Chapter Twenty-One – Royals
CONFESSIONAL: Heather
"I know what you're thinking, but I'm not mad at Courtney for hesitating when she was choosing who to send home. It was a difficult decision but she made the right one in the end."
"Alright you two, get up, it's time to go!" Chef yells, storming into the girls' cabin.
"Where are we going?" Heather asks groggily.
"The last challenge isn't on the island. Pack your things and be quick about it, I ain't got all day." Chef demands.
"Why isn't the last challenge on the island?" Courtney asks, getting out of bed.
"Chris wants it to be glamorous. He's already been in hair and make-up for two hours. Now stop asking stupid questions and get ready!" Chef storms out of the cabin and leaves the girls to it.
"Courtney, I know we're friends now and everything, but don't think that means I won't do everything I can to win the challenge today." Heather says.
"I wouldn't expect anything less. In fact I'd probably think less of you if you didn't." Courtney responds.
"So we'll still be friends, even if I have to push you into a volcano to get the million?" Heather asks.
"Yes," Courtney laughs. "But be warned, I might do the same."
CONFESSIONAL: Courtney
"Wow, so this is what the final two feels like. Clearly, I should've been in the final two before this but Chris never plays by his own rules. Now that I've finally made it though, I intend to win, and not even Heather can stand in my way."
CONFESSIONAL: Heather
"I'm still owed the million dollars that was STOLEN from me after I won World Tour. Don't get me wrong, Courtney is deserving of it and all that, but we all know who the real winner is here, and I'm going to prove it."
Chef flies the girls from CampWawanakwa to Toronto in Chris' plane. They are taken from the airport in a limousine.
"Wow, Chris has really gone all out for this finale," Heather says.
"You ain't seen nothing yet," Chef responds.
"Why is going to so much trouble? Why does he want it to be glamorous? He normally wants it to be as messy as possible." Courtney wonders.
"I'm not supposed to say anything," says Chef. "He'll tell you himself later."
"Mysterious." Heather says, raising her eyebrows.
The girls and Chef are taken to a fancy hotel where they drop their bags and are then immediately taken into a room that has been set up like a dressing room. Chris is sitting there having his hair done.
"Finally!" he says when Heather, Courtney and Chef walk in. "That's enough!" he waves the hairdresser away. "You two girls sit down, you look horrible. Seriously, let's get some make-up on these girls, stat!" Chris claps his hands and looks around for the make-up artist. Courtney and Heather glare at him but they sit down anyway and allow people to fuss over their hair and make-up. After that is done they are each handed a dress and told to put them on. They are both unnecessarily extravagant floor length ballgowns. Heather's dress is navy blue and extremely glittery and hugs her figure all the way down to her legs, while Courtney's is emerald green and flows out from her waist. Once dressed, Chris leads the girls out of the dressing room. As they walk into the hallway Chef calls out.
"Oh wait, Courtney, I was supposed to give you this," he says, handing her a letter. "It's from Duncan." Courtney takes the letter and goes to open it.
"No time for that!" Chris stops her, "you can read it later!" Courtney tucks the letter into her cleavage and follows Chris down the hallway. He eventually stops at some double doors.
"Alright, it's challenge time! I hope you two are ready for last challenge ever!" Chris says dramatically. Heather and Courtney stare at him and wait for him to continue. "Behind these doors is a ballroom. The guests are every contestant that has ever competed in Total Drama over the years, some of them you will know and some of them you will not. There are two people in there, one for each of you, that is hiding a diamond tiara. Find that person and the tiara and you will win a million dollars." Chris explains.
"How do we find the person?" Heather asks.
"I'm getting to that!" Chris snaps. "I'm going to give you your first clue now. From there you will have to talk to guests at the ball to find out who has the tiara and where they are. Be warned though, some people are required to lie to everything you say to them, so make sure they're an honest person first. Now are you ready to go in?" Chris asks. The girls nod, but they know Chris would send them in, ready or not. "One last thing, you can't attend the ball without an escort so I've taken the liberty of arranging one for each of you," Chris chuckles. Heather and Courtney look at each other worriedly. "Heather here's your escort," Chris gestures to a nearby doorway as it opens, and Alejandro steps out. Heather's face lights up and she runs to him and throws her arms around him before he dips her and kisses her. He whispers something in her ear.
"You know I don't speak Spanish," Heather replies as he puts her upright.
"You really should learn, you know, I expect our children to speak Spanish. I only said that I hope you crush Courtney in today's challenge," he smiles, keeping his arm around her waist. Courtney watches and she can't help but feel a pang of jealousy, not because she wants Alejandro, but just because the two of them are so obviously in love.
"Well, that's a given," Heather says in response to Alejandro. "No offence, Court," Heather tacks on. Courtney gives a half hearted smile and begins to wonder who her escort will be.
CONFESSIONAL: Courtney
"If Chris makes Duncan my escort, I'm going to have to kill him."
"And Courtney, your escort is…" Chris gestures to another door and sure enough out walks Duncan. Courtney's heart starts thumping extremely loudly and she wonders if everyone else can hear it. If they do, they don't show it. Duncan walks over to her and takes her arm.
"You look beautiful," he says.
"Thanks," Courtney says faintly.
CONFESSIONAL: Courtney
"I really was an idiot to think once I voted Duncan off the island that would be the last time I'd see him. How could I forget that Chris always brings back the other contestants for the finale? And how did Duncan manage to look so good? He's so annoying!"
CONFESSIONAL: Heather
"Is Chris trying to throw Courtney off her game by bringing Duncan back? That is so wrong. On the other hand, it's great for me!"
"No one is allowed to tell you anything unless you ask them. Once you've entered the ballroom the challenge starts and Alejandro and Duncan go back to being just ex-contestants. The same rules apply to them as to the others do don't expect them to be telling you any extra information, because they don't know anything. You girls are on your own, the boys are just for show." Chris warns. "Here's your first clue!"
Chris hands the Heather and Courtney an envelope each then opens the double doors and steps into the ballroom, onto a balcony above the crowd. "Attention, everyone, our guests of honour have arrived!" he must be wearing a microphone because his voice rings out throughout the room. "Presenting the final two of Total Drama Ten Years Later, Heather and Courtney!" Chris turns and gestures for them to come into the room. Courtney holds her head up high and tries to ignore the fact that Duncan is right beside her and that she has her arm through his. It makes it difficult though, when he is whispering in her ear.
"Did you read the letter?" he whispers. Courtney shakes her head. "Oh." Duncan says. Chris turns and frowns at him for talking. He starts walking down the staircase and onto the main floor of the ballroom and Courtney, Duncan, Heather and Alejandro follow him. They look out to the ballroom as they descend and see all the familiar faces from this season as well as a lot of people they've never seen before. Once they've reached the bottom of the staircase Alejandro gives Heather a kiss and disappears into the crowd and Duncan follows him with a glance back at Courtney. Courtney and Heather both open their first clue and begin to read.
CONFESSIONAL: Courtney
"The rightful owner of this tiara would never have let it out of her sight had it been in the form of Cody. Clearly it's Sierra."
CONFESSIONAL: Heather
"This sparkly head thingy belongs to someone who probably isn't even sure how to wear it. The only person stupid enough to fit this description is Lindsay."
Heather and Courtney look up at each other after reading their clues.
"Well, good luck," says Courtney.
"You too," Heather smiles and then they both head off to find Sierra and Lindsay. Heather spots Lindsay dancing with Tyler on the dancefloor. She seems to be enjoying herself despite the fact that Tyler keeps stepping on her feet. Heather hurries over to her.
"Lindsay!" Heather says brightly.
CONFESSIONAL: Heather
"Sucking up to Lindsay makes me sick, but you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar or whatever that dumb saying is."
"Oh, hey Heather!" Lindsay says, ceasing her dancing and turning to Heather. "Congratulations on making it to the final two!"
"Thanks!" Heather smiles fakely. "So, I hear you've lost something important to you?" Heather says, getting to the point.
"Like what?" Lindsay asks, confused.
"A tiara?" Heather sighs.
"What's a tiara?" Lindsay wonders. Heather rolls her eyes and takes a deep breath to keep from shaking some sense into Lindsay.
"You know, jewellery you wear on your head?" Heather says.
"Remember what Chris told you earlier, babe?" Tyler reminds Lindsay.
"Ohh, right! Yeah it was stolen from me! Chris said if anyone asked, I was to tell them that I took it to a jeweller to have it cleaned so I could wear it tonight but when I went to pick it up, he told me that my assistant had already done it for me. The only thing is I don't have an assistant!" Lindsay says.
"Did the jeweller say what your assistant looked like?" Heather asks.
"It was a man with red hair and glasses." Lindsay tells her.
"Harold!" Heather immediately guesses. Lindsay shrugs and goes back to dancing with Tyler.
Courtney approaches Sierra who is holding Cody tightly but is in deep conversation with Zoey.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I'm trying to win a challenge here," Courtney butts in. Zoey purses her lips but allows Courtney to steal Sierra away.
"Sierra, I need you to tell me everything you know about your missing tiara," Courtney instructs.
"Oh it's so tragic!" Sierra says dramatically. "It was a present from my Codykins and I was so looking forward to wearing it to the ball tonight but it was in my bag, and when I went to pick it up there were two the same. I thought I grabbed my own but I must have been wrong!" Sierra bursts into tears.
"Sierra, calm down, it wasn't really your tiara, it's just for the challenge." Cody says.
"Shh, stay in character!" Sierra scolds.
"So do you know who's bag you've got?" Courtney asks.
"No, but I can tell you what was in it. It was full of dumbbells!" Sierra says.
"I'd really love to help you Heather, but I'm afraid I can't," says Harold. Heather stamps her foot.
"Oh don't give me that. I know you don't really want to help me, but you have to because that's part of your job in this challenge. And Lindsay just told me you stole her tiara." Heather snaps.
"Gosh!" says Harold.
"Harold, just tell me what you know, or Courtney will win!" Heather says.
"Why should I care who wins? I don't like either of you," Harold says.
"Please Harold!" Heather begs.
CONFESSIONAL: Harold
"Has Heather ever said please before in her life? She must really be desperate."
"Okay, fine. I went to the jeweller and pretended to be Lindsay's assistant so I could get her tiara. But when I went to get its value checked, they told me it was a fake. Someone must have got there before me and stolen it!" Harold confesses.
"Well how am I supposed to find out who stole it?" Heather demands.
"I don't know! Why don't you ask someone who steals things, gosh!" Harold says and starts to walk away.
"Wait, I have to find out if you're a liar or not!" Heather calls after him. She tries to think of a question she can ask him to find out if he's a liar. "Whose boobs did you see in TotalDramaIsland?" Harold turns back to her and raises his eyebrows.
"Yours, of course." Then he giggles to himself and walks away.
Courtney sees Heather talking to Harold across the room and quickly grabs the shoulder of Eva, the first person she that came to mind when Sierra said dumbbells. She realises grabbing Eva from behind is mistake however, when Eva turns around and swings her fist at Courtney's face. Courtney manages to avoid the blow but Eva looks extremely angry.
"What do you want?" she spits. She's wearing a dress again, probably only the second time in her life, and it's a lot more flattering on her than the pink monstrosity Courtney had made her wear for the date challenge.
CONFESSIONAL: Eva
"Courtney and Heather in the finale, what a joke. It should be me. Courtney is a backstabbing traitor like the rest of the Killer Bass and Heather is just a bitch. Neither of them deserve the million dollars, they got there by lying and scheming, it should be someone who actually worked hard to get there! Like me!"
Courtney actually looks a little scared as she explains to Eva what she wants.
"Uh, sorry Eva, but I think you may have picked up Sierra's bag, because she has yours." Courtney says.
"So what if I did? What's it to you?" Eva folds her arms.
"Well, there was a tiara in there that was given to her by Cody, and I'd really like to help her out by getting it back." Courtney says.
"Yeah right, like you'd ever help anyone but yourself!" Eva scoffs.
"Excuse me, that is extremely untrue and I'm very offended that you would think that!" Courtney defends.
"Whatever, it doesn't matter anyway. I got rid of the bag." Eva tells her.
"What did you do with it?" Courtney asks.
"I just chucked it into the hallway. There was nothing good in it anyway, just the tiara and a lot of snack food. Which I don't eat, obviously." Eva flexes her muscles and Courtney backs away.
"Great, thanks!" she says, getting away from Eva as fast as possible.
CONFESSIONAL: Heather
"Obviously when Harold said 'someone who steals things' he meant Duncan, right?"
It takes her a while but Heather finally spots Duncan brooding in the corner.
"Where's the tiara?" she says. Duncan shrugs. "What's wrong with you?" she asks.
"I can't enjoy myself." He says.
"Is this about Courtney?" Heather inquires. Duncan nods. "Duncan, don't be an idiot." Heather snaps.
"She didn't read the letter, I really thought she would." Duncan says sadly.
"She didn't have time! Chef gave it to her like thirty seconds before we saw you. Now will you stop acting like a lovesick teenager and tell me where the tiara is!" Heather demands.
"I don't know, I never saw it," Duncan says, confused.
"Are you lying to me?" Heather says suspiciously.
"No, the people who have been told to lie have to lie about everything." Duncan says.
"But Harold said to find someone who steals things!" Heather protests.
"Maybe he means someone who stole his heart," Duncan snickers, finally returning to his old self.
"Wow, you're right!" Heather says.
"Uh, Heather, I was kidding." Duncan says but Heather is already walking away. Duncan shrugs and scans the crowd for Courtney, hoping she's doing better than Heather. He sees that she is talking to Owen and Noah.
"So, Owen, found any good snacks lying around lately?" Courtney asks as she sidles up to Owen and Noah.
"Ooh yeah, well over at the buffet table there's…" Owen starts.
"No, I mean did you happen to find a bag full of snacks in the hallway somewhere?" Courtney cuts him off.
"Ohh. Well now that you mention it, yes I did." Owen says. Owen starts listing everything that he ate out of the bag. Courtney feels someone watching her and she looks up to meet Duncan's eyes. She smiles at him timidly and he smiles back, a little sadly, then walks into the crowd. Courtney frowns slightly before turning her attention back to Owen. She's about to ask him what he did with the tiara when the music stops and Chris's voice fills the room again. Everyone looks over at the stage which Courtney hadn't noticed before but there is a band standing there, and Chris is standing at the microphone, having just interrupted their playing.
"Attention everyone, I have a very important announcement to make. I know we're in the middle of a challenge, but this won't take long. You're probably all wondering why I've gathered you all here tonight, and why I've made this challenge such a special event." Chris begins. "I've been the host of Total Drama for ten years now, and may I just say what an attractive and talented host I have been. I have grown fond of all of you,"
"Yeah right," someone yells. Chris glares into the audience.
"As I was saying, this show and most of its contestants have really meant a lot to me. That is why I am saddened to tell you that this will be the last season that I will host Total Drama!" Chris announces.
"Finally!" Noah says under his breath.
"I know this will come as a shock to all of you, and you will all be very heartbroken. The network has not decided if they will carry on Total Drama without me or not, but whether or not they do, it will always live on in our hearts," Chris says, putting his hand to his heart dramatically. Everyone is silent. "That's all. I've finished the announcement." Chris says into the microphone.
"Do we clap?" Owen asks Courtney and Noah. Noah shrugs. Someone in the audience starts clapping and as the three of them look over they see that it's Chef. Owen joins in and soon enough the whole crowd starts applauding Chris. He takes a bow and leaves the stage and the band continues playing.
"I'm not going to miss him," says Noah.
"Anyway, Owen, what did you do with the tiara you found in the bag of snacks?" Courtney asks.
"I gave it to Gwen," Owen says.
"Really, that's it? No obscure clue? You're just going to tell me who you gave it to?" Courtney says warily.
"Yeah," Owen answers.
"You might be lying. What season of Total Drama did you win?" Courtney asks.
"TotalDramaIsland," Owen confirms.
"Okay, it seems like you're honest." She leaves Owen to go and find Gwen.
CONFESSIONAL: Heather
"I know Duncan was joking about the whole stealing Harold's heart thing, but it's worth a try."
"Hey, Leshawna!" Heather beams. Leshawna purses her lips and glares. "Look, I know we've had our differences, but I really need your help right now."
"Mmhmm," Leshawna responds sassily.
"Did you happen to sneak into a jeweller and steal a tiara?" Heather asks.
"I most certainly did not. What would I want with a glorified hunk of metal?" Leshawna says.
"It's made of diamonds." Heather says pointedly. "Wait. Leshawna, would you consider me a close friend of yours?" she asks.
"Of course," says Leshawna.
"Ha. You're lying, I knew it. Okay so you stole the tiara. Did you give it to someone else?"
"No!" Leshawna denies.
"Was it someone who competed this season?"
"No…"
"Male or female?"
"Female."
"Okay, so a male who competed in this season… was he on the Killer Bass or the Screaming Gophers?" Heather asks.
"The Bass," Leshawna replies.
"Ugh, this is excruciating! There must be an easier way to get information out of you!" Heather complains.
"You're telling me!" Leshawna rolls her eyes. "Look, I'm sick of this. The person you're looking for is not a model, got it?" Leshawna hints.
"Got it! Thanks Leshawna, you're the best!"
"Gwen!" Courtney says and Gwen turns around.
"Courtney, finally!" the girls hug. "How are you?"
"I'm okay," Courtney replies. "I mean, I'm great. Why wouldn't I be, I'm in this close to a million dollars." She smiles.
"Listen, I know you want to know about the tiara, but I really want to ask you about Duncan." Gwen says. They search the crowd for Heather and see her approach Leshawna.
"I think we've got time," Courtney laughs.
"So… are you two going to get back together?" Gwen gets straight to the point. Courtney sighs.
"I don't know… I… I think after this is all over I really need to talk to him," Courtney says.
"Did you read the letter?" Gwen asks.
"You know about that?" Courtney frowns.
"Well, yeah, he told me about it while we were on LoserIsland. He didn't say what he wrote though. So did you?"
"No…" Courtney says.
"Really? He was certain you would… he basically said that if you didn't read it he'd know there was no hope and that it would be a sign for him to let go," Gwen says.
"He said that?" Courtney asks. Gwen nods. "I just haven't had time! I'll go and read it now," Courtney says and starts to leave.
"But what about the tiara?" Gwen reminds her.
"It can wait!" Courtney calls back to her, rushing off. Gwen I left gobsmacked.
CONFESSIONAL: Gwen
"Courtney is abandoning her search for the tiara to read a letter from Duncan? This is the same girl who left him alone with a twisted ankle for a million dollars. The same one who wrote him a 32 page letter of guidelines for their relationship and an entire list of things he should change about himself. And now she's running off to read a letter, most likely giving up any chance of winning, just because there's a tiny possibility she might lose him for good if she doesn't? All I can say is… wow. I guess people really do change."
Courtney runs into the bathroom, pulling the letter from Duncan out of her cleavage. She goes into a stall, locks the door, puts the lid of the toilet down and sits down.
Courtney,
I'm writing you this letter because I honestly don't know if you'll ever let me speak to you again, and I never really got a chance to say all the things I needed to say to you. I don't know why you kissed me back at the dock, but it felt like you were trying to say goodbye. Courtney, please do not give up on me. I know I've been an idiot and I am so sorry for everything I did to hurt you, and I know I did a lot. I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you. I finally learned why you pretended to be engaged to Noah. Bridgette told me it was for protection against me. So you wouldn't be tempted to start something with me again and with the hope that if you were taken I would leave you alone. I'm so sorry you ever felt you needed to do that and I'm sorry I didn't heed your wishes. If you tell me that you never want to see me again after you read this, I promise I won't bother you again, but I hope you don't regret anything that happened between us while we were on the island, because I don't. I had the most fun when I was with you, and I hope I'm right in saying you had fun with me. I know fun can't fix everything but it's a start right? There's so much more I want to say to you, but I don't want to write it in this letter because I feel like that would be taking the coward's way out. I'll be at tomorrow's challenge, if you feel anything for me, and want to try this again, please come and find me and let me say the rest.
Love, Duncan.
Courtney reads the words three times before they truly sink in. Her heart flips over every time she reads the last part. It isn't everything she needs to hear, but it's certainly a start. She holds the letter to her chest, her heart pounding. She feels kind of lightheaded and something else, almost hopeful. She makes her decision then, standing up and fumbling with the lock on the door. She rushes out of the bathroom and sees Heather talking to Justin. Chris hadn't told them how many people they'd have to talk to before they found the tiara, so she has no idea how close Heather is, or even how close she is herself. For all she knows, Gwen had the last clue. But instead of looking for Gwen, she searches the room for Duncan. She doesn't see him but she spots Geoff talking to DJ so she goes over to them.
"Geoff, where's Duncan?" Courtney asks urgently.
"Why do you want to know?" Geoff asks.
"Because I read his letter and I really want to talk to him!" Courtney snaps.
"Are you going to break his heart?" Geoff frowns.
"No!" Courtney stamps her foot impatiently. "I want to tell him that I… forgive him. So where is he?" Geoff's expression softens and he glances at DJ nervously.
"Court… I'm really sorry, but he left." Geoff says.
"He left?" Courtney whispers, feeling like she's been punched in the chest. "Why? What did he say?"
"He said… he thought you didn't love him and there was no point hanging around for a lost cause," Geoff says, cringing.
"But I do! I do." Courtney says in despair. Geoff and DJ exchange a look of surprise.
"You do?" Geoff asks. Courtney nods.
"Well, it wasn't that long ago, maybe he's still here," DJ says, glancing around.
"I think he went that way," Geoff says, pointing toward the exit. Courtney picks up her skirts and runs in the direction that Geoff is pointing.
"Courtney, wait!" Geoff calls. Courtney stops and turns back to him. He frowns, as if he is trying to think of the right thing to say. "Just so you know, Bridgette doesn't have the tiara!"
"Okay… thanks!" she's slightly confused by the last comment but she shakes it off and runs out into the hallway of the hotel. There's no sign of Duncan in the hallways or in the lobby. She goes to the front desk to ask after him.
"I haven't seen anyone of that description, sorry ma'am," says the receptionist. "It's possible he slipped by without me noticing though, we've been very busy." Defeated, Courtney turns around to head back to the ballroom when she notices Bridgette and Lindsay chatting by an indoor tree fern.
"Bridgette?" Courtney says. Bridgette turns around.
"Finally! I thought you'd never get here! Come on, let's go!" Bridgette grabs Courtney's arm and drags her back towards the ballroom.
"Why are you out here in the lobby?" Courtney asks, confused.
"Oh, that's just where Chris told us to be. I had to miss half the party but I don't mind, the rest will be much better now!" Bridgette smiles as they run towards the ballroom. Halfway back they see Heather coming towards them.
"No!" Heather cries, running past them.
"Better luck next time!" Bridgette laughs.
"It's not over yet!" Heather calls back. Bridgette and Courtney enter the ballroom and Bridgette leads Courtney over to the stage.
"Bridgette, seriously, what's going on?" Courtney hisses as they climb the stairs.
"Don't you know?" Bridgette says in surprise.
"No!" Courtney snaps.
"I'm about to crown you the winner of Total Drama Ten Years Later, so hurry up before Heather gets back!" Bridgette says urgently.
"Wait, what? You have the tiara?" Courtney asks, bewildered. Bridgette nods. "Geoff was lying," Courtney says, more to herself than to Bridgette.
"Yeah, Chris said he had to. Why, what did he say?"
"It doesn't matter," Courtney says, her heart swelling. Bridgette walks over to the microphone and Courtney follows her. The band stops playing and Heather and Lindsay burst into the ballroom. Before they can walk any further, Bridgette clears her throat and speaks into the microphone.
"I declare Courtney to be the winner of Total Drama Ten Years Later!" she pulls the tiara out of her bag and places it on Courtney's head. Chris walks out and shakes her hand as everyone applauds her victory.
"Congratulations Courtney, I'm so glad it wasn't Heather!" Chris says. Courtney beams. She looks out into the crowd, pretending to be drinking in their applause but really she's looking for someone. She finally spots him at the back with Geoff and DJ and he has a ridiculous smirk on his face.
"Let's get Heather and Lindsay up here!" Chris says. Heather and Lindsay walk onto the stage and Lindsay hands Heather her tiara.
"You get to keep the tiara," Lindsay consoles her. Heather rolls her eyes.
"Great." She says sarcastically. The band starts up again and Courtney walks over to Heather.
"Sorry you lost," she says.
"Me too." Heather says shortly. She sighs. "But I guess if I had to lose to someone, I'm glad it's you." She gives Courtney a hug. "Congrats, I guess."
"Maybe you can take over Chris's job as host and then convince the network to give you the million you lost out on." Courtney suggests.
"Actually, that's not a bad idea. I'd be an excellent host. Way better, and hotter, than Chris." Heather smiles. The band stops playing again and Chris walks up to the microphone.
"Uh, Lindsay would like to sing a song. This is a cover of Someone Somewhere Tonight by Kellie Pickler." Chris announces. Lindsay steps up to the microphone and the band begins again. Heather and Courtney look at each other, ready to cringe at Lindsay's voice.
"Someone, somewhere tonight, is taking their first steps," Lindsay sings. Heather and Courtney look at her in surprise, as she actually sounds quite nice. Courtney looks out into the crowd at Duncan again. She can tell he's waiting for her so she makes her excuses to Heather and leaves the stage as Lindsay continues her song. Courtney walks across the ballroom until she is standing in front of Duncan.
"Princess," he bows. "May I have this dance?" he asks, holding out his hand. Courtney raises her eyebrows but she takes his hand. He spins her under his arm as they walk onto the dance floor. He doesn't really know how to dance so they just sway to the music. "So you read the letter," Duncan starts. Courtney nods, blushing. She realises Geoff and DJ probably told him everything she said and suddenly she feels shy and embarrassed. "You're adorable when you're embarrassed," Duncan laughs. Courtney glares at him. She drops her hands and goes to walk away but he just pulls her tighter to him.
"Don't be like that," he says.
"Well, you better get to the point then! And stop laughing at me." She snaps. Duncan nods.
"Courtney, I said most of what I needed to say in the letter, but there was one thing I had tell you face to face, or it wouldn't seem genuine." Duncan says.
"Okay," Courtney says in anticipation.
"I really… think you look great in a tiara. You should lose the dress though," he winks.
"Ugh!" Courtney pushes him away and goes to storm off again. Duncan grabs her arm and pulls her back to him, kissing her as he wraps his arms around her waist. She locks her arms around his neck as he dips her, still kissing her. Someone gives them a wolf whistle.
"Get a room!" calls Noah. Duncan and Courtney ignore them. Duncan stops the kiss for a second and they look into each others eyes.
"I'm so in love with you," he whispers. "I've been in love with you for ten years." He puts her upright but doesn't widen the distance between them.
"Why did it take you so long to tell me?" she asks.
"I was scared." he replies. She nods and kisses him again.
"Me too. And I love you, but I think you already knew that," she smiles.
"So… do you want to try this again?" Duncan asks, somehow still nervous that she'll say no. Courtney looks at him seriously.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Courtney asks.
"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"
"You know who I am. I'm bossy and controlling and ambitious and I can't change." Courtney warns.
"I wouldn't want you to." Duncan replies, kissing her on the nose.
"We'll fight all the time," Courtney whispers.
"And it will be totally worth it," Duncan assures her.
"Okay," Courtney says quietly.
"Okay?" Duncan confirms. Courtney nods, tears filling her eyes.
"Damn," she says as Duncan wipes a tear from her cheek. "I said I wouldn't cry over you anymore."
"But these are happy tears, right?" Duncan asks. Courtney replies by grabbing his shirt and pulling his mouth to hers.
"You're still not my type," she says into his mouth. Duncan just laughs.
Wow this is the end! Thanks to everyone who read this through to the end and to everyone who reviewed. Please let me know what you thought, I love the feedback! I hope it lived up to your expectations. Well anyway, bye for now!