It was dark in the dungeons. The cold, dark dampness was oppressive in and of itself. The wrought iron bars and chains where a whole other story. Through the darkness a single pair of sad crystal blue eyes remained bright, like single beacon out on the dark sea.

A leather clad man marched briskly through the dark halls, prisoners moaning in fear as he passed by, for his heart was as black as his garb. He approached the blue eyed prisoner, his confidence slowly draining but he refused to show it.

"I thought you would never come Guy."

He was tempted to remove the walls he had so strongly built. He ordered them to stand their ground, using all his will power to keep them standing strong. He would not succumb to her charms again.

"I had to ask you some questions for the sheriff," was all he managed to say while keeping his voice steady and deep.

"For the sheriff? Or for you?"

He ignored her. Part of him wanted to see her face, but she remained hidden in the darkness. The light of her eyes was all he could make out. She sat in a back corner, a thinning travelers cloak around her frame.

"How did you survive?"

He was met with silence at first. Then he heard, "The Saracens are excellent healers, they can pretty much bring anyone back from the dead."

A wave of guilt washed over him, he quickly shook it away, concentrating on his task. "Why did you come back?" he asked, anger rising in him. "Did you come back for him?"

"I'll stand by what I said before. I'm sorry if I hurt you, but my heart couldn't hide the truth any longer."

"So you'll chose an outlaw over me?" He already knew the answer and he felt his heart breaking.

"Yes, I would."

He kept himself from revealing his anger, his rage to march right through the bars and strangle the life out of her. Instead his black heart engulfed his logical mind, like it did months ago in the Holy Land. "What if I told you Hood, is dead?"

"Why would you say such a thing? Just let me go Guy, I have nothing worth of value to you and the sheriff."

"Your a known traitor to Prince John, a crime worth the death sentence. I cannot and will not let you go," said Gisbourne through clenched teeth.

"Are you that selfish Guy? You couldn't have what you wanted, you couldn't have me and so you will do whatever necessary to ensure that no one else could have what you couldn't? Tell me the truth Guy, I've had enough of your lies!" she sounded angry, if not sad.

His anger rose with every word she spoke, it was because she spoke the truth, the truth that he long feared. She never loved him, she never did. Her heart was always for that petty outlaw, that Robin Hood.

"Robin Hood is dead!" he spat.

"Your lying," she responded, her voice a mixture of emotions as her bright eyes dulled.

"He came by Locksley Manor the other day with the full intention of killing me, avenging you. It was all futile cause I killed him in the end."

She was silent when he was finished. Could she sense the unease in his voice? He wasn't entirely sure if Hood was dead, his men hadn't found his body yet.

She remained silent for awhile, he was about to leave when she said, "Then let me go Guy. I'm no threat, the Night-Watchman is long gone, my heart belongs to no one anymore, and I have no one to go to. My life has no purpose anymore, at least let me have my freedom."

It was Gisbourne's turn to be silent. He didn't know what to do. There was a good chance Hood was dead, along with an equal chance of him still alive and breathing. Would he risk the chance of Marian reuniting with Hood, her alleged husband?

Her voice interrupted his thoughts. "I always thought highly of you Guy, I always thought that there was good in you. Robin never thought so. After what you did in the holy land I would have to agree with him, but there is still a chance for you to prove him wrong. Would you do that to spite your enemy, even when he's gone from this life?"

He knew she was playing him. If her could see her face she would be batting her long eyelashes at him. He wouldn't let his walls fall, he wouldn't succumb to her charms anymore.

His hand was in his pocket, which contained only two objects. Two choices, two paths for Marian, and it was his decision and his decision alone.

"Guy?" she asked, breaking the silence. He didn't realize how long he had been thinking. He found himself at a crossroads, torn between two paths, that he didn't want to be faced with. Either way Marian would never be his. She would either live without him or die.

He could hear a guard approaching, he didn't have much time. Forgetting about the demons that haunted him in the night, he quickly grabbed one of the two objects and placed them in her cell. "Use it quickly Marian, you don't have much time," having said that he turned and left, refusing to look back as Marian fingered the small pink vial in her hands.

()()()()()()()()()()

Later on Gisbourne pulled the key from his pocket, the very same key he fingered in the dungeons earlier, the key to Marian's cell and the key to her freedom.

He wasn't quite sure if he was reconsidering or regretting. The demons still haunted his nightmares because of what he did to her in the Holy Land. Even after his guards arrested her on the Northern Road and he discovered she was still alive they remained; haunting him, cursing him, condemning him for his crimes.

"Are you that selfish Guy?"

Her words echoed in his mind again. When she was brought before him weary of travel yet still beautiful he knew he still loved her, but yet she still did not love him.

It was then her words truly sunk in. If he really loved her he would have let her go. If she went free, he too would be free of his demons. She would be alive and the constant stabbing pain of regret would cease for good. She was his last chance at redemption and by leaving her the poison he had not only sealed her fate but his. He had also succeeded in proving that Hood had been right about him all along and that she was wrong.

Grasping the key in his hand he hurried down to the dungeons. He rushed to her cell and opened it with the key, but he was too late.

The glass vial was empty on the floor and Marian's body was stiff and cold. Dead.

He slowly approached her. His last chance at redemption, his last chance to chase away the demons, gone. All that lay before him was a corpse.

He knelt beside her and pulled the hood away from her face. Her face was calm and the blue eyes that pierced his soul where closed as if she was peacefully sleeping.

She held a fisted hand over her heart, a piece of parchment clenched in their fingers.

Gisbourne pulled it from her hand, unfolded it and read it.

Guy,
I have always known of your feelings for me and have always respected the fact that they where genuine.
I am sorry if I hurt you, but as I said before in the Holy Land I love Robin Hood and always have.
Though it was not the reason why I left you at the alter.
Forgive me for not returning your feelings and I forgive you for everything you have done.
I go to the afterlife now to join Robin or wait for him as I promised I would.
If he is alive don't tell him I was here, let him think I died in the Holy Land.
Lastly, promise me that from now on you question the sheriff's cruelty and actions, it is the least you can do for now.
Something tells me you will build the path to your own redemption.
With much hope and forgiveness I say my final goodbyes.
-Marian of Knighton

Her could hear her voice coming from the inked words on the parchment, gentle as always.

Gisbourne sat there beside her corpse, more lost then he had ever been before, devastation slowly devouring him like fire devours wood. He knew the demons would come for him again, the next time he closed his eyes at night. He dreaded the night and all things dark, even his own heart.

Marian's written forgiveness would not be enough to keep the demons at bay. As long as he knew that it was he who attempted to end her and closed her eyes for a final time, he would let the demons come. Until then there was nothing to do but forgive himself.

A/N: well here ya go another one of my robin hood bbc fics. I was feeling rather gloomy a few weeks ago while still had robin hood on the brain, so I sat down and started writing what you have just read. I wanted something depressing obviously, while i also had this idea of gisbourne being the one to discover marian was still alive before robin could. of course due to my gloomy mood it ended in tragedy and also because I didn't feel like writing a multi-chaptered fic. not too mention that if Gisbourne where to let her go, the story would have to continue. now a robinXmarian reunion is fine by me, but gisbourne would have to be a good guy and we can't have that! it would ruin everything and make it more complicated at the same time, like it did at the end of the third season!

The setting should be obvious, beginning of the third season, during the first episode, when everything made somewhat sense! Now besides my rambling in this note I hope you enjoyed this one-shot! please pretty please with a bow and arrow on top leave a review let me know what you think! I have another RHBBC one shot coming out soon, so feedback is deeply appreciated!

Until then love you all and I will see you soon!