Author's Note: Hey- this is the once mentioned contiuation to Rain- technically they are both stand alones- but connected so I just put them together!

Thank you everyone who commented to Rain and hope you enjoy this one as well!

SEASON 2 FINAL SPOILERS!

Fire

He rubbed bleary eyes and blinked into the pouring rain, making a small attempt to shake some of the moisture off his face and pull even deeper under the tree. It didn't work- he knew it wouldn't, but it was his curse to keep trying stupid things when any sensible man would have stopped.

Any sensible man would have returned to camp by now- convinced that Robin's contact wouldn't want to risk the terrible weather and would have stopped. He was shivering, his back was aching and he couldn't feel his feet or the better half of his legs- but still he stayed. The camp was a good walk away and he told himself that that is why he didn't bother going in. It would be his luck that the man showed up right as he got halfway back. That's why he was waiting. It wasn't because the tiny camp was too empty, it wasn't because the silence echoed with things unsaid, and it certainly wasn't because for the life of him he couldn't think of anything to say. It was because Robin had asked him to wait and he would.

He was loyal now. It had been shouted and beaten into him with Guy's quick temper and instinctive shoves. He had always figured that loyalty was for the weak, that caring for someone besides yourself just made you stupid, that the worst kind of chains were those people put on themselves. He had been wrong- there was something comforting about following orders for good reasons, something peaceful about never having to worry, something wonderful about just trusting. He trusted Robin now, in a way he hadn't before. He trusted Robin to keep him fed, he trusted Robin to make sure he did the right thing, he trusted Robin to keep him warm and dry if he wanted to be.

Of course, he didn't really trust Robin beyond that. He didn't trust Robin to notice if he was more quiet than usual, he didn't trust Robin to listen to him if he had something to say, he didn't trust Robin to be his friend. Since Marian had…- since the Holy Land, Robin had stepped up to be a leader. And he was. He was cunning and brave and daring- but more a leader than he had ever been. He was apart from the others, not out of snobbery, but just because he couldn't stand to recall that he was anything other than a tactical mind. And it wasn't just Robin who was apart. In a way they all were apart- Robin driven by a ghost who never would have wanted this for him, Much hunting for a friend that might not come back, John tempted by a future a few towns over and Allan… well he knew what kept him apart and probably always would- he was constantly reminded of his betrayal, guilt forcing him to keep his distance.

Of course, none of this really mattered. He had the basics, he told himself repeatedly, that was enough. He had fought tooth and nail for the simple things his whole life and it was only now that he had them that he began to have suspicions he didn't need them.

But that was stupid, he told himself, shifting against the roots of the tree. He was just being an idiot again. He sighed and closed his eyes and accepted it and the fire came to life.

Loneliness was usually just the dim glow of embers inside the pit of his stomach, something that could be easily ignored when the guards were chasing or the villagers rejoicing. But there were times, when it would roar to life and he was stuck facing the fact that he was lonelier than he had ever been.

Home had never been a place for him. Home had been the people he was with- for a little while, Tom; for a long while, just himself; and then for what seemed like too long and too short, the gang. No, not the gang, he admitted to himself- Will. Will Scarlett- the quiet, shy, pure carpenter who, instead of being disgusted at Allan's shell, poked right through it, and instead of feeling pity at what lay underneath, slammed right through that to find someone Allan didn't even know.

Will had changed him- more than he wanted to admit, more than he could admit. Never before had he cared so much about what someone thought of him, never before had he worried about anyone's skin save his own. In the beginning he hadn't even been sure of their mission- but he had been sure of Will and everything else kinda… fell into place without his notice. For someone often caught up in things, it didn't seem to matter much. Until he realized that he was caught up in something too good and it was going to end hard. He had panicked and ended up in something entirely worse.

It seemed like idiotic reasoning- even in his head- so he didn't tell anyone about it really. No one ever quite asked and why dredge up old mistakes? Of course, he had never really said sorry either- at least not to the person who mattered most. There just didn't seem to be enough time or space or… it never came up really. Will was too smitten with Djaq to demand an explanation and Allan was trying to allow Will his happiness by not bothering him. There was always going to be more time or there was supposed to be and then suddenly there wasn't.

The rain suddenly seemed to pick up- if that was even possible and he reconsidered his decision to stay outside. But sometimes the fire was too much work to keep at bay and sometimes it was good to be as alone as he felt and so he stayed, shivering hopelessly.

Maybe it was best they hadn't spoken of it. It's like he told himself- there was no good explanation anyway. Nothing could be said to make it go away. Course that didn't stop him from staring at that pigeons whenever he was in camp, trying to figure out what he would write to Will if he could. The bird was for emergencies, Djaq had said- and he doubted anyone else would consider his need to apologize an emergency. Not when Will probably wasn't even mad at him anymore because he was too happy and carefree with Djaq. Besides, he couldn't even write and it wasn't like he was dictating his stupidity to Robin.

Movement behind him alerted him that he wasn't alone and he forced numb fingers to clench his sword, holding his breath as it moved closer.

"Allan?" came the voice from a few steps away and he relaxed as he recognized who it was.

"Over here, Much," he offered, speaking over the rain. Much sloshed over him, huddled in his cloak that was rapidly getting soaked. For a moment Allan though the old servant had been sent to bring him inside, but instead as Much came closer, he pulled out a bowl and a spoon.

"Thought you might be hungry," Much said by way of explanation. "Tried to keep it dry but-" he shrugged and then shook himself. Allan nodded and took a bite of what turned out to be still warm stew, grateful that Much thought to bring it out to him.

"It's really pouring out," Much spoke softly from above him and for a moment Allan thought he was going to have to put up with one of Much's long rambles but then the other man went silent and Allan was content to wolf down his food while it was still a semblance of warm.

He looked up when he was finished, mouth open to tell Much that he was done, that the man could go back into the warmth of the camp. But Much was staring out into the rain, breathing slow, looking… exhausted. There was no other word for it and suddenly Allan found himself focusing on what Much had been doing for the past few months.

The man was determinedly upbeat at camp- talking almost nonstop, cooking, cleaning- obviously trying to bring Robin back to how he was. It wasn't working, Allan knew that- but he never thought what sort of toll that had to take on Much. The man looked tired and sad and lonely looking out into the forest now- fake cheerfulness washed away by the downpour. Allan shut his mouth and turned to look into Sherwood, seeing nothing but the brown of dead leaves and bark and mud.

Neither man said anything and sound of falling water surrounded them. And for a while they merely shivered in the freezing rain as the same fire ate at them both.

Allan didn't know how long it was when Much finally shook himself and left. But the man grabbed the bowl as if nothing had happened, not even offering a fake excuse for why he was standing there. Instead, he nodded his farewell, saying nothing about why Allan was still waiting or how much warmer the camp was.

And Much turned and walked towards Robin and Allan wondered whether it was worse to lose someone to miles or distance.

So I hope you enjoyed it and I always enjoy hearing from you!

Thanks for reading!