Stay With Me (Robin + Maria)

Get away.

(A/N: Wow! Chapter 20 already, thats kind of exciting, this is my longest going story (i think) and im glad you guys liked it so much... im trying to update this story as fast as possible, but keep commenting and voting, it means a lot to me.)

*Maria's POV*

I guess it was nice being back at home. For one, I didn't have to survive by myself because Robin just left me by myself for no apparent reason. But it also left me with a lot of time to think on my hands, and not to mention that Uncle Benjamin is kind of still mad at me. Well not mad, just 'disappointed' for leaving, but if you ask me, that's basically the same thing as being mad. He would never understand why I left, I barely understood.

At first, I only left so I could be with Robin who said he wanted to be with me. But the longer I stayed with him, the more I realized that maybe he wasn't ready for a commitment like that. He was so used to being by himself that a "relationship" (or whatever it is you want to call it) only made things difficult for him. It's funny how we were so open and honest when we decided to run away but I guess things have changed. But maybe this was for the better?

My bed felt soft and delicate against my roughened skin. And I definitely wasn't used to the fresh cookies at my bedside again, nor the dress that laid on the chair in the far left corner of the room. Maybe it was me that wasn't ready to run off in the woods like that?

The soft thumping of the heavy rain drops against my window were soothing as I laid back onto the silky sheets. This is where I belonged, I kept telling myself that until I finally believed it. But I still had those instincts and reactions from when I was in the woods. I'd hear the sounds of animals paws crunching on the fallen leaves and I'd jump up from the bed. It's just a reaction that would eventually go away, from being in the woods for so long. I hadn't even realized I was in the woods for that long. It's like those woods were eternal and youthful so that time never passes through them.

It must have been late at night because the Moonacre castle fell silent and the sky was dark like midnight with stars blazing through its mask of black. Sleep would be the best option for me right now from all the sleep deprivation on the forest, but I just couldn't bring myself to shut my eyes and put my eyes to rest. I still felt wide awake.

A loud tapping sound startled me from my thoughts. It sounded like rocks hitting against glass. Ugh. I stood up, shoving the soft blankets off of my body and padded over to the small window on the wall. I took a moment before opening it and took a breath then pushed open the glass to peer out at my dark surroundings.

"Maria!" I heard someone calling to me in a hushed voice, so not to get caught. "Maria, are you here?" The voice sounded panicked and distressed, but of course I knew who it was. It was Robin, probably here to yell at me or something.

"Get away." I felt the tears burning my swollen eyes from just the recollection of Robin leaving me to end for myself.

"Maria, please." He begged, and I could hear the raspiness in his voice as though he had been yelling for a while, or maybe even crying? No, Robin doesn't cry, we've established that a while ago. "Just let me explain."

I didn't want him to explain, I didn't want to hear another single word from him, to be honest. I couldn't care less what he had to say, he left me, he had his choice and now I had mine.

I went to close the window once and for all, but his voice caught my attention. "please, just one minute of your time." His hands gripped the rocks of the tower so hard that his fingers turned white and were seconds away from bleeding. I noticed the soft quiver in his voice when he said 'please. Wow, he really had been crying. I'm not completely heartless to I decided to hear what excuses he had for me.

"One minute, that's all." I watched him as he climbed eagerly up to my window. Now that I could see his face dimly, I could see that his eyes were murderously red and swollen. Robin latched his arms onto the windowsill and I could barely look at him.

"Maria." His voice was aching and pleading. "Forgive me, I don't know what I was thinking." I folded my arms over my chest and backed away a little. He caught me when he snatched my arm quickly (but gently) to pull me back to the window.

"You're lying." The tears were still stinging my eyes. I tried to keep calm but my heart was fluttering for so many different reasons; for fear, for love, for anxiousness, for everything; and I couldn't stop it. "Get away from me, yo-you're lying." I clenched my teeth and yanked my arm as hard as I could away from him, but his grip was tighter. He tugged me back over to him and before I could even react, his lips were on mine and he was kissing me. Lets just say, I didn't object to the kiss, once again. He eventually pulled away and looked at him with his eyes gazing directly into mine. "I love you, Maria."

Before I could even respond, a loud sound rang through the entire room, and Robin's eyes went wide like a deer in headlights. I couldn't comprehend what was going on at the time until I saw Robin clutch his chest then pull his hand away that was covered in his slimy, Crimson blood. He could no longer hold onto the windowsill as his muscles became weak and unwilling to move. He fell to the grass below him, his body limp and pale. He had been shot.