AN: Own no one. This is in no way character bashing. In a way I'm trying to save their characters from the horrible ending in "You've Been Disconnected".

Mr Howell watched as Gilligan stumbled out of the lagoon after his sixty seventh trip in to search for the cable. He could tell the boy was getting tired. "Professor I believe he's had enough."

The scholar looked at him. "He can take it."

"He lost it he can find it," Ginger said crossing her arms.

Mr Howell looked at his wife and saw concern in her eyes. Once again they were in agreement over something.

Or in this case someone.

"You WILL find that cable Gilligan! I swear you are the stupidest boy on the planet!"

The millionaire's eyes went wide as he turned back to the scene. He saw the captain looming over his first mate with clenched hands and hard eyes. Gilligan took a step back in obvious fright but the larger man grabbed his arm roughly.

The scene wasn't new to Thurston Howell. His own father had often done the same. There was just one difference.

He knew it was wrong and, unlike when he was young, he ran over and shoved the Skipper away from him before standing in front of the boy in protection!

The captain blinked out of his angry haze. "Howell what…?"

"As of right now he resigns as your first mate!" Mr Howell growled. "Enough!"

"He can't resign…"

"Oh yes he bloody well can! Until further notice Gilligan will be in our care!"

"Mr Howell…"

Thruston glared at the captain before turning around and gently shushing the boy. He took off the goggles and first mate hat. "Lovey Dear would you mind taking him to our hut and getting him warm?"

Mrs Howell nodded as she went over and gently lead the dazed sailor away.

"Mr Howell he needs to learn…"

Mr Howell turned back to the captain. "Learn what?! How to be afraid of you? Well then congratulations the lesson has been learned!"

"Mr Howell, Gilligan will get over…" the Professor started but the look he got from the millionaire stopped him in his tracks.

"How many abused children have you taught Professor? Would THEY have had to "get over it" as you so aptly put it?"

"I'm not abusing…"

"What I just witnessed is abuse in my book!" Mr Howell growled angrily. "As a matter of fact this is just the most recent incident! Let me ask you all this: what would have happened had the cable not been washed out to sea?" He turned to the Professor and crossed his arms. "The rain would have ruined the cable had Gilligan not had the foresight to cover it up as tightly as he did!" He felt satisfied when the Professor bowed his head in shame.

He looked at Mary Ann. "Why am I the one stepping in? When did you go silent on his behalf?"

The farm girl looked down with tears in her eyes.

He then looked at Ginger. "I love the fact that Gilligan is always so warm to you and you are so cold to him."

GInger frowned as she looked away.

"I admit I'm not perfect and I lose my patience with him from time to time but I told him one day that I was nothing but hot air. I looked him in the eyes and told him that my tongue is sharp and to not pay me any mind. I told him not to let me hurt him." He looked at each of them before meeting the captain's eyes. "You on the other hand…"

"I would never hurt him Howell!" Skipper said angrily.

"You just did!"

That silenced the sea captain.

"I would not be surprised if you left a bruise on his arm where you grabbed him. You were so lost in your anger that you didn't see him look at you in fear! If you had not have grabbed him he would have bolted for a place to hide!" He took a deep breath. "Words cut far more deeply than you think. Once you learn that lesson then I will consider releasing him back into your care. He will want to return to you out of loyalty but I assure you we will not let him." He handed him the hat and goggles. "You can live without him for awhile. Maybe then you will realize the treasure you've been given." He turned to the others. "Unless he offers to do something do not request his assistance. Consider him on vacation."

With that he walked away leaving the rest of the castaways stunned.

When he got to the hut he smiled at the scene in front of him. GIlligan was lying on the bed with his eyes shut as his wife stroked his hair and sang softly to him. The young man was dressed in a pair of Thurston's pajamas and was hugging teddy tightly. He went over and sat on the bed before reaching over and rubbing his arm in comfort.

It didn't take long for Gilligan to relax and he stayed silent as he enjoyed the affection he was being shown. He felt like a little boy and for once didn't mind it.

Mr Howell spoke gently. "Everything will be alright Son. Go to sleep. We will be right here."

"Thank you Mr and Mrs Howell," Gilligan said sleepily.

"Think nothing of it Dear Boy," Lovey said as she kissed his forehead.

Gilligan smiled a little as he drifted off into slumber.

Meanwhile…

The Skipper stood still as he looked at the hat in his hands. The millionaire's words echoed in his mind. Had he become abusive? He looked up as the others approached him.

Roy frowned as he looked at the hat before sighing and looking towards the water. He thought back over what the millionaire had said and realized that he had been right. Had the storm not come they would be thanking the first mate. He had been so ready to pass judgement on the boy and put him down. Why?

Mary Ann rubbed her arm as she swallowed her tears. She had let the others silence her because it had so often been five against two and the youngest ones had to fend for themselves. Then she had just gotten busy and drifted away from Gilligan.

Ginger frowned as she too looked at the water, her green eyes troubled. She didn't mean to be cold towards him. She just didn't know how to act around him. He was so different from the men she was used to dealing with. The movie star had to remind herself that GIlligan never had a hidden agenda. He did things for others because he wanted to and never asked for anything in return. She wasn't used to it.

The Skipper swallowed as his hands clutched the hat. "I didn't mean to...I was just…"

The Professor sighed. "I think we can all plead guilty in going too far." He looked at the Captain. "I did have a student that was abused at home. I stepped in just like Mr Howell did. I…" He swallowed as he shut his eyes. "When did we come to the conclusion it was ok to speak to him with such disrespect and treat him as a lesser human being?"

"I just got tired of the same thing so I joined everyone else," Mary Ann said in tears. "Some friend I am. I feel awful!"

Ginger looked at her before sighing. "I'm used to men wanting only one thing from me in order to get a part." Her voice hitched. "What have we done?"

"No Ginger...what have *I* done?" the large man said swallowing. "Mr Howell was right to take him from me."

They looked at each other before returning to camp lost in their own thoughts.

The Skipper sighed as he went into the crew's hut and sat at the table. His mind replayed what had happened at the lagoon. He had broken a promise. He had promised Gilligan that he would never hurt him. Never lay a hand on him.

He looked at the hand that he had grabbed Gilligan with. He needed to do some soul searching and figure out why he had been so angry. Why had he allowed himself to get so angry. It hadn't been at GIlligan. Not really.

It had been at their rotten luck. For some reason fate was determined to keep them there. for the time being.

He propped his elbow on the table and his head in his hand. Still he didn't have to take it out on Gilligan. The boy tried hard and covering it up had been the smart thing to do. He frowned and shut his eyes as his own words replayed in his mind.

How many times had he insulted his first mate? The brave boy that had saved his life…

"Gilligan you didn't save my life you prolonged it!"

His own words echoed in his mind over and over again. He tried to remember if he had ever encouraged him during their time here and quite frankly he couldn't remember ever doing it.

WIth tears in his eyes he realised that a simple apology just won't cut it. Oh he was going to apologize but he was going to do it in a way that Gilligan needed to hear. He'd wait a while...let his Little Buddy rest with the Howells.

Then he'd do something for Gilligan. He didn't know what it would be but he would show him that he not only still cared for him but that the boy would always...ALWAYS hold a special place in his heart.

In the supply hut the Professor sat among his inventions and thought back to all of those times Gilligan had been blamed for a rescue and came to the realization that his own negligence was to blame.

Gilligan never defended himself. He never spoke up. Never spoke his case.

He felt like an idiot. He should have known better.

Mr Howell was right. If Gilligan had been one of his students he would not have turned his back on him and let him "get over it".

He looked up at the Nobel Prize that Gilligan had made as a Christmas present. 'I don't deserve it. I was in the wrong,' he thought miserably. 'Gilligan deserves an award for putting up with us ungrateful jerks. Where did my patience go?'

He frowned. "My patience left because I'm frustrated with myself for being unable to get us rescued." He clenched a hand. "And Gilligan is the one suffering for it."

He looked at his experiments before going over to his desk and began writing in his journal. He wrote down everything he was feeling and when he was finished he had five pages worth of frustrations out.

He felt a lot better.

Roy then took a match and lit it and while he watched it burn he felt his frustrations disappear.

Now he was going to focus on doing something to make it up to the boy that he had grown fond of.

In the girl's hut both of them laid on their beds.

"You think a pie will help?" Mary Ann asked.

Ginger sighed. "It's a start." She reached under her bed and pulled out the handmade Oscar Gilligan had made her for Christmas. She swallowed. "I don't mean to be so cold sometimes."

Mary Ann looked at her. "You're nicer than you used to be."

The redhead looked at her. "Really?"

"Yeah. I wish I was more like you."

Ginger smiled a little at her. "That's funny. I wish I was more like you."

Mary Ann blinked. "But...I'm nobody special. You're beautiful and talented."

The movie star swallowed as she got up and hugged her roommate. "You are special Mary Ann and you are beautiful. I wish I could cook like you."

The two women smiled at each other before their thoughts turned back to Gilligan.

Ginger then smiled at an idea. "You know what GIlligan needs? Affection. To be hugged. Sometimes that helps more than even words."

Mary Ann nodded in agreement.

"Lets go tell the Professor and Skipper."

The girls met up with the Professor and took him to the crews hut where they told the man their plan.

The Professor crossed his arms in thought. "You girls may have a point. Wouldn't hurt to talk to him as well. Perhaps if we each took him aside and spent some time with him one on one we could learn something from him."

Skipper nodded and sighed before smiling a little. "That's if the Howells let us."

"Then we need to do the work. I say we let our actions show him that we care or he won't believe us when we talk to him," Roy said determined.

The remaining four looked at each other in determination.

There was work to do.