Once they had been booted from the laundry room, Bridgette went to go check whether her guests needed anything. Meanwhile, Courtney wandered back to the living area to find Duncan. It was strange to think that in this situation Duncan was the person she was the most comfortable around. Her mocha eyes searched the room upon entrance and saw that he was dealing with Heather. Sure, she had her moments, and had been a fierce competitor, but it was safer to steer clear of her. Courtney began to walk over to interrupt but collided with a hard body.

"Are you okay?" A man's voice asked her. When Courtney regained her composure she was able to see who she had bumped into and was surprised that he hadn't made a comment about his precious skin bruising easily. Instead, he gave her a dazzling smile, the kind that had made his modeling career.

"Wow, Courtney? You look great." Coming from him it felt like a compliment, mostly because he was so conceited about his own looks. "You've aged almost as good as I have." He put his perfectly moisturized hand on her shoulder.

"Gee, Thanks." Her peeved tone went right over his head. Justin's arrogance was still very much intact.

"So, did you come here alone?" His forwardness surprised her; his confidence must know no bounds.

"Not exactly." The model's icy blue eyes seemed discouraged at that, but he inquired further.

"Boyfriend? Husband?" He pushed.

"No." Courtney answered firmly.

"That means you're single?" The situation between her and Duncan was too complicated to be considered a relationship. She thought of lying but surely he would find out the truth soon enough.

"You could say that." He didn't hesitate to shine his pearly whites at her again.

"What a coincidence, you could say that about me too." A rigid smile and forced giggle filled the space between them. Courtney needed an escape from him and fast. Maybe if she was truly desperate then she would give Justin the time of day, but he had never harnessed her attention. Courtney glanced around the room and saw Duncan staring directly at her. She flashed a panicked expression and really hoped he could read her mind. Courtney reluctantly turned her attention back to Justin. She noticed he had taken a step to close the space between them and nervously backed up.

In case Duncan hadn't taken her signal Courtney thought of something else that may deter Justin.

"I should really go check on my daughter, last time I checked she was with Izzy." Courtney quickly covered.

"You have a kid?" Courtney inwardly smiled, he definitely wouldn't be interested now. "I love kids!" All Courtney could think was 'Seriously?' Justin didn't seem like the kid type.

Just when Courtney thought she was going to be stuck avoiding Justin's advances for the rest of the night, she felt an arm snake around her waist and lips hovering next to her ear.

"Just say the words and I'll punch his lights out." Duncan whispered. His intentions may have been good but his voice in her ear and warm breath on her cheek like that gave her goosebumps. The last thing she wanted was to reveal their ambiguous relationship status to the Wawanakwa veterans, but at the same time melting into his arms was so tempting.

"That won't be necessary." She reassured. Justin looked back and forth between the two of them and took note of their familiarity with each other.

"Are you two...?" Justin wasn't known for his looks, but he could at least put two and two together.

"More or less." Duncan answered for both of them and Courtney gave him a sideways glance. She hoped they were at least on the same page as far as keeping thing hushed.

"Right... I guess I'll see you around then Courtney..." Justin tried not to sound too disappointed.

"Probably not." Duncan retorted which caused Justin to shoot him a dirty look as he left them. As soon as Justin was out of sight, Courtney turned on Duncan.

"What was that for?" Courtney whisper-yelled. Although she reprimanded him, she let him keep his hand on the small of her back.

"You wanted me to rescue you, didn't you?" Duncan looked oh-so smug.

"You could have gone about it a differently, but yes."

"Then what's the problem?" He was giving her this look that was making it very hard for her to be mad at him, and she was indeed still mad at him. She hadn't forgotten what had happened a week ago, but there was something about Duncan that made it hard for her to maintain a grudge. She picked imaginary lint off of his black button down shirt to keep her focus on something else. Duncan knew she always did little anal things like this to distract herself. He gently rubbed circles on her back and smirked when Courtney bit her bottom lip. Duncan couldn't help himself, for one because he had a hard time keeping his hands off of her, but two because she tried so hard to not be affected by him. He leaned in again so that no one else could possibly hear him when he said, "The only problem I see, is that I can't kiss you right here, right now."

Courtney could hear her own shallow breathing and was sure Duncan could too. When she finally looked back at him she could see how dilated his pupils were. She absently wondered if the Lindsay and Tyler were done in the laundry room. At this point she didn't care if anyone saw their closeness, she was fine with them being in their own little world and by now couldn't remember why she was mad at him in the first place. He made her dizzy, forgetful.

The moment was interrupted when the lights flicked off. The only source of light that could be found were from candles atop a cake.

"Whose birthday is it? Were we supposed to bring presents?" It was Lindsay's airhead voice breaking through the crowd.

"It's not a birthday cake, it's an anniversary cake!" Geoff corrected in his usual jovial manner. "Look what's on it!" Curiosity had everyone gathering around to take a look.

"Oh my god Katie, we were so cute!" Sadie exclaimed.

"I know! I love your outfit!"

"I love yours!"

"You're wearing the same outfit." Noah deadpanned.

"I look flawless." Heather announced to anyone who would listen.

"That's because you weren't bald yet," countered LeShawna, who instantly received a dirty look. The picture that had been printed on the cake was the first cast picture they had ever taken. The group was all smiles, for they hadn't know what laid ahead.

"Daddy I can't see!" Vanessa kept jumping to try to get a better look. Duncan put her on his shoulders which allowed her to tower over anyone taller than her.

"You're hair really was green! Can you make it pink Daddy?" Her little hands were messing with his hair, trying to imagine the dark strands being pink. Duncan didn't seem too keen on the idea.

"Can I have cake Mommy?" Addison asked as she too put her arms out to be picked up. The group of them felt a large presence behind them.

"Cake? There's cake? I love cake!" Owen had a dreamy look in his eye at the thought of dessert.

"You have to wait until all kids get cake first." Bridgette chastised; Owen could easily eat the whole thing by himself. Owen dejectedly accepted, he understood her caution even though he had gotten his eating habits under control...mostly.

"All right Dudes! Let's cut into this thing and get on with the party!" Geoff butted in loudly.

"Can I have the piece with my face on it?" Justin requested. You could feel the eyes rolling around the room.

The night went on as the past contestants mingled with each other. Harold was earnestly talking to Leshawna, obviously still enamored by her voluptuous body and personality. Tyler had disappeared with Lindsay again, despite her lack of ability to remember his name. Heather hadn't left the party yet despite her being constantly glued to her phone. Her eyes darted around the room every few seconds for she didn't want anyone to notice that a certain latin stud was on the other end of her text messages. Izzy had apparently started a game of hide and go seek with the kids except they had given up on finding her after a half an hour and her whereabouts were still unknown. No one seemed to be too worried about it.

Geoff had put on some music to which he helped his pregnant wife sway to. Many of the formers campers had joined them including Duncan, who had been dragged into it by Addison and Vanessa. He took turns watching them with Courtney so that he could take a break. Those little girls had so much energy in them and although being thirty-one wasn't considered old by any means, he could only match their preschooler level of energy for so long. He took a seat on a nearby couch, letting out a deep breath.

"Hey there stranger."

Duncan turned to face the voice that greeted him. Like him, she had lost the vibrant color in her hair. She looked more or less the same except she had toned down the dark makeup for something more natural. Duncan wasn't sure when Gwen had gotten there, he didn't remember seeing her before this moment.

"Hey..." Duncan had known there was a great chance that he was going to see Gwen tonight but he still hadn't prepared what he would say when he did. "How are you?" It was harmless enough.

"I'm good...How about you?" Gwen also didn't know how to break the ice. They hadn't spoken since All Stars when she broke up with him. It was clear that they were both a little uneasy.

"I'm good too." There was an awkward pause where neither of them spoke.

"So when did you get here?" Duncan finally asked.

"A little while ago, I had an art show." Gwen had always been artistic, it wasn't a surprise that she pursued art as a career.

"Cool..." He tried to sound enthusiastic but nothing could change that this was a stiff conversation.

"Well, this is weird." Gwen admitted.

"You took the words right out of my mouth."

"I know Geoff loves to throw parties but didn't he stop to think this might be a little strange for some of us?"

"Probably not." They both kind of laughed at that. Geoff was the kind of guy to remain friends with everyone and not pass up the chance to have a party. For him, there was no such thing as bad blood- except maybe with Blainely.

"Well... I'm glad you're doing well..." Gwen fiddled with her hands awkwardly.

"You too..." Duncan debated if they should dredge up the past. It was a long time ago, they'd both obviously moved on with their lives. Did it make sense to bother?

Duncan's thoughts got interrupted when he felt a weight on his lap. Addison had climbed up and began getting comfortable.

"What's up Addie?" Duncan no longer was surprised by the affection from Courtney's daughter.

She rubbed an eye and when she answered she had a drowsy drawl to her voice. "I'm sleepy. I wanna go to bed."

"Having a sugar crash from all that cake?"

She nodded and laid her head down on his chest, she would likely fall asleep like that, but Duncan didn't mind.

"Is this your daughter?" Gwen inquired while she gestured to Addison.

"No..." This was going to be interesting to explain. He signed, preparing for a lot of questions."She's Courtney's. My daughter Vanessa is over there." He pointed to where Vanessa was. Courtney was twirling her around over and over again. Vanessa had a huge smile on her face. Duncan couldn't help but reflect that same smile. His daughter was happy and Courtney looked gorgeous out there. He couldn't ask for more in life.

"After all these years, you still look at Courtney like that?" Gwen raised a brow. Duncan considered her question. It didn't take him long to have an answer.

"Yes." He tore his eyes off of Courtney and Vanessa then checked to see that Addison was fast asleep. He didn't want her to hear his past relationship issues. "I should have never started a relationship with you when I was still in love with someone else. I'm sorry."

Gwen half smiled. "I think I always knew...So are you guys one big happy family now?"

"Not yet." He owed Courtney one hell of an explanation. Despite her recent behavior, Duncan knew better than to think she hadn't forgotten how he had slighted her. He noticed something had caught Gwen's eye and followed her line of sight to see that Trent had gotten to the party sometime as well and was talking to Cody. Duncan lightly pushed Gwen in the shoulder.

"Go talk to him," he urged.

"I don't know." She said nervously. Would he even want to talk to her? Gwen always regretted the way she had handled things with Trent.

"You'll never know if you don't."

"I don't know what I'd say. I didn't really give him a chance- I just blew him off because I was young and thought we were too different. I wanted to reach out to him or something but I just couldn't, you know?"

Duncan did know. There were times where he had wanted to get in touch with Courtney throughout the years but hadn't- whether because he thought she wouldn't want to talk to him or because he didn't know what he would say. Duncan wondered what life would have been like if they hadn't crossed paths months ago. Would he have seen her at this party? Or ever again?

Gwen interrupted his train of thought with musings of her own. "It was scary being with someone so different than me. You and me seemed to make more sense because we were so alike. Trent made me want things that contradicted who I thought I was. It was easier to take an out." That hit Duncan hard. It explained so much that he hadn't been able to conclude by himself in regards to his relationship with Courtney. It came to him what he needed to say to Courtney so that she could trust him again. Tonight. He was going to tell her tonight; convince her that he was done wasting time. They should be together. They both knew it. He paused his epiphany to return to the present.

"You're right. We were always better as bros." He lightly punched Gwen in the shoulder.

"Hey! I'm very much a girl." She punched him back but made sure it wouldn't wake up Courtney's daughter. Duncan rolled his eyes.

"I can tell, you've got the whole girly crush thing down with the way you're eyeing Trent." Duncan smirked. His friendship with Gwen was coming back quite naturally.

"Shut up!" She objected, her pale cheeks quickly tinting pink. Clearly the two old friends still had a bit of teenager left in them. Duncan got a devious idea.

"Hey Trent!" He yelled across the room, causing Trent to look around confusedly. Gwen's eyes bulged and her face heated up more. Trent finally traced where the source of the call had come from and was now staring directly at them. Gwen waved shyly.

"I hate you." She said out of the side of her mouth. Now Trent was tentatively waving back and Gwen felt obligated to go over there, especially now that Cody waving as well.

"You're gonna thank me one day!" Duncan said proudly as Gwen stood up. She gave him the finger as she walked away.

Courtney watched the exchange between Duncan and Gwen. She couldn't hear what they were talking about but snuck glances at them when she could while trying not to be noticed. An uncomfortable knot formed in her stomach. Everything they had been through should have been enough to reassure her that Duncan did have feelings for her, but it hit a sore spot to see him with Gwen- even if they were just talking. Her heart raced against her will; she didn't think it should have bothered her to see Duncan talking to Gwen, but it did. It dug up old feelings that she had thought had been long gone.

Courtney turned her attention back to Vanessa. Even if Duncan was being more than friendly, it wouldn't be her place to be upset. She was the one who insisted that they be just friends, even if they seemed to have trouble not crossing that line. So Courtney continued to twirl Vanessa around and tried not to think about her conflicting emotions. Vanessa brought a hand up to her face and rubbed one of her eyes.

"I think someone's getting tired," Courtney mused.

"Am not!" Vanessa protested but then let out a yawn that didn't help her case.

"Okay sleepyhead, I think it's time to go home." Courtney suggested. Vanessa pouted but allowed Courtney to lead her nonetheless. Gwen had departed by the time they reached Duncan, and Courtney was somewhat relieved that she didn't have to exchange awkward pleasantries, especially when their shaky friendship hadn't ended well.

"We should get going." Courtney said to Duncan as rose from the couch with Addison still in his arms.

"But I said I wasn't tired!" Vanessa still refused to admit she was fading fast.

"C'mon rockstar, you gotta sleep sometime."

"No, I don't!" Reasoning with a tired child was pointless. Vanessa was a sweet little girl, but she could get awfully grumpy when she didn't get her way. In the midst of what was surely soon to be a battle, the group of them were approached by Sadie and Katie.

"Oh my gosh your daughters are so cute!" Courtney was about to open her mouth to say that now was not the time; but she didn't get a word out as the duo kept going on and on.

"They're best friends just like me and Katie!"

"You should put them in matching outfits!" Sadie suggested her eyes alight. Katie gasped as she clutched Katie's hands and the pair of them began jumping in practiced synchronicity.

"Sadie that is such a good idea!"

Courtney and Duncan stared at them with annoyed expressions, now was really not the time. Lucky for them, Vanessa had a change of heart.

"Daddy... those ladies are scary... we can go home now." The three of them nodded in agreement and left while the pair of squealing best friends were engaged in a loop of complimenting each other.

Finally, I know! Hopefully the longer chapter makes up for the fact that I haven't updated this fic in so long. I have to give a HUGE shoutout/thank you/words of praise to fefetasprite(ao3)/ tentahugs(tumblr) for helping me edit this chapter. She's amazing! Thank you everyone for your patience with me as well. I will do my very best to not let the next update take this long!