Author: JustSkipIt
Rating: NC-17
Feedback: Please leave feedback on the Survivor - Ash Island thread on the Kitten Board.
Disclaimer: I own none of these characters nor do I own Survivor. And believe it or not, I also don't own any small islands. On the other hand, this island is fictional so let's say I own it. I'm making no money from this fiction and intend no copyright infringement.

White Hat Camp - Day 37
Tara, Faith, and Kendra sit at camp slowly eating berries. They are all watching the wind in the trees and the surf break on the beach. "I w-wish we had the MFashnek buffs back." Tara glances at her wrist.

"That would be cool," Faith agrees.

"It's day 37," Kendra says disbelievingly. When no one answers her she repeats her statement. As the day progresses we see the trio going about the camp work. Occasionally one of them calls to the other. "Hey, did you know it's day 37?"

Tara teases back at Faith. "I had heard that." It is obvious that they are all taking the joke good naturedly. A shot of Tara fishing shows that she has caught two large fish.

"And Tara brings home the catch of the day," the other two girls cheer as they cook the fish and serve it with the rice.

A night-vision shot shows the shelter. We can hear voices from inside the hut. "Good night, Faith. Good night, Tara."

"Good night," Faith answers, "did you know it's the end of day 37?"

"I might have heard that," Tara mumbles.

"Shut up," Kendra says playfully.

White Hat Camp - Day 38
All three girls are eating their breakfast of plantains and coconuts as Jeff walks up at dawn. "Up bright and early I see," he says.

Confessional Caption - Faith - Personal Trainer
"We all got up early today. We expected Jeff to come sauntering in any time. Also we wanted to put on some of Tara's famous bug paste and sunscreen before he showed up because this final challenge is always some kind of standing around getting cramps and sunstroke thing."

Confessional Caption - Tara - Medical Receptionist
"I really b-believe that I need immunity in today's challenge." She considers it for a minute. "Of c-course everyone does."

He tells them to all bring their idols from the earlier game and to follow him.

They do so, walking along a path through the woods. Finally they reach a smaller path. He tells them that they will follow the path to the left and he will meet them at the end of it where they will have their challenge. He walks off and they begin slowly following the path. As they do they come first to a carved icon with a passable rendition of Wesley. Given that a piece of wood sits under the icon, with the word "Wesley" written on it, it is pretty easy to identify the subject.

"Hey. Wesley." All three girls kind of shrug with not much to say about the man. A clip shows Wesley swimming out to help Oz the first day.

"Oh," Kendra says as she reaches the next icon, "and Amy." A clip shows Amy competing in the first immunity challenge. Recognition and clips of Darla and Andrew go by quickly. Next the group comes to the icon for Riley. "Grrr," Faith says playfully. "He could have been dangerous."

"Oz," Tara says sweetly as she points to the idol with the spiky carved hair. "He seemed sweet." The others nod as we see a shot of Oz running along the beach.

"Richard." A clip shows Richard talking to Joyce.

"Hard to miss him, isn't it?" Faith says and they move along.

"Ohh, Mac. He was a tough guy." A show shows Mac doing his morning pushups. All three girls smile when they reach the Xander idol. "Sweet Xander," Kendra says as a clip shows the man shooting his slingshot and breaking the bottle in the chocolate challenge.

They reach Joyce's idol and can see Buffy's next. "Mother and daughter," Kendra says, "good competitors." All three shake their heads and clips show Buffy winning her immunity challenges.

They all stop at Willow's idol and Kendra and Faith look at Tara. A clip shows the redhead winning the car reward. Tara steps forward and lightly kisses her fingertips before touching them to Willow's forehead. When she steps back we can see that her eyes are shining wet.

Finally reaching Robin's idol they stop and smile at the representation. A clip shows Robin running and climbing in the immunity challenge maze. "Man almost made it here," Faith says. Each woman touches his shining head as she goes by.

They emerge into a clearing and find Jeff waiting for them. He is standing near a small pool of water. In the center of the pool is a carved wooden structure with 6 posts rising up in a circle. He requests their idols and silently walks over and slides them into a spot in the center of the structure so that a center post is created by the three idols. The idols are placed a few feet above the other 6 posts which are quite obviously foot holds.

"Ok, if you've watched Survivor before, you can guess how this challenge will work. You will each take your place with your feet on the foot holds and one hand on your Tiki idol. If either foot or your hand loses contact with the structure, you are out. The last one standing wins immunity and a spot in the final two."

Next we see all three women take their places on the structure. Each woman's feet are staggered so that they are on different levels by about four inches. "Ok, on my go, place your hand on the idol." He waits a second and says, "Go!" Faith and Tara reach forward with their right hands while Kendra uses her left. All three women appear relaxed even in this uncomfortable position. The sun is just starting to beat down on them.

Challenge Caption: Time Elapsed - 48 minutes
The shot shows the three women still standing in place. Jeff is standing nearby watching them. "48 minutes you have been standing there. How does it feel?"

"Feels great," Faith shouts.

"Maybe not that great, mon," Kendra says, moving her head side to side to stretch her neck.

Jeff laughs uncomfortably at Kendra's joke.

Challenge Caption: Time Elapsed - 1 hour 32 minutes
"The sun is starting to really beat down, reflecting off the shallow water. Fatigue and sunstroke or sunburn could be a factor soon," the host announces.

Kendra continues twisting her neck as if she has a kink in it. She takes her free hand and starts rubbing the back of her neck as if to loosen it. "You look like you're hurting," Jeff says.

"Cramp," she says through gritted teeth.

"That's got to be good news to the other two of you. If she's cramping, how much longer could she last? Then you just have to beat one other person."

"You still have to beat the other p...." Faith is cut off as Kendra cries out and falls off the structure.

"And just like that, Kendra is out of it."

Confessional Caption: Time Elapsed - 2 hours 11 minutes
The shot shows Faith concentrating on her stance and staring at her competitor. Tara in the meantime has her eyes closed and appears to be breathing smoothly through her nearly closed mouth.

"You know I'm stronger than you are," Faith tells the blonde, "you could jump down any time."

"And the bargaining begins," Jeff announces with a smile.

"My labor was 22 h-hours. Without drugs." Tara breathes smoothly and speaks quietly to her competitor.

"Hmm," Faith smiles. "No labor pains for me."

"Tara, ready to go for a while."

Confessional Caption: Time Elapsed - 2 hours 31 minutes
Kendra sits on the log shading her eyes with her hand. Jeff stands near her watching the competitors. "No one budging," Jeff announces.

"Tara, do you need this immunity worse than Faith?" It takes Jeff a few seconds to realize that Tara too focused on her challenge to answer his question.

"Faith, do you need this challenge more than Tara or does she need it more than you?"

"Tara needs it more."

"That's true," Kendra tosses in. Jeff looks surprised at the intrusion from the interpreter.

"So Kendra, it sounds like you need Faith to win this immunity?"

Kendra shrugs her shoulders.

Tara still looks composed in her stance while Faith is gritting her teeth. "Give it up and I'll take you to the final two," the personal trainer offers through gritted teeth.

"Some deal making going on."

"No she won't, Mon. She doesn't want to sit next to the nice girl who found berries."

"You don't know that," Faith shouts.

"Faith's legs starting to shake. She's definitely tired out there."

Faith is grimacing as her legs shake. With a scream she lets go of the icon and falls off the structure. Jeff shouts that Faith is out and that Tara has won individual immunity and is in the final two. As Faith swats at the water she then smiles at the blonde who has just opened her eyes. Tara looks up to the sky before taking her hand from the icon and stepping down. "Way to go!" Faith yells as she grabs the blonde in a hug.

Both girls walk over to Kendra and hug the interpreter. "Tara, breathing a sigh of relief it seems," Jeff says. "You have an important decision to make. See you at tribal council." He immediately turns and walks away from the three girls.

White Hat Camp - Day 38
Confessional Caption - Kendra - Interpreter
"Honestly. I think this was the one outcome that isn't good for me. If I'd won, I would be in the final two and if Faith won, she'd take me. But Tara. I just don't know."

The three girls are eating rice and fish with some gusto. The share a cup of water between them. "This alliance made it through," Faith says, her chest puffing out as she speaks and she points her fingers back and forth between the three women.

"Until tonight," Tara says looking down at the ground.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet." She finishes off her last bite and sets down the plate to walk away for a while.

Confessional Caption - Faith - Personal Trainer
"Well, T's got the game in her hands. If I was her, I'd want me sitting next to her in the final two. I played this game hard and probably pissed everyone off pretty royally. But she's a good person. She may want Kendra with her because she thinks K's nicer.... Shit."

Kendra walks up to Tara as the girl sits on a rock looking out at the ocean. "How you doing, mon?"

Tara shrugs her shoulders. "I wish I d-didn't have to make this choice tonight."

"Then you shouldn't have won immunity." Kendra's laugh is infectious and Tara also laughs although she does so more nervously.

"Then I'd be going home tonight and voting tomorrow."

"Yep."

"She could beat you on votes," Kendra says in a rush. "If people think she lied well, she could beat you in the finals."

Tara shades her eyes with her hand against the setting sun. "Who would you vote for tomorrow night?"

"I'd vote for her cause she outwitted everyone here," Kendra tells her.

"Thanks for s-saying."

Tribal Council
Faith, Kendra, and Tara file in and place their torches in the holders. "And now the jury." Jeff ushers in Mac, Xander, Joyce, Buffy, Willow, and Robin. Like those before him the latest castaway has cleaned up well and now watches the remaining three intently. Willow is smiles widely and even shoots a thumbs-up when she sees that Tara is wearing the immunity necklace.

"Kendra, you were out of the challenge early today."

"My leg cramped and I just couldn't stay in it any more."

"Tara, you seemed to be meditating or concentrating throughout the challenge?"

"I used what I learned in preparing for childbirth to ignore the p-pain."

"Faith, you weren't able to do that. Are you worried that Tara will vote you off and you'll be sitting next to Robin tomorrow night?"

"I think that T knows her best game. She has all along."

"That sounds like you think taking you to the final two is her best game."

"I do but so does Kendra, I would imagine. I mean we've all been together for 38 days. We know each other pretty well."

"Ok," Jeff nearly cuts off the brunette. "Since Faith and Kendra's votes would cancel each other out, only Tara will vote." Tara gets up and walks over to make her vote. Jeff carries back the container

"The person voted off will be asked to leave the tribal council area immediately." He pulls out the vote. "And the fourteenth person voted off Survivor - Ash Island and seventh jury member is... Kendra."

Tara looks at the ground unable to meet Kendra's eye but the woman doesn't seem that upset about Tara's decision. She stands up and first wraps Faith in a vigorous hug before picking Tara up to mimic the action. Tara returns the hug and Kendra has her torch extinguished.

"Tara and Faith, you two have outwitted, outlasted, and outplayed fourteen other castaways to make it to the final two. One of you will win a million dollars. See you tomorrow night at the last tribal council."

Tara and Faith both pick up their torches and leave the tribal council. On the way out we see Willow and Tara smile at each other.

Confessional Caption - Kendra - Interpreter
"I played this game as well as I could. Now I have a day to relax before the grilling starts. I guess Tara decided to either win or lose this thing with no middle ground. Good luck girls. It was great to be with both of you."

White Hat Camp
Tara and Faith make their way quietly back to the camp. "Thanks, T," Faith says as they reach the fire pit.

For the first time Tara smiles widely. "No problem, F." She picks up two cups off a log and hands one to Faith. "To the final two."

Faith clinks her cup against Tara's and then both women drink.

Confessional Caption - Faith - Personal Trainer
"Man, T had been so quiet all day. Thinking and plotting and everything. So I'm thinking, ‘wow another day of this quiet shit. No way.' But girlfriend comes back and she's ready to party."

Tara puts her hands on her hips and looks at the shelter. "How about a bonfire?"

"Oh yeah," Faith says picking up a few pieces of wood and throwing them toward the fire. We see the two women begin throwing everything out of the shelter and onto the fire pit. Next we see Faith pulling down the sides of the structure. Tara stands up from where she is cooking fish and walks over to help the brunette with a large piece that is apparently stuck.

In the next shot we see the two women reclining against the logs watching a large fire burn as they eat alternating bites of fish off one plate. Once they have eaten they stand up and continue tossing their current home into the fire. Faith holds up all the clothes she is not currently wearing and shrugs at Tara.

The blonde walks over, takes them, and throws them into the fire. Then she points at the three remaining icons: hers, Kendra's, and Faith's. The two women toss Kendra's into the fire followed by their own. Then they recline for a while longer and watch it burn.

"We made it, Faith," Tara says as she chews a bit of plantain.

"Damn right, T."

"What are you going to do ten minutes after tribal council?"

"Shower or sex right?" Faith jokes.

"That's what I've heard." Tara laughs. "I can't believe I've been away from my baby girl for 39 days."

"Some day I'd really like to hear the story behind that baby," Faith says, shaking her head. Both women stand up and look down at the log they were sitting on. It has been one of those surrounding the cooking pit and marking the eating area. Without saying anything they smile at each other, bend down to pick up both ends, and throw it into the fire.

In a night vision shot we see both women sleeping in spots they've marked in the sand near the still burning bonfire. A later shot shows them still sleeping as the sun rises and the fire burns to embers.

White Hat Camp - Day 39
We see Tara carving a mark on the trunk of the tree mail tree. "Thirty-nine," she announces loudly even though only she and Faith are at the camp. Throughout the day we see shots of them eating the remaining food and swimming or bathing in the water. At dusk they pick up their torches, pour water on their fire, and leave their camp for tribal council.

Confessional Caption - Tara - Medical Receptionist
"Well, tonight it will be all over either way. I r-really never thought I'd make it this far. Maybe I made the wrong choice in taking Faith to the final two but I hope not. I'm just hoping that she made enough people mad to make them vote for me."

Final - Tribal Council
Tara and Faith walk in and take their seats on the logs across from Jeff. "And now we call in the jury." We see the first six jurors now joined by Kendra. The latest juror is wearing khaki shorts and a tribal-print v-neck blouse with freshly braided and beaded hair. Still thin, she is at least clean and well groomed after 24 hours off out of the game.

Once the jury members have taken their seats Jeff raises his eyebrows at the two finalists. "Neither of you brought anything with you to tribal council, I see."

"We had a bonfire, J." Faith nods her head. Tara smiles right along with her.

"Ok, here's how this works. Each of you can make a short speech to the jury explaining why you deserve to be the Ultimate Survivor. Then the jury will each have an opportunity to ask you a question or address you. Then you can each speak again at the end. After that the jury will vote to determine who will win a million dollars and the title of Ultimate Survivor."

He says that Tara will go first and the blonde stands to speak.

"First I want to say how much y-you all mean to me. I enjoyed my time in this game and on this island with every one of you. Even those of you who I hardly knew." She looks at Mac and Xander.

When I was a child, my mother and my grandmother would take me walking in the woods around our house. They taught me about plants and about n-nature. They told me how to figure out what a plant was g-good for even if I had never seen it before, about the unique characteristics of those with healing properties."

She looks up at the sky and closes her eyes for a moment.

"M-my grandmother died 8 years ago so she never met my daughter but I think she would be happy with the way my mother and I take Ariel out into the w-woods to teach her about nature.

My role in this game was to use the knowledge, my grandmother g-gave me and share it with everyone. I tried to provide for my tribe and take care of those around me. I might not have o-outwitted or outplayed but I know that I showed skill and knowledge to help those around me and to be a Survivor."

Tara stands another moment looking at the jury. Then in a sign of respect she places her hands in prayer position over her heart and bows slightly toward them before retaking her seat. The camera pans over the jury and we can see Willow and Kendra smiling at the blonde. They others look thoughtful but aren't giving away any reaction.

"Now Faith."

Faith stands up and steps in front of the jury before taking a few steps back and forth. She begins speaking, taking light strides throughout her statement.

"Every one of you played a great game and it was an honor to be here with you.

I think that this vote really gives you an opportunity to choose what you think makes the Ultimate Survivor. Tara's right. She was the healing force for our tribe. I was with this girl for 39 days and I've never known anyone who knew more about survival than she does.

But that's not all there is to this game. What's the slogan? Outwit, outlast, outplay. That's what I did and that's why I'm sitting here. I was a leader for our tribe and for this game. MFashnek won Immunity Challenge after Immunity Challenge and I was a leader in that. I won two Immunity Challenges and a Reward Challenge after we merged because I'm a leader. I'm in this contest because of the way I played this game and I think if that's what you think is important, you'll write my name down tonight."

When Faith finishes speaking she smiles at the jury and walks over to join Tara on the log. Mac and Joyce have a definite set to their jaws while Buffy narrows her eyes at the brunette.

"Ok, first question or statement comes from Xander."

Xander stands up and walks over to a spot across the fire from the two finalists. "First off, congratulations to both of you." Faith and Tara both nod their heads. "I'd like to know what each of you thinks was your best day here in terms of your performance in the game."

Faith answers first. "I'm pretty proud of the way I played the day we merged the tribes. I feel like that day really cemented my role as a leader and my ability to organize people."

"Y-yesterday. If I hadn't been able to last longest in the final immunity challenge, I don't believe I'd b-be sitting here."

Joyce stands up next. "Faith, Tara, I was in this game with you both for nearly thirty days and never did I feel trusted or valued by either of you. Why should I give either of you a million dollars?"

"We were never in alliance," Tara answers, "b-but I always felt like we had a connection, Joyce. Our role as mothers gave us something in common and I think it made the two of us the people who took care of our tribe mates. I'm sorry you d-didn't feel valued but you are very important to me."

Faith takes her turn. "You're right. We made alliances very early in MFashnek. It was always me, K, and T and you and Richard. Maybe we didn't give you a chance but I don't think you gave me one either. That's the way the game is played and the fact that you made it onto the jury I think really shows how well you played the game." She sits down even as Joyce frowns at her answer.

Robin stands up across the fire from the two girls. "Faith, you told me you wanted me in the final two. You told Buffy you and I and she would vote off Willow. You said you never wanted to sit next to Tara in the final two." He takes a breath as we see the shocked look on Willow's face. "But you're still sitting there with Tara. You could have kept me in the final three but you didn't. You lied throughout this game. Do you really think I want to reward that?"

"I don't know what you want to reward, big man. You were a serious threat in this game. I needed you as long as I needed you and I needed you gone when you needed to be gone. The way I played this game got me and my girls to the final three and that's what my commitment was. I might have lied in the game but I never violated my original alliance and that's why you should reward me."

Robin shakes his head before retaking his seat. His place across the fire is taken by Mac who folds his arms across his chest.

"I didn't know either of you very well in this game, but I've heard a lot and I've learned a lot during these tribal councils. What I want to know is this. For each of you to get here, there must have been a turning point in this game. What was that point and if it hadn't happened, who do you think would be in the final two instead of you?"

Tara takes a deep breath before speaking. "For me, I think that point was the moment that Faith, Kendra, and I made f-fire. That moment sparked our alliance which brought us here." She stops and thinks again. "I think that if that hadn't happened... I would certainly expect Buffy to be up here. She has the smarts, the planning, and the physical gifts to make it in this game. And I would still expect Faith to be here because s-she is that determined."

"Thanks, T. Actually I'm going to agree with Tara on this. Without Tara and Kendra, my butt would have been out of here before the merge ever happened. No alliance: no Faith in the final two. In that case I would put my money on Willow because she's the smartest person out here and Robin because he's the most fit."

"Thank you both," Mac says formally before sitting back down.

Willow stands up and smiles warmly first at Faith and then for a longer period at Tara. "Well, I'd rather be sitting there than here but it's nice to have showered and eaten in the last few days too." All the jury members laugh and nod their heads. "When you get off the island, you get a pretty fantastic meal. You can have whatever you want so what are you going to eat first?"

"I don't know if I should answer that, because my answer will make me hungry and we're not done yet." Faith waits a beat as everyone laughs at her joke. "Red, if I get to have whatever I want then I'm thinking a big steak, medium rare, twice baked potato, huge salad, steamed asparagus, cherry pie with ice cream, glass of milk, and a six-pack of beer." She finishes answering the question and then jokingly calls out: "Did catering get that order?"

"Now I'm h-hungry," Tara says. "My first meal... Eggplant parmesan, artichoke and spinach dip, garlic bread, broccoli, salad, red wine, chocolate pudding, and a snickers bar." She pauses a second. "Can everyone hear my stomach rumbling?"

"I can," Faith jokes.

Buffy stands up next and folds her arms across her chest. "Both of you are liars. Faith, you lied to everyone here. You ruled this game and decided who would stay and who would go. You lied to keep yourself and your alliance on top. You basically got to be where you are because Tara picked you because you are so abominable that she wanted you next to her rather than Kendra."

She takes a deep breath before turning to face Tara more directly. "But I think that you're worse, Tara." Tara looks puzzled at Buffy's statement. "I had a friend in this game, an alliance member." Everyone glances at Willow. "But you used her. You told her lies about who you were and what she meant to you. You sold yourself and you sold her and that makes you pretty disgusting in my book." Tara is shaking her head and mouthing "no" but she isn't given an opportunity to respond by Buffy who angrily turns on her heel and sits back down. A shot of Willow shows her mouth clenched, her fists balled at her sides.

Jeff says to try to lighten the mood. "The last question will come from the last person out of the game."

Kendra stands up and smiles at both her alliance members. "I am so proud of both of you for being here. The only thing that would make me prouder would be to be sitting there myself." She waits for the inevitable laughter. "I might not know every move you made, every thing you said to everyone here, but I know your game. So here's my question: I want each of you to tell us why the other should win the million dollars."

"You p-probably should vote for Faith," Tara says. "She outplayed me in this game. She outplayed everyone. Even though I fed our tribe, protected people from sunburn, from bug bites, healed injuries, she led us to victory over and over. More than that, s-she lied to the people who n-needed lied to and kept Kendra and I from that role."

"I agree with everything she said," Faith jokes and is met by laughter. "Seriously, T, here is a hell of a Survivor. She's like living on an island with Grizzly Adams. She knows plants, she knows people, and damn if she doesn't know how to build fire like no one I've ever met. Did she lie? I don't know. If she did, so what. It got her here and that's what she is playing for. It's what we're all playing for."

"Now each of you has a minute to readdress the jury before they vote. "Faith you'll go first."

"You've heard it before and there's not much reason to repeat myself. You know my game. I came here a leader and I led. That's what leaders do. I lied if I needed to and that's why I'm sitting here. The title of Ultimate Survivor is for the person who Outwits, Outlasts, Outplays! That's me. Outwit, Outlast, Outplay."

As the camera pans the jury we can see a few members nodding their heads.

"Faith and I p-played two very different games. She was the leader, the schemer. I was the caretaker for my tribe. I came here to see how far I c-could go and found myself still here after 39 days. I didn't lie and I didn't cheat to get here. I made an a-alliance and I stuck to it." She smiles at Willow who smiles back. "While I was here I made good friends, people I really care about. I never once lied about my feelings for anyone here." She looks Willow in the eye and emphasizes every word. "I meant every word I said. Every thing I did."

"Lots of questions and lots of answers," Jeff smiles. "Now the jury will vote. Remember that tonight you are voting for the person you want to win. This is the one time the competitors want to see their name written down. Time to vote."

In turn each jury member gets up and votes. Xander votes first, followed by Joyce who holds up her vote for the camera. On the ballot, she has written Tara's name.

Vote Confessional
"Tara, you are right you took care of everyone on this tribe."

Mac, Willow, and Buffy vote. Next Robin holds up his vote showing Faith's name.

Vote Confessional
"You are right. You were a leader in this game. You lied to everyone here to get what you wanted and that got you where you are now. You'll have to live with it but if everyone thinks like me, at least you'll have a million dollars to keep you company."

Finally, Kendra votes. When she has returned, Jeff walks over and gets the bucket with the votes and returns with it. He addresses Tara and Faith. "I'm sure you'd both like to hear these votes but we'll open them in New York. See you there."

He picks up the votes and steps through the jungle until he reaches the beach. There he steps onto a boat. The boat appears to sail away from the island until it lands at a marina.