"Stop," Alice giggled softly, turning her head towards Magnus as he kissed her neck. "Your parents are gonna see," she murmured, feeling her eyes wanting to close as her body warmed even more from his touch. They had arrived in St Lucia a couple of hours before, having touched down in the small airport only to be greeted by two large black SUV's to take them to the hillside resort they were staying in. The heat was thick and humid, but it had cooled once the sun had set.

Alice felt like she was in a dream, a golden hazy, warm dream filled with champagne and luxury. She'd never experienced anything like it, and in the short time she'd been around the Johnson family and all of their riches, she'd been blown away more than once by how beautiful they made life look when you had an almost unlimited bank account balance. They'd taken over a large stone white villa on the hillside, with its own large private pool and a breathtaking view that looked out over the ocean.

The two were currently on the balcony of the room they'd chosen to share at the top of the villa, with its large king size bed with soft white sheets and four posts two hold up the mosquito net. "They won't see," Magnus murmured, having cornered Alice only moments ago when she'd borrowed his phone to take pictures of the view to text to herself.

He smoothed his hands over her hips, feeling the material of the cream, long slip dress she'd changed into for dinner plans with his parents. She smelt sweet like the perfume he'd grown to associate with her and he breathed in deeply before gently kissing her neck again. He'd been wanting to kiss her again since the football game, but between then and now she'd been occupied with socialising with his parents and being annoyed with him.

Alice inhaled deeply, closing her eyes for a moment as she tried to fight the pleasurable tingling moving from where Magnus's lips touched her neck all throughout her body. He had her gently pinned against the wall of the balcony, and two floors downs his parents were sat out by the pool to look out over the view as they had their pre-dinner drinks.

Magnus pulled back from Alice's neck, his subtly affectionate gaze moving over her face before he leant in to kiss her... They were stood close together, their bodies touching as Magnus's palms caressed up from Alice's hips to her waist and her own palms held his neck. Their lips moved together carefully, her bottom lip tenderly placed between his as they kissed. Warmth spread through both their bodies, and it only took seconds before they took over... causing Magnus to grasp at Alice's body to pull her closer and her own arms to wrap around his neck. A pleasurable sensation of urgency took over, and the intensity of their kiss doubled as Alice released a soft moan at the feeling. Magnus groaned in response, pushing his body into her and slid his hands down her body to grasp at her upper thigh and lift it against his hip.

Their heads tilted in opposite directions as Alice grasped at his hair, excitement taking over her as a warm breeze moved over them, the sound of the ocean and crickets chirping fading into simple background noise as her senses turned their attention to Magnus. She moaned again, feeling her heart thudding inside her chest as their lips moved together in such a synchronised way that it was obvious they'd had enough practice...

But Alice knew that if she didn't stop their encounter she'd end up pinned underneath him and miss the dinner with his parents that she was genuinely looking forward to. She pulled her head back a little, and lowered her hands to his chest, the signal enough to cause Magnus to pull back to look at her. "What?" He asked, seeing her pink cheeks and her slightly wet lips.

"I'm hungry," she murmured, giving him a small smile and then laughing softly.

"Oh," he replied, annoyed that a sense of relief washed over him at her reason not being because he was somehow in trouble. "Then lets go." He continued, still watching her closely as she tucked some hair behind her ear and leant away from the half wall and walked him to head back into the room to get her sandals. He did up the rest of the olive green linen shirt he was wearing and followed, smoothing his hand now through his hair to neaten it so it didn't look like Alice had just been tugging at it.

Once downstairs Alice and Magnus steppes out onto the outdoor area, the stone tiles that covered almost every outdoor area a warm, but faded shade of red. "Darlings!" Julia beamed, her eyes lighting up at the sight of her son and his girlfriend unintentionally matching since her dress and his shorts were the same shade of cream. "What do you feel like, sea food? Thai? Sushi? Burgers? Pizza, maybe?"

"I don't mind," Alice replied softly as they joined Magnus's parents at the large ten seater glass table just as Hans poured them both a glass of chilled white wine. "Thank you." She smiled, glancing over at Magnus as he watched her for a moment then looked over at his parents.

"Pizza," he replied before taking a sip of the wine and licking his lips. He glanced at Alice again, seeing her looking out towards the illuminated pool and sighing softly.

"Pizza? You can have pizza at home, we're on vacation darling." Julia scolded, causing Hans to chuckle quietly.

"You can have sushi at home, too." Magnus replied in a calm voice, causing Julia to sigh loudly.

"What about sea food?" Alice suggested, "I haven't really eaten it much before, so." She added as both Magnus and Julia looked at her. She smiled, glancing at Magnus then at his mother who was now smiling happily.

"Sea food it is then," Julia smiled, her own honey toned blonde hair neatly pinned up with a large clip, dressed in simple white loose pants and a satin pale pink blouse. They finished their drinks, and walked down to the main area of the resort in pairs, following the signs to the restaurant of their choice by the beach. Alice couldn't stop the small smile from playing on her lips as she glanced down at her hand linked with Magnus's. He'd taken her hand again without making a moment of it, and she liked how she could feel his fingertips brushing against her knuckles... she wondered if this was a thing they did now, or if he was just adding to the romance to sweeten her up.

She admired the aesthetics of the resort as they walked the short distance to the main area of it all, with its white villas and warm red roads, lit up with short street lamps that matched the half walls that lined the road and the steps leading down to the main area where the shops and restaurants were. A golf buggy filled with guests passed them, and Alice smiled politely as they chirped happy greetings at the four of them.

Magnus let Alice walk down the steps first that lead to the tastefully lit pool area. The sound of the water lapping up against the edges adding to the ambience as they approached the restaurant that was next to the private beach, hidden away inside a cove so the water was always calm.

They were lead to a table for four on the balcony looking over the ocean, the smell of the salty water wafted towards Alice's nose as she smiled a little more to herself as they all settled down and gave their drinks orders. "We'll have a bottle of your best champagne and Sauvignon Blanc, Thank you." Julia smiles decisively, not even needing to look at the wine list as it was offered to her.

"Of course." The waiter murmured politely, turning away to retrieve the drinks as Alice glanced around her more. The restaurant was quiet, with couples dotted around the place... she assumed it was off peak season since there didn't seem to be many people around.

"We are so glad you could join us on this little break, Allie," Julia began, brining Alice's attention back to the table. She was sat opposite her, and smiled happily at the welcoming atmosphere.

"Thank you for letting me join you." She replied, glancing at Magnus who was already watching her with a calm expression.

"You're going to make so many fun memories, I just know it." Julia beamed, glancing between her son and his girlfriend with bright, happy eyes. She was excited that Magnus was making an effort with Alice, for she was worried the last time they spoke about her that she'd never see her again. But here she was, out of the blue, and she could just see in the way that Magnus looked at her that the feelings were settling down so that they could hold their own during a fight. It was obvious, at least to her, the impact Alice was having on him and she couldn't wipe the smile off her face when she thought about the outcome of it all.

The champagne and wine arrived in an ice bucket, and conversation between the four of them flowed easily. Music played softly from the speakers inside the restaurant, adding to the relaxed aura of the resort as a whole whilst the sounds of the ocean and the breeze in the palm trees mixed in to the background noise. A collection of food was ordered for the table and a happy energy radiated from the table for all to see as plates were passed around and more wine was poured... "So tell us how you two met, Magnus never told us the story," Hans said, sipping wine as he leant back in his chair, most of the food across the table almost gone now.

Alice glanced over at Magnus who had just placed food in his mouth so she decided to take the reigns. "Um, well we met at a gathering of one of our friends first," she began, tucking some hair back behind her ear just as the wind decided to try and free it. "He was really gentlemanly and offered to drive me home, um, I don't think you really liked me then," she laughed softly glancing over at Magnus as he released a quiet chuckle as he chewed his food. The reality of the memory was quite different, but neither of them were about to be honest. "I had a massive crush on him and was really over excited that he spoke to me so I kind of put my foot in my mouth a few times,"

"Oh my god," Julia gasped softly, hiding her mouth with her hand as she beamed behind it. Alice wasn't sure if it was the wine or how welcoming his parents were which caused her to be so open, but she liked talking with them. She hadn't really been able to talk about their relationship without thinking someone was going to pass judgement because of who he was.

"I didn't like you then, you were really annoying, actually." Magnus spoke up, causing Alice to smile more because of his gentle tone. "But you grew on me," he added, sighing as if he was reluctant to the idea but it only made Alice laugh, her big smile causing Julia to coo at them even more.

"But nothing really happened between us until New Years," Alice explained, continuing the story as Magnus watched the profile of her face whilst she looked at his parents.

"Oh, that's when we met you for the first time- remember, Hans?" Julia replied, touching her husband's arm as she remembered seeing Alice for the first time looking extremely hungover and a little guilty, she'd seen the way Magnus had looked up at her, but also how fast he'd looked away and his slightly hostile behaviour. She gasped quietly as she assumed what had happened. "So who was that other boy?" She suddenly asked causing a minute shift in Magnus's expression.

"Noah, he's the sheriff's son." Alice replied carefully, reaching for her wine so that she could take a long but subtle sip whilst Magnus sat quietly and began to turn his knife in his hand.

"... Did something happen?" Hans asked, noticing Magnus's behaviour quickly.

"No, nothing happened. It was just a pretty confusing time for... us." Alice replied, licking her lips and pushing the urge to take another long sip of wine again away. She wasn't sure if Magnus had been confused, but she know she had been... caught between feeling bad about not really liking Noah as much as he liked her and feeling over excited about kissing Magnus for the first time.

"They were dating and I kissed her before he could." Magnus said suddenly, and Alice's eyes widened as she looked at him. Julia's eyebrows raised and Hans released a short laugh in surprise as his son's openness and the obvious jealousy in his tone. "And he had the nerve to try and tell me to back off, as if she was even interested in him in the first place." Magnus continued, his tone snappy but quiet.

"Magnus," Alice gasped quietly, looking at him with a shocked and annoyed expression.

"What?" He asked, the sharp same tone still stuck to his words.

"We weren't dating. I was just started to get to know him because he approached me in that way, like why would you..." she trailed off purposefully and gave him a pointed look as if to ask why he would just blurt that out in front of his parents.

"I'm just making it clear, Alice. And you know he wouldn't of even approached you if I hadn't of told him... to." Magnus spoke before he thought about what he was saying and trailed off mid sentence suddenly, wanting to curse out loud as Alice stared at him in silence.

"Told him to what, ask me out?" Alice asked, her voice calm but now a few octaves lower. Magnus sighed heavily, knowing he was the one putting his foot in his mouth now. He didn't reply audibly because he didn't need to, since the look on Alice's face told him she'd already guessed right. "Wow." She whispered, looking away from him and nodding a little. Embarrassment crept up her throat in the form of a flush as his parents looked over at her with unreadable expression. She chewed on the inside of her bottom lip for a few seconds before deciding she wanted to leave the table. "Thank you for dinner." She murmured, pushing her chair back quietly before leaving.

"Alice-" Magnus began, trying to stop her by reaching for her arm but she snatched it away without looking at him and walked off, her quick steps showing that she wanted to get away as fast as she could.

There was only a moments silence amongst the Johnsons before Magnus stood up to go after her, but was stopped. "Sit down." Julia said quietly, her voice low and clear. "Now." She added after a few seconds. Magnus glanced between his parents and lowered himself back down and into his seat, seeing the look of thunder on his mother's face, knowing that if Alice had been there to see, she probably would've figured out where he had got it from. "Is she a game to you, Magnus?" Julia asked, the friendly, light hearted voice she used most of the time gone.

"No. It was a long time ago when shit was different." Magnus murmured defensively,

"But she found out today, didn't she? And you humiliate her by telling her in front of us... especially after everything she's been through because of the media back home dragging her name through the dirt, which was probably your doing as well, I'm assuming." Julia replied accusingly whilst staring at Magnus intently. He said nothing and inhaled deeply, holding the eye contact only for a few more seconds before looking down since he sometimes forgot how well his parents knew him. "For god's sake, Magnus... It is a miracle she is still speaking to..." she trailed off suddenly, a realisation seeping into her mind as Magnus sat quietly, avoiding eye contact. "... Does she know?" Julia asked, her question could've applied to anything but instantly Magnus knew what she meant.

"She-"

"Yes or no, Magnus." Hans snapped quietly, his gaze so intense that anyone else would've shrunk several sizes.

"Yes." Magnus replied bluntly,

"Jesus Christ," Julia sighed, leaning back in her chair and reaching for her glass of wine as she looked away. Hans shook his head, reaching up to rub his forehead in fear a headache would start.

"She's known the whole time." Magnus continued, causing his parents to look back at him slowly... subtle lines of shock now etched into their expression. "She doesn't care."

"Of course she cares," Hans muttered, confused at how relaxed Magnus looked. "How could you think she-"

"You don't know her like I do, she does not care." Magnus replied, his voice low and sharp now as he sat up a little straighter. "She's different." he added a little quieter. Julia stayed quiet, glancing away from her son and out towards the view of the ocean, its black water illuminated by the moon as it washed carefully up onto the beach below the restaurant.

"It would explain the tolerance." Julia murmured, "Since she knows exactly what he's capable of, everything else would seem minor." she continued, looking at her husband directly as he looked back. "I knew there was something about her." Julia murmured, feeling pleased with herself that her subtle intuition never failed. she had seen in Alice's eyes, even though they had been bright and her expression had been polite, the whispers of darkness were there. And now it only seemed to confirm it... what sane minded soul would be content with dating someone like her son whilst knowing the full story... Julia smiled as reached up to elegantly move some of her honey toned hair away from her eyes and looked back towards Magnus, finding herself liking Alice even more. In her eyes, she was now perfect. "You will get up from this table and do whatever it takes to keep her happy and by your side, do you understand?" Julia said, her tone smooth but strong too.

"Yep." Magnus muttered, irritated that he was being ordered to do something he was already going to do.

"Excuse me?" Julia asked, her pointed stare causing one waiter who was about to approach the table to reconsider.

"Yes Ma'am." Magnus corrected, bouncing his leg under the table moments before Julia waved him away. He got up, and stalked off... brushing past the waiter who was waiting to replace the wine bottle that was now empty for the second time. Julia sighed heavily once Magnus was out of ear shot, murmuring a thank you to the waiter who replaced the wine bottle and vanished fairly quickly.

"May I ask... what your fascination with Alice Murphy is about?" Hans asked, pouring his wife another glass of wine. Julia stayed quiet for a moment, looking over at the place where Alice had been sitting before...

"She just reminds me of someone." Julia murmured, her blue eyes moving their gaze from her wine glass to her husband before she smiled a smile filled with secrets...

~

... Alice had now reached the half way point between the restaurant and the villa, making a plan to sit by the pool discreetly until someone would come back to let her in. She walked quickly, wanting to hide away and shake off the initial feeling of embarrassment as she thought about the look on Julia and Hans' faces before she saw them again. Her mind whirred with multiple thoughts at once whilst she wondered if she should have even left the table or just laughed it off, but the thought of brushing it off when it had so obviously affected her seemed to make the feeling of embarrassment worse. "Alice," A familiar voice called from behind her, a little distance away.

"Go away, Magnus." She replied loud enough for him to hear, feeling a mixture of frustration and annoyance after coming to understand that he had been involved in her personal life from much earlier than she previously expected. However she wasn't entirely sure whether or not she was more irritated about the topic or how he'd blurred it out in front of his parents like that.