Hi there, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and that your New Year has been great thus far. I wish each and every one of you a wonderful 2018. Thanks to those who have reviewed, followed or made this one of their favourite stories. I feel honoured that you are still with me.

I do not own Merlin or the characters.

Present Day – December 2017

Arthur Pendragon was currently beating the life out of a boxing dummy.

Every punch he threw, he pictured the face of his latest rival...Matt Thompson.

After working his butt off as an office intern at his father's company and trying to finish up his business degree, he was looking forward to the two weeks break he was given.

He should be happy, he really should, after all, the holidays were approaching and he was free to relax and have some fun. He also knew that the object of his desire, Gwen, would be spending the holidays at his home.

Over the years, Gwen and her dad Tom grew closer to the Pendragons, and her tolerance level for Arthur grew slightly.

During that time, they spent every Christmas with them. This year would be no different, at least it shouldn't be, but as of now, Arthur was in a foul mood.

Sweat burned his eyes, his blonde hair took on a darker shade as it started matting to his skull. Still he continued the onslaught on the punching bag. His aggression grew and he took out every one of his frustrations on it, until it could take no more.

His final punch snapped it from the chain it was hanging on, and he watched helplessly as it fell to the ground. Within seconds, he had the gloves off and thrown beside it.

He stomped to the showers located in the gym, as his mind went into over-drive.

Inside the shower stall, he glanced at himself in the mirror and he clearly saw anger simmering behind his blue eyes.

He took in his appearance, his hair completely matted, his shirt clinging to his muscular chest and sweat dripping from him.

After a few seconds of staring aimlessly at himself, he stripped and entered the shower. The water proved to be soothing, as he stood with his arms propped against the tiled wall allowing it to fall on him.

His thoughts drifted back to earlier and what eventually happened to put him in such a terrible mood.

Hours earlier

Uther Pendragon walked purposely to the small office adjacent his, which his only son occupied. He was feeling good and he was about to make his son very happy.

With his signature knock, he rapped on the office door and waited patiently until he was told to enter.

After hearing Arthur asking him to come in, he stepped into the room and spied his son on the phone. He watched as Arthur raised a finger, indicating that he would be with him in a minute, so he walked to one of the chairs situated in the office and sat quietly.

"Okay Merlin," Arthur was saying, "I'll be there. Tell Morganna not to throw a hissy-fit." With that, he rolled his gorgeous eyes dramatically and continued to say,

"Oh come on Merlin, grow a pair would you. Yes, I give you my word."

Seconds later, Uther watched as his son's handsome face turned bright red, just before saying into the phone, "Shut. Up. Merlin!"

Uther smiled automatically, as he listened to his son banter with his best friend.

He had often thought that Merlin had a brain affliction, but the one thing he was certain of, was that Merlin would go to the ends of the earth for Arthur if he had to.

It warmed him when he thought of how utterly and completely loyal Merlin was to Arthur.

As he looked at his son, he could only guess what or rather who, Merlin was telling him about…Gwen.

Uther wasn't foolish by any means. He knew his son had a soft spot for the caramel beauty, in fact, he was positive that Arthur was in love with her, deeply in love too, and he had no problems whatsoever with that.

He really liked Gwen and looked upon her as a second daughter, not to mention, he was extremely happy to have her father as a very close friend. He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Arthur saying,

"So, what can I do for you father?" Rising to his feet, Uther walked the short distance to his son and softly squeezed his shoulder.

"Well Arthur, I came to tell you, that as of today, you have two weeks break from work. You have been working extra hard and since the holidays are approaching, I think that you have earned some well deserved time off…with pay. Also, you are up for a promotion…it is mostly due to the volume of work that you have been handling…and very well, I might add."

Smiling, Arthur pulled his father into a warm embrace and said,

"Thank you father. I appreciate it…more than you know."

They chatted for a while longer and afterwards they parted, going their separate ways.

That afternoon, Arthur was feeling on top of the world.

The conversation he'd had earlier with Merlin, and the news his father gave him, caused him to walk with a spring in his step. Apparently, his sister had contacted their mutual friends and they had all decided to spend the evening bar-hopping and having fun.

He knew who would be there, in addition to all of his friends…Gwen. Most of the time, wherever you see the two M's as he liked to call Morganna and Merlin, you see her.

His heart sped up as he thought about her. A sense of longing spread throughout his body, emanating from deep within his soul. He smiled at the prospect of seeing her lovely face and getting the chance to be close to her.

He made a promise to himself that day, whatever it took, he would go out of his way to be nice to her and when the time is right, he will tell her of his feelings. With that vow cemented inside of him, he made his way to the company's parking lot, got into his car and headed home.

Later that evening, he was finally dressed and ready to go.

He looked at himself in the mirror and gave his appearance a thumb's up, just before he picked up his keys, wallet and phone and left his room.

A few doors down in the Pendragon Mansion, Gwen and Morganna were getting dressed together, like they always did when they were younger. They chatted happily as they donned their clothes for the evening. Morganna was saying,

"Gwen, at some point you have to admit that my brother fancies you. A blind man can see it." Gwen scoffed as her hands paused in mid-air.

"Morgs, you have been saying that since we were ten. Everyone does, even my dad…but I don't see it. The only thing I see is mischief in those blue-grey eyes of his. He takes everything as a joke. I can't understand why he feels it is okay to tease me and make me miserable," she ranted.

Throughout her tirade, Morganna rolled her beautiful eyes continuously. She's heard it all before, but she knows she is quite right about what she has told Gwen…if only her friend would open her lovely brown eyes and see.

"I get it Gwen. I know that Arthur can be a jerk…sometimes, but he is harmless…you do know that don't you?" she asked tentatively. Answering softly, Gwen said,

"I know…but it hurts sometimes…and it's all...so…annoying. I'm going to stay far away from him tonight. I don't want to have to deal with him and his silliness. Tonight is all about fun, fun and more fun. No more talk of Arthur, let's get ready to hit the bars and turn some heads.

No truer words were spoken. Heads turned indeed.

Every one of their male friends gaped and almost forgot that they were there with their own dates. The only two men, who were not amused, were Arthur and Merlin. They both looked at each other and a whole conversation passed silently between them.

Merlin wished he could march Morganna back into the room and make her change, knowing he couldn't, he suddenly attached himself to her side. Arthur on the other hand, wanted to kill every one of his male friends that looked Gwen's way.

He too wished he could he pull Gwen into the nearest room…but mostly his room and lock her away. The two girls however, found the situation comical and were quite proud of the way they looked.

Gwen especially felt flattered and extremely beautiful. Out of the two of them, she was least pursued by men. If a guy started to show any interest in her, and any feelings were remotely reciprocated by her, the guy would suddenly lose interest and avoid her.

For a while, it bothered her and she believed something was wrong with her, but lately, she threw it off and decided that she wouldn't let it get to her.

The two girls gathered their purses and other items and made their way to the door, with Merlin and Arthur on their heels and the others following.

The moment Gwen turned her back, Arthur swore under his breath and the only person that heard was Merlin. With a friendly pat on the shoulder, Merlin caught his eye and sympathized with him.

Gwen was wearing a sexy halter, lingerie dress, red in colour, very short, scooped at the front enhancing her cleavage, and backless, all the way down to the top of her perfectly round bottom.

Morganna was also wearing something similar. Her green sexy, backless zipper dress, also very short, clung to her like a second skin, and the flirty look she threw over her shoulder at Merlin, caused him to blush profusely.

The first hour into their night out went by smoothly.

Gwen was as good as her word. She kept far away from Arthur, only glancing his way from time to time and each time, catching his eyes staring into hers.

She shook off the un-easy feeling that came over her, every time she caught his eye and engrossed herself into conversations with the others.

After leaving the first bar and finding another one, they decided to settle there for the remainder of the night. This bar had a dance floor and wasn't as crowded as the first one.

It was early yet, and almost everyone was still in a drinking mood…all except Merlin and Arthur. Their other friends Leon, Gwaine and Percy, were holding their own as they knocked back drink after drink. Their dates however, were only drinking sodas, as they apparently assumed the roles of designated drivers.

Gwen and Morganna on the other hand, decided to drink to their heart's content.

The two found themselves whispering to each other and laughing at the silliest thing. It was obvious that Morganna could hold her drinks better than Gwen, because her eyes looked the clearer of the two.

Minutes later, Morganna was on her feet and pulling Gwen up with her. A giggling Gwen happily took her best friend's hand and headed to the dance floor.

Arthur watched as his sister and his crush dance salaciously and provocatively with each other to the moderately slow jams, as they giggled constantly.

After a while, the girls were approached by a handsome young man, who wanted to get into the fun.

Thinking nothing of it, the girls allowed him to part them, by placing himself smack dab in the middle, with Morganna at his back and Gwen in front of him.

The music changed to something even slower, prompting the guy, whose name the girls learned was Matt Thompson, to grab Gwen and turn her back to his chest, as he held onto her small waist.

He started moving in time with her and the music, dropping his hips in a very intimate way, grinding his obvious stiffening member, on her pert behind.

Morganna was barely hanging on. The drinks had finally caught up with her and her head began to spin.

Over at the table, Arthur and Merlin were both seeing red, especially Arthur. He was in a dangerous mood and it reflected on his handsome face, his eyes mostly.

The other guys had already gotten up and were on the dance-floor with their ladies, oblivious to what was taking place, leaving them to stew. Arthur's fists clench and un-clench at the sight before him.

He looked over at Merlin who instinctively looked his way, his face a mask, and they both rose simultaneously.

In a few long angry strides, they reached the girls and grabbed them, bringing them into their strong arms.

Arthur wanted to murder the man with his bare hands. The look he gave to him, caused the guy to step away from Gwen as if she was too hot to handle, and raise his hands in surrender.

Gwen wasn't sure what was happening.

One minute her back was against a warm chest and the next her front was tucked into strong muscular arms and an even muscular chest. Familiar cologne wafted into her nostrils, but she couldn't care less. The only thing that she knew was that she felt safe and right within those very arms.

Hours later, Gwen was roused from sleep and found herself in a bed that wasn't her own.

She knew her surroundings, but she just can't understand how she ended up there.

Sitting up, her head felt as though someone was hammering a stake into it. She brought her hands to her head and immediately her stomach lurched. She fled on wobbly legs to the bathroom and emptied the contents therein.

That is when she felt someone pull her luscious curls from getting in the way and gently rubbed her back.

The first thing that caught her eyes as she flushed the toilet, were pale bare feet and she knew who it was…Arthur.

She rose gingerly and looked up shyly into his concerned eyes, as embarrassment washed over her. Softly she said,

"Thank you," and he nodded. He held out two small red tablets and a glass of ginger ale, as he said to her,

"Here, take these for the pain. The ginger ale will calm your tummy." Gwen's eyes widened as she took them and did as she was told. She watched as Arthur turned to walk away, and finally noticed that he was shirtless.

Blushing, she secretly admired his broad, strong back and the dimples on either side, just above his bum. Her eyes remained glued to his ample bum as she imagined her hands grasping and squeezing it.

"Oh God…get a grip Gwen. This is Arthur," she silently admonished herself.

After making a call to her dad, Gwen decided to go back to bed.

She wondered about her best friend Morganna and if she was alright. Her brain was telling her to go in search of her friend, but her body was saying something different.

Within minutes, she was fast asleep and snoring lightly. She didn't know how long she slept, but when she awoke, she was feeling better and hungry.

She heard the sound of voices and decided to follow them. The voices led her to the kitchen in Pendragon Manor, and she was pleased to see her best friend there, looking beautiful, along with Merlin and…Arthur.

Morganna was more than pleased to see her best friend up and about. Immediately, she said,

"Gwen! I'm so glad to see that you are alright. How are you feeling? Are you hungry? You must be." Smiling, Gwen raised her hand to silence her and said,

"I'm fine Morgs and yes I'm a bit famished at the moment, thank you." Right away, she heard Arthur grumbled under his breath saying,

"Considering." All eyes to turned to him. Sensing the tension building, Morganna said,

"I had a plate made for you, it's in the microwave." Gwen moved slowly towards said microwave and took out the food, graciously saying,

"Thank you Morgs."

Merlin watched as Arthur's face reflected the myriad of emotions that battled within him. He knew his friend had something he wanted to get off of his chest, and in a split decision, he told Morganna,

"Um…come along Morganna, let Gwen eat her breakfast. We will catch up with her a bit later. Arthur will be here in case she needs anything more. Besides, I want to ask you about…something…personal."

Morganna could tell that her boyfriend was up to something. She quickly caught on when she chanced a look at her brother's face and then to Merlin's.

"Uh…Gwen, I'll catch up with you soon. Say, in about an hour? By the pool. We can soak up a bit of sun and just hang out. Okay?" she finished by asking. Gwen softly replied,

"Sounds great. I'll see you soon. Bye Merlin."

Arthur listened to all of the exchanges and the last one ticked him off.

He looked at Gwen and shook his head in quiet anger. Before he could catch himself, he uttered,

"Un-believable." Gwen, hearing the bite in his tone, asked,

"What is so un-believable?" Arthur continued, his lips loose and un-filtered.

"You…that's what so un-believable. I don't get it. You…and guys…even Merlin."

Gwen wasn't sure what had gotten into Arthur and she decided to play it by ear. He looked at her, fire in his eyes, and continued his tirade.

"You've got nothing to say now? Don't you? How about something to giggle at? That's your specialty, being all giggly to the point of not knowing when someone is hitting on you."

Gwen still didn't get where he was coming from or where he was going with this. She continued to sit and push her food around the plate.

Arthur went on.

"Last night," and immediately it clicked.

"You didn't even know that guy and you let him put his hands all over you, not to mention how x-rated that dance looked between the two of you. What were you thinking Guinevere? If none of us were there with you, and that guy got rough with you, what would you have done?"

Gwen felt properly chastised, but she also felt angry.

"I'm a grown woman Arthur Pendragon. Who ever I let put their hands on me has nothing to do with you. For your information, I don't think the dancing was x-rated. So what if a guy wanted to get close to me? I don't see anyone else beating down my door wanting to go out with me. I never get asked out and it felt good…really good, to see a guy showing some kind of attraction to me," she ranted.

This infused Arthur even more.

He was the person responsible for her not being pursued by men. From the time they were in high school and all through college, he would threaten any guy that showed any interest in her.

Knowing he came from a rich background and knowing how powerful his father is, guys usually took him at his word and steer clear away from Gwen. She didn't know this and he fully intended to keep it that way.

"Well, that is not the way a proper lady behaves and neither is it a way to meet a guy. If he was honourable, he would have asked you or my sister for a dance…the correct way. He only seemed interested in you. I don't know if it was your attire or the way you and Morganna were acting on the dance-floor," he countered.

Gwen was appalled.

Her eyes watered as she allowed his stinging words to sink in. She lifted up from sitting, grabbing her plate as her appetite had completely gone, and angrily said,

"Thank you so much Arthur. Now I know what you think of me. I'm sorry that I don't fit the criteria of being proper. As for my attire, I will wear what ever I feel like, if I so happen to look like the town slut, then so be it. I will now take my improper self from your presence, because right now, I can't stand your proper ass."

This chapter was so hard to end off. It seemed to want to go on and on. I hope it was good enough. Happy New Year!