Title~ Baby Boy
Summary~ A baby is dumped on one of the outlaws, does he step up to the challenge? Or does the task fall on the gang's newest member..? Post season 2.
Author's Note~ The girl in the prequel isn't important, I just liked the way it read, so I left it in. This is my first post on LJ but I've been posting on for over a year and a half now, so I hope this is alright...
Prequel
A baby, tiny and screaming, nestled snugly in her arms, his little eyes, blue as the ocean, staring up at her, tear filled and grumpy, just like his father.
~~~~~xx~~~~~~
Night after night of the same routine slowly drew her to maddening frustration, desperate for any kind of contact with the man who had left her to bring up their child alone.
Her days passed slowly, each hour spent searching the taverns and towns for him, her frustration giving way to anger.
Her life passed in this manner for several months, until the day came that she saw him, dumping the screaming child into his arms and walking away, not looking back once…
~~~~~xx~~~~~
Chapter One
Allan a Dale sat in the camp, staring in shock at the screaming baby in his arms, not having a clue how to make it stop. The hours ticked by, the screaming constant, only faltering when Cass, the newest addition to the gang, plucked the upset boy from his grip and wandered off towards the bunks, hushing him softly.
She appeared later that evening, handing him back a clean, well fed, content baby, continuing out of the camp in silence, her head pounding. Being the only girl in camp got hard for her sometimes, and she needed some time alone, but often found it impossible to escape the constant presence of the men.
She made it to the river before her guard for the evening appeared. Tonight it was Robin, possibly the worse person for her to be around, she always managed to upset or anger him so easily, and it maddened her that she didn't know better by now.
"Go away Robin. I want to be alone." She looked over her shoulder, seeing his silhouette moving in the dim moonlight, her harsh tones echoing through in the silence.
"He upset you didn't he? Returning with that child?" The outlaw moved through the shadows, coming to a halt beside her, his calloused hand resting gently on her shoulder.
She shrugged the hand away, walking onward. "The world doesn't revolve around bloody Allan a Dale. I just want some time alone, why can't you lot ever understand that?" She disappeared over the ridge, continuing on towards the river.
"Cass! I didn't mean it like that. Come back!" He called after her, running a hand through his scruffy hair in frustration.
Leaning against a nearby tree, Robin kept his gaze locked on the top of the hill, waiting for Cass to come back. This route was the most sensible way back to the camp, the only way they could guarantee they wouldn't be ambushed by other outlaws.
The sound of screaming ate away at the silence of the forest, eventually reaching Robin, who sighed heavily and turned back in the direction of the camp to help Allan calm the miniature beast.
~~~~~xx~~~~~
Allan sat by the fire, still staring at the baby as though he was in some kind of trance, ignorant of the looks of frustration Much and John were firing at him from their bunks. Robin stomped through, practically snatching the baby from his friend's hold, bouncing the screaming baby gently in an attempt to hush him.
"Allan, you have to learn to take care of this child. If it keeps screaming like that we'll be found in no time." The baby gargled in the leader's arms, curling up and nestling into his chest. "You can't rely on us all the time, we have a job to do. The poor still need us, whether the Sheriff and Gisborne are in town or not." He rested the child in Allan's arms once again, and turned away, ready to leave the camp once again.
"Where's Cass?" Allan spoke for the first time since lunchtime, lifting his eyes from the child. "She's a woman, she can deal with it. I don't want anything to do with it."
"No! She can't deal with it! This is your mess Allan, you sort it out." Robin's voice was venomous, his eyes piercing and angry as he spun to glare at the man. "Cass is just a girl, a girl we have to care for, she's not here to deal with your mistakes."
"Well I ain't dealing with this kid. How do we even know it's mine..?" Allan's voice grew louder with each word and he stood up to face down Robin. "It ain't fair on the kid to be stuck 'ere with us if no one's going to look after it."
"It, as you so charmingly called him, is a boy…" Cass pushed past Robin, taking the child from Allan and unfolding the blanket he was wrapped in. "…so you better think of a name for him." Without another word she disappeared into the part of the camp that had become her living quarters with the baby boy.
The four men stared after her, shocked into silence by her sudden appearance and then disappearance.
"Cass!" Robin made to go after her, but was beaten to her door by Much, anxious to help the girl he considered a younger sister.
"Can… er… can I come in Cass..?" Much hovered in her doorway nervously, peering in at her and the baby.
She looked up, nodding gently at him, returning her gaze to the baby. "Have you thought of a name yet..?"
"Not yet." He sat on the edge of a chair, watching her intently. "You're good with him. I think he likes you."
"More than his father does…" She muttered bitterly, not looking away from the child. "I like the name Benjamin. It seems to suit him."
"Yeah, Benjamin sounds good." Allan's voice reverberated around the tiny room, and her head snapped up, glaring angrily at him.
"Just don't expect me to deal with him. He's your son, your responsibility." She pushed the boy into Allan's arms, moving back to the fireplace, wanting to be as far away from him as she could get.
Eyebrows raised, Allan turned to Much, puzzled by Cass' sudden attitude. "I'm not being funny or anything, but something's really up with her…"
"Fool." Much rolled his eyes and followed after her.
"What? What have I done?" He ran after Much, unable to grab him and turn him around. "What have I done to make her act like that..?"
The manservant froze, turning back to face his comrade. "You saying she could deal with your son, expecting her to act as mother just because she's a girl…"
"Oh…" He looked down as the little boy in his arms woke, stretching, his tiny fist catching him on the chest. "I'd better find a bed for this one before tonight. Then I'll have a word with her."
"Yeah, you better, 'cos if she gets hurt because of you, Robin'll kill you and so will I…" With those words Much left, following Cass from the camp.
Reviews welcomed. The more I get, the better the next chapter will be.