No Emergency Exit; Merlin Modern AU
Title: No Emergency Exit (9/21)
Authors: mydoctortennant
Pairings: Arthur/Gwen, Merlin/Morgana
Warnings: None for this chapter.
Disclaimer: Not real. Despite birthday wishes and night time prayers to Santa (all Hail Amy Pond!) Merlin still isn't mine!
Rating: Previous chapters make it NC17
Summary: Sometimes relationships just don't work in order. Or so they find out when one mistake leads to a life altering experience.
Author Notes: For the lovely noodlesishere; this is a modern AU based loosely off of the Abby/Luka storyline in ER series 12/13. Some medical info I have taken from ER, so it's totally their fault if it's wrong! Other stuff I researched myself, which may not be 100% correct but I tried my hardest =]
Also; totally OUT of my comfort zone with this, so I worked extra hard. Hope it pays off.
Thanks to mustbethursday3 for reading over it for me (and suggesting Costa should sponser me for mentioning it so much XD) and purely_distel for the name =]
My Merlin Prompts Table
| Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
Part Nine
Arthur used to be one of the lads. He used to go out - when he wasn’t shattered from a days work - clubbing, pubbing, always on the pull. His longest relationship had lasted a month, and that was only because Morgana had bet him fifty quid that it wouldn’t last as long. So he earned his money and moved on. It had certainly been an experience, but he’d always had his gaze trained elsewhere.
When he was younger he’d given up any sort of hope that a relationship with Gwen was ever going to happen. He’d thought himself insane for thinking it was remotely possible and pathetic for pining after her for so long. Moving on had never worked. He had been faced with her every other day when they were teenagers and every other weekend when he was studying at university, when she visited Morgana.
Then she’d gone and got a job at the hospital, there really was no escaping her. He’d replaced feelings and emotion with being a bit of a prat, until everything had come to surface and now they were where they were.
It was all completely backwards, but at least now they were on the right track.
Gwen was sat at the kitchen counter with a number of leaflets scattered across it in front of her. She had one in her hand and was reading the back page that was full of times and 'further information' about certain classes.
The door bell rang. Arthur got up from the sofa in order to let his sibling into his home.
She entered, handing Arthur a bottle of wine and her coat; "Thanks Morgana," he said dryly looking at the offending garment.
"Be a good host, Arthur," Gwen said. Her voice was distant as her attention was still on the leaflet in front of her.
"I'm not a coat hook," he argued, hanging the garment by the door, "and she could have done it herself!"
"That's nice, honey."
"Give it up, Arthur, girl power," she picked up Gwen's hand and bumped her close fist to it, "See, solidarity!" Arthur shook his head in disbelief and went to the kettle, it was already full from earlier so he whacked the button down.
It was then that Morgana clocked the piles on the counter, "Where did you get all that from?" She asked, poking at one of the discarded pieces of paper.
"Work," she put the leaflet she'd been reading on her 'no' pile, and picked up the next.
Morgana swiped the one Gwen had just be reading and read the title aloud.
She raised her eyebrow and looked at her best friend, "You were seriously considering a class called 'Mommy and Daddy'?"
"It had good information," Gwen defended, not looking up from the new leaflet in her hand.
"It's so American and contrived!"
"Shouldn't you have some sort of pro-American attitude?" Arthur asked. He'd been milling about in the background fiddling with making tea.
"What because I'm Irish and they were our salvation. Oh please!"
"Doesn't Freya live over there now?" Arthur asked out of general interest as he took three mugs out of the cupboard. The amused look on Morgana’s face soon drop he mouth set and a glare on her face.
"We don't mention that name. Ever," she stated staring at her brother hoping her would shut up.
"What's wrong with Freya?" he asked, as far as he was aware Freya had been a mutual friend. Having Morgana acting so hostilely towards her confused him. He knew Merlin had a past with her, but surely it was just that and it didn’t have any prominence now?
"What's right with her?"
"Morgana!" Gwen chastised, "You can't say that."
"Sure I can. I just did."
"What did she ever do to you?" Arthur asked her, drumming the teaspoon against his hand as he waited for the kettle to finish boiling.
"It's not about what she did to me; it's about what she did to Merlin," Morgana stated, leaning on the counter and fiddling with Gwen’s ‘yes’ pile.
"Doesn't he still talk to her?" Arthur queried, he’d known Merlin to speak of Freya in the past and mention that he’d recently spoken to her a few times, but he didn’t know if it was still an occurrence.
"They email each other," Gwen confirmed.
"He's forgiven her. So why are you pissed?" Arthur asked, picking up one of the leaflets, he looked at all of a second before he dropped it again. He didn’t understand this need that Gwen had to attend birthing classes, she was a nurse. She had patients go into labour before now, a multitude of times.
"Because somebody should be," Morgana bit back. The kettle clicked and Arthur turned his back on her to carry on, "She phoned him yesterday and now he's been in a depressed mood all day. I phoned him on my lunch break and he was monosyllabic at best."
"It's Merlin, he's hardly eloquent most of the time," Arthur commented stirring in the milk and sugar.
"Arthur!" Gwen reprimanded looking up from the paper in her hand to glare at the back of his blonde head. He shrugged, turned and handed her the cup of got liquid.
"She phones him once a month, tells him something he'll never tell me and he gets upset," Morgana carried on, Arthur had long passed caring, but pretended for Gwen's sake, "Sorry if that makes me a bad person for caring."
"I never said that. You have no reason to hate her," Arthur reasoned passing Morgana her tea and lead her over to the sofa leaving Gwen to study the information.
"What if Lance turned up, or kept bugging Gwen, then I'm sure you'd kick up a fuss," Morgana protested abandoning her tea on the coffee table. Arthur noted Gwen looking over her shoulder at them and he moved the cup onto the coaster, placing his own down on the other.
"Who?" he asked pretending to be nonchalant.
"Arthur, you spent two years being jealous of him when we were seventeen. Don't play ignorant with me," she chastised. Arthur had spent a lot of his existence ignoring Lance's. He'd been some bloke in Gwen's school who she'd dated for a couple of years during sixth form. They'd not made it through the transition to university, much to Arthur's pleasure and he'd not heard the name for a good five years.
"I think his point is he's not letting my past bother him, Morgana. I've moved on, I'm happy," Arthur beamed, "Merlin's moved on with you," as far as Arthur was aware, when Merlin had accepted his job at Albion Freya had been expecting him to take a place he'd been offered over in Chicago so he could be with her. He hadn't wanted to go and it had all resulted in an ugly break up, "He's happy. You should be happy too."
"What if-"
"God, Morgana, let it go. He loves you. You know he still tells me on a daily basis that he told me I was being a prat for insisting you didn't like him. Likes telling me how wrong I was!"
"You're always wrong," Arthur raised and eyebrow and angled his head towards Gwen. After Morgana's constant teasing Arthur had told her everything. It had shut her up completely but she never forgot his outburst.
She had called him on being a womaniser and it had all come out.
"Well she's clearly insane," Morgana replied with a small smile on her face. She was honestly happy that Arthur had gotten his chance. It was painful to watch him. Knowing the sort of person her had turned into Gwen hardly gave him the time of day, only interacting with him because he was her best friend’s brother. Morgana always knew that deep down one of the reasons she found him so hard to bare was because she had feelings for him she didn’t want to admit to.
"The pregnant lady can hear you. Doesn't make me deaf," she said with her back still to them.
"She's a Mummy in training. She hears everything," he motioned for Morgana to listen and mumbled a hardly audible 'I love you', that even Morgana struggled to hear.
"I love you too," Gwen said casually, she picked up her tea and cradled it in her hands.
"See."
"Adorable," Morgana replied deadpan.
"The point still stands. He loves you. Freya is his past. You're his present and his future. And he's the first boyfriend you've ever had who has made it out of dinner with Dad alive."
"Only because you and your pregnant other half kept his attention," Morgana admitted, not thinking Merlin’s ability to keep himself out of trouble with her step-father all that. Even Gwen could put her foot in it with the man, yet he had been making an effort for Arthur’s sake to actually be nice for a change.
"Merlin is more than capable at making himself the centre of attention. If Dad hasn't told you to drop him like a hot potato by now, he's doing something right,” he shook his head and smirked slightly. He eyed the back of his girlfriends head and laughed, “And Gwen’s tied to me now, she’s not running off with anybody."
"But-"
"I've already good above the call of brotherly duty by telling you he loves you,” Arthur raised his hands in protest, “Don't make me say it again. It might make me heave," Arthur replied light-heartedly, swigging on his tea and draining half the cup.
"Such a charmer."
"Consider it my debt repaid."
Morgana looked at him with a questioning eyebrow. He tilted his head towards Gwen again, "He means me," the younger woman answered, her back still to them and her focus on the last of the leaflets.
"How does she do that?"
"Mummy skill," the couple answered together.
"You two are real creepy, you know that?" Morgana stated reaching over to pick up her tea.
"On the same level, dearest sister."
"It's scary," she stated finally, drinking from her cup to mark her point.
-
"I don't understand why you want to even go to these things. You're a nurse, you've assisted deliveries," Arthur reasoned over dinner. Sharing the wine with Morgana as Gwen sat with a lemonade. Gwen glared at him across the table, “Forget I said anything,” he said hurriedly, holding his hands up in innocence.
“He has a point,” Morgana inputted. The pair looked at her astonished. It was rarely known for Morgana to agree with anything Arthur, let alone say he was right, even if she didn’t agree, “I don’t see the point in you wasting the only free time you have on these things.”
“It’s all part of it. They tell you how to cope with everything-”
“But you already know it all. You’ve helped people before. You did a stint in maternity when you were training,” Morgana reasoned, frowning at her friend, “Of course, it is different when it’s your baby and your life,” she added before Gwen could, “But I still think it’s a waste of time. Arthur’s right.”
“Are you feeling alright?” Gwen asked, taking the words from Arthur’s mouth.
“Perfectly healthy. You?”
“Bloated and fat.”
“Well you are kind of pregnant,” Morgana smiled, finishing up the last of her glass.
“I hadn’t noticed that, thank you,” Gwen said faux gratefully. She finished eating and leant back in her chair, “Why can’t you both humour me? I’m the one who’s going to be in more pain than you’ll ever feel in your life.”
“Unless she has children that I already feel sorry for. Especially having Morgana and Merlin as parents!”
“Like your child is any better off!” Morgana complained throwing a stray pea at Arthur’s head.
“Blobby has Guinevere. Already better off.”
-
With the August weather setting in, the people of England had resided themselves to the fact that it was going to be a wet one. Again. There were already floods in the west and more rain threatened to fall everyday.
“We are going on holiday,” Arthur declared, slamming down a set of house keys down on the kitchen counter as Gwen had her back to him with the kettle in her hand. His father had given them to him after Arthur had mentioned wanting to get away from the city for the long weekend. Another perk of being from a rich family of old wealth. They could afford to keep these things.
“Holiday? I didn’t realise you knew how to take a break?” Gwen laughed, not noticing the keys he’d deposited on the counter top behind her. She tipped the milk into the cups, stirring it in. She turned around with the two cups in her hands, handing one out to him.
“I’ve been reading up and somewhere said to take a break. Said now would be the best time to do it,” he replied taking the drink from her.
“And you listened to the book?” She asked with mirth in her voice and an amused smirk on her face.
“Well if you want me to give the keys to the house to Morgana and Merlin,” he picked them up from the counter and waved them in front of her face, “I can. We can cover them instead of them covering us.”
“No! No, no, no. Nooooo,” Gwen grabbed the keys and hugged them to her chest, “Mine.”
“So you want to go?” he chided. He put his tea down on the counter.
“Yes!” She put her cup down next to his, wildly gesticulating in front of her, “I’m seeing woods and lakes and cows!”
“Cows?” he teased, moving around her so he trapped her between his body and the counter, arms on either side of her.
“Yeah, cows. And rain.”
“Well it’s going to be nice,” he kissed her on the cheek, “and sunny all the time,” he smirked and kissed her on the other.
“Really?” she asked, she asked raising one of her eyebrow, looping her arms around his neck.
“You’ll be too hot for clothes,” his voice was low, near a growl in the back in his throat.
“I’m always too hot for clothes.”
“And yet you wear them so well.”
“Even when they make me look like a tent?” Gwen pulled out the edges of her baby-doll top stretching it out to form two corners. Arthur nodded slowly, cheesy grin on his face.
“There does appear to be something between us,” he mumbled, looking down at the forced space between them. Both of them snorted a laugh.
“That was awful,” Gwen said through her laughter.
“If a little bit funny,” Arthur replied, dropping a kiss to her forehead. Gwen lowered her arms and rotated in his grasp picking up her cup of tea and turning back, “And a bit of a mood killer?”
“Yeah,” she said into her cup, “I’m going to go and pack.”
“We’re not going for five days!”
“Helps to be prepared. I need a list, and an inventory, and a checklist,” each item she list listed Arthur’s eyebrows raised higher on his face, “And I completely messing with you. I’m going to read and have a nap, I’m absolutely shattered.”
Gwen retreated into their bedroom only to find her mobile on the bedside table vibrating and flashing Merlin’s name on the screen. She frowned at it and reached across the bed to swipe it from the wooden surface.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Gwen?”
“Merlin? How are you?” she’d not seen him at work that day, but the day before he’d been in a relatively sombre mood. Gwen had assumed it was for the same reason that Morgana had mentioned before.
“I’ve been better.”
“I noticed you’d been a bit down, recently,” Gwen enquired, hoping that maybe her friend and old Roomie would open up to her, “Can I do anything to help?”
“Not really. Freya called.”
“Oh really?” Gwen tried to sound as innocent as she could, sitting herself on the edge of the bed.
“Don’t pretend Morgana didn’t tell you. I know her.”
“I just wanted to hear it from you,” Gwen admitted, falling back into the pillows and closing her eyes against the world, “What did she have to say?”
“She getting married next month. She’s been engaged six months and she never told me,” Merlin told her dejectedly. She imaged him to be sat in his and Morgana’s office in the swivel chair just pushing himself around in circles. ”She invited me to the wedding.”
“Seriously?” Gwen opened her eyes then and looked at the ceiling in shock.
“Would I lie to you?” truthfully the answer was yes, he would, but for the sake of argument and the current situation, Gwen didn’t comment.
“How did she expect you to take that?”
“I dunno. Better than I did? It’s been two years and she still gets to me,” Merlin sounded disappointed in himself. Gwen couldn’t understand it. This girl had such a hold on him.
“Why do you think that is?” Gwen asked, she kicked off her shoes and hooked her toes into her socks to remove them as well.
“Because she was the first person I ever loved? I don’t know, she’ll always be a part of me, I guess.”
“And Morgana?” Gwen fought with the duvet cover, shifting her body beneath it in the most awkward manner as she balanced the phone between her ear and her shoulder.
“Complicates things.” Merlin admitted, he still sounded disappointed in himself.
“Complicates them how?”
“How do I tell her that no matter how much I love her, Freya will always have a part of my heart that belongs to her?” Gwen knew what he meant. There would always be some tiny, very tiny, part of her that Lance would carry around with him forever. Her heart was well and truly Arthur’s, that much she knew, but there was a niggle in her brain that flashed up whenever something reminded her of her past beau.
“This is Morgana we’re talking about. Just try saying it, she’ll understand.”
“What if she doesn’t?”
“Merlin, we all know that the pair of you pretty much completes the other. I didn’t know you before, when you were with Freya, but you were in a pretty bad place when I met you. Now you’re nowhere near that place and I don’t think Freya could ever put you back in it again, not now you’ve found somebody else to be happy with.”
“But how do I prove that to Morgana? She’s barely spoken to me all day.”
“She’s giving you space,” Gwen informed him, “Approach her. Let her know you’ve not forgotten her. Promise she’ll talk to you again afterwards.”
“And Freya?”Merlin asked helplessly.
“Congratulate her, but tell her you won’t be going. Work commitments and use Morgana as an excuse,” Gwen said, her brain starting to shut off to the world, the lack of oxygen in her system making her yawn. “Actually, don’t,” she pinched the bridge of her nose, “Or maybe, I don’t know, do? Make it clear to Freya you’ve moved on.”
“And that will make me feel better?"
“I would think so,” what Gwen failed to mention was, if it didn’t make Merlin feel better, it would certainly annoy Freya to know that Merlin was happier without her. All Gwen knew about Freya, really was that she made Merlin’s life hell about once a month.
“Right, thanks Gwen.”
“Any time.”
“I feel so rude, I didn’t ask; how are you?”
“Much better now you’re happier.”
“And Blobby?”
“Please don’t tell me you’ve been encouraging him!” Gwen said resting her palm flat against her head. She groaned.
“I didn’t say anything to him! It just slips out occasionally,” he paused, “Just be grateful the baby picture on the notice board isn’t labelled ‘Blobby Pendragon’.”
“Who says he/she is having his surname?” Gwen asked as she yawned again.
“The look in your eye, ex-Roomie. The look in your eye and you waddle across the department floor,” Gwen heard shuffling on the other end of the phone, and Merlin greeting whomever had just shown up at his flat, “I’ve gotta go. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, yeah?”
“Okay, Merlin. Have a nice night, and I don’t waddle!”
“You do! Bye Gwen.” They both hung up. Gwen placed her mobile on the side table. She cuddled into the duvet and let sleep take her. It didn’t take long before she was softly breathing. Dreams of rampant toddlers and geeky teenagers filled her mind, letting her sleep with a small smile on her face.
Next Part
Authors: mydoctortennant
Pairings: Arthur/Gwen, Merlin/Morgana
Warnings: None for this chapter.
Disclaimer: Not real. Despite birthday wishes and night time prayers to Santa (all Hail Amy Pond!) Merlin still isn't mine!
Rating: Previous chapters make it NC17
Summary: Sometimes relationships just don't work in order. Or so they find out when one mistake leads to a life altering experience.
Author Notes: For the lovely noodlesishere; this is a modern AU based loosely off of the Abby/Luka storyline in ER series 12/13. Some medical info I have taken from ER, so it's totally their fault if it's wrong! Other stuff I researched myself, which may not be 100% correct but I tried my hardest =]
Also; totally OUT of my comfort zone with this, so I worked extra hard. Hope it pays off.
Thanks to mustbethursday3 for reading over it for me (and suggesting Costa should sponser me for mentioning it so much XD) and purely_distel for the name =]
My Merlin Prompts Table
| Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
Part Nine
Arthur used to be one of the lads. He used to go out - when he wasn’t shattered from a days work - clubbing, pubbing, always on the pull. His longest relationship had lasted a month, and that was only because Morgana had bet him fifty quid that it wouldn’t last as long. So he earned his money and moved on. It had certainly been an experience, but he’d always had his gaze trained elsewhere.
When he was younger he’d given up any sort of hope that a relationship with Gwen was ever going to happen. He’d thought himself insane for thinking it was remotely possible and pathetic for pining after her for so long. Moving on had never worked. He had been faced with her every other day when they were teenagers and every other weekend when he was studying at university, when she visited Morgana.
Then she’d gone and got a job at the hospital, there really was no escaping her. He’d replaced feelings and emotion with being a bit of a prat, until everything had come to surface and now they were where they were.
It was all completely backwards, but at least now they were on the right track.
Gwen was sat at the kitchen counter with a number of leaflets scattered across it in front of her. She had one in her hand and was reading the back page that was full of times and 'further information' about certain classes.
The door bell rang. Arthur got up from the sofa in order to let his sibling into his home.
She entered, handing Arthur a bottle of wine and her coat; "Thanks Morgana," he said dryly looking at the offending garment.
"Be a good host, Arthur," Gwen said. Her voice was distant as her attention was still on the leaflet in front of her.
"I'm not a coat hook," he argued, hanging the garment by the door, "and she could have done it herself!"
"That's nice, honey."
"Give it up, Arthur, girl power," she picked up Gwen's hand and bumped her close fist to it, "See, solidarity!" Arthur shook his head in disbelief and went to the kettle, it was already full from earlier so he whacked the button down.
It was then that Morgana clocked the piles on the counter, "Where did you get all that from?" She asked, poking at one of the discarded pieces of paper.
"Work," she put the leaflet she'd been reading on her 'no' pile, and picked up the next.
Morgana swiped the one Gwen had just be reading and read the title aloud.
She raised her eyebrow and looked at her best friend, "You were seriously considering a class called 'Mommy and Daddy'?"
"It had good information," Gwen defended, not looking up from the new leaflet in her hand.
"It's so American and contrived!"
"Shouldn't you have some sort of pro-American attitude?" Arthur asked. He'd been milling about in the background fiddling with making tea.
"What because I'm Irish and they were our salvation. Oh please!"
"Doesn't Freya live over there now?" Arthur asked out of general interest as he took three mugs out of the cupboard. The amused look on Morgana’s face soon drop he mouth set and a glare on her face.
"We don't mention that name. Ever," she stated staring at her brother hoping her would shut up.
"What's wrong with Freya?" he asked, as far as he was aware Freya had been a mutual friend. Having Morgana acting so hostilely towards her confused him. He knew Merlin had a past with her, but surely it was just that and it didn’t have any prominence now?
"What's right with her?"
"Morgana!" Gwen chastised, "You can't say that."
"Sure I can. I just did."
"What did she ever do to you?" Arthur asked her, drumming the teaspoon against his hand as he waited for the kettle to finish boiling.
"It's not about what she did to me; it's about what she did to Merlin," Morgana stated, leaning on the counter and fiddling with Gwen’s ‘yes’ pile.
"Doesn't he still talk to her?" Arthur queried, he’d known Merlin to speak of Freya in the past and mention that he’d recently spoken to her a few times, but he didn’t know if it was still an occurrence.
"They email each other," Gwen confirmed.
"He's forgiven her. So why are you pissed?" Arthur asked, picking up one of the leaflets, he looked at all of a second before he dropped it again. He didn’t understand this need that Gwen had to attend birthing classes, she was a nurse. She had patients go into labour before now, a multitude of times.
"Because somebody should be," Morgana bit back. The kettle clicked and Arthur turned his back on her to carry on, "She phoned him yesterday and now he's been in a depressed mood all day. I phoned him on my lunch break and he was monosyllabic at best."
"It's Merlin, he's hardly eloquent most of the time," Arthur commented stirring in the milk and sugar.
"Arthur!" Gwen reprimanded looking up from the paper in her hand to glare at the back of his blonde head. He shrugged, turned and handed her the cup of got liquid.
"She phones him once a month, tells him something he'll never tell me and he gets upset," Morgana carried on, Arthur had long passed caring, but pretended for Gwen's sake, "Sorry if that makes me a bad person for caring."
"I never said that. You have no reason to hate her," Arthur reasoned passing Morgana her tea and lead her over to the sofa leaving Gwen to study the information.
"What if Lance turned up, or kept bugging Gwen, then I'm sure you'd kick up a fuss," Morgana protested abandoning her tea on the coffee table. Arthur noted Gwen looking over her shoulder at them and he moved the cup onto the coaster, placing his own down on the other.
"Who?" he asked pretending to be nonchalant.
"Arthur, you spent two years being jealous of him when we were seventeen. Don't play ignorant with me," she chastised. Arthur had spent a lot of his existence ignoring Lance's. He'd been some bloke in Gwen's school who she'd dated for a couple of years during sixth form. They'd not made it through the transition to university, much to Arthur's pleasure and he'd not heard the name for a good five years.
"I think his point is he's not letting my past bother him, Morgana. I've moved on, I'm happy," Arthur beamed, "Merlin's moved on with you," as far as Arthur was aware, when Merlin had accepted his job at Albion Freya had been expecting him to take a place he'd been offered over in Chicago so he could be with her. He hadn't wanted to go and it had all resulted in an ugly break up, "He's happy. You should be happy too."
"What if-"
"God, Morgana, let it go. He loves you. You know he still tells me on a daily basis that he told me I was being a prat for insisting you didn't like him. Likes telling me how wrong I was!"
"You're always wrong," Arthur raised and eyebrow and angled his head towards Gwen. After Morgana's constant teasing Arthur had told her everything. It had shut her up completely but she never forgot his outburst.
She had called him on being a womaniser and it had all come out.
"Well she's clearly insane," Morgana replied with a small smile on her face. She was honestly happy that Arthur had gotten his chance. It was painful to watch him. Knowing the sort of person her had turned into Gwen hardly gave him the time of day, only interacting with him because he was her best friend’s brother. Morgana always knew that deep down one of the reasons she found him so hard to bare was because she had feelings for him she didn’t want to admit to.
"The pregnant lady can hear you. Doesn't make me deaf," she said with her back still to them.
"She's a Mummy in training. She hears everything," he motioned for Morgana to listen and mumbled a hardly audible 'I love you', that even Morgana struggled to hear.
"I love you too," Gwen said casually, she picked up her tea and cradled it in her hands.
"See."
"Adorable," Morgana replied deadpan.
"The point still stands. He loves you. Freya is his past. You're his present and his future. And he's the first boyfriend you've ever had who has made it out of dinner with Dad alive."
"Only because you and your pregnant other half kept his attention," Morgana admitted, not thinking Merlin’s ability to keep himself out of trouble with her step-father all that. Even Gwen could put her foot in it with the man, yet he had been making an effort for Arthur’s sake to actually be nice for a change.
"Merlin is more than capable at making himself the centre of attention. If Dad hasn't told you to drop him like a hot potato by now, he's doing something right,” he shook his head and smirked slightly. He eyed the back of his girlfriends head and laughed, “And Gwen’s tied to me now, she’s not running off with anybody."
"But-"
"I've already good above the call of brotherly duty by telling you he loves you,” Arthur raised his hands in protest, “Don't make me say it again. It might make me heave," Arthur replied light-heartedly, swigging on his tea and draining half the cup.
"Such a charmer."
"Consider it my debt repaid."
Morgana looked at him with a questioning eyebrow. He tilted his head towards Gwen again, "He means me," the younger woman answered, her back still to them and her focus on the last of the leaflets.
"How does she do that?"
"Mummy skill," the couple answered together.
"You two are real creepy, you know that?" Morgana stated reaching over to pick up her tea.
"On the same level, dearest sister."
"It's scary," she stated finally, drinking from her cup to mark her point.
-
"I don't understand why you want to even go to these things. You're a nurse, you've assisted deliveries," Arthur reasoned over dinner. Sharing the wine with Morgana as Gwen sat with a lemonade. Gwen glared at him across the table, “Forget I said anything,” he said hurriedly, holding his hands up in innocence.
“He has a point,” Morgana inputted. The pair looked at her astonished. It was rarely known for Morgana to agree with anything Arthur, let alone say he was right, even if she didn’t agree, “I don’t see the point in you wasting the only free time you have on these things.”
“It’s all part of it. They tell you how to cope with everything-”
“But you already know it all. You’ve helped people before. You did a stint in maternity when you were training,” Morgana reasoned, frowning at her friend, “Of course, it is different when it’s your baby and your life,” she added before Gwen could, “But I still think it’s a waste of time. Arthur’s right.”
“Are you feeling alright?” Gwen asked, taking the words from Arthur’s mouth.
“Perfectly healthy. You?”
“Bloated and fat.”
“Well you are kind of pregnant,” Morgana smiled, finishing up the last of her glass.
“I hadn’t noticed that, thank you,” Gwen said faux gratefully. She finished eating and leant back in her chair, “Why can’t you both humour me? I’m the one who’s going to be in more pain than you’ll ever feel in your life.”
“Unless she has children that I already feel sorry for. Especially having Morgana and Merlin as parents!”
“Like your child is any better off!” Morgana complained throwing a stray pea at Arthur’s head.
“Blobby has Guinevere. Already better off.”
-
With the August weather setting in, the people of England had resided themselves to the fact that it was going to be a wet one. Again. There were already floods in the west and more rain threatened to fall everyday.
“We are going on holiday,” Arthur declared, slamming down a set of house keys down on the kitchen counter as Gwen had her back to him with the kettle in her hand. His father had given them to him after Arthur had mentioned wanting to get away from the city for the long weekend. Another perk of being from a rich family of old wealth. They could afford to keep these things.
“Holiday? I didn’t realise you knew how to take a break?” Gwen laughed, not noticing the keys he’d deposited on the counter top behind her. She tipped the milk into the cups, stirring it in. She turned around with the two cups in her hands, handing one out to him.
“I’ve been reading up and somewhere said to take a break. Said now would be the best time to do it,” he replied taking the drink from her.
“And you listened to the book?” She asked with mirth in her voice and an amused smirk on her face.
“Well if you want me to give the keys to the house to Morgana and Merlin,” he picked them up from the counter and waved them in front of her face, “I can. We can cover them instead of them covering us.”
“No! No, no, no. Nooooo,” Gwen grabbed the keys and hugged them to her chest, “Mine.”
“So you want to go?” he chided. He put his tea down on the counter.
“Yes!” She put her cup down next to his, wildly gesticulating in front of her, “I’m seeing woods and lakes and cows!”
“Cows?” he teased, moving around her so he trapped her between his body and the counter, arms on either side of her.
“Yeah, cows. And rain.”
“Well it’s going to be nice,” he kissed her on the cheek, “and sunny all the time,” he smirked and kissed her on the other.
“Really?” she asked, she asked raising one of her eyebrow, looping her arms around his neck.
“You’ll be too hot for clothes,” his voice was low, near a growl in the back in his throat.
“I’m always too hot for clothes.”
“And yet you wear them so well.”
“Even when they make me look like a tent?” Gwen pulled out the edges of her baby-doll top stretching it out to form two corners. Arthur nodded slowly, cheesy grin on his face.
“There does appear to be something between us,” he mumbled, looking down at the forced space between them. Both of them snorted a laugh.
“That was awful,” Gwen said through her laughter.
“If a little bit funny,” Arthur replied, dropping a kiss to her forehead. Gwen lowered her arms and rotated in his grasp picking up her cup of tea and turning back, “And a bit of a mood killer?”
“Yeah,” she said into her cup, “I’m going to go and pack.”
“We’re not going for five days!”
“Helps to be prepared. I need a list, and an inventory, and a checklist,” each item she list listed Arthur’s eyebrows raised higher on his face, “And I completely messing with you. I’m going to read and have a nap, I’m absolutely shattered.”
Gwen retreated into their bedroom only to find her mobile on the bedside table vibrating and flashing Merlin’s name on the screen. She frowned at it and reached across the bed to swipe it from the wooden surface.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Gwen?”
“Merlin? How are you?” she’d not seen him at work that day, but the day before he’d been in a relatively sombre mood. Gwen had assumed it was for the same reason that Morgana had mentioned before.
“I’ve been better.”
“I noticed you’d been a bit down, recently,” Gwen enquired, hoping that maybe her friend and old Roomie would open up to her, “Can I do anything to help?”
“Not really. Freya called.”
“Oh really?” Gwen tried to sound as innocent as she could, sitting herself on the edge of the bed.
“Don’t pretend Morgana didn’t tell you. I know her.”
“I just wanted to hear it from you,” Gwen admitted, falling back into the pillows and closing her eyes against the world, “What did she have to say?”
“She getting married next month. She’s been engaged six months and she never told me,” Merlin told her dejectedly. She imaged him to be sat in his and Morgana’s office in the swivel chair just pushing himself around in circles. ”She invited me to the wedding.”
“Seriously?” Gwen opened her eyes then and looked at the ceiling in shock.
“Would I lie to you?” truthfully the answer was yes, he would, but for the sake of argument and the current situation, Gwen didn’t comment.
“How did she expect you to take that?”
“I dunno. Better than I did? It’s been two years and she still gets to me,” Merlin sounded disappointed in himself. Gwen couldn’t understand it. This girl had such a hold on him.
“Why do you think that is?” Gwen asked, she kicked off her shoes and hooked her toes into her socks to remove them as well.
“Because she was the first person I ever loved? I don’t know, she’ll always be a part of me, I guess.”
“And Morgana?” Gwen fought with the duvet cover, shifting her body beneath it in the most awkward manner as she balanced the phone between her ear and her shoulder.
“Complicates things.” Merlin admitted, he still sounded disappointed in himself.
“Complicates them how?”
“How do I tell her that no matter how much I love her, Freya will always have a part of my heart that belongs to her?” Gwen knew what he meant. There would always be some tiny, very tiny, part of her that Lance would carry around with him forever. Her heart was well and truly Arthur’s, that much she knew, but there was a niggle in her brain that flashed up whenever something reminded her of her past beau.
“This is Morgana we’re talking about. Just try saying it, she’ll understand.”
“What if she doesn’t?”
“Merlin, we all know that the pair of you pretty much completes the other. I didn’t know you before, when you were with Freya, but you were in a pretty bad place when I met you. Now you’re nowhere near that place and I don’t think Freya could ever put you back in it again, not now you’ve found somebody else to be happy with.”
“But how do I prove that to Morgana? She’s barely spoken to me all day.”
“She’s giving you space,” Gwen informed him, “Approach her. Let her know you’ve not forgotten her. Promise she’ll talk to you again afterwards.”
“And Freya?”Merlin asked helplessly.
“Congratulate her, but tell her you won’t be going. Work commitments and use Morgana as an excuse,” Gwen said, her brain starting to shut off to the world, the lack of oxygen in her system making her yawn. “Actually, don’t,” she pinched the bridge of her nose, “Or maybe, I don’t know, do? Make it clear to Freya you’ve moved on.”
“And that will make me feel better?"
“I would think so,” what Gwen failed to mention was, if it didn’t make Merlin feel better, it would certainly annoy Freya to know that Merlin was happier without her. All Gwen knew about Freya, really was that she made Merlin’s life hell about once a month.
“Right, thanks Gwen.”
“Any time.”
“I feel so rude, I didn’t ask; how are you?”
“Much better now you’re happier.”
“And Blobby?”
“Please don’t tell me you’ve been encouraging him!” Gwen said resting her palm flat against her head. She groaned.
“I didn’t say anything to him! It just slips out occasionally,” he paused, “Just be grateful the baby picture on the notice board isn’t labelled ‘Blobby Pendragon’.”
“Who says he/she is having his surname?” Gwen asked as she yawned again.
“The look in your eye, ex-Roomie. The look in your eye and you waddle across the department floor,” Gwen heard shuffling on the other end of the phone, and Merlin greeting whomever had just shown up at his flat, “I’ve gotta go. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, yeah?”
“Okay, Merlin. Have a nice night, and I don’t waddle!”
“You do! Bye Gwen.” They both hung up. Gwen placed her mobile on the side table. She cuddled into the duvet and let sleep take her. It didn’t take long before she was softly breathing. Dreams of rampant toddlers and geeky teenagers filled her mind, letting her sleep with a small smile on her face.
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