AN: Hi readers. I want to move to Florida. I hate cold weather. If any of you live in a warm climate, please consider adopting me :)

I'd like to Thank GeezerWench for being my prereader and creative consultant :) YAY!

She made this chapter so much more awesome!

September 18, 1866

The travelers had reached a critical juncture of their journey: the parting of the ways. It was known for being the place where the trail diverged; one path followed the Snake River all the way to Fort Boise, while the other was mostly used by gold prospectors headed to California. Those who chose to follow the river had plenty of water for drinking and washing, and their animals had plenty of grass to forage.

The day they crossed the river, the weather was in their favor. It had been unusually dry the past few months, so the river was rather shallow. The water flowed, less than two inches deep, across the rocky bed and shores. The wagon rolled easily to the other side without a hitch.

That afternoon, they made camp early, close to the river, so Bella and Charlotte could take care of the washing. Everyone was covered in trail dust and took a much needed bath.

Later that evening, before dinner, Peter and Charlotte had run off together to spend some quality time alone. Bella had decided to start dinner, so Jasper had headed off just beyond the edge of the trees to collect some wood to build up the small fire.

Jasper still couldn't tell if Bella would be agreeable to courting him. He found her very hard to read. It was difficult for him to broach the subject. Partially because she seemed so shy, but it was also because Jasper was afraid she might reject him, and that would make for a long and awkward journey for them both. He would have to show her, somehow, that he would make a suitable husband. Then, he decided firmly, when they made it to the Fort, he'd ask for her hand. That way, if she said no, he'd be on his way.

Oh, how he wished she'd say yes! She would make a magnificent wife. Jasper was lost in thought about all the ways he might win her over, when he heard a hiss, saw a flash of movement, then felt a sharp pain pierce his ribs.

A snake!

Jasper dropped the wood he had gathered, and saw it slither from beneath the pile; a rattler. It had been hiding beside a branch that Jasper had picked up. The sneaky devil had bitten him right through his shirt. Jasper angrily stepped on its head with his boot as it was trying to get away. He grabbed his knife, cut its head off and then placed the corpse on top of the wood pile. He stomped angrily back to the camp site.

Jasper threw the wood down harder than he usually would have, startling Bella, who was lost in thought, mulling over which ingredients she would use for the evening meal.

She spun around and saw Jasper standing there with a scowl on his face and blood on his shirt.

"Jasper! You're bleeding," she cried, as she worriedly made her way over towards him.

"It's nothin'," Jasper muttered. The wound did burn. He had never been bitten by a rattler before.

Bella noticed the snake's body; it was still writhing slightly, even without its head. "Oh! Did it bite you?" Bella gasped.

Jasper nodded and turned towards the wagon. "I figure we can eat it. Well, Peter will eat it. He'll eat just about anything."

"Wait! Wait! That's a poisonous snake, Jasper. I've read about it in one of my books. You need to lie down." Bella pulled out a blanket and laid it out beside a large rock, then stared intently at Jasper, with her hands on her hips, waiting for him to comply.

Jasper thought she looked so cute, so concerned for him. Her eyebrows had scrunched together and made a little wrinkle between them. It made Jasper long to kiss it away. He couldn't help but smile a little, as he sat down on the blanket, and leaned his back against the rock.

Bella hurried back to the wagon to retrieve one of Doc Cullen's medical books.

While she was digging through the wagon looking for her book, Jasper decided to unbutton his shirt, so he could get a look at the bite. It was still bleeding freely, and the edges had turned dark red and were angry looking. The burning had intensified and was spreading.

When Bella returned from inside the wagon, and saw Jasper's bare chest peeking out of his opened shirt, she almost dropped her book. She swallowed thickly, as her eyes raked over his bronze flesh and taut muscles. He had a light smattering of golden hair that lay across his chest and beneath his navel, disappearing into the waist of his pants. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes finally saw his wound. It looked horrible, and she mustered the courage to approach him.

I must be brave if I am to help him, she thought. She moved quickly to his side, and flipped through the heavy book; her palms sweating, and her heart racing.

When she found the passage she sought, her face turned pale, and her mouth went dry, but she forced herself to speak the words. "I must remove the venom, Jasper. It says I should suck it from the wound."

Jasper grabbed at his shirt, closing it, and sat up quickly. "Oh…no, Bella…I can't have you do that. We should go find Peter…maybe he…."

"There's no time for that." Bella placed her trembling hands on Jasper's chest and pushed him back, making him recline again against the rock. Then she forced open his shirt.

Sitting so close to his body, she could see him perfectly now. Besides the bleeding wound, she noticed two longish scars across his middle, which looked like they might have been caused by a knife or possibly a sword. She looked up at Jasper, waiting for him to give his approval before she continued.

When Bella had put her hands on Jasper's chest and pushed him back, it had just about shocked him to death. Bella had always been so shy and coy, so soft spoken, that he never imagined she would command him so. Her innocence had always allured him, but this new powerful, take-charge attitude had him whipped into submission. The fire that was burning in his wound was no match for the one that she had ignited within his loins. When he had felt her skin touch his, there was nothing he wouldn't do for her. Any command she made of him, he would blindly follow.

He stared into her eyes; they seemed darker, with a hint of fire and determination. It took Jasper a moment to realize that she was waiting for his permission. He nodded, finally, slowly, somewhat in a trance, as he watched her lower her mouth to cover his wound. Her lips were hot and wet, and she was drawing from him with long, deep pulls.

Jasper dug his fingers into the blanket, grasping at it, and his head fell back as a strangled moan escaped from his throat.

Bella raised her head and spat out a mouthful of tainted blood. "Is it very painful?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"It's absolutely killing me." Jasper groaned.

"Just twice more," Bella said before lowering her head once again.

She was on her knees at his side, her body draped over his, and both hands were on his body for leverage. The sight of her sucking on his wound with her eyes closed was extremely erotic and very arousing.

She pushed herself up and spat again, looking at him with concern, her mouth red with his blood. "Once more," she said in a low voice.

Jasper nodded and removed his hat. She placed her mouth on him and began to suck. Jasper released a great breath that he hadn't even realized that he'd been holding, as he placed his hat over his erection, hiding it. Once she stood up, she'd surely notice it, if it wasn't covered.

Bella removed her lips from him, spat, and wiped her hand over her mouth. Realizing that it was covered in blood, she rushed over to the water jugs to clean it and rinse out her mouth.

She brought Jasper a tin cup full of water, and held it toward him. "How do you feel?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," Jasper answered slowly. "Kind of light-headed." He was sure it was from the lack of blood flow to his brain. Any blood that remained in his body was surely situated firmly between his legs.

"You must remain lying down. Don't get up," Bella commanded, as she shook out another blanket and gently covered him with it.

Jasper wasn't going anywhere. He watched her gather some things from the wagon and start to build up the fire.

"I'm going to make a cleansing wash for your wound." Bella explained.

She boiled a pot of water, and added some sweet smelling spices. Jasper watched as she dipped a cloth in the pot, stirred it around with a long wooden spoon, scooped it out, and then brought it to his side. She let it cool until she could touch it without burning her fingers and then laid it over the ragged bite, covering the wound, and told him to keep it there.

"What's this wash made of?" Jasper asked. "It smells good."

"Cinnamon and cloves." Bella replied, bashfully bowing her head down. Her adrenaline had waned, and she could hardly stand to look at Jasper without blushing. She had been so forward.

"Did you learn that from your book?"

"No, actually, Jacob taught me that. I can be quite clumsy. I had fallen and scraped my hand, and he helped me tend to it." As she spoke she retrieved the snake, so that she could prepare it as part of their dinner.

"Ya don't say?" Jasper had almost wished he hadn't asked. He wondered, green with jealousy, what else that boy had tended to.

Just then, Peter and Charlotte emerged from the forest. They were in high spirits, laughing and carrying on. They looked like they had washed again, and it was obvious what the couple had been up to.

The sight of Jasper lying down and covered with a blanket stopped Peter in his tracks. "Gettin' lazy on us, Jasper?"

Bella showed her friends the snake she had been cleaning. "A snake bit him. My doctor's book recommended bed rest to keep the venom from spreading."

"A rattler, and a big one at that." Peter's mirth turned to concern for his brother.

"Let me see where it bit ya."

Jasper removed the rag from his wound. Peter grimaced at the sight of it. The bite mark looked bruised—all purple and black.

"I've heard tell that if a poisonous snake bites you, someone should try to suck out the venom," Charlotte said uncertainly.

Jasper looked nervously between his brother and Bella.

"I've already taken care of it." Bella sighed.

Peter's eyes got wide as saucers, and he couldn't help but smirk. "I'm sure Jasper will recover, or he'll die a happy man. I wished I'd have been here to see that." Peter said. He was nudging Jasper's leg with the toe of his boot. "And Bella, you were so brave, so selfless." Peter continued, placing his hand over his heart. "What a fine nurse you're gonna make."

Bella didn't realize that Peter's compliment was really meant to be a jab at Jasper. She smiled and said, "It is a noble profession. I can think of nothing more satisfying than saving a life."

At hearing that, Jasper just frowned. It was all well and good that she had helped him, but the thought of her nursing on any other man sent Jasper into a tizzy. He realized right then and there that he couldn't deal with the thought of Bella being a nurse. He couldn't stand the thought of her putting her soft hands on another man. He was much too jealous.

What if she had set her mind to it? She might not be willing to give up the chance at a rewarding job just to be with him. The unhappy thought gnawed at Jasper's mind all evening.

Trouble was Bella would make a fine nurse. She conscientiously fussed over her patient, while he rested and watched her move about the camp, preparing dinner and showing Charlotte what she had done to make the stew. She soon served Jasper a heaping plate of the rich, meaty stew and a large wedge of cornbread with her sweet smile, but his sullen mood remained.

"Try some of this here snake, brother. Bella cooked it so nice and tender." Peter pushed a piece of meat onto Jasper's plate. "You know what they say about snake?" Peter asked, smiling, his mouth half full of food.

Jasper cut his eyes toward his brother. Knowing Peter, he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.

Peter swallowed his food and grinned, his gold teeth gleaming in the fire light. "They say it makes a man virile."

"Pete!" Charlotte smacked her husband on the shoulder, and stood up quickly, and walked away in a huff.

"Aw, c'mon now, honey." Peter got up and followed his wife into the shadows, leaving Bella and Jasper in the awkward silence, looking at anything except each other over the campfire.

A cloud passed over the moon, darkening the sky, and Jasper looked across the bright, burning embers to see Bella uncomfortably shifting food around on her plate.

"I'd like to apologize for my brother's boorish behavior," Jasper said. "He makes up things just to hear himself talk."

Bella pressed her lips together, smiling tentatively. She was relieved to hear Jasper finally speak. He had been much too somber all evening.

"I take no offense." Her words were quiet.

As the cloud moved away, the moon reappeared, and Jasper watched as the soft light drifted across her beautiful face. He noticed she looked just as sullen as he felt. It had him puzzled for a moment.

Had she regretted helping him?

Then everything began to fall into place. He had been so pensive and withdrawn; Bella must have thought him angry with her.

"Thank you, Bella, for helping me. I forgot to tell you earlier."

She looked up at him, and nodded, a look of relief was evident on her face. "You're welcome."

AN: I was totally serious about somebody helping me escape cold weather. HELP!

I can be your BFF...We can go to the beach and point out guys that remind us of Twilight characters.

I call dibs on Jasper look alikes!

I can dream...