Chapter 14 ~The Girl Is Mine

Disclaimer: Merlin & its characters are the property of BBC / Shine ; This is a work of fiction and any similarities to real persons is purely coincidental =)
Warnings/Spoilers: None
Pairings: Arthur/Gwen
Summary: Arthur & Gwen are actors in a TV series
AN: Sorry for the long wait. More RL drama kind of made my muses even more elusive. (It doesn't help that there's no word still on the Merlin front – I need spoiler pics/vids LOL). Anyway, here's an update. Unbeta'ed so all mistakes are mine. Hope it's not as lame as I think it is. LOL.

She is walking along the corridor of the castle on her way to shoot her scene with Merlin when she gets pulled quickly into an alcove. She gasps and is about to scream when she realizes exactly who it is that pulled her in. "Arthur!"

"Sshh…not so loud…" he whispers as he draws her closer to him, a smirk playing on his lips.

"You know we shouldn't…" she is unable to continue when he nuzzles her neck.

He doesn't answer. He's too busy dropping light kisses from her neck to her jaw…

She gasps as he proceeds to nibble on her lips. "Someone might see us…"

"Not if we're quiet…"

"I'm due at makeup…" she counters.

"I don't care…" he mutters, still intent on kissing her.

"Arthur…"

"Guinevere…"

And she's lost.

It starts out light and teasing. But when he wraps an arm around her waist and their bodies are flush against each other, the kiss deepens…and then his tongue is inside her mouth and her hands are moving from his shoulders to his nape, and then her fingers are tangling in his hair. He maneuvers them so her back is pressed against the stone wall and then he is lifting her and she is suddenly cradling his body between her legs. She bites back a moan, as his lips land on a particularly sensitive spot between her jawline and her ear and gets even by biting on his shoulder blade through his tunic. And then his lips are on hers again.

Neither knows how long or how much more carnal the kiss would have gotten if not for the sound of approaching voices and footsteps.

They break apart reluctantly as they struggle to hide behind the large column that stood in front of the alcove where they'd taken refuge. He slowly sets her back on her feet, both a little wobbly. They step out once the voices fade away and they look at each other sheepishly. She stifles a giggle as she notes the lipstick stains on his mouth and tunic and reaches out to wipe it off him.

It kills him that he can't claim her as his in public…that he is reduced to the same antics as his onscreen character during series 2 and 3 when their reel love story needed to be kept a secret. Still, he thinks he wouldn't trade what they have now for anything.

"I need to go…" she whispers.

"I know." He agrees, reluctantly letting go of her hand.

"Save me a seat at lunch?" She asks.

"Always." He promises.

A couple of feet away, their exchange is observed by Gawaine. "So that's really how it is…" he thinks to himself as he smiles mischievously, an idea forming in his head to get Arthur to admit (to them at least) that he and Gwen are indeed a couple now.

"Where's Gwen?" Arthur asks when he sees Morgana queuing for food during their lunch break.

"She's not with you?" The Irish actress asks in confusion. "She told me she was going ahead to have lunch with you…"

"I've been here for over an hour now but I haven't seen her…"

"Did you try calling her?" she asks distractedly as she makes her selection.

He doesn't answer, already busy dialing Gwen's number.

"Where are you taking me?" Gwen asks Gawaine in exasperation as the Irish actor drags her across the courtyard.

"It's a surprise."

Gwen's raised eyebrow goes unnoticed by her co-star. "Gawaine…you're making me miss my lunch. You know how cranky I get if I don't eat!"

"Are you sure it's just food you're missing?"

"What?"

"Nothing…just stop complaining, we're nearly there."

Gwen stifles her growing irritation and continues to allow herself to be dragged farther away from craft service where both food and her boyfriend are waiting for her. Her phone rings before she could ask again where he's taking her. She's about to answer when Gawaine stops walking and snatches her phone away from her. "Hey!"

He ignores her and proceeds to answer her phone without bothering to look who's calling. "She's busy right now…call later," and proceeds to hang up.

"Gawaine!"

"What?"

"That could have been important…"

He sighs and finally looks at the caller ID and sees Arthur's name on the screen. "No, it's not."

"Why? Who was that?" she asks as she struggles to get her phone from him.

"Arthur." He answers casually.

Her eyes widen at this and Gawaine smiles inwardly when he realizes she's struggling not to react.

"Arthur?"

"Yes, so consider yourself saved from being bothered by him." He tells her innocently, still refusing to give her back the phone. "Unless you wanted to talk to him…" He makes the statement into a question. He can almost hear the gears shift in her head as she considers what to say.

Finally, she answers. "No…it's fine…"

"Good." He smiles even as he marvels at how stubborn she can be.

"So where exactly are we going?"

"I'm kidnapping you."

"What?"

"I asked AT and she said you didn't have anything scheduled this afternoon so you're free…"

"What?" Morgana asks as she notes Arthur's puzzled expression.

"She's with Gawaine…"

"Huh?"

"Exactly!" He mutters distractedly as he looks around trying to spot their erstwhile missing co-stars.

"How do you know they're together? You hardly talked…"

"He answered her phone and said she was busy."

Morgana frowns at this. "She doesn't have anything scheduled this afternoon."

"I know."

"Well, you know how that lug is…I'm sure he's just taking a mickey out of her…" Morgana assures him.

"Maybe…" He answers, but isn't quite sure about it.

"You're going to go and find them aren't you?"

He doesn't bother answering and is already on his way to do just that.

"What's this?" Gwen asks as she takes in the scene before her.

"We're having a picnic…" He tells her gleefully.

"A picnic?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"Gawaine!"

"What? Can't I take a good friend of mine for a picnic?"

"Well yes, I suppose you can but I don't understand why…"

"Well…"

"Well?"

"Are you seeing anyone these days, Gwen?" Gawaine asks her innocently, knowing she would most likely deny this.

"Why do you want to know?" Her response comes out guardedly.

"You see…I've always thought highly of you…" he begins, mentally laughing at the panicked expression on her face. "And I was wondering if …"

"Is this a joke?" She asks him sharply.

"I'm perfectly serious. I've wanted to ask you out for a long time now but Arthur…"

"Arthur? Did he put you up to this?"

"What? No! He has nothing to do with this…"

"But…"

Gwen gasps in surprise as he takes her hand in his and moves closer to her.

"What are you doing?" She asks him sharply.

"Gwen…" he whispers as he moves even closer.

Arthur is muttering under his breath in frustration as he makes his way into the woods in the general direction that some crew members points him to when he asked them if they'd seen his two erstwhile costars. He wonders what the hell Gawaine's thinking by dragging Gwen here. He is flabbergasted at the sight that greets him as soon as he reaches the clearing.

Gawaine is holding both Gwen's hands in his and is leaning slowly into her.

"What the bloody hell…" the words come out before he can censor himself.

Gwen gasps as Arthur's voice sounds loudly in the clearing. "Arthur!"

"What's the meaning of this?" The blonde actor shouts as he strides purposefully towards the Gawaine and Gwen.

Instead of panicking, Gawaine turns slowly towards his fellow actor and smiles while resisting Gwen's efforts at making him let go of her hands. "I rather think it's obvious."

"Gawaine…" Gwen admonishes the Irish actor.

"What?" He asks her innocently.

She rolls her eyes at him and then turns to her boyfriend and says, "Arthur this is not what you think…"

"It bloody well had better not be…"

"We're just having a picnic…" The Irish actor supplies helpfully, waiting for the inevitable explosion.

"Unbelievable! I wait for you at craft service and you go off with him on a bloody picnic?" Arthur's voice had risen by the time he ends the question.

Gawaine tries very hard not to laugh as Gwen glares at Arthur for his asinine question.

The blonde actor doesn't see however, because he turns his attention to the Irishman instead. "What the hell is this about?"

He shrugs. "I felt like a picnic and thought Gwen might appreciate joining me…"

"Well she doesn't." Arthur snaps at him, answering for Gwen. "She's having lunch with me."

"I wasn't asking you…"

"She doesn't like picnics."

"Of course she does."

"She…" Gwen cuts them both off. "…can answer for herself..."

To his credit, Arthur seems to realize his misstep because he freezes at Gwen's stormy expression.

"And she, is not having lunch, with either of you." She finishes just before she turns to walk away.

Arthur groans at this, which makes the other actor laugh. He turns to the Irishman in annoyance. "You did that on purpose."

"Who me? I just wanted to have a picnic." Gawaine answers unrepentantly.

"Why Gwen?"

"Why not? It's not like she's seeing anybody else…"

"She is." Arthur answers emphatically.

"You mean Michael? No, she's not."

Silence.

"Unless you know something I don't?"

Silence.

"Why are you really doing this Gawaine? It's not like you're really into her."

"You mean, unlike you?"

Silence.

"Why won't you admit it? There's only the two of us here."

Silence.

"Whatever! I'm going after her…"

"Don't."

"Don't? And why not?"

Silence.

Gawaine shakes his head at his friend's stubbornness. "I figured as much."

"She's mine!"

"What?"

"Guinevere is mine."