A/N: Thank you so much to: Guest 1, Guest 2, Angelina1989, Patiku, purpledolphin1 and larasmith for your reviews on the previous chatper, much appreciated! And thank you larasmith for your lengthy reviews, it surprises me how someone would be that interested in this story! I love you all from the bottom of my heart. :)

And I know it's a little late but happy 2015 and I hope you all have a good and prosperous year. Anybody who is creative and loves art/loves creating cover art, especially for fanfictions, you may want to read the A/N at the bottom. ;)

Chapter 4: The Beginning of The Beginning

Her hand clutched her purse tightly, her feet were scooted together like they were glued, her curly, brown locks fell down her back, neatly done up just for today, do she rushed slightly when she was doing up her hair. Gwen looked up from the floor and read the sign that was placed on the doorway of the building. She had read it countless times yet she still needed just a few more seconds to get herself together. It was like she was frozen in time. Why was she so nervous? Stephanie and her father had given her more than enough support and strength for her to be able to get this over and done with it. Was she going to make a bad impression? Were they going to like her? Were they even going to accept her? Several questions she just wished she could answer swirled in her mind at that very second. She gulped nervously as she watched the receptionist through the glass, chit chatting away with somebody at the desk, laughing and giggling. People with carts and trays walked in and out; Gwen wondered if that was the food that they were delivering and collecting. A few small, white vans with the name Blunketts branded on the sides were parked on the street and a few people were stuffing the back with the carts and trays. It was like it was any other day. But this one was not just any other day for Gwen; it was the day she could finally get her life back together and back on track.

Just an hour ago, Gwen had called Blunketts to ask for a job. The phone call ran smoothly, if it wasn't for Stephanie mouthing calm down to her constantly as she spoke on the phone. Maria, the woman who spoke on the other end, seemed to have a nice personality and Gwen was delighted when they were willing to interview her and show her around the place she might eventually be calling her workplace. She relived that moment in her mind...

"Hello, this is Maria Wilkinson from Blunketts, how may I help you?" The woman on the other end said.

Gwen looked up at Stephanie, completely lost as to what to say next. Steph gave her a weird face, literally reading 'What are you waiting for?'. Gwen bit down on her lip and began to speak, hoping she sounded as confident as possible. "Hello, I read your ad in the newspaper and was interested in the job. Oh, I'm Guinevere by the way. I was wondering if it's still possible to –"

But Maria was quick to interrupt her. "Oh, yes! My boss was hoping someone would give us a call, she's desperately looking for new employees," She announced with so much excitement and loudness that Gwen had to pull the phone away from her ear slightly just for a short moment. "Wait, wait, you said your name was?" She asked.

"Guinevere." Gwen replied simply. Was this good? Gwen heard the scribble of a pen sliding across paper and then the sound of the pen being put down briefly.

"Be here in an hour or so, I'll let the boss know you'll arrive shortly!" Maria announced.

"Wait, what? Are you sure?" Gwen was shocked at how quick everything seemed to be moving. But the shock soon turned into euphoria as she realized this was a big opportunity and at last, it was within reach.

"Of course!" The woman beamed. "Well, that is unless you have other plans and you aren't able to arrive today..."

"No, no, not at all! I'll be down there as soon as I can, thank you so much." Gwen smiled for once, Stephanie mirroring back the happiness Gwen was feeling.

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine, we all really are in need of fresh faces around here. I guess I shall be seeing you soon, Guinevere."

And with that, the phone call ended, leaving Gwen ecstatic. Stephanie couldn't help but smile back. Gwen leaned against the bar and lunged at her friend for a tight embrace. "Oh, I need to change, I need to freshen myself up, I need to think about what I'm going to say, I need –"

"Gwen, you'll be just fine," Stephanie placed her hands on Gwen's arms reassuringly. At last, that gleam in Gwen's brown eyes had returned; hope had once again ignited in her. "Go, go! Tell me everything later when you're back with the job." Stephanie smiled and all Gwen could do was nod happily, darting out of the café in a rush to return home and change clothes. When she pushed the door, the bell above it rung and she knew that would be the last time she'd hear that sound and feel nostalgic or upset, knowing the café was where she had lost her job. No more Mr. Pighead, no more making coffees and cappuccinos and certainly no more giving up. She knew she was going to get the job, she just knew it...

She was still standing idly facing the glass door of the building. Maybe thinking back on it, she wasn't as confident now that she was literally face to face with an opportunity. She noticed the receptionist moved from her seat and seemed to be approaching her, her eyebrows scrunched up. Gwen froze over. The woman pushed forward the glass door, simply peering her head around instead of stepping out completely. "You've been standing out here an awful lot of time, everything alright?" She asked, scanning Gwen up and down with what felt like judgmental eyes.

"Oh," Was all she managed to utter at the realization that she probably made herself look like a fool. "I'm here for the job interview... Maria Wilkinson was the –"

"Yes, that's me," The woman mustered a smile. Gwen looked her up and down and noticed the pencil skirt that wrapped her tiny waist and the very formal jacket she had over the perfectly white shirt she was wearing underneath. Her hair was neatly slicked back into a simple bun placed at the back of her head and her black, pointed heels added at least a few more inches to her height. "Do come in, Mrs. Cooper doesn't like to wait." She smirked. Instantly, Gwen felt comfortable around Maria.

She directed Gwen trough the building and both entered the elevator. Maria pressed a few buttons and in an instant, they were going up to the floor where this Mrs. Cooper's office was located at. Gwen nervously stared at her reflection in the mirror; all four sides of the elevator held up a mirror, so there was no escaping. She knew she was probably giving off the impression of nervousness but she was really trying her best to hide that. It didn't take long for Maria to notice how Gwen was slightly fidgety. They exchanged looks through the mirror and Maria gave her a smile. Gwen was surprised at how nice Maria seemed to be considering they were practically strangers to one another. But then Gwen wondered if Maria only did that because she knew she needed some sort of reassurance everything was going to be fine, probably because many had been in Gwen's very position right now, in the elevator, awaiting their doom.

"There's no need to worry, I assure you of that." Maria broke the deafening silence in an attempt to calm the brown, haired girl standing ever so nervously beside her.

Gwen glanced over at her, nodding and smiling. "Thank you." Gwen mumbled, returning her gaze to her reflection but she noticed from the corner of her eye that Maria was still watching her, almost like a hawk. What was wrong? Was it her clothes? Was it her face? Oh God, Gwen began to debate with herself if the skirt she chose was appropriate for the occasion or if it was her hair that was in a horrible state. Whatever it was, Gwen sensed it couldn't be good. Her attentive staring was only making her panic a little more inside.

Ping.

They arrived at the floor they needed to be at and Gwen sucked in air before eventually exhaling heavily. Stepping out of the elevator, Maria led the way through the numerous corridors and many people walked past her, folders in their hands, brochures and even menus. Gwen sniffed the air, only to realize the strong smell of food that surrounded her and she noticed it was coming from the cart that had just been pushed past her, probably to feed the hungry employees working at the place and also to deliver to the various companies in town.

Eventually, they reached a door, a silver plaque centered right in the middle reading Mrs. COOPER. And so it seemed they finally reached the boss's office. Maria gave one last glance at Gwen, still a smile painted on her face before knocking lightly against the oak that made up the door. After that, a come in was muttered but was slightly muffled. On cue, Maria opened the door and Gwen sheepishly followed behind, astonished by the sheer size of the office and fabulous view it had.

"Mrs. Cooper, this is Guinevere. She called in because of the job vacancy." Maria gestured her hand towards the brunette who was standing a few centimeters away from her and Mrs. Cooper smiled warmly, eventually lifting herself up from the revolving, black seat she was in.

"Very nice to meet you, Guinevere," Mrs. Cooper said, reaching her hand towards Gwen's direction in order to give her a handshake. Once their hands were interlocked in a friendly handshake, Gwen shyly smiled. "Please, take a seat." At that exact moment, Maria left the room, softly closing the door behind her. Gwen followed Mrs. Cooper's orders, sitting in the seat facing her. Mrs. Cooper returned to her seat and began to ruffle around with papers on her desk and placing them in drawers.

"So, I presume you're here for the job?" The woman asked, though she said it with a smile. She linked her fingers together and place them in front of her in a formal fashion, paying close attention to Gwen at this point.

"Yes," Gwen nodded, smiling in return, though her smile was wide and confident. "I'd love to have the job." Gwen said. Her only task now was to give off the vibe of self-confidence and assurance in everything she said, which would possibly make a good impression. Gwen hadn't even noticed that her fingers were crossed, almost as if to give her luck. However, she was quick to uncross them.

On the table, a family photo, at least it seemed, with Mrs. Cooper standing in the center, hands locked with a very tall man and two children running about in the background. For some reason, she had a feeling that Mrs. Cooper was a nice person, and she had only been in the same room with her for a mere minute or so. "Ah, yes, that's my family," Mrs. Cooper noticed how Gwen quickly glanced over at the photo. Gwen's intuition was correct. "I hardly get to see them, you know. Work." She smirked before eventually sighing. Gwen wondered if her sigh was of sadness.

"I understand, Mrs. Cooper. You must be very busy considering how big of a business this is." Gwen tried to sympathize with her, still, that smile of hers on her face. She knew the business was big because she was sure she had seen their vans driving around the city and by the sheer amount of people she saw lifting and pushing carts in and out of the building, she could only presume it was because they had connections with several businesses, probably even with Uther Pendragon's business, who knew.

"Exactly, but I think the most important thing right now is showing you around, telling you everything you will be doing and making sure you meet everybody around here." She smiled.

"Mrs. Cooper, I'll gladly accept, but you're speaking as if I've already got the job, isn't their supposed to be some sort of interview?" Gwen questioned and for some reason, the woman before her let out a slight giggle.

"Guinevere, right?" She asked, unsure. Gwen nodded and she proceeded to speak. "Guinevere, I've had several interviews in the past few days. You see, I want to find the right person for this job. It's not an easy task; delivering foods, making sure it's all delivered on time and to the right people... Our Percy has been working for us for just over seven years now and he really does need a hand. As soon as I saw you enter the room, I had a feeling you were going to be the right person," Gwen looked back at her with wide eyes, though she couldn't help but smile at the compliment. "Nobody that I have interviewed in the past few days had the decency to be formal with me, could you believe that? You have been the first to call me 'Mrs. Cooper'. It must mean something." She smirked.

"Wow, I..." Gwen trailed off, excited. She had only just entered the room and here she was, being told she had already got the job without even lifting a finger or putting in any effort. This really must be her lucky day. "Thank you, Mrs. Cooper, I'm surprised... I really didn't expect this."

"What did you expect? A bossy, old, woman with spectacles asking you about your goals in life for an hour or two?" She joked and Gwen laughed.

"If you want me to be honest, yes, yes I did." She admitted. It felt like a tonne had been lifted off her shoulders. How was it possible for a woman like her to be so laid-back and jokey about this?

"You haven't been the first to say that," She replied. "Anyway, shall we take a look around? Maria will handle the whole uniform thing and all the procedures and all that but for now, I think you'll like meeting your new co-workers." She smiled.

"And then she said that my dress didn't suit me at all! How could she possibly have the guts to say such a thing, especially to me?" Vivian moaned. Arthur had been hearing this for at least about half an hour now. This was officially not a lunch break, it was just lunch.

"Vivian," Arthur managed to shut her up, putting the sandwich down and looking up at his girlfriend's face. "What have I told you? You have to ignore Sophia's sneer comments. She enjoys the fact you give them attention, Viv, you need to realize that. Now, can I please just finish off this sandwich?" He said with almost puppy eyes. How on Earth did this woman become his girlfriend?

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms in the process. "Alright, Arty, finish off your damn sandwich, it's obviously more important than me!" She snapped, causing a few heads to turn in the café they were at, different from the one where Vivian had a little 'accident', damaging her dress in the process. She swore she would never enter back in that café although Arthur tried telling her several times she was just being over dramatic.

"I didn't mean it like that." He said softly, placing the sandwich down and reaching out for her hand. But she quickly removed her hand from his reach as if he were something utterly disgusting and couldn't bear to touch. Arthur simply sighed at her reaction, going to back to devouring his sandwich.

There was a few moments of silence between the two and once Vivian noticed that Arthur wasn't going to press anymore on the situation and that he wasn't feeding her attention anymore, she spoke up with a slight cough to capture his attention. "I want us to stop fighting, Arthur. That's all we do nowadays." She said, her mouth dipping to one side, a genuine look of unhappiness on her face.

"I do to, but you always end up starting it, Viv, and I don't know what to do about it anymore." He said flatly.

Vivian started to panic a little. "You know how I am! I'm sorry, I really am, I didn't realize I was being such an evil cow... Forgive me?" She pleaded.

"Vivian, I really do want to, but... the last time you said that, we ended up going back to the same vicious cycle." He made sure to mention. When was her 'sorry' ever going to be genuine?

"But that was last time," She scooted her chair further under the table in order to get closer to Arthur. "I promise things will be different." She smiled, placing her soft hand on his and caressing it.

"Vivian, I think you and I both know we need to brea–"

But just before he could even finish his sentence, Vivian frantically leaned in and gave Arthur a passionate kiss. She eventually broke it off and sat down back in her chair, leaving Arthur slightly confused and speechless at the same time. "Uh..." Was all he managed to mutter.

"Oh, look, the time! We don't want to be late back to work. Come on, Arty, let's go." She smiled and Arthur sighed. Attempt number one to break up with girlfriend: failed.

She couldn't help but smile; all she felt like doing was jump up and down in excitement and scream out to everybody and let everyone in the world know how happy and euphoric she was feeling right now.

After about an hour or so around the building , she ended up meeting a lot of her co-workers, the things she was going to do and the times and days of the weeks she would work. Maria had handed her the uniform, which only consisted in a white shirt with the logo and brand of Blunketts stitched into it. She was told she was going to start tomorrow exactly at nine in the morning and there was no way she was going to be late. She knew from no on she had to become more responsible. She ended up having a little chat with one of the co-workers, Leon, and she found out that he was a pretty nice guy and surprisingly, he seemed to have shown some interest in her.

She just couldn't wait to tell everything to her father; oh, how he would be. Things were definitely looking up and she couldn't wait to get a feel for what things are really like around the place. She walked - more like skipped - towards the bus stop and that smirk of hers just couldn't banish itself from her face; she was probably going to stay like this for at least a week or so, probably even more, who knows.

She was walking, in her thoughts, when she realized she probably didn't have enough money to take a ride home. Worriedly, she scrambled through her purse, shoving things to the side to find her purse but it was proving a little difficult as she tried to concentrate on the pavement at the same time. At last, she saw her purse lie right at the bottom and grabbed it, opening it and looking into the slit where she kept her pennies. A frown crept upon her face as she realized she was ten pence short, but she continued to examine its contents, ridiculously wishing a ten pence coin would magically show itself so she wouldn't have to walk all the way home. That was until...

Somebody hit against her, causing her to fall and drop practically all the pennies she had in her hand. She let out a loud oof as her backside practically slammed against the slabs of concrete that made up the pavement and she looked up to see what exactly had happened, only to find a man in a suit looking down at her, an expression of pure worry painted all over the handsome gentleman. Wait, she was pretty sure she had seen this face before... But where?

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you!" He almost yelled, reaching down and picking up the pennies she had dropped and also picking up her purse.

"Ouch... Uh, it's fine, I'm fine, I mean," Gwen managed to say. He put his hand out kindly in order to help her up and she accepted his hand. He pulled her up and gave her her purse, which he had already filled with the pennies that had scattered on the floor. "Thank you." She said rather awkwardly.

"No need to thank me." The jet black haired man said, making Gwen almost blush but she contained herself. "Are you hurt?"

"No, the impact hurt but other than that, I'll be just fine. Thank you again." Gwen said, smiling back at him. Suited man, nice looking watch, gelled hair... he could only be part of the rich clang. Gwen began to walk off but the man stopped her in her tracks as he said something.

"Wait," He said. "What's your name?" He asked, his hands in his pockets in a casual way.

"It's Gwen, short for Guinevere."

"Merlin."

"Nice to meet you, Merlin." She smiled back. Wait. She finally connected the dots. The man standing in front of her was the guy she had seen in the café, the one who was seated with the woman whom she had spilled coffee over. But she remembered Arthur Pen dragon was also there with him. They were probably friend. But she decided not to go over that moment and mention anything. "I'll see you around, I guess?"

"The thing that happened at the café, ignore her. I'm so sorry about the whole losing your job thing." He said sympathetically. Great, he just had to bring that up.

"Oh, it's fine," She reassured. "I've got a new job... If you see her again, tell I really am sorry about the dress, if I need to pay for it, I will."

"She'll be just fine." He laughed and Gwen laughed too, though she laughed lightly just in case, not really knowing if he was joking or not.

"Aren't you going to work? You don't want to be late." Gwen pointed out. Why was he even bothering getting to know her when he most likely had better - more interesting - things to do?

"Don't worry about me. What about you?" He asked curiously. He couldn't help but admire her beauty. She had beautiful brown eyes and brown hair and her skin seemed smooth just by looking at it.

"I'm on my way home but I don't have enough bus money..." She admitted, looking at the ground.

"Here," He said, reaching out for his wallet and pulling out a five pound note, handing it to her in the process. She was shocked at his action. "Take it." He wiggled the money slightly.

"I can't possibly accept your money," She nodded in the no. "I guess I'll have to just walk home."

"No way, please, take it, it's fine." He smiled and eventually, Gwen gave in, grabbing the note and placing it in her wallet.

"Thank you, I guess." She smiled, showing her teeth in the process. Things were getting better and better today.

"I better get going," He looked down at his watch. "I'll see you around... Gwen." He smiled before eventually walking off, leaving Gwen to watch him leave.

Time to go home and tell daddy all about today.

A/N: Thanks for reading and I hope you liked this chapter! I am looking for somebody who will be willing to create a cover art for this story as I find the current one really boring! If anybody is interested, do PM about it. I'm really desperate! I can assure you that if I chose yours, I will mention your name in the next chapter, thanking you and probably telling you how much I love you. Anyway, don't forget to review, and see you soon, hopefully!