Disclaimer: IDOM

Surprise update! A friend on tHoC convinced me to update a bit early... *sheepish grin* Don't worry, there'll still be an update on Wednesday, too. :D

And, to answer a few common questions: Yes, the nicknames and how they got them will be explained shortly, and yes, Merlin will be known as 'Merlin' later on. :) If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. I'll be happy to answer them. :)

As always, I hope you enjoy it. :)

Chapter 4: Courage, Strength, and Magic

Arthur rolled his cerulean eyes and pulled the car to the curb just as the Thames Museum came into view. Colin laughed at Gwaine's joke, and Arthur couldn't help the smile that pulled at his own lips. He twisted the key, shutting off the ignition, and peered out the window to see the old-style building rising up to his left. The immense pillars in the front and the old writing on the triangle section that was above the pillars gave it an almost eighteenth century feel.

Gwaine let out another laugh. "So then I -"

"-Gwaine," Arthur interjected, "we're not trying to traumatize Colin either."

In the past twenty minutes, the time it took to drive from Scotland Yard to the museum, Gwaine had told several stories. A few of them about past cases, a few of his renditions about past bar fights, one of which he was in the middle of now. Arthur had heard this particular one a thousand times... at least.

"I don't mind," Colin supplied, grinning like he hadn't smiled in a good many years and eyes sparkling with a mirth that Arthur had never seen before in anyone.

There was something about him. Something that was immediately likeable, and Arthur knew, somehow, that he was different; something about his character that Arthur couldn't help but be drawn to. He could already tell by the way he acted that he wasn't a bootlicker because one, he was laughing genuinely at Gwaine's jokes, no matter how bad they were. And two, the others had been stricter and had cared more about propriety and rank than Colin seemed to. Colin, as far as Arthur could tell from the drive to the museum, was laid back and lighthearted, and was, in general, very easy to be around.

"Well, we're here anyway," he said, nodding at the building.

Colin and Gwaine, both like eager children, immediately leaned sideways and peered out the window, narrowing their eyes against the bright sun to look at the beige colored stone that made up the building.

"I haven't been here in forever," Colin said.

Gwaine glanced at him, smirking with amusement. "Me and my sister used to love coming here when we were kids."

"Same," Arthur added.

Colin looked at him with a curious expression and opened his mouth as if to ask something, but, out of the corner of his eye, Arthur saw him close his mouth again and look away. Gwaine, too, seemed to notice it but kept quiet as they all climbed out of the car.

"Still don't know what that means," Gwaine mumbled.

Colin grinned. "Hm?"

The sergeant cupped his hand over his brow to block the sun and looked at the outcropped triangle piece of the building above the pillars. "What that says," he supplied, pointing at the large letters that were etched into the heavy tan stone.

Colin stopped on the sidewalk, and both Arthur and Gwaine stopped with him, giving him a curious questioning look when he continued to stare at the building, brow furrowed and mouth set in a tight line as he sucked in his full lips in thought. Then his brow relaxed, and he caught up to Arthur and Gwaine. "Rough translation: 'Every story has a beginning.'"

Now Gwaine's brow furrowed as they continued to walk. "You can read Romanian?"

Colin smiled at him. "Actually, it's Greek, but yes."

"Since when can you read Greek?" Arthur asked, feeling very distinct confusion even if he didn't know why.

"Since I went to Greece in -" Colin's smile suddenly faltered as a thought flashed through his mind, and he looked away.

"In what?"

The man looked at him again, and Arthur could tell the smile was more forced than genuine, and his eyes were tinged with a bit of sadness. "I don't remember… It was a while ago."

Gwaine clapped his shoulder, grinning. "Well, either way, that's cool -and fitting for a museum if you think about it." At these words, Colin's smile grew more genuine, and his blue eyes sparkled.

Arthur still felt the frown on his face from the change in Colin's demeanor but brushed his concern and curiosity off as he took in the scene around him. The steps in front of the museum were spotted with people: some standing around, some sitting, and some filtering in and out the large museum doors. Birds squawked overhead, and a cool breeze blew through the area, ruffling papers and hair.

"Well," Gwaine said, "it couldn't be that bad if they're still letting people in."

Colin hummed in agreement as he messed with his jet-black hair.

Arthur rolled his eyes with fond exasperation and pushed the door open, the other two following behind him. Heat from the large reception area flowed through him, and he took off his long, dark grey trench coat and threw it over his arm, seeing Colin do the same with his black jacket, and Gwaine do the same with his brown leather sports jacket. He righted his maroon button-up shirt and pulled it down before walking over to the circular reception desk in the center of the room.

"We're here to see the curator," he said. Colin placed his toned forearms beside him, leaning on the taller part of the desk and looking curiously around the room with a broad, almost familiar smile. Gwaine leaned on the counter besides him, looking at Colin with wonderment and hesitation. Then, Arthur's blue eyes met his chocolate brown ones, and in that small moment, a message was passed that neither one would be able to recognize. It was a look of familiarity, of remembrance, of something bigger… and it was snatched away just as quickly as it was created when the receptionist spoke.

"She'll be down momentarily."

Arthur blinked and turned his attention away from his friends as the woman's words registered in his mind. He nodded and thanked her before moving off towards one of the display cases in the large, old-fangled room.

"Whoa!" Gwaine exclaimed. "Look at this!"

The Inspector walked over to see what had gotten Gwaine so excited and saw him and Colin peering into, of all things, a fish tank. Arthur rolled his eyes and watched as a several colored fish swam around their colorful home. He glanced at Gwaine, who seemed completely enticed by the creatures, and then at Colin, who glanced between the fish and Gwaine with fond amusement. It was slightly odd to see that tender look in Colin's eyes, especially since it was directed at a man he'd hardly known for an hour. But then there was something that made it so natural too –something that made it not odd at all.

"One more minute and you both you've been dead. Neither of you won. You're plan was a half-baked disaster, and if it was not for that fire we would all be pushing up daisies."

"Inspector James, I presume?"

A woman's voice broke him out of his daydream, and again, the interruption left him with a sense of frustration from the lost information. He blinked and turned on his heel, standing up to his full height and adjusting his shirt once more before shaking her outstretched hand. She was older, maybe in her fifties, with shortly cut white hair and a smart suit consisting of a light coloured skirt and matching jacket. "That's me. And these are my colleagues, Sergeant Macken and Colin Jones."

"Pleasure to meet you," she said politely, shaking each of their hands in turn. "I'm Mrs. Young. I understand you're here about our recent break-in."

Arthur nodded. "Just checking back, Mrs. Young. Could you possibly take us to where the break-in occurred?"

"Of course," she replied, turning on her heel. "This way please."

Arthur smirked at the woman's direct demeanor, and shared a quirked eyebrow with Gwaine and Colin before following her down several hallways and around several corners. They passed all sorts of things, from wire figurines to oil paintings. Gwaine, of course, stared at all of them and had to scramble to catch up several times while Colin, on the other hand, gave the art a passing glance, walking loyally behind Arthur the entire time. They passed through one larger archway before they stopped.

"The medieval section!" Gwaine exclaimed gleefully. "This was always my favorite." He nudged Colin. "You should've seen me in high school. I was obsessed with anything medieval. So was Arthur."

Arthur glanced behind him and gave the man a small smirk, narrowing his eyes with amusement. He turned back to see the curator talking to someone who had a question about a display and walked over to the other two, waiting for Mrs. Young to finish.

"Just how long have you two known each other?" Colin asked, hidden knowledge glinting in his eyes.

"About seven years," Gwaine answered. "Give or take a few months."

Arthur thought he saw the boy suck in a breath as his eyes flashed with something unidentifiable, but before he could say anything, Mrs. Young appeared by his side.

"It happened over there," she said, pointing towards another glass covered display case, this one holding weaponry. They all walked over towards it, eyeing the pieces. There were several bolts, and ancient looking crossbow, a longbow, a sword, as well as a few daggers.

"Was anything stolen?" Arthur asked, running his fingers up and down the glass casing.

The curator shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. "No, nothing. It's all been accounted for."

Gwaine's brow furrowed. "Then how'd you know someone broke in?"

"Like I told the other officers, they tripped the silent alarm."

"But why break-in if you're not going to steal anything?" Colin added.

Arthur hummed in agreement. "Was anything upset? Or… out of place? What lead you to believe that the thieves were here for this case?"

Mrs. Young looked at him, a vein of frustration leaking into her voice. "The display was left open. That's how we knew. Also, I don't know why they didn't take anything, Mr. Jones. That's what you're here for, isn't it?"

Arthur saw Colin raise his eyebrows slightly with surprise, and then Arthur saw him fight back a grin as he too stepped forward to examine the case.

"Maybe they didn't find what they were looking for?" the consultant offered.

Gwaine crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay, but why break in in the first place then... I would've staked out the place first, made sure what I wanted was here, and then broke in."

Arthur nodded. "Me too…" Then, back at Mrs. Young. "And the team before us didn't find any fingerprints? What about video tapes? Cameras?"

"No; the videos were clean. The cameras were somehow deactivated," she said coolly. "Whoever he was, he was a professional."

Colin quirked his eyebrow as he glanced at her, agreeing. "So nothing taken, no fingerprints, no viable trail to follow…"

"…no suspects."

"Thanks, Gwaine."

"Anytime."

Arthur rolled his blue eyes at the sergeant and turned back to the curator. "Thank you for your time, Mrs. Young. We'll keep you informed if anything comes up."

She gave him a forced polite smile, tresses of doubt and frustration showing in her blue eyes as she nodded and walked away as her heels click-ed against the tiled floor.

"Well, wasn't she charming?"

"Gwaine."

"What?"

Colin grinned. "Well, she did just have her museum broken into."

"But nothing was stolen."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Still."

But why would someone break in only to steal nothing? They left no trail, made sure there was no footage or fingerprints… Maybe it was to send a message? But then there's that 'what? And why?' again.

He felt his jaw clench with frustration as well as interest to their case, and he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "I'm going to call Leon; see what he's found." He saw Colin nod with approval, and then Arthur saw Gwaine grab Colin's forearm and pull him towards another display before he turned around himself and took a few steps away.

Arthur pressed the unlock button and touched the 'contacts' icon before typing in 'L.' Immediately, Leon's name was pulled up, and he pressed the icon to call him. He brought the touchscreen phone to his ear just in time to hear the first ring.

The Inspector heard Colin's laugh behind him and turned around to see Gwaine pointing at some woman with a smile on his bright face. He saw the arm that Gwaine had slung over Colin's narrow shoulders and could see both their shoulders trembling with hidden laughter. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen Gwaine so happy, so laid back. He always was with them, but this was different. He'd only known Colin for a short time and already they acted like they were joined at the hip.

"…two more things you'll need to complete your quest: Strength… and Magic."

"Arthur?"

The Inspector blinked and shook his head to clear it. "Hm, Leon? Are you there?"

His friend's soft voice filtered through the phones speaker. "Yeah, I'm here. What's up?"

Arthur shook his head even though he knew Leon couldn't see it. "Nothing. We're still at the museum."

"Yeah, us too." Then his voice changed a bit, curiosity and puzzlement sneaking in. "But… here nothing was taken."

"Same here; nothing taken, and no evidence at all that there was a break-in except the curator's word."

"Odd."

"Very. What about over there? Fingerprints? Cameras?"

"Nope. The report says that the area was swept clean: no fingerprints, no shoe marks. The cameras were blacked out… But one of the guards saw our thief sneaking out a window."

Arthur's brow rose with surprise. "Did he now? What else did he say?" He heard the sound of paper rustling, presumably Leon's notepad.

"He told the earlier team that he didn't get a very good look because the lights were all off, but the thief was wearing all black, ski mask, and gloves. He says he saw him sneaking out the window a few feet from the display case, and that before he could call it in, the guy was gone. That's when he raised the alarm."

"But what about security?" he asked curiously. "In general, I mean. Here, the person who broke in tripped the silent alarm when he opened the case."

"Elyan's still talking to the guard, but from when Percy gathered, they don't have an electrical security system. It's a small museum, and they don't particularly have anything of rare or expensive value."

"Wait." Arthur's brow came together as a thought passed through his mind. "What part of the museum was broken into?"

"The um… Middle Ages area."

Arthur felt something stir in his stomach as his suspicions were confirmed. "And what display was broken into?" He heard some static and thought it was Leon turning around.

"Just some featured weapons, but none of them were disturbed. The only reason they know that it was that particular display case is because –"

"- it was left open?"

A pause. "How'd you guess?"

"Because it's the same here. Listen, Leon, I gotta go before Gwaine does something stupid." He heard Leon laugh. "I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. You want me to call this in, or - ?"

Arthur shook his head again. "Nah, I will."

He heard Elyan's voice in the background, and Leon repeated the question when prompted. "Elyan's wondering how Colin's doing."

The Inspector turned around to glance at the man, who was smiling at another display with Gwaine, this one, it looked like, was a painting. He quirked his brow and, just as Colin seemed to feel Arthur's amused eyes on him and looked at him, Arthur turned away.

"Good so far."

"Was that approval in your voice?" Leon teased. Then he seemed to lower his voice as it took on a different tone. "So he's not like the others?"

"No…" A pause. "I don't know, there's just…"

"Something about him?"

"Yeah."

He could hear the smirk in Leon's voice. "I feel like I've met him before."

"Like déjà vu?" he offered.

"…Kinda. I mean I suppose that makes sense. You too?"

"M-huh."

He heard Gwaine laugh at something Colin had said and heard another person in the silent museum shush them.

"I had better go," he said, "before Gwaine gets us kicked out."

Leon laughed. "Okay. I'll see you in a bit."

They said their short farewells before Arthur touched the 'end call' button on his phone and turned around again. He walked over to his partners and glanced over their shoulder to see them looking at Van Gogh's 'Starry Night,' one of his personal favorites. "Come on, guys, let's get out of here."

Gwaine whined. "But, Arthur…"

Colin gave him a more willing look, calcite eyes smiling, and as Arthur turned around and started walking back towards the entrance, he knew for some reason that Colin and Gwaine would follow.

And it was when they were back outside, under a bright, cloud spotted blue sky that something changed… something shifted.

They walked past a group gathered by the staircase, and Arthur squeezed and

'Excuse me'd his way through, as did Colin, who was right behind him, and Gwaine. Then he heard Colin give a little yelp as he tripped down a stair and felt the man's long fingers grab for and clench the material on the back of his jacket to keep from falling. Arthur turned around and grasped his forearm, and once Colin was steadily back on his feet, with a smile on his face, he spoke without thinking. Later he would be surprised at the fond amusement that had flooded his voice.

"Idiot."

He turned away, and when his mind registered what he had said, his blue eyes widened with shock. Arthur began to turn around with every intention of apologizing to the person he had only known for a few hours, but when he did, he didn't find any expected emotion in Colin's eyes. He thought he would see offence, maybe even anger, but no… he saw surprise, fondness, and acceptance… and… Are his eyes sparkling?

He saw Gwaine glance warily between the two of them, waiting for someone to break the pregnant silence, and when Colin finally did, it was with something that, for seemingly no reason at all, had Arthur's heart pounding in his chest twice as fast, and he felt hot water pushing on the backs of his own sky coloured eyes as his heart softened and filled with unidentifiable emotions.

"Prat."

And then suddenly, everything was okay.

Colin, still smiling, stepped past him and hopped down another beige step, and Gwaine shot him a wide, comical grin, asking, "Where'd we park again?"

So... I'm not actually sure what to say. Oh! Thank you all for your reviews, including the guest reviews. They really mean a lot, and they encourage me to write more. So a huge thank you to all my regular, and non-regular, reviewers. *massive hugs* I also really appreciate your honesty and specifications in your reviews. Telling me what you liked and what you dislike about this helps me to adjust and improve my writing. So again, thank you all! :D

Please review. :)