Bloodied underwear…

Bruised arms…

Unnecessarily fearful…

Snappish and hostile…

Nightmare plagued sleep…

The snippets of information were like parts of a jigsaw that wouldn't go together. Will had tried and tried but he was missing too many pieces to complete the bigger picture. Usually he would keep working at it because that's what, as a carpenter, he liked to do. No matter how difficult a problem was with his wood he would solve it eventually after looking at it from all angles. But this wasn't wood, this wasn't a jigsaw, this was Djaq and the not knowing was driving him insane.

With an angered grunt Will brought his axe down on the log below and released his pent up energy as the sharp point sunk into the bark. Tugging the handle upwards again the carpenter lifted the tool above his head and repeated his previous action with gusto.

She must've been attacked. That much was obvious; you didn't do those kind of injuries to yourself. But that didn't make sense with the rest of her symptoms. If she had been attacked why wouldn't she tell them? Why would she disappear off to the stream and do as much as possible to hide the fact? Will knew she was very proud and liked to think she was strong and independent but not telling the gang she'd been hurt was taking it a bit too far even for her level of integrity.

There must be something more to it. But what? Will asked himself but was brought painfully back into the real world before he could further his train of thought. As his concentration on the wood had lessened somehow his grip on the log had slipped and his hand had moved into the path of the deadly weapon.

That was something Will loved about his trusted axes. The fact they could be both a tool and a weapon. They could change from one use to another in a second. In his eyes they were perfect both for chopping wood and striking down the opposition. They were also brilliantly camouflaged against guards prying eyes. Why should anyone expect anything less of a carpenter than to carry an axe?

Unfortunately at this moment of lost focus his faithful weapon had turned on him and taken a hefty chunk out of the index finger on his left hand. At first he didn't feel the initial pain, just a dull throbbing but then it intensified in earnest so much so it felt like his entire hand was on fire.

Groaning in pain, Will yanked the axe head away from his injured finger and inspected his hand more closely. The sharpened axe bit had cut clean through the top third of his finger completely removing the nail and joint. He knew he would have to get the wound sewn up quickly so it didn't get infected. Obviously he couldn't do it to himself so the only option was…Djaq.

Cradling his wounded hand to his chest, Will turned and headed into camp swiftly swiping away the tears of pain that had leaked from his eye ducts and left a salty trail down his cheeks. Marian had barely shed a tear when she was stabbed and she was a woman, why should he be weeping over a cut finger?

He spotted the Saracen medic on her bunk fiddling with the tag around her neck. For some reason he felt a twinge of pride as he saw her slim fingers delicately caressing some of his most prized handiwork. It was something he was recognized for through all of the villages: Robin Hood's identity tags that could not be replicated by anyone because of their complicated design.

After her previous reaction to his presence Will was slightly unsure how to approach and hovered a few metres away. Eventually though the pain in his finger won through his hesitation and he strode forwards trying to portray an air of confidence.

Djaq looked up as she felt a shadow fall over her, blocking out the warming sunlight, and gave an unconscious jolt backwards as she recognized the young carpenter. His eyes flashed with confusion as he saw her movement but he quickly masked it.

"Djaq, um…I was wondering if you could help me with this," Will lifted his bloody hand away from his chest and held it out between them as if it could be some kind of bridge in communication.

"Oh, Will, how did you do that?" Djaq stated, spotting the wound and immediately switching into doctor mode. It was if their awkwardness earlier had never existed.

"I cut it whilst I was chopping the wood," the young man supplied suppressing a wince as the woman took his hand and inspected the injury carefully with an expert eye.

"Where is the rest of it?"

"The rest of what?"

"Your finger," the Saracen replied guiding him to her medical bay and laying his hand on a clean surface. Then she busied herself collecting some supplies including a variety of painkilling herbs and medicinal roots. She also set out a needle, some thread and some bandages.

"Oh, I'm not sure. On the floor somewhere," Will shrugged as he watched her fingers nimbly scurry around the plants adding several to a pot and grinding them.

"I could've tried re-attaching it but if it's been on the ground I think it would be too prone to infection." Djaq began dabbing lightly at his wound with a wet cloth.

Will bit his lip as the Saracen pulled the thick thread through the eye of the needle and checked the sharpness of the tool. She nodded to herself as she decided it was pointed enough for the purpose and proceeded to insert it into Will's skin.

The man struggled not to make a sound throughout the entire stitching as he didn't want to seem like he was weak. He knew Robin had endured stitches with a much blunter needle than this without much fuss. To keep his mind off the agony he focused on the top of Djaq's head as she worked. He liked the way her raven hair seemed to glow in the sunlight giving the woman an angelic look. He was certain that should he touch her locks they would be beautifully soft and supple.

"Finished." Djaq announced just as Will unconsciously reached out with his free hand and touched her head. The woman became rigid and spun round grabbing his arm on instinct and twisting it. The carpenter let out a small cry of distress before Djaq realized what she'd done and released the limb. "I'm sorry." With her eyes downcast, Djaq apologized profusely.

Will just stared at her with a shocked expression on his face. Never before had he been attacked in such a vicious manner by her. Yes, she had hit him on occasion for a joke because he'd been teasing her or annoying her but never in such a calculated fashion. He knew he needed to find out what had happened and there was no way the woman he loved was shutting him out and shoving him away this time.

"Djaq, come with me," he reached out and gently took her arm, remembering her bruises, and pulled her out of the camp.

"But Will, I need to bandage your hand," she protested feebly.

"That can wait," he grunted, "This is more important."

Robin, John and Much looked up as Will sped past with Djaq in his grip. The two younger men exchanged a look. Lovers' tiff? Was the question in Much's eyes. Robin offered him a grin and a nod in return. John continued washing his face in a basin, oblivious.

Djaq had no idea why she had lashed out at Will. Well, no, that was a lie. She did know why she had done what she had…sort of. She had been scared and defensive. It was like her attack was coming back to haunt her every time she felt someone touch her. She felt the slimy, dirt-ridden hands of the drunk peasant on her skin and it made her want to throw up. Will touching her head had panicked her dreadfully and her body had automatically reacted so she wouldn't have to experience another degrading assault.

When she drew herself from her thoughts the woman looked around and saw they were in a deserted part of the forest quite a distance from the camp. For some reason this terrified her, a fearful knot twisted in the pit of her stomach. But why was she scared to be alone with Will? He was kind and gentle and her friend. She knew he would never hurt her. Yet she still couldn't shake the feeling of dread. Something in her brain was telling her to run which showed she was nowhere near close to a mental recovery from her rape.

"Sit," Will ordered calmly, "Please." The woman complied, perching herself on a fallen log. Will sat down beside her but was severely disconcerted when she moved several more inches away from him. "Djaq, what happened last night?"

"Nothing, why would anything have happened? Why have you brought me here?" the words fell out of Djaq's mouth in a rush and only furthered to agitate the carpenter.

"Because you've been acting different and you were hurt. I saw the bruises. Remember?"

"I haven't been acting different," Djaq immediately denied the statement, treating it more as an accusation than a simple truth that Will had observed, "You have got it wrong, Will Scarlett."

"Djaq, please. I'm worried about you." Will turned towards her and the woman couldn't deny the look of love and concern evident in the young man's sky blue eyes. They were pools of emotion that threatened to drown her in guilt. He didn't understand he wouldn't want to know what had happened to her because it was wrong. It was better for him if he didn't know.

"There is no need to worry for me. I should be worried for you as you are the one acting strangely," Djaq continued to evade him determinedly, a haunted look in her eye.

…And suddenly it clicked.

The pieces of the jigsaw fell into place in front of Will's eyes and he knew what had happened to Djaq. It shocked and sickened him to realize that someone could've hurt his beloved Djaq in such a horrific manner.

"Someone…hurt you didn't they Djaq?" Will started slowly gauging a reaction from the woman. He watched as her face fell just the slightest bit, her vulnerability seeping through the cracks. "They…raped you."

There you go guys. I updated quickly for once. I just had that scene in my minds eye. Hope you liked my reference to jigsaws. Harry Lloyd said he liked doing jigsaws in an interview which I thought was adorable. I know they probably didnt have jigsaws back then but its poetic licience guys! Review and you may get another chapter quick smart.