All-Star Survivor: Greece Episode #12 Four Islands

Xanathos Tribe: Gabriel Cade, Stephanie Dill, Ramona Gray, Peter Harkey, Tanya Vance

DAY 34




The camp looked empty.

After a month in Greece, the number of players left in the game had begun to seriously dwindle. There were once two complete tribes here, with eight members each. But now... only a handful remained. There were only five people left. And with the smaller numbers came a much different campsite. It was now a much different mood, a much different attitude, and a much different game.

Now, it simply seemed like nobody was here.

At one time the shelters were full, with players spilling out into the night as they slept. But no more. Now they could spread out during the night, and not bump up against anybody.

At one time, the meal portions were small, with the constant fear of starvation hanging over everybody's head. But no longer. Now a good morning's worth of fishing could easily feed them for the whole day. And forget fruit-- the tribe had more than enough in storage to last the rest of the game. No, food was no longer an issue. In fact, they had already determined that another sheep hunt would be unnecessary. They simply didn't need any more meat, nor did they want to expend the energy, not with only five days left in Greece.

No, the two major factors remaining in the game were relatively new to the players. Since none of them had come this far before, not by a longshot, the two things that stood out in their heads the most were quite foreign to all five remaining people.

The first big factor was the tedium. The boredom. You woke up, you did the same old crap every day, and nothing ever changed. Maybe you would have a challenge some days, or a Tribal Council vote, but for the most part, every day was exactly the same as every other one. And sometimes, you would find yourself having the -exact- same conversation that you had a week ago, without even realizing it.

"I swear," Stephanie had once commented, "I've had the same talk with Peter about astrology maybe four times. I don't even think he realizes it. He just starts up, and it's like we're readin' off a script. Same exact chat, maybe once a week. It's weird."

The second factor that was starting to overtake the castaways was loneliness. Quite simply, they all missed home. The players were bored out here, they were miserable, and sure, they were hungry. No one was denying that. But most of all, they were all lonely. They all wanted to get out of here, as soon as was humanly possible.

Ramona Gray sat at the campfire, staring at nothing. Technically, she was staring at the fire, but she wasn't really seeing it. No, in her mind, she was seeing home. She was looking at her house. She was looking at her room. She was seeing her mother. She was reminiscing about her car. She was remembering her laboratory at work.

She had been sitting here for about twenty minutes, just thinking. Her face resting in her palms, she was peering out between her fingers, just watching the fire. At first, she had tried to think strategy today. After all, this -was- still a game, and she now had a one in five chance at a million dollars. A good chance, too. So her mind had run through all the strategic possibilities available to her, for a little while anyway. But there wasn't that much to debate. She knew all the options now, they were all as clear as crystal in her mind.

Align with Tanya.

Align with Stephanie.

Or go with Gabe and Peter.

And while some of the choices were more favorable than the others, Ramona knew as well as anyone what her best chance to stay in the game was. Her best chance, her only -real- chance, was to get Stephanie out next. Because it was clear that Tanya, Gabriel and Peter were going to stick together. Despite all of Ramona's best efforts, Tanya had never once strayed from the safety of her friends. Her bodyguards. Gabriel and Peter.

"I call them her guardian angels," Ramona would comment, bitterly. "She's got two of 'em. And she aint gonna do a -thing- to jeopardize that, no matter how much I try. I'll even tell her... girl, you can't beat Gabe in a jury vote! Everyone loves him! Why don't you take your chances with me, and see where it leads you?" She sighed. "But it never happens. Tanya is a sweet girl, but she will just -piss- you off if you try to strategize with her. She's a tease. That's all she is, just a stinking strategy tease."

So Ramona's only real chance to stay in the game was to get Stephanie out. Because it was going to be Steph or Ramona at the next vote, that was easy enough to see. And since Ramona's credo had always been "Just live for three more days," her best strategic move was obvious.

Get Stephanie out first. Save yourself. And then pray for some sort of immunity miracle down the stretch.

But as Ramona's brain wheeled through ways to move Stephanie to the bottom of the camp hierarchy, her mind started to wander a little bit-- to home. Again and again, it was always to home. This was the problem with trying to strategize on day 34. There simply was not a whole lot left in her brain at this point. It was all mush. -None- of their thoughts were crystal clear anymore. Everything was hazy. Everything was muddled.

"I don't know what's going on," Ramona murmured, as she continued her meditation by the fire. "I can't really sit here and concentrate like I used to. I try, and I just start thinking of the weirdest things. Like right now, I was just sitting here, and I started thinking of my neighbor's dog." She grimaced. "I don't even know the stupid dog's -name-, but I sat here for fifteen minutes trying to remember if the dog was black, or was he brown? You know, just stupid little stuff like that."

Ramona shook her head, trying to clear out some of the morning cobwebs. It was getting too weird out here. She glanced around the camp, trying once again to reconnect with her surroundings. Nobody was here, they were all out doing God knows what. But all their stuff was still here, just sitting around the camp as usual. In fact, Ramona could have told you what was here without even looking. They had been here -that- long.

Peter's sandals were sitting by the shelter. The large black flip-flops were stacked up, the left one on top of the right. That was the way he always placed them.

Stephanie's sunglasses sat on top of her backpack, and her sports bra hang from a tree branch just above it, drying. Steph always went for a morning swim, and always dried her clothes here afterwards.

Gabriel's teddy bear, Jimmy, sat in the corner of the shelter, just peeking out around the wall. Gabe slept in the corner, so that was where his teddy bear would be. The only difference today was that Jimmy was wearing the immunity necklace. Gabe had placed it around the bear's neck last night, for safekeeping.

And there was Tanya's pile of clothing, folded neatly, as usual. Tanya was big on keeping her stuff orderly and all together. Her sunglasses also sat atop her backpack, just like Stephanie's.

"I love this place," Ramona finally admitted. "I really, really do. It's been great. But frankly, I'm sick of all of these people. I love 'em like family, but I don't need to see 'em anymore. We've done enough together. I think everyone just kind of wants to go home by now."




^^




Gabriel and Peter retrieved the treemail for the final reward challenge, just after lunchtime.

"I know Tanya wants to break us apaht," said Peter, talking as he walked, "And you know that too."

Gabriel nodded.

"But does -she- know that we know?" finished Peter.

"She has to," said Gabe, "Because I've talked about it with her. We've already had this discussion."

Gabe went on to explain, being careful not to give away his final two pact with Tanya. There were some things that Peter just didn't need to know. Not yet, anyway. There would be time for that later, if need be.

"She wants to win," said Gabe, "Tanya came here with one thing in mind, and one thing only. That was to win the game, and win the money. In fact, she's probably the -only- one here who really -wants- the money."

Peter nodded. That was a fairly safe assumption. He certainly wasn't here for the monetary reward. Nor was Gabe. And Stephanie had also made it perfectly clear on any number of occasions that she was here for the adventure and the challenge of it all, not the money.

"Do you think Mona wants the money?" he asked.

"I doubt it," added Gabe. "You know she wouldn't turn it down, but she's also big into the experience. She's a very spiritual person, and I know she loves a good challenge. I think she'd be happier with the win than the cash, personally."

"Makes sense," said Peter, "Tanya could use it the most, so she wants it the most."

"Let's see," said Gabe, trying to think back. "How does she phrase it?" He thought for a moment. "She'll say something like, 'It's not like I'm starving or anything, but I'm a realist here. I'm a social worker. I'm never gonna be rich, so of course I'd love the money."

Then Gabe smiled.

"But she really wants to win too, just to say she did. She's competitive, and kind of cocky when she wants to be. She wants to be the Sole Survivor, just to say she beat us all."

"So do you think she'd actually vote either of us out?" asked Peter. Tanya still worried him. She had for some time now, Tanya just made him nervous.

"I think she -would-," answered Gabe. "In fact I know it. She'd probably pick you over me, though."

Peter nodded. He and Tanya had never been particularly close. Ever since day one, their conversations had been pleasant and breezy, but also a bit forced. It didn't surprise him at all that she might consider him to be expendable.

"What do you think?" asked Gabe.

"What I think will happen is this," explained Peter. "I think she's gonna drift right along with us until the end. I'm worried about her, but I don't see any rational reason for her to bail out when it's such an easy ride to final three. And then I think she's probably relying on one of us to give her that spot in the final two. I think she expects one of us to step down, so she can win."

"We step down, because she needs it the most," deduced Gabe.

"Exactly. She's probably either expecting to win immunity herself, or she'll start laying on the puppy dog eyes and hope that one of us takes her to the finals, out of charity. Since neither of us really needs the money."

"Well, I need it," laughed Gabe. "I just don't want it."

"Same difference," shrugged Peter. "But that's what I think she'll do."

Gabe remained silent at this, just mulling it all over. Of course it had already occurred to him that Tanya might try to guilt her way into the final two. She wouldn't even really have to try all that hard, not with two hippies alongside her. That was just the sort of thing Gabe -would- do, too. The real-life Gabe, anyway. In real life, Gabriel -would- probably step down so that Tanya could have the money. After all, that was his nature. That was what came from being raised on a commune.

"But I'm here to win," he would say repeatedly, in endless confessionals since day one. "It's not a matter of the money, it's a matter of competing. It's a matter of putting yourself up against fifteen people, and coming out on top. And that's a problem I have had with this game, ever since the start. I'm here to win. I don't like to lose, I don't like to lose in anything. So once you get down to the competition part, I don't think I can toss myself aside for any of them. I'm here to win, I told them that on day one, and people should realize it by now."

"I don't know," said Gabe now, shaking his head. "I don't think we'll really have an idea until the challenges. See what happens there, see if anything looks funky from her end."

"But still," suggested Peter, "You know it wouldn't hurt to have a backup plan."

"Like what?"

Gabe listened with fascination as Peter's cunning side showed itself. It was a side that few people saw, the clever, strategic side that was carefully hidden behind the goofy grin and the crazy eyes. It was a side that Peter had learned to keep under wraps out here. Ever since the Marquesas, that is.

"You go bring in Mona or Steph," he said, "And basically you force Tanya to stay loyal. You let her know that she can be replaced, and then maybe she's not gonna go getting any ideas. Maybe then she'll remember this is a -team- effort and she needs to kind of stay focused."

Gabe didn't have the heart to point out that he already -did- have his own backup plan... the final two deal with Tanya. Peter had nothing to do with that one. And Gabe was struck again by a pang of guilt. Peter was more or less trapped in a strategic corner at the moment. His options were almost completely gone, and the tall man didn't even have a clue.

"Personally," expounded Peter, "I'd take Steph ovah Mona. Mona's out for herself, she's just here to win, and Steph isn't all that crafty, really. Steph isn't all that great a playah, I don't think."

"Yeah," nodded Gabe.

"So what I'd do," summarized Peter, "Is just go to Steph. Tell her she can take out Tanya if she wants, and you and I would help her. And maybe then just go to Tanya and tell her the same thing."

"Turn them against one another," nodded Gabe.

"Basically," shrugged Peter. "And it wouldn't even be that hahd. They already dislike one another."

"We'll see," said Gabe, although he had no intentions to do this at all. One underhanded scheme was one thing, but a second one was something else. His code of ethics would allow for a little bending of the truth, for game purposes, but not unless it was needed. And the one Peter was suggesting now just seemed extraneous. A lie just to lie? No thanks. Not yet, anyway.

Besides, Tanya and Stephanie already mistrusted each other enough. There was already a natural animosity between the two of them. So why fix what wasn't broken?



^^



"Welcome guys," smiled Jeff, "To your final reward challenge."

The five players had traveled back to Taygete for the challenge, just after dinner. And now they stood before him, in a single file line, as he explained the rules.

"Today's challenge is one of our favorites around here," said Jeff, "To basically see, what have you learned so far? What have you learned from Greece, and from mythology, and from your experiences in this game?"

He turned and pointed to an obstacle course. It had been constructed over the past few days, and featured several elements from past challenges.

"You'll start here," said Jeff, as he pointed to a rock. It was a large plaster rock, such as they had used in the Sisyphus challenge. Of course, this rock was a lot smaller and lighter, since this was individual now, instead of a team event.

"You'll roll this rock in a straight line," said Jeff. He pointed to a line drawn in the grass, which had been created with chalk. "You must stay on this line all the way. If you go off the line, you must take your rock back to the start, and begin again."

Jeff pointed to station number two. Five lyres rested on a platform, each next to an enormous ball of tangled wire.

"Next station," explained the host, "Unravel five strings from that ball, and string your lyre."

Jeff pointed to a medium-sized grassy meadow.

"Third station," he added, "You will put on a blindfold and search that meadow, for three golden apples. They are hidden in the grass, and you will have to crawl around to find them. And then," he smiled, "You move on to station number four."

He pulled out a small notecard.

"Answer a riddle. First one to get a riddle correct moves on to the final station."

Jeff turned and pointed to the beach, where five large wooden structures rested. The players all knew what those were. Although it had been a while since they had last seen a catapult out here.

"Line your catapult up," explained Jeff, "And hit that boat, out in the sea."

A small fishing boat sat anchored in the sea, about two hundred feet out.

"First one to complete all five tasks," finished Jeff, "And sink their ship will win reward." He paused. "Oh, and there's one more thing. I guess I forgot to mention this."

He smiled as he picked up a small silver goblet. It was filled with the same potent Greek wine they had chugged for immunity a few weeks back.

"You'll drink one of these before each station," he added. "You know, to make things a little more difficult. But you shouldn't have a problem with it, you guys have had it before. It's not so bad, right?"

He grinned, and people groaned. The wine was going to make things significantly more difficult. Intoxication tended to do that to your concentration and motor skills.

"So," added Jeff, "Wanna know what you're playing for?"

He pointed his finger in the direction of Alkyone beach, just across the sea. And then it came out. A bright red, brand new truck. A 2003 Cadillac Escalade, being driven across the sand by a crew member.

"The winner gets that Cadillac," smiled Jeff, "Fully loaded, with everything you could want inside. A pretty sweet ride, if you want to know the truth. Plus... you'll get this." He pulled out a cellular phone, and grinned. "A one hour phone call home. On us."

Several players smiled gratefully at this, with Ramona and Peter being the most excited. They were the two who missed the home the most at the moment. This was -definitely- going to be worth playing for.

And the car would just be a bonus. A great big, expensive, fiery red bonus.

"Alright," said Jeff, clapping his hands together. "Let's get this thing started."



^^



The five players lined up behind their rocks, as Jeff stood behind them. They were all ready to go, poised and set. And everybody wanted to win. Some of them, like Stephanie And Ramona, had never won a thing out here, and wanted to at least get a reward before all was said and done. Some of them, like Peter, wanted that phone call home, so they could talk to their families. And some, like Gabe and Tanya, really, really wanted that truck. Oh, and the phone call couldn't hurt, either.

Gabe also had a bit of conflict running through his brain. Unlike the rest of them, he was fairly sure he would be winning this one. This challenge was right up his alley, as most of them had been. And it was starting to bother him too. It couldn't be a good thing to win so many challenges... could it? Were people starting to get jealous? Did he really want to risk it by winning again?

But generally his more forceful side took over when this happened. It was his competitive side. The one that said, simply, win. Play to win, or don't play at all. And with that, it was decided. He was going to give it his all and try to win, as he always did.

"This is for the final reward!" announced Jeff. He smiled at them, and raised his right hand in the air.

"Survivors ready... GO!"

All five players held a small goblet of wine in their hand, so they all tipped back and chugged away. The taste made Tanya's eyes nearly pop out of her head, and Peter made a wincing face as well, but now they could begin. All five of them dropped their goblets and pushed against their rocks, trying to roll them in a straight line. Gabriel's rock immediately veered to the left, as did Tanya's. The two of them had to go back and start over.

"Ramona is leading!" announced Jeff, "With Peter right behind her."

Sure enough, Ramona's excellent hand-eye coordination was helping her keep her rock straight, even with a little alcohol in her, as she barreled it along the line in the grass. Peter was right behind her, being a little stronger, but moving a little more deliberately. He was trying to play it safe. But within thirty seconds, the two of them reached the end of the line, one after the other.

"Ramona," said Jeff, "At the lyre. Peter right behind her. Both of them have taken their second drink!"

Stephanie had almost finished the rock portion, but then her rock bounced crazily to the right... just before the finish line. She cursed her lack of concentration and had to go back and start again.

"Ramona has one string untied," noted Jeff. "Peter doesn't have any yet."

Sure enough, Peter was becoming frustrated with himself. Ramona now had her second string unraveled, and was working on a third. And now Gabriel and Tanya were here, too. They took their second drinks, and started working on their strings as well. Peter now redoubled his efforts, trying his best to stay in first place.

"Ramona has three!" announced Jeff. "And Gabe has his first!"

After about two minutes, Stephanie had finally reached her lyre. She took her second drink, and sat down to pick at her ball of tangled strings. She was quite a bit behind the rest of the pack by now.

"Ramona has all five strings out!" announced Jeff, as he saw her start to hook them up to her lyre. Jeff watched as Gabe untangled his fourth, working quickly. He was doing -much- better with the strings than he had during his first go-around. Gabe had four strings, and now Tanya untangled her third. Peter also had three, and Stephanie was still working on her first.

After about twenty seconds, Ramona had all five strings hooked up to her lyre. She was done, and called out excitedly.

"I got it! I got it!"

She stood up and ran over to station number three. Five blindfolds sat on a table, and she picked one up and placed it over her eyes. She also took her third drink, downing it slowly so as not to be overwhelmed by the strong wine.

"The meadow is about ten feet ahead of you," Jeff said. "Get down on your hands and knees and start searching!"

As Ramona began her search for golden apples, Gabriel had finally strung his lyre. He was followed by a suddenly resurgent Peter, and the two men ran over to start their search for golden apples as well.

"Remember," said Jeff, "You need three apples. -Three- of them, and then you can move on."

Ramona, Gabe and Peter scuffled around on their hands and knees, frantically searching for something. They were all slightly intoxicated now, and were having difficulties finding -anything- in the tall grass. But then, surprisingly, one of them hit pay dirt.

"Peter has one!" announced Jeff. Then he quickly added, "And now Gabe has one as well!"

Ramona listened to this, panicking, as she moved her hands around the grassy meadow. She was finding nothing. And her head was spinning now too, from the wine. This wasn't easy at all. Where were those apples?

Tanya finally reached the meadow now, as did Stephanie. The two women had caught the pack, although Gabe had now jumped out to the lead. He had just found his second apple.

"Two for Gabriel!" announced Jeff. And this was quickly followed by apple number three. Gabe stumbled right on top of it, before anyone else could even find their second.

"Three for Gabriel! That's it, Gabriel moves on!"

Gabe tore off his blindfold and ran over to station number four. Five small goblets sat there, and he took one. He paused, closed his eyes, and drank it as fast as he could. It burned. It really burned as it went down, but he was okay. He then looked at the rest of the station. A small chest sat atop a table, and he opened it. Inside were a stack of notecards. He picked up the top one and read the riddle on the reverse side, out loud.

"What is better than the gods, yet worse than death itself?
If you eat it, you will die, yet dead people eat it always."

Gabe pursed his lips, as he folded his hands under his chin and started to brainstorm. His mind was clear, his thinking was not muddied, but this wouldn't be a cakewalk. Sober or not, there was still going to be a lot of pressure on him to figure this out quickly. Because he heard behind him now:

"Peter has two apples. Ramona has number one and two!"

And then:

"Stephanie has number one!"

Jeff looked over at Gabe, who appeared to be lost in thought.

"You can pick a new riddle if you want, but you have to answer at least one of them."

"No," said Gabe, with his eyes closed. "I think I know it."

But after about fifteen seconds, two events happened at once, almost simultaneously.

"Three apples for Peter!" shouted Jeff.

"Nothing!" yelled Gabe. "The answer is 'Nothing'!"

"Correct!" said Jeff. "Gabe moves on to the final station."

Gabriel jogged over to the catapults, their big wooden friends from the early days of the game. Only these ones were much smaller, and much more maneuverable. Much different than the big bulky ones from day six. Gabe picked one and turned it slightly, so that it aimed out to sea, out towards the target ship. And, of course, he took his fifth goblet of wine. He looked at it, said a short little prayer, and tipped it back into his mouth.

The wine roared down his throat with a mission, and Gabe had to close his eyes, wincing. But then he was okay, just as Peter picked up his riddle, and read it out loud.

"You see nothing else when you look in my face.
I will look you in the eye, and I will never lie."

Gabe loaded up a rock, drew back the wooden arm, and launched his first shot.

It landed well beyond the boat. A complete miss.

Peter was struggling with his riddle, and was soon joined by Ramona, who also selected a riddle. The two of them were focused, as well as a bit drunk, but it wasn't going to matter. They were just a bit too little, too late. All it took was three shots, but Gabriel finally found his aim. He drew back the catapult arm, sized up the shot just right, and let it loose.

CRACK!

The rock tore through the hull of the boat, smashing it and splintering it into two pieces. With that, Gabe pumped his fist in the air. He had done it. He had won again.

"Gabriel!" announced Jeff, "Wins reward!"



^^




After the challenge, Gabriel had been ecstatic. His tribemates had congratulated him, as usual, and all five of them had been shuttled over to check out his new ride. Gabe loved the new truck, it was great, and he loved the fact that he would get a call home. His mom was going to be thrilled.

But he was also quite aware of some of the looks he was getting. It appeared that a -lot- of people wanted this reward, and some of them, like Ramona, were taking it kind of hard. She looked a little bothered by it all, and had been the only one to refuse to sit in the driver seat of the truck. She just didn't want to.

"I probably shouldn't have won," he whispered to Peter, "I think Mona really wanted it."

"Hey, it's your truck. It's not your problem if they get jealous."

But Gabe was paying attention. And he was a bit worried by it all. All of a sudden, his mind was beginning to race again. Had he won by too much? Was he making people nervous? He had skunked them all, again, and it hadn't even been close. Was he signing his own death warrant by doing so?

"I'll keep an eye on 'em for you," Peter promised. "Make sure they don't start plotting or anything."

"Sweet, dude," said Gabe, gratefully. "Thanks."

And with that, Gabe had been left alone. Just him and a cell phone, with which to phone home. But unfortunately for Gabe, his suspicions had been correct. His winning streak -was- starting to get people talking.

Ramona insisted on sitting next to Tanya on the boat ride home. And maybe it was the alcohol speaking, maybe it was some newfound sense of confidence, or maybe she was just trying to make Peter paranoid. But Ramona was whispering in Tanya's ear for most of the entire ride back. She was trying to be subtle, and trying to hide it, but Peter knew exactly what they were doing. They were talking strategy. And Peter Harkey could only watch, helplessly, from two rows back.

Ramona whispered, and Tanya listened.

Ramona laughed, and Tanya giggled.

Ramona whispered something else, and Tanya shook her head.

And then, finally, Tanya nodded her head.

Something had been decided.

Oh crap, Peter thought, suddenly fearing for his friend's safety. I hope you're enjoying that phone call, buddy. Cause you're not gonna be happy about this.





DAY 35



It was another sleep-in day, courtesy of yesterday's wine. As the players had found out all too well by now, the combination of potent Greek wine and unbelievably bright sunlight was a powerful incentive to keep your eyes shut in the morning.
Otherwise you were likely to get a killer headache, the minute you woke up.

"Ohhhh," moaned Stephanie, as she rolled over and put a sweater over her face, trying to cover her eyes. She was sleeping against the eastern wall of the shelter, her usual spot, and she wanted -nothing- to do with that bright morning sun. You see, the sun in Greece just seemed to be a little brighter than most other places. No one could really explain why, either. Perhaps it was the clear air, or perhaps it was all the white rocks and buildings for it to reflect off. Or maybe it had something to do with all the water surrounding them.

But no one could deny that the Greek sun was bright. Very bright. And that certainly wasn't going to be a help this morning.

"Anyone got a shade?" murmured Ramona, "Or a tarp to put over us?"

"I tried to bring one," joked Peter, "But they wouldn't let me."

The five players were still all laying down, trying their best to delay the start of their morning activities. Oh, and most of them also had the beginnings of a medium-sized hangover, once again thanks to last night's wine.

"Steph," asked Ramona, jokingly, "I hope you don't remember what you did last night. When you were drunk."

"Shut up," mumbled Steph, her face buried deep under a few layers of clothing, "Talk later."

Tanya laughed out loud, as she finally sat up and squinted against the bright morning sky.

"You were -plastered- last night," explained Ramona, as she poked Stephanie in the ribs. "You were bouncing off the walls."

"Bouncing off all of us, pretty much," said Peter.

"Ummmfff," mumbled Stephanie, unintelligibly.

Last night, upon their return to camp, some of the players had been, let's just say, extra friendly and social for the rest of the night. The wine during the challenge had definitely had an effect on then. It had been quite effective too, due to their empty stomachs and depleted bodies.

With a little alcohol in her, Tanya had become particularly chatty, letting out more of her personality than she tended to while sober. Peter had become extra cuddly and affectionate, giving out hugs to anyone who would want one. An intoxicated Ramona had shown a funny, bawdy side, one that few of them had seen before. She had cracked lewd joke after lewd joke, cracking the rest of them up over and over again. And Gabriel had actually retrated into himself more, as the alcohol had an entirely different effect on his system. He just sat back and watched, for the most part, trying his best to stay awake and alert.

And, of course, there was Stephanie. Stephanie tended to become flirtacious when she had a little to drink. And of course, with her almost frightening lack of inhibitions, this flirtiness caused her to get a little wild, as well.

In time, she had eventually started to strip off her clothes.

"Oh my," said Peter, the moment she started pulling off her clothes. "It's coming off." He elbowed Gabe. "Check it out."

"She always does this," whispered Tanya. "Watch."

Sure enough, Stephanie had made it most of the way down to what God gave her, before she started to talk. And sing. And then start flirting with random members of the production crew.

"I want Burnett," she then added. "Where's Burnett? I want Markie here."

"Um, honey," said Ramona, to the stifled laughs of her tribemates, "I think you need to lay down for a while."

"I love Mark," Stephanie then said, wistfully. "I'm gonna marry him. Is he here?"

"Yeah, I think he's outside," smiled Peter, which drew an elbow from Tanya. "You should go find him."

Steph had gone on like this for a while. She had loudly proclaimed her crush on Mark Burnett, as well as on anyone else who happened to be nearby. But in time, they persuaded her to fall asleep... luckily still wearing a few stitches of clothing. And eventually the rest had followed. Tanya had dropped off next, and then Ramona soon after. Which was perfect timing, since it then left Peter alone with Gabe.

Exactly as Peter had intended.

Peter was still feeling the effects of the wine, as they all were, but his thinking had remained crystal clear the entire time. He had to talk to Gabe. He had to inform him exactly what he thought the girls were up to.

"And I saw 'em whispering," said Peter, as he had taken Gabe outside, into the night air. "Tanya was laughing, and Mona looked a little cocky. She was up to something. They both were, I think."

Gabe nodded, as he chewed his lip, thoughtfully.

"Do you think Tanya and Steph would ever vote together?" asked Peter. "You know, if it was the only way either one of them could win?"

"Oh, I have no doubt they would," said Gabe. "I think everybody is playing to win by now. You'd have to be at this point."

"That's what worries me," said Peter. He looked up at the stars. Then he paused, before going back to his backup plan.

"I trust Stephanie. She's the only one of 'em that I do trust. So what would you say to taking her in over Tanya?"

Gabe looked over at his friend. Peter wanted to win this game. He wanted to win it badly, despite his "I'm just here for the experience" facade. And this move would probably work. Stephanie probably -would- join them, if for no other reason than to take Tanya's place. Stephanie would probably get a kick out of that, too. One more way to stick it to Tanya. Steph would probably take the deal in a second.

But Gabe was pretty sure he didn't want to take the risk. He still had Tanya under control. A Steph countermove wasn't going to be necessary.

"How about this?" said the young man, "How about I talk to Tanya tomorrow, and find out where she stands? For good, I mean. Just get her to flat out say it."

"And make a final two deal with her if you have to," said Peter, not realizing Gabe already had. "Just throw her off the track so she won't get rid of either you or me tomorrow."

"Good idea," smiled Gabe, as another dagger of guilt rifled into his heart. "Good thinking."



^^



Gabe and Tanya had their big strategy talk just after lunch, once it became clear that there would be no challenge today. That was pretty much the standard rule-- if there was no word by lunchtime, you were going to have the day off.

Well, a day off from challenges, anyway. Not from strategy. The strategy and paranoia out here never ended. From that standpoint, the game was relentless.

"Of course I'm with you two," Tanya insisted. "Gabe, you know I am. If someone's gonna win, it has to be one of us. I don't want Ramona to win, and I sure as heck don't want Steph to win."

"I know," soothed Gabe. "I know that. But Peter is getting antsy. He saw you and Mona joking on the boat, and said he was worried."

"We were joking about Ryan!" Tanya said. "I was telling her that Ryan always tried to hit on me, and I hated it! He used to stare at my butt, and talk about it too!"

Gabe smiled, not really believing her. He was still a little wary around Tanya, now that he was certain she wanted to win the most out of any of them.

"So you and I are still in?" Gabe asked. "Final two, with Peter third?"

"Of course. It's gonna be the two of us. That's always been the plan."

"Good," said Gabe. Then he laughed. "I hate this game. This part sucks, you know?"

Tanya smiled, and patted his hand. Because he didn't have to know. Gabe -definitely- didn't have to know that her final two plan was in place. It was now cemented solidly in place, and it certainly didn't involve Gabe. She had finally made up her mind, and decided that promise or no promise, Gabe was simply too tough of a final two opponent to face. She didn't want to leave him around any longer.

So yes, her "Just the two of us" comment was the truth. She did have a final two alliance all planned out, her best path to victory. But it wasn't with Gabe.

No... she was now committed to setting up Stephanie as her final two opponent.




^^



Tanya Vance thought she had her endgame all in place. It had taken her a while, as she wasn't the most decisive person in the world, but eventually she thought she had it all figured out. In short, Tanya figured there were only two people here who could beat her in a final vote.

Gabriel and Peter.

And quite coincidentally, they were the two who happened to share the tightest bond. And they were -never- going to vote against one another. Never, never, never. Despite Gabe's insistent promise, she simply knew him too well. Gabe couldn't do it. Gabriel Cade was a lot of things, but he wasn't a backstabber, and he wasn't cold-hearted. He may think he could vote against Peter, but Tanya knew he was never going to go through with it.

So from that standpoint, the two men had to be broken up. Now.

"Because if we get down to four," she would say, "The best I could do is a tie. And, I hate to be so blunt about it, but a tie kind of sucks. Nobody wants a tie."

So Tanya's plan, as the men had feared, was to break them up at the final five. She was the only one who could do it, and this was the only place it could be done. Tanya wasn't stupid, and she wasn't naive. She knew exactly what had to be done.

"And as much as I hate to say it," she would explain, "Gabe has to be the one to go next. As much as it hurts me to say so, he's the best player here. And the challenges arent even close with him around. I mean, you saw yesterday, he destroyed us. He does that a lot."

She sighed, sadly.

"It's gonna tear me up to do it, I know it is, but Gabe is the only one who kind of stands in my way. He stands in all of our way. And frankly, I don't think he'll care all that much, but I will. Because I love him." She paused for a moment, trying to put some sort of different spin on her decision. "And besides, he gets to go on trips all the time. He travels around the world. So someone else should get to do that, you know? Let's be realists here. Why can't someone else get to travel? Why can't I travel?"

She shrugged.

With that being said, Tanya had decided upon her course of action. She was going to vote Gabriel out tomorrow. She had told this to the girls on the boat and Ramona had, obviously, been overjoyed. This had been her lucky day. Bless her heart, Ramona's endless preaching to Tanya had finally paid off. Tanya had finally seen the light.

Steph had reacted to the information differently. She had just nodded, coolly. She had known Tanya would come to this decision, sooner or later. It hadn't been a surprise to her at all.

But Tanya's story to the guys had been somewhat different.

"The guys think we're voting out Ramona next," she confessed, as she stood up to go help with dinner. "That's what I told 'em. And I hate to lie but..."

She finally smiled again, a mischevous little smile on her face.

"But this is Survivor. What fun is it if you can't use a little deception every now and then?"



^^



The day ended on a very calm note.

Gabe and Tanya prepared dinner, a medium sized portion of trout and shellfish.

Stephanie fortified their fire shelter, cutting up some extra wood to help block out the wind.

Ramona tried her best to get to know Peter, by sitting and talking with the man for nearly an hour. Yet she found out exactly what everyone else had by now... if Peter didn't want you to know him, you weren't going to. She had no clue who he was after an hour, just like nobody else really did.

But deep in the back of everybody's mind was their strategy. This was still a game, and they still all had a chance to win it. Every player could still see themself as the sole Survivor left at the end.

Stephanie saw her friendship with Tanya as being the key to her victory. All she had to do was lay low and make people forget about her, and Tanya would do all the hard work. Steph could just relax, enjoy the adventure, and wake up to give her jury speech in four days. She thought she had a pretty good chance to get to the end.

Gabriel saw his situation as a little more stressful. He was leaning towards voting Peter off now, at the final three. After all, he had promised Tanya twice now, and with each promise came a smaller likelihood that he could actually betray her. No, if you asked Gabe, he would tell you that the final two would likely be himself and Tanya. He thought he had a fairly good chance to get to the end.

Tanya, obviously, thought her best shot at the end was with Stephanie. No one seemed to like Steph all that much, and she would likely be a cakewalk victory in a jury vote. Although if push came to shove, Ramona would also be an easy victory. In Tanya's mind, Gabriel and Peter would be -perfect- jurors, simply because they didn't hold a grudge. If you had to backstab somebody, you couldn't really find two better choices. They would probably forgive and forget. Tanya was quite confident in her chances right now, almost to the point of cockiness.

Peter was placing all his eggs in the Gabriel basket. He simply didn't have many other choices. He didn't have the strongest relationship with Stephanie or Ramona, nor was he really trying all that hard, to be honest. All he had to do was get through one more vote, and he thought he had a great shot at the final two. Peter felt pretty good about his chances to get to the end.

And then there was Ramona, the classic underdog. She had not felt confident about her chances for a while. But in time, her attitude was beginning to change. She knew that Tanya didn't want the guys around. She knew that the guys were worried about Tanya. In fact, she had even debated going to the guys right now, and spilling her guts about Tanya's plan. She -almost- had too, but had decided to stick with the plan instead, and see where it would take her. Ramona planned to be in that final two, against either Stephanie or Tanya. She definitely didn't want to face either of the guys. But she wasn't entirely sure how to get there.

Five people went to bed with dreams of victory. They all knew that a challenge was coming tomorrow, and it would likely determine the course of the game from here on out.

In just twenty-four hours, they would be down to the final four.

And every one of them expected to be there.

DAY 36




Jeff came to camp first thing in the morning. After all, today was going to be a long day. Why not get the immunity challenge out of the way early? That way, they would all have plenty of time to think about it for the rest of the day.

"Let's go, you guys," he said, as he rousted them out of their slumber. "Get a move on, we have an early challenge today."

Jeff brought them down to the beach, where the sleepy castaways were greeted by five balance beams. The beams had been constructed in the water, just a few feet above the surface, and balancing on top of them would be the key to victory. At the end of each beam was a platform, a large wooden platform, almost like a dock.

"Today's challenge," smiled Jeff, "Is based on one of the best known stories in Greek mythology. The story of fire. The story... of Prometheus."

He reached down and picked up a piece of driftwood. From his back pocket he then pulled out a small lighter. He touched the flame to the end of the wood, waited until it was lit, and then held the makeshift torch out in front of him.

"Fire was considered one of the greatest inventions of the gods," he said. "It was one of Zeus' favorite things, this warm, mysterious flame that could cook meat, light a room, and bring forth heat. But Zeus was also -very- careful about giving the gift of fire to man. He felt that it was too powerful for human beings, too tempting, and would inevitably lead to the downfall of mankind. In short, he just didn't trust us to use it wisely."

Tanya smiled.

"And Zeus tried," finished Jeff, "To keep this thing a secret. He tried to keep it in the heavens, away from the humans. And he would have done it too, if it weren't for a Titan named Prometheus." Jeff nodded, solemnly. "Prometheus thought fire was something that would benefit humankind. So against Zeus' wishes, Prometheus took it upon himself to bring fire to the humans, thus introducing them to a new world, with new possibilities. The humans no longer lived in darkness, and their lives were thereby changed forever. But..."

Jeff grinned now.

"Prometheus himself was not so lucky. He incurred the wrath of Zeus for his foolish deed, and ended up spending the rest of his immortal life chained to a rock, with vultures tearing at his liver. Over and over, for all of eternity. And once again, we see the old adage... don't mess with the gods. Because you will lose."

Jeff went on to explain the rules of the game. Their jobs were simple: Create a fire on the platform, and bring it back to Jeff. The first one to do so would win immunity, at a very important place in the game. The winner tonight would guarantee themself a spot in the final four.

So understandably, this one was going to be huge.

"Survivors ready," said Jeff, as he watched them all line up and set themselves. Gabriel was on the far left, followed by Peter, then Ramona, then Tanya, and then Steph. They all eyed their platforms with determination, that square piece of wood that sat about 100 feet off the shore. That was where they would have to go, and they would have to cross the balance beam to get there.

"Go!!!!"

All five players raced across the sand, towards the sea. Gabriel was the first to reach his beam, and he held his hands out to either side, as he tried to walk atop it. He walked briskly, but carefully, as the balance beam rose slightly and then fell. It was rough going, but he made it to his platform in about thirty seconds, safely. On his platform was an empty metal bucket. He picked it up, and turned around. Now it was time to walk back to shore, and fill the bucket with driftwood. And from there, he could start creating his fire.

Gabriel started back to shore, followed closely by Tanya. The social worker was right on his tail, her strong sense of balance helping her keep pace with Gabe's superior athleticism. She walked carefully across the beam, back towards shore, just as Ramona did not too far behind her. These three were clearly in the lead.

"Peter," said Jeff, "Go back and start over!"

Peter Harkey had fallen off his beam about midway through the walk to his platform. He had plunged into the sea, and been called back by Jeff to start over. That was the rule-- fall in the water, start your walk over. Peter was frustrated, but had to chuckle when Stephanie tumbled into the sea just after he had. It looked like the two of them would be going back to try again.

Back on the beach, Gabriel searched the sand for pieces of driftwood... anything that could be used to start a fire. He found five large pieces, placed them in his bucket, and turned to go back to his platform. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tanya, still gathering wood. And then he saw Ramona, who had just reached the beach. He had a fairly sizeable lead, so he relaxed a little. Then he stepped back onto his balance beam, took a deep breath, and started the walk back out to sea.

"Peter!" called Jeff, "Start over!"

Peter had fallen again, his large frame and large feet causing him problems on the balance portion of the contest. So back to the beginning it would be. He had pretty much already written himself off for this challenge. He was too far behind, so he might as well just try to have fun now, at least.

Gabriel reached his platform for a second time, safe and sound. He dumped the driftwood from his bucket into a small pile on the dock, and arranged it in the shape of a small pyre. He grabbed a set of matches that had been left for him, and struck one. It lit, but was quickly blown out by the wind. So he tried again... and got the same result. Gabe glanced around, trying to find some way to keep the fire lit.

Tanya had now reached her platform for the second time, and was quickly followed by Ramona. The two ladies each dumped their wood piles out, and tried to light their matches. Tanya's went out quickly.

But Ramona's lit without a problem.

Smiling happily, she cupped her hand around the match, and lowered it to her wood pile. She said a quick prayer under her breath, and hoped for the best. Maybe God would smile on her this time, for a change.

With three players desperately trying to start their fires, Stephanie Dill finally arrived at her platform. She dumped her wood into a small pile and also tried to get her fire started. And moments later, she did. A small flame started to lick at the bottom of her pile, and she looked up, to see how the other players were faring.

Ramona's fire was still small, but was definitely burning. It wasn't big enough to bring back to Jeff, at least four pieces of wood had to be aflame for that. But she was definitely on her way.

Tanya's fire was a little bigger, but appeared to be dying. She desperately blew on it, trying to keep it going, but it appeared to be a losing cause.

But Stephanie watched, dismayed, as Gabriel's fire appeared to be thriving. He had somehow managed to get it lit, and make it -stay- lit, as he sat back and watched, satisfied. At this pace, he would blow them all away again, and Stephanie went back to blowing on her small fire. She didn't want Gabe to win. No way, not if she could help it. Gabe winning immunity would ruin -everything- tonight.

"Peter!" laughed Jeff. "Start over!"

Peter had essentially given up now, having failed to even retrieve his bucket yet. So he sat down on his balance beam, dripping wet from yet another dip in the sea, and laughed at himself. He sat, and watched. The challenge was over for him.

Within two minutes, Gabe finally stood up, satisfied with his fire. He carefully placed flaming pieces of wood in his bucket, one at a time. First one, then two, then three, and then a fourth. Four pieces. All he had to do now was walk back to Jeff. He placed one foot on his balance beam, and then the other. He steadied himself, his ankles strong from years of ice skating, and started to walk back.

And he lasted just three steps.

Stephanie pumped her fist, inadvertantly, as Gabe suddenly lost his balance. He lost his footing on the wet wood, wobbled slightly to the left, held his hands out to the side, but was unable to stay up. He slipped down into the sea, as he tried desperately to hold the bucket above the water's surface. He plunged into the water, but was able to keep the bucket from going in as well. Luckily, it managed to stay dry. But when he rose up to the surface and looked inside, he was dismayed to see the results of his plunge.

Two of the pieces of wood had been splashed, and had gone out. Only two were still burning. He was going to have to start over.

"Crap!" he muttered to himself, as he swam back to his platform. He pulled himself up, dumped his wood back into a pile, and tried again to light it. But it was definitely going to be a challenge. He had lost a lot of time with his little slip, and the wood was wet now. He would need a little luck on his side.

Tanya and Ramona finally got their fires burning to a satisfactory level, at about the same time. They both loaded up their buckets, took a step onto their balance beams, and starting hauling butt. They both badly wanted to win immunity. Ramona because she felt she needed it, and Tanya because she just wanted to win an individual challenge.

"Better watch your step," said Ramona, as she watched her beam carefully. She didn't lift her eyes as she walked, trying very hard to stay focused.

"You watch your step, I'll watch mine," said Tanya, as she had a two step lead on her older teammate. She walked briskly, trying her best to stay ahead. But then, as the end neared, she was amazed by what she saw.

Ramona started running. She sprinted the last thirty feet across the beam, overtaking Tanya and just crossing onto the sand first. Tanya tried to run at this point but it was too late. Ramona's gamble had paid off, and she reached Jeff just before Tanya did. Ramona dropped her bucket at his feet and dropped to one knee, panting. She was exhausted. Jeff looked inside her bucket, and counted off the burning pieces of wood.

One, two, three, four.

"Ramona," he said. "Wins immunity!"

Ramona smiled happily, and thrust her fist up into the air. She was ecstatic, and let it show. She had won. She had -finally- won something out here. After being behind for most of the race, too.

"Nice job," said Jeff, as he placed the immunity necklace around her neck. "Welcome to the final four."

"It was karate," she said, panting as she talked. "Karate gives you balance."

And with that, the stage was now set. Gabe had already been scheduled for execution, so immunity had changed nothing. It was now time to see if Tanya's little power play was going to work out after all. Could she really put her money where her mouth was, and vote out her best friend in the game?

Or had it all been nothing more than a massive bluff?



^^




The rest of the day was spent solidifying plans.

Tanya congratulated Ramona on her win, and carefully segued into their deal for the rest of the game. It was a final two pact, of course. Tanya was trying to make one with everybody. Just in case.

"But it's still Gabe tonight," asked Ramona, "Right?"

"It has to be," said Tanya. "He's the only one Steph will vote for ahead of me. So either he goes, or I do. She won't vote for anybody else."

"Oh that's B.S.," countered Ramona. "My butt was -gone- tonight if I didn't win immunity. Don't lie to me, I know how it works."

Ramona was a very wary and suspicious person by nature. She didn't trust people easily. But she had found herself being forced to out here, since day one, which was an activity she was not much used to in real life. Trusting strangers was not part of her inner nature. But as far as Ramona could tell, Tanya had yet to lie to her. Tanya was still the only one she thought she could trust. So thusly, Tanya was the one she had found herself most relying on, for the "real" story. When you wanted to know what was going on, you asked Tanya. That was the rule. Gabriel was a little too smooth for her tastes, Peter was cold and kind of distant, and Stephanie was just plain weird. No, when she wanted answers, Ramona went to Tanya.

Even if she -did- question the social worker's loyalties every now and then.

"I know she's friends with the guys," Ramona would explain, "Everyone knows it. She says she'll vote off Gabe next, but I have no idea if she's playing me. She could if she wanted to, I guess, and I'm not really in a position to stop her. But I just don't have much of a choice, really." She shrugged. "If she's playing me, at least I'm safe for tonight. But if she -is- lying to me, her butt is -gone- after this. We'll see. Just watch the vote tonight, see what she does. Cause honestly, I don't think she'll vote for Gabe. She can't do it. Girlfriend doesn't have it in her."

Ramona was trying to find some way around a reliance on Tanya. That made her very nervous, to put all her faith in one person. But the problem was that her options were very limited. Going to Gabe or Peter was out of the question, for the moment anyway. If either of them knew about Tanya's plot, Ramona could very well be blown out of the water, by everybody. Like prison, or kindergarten, squealers probably wouldn't last very long out here. No, the guys had to be kept in the dark.

So that left Stephanie. Stephanie Dill may be Ramona's best chance to do something, at least until Tanya had proven herself as loyal and trustworthy.

"And Stephanie," sighed Ramona, "Is just not all there. I mean, I hate to say it, but she isn't the least bit interested in strategy, or winning. She's only here for the game itself, and says she'll vote on merit until there aint no more merit left to vote for." Ramona smiled, she enjoyed that Stephanie-ism, at least. If nothing else, Steph could usually be counted on for a good quote every now and then.

"So my options are pretty limited," concluded Ramona. "I'm sticking with the girls tonight. I've been calling us the 'Sick Girls'. Since we all got sick last time around and all." She laughed. "That's been my little code name for us, although I don't think they know it yet." She shrugged. "We'll see if Tanya can do it tonight. Cause if she can't vote for Gabe tonight, she aint -ever- gonna do it. And that's really gonna be the end of the game, for everyone."



^^



Peter was the first of the guys to notice that something was amiss. He noticed that Ramona was being quiet. And that wasn't like her, not at all. She was usually the chattiest one of the bunch on the days of Tribal Council. Either because she was nervous, or she was feeling guilty, most days she sat around talking to people just before the vote.

But today, she silently sat in the shelter, alone with her backpack. She hadn't been out in nearly an hour.

And that, to Peter, was a -huge- red flag. Alarm bells were literally screaming in his head by this point.

"One of us is going tonight," he said, in a confessional. "I can just feel it. You feel somethin' in the air right before it's your time, and that somethin' is here. Tanya's gonna turn on us. I know it. I just know it."

Peter had insisted that Gabe talk to Tanya again, and get a handshake. Or a hug. Something that proved she was still on board.

"Heck, tell her you love her if you have to," shrugged Peter. "Just get that promise down, make sure she votes for Steph tonight."

The plan for the guys had been to vote out Ramona tonight. Simple as that, remove the last Taygete and make it an all Alkyone final four. After all, they had been the superior team. They had dominated the team portion of the game in every manner possible, and it was only fitting that the endgame should feature four members of their original alliance-- All of them except John. That should have been the natural order of things.

But then Ramona had won immunity.

"I'll talk to her," said Gabe, as he wrapped his violet buff around his neck. "I'm going now. Just chill out, man, she's no trouble. She's not a backstabber."

So Gabe went to Tanya. He found her by the beach, tossing rocks into the surf.

"Hey T," he said, "What's up?"

"Oh hi Gabe," she said, smiling as she saw him. "Sorry about the challenge."

"Ah, don't worry about it. I need to learn to be more careful, that's all."

The two of them made small talk for a while, with Gabe carefully trying to read her answers. He was listening for strange word choices, or some sort of inflection hints. But she was giving nothing away. She was being very careful with her answers. So he decided to just come right out with it, and ask. It was time to solidify this alliance to the end. Again.

"I'm voting for Peter at final three. I told you, right?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "I didn't really believe you before, but you keep telling me."

"I swear," he nodded. And he was being truthful. He had prepared himself to do it. Gabe was sick of the lying, and the guilt, and the feeling of being a traitor. He had just decided to make up his mind and be done with it. And never look back.

"I'd swear on a Bible if you had one." He was smiling, but she could see the truth in his eyes. He was going to do it. Gabe was actually ready to cut the throat of his best friend, without any warning whatsoever. "But not this vote," he added, "Not now. At final three. We all need to be the final three."

Tanya nodded, sighing sadly to herself. Why did Gabe have to make this so difficult? Why couldn't she just vote him out, emotionlessly, with him being fine with it? Why did he have to start yanking at her emotions like this?

"Gabe," she began. But then she paused. She wasn't sure she really wanted to be telling him this. This was going to break his heart. But, as a friend, she felt he at least needed an explanation.

"Gabe, I'm sorry, but I think I'm gonna vote for you tonight."

And then she told him everything.




^^



Gabriel Cade sat at Tribal Council as Jeff began his nightly questions. But Gabe wasn't listening, he was more interested in what Tanya was doing. He watched as his North Carolina neighbor sat in the front row, cherrfully answering the questions being posed to her.

"No," she fessed up, "I didn't think I'd get this far. No way, Jeff. I mean, I was throwing up on, like, day two last time. Getting this far is beyond any of my wildest dreams."

"What about you, Steph," said Jeff, "Did you think you'd be here this late?"

"No way."

"What about Tanya? Did you think Tanya would be here along with you?"

Steph glared at Jeff, and Gabriel had no choice but to laugh. He chuckled to himself as Steph made what would best be described as a "Fuck you" face. Jeff smiled at her, innocently, as he knew he was getting under her skin a little. And she paused, deliberately, before giving her prepared answer.

"I barely knew Tanya before we came out here. I didn't much care -what- she did out here."

Gabe finally started giggling, out loud. He couldn't help it, it was all just so funny. When Tanya had explained her motives for voting him out, she had been very careful to say it was purely strategic. It wasn't personal at all. Gabe was just the biggest threat left in the game, and the only person she was sure could beat her in a final vote. Tanya had also been very careful to make sure that Gabe was okay with it, and he was. He wasn't going to hold a grudge over this. He promised.

Oh, and Tanya had then been quite eager to let out her little secret. She thought that Gabe would find the humor in it, even if no one else would.

"Steph and I planned this whole thing," she explained. "To pretend fight and make people think we hate each other. We've been doing it since day one, and you all bought it."

She was grinning from ear to ear when she said this, and even Gabe had to admit it was pretty darn clever.

"Really?" he asked, genuinely shocked. Gabe honestly had no idea about Steph and Tanya. He had -never- had a clue. He had heard that -none- of the Thailand players even -liked- Stephanie, let alone kept in touch with her. And he simply assumed that Tanya was among that group as well. Just like they all had.

"Don't tell anyone though," Tanya pleaded. "Don't tell Peter. Please? Cause Jeff's already trying to screw us over. Watch him tonight, he'll try to make us slip up. We're having a hard enough time keeping it secret as it is."

So Gabe had watched, and had found the whole exchange with Jeff and Stephanie to be hilarious. It really was, once you could see it from the outside. And now he was giggling. He was giggling so hard, in fact, that he had to cover his mouth. Jeff then had to stop his questions until Gabe could compose himself.

"I'm sorry," chuckled Gabe, "Just ignore me."

Gabe's mind flashed back now to his last moments with Tanya this afternoon. They had a good talk, a nice friendly talk. Tanya had explained her motives and divulged her secret. Gabe had tried her best to change her mind, but it just wasn't going to happen. She was just too cutthroat about it all, she wasn't going to be swayed by the pleas of a friend. Not when a million dollars was at stake.

But still, it didn't stop Gabe from making one last effort to save himself. One last gasp, an attempt to sway her decision before it was too late.

"So you're still going to vote for me," he asked, "Even after I swore I'd vote out Peter? Why do you think you need to do that? I mean, you know I'm not lying. I know I'm not lying. I wouldn't lie to you!"

"You weren't going to vote him out, Gabe. Just stop it."

"I was! I would have!"

"Well then, even then," said Tanya. "Even then, I'd still go up there tonight and write your name down. And I'll probably say something like 'I love you, Gabe, but for a million dollars, I play to win. You're too wise and strong to keep around. See ya on the flip side!'"

She shrugged, and then added:

"But it'd still make me sad, you know it would. I'd hate to see you go."

Back at Tribal Council, Gabe now smiled to himself, if only because Tanya had just used that phrase again. Jeff had asked her if it was possible to vote someone out, and then expect them to give you their jury vote. And Tanya's answer had been almost word for word the same one she had given Gabe just a few hours ago.

"I'll just say," she replied, "That I voted them out cause they were too strong." She shrugged. "And that I'll see them on the flip side."

With that, Jeff announced it was time to vote.

One by one, the castaways walked up to the podium, to cast their vote. Tanya was first, followed by Ramona, then Stephanie, Peter and Gabe. The final five. Once the votes were cast, Jeff went to retrieve them. He came back moments later, ballot box in hand.

"The person voted out tonight must leave the Tribal Council area immediately."

And with that, he pulled out the first vote.

"Gabriel," it read. That was Ramona's vote, and Gabe nodded to himself, lost in thought.

The second vote was revealed.

"Stephanie," it read. That one came from Peter. With Ramona immune, Stephanie became the backup choice. Assuming Tanya played along, that was. And Peter still had no reason to doubt her loyalty tonight. Gabe had told him nothing.

Jeff pulled out the third vote.

"Gabe," it read. A vote from Stephanie.

Jeff pulled out the fourth vote.

He paused.

And then revealed it.

"Stephanie," it said. That was Gabe's vote. Now it was two to two. One vote remained. And Gabe closed his eyes now, hoping upon hope that Tanya had been lying to him. That she really -did- dislike Stephanie, and it had all been an elaborate practical joke.

But, of course, Tanya had been telling the truth. This was all explained with the fifth, and deciding, vote. Jeff opened it up to reveal Tanya's distinctive, cursive handwriting. And a big black frowny face next to it, staring out as loudly as could be.


"Gabe."


She had done it. Gabe nodded and reached back to pick up his torch, then reached over to pat Tanya on the knee. She smiled at him and shrugged, and that was that. Gabe then walked up to the front, where Jeff extinguished his flame, once and for all.

"Gabriel, the tribe has spoken."

Gabe waved to his tribemates, and flashed a quick thumbs up to Peter. He then turned and walked through the large metal gate, down the dark path, and onto the transport ship. The silent boatman moved to stand next to him, and soon ferried the Alkyone captain off into the darkness.

Now, just four remained.

"Congratulations to all of you," smiled Jeff, as he glanced over at the final four. Here they were, the four who had made the most of their second chance.

Stephanie Dill sat with her chin in her hand, a dark white baseball cap hanging down over her eyes.

Ramona Gray sat with hands folded in her lap, looking thrilled as all get out to still be here.

Peter Harkey held his backpack in his right hand. He looked a little saddened to see Gabe gone, but also looked determined, and ready to get back to camp.

And Tanya Vance sat in the front, her usual sweet smile plastered across her face. She looked very, very confident, despite the fact that Jeff knew she still wasn't feeling all that well.

"Well," added Jeff. "I hate to do this to you, but sometimes in the game of Survivor we like to throw in twists. You know, little bumps in the game designed to mess up your plans." He grinned. "And tonight, I'm proud to say we're going to make Survivor history. This is the latest twist we have ever had, and you guys get to be a part of it."

Tanya's smile faltered a little, as she was suddenly struck with dread. What was Jeff planning to do to them now? And why them? Why her? Even the jurors looked a little surprised, as Debb, John, Jessie and Ryan all exchanged glances.

"You guys are the final four," Jeff nodded. "Just three days left, and frankly, I don't think you've had it hard enough. You guys are gonna have to sweat it out a little more. So here's what we're going to do."

He held up four fingers on his right hand.

"Four players."

Then he held up four fingers on his left hand.

"Four islands."

He smiled.

"Let's see if you can handle a little isolation therapy for the last few days. You guys will be heading off to different places tonight, and for the rest of the game."

He clapped his hands together, happily.

"You guys will be living alone from here on out."

He beckoned to Ramona.

"Ramona, come with me. Your boat to Alkyone island is waiting over here." He then looked over at the rest of them. "You three, wait here. I'll be right back to guide you to your boats as well."

Jeff grinned at the shocked looks on their faces. Even Stephanie looked a little flabbergasted at this turn of events. She stared, blankly, as Ramona was led off to her own island.

But Jeff did have one more piece of advice to impart to them before he left.

"This is gonna be funnnnnn."

- Read Gabriel's Final Words!

- All-Star Survivor: Greece episode notes.

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- Back to the All-Star Greece episode archive.