AN: Chapter 12 and finally they have some sort of safety - at least for the time being.

Thanks to SarcasticBimbo who is back on her feet, so to speak, beta'ing for me and MeteorOnAMoonlessNight for pre-reading and picking out all my silly inconsistencies.

I have to apologise to all my reviewers, life is busy, and has been for the last month, so I haven't managed to answer your kind comments. I am so glad you're enjoying this one adn truly happy to hear from you all.

Also, thanks to followers and favoriters - they hold a special place in my heart, too.

Disclaimer: SM is keeping Edward all to herself still but I live in hope.

Skyjacked

Chapter 12 - First Day

Edward

Dragging the almost submerged raft behind us, Jasper and I and a few of the other guys managed to get it far enough up the beach until it was clear of the surf. Collapsing, I looked around seeing people laid out along the beach like flotsam. I closed my eyes for a few seconds revelling in the warmth of the sun, which was finally pushing through the clouds, knowing that there was a lot we had to do before we were safe.

A shadow passed over me and as I opened my eyes, Bella's face filled my vision. Even as wet and bedraggled as she was, she was still beautiful. She lay down beside me and for a few minutes, I could almost believe that we were on vacation, until the murmurs from the recovering passengers began to impinge on my conscious.

Sighing, I got to my feet and held my hand out to help her up. "Come on, beautiful. We've too much to do to be lying around in the sun." That same flash of heat and tingling travelled up my arm and from the look on her face, she felt it, too.

Grinning, she stood on tiptoe and planted a soft kiss on my cheek, branding me. She grinned and said, "Lead on, and tell me what we need to do."

Looking around, I could see an expanse of white sand with rocks dotted here and there. Either way, the beach stretched in a gentle curve, with a mass of different types of trees, bushes, ferns, and thick undergrowth. Along with the inlet we had used as a guide to landing, it seemed like we would have at least food and water for survival. The water would have to be filtered, but I felt optimistic that with the knowledge from Bella and Jasper as well as mine, we had a chance. As for rescue; that thought would have to wait until later.

My eyes catalogued the passengers, many of whom were lying flat out on the warm sand, noting that everyone seemed to be more or less okay. My mind switched back to Eric and Tyler, almost unable to believe we had lost two of us already. I felt the guilt slip in; it was my fault. If I had been holding on as I should have been, Eric would never have had to grab for me and Tyler wouldn't have had to grab for him, either. I felt as if it was my job to keep these people safe and I had failed both of them.

Almost as if she knew what I was thinking, Bella's arms slid around my waist and her head rested between my shoulder blades. "It wasn't your fault, Edward. You can't be responsible for anyone else's actions and our situation dictates that not everyone will survive." Her voice was soft. "I feel like that when I see Shelly and know that unless we are rescued soon, it's likely she won't survive. It's my job to help save people and I hate knowing that I will fail."

I stood there for a few minutes reveling in the comfort she brought to me. Quick though it might seem, my feelings for her were already strong, even though I realized we had known each other for less than a week. Eventually, I knew we had to move and face the next step; to find a place to set up a temporary camp for the night and then to explore a little and find a safer, more permanent place. I had no idea how long we might be here or even if the island had any inhabitants; another thing to check out later.

Shaking myself temporarily free of the guilt, I decided it wouldn't help with the current situation and turned just as Jasper stepped to my side.

"We need to set up a temporary camp for the night, Edward," he said quietly. "It's warm now but will get colder once the sun goes down."

"Yeah, that was my first thought, Jazz."

Looking along the expanse of the beach, Jasper's eyes took in everything I had noticed. "How about we set up on the other side of those rocks but closer to the treeline than the water?"

"I can help with that," Bella spoke up. "We could lay the raft out on the sand, couldn't we?"

"We could, but I also think we need to keep it in one piece for as long as possible. I don't want to cut into it until we have a more permanent camp and we can decide what's the best use for it." I stopped for a minute, my mind going over the raft's emergency kits. "If we can use it without cutting into it, that's fine. We also have the two thermal blankets; one needs to be for Shelly, given her situation, and the other for Emily."

"Sounds good to me," Bella agreed. "We still have the lighter we used for the gas barbeque, though that's gone, so I'll get a few groups together to collect wood."

"Right, can we get Angela, Nancy, and a couple of the guys to do a spot of fishing and catch something for dinner?" I spoke to both Bella and Jasper. "I don't want anyone going off into the jungle for the moment; we don't know anything about where we are and I'm pretty sure that most of these people have no idea what's safe to eat and what's not."

Jasper nodded his agreement and headed off to arrange the fishing and Bella stood on tiptoe to plant a light kiss on my lips before making her way back to Shelly to make sure she was comfortable.

Looking around for James, I found him with his head in Vicky's lap, Jared sitting beside him holding his hand. Making my way over to him, I managed to find a grin. "I see how it is, lazing around in the lap of luxury while the rest of us work our fingers to the bone."

"I'm fine, thanks for asking, Edward," James's grin was tired but he managed to sit up and lean against Vicky. "No, really, I'm okay, just give me a few minutes to get my breath back and then put us to work."

"I'm glad to hear that," I said, reaching out and ruffling Jared's hair. "You doing okay, Jared?"

"Yes, Mr. Edward. My dad's going to be okay now, isn't he?"

"He sure is. Do you think you can do something for me?" He nodded enthusiastically. "You see Miss Bella over there?" I pointed and he nodded again. "Well, she's looking for firewood so we can have a cookout tonight on the beach. Can you go and give her a hand, please?"

Climbing to his feet, he kissed Vicky on the cheek making sure it was all right for him to go and then trotted off to Bella.

Turning back to James, he held out his hand to me so he could get to his feet. "What can I do to help?"

"Honestly?" I said. "Maybe check through everyone and get them over to the space just beyond those rocks? Bella will need some help setting up somewhere for everyone to sleep, so anything you can do to assist her would be perfect. But," I looked at him sternly. "Don't overstretch yourself; we don't need any more patients."

"I'll see that he doesn't, Edward. Just give me a shout if there's anything I can do to help, anywhere," Vicky said. James agreed and they set out along the beach hand in hand, stopping to speak to each passenger and send them on their way over to the campsite, Vicky encouraging each individual to pick up bags along the way.

I blew out a breath and then set to work, dragging the raft along the beach, soon joined by Garrett, Mike, and Jasper. It took time to get it beyond the rocks and laid out to one side of the area Bella had set aside for the campfire. I was careful to leave enough distance that any stray sparks didn't damage it as it could prove to be useful as either ground sheets or maybe for some sort of cover. It remained to be seen how we could use it once we had found a better place to settle; and once again the feeling that it was likely to be some time before we saw any signs of rescue washed over me.

Once that was done, I approached Seth and Sam, who were helping to collect firewood. "Hi, you two. Would you both work on supplying us with fresh water, please?" I pointed in the direction of the inlet that had allowed us to land here. "The water from the inlet isn't salt but there's no way to know what it contains. The desalinators will work as well on fresh as salt water and should filter out any harmful bacteria, shouldn't they?"

"Should be fine, Edward," Sam replied. "Once we have a better camp than an open beach, we will hopefully be able to collect rainwater and boil the inlet water, rather than wasting the desalinators. The membranes last a long time but obviously not forever. It's a blessing, in some ways, that we're entering the rainy season; at least we won't die of thirst."

"There is that," I replied. "What else do you think we can do about food? Fish is all very well but I've no doubt it lacks in some ways, and the emergency rations are almost gone."

Well," Seth spoke, "My dad taught me to hunt so I can take a look around and see if there are any signs of animals. I can set up traps, too."

"Good idea," I thanked him. "Bella's father is a ranger for the Olympic Peninsula, so she knows a fair bit, too. Maybe we can get a group together to see what we can find?"

"A ranger; that seems like too much of a coincidence," Sam mused. "What's his name?"

"Swan," I answered, "Charlie Swan. Do you know him?"

Sam laughed and replied that he and Seth came from a small village near Forks called La Push and they knew Charlie Swan quite well. He had originally lived in Forks, too, until Renée, his wife, declared it was far too small for their family and insisted on moving to Port Angeles.

"Small world, isn't it?" Seth grinned.

Walking up and down the beach, checking on the passengers, I could see that Alec and his group of cronies, though that group now numbered only three, had sat themselves down and were doing nothing to help set up camp. Deciding that enough was enough, I stalked toward them. "There's work to be done if you're recovered?" I said, ignoring the fact that they had leapt off the raft long before anyone else, intent on saving themselves.

"It's not up to you to decide what we do," Alec sneered. "Irina and Laurent here agree that we can do whatever we want."

Leaning close to the group, I took a deep breath to control my temper and ground out, "Well, if you want somewhere warm and dry to sleep, and to share whatever we can catch or pick, then I would strongly suggest that you do something toward it, or you'll be very hungry come morning, though we'll not turn you away from the fireside."

Irina leaned into his side and whispered in his ear, after which he reluctantly got to his feet, followed by his girlfriend and Laurent. "You're right; can't have my lady go without now, can I? What can we do to help?"

He didn't sound very sincere, but nonetheless, I nodded my acquiescence and asked them to help with the wood collection so we could not only cook, but keep the fire alive all night, and then to help with fishing. I had no doubt that they would do as little as possible and I hoped they were not hell bent on causing trouble; we had enough problems as it was.

I shrugged off the thoughts of what they might have planned, figuring that there were more than enough of us to keep an eye on them and borrowing trouble was foolish. For the next few hours, wood was collected, the raft laid as a ground sheet, and for protection, a few palm fronds were gathered. Not the best camp, but along with me, everyone was more than grateful for dry land.

We ate a hot meal of fish the guys had caught this afternoon, and the safe fruit Bella had managed to find. As twilight fell, the sounds from around the fire grew quieter and people began to settle down to sleep, some pairing off and others just staying close to each other for the additional warmth and comfort. Bella eventually left Shelly's side after making sure she was comfortable and sat beside me, looking into the flames, leaning her head on my shoulder.

Tucking her under my arm seemed to be the most natural thing in the world, and for the moment, I refused to analyze it, preferring to push the whys and wherefores to the back of my mind; promising myself that I'd look at them later when we were rescued. If we're rescued, the little voice in the back of my mind murmured.

"Shelly's coping as well as can be expected," she said quietly. "She has no insulin left, and her last dose was yesterday morning."

"What does that mean for her?" I questioned.

"It means we can make her comfortable and extend her life somewhat by making sure her diet is protein rich, but the end result will be the same." She stopped, taking a deep breath. "It's unlikely she'll live long enough to see us rescued."

We were both acknowledging that it would be some time before that happened and silently took in its implications. We had already lost Eric and Tyler to the sea, and it seemed a cruel joke for Shelly to lose her life when we were relatively safe, at least for a while. There was nothing I could say to make anything different for Shelly, so I kept quiet, listening to Bella's breathing as it evened out.

My eyelids were beginning to droop as the activities of the day caught up with me when she spoke again. "It's ironic, really; while some of us will lose our lives, others find what they weren't even looking for."

Looking up at me, she gave me the most beautiful smile; one that caused my heart to skip a beat. Neither of us said anything further and settled down facing the fire, her back to my last thing I heard was Alice, still bemoaning anything and everything.

The first thing I heard was Alice's voice, screeching and echoing, complaining about having to use the forest as the facilities. Groaning, I buried my face in Bella's hair, pulling her closer to me before I realized I was as hard as a rock. Easing away from her a little, I felt her hand slip over my hip pulling me close again and relaxed against her.

"Doesn't she ever shut up?" her voice was husky and sleepy.

At that minute, I heard Jessica's voice, raised in exasperation. "Will you shut up, Alice? We're all in the same boat here; all of us, do you hear? So just stop fucking complaining, will you?"

The sun had not yet risen and the sky was still pearly white; a faint mist rising from the vegetation at the edge of the forest. The air was cool yet and we could count ourselves lucky that it was the very beginning of the wet season. Unfortunately, one of the first major storms of that season was the reason we were here in the first place, although there was nothing that could change it now.

Unable to fall asleep again, despite the ache in my muscles from their workout yesterday, I decided it was time I got myself moving. I would never be able to get others on their feet and working for the common good unless I set the example. Bella yawned and stretched, showing a sliver of pale skin between jeans and t-shirt, turning my thoughts to her and my feelings for her. Holding out her hand so I could haul her to her feet, too, together we walked toward the inlet where we separated to take care of morning business before coming back together to stand side by side to clean up a little. I liked the togetherness we had fallen into, giving the simple action of washing and teeth brushing an odd domesticity, despite the circumstances.

Feeling more awake, we returned to the campsite hand in hand where we separated; Bella to see how Shelly was doing and me to where James and Jasper sat, waiting for me.

"Morning, Edward, I see you slept well." James' voice held a touch of amusement, which I chose to ignore.

"Not bad, James. How's the head this morning?"

"Better, thanks. Leg's doing okay, too. That girl of yours is a hell of a good nurse."

I glanced at his face and this time, he was openly grinning. "She sure is," I replied, winking at him.

"Enough, you two," Jasper interrupted with an easy smile. "What's on the agenda today?"

"Basics are finding food, including digging for root vegetables if possible, collecting coconuts and fruit, and of course fishing, fresh water, and some sort of shelter," I ticked the items off on my fingers.

"I think we should also check to see if there are any people on the island. It doesn't look like it, but we should check further inland before ruling it out," James suggested.

"Should we do anything about Alec, Irina, and Laurent? They're not exactly being helpful." All eyes were on them as I related what went down yesterday when I confronted them, but with a short discussion we couldn't come to any conclusions.

"There's not a lot we can do," Jasper eventually said. "We could try evicting them from the group but I don't know if that would make things worse. We wouldn't have any idea what they were doing so I think we keep them here so we can keep an eye on them and encourage them to do the same as everyone else. To be honest, I think our only real chance of surviving until we are rescued is to pull together." With a sly smile at me, he continued, "Maybe you can give one of your inspiring talks again?"

Smirking, I turned to James. "I think it would be best coming from you; after all, you are the captain."

James grinned ruefully. "I guess I am, so once everyone has eaten, can we get everyone together? Can you go over what needs to be done today, Edward?"

I agreed and then approached the serious conversation I knew we had to have about Shelly Cope. "Bella and I had a discussion last night about Shelly. She's an insulin dependant diabetic and her last dose was the day before yesterday…" I trailed off, watching as they both came to the same realization Bella had talked about.

"So…" Jasper blew out a breath. "How long?"

"With food management, a week, or maybe two, at best." There wasn't anything more we could do and we all knew it; rescue was unlikely to come in time for her.

With nothing more to discuss right now, I stood and wandered over toward the temporary campsite, finding Bella seated beside Shelly. Squatting down in front of them, I placed my hand over hers. "Good morning, Shelly, how are you today?"

The look she gave me said she knew exactly what her position was, but nevertheless, she gave me a genuine smile. "Edward, I'm doing fine. Bella here is looking after me really well."

"That's good to hear, Shelly. I'm sure you'll be glad to know that we'll be looking for something other than fish today, so I'm going to have to steal Bella away from you for a few hours. You just get some rest and we'll wait on you hand and foot."

After a few more words, Bella and I stood, telling her we would be back later. "How is she really?" I asked as soon as we were out of earshot.

"I hate to say something clichéd, but as well as can be expected. She's lucid but getting weaker; yesterday really did a number on her," she paused. "The outcome hasn't changed, and all I can do is make her comfortable. I wish there was more I could do." Her voice was filled with the frustration I'm sure she was feeling but there was nothing I could add that would make any difference. Instead, I slid my hand into hers as we moved back toward the fire, where most of the other survivors were seated.

Separating, I watched as she settled beside Angela and Ben and then I called for everyone's attention, ready for James to have his say.

"For now, the same leadership holds with Edward and Jasper working to make sure we have the best chance of survival. If anyone feels the need to argue over any task set by either of them, by all means come and speak to me, but I warn you that I'll almost always back their decisions. They, along with Bella, have the most experience we'll need to survive."

James stopped for a moment to see if anyone had anything to say and apart from the predictable scowl from Alec, no one spoke. "I'm going to be honest here. With the difficulties we experienced when we ditched, I think rescue is likely to take some time, so we need to work as a group to make sure we're all here when that happens." He looked around again. "Any questions?"

There was some mumbling and grumbling, noticeably from Alice, which we could ignore because that was just the way she was about everything. When no one else had anything else to add, he nodded to me. "Okay, Edward will outline plans for the day."

Jasper and I moved to his side and I outlined what was to happen today. "Well, for the moment we're safe so next steps are to investigate and find out more about where we've found ourselves. Is this island inhabited? Do we stay here on the beach if it isn't? These are just two of the questions in my mind."

I paused to see if anyone had anything to add right now, continuing when no one said anything. "Alright then, until we find another source of food, we still need someone to catch fish. Angela, Jessica, Nancy, I'm sorry you're stuck with this again, but if it's okay with you, can you you teach Mark and anyone else who'd like a go so we can switch it around? That way, it's not always on you."

Angela nodded and said that was fine with her, while I continued. "Sam, can you work on making sure there is enough fresh water for everyone for the next twenty-four hours and daily after that? I know it's a tall order but we will be looking for a better way of dealing with it once we know what we decide on doing. Vicky, Chelsea, please stay with Shelly and Emily, who both need to rest, and keep Bree with you, too."

I looked over at each of them making sure they understood. "Emily, if you want to keep the fire fed, that would be great but we need to keep you and that baby healthy as long as possible."

"What about me?" Jared spoke eagerly. "What can I do?"

Vicky shushed him. "It's okay, Vicky. Jared, you can collect any good coconuts you find, but you stay close by and on the beach, you hear? No making your mom worry, okay?"

"Yes, Mr. Edward, thank you." He was already up and gone before Vicky could say anything else, smiling gratefully at me instead for including him.

I waited for a few minutes, looking around at everyone; no one was protesting, so far. "Okay, James, sorry for ordering you about, but you need to both exercise and rest that leg, so can you take Heidi, Mike, Alice, Siobhan, and Lauren and collect firewood and palm fronds? Please stay in at least groups of two for safety."

"What! Aren't we safe here?" Alice screeched.

"Alice," I took a deep breath. "We have no idea what we might find here, which is one of the things we will be checking out today, but the biggest reason for always being within a group is to make sure that if something happens to you…"

"What's going to happen to me?"

"Probably nothing, Alice, but it's better to be safe than sorry, isn't it?" I was trying to keep my temper but this woman was getting on my last nerve.

Turning away from her, I carried on, "Lastly, Garrett, Alec, Kate, Charlotte, and Peter, you're with Jasper. Bella, Laurent, Liam, Maggie, and Ben, you're with me. Jazz, can you head left and follow the beach, and then make your way further inland? Keep your eye out for anything edible; animals, fruit, seeds, roots. We need to supplement our fish diet with something."

I took a moment to look directly at Jasper letting him know that I was separating Alec, Laurent and Irina to make sure they would be less likely to cause any trouble. "I'll take the right and do the same. We can meet back here in, say, around three hours?"

Jasper agreed and just before we all headed out, I broached the subject that had to have been on everyone's mind, clearing my throat before beginning. "I want to say a few words about Tyler Crowley and Eric Yorkie. Tyler was part of the cabin crew and was a good friend to Mike Newton and the rest of the crew. Eric was the second officer, and Jasper tells me he was a quiet, honorable man. I didn't know either of them and they didn't know me, and yet they bravely risked, and lost, their lives to save mine. Could we have a couple of minutes silence and respect for these two brave men?"

Nobody objected.

Everyone quietly moved away to their tasks after the respectful silence. "Okay, make sure if you're heading out that you get some water before you leave. We only have a few containers so each team should take two full bottles with them."

I joined Bella and led my small team off toward the inlet, which was wide but shallow enough to wade through. The beach beyond looked much the same as the one we had just left, minus the rocks, but there were no footprints and minimal flotsam. The jungle on our left was thicker in some places than others and showed no signs of human habitation, but we left it alone for the moment to follow the beach as far as we could.

Within half a mile the sand petered out into rocks that rose out of the sea and were pounded by the waves, the spray hitting them like the sound of canonfire. There was no way we would be able to get around them and it remained to be seen what lay on the other side, although that would have to wait for another day.

"We can't go any further here," I stopped for a breather as the day got warmer. "Take five minutes, everyone, and make sure you drink."

Once we had spent the five minutes relaxing in whatever shade we could find, we made our way back toward the inlet and found a space at the edge of the jungle that seemed to be less overgrown than any other and stepped under the canopy of leaves in single file.

The sun, which had gradually dispersed the morning mist, disappeared from view as we moved further under the trees and the humidity seemed to double. As we moved further forward, following the water, the ground rose and the trunks grew closer together, the light fading further. The water in the inlet became slightly deeper but muddier, plants growing close to the edge, with no clear path and no signs that anyone had ever come this way before.

Minute by minute, our footsteps slowed as we had to deviate away from the water's edge to find a way through. There were plenty of bird calls and rustling in the undergrowth, and although we didn't see anything, it seemed likely that we would be able to vary our diet once we found a way to catch whatever animals were in hiding.

"Edward," Bella called from behind me. "We've been going for almost two hours now and we don't have a lot of water left. Should we turn around and go back to the camp?"

Standing still and wiping the sweat from my forehead, I turned back to the others. "Doesn't seem like there's much in this direction beyond trees and thick undergrowth. Anyone have any comments before we go back to the beach?"

"This is fucking stupid, you know that?" Laurent was the first to answer. "I knew we should have followed Black. There's no one on this island, and no way of getting off now that the raft is fucked." He stopped, sputtering and heaving because of the exertion he had expended, giving him time to catch his breath.

Maggie, who was a pretty quiet person, spoke up, choosing to totally ignore Laurent. "Unless it opens up pretty soon, I don't think it's worth going any further here."

Both Liam and Ben agreed. "Okay then," I decided. "I think we're all on the same page, so let's head back. Anyone want a few minutes breather?"

"No, we're all good," Ben spoke for everyone.

"In that case, Ben, lead the way, please."

Retracing our steps made the return journey quicker and we found ourselves walking back along the beach toward the camp in no time. Arriving back, we found that the other group had already returned and were seated in whatever shade they could find now that the sun was at its highest. Fish, crabs, and some fruit had been caught, cooked, and collected, so before heading over to speak to Jasper, I filled a flat leaf someone had gathered with something to eat and grabbed some more water.

Bella did the same and then stood on tiptoe, kissing me lightly on the cheek and headed over to see how Shelly and Emily were faring. The other members of my team each followed suit and joined others, and I noted that once again Alec, Irina, and Laurent were sitting close together, but apart from everyone else.

Jasper looked up and nodded at me from his position next to James, carrying on eating, waiting until all of us had mostly finished. "What did you find, Edward?"

"Not a lot, Jazz." I lay back in the shade, comfortably full. "The beach ends in steep rocks with pretty hefty spray so I would guess that even when the tide is out, there isn't any beach. I don't know what's beyond it as it was too steep to climb, so we headed back toward the inlet and found a way to start inland. It was pretty hard going and unless we find no other way, we should shelve that one."

"We need the water supply from the inlet so it makes sense to see if we can find the source," Jasper said. "The beach at our end also ends in rocks but they look scalable, not that we attempted it," he hastened to add. "Too dangerous without more thought and planning, but we might be able to use it for a lookout fire. Anyway, I took the team inland and it sounds like our way was clearer than yours." He nodded toward the food by the campfire. "We did find some fruit trees."

"Sounds great." James was enthusiastic. "Maybe we could put together a team to explore further; maybe a longer overnight one?"

"Yeah, although I think we should still try and angle toward the inlet and see if we can do as Jazz suggests and find the source." My head was full of things we desperately needed to be able to survive. "So, we're looking for an open space, close to the head of the inlet, not too far from somewhere we can have a lookout point for a fire. Does that sound doable?" I spoke to both of them.

"Sounds like a plan, but I suggest we stick around here right now; it's too hot and too late to start out now. We can discuss who goes later, yeah?" Jazz agreed. I stood, making my way back over to Bella, unable to stay away from her any longer.

The rest of the hot afternoon was spent collecting more wood, fishing, and checking out some of the trees for fruit. It seemed that a great deal of our time was spent making sure we had enough food and water. Alice complained and whined over and over again about anything and everything; it was exhausting to listen to her litany of complaints about the sand, her hair, the heat, her makeup, her clothes, her money. I wondered if this woman had ever been happy with anything.

As the afternoon lengthened into early evening, Seth and Sam spent a few hours working on making a trap and discussing where they could set it to see what they might be able to find. There had to be animals somewhere on the island, although because of the number of people around, I felt that might mean they steered clear of us.

Jasper and I walked along the beach with them toward the inlet as that seemed the most likely place any animal might end up throughout the night. Sam, the more experienced hunter, slid under the trees and placed the trap, saying that he wasn't confident it would catch anything, but it was worth a try. The rest of us stayed away to minimize the smell of humans.

Finally, as darkness fell, everyone settled down around the fire and drifted to sleep.

** Skyjacked **