okay...another fail on my part...just as I posted the last chapter, I noticed there were only 12 total and there should have been 13 with the prologue...which sent me on the hunt...to find that while I'd uploaded this chapter, I'd failed to post it...I'm SO SORRY! The rest of it will probably make more sense with this in place... *goes to hide and self flagellate*

Chapter 5~

IPOV

The cave was dark and damp and not at all comfortable. And I was hungry. I knew I'd said I could go without, but sitting in the dark as my stomach rumbled and complained, I wanted to slip out and go to the mango grove that was nearby. It was the opposite direction of the beach and I was willingly to wager that none of the pirates would be exploring in the dark. I would be safe.

"Jak?" I whispered loudly. When he didn't answer, I spoke his name louder. When he still did nothing more than let out a grunt, I slipped from my spot and exited the safety of the stone room, inhaling the fresh air deeply as I stepped out of the cave.

It was a full moon, so the path to the grove was brightly lit and to my luck, I found a couple of the fruits freshly dropped. I grabbed one and scored it on a nearby rock, breaking through the thick skin to the sweet tangy flesh inside. I could feel the juice running down my chin as I eagerly feasted on the fruit.

Once my belly no longer felt hollow, I stopped eating. Some water would have been good, but I knew the juice from the fruit would keep me till morning. My eyes, having finally adjusted to the night, noticed there were actually several of the mangoes scattered about. My survival instincts told me to gather them and sneak them back to the house. If left here, the wild creatures would gnaw at them and make them inedible to us.

I warred with myself for several moments. Back to the cave or a run back to the house to stash the fruit? There were enough of the tropical treats to augment meals for several days and it would be a shame to let them go to waste.

Finally, I decided that it would be safe, if I were careful. Using the same reasoning that I'd convinced myself with to go to the mango grove in the first place, it was late and they were probably camped on the beach, I made my way back towards our house, my skirt pulled up like a basket and filled with mangoes.

I emerged from the jungle, approaching the backside of the house and went to the storage compartments to deposit the fruit. I'd just replaced the lid when I heard a shuffling noise.

Creeping stealthily around the house, I gasped at the sight that awaited me. They hadn't made camp on the beach, no, instead, our small yard had been overrun by them. Some were sleeping alone, some were in pairs. That was when I realized there were women as well as men and that piqued my curiosity, so I crept closer.

I knelt over the sleeping bodies, trying to see what could be so frightening about them. Yes, they were disheveled, and by the odor rising off of them, it'd been a while since they'd had a chance to bathe properly, but like this, their faces were peaceful and kind.

"I will find ya, luv, I will," a strong voice murmured from across the yard. Vibrations coursed through me, setting every nerve on high alert as I recognized the voice. It was deeper than the last time I'd heard it so, perhaps, it wasn't...him.

I quickly skirted around the sleeping forms, searching out the one that had spoken in his sleep, looking for the familiar visage that haunted my dreams. I'd just passed a man who looked to be at least six feet tall with long mangy hair, a captain's hat perched over his face, when he fidgeted and my name, my old name, tumbled from his mouth and I froze.

"Edward?" I said just below a whisper, the sound of my voice barely audible to my own ears, his name now foreign on my lips.

I knelt beside the sleeping man and held my breath as I ever so carefully lifted the hat and set it to the side. In the moonlight, I gazed upon him. His skin was weather worn, tanned and covered in stubble. His cheeks and jaw were more angular and rugged than I remembered.

I desperately wanted to shake his shoulder, cause those eyes to open so I could be sure. I dared not, however, for fear that this was not actually him but some true miscreant who could be capable of causing me harm.

Again, a war waged within. My heart was thrumming like a hummingbird and my gut was telling me that this was him, but...

I reached out, my sticky fingers hovering over the planes of his face as I traced his contours in the air. As I passed them over his mouth, he exhaled, warming my fingers and I was unable to stop myself from lowering them until the pads of my fingers were touching the plump silkiness of his lips. They were cracked in a couple of places and I allowed my fingers to linger, thinking I should get him some of the coconut balm I'd learned to make.

Suddenly his mouth puckered, almost kissing my fingers, and his hot tongue flicked out between his lips causing a startled gasp to escape me as I stumbled backwards onto my backside, I shuffled back and then leapt to my feet and ran into the jungle, only half listening to see if I was being followed.

Once I'd gone far enough to feel safe, I slowed and turned around. Convinced I'd escaped unnoticed, I strolled back to the cave, a girlish smile upon my face and holding my fingers to my own lips.

I couldn't wait for the morning light and the chance to tell Jak of my discovery.

I also could not wait to confirm if Edward was, in fact, sleeping in my yard, bringing my body to life once again, merely by his proximity.