"Arthur, is this really necessary?"

"Guinevere… you haven't been yourself for weeks… Let Gaius look you over. We really don't know the kind of stress Morgana's enchantment could have had on you physically." He turned toward the old physician. "Right, Gaius?"

"That is very true, my lady…" he agreed with confusion.

Arthur grinned. "See?"

"You're hopeless." She smiled with a shake of head. "Very well then… Gaius?"

"I'll need you to wait outside, sire."

"What?" Arthur asked. "No-"

"Please, I have to give the Queen a full evaluation… and it would be-"he cleared his throat. "Inappropriate if you witness that."

"Oh for crying outloud!"

"Arthur!"

"Guinevere!"

"My Lord…" Merlin cut in. "Perhaps we should let Gaius work… come on clotpole… I'll wait outside with you."

Arthur rolled his eyes as Merlin pulled him outside into the corridor and closed the door softly behind him.

"I should be in there." Arthur was rambling.

"You really don't want to see that actually."

"That is my wife!"

"She's in good hands, Arthur."

He turned toward his friend and sighed. "That's not the point…"

"Then what is?"

"I just can't… let her out of my sight. Not again." He leaned against the wall and slid to the floor in front of his servant. "I can't lose her again, Merlin. This last time… it killed me. For a moment, I didn't really believe that we'd… that I would get her back. I thought I'd lost her for good this time."

"But we did, Arthur. You got her back." Merlin sat on the floor next to him. "Mordred told me what happened. How you were able to convince Gwen to step into the water. You saved her."

"The Dolma did the spell." Arthur shook his head with a shrug.

"Which wouldn't have worked if Gwen had not stepped into the water willingly," Merlin reminded him. "Which you convinced her to do."

Arthur turned his head toward him. "I love her. More than anything. And our love has broken enchantments before." He shrugged. "I thought… I hoped that it would work again this time."

"And it did." Merlin smiled. "You brought her back."

"Thank you, Merlin."

"What are friends for?"

"We're not friends." Arthur muttered and stood just as Gaius opened the door to his chambers. "How is she?"

"The Queen would like to see you, sire."

"Is she alright?" he asked with worry.

"She's healthy." Gaius smiled knowingly.

Arthur eyed him warily before stepping into the room. Gaius closed the door for him and turned to Merlin.

"What's going on?" the younger man asked.

The old physician smiled. "Come along… I can tell you the good news."

Arthur walked further into his chambers and found her sitting up on their bed looking toward the window.

"Guinevere?"

She turned toward him and smiled. "Arthur."

"Is everything alright?" he asked softly as he sat next to her on the bed.

She took his hands in hers and squeezed. "Everything is perfect."

He grinned and leaned in to kiss her softly. "I'm relieved to hear you say that because Gaius really had me worried…"

"Arthur…." She stopped him with a soft touch to his lips. "There is something I must tell you."

"What is it, my love?" he whispered taking her hands in his and holding them tightly.

She bit her lip and took a deep breath. "It seems… that I am with child…"

His jaw dropped.

"Say something…" she whispered.

"But… when?"

"Before the enchantment, Gaius believes…" she answered his silent question. "He says the baby will be fine. The enchantment should not have affected him."

"Is he certain?"

"Nothing is for certain, Arthur…" she continued. "But I believe him. He would not lie to me. To us."

Arthur nodded before feeling a smile break across his face. "Guinevere…."

"Yes, Arthur…. An heir."

He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly, planting a kiss on her head. "I love you so much, Guinevere."

"As do I, Arthur…"

He pulled back. "We must announce this to the entire court immediately!"

He stood and turned toward the door.

"Arthur!" she stopped him. "Gaius believes we should wait…."

"Wait?" he asked. "Why?"

"To make sure there aren't any… complications…" she said softly.

His eyes closed. He knew that there could be many complications during the early days of a woman's childbearing. He closed the door softly and walked back toward her. "How long should we wait?"

"Until the third moon he believes should suffice…" she smiled touching her belly. "I know you want to tell the world… but considering everything that has happened recently…. And Morgana's threatening return…. I'd like to keep him or her a secret for as long as possible."

Arthur placed his right hand over her left hand and smiled at their rings over her still flat belly. "We'll announce it when we're ready, Guinevere. No sooner. I promise."

She smiled and leaned up to kiss him. Arthur felt her dart her tongue out and run it against his lower lip and groaned. He began pushing her down on the bed before he stopped himself and leaned back from her. "I don't want to hurt the baby."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh… honestly, Arthur-" before pulling him by the lapels of his tunic and crushing her mouth with his. "I haven't been with my husband for weeks. Do you deny your husbandly duties to your wife?"

"Never." He growled into her mouth before rolling her on top of him so that he was lying on his back. "But just to be safe."

"Arthur… I'm only a few weeks along."

"Humor me, Guinevere." He positioned himself under her. "Please."

"You really are hopeless." She whispered leaning down toward him.

"I already told you that I am hopelessly in love."

She sat back and looked at him with confusion. "When have you ever said such a thing?"

"What do you remember since the enchantment…?" he asked slowly.

"I don't remember anything since the tower…. I didn't even remember of Elyan's death until you told me when I asked for him."

"Oh Gwen…" he sat up and tucked a loose tendril behind her ear. "I am so sorry this happened to you. This is all my fault. I will avenge your brother and the pain she put you through. I swear it."

"Arthur…" she held his face in her hands. "I miss my brother… but I still have you… and now with this baby… I don't want you taking unnecessary risks. Especially not for an act of vengeance. That witch will get what is coming to her. All I ask is that you promise to always come home to me… to us…"

He smiled softly and kissed her softly. "I promise."

She deepened the kiss as she pushed him further on the bed. Gwen took her time kissing him from his lips to his jaw. She worked her way toward the opening of his tunic and peppered soft, moist kisses on his chest. She could already feel him responding to her feather light kisses and knew this wouldn't last very long.

Running her hands down his chest, she found the edges of his tunic and pulled it off with flourish. Arthur lifted himself to help her. She smiled as she ran her hands over his naked chest. She missed this. She missed him. When she awoke from that dark abyss that was Morgana's enchantment in the blistering cold waters that healed her, she felt like she was seeing her husband for the first time in a long time. Arthur explained to her what had happened. How they'd thought they'd rescued her from The Dark Tower. How Elyan died saving her. How she'd plotted to kill him multiple times. How she came close a few times. She'd even poisoned him. Arthur, her love, had been poisoned by her own hand.

She stressed that she could never forgive herself and that he shouldn't either. But he showed her that he didn't care. That it wasn't her fault. That she wasn't herself. That they would tell no one for fear that they wouldn't understand. For now, only three other people knew the truth beside her and Arthur. And it would have to stay that way.

Her face crumbled remembering all that she had been told in the last day.

"Guinevere?"

"I'm sorry…" she shook her head and placed her hands on his chest. "I'm sorry…"

"You have nothing to be sorry for, love." He held her hands in his and place one of them over his heart. "This heart still beats for you… only you."

"I almost killed you, Arthur."

"No… Morgana almost killed me. You weren't anything more than her puppet, Guinevere. Gaius already explained the enchantment to you."

"But what if I'd have succeeded in killing you…"

"You didn't."

"You said so yourself. I came close… multiple times."

"Guinevere…" he sat up holding her hands in between them. "Listen to me… I'm only going to say this once. It wasn't you. Morgana did this. Morgana is to blame. Not you. And we know that but more importantly… I know that."

She nodded with glassy eyes.

"Now, I'd like to make love to my wife if that's alright with you."

She broke into laughter. "Since when do you have to ask?"

"Hmm… quite true."

She let out a small yelp when he flipped them again, this time having pinned her beneath him.

"What happened to the concern for the baby?" she asked coyly.

"I thought you said this was fine." He pulled back. "Should I go get Gaius and ask?"

Her eyes widened. "Don't you dare! Arthur… trust me… this is fine…" she grinned. "Make love to me, my king."

He smiled and leaned down to kiss her slowly while running a hand up her thigh. "With pleasure."

She grinned into his kiss and moaned when his fingers touched her sensitive area. "Arthur…. Please… I need you now, darling."

He didn't need to be told again. He unfastened his breeches quickly and pulled them down. Gwen found his stiff member and began to pump him in her hand. He groaned against her neck. "Love, if you continue to do that… I fear this will be over before it's begun."

"Sorry…" she mumbled letting him go.

"Don't be…" he grinned. "Next time…"

She nodded and spread her knees cradling him in her center. Her nightgown was already pushed back to her waist. Arthur had a tantalizing view of her glistening womanhood. He touched her sensitive nub softly.

"That's not fair." She gasped.

"Just making sure you're ready."

"I've been ready…"

"Good to know…" he whispered before entering her.

The contact made her arch her back toward him. The sensation of having him inside her again felt familiar but different. Perhaps it was the knowledge that another life lay between them. She felt herself gasp as he pulled out and pushed back in slowly.

"Arthur…. Please…"

"Faster, Guinevere?"

"Yes…"

He bit his lip before positioning her leg better by wrapping it around his waist. "I love you."

"I love you, Arthur."

He pushed into her eliciting sounds from her that he knew no man ever did or would. He groaned as he felt the deepest part of her at the tip of his member. When her inner walls began to tighten around him he growled and pushed in one more time. He felt her orgasm crash around him as he released his seed inside of her.

Exhausted he lowered himself so that his head lay on her chest. She stroked his hair before his eyes widened and he positioned himself better so he was lying on his side facing her. She tried not to laugh.

"I'll have to remember I can't do that anymore."

"You really are hopeless."

"Hopelessly in love."

She turned serious as she cuddled closer to him and he began to stroke her hair.

"Arthur?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For saving me."

He frowned. "I'll always be there to save you, Guinevere. You must know that."

"I do know that… just… thank you." She whispered softly before pleading, "never let me go."

"Never…." He answered. "I'll never let you go."