A/N: Hello all, in case you were wondering my surgery went well. They had to remove a broken bone, repair torn ligaments, remove scar tissue, and surgically break a bone and put a screw in. Needless to say I'm not a happy camper right now. However, youre reviews totally cheered me up! 3 in one day and another the next! Thank you so much!

Yulecogs: Thank you so much for you concern about my surgery and your review on the chapter! It was so sweet, I give you the present of your own green-eyed carpenter

soulprovider: Your review definitely had me laughing! I'm so sorry to leave you on the edge of a cliffhanger, but i had to do it. x

Anonymous: Not sure if you're the same on from the previous chapter, but whether you are or are not, I loved your review! I'm hoping for a happy ending as well but, you never know ;)

Time frame wise, the first section is the same day as Djaq and Will are supposed to be dish washing BUT Allan's section is supposed to be the next day after their nighttime conversation.

So, while I'm drugged up on painkillers and totally hurting, make me feel better and review! Love ya'll and enjoy!

Chapter 8: Feelings

Wind danced through the branches of the many trees surrounding Will and Djaq in the forest, whipping through the remaining leaves with such fervor that they fell to the ground with spiraling grace. The trek to the river where the gang did most of their washing chores, like bathing, clothes washing, and dish duty, was a quick five minute walk, three when Djaq was able to keep up with Will's long-legged strides.

The pair had said little after they left the camp, and the silence left Djaq to the worries that she couldn't seem to get out of her head. What should I say? What can I say? Will knows I'm a horrific liar, Allan tried to teach me but I was never much of a student. God knows I could never tell him the truth. Oh Allah, just please don't let him guess, Will would know immediately.

"Ahem." Djaq looked to her left to see Will clearing his through gently, trying not to disturb her when she was obviously deep in thought. "You know Djaq; I always used to be able to read your mind. We always knew what the other was thinking."

Well I hope you can't do it anymore Will…no offense…

Djaq didn't say a word, afraid her tone would give away her discomfort for the situation she was in. With a small smile that didn't reach her eyes, and a nod that was too stiff in his opinion, Will dropped the attempt to get her to speak.

After another minute of walking, the sound of rushing water brought the pair's attention to their coming to the river. Each outlaw set down their respective dishes on the ground next to them as they kneeled down on the bank of the river.

Picking a spot away from the mud, and a reasonable distance from Will without seeming offensive, Djaq placed down her mess of bowls, plates and utensils. On her other side, she lay down the patched up towel used for drying the dishes once they were clean.

From a small pouch looped into her belt, Djaq withdrew a small rough brush used for scrubbing and a lump of homemade soap, the sour smell of animal fat slightly masked by the infused lavender and rosebud oils. Rolling up her sleeves, Djaq picked up the first bowl and immediately set to work, dunking to bowl into water and scrubbing vigorously with the soap covered brush.

Her hands went numb after the first bowl, the frigid water already chilled in the late fall temperatures. By the third bowl, the tips of her fingers changed from bright red to slightly white, and Djaq sat back to take a break and massage feeling back into her extremities.

The Saracen took the chance during her break to examine her dishwashing partner, discreetly looking out from under her lashes so Will wouldn't catch her staring.

Will had, like her, rolled up his loose sleeves past his elbows to keep water from getting on them. Djaq sucked in a breath and couldn't help but admire the flexing muscles that adorned his forearms, wiry and strong from years of working with heavy wood and metal instruments. I shouldn't be thinking like this. Allan wouldn't do this about another girl…would he?

Admittedly, Allan has always been quite the ladies man. When he was still a member of the gang, every delivery day the women would dress to impress the most sought-after of Robin's followers. Before being with Djaq, Allan would flirt back shamelessly, enjoying every second of attention he received from all age groups of women. If he could admire some women, I can admire just one man. Just once.

She brought her attention back to her friend, regarding his body with an entirely new perspective. His tunic, pulled taut across his back from his position bent over the water revealed muscles straining across his body. Soft black hair fell into his eyes and Djaq's hand twitched with the desire to push it out of his eyes. His vigorous scrubbing splashed water up into his face, causing droplets of the icy cold moisture to run in rivulets down his slender neck and into the collar of his shirt.

Djaq's breath caught in her throat. Despite being in one of the largest forests in England, Djaq felt like she was suffocating, drowning in the open air that she could no longer inhale. On the inside she felt…unclean. Guilty. She was doing exactly what Allan had begged her not to do, look at Will the way he looked at her. Why was she doing this? She was completely and irrevocably in love with Allan A'Dale. Why should she bother looking at Will this way when she had someone?

A little voice whispered in the back of her mind.

Because, the small voice sounded with a mocking tone, you know that they would all approve of Will. Allan? They would never allow you to be with that traitor. Being with Will would make everyone happy; they would love the two of you together. If you were with Allan, you would lose the rest of them. No fatherly hugs from John, no brotherly protection from Robin, no teasing with Much, and certainly no admiration from Will. If you choose Allan, you will lose everyone else.

Djaq closed her eyes and groaned. Her subconscious had finally broken into her heart and mind, speaking with enough reason to doubt the love she felt for Allan. The idea of losing Allan shot pain through her middle, and Djaq couldn't help but gasp at the feeling of nausea that overwhelmed her other senses.

Before she knew what was happening, she felt herself be spun around and enveloped by two strong arms. The smell of wood, lavender soap and earth wrapped itself around Djaq and she immediately relaxed. His scent was intoxicating and so very…Will. She melted into his embrace and soon wrapped her arms back around his slim waist, her heart stuttering when he leaned down to press his lips gently to the top of her head.

Whether with happiness or anger, she'd never know.

Realizing what she was doing, she pried herself away from the hug that had cocooned her in safety and warmth and kneeled back to the dishes to avoid the penetrating green gaze that Will always looked at her with.

"Djaq", he muttered from behind her, his voice almost inaudible, "Djaq look at me, please."

She had plunged her hands into the river, hoping that the bite of the wintry water would rouse her senses and bring her back to reality. It half-worked. She immediately regretted her admiration of Will's body and even more so the hug she had so willingly allowed. Now there was no stopping him.

"Come on Djaq, I said please."

Heaving a sigh and removing her hands from the water, Djaq hoped the red on her cheeks would be ignored as a blush and blamed instead on the dropping temperatures as the sun dipped below the horizon. She stood up, her back still facing Will and her hands clasped in front of her. Agonizingly slow, Djaq turned around to meet Will's eyes.

The look she found was what she had been avoiding for weeks. His all-knowing, penetrating stare that knew much more than anyone would ever know bore into Djaq's deep brown eyes and carved into her mind searching for answers.

"Talk to me Djaq. I'm tired of you avoiding me. And don't say you haven't been because you and I both know that you haven't been acting normally for weeks. Did I do something? Say something to upset you? Because if I did I truly am sorry, I just…I just want to understand. Please, help me to understand." The begging tone and pleading in his emerald eyes tugged at Djaq's vulnerable heart strings.

Allah, curse you for making me such a…a…a woman.

Djaq sighed once more and looked down at the ground, kicking a lone rock away with the toe of her mud-caked leather boot. She began speaking gradually, formulating her sentences in her mind before saying them aloud, making sure Will wouldn't catch her in a lie.

"It is difficult to explain Will," was how she started her speech. She was afraid to continue, terrified of what she would reveal.

I can do this. Being with Allan for so long, some ounce of his skill must've rubbed off on me.

Djaq bit down hard on her lip, trying to stifle any grin or laugh at her own joke. The image of a naked Allan was the last thing she needed on her mind right now. However, the thought did calm her down somewhat. I do love him. Ouch, there goes the biting again.

"I've got all the time in the world Djaq, just explain it to me," Will crossed his arms across his flat chest, flexing his forearms once again and firmly planting his feet into the moist soil of the riverbank.

Ugh, those forearms…Damn it Djaq! Hold it together!

"Well Will, when I said it was a private matter I do mean private. You see, I've had," Djaq had to fight the blush that once again threatened to spread across her tanned cheeks and down her neck. She had to finish this though, "woman problems. I've had some bad woman problems every month and I've sought for help with a private wise-woman in Nottingham because I didn't want to use one that knew all of you men."

The end of her statement had fallen out in a clump of words but, the message seemed to have gotten across just fine. The effect was immediate. Will's face shot up as if completely surprised at the answer and the tips of his ears began burning red.

"Um—I—I—," was the best Will could get out before Djaq dropped back down to her dishes. She gathered them all up in her arms, though over half were still unclean, and began hurrying back to camp.

"I'll see you back at camp Will," Djaq whispered with her head down as she practically sprinted back to camp.

Will stood dumbstruck in the spot where she had left him. Something just didn't click for him. He could understand why Djaq would be so embarrassed to tell him but something just didn't feel quite right. When Will had a hunch, he knew he was usually right. And his intuition was telling him that it wasn't a wise-woman Djaq was meeting. This meant one thing.

Next time Djaq went on one of her little trips, Will was going to follow her.

Allan sat on the edge of his bed with his head between his hands. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't eat. Ever since his meeting with the Sherriff, Gisbourne and Greydan Allan felt anxiety crawl under his skin and into his belly. He had been sick at least four times. When he had gotten back to his room, he had passed out. Maybe he was overreacting but, this man felt different.

Yes, Djaq had been in dangerous situations before but something about Sir Lucian Greydan made his skin break out in sweats. He knew this guy meant business, and the Sherriff was exuberant with Prince John's choice in sending this particular 'close friend'.

After hearing the rest of the Sherriff and Greydan's plan, Allan left the room as soon as he was dismissed and sprinted to the nearest private corner to decorate the halls with the contents of his stomach. He could still hear the evil plan that had been set out before him and he knew he had to tell Djaq as soon as possible. His mind flashed back to last night and a wave of nausea hit him once again.

The Sherriff, after Greydan revealed the target of his plan, had jumped up from his desk and clapped his hands so loudly that they sounded like claps of thunder in the eerie silence of the night.

"Well Greydan? Let's finish planning the rest of this…this mission. It needs a name I believe. What do you think Gisbourne? What should we call this masterpiece?" The Sherriff barely gave time for his closest man to answer before turning around with a manic gleam in his eye.

"I've got it! We'll simply call it…Mission Saracen. Quick, easy to remember, especially for the simple minded, eh Gisbourne?" The Sherriff nudged the dour knight with his elbow and turned back to Greydan, his eyes begging for more information.

"Alright Greydan, you've given us a lovely little tease. But how about the details, hmm? I would love to know every little detail of this ingenious Mission Saracen. Come now, don't make me beg." But he was practically begging, all he needed to do was get down on his knees. Allan was sickened by the image of such a simpering fool as the leader of one of England's greatest counties.

"Indeed Sherriff I will tell you all you need to know. However, I feel uncomfortable telling it in present company." Allan surged with anger, he can't leave now. He needs to know as much information as possible to tell Djaq, she needs to understand how dangerous this will be.

The Sherriff looked at Gisbourne and then back at Greydan. "I assure you Sir Lucian that whatever you tell me you can say in front of Gisbourne." Allan knew this tone of voice, the Sherriff was growing impatient.

"It is not Gisbourne I'm worried about." Greydan looked at Allan and the trickster once again felt a chill seep into his bones. That man gave him the creeps, it was for certain. The Sherriff had obviously forgotten that Allan was in the room, and as soon as he looked at him he began yelling in frustration.

"Out! You heard the man, out! Gisbourne get your lackey out of this room, now!" Gisbourne grabbed Allan by the scruff of his collar and threw him out of the dark room into the silent castle hallway. Before he could even turn back around to look inside, the door was slammed shut behind him and the lock clicked shut. Allan was locked out, and all the information he needed was locked in.

Allan was brought back to the present and rushed to window, retching outside onto the ground below. His stomach was already completely empty, and his body felt stiff from the constant dry heaving. He knew nothing. Allan was always the one with the information, always knowing what to tell the rest of the gang when they needed to know something.

What was he supposed to do now? The best he had was to tell Djaq that there was a new man in the castle that had a plan focusing on her, and that she had to watch out everywhere she went. Like she would even listen, Djaq always seemed to disregard her own safety for the safety of others. Allan felt the need to talk to her before, now he was desperate. He needed to talk to Djaq soon.

Grabbing his cloak, he swung it around his shoulders and flipped up the dark green hood so no one would notice and interrupt him. He was a man with a job to do. He quickly left his room in the castle, speedily walked through the courtyard and into the surrounding town of Nottingham. He passed tarp covered shops with limited amounts of food; some apples here, cabbages there, perhaps some loaves of bread. Next was the butcher, whose scraps of meat had a green tinge to them and, despite it being late autumn and rather chilly out, the remaining flies in Nottingham seemed to find their way to them.

He passed by the blacksmith, the beggars, and came to the area of town stocked with pubs and inns. Snagging a piece of chalk from within his pocket, he walked up to the post outside The Golden Arrow, the last place he and Djaq had spent the night. He drew a large 'D' on the post in chalk and looked around hoping no one had noticed. Tomorrow was when the gang did their drop-offs in Nottingham and Djaq would certainly pass by his mark. She would see the 'D' and leave a mark telling him when and where to meet. He prayed she was safe until tomorrow, and that she would meet him before it was too late.

A/N: Like I said, please review! I need at LEAST FIVE before I update :) So get going! 3