Merlin and Dave don't belong to me

A Second Chance At Love

000

"Don't tell me he refused to wake up again?" Leon asked Merlin.

"Worse," Merlin replied, "Mithian's still around."

Leon shook his head in disgust. This wasn't what he had signed on for when he joined the Secret Service and worst of all Gwen; the First Lady, was such a nice person, she didn't deserve such treatment from Will. It was been bad when Will used to cheat on her at the Fyrien Hotel where he had a whole floor to himself, now he was bringing the women back to Camelot, their home.

"I knew should have run Mithian off last night," Merlin muttered. And he had tried but Will had managed to sneak her into his room.

"We should have never let him go for the fundraiser," Leon said.

"Like we could have stopped him," Merlin replied, "Agravaine barely let us near him as it was."

"Go back inside and ask Mithian to leave," Leon told Merlin. "The First Lady is already downstairs."

"Why don't you do it?"

"It's your turn," Leon reminded him, "I got rid of Sophia, remember?"

"Fine." Merlin went back and yanked the door open without knocking earning himself a glare from Mithian.

000

"I think it's time you got me a new look-a-like," Will said. "The last guy you got was a disaster."

"I agree," Agravaine told Will, the last guy they'd got to stand in for the President when he'd decided to take an impromptu weekend off to Aspen had been a disaster so much that they had to lock him up in a federal prison on some trumped up charges. Agravaine still maintained, when taken to task by Leon and Merlin who were against the idea of stand-ins at all, that the man had to be imprisoned or committed and prison was the less harmful option what he'd neglected to mention was that he had already given orders for the man to be executed after three months.

"Why don't you send Merlin and Leon to take care of it?" Will suggested.

"Are you sure?"

"They couldn't do a worse job than you did," Will said, "and besides we don't really want them around this afternoon, do we?"

"No we don't," Agravaine agreed. They definitely didn't need Leon around for their dealings that afternoon.

000

Arthur Pendragon entered his office and smiled at his sister and business partner, Morgana, who as usual had beaten him in. They owned an antiques store.

"Good morning, Morgana," he greeted her.

"Arthur, finally," she said, "Gwaine's been calling all morning." Gwaine was an old school friend of Arthur who was always coming up with get-rich-quick schemes.

"What does he want?"

"I didn't ask," Morgana replied, "but I'm sure it's another harebrained idea."

"I'll call him after I get back from Dragoon's."

"You're still going for that?"

"Last time I checked, sister dear," Arthur told her, "it was my work at Dragoon's that actually kept the lights on at this place."

"Frankly I've never understood why you do it," Morgana replied, although she didn't deny that his work at the theatre was what kept them in business.

"You know why," Arthur told him, "I was never going to good enough for the West End but at least here I get to do some bit of acting and actually get paid."

"Who are you impersonating this time?"

"The President, who else?" Arthur laughed. "You know how well I pull off Will Mercia."

"I know," Morgana agreed, "it's freakish."

"So, you'll drive me?"

"Why don't you just buy yourself a car?" she complained.

"I'm trying to save the planet here," Arthur defended himself, "and besides you know I can't afford to buy a car."

"You can," she said.

"Fine," he replied, "but I prefer to ride my bicycle."

"So ride your bicycle then."

"Fine"

000

"Why does Agravaine want us to do it this time?" Merlin asked.

"He's busy," Leon told him.

"Did Langston have a double as well?" Langston had been the President before Mercia.

"I don't know," Leon replied, "I wasn't part of his detail."

"I bet she didn't have one," Merlin said, "I mean why would she need one?"

"Why does Mercia need one?" Leon asked.

"He's young and stupid."

Leon didn't have anything to say to that and instead asked, "Are you sure about this Arthur Pendragon?"

"According to my sources he sounds just like Mercia and if he is given a makeover he could pass for him."

They entered the Dragoon and waited for Arthur Pendragon's act.

000

To say that Arthur Pendragon's act was good was putting it mildly. He didn't like exactly like Mercia, for one, Mercia wore spectacles – a vanity thing really, and he had dark auburn hair while Arthur was blond and Arthur clearly worked out while Mercia did not but his mannerisms were all Mercia.

"He'll do," Leon said.

000

Arthur cycled home and let himself into his house. It had been a good day; after the show he'd gone back to the office where they'd been able to sell off a whole trunk of hats and hairpins.

"Who are you and what do you want in my house?" he asked Leon and Merlin whom he'd found waiting for him in his sitting room.

"Secret Service," Leon showed him his budget. "Your country needs your help."

"My help?"

"Yes," Leon continued, "from time to time the President needs a stand-in and we believe you would fill that role perfectly."

"You want me to pretend to be President?"

"Yes."

000