Disclaimer: I do not own the Total Drama series or anything else copyrighted.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you all are still enjoying this =) I actually wrote this chapter and the previous one over the weekend, when I didn't have any internet and nothing to do (I was house-sitting), so I decided to wait until I got a few reviews from the other chapter to post this one. Let's shoot for between 20 and 25 reviews, okay? And do submit your ideas - I would love to hear them! Thanks!

"Hey, Duncan. I'm sorry to tell you this, especially at the last second, but I have to cancel our date tonight. Something popped up that's avoiding me to leave Toronto..."

Duncan sighed, listening to the rest of the voicemail. He knew she wasn't arrested, for she wouldn't have called from her cellphone. He really did wonder what she had gotten herself into. In the back of his mind, he wondered if he did something wrong. She seemed to have fun on their last date, which was when she came over to his house and met his family. But, it had been four weeks since that date, and they hadn't really talked much since then. He figured she was busy with school, but there was that nagging sensation in the back of his head. He hoped that neither him or his family scared her off. Well, he wasn't too worried about his family - they were rather calm compared to other "special" occasions. He was more worried that he did something to freak her out and make her not want to be his girlfriend anymore.

He gathered up all his courage and called her back, desperately hoping that she would pick up. Finally, after a few rings, she picked up.

"Hello?"

"Courtney."

There was a temporary pause at the other end before she said, "Hi, Duncan."

"I got your message." They both stayed quiet for a few seconds before he quietly asked, "What's going on, Courtney?"

She sighed, her sigh sounding shaky and scared. "Duncan, I... I'm at the hospital..."

"What's going on?" he quickly asked, truly concerned and scared.

"I'm-I'm not dying," she quickly reassured him. "I don't have cancer, I'm not sick..."

"Oh, my God..." he muttered, standing up and pacing around his room. Horrible things were popping into his head, and he was trying his best to stay calm. "Who did it?"

"Who did what?"

"Who... who... Fuck, Courtney, who raped you?" he softly said, hoping none of his family was around his door.

She let of a sigh, which sounded quite relieving, much to his pleasure. "I wasn't raped, Duncan."

"Then why are you in the hospital?" he asked, trying to stay calm.

"I had an anxiety attack, Duncan."

He stopped in his tracks, furrowing his eyebrows. "You're at the hospital..."

"I fainted in the kitchen, and when my parents came home, I wouldn't wake up. They thought I was dead."

"I would've thought the same thing," he murmured. An idea popped into his head. "What hospital are you at?"

"Brackenridge... Why?"

"I was going to surprise you, but you had to ask..."

"Oh, I don't know if that's a good idea..."

"Are your parents there?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Nope. You're not getting out of this. If you can't come to me, I'm coming to you. I won't sneak you out of the hospital, don't worry," he said, quickly grabbing his jacket and keys before heading downstairs. "MA! I'm seeing Courtney!"

"Be safe!" exclaimed his Mom from some other room.

"Duncan, I don't want you to get in trouble-"

"Will your parents care that much?" he asked, getting into his car and sitting in it.

"That's the problem - I don't know."

"Well, it's about time I meet your parents," he said, starting up the car and driving off.

She sighed. "I can't talk you out of it, huh?"

"Nope. See you soon."

"Okay. Bye."

He shut his phone and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. He had been to that hospital a few times and new a few shortcuts to get there. The drive took a little over thirty minutes, and while he tried to keep his mind off things by blaring some intense metal music, but he still couldn't think about Courtney. It's not like they didn't live hours and hours away from each other. He was surprised Bridgette and Geoff still maintained a long distance relationship! Geoff only lives two hours North of Toronto, whereas Bridgette lived all the way on the other side of the country, on the Pacific Coast of British Columbia. Duncan and Courtney only lived forty-five minutes away from each other...

He groaned. He was never emotionally involved with anyone before. He loathed and loved that Courtney did this to him. He looked ahead and saw the hospital within a few miles. He increased his speed, zooming left and right past other drivers as he made his way closer. He was lucky to find parking spot close to an elevator, and once he found a spot, he grabbed his phone and headed towards the elevator. He checked his phone and found a text from Courtney:

I'm in room 327.

He made his way into the hospital and looked around. He couldn't see any signs for any type of gift shop. He walked over to the front desk and casually asked, "Are there any gift shops in here?"

"On the second floor," the receptionist said, not even bothering to look away from her computer up at him.

"Thanks," Duncan muttered before heading back into an elevator. The gift shop was right in front of the elevator, so he walked on in. It was surprisingly empty. Then again, people weren't at hospitals just to shop for gifts. He looked around and smiled. He grabbed a bouquet of daisies and a small box of chocolates. He paid for it (and was surprised at how expensive it was) before making his way back into the elevator and up to the third floor. He got out and walked all the way down the hallway to Courtney's room.

He slowly opened the door and found the room dimly lit, the lamp on the desk being the only source of light. He was also surprised to find Courtney asleep in her bed. He smiled, quietly shutting the door behind him. He slowly walked over to her bed and sat down in the chair next to it. "Courtney..." he softly said. When she didn't even budge, he stood up and sat on the edge of the bed. "Princess..." he said, nudging her arm with his elbow.

She stirred slightly, letting out a, "Hmm...?"

"Wakey-wakey, your boyfriend is here...y..." he muttered, grimacing at the horrible rhyme.

Squinting, Courtney woke up and looked over at Duncan. "You're hairy?" she tiredly asked, smiling softly.

He chuckled. "Here-y. Made up something on the spot to rhyme with 'wakey'."

She nodded and glanced at the presents that he held in his hands. "What are those?"

"Flowers," he said, holding up the bouquet in his right hand. He held up his left hand and said, "And chocolates."

"You got those for me?" she asked.

He shrugged. "It's about time I bought you something for a date."

She softly laughed. "I hardly consider this a date."

"What are you talking about, babe? Hospitals are so romantic." He rolled his eyes, clearly sarcastic.

She giggled. "You can put them on the table," she said, lightly gesturing to her beside table.

"What? You don't want to smell the flowers or taste the chocolate?" he asked, smirking as he put them down on the table.

She stretched and muttered, "Well, as you can see, I did just wake up..."

"After, what a thirty minute nap?"

"Something like that."

"Thank you for coming out," she said, taking one of his hands in both of hers and giving it a squeeze.

He shrugged. "No prob. Tonight was our date night after all..."

She frowned lightly. She looked down at her hands holding his, watching her thumbs trace over the backside of his hand. "You must be mad at me."

"Not really." He shrugged once more. "I mean... sure, I was when I got your voicemail, but..." He pursed his lips, looking away. "You're here."

"You never questioned why I didn't talk to you for four weeks. Never asked me why when I asked you on the date two days ago."

"Are you mad at me?" he asked, looking down at her.

She shook her head, letting go of his hand to sit herself up. "No, I'm not mad at you. I've... I've been so busy with school. Work. Family stuff." She let out a sigh, looking down and shaking her head. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees. "It gets so stressful at times," she whispered.

Duncan hopped onto the bed, crossing his legs and sitting in front of Courtney. He grabbed her hands in his and said, "You can talk to me, you know."

She nodded. "Do you take any Honors classes at school?"

"I take a couple of AP classes, darling."

"No, you don't."

He scoffed at her. "I actually do. I'll have you know, I'm a decent student in school."

"Wouldn't going to juvie have held you back?" she asked.

"I was in juvie for less than a week."

"You escaped."

He laughed. "I did. Then I got on the show. Everyone thought that would be more of a perfect punishment."

"That show was pretty horrible..." she murmured.

He shrugged. "So, about school..."

She sighed. "All my classes are AP classes."

"Damn."

She nodded. "Yeah. Very bad choice on my part."

"So why'd you do it?"

"I figured I could do it." She shrugged. "Plus, I get my scholarships that way. Colleges like that, too."

"You're clearly over-working yourself."

She nodded, looking to her right and out the window. "This is my second panic attack."

"Panic? I thought you said-"

"Panic, anxiety..." She sighed, laying her arms hang over her knees. "I end up in the hospital every time."

He wanted to scream at her, wanted to shake her, telling her to stop doing this to herself. How could she continue to overwork herself like that? Was she really that much of a perfectionist? He snapped out of his thoughts and saw tears brimming her eyes as she looked outside. He felt something in him as he saw her, something in this chest... The only thing that popped up in his head was the thought, it was like his heart was breaking.

He was seriously falling for this woman. He drove all the way out there to see her because she was in the hospital. He bought those incredibly expensive gifts just for her. He would never do that for anyone else. If it were any of his friends, he might have visited them in the hospital, only if it was Hamilton. He'd be bombarding them with calls and texts if it were anywhere else, and only if he was in the mood. He never bought gifts for anyone. He barely remembered to buy cards for his family members. He felt extreme emotions when thinking about her. Even when he was around her, he felt all these weird things. When she smiled, he smiled. When she laughed, he couldn't help but laugh. When she was sad, like she was right now, he felt sad.

He looked down, chuckling. He leaned forward and rested his head and on her arms.

She smiled, her hands lightly playing with her hair. "You're letting your hair grow out."

He nodded. "Mmhmm."

"What are you thinking about?"

He looked up at her, a small smile on his face. "I'm thinking about how much I love you."

Her smile slowly fell and her eyes grew wide. For seconds, she didn't say anything, and his smile also fell. He was about to apologize and probably ramble on when she asked, "Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah, Courtney. I..." He let out a deep breath before saying, "I love you."

It took a lot for her not to starting bawling right there. She felt tears fill her eyes, and she kept her sobs in. "Oh, Duncan..."

"Shit..." he muttered, sitting up. "God, Court, I shouldn't have-"

"Shut up," she muttered, a tiny smile forming on her face as she wiped away the tears that began to fall.

He looked at her, half-concerned and half-amused. "Excuse me?"

"Shut up," she repeated more clearly, an amused smile on her face. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you, too, you big Neanderthal."

He chuckled, his arms wrapped around her waist. "I confess my love to you, and you call me names."

"I told you I loved you, too," she muttered, smacking his back lightly. He laughed, kissing her temple. They stayed in that position for a few minutes. The realization hit them both hard, and they were basking in the feeling that they both loved each other.

"No other guy has said that to me," she muttered.

"No other girl has said that to me," he confessed.

"Really?" she asked, pulling back slightly.

"I'm no relationship guru, babe. My last 'relationship' was with this girl. We went out for a week. That was also my longest relationship."

"Until now."

"Until now. What about you?"

"My longest relationship, which was also my last, was with this one guy. We went out for six months."

"That's a long time."

She shrugged. "Our relationship has lasted much longer."

"Thankfully."

She nodded. "He cheated on me."

His mouth dropped a tiny bit. "No."

"Oh, yeah."

"That asshole." He then pursed his lips. "That's how my last relationship ended."

"Why?"

"She thought we just had a one-night thing. I was totally misled."

She nodded, looking down. "I wouldn't 'put-out', as he so kindly put it."

Duncan immediately grew angry. "What's this guy's name? I am so going to give him a piece of my mind..."

"No, no, that was years ago," she muttered.

"Wait, how old were you?"

"I was..." She thought about it before responding, "Almost 16. And he was a Senior. I think he was 17 or 18."

"What a fucking-"

"Sweetie, we're - Oh, my goodness."

Duncan and Courtney both looked over at the door and saw Courtney's Mom standing in the doorway. "Hi, Mom," Courtney said.

"You must be... Duncan!" Courtney's Mom said, walking over to them.

"Hi, Mrs. Richardson," Duncan said, hopping off the bed and shaking her hand.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Mrs. Richardson said.

"You, too," Duncan said.

"Duncan just got here," Courtney said. "He brought me flowers and chocolate."

"Well, aren't you sweet?" her Mom said, smiling at Duncan.

"Where's Dad?" Courtney asked.

"Right here," Courtney's Dad said, walking into the room. He looked over at Duncan and said, "Oh... Hello."

"Hi, Mr. Richardson," Duncan said, shaking his hand. "I'm Duncan."

Mr. Richardson's stern glance softened as he gave the teen a small smile. "Aah. I didn't recognize you. You look different than you did on the show." He looked at Courtney and said, "We've got good news."

"You can go home tonight!" her Mom said happily, not even letting Courtney have the chance to guess.

"That's great," Courtney said, smiling softly.

"The nurse will be back with a prescription for you, and then we can go," her Dad informed her.

Courtney nodded. "Can you two give Duncan and I a minute to talk?" she asked.

"Of course," her Mom said.

Her Mom and Dad walked out. Once the door shut, Duncan looked at her and said, "Well, they seem to kinda like me."

Courtney softly laughed as Duncan sat on the edge of the bed. "They really don't," she muttered.

"Why?" he asked.

She sadly looked up at him. "I'm sure you can guess why."

"'Coz I'm a smart-ass teen who looks like the wrong type of person for someone like you."

She nodded, a sad expression still on her face. "I'm not breaking up with you, Duncan."

"I know." He smirked. "You would've done that... Oh, I don't know, sometime last year."

She rolled her eyes, also smirking. "Yep."

He chuckled. "Why don't you come over some time next week? I know my parents are working late... I think Thursday... But you can come over whenever..."

She shrugged. "We'll see. I don't have school next Friday."

"What a coincidence. Neither do I."

She grinned. "Well, we'll see how my week goes. I know my parents aren't too happy and will probably try to get me to quit my job..."

"Tell 'em what I say to my parents: Fuck you! Except in Italian. I can teach you that if you want..."

"Duncan!" she said, shocked.

He chuckled. "I've only said that once to them. I usually just ignore them or say 'Whatever'. In Italian, of course. Or French. Whichever pops out of my mouth first."

"You're so considerate."

"I know. Saying it in English would just be too easy."

"You'll have to teach me some Italian one day."

He shrugged. "If you want. My Dad'll speak to you in English, though. Same with my Nonna and the rest of my family."

She shrugged. "I want to learn it, though."

He smiled and leaned forward, giving her a small kiss. "Ti amo," he said.

She cocked her head slightly. "And what does that mean?"

"I love you."

She smiled, a glint in her eyes. "Well... Je t'aime."

"Aah, now you're speaking French to me... I love it. It's sexy."

She giggled. "And you speaking in Italian is rather sexy."

He laughed. "Really?" he asked, truly surprised.

"I'm being very serious," she said, smiling.

He shook his head, still smiling. "Well, then. That just may be my cue to leave."

"Aww," she said, grinning.

"But, next week: You are coming to my place, or I am driving to yours unexpectedly during the weekend," he said, standing up. "And I am serious."

"And I believe you," she said, staring up at him. "Thank you for the flowers and chocolate. You are truly a romantic."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm glad you like them. Ciao, babe."

"Ciao?"

"Means 'bye'."

"Aah. Ciao, Dunkie!"