Many thanks to my wonderful beta Onborrowedwings! Review are love!

She is his woman now, he knows, even if she doesn't realize the full implications of what has happened. Even if she doesn't realize the full implications of what happened under the falls, what happened on that bloody cliff and what has happened now, the moment he realized he would die for her.

So when he sees her taken by the Huron something snaps, something he's never felt before, something that makes him realize she's more than his women, he is her man as well.

He kills 7 men before the Huron leader cuts him so deeply he hears the voice of his ancestors and long passed mother. But despite the blood running down his chest, and the sounds of his mother begging him to embrace her, he stares at the girl, so pale, so afraid and forces himself to stay awake as his father and brother avenge and protect him.

He watches his father finish what he started, he watches as the rest of the Hurons flee with their lives, and then watches as his father and brother run to him and begin to tend his wounds. He takes a deep breath and watches as the sisters are reunited, and feels a prickle of pride when Alice only briefly hugs her sister before turning and locking eyes with him. She moves away from her sister and kneels closely next to him, reaches out and slides her hand into his. Nathanial and his father work quickly to remove his shirt and clean the massive cut that spreads across his chest. Uncas stares at Alice as he feels his brother wrapping a long cloth around his midriff careful to apply pressure in the right areas. His eyes stay on Alice despite the way Cora begs and pleads for her to look away and come away with her. When his father has finished, Alice leans forward and whispers a heavy, "Thank You."

Uncas gives her a slight smile and squeezes her hand then allows himself to fall into his dreams, confident that she'll be there with him. He wakes what feels like minutes later to warmth, unlike anything he's ever felt before. He opens his eyes and groans as pain shoots through his skull.

"Lay still or you will wake your companion." His father's rough voice whispers.

Uncas forces his eyes open and finds his father sitting close to the fire weaving a small basket. He frowns in confusion, his father's words not making sense to him until he feels a warm breath trickle down his neck. He turns his head carefully and blinks in surprise to find Alice curled at his side on the tiny cot. Her face laid in the groove of his neck and one arm flung over his waist.

"She only comes to you after everyone else is fast asleep." The old man gives a warm smile toward the girl. Uncas ignores the tender ache in his chest and tugs her closer to him.

He is her man now, even if she doesn't realize it fully yet.