Hi everyone, thanks so much for your reviews. And to SWEEPEASPATCH for helping me again!

I hope all of you are healthy and doing well in this crazy period, I wish you much health!

This chapter is somewhat shorter. But I promise the next will be longer.

Chapter 10

Half an hour later

"Ahh well, there you are. You are popular tonight." Catherine said as she came back out to rearrange the fridge under the bar just in time to see her long lost daughter climbing onto a bar stool.

"Why is that?" Camille asked tiredly. Her face looked worn. She hadn't found Richard in the beach shack.

"Richard asked after you. He was looking for you."

"O? He came here?" Then they had just missed each other. "And I'm not that popular." Camille mumbled somberly.

"Want something to eat cherie?" Catherine asked as she looked around the bar to see Kris had left.

"I'm not hungry." Camille mumbled.

"You should eat something. Something light perhaps?"

"Did you see Kris around? Is she upstairs already?" Camille asked as she put her shoulder bag on the other stool.

"I don't know, she was just here talking to a man. About boards or something. I think she went with him to the beach."

Camille raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'll leave her to it then. She'll find her way back here soon enough."

"You sound tired cherie." Catherine mentioned as she put a glass of juice in front of her daughter.

"It was a tiresome day."

"Do you want some of the leftover stew? Kris really liked it."

"O, yes please." She longed for something warm and soothing to eat.

"And I'm happy to say that Kris would really like for me to find her a suitable man." Catherine told her proudly.

Camille's eyebrow rose at that. "Quoi?" (What?) If Kris hated anything, it was others coupling her with a man!

"Oui!" Catherine answered as she left a dramatic pause for a moment and studied her daughter to see if the news was sinking in. "She's more willing than you are. You can learn something from her, don't you think?"She teased with a smile.

Camille sighed out loud as she shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Maman... Really! Not now..."

"Maybe you should adopt her." Camille said when Catherine came back after a few minutes from the kitchen and placed a plate with food on it in front of her.

"Who?"

"Kris."

"Who knows? I just might. Maybe I can swap you for her." Catherine teased fondly with a smirk as she eyed her daughter. She bent forward and caressed Camille's cheek. "Ma cherie, but I love you too much!"

Camille smiled back sadly as she shook her head again at her mother's behavior.

"Did you two fight?" Catherine asked worried.

"Richard? I told you this afternoon. Did you forgot already?"

"Non! Kris and you."

"Why would you say that?" Camille asked surprised.

Catherine shrugged. "She just didn't seem very happy when she came back from the beach. She's usually cheerful and energetic."

"I'm afraid that I lashed out at her." Camille admitted as she looked at her toes.

"And did it help?"

"A bit. But now I feel guilty about Kris, so non... Sometimes I think that I'm a terrible person." Camille admitted as she let her chin sink in her hand.

"O ma chere." Catherine said as she caressed Camille's arm briefly."You two know each other very well. Your friendship won't be broken just like that."

Camille nodded. "It still wasn't right of me. She means well and she was very sweet." Camille stood up. "I'm going to find her."

"Camille, eat your stew first!" Catherine called then sighed as she took the food back into the kitchen so she could heat it up later.

Beach

Kris stood behind a boat and saw Camille walking towards her. She was still a tiny spot on the long beach. Kris looked around her as she sighed. She was still out of sight for Camille. Behind a boat. She quickly wiped the blood from the wound in her side. She bent in the surf behind a smaller boat to clean her hands. She could tell Camille that it had happened while she was surfing. That was possible. But she didn't want Camille to suspect anything. Camille's intuition was too good.

Kris sensed Camille had picked up a lot of things already, more then she showed right now. And she wasn't asking because Kris herself hadn't brought up the subject of her troubles. But she knew that Camille would ask sooner or later.

The wound kept bleeding. Kris sighed annoyed as she saw Camille coming closer. Kris was good at hiding things. That's why she had been such a good undercover agent. She hadn't been particularly happy with that skill. Because honesty was one of her most important values. But growing up in a family where blackmail, manipulation and aggression were part of her daily life had been awful. That's where she had gotten her skills of being able to read people and play them. All to protect herself. In order to survive. When she grew up she vowed that she would never hurt or use people like that. Not like she had seen her other family members do. So lying to Camille who she loved so dearly... It was hard.

She had almost told her. But she didn't want Camille to be in danger. Or to be worried. Kris told herself that she really wasn't doing anything dangerous. Although Commissioner Ryan probably wouldn't agree.

And her partner would probably have her head. But he got prickly at the smallest things these last weeks, it seemed...

One kilometer. No, this wasn't dangerous. Well... It could become dangerous. But that was only IF she got caught. So she just had to trust her own skill set and talents in the 'following' and 'asking questions' department. Staying invisible, becoming a chameleon. She cringed when she thought of her work partner in England again. She had lied to him too. Well.. Not exactly. She had just dodged his calls, ignored him, evaded him. She had never done that before. Not like this. This was extreme behavior for her. It hurt. It hurt not to be honest. But she had used her anger to mask her plan and to justify her behavior towards him. She had been so angry with him. That he hadn't understood her. She felt as if he hadn't taken her seriously. After all they had went through. So she had to work it out on her own. She wasn't going to ask for his help anymore.

500 meters. She'd told everyone that she needed a vacation and he had fallen for it. Maybe he didn't know her as well as he pretended he did. Or maybe she was just better at lying then she thought. She looked around to make sure no one saw her as she lowered her shirt over the makeshift bandage on her side. Things would be all right. She wasn't really lying to Camille. She was just withholding information. And when she had gathered enough intelligence, she could share it. Without everyone thinking that she was crazy and a pit bull. The nickname the Commissioner had given her because once she bit herself down in a case she wouldn't let go, whatever happened. She quickly plastered a smile on her face and tried to mask the sadness and sorrow she felt as she moved from behind the boat and began to walk towards Camille.

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