A.N: This next chapter doesn't need an introduction. I promised you guys it would be up soon... And I am trying hard to keep that promise. So here it is! The moment you've all been waiting for! Enjoy! As always read and review. I would like to update again this weekend but I do have tickets on Saturday for Man of Steel and Sunday is Father's Day here in the States, so I don't want to make promises I can't keep. But I will try. That I can promise! :-)

As always, please read and then review. Your lovely messages are the best encouragement and they really do make my day. :)

Chapter 10

Arthur leaned against the wall nursing a pint as he watched the theater group take photographs. At one point he'd been asked to take some, he'd even been asked to be in a few. He smiled taking another sip when his mobile vibrated again. Groaning he looked at the desperate text message from Gwaine, asking where he was.

Gwaine had been trying to reach him all night. As odd as Arthur found that to be, he didn't want to ruin the night he was having by involving Gwaine and everything that came with that.

"You keep looking at your mobile… what's wrong?" Gwen asked when she reached his side.

He smiled tightly. "Nothing… someone's just trying to reach me. Not sure why… I'm sure it's not important."

"You should answer, Arthur…" Gwen said. "What if it is important? Go on… and then come find me at the bar."

She leaned up and kissed his cheek before walking away again.

Arthur answered his mobile when it began vibrating again and walked toward the doors leading outside. "What is it?"

"Finally! I've been trying to reach you all night, mate!"

"I've been busy", Arthur answered. "What's going on?"

"I need you." Gwaine answered. "Tonight. There's a big fight going down. It'll be worth your while."

Arthur looked back toward the pub and frowned. "I can't… not tonight. I told you."

"Even if I told you that you stand to make more tonight than you do in the next three fights you participate in?" Gwaine teased. "You know you want to, mate. You told me you were running low on money. This is me helping you."

Arthur's frowned deepened. "What time?"

"Midnight." Gwaine said. "I'll send an address to your mobile."

Arthur nodded even though Gwaine couldn't see him. "Alright, I'll be there. I just need to say goodnight to someone."

"Don't be late."

He disconnected the line before Arthur could respond. Pocketing his mobile, he looked at the watch on his wrist and sighed. He had about an hour before he needed to meet Gwaine. He felt his mobile vibrate and pulled it out to see the address. He was nearby. Looking down at his clothes he frowned. He needed to change first. He needed to tell Gwen he had to leave. And he needed was a good excuse to do so.

He found Merlin sitting at a table near the back and walked toward the skinnier man. "Arthur! Where have you been, mate?"

He shook his head. Merlin had been drinking a lot. Arthur didn't know if that was a good thing or not but Gwen hadn't tried stopping him so he figured he shouldn't either.

"I'm heading out, have you seen Gwen?"

"You're…" he burped. "Leaving? Why?"

"Because something's come up…" Arthur tried to tell him. "Can you tell Guinevere I had to leave."

Merlin shook his head. "No… you tell her. I'm not going to be your messenger."

"Merlin…." Arthur said in a warning tone. "I can't very well tell her why I have to go."

"Well, I'm not going to make up an excuse for you…" Merlin shrugged. "Who died and made you king, anyway?"

Arthur shook his head and sat down across from him. "Please."

"We still have to talk." Merlin frowned. "You were going to tell me…" he hiccupped. "The truth about everything…"

"And I will." Arthur shrugged looking at the time again. "I just can't do that right now and you're not sober enough to listen anyway."

"Why can't you tell Gwen the truth?"

"Because…"

"The truth about what?" Gwen asked appearing next to their table.

Arthur looked up and frowned. "Gwen…"

"What's going on?" she asked the two of them.

"Arthur's got to tell you something…" Merlin slurred. "I'm going over there so he can do it." He turned toward Arthur. "Tell. Her. Or I will."

Gwen sat down in Merlin's vacated seat and frowned. "Is there something I should know?"

Arthur's shoulder deflated before nodding. "Is there somewhere else we can go and talk?"

She nodded before standing and leading him toward the exit.

Three sets of eyes were on them as they left. Two of them glared in anger while the last pair watched them with relief.

Mithian walked up to Merlin. "What are you smiling at?"

He grinned wider before looking at her. "I'll tell you later. Come on, I need another pint."

Arthur followed Gwen to a spot on a hill overlooking the city. She sat down and looked up at him expectantly. He followed her example and sat next to her.

"Is this good?" she asked.

He looked up at the sky above them and the empty park around them. "Can we really be here this late?"

"It's a public place." She shuddered. "This is my favorite spot. I come here to think a lot."

"Cold?" he asked already taking off his jacket and wrapping it around her.

He smiled as she put her arms through and wrapped it around her. He looked at his watch again. It was almost midnight.

"Arthur?"

He turned toward her and frowned when he realized she wasn't smiling.

"What is it that you have to tell me?" she asked.

"The truth about me…"

"Alright…." She said slowly.

"Guinevere, you don't know the whole story about why I volunteered to help the theater department."

"Tell me then…"

He took a deep breath before letting it out. "I was arrested and forced to volunteer as punishment."

She was taken aback and her eyes widened. "But…"

"It was the only way I could stay out of jail and stay in uni…" he shrugged looking down at the grass in front of him. "I was only supposed to create a few set pieces for you and it would have been over."

"What changed?"

"Huh?" he snapped his gaze toward her.

"You said you were only supposed to create the set…. It implies that you did more than that."

He chuckled. "Well, I guess falling in love with you would imply that I did do more than I was supposed to."

She gasped.

"You… you're in love with me?" she asked softly.

He turned toward her and touched her face softly before nodding. "….Is that insane?"

"It's completely insane…"

"Well, then I'm happy being insane…." He closed the gap between them and touched his lips to hers. Gwen whimpered but returned the kiss with just as much fervor. He cupped his face in his hands angling his face to deepen the kiss. Gwen placed a hand on his chest pushing him back on the ground without breaking their kiss.

He wrapped one arm around her and held his hand to her face as he continued to kiss her. She pulled away first with a smile before laying her head on his chest and wrapping an arm around him. They held each other on the grass and looked up at the darkened sky.

"What were you arrested for?" she asked suddenly as he treaded his hands through her curls.

He looked down at her as she angled her face to look at him better. Settling her into his side, he placed one hand under his head and sighed. "Illegal bare knuckle fighting."

She was tracing patterns on his shirt and stopped before erupting into laughter. "I knew it!"

He looked down at her in confusion. "Knew what?"

"I knew you'd been in a fight." She answered. "Merlin really is a terrible liar and you were wearing makeup for days. That was odd… even for you."

"You knew I was wearing makeup?" he asked his eyes widening.

"Oh come off it, Arthur…" Gwen shook her head. "How stupid do you both think I am, honestly…"

"Merlin said you couldn't tell…" he grumbled.

"Well, I don't think anyone did…" she said and continued tracing patterns on his shirt. "But I was worried and you'd been missing in action for a few days… and that first time, your color was just off. Merlin did a better job the second time."

"How'd you know Merlin did it?" he asked wrapping an arm tighter around her.

"Because he's done my makeup…" she snuggled into him before yawning. "I recognized the work."

He could feel her even breaths through his shirt and looked at his watch again. Midnight. He'd miss the fight. Gwaine would have to understand. He yawned and felt his eyes closing. Just a little nap, and then he'd get her home. That was his plans until he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

The sun glared into his eyes. Arthur felt something, or someone, against his side and his eyes snapped open. He looked down and found a familiar head of curls still resting beside him. He looked at his watch and frowned. They'd stayed out all night. It was past six in the morning.

Pulling out his mobile from his pocket he found it'd died sometime throughout the night.

Gwen stirred in his arms before realizing where she was and waking up suddenly.

"Oh my God…." She sat up quickly and moved to stand. "He's going to kill me!"

"What?" Arthur watched as she looked for the shoes she'd kicked off during the night and put them on. "Who?"

"My father…." She groaned finding her purse and getting her mobile out. "Shit…. He's called a few times… Merlin too… I'm going to be in so much trouble… we have to go…"

"Gwen…" Arthur was standing up and stretching out his muscles. "We'll just explain that we fell asleep."

"In the park?" she asked. "He won't believe that. He's going to think I spent the night in your flat. And then he's going to want to kill you…"

Arthur laughed wrapping his arms around her as she tried to make a phone call. "Who are you calling?"

"Merlin…" she answered with a moan as he kissed her neck.

"Not how I ever expected to hear you say my name, Gwen…"

She snapped her attention to the mobile in her hand. "Merlin… no… I was just…"

"Are you with Arthur?" he asked.

"Yes." She answered guiltily.

"Well, that makes me feel a whole lot better." He answered

"Why?"

"Because I lied to your dad last night." He answered. "He thinks you spent the night. But you better get home before he calls here asking for you or worse…"

"I will…. Thank you, Merlin."

"Tell Arthur hello for me." He said before disconnecting the line.

She turned around in his arm. "Merlin covered for me. But I still have to get home."

Arthur nodded understanding. "I'll walk you."

"I don't think that's a good idea…" she started.

"I'll just walk you until the corner and then you can go the rest of the way…" he shrugged. "I just want to make sure you get home safe."

She leaned up on her tip toes and wrapped her arms around him giving him a swift kiss. "Are you my knight in shining armor?"

He lifted her up. "Maybe…"

She laughed as he kissed her again.

"So…?" he started as they walked toward her home.

She had her hands in the pockets of his jacket and looked up at him with a soft smile. "So…?"

"You're not… angry… about what I told you last night?"

"I guess I'm a little bit upset ad that you felt like you couldn't tell until Merlin made you…" she shrugged. "But I also understand. It's difficult to let people in."

He shook his head. "I didn't want to ruin the image you had of me."

"And what image was that?"

He shrugged. "I don't know… mysterious, bad boy artist?"

She scrunched up her face. "That's not the image I had of you exactly…"

"It's not?" he asked as she shook her head with a laugh. "Well, what was it then?"

"My first impression of you was narcissistic arse who could draw…." She shrugged.

"What?!"

She laughed. "You acted like a prat that first time I met you… the last thing I wanted was to get to know you."

"Well…" he shrugged. "I thought you were a spoilt princess…"

She shook her head. "That's the first impression most people have of me…"

"And then after you met me?" he asked. "What'd you think then?"

"I thought you were beautiful disaster… and I couldn't figure out why… I knew you'd been hurt in the past… I just didn't know by who or how long ago…" she bit her lip as she continued laughing. "I wanted to save you."

He took her hand in his and entwined their fingers stopping them from going further. "You did."

She smiled brightly and he leaned down to kiss her again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her closer to him. He groaned into her mouth deepening the kiss and she opened up beneath him allowing his tongue to meet hers. He explored her mouth not caring that they were on a public sidewalk a few feet from her door. She moaned playing with the little hairs at the back his neck and he squeezed her waist in his hands.

When she pulled back, it was with a smile. "Will I see you later?"

"How about tonight?" he asked. "I've still got to tell you the rest and Merlin should know to… meet me at my flat? He knows where it is."

She nodded before kissing him again. "I will."

"Goodnight, Guinevere." He said as she turned to walk the rest of the way to her home.

She looked over her shoulder with a soft smile. "Good morning, Arthur."

Arthur was already almost home when he realized he'd left his jacket with Gwen. He had a smile on his face when he walked into his flat looking forward to sleeping for a few more hours. When he closed the door, he felt someone push him forward making him fall on his mattress. He stood up to find one of his former opponents in his flat.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"You don't get to ask any questions right now, Pendragon."

He watched Gwaine step out from behind the mammoth of the man in between them.

"Where were you last night?" Gwaine asked.

"I…" Arthur tried. "My mobile died. I couldn't get the address. I was going to call you once it was charged."

"Your mobile died…" Gwaine mocked him before nodding toward the other man in the room.

Arthur didn't see the fist coming until it was too late. He fell back on his mattress and felt blood dripping from his nose.

"You owe me for last night…" Gwaine was saying as he walked around the flat. "I lost a lot of money because of you."

Arthur stood up again. "I'll make it up to you. I can fight. Today, tonight… whenever."

"Oh you will make it up to me." Gwaine was saying. "From now on, every fight you participate in, all your earnings will go to me. To make up for what I lost last night."

"Until when?"

"Until I'm satisfied." Gwaine narrowed his eyes before turning toward the tall man next to him. "Don't kill him. Just bruise him… a lot. I still need him around…." Gwaine turned toward Arthur. "For now…"

He turned and left the flat.

Arthur looked up at the man before him bracing himself for the beating that was coming. He could try to defend himself. But it wasn't worth it. Gwaine had brought the only opponent who'd ever beaten Arthur. He'd done it on purpose.

"I haven't heard from him all day…" Merlin was saying as they walked toward Arthur's flat later that evening.

"He's probably… sleeping…" Gwen answered with a shrug.

"So he told you then?" Merlin asked with a knowing smile.

"He told me about the fighting…" she nodded with a sigh. "He didn't say if he was still fighting though…"

"I don't think he's actually had a fight since the last one where I had to cover up his cuts and bruises." Merlin shrugged. "But it doesn't mean he's completely stopped."

"Do you know why he does it?" she asked her best friend.

"How much talking did you do last night?" Merlin eyed her warily.

"Not much…." She looked away guility.

"Gwen!" Merlin screamed. "You two… did you have… did you…"

"No!" Gwen shook her head. "Well, he kissed me… but we just fell asleep, Merlin… I promise."

Merlin laughed. "You don't have to make excuses to me, Gwen."

She rolled her eyes. "He wanted to tell me the rest but I had to get home. That's why he said for us to come tonight. So we can all talk."

"His flat's just this way…" Merlin said leading the way. "Come on…"

Gwen followed him to the brownstone. Merlin walked up to Arthur's door and frowned.

"What is it?" she asked from behind him.

"The door's open…" he answered, his frown deepening. "That's weird."

Gwen pushed him aside and walked inside.

She gasped and held her hand to her mouth. Merlin walked in behind her and his eyes widened.

"Oh God…" he muttered.

Gwen fell to her knees next to Arthur's unconscious form. "Merlin, call a medic! Hurry!"