Disclaimer: I do not own Total Drama Island, and I am not making any money off of this story.

Yeah, it's been forever. I have reasons that this update took so long. School, internships, family, life in general! But I won't bore you with a complete list. I will say this though, this story will only be a few more chapters, two to four probably, and I expect to give this most of my writing attention until it is finished.

Also, so no one gets confused, I started writing this just before Total Drama Action came out, and while it may take certain elements from TDA and TDWT, it should be considered AU from the end of TDI.

And since someone asked, I'll also say this. Chances for a sequel are slim, but I will leave the idea there for when I finish my other stories. Now, let's get on with the show.

Chapter Eleven: Preparations to Party

The lingering tension from the fight the other day had all but been forgotten. After all, today was Valentines Day, the most romantic day of the year! There would be time for grudges later.

At some point after the teens had gone to bed, the hotel had been decorated with pink streamers, hearts, and other romantic icons. A little gaudy perhaps, but it helped set the mood. The only room still being worked on was the main hall, which would be transformed for the grand ball tonight.

Obviously, this event meant a little more to the couples on the island then the others. But there would be a great deal of flirting and dancing all around.

But the former/future competitors weren't the only ones with an interest in tonight's event.

Chris had looked over hours of quality footage in his private suite with an almost fond smile on his face. Seriously, these kids were a goldmine! Drama, angst, romance, violence, everything he needed to make a good Valentines special.

The hardest part would be picking out which footage should be shown on the air and what should be held off for the bonus scenes on the Collectors Edition DVD, especially after the big dance tonight.

Not that he would be around to watch it. It was Valentines Day and he had a few women to entertain, starting with a cute blonde for lunch in a few hours.

…he was pretty sure her name was Michele. And then there was the leggy Italian for an early dinner, an Irish redhead for a nice desert, then maybe a fourth woman if he didn't get distracted.

So what if he couldn't remember all of their names, they were hot! And isn't that what really mattered in life?

"Okay Chef, my choppers waiting. I'll see you back here sometime tomorrow. Enjoy the dance, and get lots of good footage." Chris said, getting up and stretching.

"What are you talking about fool? I've got a date tonight." Was the indignant response from behind him, Chris raised an eyebrow at that.

"Really?" Genuinely surprised, Chris turned around, then wished he hadn't.

Chef Hatchet was wearing a large peach colored dress, complete with matching gloves and a small silver necklace.

Chris felt his eye twitch as he looked at his assistant, the outfit showed more of his back and legs then he'd ever cared to see.

"Uh, dude…"

"Don't judge me."

"Oh my gosh Katie, this is so exciting."

"I know Sadie; this is going to be the best night ever!"

The faux twins launched into their latest batch of squeals, and for once they weren't the only girls doing it. In addition to the dance, the girls would be given access to a wardrobe full of beautiful dresses to wear for the night. In addition to this, a room full of makeup, accessories, and other things to make themselves up.

The boys were being given access to a room full of tuxes, but weren't nearly as excited about it. Still, at least they wouldn't look totally plain next to the girls.

While they began to gush over the outfits they would be wearing, Noah was doing something out of character. Giving himself a pep-talk.

Okay, this isn't a big deal. Just go over there and ask her to the dance tonight. The worst she can do is say no…and then laugh at me with the others, sending me into a never-ending spiral of torment and misery.

Well, no one ever took Noah to be an optimist.

"Hey, Noah!" The two girls beamed at him as he hesitantly walked over, though only one of them had his attention.

"Aren't you just super excited about the dance?" The larger one asked.

"Super duper excited," was the reflexive response. Noah winced inwardly at the tone, but it hadn't seemed to damper the enthusiasm of the girls at all so he continued.

"Say Katie…" He paused to find the right words. "Would you…maybe, kinda, take, No!" Noah stopped after tripping over his own words.

"Yeah?" Katie asked, giving Noah her full attention for the first time.

Noah rushed out a response. "…Save me a dance, would you?"

"Sure!" Noah stared as the twins skip away giggling like mad, Feeling extremely disappointed in himself.

Better then nothing, I guess.

"Yo, yo, yo. Let's dance homies!" Ezekiel finished with a hang loose sign he'd seen on television.

Ezekiel held the pose in the mirror for a few seconds before dropping it with a sigh. It was painfully apparent, even to someone as socially awkward as him, that this look was not working for him. He needed to change.

The first thing he did was loose the sunglasses, then the overly large hat, which he replaced with his trademark torque. He kept the golden Z medallion though, he thought it looked cool. But instead of his regular clothes, he was trying on a dark green suit he planned to wear to the dance tonight. It had been most like the suit he used to wear to functions his parents brought him too.

He was usually the youngest one there by a decade or two. Part of the reason he had signed up for the show.

Well, none of that mattered now! He was going to a dance with kids his own age, just like on TV!

He just had to be sure not to follow anything else he'd seen on TV. That had gotten him into a world of trouble last time.

Duncan lazily looked around the room and sighed. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to go to the stupid dance tonight, let alone dress up for it.

Let's see, Duncan thought to himself. Bridgette, Lindsay, Gwen, Leshawna…Courtney, all the good looking birds are taken. There is Heather I guess, but she's so annoying. I could always ditch the party…

He gave a sudden start. Not going to the party, no way! Even if he didn't have a date he could probably get a dance out of all of them. And maybe convince one to come with him for a private after party.

An odd sight broke him out of his dirtier thoughts. Heather walking down the hallway, elaborate dress in hand, her nose stuck in the air. In and of itself, not an unusual sight.

But Ezekiel watching her out of the corner of his eye from the door to the changing room was an interesting turn.

Duncan put the facts together and promptly burst out laughing. Zeke was crushing on the Queen Bee. And he probably thought that he was being discreet about it too.

God speed home school, Duncan thought once he finally got control of himself. You're in for a bumpy ride.

Courtney looked through another set of dresses, stopping twice to consider something, and then continuing along the row.

She had to make sure that she looked nice tonight. But not in a way that could come across as being trampy, or overly conservative. She also had to make sure that she had a pair of shoes to match the dress she picked up. She also had to shower, apply a tasteful amount of makeup, and fix her hair. And she should probably check up on Cody to make sure that he was preparing for tonight.

To some people, mainly men, this would seem like too much preparation. But in her defense, this dance was going to going to end up on television. And the Total Drama series reached over six million viewers on North America alone!

Cody looked over his selection with a confident smile. He had gone with a traditional black and white tux, like one would wear to the prom. He had also thought ahead and had a corsage to give to Courtney, which he thought was a pretty smooth move.

And if the dance went as well as he'd hoped, he'd give Courtney a special present he had been holding onto for about two weeks now.

The rest of the cast were in the middle of similar preparations.

Geoff was trying on a salmon pink tux, and Bridgette was getting ready in a dress the same color. The two had prepared early and spent the rest of the day making out.

Beth was getting into a perky outfit that vaguely resembled a sunflower. The yellow flowers sown into the neckline might have had something to do with that.

DJ was making sure that Bunny would be taken care of tonight when he went to enjoy himself at the dance. He would have brought the little guy, but he didn't want to risk him getting stepped on.

Gwen was getting into a dark blue dress, with matching gloves and a special necklace that she had brought from home especially for the dance.

Trent had a long sleeved white shirt and long dark pants on. He had decided not to go to far tonight. He was much more focused on the song he planned to sing to Gwen tonight, checking it over for the twentieth time that day.

Eva had refused to wear a dress, and was wearing a light blue tux that she had snuck out of the boys changing room.

Duncan had on a tight black shirt and equally dark jeans. He also had a special surprise in a bottle, just incase the party needed to be taken up a notch.

Ezekiel was practicing some dance moves he had seen on TV, with mild success. But he had his dark green tux on his bed to change into later.

Heather had on an elaborate silver dress that had a slit riding up on either side. She already knew she would be the star of the dance.

Harold was showing off to Leshawna in his white tux, while the city girl watched in amusement, her gold dress hanging on the back of the bathroom door.

People would be even more amused when they saw her dancing.

Izzy was wearing a tight red dress that seemed to flow like fire, and had her hair stacked high to compliment the illusion.

Owen, in a tradition tuxedo, had to talk her out of setting parts of it on fire to make it seem more real.

Katie and Sadie were in matching turquoise dresses, hugging and crying for the fourth time that night. They had also given up on wearing mascara for the occasion.

Noah had reluctantly gone without his normal sweater vest for a light purple tux that he thought made him look pretty cool. But tonight, he was hoping someone else would think he looked nice.

Lindsay and Tyler were making out in the hot tub again. The baby blues out fits were lying on hangers in the other room. They would be the last to arrive that night.

Justin was dressed to kill in an all black tux. He had already had it, after wearing it in a prom commercial and being allowed to keep it. Fixing up his hair would take much longer.

It was going to be a night to remember.

And the eleventh chapter is finally done! I know what your thinking, short. But it was a filler. And next chapter will have the dance, or at least a part of it, depending on how long it gets.

On a different note, I'm currently working on stories for other categories. If anyone here is interested in other series, check out my profile, maybe you'll find something interesting to read.

And as cliché as this request may sound, please leave a review and let me know what you think. I appreciate the feedback.