Trigger warning suicide mentioned
7th May 2019
After having the Monday off given it was a bank holiday (and spending the weekend in the forest of Dean for those on the DofE bronze practice), Morgana was still rather shattered. Throughout the expedition she had nightmares, fire, loud banging, crashing. She woke up screaming in the middle of the expedition and Alvarr tried to calm her down, yet she couldn't settle down so spent the most of the second day asleep in the minibus (and trying not to be sick). She realised last week that her period was a week late and took a test—two lines on the stick. It was confirmed, she was going to have a child. With Alvarr. That and she spent the glorious sixth week throwing ip in the back of a bus on an expedition with teenagers.
Tuesday brought glorious parents evening with the second years. No one tended to be a fan of Tuesday—many even finding the second day of the week worse than the first. Morgana's car was having an MOT all day at the garage, so Arthur picked her up from the garage and they travelled together given that she didn't want the crappy hire car they'd give her for the day.
"Bit tight in here" Morgana joked. Almost claustrophobic. Morning sickness had already kicked in too. The claustrophobia didn't help either.
"I know" Gwen smirked as she turned around from the passenger seat. "You, the baby bags. We've got some books in the back but plan to leave them at work. Oh and the buggy. So the boots full".
"You don't say" Arthur raised his eyebrows. "How's the baby getting along back there?".
"Whimpering" Morgana rolled her eyes. "How long does he have to stay backwards for?".
"Until he's nine months or nine kilos" Gwen replied. "There's this new i-size law, insists on keeping them rear facing till they're like fifteen months. He's almost eight months and hates being backwards so no idea how that's supposed to work".
"Really?" Morgana frowned. "They expect kids to sit backwards for that long?". She had started looking into car seats and pushchairs, even though it was still early days.
"I know" Gwen agreed. "It's ridiculous. Although I do like how it's easy and quick to take the whole seat out of the car. He's almost nine kilos so should be okay to move forward facing even if he is a little young, but he's so advanced for his age! Not to mention bored of staring at the back of a headrest".
"I didn't know that's how car seats worked" Morgana mused.
Amhar looked at his aunt, pouted and began full on bawling as he kicked the back of the seat.
"Amhar" Arthur called. "Amhar, it's okay".
Morgana began clicking her fingers and held the baby's hand, he sailed in protest and continued crying.
"Amhar, don't worry" Gwen said as she turned around "baby shark do do do do do do".
She quickly plugged her phone into the car speaker and began to play baby shark theme, the familiar theme tune coming on.
"Baby shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Baby shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Baby shark, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Baby shark".
Amhar stopped crying and smiled at hearing his favourite song, everybody calming down once the baby stopped crying. They arrived at Camelot Day Nursery and Arthur took Amhar out the car, the baby beaming at his daddy and waving happily with a gummy grin as he was carried into nursery.
"Okay but seriously!" Gwen said as she suddenly turned around. "What the fuck is up with Arthur?".
"What do you mean?" Morgana frowned.
"Surely you've noticed it? I mean how could you not notice it!".
"Notice what?" Morgana repeated.
"His secrecy over his phone. Constantly going out. Freaking out. Hiding things".
"I have noticed" Morgana confirmed with a sigh. "But, it isn't for me to say. I'm already stressed out enough with actually teaching top set for GCSEs. You should talk to Arthur".
"Thank you, Morgana" Gwen smiled. "I'm glad that it isn't just me noticing these things".
Arthur returned empty handed and neither girl mentioned anything about what happened as they drove to work. Once arriving they headed off to the English block linked arms as they walked and carried all the books. Arthur took his books, then noticed Merlin getting out and flagged him over.
"Can you believe those two?" Arthur hissed. "Acting like prissy school girls".
"Arthur, you work in a school" Merlin reminded him with a facepalm.
"I expect that behaviour from the pupils. Not my wife and sister".
"Tough mate" Merlin shrugged. "And time for the second years patent's evening tonight".
"I know" Arthur groaned. "This should be fun".
"Telling the parents that their precious darlings have to work. I know" Merlin smirked.
Gwen was beginning to get fed up with her husband. She was hoping that seeing as both of them were free during lunch that they would spend some time together, especially since Amhar had to stay with a childminder so they wouldn't be able to see their son given that he had his bedtime at seven, while parents evening didn't end until after eight.
"What are you doing Arthur?" Gwen asked.
"Nothing" Arthur replied as he jabbed away at his phone.
"Sure looks like nothing" Gwen muttered. There was a knock at the door followed by a rather frazzled looking Nimueh walking in.
"Arthur" she said. "We need to have a chat. Concerning one of the students".
"Of course" Arthur replied as he sweet his phone down and stood up. "In the office?".
"Yeah" Nimeuh nodded and he retreated from the room.
He left his phone. Gwen saw them leaving the building before she went on it. What was his code? 2010–their marriage year? No. 1309–baby's birthday? No. What was his sodding password? The year Harry Potter came out—1998? She mistyped it—1997 and it opened up. She gasped as she saw his notifications coming up—Dylan [heart emoji], Gideon [blue heart emoji], Leonardo [green heart emoji], WhatsApp group chat 'Daddy and sons'.
Daddy and sons? What was that to mean? Gwen frowned and the clicked on the messages. She kept scrolling up, to the first messages.
1st January 2018:
Good to see you today Leonardo and Gideon. Maybe next time all of us can meet up :)
Dylan: Good idea dad!
Leonardo: and dad, it's Leon, not Leonardo [laughing emoji, rolling eye emoji].
Gideon: just Giddy's fine ;)
He had kids. He already fucking had kids. And based of the texts, they weren't young either. How long had he been hiding things from her? Gwen felt a swirling in her stomach and had to sit down to stop herself falling over. How could he? How could he?
Yeah, she cheated too but that didn't result in kids. This did. And he clearly knew. And hid it, for a very long time. Their whole marriage. As long as they had known each other. How could he?
Gwen mentally thanked herself for not wearing mascara as the tears began to fall down her face.
Arthur had just gotten out of the meeting and checked his pocket. Where was his phone? Where was his fucking phone? Shit. Gwen couldn't have found out, could she? Besides, while once his password was the year they married, then Amhar's birthday, and his most recent change had been Dylan's year of birth—1997. He rushed to Gwen's room and she wasn't there; she must've been registering her form seeing as lunch had now ended. His phone was on the table where he had left it and he sighed with relief and pocketed it, going to get on with his work.
Gwen had seemed to avoid him all day, yet that wasn't unusual given that it was a Tuesday so they were both rather busy. And while it was normal for Morgause to shoot him strange looks, it looks could kill Arthur would've been dead. Therefore once the lovely stressful parents evening had ended with him and Gwen in the front of the car and Morgana in the back, he broke the silence.
"What has gotten you so moody today, Gwen?" Arthur asked as he began to drive towards Amhar's nursery.
"I don't know" Gwen said moodily. "You tell me, dad".
"Why are you calling me dad?" Arthur asked with a laugh. "Amhar isn't here".
"Well what about the rest of them?" Gwen retorted.
"Rest of who?" Arthur frowned.
"Hm, let's see" Gwen mused. "Dylan, Gideon, and whatshisface, oh yes, Leonardo".
"Shit" Arthur said as he stopped the car, parking up at the childminder's. "I'll be back". He got out of the car and slammed the door with a loud thud.
"Did you know?" Gwen asked as she turned around.
"Know what?" Morgana frowned as she looked up from her phone.
"Did. You. Know?" Gwen demanded.
Morgana averted her eyes.
"Morgana please" Gwen pleaded. "I won't be angry with you, I just need to know". Morgana slowly nodded. "I fucking knew it. I fucking knew it".
Arthur returned with Amhar and put his nursery bag on the floor, strapping him in his car seat and then putting the belt around the car seat. It was beginning to be a pain now, luckily forward facing seats would stay fixed in the car.
"Arthur how could you?" Gwen sighed.
"It's...it's in the past" Arthur shrugged as he came off onto the A48. "I don't want to talk about it".
"How old are they?".
"Dylan's nineteen, the twins are fourteen".
"How could you hide this?".
"Do you know why I hid this, Guinevere?" Arthur snapped. "Dylan was taken into social services and the twins mother wanted me to have nothing to do with them. And it hurts. It fucking hurts!".
"What does that mean, your going to abandon our son or any future children?" Gwen asked.
"Well it's not like we're going to have any future children, not with your history".
"You know what?" Gwen added. "I'm glad I lost the one just before Christmas. But then again, I wish I didn't loose it. Lancelot would be a much better father than you would".
"I'm trying!" Arthur insisted. "And you slept with fucking Lancelot!".
"Well you had three secret kids" Gwen retorted.
"That was fifteen years ago!" Arthur exclaimed. "It's not like I was in contact with them".
"Well now you are, Arthur. You are now, and you should've told me. At first I would be upset but I would learn to live with it".
"Yeah like you are now?" Arthur grunted.
"I found out a few hours ago that you had three fucking love kids".
Their voices began to get louder. Amhar began to get scared and cry. Morgana began to feel anxious, her heart beating away. She tightly held onto her bag and the baby, hoping everything to be OK.
"You know what hurts? Oh you want to know what fucking hurts?" Arthur retorted. "I'm supposed to have a daughter, but I don't. You know why? Sophia killed herself and the baby went too".
"Arthur!" Gwen screamed. But it was too late. She kept held on tho Arthur's hand as she succumbed to the darkness. Morgana quickly unbelted herself and slung her bag over her shoulder. She looked around the car. Amhar was okay. The front of the car looked terrible.
She unstrapped the car seat and scrambled out the car. She noticed that orange flames seemed to be rising in the car and ran away from it, using her body and the car seat to shield the baby. Yet she too succumbed to darkness.
A/N: As it turns out, I searched it up and Camelot Day nursery is a REAL THING! Except in my version it's in Camelot not Chelmsford and Camelot is located near the border of Wales and England. Also sorry not sorry for the ending! Part 3 out next Monday!