After not the best Halloween, Merlin had to admit. All he had done was sit around, alone. At home while Gwen and Arthur had gone out somewhere. Only a few kids showed up for candy, too. It was rather dull. Now, at the very least, Merlin was looking forward to putting up the Christmas decertations. It was barley into November at this point, when Arthur directed Merlin to the spot in the shed in the back garden, where the boxes of Christmas stuff were. Merlin was more than reedy to trim a tree. Merlin liked looking forward to holidays, they were a nice little distraction from real life, and as this year Merlin's real life was in complete disarray. Christmas was a nice thing to hold onto. Everything was going swimmingly, there was about five boxes of Christmas stuff all labeled because Arthur was an old man like that. Merlin wasn't afraid to tell him this either, which Arthur only glared at him for and then rolled his eyes dramatically. They had carried the boxes inside each one by one. Well, Arthur carried three and Merlin only did two. But that was because Arthur always tried to be chivalrous, which again...was nice sometimes.

About the time that Merlin started going through the first few boxes, that was when Gwen came in. Honestly, after that it all went a bit down hill. It was alright right at first, both Merlin and Gwen made fun of Arthur for some of the very strange and ugly ornaments he had for his tree. Which, where all related to either some American sports team or a British Footie team. It was kind of cute, if Merlin was being honest. But then, pretty soon after that Arthur left for simply he didn't feel like being picked on anymore and then Gwen started getting bitchy. She hated everything Merlin suggested. There was this raggedy, old looking Santa Merlin wanted to put on the fireplace mantel, she hated that because it looked stupid there. But Santa is meant to come out of the fireplace...so how that was stupid was really beyond Merlin. He wanted to put snowflakes on the windows next, and she didn't like that idea either. She said that was childish. But the biggest thing, the thing they argued about the most...was where to put the Christmas tree. Merlin had wanted to put it in the sitting room, because it's a Christmas tree and should be in the sitting room. Where people could sit and look at it. However, Gwen wanted to put it in the dining room, because she claimed there would be more room in there for it. But Merlin had gave in with everything else, he wasn't going to give in to this, too. They argued so much that it brought Arthur back downstairs, looking concerned and then kind of annoyed.

"Putting it in the fucking dinning room is stupid!" Merlin was yelling.

"Merlin..." Gwen was saying in a rather passive aggressive tone. "Your childish attitude is why I have to be here in the first place, helping you. You couldn't make a discussion on your own if you had to. You have no idea what is right or wrong...you have no experience.-"

"Bullshit!" yelled Merlin and then Arthur held up his hands.

"ALright...alright, clam down." he was saying rather calmly, for someone watching his husband and his girlfriend fighting. "What is all this about?" he asked, once both of them shut up. Merlin pouted and crossed his arms over his chest, because he wasn't going to answer. This was all stupid. Why couldn't Merlin pick where the tree went? Why couldn't he pick were the raggedy Satna went? Why did it have to be only Gwen's discussion?

"Merlin is angry because I feel he has poor decorating skills," said Gwen, simply enough. Merlin scoffed at this. Because one, that wasn't true, they were fighting because Gwen thought she needed control of everything. And two, he did not have bad decorating skills. "He wants to decorticate as if he is a child. I want something that looks more adult."

Arthur looked at Merlin then and raised an eyebrow. It was rather clear that he too, found this whole argument rather stupid. "No offence, Guinevere," said Arthur then, as he turned to look at his girlfriend. "But haven't you got an entire house of your own to decorate?" Gwen had held a smug sort of look on her face until this point, when she realized Arthur wasn't going to agree with her. It melted away like ice and turned into something colder. "I say, let Merlin decorate how ever he wants. This his house now, too. He has that right."

"Well..." said Gwen, in a voice that said she was either near tears or near having a mental break down and murdering them both where they stood. "If you want to have your house decorated by a child...be my guest!"

"Stop calling me a child," said Merlin then, quickly and with a tone much like hers. Cold and aloof. "Just because you don't agree with something doesn't mean it's childish."

"He's right," said Arthur and that was what broke her. Gwen growled out loud and then picked up her coat off of the dining table. She tugged it on, inside-out, and didn't look at ether of them as she did.

"It is obvious I am not wanted here," she was saying now.

"That's not true, Guinevere, you know you are wanted here," said Arthur. She didn't even look at him, as she turned to leave.

"It's fine. I have a whole house to decorate, remember?" She picked up her purse and tucked it under her arm and just as Merlin thought she was about to leave, she turned back and pointed a manicured finger in Arthur's face. "But one night soon, when you're cold and alone, and wishing I was there...you can remember this moment, when you've went against me once again!"

She stormed off then, and after about three seconds Merlin could hear the front door slam shut. He looked back at Arthur now, kind of afraid, because this was also sort of his fault. He didn't want to come between them, but Gwen did it to herself. She was so keen on undermining Merlin so much, just to make herself look better to Arthur or to make herself feel better, that she did all this on her own. Arthur rubbed the bridge of his nose between his eyes, as if he had a headache now and Merlin reached out and touched his forearm. He looked up and Merlin pouted again.

"I'm sorry, Arthur...I didn't mean, you know...to cause more problems.-"

"More problems?" questioned Arthur and Merlin got scared for a second. He supposed he was all of their problems, really. But he didn't want to hear Arthur say it. "Merlin, you're the reason I am still here...she shouldn't be making this so hard on you. She constantly has to have the final say on everything, that's not fair. It doesn't concern her where the tree goes. When I put the ring on her finger and she takes my name, then she can make that choice, but until then I have no problem letting you do whatever you want. this is your house, I don't know how many more times I can tell you that..."

"I don't think it's me you have to tell..."

"I don't know how many more times I can tell her that either..."

"She just wants to feel like she's important," said Merlin and he had known this, he did know this and maybe he should have just let her pick where the tree goes. But the way she talked to him like she was better than him, for whatever reason she did it, it still pissed him off. Even if he knew it shouldn't.

"She is the reason we're doing this, how much more important can she be?" Merlin shrugged at Arthur's question and continued to pout. Arthur didn't wait much time after this to change the subject. "You know...I was thinking my old tree is a bit of a wreck, maybe we should buy a new one?"

Merlin nodded, but smirked a little now as he did. "Yes, I think so...and maybe get rid of some of the straight guy ornaments."

"Excuse me, straight guy?" retorted Arthur. Merlin smiled.

"Yes," he teased. "They scream 'please don't question my sexuality!' and really...things need to get more gay around here. I've always thought so."

Arthur rolled his eyes at this but laughed all the same. "And what did you have in mind?"

"I'm thinking white lights...blue and white ornaments."

"You're making a TARDIS tree, aren't you?"

"Yes...how'd you know?"

"Because you're a dork..."

(A/N: I wrote this so long ago, like January. Reading it makes me wish it was Christmas...or at least Halloween, I gotta decorate something! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little chapter, it wasn't much but it was at least something.)