Thank you so much for clicking on this little story. It's my first time trying this Fanfic thing...be nice okay? Updates will be weekly :)

This story is for the Banner Bunny Contest that you can find on The Facebook Page "Juliet Had it easy; she never had to kill Romeo"

Wanna thank Rose Melissa Ivashkov for betaing and giving me her honest thoughts and suggestions. Go check her profile for some awesome stories!

Check out the banner (that was used in writing this fic) by mandy52799 on my profile page! Has a schmexy Dimitri...oh, did I mention he's topless? Ya, go see for yourself :D

Disclaimer: Do not own anything VA. Richelle Mead does so no copyright infringement is intended.


Chapter One


Living in Paradise was supposed to be the ultimate dream.

It was a dream that everyone aspired to.

You are born; you work hard, and then maybe, if you're lucky enough, you will get to spend the rest of your life in tropical heaven.

I was the exception to that dream.

"Isn't it beautiful? Oh my goodness, look, it's the ocean!"

I rolled my eyes at Janine's enthusiasm. We had been seeing the ocean for the past 3 hours now; it was nothing special.

Sure—it was pretty, crystal blue, and stretched as far as the eye could see, but I wasn't interested.

You would think that I had entered Hades with the way I was acting but that wasn't the case.

It was actually Kauai, one of the several Hawaiian Islands, and it was far from Hades.

The lush greenery surrounded us in a thick canopy of exoticism and the birds chirped loudly at another beautiful and sunny day. There was a luscious scene in front of me. I could not see anything of it; I could only see the reasons of which we were brought here and the reasons weren't lovely at all.

"Oh my goodness, It's a parrot!"

Janine remained with her supreme observations of even the slightest detail while I continued to hide in my mind.

After a few more minutes in the Chevy, and a few more minutes of Janine's lunatic analytic behavior, the car came to a stop.

"Oh my goodness, we're here!"

I looked towards the small bungalow and couldn't help the little smile that took form on my face.

It looked like an oversized hut.

The walls were plastered white, while the roof imitated the looks of a normal hut.

It was very homey, even I had to agree with that, but it was so different from our apartment in Brighton Park. Our apartment was a constant state of busyness and chaos. There was always some sort of noise outside and I relished in those noises. I enjoyed basking in the noise. There was no noise here, except the constant chatter of the foreign and native birds.

"What do you think, Rosie?" Janine turned towards me, with a hopeful glint in her eyes.

The look on Janine's face was so enthusiastic, it pained me to see the look fall. Although I was not feeling it, feeling very much angry, I answered with as much contentment as I could. "I like it, It's very peaceful. . ." was all I could manage to say.

"I knew you would. Oh, it's so lovely! And we are only five minutes from the beach! Come, let's go see the inside."

I followed my mother out of the car and waited until she opened the door. She was having trouble but after a few tries she managed.

"Here we are," she announced before leading me inside.

There were furnishings already placed inside the home. Beige couches, light grey walls, and large wooden furnishings completed the look of the living room. A small kitchen was just off the living room and a small eating area beside it. Everything fit the Paradise Persona.

"Your room is just over there. Abe should be here soon and then maybe we can go to the marina?"

"Sure," I answered.

She turned towards me and gave me her motherly hug. I couldn't really see anything—her large red curls were in the way—but I felt the hug throughout my body, the warmth easing my anger. It didn't matter that she was several inches shorter than me; her hugs always made me feel so tiny.

"You'll love it here. I promise you that."

"Okay, mom," I choked out.

I hadn't realised I was crying until she let me go.

Her green eyes widened before she hastily wiped the tears away, "I love you so much. You know that, right?"

"Of course."

"God has so many plans for you. Don't forget that."

"Okay, mom." My voice sounded bitter to my ears.

She looked away before putting on a happy face "Okay. I'm going to unpack some things. Go check out your room."

I did as I was told and walked towards the room that she had pointed out.

A small bed stood against the wall and the colours matched the living room. The view was the only spectacular thing about the small space. I could still see the ocean, and at that moment, I allowed myself to appreciate it. Fat tears streamed down my face as I watched the wind gently blow the tropical trees. Not even a few hours into this new life, and I already hated it. I missed my hometown.

I was not sure how long I stood there but I was interrupted by a voice.

"Hello!" the deep voice bellowed.

I wiped my tears away and quickly walked towards the living area.

Abe stood with a box and a smile placed firmly on his face.

"How are my girls?" he asked.

"Just settling in" Janine answered before kissing him on the cheek.

"That's great! How about a trip to the marine? We can pick some food up and explore Lihue a little more."

"Sure."

He looked my way and smiled gently, "You up for it?"

"Ya. Okay."

"Hold on. I just have to put some things in the bathrooms. I'll be right back," Janine announced before walking towards the bedrooms.

She finished and we all got into the Chevy and drove towards the harbour. It wasn't too far away—we could have walked—and Janine immediately expressed her delight for the place. I could not see it, the delight she found of this place.

It was so busy; several boats adorned the water and people were selling several objects. They were selling mostly fish but I felt more relaxed with the noise.

"Let's explore shall we?" Abe asked before grabbing my mother's hand.

She giggled and winked my way before exiting the car.

I reluctantly got out of the car and followed behind them.

I wasn't wearing the proper attire to be out in the heat but I didn't let that slight discomfort ruin my parent's happiness. I made a mental note to start wearing bikinis under my clothes. Everyone else seemed to be doing it.

We approached a woman who looked to be Native to the land. She was selling several shell necklaces and thrust one my way.

"No, thank you."

She smiled and thrust the necklace towards me again, "Nani necklace for a Nani kōkī girl."

I smiled at her. "I don't understand."

"Beautiful. Beautiful. Take."

"Oh. Thank you." For the first time that day, I was anything but angry. I was flattered.

She smiled again and then focused her attention on a young couple who approached her.

I touched the white seashells that were held in place by a string before placing it inside the pocket of my jeans. Once the necklace was safe inside my jeans, I took my surroundings once more. I noticed everyone either wearing shorts or dresses, definitely in the wrong attire.

"Mom?"

Janine stopped touching the fish and smiled my way. "Yes, sweetheart?"

"I think I'm going to need to buy some more clothes. I only have a few dresses and one bikini."

"Of course, sweetheart. You can go after your appointment tomorrow."

I scowled at the mention of the appointment before reluctantly agreeing.

She grabbed my hand and squeezed it in support.

I ignored the angry bubble that threatened to burst out of me. It was an ugly thing—this untameable anger of mine—but it was the only emotion I seemed to feel anymore. I remembered a time when I was happy. I had friends and a beautiful life back in Chicago. I was the captain of almost every sport in my all girls Christian school and I was involved in every extracurricular activity.

I was always on the go and never had any free time to even think. I loved keeping myself busy and trying anything new. I had even been accepted to Harvard University where I would be studying pre law and my future was so, so bright.

But that was something I tried not to dwell on.

"My, my, my look at that specimen there." Janine giggled, while she blushed.

"Where?"

"On the boat. My goodness, if I wasn't a Christian woman and married. . .I would do so many things to that man."

"Mom!" I squealed in disgust.

There were several things you never wanted to know in life. You never wanted to know who your mother was sexually attracted to.

I gagged at the mere thought.

I looked towards the boat she pointed. It was more than a boat. It was large, sleek, and polished. I didn't know anything about boats, per se, but that was a thing of beauty.

In looks, the man was easily comparable to the boat.

I didn't have a lot of experience with boys—I went to an all girls school and I was a good Christian girl—so I didn't get to appreciate a sight like the one before me. Even if I did have experience with boys, that wouldn't have prepared me for the image. This was no boy. This was a man.

I couldn't really see his face—the only thing noticeable was his dark hair—but his body was a thing of beauty. He was tanned, sculpted, and glistened with sweat as he wrapped a rope in his hands. He was shirtless and his muscles moved with every action. He was really glorious.

"Forgive me father for I have had improper thoughts," Janine purred.

I laughed in disbelief that a Minister's wife was speaking in such a way.

What happened to the woman who blushed at underwear ads?

This woman right in front of me was more like the mother I had before turning seven. She always spoke her opinion about hot, shirtless men.

"Mom, that's gross."

She looked back at me like she had forgotten I was even here, "Oh dear! Can you blame me?"

"What would the Lord say about your improper fantasies? Better yet, what would your husband say?" I teased.

"Oh he understands. When you get married, you'll understand. He knows I love him with all my heart and its okay to look but not touch."

My good mood was completely gone, "Don't."

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "Don't what, sweetheart?"

"Don't pretend like I'm getting married," I spat. The darkness of my anger had returned.

Her eyes glistened with tears, "Oh, sweetheart."

"I'm going to go check out the water," I informed her, speaking through gritted teeth.

I left before she could say anything else.

I rubbed my chest in irritation as I continued to walk towards the dock. I hated it here. I hated everything. I just wanted to go back to Chicago and be with my friends. I missed them dearly. It just wasn't fair.

My curls stuck to my forehead as I tried to calm my beating heart.

Jeans and heat did not go well together.

A clattering of metal brought me out of my hateful thoughts.

The gorgeous man of before stacked several metal pans together, before placing them in a cupboard above his head.

I realized he was tall—very tall—so he reached the high cupboard with ease.

I could hear faint music playing from the radio beside him as he ignored everything around him and just focused on his tasks.

Was he listening to Aha?

I laughed at the ridiculous 80's music blaring from the small device.

Who listens to Take on Me while working?

This sexy man, apparently.

I only knew the song because Abe was obsessed with everything 80's. He hated "worldly music" but he was fine with that decade.

"Rose!" Janine yelled, while walking towards the end of the dock.

I noticed the man look at my mother. He lost curiosity and turned to look at me instead. I assumed he only looked because my mother couldn't be any louder but once his eyes made contact with mine, he didn't look away.

His eyes were amazing. There were dark—so, so dark—but they had a depthless feel to them.

His face was even more beautiful than his body.

I quickly ducked my head and felt the blush forming on my cheeks.

I could feel my heart thumping away as the image of his face swirled around in my mind. The strong jaw and pouty lips were the main focus.

The heat became unbearable and I wished I could just take these jeans off.

"Sweetheart, there you are! I'm so sorry for upsetting you. Please understand that I never want you to feel sad."

"It's okay, mom," I whispered.

"Come, let's go home. Abe bought some fish. You must be starving,"

I nodded my head and followed her towards Abe. I didn't look at the man again but I could feel his eyes on me. It was an odd feeling.

We reached Abe. He stood proudly, as if the fish he were holding were something he had caught with his bare hands. When we were safely driving inside the car, he chatted happily about meeting some Church goers and expressed his desires to see the new church that he would be working at.

Janine was happy to see the church as well but I couldn't care less. They agreed to visit it tomorrow but I told them that I would rather stay home.

"Are you sure, sweety? We can go after shopping?"

"I think I want to go shopping by myself. You know, get used the area."

"Okay. We'll go to your appointment and then I'll drop you off so you could buy some things. You can always visit the church later."

I smiled tightly and looked out the window of the car.

The old me would have jumped at the chance of seeing the new congregation. I used to be a firm believer in God and his plans for me. I loved to sing in choir and attended Sunday mass but now, now it felt like a waste of my life. We weren't always religious and I didn't go to church until I was seven years old. My mother was the last person you would find in a church. She was wild, uninhibited, and a firm believer in going all out on everything.

Everything changed once she met Abe.

The wild woman fell in love with the Pastor, the story just screamed Lifetime television.

My father left us when I was only two so Abe was the only father I knew. I instantly fell in love with him and called him dad. I converted to his religion, attended mass every Sunday, and even sang lead for the choir. I loved that he was a man of God. Everything that I believed was rooted into his teachings.

I always believed that I would end up marrying someone like him and in the church he led. I used to picture myself dressed in white, walking down the long gothic cathedral, with his hand in mine, and he would give me away to another man of God.

I knew that would not happen anymore.

When we reached the large hut house, I went straight into my bedroom.

"Rose, sweety."

I ignored my mother's gentle voice.

I closed the door and noticed the memories of my old life. There were a few boxes scattered around so that meant the movers had come with our stuff. I quickly grabbed a towel and went to the adjoining bathroom. There was no soap but I just wanted to get the sweat off my body.

I stopped to stare at the small bottles of medication on the bathroom counter. Janine must have put them there before we left for the marine.

My chest squeezed painfully at the constant reminder.

No, I wouldn't ever marry, or have children, or even lose my god damn virginity.

The life that I had planned for me was something I could never have anymore.

There was no point in believing in God or rigorously following every God dammed commandment.

My chest squeezed again as I tried to calm my breathing down.

"I hate it here!" I whispered into the small bathroom. "I hate it here."

Everyone dreamed of living in Paradise.

Anyone would want to be around the constant ocean and peace.

But I hated it.

I didn't hate it because it was lovely, calming, and peaceful.

I hated the reason why we came here.

I hated the reason we now lived in this tropical haven.

I was the exception to the dream; the dream of leisure and sun.

I was the exception because I was dying.

I was dying and this tropical haven would become my grave.


TRUST ME. I'm the kind of chick that cries and curses the tv/book when a main character dies. I believe in HAPPILY EVER AFTERS when it comes to romances and this will be NO different.

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