A/N: The outlaws actually talk in this chapter – wonderful!

I don't own anything.

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"I'm not being funny right, but shouldn't she have woken up by now?"

Ava felt herself returning to consciousness, swimming against the tide in a dark, dark river.

"She had a heavy blow to the head and there is much bruising."

The voice was heavily accented and Ava frowned as she concentrated on the words.

"Will she be ok?"

The question was soft, concerned and had something familiar about it. Ava made an effort and opened her eyes. There were three blurred figures standing not far off. Ava groaned, if everything was going to look like this there didn't seem much point in being awake. After blinking a couple of times to try and bring them into focus she opened her eyes to find they were looking down at her.

Allan looked up at Will,

"Huh, she's awake."

They both smiled. Djaq on the other hand knelt beside her to administer some sort of powder. Though it made her cough at first, when she managed to swallow it her head began to clear and she felt better. She struggled to sit up and looked around her. It was early evening, darkness was approaching and she was in a forest. Sherwood Forest. Which meant only one thing.

Robin Hood.

Just as she reached these conclusions there was a shout from not far away and they all looked up. Three men were approaching. Well, two men and one great hulking giant of a man. They got closer.

"How is she?"

"Awake,"

Allan still seemed a bit in awe of this fact.

"Good, let's get moving then," the obvious leader approached Ava and held out a hand to help her to her feet. "Hello, I'm Robin Hood."

Ava could make no answer; she was reeling from suddenly standing up. Feeling her knees buckle beneath her she reached out a hand to steady herself against the trunk of the tree, instead meeting the soft fabric of a sleeve. Will's hand caught hold of her arm and helped steady her as Robin called for John. The large man came towards them and with such solid strength supporting her Ava was able to walk the couple of hundred meters to their camp.

Apparently she had been ill enough for Djaq to worry about her being carried that much further. Now however she was merely hungry and very tired.

Reaching the fireside John helped her sit comfortably on the ground and Much fell to preparing some food.

"What's your name?" Robin's question was quiet.

"Ava,"

Her voice was alarmingly croaky and she coughed a little to try and clear her throat. Much and Djaq were having some sort of silent struggle over who used which implements and the amount of fire space but everyone else was quiet and uncommunicative.

Ava was handed a bowl of some sort of stew and a cup of bitter liquid at the same time. After a deep breath she swallowed the liquid in one before hastily taking several tongue burning mouthfuls of stew.

Still no one said anything. Ava looked at each person in turn before deciding to start the conversation.

"Why did you save me?"

She spoke quietly enough but they all reacted, most to throw wary looks at Robin. It was he who spoke,

"Because you're innocent."

"How do you know I'm not the Nightwatchman?"

"We know," a raised eyebrow clearly showed she thought this no sort of answer. "We know because we know the real Nightwatchman. And even if you were, that still makes you innocent."

Robin smiled and Ava was going to return it before Much launched into speech.

"Who are you? How do we know you're innocent? The Sheriff said you were a common thief!"

"Much!"

Robin protested and the others reacted with amused exasperation, Djaq and Allan grinning at each other.

It was Ava who silenced him though. Her look of cold disdain was enough to make him reconsider what he had said, particularly the 'common' part, but she completely disarmed him by suddenly smiling and leaning towards him,

"He says you are a common thief too,"

Robin let out a shout of laughter at the expression on Much's face and the atmosphere relaxed. The others received their food and Robin felt it was his turn to ask questions.

"What will you do now?"

Ava looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you can't exactly go home, you're outlawed. Where are you going to go?"

As the truth of his words sunk in, Ava felt her good humor leave her.

"I can't leave,"

"Why not? Do you have family here? They can go with you."

Robin had helped enough people escape Nottingham.

"I haven't got any family here."

"So why can't you leave?"

"Because of my brother."

Allan let out a sigh of confusion and annoyance, exacerbated by the subject of family.

"You know, you're making no sense – you haven't got any family but you can't go because of you're brother?"

"He's not here, he's away, fighting in the Holy Lands." Robin's look of frustration changed immediately to one of sympathy. "When he returns he'll come back her, and if I don't stay he won't be able to find me."

Her hand strayed to the green cross at her throat. The men of the group seemed incapable of voicing their pity and Djaq lent more towards practicality, though her large eyes were filled with compassion. It was she who spoke,

"You need to sleep."

Ava nodded in weary agreement, there was nothing more she wanted now as she felt the beginnings of a splitting headache.

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A/N: Hope you liked it – please review.