My usual thanks to those who took the time to review, to those who added this to their list of favourite stories, to those who are following and to those who are still with me on this. Just one more chapter to go, I think! Written mostly in one go, so here goes….

I do not own Merlin or the characters.

A week after the incident at The Annual Charity Dinner, Gwen still hadn't approach Elayna to speak to her.

She was currently in her store, packing away items to place in storage, because work was set to begin there in another two weeks. This was her way of getting a head start by moving the things out of the way.

After a while, she sat in a contemplative mood, thinking about how and when to approach Elayna.

She didn't know exactly what she wanted to say, but in this particular situation, she knew that she wanted to absolve Elayna of any wrong doing.

Her thoughts drifted to the eventful night of the Dinner, when all was revealed, and once again she began to feel sad for Elayna and her young son.

She thought about the unborn child and she had to wonder what kind of man Lance was.

How could a man pursue a broken relationship with someone who wanted nothing to do with him, someone he'd hurt by deception, knowing that he had a son and a baby on the way with another woman. She just couldn't fathom the workings of his mind.

Deciding she'd had enough, she gathered her things together, and taking another look around, closed the store.

A few minutes later, she entered her home and dropped heavily into the first chair she got to.

She felt tired and drained. For the past week she had been feeling a bit weary although she'd hardly done anything.

After regaining a bit of strength, she went to the fridge in search of something cold to drink, and then she made her way to her room, where she stripped out of her clothes and headed to the shower.

Half an hour later, she was in bed, clad in her bathrobe watching a silly cartoon as she slowly drifted to sleep.

Arthur was busy at work.

He was involved in meetings for most of the day, and it was beginning to take its toll on him.

At times like this, he envied Morganna. She had the luxury of being at home whilst she worked, and was hardly, if in fact ever, involved in any such meetings.

His thoughts drifted to his fiancée, and a faint smile graced his lips. He hadn't heard her all day, but he also knew that she was working at her store.

It was unusual for them not to speak to each other sometime during the day, and checking the time, he realized they should have probably touched base already.

He turned his attention back to the meeting, listening as his father spoke about a company that they had just taken over, when his stomach began to rumble.

'Oh no! I didn't have my lunch...too busy.

As soon as this meeting is over, I'm going home. Maybe I can encourage Guinevere to go on an evening picnic on the lawns…I miss hearing her voice,' he thought internally.

Once again, he switched his mind back to the meeting, hoping that it would indeed finish soon.

Elayna Silvino had just got off the phone with her vacationing parents.

They had called to see how she and Jean-Luc were doing, and to also tell her that they had decided to spend another three weeks away.

Apparently, they had met new friends whilst on their trip, and they had all decided to do a bit of exploring, including backpacking and camping to add to their holiday.

She made her way from the bedroom out to the living area, where her sweet little son, was playing with toys and watching cartoons. She was there all of two minutes, jut watching him with a loving smile plastered on her face, when she heard someone knocking.

Turning away from her son, she went to the door, and surprise masked her lovely features when she saw who it was.

"Hi Elayna, I know that I should have called to say I was coming…but…I…" Lance was saying, but was politely cut off by her saying,

"It's fine Lance. You're here now, although it took you long enough."

Lance detected an iciness in her tone, but as usual she was right. It had taken him a whole week to muster enough courage to see his son.

He made his way inside, after she had indicated that he should follow her.

He knew this was her parents' home, from memory, but he had never actually been this far on the inside. Before, she'd had her own flat and that is where they would normally spend their time together.

His face lit up when he saw his son, and tears stung his eyes as Jean-Luc rushed to him, crying softly.

"Hey son, I've missed you…so much," he choked out.

His son clung to his neck, holding on as though he never wanted to let go, and Lance held on to him as the tears finally spilled down his handsome face.

"Papa, no go…miss you," Jean-Luc softly said. Those words tugged at Lance's heart and he held his son tighter to him, as he said,

"I'm never going to leave you again, I promise. I love you so much Jean-Luc, so very much. I don't ever want to be without you again."

Elayna was floored.

Her harsh exterior cracked the moment she witnessed her son's reaction to seeing his father. It further shattered when she saw the genuine tears and love shining in Lance's brown eyes, which were so much like her son's.

She ran to her room, with tears running down her face as emotions battled within her, and threw herself across her bed, sobbing quietly.

After a few minutes, she began to calm down, not knowing exactly what to make of her feelings, as compassion began to take precedent over every other emotion that was currently running rampant within her.

She lay on her bed gently caressing her still flat tummy, thinking about the change she saw that was currently occurring within Lance.

Three quarters of an hour later, she heard footsteps outside her door, followed then by a soft knocking.

She wiped her eyes, removing the remnants of her earlier break down and opened the door, to find Lance standing, with nervousness clearly written over his face.

"I hope you don't mind…but…Jean-Luc showed me your room, and I came to see if you were okay. Are you…okay?" he asked.

Once again, Elayna was thrown for a loop.

She found herself staring at him, and internally asking,

'Who are you?' She gathered her thoughts together and calmly said,

"I'm fine Lance. Thank you for your concern though."

She gestured for him to enter, and moved to sit on the front of the bed, whilst he stood looking around nervously.

After about a full minute of silence, she decided to break the tension in the room.

"Jean-Luc seemed really happy to see you," she said. Smiling happily Lance replied,

"Not as happy as I was to see him. He looks taller, I can see he's being well take care of." His face became serious at this point, and he continued,

"I have no excuse for not being here earlier…to see him…I guess…I was ashamed of my actions…still ashamed. I know you have every right not to forgive me, but I hope in time that you will.

I want to be a good father to my kids…I don't deserve much of anything, but I do want to be a deserving dad. I will do anything it takes to make them happy, but it also depends on you, because…I want to spend as much time as I can with them, but only if you allow it.

Despite what has passed between the two of us, I don't regret the two of them. My only regret…was the timing, because of it…two wonderful women got hurt. Two women that didn't deserve that to happen to them.

I take full responsibility and all the blame for everything.

Over the past week, I've had a lot to think about, and although I wish I could go back and change things, I can't. I don't know what will happen regarding you and me, but I will try to be a better man, I promise you that."

Elayna was taken aback…again.

She looked at Lance and the sincerity in his eyes melted her. Tears stung her eyes. She would have given anything a few months ago to have this new Lance talk to her this way and be this truthful also.

"I don't know what to say Lance.

Yes, I'm still angry with you, and that anger won't go away anytime soon, but I have forgiven you, because I needed to forgive myself. I had a part in all of this also, I freely admit that, and even though I had my doubts, I did nothing about it.

I can't say that I'm ready to fall back into your arms, and I don't think you want that either, but I will never stop you from seeing Jean-Luc or the new baby once he or she is born.

I want my kids to be happy too, and months ago I had actually made up my mind to move on with or without you.

This week has been jarring, I too did a lot of thinking, but in all of this, my kids have got to come first.

My feelings towards you are completely irrelevant, because their's are what's important.

Stick to your promise of being a better man and being a deserving father, that is what I really want to see happen.

We have a bond, our kids brought about that, and we have to work together for their betterment. If that means that we have to see each other everyday or even live together, then I'm all for it.

It won't be easy…I can't turn my feeling off…and I don't expect you to. I actually understand why you feel the way you do about Gwen. I just don't want any more secrets. It's up to you to move on and make good on your promises. Your kids deserve it," she honestly said.

After hearing what Elayna said, Lance was flooded with relief.

"Thank you Elayna. I promise I won't let you down.

I want…can you tell me when your next doctor's appointment is…I want to go…if that is okay with you," he shyly said.

Elayna's eyes snapped to his, and once again she noted the sincerity in them.

"It's actually in two weeks time, and yes, it's fine with me. You can come. I'll give you the exact date before you go," she replied.

Just then, Jean-Luc appeared with a worried look on his angelic face saying,

"Papa! Papa! No go." Lance shifted and turned to his son as he knelt, saying,

"I'm here son. I'm not going anywhere."

With that, the little boy threw himself into his father's arms and held on for dear life.

Elayna sat and watched, happy for her son, but internally wondering, what will happen when it is time for Lance to leave.

Gwen awoke to the feeling of someone gently stroking her face.

She opened her sleepy eyes and saw two blue eyes shining with love looking back at her.

"Arthur," she softly said.

"You seem really tired my love. Are you feeling alright?" he kindly asked. She nodded her head yes and replied,

"I was, earlier." At that, a yawn escaped her and she shyly said,

"Sorry love." Arthur helped her to sit up then and noting the time, she asked,

"How is it that you are home this early?" After leaning in and kissing her softly on the lips, he replied,

"I've been in meetings all day and I neglected to eat my lunch, so as soon as the last meeting was finished I bolted.

Also, I haven't heard from you all day. I tried calling you right after the meeting ended. After I didn't hear you, I called home and Morganna said she haven't seen you since morning. Naturally I got worried, so I decided to come by and see if you were here.

How did your packing go?"

Everyday it amazed Gwen how much Arthur loved her.

Sometimes she still finds herself trying to figure out who loves who more in their relationship. She knows she love him, very much, but still, deep down she believes that she has fallen a tad short, compared to Arthur and the way he un-conditionally loves her. It's rare and it's epic.

"I'm sorry I made you worry Arthur. I've just been feeling a bit drained recently, that's all." She slowly leaned in and stole a kiss from him. She continued.

"The packing was going fine, but then I got tired of it and decided to quit for the day. I'll probably start back tomorrow, I'm not sure," she stated.

Arthur began to get concerned. He'd notice that she was a bit tired recently, but he put it down to her overseeing the plans for the store.

"You don't have to do the packing yourself Guinevere. There are people who do that for a living, and I'm more than willing to get someone to do it for you, whatever the cost. Before you decline, let me just say this, I won't take no for an answer. You can supervise and instruct them to do what you want, but that will be your only participation," he adamantly said.

Gwen was taken aback, but in a good way.

She smiled indulgently at him, pulling him to her using his tie, and kissed him.

"That was so hot…and…sexy," she said as she continued to kiss him.

She lifted up and straddled him, not once breaking the kiss, and began rubbing herself seductively against him.

Arthur groaned into the kiss, as his body became inflamed at the feeling of her soft body on his. His hands found the belt to the robe she was still wearing and he undid it, exposing her flushed body.

The kiss turned hungrier, as he turned the tables to plunder her opened mouth. He took a few minutes, tasting every corner of it, whilst their tongues dueled with each other.

At the same time, Gwen's hands were busy.

She expertly removed his tie, to start on his shirt, where she quickly un-buttoned and pushed it from his broad shoulders. His under-shirt too was quickly removed, and her hands flew to his belt, where she undid it and threw it on the floor.

At that, Arthur stood with her still wrapped around his hard body, and gently lowered her to the ground.

Next he removed his pants, underwear and socks, as their brown and blue eyes stayed locked on to each other, conveying their hearts desire.

He reached for her, and claimed her lips in a deep passionate kiss as his hands worked the open robe from her body. Both completely naked now, he slowly backed her onto the bed and gently laid her down.

Immediately he covered her small body with his larger one and started kissing his way down her graceful neck. He latched onto a stiff nipple, sucking greedily as he softly kneaded her other breast, causing her to moan.

"Arthur…oh Arthur," she softly said.

He moved to the next breast, paying equal attention to it, when he felt her small hand grasp his painfully erect manhood and squeezed it.

He tore his lips away from her soft breast, and instinctively arched his hips, stabbing her in the tummy with it.

With his face buried in her neck, he cried out in a muffled voice,

"Oh God Guinevere."

At that, he parted her legs and looking directly into her eyes, entered her. They both cried out on contact, and he immediately started to move.

A few minutes into their lovemaking, Arthur realized that although he wanted to take his time, he couldn't.

He found his rhythm quickly, thrusting deeply, with long hard strokes, making him hiss and close his eyes. Wanting to be closer to her, he gathered her into his arms and drove into her.

"Oh…oh…Art…," she cried, and Arthur responded in a strained voice saying,

"Yes my love."

She lifted her legs, bringing them up to his hips, causing him to go deeper within her saturated body, and he whispered shout,

"Have mercy! Guine-vere!"

His movements became frantic then, and he released her from the death grip he'd had on her, bringing her hands up on either side of her head.

He felt her walls tightening on him, squeezing and pulling him in, and he knew she was close. He brought his lips to her ear kissing it, just before he whispered,

"Open wider love," and she willingly complied.

Eyes locked as before, and fingers threaded together, he hastened his movements, driving deeply into her pliant body as she releases, and the screams rips from her throat. A dozen hard thrusts later, his wave hits strongly as his muscular body stills and he growls,

"Guinevere!"

They lay together in blissful silence, catching their breaths, with their bodies still fused together.

After a few moments, Arthur lazily rolled off of her, and brought her still shaking body into his arms, where he planted soft kisses all over her face.

"I love you Guinevere," he quietly said, and she softly replied, "I love you too Arthur…so much."

Three weeks later….

Gwen had finally spoken to Elayna, according to Arthur, on her own terms.

She had acquired her number from Uther, and invited her out to lunch.

Arthur of course had offered to go with her, but she declined, seeing it as something she had to do herself.

She and Elayna spent a few hours talking and crying, but at the end of it, Gwen made it clear that she'd never held her responsible for anything that had happened and they parted as budding friends.

As she stood watching the people who were currently working on her store, her thoughts drifted to that awkward moment, when Elayna arrived at the chosen restaurant.

Gwen was sitting at the table playing with her ring, when she saw Elayna making her way over to her.

She stood in greeting and extended her hand and watched as Elayna's face clouded in surprise at the kind gesture. She eventually shook Gwen's hand and blurted,

"I'm so sorry Gwen."

After they had wrapped up their lunch, they resorted to hugging, just before saying goodbye.

Deciding that she had seen enough, she left her store, and headed to her home to wait for Arthur.

He had made a request for her to visit the doctor, seeing as she was still tired, and more recently, she had begun to throw up, especially in the mornings. The appointed time for her visit was one o'clock in the afternoon, and he had decided to go with her.

Gwen was no fool. She knew exactly what her doctor would tell her.

It was only after her first bout of nausea and vomiting, that it came to her.

Not wanting to get her hopes up or give Arthur false news, she decided to wait and let the doctor give her verdict.

She was waiting for approximately ten minutes when she heard a car stop outside, and heard Arthur's voice as he entered the house.

"Guinevere!" he called, and she answered,

"I'm here love."

She stood up to meet him then, and watched as his face morphed into his special smile for her. He kissed her hello and asked,

"Are you ready my love?" She nodded her head yes and they exited the house.

At the doctor, she had just finished getting dressed, after having a thorough examination, when the doctor opened the door and called Arthur inside.

She waited until they were both sitting beside each other, to start talking.

"After looking at your test results, I can safely tell you, you're pregnant. The information that you have given us pertaining to your last menstrual cycle, puts you at six weeks along, with the due date around the middle of May next year. Do either of you have any questions at this point?" she finished.

Arthur turned to his beautiful fiancée with tears in his blue eyes and embraced her tightly. As the tears spilled over onto her back, no words were spoken, and the doctor feeling out of place, silently exited the room, giving them a bit of privacy.

Arthur pulled back slightly after a while to rest his forehead on hers in a familiar, but intimate way, running his large hand over her flat tummy.

Gwen at this point was silently sobbing, although she hadn't expected to hear anything different.

They stayed that way for a long while, until Arthur got up, pulling her with him, and hugging her, as he excitedly say,

"I'm going to be a father!"

I hope it was good enough.