Sometime after she'd collapsed into bed she'd dozed off. During her slumber she'd dreamt of when they first met.

Gwen attempted to push ahead of her, eager to get off the bus, the two growled at each other, the goth making a jab at her newly bought hair extensions. Stepping off the bus, Heather peered over her sunglasses, assessing the other contestants. There wasn't much difference than last season- and even less to be impressed by.

Her castmates were predictable- they followed the same patterns each and every time, they'd all be easy to beat. This was her season- she had it in the bag. She joined her fellow contestants, standing silently at the back of the group. The incessant chatter joined the howls of the wind on the breezy runway, watching as Chris introduced each of the cast members to the camera.

" And now to mix things up and keep it all fresh, we're adding two new competitors! He's an honour-roll student with a diplomat for a dad and an amazing ability to charm the pants off most species. Alejandro!" The hosts voice echoed among them; the cast had gone silent; not realising that there had been new competitors on the ride here.

Now this, this was a wild card. This 'Alejandro' that stepped off the bus was entirely fitting to his introduction; his tan skin and long hair glowing in the sun- even Heather was taken aback by him, apart from her, he was probably the most attractive person here.

But there was certainly something else about him, Heather couldn't entirely place it, but in all his glory, she knew he was trouble- he was already making headway with the other contestants, Heather watching as he helped Bridgette and Izzy to their feet.

Alejandro had quickly become her biggest on-screen adversary; a few weeks later they were at each other's throats- during the competition, and other on-screen moments, she couldn't stand him, he was practically perfect- if not a little arrogant.

She couldn't sense his strategy right away- he was hot and cold. One minute she thought she could see right through him- the next she was left clueless, and in front of the other contestants, she tried to appear as if she didn't care about him whatsoever- Heather considered how well she played this role, and even in times of pressure, she kept up the façade.

In the few private moments they could grasp, away from the prying eyes of the camera, they had moments that were- different- from the rest. To anyone else, it may have seemed like a rich friendship was blooming, but these moments where they were alone only made the rivalry grow.

Few and far between, their moments of peace were rare- they were vying for first place, and they couldn't show weakness- not to their team mates, not each other. The pair despised each other- the tension between them could've been cut with a knife.

At this point, it was late in the competition- and she'd gotten herself wedged in a goddamn hole. There was no one but the various cameramen and crew for miles- she was stuck, she wouldn't die out there; legally they just had to wait until the challenge was over before they could fish her out.

That was it, she was going to lose the competition, and by extension- the million dollars she had worked so hard for, she thought- when she heard his warm laugh fill the air, the sound of it infuriating her.

"Don't just stand there, get me out of here!" She cried, eyeing him as he inspected the oil slick she had discovered "And don't even think about it Alejandro, that barrel is mine!"

Heather had barely finished her sentence when she heard the familiar ding of the song bell, accompanied by their 'gracious' host. Alejandro began the musical number, while she sat there, disgruntled and still wedged underneath the boulder.

" I left Bridgette stuck to a pole; robbed Leshawna of her fabulous soul; made even Courtney lose control- now I'm gonna leave you, wedged up in hole!" he taunted her, burst into a powerful chorus. "This is how we will end it- this game we have played. This is how we will end it- your bill must be paid!"

His song infuriated her. Heather wanted nothing more than to scream at him- and if she were able; push him off a cliff. Nevertheless, she knew she had to sing in order to stay in the game- even if her chances of winning the challenge were slim; she didn't come this far to be eliminated by a song.

She join the ballad- singing along to the tune, hastily making up the words as she went along " Shouldn't've mocked you for having to dig, help me out and I'll be your human drill rig-"

"You think I'm gonna fall for that- it ain't a tea party- it's combat" he retorted- ignoring her plea, before launching into chorus again.

Heather's face was forlorn, she knew they hated each other- but she had hoped their few moments of fondness would encourage him to prevent her elimination in such a shameful way. She wasn't going to lie; at this point she was on the verge of tears- all she had worked for was crumbling at her feet; and she knew she couldn't let it end like this- it wasn't right

As she sang her thoughts, he flinched; he knew it was beneath him- but this was his chance to eliminate his biggest competition.

She stopped singing and cleared her throat, locking eyes with him. "Please, Alejandro. You and I have been the greatest adversaries this game has ever seen! Is this how you wanna win it? Because I got jammed into a pit by a stupid rock? Is that the victory you want?"

His cold resolve faltered, his warm brown eyes softening- and again, he began to sing.

" I left… Bridgette stuck to a pole,

Robbed Leshawna of her fabulous soul,

Made even Courtney lose control;

But- I can't leave you, wedged in a hole" Heather smiled at his change of heart, clapping as he lifted the rock from above her

"This is not how we'll end it- this game we have played! This is not how we'll end it- but there's a bill to be payed" lifting her out of the hole, he drew her close, locking eyes as he stopped singing.

"Could you… put me down?" she asked tenderly

"You will never, never, never vote for me." He stated, his face hardening

"Of course not, there's only like two votes left anyway" she assured him, stroking his cheek.

"Promise?"

"I promise, now can you cut the King-Kong act and put me the 'Heller' down?" As Alejandro set her down, she reached for her pickaxe- turning to dig for the barrel she had earlier found.

"Uh-uh, now you will help me dig up a barrel, we will finish this challenge together"

Later, they sat the elimination ceremony, tensions once again high. Heather had earlier vented to the confessional- just to clear up that she hadn't enjoyed him holding her.

Which she had.

A lot.

But she couldn't let her feelings get in the way of the game- she was here for one thing, and one thing only; to win.

By the time had come to vote, she was conflicted- on the one hand Sierra was a threat. She'd managed to get both herself and Cody to the final four; flying under everyone's radar- voting Cody off would destroy her.

On the other hand, Alejandro was even more of a threat. He got under her skin in a way that no one else could, and he was so good at everything. She'd just have to hope for another eating challenge.

She'd earlier talked to Sierra- who had been after her blood all day; she'd found a photoshopped picture of Heather and Cody (something that sickened Heather to even think about) and was out for revenge. Alejandro had been the culprit behind the photo- doing his best to get Heather eliminated.

That was the final straw- she knew if she voted for him, he'd be a goner- simple. But a nagging voice at the edge of her mind told her not to.

Pushing the thought aside, she stamped his passport, laying a finger on the photo.

"Goodbye Alejandro"

Her plan had been simple. Eliminate Alejandro, win the game.

But of course, Sierra had to go and blow up the plane.

During the explosion, his first instinct was to shield Heather with his own body- his 'temple' as he had called it- and Heather's stomach turned. What had she done? Sure, she hated him. Despised even. But In her passionate hate- she realised- she also was falling for him.

Shortly after the explosion, they ran to Sierra's aid, she was burnt to a crisp- but alive. Heather ran back to the fire and quickly threw the passports in the fire- he couldn't know, none of them could.

Heather awoke to a knock at the door- she lifted her head from her arm and laid eyes on Cody, who was awkwardly lingering at the door; unsure whether he was about to get his head bitten off.

"What do you want?" she growled, face planting back into the bed.

"Uh- it's our turn to do the laundry"

Oh. She'd forgotten about that- it was one of the conditions of her board. Disgruntled, she dragged herself from her bed, smoothing her crumpled clothes- realising she was still wearing Alejandro's jumper, before following him to the laundry room.

Life in the house was entirely different to rooming with her castmates on the show- sure, she still had rocky relationships with most of her housemates (with the way she acted on the show, it wasn't surprising) but there was some sort of unspoken agreement where everybody was at least civil to one another

Compared to the competition, life was mundane. Finding herself happily chatting with Leshawna and Cody while they folded laundry was something she wouldn't have envisioned for her future. In the few times they'd seen each other since the competition, Heather and Leshawna had managed to strike up and unlikely friendship- often laughing about their previous hatred for each other.

"So, girl. You gotta tell me- what is the deal between you and the devil incarnate?"

Heather lifted her gaze to meet the other girls', her skin paling at the question. "Who?"

"You know exactly who I'm talking about." Pausing to place a towel in a basket, the girl flicked her hair over her shoulder, placing a hand on her hip. " Your Latino lover? Alejandro? You keep avoiding him like he's diseased. Meanwhile, he's chasing you like a puppy dog."

" Uh, well-" Heather Stammered. "It's complicated, things ended badly between us"

"He seems sorry"

"Yeah well, he's lied before"

"That was in the game" Cody piped in, looking between the two.

"In any case, I'm done with him- I'm here to get my degree, not get distracted"

"Mm-hmm. Wait- Isn't that his jacket?" Leshawna wasn't buying it- Heather didn't blame her- she may be here to get her degree, but a part of her still had feelings for him- and she'd never been good at hiding it.

They finished the chore with idle chatter, and when they finished Heather resolved to take a walk throughout the gardens. Before she left, she removed his jacket, leaving it on the counter in the laundry.

The gardens that surrounded the estate were break taking, she took them all in as she strolled throughout them- trying to clear her mind. Heather had lost track of time when she came across a small pond underneath a large oak tree.

Taking a seat at the tree's roots, she wrapped her arms around her knees, drawing them closer. She recalled her earlier dream both the thought of the past and the chilly wind sending shivers down her spine. Heather had been sitting below the tree for a while, still exhausted from the day past, dozing off, when she heard a familiar voice.

"You know, if you didn't want the jacket, you could have at least returned it"

Heather glanced up at him, staring blankly.

"Still not talking to me?" He sighed, taking a seat beside her. "Ahh, Heather. Stubborn as always."

The wind picked up, the Autumn air turning her lips blue. Alejandro said nothing as he put the jacket around her shoulders, as he had earlier that day.

"You know, it's two in the morning. No one had seen you since 8 o'clock- not that anyone else cared enough to come look, they figured you'd take care of yourself."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why won't you leave me alone?"

"Well, Heather," Alejandro met her eyes, taking her hand in his. " Because I believe there is still something here"

Heather looking away, pulled her hand from his " Well, you're wrong. You can't just slither your way back into my life" She stood up, brushing the grass off her legs. "Thanks for the jacket."