Just a little over two weeks had pasted since Emma had made her surprise declaration about how she now thought of their island as their home. As much as Dean liked that Emma was in a better mood, not having her moments thinking of her family and friends as often, and was even eager to help in the shelter expansion and other work, Dean wondered if he felt the same way. He had accepted that they would not get off the island, but he had yet to start thinking of this place as anything other then where they were living.
Dean was gathering oysters on the beach. Emma and Dean both loved when they could make a soup with the oysters, but Dean always had a problem opening the shells once he had returned to the lagoon. Not wanting to ruin his knife, Dean had taken to using a rock to smash the end where the shells joined; he found this was the best method for getting at the meat. Of course, most of the time, the meat found in the shells was very small, not even worth the effort.
Dean and Emma had been trying to use the knife less and less. Ever since the lighter that Dean had brought to the island had run out of fuel, Dean had been looking for things that would be able to replace ideas if they lost anything or if something broke. Emma had found two stones that had edges as sharp as razors which they used to mostly clean the fish, but there were still tasks that Dean and Emma would have been lost without the knife.
Suddenly he heard a familiar noise. It was the noise that he had heard before the first jaguar had attacked him. Placing the oysters that he had gathered to the side, Dean headed into the jungle to see if he could track the animal.
After fallowing the trail for an hour, Dean lost it as it moved out onto a beach, and then back into a different part of the jungle. Hearing the jaguar growling again from within the brush, Dean knew that he would be seeing the animal soon.
Emma was sitting by the lagoon repairing one of the nets that Dean used. Both Emma and Dean had quickly been forced to learn a large number of new skills after they had spent a few nights cold and hungry. While the nets vastly improved the chances of Dean catching a fish, Emma had to repair them almost every day, because they were only made from flimsy materials they were able to find on the island.
As she sat by the lagoon, she felt something that took her completely by surprise, the first kicks of her unborn child. "Dean, Dean!" she cried, wanting Dean to feel a kick before the child stopped.
When he came rushing through the trees towards her, Dean was not sure at first what was wrong, but the look on Emma's face quickly put him at ease and raised his curiosity. "What is it Prom Queen?"
"Come over here and feel this." Once close enough, Emma grabbed his hand and placed it upon her ever expanding middle.
When nothing happened at first, Dean was confused. About to ask what was going on, Dean felt something. "What was that?" Dean cried feeling the child through Emma's stomach a second time.
"That's our baby." Emma replied.
Sitting down next to Emma on a large stone, he quickly took hold of her and they waited until they felt the movement again.
Dean was cooking some fish when he first heard the movement in the brush a little to the left of the lagoon. Knowing that Emma was taking a swim in the lagoon, Dean quickly collected his knife, the net he used for fishing, and a spear made from an old branch. Slowly getting up, Dean began to move towards the water. Making as little noise as possible, Dean moved through the small amount of jungle that separated him from the lagoon.
Upon reaching of the open area around the lagoon, Dean decided to stay concealed in the brush since he could see Emma. She was standing under the water of the falls, and Dean could see that she was enjoying the fact that the weight of her pregnancy was somewhat relieved by the water. Her hair flowed out behind her like streams of brown oil, and her tanned skin seemed to cause the water around her body to glow.
Dean watched as water from the falls poured into the lagoon obscuring the details of her form but still allowing a glimpse every few moments. Even with her swollen belly, Emma moved with a grace that Dean had notice the first day on the island. There were times, far fewer then Dean would like, when he would sit back and simply enjoy the sight of Emma walking around where they lived.
Hearing movement in the brush again, Dean pulled his eyes away from Emma's form and scanned the area. About a third of the way around the pool, Dean noticed that some of the plants were slowly parting. Protruding from between the plants, Dean saw the muzzle of another jaguar.
Silently moving into the water, Dean glided over to the falls where Emma relaxed with her eyes closed. Quickly placing his large hand over her mouth, Dean got behind her and pulled her into his muscled arms. At first she struggled not knowing what was happening, but when he whispered in her ear about the jaguar, she quickly calmed down.
Keeping their focus on the animal, Dean and Emma slowly moved to the edge of the lagoon. As Dean held her against his broad chest, he could feel her tremble slightly. Making sure she did not know how scared he also was, Dean whispered encouraging words to Emma. Upon reaching the edge of the water, Dean slipped out and helped Emma onto a rock. She waited naked while Dean went and gathered her clothes. By this time the jaguar had vanished back into the jungle.