000
Arthur stood near the balcony waiting for Guinevere to join him. It had been a week since he'd stepped into the President's shoes – so to speak and it was the first he was meeting the First Lady.
Will Mercia had suffered a severe stroke and was in a coma. Agravaine had set up a private medical wing for him on one of the lower floors of Camelot; and the people had been told that the President had had a mild cold. Arthur had been put in bed and the Camelot Physician sent to him; Gaius, the physician was astounded by how well the President was, he'd never been so fit and in such good shape, but had agreed with Agravaine when it was suggested that he be given two days' bed rest. During that time Arthur had been taught how to speak like Will, although he didn't really need any lessons, everyone was astonished by how like the President he actually sounded and acted. After the two days, he'd met with some of the cabinet and even met a visiting head of state. Guinevere Mercia had been out of the country on state visit and it was agreed that if Arthur could manage to convince her that he was her husband then it would have passed the ultimate test. Will's Vice President and best friend, Valiant had been sent on a three month-tour of Africa and it was hoped by Agravaine that by the time he returned the situation would be under control.
Arthur couldn't help but marvel at Agravaine's ability to get things done; he'd even called Morgana with a cover story for Arthur's absence.
"What's she like?" Arthur asked Merlin who was standing by his side.
"Like a First Lady," Merlin replied, "very proper."
"Okay," Arthur nodded. He really would have liked to ask how complicated the relationship between Guinevere and Will was but complicated was the only word he'd gotten in answer to that question.
"But she's also very nice and kind too," Merlin added.
"I guess Will…I mean… I'm not," Arthur said.
"The President is usually very busy," Merlin replied.
The door leading from the First Lady's chambers opened and Guinevere Mercia came out. She was wearing a dark blue suit with a white shirt inside, her hair was held back in a bun; honestly her clothes were ordinary to say the least but Arthur couldn't remember ever seeing a more beautiful woman in his life.
Guinevere stopped short when she saw Will standing on the balcony. The reports had been right, he did look well, not like someone who'd been ill. She'd thought of calling him when she'd been told the news but decided against it…Will didn't care about her and the fact that he hadn't bothered to call her to tell her about his illness himself was proof enough.
"I thought you would put this off," Guinevere said. "You know, come up with another excuse."
"You know me, Guinevere," Arthur replied, "anything for the children."
Gwen snorted and then glared at him, "Guinevere? I thought we had agreed that you were never to call me that."
Arthur couldn't believe he had forgotten that she didn't like to be called by her full name. On the bright side, at least she seemed she think that he was her husband.
"Shall we?" Gwen asked. "We haven't got all day."
000
They got into the Presidential limo and sat down. Arthur had always thought that limos had a lot of space but honestly he couldn't breathe Guinevere…Gwen was smelling so good and her skirt was riding up exposing a beautiful caramel thigh.
Gwen caught him staring and glared at him while pulling her skirt down and turning away from him. It was going to be a long day.
The children were delightful; Gwen read to them and most of them were taken up with the book but one little boy sat alone in the corner. Arthur couldn't help himself, he had been told repeatedly not to divert from the script, but he couldn't help himself. He went over to the little boy and talked to him, pretty soon they were rolling on the floor and the other children came over to join them. At first Gwen was angry with him…trust him to try and get all the attention but when she saw how genuinely happy the children were she couldn't help smiling and joining in when one of the little girls took her hand and pulled her into the circle.
000
Agravaine watched the news in disgust. Arthur wasn't supposed to make Mercia likeable and he definitely wasn't supposed to get off script. He was supposed to have stayed in his seat at the children's home and let Gwen do her thing not become the topic of every talk show in town. Ever since Arthur Pendragon had stood in for Will Mercia the President's approval ratings had risen and it'd barely been a week.
He switched off the TV and picked up the stack of papers he'd taken from the President's office. There were a number of issues that the President needed to deal with and Agravaine had taken it upon himself to see that the government was being run the way he wanted it to. At the top of the pile was approval for funding for the children's home that the First Couple had visited the other day. Agravaine declined the funding and signed Will Mercia's name; he couldn't help but smile as he did it.
000
Arthur couldn't help himself, he knew that Guinevere…Gwen was married to Will Mercia and although that man was unlikely to ever get out of his coma it was still wrong to think about the other man's wife like that. He couldn't help himself and he told himself it wasn't it fault that she liked to sit by the window in the evening with the curtain open. She always wore short shorts and a tiny T-shirt in the evening and let her hair down and looked really good. It wasn't her fault that he hadn't had a girlfriend in years.
000
Gwen couldn't believe her ears. Of all the rotten things to do, she couldn't believe Will had done this. After the way he had acted at the children's home, playing with the little boy, looking good like that in the news and worse of all making her think that he cared.
It was after ten in the night and she'd just had a very long meeting but she knew that she wouldn't sleep unless she told Will off, not that it would change a thing but at least she'd sleep better knowing she had spoken her mind.
000
Arthur was in the shower singing to himself when the door was flung open by a very angry but beautiful Guinevere.
"Will, how could you? I mean I know you don't care but this is low even for you."
Arthur closed his eyes; thankfully he'd been facing the wall and not the door.
"Was that your plan all along?" Gwen continued, "To pretend to care and then do this?"
Arthur swallowed, he had no idea what she was talking about but he couldn't speak.
"Turn around," Gwen ordered, "turn around and face me like a man."
Arthur turned slowly and looked at Gwen wishing that he had a towel handy. For her part Gwen looked him straight in the eye, her gaze filled with anger and disappointment. When he didn't say a word she turned and walked out of the room.
Arthur stood in the shower wondering what he had done to make Gwen that angry with him. He got a towel and then some clothes and got dressed. He needed to get to the bottom of it.
Merlin and Leon were the obvious choice to ask since they were about the only friends he had in Camelot and they seemed to know everything that went on there.
000
"Agravaine declined the funding for the children's home," Merlin told him.
"Technically the President is the one who did that," Leon pointed out.
"But I never saw any paperwork," Arthur argued, "I actually haven't even sat in the office since I met some of the cabinet members."
"You didn't really think Agravaine would actually let you run the country, did you?" Leon asked him.
"I didn't think of that," Arthur admitted, "this was supposed to be a little bit of fun."
"Sure."
"Is there anything I can do?" Arthur asked.
"You're not really the president," Merlin reminded him. "I don't think you can do anything."
"Gwen thinks I am," Arthur told them, "And those children need a home."
000
Arthur was up most of the night thinking about how he could solve the housing problem. According to the paperwork he'd managed to find, the reason the funding had been declined was because there no money; he figured the only way to sort it out was to find some and he knew just the person to help him with that.
"Arthur what are you doing here?" Morgana asked. It had taken some work but he'd finally managed to get her into Camelot and his office. Agravaine had a meeting in Fyrien; a meeting which Arthur really should have been the one attending but Agravaine didn't tell him of course, rather choosing to make apologies for him. Arthur didn't even know that there was a meeting but he was glad that Agravaine was away he could discuss the children's housing situation with Morgana and make it right.
"You really care about Guinevere don't you?" Morgana teased him.
"This isn't about her," Arthur denied, "it's for the children."
"Do you want me to tell you how many times you've mentioned her name?" Morgana asked. "How you couldn't bear to have her disappointed in you?"
"I didn't say that."
"Arthur, seriously, you know she's married, right? To the President, no less."
"I know."
Arthur hadn't told Morgana the truth about Mercia's condition; when asked he'd lied and said he was filling in for him while he had a wild week away and Morgana had accepted it.
"This should work," she told him, giving him the report she'd been compiling. "All you have to do is to convince them to cut their spending."
"I'll give it my best shot."
000