Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns it.

Bublichka, my beta, owns me.

Chapter 12

BPOV

When Edward returned to his bed, I sank back beneath my covers and rubbed my feet in the warm spot his body had left behind. I reveled in the sensation of comforting him. I had placed my arms around him in a mothering way and was surprised when I began to feel the calm again that led me to fall asleep against him at the fire. I drifted off to sleep still feeling the shape of his torso wrapped in my arms.

The next morning we began what would be become our daily routine and carry us through the next few months. The only 'set' chores were patrol and meals but our days were filled with busy work to keep us occupied and prepare for the coming months.
We worked in the garden, took inventory of our stock of food, water and other supplies, we chopped wood and cleaned clothing and bedding.

On one particular day at the end of June, after the chores were finished, Alice surprised me when she announced that the ladies should learn how to use a gun 'just in case', and then took it upon herself to teach us. That night, we left the men to prepare dinner, and had a 'girl's night out' of sorts, trading funny stories and gossiping about the men as we practiced our aim. It was relaxing and empowering after the monotony of the past several weeks and it gave me a new view of Alice. Her quiet, subservient demeanor was a front that hid the capable woman inside.

The hot Georgia summer was upon us as the bottled water ran out and Jasper's supply of water purifying tablet began to dwindle maintaining a supply of drinking water had become our focus. Jasper and Emmett spoke one night around the fire of a rudimentary technique of purifying large amounts of water at one time. Their elaborate yet simple plan would necessitate a trip to the stables to look for plastic barrels as well as a search of the surrounding area for the other supplies.

Jasper explained the process in greater detail to us as we sat together that night. Two plastic barrels would act like a large Brita filter. Charcoal in the top barrel would filter the water we poured in and would drain out the holes in the bottom into the barrel below, removing enough impurities to make even the lake water drinkable.

The following day our group took an expedition to the stables. I tripped and stumbled over the underbrush causing Edward to lurch forward repeatedly trying to break my inevitable fall. Everyone in the group had been caught up in their own conversations and didn't notice as we fell behind.

"We'll never get there at this rate." Edward huffed in annoyance as he righted me for the third time in five minutes.

I stared down the path at the retreating forms of the group.

"Just go ahead." I said, equally annoyed at my seeming incompetence to walk in the woods.

"I'm not...I'm sorry." he stammered. "I'm not mad at you."

"Whatever." I said petulantly not looking at him.

He came around to stand in front of me and lowered himself to his knees on the ground.

"Hop on." he said and even though I couldn't see his face I knew he was smirking.

I gently brought my legs around him and threaded my arms across his shoulders.

"Don't choke me." he teased as he stood and began walking.

His hands gripped my thighs and the pressure created a slow heat that built and spread through my body, causing me to tighten my hold around his neck.

When we caught up at the stables, I dismounted and we stood motionless beside each other, calming our labored breathing while we watched the others milling around. My legs still felt the heat of his absent hands as I tried to reign in the desire that manifested from our physical contact. This feeling was so new and so strong, that I struggled to keep myself from launching myself back into his arms. Once I felt in control of myself I turned to him. He stood beside me, his hand woven into the hair at the base of his neck, and when our eyes met he looked down sheepishly.

Whatever pull we had been feeling was broken when a dirty saddle blanket hit the side of my head seconds before I heard Emmett yell, "Catch Bella!"

I let it slide from my shoulder as I held my breath and turned to glare at Emmett. The force of the hit loosened the hair I had placed in a sloppy bun and several small pieces of straw now littered the strands hanging down. Emmett laughed loudly at his prank and my resulting appearance.

I walked slowly over to him, my face set, trying hard not to give into the giggles that threatened to escape and betray me.

I stood toe-to-toe with the gentle giant and he lowered his head to hear me while his shoulders shook with the laughter he was now repressing.

"You have to sleep sometime." I whispered menacingly.

He stopped laughing and his cocky smile faded as he took in the meaning of my words.

I succumbed to my giggles and walked over to the rest of the group, Emmett trailed behind me calling out, "Bella? Bella, it was just a joke..." but I ignored him, relishing the apprehension I heard in his voice as he continued to apologize.

While exploring the stables we were able to find more buckets and the two empty barrels we needed plus a few more that we could place under the cabins' gutters to collect rainwater.

Several days later, while getting a bucket of water from the well, Emmett discovered two old fishing poles and put it on himself to catch dinner that night. He announced that he was sick of dried meat, and after checking under several rocks and gathering a few worms he climbed into the little boat tied to the dock and rowed to the middle of the lake. Several hours later a discouraged Emmett returned with four tiny fish and angry red shoulders. By dinner time Emmett could barely move due to the pain of his sunburn.

Carlisle took pity on him and cleaned the fish while Esme cooked his catch. Emmett insisted we all have some to justify his efforts. We passed the plate around, each of us only able to take one bite, and praised Emmett on his ability to catch the best tasting fish we'd ever had. It was also decided that first thing in the morning Jasper, and whoever wanted to, would go into the woods and hunt small game.

Around nine pm everyone headed off to their beds and Edward and I settled in for 'Our Shift', as I had begun to call it. We had begun a close friendship, using our time alone to get to know each other. Most of that time was spent discussing favorite books and movies, talking about the goings on in our little group, and laughing over Emmett and Rose's obvious infatuation with each other that neither were acting on. Recently, we had begun to plot with Jasper, Alice, Carlisle, and Esme to throw them together in hope that one of them would crack and put us all out of our misery. By the end of our night we somehow ended up sitting on the ground with me curled into his side and him idly playing with my hands.

"I wonder what will happen to the single's cabin if they hook up?" Edward asked, his brow furrowed in concentration as he placed our palms together and measured our fingers.

"Ew, did you just say 'hook up'? I don't want that mental picture..." I said, feigning disgust, and he laughed beside me.

"I guess it will become a den of sin then..." I said jokingly and he jumped up and began making his way to the cabin.

"Where are you going?" I called out after him.

"I'm going to rearrange furniture." he said as if it was obvious.

"It was a joke, you ass!" I laughed and he turned to come back.

He settled himself behind me and pulled me into his lap and wrapped his arms tightly around me when I shivered against the heated contact of his chest.

The playful banter between us had been our way of avoiding the tension we both felt whenever we were around each other. I could sense Edward was near before I actually saw him. His proximity would send pin-prick sensations to the part of my body he was closest to. We unknowingly gravitated towards each other and we were never more than an arm's length away. In this moment while he held me close, his face buried into the crook of my neck, I had never felt more connected with anyone in my life and I no longer felt the need to fight it

At the end of our shift Carlisle stood by the fire like a watchful father as Edward and I returned to our cabin holding hands.

~*~*~*~*~*~

After a large breakfast of powdered eggs and more beef jerky, Jasper, Emmett and Edward headed into the woods, promising to return with enough fresh meat for everyone.

Carlisle hooked up the small generator to the refrigerator in anticipation of using it to temporarily store the meat as it was cut and boiled a large pot of water to pour over the stainless steel workbench in an attempt to disinfect it. He also boiled several of the new hunting knives.

As Carlisle prepared the kitchen, Alice showed us how to preserve the vegetables we had grown. Our early planting in April and constant tending had produced an abundance of various produce. Jasper had managed to find just enough ingredients needed for Alice to prepare and can several batches of pickled cucumbers and tomatoes. These would be saved for the fall and winter to use when our fresh supply of produce had run out.

Once Rosalie and Esme had the canning under control, Alice and I gathered all the dirty linens and brought them to the lake shore to do laundry. While we usually never did this chore in the water we were using it more as a means to keep cool while we worked. We set the pile on the dock and waded into the cool water knee deep and began the arduous task.

As we each took a sheet and began washing, seemingly lost in our own thoughts, I realized that Alice and I had never really spoken to each before. We would contribute to large conversations within the group but had never engaged each other one-on-one. I decided to open myself up to her and hesitantly addressed her.

"So, Alice."

"Yes, Bella?" she answered, smiley brightly.

"What did you do before all this?" I asked gesturing to our campsite.

"I was a teacher." She answered and her smile faltered minutely.

"Oh." I said dumbly, thinking this may not be a pleasant topic to discuss.

Alice seemed to notice my discomfort and playfully flicked water at me.

"Hey," she said, "it's alright. Yes, it makes me sad but I've come to peace with it. We're all here for a reason. Jasper and I are survivors because we were needed to help y'all adjust. I can't believe in coincidence anymore."

"What about the rest of us?" I asked not entirely convinced by her talk of destiny.

"Well," she started, placing a finger to her chin while she thought. "Emmett and Rosalie are here to help each other heal. Carlisle survived because we might need a doctor one day. Esme is here for maternal comfort. And you," she paused, "are here for Edward and he is here for you."

I scoffed at her then. "I can see your views on the others, but whatever friendship or possible romance Edward and I build is just a product of our environment. We've been thrown together and bonded over a common experience. Throw in a little chemistry and that's us. We're not some preordained match made in heaven."

"You'll see." she said and gave me a knowing wink.

We finished up our washing in companionable silence. The methodical actions of washing and wringing helping me escape into my mind.

"Ladies!" We heard Emmett boom from the forest edge "the men have returned from the hunt."

We laughed and I shook my head at Emmett's antics as we maneuvered towards shore and collected the laundry from the dock.

We made our way to the open area between the cabins to hang the wet sheets to dry. I was fixing a small rag to the line we had hung when I felt Edward come to stand beside me. I turned toward him and took in his appearance. He was incredibly sweaty and had several smudges of dirt along his chin and forehead. His cheeks were flushed and the redness made his eyes seem brighter. He brought a dirty hand up and ran it through his hair before he reached up with his other hand and presented me with a single daisy.

I felt my cheeks burn at the sweetness of his gesture. Before I could reach for it, he brought it up and placed it behind my ear brushing his thumb across my cheek as he lowered his hand.

My hand replaced his on my cheek and I watched as he went to help Carlisle prepare the meat they had caught.

I turned towards Alice's giggle and saw her tapping her temple in a gesture of 'I told you so'.

I lowered my face into the wet towel I held to hide my goofy grin and blush and shook my head as Alice continued to chuckle across from me.

~*~*~*~*~*~

We had been adapting to this new lifestyle for months, becoming acclimated to cold baths, manually flushing toilets and kerosene lamps. Our chores changed from necessary nuisances to daily life. We established a fluency in our days taking care of our responsibilities in an efficient manner and the remainder of our free time enjoying the amenities as the summer grew hotter. Life in our little colony became our new normal and we all held to the belief that we had prepared ourselves and our group for whatever may come and we finally felt safe.

A/N: This chapter... Ya'll, I was this close to throwing my computer through the wall.

Thank you all so much for your love and recs!

Here's a fic that owned me this week:

15 step by Jenny Jerkface. It's not your average HS fic. I hurt for this Bella.