January 2019
2019 came around quickly. Without knowing it, again, Merlin and Morgana started off their new year in the same way. Sitting on the sofa, binging season three of 'A series of unfortunate events', given that the last season was released on the Very First Day of 2019. On New Year's Day itself, Arthur went to The Magic Horse for dinner so he could meet the twins for the first time. He had briefly met them when they were born and he was on the birth certificate (all children deserved to know who their father was), so had met them again when they were registering the birth. Elaine wanted child maintenance and Arthur was happy to pay it, otherwise not keeping in touch with his sons. Given that they were now around fourteen or fifteen therefore old enough to make their own choices they would like to meet Arthur after all. Elaine had arranged the meeting for New Year's Day at The Magic Horse. They didn't live in Camelot anymore yet would often travel to Camelot shortly after Christmas to meet family.
The fifth form mocks came around in the first two weeks so instead of having to teach them they were all put on invigilator duty, and despite the fact that Merlin and Morgana started teaching them half way through their GCSEs they were rather confident that it would go OK. The mock results were rather good and so they had a clearer idea on how well their sets would do in their exams—which was vital given they taught core subjects.
Arthur tended to spend more and more time out of the house, meeting his elder sons every other week or so. There was also the ski trip, which took place over half term and sadly Freya was rejected and didn't get to go on the ski trip to her dismay, yet Morgana was going on all DofE expeditions except the Gold ones.
Once more the ski trip took place over half term after a very unromantic Valentine's Day, and this year they went to Austria with some of the newer teachers—Vivian the maths teacher, the food tech teacher Audrey and Gwaine were the other accompanying teachers, given that Arthur and Gwen had a baby that they couldn't leave for a week. Storm Freya shortly followed the ski trip which was rather fitting as Freya was rather grumpy that she wasn't able to go.
Late March 2019
"You don't think Arthur could be cheating, do you?" Gwen anxiously checked.
"What makes you think that?" Morgana frowned.
"He could be gay?" Gwen noticed Morgana looking at her strangely. "I don't know, he has been withdrawn lately".
"It could be postpartum depression" Morgana shrugged.
"Men can't get postpartum depression" Gwen scoffed. "And anyway, I was the one that gave birth to a nine pounder".
"Men can get postpartum depression" Morgana clarified. "They said about it on Jane the virgin".
"So it's real cause you saw it on Jane the virgin? Brilliant" Gwen snorted.
"The NHS website says men can get PPD too. Check if you don't believe me".
"Fine, I believe you" Gwen sighed with a roll of her eyes after she checked the website. "How's the packing coming along?".
"Not too badly" Morgana shrugged. "I bought a new air mattress so I hope that it'll be good".
"Any idea who you're paired with?" Gwen smirked.
"Alvarr" Morgana replied with a slight smile. "The other two are always together and there's only one minibus and four of us. The others are taking the car".
"Alvarr and Morgana" Gwen sang. "Sitting in a bus. K-I-S-S-I-N-G".
"Shut up" Morgana muttered as she playfully slapped Gwen.
"That is so romantic" Gwen insisted. "You and Alvarr, paired on the trip, it'll be good".
"Whatever you say Gwen" Morgana rolled her eyes".
They did kiss in the end. And he did go down on her (she refused to give him oral or sleep with him without a condom). The first few days were all good, until halfway through when they ended up falling out. She then decided Alvarr was a prick and dumped him as soon as they got back from the trip (even though they were only "together" for four days).
There were also several parents evenings, the third, fourth and fifth years, while the first years would be having theirs just after the half term, with the second years having theirs last in May, only weeks before the end of year exams.
Easter was a rather good affair. Morgana headed off to Florida with her friends Brittany, Sefa and Elizabeth, spending two weeks there for Morgana's twenty-fifth. They had the time of their lives—riding the rollercoasters in Disney World and Universal studios over and over, heading to white hot Sandy beaches (the sand was too hot to walk on) and walking around Disney Springs and universal city walk. Given that Morgana's birthday was the tenth of April while Easter wasn't until the twenty-first, they spent most of their holiday there.
School returned the day after Easter Monday—the twenty-third to everybody's dismay. But they did have a three week holiday so it wasn't exactly all bad, all in all. After work Arthur would tend to stay late, leaving Gwen alone with the baby until it was almost his bed time.
4th May 2019
"Arthur, why are you always out of the house?" Gwen demanded.
"I have work to do. As head of safeguarding, I am busy" Arthur insisted.
"I know, Arthur" Gwen sighed exasperatedly. "Also, did you know? Amhar's crawling now. You missed out on it cause you're always at work or going out without us on the weekend".
"I told you Gwen, I'm busy".
"You're busy?" Gwen scoffed. "I may as well be a single parent at this point. It's ridiculous, Arthur".
"Is it?" Arthur retorted. "Alright then, I'll do baby duty tonight". Arthur picked up Amhar from whatever he was playing with on the floor, the baby squeaked in protest and Arthur went up the stairs to put him to bed.
"Do you even remember his bedtime routine?" Gwen checked.
"Of course I do" Arthur shouted. "I'm his daddy".
Gwen rolled her eyes and shouted up the stairs "I'm going out", before she slammed the door and got into her car. She texted Merlin to tell him she was coming over and began driving towards the Northern Plains. Normally in situations like this she would go to Morgana—yet she was currently on the DofE Bronze trip in the Forest of Dean.
Gwen turned up to Merlin's ranting. "Bloody Arthur! Never at home, always on his sodding phone doing Jesus knows what, he never spends time with the baby anymore" she ranted on.
"Woah woah woah, slow down" Merlin said. "Are you and Arthur having problems?".
"That's one way to put it" Gwen grumbled.