A/N: Hello all! This is a one-shot that takes place during the Total Drama Island episode Phobia Factor. It's basically my take on why Courtney wasn't voted off despite losing the challenge for the Killer Bass. Thanks for reading!
Disclaimer: No, I still don't own Total Drama. I can dream, though…
Duncan kicked at a small pebble on the ground, sending it skidding across the grass.
Stupid fear challenge, he thought ruefully, shoving his hands into his pockets as he continued walking.
The "Phobia Factor" challenge, as Chris McLean was calling his latest method of torture, had finally ended, and the Killer Bass had lost yet again. With their tails tucked in anticipation of the approaching campfire ceremony, his teammates had scattered to various moping spots around the island. The members of the Screaming Gophers had disappeared as well, abandoning the campground to the for-once-peaceful sounds of late afternoon.
At least the loss wasn't my fault, Duncan thought, casting around for something else to kick. I made it past my fear.
A smile involuntarily leapt to his face as he remembered confronting his fear: the Celine Deon music store standee. Courtney had come up beside him and, momentarily forgetting she was perpetually irritated at him, taken his hand in hers and offered a few encouraging words. At first, the act had surprised him; although he had to admit, it was nice talking to her without yelling.
Later that day, in an attempt to preserve the momentary truce between them, he had tried to encourage her as well, saying that it was okay if she couldn't face her own fear, which turned out to be jumping off a rather tall diving board into a kiddie pool of green jelly.
Initially, Duncan had been hard pressed not to tease her.
I mean, green jelly? he thought. Who's actually afraid of green jelly?
But, when he had seen the horrified expression on her face, he simply couldn't bring himself to do it. Besides, he thought she was going to jump; after all, it was Courtney, and he knew she hated being viewed as weak. However, the green jelly had been more than she could stand, and, despite the fact that the jump would've given them a chance against the Screaming Gophers, she had forfeited the challenge, costing the team the win.
Duncan sent a frustrated kick at a nearby stick. He should be angry with her, but he wasn't. If it had been anyone else on the team, besides himself, of course, he would be. But something deep within him seemed to have decided Courtney should be counted among the special few who he didn't criticize for being afraid.
He frowned, uncertain how he felt about that. The confession cam, housed in a rickety old outhouse, was a few yards away, and Duncan paused as he caught sight of it.
Might as well add a comment or two, he mused. Let dear old Mom and Dad know I'm actually participating.
He only made it a few steps before a muffled, whimpering noise floated toward him. Someone was already in the confession cam, crying.
Duncan grimaced with irritation. It had to be Sadie, still lamenting the loss of her BFFFL, Katie. Narrowing his eyes, he marched forward, preparing to bang on the door and demand she go whine somewhere else. He stopped short as the person inside began speaking.
"I'm so embarrassed."
He arched his eyebrows in surprise as he recognized the voice.
Courtney.
"How could I be so weak?" she continued. "I deserve to go home."
How long has she been in there?
Duncan brushed off the concerned question as quickly as he could, shooting a glare across the empty campground.
She's not making me go soft, he mentally growled.
That being said, he knew he should probably see if she was okay.
"Stop it!" she suddenly snarled at herself, her tone taking a drastic and overly-aggressive change. "You're pathetic! Show some confidence, Courtney."
Whatever she was trying to do obviously didn't work, for she simply burst into tears again.
I'm not going soft, Duncan firmly repeated to himself, ignoring the pang in his subconscious that warned he was endangering his punk status.
He stepped forward, knocking loudly on the door. The pitiful sniffling instantly stopped. There was a shuffling sound before she spoke.
"Whoever you are, please come back in a moment." Her voice was clipped and held the unnatural pitch of someone fighting back tears whilst trying to pretend they weren't.
"No, I don't think I will," Duncan replied flatly, crossing his arms and preparing to argue her outside if necessary.
There was a bit more shuffling, then finally the door swung open, and there stood Courtney. Her eyes were red and her mascara smeared, as if she had been hastily wiping away tears.
"What do you want?" she demanded, scowling up at him in a way that was both pathetic and adorable. "Come to rub my failure in my face?"
Duncan narrowed his eyes, rapidly constructing a stinging retort before abruptly stopping himself. She did have a point; he wasn't exactly known for his sympathetic tendencies.
"For once, you're not on my list of people to annoy," he informed her instead.
She blinked, pursing her lips. Whatever response she had been expecting, this clearly wasn't it. However, she hardly missed a beat before snapping, "Then why are you here?"
"Well, I was going to use the confession cam," he replied, working hard to keep his expression neutral as every instinct told him to snap back at her. "But you were already in there bawling."
He had wanted to say "crying," but his bad-boy reputation advised him to keep it blunt.
"I was not bawling!" Courtney burst out, her cheeks flushing, though whether from anger or embarrassment, it was difficult to tell. "And if you weren't coming to annoy me, you're doing a terrible job of it!"
She pushed past him and stormed away toward the Killer Bass cabin. Duncan felt a small flicker of regret at his word choice. Almost without conscious command, he started after her.
"Well," he tried, "whatever you were doing, it sure didn't sound like fun."
"What makes you think I want to talk to you about it?" she snapped, not bothering to look at him as she quickened her pace.
"You're the one who opened the door," he pointed out.
Courtney's scowl deepened, and she abruptly stopped, whirling around to look him in the eye. "What do you want?" she demanded again. "I know you aren't here because you feel sorry for me, and frankly, I don't want your sympathy."
Duncan glared back at her. For a girl who he was confident had a crush on him, she certainly made things difficult.
"I'm not here because I feel sorry for you," he shot back.
"Then why are you following me?" she snarled. "Afraid you won't have anyone to pick on after I go home tonight?"
Duncan raised an eyebrow to hide a twinge of startled disappointment. "Who told you you're going home tonight?"
Courtney's scowl faltered. "No one," she replied, trying to retort but ending up sounding dejected. "Isn't it obvious? I lost the entire challenge for us. Nobody will want me here after that."
Duncan blinked, shutting his mouth with an audible click. For the first time he could remember, she had caught him completely off guard. Her ever-present and often times annoying over-confidence had melted, and in its place had risen an ashamed sort of defeat.
This wasn't the Courtney he was used to.
He cleared his throat a bit awkwardly, trying to buy himself a few extra seconds to think. Courtney turned away to stare at the nearby trees.
"Well," he said at last, "you don't know for certain you'll be voted off. Tyler didn't finish his challenge, and neither did Bridgette."
"But the whole team wasn't counting on them," Courtney pointed out, crossing her arms, but still avoiding his gaze. "They needed me to finish, and I didn't."
"Does it matter?" Duncan asked, racking his brain for something comforting but not too sentimental to say. "We've lost before."
"Not because of just me!" she countered, seemingly unaffected by his attempted reassurance. "And everyone is already expecting me to do everything right! I was a—"
"A C.I.T., yeah, you've told me," he interrupted dryly before he could stop himself.
Courtney shot him a scowl then looked away again, but not before he noticed her eyes shimmering with a fresh bout of tears. He swallowed hard, realizing he needed a new tactic.
His memory suddenly jumped back to earlier that day, when she had taken his hand in an effort to offer support.
Time to return the favor, whispered a tiny voice in his head.
Repressing a sigh and casting a cursory glance around for any lurking cameramen, he took a step closer to her. Subconsciously hoping she wouldn't jerk away, he reached out and grasped her hand.
Courtney whipped around, startled, and Duncan caught her gaze.
"It was just one challenge," he said, surprising himself with how calm his own voice sounded. "It's not like we lost the entire game."
She continued to stare at him for a moment, her dark eyes reflecting a sort of internal battle, hesitance warring with a longing to believe him. Finally, she dropped her gaze.
"I guess you're right," she sighed.
A satisfied smile spread across Duncan's face. "Of course I'm right," he replied; the words came out much softer than he was expecting. In an effort to save his reputation, he added a bit smugly, "It's about time you noticed."
Courtney shot him another glance, this one an odd mixture of annoyance and amusement. "Well, as they say, even a broken clock is right twice a day."
Encouraged by the return of her sarcasm, Duncan allowed his grin to widen. "Witty, Princess," he smirked. "Very witty."
Courtney made a face at him, but didn't let go of his hand. She opened her mouth to fire a comeback, but Chris's voice suddenly burst forth from the PA system.
"Attention, campers," he called out cheerily, his TV-perfect tone hinting that he was talking through a TV-perfect smile. "Dinner will be served in the dining hall in exactly one hour. And to the Killer Bass: I hope you've picked our newest has-been, because I'll be seeing you at the campfire ceremony tonight. That will be all."
Once Chris's voice finished ringing out across the campground, Courtney dropped Duncan's hand.
"Well," she sighed, "I hope the rest of the team sees it as only one loss, too." She started toward the Killer Bass cabin again, casting him a glance over her shoulder. "And…thanks."
"Don't mention it," he replied, sending her a smile that he hoped didn't look sappy.
As she disappeared into the girls' side of the cabin, Duncan backtracked to the confession cam; he needed an undisturbed moment to think.
It was likely most of the team would vote for Courtney that night…unless they were encouraged not to.
Well, the only other choices are Bridgette or Tyler, he mused, opening the outhouse door and stepping inside.
Courtney probably wouldn't appreciate it if he conspired to have her best friend voted off, so that left Tyler.
Duncan sat down, thinking hard. He could count on Bridgette to not vote for Courtney, and could easily convince Geoff and DJ to vote with him. Threatening Harold into it wouldn't be a problem, and he could talk Bridgette into persuading Sadie. He knew the blonde surfer didn't like him, and he had to admit, the feeling was mutual, but since he was trying to help Courtney, maybe she would listen. And with the six of them combined, whoever Tyler and Courtney voted for wouldn't matter.
That settled it, then.
Don't worry, Princess, Duncan silently reassured her, grateful that the cameras would never pick up on his thoughts. I'll make sure you don't go home tonight.