Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from this writing. OC's and new plot belong to me.

This is probably one of my favorite parts in the first half of the story. Go Gretchen!

Chapter 25:
Gretchen. With the Shovel. In the Garden.

An escapade with the sheriff in Nottingham kept Allan away from Locksley for two more days. "We have drop offs in Locksley and on the north road today," Robin said. "Marion and I will head to Clun and check on the woman who was just widowed," he said, angry another was killed by the sheriff's men.

"I'll go to Locksley with Allan," Much spoke up. Allan hadn't even volunteered yet, so the fact Much was jumping ahead surprised several.

"Uh, Allan you want to go to Locksley?" Robin asked with a grin. Allan nodded with a grin.

"Alright, then. Will, John, and Djaq can go to North Road," Robin decided.

Much and Allan each grabbed a sack and headed out the back of camp towards Locksley. "Not being funny, Much, but what was with the enthusiasm?"

"What? I can't be happy to go with a friend?" Much asked and Allan smirked. "Alright, you guessed it," Much rambled on, "there is another reason, not that I don't like your company, Allan. Although perhaps not as much as Robin's, well before Robin and Marion became involved," he continued to ramble on.

"Your secret is safe with me, Much, but perhaps not with yourself," Allan shook his head. "Have you even spoken to Gretchen?"

"Here and there, in the castle," Much said. "I think she liked me."

Allan laughed. "I think she did, before…" he trailed off, wondering if Much knew about Ygrainne. He had never mentioned it, it had never occurred to him to. But surely in all the times they've been to Locksley he had noticed.

Most likely.

"Before what? Did she hear something bad about me? Are there even rumors about me?" Much asked hopeful.

Perhaps not.

"I meant before we left," Allan finished quickly. They had reached the edge of the village and did a quick scan for guards or Gisborne. They went to the families who were waiting for the drop offs.

Allan headed to the cottage and found Eleanor sitting out front with Tom in her arms, relaxing for a few minutes. "Can we talk, Nora?"

She sighed. "About what? I haven't changed my mind."

"Yet," he grinned.

He could see her fighting back a grin. "So we are back to seeing which holds out: my stubbornness or your charm?"

"Something like that," he admitted. "But I am telling you now, it will be my charm."

"And you say I'm stubborn," she sighed. "Can you wait a few minutes? Tom is about to fall asleep," she whispered. She carried him inside singing softly. He watched her place him in the basket and waited a few minutes more for her to come back out. "Just don't get too loud," she warned. "It took me forever to get him to sleep."

He waited for her to come back out. "I'm not going to be a good father. I am not the father type," he told her.

"You think that is my major concern?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, you have had longer to get adjusted," Allan pointed out.

"You don't have to get adjusted, Allan," Eleanor told him truthfully. "I'm going in the spring; you don't have to worry about me or Tom."

"You aren't leaving."

She frowned at him. "It's not your concern."

"You can't leave," he said.

"Like you did?" she challenged.

"Are you ever going to forgive me for that?" he asked. He wasn't sure if he ever would.

Eleanor sighed. "I understand why you left, Allan. I never expected you to stay."

"I wanted to stay with you," Allan said honestly.

"You aren't the staying type, Allan," she told him softly.

"I wanted you. That hasn't changed."

Eleanor looked surprised over that but didn't say anything. "Allan, you made no promises to me, there was no agreement between us. Not even after that night," she reminded him. "I didn't ask for anything then, and I don't know."

"Why on earth not? Do you not have feelings for me?" he asked in disbelief.

The shock on his face that such a thing was possible made her snort. "Would such a thing be so hard to understand?"

"Not being funny, but yeah, it would. Especially coming from you, Nora."

"Didn't I ask you not to call me Nora?"

He smirked. "Yes, Nora."

She had to frown at him on principle. "I won't marry you Allan. No, I won't be with you."

"Why on earth not?"

"For several reasons! You are asking under duress and that is never how I planned for things to be between us. I want there to be something between us, Allan. I won't have anything remotely like my parents marriage. I'm not expecting Tristan and Iseult or anything, but I won't have you because of Tom."

"Most women would be begging …"

"I'm far from most women," Eleanor huffed making Allan smile. "You don't even want to marry, Allan. You are far from the settling down type."

"I'm trying here, Nora," he huffed. "I told you I thought about you during the year. My feelings didn't change during that time."

"But they have now?" she shook her head. "My feelings are complex, always have been when you are concerned. But I realize several things now," she said.

Like she still loved him and it still tore her heart that they were in this predicament—she couldn't go, and wouldn't make him leave.

"Like you want to marry me?" he offered cheekily.

"Like, I love you enough to say no," she said. "So go back to the gang, Allan. You worked so hard to be with them again."

"I worked hard to be with you, too, in the castle. Don't underestimate me, Nora."

She looked over his shoulder to see Gretchen and Much talking over by the fence. "Huh?" she said, making Allan turn to look behind him. He grinned. "I have a lot to catch you up on," he smiled, and told her about Much on the journey, how he was terrified of dying without knowing Gretchen's name.

It tore at her heart, hearing they were nearly killed by the king they had gone to save. "I came back, safely," Allan said, as if reading her thoughts.

"Too much has happened," Eleanor said sadly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Gretchen had gone to draw a pitcher of water from the well when she ran into Much returning from the widow Trankey's cottage. "Much?" she said surprised. She held the jar closer as if it was a buffer. "I saw you, the other day, with Robin. Thank you for saving Eleanor," she said sincerely.

"Robin wouldn't let anything happen to her. We all know how much Allan cares for her."

"Thank you, even if you did it only because Robin wouldn't allow anything bad to happen," she started.

"What? No, I mean none of us wanted anything. I didn't want anything to happen to her!" Much said quickly, making her smile. "Do you need help?"

"I can fetch water on my own, thank you. Were you doing drop offs?" Gretchen asked and Much nodded. "I know everyone is glad you are back. Things have been miserable," she said sadly. She shook her head. "But enough about the troubles here in Locksley. Did you, um…how were the Holy Lands?"

"The same as before," he said leaning against the fence that separated them. "There was a slight problem as the king thought we were traitors and tried to kill us," he admitted.

"What?!"

He nodded. "We sorted that out, though. Now we are Richard's envoys here in England," Much said proudly.

She grinned at his attempts to impress her. He was just as sweet as she remembered. "I am glad you have returned."

"You are?"

"Of course. And it sounds like you have been busy already," she commented. "Rumor has it you already raided—or attempted to—the sheriff's mercenaries' barracks."

"We were scouting. A bit of a tussle, nothing we couldn't handle," he said, as if they fought mercenaries every day.

Gretchen laughed as she adjusted the water jug. She walked the short distance to fill it with Much following her, talking. It was easy and comfortable talking with Much, something she enjoyed more than she imagined. And she had imagined several times Much's return from the Holy Land. She never thought they would ever really have a conversation together, though.

"Guy?" Much asked surprised, ducking down behind the well.

"He spends a lot of his time here in Locksley," Gretchen explained as she tried to act nonchalantly as Guy rode by. "Ever since he returned."

She grabbed the jug and began walking back to her cottage. "Be careful getting out," she cautioned Much. "There are mercenaries still lurking about in Nottingham and in Locksley," she said darkly.

"You don't like the mercenaries," he noticed.

Gretchen frowned. "I never thought about their profession before, but this past year has made me despise them. Or at least one in particular," she said, mumbling that last bit to herself. She saw Allan and Much signal to each other as they made plans to sneak out of the village.

She had reached the cottage when Ygrainne came back from playing with Jess. "Time to make dinner," Gretchen said. "Do you want to help me?" Ygrainne nodded following her into the cottage. They found Eleanor inside already, looking up at the roof.

"I think we need to patch the thatching," she commented. "I thought it looked sparse last night, but now it looks worse."

Gretchen sighed. "Samuel always kept everything in such good repair. We will need to repair the filling in the cracks before winter," she added. "It was miserable last winter," she said. "It took me so long to figure out the right mixture. And we need to start getting enough winter fuel," she added.

"Are there any village men who can help us?" Eleanor asked.

"They are so few now, and they are looking after their own families or being conscripted in the sheriff's schemes. He seems to need more workers every day."

Eleanor nodded. She wasn't surprised. "So we have a lot of work to do," she said. "We…" she trailed off as they heard squeals.

Gretchen and Eleanor ran outside to see pigs running across their garden, trampling and eating. "What?!" Gretchen asked.

"Pity," Gideon, the mercenary, drawled as he watched on.

Gretchen frowned at him and grabbed a shovel. "Eleanor, how about some bacon?" she said and chased up to the nearest pig. Between the two of them they chased the pigs off and studied the ruins of the garden.

"You come one step closer and I'll use this shovel on you," Gretchen warned Gideon. "I am through with your harassment. Take some other cottage," she yelled. "This is mine."

"We'll see. Harvest is on us, and it looks like you have nothing left, really, to harvest," he said easily as he walked off, reminding them of the threat if they involved their outlaw friends.

Gretchen was going to chase after him with the shovel but Eleanor grabbed her around the waist. "Greta, no," she said. "Let him go. We have too much to do," she said soberly. "We have to see what we can save."

Gretchen threw the shovel on the ground. "He had to have let them in," she argued.

"Of course he did! But do you think you can really bash him upside the head? He is twice your sized and a trained warrior."

"And I am one severely angry woman," Gretchen warned.

"I know; I don't doubt what you can do. But think how he would retaliate," Eleanor reasoned. "Come on," she said as she walked among the garden. She heard a cry and went inside to find Tom. "Ygrainne, can you help us?" Eleanor asked

Ygrainne came out and stood their, the shock evident on her little face. "What happened?" she demanded.

Eleanor bit back a laugh. She was so much like Gretchen.

"There was an accident," Gretchen told her niece. "We need to clean up. Fetch some baskets," she asked Ygrainne. She made a few trips to bring them several baskets, sitting in the dirt to gain her breath. "You did wonderful, love," Gretchen said and saw the pride in Ygrainne's face. "We are going to harvest early," Gretchen decided.

"I can pull!"

The women snickered. "We are going to have dig a little," she warned. The pigs had chewed off the tops of several of the vegetables. They dug through to find the carrots and radishes.

Soon Gretchen noticed Ygrainne was dirty; tired, dirty, and happy, but also hungry. "Let's go eat, little one," she told Ygrainne, picking her up. She washed Ygrainne and then went to make something quick to eat. Eleanor brought Tom in so Gretchen could watch him and then went out to haul in the vegetables they had harvested. Neither wanted to talk in front of the little girl; she wouldn't understand what was wrong but would certainly pick up on their worry, so they kept the conversation light.

After Tom and Ygrainne were asleep, the two lit the candles and looked over what they had salvaged so far. "We barely had enough to make it through winter," Gretchen sighed. "Now we don't have even that much," she said. "I didn't want to have to rely on Robin for my survival," she admitted.

"You mean, you didn't want Much to see you destitute," Eleanor said.

"I didn't want to be one of the hundreds of destitute, begging, worthless peasants," Gretchen nodded, defeated.

"I didn't think you cared about him anymore," Eleanor wondered.

"I tried not to! Then he had to show up and corner me today. I thought maybe I could dare to hope. Now I don't know," Gretchen sighed. "Today had been a long, weary day."

Eleanor nodded. "And tomorrow is going to be longer," she predicted.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They were up at dawn and managed to get some work in the garden done before Ygrainne and Tom woke up. Gretchen took Ygrainne to her friend Jess's house and asked if she could borrow their ladder for the day. Eleanor took Tom as she went to barter a bushel of their newly harvested vegetables for some of the thatching.

"I wish I were a man," Gretchen sighed. "At least we will be warm and dry, even if we are hungry," she decided as she mixed up the mud to fill the cracks in the walls. Eleanor had placed Tom in the basinet inside before climbing up to the roof. She hauled up the thatching. Gretchen waited for her to get up safely before climbing up herself to reach the top most logs.

They were working efficiently, talking happily, laughing at how differently life was then they imagined it would be when they worked in Nottingham. "If you had asked me when I first arrived in Nottingham that nearly 2 years later I would be ostracized, bare the man I love's son, and refuse to be with him, I would have called you mad," Eleanor grinned.

"So why do you refuse him?" Gretchen asked.

"Do you honestly see Allan as wanting to be tied down? He wouldn't have asked if it wasn't for Tom."

"I don't know, Elle. I think you might have changed his mind," Gretchen admitted. "Not easily, mind you. But I think you would have."

"We'll never know."

"I think there is more you aren't saying," Gretchen stated. She knew Eleanor too well.

Eleanor sighed. "I couldn't stand it if, after a few years, the only reason we were together was because of Tom. I don't want to be with a man who doesn't love me. I've seen what kind of relationship that is like."

"Elle… Allan would never hurt you, like your father did," Gretchen said. "Even if your worst fear came true and he stopped loving you, he would never, never hurt you like that."

"This past year has taught me that watching Allan fall out of love with me would hurt worse than anything my father did," Eleanor said softly as she worked. Gretchen knew there was something else but didn't push.

It was a few minutes later a shout startled them, forcing Gretchen to fear for a moment she would fall. "What the bloody hell do you think you are doing?" Allan asked as he made his way to them.

"Trying not to keel over in shock!" Gretchen reprimanded. "How dare you frighten us like that, Allan!"

"At least I don't have to worry about falling through the roof," Eleanor commented. "I am proud of my handiwork," she nodded.

Allan held the ladder and helped Gretchen down. "Are you insane? What if either of you got hurt?"

"Believe me, after everything, this is the least of my fears," Gretchen muttered.

"What?" Will asked behind her, making her jump.

"That simply these are the least of my problems," Gretchen admitted.

"May I?" Will asked Gretchen as Allan argued with Eleanor.

"If Eleanor gets off the roof," Gretchen grinned.

"What do you mean you don't want to come down?" Allan demanded.

"Simply that I am not going to do as you ask in that tone, Allan," she huffed. "I like having such an elevated view," she decided.

"Stubborn woman," he huffed. "You are going to make me come up there and get you down?"

"Why I never! I am not incompetent, Allan a Dale. I got myself up here, I can certainly get myself down," she yelled at him, leaning over to look down at him.

"Are you trying to make my heart fail? Don't do that!"

She smirked. "Why Allan a Dale, are you being funny?"

"Nora, will you please get down?" he asked.

She easily climbed down. Allan reached up and lowered her the last several feet. "I think I was safe enough," Eleanor reprimanded him.

He grinned saucily. "Where would the fun be in that?"

She playfully shoved him as she went in to check on Tom. "Still incorrigible," she muttered. Allan grinned to himself; there was hope.

Will climbed up to see what he could do to help, smiling at the exchange. Much had been talking with Gretchen as the other outlaws arrived. "My lady," Gretchen said with a quick curtsey. "You shouldn't risk being seen," she said. "Elle told me others think you are dead."

"I will hide when Guy arrives, if we are still here," she promised. "It is the only way they let me out of the camp. And enough with the 'Lady' and bowing!" she insisted. "We are beyond that, Gretchen. You too, Eleanor!" she added as she saw Eleanor turn the corner.

"Things can't get much worse for us," Eleanor grinned. "But I don't think all of you can work on the roof," she commented.

"There isn't much to do, now," Will called down.

"We have plenty of other things we can do," Allan decided. He gave Much the chinking material and Much and Djaq went on to work on the logs. John borrowed an ax and went off to chop them wood. "May I?" Marion asked, seeing Tom. Eleanor gently handed him over. "He's adorable! May I watch him?"

"If you tire of him, let me know. His basket is there," Eleanor nodded. She fetched one for the garden and went off to work with Gretchen.

"What happened?" Robin asked seeing the state of the garden.

"There was an accident," Eleanor said as Gretchen grumbled.

"What kind of accident?" Allan asked. Neither said anything. "Nora? Greta? The pair of you are determined to make my life miserable," he grumbled.

"The garden is just the latest in a series of antagonisms," Gretchen said. "It is nothing we can't handle."

"Bullocks," Allan said. "Come on, Greta. I know you are lying."

She frowned at him, missing the look on Much's face. He hadn't realized how close Allan and Gretchen had become in the Castle.

"Don't you see that you being here is making things worse?" Greta said.

"How are we making things worse?" Robin asked.

John dropped a load of firewood. "Who?" he asked.

"It is nothing, just drop it," Eleanor said nervously.

"You don't need to be worried, Nora," Allan assured her. "We are just wanting to help."

"Just let it go," Eleanor insisted.

"But…" Marion began but Allan cut her off.

"Anything else you need us to do?" Allan asked.

Eleanor shook her head. "No, just go. You must have much work to get done. There are many others who need your help. We can take care of ourselves," she instead.

"We have been for some time," Gretchen insisted.

"Alright," Robin said as Eleanor took Tom back. "You know if you need anything, you can call on us," he insisted.

"Thank you," Gretchen said.

John and Will went to help some others with their cottages, Djaq and Marion went to visit a sick family. "Gretchen!" a little voice called out, drawing all of their attention. Allan, Much, Robin, Gretchen, and Eleanor turned to see Ygrainne running up to them. "Henry pulled my hair and threw my doll in the trough," she cried.

Gretchen pulled her close. "Henry is a canker sore," she told Ygrainne who giggled.

"He says you won't be my mommy now that the baby is here," she added, sniffling. "I told him he kissed toads and that's why he had warts."

"Come on, little one," Gretchen said picking her up. "We will go inside and have something to eat and have our first talk about boys," she decided.

Eleanor had seen Much's face when Ygrainne arrived, and guessing by Gretchen's reaction, she had noticed it, too. Complete shock—and not necessarily a pleasant one—had colored his face. She followed them inside with Tom, leaving the outlaws to their business.

Gretchen had put Ygrianne down for a nap after she had a good cry. "Did you see his face? You must have," Gretchen said sadly. "I was a bloody imbecile to think he knew about her, and that he was okay with it. I mean, look at you and Allan! That is complicated and it is his own child! How can I expect someone to accept one that isn't their own?"

"You don't know what he is thinking," Eleanor reminded her.

"You saw his face, Elle. I don't even know him well enough to know what he thought about me. For all I know, even if I was unattached with no responsibilities he wouldn't be interested."

"He was interested, I don't doubt that," Eleanor insisted.

"Was, being the important part of that sentence," Gretchen predicted. "We have a little time to ourselves, let's finish getting this garden out," she decided.

"Why didn't you find out what they are hiding?" Robin asked Allan on the way back through Sherwood.

"Whatever it is has frightened Nora, and she won't talk about it."

"All the more reason for her to say something," Marion drawled.

Allan shook his head. "She was to nervous today," he said. He had seen the way she was when she suddenly found herself surrounded by the large number of men. Even if they were his friends he realized she had never met them. "I'll find out, though, don't worry," he promised.

"Another spying mission?" Djaq teased.

"Nora is too stubborn to say what is wrong and ask for help," Allan frowned.

He looked over at Much. That is what I must have looked liked to some degree he thought with a grin.

"Tonight, we pick up the corn to be distributed," Robin decided. "We can make the winter drop offs tomorrow."

We see Marguerite in the next chapter ^_^

Thanks to House of Nickel (All in good time! Unbeknownst to Allan, they have more issues to work out, or at least Eleanor does. Some I've hinted at here) and 111 (Happy Birthday!!!!)