Title: On the Level

Author: Eva Grubb

Paring: Very early budding interests between Mary Ann/Gilligan, Professor/Ginger

Warning: One topic is decidedly more dramatic/serious/mature than anything that would ever been on the show. I tried not to be too heavy-handed about it.

Special thanks to Sally (sallycandance), my friend on LiveJournal, who was my fabulous beta reader!

+ + + On The Level + + +

Gilligan had awakened early to check on his lobster traps down at the lagoon. He paused outside of the girls' hut. "Mary Ann?" he whispered. Lately, Mary Ann was the only one who seemed to be interested in getting up early to help him. He wondered why. She must really like lobsters a lot, he thought.

"Here I am, Gilligan!" she replied, emerging from the hut dressed in her red-and-white gingham sundress. She brought an empty basket with her, in the event they caught some lobsters.

Gilligan smiled. "Thanks for coming to help me look for lobsters, Mary Ann."

"It's no trouble at all!"

"Well, the Skipper never wants to come with me, since the last time when one of the lobsters pinched him. The Professor is always too busy to help me. And Mr. and Mrs. Howell…"

Mary Ann started to laugh. They both knew as much as the Howells loved dining on lobsters, they'd never be caught dead handling the creatures! "And Ginger," she added, "can not wake up early to save her life! I guess you're stuck with me as your helper, Gilligan!"

That was fine with Gilligan. Next to the Skipper, Mary Ann was his best friend on the island. He noticed that whenever he made a mistake, Mary Ann was quick to stick up for him. She also was kind of pretty to look at, he thought, and felt embarrassed for even thinking it. They strolled side by side toward the lagoon.

Suddenly, a sound stopped them in their tracks. Gilligan looked at Mary Ann. "Do you hear what I hear?"

Mary Ann cocked her head to the side and listened. "Why, I do hear what you hear!"

"Is what you hear and what I hear a motorboat?"

"I… I think it is! Gilligan, look!" Mary Ann pointed; in the distance, a motorboat was turning around their island's peninsula, finally becoming visible. "Let's go tell the others!"

"Skipper! Professor! Skipper!" their shouts resonated as they rushed through the jungle back to their encampment. "A boat! A boat!" called Gilligan.

The Skipper was already headed in their direction, the Professor not far behind him. "What did you say?"

"Come quick! There's a boat coming into the lagoon!"

The four turned on their heels and rushed toward the lagoon. Even before they saw it, the sound of the approaching motorboat was audible. As the castaways set foot on the beach, a boat with a single passenger cut its motor and drifted ashore.

The captain of the boat did a double take, clearly not expecting the island to be inhabited. He was a well-dressed gentleman, perhaps in his forties, with jet-black hair. He wore a sport coat and slacks, and shiny wing-tipped shoes, which were visible to the castaways as he set foot on the sand.

"Oh, hello there, sir!" called Mary Ann, waving.

Gilligan cut in, his voice speeding along a mile a minute. "Mister, hey, mister! We've been on this island now for three years and two months. We're marooned, there are seven of us and our boat was wrecked and we have no way off this island. There's Ginger, the Professor, Mary Ann, Mr. Howell, Mrs. Howell, the Skipper, and me. Thank goodness you're here. Oh, thank goodness! You can get us off this island!"

The stranger brought a rope ashore with him, and paused before tying his boat to a tree. He evaluated the castaways with an examining eye. "Who said anything about getting anyone off this island? I just got here!"

The Skipper, after a pause, approached the man and extended a hand. "As the Skipper of the S.S. Minnow, I'd like to welcome you to this island—whoever you are!" He smiled warmly, hoping to gloss gracefully over Gilligan's awkward introduction.

Behind the Professor and Mary Ann, a pajama-clad Mr. and Mrs. Howell appeared through the trees, followed close behind by Ginger. "We were awakened by the sounds of a commotion by the lagoon…" Mr. Howell started, his jaw dropping at the sight of the boat.

The stranger evaluated the Howells, and especially Ginger—who'd appeared wearing nothing but a gray blanket and what God gave her. This island was even better than he'd hoped it would be!

Turning his attention to the Skipper, the man shook his hand. "Thank you for the warm welcome. My name is Tommy Casino. I, uh, I'm here for a little rest and relaxation. This place looks like just the spot."

"Summering, eh?" Mr. Howell grinned. "I see you're looking for a change-up from the typical vacation spots."

"Well, to be quite honest with you, " Casino said, "I didn't expect there to be people here. But, you're a fine looking lot," he continued, his eye catching Ginger's for a half-second. "I think I'm going to like it here."

Gilligan's brow was furrowed with worry. "And then? And then after you have a real nice vacation, you'll want to go home, right?"

"Well, sure!"

Gilligan perked up. "We're rescued!"

An hour later, the castaways helped Tommy Casino bring his belongings to the clearing. "This is where we live," announced Gilligan. "That's Mr. and Mrs. Howell's hut over there," he said, pointing to each hut. "Over there's where me and the Skipper live. The Professor's over there. And the girls, Mary Ann and Ginger, live there."

"Well! This is a very nice set-up, folks!"

"What brings you to this island in particular, Mr. Casino?" the Professor inquired.

"Please. Call me Tommy. I'm called Tommy Casino because I own and operate two of the most popular casinos in Vegas. As you can imagine, it's a very stressful job. I oversee everything that goes on. Gambling, dining, lodging, entertainment…"

Ginger's eyes lit up when he said 'entertainment.' "I'm an entertainer, you know," she said with a sultry look in her eye. "If you ever need anyone to perform, I'd be glad to offer my services!"

"That's a very nice offer, Ginger. I may have to take you up on that," replied Tommy with a dazzling smile.

"So you're really just taking a vacation?" the Skipper asked.

"It's as simple as that. I am taking the first vacation I've had in over ten years of the casino business. You see, I've just acquired a business partner, who is going to run things indefinitely until I return," Casino explained. "I flew into Hawaii. Even that was a far cry from the relaxation I was looking for. Hawaii has become so full of tourists. I purchased this boat and decided to explore some more remote spots. I didn't even see this island on my map, but I decided it was worth looking at. And indeed it is." His moved his hand to his hip as his gaze fell upon Ginger once again.

It was Gilligan who first spotted the gun in a holster on Tommy's belt, just revealed by his gesture. "Hey Skipper," Gilligan whispered not-quite-quietly enough, "he's got a gun."

Tommy chuckled. "I always carry a gun. Would feel naked without it. It keeps me protected at all times, although I've never had to use it. I didn't know if these islands would have wild animals or something like that."

Gilligan seemed satisfied with that explanation.

"Well, we are more than happy to have you on this island. Our home is your home," Mary Ann said cheerfully.

"How long do you think you might like to stay?" Mrs. Howell asked.

"Oh, I'm not sure. One month? Two months?"

Each castaway tried his or her hardest not to look disappointed.

"You can reside in my hut," the Professor said. "Right this way."

As soon as Casino was out of earshot, Mr. Howell frowned. "One or two months? This is preposterous!" He pounded his fist on the table.

Mary Ann sighed. "It is a long time, but look on the bright side: at least our rescue is in sight! Perhaps if we give him the best vacation he ever dreamed of, he'll have his fill and be ready to head back to the mainland even sooner!"

"That's a great idea, Mary Ann!" Gilligan jumped in. "We'll show him the most restful and relaxing vacation we can! We'll make all of our best foods, and we'll take care of everything for him! We can do all kinds of fun activities. Maybe we can even have entertainment. We won't let him do any work."

The Skipper considered it. "You know, little buddy," he said thoughtfully, "that's just crazy enough to work."

Back at his hut, Mr. Howell was pacing.

"Oh, Thurston, darling. You heard what the Captain said. We're all to do our part to make this Casino fellow have a simply marvelous time! It's the key to our rescue," Lovey said, in an attempt to calm Thurston's nerves.

"The audacity of it all. A Howell serving a Las Vegas entrepreneur. He may have money, but what he lacks is class!"

"He may lack class, but he does have something we don't have."

"What's that?"

"A boat," Lovey stated matter-of-factly.

He had to admit she had a point.