Authors Notes: This is my first RH fanfic so please review!! :)

Chapter One- At the Bottom of a Bottle

"Allan, stop now!"

Much reached for the tankard clasped within Allan's grip, but Allan clumsily pushed the hand away and let his deep blue eyes rest upon his surroundings. "I'm fine, Much," he spat, narrowing his eyes intently and casually slumping back into his chair as he watched the tavern girls hurry around him.

Much sighed and rolled his eyes. "You are drunk!" He promptly stood up as if to leave but, on noticing that Allan had no intention of vacating the chair, let himself fall back into the seat.

"I am not! I am just…" Allan searched his mind for any word to convey his current situation but, after a few long minutes, discarded the sentence with a simple shrug of his shoulders. The problem was, he had decided, was that the ale he was too strong. Far too strong.

"Allan, Robin is waiting for us at camp!" Much tried once more to drag the tankard from the others grip, resulting in a stern push on the shoulder from Allan and a pile up on the tavern floor. Allan looked down at his friend, his blue eyes finding it increasingly difficult to focus on the one spot.

"Are you gonna' get up? There're girls around!" Allan laughed, his words somewhat slurred. Maybe he shouldn't have been drinking… Pfft, he could have his fun, right?

"Why are you always doing this? It's not fair!" Much stood up and waved his arms about as though having a tantrum. "Why do I always have to be the one that gets hit? Why am I always running around after everyone?!"

Allan furrowed his brows and laughed. Why was Much throwing a paddy? He could get drunk! It wasn't like Allan had drunk it all! Allan's eyes fell back onto the tankard in his grip. At least he hoped not…

However before he had chance to retaliate, he heard his own laugh coupled by another behind him… and it was very feminine. Result! He quickly turned on his heel and shot the all too familiar woman his trademark grin. Kate. It had to be said, she looked good!

"Can't stay away, Kate?" Allan smirked, standing up and pulling back a chair for her to sit on. In response she rolled her eyes and rather reluctantly sat herself down.

At this point Much had managed to make it to his feet, and was currently staring gooey-eyed at the blond on the opposite side of the table. Kate quirked an eyebrow, before pulling a rather confused face and turning back to Allan.

"Robin sent me to find you. He's got word that Isabella is up to another one of her schemes and he wants us to look into it," she stated, trying her uttermost hardest to ignore Much's presence. Was he drooling? She didn't dare look!

"And what does he expect you to do about it? You might break a nail!" he teased, shooting her a slight smirk before taking another long sip of the ale in his grip.

"And your ego might go through the roof, but you don't see me complaining!" She cocked an eyebrow at him and, when the reality of the situation hit that he was in fact drunk, stood up and turned to Much.

"How much has he drunk?" she asked, her voice irritated.

Much shrugged, glancing back at Allan briefly before blushing and letting his gaze fall to the floor. "Quite a bit. I couldn't stop him! Don't tell Robin!"

Kate groaned. "I'm not going to lie to Robin," she admitted. "You're going to have to go back to camp and tell him. I'll try and get him sober and then maybe we can continue with what Robin has asked us to do."

Much attempted to nod enthusiastically, but it was obvious that he did not agree to the idea of leaving Allan and Kate alone. But Allan knew how he felt about her, right? If he was his friend he wouldn't attempt anything.

"Are you trying to get some time alone with me, Kate?" Allan asked, waving his hand around drunkenly, causing some of the ale to spill over the edge of the tankard.

Much shot a worried look at Kate before scrambling out of the pub. He needed to speak to Robin. Anyway, he was pretty sure Kate wouldn't want to get off with a drunken Allan.

"Who would want to spend time with you? You're drunk and you smell," she pointed out. "But I want this to be over. Isabella is the sister of the man who killed my brother. Now may be the only chance I can get revenge for his death," she added spitefully.

Allan shrugged, taking another sip from his drink. "I do not smell," he finally exclaimed, after taking several moments to register what the girl had said.

Kate let out a snort of laughter before quickly composing herself and turning back to her company. She reached out her hand and pulled the tankard from his grip resulting in a glare from Allan and a quick 'Oi!'

"You're going to sober up." Allan rolled his eyes and attempted to shift his position on the wall, but his elbow slid from the bar surface and he promptly stumbled. He regained his posture as quickly as he had lost it and shot Kate a small smile.

"I'm fine! I can take it," he stated, edging slightly closer to the blonde and looking down on her with a sweet smile. He slipped his arm around her and grinned.

"But I'm not sure the girls in the tavern can," she replied, obviously rather annoyed with Allan's behaviour. She grabbed his hand from around her waist and pulled it away from her. "You're not my type," she smirked.

"What? Good looking and funny aint your type?!" Allan grinned, reaching for the previously discarding tankard that now sat on the table in front of Kate.

"Allan, no!" Kate grabbed his hand and pulled it back, before pushing the cup even further from the two of them. "And you are not funny, just annoying!"

"Annoying? At least I'm not…" he trailed off as a figure behind Kate caught his eye. A look of worry flashed across his face. A tall, broad man with short brown hair and stubble lifted up his cup in to the air, ready to bring down its force upon Kate's head.

"Kate!" he shouted, pushing her out of the way and sending her flying across the floor. Allan quickly grabbed the mans wrist (not quite as tightly as he would have normally- he was still suffering from too much ale) and attempted to push his arm down. The man struggled, digging his nails tighter and tighter into the flesh of Allan's arm. He squirmed and, with a loud groan, forced the man to the ground. The cup in his hand hit the floor with a loud 'thud' and consequently smashed into a thousand tiny pieces. Allan pinned the man down, his eyesight coming in and out of view as he restrained from vomiting.

The man below him was struggling uncontrollably causing Allan (who was now sitting on him in an attempt to keep him down) to bounce around. Without the drink in his system he would have been fine, but the fact was that he did have drink in his system and he honestly could have puked everywhere. He swallowed hard, glancing around the tavern in a moment of panic. Everyone was staring at him, girls were staring at him. What did he do now?!

Before he could think any further, a long leg stretched out in front of his eyes, a green dress riding up its calf to reveal skin. Nice legs, Allan thought. Before he could stop to point that out, however, the leg had moved. With a sudden intake of breath from the tavern girls, it kicked the man beneath Allan forcefully in the head, knocking him out cold. Allan furrowed his brows and glanced up to meet Kate's eyes.

Kate raised her eyebrows at Allan, and he shook his head. She had just saved him! Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around?! Clumsily Allan clambered to his feet and, all within the space of a few seconds, wrapped his arm around Kate's waist and dragged her out of the tavern door way.

They paused outside the door. Allan pulled his arm away from Kate and slumped upon a nearby wall, inhaling deeply the evening air in an attempt to calm himself.

"Well, aren't you going to say thank you?!" Kate said bitterly but with a hint of pride. Clearly she loved having the upper hand and she had just saved his life: she definitely had the upper hand!

"You should be saying thank you to me!" Allan replied in a cocky manner. "If it weren't for me, your pretty little head would have had glass impaled in it!"

"Pretty? I thought you said I was plain?" She raised a challenging eyebrow and eagerly awaited his response.

"I'm drunk," he added, mocking her earlier tone when she had jumped at the chance to point this out. "I can't be responsible for what I say!"

Kate scowled at him and tried desperately to hold in her laughter, but within a few seconds it had forced its way out. There was a momentary pause as the two of them sat there, desperately trying to return to normality after that incident. "You can't go back to camp," she pointed out, her voice suddenly very serious. "I don't think Robin would appreciate you when you're drunk…"

"You just want to spend more time with me, admit it!" he teased.

"You wish. As I said, I don't go for guys who are drunk and smell," she said with a slight laugh.

"And I don't go for girls who are plain," he retaliated, shooting her a cheeky grin.

"Well we're both happy then!" She rolled her eyes and scanned her mind for anyway out of this mess. She honestly wouldn't mind spending a bit more time with Allan, even if he did annoy the hell out of her, but they couldn't go back to camp. "So are you going to go back to the tavern and find some drunken girl with no taste, or shall we kill time with a walk?"

"I know you don't want me to leave. It's best for me to be a gentleman and take you for a walk!" He grinned. Kate laughed, and glanced up at the sky. Night was pressing heavily down on Nottingham, but they couldn't go back to camp when Allan was like this…

"Looks like its going to be a moonlight walk- but don't get any ideas!" She picked up her pace and headed down the street. Allan smirked and sped up also until he was walking side by side with Kate.