A/N: This one-shot takes place during "The Sucky Outdoors". Specifically, between the scene with DJ holding the pine tree branch above the Killer Bass in the rain and when the Killer Bass wake up the following morning. I don't own any of the characters mentioned. They all belong to Fresh TV. Also included are two small tributes to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Without a Paddle.
Dedicated to RandomgurlzzBabii and TheAwesomeCourtney
Courtney squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the sounds of the night. The Killer Bass were certainly not off to a good start. Not only did they lose the Wonder Twins and risk losing the challenge, but they were also huddled tightly together under a branch held suspended over their heads by DJ. The pelting rain eventually receded and the Bass were finally able to get some sleep.
Courtney rolled onto her back and stared at the night sky. The CIT was a very sensitive sleeper and often had difficulty falling asleep to even the slightest noise. At this rate, I'll never get any rest. She thought to herself. The brunette sighed and rolled onto her side, hoping for more optimal results.
No sooner had she closed her eyes when the sound of a howling wolf erupted into the night sky. Oh come on… The brunette closed her eyes and began to think about her future as a lawyer. She pictured herself on the phone with a dozen clients, all trying to hire her for their cases. She saw herself calmly asking them what price they were willing to pay her. She smiled when she saw herself laughing in the-
A crunching noise sounded next to her and she opened her onyx eyes in alarm. "Who's there?" The teenage girl propped herself up on her arms and looked around. Standing up, she tiptoed past her sleeping teammates and pulled off a reasonably large stick from a nearby shrub. "I-I'm warning you. I know martial arts…"
More rustling sounded from just past the larger hedge in front of her. Courtney furrowed her brow in concentration. This was it. She was going to risk her life for the safety of the team. "I expect a decent sized plaque in my honour." She mumbled to herself. "I also expect to get a full scholarship to the law school of my choice."
She slowly approached the hedge and extended one hand out. Her fingers grasped the hedge and she readied herself for her assault. "On three…" She whispered to herself. "One…" She tightened her grip on the branch. "Two…" Courtney breathed in deeply and slowly exhaled. "Three!" She pulled the hedge away and let out a shrill war cry as she charged forward.
"Stop! It's just me." Courtney stopped for a moment and realised at once that the culprit behind the noises was none other than the juvenile delinquent himself. Courtney brought the branch down, her heart still thudding from the adrenaline. "Some war cry you have, Princess." Duncan smirked, his hands still up in the defense.
Courtney brought a hand to her forehead. Her fear suddenly transformed into frustration. "What on earth are you doing out here?"
"I-" Duncan started but was quickly cut off by the fuming CIT.
"In five words or less." She hissed. Courtney narrowed her eyes challengingly at her counterpart, pointing the branch threateningly at him.
The punk rolled his eyes and began to count his words out on his fingers. "Going for a walk…" He paused, unsatisfied that he only managed to say four words. "…Bitch." He finished with a playful smile.
"Out for a walk in the middle of the night? How do I know you're not trying to cheat?" Courtney asked as she pointed an accusing finger at his chest.
"Look around, sweetheart. What could I possibly do that would qualify as cheating?" Duncan smirked and crossed his arms.
"Knowing you, you'd find a way." Courtney said with an un-amused look on her face.
"You know me too well." Duncan flashed her grin. "Well, if you're so worried that I might bend the rules, maybe you should accompany me."
"You know what? I think I will." Courtney answered. "I'll be following you the entire way and if you show even the slightest hint of cheating, know that Chris will be alerted first thing in the morning." She warned.
"Yes m'am." Duncan did a mock salute and began to walk along the trail.
Courtney rolled her eyes and started to follow him, only to realize that she was still holding onto the branch. She glanced at the branch and then looked at Duncan. She shook her head and caught up to him, branch in hand. No, I'm definitely keeping this.
Duncan slid his hands into his pockets and looked up at the stars. "So how's Little Miss CIT coping with the harsh conditions of the outdoors?" He asked teasingly.
Courtney scoffed. "All CITs are taught to deal with extreme conditions early on in their training." She smirked. "They also taught me how to deal with small children."
Duncan raised an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Let's just say you've been giving me lots of practice." Courtney said, still smirking. The delinquent opened his mouth to retort but Courtney continued. "Why aren't you sleeping with the rest of the team? Why did you go for a walk in the first place?"
Duncan scratched the back of his head. "DJ's snoring was keeping me up and I figured a walk would clear my head. What about you? Scared of the dark?"
Courtney flashed him a glare. "If you must know, I'm an extremely sensitive sleeper and my sleep pattern relies heavily on the external environment."
Duncan clicked his tongue. "So…you're scared of the sounds of the outdoors? Not much of a CIT, are you?" No sooner had the words left his mouth did he realise his mistake.
Courtney stopped walking and wheeled around to face Duncan. She gripped his shirt and pulled him forward so that their faces were inches apart. "I'm more of a CIT then you will ever be." She said with a serious tone. She released his shirt and resumed walking.
Although Courtney wasn't able to see, the punk was wearing a smile that would make a dentist do a double take. "So the Princess has some bite…"
Courtney could feel her cheeks begin to redden. She quickly turned her head to ensure Duncan didn't catch a glimpse of her state. I can't let him have the satisfaction… Courtney idly played with a strand of her brown hair. She wasn't used to boys having this effect on her. Back home, she was a strong girl with a bright future. But here, she was reduced to blushing whenever Duncan gave her a compliment. Why was this happening?
Courtney was snapped back to reality when Duncan gave a waving motion in front of her eyes. "Hey, you didn't answer my question." Courtney gave him a confused look. The boy rolled his eyes and motioned to the fork in the trail that lay before them. "Left or right?"
Courtney looked down both paths and tapped her finger on her chin. "Well, applying my knowledge from CIT training, I'm thinking maybe…"
"Right."
"Left." The two of them had answered simultaneously. Courtney arched an eyebrow at Duncan. "Now why would we go left? If we go right, we are presumably another right turn away from going back the way we came therefore making us less likely to get lost."
"Maybe I don't want to head to go back to the campsite just yet. Besides, men have a natural sense of direction."
"Oh and you're suggesting that women don't?" Courtney asked, noticeably gripping her branch tighter.
"I'm just saying, in horror movies, the chick is always the one getting lost in the woods. Besides," Duncan gave her a smug look. "Would you care to remind me of the genders of the two Killer Bass that are currently lost in the forest?"
"Oh please, Katie and Sadie don't know their left foot from their right. If they were guys, they'd still be in the same situation. Your argument is completely invalid." Courtney retorted as she leaned against a nearby tree.
"Oh is it?" The boy smiled and put his palm against the tree, next to Courtney's head. "Does everything have to end in an argument with you?"
"I only start arguments when I know the other person's wrong." Courtney commented. "Hence why most of my arguments are with you."
"You'll come over to my side one day." Duncan leaned in a bit more. Courtney leaned away from the advancing teenager to the point where her back was completely pressed against the trunk. "I think you know it too. I think you're smart enough to realise that you won't be able to keep running away. After all," Duncan moved in closer. Courtney shifted uncomfortably and tried to grip the branch only to grab a fistful of air. She glanced down for a moment, long enough to see the branch on the ground. I must've dropped it when I leaned against the tree. She thought. Duncan tilted her chin so that her eyes met his. "You're a CIT."
Courtney flushed in the close proximity. She wasn't used to not being in control. A part of her wanted to kick him where it hurts and just be done with it. But another part, a small insignificant part that did not affect her actions, wanted her to stay right where she was. The punk smirked at Courtney. "You can't resist me forever." He moved a few millimeters towards her face but that was enough for her thoughts to catch up with her actions. She moved her head under his arm and moved away from him.
"That's where you're wrong." Courtney said, finally finding her voice. "I'm not like most girls. I won't give in to your words. I have a bright future in law and I don't intend to give it all up for a delinquent."
Duncan closed his eyes and shook his head, smiling. He still retained his initial position. He chuckled quietly to himself before running his hand through his mohawk.
After a few moments of silence, he opened his ice blue eyes and stood upright, turning back towards Courtney. "You're right. You aren't like most girls." He approached her again but this time she stood her ground, giving him a harsh look as he came closer. "Most girls fall for me instantly but it's normally a crush or a fleeting infatuation." Duncan stopped a foot away from her and crossed his arms once more. "You know what's going to happen, Princess? You're going to fall for me hard. It'll take some time but when it happens, I'll be sure to say 'I told you so'."
Courtney gave a short laugh. "Fat chance, Duncan." A low growling noise turned their gaze away from each other. "Did you hear that?"
Duncan smirked. "Aww, does Princess need a knight in shining armour to save her?"
"Yeah, too bad I'm stuck with the dragon." She smirked back.
Duncan rolled his eyes and jerked his thumb. "Guess we should head back. I want to catch some zz's before morning."
Courtney bit her lip and looked back at the fork in the trail. "Okay, let's go back."
The punk and the CIT began to retrace their footsteps. Another growling noise sounded from the shrubs. "Duncan?" Courtney said, worriedly.
"Don't worry. Nothing's going to hurt you while I'm here." He said casually.
Courtney felt a small sense of reassurance as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. She would never admit it to him but she felt comfortable in his care. Yes, he was a complete ogre and totally unbearable but he went to prison. Don't you learn how to fight when you're in jail? Her mind wandered at the thought of it. She opened her mouth to speak only to walk straight into a stationary Duncan. "Duncan? What are you-"
"B-b-b-" He stuttered, his eyes wide in fear. Courtney followed his gaze only to realize what was blocking his path. A large chocolate brown bear stood on his hind legs. Courtney's voice caught in her throat only to make a yelp-like noise. The bear brought its head closer to Duncan's head and sniffed. "Oh shit…" He cursed quietly as the bear gathered his scent.
Courtney slowly bent down and stuck her fingers in the back of her shoe, her eyes not leaving the bear's.
"Just a little more…" She muttered under her breath.
"What are you doing?" Duncan asked quietly, standing as still as a statue.
"Getting rid of the stone in my shoe." She whispered harshly. "It's easier to run without a pebble cutting off your circulation."
"You can't outrun a bear." Duncan hissed through gritted teeth.
"I don't have to outrun the bear." Courtney answered softly. "I just have to outrun you."
Duncan turned his head to face the CIT and opened his mouth to argue when the bear gave a loud roar. Both teenagers yelled and sprinted off in the opposite direction.
Courtney and Duncan were running head to head, both focused on getting back to the campsite. They both reached the fork in the trail once more. Duncan started to run left only to have Courtney grab a fistful of his shirt and jerk him to the right. The punk didn't argue and pulled into a swift run. Courtney gave Duncan a stern look. "Run faster! Your life depends on it!"
"I managed to piece that much together, Princess." He shouted. The two of them ran for a few minutes in the same direction before they made another sharp turn to the right. Finally, the teenagers slowed down and caught their breath.
"I can't believe we just ran away from a bear. I never should have gone on that stupid walk with you." Courtney scolded in between gasps.
Duncan laughed softly and began a slow walk. "Come on; let's get back to the campsite."
Courtney only gave a quick nod at the punk and started to follow his lead. "This night never happened." She started. "If anyone asks, we went to sleep immediately."
"Does that mean we're breaking up?" Duncan teased, dusting himself off.
"We were never together." Courtney said plainly. "This night doesn't change anything. I don't like you and I don't intend to give in to your charming words."
"Oh, you think I'm charming? Can't say I blame you…" Duncan grinned.
"You know what I meant." Courtney said with a roll of her eyes. "Wait, do you hear that?" She froze.
"Not another bear, I hope." Duncan moaned.
"No, snoring. DJ's snoring!" The brunette gave a victorious smile and pushed back some bushes. "Yes!" She said triumphantly as she entered the campsite.
"SHH!" Came a harsh voice from one of the sleeping Bass.
Courtney whispered her apologies and found a clear spot on the ground. "Finally, after all that running, I'm relieved to lie down." She closed her eyes and began to lie down only to brush up against a certain delinquent who had already taken her spot.
"Sorry, sweetheart. I'm sleeping here." Duncan said with a smirk. The punk lay down and brought his hands behind his head. "Good night, Princess."
"Night, ogre." Courtney mumbled as she shifted away from him. "If I catch you sneaking over to my side, you'll regret it." Courtney said as a matter-of-factly.
"Noted." Duncan answered. Even though Courtney's eyes were already closed, she could tell he was smiling from ear to ear and for once…
She didn't care.