Disclaimer – I do not own any of these characters... what a shame...
This story is being posted as part of socksycherry's 'Christmas post-athon'
Enjoy
Will/Djaq all the way :D
Happy Christmas
Frost
Over Sherwood Forest, the clouds had gone. Only a clear, dark winter sky remained, full of tiny stars and a full moon, which shone bold and bright among the neighbouring stars.
By the light of this moon, Sherwood was more beautiful than ever, skeletal trees dressed with glimmering frost, and each individual blade of grass rigid and white with the cold.
Djaq was disliking the scene more and more with every minute that passed. She was hunched in her bunk, staring out at the delicate winter beauty of the forest. As first she had been so taken in with how romantic the forest looked that she hadn't noticed what else the frost had brought. The cold.
It was seeping through her blanket and clothes, and now felt as if it could creep into her very bones... Djaq shuddered, the brief movement bringing her a tiny wave of warmth, but then the cold returned. Icy fingers clawing at her arms and feet, tiny pins piercing her face... She hated frost...
Drawing another deep breath, she tried unsuccessfully to wrap herself in the blankets even more than she already was. Instead of getting any relief from this, she simply tangled herself up completely, and fell to the frozen floor of the camp. Winded, she coughed slightly as she tried to stand up. Cursing this country and its winter with all the passion she possessed she eventually managed to untangle herself and stand up.
"Are you alright?"
Djaq jumped, and spun around to see who was speaking. In doing so, she slipped on a patch of icy ground, and simply ended up on the floor again. Crying out in frustration and pain, she felt a gentle hand take hers and pull her up to her feet.
By now, Djaq had realised who it was, and raised her face to look him in the eye.
"Thank you Will. I am fine"
"No you aren't, you're freezing"
As usual, his blunt honesty won through, and Djaq hung her head again, ashamed...
"I hope you don't think me weak... In my country it is never this cold..."
"How could I ever think you weak? You're one of the strongest people I know" Will murmured to her, pulling her into a warm hug, "You don't need to be ashamed of being cold" he smiled down at her.
Djaq managed to force her frozen cheeks into a smile, then rested her head on his chest, revelling in the warmth that he always seemed to exude.
"Come on, you need to warm up" Will pulled her over, towards his bunk.
"But what will the others say?" Djaq asked, wide eyed at what he was suggesting
"You need warming up!" Will repeated, a half smile emerging onto his handsome features.
A slight chuckle escaped Djaq's mouth as she joined him in his bunk. Smiling at her, he tugged the blankets over the two of them.
A haze of warmth spread throughout Djaq, although not all of it was just due to body heat...
She decided that tonight she didn't mind what the others would say, no-one else was awake anyway...
Snuggling closer to him, she rested her head on his chest, her breath quickening slightly as she wondered how he would react. She could feel his breathing as his chest rose and fell, and she could even feel his heart beating strongly. A slow smile spread across her face, as she relaxed.
Will was surprised, and grinned when she moved closer to him. After a few minutes of considering the best way to do it, he slipped his arm around her shoulders, bringing her even closer to him. Maybe tonight he would have to courage to...
As Will debated in his head, Djaq just lay there, feeling happier than she had in a long time. Maybe he did feel the same way... She couldn't imagine Much or Little John behaving in the same way towards her... Maybe he did like her... She let out a quiet laugh at the idea. Of course he wouldn't...
"What are you laughing at?" Will asked, the sound of his voice rumbling through his chest. Djaq shifted slightly so that she was looking up at him,
"Nothing... well, I was just thinking about what the others actually would say if they saw us like this..." Djaq trailed off, blushing slightly, feeling awkward.
Will's smile brought her out of her embarrassment however, and she smiled as he said
"Can you imagine what Much would do?"
She laughed, and replied quietly,
"No... He would definitely make a lot of noise though..."
Will's laugh made her head vibrate on his chest, and she lifted her head slightly, looking him straight in the eye.
Will's laugh faded away as he gazed back at her, losing himself in those enormous brown eyes, so full of care and warmth. She was such an amazing woman. She had lived in the Holy Land, through the war, lost a brother, taken his identity, been a slave, and now an outlaw. He couldn't imagine what life had been like without her...
In fact, he mused, she was basically his life now. Every second he was awake he was watching her, or thinking about her, and every second he was asleep he dreamt about her.
This realisation rocketing around his head, he became aware that he was still staring into her eyes.
"You, you-" he started to say... then stopped
Djaq's eyes prompted him to carry on,
"I just, realised I... I-"
"I... I love you" Djaq interrupted
Will stared at her,
"You do?"
Djaq smiled nervously,
"I do..."
Will felt as if his heart was swelling rapidly with all the love that he had unleashed within himself. A giddy smile covered his face, and he raised a hand to her face, stroking her cheek,
"I love you... I've wanted to say that for so long..."
Djaq couldn't stop smiling, and although something in her was telling her to stop being such a girl, she pushed it away.
They were so close now, practically nose to nose. Djaq could feel his warm breath brushing over her face. Her heart beat faster and faster as she met his gaze, smiling and steady.
Will leaned slightly closer to her, passion building in him, passion that he didn't know had been pent up.
As the gap between them closed, Djaq felt as if she could explode with happiness. She never knew how much love had meant to her, but now her love for Will coursed through her like adrenalin, filling her with a warmth that even the frost couldn't sap out of her.
As Will grew more confident he shifted slightly, so he wasn't in an awkward position, and kissed her harder, exploring a sensation that he hadn't experienced before.
When they eventually broke apart, they didn't move away. They stayed together, noses side by side, breath mingling, breathing hard.
As they kissed again and again, both of them totally lost in each other, they didn't notice the sun breaching the horizon...
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
After an hour the sun had completely emerged, bringing with it a cold light and energy.
The lovestruck outlaws, cuddled together in the blankets, had noticed nothing except each other for most of the night, and neither remembered the others in the camp.
As their lips met for the millionth time, Will's hand slid up Djaq's tunic, caressing the smooth skin on the small of her back. Djaq smiled into his mouth and carried on kissing him...
A loud voice rang through the camp,
"What- Honestly!?"
Will and Djaq broke apart, surprised, and slowly turned to meet Much's raised eyebrows, and disapproving expression. Blushing, but trying to suppress a smile, they glanced at each other, then back to Much who was still talking, and the other outlaws who had emerged from their beds,
"What did I tell you? Honey... honestly... what an awful excuse..." Much huffed to himself as he surveyed the couple in Will's bed.
Robin raised an amused eyebrow, and smirked at them,
"So! How long has this been going on?"
Djaq tried not to laugh as she replied,
"Oh... only about... five hours?!"
As Robin's laugh rang out, they grinned bashfully.
It was funny, Djaq thought, the frost in the forest didn't seem half as annoying now... She couldn't think why...
Fin
Hope you liked it! It was written quite quickly as I didn't have much time. :)
I enjoyed writing it though!
PLEASE review :D Think of it as a Christmas present... :P
Love, and Christmas wishes!
Blackfishy
xxxxxx