InsaneJournal

When Tuck had told them all about the church being broken into and vandalized, Marian had been on her feet right away. She'd gotten as far as halfway down the alleyway with Robin, hand in hand, before she started remembering that time that the Sheriff had shown up in the church. Remembered him leaning in towards her in the kitchen, far too close, remembered him whispering see you soon.

Marian felt her legs stop working, the Sheriff's hands on her again, crushing her against the wall of the church kitchen. (That had never happened! It had never happened then and there!) She'd dropped to her knees in the alleyway behind the Sly Fox and had thrown up the sausages and eggs she'd only just finished.

"I can't go there," Marian told Robin as he rubbed her back and helped her up. She tried to explain about the Sheriff being there, how she'd put her arms around him, how she'd tried to play nice, how she hadn't known which move was the right one to make, how he'd scared her so badly but she'd tried not to let the others see. All the words came out in a messy rush though, and she didn't know how much sense she was making.

Eventually, after Robin had walked her back the short distance to the Fox, Marian insisted he still go, help out enough for the both of them. She told Robin she'd feel terrible if at least one of them didn't show up.

Then, once he was gone, Marian locked the door.

God.

She had to get this under control.

Marian had thought that, with time, she'd get better, but she felt like she was getting worse, getting more locked up in her own little prison here. At this rate she may as well still be in Arizona with the Sheriff.

There was an eeriness to the pub when it was empty, and Marian doubled checked the locks before heading upstairs to what felt like the proper safety of her apartment. The sun was streaming through the window, and Marian booted up PUBG instead of having to actually think about any of the mess that existed in her brain.


On Wednesday morning, Marian rolled over in bed and rested her chin on Robin's chest, her red curls falling loose across him. "Let's do the market today," she suggested, shifting just enough to kiss his chest beneath her and then raise her eyes to his again.