A/N: Hi! I'm totally stuck on my Narnia fanfic so I needed some distraction and hopefully I can continue once this is out! This is my first SOM-fic and was originally meant to be a one shot, but I ended up posting a Chapter 1. Please review, and let me know what you think! Maybe I'll post a Chapter 2 :)

Sorry for any grammar or spelling errors.

Chapter 1

Maria sat quiet across to Miss Heliotrope in her uncle, Sir Benjamin's sitting room, and listened to the rain pouring down outside. There had been nothing but that very sound for the past three days, and it didn't seem to have an end.

She had long ago given up on trying to concentrate on her needlepoint. She felt restless, sitting trapped behind the thick walls of Moonacre Manor, when she'd rather spend her time in the forest. But what distracted her the most was the inescapable, constant loneliness, and impatient longing for something that began to feel more and more like a distant dream, too good to be true. There was a person, always present in her mind, but physically a hundred miles away, perhaps.

Maria closed her eyes and tried to remember every little detail of his handsome face, until she could picture him, standing right in front of her. She longed to hear his voice again, to feel his gentle touch, caressing her cheek. She wanted to feel her own heart race and that nervous tingling in her stomach he always caused her, whenever she was near him.

Two long years had passed since the very last time she'd seen Robin De Noir. Two years she had endured finishing school, while aching to see him again. And she had let herself believe he felt the same. That he missed her, longed for her. Yet three weeks since her homecoming, Robin had not once been around, or even heard of.

"Maria! Are you asleep?" Miss Heliotrope exclaimed suddenly, causing Maria's own bubble of thoughts to burst. After the realisation of being brought back to reality, Maria assured her old governess of the opposite, and wished to be excused.

Miss Heliotrope blinked a couple of times before opening her mouth to answer, but closed it again as her gaze drifted off to the large double doors, which represented the entrance of the room. With a sudden blush across her face she gave a quick nod of approval.

Maria then gratefully skipped from the settee, and when she exited through the doors she was surprised to see Digweed, shyly loitering at the threshold. A small giggle escaped her lips as she understood the reason of which she had been released so easily.

While she was heading for Marmaduke's kitchen, a most unpleasant thought crossed her mind, and the frustration of Robin's absence turned to fear. What if Robin had forgotten all about her? or grown tired of waiting for her to return and moved on? Then couldn't he at least come tell her that? Say a proper goodbye? No, surely she'd seen the last of Robin De Noir. It saddened her greatly to realise that possibility.

She had barely passed the library when Loveday's and Uncle Benjamin's three year old daughter, Mornjoy, came running and skipping through the hallway. "Bird boy!" she squealed as she ran for the front doors.

Loveday soon came rushing after her. "Oh no, you don't! It's soaking wet out there", she said, catching her just in time to lift her away from the exit.

Mornjoy tried to crawl out of her mother's firm hold, although without success, as she cried: "I want to see Bird boy!"

At the sound of the little girl's nickname for her uncle, that old, familiar tingling feeling returned to her, and a silly grin spread over her lips. Robin!

As a tickling shiver went through her body, she rushed past Loveday and her daughter, and disappeared through the front doors. But when she came outside her thoughts caught up with her. What if Robin had changed, or worse: what if she had changed? He had detested her when they first encountered each other. What should he think of her now, as even more ladylike?

"There you are, Princess", a wonderfully well known voice called from a distance. "Turning yourself over?"

Maria spun around and spotted a dark creature, standing by the edge of the garden path, in the rain. As one might expect it was a person, and not just any person. He was all dressed in leather, wore a black bowler hat and a red and black feathered scarf.

"I heard you were back", he said with an insecure smile, as opposed to his usual confident smirk.

Maria's previous worries had no chance against him, standing there, and soon she rushed out to him and tossed her arms around his neck. "I am."

Robin was exactly the same person that kissed her goodbye, two years ago, only more. He was the same, but more of him, and it was all to the better. He was bigger, stronger, and just a little bit handsomer. His dark brown eyes were deeper, his tenderness was tenderer, and he was all the more wonderful.

Robin lay a finger under Maria's chin and tilted her head up to place a soft kiss upon her lips.

She felt his warmth to her chest, and took in his lovely scent of pine, earth, and leather. He smelled like, well—Robin.

"It was about time, if you ask me", he murmured as he pulled away. "I almost began to wonder if you'd forgotten about this place."

"How could I ever forget, when my heart remains right here, with you?" Maria questioned, her gaze lost in his eyes.

Robin snorted briefly, and furrowed his brow. "I don't know. I thought it might find its way to slip through my fingers, settle elsewhere", he said with a low voice.

Maria just shook her head and pulled herself up to the tips of her toes, wordlessly begging for another touch of his lips. "Never! You're the Great Trapper, aren't you?"

"I was, until you trapped me", he replied, with a smile twitching in the corner of his mouth, and wiped out the small gap between them.

Maria wished they could stay like that forever. Robin's embrace had come to be her favorite place on earth. Two years felt like forever without him. She didn't think it was possible to miss a living person as much as she'd missed him, and now she was finally where she belonged. With Robin.

After a moment he chuckled, and took a step back so he could look at her. "How much did you grow in two years? Last time I saw your beautiful creature, you were tiny."

"You're one to talk, Muscleman", she replied, and pinched his upper arm.

"But … that's different", he objected.

"Because?"

"Because you were tiny."

Maria figured it was pointless to discuss it with him. "All right, if you say so."

"I do. Now, if you haven't noticed, Maria, it's raining. We should bring you inside." Wet, brown hair ends framed his handsome face.

"Oh! Let it rain", she whispered joyously. "I care not!"

Robin gave a slightly amused smirk. "Can't argue with that. Then what do you suggest?"

"Please, let's take a walk through the forest." Maria had missed her and Robin's adventures, and couldn't wait to get back in amongst the trees, no matter the weather.

"Very well", he said, "the forest it is." Then he chuckled again at her hopeless stubbornness. "You'll get soaked."

Robin crawled out of his leather jacket and placed it upon her shoulders. He laced his fingers through hers and lead her towards the forest.

The road was wet and muddy from the rain, but Maria wasn't bothered by it, and soon the mud passed over in soft grass and moss. The trees offered some cover from the rain, and she was glad Loveday had provided her with dresses for the forthcoming autumn. Besides, walking so close to Robin, holding his hand, made her feel a lot warmer.

"I have missed this so much", she sighed and rested her head on Robin's shoulder. The colours and the smells sent a rush of excitement and delight through her body. "It isn't the same to walk here on your own."

"No, the company does make an improvement", Robin filled in with a mischievous grin, and twirled her into a cuddle that made her giggle. At the moment everything was wonderful.

The forest was beginning to darken when Robin came to a halt. "It's getting cold, we should be heading back." He stroked a wet strand of hair from her face. "We've been out here for almost an hour. You'll get sick."

"I'll get sick?" she teased. "You're the one lacking proper clothes."

Robin's black shirt was wet through and pasted itself to his muscular shoulders. He pulled the hem of the leather garment he had given her to wear earlier, making her step a little closer. "Then give me my jacket back", he teased in return.

"Oh, you want it back now?" She faked a shocked voice. "I do believe I am in a bad company after all. A gentleman would never offer something to demand it returned later."

Robin frowned and pursed his lips while he thought about it. "I suppose you're right", he said at last. "I'm certainly far from being a gentleman." He let go of the jacket and took a step back.

Maria gave him a confused look. "Robin?"

"Just think about it, Maria. I'm—", he cut himself off and lowered his gaze into the ground. "I'm nothing."

"Robin, surely you don't mean that?" Her face was serious and filled with concern.

"I do, and I'm sure Miss Heliotrope and Sir Benjamin would do more than agree with me, for once." He looked up and studied her in silence. Her astonishing beauty, her posture, her long wet hair, which had previously been arranged in a fine up-do. She was wearing a dress. He didn't socialise with people in dresses, let alone did he befriend them. Maria belonged with the well mannered and costume dressed people in a ballroom. "You're a lady, aren't you? Isn't it improper for you to run around in the forest with a ruffian like me?"

Maria looked as if someone had just poured out her tea. She furrowed her brow, her shoulders sank and her mouth slowly opened as a sudden sigh escaped her lips. "You're no ruffian, you're Robin!" She reached for his hand and clasped it.

"Same thing!" he clarified. "You just said it yourself: I'm bad company. And it made me realise that you probably shouldn't be around someone like me. The person for you is a good and polite gentleman—everything I'm not."

"You're everything a gentleman isn't: adventures, funny and sincere." She placed her remaining hand behind his neck and loosely pulled a curl of his hair. "Authentic."

Robin shook his head slightly. "I'm none of those things, at least not in a good way."

"What is all this coming from? Do you not wish to be with me?" Maria couldn't see it any other way than that he had changed his mind, and was trying to get rid of her.

"Yes, I do!" he insisted. "Of course I do." Robin traced her jawline with his thumb and wouldn't draw his gaze from her eyes.

"Then why are we having this conversation?" she said and stole a kiss from his lips, which made him lose all context for a moment.

"Look!" called a familiar voice slightly above them, "if you lovebirds are just goin' to stand there all evenin' like two trees stuck in the dirt, at least leave all the seasickenin' activities. Includin' scratchin' each other's lips, please."

A leather clad boy in Robin's age stood in the gap of a cave on a higher ground, about a stone's throw away. It was Henry, from Robin's band of rascals. There was smoke from a fire inside the cave, and movements and more voices from other boys behind him. "But I suggest you come join us instead. Can't you tell it's rainin'?" he added.

A/N: Thank you for reading this far! Hope you liked the first chapter and that you will stick around for the second one! And remember to review! :)

-VF