This was originally meant to be an entry for the 'I'm With The Band' contest hosted by the Wayward Pushers; however, I could not fight my writers block and get the story out in time. My boss at my real-life job has recently asked me to test out Pandora and write about the songs that came on - why I liked them/what they did to me/etc, and it was the push I needed to finish this short snippet.

Having finished this at 12.30 in the morning, it is entirely un-Beta'd, and all mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy it, and I must admit, it feels great to have rediscovered my muse. Bella is a little OOC here - she's really me in disguise, but hey, it's fan fiction - I get to play with the characters a bit :-P ~B

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Jasper, iPods or the Beatles. I do however, own all the books in the saga, DVDs and Beatles Cds, and an iPod. ;)

~S~

When we arrived home from school, and Edward left to go visit Bella before her curfew, I headed straight upstairs to my study. The dark wood walls, and my comfortable wingback chair were waiting for me, along with my slightly dusty record collection. The rest of my family was constantly hooked up to their iPods, discmen, whatever current media technology was out there, but I still preferred the crackle of vinyl and the hiss of static.

"Man, join the twenty-first century." Emmett complained from the next room when he heard the needle drop. "Christmas, you're getting an iPod."

I ignored him, knowing he snuck into my study to listen to some of the country records the way he remembered from his human life. The only member of the Cullen family who didn't use my record player at some time was Bella, and my only suspicion was that she didn't know about it - yet.

Bella and I, over the past several months, had slowly formed a bond. Neither of us fully trusted the other, even if Bella swore she had forgiven me, but we realized that we had a lot in common. Loyalty to our families, finding our soul mates after going through hell, and a love of music. I would be the first to admit, that second to Edward, music held the biggest draw for me…something to do with the words and instruments serving to drown out any outside factors.

I could never put into words why I needed music, but even as a human, the desire to lose myself in it was there. And now, as an empath, I needed the escape more than anything.

Sinking into my chair, the opening notes of 'Come Together' filled the room, John Lennon's Lewis Carroll inspired lyrics muddying the emotions of the house. I shut my eyes, and let the words paint pictures behind my lids. The song faded into the next, and I lost track of time, awash in music and peace.

"I hear…Beatles, on vinyl." A soft voice broke through my thoughts. "Abbey Road."

"You can tell what album he's listening to?" Edward was stunned, voicing the thoughts running through my head. I could have sworn the music would be too low for her to hear. "And you could tell it was on vinyl?"

I could almost hear the blush in Bella's voice as she answered, "I can pick them out from a mile away. I don't know how, but I've always been able to tell when there's Beatles music playing. Renee calls it my freaky gift."

"I'd say" Emmett coughed, loud enough for Bella to hear.

"Emmett's the Beatles fan?" Bella was confused, skeptical even. "That doesn't seem to fit him…"

"It doesn't" Emmett agreed, this time lowering his voice beyond Bella's range.

"Who were you picturing?" Edward seemed genuinely curious.

"Jasper." Her answer was matter of fact. "I see him as a country guy mainly, but someone who can appreciate the meaning behind songs, especially if they're ones John Lennon has written. There's just something about John that I think Jasper could identify with…"

Her voice trailed off towards the end of her thoughts, embarrassment at being outspoken catching up with her.

I nearly fell out of my chair, and from the sound of it, Emmett and Edward had both dropped something, if not falling themselves. "Send her up here Edward. I want to see if she really gets it."

"Come on. Jasper needs to see this himself." Edward sighed, his voice still filled with shock.

Bella felt annoyed, most likely at the fact that he was underestimating her bond to music. The annoyance allowed her to speak her mind once more, "Jasper will understand what I mean, you clearly don't."

Their footsteps were hurried, both eager to prove a point to the other, though I was at a loss on what Edward could prove in this moment.

"Try us." I finally spoke when their forms filled my doorway. I leaned forward slightly, my enthusiasm to hear what she had to say overriding the tempting scent of her blood.

Bella took a deep breath and glanced between the two of us. Behind her, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett and Alice had all poked their heads out of doorways, curiosity piqued.

"Music is what feelings sound like." She shrugged, meeting my gaze with a determined one of her own. "It's easy to get lost in the lyrics, the instrumentation, and just release all the suppressed emotions of the day. It's cathartic."

I exhaled. She was right, I understood.