Summary:Sometimes the most beautiful of sunrises come after the darkest of nights.

Alice/Jasper.

Occ, Au, Cannon couples

Alice POV

"Don't Move" the voice commanded as he held the metallic blade inches from my neck; his grimy arm wrapped around my body.

The grizzly form of a man holding me while trembled in his arms. "Give me your purse", he barked, anger dripping from every word as he spoke.

My heart beat was unsteady, bashing against my ribs in attempt to free itself from its cage. My breathing coming in short, almost painful gasps, as strange sense of dread washed over me.

The fear paralyzing me; making me physically unable to tear my eyes away from my freighting attacker.

I pulled the small wallet from my back pocket, dropping it to the ground.

He threw me against the opposing wall, as my head smashed into a near by trash can. Not hard enough to knock me unconscious, but hard enough to cause a thin line of blood to pulsate threw the newly received wound.

He found the cash quickly: throwing the wallet, including its remaining contents to the ground.

I stood there unmoving: unsure if I should scream or run, knowing that both options wouldn't last long.

He stared up at me with his prize in his hand. There was sadness in his eyes: pain, maybe even hurt. He gazed at me; his eyes shifting between the blade and me, debating what to do.

His breathing was heavy, and ragged.

I laid their with my body aching and the blood trailing from my head as I reached up to wipe the blood I felt now dripping down my face.

"I'm sorry" he gasped as he came towards me with his weapon in his hand. His eyes searching.

I covered my eyes not wanting to see what was coming. I could smell his beer encouraged stench as he came closer, my body shaking in fear. I could feel the coldness of the steal as it came in contact with my skin.

I flinched in fear, bracing myself against the wall, preparing for the pain I was sure was about to be inflicted.

Unable to let even a final plea for mercy escape my lips.

Only to be met with a harsh noise ringing threw my ear.

Alice POV

"Come on Alice, get up"

My eyes shot open the darkness of the Alleyway now replaced with the soft sublet glow behind my thin red sheet.

His voice was always the first thing I heard in the morning.

"Go away," I yelled.

The covers were suddenly yanked back revealing the bright light of my bedroom and the destroyer of my happiness: my six foot bright green eyed brother.

My body ached with each movement. Man, what in the hell happened last night?

"Five more minutes, Edward?" I begged,

"Get up, were going to be late." he pressured on; throwing clothes on my bed.

I sat up, fumed, my head buzzing, as my eyes struggled to adjust.

He held up a black and a tan bra, "Which one?" he asked a small smirk playing on the edge of his lips.

"Give me those," I argued struggling for them, a useless effort on my part. Not only was he larger, but he was also always more coordinated.

My foot covalently catching on the bed sheet, sending me fumbling into Edward.

My body collided with his, as pain shoot throughout my muscles.

"God Edward! That hurt," I wined, still writhing on the floor.

"You're the one who fell on me sis," he argued back.

"Glad to see you two are up" our mother chimed at the site of us. "Looks like sleeping beauties finally awake. Breakfast will be ready soon," she added closing the door.

God, I love when mom visits.

Edward was my older brother by a year, even since we were little I always got us into trouble and Edward always got us out.

I shoved myself off of him as he smoothed his darkened jeans, finally running his hands threw his shaggy, perfectly, sculpted bed hair.

"You are such a neat freak," I criticized poking at his clothes.

"You would do well to learn form my example" He spared back, picking up an old Burger King bag and throwing it in the trash. I followed his line of site to the pile of clothes on the floor. My room was filled with empty drawers pulled from the dresser, books, an unfinished project, graded papers, and even the occasional dirty dishes.

"What? It's an organized chaos." I rationalized, knowing full well it was like arguing with a brick wall.

"No, it looks like you've been robbed?" He said throwing clothes into the already filled laundry basket.

A slight shutter came over me at the thought of last nights dream. I still could not get over how real it felt. Even now I could practically taste the filth for the alley way.

"How do you find anything?" he wined bringing me back to the present.

I pulled some old jeans out from under a pile, "I manage," I chimed as the pile came clashing down around me.

He started laughing at the sight.

"Would you get out!" I yelled. He half smiled shaking his head no at me. "What? Its nothing I haven't seen already."

I shoved him out the door slamming it behind him. "Bathing together as two year olds does not count as seeing me," I argued through the closed door. "I've changed".

"Not much," he laughed

I grunted in frustration.

"And Sis, we were five," he said clearly amused. "Mom made doubles" he said in an almost a sing song.

Damn; I thought I burned all of those.

I banged on the door. I heard his feet shuffle down the hall and his small chuckle doing absolutely nothing for my mood.

"And don't go back to bed!" he yelled moments before my head hit the pillow.

"Stupid brother." I mumbled against its soft case.

A few moments later I found myself once again in his company. Our small yellow kitchen was not exactly the selling point of the room and we barley used it. But when mom was here, it looked like a page from Martha Stuart's recipe books.

"About time," Edward said, setting his syrup covered fork down. Following his comment with an enormous guzzle of freshly squeezed orange juice.

"Oh shut up," I mocked throwing my black messenger bag on the nearby table.

"Muffins?" my mother asked; placing the small basket down.

She was a small woman with long brown hair, round face, and brown eyes. My mother was nothing if not perfectly ordinarily, a product of being born in a normal family, in a normal town, in a very normal house.

Edward looked more like our father, while I mirrored my grandmother. I almost looked out of place in our Christmas photo. I had black hair, except in the sunlight I would swear it looked purple. And while Edward had dad's green eyes, I was blessed with a strange form of blue-gray, earning the name slate eyes all through most of middle school.

I picked up what little mail we had, throwing away the annoying pamphlets speaking of garage sales and cook outs going on later in the main center of the apartment complex. Most of them turned in to drunken fights between college Co-eds, and extreme beer pong. Not exactly my cup of tea.

Trenchers Gardens was quaint little cluster of apartments residing in our quant little college town. Although it was prone to its bad drivers and over abundances of liquor stores, it was also home to the incredible old and boring.

"Hey. When you're done day dreaming, can we go?" Edward asked while snapping his fingers.

I walked over to my adorable little sister. "Love you April" I said while kissing her on the forehead.

Her baby green eyes, reddish brown hair and adorable giggle, much like my brother, was from the genetic lottery from our Irish father.

"Aww," I said, hugging her again as she mashed the remnants of her breakfast threw her small hands.

"Before I hit forty please," he complained, holding open the door.

"Hold on a minute," I kissed her head again while grabbing my bag off the chair. "Bye, bye" I waved and grabbed a muffin. "Bye mom; give dad my love."

"Let's go," he said grabbing the hood of my sweater and forcing me out the door. I was halfway down the driveway before he let me walk on my own.

"Mom and April's flight leaves later today, you could have let me say goodbye," I whined.

"Please, your idea of goodbye is giving her your laundry and lists of you're so called 'school supplies'." He scoffed.

Well, he had a point there.

"What? I'm in college; it's what we do" I reasoned.

He ignored my comment.

Mom only lived eight hours away by flight, but she works with the air line, so she gets to fly for free.

"You're not eating that in my car." he argued. He opened the door for me before walking around to his side.

I shrugged, shoving it down in two bites.

"Nice," he mumbled before the roar of the engine filled the neighborhood: the cars not so subtle way of making its presence known.

Our dad had a hobby as a mechanic, and honestly the only good mechanic in our old little Podunk home town. So, when Edward turned sixteen, dad gave him a light blue, two doored, 1974, dodge challenger that he had bought when Edward was born. He got it from on old junk yard and worked on until the day Edward turned sixteen. Five years later it still runs great. It's a little rough around the edges, but all in all a good car.

And do you want to know what I got for my Sixteenth birthday: a framed list of rules for riding in my brother's car from Edward, a few books from dad, and a pamphlet on safe sex from my mother.

"Are you going to get in, or are you planning on walking to school?" he threatened as he closed his door, revving the engine.

"Pushy, pushy," I mused, closing my passenger door.

"Do you have work later today?" he asked as he turned on to the highway.

"Yeah. I only have one class, so I can just walk. The dinner's not to far from campus."

"Alice".

Oh great, here comes the speech. "Edward, come on, not the lecture. Look, I will be fine. It's like two blocks in broad daylight. Chill,"

He signed, knowing full well I had already won this one.

"Don't worry so much. I promise I won't follow any strange rabbits." I mussed ruffling his hair.

His annoyed expression did not leave his face for the entirety of the car ride.

He finally stared to smirk half way threw my rendition of "a very merry un birthday".

Class seemed to drift by like normal, the class half asleep while poor professor Arnold dribbled on. Laughing every few minutes at a joke he made only to start speaking again. I can't believe I am paying for this. I mean, I know it's community college, but come on.

The bad thing about required courses is just that. There required, which means no matter how idiotic the professor may be, or how unbelievably messed up the grading scale is, there is no escape. Professor Arnold was all of the above. I don't know I managed the C average I was making.

An hour and of half of my life wasted later, and I found myself once again greeted by the bright afternoon sun. The temperature had droped a few degrees, and not a cloud in the sky.

There were a few fast food restaurants: a pawn shop and a Publix; but it was mostly unused as commercial land; filled with billboards promising upcoming infrastructures that all most always fell threw, a few vacant lots own and operated by G.O.R. Inc. and maybe a house or two.

Garland of roses Incorporated, or better known as G.O.R. Inc. have been in business since the late nineties. They founded most of the local hospitals, school, even apartment buildings like the one I lived in. They were a publicly owned and operated company that worked mostly as an aid organization. You name it and they have probably done it.

I opened the door to the brightly lit dinner, being welcomed by the strange smell of grilled processed cheese and grease burgers.

The neon diner was one of those fifty influenced dinners complete with a jute box and neon signs spelling out "Burgers and Fries". Not to mention the entire wall dedicated to the owners icon, Elvis.

"You're late!" the balding man screamed. He noted my grudged clothes, and rolled his eyes at me.

"Sorry, won't happen again Tom." I added as apologetically as I could muster.

Tom had owned the dinner for almost a year now; he bought it off a man who was using it as a coffee grind slash Wiccan store, which had unfortunately gone out of business. Now it was a hot spot for local tourist despite its out of the way location.

"Get changed in the back; your gopher today," his deep horse voice combined with forty some odd years of cigar smoke and a diluted New Jersey accent.

God, how I hated being a gopher, "Gopher" was a term meaning filler, as in go for this, go for that, and go do this. I filled in where was I was needed, but mostly I just cleared tables and stayed out of everyone's way. I would help cover during rushes or when one of the two waitresses would go on break.

The diner wasn't very busy, with Tallahassee not being the tourist attraction it once was. Not to mention our economy being the way it is.

I pushed my way past the diner door, nodding to Mike the new cook as I headed to the back room, I grabbed my uniform out of my locker throwing it on in record time,

The all white shirt and skirt combo clearly pointed to the fact that the designer of this outfit had never once worked in the food industry.

"Alice! Hurry it up already!" Tom yelled banging on the separating wall.

"Coming!" impatient little man.

I swung the bright blue apron around my neck fastening it behind my back, as I slipped on the black and white Mary Janes (another unfortunate part of the uniform).

Some how within the ten seconds of changing three things had happened. Several large amounts of people had suddenly got the hankering for a burger, second being Tom's wife, Jamie, had walked in, which understandably led to number three, and that was Tom becoming angrier by each passing moment.

I grabbed one of the large bins and begun dumping plates from the near by table into it, the noise level had grown substantially since my shift started.

"What happened to you?" Mary asked grabbing my arm, eyeing the small bruise by my shoulder.

I didn't think I fell on Edward that hard this morning. I pulled up the sleeves of the shirt. "Just had a little accident, you know how mornings are with me and Edward".

She eyed me suspiciously, "I should give that brother of yours a stern talking to. Ya know, if you're ever in any trouble ya can always come to me," she added.

"Really, I'm fine" I said smiling.

Mary was a really sweet heart one of those kinds of gals, thirty years-old and still working her butt off at some dead end job. Spending nights elbow deep in unappreciative customers so her kids can have the life she did. She never stopped being a mom. Even on the days her husband was off work and taking care of the kids. Mary's husband Nick was also a good man, who still looked at his wife with so much love it made me blush just being in the same room with them.

After a few more convincing words, and a very impatient customer, who absolutely NEEDED a refill she was off my case.

I made my way to the kitchen dumping the thousand pounds of dished in the sink. I grabbed the empty bin making my way back to the chaos filled excuse for a dinner. I glared at the pink neon clock knowing full well I had at least six hours before the end of my shift.

"Hey Alice," Tom called quickly throwing me a severing apron and a note book, I put the bin back and pulled the apron off of my neck letting it hang around the small hook in the back. The frilly red one now tied securely around my waist.

"Table four" he commanded,

I grabbed my nametag from my pocket and started fastening it to my shirt.

"What can I get you?" I asked barley looking up as I attached my nametag.

"Just coffee," the voice answered.

I looked up; the man was definitely not our usual customer. His slicked back blonde hair almost gleamed against his pale skin. His eyes the strangest form of turquoise blue I had ever seen.

Definitely not a tourist, unless tourist suddenly decided to trade in their kaki shorts for a pair of black slacks; the collar of his pristine white neatly pressed shirt showing slightly over his coat instead of the usual flowery button up or the I heart N.Y t-shirt. The black jacket reminded me of a more modern cowboy duster; the ones the sheriffs wear the flow all the way down to floor. But what captured my attention was the long rosary that hung from his neck.

Now I'm not major catholic, but that can't be good. That thing looked like it went on for miles.

"Um, right," I said trying to pull myself together.

His expression was unchained as he glanced back at me waiting for me to finish. "De-decaf or regular?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"Decaf" he stated, his attention drawn to the woman who had just walked in.

I put my notebook away heading behind the counter.

What was wrong with me? I see a good-looking guy and all of the sudden I am stuttering sally. He's probably a jerk anyway.

I grabbed the coffee cup, filling it before carefully placing it on a small plate, setting it on the table. I turned to the women who had joined him; there they looked almost matched. Her sharp Midnight blue suit fit every curve of her long body. Her long red hair shimmering even in the darkness of the ill lighted Diner, contrasting to her radiant blue eyes. She was gorgeous, the kind of woman who looked as if they had just stepped straight out of vogue kind of gorgeous.

"Can I get you anything?" I asked, apparently interrupting their conversation.

She glared at me, "If looks could kill" suddenly flashed threw my mind at her cold stare.

"No" she said firmly.

The nameless man glared at her, muttering something to her too low for me to hear over the noise of the diner.

Her face lighted up in mock kindness, "No thank you; I'm fine; why don't you just run along now," she said, her voice filled with more sarcasm then I thought possible as she gestured me away with her perfectly manicured hand.

I suddenly had a powerful urge to drop kick her.

"We are fine; just the check please." He added smoothly, not taking his eyes from hers.

I nodded obediently as they begun speaking again.

"Cute, ain't he?" Mary teased,

"Sorry Mary, he's taken," I said typing in the order on the cash register.

"How do you know that, they could be related?" she asked bring her hands to her hips.

"I doubt it," I said motioning to the girl "even if they are related he's out of my league. I could never be like what he is with, she too beautiful to resist. She evil incarnate, but personality isn't exactly on the forethought of every mans mind." I whispered as I couldn't help but stare back. They were still talking.

After a few moments, she muttered a few harsh words to him as she left.

I brought him over the check trying to be invisible as possible, without even looking he sent down a folded bill.

"Don't you want your change?" I asked, as he was half way to the door.

"Keep it," he responded as he left shoving the huge doors open.

I unfolded the bill.

"Oh my god," I spoke stunned,

"Lord love a duck," Mary yelled over my shoulder,

"There must be a mistake?" I mumbled, before running outside, the raindrops coming down hard.

Where in the hell had this weather come from?

I spotted him about to enter a taxi.

"Sir" I called out as his head immediate turned, I ran over to where he was, "I think you made a mistake," I said handing him the folded up bill.

He kept his hands in his pocket. "No mistake, the women I was with was rude, it's the least I could do.," he said making my assumption about him being a jerk bounce back and hit me in the behind.

"Please," I said stopping him again, "I don't want your money or your charity; it was her attitude, not yours, why should you pay for her mistake. Your admission was good enough in my book"

I could feel the rain soaking me threw.

He looked at me as if I had grown a third head. "What about what I owe you for the coffee?"

"Come on man you in or you out" the ruffled voice of the driver complained.

He merely glared in response, silencing the cabbies protest.

"I'll cover it, if you're really interested in giving it away this much money there's a clinic for the homeless down the road a ways, they need it more than I do?"

"You are a strange gal." He said a slight southern accent slipping through.

He took the money without further protest, leaving without another word.

I looked up at the dark sky, the bright sun from earlier, now completely enveloped by the clouds, the cold droplets hitting my face in an almost rhythmic pattern.

By the time I finally got inside, I was soaked to the bone. I borrowed one of Mary's extra uniforms, running a towel threw my hair.

Mary was sitting on the small plastic foldout table and chair. "Hun, I don't know why you didn't keep it?"

"He gave me a hundred dollar bill to pay for a seventy cent tab. That doesn't seem a little strange to you?"

She took a bite from her lunch.

"Honey, I have been working longer then you have been breathing. There is little that shocks me anymore."

I shrugged in response.

"Well," I said standing back up "back to work?"

When my shift finally ended, I was feeling it. I wiped my hands off on the apron, turning the dial on my locker.

A small slip of paper fell to the ground; one I could only hope was not another love letter from Mike the fry cook.

I unfolded the creased envelope, to see a small message scribbled across it.

Thanks for the coffee. Keep the change, please

I smiled as I pulled the crisp one-dollar bill from inside. You had to hand it to the guy. He definitely knew how to straddle the line between charming and just pain strange.

Beta: Vanessa-Wolfe303

With help from: NoT a PiNk GiRl

Hope you enjoy the story.

review for questions and comments.