Merlin was more awake by the time they had reached Elyan. Who was sat outside a little pub that had probably closed a good few hours ago, no wrecked car in sight. Jen had already had her insurance service pick up the car but had really, actually left Elyan there. Merlin supposed two things, she was trying tough love and also figured either Gwen or Merlin would go pick him up, which is exactly what happened. And, with no doubt in his mind at all, Merlin knew if neither him nor Gwen had come, his own parents would have. That's what happens when you live in this strange family unit. When Merlin got out of the car and walked over to where Elyan was sitting, he got up at once and wrapped Merlin in a very cold, but yet kind of sweaty hug, and started to cry.

"I really fucked up this time..." he said, into Merlin's shoulder.

"Yeah, you did," said Merlin, because they both knew this was true already, there was no need to sugar-coat it right away. "But it will be okay, she's your mum, she'll forget about it eventually."

Arthur emerged from the car next and walked closer to them. He looked over Elyan, a bit more sternly than Merlin did. "You alright?" he asked and Elyan pulled away from hugging Merlin and nodded solemnly. "Great...and this is why I wasn't going to let you take my husband with you on your bullshit quest for fun. You need to grow up and start considering your actions more carefully, before you hurt more than just yourself."

"I know that, Mate..." said Elyan, "You don't have to tell me that. I've heard it enough from my mum."

"Well, she's right, so you ought to listen," Arthur retorted, but then smiled over at Merlin, for some reason. "Let's go, it's nearly day light and we need to get back home."

Merlin nodded, letting go of Elyan as well, and walking back toward the car. Arthur helped Elyan get one of his two bags into the back of Arthur's car and then they both got in. Elyan behind Merlin and Arthur was driving of course. Then they were off once again, heading back the way they had just came. Merlin really didn't know how Arthur was still driving, Merlin had taken a few hour nap and was still exhausted, Arthur had been awake this whole time. It was nearing six and they had already been driving for an hour when Merlin looked over at him with concern. Arthur glanced back at him and gave him another one of those smiles, like the one before, which was kind of just a pleasant, genuine smile and Merlin had to wonder did he ever look at Gwen this way...? But Merlin brushed those thoughts to the side and focused on what was important.

"You must be tired," he said to Arthur. Elyan was in the back not paying attention to them anyway, and Merlin didn't really care if he was tired. Arthur shrugged and his eyes drifted from Merlin, to the road, back to Merlin and then onto the road again.

"I was going to say the same about you," he said, "The parts under your eyes are dark...you can sleep if you want to, I won't mind."

"How can I possibly sleep after you so politely point out my flaws like that?" retorted Merlin, even though he wasn't really bothered. "Do you do the same to your mother...mention her dark spots and all?"

"No, I save that just for you..." Arthur trailed off. Merlin sighed.

"Is it really safe for you to be driving anymore?"

"Well," said Arthur causally. "In about thirty-five minutes I will have been up for a whole twenty-four hours...so, perhaps not."

"Do you want me to drive?" asked Merlin with worry and Arthur shook his head no. "You shouldn't be driving, Arthur..."

"We could stop..." Arthur said, and then they both looked over at each other, even though Arthur was driving, because they knew Gwen would not like that idea at all. "If we stop now we'll only have two hours left and we'll be home by early afternoon."

"I don't think that's a big deal..." Merlin lied, because he knew it would be, at least according to some people, Arthur knew he was lying too and they probably could have been fine, Arthur could have drove the two hours and then just slept the whole day, or he could stop being such a control freak and just let Merlin drive, but they did none of that. Instead, they stopped. They stopped at this little inn, above a pub run by a little, old cat lady, whose cat walked all over the front desk and tried to scratch Merlin when he petted it. They shared a room with two beds, with Elyan. So, yes they would have to share a bed, but Elayn was in the room with them, so it shouldn't matter. But of course it does. It always does and Merlin knew it would. Almost as soon as they began checking in Gwen started calling Arthur, but he just kept sending her to voicemail, which is honestly probably the wrong thing to do when it comes to Gwen. He hadn't planned on talking to her until later in the morning after they had left the inn, but apparently she was using her phone to track them and had obviously saw they were at some hotel. When Arthur didn't answer his phone several times, she started calling Merlin's, who also didn't answer, Elyan half sleep and the other half dumb didn't notice any of this. Not as they checked in, not as they road the elevator to their room on the third floor and not as Arthur aggressively threw his phone onto the bed with a dark curse word. Elyan only complained about their not being enough blankets and then marched his ass back out of the room to go ask the cat lady for more. Once he had shut the door Merlin looked over at Arthur seriously.

"You're going to have to answer her," he told him and Arthur nodded, his phone began to ring again and he yanked it from the middle of the bed, the bed Merlin supposed Arthur claimed for them as theirs, and he pressed the green button on it. Merlin could hear her shrieking scream as soon as the phone was put on. Arthur sighed deeply.

"...I understand that, but I couldn't answer the phone at that moment," Arthur was saying now, Merlin only watched him. "We stopped because I was too tired to drive and Merlin was half asleep...no way in hell am I letting Elyan touch my car...stop screaming at me, Guinevere, it really doesn't matter...I don't care if you said not to stop, honestly I couldn't careless..." Merlin bit his lip, only hearing Arthur's side of the conversation, but knowing his sister at all he had a very good idea what she was saying. "I am only saying you need to calm down...YES! YOU DO!" Arthur was yelling now and Merlin sighed, he hated this life, he honestly did. "YOU CANNOT CONTROL EVERYTHING WE DO!...Why?! Because I don't want him to get hurt?...how in the hell does this have anything to do with him? Look...I'm not talking about this anymore, I'm tired and I am going to go to sleep...I don't care, Guinevere, do whatever you like...goodbye..."

Arthur hung up the phone and tossed it on the bed once more, looking up at Merlin with narrowed eyes and an irritated expression. Merlin bit his lip a little harder and just looked at him for a few seconds longer before speaking, he didn't deserve to be spoken to like that, and Merlin knew this without even knowing what she said. "What did she say...?" he asked though, because he had to say something. Arthur shrugged.

"Oh, you know...we're going against her again, she asked us not to stop, somehow this is your sneaky plan to be alone with me...all the regular bullshit she says none-stop anyway," said Arthur and his tone was that of complete, off-handed doneness. "I just want to go to sleep, Merlin, is that so wrong?"

"No," Merlin shook his head and it was then that Elyan came back in with two large duvets, and looked over at them with a curious confusion.

"Are you fighting?" he asked, he supposed Arthur did look upset and Merlin, himself, did look a bit alarmed, they both shook their heads no.

"I was just warning Arthur not to hog the blankets like he does at home," Merlin lied and Arthur stood up then, forcing a smile.

"And I promised nothing..."

(A/N: A lot has happened since I last updated, which was just on the 15th...which had also happened to be my birthday, but back to now. It hasn't been that long but a lot of crazy stuff went down, like my computer completely broke while I had been writing this story and I am now continuing to write this story on a completely new and fabulous computer. At least I was able to save and hadn't lost the whole chapter, which was this one...ah, small world, or just inconveniences of technology. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, even more bitchy Gwen to come in the next chapter!)