"Why...?" Merlin's voice brings Arthur's attention to him. Merlin is still laying on his side facing away from him while Arthur is on the edge pulling on some pants.
"Why what?" Arthur responds hesitantly as he stares at the younger male's pale back.
"Why are you choosing me over Gwen?" Merlin's voice is soft and uncertain. Arthur abandons the laces of his pants and leaves them mostly open and he crawls back across the bed to his lover's form.
"Because the one I love is you, Merlin." Arthur kisses Merlin's shoulder softly as he gently caressed his arm.
"But why? Why do u love me?" Merlin moves away from his caress and turns to look up into Arthur's eyes earnestly. Arthur pauses as he stares into those depthless eyes then sighs.
"I love you for many reasons, one of which being that you treat my just like anybody else and not some pedestal sitting king. Another is that you give me the feeling that you will guard my back." Merlin looks at him quizzically and he sighs. "I know I see you falling, running, or gaining unwanted attention all of the time, but through all of this you've been by my side. You've shown me what is the right path that I should take on so many occasions." Merlin seems to flinch and look away. He opens his mouth to say something but nothing comes out and he closes his mouth again looking truly distraught. "What is it, Merlin? You look like you want to say something." Merlin closes his eyes and shakes his head.
"It's nothing..." He begins to get up. "We'd better get up. Gwen is probably waiting to have breakfast with you." Merlin's toes touch the cold stone floor just as Arthur wraps his arms around Merlin's shoulders.
"That's not what you were going to say." Merlin pauses before sighing.
"Come on dollop-head, you have kingly stuff to do..."Merlin slides out of Arthur's grasp and stands. Arthur sighs as well.
"You can tell me anything you know? Nothing you say will make me ever leave you."

"Bradley? Bradley wake up. If you keep sleeping in your chair you'll get a crick in your neck." Angel's voice breaks through his remembering and he slowly opens his eyes. Angel looks like she's been crying again and her voice sounds hoarse.
"Looks like I'm not the only one that needs a decent night's sleep." He says softly. His own voice sounds unfamiliar to him and he sighs before beginning to stretch. Angel looks sadly at Bradley.
"Colin still hasn't come back..." She whispers and Bradley flinches looking away.
"I'm sure he's fine and just crashing at a friend's house." He stands up and Angel glares at him.
"Name one friend that He has other than us." she orders pissedly and Bradley hesitates before perking up.
"Mr. Hurt, his coarse teacher." some of the light returns to Angel's eyes and she perks up.
"Then lets just go and make sure that he's okay?" Bradley glares at her for the proposition.
"I'm not going to go crawling back to him just after I left him." Bradley growls and Angel steps back looking hurt. He hesitates as he sees tears forming in her eyes before finally giving in.
"Fine, but I need a shower before I go anywhere." Angel perks up again and starts bouncing happily.
"Alright!" he rolls his eyes to her and then walks away to his room to retrieve some clothes only to stop upon seeing his bed. His mind wanders back to his memory dream and gives a sad sigh before grabbing his clothes and walking to his bathroom.
Bradley's own reflection catches his eye as he'd started to change and he turns his head to look. His own eyes are bloodshot and puffy. His hair is a duller colored mess than usual, and most of all he just looks dead. Seeing himself brings images of Merlin from their fight to his mind and he tries to shake them out of his head as he jumps into the shower and turns on the hot water.
Looking back through the foggy glass of the shower he begins recalling when he first started to remember. Pain seizes his chest as he thinks about how innocent Colin had played at being back then. Bradley rest his forehead against the glass and lets the water wash over his back as he tries to drag his mind out of the pit he had dug just for himself the minute he said that he was leaving Colin. Bradley furiously scolds himself as he finishes his shower quickly and gets dressed to go out. Angel is sitting on the couch looking like she'd washed her face and put on some beauty makeup to hide most of her pryor woes.
"You ready?" He asks her softly and Angel nods as she stands.
"As ready as I'm going to be."

"I'm sorry sir, but the student you are referring to graduated many many years ago." The elderly lady at the front desk is staring at Bradley apologetically.
"What? How many years ago?" Bradley responds incredulously and the woman looks over the file.
"About thirty years ago." She states matter-o-factly. Bradley's face pales and his eyes grow wide.
"thirty years?..." Bradley manages out and the woman nods.
"Then is there a teacher or lecturer or whatever by the name of John Hurt?" Angel asks and the woman smiles gently.
"Oh I remember that name." Angel perks up enthusiasticly.
"You do?"
"Yes, he was such a kind man. Now that I think of it that student you mentioned was always hanging around him. They would always be found during lunch talking about all sorts of things. It was like watching two men that had been friends since they were children!" the woman chuckles and shakes her head.
"What about now?" Angel asks determinedly bringing the woman from her memories.
"He's been retired for nearly twenty years now I'm sorry to say." Both Angel's and Bradley's spirits sink upon hearing this.

"Thank you for your help ma'am..." Bradley manages to say around the lump in his throat and he turns to leave with Angel. "Where could he possibly be?..." he whispers softly.k you for your help ma'am..." Bradley manages to say around the lump in his throat and he turns to leave with Angel. "Where could he possibly be?..." he whispers softly.