AN: Hello once again readers! I just wanted to let everyone know before the story continues that I am not a fluent Spanish speaker, so if I do make mistakes within the text spoken in the language, please bare with me! I try my best to be accurate, but you can never be too sure with some translations!

And some of you may wonder if Carlos is actually a canon character. In the episode "African Lying Society", Alejandro mentions in a confessional that he has an older brother named Carlos that plays professional soccer. It's very similar to when he mentions his Uncle Julio in "The Ex-Files" since he speaks of him because of a talent he possesses. The episode has yet to air in the US and I don't think it has been aired in Canada as well, but you can easily find the episode on the site Veoh! His family will be seen a lot in the later chapters of this along with Heather's family.

Thank you again for taking the time to read this chapter and I hope you all enjoy it!


Alejandro looked at his plate of food and frowned. Once again, José was dominating the dinner conversation with his fantastic achievements in college and receiving the highest praise from his father. His mother was smiling softly with a twinkle her eyes and Carlos just hummed his approval as he shoveled food into his mouth quietly. But there Alejandro was, staring at his plate full of food and wondering if the churning in his stomach was due to José's obnoxious smirks from across the table or the fact that it was now three weeks since the Total Drama World Tour season finale. Three weeks since he had spoken, seen, or heard of Heather. It was a good thing, really. Or that's what Alejandro told himself.

"Por qué no estás comiendo, mijo? Is the medicine making you feel ill again?" Alejandro felt his mother's hand ghost over his bandaged arm delicately, making him jolt in his seat and back to reality. He stared at his own hand and his frown creased even more. The surgery had been a success, or that's what the surgeons told his family, and he had recovered very well compared to most burn victims. However, he was prescribed various amounts of medications and antibiotics in order for the recovery to continue its smooth path. The prescriptions often had him lethargic and irritable, but this was normal for Alejandro when his older brother was in town.

"Ay, Vanessa, you spoil your boys too much! Leave the boy to himself!" Mr. Burromuerto barked heartily and shot Alejandro a sympathetic grin. Alejandro's lips twitched upward for a short moment before he continued to frown at his food, the twisting in his stomach becoming stronger. His father always seemed to try and act like the perfect father figure but he was so disconnected from his sons, only having time to gloat about their various achievements to his fellow diplomats whenever he managed to hear word of it from his wife.

"Oh, hush, Enrique! You know Alejandro's the sensitive one!"

"Yea, Papa! Al's the girl of the family, remember?" José simpered across the table lightly. Carlos chuckled before he took a sip from his glass of water and his father laughed, slapping José on the back with admiration. Mrs. Burromuerto clucked her tongue in disapproval as she rubbed Alejandro's tense shoulders. He glowered at his food and pushed the plate away from him hastily.

"Excuse me, I am feeling rather sick." He could hear his mom call out to him in concern as he quickly retreated to the stairs but he ignored the calls. Alejandro growled in anger as he locked his bedroom door behind him and kicked a pile of books on the floor out of sheer rage. Luckily, they were José's second-hand books he'd graciously given to his brother for his studies. Completely worthless in Alejandro's eyes.

Normally in situations such as these, Alejandro would pound his fists angrily against his desk or the wall in order to vent out the tremendous anger that coursed through him but it would not be as satisfying to do such with only one good hand. He snarled in frustration at his annoying burden and opted to kick the side of his bed instead, instantly regretting it as a sharp pain shot up through his leg. He cursed, growled again, and kicked at the books his brother had given him once more. He would've continued his angry binge if it wasn't for a long stretch of vibrations coming from his pocket earnestly, making Alejandro freeze from attempting to chuck his desk lamp to the ground.

He ravaged his pants for his phone in anger and glared at the screen. When he recognized who was the source of the incoming call, his jaw tightened and his thumb ghosted over the keypad to reject the call. But knowing this person, they would just continue to dial his number until he finally answered or leave and endless amount of voicemails. Alejandro exhaled deeply and brought the phone to his face despite his reluctance.

"Now is not a good time, Courtney. Can you call me back later?"

"Well hello to you too, Alejandro. My day was great, thanks for asking!" Alejandro scowled at the girl's sharp sarcasm and stomped his foot in anger. He could hear a muffled cry of surprise from below – probably his mother caught off guard by the sudden noise – and restrained himself from chucking the phone out the window.

"Really, Courtney. Can we please talk some other time?"

"No way! You haven't bothered to call me in over two weeks and I miss you! Let's talk it out, okay? What's bothering you?" The young man sighed in aggravation at his girlfriend's persistence and fell to his bed tiredly. It seemed like he wouldn't weasel his way out of this phone call no matter what and Courtney was definitely a formidable foe when she was pushed to a certain point.

"My older brother has overstayed his welcome, basically…"

"José? Do you know when he is leaving?"

"I doubt anytime soon. He and my other brother Carlos were supposed to stay until after my surgery, but it looks like they will be staying longer for vacation or something..."

"Well, that can't be so bad, can it? Maybe you two can bury the hatchet and get along better!"

Alejandro's right hand fisted the fabric of his pants in anger at the suggestion. Was Courtney really that daft? She may not have known the details between the brothers but it was clear on the show how much Alejandro despised José. Besides, if they wanted to be cordial, the two had had up to eighteen years to settle everything and that obviously didn't happen. Instead, José continued to make his life difficult – from his home and across the nation.

"We will see… For now, I will tolerate his existence. I am sure I can last for a few more weeks,"

"You know, I could always come by to keep you sane… You only live about a half an hour away from me…" The obvious hint made Alejandro swallow a gag. Courtney may be very intellectual but she made it painfully clear on the show and in the real world she wasn't as skilled with subtlety.

"Perhaps… For now, I will bare the burden on my own. Thank you for the offer–"

"Well then how about we see each other tomorrow? It is a Saturday and I can take a break from my scholarship applications!"

Alejandro paused. If he agreed, he would be forced to spend a day with Courtney and deal with her incessant chatter. If he didn't agree, he would be bothered with Courtney's childish accusations of his lack of commitment. Again, Alejandro fisted his pants and forced a smile to go with his sweet voice.

"Sounds like a date, Courtney."


Alejandro combed a hand through his hair as he waited on a bench outside a coffee shop, wearily looking around him behind a pair of aviators to avoid being recognized in public. The fame of the Total Drama series had won him some fans – some more rabid than others – but an equally large hate group. Although it didn't faze him as much as others would expect, Alejandro disliked how often the topic of Heather arose in their presence. It seemed like no one wanted to drop the finale accident or let Alejandro live it down. He looked at his burned hand at the thought, which was now wrapped in a fiberglass cast for further protection, and frowned again.

'It's Heather's fault,' he reminded himself. 'Heather and her conniving ways. Heather's fault.'

"Alejandro?" The tanned boy stirred in his seat and looked up to see Courtney herself, looking as polished as usual. He managed to give her a small smile and raised his bad arm to wave lightly to her. She squealed happily and hurried to sit next to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck in rushed excitement to Alejandro's displeasure, forcing him to cough when her shoulder knocked clumsily into his windpipe.

"Oh no, sorry, sorry! I'm just so excited to see you again! I've been so lonely…" Courtney batted her eyelashes in an attempt to dazzle the teen but he was to busy coughing raucously.

"Ah, no preocupe. Soy fino!" When Courtney only stared blankly at him, Alejandro's faint smile disappeared. "Aren't you Hispanic, Courtney?"

"Oh yes! But my parents never taught me how to speak Spanish and I chose to take French and Chinese in high school. Why do you ask?"

"…Never mind, it's not important. Shall we go?" At the question, Courtney immediately bobbed her head in excitement and latched onto Alejandro's right arm. He smiled lightly but he was slapping his face in his mind. It was simply astounding in the worst way that Courtney didn't speak Spanish despite being Hispanic. It was mind boggling, a hindrance, and a turn off to Alejandro. But it could be easily overlooked, just like her excessive need to be right, biased-perspective, and her superiority complex. The more he reassured himself, the less Courtney seemed to be a splinter in his side – or that's what he told himself.

They walked into a movie theater not too far from the meeting place and purchased a matinee showing of a recent film that was a cliché romantic comedy couples went out to see. The whole time, Courtney leaned on Alejandro and hinted all the while how much she wanted. There were the delicate touches she left on his bare arm, an 'accidental' bump of hands when they reached for their shared drink, and the occasional affectionate rub on Alejandro's knees. Each action made Alejandro shiver, but it wasn't for the expected feelings of yearning. His skin seemed to crawl each time Courtney laid a finger on his body, impure and tainting what good skin he had left. He overlooked the feelings though and focused harder on the film. Sooner or later it would have to end and by then, Courtney would be out of his hair for a few relieving weeks.

He amazingly managed to endure Courtney's light but meaningful touches until the end of the movie, coming out of the show room with Courtney criticizing the mediocrity of the film's plot and proposing her own methods of making the film Academy worthy. Alejandro made it seem as if he agreed with everything she said but he was playing along and wishing he was in another place. Preferably alone at home where no one could bother him with such trivial matters.

Just as the two were making their way to the exit of the theater, Alejandro managed to catch a glimpse of vibrant hair pass by him quickly. It wasn't the fact that it was so colorful that caught his attention but the fact that it was a familiar shade of purple, a color he had only seen one person dare to sport. His head whipped around rapidly to catch the person with such an extreme shade of hair and he stopped in his tracks to see none other than Sierra chatting animatedly to her company.

Alejandro squinted and let his jaw drop to see short and nerdy Cody laughing at whatever Sierra was telling him, the two fellow cast mates making a slight detour in the lobby of the theater as Cody searched his pockets for something. Courtney was almost out the door when she finally realized Alejandro had stopped following her towards the exit. She didn't seem to notice he was staring at the two people a few yards away when she reached his side and tugged on his shirt sleeve in concern.

"Helloooo? Alejandro?" The fact that Cody's head whipped up at the sound of the teen's name showed how close they were. Alejandro and Cody locked eyes in a shocked stare for a few moments while each other's female company looked around curiously. Sierra blinked blankly down at the boy before looking around to see Alejandro and her eyes widened to the size of saucers. Courtney stilled looked dumbfounded and tugged on Alejandro again.

"Alejandro? What's up? You're kind of freaking me out here!" Alejandro simply shook the girl off his arm and walked forward steadily. His deceitful smile was already forming when he noticed the intense hate in Cody's eyes and how Sierra retreated back a few steps. She eyed him with a look of deep dislike but Alejandro chuckled at how her eyes betrayed her, flickering nervously in fear for a quick second when Alejandro's green eyes narrowed in inquisitively.

"You've got to be freaking kidding me," Cody hissed and took a step forward aggressively. Alejandro simply continued to smile and looked expectantly at the significantly shorter boy. "What the hell are you doing here!"

"Well, I'm in a movie theater. You're in a movie theater. I dunno, Cody, you tell me," Cody growled at Alejandro's response and flicked his gaze over Alejandro's shoulder. Courtney was walking towards them now, looking surprised to see Sierra and himself at the same movie theater but also slightly agitated.

"And how are you doing? You still have some zest from the show's reunion, I see. And Sierra, you've got some hair back! Your hair is muy a la moda," Sierra frowned, instinctively bringing a hand to touch her spiky tufts of hair. It had grown some, leaving enough hair for Sierra to form a small bang over her forehead and spike the inch of hair she'd grown over the past few weeks. It was odd, but it definitely fit the girl's consistent highs in her actions and personality.

"I'm fine, Ale-jerk-dro. Thanks for asking, but we really must be going. Wouldn't want to miss our movie." Sierra nudged Cody to take a hint and leave but the boy stood his ground, glaring at Alejandro and gritting his teeth in anger.

"You know you're the cause of all the crap Heather's going through? Have you even bothered to apologize yet, or are you still too much of a coward?" Alejandro's lips twitched unpleasantly at the sharp question. Instantly, his stomach was coiling in that dreadful guilt. Only this time a bout of rage was beginning to form from the audacity Cody had to bring that girl up in the conversation so quickly.

"Watch what you say around me, imbécil…"

"Or what? Are you going to punch me with you gimp hand? Oooh, I'm so scared!" At the taunt, Alejandro quickly raised his hand as if he was going to backhand the smaller boy. A small sense of satisfaction eased over him when Cody flinched at the raised appendage but in a split second, it was replaced with that same angry look. Alejandro glowered down at him before he brought his hand back to his side and turned on his heel. Courtney was saying something to him but he ignored her words. The pulsing in his head deafened all the sound around him. Cody and Sierra watched the two leave the vicinity in a rush, exchanging looks of relief and distress for a short moment.

do you feel any regret?…

The sun was setting in the distance, causing a beautiful spectrum of warm colors to reflect over the few clouds in the sky. Alejandro stared at the horizon vacantly. Courtney shifted in her chair and sipped her drink in silence, watching her boyfriend with a mix of confusion, aggravation, and concern. An hour had already passed since the couple had run into Cody and Sierra, narrowly avoiding a scuffle after an exchange of heated words. The way Alejandro had quickly reacted at the mention of Heather had startled Courtney; she had been under the impression Alejandro was over her already. But the way he had venomously spoken to Cody and how he looked so furious when he heard Heather's name…

"Alejandro," She started to say, managing to get Alejandro to tear his eyes away from the distance and onto Courtney. "Do you like me?"

"I do," Alejandro forced himself to respond quickly, shooting a charming smile at Courtney. The girl narrowed her eyes at his hasty words and the teen just shot a confused look at her. "Why do you ask, Courtney?"

"What does Heather mean to you?" Alejandro's face grew steely at the mention of his Asian rival, suddenly becoming very cold in his body language. Courtney's stomach twisted in a knot and she made an aggravated growl. "So you love her, right?"

"Love is not the word I would use, Courtney…" She looked at him with a startled look, partially out of sheer hope and surprise she was wrong about her normally accurate assumptions. "Heather is an anomaly in my existence – nothing but trouble and a self-absorbed human being. That girl betrayed me and if there's one thing I can't forgive, it is betrayal."

"Oh… I see, now! I knew I was just being silly!" Courtney laughed eagerly and squeezed Alejandro's hand affectionately on the surface of the table. Alejandro returned the gesture with a slight squeeze for reassurance to the girl's insecurity. Courtney's silence was short lived as she began to babble about everything that was happening in her life – the endless applications to Ivy League schools in the United States, her constant commitment to community service, and the annoying notoriety she had gained because of Total Drama's recent season. All the while, Alejandro forced a small smile as he reminded himself Heather was an evil temptress that deserved everything she had gotten at the end of World Tour. What he had said was true – it must have been! These last three weeks were filled with nothing but these thoughts…

They ended up going their separate ways not long after that moment due to Courtney's schedule – not that Alejandro minded in the least. He came home with an upset stomach, which he blamed on being angry about the events that transpired that same day. Luckily, there was no José to taunt him relentlessly with that cool and collected smile, or his overbearing mother that bothered him with every medication he was prescribed, or his incredibly oblivious father that would ask if he was anything like José yet. Just Carlos, who was sitting in the family room, watching a rerun of that accursed show Alejandro had the pleasure of being apart of. He was sitting on the couch, his back to Alejandro when the boy entered the room and too engrossed with the events of that particular episode to acknowledge his brother's entrance.

"Otra vez? Apague la televisón, Carlos!" Alejandro hissed angrily as he recognized the episode the episode's settings were in the Serengeti of Africa, barely reaching the intro of the musical score. Carlos ignored his brother's angry demand and only increased the volume with two clicks from the remote.

"Did you know most of the music sung is auto-tuned? Could it be you are embarrassed by your singing?" Alejandro rolled his eyes at his oldest brother's remark. Leave it to Carlos to be blunt and dodge every little thing someone said to him. Nonetheless, Alejandro stepped forward to the couch and tried to yank the remote out of his brother's hands. Carlos' reflexes were much faster, though, and he managed to slap Alejandro hard upside the head. He fell next to Carlos on the soft cushions and the older Burromuerto raised the volume once more. "Calme, mi hermanito."

Alejandro made a disgruntled sound and tried to snatch the remote away from Carlos a second time. And a second time Alejandro failed, receiving another sharp blow to the back of his head.

"Why do you watch this crap, Carlos? You know it bothers me! You're no better than Jo–"

"It's the only way I feel close to you, Alejandro." The words struck the younger Burromuerto unexpectedly. Alejandro opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it when he realized he had nothing to say. "That's one thing I don't like about you – you're very insensitive to the feelings of others, you know?"

"…L-lo siento…"

"Don't worry. I don't mind. I just thought you should know. Hm, that Heather girl sings with a nice melody…" Alejandro felt much too sorry to be bothered with the mention of Heather. He hadn't thought that Carlos watched the show just to see his little brother; he just assumed he got his sadistic kicks from it like José. He felt foolish for even reacting so childishly around the much older Burromuerto.

"Apologize." Alejandro jumped. The last thing he wanted to do was tread on Carlos' toes again without any knowledge of doing so.

"W-what? I thought I did! I'm sorr–"

"To Heather, Alejandro. You're being insensitive again, you know?" Carlos raised an eyebrow at his brother's contorted face. The younger Latino opened his mouth to claim it was Heather's fault for everything but Carlos hushed him with a cluck of his tongue. "Stop blaming others for your mistakes, little brother. It's very unbecoming of a Burromuerto."

"But Heather deserved it! She was ruthless from the start and never had any intention of being fair!"

"And you, Alejandro?" At the question, Alejandro stilled. How could he forget? He was the most hated contestant by the time he reached Hawaii for the season finale, with everyone cheering on Heather – the original antagonist of the show – to beat him to an embarrassing defeat. He had no intention of playing it fair either – he would do whatever it took to come out on top.

"Have you ever considered why Heather's like that? You should probably stop to think about her feelings. She does remind me a lot of you."

"What is that supposed to mean, Carlos?"

"Ask for forgiveness and ye shall be forgiven." And with that, Carlos handed the TV remote to Alejandro and pushed himself off of the couch. Alejandro watched the man grab his keys from the coffee table and reach for a lone soccer ball under the table. His eyes continuing to follow Carlos until he reached the entrance to the family room, stating he was going out to practice his offensive techniques. The sound of the door closing made Alejandro relax slightly as he looked down at the device in his hands with guilt. Then his tired eyes looked back at the screen, managing to catch a glimpse of his then self with Heather smirking smugly as Duncan was pummeled by the rabid Ezekiel. He growled, threw the remote to the floor, and left the room with the TV still on.

Where would Alejandro even begin to say sorry for everything? He didn't even know what to think anymore. He had worked so hard to convince himself that Heather was an evil bitch. But there was that subconscious feeling of regret that always followed him when he thought of Heather or when he told himself that he wasn't responsible for the unfortunate outcomes in the show. He slammed his fist against the hallway wall when realization shot through him like a spike of lightning.

"Damn it all… I'm still in love with her…"

Everything smashed into him like a foul sucker punch; Heather's embarrassed blush when Alejandro had gotten the better of her, her sharp tongue, her determination, her soft smile in those rare intimate moments in the cargo hold – everything. Alejandro made a frustrated growl again. He was depraved of any contact with that girl and he didn't know of any way he could find her sensibly. From what he already knew, Heather deactivated all of her accounts on the popular social networks of the internet or just stopped bothering to update them. And thanks to the urgings of threatening lawyers, the show was forced to keep the girl's medical residence confidential. No one he knew of was aware of Heather's secret presence and it infuriated Alejandro to no end. He grunted and hurried to his bedroom, ready to go into a raging binge.

But then it hit him, much faster than his other realizations to his satisfaction.

Sierra knew where Heather was.


AN: Well that wraps up chapter four. Hopefully the next will come out sooner than this, but it's highly unlikely. A special thank you to everyone who waited patiently for the update and the new readers who noticed this story and took the time to read through all the chapters! It really does mean a lot to me!

And the reviews – thank you SO much to my faithful reviewers! You're words really do help – be it a critique on the writing, encouragement, comments on how you enjoyed the chapter, or simply your opinions! I hope to continue to do a great job with this story and receive more of your reviews!

Thanks again to everyone! Until next time!