"Here, let me take that, it's heavy."

Elizabeth reluctantly handed the chest to Edward, who swung it easily up onto his shoulder.

"Your leg any better?" he inquired as they walked. Elizabeth nodded quietly and Edward glanced at her. "Well that's good," he mused.

They continued in silence for a while until another young man trotted up beside them with a greeting.

"It's Adrian, isn't it?" Edward confirmed, and Adrian nodded as he flashed a smile back at Elizabeth, who smiled shyly in return. He took in her leg and frowned in concern. "Now what have you gone and done to yourself?"

Elizabeth laughed a little. "I—scraped it. Fell. The mountain...where the cave is?" She stuttered and looked to Edward for help.

"I don't believe you two have met," He remarked, glancing between them with something akin to displeasure. "Adrian, this is Miss Elizabeth Peterson, Elizabeth, Mr Adrian Black."

Adrian flashed another splendid grin at Elizabeth, and she flushed slightly.

"How many more blasted trips have we got to take?" Adrian asked with blunt annoyance as they approached the mountain path. Edward shifted the chest on his shoulder. "As many as we've got to, I suppose. Shouldn't be too much longer, though. It's just that we've got to be dreadful careful, you know."

Adrian nodded. "Of course." He paused. "But my back still doesn't like it." He grinned and the others laughed.

Soon they had reached the cave and stored their belongings inside. As they stood to leave, Adrian's eyes explored the cave and then came to rest on Elizabeth with admiration. "You found this place for us, didn't you?"

Elizabeth nodded with a slight smile. "That is," she added, "I already knew about it. I found it when I was little."

Adrian nodded thoughtfully as he examined it again. "I'm sure we're all eternally grateful." He smiled at Elizabeth and his green eyes sparkled with amusement. Edward watched him thoughtfully and then cleared his throat. "I'll walk you home, if you don't mind," He offered Elizabeth. Elizabeth began to speak, but Adrian cut in. "And if I may, I shall accompany the two of you."

Slightly overwhelmed, Elizabeth shut her open mouth and nodded slightly. Edward smiled sincerely and Adrian said, "Splendid!"

As the three of them walked, the men talked and, despite their efforts to include her, Elizabeth silently fell behind. At first she simply let them walk in front of her, but eventually she began to lag, and when Edward noticed he trotted back the few yards to her, Adrian following.

"You alright, Elizabeth?" The former inquired with a furrowed brow. Elizabeth nodded and caught her breath. "I'm sorry, I..."

"No, it's fine, we've just got a quicker pace. I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner. You're sure you're alright?"

Elizabeth nodded again and Edward glanced down at her leg. "Let me look at that again when we get back to your house, alright?" He received a nod and continued. "It hurt much?"

"A bit..." Elizabeth looked past him to Adrian, who frowned in concern.

"But not so much you need me to carry you?"

Elizabeth glanced back at Edward to catch a grin, and she laughed a little. "No, not quite that much."

Mr Peterson looked up as the three came into the house, laughing as though they had just been out for a nice stroll rather than storing food in the dreary cave that would soon be their home. He smiled and stood to shake the men's hands. "I don't believe we have met," he remarked to Adrian, who flashed a grin and introduced himself.

"Here, now, Elizabeth, let me look at that leg again," Edward said, and the two others turned their attention to her as well as she sat on the table and Edward carefully unwound her bandage.

"Is she alright?" Mr Peterson asked in concern. Edward nodded as he bit his lip in concentration. "Should be. Just seemed to have a little trouble with it and all the walking, so I thought I'd look again. See now, it is a bit swollen."

Adrian furrowed his brow in sympathy. "You shouldn't have walked all that way."

Edward glanced up at Elizabeth as she was looking at Adrian. "Well, you should be alright, as long as you don't walk much anymore. If you've got any more trunks I'll take them myself now, and I'm sure Adrian wouldn't mind helping."

"Of course not," Adrian smiled.

"Well, that's very considerate of you, thank you, sirs," Mr Peterson shook Adrian's hand again, and would've shaken Edward's as well but that he was dressing and rebinding Elizabeth's leg. Adrian laughed a little. "Any time, sir. It's a pleasure."

"Nice fellow, that Adrian." Mr Peterson remarked to Elizabeth after the two had left. "Good company."

Elizabeth said nothing, but look irritated.

"I know, I know. But you ought to talk to people, sometimes, and he's a good choice."

Elizabeth hid a smile as she rolled her eyes at him.

It was two weeks later as Elizabeth stood in the middle room of the cave, watching a girl her age paint these words on the wall:

Though with a scornful wonder men see her sore oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed, yet saints their watch are keeping, their cry goes up, "How long?" And soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song.

She wasn't quite sure why it bothered her to see Edward stride up next to the girl, holding a small child who laughed and reached out for her, or why she felt sad when the girl took the child with a smile and then lifted her beaming face to speak with Edward.

"Hi, Elizabeth!"

She turned to see Adrian grinning spectacularly at her. "Hello Adrian," She said shyly. He continued to grin. "You doing anything just now?"

She wanted to say yes, but as the last time she had lied she had practically had her mind read, she answered truthfully, "not really."

"May I introduce you to my friends?" he motioned to a mixed group of young adults. Elizabeth hesitated, but just then her father walked by and grinned significantly at her.

"Sure," She said rather timidly. Adrian flashed his grin again and led her over to the group. Most of them Elizabeth knew by sight, and some of them by name. After Adrian had made the introductions, they struck up another conversation and Elizabeth quietly listened.

About twenty minutes later, Elizabeth heard a shout and turned to see Edward West running towards a little girl, who had seemingly collapsed on the floor. He knelt by her, feeling her forehead. As he took his hand away, Elizabeth recognized her as a little girl who had made friends with her. "Susy!" she exclaimed, and sprinted towards her, followed by Adrian. She, too, knelt by the girl, and put a hand to her cheek, but a strong pair of hands jerked her backwards. She writhed out of their grip and turned to face Edward furiously as he said, "Don't get too close, Elizabeth! We can't afford two sick girls." He then bent and gathered up little Susy in his arms and carried her away.

Later that evening, Mr Peterson remarked again, "nice fellow, Adrian. You ought to talk to him."

"I do talk to him," Elizabeth sighed.

"Good. Not a bad choice. Edward was my first pick, but, seeing as you don't like him, Adrian'll do as well."

"Da!" Elizabeth exclaimed indignantly.

"What?" He asked, laughing.

"Your 'first pick'?!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "I will not be paired with someone like a sock!"

"Very well, I just thought them suitable."

Elizabeth sighed and no more was said on the subject.

Over the course of the next week, Elizabeth talked with Adrian and his friends nearly every night. Sometimes she talked with just Adrian. She was still a little shy around him, but he was quite talkative himself, so she didn't have to say much. Elizabeth also noticed that Edward seemed to be watching her every move lately, which bothered her immensely.

One night about a week or two later, Elizabeth was talking to (or rather listening to) Adrian. Her head began to ache and she frowned, but kept listening. The headache only worsened, but as she knew there wasn't anything she could do about it, she tried to ignore it. A funny buzzing sound caught her attention, and she noticed it was growing louder. She turned to Adrian to see if he could hear it or knew what it was, but the noise had grown so loud it now blocked out all other sounds around her. Then slowly, blackness began to infiltrate her sight, and in a moment she had collapsed into Adrian's arms. Adrian gave a shout, but he needn't have, for Edward was already at his elbow. "Malnourishment, cold, and blimey, I think she's caught the flu from that dear little girl. I did tell her to stay back, didn't I? I noticed she wasn't doing well lately, so I've been keeping an eye on her. Here, bring her into the girls' sickroom."

Adrian followed Edward to the sickroom, laid Elizabeth gently on the floor of it, and turned to glare at Edward. Edward, however, knelt by Elizabeth and rummaged in his paraphernalia, meanwhile speaking to Adrian, who was holding up the blanket, standing in the doorway. "You're going to want to wash your hands, now, and just for caution," he commenced to give him a shot, and as Adrian gasped, "ouch!" in a rather high tone, raised an eyebrow at him.

Adrian tried to put on a more manly face, but Edward just grinned and jerked the blanket out of his hands, letting it fall and block again the entrance.