Alice looked at Konwakeri in stunned silence, but dared not believe she could know such a thing. And what was a new moon, anyway? The wagon wheels began to roll as Nathaniel steered the horses in the direction of Albany. They would stop there on the way to New York to get the trunk Alice had left behind as a result of over packing in England. Cora sat beside her new husband.

Alice walked along side the wagon, not wanting to tempt herself by sitting inside next to Uncas. He begrudgingly took his place in the back when his father and brother threatened to wrestle him into it if he did not go willingly. He was not ready to walk such a distance on his still-healing leg. It was a harsh blow to his ego to ride in the wagon while Alice and his father walked. He looked at her lithe figure and her worn out dress, and felt bad for all she had been through since arriving to the Americas. He thought she looked pale, but he longed to run his fingers along the length of every part of her body. She had become too thin, as well. He wished to go running through the woods to hunt a great elk for her, skin it, butcher it, and roast meat over a fire to feed his woman. Not his woman. No longer his woman. Never again to be his woman, he thought with grief weighing his heart down. She still wore the boots that had never been made with the intention of walking hundreds of miles in 10 days. Her feet would be blistered by the end of the first day, but he knew she would never complain.

Alice clung to Konwakeri's last words to her, considering for the first few hours of their trip whether or not she could be right, and what would happen if she were. Of course she could not be right. It was far too soon to know. She had a well thought out argument with herself for most of the morning, and both sides had valid points.

Uncas got out to walk a bit, as his leg did need some exercise in its last stages of heeling. He gestured for Alice to take his place, and she did, grateful for the break. They stopped for a brief lunch of bread and butter, and when they resumed the second half of the day's trip, Uncas was again coerced into the back of the wagon. But as the moon started to rise up into the night sky, Alice was reminded of her earlier conversation with Konwakeri. She slowed to follow directly behind the wagon, so she could speak with Uncas.

"Uncas, what is The New Moon?" He looked up in surprise that she would ask him this seemingly casual question. They had spoken only out of necessity for some time now. He jumped off the back of the wagon to walk beside her and answer.

"Why do you ask?"

"Konwakeri mentioned something to me about it this morning, but I do not know what it is."

"What was she talking about?"

"It is nothing."

"The new moon is the first phase of the moon, after it has lined up perfectly with the sun, and then slowly begins to reveal a small crescent of light again."

"When does this happen?"

"Every thirty days or so."

"Was there a new moon around the time when we met?"

"Alice, why are you asking about this?" he asked in confusion.

"Please, just answer me."

"Okay," he said, frustratingly running his fingers through his hair.

Alice saw this and a chill ran up her spine. She loved his long, black hair, and missed running her own fingers through it.

He looked at the moon in its current phase and tried to do the math backwards. He had lost too much time in his unconsious state and was unable to figure it out this way. He remembered, then, the waning crescent on the night they first spent laying beneath the stars together. The crescent was barely still visible. The new moon would have been the next day.

"The new moon would have been our first night at Fort William Henry," he stated.

"Oh dear," she said, suddenly stopping with a look of unease on her face. She began to hyperventilate.

"Alice, you need to slow your breathing down." He put his hand on her shoulder, and realized how long it had been since they had touched.

Alice seemed as though she were starting to panic, and Uncas looked down at her face with great concern.

"Alice, what is wrong? What can I do?"

Alice felt as though the forest around her were spinning, and then suddenly her vision went black. As she began to fall over Uncas reached his arms out quickly and barely managed to catch her in time. He whistled for Nathaniel to stop the wagon, and everyone turned to see Alice unconscious and limp in Uncas's arms.

"Alice!" Cora shouted, quickly climbing down from the wagon.

Uncas gently placed her in the wagon, and Cora ran to her.

"What happened?" Cora asked Uncas.

"I don't know," he rambled in bewilderment. "One minute she was asking about the moon, and I was explaining to her what a new moon is, and the next minute she was falling over. She was upset about something, or worried, but she would not tell me what it was."

Cora splashed some water on her face and Alice began to stir. She opened her eyes to see four pairs of eyes staring down at her in concern.

"Thank goodness, Alice!" said a relieved Cora. "What happened? Are you feeling ill?"

"No, I'm okay. I think I just overexerted myself."

"We will stop here for the night," said Nathaniel.

"When we arrive in Albany in a few days you are going to see a physician," Cora informed Alice.

"No, I am fine. I do not need a physician."

"Alice, you have been through so much since we left Albany. You barely eat, your dress could be taken in a great deal, and you're so pale. I think this has all taken a great physical toll on you. You must see someone before you depart for England."

"I do not need to be seen by a physician."

Albany, 3 Days Later

"Take a deep breath and let it out," the young doctor instructed Alice at the conclusion of his exam. Alice had not allowed anyone in the room with her.

"How much weight have you lost?"

"I am not sure. I didn't realize I had."

"And you've not been eating?"

"I have no appetite."

"When were your last courses?"

Alice realized she could not remember. 'Oh dear,' Alice thought, 'I am with child. How can I have our child when Uncas no longer loves me?'

"I cannot remember," she admitted.

"Have you been intimate with a man?"

"No," Alice lied.

"Well, its normal for your courses to stop when you become too thin, and you are definitely too thin."

What a relief. She just needed to eat more and her courses would resume. She was not with child, after all. She chose to cling to this belief as she would not force Uncas to return to her for a baby. She wanted to make him love her again, first. She happily said goodbye to the physician with strict orders to eat three proper meals a day.

Cora made sure that they packed plenty of well-preserved food for Alice for the remaining part of their journey to New York. She made a fuss if Alice tried to walk rather than ride in the wagon, and she practically force fed Alice three times a day. It was a very long week. Uncas and Chingachgook would have parted ways with them and gone on straight to the new homestead to start on the cabin, but they needed to help Nathaniel gather supplies. They were accustomed to doing everything together anyway, and it was always wise to have a couple of extra men there to fight if they came across anyone wanting to rob or harm them.

New York, 1 week later

"We must find a man to load your trunk on the ship," said Cora.

A surprisingly cooperative Alice stated, "I will find one. Look, there's a porter over there." Alice walked over to the man, gave him instructions on where to bring the trunk, and paid him accordingly. He quickly followed behind her and grabbed the trunk, lugging it toward the ramp of the boat.

"I am glad to see you are warming to the idea of returning to England," Cora stated.

Alice had posed many arguments to this arrangement throughout their ride to the city, but all had been rejected by Cora.

"The weather has not cooled too much yet, so the first few weeks of your journey should be lovely."

"I don't need to board for another hour," said Alice. I shall help you find supplies for your new kitchen."

Cora pulled out her meager list of supplies for reference.

"No, Cora. That won't do," Alice remarked as she pulled out her own list, which Cora found to be considerably longer. "There is much you will need, and I fear you have a great deal to learn. You will be doing a lot of things that you used to call "servants work.""

"All those years of scolding you for following the cook and gardener around in fascination," Cora replied with regret. "Maybe, I should have accepted your curiosity more, or even joined you at times."

"Well," Alice replied. "If you would like, I could stay on this winter and teach you what I know."

Cora gave her sister a look that said 'That is still not happening.'

"Okay," Alice conceded. "That was my last attempt to convince you. I promise."

An hour later, Alice had reluctantly boarded the ship that would go to England.

As the ship untied from the port, and sails raised and opened, it began to retreat from the dock. Passengers gathered at the stern to wave goodbye excitedly to their loved ones. Uncas stood there with Cora and his father and brother, but could not watch as Alice left his life forever. He pretended as though he did not care, as he casually leaned backward against the rail. Cora stood at the edge of the port, waiting in anticipation for her sister to appear and wave farewell as everyone else traditionally did. Alice did not come, and Cora could not hide her disappointment, realizing her sister must have been a great deal more resentful over this forced departure than she previously understood. Nathaniel stood behind her holding her lovingly by the shoulders, and encouraged her to step away. They had much to do before they left the city for their new homestead.

"No," Cora said. "Not until I can no longer see it. She still may come."

The ship became more distant, and Cora's disappointment grew. She became less observant, and did not notice as the passengers, who were all small blurs by now, all suddenly left the stern and hurried toward the front of the boat. All but one.

With the passengers effectively distracted by the fight she had paid two men to engage in at the front of the boat, Alice continued on with her plan. She released the last pin from her top and let it drop along with her loosely tied gown and petticoats. She had on no stays. She kicked off her already unlaced boots and leggings and now stood aft of the ship in only her shift. She took a step toward the railing and carefully climbed to the top, leaning against a post for balance.

"Daddy, look, that lady's going to jump!" A little boy shouted where Cora, Nathaniel, Uncas, and Chingachgook still stood to see her off.

Cora looked up suddenly.

"Is that Alice?"

Uncas turned around to see an Alice shaped blur, sheathed in white, standing on top of the stern's railing. He knew that body and the hair blowing in the wind, even from this distance.

"Don't do it Alice," he said under his breath. Nathaniel and Chingachgook heard this and realized what was happening.

Without hesitation, Alice held her hands to her sides to keep her shift from flying upward on her descent, and stepped off, knowing there was nothing beneath her to catch her fall. She held her breath when she crashed into the water and briefly plummeted beneath the surface, but did not think to hold her nose. The salt water went up her nose and down her throat burning it horribly.

"She did it," Uncas replied to himself in alarm, as he broke out into a sprint and rounded a corner to run down the length of the pier to the end that stretched farthest toward the sea. Nathaniel followed right behind, though Uncas had a slight advantage even while still out of shape. He always had been faster than Nathaniel, both on land and in water.

Onlookers screamed as they realized a woman had gone overboard, and people gathered to watch the unfolding scene.

As Uncas ran, he shed his moccasins, his leggings, his tools, his weapons, and his shirt, until he was only in his breechcloth. Nathaniel did the same. Cora and Chingachgook rushed down the pier, gathering in their arms the clothes and other items that Uncas and Nathaniel left in their wake.

Alice quickly rose to the surface, coughing on the water that had burned her throat, and began to kick frantically toward the dock. It didn't seem that far away. Surely she could make it there in ten minutes or so. She tried stroking her arms over her head the way she had watched Uncas do it, but she was not coordinated enough for this maneuver. Small waves rocked her back and forth as she began to use her hands to paddle. This was much easier. She would be back on dry land in no time.

As Uncas approached the end of the dock in a frenetic sprint, men in rowboats debated over what they should do.

"Should we row out to her?"

"Our boats are weighed down with cargo and there's not enough time to empty them."

"Should we swim to her?"

"No one will reach her before she gets carried out to sea."

At that moment, they all watched a barely dressed Indian man rush past them and dive with fervor into the harbor. Uncas began to stroke his arms over his head, swiftly and vigorously displacing water as if he was trying to part the seas. Nathaniel dove in after him and the two set a rapid pace in Alice's direction.

"Man, that Indian can swim."

Alice continued paddling and kicking with determination, but could not understand why the port was not getting any closer. In fact, it seemed to be getting farther away. She turned around and saw that the boat had gained a considerable distance from her, so at least no one would realize she had gone over and try to send someone out to bring her back aboard. She had gotten another young girl to agree to gather her dress and boots after she jumped, promising she could keep them for herself. These were expensive items for someone of this girls class, and she might never own any clothes this nice again. Droplets of water from the sprays of whitecaps flew into Alice's mouth, and they tasted of fish and salt. This was turning out to be more difficult than she had planned. She looked behind her again and realized that if she continued in the wrong direction she would soon be in open sea. She began to kick and paddle harder.

Uncas's lungs burned as the pace he had set for himself was a great deal faster than the pace he normally swam. He continued with no sign of slowing, and began to realize that there was a slight current helping him move in his intended direction. This should have been encouraging, but it meant Alice was fighting against the same current, and she was sure to eventually tire. He needed to get to her and get her out of the current. He had cut the distance between them in half by now, but he could feel his energy diminishing. He realized Alice was not even keeping up with the current as she was now farther out of the upper harbor than she had initially been.

'I cannot fail. I will not lose her,' he thought, as he found the strength to increase his speed further. He had not demanded so much of his body since the day he traversed a mountainside to try to save Alice from Magua. Uncas noticed to his left was the island he knew as Paggank. This is what the Lenape called it when it belonged to them, before the Brits had taken over it. Now, it was Governor's Island. To his right was Staten Island. Alice was much closer to Governor's Island, and Uncas thought if he could get to her in time, he could swim perpendicularly out of the current and get her to the shores of this island. Turning back to Manhattan and fighting the current was not an option.

Alice looked back again to see that open water was now even closer. She began to panic, no longer kicking and paddling in a particular direction. Her body was spent, and she did not think she had the energy to go much further. Now, she just kicked to keep her head above water, as she did not have the energy for anything else. She began to consider her options and realized she had none. Land was too far away. The boat was too far away. There were no other boats nearby that even realized she was in the water. Would it be her fate to drown? Maybe, this was a better fate than living the rest of her life in England without Uncas. Her head dipped below the surface briefly, but she managed to kick back to the surface before she breathed in any water.

Uncas saw Alice go under and realized she was running out of energy to keep herself afloat. The waves crashing against her did not help. He was closing in on her, but he needed her to be strong and keep her head above the water until he got to her.

"He's getting close!" one of the men from the port shouted.

"He might make it in time!" shouted another.

Several more minutes passed and Alice began to feel light headed. Her arms and legs began to feel heavy. Her head dipped below the water again, but this time she did not think she would have the energy to rise back up. She suddenly felt a firm arm around her waist lift her above the surface of the water and she gasped for air. She realized she was in the arms of Uncas.

"Alice!" he shouted to get her attention in her shocked state. "We are in a current! We have to swim out of it!"

Alice just stared at him in disbelief. Where had he come from? He turned onto his back and rested Alice against one side of his body, holding her body firmly with one arm.

"I've got you, now, you're going to be okay. Just relax your body while I swim"

With the other arm he began to backstroke toward Governor's Island. As he kicked their way out of the current, Uncas saw Nathaniel reach them. Nathaniel took hold of Alice's other side and matched his brother's backstroke until their feet began to feel something solid beneath. They stood up and Uncas lifted Alice out of the water. They walked the rest of the way to shore and collapsed in exhaustion once they had made it.

Uncas did not hear the cheers, from the rather large crowd that had gathered, when he first reached Alice in the water. Nor did any of the three hear the cheers from the crowd when they made it to shore.

They were all exhausted, Uncas most of all as he had pushed the limits of his body further than ever before. He laid on the beach breathing heavily, but rolled slightly to his side to ensure Alice was okay.

Alice was laying sprawled out in a shift that had become tranluscent in it's wet state. He did not want his brother to see what part of him still considered to be his, and he did not want Alice to be embarrassed. There was a large house at the center of the island, no doubt tended by slaves, and he asked his brother to see if he could go and find Alice something to cover up with. Uncas sat between them as he made this request, and it did not escape Nathaniel's attention that Uncas was protectively blocking her body from being seen. He did as his brother asked.

At the end of the Manhattan pier, cheers were slowly dying down, but people still tried to make out what the shapes in the distance were doing, and they were eager to see them when they returned. Cora asked one of the men from the row boats if she might be able to charter his boat to go and retrieve her sister and her rescuers. The man kindly explained to her that once his cargo was removed they could row out soon, and then they would have to wait briefly for the tide to shift in their favor before coming back. They agreed on a price, and Cora and Chingachgook decided to return to their wagon quickly to get blankets for the boat ride back. To Cora's surprise, when they arrived at the stables where they boarded their horses and wagon for the day, Alice's trunk was in the wagon.

"She planned this all along," she said to Chingachgook.

She retrieved a gown, petticoats, leggings, and boots from Alice's trunk, as well as the blankets. When they returned they boarded the boat and set off.

Nathaniel found the house to be deserted and no stray clothes or blankets were in sight. He circled the island in search of a small boat, anything that could aid them in returning to the port. He found nothing. When he returned he found that Uncas had covered Alice's body with sand. She had been too tired to object.

"Island's empty and no boat to get us off," said Nathaniel.

"What now?" asked Uncas. "Wait for the tide to shift and swim her back?"

"Might be our only choice. Unless Cora and father saw where we ended up and bring us a boat."

"Oh, Cora's going to be so mad at me!" Alice suddenly sat up at the mention of her sister's name and the sand spilled off of her body.

A distressed Uncas began to frantically shovel more sand into her lap, and then awkwardly positioned his body in front of her to block the sight of her almost naked body. Nathaniel averted his gaze and quietly laughed, "Yes, she definitly will be."

The three lay in the sun to dry off, until Nathaniel looked to the North end of the island and saw a boat rowing in their direction from Manhattan. He nudged Uncas.

"I think that's our ride."

Nathaniel walked to the end of the island to meet up with the boat while Uncas stayed with an unpresentable Alice. Nathaniel told Cora where she could find her sister, and that she was in need of something to cover up with.

"I brought her dry clothes," Cora stated in frustration. "We brought all of you dry clothes."

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"How could she do something so foolish?" she said on the verge of tears. "And what are we to do now? Buy another ticket and hope she doesn't jump again? She's clearly determined to stay."

"Well, then, maybe we should let her stay."

Cora looked at him in surprise.

"Have her winter with us? Do you think that is a good idea?"

"No. But, I don't think she's going to stop putting up this fight."

Cora walked to her younger sister with clothes and blankets in hand. Uncas left when he saw her coming, not wanting her to think he was taking advantage of a chance to be alone with her half naked sister. He nodded to Cora as they crossed paths.

"Uncas..."

He stopped and looked at her.

"Thank you for what you did. For saving my sister. I think I woud have lost her had it not been for you."

"You're welcome." he said humbly, knowing he did it for himself, more than anyone. And for Alice.

"When he got to the boat his father handed him a dry shirt, and gave him a knowing glance that said 'You're not fooling anyone.'

When Cora reached Alice, she could think of no words to scold her. Alice looked up at her.

"I see you found my trunk."

Alice waited for the lecture as her sister helped her with her petticoats and fresh gown, as well as the extra pair of leggings and boots she had in her trunk. When she was decent and ready to go to the boat that would take her back to Manhattan, and whatever fate Cora had decided would be hers next, Cora said, "Well, you got your wish. You will winter with us this year."