Chapter 2: Bad Things Happen When Loud Things Ring

Chapter Summary: Everyone regrets something.

Merlin got up early the next morning. He was anxious to get to work. Not because he loved his job - which he did - but because he had an odd feeling that something big was going to happen. Something huge, like an increased amount of business, or a new book supply, or maybe even meeting someone famous who just so happened to cross the little book store on the corner. Anything was possible at Merlin's bookstore, or so he liked to believe. So, he got up early and left the house before he had to the chance to speak to Arthur because he was sure that Arthur had some other plan to go lolly-gagging throughout the city a little bit more today. Frankly, that was not on Merlin's agenda for the week.

Merlin got to the store a good forty minutes before Rosa got there. He didn't know what to do with himself, because he never got to work early. Or on time, for that matter. So, he did the only thing he could think to do; he went through the notes and messages that he had recieved from the weekend before. He didn't have a chance to look through them yesterday because a certain blue-eyed blonde had other plans for Merlin's time, and apparently that meant keeping a workaholic from his job.

There was a shipment of books coming in from Nevada on Wednesday, a girl named Chelsea was looking for a book - Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan - and would need it by the end of the week, there was a person who was hoping to set up an interview for a job. Interesting, but not interesting enough to have worried about it all day yesterday.

Merlin looked at the clock and noticed it was only seven in the morning. He definitely got up too early, and would rethink this decision later when it was ten at night and Arthur wanted to violently thrust his dick into Merlin. Yep, Merlin was in a for a long day. Merlin quickly got to work anyways. He set up the shipment room for the new books, he found Homeless Birds and left a message for Chelsea at the number she left, and he called and set up an interview for two that day for the young lady who had asked for one. He cleaned his office, set up the rest of the shop for the upcoming day, and was making a second pot of coffee when Rosa walked in through the front door.

"Good morning, Rosa," Merlin called happily out to the yawning girl.

"What are you doing here so early, Merlin? You are not due in for another hour and a half," she replied filing back to where Merlin was to put her stuff away and to grap a cup of coffee that Merlin had set out for her. She wasn't a morning person, but Merlin found most bookstore workers were not.

"I had trouble sleeping and decided to come in to work early and get things ready for the shipment and stuff. I am allowed to come into work early sometimes, you know."

"Of course, I just never would have thought you would be here at seven-thirty in the morning."

"I have been here for over an hour, if you could believe it."

"There are many things in the world I don't believe in, but you getting here at six thirty in the bloody morning is not one of them."

"Well, everything is set for the beginning of the day. The backroom is set up for the shipment coming in tomorrow in case we get it early, and I have an interview at two. I will be taking an early lunch around ten-thirty so you can take my lunch time and I will run the store then."

"Sounds great, Merlin. Have you ever thought about coming into work early all the time?" Rosa asked, finishing off her coffee and putting her name tag on.

"I used to, but then I hired you," Merlin replied cheekily.

"I see how it is," she grinned before she made her way back out to the main floor. Merlin then had an uncanny need to keep her around. She would be valueable one day. He could feel it. But, he didn't know from where.

Arthur woke up at 7, his alarm blarring. It was strange for multiple reasons. First, he never had an alarm on because Merlin woke him up. And second, the alarm was set which must have meant that Merlin wasn't there. It was strange because Merlin was always there, looking out that window when Arthur woke up and pretended not to be staring at the lovely long back of his that finished off at the top of a fairly delicious and plump ass for someone as skinny as Merlin and ending at the beginning of legs that went on for forever.

Merlin was in fact gone, Arthur found, as he moved his hand over the other side of the bed. Curious, Merlin was never out of the house before Arthur woke up. Or he was before that one girl he hired, but that had been five months ago.

Arthur got up and was dressed, grapping the mug that was on the counter before heading out. The mug was warm, which means that Merlin left less than thirty minutes ago. He took off in the car out front - which they rarely used - and drove to the high school. He was a teacher there every day, except Mondays and Fridays which were early morning practice days. Good set up for him, and he really enjoyed it.

He pulled into the back parking lot and sat there for a few minutes. He didn't know why, but he felt that something big was going to happen today. Whether it be at the school, with himself, or with Merlin, something big was going to happen. He could just tell, and usually his instincts were right.

There was a knock on his window that shock him out of his thinking. He turned and saw one of his students, Macy. She had a smile on her face, but he could tell that she was highly concerned with her teacher sitting in the car staring at nothing. Apparently, most teachers hid their distress quite well.

He got his stuff and got out of the car to find that Macy was still waiting on him.

"Good morning, Macy," he said, trying to be cheerful, but knowing he didn't succeed.

"Good morning, Mr. Pendragon. How are you today?" Well she was cheery. Perhaps for the both of them.

"I am well enough. And yourself?"

"I am excellent for it being seven thirty in the morning," she replied jumpily.

"I can see that," Arthur said with a laugh and a smile. The kids here always knew how to make his day a little better, and it was starting early.

"What is the agenda for today, Mr. Pendragon?"

Arthur thought for a minute. He was too worked up yesterday over everything and he forgot to set up a lesson plan. Well fuck.

"Actually, I was thinking we could just watch a movie. I didn't exactly have time to set up a lesson, but I figured we would just do double time one day."

"Can I pick the movie?" Macy sure was excited for nothing.

"Sure, I guess. What did you have in mind?" Arthur asked. He wasn't going to say no to his top student.

"Well I was thinking either The Avengers, Mean Girls, Monty Python's Holy Grail, or Pocahontas."

"All good movies," Arthur thought.

"Well, The Avenger is still in theaters, Mean Girls is probably innappropriate to show at school, Holy Grail isn't on Netflix, and neither is Pocahontas," Arthur reasoned, because all was true.

"I am sure the principal would allow us to take a trip to the theatre if you asked nicely," Macy threw out batting her eyelashes at him. Which frankly was funny to him, but she had been doing it all year.

They arrived at the classroom, 2117, and Arthur opens the door for Macy who steps through looking back at Arthur with pleading eyes.

"I don't think he would allow that, especially on such short notice." His reasoning is just not getting through to her.

"I could talk to him, if you want," she offered. Those damned batting eye lashes again.

"If you want, go right on ahead."

Before Arthur knew it, Macy had her phone out, had dialed one number - one! - and was saying "Hi Daddy," into the phone. He was only confused for two seconds before it registered in his brain that his star pupil, favorite student if he admitted it, and the ridiculously popular kid in school was the spawn of the principal. It all fell together somehow.

"Can Mr. Pendragon's first period class take a field trip? To the movie theatre. The Avengers. Yes I figured you would pay for the class. We can! Thank you Daddy. Of course. I'll tell him. Love you, Daddy." And the phone beeped off.

"The principal says that we can to the movie, with many of the other kids driving, so we can all get there. He will take care of the other classes that we all have and that you have to teach, we can go to lunch at the new fancy place down the street from the theatre and when we get to both places just let me do the talking. It will all go on his tap." The eyelash batting never ceased, and made Arthur highly concerned because that should make her at least somewhat tired. Or at least have a headache.

"Right, okay." Arthur looked around. The entire class was there. Perfect. "Well, we are going to see The Avengers today, because I didn't have a lesson planned. So, um, who can drive?" Seven hands went up out of twenty-two. "Is there enough room in those cars to fit the whole class?" There were murmurs of yes, and one "who the hell cares, we will all just stuff into one space to get out of school" that he ignores because frankly he was like that in school too. "Great, I guess choose who you are going to be driving with. We leave in five minutes."

Those were the longest five minutes of his entire life, and that is saying something when your father is the overbearing, not giving a fuck's ass if you have a date, why the hell didn't you get an A on a test, and tell me why you hate me, I have all night Uther Pendragon.

Arthur had texted Merlin asking if he was available for a movie in about twenty minutes - what movie and of course - and set up a sign on the door saying that class has been cancelled for the day, go to the library and chill (because Arthur liked to think that he was a cool teacher, being a footy player and the youngest teacher at the school and all), and watched the class converse none too quietly. He didn't notice the vibrating phone as one of the boys in the class came up to talk to him.

"Sir?"

"Yes Jacob?"

"You phone is vibrating."

"Oh crap, thank you. How are you today?" Arthur was a very good multi-tasker, even though Merlin would always diagree.

"Worried." Well that was new. Arthur looked up from his text - The Avengers - and looked at the boy. His expression wasn't of worry, but if you looked in his eyes long enough you could see it.

"Why?" Arthur was a man of few words. Very few if at all possible.

"I don't think you know Macy...intensions." Intensions? What intensions?

"What do you mean? If there is something you need to tell me, I would be happy to listen, but if this is just an empty-"

"I am not lying to you and this isn't an empty incentive or whatever. She has intensions. She likes you, alright. And you are one thick headed teacher if you can't see it," Jacob explained in a hushed voice.

Jacob never talked. Which was the first thing that made Arthur realize he was being completely serious. The second; the hushed voice. Shit was going to go down if he didn't take this warning to heart.

"Alright, I believe you. I should send you to the principal's office for saying I have a thick head, but I have to agree with you on that so I will let it go. Thank you for letting me know. Would you like to ride in the car with me on the way there? For...safety reasons?" Might as well play it safe.

"Why?"

"To play it safe. Because she is a teenage girl and she can do anything. Teenage girls are scary," Arthur explained in ia completely serious voice. At least it got a laugh out him.

"Yes, they can be scary sometimes. Sure, why not? Won't do any harm."

"Great. Now, I think we should get going now. Class, I do believe it is time for us to leave, so if everyone would please...file out," he announced as the whole class rushed to grap their things and leave the room. Students always grew increasingly happy when going on field trips.

"Right, let's go."

And that was when hell started. For everyone.

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"

Morgana rolled over onto her left side and looked at the clock. Seven. Too early for five year olds to be up.

"Yes sir?" she asked the boy with a stern face. Or as stern as one could get from just being jostled from a deep sleep.

"I wanna cuddle." Morgana's face fell. He always brought about the soft side of her. It most have been a curse of all children; bringing out the softest out of the hardest.

"Of course you can cuddle,. baby, you don't have to ask. Come here."

Morgana moved over and allowed her son to crawl into bed and into her arms. He tossed and turned for a minute before he settled down and started to fall back into a sleep.

"I love you, Mommy," he mumbled against the sheets.

"I love you, too, AJ."

And they both fell into a sleep, woken up by the ring of Morgana's phone.