Disclaimer to all things RH, you know the drill.

Chapter 19. Thanks to everyone for their fantastic reviews. I was really astounded by the amount of response last chapter. Enjoy!

Robin and Marian slid ungracefully out of the sewage drop outside of Nottingham castle.

"I'll never get used to that." Robin said wiping bits of garbage off of him.

"There are other ways to get out of the castle, you know, Robin." Marian whispered, wrinkling her nose at the odour.

Robin looked at her, "Well, I didn't see you speaking up earlier."

"Now, where would be the fun in that?" Marian countered, earning herself a smile from her rescuer.

"Come on let's go." he started to walk away towards rope that the gang had left there for them. When he turned around after a few steps, however, he noticed that Marian hadn't moved. She was staring at a tower room on the east side of the castle. He looked at her, confused. "Marian?" he called quietly, "We have to get out of here."

Finally, as if pulling out of a trance, Marian's gaze snapped to Robin. Then, everything seemed to register and she followed him up the rope and over the castle walls. As they climbed, Marian recalled the last conversation that she had with the Sheriff before he left her alone in the dungeon.

" You should be comfortable here, I think Lady Marian." The Sheriff said in an amused tone, "Well, at least it's probably more cozy here than in the forest." he gave a little cackling laugh

Marian only pursed her lips in response.

"Oh, and one more thing. Before you run off with your sweet Robin, you should know that you have as much time as you need to find the location of the money." he paused as he watched Marian look at him,clearly very surprised. "A Clue: No. You have three days. Three days and if I don't have a fat chest full of gold at my feet, Sir Edward will swing." his eyes narrowed, "That should be a little incentive for you." he left the cell and had the jailer lock the door behind him

"Have fun." he added, with a venomous sweetness. He then dissapeared into the dark and out of the dungeon.

It wasn't long before Marian and the outlaws were in the safety of Sherwood forest. She tried to make it seem like everything was normal, but she could tell that she wasn't doing a very good job at it. Robin kept looking back at her, trying to read her face in the moonlight, but he couldn't. So, he tried convincing himself that he was imagining things and focused on getting to the camp.

Once they arrived, Much showed Marian the makeshift bed they had made for her that evening. Gratefully, she slid onto the bedroll and closed her eyes, making it seem like she had practically passed out from exhaustion. Satisfied with what he saw, Robin soon let sleep take over him.

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The next morning Robin awoke with a start. Then, realizing he was at the camp and not in the middle of a desert in the Holy Land, he felt his muscles slowly relax from the tense position that they had been in for most of the night. It was just after dawn and none of the outlaws would be awake for another hour or two. He rubbed his eyes and wiped the sweat from his brow, silently cursing his terror filled dreams of blood soaked sand and a faceless enemy that kept chasing him. After blocking these painful images from his mind, the rightful Lord of Lockesly sat up to observe his surroundings. Everything seemed normal until his gaze fell upon Marian's bedroll.

It was empty. Robin sighed as he got up and walked in search of her. What could she be doing up at this hour? He followed her fresh footprints through the forest until he reach a tree where they stopped. He looked up and found Marian sitting on a branch, one leg swinging down. Her eyes were only slightly opened, almost making it look like she was asleep.

"What are you doing awake?" he asked.

"What are you doing awake?" she asked back.

Robin gave her a lazy smile. "I never sleep past this hour."

"Why?" curiousity always seemed to get the better of her.

"You don't want to know." was all he said, climbing up the tree to settle himself on the branch below her. Marian had a feeling that was all he was going to say.

"I couldn't sleep." she said softly

"Dreams?" he asked, gazing in her eyes, looking for some hint of...well something. Her face had been blank ever since they had brought her to the camp. At first he put it to exhaustion, but after seeing her this morning, he knew that it had to go deeper than that.

"Conscience." was her short answer. For a while she avoided his eyes, but somehow found herself being magnetically pulled to it. She saw how he felt for her and how he desperately wanted to make her feel alright. She wished she could let him.

"What is it?" he whispered earnestly, praying he would get some sort of response.

"I-I" she hesitated, unsure of what to say, "I just feel terrible for doing that to my father. He worries about me so much." was what came out. This half-truth came out easier than she thought. Robin nodded, looking like he definately believed her. However, she was reminded of when he asked her about what she had said in his delirious state. She waited for him to say that he didn't believe her, but he didn't. He suspected nothing.

"I'm sorry." he said, "I would not have chosen this for you." he reached up and trailed his finger along her cheek. Marian closed her eyes and felt her body warm to his touch. She took his hand and took it between her own. There was no way that she could allow herself to lead Robin on, while betraying him. That was the least she could do for him. She let go of his hand and shook her head.

"But, I thought..." Robin began, "Nevermind." he hung his head as if ashamed of himself. Too fast, he chided himself. After a few seconds of silence, he brought his head up with a content look on his face, as if the last few moments had never occured.

"Let's go get the deliveries ready, shall we?" he asked

Marian's face brightened at the fact that Robin didn't seem to be taking it too hard, " Alright. I suppose I might as well learn the ropes around here sooner or later."

"Who said we would keep you?" Robin teased.

"What, you don't think that I would be a good outlaw?" Marian feigned astonishment.

"Well, you would be alright, I think. Just not as good as me." he grinned.

"Is that a challenge, Robin of Lockesly?"

"A statement."

They both laughed and climbed down the tree. When the reached the bottom, Marian asked casually, "Robin, what did you do with the money we got that night in the cave?"

There you go. Hope you all liked it. Please Review!