A/N: This story was inspired by one of my one-shots, The Last Night. No, this is not a continuation or a "what would have happened." This is just something that came to my head when I was proofreading the latterly mentioned fic. Hope you guys like it.

"Mandatory check-in," someone muttered behind me. "Ridiculous."

I turned around. I was sitting outside a rehabilitation center waiting for the bus when I saw him. He was handsome, with honey blond hair and crazed blue eyes—crazed yet kind. His button-down shirt matched them perfectly, and there were small dots on his arms that obviously came from needles.

I don't know what made me do it, but I stood up, pulled my sleeves down as far as they'd go, and walked up to him.

"Excuse me," I said, waving a hand to stop him, and trying to think of a way to explain why I was flagging down a stranger.

He stopped when he saw me. Once I was next to him, I couldn't help but notice how tall he was compared to me. I was at least a foot shorter, and—now that I saw him clearly—definitely a lot paler, though he wasn't exactly a suntanned guy either.

"Yes?" he asked, taking in all four feet, nine inches of me.

"Could you—erm—point me in the direction of the nearest library, please?" I said lamely. It wasn't exactly a lie. I hadn't been in New York very long, but I was perfectly capable of reading a map.

"Down this street, take a left," he said remotely. Stiff as a board he was. I didn't mind, though. I had a burning curiosity about him. I wanted to talk to him; I wanted to get to know him. I was never the sort of girl to just go for the cute guys, so there was obviously something else about this guy. Something… genuine.

"Thank you," I said.

"No problem," he responded, turning and heading in his own direction.

"Hey, wait!" I called, running up to him, being careful that my sleeves stayed where I wanted them to. I couldn't bear to see him go, for a reason unbeknownst to me. He turned around again, raising one eyebrow.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I didn't get your name," I said.

"I wouldn't see why you'd need it," he replied grimly.

"I like to—er—thank people who help me correctly," I lied. I hated talking to others; I wasn't going to stay around and find out their names every time they helped me out.

"Jasper," he said, holding out his large hand. I took it and gave it a firm shake. "Jasper Hale. And you?"

"Alice Brandon," I stated, wincing. I really needed a new last name.

"Something wrong, Miss Brandon?" he asked.

"Don't call me that," I said automatically. He raised his eyebrows in question. "No, I just meant—never mind. It's just, my name brings back bad memories."

"So should I call you something else? Lily, perhaps?" he asked, a smirk creeping into his voice. I had a strange feeling he hasn't felt exactly smug in a while.

"No, no," I said, shaking my head, looking at my feet. I felt like such an idiot. "It's just my last name."

"I don't see anything wrong with the name 'Brandon.'"

"Not exactly the name," I said, wonderingly idly why I was explaining this to him. "It's just…" I looked up at him. "It reminds me of my parents."

"And what?" he asked, a smile creeping across his face. I saw that he was almost having to force the smile to appear. I feared his skin would crack, like old tree bark that was being stretched or something. "You don't like them? They don't let you go out on school nights? Don't be in a rush to grow up. Thirteen's a young age to start hating on your parents. I'm surprised you're out this late."

"I'm not thirteen," I said indignantly. "I'm nineteen, thank you very much. Studying at New York Institute of Photography." So the last part wasn't exactly the truth. I hadn't started school yet, but I would be soon. I got in on a full scholarship—miracle—so I was, of course, stressing.

"Nineteen?" he asked, clearly amazed.

"I'm not that short," I said, smiling. I was half-afraid my skin would crack, too. It had been so long since I'd smiled.

"Well, Alice—you don't wince at Alice, do you?" he asked.

"Nope," I said, smiling wider. Immense happiness was swelling in me, and I wasn't even sure why. I mean, for heaven's sake, I'd just met this guy, and no one had made me even think about smiling in years. Suddenly, I thought the grey pants, grey shirt, and grey shoes were much too sullen. I wished the sky would lighten up a bit, too.

"Alright then," he said. "Well, Alice, would you like to come with me? There's a nice coffee shop just up the street. I'd love to keep talking to you. Unless, of course, you have any other commitments…"

"No, I'm free for the rest of the day," I answered. Hell, I was free for the rest of the century. I had no friends.

"Then you'll do me the honor of having you with me for the night?"

"Jasper, the pleasure's all mine."

And with that, we walked side by side down the street. I never really noticed it had started raining—to me, it seemed as though, after an entire lifetime of darkness, the entire world was bright with a light even the sun couldn't bring.

A/N: Yes, it was short. It was a preface. It was supposed to be short.

Love it? Hate it? Oh, I hope you didn't hate it… Reviews are love; but you guys know that, I'm sure.

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