Arthur closed the door to his room. "The mash is in the fridge. So is the milk. Remember to heat up the bottle –"

"Yes, you've been going through this the whole day." Merlin waved a piece of paper. "You've even written it all down here. Sarah and I will be fine."

"Call me if you run into any problems."

"Yes, yes. You're going to be late for your date."

Snagging his jacket, Arthur dashed out of the door, running straight into Gwen on the sidewalk. Gwen who, upon noticing him, pretended that she hadn't just moments ago been examining his car. Who knew she could appreciate cars? He smirked and sauntered up to her.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Proudly, he patted the car.

"I've seen better," said Gwen, shrugging, even as her hand lingered on the car.

Grinning at how badly she was hiding her interest in his car, Arthur answered, "Have you? Then I guess you wouldn't be interested in a ride in this car." He ran a hand along the hood.

"It's an old car," she said curtly.

"You say old, I say classic."

She rolled her eyes, yet the gleam of interest in them remained.

Arthur's grin widened as he opened the door. "That's too bad then because no one drives it but me."

"Probably because it'll fall apart in the hands of anyone else."

"Because no one else has the special touch I have," said Arthur.

Gwen finally smiled. It was small, but it was a smile nevertheless. "Special touch. I bet you use that line on every girl you meet."

Arthur quirked an eyebrow. "Did it work on you?"

"I know better. Men like you -" She shook her head and while she was still smiling, there was an undercurrent of bitterness.

With an exaggerated sigh, Arthur slid into the car. Men like him. What did she know about him anyway aside from the half-baked reports in the business news?

"I hope it doesn't break down on you!" But a smile played on her face and she waved as Arthur revved the engine and drove off.

Elena was already waiting outside of the restaurant when Arthur arrived. Tossing his keys to the valet, Arthur called her name.

"You're late!" she chided gently.

"Sorry. Got caught up with Sarah."

Slipping her hand in his arm, Elena smiled up at him. "Well, I'm starving. Shall we?"

The thing was, Arthur liked Elena. She was pleasant to talk to, pleasant to look at, pleasant to be with. She was just really pleasant. And aside from Sarah, Arthur hadn't had many pleasant experiences in a while. So this was nice.

"So." Elena played with the stem of her wine glass. "What do you do when you're not working or looking after your niece?"

"I play sports, mostly football and I read. Although Sarah is taking up most of my time nowadays. What about you?"

"I knit," Elena smiled.

"Knit!" Arthur leaned forward. "Don't take this the wrong way, but knitting isn't something I associate with someone like you."

"Someone like me?"

Aware that he was about to dig himself into a hole, Arthur shook his head and changed the subject. "What do you knit?"

"This and that. Hats, scarves, sweaters. I could knit you a lovely Christmas sweater."

"Ah, I'm going to pass on that. But thank you. Morgana once decided she wanted to learn to knit. I was buried in scarves for months. Thank goodness her attention span lasted for slightly more than a month."

"Morgana's your sister?" Elena took a sip of the wine and smiled at him over the glass.

"Step-sister to be precise. Sarah's mother. You should know her – the first one to leave the Pendragon Holdings."

Arthur could see the interest in her eyes. "And a few years later, you left."

"By left, you mean I got kicked out," said Arthur wryly. He wasn't about to get into the details of what transpired, as pleasant as Elena was. "How about some dessert?"

"How about sharing a chocolate lava cake?"

A woman who liked chocolate. Definitely after his own heart. "Why not?"

Sarah was sound asleep on top of Merlin's prone body in front of the television which was still on. Crossing over to the sofa, Arthur picked Sarah up, noting with a frown that whatever was on the television was completely inappropriate for a baby. With a huff, he switched it off. Sarah fussed a little, curled her fists into his chest then snuggled into him. As he walked to her cot, Arthur enjoyed the weight of her in his arms and, burying his nose in her hair, the smell of baby powder. In the quiet darkness of the house, it felt like it was just him and Sarah and it was some kind of wonderful.

Tucking Sarah into her cot, Arthur put her stuffed dog – it really needed a name – next to her. He bent over and gave her a kiss, then smoothed his hand over her hair. Arthur had loved many people in his life – his parents, his various girlfriends, Morgana, maybe even Merlin – but none of them evoked the feelings Sarah did.

"Hey, you're home." Merlin appeared suddenly next to him, rubbing his eyes. "How was the date?"

"Alright. Elena is nice."

"Nice huh? That doesn't sound promising."

Arthur shrugged. "I'm not actually looking for a relationship right now. My life is messy enough."

"Being a Pendragon means your life is always a mess," yawned Merlin. "I'm going to bed."

"Did you read to her?"

"Yes, I read to her. The Book of Baths – twice. She loves poking at the animals."

"She does. It's her favourite. Thanks, Merlin."

"No problem. Sarah's a darling."

Warmth spread in his chest. "I know."

Despite being a darling, Sarah woke up in the middle of the night crying. Like most nights, Arthur wasn't asleep, just lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. By now, he was intimately familiar with the ceiling.

"Alright sweetie, what's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?" He walked up and down the small living room, bouncing her gently in his arms. "I have bad dreams all the time."

Sarah sniffled, snot and saliva all over her face.

"Well, not really bad dreams, bad thoughts. Like how I could have done more to save the local shops and their employees. Like how there must be some way to balance expanding the company and serving the needs of the town."

Arthur looked down at Sarah, who, after drooling all over his shoulder, was now fast asleep again.

"Thanks for listening," said Arthur as he rubbed her back. "Always good to know someone cares."

The headline screamed at Arthur when he sat down at the breakfast table.

UTHER PENDRAGON TO TEAR DOWN CITY HALL FOR NEW MALL

"Guess it's public now," sighed Arthur as he pulled out a chair and sat down. "Great."

Merlin glanced up at him. "Toast? Coffee is in the pot."

"I've lost my appetite. Sarah is still asleep?"

"Yup." Merlin swallowed his toast. "The board believes this will bring profits to an all-time high."

Arthur sighed. "Of course it will. But the town is going to lose a landmark."

"You of all people should know what money can buy. It certainly can buy the town council."

"We're going to ruin the town," said Arthur, pulling the newspaper to him. "Not that my father cares."

Merlin stood. "He doesn't. He's got plans for the town next door."

"I know that. What do I do?"

"You know," said Merlin. "You should talk to Gwen."

"Gwen?" Arthur sat up. "You said she was an architect."

"She's also involved in the local protest group."

"Ah."

Merlin stopped at the kitchen door. "Ah?"

"Explains why she hates me."

That made Merlin laugh. "Hate you? Gwen's lovely. She doesn't hate anyone, except your father. I work for your father and she's my best friend."

"Your best friend? What about me?"

"You're my other best friend." Merlin shook his head and walked out of the kitchen.

"The word 'best' suggests one person only!"

"Goodbye Arthur. Clean up the kitchen."

AN: Thank you again for the comments! Sorry this is a little short but I think the next chapter might make up for it. Or not. Ha. Thanks for reading!