Disclaimer: Own Robin Hood? Who, dear? Me, dear? Oh no, dear.

A/N: Wanted to get this up before I left on vacation, and it wouldn't leave me alone. So instead of cleaning like I should be, I had to write this. Again, some struggling with the inner pain but I tried to get in touch with my inner outlaw, and hopefully it came out okay. I love these two together and I hope I did their relationship some justice.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, you have no idea how happy it makes me.

The song is "Redwings" by the Guillemots.

This is where we fall from the trees

This is where the sky covers up

Daft killers of joy, you made a man out of me

His best friend was gone. Allan A Dale, trickster, poacher, and general merry man of their band of outlaws had betrayed them, had betrayed Will. Surreal was the best way to describe the past few hours, and Will struggled to make sense of all that had happened. Much had spoke of a betrayer in their midst, and like most, his thoughts had turned to Allan, if not simply for the reason that he had never seemed as invested in the group's purpose, but rather tended to treat it as a challenging game. But he had never truly thought that Allan would have betrayed the group so thoroughly, so long. Right was right; truth was truth; and a friend was a friend in Will's ordered world and he thought others believed the same. But Allan had shoved all those beliefs into a ditch, and Will was left pawing through the discards to figure out his comrade; former comrade, he reminded himself. Will admired the older outlaw and had relied on Allan for guidance and companionship. Memories of his abrupt departure from the group with Allan all those months ago were resurrected, and Will knew that only a brother could have convinced him to do that. And now that brother had gone the way of Dan and Jane Scarlett, leaving Will alone again. If this was the world of an adult, Will was tired of being a man.

And this is where the glass leaves the lens

Splintering a chemistry of friends

I'll treasure you always

The streets were oddly crowded for nighttime, filled with beggars and guards making their rounds. An old man Allan had gifted with money a few days past recognized him and hurried up to he hooded man to find out about the next drop time. As the elderly gentlemen launched into a story about a neighbor whose husband was in the dungeons, Allan handed the man the few coins left on him. Ignoring the man's thanks, Allan continued down the street, shedding his hood as he went. It was no longer necessary to hide while in town he realized. No one would care about another peasant, and that's all he was now without a tag around his neck. Never had an empty space seemed so heavy, and as Allan reached up to touch his tag-free neck, he couldn't hold back the surge of anger towards Robin. Robin could have listened, could have forgave me, but he chose not to. He was always on about how life is always a choice, and they chose to be rid of me. With the tiny voice in the back of his head (the one he consistently ignored) chiding him about his word usage, Allan admitted that he had just thrown away the only friends he had ever had. Never mind that the confrontation that had just taken place a few hours ago was between him and Robin, he knew the other outlaws would side with the leader. He had betrayed them just as much as he had Robin. But being Allan, he couldn't help arguing with his conscious. Maybe they'll talk Robin around, Will won't let me down. He's the best mate a guy could have. We'll be sitting around the camp joking about this in a week while Djaq fusses over any possible lingering injuries. But the hopeful pep talk left only an empty feeling as Allan realized he needed to stop lying to himself. Dreams weren't practical and wouldn't put food in his belly; he had to survive, first and foremost. Maybe Will saw the world in only two colors, but Allan was used to living in shades of grey; he might as well try black.

You know I love you

As the falling star streaked across the night sky, the man watching made just as frenzied a wish. Remember our friendship.

And this is where we wake in the ditch

This is where our bodies sing no more

Fallen apples on the floor, pecked at by redwings

The gang was a sullen bunch these days and Will found himself escaping the confines of the camp more and more. He was occasionally joined by Djaq who reminisced with him as they bantered back and forth various follies of their cheeky friend. The lithe Saracen healer also had an innate talent in knowing when to be quiet as they roamed the forest with no destination in their heads. Robin had all but ordered his gang to never mention Allan; an edict Little John approved and took to heart. Kind-hearted Much knew how much the youngest two missed the now leather-clad man, but he always became so nervous about breaking Robin's command that his conversations tended to be babbled caution mixed with indignant comments about the man he had never been that close with.

Today Will was alone and not even the arrows he was working on soothed him. The rest of the group was managing the day in their own ways; the majority finding solace away from the camp, Will included. The carpenter was a solitary soul by nature and it was a rare person who managed to navigate through the barriers he never realized were erect. Allan had barged through with tenacity more akin to a wild boar than a simple human. Silence and solitude, while still precious, was now wrong somehow and without Djaq's quiet companionship, Will was at a loss. With a grunt and a sure movement of the hands, the axe of Will Scarlett found itself lodged in the oak tree across the clearing where once he had fought the Sheriff's men while Marian had lain sheltered in the cave near death.

Happy birthday, Allan.

So pour another whisky out for me

It'll be the last bottle we share

As I drift into nowhere

"Here's your ale, sir," the busty barmaid purred reaching around the drunken Allan to place his drink on the table before him. Allan patted his knees for her to sit, but felt none of his usual joy when she obliged. Even Gizzy had noticed something was wrong with the usual jester and had cornered his new sidekick in the castle, but Allan had begged off with his usual dramatics and run off to the Trip for some serious forgetting. It was considerate of Guy to ask after him, and while the two were coming to an understanding, Allan knew the role of best friend would always be held by a certain sulky brunette. If Allan closed his eyes a certain way, the tall man on the other side of the room morphed into a green-eyed carpenter frowning at the copious amounts of alcohol imbibed. Allan knew though that before long though, he would have coaxed him into a few sips which would lead to an inebriated Will, also known as the talkative, clumsy Will, and the two would swap stories until one or the other passed out in a drunken haze.

But Allan opened his eyes and all too soon the imaginary Will was again a soldier of the Sheriff's causing his cheeky smile to fade away as he roughly pushed the blonde off his lap and threw the coins on the table. Allan's nose wrinkled as she ignored his muttered goodbye to scoop up the coins. He knew she relied on that money, but the desperation was slightly off-putting. His generous tipping was one reason why Allan was so popular at the Trip, but at this moment Allan just wanted to be surrounded by people who respected him for him, not his money or position of power. Guess that leaves me to myself was the bitter thought, happy birthday to you.

Know that I loved you

As the fog drifted in over the town, a man remembered a similar day when he and his best mate had gotten lost in the woods on their way to the camp. We were friends once, weren't we?

But love was not enough to hold my grip

Can't you just feel my fingers slip

Into those oceans in the sky where people swim

Oceans in the sky calling me in

Oceans in the sky I tell myself

Though I'm not kidding anybody else

They know I'm leaving

They know that I'm leaving this behind

It had been a day to end all days, and Allan couldn't stop the quick but sincere prayer of thanks he sent skyward as sweat dripped in his eyes. The town and its people were safe, though judging by the Sheriff's angry screams, they might not be happy for the next few weeks. Allan would bet anyone that the Sheriff would somehow turn this near disaster into a moneymaking scheme but only a fool would take him on those odds. As much as he was repulsed, part of him couldn't help but give a nod of appreciation at the sheer genius of the Sheriff when it came to plotting new taxes. As another string of inventive cursing rang out over the square, Allan determined it a fine time to hide away from the castle for a few hours. Guy would be in a mood when Allan finally showed up, but Allan figured his thoughts more important than the sting from a few slaps. His mind was still in a jumble from his earlier meeting with Will, and Allan wanted to go somewhere quiet to analyze what had been said. So engrossed in his thoughts, he never saw the tall, hooded shadow in between two buildings.

"Allan," Will hissed as he bit his mouth to hide amusement at Allan's double-take.

"I would have thought you back in Sherwood already. Is everything a'right?" the former outlaw questioned as he approached. When Allan was nervous his accent thickened and Will was almost grateful that he still possessed this quirk, maybe not everything changed.

"Everything is fine. Robin went back to camp but I wanted to talk to you first."

"And he actually let you stay, eh?"

"I didn't ask for permission."

Allan couldn't help but feel a bit touched, "I'm not being funny mate, but this could get you in a bit of trouble with the boss. "

"I don't care about that right now."

"So why did you want to talk now? I get the feeling this isn't a dinner invitation."

"You hurt me, Allan."

"I know, and I tried to explain…"

"Stop, we have gone over all that already. You always have your excuses and until you face the truth and accept your mistakes you will never be a part of the gang."

"So that was your purpose of this little chat, to ground me further into the dirt? Well, if that's it, I have errands to run."

Allan turned to leave but was stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder. "I wasn't finished."

With a snort of disbelief, Allan turned around to face his friend, dreading to hear the scorn he knew would fall from those lips again.

"What I said back there was true. We were brothers in arms again today, and I look forward to the day that will be the complete truth. We were, are, still friends and when you find your path back, I will be there waiting. But do know that we will not assist you while you lead this life you have chosen and if you do end up hurting any one of us, especially Djaq, this friendship will truly be over."

"Understood," Allan replied softly. For the third time that day he left Will behind, but as he headed back into town, he realized that this time, Will's goodbye wasn't forever. When Allan finally figured out who he was and what he wanted, he had Will awaiting his return. He had hope.

So I'm leaving my best friend

Just for the hell of it

Just for the sake of it

But how much I loved you

My name is eleroo, and I'm addicted to reviews, and using !!!!!!! in my author notes. Next song up is "Time of No Reply" by Nick Drake.

Maybe I should also mention that I don't own Catherine Tate, I just try to use her sketches in my own sad comedic ways for the disclaimer.