Crouched by the river, Will watched in morbid fascination as vestiges of blood ran off the tips of his fingers, carried downstream by the flow of the river, the movement of the blood seeming to dance in the water. The water helped to sooth the dull ache in his right hand. He knew there was a reason for the ache, but in his current state of mind he barely registered the pain or its source.

The knife he had retrieved lay on a rock by the water, some distance away. Will could not bring himself to look at it, let alone attempt to clean it. It was coated with the same blood running off his fingers.

Blood. So much blood. The entire cave smells like blood. I wish someone would close his eyes….he keeps staring at me. Blue eyes.

Will wondered if he was going insane as he felt the world and all its noise move even further away, as though in one of his nightmares. His breathing quickened as he fought to remain in the present.

This is just a dream. All I have to do is wake up. I can go back home and she will be there waiting.

His own voice mocked him as his hands went up to his head, as if he could somehow cover his ears to drown out the voices.

She is dead you fool. He slit her throat, just like you just did to the Celt.

Dimly, Will registered movement at his side as a blurry figure crouched down next to him. Confused and more than a little afraid in his current state, he made a weak attempt to move away. A hand landed on the back of his neck and he felt gentle pressure as his head was pushed down between his knees.

He heard a familiar voice speaking but he could not place it. At the same time his mind clung to it like an anchor as he fought to come back to the present reality. Away from the horrific images running through his mind. The hand on the back of his head gently moved up to stroke his hair.

The voice spoke again, this time from less far away.

"Easy Will."

Will's head came up suddenly and he flinched as his gaze connected with familiar blue eyes. Will stared at the man's face in horror. His body recoiled as he jerked away, his breath coming in gasps as he struggled to speak. Will barely recognized his own voice as he pleaded with the other man.

"N..no…please….no….please go away… just let me go home. Please."

Robin's face was etched with concern as he stared at his brother, clearly confused by the younger man's actions. He slowly raised his hands up so that they were clearly visible in front of him. As though soothing a wounded animal, he kept his voice gentle but it still held a note of confusion.

"Go home...? I have no intentions of harming you Will."

"Ro…bin?" The name felt unfamiliar on his tongue somehow as his mind finally registered his brother's presence. The older man's very being seemed to chase away the terror and he felt a sudden calm wash over him. The horror of the past faded away.

"Who did you think it was?"

His moment of relief quickly faded as embarrassment quickly seeped in. Robin stared down at him with a frown of concern and Will knew his inner turmoil was plain for his brother to see. Vulnerable.

"I….I don't know." Will berated himself for once again looking weak in front of this man. He made a conscious effort to collect himself, sitting up carefully and leaning back against a larger rock by the stream of water.

"Are you alright Will?"

Will wished fervently that the other man would just disappear. At the same time Robin's company for the moment held the terror at bay. The traumas of the day seemed to have opened up a world from his past that was becoming difficult to ignore and Will hated how much of it was centred around his relationship with this man. Past and present. Robin's words from earlier replayed themselves in his mind. I do not claim him as family. Will consciously pushed his emotions down as his chest tightened.

"I'm fine."

He could almost feel his brother's look of disbelief.

"You do not look fine."

Robin still watched him carefully with the same look of concern, as if patiently waiting for an explanation. Will felt as though a young child in need of a minder. This goaded to no end. At the same time, Will found he had no fight left in him for the day and so his voice came out more of a whispered plea than a demand.

"Can you please just go away?

Robin shook his head slowly, and with little fanfare dropped down to sit beside him on the rocks. The man was far too close for Will's liking but at least he made no move to touch him again. Robin picked up a stone from the ground, turning it over in his hand and examining it before tossing it absentmindedly in the river.

"I am not going anywhere until you tell me what is troubling you. You are not yourself Will. You are acting very strange."

Will could feel anger rising.

"How do you know how I act Locksley? You know nothing about me."

Far from being insulted at Will's rudeness, Robin's reply held more than a little amusement.

"That is not entirely true. I know you do not care for affection….you almost broke my jaw not too long ago when I tried to comfort you." He turned to face his brother, waiting until Will met his gaze.

"Does your hand hurt as much as my face does?"

Startled, Will's eyes widened in surprise as they connected with his brother's. He glanced down at his hand before he could stop himself. He could feel the dull ache now that the cold from the water had faded. It was as if his mind was protected as he tried to recall all the events that had occurred earlier. The dead Celt. He jerked his gaze away from his brother's knowing look.

"You do not recall this Will?"

"No…I mean of course I do…I don't know…it sounds like something I would do." Will finished lamely as he tripped over his words. He could feel the darkness rising again and felt almost panicked by it. He turned away from Robin abruptly and made to stand up, escape on his mind. Will felt a hand grab his arm as he was yanked back down. Robin's voice was as firm as his grip.

"Enough of this avoiding me Will. We are going to speak. If you do not wish to do so, then I will speak and you can listen. We are brothers now and we must come to some kind of understanding so that we can focus on the battle tomorrow instead of this battle between us."

Will glared at his brother and his voice when he spoke held more than a bit of defiance as he confronted the other man.

"We have nothing to speak about Locksley. I do not wish your company."

Robin chose to ignore his anger and instead answered softly

"If that is true then why are you so angry with me right now Will? As far as there being nothing to speak of…." Robin stopped and nodded his head in the direction of the bloody knife on the ground…"how about we start with that….you just slit a man's throat little brother."