So, not so new story ... I'm reposting this. This story was pulled years ago by FFn. That decision (without any sort of warning, really) forced me to move from just posting on FFn to Stars (then The Writer's Coffee Shop), AO3, and FictionPad. After doing some thinking, and FicPad turning into a for-profit platform, I've decided to repost this here.

This is ALREADY COMPLETE! PREWRITTEN

I will be doing some editing for content, but this is written in its entirety on Stars, AO3, Wattpad and FicPad (when it's not being a pain in the butt).

Carrots? Has anyone seen any carrots? The plot bunny attacked and well, you all are going to reap the benefits. NEW STORY! I've been writing some pretty heavy stuff lately and well, I'm going to lighten it up a bit. It's not going to be a humorous story (though there will be some funny bits) but it will be romantic. Some drama…some light angst (there needs to be some sort of conflict or it wouldn't be worth reading, kids).

As always, pics, teasers and other goodness will be posted on my blog. Thank you to recklessangel007 for the amazing banner! She took my idea and put it into pictures! Much love, sweets!

A Ilha do Amor

Chapter One: Broken Fairy Tale

BPOV

"Tyler and I want to thank all of you for being here for our special day tomorrow," I began. "We have so many people to thank. Dad, Mom, thank you for your generosity in helping us pay for our wedding. Mr. and Mrs. Crowley, thank you for the wonderful rehearsal dinner. Our attendants, thank you for being our friends and family."

"We have a few presents for everyone who has been involved in our wedding," Tyler said stiffly. He bent down and picked up the bags. He handed me the pink bags for my bridesmaids while he took the black presents for his groomsmen. We passed out the presents and our attendance oohed and aahed over the small tokens of our appreciation. Tyler wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed my temple as we watched. I melted against him happily.

We'd been together for nearly four years. We'd met at an orientation meeting at the newspaper we worked at, the Seattle Times. Our relationship started off as a friendship then morphed into something more. The next thing we knew, we were having adult sleepovers. We didn't move in together because of Tyler's situation with a roommate. Then, Tyler proposed to me. I giddily said yes, excited to be with such a wonderful man. And he truly was. It wasn't whirlwind romance. It just flowed from one moment to the next. I couldn't wait to be his wife.

Tyler was smart, funny, good looking, friendly and genuinely nice. He was nearly six feet tall with a dark brown hair and tanned skin. That's his only fault is his love with the tanning bed. His eyes were dark and sharp. Tyler's smile was blinding with his set of perfectly white teeth. His body is muscular and he gave the best hugs. He didn't like to kiss a lot but he made up for it with his hugs. He was a notorious cuddler.

Tyler wrote for the sports section of the Seattle Times while I was a writer for the gossip/entertainment section. Yes, I was one of those annoying journalists who pried into the private lives of the rich and famous but their lives are so interesting. Okay, fucked up.

I was looking forward to this weekend and the following three weeks. I was marrying my best friend and going on a tropical honeymoon on an island off the coast of Brazil, Isle Esme. It's also known as Ilha do Amor: the island of love. Totally appropriate for a honeymoon. Can I go now? Where's Tyler?

"As much as Bella would love to stay and chat with everyone," my maid of honor, Angela said, "she needs to go back to the hotel to get her beauty sleep. Early day tomorrow. Say goodbye to your groom, Bella."

I smiled and laced my fingers with Tyler's, dragging him to a quiet corner of the restaurant. "Tomorrow, baby," I said with a wide grin. "Tomorrow, I'll be your wife."

"I know," he said with a small grin.

"Kiss me, Tyler. One more time before we're husband and wife," I begged.

He sighed and dipped his head. His mouth brushed against mine chastely before he pulled away, leaning his head against my forehead.

"You can do better than that," I chided. "Is that what you want to give your fiancée before she leaves you for the night?"

Tyler took my face in his hands and he stared at me. His thumbs caressed my cheeks and he kissed my mouth again, slipping his tongue between my lips. I gripped his dress shirt and tried to pull him closer to me. He wouldn't budge, though. Tyler pulled away, kissing my nose and then my forehead. "See you tomorrow, Bella."

"Love you, Ty," I breathed, slightly dizzy from the kiss.

"You too, Bell," he said with one more kiss on my forehead. He guided me back to Angela. She looped her arm with mine, walking out of the restaurant and into a waiting cab. We headed to the Fairmount Olympic Hotel, where our reception was going to be held. I was staying with my mom and dad, Renee and Charlie, for the night before the wedding. It's kind of pathetic, but it was the last time I'd be under their care before I get married.

My mom was a teacher while my dad is a detective in Seattle. We used to live in Forks, but moved to a suburb outside of Seattle when my dad was offered a substantial offer from the Seattle PD to become a detective in their elite special victims unit. My dad's successful closing of a serial rapist investigation on the LaPush reservation garnered the attention of the police commissioner and the rest was history. We moved into a modest home and my parents still live there. After the wedding, Tyler and I will be moving into a larger apartment in downtown Seattle, near to Angela and her husband, Ben.

"Alright, Bella, I'll pick you up at eight in the morning," Angela said with a hug. "Sleep well, Bell."

"You, too, Angela. Give Ben a hug for me," I winked. She smirked before sauntering down the hallway to her room.

I changed into my pajamas, curling up into the queen-sized bed next to my parents. My dad was already snoring and my mom was reading on her Nook. I said my goodnights to them and picked up my phone. I texted Tyler before I decided to try and sleep myself.

I love you, Tyler. I can't wait until tomorrow. I'll be the one in white. LOL – Babybel

I flipped off my light after I set my alarm and fell asleep.

xx AIDA xx

"Bella, staring at your phone will not force Tyler into responding to your texts," Angela said. "He's on a golf course somewhere with his groomsmen. His phone is probably off."

"He normally responds, though," I frowned. I was sitting in a salon chair getting my hair curled and pinned up for my wedding. Our service was going to be at noon at Faith Lutheran Church near the hotel. Afterward, we were going to a small park for our pictures, then drunken and disorderly fun at the reception. "Am I overreacting?"

"Yes," one of my bridesmaids, Jessica, chimed.

"I feel like something is going to go wrong," I sighed, tossing my phone onto the stylist's station. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"He could not show up," said my other bridesmaid, Becca. She was a bit jaded in love. She had been dumped on, stood up and dealt every shit hand of cards in her love life. Of course she'd say that.

"Becca! Tyler would NEVER do that to Bella," Angela hissed. Becca shrugged and stared at her magazine. "Ignore her, Bella. Just because she's bitter doesn't mean the rest of us have to be."

"You've got a wonderful husband," Becca said. "So do you, Jessica. You don't know what it's like to be screwed over by a guy."

"Becca, behave," Angela snarled.

"She's right, you know," I said. "You both married your high school sweethearts. You didn't have to deal with the bullshit during college and in the real world. It sucks and at times, pretty fucking scary. Did I ever tell you about this one night at a club? Humper guy?"

"I don't think so," Jessica said. "What happened?"

"I was out with my sorority sisters at a club during spring break on Ebor City in Tampa," I said. "We wanted to cut back and have a good time. This one guy, a man we dubbed 'humper guy,' came up behind us and started grinding his miniscule penis into our asses until we shoved him off. But, he wouldn't stop. Ten minutes later, he'd be back, doing the same crap. We left shortly after three passes of humper guy but it was disgusting to have this short, smelly, Hispanic man rub up on me. I felt violated."

"Ewwwwwwwwwwww!" Angela said, wrinkling her nose. Jessica looked pale and disgusted. Becca was indifferent. "We did get lucky, Jess."

"Amen, sister," Jessica snickered. "Seriously, though. Relax about Tyler. It'll all work out."

"Kay," I said. The next few hours were spent getting beautified. My hair was curled, makeup perfected and veil placed on my head. On my right hand sat my engagement ring, waiting for its mate that will go on my left hand. It was a small ring but I loved it. It represented the love that Tyler had for me. Soon, he'd have his own ring to reflect my love. Smiling softly, I rubbed the small round diamond. I had only an hour before I was going to walk down the aisle to marry my dream man.

Upstairs in my room, my mom and Angela helped me into my strapless wedding dress. We took some pictures with the photographer before clambering into the stretch limo. The ride was short to Faith Lutheran Church, the congregation where Tyler attended. We were ushered into the spacious bride's room where more pictures were taken with each of the bridesmaids. My parents gave me a set of pearls to wear on my wedding day as my something old. They belonged to my grandmother. My something new was my dress. Borrowed were my shoes. They were Jessica's wedding shoes and since we wore the same size, it worked out. Finally, my blue was my garter under my dress.

"Bella, your purse is vibrating," my dad, Charlie grumbled. "You're getting married and you have your cell phone on you?"

"What?" I giggled. "I'm a reporter, Dad. I'd feel naked without my cell phone." I opened up my purse and saw that I had a new text. It was from Tyler.

Babybel – I'm sorry. I can't do this. I love you but I'm not IN love with you. I'm in love with someone else. – Tyler

"Oh, fuck no," I spat. "You do not get to do this to me, Tyler." I dialed his number and began pacing in the tiny room. "Pick up. Pick up! Damn it! Pick up your fucking PHONE!"

"Bella, what's wrong?" my mom, Renee, asked. She was wringing her hands. Charlie stepped behind her and wrapped his arm around my mom's waist.

I held up one finger and began speaking into Tyler's voicemail. "You coward! You're breaking up with me via text?! On our wedding day? Pick up your god damn phone, you prick!" I hung up and began typing away on my phone.

You asshole! Who do you love? Why couldn't you have done this, oh, I don't know, a year ago? A month ago? WHY today? ANSWER ME, DAMN IT! - Isabella

Bella, I am a coward. I can't talk to you because I hate that I hurt you. I thought I could go through with our wedding but last night, when you asked me to kiss you, I realized that I couldn't do it. I'm in love with Eric. My roommate. We'd been fooling around for awhile now and I thought it was just a phase. It's not. He's my soul mate. I hope one day you can forgive me. But, I understand if you can't. – Tyler

Do you realize how much money my parents have spent on this wedding, Crowley? And you're bailing? To take it in the ass?! – Isabella

My parents have a check made out to your parents, Bella. Don't worry about the money. It'll be all covered – Tyler

I hate you, Tyler. You…you…you…I have no words for how I feel. I hope you and ERIC live happily ever after with your STDs and bullshit. Fuck. You!

I threw my phone across the room and it shattered into a million pieces. I tore my veil from my head and collapsed onto the couch in the room. My heart shattered. He broke up with me. On our fucking wedding day. Wrenching the tiny ring from my right hand, I threw it across the room as well as tears fell onto my cheeks. My parents sat on either side of me, wrapping their arms around my body. I collapsed against my mom who gently caressed my cheeks. My dad couldn't sit for too long because he was ready to strangle Tyler. I was not upset when he left the room, screaming for Tyler's parents. Angela took his spot and laced her fingers with mine.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," Angela whispered. "I never thought that Tyler would do this."

"Me neither," I sniffled. "He's been cheating on me."

"With who?" Renee asked.

"Eric. His roommate," I cried. "My ex-fiancé is gay! I turned him gay!"

"Bella, you did not turn him gay," Renee chided. "He probably already had those tastes before he met you."

"Not helping, Mom," I said dryly. "What am I going to do? I'm twenty-eight. I thought I was marrying my forever and now, this…"

"First off, you have every right to be pissed off and upset," Jessica said. "I always knew something was off with Tyler. He seemed more interested in talking to Mike than he did to you. Secondly, you are a young, beautiful, sexy and successful woman. You will be fine."

"Thirdly, you're going on your honeymoon," Angela chirped.

"What? No way. I'm not going to some tropical island where I was supposed to be celebrating my marriage all by myself. Are you nuts?" I snarled.

"Bella, it's a tropical island called A Ilha do Amor. Not everyone down there is going to be on their honeymoon. There's got to be some young, hot, sexy Brazilian man who wants to fuck your sorrows away," Jessica snorted.

"I don't want to come home with some exotic disease. Some mutation of the clap," I said flatly.

"Bella, I know this hurts but I think Angela and Jessica are right," Becca shrugged. "Have fun. Spend the three weeks away from this and you'll never know what will happen."

"But, what about the new apartment? I can't afford to live there on my own," I said. "Plus, I need a new job. I refuse to go back to the Times."

"Don't worry about the apartment, Bella," Renee said. "You can still move there. If need be, your father or I will help you. Tyler can stay with his roommate." Her nose wrinkled. "Don't make any hasty decisions about the job, though. You work in separate departments. The probability of you seeing each other after you return is slim to none."

"What about today? We have all of those guests," I sniffled.

"Your father will take care of that," Renee smiled, kissing my forehead.

xx AIDA xx

After Tyler unceremoniously dumped my ass, I got back into the limousine and drove back to the hotel with my bridesmaids. They stripped me out of the dress and we spent the night in the honeymoon suite, eating ice cream, watching bad 80s movies and re-working my wardrobe for my now 'singlemoon.' Well, we pretty much pitched all of Tyler's clothes that were packed in my bag and ended up getting me some new sexy dresses, heels and saucy lingerie. Even saucier than the goodies I got from my bachelorette party. Angela was determined for me to fuck some native Brazilian man and well, after a bottle of tequila, I felt the same way.

As I slept, I dreamt of my Latin lover and the wild things he'd do with his tongue. However, when I woke up, I had a hangover that would fell the strongest of men. The room was spinning, my head was pounding and well, I felt like ass because I remembered why I got drunk last night.

I was dumped.

Through a text message.

On my fucking wedding day.

I broke my phone because of said text.

Life sucks.

And I need a new phone.

Fuck. My. Life.

My parents met me in the lobby of the hotel and hugged me tightly. Charlie said that he received a check from Crowley's for the cost of the wedding. He also explained that he deposited it into my savings account to help pay for the new apartment that Tyler and I were supposed move to after we returned from the honeymoon. I tried to force them to take it back, but my dad said that the wedding was already paid for. The Crowley's check was retribution for the bullshit their son put me through. I thanked them and cried for their generosity. My parents were so awesome. Not many would have done that.

Before I went to the airport, I picked up a new phone. Thankfully, all of my contacts were backed on the company's servers and I didn't lose them. I did, however, change my cell phone number so Tyler couldn't get a hold of me. Not that he would have wanted to, since he dumped me. But still, I felt strangely free when I sent out the text to everyone, minus Tyler, my new phone number.

At the airport, I went through the rigmarole of security and explaining that it would just be on the flight. My companion would not be joining me. The man at the counter didn't really care. I scowled at him as he weighed my suitcase, charging me extra money for the luggage being overweight. He was a little too gleeful when he did that. I took my boarding pass and walked to security. I got through relatively quickly. Once inside the terminal, I picked up several books, magazines and a Sudoku book from Hudson News. I also bought one of those donut pillows to wrap around my neck so I could actually attempt to get some sleep. I had a four hour flight to Dallas and then another eleven hours to Rio de Janeiro. Somewhere in between was a three hour layover in Dallas.

Nearly an entire day for travel.

This is why Tyler and I scheduled our honeymoon to be three weeks long.

It's not a honeymoon anymore, dipshit. It's a 'singlemoon.'

I settled into the seat in business class and popped in my ear buds. I lost myself in the soundtrack of some feminist rock that Angela downloaded for me. I apparently fell asleep as I was jostled by my seat partner when they put up their tray table. My seat partner that should have been my husband. But, no. Now, it's some random fat man with a body odor problem and a receding hairline.

"Hey, are you okay?" Smelly asked.

Shit, I'm crying.

"I'm fine. Ignore me," I said with a dismissive wave of my hand. Please don't talk me. Spare me from your onion breath.

"If you want to talk, beautiful," he said with a lecherous smile, "I've been told that I'm a great listener."

"No, thanks." I took out my book and shoved my ear buds back in my ears to ignore my new 'friend.' He grumbled under his breath that I was a bitch but I ignored it. I was acting like a bitch but you know what? I don't want some nasty-ass, smelly man hitting on me because I was crying. I'm better than this.

Aren't I? Is this what my life has been reduced to?

I bit my lip to quell the sobs from erupting. I just needed to keep it together until I got off this god-forsaken plane. Away from Smelly and his pathetic come-ons. Thankfully, the plane was landing as I was having the beginnings of an emotional breakdown. As soon as the doors were opened, I darted off the plane, clumsily grabbing my carry-on. In the safety of the ladies room, I sobbed at how pathetic my life had now turned.

"Did you know that the first toilet stall is usually the cleanest?" said a chirpy voice. "You picked the right one to have your crying jag."

"Excuse me?" I sniffled. I opened the door and saw a short woman with long brown hair and bright green eyes. She giggled and pulled me from the stall. "Um, yeah…who are you? Is there any particular reason why you're manhandling a stranger?"

"Because you need a hug," she said simply. "And I won't hug you until you wash your hands. Make sure you use the dryer thing. It'll kill all that bacteria on your hands." I arched a brow as she frog marched me to the sink to wash my hands. I scrubbed them and then stuck them under the dryer. Once my hands were dried, this tiny woman wrapped her arms around my neck, squeezing the life out of me. "You need this."

"Thank you?" I said uncertainly. I gingerly patted her shoulder. "Um, normally before I like to be touched, I would like to know names. I'm Bella Swan."

"Shit! I'm sorry," the spritely woman said with a tinkling giggle. She let me go and dragged me out of the bathroom. I slung my bag over my shoulder, shocked at her over-zealous behavior. She linked her arm with me and we walked through the terminal like we were best buds.

"Sprite," I snorted. "I'd like to know your name."

"Sprite! I like that," she laughed. "My brothers usually call me Tinkerbelle or Fairy. My brother, Edward, he is partial to calling me a pain in the ass. However, my given name is Mary Alice Cullen. All of my friends call me Alice or Ali."

"Nice to meet you, Alice," I said, giving her a brief smile. She was a little bit shorter than me. Her brown hair reached the middle of her back and based off her clothing, she was a fashionista. She wore a pair of bright pink shorts, gray tank top and over her arm was a jean jacket. She held a very pricey bag on her other arm and in her hand was a bejeweled Blackberry. I looked like a total schlub compared to her. My jean shorts were two sizes too big and my multicolored Henley was loose on my slender frame. I plucked at my shirt nervously as I struggled to keep with this little bundle of energy. "Is there a reason why you're rushing, Sprite?"

"My brothers tease me that I'm always in a hurry," she laughed. "I'm early for everything. I mean, yes, I have a layover before an insanely long flight to Rio de Janeiro, but I want to make sure that I'm at the gate on time. You know?"

"You're going to Rio?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'm visiting my family," she said with a wistful smile. "I'm going through a rough time right now and I need my parents and my two older brothers. Okay, one of my brothers, I want to kick his ass, but the other is always good for a laugh. What about you? Where are you going? I notice you have a passport in your carry-on."

I checked my bag, verifying that my passport was inside. The flap to my messenger bag was open and sure enough, my passport was on full display. "I'm also going to Rio," I explained, closing the bag. "I'm supposed to be going on my honeymoon."

"You are? Where's your hubby?" Alice asked, searching for a mystery man.

"No hubby," I sighed. "Um, about five minutes before I was supposed to walk down the aisle, I got a text from him saying that he couldn't do it. He was in love someone else."

"Shut the fuck up!" Alice squeaked. "What skank do I need to cut?"

"A 5'8" Asian man named Eric," I scowled.

"Your fiancé dumped you for a guy?"

"Talk about an ego killer," I grumbled. "After I left the church, my bridesmaids and I kind of figured out some huge triggers to indicate Tyler's sexuality."

"Oh, we need to have a few margaritas and you have to dish."

"No. No more tequila," I whimpered. "I became personally acquainted with Jose Cuervo and well, I'm still nursing a hangover."

"The best way to get rid of a hangover is to drink more," Alice laughed as she dragged me to the international terminal. We checked into our flight. We were both on the same plane and Alice used her frequent flyer miles to get me bumped up to first class with her so she could have a friend to talk with. I was ready to pay her but she said that it was an anti-wedding present. Finding a restaurant near our gate, Alice and I ordered a pitcher of margaritas.

I'm so going to regret this.

"Okay, what were these triggers?" Alice asked, leaning forward. "Inclinations that indicated that your douche of an ex was gay?"

"First off, he's prettier than me," I chuckled.

"Bella, you're gorgeous," Alice said, quirking a brow.

"I'd show you a picture of Tyler, but I shattered my phone when I got the text from him, breaking up with me," I chuckled. "Seriously, though. That man had more beauty products than me. Hair gel, moisturizers, bronzer, guyliner…he had a weekly appointment to get a manicure and a pedicure. He also got his brows waxed. Even I don't do that! That's why God invented tweezers. The weirdest thing is that he had his pubes waxed, too. It was pleasant when I did stuff to him, but odd to look at."

"What does Tyler do? His job?"

"He's a sports reporter for the Seattle Times. I'm a gossip/entertainment reporter for the same paper," I answered.

"OH GOODNESS! Any new news about that one couple from the vampire movies? You know the girl who cheated on the fuckhot guy with some pervy older dude?" Alice giggled. "Wait, your gay ex is a sports writer? Isn't that a contradiction in terms?"

"Focus, Alice. I'll give you the deets on that later. We've got an eleven and half hour flight to talk," I snorted.

"Okay, fine. Back to your confused man," Alice said, her face cracking into a crooked grin. "More triggers of his gayness. The first one is that he could open up his own cosmetic store."

"Right. The second indication that he preferred the company of the male persuasion was his PDA. Or lack thereof."

"Please tell me you're not a virgin," Alice guffawed.

"I'm not a virgin but I haven't had sex with Tyler," I frowned. "He wanted to 'wait' until marriage. The extent of our physical relationship has been a lot of cuddling, hugging, chaste kissing and a hell of a lot of blow jobs."

"Did he ever return the favor?" Alice whispered, her green eyes wide with shock.

"Not really. He tried to finger me once but said that he had a hang nail. Bullshit. He just didn't want to touch my pussy," I grumbled. "There, I do wax."

"How did you survive? I would die if I didn't have regular orgasms," Alice breathed.

"I've gone through six vibrators in the four years we'd been together," I said, wrinkling my nose. "I've got two packed in my bag that's heading to Rio."

"Fuck me," Alice sighed. "Six? Damn."

"Yep," I said as I downed the rest of my margarita. "My cooter was not feeling the love. My maid of honor said that I need to get me some Latin lovin' down in Rio with some Brazilian native."

"Whereabouts are you doing in Rio?"

"I'm not staying in Rio. I'm not that naïve," I chuckled. "Our honeymoon is going to be off the coast on an island called Isle Esme. Its nickname is…"

"A Ilha do Amor," Alice smiled. "I know. My parents own the island."

"Shut the fuck up," I squeaked. "You're going down to be there, too?"

"Yep," she replied, downing her drink. "We should probably head to our gate. They'll be boarding soon." We gathered our bags and headed to the crowded gate. Alice was tapping on Blackberry madly while we walked. "You'll thank me when we are safely ensconced in first class. It's supposed to be a full flight in coach."

"I already thank you," I breathed. "I still feel like I should pay you."

"Nonsense," Alice said with a wave of her hand. She pulled hair long brown hair back into a low braid. Her normal jovial face was more somber. Heaving a heavy sigh, Alice plopped down on the chair.

"You okay?" I asked, sitting next to her.

"I'll tell you more on the plane, but no," she frowned. We sat quietly until the flight crew began calling the first class passengers. Alice and I got settled into our lush, comfy seats. We didn't say much until we were in the air. Alice was too busy scribbling in a journal of some sort. I was reading until she felt comfortable to say something. An hour into the flight, Alice closed her journal and turned to me. "Thank you, Bella."

"For what?" I asked, arching my brow.

"Not pushing me. My family, I love them, but they are so nosy. When I told my parents that I was coming home, they wouldn't stop asking why," she sighed. "I tried to say that I missed them but they saw through the lie. Granted, I do miss them. However, I'm going home for a different reason."

"What's that, Ali?"

"Bad breakup," she sniffled. "What I wouldn't give for your situation? Minus the whole jilted at the altar thing. Sorry, I hope I didn't offend you."

"Alice, you're fine. Right now, I'm pretty raw about it, but in about a year or ten, this may be pretty funny," I chuckled. "I'm going on my honeymoon, minus one husband."

"But, hopefully gaining a new friend?" Alice smiled.

"Definitely. I hope we stay in touch after all of this," I offered, hugging her awkwardly in the seat. "Despite your inherent pushiness, you're a cool chick."

"Thanks," Alice giggled. "I am pretty pushy. It's one of the main reasons why I broke up with my ex." Her green eyes dimmed and she spent the next few hours talking about her ex-boyfriend, James, tried to stifle her bubbly personality and outgoing nature.

Shortly after graduating from college, Alice and James met at some event for work in Chicago. Alice was an event planner and she had successfully pulled together a charity event for the company that James was working for. They hit it off and began dating. Alice said that, at first, James was loving, kind, sexy, funny and everything that she ever wanted in a man. Then one night, a year into their relationship, after a particularly late event, James got all angry, demanding to know where Alice was. She explained that the event ran longer than anticipated and she needed to stay until the end.

James didn't believe her.

James threw a vase and became very violent. Alice left his penthouse apartment , angry and upset that this loving man could turn into a brutal monster so quickly. They didn't talk for about a week. After their fight, the roses of apology started showing up at work. Alice said she tried to ignore them. Her parents raised her that if a man raises his hand in anger toward you, he's inherently evil. James was persistent, though.

A month after their fight, James showed up at Alice's work and begged for another chance. Alice said that she'd consider it if James attended anger management classes. As if he knew, he produced a flyer of a group that he was a part of for stress and anger management. They started new and fresh. The James that Alice remembered was back and she couldn't be happier.

At first.

Then, James would try and control Alice's every move: what she wore, who she spoke to, what events she could plan…everything was under James' scrutiny. The thing was that it was subtle. His control over Alice grew over two years until she realized that she alienated her entire family. It was a visit from her oldest brother, Emmett that she realized what she had lost.

After Emmett left to head back down to Rio, James went apeshit. He tore up all of Alice's clothes, calling her slut and whore for going out with another man, albeit her brother. But the deal breaker was the damage that James caused to Alice's body and spirit. James beat the crap out of her, shattering her wrist and breaking her nose, cheek and jaw. If it wasn't for a curious neighbor, it could have been a lot worse. James was arrested for domestic abuse and Alice was admitted to the hospital. A year after that incident and after she testified against James, she moved to New York to work in the East Coast branch of her firm and for a fresh start. However, she didn't feel the same and she decided to take an extended leave from work to rebuild her soul with her family, down in Rio.

Alice finished her story and her cheeks were wet with tears. I wrapped my arms around her tiny frame and hugged her. She gripped her tiny fist on my shirt. We embraced until Alice's snot started soaking through my shoulder. When she pulled back, a gooey piece of booger was attached to my shirt and her nose, causing us to fall over in a fit of giggles. "I'll buy you a new shirt, Bella."

"Eh, it's cotton. It'll wash out," I shrugged, wiping the boogers off with a Kleenex. "Besides, you looked like needed a good cry."

"I did. I haven't really discussed this with anyone," she said with a sigh. "Not even my family. They didn't even know that I was hurt or hospitalized."

"Why didn't you talk to them?"

"Like I said before, they're nosy," Alice said. "Loveable, but nosy. Besides, I'm the baby of the family. My brothers would have MURDERED James for hurting me. Emmett, especially, since it was his visit that landed me in the hospital. They are the reason why I didn't have a boyfriend until I was in college. God love them, but they are an intimidating pair."

"Tell me about them," I asked. "I'm an only child, so I have no idea what it's like to be a sibling. Or deal with siblings."

"Well, as I said before, Emmett is my oldest brother. He's huge," she laughed. "6'4" with brown hair and hazel eyes. He's built like a linebacker, but really, he's a teddy bear. He will be thirty in about a week. He just got married last year to his dream girl, Rosalie. She's okay, but a bit standoffish at first. I don't know her that well since they live mainly on the island and I haven't been there since I left."

"Okay, totally random question. Are you an American citizen?"

"I am. We have dual citizenship," Alice said. "My mom, Esme, was adopted by a Portuguese family when she was a baby. An affluent family who insisted that she go to the best schools in U.S. They actually owned the island prior to my dad purchasing it. Anyhow, she met my dad, Carlisle, in college. He's a doctor and they lived in New York until I was born. My mom's mom got sick and they flew down to care for her and unfortunately, didn't make it. My grandfather was in no shape to care for the resort. We made a permanent move down to Brazil. We had tutors and attended private schools before heading to American universities. Emmett went to USC. Edward went to Harvard. I went to University of Chicago."

"Oh, wow," I said. "And do your brothers live on the island?"

"They do. Emmett is the activities director. Rosalie handles destination weddings and concierge duties. Edward, my middle brother, works on the business side of it, since he got his degree in business administration and finance. My parents have semi-retired, letting Emmett, Rosalie and Edward handle the issues of the resort. But, they still play an active role in it. Just not AS active."

"What about Edward?" I asked, curious about the middle brother.

"Edward…Edward, Edward, Edward," Alice sighed. "I love him, but he's a douche. Steer clear of him. He's a man whore with a bad attitude. He can schmooze millions out of the richest clients and visitors, but he thinks with his cock. Not his head. He's slept around with more women than we can count, most of them guests of the resort."

"Is that legal?"

"Legal, yes. Ethical? No," Alice snorted humorlessly. "But, Edward's slutty ways are due in part to a broken heart. He denies it, but he's so empty inside. His first love was fucking around on him at school and it just crushed him. I'm thinking that if he meets the right girl, he'll change. Now, onto more light-hearted topics. My sordid past and my family are fine and dandy, but we need to formulate a plan to get you laid."

Oh lord…

A/N: There you have it. A new story. It's going to be lighter than some of the other one's I've got going. (More akin to ANSOL and Figure Eight, not as angsty as FLTM or APFL). Now, I'm going to warn you, Edward is going to be a douche at first, but Alice hit the nail on the head in saying that he has a broken heart. We'll hear from him next and get into his slightly screwed up little mind. Pictures of characters, the resort and outfits that Alice, Bella and the wedding party wore are on my blog. (Link in my profile). Also, discussions about this stories (and others that I've written) can be found on my Facebook page: Tufano79's Twilight Fanfiction Appreciation. Come join us! Finally, I've started a twitter account. (I'VE GONE TO THE DARKSIDE! BWAHAHAHA!). Same name: tufano79. Follow me and schtuff.

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