Fic: Watching Your Back, Ending 1 - The Castle
Title: Watching Your Back, Ending 1 - The Castle
Author: wastingyourgum
Characters/Pairings: Much/Robin
Rating: 15 (Hint of slash, nothing major)
Genre: Angst, Slash
Spoilers: 3x12
Words: 951
Disclaimer: BBC & TA own until 7.30 tonight when the people will rise up and take control away from them in a glorious revolution...
Summary: Alternate ending number 1 - Much runs to the castle...
Notes: Beta services provided by the ever-lovely darkentwisted and robinfanatic
This is one of two alternate endings to Watching Your Back - please read that first then decide which way you want Much to run...
To the Castle...
Nottingham is burning. The streets are choked with thick smoke and everywhere people are streaming towards the castle knowing the town is lost.
Much dodges and weaves through the crowds, gasping for breath as he tears through the castle gates and frantically scans the battlements for any sign of Robin.
There! He's over the gate, rapidly firing arrows down into the streets below, picking off Vaizey's men with unerring accuracy. Much runs for the corner tower and takes the steps two at time. By the time he reaches the top he's feeling physically sick from the exertion and his legs are shaking like a new-born foal.
He staggers towards where Robin stands, a grim look of satisfaction on his face as another man falls with an arrow placed perfectly through his heart.
Robin hears him approaching, turns and only just pulls his shot at the last minute sending the arrow whistling over Much's head.
"Much!" He lowers the bow and runs over, crushing his friend to his chest, overjoyed to see him.
"Robin - I..."
"Who's with you?" Robin pulls him back towards the tower and starts down the stairs.
"No-one. Just me." Much gasps. "Robin - wait." He stops just inside the staircase, still catching his breath. "I had to find you - to tell you... I love you."
Robin looks up at him with a puzzled expression. "I know that, Much. I love you too. Come on..." He turns to continue down the stairs.
"No, Master..." Much sighs. "I mean, I really love you." He holds his breath.
Robin smiles and slowly advances back up the stairs towards him. "And I mean I know that - and I love you too." He puts his hand around the back of Much's neck and pulls him close. The world burns around them as Robin's lips meet his and whether the rest of their lives are for the next forty years or not even until sunset, Much suddenly doesn't care. He kisses Robin back with years of pent-up passion.
"I've always known that," Robin softly says as they hold each other.
"Then why did you never say anything?" There's real frustration behind Much's words and Robin can hear it.
"Because... because I always hoped you'd find somebody else instead. Somebody who could be free to return your love."
"You're not free?"
"No, Much. I have always been in thrall... to my title, to my King, to my duty and now to damned 'Robin Hood'! And 'Robin Hood' doesn't love you - he can't - but I love you. I always have and I always will - no matter who I am."
"Then.. 'Robin Hood'," Much says as he takes Robin's face in his hands, "I, Much, Earl of Bonchurch, give you your freedom" and as he kisses him gently on both cheeks, Robin can actually feel the weight lifting from his heart.
Robin laughs. Nottingham may burn, Vaizey may yet win and 'Robin Hood' may fall, but he has already won everything he ever wanted and now he can fight for himself as well as others. Much sees the joy light up Robin's eyes and to know he is its cause is worth the risk of a hundred battles, a thousand fires and one simple truth given in a castle staircase.
"Come on - we have to see how the others are doing..." Robin grabs Much's hand and makes to run down the stairs again but he's almost tugged back off his feet as Much stops dead. "Much? What is it now?"
"John." Much's face turns white as he suddenly remembers.
Robin's face falls. "No..."
"He... he..." He told me he loved me and I didn't even look back at him as I ran to you. Even you wouldn't have done that to me...
"Robin!" There's a great shout from the courtyard below them. John is standing there looking much as he did the day they'd pulled him from the mine, covered in dust and with a bloody head but very much alive. Robin races down to meet him but Much comes down the stairs more slowly, not knowing what he will say.
"Oof - steady! I just had a house fall on me you know!" John winces as Robin tackles him.
"Like that could hurt you, John!" Robin laughs and as Much joins them, puts his arm around Much's shoulders. It's a possessive gesture that John doesn't miss. "Nothing hurts you! Wait here!" He dashes off towards the gate.
"John..." Much hesitantly starts, "I..."
"He feels the same, doesn't he?" John cuts him off. Much nods. "I'm glad... Much, I didn't tell you because I thought you might feel the same about me - I told you because I had to. I knew you'd want to do the same with Robin. Besides, if you'd stayed in that house you might not have been as lucky as me."
"I should still have come back to help you. I don't deserve your love, John."
"You of all men deserve more love than it will ever be in my power to give you, Much. And none of us are ever loved because we deserve it, we just are whether we deserve it or not. You had to look after yourself for once - I hope you make a habit of it... and get Robin to make a habit of it too or I'll want to know why not."
Robin comes back over to them. "Guy needs our help on the West Wall. Are you fit, John?"
John smiles as he brushes pieces of plaster from his hair. "Oh yes, nothing hurts me. Well... not Much."
Much hugs him, sending up a cloud of dust...
Author: wastingyourgum
Characters/Pairings: Much/Robin
Rating: 15 (Hint of slash, nothing major)
Genre: Angst, Slash
Spoilers: 3x12
Words: 951
Disclaimer: BBC & TA own until 7.30 tonight when the people will rise up and take control away from them in a glorious revolution...
Summary: Alternate ending number 1 - Much runs to the castle...
Notes: Beta services provided by the ever-lovely darkentwisted and robinfanatic
This is one of two alternate endings to Watching Your Back - please read that first then decide which way you want Much to run...
To the Castle...
Nottingham is burning. The streets are choked with thick smoke and everywhere people are streaming towards the castle knowing the town is lost.
Much dodges and weaves through the crowds, gasping for breath as he tears through the castle gates and frantically scans the battlements for any sign of Robin.
There! He's over the gate, rapidly firing arrows down into the streets below, picking off Vaizey's men with unerring accuracy. Much runs for the corner tower and takes the steps two at time. By the time he reaches the top he's feeling physically sick from the exertion and his legs are shaking like a new-born foal.
He staggers towards where Robin stands, a grim look of satisfaction on his face as another man falls with an arrow placed perfectly through his heart.
Robin hears him approaching, turns and only just pulls his shot at the last minute sending the arrow whistling over Much's head.
"Much!" He lowers the bow and runs over, crushing his friend to his chest, overjoyed to see him.
"Robin - I..."
"Who's with you?" Robin pulls him back towards the tower and starts down the stairs.
"No-one. Just me." Much gasps. "Robin - wait." He stops just inside the staircase, still catching his breath. "I had to find you - to tell you... I love you."
Robin looks up at him with a puzzled expression. "I know that, Much. I love you too. Come on..." He turns to continue down the stairs.
"No, Master..." Much sighs. "I mean, I really love you." He holds his breath.
Robin smiles and slowly advances back up the stairs towards him. "And I mean I know that - and I love you too." He puts his hand around the back of Much's neck and pulls him close. The world burns around them as Robin's lips meet his and whether the rest of their lives are for the next forty years or not even until sunset, Much suddenly doesn't care. He kisses Robin back with years of pent-up passion.
"I've always known that," Robin softly says as they hold each other.
"Then why did you never say anything?" There's real frustration behind Much's words and Robin can hear it.
"Because... because I always hoped you'd find somebody else instead. Somebody who could be free to return your love."
"You're not free?"
"No, Much. I have always been in thrall... to my title, to my King, to my duty and now to damned 'Robin Hood'! And 'Robin Hood' doesn't love you - he can't - but I love you. I always have and I always will - no matter who I am."
"Then.. 'Robin Hood'," Much says as he takes Robin's face in his hands, "I, Much, Earl of Bonchurch, give you your freedom" and as he kisses him gently on both cheeks, Robin can actually feel the weight lifting from his heart.
Robin laughs. Nottingham may burn, Vaizey may yet win and 'Robin Hood' may fall, but he has already won everything he ever wanted and now he can fight for himself as well as others. Much sees the joy light up Robin's eyes and to know he is its cause is worth the risk of a hundred battles, a thousand fires and one simple truth given in a castle staircase.
"Come on - we have to see how the others are doing..." Robin grabs Much's hand and makes to run down the stairs again but he's almost tugged back off his feet as Much stops dead. "Much? What is it now?"
"John." Much's face turns white as he suddenly remembers.
Robin's face falls. "No..."
"He... he..." He told me he loved me and I didn't even look back at him as I ran to you. Even you wouldn't have done that to me...
"Robin!" There's a great shout from the courtyard below them. John is standing there looking much as he did the day they'd pulled him from the mine, covered in dust and with a bloody head but very much alive. Robin races down to meet him but Much comes down the stairs more slowly, not knowing what he will say.
"Oof - steady! I just had a house fall on me you know!" John winces as Robin tackles him.
"Like that could hurt you, John!" Robin laughs and as Much joins them, puts his arm around Much's shoulders. It's a possessive gesture that John doesn't miss. "Nothing hurts you! Wait here!" He dashes off towards the gate.
"John..." Much hesitantly starts, "I..."
"He feels the same, doesn't he?" John cuts him off. Much nods. "I'm glad... Much, I didn't tell you because I thought you might feel the same about me - I told you because I had to. I knew you'd want to do the same with Robin. Besides, if you'd stayed in that house you might not have been as lucky as me."
"I should still have come back to help you. I don't deserve your love, John."
"You of all men deserve more love than it will ever be in my power to give you, Much. And none of us are ever loved because we deserve it, we just are whether we deserve it or not. You had to look after yourself for once - I hope you make a habit of it... and get Robin to make a habit of it too or I'll want to know why not."
Robin comes back over to them. "Guy needs our help on the West Wall. Are you fit, John?"
John smiles as he brushes pieces of plaster from his hair. "Oh yes, nothing hurts me. Well... not Much."
Much hugs him, sending up a cloud of dust...