"... and that's why I won't let any of the others kill you, Guy. How can I, when you're my brother? I just don't know how to tell them because of everything you've done to us in the past. It's just lucky that you weren't there when Loxley was killed, or there would be no way that I could keep them from killing you. And if you had been there, I might even have helped them."
"Oh boy," Sam whispered. This sounded as if it wasn't going to be a pleasant leap.
Beckett looked up from where he was partially sitting and looked at the man seated in front of him. His eyes were partially covered by long blond bangs, and he was looking down at his clenched hands, not at Sam or anything else around him. The man was dressed in a brown, metal-ringed tunic and green trousers and he had a sword strapped to his waist. A sword!?
The young man had a very serious look on his face when he finally looked up at his companion, and Sam wished that he had heard everything that had been said before he leaped into Guy, whoever he was. The scientist settled back onto the log that was behind him. Whoever his current host was, he had been getting to his feet, and Sam didn't really think he could stand right now.
Looking his companion straight in the eye, Sam asked, "So now what happens? Do you tell the others?" Who are these others,and who am l talking to? the time traveler wondered.
"Only if you want me to tell them. I didn't think it was my place to do so, at least not without your permission. And you know Scarlet and Much are still going to want to kill you-especially Will." The man gave Sam a slight smile and cocked his head to one side in a listening pose as he looked out into the forest. "In fact, I hear them coming now." His companion stood and turned to face a barely visible path through the trees.
"You can hear them?!" Sam was flabbergasted. He couldn't hear a single sound coming from the direction in which the man was looking.
"When you've lived in the forest for a while, you can tell what sounds aren't natural to it." By this time even Sam could hear the approaching group. "I suggest that you stand away from me-or the others may not believe that you mean me no harm."
Beckett just nodded and backed away, coming to a stop only when he backed into a rather large tree. The five men who were coming into a small clearing were not at all what Sam expected to see. The first into the clearing looked almost boyish in appearance, but there was something about his face that spoke of years of hardship. Following him was a gruff looking man, his hand resting on a sword hilt, and the scientist guessed that this must be the Scarlet mentioned earlier. Coming into the clearing, side by side, were a very tall, bearded man and a rather round person dressed in what looked like monk's robes, who had the only sympathetic face in the group. Finally, came a dark-haired man dressed in black, his face expressionless. Sam desperately wished that he were someplace else or that his companion would be able to control them.
"Well, we left ya alone with 'im like you wanted. Now will ya tell us what's goin' on?" The speaker was glaring at Sam, his hand clenching and unclenching on the sword hilt.
"Robin, Guy," said the round figure softly, "they have the right to know."
Sam looked at Robin, an incredible thought coming to his mind. Robin? Scarlet? I'm Guy. The brown-robed man must Friar Tuck. The tall one must be Little John. That means the youngster is Much. But who's that other man? This can't be happwing! It's impossible for me to Leap this far back in time! Oh,boy,am I in trouble now! Robin looked back at Sam who could only nod. The best way for him to find out what was going on would be for the blond man to tell him, by telling his friends. Whatever was happening would just have to continue with little or no direction from Beckett. Where's Al when I need him?
"Will, remember at Croxden when I wouldn't let you kill Guy? Do you remember what you said to me then?" Scarlet shook his head. "You said that I couldn't kill Guy because we were alike, both nobles: him a knight and me an earl's son." Robin paused, looking back at Sam again. When he continued, he didn't look back at his friend, but looked Sam directly in the eyes. "You were more right than you knew. The real reason I wouldn't let let you kill him then, and won't let you kill him now, isn't because he's a knight, but because," his voice became a whisper, "he's my brother."
'"E's yer what?!" Scarlet practically shouted the words.
"We have the same father," the outlaw leader answered in the same soft voice. "Lady Margaret told me before we went after Guy to recover the Cross, and she had made her confession to Tuck the night before."
Beckett looked up sharply at these words, his gaze locking on the cleric. The seal of the confessional was sacred and not to be broken for any reason-except with the consent of the person involved .
"I've never told anyone what your mother told me that night, Guy. Not even Robin when he asked." Tuck looked sympathetically at the young man standing before him. "However, she did give me leave to tell you, if that is what you want." Sam just nodded his head as he rose from his resting place. This was his chance to find out what was going on and give Al and Ziggy the time to find out where (and when) he was-if they could even locate him seven hundred or so years in the past. He went over to Tuck, and the two of them moved away from the others as the friar began to softly tell Sam what Margaret had told him on that long ago day.
When Tuck had finished his narration, Sam was amazed at what he had heard. Love lost, found, and lost again. A brutish husband and father. And a secret that had caused a life of pain for the woman who was Guy's mother, not to mention the brutal upbringing that Guy must have had. It was little wonder that this man had grown up to be a petty tyrant. Perhaps Sam was here to try to make things right between the outlaws and Guy, but he wasn't sure where to begin.
Then Sam heard the familiar sound of the door to his own time open and saw Al out of the corner of his eye. It was all he could do to keep from gasping. The naval officer was sporting what looked like the beginnings of a black eye. Beckett had to get away from Robin and the others so he could talk to Al. He approached Robin, ignoring Scarlet as the still scowling man moved to stand between the fair-haired man and his half-brother, partially drawing his sword from its scabbard.
"You've given me a lot to think about, Robin. I promise that I won't try to do anything against your-or your friends-," he added, looking pointedly at Scarlet, "but I need to go somewhere to be alone to think this out and figure out what to do next." Robin looked Sam in the eyes, and the scientist knew that the truth of what he said was being measured. He returned the look, letting Robin see his honesty. But Beckett wasn't prepared for the two-way conversation that seemed to take place when their eyes met. The twentieth-century man saw in Robin's eyes a dedication and a fire that burned brightly, and yet there was also a lingering sadness that Sam could not explain.
Finally, the outlaw nodded and gestured to the black clad man. "Nasir will take you to your horse."
Sam nodded and followed the silent man down the path. Al followed, passing through trees and startling several animals as he went. Nasir kept looking in Calavicci's direction, but could see no reason why the animals kept jumping back. Finally, they reached a clearing next to the road where a large black horse was tethered to a tree.
"Thank you," Sam said to the dark man, but his silent companion just raised an expressive eyebrow at the apparently unexpected thanks and then melted back into the trees. Beckett shook his head and sat on the ground, pulling the sword off his belt before it got tangled in his legs.
"Well, Al, how did I end up here? That man I was talking to was Robin Hood, who, among other things, is a legend. Not real. How the hell did I end up in a fairy tale that took place seven hundred years before I was born? And what happened to your eye?"
"Well, Ziggy's still working on why you're here, but we think we've figured out the how." The holographic image pushed a few buttons on the hand link that chirped back at him. "It seems that there was a massive power surge at the energy plant that is the main supplier of electricity for the Project Headquarters. Before Ziggy or Gooshie could do anything to buffer it, all that energy went flying into the Accelerator, the Waiting Room and the Imaging Chamber, giving you an extra boost and voila,"Al replied, clapping his hands together, "here you are. Just be grateful that Errol Flynn wasn't close to the real Robin Hood or you'd be running around in spangles and tights." The navy man chuckled.
"That doesn't explain what happened to your eye," Sam retorted, ignoring the crack about the tights, remembering a time or two when he had worn them. When his companion didn't answer right away, he gave him a stern look. "Your eye?" he persisted.
"Yeah, well the nozzle you leaped into was really upset about something. It was lucky I was in the waiting room with Greg when this idiot arrived or who knows what would have happened. You do remember Greg, don't you? Physical therapist for the Project? You know," Al paused, chewing thoughtfully on his ever present cigar, "he looks an awful lot like the guy you were talking to earlier."
"Yes, I remember Greg, but what happened to your eye?" Sam was not going to let his friend off the hook this time.
"Well, this nozzle took on look at Greg and went for his throat. I mean, he was really tryin' to kill him, Sam. I've never seen anyone so angry, not even you when they were trying to cut funding to the project." Beckett knew that Al really meant when they were trying to cut Al from the project, but he let the small lie slide. He needed to know what he was doing in a fantasy.
"Anyway," the hologram continued, "this guy called him a lying bastard, and when I tried to break it up, I got a fist in the eye for my troubles. We've had to sedate him to keep him from trying to kill someone else. I really don't' like this one, Sam. Have you figured out who he is?"
"Don't you know anything about the legend of Robin Hood, Al? I've leaped into Guy of Gisburne who, it seems, is Robin's bastard half-brother. That's a new one on me. I never knew he had a half brother, but since this is a legend to us, who knows? From what I could tell, Robin had just told him that they were ... are brothers, and from what I was told later by Tuck, Guy has every reason to hate Robin-at least to his way of thinking." Sam paused, not believing that all of this was real. He had been in some strange situations before, but this one was the oddest. "Both noble, but Robin was raised in a loving family while Guy was hated by the man whom everyone thought was his father. Robin then gave up everything that Guy had ever wanted in order to come to Sherwood: a privileged position, wealth, and the love of his father. Can you blame Gisburne for being . . . upset?"
"No, I guess not," Al answered quietly. "He still shouldn't have tried to kill Greg, though.
Although I guess with the disorientation of the leap and all, it was an honest mistake." He mumbled something under his breath that Sam couldn't quite hear.
"What was that, Al?"
"Nothing. I just said it's probably the first honest thing that he's ever done."
"Al!" Beckett shook his head, forgiving his friend's anger. "Listen, does Ziggy have even a clue as to why I'm here? I really don't want to be stuck in thirteenth century England. It's not a very nice place."
"Well, Ziggy thinks there's a pretty good chance, and remember she's not positive on this, that you're here to return one of Robin's merry men to the group. Did you notice one, very important, person,who seemed to be missing?" Al looked at his friend, a grin on his face.
Sam knew that the grin meant whoever was missing was female-and that could be only one person. "Marion," he said. "She wasn't there and Marion is always with Robin Hood. Well, does Ziggy have any idea where she is?" He noticed his friend's grin growing even broader as Calavicci glanced down at the hand link. "What's going on, Al?"
"Ziggy's managed to piece together the many different legends that exist and came up with a pretty good idea of what's going on."
"So all you have to d o is hypothesize from the different legends and come up with where Marion is. This should be as easy as reading a book for Ziggy." Sam smiled. Perhaps this leap wouldn't be as difficult as he had first thought, although leaping into a person whom most people considered to be pure fantasy seemed a little far fetched. However, when Al didn't respond right away, Beckett began to get a little nervous. "You can tell me what I need to know, can't you, Al?"
"Well , partially," the hologram answered. "Marion's gone to ground in some place called Halstead. Seems she couldn't put up wi th the uncertain future anymore and decided she needed some peace and quiet-in a nunnery, of all places. What a waste!"
"Al," Sam chastised, smiling a bit. His friend would never change. "Okay, that explains why Robin seemed so sad, What about Guy? Anything on him?"
"Well, in most legends, he's not mentioned all that much, and I can't find any indication in any of the different legends that says that Robin was his brother."
"Damn!"
Al banged on the hand link, causing it to chirp angrily at him. "Take it easy, Sam. We can't know everything about what happened over seven hundred years ago. Heck, we have enough problems when you leap closer to our time. You're going to have to wing this one, Sam."
"Great, just great." The scientist held his head in his hands, shaking it slightly. "Well, maybe I'm here to get Marion and Robin back together."
"Anything's possible, Sam. How do you propose going about doing this good deed?" Al had wandered over to the black stallion that was waiting patiently, grazing on the grass it could reach. It shied back when the hologram was nose to nose with it.
"I guess I'm going to Halstead, then and I'll talk to her, tell her that Robin's hurting because she left him. I'll tell her that I'm going to take her back to him." Sam had a pleased expression on his face at this thought.
"You're one of the bad guys, remember, Sam?" his companion said, turning back to face him. "How do you think she'd react to you showing up at the priory and telling her that you're going to take her back to Sherwood?"
"She won't believe me. She'll probably scream and yell for help," Sam answered after thinking it over for am moment.
Al chuckled. "Don't count on it, Sam. She'll probably call you a liar and kick you in the shins . . . or pull a knife on you. Women of this time period aren't at all like Olivia de Havilland." Beckett's guide looked down as the hand link began chirping at him rather loudly. "Oh great. Listen, Sam, I gotta go. It seems that our guest has awakened up and is causing more problems." Al looked around and then pointed in a direction away from Sherwood. "If you're going to try and get Marion back to Robin, you'll find Halstead off in that direction. Nice little nunnery, but why a woman would want to be locked up after having total freedom is beyond me." Calavicci punched a button, and a glowing doorway appeared behind him. "Be careful, Sam. Things could get really rough, and you don't know how to use that pointy stick." With that, the hologram disappeared into the doorway.
•••
Sam stood staring at the place where Al had disappeared and shook his head. He knew how nasty the thirteenth century could be. The study of the time period had been a hobby of his, and he recalled bits and pieces of how bad things had really been under the Plantagenet kings. Well, there was only one thing he could do and that was to go to Halstead and hope that that was the reason for which he had landed in Sherwood.
He approached the horse with some trepidation after carefully strapping the sword back on his belt. He remembered the last time he had ridden a horse and hoped that this horse was a lot friendlier than Widow Maker had been. He had no desire to end up on his butt in the dirt again. Once had been more than enough. He untied the reins from the tree branch and looped them over the head of the restless horse. "Easy boy," he murmured softly as he put one foot in the stirrup and launched himself into the saddle. Once he was seated on its back, he was amazed at how far it was to the ground. This horse was a lot taller than Widow Maker had been.
"Okay boy," he said soothingly, "take it easy. This won't be easy for either of us, but you're the only mode of transportation that I've got." Sam put his heels to the horse's sides and turned its head in the direction he wanted to go.
At that point his hopes for an easy ride ended. The black horse-a destrier, he remembered the name as he flew through the air-reared and tossed him off its back as easily as if he were a leaf or a gnat. High-strung and powerful, this horse was even more difficult to control than Widow Maker had been. Recalling all that he had learned in his earlier experiences, Sam forced himself to be calm as he raised himself up from the ground and approached the beast once again. It wasn't easy, but at last his patience and calm words won the animal's trust and he was able to mount the horse once again. Perhaps the creature recognized the scent of Gisburne's body or sound of its master's voice or perhaps Sam had actually learned something about horses. In any case, the horse did not throw him again. "What," Sam murmured as they started off at an easy canter, "I wouldn't do for a Jeep!"
Once they were moving, Beckett was surprised at how easily he got into the rhythm of the horse's gait. This looked as if it were going to be a lot smoother than he had at first thought. Now the only problem would be dismounting. That was a discomfort he was not looking forward to.
In the distance, he saw a stone structure that could only be Halstead Priory. It was in a wide, grassy plain and looked very serene. Sam was beginning to understand why Marion would have gone there to be at peace. He wondered if she really were happier there. He didn't know what he would do if she said that she wanted to stay, but he was going to do his best to bring her back to Sherwood.
Beckett drew in the reins, and the horse obediently came to a halt at the doors of the priory. He dismounted with the expected difficulty, feeling his muscles protest at what what was to Sam a very unusual and uncomfortable activity. He tethered the horse to a ring set in the wall that he assumed was put there for just that reason and walked over to the wooden door. Next to the door was a rope which he pulled a few times, hearing the bell that it was attached to ring inside the convent.
He stood back form the door as he heard the bolt on the other side being drawn back. A face peered out from the partially opened door. Sam saw a woman's face framed by the veil of a nun. He bowed to her slightly, hoping that it was the right thing to do, and said, in what he hoped was a humble voice, "I would like to see the Lady Marion, if I may, Sister?"
The nun looked startled at his request, but she opened the door wider and beckoned for him to enter the abbey. "If you'll follow me, my lord," she said quietly, leading him down the abbey corridor. She opened the door to what looked like the chapel and gestured for him to enter. "If you wait here, my lord, I'll get the Mother Superior." Sam nodded to her as he entered the chapel.
As he looked around, he was amazed at the plainness of the chapel. He had expected something more lavish, but the decorations were simple, with light coming from a small window behind the altar. He sat on one of the benches, looking up at the cross and wondering if he were doing the right thing. He didn't even know what he would say to Marion to convince her to leave this place of obvious peace and return to the hardships he knew she must have endured in Sherwood. He stood and turned as he heard the door behind him open.
An older nun stood there staring at him suspiciously. He bowed to her, murmuring, "Reverend Mother," as he did so. As he straightened, he saw the surprised expression on her face. He guessed that this was not the Guy of Gisburne she had expected to see. "Reverend Mother, may I see the Lady Marion? I promise you, I mean her no harm."
"Why should I believe you, Sir Guy?" She still looked skeptical, but the distrust seemed to be dissipating a little. Perhaps something of Sam Beckett was showing through the face of Guy of Gisburne.
"I can give you no reason to believe me, Mother. I know I've given you no reason to trust me, but I'm telling the truth. I don't mean any harm to Lady Marion. I just need to talk to her." Sam hoped that the nun would permit him to see Marion. If she didn't he had no idea of what he would do.
"Very well, Sir Guy, I will tell Marion you wish to talk to her, but the final decision will be hers. And I require that you give me your weapons." She held out her hands. Sam quickly unbuckled his sword and handed it over and then took the dagger from his belt and handed that to her as well. "I'll return these when you're ready to leave." With that, she turned and left him alone once again.
He walked over to the candle rack that was off to one side of the room. He stood string at the flames, hoping that Marion would consent to see him. He turned when he heard the door to the imaging chamber open. The navy man had a frown on his face. "Oh great," he muttered. "What's the problem, Al?"
The hologram looked up from the hand link as the door closed behind him. "It seems that Tina found out who's in the Waiting Room and she's really interested in Robin Hood. Too interested, as far as I'm concerned. She went into the Waiting Room to talk to Guy and told him everything she knows about all of the different legends."
"She did what?!"
"She told him everything," Al repeated, disgust on his face. "And she had a nice talk to him about what a nozzle he was and that there might be more people who liked him if he acted like a decent person instead of a bully. It was amazing. Verbena had been talking to him for hours and couldn't get him to settle, and then Tina walks in and with a little kindness and a lot of empathy, gets through to him! At least she had the sense to wear something conservative when she went in there."
Calavicci shook his head, but Sam saw a slight smile on his face. It seemed as if Al was proud of what Tina had done, even if he wouldn't admit it. "So what happened?" Beckett asked.
"Well, he apologized to Greg for trying to kill him, for starters. Guy and Tina are still talking up a storm. She's even talking about writing a book about him to take away some of his bad press."
"Does he know what's going on here?"
"A little. You know, Sam, if you hadn't leaped into him, Robin Hood would probably be dead, not to mention Guy once Robin's friends had found out what he'd done."
"Thank God I leaped when I did. If that had happened..." Sam stopped when he heard a door close behind him.
"If what happened, Gisburne?" a strong feminine voice asked from behind him.
Sam whirled to face a young woman dressed in a gray nun's habit. She had a slightly freckled nose and the greenest eyes he had ever seen. "Uh, nothing, my lady. Just wondering at how things seem to have worked themselves out. I'm glad you decided to see me," he answered.
"I almost didn't, Guy, but I was curious as to what brought you here." The look she gave him was slightly puzzled, direct, and reminded him a little of the look that Robin had given him back in Sherwood. "So what do you want?"
"I met with Robin a little while ago," he answered. Seeing the look of fear on her face, he continued quickly. "He had something important he needed to tell me, and when we parted, he was alive. I didn't hurt him, Lady Marion."
The woman sighed with relief, although she still looked a little skeptical. "What did Robert tell you that could possibly bring you here?"
Sam looked questioningly at Al. "Robin and Robert are the same person, Sam." Beckett looked down to hide his hesitation.
"He told me something that my mother had said to him when they met at Croxden." Sam looked up to see Marion staring at him. "Did Robin ever tell you why he wouldn't let Scarlet kill me when he wanted to?" She just shook her head. "It seems, my lady, that Robin and I share the same father, that we are brothers."
Marion gasped and groped behind her for support. Sam came over to her and helped her to one of the benches. Marion was studying his face, and Sam knew she was looking for, and seeing for the first time, the similarities in his and Robin's features. Similarities that she had never wanted to notice before.
"Marion, I could never kill my brother," Sam said, kneeling at her side. "And I hate to see him hurting." She looked up at that, doubt clearly visible on her beautiful features. "When I was talking to him, I saw a sadness in his eyes that goes beyond losing material things, Marion. He loves you and he's hurting because you won't be with him in Sherwood."
"Since when does anothers hurt disturb you?" The distrust in her eyes was matched by scorn. Sam winced. Guy must have really deserved his bad press!
Doggedly, he attempted to overcome the man's reputation. "I know you find this hard to believe, my lady, but what Robin has told me has changed the way I feel about him."
Her face still doubtful, the woman gave him a searching look. As if sensing a change in him, she answered his implied question. "I can't, Guy. I love Robert, but I can't be with him. I'm too afraid of losing him." Marion looked dow n at her hands.
"So you stay here in Halstead, never knowing if he's alive or dead, and that makes you feel at peace?" Sam didn't even want to try to figure out that reasoning. "Marion, if I loved someone the way I think you love Robin, I would want to be with her all the time, just to try and keep her safe. And if that person died, at least I would be there and know that I had done everything I could to prevent that death."
Marion looked back up, her confusion evident. "That's the last thing I ever expected to hear from you, Sir Guy." She stood and went over to the window. Sam just followed her with his eyes, knowing full well that if he physically followed her, she might leave. "How do I know that Robert would even take me back? I really hurt him when I told him I was staying here."
"I saw the look in his eyes, my lady. He loves you and still wan ts you. I know this for sure." Sam was getting frustrated. He had never met a more stubborn woman in any of his previous leaps. He got up from his seat and joined Marion by the window. "He does love you, you know," he whispered softly. She only nodded, but didn't look at him as he came up behind her.
"Damn it, Marion, why won't you listen to me, or better yet, listen to your own heart?!" Sam grabbed Marion's arms and turned her to face him. She struggled against him, but couldn't break loose. "Robert. Loves. You," he said, pronouncing each word carefully. "And your staying here is tearing him apart. How long do you think he can survive with half his soul locked up behind these cold, stone walls?" It sounded a bit melodramatic to Sam, but he was getting desperate.
"Let me go, Gisburne," Marion said, her voice a menacing whisper. She tried to twist away again and, when that didn't work, Sam suddenly felt a sharp blow just below his knee. He cried out in pain and clutched at his leg as Marion backed away from him.
"I told you she'd kick you in the shins. Just be glad that she doesn't have a knife on her," Al said, smirking at Sam. Beckett just glared at his friend and then looked back to Marion as he hobbled to a bench.
"How do I know that you're telling the truth, Guy? This could all be some plot of yours and the sheriff's to use me to capture Robin and the others." The skeptical look was back on Marion's face, along with a hint of anger.
"Marion, I have no desire to do you or Robin any harm," Sam responded, "and, as long as the others follow Robin, I mean no harm to them either. Please, Marion," he said, "you have to believe me." He looked at her closely, watching the conflicting emotions race across her face. He knew she wanted to believe him, but was afraid to. If only there were some way I could make her believe,he thought.
Marion turned to look back at Sam as he sat massaging his leg, and their eyes locked. Once again, he felt the truth of his words being read and hoped that the woman would see the truth just as Robin had earlier. After a few moments, she turned from the window and headed towards the door. "Wait here, Guy. I'll be back in a few moments."
"Well, Al, did it work?" Sam asked after the woman had left. he looked over to where his friend had been watching the conversation, a smirk on his face.
"I don't know, Sam. Maybe. Remember, we don't know what really happened to these people." Al glanced off in the direction Marion had gone. "You know, Sam, if I were Robin, I'm not so sure I'd want that girl around. She seems kind of dangerous. Although chasing her through the forest could be fun. I remember this one girl, a real nature lover. She was so..."
"Al!" Sam, still rubbing his sore leg, glared at him.
His companion looked down at the hand link, giving it a good whack to get the information to scroll clearly. "Okay, okay. Anyway, according to Ziggy, anything can still happen. I tell you, Sam, I'm going to be real glad when you leap out of here."
"You'll be glad?!" Beckett practically shouted. "Do you have any idea how uncomfortable it was riding that damn horse? And I'm going to have to get back on that monster again!" Sam grimaced at the thought. "I'll be glad to leap out of here, too."
"Yeah, but at least you're not being bombarded by every version of the Robin Hood legend that's ever been put to film." Al shook his head in disgust. "Ziggy decided that she likes this legend and went through every version ever made and decided that everyone else should see them as well. Robin Hood is showing up on every screen in the complex."
"Have you watched any of them?" Sam asked.
"It's not like I can get away from them, Sam. Ziggy's making sure that I see them," Al admitted. "I've probably seen every single version that was ever made. A couple of those movies were really awful, Sam. And I don't just mean the earliest ones, either." The hologram turned away, but Sam heard a softly whispered, "Dances with Wolfsheads," coming from Al and wondered to what he was alluding.
Sam heard the door opening behind him and gasped when he saw the woman standing there.
She was dressed in green and brown, long, curly, chestnut hair hanging nearly to her waist. She held a bow in one hand, with a quiver of arrows attached to her belt. In her other hand she held Guy's sword and dagger which she handed to Sam, a momentary look of doubt crossing her face. He took them and silently put them back on. He then looked questioningly at Marion who just smiled at im and turned to go out the door.
"Well, fol1ow her, Sam. I think you're going back to Sherwood," Al said. After a slight hesitation, Sam followed Marion and caught up with her just as she was opening the outer door to the priory.
"Did the Reverend Mother give you any problem about leaving, my lady?" Sam asked as he mounted the horse and leaned down to give Marion an arm up.
As she settled behind him, her arms instinctively going around his waist, she hook her head. "She said she always knew that I wouldn't stay in Halstead. The only thing that surprised her was that it was you who convinced me that I belonged in Sherwood with Robin." Marion looked Sam in the eyes when he turned to look at her. "Has finding out that Robert's your brother really changed you this much, Guy?"
"I don't know, Lady Marion, but I do know something's changed. Maybe I just needed someone to talk to who wasn't intent upon using or abusing me,"Sam responded, remembering what Al had said about Guy and 1ina. Marion just nodded and turned her eyes towards Sherwood.
"Do you know where the camp is?" she asked once they had started .
"No, but we'll go to the place where Robin told me to meet him earlier," Sam replied, realizing that he really didn't know where the camp was, even though he had walked from it to the small clearing with Nasir. "Hopefully Robin or one of the others will be there."
"Tell her that you could go to Wickham, Sam," suggested the navy man as he suddenly appeared next to his friend. Beckett shook his head slightly. Al was just standing there, but he was keeping pace with the horse. "This road leads direc tly there and it won't take that long."
"We could always go to Wickham," Sam offered, using Al's suggestion.
Marion tensed a little, and Sam guessed that she didn't want to put Wickham in danger, just in case Guy wasn't telling the truth about his change of heart. "No,I think we should go to where you first suggested ."
"As you wish, Lady Marion," Sam replied. The ride was a quiet one. Al kept pace with them, but didn't offer any comments, which was definitely unusual for the hologram. When they reached the clearing Sam had vacated just hours earlier, he helped Marion to dismount and then got off the horse slowly. She noticed his discomfort and smiled to herself as she sat on the log.
"Do you think that he'll come?" Marion asked Sam as he sat next to her. He didn't have to ask who "he" was.
Beckett turned to look at his companion and answered with a smile. "If Isaw you sitting here, Iwould certainly come and at least find out what you were doing here." She smiled at the implied compliment and then looked into the forest, her eyes trying to pierce the concealing branches.
The two of them had waited silently for what seemed to Sam like hours when he finally heard a rustling coming from the forest. He got up and stood in front of Marion, blocking her from the sight of whoever was coming from the forest. From amongst the concealing branches, Sam saw the six men had had seen earlier emerge, Robin in the lead.
Robin stopped short when Sam moved out of the way and revealed Marion who was just starting to rise from her seat. He stared at her with a look of disbelief that she was really there. He then turned to Sam, a question apparent in his expression. Beckett just smiled, put his hand on the small of Marion's back and pushed her towards Robin. She stumbled slightly and the outlaw leader rushed to help her.
As Robin caught her, their eyes locked and the man and the woman both started talking at once.
"I'm sorry I left ..."
"Ive missed you so much ..."
And then they both began to laugh, realizing that neither really had to say anything. Sam just watched and grinned. He had done it. Marion and Robin were together again. But when, after a few moments, he didn't leap, he looked over at Al, not saying a word. He didn't have to. His guide knew what he was asking.
"I don't know why you haven't leaped, Sam. I guess that there's something else you have to do. Maybe it'll take just a little more time." Al over a t Robin and Marion who were approaching Sam.
"Guy," began Robin, "Marion told me what you did. You didn't have to do that. Thank you." The couple were standing close, their arms around each other. "I always hoped that there was a good person underneath all the hatred." Robin smiled at Marion and then turned back to his brother. "Will you go back to Nottingham?"
Al spoke up from behind Robin. "Nope. Guy told Tina that he was planning on leaving the sheriff's service anyway. I guess he's gotten tired of being treated like a whipping boy. He doesn't know where he wants to go, but he does want to get away from here."
"No," Sam answered, repeating what Al had just told him, "the sheriff's seen the last of me."
And why haven't you seen the last of me?he was thinking. Why haven't I leaped?
"You're welcome to stay with us until you decide where you want to go," Robin told him, ignoring the grumbling coming from Scarlet at that statement. "Maybe you could go to Huntingdon. I'm sure Father would treat you fairly." Sam just shrugged. That sounded like a good idea, but he wasn't sure. Maybe that was why he was here, to tell Guy and Robert's father that he had another son. Now he just had to find out who that father was. Recalling Robert's reference to being an earl's son, Beckett also remembered that Tuck had never mentioned who Guy's father was when they had talked earlier that day. Could he be the Earl of Huntingdon?, he thought.
Sam saw Much walking away from the group with a hurt expression on his face. He caught Al's eye and gestured with his head towards the youngster. Calavicci punched a few buttons, and his face got a rather grim expression on it. He looked at the young man sympathetically and gestured for Sam to follow him.
"Excuse me," Beckett said to the couple standing before him as he walked towards Much who had just disappeared into the forest. "What's wrong, Al?" I thought Much would be glad that Guy's leaving Sherwood."
"Oh, he probably is," Al responded, "especially if what Guy's told Tina is even half true."
"What happened," Sam asked .
"Much saw Gisburne kill his father," the naval officer answered. "Guy was looking for the first Robin and Much, and asked Much's father where they were. The man wouldn't tell Gisburne anything, and Guy had his home and the mill burned, and then killed him. Much saw the whole thing, Sam."
"He saw Gisburne kill his father?" Beckett, brushing over the reference to the first Robin, was amazed that the young man had not killed the nobleman when he'd had the chance. Now was not the time to be asking questions not pertaining to what was going on.
"Yeah, and from what I can tell, it was probably a very messy death, too. Where are you going, Sam?"
The leaper had marched of in the direction which he had seen Much take. "I'm going to apologize to Much for what happened to his father."
"Do you really think Gisburne would do something like that, Sam? I told you what he was like." Al looked worried.
"You also told me he had apologized to Greg. If he apologized for trying to kill one man, don't you think it might be possible for him to apologize to Much for doing something worse than just trying to kill someone?" Sam turned to face his friend.
"Well, maybe," the hologram answered reluctantly. "But you're going to have to do more than just apologize. You may have to tell him what kind of life Guy's had." Al began punching buttons again. "Okay, Sam, Guy's told Tina ..." Beckett started off after Much again, with the observer trailing after, quickly telling him everything tha t their visitor had told Tina about the kind of life Guy had led. That, added to what Tuck had told him, would probably be enough for him to get through his talk with Much.
The time traveler hadn't gone far when he found the young man seated at a lakeshore, tossing pebbles into the water and watching the ripples spread. Sam sat down next to him, looking at him from the corner of his eye. He began speaking softly, telling Much every thing he had learned about Guy's upbringing, especially the pain he had gone through because of his father.Much remained silent after Sam had finished speaking.
"Much," Beckett said softly after a long, silent time had passed, "I know I've done a lot of horrible things to you and the others in the past and nothing I can do will ever make up for it. I don't expect you to be able to forgive me for any of it. But I do want you to know that I am sorry for what happened in the past and that I'll probably spend the rest of my life trying to convince people that I've changed." Sam paused and took a deep breath. "Much, you saw what happened at the mill when your father died, didn't you?"
The young outlaw nodded and looked up at Sam, tears forming in his eyes, but there was hatred there as well. "Do you think that ev'rything you've done for Robin and Marion will make up for that?"
"No, Much, I don't," Sam responded softly, "but I do want you to know that I'm sorry. Sorry that your father died, Sorry that I was the one responsible for his death. Maybe with me leaving Sherwood , it'll help you to forget or at least remember your father without pain."
Much looked his companion in the eyes, and Sam hoped that the younger man saw the real pain that he felt at what Gisburne had done to him. He also hoped that Guy had really come around as Al and Tina seemed to think he had. Much suddenly smiled. "Nothing's forgotten, Gisbu'ne, but maybe something's shouldn't be thought about too of 'n. Come on. The others'll think we've killed each other." The outlaw held his hand out, and Sam grasped it as he started to stand.
When their hands touched, Sam felt the beginning tug of the leap. He smiled at Much, and a returning grin was the last thing he saw before the leap took hold of him, and he was on his way to another life, hopefully one closer to his own lifetime.