A/N: Hey guys! So this is my very first one shot so please by kind to it. The other stories may be updated at the longer range of time because I'm about to go back to college next week so... yeah and I'm sorry for that. So here it is, hope you Enjoy and please review. Thanks!
It was a Saturday morning when she was left with her nephew, Alex Leodegrance. Her brother, Elyan and his wife, Elena were about to go on their second honeymoon and there was no better person to babysit their son than his sister, Guinevere.
Guinevere, or to most people, Gwen, works at her father's well-known advertisement agency and was to take care of it one day. On the other hand, her brother, Elyan chose not to work in the family business, thinking that it was too much work and became a military soldier, reasoning that he wanted to serve his country for a good cause.
Now that she has the whole week off, thanks to her father, it was the best opportunity to spend time with her 5-year-old nephew.
Elyan and Elena's son was now being dropped off at Gwen's house and now, standing in the hallway, by the front door, was the married couple down to their son's level, giving reminders.
As Gwen stands nearby, watching them, she started thinking about when she'll be able to have a life like her brother's, with a person whom she loves passionately and someday, with a child she can call her own.
As her daydream faded away slowly from her mind, she hears the reminders being given to Alex.
"Now, Alex, be a good boy to Auntie Gwen, alright? Don't cause her any trouble." Elena says to him softly, trying her best not to cry.
"Yes, mum." Alex said, while nodding and fiddling with his stuffed dragon.
Gwen grinned at the remark and watches Elyan ruffle his son's hair and says "That's my boy." while smiling proudly.
As she watches the scenery, she reluctantly interrupts at the moment.
"I actually doubt Alex causing me any trouble, I love having him here. And as much as I'd like to watch you being a family, I'm afraid you two will have to go. You don't want to be late on your flight to Hawaii." Gwen said as she giggles and points her finger to Elyan and Elena. She stands behind Alex and rests her hands on the boy's shoulders.
Elena and Elyan chuckled at Gwen's statement and stands.
"You are just jealous." Elyan teases her.
Gwen rolled her eyes and scowled at Elyan "Don't start this conversation, Elyan. I don't want to talk about it. You will be late."
Elena smiles at the exchange of words through the siblings and walks toward Gwen.
"Gwen, I can't thank you enough for agreeing to take care of our little Alex." Elena said, smiling brightly and taking her hand.
"Mum! I'm not little anymore!" the 5-year-old protests while frowning and folds his arms across his chest. The women laughed at the remark and Elyan spoke.
"Of course he's not, he's a big boy! Aren't you, Alex?" he asked his son, crouching down again, looking at him straight.
Suddenly, Alex's mood changed and he stood up straight, saluting to his father while smiling "Yes, Sir!" he giggled.
"And you'll prove that by being a good boy while we're gone, aren't you?" Elyan said gently, holding his son's arms loosely.
"Yes, Sir!" Alex repeated, still not putting his hand down.
"Very good." Elyan said smiling, standing up and saluted to his son.
Alex brought down his hand and stood straight while Elyan did the same.
The women smiled as they watched the exchange between father and son, seeing the interaction. Gwen broke the silence and spoke.
"It's alright. You don't need to thank me. Besides, it's not like I have anything to do for the whole week off, I have Alex to keep me company. And I'm sure absolutely positive that Alex and I will find something fun to do for the time being. Right, Alex?" she asks, crouching down to Alex's level, looking at him with enthusiasm.
Alex widen his eyes and nodded vigorously "Yeah! Fun, fun, fun!" He repeats while jumping up and down.
Gwen laughs and said "Okay, okay. Now, stay still." while stopping Alex from jumping aggressively.
Gwen turned to the couple "You should probably go, you don't want to miss out on your trip." she said nicely and smiled.
As they reached the door and went outside, Elyan started to walk to the taxi that waited for them and loaded the trunk with their suitcases. As Elena waited for him to finish, she turns to Gwen and held her hand.
"One day Gwen, you will find the love you truly deserve. I'm sure of it." Elena says softly.
Gwen smiles at Elena's gesture "I hope so." Gwen whispers.
From the taxi to the house Elyan calls to them.
"Alright. All set and ready. Elena, we have to go." Elyan calls.
Elena hugs her son one last time before going to the taxi. Once they were about to go in, Alex calls to them.
"Bye Mum! Bye Dad! I love you!" Alex shouts, waving his hand to them. Gwen, too, started waving to them.
The couple waves to them in return and finally went into the taxi.
By the doorstep, Alex and Gwen watches the taxi go further into the distance until they don't see it anymore. As they go back inside the house, Gwen started to ask Alex about their activities for the day. She kneels to Alex's level and rested her hands on her lap.
"So Alex, what would you like to do today? We can do anything you wan to do." Gwen said excitingly.
"Uhhhmmm… Can we feed the ducks today, Auntie Gwenny?" Alex asks with enthusiasm, asking with excitement.
"Well, I don't see why not. Just wait here and I'll get your jacket, alright?" Gwen asks as she stands, walking her way up the stairs.
Gwen and her nephew picked the right day to go to the park surrounded by lakes. It was moderately windy, giving the air a nice breeze and it was not too crowded.
As they sit by the lake, feeding the ducks with small pieces of bread, they start to hear the music of an ice cream truck. They both turned their heads to where the music was and Alex widened his eyes with happiness and excitement.
"Oh ice cream! Auntie Gwenny, can I have some? Please?" Alex asking with puppy dog eyes while he puts his hands together as if he were about to pray and starts to stand up, tugging Gwen's hand toward the ice cream truck.
"Alright, alright. Be careful." Gwen said laughing, letting Alex pull her to the truck. As they go nearer, Gwen noticed that the truck was crowded and she stopped herself and Alex from going into the crowd to avoid getting hurt.
"Alex… wait, wait, wait." Gwen prevented Alex to pull her further.
Alex stopped and looked up at his Aunt. Gwen looked down and crouched down beside Alex.
"The truck's too crowded, maybe we should buy you ice cream somewhere else?" Gwen asked him, hoping that he wouldn't be disappointed.
"But, I still want to feed the ducks." Alex reasoned, starting to feel a bit down.
Gwen notices this and started to think of a way to lighten up his mood.
"How about this, you wait here and I'll buy the ice cream for you." Gwen offered, looking straight at Alex, who had his head down, looking at his feet.
Alex gasped and looked up at her, feeling excited again. "Yay!" he said, jumping happily.
"But…" Gwen said sternly, knowing that the 5-year-old can get carried away with excitement. This statement made the boy stop and look at her.
"You have to promise me that you will stay right here. You will not go anywhere else. Deal?" Gwen asked Alex gently, holding out her hand.
Alex takes her hand and shakes "Deal." he said as he smiles brightly.
"Good." Gwen says as she stands up and goes to the ice cream truck. She looks back and sees Alex sitting on the grass, holding the bag of bread tightly. She then turns back to the truck, thinking how hard it is to squeeze herself into the massive crowd.
Back on Alex's spot, he got tired of standing up so he decided to sit on the grass. While waiting for his Auntie Gwen, a bird comes by his way and he gave it crumbs of bread. As soon as the crumbs were gone, the bird had flown away and Alex had nothing to do again.
A minute later, getting bored of waiting for Gwen, Alex decided to stand up and go to her, but instead, while he was walking toward her, he noticed a squirrel and tried to touch it but the squirrel went away from him slightly. He followed the squirrel everywhere, having left the bag of bread on his spot. He wanted to touch the squirrel badly but, unfortunately, it climbed up the tree and never went back down. By the time Alex looked around, not being able to find his Aunt by the ice cream truck, he started to panic, realizing he was already lost.
While Gwen was experiencing her own struggles for about 3 minutes or more according to her time estimation, little did she know that Alex was no longer found on the spot where she left him.
Another minute later, she looks back at the spot, gasped with wide eyes forming and started walking towards it, starting to panic, starting to call for her nephew's name.
"Alex? Alex?!" she calls louder, starting to panic and getting more nervous, thinking of what she'll say to Elyan and Elena if they found out. Instead of staying in one place, Gwen started walking and looking around the huge park, asking people if they saw her nephew, determined to find him even if it takes her all day.
While Alex is now wandering around, trying to find his aunt, he got tired and sat down on a bench nearby. Being as a young boy who had a military soldier as a father, Alex was taught to never be afraid if he gets lost or if he's alone because no matter what the situation is, he was told that he will always be found despite any of the circumstances. Since then, he was never considered a boy to cry easily. For a 5-year-old boy, he was very clever and he wasn't afraid of talking to strangers. This shows how much of a brave boy that he is.
While he sits on the bench , he started to stand up again and pick up the path where he left off. Not being able to look where he was going, he accidentally bumped into a man, who looked down at him. By the way Alex sees the man, his age was near to his Auntie Gwen. The man had blonde hair with striking blue eyes, who was wearing no more than casual clothes, as if doing the same purpose of taking a walk in the park.
As they stare at each other, then man slowly crouched down to Alex's level and started to talk to him gently.
"Hello." the man said softly, giving Alex a gentle smile, trying not to scare the boy away.
"Hello." Alex said back shyly, giving him a slight smile back.
The man smiled brightly back at him and held out his hand.
"I'm Arthur. How about you? What's your name?" Arthur asked confidently.
"My name is Alex." Alex said, giving his hand to Arthur, shaking their hands in the process, now gaining some confidence and trust in him.
"There we go, that was easy. So, Alex, why are you all alone? Where are your parents?" Arthur asked him gently, thinking that the boy was alone and probably was lost and didn't know where to go.
"For now, my parents are away and I'm with my Auntie Gwen. But I'm lost. Can you help me find her? I'm sure she's looking for me right now." Alex asked him, looking at him with hopeful eyes.
"Of course. I'll help you find your aunt." Arthur says as he stands up, still holding the boy's hand. A moment later, he takes out his phone and calls someone until it answers.
"Hey, Merlin…"
"I think I won't be able to make it to the pub on time…"
"I found a lost boy at the park. I have to help him find his guardian."
"I'll explain everything later, I promise."
"Shut up, Merlin!"
As Arthur talks to someone on the phone, Alex was looking at him with weirdness and apparently, it was fun for him to watch the exchange between the phone and him. As soon as the call ends, Arthur turns back his attention to the boy.
"So, Alex, where did you last see your aunt?" Arthur asked him gently.
As Alex was about to answer Arthur's question, they both heard someone call Alex's name. The person who called him was none other than his Auntie Gwen.
As they looked at the direction where they heard her voice, they both see her running towards them.
"Alex!" Gwen shouted, relief running all over her body now that she found her nephew.
As she ran towards them, Alex started coming to her.
"Auntie Gwen!" Alex let go of Arthur's hand and ran to her warm embrace.
"Oh my goodness, Alex! I'm so glad I found you." Gwen closed her eyes as she hugged the boy tightly until they pulled away, Gwen still holding onto his shoulders.
From the very beginning, Arthur, on the other hand, didn't know how to react as the woman he sees approaching them was very beautiful to his eye and he didn't do anything but stare at her, looking at her sexy, petite body curves and admiring her lovely curls. He was actually dumb founded when he saw this woman. He never felt something like it before.
As he regains his own self again, he began to speak up.
"Ah so… Alex, this must be your aunt." Arthur asked Alex but, his eyes are still glued at the woman, who was standing up, looking back at him.
Both Gwen and Alex turn to Arthur.
"Yes, I am. I'm Guinevere but, most people call me Gwen. And you are?" Gwen turns her attention completely to him as she holds Alex's hand with her left hand as she holds out her right hand, while wondering why she felt the need to introduce herself by her full name.
While Arthur just stared and is at a loss for words, Alex interrupted the moment, tugging onto his aunt's shirt.
"Auntie, his name's Arthur, he helped me." Alex said as he smiles brightly at him.
Gwen and Arthur looked down at Alex and smiled at each other. Because of this, Arthur was able to hold out his hand to accept her handshake. They hold each other's hand and suddenly felt the warmth and desire for one another. As their hands stops shaking, Gwen was the first to let go of his hand and spoke.
"Well, Arthur… thank you… for being able to find my nephew and for staying with him while he was alone. I seriously don't know what I'd do if I didn't find him. If his parents were here, I wouldn't know what to do. For that, I'm very grateful." Gwen smiles at him softly and took his hand in hers again as a sign of gratitude.
Arthur felt the warm sensation run through his veins again, all because of her hand touching his longer than before. Arthur looked down at their joined hands and stared back at her.
Putting his other hand on top of hers and giving her a soft smile, Arthur replied "It was nothing, Guinevere." , while looking into her gentle brown eyes.
On the other hand, Gwen felt the same sensation flowing within her, feeling her hand was being covered by his other hand and staring into his bursting blue eyes.
Alex watches the pair stare at each other, not interrupting the moment this time.
On Gwen's point of view, now that she has a clear view of the man in front of her, she felt a sudden spark running through her body, as if she was being electrified.
As they realize that they're staring at one another, starting to forget about the boy in front of them, Gwen was the first to realize this and looks down at her nephew, who, in fact, was clearly amused by the interaction happening between his aunt and this stranger.
With this, Gwen cleared her throat, lets go of Arthur's hand and spoke up.
"Uhm… Well, it was nice meeting you Arthur. Thank you again for finding my nephew." Gwen said as she gave him a bright smile, holding her nephew's hand tightly.
"Oh, I didn't find your nephew." Arthur incurred and shrugged.
"You didn't?" Gwen asked, puzzled and a little amused at the same time.
"He bumped into me… so, he's the one who found me." Arthur said, returning the same smile given to him.
Gwen chuckled at this and said "Well, even so, Thank you. I'm glad he found you.", staring at him yet again.
"Me too." Arthur said back, realizing just now what he just said.
Gwen, too, was surprised that he said this but, she actually liked the fact that it was his reply. Instead of being surprised, she just giggled at the statement and Arthur's shocked and nervous face. Arthur soon joined in the Gwen's laughter but then, they realize that they're actually flirting with one another so they stop abruptly, thinking that this might be odd, for the both of them.
Gwen's POV:
What am I doing? I don't even know him, I mean, I do know him but, it's just his name. It doesn't count. Why am I even staying here, flirting with him? I don't even know if he's single.
What am I thinking? Why do I even care if he's single? It's not like I want him to be my boyfriend! Even though he's gorgeous and such a gentleman, I don't care. Why do I feel like this? I just met him!
That's it! I'm acting like a fool just staring at him. I have to say something then Alex and I will have to go. I'm not sticking around to find anything about this man anymore.
Arthur's POV:
I don't know what I'm talking about. Who is this woman anyway? Why is she making me feel like this? There's just something about her. I can't quite put my finger on it. She's a beautiful woman, I'll give her that. I was flirting with her. What's wrong with me? I never did that with a woman before. It's just this time… with her.
I wonder if she has a boyfriend. Or worse… I wonder if she's married. Just because I found out that Alex is her nephew, doesn't mean she doesn't have children of her own… What am I thinking? I just met her! Why should I even care if she's married or if she has a boyfriend?! It's not like I want to be her boyfriend! I find her absolutely stunning and wonderful even though I just met her.
What am I doing now? I'm just staring at her. I'm acting like a fool. She's clearing her throat now. I think she's going to leave. But I don't want her to go… What is the matter with me?!
As Gwen calms herself down, she clears throat again and turns to Alex. She shrugs his hand while holding onto it and speaks up.
"Well, Alex, I think we've wasted this man's time enough already so, I think we should go." Gwen said to Alex as she looks down at him and tugs on his hand toward the exit of the park.
"Oh no, you haven't wasted my time. " Arthur intercepted right away, not wanting her to go yet. As he said this, he realized that he came closer to her so he went back to where he was standing before.
Gwen just stared at him and his actions and suddenly paid attention to Alex, who didn't seem to want to go.
"But, Auntie, I still want to go feed the ducks." Alex reasoned, not letting himself be pulled by his aunt, planting his feet on the ground.
"Alex, don't be stubborn, we can come back tomorrow. The ducks will still be here. Goodbye, Arthur." Gwen said hastily, not paying attention to what Arthur said. She tugs onto Alex's hand again but he wouldn't let her pull him with her.
"Alex! Please, let's go! I promise, we'll come back tomorrow." Gwen insisted gently, tugging his hand again. By this third try, it didn't seem to work.
Gwen sighed deeply, knowing she won't win this battle between her and her nephew. She knelt down on the ground to his level and looked at him, holding both his hands.
"How about we pay the ducks a very quick visit, you say goodbye to them, then, you tell them that you're going t o come back tomorrow to feed them? I'm sure they're going to wait for you." Gwen asked him, looking at him with hope.
Alex sighed and looked back at her with a frowning face "Fine.", he said unwillingly, knowing that he's going to get in trouble if he resists any further.
"Good." Gwen said firmly, standing up and held his hand, not letting herself be wrapped in her nephew's little finger.
For a moment, Alex looked hopeful and there was something about his look from his aunt to the stranger they're with.
"What about Arthur?" Alex asked his aunt, having a joyful glint in his eyes and a bright smile on his face.
Gwen was shocked at her nephew's question, but nevertheless, she looked back at a stunned Arthur, who was wondering why the boy would ask about him.
As Gwen looks back at him, she turns her attention back to Alex.
"What about him?" Gwen asked, confused and a little bit annoyed, knowing that her nephew can easily get attached to people whom he just met.
"Will he come with us?" Alex chided, causing his aunt to stare at him blankly while he stares at Arthur, looking for a positive answer.
"Of course not-" Gwen was about to continue but then she was interrupted by a voice, which isn't Alex's.
"Of course." Arthur intercepted, shrugged and put his hands in his pocket
By his response, Arthur earned two kinds of stares. The first was a happy and hopeful stare, which was from Alex. However, the other stare, which was from Gwen, was not the kind of stare that Arthur was hoping. He was hoping for a positive response from Gwen, but instead, he received a shocked and a kind of annoyed stare from her.
"If it's alright with you? I mean, I don't have anything to do anyway." Arthur said nicely, noticing the change of mood in Gwen, staring back at her.
"Auntie, can he come with us, please?" Alex asked Gwen as he put his hands together in front of his chest and put out his puppy dog eyes for her.
Gwen looked at him and started to wonder.
Gwen's POV:
What has gotten into this boy? I know he can easily get attached to anybody he meets but, why does he have to get attached easily to HIM?!
She turns her attention from Alex to Arthur, who was looking right at her, seeking for approval of coming with them.
"Of course… of course you can come with us but, wouldn't your girlfriend mind?" Gwen asked and assumed bravely, realizing how embarrassing it was to ask such a question. It made her feel desperate. She blinked a few times, thinking how much of a fool she is now. Instead of looking at him, she just looked down at Alex, being the happy boy that he is, he actually felt a bit down and annoyed that he didn't know what they were talking about.
On Arthur's side, he too, was surprised by Gwen's question but then on the inside, he was happy that she was concerned if he had a girlfriend. He realized that she was making sure of something about him, that he was a single man. Instead of noticing her being embarrassed by herself, he spoke up.
"Oh uhm actually… I don't have a girlfriend." Arthur said and shrugged casually.
At this point, Gwen didn't know why, but she was actually relieved to hear that Arthur wasn't attached to any woman at the moment. She looked up at him again and spoke back.
"Oh. Well, in that case, let's go then." Gwen said smiling but her smile didn't reach her ears. She tugged onto Alex's hand and started to walk to the lake. Arthur notices this and starts to walk as well, walking beside Gwen.
Gwen's POV:
This is really awkward! What am I supposed to say? I'm sorry Alex, I love you so much, but for a five-year-old, you're really sneaky. Your not helping at all. Are you setting me up? For some reason, Alex doesn't seem to be talkative. Arthur's walking beside me, I kind of like that. I don't even know why! There's something about him. I feel like I can trust him yet he's a stranger to me. It's so quiet. Maybe I should start talking...
Arthur's POV:
I like this boy. He asked me if I can come with them. That means I can still be with HER and I don't even care why I care anymore. There's just really something about her. I think she seems to find this situation very awkward. I am walking beside her, but we're not talking. Maybe I should be the one to start the conversation.
"So…"
"You know…"
Arthur and Gwen talked at the same time and they looked at each other and started laughing. As they bring their laughter to a stop, Arthur decides that he would be the one to talk again.
"You know Alex here was very brave while you were trying to find him. He didn't even cry when he noticed that he was lost. He was just calm. I think he knew that you would find him right away." Arthur said, as he admires the boy's bravery and at the same time, trying to get Gwen to feel comfortable around him.
Gwen looked down at Alex, who was entertaining himself along their walk and looked up at Arthur and smiled "Well, that was what he was taught by my brother, Alex's father. Alex is a brave and smart boy. My brother is a military soldier so to speak and he would always tell Alex that no matter the situation, he would always be found. He would always find his way back to us." she giggled by her statement and continued.
"Since then, he was never afraid to be lost. Ever. Not that I'm saying that he would always be lost since then, I'm saying that it just proves how courageous he is as a boy." Gwen smiled at the statement and smoothed her nephew's hair.
As she tells her story, Arthur couldn't help admiring her for her soft and gentle words.
"Your boyfriend must be lucky to have you." Arthur muttered and realized that he just said it out loud and now is thinking of way to get out of the awkward situation.
"Excuse me?" Gwen looked rapidly at him with wide eyes, not out of anger but mainly out of shock and curiosity, yet they still kept walking.
"Uhh… I was just…" Arthur is now at a loss for words and was thinking fast. But then his sudden thoughts were interrupted by Gwen.
"I'm not in a relationship, if that what you were assuming." Gwen said with confidence and a smirk.
Arthur was stunned by her statement and soon chuckled "I'm sorry for assuming." he said shyly, slightly blushing.
"It's alright. I'm assumed first didn't I?" she looks at him then continues "Now, we're even." Gwen finishes her statement by giving him a genuine smile of hers before turning to her nephew and they still kept walking while Arthur stopped on his tracks, looking at her while she walks, pondering on her beautiful smile that made him want to smile with glee. As soon as he realized he was falling behind, he picked up the pace and was able to join them again.
As they arrive at the lake, Alex hurried to the bank of the lake and knelt on the ground to have the nearest view he can get of the ducks. As Alex does this and starts to talk to them, Arthur and Gwen stands behind him, watching him bid the ducks goodbye.
Being as a moment of being alone, Arthur was eager to ask Gwen out but, being the type of guy who actually gets what he wants, he figured that it had to be different with her. She's not like any other girl that he usually met that at any point, she would throw herself at him. This time it was different. He didn't meet a girl, he met a woman. He realized that this was a new step for him to prove himself worthy of her time, worthy of her trust… worthy of her heart.
As they wait for Alex to come back to them, Arthur began to clear his throat. Gwen notices this and she turned to him.
"Is there something wrong?" Gwen asked with furrowed eyebrows mainly because she was curious.
Arthur turned to her and was feeling kind of nervous and excited at the same time, knowing that he's about to ask her out and wondering if she'll let him take her out.
"Well… my best friend, Merlin, is an artist. He can draw and paint very well and this coming weekend… he's about to open his own art gallery and he's invited some people to celebrate the opening with… he invited me, of course, but then he said I could bring a friend or someone special…" with this, Arthur realized he was rambling and just stopped himself from talking and looked down at his shoes, putting his hands in his pockets.
With Arthur's mention of someone special, Gwen didn't really know why, but she began to blush and looked down for a moment to hide the redness of her cheeks. She let his words sink in for a moment, knowing that all she did was stare at him while he was talking, admiring the gentleness that this man could have and even though they just met, she feels like she could trust him completely. Thinking of his words, she began to think that maybe, he's feeling the same attraction towards her just as she's feeling it towards him. She looks up at him with a smirk, daring to assume again, hoping she's right this time.
"Umm… Are you asking me out?" Gwen asked him shyly, glancing at her nephew for a moment, who was still talking to the ducks. She then turns her attention to her mind again, knowing that what she did was very bold, even for her. She tries to keep up a strong posture, knowing that she has to be confident. But on the inside, she's feeling very nervous, seeing that Arthur looked up at her with wide eyes, looking so surprised.
As Arthur looked up at her, he thought that he must've been really obvious because she was able to tell that he was about to ask her out. He huffed at himself and realized it was time to face the music. He gave her a sheepish smile and started to chuckle.
"It was obvious wasn't it?" Arthur asked her with a smile, almost relieved that he got it out of his system.
"A little bit, yeah." Gwen said back, returning the same smile and giggled. At this point, Arthur felt a little silly and chuckled more and gave her a smile.
He glanced at Alex for a moment, making sure that he was still sitting by the lake before taking a deep breath and look back at her.
"So… will you go with me and… be my date on that day?" Arthur asked hopefully, eyes full of desire and determination, looking straight at her.
Gwen looks at him, thinks for a moment and soon began nodding slowly. "Alright. I'll be your date on that day. I mean… Alex's parents are going back this Friday so, they're picking him up by then and… I'd have nothing to do so, might as well spend my time with a stranger like you." she said brightly with a smile and it became wider when she saw Arthur's genuine smile and widen eyes show up at the second.
"So, you still think of me as a stranger?" Arthur asked her suspiciously, furrowing his eyebrows with a smirk on his face.
"Of course.
"Good, I mean… great!" Arthur said joyfully, wishing that he stop putting a goofy smile on his face because of so much happiness but it didn't matter anymore because he was going out with this astounding woman.
Gwen smiles at his face expression, knowing that she probably also has a goofy smile plastered on her face. Before she could speak, she noticed Alex running back to her happily.
"Auntie! The duck let me pet his head." Alex said as he ran toward his aunt, catching his breath for a moment before going beside her and retake her hand in his. Arthur sees the gesture and became a bit jealous of the boy, wishing he was the one to hold Gwen's hand like that.
In return, Gwen smiles at her nephew and pays attention to his story "Oh you did? That's amazing!" she said as she giggled and ruffled his hair. She looks back up at Arthur and became uneasy because no one was talking while they stood there.
"So, should we go?" Gwen asked Alex after a while, looking down at him with a smile. The boy nods contentedly but came to a stop, remembering something.
"Auntie, I didn't get any ice cream." Alex said, looking hopefully at her that maybe his aunt would still consider buying him his favorite treat.
To Gwen's perspective, she sighs deeply and looked down at him "Fine. We'll just stop at the ice cream parlor as we pass by it, alright?"
"Okay." Alex said enthusiastically while nodding with a happy face.
Gwen smiled at this and turned back to Arthur "It was nice to meet you, Arthur. See you at the gallery." she said, giving him a genuine smile. At the same time, Alex looks up at Arthur.
"Bye, Arthur." the boy said to him as he waves and smiles at him. As they start to walk, Arthur tries to stop them.
"Oh I could… give you a ride to the ice cream parlor. I mean, I have my car parked by the exit and… I didn't really have anything planned today so…" he said, clearly desperate that he didn't want them to leave, more likely, he didn't want HER to leave.
They turn around for a moment and Gwen's almost shocked eyes gave a meaning to him.
"Um… thank you but, my house is just a few blocks away from here. It's actually the reason why we just walked instead of taking my car." she said as she shrugged casually and smiled at his offering when she saw that Arthur's face fell down for a moment. On Arthur's side, he actually thinks of something but he knows that it would make him really desperate and still, he does it anyway.
"Well, perhaps I could accompany you. I mean, if that's alright with you." Arthur asks hopefully and shyly.
Arthur actually thought that Gwen would be annoyed, but to his surprise, she started to laugh. She stopped laughing soon enough and started to speak.
"You just don't stop, do you?" she asked mischievously with a smirk and soon starts to chuckle.
"Well, I can be very convincing. And I'm always determined to get what I want." Arthur said confidently with a smile, hoping that she would find it as funny and silly as he thinks this is right now.
"Yeah…" Gwen giggles before continuing "… I suppose you are." she said and gave him an affectionate, which to his weakness, made him melt like a popsicle under the sun.
After 2 years
"It's taking too long, why are they taking too long?" Arthur said worriedly in the hospital, desperate for news about how his wife or baby is doing. He paces back and forth while Merlin, Morgana and the others watched him.
"Arthur, would you just please sit down for minute? We're just as worried as you are. You wearing us off by all your pacing." Merlin said softly, but annoyance present in his way of speaking.
After agonizing moments of waiting, the nurse came out to see all of them looking directly at Arthur.
"She's asking for you, Sir." the nurse told him quietly and Arthur followed her quickly into the room
As he went inside, Arthur rushed towards his wife's side and held her hand tightly as he kissed her forehead.
He looked at her with worry but knew that he had to be strong for his wife so he smiled at her slightly.
"You're doing good, Guinevere. You're can do this. I know you can." he said as he laid his forehead on hers.
The doctor interrupts the moment and spoke up.
"All right. I need you to push, Ma'am. One good push for the baby to come out." the doctor asked softly.
Gwen looked up Arthur, who's looking back at her, looked forward again, breathed deeply, and pushed hard as she possibly can.
"That's good, Ma'am. Just one more push and the baby is out." the doctor said.
She looked at Arthur again, who gave her a reassuring nod, knowing that he won't let anything happen to her. noticing that she's becoming exhausted, Arthur spoke up softly in her ear.
"Hey, Guinevere… listen to me. You can do this, just one more and it's over. I promise. You can do it, my love." he said as he soothes her hand with his hand holding hers and the other on the top of her head.
Gwen gave another push and this time, it was a good push. She the doctor smile slightly and Arthur let out a soft .
"Congratulations to you both. You have a lovely little boy." the doctor said proudly as she looked at the married couple.
Gwen laid her head back on the elevated bed and sighed deeply with happiness. She felt Arthur's forehead lay on her s as she closed her eyes, very thankful that she and the baby were fine.
"He's so cute! I just want to cuddle him all day." Morgana says excitedly as she held her newborn nephew gently. Once the delivery of the baby was over, Gwen was immediately moved into a private room with her son along with the company of Arthur. As they settle in the room, Morgana, Merlin, and the others were allowed to come in to look at the baby. Even the seven year old Alex got very excited when he knew that he had a new cousin.
"Careful there, Morgana. He's my child." Arthur said teasingly with a chuckle as he settled on Gwen's right side at the edge of the bed. Automatically for Gwen, as her husband settled beside her, she instantly made herself more comfortable as she leans back on him, causing Arthur to put his arm gently on her back.
Everyone chuckled except for the newly married couple, Gwaine and Morgana, giving each other knowing looks while the others looked confused.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to take your child because I have one growing inside me… right now." Morgana said back slowly, and began to laugh at their expressions.
"So… we're supposed to guess that you're pregnant?" Merlin chimed in awkwardly, causing Arthur to answer.
"There's just no hope for you, is there, Merlin?" Arthur asked him annoyingly and turned to Morgana, going back to a mix of serious and surprised look.
"Clot pole." Merlin muttered annoyingly.
"Heard that." Arthur said without effort, still staring at his sister. "For how long?" he asked her surprisingly.
"2 weeks." Morgana replied happily, gently bouncing as she holds her nephew peacefully sleeping.
"That's actually why we missed last week's dinner party. Morgana and I went to the hospital to have the baby's first check up." Gwaine chimed in proudly, walking closer to Morgana, puts his hand on her back rubbing it gently.
As the others observe this, Gwen watches them happily and began to chuckle slightly. "That's truly surprising and amazing all at the same time, Morgana. Congratulations! I'm happy for you both." Gwen says to Morgana, who walks towards them and hands the baby to Arthur. She comes closer to Gwen and held her hands as she smiles thoughtfully.
"Thank you, Gwen. I'm really excited and of course, I just hope that I can have an adorable little baby such as this one here." Morgana says happily and teasingly as she points her head to their baby.
"Oh, I'm sure you will have such an amazing child to come. " Gwen replies confidently and settles back comfortably on Arthur's side, leaning her head on his shoulder as she ponders on their son, which makes Arthur proud and happily kissed her forehead.
Arthur turns to Morgana and smiles widely at her. "Congratulations, Morgana. I'm proud of you." he said proudly.
"Thank you, Arthur." Morgana says seriously with thoughtfulness as she smiled at him.
Arthur smiles back and turns to Gwaine. "Congratulations, mate. Never thought I'd say that to you." he says teasingly with a smirk.
Gwaine chuckles "Well, I never thought I'd get settled so… likewise." he replied with mischief.
They all laugh except for Morgana, who gave him a teasing glare, but nonetheless walks to him and hugged his side, Gwaine wrapping his arms around her the way she did and shared a simple but sweet kiss.
After a lot of greetings from Elyan, Elena, their son, Alex, Merlin, and the others, they started to celebrate with the gathering in the hospital room.
"So what's his name?" Merlin asked them randomly.
Arthur and Gwen smiled at each other and looked at the baby in his mother's arms. They looked back at the others and Gwen spoke first.
"Well… it was a very hard decision. But after minutes of finding the right name, we both finally came to an agreement." she turns to Arthur and continues "Go on… tell them. They want to know." she said as she smiles with excitement.
"His name is William Aubrey Pendragon." Arthur says proudly and lets his wife continue.
"I picked the name 'William' and Arthur picked 'Aubrey'. Keeps the name medieval he says." she said teasingly looking at him with a smile and by that, she earned a sweet kiss on the cheek.
"I like it." Alex chimed in happily and everyone smiled at him.
"Thanks, Alex." Gwen said smiling at him.
After several moments of talking to each other, Merlin had to go earlier because of his mother and only the two couples were left. The baby was put into the infant bed so that Gwen could rest her arms. After doing this, Elyan spoke up.
"Alright, I think we're done for the day. Alex, come on." Elyan called out as he and Elena stands up.
"Awww, but I don't want to go yet." Alex whined not moving by the baby's spot.
"Alex, listen to your father and besides you have school tomorrow… Come on, Aunt Gwen and the baby needs to rest now." Elena convinced as she walks to him and puts her arm around him.
"It's alright, Alex. If you want, you can come back tomorrow and you can stay as long as you want because it's Friday meaning you won't have school the next day." Gwen chimed in convincingly with a bit of teasing look to Elyan and Elena.
Alex beamed like a bright light bulb and agreed to go home at once, already excited for the next day's visit.
"Yeah, and we need to go home too, not really good for Morgana to stay up late." Gwaine said mischievously causing Morgana to roll her eyes, knowing that she doesn't want to be nagged.
"Oh now he tells me." Morgana said teasingly with annoyance " I'll see you later." she said.
After all of them have said their goodbyes, the only people left in the room is the married couple and their son.
"Are you sure you don't want to go home for a while?" Gwen asked Arthur softly.
"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Arthur asked dramatically as he puts his hand on his chest.
Gwen giggles for a moment and continues "I'm not trying to get rid of you, it's just that you've been here all day, you must be really exhausted." she said with concern as she soothes Arthur's hair by his eyes and caresses his face as she is sitting on the hospital bed and Arthur now standing and leaning his hands onto the bed.
"I'm fine. Yes, I'm a bit tired but I want to stay here and look after you and the baby. It should be actually you who needs to rest, not me." Arthur said as he leaned into Gwen's hand and turns his head a moment to kiss her palm.
"I know but-" she said as Arthur interrupted.
"No but's, Guinevere." he said gently and took her hand in both of his "When something happens here, I'll be the one to take care of it for you, not a nurse or a doctor unless they're really needed. I want it to be me. I want to stay, so please let me?" Arthur said softly asks her as he moves his hands to cup her cheeks and leans onto her face for a lingering kiss.
Gwen holds both of his arms as they kiss sweetly and pulls away after a moment. She looks at him, hands still in place as they were "Alright…" she pulls away from Arthur's hold and held his hands in hers.
"I love you." she said thoughtfully. Arthur looks back at her with the same passion and gleam in her eyes.
"I love you more." Arthur said to her passionately and softly, trying to maintain the quiet ambiance.
Gwen smiled as Arthur took her hands and kissed them until he brought it back down on her lap, still holding hers in his.
"You know, I just realized that I guess I should be thankful that Alex got lost that day at the park because if not, we would've never met." Gwen said looking at a distance before bringing her gaze back to Arthur.
"That may be true. And my life would be much more different if you weren't in it." Arthur said look at her.
"Oh really?" Gwen asked him teasingly with a soft giggle.
Arthur nodded twice "Really. That is why I am truly and utterly grateful that you found me." he said sweetly not pulling his gaze away from her.
"Because of Alex… not only did I find him but, there was someone with him and that someone had to be you. If I found you, then might as well consider that you found me… which means that-" she was interrupted by Arthur's lips and they pull away slowly letting Arthur finish her sentence.
"- means that we found each other…" he said against her lips as he laid his forehead onto hers. Gwen nodded, not moving from their very close position.
"With all my heart." Arthur whispered to her like a sweet serenade, forehead still laid on hers, hands holding with their eyes closed.
"With all my heart." Gwen whispered soundly.
The night in the hospital passes by smoothly as Gwen and the baby slept soundly and Arthur watches his family as it enlightens his heart with so much joy.
After moments of sighing in content and happiness, he finally let himself rest, waiting for the sun to rise and face more days of spending his time with his family.
The End