I was watching the Hallmark film The Family Plan when I got this idea. Merlin and The Family Plan don't belong to me.

Keeping Up Appearances

Gwen Roberts made her way quickly to her best friend's office and sat down.

"I can't believe this is happening," she told Morgana.

"What?"

"How long have I worked here?" Gwen continued. "Haven't I proved my worth? Haven't I increased the company profit by 30 percent since I was put in charge of the ad campaign?"

"You know you have," Morgana replied. "What is going on?"

"I just left Mr. Jones' office and you'll never believe what he told me."

"You asked if you were married or even engaged didn't he?" Morgana asked her. Gwen nodded. What did marriage have to do with a person's ability to do their job properly?

"And you told him the truth, right?" Morgana asked.

"Did you expect me to make up a husband on the spot?" Gwen asked her friend. "I didn't get a chance to reply, he received a call from his wife and I left his office."

000

"Love you too, Isolde," Tristan Jones told his wife and hang up the phone.

Jones Biscuits and Sweets was a household name in Camelot and had been founded by Tristan's great grandfather Tristan Jones I in 1875, since then the company had gone from strength to strength and it stood on three principles, Family, Honesty and Family.

Tristan was the CEO of the company and he worked at the headquarters, his brother Theodore was in charge of the branch here in Oakstree. Theodore was currently on his honeymoon and Tristan had decided to come down and check on his brother's operation. What he had seen so far had impressed him and the only problem he had was that some heads of department were not married and they had no plans to get married in the next few months.

He looked up as Morgana entered the room, she was Theodore's VP.
"Mr. Jones," she began.

"Tristan, please."

"Tristan," Morgana continued. "I hear you're thinking of letting the unmarried department heads go."

"Yes," Tristan replied, "I know it seems unrealistic but family is very important to us Jones and it sends out a very bad picture if one of the department heads is unmarried."

Morgana nodded. The Joneses were so old-fashioned if she didn't really love her job she'd consider quitting.

"This Guinevere Roberts," Tristan continued, picking up her file, "she's really good at her job."

"She's more than good," Morgana told him.

"I would hate to lose her then," Tristan replied, "I see from her file that she isn't married."

Morgana laughed and said, "The HR guys must have not updated her file yet she got married a few months ago."

"Really?" Tristan was relieved. He had had two fire two people already. "She didn't go on a honeymoon, because there's no record of her taking any leave days at all."

"She and Lancelot haven't had time to go on a honeymoon yet," Morgana said, "but they plan to go later in the year."

"Good."

000

"You told him WHAT?" Gwen asked her friend.

"He was on the verge of firing you," Morgana said, "I couldn't let that happen."

"So you let him believe that I was married to someone called Lancelot," Gwen said. "I'm going to tell him." she stood up.

"If you tell him the truth," Morgana told her, "we both lose our jobs."

Gwen sat down.

"I may have also told him that you have a mortgage and live at 303 Victor's Lane."

"Why?" Gwen asked her.

303 Victor's Lane was Morgana's home, she and her husband Gwaine had bought it a few years back, it was a huge seven bed roomed house with extensive grounds. Gwaine and Morgana had an on and off- again sort of relationship and currently it was off. Morgana lived in the house with their seven year-old daughter, Katie, whom they had adopted at birth.

"To make him think that you have no intention of leaving Jones anytime soon," Morgana said.

"I have no intention of leaving Jones," Gwen replied.

"He doesn't know that."

Gwen did the only thing she could do. "Thank you Morgana," she told her friend, hugging her.

000

Gwen was about to enter her car on Friday evening when Tristan walked up to her.

"Hey, neighbour," he said.

"Hey," Gwen had no idea what he was talking about.

"Guess what," Tristan continued, "Isolde got tired of living in a hotel and since Teddy won't be back for another three months we decided to get a house. You'll never guess who your new neighbours are going to be."

Please don't say you, Gwen prayed silently, but her prayers were unanswered.

"They took us everywhere and then we discovered that the house next to your on Victor's Lane was vacant so we took it. We're going to be neighbours, isn't that nice?"

"Yes it is," Gwen smiled hoping that he couldn't see how fake it was. She was going to kill Morgana.

000

"What am I going to do?" Gwen asked her friend. "He's moving in next door to you thinking it's my home."

Morgana was silent for a while and then she smiled at her friend. "You remember, Percival, the handsome guy I've been hanging out with, we'll get him."

"Get him?"

"He's an actor; I'll call his agent and see if he's available."

"You mean you paid a guy to pretend to be your sort of boyfriend?" Gwen was in shock. "And you didn't tell me?"

"I needed someone to make Gwaine jealous," Morgana said, "and it worked didn't it? He'll certainly think twice about forgetting any other holidays we've planned."

They drove to Percival's agent's office but they found that Percival was currently out of town.

"But I have other great guys on the books," Agravaine told him.

"We wanted Percival," Gwen insisted. She had met him and he seemed to be a very easygoing kind of guy.

"Let me see who's available," Agravaine said. "Surely I must have somebody who can work for you."

Gwen and Morgana sat down and watched as Agravaine went through his books. Occasionally he would make a call and take some notes.

0o0

The door burst open and a good-looking young man stormed in.

"Agravaine," he said, "you lied to me."

"They said it was a clean job," Agravaine replied.

"They wanted a cleaner," the young man replied, "and you sent me to them."

"You said you needed money immediately and they were going to pay you two thousand pounds."

"Two thousand pounds?" the young man asked. "Agravaine you lying cheat; you told me one thousand pounds. You gave me one thousand pounds."

"I'm sorry," Agravaine said in a voice he said that he was anything but, "but I have a new job for you."

"What job?"

"These ladies are looking for a man," Agravaine pointed at Gwen and Morgana. "It seems they have of a husband."

The young man turned and looked at them; he hadn't seen them when he had burst into the room. He hated these kinds of jobs pretending to be someone's spouse or significant other, but he really needed money.

"Will he do?" Agravaine asked. He hoped they would agree, he didn't want to have to deal with another broke and angry actor today and he had 'stolen' from this particular actor more than once.

"Yes," Morgana replied immediately.

"Good," Agravaine said, "Arthur Pendragon, I give you Morgana and Guinevere, they'll explain everything to you."

000

What do you think?