Author's note:

I had this dream from LOTM set in the modern days:

Duncan is the owner of a store and has this bitter employee he kinda wants to fire but doesn't have a replacement and the guy still does his job ok. This salty employee is Magua, who always sasses back at him in another language.

I thought it was funny.

Alexandria Cameron was the kind of woman who could smell someone's need for help a mile away. No one who knew her would claim it was a coincidence that she was standing on the porch of the cabin, looking in the direction of the forest, when two women and two Indians carrying a wounded third one emerged from the trees.

Her eyes immediately spotted the figures approaching through the evening dusk. She grabbed a musket in case she needed to defend her children. Then she recognized the worn out men. When they came a little closer, the reality of their situation dawned on her.

"Oh my Lord…" She dropped her weapon, hiked up her skirts and ran to meet them halfway. She didn't know the two women, but any friends of Chingachgook were friends of hers.

Alice was impressed by the speed of the advancing woman. She was most likely in her thirties, her shapely face surrounded by bangs of chesnut hair.

"My God, what happened? Nevermind, let us go inside. You are exhausted and hurt. We'll talk later." She supported the sides of the carrier with her arms, relieving some weight from the shoulders of both tired men. As they approached the cabin's doorway, two children appeared on the porch. A girl and a smaller boy. Their initial excited expressions turned into wary confusion when they saw the carrier, the unknown women and only two Mohicans.

"Where is Uncas?" the little boy asked in a forlorn voice. He was too short to see onto the carrier.

They went inside and put Uncas down in front of the fireplace. The fire throwing light onto his pale face and blood-matted hair made the girl gasp and the boy clutch his mother's skirts tightly. Nathaniel uncovered the blanket and pulled up the shirt, explaining the necessity to tend to and rewrap the wounds. When the little boy started crying, Nathaniel ruffled his fluffy hair. " Don't be sad, Lucas. He's doing quite alright for someone so injured. He's holding on." He tickled the child's side. "And I'm sure you know that unlike me, Uncas always lands on his feet."

The wounds were cleaned, fresh salve applied to them and clean bandages put on. Chingachgook prepared the same healing herb brew. The children were sent to another room. No need to upset them further by showing them the extent of the injuries. Finally being safe gave everyone the chance to clean up and fill their bellies with freshly cooked food Alexandria Cameron prepared. Alice, sitting at the table in clean borrowed clothes, never quite remembered shovelling down food in such a unladylike manner. Alexandria sat at the head of the table and listened quietly as Nathaniel retold the events of the past few days.

"Well, you've gotten yourself in quite a mess. But I'm glad the two lasses are safe and sound." She smiled at the sisters. "I just wish it wasn't at the cost of Uncas' health. That boy is like another son to me." Her sad eyes lingered on the bundle of blankets covering the body in front of the fireplace. As soon as the children, Lucas and Elizabeth, finished eating with the rest of the adults, they settled down next to Uncas and sat there like two lost puppies. Elizabeth ocasionally reached out her hand to stroke the dark curtain of his hair. Lucas simply curled up next to him and lay there unmoving.

Mrs. Cameron noticed Alice watching the children. "Ah, they are very attached to him. That's why they are taking this so hard. My poor darlings, this must be such a shock to them." Alice knew it was especially hard for children to deal with the loss (or near loss) of someone dear. After all, she remembered how she felt at her mother's sudden passing. Mrs. Cameron continued after the brief pause. "Especially Lucas. He and Uncas have a special bond. He looks up to him. They have this tradition that has been going on ever since they met, you know? Whenever the Mohican trio comes to visit, Lucas runs straight at Uncas with outstreched arms and Uncas carries him around the cabin on his shoulders. Lucas then always wants to have a storytime straight away, but we agreed on having dinner and rest first." She laughed a little at the memory. Then grew somber again. " Today was the first time the tradition didn't take place."

Nathaniel decided to take the conversation elswhere. "And your husband, Alexandria? Where is he?" "Oh, Jack went trading to Albany. He will be gone for a few days. He'll be glad to find you here when he returns." "Then we will protect you during his absence and repay your hospitality by hunting for your family." Mrs. Cameron protested. "Nathaniel, you know I would take your family in anytime. There is no need for-"

"Alexandria, please." Everyone went quiet when Chingachgook spoke. Those were the first words he spoke in what felt like days. "Let us do this for you." He sounded so tired and not open for negotiation. Mrs. Cameron gave him a long look. "Alright. If it makes you feel better. Now, you all look about ready to drop from exhaustion, so I suggest we all get some sleep."

She stood up to wake the snoozin kids and take them to bed. They protested. "Uncas can have our bed." "Yeah, he can sleep in our bed! It's nice and soft."

Nathaniel quickly intervened to make their mother's work easier. "That's very galant of you, but I think our giant here is too big to comfortaby fit in your bed. Now go on, you can go right back to being his personal guardians in the morning." That was the end of that discussion.

Nathaniel and his father decided to make their beds on the floor. As for the ladies, Mrs. Cameron offered one of them to sleep on her bed in John's place. Cora turned to Alice. "Come on, you go sleep on the bed. I can sleep on the furs next to Nathaniel." But Alice rejected. "No, you take the bed. I can't sleep anyway." Knowing her sister would object, she turned on her heel and walked away from an open-mouthed Cora. She was in no mood to quarrel.

When everything quieted down, she sat down in front of the fireplace, a little way away from Uncas. In truth, she was very tired and her brain was on overload. So she felt completely contented by curling her hands around her knees and staring into the dancing flames. They had a hypnotic effect.

She felt sorry for the kids, having to see all this and causing them emotional distress. They must really love Uncas. She smiled to herself. That should really not have been a surprise. The man himself may be all tall, dark and stoic with sharp features and an indecipherable expression, but he has a soft heart. And he obviously has a way with children. That knowledge made her inexplicably glad. And even more sad for Elisabeth and Lucas.

She lay down, still staring at the fire with unseeing eyes. When her mother died all those years ago, she felt like she had aged for a thousand years. Perhaps it was because her death was so sudden. She didn't have time to prepare herself for it. Her mother was a healthy woman who, for an English lady of the higher class, spent a lot of time caring and fussing over her children. She loved her daughters and wanted the best for them. One day she wasn't feeling well and fell sick. Something akin to a cold and a mild fever, nothing to worry about, said the doctor. Alice was glad to take his word for it. The next day when she returned from a walk in the park with her governess, her mother was gone. After her death, her father threw himself into military work and became even more absent than before. Alice fell into deep depression and it took Cora nine days to get her to leave her room. It was one of the most miserable experiences of her life. She didn't want the Cameron children to go through that. The Camerons were too nice a family to torture so unnecessarily.

Perhaps coming here was a mistake. She wrapped her arms around herself and curled into a ball.

And noticed a pair of dark eyes blinking at her sleepily from inbetween the blankets.

She lifted her head and rubbed her eyes. Her vision has not deceived her. Uncas was conscious. He must have just awoken, but he looked ready to fall right back into a coma. He was fighting to keep his eyes opened. Not wanting to disturb the sleep of others in the room by walking over the creaky floorboards, she used her elbows to crawl closer to him. After some disoriented looking around, his gaze focused on her face. A relieved exhale escaped his lips. He didn't voice his thoughts, but Alice guessed he was relieved to see her alive and well in the flesh. Which was ironic, because she was the one with the right to feel relieved.

It took him a while to find his voice. When he did, it was hoarse from disuse and barely above a whisper. "You are well."

"You are not," she countered gently. He made a movement with his head, ignoring the statement as if it was of no importance.

"Where are we?" He lifted his head off the comforter with obvious effort, trying to take a better look at his surroundings. As much as she wanted to gently push his head down and relieve the strain he was putting on himself, she didn't dare touch him. Perhaps her clumsy touch would destroy the delicate miracle that was him waking up, showing some signs of getting better.

"The Cameron family's cabin."

Uncas dropped his head and closed his eyes, processing that knowledge for a while. That meant the whole Cameron family had to see him in his poor condition. They were good friends and cared about each other, so him being wounded must have been very upsetting for them. Being as perceptive as ever, despite his weak state, and tuned to guessing how a certain situation affected others, he inquired about the most sensitive parties in this situation.

"How are Luke and Liza doing?"

"Who? Oh. You mean…they were worried and wanted to stay with you the whole night. It will make them feel better to know that you have awakened." Uncas couldn't help but smile a little bit. How very like the stubborn siblings. "Everyone is worried sick about you." Alice added quietly.

His bottomless eyes searched hers carefully. "Is that why you are so sad? You shouldn't be."

So he noticed how pitiful and miserable she looked, curled up on the floor and staring into the flames. Her fists clenched. "I…I don't want…I don't like people dying because of me."

Uncas understood what she meant, but he was perfectly aware of what he was doing that day when he ran after the leaving Huron party alone. What he was sacrificing. He knew that she would disagree with his choice (just like he would have disagreed with hers, if their roles were reversed), the grief his death would cause his father. Just before he ran after them, he touched his shoulder, a silent gesture asking forgiveness. He wanted to apologise to him a thousand times more, but he was out of time.

But even if his battle with Magua resulted in his death, it would still be worth it. Because Alice was a special girl. He knew it the moment he saw her. She wanted to live. During the attack on George road, she and her sister were huddled together, looking lost and scared. Alice more so than Cora. But unlike her sister, she wasn't petrified. He knew with a certainty that if there was no Duncan to shield them from the incoming men, she would turn on her heels and run to save her life. Her sister would not. She would stay frozen on the spot, either in shock or defiance, and she would be killed.

He regreted nothing. He wanted her to live a beautiful life. He wanted to be a part of her beautiful life. And if not in this one, then in the next.

"You are tired. Rest." he gently coaxed her, seeing the dark circles under her eyes. She kept staring at him. He realized she was afraid to let him out of her sight. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be alright now, I promise."

"…Ok." He watched her turn away from him, although remaining in the same spot. Now that she wasn't watching him, he could finally admit to himself how utterly destroyed he was feeling ever since he woke up. He was the one who needed rest. But he didn't lie to her. He would be alright now. It will take a long time for things to go back to the way they were, but he would be alright.

Alice rested her cheek in the palm of her hand. Tonight she could sleep peacefully. She trusted Uncas. If he said he would still be here in the morning, she will find him right there beside her when she wakes up.

Also, it was now obvious that Uncas was one of those people with the annoying trait to still worry about others while he himself was on the verge of death.

"Idiot" she murmured into the worn carpet, not knowing exactly whether to laugh or cry about it.

A/N:

Thanks to the people reading and reviewing :)