Disclaimer: Written for Entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: Here is the AU that I promised would be posted months ago. It has taken me awhile to pull myself away from the Sentio Omnium series to get this first chapter typed out. Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's film adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. Expect the usual twists and turns, but it borrows heavily from the film adaptation though not quite following everything. Written in response to a request made by xXHellButterflyXx.

Alter Altera Alterum is Latin for, "the other one".

Exordium is Latin for, "the beginning (esp. in regards to a speech or in this case, a story)".

Alter Altera Alterum

Chapter One: Exordium

The resort boasted a vast number of modern luxuries. There was not one, but two outdoor swimming pools with one being an adults only pool with a lagoon like setting. Outdoors seemed to be a relative term considering the entire area lay amid thick, heavy branches with various overhead canopies to keep on constantly in shade. It looked more like a lazy river through the narrow channels of a rainforest with its hanging vines and twisting waters. Along the edges of the water were strategically located cabanas, erected with views of all passers who floated by. Another bit of luxury in such a poshly luxurious setting. The shade created by the trees was a welcome reprieve from the otherwise blistering desert sun above. Not to mention it, also, gave her eyes a blessed rest from the ever popular metallic materials that were so fashionable for bikinis. The shine reflected off of them was enough to blind someone. The already blinding sun seemed magnified by those tiny pieces that surely, could not really be for the benefit of swimming. So it is here, under the cooler shade of the trees, she was able to relax in the overly gigantic inner tube the attendant had handed out to guests who sought refuge in this manufactured setting. The tube also came with a handy cupholder, where her cocktail currently resided, as she let out another calming breathe and settled back against the air filled rubber keeping her afloat.

This was the sort of place that made her uneasy. The posh surroundings were completely out of her league. She felt awkward in her perfectly acceptable white bikini. While it was a bit more conservative than that of the other women she had seen strolling the grounds here, it was the most skin she had ever exposed in her life. It had been suggested that perhaps white was not a wise choice considering the paleness of her skin, but she had liked the white and she thought the color rather suited her. She believed so up until she had stepped outside of her room and into the outdoor pool for children and adults alike. The reaction of others had been embarrassing. Many of the more scantily clad, metallic wearers had made mocking motions as if shielding their eyes in response to the bright whiteness that was her skin. After about five minutes of feeling as if her skin would sizzle right off from the heat and noticing that she was becoming more of a lobster than human, she had sought refuge in this shaded pool. She was promptly handed a large floatation device that was bigger than herself and almost as heavy, before being asked what she would like to drink by an unnaturally good looking bartender. Yes, it was all very disconcerting.

Finally settled, she can now enjoy this little outing without the often times, overbearing company of her current employer, Mrs. Harper. Not that the lady was awful, she just had a way of making her feel even more foolish and awkward than she already knew she was. As she lays back and tries to relax, she can make out the pulsing sounds of the nearby pool party. It feels blessedly far away from this tranquility around her. Just enough so that she felt close enough to other people and not completely isolated. The air is still a tad oppressively humid but the gentle breeze and the coolness of the water make it all seem comfortable. This short lived serenity is broken when the feeling of another presence nearby registers. She opens her eyes to see whether she is approaching an occupied cabana to explain the feeling. Having just passed one, she does not see anyone within the flimsy fabric of the tent and no one standing among the thick bush on the edges of the water either.

A rustling sound above her, has her lifting her eyes, bringing her attention to the dark figure who stands poised at the edge of tallest trees. Sitting up straighter, she squints her eyes to make out what sort of mischief some drunk individual was concocting. Only it did not seem as if the figure meant any mischief at all. Her deep lavender eyes widen as she realizes that the figure had a far more nefarious intention. Poised dangerously against the edges of a thick branch, it looked like the person meant to fling themselves on to the sharp rocks below. The distance was not too high but the jagged edges of those rocks would be fatal anyway.

"No! Stop!" she cries out, waving her arms about wildly. In her attempt to divert them, she ends up tipping herself over and splashing into the water. Her icy cocktail makes a stain of red against the blue chlorine of the water, making it garish purple color around her. She sputters out water that had rushed into her gaping mouth and pushes her long hair away from her face. Treading water, she looks around desperately for the figure to see where they have gone. Had they jumped anyway?

That could not have been her imagination.

"What deuces are you shouting at?" drawls an annoyed, fluid sounding voice just above her.

Feeling very much like a drowning rat with her hair flattened against her face, she looks up and is faced with the most attractive man she has ever seen. Or he would be, if he were not currently scowling at her so disapprovingly.

The pool is not terribly deep but she finds herself in need of some assistance to keep her head above water. She submerses herself a moment so that her feet can push off from the bottom. Her hands grab hold of the edges of the narrow pool and pulls herself up a bit, water spilling from her in waves. When she meets his eyes again, he is looking at her with his mouth slightly agape. His skin tone, though pale already, looks ashen as it seems to drain of color completely.

"Who are you?" he demands fiercely. "Where did you come from?"

He looks absolutely furious that she's half tempted to dunk back into the water to put some distance between them.

"I'm, I'm sorry," she says, feeling like a fool, yet again. "I thought you, uh... were going to jump."

"And what if I did?" he challenges and he looks even more furious as he continues to look down at her.

"Do you really want your body to be found at the bottom of an artificial lagoon?" she manages through the sudden lump in her throat. "I imagine it would be more preferable to find a more dignified place to kill yourself. If… if, you were going to, that is." She finishes lamely. She is not an elegant speaker on a good day and the way he was looking at her was making her stutter like an idiot. A rambling idiot.

"What are you, a water nymph?" he asks after a moment, not looking as fierce now.

"I, I was rather enjoying a nice float on the water here until I saw you standing there."

"Well then, run along nymph and continue on your lazy float. You'll not lure this one into the water."

As if she were the reason for his brief insanity and she has no idea what he means by insinuating so. But she does not want to stay and find out. He was so terribly handsome that she felt very intimidated.

"My tube seems to have floated away without me," she murmurs to herself. Her tube is no where in sight and not even her spilt glass is anywhere to be seen.

Without another word, he grasps under both of her arms, lifts her completely out of the water and then settles her on her feet in front of him. The move so startles her that she stands there a moment in shock. Too overwhelmed to be taken aback by his liberties on her person. She has her first up close glimpse into dark, jewel toned blue eyes that cut through her as they returned her stare. Those eyes were the stuff of dreams and fantasy, as piercing as they are. The kind that one did not want to escape from but also hinted at danger. They would also see too much and that is when she turns her eyes away.

"Off you go now, Nymph. I am sure you will be able to catch up with it if you hurry," he says, with a shooing motion of his hand. "And next time, don't startle people with your shouting."

He looks so dark and foreboding that she is relieved to be away from him and scampers away wobbly. Recapturing the tube and continuing on her leisurely float no longer held such appeal to her, but she really had no where else to go. One last look at the dark man she has just left behind, she catches him frowning at her so she hurries out of his sight. He reminds her of a tragic hero from a dark tale of romance. Dark, mysterious and brimming with barely suppressed emotions that made his eyes spark with such intensity that it made her skittish. In comparison she felt feeble and weak and stupid. She dismisses the rest of her thoughts before they get the better of her and catches up to her tube just around the next bend.

She was looking forward to passing the rest of the afternoon uneventfully. Though, it becomes a trial to get back into that infernal floatation device first. Finally, after a firm grip and lots of wiggling around, she was back on top of it and gliding along as if her interlude had never happened. The gentle motions of the water and much appreciated shade of the trees allow her to almost forget the bizarre encounter.

Almost.