Hey, so this is a bit of a spin-off kinda situation surrounding Alice. It's quite out there but the whole Bakugan plot is included. This takes place at the end of the New Vestroia arc.

It was time for celebration. The Brawlers had done it, they defeated Zenoheld and the Vexos. A lot had been lost in that final battle, but Earth and Vestal were safe and Marucho couldn't help but use it as an excuse to host another grad celebration in his mansion. Everyone who helped the team to get here was in attendance. Marucho knew how to throw a grand party; bright lights, music, a banquet and people from all over the world, both human and vestal. Everyone was in suits and evening gowns, dressed to the occasion.

Dan was telling the story for the 100th time that evening. The story about how he apparently single-handedly defeated Zenoheld. Of course Runo wasn't letting him have it, "Dan! For God's sake! Stop bragging! You didn't do it all by yourself, what about Spectra? Mira? You know, the whole TEAM?!" she screamed at him. Dan got very quite very quickly and Spectra, Ace and Marucho all started laughing at his embarrassment. Baron and Mora joined them both with drinks in their hands. "I guess some things will never change..." Mira sighed through a smile. She remembered the first day she had met the Brawlers, when Dan and Marucho came through to New Vestroia and Dan had the same sense of heroism and self absorption, but it wasn't in bad heart. The Brawlers were a fmaily, she almost lost every single one of her family members to this war. She still had her brother with her, which was more than enough for her.

Marucho started looking around, everyone happy and relieved at the end of the war. All talking, laughing and drinking; they weren't all able to enjoy themselves like this in a long time. In the back of his mind, Bakugan Interspace development excited him, but it was all still in the early stages. Alice and Shun had helped him out with simulations and development. He looked around for them both and finally spotted them both in the pale darkness that was just about visible through the open grand doors to the balcony. I wonder what they're talk about out there? Marucho thought. He could see their faces as they were looking out towards to city.

Keith noticed Marucho looking at the two, just then Shun left Alice and was walking indoors looking like his usual serious self. He walked to the group without saying a word. "Everything alright, Shun?" Marucho asked him. Shun nodded, but not a word came out of him as he looked around the room calmly. Keith could help but notice Alice was still out there alone, he decided to go out to make sure she was ok. "Not a fan of the noise?" he remarked, giving her enough of a fright to make her turn around. She was a stunning human, even Keith could see that. Her hair was like fire, long and intensely auburn in complete contrast to her fair and perfect complexion. She was in a dark purple long satin evening gown with no sleeves and a silver necklace with a black gem pendant fell on her chest. "After a couple years of Dan's excessive talking you kinda get the jist of what he's like in situations like this" she joked at him and turned around to look at the city again, "I don't think I'm missing much." she laughed softly. Keith didn't really know what to say to that because he understood that. He got the feeling she was happy to be out here alone and thought that she wanted to be alone, "Don't be out here alone all night, your friends are all having fun inside." he turned around and left her to it. Alice sighed into a softly sad expression, "They aren't my friends, they're my family".

Inside everyone was having a great time, people were getting tipsy and Dan was getting louder. All of a sudden an piercingly loud noise started to alert the guests. "That's the fire alarm! This place is so big it could be anywhere! We have to get out!" Marucho shouted over the sound of the alarm; with that everyone started exiting the room to go out. Shun was the last out and had to close the doors for safety but he froze for a second, just as the doors were almost completely closed. Dan noticed this, "Hey Shun! Come on!" Shun snapped out of it and closed the doors and made his way to the exit of the massive mansion.

Everyone was outside. Waiting. Nobody was told what was going on and the whispering turned into loud chatters of concern. "Man, what's going on? Where's the fire?" Baron asked Marucho, but he just shrugged in response. "Don't know, the firefighters should almost be done with an examination of the place" Just as he said that a group of 15 firemen came out of the doors, "It's all clear!" One of them yelled and walked up to Marucho, " We couldn't find what set off the alarms so we think it was just a malfunction in the system when we had a look, so it's all clear". He assured Marucho and then left. Marucho turned to face all of his guests, "Ok everyone! Looks like eveything is ok and we can all get back to out cel-" Then the unthinkable. A sound the shocked then thundered through the air. The scene in front of everyone turned blinding yellow and red. An explosion so big it completely covered the mansion and took it away too. The whole place up in flames. The screams and shouts from everyone in the courtyard went down to complete silence. The firemen had turned around and ran towards the house with hoses. Everyone was in complete shock. Marucho watched as his home crumbled and burnt to almost nothing.

One of the firemen ran to Marucho, "Everyone was out, right?" He yelled over the sound of the burning building. Marucho nodded still in complete shock, "Yeah everyone ran out with the alarm, I don't think anyone else was left!" He responded and looked around at the group of people around him. That's when he knew, somebody was missing. "Wait..." he whispered but loud enough for his friends to hear him. "Where's...where's Alice?" He asked with complete serious worry in his voice. Everyone looked around but she wasn't there. "Noway she's still inside! She would have heard the alarm!" Julie shouted. Everyone nodded, but they knew she wasn't there.

"She might still be in there!" Dan shouted. With the the fireman nodded and ran to the house,

"OK! Rescue mission guys, there's still somebody inside!" he commanded to his team.

The large group of guests watched as the firemen broke through he walls of fire and crumbled remains of the mansion. Minutes went by, an hour went by, some of the other guests where told to go home but the Brawlers stayed. Waiting for Alice to come out of the ashes. The fire was almost completely gone now, only a few spots were still dying down as they were being tackled. The brawlers were all sat in silence, waiting. "Why is it taking so long?" Runo whispered, Dan geld her as she started to choke up. "She would have left... why didn't she leave?" Julie added almost breaking into tears.

The Firemen started exiting the ruins of the mansion and the brawlers all stood up and ran towards them. "So? Where is she?" Runo asked the head fireman. He took his helmet off and looked at the group, "I'm afraid we didn't find anyone. Everything is completely gone as you can see, burnt to the ground. We search where she was last seen and the gardens outside but we didn't find anything." The brawlers went in complete shocked silence. "I'm afraid to say, if she was left inside...she wouldn't have made it." He added.

Runo fell to the ground a complete emotional mess. Julie followed almost immediately and everyone else just went into almost a complete state of shock, which turned into visible and audible sadness. Shun just stood there, blank, staring at the remains of the mansion. They couldn't believe it. In a matter of minutes they had lost one of there own. Not to a battle or war, but something as simple and human as a house fire. Wounds from losing people in the recent battle reopened and ther grieving processes started all over again.

HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOYED THE FIRST CHAPTER.

I have been wanting to get this story going for a while so hope you enjoy this! I have a feeling it's going to be a long one!

Thank you! R&R xx