Author's Note: I feel so bad! My uploading schedule has gotten all out of whack, and I apologize. It has proven more difficult than I originally thought to upload on a regular, every-other-day schedule. For those of you still hanging on, I really appreciate your continued reading and reviewing. I promise that this story is complete, so come what may, I WILL post every single chapter in time. I just ask for your continued patience. And in the meantime, I hope you keep enjoying the story.

This chapter sort of acts as the final bridge between Act Two and Act Three, which is why there are a few notable time jumps in it. I hope you enjoy it!


Chapter Fifteen: Sustainability

It didn't take long after her arrival for Camille to be accepted as a fourth member of the camp's leadership. Her own people, of course, had been relying on her as a leader for several months now, but the other cave survivors warmed up to her quick enough. Richard was pleased to watch the way the two groups eventually blended together so well. There was perhaps a bit of territorialism and discord between the two factions at the very beginning, but after a few conversations (Camille with her trouble makers and Richard with his), those problems seemed to go away. They were only a few weeks into the union and both groups were starting to act as one.

While that was developing, a second union was also beginning to take shape. It felt just like old times, having Camille back as a partner. Of course, their job description looked a little bit different this time around, but the two of them nevertheless fell into an easy rhythm of working together again. Richard enjoyed having someone with her interpersonal skills on the team. Of course, he had tried to fulfill that role somewhat in her absence, actively trying to become more sympathetic and patient, but there was nothing like watching an old pro at work. The people loved her, immediately. And it wasn't hard to see why.

Camille had a way of commanding respect without demanding it. She heard people, their complaints, their suggestions, their perspectives, and every time, the person knew they were being heard. Camille soon became the portal through which the general members of the group would bring their concerns to Richard, Holden, and Ronnie. She became their advocate. If anyone had a problem with the way things were being run, or if they objected to a decision that was made, they knew they could voice these opinions to Camille and she would petition her fellow leaders on their behalf. And in times when their concerns or objections were unreasonable, she would quietly deal with the matter herself without bringing it to the other three for official consideration. In that way, the people came to love her, and Richard, Holden, and Ronnie came to appreciate how she served as a gatekeeper between them and the rest of the group.

Richard and Camille steadily became a little less inseparable around this time as well, feeling a comfort with one another that allowed them to be apart for increasing periods of time, knowing that they would come right back together soon afterwards. There wasn't that feeling of desperation and panic anymore. As long as they didn't leave the mountain, they felt reasonably sure that they wouldn't lose each other the moment they left one another's sight, and Richard considered this a noteworthy step forward in their relationship. Camille would lead bathing teams of women up to the springs for most of the day, but Richard would survive these days with the knowledge that she would come home in the evening, and they would kiss and cuddle and touch when the lights went down.

That was as far as it ever went. There was, of course, a whole host of other things Richard wanted to do with her, but they always made themselves stop before things went too far. There was only so much you could get away with in a shared living space, after all, and they were both conscious that there were kids around.


A little over a week later, two more people joined their company by following the X. Sisters, who had not come from Honoré but from Taiguey which rested just a few miles east of Richard's old shack on the beach. They had definitely traveled farther than anyone else in the group, and tales of their journey astounded the whole camp for many days after their arrival. The following week, a larger group of eight finally made it up out of Honoré.

"You know, I've been thinking…" Fidel said one evening over the camp meal, a meager feast of coconut, breadfruit, sapodilla, and boiled palm tree core. He and Juliette sat near Richard and Camille, with the two men sitting side by side and their respective ladies flanking them. Extending the half circle outward, Holden and Dwayne sat nearby as well.

"Go on," Richard said, blowing on his palm core and then passing a piece to Camille before dropping the other piece into his mouth.

"I did a head count this morning; we have sixty-one people now."

"Did you say sixty-one?" Camille asked in disbelief, causing Fidel to only nod.

"That's incredible. How many people came with you?" Holden asked Camille.

"Thirteen," she answered.

Everyone was quiet for a second while they all crunched the numbers in their heads. "Sixty-one sounds about right then," Richard stated with a nod, and then he cast a glance back at Fidel. "You're building to something; what is it?"

"Well, sir, Owen was saying about our scavenging trips, they're having to spread out a lot further into the jungle now in order to find fruit that's ripe enough to eat. We've stripped all the trees near the camp totally bare."

"This is still build up, Sergeant," Richard said, although he thought he knew what Fidel was meaning to suggest.

"Yes, sir. It's just that, sixty-one people is a lot to feed. I think we need to consider more sustainable food resources."

Richard quirked a brow. "Meaning…"

"A garden," the other man finally finished.

"A garden?" Dwayne repeated, a little critically. But Richard, Camille, and Holden were all exchanging contemplative looks.

"Gardens are hard to cultivate in the jungle," Richard said, trying to prompt Fidel to say the thing they both knew he wanted to say.

"That's why we wouldn't do it on the mountain."

Bingo. Richard's stomach turned.

"There's a grassy area, just outside the city. The ground is soft enough there, and it's out from under the jungle canopy so it should get plenty of light. Plus, we should be coming up on the rainy season soon. If we wanted to plant a garden, this would be the time to do it." Fidel finished his pitch and everyone grew silent.

Richard felt several pairs of eyes carefully watching him, wondering if his old prejudices against sending teams down into the city still held, or if he had come to form a different opinion since his supply run with Ronnie and Camille. It's true that his time down in Honoré had demonstrated to Richard the likelihood of surviving that city. And having Camille and her people as a part of his team certainly meant that they had a better understanding of how to navigate that part of the island safely. So, while Richard thought he might be a little more open to the idea of sending more teams down into Honoré for continued supply runs, the thought of going and building a garden there was altogether a different proposition. After all, gardens required regular upkeep and attention. This wouldn't be a matter of sending a few people into crypto territory for a day; this was about sanctioning teams to enter into dangerous situations every single day, for hours at a time. On top of that, they'd be digging.

Richard came out of his thought process when he felt a nudge at his shoulder. He looked down to see Camille was offering him a piece of her breadfruit. As he took it, she answered for him.

"It sounds like a very promising idea, Fidel. We will talk about it with Ronnie tonight." As she said this, she passed a glance to both Holden and Richard. Both men nodded in agreement and she smiled reassuringly at Fidel in response.


"He's right," Ronnie said several hours later. "All of our nearby resources are getting low. Even the water lines at the plantation are starting to grow week; there is no telling how much longer they will hold out. We are about to run out of the island's good graces, unless we do something to protect ourselves."

"I had a feeling that's what you were going to say," Richard said, crossing his arms and casting his eyes over towards the mouth of the cave while most people withdrew inside for the night. Several people looked over at the meeting as they made their way inside. He wondered if word had gotten out about the garden yet and if they knew that's what was being discussed. Knowing this group, it was likely.

"You don't approve?" Camille asked.

Richard pondered for a moment before confessing, "I don't know. I don't like the idea of all that digging, especially not so close to crypto territory. But it does seem like we're running out of options."

"There's still the pantry," Camille suggested. "Obviously, it won't last forever, but we might as well focus on clearing it out before someone else does."

Holden and Richard both nodded at this suggestion. "But we still have the problem of sustainability," Ronnie observed.

Holden shrugged, snapping a twig in his hands distractedly. "Well, there's really no way around it, is there? We need a garden. I agree with Richard that the risk is severe, but being relegated exclusively to the mountain limits our resources considerably. We've been able to scrounge up enough food to feed us daily, but if the group keeps growing, we won't be able to meet the demand by just passively picking berries like we've been doing."

"That's not in dispute," Richard noted. "We obviously need to come up with some way of growing our own food, but Honoré is just teeming with those things. If we try to dig right on the outskirts of the city, we'll almost certainly draw them right to our doorstep. We might as well ring the dinner bell for them while we're at it."

"Why are we acting like Honoré is the only place to go?" Camille finally asked. The three men all stopped their various trains of thought and turned to her. "There are plenty other areas of the island that would be fit for growing things. Yes, we would have to get off of the mountain in order to find good soil, but if we exit Mt. Esmee on the northern or southern sides, the soil would be just as soft, and they would be further away from the heavily populated parts of the island. There's a chance the 'cryptos' won't be in those areas. Or in the very least, there might be less of them."

The longer Camille talked, the more her cohorts nodded at her logic. "All it would take is a few scouting trips to find a good spot," Ronnie said, looking to Richard.

The detective held his chin thoughtfully, weighing the risks against the rewards. While Honoré was a known threat, other parts of the island were large question marks. There was no way of knowing if they were actually safer, just as bad, or even worse than the dangers of Honoré. Seeing as how humans seemed to be the cyptos' favorite meal, it stood to reason that they would keep to the more populated cities, therefore leaving the undeveloped parts of the island safer. There was also the chance that this unexplored part of the island was just as infested as Honoré. There was really only one way of finding out. "Alright," Richard said at last. "Two scouting trips, one to the north and one to the south first thing tomorrow morning. See what shakes out."

"Smashing," Holden said, and they all started moving towards the cave entrance. "Brilliant idea, Camille. I honestly don't know how we never thought of it before."

"It was Fidel's idea," Camille said modestly. "I just suggested we move it."

"At any rate, good to have you on the team," the doctor concluded.

"Agreed," Ronnie echoed.

Richard smiled at her, loving the way she preened slightly at the praise. He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him as they walked together, craning his neck to plant a kiss on her cheek. With all of the members of the general public inside the cave, it was only Holden and Ronnie around, and Richard had failed to see the merit in hiding any of this from them a while ago. Besides, he knew Camille loved it when he did this sort of thing openly. It didn't happen often. True to form, she blushed in his grasp and gave him a look he rather liked as they approached the mouth of the cave.


Richard sighed against her shoulder while she lapped at his earlobe. They had both gotten very good at doing this without vocalizations, keeping their rustling to a minimum. Richard was floating and he floundered around for an anchor, finding one at her hand and threading his fingers through hers. He wished she would do that thing she had done a few nights ago, where she crossed one leg over him. He had liked that, liked feeling the weight of her; it grounded him.

He reached below the blanket in a haze, his hand seeking out her leg while her mouth continued to own him. His fingers graced over their target and she instantly pulled away with a noise of rebuttal, snapping him out of his ecstasy.

"Don't touch my legs," she told him in a whisper.

Richard's eyes blinked open and he propped himself up on his elbow, feeling reality return to normal. "Oh, I'm sorry. Are they…painful?" he asked, trying to remember if she had somehow injured her legs that day, or if he had noticed any sort of skin irritation.

Camille hesitated a moment and then said, "…No."

Richard quirked his head a little to the side at that admission. "Are they…ticklish?" he tried again, now with piqued curiosity.

Again, she hesitated before answering. "…No," she said, playing with the collar of his shirt. It hung loosely open due to her having unfastened several of his buttons in her exploration that night.

"Hmm…" he said studiously, a detective once more. While he considered the evidence, he slowly reached out beneath the blanket again and his fingertips touched her leg once more. She pulled away with a yip and a warning. He smiled to himself, "And you're sure it's not that second one?"

"They're not ticklish. They're just…"

"They're just…" he prompted, dipping his head and his voice.

"…Hairy," she finally admitted.

Now, Richard was thoroughly amused. "Hairy?" he repeated.

"Yes hairy," she replied with an edge of grumpiness at his obvious irreverence. "Don't touch them."

He tipped his forehead against hers. "But I want to touch them."

She shoved him away, but it didn't feel harsh. "Ew, no you don't! It's gross, Richard. It's been months."

"Gross is rather in the eye of the beholder, I should think. And anyway, I thought French women were supposed to be progressive when it came to body hair."

"I am progressive!" the woman defended. "I believe it is a matter of preference, and women should be free to do whatever they want with their bodies. But I like to shave mine."

He dipped his head to her again, nuzzling his nose against her cheek and up over her temple, hovering over her and teasing her with a kiss that wouldn't land. "What if I like you just as you are? Can't I touch you then?"

She sighed and tipped her mouth up towards him, frustrated when he skirted away to a different part of her face. "Mmm…you can touch other things," she offered, falling under his spell.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she answered, and then gasped.

He hushed her from behind a cruel smile.


Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you so much for reading!

This chapter finally concludes Act Two. The next chapter is one of my favorites in the entire story (I keep saying that, but it's always true)! So I am REALLY excited for you to read it! In the meantime, what did you think of this one?