I Want You

"D-Duncan?" Courtney brushed her hair out of her face with her hand so she could get a better look of the familiar-looking stranger standing broadly on her front porch. She squinted at the figure. Was she seeing this right? Was it really him? Could it really be the boy who drove her absolutely mad while she attended that crazy summer camp? Impossible! It had to have been at least two years since she last saw him.

"Happy to see me, Princess?" Alas, it was him. Just the sound of his voice made Courtney's heartbeat speed up. His green fohawk was still intact, but his black shirt had been traded in with a white wife beater. His arms were crossed and there was a smirk pinned onto his face.

Courtney took a step away, just to make sure this was reality and not a dream. The nickname seemed familiar, yet stale. It almost didn't feel right. Nobody had even called her that since the Total Drama Island craze died down. "Ecstatic," she whispered, sarcastically. And as if they were back together on the island, her words came naturally, "Can't you see I'm bursting with excitement?" She crossed her arms.

"Same old Courtney, I see."

Courtney smiled, but she stopped almost as quick as she started. "Duncan, what are you doing here?" Her first thought was that he was in trouble with the law, so maybe he needed somewhere to hide out. Or maybe he was in desperate need of money. Her mind came up with a dozen of crimes he could have committed before he answered her.

"Can't I just stop by to see my favorite girl?"

Although she didn't show much emotion, she was getting a warm feeling inside. I'm his favorite girl, she thought, proudly. She wanted so badly to bring him in and ask what was going on in his life. She wanted to be part of it again. If there was one thing she missed about being on that agonizing island, it was Duncan. At one point she had forgotten all about winning the money and her main focus became Duncan. However, as usual, Courtney didn't let her feelings speak, "No, Duncan. There has to be a reason behind your being here. What is it? What do you want?"

"I'm serious, Princess. Just wanted to see you. It's been so long."

Courtney considered this. "Yeah, it has." The last time they saw each other was when Owen won the $100,000, which was a very, very long time ago. Suddenly, Courtney's thoughts drifted, I was voted off unfairly. I should have won that money!

"Sooo," Duncan piped up, interrupting her thoughts, "aren't you going to invite me in?"

Looking at him oddly, Courtney began, "I don't think so, Duncan. There is really no reason for me to. I mean, sure, we had a thing back when we were on the island, but things are different now. Plus, you didn't even call me afterwards like you said you would, which is really rude if you think about it. You could have stopped by sooner, but now, it's too late. My boyfriend is here inside, actually." She closed her hand and pointed her thumb back in the direction of her house.

Duncan stared at her, slightly surprised. "Well, well, Princess. I wasn't going to try anything, I just wanted to see you. It's not like I'd need to waste anymore time trying to get you."

Ouch. "What do you mean, you don't need to waste anymore time trying to get me?"

Duncan shrugged and explained himself, "I dunno. I spent so much time trying to get you to admit you liked me. Then you did. Then you kissed me. So there, I succeeded."

A second later after accumulating this, Courtney turned a dark shade of red, got a tight grip on the door frame, and started to shout at him, "Are you trying to say that I was just another girl on your list? List of girls you planned to have? Was I really unimportant? Trivial? You wanted to see how far you could get with me?" She wasn't exactly sure how to explain it, but she knew Duncan had gotten the point.

Duncan put his palms up as if he were surrendering. "Whoa, whoa! Cool it, Court. That's not what I meant. You know you were important, way more important than any bimbo I ever dated. You still are. If you weren't, I wouldn't be here right now. No need to get your princess panties stuck in a bunch, okay?" he grinned at her.

Courtney huffed. "Sorry."

Before Duncan could start saying his rueful goodbyes, a man who couldn't have been younger than 25 came up behind Courtney. Gently letting a hand fall onto Courtney's waist, he stared at Duncan with disgust and spoke, "What's going on, Courtney? Who is this guy?" His voice was demanding, and that didn't sit well with Duncan. The former delinquent glared at Courtney's new beau.

Courtney tensed. She had been hoping to avoid this awkward moment. "Uh, Logan, this is Duncan. You remember, the guy from Total Drama Island. Duncan, this is my boyfriend, Logan."

"Nice to meet you, Duncan," Logan's voice showed his distaste for Duncan as he stuck out his hand towards him.

Accepting it, Duncan smirked, "The pleasure is all yours."

Logan scoffed, "What is he doing here, Courtney?"

"He was just le-"

On a split decision, Duncan answered for her, "Coming in." After interrupting, he stepped past Courtney and Logan and walked into the nice, little abode. He took a deep breath. It smelt of frebreze. He stepped right into the living room, which was set with a flat-screen, plasma television and fuzzy carpet. The sofas were snow-white, red pillows arranged neatly across them. "Nice place you got here, Princess." Duncan kicked off his shoes and jumped back, landing on the couch. Predictably, he laid his feet on top of the coffee table. "Not that I'm surprised, or anything."

He's crazy! Courtney thought, wide-eyed. She glanced at Logan, whom was impatiently looking down at her and tapping his foot. "Duncan," Courtney said through gritted teeth, coming around the sofa, knocking his legs off of the coffee table. "It's a little late, don't you think?"

"Sure is. Where's the guestroom?" he asked and looked around.

Any of the lovey feelings Courtney had just gotten for Duncan disappeared; her annoyance was taking over. "Excuse me? Duncan you can't stay the night. We only have one bedroom, anyway."

"Aw, I guess Logan's gonna have to sleep on the couch."

Logan, who had firmly planted himself close by the sofa, didn't tolerate this, "Courtney, I want this young man out of here!" He crossed him arms in a dominant manner.

Duncan gained a little feeling of shock when Courtney didn't reply back to Logan. With an angry expression on his face, Duncan leaned forward and looked towards Logan, "Whoa, who are you? Courtney's boyfriend or her father?" After saying that, Duncan turned back to Courtney, who was silently standing next to him. "C'mon Princess, you're not going let him tell you what to do like that!"

"Duncan. Please, leave," Courtney said, sternly. "You had no right to come into my home."

"Yes, do leave," Logan injected into the conversation, "or I will be forced to escort you out."

"Oh, you wanna challenge me, pretty boy?" Duncan stood up and began cracking his knuckles, a deranged look upon his face. "Bring it on, then."

Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Courtney stepped forward quickly, getting a firm grip on Duncan's arm. "Duncan, please!" she sighed with aggravation then directed her attention to Logan, "Logan, please just give me a second with Duncan. I swear, it won't take long." Logan gave her a very long, uncomfortable stare before disappearing into another room. Courtney decided to wait a few seconds before she was sure Logan had occupied himself with something.

"Man, Princess-"

Before Duncan could even finish, he was violently pushed towards to front door. "Ow!"

Courtney's cheeks were stained with red once again, her eyebrows were narrowed in with anger. "Duncan, you moron! You haven't changed a bit. You're still rude and vulgar. Please, just leave," Courtney's voice was low, but it was extremely harsh and bitter.

Duncan raised his unibrow. "What's up with you, Courtney?"

"Nothing is up with me, Duncan. I just want you to get out." Courtney was still fuming while she tried push Duncan closer to the door. What made her even more frustrated was her inability to make Duncan budge. He was like a brick wall.

Ignoring everything else, Duncan said, "Why are you letting this guy boss you around?"

Courtney started to push on his chest. "Duncan, get out-"

"Courtney. Why are you even with this guy?" Duncan asked. Annoyed with her pushing, he grabbed her arms and pulled over to the sofa, taking a seat. Despite all of her fusing, he still managed to get her to sit down beside him. He gave her a serious look-a look he didn't get very often around her.

Courtney stared at him. She still had an angry expression on her face, but apparently that wasn't going to break Duncan. Courtney knew he wasn't going to leave willingly without some answers. She sighed, and chose her words carefully, "He's a diplomat."

"More like a dipshit."

She wrinkled her nose with disgust. "What's your problem?"

Shrugging, Duncan picked up a little angel figurine from the coffee table. Distractingly, he studied it's features. "I just don't like the way he treats you. I thought you made your own decisions."

"I do!"

"You don't," Duncan put down the tiny statue and looked at her, deep in her eyes, "I really don't like this guy." He wasn't sure why he was telling her this; this wasn't his life, it was Courtney's. He was just popping back in temporarily. Not that he wouldn't mind being back with Courtney. Actually, that was the real reason behind this visit. Sure, after saying his goodbyes to Courtney he dated many, many other girls, but he never did fully get over Courtney. She was different from all of the other girls he dated. She was smart, more determined, and much more feisty.

"Well, quite frankly, I don't like him very much, either."

"What?" Duncan looked shocked. "Then why are you dating him?"

"We're actually engaged," her voice was soft, almost embarrassed. Courtney pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

This shocked Duncan even more. He didn't know where to start, "Engaged? But you're eighteen-"

Before he could list all of the other oddities, Courtney interrupted, "I know that, Duncan. But my parents say we need to get married quick. They say he might change his mind."

"What? Change his mind? And what do your parents have to do with this?"

She sighed again. Even just the thought of the situation made her grimace. The truth was, though, she needed to face this. This was reality. "My parents want me to marry someone with a productive future. That someone is Logan. When I was younger, I guess around fourteen, they arranged for me to marry him. His and my parents are close friends. I was a perfect student and he had a bright future. So when I turned 18, a few months ago, they moved me in with Logan. He's a little iffy now, so my parents are organizing the wedding plans already. They told me to be extra good to him so he won't amend his wants. So that's why I'm temporarily acting different."

"That's crazy."

"How?"

"You have to spend the rest of your life with this guy, Princess! You don't even like him. Why are you listening to your parents? It's your life. I thought arranged marriage only happened in places like India and China."

Courtney shrugged. "It's really not a big deal. I've always wanted to please my parents."

"By giving your life away?"

"That's a little dramatic, don't you think?" Courtney laughed, nervously.

"Ha, wouldn't you know about that."

Courtney smiled; her problems always seemed to vanish when she was around Duncan. Although, once again, she frowned and looked down at her legs, "I don't want to marry him, Duncan. I really don't. But what if I don't find anyone else? Or what if I find someone else and his life is going downhill? This really is the best option for me." It was true to her. Without Logan, who else could she settle down with? Although she wouldn't admit it aloud, the only reason men were attracted to her was mostly for her beauty. Some would say her attitude was overbearing. Her personality was what scared people away.

Everyone except Duncan, she thought, looking back up at him. She would have never considered Duncan as a spouse, not even when they were both attending Total Drama Island. It would forever damage her reputation. But did that really matter as long as she was happy with him? Courtney was brought up thinking that school was the most important thing. She had no time for fun or childhood. Marrying Logan seemed like nothing more than an annoyance, but now, with Duncan right next to her, she was starting to reconstruct it as an issue.

Duncan sighed, trapped in his own thoughts. This was her life, so he really didn't have much say in it. He had honestly showed up thinking that their love would ignite once again, and maybe they'd get back together. He certainly didn't think he'd walk into Courtney's drama. Duncan had thought Courtney was wrapped in things irrelevant. Or things irrelevant to him, such as schooling and future careers. He had no idea Courtney would be dating someone else, let alone engaged. He began to think it was a bad idea to show up in the first place. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

They remained quiet for a minute or so before Courtney spoke up, "So, Duncan. What's the real reason you're here?" She knew he wasn't just stopping by; he wanted something. Suddenly, she began to think more into it. Wide-eyed, a little suspicious, she added, "How did you even know where I lived?"

"Don't worry, Princess. I didn't go through too much trouble to find you," he winked at her. "I just had Geoff ask Bridgette for me. You know they're still together? That's commitment, considering it's long distance."

"I actually didn't know that," Courtney said, a little hurt Bridgette didn't bring up such an important factor of her life such as that. She had grown distant with her Total Drama camp-mates . . . not that she had ever really been close to most of them in the first place, but still. "That is commitment. Back on the subject, though, why did you come here?"

Duncan frowned. He was hoping to avoid that subject. He didn't really intend to hide his remaining feelings away from Courtney, but the situation with her boyfriend had him discouraged. "I guess I just wanted to see you. Honestly, I thought we'd hook back up, or something."

"Hmph! What about all that talk about not wanting me, anymore?" Courtney smirked, lightening the mood.

He smirked back at her. "Your mood swings are contagious, Princess."

"Oh shut up, Duncan!" she became slightly irked, but realized she was reinforcing Duncan's statement. She calmed herself and joked, "Besides, like I'd ever date you. Puh-leese. You're definitely not me type."

Rolling his eyes, Duncan scoffed at her, "You're too uptight for me anyway."

Wide-eyed, Courtney gave a fake gasp, covering her mouth with her hand for full effect, "I am not uptight!" Their words were too familiar. Suddenly, the moment from when they were in the fish cabin together-the night Courtney was eliminated-was replaying in front of their eyes. It all fell together.

"You always follow the rules!"

Courtney didn't even have to give a second thought to what she was going to say next, "You always break them!" Wasn't this their usual conversation on the island? She was miss goody-goody and Duncan was the bad boy. She tried to convince him to do the right thing many times while he tried to convince her to let loose and have fun. Opposites really do attract, otherwise they would have never fell for each other. Otherwise, Duncan wouldn't be sitting here in her home, joking with her.

"Only the ones I want to," he said smoothly and winked at her.

"I guess I'm just a big, uptight loser in your book, huh?" her voice became soft.

"Maybe. Why do you follow the rules?"

"Because-"

Courtney didn't get finish, not that she was exactly sure what to say. They were no longer in the fish cabin, no longer 16, and somehow the real life dilemma reappeared. Duncan's voice suddenly lost any hint of amusement and became serious, "Following them gets you married to someone you hate?"

Looking down, Courtney once again was wrapped into her thoughts. How about she marry Duncan? Obviously not now, but maybe in a few years. Their love still hadn't died down, but would it still stand strong when they were twenty? Twenty-five? Thirty? Courtney shook her head. It wasn't like Duncan had purposed to her-for all she knew, he probably didn't want to marry her. Marriage is a huge commitment. But on the contrary, Logan didn't love her. Courtney didn't love him, even though her parents did. "Agh! I just don't know Duncan. I don't know what to do. I hate not being in control," Courtney told him, distressed. She let her face fall into her palms, her hand gripping onto her hair.

"But you are in control," Duncan tried to convince her, laying his hand gently on her back, "you can stop this. Break off the engagement. Tell your parents you don't want to marry him."

"They'll hate me."

"They won't. If they do, then no offense, but they are really crummy parents."

She peeked up at him through her fingers.

Duncan added, "I mean, you're a good person. I bet you went through school betting straight-As, being the top of your class, never giving the teachers problems. I bet you were the best daughter, always listening to your parents, always trying to fulfill your parent's expectations, always-"

Although that was true, Courtney knew that wouldn't change her parent's thoughts. They were more stubborn than her. "What's your point, Duncan?"

"My point, Princess, is that if they do end up hating you, then, well, screw them! You worked hard enough for their love, and if they're still not happy now, what's the point of trying to please them?"

Courtney sat up straight. "I'm not like you, Duncan! I can't just say, forget them, and be done with it. Regardless of their conditional love, they still are my parents. It's in the bible, Duncan-thou shalt honor thy mother and father."

"I didn't know you were religious."

"I'm not, but I do respect my parents."

Duncan sighed. He wasn't going to change her mind by trying to talk her out of it. This wasn't his business, but he didn't want to see Courtney marry some guy she didn't love. He still wanted to look out for her, be apart of her life. He wanted to be with her again. That's when he decided that the "actions speak louder than words" saying could possibly fit in this situation. Almost on an impulse, he grabbed Courtney's arm and pulled her closer to him. As soon as their lips connected, he wrapped his arm around her waist and laid his hand on the other arm behind her head. He didn't want her to instinctively pull away before she could feel the full effect.

Although Duncan's eyes were closed, Courtney's were wide open. She had no idea what to do. This would have been considered cheating, but she couldn't help but want more of him. Then slowly, she began to work her arms around him, embracing him. He felt so warm, and she had a perfect feeling of tranquility. Courtney had missed him so much. The months without him dragged out, and for the first two months, she didn't think she could go on without him. At the time though, it was mostly teenage angst. Courtney's parents were so disappointed that she had made any kind of contact with that delinquent boy, they even grounded her for months after she returned home.

While vigorously making out with Duncan, Courtney gained new thoughts, I am not sixteen anymore. I am a young adult. My parents can no longer threaten me by sending me to my room or having me grounded for the weekend. I don't even live with them, anymore! This is it! Logan and I are done with! She felt triumphal, as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Duncan had only been here with her for less than 20 minutes, but he had already given her her solution. She knew exactly what she wanted to do; she wanted to be with Duncan! She didn't care if he was bad to the bone, or he didn't follow the rules. If anything, she loved that about him. Danger is kind of hot, she remembered saying, long ago. And she still felt the same way. She could arrange future plans later, but now, she knew exactly what she wanted.

"Duncan, I want you."

"I'm all for you, babe."

Realizing this was happening too fast, too soon, Courtney pushed him away. She answered his confused look by saying, "I can't do this while I'm with Logan. I don't want to be disloyal."

"You already crossed that line, sweetheart," Duncan said, before going back in for a kiss. He had been waiting so long for her. He tried to fight the urges to leave her be. His brother had even told him not to chase a girl; that was pathetic. But Courtney was worth chasing. She always had been.

Courtney once again pushed him back, hand over his mouth. "I've come to a conclusion."

"Okay?"

"I'm breaking off the engagement and getting Logan the hell out of my house!" she sounded successful; she was once again back in her position. She was back in control of her life. Taking a deep breath, but still smiling, she stood up. "Thank you so much for clearing my mind, Duncan."

"Anything for you, Princess," he grinned at her as she walked to the door where Logan had disappeared to. Without knocking, she went on in. Duncan leaned over the couch, ready to spring into action if Courtney needed his help. Anything for Princess, he thought, smirking.

He heard a bit of murmuring. He smiled at hearing the dominance in Courtney's voice. Oh yes, she was definitely back. A few seconds later, Courtney came out of the bedroom alone and quietly closed the door. She looked up at Duncan and said, "I have decided to give him until the morning to leave. It's only fair for me to give him enough time to properly pack his things."

"Way to go, Princess!" Duncan cheered, raising his fist in the air.

Courtney came closer to him and ruffled his hair. "I guess I'll tell my parents tomorrow morning. They're kind of hard to face. They're like two of me."

"Whoa, that would be almost unmanageable!"

Gently slapping his shoulder, Courtney continued, "I guess I'll have to move back in with my parents, if they allow me. I'm sure they're not going to continue to make payments on a house for their failure of a daughter." She smirked at the thought of her scolding parents. Oh man, were they going to get a kick out of this!

"Well you know, sweetheart, you can always come and stay with me," Duncan winked at her.

"I think I'd like that," Courtney smiled, genuinely. "After we reacquainted. For all I know you could be a convicted felon running from the law."

"Maybe," Duncan rolled his eyes at her, crossing his arms, "there is a lot you don't know about me."

Finally, after months of keeping her mouth shut, Courtney was comfortable with letting her feelings speak for her, "Well, I want to get to know you. How about we talk about it over coffee tomorrow?"

Duncan shrugged, "Alright with me. But I kind of need a place to stay."

"What?"

"I drove all the way from Quebec."

"Oh, Duncan . . ." Courtney shook her head. "Well, I guess you can sleep on the couch then. I'll just take the guestroom. It's fair since Logan has to leave in the morning." While talking, she had gone over to a closest close by and retrieved a few pillows and a blanket from it.

"I thought you didn't have a guestroom." Duncan had gotten up and walked over to Courtney. She was startled when he talked; he sounded so close. His chest was touching her back.

When she turned around to face him, she smiled, "I lied."

"Well, if there's an extra room, I don't see why we can't both. . ." Duncan began wrapping his arms around Courtney, pillows and and.

Abruptly, Courtney freed one of her hands to push Duncan off of her. "I am not sleeping in the same bed as you, Duncan." She shoved the pillows towards his chest. "I do still have morals, you know," she added, matter-of-factly. It was true; Duncan had reentered her life for only a short time, she wasn't going to sleep with him. Duncan smiled at her resistance before heading back to the comfortable sofa. Courtney watched him fluff the pillows up and wrap the blanket around himself before bouncing on to the couch. He is so cute! she thought, dreamily.

"Watching me, Princess?" Duncan asked, suddenly.

"N-no! Anyways, this is temporary. You can't stay here forever."

"Whatever you say, babe. I bet I'll get you in bed with me by-"

"Goodnight, Duncan," Courtney said flatly, while exiting the living room and entering a hallway close to the kitchen.

Smugly, Duncan called back to her, "Goodnight, Princess!"

A/N: Eh. Story plot is kinda crummy. I liked it, though.

Sorry for the long disappearance.
I wouldn't be too shocked if you guys don't remember me or this series.

It feels good to be back, though. So, hope you enjoyed it, anyway. (: