A/N: Hello again everyone! As promised, I'm back with another chapter!

This chapter picks up right where the last left off, and I would like to apologize in advance for how this chapter ends... :P

Huge shout-out to winterschild11 and annabellex2 for taking the extra time to review last chapter! This one goes out to you guys :) I hope you all enjoy!

The cloud persisted for the rest of the day with hardly a break. Every now and again it would lift a little, and once or twice the sun even broke through, but never for long. The lack of views didn't stop the feeling of achievement as they reached each new peak.

Shane was map reading, keeping a close eye on the compass, and making sure that they were still going in the right direction. But James was just relieved with each marker they reached. It would be so easy to wander off route and get lost in this.

They made it to their destination right on schedule, shortly before the sky began to darken. It was a basic accommodation, nothing more than a hut mostly made of stone with a fireplace and a couple of wooden bunks, but James had never been more glad of shelter. His legs were aching, and he had what felt like a nasty blister developing on one of his heels. Completely exhausted, he was confident he'd sleep well tonight. Even worries about Kendall and the wedding wouldn't be able to stop him from passing out as soon as he got into his sleeping bag.

They built a fire for warmth with some wood that had been left by another user of the hut. They were grateful for that, because it was too wet outside to collect any fresh firewood. Once the fire was going, they heated up tins of beef stew and macaroni cheese on Shane's camping cooker. It was an odd and not very appealing combination, but it was warm and filling.

As they settled down in their sleeping bags, Shane turned his phone on.

"Have you got a signal?" James asked.

Shane stared at his screen for a moment. "No. I should have checked while we were up high, might have had some luck then." He switched it off again. "Never mind. Charlotte won't be expecting to hear from me until tomorrow anyway."

James didn't even bother to turn his phone on. Chances were he'd have no signal, and even if he did, he wasn't ready to read any more texts from Kendall.

He'd spent a lot of time thinking today as they'd walked in silence, breathless from the exertion of the climb and concentrating on not slipping on the treacherous rocks once the cloud came down. James wasn't any closer to deciding what to do. He felt trapped between two equally unappealing forks in the road.

They could cancel the wedding and put a halt to the plans to give Kendall time to work out what the hell he wanted from their relationship, but so much time and effort had already gone into planning it, and both their families were involved. It would be mortifying to have to admit that Kendall was having second thoughts. James couldn't bear the idea of people knowing and feeling sorry for him.

Plus, if they cancelled or postponed, even if they worked things out and ended up staying together, married or otherwise, people would always know. There was no way they would be able to deal with it privately. Wedding planning had basically made their relationship public property.

But the second alternative was hardly preferable. Going through with a wedding, pretending that everything was perfect and they were blissfully happy, while knowing Kendall wasn't completely one hundred percent on board with their marriage? James couldn't do that. He just couldn't. He needed to be sure that Kendall wanted this as much as he did. Otherwise what was the point?

Exhaustion overcame him, and his eyelids started to droop shut.

"Have you set an alarm?" He asked Shane.

"Yeah, on my watch. Six o'clock okay with you? That should give us plenty of time to get up to the next ridge and back around the loop to the car before dark."

"Yeah." James yawned. "Okay, then. I'm exhausted. Good night. Sleep well."

"You too."

When Shane switched off the torch they'd been using, the only light came from the light glow of the embers in the fireplace. Darkness surrounded them, and the night quiet.

James closed his eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.

XxX

The next morning James was stiff and sore from the long walk the day before. He got up and stretched, feeling the ache in his muscles. He was fit, but he was more of a runner than a walker. He wasn't used to long distances and endurance. Shane was the walker of the family, and James might struggle to keep up with him today.

He made sure to wrap the blister he'd gotten yesterday before they set off, not wanting to slow them down.

They left the valley and headed up a grassy path that soon turned steep and then led across it rather than directly up, but it was hard going despite that. James slipped once or twice, and the stones he stepped on went rolling down the sleep slope to his right, making his stomach lurch at the thought of following them down if he lost his footing.

They stopped for a snack midmorning, sheltering in the cover of a rocky formation above them. It was colder today, and the wind had come up a little. They sky was getting darker as they set off for the last steep climb towards the ridge, and a few drops of rain began to fall.

After another break for lunch, they set off across the ridge. It was more exposed and challenging than the one they'd walked yesterday, with dizzying drops on either side of some of the more narrow sections. Adrenaline kicked in, and James forgot about his tired muscles and painful blisters. His sole aim was to keep his footing and make it across to the relative safety of the final peak. After that it was a long, but easy walk down to the place where they'd left the car.

The snow, when it came, was completely unexpected. James had been so focused on making it across safely that he hadn't noticed the darkening sky. Without warning, the drizzle of rain turned into white flakes that stuck to the rocks. The snowflakes melted on the rocks' wet surface at first, but soon began sticking and covering the rocks with a layer of slippery snow.

Shane, who was leading the way, stopped and turned to James. "Are you okay to keep going to the end of the ridge?"

James nodded. They were so close now, it couldn't be more than a couple of hundred metres at most. And the longer they waited, the thicker the snow would get. It was falling harder now, whiting out the landscape around them. "Yeah. Keep going."

They slowly kept going. James' heart was pounding with a mixture of fear and exhilaration. He couldn't see how far they had to go, but they went steadily, slowing closing the distance, and James knew they must be almost there.

Then he stumbled. His boot lost its grip, and he lurched sideways, yelling at the sharp, tearing pain in his ankle. He lost his balance, arms wheeling as he tried and failed to catch himself. He fell, his head hit hard rock, and everything went black.

Done! So yeah... sorry!

So James is in a bit of a sticky situation. And Kendall has no idea! Will James be okay? Will Kendall find out? And the most important question, will Kames stay together?! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Next chapter will be with Kendall, so you all will have to wait a bit to find out what happens to James :P But I'm hoping to put out two chapters this week so hopefully all goes according to plan :)

Until next time!

-Epically Obsessed