All right, I'm back! I'm wicked excited to get back to the world of Danny and Allan and I hope that you are equally as excited to find out what is next in store for them. I just want to take a second to say WOW THIS STORY HAS HIT THE DOUBLE DIGITS! (slightly shocked, if you couldn't tell) This next chapter is a long one, so enjoy it!

It's been quite a while, so I thought that I would just give a brief summary of what happened up to the last time I updated:

Danny and Allan took their friendship to the next level with some pretty intense kisses, but they were interrupted by several of Danny's memories. One showed Danny speaking with her father about delivering a letter to Robin Hood by order of the King, but Danny failed in that mission and now has no idea where the letter could be. She experienced another memory that led her to a mysterious jewelry box that is suspiciously empty. Lastly, with some help from Djaq, Danny was able to recount a memory to the gang that revealed that she was of noble birth. Unable to handle the truth, Danny ran out of the camp, casting a hurt glance at Allan who wasn't supportive for the first time.

And now we continue...

Chapter 10: Unexpected Advice and Betrayals

Allan watched Danny stomp out of the camp in frustration, trying to ignore the pangs of guilt and hurt shooting through him after having seen the glance of disappointment that she had thrown his way. He wanted to comfort her; he wanted to follow her; he wanted to tell her that it was all a misunderstanding, but he could not.

She had said it herself just a few nights before.

"We'll be torn apart," she had said, indicating what would happen if she were to remember her past. It seemed as if she were right. If she were truly born of a noble family, then there was no way that he could hold any claim to her heart. He was only an outlaw, after all.

Suddenly feeling claustrophobic as he realized that everyone in the camp was staring at him, Allan decided that he had to get away. He grabbed his cloak and fastened it at his throat, drawing the hood up as he also stalked out of the camp albeit in a different direction than the one Danny had taken.

He knew that it wasn't Danny's fault. He also knew that she must be feeling so lost and confused at the moment, but Allan's own hurt and heartache took precedence. He couldn't help her if he didn't help himself first. The problem was this, however: he didn't know if he could help himself.

He had fallen for her. Hard and fast.

Once, before the whole business with Gisbourne, Allan had allowed himself to visualize his future if the king ever returned and put England to right again. He had pictured himself living a quiet life of ease—no more running—and he had the perfect woman by his side. A woman who appreciated his humor and gave it right back, a strong woman with a defiant spirit, and, most importantly, a woman with whom he could not get his fill, both intellectually and physically.

Previously, that woman had never had a face, but now, not only did she have a face more beautiful than he could ever have imagined, but she had name as well: Danny. Just the thought of her warmed his heart, making the corners of his lips turn upwards into the hint of a smile, and, when he thought about their few moments of intimacy…

He had never shared kisses as electrifying, satisfying, or frustrating as the ones in which he and Danny had partaken. He had been with other women, several in fact, but none meant remotely as much to him as that redheaded woman. Even now, he couldn't stop replaying the memories of their too few encounters. The recollection of her body pressed so tightly against his, her feminine curves molding against him, stirring him…her soft moans as he stroked her body and the taste of her mouth were imprinted on his very nerve endings.

Yes. He was sure that he would never tire of Danny because, while she was indeed the most beautiful woman that Allan had ever seen, she was also his perfect match in every other way. They thought alike, they enjoyed each other's company, and they were also comfortable sitting in silence together; it wasn't awkward or odd as it was with most other people.

But if she were a noble…

Allan's heart was slowly breaking. If she was a noble and she remembered her whole past, then how could she want him? A woman as amazing as Danny—who could have her pick of a partner from the entire country—why, oh why, would she choose an outlaw with nothing to offer her besides a life in the shadows?

Danny sat upon the soft ground, her legs tucked up underneath her, staring blankly into the distance. She was not what she seemed to be. She knew this now.

She heard a branch snap behind her and figured that Allan must have finally caught up with her, but she couldn't bear to look into his eyes, eyes that had known before she had, eyes that had accepted the truth before she could.

"Allan," she sighed, "I just want to be alone right now. Please."

"Oh," she heard a deep voice reply. A voice that was most definitely not Allan's. "Well, I'll just leave you be, then."

Danny whipped her head around and was shocked to see that it was not Allan who had followed her, but that it was Little John. He turned and, shouldering his staff, he began to stride back to camp with long steps.

Danny spun and knelt on her knees, "Wait!" she called after him.

John stopped and turned back to her, eyes flicking awkwardly from her to the ground and back again. Danny stood and brushed her knees off, clasping her hands in front of her, and then she walked up to Little John, stopping just shy of him.

She placed a hand on his arm and smiled gratefully up into his face. "Thank you for coming," she said, barely able to keep it together as tears sprang to her eyes.

The sight of this bear of a man before her made Danny's heart swell with appreciation for the men who had taken her in when she had nowhere else to turn. Little John had always been kind to her, but he was certainly the most quiet of the group. They had all accepted and welcomed her, but there had still been a clear barrier between them: she was a stranger. Knowing that, in spite of this, Little John had sought her out, clearly to comfort her, caused a lump in Danny's throat. While she had thought that she could be strong and not give in to her emotions, she was unable to stem the flood of her tears in the presence of Little John.

She jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she cried into his shoulder, stammering out the conclusions that she had reached. Surprising her once again, Little John did not hesitate, but wrapped his strong arms gently around her and patted her hair and back, allowing her to cry her tears away. He quietly shushed her and told her that it would all be okay and that she wasn't alone because she had Robin and the rest of the Merrymen. This unofficial initiation into their band of outlaws only served to make Danny sob harder because she couldn't stop the thought that, had circumstances been different and had she entered Sherwood wearing her fancy clothes, the band of misfits would have robbed her instead of welcomed her.

When the deluge of tears came to an end, she released her hold on John and sank back onto her own feet. She wiped at her cheeks and smiled embarrassedly, "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I seem to be incredibly emotional lately."

"It's not your fault," Little John replied. "You've had a tough few days."

Danny laughed humorlessly.

"But…" Little John continued cautiously, his eyebrows raised, "I expect that they've also been pretty good?"

Exhaling softly, Danny nodded. She sat on the ground and was pleased to see that John followed suit, resting himself just a few feet away and placing his staff on the ground beside him.

It was silent while Danny tried to organize her thoughts and find a place to begin speaking with John. She felt the need to open up to someone and she knew that, while she truly cared deeply for Allan, she couldn't be completely honest with him about everything. He was, after all, one of her biggest dilemmas.

As she was contemplating, John asked her a question: "What worries you more? The fact that you don't remember or that you are remembering?"

Shocked, Danny reflected on her options, not having thought of that question before. "I suppose," she began, "it's that I am remembering. If I had never experienced one of my previous memories, I would have been content to just live as I am now."

"You wouldn't have wondered what you left behind?" John questioned.

Blinking, Danny replied amenably, "Yes, I suppose that I would have. I would have done everything in my power to find the truth."

"So why does it bother you to remember?" John prompted.

"Because I don't have any answers," Danny gushed. "I thought that as time went on, I would find answers to all of my questions, you know? I thought that I would know where I came from, what I was doing, but…I still don't even know what my name is, Little John!" Danny quieted and continued, shaking her head, "Each day only brings me more questions. Never any answers. I've tried to live my life as Danny, but how can I go forward when I don't know where I've been? Yet I can't just abandon Danny, because then who would I be? I'm stuck, John. I can't go forward and I can't go back."

"Which way do you want to go?" John asked softly.

Pensively, Danny thought aloud, "The more I learn about who I used to be, I get the feeling that I wasn't happy. I didn't like the way that my life was going and I feel as if I were stuck even then. That I was being herded through my own life, not being allowed to make my own choices. However, I'm just as stuck now. I'm haunted by who I used to be." Danny paused to rub her forehead and sigh, "If it were possible…If only…There must be some way to combine the two. I don't want to go forward or back. I want things from this life to be combined with my old one."

Little John raised an eyebrow and asked, "Allan?"

Danny smiled, "Among other things."

"Like?"

"You," Danny replied, beginning to make a list. "Robin. Will, Djaq…even Much. What you do for those who are less fortunate. The way you protect England and her people when her king is absent." Danny smiled at a now blushing John. "Those are the things that I wish the old me could know."

The impossibility of that wish struck Danny, deflating any cheerfulness Little John had brought her. Danny and whoever she used to be seemed to be polar opposites. What she wanted as Danny was probably the opposite of what her alter ego wanted. And she feared that that included Allan.

Little John must have seen her despair appear on her face because he began to speak. "You know," he started, fiddling with the grass underneath him, "I, too, have been stuck between two impossible choices."

Danny glanced up at Little John, paying close attention to his every word.

Little John nodded. "Before I came to live in Sherwood, I had a good life. A wife who loved me and I loved her. She was pregnant with our first child when the Sheriff's men came for me."

Danny's eyes widened, but she stayed quiet as John continued, now staring Danny in the eye as he made his point, "I made a choice. The wrong one. I chose to leave my wife and my son and not a day goes by that I don't regret that choice I made. I should have found a way to stay with them."

"Didn't you have the chance to right that wrong, John?" Danny asked warily.

Little John nodded and looked down, clearing his throat. "But they had moved on, Danny. I was too late. I lost my chance."

Danny closed her eyes, still feeling lost. She felt Little John clasp her hand in his large one and opened her eyes.

"Don't make the wrong choice, Danny," Little John said forcefully. "If you find someone that you love and who loves you the same…don't let them go. Don't let the law, a misunderstanding, or someone else take them away from you."

"You mean like the other Danny?" she clarified.

"I mean anybody who tries to come between you and that person. So yes, if that person is you, don't give in to her. Be strong, be the Danny that I know. Her, I like."

Danny smiled and squeezed his hand. "Thanks, John."

John smiled and heaved himself to his feet, pulling Danny up with him. "I know that things are unclear right now, but I don't think that whoever you were is as evil as you make her out to be. Remember, you don't have all the missing pieces yet. It's still too early to see the big picture."

Danny nodded, although she still felt skeptical.

Little John smiled at her one last time before turning to head back to camp. He took a few steps before he spun around to impart one last nugget of wisdom. "You're not the only person being haunted by what you don't know," John said with a little frown. "A person can only be a rock for so long before he needs to be reassured."

John stared at Danny for a moment just to be sure that she understood what he meant, and then he continued walking back to camp.

Danny did understand what Little John meant. She suddenly became aware of how Allan had always been there for her, but who had been there for Allan? No one.

Danny squared her shoulders and raised her chin defiantly. John was right. She had to be strong and fight for what she wanted, and, right now, she was going to fight for and comfort the man with whom she was falling in love. She only hoped that he shared her feelings enough to embark with her upon the rocky journey that would surely ensue.

Danny wasn't positive, but she was pretty sure that she sprinted back to camp. At the very least, she walked quite a bit faster than usual because she was out of breath as she stumbled into the camp. Dusk was just beginning to fall and Much had started the campfire while all the Merrymen were resting after their day.

She must have looked as harried as she felt because they all jumped up at the sight of her, with Little John as the exception. She glanced quickly around the camp and noticed Allan's absence, though she had not truly expected to find him sitting here quietly as if their world hadn't tilted.

"Where…" she panted, "…is…Allan…?"

Will pointed in a direction away from the camp. "He left," he spoke. "Right after you did."

"Where would he go?" she asked.

"Well, usually," Will shrugged, "if he was in a bother, he would head into town to blow off some steam. Pull a few tricks in the tavern."

Danny froze. "Town?" she repeated. "As in…Nottingham town?"

Will nodded and Danny was incredulous. That was extremely dangerous! Especially after Allan had been seen as Gisbourne's right hand man! If something happened to him, she would never forgive herself. It was her revelation that had caused him the need to "blow off steam", after all.

Her mind made up, Danny lunged toward her black cloak. She hastily pulled it on and fastened it at her throat, drawing the hood up to cover her hair and face. Before the eyes of the Merrymen, Danny was transformed into a shadow with a purpose, driven as they had never seen her before.

Before she turned to leave, she pointed at the Merrymen. "Don't you dare follow me," she growled and she silently sprinted into the forest, heading in the direction of Nottingham.

Danny's fear grew exponentially as she neared the border of the forest. It had been two weeks since she had left the shelter of the trees, not even leaving to join the boys for their drop-offs when they begged her to go.

For two weeks, Danny had felt utterly safe. She had no worries about the men who had been following her, but, as she prepared to cross the threshold, the worry returned like a knot in her middle. That knot, however, was not nearly as large as the one created by her worry for Allan. Was this what it meant to fall in love? Was this unending worry and concern going to be her constant companion?

It was dark by the time that Danny reached the walls of Nottingham. The gates were closed, as she knew they would be, but there were two guards standing before them as sentries. Instinctively, Danny lowered her hood and rearranged her hair, pinching her cheeks to give them some color.

She sidled up to the guards and gave them her sweetest, prettiest, sheepish smile. "I wonder if you could help me," she purred.

The guards simply looked at each other with small smiles.

Taking that as encouragement, Danny continued, "My brother came into town this afternoon and he hasn't come home yet. I'm just worried that he's gone and spent all his money in the tavern." Danny stepped closer and laid a hand on one of their arms, gazing helplessly up into his face. "Would you kindly let me go and fetch him? It would only take me a few minutes and then you could let us back out and we'll be on our way." Danny saw that the guards were still uncertain about what to do, so Danny leaned over and placed a hand on the other guard's arm, shooting him an innocent glance. "I would really appreciate it," she said softly.

The guards shared another look and then smiled broadly down at Danny. "All right," one said, "but just this once and make sure you and your brother are back at this gate soon."

"Of course," Danny made herself gush and look thankful.

She felt one of the guards place a hand at the small of her back and guide her to the gate as it opened. Although she wanted to sigh in relief as she stepped through the gate and away from the guards, Danny made herself walk slowly. She turned after a few steps and waved to the guard still watching her and she whispered, "I'll be right back." The guard nodded and the gate was closed.

Danny had done it. She had actually gotten inside! Now she just had to find Allan and get back to the gate before the guards changed their minds.

Which way was the tavern? Having an idea, Danny listened closely and could soon hear the raucous laughter and shouts from men who were so clearly occupying a tavern. Following the trail, Danny winded her way through streets, glancing curiously around the town as she did.

Light was pouring from the building before her, as was the noise. Praying that Allan was inside, Danny pulled her hood to cover her face and stepped up to the door. She pushed it open and slipped through the doorway, shocked at the sight with which she was greeted.

Stunned, she began meandering between the drunken and debauched men, scanning the room for any sign of Allan. The room smelled appallingly like ale and Danny coughed trying to breathe through the smoke and stench of the tavern. How could anyone willingly spend their time here? she wondered.

She dodged a man drunkenly weaving his way toward a room in the back, causing her to turn in a new direction and that was when she saw him. That was when her blood ran cold.

Allan was seated at a table near the edge of the room, sitting across from a man and performing his illustrious trick with the three cups. There was a large group of onlookers around him, cheering and jeering alternately, but that wasn't what made Danny freeze. It wasn't even the fact that Allan was so blatantly out in the open without a disguise that made Danny want to bolt from the building.

No. The thing, which made Danny feel so torn between wanting to hit him and run away, was the woman that was draped off his body. The scantily clad barmaid that ran her fingers through his hair and kissed his cheek and neck. The woman that even now perched herself upon his lap and whose ministrations Allan did not try to dissuade. Instead, he actually smiled at her!

Unaware that she was doing so, Danny took several steps forward, setting in motion events that resulted in chaos. She accidentally collided with a severely inebriated man, who fell and knocked over a table upon which several unsavory looking men were playing cards.

At the loud noises, several pairs of eyes turned to Danny who suddenly realized that the falling man had also succeeded in removing the hood from her face. Danny stood before the eerily quiet men in the tavern, unable to do anything. The looks from the men that she was subjected to made her squirm and feel disgusted, like they thought that she was something cheap there for their pleasure alone.

Indignant, Danny unwittingly called up her nobility like she had in her memory and straightened her posture, effectively looking down upon everyone in the tavern. Tapping into her courage, Danny rested her eyes upon Allan who had jumped up from his seat, a look of pure shock on his face and the barmaid's arm still wrapped around his chest.

Danny glared at him and shook her head almost imperceptibly before she pushed her way between the still dazed men in the tavern, heading for the door, fresh air, and freedom. Her relief at reaching the door, however, was miniscule compared to the hurt and confusion that now took the place of the worry she had foolishly felt earlier.

How could she have been so astonishingly thick? How could she have ever thought that Allan felt anything for her besides lust and pity? She should have known…he was a no-good outlaw and traitor, after all.

Danny stomped away from the tavern, working herself into an even greater and righteous rage, and she managed to turn the corner before she heard Allan calling her name. She was so angry that she couldn't decide if she wanted to run or wait for him to catch up so that she could give him a piece of her mind.

In the end, she simply continued walking, the blood pulsing hotly within her veins, fueling her fire. She was so tightly coiled that when she felt a hand snake around her arm to slow her, she moved quickly and twisted the attacker's arm behind his back, almost to the breaking point.

A yelp brought Danny back to her senses and she realized that she had Allan in a tight hold that she couldn't remember telling her body to execute. Shocked, Danny quickly released Allan, but resumed her stalking away from him and the tavern, but he simply caught up to her.

He jogged around until he was in front of her. "Danny," he begged. "Danny, please. Just stop. Stop, Danny." He brought a hand up and placed it on her chest, forcefully stopping her.

"Don't," she growled as she slapped his hand away, "you dare touch me."

Danny realized in that moment that she was the type of person who didn't get loud when they were angry, but instead became frighteningly quiet. The menace in her voice and look of pure disdain on her face pushed Allan back two steps, a hurt look on his face. The nerve of him!

Forcing herself to calm down minutely, Danny walked more slowly and less passionately, right past Allan without a side-glance. She reached the end of the block before she reached a conclusion and called a truce out of necessity.

She rotated on her heel, swallowed her pride and asked, "Are you coming or not?"

Allan hadn't moved since her order, but he looked at her with such confusion that his question wasn't warranted.

"I can't leave without you," she explained. "I told the guards that I would be back with my brother. They won't let me leave alone. So are you coming or not?"

Allan walked dejectedly toward her, but Danny didn't wait for him to catch up before continuing to walk to the gate. Allan soon caught up with her and she was grateful that he didn't try to say anything to her because she didn't want to hear his pathetic excuses until they were out of Nottingham safely.

The gate soon came into view and Danny turned to Allan. "Remember," she cautioned, "I've been sent to fetch you, my brother, home from the tavern. Act accordingly."

She turned away from him before she could see his nod and knocked on the gate. Almost immediately, it creaked open, revealing the guards from just a few minutes ago. Danny wrapped her arms around Allan's torso as if she were holding him up and smiled warmly at the guards.

"Hello, again," she laughed as the guard stepped back to allow her to lead Allan, who was stumbling along quite convincingly, through. Then again, it was quite possible that it wasn't completely an act.

"Did you find him all right?" the guard asked her.

"Oh, yes sir," she confirmed. "He's just fine. He simply gets a little foolish when he drinks." She leaned conspiratorially over to the guard and said quietly, "He can't hold his ale, you see."

The guard laughed and asked, "Are you going to be able to get him home by yourself?"

"It's not the first time that I've done this," she confided to the guard in a whisper. "We'll be all right. Thank you so much for your help."

Danny turned to walk Allan across the short bridge when the guard called out to her, "Maybe I'll see you again soon?"

Danny looked back and smiled. "Maybe," she said and resumed leading Allan away.

When they had gone some ways, Allan began to whisper angrily, "What was—?" but Danny cut him off. "Not here," she whispered.

When she was certain that they were out of the guards' range, Danny disgustedly dropped her arms from around Allan's chest and put three feet of distance between them.

"You mind telling me what the bloody hell that was all about?" Allan shouted.

Danny rolled her eyes and kept walking back to Sherwood Forest.

"Oy!" Allan yelled at her. "What was that? What exactly did you tell that guard?"

"It doesn't matter," Danny replied nonchalantly over her shoulder.

Allan ran up to her and blocked her path, glaring down at her. "It doesn't matter?" he repeated with a frown on his face and emotion coloring his voice. "Here's some news for you, when the girl that I care about flirts with another man, trust me, it matters."

Danny went very still. She gritted her teeth and looked up at Allan from under a brow furrowed with intense fury. Her voice shaking, Danny was so quiet that she was almost whispering, but she managed to say, "You have…no hold…over me anymore."

Allan's eyes widened in hurt, all rage disappearing from his face. "I don't believe you," he said, shaking his head.

Danny's eyes showed her surprise that Allan had called her bluff, but her pride wouldn't allow her to back down. She raised her hands and shoved at his chest, knocking him back a step.

"Well I," she advanced on him, "don't appreciate," she shoved him again, "the man that I care about," another shove, "cavorting with another woman!" she shoved him a final time for emphasis.

"I wasn't cavorting with anyone!" Allan yelled back.

"Oh really?" Danny replied, crossing her arms and cocking her head. "What would you call it, then?"

"That's the woman's job, Danny," Allan answered. "She entertains the men. Nothing happened."

"It didn't look like 'nothing'," Danny said contemptibly.

Allan moved toward her and stopped when he was inches away from her. He looked down into her face and his expression changed from one of intent study to one of amused surprise. He looked as if he had suddenly deduced something from her face that thoroughly pleased him.

Unbelievably, he let out a soft, short chuckle. "You're jealous," he whispered.

"No, I'm not," Danny retorted quickly. "I'm furious, Allan."

Allan chuckled again, shaking his head. "Jealous," he repeated. "Don't worry though, love, I like it."

"I am not jealous," Danny said vehemently. "Why would I ever be jealous of her?"

Allan licked his lips and leaned closer to Danny with a sparkle in his eye. Danny's body revolted against her mind. Even though she told herself to be angry with Allan, she couldn't bring her body to stop reacting to his proximity. Her blood hummed now, not with fury, but with passion and her lips burned to meet his recently wetted lips with a smoldering kiss. Her eyes gazed into Allan's as he took a breath to whisper, "Because you love me."

Allan twined a hand in her hair and pulled her to him, carefully crushing his warm lips against her own, territorially staking a claim to her mouth with his tongue. Despite her anger, Danny couldn't resist his advances and she clung to his body as she returned his passion. She let the kiss continue for several delicious moments before the words he whispered registered in her brain. Because you love me, he had said. The unmitigated gall!

She pushed on his chest with both hands, abruptly ending their embrace. Without any conscious thought, Danny drew back a fist and punched him squarely on the jaw. Shocked and dazed from the intensity of the punch, Allan fell to the ground.

Danny leaned over him, her anger renewed. "Whatever I may have felt for you," she sneered, "is gone."

She straightened and began walking back to Sherwood again, leaving Allan in the dust behind her.

Okay, I don't know about you guys, but I love this chapter. Sure, Little John acts slightly out of character, but I like that he now has some depth (thanks for that idea robinhood447).

Thanks to everyone else who reviewed as well. They are the fuel that keeps me writing even when I should be doing something else!