Okay, here's the deal: I have a lot of DXC one-shots written. Five actually. So this is what I decided to do: I'm going to post a series of one-shots –starting with this one. They're going to be totally unrelated to one another, some will take place on TDI, others after the show, and some in which TDI never happened. This is the first one, and if you have any suggestions for a one-shot, please tell me.

I don't own Total Drama Island. Sad, right? But if I did, you can be sure that I'd put you in it.

Fluffy white flecks fell hastily down onto the sidewalk. It was a blizzard. A violent one. The sky was thick with snowflakes that plummeted down to the snow-covered ground. The wind blew viciously against the trees and houses. The streets were bare and abandoned. No one in their right mind would go out in such weather. Courtney was no exception.

She sat in front of the fireplace, curled in a blanket. The house was empty, save her. The fire crackled behind the glass screen. Flames flickered in Courtney's eyes.

Total Drama Island was over. Long over. It'd been a year and a half since she'd seen the narcissistic host or any of the other campers. Her mind had drifted to that summer many times, but she thought about it less and less. Courtney slowly began to lose mental images of the camp. She would find herself stumbling over names of the campers, too. Sometimes she would have trouble conjuring their images. But there were certain moments that she found she could relive. When Courtney thought about when she had been unfairly voted off, she could feel the same bitter anger she had when she was sixteen. Courtney also remembered the twinge of sadness she had felt when her violin had crashed under the weight of the stage light during the talent show challenge. But the feeling she remembered the most prominently was the feeling of pure, undeniable pleasure when she was with him.

Of course, Courtney had not thought about him -or anyone from the show, for that matter- in a while. That's not to say that she had forgotten, she remembered him quite clearly. It was just that she stayed away from the thought as often as she could. Courtney wasn't the type of person that dwelled on past relationships. Especially ones in which she missed the individual terribly. And though she wouldn't admit it willingly, she missed him to the point where she nearly cracked.

But, as it has been said, Courtney was no longer on Total Drama Island. No more challenges. No more competitions. No more sadistic chefs.

Despite the warmth of the fire, Courtney shivered. She got up and slinked over to the kitchen, where she filled the kettle with warm water and placed it on the stove. She turned the dial to high heat and got out a mug from one of the oak cabinets. She had a craving for hot chocolate.

The sudden ringing of the doorbell caused Courtney to jump, spilling the hot chocolate powder all over the counter and floor. Grumbling, she whisked off to the front door, which she opened wide.

A gust of wind caused Goosebumps to rise on her arms. A flurry of snow shot through the open door and flew into the living room. Courtney took no notice; she could only stare at the figure in front of her.

It was him.

What was he doing there? Outside her house? She blinked several times, but no answer came.

Getting over her momentary shock and confusion, Courtney noticed that there wasn't a similar surprised expression on the young man's face. This startled her at first, but she then turned angry.

He didn't remember her.

Courtney glared for a moment, but her expression softened when she realized something: It wasn't that he didn't remember her; it was that he didn't recognize her.

After her first taste of the 'dark side', Courtney felt odd. Restless. Like she needed more. She needed to do something drastic. He had changed her, in a way. It was like she discovered a different part of herself. A part that needed to be expressed.

With that in mind, Courtney changed her hair. It was dyed a dark chestnut, nearly black in dim light. She grew it out to past her shoulders, and straight-ironed it slick. Her eyes were finely lined with 'blackest black' eyeliner and coated once with mascara that shared the same name.

Discovering that her wardrobe did not fit her new style, she had gone shopping. Her style didn't change drastically, but she did find herself wincing at florescent blues and pinks, dress shirts and flashy jewelry.

Despite her radical change in style, Courtney's personality itself hadn't changed. She had finished her CIT training and had been accepted to an upscale university, where she expected to excel.

"Hi." Courtney stuttered, blinking rapidly. What did he want?

"Uh, hi." He ran a hand through his Mohawk, teal eyes innocent. "I was just wondering if I could use your phone. My car ran out of gas right outside of your house and my cell's battery is dead."

"Oh… of course." Courtney stepped aside to let him in. She slammed the door shut.

"I'm Duncan." Of course he was.

Courtney opened her mouth to reintroduce herself, but something stopped her. She didn't want to get tangled up with him again. It'd been hard getting over the arrogant delinquent, and she didn't want to have to do so again. Besides, he'd be leaving soon enough, right?

"I'll get the phone." Courtney dashed off to get the phone as her old summer fling removed his sneakers.

"Here." She handed him the slim silver phone and perched on the edge of the couch. He hadn't changed very much, she noted. Still, seeing him made her heart beat twice as fast.

Courtney spent the next fifteen minutes listening to Duncan call various friends of his, hoping for help of some sort. After hanging up for the sixth time, he groaned in frustration.

"Shit! Now what am I going to do?" He sighed aggravatingly.

"I'll drive you."

Duncan barely registered that Courtney had spoken to him. "What?"

"I'll drive you. To the gas station. I'm sure there's a gas container in the garage."

"Really?" He looked surprised at first, and then smiled. "Thanks."

Courtney nodded. The offer was more due to the nagging concern in her head that she'd better get him out of her house right then than from the kindness of her heart, but it didn't matter. As long as he left.

But as soon as she opened the door, Courtney knew that there was no chance that she'd be able to drive anywhere. It was snowing harder, much harder. The wind was so strong that Courtney felt her grip on the doorknob slipping. She pressed herself against the door to get it to close and turned the lock.

"Well… I guess not." Courtney ran a hand through her darkened hair. She looked to Duncan. She didn't want him to stay, but she wasn't about to kick him out. She wasn't that harsh.

"You can stay here until the blizzard dies down and I can drive you."

"Wow… thanks." He slipped off his jacket and tossed it onto the arm of the couch. Courtney noticed that the tips of his ears were pink.

"I'm making hot chocolate. You want some?" She offered.

"Sure. No milk."

Courtney walked off to the kitchen and added an extra cupful of water to the kettle. When she returned, she saw Duncan lounging in front of the fire. She sat on the couch behind him.

"I didn't catch your name." He turned to her, bright blue eyes pressing for an answer.

"Where were you headed?" She asked uneasily, attempting to change the subject.

"Answer me first."

Courtney didn't want to lie, but she couldn't tell him her name. He could easily put two and two together.

"Alex." It wasn't exactly a lie. Her name was Alex- her middle name, anyway.

"So, where were you going?" She asked once more.

Duncan shrugged. "I don't know. I just felt like driving. It isn't like I had anything better to do. The idea kind of backfired, though…" He reclined against the back of the couch and looked at Courtney. "So, tell me about yourself."

"What do you want to know?" She asked cautiously. Too much information could lead him to be suspicious.

"Alright, uhh…" He thought for a moment. "Where are your folks?"

"The Bahamas." She sighed, thankful the question wasn't too personal. "They left me to freeze to death."

Duncan smirked, and Courtney's heart raced. It'd been a long time. Too long.

"So, uh." She mumbled and ran a hand through her hair. "Anything special about you that I should know?"

"Well, I've been to Juvie twice. You should probably know that."

Courtney faked surprise. "Really? What for?"

"Not for murder, if that's what you're wondering."

She shook her head and focused on her knees.

"Okay… any siblings?" He asked.

"Nope. You?"

"Two brothers. Favorite color?"

"Blue. And yours?"

Duncan gestured towards his hair. "Green."

"Do you have a girlfriend?" She instantly regretted the question. But still, she was curious.

Duncan gave Courtney an odd look. "No… why?"

She tried to act casual, as if it was no big deal. She also tried to mask her relief. "Oh, no reason. Just trying to make conversation."

"What about you?"

She bit her lip and averted his gaze. "Nope. No boyfriend."

"Any crazy, obsessed ex-boyfriends I should know about?" He grinned.

Courtney returned the smile, playing along. "Only one. But I'm pretty sure he's in jail."

Duncan chuckled, and Courtney felt a warm feeling rise in her. Their eyes met for a moment, and she hastily looked away, thankful for the dim lighting.

"I think the water is boiling." She muttered and ran off to the kitchen. She returned minutes later with a mug of hot chocolate in each hand. Duncan nodded in thanks as she handed him one.

"Is it too hot?" She asked. He shook his head no.

"It's fine." Courtney settled beside him and brought the drink to her lips. She sipped the chocolate beverage greedily.

"You know, I'm kind of surprised that you're actually letting me stay here." Duncan set his mug down on the coffee table and looked to Courtney. "I usually make an intimidating first impression."

"Yeah, well…" Courtney shrugged. "I wasn't just going to let you freeze outside."

They sipped their drinks silently for a while, not making conversation. Courtney eyed the living room window. It was still snowing.

"So, uh…" Courtney tried to think of something to talk about. "Anything else about you I should know?"

"Well, I was on a reality show."

"Really?" She widened eyes, hoping to look surprised. "Which one?"

"Total Drama Island."

"Yeah?"

"That's the last time I ever go on a reality show."

Courtney tilted her head to the right, attempting to look curious. "Why? Was it really bad?"

Duncan scoffed. "Torture. If the food didn't kill you, the challenges would. The people weren't bad, though."

Courtney felt a little smile surface on her face. She tried to cover it with her hair. "Oh?"

He shrugged. "Well, I wasn't friends with everyone. Only the select few."

Did the select few include her? Wait- did she care? No, of course not.

The butterflies in her stomach said otherwise.

Though she wasn't facing him, Courtney knew that Duncan was looking at her. The look gave her an unsettling feeling. Her insides squirmed. He looked as if he had seen her before.

And that wasn't what she wanted.

Courtney stood up abruptly and stared at the floor. "I have to, uh, charge my cell because the, uh, battery is dying. Be right back." The excuse was pathetic, but she didn't care. Courtney smiled briefly and hurried upstairs to her room.

Duncan stared after her as she left. There was something odd about her; something familiar. He looked at the mantle above the fireplace. It was littered with pictures.

Standing up, Duncan peered for closer inspection at the smiling faces. One face, in particular, caught his eye. He grabbed the silver frame and held it close to the fire for better light.

The picture was of a girl with shoulder-length brown hair standing in front of an amusement park. Her face was bright with a smile and her dark eyes were looking right at Duncan.

He frowned. It didn't make any sense. What was a picture of her doing here?

Duncan looked closely into her eyes, and realized they were the same ones that had been on him moments ago.

He set the picture frame back on the mantle and ran a hand through his hair, grinning like an idiot.

Courtney returned seconds later and sat down on the couch. Duncan turned to her, smiling happily.

"I remember something else from the show, actually."

"Hmm?" She raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Yeah, there was this girl I hooked up with."

"Oh? What was she like?" Courtney tried to mask her anticipation. She wasn't doing a very good job of it.

Duncan thought for a moment. "Bossy. Kind of a bitch."

She clenched her jaw. "Huh…"

"She was uptight, too."

I am not uptight… Courtney thought to herself.

"And manipulative."

Courtney clenched her fists with anger, though she tried to keep a collective presence.

"No wonder she didn't win the hundred grand."

Courtney bit her tongue to keep from lashing out at Duncan. It had been his fault that she was unfairly voted off!

"Oh?" She glared daggers. "Then why did you hook up with her, if she's such a controlling little bitch?"

Duncan shrugged, oh-so casually.

"I figured I could get into her pants."

That set Courtney off. She shot up from her spot on the couch and shrieked in anger.

"Uh! You disgusting, perverted, irritating PIG! I can't believe I ever liked you! You only liked me because you thought I was easy and-"

Courtney stopped herself. Duncan was grinning.

"Nice to have you back, Princess."

She sunk back down onto the couch slowly. He knew.

"When'd you find out?"

"Just after you left. You've changed a lot… Why didn't you tell me?"

Courtney sighed and hugged her knees to her chest. "Because… I figured if you didn't know, I could just forget about this and move on. If I'd told you it was me… well, then you'd know where I live and you wouldn't leave me alone. And then how would I get over you?"

"So instead you lied."

Courtney raised a finger in objection. "Technically, I didn't lie. You asked me my name, and I gave you my middle name. You weren't specific."

"Ah, true." Duncan sighed, and then grinned to himself.

"What?" She asked, noting his smile.

"Nothing, just…" He looked Courtney in the eye, a mysterious longing flickering. "I missed you."

She felt her cheeks go hot under his gaze. "W-well…"

Duncan crept closer. Courtney gulped. "May-maybe we should go…"

The look in his eyes made her palms clammy. Suddenly, she was sixteen again and standing outside the Gopher cabin with Duncan. Her heart accelerated.

"Look, Duncan…" He inched nearer, eyes locked onto hers. "How about we just… catch up?"

He was merely millimeters away. Courtney's voice shook. "Duncan… Let's just… talk…"

"Did you miss me?" Duncan whispered, his hot breath pressing on Courtney's skin.

"Uhh..." Her mouth was too dry to speak. She swallowed hard. "I-I guess, a bit…"

Duncan's mouth turned to a smug smile. "Is that the best you can manage?"

"Okay, fine. I missed you. So what…?"

Quickly, he pressed his lips against hers. Courtney's eyes widened with shock, but a feeling of bliss soon overcame it. Her lids heaved with pleasure, eventually shutting. Her arms found his neck, where she wrapped them sweetly. Duncan pressed closer, and Courtney accepted the sudden warmth. He tasted like hot chocolate.

After a moment, they pulled apart. Duncan smiled, his lips just barely brushing hers.

He glanced outside, and then looked back at Courtney. "It's stopped snowing." He whispered.

She looked past him, out the living room window. Occasional snowflakes fell, giving the scene an oddly romantic charm.

Courtney locked eyes with Duncan. A smile made its way to her lips as she said, "I don't think it matters."

And she kissed him again.

I think that was cute. Not all will be quite as fluffy, the genre will definitely vary. But Duncan/Courtney all the way!