Alice thought she could bare the cold of the rain if not for the icy chill of the lashing wind. She had long since begun to shiver in her drenched gown, her long hair dripping and stuck to the sides of her face. After an hour walking in the rain, she had officially accepted that she was lost. If she lived to be found, Uncas would never let her forget this.

She eventually came upon a rock shelter, an indentation several feet deep and many more wide, in the side of a cliff. She could tell from a distance that it was dry underneath, as the wind blew the rain in the opposite direction. She struggled in her chilled state to walk much further, but made it there and collapsed within. It had collected a thick blanket of freshly fallen leaves, and it smelled of a contradictory combination of a musty cellar and fresh rain. She sat with her knees tucked under her chin, trying to maintain as much of her body heat as she could. She feared any heat once within her was all but gone, now. The shivering, she knew, was supposed to maintain her temperature, but she felt as though it helped very little. She sat in silence for some time, waiting for the rain to stop, but it showed no signs of doing so. Eventually, a heavy lethargy fell over her and she lay down on the ground in exhaustion. Her eyelids became leaden and she yielded to the urge to shut her eyes. But she could not sleep in this bitter cold. It was the greatest of tortures to feel such fatigue but be too cold to succumb to it.

Nathaniel, Chingachgook, and Uncas donned beaver furs. A bag with bison furs that had come their way from the plains Indians through a series of trades hung over Uncas's shoulder as they trekked through the woods. Cora had insisted that Nathaniel go with to find her sister, even if it meant being left alone at the homestead for the first time. She busied herself with carrying the pots meant for their dinner to the root cellar, as the rain had extinguished the fire, then waited in the wigwam impatiently for their return.

They knew which direction she had started out in, but the rain washed away Alice's tracks quickly, and they had no way to know when she left the path. They looked for signs of broken twigs along the length of it until they came to a clearing at the end. Uncas somehow spotted a single strand of light blonde hair that had been ensnared by a bramble. She had reached the end and kept going. They began to search in a grid-like pattern, and continued on in this way for quite awhile until Uncas noted an unmistakable footprint in the mud. This must have been where Alice had been when the ground became saturated. They need only follow her footsteps now. Now that he knew which direction to go in Uncas picked up his pace with a sense of urgency, knowing that Alice was not dressed for this weather. He hoped he would make it to her in time. Nathaniel and Chingachgook followed his lead.

Alice lay on the cold ground, teeth chattering, body shivering more violently than it had been before. She thought she was starting to hear voices, hallucinations, perhaps a sign of impending death. The voices came closer, though, and one suddenly shouted in Mohican. It was Uncas's voice. She soon felt herself being lifted against the stone wall by a pair of sturdy hands. More words spoken in Mohican, something about Nathaniel returning to Cora, and Uncas being chosen by his father and brother as best suited for the job. Chingachgook would stay as look-out.

"Alice, wake up, we have to get these wet clothes off of you."

Alice recognized the voice of the man she loved and opened her eyes. He always came when she needed him. How did she keep getting herself into these situations?

She could barely move, so he began to remove her boots and leggings himself. He then started on the pins from her top as if he had done it many times before.

'Just once before,' she thought to herself.

She had taken to no longer wearing her stays underneath, so he needed only to untie her gown and petticoats, and slip them off with her shift. Chingachgook crouched with his back turned to them, but he knew what his son was doing. Nathaniel and he had to do the same for Uncas when he was a boy and fell through an icy pond. It occurred to Alice that she was naked in the presence of her former lover and his father and maybe she should be embarrassed. But she cared of nothing right now. She watched as Uncas quickly stripped all of his clothes off, and suddenly she cared a little bit. She was gazing upon the body she had wanted to gaze upon again for some months. Uncas laid Alice down on top of a bison fur, then used his shirt to cover that part of him which she might find offensive should it prod her from behind. He pressed the back of her body to him and covered them with a second bison fur. He wrapped his arms around her to increase the amount of surface area his body covered of hers. His body felt like a warm oven to her, and his skin burned hot against hers.

"Uncas, it hurts."

"What hurts?" he asked in great concern.

As usual, she could not find the words.

She managed to take his hands and place them over her breasts. Her nipples were extremely hard and he remembered how sensitive they were. Sensitive to the cold, too, perhaps.

"Mmmmm, that's better," Alice said as the warmth of his hands began to relieve her affliction.

He could not help the way his body responded to this, and he doubted that his strategically placed shirt hid it well from her. She took immediate notice, and changed position a bit, hoping not to make it obvious that she was purposefully pressing her body more firmly against his manhood. Uncas gulped out loud and hoped that no one heard this over the pounding rain. Chingachgook did, and had to stifle a laugh. His poor son. What torment this must be for him. They lay there for some time, neither keeping track of how much time passed, but Uncas closely monitored her for signs that her shivers were settling and her body heat improving.

As she warmed, Alice slowly became more aware of her surroundings and all that was happening around her. She rather liked the compromising situation she found herself in and thought she might remain "weary" a bit longer to prolong her time within Uncas's arms. She felt Uncas's hot breath against her neck, and wanted more than anything to turn her head and kiss him. She began to run her hands along his thighs without realizing it until she reached his bottom. She stopped, embarrassed, knowing this was not why he held her. He wished that she had not stopped, but realized she must still be confused to have done it at all. Besides, his father was sitting right in front of them. This rendered their rather compromising situation less romantic. When the rain stopped Chingachgook told Uncas to prepare to leave. They had an extra pair of dry moccasins and Cora had sent them with a dry shift and gown. When Alice was dressed, with Uncas's help as her manual dexterity was still altered, Uncas wrapped one of the bison furs around her for extra warmth.

"Are you ready to walk?" he asked softly.

She nodded.

"How far away are we?"

"A couple of hours."

"How did I get that far out?"

"Well, you're just apparently very good at getting lost," he teased.

She sneered at him.

"How did you find me?"

"We tracked you. Wasn't easy. It took us awhile to even pick up on your trail."

Uncas guided her through the woods with a protective hand behind her waist. Chingachgook held up the rear, a rare task for him for some years. It was dark when they returned, and Cora ran to her, holding her tight, and then nudged her into the wigwam where she buried her with furs. Uncas changed into dry clothes outside, then joined Alice in the wigwam, retiring to his side in exhaustion. Cora soon brought them both plates of food left over from the day's earlier meal. Uncas ate voraciously, no amount of exhaustion enough to dampen his appetite. Alice was less enthusiastic, but surprisingly finished everything off. She soon fell into a deep sleep, as did Uncas.

The following day was like any other, but both Uncas and Alice suffered from intrusive memories of laying together the night before. It had only served to strengthen their ever present yearning for one another. The coming night would be even more painful.

Living in a wigwam in such close quarters proved difficult. They would complete the fences, coops, and a rudimentary barn after a another week of chopping wood and cutting boards, and would then be ready to begin on the cabin.

'Thank goodness Alice will soon have another place to sleep,' Uncas thought.

They slept across from each other, just feet apart. As the weeks had wore on since she had stopped caring for him in the village, Uncas found himself wanting Alice more and more. It was a long time since they had been together, and he was getting... frustrated. He stared up at the ceiling thinking about the tree he had covered in his own shame just months earlier, and thought seriously about going out and doing the same again. Anything to be able to fall asleep. He turned to his side to find a more comfortable position and hoped desperately that sleep would soon find him, but thoughts of being with Alice continued to invade his mind.

Several feet away, Alice stared up at the ceiling, suffering from a similar ailment. She thought about how the sun had glistened on Uncas's skin earlier that day, as the light reflected off of the sweat seeping from every one of his pores. She felt desperate for some sort of release from these yearnings that had built up over so much time, but she knew of no other way than being with Uncas.

Uncas rolled to his other side, still looking for a position of comfort that would put him to sleep.

"Uncas, stop tossing and turning," Nathaniel groaned.

"Sorry. Alice stop tapping your fingers," he huffed in annoyance.

"Sorry."

Uncas rolled again to his other side.

"Uncas!" came the simultaneous reprimand from his father and brother.

Uncas sat up in clear exasperation. He put on his shirt and moccasins and went outside. A few minutes later, all in the wigwam could hear the sounds of wood being split and scraped in the distance. This was more melodic and far less annoying than Uncas's constant changing of positions in bed. They were all soon asleep.

In the morning, Nathaniel and Chingachgook found Uncas asleep in the grass. Next to him was a pile of boards, all of them hand scraped.

"What is this?" asked Chingachgook.

"I think that's our cabin floor," replied Nathaniel. "All of it. He's apparently decided to start on the cabin already. If we allow him to remain this frustrated for a few more days, he might just finish the whole cabin for us."

Chingachgook knew of the frustration Nathaniel alluded to, and he thought it might do his son well to visit a nearby village.

Uncas opened his eyes to see his father and brother standing over him. He realized he had fallen asleep when he laid down after the sun started to come up.

"How much sleep did you get, son?"

Uncas looked at the sun, which still hung low in the sky.

"Not much."

"Would you like to accompany me to the village down river today?" Chingachgook offered.

Uncas stared at him blankly and considered what use a visit to a village would serve him. He would likely receive some unwanted attention, and did not want to have to reject anyone.

"No, we have much work left to do," Uncas replied

"Go get some sleep while we see to the animals."

Uncas looked around to see if Alice was up yet. No. She would still be in the wigwam.

"I think I'm just going to go wash." He grabbed a couple of buckets, which they always did when they went to what they referred to as the watering hole.

The first half of autumn had been unseasonably warm, when not raining, but Uncas could feel that colder days would soon be upon them. This would be one of his last chances to bathe under the small waterfall just a ten minute walk from their cabin site. He fought fatigue as he walked down the path, which had already become well-trodden since their arrival due to multiple daily trips to collect water for themselves and the animals. When he arrived, he cupped his hands for a long drink at the spring that hid in the cove behind the fall. He then removed all of his clothes and jumped into the small pond that had been carved out of rock from centuries of falling water. The cool water invigorated him, and his fatigue slowly retreated.

"Alice, where are you going?" asked Cora.

"I need to collect some of the day's water."

"Okay, don't take long, and stay on the path."

"Please, make sure the fire is hot enough for when I get back."

Alice carried a bucket in each hand, contemplating what she might make for breakfast. They would start having more regular mealtimes; breakfast after the men finished feeding the animals, mucking out the barn, and milking the cow. Alice was used to a more robust breakfast than what most colonials enjoyed, and this was not something she was willing to give up. It would give her great pleasure to watch Uncas enjoy the results of her efforts. Today, she would make cornmeal cakes along with bacon. She then recalled that she owed him a rather large batch of blueberry muffins and decided against the cornmeal cakes. She would also make omelettes, which she had first tried when her father replaced their cook with a french chef to keep up with the latest trends. Then, she would fry potatoes and mushrooms in the bacon fat. She knew Uncas rarely ate so well before settling here, and was happy that she would be able to offer him this one thing every day. She would have to pay close attention to what foods he seemed to like the most, so she could keep a mental list of his favorites.

When she arrived to the spring, she stopped short at the sight of Uncas, standing below a light cascade of water, his eyes closed but his face turned upward, as he let the water run over his face and body. The water was shallow where he stood, so she was offered a view of almost the full length of his nude body. He sensed he was being watched, opened his eyes, and turned his head to see her gaping at him. She looked down in sudden embarrassment and turned to hurry away. Then she stopped, and thought otherwise. She turned back around and he was still looking up at her, with not the least bit of modesty. She remembered that the first time she asked him to lay with her, she had offered to do anything to please him, even if he did not love her back. She also contemplated the fact that he had been with women before that he did not love. Perhaps, he would still be willing. She put the buckets down and bravely put one foot in front of the other.

Uncas could not fathom why Alice would approach him in this state. He observed as she slowly and deliberately walked down the rocky slope to the fall, then made her way to the cove behind it. He turned to face her, but said nothing. She would have to speak first.

"You've been with women in the past, for pleasure, not for love?"

"Yes."

"Would you still?"

"With you?" he asked incredulously.

"Is that such a shocking proposition?"

Uncas was hurt at her perceived reference to not loving him.

"You want empty, emotionless, loveless-"

"Yes. If that's all that I can have."

Alice thought his description of "loveless" was in reference to his own feelings.

"You're sure this is what you want?" he asked.

"Yes," she said with waning confidence.

After last night, she was fairly desperate, as was he. He required little convincing.

He lifted himself out of the water and she took in the sight of his dripping wet body as he stood before her without discomfort. He slowly walked toward her and with each step he took forward she took one backward until she found herself backed against a stone wall with nowhere else to go. He lifted her dress and placed his hand between her legs to see if she was ready for what she asked of him. She was more than ready, he realized, as she gasped at his touch.

Uncas lifted Alice up and placed her legs around his waist, pushing her body back so she leaned against the wall. He pushed himself inside of her with a groan and she let out a cry. She braced herself against the wall as he continued to force himself into her repeatedly. He had to use every bit of restraint he could not to press his lips against hers, and when she tried to lean forward and take his mouth into hers he grabbed her face with one hand to gently push her back against the wall.

"There is no kissing when there is no love, Alice."

She wanted to kiss him so badly, but he was serving a greater need for her now, so she did not argue. Her breaths came shorter and shorter until he gave her what she had come for and he allowed himself the same. He let her rest her head on his shoulder briefly afterward, then slowly eased her legs back to the ground. She had no intent to try to remain standing, and allowed herself to collapse in a heap at his feet. As she lay on her back to recover, he lay down beside her to do the same. His breaths came deep and fast still, his skin tingled, and he felt as light as a feather. He hadn't realized how badly he needed this. He hoped Alice was equally satisfied. She turned to him and tried to press her body to his, to feel the closeness she desired, but he pushed her away.

"You don't hold each other after when there is no love, Alice."

Twice, now, he had rejected her attempts to show him her love. She felt the tears begin to fall, and she fought an impending sob. Then it came, and she could contain herself no longer. She broke out into uncontrolled weeping.

Uncas closed his eyes in disappointment. He knew this was a bad idea. How could he not comfort her, now?

"Alice, why are you crying? Was it something I said?"

"Why did you stop loving me?" she blurted out through tears.

Uncas looked at her in confusion.

"It was you who stopped loving me."

"How could you say that? How could you think that?"

"Because, I heard you tell your sister that very thing."

She suddenly stopped crying, unsure of what he was talking about.

"When?" she asked, her face stained with tears.

"At the village, when I was still too weak to go outside. I overheard you speaking with her."

Alice realized in horror the conversation that he referred to.

"I told her that because I overheard her and Nathaniel saying I must return to England so they could separate us. I wanted her to think there was no need for that. I didn't want to leave you."

Alice realized that was when Uncas stopped allowing her to come to him.

"That's when you replaced me with your pretty Mohawk girl," she stated in just above a whisper.

Uncas stared at Alice in disbelief over the grief he had felt for so long, and all of it due to a misunderstanding. He realized how much pain he had caused Alice as well, since she never realized why he suddenly rejected her.

"Alice, she was nothing to me. She once tried to-"

"Tried to what?" Alice asked in alarm.

"She climbed on top of me, but I pushed her off. I told her there was only one woman I wanted to be with. Even though I thought you no longer wanted to be with me. I would rather be with no one if I could not have you."

They stared at each other as they tried to process this new information. Then Uncas swiftly drew Alice into his arms and kissed her more ardently than he ever had before. He bathed her face and neck with urgent kisses and relished the sound of her panting as she ran her fingers through his hair, around his shoulders, and down his back and bottom. He wanted so badly to make love to her, but there was no time.

"Alice someone is going to come looking for us, soon," he said in a raspy voice.

She looked at him with unmistakeable desire, then dropped her head down and nodded in acceptance that they must return. They regathered their composure and Uncas quickly dressed while Alice filled their buckets with water. Alice returned first with her water pales, trying not to be transparent. Uncas soon returned behind her and set about finishing one side of the fence before his father and brother could inquire about his prolonged absence. Breakfast was served a little later than Alice had planned, but Uncas had no complaints. And he was very pleased to see a basket full of blueberry muffins that Alice had prepared in the baking pot.