Uncas walked Erin back to her quarters. She had argued that she should go with him to see Nathaniel, to help warn him, or perhaps just be there beside Uncas when his brother was arrested, so she could confirm she had nothing to do with it. But Uncas refused, he seemed to have his own plans on the matter.

After a polite knock, Cora answered, she looked a little dishevelled, her hair was loose, her cheeks glowing.

Erin gave Uncas a knowing look and his eyes glinted with wry humour, understanding that at least one of her predictions was true.

He cleared his throat lowly. "Miss Munro, I have to ask you a strange favour."

"Of course. I will do all I can to help," Cora jumped in, hardly letting him finish speaking. "I am still thoroughly ashamed of Duncan and what he said today, about the war party."

"I thank you. Will you keep Miss Cooper in this room with you? Don't let her leave. Not until I return."

He passed Erin towards Cora as if exchanging baggage.

"Yes, but I don't understand."

"You don't have to." He nodded, and was away before any more could be said.

Cora closed the door and turned to Erin. "What is going on?"

"Nothing, he just has to check something is true."

"True? Erin I don't understand."

"It's all going to be fine Cora," Erin said, dismissing any worries with a smile, knowing Cora would have a lot of emotional turbulence tonight.

Erin had debated if she should tell her friend any of what would soon transpire, but seeing no good coming from the knowledge, decided to let it play out. Explaining herself to one person had been more than enough for one evening.

"Well, at least he seemed somewhat less angry."

"He's had quite an eventful night," Erin said, flopping down into a chair. Her eyes grazed across Cora, who looked to still be floating on cloud nine, despite all the drama. "As have you."

"Wh... what do you mean?"

"With Nathaniel."

"Did you follow me?!"

Erin laughed. "No, I told you. I knew you would find him, and he you."

Cora considered this. "You did say that." She flushed and glanced away, slightly self-conscious. "Is it so obvious on my face?"

"Yes, to me it is." Erin teased, but suddenly found very little enjoyment in it. Everything was hanging by a thread, if she failed to convince Uncas now, surely all would be lost.

Cora was presently regarding her with sharp eyes. "What of you?"

"Me?" Erin suddenly felt like she could have another drink, even though her mouth still held a tang of brandy flavoured bile.

"Your clothes, Erin, you are disarrayed!" Cora sounded almost triumphant.

Erin looked down, her hasty job of re-tying her laces was a bumpy mess, jutting into the fabric of her bodice, which had a few undone buttons for good measure.

"Yes, I mean no... well.. it's... I..."

"You and he... I was right then?!" Cora crowed.

"No, no, no. Hold on. No! Nothing happened."

'What a lie!' Erin's mind scolded.

Cora now had her arms crossed, regarding Erin with a droll expression that stated very clearly she did not believe a single word.

"Okay, let's take a breath," Erin said, closing her eyes and calming herself with a deep inhale through her nose. "I kissed him, and it was wrong, and bad, and I stopped it."

"You kissed him?" Cora's hands were upon her hips, a smirk hinting at the corner of her mouth.

"Yes, it was a mistake. I said I was sorry, he was fine. It's all fine."

"With your bodice and stays undone?"

"OK, OK." Erin held up her palms in defeat, trying to maintain her composure. "It was a little more... but not... that much more. As I said, I stopped it." She swished her hands through the air like a conductor silencing their orchestra. "It's fine! A moment of madness that has passed. I sorted out the situation. We are all just... fine!"

Her mind tried stubbornly to push up the very legitimate fact that none of this had actually been sorted out at all, in fact the whole subject had been stalwartly avoided. Erin mentally jumped up and down on all that pesky logic until she didn't have to dwell on it.

"Why are you both shouting?" Alice appeared, rubbing her face, sleepy and annoyed from being awoken.

"Nothing!" Erin's shrill voice just made everyone wince. "It's fine Alice." She gave Cora a distinct death glare.

Erin wouldn't allow her mistake to get back to Alice's ear and affect where this story should go, she had already done far too much meddling! An easy sea was an easy ride, as her father said, and Erin was going to make sure it was smooth sailing for this couple now, romance ahoy! No more foots in mouths, no more drunken kisses, no more tampering with the future... apart from saving them of course.

"Erin is right, Alice. We just had a little too much of Father's brandy."

Erin's eyes went to the empty space where the bottle had been and Cora followed, her brows raising in a comical question.

"Go back to sleep dear one. We will be like mice."

Alice returned back to the bedroom, mumbling about how ridiculous it was to be making noise so late.

In the new found silence, Erin gave what she hoped was a warning look, that the story of the brandy was out of bounds, but the result just made Cora laugh softly. Slowly Erin relaxed back in her seat, still feeling the electric currents of left over panic prickling through her body.

"It's all just fine," she mumbled quietly to herself.

Cora came to sit in the chair beside Erin and pulled off her shoes, warming her toes by the hearth. The gentle flicker of flames and sputtering noise of wood being consumed calmed the mood in the room and finally Cora looked over at her, a small smile on her face, and Erin returned it, they laughed quietly.

"So," Erin whispered, like they were teenagers at a sleepover, sharing their first secrets. "How is it to be so in love?"

Cora bit her lip. "Like finally feeling free," she said simply, and reached for Erin's hand which she took and squeezed. "And you?"

"Me?" Erin laughed. "I am not in love... it was just a mistake. A stupid mistake. He totally understands. Honestly, he's been rather chivalrous about it all. It's fine." She cleared her throat, fighting the flush of heat that wanted to appear on her cheeks.

Her mind once again tried to push up a murmured statement that Uncas hadn't actually said anything at all about any of it, and she inwardly screamed 'GOOD!', cowing her stubborn thoughts back to a suitable mellow half protest.

Cora gave that same reproachful look, but there was something tender and pitying about it this time.

"You are a little fool sometimes." It could have been an insult but it wasn't, the words held warmth and sweetness to them, which only made Erin laugh. How right Cora was, but not for the reasons she assumed.

Erin knew, Cora couldn't understand the situation, not yet, but once they were all safe and away from the threat of incoming death, Cora would see the link between Alice and Uncas and all would become clear to her... and, Erin felt deep in her bones, that if she now had Uncas on her side, all could yet be made right.

/

Erin sat in the hazy warmth of the room, the fire still crackled merrily away, but it was dimming to only embers as the minutes ticked by slowly. Cora was dozing beside her, taking a moment of quiet to finally get the rest she so sorely needed.

Erin had no desire to sleep, her nerves seemed to tingle beneath her skin with every small noise as she awaited Uncas' return and what that may bring, ruin or redemption.

She hoped with her whole being it would be redemption, she needed it for herself so very badly after everything that had happened.

She forcefully pushed down the image her mind wanted to force upon her, that of Uncas, his breathless kisses upon her own lips, his eyes alight with desire. All those emotions and caresses had been hers for one night and she knew that was all it could ever be between them.

Whether Uncas realized any of this or not, his future, his heart, lay with Alice Munro, and the sooner Erin ripped off the band-aid, the sooner this fresh wound of hurt could heal for her. Letting him go, knowing she never really had him at all, it was a very painful pill to swallow.

Her thoughts and Cora's sleep were interrupted by a sharp rap upon the door. Cora gathered herself and went to answer it, with only a brief look towards Erin. The door opened, revealing a distraught looking Uncas, which was a feat for his normally guarded expression.

"What has happened?" Cora said, seeing he was out of breath and clearly upset.

"My brother, they have taken him, he is accused of sedition. They want to hang him tomorrow."

Cora paled, the blood draining from her cheeks, leaving her looking like a fragile porcelain doll.

"When? How?"

"We aided some men returning to their farms earlier tonight. Major Heywood discovered this and he has placed the blame on my brother, your father sent men to take him."

"That jealous fool!" Cora said, and rushed back into the room, grabbing at her shawl. "I will do what I can. I will speak to my father."

Uncas nodded in reply and made to follow her, but Cora stilled him with a determined look. "No, I will go alone. Your presence will not help."

He nodded again, and he and Erin watched as Cora dashed up the corridor. He then turned to Erin, his eyes full of desperate profound curiosity, he scanned over her form with a new understanding, all her secrets now laid bare and truthful before him.

Erin looked about the corridor and, seeing no one, she gestured for him to come into the room. She crept over to the door leading to the bedroom and, with great pains, opened it noiselessly and glanced inside, Alice was now fast asleep. She closed the door and turned to Uncas, gesturing with a finger to her lips to be quiet.

They walked to the farthest point from the room, near the fire, and then Erin spoke in a whisper.

"I'm sorry about your brother. It must have been a shock."

"I had time to warn him before it happened, at least he and my father were prepared." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "How you knew this would happen... I cannot say."

"You believe me then?"

He ignored her question. "That means all you have said will come to pass?"

"Yes."

"The parley, the ambush?"

"Yes." Erin gave a firm nod.

"Then we must try and change what will happen."

She touched his arm gently, defeat in her eyes. "I don't think we can, I have already thought this over and over, and I can see no way to prevent the ambush and the massacre from happening."

He was silent, thinking. "We could try and warn Munro of what is to come?"

Erin plucked at her skirts a moment in discomfort. "I tried! I couldn't even get to knock upon his door, the soldiers barred my way. And..." Erin paused, "there is only one road out of the fort. If we stay, they will break through anyway and it will be a massacre of a different kind." She glanced down, feeling useless. "I don't think there is any way to stop what will happen. Everything is already set in motion and has been, long before we even arrived here."

He nodded reluctantly. "Once a wave has started it cannot be stopped." His brow furrowed as he once again set to thinking. "Then, if we cannot change what will happen, can we change who it happens to?"

Erin looked back up, his words somehow filling her with a renewed sense of hope. "What do you mean?"

"You said Colonel Munro dies tomorrow. Magua gets part of his blood revenge, yes?"

"Yes, he kills Munro and then goes after Alice and Cora, to complete his plan."

"What if Munro doesn't die?"

"Doesn't?" Erin began to question, but he talked over her.

"If we save him perhaps... if we can do that, the women may also be saved."

"Oh!" Erin said, in a low ecstatic whisper, finally understanding what he meant. "If he doesn't die, if he makes it to Fort Edward with his daughters, everything could change!" She was excited, and had to adjust the growing sound of her voice.

"Yes, if Munro survives, then the rest of your story may not come to pass. I'll go with you, together, and with Cora there, I think we can gain entry."

His logic was everything to her in that moment and she gave a little delighted hop. "This could work!" she breathed, grinning at him. "You are brilliant, I could just kiss you!" It was a throwaway comment that she had said a thousand times to friends and family, her mind hadn't had time to fully register just how inappropriate it was in this moment, with his lack of understanding of the phrase as well as what had ill-advisedly already passed between them.

But she was given no time for backtracking or explanations as he bent and kissed her softly, his lips pressing to hers in an unspoken agreement to her words.

Erin pulled back, shaken and unsure, her hand flying to her mouth in shock. "I didn't mean literally!"

As reward to her awkward embarrassment, he smiled.

/

A/N

Hello to anyone here.

I don't have much to say this week, other than I hope you enjoyed.