Erin wandered, without much conviction, towards the stuffy warmth of the infirmary. All was quiet at that moment, the space empty, just the soft distant moans of men in the makeshift hospital nearby.

She looked around, hands on hips, and her mind tried to push forward the fact that Cora had told Nathaniel that stupid story. How offended was he? Did he find it a witless joke or a deep insult? Had he told Uncas? If so, was he mad? Or just disappointed in the girl he had offered friendship to only a few hours ago? The latter hurt far more than him being infuriated.

Erin shivered at the mere thought and shook herself trying to dislodge her dogged thinking. She didn't have the desire or the courage to dwell on any of this now. She could try and deal with it later, messes could always be cleaned, as Ada was fond of saying, and Erin prayed in this instance the saying held truth.

She set about cleaning up, tidying and generally trying to make herself of some use. Erin would wait until Cora returned and try and help in whatever capacity she could in an attempt to make up for the discord she'd caused.

Time passed, there was no clock to keep her informed. She fed the fire and tried to occupy her time and mind. At some point the cannons began again, the loud booming setting her nerves on edge.

She still had to form a plan. Just how was she going to save these two people? Keeping them apart had not gone well, so what next? What of Munro, and the fort, and the ambush? Her mind felt crowded with thoughts.

Finally, knowing she'd have to lessen the stress to think clearly, she pulled out her pad and began to draw, taking her time to create what she wished, but no matter what she did, she couldn't settle. Time was slowly ebbing away like sand through her fingertips and soon she would have none left. Plan or no plan, she had to act. She would go to Munro and improvise! It wasn't the best idea she'd ever had, and it had enough holes to be dubbed swiss cheese, but she had to try something. Maybe if she was lucky she'd have a light bulb moment on her walk over there. She straightened, the drawing pad now limply grasped in her grip and reached for her half finished drink of cold tea, she took a long slow sip, trying to calm herself.

She didn't see him enter but heard the slight scuff of his shoes upon the floor, the noise making her turn in surprise, nearly making her spit out her mouthful of tea.

"Oh, you gave me a start!" She gulped and almost turned back to her drink but Uncas' expression froze her in place, he was angry, the angriest she'd ever seen him be. His normally calm handsome face pinched with the emotion.

Her stomach dropped.

"OK, before you get ma..." But he didn't allow her to finish, biting out his next words like they dripped with venom.

"You told her... I... eat babies!" He was furious.

So Nathaniel had told him, this was becoming a wonderful evening. She placed her cup down carefully, willing herself to remain, or at least seem, collected. "Oh come on, I was just teasing." She tried to sound cheerfully dismissive.

He advanced a few steps, suddenly looking very menacing in his tall frame and bright anger. "What game are you playing?"

"I meant baby deers OK, like veal." Just keep deflecting and everything will be fine, her mind squeaked.

"Veal is not deer." It was a deadpan statement, his body language and demeanour stating all drollery was over now.

"Well, it's an even funnier jest then!"

He did not agree and was gaining on her. She tried to stand her ground but panic was building.

"Calm down." Dread lapped at her, pushing her further towards panic. She didn't think she would be able to squirm out of this so easily.

"You wish me to be calm when you spread such lies about me? Lies that put me and my family in danger if the wrong person hears them!"

Erin quickly took a few steps back but he reached out, trying to grab her arm, she managed to evade him but in his grasping he snatched the pad from her hand.

She swiftly put the width of the table between them. "Look, it just all got a little out of hand, I didn't mean it. I was just taunting Alice. I didn't know she'd go and blab her mouth." Her attempts at shifting blame were cowardly, and she knew it, and he didn't seem to care.

His jaw was clenched, his torso muscles tense, as if he expected a fight, his hand curled into a fist not dissuading this notion. His eyes were fiery and intensely fixed upon her.

Erin felt a little wave of fright pat itself down her spine. She was in trouble and she wasn't truly certain what that meant.

"Why are you so mad? Just chill, OK!" Her tone did nothing whatsoever to calm the situation, she sounded accusatory, as if this was all just his fault for overreacting, this tack did not help the situation in the slightest.

She moved to dart away in one direction, which only seemed to inflame his ire as he lunged to intercept her, causing her to abandon the mission completely.

"Stay still!"

"Stay back then!" she threw at him, her fast heartbeat making her feel breathless.

They stared daggers at each other for a moment over the table, the only sounds the crackle and pop of the fire.

"Not until you give me a true answer! This was no jest. I know you are scheming something. You have been ever since we met you! You will tell me the truth now, tonight!"

They glared long and hard at each other, eyes narrowed and distrustful. When she gave him no explanation he bent his head down, shaking it in exasperation.

"Just where is your father, Miss Cooper?" he finally asked, before the silence had time to settle between them.

A boom sounded somewhere above them, a new assault of cannon fire, but it did little to change either of their attentions.

"He's not here right now, obviously." She sounded petulant, and her mind screamed at her to stop, but the command zoomed past her before she could take notice, the rush of blood, and temper, and pure need to flee, pushing everything from reach.

"Shall we go and fetch him?"

"You saw him this very night!" Erin thought back to the bushy-bearded drunken man. "And I told you my father hates strangers."

"You are the stranger. Everything you do is strange." He pointed an accusing finger at her.

"Strange." Erin chewed the word and spat it back out. "I'm not the one arguing over a distasteful joke while cannons set fire to the damn roof above our heads!"

His eyes narrowed. "You have no father here, do you?"

"What an assumption!" His anger fuelled her stubbornness in a never ending cycle.

He banged his fist hard on the table making her start at the noise. "I know you are lying. I spoke to that man and his name was not Cooper and he has no daughter!" he said, through gritted teeth, his words slowly closing off all her escapes.

In that moment Erin understood he knew she was a liar, he'd known it for a while, how long she wasn't sure. All that merry little chatting after the dance, he'd been pumping her for information, and like an idiot she'd walked right into it and given him plenty of ammunition to now pelt her with. Perhaps he would have kept his knowledge for a stealthier and damning reveal if he hadn't been so infuriated by her tall tales to Alice.

All this time he'd been gathering information in the goal of tripping her up later.

Erin rolled her eyes, trying to hide her panic. "Well, Bambi bounds to another assumption!" She was being a shrew and she knew it, making fun of his name in the French tongue, Bounding Elk.

"What?"

"That is a damn deer, OK!" The situation was escalating and all Erin wanted to do was leave. She didn't know how to tell him anything or what to tell him, or if she even wanted to, like some sulky child with a secret she would only share if given a candy. Every word fed her defensiveness as she built a fortification around her pride that would result in her being walled up alive.

She felt anything she said now would just make him more angry. Her mind shouted at her to stop being so stubborn, so ridiculous, just think! But in her fight or flight state it was all drowned out.

Suddenly he feigned to go left and, like a frightened rabbit, Erin flew right, he was following her within an instant and she whirled, her hands grasping for anything to fend him off, fearing being caught by him in that moment. Her hand curled upon something cold and metal and she held it in front of her as a weapon. He was nearly upon her.

"Stay back! I'm a fucking witch, just as you thought, and I will curse you!" She jabbed the large metal measuring spoon at him, in what was supposed to be a menacing manner.

Her mind let out a slow clap.

A look of shock rippled across his features before smoothing back to his usual calm countenance. They stood in a stalemate a moment, Erin's breaths harsh in her ears.

"You are being foolish." His tone held no tolerance and his hand darted out to take her makeshift weapon away. "Give that to me before..."

Erin didn't think, she just swung forward, the underside of the spoon connecting with the place just between his eyes with a heavy clunk.

Inside a part of her curled up and died.

"Ouch!" he cursed in his own tongue, "Stupid girl!"

"I am stupid!" she replied, in English, still brandishing the spoon like she was willing to have another go.

"What?" His look of surprise left him slack jawed. "You understood me?" He asked the last part again in his own language.

Erin gave him a small certain nod. "I understood." All tension was sucked from the room like a vacuum had been opened. The air stilled and their bodies relaxed as they studied each other in a new and suddenly awkward light.

"How?"

He was surprisingly composed and solemn, the strange revelation pushing all other current thoughts from his mind.

Erin slowly backed away to the table and placed the spoon down, holding her palms up, signalling she too was done fighting. The path had been chosen, whether she wanted it or not, she had to step on to it now for better or for ill. She took a deep breath, ready to tell him, perhaps not everything, but enough to try and save him.

A/N

Friday, hello!

When I first came up with the idea of this story, this is the scene that played out in my mind, a fiery argument and a very angry Uncas.

I hope you enjoyed.