Drunk Sydney, a solid lead on Dimitri & a whopping 8000+ word count. Strap in!

(Also, you might find some minor Bloodlines spoilers in this chapter - though they are heavily disguised in cowboy clothing.)

7. Las Vegas

Sylvania Mountains to Fort Baker: 170 miles

By lunchtime the next day they'd reached the crossroads that would lead the ladies south, and the gentlemen west to the Sylvania mountains.

'It's one hundred and seventy miles from here to Las Vegas,' Christian was standing with a map spread out against the flank of his horse, imparting a few final pearls of wisdom to Rose and Sydney before they parted for the next leg of their journey. 'You'll be passing through Shoshone and Paiute territory so remember to practice the signs I taught you, and only engage in contact if absolutely necessary. If you lose the trail, just keep the mountains on your right and follow them south-east until you come to your destination. Provided the weather stays as clear as it was this morning, I think you should manage to complete the journey in... four or five days.'

'We'll do it in three or four,' Rose announced stubbornly, while Sydney blinked in agreement at her side.

Mr O'Hara looked from the deputy to the nurse with quiet admiration. 'Hmm... I expect you might,' he conceded, extending his hand to bid each of them farewell. 'Safe travels, Miss Sage. Don't let this one do anything too reckless,' he jerked his head in Rose's direction. 'And I hope your mission with the deputy doesn't keep you away from Saint's Town too long. I happen to know of a certain gentleman who'll be very anxious to see you again. Perhaps, by the time I return home in the new year, there will be a new Mrs Ivara in town?' he waggled his eyebrows then hurried backwards, clutching at the spot on his arm where Deputy Belikov had struck him. 'What was that for?!'

Rose stalked after him until they were a few feet away from the others - last night's bonding session far from her mind. 'A little tact, Mr O'Hara,' she hissed, trying to spare Sydney the indignity of hearing her personal matters discussed in front of a very interested Sarcone and Barnes. 'Don't you ever think before you speak?'

The man smirked. 'Not really, but that's part of my charm!'

'Charm?' Rose scoffed. 'That's what you call it? And here I was thinking you were just being an insensitive ass, as usual.'

She would have gone on chiding him, but they both turned at a ripe slapping sound to see Sydney sweeping away from Mr Barnes; mounting her horse and assuming an impatient expression.

'I only asked her what this Mr Ivara's got that I haven't!' he muttered, nursing his bearded cheek with an injured expression. 'Talk about touchy!'

'Good looks, charisma, and a whopping great fortune for starters,' Rose informed him, coming across to give the man a consoling pat on the shoulder. 'Still, you mustn't lose heart. Miss Sage may have slipped through your net, but she's only one woman and The West is a mighty big place. Just think how many beautiful, adoring young ladies are waiting for you - right on the other side of those mountains. Pretty ones, fair ones, dark ones, tall ones...'

Barnes perked up considerably, oblivious to the fact that Rose was teasing him. 'Good luck on your journey, ma'am. I hope you find your husband soon. He must be one helluva man for you to search after him so long and so far from home.'

'He is.' The thought of Dimitri made Rose's heart clench with loss and longing, and she welcomed the distraction of Raphael Sarcone stepping forward to say farewell.

'Goodbye, deputy,' the thick-set gentleman claimed her hand. 'It's been an honour to make your acquaintance. If anything ever happened to me, I hope my wife would be as loyal as you and come hunting for me as well.'

There was a snigger from Mr Barnes. 'Your wife, Sarcone? If she knew about the hanky-panky you get up to every time we stop at Aunt Rhonda's, she'd be hunting after you, alright. With a double-barrelled shotgun!'

'Well, let's make sure she never finds out then, shall we?' Sarcone warned, hustling the younger man towards the horses, and leaving Deputy Belikov alone with Christian O'Hara.

'I trust you aren't indulging in any hanky-panky, Mr O'Hara,' Rose's glare was just as threatening as the finger jabbing into Christian's chest. 'If I hear of you doing anything to dishonour your beautiful wife, I swear I'll...'

Christian shook his head, a smile not far from his lips. 'No hanky... or panky, I promise,' he pushed the finger away and took her hand instead - holding it loosely in his. 'God speed you on your journey, Mrs Belikov. I'm certain you'll find what you are looking for - you normally have a habit of getting your own way.'

The man had a unique and irritating way of making Rose want to punch him and hug him at the same time.

'Thank you, Mr O'Hara. I'll see you back at the ranch when you return after Christmas - that is, if you can keep yourself from eating any wild berries that might disagree with you.'

A smart reply danced on Christian's tongue, but he chose to keep it to himself. It was worth being taunted - just this once - to get a parting glimpse of the carefree, mischievous, pain-in-the-caboose Rose he had secretly grown to love (well, tolerate, at least).

It wasn't long, though, before the serious Rose returned. 'But if I don't make it back to Saint's Town for some reason... promise me you'll give my love to Lisa. Tell her that she's been the best friend I could have wished for, and I will always think of her like a second soul - even if fate has cast us far apart... And tell her I have a feeling she's going to be an amazing mother... and I wouldn't be entirely offended if she chooses to name the baby after me,' she smiled just a little at the end.

Christian shook his head, gazing down at her with something very close to affection. 'Sorry, kid. I don't do sentimental stuff. You'll have to tell her all that yourself.'

Moisture filled Rose's eyes and she gripped the man's fingers tightly, glad that at least one person had faith she would complete her mission and return home again safely. 'I guess we'll see one another again in the new year, then, Mr O'Hara,' she announced bravely. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to stick to her word, but she planned on giving it her best God-darn try.

'I guess we will,' Christian nodded gravely.

He released her to go and watched after the deputy and Miss Sage until they were swallowed by the pale, desolate expanse that stretched out endlessly ahead of them.

'We should probably make camp for the night,' Rose slowed her horse beside Sydney's when the light was beginning to fade, indicating a suitable camping site off to the side of the trail. Her heart told her to keep on riding - every step forwards a step closer to finding Dimitri - but the horses had worked hard all afternoon and deserved a good night's rest. 'I think we must have covered thirty miles since lunchtime.'

'Closer to thirty-five,' Sydney amended, mechanically reaching for the tent that was stowed with her other luggage.

Rose moved to assist her, aware that they needed to get a fire going and attend to the horses' needs before she could justify taking care of her own grumbling stomach. 'Thirty-five is good,' she ran some sums in her head. 'So, that leaves a hundred and thirty-five miles to go. It's Sunday now... If we can average fifty miles a day we should be in Las Vegas by Tuesday afternoon.'

'Fort Baker.' Sydney's face was invisible behind the tent, but there was a clear note of irritation in her voice.

'Sorry?' Rose frowned.

The nurse's head appeared, followed by her body. She was struggling to untangle a knot in one of the tent ropes, and the knot appeared to be winning. 'Las Vegas has been called Fort Baker ever since Union troops have been stationed there to protect the Mormon settlers against the threat of a southern invasion. You really aught to have known that, being a government official yourself.'

Rose bit back a harsh reply. They'd been riding all day. They were tired, hungry, and well over a hundred miles from the nearest sign of civilization. Now was not the time to be starting an argument. 'It must have slipped my attention. I guess I've had a lot going on lately.'

The sharpness in Sydney's expression melted. 'I'm sorry. The name of the place doesn't even matter... It's just so cold, and we're such a long way from home, and I've got cramps that would cripple a horse... and this godforsaken thing,' she shook the knotted rope in frustration. 'I'm afraid things are getting to me a little.'

Miss Sage wasn't the type to admit weakness, and Rose knew how much that confession must have cost her.

'Don't worry about it,' she stepped closer and took the rope from the other woman's hand, fingers working deftly to undo the knot. 'You should have heard the things I used to come out with when it was my time of the month. I can't tell you how many times Madam Kiroy made me stay back after lessons and write I will not cuss like a man over and over until I couldn't grip the pencil anymore.'

Despite her moodiness, Sydney cracked a small smile and the pair finished setting up their camp without further discussion or complaint.

It was only when the evening meal was cooked and ready to eat that Rose noticed just how quiet it was without Christian and the others sharing their campfire. 'I'm starving,' she announced to fill the silence, ladling out one generous serving of salted-beef and onion broth for herself, and passing the second bowl to her companion. 'You?'

Sydney spooned dubiously through the gelatinous grey-brown liquid without actually tasting it. 'I'm not sure.' Her stomach was cramping with hunger but she wasn't certain she would be able to keep the meal down. Her whole mid-section was already twisted with cramps of another sort, and her insides squirmed uneasily whenever she considered how far they were from home and safety.

There was nothing wrong with Deputy Belikov's skills of observation. 'What's on your mind, Sydney?'

Miss Sage looked up briefly but didn't respond, her spoon still trailing slowly through the broth.

'Whatever's bothering you,' Rose tried again, secretly missing the easiness of her friendship with Lisa. 'Carly, the mountain lion, Indians, Mr Ivara...'

The aimless stirring stopped.

'...I'm here to listen if you want to talk.'

When Sydney looked up again she didn't seem upset or offended by the offer - only tired. 'Actually, I think I just need a few hours of sleep to clear my head. Do you mind taking first watch tonight?'

Rose got up from beside Miss Sage and took the untouched meal from her hands, shooing her away when she attempted to scrape out the soup-crusted cooking pot instead of heading straight to bed. 'I can sort this out. Just leave your washing by the fire before you go to sleep and I'll see that it's soaked and hung up to dry.'

Sydney looked like she was going to refuse, but then another yawn stole out of her mouth and she conceded defeat. 'Thank you, Rose. Remember to wake me when it's my watch.'

The deputy promised she would, and spent the next few hours scouring the darkness for signs of movement; passing the time by imagining what she and Dimitri would be doing right now if none of this had happened. (Probably falling into bed after a full weekend spent with their friends and family. He would tell her all the things she'd missed that had been spoken in Russian throughout the day. She would complain that Yeva had made another rude comment about her. He would remind her that she shouldn't pay attention to anybody's opinion of her except her husband's, and so far her husband had absolutely no complaints. She would goad him into telling her just one thing he thought she should improve upon. He would tease her by taking a long time to decide on an answer, then announce that he wished she wouldn't talk so much when he was trying to go to sleep. She would challenge him to stop her talking if he dared. He would stop her with his lips and neither of them would get any sleep until they were both lying back against the pillows; their heads turned to face one another, their chests rising and falling quickly, and their fingers intertwined.)

Rose and Sydney set out early the next morning and were glad to make swift progress on the road.

There was nothing especially appealing about their destination. Las Vegas was little more than an isolated outpost in the desert, but reaching the fort meant fresh food supplies, clean clothing, a proper night's sleep in a real bed, and - most importantly - the possibility of finding Dimitri. After travelling rough for over a week, the promise of comfort and safety only a day and a half's ride away felt almost too good to be true. Unfortunately, when something feels too good to be true, it often is.

'Rose!' Miss Sage sat rigid in the saddle, her heart racing as she tugged at the reins to stop.

The deputy slackened her pace but kept moving, forcing Sydney to draw up alongside her and converse as they rode. 'You've seen him, then,' she threw a glance towards a dark shape nearly two hundred yards off to the right of the trail, partially obscured against the dappled backdrop of the snow-capped Sierras. 'I think he's been tracking us for about an hour.'

It was around ten-thirty a.m. that Rose noticed they were being followed. At first she discounted the image as a mirage, and then guessed it to be a pair of wild horses - their silhouettes hazy and overlapping in the distance - but eventually she had to accept the truth. It was a man on horseback. He didn't sit heavy on his horse like a cowboy, but swayed almost gracefully; of one mind with the beast beneath him. Instead of wearing a broad-brimmed hat and winter coat, his head was adorned with feathers and his slight frame was bulky with furs. Once or twice, Rose thought she could make out the curved arc of a bow resting across his lap. An Indian.

'You knew and you didn't think to tell me?!' Sydney choked. She'd realised they would probably run into Indians at some point along the journey, but now that she was actually seeing one with her own eyes, all confidence and logic fled her mind - replaced by stories of scalpings, kidnappings, savagery and rape. If she wasn't momentarily paralysed with fear, she might have turned her horse on its tail and fled.

'I didn't want to worry you,' Deputy Belikov explained, eyes focused on the path ahead as she continued to run through every scenario she could think of, just as Dimitri had taught her. 'If he wanted to attack us he would have done it by now.' She hoped to God that she was right.

Miss Sage gripped the reins tightly. 'So what do we do now?' she glanced around warily, wishing - not for the first time - that she'd taken Adrian Ivara's advice and remained safely back in Saint's Town.

'Nothing,' Rose shrugged. 'Just keep riding and try not to give him any reason to want to kill us.'

'I guess I'd better put my pistols away, then!' a high-pitched, nervous giggle fell from Sydney's lips.

Rose looked at her askance. 'Over three hundred miles with barely a smile and now you feel like joking?' This nurse was crazy.

'I know one about a chicken too, if you want to hear it,' the nurse giggled again - so anxious she was beginning to sound a little drunk.

'Maybe later,' the deputy shook her head, bemused, then returned her concentration to the task at hand - making it to Las Vegas without getting any arrow holes in her favourite riding dress.

They were still alive by nightfall.

'Commissura brevis, pyramid, uvula, amygdala, furrowed band, nodulus, posterior medullary velum, nidus hirundinis...' Sydney muttered, her eyes trained on the campfire and her gloved hands toying with the fabric of her skirt.

Deputy Belikov looked up from the coffee she was pouring - curious and a little concerned. 'Are you praying in Latin?'

Serious-Sydney could be mildly unpleasant company, Joking-Sydney was mildly disturbing, but Praying-Sydney? That was something Rose had never expected to see.

The nurse's lips twitched with the faintest hint of amusement. 'I'm just revising anatomical terminology for the major structures and systems of the human body. I find it soothes the nerves.'

'I don't think it's working,' Rose cast a meaningful glance at Sydney's restless fingers.

Miss Sage immediately crossed her arms to stop herself from fidgeting - annoyed she was not as cool and collected as she would like to be. 'How can you not be worried? That native is still out there in the dark and we're just sitting here waiting for him to attack. I wish he'd hurry up and get it over with!'

'I've gotten out of tighter scrapes than this before,' the deputy reassured her, prudently omitting the fact that Dimitri had been close-by to support her on almost all of those occasions. 'The way I see it, there are only two options in this scenario. Either our Indian friend does pay us a visit, at which time I will make it crystal clear that his presence is unwelcome,' she patted the gun at her belt, 'or he doesn't pay us a visit, and all we have to do is ignore him for the rest of the night, then make a run for Las Vegas at dawn - hopefully before he alerts any of his fellow tribesmen that we are passing through their lands.'

'That really doesn't make me feel any calmer,' Sydney shuddered.

After a brief pause, Rose walked away from the fire and crouched down by one of the saddlebags, returning moments later with a bottle in her hand. 'Maybe this will help, then?' she held the whiskey aloft and shook it so the firelight caught its amber gleam.

Sydney's eyes widened. 'I don't think that's a good idea.'

Rose's lips widened. 'I think it's a very good idea.'

'You want me to drink that coffin varnish?!' the nurse protested. 'Are you trying to kill me? Apart from the fact it is completely uncouth for ladies to be drinking, it tastes vile and smells revolting. As a medical professional, I'd only ever recommend it to be used in an emergency situation.'

'Well, consider this an emergency situation,' Rose poured a liberal amount into each of their coffee cups and brought both drinks over from the fire. 'If the worst happens and this ends up being my last night on earth then I, for one, would like to spend it in good spirits - and I can't do that if you're jabbering on about Latin body parts all night. Drink up, Miss Sage,' she took a deep draft of the warm, bitter liquid by way of demonstration then waited expectantly for her friend to follow suit.

Indecision and guilt crossed Sydney's face before she finally bit the bullet, knocking back a quantity that would have made Adrian Ivara proud. 'There. Are you happier now?'

'Much,' Rose grinned, taking another mouthful from her own cup then biding her time to see exactly what effect the alcohol would have on the prim and proper Sydney Sage.

'It's not true - what they say,' Sydney announced cryptically, when she was mid-way through her second drink.

'What's not true?' the deputy's eyes flashed with lazy interest.

The two women were sitting side by side on their bedding in front of the fire, huddled together for warmth (and for comfort as well, though neither of them admitted it aloud). They hadn't forgotten about the Indian hiding in the darkness, but the alcohol had loosened moods and tongues, and the conversation had moved on to other topics.

'The size of a man's boots being proportional to the size of his... you know,' the blonde woman trailed off.

This news came as a genuine surprise to Rose. 'But my husband wears very large boots and he is... exceptionally proportional,' she mused aloud.

Sydney nearly choked on her drink and tried to cover it with an important-sounding cough. 'Well, that's as may be, but in my line of work I've seen a surprising number of you-know-whats and let me tell you, most of them aren't much to look at. I saw one once that bore an uncanny resemblance to the fruit of a prickly pear cactus. All round and purple and-...'

It was Rose's turn to splutter. 'I had no idea you were such a woman of the world, Miss Sage,' she did her best to smother the laugh that welled up from her aching lungs.

'Perhaps... but not as much of a woman of the world as you are, apparently,' Sydney huffed.

Rose discovered that the relaxing effect of the alcohol no longer so relaxing. 'What do you mean by that, exactly?'

'What do you think I mean by that?' came the cool reply.

So much for spending the night in good-spirits.

'I honestly have no idea,' Rose sighed. 'Why don't you just tell me what's bothering you so we can sort it out?'

There was an uncomfortable silence, then Sydney took a bolstering sip of her drink and looked the deputy straight in the eye. 'I found the pictures.'

Confusion and suspicion stirred at the back Rose's mind. 'What pictures?'

'Don't tell me you don't know about them,' the nurse's face soured. 'Everybody I talked to in town confirmed that you posed for Mr Ivara's paintings,' she said the last word like it was a shameful thing.

'Now hold on a minute,' Rose set her cup down a little too heavily. 'I sat for one painting and it was very tasteful. Mr Ivara hung the portrait in the saloon for a short while, but he took it down as soon my engagement to Dimitri was announced to make sure there were no public misunderstandings about the nature of my connection to him - which is platonic, by the way... And for your information, my husband loves that picture. It was his favourite wedding gift.'

Sydney's forehead wrinkled uncertainly. 'So, the others... You didn't pose for them?'

'What others?!'

'The ones I found in Adrian's bedroom!'

Rose baulked, all talk of paintings forgotten. 'You were in Adrian's bedroom?!... Not that I'm judging, of course,' she added quickly, catching the other woman's sharp look. 'It's just... I thought you loathed the man?'

Miss Sage glanced away, a glimmer of evasiveness and guilt in her alcohol-glazed expression. 'When I told you that nothing happened between me and Mr Ivara, I may have... left out a few details.' It was obvious the secret had been gnawing at her for some time.

'Why don't you tell me what happened from the beginning?' the deputy suggested, already reaching for the whiskey bottle and pouring another generous splash into each of their coffee cups.

Sydney eyed her companion warily for a few moments, then knocked back one or two gulps of the hair-raising concoction and prepared to bare her soul.

'The day I met Adrian Ivara - the day of the Bridal Six murders - I thought him self-obsessed, childish and inconsiderate. My father and I had set up a hospital ward in the hotel to care for the injured, and Adrian spent the whole afternoon playing a ridiculous game - trying to get my attention by pretending something was wrong with his leg wound, then forcing me to listen to his drunken banter and off-colour comments when I should have been tending to patients who actually needed my help. In the end, I had to banish him to his own quarters - not that he listened to my advice. The fifth time he limped back into the ward and made a bee-line towards me, I told him I'd cut off his leg with a bone saw if he didn't get out and stay out.' She fell quiet, gazing into the fire with a glum expression.

'And then?' Rose chimed in, a little impatiently.

'It was a rough night. We lost one of the burns patients to fever, Miss Karp's condition required constant monitoring, and just before dawn Reverend Karp died unexpectedly of a heart attack. At seven o'clock, my father was called away to attend a medical emergency in the next town, then your husband waltzed in and took Sonya Karp away without even asking if she could be released from my care. I was left alone with two remaining patients - one with serious burns to his arms and face, and the other still passed out from the amputation we'd performed to save his upper arm.'

Rose's stomach turned at the thought of such a gruesome operation. 'You must have been exhausted.'

'That's what Adrian told me too,' Sydney confided self-consciously. 'He came in at eight o'clock that morning - sober - carrying a tray heaped with breakfast, and insisted I eat it all in front of him. Then he informed me that he would be looking after my patients for the rest of the morning, and ordered me to bed for a minimum of four hours. I refused, of course, but he said I might be the head nurse but he owned the hospital so there was no point arguing with him.'

The deputy allowed herself a private smile. Adrian Ivara certainly possessed a special talent for persuasion.

'I stayed another two days in Saint's Town after that,' the nurse continued. 'Mr Ivara and I spent time together. Talking,' she added, seeing Rose lift an eyebrow. 'The day I left, he asked if he could write me when I returned to my studies in Boston. I knew Father wouldn't approve of me associating with a gentleman as worldly as Adrian - I didn't even approve of him myself in many respects - but I suppose I was feeling a bit rebellious so I gave him my address.'

'That's my girl!' Rose smacked her on the back in congratulations. 'So these letters... were they love notes?'

Miss Sage took a gulp of her drink for courage. 'Not at first. We just talked about our families. Our fathers have a lot in common... I believe the popular term would be assholes,' she clarified, smirking briefly when Rose's jaw fell wide open.

'But later... things changed. He wanted something more than friendship, but I couldn't give him what he desired. My career is everything to me, Rose,' Sydney's voice was soft but passionate. 'Marriage would mean the end of my medical studies and my nursing position with the Union Army. Even if my profession wasn't a consideration, my father would never allow me to marry a man who owned a drinking and gambling den, regardless of his material wealth. It would bring shame on my family and go against everything we stand for...,' her face darkened. 'And then there's the pictures.'

Rose pulled her blanket tighter around her shoulders, feeling strangely nervous, while Sydney proceeded to address the next part of her speech to the depths of her mug.

'The last time I travelled to Saint's Town on medical business I needed to stay in town overnight, but all the rooms at the hotel were already taken. That's when Mr Ivara offered me his own quarters. It was highly irregular, but I didn't have anywhere else to go and he promised he would be discreet, so I accepted. Later that evening, I was preparing for bed when Adrian knocked on the door. He was bunking the night at Eddie Castile's house and needed to gather a few personal items, but when he was on his way out again, he... he came up to me and took my face in his hands... He said I had the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen and begged my permission to paint them.'

Jealousy tugged at the deputy's heart, but not because she wanted Adrian's attention for herself. She was thinking of the first, forbidden encounters she and Dimitri had shared; wondering if they would share such moments again in the future.

'I don't know what came over me, but I agreed to his request without even thinking. He...,' Sydney touched her neck self-consciously, '...he kissed me on the cheek and left the room before I could change my mind.'

'Very wise of him,' Rose made an attempt to lighten the mood a little.

Sydney didn't smile. 'But after he left, I saw a sketchbook on his bookcase by the bed and decided to find out if he was as skilled a painter as I had heard...,' she faltered, snatching a furtive glance at the woman seated beside her. 'I wish I'd never opened the thing. It was filled with pictures of women. Faces, bodies... nudes.'

'I'm sure there's nothing untoward about it,' Rose suggested, though she wouldn't be entirely surprised if lechery was one of Adrian Ivara's many vices. 'Artists have been drawing nudes for centuries - even the great religious painters did it. The Cistern Chapel, for instance,' the name sounded vaguely familiar - something Lisa went on about at great length when she began taking an serious interest in her art lessons.

Sydney didn't even bother to correct her. 'I'm a nurse, Rose. Nudity doesn't concern me... What did concern me was that all of the women he drew and painted had your face.'

'That dirty rat!' Deputy Belikov exclaimed, springing up from the blankets like she was about to gallop all the way back to Saint's Town to exact her revenge on Adrian that very instant.

'The dirtiest, rattiest rat in dirt town,' Sydney declared sombrely, tipping her head back and draining her whiskey to the last, disgusting drop.

'And he wanted me to tell you what a reformed man he is, and how he hopes to be worthy of your love?!' Rose paced the fire angrily, returning to grab her own cup and practically throwing the stuff down her throat. 'Who could possibly fall in love with a love rat like that?!'

A small voice broke the silence. 'Me.'

The deputy stopped pacing and stared at the blonde woman like she had gone completely mad.

'And if we get killed by Indians tonight,' Sydney confessed sadly, 'then I'm never going to get the chance to tell Adrian that I think I do love him - even if he is just a dirty, rotten, drunken, gambling, lecherous love rat.' She fell quiet, then hiccupped. 'I'm really drunk aren't I?'

Rose could think of a few choice words she'd like to say to Adrian too - on behalf of herself and Miss Sage - but she would have to deal with him later.

'I think I like you better this way,' she knelt down and wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulder, surprised and pleased when Sydney relaxed into the one-armed embrace. 'We should do this again one day, don't you think? You can come around to my place for supper one night, then we'll let Dimitri and Adrian do the washing up while we retire to the sitting room and share a couple of brandies...'

'Or the other way around,' her companion amended vaguely. 'You and Sheriff Belikov can visit us at the saloon and...'

There was an odd snorting sound and Rose turned her head to see that Sydney had fallen asleep mid-sentence; the emotional upheaval, physical exhaustion and excessive consumption of alcohol finally taking their toll. Feeling immediately tired herself, Deputy Belikov lowered the sleeping woman carefully to the ground and pulled the blankets up under her chin; fighting back a yawn that would have swallowed most of Utah, Nevada and the New Mexico Territory as well. If they were going to make it through the night unmolested by Indians, then she would just have to find the will to stay awake.

'Rose! Get up!'

Sydney shook her companion's shoulder, and there was sickening moment as the deputy's eyes flung open and she realised that she had fallen asleep on her watch. How could she be so selfish and reckless? If she was in the army she'd have been shot. She deserved to be shot.

'Are we surrounded?' Rose staggered to her feet and clutched desperately for her pistol.

'Calm down. We're fine. It's just time to leave. I've been awake for a few hours and packed us breakfast to go,' Sydney nodded to a stack of hot cakes by the fire, her hands occupied folding up the last of their bedding.

The deputy exhaled slowly, pressing at the sharp headache that was throbbing behind her eyes. Last night she'd held her liquor remarkably well, but now it was getting its own back. 'Thank you. And I'm so sorry. I should never have allowed myself to fall asleep while you were in my care... How are you feeling - after last night?' If the hangover was hitting her this hard, then teetotaller Sydney must be in agony.

'Perfectly fine, actually. I've never understood how Adrian could drink so much, but perhaps one or two drinks on occasion wouldn't be such a bad thing,' the nurse smoothed her perfectly-pinned hair and smiled timidly.

In that moment, Rose hated Sydney just a little bit. Nobody who'd drunk that much the night before deserved to be so poised and pretty the next morning.

'So we're calling him Adrian now, not Mr Iv-...?' Rose had been planning to tease her friend about the recent revelations, but cut off abruptly when a lone rider appeared - as if from nowhere - only a stone's throw from their camp. Their Indian friend had decided to make his move.

For the second time that morning, Deputy Belikov's hand darted for her gun, but Sydney tugged sharply at her sleeve.

'No! Let me try first,' she hissed, turning to face the stranger and raising two fingers on her right hand. Friend.

Nothing happened.

Maybe he doesn't understand? Rose worried, mirroring the action. She was used to facing danger with a pistol in her hand - not holding her arm up in the air like an open invitation for the Indian to shoot her in the ribs. It didn't matter that he looked a bit on the scrawny side. You didn't need to be tall and bulky to fire an arrow, and Rose had no doubt that the native before them would hit his target every time.

Sydney tried again, then with her other hand, then signed a series of other words that Mr O'Hara had taught them (none of which Rose remembered the meanings for).

Still nothing.

'Well if he hasn't killed us by now, then I guess that means we're going to be best buddies,' Deputy Belikov muttered out of the corner of her mouth, and that's when the Indian moved.

Rose may have been a novice at Indian sign language, but the outward slicing motion of the stranger's copper-skinned hand was unmistakable. Go. Leave. Begone. The women didn't wait to be told twice.

'We've done as he asked. Why doesn't he leave us alone?' Sydney asked several hours later.

They'd eaten their breakfast on horseback and skipped lunch altogether - concerned by the persistent shadow that tracked alongside them at a distance. Instead of taking regular food and rest breaks, the travellers altered their pace throughout the day - first a quick trot, then increasing to a lope for a shorter interval, then dropping back to a walk to allow the horses respite. The deputy's secret stash of jerky got them through the afternoon, but as dusk approached, both Rose and Sydney were hungry, saddle sore and eager to halt.

'Coffee,' Sydney's voice was raspy from lack of use.

'Bed,' Rose groaned, slipping down from the saddle and nearly falling flat on her rear; her whole body gripped in that curious, unnameable state between numbness and agony.

There was a soft thunk and the deputy's horse shied. She grabbed its reins at once, hushing the animal in soft, soothing tones and running her hand down its quivering neck.

'How far is it to Las Vegas, Miss Sage?' Rose asked between reassurances, sounding much calmer than she felt.

'Maybe another ten, fifteen miles?' Sydney replied disinterestedly. 'Why?'

Rose led her horse in a slow circle to calm it, casting a meaningful look back at the ground where they had just been standing, and Sydney paled when she saw a single arrow sticking up from the earth.

'I didn't really want that coffee anyway,' the nurse grimaced, mounting her horse as quickly as she was able so they could resume their journey southward.

An hour later, the daylight was all but gone.

'We need to stop,' Sydney peered out into the murk. It looked like it was going to rain again, and there was only so much further they could go before they had no light to guide them at all. If they lost the trail it wouldn't matter if they had an Indian on their tail or not. Their food supplies were nearly out, and if hunger didn't get them the cold certainly would.

'We can't,' Deputy Belikov answered simply, pressing forwards. One step at a time. Another hour, maybe two, and they would reach their destination. Just one step at a time.

It was nearing nine-thirty when Sydney spoke up again, her voice weak with fatigue. 'A light.'

If Rose wasn't on horseback she would have kissed the woman out of sheer relief. 'Let's go and get that coffee you were after,' she announced into the darkness, and both women discovered that they did, in fact, have one last reserve of energy to carry them the final distance to the welcoming gates of Las Vegas.

'State your name and business,' the man at the city gate was wearing civilian clothing but had what appeared to be a Union-issued firearm pointed at Rose's chest.

'I'm Deputy Belikov of Saint's Town,' Rose identified herself, keen to get the interrogation over with quickly, 'and my companion is Sydney Sage, a nurse with the garrison at Fort Freemont five hundred miles north of here. My sheriff was attacked and taken by a group of rebels a little under two weeks ago. I've been tasked to find him. Sheriff Dimitri Belikov. Do you know of him?'

'It's just a pair of women!' a second guard - a humourless man with greying whiskers and no moustache - stepped right up beside Sydney's horse and jabbed his rifle into her shoulder. 'What are you two doing out here after dark. Spies for Johnny Reb, no doubt. Let's get you down and see what you're hiding in your pockets.'

'Don't you dare touch me!' Miss Sage snapped, striking out viciously when he attempted to remove her from the saddle.

The man was about to return the favour with the butt of his rifle but Deputy Belikov distracted him. 'I demand to speak with the person in charge! At once!'

'We don't take orders from you, heathen,' the first man took a threatening step forward, motioning with the muzzle of his gun for Rose to dismount. 'Get off. Now.'

Rose was not in the mood to be messed with. 'Why don't you make me?' she challenged, itching for the chance to draw her pistol and teach the man to mind his manners.

'Ladies! You're here!' a new voice called out unexpectedly, and a man in a smart, blue uniform strode through the gates of the Mormon fort, indicating for the two guards to stand down. 'Please accept my sincerest apologies for the frosty welcome, friends, but you can never be too careful with a war on. Please, come with me. You're expected.'

Sydney nodded stiffly in gratitude and followed the soldier through the heavy wooden gates, but Rose remained silent and alert. Expected? By whom?

'This way,' their guide ushered them through the darkened streets until they came to stop outside a modest dwelling on the outskirts of the settlement.

'Whose house is this?' Rose frowned. 'I asked to see your superior officer, and this sure as hell isn't the barracks.'

Before the soldier could answer, the door to the house opened and a grizzled, wild-looking man exited the building, walking quietly and purposefully toward them.

'Pavel?!' Rose stared at him incredulously. Alberta's lawyer, Abraham Mazur, had promised he'd keep an ear out for information concerning Dimitri, but he and Pavel were meant to be heading west, not south.

The old man nodded in sombre greeting, taking the deputy's reins when she dismounted.

'Is Mr Mazur inside?' she asked impatiently.

Pavel nodded again, and Rose felt her stomach lurch into her mouth. 'Does he have news of my husband?'

The man had barely inclined his head and Rose was already heading for the door - bursting into the main living room to accost the richly-dressed gentleman who was seated in an armchair by the fire.

'Dimitri? Is he here?' she searched the room anxiously, her heart dropping when she saw no sign of her beloved cowboy. 'Why are you here? Have you heard something?' she crossed the room and grabbed the lawyer's arm as he stood to greet her. 'Is he alive?'

'Well hello to you too, Deputy Belikov,' Abraham Mazur exuded calm and control, taking his guest's hand and squeezing it gently - and although his accent wasn't Russian, Rose found the lilt of it oddly soothing. 'Come, child. Sit. You must be tired from the road,' he led her to a chair as if this was a perfectly ordinary house-call, handing her a cup of very strong, very black coffee. 'I trust our Indian friends didn't trouble you on your journey?'

'Not until yesterday,' Rose would really rather be talking about Dimitri. 'A lone rider. He left us well alone last night, but today he seemed very anxious to have us out of his territory.'

'Aah. That would be Tad.'

'What? You know him? That bastard shot an arrow at me!'

'Taduwidetsihi - a native tracker friend of Pavel's,' Mr Mazur explained. 'As soon as we knew the route you'd be taking south, I instructed Pavel to organise a guide to watch over you once you'd passed south of the Sylvania Mountains. I had full confidence you could make the journey alone, of course,' he clarified, when he saw the deputy narrow her eyes. 'It was just a precaution... Tad's a good man - a loyal man. He'd only fire at you if it was meant as a warning. If he was shooting to kill, you wouldn't be alive to tell the tale.'

Rose shook her head in disbelief. 'Why didn't he just come over and say hi?!'

'It's not his way,' Abe shrugged, rising from his chair to welcome Miss Sage who had just entered the room.

When they were all seated again - each of them sipping at a cup of what their host referred to as 'real coffee' - Rose was unable to wait any longer.

'Dimitri. What news do you have? Good or bad, I need to know.'

Mr Mazur's dark, handsome features set into a frown. 'Well, he's alive - I can tell you that much.'

Tears sprang to the deputy's eyes and she gripped the arms of her chair tightly to keep herself from floating right up to the ceiling.

'But I'm afraid it's not all good news,' the lawyer studied her carefully, waiting for permission to continue.

Rose swallowed with some difficulty then nodded.

'After I left Cottonwood Creek Ranch the night of the attack, I travelled west to inspect the barn where Miss Carly and Sheriff Belikov were accosted, then headed on to Fort Freemont to... clear up a little business that needed taking care of there,' the gentleman's eyes flicked to Miss Sage, who became suddenly very interested in her drink. 'After sending off a few telegrams, I had Pavel turn the carriage around and we rode east for Salt Lake City.'

'Why there?' the deputy's brow furrowed.

'Firstly, I wanted to contact your mother's husband, Hank Croft... To see if I could use his military connections to assist in our search for Sheriff Belikov,' Abe explained, sharing his attention between his two guests. 'Secondly, an independent matter arose that meant I, too, needed to travel to Las Vegas. Rather than following after you on the southern trail, I chose to take the Mormon Trail south-west from Salt Lake City to double our chances of hearing news of Dimitri.'

'And you did... hear news?' Rose prompted.

Mr Mazur set down his drink and sat forward in his chair, adjusting the knees of his silk trousers and lacing his fingers in his lap. 'When my men and I arrived at Cedar City last Friday, the Mormon settlers were… excessively unwelcoming. It turned out that a group of five riders had passed through their town the day before - including a man that fit your husband's description. A fight broke out when the group were caught stealing from the town's food and ammunition stores. Four Mormons were killed, and the thieves lost one of their own as well. His body was displayed in an open casket outside the local law office to deter others who might think to cheat the brotherhood out of their rightful property.'

Rose looked ill.

'It wasn't Dimitri,' Abe added quickly. 'I checked the body to be certain.'

There was a brief silence as the deputy struggled to come to grips with what she'd just learned. 'But I don't understand. Dimitri is smart, strong, resourceful. If he's well enough to ride, then he should have escaped by now. How is it that he is still held captive?'

'I'm sorry to tell you this, Mrs Belikov, but your husband was not a captive,' the lawyer's expression was grave and sympathetic. 'He was guarding the horses during the robbery when a pair of Mormons approached him. He killed them both, unprovoked apparently. A father and son. The boy was only fourteen.'

Rose nearly had to excuse herself to be sick, and Sydney moved wordlessly to hover by her friend's shoulder - as if to protect her from whatever news might be coming next.

'If what you tell me is true,' Rose clutched at Dimitri's sheriff's badge still hiding beneath her collar, 'then there is something terribly wrong with my husband. His injury... he's not in his right mind. I must go to him. He needs my help.'

The lawyer leaned across to touch the back of Rose's hand. 'I understand why you want to go after him, deputy, but I must advise against it. The rebels have a price on their head – the sheriff included. If you choose to pursue him, you are putting yourself directly in the line of danger - not to mention the legal ramifications if it's found that you have knowingly aided a criminal.'

'You'd advise me to leave him out there alone, even now I know he's alive and in mortal danger?' Rose's voice was low and forced. 'What kind of person do you think I am? My husband needs me and I will not desert him - regardless of the risk to myself.'

Abe was unaffected by the woman's passionate speech. 'Duly noted, deputy, but should you change your mind, my men and I leave for Saint's Town tomorrow and there is room in my carriage for you.'

'Thank you for the kind offer, Mr Mazur,' she said as graciously as she was able, 'but my mind is made up. Miss Sage and I will be riding east as soon as we've changed our horses and stocked up on our supplies… that is, if you're still willing to accompany me,' she twisted in her seat to look at her friend. 'You've already sacrificed a lot to join me on this mission. If there are... things you need to get back to, then I completely understand.' Sydney had wanted a chance to tell Adrian her feelings. Maybe this was it.

The nurse shook her head. 'I owe a debt to Dimitri for saving my sister, and a debt to you for saving my life as well. Of course I'm coming with you – for as long as you need me.'

'I'm afraid that won't be possible, ladies,' Abe interjected, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs. 'Miss Sage will be coming with me.'

'I beg your pardon?' Sydney narrowed her eyes.

'What are you talking about?' Rose echoed.

The man took a leisurely sip of his coffee and fixed the blonde woman with a dark, intelligent stare. 'You will come, Miss Sage. It has been decided that your presence is required elsewhere and I have been paid a rather hefty sum of money to retrieve you.'

'You can't do that!' Deputy Belikov jumped up from her chair and grabbed her friend's hand tightly. 'I won't let you take her.'

'I can't believe my father would do this,' Sydney clung on to Rose's fingers, her eyes flashing with resentment. 'I knew he'd be furious when he found out I'd abandoned my post at the fort, and there'd be hell to pay when I got back home, but I never expected him to go this far! He thinks he can just force me to do whatever he wants because I'm his daughter, but I won't-...'

There was a chuckle from the armchair by the fire, and both women snapped around to glare at their host.

'I follow your reasoning, dear lady,' Abe looked faintly amused, 'but Doctor Sage was not the one who paid to have you returned. It was Adrian Ivara.'

.

Author's Note:

Rogue Dimitri - oh, crap. Dimitri killing an innocent is very bad news, but Rose is far from giving up & she's always going to have friends and allies around her to support her.

Pacing - I promise I'm not just keeping Romitri apart to make you suffer, but because the storyline is closely tied to the geography of Rose's journey across the US. I hope you will enjoy the journey as well as the destination. If you need a loose timeline to pace your angst, Rose will be stopping off in Santa Fe, Oklahoma (Indian Territory) & Memphis before we get some skin on skin Romitri action :)

Man-slapping - I just noticed the frequency of man-slapping in my stories. For the record, I personally don't condone violence against men or women, but I can't help imagining Sydney & Rose (and Alberta) as the man-slapping type!

Sydney's Anatomy Prayer - For science nerds, I've taken these anatomical terms from the original 1858 edition of Anatomy: Descriptive and Surgical by Henry Gray (as in Gray's Anatomy... It's a new level of geekdom that I'm now skimming through archaic medical textbooks for leisure).

Thanks NB313 for the Tad reference - one of Abe's generic lackeys in SB.

Thanks for reading - let me know your reactions in the reviews! :)