So from now on I will be including some snippets from Gwen's POV, although it will still mainly be Courtney and Duncan. Thanks so much everyone for the reviews on the last chapter, it really makes me smile to people speculating and just generally loving this story and getting invested in the characters and their emotions! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

PS this episode this chapter revolves around, while being extremely funny, is so random and it was so hard to make anything make sense so I hope I did okay!

Gwen liked Trent, she really did. She'd been cut when he kissed Heather, and she'd missed him a lot when he was gone. It was so sweet of him to help her during the last challenge, even if she hadn't won in the end. But he wasn't her soulmate. And she'd been disappointed, but that was life. But she hadn't realised that she was his. And he was saying that he loved her, and planning what they would do when they left the island. And she hadn't found a way to tell him yet.

The boat ride back to Playa des Losers was excruciating. She was smiling and laughing but inside her stomach was churning as she tried to figure out when the right time to tell him was, and what exactly she should say.

Trent grabbed her hand as they got off the ferry and walked up to the resort. The air was buzzing with excitement as the group of teenagers laughed and ran around, the full moon high in the sky, no rules, no competition to worry about and a whole resort at their disposal. Gwen wished she could feel the same. Instead, she had this heavy weight on her shoulders and she knew she wouldn't be able to relax until she told Trent the truth.

"Is there somewhere we can talk in private?" she asked, glancing at Trent a little nervously.

"Sure, we can go to my room," Trent nodded, leading her there. "So what's up?" Trent asked after they were safely shut in his room.

"Trent…" Gwen started hesitantly. "I don't really know how to tell you this so I guess I'll just show you," she sighed. Trent looked at her quizzically as she pulled down the sleeve of her top to reveal her shoulder and the top of her breast.

"They're… they're black," Trent said dumbly. "But… we're soulmates," he gulped.

"I'm so sorry, Trent! I wish you were my soulmate too! I really like you and I don't even know who else it could be! I'd rather be with you," Gwen rambled.

"Gwen," Trent said softly. "Gwen." She stopped talking. "It's okay," he said soothingly, taking a step towards her and rubbing her shoulders. He really was incredible. She'd just dropped a huge bombshell on him and he was comforting her.

"I don't want to force you into anything, but I'm in love with you," Trent said. "If you want to try and be together anyway, I can learn to live with not being your soulmate."

"Really?" Gwen smiled. Trent nodded. "Okay," Gwen threw her arms around him and kissed him. Properly this time, not like the first time, and even though he wasn't her soulmate, it still felt right.

Courtney could have screamed when she found out they had to stay on Playa des Losers for another week. Chris said he had a "special surprise" planned for them all, and if history was anything to go by, this did not bode well for any of them.

She'd been avoiding Duncan at every turn, and he kept seeking her out. He even had DJ slip her a note but she refused to read it. What could he possibly have to say to her?

She was heading into the elevator one day, three days after the final challenge, and she noticed at the last second that Duncan was already in there. She turned to run away, but Duncan grabbed her and dragged her in. As soon as the doors were shut he pressed the emergency stop button.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Courtney scowled.

"You've been avoiding me," Duncan observed.

"Well done, Captain Obvious. I believe I told you to fuck off?" she hissed, hitting the stop button again to get the elevator moving again. Duncan immediately stopped it again.

"Yeah, I remember. But you never gave me a chance to say anything," Duncan rolled his eyes.

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say," Courtney snorted.

"Look, Courtney, I'm sorry you're not my soulmate. Believe me, before we kissed I was sure you were. But that doesn't mean we can't… you know," he trailed off.

"Hook up?" Courtney finished acidly. "No thanks."

"That's not what I meant," Duncan huffed. "Why are you always putting words into my mouth."

"Well if you'd just say what you mean instead of being such a butthead about it!" Courtney grumbled.

"Did you just call me a butthead?" Duncan smirked.

"Will you just say what you need to so we can get out of this elevator and I don't have to look at you anymore?" Courtney snapped.

"I don't give a fuck about soulmates. I never have. The point is, I want you, soulmates be damned," Duncan told her.

"You want me?" Courtney squeaked. "Like… to be your girlfriend?" Duncan nodded. This so wasn't what she was expecting.

"What do you say?" Duncan asked. He kind of looked nervous which was a little endearing. But still, there were reasons they couldn't be together.

"Duncan, what makes you think we would make a remotely good couple? We have nothing in common. You like punk and dirt and gore, and I like order and cleanliness and getting things right. We're totally incompatible!" Courtney ranted.

"Maybe they're the things that make us perfect together," Duncan shrugged.

"Also you have terrible hair," Courtney said grimly.

"Hey, that's a low blow," Duncan frowned.

"It's not my fault you have absolutely no sense of style," Courtney snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Well, you're not that crash hot yourself. What's up with this dumb sweater?" Duncan said, grabbing her sleeve.

"See, look, we're fighting already," Courtney pointed out, her point proven.

"Come on. You can't deny we have chemistry," Duncan convinced. She certainly couldn't deny that. "What if we just… see what happens?" Duncan suggested with a shrug. Courtney chewed her lip, thinking it over.

"Just… let me think about it, okay?" she finally said.

"Okay," Duncan agreed, starting the elevator again.

Duncan was actually kind of disappointed they couldn't stay longer on Playa des Losers. He'd been having a great time without any adult supervision. And no, he wasn't the hugest fan of some of the other people he had to put up with, but anything was better than going back and having to see his family. He hadn't won the money and as of yet he hadn't won the girl, so going home felt a little like failure. Staying here felt like freedom.

Courtney hadn't exactly been avoiding him since he forced her to listen to him in the elevator, but neither had she sought him out to tell him how much she wanted to be with him. Still, he wasn't discouraged yet. They had one more day here, and a lot could happen in a day. Chris was supposed to be showing up at any moment to tell them about the "special surprise" he had planned. Duncan figured he'd enjoy what little time they had left by partying up. He was dancing by the pool when he felt Courtney's icy glare settle on him. Seriously what was her problem?

"Ew. Duncan, stop it!" she said in disgust. Duncan did stop, but only so he could smirk at her. She was the one who walked up to him after all, so she must want to talk to him.

"Why so uptight hotstuff?" he asked. "What happened to that crazy chick who helped me raid the camp kitchen?" he said, immediately resuming his dancing. Courtney continued to glare at him with her arms folded.

"I'm over this stupid show!" she huffed. "I lost the competition, my pathetic lawyer lost my lawsuit and now I just want to go home, study for my LSATs, and work my class president campaign!" Duncan raised an eyebrow at her. She was seriously so lame. Why did he like her again?

"Wow, hello downer! Come on, relax, it's almost over! I thought you'd be happy," he shrugged.

"I am happy!" she cried in frustration, causing everyone around to look over at her. Duncan rolled his eyes as everyone else went back to their business.

"So was there something you wanted to tell me?" he hinted.

"No! Why would you think that?" Courtney scowled.

"Well, I was over here, minding my own business and you came over and started harassing me," Duncan pointed out. Courtney looked about to bite back a snarky retort but was distracted by Chris walking over and placing a silver briefcase at his feet. Courtney and Duncan both glared at him in irritation for interrupting them.

"Hello, campers!" Chris said in a sing song voice, throwing his hands in the air.

"Ah, that's ex campers to you," Duncan pointed out, frowning at Chris.

"Yeah, your twisted game is over! Remember?" Heather interjected. Chef walked over with the huge cheque he had just snatched from Owen and Chris whispered something to him and the two of them chuckled evilly. Chris then proceeded to announce there was one million dollars in the briefcase he'd brought with him. And that Owen could either take the hundred thousand or play for the million. Owen chose the million and Chef tore the cheque for a hundred thousand in two. Which meant they all had a chance at getting a million dollars.

Duncan glanced at Courtney and he could see the gears turning in her head. She wanted that million, there was no doubt about it. And so did he. But there was no way they were letting Chris manipulate them again.

"Ah sit on it," Duncan spat as he followed Courtney over to the buffet. Maybe they could finish their talk. But then again, they couldn't let Owen win the money.

Everyone decided at the same moment that they were going to go for it, and somehow they all ended up in a huge pile at the edge of the forest. Duncan was at the bottom and he could feel Courtney on top of him, struggling to get free.

"Hey, I've got an idea!" Beth said. "Let's work together as a team! We can split the prize twenty two ways and share it!" Okay, that was a terrible idea. Duncan went back to trying to pull himself out when he felt a small hand close around his wrist and drag him from the pile, only to find Courtney grinning at him.

"Ahhh! Let's go get that million dollars!" she cheered. Duncan stared at her in disbelief. "Yes!" she cried, grabbing him around the neck and pulling him in for a kiss.

"Looks like someone got their mojo back!" Duncan breathed once Courtney let him up for air.

"Shut up, and follow me!" she ordered, but still gripping his arm "We've got a suitcase to find!"

"Sir, yes sir!" Duncan grinned. He was pretty sure this meant what he thought it meant. Courtney wanted him, right? She wouldn't kiss him and partner up with him if she was still wary about them being together. Duncan got why she had been reluctant, he really did. It must have been hard for her to know he was her soulmate but she wasn't his. But the fact was he didn't care about that, he just wanted her. And obviously she now realised that too, because things were looking up.

"Can I come too?" Harold called after them.

"No! You'll slow us down!" Courtney snapped. Duncan kept walking, knowing she'd catch up. What was Harold thinking anyway? Did he seriously think they'd want to team up with him after everything he'd done? There was no way he was sharing a million dollars with that nerd.

Courtney knew she was probably making a huge mistake. Trusting Duncan? What had he ever done that had given her the impression she could trust him? She had more to lose than he did. She was putting more on the line. She had more at stake than just a million dollars. Her pride, her reputation, her heart. But what if this was the perfect test? To see if he really meant it? She knew he'd have to be able to handle every side of her if they were ever going to last, and she knew how she could get when she set her sights on something. There wasn't anything she wouldn't do for a million dollars. The question was; was there anything Duncan wouldn't do for her?

Duncan had known Courtney was bossy. But this was really something else. She refused to do any of the hard work herself, except for when she decided to fight Izzy, only to find out Izzy hadn't actually seen the case and was just completely insane. (The fight was totally hot by the way). She had him climbing trees and lifting her onto his shoulders so she could see better and digging holes in case the case was buried. He was starting to wonder if she'd only kissed him in order to get him to do her bidding. The dumb thing was he hardly minded. He even kind of liked it. The crazy side of Courtney was the best side as far as he was concerned, and he'd never seen her so fired up as she was today.

"Chris said the case was wet, and there's the river, so we must be close," she mused glancing out over the river as they marched along the banks (anything slower than a march was a waste of time according to Courtney). "Duncan, look!" she grabbed his arm tightly and pointed across the river where Duncan could see that Lindsay, Beth and Ezekiel were wading into the water, just as the case floated right up to them.

"How are we going to get it?" he asked.

"Use this," Courtney handed him a fishing rod.

"Where did you even get that?" Duncan said wonderingly.

"Never mind that! Just hurry up!" Courtney ordered. Duncan nodded and cast the line out, hooking the briefcase on the first go. "Come on! Put some muscle into it!" Courtney shouted as Duncan reeled in the case. "Spin that reel!"

"Can it, sister, I'm reeling as fast as I can!" Duncan growled back. He finally got the case up, only to have it immediately devoured by an alligator.

"Hey! That alligator just took our briefcase!" Courtney whined.

"What are alligators doing in Muskoka?" Duncan questioned in outrage. He couldn't believe they'd been so close to the million only to have it snatched out from under them.

"Well, don't just stand there, go get it!" Courtney shrieked, pointing in the direction the alligator had taken off in. Duncan's eyes widened. Was she serious? She wanted him to fight an alligator? Sure he was a badass, but this was an alligator. Then again it was a million dollars. He tossed the fishing rod aside and dived into the river, spotting the alligator and hooking his arms around its scaly neck. After wrestling the alligator for a minute it finally coughed up the dough and the briefcase landed at Courtney's feet.

"That's how we roll in my neighbourhood!" Duncan said gleefully. He swam back to shore and Courtney picked up the case.

"You did it!" she cried happily, throwing her arms around him. "My hero!" Duncan didn't need validation, he really didn't. He wasn't chasing around the briefcase for her, he wanted a share in a million dollars. But somehow those words made his heart swell. And they weren't something she'd normally say, and he wondered for a moment if she was manipulating him or just trying to feed his ego. But he decided he didn't care. Because he realised that if it were up to him, he wouldn't have fought an alligator, even for a million dollars. He would have made someone else do it for him, or just found an illegal way to obtain the money. Things like that didn't normally matter to him. But they mattered to her and that, strangely enough, mattered to him. That was a rare deal for him. He'd never before put in so much effort for a girl. He realised then, that he might even love her. No, he definitely loved her. Even though she wasn't his soulmate.

He thought maybe he should tell her. Would that reassure her that he wasn't about to up and leave her as soon as he found out who his real soulmate was? He should definitely tell her.

"Huh, I've had tougher girlfriends than him!" he said instead. "And uglier." He followed Courtney back in the direction of the dock, where they had to present the suitcase to Chris, but disaster struck when he tripped on a rock and felt his ankle give way beneath him.

"My ankle!" he cried as he went down, gripping his ankle. "Ah, I think I sprained it! Ow!"

"Duncan?" Courtney called back, slowing down as she heard his cries. "Are you okay?"

"I don't think I can walk on it, you're going to have to help me," Duncan groaned as Courtney walked back over to him.

"You know you mean the world to me," she patted him on the head. It felt nice, but Duncan could feel a "but" coming. "I can't let you hold me back. Sorry!"

"Wait, you're leaving me here? But I just wrestled an alligator for us!" he called after her as she took off.

"I know!" she called back, "But opportunities like this don't just fall out of trees!" Duncan watched her go, and a split second later Courtney was crushed by Izzy. It probably served her right but he couldn't help but wonder if she was okay. Eva sped past him and Noah strolled past.

"So, your girlfriend turned on you," Noah smirked. Duncan frowned at him. "Hate to see that happen! Bet you feel like a loser about now, huh? Less of a man?"

"Enough of a man to take your head off, geek!" Duncan growled, grabbing Noah by the leg. Noah shrieked and ran off, while Duncan held onto his shorts as they tore off the skinny freak. He inspected the shorts proudly as Courtney returned to his side.

"Which way did they go?" she asked, rubbing her head. Obviously she was fine.

"Oh, I'm not sure, honey," he said snidely. "Let me think about it." If she thought he was just going to forget how she just ditched him, she had another think coming. Courtney glared at him. Eva's harsh voice rang out, reaching their ears.

"Hey, get back here! No on is stealing the money that I stole!" Courtney shrieked, running off after them. Duncan watched her go, grinning like an idiot.

"I love that woman," he said out loud, before immediately regretting the words. He'd have to do some serious threatening of Chris or an editor to make sure that never made it to air.

It didn't take long for Duncan to figure out his ankle wasn't sprained at all, just slightly twisted and he could walk on it just fine once the pain subsided. He was a little pissed at Courtney for taking off without him, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he got, and he had a long walk back to camp. He felt betrayed if he was being honest. He'd opened up to her and showed her he could be vulnerable, asking her to be with him, then he'd done everything for her today, including fighting an alligator, and this was how she repaid him? Frankly, he hadn't known she could be so cold. And yes, his ankle had turned out to be fine. But she didn't know that. He cursed her under his breath as he walked back into camp.

Duncan looked up to see Geoff, Bridgette, Katie and Sadie standing on top of the diving platform.

"What the heck…" he murmured in confusion. "What are you guys doing up there?" he called up to them. They all pointed somewhere behind him and he spun around to see a large moose flaring its nostrils and snorting at him threateningly. "Oh no," he muttered, before screaming and running in terror as the moose charged at him. He knew everyone was watching with baited breath as he ran for his life from the angry moose. He ran for the cabin and dived inside, and the moose was a second behind him. He didn't have time to think as he grabbed a taxidermied moose head mounted on a plaque and chased the beast from the building, mooing at it as he ran.

"Woohoo! Go honey, go!" he heard Courtney cheer. Like she cared. She was so fake, honestly.

"I'm coming for you next sweetheart!" he shouted back. He chased the moose into the woods, until it must have realised he wasn't a real moose and it turned on him. Duncan threw the moose head aside and jumped, grabbing a branch hanging above him as the moose charged towards him. When the moose was directly below him, he dropped, straddling the moose and riding it like a horse. It bucked a few times but he managed to stay on. The moose charged back towards the camp ground, heading straight for the dock, and ended up throwing him into the lake.

A split second later he was joined by some of the people who had been standing on the platform or in the hot air balloon last time he checked. He looked around for Courtney but he couldn't see her in the water. He looked up over the dock to see her climbing out of the vat of green jelly and running towards the showers at the speed of light. It served her right, honestly.

Wait, where was the case? He looked around only to see it being swallowed by a shark. He was so not fighting another vicious water creature today.

Chris walked over to the edge of the dock and looked down at the floating contestants, before announcing that since none of them had actually won, they'd have to compete in season two.

"Forget this, I didn't agree to season two," Duncan asserted.

"Actually you did. It's called the fine print. Read it, live it, love it!" Chris grinned, making a heart shape with his hands.

"I hate the fine print," Gwen complained. Chris then informed the other previous contestants that they would have to stay and watch season two. At that moment, Courtney ran up onto the dock, having washed herself of the green jelly.

"Wait a minute! I wanna be on season two!" she wailed.

'Tut tut tut tut! Fine print!"

It was so unfair. Courtney knew she should be on season two. She was the only one who deserved it! She grumbled to herself as she packed her bags, readying for the voyage back to main land. While almost everyone else got to continue their journey and fight for the million (the million which should have been hers. She stole it fair and square) she had to sit back and watch. She couldn't even go home, she had to stay in a stupid hotel in Toronto that was apparently close to where they'd be filming. The injustice of it all made her blood boil.

She finished packing and took her suitcase outside where several people were already waiting on the dock for the boat. She spotted Duncan talking to Gwen and walked over to him.

"Duncan? Can I talk to you for a second?" she interrupted.

"I'm kinda busy right now, can it wait?" he scowled at her. It couldn't wait, but his tone made her flinch and she couldn't be bothered dealing with him right now. She only wanted to tell him that he passed her test, that he could have her. But she wasn't about to reveal anything about her feelings while he was being so moody.

"Never mind," she snapped, and went to stand by herself. He was obviously upset about the whole leaving him for dead thing. But this was just a dumb fight, and he'd get over it, she knew. She'd watch him in season two and root for him, even if they were mad at each other. And when he won the money she'd tell him she loved him and they'd buy a mansion with a hot tub. She was confident now that they could make it together.

Except, when she looked over and saw him smiling and laughing with Gwen, she felt her stomach clench, and she had a horrible thought. Every one knew now that Trent wasn't Gwen's soulmate, even though she was his. And she wasn't normally an insecure type of girl, or jealous, but she couldn't help but wonder if maybe Duncan and Gwen were soulmates, because wouldn't that just make perfect sense. She burned with envy all of a sudden, and she felt a lump form in her throat, but she wouldn't cry, because nothing had happened. She was being stupid. Duncan didn't care about soulmates, and Gwen was with Trent, so obviously neither did she. Besides, there was no proof Duncan and Gwen were soulmates, it was just Courtney's own mind playing tricks on her. But then, why did it feel like a terrible premonition?