Cliff hanger – you decide the ending

Well, I have waited for a long time to see all of your replies, and I'd like to say thanks to all of you!! All of your ideas have been welcome! The great people who have helped are : RocMySox , MusicIsLife-x, Kimmeth, KatGirlMeow, DeathlyElegance, charlemagnebrat1, BeckyScarlett Roxmysox, twilite princess andlittlemissmaster. So hear goes… the long awaited ending… I hope it lives up to any expectations…

"Robin!" Marian screamed, staring down at the part of cliff which had just disappeared. "Robin!" She screamed again, approaching the edge at a run, and falling to her hands and knees to peer over the edge.

She strained her eyes, the dirty air against them, she could see the falling rock…Robin is there, she thought…not Robin, please… She stretched out a hand to try to somehow reach him so far away… and another hand grabbed hers…

It was Robin's cut and bleeding hand, gripping desperately to the bare skin so soft and pure, struggling, his bitten nails digging in to her palms.

Marian let out a gasp of relief.

"Robin!" She called, finding his slippery palm and taking a firm hold. She could see his face now, dirty from the grit of the broken-off rock, his hair dusty. He was the most scared she had ever seen him. Panic was in his eyes.

"Marian" he panted, a tear streaming down his grimy cheek "Marian, please, please don't let me fall. You can't let me fall, help me up, please. Marian I don't want to die like this. I'm scared Marian" He whimpered, trying desperately to attach his other hand to her arm. It had been on a small crack in the side of the rock but it had come away under his weight. Now the only thing supporting him was Marian's weight.

She was slowly being pulled over the edge. Behind her, most of the crowd was watching the show in fascination. Guy, however, was panicking.

He lent down beside Marian's body, laying half over the cliff.

"Marian" he said desperately "Marian, please, come away, you're going to fall! You're going to slip!" He tried to attach his hands around her midriff, to leaver her up, but it was no use. She wasn't going to let him, she wasn't going to come away, and any minute now she was going to fall to her death…

The Sheriff gave a cackle of delight.

"Gisbourne! Stop worrying! This is wonderful! He'll fall!" Vasey chuckled, raising a glass of wine in approval.

"But she'll fall with him!" Guy roared, anger filling his eyes. He bent down beside Marian again. "Please Marian, you could die. Listen to me! Come away! He's an outlaw!" He thundered, trying to grab her upper arm.

"Let go of me!" She cried. "I can't just let him die! I won't let go of him!" Tears were rolling down her face too.

Guy had no idea what to do. He had to do something, though, Marian wasn't going to die. He loved her. Desperately, he leant over the edge himself.

"Locksley!" He called, looking at the dangling outlaw. "Let go of her!"

"No! Don't listen to him!" Marian screeched. "You're not letting go!"

"But you'll kill her!" Guy called, outraged, his heart gripped with fear.

Robin didn't reply, but continued to try and heave himself up using Marian's arm. Guy merely looked on in shock.

The Sheriff approached the cliff edge. He too leant over the edge, but standing up this time, to see Robin.

"Ahh Locksley!" He cried joyously "What a perfect way to die!"

The sheriff reached down and threw a pebble at Robin, which hit him squarely in the forehead. He let out a pained cry.

"Don't let me die Marian" Robin wailed. Fresh floods of fear were emerging from his eyes.

"Aww crying just like a little girl!" Vasey giggled, displaying a black tooth. "The trouble is, this girl won't let go of your arm. How can we persuade her? Maybe we just tip her off the edge too"

"No!" Guy bellowed

"Allright calm down!" Vasey chuckled "What do you propose then Gisbourne?"

"I'm not letting go of him, no matter what you do to me, I'd rather die myself" Marian called

"Looks like there's nothing else for it then Gissy, sorry but…" The Sheriff moved forward and approached Marian.

"No!" Guy called, Vasey back, for once using his height and force in his advantage. "She can't die!"

Marian's body was close to slipping. Guy rushed to her desperately.

"Marian you will die if you don't let go of him" He pleaded

"And he will die if I do" She replied simply. She looked into Guy's fearfull eyes. She felt the words coming out of him before they were spoken.

"I love you" It was barely more than a whisper. Robin couldn't hear at all.

Marian didn't reply, but gave him a desperate look that told him her emotions were torn in two.

Realisation flooded Guy's face. She was in love with Robin Hood. An outlaw. He was so angry, but something in him had seen the softness in her look. There's something there, he thought. She feels something for me too. He loved her, he knew it. He would do anything for her. Even try to help save his enemy's life.

"I'll take him" He said with a finality in his voice "I'll take him and help him up. You aren't strong enough. Besides, I'm taller, and that means there's less chance of me falling."

Marian's face was a picture of pure shock. "But you'll let him go, as soon as you have him!" She cried

Guy smiled gently. "I won't, you have my word."

There was something in this sentence that Marian couldn't doubt. Guy leaned over the edge too. He hated heights, and it was a very long drop…

"Robin, I'm going to pass you to Guy" Marian called down. Robin's face was full of fear, which it amused Guy to see.

"But he'll drop me! Marian I don't want to die hear!" He cried, struggling bitterly on Marian's arm. Marian, however, passed her load slowly over to Guy's outstretched arms. Marian was about to let go, so Robin had no choice but to take the only available support, Guy's arm. Marian let go, and heaved herself fully atop the rock.

"Go back!" Guy called angrily, as Marian tried to approach him again.

Robin was left helplessly, gazing up at his enemy and at the moment, the only man between him and death.

Guy examined Robin's expression. Neither man's eyes left the other's. Guy's leather clad arm was fast becoming blood stained. After a few moments, he began to heave Robin up. Robin however, resisted. Guy could feel himself slipping over the edge too.

"Well do you want to get up or not?!" Guy sneered

"It depends" Robin smiled, his usual arrogance and cheek returning. "What's going to happen when I get back up there?"

"I have no idea. Do you want to live?" Guy smirked.

"It's in your best interest to do this, otherwise you never would have. I'm just trying to suss out why you want to help me"

"Look, I'm just going to drop you, all right?" Guy glared at the outlaw.

"I wonder what Marian would think about that" Robin giggled.

Guy blushed with embarrassment and anger. He tried to heave Robin up again, but still he resisted. His waist was slipping over the edge under Robin's weight, and after that he would just fall along with Robin.

"If you don't let me help you, then we're both going to die. I hate you, but I love Marian. So you must live, if she is ever to love me back."

Robin sneered. "She'll never love you. She hates you. She loves me"

Guy was angry enough to drop Robin. He looked round at Marian. Tears were flooding her face. He loved her. Did she love him? Did it even matter? Surely she would love him now?

"You're going to let me help you or not?" Guy bellowed, glaring at Locksley again. Robin looked up into Guy's piercing blue eyes. He was going to save his life. Maybe he was changing, maybe Marian was changing him. He loved the woman that he himself had always loved. He nodded slowly.

Guy lifted him, and it worked, though Guy was almost over the edge himself, but then suddenly Robin's grip gave way and the pair were suddenly jolted forward. Guy was going over the edge too… he was going to fall, along with Robin, who had already let go of his arm and was falling, shouting…. he felt his legs sliding across the rock of the cliff…he was going to die… then all he could think of was Marian… but then something grabbed his legs, a firm but loving hold, a hard but gentle touch.

He turned his head, which was over the edge along with his torso, around to see Marian kneeling beside him, her arms pulling his legs back, pulling him to safety. He used his arms to heave himself onto the edge of the cliff. He was safe. He looked into Marian's eyes.

"I'm sorry, I tried…" He said, emotion almost overcoming him.

Marian did not speak, but allowed a single tear to roll down her face. Her heart felt heavy as stone. But some impulse inside her pushed her lips towards Guy's. They kissed, she didn't know why, but they kissed and she wanted it. They broke apart, and her blue eyes opened wide to hid.

"I think… I love you too" She said, tears taking hold of her. Guy simply took her into his embrace, and there she stayed, crying into his torso, for what seemed like an eternity.

…..

So! There you have it!

I wanted to make the ending a happier one, even though I did have to kill Robin (because that's whom most of you voted for)

If you loved it, or hated it… Please review! This is your story, not mine!