A/N: Right, this is a sequel to "The Honourable Thing" which starts pretty much straight after it. You don't have to read that for it to make sense I don't think but it would be useful in that you would know the character of my OC, Ava.

The title may well change, I'm not quite happy with it yet. Thanks to El Gringo Loco for helping me choose it.

I don't own Robin Hood.

Not sure there's anything else to say so on with the show!

Here's the Thing: Domestic Bliss…

Entering the camp after a scouting expedition, Ava felt immediately stifled by the tense atmosphere. Will, unfortunately, remained oblivious and, before she could stop him, had walked headlong into Robin and Marian's argument.

"I don't need mollycoddling!"

Though unsure what Robin had done Ava knew it would have been for Marian's protection and judging by her recent behaviour, Ava had an inkling she was overreacting. Since joining them in the forest she had been on edge, keen to retain her independence and usefulness, generally through rash and violent acts, as if scared that they would simply forget about her now she could no longer pass them information from the castle.

"Good! Because you won't be getting it here!"

This, frankly childish, retort, coupled as it was with him storming away from her, revealed that Robin too was feeling the strain. Despite the fact that they were clearly in love with each other, each had been hurt enough in the past to be wary in declaring their feelings and intentions and to fear losing what they had without a moment's notice. Robin had not offered marriage in five long and hard years of separation. It was clear that he now felt that his first and most pressing responsibility to the people of Nottingham and he didn't exactly consider himself free or eligible, with nothing but a bed on the green sward to offer her. Marian knew this and accepted it. Indeed, she had often reminded him of his duty, holding herself back from him when he still had tasks to perform.

It was difficult for them both and they coped with it in their own ways, but it made for a tense camp and encouraged a need in everyone to spend as little time as possible there. What had once been a happy place, with laughter ringing through the trees and comfort to be found in the company there, had become cold and empty.

Robin had stormed off in one direction and Marian turned on her heel to stride in the other, leaving Will bewildered and with no one to report their findings to. These being of an unurgent nature however, there was no need for them to chase after Robin – for which Ava was profoundly thankful. It was no fun for anyone when he was in this sort of mood.

For a blissful hour the pair had the camp to themselves. They occupied them selves quietly; revelling in the peaceful quality the forest had taken on, exchanging low voiced conversation every now and again, reluctant to break the calm. It was the first occasion either had felt the inclination to smile for some time.

It did not seem to last for long, however. John and Djaq returned first – John annoyed that they had not found any meat on their hunting trip and Djaq as subdued as she had been since Allan left. John came to sit with Ava and Will beside the fire, staring intently at it as if it would provide food and Djaq retreated into the camp to sort her medicines and bandages for the hundredth. The activity seemed to calm her.

Not long after Robin returned, with Much trailing behind him. As always Much's mood was affected by that of his master and when he withdrew to the kitchen to begin preparing the evening meal he was further annoyed by the lack of fresh meat, so began banging the pots and pans around to relieve his feelings while severely annoying the others.

Robin had cast himself down just outside the circle of the fire, moodily kicking the ground. He looked up as Marian returned, almost hopeful that it was all put behind them, before observing her steadfastly averted gaze. At which point he kicked the ground more viciously.

Ava herself was in such a bad mood by this point that she couldn't find it within her to go and help Much with the cooking. Though she knew she would regret it later when they were served something unidentifiable, to be honest, after the reception Marian received trying to help and she all but his mistress, there was no way Ava was going to move just to get an earful.

By the time the food was ready no one had uttered a word for some time. Even Much, who generally had an unavoidable desire to fill any silence. The relief that the meal was greeted with was swiftly replaced with dismay. Will and John shared agonised looks over their bowls of uniformly brown stew and even Djaq noticed there wasn't actually anything solid in it. Marian was concentrating on tearing her bread into the smallest pieces possible and dropping them unthinkingly to the ground and Robin was ignoring his serving completely.

Out of loyalty, and not a bit of guilt as she really should have helped, Ava took a brave spoonful. Finding that it was just about edible, and at least hot, she took another and the others were inspired to look on it more kindly. Will even went as far as lifting his spoon to his lips before Ava took her third mouthful and found what appeared to be the only solid in the whole dish. It announced itself with a loud crack against her tooth and, without thinking; she spat it out at once.

Curious, Will moved to look at it, where it had landed over a metre from her. He looked puzzled for a moment, before he asked doubtfully,

"Is that an acorn?"

"An acorn!" Ava also moved forward to get a look at it, narrowly avoiding falling in the fire in the process. She turned an incredulous face towards a shifty looking Much. "Much! It's an acorn!"

"Pigs eat acorns," he defended himself.

"We are not pigs," said John decisively.

Ava reached out a finger to poke the offending item and rolled it over.

"It's not even peeled!"

Robin was outright grinning by this point and both Marian and Djaq's eyes were lit with a quieter humour.

"It's not just acorns! There's – other things in it!"

The fact Much wouldn't disclose what these 'other things' were made John set his bowl as far from him as possible and eye it with suspicion while Ava and Will fell into unstoppable and half-hysterical laughter. This scarily routine scene united them once more and Robin felt happiness well up inside him as a he spared a warm look for Marian as if to say this is really us, this is what it's really like.

Frustrated, Much almost threw his bread at the still helpless Will and Ava, before thinking better of it (it was still food after all) and turning to storm out of the camp. They all knew he wouldn't have gone far, he just had to think of a suitable retort to their amusement at his expense, and as soon as she recovered, Ava would hurry after him to coax him back.

Before she could however, they were startled by a high pitched scream – which was all the more unnerving as Djaq, Marian and Ava were still in the camp. Added to the fact that last time Ava had been really scared she'd taken refuge in swearing long and hard - until Will came to remove the spider from her presence, at which point she'd promptly collapsed.

A/N: I thought of something else to say – there are going to be some random bits throughout the story that you'll probably recognise from the series. They are going to be changed with characters added and taken away and a lot in a different order but I'm not going to be following it as closely as I did with a few of the episodes in the other story – it was too annoying.

Anyway, shutting up now, please review and tell me what you think of the opener! Ta xx