AN: Thank you so much to everyone who gave me sound advice. The writer's block just completely snuck up on me out of nowhere but I am grateful to all of you who offered a helping hand. I hope this is good enough for you.
It was early Friday evening and Cutting Edge was filled with various patrons getting various styles done for free to be photographed. At the end of each style, one of the trainee hairdressers, a student named Sarah took a photo to be uploaded onto the page. None of the women accepted Gwen's offer of payment, a free hair treatment was payment enough. Gwen herself was working on Mithian's hair and chatting away to her about her relationship with Leon. Mithian worked as a personal trainer in the gym Leon went to and they had bonded over a love of archery and attempts to out-do their personal best on the treadmills and cross-trainers. They had been dating for almost a year and Mithian was also a good friend of Gwen's.
"You should let me do your hair more often," Gwen commented as she added layers.
"I work in a gym, I can't have my hair all fancy." Mithian shrugged.
"When you're not working, I mean, like when you and Leon go out somewhere." Gwen suggested.
"Maybe," Mithian replied and smiled at her friend. "So what was this Leon told me about you and some blond bloke?"
Gwen cast her eyes. "It's nothing, I did his hair and met him at a bar. You know what those two are like, they gossip like old ladies."
"True, was he fit?" Mithian grinned and Gwen gestured to the scissors in her hand.
"I am holding scissors." Gwen reminded and Mithian's grin widened.
"You do think he's fit then." Mithian teased and Gwen shook her head and continued with the layers before summoning Sarah over to take the photo. Mithian got up out of the chair and thanked Gwen quickly before she left. As the door shut behind Mithian, Gwen reached into her pocket for her phone and quickly texted Leon.
Mithian on way home. Compliment the hair.
Gwen shook her head fondly as the message sent. Leon was always a bit of a scatterbrain, brilliant wit and memory in general but when it came to dates and reminders, he could be fairly clueless. Back in school Leon had always been that person who came into school in full uniform on the non-uniform days or the one sprinting to print off coursework assignments on the final day of handing them in. A few moments later her phone buzzed with a reply from Leon.
Thanks, owe you one!
Gwen slid her phone back into her pocket as the door opened and Gwaine sauntered in followed by Arthur. As the men walked in, it was clear that all the women, the two patrons who were still getting their hair styled and the stylists were staring at them as Gwaine reached Gwen first and gave her a big bear hug and Arthur smiled at her while nudging Gwaine with his elbow.
"Glad you two could do this. It means a lot." Gwen smiled.
"Anything for such lovely ladies," Gwaine grinned as he looked at the hairdressers, two of whom all but swooned when they made eye contact.
"So how about you both take a seat and myself and Karen will do your hair." Gwen offered as she gestured to two free chairs in front of mirrors. Gwen studied Arthur's hair as she tapped her palm with her comb. Beside her Karen was already trimming at the split ends of Gwaine's hair and blushing at his attempts to flirt with her. Gwen caught Arthur's gaze in the mirror and smiled as he rolled his eyes playfully.
"So what do you want me to do? I can trim it, style it or just go for a bald job." Gwen offered.
"Um just style it I guess," Arthur replied and Gwen complied, running the comb through his hair before reaching for the gel and tousling his hair to style it. "So how are you?"
"Can't complain but my cousin's coming home today for a few weeks and I'm dreading that." Arthur replied.
"The cousin who made you watch 'IT' when you were younger?" Gwen asked, recalling what she and Arthur talked about last Saturday night.
"That's the one. Morgause immigrated to America but feels the need to come home every so often and make my life a living hell." Arthur replied. "Of course her and Morgana get on wonderfully so it's double the torment."
"Don't be a baby, I'm sure it won't be that bad." Gwen reassured as she lightly brushed Arthur's fringe to the side.
"You don't know Morgause, I'm still convinced she's evil. I just could never prove it. Morgause practically invented the faux-innocent face so obviously if I told my dad that she put a spider in my bed or booby-trapped my bike, he never believed me." Arthur commented, recalling the various acts of childish villainy Morgause performed in their childhood and the fact she always got away with it.
"My speciality was the sad eyes. Anytime the three of us got into trouble, Elyan or Leon would just pinch me and I'd do the sad eyes or even start crying. Generally worked until I was about nine then it wore off." Gwen smiled as she remembered her childhood with Elyan and Leon.
"They your brothers?" Arthur asked in a casual voice but he could sense Gwaine had stopped flirting to listen in. He suspected Merlin or Morgana had ordered him to eavesdrop on their conversation; they were both underhanded like that.
"Elyan is and Leon may as well be. My mother was his child minder so we grew up together. They're both a year older than me and Elyan's a mechanic while Leon's a cop." Gwen explained and Arthur nodded. So it seemed Morgana was right when she said Gwen had no boyfriend. "I would say that's you done, Sarah!"
Sarah came over holding the camera and she stepped around Arthur, getting shots from various angles. Gwen had simply styled his hair into a sort of tousled, bed hair style but Arthur suited it well and Sarah fought back a blush as she finished snapping the photos and waited for Karen to finish with Gwaine who was getting some split ends trimmed and styled. As Karen stepped back in order to let Sarah take a photo, Arthur grinned at Gwen as he flicked on the razor and held it close to Gwaine's hair. Gwaine's reaction was instantaneous; he lurched forward and shielded his head causing everyone to laugh.
"That was mean," Gwen commented as she attempted to keep a straight face but Arthur just flashed her a smile and turned the razor off.
"Ignore him sweetheart, he's jealous of my charm, good looks and the fact he can't get a girl." Gwaine retorted as he fixed his hair and let a blushing Sarah take some shots. Once the photographs were taken, the other patrons had already left so Gwen dismissed Sarah and Karen, leaving her alone with Arthur and Gwaine.
"I am not looking forward to tonight." Arthur commented wearily as he considered the gathering of the clan being held at his uncle's for Morgause and Gwaine clapped his shoulders and grinned.
"Rather you than me mate, Morgause scares me." Gwaine laughed and Gwen attempted to pay them both for their time. "There's no need for that however I would accept something else."
"What's that?" Gwen asked as she slipped the money back into her pocket.
"A kiss from a beautiful lady would do." Gwaine commented, inwardly noting the glare Arthur shot him from behind Gwen's back. Score one to Gwaine, it was too easy to rile him up. Poor Pendragon had it bad. Which made it all the more fun. Gwen rolled her eyes playfully before kissing both men on the cheeks, lingering for a fraction of a second longer on Arthur than Gwaine.
"Thanks, I really mean it." Gwen said.
"Anytime," Gwaine commented.
"Yeah, a-anytime." Arthur repeated still in a slight daze. What the hell was wrong with him? It was taking every ounce of willpower he had not to either blush or rub the spot where Gwen had kissed him. Now he was also stammering, just brilliant. Really fantastic.
"Are you alright Arthur?" Gwen asked.
"Fine," Arthur nodded and Gwaine decided to help his friend out.
"He's got a gathering of the clan and he isn't looking forward to it." Gwaine explained and Gwen nodded sympathetically. There was something loathsome about mass family gatherings, all those various relatives you hardly knew commenting on this, that and the other, asking questions about everything and anything. They were rarely fun and judging by Arthur's description of his cousin, he had good reason to dread it.
"Good luck, I'm sure it won't be that bad." Gwen reassured and the men left. The second they were out the door Arthur had Gwaine in a head-lock and was rubbing his fist into his scalp. Gwaine pulled himself free and turned to Arthur.
"What was that for?" Gwaine asked.
"For flirting with Gwen." Arthur retorted as they walked towards their cars.
"Mate no offense but you weren't exactly charming her were you? 'Yes a-anytime'." Gwaine mocked in a high pitched impression of Arthur's voice. "Besides I helped you and come on just take her out for a few drinks, take her back to yours and be done with it."
"I would do that but she's different. Gwen deserves better than that." Arthur claimed.
"Well if that's how you feel then get a move on. A girl like her won't be single forever." Gwaine warned as he drove off. Arthur climbed into his car and thought about what Gwaine said. He hated to admit it, but he was right. Arthur had been a bit of a playboy when he was younger but there was something different about Gwen; something that made him want to do things properly. He didn't want some drunken one-night stand with her. He wanted more than that. Arthur slammed his hands on the steering wheel.
"How the hell does she do that to me?" Arthur muttered as he turned the ignition and headed home.
Gwen let herself into her flat and slumped onto the sofa before she kicked off her shoes and rubbed her sore, tired feet. The main downside of hairdressing was that it meant being on her feet all day. Gwen lazily put on the TV and flicked between Emmerdale, news bulletins, Criminal Minds and some weird fantasy series on BBC Three before turning the TV off and instead took her camera out of her bag and fetched her laptop to create the Facebook page. As she flicked through the various photos, she stopped when she reached the one of Arthur. Gwen thought about Arthur, she quite liked him. He was kind and friendly and she supposed he was quite good looking even though she'd never really been into blonds. Besides a man like Arthur Pendragon was probably into more successful mature women, not her. And anyway, Gwen wasn't ready yet, not sinceā¦
Gwen shook her head and switched off her laptop, as she stood up to get herself something to eat, she glanced over at the mantelpiece above the electric fire and at the photographs. A years old family shot was next to a photo of her, Elyan and Leon on Elyan's twenty first and as usual, Gwen's gaze was diverted to the two end shots. The first was of her and Lancelot before their formal; the first proper photo of them together which was situated next to the last photo, the one Gwen lifted and stared at, her hunger forgotten.
The photo had been taken on Halloween and in the club they had gone to. Gwen had dressed up as Jasmine from Aladdin while Lancelot had been Superman. As she studied the photo, the smiles on their faces, Gwen thought about what Elyan and Leon had said. It had been two years but it wasn't as easy as that. She still loved Lancelot and while she knew it might be time to move on, another part knew it wasn't that easy. It still hurt to think about what had happened, how what they had had been destroyed that night. Their love, their hopes and dreams had all been destroyed that night.
The night Lancelot died.
.
