Chapter Two

Part Four: "Nice Aft Quarter"

The next morning saw them up before first light pulling out their fishing poles and trying to catch enough fish to tide them over so that they could actually start thinking about making a permanent shelter. Some sort of way to keep them out of the elements, especially when the weather started to go bad as it was apt to do in the North Atlantic was a wise choice for survival. The weather systems were not as mild as in the tropics. You might get hurricanes and such in the Bahamas, but Mother Nature was hormonal to the n'th degree up here...and it could be that Animal and Butch would have to make their way to higher ground in order to try to keep from getting drowned by higher waters, especially during winter. Animal figured that he'd made a good choice in choosing the larger of the two islands to swim for; the other island had no such shelter. Not only did the trough between two ridges of the same mountainous peak shelter them from the high gale-force winds that would be prevalent between November and December, he knew that they would be safe, the farther up the hill they went from the increase in sea height. If they stayed on the beach, there could be the chance that they could be washed away.

At least they would be able to try to get their equipment and other belongings up to a higher level part-way up the mountain where the ridge lines woul protect them. And that had to be done before the end of summer so that they would have the fall season to keep a look-out for weather changes and make their adjustments to their encampment as necessary.

They fished in silence; each contemplating over the chores that had to be done that day. The trek up the mountain, they were planning, seemed to be quite the task...and this wasn't some small hill. Sheer jutting rock shot nearly straight up into the sky almost 7,000 feet in the air from sea-level, which was rather staggering for a rock that was jutting out from the middle of the North Atlantic forced to the surface presumably by tectonic forces. The steps up the couloir were carved by millions of years of erosion as the mountainous island was forced to the surface and projected into the air.

It wasn't sure how long they fished quietly lost in their own thoughts, but eventually the pink in the sky indicated the dawning of a new day.

The warming weather made Butch notice that she was sweating and she felt rather grimy and smelly so she decided to use the shower that she had helped her CO setup just by his tent. Luckily he was far from the shower busily engrossed in fishing for tonight's dinner.

Bemusedly, she noted that he tried his best to keep his eyes averted; And frankly, he was very particular in not looking in the general direction of the tents. Was that actually a shade of red crawling up his neck...of embarrassment? Well, they were well and truly marooned and they'd probably have to deal with being in close quarters with one another. This was truly an isolated island. And at least he was being polite enough to give her enough space for herself.

When she returned to fishing; she realized that he still was purposely trying not to look in her direction. She did find that amusing after all. They'd flown together for several years so they should have been comfortable with each other. But evidently this was a whole new ball-game. They weren't crewing an F-14 Tomcat this time. They were stuck, marooned on an island with the distinct possibility that they would be the only ones there for the rest of their lives. She wondered if it was a possibility that she could forge such an existence in life.provided that the person that she was with was someone that she could get along with. They had after all gotten along with each other for that duration of years that they'd flown as a crew.

She noted wryly that her own bladder was feeling rather full after drinking rainwater that had collected in their survival trough that they'd built to capture rainwater. Surrounded by water but undrinkable. So they had to rely on the rain in order to keep themselves hydrated. And she noticed that he was heading for his own shower too. Well...he'd have to tolerate me using the facilities while he's in the shower. I'm not peeing on myself. she thought to herself as she traipsed off to the loo.

He was fully engrossed in taking a shower when she finished her own business so he was unaware of her right behind him as she walked past heading towards the new fishing spot so as not to deplete the stock of any particular spot by overfishing. She just couldn't resist commenting, "Nice aft quarter, Animal..." She smirked at the view.

Needless to say, it wasn't certain if Animal's response was all that amused.

Part Five: "Meltdown"

Tension was starting to rear its ugly head around the middle of the second week. Every day, it seemed was a futile attempt to look for any signs that there was a rescue mission underway, but all it seemed was that there was nothing but blue horizon every where they looked. They had accomplished much, including moving themselves lock stock and barrel up to the second steppe that was away from the beach, high enough that it would take a large storm surge to sweep them away from that far up. It was an onerous climb, but at least it meant their safety in the scheme of things.

Stuck alone with their thoughts, the two tried to be positive and did whatever they could to make sure that they were able to survive. Surviving took preparations. But with the fact that there seemed to be no rescue imminent; these preparations took on a more foreboding element. How exactly were they going to not only survive but thrive in a situation like this? They needed to ensure that they were able to live out their lives on this island.

A lot of conversation took place during that week...on how they were going to tackle the fact that they needed more permanent shelter than a tent. That considering the North Atlantic storms that happened during the fall, they would be battered by storm after storm. It would be a rare lull in the torrential rain and wind when it came along. They would have to stock up with what they could find on the island as they would never be able to leave. If you couldn't be rescued...where was the rationale of leaving the island and then returning to the island? They were stuck here to live or die as fate would dictate. The only thing that would help them was Providence, the will of God and the waves bringing in the spoils of the ocean current.

It was quite noticeable the change in Leah's mood as the week wore on...with no sign of rescue. It was starting to dawn on the both of them that the rear admiral in charge of the battle group may have called off the search at the 72 hour mark...as an ejection into the North Atlantic, if one didn't find the missing crew in 72 hours, the chances of survival for that crew dropped to zero.

During the first few days, she tried to look positively on the whole experience. Bright, perky and full of energy...

But as the realization grew that no rescue was forthcoming, her mood started to slide downhill. And it became harder and harder for her to summon the energy to keep doing the things that were going to keep them alive.

Animal could notice a distinct change in her; that despondency was starting to creep in.

"Are you alright, Lieutenant?" He asked. He had to be sure that she was still with him...on the same page...their very survival hung in the balance.

She nodded quietly. That was not a reassuring sign, but coming down on her hard would just have the opposite effect that he wanted. He needed her to work with him and to stay motivated to stay alive.

"Lieutenant, we need to make sure that we get our equipment up to the hut that we built. We don't need it swept out to sea with the next storm that swings by..."

Silence, just a nod...

"You with me on this, Lieutenant?" he asked.

"Butch...I gotta know that you have my back..." He said softly. She looked at him. "Tell me that you're on the same page with me..."

"Yes, sir...I'm with you on this...sir." Her voice was quiet. She was still hiding something...

"It's going to be a tough slog...but we can do it...you got to believe that, Lieutenant." Animal told her, "What we're doing now is laying the groundwork to make sure that we survive just in case that someone does stumble on us."

"Yes, sir."

She sat there for a long moment, then asked, "Are we going to make it, sir?"

"I'm not going to play God and say I know the answers...Lieutenant..." He paused looking into the fire, "All I know is that it's going to take a hell of a lot more than this to take me down." She knew what he was referring to. In 1994, he'd taken on a battalion of North Koreans on a numbered hill trying to get his downed crew-mates out. Single-handedly, he'd inflicted major casualties on the opposing force. It was why he wore the sky-blue ribbon with the five white stars on his uniform. And why even admirals stood up for him when he entered a room. "I don't intend to die on this rock..." He gave her a dry smile, "...at least not until I've lived a long and full life."

"I wish I had that same willpower and belief in my own abilities, sir." Leah said quietly as she looked away...not wanting to meet his eyes; the doubts she had that she had the same iron-clad strength of will.

"You need to dig deep and find it within yourself, Lieutenant. That will that says that nothing that anything is going to throw at you is going to take you down...fight the good fight."

He heard her sigh and barely audibly reply, "I wish I could believe in myself as much as you believe in you, sir..."

The next day she appeared to be back to her old chipper self...it seemed that only the nights brought her self-doubt...when she had plenty to do, it didn't have time to take root in her mind...and Animal tried to keep her busy. One morning, there was a loud cackling and mooing coming from shore. "What the hell?" Animal woke up to see a group of waterlogged hens and a rooster as well as three cows washed ashore. All were still alive and kicking "Well, look what the tide dragged in..." he said and Leah and Animal got busy. Frankly there was no time to ruminate over the predicament they were in; when they had chickens and cows to corral.

"Well..." Leah said as they rounded up the last of the chickens and put them in the chicken coop; "At least we won't starve with eggs and milk for breakfast..." she smirked at him, "That's a good sign."

"You a good cook?" Animal asked her with a grin on his face.

"Well, I don't use the fire-alarm for a timer." She replied.

"Well...that's a relief..."

"Very funny, sir."

She looked pensive for a moment and then said, "So...sir. Now that we have a replenishable amount of food, what happens now. We're picking up seeds from the ground and planting them. We're fishing for food...and we're picking up gemstones that we can't even grind into gems...so what next?"

"That's not really what's bugging you, is it?"

She turned away from him, her shoulders heaving...slumping to the ground in a defeated heap. "I try to stay cheerful...but it's so g*****n hard...when we're in this situation." She sniffled. "I have to reconcile myself to the fact that we may never get rescued. That I'll never get to see my family again...my mom, my dad, my brothers...and sister?"

"You wouldn't understand..." she continued, "You don't have a family...to miss..."

"They may not be alive any more, but I still will miss not being able to go to their memorial site..." Animal said quietly, not even raising his voice. It wasn't necessary to get across the hurt that he felt. He turned and walked away to center himself.

Leah got up whirling on him following him and getting in front of him again, "How are you bloody well able to stand up so well in this. Aren't you even the slightest bit scared? The fact that you won't ever have a family...to call your own...the fact that it's just the two of us stuck here on this godforesaken island?!!! Doesn't ANYTHING FAZE YOU FOR GOD'S SAKE!!!?"

"Who says I'm not scared?"

"Well, You sure don't show ANY sign of it." Leah snapped sarcastically. "Well, I'm ****ing terrified."

Part Six: "Admitting the Fear"

"Believe me, I'm just as terrified as you are." Animal said, still to Leah he looked infuriatingly calm. "I've just had more experience hiding it. Being terrified is natural but you can't let it keep you from doing the things you have to do." He paused for a long moment, looking at her, "So...what else...is it that you're so terrified of?" Who the hell was he? Sigmund Freud? Was he going to pull out a sofa out of his port-hole and tell her to sit down for a psychiatric consult?

"For me a part of being terrified has always been the fact that I've always been alone." he admitted, "...it's been rough...not having anyone to go home to, that essentially you're your own cheering squad." He continued, intensely looking at her. "It's the fear of being left alone...isn't it?" he asked her.

She nodded mutely as Animal looked at her. They couldn't help their own feelings...she stepped forward with a choked sob and Animal met her as they hugged each other tightly as she cried...softly...face buried in his shoulder.

"You're right..." she admitted when she could speak again without sounding choked-up, "I can't come to grips with being alone in this world. That's the one thing that terrifies me about Naval Aviation in general...being shot down; my driver being killed and me being left in some godforsaken wilderness area to have to fend for it alone. It kept me up at night and I tried to fight that fear...but...the ejection...and having to swim for it...not knowing if you were still alive..." She tightened her grip on him.

"I was scared...that when I reached shore...you...wouldn't be...there..." she sniffled...her body trembling in his arms... "So...now I know that I may not be alone, but now it's anger...at the higher ups and the fact...that we were just written off...as dead...like we didn't matter; like we're some replaceable cog in the Navy machine."

Animal looked at her as she pulled away finally. "I know...if it was up to me, I'd have kept looking for us...but..." He paused for a moment. "they have their rules on search parameters...and well, we just fell out of those parameters."

"It doesn't make it hurt any less..."

"Leah...I know it doesn't..."

"So what now?" she asked.

"At least we're alone together..." Animal looked at her, "And I won't leave you...ever..." he promised her gazing into her eyes intently, "We're in this together...you and me...we're partners...just like we've always been...we're a crew...a team..."

Leah couldn't help it...she'd had feelings for her driver, even though it was against the UCMJ and she'd had to stifle it. He was capable, tough and above all a team-player. When he was the XO, they were always still a crew. If excrement fell from above, he stood by her side, and took it with her. He was right...they were a team first and foremost...and she'd always thought that they could make a good team in another sense...if he was willing. She leaned in as he was starting to pull away...

To her relief, he didn't pull away when she wrapped her own arms around him...and leaned in hungrily...

The kiss lingered for a time...and when they separated, they headed for the little cabin that they had built...to shelter themselves.

...before finally succumbing to their desires...

...secure in the knowledge that no matter what the world threw at them...that they were no longer alone in the sense that they were together...as intimately as anyone could be.