A/N: This chapter's meant to have a cliffhanger but obviously with the double updates, the next one will go up today too. Someone told me they'd still be reading a chapter a day which I think is a great idea.

I can't say thank you enough for all the reviews. This story has had such a great response and it's so overwhelming, thank you all. I hope I don't let anyone down. :D

Chapter 18

Early in the morning of New Year's day, Morgana let herself into Arthur's house quietly. She and her brother had a plan about how they were going to keep Merlin's puppy a surprise and it required practically all of their friends to help. She took Arthur's car keys off the hook and then unloaded his car of all the supplies he'd bought the other day. Food, bowls, a bed, a lead- the essentials. They both knew Merlin would want to spoil the puppy later so didn't see the point of buying more than a couple of toys to begin with.

Morgana moved all of the things into the unused spare bedroom downstairs, locked up Arthur's car, sent him a quick text, and left.

When Arthur's phone pinged, he was already awake and looked over to Merlin to make sure the noise hadn't disturbed him. He checked the text was from Morgana and smiled before frowning when he realised he still hadn't replied to his father. He wished he could get out of bed, quickly call Uther and then return, but had learned early on that leaving Merlin alone when he was asleep didn't end well if he woke up before Arthur got back.

So, with great reluctance, he woke Merlin up gently.

"I've just got to call my father," he said quietly, "I won't be long."

"Stay in here," Merlin yawned and sat up, "It's alright."

Arthur smiled and picked up his phone, "Father?"

"Arthur. It's been weeks, why didn't you call me?"

"I'm sorry, I've been busy."

"I didn't see you on Christmas."

"No. I stayed at home. Had a quiet day. Thank you for my gifts."

"And thank you for yours. I had invited your sister over for a meal tonight. She said she already had plans with you."

"Yes, I'm sorry, father. Another time, though."

"And have you given any thought to my job proposal?"

"Yes. I don't think I'll be accepting it."

"What?" Uther spluttered, "But Arthur-"

"Father, you've always prepared me for bigger things. And for that, I'm very grateful. But now, you have Catrina to look after the chain. I want to do my own thing."

Uther sighed, "That would make me very proud. I'll help you however I can."

Arthur looked down at Merlin happily. That was a pleasantly surprising reaction.

"Thank you. That means a great deal. How is Catrina?"

"She's very well, thank you," he lowered his voice, "About what you said the other week-"

"I shouldn't have said anything, I-"

"No, Arthur listen to me. I think there might be a little bit of truth in what you say. Her daughters, they seem so cold, and their husbands are-"

"You believe me?"

"I think you may be onto something," Uther corrected, "I do not believe for one second that Catrina would do something like that. But her daughters are definitely suspicious."

"Morgause and Nimueh's husbands are two of the builders that worked on the sites that burned down," Arthur said, "I don't know if that helps you."

"I'll do some digging. Thank you son, for coming to me with this. Perhaps I should have listened."

"Nothing happened, did it? Everything's alright?"

"It's fine. I'm keeping a close eye."

"Alright. Take care, father."

"Goodbye, Arthur."

Arthur hung up and grinned, "If I'd known he was going to say that I would have called days ago."

"He still doesn't suspect Catrina," Merlin pointed out.

"No. But at least he's being careful."

"Are you happy?"

"Very. But do you know what would make me more happy?" he smirked, winked and raised an eyebrow.

"Would it involve our clothes being somewhere other than our bodies?"

"It most certainly would," most of his words were cut off and muffled by a kiss.

Early that afternoon, when both Merlin and Arthur were downstairs, Percival and Gwaine arrived. A nod to Arthur told him all he needed to know. Gwaine and Percival lived furthest away from Arthur but closest to the adoption centre. He'd given them signed permission to collect the dog and drop it off at Gwen's as they made their way over. Gwen and Lancelot had recently moved close to Arthur. They pretended it wasn't because they wanted to be nearby if they needed help, claiming they needed more space than their flat had provided and the house they found was their favourite. But Gwen and Lance both had an extreme soft spot when it came to Merlin.

Arthur pretended to check his phone and sighed.

"What's up?" Gwaine asked.

"Gwen and Lance won't be over until later tonight," Arthur said as if Gwaine and Percival didn't know this already, "They want to spend the day together."

"That's a shame," Percival said, "But we'll be here all day tomorrow as well with them."

To Arthur's delight, Merlin didn't look even slightly suspicious.

Leon and Morgana arrived in the evening, followed soon after by Elyan and they all ate dinner together and watched a bit of tv. Then, as subtly as he could, Arthur suggested they move outside to sit around the fire with some hot drinks. Thankfully, Merlin still didn't seem suspicious at all as he settled beside Arthur. Whenever it didn't seem too strange someone would go inside and unpack the dog's new things to position them in the kitchen. Gwen and Lance arrived at around half past ten and smiled at Arthur. They'd spent the day playing with the puppy so it would be worn out enough to sleep until Arthur wanted to show Merlin. They left it on its bed in the kitchen and came outside as if they'd just arrived.

The group continued to go inside and check on the dog throughout the night and Arthur found himself thanking everything imaginable that the door to the garden wasn't in the kitchen when Merlin needed to go to the toilet.

At midnight, the group stood together in a huddle, arms around each other as they did a countdown and took a sip of their drinks. Arthur's night really couldn't have gone better. Merlin was in an amazing mood, they'd managed to sneak the dog into the house and look after it without Merlin even suspecting.

Arthur kissed him passionately and pulled apart to see Gwaine and Percival pretending to make out with each other, making fun of the three couples they were with. They were both slightly drunk but were definitely blushing. Elyan was killing himself laughing in the corner.

"Would you like your surprise now?" Arthur asked Merlin quietly.

Merlin looked at him excitedly, "Really?"

"Come with me."

They were vaguely aware of their friends following them inside to see Merlin's reaction but didn't take any notice. Arthur stopped in front of the kitchen and held the handle, "Ready?"

Merlin's eyes were sparkling as he nodded.

"Alright," Arthur opened the door and allowed Merlin to pass him, moving slowly as if scared.

Arthur and his friends held eye contact until they heard Merlin gasp in joy. Only then did they follow him into the room.

Merlin was staring at a tiny ball of white fluff curled up asleep on its little bed. He was shaking slightly and a tear rolled down his cheek.

Arthur pulled a chair out for Merlin, helped him sit down and took his crutches while Gwaine picked up the puppy and handed it to Merlin. He cradled it in his lap as it opened it big, sleepy eyes and gazed up at him.

"Arthur," Merlin moaned, his voice trembling with emotion.

Arthur squatted down beside him and stroked the dog, "What do you think?"

"It's for me?"

Arthur nodded, touched by Merlin's reaction.

"What is it?"

"He's a Samoyed," Arthur told him, watching as he cradled the sleepy puppy to his chest and held it tightly, "He's friendly and playful and he loves to cuddle. He'll grow up to be big but not huge. He's loyal, he won't bark. And this one has already had all the injections he needs and is still only young."

Merlin's lip trembled. Lancelot took the puppy off him so he could hug Arthur. Almost immediately, it started to wiggle and try to get free, wining slightly. Merlin took it back all too happily once he'd hugged Arthur, "He's perfect."

"You like him?"

Merlin nodded tearfully, "Does he have name?"

"Not yet. You can call him whatever you want."

"Can I think about it?"

"Of course you can." Arthur kissed him on the forehead and looked up at his friends who were all smiling emotionally, "Why don't we take him through to the front room and you can sit with him in there?"

Merlin nodded eagerly but made no move to get up. Arthur smiled and asked Gwen to fetch his wheelchair. It was pretty clear Merlin would not be letting go of his puppy at any point soon and he couldn't move on his own without both his arms.

Soon, Merlin was sitting on the sofa with eyes only for his puppy who was running around, jumping on them and praying for attention. He was completely smitten, so much so that Arthur was nearly becoming jealous. Or he would have been if the delighted sparkle in Merlin's eyes wasn't distracting him. Everyone else was chatting quietly, stopping to play with the puppy if it jumped onto their lap.

Arthur could see that Merlin was exhausted. He hadn't stopped for a nap all day which he'd done every day since the accident. His hands were starting to get slow and lazy as the stroked the dog on his lap. Soon, all three of them were asleep, Merlin's head drooping back onto Arthur's shoulder and Arthur's head resting on top of Merlin's.

Morgana quickly took a photo of them to send to Hunith and, once the others had gone up to bed, she shook Arthur awake and gently took the puppy out of Merlin's arms. Arthur looked around blearily and Morgana smiled at him. He nodded his thanks, picked Merlin up and stumbled out the room. Morgana had a feeling they'd both be waking up in the clothes they were currently wearing. Arthur was far too tired to get himself changed, let alone Merlin as well.

Everyone slept in late the next morning after staying up way past midnight. Lancelot and Gwen were up first and getting things packed up for the walk they were planning on going out for. Gwen took the new puppy outside for a run around and to let it relieve himself. He was surprisingly well behaved for a young puppy. There was nothing dirtied or broken in the kitchen where he'd stayed through the night.

When Lancelot's phone buzzed just over an hour after he and Gwen and got up, he smiled.

"What is it?"

"Arthur wants us to bring the puppy up for Merlin."

Gwen smiled and picked it up, "Are you bringing it up?"

"I will do. I'll make sure everyone else is up while I'm there."

Merlin's face when he saw the dog in Lancelot's arm was enough to make his day.

"You didn't think it was a dream, did you?" Arthur asked, pulling Merlin up so he was sitting properly.

Lancelot placed the dog onto the bed and he immediately crawled so he was squidged in the tiny space between Merlin and Arthur.

"I'm going to get everyone up," Lancelot said, "We're taking this little guy on a walk, Merlin. So you need to get out of bed soon."

Merlin was entranced by the puppy, tickling him behind the ears. Arthur rolled his eyes at Lancelot, "I'll bring him down soon."

"Good luck."

It took a lot of convincing to get Merlin out of bed. Gwaine had to come in a take the dog away and Arthur had to tell Merlin that he could only get the puppy back if he got up and dressed. They ate breakfast together and got dressed up warmly to go for a walk. Merlin opted to go in his wheelchair so the puppy could sit on his lap. They went to the coast as they usually did, but went a bit further up than normal so they were closer to the lighthouse.

The puppy ran around on the sand excitedly for a while before jumping back into Merlin's lap and snuggling into his blanket. In the car on the way back, Merlin sat in the back and squeezed close to Arthur, "Thank you so much."

"You'll have to let me cuddle him too, sometimes, right?" Arthur replied, wrapping his arm around Merlin's shoulders.

Merlin nodded, "I'm sorry if I've been ignoring you."

"Don't be silly. He is pretty adorable. And I know you still love me more."

"Always," Merlin reached up to kiss him.

When they arrived back at Arthur's everyone collected their bags, thanked Arthur for having them and left.

"Can I get changed?" Merlin asked, looking down at his trousers which were covered in mud and wet sand thanks to the excited puppy which had been jumping off and on his lap constantly.

Arthur nodded, turned the chair lift on for him and then helped him get into a clean pair of jeans. Just as Merlin was fastening his belt, the doorbell rang and they heard the puppy whining and growling.

"Can you get down alright by yourself?" Arthur asked, moving Merlin's crutches closer to the bed.

"I'll be fine."

"Use the lift."

Merlin nodded and watched as Arthur left, wondering who could be there. He pulled on his sock and made his way over to the landing, getting ready to sit on the chairlift when he saw who was at the door.

"Father," Arthur was saying, "Now isn't a good time."

"Nonsense. What could you possibly be doing?" the sickly sweet voice of Catrina replied.

"Actually, my friends have just left," Arthur said, "The house is a mess."

"We'll help you tidy," Uther said. Merlin saw Arthur place the puppy on the floor, close the door and look helplessly up at Merlin who was only slightly terrified at the thought of having Uther and Catrina in the house.

"Who's this?" he heard Catrina coo, presumably to the puppy.

"A New Year present," Arthur said, "He hasn't got a name yet."

"A present from who?"

"Me. Why not?"

Merlin didn't know what to do. Part of him wanted to run back into the bedroom and hide until they were gone. But the rest of him was frozen to the spot in fear.

Downstairs, the puppy ran away from Catrina and stood at the bottom of the steps, wagging his tail and looking at Merlin hopefully.

"Arthur," Uther said slowly, having followed the dog with his eyes, "Why did you have a stairlift installed?"

The puppy barked once, still looking at Merlin and finally, he was spotted.

Arthur gulped, "Merlin's been staying with me for a while," he said, "He has nowhere else to go."

Neither Uther nor Catrina seemed to know what to say.

"He's that scruffy boy from the hotel," she said eventually, "He's living with you?"

"Yes," Arthur said defiantly, "It's my house. I can choose who stays here, can I not?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"But what?" Arthur challenged angrily.

"Nothing," Uther said, "Of course he can stay with you. You're being very kind to him. I hope he appreciates it."

"Why couldn't he live with someone else?" Catrina snapped, "Or go home with his mother?"

Arthur seethed, "Because he was in a serious accident and can't travel. And I don't want him living with anyone else."

"But you have such a lovely house, son."

"And Merlin's just as entitled to it as I."

"But he wouldn't be here at all if he hadn't-"

"Don't you dare," Arthur said dangerously, "Merlin. Go to the bedroom. I'll be up in a minute."

"The bedroom," Uther repeated, "The bedroom. You mean the spare bedroom, of course."

"And if I don't?"

"Arthur-" Merlin practically whispered. He was shaking where he stood, his only support from the banister he was clutching onto after placing his crutches on the ground when he'd been fully intent on getting down the stairs. Being in the presence of Catrina, the woman he was sure caused his brother's death and nearly his own, was petrifying. His heart was racing faster than was healthy for anyone. He was pale and sweaty and his head was spinning.

"Look at him," Catrina sneered, "He's pathetic."

"Arthur," Merlin said again.

The puppy was barking up at him.

"Why do you keep him, Arthur, surely he can live somewhere else now?"

"Don't talk about him like he's some sort of pet!"

"Arthur."

"Come on, son, it was good of you to be so kind to him, but-"

"Arthur, please-"

"Honestly, Arthur, why?"

"Because-"

"Arthur-"

"He needs to go somewhere else, Arthur. Why is he-"

"Because-"

Merlin's knee gave out.