AN: Ending B. Thank you to all who have stuck through with me to the end, apologies once again for not updating for what, 8 months? (?!) Thanks to all who have reviewed, alerted, and favorited this story :) Read on!

No one slept much that night, they did not want to be alone with their thoughts. But no one spoke much either. They took what little comfort they could from the presence of the others. The cell grew marginally lighter in the predawn hours. The group roused themselves as they heard a solitary set of hurried footsteps coming down the hall. There was a jangle of keys in the darkness.

"Who is there?" whispered Will, straining the make out the features of the person unlocking the cell door.

"Shhhhhhh," the man's voice responded, barely audible, "they will be coming soon we don't have much time." He slowly, quietly opened the door and made his way to Will, moving to undo his bindings. The others watched on in attentive silence. He handed Will his lockpicking kit before moving to release Little John with the keys. Slightly bewildered, Will moved to free Djaq from next to him, deciding not to ask too many questions with this kind of opportunity in front of him. The stranger release Little John and moved on to Allan, then to Much. The released outlaws crept out of the cell, senses alert to anyone who might be coming. Djaq was finally released and embraced Will. He held her tightly back, placing a chaste kiss to her temple. They turned to join the others in the dungeon vestibule.

"We have to get to Robin" Much hissed to the group, moving toward the door. The man cut him off.

"Let me lead, I can make sure the way is clear," he nodded his head to Little John, "take the rear. If we are caught, scatter. It is your only hope. Come, quietly." They filed out of the now empty dungeon, Djaq pulling the cell door closed behind them, hoping to mask their escape for as long as possible. They began to retrace their steps from the day before.

Robin spent a final fitful night in his cell, fighting his thoughts which seemed intent on disregarding his physical exhaustion. He thought of Marian. Was she ok? Gisborne and the sheriff knew the plan ahead of time, was she in danger? The guilt weighed heavily on him, if he had not been so careless they would not be in this position. He felt his heart would give up beating if she too was caught. He put those thoughts aside, but they were replaced by other failed responsibilities. Who would care for his people now? All the families who relied on them for food and support. Families. Little John's Alice and John would once again be without him, but permanently. Will had his brother. Allen… it hurt to think that no one might miss him. And he had come so far since finding his way. Thinking of far ways, poor Djaq, she'd never see her homeland again. Her family would never know. Last, his thoughts turned to Much and he slumped further into himself, as if making himself smaller would reduce the blame he could accept. Much, so loyal and true, for years with no reward. And yet he never seemed truly bitter, did he forgive Robin for all the grief he caused?

And so his thoughts chased themselves around through the night before footsteps approached down the hall. They sounded soft and hurried, not at all like the commanding and confident steps he associated with Gisborne, Vaisey or the guards. And there were more than usual. He took a couple deep breathes, wincing at what was likely a cracked rib, steeling himself for what was likely to be his final fight. He stood, about to call out when...

"Robin! It's us! Shhhh, hold on we'll get you out soon."

"Much!" Robin rasped, making an effort to clear his throat. "How did you esca-" the cell door clicked open. "Jacob!" He sent up a quick prayer of thanks. "You came back, thank you, thank you..." Jacob had swiftly moved in to unlock Robin's chains.

"I couldn't leave you. You give the people so much more than money and supplies. We need more people like you and I just can't let them kill you," Robin's wrists were freed and he lowered them slowly, quietly, to the ground "I'm sorry I couldn't help earlier, I was scared, I didn't know how, I -" Robin cut him off with a hug. The rest of the gang looked on from the doorway.

"I'm not being funny or nothing, but we need to get out of here. None of us have our weapons and Robin can't hardly walk" Allan pragmatically interrupted the moment.

"He's right," Jacob pulled back, making room for Much to come and let Robin lean on him. "It's still early and the guard change should be any time now."

"Come with us, we can help you too," Robin offered. Jacob shook his head.

"I need to support my family. And, maybe I can help you from the inside in the future." At these words, alarm bells went off in Robin's mind. He urgently turned to Will and Allan.

"We need to get her out. She is in danger now, please, get her out!" Will nodded curtly before the two strode purposefully toward Marian's chambers.

"And we need to get you out, Robin," Djaq motioned for the remaining outlaws to get moving. "Thank you Jacob, be well" she said as she took over supporting Robin's other arm. He tried unsuccessfully to suppress a hiss of pain as his ribs protested the movement. "Sorry," she muttered. The group left the cell, Jacob breaking off from the group to report to his post. The remaining group moved as quickly as Robin was able, stopping only briefly to allow him to catch his breath. It was slow progress, but they remained hidden, Little John checking around corners to clear the way.

"I'm not complaining, but where are all the guards?" Much asked as they neared the exit. He knew they would be unable to fight their way out, not successfully at least, so he was grateful they seemed more absent than usual.

"Maybe they are preparing for our executions later,"Djaq offered the morbid thought. A heavy silence followed, interrupted only by Robin's occasional gasps and winces. There was one guard remaining at the entry way. Little John went up alone and caught the man off-guard. He knocked him unconscious with one blow before he could raise the alarm. The others hurried out. They were free! They started toward the tree line of the forest, to their closest hideout as Robin sagged heavily against Much and Djaq. Without need for verbal deliberation, Little John lifted his unconscious friend into his arms while Much and Djaq hurried ahead to prepare for their arrival.

Much and Djaq arrived at the base closest to town and immediately Much set about clearing a Djaq a workspace while she inventoried her supplies, muttering to herself as she went. She started a small fire to heat water from the local stream and Much took the pitcher to collect the water. Before he returned, Little John hurried into the site and gingerly laid the still unconscious Robin in the space Much had cleared. Djaq visually examined him, for the first time they were truly able to see up close all the damage their friend had sustained in such a short period. His too thin body was crisscrossed with overlapping cuts in various stages of healing. Djaq was grateful, they did not seem infected. There was some particularly bad bruising around his right shoulder and swelling on one side, an injured rib. His neck was encircled by angry finger shaped marks. Much returned as Djaq finished her inspection and she immediately began her work, instructing Much as needed. Little John took a lookout post, to watch for friend and foe.

Back in Nottingham Castle, Allan and Will had snuck up the hallways to Marian's chambers. They peered around the corner to see one guard nodding off at his post outside her door.

"Must be near shift change, yeah?" Allan whispered. Will nodded.

"Let's relieve him before reinforcements show up" Will whispered back. The two men crept forward before rushing the last couple feet. Allan lunged at the man's head while Will aimed for his gut. Between the two of them, the guard barely gasped in pain before he went down. Will grabbed for his lockpick.

"Marian? Can you hear me? We need to get out of here!" Allan spoke to the door, rapping quietly with his knuckles. They heard movement on the other side.

"Allan? What's happening? Did you get Robin? You must hurry!" Marian replied. She rushed to grab the bag she had secreted away for such an occasion. The lock clicked and the door swung open.

"Little John, Much, and Djaq got 'im, they're out," Allan assured her.

"And we need to be too," Will reminded the two and he began to stalk down the hallway the way they'd come. Allan followed, Marian pulled her door closed. The longer things could seem normal, the further away they'd get. She spared a glance at the guard collapsed on the floor and decided the door might not matter. She hurried to catch the others. Will made to turn left toward a known exit before Allan stopped him.

"That'll be blocked, 'm sorry. They don't know about this one though," Allan took the lead toward the exit route he had held from Gisborne, in case he needed to get out quickly. For the only time that day he was grateful for his past dishonesty. They were hidden in the exit passage as they heard a roar from the main corridor, followed quickly by the sound of chain mail and armor hastily being donned. The trio increased their pace and Allan couldn't help himself and he shot the others a cheeky grin. "Got 'em this time!" They made their escape, blending in with some of the peasants milling around the grounds in the early morning preparing for their days. Once clear of the grounds, Allan and Will led Marian to the base near town. As they approached they could faintly make out Much tittering about and Djaq giving sure commands. As they approached, Little John met them shortly ahead of the clearing. Will and Allan continued forward but Marian paused.

"Is he ok?" She asked Little John. He breathed deeply before nodding.

"Aye, Robin is strong he'll recover," he responded gruffly.

"Yeah, that is, if Much let's him alone long enough!" Allan quipped as he poked his head back to the pair. "Come in!"

2 months later

The gang of outlaws sat around a low fire late into the autumn evening. Much and Allan were once again providing entertainment for the group with their antics. Much, scolding Allan for a recent infraction, Allan telling him to lighten up. Quiet laughter filled the camp.

Robin surveyed his friends, grateful to be with them, grateful for them. He quite literally owed his life to them. Even after he physically healed, they helped ground him in their mission. They had been there through every physical setback, the first time he'd faced Gisborne after, they had been there. Through nightmares and anger and frustration as he grew strong again and relearned his bow. Present, but not overbearing. At one of the earliest points of frustration, Will came to him and showed the new tags he had carved. He had felt most confident taking his first steps with Little John, a strong and nonjudgmental friend who would provide support while allowing them both to pretend he wasn't. When he was certain he'd never hit a target again, Allan came along to practice. Robin was sure he was missing the entire tree to lift his spirits, and he appreciated the gesture. Djaq made sure he took care of himself, with stern and caring oversight. Much. Robin tried to express more how much the man meant to him. He worked to be more open with his friend, he felt he owed it to him as Much often woke him from nightmares that felt all too real. He didn't share the details, but opened up more with his thoughts. He smiled to himself, thinking forward to the conversation they would likely have as the others fell asleep. Well, the two of them an Marian. She had helped him by letting him help her. Adjusting to the forest is a learning curve. He was sure she would have managed fine on her own, but she let him feel strong and useful when his body and spirit felt anything but. He eased back against a tree, feeling safe at last.

AN: Thanks for reading, this is the end of this story, a nice warm fuzzy one I hope (first time really trying the comfort side of things, thanks for the push StarryTroubadour!). I appreciate all of you who have read, left reviews, and added this to your alerts and favorites. It's been a process getting this finished up, this is the longest chapter I've written, especially if you combine it with the last chapter version... anyway, thanks all for you patience! Happy reading and happy writing.