13

Author's Note: So I finally got up the nerve to watch season 3 (I wasn't planning on it since I figured that without Marian it would be crap) and I think it was as good as it could possibly have been given that they killed off Marian, in case you cant tell the fact that they killed off Marian really annoyed me, but hey they made up for it in that last scene of the finale. Anyway that particular scene inspired this chapter sorta. Only one chapter left. Enjoy!

Not My Place

Chapter 11: The Hangover

Marian slowly opened her eyes, and the happy smile on her lips grew wider as she slowly woke up.

Her cheek was resting on his chest and she could hear the beats of his heart and she'd never felt more at home. Their legs were hopelessly entangled, but his arms held her against him in his sleep as she lifted her head up to drink in the sight before her: a sleeping Robin.

She stifled a laugh as she thought about the horrible hangover he was going to have when he woke up, well he did deserve it after his grope session last night, not that she'd really minded. She looked up at him again, studying his face. It was devoid of its usual cocky grin, his lips were slightly parted breathing, she could see scruff on his chin that he usual shaved, and noted for the first time that his nose was slightly crooked, maybe he'd broken it? She didn't know, but she loved it, all of it because it made Robin everyone's hero into her Robin who was just as flawed and human as she was, not some untouchable legend.

Slowly Marian slipped out of bed and threw on Robin's tee shirt; she hated the feeling of waking up in the clothes you'd slept in last night, and headed downstairs. No one was in sight as she practically skipped into the kitchen, a beatific smile on her face clad in only a mans vee neck tee shirt that hung to her thighs and messy curls running rampid on top of her head.

She hummed as she made Elva's special secret hangover cure for Robin feeling particularly generous, it had taken months, but she'd finally convinced the staunchy maid that she was worthy of the recipe. While the disgusting concoction was blending Marian crept into her dad's office bathroom, where she knew he kept the painkillers and grabbed a few for Robin, and for herself. After dry swallowing it she returned to find the cure perfectly pureed and poured it in a glass and hummed her way back up the stairs.

She re-entered her room and made her way back to her bed, sitting Indian style on her bed. She watched as Robin's arm stretched out as if reaching for her, if she'd still been sleeping he would have reached her. After pulling at air for a few moments his arm dropped and he slowly opened his eyes.

Groaning Robin lifted his head, his brows furrowing together as he took in the situation in his foggy state, he raised himself on up on his elbows to look at her. The sheet fell down to his hips giving Marian an unobstructed view of his sculpted chest in full light.

"You should wear less clothes more often Robin," Marian said through her smile looking appreciatively at him.

Robin's lips slowly twisted up into his signature grin as he looked her up and down causing Marian to blush prettily overtaken by a sudden bout of shyness, "I'd be perfectly fine with that arrangement as long as you promise to wear the clothes I'm not," his voice was hoarse and scratchy and gave Marian chills, "My clothes seem to suit you very well."

"Marking your territory Robin?" she asked playfully passing him the drink, which he took gratefully.

He looked at her surprised, "Are you my territory now?" Marian bit her lip as he downed the entire glass in one swallow, watching with a sick fascination as his adam's apple moved as he gulped, she was so far gone.

"Well I was thinking about last night," Robin visibly winced, whether from the sunlight or the memory she wasn't sure.

"Oh God Marian I'm so sorry, I was so out of line I have no idea what I was thinking, well I do, but I shouldn't have been thinking it. I was just so, so drunk and I know that's not an excuse, but if you would just – " Robin rambled on sitting up in the bed facing her.

"ROBIN!" he looked up at her, his face a mixture of surprise and preparation for pain, Marian laughed and shook her head, "Robin its okay, I know. I'm not mad."

He ran a hand through his already messy hair, "But you should be Marian! You talk about me being too good of a person. I mean I practically raped you last night!"

Marian just laughed again, "Robin you did not almost rape me. Trust me. And I'm not mad, but if you really feel that badly about it, then I guess I could have you make it up to me."

Robin raised an eyebrow at the playful tone of her voice, "Ask and you shall receive my lady," he joked. Marian took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye, her icy blue irises no longer laughing, "Ask me to be your girlfriend again."

Although Robin's face didn't change one millimeter his mind was racing, it seemed impossible that this was happening. Silence filled the spaces of Marian's room as the two were locked into the others eyes unable to look away, but unable to speak either. Finally Robin said, "Marian I don't want you to be my girlfriend," her eyes widened in shock and an outraged voice in her head was screaming WHAT but she was too shocked to speak.

Robin chuckled quietly at the expression on her face, and he lifted a hand up to her neck pulling her towards him, she did not resist, she didn't think it was possible for her body to resist his touch now, not after knowing what the feelings he could inspire in her. "I don't want you to be my girlfriend because you are already something infinitely more important, and it almost seems like a step backwards. But for now," he took a deep breath, still somehow worried she would reject him, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Marian let out a breathy laugh and leaned in brushing her soft lips against his in the lightest of a kiss, "Of course Robin." She felt his lips turn into a smile against her lips and couldn't stop hers from following. Raising her hands to his shoulders she gently pushed him back in the bed.

"This has got to be the best punishment I've ever received…." Robin muttered against her skin and she giggled, "Just wait…"

Elsewhere

Djaq was sitting on her orange futon staring at her chemistry homework, she was on the third problem, she looked up at her clock, she'd been on the third problem for a half hour. She rubbed her eyes in frustration trying to zone back in, but her thoughts just kept wandering. More specifically wandering to the party last night.

The image of Marian holding up a drunken Robin and walking him out the door had been circulating in her mind for a while. The concerned look in Marian's eyes and the absolute tortured adoration in Robin's. She shook her head brushing her silky black bangs from her forehead. She wasn't jealous. Exactly.

Okay so she was jealous.

Not because Marian was now dating her boyfriend of almost two years, but because there was no one looking at her that way anymore. At least while she and Robin were dating for the most of it she'd gotten a few looks like that, none as powerful as the one Robin gave Marian, I mean Djaq had been several feet away, but the power of that smoldering look ha given her chills. Well her and every other girl there, except for Marian who just continued on her crusade to get Robin into the car, maybe that was why they were so perfect for each other. Then of course all the girls started gossiping about Marian, all the while giving Djaq looks of pity, which only barely covered up the looks that clearly said good you deserve this for taking Robin off the market for so long.

Djaq just rolled her eyes at the girls, but between them and the guys that suddenly started hitting on her she left the party early. On the way home it began to occur to her that she'd seen Robin like that before, drunk off his ass. Usually the result of some spat with his father not that anyone outside the gang knew that, they all just thought he liked to party, which was somewhat true. She'd seen him that way before while they'd been dating, but she'd never acted as Marian had, the caring girlfriend. She'd always just let Robin get it out of his system; she thought that's what he needed. What he really needed was someone like Marian who seemed to know instinctively how to make all his problems all better. Djaq felt no bitterness to Marian for being that person for Robin, only glad that Robin had found someone so perfect for him.

She let out another sigh; at this rate her lungs were probably going to collapse under the strain of sighing so often. She wanted her Marian now; however odd that may sound. When she and Robin has ended things she could almost hear the pieces falling into place, she thought the happy ending was just around the corner. And she was right, just not her happy ending, only Robins.

This time it was an angry sigh that left her lips. She rolled her eyes at her own ridiculousness, but still was feeling very much like a petulant four year old. Mentally berating herself for not being above this type of typical teenage behavior her other side fought back saying she had every right to be a cliché teenage girl once in a while.

This time it was an exasperated sigh. She had to do something, arguing with herself was not healthy she was fairly sure. She flipped open her phone shoving problem three as far away from her as she could and giving it a nasty glare as it all this were its fault. She scrolled down her contact list landing on the same number she always did. Will Scarlett.

She hadn't let herself acknowledge that his name had been floating around in her head for the past few days, or that in her happy ending scenario he'd played a rather prominent role. She stared at the photo of him by his number, and sighed, a wanton one this time. She adored everything about him, honestly if she wrote down her exact 'type' of guy she might as well be describing him, who knows maybe she was.

She loved his height, how she came up to a point on his chest right below his heart and she could always hear it beating when she leaned against him, with Robin she'd been at his shoulder and it had always seemed awkward to her. She loved the way his dark brown hair was so long and framed his stormy grey eyes perfectly. His eyes, she could write pages and pages about his eyes and still have more to say, they were just so pretty. Sure most boys wouldn't like to be described as pretty, but Will Scarlett was definitely pretty: his body was perfectly long and lean, his movements were always slow and graceful, of course his eyes, which were not only a striking color, but also the way he used them, she could always feel his eyes on her as if they were touching her, always watching, so observant and perceptive of everything not just herself, he saw so much more than other people did in everything.

She sighed again: wistfully. He was always the first one she called: when she couldn't sleep, when she wanted someone to talk to while standing alone so it didn't look like she had no friends (not that he knew that's why she was calling), when she and Robin had a fight, when she was unsure about her future, when she didn't want to think about her future anymore, it was always him. She blushed a little remembering when her sister had asked her why she was constantly calling Will and she'd been a little worse for the alcohol and had actually admitted that she was always calling him so that she'd never have to wonder if he would ever call her. Most people thought he was quiet, but he was just reserved with people he didn't know. They would talk on the phone for hours, she could fall asleep listening to the low tone of his voice, which soothed her and excited her all at once. That was another thing: she loved his voice.

This time it was a sigh of frustration, when exactly had she become so obsessed with Will? It was a rhetorical question because she knew she could pinpoint the exact moment with no hesitation.

~ 2 years ago ~

Dlaq had recently started at Sherwood and Robin had approached her the very first day practically demanding a friendship, but with a grin and a genuine goodness in his eye that made him impossible to refuse. She'd fell into the gang easily enough, taking an interest in getting to know them all, especially the tall dark haired boy that hadn't even said three words to her (he had said "hello" and "Will" but that was it) but his eyes watched everything so carefully she was just itching to know what he thought about all he saw.

The day in question though was the 17 of November and Robin had taken her paintballing for the first time. It was painful, but she'd always been a bit of a fighter and had really enjoyed it, then they'd headed back to Robin's house, which by now she was very familiar with, the gang spent almost every moment they weren't in school in the East Wing. She'd demanded the use of one of the showers; she really wasn't too fond of the smell of paint or the way the neon green in her hair looked. Robin had just laughed and accommodated her, as always.

The steam of the hot jets of water soothed all the aches from her body and the paint rolled off creating a rainbow on the shower floor. She used the nice shampoo on her short hair and grudgingly turned off the shower. She stood in the steam for a few minutes just reveling in the feeling of being clean. Then she remembered she was at Robins house and he was probably waiting for her to finish. She flung back the shower curtain just as the door flung open.

Her brown eyes grew wide in shock, as did the silver ones opposite her.

Will was standing on the opposite side of the bathroom, due to the way the room was designed a counter blocked his view of the lower portion of her body, but the top, the very, very bare top, was left completely unobstructed for his eyes to see.

She felt herself blush, but knew it wouldn't be too visible on her dark skin, but apart from the movement of her blood to her face she was completely immobile. She couldn't move, not to cover herself, not to turn away, not to yell at him to turn away, frozen in place by his stare, pinned. Her eyes zeroed in on him and found that his grey silver eyes were staring right back at her, they connected. Slowly his gaze dropped lower, she could feel it.

First his eyes on her hair, following a water droplet that dripped from her soaked bangs down the bridge of her nose. Then his eyes dropped to her lips, she could almost feel it. Then to her slender shoulders and her collarbone, and then lower still. By the time his eyes reached…erm…there they were no longer a silver grey, but nearly black. Somehow he seemed to snap out of it and the next thing she knew she was staring at a closed door and he was no where to be seen.

The entire episode could not have taken longer than 30 seconds, but before God she had never felt a longer 30 seconds in her life. She'd also never felt more beautiful, or as alive, every single part of her body had been electrified. The embarrassment came later when he passed by her and whispered a quick "sorry" (his third word to her).

Somehow that had opened up a chasm between then and maybe he felt obligated to answer her questions, but he began talking to her, more than one word at a time, and she found herself listening. Soon he was the one she felt closest to in the gang. Then just as her feelings for him were whipping her around in a vortex of feelings she didn't yet understand why she was feeling Robin had asked her out. She'd said yes and the next time she'd passed by Will she whispered an almost silent "sorry".

~ Now ~

She sighed: frustrated. Then flipped her phone closed. She'd lost her chance, she knew it. All that time ago maybe he'd been interested in her, but she'd said yes to Robin and that was the kiss of death to any hope she had for her and Will. He 'd never go after his best mate's girl, and apparently even though they'd broken up that rule still applied. She hadn't called him since the break-up, finally putting the ball back in his court. To see if he would call her. But he hadn't. He was best friends with Robin and Allen and Much, he had to have heard about the break-up there was no way he hadn't. Yet he hadn't called or come to visit at all. Even the days before the break-up he'd been strangely distant. He must've known what was coming, known Robin was going to break up with her and didn't want her to come running to him thinking that he'd take her in.

She wrapped her arms around herself trying to block out the thoughts of rejection and feverishly hoping that wasn't true. She placated herself by saying they'd broken up on Friday and it was only Sunday, maybe he thought she'd need time to heal or something. That was believable enough, he didn't have any sister so the only source for how females deal with break-ups he had was movies or TV and they always showed some poor girl crying her eyes out and eating copious amounts of crappy food. No wonder he was nowhere to be found. She wouldn't want to deal with some sniveling fat version of herself either.

She heard a loud knock on her door. She frowned but got up to answer it, pulling it open she was suddenly swept up into a pair of thin but muscular arms and her feet lifted from the floor. An uncontrollable smile came to her face.

"Djaq! Thank god your okay!" he put her down, his large hands coming up to cup her face, "You are okay aren't you?" he asked concerned searching her face like it would spell out the answer.

"Yes, of course," Djaq replied confused, but happy when his expression cleared and he stood up, "God I cant believe this happened! I mean I go out of town for 2 days! 2 fucking days! And I get back and all hell has broken loose!"

Djaq nodded in understanding, so he'd been gone and only now heard about the break-up. She made no attempt to quell the rising hope in her heart. "It's fine Will, really its totally okay," Djaq pulled him into her room closing the door softly behind him so as not to attract attention from her nosy siblings. Will was unaware of the change and just continued pacing inside.

"No it is most definitely not okay! How could they do this? How could he do this! I mean you dated for nearly 2 years! You must be so upset Djaq, god I'm so sorry I wasn't here," Will said running his hands through his hair briefly looking at her with grief apparent in his eyes.

"Really Will, I'm okay," she said touched by his concern, the hope that had blossomed before was now having a full on mardis gras parade in her stomach.

"You shouldn't be! Hell I know I'm not okay! I mean he knew, he knew this entire time how I felt!" And at Wills words just like the parade was officially rained on.

How he felt?!!? Robin knew how he felt? What did that mean? Immediately Djaq's mind began racing, it could only really mean one thing. Robin knew that Will liked Marian, but had asked her out anyways and now Will was mad. It was the only thing that made sense. Djaq felt her eyes begin to sting with tears, of course Will wouldn't be interested in her. Why would he like someone like her, Djaq with her short hair and short height, when bloody Marian was around? A wave of spiking jealousy and anger shot through her making her feel sick, she gripped the sides of her stomach. Djaq could see it all clearly now, poor Will in love with Marian and then had her ripped away from him, but he was still a good enough guy to come and make sure his friend Djaq was okay.

She stayed silent as Will fumed pacing back and forth, refusing to let the tears fall. The door she was resting heavily on was the only thing keeping her upright. She felt as if all the air had been forced out of her. She finally zoned back in when she heard an anguished groan from Will. Shaking her head she cleared out all her self-pitying thoughts and resolved to be a friend to Will as he was to her, she would comfort him through his lost love of Marian even if it killed her.

Stepping towards him she rested a hand on Wills shoulder, "I'm so sorry Will. I know she meant a lot to you." This seemed to get Will's attention, he spun around a confused look on his brow, "What?" Djaq swallowed, gathering her strength, if she had any left, "Marian, I know you liked her and Robin still went for her. I'm sorry."

Will stared at her incredulously for a moment, and silence echoed throughout her room, never had she heard a louder silence than right now when Will was looking at her like she'd grown another head.

Then he started laughing.

Full out, head thrown back, laughter, ten times louder than the ear shattering silence. "What!?!?" he said gasping for breath as he calmed down, "I'm not mad at Robin for taking Marian," he looked at her with a smile playing on his lips and once again his hands came up to cup her face, "I'm mad at him because he hurt you." Djaq was stunned silent, once again frozen by Will's eyes, this time a light grey filled with what seemed like mirth and self-mocking.

"I always told myself 'Will, he's a better man. If there's one guy out there that could possibly deserve her, its Robin' and now it turns out he's isn't the better man at all. He's just an idiot like the rest of us. Leaving you for Marian of all people?" Will shook his head but continued, "All this time, 2 fucking years I was telling myself not to go for it, not to tell you how I felt because Robin was better for you because he'd gotten there first. And now to find out that he did this to you? God it makes me so angry! I wasted so much time we could've been together."

The tears spilled out of Djaq's eyes, big fat rivulets of water dripping down her cheeks and onto Will's hands. At the sight his eyes immediately softened, and then promptly filled with guilt. He pulled her into his chest, "I'm sorry, God this is probably the last thing you need to deal with right now," rubbing soothing circles against the small of her back, just like he knew she loved, "The love of your life just breaks up with you and your best friend starts declaring himself like a dumbass. This is probably the last thing you want to hear. I'll just go and we can pretend this never happened," Will said disentangling himself from Djaq and heading towards the door, his head down defeated.

"No Will!!!" Djaq cried grabbing onto his elbow as fear gripped her heart, "No Will stay!" she said, and once he'd stopped a silly smile worked its way to Djaq's face. He refused to face her, but at least he wasn't running for the exit, she thought as she dried her tears. She rested her cheek on his back and wrapped her arms around his chest, hugging him from behind, she felt him tense then slowly begin to relax. He could feel her lips moving against his back as she said, "The tears are not for Robin, Will. They have always, are always, and will always be for you."

Will said nothing, but she felt his hands slowly wrap around her wrists breaking her grip around his chest. He turned around, but kept the hold on her wrists, which looked small and delicate encased in his hands, and slowly slowly bent down so they were eye level and wiped another stray tear off her smiling face.

He was not smiling, in fact his entire face was serious, except for his grey eyes which held an immeasurable amount of kindness in them, he spoke slowly as if he was choosing his every word very carefully, "If they are my tears than I only ever want them to be of joy. Are they?"

In this, the moment Djaq had dreamed of since that fateful day, all words eluded her and she could do no more than nod her head, but that was enough for Will apparently because his entire face lit up, like the sun appearing from nowhere on a cloudy day.

He leaned down and captured her bottom lip between his own and an eruption of fireworks exploded in her stomach. He released her wrists and she moved them up to clasp behind his neck, softly pulling at the ends of his hair. His arms wrapped around her middle and lifted her up, as if she weighed less than air. He walked forward until Djaq felt her back hit the wall of her room softy and clasped her legs around his waist.

A smile tugged at her lips, just as it did his and they had to break the soft kiss, resting their foreheads together smiling. This time she leaned in and pressed her lips firmly against his, but again the happiness was bubbling over and smiled broke apart their kiss. They followed this pattern again and again. Kiss… Smile… Kiss…Smile… And for many more days…

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