Entry for the Song Prompts Contest.

Beta'd by CoppertopJ – Thank you so much for fixing my many mistakes, and finding a way to rearrange my often complex, run-on, confusing sentences. You're awesome!

Summary: Bella was having a rough time in life, until she was anonymously gifted with some music and a pair of headphones. Four years later, she credits those headphones with saving her life. But who was the secret gift giver, and will they ever meet again?

Pairing: E/B

Rating: M

Song/Lyrical Inspiration: "Headphones" by Matt Nathanson

DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.

…

Invincible

I'll never forget the first time I saw Sue Clearwater. She was absolutely beautiful with her long flowing ebony hair, smooth russet colored skin, and high cheekbones that any model would envy. After all the torment I had suffered from my stepfather, being at my dad's house was such a relief, and getting to know his new perfect wife seemed like a godsend. I couldn't have been more wrong…

Everything started out great. I had always been shy and introverted, which I could blame on the trauma I suffered while living with my alcoholic mother and her diabolical husband, but in truth, I was just naturally on the quiet side, just like my father. Sue was the exact opposite. She was so bubbly and friendly to everyone she met, and in the beginning, I found it to be a breath of fresh air.

Sue's daughter, Leah, was a grumpy tomboy who always rebuffed her mother's attempts to do girly things with, so Sue took me under her wing, and together we did all the stereotypical mother-daughter bonding experiences I always wished I could have done with my own mother. We went to the spa, had our hair done, and she even took me to one of those fancy makeup places where they customized the colors to match your skin. It was such a new and different feeling being pampered in that way, and for the first time in my life, I felt safe.

Aside from the maternal relationship I was forming with Sue, and the familial connections with Dad and Leah, I was beginning to truly feel happy. I was also gifted with a truck for my seventeenth birthday. It wasn't new or fancy, but it was quite possibly the coolest vehicle I had ever seen.

With newfound confidence from my stepmother's makeover, and my own truck to drive myself everywhere, I took to being the new kid at school with ease. Everyone was so friendly, and in that first week I received more attention from guys than I ever had before. I was like the shiny new toy, and all of the boys were eager to play. It was almost overwhelming.

However, the one boy who caught my eye, was the one who acted as if I didn't even exist. Edward Cullen was popular, not because he was some jock or partier, Edward Cullen was popular because he was just perfect, and all of the girls flocked to him like the perfection he was. I couldn't even pinpoint what made him that way, there was just something about him. It almost seemed like he was on a different level than all the other guys at school.

I tried engaging in a conversation with Edward a few times in biology, but he always seemed bored, or uninterested in anything I had to say. So rather than continue to make a fool of myself, I decided to let it go and just crush on him in silence.

A month after starting school in Forks, I found myself in the most popular group, dating one of the most popular guys. Mike was captain of the football team, and student body president. Before moving there, I never would have even imagined ever finding myself in that position. I was a completely new person, thanks to my sweet, caring, stepmother who gave me the gift of feeling some self-worth.

Of course, my new life was too good to be true, and like anything that was too good to be true, it soon ended just as fast as it began.

Four months after I first moved in with my dad and Sue, I got pulled out of class and told that my dad was killed that morning in a car accident. It was a terrible blow, and I was beyond devastated. In addition to losing my father, I was also faced with a horrible realization...

"I have to go back to my mom's, don't I?" I asked emotionally after my father's funeral.

"Legally, you're still a minor and she has rights to you, but you're seventeen, I highly doubt you'll be forced to go back. You can stay with me as long as you want," Sue assured me.

"Really?" I asked, feeling a spark of hope during that dark time.

Thankfully, my mother was too drunk to even attempt to fight for me, so I wasn't forced back to the hell I had recently escaped from. Little did I know, I was entering a new level of hell.

Everything was different after my father died. Gone was the loving stepmother I now knew Sue had only pretended to be with me. She almost seemed to blame me for my father's death. As if it was my fault he picked up an extra shift at work that fateful day, and ended up getting into that horrible accident. Who knows, maybe she was right. I sure felt my share of guilt.

Without my father's income, and due to some kind of weird holdup for his life insurance, money was tight. I got an after school job to help the family, but it wasn't enough. The stress was getting to Sue, and somehow it was always my fault.

"You are not leaving this house until it's spotless!" Sue hissed at me when she saw me getting ready to leave one Saturday morning.

"I have a study group today for finals," I tried telling her. It was one of my few days off of work as well, but Sue didn't care. The house needed to be cleaned, and she now had her own Cinderella to do it for her.

As I spent the morning cleaning the already tidy house, Sue took her two kids out to breakfast. In the days and weeks that followed, the three of them practically ate out for every meal, while I stayed home and was forced to eat canned food since there was absolutely nothing in the fridge to cook. When I asked why I couldn't go eat with them, Sue gave the same excuse she used for everything. There wasn't enough money, and I had yet to finish my chores. It was all bullshit, especially considering I was the only one of the three kids that contributed financially to the family, but I knew it could always be worse. I had experienced the worst of the worst with my mom, and I was desperate not to be sent back there, so I kept my mouth shut, and did what I was told.

As the weeks turned into months, all of my previous superficial confidence boosters fizzled away. My nails chipped and broke, my hair frizzed, and my makeup ran out, and of course we couldn't afford to replace any of it. When Leah's car needed a new transmission, she was given my truck as a replacement, and I was forced to take the bus to school and work.

Because it was the superficial things that drew my new friends to me, I figured they would all abandon me as well. I was no longer new or shiny, however for some unknown reason, they all were still there. I only wish I was…

"Hey, let's go out tonight," Mike suggested during one lunch break.

"I can't," I replied vacantly. "I have to be home to help Sue.

"Well, when can you go out?" he asked frustrated.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Probably never."

"You know what, Bella, I know your dad dying has been hard on you, but you're acting like you just don't care about anything anymore. I'm still here, and you still have friends, even though you have been walking around here like a zombie lately."

"You don't understand…"

"You're right, I don't. I never said a word about your sudden change in appearance or lack of desire to do anything outside of school. I'm still here. Still wanting to be with you. Everyone still wants to be with you, but you're the one pulling away. We can't support you in this tough time if you won't let us. I just want you to talk to me, Bella."

A single tear rolled down my cheek, but I quickly wiped it away. Mike was such a sweet, all American, boy next door type, who came from a great loving family. He would never understand what I have been through, and I wouldn't want him to either. I couldn't talk to him about anything, and as I caught a glimpse of my unkempt reflection in the window behind him, I knew we just didn't belong together anymore.

"Mike, this isn't going to work. I think it's time we go our separate ways."

"You're just going through a hard time. It will get better," he insisted.

I shook my head. "No, it won't. We will be graduating soon, and who knows what will become of us. It's best to just end it now," I told him, feeling completely dead inside.

Mike was upset, but I knew it was for the best. I was going nowhere in life, and the last thing I wanted was to drag him down with me.

As Mike sulked away, something made me look to my left, and I noticed none other than Edward Cullen, standing there, seemingly silently watching me. His eyes glowed with curiosity, which only pissed me off.

Mr. Perfect picked that moment to finally notice me? Well, fuck him!

Without taking a moment to think it through, I found myself lifting my middle finger in his direction. He raised his brows in shock, and he may have even smirked, before turning and walking away. I could do nothing but shake my head at the entire thing. The day, my life, it was all just going to shit.

Not only did I end things with Mike, but I also withdrew from my friends as well. None of them were mean or rude about my changed appearance or attitude, but I didn't fit in with them, and I just didn't have it in me to take it anymore.

Two days after my withdrawal from all social aspects of my life, I was surprised to see an MP3 player with a set of headphones, just sitting on my desk in biology class.

My first thought was that someone accidentally left them there, but when I picked them up to hand them in to the teacher, I found a note.

Bella,

When life sucks, turn to music to get through it. You can feel invincible for five minutes when you lose yourself in a song. I've pre-loaded this with all my favorites, but there is plenty of room for you to add to it. Just remember, all the shit life spews at you is just noise. Tune it out, and never let it get to you. Be invincible.

…

There was no indication of who it was from, so I looked around the room to try to figure it out. A couple people looked back at me, but only met my stare with a dirty expression, so I quickly averted my eyes. I had no idea who left it for me, but it was definitely the gift that changed my life.

Every time I felt down, or was being buried by one fucked up situation after another, I would turn to those headphones. The sender was right - when I drowned out the chaotic noise of my shitty life, and just got lost in the music, I did feel invincible. I honestly didn't know how I would have gotten through the rest of the year without that music.

...

The moment I turned eighteen, I was homeless. Sue was out of the government assistance check from having me as a minor in her house, so I was out of a home. Not that it ever felt like home since my father died.

It wasn't a shock to me. In all fairness, she had been warning me it was coming. But because I had been giving her every dime I had made in my shitty part time job, I had no way to support myself. I had one more paycheck after my birthday, and that money was mine. I cashed it, and then bought myself a one way airplane ticket to New York City, and never looked back.

With limited funds, I quickly applied for jobs anywhere I could. I was forced to sleep in a homeless shelter for a week, but then I was finally hired as a delivery-person for a sandwich shop. It made barely enough money to keep me fed, but the owner of the shop did give me a break by saying I could sleep in the back room. I was grateful until he made his true intentions clear. I could sleep in the shop, if I was sleeping with him.

As desperate as I was to keep a roof over my head, I refused to be someone's whore. Of course, turning down the boss also got me fired, so I did the only thing I could – I put on my headphones, and walked back to the homeless shelter.

The nights in that place were horrifying. Some people screamed all night, others talked nonsense continuously, while others couldn't keep their hands to themselves. It was easy to feel broken in a place like that, but as low as I was, I still had one thing – my headphones. Everything else was just noise, and I was invincible.

The following week I miraculously got a job in a restaurant as a busboy – or busgirl, in my case. It actually paid decently, and I was allowed one free meal a day, and best of all, I was able to work while listening to my music. Before long, I managed to save a little money, and two waitresses asked if I wanted to rent the third room in their apartment. I certainly couldn't pass that up.

Rose and Alice, my two new roommates, were sweet and funny, but their goals in life were far different from my own.

"I just know this will be it," Rose said one afternoon.

"What will be what?" I asked, having a hard time feigning interest in whatever she was telling me.

"This audition. Bella, haven't you been listening to anything I was saying?" she asked with frustration.

"Sorry," I said sheepishly, pulling my headphones off. "What now?"

"I'm auditioning for a major agency. Well, it's actually a competition for unknown models. But here's the best part, the winner gets to be on the cover of the magazine!"

I crinkled my brow. "Is that something you want to do?"

She huffed. "Who doesn't want to be a famous model or actress around here?"

"I don't," I replied without hesitation.

"Well, what do you want to do?" she questioned.

I raised my shoulder and shook my head. "I don't know… just live, I guess."

"You really don't have any aspiration to be better than what you are right now?" she asked incredulously.

"To tell you the truth, I haven't given it much thought."

"Well then, you are coming with me to the audition," she said unexpectedly.

"What? No. Rose. Really, I'm not the modeling type."

"Then what type are you?"

"Honestly? I have no idea. I'm just…living one day at a time. I have a roof over my head, and food to eat, so I'm good."

"Oh, come on. There is so much more to life. You might really like it. Just come with me, and see what it's all about."

For whatever reason, I found myself agreeing to go. It was completely uncharacteristic for me, but perhaps I was looking for something - anything really. Anything to make my life a little less dreary.

Modeling wasn't it. From the moment we arrived at the audition, I knew it was a bad decision. There were so many hopeful women there, all of which were more beautiful and more eager than me. There didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason for the girls that were picked. They were all beautiful, which meant it was basically a scratch ticket lottery. It all truly seemed random.

I wanted to leave the moment I got there, but I felt a little uneasy about leaving Rose alone, so I stayed. I honestly wish I didn't. When it was my turn to meet with the agent, I was shocked by the lack of professionalism that I found. It was just the sleazy agent and me, in a small room, where he proceeded to tell me I was special and he wanted me to go to his house after to further discuss it. I would have just declined and then left, but the man disgustingly ran his hand through my hair, and proceeded to smell it before telling me how beautiful I was.

After a swift kick to his groin, I ran out of the room and aimlessly walked around the city for a while. When I finally made it home, I told Rose what happened and I was shocked by her response.

"Look, that's just what's done in this field. You endure it, and then you're on your way. It sucks, but a few hours of discomfort is worth a lifetime of being a supermodel. All of the greats went through it. Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer. Just go back and apologize, and then get through it. I'm sure he won't even mind if your wear your headphones the whole time."

I laughed once humorlessly.

"Bella, you have an opportunity that not a lot of people get. He didn't proposition everyone in that way, so that meant he saw something in you. You're not the typical Barbie doll beauty. You have something special. Take advantage of it."

I stared at her in disbelief, and then shook my head and walked away. Even if Rose's attitude towards harassment was the norm in that industry, I refused to go along with it. I had already been the victim of a disgusting man's fantasy, and I swore I would never knowingly put myself in that situation again. I didn't need or want to be a model, especially after learning the price they wanted me to pay.

When I went into the bathroom to take a shower, I ended up just standing in front of the mirror for a long time.

Why me? Why did men keep doing this to me? I wasn't pretty, at least not by model standards. I just didn't understand it. Were all men just sick jackasses that took what they wanted and didn't give a damn about who they hurt?

Deep down I knew that wasn't true. My father was a good man. Hell, even my high school boyfriend, Mike, was a decent person. It was just me. I honestly felt like there was something about me that was like a beacon for jackasses.

Suddenly I had a flashback to my mother brushing my hair as a child, and telling me someday I would drive men wild with hair like that.

Without taking a moment to consider it, I picked up a pair of scissors, and cut a huge chunk out of my hair. When I wasn't satisfied, I grabbed Alice's electric razor and shaved my entire head.

Deep down I didn't honestly believe my hair was the cause of being harassed. Sickos didn't need a reason, and their evil ways were no one's fault but their own. However, watching my long dark locks hit the floor was almost liberating in a way I couldn't possibly explain. In a society that sees hair as a sign of beauty, I was so happy to buzz all of mine off.

…

Four years passed, and I had gone absolutely nowhere. I had moved up from bussing tables to waitressing, but that was the only thing that changed in my life, and I was actually okay with that.

My hair had grown out slightly from the buzz job I did on myself, but it was only due to laziness. I still kept it fairly short, but I simply didn't have the motivation to buzz it constantly, and I had no desire to have it long again.

Since moving to New York, I had a few short term boyfriends that weren't total pricks, but they always wanted to either take care of me, or take advantage. Both were unacceptable in my book. I didn't need anyone to save me. I had been let down one too many times, and I had come to the realization that I didn't want anyone else. If I only ever had myself to rely on, I could never be hurt or disappointed again.

Rose and Alice were still waitressing as well, but unlike me, they both still had aspirations of making it big someday. Rose still went on weekly modeling auditions, and Alice wanted to be on Broadway. They both seemed like ridiculously impossible dreams, and yet, deep down I wished I still had some kind of dream. Something to hope for, even if it never came into fruition. Hope was what kept most people going. For me, however, all I had were those five minute breaks I took during the cracks in the chaos, when I could listen to my music.

It was the beats. The arrangements. The melody. The depth. The underlying meanings. Music was so much more than a way to pass the time. Music was time. It was everything, and everything else was just noise.

But then one day everything changed. It was a normal Saturday night at the restaurant, but that night was far from normal.

"Bella Swan," a man's voice said as I walked up to take his order. My head was down as I took out my notepad, but when I heard my name I looked up, and right into a blast from the past.

I raised my brows. "Edward Cullen."

It was almost disorienting to see someone from my small home town on the opposite side of the country, but I couldn't just stand there gawking either. "Uh, what brings you to New York?"

He smiled that smile that always made the girls back in Forks melt. "I live here now. Is it weird that somehow I just knew I would see you here? Well, not here-here, but in New York. I didn't even know for sure that you moved out here, but somehow, I had a feeling."

"Uh…" I shrugged. "Small world, I guess."

He nodded in agreement. "So, have you been working here long?"

"Uh… not really," I lied. "Listen, I'm going to get in trouble if I don't take your order right now. Have you had a chance to look over the menu?"

Edward smirked. "Sure. I'll take the Manhattan Burger."

"And for you?" I asked the man sitting across from him.

"I will have the Big Boss ribs," he replied.

"Excellent choice. I should have those right out for you."

For the rest of the time he was there, Edward acted like any other customer, and I was grateful. The last thing I needed was to get fired because the manager thought I was socializing.

I didn't expect to see Edward again, however I was once again proven wrong the following evening…

"I need you to drop off this delivery on your way home," my manager said as I was clocking out.

"Um… I'm a waitress. I've never delivered from here before," I told him.

"I know damn well what you are," he retorted. "But the customer asked for you personally."

"I'm not a deliveryman," I reiterated.

"But you do have delivery experience, do you not? It was on your resume. I did hire you with the idea that you could back up the delivery staff if necessary. Now do you like having a job here? Because I can find someone else more grateful if you wish."

I refused to be taken advantage of, however in New York City, finding a well paying job wasn't always easy, and his request wasn't too outlandish, so I grudgingly complied.

It took me getting lost three times before I managed to find the address I was delivering to. Surprisingly, it wasn't a residence, but some kind of small studio. After I made my way through a dark hall with the food in hand, the room opened up, and my eyes widened at the glorious sight before me. For a music lover, there wasn't much more beautiful in life than a sound studio, and that's exactly where I found myself. The high tech mixing machines were absolutely incredible. What I wouldn't give for twenty minutes of free range in there.

"Food!" someone shouted from behind me, making me jump. "You, pretty lady, are like a gift from god," the chubby man said as he took the food out of my hands.

"Uh… thank you," I said awkwardly.

Since the order was paid for over the phone, I took a parting glance at the heavenly studio, and then turned to leave, but the man stopped me.

"Now, hold on a minute," he said, making me uneasy as he closed the distance between us. I had been stuck alone in a dark room, with a diabolical man, one too many times, so I immediately started looking around for some kind of weapon to protect myself.

"Whoa!" he shouted at me when I aggressively grabbed a microphone stand. "I mean you no harm, I was just going to give you a tip," he said in a rush.

"Oh… I'm sorry," I said sheepishly as I put down the stand.

"No harm done. I can't really blame you for suspecting the worst. This is New York after all." The man patted his pants, and clearly was coming up empty. "Hold on just a minute…. Cullen! Cullen, where the hell are you?" he shouted as he started roaming the different rooms there.

My stomach twisted.

"Damn it, Cullen. You ordered this damn food, so you need to pay the tip!" I heard him demand from the other room.

"I ordered it and paid for it, and you're going to eat it I'm sure," I heard Edward reply as he came into view. He stopped when he saw me standing there, then he smiled before walking the last remaining steps to where I was. "Bella. So good to see you, again."

"You work here?" I asked surprised.

"I do," he confirmed. "I'm a producer. Do you want to come in and check it out?"

"Uh…" I bit my lower lip as I considered it. I absolutely wanted to check it out, but my lack in faith in humanity was getting in the way. Clearly Edward requested me to deliver the food there, which meant he had an ulterior motive. It made me uncomfortable, and with my history, that discomfort scared the shit out of me.

"You know what, I should be going," I told him reluctantly. It sucked, but the last thing I wanted to do was find myself in another risky situation.

Edward looked like he was about to argue with me, but then a group of about six men and four women came inside. The room was suddenly crowded, and instead of retreating like I probably should have, I found a small corner against the wall, and just watched in awe as I was privileged with the chance to witness music being made.

The beats filled the room, and the base kept in time with the thumping of my heart. My eyes closed, and I felt it in every inch of my being. I was lost in my happy place, and for the first time, the noise of the outside world coincided with the invincibility deep inside my heart.

"Pretty neat, huh?" Edward asked, suddenly appearing beside me – or perhaps he had been besides me for hours and I didn't even notice.

I smiled despite myself. "It really is. I'm not sure why you wanted me here, but thank you, Edward. I really enjoyed this."

"Want to try it?"

I looked at him warily. "Are you trying to get me arrested?"

He chuckled. "No. Why would you get arrested? I'm allowed to mess around on my time off. All producers do it. Come on, let's go have a look."

I didn't even realize the crowd had disappeared, but I found myself alone in the studio, with just Edward. Under any other circumstance I probably would have left, but I strangely felt comfortable with him.

After a brief explanation, I took the chair, and we both put on a set of headphones. The beat came on, and Edward showed me how to mix it. After a few blips, I quickly was able to catch on to how it all worked, and I was off. Lost in the music that I was actually producing. If that song was a person, it would truly be my soulmate. My soul was pouring out through my hands as they moved the levers to change the beat. It may have very well been the best moment of my life. Utter freedom and peace. This was my Zen, my tranquility, and everything else melted away.

I had no idea how long it went on for, but eventually my eyes opened to Edward looking surprisingly awestruck.

I reluctantly turned the computer off, and a flood of heat rushed my face. "Sorry," I said, feeling like I made a fool of myself.

"No, don't be. That was incredible. You know, I had a feeling you would be good at all this."

I smirked. "Oh yeah, why's that?" I asked amused.

"I don't know. There's just something about you… that screams head banger."

I laughed. "I clearly don't have the hair for proper head banging," I told him while running my hand through my short cut.

"I like your hair short, by the way," he said, making me slightly uncomfortable. "Why do you look so surprised?" he questioned.

"Usually people tell me I should grow my hair back out. I guess my ears stick out funny."

"Nah, your long hair was so thick it was like heavy drapes or something. You can actually see your face now."

"Hmm."

"What?" he asked amused.

"I'm just trying to figure you out. Why did you want me to come here today?"

"Uh, if I remember it correctly, you just delivered food here."

"And if I remember it correctly, my boss said something about how I was specifically requested to deliver it."

He smiled crookedly. "Okay, you got me there. I wanted you to come."

"Why?"

"Because… I don't know, I guess I just had a feeling you would dig it."

I narrowed my eyes at him, but decided to let it go. It didn't really matter anyway. It was time for me to head home. I got up, took a parting glance and the most beautiful place I had ever seen, and then told Edward I would see him around without any intention of following through.

I dreamed of that studio and that music for the next several nights. Every time I listened to my own headphones, my mind went right back to the sound mixer. I refused to ever depend on anyone for anything, but there was a small part of me that wished I was less stubborn and could go back to ask Edward for another mix session.

To my utter astonishment, not even two weeks later, Edward showed back up at the restaurant, with the single most incredible offer imaginable.

"So, my boss loved your mix. He wants to hire you," Edward told me.

"My mix?" I asked dumbfounded.

"Yeah, I hit the record button when you were mixing. It was really awesome. You have a gift."

I bit my bottom lip in hesitation. It felt a little too much like Edward was trying to save me, and I didn't want any favors or to feel indebted to anyone.

Clearly sensing my internal struggle, he gave me a look that made me feel like he could see right through me, and then he echoed a familiar phrase – "Bella, be invincible."

"You," I murmured.

From the moment I first put on my headphones to drown out the noise of this unkind life, I often thought of them as being left by my guardian angel. The note had been anonymous, and that music had gotten me through so much, so it was easy to think of it in that way. Perhaps my dad left them from heaven. It was irrational and fantastical, but I couldn't think of any reason a random person would do me such a life-altering kindness. However, now I was one hundred percent sure Edward was actually that anonymous gift giver, and I couldn't help but question it.

"Why?" I asked, desperate to know his reason for giving me the player.

"My boss wants to meet you. Your mix really was amazing," he said, taking my question the wrong way.

I shook my head subtly. "Why did you leave me the music back in high school?"

He smiled crookedly. "It looked like you needed it."

That was his only explanation, and I didn't question him further on it right then. I had a huge decision to make, and I didn't have a whole lot of time to think it all through. If I left to go meet Edward's boss, I would lose the stability of my current job. I never had big aspirations to do anything greater than what I already had, and I certainly wasn't comfortable with the idea of Edward doing me any favors.

"Bella, everything great in life comes from taking risks," Edward said gently. "Be invincible," he repeated, and that was it. I didn't even spend one more minute thinking about it. I simply went back into the restaurant kitchen, and quit.

Edward smiled as I rejoined him.

"Let's go meet your boss," I said, feeling as if there was a buzz of electricity running through my entire body.

I never hoped for anything, but that all changed in that moment, and I truly felt excited for the first time that I could remember.

"So what do I have to do to actually convince this guy to hire me?" I asked Edward during the taxi ride to the studio.

"Just be you," he said unconcerned.

When we arrived, I was surprised by lack of people inside the studio, and even more surprised by Edward's boss…

"Uh… there's no one here," I said, looking at Edward questionably. "Where is your boss?"

"You're looking at him. This is The Cullen Production Company."

I raised my brows in shock. "This is your company?"

He nodded with a shrug. "I worked for another company for three years while I went to college, but I really wanted to run things my own way. We're a young company, and I just so happen to be looking for some fresh producers to help me out. I think you could be awesome here."

"But why me? You could hire anyone," I questioned, having a hard time just letting go of my years of built up mistrust for just about everyone.

"You have a talent, Bella. It's not something that you were taught. It comes from deep within you, it's natural, and that's rare. I honestly don't have any ulterior motives here, and I'm not doing you any favors. In fact, it's quite the opposite. You would be doing me a favor. I need some talented people to help me grow this place. No experienced producers want to take a chance on a new company like this. I need people like you. It's a risk, since I know so many production companies fail, but I am confident in the team I'm putting together. We can do this, and I'm asking for you to be a part of it."

I wanted so badly to believe him, and in him, but I had been burned so many times in the past. I needed some kind of sign. Just the smallest reassurance, and I knew there was only one way to get it.

"Before I agree to this, tell me why," I asked one more time. "Why did you give me the headphones?"

His previous basic vague answer wasn't going to cut it for me at this point. I needed a real explanation.

He narrowed his eyes at me, so I huffed. "I'm sorry, I just have trouble trusting people, and it's something that I've wondered about for years now," I explained. "Maybe it doesn't really matter and it wasn't a big deal to you, but for me it was everything. So perhaps if you just…tell me the truth, maybe it would help me take this leap of faith with you."

He stared me down for a brief but somehow still painfully long moment, and then he sighed. He pulled over two chairs, then gestured for me to sit.

"I remember the first time I saw you," he started slowly. "You were… beautiful, and perfect, and everyone wanted to be with you. You made it into the in crowd quickly, and it wasn't long until you were dating one of the jocks. You just seemed rather…shallow," he said, taking me aback.

"I was shallow?" I asked with a humorless laugh. "You were the guy at school that everyone thought was perfect. All the girls wanted to date you, all of the guys wanted to be you. You had the perfect family and the fancy car, and basically anything anyone could ever ask for. You existed on another plane than the rest of us. How could you, of all people, think of me as shallow?"

"My life was far from perfect," he disagreed quietly. "My mother… was a prostitute. My father was one of her clients, and I was born addicted to just about every kind of drug you can imagine. I was in and out of shitty foster homes until I was twelve. Eventually I was blessed by being placed with the Cullens, but it was hard for me to…relax and believe in them. I had been in far too many fucked up situations to believe there were even good people out there. It took a few years, but eventually I learned to trust. My stepfather, Carlisle, gave me music as a way to…drown out all the noise in my head, and in the world. It quite literally saved my life."

My chest tightened from his words. It was like he took them straight out of my own head and from deep within my own heart. I had completely misjudged him, just as he had misjudged me. We were far more alike than I ever could have possibly imagined.

"Why did you give me the headphones?" I asked one more time.

"It may sound crazy, but when you were going through your issues after your dad died, I saw something in you… I saw myself. The way I had been screaming on the inside for so long, I could almost hear you doing the same. I wish I would have been braver and actually talked to you about it back then, but I wasn't in the right place. I wasn't capable of putting myself out there and opening up about anything I had gone through, and I don't think you were in a place where you would have been very receptive either. Music got me through, and even though I didn't know how to be a friend back then, I just knew music could get you through it all too."

I nodded and wiped the moisture from my cheek. "It did. I honestly don't know what I would have done without it."

"It's in your soul, just like it's in mine. Use it, Bella. Don't just listen. Create it. Be it. Get out all your troubles here," he said while pointing to the mixer.

I bit my bottom lip, and tentatively took the headphones off the desk. I started a basic beat with the drum machine, and from there I let go and got lost in the music once more. It was everything, and with it, I could be anything.

There was no turning back. Edward had given me the answer I had been yearning for, and I finally felt at peace. As much as I didn't want to be saved by anyone, this type of saving was on an entirely different level. It went beyond monetary or superficial corporeal things. Music was everything to me, and it quite honestly saved not only my life, but my entire soul. It was my past, my present, and now it would be my future.

Edward and I were kindred spirits. Without really knowing him, I instantly felt the most comfortable I had ever felt with anyone before in my life. It went beyond the tangible, and I knew I was finally right where I belonged.

My life was changing again, and for the first time, it was changing for the better.

In the weeks and months to come, the music we made together was utterly remarkable, and it bled into every facet of our lives. There was no awkward first dates, or feeling like we were slowly getting to know each other. Edward and I just grew together in the most organic way. He never made me feel bad or uncomfortable about anything, and I truly believed I enhanced his life as well.

Together, along with the rest of our team, we grew Cullen Production Company into one of the top companies in our field, but that wasn't what made my life finally feel like it had meaning. The music Edward and I created outside the studio truly made me feel like a whole person again. He understood me, and he gave me something that I had only ever had from my father – unconditional love.

I no longer needed the constant shelter of my headphones, now I was truly invincible.