Disclaimer: I own nothing - Robin Hood is completely property of the BBC.

Chapter 3

By the time Robin and Ava appeared in the outlaw's camp, Allan and Will had informed the others - Much, Djaq and Little John - of their unusual meeting with the young woman they had attempted to ambush.

Well, Will had done most of the talking - which was odd when Allan was around - as Allan was in quite a daze. He had come back, sat on one of the logs around the fire and stared into the bright flames.

Robin announced his arrival by calling out, ' Kids, I'm home! '

The outlaws, who were all gathered around the fire talking, immediately looked towards where Robin and Ava were to see exactly what Allan's girl looked like.

She was quite short, and had a womanly figure already - not too chubby, not too skinny, but with curves in the right places. She was pretty, though not the most outstanding girl one had ever seen. Her dark brown hair - left flowing about her shoulders - and startling blue eyes were definately inherited from her father. She wore a simple, yet elegant dress in a deep green colour that blended into the colour of the surrounding forest.

She smiled shyly at the people she did not know, before slowly walking over to where Allan was sat.

He stood up as she reached him, and cleared his throat.

' So, um, let's go for a walk, shall we? ' he asked her, ' We'll get no privacy around here.'

Ava laughed nervously, not knowing what exactly to say or do on this new situation. She decided to go along with the flow of things, and just follow his lead.

He shouted over at Robin, ' Robin! We're off for a walk over there! '

Robin nodded, ' Yeah, you do that! ' he called back.

Ava then followed Allan silently through the trees, watched the way he moved, the way he held himself, and the look on his face when he occasionaly turned around to check that she was still with him.

In less than a minute, they found themselves at a stream.

Allan leant up against a tree, watching in amusement as the girl 15 years his junior sat down at the water's edge and dipped her feet in, after slipping her green sandals off and leaving them on the ground beside her. He remembered that Rochdale had not many a stream.

' So how are you? ' Allan asked, pushing himself off from the tree and coming to sit next to Ava.

' Me? I'm alright, me.'

With a sort if proudness, he noted that she had the same accent he did - a Rochdale accent. Maybe now the gang would leave him alone, if there was more than one of thme.

' And how is your mother? I am right in thinking that your mother is Annabelle Klien? '

Ava sighed and nodded, ' Yes you are right, but she died a few months ago, I am afraid - she was rather ill, she had a high fever and she was not strong enough to pull through.'

Allan wrapped his left arm around her shoulders, and thought initially suprised by the gesture, Ava did not tell him to remove his arm, nor did she seem displeased with this.

' I owe you an apology,' Allan told her.

Ava didn't seem to think so, if the look of confusion on her face was anything to go by.

' You do? ' she asked, looking up at his face, noting how very handsome he was and feeling proud that he was her father.

' I am sorry that I wasn't around to see you growing up. If I had know that you were born I would have been there like a shot.' he looked sincerely sorry.

Ava leant her head on his shoulder, 'Fa-Allan,' she corrected herself mid word. He might not want her calling him Father - he barely knew her, ' I know,' she said softly.

' What? ' he asked.

Ava nodded, ' I know the whole story behind my parentage - my mother told me. You and she were both from Rochdale - from two villages that were only a few miles apart. You had a thing for a few months, and after a while, I happened. You were 15 and she was 18. You found out that my mother was pregnant with me and you said that you'd stick by her, only her father - my grandfather - weren't best pleased and he didn't like you.'

' Got that right. Evil old - ' Allan cut himself off, ' No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't say this to you - he is your Grandfather after all.''

Ava shrugged, ' I don't mind - never liked him, He's always tried to control my life, and my mother's too.'

' Well hen, there's something we have in common - we both hate your Granfather,' Allan grinned.

He sobered up to listen to what Ava was saying.

' My mother told me that my grandfather made her tell you that she had miscarried. And then she split up with you, and shortly after, she and my grandfather moved away from the village, and into another one.'

Allan nodded, ' I didn't know where she had gone and she told me that she never wanted to see me again. I was only 15 and I didn't know what love was, so I moved on. I guess they can't have moved far off because you have the Rochdale accent.'

' Yes. Mother and Grandfather moved to Rochdale Town, which I believe is a few miles out from Hangleton, where she lived before, and Teastone, where you lived.'

' I wish I had been around to see you grow up. You seem like a fine young woman, though I must ask, what made you come all this way to find me? How did you know where I'd be?'

' My mother knew that she was going to die of the fever - she could feel it - and she told me that she wanted me to run away from my life with Grandfather and not let him push me about any more. She told me that I should go and find you. I've always known your name, mother made sure to tell me about you. She told me that she had heard from a traveller who came from Nottingham way, that Allan a Dale was one of Robin Hood's men. Of course, everyone knows of Robin Hood, so after my mother's funeral, I took my granfather's horse from the stable an rode away. I've been on the move a few days, staying in inns overnight - I did not dare brave the forest alone. When I finally got to Sherwood Forest, I had no idea where to go, until a passing traveller - a noble by the looks of him, and the way he spoke about Robin Hood - told me to steer clear of North Road as that was where Robin Hood conducted him ambushes. I knew that Robin Hood's men were not bad and would do me no harm si that was where I headed for and now here I am.'

Allan looked impressed, ' You rode all that way just to find me? '

Ava grinned, ' I had to meet you.'

Allan looked thoughtful for a moment before asking, ' This may seem a little random, but are you a good liar? '

' Oh yes,' Ava nodded.

' Are you always causing trouble? '

'So my mother always told me.'

' Then you are definately an A Dale.'

He pulled her into a hug, which she returned, relishing every moment of it.

' So what are your plans now, Ava? ' he asked of her.

She shrugged, ' I don't really know. I had not thought about that. I just decided to find you and that was that.'

' I assume you have nowhere to go? '

' No, I do not.'

Allan took to his feet and helped his daughter up to hers. He began to walk back towards camp, linking arms with the teenager as they moved.

' How about I ask Robin if you can join the lads? ' he proposed.

' Oh Fath-Allan, would you? ' she cried in joy.

' Yeah, I'm hardly going to send you away now. And you can call me Father if you want to.'