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Chapter Text

No regrets

Chapter 1 Love and betrayal

A giant plane is flying in the night skies, the set of the hit reality tv show Total Drama was currently in its third season, this time it was bigger and badder than ever, for its setting it had been decided it would be a World Tour, where the contestants would travel the world competing in dangerous and insane challenges, all for the opportunity to win one Million dollars, the prize of a lifetime, and a life changing amount of money

At this exact moment we find ourselves in a pretty somber moment for the show, the plane had just departed Greece, where the day’s challenges had taken place however all this pain and confusion wasnt due to the grueling challenge they had just faced, and not due to Chef hatchet’s less than mediocre food

No my friends this somber mood was due to Love and Betrayal…… and at the center of this all was the pale artist goth Gwen, The bad boy punk Duncan, and the poor girl they had both stabbed in the back (and heart) Courtney

Its no secret that Gwen and Duncan had gotten along pretty well over the course of the show, at first they didn’t really interact much due to being on different teams, but as fate would have it they would discover many similarities between themselves after their teams dissolved and the competition reached its merge

They both shared a love of horror movies and seemed to have a similar sense of humor, not to mention they tended to steal glances at eachother here and there, both digging eachother’s style, there was only one problem…

Both Gwen and Duncan had their respective partners already, Gwen had started dating Trent who was arguably one of the most talented musicians in the show and seemed to be a kind and understanding person, as for Duncan he had started dating Courtney, the most outspoken and driven contestant of them all, many would say they were incompatible, but according to Duncan, he loved that fire that burned inside Courtney

But alas neither Gwen or Duncan seemed to be unhappy in their respective relationships, not until the second season started….

during Total Drama Action Gwen and Duncan had become even closer, causing a huge insecurity within Trent, he sadly had to witness his girlfriend slowly fall out of love with him and poor Trent didn't know how to cope with it, letting his team down and getting broken up with by Gwen

It sent him down a depressing spiral and sadly he left the season pretty quickly right after…

As for Courtney she had many issues with Duncan and had to witness from the Aftermath show how close her boyfriend kept getting closer to that weird goth girl, feeling powerless and insecure about it all…. Eventually she was able to join the competition, and really confront Duncan about it all, however her emotions made her act irrational and aggressive towards him, all culminating with her getting voted off the show once again

Things might've been rocky between them but Courtney had left the show still reassured that Duncan was head over heels for her regardless of all their fighting, to her it was just the way they communicated, their own little love language that only they spoke.

As it turned out however not everything was as solid as she had hoped, and it all came crumbling down

During this season she had finally given Gwen a chance and the benefit of the doubt over if she was attracted to Duncan, the two of them formed an unlikely friendship and confided in one another about typical things any teenage girl would talk about with their best friend, of course they were NOT like katie and sadie, but they did share a bond and for a moment Courtney felt like she could trust Gwen and let down her guard around her…. That was her biggest mistake.

During their final challenge in Greece Tyler was ordered by Alejandro to reveal a secret in front of everybody, and her worst nightmare became true, Gwen and Duncan had kissed.

“What!… how could you, i thought we were friends” she yelled as Sierra held her back “ i hate you i hate you!!!!!!” The poor broken hearted girl kept trying to break free of her teamate’s grasp to no avail.

The hurt she felt couldnt be put into words, it stabbed her and drove her insane, she felt humiliated, used, like her entire being meant nothing to the two people she cared about the most, at that moment all she wanted… hell all she needed was revenge, “Cody stay where you are” she turned back to look the author of her pain in the eye “you are so E-L-I-M-I-N-A-T-E-D”

At that moment however we finally make our way to whom this story is truly about, this hopeless young man... Cody

He stayed there standing for what felt like an eternity, hearing the words spoken by the clumsy athlete repeat in his mind over and over stabbing his heart each time

Because it was no secret Cody had a huge crush on Gwen this whole time, a crush that had made him act in ways nothing had in the past, he truly believed himself in love with her

“Duncan….? Duncan?!?!” this was all he could say as he looked at her in the crowd, however she wouldnt look him in the eye, her tearfilled gaze was still fixed on Courtney

Cody suddenly heard a voice beside him
“You called? Heh nice bikini” at that precise moment like a lightning strike Duncan ran up to the group with a smug grin standing right next to Cody

Without a second of hesitation the one they kept calling Geek and Nerd all throughout the show delivered a swift punch to Duncan’s face, not even turning to face him while doing so

*Punch*

The punk hit the floor almost immediately and right there was the Imposing Chef Hatchet to deliver another blow with a towel “SING IT!”

Cody stood there standing for a moment, the sadistic host of the show Chris Mclean had fired his arrow and signaled for the challenge to start, all he had to do was use his fake wings to reach a medal before tyler did, if he managed to do so he would win the challenge, but if he didnt his crush would be gone forever

With a million things running through his mind he only had one thing stick out, and it was the face Gwen was making, a face of pure despair, she might not last very long in this game, but if it were up to him it wasnt going to end this way.

Cody started to flap his fake wax wings with all the might his body could conjure, right now in this moment he would give it his all to at least save gwen one last time, to be able to speak to her and truly understand what was going on, he slowly started catching up to Tyler and even overcame him to snatch victory from the opposing team

“Amazons win” shouted chris giving a sly smile “which means the losers are heading back to the elimination room for the second time in a row”

“My cody!!!” Screamed Sierra while running towards him as he lay in the ground panting and feeling the pain from the fall all over his body only one thought remained “i did it”

“Sierra im ok, i just—— need some time to myself ill join you girls in the plane later”
As he said this Sierra was about to protest and grab Cody against his will to nurse him back to health and check him for any sort of injuries however before she could do any of that he turned to look at her with a serious demeanor “i need to do this please, i cant be around you right now….” Sierra saw how red his eyes were and that his hurt went deeper than just the physical…. That gothic wench will pay next time for hurting her man, but even so something else happened to the crazed stalker.

She understood for the first time that it was better to leave cody be for now, it seemed that whatever was going through his mind was beyond anything she could do at the moment, as unreasonable as she might seem Sierra didnt want to get cody in a worse mood, in the past he had lost his patience with her but he never looked as angry and broken as he did in this moment

“Cody bear, i understand youre very frustrated and need a second so i as your number 1 fan/future wife will grant you your space until you let off that steam that is clearly building inside you, ill just be knitting you a sweater to keep you warm and it tight when i cant “ as she declared this she walked back to her team and made her way back to the plane

Cody then stood up dusted himself off and even gave Tyler a hand up as well, since he had accidentally landed on him, Chef then approached the two contestants and gave them their clothes back and told them to meet him back in the plane

Once Cody had changed back to his regular outfit he walked back to first class with his head held low, the sun was starting to set and it seemed that they were about ready to leave Greece behind.

Interior first class cabin

His hand was hurting, he never thought he would have the guts or strength to do such a thing, but he did deep inside, maybe it was the sheer heartbreak he felt at that very moment, or perhaps something inside him snapped when he truly understood that Gwen would never see him the way he saw her

Cody sat at the first class bar by himself looking at his bloody slightly swollen hand, as he looked at it he started reminiscing about himself and Gwen, at this point in time they had known eachother for a while, he reflected on the way they interacted with one another, a part of him always knew that she wasnt interested in him, how could she be, a girl as beautiful and special as her could have any guy she wanted, and he was fine with it, specially if it was a standup guy like trent.

In the past during the first season he had tried to set them up and in a weird roundabout way it worked they did end up dating and he had thought he was ready to let her go, knowing that she was in good hands with a guy like Trent

Sadly it wasnt meant to be, many underlying issues out of his own control tore them apart before long and she found herself single again, Cody felt a small sliver of hope inside him, perhaps it wasnt meant to be with Trent but with him, maybe he could be there for her and show how useful he could be, he could try to be her friend and maybe one day her boyfriend if he stayed with her long enough she would definitely give him a shot right?

Well it was a rude awakening
“What was i thinking of course she wouldnt like me, ive been acting like a fool” cody muttered to himself, he understood at that moment how childish he had been, gwen didnt see him as a potential partner hell she probably didnt even see him as an equal, the way he had been acting quite frankly mustve caused her to cringe everytime they spoke to one another

He also took into account that he had barely ever interacted with girls back home and during the show he was constantly trying to exude false confidence in the hopes of fooling himself that he could be a so-called ladies man.

And then it happened, Duncan came into the picture, initially he never expected something like this to happen, he obviously knew they were friends, he had seen them interact during season 2 and how close they got to one another, but Cody chose to believe Gwen when she said that nothing would ever happen between her and Duncan, especially since the punk bad boy was dating Courtney….poor Courtney….

Cody looked towards a couple of seats away from his own where the CIT was crying her eyes out, she had been practically inconsolable since the challenge ended, Heather sat by her side trying her best to make her feel better
“I guess even Heather can feel pity for someone when they're going through heartbreak “ thought Cody to himself.

However seeing the scene in front of him made him realize something else, no matter what type of hurt he might be feeling right now it can't possibly compare to what Courtney is going through, after all she had fully put her trust on the wrong guy, maybe she thought that no matter how many fights her and Duncan got into he wouldn’t stoop so low as to cheat on her and truly break her heart

“I cant keep sitting here and feeling pity for myself, i have to always have this determination inside of me to keep moving forward” Cody fixed his gaze towards his fist once more as he said those words in his mind
“Compared to Courtney I haven't truly suffered what it means to have your heart broken, after all…. She was never my girlfriend… maybe not even my friend” those last words truly stung him

“I kept idolizing her, putting her on a pedestal…. Gwen is a person just like me, with flaws and strenghts, she's not perfect and neither am I…. Maybe i just never truly bothered to know her and i only saw what i wanted to see” with this realization fresh in his mind, Cody understood what needed to be done, from this moment on he had to grow up, and take his destiny into his own hands

Cody stood up from his seat at the bar and walked past Sierra who was muttering to herself about how many sweaters she would knit for all the hypothetical children she and Cody would have in the future, this made him shudder with discomfort, but that was a problem for later, at this moment he just made his way towards the one shunned amazonian sitting by herself at the end of the first class cabin, Gwen

“Is this seat taken?” Asked Cody giving a small yet forced smile “cody!…… i uh, oh god i dont even know what to say….. thanks for saving my butt today” answered Gwen, it was evident she also had so many things on her mind right now, but it seemed like Cody’s noble act today wasn't at the top of her priorities

“It's ok Gwen, I did what I had to do for us to win today…. I just came by to talk to you about something” Cody continued obviously a bit uncomfortable this seemed to be a painful thing for him to do but he had determination in his eyes, Gwen noticed this and got a bit nervous “uhm what do you want to talk about now, please don't tell me you're confessing to me right now, i really dont have it in me to be as tactful with your feelings as i wish i could be” the goth’s words seemed unnecessarily harsh but she had also been emotionally and physically drained from the days events

After hearing this Cody felt that same sharp pain he had been feeling all day, it seemed more than evident what he had been thinking was true…. Gwen didn't truly have space for him in her heart, his noble act almost an after thought, she was obviously way more worried about Duncan getting eliminated or what Courtney might think of her now, a part of him couldn't fault her for this it just gave him the last push he needed to say what he had to say

“Gwen im so sorry, i see now who you are, and who i am” Gwen gave a puzzled look at this “what do you mean Cod—“ she was then cut off by him “im sorry for being so creepy to you, for making you uncomfortable with my advances, sniffing your hair and all of that, it wasn't right…. I was being stupid, i didnt see you for you, i only saw a cute girl that i wanted to be my girlfriend, as if you were a prize to be won”

Gwen seemed a bit shocked at his words, her focus now totally on him “i dont want to be that guy anymore, i wanna be better than that, i wanna be able to be the type of person who isn't a joke, or the type that needs sierra to get far in this game” Cody stood up once again “ what i did today…. Was the last thing i did for you, starting now im playing this game the way its meant to be played… maybe someday we can be real friends instead of whatever i was doing before…” tears welled up in his eyes “ i hope you know what youre doing, but i know now that youre not perfect, you hurt courtney really bad, and i hope Duncan was worth it, because he's probably being eliminated as we speak” Cody started to walk away, doing his best to not let it break him…

Gwen just stood there for a moment…. Its true that Cody wasn't exactly her closest friend but the kid always felt like a constant when it came to her time on the show, like a creepy little brother who lusted after her, she didn't truly grasp why he took it so hard, it's not like they dated, but his infatuation came from a place that wasn't healthy for him, and he was trying to leave it behind now… and now she was truly without allies on her team….

Just as this settled into her mind she stood up and ran away “oh god Duncan no!” She thought to herself as she ran to the elimination chamber, Cody was right he was very likely getting voted off at this moment.

Elimination chamber

Chris Mclean stood in front of team Chris is really really really really hot reading off the votes, a stupid smug grin on his face as he reveled in the tension of today’s episode

“I must say you guys sure know how to make things spicy on this show, I mean Duncan leave some for the rest dawg, you just came back, who's next, heather???”

Duncan simply scoffed “whatever just get it over with mclean”

Alejandro was smiling that same devilish grin, possibly plotting his next move, he was by no means happy about today’s results, but he made sure to finally get rid of any type of opposition he might face on his team “oh please chris as if somebody as sophisticated and elegant as Heather would stoop so low” commented the exotic heart throb

“Woah dude you sure seem calm today are you sure things are gonna go your way?” The host seemed extra smug for some reason, but what on earth could he be up to?

As this was being said Gwen managed to sneak into the room and listen to the ceremony
“Please not Duncan, anything else but him leaving” and in a weird twist of fate gwen would get her wish but with unexpected consequences

“Well you all have reasons to be the one to take the drop tonight, seeing as Tyler totally blew it during the competition, and Duncan lost his first chance to make himself useful for the team, as for Alejandro, you also cost your team a medal today, not very suave huh?” Alejandro just rolled his eyes at the host’s attempt at humor

“What about me chris i sure hope i didnt let anyone down today, oh wait i got my medal right here hehehhe” Owen chimed in to make sure everyone else knew he did his best today

“Oh Owen no wonder you're the audience favorite” said Chris with a smile and a raised eyebrow “But tonight the one to take the drop of shame will be………..

…………..

………………………………………………….

This intern!” As he said so he shoved a poor intern out of the plane into the unknown causing the whole team to look on in shock
“As if I'm getting rid of Duncan when things are just getting good” Duncan looked back at his team and gave them a devilish laugh
“In fact ever since the kiss happened our ratings are through the roof, so only for this week you're safe bad boy” Gwen took a breath of relief finally feeling like her prayers were answered, at least now she wouldn't be left to fend for herself

“Not only that, theres a big surprise waiting for both teams when we arrive at our next destination” said Chris looking directly at the cameras now, what else could possibly happen now to introduce even more chaos?

“So make sure you tell your team about it ….. Gwen ehehe” Gwen simply emerged from behind the tiki statue and glared at Chris “great as if they even wanna listen to a word i say” the goth said rather defiantly although her mood improved when she saw her mohawked lover give her a wink

Interior first class cabin 1:40 am

The cabin had turned quiet with only the sound of the wind and the old airplane parts humming, but Cody was still awake, deep in thought, he knew he wanted to start improving, to develop that killer mentality to no longer be afraid, but how could he possibly lear how to do that, all his life hes just been avoiding conflict, trying to lay low and not call much attention to himself

He still felt the stinging pain of his fist, the proof that he had it in him, to rise above being a cowardly nerd, to actually fight back, that's the only reason he felt like he could do something to change things, and just right then he noticed the only other person awake at the moment.

Heather….. the queen bee herself, possibly the toughest girl he’d ever met, but not just in the physical aspect, but in her ruthlessness, her cleverness, how it came so natural to her to be in this enviroment, was she always like this? What makes a person behave the way she does?

Not that Cody wanted to be just like her, he just wanted to have that drive, that fire to compete and not back down, to always have an ace up his sleeve, and the first step to do so, was to take a leap of faith

Cody unbuckled himself and walked over to the queen bee, she was currently just looking out the window in a very regal way, very befitting of her title

Heather simply turned towards him, her once calm and serene expression turning into a petty scowl “what do you want nerd? Cant sleep cuz mommy Gwen rejected you again and got a new boy toy” she said such hurtful words with such ease, yet Cody didn't back down he knew this was his best shot right now

“Heather, i want to talk to you about something very important” Cody said this with a fire in his eyes, Heather could see that slight tinge of fear that remained ever so present in his gaze,that little twerp would barely even look her in the eye but right now was standing right in front of her trying his best to to not break eye contact

“This will be good~” whatever happens from here on out, this game will get a whole lot more interesting thought heather with a cunning smile.

————————————————————

Well that was my first fanfiction ever and quite frankly im a bit nervous, this was an idea ive had for a bit and im gonna try my best to make this an enjoyable read for anybody who gives it a try

Ive always had a soft spot for total drama and i figured id give this a try since ive read many amazing fanfics over the years

As im still learning i want to apologize for any weirdness in my writing, im gwtting the hang of it but ill never stop trying to get better, if you want to give a review and let me know what you think or what i gotta do to improve please do im open to anything anyone says :)

Thank you so much for reading

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

Kindness and Cruelty

First class cabin 1:42 am

There was a tense silence across the luxury cabin, the lights were very dim almost like a candlelight during a snowstorm, the only two figures awake to take in this atmosphere were currently locking eyes almost in a tug of war of their wills 

Cody was the first to break the silence “just listen to what i have to ask you, im pretty sure this will interest you” the once unsure nerd seemed adamant about wanting to speak to her…. How convenient, as if the day needed more surprises after the huge ordeal they had just survived

“Well then dont just stand there, tell me how can i help you punchy?” Heather replied with a sarcastic tone, barely concealing her irritation at the brown haired nuisance in front of her

“Not here…. I dont want anyone else to hear us, specially not sierra and courtney….. follow me i know a private place”  said Cody pointing at the door, “ugh fine but this better be worth my time, or else ill make you wish you were in Gwen’s shoes right now” responded the irritated queen bee “no thanks id rather not be the object of Duncan’s lust and affection” Heather couldn't help but give a small chuckle at the nerd’s wit

Cargo hold 1:55 am

Cody and Heather sneaked their way into the ship’s cargo hold, a place that was relatively creepy compared to the rest of the ship, however Cody had taken it as a hiding place to get away from Sierra

He even managed to make himself a small space between crates where he stashed a soft blanket and a small fan to keep him comfortable during his extended stays 

However this only made Heather a bit uneasy “what has this kid been going through these last few weeks to make him prefer to hang out here…. Oh wait Sierra right” she made a mental note of the space, as creepy as the place was Cody had made it look comfy enough….. if you just ignored the rest of the claustrophobic cargo hold

“We can hang out here for a while”  he said as he sat on the blanket and made a motion for Heather to join him “ugh  please tell me this wasn't just a trick to try and get lucky”  said the queen bee as she sat down

Upon hearing Heather’s line of thinking Cody turns a deep crimson, having noticed just now how this all must seem to her “oh um no no no never in a million years” not that he would be against having any sort of intimacy with Heather but he knew better than to tell her that

“Hmph good im glad you know your pl— hey wait a minute,what could possibly be wrong with me, im the hottest girl in the history of this show how dare you suggest otherwise you little twerp, you're lucky to even be in my presence!”  Heather started rambling feeling insulted by Cody’s supposed lack of attraction to her

“Hey no i just….. this isnt about that youre definitely very pretty, beautiful even, but i know better than to think i have a chance with you….”  He said that last part in a sort of somber tone, but then his eyes shot back up to meet hers

“But i want to change that, i want stop feeling like i am worth way less than everybody else, i want to be able to compete and not just get by because of dumb luck or Sierra”  he clutches his fist “I don't want things to end the way they did last time, with me being defenseless and forgotten on a dock by myself, i want to know i did everything i could to win”  having said this he grabs Heather’s hand

“ i want to be in an alliance with you Heather”  upon hearing his bold declaration Heather's eyes widen and she stays silent for a moment, she could tell that Cody has been carrying deep regrets about a lot of things during his time on the show

And to be completely honest she never really gave it much thought, her opinion of the nerd was very simple, he was a weak Gwen obsessed pervert with not much to offer, but there was something in those blue eyes in this precise moment that betrayed otherwise, something about his gaze told her that  there was more to him, after all this time around he had proven capable enough for his team

Not that he was a game changer but he had potential, he seemed to have a keen eye for solutions in bad situations, as well as having luck on his side when it really counted, even with Sierra constantly getting in his way he was still not giving up and trying to help the team… that stubbornness could be a blessing or a curse if he acts recklessly 

She was obviously glad he didn't listen to Courtney and throw the challenge just because she said so, that was the first time she saw him stand up to anybody, and on top of that knocked down Duncan with a single punch to the face, if he could do that to the scariest guy on the show, who knows what else he could bring to the table…..under the right influence of course~

“Why now? Why me? You're obviously aware of what people think about me, they're constantly calling me a heartless evil bitch on a daily basis…. I have a reputation of using people” she said this to him in a blunt matter of factly fashion, since he had decided to be upfront and honest she showed him the same respect

“ I don't care what others think…. I only ever thought that way because of what Gwen would say about you, but honestly this time around being on your team again, i can tell that even though you can be a bit moody or standoffish you're not really that bad”  that comment actually made Heather smile, the nicest thing she heard about herself in the time since the first season was "you're really not that bad”

“I actually admire how strong willed and ready you always seem, and even when we have to do all these absurd death defying challenges you never back down, regardless of what people might say i think thats awesome….. i wanna be like you Heather”  with that final declaration Heather couldnt hide the blush that formed on her face “wha- uh what do you mean i mean what?” She was obviously flustered, clearly not used to any genuine praise by any of her fellow contestants

In a swift motion she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, she calms herself down and opens her eyes once more, with any trace of her previous distress completely gone

“That sounds good and all Cody, but what do I get from this alliance, and what do you want from me exactly?”  She really knows how to get down to business. I'll give her that…

“I promise that I will vote for whoever you want me to all the way to the finale” responded the determined nerd

At first Cody had Heather’s curiosity, but upon hearing that…. Now he had her attention, but…. She needed to see if he meant it

“Even if i tell you to vote off Gwen? Will you still follow through?”

Cody knew this question would come up, after all everyone knew of his extreme devotion to the moody goth “today was the last day i ever did something for her… i dont hate her, and i dont want her to fail or even break up with Duncan, i just want to move on from her” Heather saw the sadness in his eyes, the type of sadness that drains the life out of your heart, that poor boy was really going through it right now

  “As for what i want from you, I want to get to know you, and understand you, and not just whatever you tell the confessionals or whatever way you insult all the others…. I want to know who you are and what gets you to become someone so fierce and competitive”

Heather looks at him with a somber expression as to say she is taking this talk very seriously “so basically you want to understand why i am the way that i am…. Cody there is a lot of things that i am not willing to talk about with anybody here, because sooner or later even if we make the final two, we are gonna turn on each other" 

“I know we will, but by then we would have gone through everything this show throws at us together and we will make it that far because we had each other's backs when it counted…. I know you've had your alliances before and it didn't work out, but i give you my word, i wont betray you” cody said his piece and waited for Heather to respond with baited breath, she was so hard for him to read what she was thinking

“An alliance based on trust rather than fear and absolute dominance over the others …... it's never too late to try a different approach… you got a deal pipsqueak” Cody felt a surge of pride feeling good about having convinced the total drama ice queen into joining him, this might blow up in his face but at least he knows he has somebody put their faith in him for once

“Awww yeah thanks Heather i wont let you down, im gonna work my butt off every challenge” cody finally cracked his first true smile since the incident at the greek challenge, Heather couldnt help but also smile with him upon seeing his optimism attempt to come back little by little

“Just one last thing….. let go of my hand now” said heather stopping the excited geek in his tracks “aaah um sorry i uh oh god dont kill me” this brought out a laugh out of Heather as she got up from the blanket and started to leave “dont worry about it…. Partner~” she went away back to the first class cabin and left Cody by himself once more “i will not mess this up”

Plane caffeteria 8:00 am the next day

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!! YOU GOOD FOR NOTHINGS DIDN'T VOTE HIM OFF!!!!”  Try and take a guess who screamed that

“Aughh its bad enough that that boyfriend kisser is still here but that brute managed to stay as well???!?” Courtney was not having a good morning… so far the best part of her day was the 5 seconds after she woke up when she didn't remember the events of the previous day

And then immediately upon recalling the events of the previous day all the pain and hurt of betrayal rushed back into her

“Ugh my head is killing me, maybe chef has some aspirin or something i can take” she weakly got up from her seat and made her way to the common area and cafeteria, where chef would surely be making the world’s most mediocre pancakes

“Good morning princess” said the punk sitting on the table playing with his pocket knife “good morning Duncan, put that away its too early for you to be…….. WHAT!!!!!”  Aaaand were back in the present 

At this point both teams heard the commotion and made their way to the cafeteria, where they witnessed Courtney currently assaulting Duncan by throwing every single thing she could get her hands on towards his head “woah woah relax Courtney i just want to talk” said the punk while dodging a fork that flew a little too close to his eye

“I got nothing to say to you except go to hell you cheating good for nothing——“ at that moment a team of terrified interns grabs Courtney and attempts to calm her down “CHRIS WHAT IS GOING ON I DEMAND AN EXPLINATION!!!”

As if materializing out of thin air, Chris appears before Courtney holding a remote “didnt gwen let you girls know? Me and the producers vetoed the vote last night, this drama is too good for it to end right now”  the smug host then pointed the remote at the tv mounted at the wall to show Courtney the previous nights events

“THIS IS UNNACCEPTABLE YOU WILL HEAR FROM MY LAWYERS,AND THE POLICE AND MY DAD AND———“ Chris once again cuts her off “allright zip it! Its too early to be this loud sheeesh…… as for you Gwen why didnt you let anyone of your team mates know, could've saved us from such a noisy morning”

The goth just rolled her eyes “im not doing your job for you, and nobody in my team is talking to me right now so i didnt see a point in doing so”  she finishes while crossing her arms

“Well regardless of noise or not, we got half a day of travel before our new destination, and this one is gonna be a doozy” said the sadistic egomaniac in charge of the show while rubbing his hands together

“Another challenge already…. Aw man i gotta rest dude, you guys are gonna make me lose weight at this rate” poor owen seemed mortified at the idea of such a hectic filming schedule although he had a point, why another challenge so soon, in the past they had at least one whole day of rest once they left a destination

“Its allright owen maybe we will get a shot at getting back on first class, and you can have all those cookies you've been wanting” chimed in good ol Tyler, at least somebody had to bring a much needed cheer to such a tense and wound up cast

“Nope we are not traveling to a challenge right now, we are actually making our way to Los Angeles California, where we have a big announcement to make about the show” chris’s knack for making innocent sounding things menacing was truly something terrifying 

“Oh oh is it an announcement of a movie made about me and Cody’s love finally being in production ???? Aaaaggh i cant wait, ive sent sooooo many screen plays”  sierra was on cloud 9 thinking about who to cast in their roles (she would probably cast herself and Cody as themselves if were being honest)

“Sierra there is no earthly way you actually think that is the case” said Heather trying to snap her team mate out of her self induced fantasies “guess you all have to wait and see ehehe” chuckled chris as he walked back to his quarters

Courtney had seemed to calm down and stopped thrashing around enough that the interns let her go, she wore a blank expression and stood quiet were she was “i just have one thing to say”  she walked up to Duncan who was now standing with Gwen, the unease on both their faces was very evident but Duncan felt the need to show her at least an ounce of respect for the relationship they once shared “listen Courtney…. i know its not worth much and any explination i give you wont make things right with us, in fact there is no possible way this could have gone that would've made things ok for you, im sorry i——“  his apology was cut short by a swift kick to his…. Yknow

“Owwwwwwww~~~~”  was the only sound Duncan could muster, Courtney stood over him with nothing but hurt in her chest where a heart used to be, she turned to Gwen “hes yours now….. you deserve eachother…. Bestie” as Courtney walked away with a single tear escaping her eye, what she hoped would be the last one she would shed for him

The pale goth started to panic, the guilt and emotional turmoil of it all getting her to lose her cool “Duncan are you—— wait Courtney come back please im so—“   She gets cut off by Sierra following behind Courtney “aaah shut up boyfriend stealer, im just glad you didnt also try to take cody away from me”

As Gwen tried to help Duncan to his feet she truly felt the hate that she was recieving, a far cry of the support and love she grew accustomed to during season one, was she just labeled a Boyfriend stealer now?

Gwen carried Duncan away to the infirmary to get him to calm down and get some space from the rest, she really hadnt gotten the chance to speak to her new man privately about all the things that had happened so it was for the best to retreat for now

“Wow that was awkward….. but heyyyyy pancakes” Owen simply moved past the whole drama that just transpired and sat down with Tyler and Alejandro to have breakfast, on the other table Cody sat with Heather to get the day started, although he did notice a smouldering look Alejandro was giving Heather

“ What is that about?”  Asked Cody a bit puzzled  since for the most part, the charming foreigner kept to himself and his team but he never noticed how he seemed to just stare at Heather, with an almost animalistic hunger behind his eyes

“Ugh don't pay attention to it, he's just trying to throw me off my game and get me to show weakness” responded the queen bee very much annoyed at Alejandro’s lack of respect for her

Cody simply looked at Heather and nodded while making a mental note…. Watch out for Alejandro……

Plane infirmary 9:00am

Duncan lay in a very uncomfortable looking bed while icing himself, credit where credit is due, Courtney can sure kick, but sadly for him it was probably in his top 3 most painful injuries… so far

“Thanks for keeping me company pasty, i know you wanna go back to your friends in first class but here you are nursing poor innocent me back to health”  the punk was recovered enough to try and crack a joke to see if his new girl would give him one of those beautiful smiles he fell for

And to his credit she did manage to smile at him as she leaned over and kissed his forehead “oh shut up, of course i was gonna stay here with you and make sure you're fine, you sounded like cat getting its tail caught on a door when she kicked you” Gwen remarked as she sat back down by his bed… her sad expression returning to her face

Duncan saw this and he knew what he needed to say to her “ listen Gwen, i know were going through a lot right now, but i want you to know something”  he sat up from the bed and grabbed her porcelain hand in his own “ i will never regret us, i kept denying it to myself for too long, i thought of you all the time and i hated myself for it, knowing that i was being unfaithful to Courtney by loving you from afar, i know im not a good person but i really didnt want to hurt her, when i came back to the show and i saw you, i just couldnt bare it anymore, i was done telling myself that i couldnt love you”

Gwen simply hung on to every word Duncan said, she never heard him speak from the heart, it felt surreal “if the whole world is going to hate me so be it, i dont need them, i need you, i love you, and i know were going to suffer through a lot because of it, but you know what you're worth every insult or kick to the nuts… so bring it on”  when the punk finished his speech he hugged his new girlfriend tightly and made sure to make her feel inside her heart that she wasn't going to go through this alone, at this moment every single painful word she had heard coming her way, every feeling of self hatred every single doubt she had about him vanished

Gwen just melted into his arms and sobbed, for what felt like eternity she just let it out,all the friends she lost all the pain and doubt, this was the assurance she needed right now

“Kiss me you jerk”  as their faces neared each other slowly a loud speaker interrupted them “everybody strap in we are going to land this baby right now” very few things in life are more of a turn off than Chris mclean’s voice so needless to say the moment was gone

“Ughhh you heard the creep lets just get ready for whatever this surprise is” said Duncan breaking the embrace, Gwen agreed as she wiped away her tears and held hands with her boyfriend, a slight hope that everything would be fine.

—————————————

Los Angeles right atop the hollywood sign

Chris Mclean and Chef hatchet are standing on a makeshift stage, next to him are three giant boxes with ribbons, very suspicious and weird but pretty normal for this show’s standards, behind the stage is a giant monitor with flashing lights displaying the word WELCOME

In front of the stage are all the contestants awaiting axiously whatever torture is about to come their way

“Welcome all of you happy contestants, dont you just looooove the sunny atmosphere LA, this is what its all about folks, making it here and making it yours, nothing quite like it ehehe” chef rolls his eyes at his co host’s ego

“Well let me start off by saying that so far Total Drama World Tour has become one of the networks most successful shows of all time and due to its popularity we have decided to make some changes to the game, and to do so i am going to ask Team amazon to join me on stage” upon saying so, Team amazon walks up the stage and stand next to Chris, all of them seem a bit on edge not knowing what's coming

suddenly the giant monitor displays a pictures of all of team amazon’s members with a zero underneath each member

“Team amazon, right here right now, i will ask each and everyone of you, who should leave, no stamping the passports, no ceremony, just a cold hard question” 

Courtney’s eyes lid up instantly “yes yes yes yes!!!!!!!!”  Her face betraying her thoughts pretty obviously

“What! Just like that?! its not fair, at least let me try and earn my spot, i thought you wanted drama, isn't that why you kept Duncan in the game”  Gwen desperately spoke, trying to convince Chris to reconsider… but it was too late

“Nope we are doing things this way, and we are starting with you Gwen, who should leave Team Amazon today” without a way out Gwen was panicking, there is no way she makes it out of this one, in that moment she looks towards Cody….. it was a long shot especially after their last talk, but she had to at least try

“I vote for Sierra to leave”  Gwen responded hoping it would at least convince Cody to vote with her, a part of her hoping he could read her thoughts and help her, once she said her vote a number 1 appears under Sierra’s picture

“Oh wouldnt  you like that huh!!! You just want me to leave so you can steal my boyfriend next!!!!”  Screamed Sierra now full of fury for the goth

“Interesting choice lets see if it pays off, next to vote is Courtney” Chris continued the vote “i vote for——“ “let me stop you right there, we know who it is, one vote for Gwen” Chris couldn't help himself but he was tired of hearing the CIT’s screaming all day, and as he announced the vote a 1 appeared under Gwen’s picture

“Now Sierra who do you want off of Team Amazon"  continued Chris with his line of question “ Get thatboyfriend stealer out of the show!!!!”  Screamed the crazed stalker “ allrigh allright let the hate flow, 2 votes for Gwen! Next up Heather, who do you vote for”

Heather was amused at the level of spectacle in front of her, all of this just to get rid of Gwen? Its not like she was THAT special, but alas, one less contestant one step closer to the money “i choose Gwen, its about time too, cant stand sharing a team with her anymore” she crossed her arms and waved goodbye to Gwen

“Allright that makes 3 votes for Gwen, and now we arrive at the final vote, Cody, who is getting the boot from Team Amazon” Cody was beyond confused, why go through all this trouble just to get rid of Gwen, and at this point with 3 voted to 1 it didn't matter what he chose, she was definitely gone, was this just a cruel prank from the universe to have him plunge the metaphorical knife into his ex crush and let her go once and for all, he admitted to himself he felt bad for her at the moment, even though she had done pretty bad things lately such a ceremony seemed like over kill

He looked once more at Gwen who seemed all but defeated and resigned to her fate, but he also looked towards Heather, who was also looking at him, a warm smile was on her face, was it due to finally getting rid of her bitter rival, or just a small show of trust in their new alliance in a way, he needed to see that smile to understand it was time to move on once and for all “i vote for Gwen….”

“And with that it goes 4 votes for Gwen and 1 vote for Sierra, which means Gwen, you are officially kicked out from Team Amazon….”

The words seemed to just fly past her, all she could do was look at Duncan, standing there with a sad yet angry expression, all this ceremony just to get kicked to the curb….

“So instead you will join Team Chris is REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY HOT!!!!”

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“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTT!!!” This was the only thing heard for miles as even the city below came to a halt

“You mean????  I'm still in the competition?” The goth couldnt possibly believe her luck, just a second ago she thought her world was over and now she will be closer to her man without any chance of her former team getting rid of her….. at least for now

“ ARE YOU FOR REAL!!!! WHATS GOING ON MCLEAN?”  Screamed the furious Courtney already planning all the lawsuits she would send the show

“Yep we are for real this is a TEAM SHUFFLE,  going into this second half of Total Drama World Tour we decided to mix things up and well…. Mix things up, so now gwen is part of team ME” Explained the host as he relished the Chaos

“AHA! good riddance at least she wont contaminate me and cody’s space anymore take that you man stealer” yelled sierra causing Gwen to just roll her eyes 

“Uh uh uh not so fast Sierra, seeing as youre the only other member of Team Amazon to recieve a vote that means you are also leaving” upon these words leaving chris’s mouth a loud thud was heard and sierra layed passed out cold on the stage, possibly unable to cope with the news she just recieved

“Wait wait wait how is that fair now their team has 6 people and its just 3 of us left how the hell is that fair?”  It was Heather’s turn to speak up, now it became too much of a handicap for her and she felt overwhelmed, specially with that smug face alejandro was making at her

“Oh we are aware Heather, seeing as Team Amazon so kindly Donated 2 of their team mates we decided we would Make it worth their while, and so without further ado here are your new team mates” as he says this Chef Hatchet presses a red button he was holding causing all 3 giant boxes to collapse revealing 3 figures who were standing inside the whole time

From the Crowd Tyler jumped and his eyes widened “LINDSAY????”  The blonde looks puzzled yet happy to be there “oh hi everybody, i was told to get in that box and wait so i did and now you guys are surprising me haha, oh wait is it a birthday, did i forget my own birthday again?”

Standing next to her was another confused blonde although this one seemed far less charmingly ditzy “BRIDGETTE???” The one to scream this time was Alejandro, he DID NOT need her back here to expose his scheming ways

“Wha huh where the, i thought i was here to help save the dolphins, whats the meaning of this whats going on”  upon seeing chris and the rest of the cast it finally settles in “ oh god of course im here ughhhhh”  she just resigns her fate and facepalms 

And finally the last contestant to emerge is….

“Hello LA ready to rock let me hear you all….wait this isnt a charity concert what the…”

And finally this time it was Gwen's turn to be surprised “ TRENT?”

“I have a feeling things are just about to get fun~” Heather said while nudging Cody, and boy was she right about that.

———————————————————

Hello all, thanks for checking out No Regrets, and obviously what a chapter, so much happened and so much more to come

I want to thank everybody who gave the first chapter a chance, it means a lot to me and hopefully i managed to deliver some entertainment this time around as well, it seems like all the pieces are falling into place to make this season even more chaotic for Cody and Heather, but we will see how they handle all this new drama heading their way, stay tuned for next chapter thanks a lot everybody who left a review last time :)

Chapter Text

Stars and Lights

Los Angeles atop the Hollywood sign 5:40 pm

Every once in a while things seem to go your way, if you work hard enough and do things the right way you get rewarded by the universe, at least this is what Trent believed.

In the breaks between filming for Total Drama Aftermath Trent had kept himself busy by throwing himself into his music and trying to make a change, he started a job teaching kids how to play guitar and even volunteered at the local youth center doing outreach with troubled youth.

He truly didn't want fame to get to his head, he had enough humiliation for one lifetime to want to go through that again, and no matter how much time passed, people would often remind him of his failed romance with Gwen, something that deep down was still a very sore subject for the raven haired musician.

Trent was just content to fulfill his contract with the show, finish filming Aftermath and then move on to his true calling of helping others, something that producers of the show seemed interested in as well it seemed, thats why according to Blainely the producers were proud that a cast member was so passionate about real issues, and they would throw a charity concert to support his efforts.

It all sounded too good to be true, and Trent wasn't about to look a gifted horse in the mouth, so he signed up for it without a second thought, Blainely just told him to pack up his things and meet her in LA by the next day as early as possible, which Trent of course did.

Once at the airport there was a team of interns and blainely waiting for him, they grabbed his luggage and instructed him to get in the giant box in front of him, which he obliged once it was explained that it would be a surprise for his fans already waiting at the venue, so with just his guitar and some optimism, he made his way into the box and was transported to the supposed concert.

And now here he was, in front of the current cast of competitors, and no fans in sight……… “I should really start reading the things i sign” sighed the tortured artist sensing the tension currently being experienced by everyone

“Thats right folks, making their way back into the competition and joining Team Amazon, its Lindsay! Bridgette! And Trent!” exclaimed Chris, being oh so proud of the stunt he had just pulled…… its truly something special when a plan comes together

“Chris! What is wrong with you man, i was already voted off in the yukon episode, i was happy hosting Aftermath with Geoff. Why do you want me back here?” it was Bridgette's turn to chime in, she was NOT happy about this turn of events, she was tricked in a manner very similar to Trent.

“To answer your question Bridge, its very simple all three of you have sooooo much more to offer, and your popularity seems at an all time high, so no better time for you to join, with Trent bringing his musical talents to our most musical season, Lindsay bringing back her charms and a much needed eye candy material for the show, and you bringing the best from the Aftermath side of things, it sounds to me like a winning formula” Chris explained with a raised finger and a very Very smug aura about him

“Riiiiiiiight, and this has nothing to do with Trent being Gwen's ex, Bridgette having kissed Alejandro, and Lindsay dating Tyler???” asked a very annoyed Courtney who felt like sooner or later she would snap from the amount of shenanigans occurring on a daily basis “oooh wheres Tyler i havent seen him since………. Where was that again?” Lindsay chimed in while rambling on about the specifics

“Well courtney if you must know, we did what we felt like and that's the end of it, having said that, we will give you the rest of the day and night to relax at this here campsite we arranged for you” as soon as he finishes this sentence, Chris claps his hands and the shrubbery around that gives way to reveal, 4 big camping tents surrounding a large bonfire set up as well as several coolers, most likely full of food and provisions.

“Make sure you all recharge your batteries and rest well, tomorrow’s challenge will put you through the test of your lives so you better bring your A-game for this one” all of the campers left out a breath of relief at the prospect of not having to ride that giant death trap for at least one night

With that final message Chris and Chef walked away into the plane, most likely too good to camp with the contestants and instead opting to relax in their extra VIP lounge

With everything said and done both teams reconvened and split up into their own sides of the camp ground, “Im very glad to see you Trent, its been a while” spoke Cody as he walked next to Trent, the two of them had always been on good terms, back in camp wawanakwa Trent and him bonded a bit over their love of music as well as admiration for the same girl, although truthfully only one of them ever stood a chance with her, which was very clear to Cody nowadays

“Cody! How are you doing my Drama brother” said Trent with a warm smile and a dap up to his former band member “its great to see you man, but what's going on with this somber mood everyone is in?” Trent couldn't help but feel the tension that hadn't let up since he got there

“If you want an answer to that all you have to do is look over there, although i warn you, it might make you sick” responded Heather as she emerged behind Cody, walking with her usual confidence and bravado only stopping in her tracks to point towards the tents of the other team

“Huh what do you—” that's when he saw it, something he at one point had considered the worst possible outcome to his nightmares, it was Duncan, holding Gwen by her waist, her clinging to him as they walked, Duncan noticed Trent's gaze and simply looked back at him and gave him a grin and a wink

“OH YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME DUDE, I KNEW IT!” Trent suddenly lost his cool “ and people called me crazy, said i was being unreasonably jealous” Cody and heather looked at one another and nodded, the poor guy had a rough time when the relationship ended originally, so his outburst now seemed deserved

“The world owes you an apology buddy, let me catch you up to what's been going on” offered the brown haired youth, it was about to be a long conversation, Heather exchanged a look with Cody basically saying “dont take too long” as she walked to camp with the others giving the drama brothers some needed privacy

Los Angeles campsite 8:00pm

The campsite was aglow with the fire at its center, the Contestants were currently sitting around camp talking amongst themselves, the surprise and stress of the day winding down and letting it was over them, Cody and Trent had caught up to speed with everything that had transpired over the previous days, with Trent catching onto Cody’s attitude about it all, which seemed almost serene as if free from the shackles of an unhealthy love

Nearby was Bridgette who had heard all about it as well, although her version came from a very bitter Courtney, who was happy to have one of her best friends from season’s past back, although this could not make her mood that much better…. Bridgette felt terrible for Courtney, lamenting that her Friend had to go through something so devastating specially coming from what she considered a friend.

She thought back to her reunion with Geoff during the Aftermath show, after the show ended and all the cameras were off… the side of things the public didn't see was much more depressing

Geoff was truly broken, he did mean it when he said he forgave her and loved her, that wasn't a lie, the real reason behind the party animal’s depression was more complex, due solely to the fact that she had betrayed him so easily

Was he not enough for her? Why did she do it, he had given everything he had to the relationship, he truly believed in his soul that Bridgette would be his future wife, the woman he would share his life with,not a doubt in his heart, but seeing her kissing that exotic stranger on TV, ready to throw it all away for a cheap thrill…. To him it was clear she perhaps didn't feel the same as he did.

Their relationship would take a while to heal, and she was very grateful he took her back, it was just up to them both to work together and fix it, but now…. She was back here with all this chaos, away from her love, the only thing she could do now is compete, leave nothing behind and either win it all for her and Geoff, or take down the man who so easily toyed with her…. “I won't let you get away with it…” whispered the surfer while looking into the fire

Sat close by was Lindsay who was happily making a s’more and humming the theme song to the show to herself, all things considered she felt fine, happy to be back with her friends, her Tyler………. And Heather.

She wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed but she knew now how horrible Heather had used her in the past, and since then he two of them barely interacted anymore, but now they were once again on the same team, the prospect of being used by her again or maybe manipulated terrified her, that feeling of degradation stuck with her, often hating the idea of others making her feel like just a dumb bimbo, they just didn't see the world the way she does, why did it make others think it was ok to look down on her?

“Hey beautiful, i missed you” lindsay looked up from her sweet treat to see her very eager boyfriend standing with a huge grin on his face

“Oh hiiiiiiiiiii Tyler i missed you toooo you handsome boy” responded the buxom blonde, in very high spirits, as they embraced they both walked away from the others to have some alone time after so long apart from eachother

Once at an appropriate distance from camp, they sat down on a wooden log by the wayside, Lindsay couldn't wait to catch up with the clumsy athlete and tell him all about what she been up to, eager to share about life and even ask him how the show was treating him

“Oh my god i have so much i want to tell you, I recently found out that—” she couldn't finish her sentence as Tyler decided he would rather kiss her than listen to her, in his mind he was making up for lost time so he justified it that way

This however did not sit well with Lindsay, she broke away from the kissing and attempted to make this known to her eager boyfriend “um hey, i think i wanna talk a bit first, you know? Catch up and tell you what ive done and where ive been, i missed you too but i wanna take it a little slow you silly boy”
Said Lindsay in a slightly serious but flirty tone, hoping not to upset Tyler

“Huh uhhhhh we can do that another time babe, i missed your lips too much” responded Tyler trying his best to grab her closer to him

“Um… you only missed my lips? Not everything else about me?” Lindsay was a bit taken aback but surely she's misunderstanding him like she often does on a day to day basis

“What, naaaah i missed everything else, you know your legs, your boobs, your hair…… your boobs” that sorry attempt at a clarification by Tyler made Lindsay a bit uncomfortable, she knew she was hot but…. Is that all he saw

“Uhm im going back to camp now Tyler, i forgot my lipgloss hehe”
as she did her best to excuse herself from the situation Tyler quickly rose to his feet “hey dont go its ok you dont need it right now”

The blonde beauty decided to give him the benefit of the doubt about his intentions but just to make sure she had to ask him something “you just missed my body? Nothing else about me?” the words hung in the air for a moment, maybe Tyler had a reason to act the way he did, she can be so airheaded maybe she wasn't getting the whole picture“aw common, dont start acting weird on me, i just wanna kiss for a bit, it's the least you could do after forgetting my name”

Lindsay froze upon hearing him say that, it happened again, somebody she trusted only saw her as nothing but an object to be used, even worse using guilt to get what he wanted

Many people didn't know but Lindsay was aware of what others often said about her, how they called her dumb and easy, she knew she had trouble navigating social situations and life, but she made sure to never try to hurt anybody, or do harm to others, that just wasn't who she was.

Tears formed in her eyes and her heart dropped…… it happened again afterall “i have to go” with those words she ran back to camp and went inside the women’s tent leaving Tyler very confused but with no shred of guilt over the interaction “ugh women are crazy”

Lindsay’s abrupt return and subsequent retreat into the tent was noticed by Team Amazon but yet they seemed unsure of what happened, whatever it was it wasnt good that much was true

Cody was the first to speak up “Hey Heather, did you see Lindsay run into the tent? She seemed pretty broken up about something” Heather took a sip of her water bottle and responded

“Of course I did, pretty hard to miss, she probably forgot her lipgloss and is crying about it HA!” Responded the queen bee with her trademark cruelty, like seriously what did Cody think he would accomplish by pointing that out “well why dont you go check up on her maybe she needs help” retorted Cody without missing a beat

“And why would i of all people do that, Lindsay hates me after what i did back in season 1” Heather was very much aware of where things stood with her ex alliance member since things ended so bitterly and with plenty of insults from the blonde

“Well maybe this is a way for you to start making up for that, i mean you girls are gonna be team mates again and it would kind of hurt your chances of staying if you have someone else that hates you trying to vote you off every chance she gets” justified Cody, secretly hoping this would be a way for Heather to start making amends with Lindsay, who knows maybe some day the blonde will save them from meeting an early end

“THATS…. A good point… you can be pretty insightful punchy, but ughhhhhh i dont even know what to say to her” responded Heather, trying to find a way out of consoling the dumb blonde

“Just start with ‘are you ok Lindsay’ and then go from there, plus you're the only one that can do it, me and Trent can't go into that tent, Bridgette has been staring at the fire for the last hour and Courtney hasn't been in any condition to speak to anybody about anything other than how were gonna crush the other team, its up to you” a determined Cody said this very sure of himself while putting his fate in the queen bee

“Youre making way too much sense right now, I hate this….. Ok fine ill go see what's bothering her” Heather gets up from her spot and walks into the tent to hear some sobbing coming from Lindsay's sleeping bag “ughh why me?” she thought to herself

“Lindsay, are you ok?” uttered Heather softly trying to sound as nurturing as possible under the circumstances of strategic kindness “Punch— i mean Cody saw you run in and we got worried something happened to you”

“Go away Heather, you dont care about me, i wont be in no stupid alliance with you” yelled lindsay without turning around, still sobbing into her pillow, the hurt ever so evident in her voice

“WHAT! I didn't come in here for no alliance, just to check if you're doing ok, it was pretty weird seeing you walk off with that weirdo Tyler and then come back 5 minutes later crying hysterically, dont tell me that creep hurt you, cause i swear to god!” said Heather while bringing a fist to her palm, while still true that Lindsay and her hadn't been ‘friends’ for a while she wasn't cool with guys taking advantage of girls regardless if they are in an alliance or not

Lindsay turns around with tears streaming down her face “He didn't hurt me, he just wanted to do the same thing you did to me, use me for whatever he wants” the broken blonde sits up while breathing erratically, she didn't know if she was being overtly emotional or overreacting to the actions of her boyfriend, but she had a surge of panic spike in her due to past trauma that left her in this state

Heather however took in her words, the subject of Lindsay wasn't one that crossed her mind very often, she tried not to think about those she wronged in the past, it distracted her from moving on and doing whatever needed to be done to win, which would always be her priority

But standing there seeing first hand how Lindsay was reacting, seeing her own handiwork at play, maybe it never settled in how hurt her actions made her former friend feel, afterall could it possibly be that due to her actions any subsequent wrongdoings would hurt Lindsay even more…… Did she traumatize her?

“Lindsay, maybe you don't want to hear this from me, afterall anything nice that comes from me doesnt sound genuine, but you're not stupid, you've grown so much since season 1” Heather stepped forward “you made it so far in season 2, and you even qualified to this show, and you did so by yourself, never changing yourself and staying true to who you are as a person, quirks and all’

Lindsay sat there dumbfounded, what was Heather talking about “if that stupid jerk thought he could take advantage of you then he is the moron, not you, you're a beautiful genuine girl, and deserve better than some two bit jock wannabe, thats something i always thought for the record, hence me trying to keep you both away from each other" the queen bee stands directly in front of her and looks her in the eye

“Starting tomorrow, we're gonna compete on the same team again, and i need you to bring your best and not drag us down, so don't let that guy get to you, and show him what you're made of, cause believe me i know that when you try your best you can make amazing things happen” Heather gives her a smirk and turns to walk away

“Wait!.... Why are you being so nice” asked the dumbfounded blonde never in a million years did she expect a pep talk from the evil witch who humiliated her before

“Call it a whim, or maybe I'm tired of seeing girls crying all day…. Maybe you and I didn't part in the best of terms and i dont want to have that hanging over me anymore, whatever it may be, you're my team mate now, end of story” without anything left to say Heather walks away from the tent leaving Lindsay with a head full of questions “i feel so confused…” said the blonde laying back down.

As Heather emerges from the Tent she sees her team start to turn in for the night, with Bridgette and Courtney walking past her and Trent putting his guitar away and retreating into his and Cody’s tent which begged the question, where was the chestnut haired trouble maker

Luckily her question was answered rather quickly as she saw his silhouette standing at the edge of the campsite, standing close to the giant H of the hollywood sign

As for Cody, he merely gazed at the endless lights of the city, starting tomorrow all his talk about change and growth would be put to the test, it was do or die, and the prospect of failing truly scared him, he didn't know if it would all be in vain or not, but he knew for sure that he wouldn't go down without a fight

Heather makes her way to her alliance member, taking her time to watch him as she approaches, what could this kid possibly thinking about all the time, in the past he always seemed so shallow and predictable, yet tonight she saw somebody anxious to prove himself, someone who was done being a dead weight and willing to change, it was something that she very seldom saw in her day to day life, quite refreshing for a change

“I spoke to Lindsay, told her to get her act together so hopefully she manages to pick herself up tomorrow” said the queen bee as she approached the nerd, calling his attention away from the city lights

“I knew you had it in you, then again, if I say something will help you win the competition chances are you will try it hehe” responded Cody in quite a playful manner “oh shut up, as if you know me.. Hmph” retorted Heather quite swiftly

“Hehe sorry, i just…. I feel hope for tomorrow, I'm not expecting things to be easy, but with this team shuffle, and with our new team mate, it sort of feels like a new beginning y'know? Like the universe is giving me a chance to prove myself, and im anxious to go out there and try harder than i ever have” said Cody with his eyes fixed to the city’s night lights

“Ill hold you to that punchy, you got a long way to go before i let you off the hook, just remember, first and foremost, you have to prove yourself to me before i start taking you seriously, also just stop looking at the city its so nauseating seeing all that light contamination” responded Heather in an annoyed yet slightly playful tone “even the lights annoy you? Common it looks pretty cool you gotta admit” said cody rather sheepishly

“Ha! As if, listen nerd, my mother once told me, there's nothing anyone has ever created that could come close to the beauty of nature, no shiny made up light can compare to the night sky full of stars” Heather crossed her arms fully sure of what she had just said and a smug smile crossed her face

As for Cody he couldn't help but agree, he only looked at the metropolis below admiring it more for the marvel of human creation rather than its beauty, what Heather didn't know is that he himself was quite the astronomy nerd….. On top of all the other types of nerd he was

“Hahaha i cant argue with your mom, she knows what she’s talking about” Cody turned to walk back to where Heather was "I wasn't just here to look at the amount of traffic there is, i came by because i found this” as he points towards an old telescope seemingly abandoned by the wayside, which was a common occurrence in the area since it was a popular spot for star gazing

“Americans sure can be wasteful huh” declared Heather a bit amused at this, she watched as the chestnut haired geek set it up and pointed at the night sky, fidgeting with its settings for a while until he exclaimed he found something

“Here check this out, its the star i bought” said cody in prideful but naive and silly manner while puffing his chest “allright allright settle down dork, let me see what you got there—” Heather stopped talking when she looked through the lens, she witnessed a bright almost fiery star, the core seemed tiny yet it shone so bright

“Mom was right….” Heather whispered to herself, taking in the beauty of a tiny part of the universe “yeah i picked the most beautiful one i could, i bought it and wanted to give it to Gwen if she ever wanted to date me but…..” Said cody with his enthusiasm slowly draining with each word he uttered

Sensing his mood dropping by the second Heather quickly asked “hey cut that out, its done, instead of thinking of that weirdo why dont you tell me what did you name this star” hoping it would snap him out of that depressive train of thought

“Oh uhm officially it has no name just a serial number…. I figured id let Gwen name it but thats in the past heh” said Cody scratching the back of his head

Upon hearing this Heather smirks and looks back into the lens “well too bad for the pasty goth, im naming it now” Cody blinks twice and starts to stutter trying to process the words his alliance member just said “wha— no hey common the star is still mine, you cant just take that away from me” fought back the hopeless nerd

“Too late, the honor is mine and I choose…….. Punchy” said the queen bee full of bravado and pride for her creativity, as she looks up at Cody its abundantly clear how flustered he is about her choice, that little nickname she coined over his little show of guts always made him embarrassed but he couldn't deny that it helped make things more casual between them, plus it beat being called nerd or geek

“What do you say? You like the name?” asked the queen bee, continuing with her light teasing making Cody smile and meet her eyes “cant say i dislike it, in fact it fits, that little star looks like a fighter” responded the hopeful teen

“I had a feeling you would~” said Heather in a teasing fashion,taking in a deep breath and readying herself for the next stage of the game, she knew this was just the beginning and what lay ahead was gonna be anything but easy, but maybe this pipsqueak would prove himself useful…. Or at least she hoped so

________________________________________________________________
Author notes

And now here we are the ending of chapter 3, gotta say it was quite an insightful look at our 3 newcomers, showing what state of mind they are in and also sowing the seeds of things to come, it was a very Team Amazon centric chapter, but it was something needed to truly set up the direction of the story, next time we will check in with Team Chris is really Hot to see how things are going with them and their 2 new team mates

We will also begin the LA challenge and see how Cody fares with his new mindset and what tricks he has up his sleeve, i gotta say it was very sweet to see him share that moment with Heather, maybe she's turning too nice too soon, could she be playing the boy? Or perhaps she has seen way too much pain and drama recently, who knows, maybe the right person can bring out the best in you

Thanks a lot to everybody who has been reading along so far, it means the world to me, and those who leave reviews, it's been super encouraging, and if anyone else wants to review don't be shy, it's what motivates me to keep on going

Hope you all have a wonderful day/night and see you next time :)

Chapter Text

Life and Change

Los Angeles campsite 9:32 pm

The fire continued to crackle throughout the night, an uncomfortable silence plagued the campsite, a sickening feeling that had been lingering for a while now, it was a very unpleasant state of mind to be in, but a certain scheming contestant was over it already

Alejandro sat on a tree trunk observing his rival team across the camp, and what he saw seemed to amuse him, seeing Lindsay run back to camp and hide in a tent, followed by his own team mate not long after “Heh can't say I expected him not to blow it, but then again this is Tyler im talking about, not the smoothest guy by any stretch of the imagination”

He also observed how Courtney continued to rant towards Bridgette, who seemed lost in thought observing the fire intently, while nearby Trent was fidgeting with his guitar, appearing to struggle to remain in a composed state of mind and finally, off to the side were Cody and Heather having a mild conversation that ends when she retreats to the tent as well… didn't really notice those two seem to get along these days…

The bummed athlete made his way to his team and just sat next to the latino heartthrob “Boy ill never understand girls dude, one second she’s all good and happy and next thing i know she’s totally losing her mind and running away, i dont even know what i did wrong” said Tyler in a clearly frustrated tone

As if by instinct Alejandro immediately thought of many ways he could try and manipulate Lindsay, this type of behaviour was second nature to him, he was always taught to constantly find ways to gain the upper hand, to find weakness and exploit it, this world only had few individuals as special as him, so it was always up to him to take charge and guide all of those around him to serve their rightful purpose…. To serve him

“Dont worry my dear friend, maybe i can talk to her when i get the chance and see whats wrong with her, perhaps she will be willing to tell me whatever problem she might have , and that way i can help you patch things up with your señorita”
Said the oh so selfless Alejandro “aw dude that would be so much help, you're the best!” responded Tyler, content with his team mate dealing with his troubles… what a guy

However now that his whole team had rested and was all assembled in front of him gathered by the fire, the Spanish adonis rose to his feet and called all the attention to himself to give a speech
“Very well my amigos, i believe it is time for us to leave all previous misconceptions we might of had of each other and start anew, i believe it falls to me to welcome our two new team mates Gwen and Sierra, let me be the first to say i look forward to our continued collaboration” Alejandro declared as he decided that the universe was tired of his losing streak against Team Amazon and granted him a new balanced start to the competition

The first to speak was Gwen, who currently sat on Duncan’s lap, who seemed quite relaxed compared to how she had started the day “uhhh thanks, i gotta be honest, i 100% thought i was a goner today, so being on this team now is quite a blessing by comparison, but i still dont know how safe me and Duncan will be from here on out”

Alejandro simply gave a smooth smile and responded to the goth “water under the bridge my dear, afterall who am i to oppose your love, in fact seeing you both together makes me want to compete even harder to make sure this union won't be interrupted”

Duncan for his part couldn't help but roll his eyes, as if he bought a single thing this guy was saying, all he knew is that for the time being he would have to play along to keep the proverbial target off of himself and his pasty girl “heh really appreciate that AL, you're such a cool guy for sticking up for us like that AL” Duncan made sure to subtly let him know that he was onto him but would play along with his ‘generosity’

Alejandro simply narrowed his eyes at the delinquent, deciding to put up with his disrespect simply due to the fact that he recognized how strong of a team mate he could prove to be under the right circumstances… but he made sure not to forget it

“Guys I'm kinda worried about Sierra, she hasn’t said a word since they made her join our team, you guys think we should call Chris and tell him what's going on with her?” this time it was Owen who chimed in, having noticed how Sierra simply sat looking at the flames in silence
This hadn't escaped Gwen’s notice either, who now felt a sense of guilt due to her voting for Sierra and causing her to leave Cody’s side, it had now been the longest period of time she had spent away from him and it seemed that it was causing serious turmoil to the rabid fan girl

Gwen rose to her feet leaving Duncan’s lap behind and walking up to Sierra to try and strike a conversation “um Sierra….. If you can hear me I just want to say I'm sorry I separated you from Cody. I didn't think my vote would make a difference, but now that you're here we can work together to make the merge and then you can be next to him all you want… what do you say”

Sierra’s head turned slowly to meet Gwen’s gaze, she stared for a moment and simply smiled…. “Yeah… let's do that, it will be fun….. Gwen….” that was an oddly calm and collected reaction, maybe life was giving her a second chance to try and compete next to her man in peace.

Sierra dropped her smile once more and continued to look at the fire as if the conversation never took place… how odd, what could've possibly caused her to be so calm, almost as if she had a single purpose in mind replaying in her head over and over, it's not like Alejandro would know anything about that….

Once Gwen goes back to sitting on Duncan’s lap they notice across camp how Team Amazon starts retreating to their respective tents, which prompts Team Chris is really hot to start doing the same, with only Gwen and Duncan being left around the fire, noticing Trent packing up his guitar and heading inside to gain his rest Gwen lets out a melancholic sigh

“What's wrong, pasty, not happy to have Elvis back in the show?” Asked the rebellious punk in playful manner while trying to tickle his girl, and while she appreciated the show of affection, this clearly wasn’t the time for it

“Its not that, I don't mind that he’s back, it just feels so awkward, especially after how things ended, you think I should talk to him?” said Gwen while looking at her ex disappear into the tent, it had been a while since she thought of him

Trent was a short chapter of her life that went off the rails as quick as he came into her life, she admitted to herself that she could have handled things better at the time, but she was left with no other options, maybe it was the fact that they were competing in the show, that brought out the worst in them but she knew deep down that having Trent here wasn't a negative

The guy was a class act, and never treated her wrong, he was full of life and passion, he had been dealt a rough deal during his time on the show, but he took it on the chin and kept moving on with his life, Gwen couldn't help but feel a little sad about the fact that someone who at one point was so close to her was now so distant, but that was just the nature of life and change.

“Nah there's no need, the guy is on a different team, and I'm willing to bet he’s not happy to learn were together now, he’ll probably pull a Courtney and start throwing a fit if we get too close, better to let him be for now” replied the disinterested punk as he rose to his feet

“Im gonna head to bed now, gotta rest up to kick their asses tomorrow, good night pasty” and with those words and a quick peck to Gwen’s lips he heads to bed with the rest of his team, Gwen simply lingers for a moment longer to witness Cody and Heather make their way back

As if they didn't notice her they make their way to their respective tents and wave at each other before disappearing out of view, “since when have they……. Wait, Now it all makes sense!” the now irate goth rises to her feet, grabs a bucket of water and puts out the fire “always up to no good Heather, but that's low even for you” she walks away, she is not gonna go easy on them thats for sure

Los Angeles campsite 9:00 am the next morning

When the sun came out the next day both teams stood outside their tents and made their way to the main stage from the previous day, there stood Chef Hatchet already in a bad mood he proceed to serve everyone some very questionable oat meal and instructed all of them that once they were finished to meet him by the bus that was seemingly parked by the side of the stage…..who knew what wicked challenges awaited the nervous contestants this time…
Venice Beach Los Angeles 11:30 am

The Total Drama cast makes their way off the bus in a hurried fashion taking in the atmosphere of the sunny beach in front of them, the beautiful waves crashing against the white sand already improving the mood of a certain member of Team Amazon “allright! Now this is more like it, lets get this over quick so i can catch some waves common” exclaimed Bridgette seemingly far from the gloomy mood she had yesterday

“No kidding, I want to go to the boardwalk and eat all that food, Chris!” said Owen as he was held back by Duncan and Tyler in a useless effort “uh uh uh, slow down now Owen, everything in due time, because were here to have us a nice challenge, you slackers have been taking it way too easy since Greece, so now it's time for your truly to bring a nice hearty dose of PAIN!” interjected the sadistic host

“You enjoy your job too much man” said Trent with a raised eyebrow “Heheh if you do what you love, you wont work a day in your life, now having said that allow me to explain today’s challenge” responded an eager Chris

“All right Team Amazon and Team me is super duper hot, today its all about the prizes, more precisely, how many tokens you can win to claim the honor of immunity for your team and first class privileges” as Chris explains it the contestants are shown several different areas of the pier

“Each one of you will be selected to compete in different games and have the chance to earn tokens for your team’s ultimate goal of 1000, the first team to hit this number automatically wins today’s challenge” now this got everybody’s attention

Cody swallowed saliva and looked around, there was several different games set up around the area, he surveyed them to decide where could he possibly do his best, it didn't seem too dangerous, but he learned a long time ago not to underestimate this show’s knack for inducing pain

“Now, the participants for each game shall be decided by me and Chef, with each one of us choosing one competitor from each team at time, so good luck coming up with a strategy on the fly heh” said chris with his signature chuckle, “ So for our first game we will start with a classic roller derby on the pier” huh….. They thought they misheard, a roller derby was not a carnival game at all.

“How is that an arcade game?” said Cody raising his hand “its whatever i say it is hehe, anyhow, for Team Amazon, Trent and for Team Chris is Really Really Really Really Hot Tyler, make your way forward and put on your roller blades” Informed Chris in anticipation of the carnage ahead

The two of them make their way forward to put on their gear and are guided to the starting line of the derby “ Your main goal is to skate all the way to the end of the pier and back while grabbing the strategically placed bags of tokens placed around the track, just make sure not to hit any tourists or street performers while you do so” both contestants nod in understanding as they survey the course

“Allright here we go im gonna show my Linds whats she’s been missing out on” exclaimed Tyler while flexing his biceps and looking in her direction hopeful to find her admiring him from afar, only to see she was nervously looking anywhere else but at him, he did also catch every girl from Team amazon glaring at him

“You got this Trent, show them what you're made of Drama Bro” Shouted Cody showing his support for his band mate “Kick his ass Trent!” Said Heather as well, shouting her blunt version of encouragement

“On your marks….. Get set…… Skate!!!!”

Trent and Tyler both took off at high speed, making sure to dodge the people ahead, both focused as can be trying to catch the bags thrown around, tyler was very fast and agile during this challenge, he seemed intent on showing off for his team to cement himself as an integral part it

Trent on the other hand wasn't the most comfortable on skates but still went ahead with the challenge, managing to snag two bags so far, but Tyler kept increasing the distance between them “ damn he’s fast, and its so hard to skate with this many people in the way” thought the musician as he narrowly avoided a tourist riding a bike, but he was far from giving up, he knew he had the trust of his team mates on his side, and he didn't want a repeat of season 2 where he kept letting down his team… not this time

As tyler kept growing the distance he managed to snag his 5th bag and reach the end of the pier, “all right i got this in the bag, now just gotta go on my way back and—”
*whack*

In that precise moment in what Tyler thought would be his victory lap he didn't pay attention and hit a sign post causing him to drop one of the small bags which ruptured making it drop its contents which were…... Corn???

The clumsy athlete stood up from the ground and read the sign he just hit “beware… Chicken crossing….. CHICKENS?!!!!” Chris couldn't help but laugh at that “hehe we didn't forget dude, be careful now”

At that precise moment several chickens surround Tyler making him panic at the sight of them “aghhhhhhhhhhh” he screams, while skating away like a man running for his life, bumping into several tourists in the area, he even managed to hit two men transporting a pane of glass, which he shattered at high speed

While the panicked Tyler skates away, Trent dodges several chickens and more people, making his way to the end of the pier and turns around to skate back, however, he himself wouldn't be so lucky either, as for when he looks back, a parade of mimes appears in front of him “oh god no” was the final panicless thought Trent could form before skating past several mimes who kept trying to grab at him

“NONONONONONONONONONONO” were the only sound he could make as he clumsily skated away from the black and white weirdos, many of them trying to make invisible walls to stop him from advancing, Trent doing his best to not look at them, sadly he trips during his panicked escape and lands next to Tyler who had recently crashed against the glass

“Are they still here…. I cant get up dude” said Tyler while holding his head down in fear, both men were close to the finish line, only a few yards and they could escape from the psychological torture

From a distance Trent could see the rest of the contestants, he noticed Cody and Bridgette wore worried expressions while Heather and Courtney kept shouting for him to get up,however something else caught his attention, he noticed Duncan having a hearty laugh next to Gwen who was hiding her face in her hands

“That jerk…. I'd like to see him try and fight his fears on skates” Trent had no problem with Gwen moving on and finding love elsewhere he knew he had his chance before and blew it, that's just life, however the fact that she chose him, the biggest jerk in the history of the show, somebody so rude and selfish, he felt like he didn't know his ex anymore, how can someone like Gwen go for him…

……. It didn't matter anymore, what mattered now was showing everyone he could do this, Trent rose to his feet and picked up his three bags under one arm “Tyler, give me your hand lets get outta here” he offered a hand to the athlete cowering on the floor

“Wha— uh yeah lets go man!!” Tyler grabs onto Trent and they both hold onto each other and skate as fast as possible to get away from the danger surrounding them, both of them doing their best to just focus on the finish line ahead

Suddenly a big burly mime wearing a chicken costume stands right in front of the finish line, stunning both of them. This show was so cruel sometimes….

“That is messed up!” said Cody to Heather
“I hate Chris” responded the queen bee
“C’mmon tyler buddy you're almost there” screamed a panicked Owen
“Trent dont give up you got this” shouted Bridgette

A quiet Lindsay observed the situation in front of her, she felt pity for Tyler, no matter what happened the night before nobody deserved to be tortured on tv, and she also looked towards her team mate Trent, one of the nicest guys she knew, a guy who never Talked down to her or got mad at her even when she almost killed him with that poison fish back in season 1, he had been nothing but a good friend to her and that poor guy had been through a lot already, she wanted to also be a good friend!

“TRENT! DONT GIVE UP!” shouted the blonde, grabbing the attention of the whole cast, specially because those were her first words today. Tyler snapped out of his panic for a moment to make notice of this, did she mean to say his name but got confused again?

“I dont know man, i think that big chicken mime is gonna eat you haha” yelled Duncan earning a hard nudge from Gwen, after all she didnt really enjoy seeing her ex under such mental stress

However at that moment, Trent had a very peculiar reaction….. He got angry, angry that he was tricked into coming back, angry that he was once again being made a fool of on tv, angry that he was letting his fear get the best of him, angry that he was running the risk of letting his team down, and especially angry at Duncan once again laughing at his expense, “ Im not done yet” he thought to himself

He grabbed Tyler’s arm firmly and brought him close “get ready dude, were bringing that freak down” exclaimed the raven haired artist “what are you—”
And with that short notice, Trent picks up his pace and rams his and Tyler’s bodies against the black and white chicken, knocking out the most likely confused intern inside the costume with the impact alone and crashing into the finish line

“WHAT A FINISH BY TRENT AND TYLER, KNOCKING DOWN THEIR FINAL OBSTACLE AND MAKING IT BACK WITH JUST EMOTIONAL SCARS… and a lot of bruises hehe” Shouted the self satisfied host

Both Trent and Tyler lay on the ground panting from the harsh challenge, adrenaline still pumping through their veins, however the relief on their faces was evident, feeling a sense of pride for overcoming their fears

“Thanks for not leaving me behind dude, i owe you big for that, I would've been killed by those chickens” spoke tyler as he stood up “dont mention it dude, even if were on different teams, were still in this together trying to survive this show” responded Trent offering a fist bump

Cody and Bridgette ran towards Trent and helped him to his feet, his breathing was still fast and erratic but he wore a smile on his face “i did it man, mime’s aint got nothing on me anymore” Cody nodded in agreement and patted his friend on the back "you're crazy dude”

“Now lets check how many tokens they manage to bring back from their challenge shall we” announced Chris, picking up Trent’s 3 bags, and 2 more that Tyler managed to hold onto through the chaos, he deposited them into a machine that counted them and showed how many he managed to bring back

“That is 300 for Team Amazon and 300 for Team i am scorching hot” Declared the narcissist

“WHAT!!!! Same amount of tokens? But Trent brought 3 bags!” protested Courtney making her presence known to the host “hey dont look at me, the interns put different amount of tokens in different bags, just to make it more interesting hehe” retorted Chris barely acknowledging the CIT’S outrage

As Trent sat down, to remove his roller blades, and catch his breath, Lindsay approached the raven haired musician to offer a bottle of water “um that was like so brave, I didn't know you were scared of those quiet clowns, i think they're so funny haha” Lindsay gave him the water and offered a sincere giggle at Trent

“Heh yeah its a bit lame, but hey at least it got you to start talking again” responded Trent with a chuckle of his own “haha like omg how could i stay quiet if like you got me all fired up to try and win” suddenly it seemed like Lindsay would be ok, she just needed to see that it was possible to fight back against your issues and come out on top

And…. she had to admit, Heather managed to help her quite a bit as well, she used her same old blunt words and attitude, but there seemed to be honesty in her feelings this time around, it had been so long since the two of them spoke to one another so she didn't understand what compelled her to act that way… her team is so weird

While all this was taking place, Tyler walked back to his team, who frankly apart from Owen grabbing on to him and hugging him tight while crying out praise for confronting his fears not many of them seemed in good spirits, however Alejandro approached Tyler once he was settled in “you did well my friend, cant say i understand why you're afraid of chickens but none the less we are still in the running”

Internally however, the Spanish schemer was livid, a challenge so simple he could have done it with his eyes closed, yet they remained behind, this whole cast was testing his patience, he couldn't wait to be rid of all the dead weight when the time was right

“All right, I hope you guys are ready for more, because now its time for the next game, HUMAN SKEE BALL!!!” Chris was ready for more pain and he let it be known to all by his announcement

“Thats a horrifying combination of words… but i do love skee ball” said Duncan while cracking his knuckles in anticipation, no idea how it would work but he was more than ready for it

“Im glad you think so because this challenge will require 3 players from each team, so for Team Amazon we got Bridgette, Lindsay and Heather going up against Sierra, Duncan, and Owen from team Chris is really hot”
Upon saying so, the contestants made their way towards the beach where what could only be described as a Giant skee ball table was set up
“Each one of you will have one try to make it into any of the skee ball holes, all while riding these skateboards, the amount of tokens you receive will depend on which hole you manage to enter” The contestants couldnt help but be intimidated by the sheer size of the oversized carnival game, the budget increase was no joke, seemed almost impossible fathom something so huge with such a steep drop could be considered safe

“Oh and i forgot to mention, both teams have to launch themselves at the same time, meaning that each of you will go head to head while trying to aim for the highest prize”finished the host, this was about to get ugly…

Surveying the giant contraption, it had 3 holes towards the center each labeled 100-200-300, and a single hole to the side all the way at the top labeled 1000, that one would guarantee a swift victory, but the price to pay if you missed it seemed very painful

“Ok heres what im thinking, Lindsay you go first and try to aim for 200, down the center, i will follow aiming for the 300, and then bridgette will end them by landing on the 1000 since she might have an easier time balancing on the board, that sound good?” Heather was a natural strategist who seemed to want to take charge at all times, and Lindsay a Bridgette could argue with her logic but they did have reservations

“No offense Heather, but there's a flaw in your plan, I'm a surfer, not a skater, and also, you're crazy if you think I'm going to aim for that while fending off an opponent…. If only Geoff were here though, he could definitely make it… i miss him so much” responded Bridgette while remembering her soul mate “awwww you guys are so made for one another, its like super adorbs”

“Ugh keep the fantasies for after were done, right now just try and focus on winning, we can all talk about crushes in first class once this is over” said the queen bee with irritation in her voice

Meanwhile, the other team were coming up with their own strategy, this time Duncan leading the squad of unlikely allies “so its gonna be pretty simple, all we have to do is knock them off their board before the big jump, if they cant score at all they cant win” quite the fitting plan for the delinquent
“I dont want to hurt anybody Duncan, im cool with everybody, plus they could seriously get messed up from this height” responded the golden hearted Owen, things had gotten so serious he was seriously starting to miss his buddy Noah and not to mention his best girl Izzy, they always kept things light hearted for him, but now it felt like the stakes were too high

“Dont worry Duncan, i will do whatever we need to win… i am NOT going home today so ill make sure we dont lose”chimed in sierra in a very matter of factly tone, determination burning in her soul…. She had way too much left to do in this competition to keep messing around.

“We are ready to get started, please make your way to the starting line with your skate boards and bring the pain” announced Chris, the time was now, no turning back, for the first shot it was Lindsay and Sierra, they adjusted themselves at the start and awaited the signal

From the Crowd watching the challenge Cody and Trent were exchanging words, “aw man do you think Lindsay will be ok, that looks insane, i dont want to see her get hurt” expressed the chestnut haired teen “dont underestimate her bro, she’s pretty scatter brained but you'd be surprised at all the things she’s capable of, but then again only when she believes in herself” mused Trent while watching closely

“MAKE SURE YOU GIRLS WIN THIS” screamed Courtney, many things might've gone down but her near obsession with winning didn't slow down, could be a positive for the team, at least they both hoped

“GO!” shouted the host while firing a fake gun in the air, and within less than a second Both Sierra and Lindsay launched themselves from the ramp, both girls letting out terrified screams as their speed picked up, once they reached the bottom of the ramp the curve shot them into the air towards the holes

“LIKE AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH” screamed lindsay, doing he best to aim for any hole she could, with a possible miss meaning she would experience quite a painful fall, however, unbeknownst to her Sierra had maneuvered her way in the air to be directly behind Lindsay “NOTHING PERSONAL LINDSAY!” screamed the crazed stalker as she put her hands on Lindsay’s head and boosted herself to fly higher and making a bee line to the 300 hole, and sending Lindsay crashing towards the 100, in all honesty it was quite the spectacle of acrobatics by Sierra, who came out unscathed, sadly for Lindsay her fall was too abrupt and she ended bouncing against the edges of the whole, only narrowly being able to fall in

“OH MY GOD, THAT GIRL IS CRAZY!” yelled Bridgette in a very worried fashion, she hoped Lindsay would be ok, and from the crowd Tyler could be heard calling out for her, almost rushing to check on her, but a live feed monitor at the bottom of the skee ball table showed Lindsay still conscious giving a thumbs up

“Thats a relief, im gonna go check on Lindsay to see if she’s ok” said Trent as he went away to look for his team mate, something that was noticed by Tyler, who was about to protest that he should be the one checking on HIS girl

However Alejandro put a stop to this, “my friend, you might want to slow down, Trent is just checking on his team mate, there's no need to rush into a conflict, also remember, you said you wanted me to speak to Lindsay before you approached her again right?” the points made by Alejandro seemed to calm down Tyler enough to drop the subject for now, he was lucky to have such a caring team mate…

“That was brutal, but nice going Sierra, you got some skills girl” complimented the host, causing sierra to give a satisfied smile and walk back to her team “time for round 2 please choose your next victims and lets keep this going hehe”

“Its my turn now, ill shoot for 300, we got this” proclaimed the self assured beauty known as Heather, she stepped forward and felt ready to take this challenge on as she always had, hesitation didn’t seem to exist in her vocabulary, only turning back to look at the crowd to see a very focused Cody, trying to hid his concern for his new ally “watch this punchy…” thought Heather to herself readying herself to take the ride

Now it was Heather and Duncan’s turn, they both made their way to the edge of the ramp and exchanged nasty looks at one another “Break a leg sunshine” said the punk with a smirk “yeah, ill break one of yours street rat” shot back the queen bee

Chris once again signaled for the game to start and both were off to the races, they both immediately bump and shove each other making their way down the wooden ramp, Duncan was not about to back down to his long time rival, he was now fighting to stay in the game and with his girl, something that he was sure was a foreign feeling for the selfish girl he was currently fighting

Heather was fighting with all she had as they both picked up speed, something about Cody’s motivation had infected her and found her wanting to do even better to show the boy who declared his admiration of her skills how its done

As they reach the bottom curve of the ramp and they are shot out into the holes they are still clinging to one another, neither of them budging or showing weakness, their brawl so prolonged that without noticing they both fall into the hole marked as 200

“I don't even know what to make of that, it was like watching two cats fighting and falling in a dumpster, but anyhow please Owen and Bridgette make your way to the starting line” announced Chris unamused

Heather and Duncan appear from under the giant skeeball table seemingly unscathed but still cursing at each other over their previous bout, those two really couldn't stand each other after all this time, but after they make their way back to their teams they are welcomed with open arms

“I appreciate you fighting that dumb jerk, i dont think ill get tired of seeing him get what he deserves” said a smug Courtney as Heather reached them
“Hmph cant say i ever understood what you saw in him to begin with”
Retorted the queen bee however it was Cody that managed to get a smile out of her “you always amaze me Heather, you're graceful even when you fight punks” she giggled at this “oh stop your flattery already, we haven't won yet!”

As Duncan joined his team he was embraced by Gwen who buried her face in his chest and simply said “seeing you mess up Heather just made you sooooooo much more attractive” the punk simply smirked “I know what drives my girl crazy” earning a light chuckle from his gothic lover

Bridgette and Owen both readied themselves by the edge of the ramp, looking at the long ramp and the even longer fall towards the skeeball holes, they weren't afraid to admit they were both terrified

“IF I DIE TELL GEOFF/IZZY THAT I LOVE THEM” they both said in perfect synchronicity “theres something about scared contestants that makes challenges even more fun to watch hehe, NOW GO!” announced Chris, startling them and sending them down into the ramp

To this day what happened next cant be truly explained through things like ‘logic’ or ‘physics’ but it is said that owen seemed to pick up such insane speed that he simply vanished from this plane of existence for a couple of seconds, leaving an already terrified Bridgette both confused and scared “OWEN????!!!!!!” she screamed

Due to her distraction she didn't really notice her jump was ahead of her and in a moment of pure chaos and distraction she flew into the air in such a perfect angle she fell through the hole marked as 200 and landed safely under it while still screaming and processing the whole experience

“......Where did the fat kid go” said chef finally breaking the silence, meanwhile every single contestant waited with baited breath to see what happened to their lovable glutton, when suddenly Owen is heard falling from the sky while screaming his lungs out

“SWEET MAPLE SYRUP HELP ME!!!!” was heard as he fell towards the skeeball table landing at such a perfect angle that he made it to the hole marked 1000…..and getting stuck inside of it

“WAY TO GO OWEN YEAH!!!!!” was heard from Team Chris is really really hot, all of them celebrating their victory and cheering on the chubby champ

“Not so fast guys, I wouldn't celebrate just yet, if you observe carefully, Owen didn't make it through the hole entirely, he is stuck which means no points for this round” Chris couldn't really hide his enjoyment for this turn of events, this would make for some of the most entertaining television of his career

And with those words their whole mood was spoiled, so close yet so far from victory “that was way too close for comfort, no matter what the next game will decide it all” said Heather making sure Cody heard this, his time was approaching and he had to be ready no matter what

“Both teams made 500 tokens this time around tying up the score once again to 800 tokens each, now this is getting interesting who will come out on top, stick around to find out folks” say what you want but the host sure knew how to make things exciting

The contestants were then moved to a makeshift basketball court, in which many different objects were scattered around but most noticeable was the floor made out of trampolines, the full length of the court

“While owen gets help getting unstuck from the skeeball table i want to welcome you all to our final game of the day, to decide today’s victors we will play an exciting game of one of the world's most premier sports and one of LA’s favorite pass times, BASKETBAL!!!”

Great… sports… not exactly one of Cody’s strong suits, he had a knack for dodgeball, but this was definitely not an area in which he felt the utmost confidence, what was he gonna do?

“This challenge will be very straight forward, both teams will square off on a sudden death, as you can see the court is made out of trampolines, making sure you can get some serious hang time which will be needed if any of you losers wants to dunk hehe!” explained the host making sure it was clearly understood by all “and this time its gonna be a 2 on 2 for the final round” if that was the case then it meant that…

“for this challenge please make your way forward Cody and Courtney you will go up against Alejandro and Gwen!” at that moment it became clear, this would be a very intense game for sure

Cody took a deep breath, he knew Alejandro was no push over, it wouldn't be easy but he had long since decided to leave it all on the court, it was now or never, even if it was baptism by fire it was time to give it his all

“You got this dude, no regrets just play hard” said Trent with a reassuring smile
“Cody, i saw Owen disappear into thin air today, i witnessed a miracle, so i am more than sure you can beat that jerk and bring us the win” said a wide eyed Bridgette still processing the last challenge
“Im like sure youll do fine but just in case make sure you land well, i still cant feel my butt from the last challenge’s fall” wise words from Lindsay
And the final Member of team amazon waiting to say something to him was a certain raven haired beauty, who simply looked him in the eye with not a sign of emotion and whispered in his ear “win…” not a suggestion, not a wish, but an order, it was up to him and she wanted to see if he would rise to the challenge, it was all he needed…

From the other side Alejandro and Gwen made their way down to the court Gwen felt conflicted, having to face Courtney face to face, her guilt still remained but she was not willing to lose either by no means, she hated herself for thinking this but she would have to play the game in a not so honorable way if she wanted victory today

Then there was also Cody, the previous night she witnessed him and Heather sharing a laugh as they made their way back to camp from god knows where, to Gwen this was the only explanation she needed for his attitude shift, Heather had clearly poisoned his mind against her, there was no way he would give up on her so easly, was all that talk of how much he liked her untrue?

It was clearly annoying to her but at the same time she knew Cody was a good kid, just misguided at the moment, but he would have to learn the hard way that being near Heather only meant disaster, with that in mind Gwen knew that the best way to deal with them was to get in their heads

“Hey Alejandro, i got an idea…” said the pale goth to her team mate catching his attention with a devilish grin

“Make sure you dont get in my way pipsqueak, im gonna take her down”
Said Courtney with an angry expression, if she couldn't eliminate Gwen directly she would make sure to make her lose badly enough that she wouldn't want to keep competing “Courtney we have to work together, regardless if we're friends or not, neither of us wants to lose so lets just do our best”

The CIT merely rolls her eyes not paying attention to her team mate, no matter what gothy is going down…

Chef stood at center court with a basket ball in hand, wearing an annoyed expression he informs the rules “ALLRIGHT MAGGOTS, HERE’S HOW ITS GONNA WORK, FIRST TEAM TO MAKE 3 BASKETS WINS, KEEP IT CLEAN AND NO WHINNING” he lowers the ball as Alejandro and Courtney get ready for him to toss it in the air

A whistle is blown marking the beginning of the game however something stops the contestants in their tracks before the first play can be made

*RING RING*

The infamous bell is rung signifying its time for a song causing the whole cast to groan in annoyance

“Ugh whatever lets do this” says courtney with her mood suddenly switching to a more happy disposition, say what you will but the girl loved performing

SONG STARTS

A 90’s style high energy hip-hop beat starts playing while Courtney steals the ball and runs up the court
Courtney:We’ve got the drive, the brains, the skill,bouncin' past you like you’re standin’ still!, dont mess with me no more cuz it means you wont see tomorrow for sure!

She shoots the hoops as colors fly from the ball in the air, but it's sadly a miss and Alejandro grabs the rebound making all the color drain from the world and making him the only one covered in technicolor

Alejandro: Oh please, your game is kinda tragic,I bring finesse, and a lil’ bit o' magic, you're the one so caught up in vengeance it seems it will all end up just tragic

He passes the ball to Gwen who is caught off guard but still manages to catch it with colors flying all around her

Gwen: I don't need pep or a cheer squad scream, I've got stealth, goth strength and a killer team, seems to you that i left that mess of a team behind, but im not one to be so caught up in lies

She says that last line while looking at Cody trying to get around him, but he manages to steal the ball, he maneuvers around her and jumps to the side avoiding Alejandro

CODY: its not about speed, its not about lies, it's about who has the will to fly

Cody takes a big jump from the trampoline and manages to dunk splashing colors everywhere in a technicolor mess and earning a cheer from his team on the bleachers

TRENT: He just might do it the kid can fly

DUNCAN: wouldnt keep my hopes up cuz the kid might die

HEATHER: say what you will but everyone knows ball dont lie

Alejandro grabs the rebound again and quickly makes his way across the court pushing Cody away and jumping over Courtney
ALEJANDRO: Charming and disarming, ill steal your play and leave you hanging

Alejandro makes an easy layup tying the game 1-1 and once again draining the color off the court and making him shine over everybody else

Once again Courtney grabs the ball and attempts another play

ALEJANDRO: your focus is not here, your time is very near, i always know when i smell fear

He steals the ball off Courtney, and passes to Gwen who is now in front of Cody once more

GWEN: I don't want to hurt your feelings or leave you on the hook reeling, don't put your fate in fakeness or your heart will fill with hate

This stops Cody in his tracks, what did she mean by that….

Gwen shoots and scores 2-1

Bridgette: here comes the end, something promising but its fate one of us to home will be sent

Tyler: rhyming is hard that's for sure… i like that this victory our losing will cure

Sierra: i cant cheer i cant smile, without my Cody near i feel just fear, bring the color back or i might snap

Sierra proceeds to dance to the hip hop beat on the bleachers, spinning on her head and landing on her side to pose

Lindsay: this song wont end until the hot girl sings, im way more than that, so watch me spread my wings , id rather sing and dance than be trapped inside a shallow view, im still in this because i got my crew

Lindsay folds her arms and the color is back to everybody

Song ends

That…. Is always a huge distraction, Cody was very much aware this play was crucial, so far Courtney was stubbornly refusing to play as a team, making mistakes and getting distracted, but he wasn't gonna let it end this way

Courtney felt like the walls were closing in with no way out, Gwen and Alejandro were getting in her head, with no way out she blamed herself, her arrogance and lack of control was gonna get her kicked out and humiliated

“COURTNEY!” she is snapped out of it, its Cody looking at her and grabbing her shoulder

“I know this sucks, but remember who you are, you're stronger and smarter than most of us, i know… youre hurt right now, so am i, but you're not gonna let them get the better of you, we have to trust each other right now to win, the best vengeance is a good life, so lets show them how good of a life we have in first class tonight” Cody’s words make the CIT, think back to it all, it hasn't been easy, but she hasn't had her head truly in the game this whole time, only on Duncan, even after he abandoned her in Egypt, he was all she cared about, she had to let it go at least right now and live another day

“Ok, im done messing around” Courtney narrows her eyes, passes the ball to Cody and runs up the court, Cody gets in position and closes in to the rim, jumping towards the hoop to score, but is met by Alejandro who executes a perfect block, however, that was just bait… Cody had passed the ball behind his back to Courtney right before jumping

Courtney catches it and almost like a sniper shoots the ball in a beautiful arch, nothing but net, now the game is tied 2-2

“Time to end this” Alejandro grabs the ball and rushes the court at full sprint “try and stop me loser” he thinks to himself as he charges towards Cody, who stands his ground, a mix of fear and determination in his face

Alejandro attempts to knock Cody down with an elbow to the face, but he still stands, with a bloody nose he holds onto Alejandro doing his best to hold him in place and not let him shoot the ball

“Noble attempt perdedor, but its over” Alejandro smirks and hands over the ball to Gwen who runs up behind him and prepares to dunk and end the game once and for all, as she jumps and begins the motion to dunk, right from behind comes Courtney with an amazing block against the glass at the last second

“Rahhhhhhhhhh” screams the uptight counselor, feeling the burn of the amazing play “thats just impressive dude” said Tyler as the resident fan of sports

“Courtney should really look into playing basketball once the show is over” chimes in Trent

“Punchy…” was the only thought in the queen bee’s mind

“Cody!!!! Go far!!” screams the CIT, this is the final shot gotta make it count, Cody begins to run, like his life depends on it, hopping from trampoline to trampoline, this is it, no more self doubt, no more weakness, do or die

Courtney launches the ball with all her might towards the rim, Gwen too late to stop her yells for Alejandro to stop it, but he is also running to the other side of the court,no way in hell he is letting the nerd score, its impossible

Cody jumps as high as he can go at the same time as Alejandro, both of them reaching the peak of their height at the same time, Cody manages to catch the ball with one hand while the other is tangled with Alejandro, with the latter reaching to stop this…. Time almost freezes for everybody, a single second to decide the fate of the competition moving forward

“Hey guys they managed to free me from the skeeball hole” says a newly arrived Owen

SLAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cody dunked the ball and shattered the glass, falling into the trampoline with tiny shards raining around him, and Alejandro falling by the way side

“TEAM AMAZON WINS!!!!!!!!”

The bleachers clear and team amazon picks up Cody from the floor and crowds him in celebration

“Dude you're the one who’s crazy!!! That was awesome”
Said an excited Trent
“Two miracles in one day dear lord Cody” came from bridgette
“Whaaaaaaaa thats soooo cool, and i dont even like basketball i never understood how to play it” said a very sheepish Lindsay

Still standing on the court, Courtney falls to her knees… we did it, she thinks to herself, allowing herself to smile for the first time in a while, “the pipsqueak was holding out on me huh”

And finally Heather grabs Cody by the hand to help him back to his feet, he had just proved himself to her, his words weren't empty, it marked the beginning of something new, maybe she could trust him to pull his weight, plus the guy just had a knack to have others rally behind him, maybe they could make it all the way

“Youre just full of surprises huh~” said heather in an unusually cheery tone, but Cody was still seeing stars, he felt exhausted, he couldn't believe what he had just pulled off, his own potential surprising him, he wasn't the strongest or the fastest, but there was something about not wanting to let Heather down that kept him trying harder, and just as he looked at her beautiful ebony eyes glisten under the LA sun he could only think one thing….. Today was a good day

Author notes

Welp we got through this one, it came out a bit longer than i thought it would but i honestly had a great time writing it

It becomes a bit of a hassle to write for every single character while attempting not to neglect any of them or their storylines, but nevertheless its part of the journey

I tried to come up with a fun challenge and to inject comedy and drama to the competition, I decided against setting it in area 51 because i couldnt come up with a convincing enough reason to have them all in the middle of the desert for a whole day and night, and also i felt i could work better with the environments in a city like LA, which is funny because im from new york so i rep east coast all day every day

As the story moves forward, there will be some familiar locations from the show but with different challenges, and other times there will be completely new places our characters will explore, in a way its a great exercise in writing and moving things at its own pace

Which brings me to my style of writing this fic, i decided against the use of confessionals due to my lack of fate on how i could use them, from my perspective the characters are living the show as it happens, with the confessionals being something that they take care of at the end of each day of filming instead of in the middle of challenge, however if its something you guys would like to see me incorporate im open to it

As for the song, im not the most confident on how this one came out but i did have fun coming up with rhymes on the fly hehe, i got some ideas for future songs and duets but ill get to those eventually

As always thank you very much for reading, any feedback is appreciated and i look forward to hearing from anybody who reads my story

Have a wonderful day/night :)

Chapter Text

Nostalgia and Change

“All right you're good to go kid, just be careful not to get stuck in anything else today” Owen let out a sigh of relief as the production team managed to free him from the human skeeball table, he had been through countless perils during his time with Total Drama, but it really never got easier

Owen wasn't one to complain however, in reality he wasn't even competing for the money anymore, he just really enjoyed being around the other cast mates, he had met so many people that became a big part of his life, like his buddy Noah who always had an answer when he didn't understand things, his girl Izzy who was such a wild card for his life, always making things unpredictable

Things felt so simple back then, when they were on the island… they were all just getting to know each other and there was so many bonds and moments that made them all feel like one big family, the camp felt reassuring to him, like a home away from home, but now everything felt so complicated… he used to get along with Duncan but now the punk seemed so distant and concerned with antagonizing others, Gwen who was a good friend of his as well and co-finalist from the island was so emotional and withdrawn… ok even more withdrawn than she used to be.

His buddy Tyler was ok, although to be fair they didn't really share much of a bond, and didn't have much in common to begin with… Owen wasn't really sure what to think of him really, he just always tried to look for the best in people, then there was Alejandro and Sierra

Owen wasn't entirely sure what happened to the Total Drama fan girl but ever since she joined his team it seemed like her personality had been drastically altered, she rarely spoke and it kind of creeped him out, and in the past even when she spoke all she did was talk about Cody, a subject that didn't really catch his attention

And then there was his buddy Al, he seemed to be a cool guy but he was starting to get the suspicion Al didn't really like him much, he always seemed a bit ticked off when they spoke to eachother….

A deep sadness grew inside Owen in that moment he realized something that he didn't want to admit previously, he wasn't having fun anymore, all those heartbreaks and betrayals were getting the better of him, he just wanted things to be the way they used to be, but maybe life had changed, maybe life wouldn't go back to being as simple as it was in camp wawanakwa.

As he approached the basketball court where the final game was taking place, he announced his presence, willing to try again and cheer for his team, but then he looked at the court and in that split second he witness Cody high in the air with Al also reaching up to stop him, quite the intense scene really

And no sooner than he processed the scene Cody slammed the ball into the basket shattering the back board, he didn't know he had it in him and Owen couldn't help but yell in excitement “woooooohoooooo way to goooo!!!” but this only earned him a glare from his fellow team mates

“Uh i just thought that was cool hehe” responded the charming glutton, things really weren't what they used to be….

Back on the court however Team Amazon was celebrating and crowding Cody in celebration, it had been quite a game, he played with passion and refused to give up, in the past it was very likely he would've backed down from facing Alejandro but today he decided to take a step towards trying harder, and it paid off

However, right beside them Alejandro simply stood up and walked towards Cody “Congratulations mi amigo, that was quite the impressive dunk” said the exotic heartthrob extending his hand “uh thanks Alejandro, i just tried my best not to let down my team hehe” responded Cody trying his best to remain humble, as their hands met each other for a handshake Alejandro couldn't help himself and made sure to squeeze a bit too hard, making Cody slightly wince

This was noticed by Heather who stepped in and grabbed Cody away from the handshake “common lets go see chris about those tokens” she drags the chestnut haired teen away, not before glaring at Alejandro who simply remained where he stood smirking at Heather, a smile that promised retaliation, this was far from over….

“this blows, another loss, cant wait till i dont have to depend on you guys to make it another day” said Duncan standing from the bleachers and making his way to Gwen, she seemed pretty disappointed about the loss, but nothing a nice joke and make out session wouldnt cure.

“Ugh, and now he starts trying harder, when I'm not on his team…. Whatever lets just get out of here, i hate how sunny it is” the goth was walking back towards Duncan, despite the loss she was always happy to see him offer a smile, not everything was bad…

As for the rest of Owen’s team Sierra was staring at Cody, she was sitting and smiling from ear to ear, a quite genuine and loving smile if there ever was one, however the scene was very sad, her eyes were full of sorrow, with heavy tears streaming down her cheeks, a scene full of melancholy, she watched as her unrequited love celebrated and paid no mind to her, not even looking in her direction “uh, sierra are you ok?” asked Tyler, a bit worried for her state of mind

“I feel like that's the only thing anyone ever asks me anymore, i wonder why” responded the heartbroken girl, not even looking in his direction, her gaze still fixed on Cody “lets just go” she said as she rose to her feet and walked away

The contestants were then led to a sort of gift shop to exchange their tokens for today’s prizes, a very bored chef was behind the counter waiting to hear what the contestants picked, it was full of random knick knacks and plush toys but right at the very top of the shelf of prizes laid a golden ticket with the words FIRST CLASS & IMMUNITY priced at 999 tokens

With everybody gathered around the gift shop the host began to speak “Allright, with 1000 tokens it means Team Amazon wins today’s challenge and gets to pick their prize, so please go ahead”

Heather spoke up first “we will take the ticket for first class & immunity please” chef obliged and handed over the ticket, while earning a hearty celebration by Team Amazon

“Were gonna fly in style” said Trent all fired up “I never even got to stay in first class before I was eliminated, im so glad we won” responded a relieved Bridgette, her first go around in the show had been short and full of regrets, it seemed like life had other plans for her and now she could take it easy for one night at least

“Team Chris is really really really really hot, you may pick any other prizes you want before we head back to the plane, and make sure you enjoy them because tonight one of you will be going home eheh” smiled the sadistic host while walking out of the gift shop and getting on a luxury tour bus that would surely take them back to the airplane and straight to the elimination chamber

“We dont want any of this junk, whatever, lets go babe lets get this over with” Duncan grabs Gwen and begins to walk away with her towards the bus, with the rest of his team following behind, their low spirits not making them want to partake in any more nonsense

“I guess there's no point in sticking around anymore, lets head out i feel like i need a shower, after camping out and playing basketball” said Courtney as she motioned her team to leave as well, a sense of relief washing over them due to coming out on top another day

However unnoticed Cody stays behind, making sure nobody sees him, “uh hey chef, can i ask for something” chef merely turns to the nervous teen and says in a stern tone “what do you want kid, we're leaving now!”

Speaking to chef was never easy, you never knew what would set him off or make him angry, but maybe once in a while he could be reasoned with perhaps…
“ i-i was wondering if i could have something from the prize shop”
Chef raised an eyebrow “hmm?”

While walking to the bus Owen kept reflecting on everything, the state of the competition and where he fit into it all, he kept looking for motivation to keep going, but he kept coming short, the thought of going back to that flying death trap and going on with the competition, seeing everybody sabotage and hurt one another…. It was making him anxious, it was too much.

“Chris!, i got something i want to say” the host turns around and looks at Owen with some annoyance “no owen we cant stop for hot dogs, we gotta get going, the game goes on yadda yadda you get it” Owen feels bad at host’s hostile attitude but doesn't back down

“We don't have to have an elimination ceremony today, I want to leave…”

This statement stuns the rest of the cast, some are left speechless, and others can't even process it, “si si si si si si!” are the thoughts of a certain scheming spanish speaker

“What are you talking about dude, lets go back to the plane and vote off someone else, this isn't the time for this” speaks up Duncan, even though they weren't as close as they used to be he did have a soft spot for the glutton, and no matter what he figured he could count on having him on his side

“Yeah common Owen dont go man, you still got a chance to win” says Trent with the rest of his team nodding with him "you're the heart and soul of this show we can't just lose you” adds Bridgette

“I wasn't even gonna vote for you man, you can't just quit” says Tyler in a disappointed tone, even though they weren't the closest he really didn't want to lose what he considered to be the nicest guy in the competition

Owen is nearly moved to tears by the words of his cast mates, but he doesn't waver on his decision “it's…. just not the same guys, im not having fun anymore, im constantly scared im gonna die on that plane, i miss the rest of my friends, i just want to go home…”

“What about the money?” this time Heather speaks up, even though there was time she felt disgusted by Owen’s antics, over the countless episodes they had been around each other she somehow managed to grow a bit fond of him, it didn't feel like Total Drama if he wasn't around
“Heather…. It's not just about the money, it's never been just about that, but maybe you already know that” responds Owen, its very obvious that he means every word, very few times had the cast seen him in such a mellow quiet mood, but it was true, he was done, it was time for him to move on

“What does he…” Heather thinks to herself, what could Owen mean, of course it's about the money, there's no other reason, she HAS to win, no matter what she cant go back empty handed again, she had too much to lose, and this was possibly her last time competing for such a prize, there was nothing that could possibly…

“Whats going on, what did i miss” said Cody as he arrived on the scene, while holding some sort of package… “whats he up to now, and whats with that blush on his face, he looks so silly, and with the way the sun hit his hair making it shine slightly golden over his light brown locks, what a dork” mused Heather as she watched her team mate arrive, losing her previous train of thought

“Owen just said he is leaving!” informed Courtney, for her part she wasn't the closest to Owen but she bore him no ill will, she just couldn't fathom somebody throwing the towel in such a manner

“What! Owen buddy not like this, stay and fight, keep going, everybody likes you, we dont wanna see you just quit” protested Cody, Owen had always been nice to him, never really bullied him, hell they were pretty close during season 1 back at camp wawanakwa, he wasn't ready to say good bye.

“Guys I'm sure about this, I gotta go, but I'm sure I'll see you all again, but right now, I want to find my happiness again, whataya say Chris, is it ok?”
Chris is staring at Owen with a serious expression, it wouldn't be the best for ratings if Owen left now, but he could see that the chubby teen was simply exhausted and drained from it all, in a rare moment of humanity the host simply smiled “if that's what you really want, you're free to go Owen, take care dude, plus this saves us having to do the ceremony”

Chris turns to walk towards the bus again “we’ll mail you your luggage, everyone else lets move it we got a plane to catch!” and just like that he boards the bus headed for the airport ready to fly towards the next destination

The rest of the cast although sad shares good byes with Owen, promising to see each other again at the finale, one by one they walk away leaving the chubby teen with a heart of gold by himself at the pier, the sunset piercing the sky, Owen walks towards the beach and stares at the ocean, a smile on his face “im hungry”

LAX airport 7:15 pm

As the bus arrives at the airstrip, the quiet mood inside seems to have the rest of the cast reflecting on their reasons to keep going, the prize was obviously the major motivator for being there in the first place, but was it just for the money?
Was it worth destroying one another, in the end only 1 person would remain

The mood wouldn't last much longer however, for what they saw on the run way would leave them all speechless “impressive huh?” said the host as he chuckled to himself, the surprises were far from over

As one by one left the bus with their mouths open they couldn't find the words for what lay in front of them, the budget increase was no joke…

“Im sure you've all noticed by now but the producers and i had a long night of planning while you were camping” Chris had a smile worth a million bucks as he spoke “let me be the first to welcome you to our new top of the line, improved and wayyyy bigger, Chris Mclean luxury jumbo jet”

It was a gigantic marvel of aeronautics, even larger than their previous crappy mode of transport it was colored white with red stripes going the length of the whole plane, with a picture of Chris smiling at the tale and the words Total Drama World Tour across the whole length of it

“I can't believe it, all this just because of ratings?” said Courtney being the first to talk taking in the humongous machine

“Well it was a little bit of that and a little bit of the previous plane not meeting safety standards…. And it being deemed inhumane to make you sit in a dirty disgusting cabin with no beds or edible food to eat so international law made us make some changes” added the host with a chuckle

“Ok i dont know about the rest of you but i wanna see the inside” exclaimed Duncan, hopefully economy class would have a major upgrade “cant believe im saying this but i agree with Duncan” responded Trent

“I don't know Elvis, I think we agree on many things, like our taste in women haha” Duncan couldn't help but get a dig in at musician, the game wasn't just won by doing good in challenges, but you also had to get inside your opponents head, and what better way than to rub it in that he and Gwen were now together

“What did you say you unibrowed punk!” responded Trent, he wasn't one to lose his cool, but Gwen was still a sore subject and it didn't help that Duncan being the notorious jerk that he was could easily tell what buttons to push

“You heard me loud and clear little man, what you gonna do about it” Trent gets up to Duncan’s face causing a commotion, with Cody backing up Trent just in case a fight broke out, even though he had knocked out Duncan once he knew it was lucky shot, but it didn't mean he wouldn't have his friend’s back

However it was Gwen who got in between them trying to separate them “STOP IT!!!” she screams, yet neither of them budge “Duncan stop it theres no point in fighting him” Gwens looks into Duncan’s eyes, he knew the type of guy he was, it wasn't so much a fight but a show of force to try into her ex’s head and cause discord on his team

“Oh really now, you think he’s gonna listen to you? He does whatever he wants and doesn't care who he hurts, i thought you knew what you signed up for” interjected Courtney, her gaze narrowed at the goth, already sick of being around them today, her only regret with Owen leaving being that neither of the authors of her pain would be leaving today

“Mind your business Courtney, this isn't the time” spat back Gwen, even if she had regrets about their broken friendship she would put that on the back burner, right now she wanted to avoid a fight at all costs

Courtney couldn't believe what she heard from her former friend, fury blinding her she tries to lunge at her“Mind my business? oh you are something else Gwen i cant believe you, you dirty treacherous–” she is stopped by Heather and Bridgette while Lindsay is stunned watching from the side, approaching Chris to ask for some order

“Chris stop this they're going to hurt eachother” pleads the scared blonde, she was aware of the bad blood between them but she didn't want to see anybody get hurt, specially not the nice guy Trent

“Stop it? I was counting on it hehe, this is tv gold, we might be able to afford another jumbo jet at this rate” responded the careless host, he wanted bad blood to flow and he was content to let it keep going

“Trent please this isnt you, dont fight” said Gwen trying to plead with her ex, she never knew him to be hot headed, quite the opposite of Duncan he always treated others nicely, even when provoked he never reacted this extremely “how would you know what im like Gwen, you left me as soon as i wasnt perfect in your eyes… but this isnt worth it”

Trent backed down from the confrontation and walked away with Cody, he didnt want his emotions to keep getting the better of him, Duncan wasnt worth it, deep down he knew that it was just a provocation to make him a target in his own team,

But he was still human, and the punk just had a knack for bothering him in the worst way possible “heh what a drama queen, no wonder they brought you back” Duncan kept speaking hoping Trent would take the bait

“Not today dude, lets just go see the plane” said Cody trying to calm Trent down, he really didn't like Duncan either but he knew sooner or later they would clash once more, and when they did they would have to be way more prepared to deal with him
“Thanks man” answered the raven haired artist, grateful somebody had his back, a far cry from last time he was going through a rough time and the rest of his team hadn't really checked up on him or validated his point of view, he knew he had screwed up badly…. He would always carry that with him, that's why he wouldn't just throw away this second chance

“Ahem if were all done here lets make our way inside the jumbo jet” said Chris making his presence once again felt, he guided the crowd inside the giant plane only leaving Gwen and Duncan still outside

“What the hell was that about” yelled Gwen at her punk, clearly distressed at what had just occurred “why are you painting a bigger target on our backs, also you didn't have to be so rude to Trent”

“Relax pasty, i was just joking with the guy, he just never knew how to take a joke” responded Duncan while putting his hands behind his head, already seeming to move on from the scuffle, content to remain nonchalant about it all

Gwen walked beside him entering the aircraft, the stinging memory of her former lover’s words echoing inside her mind ‘how would you know what im like Gwen, you left me as soon as I wasn' t perfect in your eyes’

Had she been that shallow to end things as quick as she did, was she a bad person, she thought things were fine with Trent but this brought back a lot of previous questions and pain, these last few days had been hell for her psyche

Inside the jumbo jet

The contestants admired the interior of the aircraft, everything was new and shiny “as you can see we spared no expense and made sure that everybody will be comfortable in the next coming days when we visit the rest of our destinations, we also added a couple of special rooms” Chris continued to guide the contestants around while explaining “this is the common area, as you can see we have our in flight cafe here and many spots to sit and enjoy the flight if you don't feel like being confined to your quarters” the tour continued up a flight of stairs

They arrived what appeared to be a regular looking commercial flight seating area, nothing really special although there was several rows of seats reaching all the way to the back of the aircraft, a bit overkill for the amount of passengers currently occupying the space

“This is the new Economy class, nothing really special but way better than sleeping sitting right up ehehe, as you can see the seats can recline all the way down, and due to the amount of space in the cabin whenever you find yourself here you can find your own space and make yourself comfortable” explained the host

“Well this is an improvement, no leaking pipes, no rats” commented Bridgette, her time on the show before had been short but she wouldn't forget how traumatizing her stay in the old economy class was

“Hmph its not like we’ll be spending much time here anyway” answered Heather while flipping her pony tail, after all Team Amazon had proven themselves quite adept at finding their way to first class more often than not

Chris wasn't that enthusiastic about explaining such mundane details but nonetheless continued on with his tour, the group continued on to the next floor

Once they made their way up they witnessed a luxury looking spa with a hot tub right in the middle, several tv’s and entertainment systems, and for some reasons several doors, almost like a hotel hallway

“Welcome to first class, this time around we truly amped up the luxury to make sure you guys fight extra hard for victory, it'll be worth it, as whenever you are in first class you will also be able to enjoy your own bed and room to relax in after a long day competing” explained Chris way more enthused, it was true this was very top of the line in terms of comfort, but still a far cry from the luxuries he saved for himself

“Oh my god, i love it, i want to take as many classes first as i have to if it means staying here” said Lindsay, a bit confused but her spirit was in the right place

“Youre the salt of the earth Lindsay” responded Bridgette amused at how the brain of her fellow blonde worked “im glad you enjoy it Lindsay, cause its all yours tonight”

“Im beat, ill just go ahead and pick a room and go to bed” said Courtney making her way into the cabin and walking towards a door " uh uh uh there's one more stop on our tour Courtney” said Chris lifting his finger and directing the teens towards a door right by the staircase

As he opened the door lights turned on and revealed a whole music rehearsal studio, with several instruments adorning the walls of the room, several chairs and equipment to practice any sort music

“Ladies and Gentlemen this is the rehearsal room, any time you find yourself in first class you will have access to this room and all of its perks, in case you want to practice any songs or work on your group performance, its all yours any time you need it, and don't worry, the walls are sound proof” as the host finished his explanation, Trent was left stunned, if he wanted he could record a whole album in the studio, everything was brand new, he was thankful he was let back into the competition now more than ever

“This is sooo cool” said cody running over to the grand piano and checking it out “ok this improved my mood, i can sing all i want in here” chimed in Courtney with a rare smile

“And with that the tour is over, I won't bother showing my own cabin, cant have you weirdos near my things, every one back to your respective quarters and prepare for take off”

And with those words Chris walks away from the contestants and goes up one more flight of stairs disappearing into his cabin, Team Chris is really hot make their way down leaving Team Amazon to relax in luxury

Each contestant picks their own room and decides to relax in their own way, it had been quite a day and everybody was exhausted, Cody went into his room and laid on the soft bed while looking at the ceiling, it felt surreal, he won the challenge for his team once again, he thought Greece had been a fluke, an impossibility that had very little chance of repeating, but just due to the fact that he believed in himself he managed to claim victory once more

“I can't get over confident, maybe it was just luck” he told himself, the games were far from over, and now more than ever he had to keep his resolve, he had to live up to Heather’s confidence in him… Heather…

Cody turned to look at the package that lay next to him on the bed, he didn't know what he was thinking, why he just went ahead and grabbed that, its not like they were super close or anything, but he wanted to get the queen bee a gift to celebrate the day’s victory “shes gonna think im a creep!” he thought to himself slowly going crazy with thoughts of scaring his new alliance member away

Creep, such a hurtful label, he couldn't help but think back to Gwen, during the basketball game earlier in the day she seemed to direct some of the lyrics of her song to him, implying that he was once again on the hook for someone else, that was using him, that they were fake and they would fill him with hate

It didn't take a genius to know she was talking about Heather, perhaps she saw them hanging out during their camping in LA, not that he was trying to hide it but why even care about what he did now, she obviously didn't care before…

As he reflected on his former crush he heard a knock on his door, this made him stand up in surprise the plane had taken off a bit ago and he did not expect to hear from anybody

“Who is it?” says the chestnut haired teen, while walking to the door, could it be… nah no way, why come to his room right now?

“Its me” said the voice on the other side of the door, leaving a lingering silence, Cody opens his door slowly letting the light escape his room, illuminating a figure standing by his door, her ebony hair hanging without her now trade mark pony tail and reaching right above her shoulders, her porcelain skin shining in the low light, her eyes full of life and determination fixed on his own, her full rosy lips parting to let out her enchanting voice asking a simple question “can i come in?~”

Cody wasn't expecting to speak to her so soon, what could she want with him so soon, with a million questions in his mind he can only think of one thing to say “sure come in” the tall beauty makes her way in and closes the door behind her…. Locking it

*click*

Author notes

Thank you very much for reading and following my story, once again we find ourselves with new developments and plot threads forming, i decided to give owen a dignified exit from the show, he was never my favorite but his impact on the show is undeniable, i hope he finds his spark of joy now that he no longer has to be around such a cut throat competition

Trent and Duncan had their first confrontation and by proxy the first words exchanged between him and Gwen were not the friendliest, a far cry from having moved on completely, only time will tell how they will manage to go from here

As for the new plane i decided to give them a bit of a break from the suffering between challenges and give them more room to play around, as well as other places that will make it easier to expand the story and characters

Once again thank you for checking out No Regrets, any and all feedback is appreciated, have a wonderful day/night :)

Chapter Text

Gifts and trust

First class cabin 9:40 pm

It felt almost surreal or impossible that such a gigantic structure could possibly take flight, but then again stranger things had happened throughout the history of Total Drama, what was basically a giant hotel flying around the world wasn't completely out of the norm when put in that context

Nonetheless Heather knew better than to waste her time thinking about unnecessary details, she stepped away from the shower room and made her way to the cabin of her choosing, walking by two of her team mates who sat by the first class cabin bar, both of them also fresh from the shower, Courtney and Bridgette seemed invested in their conversation

While the queen bee was never close to either girl, there was some sense of reassurance to them being in her team, she felt like she could let her guard down just a tiny bit since she hadn't really crossed either of them in any significant manner over their time on the show, it definitely beat having that goth menace on her team

As she walked past them she could faintly hear Bridgette offer some sort of reassurance that things would be ok, clearly relating to the earlier scuffle that took place right before they entered the plane, Heather had to admit she felt bad for Courtney, to be cheated on and humiliated on tv was a punishment almost too harsh for the CIT

For a split second Bridgette and Heather make eye contact and nod at each other, an acknowledgement of the situation and a silent thank you for helping hold back Courtney earlier, the queen bee only did so because she didn't want any potential punishment to fall over her team, or at least she told herself that, in all honesty it just might've been pity for the heartbroken Courtney, not wanting to see her lose anymore dignity than she already had.

The queen bee entered her room and made herself comfortable, it was quite impressive what a nice hot shower could do for her mood, her previous stress and annoyance gone and now replaced with a desire to rest and forget all the drama of the last couple of days

She put on her sleeping clothes, a plain white T-shirt with a pink bunny design and some pink shorts, although she had a reputation of being mean and assertive she still allowed herself to like cute things, her thoughts often going back to her fluffy white cat bruiser, one of the few things in this world she truly cared for

Heather felt herself get tired so she laid on the soft bed to relax and think back to the previous days events, the return of Lindsay, Trent and Brigette had shaken things up quite considerably, she thought back on how she had manipulated Trent on the island making him get eliminated, at the time she was doing all she could to gain an upper hand over everybody else and make the finale, no matter who she hurt, yet her deception and manipulation seemed to pale in comparison to Gwen and Duncan’s betrayal of Courtney.

The queen be was no longer the biggest villain in the competition, the title now falling to the aforementioned couple, it was a strange feeling to find herself and the goth switching places

In truth Heather never truly hated Gwen, once all the cameras were off and the focus wasn't on them she just felt a complete disconnect to her, even though everybody always accused the queen bee of being self serving and thinking she was better than everybody else, she didn't truly believe so, she always saw those qualities within the goth

She would admit that her focus of doing everything it took to win was very cut throat and selfish, she had her reasons, before the competition began all the way in season 1 she made a promise to win no matter what it took, even if it cost her everything, she needed to win, people depended on her, and time was running out…

While in the real world her personality was way more stoic and mellow, she still applied herself at any chance to be better, she was passionate about ballet and dancing, she loved spending time with her family and learning new things, however she wasn't really that popular among her peers, many seemed to confuse her abrasive personality as thinking she was better than others, when in reality she always had a hard time connecting with her peers

Most people only saw her as being obsessed with her looks and a down right mean person, so why bother trying to change their minds?if the world is against her than she would face it directly, even those who tried approaching her only doing so while looking at her with a shallow view of who she is

Her mind going back to Alejandro, constantly giving her suggestive looks and flirting with her, she would never admit it to anybody else but a part of her did find him attractive, she was only human afterall, and he had it all, the looks, the smarts, and a way with words very few could match

There was only one problem with it all, even though he made it very clear he was attracted to her, she knew deep inside that his attraction to her was due to all the wrong reasons, the way he looked at her came from a place of lust and hunger for somebody equally as twisted as he is

She could clearly see his methods, how he had won over almost everybody he came in contact with and easily manipulated them to do his bidding, just like her he was doing everything in his power to come out on top, it was a reflection of herself and the type of person she had become on her pursuit for victory

Is this what she wanted? When had she lost herself?, the thoughts seemed to torture her anytime she was left alone to grapple with them, could she live with herself after hurting everybody around her?

She still remembered how Lindsay reacted when she betrayed her, the ditzy blonde had seen her as a friend and did her bidding without question, and she repaid her by stabbing her in the back

When Lindsay spoke her mind and insulted her in front of everybody calling her out for being such a disgusting person and using her it made her realize how far she had gone, every word was true and she knew it, but she had to accept it, she was the villain, the queen bee, and everybody knew it and hated her for it

It hurt…. But it was true, she couldn't apologize, she didn't deserve forgiveness, she didn't deserve friends, she knew deep down that the road she was on would lead her to a life of isolation from others, she accepted that and would gladly do so to make sure she won the prize and brought it back home to her family, it's what she had to do.

But… something happened, somebody saw something else in her, for the first time since Lindsay, somebody wanted to see good in her “I don't care what others think!….” those words rang in her mind, the fateful moment replaying once more in her head

“I actually admire how strong willed and ready you always seem, and even when we have to do all these absurd death defying challenges you never back down, regardless of what people might say i think thats awesome….. i wanna be like you Heather” Cody’s words had made an impression on her unlike anything else had.

Where others saw a ruthless selfish person, he saw somebody brave, willing to face whatever came her way, it made her feel like maybe she hadn't completely lost her way

Cody… it almost felt like he came out of nowhere, she never paid him no mind, just another obstacle in her way, yet he proved himself when put to the test

He was willing to let go of his crush on Gwen and move on, he wanted to better himself… he had a long road ahead of him but the potential was there

She thought back to how he didn't back down to Alejandro and won the challenge for Team Amazon, how he stood up to Duncan once more to support Trent

Heather couldn't help but chuckle to herself remembering their night watching the stars and the silly banter that came naturally to them, how easy it was for her to get him so flustered

Perhaps she was beginning to view him as a friend, she couldn't possibly see a scenario where he would back stab her or do anything to sabotage their alliance, it wasn't his style…

Even now while she was lost in thoughts of self loathing and fear the only thing that seemed to snap her out of it was that nerd… he felt like an escape from her grim and brutal reality, but why?

How could he have so easily crack her tough exterior, why was she thinking of him right now, why was she so happy to see him try harder, and ask for an alliance, nothing made sense anymore

But she knew one thing for sure… she had to talk to him, after all part of their agreement was to get to know one another so that he could learn about her, so that they could strategize and make the alliance work!

“Aha!, that's it, it's about the alliance and making sure he's not gonna back stab me” said heather to herself as she rose to her feet, finally finding an excuse in her head to go see her team mate

First class cabin 11:10 pm

With her resolve unbroken the panicked beauty made her way out of her room into the now empty first class cabin, determined to go and speak to Cody and keep their streak of strategizing and getting to know one another alive, it almost annoyed her that he was on her mind, a mixture of fondness and annoyance getting the best of her

As she walked to his door she could feel her heart beat faster, she wasn't sure what she would say to him yet, but something inside of her was panicking every time she thought about that nerd, and she couldn't allow anybody else to have that control over her, it was simply illogical that somebody like him could have a hold on her in any way shape or form

When she reaches his door she pauses for a moment to catch her breath, Heather closed her eyes and took a deep breath to prepare herself, it was a trick her mother taught her growing up, something she would do any time she had to go on stage for a dance recital or whenever she was about to risk her life during a challenge, it never failed to calm her down and cast away any doubts

She contemplated going back to her room at that moment, leaving any unanswered questions for tomorrow and just resting her tired mind… but she couldn't, not without getting her fill of chatting with Cody for the night

*knock knock*

Pure silence….. A nervous voice responds from the other side “who is it?”
With no hesitation Heather responds “its me” a quiet confidence behind that statement, nobody else would come to him at this time, after all for the third night in a row it would be their private time to speak to one another, something she found herself looking forward to, and that she would make sure he would not skip out on

Cody opens the door, still dressed with his regular shirt, only now instead of jeans he is wearing a pair of comfortable looking trunks, he stands in the door way, he looks speechless, as if he had been subconsciously calling her, only now his thoughts took a physical form, his mouth slightly agape and the nerves fully palpable on his face

As if his life depended on it he didn't dare break the eye contact, as if he were looking for the meaning of life in her eyes but getting lost in them without a way out, Heather took note of all of this, not a hint of malice behind his, eyes only admiration

“Can I come in?” she asks, momentarily breaking his trance, forcing him back to reality, she knew he wouldn't deny her even if his life depended on it “sure come in” he quickly responds as he steps back in giving her a way inside, once the queen bee enters the room she locks the door behind her

*click*

Once inside Heather walks herself over to the bed and takes a seat, noticing the package Cody was holding when he left the gift shop earlier, she would admit her curiosity was getting the better of her but decided to put that on the back burner for now, she had other plans right now.

“So…. were you trying to skip out on our agreement?” asked the confident brunette giving her trademark smirk, catching Cody off guard he tires his best to come back to reality, for you see, this was the first time any girl had been in his room in any capacity, much less anybody as beautiful as the queen herself

“A-agreement!? wh -wh-what agreement?” he stumbles on his own words, slowly making his way across the room to reach the other side of the bed, hoping Heather hadn't noticed the package right next to her, this however proved a difficult task, seeing as not only was she in his room, she was wearing her sleep wear as well, and even though Heather wasn't one to dress modestly in her day to day life, but there was something about her current outfit that portrayed another side of her, something possibly more intimate and eye catching than her usual wears

“Wow you already forgot didn't you… you asked to get to know me and understand who i am in exchange for our alliance, and well im here to keep my end of the bargain, im giving you an hour of my time so we can talk so make sure you use it punchy” finished Heather wearing an annoyed expression, this however was just a playful ruse on her part, she just liked messing with the brown haired nerd and making him flustered at any given chance

“Oh! Yeah totally i didnt forget hehe, i just figured you wanted the night off to rest and enjoy the new first class cabin, i uh didnt want to bother you” answered Cody, who quite frankly was definitely enjoying his new closeness to the queen bee, but did his best to avoid overwhelming her with his own presence, a mistake he had made in the past when getting close to others.

“Oh shut up its no big deal, we gotta keep strategizing so don't be such a scaredy cat and join me on the bed, we got lots to talk about” responded Heather making herself comfortable on the bed laying against the back board and crossing her legs, a smirk adorning her face, she so enjoyed messing with Cody

Cody’s room 12:15 am

Without either of them noticing time had flown by, both of them enjoying a long conversation that jumped from one topic to the other as seamless as a waltz, once certain barriers of awkwardness had been broken it almost seemed unatural how easy it was to talk to one another

Cody kept asking Heather details about herself, ranging from her likes and dislikes to more intimate questions like her hopes and fears, what things in life does she value, what are her true fears in life, and what does she do in her free time back home, and while she was willing to answer most of them, she still refused to give away, for example she wouldn't speak about her family in any capacity, seemingly being a sore subject, and she also refused to let Cody speak about his own… there was clearly something touchy about the subject but Cody was willing to play along and not pry any further

And while in the beginning it was only Cody asking the questions, the curiosity got the better of her and Heather started asking some of her own, she wouldn't deny curiosity about her fellow team mate

“All right i got another one for you ‘codemeister’ and don't chicken out on answering it” said the queen bee while taking a cookie off of a plate Cody had smuggled into his room “why were you so obsessed with Gwen, i mean i sort of get it, she’s not that hideous, but she CLEARLY didn't like you back, so what was it punchy?” finished Heather while taking a bite of her cookie

Cody contemplated the question for a moment, the answer eluded him in the past, but the last few days had made things a bit more clear to him than in the past “honestly Heather… I'm not sure, at first I thought she was beautiful, and I wanted to get closer to her, it was like love at first sight, but… i let that get out of control way too fast” he takes a drink from a water bottle and continues speaking “ i guess i just grew infatuated with the idea of her rather than who she really was… don't get me wrong i dont think she’s horrible or anything, but i did project things into her that weren't there, I didn't really take my time to get to know her as a person, to me she was more like a goal or an ideal” Heather wasnt expecting such a detailed and mature explanation about his reasons, it was kind of impressive of him to have such an understanding of himself “she also has an amazing looking butt” finished Cody only then realizing what he just said and bringing his hands to his mouth in shame

The queen bee simply rolled her eyes “typical hormonal teenage behaviour, seen it so many times before” commented Heather as she lay back on the bed comfortably, all while Cody sat up with a deep red blush on his face, the past hour had been fun but many times it seemed like Heather kept messing with him at any time she could, nothing too mean honestly just friendly teasing remarks, however now it was his turn to try and get her to crack

“Well how about you, have you ever had any crushes or secret lovers during our time on the show?” asked the chestnut haired nerd, hoping to catch her off guard “huh oh please as if i would waste my time on that stuff, it's all been about the money since day one, plain and simple, my mom always says to keep my eyes on the prize anyway, everything else will come along the way” remarked Heather while closing her eyes in a relaxed manner

“Yeah right, I've seen the way you and Alejandro exchange looks all the time, he definitely has a thing for you” insisted Cody, trying his best to get any sort of reaction out of the brunette “oh please that guy only see’s what he wants, he thinks im just gonna go and melt in his arms just because he wants me, but jokes on him cause i see right through him!” not quite the reaction Cody was expecting, as Heather had stood up and drove her fist into her hand in frustration “and besides, everybody else still hates me, all the stuff i've done up to this point hasn't made me the most popular with guys, even back home i didn't even have a date for prom” confessed the queen bee, her eyes getting slightly watered and red

Cody noticed the hurt in her voice and her eyes, if he needed proof that Heather still had feelings it was right in front of him, the girl he had gotten to know the last couple of days wasn't without weakness, she still felt pain and regrets like anybody else, only now she was willing to let him see a glimpse of her own insecurities

‘I…. didn't go to prom either….” responded Cody, prompting Heather to turn to him and lower her fists “ yeah i uh, didnt go either… i did try, i asked some girls in my class but they said no, which is fine they dont owe it to me or anything but… i guess i didnt like how they wouldnt give me a chance, i thought after i did season one people would take me a bit more seriously but that wasn't the case” confessed the brown haired teen, now his turn to be a bit more vulnerable

“They just kept calling me bear bait, or make fun of me for getting rejected by Gwen… but i get it, that was on me, i didnt really try my best back then, it just made me look so lame hehe” said cody scratching the back of his head, clearly trying to hide his true frustrations on the manner

Heather couldn't help but feel sympathy for him, up to a few days ago she probably would've been like all those other girls and not even glanced in his direction if asked to dance, but then again she didn't have the benefit of hindsight to see the type of guy Cody truly was

“Cheer up punchy, you're doing things differently now, just keep trying your best from here on out and things will work out, you have a good heart, just make sure next time you like a girl you show her this side of you” said the queen bee with an encouraging tone

Cody just looked at her and smiled, gratefulness in his eyes, a rare feeling of somebody trying to see the best in him, Heather truly was more than met the eye “thanks Heather, you really know just what to say sometimes, and i cant let that slow me down, im gonna keep trying harder everyday, and you know what else, those guys at your school are crazy for not asking you to prom!, you're like the hottest most amazing girl ever, don't feel bad that they have such horrible taste that they couldn't see that” responded Cody in a much more cheerful manner

“Heh i know that punchy, my mom always says that im-.... Wait, you think I'm hot?” answered Heather just now processing the words spoken by her team mate “wha, i uh didnt mean– not in a disrespectful manner i just think you're very—” now the brown haired teen was in a serious panic, while true that he felt a bit more relaxed around the brunette beauty, he was still very much afraid of making the wrong move around her and running the risk of being called a creep

“Very what? Very hot? Hahaha admit it Cody, you think im a total hottie” Heather can't help herself as she keeps teasing Cody, relishing on his shyness, even if she herself was sure about her looks it didn't hurt to have the reassurance that she hadn't lost her touch

“Dont take it the wrong way please hehe, i just…. I do think you're attractive, but it's not just because of your looks, i just think youre fun to talk to and im starting to understand the way you think, it's not that you think you're better than everybody else, you just have trouble expressing yourself, that's why you push others away” with nothing to lose Cody admitted his thoughts on Heather, more than anything tonight this got her at a loss for words, nobody had ever told her she was fun to talk to, or seen through her the way he just did

Even if Alejandro kept flirting with her and not hiding his attraction, it felt different with Cody, there was an honesty to his bashfulness, where instead of pure lust there was something more, something sincere…

The queen bee stood up from the bed and walked towards the door “i definitely needed the ego boost, thanks punchy, but im gonna turn in for the night, this was fun…” Heather turns around and winks at him “sweet dreams Cody” the brown haired teen stood up from his spot and reached for the forgotten package that had fallen by the way side while they spoke

“Wait!.... I wanted to give you this” he handed her the package and took a step back “we had one left over token when we won the challenge, and i asked chef if i could get anything for it” upon hearing this Heather raised an eyebrow, putting all the pieces together, “punchy you really didn't have to” she says these words a bit taken aback at the unexpected nature of his gift

“I just… wanted to thank you for believing in me, and indulging me so far, it means a lot and when we won and i saw this… it made me think of you” Cody felt as if he were to pass out from the rush of blood to his head, but part of his commitment to trying harder meant facing everything head on no matter how afraid he felt

This touched Heather in a very sweet way, it might've been very soon, but the feeling of trust wasn't exactly a bad one, and she could see the honesty behind Cody’s eyes, “thanks Cody, ill open it in my room” she said as she vanished into the darkness of the corridor, leaving the flustered teen to go back into his room, fall into the bed and scream into his pillow, it would probably be very difficult for him to catch any sleep tonight

Heather’s room 12:30 am

Once in her room Heather let out a deep breath and sat down in her bed, unsure of what to make of how the night went, she had originally made her way to Cody’s room to satisfy a weird sense of boredom/to reassure herself about he team mate’s intentions, and what ended up happening was her just talking to him and settling into a weird conversation about life, something she wasn't used to AT ALL

Nobody knew anything about her and she liked it that way, only now somebody had so easily made their way into her life and the weirdest thing of it all?..... She didn't mind it at all, in fact she had more fun than she had at any other point during this competition

“What is even going on anymore…” she said to herself as she turned in bed and looked at the box besides her, without another moment to waste she opens it up to see what all the fuzz was about

Once she saw what was inside she smiled and let out a small chuckle, a feeling of joy sparking inside of her thanks to the present

Inside there was a small round plush of a bee, wearing a crown, it had a very simple design but the material was very soft, almost like a pillow, the little bee was smiling and Heather couldn't help but hold it close to herself in that moment as she laid back in bed “thats so funny of him” she thought to herself as she closed her eyes to sleep next to her new soft friend

The next day first class cabin 7:00am

There's something really surreal about waking up in an airplane, from the way the sun pierces through the windows to the vast majesty of flying over the heavens it was one of the few things that had to be lived to be understood, and Trent was trying to do so right at this moment

Sleep had been difficult for him the last 2 days since joining Total Drama World Tour, it didn't feel real, he had originally given up on being a part of the games any more, happy to just fulfill his contract with the aftermath show and then move on with his life, but life had other plans

Trent wandered the first class cabin with a heavy head, thinking to himself why had he been so rude to Gwen, if he had previously told her he moved on then why hold on to such feelings, it seemed like Total Drama always brought out the worst in him

It was then that he noticed somebody sitting by herself looking out the window, the only other person who could probably relate to him in any capacity during this situation, it was Courtney

The two team mates had probably never shared any words during the 3 seasons the show had gone on so far, not due to anything personal, they just never seemed to cross paths, always being on different teams or just not competing at the same time, the dark haired musician didn't even know what to say to her to begin with

Having noticed him standing nearby, it was Courtney who broke the ice without so much as a second thought “hi Trent” she spoke in a very calm yet blunt manner, almost as if she expected to have a run in with him sooner rather than later

“Hey Courtney, how's it going?” responded Trent, his awkwardness evident through his body language, “about the same as you I assume, probably a bit worse… care to join me?” asked the CIT, she seemed way more calm than her usual self, probably due to the early hour

“Sure, what are you up to?” asked the musician taking a seat in front of Courtney, trying his best to gather his own thoughts “im just thinking, trying to remember if I've always been like this” she answered

“Funny, I was doing the same just now…” responded the musician, the two shared a look of understanding “love just drives you crazy doesn't it?” he added

“Crazy huh…. You know, i always used to try and be so nice to everybody, i mean ive always been bossy, but being here has made me so much worse, i became so aggressive and angry at all times… even before he cheated on me, i was always so wound up about everything, I don't know what happened to me…” Courtney confessed while looking out the window, even if she had never shared as much as a conversation with Trent she felt that he could probably relate

“I get that… i feel like being here just brings out the worst in us” said Trent with a sad expression “maybe its who are at our core, when pushed to the limit this is what comes out, all the ugliness and selfishness”

Courtney winced at his words, a part of her still wishing it wasn't so, she didn't like the idea that this was always who she was, she prided herself in her abilities to be confident and unselfish in her normal life, not a broken mess obsessed with revenge

“This sucks…. I mean, betrayal runs through Duncan's veins, I should've known better than to trust him” said CIT, trying to make sense of what had happened “or maybe it was me who pushed him away, with all my lists and all my demands of him, trying to change him, when i knew good and well who he was” Courtney kept lamenting things, a sting of pain still in her heart

“Hey don't say that, regardless of what you did or didn't do he was still your boyfriend and he chose to go behind your back instead of being honest with you and doing things the right way, i cant say if you were a good or bad girlfriend, but you cared for the guy enough to want better for him” responded Trent, he knew what she felt very well, since his own break up with Gwen he often blamed himself for how things went down, deep down he still did

Courtney looked back at Trent, trying her best not to cry once more, her soul tired of all the tears she had shed so far “I guess I'm just mad… Duncan and i had plans, he promised we would be a power couple, that we would win this together, he often said that I challenged him and made him better— then he just goes and throws it all away”

Trent’s eyes softened, at the core of it all Courtney was just a girl who was hurt, and she didn't know how to deal with things out of her control, “its gonna take a while, some days will be easier than others, some days you won't even think about it anymore, hell im still going through it, but the best thing you can do is not give up on yourself, its gonna hurt but i know this wont be the end of you”
Courtney let a tear fall down her cheek, it was true, in a weird roundabout way no matter what the others said, she needed to hear it from somebody who most likely also felt how she did, it was all about time, and for now all she could do was allow herself to heal one day at a time.

“Thanks Trent, i didnt know you could be so wise, i just always thought you were a guitar playing hippy” said Courtney as she wiped her tear away, now feeling a bit more like herself, unafraid to speak her mind “hehe i can see why you think that, im just a guy who really likes to play music, not that complex really” responded the raven haired artist

“So…Friends?” asked Trent as he extended his hand, Courtney smiled warmly as she extended her own “ yeah friends….but just to be clear no romantic rebound nonsense, im still healing!” added the CIT earning a laugh from Trent “same, this is strictly broken heart therapy” he responded as he rose from his seat “ now if you dont mind, im gonna check out that recording studio, you take as much time as you need, and go grab some breakfast, gotta take advantage of being in first class” he added, Courtney gave him a thankful smile and turned back to her window to look at the clouds once more, a bit less sadness in her eyes, maybe one day it wont hurt as much she thought to herself

Recording studio 9:00 am

The raven haired musician was fiddling with his guitar trying to think of lyrics to any impromptu songs he might have to perform in during the competition, a nice escape from all the drama of the last few days, his mind needing the break from it desperately

While he focused on his music and came up with lyrics, somebody made their way inside the studio in a hurried manner, as if they were escaping from something, he looked up from his guitar and locked eyes with her

It was Lindsay, she seemed anxious and worried, something was clearly not right “hey linds you ok?” asked Trent while putting his guitar aside and walking to her, he never knew her to be so on edge, whatever had just happened clearly not setting right with her

“Trent… I don't know” answered the ditzy blonde, a clear worry across her face “am i a bad person?” she asked, whatever might of brought such questions out of her it was clear that the drama wasn't gonna slow down any time soon… so much for a calm morning

Author notes

Once again things keep happening, this chapter was a bit more slow and sweet, we got to see Cody and Heather continue to bond, with things starting to shift to a more personal level between them, they did seem to enjoy each other's company, hopefully they don't lose focus of their goals

We also got to see Trent and Courtney interact for the first time, i figured id give them a chance to get to know one another, to see that there's more to each of them than previously thought, maybe a nice friendship can blossom between them, as long as nothing comes in between that is

All in all i had fun writing this one, im a sucker for some fluff and exploring what goes through each character’s head as they interact, and with their next challenge approaching its nice to have them slow down and relax

But now it seems like Lindsay is in trouble, hopefully Team Amazon can help out, the normally ditzy and naive Lindsay will have to do some growing if she wants to make it far this season

Once again, thanks for reading, I'll see you guys next time, have a good night/day :)

Chapter Text

Guilt and truth

Common area 8:45 am

Life can be pretty confusing sometimes, you can be put in situations out of your control in the blink of an eye, and sadly this was the situation Lindsay found herself in

After the events that transpired the day before she had decided to try and see the positive in all of it, she was back competing for the money, she was traveling the world, she was now in a luxurious top of the line flying hotel, and her hair was silky smooth, all in all nothing much could go wrong

Although there was something bothering her… and it had to do with one of her fellow contestants, the red tracksuit wearing resident pain magnet Tyler

It all stemmed from the last time they spoke to one another, while Lindsay was used to being objectified in her daily life, it stung deeper when Tyler did it, not that she didn't appreciate being wanted, but her time away from the show made her learn more about herself and grow

For starters she discovered a passion for helping others by hanging out with Beth, she would visit her bff often and the two of them would bond over helping around the farm and going into town to sell their veggies, with Beth’s good nature rubbing off on her and making her look for things that were less superficial in nature, like gifting flowers to the elderly in town, or playing with the young children who would always be starstruck seeing the two girls in town

She had also made a promotional deal with advertisers to promote education and for kids to stay in school, she didn't truly understand why they had picked her but she still liked the idea of helping others, she felt more fulfilled in life by doing so

So after coming back and having her on/off fling just look for her only to satiate his lust, it felt demeaning, as if she was only good for those types of situations

However she probably felt like she over reacted, maybe he didn't understand right away, after all Tyler wasn't a bad guy, a bit dumb for sure, but that was something the blonde knock out was also guilty of as well, so here she was exploring the plane hoping to run into him and to try and clear the air to hopefully patch things up

Unlucky for her however she would run into somebody with less than good intentions “why hello señorita, i didnt expect to run into you this morning” said Alejandro while sitting by himself in a table for two, he seemed to have been reading a book when he noticed the ditzy blonde

“Oh good morning jalapeño, im not really supposed to talk to you, Bridgette told me you're up to no good” answered Lindsay quickly turning to walk away, not only had that been the case, but during her appearance on the aftermath show she even saw Leshawna sing a song about how much of a jerk Alejandro was, at this point she knew better than to stand around and listen to him

“Ah, Bridgette yes, it really pains my heart that she is thinking of me this way, even after i made myself vulnerable and confessed my feelings, she merely toyed with me and went back to her boyfriend” responded the cunning spaniard, he was very much aware that Bridgette would inform her team about his ways, but he knew how to slither through the truth and come out on top, probably one of the first things his family ever taught him.

“What? No no she said you tricked her into kissing you and making her get stuck with her tongue on a pole” Lindsay countered having heard the whole story from Bridgette multiple times since the incident when they were in the wilderness of the yukon

“But Lindsay, how could I ever force a lady to kiss me, i merely confessed my attraction to her, she then kissed me and told me to get lost, if anything i feel bad for her boyfriend back home, she played with my feelings and she is also probably playing with Geoff’s as well” oh he was good, lying without a hint of remorse, so much so that poor Lindsay was starting to seriously listen to him

“But then how did she get stuck to the pole?” asked the confused blonde, nothing about it made sense “Oh Lindsay cant you see, she was trying to throw the challenge so she could vote everybody else off her team and make it to the merge by herself” replied Alejandro, holding back a smile from creeping on his face, he had seriously messed with Lindsay just now, hopefully that would cause some division in Team Amazon, after all nothing worked better to destroy a team than causing it to divide against itself

Lindsay couldn't believe what she was hearing, it was making sense in her head, after all Team Victory wasn't even part of the competition anymore, how far did Bridgette’s deception go, was she blaming somebody else for her evil ways?

“But anyhow I'm not just here to try and warn you about your team mate, i wanted to talk to you about Tyler, hes very hurt right now, and i just can't stand by and see my friend suffer any longer” he got closer to Lindsay as he spoke “after all he missed you so much, and kept wanting to see you, but then you rejected him and made him feel terribly” Lindsay widened her eyes to this sudden revelation the cunning spaniard was giving her

“Wait you dont understand, i just wanted to talk to him but he—” she was suddenly cut off by Alejandro “whatever it might've been, i have to say Lindsay, you're quite cruel, i mean why would you reject him without reason, after everything you put him through, forgetting his name, making him wait around for your affections, and just using him whenever you pleased, i thought you were better than that” Alejandro crossed his arms as he made his point, a hint of anger in his eyes, he was putting on quite the performance guilt tripping the poor ditzy blonde

“I wasn't trying to hurt his feelings, I just—” Alejandro didn't skip a beat, he knew exactly how to drive his point home "maybe i was wrong about you, i dont think youre a very nice person if you think its ok to do that, i just hope you ask Tyler for forgiveness before it's too late”

Lindsay felt stunned at his assumptions of her, many times in her life she always acted with good intentions, but due to the wrong influences she ended up hurting others, a feeling she truly despised, and now here was somebody telling her she herself was a terrible person

“Its no wonder everybody else says you're just like Heather, after all you and her were the biggest villains back in season 1, goes to show not much has changed” and just like that Alejandro could tell that whatever sort of self esteem Lindsay had was gone now, crumbled under his foot, having her in this state of mind would make her an easy target to either eliminate her or use her for his own whims

Having said his piece Alejandro walked away from Lindsay, leaving a metaphorical dagger in her soul, making her question herself, something he had intended from the beginning, he truly didn't care at all if the blonde and his team mate kept dating or not, but he did know he had to start messing with Team Amazon as much as he could from this moment forward, if he managed to throw them off their game it would ensure his own team could start winning challenges for a change

Once Alejandro had left the common area, Lindsay was left by herself, now full of doubt and anguish, she stood there for a while still unsure what had transpired, it felt almost cruel how Alejandro’s words had dismantled her
whole being, it cast a doubt in herself and her own team, she didn't know what to believe anymore

Was she truly such a horrible person? The idea that she was acting just like Heather terrified her, she thought she knew better but just as always she had been too dumb to know otherwise….

All she knew is that she wanted to disappear, isolate herself, she didn't deserve to be around others, she was a manipulator, a liar, and everybody else thought that about her, not that they were any better, Bridgette had lied to her, she was a cheater and a liar, and now what was she going to do?

Lindsay just walked away, she went back to the First class cabin to maybe hide in her room and wrestle with the guilt of who she was…

First class cabin 8:57 am

Once she made her way back up to first class she walked into the cabin, only to be greeted by her own team all sitting around the cabin, almost blocking her way to her room on the other side

They were just sitting around talking amongst themselves and eating fruit, she saw Bridgette speaking with Cody and Heather, they seemed to be in a serious conversation, probably plotting ways to back stab everybody else, or take advantage of others

She expected as much from Heather but now seeing Cody next to her made her flashback to her time on the island following Heather’s orders and sabotaging the rest, maybe the brown haired nerd had already fallen into a role of servant to the queen bee, just as she herself had before

Lindsay didn't even want to walk past them, the paranoia and helplessness of it all was causing her to panic, she had to go somewhere else.

Recording studio 9:00am

Lindsay quickly opened the door to the studio and shut it behind herself, she felt so alone, so confused… just like Owen had said previously, this was no longer fun…

However to her surprise, she wasn't alone, sitting by himself at the other side of the room was Trent, the resident musical artist of the cast, somebody who by all accounts was a nice guy, for a second she felt a bit more at ease than before “hey linds, are you ok?” asked the musician with concern in his voice, clearly seeing the despair that was plaguing her

With nothing to lose she just let her thoughts leave her mind and asked a simple question that had made her despair since she posed it to herself “Trent… i don't know” she paused for a moment, letting herself take a moment before burdening her team mate with her dilemma “am i a bad person?

Trent couldn't possibly comprehend what had made somebody as sweet as Lindsay even contemplate such a question, by all accounts she was very well liked by the majority of the cast, and even on her new team no problems had come to the forefront, perhaps in the past her split with Heather had caused a major conflict, but that was old news, the two of them barely even interacting in the present

“What are you talking about? Of course you are, you're one of the sweetest people I've ever met” the raven haired teen spoke his truth, sure she was a bit clueless at times but she never meant to cause harm

“But… people say im just like Heather, they say im cruel, they think I've toyed with Tyler this whole time!” Lindsay explained her mindset in a panicked tone, almost stumbling through her words, Trent noticed this very clearly and his concern grew “hey slow down, nobody is saying you're cruel or like Heather, you just got here just like me, if anything were happy to have you here with us” answered Trent doing his best to offer a warm reassuring smile

“As for you and Tyler, im not sure whats going on there but as far as i knew you guys were fine right?” Trent added to his statement, not that he was the closest to the clumsy athlete but he knew that he wouldn't hurt Lindsay right?

“Um like, I don't know anymore, the night we camped in LA we spoke for a bit but we sort of had a fight and i havent spoken to him since” the blonde responded while walking into the room and sitting on a chair offered by her team mate

“What did you guys fight about… um you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but i remember seeing you all upset, it kind of worried me” Trent wasn't one to butt into people’s business but maybe he could try and help sort out whatever was going on with the sweet blonde girl

“I just wanted to like talk to him and catch up, you know? But he kept trying to make out instead, and then like he got all upset about it, i thought i was misunderstanding but he then said i was being like super weird and that i should just like kiss him” as Lindsay spoke about that night Trent couldn't help but get upset at what he was hearing

He was far from the perfect guy, he knew very well he could be clingy and a bit much at times, but he knew better than to objectify a girl in that way “Linds, you shouldn't feel bad about that stuff, you just didn't want to kiss him, you don't have an obligation to do so if you don't want to, you know that right?” the blonde looked into Trent’s eyes as he spoke

“Youre a very sweet very kind girl, and im gonna be honest you can be a bit clueless and ditzy, but that's what makes you YOU, you've done awesome things in the past while competing here, and made a ton of friends, you're not a bad person, and having boundaries doesn't mean you're toying with anybody” Explained the raven haired musician, he didn't realize when he became so good with words but so far he was showing his maturity to deal with these issues, for her part however Lindsay started to feel a bit better, still unsure about many things and not having all the answers

Nonetheless she decided to trust Trent, the honesty in his eyes was apparent, and if trusting others were to be her downfall once again at least now she understood that it wasn't a flaw to want to see the best in other

“Youre like, way too sweet” said Lindsay in a trembling voice, Trent just knew what to say to make her feel safe again, how come she never got to know him better?

“Lets just say i know what its like to feel down” responded the musician, while they took in the moment, a silent understanding that things would be fine, this was however interrupted by the arrival of some familiar faces “Lindsay, Trent, good morning guys” spoke cody as he approached the two of them seemingly in a good mood

“They really spared no expense huh, its kind of insane they built all of this so quick” said Bridgette as she also entered the room, admiring the high quality of everything in the recording studio, while also approaching Trent and Lindsay

“Im just glad we got to sleep in real beds for a change, we gotta make sure we keep winning and staying here” interjected Heather as she stood by the door, not feeling the need to explore the studio, although from where she was standing she could see the uneasiness in Lindsay’s face, a very familiar scene from the previous day “whats wrong? Did something happen?” asked the queen bee in a blunt manner

Trent and Lindsay shared a look before he spoke first “Guys I think we should just go back and—” Lindsay stood up and looked at the rest of her team that joined her “I like…. spoke to Alejandro”

Upon saying this it was Bridgette who first reacted “what, when? What did he say” she couldn't hide her feelings on the manner, hence why she had made it her first priority to inform the rest of her team about the type of man he was

At the mention of the exotic schemer, both Cody and Heather exchanged looks, funnily enough they had just had a conversation with the surfer about the danger he posed, she told them her story and to not trust a word he said, Heather especially felt vindicated for seeing right through him from the beginning

Lindsay merely stood still, afraid of what kind of conflict might arise if she continued on with talking to her team, she turned to Trent who looked into her eyes and nodded, a look of complete trust in her, she knew that she could count on him

“Ill tell you guys what he said” answered Lindsay, still a bit unsure about it all, but willing to trust the other, after all this is who she was

Upon hearing her story, the atmosphere in the room turned very tense, specially coming from Bridgette, it was one thing to trick her back then, but now he was spreading lies about her, painting her as a heartless evil bitch, it was unforgivable

“Lindsay, please tell me you didn't believe a word he said…. I know i messed things up with Geoff, and ill always carry that with me, i hate myself for hurting him, but i would never do anything like he said, thats not who i am” Bridgette desperately explained herself, hoping her words would reach her fellow blondie

“I… I don't know” Lindsay was almost in tears trying to make sense, not sure who to believe, it was Trent’s turn to interject “Linds common, its Bridgette, we know she's a cool girl, and she really loves Geoff, she just made a mistake…” in truth Trent wasn't that happy with Bridgette for how she hurt her boyfriend back home, but he also knew how much she had suffered and how much she had apologized, he wasn't about to let a mistake she clearly regretted define her in his eyes, the blonde surfer was thankful for his words, even if they didn't speak much to each other in prior seasons there was a mutual respect for one another

Cody remained silent, with everything he heard, it was very clear he should never lower his guard around Alejandro, this was a very dangerous guy, his manipulations were no joke

Heather had also remained silent as she heard her team mate speak, however she felt it was her time to speak her mind as well “ I want to speak to Lindsay alone” she said this in an icy tone, her usual sarcasm and snark gone, she had something she had to say that much was clear

Trent and Bridgette were about to protest but then Lindsay interrupted “its ok, Heather lets talk” she responded matching her same icy tone, this was a long time coming

The rest of the team made their way out of the room, not before Cody and Heather exchanged looks, whatever it was Heather would say to her was gonna be heavy, but Cody had learned to trust her, he knew she wasn't gonna do Lindsay wrong like last time, they smiled at each other as the door closed

“All right, this was a long time coming, and I realize you might not want to hear this, but i have to do this” the queen bee grabs a chair and sits down next to the blonde “Im sorry Lindsay…”

The ditzy blonde now wore a surprised face, not in a million years would she expect to hear those words come from Heather “like…. What did you say?”

Heather let out a sigh, this wasn't gonna be easy “I'm sorry… for everything, i was the worlds shittiest friend, hell i dont even think i can call myself a friend to you…. I used you, I abused you, talked down to you…. I was just plain nasty, and it took me getting my head shaved on international tv to even start to understand a shred of the humiliation you must've felt back then”

Lindsay was at a loss for words, this had turned out to be one of the weirdest mornings of her life, but just as before she was unsure what to think about this all, maybe Heather was still trying to trick her “why are you apologizing now, why not before…” she asked, a slight hint of bitterness to her words

Heather never broke eye contact and continued on "I didn't do it before because I saw no point in it, you had all the right in the world to hate me, after the way I treated you and Beth… i didn't expect either of you to even want to associate with me ever again, so i never even tried, i knew i had no right to” at this the brunette lowered her head

“ you and her became best friends, and were well liked by everybody else, relatively speaking…. But i was hated, i had no right to ask for forgiveness… even now i don't expect you to forgive me, but that's besides the point” Heather raised her head once more, her eyes holding back so many emotions running through her heart

Lindsay felt as if for the first time she was speaking to the real Heather, this wasn't one of her bad performances to trick the others, the girl in front of her was pouring out her soul

“Everything that Alejandro said was a lie, you're nothing like me, and you never will be” a brief sense of relief came over Lindsay, however she still felt just a bit bad for the queen bee, but it was her turn to speak

Lindsay stood up from her chair and looked straight at the brunette “You really hurt my feelings, Heather. I thought we were, like… friends, And then you called me names and made me do all your stuff, and I didn’t even notice for a while 'cause I wanted you to like me” she had these words on her mind for a while

“I don't know if we will ever be like, cool again….. but the Heather I knew back then would've never apologized to me…. I guess like, i dont want to have any bad feelings in my heart anymore, not for you or anyone else… i forgive you” Lindsay felt an immense weight leave her once she said those words, she wasn't one to hold grudges, and seeing how things had ended with her ex ‘friend’ made her feel all this time, it was liberating to say the least

Heather also felt like she let go of all those regrets and painful words she had buried deep down, this was new to her, she was content to let everybody hate her in the past, she kept denying it had any hold on her, but this was far from the truth…

“Thanks Lindsay, i know i can never make up for what i did before, but ill try to be a good team mate at least” responded the now humbled queen bee

“As long as you also say sorry to Beth were good” responded the ditzy blonde, in a matter of factly fashion, her good moods returning little by little

“When I see her, I know I also messed up with her big time…” it was very weird seeing Heather admit these things, it felt like she was talking to somebody completely different, it frankly made no sense “by the way, you don't owe that Tyler anything, most boys only want one thing, that guy should count his lucky stars you even looked his way to begin with, how dare he guilt trip you”

Almost as if a switched had been flipped her sassy attitude had returned this brought out a giggle from Lindsay, she also took in Heather’s words, just as Trent had mentioned earlier, she was more than arm candy, and she knew that if she were to share herself with somebody, it had to be with the right person that liked every side of her

“Thanks Heather, you're soooooooo nice now, I wonder what happened?” askedLindsay in a joking manner earning a blush from the queen bee “NOTHING HAPPENED! IM STILL ME” this earned a laugh from the blonde

However as if on que the rest of Team Amazon stumbled back into the room, having clearly been attempting to spy on the two girls, even Courtney had joined them once she was briefed on everything that took place

“Augh watch it hippy, your guitar hit me in the head” complained the resident bossy girl

“Sorry Court… um Bridge you mind moving to the side, your elbow is hitting me in the face” responded Trent trying to get off the CIT

“Ugh i told you guys to not lean against the door so hard…. Sorry girls we were just making sure you weren't fighting” commented Bridgette while getting off of trent and putting back her hands in her pockets

However buried underneath the pile of Team Amazon, Cody was doing his best to escape from the suffocating weight currently crushing him “guys… a little help” this scene earned a chuckle from Heather as she approached the sweet guy and helped him escape the human rubble

This moment was noticed by Lindsay, she very seldom ever saw the queen bee smile or even giggle at anything, but she seemed happy to do so when interacting with Cody, and she had seen them talking in the camp…..

………..
……………….
…………………….
……………………………………..

“OH EM GEEEEEEE!” she shouted as certain dots connected in her head, the ditzy blonde had no proof or any basis to her theory, but just the idea by itself sent her spiraling into a giggling mess
“Whats her problem?” asked Courtney as she earned a shrug from the rest of her Team

“Ummmm it's nothing hehe…. “ Lindsay was finally back to her usual bubbly demeanor she walked towards Bridgette and gave her a big hug “im sorry, you even warned me before not to like, talk to that handsome jerk” Bridgette smiled and hugged back “its fine, no hard feelings”

The bustier blonde then turned to Trent “thanks for listening to me” she said in a very cute demeanor “heh its fine Linds, i know what it's like to have a bad day and think you're crazy” Lindsay smiled and hugged the raven haired teen “guys like you shouldn't have bad days…”

Trent hugged her back while feeling thankful for his growing bond with Lindsay, the hug seemed to last a bit too long earning many looks between the rest of Team Amazon still standing in the room

It took Heather faking a cough to get them to separate with clearly flustered Lindsay realizing she hadn't had any breakfast yet “uhmmmmm im gonna see if theres any more strawberries, thanks a bunch guys” she tries running out of the door but sadly walks into it “ugh lemme walk with you, i also haven't eaten anything” said Courtney grabbing the blonde by the arm and walking out of the studio with her.

“Well… for better or for worst now we know what were up against, Alejandro is gonna pull out all the stops to make sure he wins, but were not gonna let our guard down” Bridgette was the first to speak up

“Yeah no kidding, we gotta stick together” added Trent putting down his guitar “for now at least, sooner or later it will be each of us on their own, don't forget that” answered Heather leaving the room as well making sure not to forget the somber reality of the competition

“Hey, no reason not to enjoy this while it lasts though right?” asked Cody while he flashed his trademark smile towards the queen bee, this in turn earning a smile from her as well “oh yeah, im planning on enjoying every moment until the end~” answered Heather, with a hint of flirtation behind her voice, while leaving the studio

Trent and Bridgette merely looked at each other, almost in disbelief at what they had just witnessed, “what the f—” they said in unison

Pilot’s Cockpit 1:20pm

Chef Hatchet was piloting the giant flying hotel, all while battling sleepiness and stress from having to do every single thing to keep the show running…. He really needed a raise at this point, suddenly a monitor in front of him flashed Chris on the other side “Cheeeef~ how's it going dude, how long before we arrive at our challenge?”

The Annoying host was currently eating getting a massage from an unfortunate intern, he was clearly enjoying himself but a part of him was still impatient to move the games along

“Ehhh we should be there by 8:00pm local time” answered the disgruntled pilot, already dreading the work that lay ahead

“Perfect, just in time for the party to start eheh” Chris gave his signature chuckle and laid his face back down on the table, it was about to be a pretty interesting challenge, he would make sure of it…..

AUTHOR NOTES

One more down for the history books, this was quite a dramatic chapter, writing alejandro gaslighting poor lindsay had me a bit sad, thankfully he didn't count on the others showing up and listening to the blondie

We also got a chance to have Heather and Lindsay talk things out, who knows if they cant start a real friendship, but it doesn't hurt to hope, maybe this was the first step to building a true friendship

Next chapter we will check up on the other team, how are Gwen and Duncan after that small fight before entering the plane, what's the deal with Sierra? Will Tyler keep pursuing Lindsay? And what the hell was that hug between her and Trent?

As always thanks a lot for reading and please let me know what you think in the reviews, it always helps to hear your opinions, as always have a good night/day

Chapter Text

Regrets and Parties

Economy Cabin 7:00PM

It had been a calm day so far for Gwen, she had spent the day in the economy cabin with her boyfriend, not the most comfortable spot in the world by any means but still way more acceptable than its previous iteration, she was currently writing in her journal, updating it and putting her thoughts into paper

Gwen had some time to think and compose herself after the hectic amount of events that had transpired the previous days, she had found some semblance of peace with her departure from Team Amazon, feeling less paranoid about her impending elimination, in fact in a weird way some resentment had started to grow in her heart

The goth was very much aware she didn't leave in the best of terms, her guilt about the situation with Courtney coming to mind, but it was quite impressive how quickly everybody else seemed to turn on her, it was very much expected of Heather to be very vocal about her dislike, but she had also somehow gotten a hold of Cody as well

This turn of events conflicted her, on one hand she was glad that he decided to stop pinning for her and decided to move on, even if the timing wasn't the most convenient for her, a part of her felt very much betrayed by his actions, as if they couldn't keep being friends if he had no chance to date her

Not only that, it seemed he had moved his affections towards the queen bee, which solidified the feeling of betrayal even more in Gwen's mind, she had lost all respect for Cody, if he wanted to keep being used by that witch it was his problem

And then things got even weirder, her ex lover Trent also arrived and joined the competition, this made her feel a mixture of emotions difficult to describe, she had thought they were in good terms the last time they spoke to one another, he even stood up for her when she was being shamed by everybody else during the aftermath show, granted they didnt hang out or even talk about what went wrong between them, but she had no ill will towards her ex, and she hoped the case was the same for him

But it was inevitable for things to stay peaceful for long… she was very much aware that Trent and Duncan didn't get along AT ALL

Ever since season 2, Trent felt threatened by Duncan getting close to her, after all their chemistry was apparent to everybody, but at the time she pushed those thoughts aside, and as things deteriorated with the raven haired musician she found herself falling out of love and getting tired of all the issues that became too much to ignore, she couldn't handle it … so she broke up with Trent

And now in the present almost as if prophesied, she ended up falling for the rebellious punk that accidentally drove a wedge in her previous relationship, for better or worse they were together now and she felt happy to be by his side, she loved his drive and personality, his sense of humor and bad boy charm the guy was the total package in the goth’s eyes.

But once they were at the airport ready to board, things took an ugly turn….she saw a side of both men that she had never seen, almost coming to blows, granted Duncan had started it by mocking the musician she never expected him to blow up as he did, even throwing some hurtful words at her…

“Hey what's wrong pasty, you look like you're writing a horror novel” said Duncan snapping her out of her sad stressful thoughts “come over here the cabin’s getting colder” the punk was currently sitting on a reclined chair with a blanket on, Gwen smiled and sat closer to her boyfriend and cuddled him
“I'm sorry i almost fought elvis, i cant help myself sometimes” confessed Duncan as he held the pale beauty in his arms “its ok… i know you were just joking, it's just… i didnt think things would also be so tense with him you know, i thought he moved on” answered Gwen confessing her thoughts on the matter

Duncan gave a sad smile at this “he’s not a bad guy, he just can't take a joke…. And i admit i wanted to get under his skin, also it probably isn't easy for him to see us together” the goth looked up at her boyfriend "that's surprisingly mature coming from you” she said jokingly

“Heh, I'm pretty good at reading people…. Which is why were gonna have to play nice with the rest the team” the rebellious punk held his girl closer as he said these words, the two of them had come to an understanding regarding how to play the game going forward, knowing they had very little options on who to trust

“Yeah.., cant say im thrilled to trust Alejandro, but the guy seems to have Tyler and Sierra under his thumb, if we want to stay in the competition we should stay on his good graces” added Gwen now wearing a scowl… the sooner the teams merged the better, she knew Sierra was going to be a problem due to having her also exiled from Team Amazon, and Tyler was basically Alejandro’s henchman

While the couple were discussing their thoughts on their current situation a voice was heard from the plane’s intercom “attention everyone, get ready for landing, we are arriving at our next challenge, so brace yourselves, its gonna be a rough ride hehe” Chris laughed to himself as the plane made its way down at a very fast speed

Everybody on board of both cabins was screaming for their lives as the plane made its way down, with Gwen managing to look out the window and seeing a giant white statue with open arms “is this how i die?!!!” she asked herself

First class cabin 8:00pm

Courtney was hanging on to her chair for dear life as the aircraft picked up speed “I THOUGHT WE WERE DONE WITH THE TURBULENCE!!!!!!!” she screamed with the rest of her team also panicking and holding on to whatever else they could

“I THINK CHRIS JUST ENJOYS WATCHING US FEAR FOR OUR LIVES!” yelled Trent while holding on to his guitar, he'd sooner die than let anything happen to it "DOESN'T MAKE IT ANY LESS TERRIFYING DUDE!” responded Cody while also hanging on to dear life next to him

Suddenly the aircraft touched the ground and very smoothly came to a stop in a very anti climatic fashion “that really never gets easier…” said Heather while catching her breath “i think i peed a little” added Lindsay standing up next to the queen bee and earning an awkward look from the rest of her team

“All right, we're here, both teams report to the exit of the plane and meet me ASAP!” announced the sadistic house with glee in his voice “i hate that guy” said Bridgette while she did her best to not lose it

Rio Brazil 8:15PM

Both teams made their way out of the giant aircraft and marveled at the view in front of them, the plane had landed right at the outskirts of the city, the lights illuminating the night sky and loud lively music being heard from far away, all being watched over by a giant statue at the top of the city overlooking everything below almost like a protector

“Welcome to Rio Brazil everybody, today’s challenge will be the most festive we've ever had on the show, so be prepared to put on a hell of a show because right now the city is in the middle of its famous CARNIVAL” explained Chris with a smile and lots of excitement, which was noticed by all the contestants, they could feel the electricity in the air, something compelling them to be in a festive mood

Cody spoke up first“Oh oh i've heard about this, its like the biggest party in Brazil, with some people dancing for like five days straight” with Harold gone it seemed like the second biggest know it all had made himself known

“Thats right Cody, and today’s challenge is all about it, Both teams will have 2 hours to build their own carnival floats and make their way to the Samba parade, first team to make it to the finish line with every contestant riding their respective floats wins today’s challenge” as Chris explained the challenge Chef unloaded a truck full of random decorations and junk

“To help you with building your float both teams will each have their motorized platforms ready to go, but both the theming and any other accessories you may want to add is up to you” explained the host, upon hearing this Duncan asked “whats stopping us from just driving the platform all the way to the finish line without any weird colorful junk on it?” Chris merely chuckled at the punk’s bravado “for your float to enter the parade it must be decorated and approved by the samba commissioners stationed right at the entrance, so don't phone it in ok?”

“That sounds like a lot of work dude, how are we gonna come up with anything” said Tyler making his presence known to the host “not my problem Tyler, but that reminds me all of you also have to dress up while you ride the floats, just make sure its carnival appropriate hehe” chuckled Chris earning a groan from the whole cast

Upon hearing the information both teams split up and started going through all the random decorations dumped by chef trying to come up with any strategy that would be feasible to implement into the challenge

Team Amazon 1 hour and 45 minutes left

Courtney was the first to take charge and try to reign in her team “all right, listen up, i was in the decorating committee for my highschool so i will be in charge of theming!” she said this with some of her old confidence returning, say what you want about her but once a challenge was on Courtney was on top of her game

“That sounds good and all but what are we even gonna use, this whole pile looks like a halloween store got sick and puked all over the place” answered Bridgette while holding up a viking costume for some reason “Also who said you could be in charge? Just because you painted a poster in school doesn't make you qualified to lead!” said Heather injecting herself into the conversation

“I did way more than that!” shot back the CIT beginning a hearty discussion between herself and the queen bee, however as this took place it was Lindsay who found some form of inspiration “oh em gee these look sooooo cute!” while going through the mountain of assorted animatronics and miscellaneous decorations she had found the beginning of an idea

Cody made notice of this and approached Lindsay “what you got there Linds?” he asked while approaching her “oh wow Cody look i found a bunch of tye dyed clothes, look at how the colors flow into each other its so cute!” she said as she held up the colorful garments, some of them were vivid reds and blues flowing into yellow, almost like a beautiful exotic parrot from the amazon, it was then that the nerdy teen had an idea

“Hey how about instead of fighting we try coming up with an idea to win?” said Bridgette trying to bring some semblance of order back into her team “Bridgette is right girls we dont got much time” added Trent already feeling the stress of the challenge without having even starting to make any headway

However Cody made his way back to his team holding many colorful clothes he had found in the rubble with a bright enthusiastic smile “guys, Lindsay gave me an awesome idea, how about we just theme it around nature and birds?” he said while catching his breath

“That's a stup— hold on, he's got a point, Brazil has a rich ecosystem full of colorful birds, this will totally make us pass!” answered Heather short of insulting Cody’s idea “and not just that, i also found all these angel costumes with wings we can use to dress up while we ride the float” the brown haired teen was on fire coming up with ideas, Heather couldn't help but smirk at the initiative Cody was showing “i gotta say you've really been pulling your weight punchy, im impressed”

Hearing the queen bee’s praise had Cody blushing and even more motivated, however something didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the team when Heather complimented him “punchy? I thought his name was Cody” said Lindsay in a mischievous manner earning a laugh from Trent and Bridgette

“Wha— I um you didn't hear anything!” It was Heather's turn to feel flustered as she dragged the blonde knockout back to the pile of random junk “Everybody get to work!” yelled the embarrassed brunette while making her way to scavenge more materials

“And who put you in charge of the team huh?” said the CIT full of stubbornness as always “common Court, we don't have much time to think and it's the best shot we got,so listen, me Bridgette and Cody can start decorating the float while you Heather and Lindsay design the costumes, does that sound good?” said Trent cutting in trying to refocus the team

“Ughhh fine, just make sure its good enough to beat those jerks on the other Team” responded Courtney finally giving in, reminding herself what was at stake if they lost, with the added motivation of sticking it to Gwen and Duncan

Team Chris is really really really really hot 1 hour and 40 minutes left

Alejandro and Sierra were digging through their team’s respective pile, a cold stare was still on Sierra’s face, her mood unchanging ever since she was forced to switch team’s “Sierra, while i appreciate your focus on winning i think you should tone it down a bit, you've been scaring the others” commented Alejandro while throwing random costumes around

“*sigh* I know ive been…. Distant, but i just miss my cody wody so much, im constantly holding back, but its just so difficult” said Sierra, finally speaking her first words of the day “ listen i know it may be hard, but sooner or later he is going to notice how distant you've been and he will crawl back to you begging for you to take him back, just keep listening to me and i will make sure your love will stand tall by the end of the competition” responded the spanish heart throb

Once Sierra joined his team he made sure to approach her first to ‘welcome her to the team’, he faked sympathy while she was depressed and manipulated her into following his lead all in the name of making sure only she and Cody would remain with him in the final 3

“I know I know, the only thing that's keeping me sane is thinking about how we're gonna get rid of every single girl in the competition…which reminds me, how come you don't want me to vote for Gwen yet, it's her fault me and my Cody aren't together anymore!” The Fury behind Sierra’s eyes flared up every time she thought about Gwen, at first her dislike wasn't as untamed, she knew Gwen would never be interested in Cody so she didn't mind her presence as much, and when she betrayed Courtney her dislike grew once again but only as a sympathy for the CIT

However it all boiled over after the fateful vote during the team shuffle, Sierra couldn't physically handle her reality, the despair and hate she felt at that moment shattered her fragile mind…. Which made it so much easier for Alejandro to get her to listen to him

“We still need her around for now, her and Duncan are a group package, and as much as it pains me to say, they're also very skilled players, and we will need them until the merge, for now we should focus on getting rid of our weakest link if we end up having to eliminate somebody else, so that would have to be…” Alejandro couldn't finish his point as he was interrupted by one of his team mates approaching “—hey guys check it out how about we make the float about sports” Tyler said enthusiastically while bringing over a soccer ball he found

“Hmm, football is a huge part of Brazilian culture, you might be onto something my amigo” Alejandro was surprised by the wannabe jock’s suggestion, even a broken clock was right twice a day afterall “yeah thats good and all but theres nothing but halloween stuff on this pile of junk, i say we just embrace it and make the float something, a bit more frightening” added Gwen while approaching her team mates, her and Duncan had managed to find several spooky decorations and costumes, something they both shared a passion for funnily enough

“That doesn't sound very carnaval appropriate don't you think?” responded Alejandro raising an eyebrow in annoyance “what are you talking about, ive seen on tv how they have giant floats with skulls and devils all the time, as long as we make it look badass we should be good” interjected Duncan while doing a good job convincing his team to work with what they had

“Heh just let me and pasty here decorate the float while you guys gather anything that can be used as ammo, i got some ideas on how to make sure we come out on top no matter what” the punk delinquent added, this did catch Alejandro’s attention “what do you have in mind my law challenged friend?” he asked with his signature smug expression, the both of them couldn't be more different, but at this moment they had the common goal of beating Team Amazon no matter what it took

Team Amazon 30 minutes left

Team Amazon was hard at work putting on the finishing touches to their float, which now looked like a tropical forest decorated with many fake flowers and plants, as well as a makeshift giant red macaw that Cody and Bridgette had managed to build together using material from various other discarded objects they had found, while Trent also added a whole set of fake pink flamingos to the float “do flamingos live in Brazil?” asked the clueless musician earning a shrug from both his team mates, it wasn't really the time for such questions

“Allright i think this is coming together nicely, i also added some surprises to the macaw just in case we need to improvise during the race” said a proud Cody wiping the sweat off his brow, say what you will about the nerd but he always had a knack for building things and using his creativity “i gotta say Cody, you've been so much more confident and driven during challenges, it's kind of impressive man” complimented the blonde surfer, having noticed the shift in the chestnut haired nerd’s demeanor

“Heh thanks Bridge, I guess I just realized that I had to take a more active role in the competition if I wanted to make it far… it just took some time and things to make me realize that” confessed Cody with a sad expression “its also cause he’s been hanging out with Heather” said Trent without skipping a beat causing Cody to suddenly react very flustered “WHA— no i mean dude! What are you even talking about” he really sucked at hiding his feelings

“I did notice you two talking and exchanging looks during the day and I only got one question….. What's going on between you two punchy~~~~” asked Bridgette in a playfully mocking tone, almost like an older sister teasing her little brother, causing quite the reaction from Trent who joined in on the teasing “yeah what's up with that punchy, how come you're so close to the mean girl out of nowhere?”

Both of their teasing was making Cody panic, not being used to this type of situation “i-i mean were just friends yknow? Nothing else, she just likes to tease me and calls me that cause i punched Duncan in the face that one time” this earned a hearty laugh from both of them, oh how they wished they were around to see it “i cant wait to watch the re runs, but all kidding aside Cody, i think you should be careful… Heather isn't really the ‘friends’ type” said the blonde surfer getting serious for a moment

“Bridgette has a point dude, sooner or later she’s gonna screw you over, people like her are very dangerous” added Trent also taking a more serious tone as he finished his final touches on the float, now looking like a makeshift bird sanctuary on wheels

“I appreciate the concern, and you guys may or may not be right, but Heather…. She's more complex than you guys give her credit for, she’s never really done anything bad to me, all around she’s just a very competitive and hot blooded girl, sure she’s rough around the edges but she isn't a bad person, and if she does end up screwing me over…at least i know i did my best to be a friend to her” said Cody, having not a hint of hesitation behind his words, his faith on the queen bee in full display, this made both his team mates look at each other and smile, they could tell he was serious about his thoughts on Heather, maybe his influence could make her change… who knows

“Well i guess ill trust your judgement my dude, just be careful not to get hurt…” responded the raven haired musician, he knew his buddy Cody was a good dude, a bit weird with girls in the past but he had good intentions, and now he seemed like he was taking steps to grow as a person
“Yeah sorry for the teasing, I guess seeing you guys hang out and make eyes at each other makes me think of Geoff… i just miss him so much” confessed Bridgette now feeling a bit sad thinking of her love back home “Im sure he misses you too Bridge, that guy can't function without you” responded Cody trying to reassure his team mate

“Thanks… it's just hard being here without him, specially after what happened last time I was here, the only reason I want to stay and compete is to take down that jerk Alejandro no matter what it takes!” Bridgette was usually a very laid back and chill person, but whenever the topic of Alejandro came up she would get extremely angry, almost vengeful, he was a constant reminder of her failures as a girlfriend, and how she had been so easily manipulated

“Bridge… we won't let him get away with anything, we know his true colors, and believe me after what he tried to pull with Lindsay, im 100% on your side, that guy has got to go” said Trent trying his best to reassure his team mate, it was important that she knew she wasn't alone facing her demons “thanks guys…” responded Bridgette feeling a bit more reassured that she had done her part in preparing her team for Alejandro’s schemes

However while this conversation was taking place Heather had been listening from the other side of the float, she had originally made her way to the float team to show off the costume team’s work, but once she heard Cody defend her and speak his opinions on her it stopped her on her tracks

She was so used to everybody always thinking the worst of her, so much so that a part of her started believing those opinions, resigning herself to always feeling like the bad guy, the mean girl, the heartless monster

However here was a guy who stood up for her, who believed she was more than that, somebody who trusted her… a strange feeling started to grow inside of her, like she wanted to make sure she wouldn't break that trust, she wanted to be the person Cody saw her as
While the queen bee was pondering these feelings a soft whisper came from behind her “why are you hiding” asked Lindsay, having sneaked up on Heather while she listened in to her team talk, this almost gave her a heart attack, and only by sheer will did she manage to hold back a scream

“Lindsay! Don't sneak up on me” responded the now freaking out Heather, earning a mischievous giggle from the blondie, ever since Heather apologized she noticed how less wound up the brunette had become, and she had her suspicions as to why that was…

“Hehe sorry~ I just couldn't help myself….. But since we're here already…. HEY GUYS WE FINISHED THE COSTUMES!” yelled Lindsay making her and Heather’s presence known

“Wha.. oh hey awesome what did you girls come up with?” asked Bridgette turning around to see her team mate’s works “ well Courtney was a stickler for making things as authentic to carnival culture as possible so…. Its a bit too much hehe” responded the ditzy blonde a bit flustered

“Its basically a bunch of feathers and crowns to make us look like exotic bird women…” interrupted the queen bee, showing off various costumes, all of them with different colors and designs, each one with different color wings and accessories to make them stand out

“Sweet… How about for me and Cody?” asked Trent coming closer to admire the garments the girls were showing off “oh you guys? Just wear the wings and hats… no shirts” answered Heather with a smug look, making Trent give quite a funny look of shock and Cody fall from the float

“SH-SH-SHIRTLESS…. In front of hundreds of people???” asked the now nervous Cody, it seemed like most challenges he faced had him always face some sort of humiliation, with germany and greece coming to mind “its actually thousands, but dont worry you got this haha” responded Heather in a quite playful tone, her mood very obviously improved being next to her brown haired friend

“Wooooow you guys made this look soooooooo cuuuuteeee! That bird looks so funny haha” commented Lindsay admiring the float, all in all it seemed that Team Amazon was ready to face the second part of the challenge, and it was going to be quite the spectacle

Samba parade entrance 10:05PM

Both teams drove their now ready floats to the entrance of the parade, which was almost like a giant stadium full of people celebrating and dancing, Chris Mclean himself stood in front of both teams, ready to announce the second part of the challenge, there was an electricity in the air which had both Teams ready to give it their all

“BEM-VINDOS A TODOS PARA SEGUNDA PARTE DO DESAFIO!!!” said Chris butchering the pronunciation on every single word he said, and earning confused looks from the whole cast “.... it means welcome to the second part of the challenge in portuguese, you're all just uncultured…” clarified the annoyed host before continuing

"I see both teams went all out in making their floats carnival worthy eheh, lets see we got Team Amazon with an amazon rain forest theme, full of colorful birds and flowers” Team Amazon stood proud, with Courtney, Heather, Lindsay and Bridgette all wearing colored wings and what could only be described as bikinis decorated with rhinestones, thanks to Lindsay always being ready they also had make up on matching their respective colors, while Trent and Cody stood behind them wearing their own set of wings and matching makeshift bird hats and no shirts

“Not bad not bad, really went all out” said the host giving out a rare compliment to the team “ugh i feel so exposed” said a nervous Bridgette, with her blue wings and outfit that accentuated her figure “suck it up Bridge, we got this” responded Courtney while also dressed in the same style, only hers was yellow and she seemed unaffected by the attention

“As for Team Chris is super duper extra hot we got a gothic scary looking float, i gotta say you guys went all out in the opposite direction but still pretty solid effort guys” said Chris as he complimented the other team’s float

It was indeed quite the opposite of Team Amazon’s, consisting of a makeshift graveyard full of plastic tomb stones and skeletons, with a giant looking skull animatronic in the center, something Duncan had managed to find while scavenging for parts

The whole team was also dressed like a halloween party, with Duncan and tyler wearing devil masks and spiked accessories, and in Alejandro’s case he wore a simple domino mask and a long vampire cape while also only wearing a speedo underneath it all, letting his impressive physique be displayed to the world “dude you really didn't have to almost get naked you know?” pointed out the punk while coming up to his Team mate “trust me my friend, its what the public wants” responded the cocky spaniard

As for the girls, Sierra had opted to dress a bit more conservatively by wearing a grim reaper cloak and holding a scythe, blending into the scenery of the float quite nicely, as for Gwen… “i dont know how you managed to talk me into this…” said the goth standing behind her boyfriend “common pasty you look great, and don't forget its for the competition, if those chicks in the other team can dress up all silly so can you, besides its carnival or whatever, everybody is dressed up” responded the delinquent, trying his best to make his girl calm her nerves

The pale goth was wearing a sexy red devil costume with fishnet stockings and a red cape. She had devil horns on her head and even a tail ”why couldn't I be the grim reaper instead of Sierra?” asked Gwen still very embarrassed about her current attire, she wouldn't get an answer however as Chris interrupted
“All right looks like both Teams pass the first challenge, and the judges seem to be pleased with your presentation, so for the second part of your challenge both teams will have to race to the end of the samba parade, making sure you put on a good show” explained the host as he brought out a remote “every person in the audience has one of these, a special Total Drama voting remote to rate your performance, the more votes you get the faster the float will move, so make sure you do your best to entertain the audience hehe”

Once this was explained by Chris he made way for both floats to move to the starting line, the anticipation for the challenge had the crowd roaring in excitement giving the cast of contestants chills

Cody was standing firm at the back of the float, once again it was going to come down to the wire and they had to work as a team if they were to win this challenge, but he had full faith in everybody, he looked towards Trent who looked calm, breathing in and out ready to give it his all, while Bridgette and Lindsay were waving at the Crowd garnering a loud reaction

It helped that Lindsay looked great in her outfit Decorated with pink feathers and and shiny white gems, Courtney was also looking into the Crowd not daring to turn to look towards their opponents floats, it must've been very hard for her to see her ex friend and lover together dressed up and standing side by side, Cody felt sympathy for the counselor, these last days hadn't been too easy on her…

And finally he looked to Heather… she looked the most beautiful to him, her own outfit having bright red colors, her figure looked absolutely stunning, and she stood tall and proud, ready to give it her all to the competition, the fire in her eyes burning with such intensity that gave the chestnut haired teen all the reassurance he needed, any shred of doubt in his mind disappeared when he looked in her eyes

The queen bee turned to look at Cody and gave him a bright smile, she wouldn't tell him that she heard him defend her to the others, but that simple act of loyalty towards her gave her added motivation to win tonight, and she would make darn sure they did, she walked towards her alliance member and stood by him “its show time punchy~” she whispered in his ear, earning a smirk from Cody

Chris Mclean got on top of an elevated platform with a microphone ready to start the race “ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET…….. SAMBA!”

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author notes

And so begins the second part of the Brazil challenge, its about to get intense, who knows what type of tricks Duncan and Alejandro came up with, both teams will have to try their best to gain the audience favor if they want to win

Writing challenge chapters is always fun, it's a good exercise in creative writing to come up with the games and the rules, while also incorporating the identity of the country they might be in, i feel like this challenge incorporates many strengths both teams may have so its a toss up on who will come out on top

I decided to split up this chapter due to its scope, I wanted to focus a bit on the relationships in each team during this chapter, while setting up things to come in the next one

As always thank you so much for reading, i appreciate you all so much, let me know what you think in the reviews, i always look forward to hearing from you

See you all in chapter 9 for now have a wonderful night/day :)

Chapter Text

Hearts and Feelings

As the floats made their way to the starting line Alejandro was contemplating how to implement his strategy, he was very much aware of the strengths and weaknesses of their rival team, he knew they were a very well rounded and skilled unit once they worked together

He had to find any weakness to exploit to make sure they would come out on top this time, he was beyond tired of losing and would do anything necessary to win, it was personal to him this time

“Tyler, do you have that thing I told you to hide?” asked the scheming spaniard, already having countermeasures ready in case everything else failed “uh yeah i got that thing you asked me to get, but i dont know man this seems kind of messed up, too personal, i mean i don't even have anything against—” before the jock could finish his sentence Alejandro cut him off “all is fair in love and war my friend, and right now we are very much at war…. Its about time we fired back” Finished the spaniard narrowing his eyes, he would come out on top no matter what….

The rest of his team was gathered at the center of the float going over what to do to win the audience's favor “so what will we even do once this starts? It's not like we're professional samba dancers” Said Gwen while faking a smile for the crowd

“Heh we all got stuff were good at, all we gotta do is keep em entertained long enough to make it to the end, doesn't even have to be dancing, besides, we dont have to be professionals, just better than the chicks team” answered the punk while playing with his lighter, already coming up with a plan to steal the show from the get go

Their collective train of thought came to an end when Chris was aboard the tall platform about to signal the start of the race
“ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET…….. SAMBA!”

*RING RING*

The cursed bell had rung making the whole cast groan in frustration

“And to start off this race in style it's time for a song!!!” announced the sadistic host with a huge smile, he just really enjoyed causing his cast of contestants as much grief as possible

“Ughhhh… wait this could help us get a head start! Everybody, let's get this show going!” announced Bridgette with an uncanny enthusiasm, a part of her was enjoying herself and the challenge so far, so why not have fun with it for a change

SONG STARTS

An arrangement of instruments are heard coming closer, surrounding both parade floats with many different local musicians and dancers, the floats start moving slowly and both teams begin to move their bodies to the rhythm

Bridgette takes charge dancing around her team mates with each girl following behind her dancing in the same fashion

Bridgette : Oh Brazil, for me for me, feel the rhythm take you over

Heather: bring your emotions, carry over, and sing until the sun comes up and shines!!!

Courtney: all the smiles of the people, make you wish you'd never leave no

Lindsay: a million colors in the sky makes you happy you came by to spend your time~~~

The girls circle around the flamingos and flowers decorating the float, with many of them coming to life and moving to the rhythm as well, Cody and Trent take the center of the float, Trent playing his trusty guitar and Cody playing a colorful set of bongos

Trent and Cody: Brazil, Brazil,for me for me~~~~

The audience watching the performance are dancing along and pointing their remotes towards the float, a beautiful wave of colors flowing into the Amazon float making it pick up speed

On the other float Alejandro takes charge and begins dancing around his team, grabbing Sierra and spinning her around as she does her best to keep up with his rhythm

Alejandro: oh Brazil, where hearts go to love~~~ people dance under an amber moon~~~ thinking some day soon~~~

Alejandro keeps spinning Sierra in place and signals Duncan to hit a switch causing flames to burst next to Sierra burning away her grim reaper cloak revealing a stunning purple outfit decorated with many feathers and accessories as well, almost like a very regal rainbow peacock

Sierra: oh brazil~~~ where passions burn, and you no longer feel concern~~~ all you want is to return~~~~

Sierra dances next to Alejandro, the previous stunt causing the audience to lose their minds and make their float pick up even more speed catching up and even over taking Team Amazon

Gwen approaches Sierra and dances besides her now taking center stage with Duncan taking this moment to activate the flames once more only this time with lower intensity making Gwen look like a sexy devil dancing over blue flames

Gwen: oh Brazil where you pick up so much speed, you just feel like you'll succeed~~~

Duncan and Tyler join Gwen and lift her by both her arms and spin her in the air , with the rest of the skeletons on their float also coming to life and dancing with each other

Duncan and Tyler: oh Brazil, Brazil, for me for me~~~~

The scene cuts back to Team Amazon dancing among themselves, with Lindsay approaching Trent and whispering in his ear, while Bridgette takes center stage once more with Heather and Courtney on either side of her

Bridgette: Oh Brazil, its for me~~~, all your dreams can come true, it doesn't matter if you're feeling blue just dance along and make a wish come true~~~

Heather and Courtney : make it true~~~~~

Lindsay and Trent are then seen coming behind the trio of girls dancing to the music, Trent spins Lindsay in place over and over making all the flowers and flamingos spin around them and dispersing over the audience, then appears Cody standing atop the giant red macaw at the back of the float holding a microphone

Cody: Oh Brazil why would i ever leave~~~~

He jumps off the bird landing next to Heather and grabbing her hand causing her to blush in surprise of how bold he was acting but playing along nonetheless holding back her laugh

Cody and Heather : oh Brazil~~~~ you were made for me~~~~

The audience erupts into a loud energetic cheer that makes their float once more pick up speed and leaves them next to their rivals neck and neck once more, already half way to the finish line

The whole cast together: Brazil~~~~~ for me~~~~ for me~~~~

END OF SONG

Both teams stop singing with huge smiles on their faces, the adrenaline of the performance keeping the intensity going, as they were catching their breath Cody found himself still holding Heather’s hand

“I gotta say Cody, you're feeling pretty bold tonight huh” teased the queen bee pointing out that he was still holding on to her “wha…. Oh um hehehe sorry!” responded the now significantly more timid nerd

Heather merely chuckled and spun him around in a dancing motion “we're not done yet guys, lets keep giving them a show!” commanded the queen bee as she kept dancing to the rhythm spinning cody away towards the giant macaw earning a smile from him… she knew exactly how to tease him these days

“She’s right! Trent, can you play your guitar to the rhythm?” asked Courtney while matching Heather’s movements “heh of course i can, ill make sure they see me jam out!” responded a very pumped up Trent, anytime he got to play for an audience he always gave it his all

While the girls danced on the float and kept receiving support from the audience, Trent started improvising a guitar solo to go with the samba rhythm playing over the parade, this made the float pick up speed once more

“Youre doing great dude, we're almost at the finish line!” Cheered Bridgette,it seemed like a part of her was getting caught up in the celebrations and was letting loose, dancing around with Lindsay and waving to the crowd nothing could possibly spoil the mood for her

*whack*

Except for a soccer ball hitting her in the back of the head knocking her to the floor, “OMG Bridgette are you ok?” asked the bustier blonde picking up her team mate “augh… what was that?” asked the surfer while rubbing her head

Her answer wouldn’t have to wait as right behind her Alejandro was performing tricks with a soccer ball, juggling it with his feet in a very expert manner
“Wow you hit her dead center, thats impressive dude” commented Tyler who was also trying his best to copy his team mate to very little success “ive been practicing football since i was able to walk, its second nature for the Burromuerto family” answered the smug spaniard as he readied himself to shoot another ball towards their rivals

*WHACK*

This time hitting Trent right in the back of the head as well, stopping his guitar solo, and inversely causing his own float to catch up to Team Amazon once more now being right across from each other with only a quarter of the way to go

“How did you catch up to us!? Why would they vote for you to go faster? You're trying to kill us with soccer balls!” yelled an angry Courtney at the rival team "haven't you heard? Brazil loooooveesssss soccer” responded a smug Duncan as he emptied a giant sack full of soccer balls for his team to shoot at Team Amazon

“Awww yeah check this out guys!” announced Tyler as he readied himself to kick one of the balls towards Team Amazon

*whack*

As it turned out Tyler had finally managed to kick a soccerball, too bad for him it was heading straight for the one person he did not want to hit

“Lindsay! Watch out!” yelled Cody while ducking for cover from the assault of soccer balls now being kicked by Duncan and Alejandro simultaneously “wha—”

*SLAM!*

The ditzy blonde was kneeling and covering her head expecting to be hit in the face by Tyler’s soccer ball, but the pain never came, instead right in front of her was Heather, holding a fake flamingo in her hands like a baseball bat

“Oh thank god it didn't hit Linds—” *WHACK!* the clumsy jock couldn't finish his sentence due to a soccer ball hitting him in the face knocking him over a fake tombstone “AHA! GOAL!” yelled the queen bee in triumph

“Great thinking Heather, EVERYONE! GRAB A FLAMINGO AND SEND THOSE BALLS BACK WHERE THEY CAME FROM!” commanded Courtney while picking up Trent from the floor of the float, it was all out war now!

The rest of Team Amazon followed Heather’s example and started using the flamingos as bats, Courtney hit one extremely hard in Duncan’s direction hitting him…. You know where “SCORE!
ONE DOWN!” yelled the rabid CIT, not paying attention to Sierra who managed to kick one straight to her face, sending her to the floor

“Nothing personal Courtney!!” yelled the crazed fan, she felt a bit of remorse having to compete against her old team, especially since Cody was still there, god he looked hot in his costume she thought…not paying attention to a ball Trent had managed to deflect towards her, hitting her right in the face as well “SAME, SORRY, I DIDN'T MEAN TO HIT YOU IN THE FACE!” yelled back Trent feeling a bit bad about hitting a girl

While this was going on Cody crawled back to the giant macaw currently flapping its giant wings on the back of the float, he started to fidget with wires while avoiding getting hit by any lethal soccer balls “ugh almost done i just gotta aha!” cheered the nerd having achieved his goal

Suddenly the parrot animatronic moved towards the center of the float and wrapped its wings around Team Amazon, making a very effective shield against the projectiles currently being launched at them “Great thinking dude, we got a second to breath now” said Trent while trying to help up Courtney from the floor with Bridgette’s help

“Thanks, I figured something like this would happen, the wings should hold until we get to the finish line” responded Cody, he wanted to be prepared against anything Team Chris is hot would try against them “were traveling at the same speed, so we have to find a way to win over the audience to get the final boost to the finish line, any ideas?” asked Heather huddled next to her team, it was seeming increasingly obvious that it would come down to the last second who would win

On the other float however Alejandro had stopped kicking soccer balls at the other team’s float and went over to help Tyler up to his feet “mi amigo, i believe its time we used that trick we had up our sleeve” Tyler stood up a bit uneasy with what he was hearing from his team mate “i dont know dude, i still think its messed up”

This interaction caught Duncan’s attention who was being helped up by Gwen “ugh whats he talking about AL?” asked the delinquent still aching from his injury

“Worry not my friend, it's just an insurance to make sure we win, just allow me to put on a performance…” responded the Spaniard while he and Tyler brought out a bag containing a blonde wig and a cowboy hat, earning a very confused look by the rest of their team

Meanwhile on Team Amazon’s float, they were still huddled under the wings of the animatronic when they suddenly noticed they weren't being bombarded anymore “you think they ran out of ammo?” asked Bridgette being the first to notice the lack of impact on the wings

“Cody, open the wings again!” ordered Courtney now panicking over if they had crossed the finish line yet, however what they saw once they opened the float shocked them very deeply

Right across from them was Team Chris is really hot’s float with Alejandro wearing a blonde wig and cowboy hat, he was dancing around and acting foolishly, “LIKE DUUUUUDEEEE I LOOOOVEEEE TO PARTYY!!!” yelled the the spaniard not afraid to make a fool of himself, using a very different accent to copy a certain ex contestant

“What the…. What is he doing, did he lose his mind?” said Trent breaking the shocked silence that took hold of her team “um like i think he’s like copying somebody we know” added Lindsay in a very confused tone

It was then that it dawned to Heather what was going on, this was all part of his plan “BRIDGETTE!” she yelled towards her Blonde surfer team mate, who was standing without saying a word, her eyes lowered and her fists clenched, “how dare you……” her anger was rising with every second the humiliating performance continued

The surfer walked towards the edge of the float grabbing one of the fake stone flamingos they had been using previously “Bridge! What are you doing, he's just trying to get a rise out of you and throw you off your game” said Cody as him and the rest of the team walked next to the blonde

“Bridgette whatever you're thinking of doing, just stop he’s not worth it please!” pleaded Courtney, she was uncharacteristically worried for her long time friend, she had never seen such hatred and anger in her eyes, she wanted to do anything she could to stop her from making a mistake

“I'm sorry guys…. But this is too far…. It's one thing for him to mess with me… but Geoff is off limits!” Without a second of hesitation Bridgette jumped from one float to the other, with both Teams about to cross the finish line “Bridgette!!!!” yelled Team Amazon not being able to stop her

“OH HEY BRIDGE!!!! BABE!!! YOU COME TO PARTY?!” asked Alejandro as he continued with his clown routine “STOP IT!” screamed the furious blonde approaching Alejandro ready to fight him
“STOP PARTYING?....... Sure ill stop, we just crossed the finish line, no need to continue acting like a clown” responded the now calm and composed spaniard, dropping the previous act as soon as the float stopped moving

“AND THAT'S ALL SHE WROTE, BOTH TEAMS CROSSED THE FINISH LINE AT THE SAME TIME!!!.... BUT BRIDGETTE WAS NOT ON HER FLOAT, WHICH MEANS TEAM CHRIS IS REALLY REALLY REALLY HOT WINS!!!!” announced Chris full of energy and delighted with how the challenge had gone

Bridgette stood still staring daggers into Alejandro, her eyes filling with tears of frustration and rage “How dare you humiliate him, mock him, he’s the sweetest nicest man I've ever met, how could you do such a thing!” cried the blonde, the rest of Team Chris is hot was standing around her a look of regret on most of them

“Humiliate him? Mock him? Heh my dear Bridgette… you already did all those things back in the Yukon” responded the spaniard with a smug look as he walked past her, unafraid of any threat of violence from the blonde, he merely stepped off the float and walked away

Duncan and Gwen walked towards Bridgette with a sad expression on their faces approaching her to perhaps calm her down “Bridge… we didnt know what he was gonna–” “DONT SAY A WORD!...... i cant believe Geoff would call you his friends’ interrupted the blonde turning away as well trying her best to get away from everything

“Allright Team i am super attractive, you win immunity this time and a stay in first class, Team Amazon you tried your best but you still lost, so one of you is going home tonight, get changed and meet me at the entrance of the Chris Mclean jumbo jet for the first all new elimination ceremony” announced the host with a smile on his face, dismissing the contestants and ready to move to show along
Bridgette walked back towards her team who all had a mix of emotions, they had worked so hard to win but it was all snatched away at the last moment…

“Im…. sorry, i–i- i just dont know what came over me” it was then that the blonde surfer broke down crying in front of her team, Lindsay and Courtney merely knelt down besides her and hugged her, both of them also shedding tears of sympathy

Cody and Trent exchanged looks and felt sad for Bridgette, both not really blaming her, they knew the guilt she carried since she had cheated on Geoff, it had always been a sore subject around her, and she had come back to hopefully redeem herself, but she ended up falling to the spaniards tricks once more

“Lets go… we got an elimination ceremony…” said Heather, walking away in a somber mood herself, so close to victory, so much work for nothing, it was a truly deflating experience

Bus ride to the Jumbo Jet 11:10PM

All the contestants were riding a bus back to the giant aircraft, having been done with the challenge and the samba carnival coming to an end there was no reason to linger around, they had all changed out of their costumes and huddled into the bus, Courtney and Lindsay staying with Bridgette the whole time

Heather was sitting by herself looking out the window of the bus looking out into the streets of Rio, unsure of what would take place in the following elimination, no matter what took place, any time she was part of an elimination ceremony she always felt a fear inside of her… after all she wasn't the most liked contestant to begin with, she ALWAYS, ran the risk of going back home empty handed…

“This seat taken?” asked Cody with a sad expression but still offering a smile to the queen bee “yeah…” answered back the brunette looking back at her alliance member, "I tried my best today… it wasn't enough…” said Cody leaning back into his seat

Heather gave him a look of sympathy, she was aware how hard he had been trying since he came to her that night, his words had proven true so far, he more than pulled his weight this challenge, she was proud of him “you did all you could, so did i… we've been at this long enough to know things work out this way sometimes” responded the brunette beauty while nudging him

Cody nudged the queen bee back in a playful manner, they had slowly developed a sort of understanding of one another so far, enough trust to be able to speak comfortably…“I haven't forgotten our deal, I will vote for whoever you tell me to…” said the chestnut haired teen, fully ready to follow through his word

“I know you havent… you know, what Alejandro did today, it was risky… it was heartless, it reminded me of something I might've done if pushed far enough” confessed the queen bee, a part of her ashamed of this confession, but willing to confide in her friend

“You think you still would?” asked Cody while looking straight ahead, the question hanging in the air for a moment while she pondered “it's not like I'm friends with Bridgette… but a part of me has enjoyed having her around, she’s nice…” answered the brunette, almost as if she was surprised with her own answer

“But you and I know… she can't stay.” added Heather, now looking into Cody’s eyes, her mind having been made up from the moment they lost “yeah… me and Trent were talking about it, staying here isn't healthy for her, she misses Geoff a lot” added the nerd, needless to say it was a hard but necessary decision…

Unbeknown to the pair, this was a decision both Courtney and Lindsay had arrived to as well, it broke their heart to see their once serene and sweet friend so utterly devastated, it was clear she was still grappling with many emotional issues, as much as it hurt, it was the best course of action to take for their friend.

Entrance to the Jumbo Jet 11:50PM

The contestants exited the bus one by one, as they approached the entrance of the aircraft they were met with a makeshift space with seats and a desk surrounded by a curtain, Chris stood in front of the set up with a smile on his face ready to get things started

“Welcome to the new and improved elimination ceremony, since Owen left voluntarily before we could have a ceremony let me explain how things will work now!” exclaimed the host with his usual bravado

“Does this mean you're not going to attempt to kill us by making us jump off the plane?” asked Courtney in a relieved tone
“The producers told us to stop throwing people out of airplanes for ‘safety reasons’ or whatever, so from now on, after each challenge we will meet right outside the jumbo jet to vote who gets to continue to travel the world and who has to leave FOREVER!”
This earned a sigh of relief by all the contestants, one less torture to endure during their time competing…

Chris then brought out an envelope “those who receive an envelope with a ticket inside will be safe from elimination, and those who receive nothing…. Well you get the point eheh”

Team Chris is really hot were escorted back into the aircraft by chef Hatchet once the explanation of the ceremony had concluded, leaving Team Amazon behind to vote off one of their own

One by one they walked behind the curtain and cast their votes, it was especially difficult this time around considering the outcome that was about to come

“All right Team Amazon, you all gave it your all but it was just not enough huh?” asked the host in a playfully mocking tone, earning an eye roll from the whole team

“Anyway, this time the following contestants are safe:

Cody!

Trent!

The host proceeded to throw the tickets at the drama brothers

Lindsay!

Courtney!

You are both also safe this time!
He handed them both their tickets with now only Bridgette and Heather with empty hands

“Bridgette, you let your emotions get the best of you and fell into the most obvious trap imaginable, you cost your team the challenge” informed the host in a serious manner

The blonde surfer was still in a depressive state, she was disappointed and angry at herself for falling for Alejandro’s tricks, since when had she been so volatile? Ever since that fateful day in the Yukon it seemed like she had lost sight of who she was, it was maddening… all she wanted was the chance to redeem herself and get back at that monster.. “It won't happen again…” she responded to Chris

“And you Heather… not gonna lie you really didn't do anything, but people just don't like you heheh” joked Chris, earning a glare from the queen bee

“The last ticket is for….

.
.
.
.
.
.

Heather!, Bridgette, looks like your time is up!”

Bridgette was expecting this, even if she was friends with her team, it was inevitable, she had cost them the challenge, and proved that her emotions could get in the way of her team’s success, all she could do now is leave with a shred of dignity

“BRIDGE!! IM SORRY, BUT ITS WHATS BEST FOR YOU!” said Courtney as she went to hug her friend, they had both been on the same team back in season 1 and now they were once again separating “what do you–” she was interrupted by another set of arms embracing her “like im so sorry, ill miss you soooooo much” this time it was Lindsay hugging her

“Bridge…. It's not good for you to be competing here… your place is back home, with Geoff” added Trent with a sympathetic look on his face “guys….” Bridgette started to cry once again and hugged back her friends, it was proving to be a hard goodbye for them all

“Dont worry, we will get that jerk back for you, he won't get away with it in the end…” said Cody giving the blonde surfer another look of reassurance, in her short time back she had gotten closer to her team, they might've all been odd but they were good people all things considered

Bridgette broke the hug with her now ex team mates, she looked Courtney in the eye “stay strong… i know how hard it's been for you this whole time, but you're not alone, don't forget that, ill be rooting for you” the CIT couldn't help herself and hugged Bridgette once more “thank you…. You're a great friend” responded Courtney before breaking the embrace

She made her way to Trent and gave him a fist bump and a hug, in their short time sharing a team she saw how cool a guy he was, she also knew that things would get hard for him as well, but hopefully he could find a way to keep moving forward and not let his past with Gwen interfere with his future

She said goodbye to Lindsay sharing another hug and even consoling and reassuring the ditzy blonde, she promised they would hang out with Beth once the game was over, something that made Lindsay smile with hope

The surfer walked over to Cody and gave him a hug as well, “Cody… whatever you're doing, keep on going, i didnt know you that well before, but i can tell you're finally trying your best and living up to your potential…. Give it your all ‘punchy’ ” she teased earning a blush from the chestnut haired guy, he was happy he befriended Bridgette this time around

And finally, she walked towards Heather, the two shared a look for a moment, almost unsure of what to say to one another, but Bridgette smiled at the queen bee “somebody told me you're not that bad… he thinks really highly of you, i hope he’s right… good luck Heather” she extended her hand in respect, Heather looked a bit taken aback by the blonde’s statement, but then returned her smile “you know i dont give up easily… ill make that stupid jerk pay for what he did to you…. Take care Bridgette” responded the queen bee

With those final words, Team Amazon made their way into the aircraft, ready to move on to the next destination, ready to compete another day, leaving a sad girl behind who felt like her world kept crumbling around her

Bridgette walked back into the airport and watched the jumbo jet take flight into the night sky, Chris had handed her a ticket back to Canada in an envelope, good for whenever she felt like leaving, but the surfer just sat outside the airport looking at the stars, thinking of her love back home

She was blaming herself for not being able to eliminate Alejandro, she felt like a failure, she didn't feel like she could face Geoff…

While she was distracted looking into the night sky, somebody had made their way next to her“Hey mind if I watch the stars with you?”

Bridgette turned to the familiar voice and her eyes could not believe or even process who it was “GEOFF!!!!” the blonde surfer threw herself into his arms and hugged her boyfriend with all her being “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!!! WHAT'S GOING ON?”

The party animal merely chuckled and hugged his lover back, unwilling to break their embrace “well im the host of aftermath, i had some info on where you guys would be travelling to, and i made my way here…. I've missed you so much, Bridge…” he looked into her eyes and kissed her with every ounce of passion inside of him

Bridgette melted into the kiss, feeling her heart finally at ease, it felt unreal, like a piece of her soul had returned to her “Geoff im so sorry, i love you, I wasn't able to–” she got cut off by her boyfriend once again kissing her “hey… I'm the one who’s sorry, you didn't have to do anything else, you don't need to redeem yourself or anything like that… Bridge babe I love you and nothing is ever going to change that, so lets never be apart again, next time you're going to save the dolphins and get tricked into being in a reality show ill be right next to you ok?”
A tear fell from her eye, this one tear however was a happy one, this time she knew things would be all right, she didn't fail, she didn't need to do anything else… just be with her love from now on…

“You know… we don't have to go back to Canada right away… what do you say we stay here for another day, i hear the waves in Brazil are amazing for surfing” said Geoff holding the blonde closer to him

“You know me so well babe~” answered Bridgette, musing to herself how easily her man was able to melt her worries away, she hugged him as she looked to the sky, taking notice of a small yet bright star in the horizon, something about it reassuring her that her friends still in the competition would be fine…… and so would she and Geoff.

Author notes

Goodbye Bridgette, you will be very much missed, but youre in good hands with Geoff, for all his faults you guys are made for eachother

And now the brazil challenge is over, this was a fun one to write, i liked how the song came out, i based it on an old brazilian song ive heard before, i wanted something that made it sound like a beautiful paradise where anything could happen, so hopefully it was enjoyable for everybody (note i am not brazillian)

Alejandro seemed to hit a new low, but his strategy paid off, Bridgette isn't the most aggressive person, but when it comes to her boyfriend all bets are off
Now it remains to see how the rest of Team Chris is hot will react to what took place, how will the team dynamic go down without Bridgette around

It also seemed like Cody and Heather got a bit closer to one another, being able to also talk about difficult subjects, it looks like the queen bee is on a path to redemption with the rest of her team, but only time will tell if she won't stray

As always thank you for reading, let me know what you thought of the chapter on the reviews, its always appreciated :)

Chapter Text

Bonds and Loss

Economy Cabin 12:30AM

Life can be funny, one second you're at the top of the world, winning another challenge with your friends, and next thing you know you're forced to decide who has to leave the competition entirely; Sadly it was Bridgette’s time once again, something nobody on Team Amazon enjoyed doing, she was almost like a glue that could hold them together during hard times, however for her own good it was better for her to go back home and properly deal with the emotional issues the competition had left her

Even if it was the right thing to do Cody couldn't help but think what could he have done differently; sleep was avoiding him this night, even after the hectic challenge and emotional goodbye, in fact he didn't feel tired at all, he felt wide awake, like something was keeping him from ending the day.

And as it so happened the same was true for a certain brunette beauty seated a couple of rows away from him, Heather was currently being tortured by her own thoughts, underneath all the snark and mean girl energy something else was taking shape…

It all started earlier in the night when she over heard some of her team mates speak about her, at this point she 100% expected to hear only negative things about herself, no matter who it was they always held a low opinion of her

She was aware that this was entirely her fault for how she had acted in the past, not caring what anyone thought of her and adopting a persona full of bravado and hostility towards others, showing no weakness or any way for anybody to take advantage of her

But then there was Cody…. every day he kept surprising her, his kindness being genuine and not an act, so far he was trying his best to not disappoint her, no matter how hurt or humiliated he felt, he was determined to move forwards, he genuinely wanted to be her friend

It terrified the queen bee, how easily he was able to look at her and look past all her flaws and evils, these days she couldn't help herself around him either, often joking with him and finding herself rooting for him, a far cry from the nasty persona she had built herself as

The brunette looked into her back pack at the small smiling bee plush Cody had gifted her after the LA challenge, Heather couldn't help but smile at the adorable little toy, it was something so simple that she had closed her heart to for a long time, but having it proved how much she craved it…. It was proof somebody cared about her.

While she was distracted the voice of the one currently dominating her thoughts crept up on her “Cant sleep either?” asked Cody as he approached her, causing Heather to stuff the little bee back into her backpack in a very aggressive manner “what is it with you people sneaking up on me!?” responded the queen bee in an agitated manner

This brought out a smile from Cody, still not used to his alliance member acting so flustered “Sorry, Sorry… i just wanted to talk for a bit before i went to sleep, but i understand if you wanna be alone, it was a long night” he said while backing away slowly

Heather let out a sigh, truth be told she was also dying to talk to him, not having had the opportunity all day until now, as it seemed like most of their team mates were sound asleep “wait…. Its fine, im just a bit on edge” confessed the queen bee, not wanting to scare her alliance member off

At that moment Cody had an idea to try and take the edge off of Heather “come with me, i know what will make you feel better” he took the queen bee’s hand making her stand up from her seat “what are you—” "Quiet, you'll wake up everybody” he interrupted before she could protest, this annoyed the mean girl quite a bit, but her curiosity got the best of her before she could loudly complain about his daring behaviour

Unnoticed by both of them however, Trent was also wide awake, chuckling to himself about how close those two had gotten out of nowhere, hell these days Heather seemed almost in a better mood than he had ever seen her have before, whatever was going on there he had faith his buddy would be fine

As for him… the raven haired musician was also restless, his mind was racing with adrenaline after the day’s challenge, the only thing that could take the edge off was his coping mechanism, one of his few sources of joy… playing his guitar

But doing so in the economy cabin so late felt like an inconsiderate thing to do, quite frankly Trent was itching to sneak back into the recording studio in the first class cabin, but could he dare?

“Ugh, what the hell, it's not like they're gonna notice” with determination he rose to his feet and made his way up to first class as sneakily as he could

Common Area 12:48AM

Cody and Heather sneaked into the now dark and lonely common area, the empty tables surrounding the in flight cafe were scattered over the luxurious looking dining room, some corners of the room had very comfortable looking bean bag chairs as a sort of hang out spot to make life easier for the contestants, needless to say the budget increase was very much appreciated and noticed

“Wait here” whispered the brown haired teen as he went up to the locked kitchen entrance, bringing out some sort of lock pick, he proceeded to fiddle with it against the door for a couple of seconds before it worked

*click*

“Got it!” celebrated the nerd as he slowly and quietly made his way into the kitchen “where did you learn to do that?” asked the amused queen bee, noting to herself how full of surprises he was “Harold taught me a how to pick locks while we were on tour as the drama brothers” answered Cody with pride, say what you want about Harold but he sure had wicked skills

“Of course” responded the brunette, as she watched him make his way inside, she decided to make herself comfortable on the bean bags and wait for whatever the nerd was going to bring out

A couple of minutes had passed while Heather waited, she felt her mood settle into a more serene state of mind as she did, something about the barely lit cafe made her forget her previous emotional turmoil, just enjoying the moment for what it was “its ready! Here this will help you go to sleep” announced Cody as he handed her a mug with a warm milky drink

“Whats this?” asked the puzzled brunette taking the warm beverage in her hands, regardless of what it may be she felt grateful to Cody, after all the worst part of economy class was how cold it got in the cabin, this would certainly help her deal with that now

“Its a drink somebody used to make for me when i was younger, its a sweet honey and milk tea, no matter what kind of day i had this would always make things better at the end of it” responded the brown haired nerd as he took a seat across from her, this got Heather’s attention as she took an unsure sip from her drink

“Punchy… this tastes like a hug” the queen bee couldn't hide her reaction to the comforting beverage, she was definitely not expecting this from the nerd at all “you know if you don't win the competition you might be able to start a cafe or something, this is really good” this earned a laugh from Cody, he was feeling very happy with himself at this moment, there was something about getting approval from Heather that boosted his ego, after all she had a reputation for being hard to please

“Heh im glad you liked it… but im going to still try and win it all, I've made it this far after all” he responded as he lay back in his chair letting himself relax for a moment “you better keep trying to win, i wont allow you to lose until it's just the two of us in the end” responded the queen bee with her usual confidence

Cody couldn't help but smile at her affirmation of victory, it never got old how sure of herself she was, it was something he was trying to emulate in his own life, after all confidence had been an issue for him for a while now

Heather could sense his confidence growing little by little each day, during the last challenge she saw how involved he became and how he never gave up, that's the type of person she wanted around her when things got ugly

“So, once you win, what are you going to do with the money?” asked the amused nerd with a playful tone “hmph wouldnt you like to know!, just rest assured that the money will be in better hands with me than with the rest of you” regardless of what the truth might be, or how much of an influence Cody had on Heather, that was the most genuine response she could offer at the moment, which made the chestnut haired teen roll his eyes

Heather chuckled at her own wit, but her curiosity got the best of her in that moment “and on the extremely low chance you win it all, what's your plan? More video games and candy?” teased the queen bee while taking another sip of her tea

“Im not gonna lie, a million dollars is a lot of money, so ill definitely get some candy and video games…. But i have other plans for the money” responded Cody as he put his hands behind his head and took a deep breath “theres… something of a cause that means a lot to me, and i want to find a way to help, so id donate some of my earnings to help find a cure to a disease…”

Heather didn't know how to react to this statement, she was definitely not expecting to hear Cody say that, it hit close to home for her, there was many things she wasn't willing to share about her life outside the show, her fear of it being used against her was far too great, and as much as she trusted the brown haired boy in front of her, she was still unwilling to tell him her whole truth… “What disease is it…?” she merely asked trying to hide her screaming internal curiosity

“Huh… I don't think you've heard of it, not a lot of people contract it, but… let's just say it's personal to me, so I want to do what I can to help find a cure” responded Cody while still looking at the ceiling deep in thoughts about his past “i see… you're a good guy Cody” responded the brunette beauty offering a sincere smile, her soul screaming to confide in him, to let out all those pent up emotions inside her, to trust somebody and let her heart breath relief into her mind… but alas now was not the time

All she was sure of right now was that… maybe she had found somebody to truly call a friend, without a need to mask herself with her usual queen bee persona… “thanks Heather, you're not so bad yourself, at least not when we have our night talks heh” joked back the chest nut haired nerd, earning one of the queen bee’s signature eye rolls

“But anyways, where do you think we’ll go next?” asked Cody bringing the conversation to a more casual place “wherever it is i just hope its not cold, dont get me started on how much it damages my skin when we–” Heather rambled on as she spoke to Cody, the two of them enjoying this new ritual they had made their new normal, with both of them finding solace in each other after a long day, their friendship would keep blossoming as they discovered new things about one another… little by little that little spark they shared would grow

First Class Cabin Recording Studio 1:00AM

Trent had managed to sneak up to the first class cabin undetected, thankfully nobody in Team Chris is really hot seemed to be awake or wandering the luxury quarters, he did see some light coming from some of the rooms, but he decided not to try his luck and simply made his way into the studio

Now inside he could breath a sigh of relief and shut off his mind from all the drama he had endured so far, thankfully the studio was soundproof so he wouldn’t have to worry about the noise as he played his heart out

Trent had always used his music as an outlet for his emotions, for a long time its what kept his sanity in check, without it he felt suffocated, he went to the back and sat on a stool, brought out his guitar and gently strummed his worries away

“I~~ wont deny the pain, I~~~ wont deny the change…. And should I fall from grace…. Here with you… will you leave me too~”

The raven haired poet sang to himself, thinking about where life had led him so far, thinking of his mistakes, of his regrets, but trying to find some hope in his heart

His mind went to Bridgette and Geoff, he had never said so, but he truly admired them, their commitment to one another, how even though things were tough they stuck by one another and did what they could to fix their relationship

He was happy for them… but sad for his own lack of romantic success, yeah, he might've dated here and there after he and Gwen broke up, but at the end of the day, nothing ever came of it

Every girl he met nowadays seemed to be some type of fangirl who saw him more as an object rather than his own person, he tried his best not to dwell on those things, he was still young and figuring things out… but yet he felt sadness within him, as if there was something just wrong with him

Unbeknown to him however, he was far from alone in the studio, he hadn't noticed it when he came into the room, but hiding behind a row of recording equipment was the resident goth of the show

Gwen wasn't expecting anybody in her team to make their way into the recording studio at this time, even worse she would've NEVER expected her former lover to sneak in

She was currently taking some time to reflect on herself and where she was mentally, some days had passed since things came to a head in Greece, and her and Duncan were going steady now, she felt happy being with her punk boyfriend, even if the guilt of betraying Courtney still lingered inside her

Not just that, she was dealing with feelings of guilt about what Bridgette had said to her at the end of the Brazil challenge, not that there was anything she could've done to stop Alejandro in that moment, but even if she did stop him, it might've been her who left the competition tonight instead of the surfer

For better or for worse they had won and would live another day to compete, she could stay with Duncan and keep doing her best to win it all, but this uneasiness wouldn't leave her, she felt herself being looked at as a bad person

All of Team Amazon probably despised her, and Sierra and Tyler probably didn't care for her much either, with the former still probably plotting her downfall, still being blamed for separating her from her obsession… Cody

Cody…. How sad it all was, at one point in time she would have been happy to be rid of him once and for all, it wasn't personal, but he just lacked self awareness, he was too clingy and inappropriate at times, he wasn't a bad guy, but he sure acted like a love struck idiot

It really was shocking to see him in the last two challenges, he still had his signature goofy smile and was prone to being quite silly in the way he interacted with his team… but there was something different

He seemed so much more focused than before, trying to be less pathetic, he seemed to be clinging to Heather now, which the goth could only assume was a recipe for disaster, he was clearly being toyed with by her… not that it was her business

But since their last conversation that fateful day he had stuck to his words, he simply walked away from her life and never looked back, maybe it was him finally being self aware of his actions, or perhaps he fell out of love with her due to her own sketchy actions… it made the goth feel uneasy with her own perception of herself, was she a bad person now?

Those uncomfortable thoughts would have to wait for now… as she did her best to sneak back out of the studio without being noticed by her ex, all she had to do is keep walking quietly and make sure not to knock anyth– *CRASH*

She didn't notice her hips accidentally knocking over a drumset, causing Trent to stop playing and stare at her wide eyed, the goth merely stood like a deer in headlights for a solid ten seconds before saying the first thing that came to her mind “heyyyy~~~~”

Trent merely stood still, perhaps it was the awkwardness of the whole situation or perhaps he feared what would happen if he was found alone in a sound proof room with his ex but one thing was clear to him “Uh…. i should go now” he started to put his guitar away as fast as he could while the goth remained standing next to the mess she made

“No no its ok i mean… you shouldnt be in here to begin with, but you're not really bothering anybody, that was a cool song by the way” poor Gwen was scrambling her words, quite unsure how to interact with Trent these days “uh thanks yeah, just been writing what i feel you know?” responded the panicked musician as he tried his best to leave the studio

In that moment Gwen felt how awkward things were between them, she was very much aware of the grief she had caused Trent in the past, in truth they hadn't really gotten closure over the whole ordeal, this made her sad deep inside to this day “Was ….. That song about me?” asked the goth while looking down, hiding her eyes with her bangs
This question stopped the musician in his tracks, he felt tense, a part of him not ready to have this conversation at this time, he knew his emotions would get the best of him… “No…. It's not just about you… it's about us” he responded without turning to face her “what about us?” countered the goth already feeling her emotions swelling with sadness

Trent turned to look at his ex, a cold unflinching gaze meeting her eyes "shouldn't you be with Duncan right now? If he comes in here he will probably get the wrong idea” his tone gave up a slight hint of hurt, trying his best to hide it with the harshness of his gaze “ive… been next to him everyday since i switched teams… i just needed a moment to be alone, to think, things haven't been easy for me lately Trent” answered the now sad looking girl giving her ex a harsh look of her own

“Right… ill leave you to it then” the musician turned back to walk to the door, ready to try and forget this interaction ever happened, it was easier than trying to find any sort of meaning to it “Trent!” however he once again stopped upon hearing the goth yell his name "I'm not going to apologize for dating Duncan, or for moving on…. I know what I did to Courtney is messed up and I'm still suffering for it, but I'm allowed to try and live my life and be with who I want to be, so why are you treating me like this? I thought we were cool!”

Gwen did her best to hold back tears of frustration, but she needed to speak her mind, she was tired of feeling so much anguish every day, even if the hate she received was justified or not “Gwen… i dont care that you moved on, I don't care that you're with Duncan… you left me and that was that…. It hurt me, it still does… but it's not about that, it's about the fact that our love wasn't strong enough to survive what was happening to us”
This statement left the goth speechless, she didn't truly understand the weight of her ex lover’s words and what it meant to him to finally speak his mind “Trent… what are you saying?” she approached him slowly, almost as if he would disappear if she acted to hastily

“The song I was singing… it's about accepting the end of us, about trying to grow and move on… no matter how much the memory of us haunts me… i don't hate you, i want you to be happy, but you've also changed, you're no longer the girl i met back in camp, and I'm not the same guy either…” Trent spoke the words he had wanted to say to his ex for a long time, trying his best to remain steady. “I just… wish we could have worked things out before, I thought what we had was special and strong enough to make it work back then… but I was wrong.” he flashed a sad smile as he looked her in the eyes, no matter what had happened between them, he would always care for the goth deep down

Gwen couldn't help but feel a strange sense of guilt and remorse for how things went down between the two of them, truthfully she was thankful for his honesty, it was probably really hard for him to admit these things to the girl who broke his heart… it would always be one of her greatest regrets… hurting the sweetest guy she had met through this whole experience

With no other words to exchange for now, Trent opened the door and left, having left behind all those feelings of anguish and regrets in the room with the pale beauty, from now on he would keep moving forward… if there were truly somebody out there for him, he would find her when the time was right…

Gwen remained in the studio with the lights dimmed, she sat back down and clutched her legs in her arms, it seemed like things probably got even messier if that was even possible, but at least now she understood more about her ex lover than before “Trent….”

Economy Cabin 1:35AM

The raven haired musician made his way back to his assigned cabin and sat back down on his claimed chair. He looked up at the ceiling of the aircraft and let out a sigh, “I guess it's what I get for sneaking around…” he lamented while closing his eyes, an unsure pain in his heart making it hard for him to settle into a comfortable state of mind

What if he never moved on from the heart break? Was he destined to just feel the hole in his heart grow? Was he not good enough to find that which he was missing? He hated the thought, he should be happy by himself before he even thought of moving on, if there were only a sign for him…

“I~ wont deny the pain…. I~ wont deny the change…” the tortured artist froze in that moment, somebody had entered the economy cabin, they were singing in a low sweet tone, almost like an angel delicately watching over the cabin

those were the lyrics he had written, and they were being sung in the right melody he composed, he recognized the voice… “and should i fall from grace… here with you… will you leave me too?” the voice continued the sweet melody, as they moved to a chair a couple of rows in front of the raven haired musician

Trent didnt move or make his presence known, he merely laid in his spot unmoving, he didnt know how to feel or what to say, it confused him, how could she know his song? And why did he feel happy about it… in that moment all he could do was smile to himself and whisper her name “Lindsay…”

Economy Cabin 2:35AM

Time had slipped from Cody and Heather’s hands, their conversation lasting far longer than they had anticipated, not that they were complaining, there was just something about the gentle hum of the aircraft filling the silence of the endless sky, it made it easier for them to talk about everything and nothing

Cody had learned a lot about the queen bee so far, from simple things such as her favorite foods, her favorite colors and outfits, to who she liked and disliked at her school, they spoke about pets and favorite tv shows and movies, their regrets and hopes

Heather had also learned plenty about Cody, him being more willing to share certain personal details, he lived with his parents back in Toronto, he was a pretty good student but not the most popular, even having been part of Total Drama and a band he still struggled being accepted it seemed

He also spoke about how lonely he was growing up, apparently something had happened to his family when he was still young… it changed his parents deeply, unsure of how to deal with things they retreated back into their jobs… making Cody grow up more or less without much support from them

His family was pretty well off all things considered and he never suffered for any material things in his life, but he did lack the one thing he needed… love
It put things into perspective, it made sense why he was the way he was, never fitting in and trying to be something he wasn't, he was looking for affection in places he wasn't going to find it, it took Gwen and Duncan’s shocking betrayal of Courtney to understand the truth of his behavior, it made him want to stop following that path he had set out on

The brunette beauty queen understood how much it meant for him to open up to her, it was clear it wasn't easy for him to say how he felt out loud, but he decided to trust her, regardless if she backstabbed him or not, it was a show of good faith on his behalf

Once they had made it inside the cabin, they shared one last look, hopeful to make a comeback next challenge, they both knew they would give it their all, it was a silent promise in their eyes

The queen be reached her seat first and looked back at her friend with a kind smile “Goodnight punchy… sleep well” Cody looked back at the brunette, he had learned so much about her yet so much still remained a mystery, he was thankful she was opening up to him, every time she looked at him it made him feel capable of taking on the world “Goodnight Heather..” he left to his own seat and laid down, ready for tomorrow…

Pilot’s cockpit 7:10AM

Chef hatchett had a hard job, he had to coordinate the construction of the challenges, cook for the whole crew of contestants and interns, he had to pilot the jumbo jet every single day and night hardly getting any sleep or rest, quite frankly he was tired of all the nonsense he had to put up with daily
Not to mention having to deal with the absolute nightmare of a boss Chris Mclean, one of the most sadistic and evil bastards he had come across in his life, and he had been to war, so that's saying something

And now here he was flying through the morning skies, still some hours away from the next destination, all he wanted was to close his eyes and relax… however suddenly a monitor flashed on with loud static “CHEF!..... ARE WE THERE YET!?” of course that idiot Chris was being impatient…

“We should be there in another 9 hours, so quit your complaining, im the one flying this thing” barked back Chef with his signature annoyance, honestly who could blame him “all right all right sheesh somebody is moody, ill buy you an espresso when we land” responded the host trying to calm down his partner

“Whatever, i spoke to my buddy, he said its all ready for us when we arrive” said Chef trying to regain his stoic composure, he had to pull some strings with the local government and an old war buddy of his for the next challenge

“Perfect, heheh cant wait to get there, now if you dont mind, i got a meeting with the hot tub, talk to you later chef” chef breath a sigh of relief not having to hear that grating voice any longer

Just a couple more hours and he would be able to relax while those kids competed, if only they knew what awaited them, maybe a million dollars was way too little reward for surviving what awaited them in ITALY

Author Notes

Well, this was quite a dramatic chapter, we got witness Trent and Gwen confront their past, it was a hard conversation to have and i doubt this is the end of it, but maybe its the first steps to move on from their past

Just as well we saw more Cody and Heather bonding, it seems like she is still unwilling to bare her soul to him, but she is still willing to start trusting him more, its like she is able to be more her true self when not feeling the pressure of the competition, but many mysteries still surround her

The way im trying to write Cody’s back story will start making more sense as time goes on, maybe there is a link to Heather somewhere, some sort of connection they can bond over in the future, if only they allow themselves to truly trust one another

Speaking of trust, how did Lindsay know that song? We will see things from her point of view soon, she still has a lot to go through and more growing to do, but with the support of those around her maybe she will be fine

As for next chapter, we will make our way to another brand new location, ITALY, im excited to write this upcoming challenge, maybe a couple of you will recognize the inspiration for this one pretty quickly, just be assured that more drama and more peril awaits the cast

As always thank you very much for reading, i truly appreciate all of you who give this story a chance, i hope youre enjoying it, im always looking forward to hearing from all of you, so let me know what you think :)

Chapter Text

Sneaking and Learning

Economy Cabin 12:00AM

Before we get ahead of ourselves lets rewind a bit, that same night right before the rest of Team Amazon decided to venture around the rest of the jumbo jet one ditzy blonde had gone ahead of the rest and made her way into first class

Lindsay had felt she had been putting off doing something she felt necessary, with tonight's events making things very clear to her that unresolved issues could lead to very painful feelings down the line… poor Bridgette…

So as soon as the rest of her team had claimed their own space in the cold and dark cabin she slowly dropped to the floor and sneaked around making sure nobody woke up (funnily enough nobody was asleep to begin with)

First Class Cabin 12:05AM

Once upstairs in the superior cabin the blonde sweetheart couldn't help but miss being surrounded by the luxurious accommodations, she really wished she could get a pedicure while she ate cookies and watched her favorite shows, if anything this motivated her to try harder next time.

As she slowly and silently walked through the cabin trying to reach the bedrooms, something occurred to her…. HOW WAS SHE GOING TO KNOW WHICH DOOR WAS HER TARGET!?

Lindsay wasn't a genius by any means but you'd think she would've thought about it before making her way up there, it seemed it was time to abort the mission it would have to wait there's no other way she could possibly—

*door opens*

A grumpy looking sierra wearing a facial cleanse mask pokes her head out while eating a cookie staring directly at Lindsay as she chews and leans against the door frame "I thought it was Cody for a second but your footsteps were off” spoke the fangirl in a calm and whispered manner

Lindsay just stood in place unsure of what to say, in all honesty it was pretty insane she had been found so easily and so quickly, a bit anti climactic really “well im tired and you're not a handsome canadian hunk by the name of Cody soooooo im going back to bed” Sierra turned to go back in her room not really minding the blonde wandering around the luxury cabin “Um Sierra do you know which—”

Without skipping a beat the fangirl responds in a very clinical manner “this side of the hallway is me then Gwen and the last door is Alejandro, that side is Tyler and then Duncan, Good night”

*door closes*

Well… that worked out pretty well, no need to guess anymore “im like really good at being sneaky!” whispered the clueless blonde to herself now making her way to her destination, needless to say things were about to get dramatic…

Tyler’s room 12:10AM

Tyler felt tired, not because of the competition, hell he could compete all day, no matter the challenge he would dominate over everybody, he would never get tired at ALL…. is what he told himself

But in all realness, the reason for the wannabe jock’s exhaustion was very much emotional and mental turmoil, it had been some time since he spoke to Lindsay, and quite frankly it had gone terribly wrong… he didn't understand what he did wrong, he acted the same way he did before…

He remembered just feeling confused by her reaction, she seemed so distressed out of nowhere, he thought he could fix things once she cooled off, but the opportunity never came, even after Alejandro said he had spoken to her Lindsay never came to him, instead she seemed even more distant, hanging around Heather who he was more than sure wouldn’t end well

Alejandro had implied that he helped her see the error of her ways and convinced her to go back to him but… something about that just seemed off, in fact many things seemed off ever since he got close to the spaniard, sure the guy was very good at competing and was a natural leader, he was always charismatic and smooth and quite smart..

But he also felt like something was wrong, as if he was hiding something at all times, there was a darkness to him that made Tyler second guess his actions, it was very evident in the last challenge and how far he had gone to goad Bridgette into throwing the challenge

And after it was all done he simply walked away without a second thought, simply came back into first class, got a massage and went to bed… barely addressing the rest of his team, as if he was above explanations for his actions.

*knock knock*

His thoughts on his team mate would have to wait however, since there was somebody at his door at this time, Tyler rose from his bed and put on his track suit jacket on to answer the door, a bit confused on who could possibly want to speak to him right now, never expecting to see Lindsay at his door… not that he was complaining

“Lindsay!” he couldn't believe his luck, maybe he had been too quick to judge Alejandro, just as he said she came to him this time

However, Lindsay wasn't there for any funny business she knew she was there to clear the air and be honest with the athlete "Hi Tyler, can we talk?” she asked with a determined expression, this was long overdue

“Sure, sure come in make yourself comfortable” however the blonde didn't move, she stayed standing on the doorway looking at Tyler before speaking once more “Tyler… please promise me were just going to talk, I don't want to kiss or anything like that” the look on Lindsay’s face was serious and somb to er, Tyler understood at that moment that this was very important to the blonde
“Lindsay… i promise, we can just talk, i would never do anything to hurt you” responded the athlete letting Lindsay enter his room as he shut the door, she walked to the other side of the room and sat on the corner of the bed, she seemed as if she was still trying to find her words, whatever they were Tyler could see her inner turmoil

“So what's up Lindsay how are you?” asked Tyler trying his best to break the ice as he smiled at her while still standing on the other side of the room, trying to make her feel safe and comfortable being in his room

Lindsay took a deep breath and relaxed as she started twirling her hair on her finger "I'm like good, it's been a very weird couple of days. I'm sad Bridgette left, but the rest of my team isn't bad… me and Heather finally spoke and she apologized for treating me so like bad before” Tyler couldn't believe what he heard, granted its not like he had interacted with the queen bee much in the past, but he was very much aware of her actions and how manipulative and evil she could be “wow, i mean you think you can trust her?” answered the jock with clear worry in his voice

“I think i can, i think she’s changing, she seems different than before, like less angry…. But im not here to talk about her” responded the blonde now sitting up a bit more firm and focusing on Tyler “ive been like thinking a lot, and i owe you an explination, cuz like i reacted very weirdly before, i think i should be clear with you about how i feel” the athlete listened carefully, with worry filling his face as he heard what the beautiful girl in front of him would say

“Tyler, i think youre a great guy, youre funny and sweet, and i know you try your best at anything you do, its why i thought you were cute when i met you… and im like soooooo sorry i kept forgetting you” continued the blonde, acknowledging her biggest regret when it came to him, a part of her hated herself for hurting him and how clueless she could be, something she kept trying to change about herself, she wanted to be better.

“But like I don't think we really work together, we don't know each other…. all we ever did was make out” and there it was, Lindsay was speaking her mind on the relationship they shared, Tyler understood now this wasn't a reconciliation…. It was a break up

He felt very hurt and fell to his knees while listening to the blonde’s words “I don't understand… Are you saying you don't like me anymore?” Lindsay started to feel bad for him, but she knew it would be a painful conversation, but this was necessary “I’m so sorry, but like i think you and me just aren't meant to be…. i feel awful for hurting you over and over, but it's what's best for us”

Tyler was in disbelief, he never thought things would go this way, it felt like a nightmare, it hurt him deeply, he thought he and Lindsay could finally start dating and could possibly win Total Drama together but now… it was over

The blonde stood up, doing her best to keep her resolve “Im like still learning a lot about myself, what i want and like what i want to do with my life, Beth has been showing me i can do more than just be pretty, i want to keep growing and find out what im good at, im sorry Tyler” Lindsay knew she was hurting him and it felt bad but its what needed to be done

“Lindsay… im sorry, about that night at camp, and not being good enough for you…” the brown haired athlete was now in a very depressed state, but he held true to his word, he wouldn't take it out on the ditzy blonde, he may not be that bright but he knows better than to be a total jerk “Tyler its not about you being good enough or not, it's about finding something or someone that truly gets you….and you're a good boy, i know you will find it too” added Lindsay while walking up to him and hugging him

“Thanks… you have changed in many ways Linds, but you're still the sweetest girl” Tyler hugged her back, trying his best to be gracious in this break up, he admitted to himself deep down that she was right, a relationship built purely on the physical wasn't meant to last

They broke the hug and Lindsay went towards the door to leave, having done what she set out to do, she was very grateful to Tyler for listening to her and handling things in a mature way, and now she didn't carry the weight of guilt or insecurity within her, she could start growing and finding her way from here on out

As he saw the blonde leave his room Tyler went back to his bed and laid down, it would take some time but he would learn to live without her, they did have their good times… even if they were far and few between“Aw Lindsay….i’ll talk to Alejandro tomorrow maybe he will know what to say to make me feel better…”

First class Cabin 1:12AM

Having completed her mission Lindsay walked back once again silently through the Luxury cabin doing her best not to alert anybody else of her presence, it was already awkward when it happened once but she had to make sure that— “Oh Lindsay before you go, i think Trent is in the recording studio you should also tell him to go before he gets in trouble, im pretty sure i also saw Gwen go in there earlier, things could get loud and ugly if Duncan finds out…. But I guess that's what that boyfriend stealer deserves… Anyway, goodnight!” Once again Sierra had walked past the ditzy blonde holding a glass of water and going into her room… it was uncanny how that girl was so aware of her surroundings

However it was a good idea to grab her team mate and go back to their own cabin, the last thing they needed was to get in trouble AND start a fight with Duncan

Lindsay made her way towards the recording studio door and opened it slowly, hoping that she wasn't about to witness any infidelity from the goth… but then again Trent wasn't the type of guy who would kiss a girl who already had a boyfriend… right?

Her train of thought was interrupted as she gazed inside the room and saw the raven haired musician playing his song, he seemed to be in his own world, he was wearing a sad smile as he strummed his guitar and sang “I~~ wont deny the pain, I~~~ wont deny the change…. And should I fall from grace…. Here with you… will you leave me too~”

Lindsay stood still peaking into the room and taking in the melody note by note, her eyes were fixated on how Trent would get lost in the music, changing chords and keeping the melody going, she was witnessing his passion for music through her own eyes, a part of her wanting to understand that feeling further

*CRASH*

“EEP!” The sudden loud noise had made the ditzy blonde shut the door and hold in a scream with all her willpower hoping not to wake up the rest of Team Chris is really hot… well apart from Sierra and Tyler who was most likely still awake, but she couldn't just leave without Trent!

She opened the door slightly once again, this time bearing witness to Gwen yelling at her ex boyfriend “-why are you treating me like this, i thought we were–” the blonde once again shut the door “I….. Really shouldn't be listening to this, it feels wrong” she thought to herself as she backed away from the door slowly, she was stopped in her tracks however when she backed into somebody standing right behind her… what now?

“I think you're lost Barbie” spoke a rough sounding voice, the blonde turned around hoping she was wrong about the person she had just heard speak “DUNCAN!” oh no oh no, this can get ugly fast
“What you doing up here? you lost the challenge you're supposed to be downstairs with the rest of your team” Lindsay had to think fast, she had to do something to keep him from walking in on Trent and Gwen, regardless of what was going on she knew things could get bad

Only thing that came to mind at this very moment was to play into her reputation for being an airhead “Whaaaaaat? No way? I thought my room was up here? Are you sure silly billy?” this merely made the criminal punk raise his eyebrow in annoyance, he had originally come out to find his girl, it had been a while since she went out to ‘get some air’... as if such a thing was possible inside an airplane

But he wanted to respect her boundaries and let her do what she had to do, she had been through so much these days, and quite frankly he also needed some space for a sec, but he was ready to go to bed and he wanted his girl by his side
“Yeah yeah, go back to your cabin, I'm too sleepy to deal with this…” said the punk as he walked past her towards the studio door “oh are you looking for Greta? She went to her room, she said hi and that i had to go to my cabin too isn't that weird?” this stopped Duncan in his tracks as he turned around and looked back at Lindsay “Gwen went to her room? What the hell! I thought she wanted to cuddle to sleep tonight!” the punk started walking to the goth’s empty room now also annoyed at this point “oh wait uhhhh you should leave her alone for now she uhhhh has problems”

Duncan was getting suspicious of how the blonde ‘genius’ was acting, she was definitely hiding something from him, it was obvious “well if she’s in trouble i DEFINITELY have to see if she’s fine” he started walking even faster towards the goth’s room making Lindsay panic further, thankfully she thought of the one excuse every girl could count on in times of need…

“Wait!.... Uhm you know, it's that type of trouble” Duncan looked back once again “huh?” the blonde ran up to the punk and whispered something in his ear, making him widen his eyes “ooooooooohhhh…. I see.. Yeah im gonna let her rest, dont wanna be around when she gets in a mood, thanks for the warning barbie, goodnight and get outta here” the punk finally relaxed and went back to his own room, Lindsay stood still until he disappeared from sight

She let out a sigh of relief and sat down at one of the chairs in the cabin to catch her breath for a couple of minutes, being sneaky was seriously stressful “Lindsay?” GOD DAMMIT “oh hi Greta, is this economy class?”
She hadn't noticed but shortly after she sat down Trent had left in a hurry and not long after the goth came out as well walking towards her room and noticing the blonde sitting by herself very stressed
“Uhh no it's not, you're supposed to be down in economy… whatever goodnight” Gwen simply dismissed the clearly insane girl and walked towards her own room, evidently not in the mood for anything other than sleep

“...i suck at sneaking” thought Lindsay to herself giving up on being quiet, she just walked back down to her cabin exhausted with her late night escapade, only one thing remained in her mind… that beautiful song Trent was singing

Something about his words, or maybe the soft guitar playing the melody, it was almost as if it reassured her that even when her heart was broken or if she felt lost… things would be ok

Economy Cabin 1:35AM

As the blonde walked slowly towards her own space in the cabin, she kept subconsciously humming the melody she heard earlier, even remembering the lyrics little by little “I~~ wont deny the pain, I~~~ wont deny the change…. And should I fall from grace…. Here with you… will you leave me too~” she sat down and laid back on her seat, closing her eyes and slowly letting sleep take her as she sang

However a sleepy sounding voice rang out during the serene melody “Lindsay?” it was a certain CIT laying at the back of the cabin making herself known “yeah Courtney?” answered the ditzy blonde “shut up i want to sleep” welp… what else did she expect

Common area 3:30PM

After the hectic night the many members of Team Amazon had experienced (mainly Lindsay) they took it easy for the rest of the flight to the next challenge, Cody and Trent were hanging out and talking reminiscing about their band days, while Courtney was nearby drinking a coffee and writing down contingency plans in case they were to face elimination once more, she seemed to be even more fired up to compete now that Bridgette was gone

Meanwhile Heather was sitting on a Bean bag relaxing and thinking of the previous night, a part of her wanting to go up to Cody and ask him for another one of those milk and honey tea’s he made… those things were good

“Hi Heather, whatcha doing?” Her thoughts were interrupted by Lindsay’s arrival, ever since she apologized it seemed like the blonde was eager to hang around her more often, perhaps it was some lingering craving for friendship between the two of them, or something else less complex, all that mattered was the fact that the blonde airhead seemed comfortable hanging around her once more

“Hey, you slept in quite a bit huh” asked the queen bee with a relaxed expression “oh i was very very tired hehe” Heather raised an eyebrow and gave an amused expression “riiiight~…. So what were you doing upstairs in first class”

“Oh I was just breaking up with — hey! How did you know” In all honesty Lindsay was seriously not cut out for spying or sneaking around it seemed “Lindsay… i was sitting across from you in the cabin, i saw you go upstairs before me and Cody—“ it was heathers turn to be caught off guard, this time by her own words

“Wait wait wait, before you and Cody what??” Lindsay now wore a teasing smile on her face as she questioned her team mate about the night's events “it's nothing! It's none of your business!” Responded the brunette betraying a blush appearing on her cheeks

Lindsay couldn't help but giggle at her reaction, this time around it was proving way too fun to tease Heather “OMG you're like totally blushing right now” the queen bee couldn't help but hide her face in her hands trying to deny the blonde’s accusations “agh im not blushing its just the altitude”

Lindsay was truly enjoying playfully teasing the brunette, kind of like a harmless form of payback “enough about that, you said you went up to first class to break up?” the queen bee had enough of the blonde’s teasing and tried to bring the conversation to a focused state “oh yeah, i spoke to Tyler and like i told him we were over, im not ready to date or anything like that” Lindsay matched Heather’s serious tone and explained the previous night’s events… while leaving out everything that happened after she left Tyler’s room

“good!, your focus should be on yourself right now, not in some wannabe pro athlete that can't tie his own shoes” she wouldn't admit it but she felt proud for Lindsay, she was finally also taking things seriously and learning to be more self aware “but also, did you tell him about Alejandro trying to get into your head?”

The ditsy blonde blinked twice while looking at Heather “ooooooooooooohhh thats what i was forgetting hehe” it seemed that the queen bee had spoken too soon, but it was hard not to be endeared by the blonde’s charm
Heather merely grabbed the bridge of her nose in slight frustration“Ugh of course, im hoping they get rid of that guy before the merge, it would make things so much easier once he’s not around messing with people” this talk would have to wait however as suddenly the speakers came to life with an announcement

“Listen up maggots, were coming in for a landing so buckle up and shut up!”

Chef seemed to be in a very bad mood, but the heads up was truly appreciated, the aircraft started descending towards the airport in beautiful Italy

Florence Italy 4:00PM

The contestants made their way out of the jumbo jet in an orderly fashion while admiring the beautiful sights around them, there was something almost soothing to the feel of the architecture and tranquility in the air

“You know, it's places like this that make you happy you're participating in this show” spoke Gwen while taking in her surroundings, the artist in her feeling tremendously inspired being in one of the most beautiful places on earth “I couldn't agree more my pale friend, Italy is truly a magical place, my family would vacation here in florence when i was growing up” responded Alejandro walking beside the goth and her boyfriend

“Right, thanks for the story we didn't ask for AL” responded the punk not hiding his dislike, he hadn't slept that well the previous night and seemed generally irritated by the Spaniard's presence “Duncan mi amigo, what seems to be the problem?” question Alejandro, his voice barely betraying his irritation to being called by that dreadful nickname “look im all for doing what you gotta do to win… but that was just plain scummy dude, Geoff is a cool dude all things considered, so yeah i kind of have a problem with how you do things”

Alejandro merely chuckled “right, because you've never done anything scummy right Duncan?… instead of complaining about my methods why not thank me for winning the challenge, or better yet, help me win today as well so that neither you or your girlfriend leave today” his expression remained smug and sure of himself, not backing down from the delinquent’s attempt of intimidation
“Tell you what mi amigo, i promise not to get rid of either of you if you promise to vote with me even after we merge” the smug spaniard put his cards on the table, he wanted to ally with Duncan knowing he was a strong competitor capable of doing what needed to be done

Gwen merely observed the interaction between the two of them unsure of what to make of such brazen display of nefarious intentions, she had a gut feeling this would not end well for them, but what else could they do, it seemed like Alejandro already had Sierra and Tyler in his pocket…

“Tsk… fine whatever, but if you try backstabbing us, ill make sure you live long enough to regret it” Duncan shook hands with the Spaniard forming quite a dangerous alliance, the question remained however… Who would betray who first?

The contestants were all loaded into a bus and taken for a drive to the outskirts of the city, as they drove further out, they all noticed a massive tower in the distance, however this marvel of architecture was not one any of them had previously seen before, it was made out of dark stone bricks and looked almost medieval, and it was built at the edge of a cliff, the only other building nearby being a small and humble pizzeria with a cartoon chef on its sign that read Peppino’s Pizza

Outskirts of Florence 5:30PM

Once they arrived at their destination they all made their way into the small restaurant where Chris Mclean was waiting for them, the host w was wearing a chef’s outfit of way better quality than the one Chef hatchet usually wears
“Welcome all to beautiful Italy, a place of culture, history, and some of the best food in the world!” spoke the host addressing both teams with his usual animated tone and practiced smile "Today's challenge brings us to one of Italy’s premier restaurants, often cited as being the home of the best pizza in the world, Peppino’s Pizza!”

“Really? This dumpy little restaurant has the best pizza in the world?, i seriously doubt that” spoke Courtney already criticizing the humble establishment “Oh Courtney, as cheerful and bubbly as ever i see” responded Chris with an obviously sarcastic tone

Chris continued his explanation “As i was saying, this beautiful restaurant here belongs to a good friend of Chef hatchet, so he is letting us film here today, however the challenge will not take place here” upon saying this, the host pulled on a rope revealing an open window facing the previously mentioned dark tower

“Wait wait wait… chef has friends?” spoke Duncan making the rest of the cast chuckle at his remark, and earning a glare from Chris for interrupting his hosting duties

“For today’s challenge all of you will be tasked with going inside the legendary pizza tower and finding the 5 legendary toppings for the perfect pizza, once you do, you will bring them here for chef peppino to make his signature P rank pizza” as the host explained the rules a somewhat short man appeared behind him, looking a bit nervous and camera shy but still doing his best to remain cordial to the contestants “welcome to my ah-restaurant, for youre-ah challenge the toppings you have to-ah find are Mushroom, Cheese, Tomato, Sausage, and ah-Pineapple” the nervous chef spoke with a thick italian accent and in an awkward way but over all he seemed like a friendly guy

“I doubt it's the best pizza in the world if it has pineapple” commented Tyler, who clearly was in the pineapple hater camp
“Whaaat OMG stop i love pineapple pizza, its so nice when its sweet and salty” countered Lindsay already giddy to try this so called delicacy

Chris adjusted his hat and spoke once again“Once inside the tower you will have a 1 hour time limit to find all the toppings and escape the tower or else, something seriously gnarly could happen to you heheh” that messed up laugh of his was all they needed to hear to know that whatever awaited inside the tower was no laughing manner

Upon explaining the dangers of the tower the host had a couple of interns wheel out a couple of wooden crates“You have 10 minutes to get ready and get any supplies you might need from these here crates, make sure you're prepared because once you're inside finding the way out will prove quite tricky”

Having finished the explanation both teams went over to their crates to look at the so called supplies

Heather was the first to look into Team Amazon’s crate “Giant forks, giant spoons, flash lights, walkie talkies, a jacket, and a red and white mushroom…. I mean i get why we would need some of this but why the mushroom” Trent walked up to the queen bee while also taking a look inside the box "There's also a bunch of cans of spaghetti, man you'd think being here in Italy they would have more authentic cuisine than pizza and pasta”

Cody also approached the box and took out a can of spaghetti “I mean it sorta makes sense, what says Italian food more than spaghetti and meatballs?” the nerd wasn't wrong but not exactly right either “more importantly, who knows what's inside that creepy looking tower, so once inside lets try and stay together, last thing we need is anyone getting hurt” said Cody as he addressed the rest of his team

“Yeah i agree, and lets try to stay clear of those jerks in the other team, we don't need a repeat from last challenge” added Courtney while glaring at Team Chris is really hot, between Alejandro, Gwen and Duncan she knew the best course of action was to not engage them, she had too many feelings involved and did not want to succumb to them like Bridgette had

“Allright time is up, were all ready to get this pizza party started” Chris opened the doors to the restaurant, the infamous Pizza Tower in the horizon waiting for the contestants to dare to enter

Both teams grabbed all the tools they could equip on themselves and lined up at the exit of the restaurant
Cody looked at his team, every single one of them ready to give it their all, ready to win this for Bridgette“Remember guys, stick together”

Trent gripped the giant staff sized fork in his hands as he nodded, with Lindsay standing next to him holding a spoon of similar size, possibly thinking about how it would be like to eat an ice cream scoop with it

“Dont gotta tell me twice, we're gonna win this one!” responded Courtney, while strapping on a back pack full of cans and other knick knacks from the crate, making sure to look towards Gwen who also happened to look in her direction at the same time, they shared a momentary glance at one another, with both girls having the same desperation to not lose today

Heather stood next to Cody, she was more than sure it would be a hard and dangerous challenge, however now more than ever she felt victory would be theirs today, that spark they had both lid in one another was burning with confidence and drive today, and these challenges always displayed their drive to win and trust in one another
“Lets win punchy, i wanna sleep in a bed tonight” spoke the queen bee while sharing a smile with the chestnut haired nerd

Chris was amused at the competitive edge in the air, he stepped to the side letting the sunset hit his back while he got ready to start the challenge “Aww yeah, i like the way you all look ready to take on the world, so, on your marks….. Get set…. GO!!!!!”

Both teams immediately broke into a sprint and headed towards the ominous tower “you know, Mr Mclean… that place is very-ah dangerous” spoke the nervous looking chef peppino as he stood by the host watching the contestants run

“Hehe im counting on it chef peppino” chuckled the host as he walked towards the back of the restaurant, where he had installed several monitors and a giant console with many buttons and switches
“I’ll make sure things get funky in there heheh” Chris would make sure it wouldn't be an easy challenge….

Author Notes

And so the contestants begin their new dangerous challenge, they will face the dangerous tower and all its traps and obstacles inside

This chapter was fun to write, the first half with Lindsay was a very much needed other side of the events from chapter 10, she finally got to speak to Tyler and clear the air, maybe from here they will both be able to grow and find what they really need

I also enjoyed writing the interaction between Lindsay and Heather, they share a very charming dynamic, and im very much looking forward to exploring it

Things seemed to come to a stand still between Duncan and Alejandro, it seems to me like Alejandro has the upper hand when it comes to being able to get rid of either Gwen or Duncan, so for now they all have to play nice

Next chapter will be focused on the action and the many twists that can happen inside the tower, hopefully they manage to stick together and not get lost, relationships will be tested, and they will have to give it their all to make it out in time

Thank you so much for reading, I'm looking forward to you all enjoying this chapter and everything else to come, please let me know what you think and leave a review :)

Chapter Text

Danger and Determination

Both teams had begun the challenge in an energetic sprint, the competitive edge was at an all time high, every move, every decision was crucial, as they approached the imposing tower they all started running up the hill overlooking a river, the closer they got to the tower its massive scale became more apparent than before

As they neared the wide open entrance Courtney spoke up“What even is this place, I've only ever heard of the tower of pisa, not whatever this is, it looks so scary and dirty, which is usual for this show, but i cant believe they would build this for this stupid show” she wasn't wrong, the tower looked in rough shape, and absolutely massive, it wasn't something the Total Drama crew could've possibly commissioned to be built in such short notice, Trent responded promptly to the CIT as they finally reached the massive door “We’ll have to ask that italian chef once were done, lets just head in and look for the ingredients”

While Team Amazon were discussing the impossibility of such an architectural wonder, both teams t managed to reach the massive entrance to the tower… which was closed “ugh great, looks like mclean forgot to leave the door open, and there's no way we're moving those massive doors” complained Duncan while he caught his breath and leaned against a massive staff sized butter knife he had grabbed from one of the containers

“Maybe there's a password or something?” responded Cody also catching his breath and walking up to the entrance looking for any indication on how to access the inside
No sooner than he touched the giant wooden door, it shot open causing the nerd to fall forward, bringing forth a laugh from the criminal as he walked over him “heh thanks for opening it for me, you'll probably be a great door man for the building ill buy once i win this” this angered Cody, there was just something about Duncan that made his blood boil anytime they interacted, without even hesitating he grabbed onto the punk’s ankle causing him to fall forwards “you cant even win a court case much less this competition dumbass” he responded as Trent and Heather helped him up to his feet, both of them holding back their laughter to Cody’s response

Gwen rushed to help Duncan up to his feet, as Alejandro made his way towards the commotion that was occurring “everybody please settle down, the challenge is finding some ingredients, not fighting each other, how about you all go in first, no hard feelings” spoke the tanned hunk helping Gwen bring Duncan to his feet, it was pretty evident Cody had managed to piss off the lovely couple

Heather narrowed her eyes at Alejandro “I think we will, just stay out our way!” she responded as she made her way into the dark interior of the tower with the rest of her team following suit “how come you just let them go ahead of us?” asked Tyler as he approached him “heh, my dear naive Tyler, if there's any traps ahead they’ll trigger them and we will be free to avoid them”

The jock merely looked at his team mate with disbelief, he personally would've never thought of that. Alejandro sure impressed him every day, its as if he’s always thinking of ways to pull one over the other team

Tower lobby area 1hour remaining
Team Amazon had gone ahead and walked into the dark corridor ahead of them, the walls were decorated with bizarre paintings, all of them different parodies of famous works of art but with pizza somehow inserted into it, like monalisa holding a slice, or a man screaming because the cheese on his pizza was very hot… quite frankly it was pretty stupid

“Hehehe, these paintings are like kind of funny” mentioned Lindsay as she illuminated them with her flash light “ you ask me the real funny thing was watching Duncan fall face first into the dirt” chirped back Courtney with a devious smile, any time she saw her ex in pain it brought her immense satisfaction

“I have to agree with you on that one, good going dude” agreed Trent while shining his light ahead, it was seriously bizarre how dark and mysterious the interior of the tower was, so speaking about Duncan getting hurt was helping them remain calm in such a scary place, it also boosted Cody’s self esteem to be praised by his team for standing up for himself, something he was still getting used to doing

“Everybody shut up, i see something ahead” yelled the queen bee, bringing her team’s focus towards an elevator door at the end of the hallway “that seems convenient, lets head in” spoke Cody as he made his way inside the out of place looking modern elevator

The rest of his team joined him inside, and for as big as the tower was there were only 5 floors available to pick plus a basement “what do you guys think, what floor should we head to first?” asked the raven haired musician unsure of where to start "I say we head to the 5th floor and make our way down” proposed Courtney to the rest of her team’s agreement “hmph thats not a bad idea, that way once we find everything we need we just head out” answered Heather in a rare show of support for the CIT

5th floor 53 minutes remaining

*elevator ding*

Once they stepped out from the elevator they were greeted by a massive open room with two very distinct and delicious looking portabella mushrooms on a stone table in the middle being illuminated by spot light

Team Amazon stood in silence looking at the mushrooms and looking around the room, everything was very quiet and the air was still, it was only when Courtney spoke up that the silence was broken “so….. This is obviously a trap right?” asked the sharp witted girl, earning a wave of agreement to her statement by the rest of her team

“Lets spread around the room and look for anything that looks dangerous or any other hidden traps “ added Cody while he walked towards the other side of the room, using his flashlight on the walls

Heather also started looking around the room for any possible traps or mechanisms that would give away what was in store for them if they triggered it “The question is how are we gonna grab it without triggering any–”

*Elevator Ding*

Sadly the queen bee wouldn't be able to finish her statement as Team Chris is really hot stepped out from the elevator and joined them in the open room “Hey guys look, I see some mushrooms!” yelled an enthusiastic Tyler as he rushed to grab the ingredient on the table

“TYLER NO HAGAS ESO IDIOTA” screamed Alejandro trying his best to stop his team mate from making such a massive mistake, however it was too little too late, the wannabe athlete had made it to the table and grabbed one of the mushrooms, which in turn made the table collapse and trigger the room to start shaking “uh sorry dude i dont speak spanish” needless to say, Tyler’s excuse was no good

While both teams spread around the room and were bracing themselves for whatever would happen the room stopped shaking “huh nothing happened?” asked Gwen, getting closer to the space where the stone table stood before and now a single mushroom remained. “That's ours!” yelled Courtney suddenly appearing behind the goth shoving her out of the way and grabbing the ingredient

Needless to say this didn't please Duncan one bit. “Hey, don't start a fight with–ahhhhhhhhh” the punk wasn't able to finish his statement before the floor beneath him gave out and he fell down a dark hole

Before anybody could process what had just happened the floor disappeared from beneath everybody where they stood and they all fell into different holes, the only thing being heard was the terrified screams of both teams, all of them unsure of where they would end up

Basement 49 minutes remaining

“AHHHHHHHH!!!!! I DONT WANNA DIE!!!” screamed Lindsay as she fell out of a hole in the wall of the basement of the tower and crashed to the dirt floor “owwww my butt!” she winced in pain as she stood up and took in her surroundings thankfully she managed to hold onto her flash light and giant spoon as she fell, but now it seemed she was separated from the rest of her team

“Ok ok ok, dont panic… im like good at sneaking around, i can totally find a way out” spoke the ditzy blonde doing her best to reassure herself, hopefully she could find her way– “WAHHHH!!!!” screamed Trent as he crashed into the floor next to the blonde making her scream as well from being startled “Omg Trent are you ok?”

The musician merely held a thumbs up and laid on the floor catching his breath for a moment, thankful not to be falling anymore, no matter what happened in the show he was still terrified of falling just as much as always, however the surprises were far from over, as somebody else fell from a hole on the roof of the cavernous place they were now in

“DEAR LORD!!!!” Now it was Tyler who fell face first into the hard ground leaving an imprint on the dirt, Lindsay rushed over to her ex flame to make sure he was ok as well “Are you dead?” asked the clueless blonde worried he had broken something “.... i think so” responded Tyler sitting up and holding his head

Once they had nursed their injuries the three of them walked around and took in their present surroundings, they were clearly in a very different space than they previously occupied and were trying to make sense of what to do so they could regroup with their respective teams

As they made their way around the creepy looking basement they noticed this area of the tower looked more like a cave, and the temperature was incredibly hot as well, there was no decorations or furnishings, only an ominous sound of fire cackling in the distance
“Hey guys check it out, there's some arrows painted on the walls, i bet they lead to an exit” pointed out the musician while flashing his light at the wall “omg yes! Lets get out of here, im starting to like sweat and my hair is a mess” added Lindsay happy to follow her team mate as she grabbed onto his arm

Tyler noticed this and narrowed his eyes at the pair, it was odd, while true that in the past both Trent and Lindsay had been on the same team before, they had never shown any signs of being close to each other, and now suddenly they kept hanging out and getting along so well, even back in LA and Brazil he noticed them hanging out and being a bit too close

Maybe what Alejandro said was true….

Earlier today- first class cabin 10:00AM

Tyler had woken up quite sad about the previous night’s events, his babe Lindsay had made her way into his room after not speaking to him for a couple of days and suddenly without warning broke up with him

The blonde beauty justified herself saying they weren't meant for each other, that they never truly knew each other and all they did was kiss…

Granted she wasn't totally wrong, but still it came out of nowhere and he felt heart broken, but a part of him tried his best to see her point of view, he would never want to make her sad or hurt her, and if she truly felt that way he would respect her decision, after all if you love something you have to let it go.

So here he was, sitting by himself looking out the window into the endless skies, trying his best to tell himself it would all be ok, however he was approached by a certain spanish hunk fresh from a spa treatment “Tyler, mi amigo, what's wrong? Are the facilities not to your liking?”

Alejandro couldn't care less about the clumsy athlete, but he had to always keep an eye on him if he wanted his loyalty assured, after all having him and Sierra on his side assured his immunity for the time being, as much as it annoyed him, he had to keep playing the part of concerned friend a bit longer

“Wha– oh hey man, I'm just bummed, last night Lindsay came to my room and broke up with me…” the Spaniard merely raised an eyebrow in amusement, he expected the blonde idiot to be too emotionally broken to break up with Tyler, seems like that wasn't the case…

“I'm so sorry my friend, she really is a special lady, but maybe it's for the best… after all, a girl like that is just trouble” responded Alejandro putting a hand on Tyler’s shoulder, doing his best to give him reassurance “huh what do you mean?” that statement confused the athlete, after all Lindsay was the sweetest girl ever! Sure she was a bit clueless but trouble seems a bit extreme to describe her

“Its not my place to say… but you're my friend Tyler, i think you should know, that señorita is not a good person, i mean have you seen how she acts around Trent? Im pretty sure they have something going on” Alejandro held a face of sympathy for his team mate while holding back his laughter, it seemed like lying was just second nature for the spanish hunk

Tyler opened his eyes wide in disbelief, nothing his friend had said made sense “WHAT! No way man, my linds– i mean Lindsay would never do such a thing, and Trent’s a good dude, that's not his style, he aint like Duncan” the clumsy athlete wasn't the smartest guy around but he would never believe such a nonsense story, that sounded nothing like the people he had been around for such a long time

Alejandro merely sighed and stood up “i guess you're not ready to hear that, but its fine my friend, lets just focus on today’s challenge” even if Tyler denied it right now, the spaniard knew that he planted a seed of doubt inside his mind, sooner or later he would convince himself that he was wronged… and his loyalty to him would be absolute

Present–Tower Basement

As the trio navigated the maze like caverns of the basement, the heat kept rising and making things unbearable, as they neared the source of the heat the corridors were being illuminated by a bright light, wherever it was that they were heading it assured a fiery surprise

Thankfully the corridor seemed to open into a very large room“I think I see the exit up ahead, just a bit more and…. I hate this show” Trent had spoken too soon, while true that the exit was ahead, they would have to navigate through a series of platforms floating, over what appeared to be a pool of very red boiling lava

While the trio took in the contents of the room, a speaker powered on and Chris Mclean’s voice came through “heh, cool right? Welcome to the sauce dungeons, this is where they keep the richest and most flavorful tomatoes for sauce, and right ahead of you there are two of the most delicious and rare lava tomatoes, they just happen to be on the other side of the sauce pool”

Just as the host said, the exit of the room and a pair of very red tomato’s was on the other side of the room, they would have to jump from one platform to the other while avoiding the boiling red sauce that would surely leave them with extreme burns “um i like sauce but like that looks very unsafe” spoke up Lindsay raising a concern for their lives

“Oh its because it is Lindsay heheh, but thats fine, if you choose not to go for the tomato’s theres another exit to your left side, no need to risk your life, but if you do leave through that door, you'll make it out of the tower, no coming back in, and your team will be down one ingredient needed to win, so make sure you make the right choice heheh, oh and be careful of the giant bats inside the cave, they don't take kindly to strangers, Mclean out!” once the voice of the sadistic host stopped the room they were currently in the trio noticed the walls surrounding the lava pool were covered with giant angry looking bats, who would very likely attack once they made their way towards the tomato’s

“So we either risk our lives or lose the game…” spoke Trent breaking the silence “ i want to try it” spoke the ditzy yet determined blonde “But Lindsay, you might get seriously hurt!” responded Tyler still very much in shock of what they were asked to do

Lindsay turned to her ex with an excited smile trying to encourage him “Like if we work together we can do it, and get out of here” Trent also smiled and took a step forward “im not gonna lie, this is terrifying, but we got a shot, plus im pretty sure everybody else is doing their best right now too, we can't fall behind” Tyler was in disbelief, what was wrong with them, why the hell would they go so far and risk their lives if they weren't being forced to “hey dude if you want to go ahead and fall into that boiling sauce that's your problem, but leave Lindsay out of it!”

Both Trent and Lindsay were taken by surprise by his sudden outburst, it felt like it came out of nowhere “what? What are you talking about dude?” Tyler took a step forward and stood up to the musician’s face "I'm onto you, ever since she came back into the game Lindsay has been acting weird, avoiding me and sticking close to you, and now it makes sense, you told her to break up with me!”

Trent couldn't believe the accusations, he thought he and Tyler were cool with one another, and he would never do such a thing to get in between a couple, specially after what he had been through “Dude Tyler, where is this coming from, i havent told Lindsay anything, were just friends” he did his best to defend himself and try to de escalate the situation, now was not the time to be fighting amongst themselves

“TYLER! Don't say that, Trent has nothing to do with us breaking up, i told you last night, were just not meant to be” the blonde pleaded with her ex, he was acting unreasonable and throwing out baseless accusations, and while true she had grown close to the raven haired musician recently, he had never done anything inappropriate to her, he just treated her with respect and friendship
“Yeah right, Alejandro told me not to trust you, but he’s definitely right about you two!” perhaps it was the stress of the challenge, or maybe it was his own pent up emotions coming to the surface after the heartbreak, regardless, it was all coming out here and now, leaving Trent and Lindsay unsure about what to do

Tower Second floor 40 minutes remaining

As the drama unfolded in the basement, a certain bossy and hot headed CIT was walking around a very regal and beautiful room, looking for any clues on where to go or what type of ingredient to find, she had fallen from a hole in the ceiling into this elegant space, thankfully she had managed to salvage the mushroom she grabbed on the 5th floor so it wasn't damaged

While looking around the room she couldn't help but somewhat worry for the rest of her team “we agreed on not separating and next thing you know we were all falling into a stupid trap!… ugh ill have to call my lawyers when i get back to the plane”

Courtney kept lamenting her luck as she kept looking for any type of exit or anything really that could possibly help her, if only she wasn’t alone right now… quite frankly she had grown a bit fond of her team at this point

It seemed like they were all pulling their weight and helping out each other, even if Heather could still be insufferable, and Trent still acted like a hippy, and Lindsay was as clueless as ever, and Cody was so distracted and in his own head all the time

They were good people and she had to rely on them for now. The least she could do was try and dial back the more toxic parts of her personality, her anger and controlling nature… if she wasn't careful they would prove her downfall, but even if she was aware she had to grow and change for the better, this environment truly didn't help her, specially being around Duncan and Gwen

“Courtney is that you?” no no no, why her, out of everybody else it had to be her “I heard you yell something about lawyers, it has to be you!” yep, that raspy voice, no mistaking it, it was the pasty goth of her nightmares heading her way

“Ugh perfect, what do you want Gwen im busy trying to find the exit” the CIT did her best to suppress her anger, no point in starting a fight during a challenge, it was way important to stick to the task at hand, and the time limit to escape was also on her mind, she did NOT want to be around to see what Chris had in store for them

“Im lost, and being in here is really claustrophobic, im having a hard time” the pale goth turned a corner and was face to face with Courtney, she was clearly struggling with the endless maze of corridors and lack of windows, it didn't help her claustrophobia one bit

“Thats not my problem, tell your boyfriend to help you!” the CIT turned back around and walked away from the goth, she had no time to waste “PLEASE! DONT LEAVE ME ALONE” Gwen fell to her knees in despair she felt as if the walls were closing in and couldn't go on

Courtney stopped in her tracks and looked back with sadness at the terrified girl, could she really abandon her in the dark? What she really that cruel “Why me…” she turned back and walked towards the helpless goth

“Give me your hand, we're getting out of here” Gwen looked up at her saviour, thankful not to be abandoned, and guilty as all hell that it had to be the girl she had wronged the most that also happened to help her, she took Courtney's hand and walked with her through the dark corridors of the fancy location

“How come you don't have a flash light? Didn't your team get anything good from those boxes?” asked Courtney while guiding Gwen, trying her best to not let her negative emotions get in the way. She was merely helping out the goth because it was the right thing to do… she also couldn't help but think she sounded just like that hippy Trent when she thought about stuff like that

“Uhm, I lost it when we fell through those holes, and when I got up it was pitch black, I couldn't tell where I was so I panicked…” Gwen was doing her best to remain calm, cursing the universe for her predicament and having to have Courtney be the one to help her

Luckily the two girls had managed to navigate their way into a well lit room with what appeared to be an exit on the other side, and what's more they also spotted a glass container with two gooey looking cheese wheels

“That looks like a way out of here, and another ingredient!” yelled the excited Gwen, now a bit more composed thanks to the lights and open space of the room “yeah yeah awesome let go of me now!” added Courtney making the goth get flustered for being so vulnerable just a few moments ago

“Uh yeah… thanks for not abandoning me” answered Gwen while backing off “dont mention it, like seriously just dont speak to me at all once we get out of here” chirped back the CIT, fully aware she was not ready for any sort of emotional confrontation

Gwen looked a bit saddened by the harsh treatment, but she was fully aware that Courtney was not nearly ready to engage with her one on one, instead she directed her attention to the glass container next to them “Right… but hey look we can grab that cheese and make our way out of here…. This is way too easy isn't it?”

As if on que a speaker at the edge of the room turned on with Chris’s voice booming through it “heh yeah you're right, that would be too easy, and welcome ladies, you managed to make your way through the second floor of the tower and are almost out, and right next to you is a wheel of one of the most delicious and optimal cheeses for pizza there is, the mythical mozzarella that Chef peppino uses for his P rank pizza!”

Gwen and Courtney merely looked at each other and then at the cheese on display “it looks like a normal wheel of mozzarella” answered Courtney quite bluntly

“God you're both so uncultured!, anyway all you have to do is take the cheese out of the glass case and make your way out from the room… before the giant rats reach you that is heheheh” upon informing the girls about the peril, several bear sized holes opened up on the walls surrounding the room

Both girls were wide eyed in disbelief at what they had just heard, because quite frankly, who the hell likes rats? “So make sure you grab the cheese and get out soon, or just don't grab it and make your way out, but remember if you don't you'll lose the challenge, good luck you two, its so sweet to see you both become besties again heheh” with some final mocking words the speaker powered down leaving silence to take over the room once more

“You think he was kidding when he said the rats were giant sized?” asked Gwen, trying to break the ice once more only to earn a glare from the CIT “this is gonna suck” she thought to herself…

Tower third floor 35 minutes remaining

While Gwen and Courtney were trying to figure their best course of action to escape without being eaten by giant freak rats, Cody found himself running for his life from an army of robot chefs chasing him “NEW INGREDIENT FOUND, NEW INGREDIENT FOUND” was the only thing they repeated over and over

They all seemed to be hastily put together with clamps for hands and wearing a simple apron and chef’s hat, instead of legs they had wheels and they were quite persistently chasing our hero through a giant factory “IM NOT INGREDIENTS I'M A HUMAN!” yelled Cody as he kept trying to avoid capture

As he drifted around a corner, and kept running the brown haired nerd couldn't help but feel hopeless and out of options, when he had fallen through the floor and ended up in the chaotic factory he was speechless at the sheer scale of the operation on display, with several machines creating robots on a production line, and several others making cans of spaghetti and pizza boxes

The factory itself seemed to be run entirely by robots, all handling the operations to make such a thing possible, not a sign of another human being to check in on them. Before he had been spotted however Cody had managed to spot a pair of pristine looking and wrapped italian sausages, right next to the control console powering the whole machinery and very possibly all the robots

But reaching the ingredient would be anything but easy, as he had found out once he tried approaching his objective, as soon as he had made himself visible all hell broke loose and several robots rained down on him trying to restrain him

And now here he was fighting for his life, trying to avoid capture, he would need a miracle to get out of- “GET DOWN CODYKINS!!” screamed a rabid sierra as she swung a giant spoon against one of the robots about to catch her crush, luckily Cody managed to react in time and slide under his saviour’s attack

“DONT EVER GET CLOSE TO HIM AGAIN!!!!” yelled Sierra as she fought back against his pursuers, Cody was doing his best to catch his breath and compose himself, he was thankful for Sierra saving him but a part inside of him was cursing the heavens

He had hoped the days of being saved by her were over, after all his new mindset was against it, he hated feeling like a damsel in distress “Sierra…. Thanks” he rose back to his feet and looked at the massive pile of destroyed robots that were now scattered around the area “its my pleasure Cody, i dont know what i would do if something happened to you~” this in turn earned an eye roll from another figure that made himself known

“You just HAD to help the nerd huh?” spoke Duncan as he walked towards the pair, he was holding his giant butter knife and the head of a robot, something he would try to keep for the remainder of the trip, he found it sick

“Dont worry, im not sticking around” responded Cody while adjusting his back pack and walking away from the members of team Chris is hot, while he felt grateful to Sierra for helping him, it was just a reminder of his own weaknesses, and being around Duncan was always unpleasant

“Oh yeah? What are you gonna do, cry at the robots until they show you the way out?” the punk was gonna make sure to put down the nerd who seemed to be too full of himself, god that bothered him, it was as if he didn't know his place, and added to that was the fact that this specific annoying nerd used to stick to his girl all the time and simp for her “i got a plan, i know the way out and where to find the ingredient” responded Cody with clear anger in his voice

The punk merely scoffed at the bravado the geek was showing, to be completely honest Duncan didn't feel threatened by Cody, in fact a part of him was impressed by his sudden burst of confidence, it took guts for somebody to stand up for themselves and ever since he got punched in the face the nerd kept trying harder to be more confident in himself, and the punk could respect that

“Shouldnt we work together.. I mean me and Duncan have been lost this whole time with no idea what to do or where to go” spoke Sierra, even if Alejandro told her to stay away from her one true love, she couldn't help but want to be around him even now that there was no other option “shut up! He doesn't have to know that!”

Cody turned around and smirked at the punk, all that talk just to be as lost as a puppy… not that he himself was doing any better by himself “I really don't want to rely on you guys, but i guess it would make things easier” Cody then turned to look at Sierra “just please dont treat me like im a defenseless little nerd”
The fangirl could hardly hold in her excitement, to be able to work with her Codybear once again, it had been soooooo long, the punk however just rolled his eyes and resigned himself to collaborate with the geek, he wanted to get the challenge over with quickly and get back to his girl… she really didn't do good in places like this

Tower Fourth Floor 30 minutes remaining

Heather was not having a good time at all, once the floor had disappeared beneath her feet she fell for a couple of seconds before she landed on a pile of ….. Snow!?

When she got up she saw she was surrounded by hundreds of boxes full of vegetables and fruits, not that she had any time or patience to look through each one of them for whatever ingredient it was she had to find on this floor

She decided to walk around the frigid environment in search of an exit or even anybody else that had fallen with her, trying her best not to panic about the idea of being trapped inside a massive freezer, it sadly brought back unpleasant memories of being locked in a freezer for several hours back in season 1

“I…… HATE…… THE COLD……” she said to herself as walked through the maze, now was not the time to slow down, or else it would spell her doom, if only she had grabbed that jacket instead of a stupid fork she couldn't even hold because of how cold it got

However, unbeknown to her she was currently being watched from a distance by a certain somebody who didn't have the best intentions for her

He was holding a pair of beautiful golden pineapples and was quite content with himself. All that he had to do now was find a way out and wait for the rest of his team…. but where was the fun in that?

He put away the pair of fruits inside his backpack and strapped it on as he walked towards the queen bee “Ill keep you warm, mi reina…”

Author notes

Well it seems like things are getting chaotic inside the tower, this challenge is far from over, so hopefully everybody makes it out before that timer hits 0

Thank you so much for reading and supporting the story, i feel very grateful for everybody who reads no regrets, im constantly thinking of new ideas and interactions i can write, and in this chapter we found ourselves confronting certain issues that had been building, who knows what Tyler will do, or if Gwen and Courtney can work together

As always let me know what you think in the reviews, im already working on the next chapter so stay tuned and thank you so much for reading :)

Chapter Text

Friendship and Sacrifice

Chris Mclean was in a good mood, it was hard for him not to be, ratings were through the roof, the budget for the show was seemingly endless and any challenge he wanted to pitch was accepted by the producers, all because those annoying teens went ahead and started cheating on each other

Truly nothing got more entertaining than love drama and betrayal, and the host knew this, hence why he orchestrated things to end up the way they did, it was as if they had forgotten that they're being filmed 24/7

He had made sure to separate the teams in such a way that it would cause conflict between them, after all what could be more entertaining than watching Courtney and Gwen fight each other while surrounded by giant rats in a creepy tower “ill give them 5 more minutes before i let them loose hehe” spoke the sadistic host as he sipped a capuchino

Needless to say the Italian chef that had lent his restaurant to film today’s episode was terrified of what he was witnessing, he felt as if he were responsible for putting those innocent teenagers in mortal danger “Mr Mclean, you aren't going to ah-let them get hurt right?” the host merely looked away from his control station for a moment and with a smile and a shrug he merely said “eh, nobody’s died in 3 seasons so far hehe”

Chef Peppino could only look on dismayed hoping all of the contestants would make it out, this was seriously stressing him out.

Tower Second floor 30 minutes remaining

Gwen and Courtney were currently at a stand still trying to figure out the best course of action for their predicament, the room they were currently in was quite large, it would probably take a good 10 seconds of running to make it out while avoiding the obstacles in the room, and not to mention the possibility of being swarmed by giant rodents was making them hesitate heavily on what to do

As the bossy girl walked around the room thinking of a solution a part of her was having a hard time coming to terms with having to depend on the goth, so she kept trying her best to come up with a plan that didnt involve her “Ok i think i got it, I’ll move the glass case all the way to the exit and then I’ll open it right before leaving”

“Courtney, that thing probably weighs more than Owen and even if you manage to move it, what if it breaks and you get swarmed before you can react?” for her part Gwen just sat and stared at the glass case doing her best not to panic and just run away, a part of her was feeling weird interacting with a girl she had wronged so badly, in a sense she wished they weren't in the middle of challenge so they could talk things out

“Ugh shut up! I'm trying to think, and being around you isn't helping me” Courtney’s frustrations were reaching a boiling point, she was doing her best to not let her emotions get the better of her, sensing this the goth stood up and got in front of the girl she had wronged so badly “Courtney… sooner or later we were bound to have to talk to eachother so lets just get it over with”

The CIT was in disbelief of the audacity in display “EXCUSE ME!? You do not get to tell me when to talk about anything, I made it clear I want nothing to do with you or that delinquent so back off!” Courtney stood her ground and glared at the goth, she was losing the battle to her rage and Gwen could see it “Look i understand i dont get to ask anything of you, i was the worlds shittiest friend to you, and i know you wont ever forgive me, maybe its selfish of me to say this, but im sorry for how things went down, and im sorry that i kissed Duncan, im sorry i lied to you, and most of all im so sorry i hurt you Courtney”

Courtney stood and listened to what the goth had just said, she didn't know how to respond, maybe she really wasn't ready to hear it, she avoided the thought of talking with the goth, a part of her didn't want to let go of the rage and hurt, it made her feel motivated to win and not let those who wronged her get away with it “Gwen… I know I'm far from a good person, I can be difficult and bossy and spiteful, I'm very aware of what I am, and I know that I pushed Duncan away…”

As she spoke Courtney sat on the floor and hugged her legs to her chest “I know im always loud and i speak my mind, its the way i was raised, i always had to fight for anything i wanted, it made me into somebody difficult and hostile, and being here for three seasons now, it made things worse…” tears welled in her eyes as she confessed these deep insecurities she dared not speak any other time “I don't make friends easily, that's why I was so happy when Bridgette came back… so when you and I bonded I was really happy I managed to make another friend… i shared many things with you and i was hoping even after this all ended we would keep in touch and still be friends”

As the CIT spoke Gwen slowly started to put the pieces together in her head, why Courtney acted the way she did,and her guilt kept growing with every word she spoke “Duncan made me feel like i could let loose and be free, that no matter what i did he would accept me, hell he used to say that he liked that about me, i let myself be vulnerable with him, and with you… i trusted you both” Courtney wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up once more

“Trent told me that some days are gonna be harder than others, and that it's going to take a while, but this wont kill me, one day I’ll be ok, but im not ready yet, i dont want to hate you or Duncan, but im just too hurt to just move on right now” having bared her true thoughts to the goth Courtney grabbed one of the oversized metal forks off the ground, strapped on her back pack and walked over to the glass case

Gwen watched as the CIT readied herself and in a moment of clarity she also readied herself, understanding the hurt girl’s intentions her own eyes filled with tears and pain, Courtney’s words had shed light into how deep her wounds were, maybe they wouldn't patch things up today, maybe never… but she still had to try to make things right

As she reached the glass case, she swung the fork and hit it with force shattering it “Im done talking, im getting out of here” once the glass broke a rumbling could be heard coming from every direction of the room, the scent of the cheese was attracting the large rodents, but Courtney remained unflinching, simply kneeling and placing the cheese inside her back pack

Gwen followed suit and did the same, no more words were needed, both girls started running towards the exit, with everything to lose and a better understanding of one another, whatever else remained for both of them to go through was in the future, right now they had to fight their way out of this dangerous and filthy tower
Both girls hadn't made it half way across the room before massive bear sized rats came running from the doors surrounding the walls, their speed and hunger was ferocious, their only focus being the cheese they could smell coming from them

“EW! I REALLY HATE CHRIS!!!!” screamed Courtney almost like a battle cry as she swung her fork and hit one of the massive rodents that had made its way to her “ME TOO!!!” yelled Gwen as she dodged another giant rat that had tried biting at her

They were getting close to the exit but the number of rats kept increasing, the situation was dire yet both girls fought on, not giving up, taking out all frustrations on the rats, fighting with every fiber of their beings

Courtney was almost at the exit , she had done an amazing job of keeping the rodents off of her but exhaustion was starting to settle in "THEY'RE ENDLESS, HIYAAA!” the CIT screamed as she kicked yet another rat that approached her, however as bad luck would have it, one of the rats had managed to scratch at her backpack tearing it and letting her cheese fall out

As soon as it hit the floor, all the rodents directed their attention to it and stopped attacking the girls “OH NO!” Courtney was about to jump into the pile of rats and start fighting them off but was pulled by Gwen at the last moment, having them both exit the hellish room

“WHAT DID YOU DO!!! HOW COULD YOU!” once outside the door had sealed shut behind them with no opportunity to go back Courtney’s rage and frustration was reaching a boiling point, thankfully her mushroom stayed in her back pack, but now it didnt matter, without the cheese her team had surely lost the challenge
“Look i saved your life, those things would've torn you to shreds… and since you saved me first i think this will make us even…” having said that the goth took out her own cheese wheel and used a pocket knife Duncan had given her to cut it evenly in half “take half of mine, its only fair”

“What? There's no way they'll allow this, are you crazy?” the CIT was still very much angry but a part of her had to admit that the goth’s actions were undeniably selfless “well even if they allow it or not, i already split it in half take it” Gwen remained unflinching in her decision she was doing what she felt was right

Courtney looked into the goth’s eyes and saw nothing but a sincere gesture, in her heart she knew Gwen wasn't pure evil, even if her recent actions were more than questionable, all she knew is that she had to keep trying to win, even if it meant swallowing her pride…

“Whatever, I'll take what I can get…. And this isn't over” she grabbed her half of the cheese and walked down a corridor with an arrow pointing towards an exit to the lobby, without looking back Courtney stopped and said softly “Thanks Gwen” the goth smiled and stood up to also look for the exit “anytime..”

Tower Basement 30 minutes remaining

While Gwen and Courtney were in the middle of their own challenge, down in the basement dungeons, there was no shortage of drama happening as well, with Tyler confronting Lindsay about her character and accusing her of being less than honorable in her actions towards him

“It all makes sense to me now, why else would you act this way? Last night I wanted to believe you but it's so obvious you've been lying!” the now furious Tyler was yelling his frustrations at them, Alejandro had clearly planted a seed of mistrust inside of him and now it was coming out in full force

“Tyler dude, calm down, i swear nothing is going on between me and Lindsay, she’s just a friend” Trent wasn't backing down, he more than anyone knew what it was like to be in a situation where your lover is pulling away, he would never get in between a couple

Lindsay couldn't believe her ears, she thought she had made things right with him, but once again she had proven to be a klutz and an airhead, why couldn't she do anything right? She would never want to hurt Tyler but here he was looking at her with hate in his eyes

She couldn't take it any longer, she had to leave, she had to go away from all of this, being in this competition kept making her miserable and useless, all she could do right now was— “Lindsay!” before she knew it she was upside down flying above the lava “AHH!”

Without noticing earlier, Tyler’s screams of jealousy had woken up the giant bats clinging to the walls and they were all currently scattering around the room in a chaotic frenzy “Lindsay! Hang on, don't fall!” Trent had stopped talking to the athlete and was now jumping over the platforms floating in the lava sauce trying to position himself to catch his team mate

Tyler had also jumped into action and started jumping from platform to platform avoiding the bats, even if he was full of rage and jealousy he couldn't possibly want Lindsay to be hurt “aw dude this is bad!” things were getting extremely dire and they had to think quickly
As the giant bat carried her in the air Lindsay was panicking trying to think of anything that could possibly help her, but then again what did she know about bats to begin with? They sucked blood, they hated the sun, they hated garlic…. GARLIC thats it!

While she was upside down the ditzy blonde managed to reach her hand into one of the pockets in her back pack and took out a jar of garlic powder she had grabbed from the crates before the challenge. She was hoping to use it on some spaghetti for dinner…

With nothing to lose she threw it towards the bat and managed to hit it square in the face… the jar didn't break or anything but it probably gave the bat a concussion because no sooner than she did so it dropped her “OMG!!!!!” Lindsay fell straight down, with no platform beneath her she was surely about to fall and burn in the lava sauce

“LINDSAY!!!” Trent saw her falling and picked up his pace, he didn't care what happened to him, he couldn't let her get hurt or he would never forgive himself, many bats tried grabbing him but he just charged through pushing them aside and jumping from platform to platform, he managed to time his jump precisely before she fell in the lava sauce and tackled her in the air landing them both on the platform with the Lava tomatoes

*CRASH*

The couple crashed against the hard floor and rolled through the platform almost falling into the lava sauce pit stopping right at the edge “Ow…. My wrist” Trent rolled on his side and held his left wrist in pain “Trent are you ok, you saved me omg” Lindsay was in the middle of thanking her team mate and panicking over his injury, it looked swollen and painful, the guilt was already eating at her and she didn't know what to do

Not that she would have much time to dwell on that, as several bats started swarming around them clawing at them and not letting up, it was getting very dangerous very quick with no way out until…

“GET OFF OF THEM!!!” Tyler jumped on the platform and started bashing several bats with a giant spoon Lindsay had dropped earlier, he might not always hit any baseballs but he sure knew how to swing the spoon as if he were hitting home runs “Lindsay! Help Trent up and let's get out of here!” the blonde snapped out of her panicked state and helped her saviour to his feet, she would not let this opportunity go to waste!

While Tyler kept bashing any approaching bats one of them managed to steal away the spoon and he now had to rely on his fists to defend himself and the pair from Team Amazon, if they were going to escape it had to be now “Wait, grab the tomatoes before we leave or it would have been for nothing” spoke Trent as they neared the exit

Thankfully the musician remembered at the last moment to grab the objective, as Lindsay grabbed the tomatoes and held on to him they managed to push past the last bastion of bats still attacking them and closed the door behind themselves sealing the hellish nightmare they had just endured behind them

Once outside the door all three of the teens collapsed to the floor and were breathing heavily catching their breaths, their bodies full of scratches and bruises and they were all drenched in sweat from the high temperatures they had just endured, but at least it was all over for now
Lindsay rolled on her side and sat up, even if she felt like she was good for nothing or that she had made mistakes it didn't matter now, she had to tell her ex how things were and after that it was up to him to believe her or not “Tyler, Alejandro was lying to you, he’s a manipulator, he tried to gaslight me and guilt me into god knows what, but believe me i never cheated on you, and Trent is like my friend, i dont want you to think i was lying to you, please please believe me!”

The athlete stood up and faced the ex-girlfriend of his dreams, it was now a question of if he believed her or not, had everything they had been through together been real or not “I… don't know, why would he lie to me, he’s my friend, but… i also know you, you're a bit clumsy and not the brightest, but you have a good heart, and Trent, buddy you saved me back in LA from those chickens, you might be a bit of a show off with your guitar but you're not a bad guy… i dont know what to believe, but I can tell you care about Lindsay, and that's enough for me… im sorry guys”

With those words Tyler went up the spiral stairs towards the lobby of the tower, he had to get his head straight and think really hard about what he wanted to believe, could he really trust Alejandro?

“Linds… are you ok? Trent sat up and winced in pain as he felt a sharp pain coming from his wrist, it was very much swollen and red at this point, probably sprained from the impact of catching the blonde “Im ok, im just worried about him, i hope he believed me, i would never hurt him… but omg Trent your wrist, im so so so so sorry!!!”

The ditzy blonde felt terrible that Trent had gotten himself injured trying to save her, sensing this musician merely chuckled and stood up “Hey at least we didn't fall in that lava sauce or whatever and more importantly you're safe” he offered the blonde a smile and his healthy hand to help her stand up “lets get out of here and meet up with the others ok?” Lindsay returned the smile and took his hand, maybe she was a screw up and maybe she still had a lot to learn and go through, but she knew that with a friend like Trent she wouldn't have to face it alone “yeah lets go…”

The two team mates walked up the spiral stairs towards the lobby, hopefully they would run into the rest of their team and they would be able to leave the deadly tower, as they made their way up slowly Lindsay only had one question left “Hey Trent… how are you going to play guitar now?” The pair stopped for a moment before the injured musician answered “Damn…”

Tower third floor 20 minutes remaining

The factory floor was running as busy as ever, with the added extra security and scrutiny of the chef robots roaming the premises looking for the three intruders they had detected earlier, their presence was not authorized so they had to be dealt with swiftly and efficiently, no room for error was to be tolerated

But as advanced and deadly as these robot workers were they weren't without flaw, and it just so happened that Cody had managed to find it “Are you sure this is gonna work pipsqueak?” asked the annoyed punk while hiding behind a pile of cans of spaghetti that were freshly produced by the machinery "Don't call him pipsqueak, my Cody is super duper smart!, this is gonna work i have all the fate in the world” snapped back Sierra defending her obsessions plan

Duncan couldn't stop his eyes from rolling upon hearing the crazed fan girl fawn over Cody “I liked you better when you were quietly plotting to kill us all or whatever you've been doing this whole time” this earned a glare from Sierra, who for the life of her could not comprehend how anybody could tolerate the rude criminal, but apparently both Gwen and Courtney had fallen for his charms, just goes to show how some women have terrible taste in men

“Guys common, i think we got a shot at doing this quick and getting out of here” his team was far from perfect but boy was Cody missing them right now, they had fallen into a nice groove of working together the last couple of challenges, so being around such open hostility really served to show the contrast between how both teams operated “follow my lead and do what i do” Cody stepped out of his hiding spot wearing a discarded apron and chef’s hat he had grabbed from the destroyed robots and started walking in a very robotic fashion towards the main control console “BEEP BOOP SEARCHING FOR INGREDIENTS”

Duncan sighed annoyed at having to lose his dignity on tv once again, he followed suit behind the brown haired nerd wearing the same combo of apron and chef’s hat and started imitating the machines as well “Whatever lets just get this over with— BEEP BOOP I AM A ROBOT THIS IS SUPER LAME” and finally Sierra took the rear behind both men and walked along enthusiastically happy to be silly next to her obsession “I AM PROGRAMMED TO LOVE CODY BEEP BOOP”

The fake robotic trio walked along the production line hoping to blend in or else they would have to once again run for their lives, as they approached the main control console of the factory several chef robots made their way up to them and started scanning them “SCAN IN PROGRESS” Cody stood still sweating bullets hoping to get away with their plan “.............. Chef robot confirmed” having finished the scan the robot moved on leaving the nerd to breath a sigh of relief

“What the hell, how did you know that would work?” Duncan was at a loss for words, how in the hell could just an apron and a hat fool such sophisticated machines? “I figured there had to be a way for people to work in this factory without the robots trying to kill them, so what better way than to have the robots think you're one of them!” Cody gave his signature grin as he explained his logic to the punk “.... that is so dumb”

Having successfully fooled the machines, it was an easy walk to the control console and the premium sausages waiting for them to be taken “and that's how you do things my way haha” said Cody in a confident manner while grabbing his prize “all right settle down, lets just turn off those rust buckets and get out of here” Duncan had to admit the plan worked flawlessly, he put away the other sausage in his back pack and turned to his unlikely ally “you know how to work this thing?” said the punk pointing at the complicated looking console full of buttons and levers

“.... No clue, everything is written in Italian” well no plan was perfect, but at least nobody had gotten hurt “Maybe it's this button!” Sierra couldn't help herself, wanting to help out her crush she pressed a random red button on the console, which made an alarm sound throughout the whole factory “WHAT DID YOU DO?!”

Suddenly a voice came through the speakers chuckling “heheheh thanks a lot Sierra, and here i thought we would have to edit this part because nobody got hurt” it was Chris with his usual smug tone “you just pressed the emergency product disposal button, which means you have about 1 minute before the whole factory is flooded with canned spaghetti”

Cody and Duncan looked at each other and then at Sierra who had a horrified expression, they looked at each other once more with the reality of their situation slowly dawning on them “Um… sorry” spoke Sierra wide eyed and also paralyzed with fear “RUN!!!!!” yelled Cody while grabbing his stalker and making a run for the exit on the other side of the factory

With no time to waste the trio ran through the maze of cans and boxes avoiding any obstacles in their way, all the machinery and giant pots of pasta and sauce had stopped making noise and were slowly tipping over, they had to make an immediate escape or risk drowning in its contents, but even if that wasn't enough there still remained one big issue

The robots that had been patrolling the area were now focused on them as well and started pursuing them just as before “WHAT THE HELL I THOUGHT WE FOOLED THEM” screamed Cody as he jumped over a box full of cans “oh i took control of the robots and ordered them to catch the three of you, i didnt know i could over ride the control console from here but hey im all for surprises hehe” responded the host as he enjoyed watching the chase through the cameras

With the exit in sight and just a couple of seconds to go it seemed as if they would make it unscathed, only the final stretch remained, Duncan had managed to fight off a robot in his way kicking its head clean off without stopping, however the head hit a pallet full of cans suspended over a crane, this rattled it heavily causing it to spill all over Cody burying him in cans of mediocre spaghetti

“Wha—” having noticed this the punk stopped in his tracks and dug him out from the pile of cans hoping he was still concious “Common we don't got time to waste, we just gotta get up those steps and were out of here, im sorry dude get up!” Duncan picked up Cody and put his shoulder under his arm to help support him, he might not like the nerd at all, but he would not abandon him to drown, that was just plain evil

“CODY! WHAT HAPPENED?” Sierra had managed to make it up the stairs to the exit of the factory and looked back at the duo about to be overwhelmed by robots and what appeared to be a giant tsunami of spaghetti fast approaching behind them

With the situation turning from bad to worst the punk knew deep inside that he wasn't going to make it in time, he felt the wave of robots and pasta fast approaching, his only thought now being Gwen, she had to go on and win, and if he could do anything to help her in his final moments he would, he unstrapped his back pack and threw it at Sierra

“Take the ingredient! Make sure we win the challenge!” if this were to be his final moments he would go down fighting “Im sorry pipsqueak, we would've made it if I didn't hit you from the back… I may be a good for nothing punk but i got standards”

Cody felt blood leaking from his wound and falling down his forehead, it had been a very hard blow, he almost passed out but willed himself to stay awake, it couldn't end like this, he still had to prove himself, he had to make it to the end with Heather, he wasn't just going to give up!

“We're not going to die here Duncan!” the brown haired nerd stood his ground and grabbed Duncan’s giant butter knife, he swung it around hitting a couple of robots creating a small opening for the punk to make his move towards the exit, Cody started to follow suit as well but the still shambling remains of a robot grabbed onto his leg causing him to fall once again “OH YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!” he looked down at the corpse of the robot holding on to him trying his best to kick it off with his other free leg “NEW INGREDIENT F—”

However it couldn't finish its sentence as Sierra had leapt from the safety of the exit and came back to save her crush from certain doom “I got you codykins!” she helped him back up to his feet and they both ran with everything they had up the stairs right next to Duncan who was keeping the door open for them to make it inside, once they both made it through the door the punk shut it tightly and held on to it feeling the metal of the door heat up with the spaghetti overflowing on the other side

The trio collapsed to the floor just as many of their team mates, catching their breaths and trying to slow down their hearts, if things had gone a bit different it would've been the difference between life and death “Hey…. Crazy chick…. Please tell me you got my backpack”
She looked up at the punk and gave a thumbs up while breathing heavily tossing it at him, meanwhile Cody sat up and spoke “I cant believe what im about to say, but thank you Duncan, and thank you Sierra, you both saved my life”

The punk smirked at him, impressed with his performance and the fearlessness he had just displayed "Dont mention it pipsq…. Cody… lets just get out of here” Cody smirked back and stood up, with Sierra doing so as well, even if her life had been at horrible risk she was in good spirits, having been around her obsession and working with him had once again managed to bring her back to her usual self, if only they could always be together….

The unlikely trio had managed to survive, and what's more, Cody and Duncan had a newfound respect for one another, this wouldn't make them friends by any means, but they now knew better than to underestimate one another, whatever the future of the competition held in store for them it was obvious that they would cross each other's path again

Tower lobby 10 minutes remaining

The tower lobby was a dark and dingy place, almost like the rest of the tower really, it was illuminated by soft candlelight and it was currently occupied by the members of both teams who were sitting around waiting for their teams to be complete before they headed back to the restaurant, after all they needed all their ingredients if they were to win

As Cody made his way into the lobby he spotted most of his team, Trent Lindsay and Courtney were huddled together by the exit they were speaking among themselves with worry in their faces, however once they spotted him their face lit up with excitement “CODY!”

Lindsay made her way to him and gave him a hug, happy to see he was in one piece, even if he was covered in cuts and bruises ‘Dude what happened to you? You're bleeding!” Trent ran up to his friend while holding his wrist clear worry behind his words “im ok, but what happened to you? Your wrist is so swollen!” it was then that Lindsay cut in with a guilty expression “He like saved me from falling into the lava and like there was these giant bats and like i was flying in the air and then like Tyler was bashing bats with a spoon and like–” while the blonde spoke Cody had to acknowledge the bizarre nature of the show they were currently in, nowhere else in the world could anything she was saying make sense

“Yeah yeah, did you manage to get an ingredient?” it was Courtney’s turn to make her presence now, and as always it was strictly business with her, after all there would be time to check in on each other after the challenge

Cody smirked and took out the wrapped sausage out of his back pack, gaining a sigh of relief from the rest of his team, all that remained was a certain queen bee making it back with the final ingredient “Where's Heather? Was anyone with her?” he asked with clear worry in his voice and looking around the room

He could only spot the rest of team Chris is hot on the other side of the room, with Duncan and Gwen hugging one another and Tyler sitting down in a depressed state, and Sierra looking back at him longingly

“Dude no idea, we got here just a bit ago, and were running out of time...” Trent answered, he could sense the worry in his friend, not that he himself held any sort of affection for the queen bee, but sharing a team with her once again he had noticed she had gotten way nicer, and she clearly shared a bond with Cody

The brown haired nerd started to panic, not only were they about to run out of time but who knows what hellish challenge she was facing, he had promised an alliance with her and that meant making sure she was ok

Cody handed his ingredient to Courtney and turned to face the stairs back into the tower “Im going back to look for her!” the rest of his team heard him and tried to hold him back “What!? No you're not, are you crazy?” Courtney was the first to protest him, he had to be insane to go back in, afterall for how annoying Heather was the CIT had complete faith she could handle herself

“Cody dude, you said it yourself we have to stick together, she’s probably on her way back right now, lets wait for her” Trent mustered his strength and tried to hold back his friend from going back in there and possibly getting hurt

These words however could do nothing to calm him down, his heart was crying out in anguish, he had to make sure she was ok, it also didn't help he also noticed Alejandro wasn't back yet either, something felt off…

Tower Fourth floor 10 minutes remaining

While both teams waited in the lobby, things were getting worse and worse for Heather, she had been lost in a maze of boxes full of frozen vegetables and fruits, as well as various miscellaneous ingredients, and junk

She had spent the last couple of minutes looking for an exit or any sort of refuge from the freezing conditions “i just haaad to wear shorts, i couldn't have packed some jeans or something ughhhh” the queen bee kept lamenting her choice of wardrobe and kicking away box after box, her frustrations couldn't possibly get worse “Hola mi querida Heather” or so she thought…

“WHA!? What are you doing here?” out of all the people it just had to be Alejandro, looking smug and sure of himself as always, and with a comfy looking jacket shielding him from the cold! “Oh my dear, I fell down a hole and ended up in this frozen circle of hell, but just my luck i ran into the ice queen herself” Heather narrowed her eyes at the Spaniard, obviously distrustful of his intentions, however desperation was starting to kick in so she would take any help she could get

“Ugh you're the worst!, but please let me borrow that jacket im freezing my perfect butt off right now” Alejandro merely smirked at the queen bee, he truly enjoyed having leverage over her, even if he liked the more sinister parts of her personality, it was him being able to tame her that truly interested him “ah ah ah, not so fast, if i give you the jacket what about me? Wouldn't you rather we cuddle together and share our body heat?”

The bold proposition infuriated Heather, the audacity to try and use her desperation to try and get with her “in your dream lover boy, ill just keep looking for a way out, stay away from me!” she turned to walk away from Alejandro, she knew the longer she was around him he would try something so her safest bet was to not even engage in any sort of conversation with him

“Well what about this then?” he held out the golden pineapples for the queen bee to see, he felt confident he could leverage this to gain anything he wanted given the circumstances “you can have one of them, as long as you become my partner in crime”

Heather felt her heart drop, somehow this creep had managed to grab both ingredients and was now trying to get her into an alliance with him, she felt as if her back was against the wall "I'm not interested in no alliances with you, i mean why on earth would i trust you? I can see right through you!”

Alejandro was never one to handle rejection well, in fact it really got him angry, after all how dare ANYBODY deny him ANYTHING, and he was specially getting tired of the constant rejection, perhaps she needed motivation to understand her feelings for him, he put the pineapples down and grabbed the queen bee’s arm “if you can see who i really am, it's not really smart to keep antagonizing me instead of working with me my dear”

As the spaniard held a tight grip on her arm, Heather looked straight into his eyes, undeterred by his threat, she wouldn't back down to him ever and it was about time he figured it out “let go of me before i kick you so hard you lose your accent” Alejandro raised an eyebrow in amusement, he really liked the fire inside Heather, and he wanted to make it his

However the fierce confrontation would have to wait for now, seeing as a frozen pizza hit Alejandro square in the face, knocking him against a pile of boxes “what the-” before Heather could react, Chris Mclean's annoying voice came through the speakers “oooooooh right in the face! Heheh i love this show, all right seems like it was about time for you both to go through some much needed pain” as the sadistic host spoke a small army of snow men wearing chef hats sprung forth aiming at heather with their own frozen pizza

“The exit to the frozen storage is now open all the way on the other side of where you are both currently standing, and since I opened the exit all the snowchefs have woken up, so you better hurry up and get out of there, you got 5 minutes!”

“Damn it!” Heather didn't have time to waste, she quickly picked up one of Alejandro’s discarded pineapples and ran towards the back of the freezer, giving up was not in her vocabulary, no matter what the world threw at her

*RING RING*

As if she didn't have enough to worry about, she was now required to sing as she made her escape“I SWEAR ITS ALWAYS DURING THE WORST MOMENTS!”

Tower Lobby 5 minutes remaining

*RING RING*

The ringing of the bell announced that they now had to sing, and as always this earned a less than enthusiastic response from the cast
“Aw man i thought he had forgotten” said Tyler rising to his feet, a sense of uneasiness taking over him, there was a rumbling that kept getting closer and closer

“Do you guys feel that? Its almost as if theres something on its way here?” it was now Gwen who brought it to the attention of all those present, but what could possibly be the cause of such a thing

As fate would have it her question was answered when several giant rats, giant bats and robot chefs started running in from various directions flooding the room and attacking the contestants

Courtney sighed and grabbed onto her giant fork“Once I win the million I'm getting a hitman to take care of Chris” everybody readied themselves and prepared to take on the enemies, one final stand before they could escape “um like, has anybody seen Cody? Asked Lindsay looking around confused, the chestnut haired nerd had ran back into the tower to look for Heather, he was unable to just stand back

SONG STARTS

The lobby fills with the various enemies swarming circling around the whole cast, a microphone stand appears next to Trent as he starts head banging, with a punk rift being played in the background by Duncan and Courtney next to him handling bass also head banging

Trent: I got something to say!!!! I jumped over lava today and it doesn't matter much to me as long as I'm not dead!!

Duncan: Well I got something to say!! I almost drowned in pasta today and it, doesn't matter much to me as long as I'm free!!!

A rat jumps at the punk but he bashes it with his guitar, keeping the rhythm going, Courtney kicks a robot off from approaching her as well

Trent and Courtney: sweet lovely death i am waiting for a break!!! One sweet day one last caress!!!

While the trio is singing Tyler is in the back handling the drumming with Gwen and Lindsay fighting off various bats swarming him

Gwen and Lindsay: Sweet lovely Death i am waiting for a break!!!

As the performance heats up Sierra lights up several cans of pasta on fire and starts throwing them at the rats and robots making them scramble and bump into each other and making the scene inside the lobby even more chaotic

Sierra: I GOT SOMETHING TO SAY!! I HUGGED MY CODY TODAY!!! AND IT MATTERS MUCH TO ME AS LONG AS IM WITH HIM!!!

Gwen and Lindsay: Sweet lovely death i am waiting for a break, one sweet death one last caress!!!

As the whole cast roars their song in defiance of the odds, several sparks and electric shocks shoot around the room vaporizing the enemies

While this is going on Cody is running through several corridors and stairs his adrenaline being the only thing keeping him going, as he ran he kept throwing all the random junk he had gathered, hitting several robots and rats on his way, a bat manages to pick him up and fly him up the stairs to the fourth floor only dropping him once he poked it with a plastic fork

Cody lands against the stone floor in pain, he slowly gets up and looks ahead at a massive open door with cool air coming from it

Cody: I got something to say!!! I'll go help Heather today!!! And I'll never give up the chase as long as I draw breath!!!

He looks inside his now empty backpack only finding a red mushroom with white spots, he remembered grabbing it and thinking to himself what could it possibly be, while he analyzed the mushroom chef peppino simply gave him a thumbs up, perhaps this could help him somehow in an emergency

He eats the weird looking mushroom and his eyes shoot open turning red, heat starts emanating from him and he is now full of energy, too much energy, shooting Cody into a mad dash towards the freezer

Meanwhile inside Heather is dodging frozen pizza’s being shot in her direction, the cold wind clearly not helping her, she is starting to falter and feel weaker and weaker, Alejandro even managing to overtake her and run past her holding his own pineapple

Alejandro: Sweet lovely babe I'll be waiting in the end!!! It'll be your friends who leave the plane!!!

The spaniard makes it to the door looking back at the queen bee who has fallen to her knees in pain from the cold, he smirks and thinks to himself that it only serves her right for rejecting him. However a fast and very warm presence runs past him pushing him out of the way

Heather: sweet lovely death i aint ready for you yet!!! Just one more push, one last caress!!

The queen bee sings with the last of her energy, she feels herself about to pass out, when suddenly she is embraced by warm arms wrapping around her

Cody: ONE… LAST… CARESS!!!

As he roars the last lines of the song it releases a heat wave from his body, melting away all the snow chefs in the vicinity

END OF SONG

Heather felt herself melt into the warm embrace of her teammate, the cold had managed to really weaken her, but now a sense of safety was allowing her to catch her breath, she looked into the red eyes of her saviour “Punchy…. You look crazy right now” she gave a smile before closing her eyes and passing out in his arms

Cody’s heart was beating at a million miles a second, his senses were heightened and he couldn't stay still, the only thing remaining in his mind was his mission to bring back Heather safely, he carried her in his arms and ran back the way he came in at an insane speed

Once again over taking Alejandro and pushing countless rats and robots out of the way while he ran back down to the lobby, he could feel the effects of the mushroom start to hurt his body, his heart felt as if it were on fire, and he could feel it start to slow down once again

Tower lobby 1 minute remaining

Team Amazon and Team Chris is really hot were safe from the earlier swarm of enemies having been able to fight them all off without any major injuries or casualties, however they were all in a panic trying to escape the tower, with time running out they didn't want to stick around and find out what would happen to them once the timer hit 0

“COMMON!!! OPEN UP!!” Duncan and Tyler were bashing the massive door to no avail, only gaining more bruises on their bodies
“What are we gonna do!!!” Gwen’s claustrophobia was starting to act up once more, it was all seeming hopeless and everybody was starting to lose faith

“ITS PIZZA TIME!!!!!” with the last remaining ounce of strength he had Cody dashed faster than ever leaving a trail of fire behind him and managing to hit the doors hard enough to budge them open

“OMG!!! Guys lets go!!” screamed Lindsay as they all made their way out as fast as possible, Alejandro having managed to catch up at the last moment also escaping with the rest of his team

TIME REMAINING 0

Once back outside all of the contestants braced themselves for any explosions or horrible outcomes that would occur, however everything remained calm, there was only a gentle breeze and a beautiful night sky illuminating the scene

The silence was only broken when Tyler spoke up “So nothing happened?” almost on que the tower started wobbling and several stones and debris started raining over the contestants, once again reigniting the panic and urgency in all of them, they all ran down the hill towards the restaurant, this challenge was not over yet!

The final objective was to bring back the ingredients to chef peppino after all, it was a race to the restaurant to see who would come out on top, Team Amazon was injured and exhausted but they kept fighting on, Cody’s vision was beginning to blur yet he kept running with Heather in his arms “C…cold…h-h…heart…” she mumbled in her incapacitated state

Almost simultaneously both teams burst through the restaurant doors, startling chef peppino and Chris “Whoa whoa whoa looks like you all made it in here at the same time, what a photo finish!!! But only the team with all 5 ingredients will be today’s winner”

Both teams started yelling over each other trying to get to the host and italian chef first, while Cody cleared a table and laid Heather on it, holding on to her hand unsure of what to do “Heather wake up please…” slowly thanks to the heat of the restaurant Heather started to wake up slowly “p…punchy…”

Cody felt a wave of relief crash over him and in his final moments of consciousness he thanked the heavens she was allright, his heart felt on fire, maybe it was the mushroom's effects, or perhaps it was seeing Heather safe and sound…

“Ok ok lets see the ingredients” both teams brought out their respective ingredients and showed the host ‘allright Team Amazon we got Mushroom. Cheese, Tomato,Sausage, and Pineapple, well done! Looks like you got all the ingredients” Courtney couldnt help but puff up her chest in pride, she had been right to trust in her team mates

“Now Team im sooooooo hot, we got Cheese, Tomato, Sausage, and Pineapple…. Looks like were missing Mushroom heheh” this earned a collective gasp from the whole team “WHAT!!! TYLER DIDNT YOU GRAB THE MUSHROOM???” yelled Duncan clearly angry as all hell

“Uhhhh i think i dropped it….” the clumsy athlete indeed dropped it when he fell through the floor… if only he had noticed earlier

“Well seems pretty clear to me, TEAM AMAZON WINS!!!” Courtney Trent and Lindsay all cheered and embraced each other, all the pain and suffering they had just gone through paid off in the end, if they made it through today they could make it through anything!

“ Guys, guys!… I think Cody needs a doctor!” it was now Heather who was fully awake and held Cody’s head in her lap, she felt his pulse weaken and his heart beat slow down “Punchy! Wake up!”
It seemed that for the chest nut haired teen, the fight was not over yet

Author notes

Thanks so much for reading the chapter, this one was a bit longer than usual but i had a blast writing it and coming up with the dangers they all faced

This time around the song was inspired by a punk band, the misfits, i felt the vibe went well with a massive action packed fight scene as well as Cody rushing to help Heather

Now it remains to see if Cody will be ok, and who will leave Team chris is hot, stick around for next chapter

Let me know what you think in the reviews and once again thank you soooooo much for reading

Chapter Text

Chapter 14

Tears and Growth

They say that you really start living when you find something you care about more than yourself, when you're willing to sacrifice everything for them, and not hesitate, for Cody this feeling was new, even when his body was in excruciating pain, and his heart felt as if it were in flames, he could only think of Heather’s safety, he had never felt that level of fear ever in his life, seeing her unconscious in his arms was far more terrifying than any challenge he had faced so far.

Once he had arrived at the restaurant and laid her on the table he panicked and prayed to the heavens or anything out there that would listen to him for her safety, he would run into hell without a second thought if it meant she would be ok, because even if it hadn't been long, he had finally found somebody who truly saw him and believed in him

Those moments they had spent together so far were priceless to Cody, he loved seeing her talk about life and laugh, he loved seeing her silky ebony hair sway in the wind, the fierce fire in her eyes whenever she competed, the way she would smile at him whenever she teased him, how smart and clever she could be, how genuinely sweet and caring she was when she lowered her guard, practically everything about her was beautiful in his eyes

When the queen bee opened her eyes and looked at him staring right back it was as if heaven itself was revealed to him, a tear fell down his cheek and he smiled, for now he understood something he couldn't before, something he thought he felt for Gwen but wasn't true.

He was in love with Heather.

Things started to blur and turn dark around him, he felt his heart slow down and his wounds started to ache, he could taste the blood in his mouth… he was passing out, his final thought being happy that the queen bee was safe and awake “Im so happy youre ok…” he thought to himself before his head hit the floor and he lay unconscious 

Once Heather woke up she felt her body temperature regulate, she wasn't even sure what had happened, it was almost like a dream, she remembers feeling herself start to collapse in pain from the cold of the freezer, being surrounded by snowmen launching frozen pizza at her, she didn't want to give up but it felt as if the walls were closing around her

But as if by divine intervention suddenly everything around her started feeling warm, she felt herself enveloped by a pair of arms holding her close, offering relief from the frigid conditions, she looked up and saw Cody’s reassuring eyes, no longer the bright beautiful blue she had grown so fond of but now a deep red, he looked as if he had just ran through hell trying to reach her

But regardless she felt safe in his arms, she could stop fighting for just a moment and trust that she would be ok with him, the world around her went dark, and her thoughts went to her mother Jennifer, who quite frankly was one of the most important people in her life, her best friend.

Throughout her life Heather always had a hard time making friends and getting along with others, when she was younger it all stemmed from shyness and insecurity, only when her mom enrolled her into ballet did she start to find confidence in herself, she really enjoyed working hard and trying her best, something her mother always encouraged.

As she grew more confident and into her beauty Heather started to adopt a philosophy of never backing down to life, no matter what came her way she would keep the lessons she learned and try her best to never feel vulnerable and scared again…. But then her mother got sick.

And now there was something she couldn't brute force away, it was a very rare genetic disease that not many experts knew anything about, Frigidus Corde Syndrome also known as Cold Hearted Syndrome

It was quite a horrible disease that slowly sucked away a person’s life, their body temperature would keep dropping and their heart beat would continue to slow down day by day, the patient would slowly lose motor function and even speech, and by the end they would simply fall asleep and never wake up, almost as if they were frozen.

Heather’s family was quite wealthy, but over the last 3 years had spent a fortune trying to find any sort of treatment for Jennifer, almost going into bankruptcy, trying to find a cure or anything that could possibly delay the inevitable, it had taken a heavy toll on them and time was running out.

They had made contact with a doctor from the U.S who was researching a cure and was now close to finding it, but he needed funding and access to his lab and notes, and there was no way of securing it with the means they had.

It was only when Heather heard about Total Drama that she saw a way to make some money and possibly save her mother, and she would do anything to win, there was no line she wouldn’t cross or no humiliation she wouldn’t endure if it meant her mother would live.

And now she had almost lost her life in pursuit of her goal, and thanks to Cody she could live to fight another day, but… he was now laying on the floor passed out, bloodied and bruised, it was now the queen bee’s turn to panic “Cody!”  she jumped off the table and held his head close, he wasn't breathing and his pulse was weak…

In the middle of her panicked state she noticed the rest of her team standing by Chris and hugging one another, unaware of what was happening, it seemed the challenge had just ended and they had won, but all that was far from a priority “EVERYBODY, PLEASE CODY NEEDS A DOCTOR!”

The entire cast stopped what they were doing and rushed to their side, all of them worried for Cody’s life, Chris was the first to speak up “oh god this is bad!, INTERNS! WE NEED MEDICAL ASSISTANCE!” the sadistic host had dropped his charismatic tv persona for a moment and rushed emergency services to help the nerd fighting for his life

Almost instantly a team of paramedics and interns appeared and started applying emergency services to Cody, pumping his chest and giving him oxygen, all while the cast watched from aside, Heather was asked to step back and was being held close by Lindsay “Cody! What happened!! Who did this to you!!!”  screamed Sierra while being held back by a massive team of interns

“Last i saw him he had rushed away to look for Heather and he was fine, a bit bruised and bleeding but he seemed ok”  explained Trent full of fear for his friend’s safety, he had never seen anybody so close to death before and he was seriously starting to panic

While Chris was watching the paramedics work on Cody, full of fear for the lawsuit he would receive if the chestnut haired nerd didn't survive he suddenly ran towards the control console in the back of the restaurant “THE FOOTAGE!”  he started looking through all the footage that was recorded during the challenge, trying to figure out what had happened to Cody

And there it was, he ate a weird mushroom while rushing to find Heather “CHEF PEPPINO! WHAT IS THAT MUSHROOM!?” screamed the panicked host at the nervous chef next to him “oooooh he eat that one?”  suddenly chef Peppino ran to his kitchen and started scrambling and looking for something, making a huge mess of things “I GOT IT!” 

He then ran towards the dining room and past everybody else and stuck a green and white mushroom in Cody’s mouth, making him barely able to swallow it “what are you doing to him!!” yelled Heather, who broke free from Lindsay and ran to Cody’s side 

The queen bee threw the chef to the side and sat next to her alliance member once more holding his hand, while chef peppino stood up from the pile of chairs he had been thrown to and explained “Red one gives power, Green one gives life”  just what the hell was he talking about?

But then as if a miracle had been granted, Cody started to breathe once more, his heart was beating normally again, and he squeezed Heather's hand in his own “...youre…safe...”  he spoke weakly and in clear pain, but he was still alive, this was too much for the queen bee, and in one of the most bizarre moments in the history of Total Drama, the unthinkable happened, Heather broke down in tears

The rest of Team Amazon and Sierra rushed to Cody’s side, he was barely conscious and unsure of how close he had been to losing his life, but he was very much grateful to be there with them all “Did…. we… win?”  he asked with a weak voice “Cody you little twerp, of course we won, thanks to you, but don't you ever do something so stupid ever again!”  responded Courtney full of worry and with tears in her eyes

Trent sat back and took a deep breath, happy to see his friend conscious once more “Dude i told you not to run away… but that's just how you are huh? You can't leave anyone behind”  he couldn't blame him, specially knowing how much the queen bee meant to his friend, and it was clear now more than ever, seeing her reaction to all of this how much she also cared for him

“Oh thank god, I'm not getting sued!” it was Chris’s turn to speak as he walked back into the dining room, having gotten off the phone with the producers and informing them of everything that had happened “more importantly, is he gonna be fine to keep competing?” he asked a medic who was standing by him

“We just took his vitals and we still got to run some tests… our estimate is he should be fine, he just needs to rest for a week” the sadistic host took a deep breath and sighed, well this would push things back… but then again some time off would do them good, after all Chef Hatchet was complaining about being overworked and needing a vacation.

“Allright! This is what's gonna happen, first we're going back to the jumbo jet and having an elimination ceremony for Team Chris is really really really hot!”  this made the mood uneasy for the aforementioned team, with all that had just happened they had forgotten about losing the challenge, and now one of them would be gone for good

“Then I'm going to call the producers and inform them about Cody’s condition, and from there I will make the executive decision about what to do next, so let's get out of here everybody!”   it was then that everybody took in the grim reality of what had gone down, so far this had been one of the most brutal challenges they had ever faced, almost everybody had been close to losing their lives, and seeing Cody almost pass away made that clear for everybody

As the cast all walked into the bus back to the plane, they could see in the distance the tower collapsed and falling into the river below, hopefully to never wreak havoc into the lives of anyone ever again, Cody was being carried by Trent and Heather into the bus, while Courtney and Lindsay were walking in the back, as they were about to board the bus, the humble chef peppino approached the pair of ladies

“This is for you… congratulations for winning” the chef looked quite worried but proud of Team Amazon for facing the challenge and making it back mostly unscathed, he handed them a pizza box that smelled quite heavenly “um, like thanks?” responded Lindsay taking the pizza box from the chef

“Tell the brown haired boy, i hope he feels better”  Courtney looked back at the chef and smiled “he will be, he's a fighter”  and just like that the bus drove away leaving chef Peppino behind to look over his restaurant, it had been quite a bizarre day, but far from the weirdest thing that had ever happened to him, all he knew is that he hoped all those teens would be fine, they all seemed like nice people.

Bus ride to the airport 7:15PM

On the way back to the jumbo jet and to Team Chris is hot’s elimination ceremony everybody was sitting back and letting the exhaustion and pain from the challenge wash over them, Gwen and Duncan were sitting next to each other and hugging one another, looking out the window at the night sky “that nerd is tougher than he lets on…” spoke the delinquent breaking the silence

Gwen looked up at her boyfriend and saw he was serious, it was rare for Duncan to compliment anyone, especially those he deemed beneath him “Yeah… I never expected Cody to risk his life in such a way, not even for me much less Heather”  

The punk chuckled and held his girl even closer “cant imagine risking my life for anybody else but you”  for all his flaws Duncan could be really sweet every once in a while, and seeing him show affection always made her worries melt away “ew when did you get so lovey dovey huh?” although even if she liked it she would still tease her boyfriend

“I got my moments… but more importantly, you said you were stuck with Courtney during the challenge… you ok?” Gwen knew this was coming, after all the three of them seemed to be the center of all the drama these days, and they still had plenty of business left unresolved.

  “She… helped me… and I helped her… I still feel bad about how things went down, but i think i managed to get through to her a bit, i think i understand her better”  the goth looked out the window as she spoke with melancholy in her demeanor, the road to redemption was long, but she was willing to walk it if she could right her wrongs…

Duncan was doing his best to hold steady in his resolve, even if his time with Courtney came to such a disastrous end, he felt bad at how much he hurt her, he would carry the weight of his sins with him, until the day came where he could truly move on and be better, but here and now was not the time, he had to remain strong and fight on, not just for himself but for his pasty goth lover…

Just a few rows ahead of the loving couple, Alejandro was sitting by himself, fuming with rage and frustration, not only had his team lost once again, but his attempts to have Heather by his side had fallen flat, being rejected was a new feeling to him, and quite frankly he didn't care for it.

In fact what made the humiliation sting even more was the fact that apparently she was more interested in that weak pathetic loser Cody, it made absolutely no sense why anybody would spare a second thought to such a guy, but regardless of any absurd reason, he now had a new target to get rid of… and he would make sure not to underestimate the nerd anymore

Airport elimination ceremony 8:00PM

Once the bus had arrived, Team Amazon made their way inside, Cody was barely conscious and needed rest, so Trent and Heather made sure to get him to a room in first class, while Lindsay handed the pizza to Courtney and stayed behind to watch the ceremony unfold, she had a feeling this would be a sad one…

Chris Mclean took center stage and started his speech “Well needless to say but today has been quite intense, thankfully everybody survived the tower and its many dangers, im quite proud of you all hehe”  as always this earned an eye roll from everybody present, he just had a way of getting under their skin like nothing else 

“So since this is your first time at our new elimination ceremony i will repeat the rules, you may step behind the curtain and cast your votes, once you are done i will count them and hand out plane tickets to those of you who are safe, and the one person who does not receive a ticket to the jumbo jet will be out of the competition, FOREVER!”  

With this statement, the ceremony started in full, and one by one each member of the team took their turn and voted on who to eliminate, Gwen and Duncan would share looks with Alejandro, who himself remained calm and stoic, not even looking in the direction of Tyler

The clumsy athlete had a knot in the back of his throat, a chilling feeling due to the realization of how truly alone he was in the competition, with nobody to have his back, he couldn't count on Alejandro anymore, since the moment they lost the challenge the Spaniard wouldn't even acknowledge his existence, and by proxy neither did Sierra or Duncan and Gwen… he was a dead man walking…

“Allright we have the final tally, if i call your name that  means you are safe from elimination, and without further ado…

Duncan!

Sierra!

Gwen!

You get to compete another day!”

The host handed over the tickets to the three contestants, each of them smiling, it seemed they were all very much aware they would be safe…

“Alejandro, you were the last one from your team to show up with an ingredient, it seems you were off on your own scheming and wasting time, but then again who’s to say huh?” teased Chris with a grin, he wouldn't give away what the Spaniard was up to but it was sure fun to plant some seeds of conflict in a team every once in a while… “Not sure what you're talking about Chris, i was just looking for a pineapple and making my way back to my team, i would NEVER mess up things for everybody”  he responded while glaring at Tyler clearly making his animosity known to everybody who would hear

“Hehe love it when the hate flows, and you Tyler, lets just say you acted impulsively and cost your team the challenge, losing that mushroom proved to be the biggest mistake you could've made, you didn't listen to your team when they told you not to run ahead without thinking, that's not cool bro”  Tyler looked down at his feet in defeat, it was true, he had never stopped to think and always just ran ahead,only this time he dragged his team down with him “i got nothing to say man… im sorry guys” 

Chris shook his head in disapproval and spoke once more

“The final ticket is for

.

.

.

.

Alejandro!”  the host handed the ticket to the angry Spaniard leaving Tyler as the only one present without anything to show for his efforts, he was eliminated…

“Tyler, your time on the show is over, your bags are waiting for you by the exit, safe travels dude” Chris finished his speech and handed him a losers ticket back to Canada, the athlete merely looked up and took the ticket from the host, the rest of his team could only offer looks of disappointment as they walked back into the plane 

Tyler felt really bad, but he still felt that he had to speak to Alejandro and apologize for costing them the challenge “Hey Alejandro dude, i wanna apologize to you, i know i messed up, but you've been such a nice guy to me, I’ll miss ya buddy”   however, Alejandro didn't even turn to look back at him, he merely stood still and responded "Don't speak to me, were not friends, just leave you worthless loser” 

Tyler was stunned at the way he was spoken to just now, the one guy he thought had his back had just dismissed him and insulted him as if nothing “dude… what are you…” Alejandro just kept walking, not even responding to someone he saw as beneath him, it was over and he was not going to engage with the loser any further…

Suddenly a voice was heard yelling "You're a massive jerk Alejandro!”  it was Lindsay who made her presence known, she felt sad about the way her ex was being treated, and even if things had ended in such a bad tone, she knew Tyler was not a bad guy, but the wrong person had influenced him

“Oh poor Lindsay, still caring for such a pathetic excuse for an athlete… don't worry, you're probably gonna be gone from the competition soon enough” he walked passed the blonde and into the plane without a second thought, he wasn't about to indulge the less than bright blonde in any verbal spat, right now he just wished to sit back and rest for the next challenge

Once everybody had left only Lindsay and Tyler were left outside, the plane would soon depart and their time was running out “thanks for standing up for me Linds… im so sorry, for everything, i didnt believe you, i made you cry, i was such a jerk, i just—” spoke the athlete, even if humiliated and alone he was glad at least somebody cared enough about him to see him leave

The ditzy blonde smiled at her ex lover and gave him a hug, she held no resentment for all they had been through, in her mind it had been a fun experience, one of those brief summer flings that fizzle out due to the intricacies of life “Tyler… you're a good boy, you just got some growing to do, and so do i… i know you'll find what you're looking for, but until then, take care silly boy” 

The clumsy athlete smiled and hugged his ex back, she would always be the one who got away, a truly special girl, but he understood this was goodbye for good, from now on he had to find his own path and keep on going, maybe someday he would find the right girl for him…

“Take care Lindsay… tell Trent i said sorry, he's a good dude, and he really cares about you”  the blondie looked back at him and nodded, she was still figuring a lot of stuff out, but through it all so far, she knew she could count on the raven haired artist to be there for her

Without much else to say they broke their embrace and Lindsay boarded the jumbo jet, as Tyler walked away into the airport watching the massive aircraft take off, he had many regrets about how things had gone down, but in the end, he felt hope he would grow and learn from this experience, he smiled at the night sky and wiped the tears from his eyes “from now on, it's time to start growing!” 

First Class Cabin 8:45PM

Team Amazon was relaxing and nursing their injuries they had sustained during the challenge, Trent was icing his wrist while he sat by the bar next to Courtney, who was once again lost in thought about the events that had taken place 

As she looked at the musician next to her she could tell he was also emotionally troubled which these days seemed to be the new normal for everybody competing “So… my fellow heart broken friend, what's got you all messed up this time?”  the bossy girl had decided to break the silence first, perhaps by talking to the hippy she could gauge some insight into her own troubles

The musician looked at his team mate and gave his signature laid back chuckle to her uncharacteristic curiosity “Well my broken hearted friend, im just a bit out of it… i spoke to Gwen the other night and… it didnt go too well, i kinda let out my frustrations… I hate feeling like this, and well… i think im a bit confused about how to feel about her”   Courtney nodded and turned to take a sip of her tea "there's just something about that Goth girl that seems to make guys lose their minds… i happened to run into her during the challenge, had to work with her, needless to say things got a bit ugly” 

Trent raised an eyebrow at what she had just said, with concern in his voice he asked “are you ok? That must've been so hard for you both”  a part of him was very thankful he hadn't run into his ex, it would've definitely thrown him off his game if he had to work with her under the circumstances 

Courtney merely looked straight ahead, a part of her contemplating all the emotions she had been through during the day "I'll be fine, I just said what I had to say… Im still very hurt and i dont forgive her, but i want to start to truly move on, i guess i learned that from you. After all, some days will be easier than others, right?”  the CIT joked as she nudged her newfound friend in sorrow

Trent smiled back and chuckled, he was trying his best to move on and learn to deal with the pain inside him, happy to have somebody who sort of understood his struggle, and in a way he was starting to truly move on, thanks to that small talk he had with the goth the other night and his song writing, he was putting words to his feelings, and for now that's all he needed

“Well I'm a work in progress, and I think I'm getting better… i dont think about her as much these days, i kind of find myself… looking elsewhere” almost as if by accident and without noticing he looked across the room towards a certain blonde who was currently heating up the pizza Chef Peppino had gifted Team Amazon, her gaze seemed a bit sad but she still kept a warm smile on her face, that smile that could bring light into the darkest places of his soul

This did not go unnoticed by Courtney, who saw her chance to tease the musician, after all he was as transparent in his feelings as the wind “Trent… are you drooling for the pizza or something else?” Trent was snapped out of his trance upon hearing the joke and blushed pretty hard at the CIT’s remark, was he really that obvious?

Courtney giggled to herself seeing her friend act so uncharacteristically flustered “It's ok i get it, she’s pretty hot and she sings well, that's probably what got you huh?”  Trent let out a sigh and slumped into his chair unable to hide how flustered he had gotten “i guess im pretty obvious… but its more than just that, i never paid much attention before, but she is such a sweet and caring person, and i find myself thinking about her more and more these days… but i dont think its meant to be… she just broke up with Tyler, and she says she wants to focus on herself, and im such a mess… i dont want to drag her down” 

Courtney offered a comforting smile and put her hand on the musicians shoulder “Im not the best at this kind of stuff, usually its Bridgette who cheers people up, but if she were here she’d tell you that you're not a mess and you deserve love just as much as anybody, just because somebody broke your heart and you didn't know how to handle it doesn't mean you're not worthy of trying again… and who knows maybe you learned your lesson and things can be better”  Trent looked  at the CIT and smiled back, he was happy to have her in his life, he never thought in a million years he and Courtney would have anything in common, much less would she be cheering him up

“I think you're getting the hang of it although it's extremely jarring to hear you speak normally instead of yelling”   this earned a swift and playful slap to his shoulder, it seemed they were both comfortable enough to joke with one another, and perhaps that's what they both needed right now

“Like guys… you have to try this pizza its sooooooo good”  the bubbly and sweet blonde walked towards the duo hanging by the bar and offered to share the pizza they had worked so hard on making “it better be good, i had to fight an army of rats and robots to get the cheese for the damn thing!”  Lindsay giggled at Courtney’s usual outspoken complaints happy to share these moments with her team

Trent took a slice and tried it, he was far from a food critic but he could not deny how delicious the pizza was “Dude this is really good, we should save some for Cody and Heather, are they still–”   "Yep, they're still in his room, she hasn't left his side since we got in” Courtney cut off Trent before he could finish asking his question, she had thought she’d seen it all during the show, but the idea of Heather caring so deeply for someone else was foreign to her, but then again who says people can't change?

Cody’s room 9:00PM

When Cody had first approached Heather for an alliance back in the plane ride from Greece, he never imagined in a million years anything quite like this would happen, at most he figured they would look out for one another not to get eliminated, but now things were far from that

He lay in his bed, still very much weak from all the pain and punishment he had endured in the tower, but he could not complain at all, Heather was currently sitting beside him tending to his wounds and still shedding tears in silence

The queen bee hadn't spoken much since they made their way back into first class, as soon as he had been laid in his bed she refused to leave his side and merely sat down next to him, even refusing to tend to her own wounds, while Lindsay and Trent insisted she come out and let Cody rest she just stayed in place and politely asked to be left alone with the chestnut haired teen

“Heather… are you ok?”  he asked with a sore voice, still feeling the effects of the fiery mushroom he had consumed to save her, he was starting to worry about her even more “I’ll be fine… i just want to make sure you are fine”  responded the queen bee in a very stoic and robotic tone

“I'm feeling much better… my head is killing me but that's not so bad, im just glad we both made it out” Cody offered a smile and tried reaching for her hand, something that froze her in place, unsure on how to receive the affectionate gesture he was attempting, but just as he had done before, he broke through those walls and grasped her hand in his own 

Heather was terrified at the emotions she was feeling, in the past she was always the one in control of any type of dynamic she found herself into, she was always distrustful or unsure of those who approached her, but in this moment she couldn't, she knew that Cody had no angle or hidden agenda, he truly cared about her

“I–I–I don't know what's going on… why did you come back for me? Why are you always so sweet to me? It's because of me that you're like this, we shouldn’t be in an alliance, I'm just going to hurt you!” the normally cool and collected Heather was now crying and trying her best to let go of his hand, as much as she was grateful to him she couldn't bear the guilt of Cody almost dying trying to save her, she felt unworthy of his efforts and his care for her

Cody could see the pain in her eyes, he knew her well enough by now that she had a hard time with her own feelings and her self esteem, hell he could relate to that very much, he had only recently understood his own feelings for the queen bee… but now was not the time for that

“I did it… because you're my friend Heather… and i care about you” he remained firm in his words and looked into her eyes, hoping to get through to her how important she had become to him, she believed in him and gave him the confidence to try and live with No Regrets, and he would always thank her for that

Heather was overcome with emotion at his words, her whole being was screaming to run away from it but she couldn't bring herself to let go “I don't know what to say or what to do… I just—” "Don't say anything, there's nothing to say about it… just stay here, after all its time for our night talk”  Cody cut off her rambling and with a reassuring gaze tried his best to calm her down

The queen bee simply closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, she smiled to herself and stood up from her chair and lay down next to her alliance member… actually no, she lay down next to her Friend , the truest and most genuine friend she had ever had “ok… I’ll stay… but don't you ever get used to bossing me around Punchy” Cody could only chuckle at her usual spunk, he might not know what would happen tomorrow or from here on out, but if Heather was by his side, he didn't fear the future anymore.

Pilots’s cockpit 9:30PM

“Uh huh, yeah uh huh, he almost died yeah, doctors said he needs a week… yeah i know we need him, the ratings are through the roof… ok….ok… allright then, i’ll tell Hatchet” Chris Mclean was on the phone with the producers, settling the arrangements for what was to come, there would have to be a slight detour and change of plans, but they had to make sure the cast was in top shape for what was to come 

“Well Chef looks like you'll be getting that vacay you've been wanting after all”  the host leaned back in the co-pilots chair as he hung up the phone, Chef Hatchet had heard the whole conversation and he was quite pleased with the turn of events "Alright that means were no longer going to–” “Yep, not yet were not, we’ll save that for after the vacation, instead how do you feel about turning this jet towards somewhere more… luxurious”

Chef could only grin with excitement at the request, it was about time he could sit back and relax, and after seeing the state all of those teenage punks were in it was very clear they also needed a bit of that as well “hehe, just what i wanted to hear, setting course to MONACO!” 

Chris laughed to himself, he was happy to be paid to vacation, and after all just because the cast was about to get some rest it didn't mean the drama would come to a stop, knowing them it was a matter of time before they found themselves getting into all sorts of trouble just by being around each other.

Author Notes

Goodbye Italy and goodbye Tyler, your time on the show mightve been quite tumultuous but in the end you recognized your mistakes and you're willing to grow and move on, maybe some day you'll find what you need, you never know

And so we move on to a new stage, we will get to see the cast rest and relax and interact with each other, and in such a beautiful and exotic destination who knows what kind of trouble they will all get into

We also got to know more about Heather and her past, i figured i wanted to do some changes to her official backstory, of course having a sick mother doesn't excuse all the harm she has done, but it puts things into perspective, it will all come down to if she is willing to change and to fully trust Cody

I wanted to develop them further and have them admit to themselves how important they were to one another, perhaps Heather doesn't fully understand her emotions yet, but she very much trusts him completely now

Thank you some much all of you who read the story so far, i will always be grateful for your support, i hope you enjoy the story and stick around for next chapter, i got a few ideas i think you'll enjoy, please leave a comment and let me know what you think, and as always have a wonderful day/night :)

Chapter Text

Chapter 15

Fun and Rest

After a long day of filming a reality show things tend to slow down for the night, not only are the contestants exhausted from facing death defying challenges, the whole crew that makes these challenges possible is also beyond tired, not that any of those teens would ever think about it.

So the prospect of having a week of rest in a luxurious place like Monte Carlo felt like a godsent, and Chris Mclean couldn't wait to get to it as soon as possible, having given Chef Hatchet the green light to change course to the resort town as soon as possible.

11:20PM

*Intercom* 

“Attention Total Drama World Tour contestants, this is your host with the most speaking, prepare for landing!”

That statement by the sadistic host sent a chill through every single contestant that heard it. How could he possibly expect them to compete after only a couple of hours of rest, it was inhumane!

First class cabin

After spending some time together Team Amazon had decided to call it a night and rest up, however that was clearly short lived, it was Courtney who decided to vent her frustrations first as her screams were heard through the whole cabin “YOU CANNOT BE FOR REAL RIGHT NOW!!”  she had just laid her head on her pillow right before Chris decided to interrupt her much needed rest and needless to say she was angrier than words could possibly describe

The CIT kicked her door open stepping into the main cabin dressed in her sleep wear and with red eyes full of anger, she was joined by a very calm and sleepy looking Heather who also kicked the door to Cody’s room open and walked towards her “Courtney… i say we just do it, let’s kill him once and for all…” the queen bee was clearly in a state of euphoria as her anger had circled all the way back to calmness, with one of her eyes twitching and her lips twisting into a murderous grin.

Courtney had to find a semblance of calmness once Heather approached her, as enticing as the idea might be she had to keep a cool head, and seeing her team mate dead set on her plan brought her down to earth  “As much as I love that idea Heather, if the bastard dies there's no show, and if there's no show there's no million dollars” 

The duo was also joined by a very sleepy Lindsay who stepped out of her room and shuffled slowly towards the queen bee and rested her head against her shoulder “hey~~~ admiral Lindsay orders you all to sleep…..zzzzzz”  it wasn't clear if she was sleep walking  or not but the ditzy blonde just had to make her presence known to her friends discussing the morality of murdering the host

All of a sudden the aircraft started to descend at an insane speed causing the trio occupying the cabin to fall against the cabin bar “AHHHHHHH!!! WHY ME??!!!” yelled the now fully awake queen bee as she held onto her team mates for dear life, both Lindsay and Courtney did the same while screaming in fear

Thankfully the turbulence was short lived enough, with the jumbo jet landing smoothly on the air strip, the cabin steadied and the girls were no longer being crushed against the bar “I 100% believe chef does that on purpose” spoke Courtney as she picked herself up from the floor “Im gonna go change, i’ll see you both out there, who knows where we are and what they're gonna do to us ughh” the frustrated CIT made her way back into her room clearly ticked off at the chaos that wouldn't let up

Heather and Lindsay also stood up and looked at one another in confusion and worry, however Lindsay couldn't help herself as a devious smile appeared on her face “were you still in Cody’s room?” the simple question caught the queen bee off guard and a deep red blush appeared on her face “wh-what? Why would i- what i was just…. SHUT UP!” apparently Heather was never good at hiding her emotions when it came to that particular subject, this made Lindsay giggle in amusement, seeing that side of the queen bee never got old

However a voice could be heard coming from the still injured nerd’s room “Help…. Too weak to get up…” upon hearing this Heather’s eyes shot wide open and she rushed back into his room to help her friend, somehow he had ended up under the bed due to the turbulence, the ditzy blonde observed the urgency in her friend’s dash to help the boy, with the same caring smile she always wore she merely mused to herself “Love is such a sweet and silly thing…”

Monaco– Monte Carlo 11:30PM

Both teams were standing outside the jumbo jet, their faces reflecting their exhaustion and their injuries still not healed whatsoever, on one side there was Team Chris is really hot all of them in a terrible mood and bruised, standing in silence and looking around, trying to figure out where they were exactly “we only flew a couple of hours, so were still in Europe, maybe France or another part of Italy?” spoke Gwen leaning against Duncan for support “Maybe it's gonna be another sleep deprivation challenge like back in season 1, jokes on them though, you and i made it to the end back then, this will be a piece of cake”  responded Duncan with his trademark bad boy grin

On the other side was Team Amazon, also looking in rough shape, with Trent still nursing an injured wrist and Cody still bed ridden they were in a clear disadvantage however both Courtney and Heather were standing tall and unflinching, something both girls had in common was their drive to win and even if morale was low they wouldn't go down without a fight

Courtney narrowed her eyes and took in her surroundings, while they were still at an airport she could see a city in the distance and it looked to be quite a luxurious place, but she knew better than to let her guard down “With both Cody and Trent out of commission it's up to the three of us to give it our all, you got that Lindsay?”  the blonde nodded happily as she took out a white navy hat from behind her “Roger that Courtney, Admiral Lindsay is gonna give it her all!” 

Trent couldn't help but chuckle at her charming antics, this however earned an eye roll from the two other girls, at least her spirit was in the right place “My wrist may be messed up but i’ll do what i can, maybe the challenge won't be too physical right?” the musician could only hope he was right, the timing couldn't be worse for a challenge…

These thoughts would have to wait for now however, as both Chris and Chef stepped out of the plane wearing serious expressions, they walked to the front of both teams and stood there for a solid minute without saying a word, just staring coldly at each contestant one by one…

The tension kept building and both teams were unsure of what would happen next, it was almost too much to bear, it was Courtney who lost her patience first as she spoke out loud “Well—” “DONT INTERRUPT THE TENSION!!!”  Chris couldn't help himself as he rudely cut off the CIT before she could let a word out 

Chef let out a chuckle, mocking Courtney sure never got old “Hehe you got her good”  the host smirked and turned to the cast once more “thanks, that always feels good” that level of mockery almost made her lose her mind as she briefly pondered Heather’s earlier offer to get rid of the host once and for all… oh what a sweet dream that was

“Anyway, allow me to welcome you all to Monte Carlo, one of the premier travel destinations in the world, this luxurious city in the heart of Monaco is a symbol of the European dream, with beautiful resorts and beaches, as well as a thriving night life its quite a paradise hehe”  the host was in high spirits it seemed, that was historically never a good sign for the cast, with every word he spoke the tension and fear kept rising in each of them

Chris was relishing in the fear that was very much palpable in the air, and he would make sure to keep the torture a bit longer “Before I continue, where's Cody?”  Team Amazon looked at each other anxiously unsure of what to respond “He almost died just a couple of hours ago! He’s in bed resting!” It was Heather who stepped forward and defiantly spoke against the host with an icy glare

The rest of her team rallied behind the queen bee as she spoke “yeah like, he's gonna like rest tonight we can do the challenge without him!”  it was Lindsay’s turn to speak up against the host, she liked and respected Cody, and seeing what a good influence he was being on Heather she had all the incentive to stand up for him now more than ever

“Hmm, skipping out huh, you know what that means… if he is too hurt to compete then…”   Heather’s blood went cold in fear… she would never forgive herself for costing her friend his spot on the show, the guilt would hang over her like a heavy cross, but there was nothing she could do, she only hoped Cody would forgive her

“......... IT'S NO PROBLEM, BECAUSE WERE NOT HERE FOR A CHALLENGE, THIS IS A VACATION!!!!” the world stood still for a moment, there was just no way Chris had said that, it's impossible hell would freeze over before he did something nice for them, surprisingly it was Alejandro who spoke first “what do you mean by that… like you're going to vacation while we endure some cruel punishment or something?” 

The rest of the cast still looked on edge about the whole thing, it was then that Courtney added on to the spaniards point “yeah like, what do you mean exactly by vacation, what's the catch?” Chris looked a bit irritated at the line of questioning, as if he were incapable of doing something nice…. Ok maybe he was incapable without literally life or death circumstances, but still

“Look, you're all in rough shape, you've been traveling the world non stop for several weeks now, and last challenge almost killed all of you, so the producers and i came to the agreement that you needed some time off to relax and get back in shape… also we don't want to get sued by any of your families”  so now it made more sense, the fear of legal repercussions seemed like the only way to get through to the show

“So for the next seven days, you will be staying at a luxury resort in Monte Carlo, feel free to do as you please, each one of you will be given a Total Drama credit card allowance, to spend on food or shopping or whatever else you kids want, you will also get  your own room at a resort  so no need to stay in the jumbo jet for a week, you can venture into the city as you please as well, but remember you're still part of Total Drama World Tour so you'll still be filmed when you're out and about” 

You could excuse the lack of reaction of the cast due to this having never happened before, it was too good to be true, and everybody was still on edge, after all who would be dumb enough to trust anything Chris would say?

Duncan, not being one to shy away from a challenge, stepped forward in clear irritation and spoke up “Dude this is freaking us out just tell us the catch and get this challenge going!”  the rest of his team rallied behind the punk ready for a rematch even if they were all still very much not rested or ready, growing frustrated with the line of questioning Chris simply started to walk away and in a very dismissive tone addressed the cast “I give up believe whatever you want, me and Chef are going to the resort, there's a bus waiting outside the airport ready to take you as well, see you weirdos in a week, Mclean out!” 

And so with no fanfare or hidden agendas the sadistic host and his brutish assistant walked away and got in a sports car driving away, leaving the still very suspicious and paranoid cast behind

Nobody dared to move away, Chris had probably rigged explosives around them, or perhaps the real challenge was to see who would be the last one to leave the plane, there was just no way they were getting a week off it was inconceivable “...you guys think this is real?”  spoke a hopeful Trent, seeing that 10 minutes had passed and nothing had happened so far

“No way it's real! They're probably waiting for us to lower our guard and then wham! Something horrible is gonna happen!” responded a very impassioned Courtney, there was no way she would fall for the host’s tricks, she was way too smart for that “but um, like how would that be entertaining television, us just standing around? Also i think those are all the interns leaving over there” Lindsay pointed out as a whole army of underpaid and overworked interns walked into the airport leaving the jumbo jet unmanned

Having seen every single person leave the aircraft and leave them behind as well as Chris and Chef seemingly gone gave them all hope, it was only when Gwen spoke that it truly settled in for everybody “Cant believe I'm saying this but… Lindsay is making a good point, I think this is real….. We get to relax at a 5 star resort for a week…”

It was then that a unanimous shout of celebration was shared by everybody present, Lindsay hugged both Trent and Heather while jumping up and down with them, Courtney fell to her knees and let out a cry of joy into the heavens, while Gwen and Duncan shared their most passionate kiss to date, however both Alejandro and Sierra seemed way more subdued in their reactions, with the former choosing to simply walk away and make his way to the transport to the resort

As for Sierra she was smiling to herself, it would be the perfect opportunity to hang around her one true love Cody, she would make sure to never leave his side  all day every day, she was going to nurse him back to health and book them a couple’s massage, and every night they would walk on the beach and also— “I’ll go get Cody, I can't wait to give him the good news!”  the fangirl’s fantasies came to a halt as she heard a certain queen bee speak

As Heather made her way back into the aircraft, Sierra observed closely the scene in front of her. She had been so focused on the game and making it to the merge that she really hadn't paid much attention to her former team since she left, after all nobody else in it mattered apart from her Cody… 

She looked towards Team Amazon as they started discussing their now absent team mate “It's still so weird seeing Heather act like that, i mean she can still be pretty mean and stuff but, when she’s around her punchy she seems so…. Full of life”  said Trent in a joking fashion earning a giggle from both Lindsay and Courtney “I think it's adorable, and how flustered she gets when i like mention it, it’s so much fun teasing her about her crush” added the ditzy blonde

As for Courtney, she simply crossed her arms and gave a calm smile “Hmph she’s way too obvious about it, and i dont even think she realizes she’s in love with him yet… but it is very sweet seeing them together, i think they make a cute couple… dont ever tell her i said that…” 

Sierra was dumbfounded at what she was hearing, since when was Heather into Cody? There was no universe in which it made sense, she was the resident evil witch, a cold hearted woman that would never even look at a guy like her pure hearted Cody, they were probably just being sarcastic right?

While Sierra kept trying to convince herself there was no way it was true, it was what she saw next that truly changed things….

Cody and Heather were walking out of the plane, clinging to one another, the queen bee was assisting him on his way down from the aircraft, and that look… the look her Cody was giving her…. She had never seen it before, it was so tender and full of love, his eyes were fixated on the queen bee, taking in her beauty as it shined in the moon light, he still looked bruised and weak, but his gaze remained fixated on Heather, so confident and sure of himself, it was the eyes of somebody in love….

The wounded nerd looked away from his crush for a moment as he descended the stairs and addressed his team “Guys! Is it true? We get to hang out at a resort for a week?”  he flashed his signature smile as he asked this, causing Heather to let out a chuckle “What? You don't believe me? If you want I can leave you in the plane by yourself for a week!” teased the queen bee making the rest of Team Amazon laugh in amusement as Cody scrambled awkwardly to apologize

Once they descended the stairs of the aircraft Team Amazon walked away together into the bus, ready to enjoy themselves and leave their worries behind, not unlike any group of friends you would find across the world getting ready for a summer vacation, yet as they walked away they failed to notice as they left Sierra behind all by her lonesome as she stood in the shadow of the jet

Seeing that scene unfold up close was what truly broke the fangirl’s spirit, the ache in her heart was something she had never experienced before, it was as if a dagger had stabbed her very soul, her world was falling apart, how could this happen? What had she done wrong? She thought she did everything right! she always showed Cody how much she loved him, how much she was willing to sacrifice for him… 

Her eyes welled up with tears, she couldn't handle the pain… so she simply walked away, into the bus… she needed to think, to be alone…

Royal Resort Monte Carlo 2:00AM

Once reality had settled in for the whole cast they had taken their luxury bus to the Royal Resort of Monte Carlo, possibly one of the most beautiful places on earth, where not many would ever get to experience such accommodations in their lives, but now it was a reality for everybody present

Once they stepped out into the glamorous palace they could truly take in the sights that lay in front of them, it was like a palace carved of glass and stone, not merely a hotel it was more of a castle full of elegance perched at the edge of the Mediterranean, with thousands of colored lights illuminating their surroundings

As they walked towards the entrance they could admire the beauty of its gardens and the people swimming by the pools or dancing by the trendy looking night clubs surrounding the hotel, simply put it looked like paradise on earth.

Once inside, the snooty looking general manager of the hotel welcomed them all with a grandiose gesture, after all to him they were more than VIP’s, they were famous celebrities competing in the most famous show on earth, they were to be treated as such.

He gave each one of them a key to their own rooms and a black and gold credit card to be used during their stay for anything they might fancy while they experienced Monte Carlo, and with not much else to discuss everybody went to their own rooms to rest for the night.

Heather was about to help Cody make it to his room but her own exhaustion and injuries were starting to get the best of her, it was then that Lindsay volunteered to take her to her room, and Trent would take Cody to his, so without much energy to protest they made sure to exchange one last look for the night before they departed for the night

Cody’s resort room

Trent made sure to help out his buddy Cody make it to his room, thankfully Team Amazon would be staying close to each other with all of them sharing a whole floor of the resort so it wouldn't be an issue if they wanted to hang out with each other, once they made it to his room, Cody laid down on his bed and let out a deep sigh of relief, finally able to truly rest up and recover from his wounds

Before making his way to his own room Trent pulled up a chair and sat by his friend’s bedside “Well dude, I spoke to the hotel manager guy, he said that Total Drama paid for any medical attention we might need, so hopefully before the week is over we’ll be back to 100% ”  the musician leaned back into the chair as he held his wrist, seemingly deep in thought

“Well that's good news… I thought i was going home hurt like last time, i just hate feeling like a burden” the chestnut haired nerd leaned back into his pillow, he was deep i thought about how everything was turning out, he didn't regret risking his life for Heather, but a part of him deep inside was worried he would end up being sent home due to his injuries, after all last time it happened it felt so deeply humiliating

Trent gave a somber chuckle as he stood up and walked towards the window overlooking the beautiful night sky “I can't speak for everybody, but I'm pretty sure we wouldn't let that happen, specially Heather, I don't know how but she clearly cares a lot about you huh?” Cody couldn't help but smile at his friend’s remark, honestly he couldn't explain it either, everything just felt so natural with her, and his heart couldn't deny what it was feeling any longer

“I guess so, it's hard to believe things turned out this way, but I'm not complaining, I just don't want to mess things up, I want to keep trying my best, and I want to be good enough for her…”  as Cody confessed his insecurities the raven haired musician in turn, he merely turned back to his friend and looked at him with a gentle smile “You know, i sort of get it, wanting to be good enough… the truth is, in the end the only thing you can be is yourself, you have to learn to love yourself, and forgive yourself, you're only human, if you constantly doubt yourself… you'll end up losing the things most important to you” 

Cody felt the sadness behind his friend’s words, it was pretty clear he was speaking from experience “Thanks, i needed to hear that… dude you're like the team’s psychologist at this point”  Trent let out a laugh and sat back down next to his friend, relaxing once again “ im still trying to practice what i preach, but i got a feeling were gonna make it my dude” 

In the end, both young men were glad to have each other's backs, they had been through many hardships over the years, and now more than ever they needed to lean on one another to make it far, after a while Trent left the room to let his friend rest for the night, he himself looking forward to a week of rest and to hopefully clear his mind and heart.

Over the next couple of days the cast of Total Drama immersed themselves into truly taking a break and enjoying themselves, during the first two days Cody stayed in his room playing video games and receiving medical attention, slowly regaining his strength and stamina

Every once in a while Trent or Heather would show up to keep him company, and slowly but surely he was beginning to feel strong enough to walk around the resort and hang out with his team.

While this was all taking place Courtney had tried her best to relax and keep her mind in check, trying not to stress over things out of her control, often finding herself attending yoga classes at the resort or working out at the luxurious gym facilities, it was clearly very hard for her to slow down knowing that at the end of the week she would go back to the fierce reality show.

Still undeterred however she kept trying to force herself to find peace and quiet, so she decided to go down to the pool and read a book to try and unwind, she made her way to one of the vacant chairs under an umbrella and sat back “Allright, time to rest and relax, no stress just reading my book and enjoying this beautiful sunny day!” It was quite impressive how she could even be controlling over what was supposed to be a stress free activity, but that's Courtney for you.

The CIT spent about an hour lounging by the pool, and truthfully she was beginning to enjoy herself, the vibe around the resort was comforting, it was almost contagious how the good spirits of those around her made her feel at peace, a waiter would come by every once in a while and bring her a refreshing drink, and she was truly engrossed in her reading, not many things could bring her mood down… but sadly life doesn't always work out that way.

While Courtney got half way through her book she put it down for a moment and observed her surroundings, a tiny little twinge of sadness was at the back of her mind, she couldn't explain why, it was almost like a sixth sense telling her to go back into her room, to hide away, telling her she was undeserving of any type of peace, but why was she feeling this?

So almost like a crashing wave, she saw it. Just a couple of feet away there was Duncan and Gwen, both of them walking hand in hand, smiling at one another, clearly enjoying their time together without a worry in the world, just a couple in love…

Courtney observed closer, looking at her ex boyfriend, he looked so happy, he was holding the goth’s hand tightly, she tried to remember if he ever looked at her that way back then, if they ever had a chance to be a happy normal couple, or were they always fighting?

She couldn't remember… but what was clear to her now, was that he had moved on, he wasn't thinking of her, the delinquent was just living his life, loving another girl… a girl she once called a friend, they both looked so happy… So why was she still feeling this way, why was she so obsessed with everything that happened? Why did they get to move on while she still felt so miserable… 

Courtney couldn't handle it… she had to go away, she didn't want to cry in front of everybody, she had to run away, so she grabbed her book and her things and ran back into the resort, holding back tears of a broken heart, she hated feeling like this, no matter how hard she tried this break up kept tearing her apart, and she kept being reminded of it over and over, maybe this was one of those bad days Trent was talking about…

Just as she made it into her room she scrambled to bring out her key card and open it, no longer able to back her tears she fell to her knees in frustration and let out her emotions “ Why am i like this, why do i care? Why do I still miss that stupid jerk? Why does he get to move on and be happy?  It's not fair!” she thought to herself, with rage and frustration getting the best of her, she was beginning to doubt if she was even capable of being happy again, or if it was even possible

As the CIT cried at the entrance of her room a soft and caring voice spoke from behind her while placing a hand on her shoulder “Courtney… are you like ok?” Courtney looked up with tear filled eyes at Lindsay who wore a concerned face, having witnessed her breakdown as she was leaving her own room

Over their time on the show they had never really been on the best of terms, remembering how back in season 2 they clashed often, and with how cut throat and competitive Courtney could be it was very difficult for both of them to form a bond, but right now without a competition or any hidden agendas Lindsay only saw a girl who was having a hard time, and she wanted to help

Courtney choked back some tears and wiped her with her wrist “Lindsay, its none of your business just leave me alone”  a part of her felt bad for being so rude to her team mate who was just checking on her, but the CIT hated being pitied “I know its not like my business, and you don't have to tell me what's going on… but like I can tell you're having a hard time” 

Courtney stood up once more, composing herself and taking a deep breath she responded with her trademark sarcasm “Me? A hard time? nah im having the time of my life, there's nothing wrong with me!”  Lindsay knew better than to keep trying to pry into the bossy girl’s business, however she didn't want to just leave her alone 

“Um, I was like about to go shopping with Heather, would you like to come with us?”   

At that moment the CIT thought about 100 ways to say no to the invitation from the ditzy blonde, as if she needed her pity, she wouldn't be caught dead hanging out with her or Heather, like seriously why would she ever— “i think it would be fun, and i want us to be friends, just like you're friends with bridgette”

  Courtney’s  train of thought came to a halt, looking into the eyes of her team mate she saw sincerity in her words… Maybe it wasn't pity or any other underhanded intent behind the invitation, and maybe it was ok to give it a chance, after all it's not like she could feel any worse right now…

“....ugh gimme a second i’ll get changed” Lindsay gave a smile and a small excited clap, happy to see she had gotten through to Courtney, same as with Heather perhaps these bossy and scary girls werent so bad afterall

Resort main lobby 2:34PM

Heather was sitting on a very comfortable looking sofa by herself, earlier in the day she had gone to see Cody in his room, the chestnut haired nerd had been undergoing physical therapy and his recovery was going well, the pair had breakfast together and walked around the resort for a bit, enjoying each other's company in a low stress environment allowed them to feel a bit of normalcy in their lives

The queen bee was starting to really get to know him more and more, often laughing at his cheesy jokes or listening to his wacky stories of being on tour with his band, she couldn't help but smile at the nerd’s charm, who knew such a kind soul was under all those layers of nerdiness and awkward attempts of flirting

However their morning walk was interrupted by Lindsay who kept insisting the both of them go shopping with her, as she really didn't feel like being alone, however Cody wasn't clear to leave the resort quite yet so he wouldn't be able to join them, and before Heather could refuse as well, Lindsay looked at her with puppy eyes, tugging at some of her remaining guilt from their shared past

So she agreed to go shopping with the blonde bombshell, while Cody stayed behind to hang out with Trent and play videogames in his room, they would see each other later and hang out anyway so it wasn't a big deal… she just missed him a tiny little bit…

While her mind wandered elsewhere she saw in the distance her blonde team mate approaching her with a smile on her face as she waved her hand in the air “About time! Let's get going Lindsay, what took you so– Courtney?”  Before she could finish her sentence she spotted Courtney walking beside the blonde, wearing her signature annoyed expression and her arms crossed “Hiiii sorry for making you wait, i ran into Courtney and asked her to come with us, so now it's like a Team Amazon girl’s hang out!!!!” 

Both Heather and Courtney couldn't help but roll their eyes, not that they didn't enjoy the blonde’s company but they were far from sharing her enthusiasm “i just felt like coming along, i need some new clothes anyway so dont think this is anything else hmph!”  Courtney spoke her mind, unwilling to show any vulnerability to Heather, after all after Alejandro, it was the queen bee who was the biggest threat in the competition

“Whatever i dont care, as long as i get to shop for some cute outfits im good” responded the queen bee, not playing into Courtney’s bad vibes, and so the three girls left the resort and hopped into a limousine that took them into the city

Monte Carlo shopping district 7:30PM

Once in town the girls walked around from shop to shop, making use of their Total Drama credit cards, they bought new swimsuits and some winter clothes just in case they ended up in another frigid country during the competition, not to mention countless different shirts, skirts, shorts, shoes, accessories…. Basically anything they thought would look cute on them

As they shopped and walked around carrying their now heavy bags, they couldn't help but unwind and forget about the many stressful things they lived in their day to day, right now they were just three girls hanging out as friends 

“Heather, how about you get yourself a new outfit, I'm getting tired of seeing you wear those same shorts everywhere we go!” spoke Courtney in a teasing manner, her mood very much improved from earlier “HA! Yeah right, this is my trademark look, you just wish you looked half as good as me when i wear these, why don't you wear something more interesting than that grey sweater”  shot back the queen bee in an equally teasing fashion, earning a laugh from the CIT and the blonde 

As they walked back to the limo Lindsay was smiling and enjoying the company of her team mates, happy to see both Heather and Cortney get along “This is like sooo much fun, but this is like too heavy to carry around… and im like hungry” the CIT had to agree with her, they had gone a bit overboard in their shopping, however she got an idea “lets just leave these bags in the limo, and lets find something to eat, I don't feel like going back to the resort yet”

Lindsay’s face lit up with excitement, why hadn't she thought of that earlier, thank god Courtney was such a smarty pants “OMG yes lets eat something around one of these fancy restaurants, what do you say Heather?”  the queen bee looked a bit uneasy, while it was true she was having fun, another part of her wanted to go back to the resort and hang out with Cody, she really didn't want to miss their night talk “mmmm im a bit tired, we can just eat something at the resort right?” 

Upon hearing the lame excuse Courtney and Lindsay shared a knowing look and they both grinned “hmmm are you sure you're tired? Or do you maybe want to hang out with your punchy?” 

Heather turned to face Courtney clearly blushing and flustered “WHAT!?” both girls couldn't help but giggle at the queen bee’s uncharacteristic reaction to being teased, it never got old “awww its ok Heather, im sure Cody will like still be awake by the time we go back, lets just hang out a bit more” 

“I-YOU–WHA— ugh lets just go eat something I'm starving!”  the teasing was too much for Heather to handle, so she walked towards the limo and threw her bags in and walked away in a huff trying to regain her composure

Courtney followed suit and placed her bags inside the limo while continuing to laugh “Hahah, that will never get old!” deep inside she felt grateful towards Lindsay, maybe this was what she was missing all along, a nice day out with friends, she had hardly thought about the depressive bout she felt earlier, and even if Lindsay was a bit clueless and Heather a bit standoffish, they were fun to be around…

Restaurant chante de tout ton cœur 7:50 PM

After wandering around a bit more the girls decided to walk into a peculiar restaurant illuminated by a neon sign of a piano and a microphone, it looked pretty trendy and fun so they decided to give it a try, once inside they sat at a table next to a stage, eager to try the food and perhaps watch a nice classy performance to accompany their meal

“This looks really nice, good pick Linds!”  spoke Courtney while looking over the menu, it was all written in french but thankfully there was translations for every dish, it seemed as if all the dishes had music puns which seemed a bit tacky to the CIT, but even so, it was pretty cute

“Hehe, i just like the bright colors, but i also can't wait to see who is going to sing and perform, it's so exciting!” so far even if they had to sing with every challenge they competed in Lindsay had grown fond of performing, and music in general, thanks to seeing how invested Trent would get into composing music and performing had really infected her with a love of the arts 

Heather could only give a small smile at seeing the ditzy blonde so enamored with the ambience of the restaurant and the arts “Hey earth to Lindsay, the waiter is coming back soon, we got to decide what we wanna eat”  she said snapping her fingers, bringing the blonde back to earth

After a couple of minutes a very enthusiastic waitress approached their table with a notepad in hand eager to take their order, however once she stood in front of the trio of girls her eyes widened in excitement “Excusez-moi, i will be ze waitress for tonight, but allow me to ask, are you Heather, Lindsay and Courtney from ze Drame Total???”  

The trio looked at one another in disbelief, at times it was hard to realize the fact that they indeed were celebrities, and even being so far away from home they could be recognized, in an almost confused manner Lindsay spoke softly “uh oui?”  

As the waitress stood there for a moment grasping the reality of having the honor to serve three Total drama contestants, Heather whispered to her team mates “is she ok?” not a second later, the waitress ran away and came back with a whole squad of waiters and waitresses who started to take pictures with the girls, and asking for autographs, which in turned garnered the attention of the rest of customers at the restaurant, who enthusiastically surrounded their table

After a good 10 minutes of this Courtney finally spoke up loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear “OK ENOUGH! ME AND MY FRIENDS JUST WANT TO EAT AND ENJOY SOME PEACE AND QUIET, WE APPRECIATE YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT BUT THATS ENOUGH FOR TONIGHT!!!” The whole crowd of people stood still and quiet, only to erupt into a loud cheer and applause “elle crie comme dans la série!!”  

After Courtney’s outburst, everybody calmed down and went back to their tables, with the waitress apologizing and making sure to take their order and send many bottles of complementary champagne to their table “thanks for that Courtney, if you hadn't done it I would've”  complimented Heather as she enjoyed her salad

“Dont mention it queenie”  responded the emboldened Courtney with a wink “Um girls, they keep like sending us bottles of champagne… are we allowed to drink that?” asked Lindsay, a bit unsure about what to do. “I mean the legal age to drink in Monaco is 18, and all three of us are 18 soooooo….Yes?”  answered the CIT also unsure about how to approach the situation

Having heard enough justification, Heather picked up one of the bottles popping the cork into the ceiling and served three glasses “Well if that's the case, cheers! To Team Amazon!” Lindsay and Courtney grinned and followed suit in cheering with the queen bee “Cheers!”

40 Minutes later

After they finished their meal, all three girls were in really high spirits and feeling amazing, being treated like celebrities and hanging out was bringing the best in them, able to enjoy each other's company and joke around, this was exactly what was missing for them to truly bond

And needless to say, the champagne was helping a lot, while not drunk yet, they were feeling quite a buzz in their systems “Ok ok….. We like…. Gotta get back to the resort” spoke Heather between giggles “Oh will ya sthap it… Cody aint going anywhere heheheh” responded Courtney also acting like a giggling mess and teasing her new found friend

“Oh yeah? Well i-i uh, he’s just a fwend…” being a little tipsy made it hard for the queen bee to retort back any sort of snark, so she merely laughed and sank back into her chair, however she was pulled into a hug by Lindsay who was also very much buzzed “there there Heather, itssss ok to like nerdy boys”

While being held into the blonde’s very generous bosom, Heather could only lift a finger and talk back in a muffled voice “He’s not that nerdy….. And you like musical boys anyway what do you care”

This remark made Lindsay jolt up “wha what???? Musical boys??? Trent is just like the sweetest friend eveeerrrrrrrrrr i dont like him and his dreamy voice and eyessssss” 

Courtney couldn't help but laugh and fall out of her chair seeing the pair of girls take turns flustering each other, it had been a while since she felt like this, perhaps it was the effects of the champagne or maybe it was her letting her guard down, in the end she was just happy to be hanging out with friends.

While Courtney stood back up and sat back in her chair, the waitress from earlier approached their table once again in a very excited mood “Excuze-moi, miss Courtney, miss Heather and miss Lindsay, was everything to your liking?”  all three girls composed themselves trying to act as sober as possible “Um yesh, it was all perfect, thank you very much, here's my card, pleash give yourself a very generous tip” it was Courtney who offered her card, afterall she hadn't used it much so far and she was very much grateful to be out anyway

“Oh zat wont be needed mademoiselle, ze owner of ze restaurant is a huge Total Drama fan, so today your meal is free!” all three girls let out a cheer, seriously what a perfect night they were having so far “However, we do have a request, would it be possible for ze three of you to perform on stage?” 

Their collective cheering came to a stop, and their eyes widened, maybe they misheard, were they actually being asked to sing right now? “Um you want us to sing?” asked the CIT, while she looked around the room, the whole restaurant seemed to be staring at them waiting in anticipation  “Oui, it would be an honour to hear you sing live” 

Heather was about to decline the request, as flattering as the service had been, they were on vacation and there was no way they would be caught dead sin— “OMG of coursh we will sing! Right girls?” 

Of course Lindsay was more than eager to oblige and so she accepted without a second thought

The excited waitress ran off into the stage to get things ready while it left little time for the trio to compose themselves “Lindsay! What did you do!” screamed Heather while shaking the ditzy blonde, before she could respond the waitress spoke on the microphone “Welcome all, tonight we have a very special performance by none other than international super stars and members Drame Total, Lindsay! Heather! And Courtney!” 

Suddenly a spotlight shined on their table and an applause once again erupted in the restaurant, with all three girls smiling awkwardly and waving towards the crowd, suddenly a team of waiters walked them all on stage and set up the stage for them to perform a song

While on stage Heather smiled and spoke through her teeth “... i have no idea what to sing…”  Courtney stepped aside as well, feeling lost on what to possibly sing “Any ideas Linds?”  while the ditzy blonde was enthusiastic about performing she had no idea what to do either if only Trent were here to help them…

Funnily enough, through the crowd of people who gathered around to watch the performance two figures made their way on stage with the girls, “thank god we found you!” Both Trent and Cody jumped on stage with the trio “Punchy! Trent!”  shouted Heather both happy and confused to see them

“What are you guys doing here? How did you find us?” asked Courtney puzzled and impressed by the duo “Cody got worried cause Heather hadn't returned yet, so i snuck him out of the resort and we saw the limo parked outside so we figured this is where you girls were, also nice to see you girls” explained the musician as he waved at the now roaring crowd excited to see all of Team Amazon together on stage

“Hehe i uh, wanted to hang out with you girls too you know” added Cody while scratching the back of his head and earning a nudge from the queen bee, finding his worry for her endearing “Omg Trent im sooooo glad you're here, we gotta sing something for these nice people hehehe”  

Trent smirked and brought out his Guitar, even if his wrist was still bothering him, he could still try and perform something, plus a part of him really didn't want to let down Lindsay “Leave it to me Linds, yo Cody, get on that keyboard, lets play that one song we never recorded” Cody merely gave a military salute and took his position “wait what about the lyrics?” asked Courtney still unsure about what to do 

“Dude we've been making up songs on the fly this whole time, just sing whatever comes to mind” responded Trent as he quickly tuned his guitar “ugh whatever lets do this girls” both Heather and Lindsay looked at one another and shrugged their shoulders “ehh what the hell yeah!” cheered Heather while all three girls took center stage

Song starts

The stage goes dark and a loud cheer is heard when suddenly purple and pink lights illuminate the stage, with Heather Lindsay and Courtney all dressed with stylish clothes they had bought earlier, all three of them wearing sunglasses

Trent starts strumming his guitar with a simple pop punk rift, with Cody also playing the keyboard two notes at a time in time with Trent’s strumming

Heather: All that i want, is to keep my style, to feel that im all right and i aint gonna die

Courtney: All that I want, is the hole in my heart, to fill up and not cry, and i will survive

Trent and Cody: Hard times!

Lindsay: Gonna make you wonder why you even try!

Trent and Cody: Hard times!

Lindsay: Gonna take you down and laugh when you cry!

Trent and Cody: these lives!

Lindsay: And we're still not sure how we even survive?

Trent and Cody: Hard times! Hard times!

Lindsay: And wait till we get to rock bottom!

As Lindsay sings the chorus, several waiters and waitresses are dancing in the back ground, doing a choreography matching the rhythm of the song, as footage from all the seasons of Total Drama plays in the background, showing all of the past contestants getting hurt in rhythm to the music

Heather: flying around, through all the rain clouds, hanging over our heads! We hope we won't go down

Courtney: Where will we go? Give us some sort of sign, you hit us with lightning! Who knows if we'll stay alive!

Trent and Cody: Hard times!

Lindsay:   Gonna make you wonder why you even try! (hard times) gonna take you down and laugh when you cry! (these lives) And we still don't know how we even survive? (hard times! hard times!) and wait till we get to rock bottom!

Heather and Courtney dance on stage with the lights flickering around them, while Lindsay grabs her microphone and stands next to trent as she sings her song, the two of them locking eyes and smiling at one another

Lindsay : Tell our friends were coming down. We'll kick it when we hit the ground…

The melody turns sweet and slow as Lindsay sings softly getting distracted while looking at Trent strum his guitar so carefully, almost hypnotically, so much so that she gets distracted repeating the same thing over and over

Lindsay: When we hit the ground….   When we hit the ground….

  When we hit the ground….   When we hit the ground….

Suddenly both Courtney and Heather grab the ditzy blonde bringing her back to earth as they spin her on stage and position her center stage for the finale

All Team Amazon: Hard Times!

Lindsay:  Gonna make you wonder why you even try! (hard times) gonna take you down and laugh when you cry! (these lives) And we still don't know how we even survive? (hard times! hard times!)

Heather and Courtney: Makes you wonder why we even try, Makes you wonder why we even try, Makes you wonder why we even try

Lindsay: And wait till we get to rock bottom!

The stage explodes with purple and pink colored smoke behind Team Amazon, with Cody and Trent posing in the background while all three girls pose besides each other putting on their sunglasses

Song end

Once again the whole restaurant explodes into a loud cheer, celebrating Team Amazon with many shouting for autographs or trying to storm the stage to get even just a bit closer to them, but as the cast is celebrating their performance on stage, the crazy waitress makes her way to them and helps them leave through the back stage area, as to not be disturbed any further

Once outside Team Amazon were still pumped with adrenaline and hugging and high fiving one another “ guyyyyyssss that was so awesome i love you all!!!” cheered Lindsay grabbing everybody into a group hug, with all of them welcoming the affection after all, so far there was nothing but good feelings all around

“Im so glad we came out to find you girls, that felt awesome!”  added Cody while looking into Heather’s eyes who also met his gaze and smile “ Merci beaucoup, zat was an amazing performance, please enjoy these bottles of champagne, courtesy of ze owner, have a wonderful night!”  the waitress congratulated the Total Drama cast once more and gifted them 3 chilled bottles of champagne for them to enjoy

“Uh can we drink those?” asked a worried Cody, he had never really tried alcohol before so it worried him a bit if he would get in trouble “Dont worry about it punchy, this is Monte Carlo hahahah” responded a still very buzzed Courtney wrapping her arm around him like he was an old friend “AHEM!, don't call him that”  said Heather as she quickly grabbed Courtney off of her alliance member

Courtney felt a bit flustered, but she didnt want to make a big deal of it, she was having too much fun “Right right, sorry hehe… hey guys how about we drink these over there!”  said the tipsy CIT while pointing at the beach that was nearby

Trent smiled and walked ahead of the group “Heh sounds good to me, common lets go chill by the water”  and so Team Amazon made their way to finish up the night chilling on the luxurious and sandy beach

Monte Carlo Beach 10:50PM

As they made their way into the beach, they spotted an electric bonfire they could just turn on to relax and enjoy the ambience surrounding them, as they sat in a circle looking into the fire, they passed the champagne between them, hardly any words being spoken

It was then when the mischievous blonde got a brilliant idea “Mmmm im bored, how about we play a game?”  This caught the attention of everybody as they looked towards Lindsay “Lets play Truth or Dare!”  

Cody couldn't help but feel butterflies in his stomach, Truth or Dare was one of those games that could get very interesting very quickly. What if he was dared to kiss somebody? Or what if he had to tell a very embarrassing truth? What would Heather think of him?

“Heh im down, the rest of you down?” Trent put his guitar aside as he adjusted himself in his seat, it could be a fun game, maybe he could find out more about his team mates or maybe figure out whats been on Lindsay’s mind about him…

A pretty buzzed Courtney seemed excited about the idea so she voiced her agreement “Suuuuure why not, i aint got nothing to lose, plus you guys are soooooo fun”  it was beyond weird seeing her in such a good mood, but nonetheless it was a welcome change of pace to see her act so nice

Finally it was Heather who let her thoughts be known “yeah, lets play, it sounds fun~” she looked at Cody as she spoke, giving him a wink, maybe it was the champagne, or perhaps she was feeling bold tonight, whatever it may be, the night was far from over…

Author Notes

Things seem to be heating up in all the right ways, and now Team Amazon is gonna bond even more, after such a fun day, it only makes sense to have a fun night

This was a pretty long chapter, but i still wanted to get through plenty of more, we got to see Sierra witness how things have changed in her old team, and whats more, she is now aware of Cody’s crush on Heather, who knows what she will do, or if this will bring danger to our heroes

As for Courtney this was a pretty sad reminder of her feelings, thankfully Lindsay and Heather were around to help cheer her up, hopefully she learns to lean on her friends and not let her negative emotions get the best of her

I thought a lot about it and i figured i wanted to add another song, they are always fun to add to a story, with this one being a paramore song that i figured felt in line with how the contestants might feel on a daily basis

Thank you so much for reading, im sorry for the long wait for this one, i got a little busy, but hopefully i go back to my weekly schedule, it all depends on my work life balance and state of mind, but i assure you all writing this fic always makes me feel better, please let me know what you think of the chapter in the comments, and as always have a good night/day :)

Chapter Text

Chapter 16

Truths and Dares

Monte Carlo Beach 10:55PM

The pale moonlight illuminated the white sands of the beach, there were many groups of people scattered around the water front, many of them with their own lives and stories to tell, such was the nature of life, however we would be focusing on a group of young adults currently sitting around a fire, laughing and joking with one another as they got ready to play what would be a very interesting game of Truth or Dare.

They played rock paper scissors to decide the order they would play the game in, and it so happened that Cody had come out as the loser of the game, as always it was in Courtney’s nature to take charge of things so while giving a devious smile she looked at the nerd through the fire crackling between them and spoke “Well Cody, looks like your strategy of always picking rock didn't work out huh? Soooooo what's it gonna be, Truth or Dare?” 

Cody felt a knot in his stomach, he was beyond nervous and unsure of what to do, however on the other hand him playing truth or dare with three very attractive girls was a dream come true to him, having said that the only girl he truly cared about not embarrassing himself in front of was currently also looking at him with a devious smile, the type of smile only a queen bee would give to her favorite subject

So with one last deep breath he matched Courtney’s energy and looked at her with just as much determination behind his eyes “I’ll pick dare, i aint afraid of whatever you come up with!” just as he responded the rest of the group started laughing and hollering, this would be interesting…

“Haha feeling bold huh? Well I dare you to kiss–” the devilish and tipsy Courtney couldn't finish her request before being interrupted by a certain blondie “Drink this like whoooole bottle of champagne by yourself right now Cody!”  both Trent and Courtney looked at the ditzy blonde with a mix of frustration and amusement, it seemed like they all had an unspoken plan that was accidentally thwarted by her

“Uhhhh sure yeah thats no big deal for me hehe”  Cody felt a mixture of relief and disappointment, it was pretty obvious they were about to dare him to kiss a certain someone sitting next to him, however as much as he would have loved to do so, he was terrified of her reacting in disgust to his affection… “Ok Mr tough guy, let me see you chug the whole thing then”  said Heather standing up and bringing the bottle to her friend

The chestnut haired nerd gave a goofy smile and uncorked the bottle, doing his best to down the whole thing in one swing, with the rest of Team Amazon cheering him on and laughing “Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!” they repeated, only bolstering Cody to complete his dare, and after a good 10 minutes of trying his best the bottle was completely empty, once his mission was accomplished he threw the bottle behind his back and looked at his team and pointed finger guns at them “see~~~ piece of cake~~~”  

The rest of Team Amazon gave a loud cheer for their resident nerd as he sat back down and looked way more buzzed than he was just a couple of minutes ago “you allright buddy?” asked Trent with a devilish smile, having seen his good friend cut loose in the past he knew the guy couldn't really hold his liquor very well, which made it extra funny “yeeahhh~~~ im good my duuuuude” he responded

Doing his best to remain composed he looked back at the still laughing Courtney and shot her a look that promised sweet revenge “Okay Courtney, it's your turn~~~ truth or dare????”  the bossy girl wiped a tear of laughter from her eye as she sat back up “Right~ it's my turn now hehe, i’ll do truth! So hit me with your best shot Codemeister”

The rest of Team Amazon exchanged looks between themselves, on one hand they could ask anything they wanted, but on the other they didn't want to risk bringing the mood down by saying the wrong thing and ruining the CIT’S mood, they had to be as tactful as possible with her now more than ever, it was then Heather who broke the ice and asked her a question “Ok Courtney, let me ask you this, why were you crying earlier today when Lindsay invited you to come shopping?”

As soon as the queen bee asked her question the atmosphere turned tense, with everybody turning to look at Courtney, this seemed to make her smile disappear, she wrapped her arms around her legs as she sat and looked down “I think it's pretty obvious don't you think? I mean I cry every day about the same thing… I saw Duncan and Gwen walking around the resort holding hands… they looked so happy, it made me feel like I didn't mean anything to him” 

Trent Lindsay and Cody all gave sympathetic looks towards her, it really hadn't been that long since the break up had happened, so it was understandable she wasn't over it yet, however Heather remained stoic and responded “Courtney, you're allowed to feel whatever you want, but i know you well enough to know one thing… you're stronger than this, and you will feel better one day, I know I'm the last person you want to hear this from, but i believe in you, after all you're like the second strongest girl in the game after me of course” 

Heather’s words touched Courtney deeply, not in a million years did she expect the resident evil witch of Total Drama to offer her words of encouragement, and she also appreciated not being talked down to, she had to respect her for not dancing around the subject of her ex lover, it was a refreshing dose of reality that was missing in her outlook to the whole situation “I really don't know what got into you queenie, you're still rude and nasty, but i appreciate your words… Thanks Heather”

The queen bee gave a smirk and passed another bottle of champagne to her team mate “Hey that’s what friends are for right?”  Courtney accepted the bottle and nodded back with a smirk of her own “yeah… friends…” she felt happy she decided to come out after all

Once she took a swing of the bottle Courtney set her sights on a certain raven haired hippy, who was looking a little too smug for her liking, so with a smirk of her own she asked "Alright, we got a little too mushy just now, Trent! What’s it gonna be, truth or dare?”  

Trent raised an eyebrow and felt the pressure was on him, he hadn't drank enough yet to feel in a daring mood, so with his own smooth demeanor he responded “I aint got nothing to hide, i pick Truth” suddenly the mood had gotten back to being playful and after a short brainstorm between them it was Lindsay who asked a question burning at the back of her mind “Ok so like… are you still in love with Gwen? And how far did you go with her?” 

Needless to say everybody was a bit taken aback by how direct and bold the question was, with Cody unsure if he even wanted to know such a thing, and Courtney and Heather shuddering at the idea of knowing anything at all about the goth’s intimate life.

However Trent merely chuckled to himself and scratched the back of his neck as he responded  “uhhhh well…. I'm pretty sure I'm not in love with her anymore, that break up was pretty hard for me, and I only wish for her to be happy, as for the second part of the question… I’ll say this, a gentleman doesn't kiss and tell… having said that we only really kissed and held hands, nothing else”  with his question answered he took the champagne bottle from Courtney and drank from it, apparently speaking on his ex still wasn't the easiest for him

Upon hearing his answer, Lindsay let out a small yelp of happiness that went unnoticed by her team, she didn't think about it often but it seemed these days she held a fascination for Trent that hadn't been explored before, it was then that an amused Heather gave her opinion on the matter "You're a better person than me Trent, i would be plotting my revenge on her every day if i got tossed aside like you did on international TV, if you think about it, me tricking you during season 1 was a blessing in disguise” 

Trent merely rolled his eyes at the queen bee, say what you will but she wasn't entirely wrong “OK, ok enough about me, it's your turn Heather, truth or dare?”  With her usual vigor Heather closed her eyes and crossed her arms as she met the challenge at hand “Unlike all of you I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty, I pick dare!”  

Things were once again getting interesting, and as the rest of Team Amazon plotted on what they could possibly dare the fearless queen bee to do, it was Lindsay who thought of something to break down the confident front she was putting on “Oh oh i know! I dare you to shave your head again!” 

Heather’s face immediately dropped and she now wore a look of disbelief and amused rage “EXCUSE ME!!!!!!!! ARE YOU CRAZY!!!!” The queen bee’s reaction caused a roaring laugh among all of them, with Cody trying his best to restrain Heather from going after the blondie “hahahahahah! You gotta admit it queenie, that was funny”  added Courtney as she did her best to stop her laughter at the ridiculous request “yeah right, easy for you to say, i got so desperate during season 2 i was thinking about shaving your head and using your hair as a wig y’know!” 

They had all forgotten that detail when they watched season 2 back then, as much as losing her hair was a blessing in disguise for the queen bee, it was also a grim reminder of how far Total Drama pushed them both mentally and physically, this made the raven haired musician a bit uneasy so he thought of an easier alternative “Riiight…. Uh in that case I dare you to go for a swim in the ocean”  

Heather to her credit simply stood up and said “I’ll be right back, save me some champagne” the queen bee walked towards the water and disappeared in the waves, gracefully swimming under the moonlight and diving underneath the water for a moment, before appearing once more and walking out of the water and towards the bonfire and straight towards Lindsay

The ditzy blonde gave a sheepish smile towards her friend, a bit uneasy at how the queen bee was looking at her with a cold glare “hehehe, like no hard feelings right Heather?”  While true she was a bit annoyed at the earlier joke, she didn't really hold any resentment towards Lindsay, instead she smiled back and gave her a hug "you're so annoying you dumb blonde” she broke the hug leaving Lindsay soaked in ocean water, she then looked towards the raven haired musician and yelled “Trent! pass me the bottle!” 

He once again gave his signature laid back chuckle and did as the queen bee demanded, with Heather taking a drink from the bottle she once again set her sights on Lindsay, with a wicked grin she asked the expected question “all riiiiight~~~ its your turn blondie, truth or dare?”  

Lindsay giggled to herself and looked around the bonfire at the expectant faces of her team mates, she realized she felt a bit shy once she locked eyes with Trent, and so she decided that for this round she would take things a bit easy “Like i pick truth, i’ll try dare next round hehe” Heather gave a sigh of frustration, her playful revenge would have to wait for now “Boo youre no fun…. Ok whatever uhhhh how old were you when you had your first kiss?” asked the queen bee

The whole cast gave a teasing holler to the question, as if it were a huge deal to talk about, Lindsay however giggled mischievously at the question, these games were always so silly to her “Oh uh i was like 14 i think? It was at the beginning of highschool, with this boy I think his name was Scott Pilgrim? I'm not sure but i think he moved away to Toronto shortly after or something like that, I wonder what happened to him hehe” 

After hearing Lindsay’s story it prompted the rest of Team Amazon to tell their own stories about their first kiss and how it happened, it all seemed to follow the pattern of awkward childhood/teenage romance, it was then Cody’s turn to tell his story, not before Trent interjected trying to move the game along, assuming his friend’s first kiss was Sierra overstepping boundaries while he slept, however much to his surprise the nerd spoke up “Hey i havent told my story!”

While slightly taken aback, the musician obliged and allowed his friend to tell his story “oh uh, sorry dude yeah, when was your first kiss?” it wasn't unnoticed by everybody but Cody how Heather suddenly perked up and paid close attention to what he was going to say “Well I had this neighbor growing up, she used to come over all the time since i was like 1 year old, my parents and her parents were really close, so we kinda grew up playing together and hanging out all the time, she also always used to have a flower in her red hair” 

Having known Cody for some time now everybody was a bit taken aback at his story, and they were paying even closer attention, specially Heather “And well, she was my best friend, but when we were 10 years old her parents were going to move away, i think her dad got a better job in Vancouver or something, so a day before she had to leave we spent the day together and right as we were saying goodbye for the last time she kissed me on the lips and ran away… i never saw her again after that and its been many years… her name was Zoey” 

Once he finished his story Cody then looked into the night sky as he recalled his long gone friend, with a lifetime of memories behind his gaze it was pretty obvious what she meant to him, the rest of his team however had mixed reactions, with Lindsay clasping her hands and reacting in an emotional manner “OMG thats like the saddest and cutest story ive ever heard… i hope one day you guys like reunite” 

Heather however couldn't really hide her annoyance, not that she could tell why, it's not like it mattered if Cody had a long lost childhood love, she didn't care, why would she care, he was just a friend and nothing else, she stood up from her spot and got all up in her alliance members face to move on the game “ALL RIGHT ENOUGH TALKING ABOUT FIRST KISSES, IT’S YOUR TURN AGAIN CODY TRUTH OR DARE!” 

The queen bee did her best to restrain her emotions as she tried to move the game along, Cody did however notice a shift in her attitude,  “uh are you angry at me?”  poor oblivious Cody couldn't really understand what had set her off and being a bit tipsy wasn't helping him figure it out any sooner “ANGRY? WHY WOULD I BE ANGRY! WERE HAVING FUN RIGHT HAHAHAHAH!” answered Heather barely holding back her true feelings on the matter

In the meantime Trent took some pity on his friend and tried to help him “if i were you dude id pick dare again, the less questions you answer right now the better” both Courtney and Lindsay giggled at the scene unfolding in front of their very eyes, just seeing two dorks not understand their feelings was proving to be beyond amusing

The nervous nerd simply swallowed in fear and decided to follow Trent’s advice “I-I pick dare” a mischievous smile appeared on Courtney’s lips, maybe it was a little too soon for the odd couple to confront their feelings, but she thought of a way to make things even more amusing for now “I dare you to  pick anybody here to sit on your lap for the remainder of the game!”  yep she was an evil genius even if a little tipsy

Cody froze in place as did Heather, but the rest of their team eagerly looked on to see what the nerd would do, as for what that would be he weighed his options… he obviously wanted to pick the queen bee, but what if she got even angrier…. They were in such a good place in their friendship he didn't want to lose that— 

But just as he looked at her he saw clearly through the light of the fire, how she had a blush on her face and her demeanor shifted to that of shyness and annoyance rather than rage “What! What kind of dare is that!” as she protested against a laughing Courtney shaking her in place, Cody however once more mustered up every ounce of his courage and spoke up

“I pick Heather!” the queen bee once more froze in place once she heard her punchy picked her, both Lindsay and Courtney let out a very teasing laugh and holler “welp, you heard the guy, take your seat Heather” added Trent more amused than anything, seeing the queen bee’s despair as both hilarious and cathartic

“Oh come on! Why do i have to, its not even my dare or anything you guys are just—” Heather did her best to protest having to follow through in Cody’s dare, not that she hated the idea of sitting on his lap, but she could not stand being mocked or made fun of, her pride was too big to allow it “uh… its ok Heather you dont have to, its a dumb dare haha” Cody spoke up once more, trying to save her from being embarrassed or having to stoop so low as to get that close to him… it saddened him a bit seeing her reaction, but a part of him expected it… after all why would a girl like her want to get close to a guy like him…

Heather looked back at Cody and saw him give her a weak smile, obviously trying to hide how he really felt… she had been too brash in protesting the dare she didn't realize how it might've made him feel “Its ok Cody, i can sit on your lap instead!” spoke Lindsay as she stood up and walked up to the brown haired nerd

And in just that instant it dawned on the queen bee…. She didn't want ANYBODY ELSE to sit on his lap, that was HER FRIEND , and HER ALLIANCE MEMBER , so to hell with what others would think, she was the queen of Total Drama after all, she ran past Lindsay and straight towards Cody, sitting right there on his lap as if it were a throne “He picked me, so its whatever ill do it!” 

Heather crossed her arms and closed her eyes making a confident face, trying to show her team it truly wasn't a big deal if she sat on his lap, not noticing how Cody had turned a shade of red so bright it almost rivaled the brightness of the fire, he shared a look with Trent who gave him a thumbs up and an encouraging smile, so far the game had not disappointed in being fun…

Courtney, still very much tipsy and in high spirits, had to applaud the odd couple for following through in their dare “Allright Heather and Cody! Hahaha you guys rule!”  The queen bee responded by giving back a smug smile while blushing, for now it was her turn to take revenge on the CIT “Glad you're enjoying the game Courtney, because it's your turn, truth or dare?” 

Courtney took a sip of the champagne and looked back at her friendly rival,  for better or worse she was truly enjoying their banter, but she was very sure of herself, there was nothing Heather could throw at her to make her falter in resolve, so as she matched the smugness of the queen bee she stood up and answered back “I pick dare! So hit me with your best shot! Just as long as you don't fall off of punchy’s lap hahah”

Heather stared back not dropping her smile but still letting her annoyance be known through a twitch in her eye, thankfully she had a brilliant idea to kill three birds with one stone… “I dare you to kiss Trent” after a brief pause of silence a collective “WHAT!?”  was heard from Trent Courtney and not surprisingly Lindsay

This time it was both Courtney and Lindsay who stood up and protested saying basically the same thing at the same time “Why do/does I/She have to do that I/She doesn't even like him!” Heather was enjoying her payback, also spotting the awkwardness in the raven haired musician's face “Uh uh uh, a dare is a dare right? Also why are you protesting Lindsay? I dared Courtney not you”  

Lindsay was about to protest once more but she simply opened her eyes really wide and looked towards Trent, who was also at a loss for words and wide eyed at the whole situation, maybe she didn't really understand her own feelings yet, but it was clear the idea of him kissing anybody else was unacceptable to the blonde…

She sat back down and decided to think about what she was feeling… it was truly puzzling to her… as for Courtney she let out a deep breath and resigned to her fate, she walked towards Trent and locked eyes with him “Um… do i get a say in this?”  asked the raven haired musician, clearly unsure of what to do, and feeling very very guilty, for as good looking as Courtney was… his desire was for somebody else’s lips…

“Nope, it's a dare…” Courtney gave a seductive smile as she grabbed his face, she leaned in ever so close to him so that they were mere inches apart, and just as they locked eyes and their lips were about to touch she whispered “as if…” 

The CIT instead moved past his lips and kissed him on the cheek, turning back to look at Heather who finally let go of her smug expression “Hey what was that? You didn't kiss him!”  Courtney simply laughed back and countered “You only said to kiss him, you never specified where, sooooo it still counts ha!”

Honestly you couldn't argue with her logic, even Cody managed to break free from his drunken euphoria at having the girl of his dreams sitting on his lap long enough to comment on her brilliant move “Cant argue with her logic”

Heather simply let out a frustrated sigh and leaned back on Cody, taking another swing at the almost empty bottle of champagne “whatever~~~~~ who’s next?”  

A still stunned Trent looked at both Courtney and Lindsay as he stood up, it was quite the close call, although more than anything it gave him clarity to understand his thoughts and feelings way better than before, to him it was clear without a shadow of a doubt he had no feelings for Courtney, as for Lindsay…. It was still a bit more complicated, but for now he was just gonna leave those thoughts for later and have fun “Im next, and i pick dare!”

His unusual loud confidence did not go unnoticed by the group, who somehow all realized at the same time what the image of Trent standing on a Beach at night reminded them of, so with a wicked smile Heather introduced the dare “do you remember back in season 2 when you had a dance off against Leshawna at the beach…. I dare you to dance like she did”

Trent’s eye twitched as he stood there in silence, causing his team to erupt in laughter once more “Oh god no…. Anything but that!” just the thought of embarrassing himself was enough to cause him to plead and beg for mercy, but he would find no such thing, instead Courtney took out her cellphone and started playing some old school beach rock and roll “You heard the queen bee, show us what you got Le-Trent!” 

So without a way out, and with the smiling faces of his team, the musician let out a chuckle as he started dancing around the bonfire, performing all sorts of embarrassing dance moves for his team’s entertainment, even going up to each and every one of them and making them stand up to join him in his daring dance, and thanks to the various bottles of champagne already consumed they all decided to join him in his bizarre punishment

As the cheerful and sugary summer song played Team Amazon danced around the fire, with Lindsay and Cody dancing next to Trent matching his silly looking moves, all while Heather and Courtney danced and spun around each other,  seeing the unexpected pair have fun together was quite the scene, so much so that Trent couldn't help but comment on it “I can’t believe the two of you are getting along, right on!”

Both girls turned towards the musician and leaned on one another trying their best to remain on their feet, all the dancing and drinking making it difficult to keep balance “Hey! She aint so bad~ she’s just loud and bossy but underneath all of that she’s soooooo fun” yelled Heather with a wide smile on her face and hugging the CIT close to her

As for Courtney she also made her feelings on the queen bee known “Yeah! I agree, I am fun! And so is Heather, underneath all the scheming and bad attitude she’s soooo nice!” Both girls hugged one another and fell down on the sand laughing as the song came to an end, the rest of their team decided to also lay down on the beach and look at the stars, with her earlier sadness now a distant memory for now Courtney smiled and tried to continue the game “this was a great idea… also its your turn Lindsay” 

Lindsay however simply remained still and curled up next to Trent, happily falling asleep, it seemed like the combination of being outside most of the day shopping, performing on stage, and drinking had gotten the best of the blonde, who could only muster a couple of final words before she drifted off to her dreams “I… dare you… to take me back to the resort…. Admiral Lindsay… orders you zzzzzzzzzzz”

Team Amazon all sat up and looked at the ditzy blonde sleep with a smile on her face, not a worry in the world, thanks to her they all had a great time and bonded even more than ever before, they all shared a look of mutual understanding and stood up together, with Trent  carrying the blonde on his back they all walked back to the limo, ready call it a night 

Royal Resort Monte Carlo 12:35AM

Once they arrived at the resort and made their way inside, they all headed back to their rooms one by one, with Courtney and Heather taking Lindsay to her room and putting her to bed, while both girls were feeling more and more tired and drunk they gave up going back to their own rooms “the bed is big enough right? We can just like…. Sleep here right?” asked Courtney with tired words to which Heather only responded with agreement “yeah… like a slumber party….. Just gimme a sec” 

The drunken queen bee stepped outside the room for a moment just to find Cody waiting outside about to knock on the door holding several shopping bags the girls had forgotten about earlier “I uh brought these up for you girls heh” Heather gave him her signature confident smirk, even while drunk and tired she was still her usual confident self, and she would take any chance to tease her punchy “is that the only reason you came? To bring our bags?” 

Cody was also a bit tipsy, and feeling quite confident with himself, so far this had been one of the most memorable nights he’d had during the filming of the show, so with all that had happened tonight he felt no fear in admitting his thoughts “Actually… I wanted to see you, I wanted to say good night…”

Heather smiled seeing his drunken confidence, she took the bags from him and ran back to her assigned room leaving the nerd standing by himself in the hallway very much confused with her behaviour, she wasn't gone long however, she came back running to Lindsay’s room now holding a familiar looking small plush bee in her arms “Me and Courtney are gonna sleep in Lindsay’s room, so we won't be having our night talk tonight…so my little queen bee here will keep me company”

The smile and blush that appeared on Cody’s face was priceless, if he ever needed even more confirmation that Heather cared about him there couldn't be a more obvious sign, he looked at her with nothing but care and yearning in his eyes and reached for her hand, softly squeezing it “Goodnight Heather…”

The queen bee sobered up for just a fleeting moment, feeling a rush of emotions flow through her entire being, it was unexplainable to her how this could be, so she decided to stop questioning it just for right now, with that beautiful and sincere smile she only reserved for him she leaned over and kissed his cheek “Goodnight Punchy…” just as soon as the moment came and went she closed walked into the blonde’s room and closed the door behind her leaving Cody frozen in place in the hallway, after a couple of minutes he started walking back to his room, still with the same shocked smile on his face funnily enough.

Inside the room Heather stood by the door for another moment, laughing to herself and letting herself feel whatever it was that was happening “.... I heard and saw everything…. Did he give you that little bee?”  spoke Courtney finally snapping the brunette back to reality, even a still asleep Lindsay chimed in somehow “Thats like soooooooo~~~~ cute~~~~~”  

The queen bee was too tired and drunk to yell or fight back any allegations so she simply walked towards the bed and collapsed on it next to both girls “whatever… goodnight….” Lindsay adjusted herself and moved over to give space to both girls “heheh~~~ good night~~~”  Courtney also gave some space and relaxed her head on the pillow, feeling the sleepiness and exhaustion slowly take her she smiled and spoke one last time “goodnight…. Thank you for inviting me to hang out… I had a lot of fun…” Heather turned her head to her new friend and smiled her usual assertive smirk “that’s what friends are for Courtney”  thanks to the honesty provided by alcohol both girls felt comfortable admitting their bond, and thankfully sleep came by pretty quick that night…

Monaco International Airport 6:00AM-Final day

All good things have to come to an end, that included the all expenses paid vacation they had all taken, thankfully it had been exactly what they all needed

Everybody felt in top shape and full of energy, ready to take on whatever challenges lay ahead of them, both teams stood outside the jumbo jet waiting for both Chris and Chef to appear, funnily enough they hadn't run into either of them while at the resort, not that any of them wanted to

Team Amazon had spent their remaining time after the shopping spree and night at the beach hanging out with each other, playing by the pool and enjoying all the amenities offered to them, and thankfully both Cody and Trent were completely fine, with the former’s therapy bringing his health back to normal, perhaps making him a bit more resilient

As for Trent his wrist wasn't bothering him much anymore, he still had a brace on but he could safely play his guitar, even giving lessons to the rest of his team while they had free time at the resort, with Lindsay being his most eager student, she seemed to pick up the instrument pretty naturally, the blonde kept mentioning that music came naturally to some of her family members, mentioning a certain uncle Charlie that lived somewhere in Philadelphia, apparently the guy had written a musical or something

While things had fallen into a sort of new normal, the biggest shock of all was the fact that Heather and Courtney had managed to stay friends even while sober. They still bickered and verbally fought here and there but there seemed to be a mutual respect and even a level of fondness behind their banter, with Lindsay usually being in the middle of it enjoying how silly her team mates could be

As for Team Chris is really really really hot, they all seemed to be in different mind sets, nobody had seen Alejandro during their stay at the resort, although rumors around Monte Carlo were that he spent most of his time around the casinos and lounges in the city, he wore his usual confident and smug look as he crossed his arms and leaned against the stairs to the jet, his expression almost impossible to read, but it was certain he was up to something

Duncan and Gwen had spent their time together at the resort the whole time, they were seen in walking around many times, often either by the pools or going to the local punk and metal shows, they both seemed relaxed and content with themselves, yet oddly tired from all the partying they had done over the week.

And then there was Sierra… the poor girl had also been missing the whole time, no rumors of where she had been or what she had been up to, she merely stood by her team with a vacant expression on her face, as if she were unable to feel any emotion at all…

It was then that a red convertible car drove up to the jumbo jet, with both Chris and Chef stepping out confidently, they were both visibly tanner and in great spirits, with Chris smiling his usual sociopathic smile he greeted the cast “Welcome back to reality everybody hehe, did you all have fun during the week? I know me and chef did” 

Courtney couldn't help her curiosity and spoke up “we didn’t see you at all at the resort? What were you guys up to?”  Chris and Chef both chuckled at the question, almost as if they expected the question “Oh we didn't stay at that tiny motel you kids are calling resort, me and chef stayed at a REAL expensive and fancy resort hehe” Courtney rolled her eyes as usual, speaking to Chris was as unpleasant as always

The host then walked in front of the whole cast and addressed them and the cameras “Anyway, I hope you're all prepared for the next stretch of locations, it's gonna be just as brutal and challenging as ever, so all you crazy kids better give it your all, because there's no more vacations, just challenge after challenge until only one of you is left standing and wins the one million dollars!” 

That speech lit a fire under all of them, earning a collective “Yeah!” from everybody… except Sierra who remained quiet “Allright, everybody head to your respective cabins! Say goodbye to Monaco because we're leaving right now to our next destination!”

Both teams then boarded the plane, looking back one last time at the beautiful paradise they were leaving behind, uncertain of where else the show would take them, but as far as Team Amazon was concerned they carried a newfound trust and bond that would help them face whatever challenge came their way.

Pilot’s Cockpit 6:20AM

Chef Hatchett felt good, he had spent the last week resting and enjoying himself, working out and re discovering his passion for the culinary arts, it helped that he wasn't cooking for no annoying teenagers

Still it was pretty annoying that Chris had decided to hang around him the whole time, it was as if the guy had no friends, which was understandable, he was way too vain and annoying for most people to tolerate

As he readied the aircraft to take flight the aforementioned host came in to the cabin drinking a coffee and looking over Chef’s shoulder “here we go again hehe, you ready to fly this baby once more chef?”

Chef rolled his eyes and looked at the host with a confident smile “yeah! I'm all relaxed and ready to give these kids hell!” Chris for his part gave his usual evil chuckle and sat on the co-pilot’s chair “Thats what i like to hear, now set course for Russia! ”  

Author notes

And so the cast leaves towards another country where another challenge awaits them, next challenge will be full of new drama and new dangers, so hopefully everybody manages to make it out unharmed this time

This chapter was quite a mushy and heartfelt ride for Team Amazon, we got to see them have fun playing truth or dare and develop their friendships even further, with the tension between Trent and Lindsay rising, as well as Heather and Cody getting bolder in their interactions, maybe she isn't ready to explore the feeling further for now, specially with everything at stake for her during the competition

As always thank you all for reading, i hope you all enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think in the comments, see you all next time for a very cold and exciting challenge

Chapter Text

Chapter 17

Loneliness and Obsession

Economy Cabin 12:20PM

Depression… one of life’s cruelest jokes, yet it was a reality for many people, be it due to financial struggles, or perhaps self esteem issues, it was one of those things that could creep up on you and destroy you from within, and sadly this was the case for Sierra.

She never wanted to feel this way, normally she felt overjoyed with being a part of Total Drama, and being around her one true love Cody… yet ever since she was forced off of Team Amazon all the joy in her life had been sucked out

At first she was more than sure she could tough it out until the merge and then nobody could get in the way of her and Cody being together again, she would win the 1 million dollars and promptly get married to the love of her life right there on the spot, she always visualised it taking place at the dock of shame with Chris as the officiant and Chef as the ring bearer.

But things changed… At first it was her idea to give Cody some space so that he could learn to miss not having her around, or at least that's what she told herself while trying to cope with the reality of no longer being on the same team. At a certain point Alejandro had approached her and asked to be in an alliance, all with the goal of ensuring they could make the merge and have her reunite with her Cody.

But now it all seemed futile, not only did Cody not miss her, he seemed so much more happier and confident than ever before, and the worst part… he was clearly head over heels for somebody else.

In the past Sierra was aware of his crush on Gwen, and while it was true that it irritated her, she never felt threatened by the goth’s presence. After all Gwen’s taste in men was vastly different than her own, she seemed to gravitate towards delinquents like Duncan or weird music freaks like Trent, so it was obvious she would never see Cody in a romantic light.

This time it was entirely different, that look she saw in his eyes, the way he was looking at HEATHER… that wasn't a silly little crush, that was deep and true affection, and the most crushing part of it all was that after all she had done for him, all the ways she kept trying to show how much she loved him, and how much she missed him, it meant nothing to Cody 

after all, no matter what she did, he had never looked at her like that…

As she sat by herself looking out the window of the jumbo jet into a sea of clouds she could only keep pondering on why did things turn out this way, how was it even possible that somebody as evil and wicked as HEATHER could steal Cody’s heart so easily, she came close to madness trying to make sense of it throughout her stay in Monaco, refusing to leave her room or else risk seeing them together… it would've been too painful to witness.

And the more she thought of it the more it hurt, hell even remembering how the rest of Team Amazon seemed to be supportive of them being together was just as painful. She was often mocked and insulted for how she approached her love for Cody, being labeled a stalker more often than not, but when it came to HEATHER they seemed almost pleased to see her and Cody together.

While Sierra sat and looked out the window with tear filled eyes and a tight grip on her chair, both Duncan and Gwen noticed her behavior getting even more erratic and worrisome by the hour, not that they thought she was that stable to begin with, but this time things were different, they both sensed that she wasn't doing well and needed help before she or somebody else got hurt.

The couple walked towards the tail end of the aircraft as to not be heard by anyone else to discuss what would be the best course of action, or if they should speak to Chris about it

Once they sat down Gwen let her thoughts be known first “I know she’s been having a hard time ever since we switched teams but you'd think she would've gotten over it by now right?” Duncan had a somber look on his face as he looked straight ahead and played with his pocket knife “Pasty, you know I've been to juvie right?” Gwen nodded along as she focused on her boyfriend “I know i dont talk about it much, but i got my reasons… the thing is while you're in there you meet a lot of different people, you got your standard punks and good for nothings that are in for doing petty things like stealing a car or doing graffiti” 

The stoic punk then looked back at his girlfriend “But other times you meet those who have serious issues, issues that go beyond just wanting to have fun and getting in trouble… hell, back then i even met this guy who really enjoyed hurting others and being downright evil…” Gwen could tell this was all a sore spot for her boyfriend, it was clear how his mind was filled with unpleasant memories as he spoke “Are you saying Sierra might want to hurt others?” she asked in a concerned voice almost unsure of what was the point he was trying to make

“I don't know, at first I didn't think she was the type to do so, but the more I've been around her, the more I'm reminded of my days in juvie, and being around those types of people who aren't the most… stable”  the punk looked once more towards the front of the cabin where Sierra sat and he put away his knife “All i know is that the chick needs help”

Gwen saw compassion in his eyes as he spoke, something rare for the rebellious punk, she took his words to heart and stood up “yeah… she needs help, and maybe somebody to talk to…” the goth started walking towards Sierra intending to reach out and try to help— “pasty what are you doing!”  said Duncan in a whispered scream trying to stop his girlfriend… but it was too late

“Hey Sierra, how are you?” Gwen walked up casually towards her—“…Gwen, what do you want?” Answered Sierra looking at the goth as she took a seat next to her “I uh just wanted to check up on you, you don't look like you're doing ok, I mean we didn't even see you at the resort the whole week, and were a bit worried about you”

Sierra wore a blank expression on her face, clearly unphased by the goth’s empty words of concern “Gwen… you don't care about me so drop it” — Gwen was taken aback by the harsh treatment and mean words, not that they were friends to begin with but she did feel it was unwarranted “Hey come on, im just trying to reach out to you and make sure you're fine, you've been crying and talking to yourself this whole time, is this about Cody?”

Sierra immediately perked up, unable to hide her distaste for the goth any longer "Don't you dare talk about him, it's your fault this is all happening, if you hadn't voted for me I would still be in Team Amazon and he wouldn't be with…. with….” the poor broken hearted girl couldn't bear to speak any longer, she sat back down and took a deep defeated breath “just leave me alone Gwen, Im fine!”  

The message was loud and clear to Gwen, at this point she would have to get used to animosity from everybody else around her it seemed, as she turned back walking towards Duncan she turned around one last time to look back at Sierra “I'm sorry… I hope you're ok” her words were left ignored as Sierra simply looked out the window, as if searching for an answer to her heartache in the clouds

Just as the scene unfolded in the economy class cabin a very apathetic Alejandro chuckled to himself watching the exchange, amused at how pathetic his team mates were, with Sierra so depressed she was easy enough to manipulate to his whims, and with Gwen feeling so guilty about how she was perceived it seemed as if it all kept falling into place for the Spaniard to remain safe in the competition, only now he had to make sure they would win this challenge no matter what it takes.

First Class Cabin Recording Studio 7:10PM

It had  been a long day of flying so far, and frankly nobody could tell where they were going this time, so instead of stressing about it Team Amazon decided to do their best not to think too hard about it, instead they spent most of the day hanging out and enjoying each other's company 

Earlier in the day they settled back into their old habits and just hung out in the common area of first class, with the trio of girls receiving pedicures and facial cleansing masks, all the while Trent and Cody were following doctor’s instructions and kept performing their physical therapy exercises 

Later on during the day they all decided to watch a movie together to pass the time, all the while bonding with each other, even Courtney and Heather seemed to be way more amicable with each other, often teasing one another as to claim superiority over the other but all in good fun, after all it was just part of their personality

Once the day turned to night Trent found himself back in the recording studio practicing his guitar with Lindsay while the rest of his team were drinking smoothies at the bar, he was happy to keep teaching the blonde about music theory, after all she was a natural at it

“I gotta say Linds, you're very talented at this, how come you never tried learning before?” he asked as he put down his own guitar for the moment to allow his wrist to take a break “Like, I love singing and dancing and music, but like my parents never wanted me to like learn to play an instrument, they were always like ‘you should focus instead on studying for your classes, you' re way behind everybody in your class Lindsay’ it was like they thought i was like dumb or something you know?”  Trent could see there was some frustration behind her words, Lindsay could be a bit… peculiar to say the least, but she always had good intentions and learned at her own pace

“Yeah I kinda get that, my old man isn't the biggest fan of my music, he says it's a waste of time, he just wants me to be a lawyer like him… but i cant help it you know? I just love writing and playing music, it's how I express what I feel…” Lindsay offered a warm smile as she put her hand on his own, causing the Raven haired guitarist to look at her with his own smile “I get it, and i think its really sweet…. I heard one of your songs the other night… i thought it was like really sad, but full of hope somehow, it made me feel like, im not the only one who feels that way”

Trent’s eyes widened at her confession, he remembered the night he bumped into Gwen in the very recording studio they were in at the moment, and the song he was singing that night. He didn't feel comfortable asking Lindsay why she was singing his song that night, but now somehow he found himself so much closer to the blonde than ever before

“Yeah, I guess that song was pretty good at describing my state of mind… but you know, I don't feel that sad anymore…” He responded by holding her hand and interlocking his fingers with her “Really?... how do you feel now?” inquired the blonde squeezing his hand and looking into his eyes “I feel… hopeful…nervous… happier… How do you feel Lindsay?” 

That question lingered in her mind for a moment, so far this had been the best time she had ever spent filming Total Drama, having rebuilt her friendship with Heather, as well as befriending Courtney this time around,not to mention getting to know Cody better and seeing him and Heather get closer was very fun.

But more than anything, it was getting closer to Trent that made her feel the happiest, he had gone out of his way to be there for her, even sacrificing his wrist to save her during the last challenge, he had been there for her during her lowest moments and listened to her problems, he helped her understand things whenever they were too complicated, and he had been a great music teacher so far… All in all he was an amazing guy who had shown her how much he cared for her…

And looking into his eyes right now, she could see nothing but more of that care and compassion for her…. Yet there was something else at the back of the blonde’s mind, something that made her scared… What if it's too good to be true? She was terrified of being manipulated or used. It had happened so many times in the past, it was just very difficult for her to accept things at face value… at least when it came to matters of the heart.

So while they shared that passionate and silent look with each other and Trent waited for her answer, Lindsay couldn't take it anymore, she wanted to trust Trent and throw herself into his arms and feel as safe and loved as he made her feel, but she just couldn't do so….

“I… Feel like… I gotta go pee hehe” she quickly rose to her feet and ran out of the recording studio and into the bathroom, all while muttering ‘stupid stupid stupid’ to herself, oh how she hated feeling insecure… all she wanted was to know exactly what was best for her and her heart, hopefully Trent would wait for her to make up her mind…

As for the raven haired musician, he stayed sitting by himself in the recording studio, unable to understand what was going through his blonde crush’s mind. Was he too forward? Did he make her uncomfortable? Maybe she didn't like him like that… whatever the case he only hoped she was ok.

“Well that was… weird… i hope i didnt blow it” he thought to himself as he picked up his guitar once more, wondering what would be the best course of action to— “Attention Total Drama contestants, get ready for landing, we have arrived at our next challenge!!!”  well… at least he gave a warning this time.

Moscow Russia 7:30PM

Both teams were standing around outside the jumbo jet, all dressed in appropriate winter clothes, thankfully they all had the foresight to buy coats while in Monaco, even Sierra had done some online shopping while at the resort.

Just as they settled into the cool air of Moscow, Chris Mclean stepped out of the aircraft wearing a very fancy looking coat and a fur hat covering his ears, the host looked to be in high spirits as he stepped up to the contestants ready to begin the challenge “Welcome to Moscow! The capital of Russia, a place where history and modern life collide, home to amazing architecture, brutal cold weather and today’s challenge!” Chris then notices the whole cast is wearing jackets and hoodies which in turn seems to annoy him “ugh this wont be as fun if youre not freezing”

The whole cast felt good knowing they outsmarted his attempts at torture for once, with Heather glaring even more than usual at the sadistic host “Really? Might I remind you I almost froze to death on the last challenge?” Chris simply chuckled at her outburst as he continued his intro

“Hehe yeah good times, anyway today both teams will have to show what they're made of in what i like to call The World Tour Identity” Chef and a team of interns then wheel in two tables with briefcases, each one with their team’s respective logos

“The challenge is simple, Team Amazon must reach Red Square in 3 hours all while Team Chris is really really really hot is hunting them down all in secret spy style!”  Both Team Amazon and Team Chris is hot then look at one another, clear tension in the air and unsure of how things will go down “if the challenge is about hunting the chicks down then what's up with the briefcases? Shouldn't we be getting rifles or something?” asked Duncan already fascinated with the idea of hunting people for sport

The host gave his signature chuckle as he continued “Its not that type of hunting Duncan, think about it more like Team Amazon are enemies of the state and you're tasked with bringing them in hehe” Courtney couldn't help but roll her eyes in annoyance as always this show seemed a bit too insensitive about real world issues, but before she could chime in Chris kept on explaining “In each brief case you will find a random assortment of gadgets and tools for you to use during the challenge, and as for Team Amazon you will also have one of these” Chris then pulled out a tiny matryoshka doll, other wise known as a russian nesting doll resembling himself 

Lindsay couldn't hold back her excitement upon seeing the finely crafted dolls “OMG those are soooooo cute. I want one that looks just like me!” Team Amazon then approached their table and each one of them picked out a random briefcase “Well you're in luck Lindsay, Chef painstakingly hand crafted dolls resembling each member of Team Amazon!” Chef then proceeded to hand each member of Team Amazon a matryoshka doll modeled after themselves “In order for you to complete today’s challenge all you have to do is make it to Red Square before your time expires. Oh and you have to make sure to bring your doll with you or else you will be disqualified. Your team will win as long as at least one of you makes it there in time and with their respective doll”

Cody listened carefully to the instructions, trying to come up with a plan to maximize his team’s strengths, all the while failing to notice how Sierra kept staring at him from a distance, her eyes still red with emotion “Team Amazon will have a 10 minute head start beginning……… NOW!” once Chris gave the go ahead Team Amazon ran away with their briefcases and dolls in hand, disappearing into the city

Alejandro, while confident in himself still viewed the challenge as incredibly skewed against his Team and couldn't hide his frustration any longer “Ugh now how are we gonna find them? This is beyond unfair!”  The sadistic host merely chuckled to himself as he walked towards Team Chris is hot’s table with briefcases “tsk tsk tsk i find your lack of faith disturbing Alejandro, since all of you get these!” Chef then gave each member a small gps tracker showing 5 red dots on screen moving 

“Hehe that's right, those Russian dolls are actually tracking devices, that way you will know where they are at all times!” Now that was good news thought Duncan, already excited to get the hunt started “Right on! This will be a piece of cake” as for Alejandro, he merely gave his signature smirk as he walked towards the table and grabbed a briefcase, his sole focus being victory, nothing more nothing less.

2 hours and 30 minutes remaining Team Amazon

Team Amazon had made haste and ran through the airport and into the streets of Moscow, once they reached a park they stopped for a moment to check in on their gear and formulate a plan, with Courtney once more attempting to take lead in their strategy “Allright i say we look through our equipment and plan a direct route with no detours!”  

The CIT was clearly proud of her fool proof air tight strategy, and nobody else had a problem with it so they decided to take a quick look. Cody was the first to open his brief case, revealing a grapple gun, a smoke bomb and a map of Moscow  “Cool, look at this! You guys think it works?”  as he analyzed the gun both Heather and Lindsay opened their respective briefcases, the blonde’s also had a smoke bomb but instead of the grapple gun her’s had a weird looking remote with the word SCRAMBLER on it

As for Heathers, she also had a map of the city, while also containing a lock pick, a pocket knife and a spray bottle labeled EXPLOSIVE GEL “This looks extremely dangerous for anybody to have… good thing im the one who picked this one haha” Commented the queen bee putting her tools away, meanwhile Trent also opened his briefcase,“let’s see, something called an Ice bomb, a grapple gun and a lock pick, not too bad huh”  Trent strapped the grapple gun to his belt as he rose to his feet, catching Lindsay looking at him and smiling back at her

As for Courtney, hers was pretty standard, with a lock pick a stun grenade and a scrambler just like Lindsay’s “I hope this junk comes in handy, no idea what the scrambler is for though…” once she puts her stuff away she notices Trent making eyes and Lindsay, as cute a pair they might be, now wasnt the time for foolishness.

The brown haired bossy girl then grabs Trent by the arm and starts walking south doing her best to command her Team to follow her “There will be time for flirting later, right now we're in the middle of a challenge!” the statement earns a chuckle from the rest of the team as they follow behind the CIT

While they made their way out of the park and into the lonely streets, Cody walked next to Heather often stealing glances at the queen bee, ever since that night at the beach things had been going very well between them, having their nightly conversations had made them grow closer and not to mention the game of truth or dare helped them break any awkward barrier between them, with each moment they spent together he understood and accepted his feelings for her whole heartedly

There were still some issues for Cody however, the biggest one being if he should even confess his feelings at all. While it was true that they got along amazingly and trusted one another, the fact remained that they were in the middle of a competition for 1 million dollars, and Heather was the contestant that probably wanted the money the most, Cody was afraid of what confessing his feelings to her would do to the bond they now shared, it terrified him to lose it.

As he racked his mind over the pros and cons of confessing, he managed to notice how much she was shivering, remembering how much she hated the cold, even while wearing a jacket and jeans the queen bee was still suffering the effects of the weather, and if the nerd had any say in it this would come to an end “Hey Heather, come over here for a sec” he called out to her gaining her attention

“What is it punchy? Got any secret plans you wanna share?”  as they came to a stop, Cody acted fast and wrapped a red scarf he was wearing around her neck, catching her by surprise “W-What are you–” “I noticed you were cold… i know how much you hate it soooo yeah, lets keep going”  while still a bold move by him, Cody was too nervous to let the moment linger and tried to keep moving along “NOW WAIT JUST A MOMENT MISTER!” unlucky for him Heather was not about to let it slide

Cody froze in his tracks, of course it was too much for him to do such a thing what was he thinking, Heather walked right up to him and gave him an intense look, she slowly put a hand to his chest and another on his shoulder without breaking eye contact, which was making the nerd lose his mind and blush extremely hard, what in the world was happening now!  

*ZIIIIP*

Heather zipped his jacket up all the way properly, with a confused Cody still processing her actions “You have to bundle up properly, I don't want you getting sick…” She then walked away slowly towards the rest of the team, stopping for a moment to look back at him and grab his hand “Thanks for the scarf punchy, i feel better now… lets go catch up with the others ok?” 

Cody was too nervous to say anything else, the only words in his mind being “I LOVE THIS GIRL!!!!” repeated over and over on a loop, Heather for her part was also blushing hard and doing her best to rationalize her behaviour to herself, of course she didn't want her alliance member to get sick, what use would he be that way, he just recovered from his injuries! No way was she gonna let him go down again!

While the love struck dorks picked up their pace catching up to their group,  they failed to realize the danger they were in. No sooner than they managed to catch up with their team a high speed tennis ball hit Cody in the face 

*WHACK*

“Punchy what the hell—” 

*WHACK*

And just the same another tennis ball hit Heather in the back of the head as well knocking her to the floor and landing on her alliance member “Owwww that hurt! What the hell was that!” she yelled still on the ground 

It was then that the rest of their team became aware, they weren't alone, somebody had found them… Trent was the first to notice the shine from a sniper scope on a building across the street “Over there i think thats Sier—”

*WHACK* 

 Right in the head as well, knocking him down, it's only when Courtney thinks fast that they manage to act “Trent! Quick Lindsay help them up and lets run!” The CIT holds her briefcase like a shield to give the blonde some cover as she helps out her team mates up to their feet “Are you like ok?”—  “Ugh yeah, we're ok, lets just get outta here!” Heather didn't hesitate, along with Cody and Trent they rose to their feet and ran for cover while Courtney blocked shots from Sierra

“Quick this way!” Thinking fast on his feet Trent took the initiative to guide his team leading them down an alley way where there could be no vantage point for Sierra to fire from “good thinking dude, lets cut through here and keep heading to the square!” Complimented Cody following behind his bandmate, unlucky for them however Duncan was waiting at the other side of the alley with a rifle of his own “Hehe yeah good thinking Elvis” 

The punk then proceeded to aim at the rival team and shoot a barrage of baseballs from the rifle hitting Lindsay in the leg before any of them could react, as soon as the raven haired musician saw this he ran back to the blonde “Lindsay!” 

She had fallen to the ground and held onto her leg as she held back tears “OWW! That totally gonna bruise!”  luckily Heather managed to hold her briefcase as a shield as well while Trent picked up Lindsay in his arms “WHAT NOW!?” yelled the queen bee as she held back the barrage of projectiles next to Courtney

Cody then noticed an open garage door in the middle of the alley, leading into what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse “In there! Come one quickly!” Team Amazon followed their resident nerd into the warehouse while avoiding further fire from the delinquent, and once inside he managed to pull down the metal door, saving them for now

While they were catching their breath for a brief moment Courtney was the first to speak up “Ugh how the hell did they find us!? No actually how the hell did they know to ambush us!? It's like they were waiting for us!”  Cody took in a deep breath and tried to compose his thoughts, it really didn't make sense unless… “Theyre tracking us!” 

Courtney’s eyes widened as she connected the dots in her head, it made perfect sense “What!? That's not fair! Wait, how are they doing it then?”  Cody thought to himself for a moment before coming up with a theory “they gave us those dolls, that's gotta be it!” it made perfect sense to the nerd why else would Chris place such importance on them

“Damn it, and we can't throw them away, we need to have them on us when we arrive at the square” added Heather, clutching the tiny doll in her hand, as cute as it was to look at a mini version of herself right now it was proving more of a nuisance than anything “I say we fight back, we have these gadgets, i bet we can ambush them before they try their next move, we can take them out and then move on to the square” 

While Trent made sure that Lindsay was ok and set her down, the blonde wanted to make her support for her friend’s plan known“I'm like with Heather on this one, I want payback on that Duncan!”  while the rest of Team Amazon rallied on the idea of fighting back Cody couldn't shake the feeling something was off

“Wait! What if this was all part of their plan?”  The rest of Team Amazon turned to look at him while he kept trying to make sense of things in his head “what do you mean dude?”  asked Trent, noticing the look of dread on his friend's face “what if they were shooting at us to make us go somewhere specific… what if they wanted us to come in here…” Cody then paused for a moment as he looked back at his team and then he looked up at the walkway right above them

“Clever nerd…” suddenly a heavy net fell on top of Team Amazon pinning them down and disorienting them “OH COME ON!!!” yelled a very frustrated Courtney as she tried in vain to fight her way out of the net “Im impressed Cody, you caught on pretty quick… just not quick enough” Alejandro made his way down through the stairs of the walk way with Gwen following right behind him “Alejandro, im kinda glad youre on my team, that was genius!” 

The Spaniard then walked past the pinned down Team Amazon and opened the garage door to let in Sierra and Duncan who were waiting right outside “Very well done my friends, the plan worked to perfection! Now all we have to do is wait for the time to expire and victory will be ours!” as the pair made their way inside they held their rifles aimed at them “Dont mention it Al, i cant wait to get back up to first class”  added Duncan, all while Sierra still refused to speak, only staring at Cody with cold dead eyes

While Team Amazon were pinned down and struggling to escape, Heather did her best to remain composed, in the middle of the struggle she managed to bring out the pocket knife that was provided to her, thankfully the warehouse didn't have the best lighting so they didn't catch her doing so, she then crawled towards a still struggling Lindsay and whispered in her ear “Lindsay, do your best and keep talking to distract them, i got a plan” 

The blonde’s eyes lit up, thank god Heather was as crafty and cunning as she had always been “All right! Leave it to me hehe”  Lindsay then proceeded to take in a deep breath and started yelling “AHHHHH LET ME OUT I THINK THERE’S A SPIDER IN HERE, A RUSSIAN SPIDER!!! THOSE ARE LIKE THE WOOOORST!!” 

The rest of Team Amazon were really confused for a moment, however thanks to Heather’s quick thinking she also crawled up to Trent and whispered her plan in his ear, and he in turned passed it on to Courtney, who passed it on to Cody, suddenly all of them started yelling as well

“LET ME OUT NOW!!! OR YOU’RE GONNA HEAR FROM MY LAWYERS I SWEAR!!!”

“1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 YOU HEAR THAT 9 IS MY LUCKY NUMBER!!!!”

“GUYS I THINK I'M ALLERGIC TO THIS NET!!! WHAT MATERIAL IS THIS!!! I NEED MY EPIPEN!!!”

Team Chris Is Really Hot were all confused, had they all lost their mind? What the hell was going on? “Pero que…? What’s their deal? Asked a very puzzled Alejandro, unable to even think straight with all the noise they were making “Maybe they're just being sore losers? I mean its on brand for Courtney” — “I heard that Duncan you jerk!!!”

While the commotion was taking place Heather was making quick work of the net while being unnoticed, cutting the links of the net one by one, once she felt the net loosen up enough she nudged Courtney, who was ready with her stun grenade in hand…

“ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT SHUT UP!!!!” Duncan was slowly but surely losing his mind at all the noise, god they could be so annoying, he really couldn't wait until this was all over and he could go back up to— “NOW!!!”  yelled Heather commanding the rest of her team to throw the net off of them at the same time, taking Team Chris is Hot by surprise

They managed to throw the net off and onto Gwen who was standing nearby  dropping her to the floor and tangling her in it, while caught in the confusion Trent saw an opening and wrestled the rifle away from Sierra, he then looked towards the CIT and yelled  “Do it now Courtney!!!”   

With the opportunity at hand Courtney took the pin out and threw the flash bang in the direction of Duncan and Alejandro, temporarily blinding them and making them shoot their baseball rifles all over the place, even managing to hit the sprinklers turning them on as well as a loud alarm, seeing his opportunity to sow even more chaos, Cody threw a smoke bomb on the floor to further conceal themselves

“LETS GET OUT OF HERE EVERYBODY!!!” yelled somebody from Team Amazon trying to find an exit “OH NO YOU DONT YOU MAN STEALER!!!”  they were suddenly tackled by Sierra who held them down with a taser in her hands  “ through here!!!” — “lets go this way!!!” many voices were heard but it was hard to distinguish who was who and where they were, thanks to that deafening alarm blaring

Once the smoke dissipated and Alejandro and Duncan regained their vision things managed to calm down a bit, the only member of Team Amazon that still remained in the room was being held down by Sierra “ I got HEATHER” but the rest got away” spoke the stalker with venom in her voice

“Ugh what!? I'm not Heather, I'm Courtney!!!”  seeing her mistake Sierra lowered her taser and got off of the CIT, frustration clear in her face she made way for Alejandro to approach the now captive Courtney and put handcuffs on her “well that means 1 down, 4 to go…”

While this was going all taking place, two things were now apparent inside the warehouse, the back door was open letting in the cool night wind, and there was now an open hole on the ground, with a metal cover laying next to it, making it pretty clear that the rest of Team Amazon had split up

Three blocks away from the warehouse

“I think we got away… but no sign of the rest, I think it's just you and me now Lindsay”  Cody did his best to catch his breath and walk slowly, still checking his back in case they were followed. “That was like, the worst thing ever, I hope everybody else is ok…”

Cody tried his best to offer a smile to the blonde in an attempt to cheer her up “im sure they are, Heather and Courtney are way scarier than anybody on that team… except for maybe Sierra, and Trent’s a smart guy, im sure they made it out, we’ll probably see them once we get to Red square”  Lindsay smiled back at her good friend, his optimizing was just as contagious as her own “Yeah you're right!! Let's go find that square!!” 

The unlikely duo ran into the night looking at the map they had in hand, they had to win this no matter what, they wouldn't let Heather’s brilliant plan go to waste

Tunnels underneath the Warehouse 

“That was really close… Are you ok Heather?” The queen bee was catching her breath and making sure all her equipment was in place, she looked up and took Trent’s hand as he helped her up to her feet “ yeah, we got to keep moving, they won't be far behind…” 

The raven haired musician looked ahead at the dimly lit tunnels, almost like a maze, it would be nothing short of a miracle for them to make it out and find their way to the goal, but if he had learned anything so far was to believe in his team “You did great back there… no wonder Cody is crushing so hard on you” 

Heather stopped on her tracks for a moment causing Trent to bump into her “what…” suddenly it felt as if he had said too much too soon “uhhh… “ the queen bee pressed on “what did you say?” Trent felt a chill down his spine, had he ruined things for his buddy? Oh god no… “yeah… he likes you… you knew that right? You guys are always like flirting and stuff?” 

Heather paused for a moment and looked into the darkness of the tunnels before looking back at the musician “i just… i wasnt sure anybody would like me… after how I treated everybody before… I just thought he was being nice…”  yeah, this was about to be a long awkward talk thought Trent to himself… yeah he was right about that.

Author notes

The challenge in Moscow is definitely taking many twists and turns, who knows who will come out on top, what i do know is that it seems like Cody and Heather are in way more danger than the others, Sierra is acting like a woman on a mission…

As for Courtney, she’s gonna have to face being in custody of Team Chris is Hot, i kinda feel bad for her, having to be around  Gwen and Duncan, we all know how much she likes that, but perhaps Alejandro will prove to be a bigger issue…

We also got to see a glimpse of things to come wayyyyy down the line, i failed to mention it last chapter, but perhaps many of you noticed i added a cameo from zoey from revenge of the island, and in this chapter Duncan mentioned a certain evil somebody he knew back in juvie… these are all pieces of lore for something bigger down the line, the day will come when we get to it, but for now it's just a bit of fun world building

Thank you everybody for reading! As always I'm super appreciative of all of you who give this story a chance! Stay tuned for next chapter, i promise way more Drama and a very emotional goodbye… as always let me know what you think in the comments, have a great night/day

Chapter Text

Chapter 18

Jealousy and Cold

Warehouse 1 hour and 30 minutes remaining

It was a cold lonely night in Moscow, thanks to the Total Drama production team the streets were barren, as to not interfere with the challenge that was currently taking place. It seemed insane to try and think about the logistics of pulling such a thing off, however thanks to the ratings and merchandise sales, the show was profitable beyond belief, so something as crazy as closing off entire sections of a major city was pretty easy.

These kind of things often didn't factor into the thoughts of the contestants while competing, In fact the only thing in Courtney’s mind was trying to figure out how to escape her current predicament and join her friends, maybe she could steal one of their gps trackers and find her way to Red Square that way! She still had a lock pick hidden up her sleeve, all she needed was for the enemy team to get distracted long enough for her to make her way to freedom..

“Gotta hand it to them, they took us by surprise” Duncan was in the middle of rubbing his eyes and helping untangle Gwen from the net, even if he was frustrated with their escape he couldn't help but admire a good scheme when he came across it “Whatever, just get this thing off of me, I'm starting to feel claustrophobic being tangled in this thing!”  Countered the Goth with frustrations of her own

“We have no time to waste my friends, we are NOT losing this challenge, so if you all wouldn’t mind indulging me i have a plan” the smooth talking Alejandro was also rubbing his eyes and trying to remain composed, too long had he suffered humiliations during the competition, and his tolerance was wearing ever so thin “Duncan and Gwen, both of you chase down the two who went through the streets. Sierra, since you are the best at tracking, you can go through the underground tunnel maze and find whoever went through there, I will escort Courtney and make sure she doesn't escape”

The punk had managed to free his girlfriend from the net and seemed a bit annoyed at taking orders from the Spaniard, but he wasn't really in a mood to debate any further, he merely shrugged and agreed with his plan “Whatever, come on pasty lets get a move on”  the couple was about to start walking towards the exit but were abruptly stopped “HOLD ON!” it was Sierra breaking her silence once more "I'm going through the streets… you two go through the tunnels…”

Gwen and Duncan were taken aback by the stalker’s brash outburst “Um, id rather not be underground Sierra, and you heard Alejandro, you're the best at tracking, so what gives?” asked the goth bluntly, only to be met with a still emotionless Sierra refusing to acknowledge her, instead she walked past both her team mates towards the exit, Duncan for his part did not appreciate the blatant disrespect to his girl, so he called out to her “Hey, crazy chick! Drop the serious act and answer Gwen, its the least you could do for one of your team mates”

Sierra stopped dead in her tracks, anger clearly boiling up inside of her. Still she did her best to suppress any urge to retaliate or show emotion, instead she looked back at her team and responded in a calm and icy tone “...Cody went this way… Im going after him”

Without another word the broken hearted stalker walked out into the cold night in pursuit of her obsession, leaving the rest of Team Chris is Really Hot both stressed out and confused with her behaviour “Ugh i cant stand her anymore, who does she think she is talking to you like that!?”  said Duncan almost tempted to run after her, thankfully Gwen was there to try and calm him down, she put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at her boyfriend “Its ok, i still appreciate you standing up for me, lets just go into the tunnels, i wont be so scared if im with you”

The punk seemed to calm down thanks to his girlfriend and decided to follow her advice “Allright pasty let’s go capture those Amazon chicks, you gonna be ok alone with miss loud mouth over there Al?”  as Alejandro helped Courtney up to her feet she couldn’t help but feel hurt over her former lover's harsh words “Oh shut up Duncan as if you will ever be able to catch any of my friends, i bet they already made it to Red Square and are standing around making fun of your stupid mohawk” 

The former lovers glared at each other for a moment before Alejandro interjected “Now now, no need to start a war of words, we all have a task to take care of and were nearly out of time, we will meet up at the square, godspeed my friends” so as to not continue the fighting and keep everything on track he grabbed Courtney by the arm and escorted her out of the warehouse and into the streets, all while Duncan and Gwen leapt into the tunnels.

As Alejandro and Courtney walked through the empty streets of Moscow they both kept to themselves, the CIT was silently using a lock pick on her handcuffs while the Spaniard only looked ahead and held her by the arm, it was only after a couple of blocks that the silent was broken by him “You’re making a huge mistake you know…”

Courtney felt a pit in her stomach when she heard him speak, of course he would catch on to her escape attempt, he was a clever bastard afterall, but for a moment she decided to be coy about the whole situation “what do you mean? Im not doing anything”

Alejandro merely rolled his eyes as he kept his pace walking the snowy streets “yeah you’re captured, but what i meant was, you're making a mistake by calling them your friends”  Courtney was confused with his words, but she didn't lower her guard, she was well aware of his tricks and schemes “Its none of your business who i call friend or not, and regardless of what you say or do you wont get in my head”

The Spaniard let go of her arm and turned her around, he looked in her eyes and spoke with a smirk in his face “I know it’s not my business, and quite frankly i dont care, im just pointing out the obvious”  The CIT shot back a look of defiance to her captor, she felt disgusted by him and how he had manipulated those around him and thrown them aside “What would you know about friends anyway, all you care about is using people and getting what you want, so please enlighten me on what’s so obvious” 

While the pale moonlight illuminated half of his face and the shadows overtook the other half he spoke “Im not here to make friends my dear Courtney, and neither should you, after all the most obvious thing to all of us is what will happen once you lose today’s challenge”  the whistling of the wind was heard as he continued “Once you're in the elimination ceremony all of your so called ‘friends’ will vote for you to leave without a second thought of remorse” 

Courtney stared back at Alejandro, her eyes betraying the fear his words caused her “What do you mean? Why would they target me? We all get along just fine, me and Heather just became good friends, and-and me and Trent are good friends too!”  the Spaniard held back a chuckle, his manipulation was working like clock work “Oh really? You and Heather are good friends? Well forget it then, i mean why would a friend of yours ever betray your trust? I've never seen that happen to you ever… except for when Gwen did it…”

His words managed to stab at her insecurities, and as she tried to think otherwise and not fall into despair he continued “And as for the musician… let me ask you this, who do you think he would want to keep around, the girl he has a crush on, or the bossy loud and annoying girl in his team?” Courtney’s eyes widened and she took a step back… she didn't think about it that way until now, she had failed to realize how truly alone she was…“SHUT UP! SHUT UP!” she yelled back

Alejandro once more grabbed her by the arm and kept walking the streets with her, his seeds of doubt successfully planted in Courtney, even if his plan would work or not was meaningless to him, as long as he got to sow any discord on his rivals it would have been completely worth it 

Courtney for her part simply kept walking, her head held low, trying her best to rationalize and fight against Alejandro’s words, she didn't want to believe them, she knew her friends weren't the type of people who would just use her and discard her like she was nothing… right?

Underground Tunnels 1 Hour remaining

Trent and Heather found themselves walking through a maze of tunnels that seemed to go on forever, all while talking to each other about their respective love lives. If you would've asked them how likely this was to happen a couple of months ago they would've burst out in laughter at the idea of even talking to one another

“So, let me get this straight. You and Cody spend almost every night before bed talking to one another about your hopes and dreams, he makes you special drinks for you before bed, you have little inside jokes that only the both of you know about, He risked his life to try and save you while in Italy, he gave you a little plush bee that you sleep with every night, he basically gifted you  you a star he bought a certificate of online AND he let you name it after the nickname you gave him, you guys also hold hands and stare into each other's eyes all the time, and he literally gave you his scarf so that you wouldn’t be cold and you thought he was doing all of this because he’s both  nice and  scared of you?”  the musician looked at Heather with disbelief in his eyes as he listed the ways Cody and her flirted 

Heather let out a sigh as she walked forward into the dark tunnels, clutching the little doll resembling her in her hand “Look i know it sounds stupid, specially when you put it like that, but put yourself in my shoes, everybody has hated me since season 1, even back home no guys wanted to even get near me because they all thought i was a bitch”  Trent for his part simply nodded, having been one of her previous victims he couldn't say he had the best opinion of the queen bee prior to sharing a team once again

“To be fair Heather, whose fault is that? It's not like you acted with the most noble intentions before” the raven haired musician let out a sigh of his own, he really seemed  to be the team’s psychologist “I had my reasons ok? I just… desperately wanted to win the money… I mean I still do but it's different this time… i dont know im just tired of everybody hating me and punch–I mean Cody showed me he had no hidden intentions in trying to be my friend, but i still didnt think he liked me like that, i figured he thought i was hot, i mean who wouldnt but… aghhh!!” Heather couldn't help but let out a groan of frustration as she tried to put her emotions into words, something that was insanely fascinating to Trent, having never seen the queen bee so flustered and unsure before

He then stopped her and put a hand on her shoulder to try and get her to calm down. “Look, I can tell there's more to you than meets the eye, I'm pretty sure Lindsay and Courtney also feel the same, and I guess Cody saw that before any of us did…  I can tell you really care about him, i mean even he’s changed quite a bit since he started hanging around you, it's like he’s more confident and less afraid to take on life, frankly it’s almost like the two of you bring out the best in each other" Heather couldn't help but smile at the musicians kind words, and just the idea that her and Cody made each other better gave her butterflies in her stomach

“You got a way with words Trent, who knew…” she patted him in the back almost as if saying thank you in her own way , making the musician chuckle “Heh thanks, you'd be surprised how often i hear that these days, but I'm still trying to figure out things for myself…”   it was Heather’s turn to let out a chuckle “Oh you mean like your huge crush on Lindsay?”

The pair once again came to a stop now thanks to Trent who looked quite a bit flustered “God am i that obvious?” the queen bee let out an even bigger chuckle this time “Oh please, the two of you are clearly into each other, if you think me and Cody are bad you should see the way you stare at her when you play your guitar, i swear its like you're picking out your future kids names in your head” 

The musician let out a sigh while it was true that he felt head over heels for the blonde in question there remained so much uncertainty over how to approach things with her “Ok ok i get it, but i mean i dont know what to do about it, i really like her, and at times i think she likes me too, but then she just runs away… and i kind of get it, when she broke up with Tyler she said she wanted to focus on herself and figure out what she really wanted in life… and I don't want to make things more complicated for her y’know?”

It was then that Heather thought back to season 1 back in camp Wawanakwa, how she had a bad feeling about Tyler getting with Lindsay, it wasn't so much that she thought Tyler was a bad guy, but she just didn't feel it was right for them to be together, she couldn't explain how or why she felt that way, but she did… but that feeling wasn't there when it came to Trent and Lindsay

In fact it was the complete opposite, she saw clearly that he wanted what was best for the blonde regardless if it meant being with him or not, and that was enough for the queen bee “Trent, you're a good guy, i can tell you actually like that dummy for who she is and not just the big pair of…. Whatever, what im trying to say is, be patient with her, be there for her, and if it's meant to be, you guys will be together” 

Trent felt a sense of clarity that wasn't there before, reflecting back on how he had approached relationships, always worried about the what if’s and not in the present… regardless of how Lindsay felt, he knew that he wanted to be around her, helping her grow, supporting her, and maybe that was enough… “You know what Heather, you're right… I can't live scared of the what if’s, I like Lindsay, and I'm gonna be there for her as long as she’ll have me!”

*CLICK*

A pair of footsteps was heard as well as the sound of a rifle getting reloaded “So you're into Barbie now huh?”   Duncan stepped out of the shadows right behind them “I guess I know for a fact you've completely moved on”  it was then that Gwen stepped out of the shadows as well and stood next to the delinquent, she held a bow with blunt arrows and aimed it straight at the pair

Both Heather and Trent were caught by surprise at their sudden arrival, with the former putting her doll back into her pocket and stepping back “Oh how nice, if it isn’t Frankenstein’s monster  and his bride, I'm sorry did we intrude in your dark and disgusting love nest? If thats the case me and Trent here are just gonna leave the two of you alone now” 

The goth rolled her eyes at Heather’s disrespectful sarcasm “Oh shut up Heather, lets just do this the easy way before i fire an arrow at your huge forehead and bring you back the hard way” she then drew back her bowstring and aimed it straight at the queen bee, Duncan also raised his baseball rifle and pointed it straight at Trent in tandem with his girlfriend “I like the way you think pasty, you heard the boss, lets just head back and nobody gets hurt”

Thinking on his feet, Trent put a hand back in his coat pocket to retrieve a tennis ball Sierra had shot him with earlier, while he clutched it he thought of a way to distract them and find an opening to escape, luckily he had just the thing “Hey Gwen, im not so sure im entirely over you, specially after our secret talk in the recording studio that night”

With such a scandalous sounding statement it was no surprise Duncan, Gwen and even Heather let out a resounding “WHAT!!!?”

The resulting confusion caused the punk and goth to lower their weapons long enough for Trent to throw the tennis ball as hard as he could at Duncan’s head, knocking him to the ground

With an opening secured Trent grabbed Heather by the arm and began to run further into the tunnels “Lets go!!”  The two then made haste while they could, finally reaching a massive room full of water systems and waterfalls, it seemed to be a water treatment plant of sorts “Where to now!?” asked the musician trying to find a way to lose their captors for good 

Thankfully Heather managed to spot a long corridor at the other side of an old wooden  bridge ahead of them, she could tell it was an exit thanks to the red signs at the door “through there come on!” once they started crossing the bridge Gwen and Duncan also made it to the massive room, with the punk now sporting a very bruised eye

Gwen was still trying to clear things out with her boyfriend, so as to not create any further drama , the last thing she wanted was to create any tension in her relationship “Duncan i can explain!”  for now however the punk was in no mood to listen to her, instead his rage was entirely focused on the raven haired musician “explain later! Shoot now!” 

They then began to open fire on Trent and Heather as they ran through the old wooden bridge with the goth managing to hit Trent in the back of the head with one of her arrows 

*THUD*

He was knocked down pretty hard “Trent! Come on get up, now's not the time” Heather stopped in her tracks and ran back towards her team mate, while on the ground the musician was recoiling from the pain of the arrow hitting him as well as how hard he had fallen on his injured wrist “Ugh this sucks… Heather! get out of here, I'll make sure they don't follow you!”  the queen bee looked at him in disbelief, just what the hell was he talking about 

“Forget about that mister! We're both getting out of here so shut up and get your ass up!”  Trent gave one of his signature smirks at the queen bee, he reached into his equipment and threw his grapple gun at her, and clutched the ice bomb in his injured hand “You really have changed, i dont think the old Heather would've tried to help out a team mate… Cody was right about you”

As Duncan and Gwen ran towards them still shooting at them Heather looked into Trent’s eyes once more and saw that his mind was made up, the queen bee could tell his resolve and selflessness was genuine, she picked up the grapple gun and shared some parting words “God you're so annoyingly selfless… no wonder Lindsay is so into you … try not to get hurt you dumbass, I’ll see you in first class!”  she ran as fast as she could until she crossed the bridge and reached the room with the  ladder, making sure to close the door behind her

Once Duncan and Gwen reached Trent the delinquent fired one more baseball at the musician making him go into a fetal position “You bastard, that's for throwing a tennis ball at my eye, hey pasty! I’ll put this guy in handcuffs you go catch Heather” just as Gwen was about to chase after the queen bee Trent looked up at the two of them with a devious smile on his face “I don't think so!” He then unclutched the small ice grenade he was holding onto and threw it at the other side of the bridge, hitting the exit Heather had just taken

As the ice bomb rolled towards the door it managed to create a massive explosion that sealed the exit with a thick coat of ice as well as making the temperature in the room drop significantly, Gwen then turned back towards her boyfriend and ex boyfriend while shivering “ wh-wha-what the h-hell! its freezing in h-here, what w-w-was that?” 

Trent then stood up shivering as well “I-I d-d-dont know, that was i–in the briefcase Ch-chris gave me” Duncan was equally as cold and what's more he was also in a terrible mood now, but instead of sticking around and trying to chase after the queen bee even further he conceded defeat for now “wh-whatever, lets just t-t-turn back where w-w-we came from!”  he then put some handcuffs on Trent and with help from the goth they both escorted him back to the warehouse to hopefully meet up with the rest of their team

On the other side of the door however, a very worried Heather was catching her breath, it really sucked having to leave Trent behind, she felt a pit of regret in her stomach, which was proving to be a new emotion to her, perhaps Cody’s influence was truly getting to her…

She would have to keep those thoughts and feelings at the back of her mind for now, the challenge was far from over and she had to find her way to Red Square as soon as possible! All she had to do was climb the ladder— “WHAT THE HELL!!!” 

Quite frankly you couldn't blame the queen bee’s reaction once she looked up at the ladder her frustrations were very much warranted,  due to the ladder that seemed to stretch towards the heavens, she couldn't even see the end of it “Who even built this place!!!”  After a few minutes of venting her frustrations and taking a couple of deep breaths she finally managed to compose herself, and with one last look at the top she clutched the red scarf Cody had placed around her neck and resolved herself to climb the imposing ladder “Ugh… What a thrill… Punchy better be making his way there too!”

Streets of Moscow 40 minutes remaining

While Trent and Heather were facing off against Duncan and Gwen in the tunnels, Cody and Lindsay found themselves wandering the cold and confusing streets of Moscow, thankfully so far nobody had managed to catch up with them so they were taking it easy while they could, solely focusing on maintaining a low profile and reaching their destination 

“So like, do you think we’re almost there? Im like starting to get nervous, almost like somebody is watching us” the ditzy blonde was on edge ever since they left the warehouse, she really didn't like the feeling of being chased and was doing her best to remain calm, thankfully Cody was being as reassuring as he could “hehe of course were being watched Lindsay, were filming a tv show” the nerd was feeling uneasy as well, but he had to remain optimistic, after all his team mate was depending on him!

As he looked at the map and followed the path Courtney had marked earlier, he couldn't help but wonder how Heather was fairing, the concern in his face was becoming noticeable with each street they crossed, something Lindsay had noticed, so as to keep her spirits up she decided to try and tease her team mate “Soooooo… like are you worried about Heather?”

Cody jolted up upon hearing his crush’s name, making Lindsay let out a giggle “Omg you sooo totally are worried? Is she like your secret girlfriend? How long have you two been dating? She won't tell me anything” the blonde unleashed a barrage of questions that Cody was honestly not ready for “woah woah, slow down Lindsay… me and Heather aren't dating… were just good friends, and yeah i am worried about her, just like i’m worried about Trent and Courtney as well”

Even if she could be a bit scatterbrained, Lindsay could see right through his excuses, so she decided to poke at him a bit more with her words “Ooooh, i guess that makes sense, i think she has a crush on Alejandro anyway, although she told me not to tell anybody…” the nerd couldn't help it and dropped the map in disbelief “SHE WHAT!!!!?”  Lindsay smiled deviously, she got him!

“AHA! What's with that reaction? You are sooooo totally in love with her!” Cody fell to his hands and knees in defeat, not being used to this type of teasing “Ok ok, you got me, i really really really like Heather!” the blonde was beyond giddy at the confirmation of his feelings, both jumping and clapping excitedly “OMG!!! Thats soooo cute!, you have GOT to tell her how you feel once we see her again, it's gonna be so adorable!”

Cody stood up quickly and grabbed the blonde by the shoulders, trying to slow down her excitement “Lindsay! I'm not ready to tell her that, not to mention we're in the middle of a competition for 1 million dollars, this is the last thing she needs on her mind… and also… im really not her type”  the nerd’s insecurities became apparent to Lindsay, as he looked down at his feet refusing to meet her gaze

“What makes you say that? You're like so smart and you try your best every day! You also go above and beyond for her no matter what, I think that’s like sooo romantic! You two would make a great couple”  The nerd looked back at her with a mixture of guilt and gratefulness in his eyes “Yeah… of course i would do anything for her, she’s amazing, and so beautiful, and she has this fire in her soul that just drives me crazy… but im just me you know? I'm still the same geeky scrawny guy ive always been… she should be with a guy who’s taller and handsome, somebody worthy of her…”

Lindsay couldn't believe what she was hearing, how could such a cool guy like Cody think so low of himself? He was so amazing and full of potential, and what's more he was clearly the right guy for Heather, this wasn't sitting right with the blonde, so it was her turn to grab him by the shoulders and make herself heard! 

“CODY!!! Don't ever talk about yourself like that ever again!” this took him by surprise once more, he never really saw Lindsay this mad before, it was quite frightening “Get out of your own head! You're a great person and you deserve great things in your life, you can't be scared of the things that might go wrong, just listen to your heart and be with the one that makes you happy! She is a really sweet and amazing person, she is very patient with you, and she’s always looking out for you, and the way she plays guitar makes you swoon, and she even hurt her wrist trying to save you and also– Huh i think i just realized something ....”

Cody gently put his hands over Lindsay’s while smiling at her “You know… back in Monaco I heard something similar from Trent… i think its time i take that advice and believe in myself just a bit more… and i think you should do the same Linds” the ditzy blonde smiled back at her friend, perhaps just saying her thoughts out loud was what she needed after all “Hehehe, sorry i yelled” the nerd let go of her hands and picked up the map once more “Dont mention it… lets keep going were almost there, we got a challenge to win!” Lindsay felt reinvigorated and let out a cheer “Yeah! We got this! Let’s g—” 

*WHACK* 

From the shadows an insanely fast tennis ball hit the blonde right in the head, followed by another aimed at Cody, however thanks to his quick thinking he ducked and reached for his friend “Lindsay!” he helped her back up to his feet and ran towards cover behind a car that was parked nearby “Owwww…. Why in the head?”  

While they were covered from the barrage of tennis balls, Cody peaked from around the corner of the vehicle, spotting a very angry looking Sierra shooting at them “It's Sierra! We gotta run!” the angry stalker seized her fire for a moment and ran towards the duo “Now you're holding hands with another girl! AGGGHH, SHE’S GOING DOWN!!!”

The chestnut haired nerd stood up from his cover and helped Lindsay to her feet once more “Oh god she’s pissed! We gotta get outta here”  they both started running as fast as they could through the streets, all while the unhinged stalker kept shooting at them “Cody is mine! Don't you ever forget that! Come back here and let me shoot you!” 

Just as they turned a corner both Lindsay and Cody spotted a massive castle-like structure with vibrant colors and onion shaped domes at the top of each tower, upon taking note of their location Cody felt a faint sense of relief “That's the cathedral of St basil! We’re almost at the square!”  “OMG that's such a cute looking castle!!!”   

Just as they ran however they noticed that the streets next to the cathedral were blocked off by several tall fences brandishing the Total Drama logo as well as several arrows pointing at the entrance to the cathedral “Dammit, they want us to go through the Cathedral to reach the finish line!” 

They both looked at each other and nodded, it was now or never, all they had to do was go through the cathedral and reach their goal, they would not let down their team no matter what!

They reached the entrance just as Sierra ran out of ammo, even though she had managed to hit them several times they had refused to fall, although they would feel those bruises in the morning, now wasn't the time to complain “Cody! I got a plan!” while the nerd opened the heavy wooden doors he looked at the blonde and nodded

The duo made their way inside before Sierra could get them, once she reached the entrance she threw her rifle to the ground and brought out a stun baton, flicking a switch the device came to life with a menacing crackle of electricity, she slowly opened the door and peaked inside “Cody~~~ come back here… i just want to talk”

Inside the Cathedral 20 minutes remaining

Sierra walked slowly through the main hall of the Cathedral, she surveyed her surroundings, trying to listen to her obsessions footsteps or any trace of the blonde, she had not come this far just to let them get away, she only wanted to catch up with Cody to have a much needed talk, it didn't matter how bad she had to hurt him or anybody else to do so

“Cody~~~ my love~~~ i know youre in here, i just want to talk… i promise i wont hurt you if you come out, we just have to clear up a BIG misunderstanding”  while the stalker walked through the halls looking for him, both Cody and Lindsay were getting ready to put their plan into action, they shared one last look and nodded “NOW!”  

They used the element of surprise and threw one of Lindsay’s smoke bombs next to the stalker, disorienting her long enough for them to run in opposite directions “GAHHH!! Cody Emmett Jameson Anderson!!! Get back here!!” even while hidden by the smoke Sierra could recognize her obsession’s foot steps, so she followed them towards the chapel while Lindsay ran in the opposite direction

As the stalker made it to the entrance of the chapel, she opened the door and locked it behind herself, ensuring her love wouldn't get a chance to get away… it was a dead end, and he had nowhere to run…

“Cody~ there's nowhere to run… just come out and let's have that talk…” Sierra then turned off her stun baton and threw it to the side, maybe that way he wouldn’t be so scared of confronting her unbeknown to her as she made her way towards the end of the hall way, it was actually Lindsay inside the chapel with her, cleverly hidden behind a pillar next to the door

The blonde then tried sneaking towards the discarded stun baton, slowly reaching towards it as carefully and silently as she could, hoping to catch Sierra by surprise—“AHA!... Wait what!? I could've sworn–” unfortunately she turned around at the last second catching the blonde in the act

Both girls then locked eyes and ran towards the electric weapon on the floor, managing to grab it at the same time, both girls wrestled it in their hands, trying to pry it from each other “GIMME THAT!” screamed Sierra, almost overpowering Lindsay, however the blonde was not about to give up so easily “NO… I…. WONT!” 

In a last ditch effort the blonde then looked towards a window that was left open inside the chapel, and thinking fast she managed to maneuver her body fast enough to grab hold of the baton and throw it out the window “YES! I did it!.... Uh oh” needless to say Sierra was not happy about this, she then proceeded to wrestle Lindsay into submission and handcuff her to a pipe

“How… *pant* did you… *pant* do that…. *pant* Where's… Cody!” while Sierra was catching her breath after the brutal scuffle she noticed the blonde was now wearing Cody’s sneakers “Hehe i remember you said our footsteps sound similar”  although defeated the blonde felt good knowing Cody would probably be on his way towards the exit by now 

Sierra for her part didn’t have time to even process what was said, in her desperation to find Cody she simply ran out of the chapel, now trying to look at the tracker that was provided to her… only to find out it was not working properly anymore “Oh come on!!! What now!!!?”

She had failed to notice how a still handcuffed Lindsay had the scrambler remote in her hands “You got this Cody…” she thought to herself, worried sick for her team mate, yet still full of belief he would make it out of the maze like cathedral

However while the blonde was settling into her captivity she noticed a floor panel was moving, next to her “Uhhhh hello?”  next thing she knew, that same panel opened up and a very sweaty and tired looking Heather emerged from the hole “OMG! Heather! How did you find us!?” the queen bee then crawled out of the hole and laid on the floor next to Lindsay, clear exhaustion oozing from her “Lindsay?.... What the hell are you doing here? Actually… where the hell are we?”

The ditzy blonde felt beyond relief to see her good friend was ok, however all the pleasantries would have to wait, right now it was imperative she caught Heather up to the situation they were facing

“Uhm, we’re like in a castle thingy? And me and Cody were being chased by Sierra… she managed to like trap me here, but yeah don't worry about me, Go help Cody! Sierra is trying to catch him! And she seems like reallllyyyyyy angry at him”

Heather heard the blonde loud and clear, her friend was in grave danger and she had to act fast, she rose up to her feet and reached into her coat pocket, taking out a lock pick she handed it to the blonde “I’ll go find them, this should help you escape!” The queen bee then hurriedly left the chapel leaving the blonde behind “Uhhh, how do I use this?”

North bell tower inside the Cathedral 10 minutes remaining

“Come on! Come on! Not another dead end!” Cody was hurriedly running through the many rooms of the cathedral trying to find his way out, so far he had only managed to reach dead ends, with his frustration building, trying to make the most out of Lindsay’s sacrifice, he kept at it trying to win the challenge for his team.

As he reached yet another door, he unfortunately heard the anguished screams of an angered Sierra “CODY!, WHERE ARE YOU!?”  he slowly backed away trying to stay hidden from the stalker, not wanting to bring attention to himself, he quickly backed into a pillar and hid as she ran passed him

As soon as he heard her voice further and further away he let out a tired sigh “Oh thank god… that would’ve been bad” as he stepped out from the pillar he was suddenly grabbed and a hand was held to his mouth, just as he was about to let out a scream he locked eyes with his assailant… Heather

His eyes lit up with a surge of emotions and he let out a muffled “Heather!!! I'm so glad to see you!”  The queen bee shared his sentiment and winked at him in a teasing manner, all while whispering in his ear “Kept you waiting huh?” as she removed her hand from his mouth the two of them stared into each other's eyes, a brief moment of respite from all the trouble and dangers they had faced so far

However they both came to their senses quick enough to try and resolve their current predicament “how did you get here? Where are the others?” asked the nerd while looking around a pillar with the hope to see the rest of his team not far behind “Me and Trent went underground and got chased by Duncan and that annoying ass Gwen, they captured him but he helped me get away, I got no idea where Courtney went, was she with you?”  Cody shook his head “Not really, me and Lindsay escaped together, we had to split up to throw Sierra off of our trail, no idea where Courtney went” 

Heather then narrowed her eyes and cracked her neck “I ran into Lindsay on my way to find you, Sierra handcuffed her to a pipe but I gave her a lock pick, hopefully she joins us soon, but right now it's just you and me punchy… so lets get out of here and win this” Cody then matched her energy and stepped forward with her, as long as he was by her side he felt as if nothing could stop him “Yeah… we got this” 

Before the pair could keep looking for an exit however a very unstable looking Sierra had managed to make her way back, having heard the whole exchange they had just shared… as well as the way they had just stared into each other’s eyes…

“So you're here too… HEATHER” Sierra walked towards them slowly, holding a golden staff she had grabbed off a religious statue “Would you please leave me and Cody alone for a moment… we need to talk…” while in all honesty the queen bee was a bit intimidated by the stalker’s demeanor, she wasn't about to back down 

“Actually, i dont think i will, you see, me and Cody here are actually on our way to win this challenge, so if you would oh so kindly step aside and stop being crazy for once in your life, we would really appreciate it”  Heather stepped forward looking directly into Sierra’s eyes, watching closely how they got redder and watery 

“Thats not going to happen… your team is going to lose, and then they are going to vote you off of the show, then me and Cody will be together and he will NEVER! even say your name again”  Sierra kept walking forwards, dragging the staff against the floor in a menacing way, while Heather had her hand on her grapple gun ready to fire directly at the stalker in self defence

But then right in that moment, something snapped inside of Cody, all this time all the frustration and fear Sierra had put him through so far came to a boil, it was one thing for her to torment him day after day, to stalk him and make him feel so afraid… but to even try to threaten his Queen… now that was just unforgivable… 

“ALLRIGHT ENOUGH SIERRA!!! I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU!”  he stepped right in between both girls with his arms wide open as to shield his Queen "Don't you dare get any closer to Heather!” he remained firm in his resolve, no longer willing to put up with any of her craziness any longer

*RING RING*

In the worst possible moment, that dreaded bell rang, signaling a song had to be performed, the three of them however stood in awkward silence staring at each other “Chris! Learn to read a room!” yelled Heather prompting a voice to come from a speaker inside the cathedral “You know the rules, the bell rings you start singing, chop chop let me hear you!” there was something truly blasphemous about hearing Chris’s voice inside such a holy place…

Sierra then closed her eyes for a moment and wiped a tear that was streaming down her face “Ok… I got a song…”

SONG STARTS

A moody and smooth beat starts playing as a beating heart slowly starts cracking, Sierra is then sitting by a campfire looking at Team Amazon across from her all smiling and laughing, enjoying each other’s company, she then fixates her eyes on Cody who fails to even look at her 

Sierra: I’m still your fan even though I'm so sorry

             Hate to see you with others even if you're happy

             Hate to see you happy if im not the one talking

             I'm so unsure… I'm so unsure…. I’m so unsure…

             I got me everyone telling me there's other men

             I dont want none i just want you, if i cant have you no one will

Sierra then walks through the fire reaching out her hand towards Cody only for him to turn his back and walk away into a dark abyss, leaving her alone inside the fire she then looks up with tears in her eyes

Sierra: I might hurt Cody… not the best idea…

            I’ll get Heather too. How did I get here?

            I might hurt Cody… I still love him though… rather be insane                  

            than alone..

The dark abyss then switches to the beating heart from earlier, with Sierra standing on top of it, the crack in the middle grows slightly larger, Cody and Heather are then seen dancing on their parade float from Brazil, spinning around until they disappear into mist

The duo then looks on from far away at Sierra alone standing on the slowly breaking heart

Heather: I get the sense that she’s a lost cause~ 

                I get the sense she’s really far gone~

                I think it's all evidence; evidence she’s trying to hurt us by    

                any means but damn~

Cody looks at Sierra with sympathetic eyes, a part of him feeling bad for her, even slightly seeing a reflection of his past actions towards Gwen… but he knew better than to take things as far as she did

Cody: I was out of reach~

           I was having fun with my Team at the beach~

           Now we cant explain this, now we gotta face this

           No more letting her do to me just as she please

Sierra is once more standing on the beating heart with the crack finally splitting it completely in half making her fall into nothingness

Sierra: I'm so unsure…  I'm so unsure…  I'm so unsure…

             Got everybody telling me there's other men

             I dont want none i just want you~ if i cant have you

             No one will… I might~~

Sierra is then standing alone as she watches Heather holding onto Cody in the restaurant after the Italy challenge, they slowly fade away into nothingness

Sierra: I might hurt Cody… not the best idea…

            I’ll get Heather too. How did I get here?

            I might hurt Cody… I still love him though… rather be insane                  

            than alone

As Sierra falls deeper and deeper into the dark abyss she passes by countless pictures of Cody and Heather sharing different moments each one making her feel more and more pain until she finally comes to a stop laying on the floor next to the tattered pieces of a broken heart

Sierra: I just lost Cody~ not the best I've felt

            Lost his friendship too~ how did i get here~~

            …I just lost Cody… I still love him though… 

            Rather be insane than alone~~....

SONG ENDS

Once the singing came to a stop, Sierra remained looking at the pair, tears streaming down her eyes, her hands shaking, overwhelmed with emotion she couldn't handle anymore… she dropped to her knees and started sobbing “Cody…. Why?… why not me?” 

Seeing the state she was in, Cody stepped forward and knelt right beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder “Sierra… I'm so sorry… but you took it too far, too many times… i know you had good intentions, but in the end you just kept overstepping  my boundaries… I guess I should've made it clear from the beginning…but I don't love you… and i dont think i ever will”

The now broken hearted Sierra lowered her head and cried into her hands, as tough and firm as his words were, it was what she needed to hear… Heather then stepped forward as well prompting Cody to look back at her “We should get out of here… we’re almost out of time”  Cody nodded at the queen bee and stood up, as bad as he felt for the poor girl, there was nothing he could do for her well being, some wounds ran too deep for anyone else to heal

As they walked away Heather looked back one last time, even if she held little sympathy for the stalker a part of her held some respect for how strong and fierce of a competitor she was… too bad she had decided to mess with her punchy…

Outside the Cathedral 5 minutes remaining

Alejandro stood outside the Cathedral escorting Courtney towards Red Square, in the hopes to find the rest of his team in custody of their respective targets, instead he could only see Chris Mclean sitting at a table drinking a coffee with Chef in the distance, his mood immediately took a turn for the worst…

“I swear! None of them can do anything right!” his grip on the CIT’s arm tightened “OW! Watch it! You're hurting me!” her complaints however fell on deaf ears, as he wasn't willing to listen to anything she had to say, the two of them had managed to enter the cathedral and make it to the other side without any issue, Alejandro credited this with having visited Moscow many times in the past with his family, knowing the in’s and out’s of the famous landmark

“I guess its no big deal afterall, there’s no sign of anyone from your team, and time is about to run out anyways” for once the Spaniard was choosing to see the positive side of things, nothing could go wrong at the last minute right? “You know something? I think you're forgetting about me!” 

Courtney then broke free of her handcuffs thanks to the lockpick she had stashed earlier and kicked her captor in the leg “Pero que demonios!?” the pain made him let go of Courtney long enough for her to sprint towards the finish line with all her might, not bothering to look back or think twice

Alejandro realizing what had just occurred chased after her, he was NOT about to lose this challenge at the last minute! “And it looks like Courtney is about to win it for Team Amazon! But it also seems like Alejandro is in hot pursuit of her! Will she be able to make it in time?”  the host could be heard narrating the events, making Courtney try even harder with victory right at her finger tips

In a last ditch effort to secure victory, she reached into a hidden pocket inside her jacket and pulled out the Scrambler remote “Hey jerkface, this is for Bridgette!” the CIT threw the remote with all her might hitting him right in the face, knocking him to the ground, and leaving no chance for him to catch her

“OWWW! That's gonna leave a mark heheh, and it looks like Courtney made it right in the knick of time!”  The host announced the CIT’s arrival with plenty of fanfare and congratulations, all while Courtney jumped up and down in celebration “I DID IT!!!!”

… Too bad it wasn’t meant to be “Courtney, I want to be the first to congratulate you for making it to Red Square… However!... it looks like you're missing something” the CIT panicked, there was no way this was happening! Not to her! “Wait! You don't mean!?” 

Chris merely smiled in his trademark annoying fashion “Yep, it appears you don't have your Matryoshka doll!” 

Alejandro could then be seen rising to his feet, an evil smile pursed upon his lips, enjoying the humiliation he was putting Courtney through, he reached into his jacket to reveal the small doll resembling her “Looking for this? Haha, you didn't think I would risk bringing you here if there was a chance for you to win right?”

Once again it seemed like the universe had conspired to humiliate her, if only she had been more cautious… this whole time she thought she was outsmarting the Spaniard… but she was the one being played.

“Well Chris… looks like there’s nobody else here so we might as well—” Alejandro wasn’t able to finish his sentence, that being due to a massive explosion opening a hole under the square, as well as sending him flying away and knocking him out

*BOOM!!!*

The whole production crew as well as Courtney, Chris and Chef were stunned to see the massive hole that opened right next to them, just short of the finish line, but what was more surprising was two grappling hooks shoot out of the hole, then shortly after both Heather and Cody were propelled out of the hole and right next to the finish line

A very dusty looking and barefooted Cody fell to the floor once he emerged from the hole“HOLY CRAP THAT WAS LOUD!!!”  as for Heather she also looked dusty and beyond shocked at the explosion caused by that explosive gel that was provided to her “Ok.. That might've been the most dangerous thing I've ever done in this show”

As soon as they composed themselves they noticed exactly where they were standing. “Oh my god, look punchy we made it!!!” Heather couldn't believe their luck and neither could Cody, as he raised his head and gave a thumbs up 

Courtney couldn't contain her excitement either, it seemed insane to think but she had just witnessed a miracle, she once again started jumping up and down in celebration “ YES! YES! YES!” and just as the trio from Team Amazon were celebrating Chris kept looking at his watch

“3… 2…1… Aaaaaaand…. Time’s up, Team Chris is really really really really Hot Wins!!!”  The three of them stopped celebrating instantly, a confused Heather spoke up first “Um… not to tell you how to do your job or anything, but were Team Amazon? Not that other team with the really long and annoying name”  

The host stood calmly looking at the three of them slowly losing their minds, enjoying each second as reality set in “Chris… please say you made a mistake…” pleaded Courtney, as she lost what little composure she had left

God Chris loved his job, he took another sip of his coffee and explained “Nope, i made no mistake, as you can see, both Cody and Heather are on the other side of the finish line, and since they didn’t cross it in time, that means your team loses… probably feels soul crushing huh?”  The trio from Team Amazon felt as if a steam roller had just crushed their spirits… and so a collective “NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”  was shared between them.

Chris and Chef smirked and looked at each other “Call the production crew, tell them to collect everybody else, we got an elimination ceremony to attend to, hehe” Chef nodded in agreement, and walked away speaking into a walkie talkie, ever since the vacation, he just felt so good getting back to work, it really helped seeing those kids in despair

Moscow airport Elimination Ceremony 10:00PM

Both teams emerged from a bus that dropped them off at the runway, where several seats and a voting ballot awaited Team Amazon, who were all still in a state of shock, failing to come to terms with their loss

While Team Chris is Really Hot walked into the jumbo jet, you could tell their mood wasn’t the best either, with Alejandro nursing some injuries from the explosion, Duncan walking with an annoyed expression next to Gwen who seemed very distressed, and last but certainly not least Sierra, who had her own arms wrapped around herself, being the last one to enter the aircraft she looked back longingly at Cody… 

“Well Well Well, here we are again Team Amazon, sad to say but you guys really gave it your all today, if only you hadn’t dropped the ball literally at the last possible second hehe” the whole team sat with slumped shoulders, not wanting to say goodbye to one of their own… too bad things weren’t that easy

“You all know the deal, you cast your vote on who should leave the competition, if i call your name and give you a ticket that means you’re safe!” the host then made way for each member of Team Amazon to head to the ballot and cast their vote

Once they had all done so, Chris walked up to his podium and read the results with a serious expression “so the following contestants are safe this week

Lindsay

.

.

.

.

Trent

.

.

.

.

Heather

The host then handed each one a ticket, all three of them breathing a sigh of relief, however, as good as it might feel to be safe, the queen bee still held a nervous expression, looking at Cody who sat beside her…

“Now Courtney, you got yourself Caught first, and even after you made your escape you were still tricked by Alejandro and got your doll stolen, costing your team a decisive victory” while the host explained his point the CIT held eye contact, as frustrated as it made her feel, she knew what he said was true… “I know I messed up… “

Chris turned his attention towards the nerd “And Cody, you painted an even bigger target on your team’s back, by having Sierra relentlessly chase you” Cody could only nod, if only he had been absolutely clear with his stalker earlier, things could have gone better for his team “Yeah… i know” 

The host then held his gaze towards Team Amazon waiting for tension to build… 

“The final ticket goes to

.

.

.

.

CO—”

“WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!! STOP THE CEREMONY!” everybody present turned to look at Sierra, who was walking towards Chris with her luggage in hand “Uhhh… can i help you? Im kinda in the middle of something here” Spoke a very confused Chris

Sierra then took a deep breath and explained herself “I’m invoking the mental health clause of the Total Drama World Tour contract” the host blinked twice in confusion before asking “right…. What does that one say again?”  

“If a contestant is experiencing sufficient mental anguish or if she is a legitimate danger to others and/or herself, she is permitted to leave the competition at any point, even taking the spot of any contestant from any team she desires…” explained Sierra in a very out of character moment for the stalker “I wish to leave the competition right now… my mental health is not good… I need professional help…” she turned to look at Cody as she spoke those last words

Chris looked back at Chef and then back at the contestants, then back again at Chef “Is she allowed to do that?”  Chef for his part simply shrugged, they didn't pay him enough to know these things “Please Chris… I need to go…. I need help”  Sierra pleaded with the host for any mercy he could muster up for her

The host pondered for a moment and shrugged “Well… if that's what you truly want, i cant stop you… looks like you’re safe this week Team Amazon… you still gotta go to economy class though… here’s your ticket, so long Sierra” Chris handed Sierra her ticket back to Canada and walked away towards the main camera to give his farewell speech to the audience

“I…. cant believe that just happened…” said Courtney in disbelief, how could anybody just say goodbye to 1 million dollars so willingly? “I mean, that was really nice of her… i hope she feels better” Trent Commented as he rose from his chair and walked away with the CIT, neither of them was ever particularly close to Sierra, but even still a part of them felt bad for her “poor Sierra… sometimes my mind hurts too” Lindsay added, even if she didn't have the right idea her spirit was in the right place

While the rest of Team Amazon made their way inside the aircraft only Cody and Heather remained on the runway standing next to Sierra “We should go inside… don't want them to leave us behind” the queen bee tried to get Cody to join her and not dwell on the stalker, not after all the things she had put him through…

Cody stepped forward and looked Sierra in the eye, for what could possibly be the last time “I… hope you get better… I'm sorry things got this way… I really should've told you from the beginning… take care Sierra.” the broken hearted girl smiled at him, not a hint of resentment in her, only unconditional devotion for the nerd… but a part of her understood now, it’s not meant to be… “Cody… thank you, i really liked getting to know you… I promise I'll do my best to get better… goodbye.” 

Cody smiled back at her, from the bottom of his heart he truly hoped Sierra would find what she needed, and could start to heal from her obsession for him, he turned towards his Queen and the two walked hand in hand back inside the jumbo jet… even if they had lost the challenge today, perhaps they had taken another step to figuring out what they meant for one another…

While Sierra walked back into the airport and watched the jumbo jet take off into the snowy night sky, she held her smile as tears fell from her eyes, she then chuckled to herself as she wiped a tear “What kind of stupid nickname is Punchy? I could've come up with something better haha”

Author Notes

This was the longest chapter so far in the story, but i feel very proud of how it came out, we got through plenty of things today, From Heather and Trent talking about their respective love lives, to Courtney confronting troublesome feelings laid by Alejandro

Then there was Lindsay figuring things out for herself, trying her best to give Cody the strength to not run away from his feelings for Heather, turns out he had some self esteem issues…

Having said all of this, there's plenty of things to come, now that Sierra is gone the competition is gonna amp up even more, speaking of which, her song was specially fun to write, im sure many of you will recognize the inspiration behind it, Kill bill by SZA

I also want to give a shout out to JPLoco93, thank you so much for your kind words, im glad you're enjoying the story, the same goes to everybody who gives it a chance, regardless if you comment or not im just glad you come by anytime i upload

With all that said, thanks a bunch for reading, I’ll see you all next time, and as always have a good night/day

Chapter Text

 Chapter 19

Doubts and Worries

Economy cabin 11:20PM

As the jumbo jet flew across the cold Russian sky towards its next destination, Team Amazon was trying to rest up after their defeat, something that proved easier said than done…

Perhaps it was in the nature of the show itself, after all what else would you expect from a show literally named Total Drama, things were bound to happen, relationships would be tested, feelings would be hurt, and it was up to each and everyone of them to deal with things as they came

The challenges they faced at every stop weren't the only way they were being tested, it was all about how they engaged with each other, what friendships were formed, or what enemies were revealed, and in some cases… who fell in love with who.

Courtney found herself in a state of anguish as usual, the only difference this time however was the reason behind her feelings. As much as it burned her up inside to admit it, Alejandro’s words had gotten to her, she was feeling uneasy about her standing in Team Amazon.

While it was true that she had grown fond of her Team, and even formed a friendship with Trent, Heather, Cody and Lindsay, she still felt like a piece that didn't fit in a puzzle

As she rested her head against her seat and tried her best to get some sleep, she couldn't stop herself from thinking “In the end we're all here competing for the same thing… and if they had to choose somebody to eliminate…” her eyes opened once more, scanning the cabin she saw each member of her team 

Lindsay was humming to herself nervously as she looked out the window, her expression changing every couple of seconds, almost as if she was having a conversation with herself, not to be mean but the CIT didn't have much fate in her reasoning capacity, but then again the blonde had shown a great deal of emotional intelligence in the past.

She then spotted Trent who was sitting across the row where Lindsay was, he was scribbling in a note book and every once in a while he would look up at the blonde across from him, a warm smile would appear on his face and his eyes would soften, this in turn would seem to invigorate him to continue on his creative endeavor and his writing would resume.

And finally, at the tail end of the cabin was Cody and Heather, they looked to be in a calmer state than anyone else. Even if her mind was spiraling in self doubt she couldn't help but smile at the pair, not in a million years she would've thought those two could get along so well, but then again, her perspective used to be so skewed

In fact that was the case with everybody else in her team, back then she only chose to see the worst in others, dismissing them as a bunch of weirdos “I mean they’re still pretty weird… but they’re not bad people”  she thought to herself, maybe what she needed was reassurance from those around her… 

Her thoughts then drifted to Bridgette, her long gone surfer friend had spoken to her in detail about Alejandro’s manipulation, she knew very well he could not be trusted, no matter how much sense he made. Every word he spoke was just a way to manipulate those around him… it was just a matter of if she chose to listen to him or not.

While Courtney wrestled with her inner turmoil on what to do next, Cody and Heather were having one of their nightly talks, both of them were physically and emotionally exhausted, but nevertheless they were happy to be in each other’s company to end the day, specially after the interesting conversations they had with their fellow team mates earlier

Heather was sitting comfortably with a blanket wrapped around her body as she listened to Cody’s story of how the challenge had gone after their team separated. “So you and Lindsay tricked her because of the sound of your shoes? That’s insane, im so glad she’s gone”  the nerd nervously scratched the back of his head, realizing how silly it all sounded when he said it out loud

“Im glad its over… hopefully she gets the help she needs, I mean she’s not a bad person, just very unstable… but at least now i don't have to worry about her doing anything to me anymore”  Cody then rested his head against the window of the aircraft, looking out into pure darkness and snow hitting against the glass, a part of him feeling guilty for how far things had gone with Sierra to begin with, perhaps if he had been more assertive and sure of himself since the beginning her obsession wouldn't have gotten out of hand…

Heather let out a sympathetic smile, she couldn't help but admire his empathy even towards somebody who had harmed him so much so many times. In the past she might have thought of it as a weakness, but after all this time she started to see his point of view clearer "you're too nice for your own good punchy…” the nerd looked towards his Queen and returned her smile, noticing how she was still wearing his scarf

Suddenly as if a switch had been flicked in his brain, he recalled Lindsay’s words earlier “Get out of your own head! You're a great person and you deserve great things in your life!” As the blonde’s words echoed, a surge of courage came over him, after all if he had learned anything from Heather thus far, it was that if he wanted something he had to reach out and take it!

“Um… hey are you still cold?” the nerd awkwardly let out… nobody said he was good at this….

Heather was caught by surprise by the question, herself noticing she was still wearing the red scarf he had wrapped around her earlier in the night. A gesture that the queen bee thought was really sweet, but now with his awkward demeanor could it be he was about to ask for it back? “Oh… um just a little bit, but i’ll be ok, do you want your scarf back?” Cody almost had a heart attack at the question, not in a million years would he take that scarf from her, as far as he was concerned he would sooner freeze to death than let his Queen feel an uncomfortable breeze

“NO!... uh i mean, its ok hehe, you can keep it for as long as you need it, i was just wondering how you were, i know how much you hate the cold”  as he stumbled with his words, the queen bee felt a sense of comfort in him, just the feeling of somebody genuinely caring for her well being in this competition was truly touching to her… but in the back of her mind there was something eating at her

The more she thought about it, the more stressed and worried she got. Now that she had him in her life, the idea of losing him was terrifying, even after Trent spelled out how the nerd felt about her, and reassured her about it, she still felt a sense of despair, as if their bond wasn’t meant to last… after all, somebody as messed up and evil as her didn't deserve him…

While all these doubts and fears were clouding her mind, Cody noticed a shift in her demeanor, seeing her usually vibrant and fiery eyes were now full of worry and doubt he acted fast reaching out and holding her hand “Hey… are you ok?” The queen bee looked up at him a bit taken aback, still not used to the care and affection “I-I'm fine, just tired…” still not convinced Cody squeezed her hand and moved closer “look you don't have to tell me what’s going on up there in your mind, but believe me i get it, i also got things inside me driving me insane, but if you ever need anything I promise you I’ll always be here” 

Perhaps the nerd still had many doubts and fears about so many things, but when it came to his love and care for Heather, he would never falter, she gave him the courage to try his best, to fight harder, to not give up, and if he could give her even a fraction of that strength, he would move heaven and earth to do so.

Heather still couldn’t explain it, none of it made sense, but when he held her hand the world slowed down for just a moment, there was no need to worry or be scared… perhaps in the future things would go wrong, perhaps she would be left alone and with nothing to show for it, but for now she had somebody who cared for her by her side, and that was enough.

She moved closer to the nerd and hugged him “I think im gonna go to sleep punchy”  she broke the embrace and turned to walk away to her section of the cabin, only to be held back by him “Um… if you want you can sleep next to me, perhaps it won't be as cold if we’re next to each other”  as he gave his idea his face turned a new undiscovered shade of red, something that didn’t go unnoticed by the queen bee as she let out a chuckle “hmmm feeling pretty bold tonight huh?... I’ll go get my little bee” 

The brunette quickly retrieved her plush bee and sat beside her alliance member once more, feeling a sense of calmness and relief slowly dissipating any other fears she was previously wrestling with… she had to admit, lowering her guard wasn’t so bad, especially when Cody made it so easy for her. 

As for the nerd, he was relieved to see the light return to his queen’s eyes, doing his best to keep the conversation on the lighter side of things, both of them sharing anecdotes and making each other laugh. Eventually as the night died down, they both drifted asleep wrapped under the same blanket, even if things were still uncertain, they still had this moment to share with each other, and perhaps that was enough for now.

First Class Cabin 11:00AM

The night had come and gone and Gwen was sitting by herself at the bar, feeling worried and unsure about her future, something that was sadly nothing new for the goth. Ever since she got with Duncan it seemed as if she couldn’t truly relax and have a moment of tranquility, it felt as if she had a target painted on her back at all times

Not only did she have to worry about Courtney hating her, there was also her guilt about the whole situation with Trent, as well as Alejandro’s schemes and alliances threatening her stay on the show, and now Duncan was upset with her!

Thanks to her ex revealing their talk in the recording studio that night, the punk refused to talk to her until he had calmed down, not directing a word at her since their challenge in Russia ended, needless to say the goth was worried the only person on her side was about to turn on her as well…

“When did things get so complicated? back in season 1 I made so many friends, what the hell happened?”  she thought to herself as she toyed around with her breakfast absent mindedly, was she just destined to be hated and disliked by everybody now? How could anybody accept that!?

While she tried her best not to fall into despair and uncertainty, she was approached by a newly awakened Duncan who sat beside her at the bar “Morning pasty… you sleep ok?”  the moody goth was taken by surprise, not having paid attention to her surroundings, yet still very welcoming to her boyfriend “Duncan!... Good morning, and uh... You know me i always have a hard time sleeping, but that doesn't really matter, i just want to talk to you about last night, it’s not what you think”

The punk remained with an unchanged expression, he simply grabbed some cereal and poured it into a bowl "Don't worry about it, I know you and Elvis didn't do anything”  as he began to eat his cereal in such a nonchalant manner, Gwen couldn’t help but feel confused at his demeanor and words “Wait really? Then what the hell! Why didn’t you say anything last night! I thought you hated me!”

As the goth yelled exasperated, Duncan started to feel a bit annoyed at her outburst, being reminded of a certain brown haired bossy girl he knew “Ugh, keep it down, it’s too early to be screaming, and yeah I didn’t talk to you last night cause I was pissed off and didn’t wanna say anything i would regret” —Gwen paused her outburst and looked a bit taken aback, unable to understand what his deal was

After taking in another spoonful of cereal the punk continued “Look, I know Elvis ain't the type to be going after another guy’s girl, and I’m pretty sure you weren’t about to cheat on me anyway, I was just pissed that you were hiding stuff from me” as he finished up his bowl he turned towards his girlfriend anticipating what her responsive would be 

It was then that Gwen felt a sense of guilt about the whole situation that wasn’t there before. Just why was she even hiding the meeting with Trent from Duncan? Did she not trust that her boyfriend would understand? Or did she still have unresolved feelings for her ex? Just what was going on in her mind!? “I’m sorry… I just— I didn’t know how you would react, and it’s not like we planned it or anything, he snuck into the recording studio the night after the brazil challenge and started playing his guitar while I was in there… but nothing happened I swear!”

The delinquent could tell his girlfriend was full of guilt, and he really didn’t like seeing her like that… so in his own way he tried to make her feel better “Dont sweat it pasty, i believe you, just dont do it again allright?” offering her a rare smile and grabbing her close to him, the two share a kiss and look into each other’s eyes for a brief romantic moment… only to be interrupted by the arrival of a certain scheming Spaniard, who by the looks of it was in no mood for their romance

“Gwen… Duncan… Good morning…” He sat beside the couple at the bar as he leaned his back against it “ I just spoke with Chris… apparently Sierra decided to leave the competition last night…—” Both Gwen and Duncan were shocked by the news, looking at one another in disbelief, the punk then spoke first “What the— so you’re telling me we won last night and STILL lost a team member!?”

 Alejandro then continued “Not only that my mohawked friend, she left in place of a member of Team Amazon…” this further added insult to injury, being at such a disadvantage was going to prove very difficult to deal with for the three of them, however it was Gwen who surprised both men with what she said next, the goth let her bangs cover her eyes and in a very serious voice she spoke up “I didn't want to believe it but this time she— no; they went too far…”

Duncan gave a puzzled look and asked “What do you mean they went too far? You mean the chicks team had something to do with it?”  the goth then proceeded to get up from her spot at the bar and walked in front of her team to explain herself “I don't know about the whole team, but this has Heather written all over it”

A very skeptical Alejandro raised an eyebrow, unsure of where the goth was getting her logic from “Messing with a rival team does sound like her… but why would she target Sierra? I barely saw the two of them interact to begin with, if anything she probably would’ve gone after me or you” as if she was anticipating Alejandro’s point Gwen continued to explain herself “I don’t know if the two of you have noticed, but ever since LA, a certain somebody by the name of Cody has been stuck to her side at all times, I’m willing to bet she has been manipulating him this whole time to get her way! And by getting rid of Sierra she most likely got his loyalty bought for the rest of the competition”

Truth be told, ever since Gwen left her old team, she really hadn’t paid them much mind, apart from Courtney and Trent she didn’t care much for the rest of them, after all from her point of view, Lindsay was an airhead, Heather was an evil bitch that made her life a living hell, and Cody was a love struck idiot that couldn’t take a hint. But now things were getting more and more dangerous, she couldn't afford to ignore them any longer

It was Duncan’s turn to chime in, having heard his girlfriend’s theory he added onto it “You know, now that you mention it, didn’t Cody almost die trying to save Heather back in Italy? If what you’re saying is true then she definitely has him wrapped around her finger, I mean the kid was willing to die for her, maybe she has him voting with her as well” this part made Alejandro nod in agreement, it was as if a picture was getting clearer and clearer in his head

“Cody might not be the only one getting manipulated by her, back in Russia Courtney was talking about how good friends they all had become, it’s not crazy to think that she might have that whole team under her thumb by now…” The Spaniard was very amused at this turn of events, as he was also very much impressed by the queen bee’s cunning actions, it made him want her even more…

Having figured out Heather’s alleged evil deeds the trio then began to discuss ways to outsmart her, trying to find a weak link in their team to try and exploit it, or else all three of them would be eliminated sooner rather than later.

Gwen turned towards her boyfriend, looking into his eyes she approached him once more and with full determination she asked “Duncan… Let me talk to Trent, he’s the most reasonable person on that team, I think I can convince him to not trust in Heather and Cody’s manipulation." The delinquent kept silent for a moment, thinking over the goth’s request. He had been thinking about ways to get back at the rival team but coming up short, so perhaps trusting in his girlfriend would yield results 

“Cant say I’m thrilled about it, but go ahead pasty, perhaps Elvis will listen to you”  Gwen gave a grateful smile to her boyfriend and kissed him on the cheek "You're the best, I know I can convince him to see things as they are! I’m gonna go get ready to go down and look for him, you can count on me”  she then walked back into her room leaving the pair of boys sitting at the bar

“You’re quite the trusting partner, do you really think it’ll work?” asked the still stoic Alejandro, seemingly coming up with his own plans, Duncan then turned to him with his usual smug grin “Yeah i trust her, she aint the scheming type like you or me, I might as well let her do whatever she feels will work, best case scenario Elvis listens to her and makes things weird for the chicks team”

Common Area 12:20PM

Team Amazon had woken up in high spirits, even if they had lost the challenge, it was a miracle that none of them was sent home, something that was pretty rare in the history of the show, and so they were all trying their best to rest up and not let their defeat get their morale down

Cody had decided to follow Trent into the common room to see how he was doing, having noticed him writing stuff down on his notebook all night, which wasn’t so uncommon to the nerd, but this time his friend almost seemed possessed by what he was scribbling down “Hey man, you good? I noticed you haven’t put down your book all night” having not noticed his good buddy Cody at first, the musician looked up from his notes and smiled pleasantly at his friend “Oh hey dude, yeah I’m good, I just… I know what i want, I know how i feel, and i want to make it known”

The nerd raised an eyebrow curiously at his friend, a part of him knowing what this was all about, but still wanting to confirm it himself “Ooooooh i see, and you're writing down what you feel into a song am I right?”  Trent put down his pencil and chuckled, Cody really knew him after all this time… “Yeah… and it’s thanks to Heather that I found the courage to go for it, I guess you could say she made things clearer for me”

Cody smiled back at his good friend, not only was he happy to see him in better spirits than ever before, but he was also happy to see that his Queen bee was being accepted by the rest of the team in earnest, it felt good after knowing all the struggles she had in the past with making friends “I’m really glad dude… and I have a feeling a certain blondie will be thrilled to hear your song once it’s finished” 

While Trent and Cody confided in one another about his imminent confession and the song he was writing, a certain Goth had made her way down into the common room, walking towards where the two friends were sitting. She seemed a bit uncomfortable and worried, as if she desperately needed to talk “Um… Hi boys, long time no speak huh?” 

The two young men directed their eyes towards Gwen, she had obviously caught them by surprise, since neither of them were particularly close to her these days “Gwen? What are you doing down here? ” Trent was the first to break the awkward silence, with Cody unsure if he should even stick around “I’m fine, I just came down looking for you, I think we should talk”

Trent felt at a loss for words, he wasn’t exactly avoiding his ex, but the timing couldn’t have been worse, and the last thing he needed was the girl he liked to think he was hanging around his ex girlfriend right before he confessed his feelings for her; he looked across the table at his friend, unsure of what to say to the goth, luckily Cody was there to offer back up “Uhm, Is everything ok in first class? Do you need help with something?”

Gwen let out an annoyed sigh and let her head hang low, she turned her attention to Cody and looked at him with an awkward smile and eyes full of pity “No offense Cody, but I only need to talk to Trent right now, you understand right?” the musician could sense the condescending tone she was addressing his best friend with, and it really didn’t sit well with him… “As a matter of fact me and Cody are quite busy, so we really can't talk to you right now—” he stood up from his chair and began to walk back to economy class “Let’s go dude, the girls are waiting for us” 

While Trent made his way back, Cody followed behind and caught up with him, feeling a bit uneasy at the tension between the two ex lovers, he couldn’t help but feel bad for the goth, even if his past crush on her was over, he wasn’t heartless enough to abandon her to whatever fate she was facing at the moment, so before Trent could reach the exit he pulled him aside “Trent, buddy, i appreciate you standing up for me, but it’s no big deal, why don't you go talk to her and see what she wants, maybe she’s in trouble and needs somebody to talk to”

The musician looked back at the goth and then back at his friend, the unsure feeling inside him was still there, but he had to agree with Cody, leaving somebody to their fate wasn’t his style, he let out a defeated sigh and gave his friend a confident smirk “Ok, I’ll see what she wants” he then walked back to the goth and gestured for her to sit at the table previously occupied by him

Cody for his part sat on the other side of the room, a bit disappointed but not surprised at the goth’s disregard for him, after all he had grown accustomed to this sort of treatment coming from her… he just hoped she would view him in a different light after all this time, but then again he couldn’t care too much about it, not while his heart belonged to his Queen… if only he could find the way to confess to her under the right circumstances…

While Cody was wrapping his brain around his love life dilemmas, Gwen sat with Trent in a corner of the common room, her demeanor turning a bit more relaxed now that she had the privacy she desired, she then broke the ice by speaking first “You writing a new song?” she had noticed his notebook earlier, bringing back memories of a far gone time when he had shown her his work

“Hmm? Uh yeah, I've just had a lot on my mind these days, and well… you know me” the goth smiled, a bit happy to hear certain things about her ex hadn’t changed, she always admired his passion for song writing and how in touch he was with his feelings “Haha yeah, you used to spend hours at the dock writing stuff…”

Trent closed his eyes and let out a soft smile, remembering those old days back in camp, when things were so much different than they were today, it made him feel a bit nostalgic… “Yeah… sometimes I miss it… but anyways, I doubt you’re here to talk about the past Gwen, after all it’s not a topic I particularly enjoy talking about with you…” Gwen’s smile faded slowly, maybe it was too late to have any sort of closeness to the raven haired musician, it was a bit sad to know somebody who at one point was so important to her no longer wanted anything to do with her… but she still had to do what she had to do.

“Right… I guess there's no point in us talking about that stuff, so I’ll just cut to the chase… Heather is using Cody to manipulate your whole team into trusting her so that she can then lull you into a false sense of security and pick you off one by one”  once she finished telling him her theory, the goth looked straight into his eyes with a serious expression, hoping things would click in his head to make him see the truth

As for Trent he stood there sitting in silence, almost unsure of what to even say, only one thing came to mind. “Gwen… you don't know what you’re talking about, I gotta go now” he stood up from his chair and was ready to leave, only to be stopped once more “Wait! Please listen to me! It all makes sense, I mean why else would she be acting so nice to everybody? I would tell Cody about all of this but you know how he is, she’s got him wrapped around her finger playing on his poor naive feelings” 

At first he was willing to disregard the goth’s accusations, sure from an outsiders perspective it might seem pretty weird how close Team Amazon had gotten, and sure Heather’s kindness and friendship seemed extraordinarily out of character, but hearing her demean his best friend so callously really didn't sit well with him at all “Look, I know things might seem crazy to you, but I can assure you, nobody is being manipulated, Heather can be a bit rough around the edges but she’s not that bad, as for Cody… that's my best friend you’re talking about and i dont appreciate you thinking so lowly of him”

Gwen was taken aback by his hostile tone, she never knew him to be so volatile in the past, and since when was he best friends with Cody? “Trent, just think about it for a moment, since when has Heather cared about anyone else but herself? She’s obviously using Cody to get her way, I know a part of you believes what I'm telling you” Once again Trent felt compelled to stand up for his friend, growing increasingly irritated by the goth’s accusations

“Well let me ask you something, since you seem to think Heather is pure evil and you’re trying to save me from her manipulations, when was the last time YOU cared about anyone else but yourself?” The musician crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, a stern expression on his face, as for Gwen she felt a sharp pain in her soul upon hearing his words… how could he even say such a thing…

“Are you saying I’m just like Heather? In what world”— before she could elaborate Trent cut her off “What I’m saying is that you're still stuck in the past when it comes to how you perceive the world around you, constantly thinking of yourself as the victim, when in reality this whole time you've been too self absorbed  to understand the wrongs you’ve done”

Once again Gwen felt at a loss for words, unable to truly grasp what her ex was telling her, he then continued “I mean, you went behind Courtney’s back and kissed her boyfriend, you treat Cody as if he’s nothing but nuisance to your life, when this whole time all he’s wanted was for you to care about him if even for a second, and as for me… well you expect me to just be ok with all the shitty things you’ve done and be cool with you dating the guy you told me not to worry about…”

Gwen was at the brink of tears, how could he even say those things, as if she didn't struggle with the guilt of her actions every damn day she spent in the competition, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing his words get to her, perhaps it was true… he was too far gone “You dont know what ive been through… Good luck with your friends… Hopefully it doesn't hurt you too much when you get backstabbed… goodbye Trent” the goth then stood up and left the common room, leaving a very angry Trent behind, whatever bond they once shared seemingly broken beyond repair…

Seeing how Gwen left in a hurry and in a distraught manner, Cody walked up to his friend and put a hand on his shoulder “everything all right?” He asked offering a comforting smile

The musician looked up at his good friend and band mate, more sure than ever about the bond they shared and smiled back “Yeah… everything is fine punchy” the nerd let out a chuckle as he punched his friend softly on the arm “Dont let Heather hear you calling me that” as he retaliated with his own soft punches back at his friend he also laughed… after all this time he could still rely on him to get him to cheer up

Economy cabin 1:00PM

While the boys were dealing with all the drama Gwen had brought their way, the girls were all sitting together at the tail end of the cabin which Heather had claimed the previous night. They were currently painting their nails and enjoying each other's company trying their best to keep their spirits up after the previous Night’s loss

“Seriously Courtney, have you ever tried painting your nails any other color than clear?” Asked Heather slightly irritated with the CIT’s choice “And have my nails all chipped and gross? No thank you, how about you try making yours look more like mine instead of that bright red you’re using, it really doesn't suit you” Countered Courtney with her signature bossy tone

The queen bee simply gave a disinterested grunt and blew on her now complete left hand “I’m just trying out a new color, nothing wrong with that am i right Lindsay?” The blonde then looked up from her own nails with a mischievous smile and answered “you’re not trying it out because of that, you just wanted your nails to match with the scarf Cody gave you right~~~?”

This remark made Heather’s face drop and her eyes to shoot open, as well as make Courtney burst out laughing “hahahaha! She got you there huh queenie?” Sadly Heather couldn’t do much to hide her blush from both girls, these days it seemed as if she was at the mercy of their teasing… although oddly enough she really didn't mind it too much, as she knew it was all in good fun

“Whatever! I just like looking good, god knows somebody has to around here!” As she continued to aggressively paint her nails on her right hand, it was Courtney’s turn to poke fun at her “I know right! You both sure looked good sharing a blanket last night” Once again the queen bee was caught off guard by the jokes at her expense, lowering her head in frustration at the lack of privacy present in the economy cabin

So while the two other girls present were giggling at her flustered reactions, Heather started to really think about everything going on in her heart. While it was true that she shared a strong bond with Cody, it was still very confusing for her, unsure of how to approach things, or if she even should, never before did she even have the desire to think of anything else apart from the money prize, anything else was a waste of time and a distraction, and she could NOT afford to lose this time around

But yet… Cody came into her life and started to help her unconditionally, showing her there was another way to do things, that she didn’t have to be hated by all, that she could do things the right way… so what was she so worried about?

It was a question she couldn’t find the answer to by herself, so she decided to ask her friends about it “sooooo… the two of you have dated people during the competition right?”  both Lindsay and Courtney put a stop to their manicures and looked at her with different expression, in Courtney’s case she narrowed her eyes and frowned “Ughhhh yeah… thanks for reminding me i dated that criminal” 

As for Lindsay she gave a puzzled look as she blew on her hand “Ummm i guess so, we really only made out a lot until he got voted off by his team, why are you asking?”

The queen bee took in a deep breath and exhaled, not used to showing such vulnerability or any sort of insight to her thoughts, but she had gone this far already, might as well trust them with her troubles just this time “I guess I’m just curious about it, I mean how did you feel during the relationship? Weren't you worried about the competition getting in between you? How were you sure you could trust them?” 

Courtney looked at Heather with tender eyes, very much aware of the magnitude of the question she was asking, she had to admit she was flattered by her newfound friend’s trust in her, but this in turn made her a bit sad, having to reminisce about her relationship with Duncan once more “To be honest Heather, that punk brought out the worst in me, we constantly argued and he just knew how to annoy me like nobody else… but also, there was this kind of spark between us that was so addictive, i guess thats why i was so quick to rush into a relationship with him… It made me want to keep working on it, i thought he had so much potential and i wanted to see him realize it, i just… went about it the wrong way, and in the end well… you know what happened”

As the CIT ended her story both girls put a reassuring hand on both her shoulders, it was hard to remember sometimes, but Courtney was just as human as everyone else, and her emotional wounds were still fresh in her heart… on a lighter note Lindsay took a shot at answering Heather’s question “I mean like, Tyler was a good boy most of the time… I never thought he would like do anything to hurt me but like he also was more interested in making out than anything else, so like we kind of like drifted apart… I also forgot about him and stuff hehe, but like in the end we never got to be a normal couple, we never got to know one another that well…”

Just as Courtney had answered with honesty, so did Lindsay, who now felt a sort of melancholy, in all truth neither girl had a chance to be truly happy with their past relationships, a fact that was very much apparent to both of them now, as for Heather, their responses did little to calm her fears, were all relationships that formed in this show destined to fail?

But as if a strike of lightning had hit her, Lindsay stood up and did her best to reassure her friend about things “Heather! Maybe me and Courtney did things like the wrong way, we didn’t really get to know the people we started dating, but like I don't think you’d make the same mistake, I know you’re smarter than both of us— “HEY! I’M SMART—"" Sorry Courtney, but you know what I’m talking about, If a guy shows you how much he cares about you and is willing to give you everything he’s got… you shouldn’t be afraid… In fact you should tell him how you feel and be together RIGHT!?” 

As Lindsay finished her impassioned speech, the queen bee turned towards Courtney “She’s not talking about me anymore is she?—” “No I don't think she is” answered the CIT as quickly as the question was asked, Heather then decided to sit up straight and with one of her devious smiles she decided to question her blonde friend “Are you perhaps coming to terms with your own feelings for someone?” 

Before the flustered blonde could respond to the line of questioning, a loud and gruff voice came through the speakers “PREPARE FOR A QUICK LANDING MAGGOTS, WE’VE ARRIVED!!” The trio of girls then panicked as the plane went into a nose dive, causing them to scream for their lives “I DONT WANNA DIE!!!!!” “HOLD ON TO MY HAND LINDSAY!!!!” “I HATE THIS SHOW!!!!!” 

And just as quick as the turbulence occurred, it came to a stop… the plane made a smooth landing and the three girls were now on the floor of the aircraft catching their breaths, Courtney sat up and made sure nothing was broken before she chimed in “I think I’m gonna have long lasting trauma from this show…” Heather and Lindsay could only groan in agreement…

Wexford Ireland 1:30PM

Both teams exited the jumbo jet in various states of annoyance towards the host and his insane tortures he kept subjecting them to, however their bad moods would not last as they looked around the beautiful and soothing Irish countryside

Chris then walked in front of both teams, ready to introduce the day’s challenge “Welcome to Ireland everybody! Take it all in, you don't get to see such  beautiful and lusciously green landscapes every day hehe”  as he spoke the rest of the contestants couldn’t help but notice the giant stage right behind him, it was obvious he was hiding something, and that was never a good sign

“Today we have a very special challenge, however before we get to that, I first have to make a very important announcement”  yep, that was never good news, everybody was bracing themselves and looking around them, however a very annoyed Duncan spoke up “What is it now? More people returning to the show? Stop the theatrics and just get out with it Mclean!”

A very annoyed Chris narrowed his eyes and snapped his fingers, summoning Chef to Duncan’s side and hitting him with a wet towel “Ow what the hell man!?” — “ I don't appreciate being interrupted Duncan, ahem as I was saying, today’s challenge comes with a very special announcement… from now on Team Amazon and Team Chris is Very Very Very Very Hooooooooooot!!!!!..... Are disbanded….. welcome to the merge everybody”

This news was met with various cheers, which then turned to silence… from now on it was everybody for themselves… Cody felt a sense of pride, he had officially made it to the merge, something he wasn’t even close to doing last time he competed, but now that he was here, he wouldn't stop giving it his all, he looked towards Heather, who also looked at him with a mixture of pride and worry

The queen bee was happy she made it this far, but from now on things would take a very different turn, she knew it was inevitable, after all, there can only be one winner… she just hoped the new bonds she had created wouldn’t suffer because of the competition… Especially when it came to Cody and her, not after all they had been through so far, she still had so much more to figure out…

On the other hand Trent was deep in thought, after the emotional talk he had with Gwen, he realized where things stood with the goth better than ever before, she was going to be a problem from here on out, and he would do all he could to keep his friends safe from whatever came their way… specially when it came to Lindsay, he looked towards the blonde as she was hugging Courtney and Heather, a smile appearing on his face, now more sure than ever of his feelings for her, he wouldn’t waste another moment, he had to tell her.

Speaking of said blonde, she was a bit emotional about Team Amazon being over, having grown to really like each and every team mate she had, the only way it could’ve been better was if Beth was also with them… she hugged both Courtney and Heather close to her bosom, hoping the three of them could stay friends

However the biggest source of anguish for the blonde was the fact that she would no longer share a team with Trent, and just as she had made up her mind about him, but then again nothing was stopping her from just going up to him and confessing how she felt about him, she wouldn’t waste another moment without him, having gotten to know him better this time around made her return worth it, and she had to let him know that

While Lindsay was hugging her, Courtney was having a mild crisis, of course she was happy she had made the merge, the million dollars was almost in her grasp, and her usual competitive spirit was flaring up, nothing could stop her from achieving victory! She had survived the most brutal break up and betrayal in Total Drama history and come out the other side stronger than ever!

But then she thought to herself… could she really be as ruthless and competitive towards the people who offered her friendship and comfort in her time of need? Could she really be ok with giving it her all against her former team?

Chris was enjoying the mixed reactions, he was counting on the drama increasing to levels never seen before!

The host then gave his signature devilish smile and chuckle “Hehe that’s right people,  we're in the endgame now!” the challenge ahead of them would test them in ways they never had before… if only they knew what lay ahead of them for the next 24 hours

Author notes

Welp that was a very dialogue heavy chapter, whenever i finish a challenge chapter i like to devote the one after it towards character development and exploring their relationships

Speaking of which, that sure was a heavy and difficult talk Gwen and Trent had, their resentments came to the surface and now whatever bond they used to share is completely gone, let’s just hope things dont turn for the worst because of it

Seeing Gwen’s point of view of the events so far was sure something huh? It’s almost like she thinks she’s the hero of the story and has to make sure Heather doesn’t get away with all the bad things she’s been up to, perhaps the goth will do anything it takes to get rid of her… and being around Alejandro and Duncan as much as she has could make her do things she never would’ve before.

Next chapter we will start the Ireland challenge, this one is gonna be very action packed and full of unexpected turns, hopefully Trent and Lindsay get to confess and make things clear between them, as for Heather and Cody, the two of them seem to be struggling with similar feelings, how do you approach a relationship when there’s so many things at stake? Its a question they will both have to work hard to answer… but i have faith in them

Thank you very much for reading, it’s always a pleasure for me to keep writing and building the story chapter by chapter, believe me, we’re far from the end, but in time this will be made more and more apparent, but for now i want you all to let me know what you think of the chapter in the comments

As always have a wonderful Nigh/Day… see you next time.

Chapter Text

 Chapter 20

Luck and Chances

There is a fact of life everybody has to learn to accept, and it’s one we are all confronted with at various points through our own journeys, you feel it when you graduate from school, or perhaps if you move far away from where you grew up, and it’s quite simple, nothing ever lasts forever.

A strong bond had been formed in Team Amazon, all it took was a small amount of trust for all its members to understand one another, from Cody reaching out to Heather to try and build an alliance, in turn the nerd convincing her to reach out to Lindsay, in hopes to repair a long broken ‘Friendship’. There was also Trent reaching out to Courtney in hopes to confide in their own unresolved feelings about their respective ex partners; and even Heather and Lindsay forming a bond with the CIT after she finally allowed them the chance to bond.

In other words somehow, someway, they all found themselves trusting one another and even forming a true friendship, in a way it was bittersweet how they had all gained something they didn’t have before joining the show, and deep inside, even if they aren't all willing to admit it just yet, they will all still look out for each other.

Just as the surreal feeling was hitting them, Chris Mclean moved forward with his monologue explaining the challenge they would all face today “Allright, to begin today’s challenge I need each and everyone of you to do something before we start…” As the host’s voice took a serious turn, he pointed a remote  towards the massive stage behind him, and after pressing a button, 8 different platforms appeared, each one of them a different color “I need you all to pick a color”

Every single contestant grew a bit nervous unsure of what to pick, after all nothing was what it seemed in this show “What’s the catch Chris? You can't expect us to just make a decision if we don't know what it’s for” as always Courtney was not afraid to speak her mind, she had been screwed over by the competition before and she was NOT about to let that happen to her again.

The host’s expression remained unchanged, and with his usual carefree tone he shrugged “It wouldn’t be fair for me to tell you what it’s for, all you need to know right now is that you have 8 choices, one for each color of the rainbow Pink, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet, once everybody has made their choice, I will explain the rest…” this did little to quell the CIT’s worries “Whatever, i guess i gotta think about it carefully and i also have to consider—” “OMG dibs on pink!!” as Courtney was doing her best to analyze whatever the choice was for, a very excited Lindsay ran past her and stood on the pink platform

And just like that it was like the flood gates were open, as everybody else ran towards the stage and picked a color, Heather managed to reach the stage just as quick as her blonde friend did and stood on the red platform right next to her “I like red these days, so i might as well stick to it hmph!” she crossed her arms and gave her signature look of smug superiority, yet she still kept an eye open to see what color Cody would pick

As for the nerd, he considered the possibilities, not wanting to cling to close to Heather just in case they made them go head to head in whatever sick game was about to go down, he opted to put a bit of distance between them, and instead of taking the yellow platform right next to her, he stood on the Indigo one on the other side of the stage “this has a nice soothing feeling to it” he looked towards Heather once he settled in, offering a look of reassurance and a thumbs up, which the queen bee returned with an air of playful smugness

However this sweet moment was interrupted by Alejandro standing right next to her, claiming the yellow platform for himself, just as he does he turns towards Heather and speaks with a flirty voice "Don't mind if i do, this seems quite appropriate wouldn’t you say? afterall yellow represents joy and happiness, it looks quite nice next to your passionate red”  

This managed to make Heather stop smiling towards Cody and instead glare at Alejandro “You must be mistaken, this red only represents rage and annoyance, as far as you are concerned” as the queen bee turned away from the Spaniard and faced Lindsay she found her good friend a bit curious "That's so cool, what does Pink represent?”  Heather’s expression softened a bit and she whispered in an annoyed manner “I’ll tell you when we're done with the challenge!” 

In the meantime, it was Duncan who picked next, taking his place on the green platform, quite fittingly so, it being his favorite color after all “I’m feeling lucky, might as well pick green, we’re in Ireland after all” the punk then took out his pocket knife and started playing with it while he glared at Trent, his hostility very much apparent to everybody present, but the musician wouldn’t be intimidated, instead he  walked up to the platform next to the delinquent’s “I’ll take blue, I’m also feeling lucky, and pretty calm about things, hard to be intimidated by somebody green with envy”  

While Trent stood on his spot he refused to break eye contact with Duncan, refusing to give him the satisfaction of thinking he had gotten to him, and now that they were going head to head, the moment would come where they would have to vote for either of them to leave the show… it was all a matter of who could get rid of who first.

In the end only Gwen remained with only one last color to pick, the goth simply walked up to the violet platform and stood on her spot, not saying a word, only turning for a moment to look at Cody, who was standing right next to her. The nerd felt a bit awkward about it, it had been a long time since he had tried speaking to her, but ever since she reached out to Trent, a part of him couldn’t help but feel a slight twinge of worry for her.

So against his better judgement he turned towards her “Um… good luck Gwen” it was a very inoffensive show of good faith, something you would say to an acquaintance in hopes of fostering good competition, but his kind words would not be met with the same level of respect from the goth, she turned her eyes towards her ex team mate and spoke with an annoyed tone “Whatever Cody, just stay out of my way…” 

Cody felt a bit confused at her hostility, just what was her problem with him all of a sudden? What did Trent and her talk about? These questions would have to wait however, since now that they had all picked a color Chris spoke once more “Ok! Looks like you have all made your decision, so allow me to show you what your challenge is!” the host once again uses the remote on the stage, making a giant screen appear in front of them, showing a map of Ireland

“For today’s challenge you will all race from Wexford to Dublin, following the newly built, chaotically designed, insanely dangerous, and very impressive RAINBOW ROAD!!!” the map is then modified to show a gigantic colorful road stretching over the coastline of Ireland “But at the end of the road there is no pot of gold, instead whoever makes it to the finish line in Dublin will automatically earn immunity” 

The contestants look around nervously, it was insane to think of how they even built such a thing, the map showed a stretch of road that was easily 80 miles long, and from the aerial view the map was showing, there was an insane amount of obstacles and dangers in store for them “Ok i get the whole death race thing, but what was the whole point of picking our own colors?” asked Heather in her usually irritated tone 

“Hehe glad you asked Heather, since this race has a catch” Chris once again points the remote towards the screen, zooming in on the rainbow road, making it clearer “Each one of you is only allowed to follow the path of the color you chose, that means since you picked Red you may only step on the Red portions of the road , and if you step on any other colored lane you will be disqualified from the race”  once the map zoomed in completely it was clear that the different colors of the rainbow road took different paths and even intertwined at different points, uniting once more at the finish line

Now things were making sense, looking at the map it was apparent how each road seemed to have its own benefits and obstacles awaiting them, now it all came down to each of their individual performances and skills to make it to the finish line “You will have 24 hours to reach the finish line, along the road you will find different challenges you must overcome, but don't worry,  you will also find things that can help you on your way to Dublin… that is if you were lucky enough to pick the right color hehe” as the egomaniac host sadistically chuckled to himself, the contestants took in the grand scope of the challenge

All in all they had to travel 80 miles through the Irish country side, Cody had to admit he felt a bit intimidated, it was one thing to face these ridiculous challenges next to a team that had your back, but now he was by himself, this would be the true test to see if he had what it took to stand side by side with the others… with Heather

Speaking of the queen bee, she was doing her best to remain firm in her resolve to give it her all, the only thing still troubling her was her newfound anxieties, more precisely the thought of her competing against those she had started to care about, could she really give it her all against them? Would she revert back to being a heartless bitch and do anything to win? “UGHHHH, why couldn't we stay as a team until the end!!!” she thought to herself as she looked across the stage towards Cody, hoping that no matter the outcome she wouldn't lose him

Looking over at her clearly stressed and nervous friend, Lindsay decided to try and cheer her up “Hey… it’s all gonna be ok” she whispered with a smile at the queen bee who turned around and looked a bit confused “What do you mean?” Lindsay merely kept her smile “Like, don't worry about it, I know we’re all gonna be ok, no matter what happens”  Heather looked back at the blonde with an expression of fondness once she heard her words, not sure how to answer, she only knew that she was grateful to have gained her friendship back

With explanations out of the way, Chris once again pointed his remote towards the stage, causing it to collapse and open up towards a brightly colorful road, with each platform the contestants were standing on lowering into the road and merging with their respective colored path “Ok people, you know the rules, just follow the road and you will make it to Dublin, I’ll be waiting for you at the finish line…… I guess that’s it, hehe anyways…. GO!”

As the host signaled for the challenge to start, all 8 contestants started running, with Heather, Courtney and Alejandro leading the way, ignoring any other distraction around them, the three of them simply kept sprinting at full speed, so much so that before they knew it they were far away from everybody else.

On the other hand, Trent was running at a comfortable pace, although  kept glancing at Lindsay who was several lanes away from him. He had hoped he would be able to talk to her before the challenge took place but between the news of the merge and Chris explaining the challenge there wasn’t much of an opportunity “I can’t lose today… I have to let her know how i feel”  He thought to himself, watching as his blonde crush ran with a smile on her face.

But as he kept going on his way his thoughts also wandered towards Gwen and the harsh talk they had earlier. A part of him felt hurt at how things had turned out so far, how somebody he once truly cared for with all his heart was so far gone down the wrong path, so much so that she couldn’t even fathom being in the wrong… maybe they could speak again once this was all over and try to come to a better understanding about everything, maybe she would even be willing to listen to reason if she also spoke to Cody.

As for the goth in question, she watched as Heather Alejandro and Courtney ran ahead, getting further and further away from her, she then let out a sigh of relief, thankful that Courtney’s attention wasn't on her for a change, she had grown tired of the animosity constantly directed her way

Quite frankly after what happened in Greece she didn't expect to last much longer in the competition, thinking back on it all for a moment, she came to the conclusion that if it weren't for the team swap she would have been long gone.

But now that she had made it to the merge, she knew she had to play harder than ever, no matter what she had to do or who she had to go through, she would make sure that her and Duncan would make the final 2. It was a shame but after her talk with Trent she understood things better than ever before, all of Team Amazon was too far gone, they had fallen into Heather’s trap.

The more she thought about it the more sick it made her, but it was the perfect plan, taking advantage of those around her was second nature to the queen bee, Gwen had only hoped they would've known better by now. But then again, how hard would it have been for Heather really? 

It must've started back in LA, she probably manipulated Cody first, telling him the things he wanted to hear and preying on his perverted nature, it must’ve been so easy for her… thanks to that she then most likely got to Trent with the nerd’s help, after that it was only a matter of time before they got to Lindsay, and how hard could've THAT been? That girl isn't really known for being smart, she probably told her she would give her some lip gloss and that was it… 

And then there was Courtney, with how emotional and depressed she’s been it was also just a matter of time before they got to her too, this was especially evil in Gwen’s eyes, using somebody who was already at their lowest… Perhaps some day once this was all done she could reach out to the CIT and try to patch things up, but right now there was no way she would listen to her…

With all that in mind she picked up her pace and ran with determination, if she was going to make it she had to show what she was made of, and nothing was gonna stand in her way “Yo pasty watch out for that box!” — Gwen jerked her head around to look at Duncan “Huh!”  

*CRASH*

And proceeded to crash head first into a wooden box that was in the middle of her path “Owwww, what the hell man! Who put that there?”  She stood back up in pain and looked inside the box, her irritation disappearing once she looked inside “Gwen! Are you ok?” yelled her boyfriend from his lane with worry in his voice “Yeah… I’m gonna be just fine” 

3:30PM 75 miles away from Dublin 

After 2 hours had passed, the trio of competitors had put some distance between themselves and the rest, but sadly both Heather and Courtney were starting to feel their exhaustion take a toll on them, with both girls slowing down their pace considerably, all while Alejandro still looked as fresh as when the race started

He then took this chance to run backwards while facing both girls, eager to show off and talk to Heather “Gotta say Heather, you outdid yourself, manipulating Sierra into leaving the competition, quite a stroke of genius if i do say so myself, just one question, how did you do it? What did you say to her?”

Heather was doing her best to ignore the smug Spaniard, she was aware it was pointless to get into a war of words with him, instead opting to remain silent, this however did little to stop his verbal attack “Whats the matter, too tired to talk? This little jog is just a warm up for me,  how about you Courtney, are you also already tired? If you keep up that pace i seriously doubt you’ll make it to dublin” 

Courtney was doing her best to ignore him as well, but his boasting was starting to get her to crack, everybody knew she had very little patience for nonsense, and just as she was about to yell at the spaniard she felt Heather’s eyes on her, shooting a look of reassurance that screamed ‘Don't fall into his trap’

Still undeterred however Alejandro continued with his verbal assault

“Heather… mi reina, it’s no use ignoring me, I can see the fire in your eyes as untamed as always, why don't you—” 

*THUD*

Thanks to his little show of running backwards Alejandro found himself crashing against a yellow cab that was parked in his lane, hitting the automobile fast and hard and flipping over the hood “Pero que diablos!” Before he could continue his complaints, Chef Hatchett rolled down the window of the taxi “Good news maggot, you got lucky, hop on!” 

The Spaniard sat up in disbelief “What do you mean I got lucky?” Both Heather and Courtney stopped running and stood by to listen in to what was going on “What’s the meaning of this Chef?” asked the CIT while catching her breath, clearly irritated at whatever was about to go down

“You heard me! you got lucky, I'm supposed to drive you all the way, no obstacles or danger for you, so hop in the cab before I lose my patience” Alejandro couldn't believe it, he had only picked yellow to try and get closer to Heather, but now things seemed to finally go his way for once “OH COME ON!! How is that fair!” screamed the queen bee in utter disbelief, followed by Courtney also arguing against the clear injustice on display “Yeah no kidding, why does he get a car ride all the way!” 

For his part Chef just rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed at both girls taking out their frustrations on him “Dont ask me, they just told me to take whoever picked yellow all the way, not my fault you dummies didn’t pick it” and without much else to say he once again rolled up his window as Alejandro stood up and dusted himself off “Well, I guess I’ll see you ladies at the finish line… That is if you manage to get there in time” he then entered the back seat and gave a smug wink in Heather’s direction, and just as quickly the cab took off leaving both girls engulfed in a cloud of car fumes

“Ugh, I cannot stand that guy!!!” Screamed Heather shaking her fist at the now long gone vehicle, all while Courtney was coughing and catching her breath “I have to agree with you, I am sooo gonna sue Chris for this… but no point in us just standing around, let’s keep going queenie!” 

Heather wiped the sweat from her brow and looked back spotting Cody, just a short distance away, “Let’s catch our breath for a moment, if we keep running like this were gonna pass out” as much as Courtney wanted to protest and keep going, she had to admit her legs felt on fire, maybe a small break wouldn’t be so bad… 

Just a couple of minutes later a very sweaty and red in the face Cody made his way next to the two girls, collapsing in his lane as soon as he got close enough to talk to them “I reallyyyyy gotta work on my cardio…. Also, did that taxi really just take Alejandro?”  spoke the nerd while laying on the ground catching his breath

A very irritated Courtney turned towards her ex team mate and vented her frustrations “Yes it did, and I’ll make sure to call my lawyers and let them know when this is all over!” as the CIT continued rambling about injustice and lawsuits, Cody regained some of his composure standing up straight once more, he thought for a moment before interrupting Courtney’s rant “I don't think there's a reason to get your lawyers involved, I mean Chris himself said that every path had its advantages, Alejandro just got lucky, but I’m pretty sure each of us is gonna find something to help us get there faster right? ”

Courtney and Heather then perked up and paid closer attention to what he was saying, with Heather crossing her arms and asking “What makes you so sure?”  Just as she spoke Duncan passed them by while riding a skateboard. “See you chicks at the finish line haha!!”  this further Irritated Courtney but she decided to not let HIM get to her this time

Not far behind the punk, Gwen also rode past them on the violet path, riding an electric scooter, although in the goth’s case she didn't say a word, choosing instead to remain silent and keep going on her way “Wait, how come they get those things and we have to run!”  Just as Courtney started complaining Cody once again spoke up “This challenge is all about luck right? That means that each path has its advantages and disadvantages” 

Both girls looked at the nerd as he explained his theory, now everything making sense to them “I guess running ahead wasn’t the best strategy to start with, it’s a good thing there weren't any traps so far, thanks for looking out for us punchy” Heather complimented Cody, lamenting the fact she couldn’t get closer to him without leaving her path and risk being disqualified, a sentiment they both shared

Feeling a bit like a third wheel Courtney decided to focus on the challenge instead of sticking around for whatever was going on between her ex team mates “I better come across a helicopter or something then! Ugh… I'm gonna keep going, see you guys later, good luck”  the CIT continued on her way this time opting to jog at a more sustainable pace, as for Heather she nodded and started jogging as well “We should keep going as well, so try to keep up punchy, you’re not allowed to lose today, got that!?” 

Feeling a surge of energy course through his body thanks to Heather’s belief in him, Cody picked up his pace and resumed jogging as well, giving the queen bee his trademark goofy smile “yeah! I aint losing today” 

55 miles away from Dublin 7:00PM Dark forest 

Trent found himself in a dark forest, riding a bicycle and following the blue path; early on when the race began his path swerved in a different direction from the rest of the contestants, taking him north west. Thankfully he came across a bike after only 2 miles of running, after that it had been a pretty easy affair to say the least.

But then again he still felt troubled all the same, far away from his friends… far away from Lindsay… he had to admit he was worried for them, even if he knew they were all capable of handling themselves, a part of him was worried, a part of him wasn’t sure he had it in him to have to go against them…

All these worries would have to wait however, thanks to a massive fallen tree that was blocking his path, Trent gave a tired sigh and got off his bike “Great… just what i needed” he thought to himself while analyzing the situation in front of him, there was no way he could get over it with his bike, so he would have to ditch it for now

With a heavy heart the musician parked his bike  and started climbing over the massive tree, unaware of the danger he was about to be in “Ok, this isn’t so bad, i just gotta make sure i dont fall” once the musician reached the top of the massive log a single crow landed beside him and looked at him with curiosity, something which Trent found quite charming “Oh hey… how’s it going little fella?” 

The crow stood in silence for just a moment, moving its head from side to side, almost as if it was sizing up Trent, it then took a leap and landed on his shoulder, only to then suddenly let out an incredible loud screech right in his ear

*SKRAAAAW!!*

This in turn caught the musician by surprise, knocking him off of the log and right onto the edge of the blue path on the other side “Owwww… I'm gonna feel that in the morning”  he said out loud while cursing his own luck “What did i even do to make you angry you stupid bird!” In hindsight, Trent wouldn’t have said this out loud at the crow, as it so happened the bird in question seemed to be abnormally smart, screeching loudly once more it seemed to summon a whole flock to his location, all of them surrounding Trent in a menacing way.

The musician would once more curse his luck and stand up slowly. Normally he would keep his cool and try to find a practical solution to any problems he encountered during the show, but the idea of being swarmed by dozens of crows in the middle of a dark forest in Ireland was causing him to panic, so he did the only thing he could think of… and ran for his life.

As he sprinted away from the birds, they kept dive bombing and pecking him all over, he did his best to cover his face as he ran, but this in turn would prove difficult, as he didn’t want to accidentally step off the blue road and be disqualified

However, thanks to his current predicament, Trent had failed to notice that the path he was currently following was starting to merge with another color, as now the path he was  running for his life on was made out of blue and pink blocks.

In a moment of desperation the musician spotted a long and broken tree branch on the side of the road, so without a moment of hesitation he dived for it, and as soon as it was in his hands he started swinging it at the murderous crows attacking him, luckily he managed to hit a couple of them off the air “HA! I got you! Now back off!!!”  he yelled out defiantly, only to realize he was standing next to a massive tree with even more crows looking down on him

At that moment all he could do was chuckle to himself, to this day he was still amazed at how quickly things could go from ok to bad, and from bad to total shitshow when it came to Total Drama “Welp… I’m screwed anyway… might as well go down fighting”  He thought to himself as he tightened his grip around the branch, ready to swing it and fight those crows to his last breath

Luckily he wouldn’t have to fight alone it seemed, as in the distance a couple of headlights could be seen shining a blinding light in his direction, catching both Trent and the crows by surprise “What the—”  before he could process what that was all about, something that looked like a ball of pop corn flew by his head and hit a couple of crows knocking them away from his vicinity

As the vehicle got closer, he could finally see who it was “Like, Get away from him you stupid birds!!!” It was Lindsay, driving a pink convertible and wielding something that looked like a bazooka, she then proceeded to aim aim the bazooka and shoot once more a greasy ball of popcorn that hit dead center at the flock of birds, making them fly away in fear

The blonde then drove up to the musician and opened the passenger door “Like, come with me if you want to live!!”  without a second of hesitation Trent jumped in the car, prompting Lindsay to step on the gas and drive away from the crows who were too busy either eating the popcorn or too scared to go after the pair

“Lindsay! I-how did you? I mean where did you even?” The adrenaline still pumping through his veins was making it difficult for the musician to gather his thoughts or even form a coherent sentence, which in all honesty Lindsay found adorable “Hehe, I’m also happy to see you silly boy, are you ok? Did the birds hurt you?” said the blonde while giggling

Trent couldn’t really hide the blush forming on his face, not used to losing his calm demeanor, but then again he couldn’t really be upset about it, after all the blonde had just saved him from a gruesome fate, all he could do was laugh with her “hahaha, yeah they got me good…” 

While the blonde drove the pink convertible the two of them caught up on their respective journeys so far, he got to hear what she had gone through so far “So yeah, I was like running on the pink road, and like I came across this cute car, it reminded me of the car my dad bought me for my dolls when i was younger hehe, but anyways, that gun was in the back, so like when i was driving i saw that the path was like also blue and i wanted to see if like you were close by but you were like being attacked and i knew i had to save you” 

Trent couldn’t help but smile while listening to her, with every word she spoke all he could do was think about how amazing she was, how her blue eyes reflected the moon light in such a beautiful and mystifying way, how her smile and optimism filled his heart in a way nobody had before, just being around her made him feel like everything would be fine… all his fears and insecurities vanished when he was with her… and he had to let her know that.

“Thanks for saving me Lindsay… say, do you mind stopping the car for a moment”  she looked at him a bit puzzled, unsure of his reasoning but obliged nonetheless, stopping the car right next to a beautiful clearing of blue and pink primroses “Is everything all right Trent?”  she asked a bit nervously

“Yeah, everything is fine hehe, I just… I got something I wanna say to you”  Trent shuffled in his seat and turned to look at the girl who had stolen his heart “You see, I’ve felt… lost for a long time… ever since Gwen and I broke up, I’ve had this pain in my heart… like this feeling of not being good enough, like I didn’t deserve love…” 

Lindsay’s expression turned sad, how could somebody as sweet and caring as Trent feel this way? She couldn’t help herself and put a hand on his cheek “What do you mean? You’ve always helped everybody and told us how everybody is worthy of being cared for and loved, like I've always held those words near my heart you know… ever since that day Alejandro said those mean things to me, you were there for me, making sure I was ok…” 

Trent put his hand on hers as she caressed his face, tears forming in his eyes as he continued speaking “Yeah… I’ve always said that love is natural and real, that it takes guts to be gentle and kind… but deep down, I felt like I wasn’t worthy of it, I felt like a piece of me was broken, and I was fine with not finding love again…” Trent then looks up at Lindsay’s eyes, those beautiful sapphires made of moonlight, and he keeps on speaking “But then I came back to this show, and all i could think of was how miserable i was going to be… but it wasn’t like that”

Lindsay’s heart was beating out of control, she felt butterflies in her stomach and all she could do was listen to Trent with baited breath, getting lost in his voice and hanging on to every word as he spoke “I got to hang around you and the others… I got to know you better than I ever did before… you made me feel so many things i thought i never would again… before I knew it all I could think about was you…”

Trent then squeezed Lindsay’s hand, as if he was trying to grab a hold of her soul with his own “But… I knew you were going through many things… your relationship with Tyler coming to an end, as well as you wanting to focus on yourself… I felt selfish for even thinking about being with you.” Lindsay felt scared of what she might hear next, afraid of him saying he was giving up on her.

Mustering whatever courage he still had, Trent did his best to finally say out loud all the things he had been carrying deep in his heart this whole time  “I thought it wasn’t meant to be, that I should just forget about you and move on… But I couldn't do that… I had to tell you how I feel… Lindsay, I am hopelessly in love with you, with your smile, with the way you sing, with how you always give it your all every day, with your eyes, with the way you just inspire me to want to be the type of man you deserve… and i just want you to know… I don't care how long it takes, or even if the day never comes, or even  if it’s just as a friend or more than that, I want you to know that I’ll always be here for you…” 

Once the musician finished pouring out his heart for her, Lindsay couldn’t hold back her own emotions any longer, she stepped out of the car and into the mixed blue and pink road, and started sobbing into her hands, for his part Trent followed suit and stepped out of the car as well standing a couple of feet away from the blonde, unsure of what to do or what to say.

All he could think to do was lower his head and hold back his own tears “Heh… yeah… I’m sorry Linds I just—"" You don't have anything to apologize for… I should be the one saying sorry” the blonde cut him off before he could say anything more “All this time… you’ve been like so good to me, you listen to me…you never call me dumb… even back in the island you never got mad at me, even when i poisoned you or when I helped Heather sabotage your relationship with Gwen back then… you’ve always been so good to me”  

As she speaks she tries her best to wipe away her tears “I just like, always mess up everything, and all I’ve ever done is cause you trouble, You even hurt your wrist trying to save me… I’ve just been afraid” Trent steps forward slowly closing the gap between them “What are you afraid of Lindsay?” 

The blonde looks into his eyes, just as red and watery as her own “I’m like afraid I’ll hurt you…. all my life people have told me I’m like so dumb and clumsy… and I just want to change, I want people to take me seriously, I want to show the world that there’s more to me… and this whole time I’ve like thought that a sweet guy like you shouldn’t be with such a mess like me…” Trent felt a knot form at the back of his throat, words could not describe how much it hurt to hear her talk about herself in such a way… but he knew she had to let it off of her chest

“So when you like said all those sweet beautiful things to me just now… I just-I just… I just couldn’t take it anymore, Trent… I’m like really really really in love with you too!”  and as if she couldn’t hold herself back any longer, Lindsay closes the gap between them and wraps her arms around Trent, enveloping him in a hug and crying into his chest

The stunned musician felt a surge of emotions deep inside of him come to the surface at that moment, the girl he was in love with was hugging him and she had just told him she was also in love with him, he could hardly believe this was all happening, all he could do was surrender into her embrace and hold her even closer to him…

He then looked down at her and placed his hand under her chin, lifting her face up to his own so they could lock eyes “Lindsay…”He whispered softly “Trent?…”  she responded in an equally breathless whisper “We don't have to be afraid anymore… I’m here for you”  the musician leaned in a bit closer to her, and just  before their lips could find each other for the first time, the blonde closed her eyes and whispered one last time “And I’m here for you too…”

With nothing else to be said, their lips met gently, a slow, lingering touch that spoke more than words ever could. The world seemed to fade away, leaving only the quiet rhythm of their breathing and the warmth between them, all their fears and insecurities leaving them, with only their new found love inside their hearts.

Author notes

Trent and Lindsay, who would’ve thought, i gotta say i had been waiting to write a love confession for a while now, i can only hope It’s not too cheesy or awkward to read,  but then again, this is the kind of stuff i like in a fanfic hehe

This chapter was a bit challenging to write for me, this challenge format is a bit tricky in terms of making things interesting, but i got a few more ideas, my main priority when writing is making sure i hit the story beats i want to get through in each chapter

Having said that i hope the chapter is to everyone’s liking, next chapter we will catch up with everybody else and see  what trouble they are getting into, i think next chapter is gonna be pretty long

We also got to see Gwen’s mindset and how she came to the conclusion that Heather is manipulating everybody, looks to me like her motivation from here on out will be on taking her and everybody else who associates with the queen bee down

Well i hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I’m gonna start working on the next one right away, thanks again for reading No Regrets please let me know what you think in the comments, and as always have a wonderful day/night