I do apologize to everyone on the lateness of this chapter. I do try to update weekly, but between writer's block, lack of inspiration and real life it seemed as though everything was working against me. Luckily, the wait is over.

Butterflybetty, thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

As always, thank you to everyone who reviewed and added this story to their alerts. I hope you enjoy this chapter. We are taking baby steps to getting to the good stuff. I know some of you are anxious for Bella and Edward's reunion, but the jist of the story is their journey back to each other and never giving up hope. Don't worry, we'll get there, though. Enjoy!

Oh, yeah...PLEASE read and review. It makes me feel good to hear what you think.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight! I just use its characters to tell my story!

Coming Home

Chapter Thirteen

BPOV

Sixteen Notches. Sixteen notches had now been cut into Jake's walking stick. Sixteen days. Sixteen days since the crash. I haven't seen my family in almost 2 months now. It seems like a lot longer than that.

Jake and I are walking along side a stream. We just rested and filled up some of the water containers we have. All I can think about is my family and the journey Jake and I've made so far.

I am disappointed that we haven't come across any help by now. I can tell that Jake is disappointed, as well. We both try to keep up a positive outlook, but after a while it becomes hard. I haven't seen my wonderful husband and family in so long. I desperately miss each and every one of them.

Lizzie should be crawling with no problems by now and who know what else she may have started doing. My heart breaks just a little bit more. The kids should be getting ready for school to start soon.

I promised Camryn that I would take her shopping for her school clothes…at least I know that Alice or Rose will take her. She's starting middle school and I'm just a little fearful of it. The degree of peer pressure, boys, and schoolwork will be increasing quite a bit. I am thankful that Cam has my mom, Esme and Rose there for her, but I want to be there for my daughter. I want to be the one she comes to with questions or just to listen to her when she needs to talk. That is my job. I am so jealous.

'Get it together, Bella,' I tell myself. The kids are being taken care of. Everyone will be sure of it. I just hope Camryn remembers that her cheerleading tryouts are the week before school.

I hope Edward sees the reminder on the fridge about soccer signups for EJ. Maybe Emmet will remember. He usually is assistant coach for EJ's team. I hope that he's doing okay. I'm sure that he's forgotten all about the argument that we got into before I left on my trip. I was going to make things right with him once I got home. I am sure he's fine, though. He's probably forgotten all about our argument.

Luckily, Matthew has already started swimming practice so he's taken care of. Jasper usually helps with Matt's swimming, anyways, since Jas was a swimmer through high school, as well as being a lifeguard most summers. I am sure he's been attached to Camryn like glue since I've been gone on my trip. I am so glad he has his older sister to take care of him. They've always been so close.

Rose is only a couple of weeks from her due date. I promised her that I would be there for her delivery. I only hope that I can keep that promise, but things are looking too good right now. I would love to be there to see my niece or nephew born. I know that Emmett will do a good job in giving Rose the support she needs and she has both my Mom and Esme, too. I wish that Rose's Mom would be there for her. My Mom and Dad had taken on the role as parents to Rose ever since her family cut ties with her for marrying Emmett. They thought she was marrying beneath her family's social status. I'm not even going to go there now, or I'll never get to sleep.

Alice is doing. I miss her. She's my bestest friend. I wish I could write to her or something…even though I know that I wouldn't get a response. I wish I could share with her everything that is going on over here. Who knows…maybe she already knows. Her and her in-sight. Maybe she knows I'm okay. I hope so.

I hope that my parents, Esme and Carlisle aren't overdoing it. I know that they are going to try and take on more with the kids and Edward, with my not being there. They aren't going to be thinking about taking care of themselves as they should. They'll be worried about taking care of everyone else.

I truly miss Em and Jas. I am so used to speaking or seeing them every day. I wonder what they would say if they knew that I was here with Jake. The three of us hadn't spoken his name in years. His moving away was difficult on us. I'm glad that he's here I just hate how it all came about.

Oh, Edward. My heart and soul misses you. I can't wait to see you, again. Please don't give up hope. Please. You are what give me the strength to keep going. I love you, so much.

"You look like you are having some deep thoughts over there. You okay?"

"Oh…yeah. I'm just thinking about the family… the things that are coming up…school for the kids, cheerleading tryouts, etc. I really miss everyone."

"I understand. I went through those thoughts earlier this morning. I'm hoping that my Dad and Leah are doing okay. I'm sure my sisters are okay, but Dad has been really lonely since my Mom died. He and I have always been really close. I'm afraid of what this situation is doing to him. I am sure that Leah is staying close to him….it's just hard."

"I know, Jake. I know…we just have to stay positive. We'll get through this and back to our families. You just have to believe it."

Jake walks in silence for a few minutes. "I do believe it, Bella. I know we'll get back. "

"We'll do it together, Jake. "

"I know this is going to sound weird, Bella, but I'm glad that you are here with me."

"Thanks, Jake…I think."

"You know, I've been thinking about the coincidence of you and I being on the same flight and the only survivors. It's almost as though it was mean to be. Maybe this is the work of some higher intervention…reuniting us and our families together. I don't know….there just is too many coincidences."

"You may be right, Jake, although I would've preferred most other means of reuniting us. Nothing this drastic was necessary."

Jake laughs.

We continue walking but all of the sudden something shiny catches my eye from the mountain across the way. It was started as quickly as it stopped. I stop walking and look again. Nothing. I take a couple of steps back and it happens, again.

Jake looks back at me and says, "Bells, what you are doing? You got ants in your pants? Why are you walking backwards and forwards?"

"Jake, come here, quick!"

He walks quickly over to me. I turn him around to stand right next to me and try to place him in the direct area I was standing, hoping that his attention would be caught by what mine was.

"Here, stand right here. Now take one step back and look over in that direction and then take a step forward. Tell me what you see."

He did as I told him and his face lit up.

"Do you see it?"

"It's like the sunlight is reflecting off of something. "

"Yeah. What do you think it might be?"

"I don't know but we are certainly going to find out. Let's go."

We walked swiftly but silently on our journey towards the area we had seen the reflection, both of us silently hoping and praying this might be something or a place someone could help us.

It took us about an hour or two but we finally made it to a shack. Jake gave me the gesture to stay where I am as he took off his backpack. He slowly made his way over to the door of the shack. After a moment or two, he returned with a smile on his face. "Come on. It's okay."

"It must have been the window that gave off the reflection of the sunlight," Jacob says as I enter the shack. I look around the room. There are two cots followed up on the floor, a cabinet and sink/counter covered in dust and a small table with some sort of electronic looking gizmo on it that Jake is looking at…..wait….it can't be.

"Is that a…"

"Yeah, it is. It's a pretty old one, but it just might work," Jake answered.

Hallelujah! I hope it works. How lucky could we be to have found a shack, that can give us a little more shelter than we've had, but also one that has a radio in it. It is has about an inch of dust on it with cob webs galore, but maybe Jake can get it to work. Our prayers maybe answered.

As Jake continued to work on the radio, I put down my backpack and headed over to the cupboard and sink area. Maybe there is some food. We've been lucky enough to not completely starve because of Jake's ability to catch small critters with make shift trap, but we were down to only eating once a day if that depending on what the traps caught. I open up the cabinet to find several cans of….something. All the labels had been taken off of them. I couldn't care less, though. Anything right now would be welcoming. Then the thought occurred to me. How the hell am I going to get this can open. Oh, please….please let there be a can opener in here. I quickly start looking through the drawers around the sink. Nothing. It seems my stomach was getting antsy as well with the prospect of actually eating.

"Ugghhh!"

"Bells, what is it?"

"I think I've found some canned food but nothing to open it with!"

Jake helps me look around. It seems he is pretty hungry, too. Jake stops and smiles. He reaches for something in the corner of the shack.

"What? What is it?"

He walks over to me with a smile on his face. He pulls out an ax. This is the answer to a couple of prayers….possible can opener, though it may cause a bit of a mess, but it will help us with fire wood and such. Jake wipes off the blade of the dust and says, "Lay the can down and cross your fingers."

I do as he says, close my eyes and cross my fingers. BAM!

I look up and Jake runs over to the can. He cut the can in half. Some of the contents splattered on the counter, but it looks as though most stayed inside the two halves.

I hand Jake a spoon that I found in one of the drawers and we both scarfed down the contents in the can….some sort of canned Chow Mein. I don't even really remember how it tasted. Anything right now was going to be devine.

After a few minutes, Jake and I sit there content. We were full. It didn't matter there wasn't a lot to eat for each of us. I'm sure our stomachs had shrunk over the last couple of weeks. We would get full pretty quickly. We both looked at each other with a smile. What a day. We found adequate shelter, some food, and possible a means of communication to the outside world.

"I'm going to have to play around with the radio for a while. It seems to have some power, but I can't seem to get it to work. Who knows how long it's been since someone has been here, let alone used it."

"Just keep trying Jake."

"You betcha!" He says with a smile on his face as he walks back over to the radio."

I go ahead and start putting up the cots. It will be nice not to have to sleep on the ground for a change. I haven't slept on a cot since I was a kid and my Dad took me, my brothers, Billy and Jake camping.

After a few minutes, music filled the room. I shot a look over to Jake. He smiled. "Well, at least we can receive."

He walks over to me swinging to the music. It is a happy moment. Jake grabs my hand to dance with him. I am reluctant at first. I hate dancing. The only one that I ever felt comfortable dancing with was Edward…he says dancing was all in the leading. After a couple of seconds, I give in. We start dancing as though we are in the 1940's. We both are laughing. It was nice to laugh, again. We have a lot to be thankful for. We are one step closer to civilization.