Disclaimer - The rights of Total Drama Island and its characters belong to Teletoon, Cartoon Network, and all those associated with the show. No profit is being made by this fanfiction.

AN: After Courtney's less than glamorous end this season, I was inspired to write a little something on her reactions to being eliminated. Besides, with a whole season of building up her friendship with Gwen and relationship with Scott, I didn't want to see it end on such bad terms! Please, read and review!

Sitting in the Flush of Shame, Courtney desperately tried to come up with any excuse not to have to be flushed through it. "You can't flush me yet! I'm still eating." She quickly pretended to eat her vomit-inducing sundae, gagging at the horrible odor.

"That's the spirit! Never give up!" Chris taunted her as he raised his control to give her the flush, pausing briefly to savor the moment.

Courtney quickly gazed at the other competitors and was dismayed to see Gwen and Scott gazing back at her with their arms crossed and an indifferent look on their faces. "Maybe I shouldn't have let the game get to my head," she thought to herself regretfully as she felt the suction of the toilet begin, dragging her into its filthy waters and away from the game, her chance at a million dollars, and her former friends.

After what seemed like an eternity, she was dumped out in the waters near Playa des Losers. Spitting out the water that had gotten in her mouth and frantically kicking away her sundae dish, Courtney swam to shore.

"Ha, I told you the bossy loser would be next! You owe me $20!" Jo taunted Lightning who begrudgingly handed over the money.

"Sha-what? At least she was athletic unlike Scott," Lightning complained.

Courtney glared briefly at Jo before merely frowning and shuffling away to find her room, ignoring everyone else's comments. She opened the door and quickly changed into a fresh set of clothes, tossing her now contaminated outfit far away, before curling up on her bed and starting to cry. "I was so close to the million! This season should have been mine!" she screamed in frustration before realizing that wasn't even what upset her most. Sure, it would have been nice to finally win the game, but more than that, it was Gwen's distrustful gaze and Scott's anger. Courtney wiped her eyes but continued to cry as she realized that she was so focused on winning, she had taken Gwen and her friendship for granted, breaking their pact to go to the final 2 just to increase her chances of winning. She couldn't blame Gwen for being mad at her, but she was hurt that Gwen would bargain with their friendship anyways, making her vote herself out of the game. She just hoped that when she saw Gwen again at the finale, she'd have a chance to apologize, and maybe Gwen would even win!

Courtney hadn't been lying to Gwen, or at least, not entirely. She really did care more about coming back for their friendship than she cared about Duncan being in the game! Sure, the money was another great incentive, but Courtney had been so hurt when her boyfriend and her best friend betrayed her, that she couldn't tell Gwen that right away. That's why she used her anger against Gwen to fuel her through the early part of the game, until Gwen saved her, being willing to overlook all of Courtney's angry glares and outbursts to still apologize. Their time as friends again was the best she ever had had on the show, even better than hooking up with Duncan! And yet, now it was gone, and Gwen completely hated her again and didn't trust her. In an even more bitter irony, this time rather than being betrayed by her best friend and boyfriend, Courtney realized she had betrayed them.

At that moment, Courtney's mind wandered to Scott, and a new wave of depression overwhelmed her. She couldn't explain it, but there was something about that dirt-munching slob that had captured her heart. It might have been his confusion and innocence in his first relationship or how he always put her first and was willing to listen or just that he was so loyal to her unlike her past boyfriends. But, whatever it was, she had ruined her chances with him. They had almost patched things up after Cameron had kissed her, but then Mike had to show her list to everyone! She didn't mean anything by drawing Scott as a rat and Gwen as a devil. She was just having fun and venting some frustration, but she never even had a chance to explain herself. Plus, she made things worse with Scott in her last ditch attempt to stay in the game. Assuming Zoey would win the challenge if she didn't pull off the win, Courtney tried to get everyone to vote for Scott instead, knowing none of the other players liked him that much. There was no way she wanted to see Scott in the toilet either, but it was better than it being her, right? Of course, in the end she was flushed, and now she was dreading seeing the replays of the challenge and how awful she was to him. Ordinarily she'd be furious that he voted for her, but really, given her actions, how could she blame him?

Reaching absentmindedly into her pocket, she pulled out the shoelace ring that Scott had given back to her when they got back together. She slipped it back on her finger and wished more than anything that they would get together for a third time but secretly felt that the odds of it happening were slim at best after he didn't even say anything to her as she was getting flushed.

Having enough of her brooding, Courtney decided to start doing something constructive, planning her next lawsuit against the show. After all, she would have been the winner if Chris hadn't changed the challenge rules. Those starving interns would have eaten anything and if she won immunity, she wouldn't have been voted off. Chris's interference in the challenge was a clear violation of her contract and the show would be hearing about it, and maybe then she'd finally get her million she rightfully deserved. I mean, how hard would it have been to keep beating those other losers in challenges now that Alejandro and Lightning were gone?

And then there was Mike. He stole her property with that list and ruined everything! Plus, in addition to thievery, she had him with defamation! While she of course wanted Gwen or Scott to win at this point, the last thing she wanted to see was Mike winning, but if he did, well, then there'd be deeper pockets for her lawsuit to reach into!

Despite cracking a brief smile, Courtney quickly slipped back into despondency. What good was winning her lawsuits and getting all that money if she had no on to share it with and if everyone was just going to hate her more if she won the case? Sure, they were just jealous that she had the brilliant idea to sue the show and they didn't, but she was upset enough as it was without needing more fuel from the others.

A sudden knock at the door pulled Courtney from her thoughts. "What do you want?" she snapped, refusing to budge from the bed.

"To talk, silly! You like, didn't even say hi when you got here!" Lindsay babbled happily. When Courtney didn't reply, Lindsay started knocking on the door again.

"Will you just go away?" Courtney screamed as she chucked one of her pillows at the door, causing Lindsay to jump back in fright before resuming knocking.

"But, like, then we wouldn't get to talk."

Courtney rolled her eyes at the door. "That's the point. I just want to be alone!" Courtney closed her eyes to try to take a nap but suddenly felt someone near her bed. She opened her eyes in fright and prepared to defend herself, only to realize it was still Lindsay. "How did you get in here?"

"The door was unlocked," Lindsay replied with a shrug as she sat down one the bed near Courtney. "Besides, you totally seemed like you needed a friend and a hug when you got here!"

Lindsay leaned in to hug Courtney who held her back with one arm and shot her a warning glance. Lindsay backed off slightly, but Courtney could see the gears still sputtering in Lindsay's mind.

"Well, can I at least listen for a while?" Lindsay asked, slowly wearing down Courtney's defenses.

"Fine, but after this, you need to just give me some space!" Courtney demanded. "I'm just upset about losing the game and that Gwen and Scott helped get me eliminated! Ok, the discussion is over, bye!" Courtney tried to shove Lindsay back out the door, but Lindsay refused to budge.

"Yeah, you were pretty mean last episode, but like, I bet they're totally only a little mad at you."

"Right, that's why no one even said goodbye before I got flushed. Really, I'm done with this conversation. Goodbye, Lindsay."

Lindsay nodded along with Courtney before looking confused. "Wait, that doesn't make sense." Courtney just rolled her eyes at Lindsay without responding. "Anyways, whenever Tyler and I have a fight, we just like call each other and talk it through! You should totally call them now."

"Scott doesn't even own a phone, and Chris confiscated mine and Gwen's at the start of the game, remember?" Courtney grumbled as she started to consider Lindsay's advice a little more seriously but was determined not to acknowledge any good ideas Lindsay might have.

"Ok, but like, you could write them a letter?"

"Sure, Chris is totally going to let me mail them something during the game. Whatever, it's not like it would even change anything, so I might as well wait until the finale. It's almost here after all."

"Oh, well, I'd maybe still write anyways. You never know, and like, I bet they totally want to be friends with you again, really!" Lindsay gave Courtney a quick hug, and Courtney resisted a little less than before. "Well, I guess I better get going, uh, Carla is it?"

Courtney ignored Lindsay's confusion over her name before replying, "Uh, thanks for the talk, I guess. And yes, I really do want some time alone. Maybe we can talk more in the morning, if I'm feeling generous."

Courtney led Lindsay out of the room and quickly locked the door behind her. "Chris might not voluntarily take my letter to them, but I bet I can manipulate him into delivering them later. Of course, the letter might not change anything, but it's all I can do at this point," Courtney mused aloud before going over to her desk and beginning to write letters to Gwen and Scott.

Back on the island, Zoey was sound asleep in the spa hotel and Mike was trying to figure out some way to sneak in and steal the DVD before Zoey stumbled across it. However, in the loser cabin, Gwen and Scott were both having difficulty sleeping. Eventually, Gwen gave up and walked over the wall separating her from Scott. She rapped on the door and whispered, "Scott, are you still awake?"

"Yeah," Scott responded as he rolled over in his bed with a sigh. "I just can't get Courtney out of my head."

"Me either. Can I come in?" Gwen paused with her hand on the doorknob until Scott called back a yes. "Thanks."

"Yeah, so uh, I'm not so used to having a girl in my room so late," Scott admitted with a nervous chuckle as he got out of bed.

"Yeah, that's, uh, great," Gwen replied, realizing she wasn't even exactly sure why she had come. After all, she and Scott had barely ever talked before, but now they seemed to have more in common than ever.

"So, did you vote for me today?" Scott began, quickly covering his mouth at the worry that he'd upset Gwen.

"Yeah," Gwen confessed as she looked away to ease the tension. "Sorry about that."

"It's ok. I kind of wish I voted me too to have kept my girl Courtney in the game, even if she was using me. It's funny, I don't even know what I'm doing in the game anymore without her bossing me around."

"Yeah, and the girl's cabin is so quiet with no one left. I miss staying up late and just talking with Courtney. But, that was all just an act, wasn't it?" Gwen spat out with an angry frown before softening slightly and looking to Scott for any support.

"I dunno. I mean, she wanted to win, but at least she didn't threaten to get you voted out," Scott pointed out.

"True, but she did promise me to go to the finals with her, although, I guess it wouldn't be Courtney if she weren't trying to plan every move to maximize her chance of winning. Not that I forgive her or anything."

"Yeah, me neither, but maybe we should have let her stay to make it up to us. Mike was kind of a jerk today too," Scott pointed out.

"Yeah, something's up with him, but it's probably just one of his personalities or something," Gwen replied before trailing off into thought. "You know, I don't think even Courtney's that good of an actor. She probably really did want to be friends, and sure, she was trying to save her butt by trying to get people to vote for you. I just wish we had a little more time before the vote."

"Pft, not like she wanted to talk to me, but I really thought she wanted to be my girlfriend, but apparently she just wanted to beat me in the finals," Scott sulked as he reflected on his kiss with Courtney.

Gwen laughed before replying, "I know sometimes she complained about the little things you did, but she was totally into you when we talked. In fact, she kept me up all last night telling me how mad she was that Cameron kissed her and nearly got the two of you broken up."

"Yeah? Well she cut some of our time together short to hang out with you, so I think she was even better friends with you!" Scott countered, sending the two of them both into thought.

"If I could go back, I'd have listened to her for sure and voted out Mike this time. List or no list, there's no guarantee she was even going to follow through with all that, and I guess now we both put the game first."

"Yeah, and I mean, I was kind of mad about the tail thing, but I'd totally still take her back, not that she'd want to now that I voted her out," Scott agreed as he and Gwen drifted into silence again.

"I guess I better go," Gwen mumbled as she slipped back towards the door. "Good luck tomorrow, Scott."

"You too, Gwen. Let's take down Mike!" Scott cried as he made a muscle. "Hey, where is he anyways?"

"Probably with Zoey. At least someone is still happy," Gwen replied as she closed the door behind her and lay back down on her bed, still incapable of falling asleep. "I'm sorry, Courtney," she whispered into her pillow.

Back on the other side of the door, Scott pulled out the picture Courtney had given him of her winning her debate on her own and gazed at it, tenderly rubbing his hand against the picture, he whispered, "I guess this was the one thing you couldn't do on your own, but I wish you were still here with me. But I'm going to do what you couldn't and win this tomorrow and then win the entire game! The million is ours."

Back on Playa des Losers, Courtney put the finishing touches on her second letter. Glancing at the clock, she was surprised by how late it had gotten. While she wanted to spite Chris and call him immediately, she figured it would be easier to argue with him in the morning, so she carefully placed the letters on her desk, changed into her pajamas and went to bed.

Of course, it was several hours before she could push the unfairness of her elimination out of her head as well as manage to forget how she had ruined things with her bestie and boyfriend, but she eventually managed to get some rest.

The next morning, Courtney rolled out of bed and was momentarily confused why she had a comfortable bed despite losing the last challenge. However, it didn't take long for the memories of the past day to work their way back into her mind. With a new resolve, Courtney grabbed the phone in her room and called Chris.

Chris, busy plotting his next evil challenge, was startled when his cellphone began ringing. "Chris McClean here," he replied as he snatched the phone.

"Hi, Chris, it's Courtney," Courtney began before Chris cut her off.

"If it isn't my favorite new loser, and no, you're not coming back today!" he chuckled, pleased at having a chance to taunt Courtney.

"See, that's where you might be wrong. I was thinking it over, and you violated my contract when you changed the goal of the challenge after seeing that I was about to win."

The smile immediately vanished from Chris's face as he realized another impending lawsuit could severely cut into his hair care budget.

"So, why are you calling me this early, then? I mean, going back and changing a completed vote would be violating everyone else's contract." Chris patted himself on the back at his clever dealing to turn Courtney's use of contracts back on her.

"True, you've really gotten yourself into a mess. But, I have a few demands, and while I'd like to take my time in getting to some of the later ones, I think we might be able to reach a deal to avoid a lawsuit," Courtney twirled the phone cord in her hands, growing more confident in her angle.

"What do you want already?" Chris snapped as he knocked an icon of Fang off the table in front of him where he was plotting the traps for the challenge later, his tension rising at being outmaneuvered by Courtney. "I mean, please continue."

"That's better. My first demand is that you send Chef over right now to pick up some letters I wrote to Gwen and Scott. And these letters better be delivered immediately without being read or tampered with beforehand, got it?"

"You know the players aren't allowed outside contact!" Chris protested, trying to use any legal defense to worm their way out of the situation.

"True, but you can make an exception for this. Or we can go to court. My schedule's pretty open after this, you know," Courtney gloated, knowing Chris was weakening on the other end of the line.

"Fine, but you are not going to be in any future seasons! You might bring the drama, but I am so sick of these lawsuits!" Chris grumbled as he hung up the phone. "Yo, Chef, go over the Playa des Losers and pick up some mail from Courtney, and whatever you do, don't read it!" He tossed Chef the keys to the boat and hurried Chef down the dock.

About an hour later, Chef returned with the two cards in his pockets. "Chris, man, you sure this is ok?"

"It's better than Courtney suing us," Chris replied as he took the cards from Chef. "Anyways, here are the plans for tonight's challenge, so get building!" He shoved the blueprints into Chef's arms who looked at them and groaned before leaving to get his tools.

Chris walked by the cabin and saw Gwen writing in her diary. "Mail time!" he called as he slid the envelope through the window.

"Great, probably my brother telling me how my mom hired the neighbor girl to be me, again!" Gwen grumbled as she grabbed the letter. Immediately recognizing the handwriting, Gwen's eyes opened in shock and she eagerly tore open the letter.

Dear Gwen,

I know you're probably really mad at me and never want to talk to me again, but I really wanted to tell you how sorry I am, and I really mean it this time! I should have just taken you to the final two with me, and you know, maybe I would have if I had the chance, but when I made that list, all I could think about was winning the game. I thought it was finally my season and was just so excited, that I really blew it with you, and that's really hard for me to admit, so you should really appreciate it. I miss us, though. I had to spend last night talking to Lindsay, and it was such a chore, unlike spending the night talking to you. I meant everything I said when I told you I cared more about seeing you than Duncan again and just wanted to be friends again. Now I even see that I cared more about you than the game. Too bad it took my elimination to make me realize that. I hope you'll consider being friends with me again after the game is over, or at least letting me apologize in person. Now go out there and kick some butt and win already!

Your gal pal,

Courtney

Gwen looked at the letter again and burst into tears. "Darn it, Courtney! You know just how to make this harder! I should have tried harder to get the votes for you and never should have asked you to vote for yourself. I screwed up almost as badly as you did, especially considering the only reason I came back was so we could be friends again!" Gwen carefully folded the letter and put it into her diary. "Well, that's it then, I am winning this game, for you!"

Gwen tucked her diary safely back in her luggage and went to look for Scott.

Scott, relaxing in the shade of the cabin, had also been given a letter from Chris. "Hey, this isn't Grandpappy's writing," he remarked as he ripped open the envelope.

Dear Scott,

I know I was a total jerk to you yesterday, but I just wanted to avoid being flushed. Now that I've been voted off, I realize our relationship was way better than the money, and I'm really sorry about everything I said and drew. I know you probably never want to talk to me again, but you know, I do still have that ring you gave me, so you owe it to me to talk to me again, right? In fact, if it would help, I'll order you into going out again; I know how much you like that! But I'm really sorry and I should never have said I wanted to see you in the toilet, and I definitely see you as strong as an ox and handsome as a mule, or however you say it. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'll do like anything to make it up to you, so you better take this letter seriously. I'll be rooting for you and Gwen in the finale!

Love,

Courtney

Scott studied the letter carefully before sighing, "Aww, it's just like if Mama had written it. That's not weird, right?"

He scanned it one more time before noting, "You know, if she had just talked to me yesterday, I totally wouldn't have voted for her, especially if she told me who to vote for. But I guess I still could have asked."

At that moment, Gwen was walking by and noticed Scott's letter. "You got one too, huh?"

"One what?" Scott asked in confusion as he scratched his head, nearly dropping the letter in the process.

"Oh, so that's not a letter from Courtney then?" Gwen asked as she eyed the paper.

"Oh, this letter. Why didn't you just say so? Yeah, it's from Courtney," Scott answered.

"Well, I'm still a little mad at her, but I'm a bit mad at myself too now. I should have tried harder to get the votes on her side, no offense," Gwen told him before realizing the implication.

"Or, you know, we could have all just voted Mike, but I guess it's too late for that. Courtney, if you're watching, I'm winning today and the competition!" Scott boasted towards where he thought there was a camera and made a muscle. "Oh, and sorry for voting you out and stuff, but I am new at all this boyfriend stuff you know."

"Yeah, well I guess then I'll be seeing you in the finale, where I'll be winning," Gwen playfully teased Scott. "Sorry, Courtney, but even if he is your boyfriend, I'm not going easy on him."

"Oh yeah, well you can't match my speed or my strength, so you're going to have trouble keeping up!" Scott boasted, his friendly rivalry with Gwen helping him to forget some of his regret.

"Yeah? Well you're on!" Gwen challenged him as she started sprinting to the mess hall for their semi-final breakfast.

"Hey! No fair getting a head start!" Scott called after her as he struggled to catch up, pausing briefly to tuck the letter into his pocket.

Back in her room, Courtney anxiously paced back and forth. "What if Chef doesn't deliver them? And what if Chris decides to go back on his deal and reads them to everyone? Or what if my writing is so good, that they're too distracted and lose today? Then they'll hate me forever. Or they might do that anyways and just rip up the letter!"

Courtney continued worrying as she got ready for the day, but the more she thought about it, the more her confidence returned. "You know what? There's no way they could stay mad at me after reading that, and I'm sure at least one of them is bound to make the finals at this point. Zoey's a threat, but Mike's going to be so easy to beat, even for Scott!"

With a relieved sigh and a new sense of hope, Courtney left her room, bracing herself for the taunting she'd no doubt receive from the other losers, but she was able to leave with her head held high. After all, she did outlast all of them, and everything was going to be fine with Gwen and Scott, at least, she was pretty sure, and she was rarely wrong after all. Besides, she was going to have fun getting everything she wanted from Chris while she waited to hear back from them.