A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! In this chapter, Arthur, Gwen and Meg will bond as a family and Meg will start to trust him. Hope you enjoy it. I don't OWN merlin!
Arthur seemed to be able to read Meg as well as he could me and he could sense her dis-trust of him. From then on, it seemed that he was determined to make sure that he did everything he could for Meg.
Now a week later, Meg seemed to trust him more than she had done but I knew she still had some reservations. I would sometimes see her looking at Arthur weirdly. Almost as if she was weighing up the situation…
"Perhaps we could take her to the zoo? You know, to celebrate her cast coming off today." Arthur asked me, disrupting my thoughts.
At his words, I couldn't help but smile. He was always so thoughtful to not only me but Meg, too. It was these moments that made me know that he would be a great step-dad to her.
"That sounds like a great idea. Why don't I ask Meg?" I asked him, smiling.
It was more that I wanted her to know that her opinion mattered as I already knew that she'd want to go. She'd been animal mad as soon as she discovered how cute puppies were.
Arthur nodded at my words smiling, before beginning to think again. At his pensive look, I knew that he was planning the day out so it would be perfect for Meg. The rush of love I felt for this handsome, brilliant man made me desperately want to hold his hand just to feel the touch of him.
So, I reached out and took his hand between mine. Arthur didn't seem to mind me commandeering his hand as he then brought my hand to his lips to kiss gently.
The action was so simple but to me, it spoke volumes. Just being near him was making me happy let alone him loving me back!
It was ludicrous to think that I had been totally oblivious of not only my feelings but also his a week ago.
Our hands had stayed entwined for a long time and when we did dis-entangle them, it still felt too soon.
"Mummy….?" Meg called to me, coming down the stairs.
At her call, both Arthur and I turned to look at her coming into the kitchen. It was obvious that she was nervous about getting her cast off as I could see toothpaste on her cheek which she had obviously smudged from her toothbrush.
"Yes, sweetheart?" I asked her, placing her toast on the table next to Arthur.
When Meg answered me, I knew that I had been right after all. I wished I wasn't as I didn't want her to have any worries.
"Will it hurt?" She asked me, quietly. Her voice shook slightly as she asked the question.
I wanted to re-assure her but as I spied Arthur frowning, I decided that it would be best for it come from Arthur instead.
Arthur seemed to have the same idea as he started to answer her.
"No, Meggie, it definitely won't. Do you remember when I recast your leg?" He asked her, softly. Using the tone he always did with her. One which was always full of understanding, care and tenderness…
Meg looked at him for a moment and I knew she believed him as I could see the relief flood her face and after a moment or two, she smiled at Arthur. It wasn't one you give which is out of politeness but one which is full of gratitude and in Meg's own little way, love.
I knew in that moment that Meg would come to trust him if she didn't already and the relief I felt, made it seem as if my new life with Arthur could now finally start.
"Will you be doing it, Arthur?" She asked him, timidly.
Meg had now taken to calling Arthur by his name and every time she did, it was if she was becoming comfortable with the idea of us.
Arthur shook his head at her words, which made her frown. I knew Arthur wouldn't be doing it as Dr Granger had decided to take Meg's case on again.
In a way, I felt slightly annoyed by this as I knew that Arthur would have cared for her to the best of his ability. Not that I thought Dr Granger wouldn't, though.
"Daddy's going to be here soon, Meg! Make sure you eat your breakfast." I told her quickly, noticing the time.
Lancelot had offered to take her to hospital today and I didn't see any reason not to let him. After all, it did seem to show that he wanted to have a relationship with his daughter.
LATER THAT DAY
As soon as I saw Meg, I knew how happy she was. Especially, when she came to hug both Arthur and I. Lancelot didn't want to intrude so instead he just dropped her off. I suspect he had a date, as he looked happy.
I liked that he was happy. After all, I had meant what I had said in the letter. He deserved a happy ending just like me.
"Shall we go to the zoo today, Meg?" Arthur asked her, as she went to get her teddy.
At his words, Meggie came running in and was almost bouncing in happiness. I knew that she would love to go.
"Yes!" She squealed me to me and Arthur.
It couldn't have been longer than half an hour later that we were finally on our way to the zoo as Meg had bugged Arthur and me to start off as soon as we could.
The journey which was just over two hours seemed to fly by and before any of us knew it, we were there. We quickly found the entrance and went in. It wasn't long before Meg spotted an ice cream van!
"Make sure you hold hand my hand, Meg. We don't want you to get lost. Do we?" I heard Arthur say to Meg as I was getting her an ice-cream.
Meg had obviously listened to him as I saw her holding his hand tightly.
I couldn't help smile at the sight, which seemed like the hundredth time today.
"Where do you want to go first, Meggie?" I asked her, whilst giving her the strawberry ice cream I had just bought.
Meggie at first seemed too preoccupied with her ice-cream to answer me but when she did she didn't even need to think about what she was going to say.
"The monkeys." She told me, emphatically.
Arthur looked at the map at her words and spotting it, told her: "This way, my lady!"
Her giggle assaulted my ears and as he steered her in the right direction, still holding her hand, I realised that I was with my two favourite people in the world!
I knew that already but at this moment, it was so potent and over-powering.
We quickly arrived at the monkey enclosure and Meg's attention was immediately caught. In the corner of the enclosure, there seemed to be a monkey family.
I looked at Meg to see what her reaction was but I saw that she had turned her attention to us rather than the monkeys.
Meg loved the monkeys but of course, when she spotted the meerkat enclosure, she needed to seem them, too.
The crowds was becoming almost unmanageable and I was afraid that Meg would get lost and lose her hold on Arthur but all the while, she kept a firm grasp on him and he her.
There were loads of people waiting to see the Meerkats so when we walked over to it, Arthur and I could just about see them. After all, Meerkats weren't exactly very big, especially, in height.
Arthur and I both noticed that Meggie couldn't see and Arthur thought of something.
"Do you want me to pick you up, Meggie? So, you can see?" Arthur asked her, hopefully.
Meg quickly nodded at his words, which led to Arthur picking her up softly and resting her on his hip. All the while, Arthur was aware of her newly healed leg, making sure he didn't knock it.
Meg looked entirely comfortable in Arthur's arms and the sight made my heart melt.
A/N: There you go. There's only the epilogue to go which will be set years down the line. You will see how everyone's ended up. Whether Arthur's been able to cope as a dad and a stepdad (a little spoiler, there!) and whether he Gwen has worked out?
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