Author's Note: I'm going to start with a little bit of exposition so you have an idea of where the characters are and their current state of mind. This is my first time writing fanfiction for this fandom (and my first time in YEARS writing fanfiction) so please enjoy.

Life has been a whirlwind for Courtney after Total Drama All-Stars. At first, she was bombarded by the paparazzi following her every move and social media alerts from all of her "fans". Most of her inboxes were filled with hate mail calling her a "crazy bitch" and comparing her to the ever-so-popular, Gwen.

So Courtney decided to keep a low profile until everything died down. She got her high school degree through an online program and took community college courses until she got accepted into a decent law school. She also began going to therapy to deal with the trauma of being humiliated on international television and becoming a teenage star.

After a few years, she began to feel proud of her progress. Although this wasn't the path she had imagined for herself, she was still pursuing her dreams of becoming a lawyer. And, she had better friends now who are able to support her through the bad days.

While it was difficult for her to make friends in school, she was able to find comfort in her former co-stars. Courtney remained best friends with Bridgette, and Geoff by proxy, and to everyone's surprise, she was also very close to Heather now too. It turns out that people can change for the better, especially after what they all have been through.

Even more surprising to Courtney was her budding friendship with Trent. He had reached out to her a few times after All-Stars to check in on how she was doing. They were both victims of the Gwuncan ship and their rising fandom. And at first, she didn't want anything to do with him. But after a while, he wore her down with his patience and kindness and she finally met up with him for coffee. From there, they became practically inseparable.

It turns out they had more in common than being dumped on camera. They both loved music and poetry. They had a similar sense of humor and both enjoyed the same shows on Netflix. It almost made Courtney wish that they had the chance to get to know each other better during Total Drama, but then again, it was probably for the best since Trent wouldn't have liked the Courtney that she was back then.

In the present day, Courtney is taking a much-needed break from her successful law career to explore her other talents and help Bridgette plan for her wedding.

Chapter One: Turquoise and Teal are NOT the same color

"The bride had specifically asked for turquoise table linings, and you know damn well that these are teal!" Courtney snapped at the poor worker, who quickly ran off to find another set of table linings to appease the bridemaidzilla.

"Court, the teal looks fine," Bridgette said, placing a gentle hand on her Maid-of-Honor's shoulder. "I love that you are so willing to make sure that my wedding is perfect, but I think you're going back to bossy CIT Courtney. And also I think you made that guy pee himself."

Courtney took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm sorry, Bridgette. I think I'm just anxious because I've never been… not working before." It turns out that after spending the last decade in work mode, Courtney didn't know how to properly relax. "I'll go apologize for my behavior."

"It's fine, Court. I think you need to just go outside and look at this beautiful venue that you managed to find for us and for such a bargain of a price," said Bridgette, leading her friend toward the door. Afterward, Bridgette ducked back in to talk to the venue planner to arrange for the appropriate colored table linings. (Courtney was right though, turquoise and teal were not the same color).

Once outside, Courtney allowed herself to take in the view. It really was a beautiful venue. They were in the middle of a private beach which meant that there were no tourists or beachgoers around. The sand was pure white and silky to touch. The sea was a beautiful shade of blue, unlike the ugly grey ocean she was used to seeing on Total Drama.

She breathed in the salty breeze and felt her muscles finally relax. Since no one else was around, she decided to roll up her pants and dip her feet in the water. It was a bit cold because it was only March, but she knew that by the time the wedding came around in June, the water would be perfect.

Her moment of bliss was interrupted by the scolding of another employee. "Excuse me sir, but this is a private property. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Fuck. Uh…"

Courtney turned her head around so fast that she almost gave herself whiplash. She hadn't heard that voice in so long, but it was a voice she could never forget.

There he was, Duncan. The same man who cheated on her in front of everyone with one of her sort-of friends. The same man who, the last time Courtney had checked, was in prison. So why was he here standing a few feet away from her?

"Listen, I'm one of the groomsmen. I'm just checking on things," Duncan explained, rubbing the back of his head. He looked so… grown now. His jet-black hair no longer had that obnoxious green mohawk, and most of his piercings were gone too. He also seemed to have grown a few more centimeters since she last saw him. But his eyes, those electric teal eyes, remained the same, and looking at them made the hair on the back of her neck stand. Maybe that's why she hated those teal table liners so much. They reminded her of the man who broke her heart.

"I haven't heard from the bride about any groomsmen coming in today," the employee said, narrowing his eyes at Duncan and the ankle monitor peeking out of the leg of his pants.

"Feel free to call her yourself and ask her right now," retorted Duncan, who was obviously getting a little annoyed.

"No need. He's fine," Courtney found herself saying, despite the voice screaming, "No!" in her head.

Not wanting to start any trouble with Courtney, the employee gave a weak nod and went back to whatever he was doing.

"Oh hey Pri-, I mean, Courtney," Duncan said awkwardly. "Thanks for that."

"Hm… yeah…" Courtney replied, trying to sound as indifferent as possible. "So you're out of prison. That's good for you."

"Yeah… I'm on parole. Good behavior."

She wanted to roll her eyes so badly, but managed to control herself. Duncan? Good behavior? Who would've thought?

"Good for you… Well, I'm going to go."

"Wait! Can we talk?" Duncan begged, looking at her with pleading eyes. Those damn teal eyes. She turned her head so she didn't have to see them. She was not going to fall for it this time. She has also grown. She was a successful, mature woman who did not need to deal with delinquent high school ex-boyfriends.

"No." And with that, Courtney walked away.