A/N- Let's officially get this party started! Katydid2363 rocks my socks off because she just does. Angstaddict09, Dinx, & fngrcufs- I love you girls more than you know. Thank y'all so much for everything.

Now, a few disclaimers & warnings. First off, the time lines for the events that happened after Katrina are pretty inaccurate. Why? Well, to speed this story along. Most people didn't come home right after the storm. It was months before people really began to filter back in, so please excuse me if you're from down there and it seems as if everything is moving at a faster pace. I'm trying to keep all facts straight with the city itself though.

Secondly, I would like to state for the record that I am an Edward and Bella girl 100%. With that being said, please don't hate me for the events that occur at the beginning of this chapter. If you make it to the end, I'll provide more explanations then. Third, this chapter has some drug references in it. It won't be a common occurrence but it's there to provide back-story for one of our characters.

The song that will be used for Bella's POV chapters is The Avenue by Cowboy Mouth.

Stephanie Meyer owns all.

O
O
O

Chapter 1

Water
Broke past the levee
My heart
Beats hard and heavy
There's so much more to say
But I'm Silent
For now.

-The Avenue, Cowboy Mouth

BPOV
October 7, 2005

God love the man that was hovering above me because I sure as hell didn't.

This was a fact and he knew it but damn it if he didn't look good, hands wrapped around my ankles that were on either side of his head as he worked me over. His sandy blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and the thick sheen of sweat on his forehead made me want to cum right then and there. Then again, that could have been because it had been damn near two months before I had gotten any.

Thank God he came back to the city. And thank everyone else that even admist a natural disaster that he was still willing to satisfy my sexual beast.

It was a strange relationship really. We weren't attached to one another by any means unless we were fucking and then we were attached, well…we were attached. It was a sexual relationship at best. When I needed to get laid I called him up. When he was in the area he paid me a visit. Simple really. No feelings, no I love you's, no I'll call you tomorrow. Just plain ole fucking. I'm pretty sure the only time the words 'I' and 'love' were uttered in the same sentence with him was when I was shouting how much I loved him fucking me. What could I say, James was a good lay.

It was a convenience that had started several months before Katrina. James was an all around handy man and when I needed my pipes unclogged at my apartment in the Quarter he came over to help out. He ended up staying and unclogging another pipe as well. From that moment on, he had become my fuck buddy.

I wasn't looking for a relationship and he wasn't looking for a woman to tie him down. I worked entirely too much to have to worry about where my man was and if he would be home when I finally rolled in after five in the morning. My dad's club was my boyfriend. Day in and day out I helped out around the place. Whether it was working behind the bar, filling in for one of the waitresses, or more importantly jamming with the band, I lived at that place more than I did my own apartment. That was of course before the storm hit.

We had been lucky however in that most of our staff was all accounted for. But between getting the place back in tip top condition to reopen and helping my parents clean out their house, I stayed gone.

The last time James and I had met up for one of our nightly rendezvous was a week before the hurricane. I hadn't spoken to him the whole time I had been in Shreveport but when I saw him walking down Royal Street I nearly jumped his bones right there. After we caught each other up on the know how's of what had happened to each of us during the storm, I took him back to my apartment. That was how I ended up with my legs wrapped around his neck.

"Oh God, Bella," he panted as he continued to pump himself in and out of me. "It's been far too long dawlin'. I've missed this so fuckin' much."

His authentic New Orleans accent made my toes curl. Then again it could have just been the intense feeling I was feeling between my thighs. I ran my palms over his bare, slick chest while he gripped my ankles tighter.

"You right, James. Ugh!" I moaned as he hit the right spot every time he plowed into me. "It's been way too long."

Releasing my legs from around his neck, I folded them around his sides. He grabbed my waist and pulled my body closer to his. Our bodies smacked against one another making noise as he worked me over. His hands traveled over my bottom and across my flat stomach towards my breasts. He took one in each of his hands and kneaded them, teasing my hard nipples before lowering himself and sucking them in his mouth. I moaned loudly as he playfully bit at the flesh.

"Fuck me, James. Fuck me good!" I chanted as he pumped harder.

I could feel my lower half begin to tense as my orgasm began to take over my body. Without too much affection, James lowered his mouth to mine and licked along my lips before sticking his tongue in my mouth. I sucked on it like I would have done his cock. I felt him grow larger inside of me and I knew we were both gone for.

"I'm cummin' James." I shouted and grabbed a fist full of his hair. "Oh, Mary, mother of God, I'm cummin' so fuckin' hard."

"Yeah, girl, cum for me. Show me how much you've missed this cock and I'll show you how much I've missed your pussy."

"James, shut up and cum," I said as I dug my nails in his skin.

I moaned and bit down on his shoulder as the last of my orgasm rode through my body. Just as I was coming down from my high, James unleashed himself inside of me. He had thrust himself into me hard and stilled while he filled the condom of all he had just promised.

We lay on the floor of my living room, too eager to make it to the bed when we entered, for a few moments as we caught our breaths. I felt his dick twitch and laughed, pushing him off of me just slightly.

"What's so funny?" he asked brushing back the strands of hair that had stuck to my forehead.

"You feel like you're ready for round two," I said, running my hands up and down his muscular arms.

He smirked and moved himself in and out, teasing me.

"Don't write a check your ass can't cash," I said playfully.

"Oh I've got money in the bank, boo. It's been just as long for me as it has been for you."

I cocked an eye at him because I knew he was full of shit. "You're tellin' me you've gone this whole time without a piece of ass?"

"Technically speakin', yes."

"Technically speakin'?"

"Ah hell, Bella. Don't get all jealous on me," he said as he rolled over onto his back, officially disconnecting our bodies.

"Who in the fuck said I am jealous? I know you better than that James. We might just be fuck buddies but you've got a dick for Christ's sake. Don't sit here and feed me a line that you haven't gotten any since the week before the storm." I sat up on my elbows and looked over at him. His hands were clasped together over his stomach and he was still slightly panting. He turned his head and looked at me.

"Alright, I got some, but it was just a blow job. Not sex," he explained while he sat up, resting his head on his hand.

"That's what I thought. What time is it?" I had to be at the club at four to help Charlie set up for the Friday night crowd.

"Three thirty. You got time for one more?" James slipped his hands between my thighs and ran his finger through my wet center. I moaned and threw my head back, arching my hips. I felt him scoot closer when he began to kiss the nape of my neck.

Without giving it a second thought, I pushed him back so that he was against the floor and climbed on top of him. Round two was just as orgasmic as round one.

Fifteen minutes and a total of three orgasms later, I stood up from the floor and looked around my living room for my clothes. James continued to lay on the floor, sprawled out while I searched.

"How's the club doing?" he asked after I located my jeans and slipped them on.

I shrugged. "Considerin' everything not bad. We're one of the few that are back in business and fully staffed. We're lucky that we're in the Quarter. For some reason the bars there don't have to abide by the eight o'clock curfew."

James stood from the floor and walked over towards me while I turned in circles trying to find my bra and tank top. Topless, he grabbed a hold of my waist and pulled me against his naked body. I looked up at him, my hands against his pecks trying to push him away.

"Hey, hey I'm not askin' for another go," he said pulling me closer. "I just wanted to know when I might see you again. I guess the old sayin', absence makes the heart grow fonda really is true."

I shook my head and rolled my eyes. He smiled and kissed each cheek, my forehead, and then my lips.

"What? I can't say that I don't remember you being that amazin' in bed?" His hands had begun to rub along my sides up to the sides of my breasts.

"So I was a bad fuck, James?"

"No, that's not what I meant. I guess I'm just surprised. I don't know Bells. The storm really fucked with my head ya know?"

I nodded. I did know. "I got'cha."

"Come here," he said, pulling me as close as our bodies would allow without penetration.

I looked up and for the first time since we had been reacquainted, I saw sadness in his eyes. I brushed aside a stray hair that had fallen in his face and kissed him with as much passion as I could for someone I didn't love. "I'm here," I whispered.

"Look, I'm sorry. It's just that so many people are still missin'. Even you, Bells. I didn't have a clue as to where you were. Hell, we've been messin' around for how long now and I had no idea you had family in Shreveport. I didn't know where you were or how to get a hold of you. I'm just relieved to know that you and your family are safe."

"Right back at 'cha. I don't mean to be a buzz kill but I got to get goin' or Charlie will have my ass."

He kissed the top of my nose before he released me so that I could finish getting dressed. He did the same as I put on my shoes and grabbed my keys and purse. Before we headed in separate directions, we both agreed that we'd see each other when we saw each other. That usually meant in about a week or two, one of us would be tracking the other down. Like I said, it was a relationship I was as comfortable with as he was. No strings attached, just sex.

Tizzy's, the jazz club my dad owned, was located four blocks from my apartment. I walked the empty streets towards the club, taking in my surroundings. A year ago these streets would have been bustling with tourists and locals alike. But now, it was quiet. Every day I saw an increase in the foot traffic but I knew it would take time before it was like it was before.

I turned the corner onto Chartes from Dumaine when I saw one of my dearest friends. With his trombone over this shoulder he stopped when he heard me coming near.

"Jazz Man!" I yelled down the street.

"Tizzy Izzy. Baby what you know good? Wait, what the fuck, boo?"

I walked up to his outstretched arms. He wrapped his arms around my waist and stared at me for a few moments, appraising my appearance.

"What Jazz? What's wrong with me?"

"You got laid didn't you? Awe fuck me B," he said, smiling.

"Been there done that, Jasper and as I recall, it was beautiful while it lasted." It was true. For a long while, Jasper and I had a similar situation like the one James and I currently had. Had it not been for the fact that I had seen Jasper snorting lines of coke off of Jessica Stanley's fake ass stripper tits we might have still had our arrangement.

Jasper and I had been friends for as long as I could remember. His dad left when he was little so that left his mom to raise him alone. She did the best she could, working day and night to provide for the both of them. Ultimately, it resulted in Jasper staying at my house a lot. When we reached that age when you start to discover yourself and the opposite sex, we lost our virginity to one another. At the tender age of fifteen, it was the most awkward thing I had yet to experience.

We went to different high schools, not an uncommon occurrence for kids raised in New Orleans. Jasper's mom could barely afford the tuition needed to get him into Brother Martin, an all boys' Catholic school. But what she lacked for in funds, Jasper made up for it with his mad trombone skills. He ended up on a full ride scholarship to one of the best schools in the city. Opting not to expand his higher education, he chose not to go to college. Instead, he played gigs around the city. For him, a college degree meant nothing. All that mattered was that he would have somewhere to play his horn. Music was Jasper's passion, as it was for all of us raised in the Treme.

But music wasn't the only thing Jasper had a passion for. Going to an all boys' high school did little for one's social activities. I should know. I went to Mount Carmel, a sister Catholic school for girls. I sometimes wonder if that was part of my reason for not wanting a relationship with a man outside of a quick fuck. They hadn't been a part of my daily life growing up, why add them to the mix now? Jasper was the same way. He couldn't hold down a relationship other than the one nightstand. I was the longest fling he had ever had.

During the time Jasper and I were using each other for sexual means, he had begun to grow distant. I could have cared less that he got me off, in the best way possible every single time, but as a friend he had began to slip. Towards the end of our reign, I had been on my home from the club when I saw two shadows in the alley next to my apartment. I grabbed my can of mace and flicked on the small flashlight that was on my key ring. That's when I saw Jessica Stanley, naked from the top up, pressed against the wall. Jasper had one hand massaging her left tit while his nose was pressed against the right. The light from my flashlight made Jessica's head turn towards me. Jasper staggered away from her, and looked up to me, wiping his nose of the cocaine residue.

It didn't make two shits to me that he would have most likely fucked her right in the middle of that dark alleyway next to my apartment. We had no ties to one another. What pissed me off was seeing the white powder on the inside of his nose and the way he made it seem like it was no big deal.

"Come on, Tizzy Izzy. Don't be mad." He had said as I walked closer to him, shining the bright light on his glazed over eyes. "I've got an idea. How about the three of us head up to your apartment and finish this little party."

That's when I hit him square in the jaw. It was two weeks before I had seen him again and by that time, James and I had started screwing around. He promised me he wasn't using any more and he had cleaned up. I had hoped at the time that was he was saying was true but he knew, from that fateful moment on, that I'd never share my bed with him again.

Not that I had really ever shared my bed with a man to begin with. Fuck buddies weren't overnight, sleepover guests. It was a, get on-get out, type of affair. I didn't want to wake up next to them the next morning or roll over and realize that they had already bolted. It made things weird. Keeping distances like I had made the situation more attainable. We'd both get ours and then get on with our day. All around it made everyone that much happier.

I had grown to love him over the years in a strictly platonic sort of way, the platonic sort of way that gave me intense orgasms.

"Why you wanna bring up old shit, Bells? I'll have you know I've been clean for months now."

"Is that so? Couldn't score blow with no one in the city could you?" I said as he held me close to his body.

"That helped but in all seriousness I started to get clean before that bitch hit town." His hands started to rub circles on my lower back as he held me in his arms in the middle of the street. "You know you could drop James and hook back up with me. You know better than I do that I'm a better fuck than he is."

For Jasper to tell me that he was really off the blow, I wanted nothing more than to believe him. His eyes no longer had that lost look and his nose was no longer raw. I wasn't being a pessimist by any means but I had to wonder if and when he would start using again.

I kissed him quickly on the lips and smiled. "I never said you weren't Jazz Man. Now, you want to escort a lady to work?"

He pulled our bodies apart and held out his arm for me to take. We walked the short distance to Tizzy's talking about the changes that had happened to the city. From the water lines on the houses, to the blue tarps on the roofs, New Orleans was one sad looking lady.

Jasper held the door open for me as we entered the club. Before the storm, Jazz had been playing the trombone in the small brass band we housed for live entertainment. Emmett McCarty, the tuba player and a high school comrade of Jasper's walked out from behind the bar, a cold Dixie beer in his hands. He held the beer up for the both of us to see, surveying the bottle.

"Ya know," he began in his thick Cajun accent, "when Rose and I were at her sistas in Houston you couldn't find Dixie any where."

"It's a New Orleans thing, Em," I said, joining him behind the bar and pouring myself a glass of water.

"It's a tragedy, B. They didn't have shit in Houston. No crawfish, no po-boys, no good jazz music."

I clapped him on the back and took a sip from my glass. "No drive thru daiquiri shops and no go cups either, huh? You should have come to Shreveport with us. At least then you would have been in the same state with the same type of local flair."

Emmett looked down at me with disapproving eyes. "Same type of flair my ass Bells. North Louisiana ain't got shit on us. All they are is a bunch of wanna bes."

Jasper had been at the stage, prepping his trombone. He smiled, eaves dropping on our conversation.

"What you smilin' about Jazz man? I hear you've scored yourself a FEMA trailer? How's that workin' out for ya?"

Jasper laughed. "It's workin'. Ain't the best set up but it ain't the worst neither. Just glad to have a roof over my head that ain't blue."

"Awe, I see you two finally made it in." My dad called out as he rounded the corner from the back of the club where his office was.

"Hey Daddy. Sorry we're late. Lost track of time I guess," I said giving my old man a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Jasper snorted at my excuse. My dad was none the wiser but the look I gained from Emmett told me he knew something was up. Quickly, I changed the subject.

"Where's Rose at?"

Emmett joined Jasper at the stage and began strumming lightly on his string bass. "She's at the house. The FEMA people finally showed up today and when I left she was rippin' that poor soul a new asshole."

"How much damage do they reckon y'all got?" Charlie asked, wiping down the bar.

Emmett shrugged. "Enough. I mean, we don't have no water lines in the house but the roof is in pretty bad shape. Rose says she never wants to see the color blue when this is all ova with."

"Yeah, you and the rest of the people in the city. Speakin' of blue roofs, when they comin' to fix yours, dad?" I asked as I walked around the club, wiping tables down before the crowds arrived.

"Emmett? You tell me? When you gonna start?"

"I'm hopin' in the morning. I found all my tools this mornin' so I should be good to work. I was afraid the damn looters had taken all my shit."

The front door opened and a tall, leggy blonde sauntered in, muttering a string of profanities under her breath. Rosalie hardly acknowledged any of us as she made her way towards the back to put away her stuff. A minute later she returned speaking loudly for all of us to hear.

"Those mother fuckers want to tell me it will be months before I see a damn dime. Why in the fuck am I payin' for flood insurance if they ain't gonna cover my ass in a timely manner?"

"I take it things didn't go well with the FEMA man?" Jasper asked, grabbing himself an Abita.

"Didn't go well is the understatement of the year. I'm pretty sure that asshole will never step foot back on my property. Charlie, what did they tell you when they came out to your house?"

"Pretty much the same thing Rose. I'm gonna to have to come out of my own pocket for repairs until they can reimburse me."

"That's bullshit." Rose said, sitting on one of the barstools. "This has got to be the biggest clusterfuck in the history of all clusterfucks."

My dad walked closer to her and patted her shoulder. "You right, Rosalie. And the sad thing is half the city hasn't even come home yet. You and me, we got lucky, comin' home first and gettin' them out there early. Imagine if we had waited another month or so? I'm pretty sure it would be a year before we got anything."

I excused myself from their discussion and set off for the back of the club to work on anything I could find. I was in a much better place than the rest of them. Living in the Quarter, we had not seen half the damage that the other parts of the city had seen. After a few minutes Rosalie joined me. She took one look at me and rolled her eyes.

Rosalie was from Mid City, not far from the Treme. She and I had become good friends after she and Emmett had begun dating. She had attended a different a girls' Catholic school from myself. Before running the day to day business at Tizzy's, she was one of the coveted coyotes at Coyote Ugly. That's where she and Emmett met and soon after, she left the one bar for another. She's been apart of our little family ever since.

She and Emmett lived in the Garden District now, where Emmett was from. When his parents moved to Tennessee they bought their house and completely remodeled it to fit their style. It was one of those glorious old homes that just screamed New Orleans. It had a big porch with huge white columns. Ferns hung off the balconies and during Mardi Gras, it was the spot for our carnival fun seeing as how it was right off the parade route.

She shook her head and took the chair next to me. "I see you reacquainted yourself with James."

I returned the favor and rolled my eyes back at her. "Do I have 'I fucked James' written on my forehead or somethin'?"

"No, you can just tell you got laid that's all."

"Whatever. So? Yeah, I got laid this afternoon. Do we need to alert the presses?"

"Damn girl, don't get your panties in a wad. I would have figured after being without for two months getting' a little dick would have made you a little happier." She leaned over and whispered, "It must not have been what you remembered."

I stood up from my chair and huffed. "It was just fine. He served his purpose." About that time I heard an unfamiliar voice coming from the front of the club. My dad was laughing and then I heard someone call my name.

"Isabella? Good Lord Charlie, you don't mean little Isabella do you?"

I looked at Rosalie who had taken the same stance as me. We walked out of the office and towards the bar. When we turned the corner we both stopped dead in our tracks.

"Holy shit," I said, cupping my hands over my mouth.

My dad laughed and the exquisite blonde haired man I had only seen in pictures smiled. He smiled so bright his damn eyes twinkled. Whose eyes did that?

"The apple apparently doesn't fall far from the tree I see. Damn Charlie, she looks just like you and even has your bad mouth," he said looking me over. "This can't really be her?"

Charlie laughed. "I know. God help her though, at least she got her mothers voice."

"Clarinet," I blurted out. "I prefer the clarinet to singin."

Carlisle Cullen, "The Doctor", looked at my dad and back to me. This man was a local legend. I had never met him personally, only having seen him in pictures. He and my dad had grown up together and began playing in a band together early on. My dad stuck around to run the bar and Carlisle moved uptown and began laying tracks with musicians who needed a jazz pianist on their records. Everyone in the city knew of The Doctor. He was one of the city's most beloved residents. The nickname stuck with him after people claimed he could cure their musical sickness.

"Carlisle Cullen," he said making his way over to shake my hand. "It's good to see you Isabella. The last time I saw you, you were runnin' circles around ya momma while she sang on that very stage," he said, gesturing to the stage that Jasper and Emmett now occupied.

"Bella," I corrected him. "It's just Bella."

He smiled and nodded looking around the room. "Speakin' of, where is Renee?"

"Still in Shreveport at her sistas," My dad answered. "What was it that she said Bella?"

It was my turn to laugh. "That she wasn't going to live in a goddamn FEMA trailer or a house with a blue tarp as a roof."

Carlisle laughed along with me. "So how is it comin' along? With the house and all?"

Charlie looked over at Emmett. "Well my handy man over there says he's gonna get started in the mornin'. Until then, Bella here is gonna have to double up on the clarinet and vocals."

"Is that so?" Carlisle said arching an eyebrow. "Well, I might have to stick around to see this."

"If you're going to stick around you might as well make yourself useful. I could use a good piano player."

Carlisle rolled up the sleeves of his crisp button down shirt and nodded. "I'd love to, Charlie. Anything I can do to help I'm more than willin'."

That night we played to a packed house. I took lead vocals on a few songs, but for the most part, stayed in the back playing my instrument. Jasper and Emmett were on fire as they played alongside a local legend. My dad was like a little boy on Christmas morning. The light in his eyes as he played next to his old friend made me smile. For the first time since we had been home, it felt right. The music felt alive as well as the city.

By three that morning, the patrons had begun filling out. Rosalie and I started clean up while my dad and Carlisle sat at one of the tables catching up. It was good to see my dad happy about something for a change. We had let the disaster of the storm get us all down. I was happy to see him look hopeful for a change.

After the nightly chores were done, the rest of us pulled up chairs and joined the two older men.

"So, Doc, if you don't mind me axin', how did you find Charlie?" Emmett said downing his beer.

"Well it's been years since we've even talked. With our families and lives to run, we let go of our friendship. I saw Charlie's picture in the paper right outside the bar. They were talkin' about the city getting' back up and runnin' and the feature they did was on him and this place."

We all nodded remembering the day the news reporter had interviewed Charlie.

"I'm embarrassed to say that I had no idea how to get in touch with you after the storm. There wasn't a moment that passed that I didn't think about you and your family and if y'all were okay. So when I saw the picture and the write up, I made it a point to come out here."

"All the way from Uptown," Charlie teased.

Carlisle laughed. "Yes, all the way."

"How did your house hold up Mr. Cullen?" I asked, resting my elbows on the table.

"Carlisle please," he said waving off my formal use of his name. "Uptown doesn't look a bit out of place. The only things we lost were some trees. I'm truly sorry for all that you are going through. I want you all to know that I am here to help in any way I can."

"In that case, you might want to get familiar with the piano in there. The crowd loved seeing you up there," Charlie joked.

"I think it was a combination of seeing both of y'all up there," Rosalie said stealing Emmett's beer.

"Well I for one must say that it's good to see you young kids lovin' the music as much as us old farts do," Carlisle said, looking to each of us.

"It runs in our blood, Doc. What is New Orleans without the sweet sound of jazz?" Jasper asked, leaning back in his chair.

"A town with a drinkin' problem," I joked, winking at Jasper from across the table.

"I think it's the tourists with the drinkin' problems, Bella. We've been able to control ours for years," Carlisle said as the table erupted in laughter.

"Speakin' of kids, Carlisle, what about yours? You've got two right?" My dad asked peaking my interest.

Carlisle nodded. "My oldest has been in New York for a few years now. He left New Orleans after college and moved up there. He works for the Met now." We all made faces like he was a big to do. "He's made quite the name for himself amongst the music circuit there. And my youngest, God bless her, she and Esme run an interior design business not far from the house. They have been workin' their tails off these past few weeks though, handin' out flyers, enticin' people to call them when they begin their remodels."

"They're gonna have their hands full pretty soon I'm afraid," Charlie said.

"No doubt but they love it. I'll bring them in tomorrow night," Carlisle looked at his watch and sighed. "Or tonight I should say."

"That was fun up there kids," Carlisle said addressing Jasper, Emmett and myself. "I haven't jammed out like that in years. You know what you're missin' though don't you?"

We all shook our heads in unison. "A cornet player. It ain't a jazz band without a cornet player."

"Well, when you find a good one who wants to play you send him my way," Charlie said, getting up from his chair.

"Actually, I might be able to help there but I'll need your help in return."

Charlie rolled his eyes. "Me help you? How so Doc?"

"How about you puttin' on a benefit show to help out local musicians? You're one of the few long runnin' jazz clubs in the city operatin' at full capacity. Imagine what you could do. I know you. You have a shit load of money set aside to get your house fixed and get Renee home without havin' to wait on the damn insurance money. But I'm sure Emmett and Jasper here don't have those kinds of resources."

Charlie seemed to think on this for a long moment. Carlisle had a point, a really good point. A benefit concert was just what the doctor had ordered.

"Dad, I think it's a great idea. Maybe all the money we make that night could go into a fund for strugglin' musicians. We could help bring them back home." I said, sitting up a little straighter in my chair.

"I have a club to run Bella. Who in the hell is gonna be behind this thing?" Charlie said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I could, with the help of Carlisle. C'mon dad. Let's bring the music back home."

"Alright," Charlie finally said with a huff. "But this is your project. I've got too much going on with this place and the house to worry about it. You and the Doc are on this you here me? But, that means that Carlisle has to play here on the weekends."

Carlisle laughed. "I already told you I would do whatever I could to help. I'll be here every Friday and Saturday night. I swear."

A million ideas had already begun to run though my head at the idea of a benefit show. Who could we get to play? When would we do it? There was so much to discuss and consider that it excited me to no end. I could hardly wait to start the planning stages and working with a local legend only added to my excitement.

As we parted ways in the early morning hours, Carlisle pulled me over to the side and handed me a folded napkin.

"What's this?" I asked as I clutched the paper.

"You're cornet player. Call him." I looked back down at the paper and up again only to see Carlisle walking away down the street.

Slowly, I unfolded the paper where a name and a phone number were written.

Edward Mason
212-555-6541

O
O
O

A/N- Did you make it all the way to the end of the story? I haven't lost you? For the record, I want you to know that this will be the only time you see these two like this. Like I said, I'm an E&B girl all the way but these characters do have separate lives and they don't even know each other yet. Just give it a chance and trust me.

Next update should be in about a week or so and we'll hear from Edward then.