Disclaimer: I do not own Robin Hood, as it is all property of the BBC

Thankyou again to Mara Scarlett and xxCee-Gxx

This chapter is just some random fun to break between the proper plot. I couldn't help myself.

Chapter 10

Two weeks later - a month after Ava had joined the outlaws - she was ready to walk unsupported.

Today was one of the rare days that Robin had nothing planned - in the month that Ava had begun to live with the outlaws there had only been two, perhaps three, days when Robin had not planned anything to do and let his gang do whatever they want.

There was usually always something to do, be it some large mission to stop whatever new plan the Sheriff had or just the usual food and money deliveries to the poor people of the local villages, but not today.

Will and Allan were engaged in conversation about some girl that Allan had met last time the gang were in Knighton. Of all the gang, Allan was the one who would always try to chat up the ladies in the area, as he had a great amount of charm - something Ava always found odd since he was her father.

It often puzzled the others how Will and Allan could be best friends. Will was so quiet, reserved and shy with women, wheras Allan was a loud, confident ladies-man.

The others were simply sat around, doing nothing much.

Robin looked around at his group and decided to do something to stop the boredom,

' You know what I miss? ' he asked the others.

' No,' Ava replied, ' what do you miss? '

' I miss going to balls,' he admitted, ' I think we should have one here.'

This statement caused the others to send him odd looks.

' I'm not being funny,' Allan said, breaking off his conversation with Will, ' but we're outlaws, and we live in the forest fighting the Sheriff and his men, yet you want to have a ball? '

' Yes,' Robin nodded in all seriousness.

' There are only 7 of us, that is hardly enough people,' Much protested.

' So? ' Robin asked.

' So,' Much continued, ' there are only two women here, and five men, there are not enough of us to hve a ball.'

' Well I, for one, think it is a good idea,' Ava spoke up, earning herself an approving look from Robin, which she relished in.

' We will have no music,' Much pointed out.

' We could provide the music ourselves,' Robin decided.

Much scoffed, ' Oh, so you are a one man orchestra now, are you? '

' Obviously I am not suggesting a full orchestra, but I can play guitar and I know Will can play a flute,' Robin said, looking round at the others and hoping that they would also be able to play a little of something.

Ava caught his pleading look and spoke up, ' I can sing.'

' As can I,' Djaq said, ' I know some lovely arabic songs.'

' Well there we are,' Robin said triumphantly, ' there will always be someone to provide music, because even if all four of us are dancing, one of the women shall be able to sing.'

' What about food? ' Much asked causing the others to smirk, as it was almost always Much who brought up the subject of food.

' Do we still have that lovely big deer Allan caught a few days ago, in the stores? '

Much clapped his hands together, ' Oh yes! We do. I must say, I quite like this idea now.'

' Are the rest of you in? ' Robin asked, ' It'll be fun. And there is the chance to dance with two of the most beautiful women in Nottingham. ' At this last comment, he threw Djaq and Ava a wink, causing them to roll their eyes - he was always trying to use his charm to get them to agree to his plans. Well, not so much on Djaq, as she was seen as a man in the eyes of their fellow outlaws, but definately on Ava.

John shrugged, ' If we must.'

' Yes, alright,' Will agreed.

Allan grinned, ' I'm in just to hear dear William play the flute.' he then looked at Ava and added, ' and of course, my daughter's lovely singing.'

' Ava, m'lady, would you do me the honour of attending the ball?' Robin asked her playfully, ' I shall give you a few coins so that you may go and buy a new dress if you like. Djaq, you too must have a dress for the occasion.'

' I do not wear dresses! ' Djaq cried out in protest.

' Nonesense,' Ava told the other woman, ' It will be good for you to act like a woman once in a while.'

True to his word, after lunch Robin handed Ava a small purse with a few coins inside and told her to take Djaq and go buy something pretty to wear from the seamstress on Locksley, who was a good woman and would not tell any one that they had been there.

Djaq was insistent that she would not get anything for herself, but was only there to help the younger woman choose something.

Three hours later the two women returned to camp.

' Ava! ' Allan yelled, as she and Djaq came to where the others were.

' Hello Father,' Ava said pleasantly, oblivious to the looks of relief that passed over the men's faces.

' What took you so long? ' he demanded, embracing her in a tight hug, ' We were beginning to think you had been captured.'

Djaq laughed, ' Ava could not decide which dress she preferred and had to try several on.'

' Well next time you go anywhere you are going with an escort.' Allan decided.

' Djaq was there! ' Ava pointed out.

' I mean a man.'

' Are you saying we are inferior to men? ' Djaq asked with an evil grin.

Allan looked from Ava to Djaq, ' Stop ganging up on me! ' he cried, walking off.

' Did you buy something nice to wear? ' Robin asked, sidling up to the pair.

' I did.' replied Ava, satisfied.

' Can I see it? ' he asked, trying to look in the brown bag the garment was held in.

' No, you may not,' Ava told him with a smile, ' as much as I love you Robin, you are too nosy.'

(A/N: Loves him as a friend)

' And you, Djaq? ' he asked.

' Ava forced me to buy something. It is only simple though.'

' We went into the village and borrowed a flute and a guitar from one of the families there,' Robin told them.

' You stole from a poor family with children? ' Djaq asked in horror.

Robin smiled, ' Of course not! I mean we literally borrowed them. I asked and they gave me the instrument, and I promised to return them tomorrow. We never steal.'

Ava laughed, ' Never steal? We steal money and goods from the rich to give to the poor all the time! '

Robin shook his head and tutted, ' Tut, tut, Ava. Steal is a naughty word, we never steal, we always borrow.'

' Borrow? Boy are we in debt.' she laughed.

' Be quiet and go get changed,' Robin grinned.

' Don't tell me to be quiet,' she muttered on her way past him, swatting at his arm.

Half an hour later, Ava appeared in the clearing where the rest of the gang were sat listening to Will playing a tune on the flute.

Robin grinned, ' Ah Ava, looking striking,' he called.

' I thought you were hoplessly devoted to Lady Marian? ' she asked him.

' I am,' he replied, ' but that does not stop me noticing a pretty woman when I see one.'

' I look no different today than any other day,' she told him.

' Are you joking? ' Much asked, ' You look positively divine.'

Ava blushed, she was used to comliments from Robin, but not from Much.

It was true, that she did look rather more pretty than usual.

Her dark hair was tied in a simple,yet elegant knot, held in place by a ruby studded pin, and a few loose curls were about her face. The dress was a lot grander than anything else she owned: It was deep red, had a fitted bodice than laced up at the back with black bow, and the skirt was ouffed out as opposed to the usual simple dresses she wore, for ease when fighting.

' Would you care to dance? ' Robin asked her, as Djaq took to singing a sweet tune in arabic, and Allan began waltzing Will around jokingly.

The rest of the afternoon and evening passed with more music and dancing, and there was even alcohol - Allan had managed to talk Thornton into giving him some.

By 10 0 clock that night, Allan and Robin were very drunk.

Also by that time, Ava had danced with everyone apart from Much, who seemed to shy to ask, as well as sung many, many songs.

Finally Much asked for her hand, which she accepted and they stood up.

He placed his hands on her waist and she encircled his neck with hers.

Djaq was singing another sweet melody, though this time in English.

Much and Ava swayed in time to her voice. the other outlaws watching them.

Love,

It seems like only yesterday,

You were just a child at play,

Now you're all grown up inside of me,

Oh,how fast those moments flee.

Once,

We watched a lazy world go by, now the days seem to fly,

Life is brief but when it's gone,

Love goes on and on.

After a few more verses, Djaq finished, leaving Much and Ava looking at each other.

Much opened his mouth to speak, but only got so far as, ' Ava, I - '

Because then Robin came up to the pair and tapped much on the shoulder.

' Mind if I cut in? ' he slurred.

Much gave Ava a wistfully glance and said, ' No, not at all,' before leaving Robin and Ava together.

Robin began to dance Ava around very quickly, in response to Will's merry tune on the borrowed flute.

By Midnight, Allan and Robin were incredibly drunk.

John, Much and Djaq did not believe in drinking much alcohol though, so they were not.

Will was drunk because his best friend, Allan, was a bad influence and had insisted that Will have drink after drink after drink.

Ava was also incredibly drunk, because Robin was an equally bad, if not worse, infuence than Allan, and had just kept on plying her with ale.

Shortly after midnight, John decided to get the drunkards to their beds.

He managed to get both Will and Allan to their own beds, but when he returned from putting Allan to his bed, Ava and Robin were both asleep in the place that Robin usually slept.

It was the closest sleeping place to the fire - the centre of the camp - which was why Robin liked it, it mean he could see pretty much everything from there.

John looked down at the pair. Robin lay sprawled out on his back, and Ava lay on her side facing him. Both of her arms were thrown across his chest, and one of his arms was around her back.

John then looked over at Djaq and Much, and shrugged.

' Oh they can stay there,' he decided.

This caused great amusement the next morning

All of the outlaws were awake and sat around the log fire - which was not lit. Allan and Will were nursing bad hangovers.

Everyone was awake, except for Ava and Robin, that is.

When Robin did awake, he felt a presence beside him and grinned.

' Well,' he thought to himself, ' My charms work on someone then.'

He was rather pleased with himself until Ava's eyes opened and she rolled over to face him.

' Ava? ' he practically yelled, causing the rest of the gang to look over in amusement.

John had already informed a startled Will, and an angry Allan that the two had merely passed out, so now eveyrone was watching the pair's reactions to the situation.

' Robin! ' Ava cried in shock, backing away from him until she fell out of the make shift bed - Will having made beds for them all.

' We didn't...' Robin started, trailing off, as he caught his breath.

Ava's breath was also coming out in short pants, ' No...' she mumbled in anguish.

As the others laughed, it was John who decided to explain,

' Calm down,' he told them, ' You both passed out there last night after all that drinking you did.'

Robin and Ava grinned at each other and exchanged identical looks of relief.

' Right, right, we knew that,' Ava called out.

Does anybody recognise where the ballad Much and Ava danced to is from?