.

I felt something dark and unwanted twist in the depths of my stomach. I suddenly felt the need for fresh air, and lots of it. I shoved my hands in my pockets and tried to bring a normal expression to my face, hoping nobody noticed the quick flash of jealousy that I was reluctant to admit to myself, let alone my friends. I couldn't let anybody know about this ridiculous crush I was trying so hard to deny.

"I think I'm going to go get some air then, guys. I'll catch up with everyone back at the motel. Just call me so I know where to go," I said.

I could feel Emmett and Jasper's eyes burning holes in the back of my head as I walked away. I was sure Quil wouldn't notice anything strange about my behavior, but my family surely would. I didn't want them to know what was going on inside my head. To admit my feelings for Bella would somehow make them realistic. If I admitted what was on my mind, it would always be there and they would think about it every time they saw Bella and me together. I couldn't take the idea of them teasing me or worse, telling Alice and Rose. I knew how close they had become with Bella, and I didn't want them to slip and say anything to her. I knew I wasn't going to get a chance to act on my crush, so I would do better to keep it completely to myself. No one could ever know how much I thought about the beautiful girl with big lonely brown eyes.

So sorry this chapter is short, but I really have so much homework to do before I go to work. I just couldn't help myself, though. I had to write! I needed to write! I want to know what you guys think of this chapter. Maybe you can give me some good ideas for the next one if you review! I already have the entire thing plotted out in my head, but there are a few things that I'm open to adding or omitting:) 3