Hi, so here is the first chapter of double update for Christmas. I hope to publish at least two chapters as we slowly make our way through this story and now into the proper plot.

Disclaimer-Nothing is mine just this plot, and Erin.

TRIGGER WARNINGS for the usual in this story.

Please Read and Review and a big thank you to all of you who have done so, so far. It means the world to me.

Faith Based Initiative

Chapter 8-Love Labours Lost.

The Outlaws find Erin and Erin finds the Outlaws and a story is beginning to be told. Some Trigger Warnings.

For a second Allan stared at her, this woman, almost a changeling hanging from the rope and screaming her head off. It was not the worst reaction they'd had from a trap but all Allan could see was a lot of blonde hair and white skin and a flash of blood before Little John with a hiss of something under his breath turned. "Let her down Robin!"

There was something in his tone of voice that Allan had never heard before and judging by the expression on Robin's face neither had he because for one second the grief and the worry and the love that was etched onto his face almost from the very second he had learnt Marian was missing had disappeared and in it's place was confusion. But he adhered to John's hiss and Much lowered the rope with a nod and the girl went down with a thud.

She moved backwards immediately her hands covering her face as if she was awaiting a blow and sobs racking her body silently shaking. Alan caught a glimpse of a face with blue eyes underneath the mass of matted blonde hair but he could not see more than that.

Will gave a gasp behind him and Allan turned to face him wondering just what on earth he had missed but John was already pushing past him. Pushing the Outlaws back he moved forwards and the look on his face was so uncharacteristically tender that Allan couldn't help but flash backwards to a time where he had seen John as a father.

And then as John came close arms outstretched as a form of surrender the girl moved and suddenly Allen understood why John was being so gentle and Will looked so horrified.

The girl or the woman or whomever she was, was as emancipated as someone fighting off the plague and probably just as pale. Allan had lost his mother to a round with the pestilence when he had only been nine, he knew the signs well. There were bruises all down her legs which he had only just realised were shockingly bare. She was wearing what looked like a man's shirt only it was stained and filthy so much it was impossible to guess at what it's original colour had been.

She was still clutching her hand to her neck and face and Allan saw that the skin around both wrists and indeed both ankles had been rubbed raw by what he knew were either ropes or chains or perhaps even both. And then…and then he saw the blood, a hunk of dried blood by her head and nose as she'd been kicked or punched and the blood drying between her legs, flaky and old as if she had not had opportunity to wash herself in the aftermath…

Allan had seen injuries like that before. And he knew what it meant. He stopped moving horror coursing through him. Personally he was off the opinion that the law was right in this one regard, rapists should be hanged and personally Allan thought that was a bit too good for them.

John took another step forwards as the screaming stopped finally. Allan thought that his ears would ring with it for eternity but it died down as did most sounds. She didn't sob anymore but watched John her hands coming down from her face with an expression of deep mistrust. Allan looked and saw that despite the muck and grime and the dirt she was actually quite good looking. She had sharply pointed cheekbones and a mouth that was bitten to the point of bleeding but was full and red, her eyes were blue surrounded by thick lashes and her eyebrows were a pale blonde her shirt was slipping off the shoulder and he could see creamy skin under the dirt. She curled her knees up under her and Allan could see her hands like pale spiders crusted with blood clutching something hard with dirt on her fingertips and under her fingernails.

There was a pause as the four men, Allan, Robin, Will and Much watched John with a gentleness they had not seen for a long time stripped himself off his coat and gently used it to cover the girl so she had a semblance of modesty. Allan supposed they should move their eyes but if he was being honest with himself he could not take his eyes off her and he did not know why.

"Hello" John said in a soft tone. "And apologies for how you have been treated but I can assure you, you are safe now. My name is John though most call me Little John. And these are my fellow…friends, Will Scarlett, Allan A Dale and Robin Hood"

Allan watched as her eyes snapped to Robin with a hungry look and he supposed he should not feel disappointed or disheartened or anything really when she didn't look at him. Of course she was looking at Robin, hell half of the world seemed to be looking at or looking for Robin Hood these days.

She took a breath and the pushed herself upwards a little still watching Robin. Allan was aware that her eyes were very, very blue and the look on her face was hard to put into words as she stared at Robin. Her hands moved a little and she uncurled her fists a little.

"Your Robin Hood?"

"I am" Robin replied. His tone was serious gone the added teasing that was usually present when he chattered to a member of the opposite sex. However what was more surprising was her eyes flickered straight to Robin (again glancing over Allan) and then onto Will with a glance that was interested as if she was seeing people behind an embroidered legend.

"Your Will Scarlett?"

"I am" Will said looking uneasy by having such attention on him.

The girl tilted her head to the side her eyes flashing between both Robin and Will and then she gave a small smile that stretched the cut on her lip to breaking point. Allan winced knowing the feeling but she didn't seem to care. Instead she looked at them both with utter fascination and he could not for the life of him understand why she was looking at them that way and not him. Why he was thinking like this was an internal conversation for another time he knew.

"Your Djaq and Marian's Robin and Will?"

And just like that the illusion was shattered and the confusion the Outlaws were feeling changed to the reaction that came with the utter hunger of knowing that someone had information.

Allan supposed looking back that them all leaning forwards with hungry eyes might have given the wrong impression. The girl scooted backwards a little bit John's coat still over her knees. John hissed again and with a firm push Much got Robin back from where he had surged forwards. Allan supposed his job in all of this was to keep Will from doing the same so he dug in deep and grabbed his friend by the shoulder keeping him in place. John shot Robin a look that all but begged him to keep his mouth shut and then seemed to speak for the group. Allan could understand why. It seemed like they were treading on very thin ice here. One wrong move and they could lose control of this conversation.

Tentatively the girl moved forwards again John's coat a heap of fabric in her lap. She leaned forwards and then reached out with her trembling, ghost like, mud encrusted hands and held out what looked like a ring. Robin seemed to know what the hell she was on about because he took the ring with an expression that could only be described by Allan as painful in the extremes.

He nodded at Much who in turn nodded at John and Allan who had been left out of the nodding contest took that to mean that the ring was Marian's and this girl would be telling the truth. Looking at the state of the woman on the ground in front of them Allan personally did not hold out much hope that Djaq and Marian were in better condition but he did not comment on it. Chances are Will and Robin would both conspire to murder him on the spot if he did.

"You've seen them?" Will said leaning forwards. Allan touched him once and the shoulder and he reared backwards. The girl's eyes flickered from Will's face to Allan's with interest. Allan tried to force his face into a smile but he was afraid he was grimacing more than smiling. She looked at him for a second and then her gaze shift and Allan had to admit it was unnerving at how much he wanted the gaze to shift back onto him.

"Yes" she said finally pushing herself up a little. She bit her teeth into the cut of her lip and Allan watched as it bled again. She didn't seem to notice or mind, indeed it was like the pain grounded her a little. When she spoke again it was with a bit more calm in her voice and a bit less hysteria.

"Yes I have, I was with them. They sent me to find you"

"Where are they?" Robin said bending down. Immediately she clawed her hands in the dirt but she didn't flinch even as her body gave an involuntary shudder. Robin didn't seem to notice though Allan supposed he had never noticed anything or anyone other than Marian from the second her name had been mentioned.

"In some caves." She ran a hand over her face pulling at the waxy skin a little. "I do not know where. I just…I just climbed and ran, I was the only one who could." She dropped her hand again and then looked at Robin for a second.

"Your really Robin Hood?"

"Yes" Robin said awkwardly. The girl looked at him for a second and then smiled.

And then she fainted.

There was a very stilted pause.

"Shit" Allan said into the silence.

"We need to wake her up" Robin said leaning over her. "We need to find out where Djaq and Marian are. Caves? That could be anywhere"

"Hang on" Allan said because it really was a cold day in hell when he had to be the voice of reason. "You can't lean over her like that you'll scare the knowledge right out of her. She's exhausted Robin, you aren't going to get anything else out of her until you get her a hot meal, some water and a clean bed."

"We don't have time!" Robin cried looking around at them. "The Sherriff could—"

"The Sherriff is calling another meeting of his Knights" John pointed out, "And this time we know how long the meeting will take. We were trapped long enough. He's got to get them all there and half of them are scattered across the country. If the Sherriff is involved in this he will be putting on a show and hoping we do not interrupt it. Allan's right, this poor child is the only chance we have and if we scare her we might do lasting damage."

"She's been assaulted" Will said, he had been very quiet and his voice was still quiet. "She's been beaten, starved and assaulted. Bastards. If they've done this to her—" he did not finish his sentence. He did not need too.

"We need Matilda" Much said. Will snapped his head up, Robin looked at Much and John nodded. Allan had no idea who he was on about and he looked at Will who caught his expression and elaborated.

"Wise Woman of Locksley, midwife as well. And she brought me, Luke and Robin into this world. She can be trusted if we keep her eyes covered as we take her to the camp. Besides I think Allan is right" he said to Robin. "We need her to help and finding a group of men standing over you is not going to further our cause"

"We take her back to the camp" John said in a tone that brooked not argument.

There was a pause.

"Allan you better take her" Robin said sheathing his bow, "If she wakes up tell her to keep her eyes closed but I doubt she will. She looks too out of it. Will take her back to camp with Much and get a fire going and some soup from last night and some blankets, something to cover her up at least. John you come with me. Matilda knows you from the old days she'll trust us both"

There was something in Robin's tone that reminded them all why he was the leader. The concern was there, the worry and the love for Marian was there but the leadership was back and once that was back there felt like there was something to do finally.

Robin and John disappeared into the woods John leaving his coat and Allan and Will and Much were left to deal with the woman who was still sprawled across the forest floor her blonde hair matted behind her like some kind of pillow.

"Alright then" Allan said to himself and then he gently picked her up. It was easier than it looked because she was so light. Indeed she was like a puff of air, she was easy to tuck against his chest, her head lolling on his shoulder just under his chin, her legs were like twigs and when she breathed he could feel her ribs pressing against his jacket.

Will tucked the coat around her for as much modesty as he could and then he and Much set off and Allan was left to carry this woman who feeling for the first time since he had seen his brother swing from the castle rafters like he was going to cry.

He did not know why, after all ten minutes ago this girl, this woman, whose name they still did not know was nothing to him but he found himself wondering just who would do something like this to a person, to this person who fit so perfectly in his arms, almost like she belonged there.

And there you go, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and there should be another following.

Next Chapter-Matilda makes an appearance with a few words for the Outlaws that smacks them all back into shape. Erin awakes and adjusts and meanwhile in the cave Marian and Djaq try to pass the time as their injuries become more complicated.