A/N: Ready, weary travelers? Let's go!

"Mercy, but the sun is hot."

Bella looked over at Rosalie, watching with concern as the older woman raised her apron up over her face to scrub away the sweat that had gathered at her brow. Bella frowned. It was the end of June. The hottest months were not yet upon them. Already, Rosalie looked ponderously uncomfortable with her big belly. Carlisle said she had another month yet to go.

It was early summer, so the weather should not have been so hot. Unfortunately for the wayward emigrants, days that week had been cloudless, and the actual trail didn't have much in the way of shelter from the sun. They were surrounded by trees and overhanging rocks, but they would have had to stop to rest under one.

"Here." Alice came up beside Rosalie and offered her canteen.

"Alice, you need to drink as much as I do."

"No I don't, and you know it. Go on. Drink up. Anyway, I can run down to the river and run back up to the trail before we get too far. You, on the other hand, can hardly keep up with us as it is."

Rosalie made a face at Alice and slapped her kerchief at her. The other woman giggled and ducked behind Bella. "Don't exert yourself now, Rosalie. It's a long day ahead."

Bella laughed, but her attention was soon drawn away. The wagon train was headed around a bend. As a result, she could see the front of the Hale's wagon from where she walked. From her vantage point, she could see Edward with the oxen. It was, she thought, absurd that her stomach fluttered at the mere sight of him. Her heart gave a pang, as though it had been months and not days since their clandestine kisses.

"Miss Isabella Swan, I know your daddy taught you about staring." Bella jumped when Alice whispered in her ear.

"Well, ain't that sweet."

Both Alice and Bella looked over to find Victor had come up beside them. Alice put her arm around Bella, pulling her closer. Of all the guides, Victor made them most uncomfortable. Laurent was harmless enough. James made Bella's skin crawl, but his superior attitude kept him from mingling too much with the "little ladies." Victor, on the other hand, seemed to delight in making them cringe.

He chuckled, looking purposefully back and forth between the women and Edward. The way his eyes traveled up and down Bella's body made her feel awful. Though it was dreadfully hot, she wished she had brought her shawl to wrap around herself, for what little good it would do.

"You know, until you came along, little philly, me and the rest of the boys were betting Edward might have been a dandy. Turns out he just likes pretty young hellions." Victor clucked, looking her up and down again. "Hell if you aren't trouble waiting to happen."

"Oh, you leave her be," Alice said. "You got no right talking to either of us like that."

Victor cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, look at you. Quite the fiery lass, aren't you. Don't go playing innocent with me. You being a married woman and this one-" he nodded at Bella, "seems to be no stranger to her wiles."

"Victor!"

All three turned around to see Carlisle coming toward them. He was still worn from his ordeal. He was too thin, and his hair and beard were more scraggled than Bella had ever imagined. Still, the look in his eyes was fierce and protective as ever. "You come away from them. What you think you're doing, I don't know, but you will not speak to these young women if you cannot keep a civil tongue."

"I didn't mean nothing by it, sir."

"Just the same, I'll be speaking to James about this. Perhaps it's best you work one of the other jobs for a time."

Victor scoffed. "My but these ladies are trouble, aren't they? Especially this one." He nodded his head in Bella's direction. "You keep it up, lass. As it is, you've got James working Edward to the bone. You won't be happy until none of us can help with your wagon."

Bella stared after the man as he stormed away. She turned to Carlisle. "What does he mean? What is James doing to Edward, and is it my fault?"

"I'm not sure what he's talking about," Carlisle said with a frown.

"I know you worry about our friendship, but Edward has done nothing-"

"Edward is a good man. I know this. He was of great help to Dr. Snow and Esme when I was sick. If James had a word with him, it was not at my request." He stroked his beard, his expression deep in thought. "Though now that I think on it, it has been too many days since Edward walked with our wagon."

Bella wanted to kick herself for not noticing sooner. She had noticed Edward's absence, of course, but had figured he was trying not to upset Carlisle. She had briefly entertained the notion he was staying away from her because he wanted to. Perhaps there was some truth to what Victor said, that she was trouble and her innocent interactions were, in actuality, unwelcome advances. It was a ridiculous notion given the way he looked at her, and so she had dismissed it outright. She hadn't imagined he was being kept away from her.

"I'm sure Victor is exaggerating," Carlisle said. "James is skilled at what he does. I'm sure the division of labor is fair."

Bella thought perhaps he was being too trusting. She had a bad feeling about James, though she couldn't put her finger on it. Afraid of being dismissed as a silly child, she had said nothing, and she said nothing then. She only gave Carlisle a quick squeeze before she hurried forward, trying to catch another glimpse of Edward.

~0~

They reached Independence Rock five days before Independence Day. It was Sunday again, and Bella was grateful. She had every intention of seeing Edward today come hell or high water. She needed to assure herself he was all right. There was no doubt in her mind now that it was James keeping him away from the Cullen camp at all costs. It was, she supposed, none of her business what businessmen did, but she needed to assure herself Edward wasn't being mistreated.

Luckily for her, an opportunity presented itself, and Bella slipped away from her foster family. She skulked around the guides' camp and overheard James tell Laurent he'd sent Edward to fill the water kegs. She knew well enough the river was several miles walk away from where they were. It was a needless errand. They'd been near enough the river to refill their kegs the day before, and they would be near enough again when they got back out on the trail.

Bella hurried out, hoping to catch him before they got far enough she would be missed. It was early yet, and from the tone of James's conversation, she thought it had not been long since he set out.

The area around Independence Rock was flat, so she spotted him right off. She only debated a moment before she hiked up her skirt and ran. Edward didn't seem to be in any great hurry, so she caught up with him right quickly.

"Sake's alive, Bella." He set down the kegs and reached for the canteen on his hip. He held the canteen in one hand and put the other to her stooped shoulders. "Catch your breath." He put the canteen in her hand. "Take a drink when you can."

Bella worked to steady her breathing. She shivered when he raised his hand to her brow and pushed her hair back. "What are you doing out here?" He asked. His voice was so gentle; any fear Bella had he was angry blew away in the slight breeze.

"I…" Bella was struck by a bashfulness that had her ducking her head. "You haven't taken your turn walking with us of late. Or leading the Cullen's wagon for that matter."

He sighed. "No, I haven't."

Bella studied him as she took another long pull from his canteen. "Victor said James was keeping you away."

"He is."

"Edward, if he-"

"He saw us that day by the river."

All Bella's breath left her in one gust. "Oh. Oh, no." She put her hand to her cheek. "I'm sorry. I… I never meant to cause you any trouble."

"Bella." He took a step closer to her. "That was much more my fault than yours." He took another step closer to her, and Bella's heart skipped a beat with her nearness. "I shouldn't have been that close to you." He pressed the pad of his thumb to her chin, his eyes lingering on her lips before he looked up at her. "I shouldn't be this close to you now."

Before Bella could pull her thoughts together to manage a reply, his hand had slipped around to cup her cheek. He tilted her head up, and all thought went out the window. His kiss was soft, the prickle of his beard titillating against her skin. She had not consciously let herself think of this, but the whole of her body seemed to cry out with relief, as though she'd been craving it for those long days. She wound an arm around his waist and, after she dropped the canteen, cupped the other to his elbow.

He broke their kiss with a gasp too few seconds later though he only pulled away fractionally. His thumbs stroked her cheeks, and he sighed. "Ah, Bella. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." He took a deep breath and took a step back.

Bella licked her lips and tried to gather her wits. "I, erm… I…I wanted you to."

His lips curled upward, and he brushed his fingers through her hair once more. It was such a tender motion, Bella's heart twisted in the most pleasant way. "Oh, my sweetheart. You deserve so much better than me." He shook his head and looked over her shoulder, his eyes scanning the nearby wagons. The circumference of Independence Rock was lined by the wagon train, though the Cullen and Hales were out of sight. "Come on, now. We should find a place out of the sun to talk."

Bewildered, Bella picked up the dropped canteen and followed after Edward. When she handed it back as they walked, their fingers brushed. With every beat of her heart, there was a thrill in her bloodstream. She let her hand slip away reluctantly. "Won't there be more trouble with James?"

"Ah." He waved a hand. "I'm used to James. Usually it's one of the others gets on his bad side. He makes a show of throwing his power around, and then he's off his high horse." Edward stared ahead. "Though I suppose he has a point. Ah, what am I doing with you, Bella?"

Bella wasn't at all sure what she was thinking or what she was supposed to say. Her heart twisted a different way then. There were so many things she didn't know if she was supposed to want. Why was her heart so foolish to yearn for a man like this? Never in her eighteen years had a boy turned her head at all, and yet most her thoughts centered around a man who…

What was he doing with her? Alice and Rosalie had made courtship look so simple and sweet. Was the way of men and their intentions easy for other girls?

They found a quiet spot away from any of the wagons and sat against the rock. "Where does your family believe you are?"

"Ah. The others got it into their heads they want to carve their names on the rock."

"Them and every other traveler." Edward ran his hands over the names etched into the wall where they sat. "This rock is otherwise known as the Register of the Desert."

"They went in search of a suitable spot, and I said I would stay behind to read." She smiled. "I wander off. I'm known to do that."

"You are at that."

The silence that fell between them wasn't uncomfortable. Rather, the air itself felt alive. It called to her, and she didn't know what to do about the words it whispered in her ear. She cleared her throat. "Is it true what they say about this rock?"

"What do they say?"

"They say that it's best to reach this point by the Fourth? That it means we'll be there before the winter hits?"

"The name of it comes from the fur trappers who camped here July Fourth, eighteen twenty-four, but there's some truth to the idea it's better to be this far earlier in the season, at least to my reckoning."

An odd, faraway look came over him, and he moved his hand over the names. He tapped on a specific one, and only then did Bella notice the names.

Edward and Margaret Masen

"I know so much now. Much more than I knew then," he said, his voice as far off as his expression. He took a deep breath. "When I was a younger man, I thought it was a husband's job to lead his wife. But then, Maggie needed to be lead. I just wasn't good enough to lead her."

"Edward…" Bella started, but she didn't know how to continue. What did she know of such things?

He shook his head, and when he raised his eyes to hers, there was a pain there Bella wasn't sure she understood. "You do understand, don't you?" Edward said. "God, if I even thought about doing this… I've already done you so wrong."

"I… I don't think you have."

"I have." He wiped a hand over his mouth. "I was raised proper, Bella. I know the way a lady deserves to be treated. If I…" He swallowed hard and dropped his gaze down to the ground. "If I had intentions for you, I should be having this conversation with your father."

"My father isn't here."

"No. Nor was Maggie's father. And they both would have said the same, that I wasn't good enough for their daughters."

"Edward-"

He took her hands and looked at her with pleading eyes. "It wasn't my intention to treat you as such. I do know how to behave properly. I swear I only meant to protect you." His lips quirked. "But then you were so curious and smart and easy to talk to. I don't know how it happened. I wasn't looking for it, but you've got under my skin now. I can't seem to shake this… you."

Bella's heart was near about beating out of her chest. "Do you want to?"

He tilted his head against hers. "No. That's the damnable misery of it."

Shifting her hand, she tentatively ran her fingers along his wrist. She swallowed hard, nerves warring with a giddy joy she had never felt before. "Maybe I am young, but I don't think I'm so naive. I think you're a good man, Edward Masen. I don't know what I'm doing any more than you seem to, but I know I'm glad you can't seem to shake me."

He smiled though his eyes were still heavy with guilt. He pulled back but only enough to press a long kiss to her forehead. "It doesn't make what I've done right, Bella. I don't know that there is a way to do right by you except to leave you alone."

Despite his words, he slipped his arm around her shoulder and held her close. For long minutes under the early summer sun, they sat like that in silence until they could no longer chance being discovered.

~0~

Two days later, Bella was in what she might have called a state. She was distracted and prone more than ever to fits of fancy. Her mind was a mess of emotions she didn't know how to name. Frustration, lovesick foolishness, anger. She didn't know where to settle. Should she do as he said and simply put him out of her mind?

It would have been easier without the visceral memory of his kisses. But that wasn't true. He had owned her thoughts well before his lips touched hers.

She drew out of her reverie as the wagons stopped for nooning time. Esme came to walk beside her. "It's a peaceful place, isn't it? For something called the Devil's Gate."

Bella looked out to where the Sweetwater River wound between a narrow gap in the rock. Devil's Gate it was called, and while the trail moved around the formation, it was still beautiful to look at.

"I wonder why it's called that," Esme mused.

Edward would know. Bella looked for him automatically and saw him talking to James. She gritted her teeth when she saw James point him away from their camp. Edward, his hands on his hips, looked like he wanted to argue. James gestured at him. Edward looked to where Laurent and James were putting together their meals, nodded at James, and turned to head in the opposite direction of the camp.

When they talked at Independence Rock, Edward had been honest about what James was doing. He'd been giving the lion's share of work to Edward to keep him exhausted. It was a cruelty, but Edward withstood it because he thought he deserved it. That maddened Bella to no end. Regardless of whether or not he should stay away from her, he hadn't done anything to deserve to be treated the way James was treating him.

James wandered in their direction, and Bella strayed away from Esme and the other women as they got the noontime meal together. She crept closer so she could hear what James was saying to Carlisle and Alistair.

"We'll be coming up on Rocky Ridge in a week, more or less. The wheels look to be wearing a bit. Like we talked about, I managed a good trade with one of the other wagons. I sent Edward to retrieve two replacement wheels for us."

Carlisle furrowed his brow. "Just Edward?"

"Wheels ain't so terribly heavy."

"Well, no. But managing two wheels alone? It just seems a bit of a chore."

"He'll be fine. Shall we-"

Bella didn't need to hear any more. She ducked around the other side of the wagons, hoping to be out of sight before anyone caught her. She followed the line of stopped wagons, looking for Edward. If James didn't want to help him, she would, decorum be damned.

It took her half an hour to find him. By then, he was on his way back to the camp, two large wheels in his charge. James was right. Wagon wheels weren't so terribly heavy for a man as strong as Edward, but they were large enough they couldn't be carried. She watched as he would heft one wheel, pushing it so it rolled away from him. Then he would lift the other and push it ahead. The exertion under the noontime sun looked to be grueling work.

"Edward," she called as she stepped closer.

He stopped and looked to her. His eyebrows knitted and he huffed. "What in all hells do you think you're doing here?" he asked in a rough voice.

Bella stopped short, taken aback by his harsh words. "I… I've come to help."

"Damn stubborn little chicken, that's what you are. Git on out of here. Go on now."

Bella didn't move. His words stung, but more than that, there was a discomfort growing in the pit of her belly as she watched him. Even as he shook his finger at her, he swayed on his feet. His skin was red. Deep red. More than just burned by the sun red. "Edward…"

"Christ, girl. Don't you know how to listen?" His voice was a roar of frustration by then.

Nothing could convince Bella her gentle Edward would ever speak to her like that. No. Something was wrong. Very wrong. She closed the distance between them. "Edward, what's wrong?"

He groaned and batted her hand away when she tried to touch him. It was then Bella realized his breathing was off. Too labored for one thing. He shook his head hard and when he looked back at her, the anger had faded from his eyes. "Bella?" He looked around. "What are…" He looked ahead on the trail to where the wheels had fallen. "Right. I have to get the wheels back to camp."

Instead of moving, he sat down, landing hard on his rear. Bella yelped in surprise and knelt by his side. "Edward?"

He panted. His eyes weren't focused at all. "I'm, uh… I'm just gonna sit here a spell. Just gonna sit for a minute or two. Just a minute."

For one or two seconds, he panted and swayed while Bella scrambled for what to do. Then his eyes rolled back in his head, and he slumped over. "Edward!" Bella put her hands to his cheeks and immediately pulled them back.

He was burning up. Far, far too hot.

"Help! Someone help me!" Bella yelled. Working on instinct, she began to pull at his shirt, trying to get it open. It made a strange sort of sense in her panicked mind. His skin was hot. Burning. She needed to cool him off however she was able.

Her screams had brought a few of the other families running. She had gotten his shirt off and was working on pulling at his boots by then. Staring about wildly, she pointed at a gaggle of small children. "You. Please. Run as fast as you can that way." She pointed in the direction of the Cullen's wagon. "Fetch Dr. Cullen, quick. Please."

The wide-eyed children scampered off as soon as their mothers gave the go ahead nod. Bella turned then to the men who had converged on her. "Please help me. He's too hot. The river. If we can get him to the river…"

The largest of the men gathered Edward up and threw him over his shoulders. He ran toward the water, and Bella followed after him. The distance seemed too long, but finally they were there. The stranger switched Edward around in his arms as he splashed into the water.

As the stranger laid him down, Edward began to thrash. Bella let out a cry at the sight. It was an unnatural movement, and his eyes were still closed.

"Best you stay back, love," the stranger said. He was trying to keep Edward's head above water as he jerked.

"No." Bella caught one of Edward's flailing arms and tried to hold his hand steady. "Edward. Edward, please. You have to come back to me."

A minute passed like an eon, but finally, Edward stilled. The stranger helped Bella tilt his head back, submerging him underwater for seconds before they lifted him up again.

They kept him in the water, Bella fanning his face with her cap, for near about ten minutes before he gasped and his eyes fluttered open. His stare was not fixed and the words he muttered unintelligible.

"Come on, love. Let's get him back on the shore," the stranger said. He hooked his arms under Edward's, dragging him out of the water. Edward's body was pliant, and when they were on dry land again, he slumped down onto the dirt.

Bella scrambled to his side. She lifted his head to rest on her lap as she brought her canteen to his lips. "Edward. You need to drink." His skin was still too hot, but cooler now than it had been when he collapsed. "Can you drink for me?" She tilted the water from the canteen into his mouth, but he coughed most of it up. His body was wracked with tremors.

"Bella?"

Bella looked up to see not only Carlisle but most the others running in her direction.

"Carlisle! Help. Please help him. Please. I can't lose him." Her eyes followed him as he closed the distance and dropped to his knees beside Edward. "He was… he was acting strange, and then he collapsed.

"We need to get him to some shade. Emmett."

Emmett didn't need more instruction than that. He grunted, but he gathered Edward up in his arms and ran with him toward the shelter of the trees. The rest followed. "Give him some room," Carlisle said, waving his arm at the small crowd that had gathered until they all took a few steps back.

Bella allowed herself to be pulled back, into Esme's arms. She ducked her head against Esme's breast, realizing only then she was overcome with tears.

A small crowd had gathered. They all watched, waiting for more than incoherent mumbling from Edward. His eyelashes fluttered and his body jerked on occasion. Minutes passed, but finally, finally, Edward's breathing slowed down to a more normal pace. He turned his head to look at Carlisle, and Bella could see his eyes were more focused. Still hooded and hazy but not as far gone as they had been.

"Look at me, son. I need you to tell me your name." Carlisle asked, his tone patient and kind.

Edward swallowed several times, as though summoning the energy to speak was a trial. "Edward Anthony Masen," he whispered.

"Good. That's very good. And the date?"

"July First, eighteen forty-eight."

"That's right. Now I need you to drink a little more for me, okay?" Carlisle brought a canteen to Edward's lips and helped him tilt his head up to drink. The movement seemed to exhaust him. "Rest easy, son. It's my turn to take care of you, hmm?"

By the time Carlisle straightened up, James had arrived. Carlisle's tone was terse as he told James to bring the wagons around. "We'll make enough room in our wagon. He needs rest and to stay out of the sun for some days. He's had a heat stroke, I believe, and he's lucky to be alive and in possession of his faculties."

When James had gone, Carlisle turned to the stranger, offering his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Clapp." He must have known him from his time spent running back and forth between the wagons.

The stranger, Mr. Clapp, shook his head. "Nothing to thank me for, Dr. Cullen.

"It was good work getting him to the river. That was precisely the right thing to do."

Another head shake. "I can't take the credit for that, Doc. I never would have thought of it." He nodded his head at Bella. "Was your girl there who knew what to do."

Carlisle turned to look at Bella, surprise etched on his features. Bella wasn't sure what to say or what she should be thinking. She was frightened for Edward, and she wasn't sure if she was shaking from that fear or because she was soaking wet and freezing. Perhaps she should have been abashed, knowing she shouldn't have been out here in the first place, but she had no room for that emotion.

"That was very clever of you, Bella. I can tell you with absolute certainty you've saved his life."

Bella's lower lip trembled, and she found herself beyond speech. When Carlisle opened his arms, she flew from Esme's embrace into his and let him hold her tight. She sobbed against his chest while he rubbed her back. "There now. It's okay. It's all fine. You did good, Bella."

"Tell me he's okay. Please tell me he'll live."

"Our Mr. Masen is a strong young man. We're going to look after him. He'll be fine."

Bella let herself believe.

She had to believe.

A/N: Many thanks to jessypt, jfka06, barburella, and songster for all their love, support, and beta work.

Ah, Edward. How are we all doing, kids?