Note: This is an old idea I simply wanted to get out of my head. I have always loved these types of stories best.

I prefer my vampires to be more relatable, so they do blink, breathe, and tire. They can also consume a few things outside of blood and they most certainly do not sparkle. Lastly, ages have been changed at my discretion.

If you are interested leave a review. Whether I continue or not, I will not be deleting this one because I like it too much!

Without further ado, enjoy!

oOo

He had never seen such a tiny vampire before.

The girl stared at him with her large amber eyes that held no trace of fear or wariness despite him just having growled at her. Her black top and tight skirt glittered in the sunlight. In her hand was an odd brown square which she continually sucked upon.

Her scent was unnatural. It was too strong and heavy, and yet curiously pleasant. Something about it felt familiar, but his hazy memories provided no help.

He tried looking into her own thoughts and a myriad of strange visions flooded his cranium. They flashed by in a disconcerting rush, images of himself interacting with people he'd never met in a place he didn't know. The scenes kept changing so fast that it was impossible to make sense of them. It was too much for his mind to take in. He pulled out with pained hiss and a rapid shake of his head, fear chilling the venom in his veins. Wide, angry eyes snapped to the girl.

The summer breeze brushed Alice's dark hair against her pale cheek. She passively watched the wild boy curl his lip and crouch lower to the ground. A thrill of nervousness passed through her.

Jasper was going to be livid once he found out about this, but all her visions had shown things ending poorly if any male tried to approach the boy. She was the only one who could reach him right now. It was simple, really. Just no sudden movements and no talking until after he tried the chocolate. The chocolate was the key.

Her second sight wouldn't lead her astray here. Without a doubt, thirty minutes from now she would be heading back home with her new little brother trailing behind her. Good golly, was she going to have fun dressing him...

OoO

Prelude

"Alice Knows Best"

oOo

This is the story of one very special boy, a boy who lost himself in the shadows of the world. Darkness, pain, fear...these things were his constant reality. Any other of our kind would have fallen into madness under the circumstances, and yet while deeply damaged in so many ways, this boy never truly broke. His spirit was strong, though he thought himself weak. It would take him a lot to realize the truth of many things. We, his family, were all going to help him, of course, but it was going to be a process. A long and hard process. And as you can can imagine, the beginning of it wasn't exactly the smoothest...

Compassion and understanding weren't traits often associated with vampires. As a rule they were a self-centered lot and showed nothing but contempt towards anything they deemed weak or inferior. The members of the Cullen coven were a most peculiar exception and none more so than Esme. Alice was convinced her mother was the gentlest soul to ever grace the surface of the Earth.

The matriarch had been pulling weeds in the garden when Alice returned from the woods. At the sight of the shabbily dressed nomad accompanying her daughter, Esme's features displayed only surprise and curiosity. Even under the stranger's searching glare, she showed not a tinge of unease. Alice gave a brief explanation of what was going on and the older woman accepted it without voicing a single question. A moment later and they were all inside the beautiful log cabin house.

The boy was a tense, fidgety creature. He kept close to Alice at first and scanned every corner of the room as if expecting malevolent vampires to suddenly pop out and attack him. Consumed by her excitement, Alice chattered on about bedrooms and wardrobes and stores she had to visit immediately. He was far too overwhelmed by the situation to comprehend a single word spilling out from her animated tongue.

Thankfully, Esme eventually quieted her daughter and offered their guest a shower. The brunette was a very pretty woman. Her eyes were warm and she had a pleasant inner voice. He wasn't about to let his guard down with her, but he had to admit she seemed quite harmless. He looked to Alice and she smiled her encouragement. It had been a very, very long time since he last took a proper bath. He could hardly remember how it felt.

Turning again to Esme, he hesitated a second longer before giving a slow nod. She smiled and gently led him away.

It was then that Alice called her father and her mate to inform them of the new arrival. She only told them a bit over the phone, but it was enough for both males to leave their jobs early and rush home. Normally it was a twenty minute trip from the town to their house, however, her mate was doing the driving and he was worried. It wouldn't be long before she heard the frantic roar of an engine pulling up the driveway.

This was the part she really had been dreading. Carlisle, she knew, would probably be more concerned than angry. Jasper on the other hand? Oh ho ho, would he be fun. The man was much too protective of her and he was not fond of surprises. Imagining his reaction to her news was enough to make Alice's stomach a tad queasy. She wished she had of been able to do things differently, to include the family in her plans, but it just wasn't to be. She didn't regret anything. In time, Jasper would come to understand.

Or so she hoped.

"I don't believe this." Jasper raked his hand through his long, honey blond waves, his booted foot tapping the hardwood floor incessantly. "How could you...Good God, Alice, have you lost your mind?!" he fixed furious eyes upon her.

The petite woman sat on the living room sofa with her hands folded in her lap. She gazed calmly back at the tall male. "I am in full possession of all my mental faculties, thank you very much."

"He could have killed you!"

"I was perfectly safe, Jasper. He would never have harmed me." at least not seriously. She had seen one outcome of the boy throwing her to the ground, but her worrywart of a husband didn't need to know that.

"I don't care what you saw, Alice." Jasper spoke through gritted teeth and his projected anger prickled her skin. "What you did was beyond foolish and I will not accept it! The very moment you learned about this nomad Carlisle and I should have been informed!"

"I told you," Alice replied slowly, "he wouldn't have come if either of you were there."

"Then he should've been left where he was!"

Her expression hardened. "No, he shouldn't have. He belongs in this family. I did what I had to do to save my little brother."

Jasper scoffed and turned away, crossing his arms as his foot starting tapping again. His wife pursed her lips. He was making it terribly hard to stay cool and collected.

Hesitantly, her eyes traveled to where Carlisle sat reclining in a plush chair. He had yet to say a word after she told the two males her story. With his slicked back hair and still wearing his doctor's coat, the blond patriarch looked as composed as ever. His right ankle rested on his left knee and a curled finger was pressed to his chin. Intense anger had darkened Jasper's eyes to a pitch black, but Carlisle's remained a clear honey-yellow. His gaze was focused on the ceiling.

Alice swallowed. Her head was hurting from resisting Jasper's emotional influence and it was mingling with the strain of her overusing her gift this week. Now that she could finally stop worrying about the new addition to the family, her energy was rapidly depleting it seemed. She was in serious need of a nap.

"You saw him before the move." Carlisle spoke at last. "That's why you wanted us to come here."

Startled a bit by his voice, Alice blinked to refocus herself. She affirmed his deduction with a quick, "Yup."

"And if you had of told Jasper or myself, we doubtlessly would have gotten involved and scared him off."

"Exactly." she nodded.

The coven leader hummed and laced his fingers over his raised ankle. Finally he lowered his eyes to his daughter. "I can't say I'm entirely happy about all of this, but I understand why you had to handle the matter like so." a gentle smile formed on his lips. "When do I get to meet him?"

Jasper threw his hands up in aggravation.

And so the path was set. The start was rocky and it was only going to get worse as the days continued. But I had faith, a faith that went deeper than my visions. This boy needed us and we needed him. We thought we had ourselves all figured out. We were settled and happy and we each knew our role to play. Funny how it would take a lost boy to point us in the right direction...