Thank ya'll for all the reviews and alerts...so glad you are enjoying this! Shall we see what the crew finds once they land?

Chapter 4~

EPOV

We cleared the reef and reached the shore without any trouble. Charles and Tyler jumped out of my boat as Samuel and Eric hopped out of the other one and they dragged the boats the last few feet through the water until the rest of us climbed out and worked together to pull them up onto the beach.

The menfolk helped their women disembark as I took in the area. I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched and I was scanning the distance. Alas, where the beach stopped, thick groves of palm trees picked up and I was not yet familiar enough with the landscape to determine if something was out of place.

Madame E and Carl approached me. As she gathered me for a quick hug, she whispered against my cheek. "You did it Edward, you found the island." Pulling back, she breathed deep of the sea air and her face broke into a pleased smile.

"We can make a home here, I just know it."

Carl took her hand, "Aye, luv, that we can," he agreed with a nod.

Emmett and Carol joined us, followed by Jack and Ally. "Thank you for finally getting us off that God forsaken boat," Carol laughed. "Now, find us a place to bathe and rest," she ordered.

"Anyone would think you were in charge, Carol," I laughed at her before dropping into a formal bow. "Let me see what me and t' crew can do t' accommodate you, your majesty," I added with a playful wink. She glared at me before grabbing Ally and Madame E's hands and headed for the shade of the trees.

"Do not be wanderin' off ladies," I yelled after them, "you know not what manner o' beast resides in those shadows."

Ally turned and gave me a knowing look, "We'll be fine, savvy?"

"Aye," I answered with a nod. If Ally felt safe, then there was no danger lurking.

Carl, Jack, Emmett and I moved towards the remaining crew. I gave leave to Angie, Emily and Leah to catch up with the other girls and rounded up the men. We divided into three groups and agreed to meet back at the beach by the time the sun finished setting. This was to be a cursory exploration to see if there was fresh water and any indication of human life. We could do a more thorough search in the morning when we had daylight on our side.

Carl, Jack, and myself went straight ahead. Benny, Tyler and Eric took the right flank and the remaining men, Samuel, Charles, and Emmett, took the left.

We had just set foot past the sand when the loud clamoring of our women had us veering to the left and charging through the trees carelessly, stumbling over coconuts and outcroppings of smaller foliage as we ran. We burst through into a small clearing and came to a halt as the girls stood there with beaming smiles on their faces.

Behind them was a shelter, rather elaborate for its building materials, suggestive of long term construction and fortifications.

A fire pit was off to the side, the tamped down embers still warm. A wash line hung from between two palms on one side of the yard, while a crude hammock hung on the other side.

"Isabella!" I yelled out immediately, running into the house, full of hope.

But she wasn't there, no one was. I had to close my eyes to gain control. Common sense had to be used. It was almost full dark and we were on an island we knew nothing about. To go running off into the wild right now could be suicide.

We had proof surrounding us that someone was living here. Hopefully, with the morning sun, we could get confirmation of who.

In the meantime, I had every intention of us setting up camp right there in the yard, in the hopes that whoever did live here, would return soon. We returned to the boats to gather the few supplies we had brought ashore with us and carried them back.

Using the warm embers in the fire pit, the girls got the fire going as we split up and ventured a little beyond the clearing to see what could be found for a supper.

Emmett and Charles soon returned after finding and killing a wild pig that we quickly had cleaned and roasting. Some fresh greens would have been nice, but again, with darkness falling there was not much we could do.

Soon after the pig was starting to crackle and fill the air with its greasy aroma, Benny and Angie returned, looking a bit disheveled, but with news of a spring. I laughed off their antics which they vehemently denied until I stepped forward and removed the grass from Angie's hair. To the side of the house, we had found hollowed out coconut shells, enough for each one of us to grab one and follow them back to the spring for a drink.

We finished off our meal by passing round a bottle of rum. With sated bellies, and dry land beneath our feet, we sectioned off and made ourselves as comfortable as we could on makeshift beds of palm fronds.

The stars were high in the sky and I was surrounded by the sounds of my family deep in sleep before I finally succumbed.

Unsurprisingly, my dreams were filled with deep brown eyes, soft rosy lips and oddly, the taste of tropical fruits.