ONE YEAR LATER-
Mary Ann sat on the veranda of her parents farm house in Winfield, Kansas, now turned into a ranch, reading the morning paper. Yes, she had come into some money. From the Howells. They were the only two people from the island that didn't seem to hate her.
Yes, as soon as Mary Ann awoke in her old room, one year ago, without a proper explanation as to HOW she was back, Mary Ann realized that she could not continue to say that she didn't know why she was where she was, and the others were still on that island.
So she made up a story about a raft, the ocean and some other nonsense...and it WAS such nonsense, that everyone assumed she was in shock and couldn't remember the details.
Her parents, Homer and Lue Ellen Summers, had found her wet and lying outside on the veranda, one morning. Newspapers began making up stories of how she somehow survived the treacherous ocean, and then was returned home by some kind, yet silent, stranger.
Mary Ann let them believe that. She then revealed that the other people that had been with her on the S.S. Minnow, were alive and on an island in the middle of the Pacific.
Now oddly, the island was not difficult to find, once Mary Ann insisted on accompanying members of the Coast Guard on the rescue mission. She didn't trust them to find her friends alone.
And they were found alright...but when Skipper, Gilligan, Professor, Ginger and the Howells saw that Mary Ann had returned with help, they began to accuse her of all kinds of things! The main accusation being, that SHE had hidden Ericka Tiffany Smith's boat!
Ginger theorized, to the press of all people, that Mary Ann had never had any intention of coming back, but when her story didn't pan out, she had to prove that the rest of them were still alive!
The Professor stared at her with an expression that Mary Ann could only think revealed unvarnished betrayal. The Skipper and Gilligan looked a little more disbelieving. But it seemed to her as if they couldn't understand how she, as a woman, was able to hide a boat and get back to civilization, underneath their noses.
Mary Ann knew she hadn't. She could not say that she had been with some man, that clearly was not Gilligan, but was some kind of alien that had disguised himself as Gilligan, then returned her home. No one would ever believe that and instead of sitting out in the morning fresh air, she would be locked in a mental hospital someplace!
Her parents had left on a trip to New York, having never been. Mary Ann had paid for it, happy to be able to do it, and needing some time alone. There were a few ranch hands around, working.
Mary Ann sat down in a chair and read the latest goings on, about the murder of Eva Grubb! She still could not believe that the Skipper had some how hooked up with her when he returned to civilization, married her, and now, was being accused of killing her. And at the same time, she wasn't surprised. Mary Ann doubted Skipper had loved Eva for herself. It was Ginger he had wanted and couldn't have.
Mary Ann had just set the paper down, when something in the distance caught her eye. One of the ranch hands had gotten out of a truck and stopped a lone figure, carrying some sort of knapsack. Mary Ann stood up and squinted off into the distance.
She could see a tell tale white hat.
Mary Ann set down the paper and walked down the veranda steps. By the time the truck reached the drive, Randy, the ranch hand, was pulling Gilligan out of the passenger side.
"Ms. Mary Ann, he said he knew you. If it's not true then I'll take him to the sheriff for trespassing."
"I know, him, Randy. I'll see him. Thank you." Mary Ann said softly. Neither her or Gilligan said anything, until Randy had gotten back into his truck and driven off. Then Gilligan spoke first.
"How are you, Mary Ann?"
"Do you care?"
Gilligan took off his white hat and dropped his knapsack.
"Yes. I do. I know that we haven't been very kind..."
"The Howells were very kind. They were also generous. They believed me when I told them that I had no idea how I had gotten home. They were just happy to finally be off of that island. I assumed you'd all feel that way."
Gilligan took a deep breath, then answered.
"Mary Ann, I can only speak for myself, when I say that I couldn't help you, because I know how you got off of the island. And if I said it out loud, I'd be in a nut house by now!"
Mary Ann's eye's widened!
"What do you know, Gilligan?" Mary Ann asked quietly.
"Maybe we should sit down. And...I could use something to drink. It was a long bus ride here." Gilligan said meekly. Mary Ann smiled softly at him and reached down to pick up his knapsack. They both walked up to the house.
Mary Ann fixed Gilligan a roast beef sandwich and some lemonade, then watched him silently wolf it down. She walked over to a window and pulled a pie from the sill. It was a cherry pie she had baked this morning.
Gilligan's eyes glittered with interest when she cut him a piece. He began talking before digging into it.
"I was taken when I was still in that hazmat suit. Back when we were looking for Ericka Tiffany Smith." he told her.
Mary Ann frowned, her mind rewinding.
"But you returned with the Skipper and the Professor, I think."
"I think that alien took my place. He stole my clothes and left me naked in that suit."
Mary Ann began nodding. Yes, she remembered the Skipper being very displeased that Gilligan hadn't worn his hazmat suit...
"You were then bitten by her. And after you had enormous strength."
Gilligan shook his head.
"I was never there. I was being guarded by two natives and managed to escape. But when I tried to get back, I found a space ship in the lagoon. Now that I think about it, I think they let me in, thinking I was the alien."
Mary Ann shook her head.
"What do you mean they 'let you in'? Don't tell me you walked right up to the door?"
Gilligan nodded regretfully.
"Why didn't you run when you saw that thing? Or come and get the rest of us? That ship must have been how I got home." Mary Ann mused. But when she looked over at Gilligan, she could see he wanted to ask her something, and she could guess what it was.
"Okay, Gilligan. Out with it! What do you want to know?"
"I walked up to the ship and they let me in...everyone was saying that you slept with that alien. Did you? And if you did why? I mean...I never knew you felt that way..."
Mary Ann raised a brow!
"Gilligan, you know I will always love you as a friend. But you were very different on that island. And the 'Gilligan' I was with, was very...sure of himself and exuded confidence and was..."
"Attractive?" Gilligan offered wryly. Mary Ann smiled at him.
"Yes. I guess. He was attractive. I just remember that he killed some natives in front of me, and that's when I knew he wasn't you."
Gilligan shrugged and began eating some of the pie. He swallowed a bit and spoke again.
"The Professor didn't want to leave, you know. But the government came in and took care of whatever killed Miss Smith and the others."
"I saw that in the paper. I know the Professor was afraid we would take it back to the mainland." she said, not really wanting to talk about the Professor...
Gilligan set down his fork.
"Skipper told me he and Ginger saw the two of you..."
"You know what, Gilligan? It doesn't matter anymore. Why don't you tell me how Skipper ended up with that horrible Ginger look alike?"
Gilligan put down his fork. Talking about Eva Grubb had made him lose his appetite.
"I don't know WHAT happened there! Skipper and I returned to civilization, only to find that we were being blamed for the whole shipwreck!"
Mary Ann gasped!
"What? That's ridiculous! I never read that anywhere!"
"Well that's probably a blessing, because I think if that had been in the newspapers, Skipper would have really lost it! Well, we needed to have all of you sign a piece of paper, that said that Skipper and I weren't to blame. Unfortunately, the first person he wanted to look for was Ginger. HOW did that whole thing get started anyway? Because before the alien took me, he just admired her from a distance! But when we went to see her in Hollywood, she was mean, snide and she refused to sign the paper! She said she was being forced to do porn now and it was all because the Skipper and I didn't know how to steer a boat!"
Mary Ann gasped!
"Oh Gilligan! That is truly horrible! Why didn't you come to me? Or the Professor or the Howells?"
"Mary Ann, we needed EVERYONE to say it. If just one of you blamed us, then it was over. And Ginger blamed us."
"Well it's her own fault if she is forced to make dirty pictures," Mary Ann sniffed, "and I don't understand what went wrong between us either. We were once as close as sisters."
"Well," Gilligan confided, "I think Ginger had her eye on the Professor the whole time. And when he was with you..."
"That was nothing. It was just something that happened." Mary Ann said primly. She was done being hurt by the Professor's rejection on the island, and after the rescue. She would prefer not to remember letting him touch her at all.
Gilligan could see that she didn't want to discuss it, so he did not press the issue. Boy, things certainly went wrong between all of them, once all of this kissing and 'going all the way' stuff, happened between them! The only people that were on good terms with everyone, were the Howells! And they had a right to do all that stuff, with one another, because they were married!
"Well, Eva Grubb just showed up out of nowhere. Or at least it seemed that way to me. And suddenly, Skipper couldn't be bothered with me. I guess that happens sometimes. But it bothered me that she still looked so much like Ginger, on purpose. I just had a bad feeling about the whole thing."
"She found Skipper and yourself?" Mary Ann asked in wonder.
"Skipper told me that she told him, that she had been unable to forget him since she left us on the island. I don't think he would've looked at her more than once, if Eva had looked like she did when she first came to the island."
"Well what happened, Gilligan? I mean the only thing you read in the papers is how Skipper claims he came home and found her dead."
"She was strangled, Mary Ann!"
"God!"
Gilligan nodded quickly!
"Strangled with a scarf that Eva stole from Ginger when she left the island. The police are saying that Skipper was obsessed with Ginger, couldn't stand that Eva wasn't, and killed her."
"Oh no!" Mary Ann moaned. "So Skipper in in jail?"
"Mr. Howell got him a good lawyer. And he's staying with him and Mrs. Howell until the trial. But Mary Ann, we need to vouch for him. We have to tell the jury he's going to face, that Eva wanted to be Ginger and someone else killed her. The Skipper wouldn't hurt a fly!"
Mary Ann said nothing at first. She then spoke.
"Skipper's lawyer could have come here and told me all of this. Why are you really here, Gilligan?"
"Because I didn't know if you would really help, with how we acted towards you, when you rescued us. And, I don't know how the Professor will really feel. I want you to come with me to convince him to help Skipper."
"I'm sure he will, Gilligan."
"Is that no?"
"I just think you'll have more luck without me. Do you plan to talk to Ginger again?"
"No," Gilligan said curtly, "she started all of this trouble. Mary Ann...please?"
Mary Ann pursed her lips, sighed, then nodded.
"Fine, Gilligan. I'll go with you to convince the Professor to help the Skipper." she said, thinking that seeing the Professor again, was not a good idea. But she would swallow her doubts, and her wounded pride, if it would help free the Skipper.
