It was very uncomfortable immediately following Robin and Will's mending of ways. As soon as Robin had stepped away from his brother, he had no idea what to say and Will had no idea what to do. One of them would start to say something, and then he'd change his mind. The other would turn triumphantly, the words ready to spring out of his mouth, before he too stopped and mulled over them once again.

The others weren't much help either. Bull had a completely flabbergasted expression on his face, John just looked at a loss for words, and the Friar wasn't one to step in and take the lead. Azeem was one to take the lead, but he wouldn't say anything, just watched the two brothers in satisfaction and more than a little amusement.

The silence lengthened, and Robin and Will continued to grow more and more uncomfortable, until finally Fanny stepped out of her husband's reassuring embrace and walked over to Scarlett.

"Come on, Will, let me take a look at those," she said, indicating the gashes only partially hidden by his tattered shirt. The two brothers both smiled their relief at moment's tension being broken up. Fanny took him by the hand and the younger brother gratefully allowed himself to be led off to the remains of the Little lodge.

---

"Ow," Will hissed as Fanny wiped away the grime that had built up inside the cuts. Fanny murmured an apology. She finished cleaning the dirt away and she did her best to bandage the wounds up, with the little supplies available. Will tried not to groan at the pain.

"There, all done."

"Thanks," Will tried to smile at his friend, but it died before it began. It was an awkward moment between the two—moments ago, Fanny's husband had almost killed Will, and Fanny herself had believed Will to be a traitor. She knew the truth now, but then it was Will who was embarrassed, embarrassed for having spilled all his innermost secrets in front of all of them.

But that wasn't all that made it uncomfortable. In the back of Fanny's mind she was angry at Will for being alive. For being alive and safe. Angry at him for being alive and safe when her own boy was about to die. She didn't want to think like that, but she couldn't not, and Will, as in tune with her feelings as ever, sensed this, and he had absolutely no idea what to do, what to say, except—

"I'm sorry, Fanny." He studiously ignored her gaze, keeping his eyes and his hands focused on arranging his shirt back around his wounds. Fanny studied him, and with his words her motherly envy and anger dissipated. She took his hands, stilling his movements.

"It's not your fault," she said, forcing herself to believe the words as she spoke them. Because it wasn't his fault, and Fanny had no right to blame him. Will had only barely escaped himself, he was willing to go back in and help the others, and he had even spilled his guts to Robin to make sure the others would be rescued.

Will stood up, his eyes blazing with determination, glad to be on familiar ground with at least one person again. "We'll get Wulf back, Fanny. I promise." We'll get him back, even if I don't like him.

Fanny smiled. "Well, if I know my husband and your brother, and I do, they've already found a way to do it on their own and take all the glory for themselves. We better go set them straight." Will laughed and accompanied her out of the Little's makeshift lodging.

---

The afternoon was waning, but the six remaining outlaws were diligently at work trying to figure out the plan of attack. As John and Robin busily carved out ideas and wood, Will could only shake his head at the model of the castle grounds, quickly hashed together with chunks of wood and rocks.

Boom!

Scarlett jumped in shock as something exploded nearby. What was that? he thought, only to hear it be echoed aloud by Bull. Glancing around, he shook his head as he saw Friar Tuck and Azeem busily kneeling by some black powdery stuff and a fire. Azeem and his inventions.

Robin was talking. Will hastily walked over, grabbed a sword and squatted down beside him, John, and Bull to hear the plan. Robin was gesturing around the castle model with his jewel-encrusted dagger—the dagger Marian had given him the day she had visited the camp and also the dagger he had since then never let out of his sight.

"Bull, you'll position by the gate to cut off reinforcements. John, you'll sit on this wall to protect our escape. I will conceal myself here, below the scaffold, to cut our men from their nooses at the signal."

Will frowned. That was a waste for Robin. "No," he objected as Locksley moved around him to get another angle at the castle grounds. "I'll do that, you can cover us with your bow." And I'll finally get to put the sword skills Azeem has taught me to use.

Robin patted him on the knee; Will almost laughed at how quickly Locksley took up the big brother protective role. "It's too dangerous Will."

Now Will did laugh. "But so's your aim." Robin glanced back at him, surprised at the compliment. Scarlett was relieved to hear John chuckle at his riposte; before John had still been a bit leery of him. And in all honesty, Will hadn't been all that lovey-dovey either, after John had just tried to kill him.

Robin continued, "Whatever Azeem is concocting, we must be in place for. Now, our success depends on total concert, you are only six men—"

"—Seven!" Fanny defiantly strode into view, a sword firmly held in her hands.

"What in blazes are you doing, woman?" John demanded. "Where are the little ones?"

"They're safe, they're with my mother."

"Are you bleeding cracked girl, you could get hurt!" Needless to say, John was not happy.

"I've given birth to eight babies, don't you talk to me about getting hurt, you big ox!" Will nobly tried to suppress his laughter as Fanny continued to 'set them straight.' "Anyway, I'm not just going to sit here and let one of them die, am I!"

"You should be bloody well minding the other seven," John tried to make it sound like an order, but Fanny's huff of disregard made it sound more like a lungful of hot air. "Tell her, Robin," John pleaded.

Will could tell that Robin was thinking about it, and even though Will had only been Robin's ally for a couple of hours, he could just guess what was coming. He was right.

"Fanny, you'll take position here."

---

Night was falling fast in Sherwood forest. The remaining outlaws were scattered about, sleeping. Robin was awake, staring unseeingly in to the dark forest. After trying again and again to quiet his mind and after finally admitting defeat, he got up to work off some of his energy. There was just too much to think about. Tomorrow, tomorrow was going to be awful. Six men—seven, as Fanny put it—were all that stood between the entire legions at Nottinham's disposal and the deaths of ten innocent men and a wedding. Robin knew his men would do their best. They were going to fight hard, they were going to fight well, but… they were going to ultimately fail. Even if they succeeded in freeing the men, there was no way they could rescue Marian. The Sheriff would be watching her every move, and if he himself wasn't watching her, he was sure to have guards all around her. Six men couldn't take them all out.

Robin walked along, still musing over the plan for tomorrow, when a voice cried out in the night. Locksley whirled, his dagger out and ready to confront the danger, but there was nothing there. More cries followed on the heels of the first one, but these were softer, less audible, just agitated murmurings. Looking around, Robin finally made out the outline of a body nearby. He walked over and knelt down beside the person. For some reason, he wasn't surprised to find that the body was that of Will Scarlett.

"Will. Will!" an urgent voice whispered in his ear. He opened his eyes and flinched instinctively as Robin's face appeared inches from his own.

"You all right?" he inquired.

"I'm fine," Will sat up.

"Are you sure?" Robin asked, a disbelieving tone to his voice.

"It was just a dream, that's all. No big deal." There was no way he was going to tell Robin about that dream.

"Sounded like a nightmare from the way you were muttering."

"Just drop it, all right. I'm fine," Will said sharply, regretting the harshness of the words as soon as they left his mouth.

"Okay, all right," Robin held his hands up in a gesture of total surrender, hoping to amend for whatever slight he had unintentionally thrown at his brother.

Scarlett sat up, and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. That was great, Will, fantastic. He tries to be nice and you snap his head off. Why would I—okay, I know why, I've done that ever since we first met. But things need to change here and now. He's your brother, after all.

"So, what are you doing up so late?" He switched topics with a friendly tone of voice, hoping to show his good intentions to Locksley.

Robin was only too eager to accept the invitation for peaceful conversation once again. "I was just thinking about tomorrow, trying to see if there's anything I've overlooked."

"It's a good plan, it'll work."

Robin snorted. "A good plan, six men—

"Seven," Will reminded him, smiling.

"Seven," Robin waved a hand dismissively in the air, "swooping in and saving ten men from certain death, storming an entire castle full of soldiers, and escaping with the Sheriff's bride-to-be. Yeah, it'll go off without a hitch."

"But with Azeem's black stuff—"

"Azeem's concoctions, a couple bows and some arrows, and a few swords to take on a hundred of the Sheriff's goons. Oh, it'll be bad."

Will sighed. "You're right, our weapons are so few…," he began gloomily, but then a mischievous gleam entered his eyes, although the darkness concealed it from the other outlaw. He continued, "but there's one true weapon that escapes you, Robin. And that's courage."

Robin jerked up at the all-too-familiar words, and a reproachful expression crossed his features. Chastised, he could only stare at the ground. Finally he found the words and he spoke sincerely to his brother, "I'm sorry, Will. I shouldn't have said those things to you—"

"Locksley, lighten up! It was a joke," Will replied, laughter and exasperation intermingling in his voice as he slowly enunciated the words so that Robin would understand them. Man, I finally try to be nice…

"I still shouldn't have said those things to you. You are not and never were a coward."

Will shook his head. "You were getting even. I was just mouthing off to you, and you insulted me right back. Don't worry about it." Will brushed it off, having had enough outpouring of emotion for one day. He thought of how much he had revealed and to how many people; the thought made him shudder.

"You sure?"

Will nodded affirmative.

"Okay, then," Robin couldn't hold back a yawn, his energy finally being spent. "I think I'm going to turn in." He stood up and clapped Will on the shoulder as he walked away.

"Good night," Will called.

"Hey, Will," Robin turned back. He had been meaning to say something to the other when they finally had a moment of privacy, wanted to say something deep and meaningful so that Will would know that he really did care. And since tomorrow they were probably all going to their deaths, he thought he might need to say it now.

Scarlett had twisted around to face him. "Yeah?" he inquired after nothing had come from the other.

Robin couldn't say anything to save his life. Not anything deep and meaningful, because it all sounded so fake and insincere when compared to the great wrongs he had done Will. But he had to say something

"I'm glad you're my brother." Locksley immediately walked away. It was all he could think of to say.

"I'm glad too," he murmured. Will lay back down, his hands cradling his head as he gazed up at the stars. You hear that, you stupid dream? I'm glad he's my brother, and he's glad. Quit coming back and haunting me. He knew this was stupid and crazy, but after years of its continued recurrence he felt he had to tell it to shove off. The past is the past, he spoke once more to the dreams that had plagued him since the day the two Locksley's had thrown him out of their castle. You can't bother me anymore. Robin's my brother, and he's here to stay.

Scarlett sighed, closed his eyes, and, knowing he wouldn't dream anymore this night, he drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow promised to be a big day.

---

---

Sorry about the long stretch between updates, I kind of needed to catch my breath. Well, I'm not too happy with this chapter, but at least it's an update. Please review (I need all the encouragement I can get), and I hope to have the next chapter up within the next two weeks. Uhh, make it two-three weeks. But I promise that that one will have some action in it. Anway, thanks for reading, please please review, and have a great day!