Cameras are off

"Dude, I'm so glad you brought your stereo," Cody told Geoff as they finished setting up for the lake party they were throwing that night. They had a day or two in between every challenge to just hang out and do whatever hey wanted.

"Me too, man," the blonde replied. "And thanks for helping out. I really appreciate it."

"Codyyyy!" Came a screeching voice from behind them.

"Hey-ah!" She jumped and hugged him. "Hey...Sierra..." Cody struggled to push her off of him.

"Oh!" She immediately unwrapped her hands from his neck and stepped away. "Was I invading your personal space?"

"Yeah, a little..." he scratched the back of his neck.

"Sorry..."

"It's alright." At least she's trying to learn.

Just then, Geoff grabbed the megaphone to get the attention of the other campers. "Dudes and dudettes!" He began. "Party at the lake! Please wear your hottest bikinis and speedos!"

The competitors who were outside rushed into the cabins to tell the others that the party was starting. In no less than half an hour, everyone was out on the lake, either swimming, talking, or eating.

"Babe, come here!" Bridgette laughed, holding her arms out to her husband. "I think you've had enough time with your party people."

"And I'll never get enough with you, Brideypoo." He sat down next to his wife and kissed her.

Courtney scrunched up her nose. "Ew, seriously?"

"Yeah," another voice joined in. "You two need to get a room!" The brunette turned to see the very last person she wanted to see.

"Can it, D-man," Geoff said. "You're just jealous that you don't have anyone to make out with."

"Not true, bro," Duncan chuckled, sitting next to Courtney. She looked in the other direction, feeling her body tense up. It was silent for a few moments, when Duncan spoke again. "So...how've you been?"

Her eyes widened. Seriously? He asks that after all he put me through?! "I'm fine. How was prison?"

"Terrible," he laughed. "My cell mate kept on giving me strange looks. I was so relived when they moved me to another one."

"You know, that's not how a normal conversation usual goes," Courtney said, one eyebrow raised. Duncan only shrugged. "After all these years, you're still a Neanderthal." She smiled. Then it faltered when she remembered. She remembered everything that happened during World Tour. Yes, she admitted to herself that she had been a terrible girlfriend, but still...he had earned her trust; she had given him everything...just so he could go and shatter that trust like glass. It's not like she easily trusted people before. Now it was nearly impossible to even consider trusting someone again.

"Court," Duncan's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "You alright?"

"Don't call me that," she muttered, getting up from her spot and walking away. Duncan frowned as he saw her go. As much as he wanted to follow, he knew it wouldn't do him any good. She'd only get angrier. He got up before anyone could say anything to him about Courtney.

Meanwhile, Bridgette rolled her eyes. "Why does he think he can get her back that easily?"

"I don't know," Geoff shrugged. "He is Duncan, after all."

"There's no need to get all sarcastic on me. My point is, he's going to make Courtney's Summer here more miserable than it already is. We need to make sure he doesn't hurt her again."

Her husband raised an eyebrow. "I don't think it's any of our business, babe."

"Courtney's my best friend," she snapped back. "So yeah, it is our business."

"Well what if she's not my best friend?"

"Oh please, we both know that's a lie. She's the person you text the most next to me."

Pause. "...Yeah, you're right. But Duncan's also my best bro. I can't just go against him like that."

"We're not going against him," Bridgette reassured. "We're just watching out for Courtney, that's all."

"Alright," Geoff sighed. "I'll help you watch out for Court. But we can't let Duncan know."

"Wasn't planning on it."

"Oh now looks who's going sarcastic!"

**

Gwen sat on the edge of the dock with her feet in the water. She looked out to the horizon, wondering how she got here. She specifically remembered saying she was never doing this show again on All-Stars. But when she had received the e-mail from Chris about having a reunion, she just couldn't resist. Besides, it's not like she had many friends back home.

Gwen worked as a makeup artist with a few other women and men. They were nice, normal people. The only problem was, she wasn't. They'd look at her like she was from another planet. And they all remembered her from Total Drama, specifically for what she did in World Tour. That was all they could whisper about. "I wonder if she still kisses other people's boyfriends..." "I could never invite her over! She'd steal my husband!" Gwen was sick and tired of hearing it. Maybe that's why she was here now. To get away from all the gossip. But what did she expect? To hear any less gossip? This is total freaking Drama! Ugh... She honestly didn't know anymore.

"You like looking out too?" A voice interrupted her thoughts. Her heart jumped once she saw who it was.

She blushed. "Hey Trent."

"Hey," the man with dark hair smiled warmly and sat down next to her. "Trust me, I wasn't following you. I always come out here when I want to escape."

"Is that where you went yesterday?"

"Huh?"

"When you ran out on us during the game?"

"Oh, uh..." he laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "No. I went to the bathroom." When she gave him the 'really' look, he sighed in defeat. "Fine. I did come out here to think."

"Did it have to do with that question by chance?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What question?"

"Ugh," Gwen rolled her eyes. "Stop playing dumb, Trent. I know you were pissed because I slept with someone else."

"Was it...who I thought it was?" The goth's eyes widened. Unbelievable.

"And why would I tell you that? That's none of your business! And why do you care so much about my sec life? Huh?! I'm my own person. I make my own decisions."

"Gwen, I just..." he hesitated.

"You just what? Wanna control me? I'm a grown woman for Christ's sake! You can't tell me what to do! I want one good reason why you ran out of that room-"

"Because it hurts that we never got to that point in our relationship, ok?!" He nearly yelled. "It realy hurts that you trusted that...that punk more than you trusted me."

Gwen paused, then let out a deep breath. "Trent, I...what happened between Duncan and I...only happened once. It was during Action, not too long after we broke up. It required no trust at all. It was completely out of lust. And then we tried to have a relationship, which did work out until you know who found out. It was a mistake. A terrible one at that. And I hate myself for doing it." She paused again.

"Duncan...also felt terrible after it happened as well. But after Courtney came back in season 2, and treated him so badly, all he wanted to do was talk to me. And I was there for him. But in All-Stars, it didn't feel the same. I just didn't feel a connection between us anymore, especially since he seemed to he more interested in Courtney again. I chose to break it off between us because I knew he was untrustworthy at the time, and if I had stayed with him, I wouldn't have felt a thing and he wouldn't have either. I...guess our relationship burned too bright to last. It was kind of like...like the feeling you get when you're on a rollercoaster. You feel it for a little while, but when it's over, the high goes away...you know?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I know the feeling."

Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Who was it for you?"

"Well," he started, turning away from her and looking out into the distance. "There was this girl I dated about a year or two ago. I met her at a coffee shop. Her eyes were what captivated me. We had talked for hours, and gosh..." he sighed. "She had the most amazing outlook on life. We were so alike, it was unbelievable. We liked almost all the same songs and movies and TV shows. She gave me her number and I called her a few days later. We went on a few dates and I thought the feeling would never stop. I thought it would only get better. But then we tried living together." He frowned. "That's when things went downhill. We'd argue over every little thing, and just got on each other's last nerve. I...left and never saw her again."

"Trent..." Gwen whispered softly after a moment or two. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that I ended things between us the way I did. I just...I was thinking in the moment and I felt like I needed to escape."

"I don't blame you," he shrugged. "I was super obnoxious, wasn't I?"

"Well...yeah, kinda, but I totally jumped to conclusions on the whole number 9 thing."

"No," he shook his head. "You were right to think that. I shouldn't have been so clingy and worried about you and Duncan. You don't have to lie about the reason you broke up with me either. After the way I acted, I would've broken up with me too."

Gwen frowned, biting her lip. "I just wish I would've done it a better way. I...really didn't want to break your heart like I did."

"It doesn't matter," Trent replied. "You could've broken up with me while we kissed, and I still would've felt just as sad."

She turned away, voice breaking. "I-I'm so sorry, Trent." She thought about how long he was upset, how much time he spent crying over her. Maybe he felt the same way Courtney did when she found out about her and Duncan. Her stomach churned, and suddenly, she felt sick. Oh gosh...why do I cause so much pain to everyone around me?!

"Gwen?" His gentle voice slowly brought her out of her thoughts. The goth blinked and turned back towards him. "Are you alright?"

"Hmm? Yeah..." she sighed. "Can...can we just start over?"

Trent hesitated before answering. "Of course." She smiled.

"Well," she held it her hand. "I'm Gwen."

"Trent," he placed his hand in hers, shaking it.

**

Scott looked around. He saw Justin walking around, attempting to flirt with Zoey and Sierra, who of course turned him down. Then he saw Lindsay and Tyler making out on the grass. Disgusting. He scrunched up his nose, and looked elsewhere. That's when he saw Duncan, head hanging low, eyes on the ground. He made his way over to the lonely looking man.

"Hey dude," the farm boy smirked. But instead of replying, the punk only sighed. "What's wrong with you?"

"Regrets," he mumbled an answer. "Tons of regrets."

"Like what?"

He frowned. "Does World Tour ring a bell? Or are you just one of those people who hardly ever watched the show and then decides to join?"

"I've seen World Tour, but I don't get why you regret it, man."

Duncan huffed in frustration. "You know what? It doesn't even matter. Just go and eat dirt or whatever you like to do."

"Hey! First of all, I only eat dirt when I'm sad, and I'm not sad. Secondly, the dirt on this Island isn't the same as the Camp Wawanakwa Island! And thirdly, I can help you with your problem if you let me."

The punk raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think you could help me?"

Scott shrugged. "I'm bored. And when I'm bored, I try to find any way to help people or take orders. You see, my mother's a waitress, and-"

"Ok, fine!" He interrupted, not wanting to hear one more second about his family. "I'm World Tour...I let go of someone I shouldn't have. Or should I have? She's so annoying and so bossy! I thought I was over her, but now that she's here, I can't get her out of my damn head!"

"Uh...still don't get who you're taking about."

Duncan gritted his teeth. "It's Courtney, you idiot!"

"Oh!" He raised his eyebrows. Then he frowned. "Oh...that crazy chick?"

"I know," he grumbled, burying his face into his hands. "I've been asking myself the same question. The thing is...I used to be so in love with her. Something about the way she took charge just...you've dated her! You know what I'm taking about!"

"Yeah..." Scott sighed dreamily. "I miss that too sometimes. But, I could never replace Dawn."

"That's what I tried doing with Gwen. I thought for sure that she was the one. But after I realized how alike we were, it scared me. I started to see her as more of a sibling."

"Yeah, that's how I began to think of Courtney. Except we're not alike at all."

"Then why did you sigh like that when I mentioned the way she bossed me around?"

"Because..." he sighed again. "That personality trait on its own is so attractive. And Courtney is pretty, so it works."

"She's not just pretty, she's gorgeous," Duncan said. "And every time I look at her now, it makes me feel the same way I did back on Island. It makes me feel like the old Courtney is still in there. It's just that...she changed so much between season 1 and 2. She went from fun to...controlling. She wanted to change everything about me. It was like some kind of OCD to the extreme."

"Well keep in mind that she was on Total Drama. It makes us all go a little crazy."

"Yeah, but...it had to be something more."

"Well no duh, Sherlock!" Scott said. "Didn't she find out about you and Gwen before she came back on Action?"

"So you can remember that, but not the fact that she found about about me cheating on her in World Tour?"

He shrugged. "I have sudden outbursts of memory every once in a while.

Duncan raised an eyebrow. "Ok...anyways, I don't think that's the only thing."

"Then I'm afraid I can't help you, buddy." Scott pat him on the shoulder, in which the punk immediately shrugged his hand off. "I'm not the best at psychological things. Why don't ya just go and talk to her?"

"Well I tried and she just walked away."

"Then keep trying to talk to her. She'll eventually talk back."

"So I just have to bug her until she has no other choice but to talk to me?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Ok, buddy, that may be your strategy, but I'm not going all Sierra on her. That's probably why you don't get any game."

"Hey! I have Dawn!" He snapped. "And remember what you said about acting like you don't care?"

"Oh, trust me. Already tried that one a long time ago. She completely blanked me and practically replaced me with you."

"Well that explains it, then. No one can resist me." Duncan rolled his eyes at Scott's statement.

**

"Hey Al, enjoying the party?" José's menacing voice cut through the air and into Alejandro's ears.

"I would be if you weren't here," the Spaniard retorted.

"What about your fiancé? Doesn't she usually force you to enjoy things?"

"Heather does not force me to do anything."

His older brother raised an eyebrow. "So you're always buying her all of those expensive clothes and jewelry because you want to?"

"She never asks me to buy anything for her!" Alejandro glared. "Are you trying to start a fight?"

"No," he shrugged. "Just looking out for my little brother. "I've seen Total Drama Island."

"So have I."

"Yes, I know," José replied, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Which is exactly why you should be more careful. Heather could still very well be deceiving you, even after three years. It could all just be for your dinero...our whole family's dinero. Besides, a woman as gorgeous as her would never truly love you." Alejandro balled his fists, anger quickly rising in his chest, like a bomb that could explode at any second. "But me on the other hand...I could easily win her over with my looks."

"Heather isn't dumb enough to fall for someone like you!" He defended, José getting on his last nerve.

"I bet she is," he laughed mockingly. "Hell, she could be smarter than anyone else in the world and still fall into my trap."

"Why don't you just leave me alone?!!!" Alejandro nearly screamed. "Heather's my fiancé, not yours! Stop butting into our relationship and trying to ruin it, because it's not going to work!"

"Oh, but it will, Al," José emphasized, then turned to walk away. Then he smirked, wanting to get one last kick out of mocking him. "Tell me, does her smoking hot body make up for her personality?"

That was the last straw. Alejandro marches right up to his brother and punched him square in the jaw. "You don't talk about Heather that way ever again! I thought I already made that clear to you in All-Stars!"

José growled frustratedly, holding the side of his face and stood up. "I can't help it if it's true!" He pushed Alejandro with his free arm, sending him falling backwards into the dock. At this point, everyone began standing around the two brothers, some were whispering, some recorded the brawl, and some just stayed silent.

Alejandro winced in pain as he felt the back of his head hit the hard wood. He slowly opened his eyes and felt the world spin as he got back up. "You broke the family code!" José yelled.

"Does it look like I care?!" He shouted back. "I am sick and tired of you trying to make my life miserable! And once I'm done with you, your face will be the very last thing you'll be worried about!"

"Fine," his face darkened. "If you wanna play that way, Al!" He ran to try and tackle him, when Alejandro grabbed his arm and twisted it from behind his back. José, wincing a bit, used his leg to kick him and send him back to the ground. The older brother then pinned his wrists to the dock and looked him right in the eyes. "You're nothing." He said it quietly so no one would hear. Then he spit in his face. "And one day, Heather will see that and leave you for me." After a moment, he slowly got off of Alejandro and then let go of his wrists, knowing that he had won.

"Hey!" Came a sharp voice from behind them. "What's going on here?!" José turned around to see Heather in her swimsuit, running towards the both of them. Everyone just awkwardly stared at each other as she bend down and helped her fiancé up. "So no one's gonna tell me?" She sighed in frustration and took Alejandro's hand. "Come on."

"Dude..." Geoff said. "That was insane."

José looked around at all the other contestants, who looked scared out of their minds, and a bit confused. "You guys saw the way he attacked me, right? He punched me right here!" He pointed to his mouth, which was dripping with blood. "Alejandro is not to be trusted. He's always been like that. Ever since we were kids, he mocked me and told me that I wasn't good enough. And look who he's going to marry! You've all seen Heather on Island, right?!" They all nodded.

"Yeah, Heather's a little bitch!" LeShawna yelled in agreement. "They both need to be taken down!"

"I definitely agree," Gwen said.

"I second that," Trent joined.

"So just let me do my work, and I'll have them out of here in no time, even if there are no eliminations this season." José smirked.

"Well, uh...Heather hasn't been that bad recently," said Cody timidly. "Can we just try and get rid of Alejandro?"

"But if we get rid of him, she'll follow. So why not just make them both suffer for everything they've done to us?"

"Ohhh, I remember when Heather tricked me into an alliance back in Season 3!" Lindsay exclaimed.

"I think it was Season 1, babe," Tyler corrected gently.

"Oh yeah! Season 1! She is so going down for that!"

"Excellent!" José grinned. This will be way too easy. "Now I will be doing all the dirty work for you while you guys sit back and watch the show."

**

"I don't think I can take anymore of this," Alejandro groaned as Heather laid him down on their bottom bunk bed.

"Of what?"

"Of...him. I know for a fact that Chris let him on the show so he could torment me all summer!"

"So José beat you up and now you're crying to me about it?"

"No! I punched him first! Right in the jaw! He deserved it!"

"I'm sure he did," his fiancé agreed. "But do you think punching him is going to help us if our team wins and we have to split the money?"

Alejandro scoffed, shaking his head. "You know, I made the mistake of telling you about this. There you go again, only caring about the money."

"We need that money, babe," she said.

"Do you wanna know why I punched him?" Heather only remained silent. "Because he was talking about you badly." The Asian woman's eyes widened, then she crossed her arms, keeping a stern face.

"I don't care if he says he's going to kill me. Don't let him get to you like that. That's the reaction he wants from you, Alejandro."

"I'll always defend you, mi angel," he said, gently running a hand through her long, dark hair. "You're worth more than any amount of money in the world." Heather felt herself blush, and a tiny smile formed on her lips. She leaned down and tenderly kissed his lips.

"I'm sorry..." she breathed when they pulled out. "For...only thinking about the money. I just..." she sighed, nervously biting her lip. "I want us to have a good life."

"We do have a good one," he smiled at her lovingly, pulling her down onto his chest. "We have each other, mi amor."

"As cheesy as that sounds, I'm afraid you're right."