[FIC] I Never Expected To Find You Here (Arthur/Merlin, Gwen/Lancelot; PG-13)
Author/Artist/Vidder: Anon
Title: I Never Expected To Find You Here
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Merlin/Arthur; Gwen/Lance; sort of Gwen/Merlin.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: After yet another failed relationship, Gwen asks Merlin, her best friend, to be the father to her child. It’s a perfect situation. No heartbreak, no conflicting feelings. And then it’s not quite so perfect anymore. Not now that Lance and Arthur have come into the picture.
Warnings (if any): None as far as I am aware.
Total Word Count/Length: 2,268 words
Original prompt number: 124 - Submitted by fuckyeah
Disclaimer: This story/artwork is based on characters and situations created and owned by the BBC and Shine TV. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's/Artist's/Vidder's notes (if any): This will be extended, but for the sake of this story as a standalone, this is just about explaining the situation and how Gwen and Merlin meet their respective knights.
Beta(s): Anon
( Read on AO3 )
The situation between Gwen and Merlin was…complicated to say the least. They had been friends for years, since they were children, and had pretty much gone through everything together - primary school, puberty and first day of secondary school; sexual revelations, new relationships and heartbreaks; university, jobs and death. That was probably why it had been Merlin that Gwen asked to be the father of her baby.
Being a mother, having a child, was something that Gwen had always wanted. It was the one thing she had been definite about; where as her career had all but snuck up on her. After her last relationship sunk worse than the Titanic, Gwen had…tried to put everything into perspective for herself, revaluated her decisions and her life. She decided to take control with the one thing she needed someone else to accomplish. And she trusted Merlin, more than anyone else in her life.
His reaction had been…reluctant, at best, but he knew that he was unlikely to be presented with another opportunity like this. His type kind of lacked the parts that could carry children. So he had agreed, and couldn’t help but enjoy the rush of happiness and trepidation and, yeah, there was fear, which seemed to consume him from the moment the doctor said “congratulations”, but he was happy.
It was a good set up. Safe even, with no chance of heartbreak.
Until, of course, they met Arthur and Lance.
*
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay at the scan without me?” Merlin asked anxiously.
Gwen rolled her eyes. “Seriously Merlin, we’ve done this five times now, I think I do this one by myself,” she assured, “Now, get off the phone and enjoy the retreat.”
“It’s a teamwork retreat Gwen,” he grumbled, “No one’s supposed to enjoy it.”
She grinned. “Hey, a retreat is a retreat. What I wouldn’t give for a holiday.” She rubbed her baby bump softly. Yes, she had wanted this and she was unbelievably happy, but she could do without the morning sickness and headaches, thank you very much.
“When the baby’s born, I’ll even treat you,” Merlin bargained, “Just don’t find out the baby’s sex. Not without me there.”
“Like I would,” Gwen shook her head. She glanced at her watch and sighed, “My appointment’s soon. I better go. I’ll call you as soon as I get out. Good luck with your teamwork.”
She laughed as Merlin grunted out a goodbye before hanging up.
Gwen entered the hospital and followed the signs along the winding route to the maternity ward. She entered the waiting room carefully, smiling warmly at the women that glanced in her direction - she received only one or two in return, but didn’t feel too put out about it - and checked herself in. Gwen took a seat, picked up a baby shopping magazine as usual and flicked through the items on the show, making a note of what they would need. It felt strange, doing this without Merlin, who was always a constant hovering presence, even before the pregnancy, but she steeled herself and instead reminded herself she could gush about the adorable baby clothes and shoes and toys over the phone when she left.
“Uh, Mrs Campbell,”
Gwen looked up at the call of her last name and…well, wasn’t he something to look at. The nurse was gorgeous, brown hair and dark chocolate eyes. And he had stubble. Gwen had a bit of a thing for stubble and a good jaw line.
Before she could stop herself, she smiled charmingly. “Present.”
His eyes, previously scanning the room, dropped to her. Something flashed there, something that Gwen recognised from her university years and couldn’t help but feel almost proud of herself that she still had it, even when pregnant and feeling a bit bloated.
He smiled softly, stepping back to gesture towards the door. “Gaius will see you now.”
Gwen got up and followed the man’s lead through the halls. Gaius was an old friend of the Emrys family and it hadn’t been difficult to get the man to be their obstetrician. She knew the man well from her childhood years, and had been coming to see him for weeks at the main hospital. She had to say - her eyes drifted towards her guide - Gwen couldn’t remember seeing him before.
Her eyes darted between the hallway in front of them and back to the stranger before she finally spoke. “You don’t have to call me Mrs Campbell. You can call me Gwen.”
The nurse blinked a little surprised before relaxing into a grin. “Nice to meet you Gwen. I’m Lance,” he introduced, bowing slightly, which surprised her. She didn’t know that people still bowed in greeting to each other. It was…oddly endearing.
“Lance,” she tested the name, “Unusual, but suits you.”
“Thank you Gwen,” Lance replied gently. His eyes darted across her curiously before facing in front of her, “Is Mr Emrys not coming today?”
Gwen arched an eyebrow. “You know Merlin?”
His lips twitched. “I work with Gaius. The man talks about little else than the people he considers family.”
“Well, I’ll be sure to tell Merlin. He’ll be happy to hear it,” she answered, “And he’s away. Company retreat.”
“It’s a shame he has to miss a scan,” Lance stated offhandedly.
“Yes, I suppose so,” Gwen nodded slowly.
They descended into silence, the only sounds being distant beeping of trolleys and their gentle footfalls. Gwen felt this urge to say something, about her and Merlin’s relationship - that is wasn’t as it seemed. That they weren’t…together. That she was definitely available. But that sounded too desperate, too needy. She was an adult for god’s sake; about to have a child, she couldn’t go gushing over the first attractive nurse that called her name - even one that looked like Lance.
In the end, the words kind of slipped out.
“Merlin and I…we’re not together,” she stated.
Lance seemed to pause for a moment, before he grinned. “Yes, I know,” he said, with a hint of amusement in her voice.
Gwen flushed with embarrassment, biting down on her bottom lip. “Oh…”
“Gaius told me,” he clarified, “I mean, I wanted to make sure before I stepped on anybodies toes.”
Gwen looked surprised at the implications behind the words. “You’ve seen me before.”
Lance inclined his head behind him. “In the waiting room. I’ve passed it a couple and times and you and Merlin have been there. I made connections with the names,” he hesitated for a moment and went a little red, “I’m sorry, that probably sounds a little creepy to you.”
“No, it’s fine. Just…surprised, is all,” Gwen assured quickly.
Lance pulled to a stop and gestured towards the door then now stood beside, the one she recognised as Gaius’ usual clinic space. “The doctor will see you now,” he stated, with a smile.
Gwen nodded, glancing at the door before trailing back to Lance. “And when will I see you again?”
“How about tomorrow? Coffee?” he said, a hopefully look on his face.
She smiled. “That sounds brilliant, just, uh, one question though.”
Lance arched an eyebrow.
“You don’t do this with…every mother impregnated by her gay best friend do you?”
Lance laughed. “No, I can honestly say I do not.” He reached for a hand and she couldn’t help but flush in pleasured surprise when he pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, “Until tomorrow, Miss Campbell.”
Gwen watched him walk back along the corridor and disappear in the direction of the waiting room, probably off to give another pregnant women heat stroke with that accent of his. She shook her head, hand on her forehead. She sighed slightly, pushing her hair back from her face, before entering the small room.
“Gaius,” she greeted.
The old man turned away from his desk, and the notes that were opened before him, to look at her from over his half-moon glasses. “Gwen, my dear. It took you long enough. Enjoying the company of Mr Du Lac?”
She looked sheepish. “I…you heard that, huh?”
Gaius gave her a knowing look.
*
Merlin ended the call with a sigh. He hated that he was missing a scan. It probably didn’t seem that important - it was just one appointment after all - but this was the six month mark, the one where the gender of their child could be found out. This was important. Gwen had sworn she wouldn’t find out until he was there, something he appreciated, but he knew that she had been excited to know.
And he couldn’t deny he had wanted to get out of here.
He hated these retreats. They were a compulsory thing that the company forced its employees to go through. Unfortunately, as part of the art department and in a desperate attempt to keep peace between the artists and the main ad execs, he had no way of escaping, though he had thought about it, especially because the place they held the retreat was only a few miles from where Merlin lived.
“Excuse me?”
Merlin glanced away from his phone and looks up to the speaker. His eyes widen a little. Wow. That was all his mind could supply him. The man stood just a little away from him, close enough to touch, which was probably a little too close for people who haven’t actually met yet, but it wasn’t like Merlin was about to complain. Blond hair fell into really blue eyes that were eying him appreciatively. At least, Merlin hoped they were. It would definitely make the smile Merlin gave the stranger less embarrassing.
“Hello,” he greeted.
The blond smiled. “Sorry, I saw you standing there and, um…” he gestured behind him, where his colleagues were making awkward small talk among themselves, “are you part of the company?”
“Unfortunately,” Merlin half scowled, glancing at the heads of people he didn’t entirely like. When he looked back to the blond, he looked embarrassed. “Sorry, I just…don’t really like these things…”
He waved him off. “No one ever does,” he stated, “But it’s supposed to be good. Fun, even.”
Merlin arched an eyebrow. “I’ve been here before and ‘fun’ isn’t the word I’d use,” he commented.
The blond smiled faintly. “Ah, but this place is under new management now,” he pointed out, “They’re supposed to be experts in this kind of thing.”
Merlin snorted good-naturedly. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”
“I guess they’ll have to make this the best retreat yet, to make a fan out of you,” the stranger stated.
“I suppose they will.”
There was a pause, where the man smiled almost mysteriously at him. “So what’s your name?”
“I’m Merlin Emrys,” he held out his hand, “Art director.”
“No, this is impossible…” the blond laughed, accepting his hand.
Merlin frowned. “What?”
“It’s just that…I’m Arthur, and you’re Merlin,” he introduced himself, “Almost as if we were meant to meet.”
“Is that a come on Arthur?” Merlin grinned.
Arthur hummed, as if pondering a thought. “Maybe it is. Do you object?”
“Definitely not,” he stated, reassuringly.
“Good,” Arthur grinned widely. He glanced at the watch on his free hand - Merlin suddenly became aware they were still holding hands. How long had they been doing that again? - Before glancing back at Merlin, “It’s almost time to start. Maybe we could meet after the session? Go for a drink? The bar here is quite nice…”
“As if I could refuse,” Merlin answered, barely containing his excitement that this was really happening. Maybe retreats weren’t so bad after all.
Arthur smiled at him before, perhaps a little reluctantly, releasing Merlin’s hand. He took a few steps backwards, as if he wanted to just watch Merlin for a little while longer, before he finally turned and walked into the next room. Merlin did a little happy dance, a spinning mess of excitement that he just couldn’t suppress because, seriously, how long had it been since he had gone on a date? He couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he followed Arthur into the room. He slid into space besides Will, a friend he had made when he first joined the art department, and he arched an eyebrow.
“What’s got you so happy? Did you find out they have lemon drizzle in the café?” Will commented on the dark haired man’s love of that fruity cake.
Merlin rolled his eyes good-naturedly - he wasn’t that predictable. “No, but I did get asked out,” he almost gloated.
“Really?” Will frowned, something that Merlin didn’t notice, before forcing a smile. He clapped him on the back. “That’s great Mer,” he congratulated.
“He’s gorgeous Will, we’ll have to see about the ‘great’ part but,” Merlin trailed off with a sigh.
“So which one of these suits is he?” Will questioned, staring across the crowd curiously.
“Umm,” Merlin scanned the people, half of which he didn’t recognise and other being a part of his department, “I’m not sure. He was - wait, there….”
Arthur had turned to face the group then, away from dark haired woman, who looked more like a teenager, who was leaning rebelliously against the wall behind him. He had a wide grin on his face, one of those ones that the reps at holiday resorts wear, and clapped his hands loudly, causing everyone’s attention to turn to him and silence to fall over the group.
“Welcome everyone to your teamwork retreat,” he announced, professionalism falling over his voice, “I’m Arthur Pendragon; I will be your course leader this weekend.”
Merlin’s eyes widened.
Did Arthur just shoot him a grin?
Merlin flushed darkly.
Title: I Never Expected To Find You Here
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Merlin/Arthur; Gwen/Lance; sort of Gwen/Merlin.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: After yet another failed relationship, Gwen asks Merlin, her best friend, to be the father to her child. It’s a perfect situation. No heartbreak, no conflicting feelings. And then it’s not quite so perfect anymore. Not now that Lance and Arthur have come into the picture.
Warnings (if any): None as far as I am aware.
Total Word Count/Length: 2,268 words
Original prompt number: 124 - Submitted by fuckyeah
Disclaimer: This story/artwork is based on characters and situations created and owned by the BBC and Shine TV. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's/Artist's/Vidder's notes (if any): This will be extended, but for the sake of this story as a standalone, this is just about explaining the situation and how Gwen and Merlin meet their respective knights.
Beta(s): Anon
( Read on AO3 )
The situation between Gwen and Merlin was…complicated to say the least. They had been friends for years, since they were children, and had pretty much gone through everything together - primary school, puberty and first day of secondary school; sexual revelations, new relationships and heartbreaks; university, jobs and death. That was probably why it had been Merlin that Gwen asked to be the father of her baby.
Being a mother, having a child, was something that Gwen had always wanted. It was the one thing she had been definite about; where as her career had all but snuck up on her. After her last relationship sunk worse than the Titanic, Gwen had…tried to put everything into perspective for herself, revaluated her decisions and her life. She decided to take control with the one thing she needed someone else to accomplish. And she trusted Merlin, more than anyone else in her life.
His reaction had been…reluctant, at best, but he knew that he was unlikely to be presented with another opportunity like this. His type kind of lacked the parts that could carry children. So he had agreed, and couldn’t help but enjoy the rush of happiness and trepidation and, yeah, there was fear, which seemed to consume him from the moment the doctor said “congratulations”, but he was happy.
It was a good set up. Safe even, with no chance of heartbreak.
Until, of course, they met Arthur and Lance.
*
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay at the scan without me?” Merlin asked anxiously.
Gwen rolled her eyes. “Seriously Merlin, we’ve done this five times now, I think I do this one by myself,” she assured, “Now, get off the phone and enjoy the retreat.”
“It’s a teamwork retreat Gwen,” he grumbled, “No one’s supposed to enjoy it.”
She grinned. “Hey, a retreat is a retreat. What I wouldn’t give for a holiday.” She rubbed her baby bump softly. Yes, she had wanted this and she was unbelievably happy, but she could do without the morning sickness and headaches, thank you very much.
“When the baby’s born, I’ll even treat you,” Merlin bargained, “Just don’t find out the baby’s sex. Not without me there.”
“Like I would,” Gwen shook her head. She glanced at her watch and sighed, “My appointment’s soon. I better go. I’ll call you as soon as I get out. Good luck with your teamwork.”
She laughed as Merlin grunted out a goodbye before hanging up.
Gwen entered the hospital and followed the signs along the winding route to the maternity ward. She entered the waiting room carefully, smiling warmly at the women that glanced in her direction - she received only one or two in return, but didn’t feel too put out about it - and checked herself in. Gwen took a seat, picked up a baby shopping magazine as usual and flicked through the items on the show, making a note of what they would need. It felt strange, doing this without Merlin, who was always a constant hovering presence, even before the pregnancy, but she steeled herself and instead reminded herself she could gush about the adorable baby clothes and shoes and toys over the phone when she left.
“Uh, Mrs Campbell,”
Gwen looked up at the call of her last name and…well, wasn’t he something to look at. The nurse was gorgeous, brown hair and dark chocolate eyes. And he had stubble. Gwen had a bit of a thing for stubble and a good jaw line.
Before she could stop herself, she smiled charmingly. “Present.”
His eyes, previously scanning the room, dropped to her. Something flashed there, something that Gwen recognised from her university years and couldn’t help but feel almost proud of herself that she still had it, even when pregnant and feeling a bit bloated.
He smiled softly, stepping back to gesture towards the door. “Gaius will see you now.”
Gwen got up and followed the man’s lead through the halls. Gaius was an old friend of the Emrys family and it hadn’t been difficult to get the man to be their obstetrician. She knew the man well from her childhood years, and had been coming to see him for weeks at the main hospital. She had to say - her eyes drifted towards her guide - Gwen couldn’t remember seeing him before.
Her eyes darted between the hallway in front of them and back to the stranger before she finally spoke. “You don’t have to call me Mrs Campbell. You can call me Gwen.”
The nurse blinked a little surprised before relaxing into a grin. “Nice to meet you Gwen. I’m Lance,” he introduced, bowing slightly, which surprised her. She didn’t know that people still bowed in greeting to each other. It was…oddly endearing.
“Lance,” she tested the name, “Unusual, but suits you.”
“Thank you Gwen,” Lance replied gently. His eyes darted across her curiously before facing in front of her, “Is Mr Emrys not coming today?”
Gwen arched an eyebrow. “You know Merlin?”
His lips twitched. “I work with Gaius. The man talks about little else than the people he considers family.”
“Well, I’ll be sure to tell Merlin. He’ll be happy to hear it,” she answered, “And he’s away. Company retreat.”
“It’s a shame he has to miss a scan,” Lance stated offhandedly.
“Yes, I suppose so,” Gwen nodded slowly.
They descended into silence, the only sounds being distant beeping of trolleys and their gentle footfalls. Gwen felt this urge to say something, about her and Merlin’s relationship - that is wasn’t as it seemed. That they weren’t…together. That she was definitely available. But that sounded too desperate, too needy. She was an adult for god’s sake; about to have a child, she couldn’t go gushing over the first attractive nurse that called her name - even one that looked like Lance.
In the end, the words kind of slipped out.
“Merlin and I…we’re not together,” she stated.
Lance seemed to pause for a moment, before he grinned. “Yes, I know,” he said, with a hint of amusement in her voice.
Gwen flushed with embarrassment, biting down on her bottom lip. “Oh…”
“Gaius told me,” he clarified, “I mean, I wanted to make sure before I stepped on anybodies toes.”
Gwen looked surprised at the implications behind the words. “You’ve seen me before.”
Lance inclined his head behind him. “In the waiting room. I’ve passed it a couple and times and you and Merlin have been there. I made connections with the names,” he hesitated for a moment and went a little red, “I’m sorry, that probably sounds a little creepy to you.”
“No, it’s fine. Just…surprised, is all,” Gwen assured quickly.
Lance pulled to a stop and gestured towards the door then now stood beside, the one she recognised as Gaius’ usual clinic space. “The doctor will see you now,” he stated, with a smile.
Gwen nodded, glancing at the door before trailing back to Lance. “And when will I see you again?”
“How about tomorrow? Coffee?” he said, a hopefully look on his face.
She smiled. “That sounds brilliant, just, uh, one question though.”
Lance arched an eyebrow.
“You don’t do this with…every mother impregnated by her gay best friend do you?”
Lance laughed. “No, I can honestly say I do not.” He reached for a hand and she couldn’t help but flush in pleasured surprise when he pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, “Until tomorrow, Miss Campbell.”
Gwen watched him walk back along the corridor and disappear in the direction of the waiting room, probably off to give another pregnant women heat stroke with that accent of his. She shook her head, hand on her forehead. She sighed slightly, pushing her hair back from her face, before entering the small room.
“Gaius,” she greeted.
The old man turned away from his desk, and the notes that were opened before him, to look at her from over his half-moon glasses. “Gwen, my dear. It took you long enough. Enjoying the company of Mr Du Lac?”
She looked sheepish. “I…you heard that, huh?”
Gaius gave her a knowing look.
*
Merlin ended the call with a sigh. He hated that he was missing a scan. It probably didn’t seem that important - it was just one appointment after all - but this was the six month mark, the one where the gender of their child could be found out. This was important. Gwen had sworn she wouldn’t find out until he was there, something he appreciated, but he knew that she had been excited to know.
And he couldn’t deny he had wanted to get out of here.
He hated these retreats. They were a compulsory thing that the company forced its employees to go through. Unfortunately, as part of the art department and in a desperate attempt to keep peace between the artists and the main ad execs, he had no way of escaping, though he had thought about it, especially because the place they held the retreat was only a few miles from where Merlin lived.
“Excuse me?”
Merlin glanced away from his phone and looks up to the speaker. His eyes widen a little. Wow. That was all his mind could supply him. The man stood just a little away from him, close enough to touch, which was probably a little too close for people who haven’t actually met yet, but it wasn’t like Merlin was about to complain. Blond hair fell into really blue eyes that were eying him appreciatively. At least, Merlin hoped they were. It would definitely make the smile Merlin gave the stranger less embarrassing.
“Hello,” he greeted.
The blond smiled. “Sorry, I saw you standing there and, um…” he gestured behind him, where his colleagues were making awkward small talk among themselves, “are you part of the company?”
“Unfortunately,” Merlin half scowled, glancing at the heads of people he didn’t entirely like. When he looked back to the blond, he looked embarrassed. “Sorry, I just…don’t really like these things…”
He waved him off. “No one ever does,” he stated, “But it’s supposed to be good. Fun, even.”
Merlin arched an eyebrow. “I’ve been here before and ‘fun’ isn’t the word I’d use,” he commented.
The blond smiled faintly. “Ah, but this place is under new management now,” he pointed out, “They’re supposed to be experts in this kind of thing.”
Merlin snorted good-naturedly. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”
“I guess they’ll have to make this the best retreat yet, to make a fan out of you,” the stranger stated.
“I suppose they will.”
There was a pause, where the man smiled almost mysteriously at him. “So what’s your name?”
“I’m Merlin Emrys,” he held out his hand, “Art director.”
“No, this is impossible…” the blond laughed, accepting his hand.
Merlin frowned. “What?”
“It’s just that…I’m Arthur, and you’re Merlin,” he introduced himself, “Almost as if we were meant to meet.”
“Is that a come on Arthur?” Merlin grinned.
Arthur hummed, as if pondering a thought. “Maybe it is. Do you object?”
“Definitely not,” he stated, reassuringly.
“Good,” Arthur grinned widely. He glanced at the watch on his free hand - Merlin suddenly became aware they were still holding hands. How long had they been doing that again? - Before glancing back at Merlin, “It’s almost time to start. Maybe we could meet after the session? Go for a drink? The bar here is quite nice…”
“As if I could refuse,” Merlin answered, barely containing his excitement that this was really happening. Maybe retreats weren’t so bad after all.
Arthur smiled at him before, perhaps a little reluctantly, releasing Merlin’s hand. He took a few steps backwards, as if he wanted to just watch Merlin for a little while longer, before he finally turned and walked into the next room. Merlin did a little happy dance, a spinning mess of excitement that he just couldn’t suppress because, seriously, how long had it been since he had gone on a date? He couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he followed Arthur into the room. He slid into space besides Will, a friend he had made when he first joined the art department, and he arched an eyebrow.
“What’s got you so happy? Did you find out they have lemon drizzle in the café?” Will commented on the dark haired man’s love of that fruity cake.
Merlin rolled his eyes good-naturedly - he wasn’t that predictable. “No, but I did get asked out,” he almost gloated.
“Really?” Will frowned, something that Merlin didn’t notice, before forcing a smile. He clapped him on the back. “That’s great Mer,” he congratulated.
“He’s gorgeous Will, we’ll have to see about the ‘great’ part but,” Merlin trailed off with a sigh.
“So which one of these suits is he?” Will questioned, staring across the crowd curiously.
“Umm,” Merlin scanned the people, half of which he didn’t recognise and other being a part of his department, “I’m not sure. He was - wait, there….”
Arthur had turned to face the group then, away from dark haired woman, who looked more like a teenager, who was leaning rebelliously against the wall behind him. He had a wide grin on his face, one of those ones that the reps at holiday resorts wear, and clapped his hands loudly, causing everyone’s attention to turn to him and silence to fall over the group.
“Welcome everyone to your teamwork retreat,” he announced, professionalism falling over his voice, “I’m Arthur Pendragon; I will be your course leader this weekend.”
Merlin’s eyes widened.
Did Arthur just shoot him a grin?
Merlin flushed darkly.