Title: Appreciation
Author: omteddy2006
Word Count: 1,096
Rating: G
Characters: The gang
Disclaimer: Robin Hood 2006 belongs to the BBC and Tiger Aspect. No copyright infringement is intended and no money is being made.
Summary: The gang worries when John disappears.
A/N: Written for rh_intercomm. The job has been filled. No other plot bunnies need apply.
When they awoke, he was gone. No one had any idea where he had gone, why he had left, or if he was coming back. It was unlike any of them to take off for more than a short time without telling someone where they were going.
“So, he didn’t say anything to any of you?” Robin asked for the tenth time that morning. He looked to each of them - Will, Allan, Djaq, Much - a group that had, by necessity grown very close in a short amount of time. Every one of them indicated that they had no idea what had happened to John.
He had been through a lot lately. It had only been two months since Alice and little Little John had left with Luke Cooper. John had been depressed after that, as anyone would be, but he continued to soldier on - making raids on the rich and deliveries to the poor. For the last week, though, Robin had noticed that John had seemed to be more melancholy.
He questioned the gang again. “Did…did John seem more unhappy the last few days to anyone? Did he seem quieter?”
Allan made a dismissive sound and quipped, “You mean ‘did ‘e use two words to express ‘imself instead of the usual three?”
“Allan,” Robin said warningly.
Before either man could say more, Will chimed in, “I noticed. He seemed kind of far away, in his own world.”
“I noticed it, too,” Djaq concurred. “He was not himself.”
The mood was tense that day. The mood in camp the next morning, when John still had not returned, was even darker.
Everyone was worried, but Robin was completely on edge. He was both furious and scared. Like the parent of an errant child, he went back and forth between being irate that John had just wandered off without saying anything to being mortally afraid that John had fallen victim to something or someone. Certainly John Little was a grown man who could take care of himself, but they were all wanted men living in desperate times. Robin just did not know what had happened and it was tearing him up inside.
Much fretted, more than usual. He was a bundle of nerves and his clumsiness around camp, caused by his inability to concentrate on his usual tasks, irritated Robin further. Allan, Will, and Djaq stayed out of the way as much as possible, moving to the far corners of camp to discuss in low tones possible explanations or solutions to the problem.
Later that day, Robin refused to leave the camp to intercept a cart coming down the North Road. After scrapping three plans of attack because he kept designing them with six men instead of five, he decided that it was not worth the effort this one time.
After midday, on the third day, Robin could stand it no longer. “All right! We will go to look for John. He has to be somewhere. We’ll ask in the villages, maybe someone somewhere has heard or seen something!”
The gang split up, each going in a different direction to make inquiries. Hours later, they returned no wiser than when they left. The sun was starting to set. Much began to put together something for the evening meal even though no one seemed very hungry.
At that moment, John walked into the camp with staff in hand, a bag over his shoulder, like he was returning from a trip to the market or a day at church. Five pairs of incredulous eyes met his when he lifted his shaggy head.
“What?”
“Where have you been?” Robin demanded.
“Fishing,” John replied.
“Fishing?” Robin asked, with an almost shrill tone. “John, you’ve been gone for three days!”
“You don’t even like fish,” Much added.
John set down his bag and sighed. “No, but Alice does.”
Everyone paused and just stared. It was obvious that they were waiting for an explanation for this bizarre behavior and John’s nonsensical answer.
John sighed again and then said, “Today is Alice’s birthday. I always brought Alice fish on her birthday, from a special place where she and I shared…special times together. I went there to catch fish for her birthday.”
As he finished his explanation, John opened the sack he had brought and pulled out fish - lots and lots of fish! The gang’s surprise was evident in their simultaneous exclamations of delight.
“Wot a catch, John,” Allan chirped, slapping his friend on the back.
“There must be thirty fish there,” Will said, his voice full of admiration.
“Yes, fish!” said Djaq clapping her hands. Something other than red meat and bread excited her greatly.
“Yes, well done, John,” Much said, not quite as excited as the others, but impressed nonetheless.
Robin was not as easily swayed by the display. “Very well, John, but you had us all worried sick. Never leave again without letting someone know!”
John looked at Robin with an expression that indicated he would not tolerate being coddled. “Look, I left in the middle of the night. I wasn’t sure I would go, but…I had to. Next time, I’ll have my scribe write a note and seal it with the Little family insignia so you’ll know it’s from me.”
Allan chuckled openly while the others tried to hide their grinning faces. Finally, Robin broke into a wide smile. “Okay. This time you will not be punished, but do it again…”
He slapped John on the back jovially and the tension was broken. Each member of the gang went to perform their various evening duties around the camp, only Djaq stayed behind with John.
“What?”
“John, you really did have Robin worried, you know. All of us were worried sick.”
John looked slightly ashamed as he apologized to Djaq. “I’m sorry, Djaq. I am. I just couldn’t let Alice’s birthday pass without…”
The smallest outlaw reached out and put a comforting hand on the shoulder of the largest. “I know,” she said. Then, she smiled and walked away.
John could see Much in the kitchen area, looking busy but not actually doing anything. He looked like he was trying to decide what to cook for that evening’s meal.
“I think I have your ingredients right here, Much.” John held the line up, displaying his large catch.
“That certainly is a lot of fish,” Much said with an almost forced happiness.
“Don’t worry, Much. I didn’t let Alice clean the fish on her birthday either.” With that, he grabbed a small knife and headed to the edge of camp. Much smiled and followed.