I would like to thank my Beta Dizzygrl28. I puffy heart you! To all my pre-readers, thanks for making me brave enough to post.

Not mine

"You know why I have to leave you, right?" His voice sounded as broken as he looked.

"Yes." I whispered.

"It isn't safe for you if I stay here. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you because of me. It is better that I go now, while I still have my mind". He was pleading now. I wasn't sure if it was more to me or himself. "I will beat this and come back to you. You will be safe here until then."

I didn't have the strength to speak, so I just nodded my head and squeezed his hand to let him know I understood.

"I love you, and I am doing this for you, for us". Edward lifted my chin and kissed me with all he had.

I knew that it wasn't safe to push things much more than kissing, but I just had to have him one last time before he left me. He seemed hesitates just slightly, but he quickly gave in to our need for one another.

It was frantic, passionate, and our bodies conveyed everything we couldn't. We held each other for a short time after, having nothing more to say and not wanting to say good-bye.

The, with one last kiss, he left the bed we had shared for years, the house we were supposed to build a life and a family in, and my life for what I hoped was the last time.

Present Day

"I hate this! Why can't those things just leave stuff alone?" I huffed as I repaired the damage to my outer window cover, hammering harder than I needed to.

I could hear him chuckling behind me, which didn't add to my mood.

"You know why they do it, and you also know that if you don't fix that cover then you will have no safe place to stay".

I hated it when he was right.

I hated it even more that after three months of doing jobs similar to this one day in and day out, there was no end in sight. No. I had to stop thinking like that. He would be back for me any day now, and we could leave this place forever and all the awfulness that it held.

"Shut the fuck up, Jake, and help me instead of mocking me. You will be out of a place, too, I might add, so earn your keep". I know I was being harsh on him, but I was in no mood for anything today.

"Alright! Alright! Calm down! Here, since you already started and have the tools, I will tell you what needs repairing and if you missed anything - fair enough?" He said, knowing it would take time for me to calm down. Plus, I think he just didn't want to be close to me while I was holding a hammer.

"Done! How much more do I need to do on this side?" I asked, wiping the sweat from my eyes while I continued working out my anger on the repairs.

"I'd say that you are just about done. You just need to tighten that patch right there and I think it will hold for a while, even with them ripping at it all night" he praised.

His last words sent a shiver up my spine. I knew he was trying to lighten the mood, but the thought of them trying to get into my home just caused me to panic. I said a silent prayer that that would not be the case tonight, knowing there was a 50/50 chance it still would be a stressful night.

We worked well into the afternoon, checking for any more damage that might have been caused and fixing what we found, only taking a quick break for food and water around noon.

"I want to do something unproductive now." I declared after patching the last window cover and tossing the tools in the toolbox, then lying down beside it.

Jake just rolled his eyes and shook his head at me. Fucker! He didn't do anything but point shit out.

"Well, what would you like to do if my idea is so bad?" I huffed. Lord knows I would be lost without Jake, but that didn't mean he can't piss me off from time to time. He found me about two weeks after Edward left. I was all alone and scared. I know that if it wasn't for him I would have lost the fight to keep my hope alive.

It's just that sometimes I wanted to forget that the world I'd once known had ended and was now left in shambles. I wanted to pretend that Edward was working in his lab at the hospital and everyone else would just rather stay indoors. It helped me keep my hope for something better.

"I know it is hard, Bells, but you need to remember why we are even bothering with all of this. You want to be safe, and so do I. We both know that Edward would want you to be as well." Jake was not fond of Edward despite the fact that they had never met. Jake just couldn't get past the fact that he left me alone to fight even though he knew there was no other way. He only spoke of him to motivate me to do what I needed to.

"Fine, Jake! What is next on the list?" I couldn't fight him when he played dirty.

"I was thinking that you should check on the water supply. We don't know if it will rain anytime soon. I just don't want to plan for what we don't have. After that I think we should get food and then call it a day. We don't want to cut it too close to sunset".

"Sounds like a plan. I just wish that we could have a free day, you know?" I added the last bit softly, not looking at him.

"I know, Bells. Me too." His whole body seemed to soften as he spoke. It was comforting to know he felt the same.

The water level was good. Even if it didn't rain for several weeks, there was plenty for the two of us. Plus, I had about 30 cases of bottled water if that ever happened. I was not looking forward to gathering more food supplies, though. I hated to go into any building that was not my home. I never knew what was going to be inside and that idea scared the shit out of me. At least I had Jake and the daylight on my side. He had a good sense on what places were okay and which ones that should be avoided.

Today we were "shopping" at a local drug store. These were the best due to the fact that many of them had large windows in the front. I tried to make Jake go in first, but he looked at me as if I had lost my mind. He did have a point; in times like these there is safety in numbers.

We made our way through the darkened store and everything seemed so much louder than it used to be. Our footsteps echoed through the rubble and mess that was left behind. I think the silence is the part I hated the most.

Jake took point and motioned for me to get a cart. He started to head down the aisles, pointing at things we needed while constantly looking for signs of danger.

As I began to fill the cart, I noticed Jake was pointing out things that I had forgotten we needed; shampoo (which doubled as soap), tooth brush and paste, floss, and other odds and ends. The food that was left in the store was well more than the two of us needed, but I still loaded my cart to its fill. I could not count on it being there if ever I were to come back.

Jake rounded the corner and smiled at me when he saw the full cart. I could see him doing a mental count to make sure we had gotten everything we needed. I did the same. As we walked out, Jake mentioned that one can never have too much water. He had a point, so I added all the cases that would fit in the spaces I had left in my cart.

We exited the store and I was pleased to see that there was a few more daylight hours left. This gave us plenty of time to walk back without having to rush. We walked in silence, down empty streets, past abandoned cars and houses to mine.

Once home, we knew we would not be heading out again, so we made sure that all the outer door and window covers were locked and in place before we went in for the night. I pushed the cart to the middle of the living room; I knew it could wait while I locked and secured all the inner covers. Jake did a run through to make sure that everything was ship-shape and that the inside was firmly locked.

Moving to the next task would be easier now that we knew we were safe for the night. I clicked on one of those little dome lights that run off batteries and hurried to get started. We spent the next hour moving, shifting, and stocking everything so we would know when we needed to get more. Once finished, I clicked off the light knowing that I needed to save the battery power I had.

Darkness filled the house and I panicked for a moment, feeling completely alone.

"Clam down, Bells. I'm here. We've had a long day, and I think it would be good for both of us to get some rest." His voice was kind and soothing. It put the fear at bay, and I followed it to bed, making it through one more night.