A/N Chapter ten – Brunch of Disgustingness part two. Thank you to PandaNinjaRobot and That British Guy for the reviews! I appreciate every one I get! Anyway, enjoy!

Then, she was interrupted by a crash, followed by a loud scream. Bridgette and Lindsay shared a curious look before looking around for the source. It didn't take them long to find it. Heather was sitting on the Sea Doo, topless. Her top hung off a tree branch. Harold was smashed against a rock, a goofy grin on his face. He didn't even look upset that he just probably lost his team the challenge.

"Oh, my God!" Lindsay exclaimed before running towards her friend, who had magically found the finish line, "what happened? Are you okay?"

Heather glared, covering her breasts with her arms, "does it look like I'm okay, Lindsay? NO! This is humiliating! Don't just stand there, help me!"

Lindsay looked to Bridgette then back at Heather, "how? I have to do the challenge!"

"I don't know, Lindsay," Heather yelled, "figure something out! I can't go back there with no top on!"

Tears were starting to leak out of Lindsay's eyes, "please don't yell at me. I know you can't, I just don't know what to do. I can't always help you."

Heather gasped "you can't always help me? Lindsay, remember who made you! Give me your top or something!"

Lindsay's tears were now falling steadily, "no! I have to do the challenge. I don't want everyone to see my breasts."

"Hey, maybe let's all calm down some?" Bridgette walked over to the gopher girls and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. Lindsay gave her a grateful smile, but Heather just glared. "Heather, I know this must be very stressful for you, but all this anger isn't helping. If you'll take it, I think I have a solution for you."

"And what would that be, blonde one?" Heather hissed, "to just visualize a top, and one will appear? To hold my head high and not listen to anyone else? I don't need your hippie shit."

Bridgette sighed and removed her hands from their shoulders before reaching under her sweatshirt and pulling off her black tank top, "I was thinking something more like this. It's yours if you want it." She held the shirt out for Heather.

"Is this a joke?" Heather asked, eying the top suspiciously, "as if you'd help me. I've been nothing but terrible to you all summer!"

"That's true, you have been, but that doesn't matter right now. You're Lindsay's friend, but, even if you weren't, I'd still help. I can't imagine how you're feeling right now, and I wouldn't ever want to be in the same position. Girls help girls, especially with things like this."

Heather carefully removed one arm from her chest and quickly grabbed the top, pulling it over her head, "don't think this means I owe you, blonde one. I didn't ask for this."

Bridgette laughed. She had expected nothing less from her. "I know, think of this as a gift. I won't ask for anything in return. I'm just going to leave you two here, I think I should probably check on Harold."

Then, Bridgette left a still crying Lindsay and newly clothed Heather. As she walked away, she heard Heather demand Lindsay to get her head in the game and stop crying like a little bitch. While the girls had been dealing with that, Harold had come to his senses. He was now standing to the side of the mud pit with a towel wrapped around him, looking rather embarrassed. He couldn't believe he let himself get distracted by something so physical.

"Are you okay?" Bridgette asked, "are you hurt?"

Harold shook his head, "I am fine physically but not emotionally or mentally. I let you down, and it will result in my demise in the game. I just hope that Courtney won't be too angry about the shower."

Bridgette grimaced, "I'm sorry, Harold." She was apologizing for a whole range of things, and he knew this. For what happened, for voting him out later tonight, and for the wrath he was likely to endure at the hands of Courtney for losing them the shower.

"It's okay. It's no one's fault but my own," Harold placed a hand over his heart, "I let myself get distracted, and that's on me. I almost had it."

"Still, I'm sorry. I wish things could have gone differently," Bridgette said before leaving him and finding Chris and the Sea Doo. Every Sea Doo was different, and she wanted to get acquainted with this one before she had to drive it.

Bridgette mounted the Sea Doo and started messing around with the controls. This one was a basic model, go figure, and she already knew all the basics. She probably wouldn't have to do anything crazy, so she just waited for her turn to start.

Soon enough, Lindsay joined her and strapped herself into the water skis. Her eyes were dry as she shouted, "I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to try really hard. I really want to win this shower."

Bridgette laughed, "I know, Linds, just give it your best shot. And I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to try really hard to make this hard for you. Courtney really wants to win this shower, and so do I a little. And Geoff."

"Good," Lindsay smiled, "then it's a fair fight." Then, Chris yelled at them to start.

Meanwhile, the rest of the campers, excluding Trent, were gathered around the PA system. The Killer Bass were in poor spirits after their win was ripped away from them, each one wondering what could have happened that made Harold drop the flags so suddenly. The Screaming Gophers were starting to get excited. Sure, they didn't have the win yet, but, as long as Lindsay knew what she was doing, they would soon. Among both teams, no one doubted that Heather did something underhanded to cause all this.

Chris started commentating on Lindsay's ride, and the Killer Bass hand no choice but to listen as she collected flag after flag. The likelihood of the same thing happening to Lindsay as Harold was low, and they all knew this.

Both of Courtney's hands were clutching Duncan's left shoulder, and her grip was getting tighter with each flag Lindsay picked up, "no, no, Bridgette, come on, I know you can figure something out, no, please," she whispered.

Geoff, who could feel the dirty laundry stink radiating off him, was much more vocal with his pleas for success, "Come on, Bridge, don't let her cross! Win us this shower!" He shouted. It was not lost on anyone that he didn't even care about "that dumb shower" at the beginning of the day and was now the loudest supporter.

"And Lindsay has picked up her fifth and final flag!" Chris announced, "now will she be able to cross the finish line with all of them?"

"No, please, no, Bridgette, do something," Courtney pleaded, resting her forehead on her hands, "please."

No such luck. A few seconds later, Chris exclaimed, "and she crosses the finish line! Gophers win! Gophers, stick around, and I'll tell you about the sweet shower! Bass, you're free to go! Maybe you can decide who you're sending home tonight! Lunch will be in twenty minute in the dining hall!"

The campers did as Chris requested, the Killer Bass heading back to their cabin to decompress before lunch. They were all understandably disappointed in today's loss, no one more so than Courtney. She was silent as they walked back to their cabin, but the guys were all anxiously awaiting her outburst. Quiet Courtney was scary.

It never came, and, when they got to the cabin, she told them she was fine and that she'd see them at lunch. That she wanted to be alone for a minute before Bridgette got back. They knew better than to argue with her, even if they didn't believe her, so they reluctantly did as she asked. Not a minute later, they heard muffled screaming from the other side of the wall, and they collectively let out a sigh of relief. She was fine.

Forty minutes later, the Killer Bass were finishing up their lunches and planning out the rest of their day. There were still seven hours until the marshmallow ceremony, so it was sure to be a slow afternoon. Harold was missing from the table as he was trying to avoid his teammates the best he could before he was voted out tonight. The five remaining freely discussed voting him out but had decided they still needed to have an alliance meeting to figure out a few other things. They were now trying to find a time that worked for everyone.

"I really don't want to do it now," Courtney sighed, "I'm really not in the best headspace to be thinking about all that stuff right now, and I know we probably all have things we want to do this afternoon. We should probably do it before dinner, though. It's a little after noon now, so let's say four-ish? Does that work for everyone?"

"Works for me," "Yeah, babe," "As long as I get a shower," "Mhmmm," were her teammates replies. Perfect.

Courtney smiled weakly at them, "great. I think it'll be easiest to just meet in our half of the cabin; Bridgette is that okay?" Bridgette nodded. "Okay, then. 4:00, our cabin. I guess I'll see you all then." She took a deep breath before addressing Bridgette specifically, "what are your plans for this afternoon? I really just want to take a nap for a bit, but if you wanted to hang out in the cabin then I can find something else to do."

Bridgette shrugged, "I'll figure something out. Use the cabin, I don't mind."

"If you're sure you're okay with it. And it's obviously not off limits, I can't kick you out of it, so if at any point you want to come back to the cabin and it to not be dark or quiet, you can wake me up. It's well within your rights."

Bridgette laughed, "I'm sure. It's yours until the meeting."

Courtney nodded as she gathered her trash, "thanks." She stood up. "I'm going now. I'll see you all later." Then, she left. Duncan quickly did the same and rushed after her.

Not long after exiting the dining hall, Courtney heard a set of familiar footsteps behind her. Duncan. She supposed she should had expected this and stopped to wait for him. He wouldn't change her mind about wanting to take this nap, but he could at least walk her to the cabin.

"You want some company, Court?" Duncan asked as he grabbed her hand. He didn't stop walking, so Courtney was pulled along briefly before adjusting to his speed, which was faster than normal.

Courtney glanced at him suspiciously, "company for what?"

Duncan laughed, brushing her hand with his thumb, "what do you think? I'm pretty tired, too. Could go for a nap."

"Oh," Courtney hadn't expected that from him. She had expected him to try to change her mind about the nap and get her to do something else. This was a nice surprise. "Sure. But, Duncan, I mean it when I say I want to take a nap. That's all this is. It's not going to turn into anything else, and it's not going to be very exciting. Just sleep."

"Just sleep," Duncan agreed with a laugh, "said I was tired, too, right? You heard that? Maybe I just want to spend some time with my girlfriend, ever thought of that? I don't really care what we do, and a nap wouldn't suck."

Despite still feeling completely upset due to losing the challenge and, more importantly, the shower, Courtney could feel a smile coming on. She loved it when he would casually say sweet things to her or mention their bond without making it a whole big thing. It was one of her favorite things about him.

They reached the cabin porch, and Courtney faced him, "Wait here. I want to change into something else."

Duncan nodded, "not a bad idea, think I'll do that too. I'll just knock after?"

"Yeah," Courtney dropped his hand. Then, the two went into their respective halves of the cabin on a mission to find something a little more comfortable to sleep in.

It didn't even take Duncan a minute to kick off his shoes, shed his shirt, and unfasten his dog collar before searching his drawer for some sweatpants. Today was turning out great, regardless of losing the challenge. That didn't matter at all when there was an easy vote off, and the most amazing girl he knew was finally, officially his girlfriend. After finding the right pair, he traded his jean shorts for sweatpants and went to knock on Courtney's door.

She didn't open it but shouted, "come in," so he did. The lights were already out, but there was enough sun shining through the windows for him to take her in. Courtney was undoing the covers on her bed and wearing a soft pink tank top and a matching pair of pajama shorts. The light color looked fantastic against her brown skin.

Duncan grinned and walked the distance between them. She was doing something with the pillows, so he sat down on her unmade bed, "hi."

Courtney dropped the pillow and turned to face him, returning his grin, "hi." She shuffled over to him and let herself be caught by him. They were both wearing less clothes than they normally did, and Courtney had to admit that the increased skin to skin contact felt great. It almost made her want to scrap the whole nap thing and take advantage of the uninterrupted several hours Brigette had promised. Almost. Sighing, she placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed. Not hard enough to actually get him down but enough for him to know she wanted him to.

"Okay, Princess," Duncan laughed as he plopped down on his back, pulling Courtney with him as he went under the covers. She smiled as she adjusted her position. She laid her head on his chest, her hand going slightly under her cheek. His arm curled around her, and his hand played with the ends of her hair. "I think this is the first time I've ever seen you in anything that wasn't on the grayscale."

"My normal pants are green," she rolled her eyes even though she knew he couldn't see her. She liked to imagine he knew what she was doing when he let out another laugh. "This is the first time I've ever seen you without that ridiculous dog collar."

Duncan laughed again, "that thing's awesome, okay. It's just uncomfortable as Hell to sleep in. And they're olive green, babe. Still a neutral color. The pink looks good on you."

Courtney smiled against his chest, "thanks. But you wear black all the time, too. You're not really one to talk."

"Guess not," Duncan stroked the side of her neck through her hair.

That was all that was said on matter, and the couple settled into a comfortable silence. The hand under Courtney's cheek migrated to Duncan's middle, and she traced lines across his stomach until she fell asleep. He continued messing with her hair. Then, around thirty minutes later, they were both out.

In the outside world, Bridgette was sitting at one of the picnic tables with Gwen. All of their teammates were busy doing other things, (showering and napping, mostly) so they decided to spend some of the afternoon outside talking about different things that were going on around camp.

They flitted through topics quickly, never spending too long on one thing. Both of them had shared stories about Geoff and Trent and different things that had gone wrong during challenges. Bridgette was telling Gwen all about how she burned down the bass' tent during the camping challenge when Lindsay stopped by their table. She was holding the shirt Bridgette had lent Heather earlier.

Gwen sent the new blonde an annoyed look, but Bridgette smiled warmly at her, "hi, Lindsay, good job on the waterskiing earlier. I know I already told you, but you did great."

"You're welcome, again," Lindsay returned the smile, "I'm bringing you your shirt back." She held the tank top out for Bridgette. "Maybe it didn't seem like it, but Heather is really grateful. Thanks for saving the day!"

"Oh, it was no problem!" Bridgette took the shirt, "Thanks for bringing it back. So, how was the shower?"

Lindsay's face filled with awe, "Bridge, it was so good. The water was so hot! I'm sorry you didn't get to win it."

Bridgette waved a hand, "oh, it's fine, I'll get over it. I'm just glad it went to someone who wanted it so badly."

"How's Court doing, by the way?" Lindsay asked, placing a hand on Bridgette's shoulder, "I know you said she really wanted it. I'd be super devastated if we didn't win."

Bridgette laughed, "she is a little upset, but she's fine. She's taking a nap right now which is probably the best we could had hoped for. I think Duncan's with her. She'll be fine."

"Good," Lindsay smiled, "I know earlier I said I was scared of him or whatever, but, like, I love him and Court together! I saw them kiss this morning, and I'm just so obsessed. They're so cute. You don't understand."

"I have a pretty good idea," Bridgette laughed again, "I love them together, too. They're good for each other."

"Yeah they are," Lindsay took her hand back and was about to say something else when Gwen joined the conversation.

Normally, Gwen didn't care at all about what Lindsay talked about, but this was something she was actually interested in. She'd been curious about Duncan and Courtney since that morning during the challenge, and now seemed like the perfect time to find out more. "So, Duncan and Courtney? They actually like each other?"

Gwen was met with two blank stares. Lindsay blinked before giving Bridgette a questioning look, to which she just shrugged. "Uh, yeah they like each other, silly. They're a couple!"

"I got that, I think, but it doesn't make any sense to me," Gwen said, "they don't seem like they'd like each other."

"And why's that?" Bridgette asked, her voice cooler than it had been.

Gwen shrugged, "they just don't have a lot in common. I don't know what a guy like a Duncan would see in a girl like that. I get that they're together, but are we sure it's not just physical?"

Bridgette crossed her arms over her stomach. She didn't like the way Gwen obviously thought Courtney wasn't, like, good enough or something for Duncan. "We're sure. Have you actually had a conversation with either of them? Because they have a lot more in common that you think. Like a scary amount."

"Well, no," Gwen looked down at the table, "I mean, I've talked to her a few times but never him. I've seen them, though, separately. She's not the kind of girl I thought he'd be into. She's, well, you know."

There it was again. The idea that Courtney was the lesser one. Bridgette's eyes narrowed. "I don't know. Tell me."

Gwen shrugged again, looking up at Lindsay for some help. She did not offer any but seemed just as curious as Bridgette was. Sighing, she said, "well, he's cool and stuff, and she's kind of, well, a tight-ass. She's one of those preppy, bitchy girls, and he doesn't seem like he'd be into that type."

"But Court's, like, so nice? Totally not bitchy at all," Lindsay said, a bit confused, while Bridgette gasped, "'preppy, bitchy girl?' You don't even know her. I think that's a bit unfair. Remember, Courtney's my best friend here."

"I didn't mean it like that," Gwen tried. Obviously, she had said the wrong thing. "I just meant, well, she's a type. And he's a type. They're different types."

"Maybe we just shouldn't talk about this anymore," Bridgette clipped, placing her hand on her tank top and gripping it hard. It took a lot to offend her, but Gwen had found it. She didn't like it when people didn't like her friends (or anyone) for no legitimate reason. She tried not to hold Gwen's bias against her.

Gwen nodded, "maybe. I'm sorry. I'm sure they're great. I'm sure she's great. Sometimes I think maybe I shouldn't talk so much."

"We could all probably stand not to talk so much," Bridgette turned to Lindsay, "once again, thanks for returning my shirt. Was there anything else you needed? Because you're more than welcome to stay and chat. All my teammates are napping, apparently, except for Geoff, who's showering, so I'm hanging out with the gophers."

"No, that was all!" Lindsay bounced on her heels, "I actually have to get back to the cabin, but I'll see you later? If you don't get voted out?" Then, she erupted into giggles.

Knowing that the other blonde was joking, Bridgette joined in with the giggling, "here's hoping I'm safe tonight! See you later, Linds."

Lindsay waved to the pair before leaving. Once she was gone Gwen sent Bridgette an apologetic look, "listen, I am sorry about what I said. I've just known some girls like her in the past, and I can't say I'm the biggest fan. I'm sure there's a lot of stuff to like about her."

Though she didn't want to, Bridgette smiled, "don't worry about it. Let's talk about something more interesting than my teammates. Like the haiku! Do we really think Harold wrote it for Leshawna?"

"It's the only thing that makes any sense," Gwen said, "I'd ask her, but we're not speaking at the moment."

"What? Why?" Bridgette asked, forgetting about her previous animosity towards her. She knew Gwen and Leshawna were friends. Lindsay had mentioned it several times, and she'd seen them together on multiple occasions. Gwen was clearly distressed, and Bridgette wanted to offer any help she could.

Gwen crossed her arms, "Heather. What else? She's the cause for all our team's problems."

Bridgette reached an arm across the table and grabbed Gwen's hand, "what did she do? If you don't mind talking about it, I mean."

"I guess if you want to listen," Gwen shrugged, "it's nothing really that big. We just finally had the chance to vote Heather out last night, and Leshawna ruined it by voting with Heather instead. She let herself get manipulated by the she-devil."

"Did she tell you why?" Bridgette asked, dropping Gwen's hand, "I'm sure there was a reason she did that. This is a game for $100,000, after all."

"She tried, but I kind of shut her down," Gwen crossed her arms over her stomach, "she said it was something about needing Heather after the merge to break up the bass if any of us wanted a fighting chance. She said it was for us, but I don't think keeping Heather around will help anything. She just let Heather get to her. We already had a plan!"

Bridgette had to clench her jaw to keep from letting out a verbal reaction. Did Gwen really just tell her she had a plan for breaking up the bass? AKA her team? Did she not realize that she was one of those bass or think she wouldn't mind? Bridgette had to play this carefully. The more Gwen spilled, the more she would have for their alliance meeting later.

She decided on an indirect approach, "you think Leshawna let Heather get to her? I know that I don't really know her or anything, but that doesn't seem right. They don't like each other very much. Surely it must have been more than just that."

Gwen sighed, "yeah, she said she talked to Harold about you, and he encouraged her to keep Heather. He apparently told her all kinds of stuff."

"He did?!" Bridgette asked, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. That could screw them after the merge.

"Yeah," Gwen nodded, "but it's not like we needed that information. We already know everything we need to. We already had a plan."

It was time to see if she could get away with this. Bridgette took a deep breath and looked Gwen in the eyes, "a plan? For what?"

"Oh, just about who we were going to vote off first after the merge," Gwen shrugged, and Bridgette couldn't believe that just worked, "and we don't need Heather for it. We just need to get a group together and show them just who's going to win this game if we don't vote her out."

"Her?" Bridgette repeated, letting this run through her mind. While Gwen was admitting stuff she probably shouldn't, there was no way she would tell Bridgette that she wanted to vote her out. It wasn't about herself or Leshawna either, and she doubted that it was Lindsay. That only left Heather and Courtney, and Bridgette was leaning towards it being her own teammate and best friend. "Her who?"

Still not realizing, Gwen started, "Cour–" then, then she realized. Her eyes widened and she shook her head, "no one! Nothing! There is no plan! I'm just talking out of my ass. Don't worry about it. Like I said, I should just talk less! Like never."

"Uh-huh, right, no one. I know her," Bridgette said as Gwen stood up.

"I think I should probably go check on Trent now!" Gwen backed away from the table, "it was, uh, nice hanging out with you today. Later!" Then, without waiting for a response, she turned and almost ran towards the medical tent.

Bridgette smiled to herself, not caring that she was left alone. Now she had something to report, and it was something good. She wouldn't even feel a little bad about selling out her new friend she made today to her best friend since about day four. Especially since Gwen made it clear she wasn't a big Courtney fan. She stood up from the table and searched around for something else to do.

She found Geoff walking across camp, his hair still wet from a shower. It had been about an hour since lunch ended, and she assumed he spent most of it in the shower, trying to wash away the dirty laundry smell. Bridgette smiled, he looked like he could use some company. After walking over to him, she found out that he could. The two settled on the beach and talked about unimportant things. While not completely gone, the dirty laundry smell had decreased significantly, and it didn't take Bridgette long to get used to it, especially with the fresh air around them.

When it was almost four, Bridgette and Geoff went back to the cabin. They found DJ sitting on the steps, and the lights were still off in the girls' side.

"What's up, Deej?" Geoff asked, running up to his friend and offering him a hand, "what're you sitting out here for? Isn't it time for our meeting?"

"Nothing much, man," DJ accepted the hand, hitting it once, "and yeah, I was just waiting for y'all. It's still dark in there, and I know Dunc's in there, too. Didn't want to interrupt anything."

Bridgette laughed. Of course DJ was scared to even knock on the door in fear that they might be doing anything that wasn't what normal friends did. "You want me to go check?"

DJ flashed Bridgette a bright smile, "yeah, if you don't mind."

Bridgette shook her head and walked up the steps, "I don't. You two wait here. I'll get you in a minute." Then, she went inside her cabin.

Once she opened the door, she heard Courtney whispering something to Duncan, but she couldn't make out what it was. Not knowing if they heard the door open or if they were too busy with each other, Bridgette knocked on the wall to get their attention. Right away, she heard Courtney shuffle in her bed before asking, "Bridge, is that you?"

"Yeah, Court. You up?" Bridgette stood in the doorway, not wanting to go all the way into the cabin until she knew what exactly was going on.

"Yes, we are, sorry. Neither of us felt like getting up to turn the light back on. You can if you want."

Bridgette did want. She reached her arm over to the light switch and flipped it up. After her eyes readjusted, she saw Courtney sitting in her bed with her back against the wall, and Duncan lying beside her, propped up on his elbow with a hand on her thigh. He wasn't wearing a shirt. Maybe DJ was right, maybe they were interrupting something.

"We're still having the meeting at four, right?" Bridgette asked.

"Yes, yes, we were just waiting for you," Courtney picked up Duncan's hand and removed it from her thigh, "he was actually just about to go put a shirt on," she nudged him on the shoulder, "where are DJ and Geoff?"

"I don't wanna put a shirt on, babe," Duncan whined while Bridgette just pointed a thumb towards the door, "sitting on the porch. I don't know how long DJ's been out there, but he was pretty scared of walking in on something."

Courtney addressed Bridgette first, "while I appreciate the gesture, he really had nothing to worry about. They can come in." Then, she turned her attention back to her boyfriend, "oh well, you're going to do it anyway. We're not going to have a meeting with you sitting here shirtless. No one wants that."

"Pretty sure you do," Duncan smirked as he climbed over Courtney and out of the bed, "bet you're just worried you'll be distracted the entire time. I get it, Court, I look good."

"Jesus, Duncan, just go," Courtney rolled her eyes, "and tell DJ and Geoff to come in here." She turned back to Bridgette. "I am so sorry about him. He apparently doesn't understand common decency today."

Bridgette laughed as Duncan left, "I don't mind. How was your nap? Did you actually get any sleeping done?"

Courtney rolled her eyes again as she got out of bed, "as a matter of fact, yes. A nice three hours of it."

The door opened again, and this time DJ and Geoff came in. While Bridgette had grown used to the smell, Courtney hadn't had the chance. She paused making her bed and turned, her nose scrunched up, "how do you still smell? I thought you were taking a shower?"

"I did," Geoff sighed, "for like an hour. And then I was outside for the rest of that time. Is it still that bad?"

"Yes," Courtney walked over to her dresser and picked up her perfume bottle, "go spray yourself with this, please. I really don't want you stinking up our cabin." She tossed the bottle to Geoff, who caught it easily. Then, because she was there, she pulled a black sweater out of her drawer and pulled it on over her tank top.

Geoff saluted her, "anything for you, Court. Be back in a sec." Then, he stepped onto the porch.

Courtney went back to making her bed. When she finished, she crawled back into it and sat facing the opposite bed, "Bridge, DJ, let's do this over here. You can pull that crate ov–" she started but was interrupted by the door opening once again.

"Why's Geoff asking me to smell him?" Duncan asked as he walked in. He was wearing a red shirt, and Courtney smiled to herself. A color that wasn't black. It suited him well. "Because I never signed up for that." He walked over to Courtney's bed and took a seat next to her.

Courtney shrugged, but, before she could answer, Geoff came back in, "is it better?"

Not noticing a particularly bad scent, Courtney nodded, "yes, thank you. You can just put the perfume back on my dresser and sit anywhere."

Geoff obliged, sitting on the floor with his back resting on Bridgette's bed. Then, DJ pulled the crate over to the foot of Bridgette's bed, and Bridgette sat down on the edge of her bed.

"Great, so I assume we all had a nice few hours. Are we ready to start?" Courtney opened. Her teammates all hummed their agreement, so she just went for it. "Okay, so Harold's out tonight, that's easy, but we've come to a point where we actually have to worry about what's coming next. Hopefully the teams merge soon soon, but if it not…" She grimaced before looking at Duncan. He nodded, knowing she wanted him to talk.

Duncan grabbed Courtney's hand and pulled it into his lap, "we were talking earlier. There are only five of us left after tonight. The whole alliance. Doesn't give us much room for error if there's no merge –" "– which there should be!" "– which there should be. If not, we have to win the next however many challenges until there is a merge."

Courtney nodded before taking over again, "if we do lose, it could be tricky. We'd have to vote out someone in this room, and I don't think any of us want to do that yet." She sighed and shook her head. "I know that each of us has an order of who is most important to them. Who they most want to get rid of and who they least want to get rid of. Even if you say you don't, you do. I do, Duncan does, you three do, too. We don't need to share these lists. No one needs to know how much their alliance mate and friend values them in the game. We don't need to worry about that right now. We'll worry about it if it comes down to that, but no sooner.

"Something that is worth worrying about, however, is how the first vote is going to go if there is a merge. If it's after tonight, there will be five bass and five gophers. In theory, it should be us against them, but I don't think that's going to be the case. Bridgette and I have spent a lot of time with Lindsay, and we think we'd be able to get us to vote with us, which would make it six against four. We'd only need her for one vote, but I like her enough to let her stick around for longer. The question is, who do we target? The floor is open."

Taking everything in, Bridgette couldn't help but be alarmed. This was a lot more than she expected, and it was likely Courtney and Duncan already had everything all planned out, including which of their own they'd try to send out. That wasn't a scary thought at all. She sent a look to DJ and Geoff to see what they thought, but they weren't paying any attention. Typical. She silently waited for Courtney or Duncan to share their plan.

After a full minute of silence, Courtney sighed and squeezed Duncan's hand, causing him to look at her. She jerked her head towards their teammates and mouthed at him "say something." He nodded and looked back at the other teens, "so, Court and I thought it'd be useful to keep Heather around. We know she sucks, but she'll always be a bigger target than us, if somehow something goes wrong. The gophers aren't united because of her, and none of her tricks would ever work on us. We'd want Lindsay still, so that only leaves Gwen, Trent, or Leshawna."

"Nothing's been decided yet!" Courtney added, "we still don't know who the best choice between the three would be or if it really matters. Does anyone know anything about any of them that could help? We don't need to make the decision right now, of course, but it'd be nice to know what we're working with."

Bridgette smiled; she knew this one! It was time to share what Gwen had told her. "Oh! I was hanging out with Gwen today! She's super pissed at Leshawna because didn't vote out Heather last night. They're not talking."

Courtney returned the smile, "really? That's fantastic for us. Did she say why?"

Bridgette nodded, "oh yeah, she told me everything. Leshawna voted to keep Heather last night even though they had the votes to get her out. The two of them and Trent seem to have been working together, but maybe not anymore. Gwen's mad because they already had a plan to vote you out after the merge, and she thinks Leshawna is trying to change it. She thinks she let Heather manipulate her. Also, Harold gave Leshawna information about us, but I don't know what."

"And she just told you all this?" Courtney asked, her eyebrow raised. Bridgette nodded. "What exactly did she say?"

"It was something about how you were the biggest threat to win, and how she wanted people to see that," Bridgette leaned back in her bed, "she actually said your name, but then tried to take it back. Also, she doesn't like you much at all."

Courtney rolled her eyes, "of course she doesn't. I'm definitely leaning more towards the move being either her or Trent. I'm infinitely more worried about a potential couple than I am about a girl with seemingly no allies and most likely useless information from Harold."

"I was thinking that, too," Bridgette agreed, "Gwen was telling all about how close they are, and how they have all these plans. One of them has to go."

"This is why you're my favorite," Courtney smiled, pointing a finger gun at Bridgette with her free hand and causing Duncan to let out an indignant "hey!" She just rolled her eyes at him before continuing. "We have the same mind. Bridge, I'm so proud of you for getting this information."

Bridgette laughed, "thanks. I wasn't even trying to find all this out. She just started spilling, so I started paying extra attention."

Courtney dropped Duncan's hand and scooted to the edge of her bed, "so, that's really all for now. We don't have to decide between the two yet because things can change. Just to make sure, Bridge, you're good with it?" Bridgette nodded, so Courtney smiled and looked over her shoulder, "babe?"

Duncan grinned at her use of that words and joined her at the edge of her bed, "oh, hell yeah." He wrapped an arm around her from behind. "Can't have anyone targeting you, Princess."

"Alright, then," Courtney laughed, patting his arm around her neck before checking with the last two bass. DJ and Geoff had been awfully quiet during the whole meeting. Looking towards them, she found that they were distracted by what looked to be a dead cockroach. Awesome. Courtney cleared her throat, "ahem, DJ, Geoff." That caught both of their attentions, and they looked at her. "Have you been paying any attention to what we've been saying?"

DJ and Geoff shared a somewhat sheepish look, telling her the answer was no. Courtney sighed, "of course not."

Squirming slightly, DJ apologized, "sorry, Court. I kind of stopped listening when you started talking about the next elimination after this one. I just assumed you and Dunc already had it all planned."

"Yeah," Geoff rubbed the back of his neck, "sorry. Listening to the two of y'all talk is a little intense sometimes. And I was gettin' kinda bored, too."

"It's fine, I guess," Courtney started shrugging Duncan off, "as long as you know we're voting Harold off tonight. Just try to pay attention next time, okay?"

They both nodded and said "okay," so Courtney smiled, "great, so we're done here." She freed herself from Duncan's grasp and stood. "If you don't mind, I'd appreciate the chance to talk to Bridgette alone, so we'll see you three at dinner."

While DJ and Geoff just nodded and stood, Duncan pouted from his spot on Courtney's bed, "dinner?"

"Yes, dinner," Courtney sighed, forcibly helping him up, "we've been together almost all day. A little time apart wouldn't be the worst thing," She walked him to the door. "You can tell those two what we talked about since they didn't think it important to listen to us." She opened the door, allowing DJ and Geoff to quickly slip out and into their cabin. "I'll see you at dinner."

"Fine," Duncan knew she was right. They didn't need to be together all the time, and it was probably better if they weren't. However, before he went, he grabbed her shoulder and gave her a quick peck on the lips, "laterz, babe."

Courtney just rolled her eyes at him again and pushed him the rest of the way out the door, "bye." Then, she closed the door behind him and turned around to lean on it, letting out a breath. Alone at last. She'd hardly gotten the chance to talk to Bridgette all day. For the past few days really, with the last challenging taking three days and yesterday spent exploring the perks of an exclusive relationship. She smiled at her friend, "how are you?"

Bridgette laughed, "I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm good, I think," Courtney started walking back into the cabin, stopping by Bridgette's bed, "can I sit?" Bridgette nodded, so she took a seat next to the blonde. "I just wanted to make sure we were still on the same page about everything, and I've missed you these past few days."

"I've missed you, too," Bridgette placed a hand on Courtney's shoulder, "you've certainly been busy recently."

"I know, I'm sorry," Courtney looked down at her lap and clasped her hands together, fully aware of Bridgette's insinuation, "I just wanted you to know that he might be my boyfriend, but you're still my best friend." She looked up just in time to catch Bridgette's teasing grin. "Yeah, I know. It's all official, but we won't talk about that. You're still my number one ally in this game. I don't want you think I'm ditching you for him or anything."

Bridgette smiled, "I didn't think that, Court. You're my best friend and number one ally, too. It's still us against everyone. No one can get between that, not Duncan and not Geoff."

Courtney nodded, "final two, you and me until the end." She paused for a moment before suddenly changing the subject. "We should talk about something. How was your afternoon? Mine wasn't very exciting. I just slept."

Letting out a long laugh, Bridgette removed her hand from Courtney's shoulder and told her all about Gwen, Lindsay, and the haiku. She made sure to mention just how much Gwen didn't like her, and they both had fun laughing about Lindsay not only being a little scared of Duncan but also completely obsessed with Duncan and Courtney as a couple. They joked around until it was time for dinner.

The sixth member of the Killer Bass was having his own meeting. Harold and Leshawna sat on the steps of the dining hall, talking about their days. They both knew this was the last time they would have the chance to do this, barring a major miracle, and there was something unspoken between them. It felt final, but neither wanted it to be.

Over the course of the game, Harold had developed somewhat of a crush on Leshawna. It wasn't his fault. She was cool and beautiful and funny and actually talked to him. She was so unlike anyone he had ever met before in a good way. He'd taken to writing her anonymous love poems, too nervous to do anything else. He knew she got them, liked them even, and she had expressed multiple times to him that she wished she knew who they were from. Instead of telling her the truth, he would just shrug and tell her he didn't know. He should had said something because now he had to do it tonight. He'd never forgive himself if he didn't.

Leshawna, however, had a sneaking suspicion that the haikus were from him, and it grew larger each time another guy was voted out, and she still got them. Trent, Geoff, and Duncan were all caught up with their own girls, and she could count on one hand the number of conversations she'd had with DJ. It could only be Harold, and she thought it was sweet. She'd given him multiple ins to admit it, but he never did. She just hoped he would do it tonight.

The conversation came to a lull, and Harold looked at Leshawna carefully, "I have something to tell you."

"Oh yeah?" Leshawna asked, turning her head to face him. This could be it, she thought.

Harold took a deep breath and made sure his eyes were on hers, "I like you."

Leshawna smiled at him. Finally. "I like you too, Harold."

"No, I mean, I like-like you," Harold sighed and looked down at his lap, "you know those haikus you've been getting? They're from me. I'm sorry I never said anything before now."

"I know, sugar," Leshawna reached over and grabbed his hand, causing him to look at her in alarm. She just laughed. "At least, I thought they were from you. Why didn't you ever say anything before now?"

"I was scared," Harold admitted, "you're so cool and beautiful, and I'm not. You make me nervous."

Leshawna laughed again, "boy, you're lucky you're cute because that is the most whack logic I have ever heard. You're so cool, you know so much about everything! I'm not as smart as you, I don't think anyone here is, and that makes me nervous." She squeezed his hand before dropping it. "What made you change your mind and tell me?"

Harold shrugged, "it was now or never, I guess. I'm getting voted out tonight, and I wanted you to know." He looked back down at his lap. "It's okay if you don't like me back. I understand. I just had to take this chance."

"Harold, sugar, look at me," Leshawna ordered, and he did, "you're sweet, you know, and some kind of funky. I like you, too."

"Really?" Harold asked, trying and failing to hide his disbelief and excitement, "you mean it?"

"You know I'm not in the business of saying things I don't mean," Leshawna chastised, "yes, I mean it."

Harold's face broke out into a wide smile, "boo-yeah!" he exclaimed before realizing that was probably the wrong thing to do. He cleared his throat, "I mean good. Very good. Leshawna, if you let me, I will treat you like a queen."

Leshawna laughed, "alright, then. Let's see what you can do." Now that that was settled, both members of the pair felt much better about the conversation they were having and the time left before Harold had to go. They hung out until dinner started, and Harold made Leshawna promise to come see him off. He had something he wanted to do.

The rest of the afternoon and evening passed smoothly, and before long it was time for the marshmallow ceremony. Each member of the Killer Bass Five cast their vote for Harold, and Harold sent a spare vote Duncan's way. Even if he was getting voted out, it didn't mean he couldn't take one final stand against the person who had made his time at camp the hardest. It wouldn't do anything in the long run, but it would feel good.

The Killer Bass gathered around the campfire, Harold bringing all his stuff with him. Chris could already tell that there was no way they would be able to edit it to even look close, so he hoped that whatever Harold was planning would bring the drama. Mostly everyone just looked bored, and Chris knew it was going to be this way until the ceremony was over. He figured he might as well just get it over with quickly.

"As you know, if you do not receive a marshmallow, you will be forced to walk the dock of shame, and you can never, ever return to camp," Chris gave them a taunting smiling, hoping that it would bait some emotion out of someone. It didn't work. He sighed, "you guys aren't very into this tonight, are you?"

A chorus of "noes" filled the campfire area. Chris sighed again, "Harold, you want to tell me why you brought all your stuff?"

Harold nodded, "I'm getting voted out tonight."

"And how can you possibly know that?" Chris asked, largely annoyed by how this was going, "anything can happen, man!"

"Every single person on this team except for me is in an alliance together. It's not really some big mystery," Harold stood up and walked over to Chris before addressing his team, "who voted for me tonight?"

This was ridiculous. No one was going to admit to voting anyone out before the marshmallows had been given out. But, then, Chris watched as Courtney's hand went up, followed quickly by Duncan's. Then Geoff's, then DJ's, then, finally, Bridgette's. That was everyone. Chris couldn't believe it. Every single person admitted it.

Harold turned back to Chris, "do we really have to do the whole marshmallow thing? I don't really think there's a point tonight."

Chris shrugged, giving up control of the situation, "sure, fine. You can go. The Boat of Losers awaits, whatever. Do you at least want to tell everyone who you voted for? Because apparently, that's what we're doing tonight."

"Duncan," Harold said before Chris even finished his statement, "I voted for Duncan." He turned towards said boy. "Screw you and your dumb pranks and your asshole attitude. You're a bully, and I'm so glad to be done of you."

It was silent for a minute as the other Killer Bass reacted to what Harold had just said and as they waited for Duncan to react to what he had just said. That was certainly gutsy of him. DJ and Geoff shared a silent look, both ready to stop Duncan if he decided on a physical reaction. Bridgette exhaled a long breath and covered her mouth with a hand. Courtney reached an arm across the space between them and placed what she hoped was a calming hand on his knee, causing him to look at her and smile. That's when she knew nothing bad was going to happen.

Chris just hoped that whatever happened, it would be something, anything that could be used for drama. He needed this. Most everyone held their breath as they watched Duncan stand up and approach the other boy. Then, his hand clasped onto his shoulder. It was impressive how Harold didn't even flinch.

"You know what, Harold, good for you," Duncan said, "you need any help carrying your crap to the Boat of Losers?"

Chris groaned. Of course Duncan wasn't going to react negatively to this. Of course.

Harold gave him a small smile, "I've got it, but thanks." Then, he walked over to his stump, and picked up all his stuff. "If you want to follow me to the Dock of Shame, I have something to tell you all."

His teammates, Chris, and the Screaming Gophers, who were just lurking around, all did as he requested. Hopefully this was it. Hopefully something actually good. Harold walked down the Dock of Shame and stopped right before embarking the Boat of Losers.

"Farewell, Total Drama Island," Harold waved to the crowd, "I loved, I lost, and I got to show the whole world my mad skills. What more can a man ask for?" The other campers didn't answer, opting instead to stare blankly at him. He threw his stuff in the boat before readdressing his peers. "I may have lost the game, but I come out with a much greater reward. The beautiful Leshawna, you have my heart. I will never forget you, and I ask that you do the same."

"Baby, you are some kind of freaky!" Leshawna exclaimed, walking down the dock to meet him and throwing her arms around him when she did, "you know I'm never gonna forget you!"

Harold smiled, "may I give you a kiss to remember me by?" Leshawna nodded, so Harold pressed his lips to hers for a long three seconds. Then, he pulled away. "It's been real, Total Drama Island."

As Harold got on the Boat of Losers, the rest of camp was buzzing about what just happened. Bridgette, Gwen, and Lindsay, who had found each other in the crowd, were wearing mushy looks and clinging onto each other. That was so sweet! Also, Bridgette and Gwen were happy to know they were right about the haiku. Chris let out a loud cheer despite not caring one bit at all about Harold and Leshawna's relationship. What he did care about was ratings, and this was sure to raise them.

The others were not as excited. Geoff was mostly just confused that Harold knew people on the other team, and DJ did not enjoy having to watch two people kiss. Heather rolled her eyes, not surprised that yet another two teens had succumbed to their hormones. Straight people were the worst. Duncan and Courtney shared an unimpressed look, silently agreeing to never doing anything like this ever. Quiet moments alone were much more comfortable than big, romantic displays.

A/N So that was X-Treme Torture. I had some trouble with this chapter, but I hope it came together well. This is the last completed chapter I have. I have started Brunch of Disgustingness, and I have a clear plan for it. That said, I don't know how long it will take. I'm hoping it will be about a week and a half at most. I plan for that one to be three parts. Part one will be the challenge, part two will be a day spent with the campers on rewards, and part three will be a day spent with the campers left at camp. Since there are four guys and six girls it will not be battle of the sexes. I already have the teams (and everything) all planned out. I am so excited for the merge!

And, as always, drop a comment if you enjoyed it. I would really appreciate it! Thanks, and see you next time! You can find me on tumblr at i-wish-i-was-kidding if you ever want fic updates or just want to chat!