My usual thanks to those who have taken the time to review, to those who have added this to their list of favourite stories and to those who continue to follow. This is the last chapter of the story, which will be followed by an epilogue of sorts. I have to say that this has been a wonderful journey and a learning experience. I'm still learning as I move on to writing other stories, but it feels really good to see my first story through to the end. To those of you who have followed this from the beginning and is still with me at the end, I want to sincerely THANK YOU for your support. It means more than I could possibly say. I look forward to your continued support on my other stories. Here goes...
I do not own Merlin or the characters.
After Arthur and Gwen had left the doctor's office, they decided to go to his home and share the news.
On their arrival, they noted that Uther had not yet reached home, and the two M's were ensconced in Morganna's room, busy, judging by the sounds that were coming from there.
Arthur took Gwen's hand and moved briskly to the confines of his room. The minute he was on the inside, he said,
"I think from now on, I'll need to wear earplugs when I have to pass Morganna's room." Gwen looked at his handsome face, twisted with disgust and laughed.
"Oh Arthur, we're not much different you know. We are guilty on that front also…well, sometimes. We get kind of…loud…too, besides, we're happy for them aren't we?" she asked playfully. Scrunching his features, Arthur replied,
"Yeah we do….and yeah….I suppose I'm quite happy for them, but I'm over the moon for us my love."
He paused for a few seconds, rubbing his large hand affectionately over her flat stomach, as he thought about the life cradled there. Gwen smiled lovingly as she placed her small hand over his, just barely threading their fingers together.
"I can tell. I'm happy too love. I can't believe I'm going to be a mum.
If anyone had told me six months ago, or rather a year ago, that my life would be like this…meeting the man of my dreams, getting engaged to be married to said man and carrying his child, I would have laughed in their face.
Sometimes, I can't believe it myself.
I thought that I was happy with Lance, but since meeting you and being with you, I have to say, this is what happiness is. I have never been this joyous before.
I was barely threading water as far as happiness goes in that relationship.
With you, I feel cheerful, delighted, carefree and especially loved. You've turned my life upside down…in a good way, and I don't think there is a woman on the face of the planet that feels more happy…or luckier than me.
Call this what you will," she paused, gesturing between the two of them,
"Fate or destiny, it doesn't matter. This is epic. It's the stuff that fairy-tales are made of, only that it's real, more real than the most genuine thing you could think of," she finished.
Arthur gave his un-divided attention to his beloved as she spoke from her heart.
His face showed many emotions during her speech. He melted at her words, at the weight of them, knowing he felt the same way she did.
"Guinevere, I never thought my life would turn out like this either. I mean, as far as meeting the perfect woman and falling in love with her. I love you more than anything in this world, and just when I thought I couldn't love you more, I do.
This gift," he said as he caressed her flat tummy,
"This wonderful human that we've created together, that you will carry for us, is a true testament of our love for each other.
I too, don't especially know if it is fate or destiny which brought us together, although we know the two M's played their part, and I really don't care either way, I only know, that you have made me one extremely happy man. I wouldn't wish to be sharing any of this with anyone else but you.
He or she will be loved, because my heart has already expanded ten times the size with love for you both," he sincerely said.
They embraced at this point, the moment needing no more words.
After a few minutes, they pulled back, and seeing tears in each other's eyes, they brought their foreheads together, sharing small kisses as they composed themselves.
Their quiet reverie was disturbed by the sound of a phone ringing on the outside, and they heard Uther's laughter, indicating he was home.
"Let's give him a few minutes to deal with that call and then we'll speak to him," Arthur said. Nodding, Gwen replied,
"Good idea. I'm a bit nervous though. I don't know why, but I am." Arthur kissed her forehead then and said,
"I know what you mean, but I think it's just a case of excitement, wanting to share our news with everyone and not being able to so far. Just a few more minutes and we'll go to my father. Whenever those two decide to come up for air, we'll talk to them."
Gwen giggled at the look on Arthur's face as he spoke about Merlin and Morganna.
"I can't wait to tell Morgs. She'll be thrilled. Oh no! You know what she's going to say don't you?" she asked.
A frown marred Arthur's face as he tried to decipher what Gwen was speaking about. His eyes widened as he suddenly remembered the text his sister had sent to them the night they got engaged at the farmhouse.
"Oh God, she'll never let us live this down," he said.
Gwen flushed as she too recalled the scandalous text Morganna had sent, but she had no doubt that she had indeed conceived their child whilst there.
"She'll be happy though and I know she'll spoil him or her rotten," she said. Arthur smiled to himself and supplied,
"I think she'll make a great aunt. Merlin…well…I don't know what to say about him," he paused with a silly grin on his face. He continued.
"Nah, I'm just kidding, he'll be just as thrilled and I know he'll love the baby as though it was his. I trust him, implicitly. I think he will make a great god-father. What do you think?"
Gwen smiled on hearing Arthur speak so kindly about the two M's.
Besides him and Elyan of course, she trusted Morganna and Merlin with her life.
"Yes Arthur, I think so too. They are the best and it makes me very happy that they will share this journey with us.
This little one will have the best aunt and god-father ever. Oh! I have to call El and tell him. He is going to be so happy about this," she finished.
Arthur took her small hand in his and brought it to his lips, as he looked deeply into her brown eyes.
"I'm a very lucky man. I have the woman of my dreams, she's carrying my child and I have the approval of her brother, not to mention, my father, my sister and Merlin of course loves her… well almost as much as I do. Some guys don't have it this good," he honestly said. Gwen melted.
"What a sweet thing to say Arthur, but I have to tell you, some girls don't have it this good either," she said playfully, as she leaned in and kissed him softly.
They indulged themselves for a few minutes and just as things began to heat up, Arthur decided they should speak to Uther.
"To be continued," he playfully said as they stood and headed to the door. Gwen replied,
"Definitely."
Merlin and Morganna were deep into their intimate activities.
As usual, Morganna was in control, as she had all but ordered Merlin to come over right after work, because she suddenly wanted him in every way possible.
She was the experimental type and Merlin just went along with whatever she decided to do.
Currently, she was on top of him moving swiftly up and down on his rigid member. His hands cupped her breasts almost painfully as she took him for a wild extremely pleasurable ride.
"Oh God Mor...ganna. Slow down," he managed to get out.
Morganna complied willingly, grounding her hips as she bore down in a slow deliberate manner.
She felt the stirrings of her release creeping up on her, and she planted her hands firmly on his shoulders, grasping tightly as small moans escaped her lips.
"Ooh…Oh Merlin," she cooed.
Merlin released her breasts then and grabbed her hips as he too began to un-ravel.
Seconds later, they both cried out as waves of pleasure overtook their drenched bodies, leaving them thoroughly spent, but contented. They lay in each other's arms as they slowly came down from their high and their breathing began to normalize.
Half an hour later, they tidied up the bed and took to the shower one after the other.
After a while, they decided to head outside for a bite to eat, and as they exited, they met Arthur and Gwen who were just emerging from his room. Smiling widely, Morganna said,
"Hi you two, I didn't know you were here. What's up?"
Gwen looked up at Arthur's handsome face, guessing he was about to make a crack at his sister and friend. She quickly answered.
"Hi yourself, we were here for a while actually. We had something that required both of our attention earlier and afterwards we came here. We were just about to visit Uther, I think you both should come with us, because we have some news to share."
Arthur felt as though he was going to explode. He so wanted to say something to Merlin and his sister, but he also knew Gwen didn't want him to, so he instead said,
"You're awfully quiet Merlin. Are you well?" Merlin, caught off-guard for a moment, replied,
"I'm fine Arthur, I'm just a bit tired, that's all." Arthur couldn't help but to say,
"I just bet you are." At that, Gwen grabbed his hand and said,
"Let's go," leaving the two M's to follow, blushing profusely as they went.
Uther was just about to wrap up all traces of work for the day in his home office, when he heard a knock o his door. Looking up, he saw his kids and their partners at the door waiting to be called in. He stood from his chair and said,
"Come. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Arthur and Gwen stepped forward and waited for Morganna and Merlin to come closer.
"Well father, Guinevere and I have some news that we would like to share with everyone," Arthur said. He continued,
"As you know, I left work early today...well, earlier than usual, anyway, Guinevere had a doctor's appointment and I wanted to go with her. She's been a bit tired and lethargic recently, and after a few other things began to occur, we decided it was best to get her checked out. The good news is, we're going to have a baby, she's pregnant."
Morganna's loud squeal pierced everyone's ears and before Gwen knew it, she was wrapped tightly in her friend's arms.
"OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGod! You're pregnant! I'm going to be an aunt.
Oh Gwennie, I'm so happy for you. You are going to be a wonderful mum," she said excitedly. Gwen just got out,
"Thank you Morgs," before she found herself enveloped in another set of arms, Merlin's.
She looked over at Arthur and saw him and his sister embracing. Her heart warmed when she heard Morganna said to him,
"I'm very happy for you big brother. You are going to be a fantastic father."
She looked over at Uther just before Merlin pulled back and saw tears pooled in his eyes as he looked on proudly at his son.
"I'm so happy for you Gwen. I hope it takes after you, not the prat," Merlin whispered the last part.
Gwen giggled, causing Arthur to look in her direction with a frown on his face. He just knew that Merlin had said something about him.
After Merlin had moved to congratulate Arthur, Uther walked up to her and embraced her.
"Congratulations my dear sweet Gwen. You've made me a very happy man," he sincerely said.
"Thank you so much Uther. It makes me happy to hear that. You are a wonderful father and I know you will be an excellent grand-father," she softly said.
"Thank you dear," he replied and just before he turned to his son, he kissed her forehead and softly squeezed her to him.
Arthur watched the interaction between his father and Gwen, as the two M's babbled on about the gender of the baby.
He watched as his father came towards him and silently embraced him. For what seemed like hours, but in fact a couple of minutes, they stood like that and everyone looked on at the two of them.
After a while, Uther pulled back and proudly said,
"Congratulations son. Just when I think I couldn't be more proud of you, I am.
I'm extremely happy for you. You are a good son and it warms my heart to know you've extended the Pendragon line, by gifting me with my first grand-child.
This is going to set off a chain of wonderful events, starting I hope, with your wedding. I love you son and I know you are going to be a great father."
Arthur was floored. He knew his father would relish the news, he however didn't think that he would see it the way he did.
His father's words reverberated inside his head, especially the part when he said,
'you've extended the Pendragon line by gifting me my first grand-child.'
This baby meant a great deal to his father. He's not only getting a grand-child, but he is getting another person to carry on the Pendragon legacy. Arthur finally found his voice and answered,
"Thank you father. I'll have a chat with Guinevere to see if we can come up with a date. She'll want her brother there of course and he resides in the States, so I'm guessing as soon as she speaks to him, we will set the date." Smiling, Uther said,
"Wonderful, this news merits a celebration. I'll have the butler round up some drinks and we will toast my new grand-baby." At that, he departed the room with a spring in his step and a smile on his face.
Arthur quietly walked over to his lovely fiancée who by this time chatting with the two M's about the news.
Her face glowed and she looked extremely happy. He moved directly behind her and embraced her warmly, just as his sister was saying,
"I hope the baby is a girl. I can just imagine the stuff we'll get to do together, sleep-over's, dress-up parties, oh and I'll so teach her about fashion, make-up and how to rule guys."
Merlin rolled his eyes as he listened to his girlfriend prattle on. He looked at Arthur and saw that he was doing the same thing, whilst Gwen was smiling.
Uther returned with a tray laden with drinks and started doling them out. He went to Gwen first.
"Soda for the new mum to be," he paused as she took it and said,
"Thank you." He continued, going to Arthur next and saying,
"Champagne for the father to be and for the rest of us," as he handed the two M's theirs and took his.
He raised his glass, prompting the others to do the same with their's and said,
"This day has been one of the happiest days of my life.
Learning that my son and my future daughter-in-law are expecting their first child, has brought overwhelming happiness to me.
I wish you both the best of luck as you embark on this wonderful journey. Know that you are not alone, anything you want, anything you need, I am here and I know without a doubt Morganna and Merlin is also.
Love, happiness and good health to you and the new baby, and the joy of seeing our family enter another generation."
After the toast, they chatted for a while longer and then parted, with Uther retreating to his room, the two M's heading to the den and the happy parents to be returning to Arthur's room.
Once on the inside, Arthur headed to the bathroom and Gwen decided to call her brother to give him the happy news.
"Hi El," she excitedly said.
"Hey little sister, what's up?" he asked. Gwen replied,
"I have news El...you're going to be an uncle." Elyan suddenly went quiet, so much so, that Gwen began to get nervous and started calling out to him.
"El, are you there? Did you here me El? Elyan, speak to me," she said.
Elyan remained speechless.
He was expecting his sister to tell him that she'd set a date, he never expected to hear news of this magnitude.
His thoughts drifted to their parents and although he felt sad, he was sure they would be the first to welcome such wonderful news from her.
He was brought out of his musing when he heard the desperation in his sister's voice as she called to him.
"I'm sorry Gwen. I didn't mean to space out on you or cause you worry. This is wonderful news love. I'm very happy for you and Arthur," he honestly said.
Relief came in the form of a sob over the line from Gwen as she listened to her brother.
"I'm so glad to hear that El. For a moment there you had me worried. I thought…" she was gently cut off by her brother saying,
"No Gwen, don't even go there. I told you before that Arthur was a top-notch guy. He not only makes you happy, he makes it his priority.
I don't worry about you as much as I did before, because I know that you are in great hands." Silently sobbing, Gwen said,
"That is very true El and it makes me happy that you of all people know that about Arthur. I just wish…that mum and dad were here." Elyan replied,
"Me too. They were who I was actually thinking about before, but you know, they always wanted us to be happy and I'm positive they wouldn't want you to let their memory cloud your happiness. With that said, when are you two getting married?" Smiling to herself, Gwen said,
"Well it all depends on when you can come, so have a look at you schedule and tell me." Elyan replied right away,
"I can come anytime. There are enough cooks here who are more than capable of handling this job, besides, I haven't taken a holiday in a while." Gwen squealed in delight.
"Well, in that case, how about a month from now? I think that is sufficient time for me to get a dress and plan a wedding, or rather let Morganna plan the wedding," she giggled.
"Great, I'll see you in a month…make that three weeks.
I'm very happy Gwennie, you've no idea, and I love you very much. Tell Arthur I said congratulations and I'll see him soon," he replied.
"Oh El, I can't wait to see you and catch up. I'll pass on your sentiments to Arthur. I love you uncle Elyan, bye," she happily said. Just before he hung up, he shouted,
"I'm going to be an uncle, yeah!" Gwen laughed at his silliness and hung up.
Hope it was good enough.