A/N: To clear up confusion, James didn't realize Bella was Charlie's kid right away. It's been years since they led Charlie, so they probably didn't clue in until later when Carlisle or someone else mentioned it.

Bella pulled her coat tighter around her. This early in the spring, the weather was bitterly cold most of the day. Occasionally, in the afternoons, after hours of walking, the sunshine would be enough that Bella could undo the buttons of her overcoat.

It was only the fifth day of real travel. Each day began when the horns blew around four in the morning. Breakfast of porridge, bacon, and coffee was served by five-thirty. Everyone was fed, the dishes washed, the livestock rounded up, and bedding stowed by seven when "Wagons ho," was called. Edward had told her they covered twenty miles on a good day, stopping only at nooning time to eat.

Their guides switched duties. Two of them guided the oxen teams, one rode ahead of the wagon train, searching the trail for potential problems, and the last walked with the families. Bella brightened when she saw it was Edward walking with them that day. The other three guides were cold or, at worst, made her uncomfortable. They talked down to her if they bothered to speak to her at all.

Edward walked along as though deep in thought. He looked up at the sky or around and the landscape. As she watched, he took off his hat and brushed his fingers along his scalp. The sun caught his hair, and Bella caught the reddish tint to the bronze-brown. He was a striking man. Bella caught the thought before it got too far and she looked down at her boots to hide her furious blush. Wasn't her fault it was the truth. She wondered if it was impolite to think such a thing even if she never spoke the words out loud.

Bella pulled her long braid around to her front and finger-combed the snarls out of the end as she waited for the heat to recede from her cheeks. Then she quickened her pace so she fell in step beside him. "Reckon the weather's finally turning warmer."

He took a deep breath as though her voice startled him. He blinked before he answered. "Reckon so. Still, we could stand a few more days of cold. We should reach the next big river crossing in a few days time. Less the snow's melted, the easier the river will be."

"No ferries on this one?"

"Not on this one, no." He looked to the side and gave her a smile not near as pretty as the one he flashed when he was truly amused. "Don't you worry. There are a few spots where the river's not quite as wide. Should be able to ride right across. Maybe get a bit wet." His lips pursed. "That's the thing Maggie hated most."

"Who's Maggie?"

Edward's face fell. His posture changed in an instant. His shoulders hunched, and he looked away from her. "Anyhow, it'll be fine. You're in good hands."

His pace quickened, and Bella frowned as she found herself facing his back. "Mr. Masen, I didn't mean to-"

"I think Alice was looking for you earlier." Edward nodded ahead. The Hale's wagon was a pace in front of them. "Maybe you should get on over there."

"Ah. Alice is still mooney-eyed over her new husband. She don't need me hanging around. Besides, there's not much she can say. You've made this journey so many times you can guess when we're going to be at a landmark. Truth be told, I didn't want to do this once. I can't imagine doing it over and over-"

"I'm working, Miss Swan." Edward's cold tone shocked her so much, Bella flinched away from him. He wasn't looking at her but staring straight forward. "You ought to go find one of your own friends to prattle to."

Bella stopped walking all together and stared at Edward's back while he got further away. She shook it off after a handful of seconds and held her head up high as she strode past him to catch up with the Hale's wagon.

"Hey. There you are." Alice threw her arm about Bella's waist and pulled her closer.

"Missed you at breakfast," Bella said.

Alice giggled. "Still a newlywed, I suppose. I'm surprised we were able to stow our bedding on time this morning."

"Alice!"

"Ah, my Bella. Pure as the driven snow. Speaking of which. It is a fine way to keep warm these frigid mornings."

Bella put her hands over her face and groaned.

"It will be you someday soon, my dear. Then you'll understand."

Bella looked about to assure herself no one was listening. She leaned close. "I don't know where you get the energy. I've been exhausted. It takes me too long to get up in the morning as it is. Your mother already had breakfast started before I'd even opened my eyes."

"You worry too much. You do so many chores in the evening, it's no wonder you wear yourself out."

"You do as many chores as I do."

Alice grinned. "Love does strange things to you. I'm not tired. I'm too much in love to be tired of any of this."

"Such a fanciful idea. I have no doubt Rosalie is in love with Emmett, but she tires easily these days. Have you noticed?"

"She and Emmett have been married for ages."

Bella laughed. "Oh, yes. Three years. They're near to their death beds, I'm sure." She squeezed her friend. "I've missed you, Alice. We've shared a room these last three years. It's hard to sleep without your range of snores."

"I don't snore."

"Ah, yes. You do."

"Jasper would have told me if I snored."

"How would he know? You'd have to sleep for him to find out."

Alice gasped and gave Bella a shake as she laughed. "Wicked, Bella. I didn't know you had it in you. It's a shame you didn't take a suitor before."

"I knew we were leaving. What would be the point?"

"Well, maybe you should socialize more in the evenings. Join the dancing?"

"To what purpose?"

Alice's eyes glinted with mischief. "To keep you warm in the morning."

Bella's cheeks heated. She gestured out at the wagons that stretched into the distance in front and behind them. "These people all have plans to start a new life. There's no point to look for a fellow here. They might be heading for a future well away from where my father settled."

"So serious, Bella. Practical, I suppose. Just keep an open mind, Bella. I know you're uncertain about our future in this new place, but I have a good feeling about this. Life is good, and all the better when you have someone to share it with."

"I'll take that under advisement. On the off chance I'll find a man out here in the middle of nowhere, who means to settle in the same place, mind, I promise I'll keep an open mind."

~0~

When they stopped for nooning time, Edward slipped into the woods, away from the chatter of the wagons. Officially, he was supposed to be hunting what small game he could. A rabbit would make for a more palatable dinner than more bacon and bread. It was another month or more before the fish would be large enough to feed a family. Best to leave the small catches be for the moment.

In reality, he needed a few minutes alone to collect his thoughts. Maggie's name had slipped from his lips so naturally it had shaken him. It tripped off a rash of memories. Typically when he was out on the trail, he could lose himself in his duties. There was always something to think of. Before Bella had come up to him, he'd been watching a hawk circle, trying to remember what plant life could be gathered this early in spring.

Those days they spent waiting for the ferry, Edward had discovered the girl was easy to talk to. When they spoke, hours seemed to pass like minutes. She asked many questions and listened attentively to his answers. It had happened more than once some single gal had come to him feigning interest while she batted her eyelashes and put on a coy smile. Bella wasn't so empty headed. Her curiosity was genuine and her responses clever.

He'd hurt her with his brush off. He'd seen the pain in her eyes, and it bothered him perhaps more than it should. What should he care about a young girl's dramatics? But he couldn't deny the ache in his heart when he remembered the stricken look on her face. He had come to enjoy her friendship.

When he got back to camp, the wagons were about ready to leave. He curled his hand around the treasure in his pocket and quickened his pace to catch her before she went to walk beside one of the others. She was stowing the last of the dishes in the wagon when he came up to her. "Bella." He touched his hand to her elbow to get her attention.

Her eyes widened before they narrowed. "You're speaking to me again?" She didn't wait for him to answer but went to take her place a safe distance from the wagon wheels.

Edward grimaced and hurried after her. "I brought you something."

That got her attention. She looked up, startled. "What?"

He smiled and reached out to pull her apron toward him. He transferred several handfuls of berries from his pocket to the front of her apron. Her eyes widened as she held the apron aloft to keep the berries from spilling out.

"For me?" she asked.

"I'd put them in your pockets if you don't want to share." He winked and plucked a couple berries from the pile.

She eyed him as she began to put the berries in the pockets of her coat. "I don't know what I said to you before to make you angry at me."

"I know that." He ran his hand under his hat, scratching at his head. "I'm not angry at you. I didn't mean to snap at you." He took a deep breath. "Maggie was my wife."

"Oh, I…" Bella stumbled over her words.

"You don't have to say nothing." It was hard to breathe around the weight that had settled over his chest. "Did you want to leave your home?"

"I don't know that I wanted to stay where I was." Bella tilted her head. "I didn't want to come on the trail, if that's what you mean. It's a frightening thought to venture out into the wild land. Animals, sickness, Indians. I've heard all the stories."

"Many stories about the Indians are greatly exaggerated. Most tribes would sooner trade with you than kill you. We get a little further out, they might even be of some help getting us across the river."

"That's good to hear. But the rest of it?"

Edward looked out at the horizon. "The rest's true. Used to be truer, as a matter of fact. Not so many years ago the trail was all wilderness. No forts… and the trail hadn't been as well mapped out as it is now." He worried the edge of his jacket between his thumb and forefinger. "Maggie didn't want to go. She begged me not to take her clear across the country. I didn't understand at the time. We'd both lost our families. We were alone in the world- just the two of us. There were opportunities in the west I wanted. I dismissed what she wanted offhand."

"You were her husband. It was your job to provide for her."

"It was also my job to protect her." Edward clenched his fist at his side and swallowed hard. "Anyway. It wasn't your fault I thought of her. It startled me, is all. I'm sorry about what I said."

"It's fine." She hesitated, but then she reached out and pressed her palm to his shoulder. "I'm sorry about your wife."

"Yeah." He looked down at his boots. "I am, too." He shook, as though he could physically remove the weight from his shoulders. It had been years and that weight never lessened. "Anyhow. I need to make my rounds, check in on the others."

"Do your job?" Bella smiled to show she was teasing.

"I'm not on a pleasure stroll, or at least that's what James would tell me." He tipped his hat. "Thanks for listening."

"Hey, Edward?"

Edward turned back and raised an eyebrow at her. She looked uncertain, but her expression was earnest and compassionate. "Whatever happened to your Maggie, I'm sure you did your best."

His heart twisted because she didn't know, couldn't know the truth. But she was young and naive. "She was your age, you know. Maggie. When she died." He didn't give Bella the chance to reply to that. He walked off to tend to his duties and tried not to think about Maggie's sweet face, so like Bella's, as she walked this very trail years before.

A/N: Mmmm hmmm. Anyway. Thanks so much to songster and barburella!

Soooooo. Hi, everyone!