THE CAMP – SHERWOOD FOREST
Marian was pacing about the camp, back in her outlaw clothes tying her hair back up.

Alan was stood a little way away with his hands on his hips, the others simply watched as he sighed.
"Marian..."

"If Robin and Will get caught I am blaming you." She snapped, "And him for thinking up the stupid plan in the first place."

"I was looking out for you, he told me to." Alan cried, "Look your husband is one scary bloke when you get put in danger, believe me I know."

"I was fine." She shouted, "I am fine..."

"Yeh and what about the baby?" Alan yelled and Marian scoffed.

"I thought you were in danger..."

"I had everything under control." Marian snapped at him.
"Alan." Djac warned sharply, knowing that he was about to shout at and possibly upset Marian further.

She had not trained working on women let alone those who were with child but she knew that too much stress was bad. She was worried about her husband as well, but she trusted them to get out safely. They had been gone only one hour, she wouldn't let herself panic yet.

"They are back." John said from his place as look out.

The sense of relief was heavy for a moment as everyone spun to see Robin and Will running towards them.

Marian watched as her husband held up a bag with a distinct circular shape in it.

"We got the crown."

Loud cheers went up from the gang and she herself clapped. Robin threw her a look that registered somewhere between anger and surprise as he turned to the gang.

"I need to take the crown to Hull; the king still has supporters there... Sir Richard of Lee..." He said, "I will leave first thing in the morning."

"The morning?" Much gasped.

"Hull." Marian stared at him.

Will spoke next, "They know the crown has gone, no one can go anywhere yet."

John nodded once, "Fine."

Robin set the bag with the crown in it on a table and pulled his quiver from his back.

Marian walked up to stand beside him, "Hull?"

"I won't be gone long." He said flatly.

She sighed, not really understanding why he was suddenly so angry when she herself was not.

Usually their emotions heightened in sync... mainly because they were usually mad at one another.

"Robin..." She reached to touch his shoulder and he stiffened at her touch.

His hands tightened around the table that he had braced himself over.

"I know you are angry." She said firmly, not wanting any of the others to hear, "but I was fine, no one got hurt, and it went well."
He said nothing for a moment.

"Do you honestly have any idea, how much danger you were in today?"
She stared at him as he turned to face her.

Her anger rose sharply.
"How much danger I was in?" She repeated.
"Did I not just say that?" He snapped.
"If anyone was in danger it was you!" Her voice rose, "And not just today, every other day when you are prancing about with your bow showing off!"
"When I am 'showing off?'"
"Did I not just say that?" She smirked, mimicking his earlier words.
"Marian." He said firmly, taking in a short breath, "things are different now, you cannot behave like one the lads..."
"Why not?"
"Why" He demanded, "because of the baby that's why!"
"Do not treat me as though I am the may queen." She snapped, "You have known about this baby one day and already you are starting to put me under house arrest?" She laughed in short disbelief, "and it is not as though you have ever treated me like one of the lads."

"What does that mean?" He demanded.

She opened her mouth to reply but he cut her off.
"I value your life far too highly to allow you to get yourself hurt." He stated loudly.
"I can look after myself." She snapped.
"You don't have to!" He shouted, "I am your husband!"
"Do not raise your voice at me."
"Marian." He snapped and put his head in his hands briefly, "Do you honestly think, that in your condition, running around the forest and fighting guards is the best thing to do?"
She understood his words, and a tiny amount of her angry emotion crumbled, but the rest of her was not happy at his words.
"It is not a condition, and I sincerely hope that you are not going to treat it like one for the remainder of it!"
"I intend to keep you safe until the day I die!" Robin yelled, "and until you learn to appreciate that and I can trust you not to put yourself and our baby in danger, you can stay here at the camp."
"What!" Marian was even more angry about it now than she had been the first time he had ever said it to her, when Carter had been there.
"I mean it Marian." he snapped, "You are staying here at the camp."
He made to walk past her out of camp to calm down but she spoke.
"no." her words were firm and clear.
All the outlaws stopped breathing as Robin stopped walking, his entire body tensing as he turned slowly.
He glared at her.
"I do not need your permission to leave the camp." she stated, "I am not a man in one of your forces you can command, I am not your servant, none of us are...I am your wife"
Robin walked closer to her, so he was almost towering over her.

"And I am our husband, and I am telling you to stay here where it is safe."

She kept his gaze, but never in her memory had he been this angry with her before.

"And I am your wife and I am telling you that I wont be sidelined unnecessarily."

Robin glared profoundly at her. He was incensed, not understanding why she would put herself and their baby in danger when she didn't have to.

Leaving her at camp or away from the action meant she was safe, and that was Robins most important job besides Robin Hood, it was the part of their wedding vows he took most seriously.

The rest of the gag, even Allan, could see that this was not the usual lovers 'tiff' they witnessed from the couple.

Robin and Marian were both furious with one another.
"When I return from hull you and I need to sort a few things out." he said lowly, his tone leaving no room for argument with most people, although she still managed to counter him.
She kept his gaze, "and until then?"

It was one of the many things he loved about her.

His eyes flitted down to her swollen stomach, which was barely visibly pushing against the hem of her shirt.

It reminded him of another thing he loved about her.

His firm assurance came from within, that he was right in his argument.

She needed to stay at camp.
He lifted his eyes to stare at her for a moment.

Marinas insides twisted angrily, he spoke to her as though she were a child.
"Until then," His eyes were hard, "you stay here until I see that it is fit for you to leave."
Robin and Marian glared balefully at one another, just a few inches apart.
"Fine" Marian said quietly, her voice firm, but her eyes betrayed a small amount of hurt and upset that Robin alone was able to detect.
He stepped around Marian and picked up his bow before announcing he was going to catch dinner.

Much managed to ramble something about Rabbit and Alan chipped in about squirrel, while the rest of the gang went about their own business.

John and Djac glanced worriedly at Robin and Marian, who were still glaring at one another.

Robin stared at his wife, who always came with him. But she made a show of folding her arms and not leaving camp.
She made a show of showing him that their fight was not over or forgotten.

"My Lord." She stressed and tipped her head in a submissive and sarcastic gesture at him, showing she was doing his will and staying where she was.
Robin sighed and walked down the hill away from camp.

Marian sighed angrily and her eyes flitted to the open bag on the table, and the gold curve she could see sticking out of it.
Marian's eyes locked on the crown in thought for a moment before she looked back up at her husband's.

THE OUTLAWS CAMP LATER THAT EVENING

For once, Marian was wide awake when Robin wasn't.

She was lying on her side facing away from him.

She was not sleeping in his embrace as she normally did; both of them had gone to bed angry, their anger and argument had meant that both of them doubted they would sleep.

But Robin had eventually fallen into a fitful sleep, after they had lain awake for hours with a massive rift between them.

Marian had waited for him to fall asleep.

She looked over her shoulder at his sleeping face before she pushed herself out of their bunk and crept out into the main camp.

Having picked up her cloak and put the crown in another bag Marian set about attaching it to one of the horses near the camp that they kept.

Marian stroked its neck softly, remembering how Robin had 'bought' it for her, it looked so much like her old horse. The one that her father had bought her, the one that had perished in the fire Guy had started.

She was thoughtful for a moment.

It would seem ridiculous to Robin, what she was about to do.

She knew that he would be angry, very angry.

He could be possibly more angry than she had ever seen him.

Certainly today, was one of the most furious arguments they had ever had.

But then she also knew that there was no way he would let her do much of anything as she grew to be more with child.

Their argument today had proven that.

He wouldn't give her many other chances to get involved in his future plans whilst she carried his baby.

"What are you doing?" John walked up behind Marian and made her jump slightly. She looked at him over her shoulder but continued to saddle her horse.
"Someone needs to take the crown to Hull."
"No Marian... Robin..."
"Wants to protect me I know." she was firm, "but Robin needs to stay here where he can look after our people."
"You have seen what happens to people who the sheriff captures." John stared at her.
"It is because I have seen that that I am doing this." she said firmly.
John sighed, knowing that Robin was not going to like this one bit, but smiled sadly at Marian's brave words.
She smiled and stretched up on her toes to kiss his cheek.
"Tell Robin that I will be back soon, and that I love him..." she swallowed, "tell him not to worry."
John nodded, "I will."
He watched her as she mounted her horse.
Again John nodded, and watched as she turned the horse to ride off towards Hull.