The way Uncas was hugging her...
Alice felt as if she was being teleported back to three years ago...under the falls.
She felt as if she truly belonged to him.
"Let me stay with you." He repeated as he shifted atop her in one swift motion, trapping her gently, but firmly under him. His tenderness assailed her senses and permeated through every pore of her being like liquid fire. His eyes were blazing with a myriad emotions, and his scars shone white in the dark.
He knows everything.
Alice surmised in that moment as shame crashed over her, and panic and vulnerability seized her. He knew how pathetic and scorned she had been for the past three years. He felt sorry for her. Alice swept his hands from her shoulders frantically and struggled to sit up. "Let me go!" she gasped brokenly, trying to break free from his embrace. When he refused to budge, she shoved his chest with all her might, "I don't need your pity!" She wasn't aware that she had started crying, angry tears streaking down her cheeks.
"Let me go." she gritted out through clenched teeth, her complexion bloodless, her eyes dull with humiliation and defeat. Uncas dashed away one of her tears with his finger and tightened his arms around her. He knew her pride was in shreds and it killed him that he was the cause. "Never." he vowed fiercely, his hands tunnelling into her silky tresses. Never again. Uncas resolved as he lowered his head purposefully.
Alice knew she was losing in the battle of wills. His every touch, every kiss burned her like a brand. He was gentle, he was determined, he was relentless. He wasn't just seeking physical fulfilment this time - he was seeking her, seeking her heart that was buried under layers of pain and heartbreak. With every brush of his lips, with every caress of his fingers, Uncas chipped away at her carefully constructed defences.
When he was finally poised to possess her completely, she was a melting mass of sensation. To her surprise, he rolled over until she was the one on top. With one hand resting on her waist, he extended his other hand to cup her cheek lovingly. Locking his gaze on hers, he whispered in capitulation, "Take me." Alice trembled at the meaning of his words. Take me. He was surrendering himself to her. He was hers for the taking. She hovered over him in indecision. His hand strayed to her mouth and he traced her bottom lip, "I have always belonged to you." Her resistance crumbled at the piercing intensity and sincerity she saw in his beautiful eyes - and she descended upon him with a helpless cry.
This time, it was perfect. Uncas held nothing back. His unwavering eyes never left Alice's, capturing her gaze hotly as his mouth, hands and body hungrily sought her. Alice felt she was floating, drowning...as she felt Uncas poured his heart, body and soul into her. Tears seeped from the corner of her eyes as he growled hoarsely in raw passion and need, his hands and lips roved all over her, leaving no inch of her skin untouched. She hung on to him for dear life, clutching his bulging biceps as he sensually, ruthlessly drove them to exquisite ecstasy. Her breathless moans mingled with his husky groans, their bodies entwined, their hearts pounding erratically.
Alice. Uncas struggled to keep his eyes open to look into her eyes as wild rapture overtook them. He crushed his lips over hers just in time to muffle her screams of pleasure as they convulsed together in smouldering completion.
Uncas. Alice tasted the saltiness of his sweat as he lay under her, breathing heavily. What just happened between them was nothing like three years ago, nothing like what they had experienced over the last couple of weeks. He had held nothing back. This time, he had given, and given again. "Take me." It was singularly the most powerful plea she had ever heard in her life. The way he said it, the look in his eyes when he uttered those two words. Alice felt those words trickle into her blood, pulsing with life, soothing long-festering wounds.
Mustering the remnants of his energy, Uncas hoisted himself up until the headboard supported his back. He repositioned Alice so that she was curled on her side against him, his torso pillowing her upper body. Though their bodies were damp with perspiration, it was getting chilly. Tugging the comforter up to cover her shoulders, he gathered her in his arms under it. They rested in silence, no words were needed to describe or justify the sizzling intimacy they had just shared.
As much as Uncas loathed to hurt Alice, he knew they needed to have the conversation. He nuzzled the top of her head and asked calmly, "Tell me about Sarah's birth." He heard her breath hitch. He thought she was going to refuse his request when she gave a tiny nod. Her arms crept around his waist as if she drew strength from the very action. His hand glided to her nape, lightly massaging the muscles there. "I'm here now." he reminded her, his voice rough with emotion.
Alice began, her voice strained and halting. Uncas listened intently, never once interjecting or interrupting her. He simply held her. "There was...no pain...no pain at all. But there was so much blood...my sheets were soaked...so much blood..." she rattled incoherently, her whole body shuddering at the memory. Uncas squeezed his eyes shut and pulled Alice tighter against him. "It was my fault I lost her. I must have done something wrong the day before. Maybe I walked too fast or carried something too heavy. It had to be...that's why I lost her..." she choked over the unshed tears burning in her throat. "No. You did nothing wrong. Things happen sometimes for no reason. It just happens." he rasped, tilting her face up so he could look in her eyes. "It's not your fault we lost her."
"It's not your fault we lost her."
Alice gazed into his eyes, which were now filled with heartrending tenderness. We. With his rock-hard steadiness surrounding her, she resumed, "I held her as she drifted off...she had your hair, your eyebrows, your cheekbones. She had my eyes...I know because she opened them for a second and they were grey..." Uncas felt himself start to quake uncontrollably as she described their daughter. A little girl with black hair and grey eyes. "Her skin was the colour of honey. She wasn't as dark as you..." Uncas thought he saw Alice smile a little at that. He couldn't tell through the tears welling thickly in his eyes. Their little girl.
Uncas pressed something into her palm. Alice looked down and blinked when she saw it was his old earring. She had thought she had lost it after Sarah's passing. Aunt Maura must have found it one day and kept it with her for some reason. Maybe her aunt knew a time such as this would arrive one day. Aunt Maura must had been vehemently praying Alice would reunite with the father of her child.
Uncas flicked the earring off Alice's hand and adjusted her until she sat with her back against his chest, cocooned in his arms. "I wasn't there for you then." he resounded bitterly. Alice shook her head resignedly, "It doesn't matter anymore..." Uncas slipped one hand down to her belly and lingered there, his warmth scorching her skin. "If I had been there...I would have held you like this...I'd be holding Sarah together with you..." he related in a low, strangled whisper. Alice bit her lip hard as fresh tears hovered inside her lids. "And when she had gone...I'd hold you...I'd cry with you..." His voice broke as tears fell from his eyes, splattering on her shoulders and arms. Alice twisted her upper body around and hugged him fiercely, tears streaming down her cheeks too. She pressed a kiss on his jaw as his arms banded around her like steel . Like this. They would have held each other and share in each other's tears - like this.
Uncas wasn't beside her in the bed when Alice woke up the next morning. She wasn't upset though - they weren't at the cabin, thus did not enjoy the same privacy. She stretched leisurely, a small secret smile playing at her lips when she reminisced about the incredible night she had spent with Uncas. It felt so surreal - yet it was real. She couldn't recall a moment she felt happier than how she felt now. The last time she felt this good was baking biscuits with him at the fort three years ago. Uncas. Her smile widened when she spotted the shirt he had worn the day before tossed carelessly on the floor beside the bed. He must have missed it on his way out of her room this morning. He was one who always religiously cleaned up after himself - it was a sign he was as affected by their night together as she was.
"Your English is very good." Maura complimented the tall, dark man who was tending the garden with her. Maura had risen early and found Uncas in the sitting room, his brow furrowed in deep concentration. On impulse, she had suggested he helped her with her morning session of gardening. He had agreed easily, thus they were now hard at work pulling weeds. Uncas shrugged, " My father sent Nathaniel and I to Reverend Wheelock's school when I was five. Been speakin' it since. Father also read English books to us often." Maura concluded Uncas' father was a very wise yet shrewd man.
"Have you...talked to Alice?" Maura ventured carefully. She didn't want to pry but she really hoped that the couple had cleared the air between them - they deserved that much after suffering so. "Yes." he answered without missing a beat, then added, "Thank you." Maura dismissed his gratitude with an impatient wave and continued her war with the weeds. Uncas paused and looked towards the cottage. They had talked - but what were they to do after?
Maura must have seen the thoughtful expression on his face because her next question was, "Have you discussed the future?" Was there a future? Did he and Alice have a future together? Yes, they had come to terms what transpired in the three years they had been apart but what of the present - and the future? "No." he admitted ruefully, grounding the dirt under his feet. Maura clucked her tongue," Take your time, young man. It is too early to talk about the future considering the both of you reconciled with your past only a few hours ago. Healing is a process; not an instant salve."
"Slept well?" Alice spun around at Uncas' voice. He stood an arm's length from her, his posture relaxed, his eyes twinkling with playfulness. Just like that day at the fort where he called her part of a biscuit. She bobbed her head, suddenly feeling terribly shy. She blushed at the thought of their sensual bout in bed earlier...as if he read her thoughts, he said, "Won't go to your room tonight - not until we're back at the cabin." Alice blushed even more furiously at his matter-of-fact tone. "Don't let Aunt Maura hear you! She will -" "She won't." Uncas interjected with a wry chuckle. Alice couldn't help but roll her eyes at his smug tone. Never could she have predicted that her strong-willed, vivacious aunt would get along with the Mohican warrior of (very) few words like a house on fire.
"Going to stock up on supplies today. Aunt Maura wants to leave the day after tomorrow." Uncas related as he helped her set breakfast on the table. Alice frowned in confusion, "I thought we were staying for a week." "I have decided not to wait - the cabins sound fabulous!" Aunt Maura gushed as she ambled into the kitchen. Alice sputtered, "Fabulous? It was just yesterday that you -" "Yesterday is yesterday, my dear. I foresee myself having a grand time." The elder woman announced spiritedly. Alice shot Uncas a look filled with trepidation and he flashed a faint grin in response, thus it was obvious Aunt Maura's drastic change in perception was somehow linked to him. "Not too grand, I hope." Alice muttered under her breath but she was relieved that her aunt was more enthusiastic about the stay in the wilderness...if she survived the arduous journey in order to reach there.
Alice and Maura ran errands and had tea in town, while Uncas busied himself with stocking various supplies. As the women walked back to the cottage after their day night out, Maura commented, "You were right." "What about?" Alice quipped as she took in her surroundings. As much as she enjoyed the additional convenience the city offered, she missed her bedroom at the cabin. Alice was startled at the direction of her thoughts. Her bedroom? When did she start thinking of that room as her bedroom? Before she could ponder further, Maura patted her arm in her usual motherly fashion and smiled brightly, " He is wonderful." Alice concurred wistfully, "He is, isn't he?"
Her bedroom. Alice stared at the ceiling as she lay in bed that night. If she likened the room in the cabin to something that belonged to her...then what of the cabin? And the man who owned it? Alice realised with growing reluctance that not everything between she and Uncas was settled yet - all they had done was to come clean about the past three years and face what they had inevitably lost. It was a huge step that needed to be taken, but it did not provide the means to an end. On the contrary, it felt like the beginning of a journey...what journey? Was there a final destination? Alice flipped on her stomach and groaned in helpless frustration.
Did he dare dream of a future with Alice? Uncas brooded as he sat on the floor by the bed. He confessed he had not thought that far ahead yet - maybe he had refrained from doing such because it immediately warranted the option of Alice leaving America again. He did not want to think of her impending departure...yet. "One day you will want more." his father's gruff warning rung in his ears. Chingachcook had made an educated guess what Alice and Uncas had been up to for the last few weeks. He had pulled Uncas aside just before the two left for Albany. The elder Mohican had urged his son to mull over where the couple genuinely stood with each other respectively. "What is she to you, son?"
What was he to Alice? Uncas was certain she had feelings for him but how deep did those feelings run? He glanced at the wall that stood between their rooms - so near, yet so far. For the sake of modesty and propriety, Uncas figured he shouldn't seek Alice out at night in her room while they stayed at the cottage. He literally had to force himself to release her and leave the room this morning. He didn't like leaving her alone. Hell, he didn't like leaving her, period. With that, he leapt to his feet.
A shadow fell over room. Uncas. He had come. He stood at the doorway of the room, looking sombre in the watery moonlight. He walked over to her silently and sat down on the bed by her pillow, the side of his thigh brushing her cheek. "You said you wouldn't come." Alice chided as she sat up. "Not going to stay long." Uncas answered as he leaned in to give her a quick kiss on her lips. Alice wound her arms around his neck, "You can stay as long as you want." she murmured drowsily as she cuddled closer to him. "You can, too." Uncas said, running his hand down her back. "Mmmmm?" Alice arched her neck to look at his face. His eyes flickered down to meet hers, dark and moody.
"You can stay as long as you want...with me."